Have been on a bit of a Sarah Cracknell bender since seeing Saint Etienne at Bowery Ballroom. Did you know she comes from an showbiz family -- father Derek was Stanley Kubrick's first assistant director and mom Julie (Samuel) was a '60s film and TV actress -- and has recorded three-ish solo albums? This is one of my favorite songs from her 2015 release, "Red Kite."
Had a hoot seeing Saint Etienne last night on their 20th anniversary "Good Humor" tour. The trio was in fine form along with a full band and Dolly Mixture legend Debsey Wykes on backing vocals, cow bell and plasticwin instruments. The concert was extra special because I had seen the band at the same venue with my friend Ken when they first toured to promote the album in 1998, shortly after we had moved to the city from D.C. and now I was seeing them 20 years later with my guy, who first got into Saint Etienne with that very album.
For those seeing them on the rest of the tour, fear not: They do "Good Humor" in its entirety then disappear for a lengthy period of time ... so lengthy, in fact, that a lot of the audience left. (The lights even came on briefly, which is the cue to exit.) But they do eventually come back out for another set of hits and assorted album tracks. (They even debuted a new song!)
As superfans may know, the two bonus CDs they announced would be sold at the show were delayed at the manufacturer, so they are selling them for $30 (cash only) at the merchandise table in the form of an I.O.U.Music. Hard to pick a favorite moment from the evening -- the music, the company, the beer on a hot summer night -- but Damian has always loved "Wood Cabin" and "The Bad Photographer," which he included on a mix CD he made me when we were courting, so they're my co-songs of the day!
Can't overstate what a blast Damian and I had at the Saint Etienne show Monday night at Bowery Ballroom, the same place where I first saw the synth trio live 19 years ago with my friend Ken shortly after moving to New York City. ("Good Humor" and "Celebrity Skin" were my NYC move albums!) Unlike their last tour back in 2012 (when they played Webster Hall), they brought a full band and backing vocalist -- none other than Debsey Wykes of Dolly Mixture fame, who sang co-lead on "Who Do You Think You Are?" back in 1993 -- so had a fuller sound, complete with violins and wind instruments.
Now with most bands I have a strong wish list of songs I want to hear, But with Saint Etienne, I'm pretty much ecstatic with their performing any of the 400-plus tracks they've recorded since 1990. (If they came out and did "The Misadventures of Saint Etienne" from start to finish I'd swoon!)
Sarah Cracknell was in usual fine form, with her trademark blond locks and minimal movement and intermittent boa.
Bob Stanley, left, and Pete Wiggs too were very "Bob and Pete" -- steering as far away from the spotlight as possible (literally standing in the back) as they methodically played their synthesizers still seemingly in awe of how much people still adore everything they come up with.
Although they could do no wrong in my book, they cooked up an impressive set list that included their first three singles -- including the two Sarah hadn't been the vocalist on (always great to hear her take on "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "Kiss and Make Up") -- five songs from their brilliant new LP, "Home Counties," plus favorite singles and a low-key "Threw It All Away" during the encore. I was beaming the whole night, especially thrilled to hear "Like a Motorway" and "Whyteleafe," which was Damian's and my U.K. theme song.) Sarah introduced "Dive" as kind of being their new single, noting that it was No. 1 on the vinyl singles chart. ("I think that means it's sold three copies," she joked.) Not counting the obnoxious trio who Fraggle-Rocked their way directly in front of us midway through the show -- this was a rare occasion that I made a point of being up front, so Damian discreetly used "sharp elbows" to scare the shortest of them off, and her giant friends got the hint and moved behind me -- the only disappointment was that they came on 54 minutes late. Now a middle-aged band starting at 9:54 instead of 9 p.m. might sound like standard operating procedure, until you remember that New York City has this ridiculous "music curfew" that requires concerts to stop at 11 p.m. As a result, the band had to scrap a handful of songs that they had played the previous night in Boston, all of which would have been greatly appreciated by the sellout crowd that waited five years to see them live again. Until we meet again, Sarah, Bob and Pete, I will continue to look for YouTube clips of the missing pieces of our night in heaven, including a mashup of "Pale Movie" and "I've Got Your Music," "Split Screen," "Stop and Think It Over" (my FAVORITE song on "Finisterre," goddamnit!) and "You're in a Bad Way," which I kind of was when the lights came up so quickly!
UPDATE:
Forgot to mention that the opening act -- a duo called Pavo Pavo that appears to have been a five-piece at one time -- was delightful. They may look like a "Portlandia" sketch (by way of Brooklyn). But Eliza Bagg's angelic voice and utter lack of stage presence is adorable, and Oliver Hill seems like a consummate pro. Their ethereal pop ditties were the perfect way to ease us into the night. Learn more HERE.
Saw Saint Etienne last night at Bowery Ballroom. (Review TK.) Until then, enjoy singer Sarah Cracknell's latest contribution -- a spunky track with the U.K. duo Warm Digits.
Perfect collaboration with Sarah Cracknell of Saint Etienne from the short-lived project by Stephin Merritt, the man behind The Magnetic Fields, Clare Grogan of Altered Images provided vocals on the band's other great classic, "Night Falls Like a Grand Piano."
I can remember the minute I first fell for Saint Etienne like it was yesterday. It was spring 1992 and I was whizzing through Westwood Village in my white convertible Rabbit having just picked up my new Dunlop Max 200G (Steffi's weapon of choice, with the new paint job), fresh from the pro shop on Gayley Avenue near UCLA. The radio, as always, was tuned into KROQ when this hypnotic Euro beat came blaring over the speakers and an angelic voice started singing about love and loss: "I have a friend I've never seen/He hides his head inside a dream/Someone should call him and see if he can come out/Try to lose the down that he's found."
The DJ said the song was "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" by a new British band called Saint Etienne and, in an instant, I'd found my new "favorite band ever." I turned right and headed west toward Santa Monica to pay a visit to the Moby Disc on Wilshire Boulevard. In a clear moment of kismet, a pristine (but deeply discounted) used copy of "Foxbase Alpha," the debut album by this fascinating new group (whose name I was instantly drawn to thanks to a teenage obsession with France) was sitting near the entrance. (I was making about 23 grand a year in those days, so new CDs were a luxury reserved for special occasions, like "Def, Dumb & Blonde" or the Phil Spector box set.) The picture on the front didn't match any of the people on the back, but I quickly figured out the two guys with bangs and Charlie Brown shirts (hey, I know that look!) and a strikingly glamorous blond gal were the band. Although it would be years before I'd even realize that this blonde -- the ridiculously talented Sarah Cracknell -- hadn't even provided the vocals to the song that lured me in (she hadn't joined the band yet, which started off as a conceptual outfit between former journalists Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs), or that it was a Neil Young cover (I only knew his CSN&Y stuff at that point), my love affair with Saint Etienne is still going strong, my indisputable favorite band of the post-80s era.
Like most great loves, my relationship with Saint Etienne has gone through a number of stages. There was a time when I found their first three albums to be decidedly uneven. Being the pop purist that I am, I wanted every song to be another "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" or"Nothing Can Stop Us" or "Kiss and Make Up." But as Stephen Thomas Erlewine explained it, this trio's concept was more complex, fusing the British pop sounds of '60s London with the club/dance rhythms and productions that defined the post-acid house England of the early '90s. As such, their early works featured lots of quirky samples, dreamy instrumentals and random movie clips ("I'm from the United States of kiss my ass." -- can you name that one?). So when "Too Young to Die: Singles 1990-1995" came out, with 14 FLAWLESS pop gems in a row minus all of the accoutrements, I'd died and gone to heaven. The remix album, "Casino Classics," and Japan-only rarities set, "Continental," followed. Then in 1998 they released the comeback of sorts, "Good Humour," their most straightforward album to date, and it quickly became my fave "non greatest hits" album. "The Misadventures of Saint Etienne" (an unused soundtrack for a Parker Posey film) kind of split the difference, with some of the band's best compositions to date, along with some enjoyable atmospheric pieces.
By the time the new century rolled around, I'd seen the band in concert a half-dozen times or so (unquestionably my favorite live band ever, with a fan base that is more hard-core than that of any other band I've ever seen) and I began to revisit their early works. It was at that point I began to more fully appreciate "Foxbase Alpha," "So Tough," and "Tiger Bay," realizing that the "distractions" weren't just filler, but part of a grand scheme and artistic experience requiring my complete attention.
Even after all this time, what I find most striking about Saint Etienne is that unlike so many other artists, who seem to struggle to come up with 10 or 12 songs every few years -- some of which are obvious filler, these Brits have a never-ending supply of brilliant ideas, which almost allows them to put out album after album, bonus track after bonus track, fan-club-only CDs, vinyl singles, film soundtracks, covers, Christmas collections, solo projects and countless collaborations. Sometimes I'll be listening to one of their "throwaway" CD single "b" sides and think to myself what Madonna or Debbie Harry or Britney Spears would give to have JUST ONE SONG as good as this for their next album. Sadly, I'm getting the impression that the ever-shrinking music industry is slowly starting to exact a toll on a "cult" band like Saint Etienne, as their ratio of "best of" albums is steadily becoming disproportionate to their number of proper releases. (This is NOT the band's doing as they confess to major embarrassment of it all on their splendid Web site.) Still, they make the most of the circumstance. The band spiced up "London Conversations: The Best of Saint Etienne," the umpteenth "hits" collection, with the new single, "Method of Modern Love," a slick dance track fans are calling their best yet. What I'm eager for now is another concert visit (was that really three years ago that they were last here?). The trio's in their 40s now and won't be around forever. But some 20 years later, they still seem to only get better with age.
"Method of Modern Love": Hall and Oates only wish!
In this exclusive footage, Saint Etienne chanteuse Sarah Cracknell gives her new single, "The Journey Continues," the acoustic treatment and the results -- alongside classically trained soprano Jane Sheldon -- are sublime. Additionally, Sarah goes on to say that Saint Etienne's is working on a new single with Richard X, called "This Is Tomorrow," to be included on a new greatest hits album that focuses on the singles since 1995's "Too Young to Die." (Never mind the fact that "Travel Edition" and the two-disc "Smash the System" already took care of this!) More interest, though, she says the group's entire catalog is set to be reissued and remastered. Although I claim to have mixed feelings about shelling out hundreds of dollars more on music I already own, god knows St. Etienne will do them up right with lots of bonus tracks and the like, so how can I resist? (My six reissued BANANARAMA CDs just arrived a minute ago and they're fab!!!)
Violent Violet also has Sarah’s handwritten and signed lyric sheet from the acoustic session to give away (click here for details). If you look very closely you can see it in the accompanying video footage.
Here's a nice promo shot of Mark Brown and Sarah Cracknell for their upcoming "The Journey Continues" single. Check out the video below. (Via ChartRigger)
My blog is featured in Susan Olsen's tell-all about the ill-fated "Brady Bunch Variety Hour"!
Little Kenny
Growing up in Madison Heights, Mich.
Back to the Old House
The Web leads to an unexpected return to a house I grew up in.
Oceans 11
Carlsbad, Calif. (2008)
1983
Go Behind the Music of my high-school band, A La Plage
A Death in the Family
Little Larry left us too soon.
Once I Had a Love
With Debbie Harry
'Jungle' Fever
With Robert Buckley
Roger & Me
With Roger Federer
Step Brother McMullen
With Ed Burns
Headline News
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I can remember the minute I first fell for Saint Etienne like it was yesterday. It was spring 1992 and I was whizzing through Westwood Village in my white convertible Rabbit having just picked up my new Dunlop Max 200G (Steffi's weapon of choice, with the new paint job), fresh from the pro shop on Gayley Avenue near UCLA. The radio, as always, was tuned into KROQ when this hypnotic Euro beat came blaring over the speakers and an angelic voice started singing about love and loss: "I have a friend I've never seen/He hides his head inside a dream/Someone should call him and see if he can come out/Try to lose the down that he's found."
By the time the new century rolled around, I'd seen the band in concert a half-dozen times or so (unquestionably my favorite live band ever, with a fan base that is more hard-core than that of any other band I've ever seen) and I began to revisit their early works. It was at that point I began to more fully appreciate "Foxbase Alpha," "So Tough," and "Tiger Bay," realizing that the "distractions" weren't just filler, but part of a grand scheme and artistic experience requiring my complete attention.
Even after all this time, what I find most striking about Saint Etienne is that unlike so many other artists, who seem to struggle to come up with 10 or 12 songs every few years -- some of which are obvious filler, these Brits have a never-ending supply of brilliant ideas, which almost allows them to put out album after album, bonus track after bonus track, fan-club-only CDs, vinyl singles, film soundtracks, covers, Christmas collections, solo projects and countless collaborations. Sometimes I'll be listening to one of their "throwaway" CD single "b" sides and think to myself what Madonna or Debbie Harry or Britney Spears would give to have JUST ONE SONG as good as this for their next album. Sadly, I'm getting the impression that the ever-shrinking music industry is slowly starting to exact a toll on a "cult" band like Saint Etienne, as their ratio of "best of" albums is steadily becoming disproportionate to their number of proper releases. (This is NOT the band's doing as they confess to major embarrassment of it all on their splendid Web site.) Still, they make the most of the circumstance. The band spiced up "London Conversations: The Best of Saint Etienne," the umpteenth "hits" collection, with the new single, "Method of Modern Love," a slick dance track fans are calling their best yet. What I'm eager for now is another concert visit (was that really three years ago that they were last here?). The trio's in their 40s now and won't be around forever. But some 20 years later, they still seem to only get better with age.
Violent Violet also has Sarah’s handwritten and signed lyric sheet from the acoustic session to give away (click here for details). If you look very closely you can see it in the accompanying video footage.
Click to revisit the heyday of Chelsea's 8th Avenue
My blog is featured in Susan Olsen's tell-all about the ill-fated "Brady Bunch Variety Hour"!
Growing up in Madison Heights, Mich.
The Web leads to an unexpected return to a house I grew up in.
Carlsbad, Calif. (2008)
Go Behind the Music of my high-school band, A La Plage
Little Larry left us too soon.
With Debbie Harry
With Robert Buckley
With Roger Federer
With Ed Burns
With Thomas Roberts
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