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Hymns in Lancashire...

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  Hymns For Robots is a revered EMOM-style night that everyone in the community seems to have heard of. Curated, so not quite a pure EMOM, the night is currently into its third year according to my calculations (though I may be wrong), and we were lucky enough to get a slot at HfR #40. There were only four acts this night, and each of us had a 25-minute slot to really show what we can do. So, up the M60, M61, and M6 for a couple of hours we went, and by twilight we were pulling into the car park opposite the venue for what would be gig number 25 on this strange musical odyssey of ours. First up was the curiously named GnomeFoam, complete with an excellent Ernie (or is it Bert?) raving hat. Good vibes, breakbeats and DnB were very much in evidence. He did mention to me before he went on that he sometimes gets nervous, but I think he has a great act and the audience loved it. No need for nerves when you get that kind of reaction!   Next up, we had Sylvia And I. This was a beguiling, ambi
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The Power of EMOM Compels You!

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PP Roy being announced by host Tom.   It was back to The Lloyds for Totally Wired #4 last Thursday, to do battle with once more with the unquiet ghost of Martin Hannett. Maybe he was bored tormenting the performers, or maybe there was a priest in the audience, but the new PA was superb, and it was good and loud! First to the tables was PP Roy with his unique blend of beats and 60s lounge music. This guy must have one heck of a record collection. I get a chilled St Etienne vibe from his work. See what you think... We were up next and after discovering that we could play for longer than planned, the set list became somewhat casual. Being behind the speakers wasn't the best for recording sound, but it went down OK on the night.   Rollmopski took to the stage next, with their unique blend of Prophet 5, modular, Theremin and slide guitar creating a sound that was in turn bouncy and plaintive.   Next, we were in for an interactive treat courtesy of Thunkist and his special paddles contai
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Politest Stage Invasion EVER!

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  As I wrote in the last entry about NIAMOS, Hulme, like the rest of Manchester, is in a constant state of renewal. Hulme isn't "Hulme" any more. It is filled with culture, and an involved community. Gone are the dreaded "Crescents", replaced by smart housing association properties with gardens. There's even a bike hire stand! All that SpaceNoodlr needs now is support from the EMOM community to come down and make a night of it, because it really is a good night. The space is BIG, the PA is loud and robust - you literally can't hurt it - and the people are always welcoming and learning as they go. It just needs more people playing in that big space. Last week, we were treated to truly diverse sounds, not least of which was LIEI and her melifluous integration of Theramin and Japanese-inspired music. Great to chill to, with a gorgeous Moog Theramin looking like it was straight out of The Jetsons! Take a listen, and also look at that stage. When else are you
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In Particular, Nowhere...

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The Mighty Nowhere!   Last Thursday was another chance to get back over the Pennines, and a journey through landscapes that could easily melt your eyeballs with their beauty. Yes, it was time for the Holmfirth EMOM at Nowhere again!  This time, Martin Christie started us off with a funky track played on a tiny box of tricks. If it wasn't called "Welcome to EMOM" I don't know what else it could be called. He also told us about setting up the first speculative EMOM a few years ago at Fuel Bar in Manchester and watching it grow like Topsy and become a global phenomenon. Very inspirational stuff.   Martin and his box of tricks! So, next up was a man with quite literally a box of tricks. In this case, a cardboard box holding his kit. How Buildings Fail is a new name to me, and put me in mind of The Fall, or some of the spoken word events I've been to where Mark E. Smith has performed.   Another box of tricks, this time a cardboard one, courtesy of How Buildings Fail. A
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Tips for a Growing Movement...

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  This blog post is dedicated to Inky Da Kat. She was always such a big supporter of the EMOM community, and will be sadly missed by all of us.   Well, we've managed to get to the giddy heights of 21 EMOM sets now, and with the confidence of ignorant naivety, I've started to notice some rules of thumb about what makes an event go with a bang for all concerned.    I've split them into a list of Dos and Don'ts for performers, organisers and sound engineers. these are just things that have occurred to me. I hope you agree. If I've missed anything, or you wish to argue that I'm wrong, please get in touch, but be kind or I'll set Libby on you. Thanks to the vibrant EMOM community, this is a living document and I'll strive to keep it updated as a resource and fount of knowledge as more comes to light.  Performers: Do: Level your set. Run through the whole thing with a free LUFS meter, such as Youlean, on the very end of the master bus to make sure that the lev
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Holy Water To The Stage, Please!

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  1 Behold, the mighty Muson synthesizer! It was back to Totally Wired in Chorlton-cum-Hardy last Thursday, and the scene of the previous ghostly goings-on during election night in June. The Lloyds is a big venue, and I like playing there a lot because it has a "lay" crowd of very appreciative Thursday night drinkers who are up for something different. This time, I hoped to make peace with the unquiet spirit of Martin Hannett. Did I manage it, or did he cause even more spectral mischief?  PP Roy was on first, and was using the most glorious synthesizer I've ever seen. A Muson synthesizer from 1978. His wife told me later that she bought for next to nothing. Though limited in scope, this baby has a 10-note sequencer and (according to the spec at Polynomial ) 2 note polyphony and (ahem) MIDI! Quite how the makers implemented that last facility several years before it was even a twinkle in Dave Smith's eye is probably just wishful thinking on the part of a seller. Spea
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Getting Radical In Hulme

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The NIAMOS Radical Arts Centre - a place with an illustrious past Hulme has always been considered one of the poorest parts of Manchester. Engels wrote about it at length in the 19th century, but despite this, at the turn of the 20th century, local philanthropy meant that Hulme suddenly boasted not only a Hippodrome but also the Playhouse theatre, built side-by-side. It was in the Hippodrome that the BBC recorded some comedy classics in the 1950s, including the first ever Morecambe & Wise Radio Show. It also booked the Playhouse as a radio recording studio for 30 years. The Beatles even played a live gig there in their early days. Both buildings have survived the inevitable failure of half arsed urban regeneration schemes, and Hulme is on the rise again. The infamous Crescents are gone, replaced by smart housing association homes with gardens, and the NIAMOS Radical Arts Centre now occupies the Playhouse. Hallowed ground indeed! As I lugged Libby and the gear into the venue, one th
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