Full Diddly | Lucifer and Gabriel

Battle of The Bands - Acoustic Night 2004
Birmingham Songwriters Festival Preview
The Glee Club, Birmingham - 15/01/2002
The Glee Club, Birmingham - 10/11/2002

The Greenman Midsummer Festival - Custard Factory - 19/06/2004
After a lot of one upmanship between the other bands (WE ARE ARTISTES!!) a bloke in ecliastical dress with a 12 string turned up on stage with a guitar, a lead and a bag full of quality material.

When he completed his 10 minute sound check (Hello, it's a 12 string!) Phil ambled off and took the piss for a while, emerging only to play a mid session set that made the "Headline" acts look a bit silly. Rattling through a set only pausing to comment on the audience's choice of attire (did i mention he was dressed like a vicar?!) he made a well used 12 string sound like 2 guitars and sang like only someone with a shock of curls can!

Well worth a look when he plays live (Lysterine Muffdive is well worth a listen!) Phil took to the stage and made it his own, without really meaning to.

Chris - www.lunastra.co.uk

Birmingham Battle of the Bands Acoustic Night - 02/03/2004
Lucifer and Gabriel (aka Philip D Barlow) .... [his] voice ranged from powerful to melancholy. He combined tuneful melodies with insightful lyrics; "Why Men Have Nipples" ought to be single of the year!

- Xposed Music Magazine

Birmingham Songwriters Festival Preview
Philip D Barlow can probably lay claim to being the most alternative solo singer-songwriter to appear at ronnies. Nothing challenges more than the truth and Mr Barlow delivers observations that can de-construct you in a flash and guitar work that never let's you know what's coming next.

The Glee Club, Birmingham - 15/01/2002
The first thing you notice about Phillip D. Barlow is his hair. He has big hair. The second thing you notice is the fact that he’s not afraid to tune a twelve string on stage, a mean feat. But what really makes you sit up and take notice is his attitude. He has a BIG attitude.

And it’s not all hot air either. The man can play and sing with such force that he’d stop a locomotive.

Alternating between serene erotica and grunged-up throat-burning, finger-numbing riffs, Phil wears his heart and mind on his sleeve. Songs like ‘I wish I was a girl’ subtly break through stereotypical barriers and have men shifting awkwardly and women smiling inwardly while the timely ‘Fuck the Jubilee’ is such a crowd pleaser it obviously hits the right note with a disaffected nation.

But what really makes Phil worth watching is his tenacious skill with the guitar, alternating between sonorous and sadistic, he makes her sing and downright howl. And he’s not shy of expletives or sexually explicit lyrics either with ‘Lysterine muff dive’ drawing an understanding if embarrassed reaction.

If you haven’t seen this man you are missing out on a tornado that’ll shake, rattle and roll your musical sensibilities. Oh, and judging by the L’Oreal hair, he’s well worth it.

Karen Loly - Freelance Journalist
Contact: karenloly@hotmail.com

The Glee Club, Birmingham - 10/11/2002
(comments taken from the New Model Army message board, first post by a miffed Philip D Barlow) - it is at this point that we should point out that Philip is dsylexic, just getting to grips with the web, and not a typist. Consequently he can't spell for shit.

i am sorry to hear that i was found totaly INAPROPIATE as a surport for justin and i have to say more than a little confused.i see my self as basicly a potest singer and as such find it very hard to get gigs with like minded souls.forgive me if i misjuged this one let me break down my set for you re songs and subject mater.

crime is the answer-lack of genuin care for educating any one lower than the midle classes+wage slavery+enfoced low self esteem makes a life of crime a way out of the shit
wish i was a girl -a clumsy ode to my lesben friends.
leave the light on -depesion.
happy song-westlife in the charts rape camps in the congo you do the math.
men are from uranus-if i say i love u u gota fuckin love me bitch!now there gose a well ajusted man?
and also my heart-we'er all kinky in some way or another but the man says some must burn in hell for it!
fuck the jubilee-nuff said!
listereen muff dive-an onest to goodnes true story.all so if guys want blow jobs they should be up for going down its two way trafic in my life.perhaps you dont do this kind of thing?

your audiance were very warm to me and i made lot of new friends who are mad keen to see me again so perhaps i wasn't so out of step as you think.

please reply to this i'm open too conciderd criticisem and am willing to see more than my view i'm a Libran after all!

i wish you loadz of what ever floats your boats

yours philip d Barlow

Well speaking for myself and my 3 m8's who came to last nights Glee club show, we thought your opening spot was excellent. Your set had a nice mix of protest, politics and humour. Yep u sang about muff diving, sucking etc. but hey, it was funny and done in a witty way. I certainly heard many a chuckle in the venue as well as a good round of appluase at the end of your set. If sections of the audience found it inappropriate maybe they need to lighten up just a little- fuck me theres enough other shit going on in the world to sit there po faced whilst a bloke is singing solo on stage a couple of humourous songs about sex, which quite frankley is a bloody funny topic when you wigh it up.

What other local dates are you doing Philip as we are geniunely interested in seeing you live again.

Regards Nosedive

28th dec sruffy murphys' 9pm see you there

Philip,
I am truely surprised to hear that you were thought inapropriate by certain members of the audience at last nights gig. Maybe said people need to take their finger out their arses and have a bit of fun. After all it was at the "Glee Club" All the people I spoke to had nothing but positive things to say about your set. On a personal level it made me think and made me laugh which in my book is damn fine. I think Mr Nosedive got it spot on. See you at Scruffy Murphys.
Cheers !!

Hollow man

Hi Philip
I have to say I enjoyhed your show a lot, humour helps us swallow a lot of the ills of the world with just a little more ease.

Im intrested to know who said you were an inappropriate support perhaps you can post and enlighten the board.

Regards
Matt
PS Big HI to all I met at Nottingham and Bham see you lot on Thursday.

Philip,
Didn't think you were inappropriate at all, were a great start to a wicked night. Would also be interested to know who said that you were inappropriate in the first place.
Keep it up, because I thought you were really funny.
Lisa

thanks for all your surport on this but i hate to tell you it was justin and his crew who made the very strong complant!!loadz philip d see you at scruffys dec 28th

As a fan of New Model Army material I find it quite exraordinary to hear that they complained about your performance. I was there with a good friend of mine and we had a great time. I enjoyed your style and sense of humour and am concerned by your comments. Are you sure? The band that sung about vengeance,and killing the bastards complained about muff diving!!!!! I think someone has been winding you up. I'll be there at scruffy Murphys and I'll be showing my support. It would be good if this was cleared up by the individual/s concerned so they could explain what was sooo wrong with your performance. A debate is always better if both sides give their opinions then we may find we understand their viewpoint, up until now the silence is deafening.

It is sad that negative remarks could detract from what was an excellent night. Look after yourselves people......Cheers....Roadie

i dont get i ether i'm not realy up to speed on web sites mine is run by a friend i was hopeing justin would read what i posted and reply.but it is true somone from the crew gazve the promoter a right bollockin i laughed like a drain for a full 15 minutes and couldnt get my words out!!! looking forward to seeing you at scruffys or market taven 12 dec 9pm laods philip d dont be shy

"killing the bastards"???
Really? I think you need to re-read the lyrics.
I think that "getting the bastards" in the context it is in, is a little different to "I fucking love you, you cunt". - matt

the song MEN ARE FROM URANUS was writen folowing overhearing someone shouting "i fucking love you'you cunt"while trying to sleep one night.i did explane this at the gig.the song is about the closenes of love to hate and how we often think we own the people we love because we love them.also at the end of a relationship how quick love can turn to vile hatred.
perhaps i'll write a new song called AND THE DEAF SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH hey is this a flame war?

yeh, I knew as soon as I posted the lyric wrong I would get a response (that's the way I've always sung it cos I'm a pratt sorry!!!!!) but I think the point I was trying to make was to do with a punky attitude.I probably didn't express myself very well because I was in a rush. Let's face it though we didn't go there to see Burt Bacharach or however you spell it. We went to see a damn good band present damn good songs. I remember going to see Billy Idol and everytime he swore (F****) the girls in the crowd screamed is that the response you would prefer....

I think Phil was excellent entertainment and anyone that was offended may have missed the subtelties of the songs, believe me they were there, especially in the one about clause 28 (I nearly put 26). Just for the record ..No I'm not but that song really hit home for me.

We can't all be the same but I got the impression that the majority enjoyed it, I'll just make sure I play with them lot at playtimes no offence meant:0) ........cheers Roadie

i have to say that i'm knocked out by all your surport and realy looking forward to seeing you at my next gigs 12th dec market tavern digbeth and scruffys 28th.

i beged the gig from the promoter and am pleased to find that i was dead right at least as far as the audiance goes .laodz, philip d