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This is the archive of the combined Barking Spider and Andy Broad Portsmouth Blues Site mailing lists.
For the latest information on what's on at The Bullfrog Blues Club click here
Barking Spider Promotions Mailing List |
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ALAN CLAYSON- The R.M.A. Tavern, Cromwell Rd., Eastney, Tuesday 1st February
Alan Clayson - pop historian and sometime leader of the legendary Clayson and
the Argonauts - is currently performing both solo and with accompanists of
the calibre of Dick Taylor of The Pretty Things and Wreckless Eric.
In the 1970s, Alan Clayson was lead vocalist of Turnpike, a folk-rock
ensemble that reached No. 28 in the Zigzag Top 30 with "The Rake's Progress". Next
came the surreal
Billy and the Conquerors. Clayson also found time to scrape viola in the
Portsmouth Sinfonia before he formed Clayson and the Argonauts in 1975.
While Melody Maker decided that "Clayson occupies a premier position on
rock's Lunatic Fringe", his compositions are melodically sturdy, and he is a
gifted and quirky lyricist.
His concert schedule has included a BBC radio showcase and he's headlined at
the Roundhouse and the Marquee Club, and also at the Melkveg in Amsterdam
Holland
An unsettling arrangement of Wild Man Fisher's "The Taster" rleased on
Virgin Records, was "turntable hit" (e.g. No. 3 in Time Out).
Alan Clayson has written for Record Collector, Mojo, The Times, Mediaeval
World, Folk Roots, The Independent, The Beat Goes On, Goldmine, Country Music
People, Gold and, as a teenager, the notorious Schoolkids Oz. He has performed
and lectured on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as broadcast on national
TV and radio ("Clayson's show is as wacky as anything else you will hear on
BBC Radio Two" - The Guardian).
Drawing what one promoter described as "extreme audience reaction", Clayson's
show defies succinct description - though he's been seen as spearheading a
trend towards an English form of "chanson" - arguably the most sophisticated
form of popular song.
Feedback from recent Clayson recitals on both sides of the Atlantic; the
formation of a US fan club (stemming from a remarkable 1992 concert in Chicago)
has ensured he has become more than a mere cult celebrity.
Prepare to be baffled, intrigued amused and entertained ..... you won't see
his like again.
ALAN CLAYSON appears at the R.M.A. Tavern in Cromwell Rd., Eastney, on Tues
1st February- support is by ACOUSTICAT and admission is free