Win tickets to see Rodriguez at The Barbican
April 30th, 2009 by sparky
The legendary Detroit psych-rock cult artist Rodriguez makes a rare UK performance at London’s Barbican on June 6th, ahead of his Big Chill festival appearance this summer. Support on the night comes from Fujiya & Miyagi and to round the evening off there will be DJ set from Matthew Herbert.
We’ve got two pairs of tickets to giveaway for this gig – to be in with a chance of winning a pair just answer this question:
Q: What was the name of Rodriguez’s debut album?
Please email your answers to competitions@bigchill.net. The closing date for entries is 9AM on Wednesday 27th May. Please note that no alternative prize will be offered if you are unable to attend this London show.
If you don’t want to take a chance on missing this show, you can buy tickets here.
About Rodriguez…
Legendary Detroit singer and songwriter Rodriguez has had one of the oddest career trajectories in popular music. Rediscovered a decade ago working on a Detroit building site, he was apparently unaware that one of his own albums had become not only a cult classic, but for people on the other side of the world, in South Africa, a beacon of hope and revolution.
1970’s Cold Fact was the debut album of Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, born in 1942 in Detroit, Michigan. Its mixture of honesty and social comment excited those in the know, without attracting mainstream sales; his second album, Coming From Reality, was recorded in London but also disappeared almost without trace. But while his music career languished, the Rodriguez legend was growing on the other side of the world. In South Africa and, to a lesser extent, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Australia and New Zealand, Cold Fact had become a major word of mouth success, particularly among young people in the South African armed forces, who identified with its counter-cultural message. But Rodriguez was not aware of this – nor were his whereabouts known.
Rumours even circulated that he had died. In the late 1990s journalist Craig Bartholemew found Rodriguez alive and well in Detroit; subsequently he embarked on a triumphant South African tour, filling 5,000 capacity venues across the country. In the following years, the northern hemisphere wised up to this major talent; his classic Cold Fact has been re-released by Light In The Attic who are re-releasing his 1971 follow-up, Coming From Reality on 19 May. This is only his second UK visit since his re-emergence.
Fujiya & Miyagi formed in 2000 as a duo consisting of David Best (guitars and vocals) and Steve Lewis (synthesizers, programming), two like-minded souls who met on the five-a-side pitch. Adding bassist Matt Hainsby in 2004, they broke through with a series of EPs that were followed by their acclaimed 2006 album Transparent Things. The band added drummer Lee Adams to the line up for the recording of 2008 release Lightbulbs and the cult of F&M has continued to grow. The band are big Rodriguez fans and were aware of him and Cold Fact prior to its reissue, and are honoured to be sharing the stage with him. ‘A perfect union of man and machine’ – Mojo.
A post-gig DJ set from Matthew Herbert will bring a taste of the Big Chill festival’s atmosphere (where Rodriguez will also be performing) into the Barbican – more guests are to be announced.
