The second of an occasional feature in which I’ll draw your attention to some albums that have been purchased in 2023 and which I reckon are worth highlighting.
This one is different….it’s an album released as long ago as October 2019, but which I only got to hear about and then buy in September 2023.
Here’s the backstory.
Mike from the Manic Pop Thrills blog, who has been a friend for decades pre-music blog stuff (we are both Raith Rovers fans) got in touch to ask if I fancied going to see Mick Harvey play live in Glasgow. Mike knew that I was a fan of the Australian multi-instrumentalist, thanks to his many years in The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds, and his past work with PJ Harvey, although to my shame, I hadn’t ever followed his solo career.
Ostensibly, the gig was to promote Mick’s latest album. It’s called Phantasmagoria in Blue, which he has recorded in tandem with Mexican singer Amanda Acevedo (and yes, I’ll get round to including the album in this series in due course).
The publicity poster promised a show by an ensemble called The Invisible Blue Unicorns, so we didn’t quite know what to expect.
To both of our surprises, the gig proved to be one of the highlights, not just of this year, but in all the years we’ve been going along to enjoy live music.
It began with six musicians on stage, none of who were Amanda Acevedo, and with Mick Harvey on keyboards. We have, by now, have clocked the fact that most of the musicians are from a Berlin-based band called Sometimes With Others, accompanied by Australian guitarist J.P.Shilo, and Mick Harvey. Mick explains that they will be performing songs from one another’s records, and other musicians will be coming to and leaving the stage at various points.
In due course, Amanda does take to the stage and then leaves again, returning later on during what is a two-set evening, both lasting about an hour in length. She sings on those songs which I now know could be found on Phantasmagoria in Blue, while songs from a J.P. Shilo solo album and material by Sometimes With Others is played when she is not present.
It was an astonishing night. All three acts were clearly sharing equal billing, and indeed Mick Harvey, who was very much the reason 99.99% of the sadly quite sparse audience (70-75 would be my guess) was in attendance, seemed to be at his happiest when he wasn’t the centre of attention. All of which meant we were able to focus on an extraordinary performance from J.P Shilo, a musician Mike knew something of, but of whom I was wholly ignorant.
He’s best known for his time with Hungry Ghosts, an instrumental group from Melbourne who were in existence around the turn of the century, as well as being involved on a number of albums by highly-regarded acts from Australia, including The Triffids.
His guitar work at the gig was ridiculously good, no matter whose material he was playing. He really came into his own when it came to his own songs, with a baritone vocal that howled and whispered, and all points in-between, to equal effect. Most of his songs on the night were taken from the album Invisible You, release on Ghost Train Records in Australia in October 2019, and which was available at the merch stall afterwards.
The gig was on Wednesday 20 September. I’m typing this up on the evening of Monday 25 September. I’ve played the album three times (I had a busy weekend with non-music things)…..and I’m happy to declare that it’s a long-lost classic.
Nine songs, of which seven are originals and two are covers. Here’s the opening track:-
This really sets the tone for a rocking first-side. If anything, it seems just a little on the tame side in comparison to how it came across in the live setting, but it’s quite marginal.
Things kind of slow down on side two, but the quality remains high, as evidenced on the title track:-
mp3: J.P. Shilo – Invisible You
Atmospheric is what comes to mind.
No apologies for drawing this one to your attention. Here’s a link to one indie store where you can order it. You’ll also get a short blurb about the album.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
I’m going to give myself points for knowing/being aware of:
Manic Pop Thrills
The Birthday Party
The Bad Seeds
PJ Harvey
and… Phantasmagoria In Blue (despite the fact I could be thinking of something entirely unrelated – which is more than likely in this case).
That, however, is where my awareness ends.
Without knowing the other bands/artists I think the live gig sounds like a fantastic night out – albeit that I view Mono as a poor venue – despite the magnificent bands that have played there. To witness an evolving set of players, an evolving set of songs really does seem like a treat and particularly if you are a fan of all of the bands/artists mentioned. A gem of a night, in fact.
It’s surprising to me that so few attended – given the names involved and the venue.
Flimflamfan
For the most part the set seemed to be closer to sounding like SWO or JP’s quieter material than the MH&AA record, but it was a magical night. And it worked for someone who came to the show cold on all the material (other than one or two of the covers).
I am loving ‘Invisible You’ and have had it on every day since Wednesday although previously I’d only seen JP as part of the wider Triffids ensemble at the show in Islington in 2016.
Sounds like a really fun show. Anything involving Mick Harvey is likely to be interesting.
Wow, I am tracking down this record now!!
If you want more JP Shilo I`d recommend a You Tube search of “Truckload of Sky” The lost songs of David McComb which has performances of that record and a few other Dave McComb songs. JP figures heavily on that and sings on 3. Mick Harvey also sings on one
Or the Blackeyed Susans last CD “Close your eye and See” which has JP all over it. See for example “Colours move” which is particularly powerful live