Birmingham UK is becoming so 'right on' since we first arrived here in 1990 it's in danger of disappearing up its own - well I'll leave that last word to your imagination.
FESTIVAL OF ENCHANTMENT
This is us just arriving at the annual Moseley Folk Festival two weeks' ago. It had an amazing line up, as it does every year, including 'Guillemots', 'Beth Jean Houghton & the Hooves of Destiny,'The Destroyers - Moseley being where the motley crew first joined forces in 2006; the magical Micky Greaney; a wonderful new discovery for us 'Goodnight Lennin', five talented lads who perform with a maturity that belies their youth; and on the Bohemian Stage we were wowed by 'Brother the Wolfe', who I am sure we will hear and see more and more of. Held in the enchanting Moseley Park by a beautiful lake bedecked with swans, as a venue alone it has a unique character that marks this festival out among the many held around the country throughout the summer. Undoubtedly for both of us though, the pinnacle of this occasion was when Julian Cope took to the main stage. After all these years he has still not lost his acerbic edge and 'cool' that give both his performance and work such dynamism.
SUNSPOTS
Laying in the sunshine - yes it actually came out for the festival - among the thousands of other festival goers, I contented myself at first with just listening to Cope, but had to stand in the end to get a proper look. I was shocked to discover that it was just him on the stage, holding his own, making such a glorious, riotous sound. Husband and I were wowed when he played 'Sunspots', we stood our ground and raved in joyousness as Cope played and sang on. It will certainly be a moment in our lives that we will always remember, to end this sentence with any further sentimentality would go against the general Cope ethos. No doubt he would laugh in our faces if we were ever fortunate enough to be able to tell him to his face how much it meant to us.
Against all the odds, I actually managed to take this picture, as I literally had sunspots in my eyes and couldn't see a thing. I just aimed and pressed, nothing to lose. And I didn't.
Here Cope is, standing to the right of the picture, in all his glory at 54 years of age, looking every bit the cool dude he always will be. To the left on his drum is written:'You can't beat your brain for entertainment.' Don't ask!
