Branchage: Japanese metal in a church

My second day of covering the Branchage film festival was one of three parts.

The first part of the day was spent in the Spiegeltent, the centre piece of this ever growing event.

The Spiegeltent is a 19th century mirror tent, built originally as a mobile dance hall in Belgium for areas of the country that didn't have proper dance halls.

In this case it had become home to Billy Jam, a hip-hop DJ for non-commercial, listener supported New Jersey radio station, WFMU.

This is the second year Billy has been to Jersey and he was broadcasting in the breakfast slot from old Jersey to New Jersey.

His show included live music from Jersey's own The Wizz as well as tracks from Jersey musicians and interviews with people from the island - including Constable Crowcroft and a potato farmer.

It was a great experience to watch someone with that much talent as a broadcaster work, he's developed a real passion for Jersey over the last two years and it just seems to be growing with each visit.

There was a slightly tense moment towards the end of the broadcast when BBC Jersey was hooking up live with WFMU New Jersey.

Janey Doyle came down from our studio in Parade Road with the Woody, a piece of broadcast kit that lets us go live from around the island in great quality.

Getting the cues exactly right, Janey took her seat next to Billy as Chris Rayner, presenting Hometime on BBC Jersey, introduced her.

For five minutes on Friday 24 September Jersey and New Jersey were connected by radio, the same thing being broadcast between old and new.

So, after that it was back to the office to get ready to go to church for the first time in about a decade.

It wasn't far from the BBC Jersey offices to the next event - just down the road to the pink topped All Saints Church.

I took my seat on the pew as bubbles from a liquid coated projector covered the ceiling and the Oscillation prepared to perform.

Looking down on us from above was a crucifix with a light show surrounding and reflecting off it.

After a longer than expected, but more than welcome, set by the Oscillation there was a short break where Vimto, orange juice and water was handed out in return for a small donation to the church.

What happened next was something out of this world.

Watch the Cat Soup and Bo Ningen video posted by Billy Jam on YouTube.

The lights go down, the projector starts up and the band, Bo Ningen, a Japanese Krautcore wall of sound and long hair get ready.

Live scores have become a highlight of the Branchage festival and this one certainly wasn't a let down - even if the pew wasn't the most comfortable seat I've used this weekend.

The film the band where scoring was the award winning cartoon, Cat Soup, by Japanese director, Tatsuo Sato.

It tells the tale of a cat whose sister is ill and dying, he steals back half of her soul and then goes on an insane, comic and tragic journey involving god, eating a living pig and an elephant made of water to recover her the rest of her soul and make her 'normal'.

The film was insane but Bo Ningen's live score was something else, it was as surreal as the movie but brilliantly evocative and insane - have I used that word already?

Screeching guitars, perfectly timed and pushed drums and glorious screams at times, then softer, gentle, almost eerie melody, brought the scenes on the screen to life.

Unfortunately I didn't see the end, I wanted to get to the Arts Centre in time to catch American: The Bill Hicks story.

Bill Hicks was a name in his home country, people knew who he was, he appeared several times on national television BUT he wasn't the superstar there that he became in Britain.

The film tells the story of his life from his first taste of comedy as a teenager, through the super-stardom of Britain and back to the USA as he lives out the rest of his tragically short life with his family in Austin, Texas.

The film uses a new and interesting technique involving the many many photographs taken of Bill during his life and stitching them together to semi-animate his life story.

It included interviews with his family and the people he worked with in Austin, his best friend and others.

It was a sad, tragic and hilarious tale of someone obsessed with making people laugh, making people think and experience.

Comedian Jeff Leach was in the audience for the film, he was due to perform the next day as part of Comedy Rocks at Branchage.

He posted to Twitter after the film: "I just watched 'American: The Bill Hicks Story' at Branchage Film Festival. Deeply moved, and very upset. Questioning my comedy."

So, second day of Branchage for me involved a day in the Spiegeltent watching live radio, being shocked and awed by a Japanese band playing music alongside a Japanese
black comedy animation.

Then laughed, cried and thought as I watched the story of a genius American comedian who was bigger in Britain than at home.

Tomorrow - a film about pilgrims in a church in French, a film about a Welshman in Argentina in Welsh, Spanish and English and a party at the Live Lounge with Jersey bands playing the music of the movies.