Edward Barton - News

Last Updated: 10 August 2009

Official Edward Barton MySpace

  

New album "and a panda"

  • 'and a Panda' is a new Audio Box set by Edward Barton, which include a new Studio Album ‘and A Panda’ along with lyric book, postcards and a selection of prints of his Paintings.

    Edward Barton is a cult figure in Manchester. His career spans three decades as a filmmaker, artist, curator, performer, songwriter and poet.

    From a first bizarre appearance on Channel 4’s music programme The Tube in 1984 singing ''I've Got No Chicken but I've Got Five Wooden Chairs" while playing guitar with a wooden spoon through to the controversial Dadaist gallery Oblong he set up in Manchester’s Affleck’s Palace his position as a Manchester and National Treasure is assured through the constant generation of creative chaos. Barton’s ‘90’s performance night, Hip Replacement, developed a Studio 54 like reputation in Manchester’s music scene, and his own song writing has seen him work and chart with the likes of A Guy called Gerald, 808 State, Opus III, Norman Cook and Kylie Minogue.

    This latest collection is a joy to experience: Edward speaks the language of pop with an accent so deliciously and seductively foreign that the mother tongue will never sound quite the same again. Edward has a rare ability to make music that is simultaneously beautiful and funny- most artists have to do these things one at a time.

    To hear a selection of tracks from the album, visit  http://thepolite.tumblr.com/
    The Album is available as part of a limited edition box set, or on its own from selected stockists.

  

Pre-Release Gig at New Century House - 25th July 2009

Childcare being what it is these days I had to drag my 12 year old along to “Lonely Creatures “improvise to films /arm wrestle with tech metal/ Spoken word events that I happened to be involved in at the Greenroom the other week.

My son is so used to this sort of event and there’s a bit of eye ball rolling and some fairly strong views on what I should and should not being doing. He’s my most reliable critic, always incisive and honest.
There’s a hand full of other people I may go to for critical feedback and one is Edward Barton, Ed was in the audience and was asking my son about how his drumming was coming along, while I went off to pack up wires.

When I returned they seemed to have formed a new band. I wasn’t all that surprised as, contrary to the common phrase “never work with children and animals”, Ed only ever works with children and animals.
It is hard to define Edward as just a musician; he is often listed as a poet but probably more accurate description is as a performance artist. A lot of people will unknowingly have encountered his work through his filtration into pop music, Having Penned “It’s a Fine Day” Opus 3 s 1992 number 1hit or working with Kylie and Ministry Of Sound, His 1989 collaboration with A Guy Called Gerald ‘Born In The North “ is my all time favourite acid house record.

Or may be you know his popular range of 1990s vegetable T-shirts.

His 80 s pop career was crowned by a legendary appearance on The Tube singing “I’ve Got No Chicken But I’ve got Five Wooden Chairs”. A recent video Restoration project has uncovered more of Edward’s 1980s “Hulme” period.

There’s video for the song “Sorry Dog” where Hulme’s population offer dogs , are crammed into his flat like a scene from Lady and the Tramp while Ed proceeded to cover himself in Pedigree Chum and starts a group of plaintive wailing. This and many other performances were filmed for Ikon Factory’s Video Company and have been presumed lost. Recently the “Hulme films” have resurfaced, a bit mouldy from Barton’s cellar. There was not much hope for their restoration – until The British Film Archive decided they could try out a new video mould remover machine on them.

So it was with great delight that I showed my son the restored “Got no Chicken” video on You Tube and reduced him to breathless mirth and distribution of said video amongst the local youth.

A more recent Barton Video on You Tube is “Dirty Water” from his upcoming CD. He is seen floating down the Mersey in a tin bath; he does all his own stunts. There’s also Ginger Funk where his dog training skills seem astonishing-Ed was often seen walking his dog, Osborne, in a matching suite. The dog wasn’t in a suit, Ed had a suit made to match the dogs markings.
Filmmaker Howard Walmsley has been documenting Barton and making his videos and restoring them over many years and now plans a compilation DVD and documentary that will no doubt expand the myths and legends further still.

Some of the more recent films will be shown at Edwards Album Launch for his new CD “And A Panda” as part of the 247 Theatre Festival. On July 25th at New century House (near the Printworks).

I think “And A Panda” is some of Edward’s best work so far and am surprised by how handsome the sound of it is, it has a lot in common with modern R&B production, it’s a very posh piece of audio furniture Previously known for an emotionally extreme voice some of Ed’s singing on this record is almost sweet reminding me of more recent Robert Wyatt records.

The Album is being released by a Greetings Card Company called POLITE. You’ve probably seen some of their cards in outlets like Fopp and Oklahoma. Polite have done visual projects with artists such as; Magda Archer, David Shrigley, and even Vic Reeves. They seem to be into blurring the boundaries of what greetings card might be, and they provide an ideal home for Barton’s Multi Arty approach.

The Panda CD will come in a nice box with a selection of 16 postcards by Barton the painter. It follows a recent trend that if you are going to bother with a physical product for music makes it very physical.

(Graham Massey)
 

  

EDWARD BARTON

& FRIENDS

(A Pre-Release Event for his

Forthcoming Album ‘and a Panda')

 

Saturday 25th July ’09

Doors: 10pm

(Edward starts 10.30pm Prompt)

New Century House

Corporation St,

Manchester,

M60 4ES

 

Door price £2.00