Most of the best gigs I've seen have been at places like the Astoria, Brixton Academy. Indoor standing venues in the few thousands.. can get a better crowd atmosphere going. In my opinion. Small venues are nice now and again, they are their own thing I admit..

What's wrong Sarah ? Found a new poster boy ?
You just sound bitter. Cheer up girl!!!

quote:

Originally posted by 2-J:
Most of the best gigs I've seen have been at places like the Astoria, Brixton Academy. Indoor standing venues in the few thousands.. can get a better crowd atmosphere going. In my opinion. Small venues are nice now and again, they are their own thing I admit..

I think different bands have their own optimum venue, as it were. I think Kula Shaker rule the roost in medium/large venues like Colston Hall, SBE, Koko, Wulfrun Hall, etc. The Jeevas were different though, it was definitely all about your Oxford Zodiacs, Fleece & Firkin, Birmingham Academy 2, Leadmill, etc. Also, some bands sound great outdoors at a festival, but I've seen plenty of fabulous bands just lose their edge on an outdoor stage...Bloc Party were particularly memorable in that respect...a lot of the intricacies of their sound just, well, blew away. Whereas the Darkness, who blew goats in smaller venues, sounded amazing at Leeds festival. Anyway, you get the general idea. It's mostly my opinion, at any rate!

quote:

Originally posted by sammy:
What's wrong Sarah ? Found a new poster boy ?
You just sound bitter. Cheer up girl!!!

I'm bored with their music, not bitter. I'm allowed to see problems in Kula's sound without being attacked or told I'm bitter. I'm just being objective. I've seen the band enough times and listened to their music long enough (twelve years) to be able to make clear and justified opinions on what's good and bad about them. Some stuff is very good - musicianship, certain lyrical twists, the bass, the big sound, everything live, and some stuff is bad - the repitition, the constant, unfailing and dull harking back to the 60s instead of moving forward, most of the rest of the lyrics, the fact they can be too serious for their own good, and frankly, the costume thing.

In any case, I'm perfectly happy, no need for cheering up.

Hmm, bored, not bitter? Is that really any better as a choice? This is just a question, Sarah, not an attack, just something to think about that may help you... maybe? My logic is that you posted your post, as you are seeking a response, or you wouldn't have made the effort to post n the first place.

If you are really so bored and don't like a lot of their stuff and don't like what comes out of Crispian's mouth and think it's all way too serious, why did you join a Kula fan group and waste your energy and time being so negative? What is the purpose? Are you as bored with life in general and really don't have anything better to do with your time? I don't really get bored with anything as I move on before the flicker of boredom even develops, so don't understand why you would choose to surround yourself with something you find so boring and makes you unhappy enough to complain about it. This is purely meant as an observation, not as an attack, but as a wish to open your mind to other options and thinking which may bring you more joy in life. Why not pick things you love about them or find another band where you love everything? Maybe you wouldn't be so bored if you look for the positives in life. Really, love, positivity and respect is the only release from boredom and negativity which breeds fear and hatred. And for the record, Crispian's comments have never been pro Nazi as you suggested in an earlier post re: "nazigate" (enc. below) His intention was to break down the evil association with an ancient Hindu symbol that represented good luck and wellbeing for over a thousand years before Hitler hijacked it in the 1930's. I, quite frankly believe that confronting evil and trying to reconnect to the original positive message of the symbol is a good thing. Evil will reign as long as we give it the power to continue. Sometimes I do think the greater world is not quite ready for Kula Shaker. Their positive intention and expression is a bit at odds with the current consumerist, negative atmosphere.

Although your negativity has been reflected back at you in your postings here and made you feel you are under attack, where I think it isn't that you are actually under attack, but just feeling the reflection of your own attitude and thoughts which is maybe being mis-understood. Maybe a lot like Crispian's comments have been mis-understood in the past? Focussing on the positive always brings back positivity. Life and existence is all about the transference of energy. Spiritual or not, this is good advice.

In the current vaccuous, bland, thoughtless, superficiality of most current music. I enjoy the spiritual aspect of their music. So your comment that 'no one wants to hear about stuff like that' is factually incorrect as I put my hand up to be counted now as one that does. Just because you don't get it or it doesn't move you in the same way, music is for everyone to take from it what they want (surely????). I understand in the world of the ego, it's difficult to understand it's not all about you and what you want, but what we choose to collectively take and absorb from the choices offered. It's a choice. You decide. No point in moaning about it, just get on with it.

It's really simple, you don't have to be negative or complain - the band expresses what they feel and you take from it what you want. Just as in life. I thankfully feel I connect at a very deep level to something contained within their music and I just feel total joy, bliss and a shared experience. I am quite sad for you to hear that you don't feel the same way, as it feels GREAT, but that is your choice and I accept that, but why can't you just ignore what you don't like? They are writing music for their own self expression, not to please you as one individual. Take from Kula Shaker's music what you enjoy, what you love, what inspires you, the rest really is not important, if it's not important to you, so why not just let it go? You'll feel a whole lot better not carrying things you don't like around with you.

I for one, love their music, lyrics, humour and don't really care what they wear (or not hehehe) as long as they are happy and continue to evolve to their full potential and experiment with the ideas and sounds that move them. Boredom is certainly just a perspective and thankfully not a fact of life... in my humble opinion.

Love & peace, Jen xxx

Some of my favourite Einstein Quotes:

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. "

"A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be."

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."

quote:

I think what's wrong with Kula Shaker is Crispian Mills' mouth, Nazigate etc. If ever there was a diagnosis of foot in mouth disease it would be him. Plus the spirituality thing, no one really wants to hear about stuff like that these days. And frankly what they're doing isn't exactly innovative or new. It's like comfy blanket music, makes you feel happy and warm but doesn't particularly excite or challenge you. In these days of bands appearing and disappearing every three seconds, if it's not new why would you bother to write about it? As for album four pushing boundaries I strongly suspect it will be a mix of Indian and folk music, rebirth of the Potters and all that.

Good grief, there are worms ALL OVER THE FLOOR! Who opened the can? *vainly attempts to pick them up* No, it is literally no good. Why do people have to make things personal? Debates can be conducted without making value judgements on people's motives and lives. Also, I speak from experience when I say it does no good to patronise, Jen. I'm sure you meant well, but good Lord. If someone spoke like that to me in real life, I would have to open a can of linguistic whoop-ass on them.

Mm. I suspect the first one to use the term Nazigate was James, not Sarah.
*points finger at James*

Sorry, Claire, I'd have liked to help you pick up those worms from the floor but, eurgh, worms. You know.

Eurgh, that's alot for my brain to deal with at the moment...I'm doing the references for a rather large essay and my head hurts so I'm just going to be a brief as possible.

For a start, thank you Claire, there is no need to get personal. I'm allowed to disagree with the general consensus without being attacked or name called. We're grown ups let's try and act like it.

Secondly, my original post says nowhere that Crispian made 'pro-Nazi' comments so I don't know where you got that from. I was referring to Nazigate as being a general example of Crispian's perpetual ability to shoot himself in the foot with his verbal diarrhoea.

Thirdly I haven't always been so bored with Kula, but I always questioned their reliance on the sixties and Crispian's need to pontificate. It does the band no good and if they want commerical success and to make a living from music then they need to start playing the game a bit better frankly. I joined the forum because there are people I like on here and it's the best place for news updates, not that I should have to justify anything to you.

quote:

Why not pick things you love about them or find another band where you love everything?

I did pick things I love about them. Re-read my post. There are plenty of other bands I love, none of them are perfect, not even the ones that have members I count among my close friends. That's just the way of life. I don't blindly love something just because I like the band, I like to think I'm a bit more discerning. I'm capable of a nuanced opinion.

quote:

Maybe you wouldn't be so bored if you look for the positives in life. Really, love, positivity and respect is the only release from boredom and negativity which breeds fear and hatred.

Aside from being incredibly patronizing, you've missed my point. I'm not bored with life, I'm bored with Kula. And yet, as I've already pointed out I can still see some great things about them. There are many positives in life, I'm well aware of that. Music is incredibly exciting. I'm allowed to express dissent, this is a forum for debate not a boot licking excercise.

quote:

am quite sad for you to hear that you don't feel the same way, as it feels GREAT, but that is your choice and I accept that, but why can't you just ignore what you don't like?

Don't be sad for me, I have a very nice life. And for the record you're not accepting my choice, you're making a huge deal out of the fact that I can see negative as well as positive things the band are doing. Maybe instead of telling me what to do, you should simply attempt to see that things can be interpreted from another perspective that is equally as valid as yours. You don't have to be a fangirl to be on here. Why can't I ignore what I don't like? Do you really think we should ignore things that we don't like? I'm more for fixing them, for moving forward.

quote:

No point in moaning about it, just get on with it.

Do you honestly think I sit around all day thinking about this shit and how Kula could improve? In the space between these posts I've written 5000 words about post-war masculinity. I have much better things to do.

quote:

Love & peace, Jen xxx

Are you trying to negate your attack on me with this? It just feels insincere to me.

Everything else frankly - and specifically the Einstein quotes, simply feels far to patronizing for me to bother engaging with. Let's just leave it at, I like Kula but see some faults with them, others like them no matter what. We're all allowed our opinions and the freedom to express them.

Is that enough of a linguistic whoop-ass Claire?

Oh and just for the record here's some wonderful, exciting bands I love: Devil Doll, The Dogbones, Melpomeni Kermanidou, Bev Lee Harling, Pythia, Patti Plinko and Her Boy (sooo good!), Joana and the Wolf, Sohodolls, Murder Mile, The Urban Voodoo Machine, Queen Adreena, Paloma Faith, Bat for Lashes, PJ Harvey and oh god, so many more, too many to name

And one of my own personal favourite quotes about music:

"It was the music. The dirty get-on-down music the women sang and the men played and both danced to, close and shameless or apart and wild...It made you do unwise things, just hearing it was like violating the law" - Toni Morrison, Jazz

To me this is how all damn good music should be and at the moment it's not what I'm getting from Kula, hence my dissent.

Ah well, here goes a net friendship I suppose but I feel I have to say this, because if what I am about to suggest is true, a falsehood has been foisted upon us. That being that the reasons for the souring in your attitude are purely objective and aesthetic. I heard Sarah that a band connection of yours was rubbed up the wrong way and that it did indeed have something to do with

quote:

Originally posted by Sarah:
Crispian's need to pontificate.

funnily enough. Seeing as I have no reason to doubt the report I get a slightly sick feeling at this endless reams of Kula bashing for what, it seems, are actually personal reasons (despite you going out of your way to deny that).

Doubtless I'll be on the receiving end of an almighty tongue-lashing now but here I stand. I can do no other.

quote:

Originally posted by 2-J:
Ah well, here goes a net friendship I suppose but I feel I have to say this, because if what I am about to suggest is true, a falsehood has been foisted upon us. That being that the reasons for the souring in your attitude are purely objective and aesthetic. I heard Sarah that a band connection of yours was rubbed up the wrong way and that it did indeed have something to do with

quote:

Originally posted by Sarah:
Crispian's need to pontificate.

funnily enough. Seeing as I have no reason to doubt the report I get a slightly sick feeling at this endless reams of Kula bashing for what, it seems, are actually personal reasons (despite you going out of your way to deny that).

Doubtless I'll be on the receiving end of an almighty tongue-lashing now but here I stand. I can do no other.

Nope, not at all on any count. Who told you that. You referring to the Mediaeval Baebes? It's one big love in re. Kula, in fact it wasn't so long ago that everyone - all the people involved in Kula/Baebe marriages etc got together to celebrate a cute little young un's birthday. I'm really not sure what you're referring to.

I heard what I heard. And it explains the bitter change of attitude far better than a simple waning of affection.

As if people with resentments can't get together to celebrate a child's birthday either, lol.

Anyway we're not going to get anywhere with this because I'm not saying any more, and I believe what I was told. That's it.

Well if you're not going to say what it was then clearly that gives me no position to refute it as my basis for getting bored with Kula, which is quite passive agressive of you James and rather underhand in trying to discredit me. I don't dislike them, I'm just getting bored, it's two different things. I have no problem with the band itself. And from my perspective no one has any issues with Kula Shaker, you're being fed (dangerous and bitchy) rubbish. Don't keep the rumour going, these are actual friendships your pissing on here. It's not yours or my place to be discussing other people's friendships on a public forum. But it's not my reason for growing bored with the band. I think that probably happened from over-exposure last summer which lead me to hook onto their bad points rather than the good ones. Simple as.

I've said what I have to say, I believe in it, I'm not retracting it, and I'm not going to post anything more in this thread unless a new theme is introduced.

I'm not not sure I like the insinuation that I'm lying, it's not a nice accusation. Anyway, there's little I can do but shrug and move on, I know I'm telling the truth for my reasons of getting bored with them. Sometimes you just need a break from bands you love to stop familiarity breeding contempt.

There's a lot going on here and I don't want to comment as I've no idea what its all about. what I will say is this....the costume thing I love it. If you can't go into Mr Ben's shop before a performance when can you?