Sunday 5th November is officially Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night if you prefer, although most of the displays in my neck of the woods inevitably took place on Saturday night.
Things have changed dramatically since I was a kid. The weeks leading up to 5th November used to see children pitched up outside the local newsagents with a badly stuffed and clothed effigy and calling out for a "penny for the Guy". This year my local shop had a copper-hued approximation of Spongebob Squarepants, no kids and no indication of whether poor ol' Bob was going to end up on the pyre come the evening's festivities.
Hallowe'en was virtually non-existent as a "thing" when I was growing up but seems to have completely taken over from Bonfire Night in the last few decades. We were in Valencia for the former, which is followed on 1st November by el Dia de Todos los Santos ("All Saints Day" itself derived from the pagan festival "All Souls Day"), a national public holiday and a time to remember and honour the dead.
From a meteorological perspective, there couldn't have been a greater contrast. Hallowe'en and All Saints Day were bright and sunny, with temperatures in the mid-high 20s; Bonfire Night was bloody freezing and it had been raining for much of the day. We've not been to the local firework display since Lady K very quickly lost interest in it as a child and this year was no exception. Bah. And humbug.
However, it does give me an excuse to pull together a (let's face it, verrrry loose) Dubhed selection based on fireworks, bonfires and fires in general. Spoiler alert: despite the title, Ash doesn't feature at all.
What you do get for starters is a one-off collaboration between The Go-Betweens and The Birthday Party from 1982. From there, a trio of 1986 treats by XTC, Elvis Costello and Ciccone Youth, with more 1980s gems from Redskins, Siouxsie & The Banshees and Tom Robinson following later.
On Thursday, Walter - he of the excellent A Few Good Times In My Life blog - waxed lyrical about the 50th anniversary reissue of classic film The Wicker Man. As noted, Bristol legend Katy J Pearson was invited to cover a number of the soundtrack's songs. Katy brought some friends along, including Drug Store Romeos, Wet Leg and Sarah Meth for a spine-tingling version of Fire Leap.
Speaking of covers, the only song I have by Joensuu 1685 is their full-volume cover of I'm On Fire by The Boss. The Helsinki-based band comprises three Joensuus - Markus, Mikko and Risto - though only the first two are related. Their second album was released in 2020 so I assume that they're still a going concern.
It would be remiss of me not to include a Spanish band in this selection and whilst they hail from Madrid not Valencia, who better than the raucous Hinds?
By complete contrast, things drop down to a much more sedate level for the closing song, The KLF adding a chilled country twang to Build A Fire from their seminal album The White Room.
1) After The Fireworks: Tuff Monks (1982)
2) Sacrificial Bonfire: XTC (1986)
3) Indoor Fireworks: The Costello Show ft. The Attractions & The Confederates (1986)
4) Burnin' Up (Mike Watt Original Demo) (Cover of Madonna): Ciccone Youth (1986)
5) Building A Fire: James & Brian Eno (1994)
6) Worn From The Fight (With Fireworks): Castanets (2009)
7) (Burn It Up!) Bring It Down (This Insane Thing) (12" Version): Redskins (1985)
8) Light/Fireworks: The Fall (1993)
9) Fire Leap (Cover of Magnet): Katy J Pearson ft. Drug Store Romeos, Wet Leg & Sarah Meth (2023)
10) Bonfire: Lamb (1999)
11) Fireworks (12" Version): Siouxsie & The Banshees (1982)
12) I'm On Fire (Cover of Bruce Springsteen): Joensuu 1685 (2009)
13) Looking For A Bonfire (Unreleased Alternate Recording): Tom Robinson (1984)
14) Burn: Hinds (2020)
15) Build A Fire (1991 Album Version): The KLF ft. Maxine Harvey (1991)
1982: After The Fireworks EP: 1
1982: Fireworks EP: 11
1985: (Burn It Up!) Bring It Down (This Insane Thing) EP: 7
1986: Burnin' Up/Into The Groove(y) EP: 4
1986: King Of America : 3
1991: The White Room: 15
1993: The Infotainment Scan: 8
1994: Wah Wah: 5
1997: War Baby: Hope And Glory: 13
1999: Fear Of Fours: 10
2009: Texas Rose, The Thaw, And The Beasts: 6
2010: I'm On Fire / Perfect Grace EP: 12
2016: Skylarking (Steven Wilson Mix): 2
2020: The Prettiest Curse: 14
2023: The Wicker Man EP: 9
Went to see eXTC the band with Terry Chambers the ex-XTC member in it. Was looking forward to hearing live the old favourites such as 'Making Plans for Nigel'. The thing that I left with however is how good a song is 'Sacrificial Bonfire'??
ReplyDeleteTo my shame, I don't listen to the 'later' XTC albums nearly as much as the ones up to and including Black Sea and I can't recall when I last listened to Skylarking from start to finish. I'd echo your last sentence wholeheartedly and will be adding the album to my playlist this week.
DeleteA fine selection. I'd rather stay in and listen to these than go out and watch the pretty lights.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rol, I agree... and I did!
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