In a Strange Garden
This is the first collection of a few of the live recordings we’ve taken at Listen to the Voice of Fire. I wish we’d recorded everything, alas no; but there’s no good reason for these desk recordings to remain hidden on my hard drive (now). As is common with LVOF releases my attention to detail is absent. I don’t know what these individual tracks should be or are called. I guess at least with the Susan Mathews’ and Ian Holloway’s performance being an improvisation I should label it Improvisation 1. So, all these names may be taken as casual and incorrect-maybe, make your own! I coined A Powertool Cynghanedd for Ffrwd-it fits the bill I think.
The Ceredigion Museum provided an atmospheric home to several of the first runs of LVOF. I remember this evening very well. A glimpse of Ffrwd with iron bar may give an inkling why. I’d say that all here enjoyed themselves. Our young photographer was palpably taken aback as FFrwd lurched/menaced towards him intoning a car mechanic manual or was it Iolo Morgannwg?
Whilst Ffrwd has come back several times, the other players that night remain singular and fond in recollection whilst our paths have not crossed (yet) again. Both Ian Holloway and Susan Mathews performances were gelid drone mediations and suited the crowd sprawled out, dazed and strangely in place amidst the odd mix of agricultural and Edwardian regalia stored in the amgueddfa. Subversive Frequencies were possibly the most elaborate technological outfit I’d seen for a while, their own visual displays making sense as they got into stride with their dystopian electronic mash. It was pretty Hawkwind like I thought at the time.
I’ll get round to editing the next volume of live recordings in the fulness of time. The In a Strange Garden title (cf Frank Denyer) was chosen for the 2 days we had of Astral Folk and Molten Electronics- in March 2019 and that will be the next stop. I need to check what I have actually got on file…itdreamedtome, Sharron Kraus Band, Bell Lungs, Hawthonn, Ashtray Navigations & Laura Nettz…fingers crossed.