The summer season is teaming with upcoming rock shows that I’ve chosen to preview for you, plus there’s been a very mysterious cancellation of a highly anticipated multi-band tour featuring an eclectic mix of artists all queer identified, sort of a gay Lollapalooza as it were, and it unfortunately is no more due to one big star’s sudden cancellation, and in the middle of this month we have the return of a ground-breaking singer songwriter from the late 70’s whose most notable contribution was possibly the first out Gay anthem ever in pop music history, “Glad To Be Gay.” That singer is Tom Robinson, who will perform here solo for the first time in over fifteen years, sharing the bill with our very own homo-crusaders Pansy Division at The Paradise Lounge on Tuesday July 17. When the first Tom Robinson Band LP Power In The Darkness, was released it spawned a top five hit in England with “2-4-6-8-Motorway” and then a follow-up single of a more serious political nature that actually made it in to the top forty. Considering the lyrical message and content and the political climate of that time, it’s pretty amazing that this even happened or was heard at all. That song was “Glad To Be Gay,” and Power in The Darkness was a definite landmark release in so far as placing gay politics and gay issues to the fore in pop or rock music.
Well, that was some time ago and Robinson has continued making music as a solo artist in Europe and oddly enough he took a wife and has two children now but maintains “I fell in love with a woman but it could have been a man,” and he continues supporting Gays and is involved in Rock against Racism and other issues of sex equality. “Having a wife and children won’t stop the queer basher from kicking your teeth down your throat, in fact it will probably make him worse.”
Pansy division promises an unplugged style acoustic set for the bill, opening for a man whose bold statements in 1977 about gayness paved the way in part for Jon Ginoli’s mission of the 90’s, taking sexually celebratory, humorous, political and sensitive nuances of gay life to the masses. It will be a night of songs ranging in content from basic gay pride to songs about liking dicks that are curved. To me this sounds like progress. Stop by the Paradise Lounge on July 17 for a lesson in out gay rock music history. I’d also like to mention that Pansy Division’s drummer Luis has been DJ-ing Tuesday nights at the Hole In The Wall Saloon for a few months now and his impeccable, eclectic and diverse knowledge and taste continues to be immensely enjoyable and a real education. His passion for music in general makes for a fresh and hip listen that more people should be aware of and enjoying weekly.
Now, about that big gay-themed multiple artist festival that was suddenly cancelled—the Wotapalava festival, brainchild of Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant was announced with a line-up of The Pet Shop Boys, a reformed Soft Cell, Rufus Wainwright and The Magnetic Fields. Shortly after that Sinead O’Connor was also added to the line-up making the already great roster of talent conceivably one of the hotter tickets of the summer. The Pet Shop Boys are known for their one-of-a-kind big stage extravaganzas, Soft Cell had just reformed and played some European dates, Rufus Wainwright has an extraordinary sophomore release with Poses and stands a chance of becoming the critics darling yet again with the masses soon to follow, and the Magnetic Fields would be exposed to a larger audience than ever before, and they should. Then they added Sinead O’Connor, our favorite Lesbian Priest whose last record was under whelming but her live performances always deliver. This Wotapalava thing looked like the show for the summer season, and tickets seemed to be selling briskly. I had visions of young gay people walking hand in hand down the methane gas-belching green lawns of the shoreline amphitheater unashamed. There probably hadn’t been a coming out concert of this magnitude since Phranc opened for the Smiths at the Greek theater in 1986.
Well, kiss the notion goodbye because the entire tour was cancelled. The reason why is a really totally bizarre one too. You can add it to the long long list of Sinead-isms she has tossed out to her public like mackerel to a trained seal to gobble down and look back at her perplexed. Sinead cancelled out of the tour two weeks before it started due to “unforeseeable family commitments.” Among these commitments is her upcoming marriage to a man, a British journalist!
Now wait a second, didn’t she come out as a lesbian just last semester? What is up with her? And why was the entire festival cancelled because of her sudden absence when in the beginning she wasn’t even a part of the originally announced line-up? I just don’t get it and I’m very disappointed that the only appearance of Rufus Wainwright I’ll likely have to remember from this year is him sitting in the barbers chair at The Hole In The Wall talking on his cell phone. I was very much looking forward to seeing all of the acts on this tour. And aren’t priests supposed to be married to their faith anyway? Or rather aren’t Priests (especially Catholics) supposed to be Gay? This whole thing is not going to win her any popularity contests; not that being a bald lesbian priest with her weakest record ever was doing much for her anyway. But enough about her, let’s move on to some uncancelled music events you should know about and be purchasing tickets for in advance.
By far one of the best shows I’ve seen this year was when The Gossip played at Bottom Of The Hill a few months back. This three piece act from Olympia via Arkansas have one of the most charming and gutsy and sincere and sexy and powerful young vocalists to hit the scene in a long time and they are coming to grace one of the finest halls in the city, The Great American Music Hall in all its fancy whore house rococo splendor. The Gossip’s musical style is rooted in deep southern blues, thick and swampy yet simple rockabilly/blues guitar riffs matched to a voice that delivers it down and dirty but with an attitude of joy and a total lack of pretense. There is something completely irresistible about this band and the tickets are really cheap ($10.00 in advance) so think ahead and buy them, I have a feeling this will sell out. Local act Erase Eratta, who come highly recommended by Luis and have a great 7-inch single out currently, could possibly be the next great band to emerge from SF and they open the show on August 1st at GAMH. Don’t miss this one.
Also on the horizon are two dates at The Filmore with Patti Smith on August 7 and 8 and I would snatch up tickets to that soon as well because she almost always sells out. Since the death of her husband about 4 years ago it seems Patti Smith has become completely rejuvenated in her own music career, having released three great records and toured extensively she didn’t ease out of retirement as much as she bounded out, hitting a stride that is awe-inspiring yet seemingly makes her happy. She is the queen, the god-mother of punk, a visionary artist whose music changed my entire perspective, defined the power of the written word in a rock and roll context and started my record collection over again. Plus she can be really funny and bitchy on stage with a crowd. She rules. Go see her.
Finally, there’s this group from New York City that the British music press has been going apeshit over called The Strokes, and rightfully so. This five piece band of very good-looking guys have managed to tap into all of the best influences attitudes and energies of some of their most accomplished New York City musical predecessors like Lou Reed, Television, and more and have come up sounding fresh as a daisy and brilliantly melodic yet sharp and tough. Their three song EP is sounding more and more like the perfect rock band with each listen. There’s something vibrant and alive and very exciting here, and I believe this show marks their san Francisco debut. They’ve been attracting all the folks in other bands to their shows and really knocking them back with stellar performances. I can’t wait for this one at Bottom Of The Hill on August 7—buy tix in advance—the buzz is ever growing about the strokes.