I had the opportunity to take a short trip to London in October and want to share three music-related experiences from my trip.
Mike Kelly’s Channel One Channel Two and Channel Three at the Tate Modern
When I reached the second floor of Tate Modern I could hear loud hum off in the distance. I instinctively followed the sound and it led me to this room:
I found this piece very compelling. There were simple drone noises being played. Some would call it noise, but it was music to my ears. The long “boxes” you see converged around a point where you could stand, listen, and (of you were willing to bend and contort a bit) look into the end of each “channel,” where there were colored lights. I enjoyed participating with this work myself, and also watching others take it in. I was so pulled I had to make a second stop here before leaving.
I didn’t know anything about Mike Kelley until I got home. I have since discovered that, among many other endeavors, he was a musician (including as a member of Destroy All Monsters) and Sonic Youth used his art for the cover of “Dirty.”
Rough Trade West
I had to get to Rough Trade Shop! I went to the “old” store off Portobello Road. It was everything I could have hoped. The staff were friendly and helpful, there was interesting music discussion, and those walls! (See my facebook page for some detailed photos.) I picked up a few CD’s – some of those fantastic Rough Trade compilations, of course! They also helped me figure out how to get to my next desired destination. Not only did they explain which tube station to start and end, I was given important information that helped me find the…
Joe Strummer Subway
It was a very good tip that a subway in the US is not the same as a subway in the UK. A UK subway is an underground walkway. This information helped me locate the Subway dedicated to Joe Strummer. According to the Strummerville website, this is the subway where Joe used to busk (near Edgware Road and Harrow Road). There was supposed to be a Subway Gallery down the stairs. I saw the structure for this gallery, but it was closed up. Not sure if it’s not currently in use or was just closed that day. Regardless, I’m a huge Clash fan and a huge Joe Strummer fan, so I was still excited to see this place in particular and to absorb some of area.
