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1. Justice - '†'
"Of all the bands that were supposed to revitalise dance music this year, this is the only group that made an entire album that almost made me want to dance. It must be exceptional."
2. LCD Soundsystem - 'Sound Of Silver'
"James Murphy makes an album that is honest and heart-felt, curbs the ironic element to a minimum and still manages to be filled with great beats and hooks. See, it can be done."
3. PJ Harvey - 'White Chalk'
"Peej returns with an ethereally dark beauty."
4. Maps - 'We Can Create'
"One man in his bedroom creating music that plays daily in heaven...plus he's a lot more appealing than that White Town bloke."
5. Bloc Party - 'A Weekend In The City'
"Proof that at least one band in today's indie elite are capable of matching their debut...and then some!"
6. Paul Steel - 'April & I'
"Paul Steel's ambitiously inventive album is bursting with wit, changes of style and odd subject matter. What's more, he pulls it all off with contagious glee."
7. Arctic Monkeys - 'Favourite Worst Nightmare'
"Building on the songs that made their debut so essential in 2006, the Arctics brought in some production big guns this year and came back bigger, louder and, dare I say it, better."
8. Radiohead - 'In Rainbows'
"A return to a 'listenable' sound without really compromising the styles of the past couple of albums. It'll be in many top 10's and with good reason."
9. Richard Hawley - 'Lady's Bridge'
"Hawley adopts the role of wine-sodden crooner recently vacated by Neil Hannon and delivers another outstanding compendium of 60's tinged love songs."
10. Lethal Bizzle - 'Back To Biznizz'
"Any album that uses The Ruts and The Clash to nick music from is alright by me. And he made Babyshambles and Kate Nash sound fantastic. The man must be a genius."
11. Gruff Rhys - 'Candylion'
12. Basia Bulat - 'Basia Bulat'
13. Shinichi Osawa - 'The One'
14. Burial - 'Untrue'
15. Pharoahe Monch - 'Desire'
16. Ministry - 'The Last Sucker'
17. The Aliens - 'Astronomy for Dogs'
18. Iron and Wine - 'The Shepherd's Dog'
19. Reuben - 'In Nothing We Trust'
20. Boy Is Fiction - 'Boy Is Fiction'
21. Comeback Kid - 'Broadcasting'
22. Super Furry Animals - 'Hey! Venus'
23. Saul Williams - 'The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust'
24. Ced Hughes - 'Ced And The Technicolour Soundwave'
25. The White Stripes - 'Icky Thump'
26. Photek - 'Form & Function Volume 2'
27. Babyshambles - 'Shotter's Nation'
28. Alexisonfire - 'Crisis'
29. Gravenhurst - 'The Western Lands'
30. GoodBooks - 'Control'
31. Digitalism - 'Idealism'
32. Interpol - 'Our Love To Admire'
33. Goose - 'Bring It On'
34. Foo Fighters - 'Echoes Silence Patience and Grace'
35. Shocking Pinks - 'Shocking Pinks'
36. Julie Fowlis - 'Cuilidh'
37. Marcus Intalex - 'Fabriclive 35'
38. Klaxons - 'Myths Of The Near Future'
39. Thrice - 'The Alchemy Index'
40. To My Boy - 'Messages'
41. Eugene McGuinness - 'The Early Learnings Of...'
42. Midlake - 'The Trials of Van Occupanther'
43. Leon Switch & Kryptic Minds - 'Lost All Faith'
44. Robyn - 'Robyn'
45. 1990s - 'Cookies'
46. Stars - 'In Our Bedroom After The War'
47. Alabama 3 - 'M.O.R.'
48. Bad Religion - 'New Maps Of Hell'
49. Battles - 'Mirrored'
50. Simian Mobile Disco - 'Attack Decay Sustain Release'
Of course, you'll have your own opinions and charts, why not let us know just how good or bad our choices are below and, of course, feel free to nominate your own choices too.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
THE NME Cool List 2007
1. Frank Carter (Gallows)
2. Jamie Reynolds (Klaxons)
3. Lovefoxxx (CSS)
4. Ryan Jarman (The Cribs)
5. Lethal Bizzle
6. Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys)
7. Kate Nash
8. Amy Winehouse
9. Beth Ditto (The Gossip)
10. Keith Richards (Rolling Stones)
11. M.I.A
12. Thom Yorke (Radiohead)
13. Drew McConnell (Babyshambles)
14. ARTIST NAME OMITTED BY REQUEST
15. Tom Clarke (The Enemy)
16. Noel Gallagher (Oasis)
17. Hayley Williams (Paramore)
18. Brandon Flowers' Moustache (ooh, surreal)
19. Matt Bellamy (Muse)
20. James Smith (Hadouken!)
21. Caleb Followhill (Kings of Leon)
22. Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys)
23. Eddie Argos (Art Brut)
24. Craig Finn (The Hold Steady)
25. Morgan Yeah? (Does It Offend You, Yeah?)
26. Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro)
27. Simon Taylor (Klaxons)
28. Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
29. Kele Okereke (Bloc Party)
30. Meg White (The White Stripes)
31. Tim Harrington (Les Savy Fav)
32. Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) (No, Really?)
33. Jamie T
34. Pete Doherty (Babyshambles)
35. Lou Hayter (New Young Pony Club)
36. Ian Brown
37. Joe Lean (Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong)
38. Andy Burrows (Razorlight)
39. Kyle Falconer (The View)
40. Nicky Wire (Manic Street Preachers)
41. Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)
42. Cole Alexander (Black Lips)
43. Suki (Real Heat)
44. Brandom Flowers (The Killers)
45. Yannis Philippakis (Foals)
46. Patrick Wolf
47. Carlos D (Interpol)
48. Santogold
49. Dev Hynes (Lightspeed Champion)
50. Spider Webb (The Horrors)
'Outraged' comments, as always, welcome below. Might I suggest the extraneous inclusions of Brandon Flowers, Nicky Wire, Hayley 'Avril Lavigne' Williams and Noel 'If we put you in will you do an interview with us, please?' Gallagher?
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The Arctic Monkeys are to release their third album on Monday the 24th of August 2009.
The as-yet-untitled album features 10 brand new Arctic Monkeys’ songs and was produced by Josh Homme in the Mojave Desert and Los Angeles and James Ford in Brooklyn.
The album will be available on CD, vinyl and via digital download.
Tracklisting is as follows:
1. `My Propeller`2. `Crying Lightning`
3. `Dangerous Animals`
4. `Secret Door`
5. `Potion Approaching`
6. `Fire And The Thud`
7. `Cornerstone`
8. `Dance Little Liar`
9. `Pretty Visitors`
10. `The Jeweller’s Hands`
Arctic Monkeys will be headlining the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August and playing the following shows over the summer:
Thursday 2nd July Opener Festival, Gydnia, PolandSaturday 4th July Rock For People, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
Sunday 5th July Vienna Arena, Austria
Tuesday 7th July Prokurative, Split, Croatia
Thursday 9th July Exit Festival, Serbia
Saturday 1st August All Points West, New Jersey, USA
Sunday 2nd August Osheaga Festival, Montreal, Canada
Friday – Sunday 7th- 9th August (date TBC) Lollapalooza, Chicago, USA
Thursday 13th August Oya Festival, Oslo, Norway
Friday 14th August Way Out West, Gothenburg, Sweden
Saturday 15th August Beat Day Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
Friday 21st August Highfield Festival, Erfurt, Germany
Saturday 22nd August Pukkelpop Festival, Hasselt, Belgium
Sunday 23rd August Lowlands Festival, Holland
Friday 28th August Leeds Festival, England
Saturday 29th August Reading Festival, England
Nick Foster (View Original Article)
Arctic Monkeys are set to return with their third LP for Domino in August with all songs recorded and now at the mixing stage.
The un-named collection, a follow up to 2007`s `Favourite Worst Nightmare`, is being produced by Queens of the Stone Age`s Josh Homme which should find their sound further bolstered - building on the sterling work in bringing out the band`s harder edge of Simian Mobile Disco`s James Ford on the previous LP.
The creation of the album was apparently beset by problems early on when Alex Turner`s notebook, containing all his latest lyrics, was stolen. However, this may have resulted in a positive as Turner told the NME this week:
"I sat around the next morning, trying to remember it all. But the whole process made me write more complete things than I`d have done otherwise."
So, is it one in the eye for heavy-syllabled verse about people watching in discos as Turner`s style lyrical style changes to that of the protest song? We`ll find out in a few months.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Oasis may have released yet another decaffeinated version of their original, now apparently outlawed, brew last year, but that hasn`t stopped their fans from riding the buzz of their latest sugar pill. Yes, the somewhat mouldy Mancs picked up an unbelievable seven nominations for this year`s NME Awards last night - however, with a tantalising nod for `Worst Band` it`s clear not everyone is still enamoured with the Gallagher brothers.
Elsewhere, the nominations look like a who`s who of the NME front cover over the past year including two shouts for Crystal Castles who`s Alice Glass picked up the much-derided number one spot in last year`s `cool list` and various recognition for the work of Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets.
This year`s `Godlike Genius` award, nominated by the magazine, goes deservedly to The Cure for over three decades of fine music, horrendously-applied make-up and disguising cosummate happiness as acute misery.
Best British Band
Bloc Party
The Last Shadow Puppets
Muse
Oasis
Radiohead
Best International Band
Crystal Castles
The Killers
Kings Of Leon
MGMT
Vampire Weekend
Best Solo Artist
Ladyhawke
Laura Marling
Lightspeed Champion
Jay-Z
Pete Doherty
Best New Band
Glasvegas
Late Of The Pier
MGMT
Vampire Weekend
White Lies
Best Live Band
The Killers
Kings Of Leon
Muse
Oasis
Radiohead
Best Album
Bloc Party – `Intimacy`
Glasvegas – `Glasvegas`
The Killers – `Day & Age`
Kings Of Leon – `Only By The Night`
Oasis – `Dig Out Your Soul`
Best Track
Kings Of Leon – `Sex On Fire`
The Last Shadow Puppets – `The Age Of The Understatement`
MGMT – `Time To Pretend`
The Ting Tings – `That`s Not My Name`
Vampire Weekend – `A-Punk`
Best Video
The Last Shadow Puppets – `My Mistakes Were Made For You`
Late Of The Pier – `Heartbreak`
Oasis – `The Shock Of The Lightning`
Radiohead – `House Of Cards`
Vampire Weekend – `A-Punk`
Best Live Event
Glastonbury
Isle Of Wight
Reading and Leeds
T In The Park
V Festival
Best TV Show
Gavin & Stacey
The IT Crowd
The Mighty Boosh
Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Skins
Best Film
The Dark Knight
Juno
Quantum Of Solace
Twilight
Wall-E
Best Dancefloor Filler
Bloc Party – `Mercury`
Crystal Castles – `Courtship Dating`
Dizzee Rascal & Calvin Harris – `Dance Wiv Me`
Friendly Fires – `Paris`
Late Of The Pier – `Bathroom Gurgle`
Best DVD
Arctic Monkeys – `At The Apollo`
Foo Fighters – `Live At Wembley Stadium`
Kaiser Chiefs – `Live At Elland Road`
Muse – `HAARP`
The Rolling Stones – `Shine A Light`
Hero Of The Year
Alex Turner
Barack Obama
Brandon Flowers
Noel Fielding
Noel Gallagher
Villain Of The Year
Amy Winehouse
George Bush
Gordon Brown
John McCain
Pete Doherty
Best Dressed
Alex Turner
Alexa Chung
Brandon Flowers
Noel Fielding
Noel Gallagher
Worst Dressed
Amy Winehouse
Brandon Flowers
Johnny Borrell
Katy Perry
Pete Doherty
Worst Album
Britney Spears – `Circus`
Coldplay – `Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends`
Jonas Brothers – `A Little Bit Longer`
Razorlight – `Slipway Fires`
Scouting For Girls – `Scouting For Girls`
Worst Band
Fall Out Boy
Jonas Brothers
Oasis
Scouting for Girls
Tokio Hotel
Sexiest Male
Carl Barat
Keith Murray
Matt Bellamy
Miles Kane
Pete Doherty
Sexiest Female
Alison Mosshart
Hayley Williams
Kate Jackson
Lykke Li
Stephanie Dosen
Best Website
Bebo
Facebook
Last FM
MySpace
YouTube
Best Venue
Brixton Academy
Manchester Apollo
London Astoria
Glasgow Barrowlands
London O2 Arena
Best Album Artwork
The Cure – `4:13 Dream`
Guillemots – `Red`
The Killers – `Day & Age`
Muse – `HAARP`
We Are Scientists – `Brain Thrust Mastery`
Best Band Blog
Foals
Lightspeed Champion
Little Boots
Noel Gallagher/Oasis
Radiohead
Godlike Genius
The Cure
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The new Arctic Monkeys DVD `Live at the Apollo` will be released on November 3rd by Domino, Warp Films and Bang Bang Films. However, fans are being given the unique opportunity to watch the entire gig on a huge cinema screen simultaneously around the UK on October 14th.
The 76 minute concert was filmed at the Manchester Apollo at the end of the band`s hugely successful 2007 world tour and is directed by Richard Ayoade (perhaps best known as Saboo from The Mighty Boosh and his role in the IT Crowd). It also features an exclusive, personal introduction from the band filmed by Richard.
Arctic Monkeys - `Live at the Apollo`
1. `Brianstorm`
2. `This House is a Circus`
3. `Teddy Picker`
4. `I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor`
5. `Dancing Shoes`
6. `From the Ritz to the Rubble`
7. `Fake Tales of San Francisco`
8. `When the Sun Goes Down`
9. `Nettles`
10. `D is for Dangerous`
11. `Leave Before the Lights Come On`
12. `Fluorescent Adolescent`
13. `Still Take You Home`
14. `Da Frame 2R`
15. `Plastic Tramp`
16. `505`
17. `Do Me A Favour`
18. `A Certain Romance`
19. `The View from the Afternoon`
20. `If You Were There, Beware`
The film will be shown in the following Vue cinemas on October 14th:
Birmingham, Blackburn, Bristol Longwell, Bury, Cheshire Oaks, Croydon PW, Doncaster, Fulham, Greenwich, Hamilton, Hartlepool, Hull, Inverness, Islington, Leeds Kirkstall, Leeds Light, Leicester, Livingston, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Romford, Scunthorpe, Staines, Thanet, Thurrock, Watford, West End, Worcester
It`ll also be shown in the following cities at indie cinemas on the same day:
York, Norwich, Exeter, Aberdeen, Bath, Glasgow, Cardiff, Sheffield.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The new Late Night Tales compilation from Matt Helders already had a very tasty tracklisting and now news has arrived that Matt`s Arctic Monkeys bandmate Alex Turner will be contributing a very special track to finish the compendium off nicely in the form of a story called `A Choice of Three` written and narrated by Turner himself.
The story begins,
"In the tunnel I noticed I had a choice of three. While I thought it very kind of them to offer me this I do wonder if they realised what a dilemma they were sending to face me. The trouble was if I looked at your reflection in the left window I missed the actual image of you and your reflection in the right, and if I looked at the right I had the same problem the other way around."
To hear the rest you`ll need to pick yourself up a copy of `Late Night Tales` when its released next month.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The latest compilation in the popular `Late Night Tales` series is selected by Arctic Monkeys man Matt Helders as he sets out to disprove decades of barbed jibes at the expense of drummers` tastes in music.
In fact, over a whopping 19 tracks, Helders divulges influences as far flung as The Stooges, Minnie Ripperton, Simian Mobile Disco and Mos Def and contributes his own cover version of stodgy mid-90s dance number one `Dreamer`, originally by Living Joy. This version features vocals from Nesreen Shah and was co-produced with Ross Orton.
There are also nods towards Italian prog-rock with an opener from Goblin (an act revered, it seems, now more than they ever were) and, best of all, early 60`s American rockabilly outfit Johnny and the Hurricanes. When I nicked a 7" single of theirs from my Mum`s record collection some twenty years ago I had no idea they`d still be getting played in 2008. Mum, you`re officially cool.
Matt Helders - `Late Night Tales`
1. Goblin - `Connexion`
2. Matt Helders feat Nesreen Shah - `Dreamer`
3. Viktor Vaughn - `Vaudeville Villain`
4. Yamasuki - `Yama Yama`
5. Zeph & Azeem - `Play The Drum`
6. DJ Format - `Charity Shop Soundclash`
7. Little Barrie - `Free Salute`
8. The Black Keys - `Thickfreakness`
9. The Stooges - `Dirt`
10. Johnny & The Hurricanes - `Sheba`
11. Modeselektor feat Puppetmastaz - `The Dark Side Of The Sun`
12. Mos Def - `Ms. Fat Booty`
13. Luniz - `I Got 5 On It (Original Clean Short Mix)`
14. The Coral - `Grey Harpoon`
15. Minnie Riperton - `Reasons`
16. Roots Manuva - `Dreamy Days`
17. Ty - `Break The Lock`
18. Simian Mobile Disco - `I Believe`
19. The Rapture - `Olio`
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The band have added four new songs to their MySpace page - 'The Menace', 'Lies', 'Better than Julian' and 'Heavy' - each with a Gorillaz-esque hip hop-meets-indie knowingly danceworthy groove. First track 'The Menace' could be a future single with a political message that addresses the problem of religious fundamentalism while 'Lies' refers to those of politicians and spin doctors. 'Better Than Heavy' is an Adrian Sherwood-produced, humongous dub sidestep which, indeed, 'heavy' doesn't quite sum up. The percussion-heavy 'Julian' (Casablancas? Cope? Julian from the Famous Five?) rounds off the foursome in trippy style.
The band debut their material live at Beirut's BIG BANG festival next month before three dates in October in Dublin, Sheffield and London and will release material at some time in the future on the Wall of Sound label.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Anyway, to save you the trouble of watching the awful material Matt Horne and James Corden are working with as presenters, the abysmal cover of 'Panic' by The Cribs (with Johnny Marr!), Kate Nash making Billy Bragg sound like Pavarotti (while the audience wonders who Billy is) and the inevitability of bizarre award after bizarre award....here are the results.
NME Award Winners
Best British Band – Arctic Monkeys
Best International Band - The Killers
Best New Band – The Enemy
Best Live Band – Muse
Best Solo Artist – Kate Nash
Best Album – ‘Myths Of The Near Future’ Klaxons
Best Track - ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ Arctic Monkeys
Best Video – ‘Teddy Picker’ Arctic Monkeys
Best Dancefloor Filler – ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ The Wombats
Best Music DVD – ‘Unplugged In New York’ Nirvana
Best Live Event – Carling Weekend: Reading & Leeds Festival
Hero Of The Year – Pete Doherty
Villain Of The Year – George W Bush
Best Dressed – Noel Fielding
Worst Dressed – Amy Winehouse
Best Album Artwork – ‘The Good, The Bad & The Queen’ The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Best Radio Show – Zane Lowe
Worst Album – ‘Blackout’ Britney Spears
Worst Band – The Hoosiers
Best TV Show – The Mighty Boosh
Best Film – Control
Sexiest Man – Noel Fielding
Sexiest Woman – Kylie Minogue
Best Venue – Wembley Stadium
Best Website – Facebook
Best Band Blog – www.radiohead.com/deadairspace
Best Music Blog – The Modern Age
Philip Hall Radar Award – Glasvegas
Godlike Genius – Manic Street Preachers
May the Lord have mercy on the soul of this magazine.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
A single of the same name is released on April 14th and clues to its sound can be heard during the knowingly enticing trailer at www.theageoftheunderstatement.com.
The album is 12 tracks in length and also features Arctic Monkeys producer and Simian Mobile DJ James Ford on drums and Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett conducting a twenty-two strong branch of the London Metropolitan Orchestra.
The Last Shadow Puppets - 'The Age of the Understatement'
1. 'The Age Of The Understatement'
2. 'Standing Next To Me'
3. 'Calm Like You'
4. 'Separate and Ever Deadly'
5. 'The Chamber'
6. 'Only The Truth'
7. 'My Mistakes Were Made For You'
8. 'Black Plant'
9. 'I Don't Like You Any More'
10. 'In My Room'
11. 'Meeting Place'
12. 'The Time Has Come Again'
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Arctic Monkeys snapped up three deserved nominations for Best Group, Album and Live Act while Kaiser Chiefs matched them, gaining recognition for the year's finest number one single 'Ruby' and deservedly missing out on a nomination for their bitterly disappointing second album.
Mercury veterans Klaxons and Bat For Lashes gained two nominations. The former making a baffling appearance in the 'Best Live Act' category with Natasha Khan taking full advantage of the notoriously undercontested 'Best Female' category.
The awards show takes place on 20th February at London's Earls Court, presented by the unintelligible Ozzy and the unlikable Sharon Osbourne.
Full Nominations List
CDX tip in italics
Best British Male
Jamie T
Mark Ronson
Mika
Newton Faulkner
Richard Hawley
Best British Female
Bat For Lashes
Kate Nash
KT Tunstall
Leona Lewis
PJ Harvey
Best British Group
Arctic Monkeys
Editors
Girls Aloud
Kaiser Chiefs
Take That
Best British Album
Arctic Monkeys - 'Favourite Worst Nightmare'
Leona Lewis - 'Spirit'
Mark Ronson - 'Version'
Mika - 'Life in Cartoon Motion;
Take That - 'Beautiful World'
Best British Breakthrough Act
Best British Live Act
Best British Single
Best International Male
Best International Female
Best International Group
Best International Album
Outstanding Contribution Award
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Bat For Lashes
Kate Nash
Klaxons
Leona Lewis
Arctic Monkeys
Kaiser Chiefs
Klaxons
Muse
Take That
The Hoosiers - 'Worried About Ray'
James Blunt - '1973'
Kaiser Chiefs - 'Ruby'
Kate Nash - 'Foundations'
Leona Lewis - 'Bleeding Love'
Mark Ronson - 'Valerie'
Mika - 'Grace Kelly'
Mutya Buena - 'Real Girl'
Sugababes - 'About You Now'
Take That - 'Shine'
Bruce Springsteen
Kanye West
Rufus Wainwright
Timbaland
Michael Buble
Alicia Keys
Bjork
Feist
Kylie Minogue
Rihanna
The Arcade Fire
The Eagles
Foo Fighters
Kings of Leon
The White Stripes
The Arcade Fire - 'Neon Bible'
The Eagles - 'Long Road Out Of Eden'
Foo Fighters - 'Echoes, Silence, Patience, Grace'
Kings of Leon - 'Because of the Times'
Kylie Minogue - 'X'
Paul McCartney
Entries must be square, saved at 300dpi (that's dots per inch) resolution and be (mostly) black and white. So the band have time to press up, all entries must be in by 21st January 2008 to thehivescoverart@googlemail.com.
The new single itself was produced by Pharrell Williams thus taking it out of the Hives' usual remit of trudging blues-rock revivalism. Further remixes from Arctic Monkeys sticksman Matt Helders and The Yeah Yeah Yeah's Nick Zinner complete the new direction.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
'Spirit' sold a perplexing 375,000 copies over the past week and charity shops are already preparing extra space on their shelves for the inevitable deluge of unwanted Leona compact discs they will receive over the coming year.
Leona also enters the record books with the fourth fastest selling album of all time. See the Top 10 below - if you own over 50% then consider yourself the root cause of shitpop.
Top 10 Fastest Selling* Albums...Ever!
1. Oasis - 'Be Here Now' (1997)
2. Coldplay - 'X & Y' (2005)
3. Dido - 'Life for Rent' (2003)
4. Leona Lewis - 'Spirit' (2007)
5. Robbie Williams - 'Intensive Care' (2005)
6. Arctic Monkeys - 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' (2006)
7. U2 - 'Rattle & Hum' (1988)
8. Michael Jackson - 'Bad' (1987)
9. Oasis - '(What's the Story) Morning Glory' (1995)
10. Madonna - 'The Immaculate Collection' (1990)
* - Most overrated.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Best New Act - The Enemy
Best Track - Manic Street Preachers - 'Your Love Alone Is Not Enough' (what?!)
Q Classic Song - Stereophonics - 'Local Boy in the Photograph' (what??!!)
Q Classic Album - The Verve - 'Urban Hymns' (what???!!! Oh, I give up...)
Best Video - Kaiser Chiefs - 'Ruby'
Q Innovation in Sound - Sigur Ros
Q Merit Award - Ryan Adams
Lifetime Achievement Award - Johnny Marr
Q Hero - Tony Wilson
Best Album - Amy Winehouse - 'Back to Black'
Q Classic Songwriter - Billy Bragg
Q Legend - Ian Brown
Q Inspiration Award - Damon Albarn
Q Idol - Kylie Minogue
Best Act in the World Today - Arctic Monkeys
Q Icon - Paul McCartney
Breakthrough Artist - Kate Nash
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
No further details are available as yet, but you can be assured of some quality on the B-sides and, unconfirmed, a yuletide Arctic Monkeys christmas carol.
Tickets to the shows are all sold out but, as usual, 'entrepreneurs' (or 'cunts' as I like to call them) have filled ebay with them.
December 2007
8, 9 - London Alexandra Palace
11, 12 - Manchester Central
14, 15 - Aberdeen AECC
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Speaking to NME.Com, Alex revealed,
"We're there for two weeks and we're going to try to get the majority of it done. James Ford is producing it and is going to play drums, he's a really boss drummer. Me and Al will do all the bass and guitar and vocals...we'd like to get some strings on it and probably do all that back home."
The release will probably be held back until next year after The Rascals release their own debut album.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
"I can't listen to 'Sit Down', it makes me feel sick. That's not because it's a bad song, it's just bad memories. It reminds me of things I don't want to remember. Nothing bad, just a long journey to Glossop. I can't even listen to it now."
No big surprises there Matt, most of us feel that way about this hideously overplayed and re-released 'classic'. Some years ago the band admitted that they were sick of the song too from the stage at T in the Park but then went on to play it to a crowd split 50/50 between rabid enthusiasm and visceral hatred.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
As always William Hill have been quick to allocated odds at random based on popularity and have installed Amy Winehouse and Arctic Monkeys as joint favourites on 4-1. The Monkeys are looking to be the first act in history to win the award in consecutive years so a bet on them would be idiotic.
Great albums by Maps and The Young Knives have also been nominated, the former being my tip for a good outside bet. While, in order to keep TV audiences at a reasonable level, the lacklustre debuts by The View and Klaxons have amazingly found themselves in with a shout.
Complete outsiders are Bat For Lashes, Fionn Regan and Basquiat Strings while Dizzee Rascal takes the token black nomination again, having won the award in 2003.
The full list is as follows:
Amy Winehouse - 'Back to Black'
Arctic Monkeys - 'Favourite Worst Nightmare'
Basquiat Strings - 'Basquiat Strings'
Bat For Lashes - 'Fur and Gold'
Dizzee Rascal - 'Maths & English'
Fionn Regan - 'The End of History'
Jamie T - 'Panic Prevention'
Klaxons - 'Myths of the Near Future'
Maps - 'We Can Create'
New Young Pony Club - 'Fantastic Playroom'
The View - 'Hats Off to the Buskers'
The Young Knives - 'Voices of Animals and Men'
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Friday's line-up is rather sparse with only the Main Stage, T-Break and the Bacardi Bar boasting a full evening line up. I'd heartily recommend Edgar Prais who open the T-Break stage and have some excellent tunes in their arsenal. Once they've played I'd grab a few beers and wait for Bloc Party then Arctic Monkeys. If you can fit in Kobai who play in the gap in between then all the better - they're a Glasgow band who suitably tickled us last year with their 'Serotonin' single.
So to Saturday and the first full day. Take things slowly to begin with at the Bacardi Bar and visit our old employers Snafu until you're sure it's safe and the Saw Doctors have finished. On no account go near the Main Stage until The Skids come on, then rabidly sing 'Ahoy! Ahoy!' with every old bloke within a forty mile radius. Immediately after scoot off to King Tut's for another, yet completely different, Scottish band in Camera Obscura.
We hear Gogol Bordello have cancelled but it does mean the unfortunate clash with the Long Blondes is no longer an issue. Go see the latter for a performance high on sex and fun. Speaking of which, CSS follow immediately on the NME stage if you don't fancy the retro sound of James or the er...retro sound of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
After sticking your head round the door of the Slam Tent to hear a bit of Dizzee Rascal, get yourself a good spot for the anthemic sound of The Arcade Fire. Then, well, it's up to you, Hot Chip are one hundred times the live band that The Klaxons are but let your hype-o-meter lead you. Of course, I'll probably miss both as my desperation to see Brian Wilson (and not one of the fucking Killers, Kooks or The View) is so high that I'm probably going to shack up in the Pet Sounds tent early.
Sunday must start with a visit to the Slam Tent to see Andy 'It's Andrew Weatherall you cunt' Weatherall. At Oxegen two years ago he surprised punters by playing a punk rock set, who knows what the legendary DJ and producer will do this time. Next I'd recommend you remain in the Slam Tent for Digitalism's live show or head off to the Pet Sounds arena for a double bill of ex-Arab Strap man Malcolm Middleton followed by US college-rock revivalists The Hold Steady.
After a quick lunch, take your pick from either The Twang or Switches to snoozily listen to from the back of the crowd, then get yourself a good place for The Gossip on the NME stage. Expect a big crowd as those preoccupied with Beth Ditto's size will be treating it as a freakshow. Of course, if they play 'Standing in the Way of Control' first then the crowd will soon dwindle.
Being very careful to ignore the two Jacks on offer (Just Jack and Jack Penate) you should now head to the Pet Sounds arena to enjoy the unique sounds of the Brian Jonestown Massacre in a rare Scottish performance.
I'd then recommend a nice long snooze for three hours. Have a walk round the stalls, try your luck in the fairground (if you can walk through it without being accosted by neds then you win) and sample the most bizarre 'ethnic' food that you can. You'll only be missing the likes of The Fratellis, Ocean Colour Scene, Jet, Badly Drawn Boy, Mika, Enter Shikari and whichever two of the Wu Tang Clan turn up.
Later on we have the day's conundrum. Which of Interpol, Editors, Air, Pipettes, Hardfloor and The Little Kicks would you most like to see and why the fuck are they all on at the same time? Afterwards you can wonder why there's pretty much nothing decent following any of them. However, when pushed, plump for Queens of the Stone Age if you can make it into the King Tut's Tent.
Download your own T in the Park schedule here
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Physical Release: 2 July 2007
Some bands' singers just have very strange voices, and Passenger are no exception. Their singer sports a slightly bizarre falsetto and the overall effect makes the band sound like a jangly JJ72. Those of you impressed by Jack Penate's one man quest to resurrect the Housemartins will probably like this, otherwise it's simply one to fill airtime on 'with it' Radio 2 shows.
Eugene McGuinness - 'Monsters Under the Bed' (Double Six)
Physical Release: 2 July 2007
The latest signing to Domino offshoot Double Six is the rather manic Eugene McGuinness. 'Monsters Under the Bed' is an eerie paean to how 'fan-fucking-tabulous' it is to be scared of the dark all delivered over a suitably creepy backing. Yes, Eugene is the missing link between David Bowie and Herman Munster. Flipside 'Myrtle Parade' is crunchy nightmare music that brings to mind Adam and his Ants - but these are giant eight feet ants with menacing pincers. Yikes!
Fall Out Boy - 'The Take Over, The Breaks Over' (Mercury)
Physical Release: 2 July 2007
If Fall Out Boy sacked Pete Wentz they could just about make it as a credible band. The first few 'licks' of 'The Take Over, The Breaks Over' give the impression of a song with good things to come. However, like a fart in a lift, Wentz soon makes his unwelcome presence felt and the song sets course for the soundtrack of an 'issues' teen drama. The notion this is probably their best single to date is scant reward I feel, but I made it to the end of the track without switching it off so congratulations are in order.
Zico Chain - 'Anaemia' (Hassle)
Physical Release:23 July 2007
Sounding somewhere between Rocket from the Crypt and Therapy?, the new single from Zico Chain is far better than I'd usually give them credit for. However, the rather laughable outro which finds Chris Glithero retching constantly about being 'so alone' with his anaemia sounds like nothing more than a bunch of sixth-formers showing how 'sensitive' they are and spoils an otherwise suprisingly good rock record.
The Hours - 'Ali in the Jungle' (Polydor)
Physical Release: 9 July 2007
Some eight months after it's initial release to complete public apathy, The Hours try second time lucky with 'Ali in the Jungle' - a track that was barely worth the original release. It's the Young Knives without the hooks, quirky vocals, fat blokes or funny videos and unsurprisingly this has been single of the week for both Jo Whiley and Zane Lowe. Including Syd Waddell's immortal line 'the greatest comeback since Lazarus' and commentary from Muhammed Ali's rumble in the jungle is merely garnishing a song which is not deserving of your or anybody else's attention. Let's see you come back from that!
Arctic Monkeys - 'Fluorescent Adolescent' (Domino)
Physical Release: 9 July 2007
Almost certainly the highpoint of 'Favourite Worst Nightmare', the Monkeys make amends for the oversight of not releasing the previous album's anthem 'Mardy Bum' by unleashing this on a public who should quite rightly send it to the top of the charts. Hook-driven and oh-so-catchy, the Monkeys #2 sound has been heightened by the crisp disco production of Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford and, even though you probably already have a copy, get it again - it sounds twice as good in single context.
Mark Ronson ft Lily Allen - 'Oh My God' (Columbia)
Physical Release: 9 July 2007
Like most of the 'Version' album, this cover of the Kaiser Chiefs is nowhere near as clever as it thinks it is. Lily's vocals sound bored, slightly tired, which sums up pretty nicely the way public opinion should be veering towards the concept of the 'unlikely cover' so prevalent in todays irony / nostalgia driven music scene. This is not a release to be ignored however with remixes from Chris Lake (crunchy electro house with no respect for the arrangement of the original - nice!), Emperor Machine (peculiar tech-bleep-jazz), Kashmeer Bros (dub-reggae drone-hop!) and 'Busta Rhymes' which is little more than a rap slapped awkwardly into the original mix. Ah well.
New Young Pony Club - 'Ice Cream' (Island)
Physical Release: 2 July 2007
Losing considerable marks on re-release, 'Ice Cream' remains New Young Pony Club's anthem and, taking the CSS road to fame (by re-releasing 'Let's Make Love...' so many times the public said 'If we buy it and make it a chart will you give us a fucking break?'), the NYPC should be on everyone's lips this summer...just like ice cream in fact. If you haven't heard this yet (then where have you been?) it's chunky punk-funk like a monged-out EGS with a vocal reminiscent of The Slits' Ari Up. The fact it's being released at least four years (or twenty eight years depending upon which punk-funk revolution you consider) too late may prove a stumbling block.
Badly Drawn Boy - 'Promises' (EMI)
Physical Release: 2 July 2007
You can already tell how this will sound before listening to it...bold piano riff, boring drums, 'anthemic' strings...however, you don't expect two minutes of guff before the song starts. You also don't expect the guff to turn up again at the end of the song clashing and grating and proving once and for all that the Music Gods were right to strip Damon Gough of his talent so early in his career (although not the hat). After all, without him we probably wouldn't have had to suffer Keane.
Buy, Borrow or Steal: Eugene McGuinness, Arctic Monkeys
Seek and Destroy: The Hours, Badly Drawn Boy
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Friday 22nd June
Pyramid Stage
Arctic Monkeys
Kasabian
The Fratellis
Bloc Party
The Magic Numbers
Amy Winehouse
Gogol Bordello
The Earlies
The View
Adjagas
Other Stage
Bjork
The Arcade Fire
Rufus Wainwright
The Coral
Super Furry Animals
Bright Eyes
The Automatic
Modest Mouse
The Cribs
Reverend and the Makers
Mr Hudson and the Library
Saturday 23rd June
Pyramid Stage
The Killers
The Kooks
Paul Weller
Paolo Nutini
Lily Allen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Guillemots
The Pipettes
Seasick Steve
Liz Green
Other Stage
The Stooges
Editors
Maximo Park
Babyshambles
Klaxons
CSS
Biffy Clyro
The Long Blondes
Brakes
El Presidente
Switches
Sunday 24th June
Pyramid Stage
The Who
Kaiser Chiefs
Manic Street Preachers
Shirley Bassey
James Morrison
The Marley Brothers perform 'Exodus'
The Waterboys
Corb Lund
The National Youth Orchestra
Other Stage
Chemical Brothers
The View
The Go! Team
Mika
The Rakes
Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly
Cold War Kids
Sunshine Underground
The Enemy
The Holloways
Kharma 45
So, a little something for everyone there, including a performance from everyone's favourites Kharma 45 for the Sunday early birds - if they actually turn up to this festival...disappointment caused by their Reading no-show last year was huge.
Obviously Glastonbury has a range of other stages including the John Peel stage, One World, Circus and the Hungarian Performance Art Circle. So, don't spend too long ogling at these middling indie bands will you?
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
See what you make of these...
The Top 50 Indie Anthems of All Time
1. Oasis - 'Live Forever'
2. Nirvana - 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'
3. Pulp - 'Common People'
4. The Smiths - 'There is a Light That Never Goes Out'
5. The Libertines - 'Don't Look Back Into The Sun'
6. The Libertines - 'Time For Heroes'
7. The Smiths - 'How Soon Is Now?'
8. The Stone Roses - 'I Am The Resurrection'
9. The Strokes - 'Last Nite'
10. Arctic Monkeys - 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'
11. The Smiths - 'This Charming Man'
12. The Stone Roses - 'She Bangs The Drums'
13. The Libertines - 'Can't Stand Me Now'
14. Oasis - 'Don't Look Back In Anger'
15. Blur - 'Song 2'
16. Franz Ferdinand - 'Take Me Out'
17. The Stone Roses - 'I Wanna Be Adored'
18. The Verve - 'Bitter Sweet Symphony'
19. Joy Division - 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'
20. Joy Division - 'Transmission'
21. The Smiths - 'Panic'
22. The Breeders - 'Cannonball'
23. The Gossip - 'Standing In The Way Of Control'
24. Babyshambles - 'Fuck Forever'
25. Oasis - 'Supersonic'
26. Radiohead - 'Creep'
27. Oasis - 'Wonderwall'
28. Pavement - 'Cut Your Hair'
29. The Arcade Fire - 'Rebellion (Lies)'
30. Manic Street Preachers - 'A Design For Life'
31. Oasis - 'Cigarettes and Alcohol'
32. The Stone Roses - 'Fool's Gold'
33. The Killers - 'Mr Brightside'
34. Radiohead - 'Just'
35. The Pixies - 'Monkey Gone To Heaven'
36. Kaiser Chiefs - 'I Predict a Riot'
37. Kasabian - 'LSF'
38. The Pixies - 'Gigantic'
39. Oasis - 'Champagne Supernova'
40. The Klaxons - 'Golden Skans'
41. Blur - 'Parklife'
42. The Cribs - 'Hey Scenesters'
43. Suede - 'Animal Nitrate'
44. The Stone Roses - 'Love Spreads'
45. The La's - 'There She Goes'
46. Dinosaur Jr - 'Freak Scene'
47. The Libertines - 'Up The Bracket'
48. Sonic Youth - 'Bull in the Heather'
49. The Rapture - 'House of Jealous Lovers'
50. My Bloody Valentine - 'You Made Me Realise'
I'm saying nothing, but some inclusions and many exclusions make my blood boil...
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
OK – just before I start this week, I better not mention that I actually quite like The Strokes new single “Brianstorm” - it will ruin any credibility I may have had … let’s move swiftly on to this week’s other key release…
Ocean Colour Scene’s “I Told You So” is out this week. Regular CDX readers will know of our love of this band. I cannot stress how much you dear reader need to listen to this track yourself to form your own opinion. My opinion … it’s the aural equivalent of a soft punch in the arm. It’s enough to wake you up, you’ll probably want to hit the person back, but it’s a pointless irritant rather than a shock to the senses. Little more than inoffensive retro pop which I find a bland to say the least.
If you were going to go retro, I’d much prefer to hear something like Pop Levi’s “Pick-Me-Up Uppercut”. This electo-70’s-(s)punk track thankfully has absolutely nothing to do with its near namesake (the perennial karaoke / massacre favourite “Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations). It’s just utterly fantastic, coming across like one long sped up Beatles chorus with a bridge timed to perfection to maintain your interest. Trust me on this one. You all need to listen to this again and again. Very nearly takes the honours of single of the week. More of that later though….
Elsewhere in “The Rock Corner” you’ll find that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s “Weapon Of Choice” rather reassuringly also has nothing to do with its namesake (Fatboy Slim’s Weapon of Choice). Instead the boys have crafted a welcome return to the rock moves we know and love them for – it’s peak period Jesus & Mary Chain geetar stylings with a hint of power pop thrown in for good measure. A good thing indeed and the kind of song I would like to hear more of on the radio. Much like Dinosaur Jr’s “Been There All The Time” really - if it was played enough on the radio I suspect I would learn to love it. Sadly however at the moment it sounds like every other Dinosaur Jr. track I can ever remember. This is not a bad thing, it’s just not especially memorable which is a shame.
There’s memorable hooks galore in the Switches’ shop however. Their impressions of Franz Ferdinand with a sneer of Blood Arm thrown in for good measure on “Lay Down The Law” create one of this week’s better pop / rock singles which deserves to be a bona fide hit. A killer sing-along chorus and break down should ensure much festival madness later this year. It’s finely crafted pop indeed, with some convincing guitar moves evident, and it’s screaming “check out the album you groovy fuckers” to me. Which is what I’ll now have to do.
Y’all should also check out Envelopes’ “Smoke In The Desert, Eating The Sand, Hide In The Grass” which has, without doubt, this week’s most ridiculous title. I’ll let them off though as it’s more than made up for by the “hey this is fucking ace actually” joy brought about from their pseudo-Talking Heads loose funk (even if it does start like Elastica). Fine quirky pop and none the worse for sounding a little different from the crowd.
Meanwhile, in the dance music corner, the faithful cover of the week award goes to Another Chance’s “Everytime I See Her (Sound Of Eden)” Yup – that old Shades Of Rhythm rave classic. For a slightly more relevant update you need to turn your attention to the Laidback Luke mix, but good though it is, it’s so faithful you do have to wonder why they bothered.
Blackstrobe’s “Shining Black Star” is probably the least dance like dance single you’re going to hear this week (at least on the lead version). Sleazy slowed down electro / guitar that sounds like Nu-Beat should sound in 2007. It’s that man Epworth (Phones / Bloc Party) with Alan Moulder (Depeche Mode / Nine Inch Nails and 101 similar bands) at the controls here, and it really does show. Pretty essential if you ask me, especially with remixes from Zongamin (think fucked up 80’s disco), Oliver Huntemann (think LFO meets Sven Vath) and Blackstrobe himself.
However, with every good there is always yang: We’ll try and be quick in this week’s “Stinkers Corner” least something bites:
Natasha Bedingfield - “I Want To Have Your Babies”: no no no no no. Beddingfield what have you done ? Every mildly intoxicated woman in the country is now going to inflict your pain upon the rest of the nation. I can not forgive you.
Matt Willis - “Crash”: Congratulations Matt, you’ve made The Primitives sound like Blink 182 with your cover of Crash. How long did it take you to think that up? No Points.
Ash – “You Can’t Have It All”: Ash J’Accuse! You have been listening to latter period Smashing Pumpkins and Muse a little to much. Try listening to your own back catalogue next time please. You used to rule my stereo.
Beyonce & Shakira– “Beautiful Liar”: Utterly without merit. Those horns are rank to the nth degree. This reeks of big name = big buck. As if you dear readers didn’t need telling already, avoid if you don’t want to see your brain fall out of your ears before your very eyes.
Hanson – “Go”. Utter drivel. The voices have broken, the tunes have, erm, gone middle of the road. It’s not a million miles away from Coldplay, except there’s a curious lack of emotion. A ballad by numbers which is quite frankly inexcusable.
Jean Michelle Jarre – Teo & Tea: This needs some big fuck off lasers really and an impressive skyline to project them on, or a song I wouldn’t actually fall asleep to.
I’m feeling a little woozy, let’s stroll over to the “Hang On, This Isn’t Rock either ” corner …
DJ Yoda & A-Skillz featuring The Jungle Brothers release a laid back stunner with “Playin’ Around”: The Jungle Brothers have always balanced the quality and an unforced and ego-less “this is how you do it” attitude. That’s called flow. Some rappers have it, some rappers don’t. This sounds like it could be off any classic daisy-age hip-hop album, and you can’t really get a higher recommendation for hip hop in my book.
Just Jack’s “Glory Days”: tries for the same daisy-age effect but just lacks the essential listen-again factor as the flow isn’t quite there. It tries too hard to be laid back, and has the worst biblical pun ever. You wouldn’t turn it off it it came on the radio, but you wouldn’t want to necessarily listen to it again in a rush either. Whereas “Stars In Their Eyes” had a certain pop sensibility, this sorely lacks any of the same charm.
Lady Sovereign’s “Those Were The Days” also goes for the same pop / hip-hop vibe, but in direct contrast has the flow. It’s just far more engaging, funny and believable than whatever Just Jack has rattled on about (see, I’ve forgotten already). She may be hyped a little too much, but it’s hard to argue with evidence like this. Clear winner on the chilled out hip hop singles this week.
Anyway, speaking of hype, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip have been lazily compared to LCD Soundsystem with their “Thou Shall Always Kill” track.. To be perfectly honest, it’s not a bad comparison - if you’re going to copy something, “Losing my Edge” is a high watermark indeed to emulate. This is nearly there, and as result is this week’s killer track by a country mile. The sharp lyrics may smack of Novelty Island, but it’s so funny and so on the nail in places it hurts. Just listen to the lyrics and then review your CD collection and perhaps your outlook on life.
Andy J (View Original Article)
So, this year's headliners as T in the Park becomes (as suggested earlier this week) a three day festival, are Arctic Monkeys and, as I unfortunately guessed the other day, The Killers and Snow Patrol. Up and down the country boring tossers are wetting themselves and I'm (I already have a ticket you see) in tears.
In fact, from the entire line-up announced the only bands I'm remotely excited about seeing are The Arcade Fire and Interpol, the rest I've either seen in lacklustre performances before or they're fucking awful.
Still, decide for yourself.
Friday 6th July
Main Stage
Arctic Monkeys
Bloc Party
The Coral
Lily Allen
Saturday 7th July
Main Stage
The Killers
Razorlight
The Arcade Fire
James
James Morrison
Radio 1 / NME Stage
The Kooks
My Chemical Romance
Babyshambles
CSS
King Tut's Tent
The Klaxons
Jamie T
Slam Tent
Booka Shade
Ame
Sunday 8th July
Main Stage
Snow Patrol
Scissor Sisters
Kings of Leon
The Fratellis
Paolo Nutini
Goo Goo Dolls
Radio 1 / NME Stage
Kasabian
Interpol
Maximo Park
'flamboyant' Mika
Pet Sounds Arena
Damien Rice
Amy Winehouse
Tori Amos
Slam Tent
Dave Clarke
Slam
Hardfloor
Digitalism
Soundstream / Soundhack
I hadn't noticed it, but music has been on it's knees begging for mercy for the past year or so and today it just died.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
"Sorry we couldn't be there tonight, but we're busy rehearsing for the year ahead. We're thrilled to have received the award for Best British Album. Our debut received a lot of recognition but no doubt this is a very special award and appreciated by all of us."
For the Best Band award they had this to say,
"Thank you for presenting us with this most prestigious award. It means a great deal considering the competition. Thanks to everybody for supporting us along the way. We look forward to seeing you all this year when we go back on tour."
The band also recently announced a massive show at Dublin's Malahide Castle on Saturday 16th June 2007. Tickets go on sale next tuesday at 9am (be very quick) and the rest of the bill will be named shortly.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
'Favourite Worst Nightmare', the follow up to last year's hugely popular debut, will be out on April 23rd on Domino and is preceded by brand new single 'Brianstorm'.
The band have been really busy and the second album features twelve brand new tracks as follows:
Tracklisting
1. Brianstorm
2. Teddy Picker
3. D is for Dangeruos
4. Balaclava
5. Fluorescent Adolescent
6. Only One Who Know
7. Do Me A Favour
8. This House is a Circus
9. If You Where There, Beware
10.The Bad Thing
11.Old Yellow Bricks
12.505
Can't wait!
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The awards which are traditionally broadcast some two weeks after the Brit Awards (and used to be comically known as 'The Brats' before a lucrative deal with a hair-product) used to be an indication of what really was good out there. Can we still say this? Read on...
Best British Band
Arctic Monkeys
Babyshambles
Kasabian
Muse
Oasis
Good grief, what a bunch of bizarrely-blinkered fuckwits you really are!
Best International Band
CSS
The Killers
My Chemical Romance
The Strokes
We Are Scientists
Yep, The Strokes really do deserve a nomination for spending a year sat on their arses. CSS, despite being miles behind their own hype are the only worthy victors here.
Best Solo Artist
Lily Allen
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Jarvis Cocker
Jamie T
Thom Yorke
Sigh. One for the old guard then.
Best New Band
The Fratellis
The Horrors
The Klaxons
The Kooks
The View
Bizarrely, The Kooks have been releasing singles for longer than The Arctic Monkeys yet are nominated as a new band in 2007. Still, this is a two-way hype tussle between The View and The Klaxons, with the Dundonians most likely. NME-darlings The Horrors don't really have a chance.
Best Live Band
Arctic Monkeys
Babyshambles
Kasabian
Muse
My Chemical Romance
Ignoring the pricks who just write 'Babyshambles' in every box on the voting form, I've seen each of these bands live. Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys lack excitement while MCR's piss-bottle dodging skills are impressive yet their sound is fucking awful. There is only one winner here - the Rick Wakeman-esque Muse. It's like punk never happened, eh?
Best Album
Arctic Monkeys - 'Whatever People Say...'
Kasabian - 'Empire'
The Killers - 'Sam's Town
Muse - 'Black Holes and Revelations'
My Chemical Romance - 'The Black Parade'
Clearly readers haven't bothered to listen to the second albums by Kasabian and The Killers as, if they had, they'd realise how shite they are. I haven't heard 'The Black Parade' - nobody should have to. Yup, another gong for WPSIATWIN in the easiest category of the night.
NME editor Conor McNicholas said:
"This year's nominations reflect what has been an exceptional 12 months for rock music. Whether recognising the phenomenal success of bands like Arctic Monkeys, Muse and My Chemical Romance, or shining a spotlight on exciting emerging talent like The View, Klaxons and The Horrors, the nominations list demonstrates the richness and variety at the heart of our scene."
Richness and variety? Do you like the sound of four boys with shaggy hair playing middling indie? You do?
Here's the rest of the categories. Come back Melody Maker - all is forgiven!
Best Track
Dirty Pretty Things - 'Bang Bang You're Dead'
The Killers - 'When You Were Young'
Klaxons - 'Atlantis To Interzone'
Muse - 'Supermassive Black Hole'
The View - 'Wasted Little DJs'
Best Video
The Horrors - 'Sheena Is A Parasite'
Kasabian - 'Empire'
The Killers - 'Bones'
OK Go - 'Here It Goes Again'
Panic! At The Disco - 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies'
Best Music DVD
Arctic Monkeys - 'Scummy Man'
Dirty Pretty Things - 'Puffing On A Coffin Nail'
Foo Fighters - 'Skin And Bones'
Maximo Park - 'Found On Film'
My Chemical Romance - 'Life On The Murder Scene'
Best Live Event
Carling Weekend: Reading And Leeds Festivals
Download 2006
Oxegen
T In The Park
V2006
Best Film
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Casino Royale
The Departed
Little Miss Sunshine
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Best TV Show
Extras
Gonzo
Lost
The Mighty Boosh
Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Best Radio Show
Lauren Laverne (Xfm)
Zane Lowe (Radio 1)
Chris Moyles (Radio 1)
Colin Murray (Radio 1)
Jo Whiley (Radio 1)
Hero Of The Year
Carl Barat
Pete Doherty
Faris Rotter
Alex Turner
Gerard Way
Hang on.....what the fuck was the point in that category?
Villain Of The Year
Tony Blair
Johnny Borrell
George Bush
Pete Doherty
Gerard Way
Sexiest Man
Carl Barat
Matt Bellamy
Pete Doherty
Brandon Flowers
Gerard Way
Sexiest Woman
Lily Allen
Beth Ditto
Kate Jackson
Kate Moss
Karen O
Best Dressed
Carl Barat
Russell Brand
Pete Doherty
Brandon Flowers
Faris Rotter
Worst Dressed
Lily Allen
Johnny Borrell
Russell Brand
Pete Doherty
Faris Rotter
Worst Album
Lily Allen - 'Alright, Still'
The Feeling - 'Twelve Stops And Home'
My Chemical Romance - 'The Black Parade'
Razorlight - 'Razorlight'
Robbie Williams - 'Rudebox'
Worst Band
The Feeling
The Horrors
The Kooks
Panic! At The Disco
Razorlight
Best Venue
Brixton Academy
Glasgow Barrowlands
London KOKO
London Astoria
Manchester Apollo
Best Website
DrownedinSound
Last.FM
MySpace
Pitchfork
YouTube
Not including NME.COM*
* - Presumably because it's shit.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
It`s back! Glasto returns after a year of `rest`and brings with it the usual rumours, gossip and denials.
The most notable change from two years ago is the latest in anti-tout trickery. Hopeful fans will have to pre-register their details during February, including a passport-size photo, and only these people will be allowed to attempt buying tickets at 9am on April 1st (...Meaning this could all be a big joke with no festival happening, you heard it here first). Tickets will have your photo on them. Neat.
Now onto the bands:
- The Who say they will be playing and Eavis has confirmed although things aren`t `100% in place`
- The Arctic Monkeys will be headlining
- Bjork will be performing
- It has been hinted that Canadian rock band `Arcade Fire` are appearing
- The `biggest band in the world` have contacted Eavis about performing. After intense speculation this has been refined by saying they are a `Modern Band`. Your speculation is encouraged.
- Kylie will not be performing due to a busy schedule.
- U2 are definitely not playing (Hooray!)
More will follow. Whaddya think so far?
Chris Jones (View Original Article)
British Male Solo Artist
James Morrison
Jarvis Cocker
Lemar
Paolo Nutini
Thom Yorke
British Female Solo Artist
Amy Winehouse
Corinne Bailey Rae
Jamelia
Lily Allen
Nerina Pallot
British Group
Arctic Monkeys
Kasabian
Muse
Razorlight
Snow Patrol
Mastercard British Album
Amy Winehouse - 'Back To Black'
Arctic Monkeys - 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'
Lily Allen - 'Alright, Still'
Muse - 'Black Holes And Revelations'
Snow Patrol - 'Eyes Open'
British Single Shortlist
Corinne Bailey Rae - 'Put Your Records On'
The Feeling - 'Fill My Little World'
James Morrison - 'You Give Me Something'
The Kooks - 'She Moves In Her Own Way'
Leona Lewis - 'A Moment Like This'
Lily Allen - 'Smile'
Razorlight - 'America'
Sandi Thom - 'I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker'
Snow Patrol - 'Chasing Cars'
Take That - 'Patience'
Will Young - 'All Time Love'
UGH! Go on, pick one from that list!
British Breakthrough Act
Corinne Bailey Rae
The Fratellis
James Morrison
The Kooks
Lily Allen
British Live Act
George Michael
Guillemots (Eh?! - worst band I've seen live in years!)
Kasabian
Muse
Robbie Williams
International Male Solo Artist
Beck
Bob Dylan
Damien Rice
Jack Johnson
Justin Timberlake
International Female Solo Artist
Beyonce
Cat Power
Christina Aguilera
Nelly Furtado
Pink
International Group
The Flaming Lips
Gnarls Barkley
The Killers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Scissor Sisters
International Album
Bob Dylan - 'Modern Times'
Gnarls Barkley - 'St Elsewhere'
Justin Timberlake - 'FutureSex/LoveSounds'
The Killers - 'Sam's Town'
Scissor Sisters - 'Ta-Dah'
International Breakthrough Act
Gnarls Barkley
Orson
The Raconteurs
Ray Lamontagne
Wolfmother
Outstanding Contribution To Music
Oasis
So, a fitting list of the nobodies currently inhabiting the UK music scene. It'll all be screened live to you on St Valentine's Day, so I'd recommend you book that romantic night out now...anything other than having to watch this.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The band have been recording interesting sounds on their phones with a view to 'experimenting' ("that's a dangerous word" - Alex Turner) with the sound of their second LP. Largely, the samples have been breaks.
Turner said, "We ended up with breaks almost. I've always been into beats, we were into that before we were into The Strokes."
The record is being recorded in London and is rumoured (i.e. very unlikely) to have a collaboration with Dizzee Rascal.
If you think you've heard this all before - a slightly over-hyped indie band going on about their dance-based sophomore effort - just remember the disastrous second Menswe@r LP - Hay Tiempo!'. It was only ever released in Japan and was reported to have been influenced by drum n bass.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Speaking to the NME, Cheryl Cole of Girls Aloud has branded Pete Doherty a "junkie idiot who glorifies drugs".
"That junkie idiot - the problem I have with him is that I've lost friends to heroin and I just don't get the idea of glorifying it. I think it's disgusting, there are enough drug problems going on without him being in the public eye for it and sticking needles in his arm in the press. If he kicks his habit he'll be a lot more respected."
Let's read that again..."if he kicks his habit he'll be a lot more respected." Well Pete, you know what your New Year's resolution has to be now...you naughty boy.
While I don't condone the actions of Mr Doherty this year, it's not quite that simple is it? Cheryl's comments come across like a 13 year old berating the "bad boy" in the class for smoking behind the bike sheds. Doherty's actions have been very well documented in the last couple of years as there's really nothing more inviting to the tabloids than a public figure who's gone off the rails. She may think that checking into the Priory is a mere publicity stunt to promote him as a "drug idol" but that simply isn't the case. Doherty is a walking warning against taking up smack and comments such as this help nobody. Perhaps we should levy some bitter criticism against her band's "raunchy" example set to prepubescent girls, providing a fast-track route towards whoredom in later life? No? Exactly.
Also in the NME, Luke Kook has praised the success of the Arctic Monkeys this year.
"God bless the Arctic Monkeys because if it wasn't for them we wouldn't have been so shielded. We were so overshadowed by the success of their album because it was so monster and we crept in behind everybody's back. Arctic Monkeys shielded us from having too much attention."
Words cannot express how misguided that quote is. The Kooks owe their success to the Arctic Monkeys only in the sense that the Monkeys opened up that particular sound to the greater public. There was no "shielding", merely some fortunate "yielding" on the part of the Kooks who were lucky enough to sound like a watered-down, smart-price version which appeals to people who don't really think very hard about what they want out of music.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Last year NME scribes put Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner in pole position, mere weeks after the band had scored their first number one single. This year Turner is unlikely to repeat the feat as the eternal wheel of indie-elitism must keep turning, replacing its spokespersons (geddit) on a yearly, if not monthly basis.
Anyway, who are the contenders this year? You can forget Doherty, Barat, Borrell, Flowers, Armstrong, Morrissey, Albarn and Gallagher - they're much too well known. This year's number one will probably come from one of the following current NME darlings:
Faris Rotter (The Horrors) : A young man who has recently done for hairspray what Russell Brand, er, did for hairspray. Cool acts include getting beaten up on Whitechapel Road for wearing a scarf and reintroducing psychedelic rock to ver kids.
The Klaxons : Not yet famous enough for anyone to tell them apart, but that'll soon change. 'Cool' achievements include reappropriating rave music from the chavs, wearing fluorescent green in a built-up area and fucking, quite literally, with Peaches Geldof. Which leads us onto...
Lily Allen : The daughter of the current Sheriff of Nottingham should qualify on the basis of a well-produced, well-received album and the fact nobody can escape her biting criticism.
Pennie from the Automatic : As keyboardist, hyperactive dwarf and chief troublemaker of this year's Kaiser Chiefs (although obviously much worse), you can expect to see the wee shouty one make the list. If only for trashing the GMTV studios earlier this year.
Simian Mobile Disco : The NME's favourite DJs, particularly in the wake of the rather fab 'new rave' compilation given away with the mag earlier this autumn. Expect their collaborators on 'We Are Your Friends', Justice, to figure strongly too.
...and lest we forget last year's illustrious Top 10 - how many of these will still be sniffing around in this year's list?
1. Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys)
With the band suffering as big and as organic a backlash as the word-of-mouth rise they enjoyed last year, expect Alex to drop.
2 Liam Gallagher (Oasis)
The NME needs Oasis interviews to keep them circulating above their production costs. He'll figure highly, despite being an incredibly uncool and arrogant twat.
3. Kanye West
His 'performance' with Justice at the MTV Music Awards will have done nothing to enhance his reputation. If he'd done a song with them then it would.
4. Antony (Antony and The Johnsons)
The world has forgotten about Antony. Unlikely to figure at all.
5. Brandon Flowers (The Killers)
Sharp-dressed or not, an indescribably snoozesome second album does not coolness make.
6. Devendra Banhart
Weird, wacky, but does not appear to be working at the moment.
7. Pete Doherty (Babyshambles)
Almost has to appear in order to placate a readership who still worship this NME-created idol. By the paper's own admission he's not setting a good example.
8. Jemina Pearl (Be Your Own Pet)
Expect the token girl in the top 10 place to be taken by Lily Allen or Kate Jackson this year.
9. Bob Dylan
Seriously? What was old conk-features doing here? Oh well, expect someone equally old like Pete Townshend this year.
10. Carl Barat (Dirty Pretty Things)
'He was the talented one in the Libertines' read all the sycophantic reviews of their debut single in January. One awful album later and Mr Barat should be nowhere to be seen in this list.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
A man who has plagiarised nearly all his best songs, Noel Gallagher picked up a smirkingly ironic `Classic Songwriter Award`. Manic Street Preachers secured a `merit` award for not releasing anything during the year and for finally looking like splitting some 12 years after they should have.
U2 won an award presumably for agreeing to show up at the ceremony.
Here are the award winners in full.
BEST NEW ACT - Corinne Bailey Rae
BEST TRACK - Gnarls Barkley - `Crazy`
BEST VIDEO - The Killers - `When We Were Young`
THE Q INSPIRATION AWARD - A-ha
THE Q OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC AWARD - Smokey Robinson
THE Q GROUNDBREAKER AWARD - Primal Scream
THE Q ICON AWARD - Jeff Lynne
THE Q IDOL AWARD - Take That
THE Q OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AWARD - Faithless
THE Q CLASSIC SONGWRITER AWARD - Noel Gallagher
THE Q LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Peter Gabriel
THE Q MERIT AWARD - Manic Street Preachers
THE Q INNOVATION IN SOUND AWARD - The Edge
THE Q CLASSIC SONG AWARD - Culture Club `Karma Chameleon`
BEST LIVE ACT - Muse
BEST ALBUM - Arctic Monkeys `Whatever People Say I Am That`s What I`m Not`
THE PEOPLE`S CHOICE AWARD - Arctic Monkeys
BEST ACT IN THE WORLD TODAY - Oasis
THE Q LEGEND AWARD - The Who
THE Q AWARD OF AWARDS - U2
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
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Lending a hand to the project are Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys who contribute a Cuban take on their already highly-percussive album track 'Dancing Shoes'.
Never short of a quote, Radiohead's Thom Yorke said, "We need a law, we need to have the Government put climate change in its’ place. If you leave industry to sort it out on a voluntary basis that’s never going to happen. So everybody, if they’ve got any concerns about climate change, has to register that concern with their Government officials because it’s the only way to go."
The Kaiser Chiefs' Nick Hodgson agrees, "The latest reports show there's only a decade before the effects of climate change on the world are irreversible. The disastrous consequences of this are far too great for a sound bite but, put it this way, in ten years there would be no polar bears!"
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The band win £20,000 for their debut album `Whatever People Say I Am, That`s What I`m Not` and can allow themselves a smug grin in the knowledge that the media are still crazy about them, despite their slightly waning popularity as fickle indie kids moved onto the Kooks earlier this year.
The Monkeys beat off competition from the likes of Editors, Muse, Richard Hawley, Hot Chip and a few token representations from `outsiders` music.
Well deserved or not? Let us know below.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Unsurprisingly the winner was neither Arctic Monkeys` `Whatever People Say I Am` nor `Definitely Maybe` by Oasis which would most likely have topped similar polls in NME and Q respectively.
No, Uncut is for an audience with slightly longer memories, and probably slightly longer beards, and therefore is allowed to cast its net in a more accurate fashion. Therefore, they`ve gone for the 1967 classic by The Velvet Underground, `The Velvet Underground & Nico` which you may know better as either `Andy Warhol` or `That one with the banana on the front`. The album, which was almost universally ignored on release, features such classic tracks as `I`m Waiting For My Man`, `Venus in Furs`, `Sunday Morning` and `All Tomorrow`s Parties`.
The importance of this album in terms of what we listen to today is immeasurable as, without it, David Bowie may have remained Ziggy Stardust thus not inspiring many new wave bands and `alternative rock` as we know it would never have existed. There`d have been no Sonic Youth, which means no Nirvana to chase away the hair metal bands of the late 1980s. Yes people, this truly was a landmark album...and much as I love both `Definintely Maybe` and `Whatever People Say...`, songs about coveting a friend`s lasagne and how much you hate bouncers just aint gonna start a revolution.
The top three was completed by Television`s `Marquee Moon at two and Jimi Hendrix`s `Are You Experienced?` at three.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
"We are sad to tell everyone that Andy is no longer with the band. Nick O`Malley, who stood in for Andy while he was absent from the recent tour of North America, shall carry on playing bass for the remaining shows this summer."
It is not clear the exact reason for Nicholson`s departure.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Such zeitgeist-surfing is admirable, but we should remember the rock n roll stance adopted by Tony Blair some ten years ago - hanging around with Alan McGee and Oasis and getting down to er...D:Ream.
Next week - David Cameron on how much he loves the new Polysics album.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
"I ended up in their aftershow and the bass player goes to the bar and comes back with this tray of tequilas. I thought `I can`t be drinking that, it`s nearly two in the morning`. I couldn`t say no though because I didn`t want to let the side down. He was banging them down. I was about to urinate. I was speaking to my missus through semaphore to get her off the dancefloor and rescue me. She came over saying `we`ve got to go home` and I was acting all surprised, saying `What, already?` I can`t remember getting home."
Time for the pipe, slippers and the Paul Weller book on "how to keep people who don`t ask for much from their music happy" eh? Oh, you`ve finished that book already have you?
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The name of the new record, much to the chagrin of parents of young Arctics fans everywhere, is `Who the Fuck are Arctic Monkeys`, a phrase which has no doubt been uttered by many surprised by the speed at which the band have become the biggest in Britain.
The EP kicks off in the same way as the album with the popular `View From the Afternoon`. It is backed up with brand new tracks: `Cigarette Smoker`, `Departure Lounge`, `No Buses` and `Who the Fuck are Arctic Monkeys`.
Fans of the Arctics may also be interested in checking out the excellent US website NPR`s All Songs Considered which is recording and making available a show from the band`s current US tour with the equally fantastic Spinto Band.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The group are currently on a tour of North America and during a show in San Francisco bassist Andy Nicholson's instrument failed, leaving singer Alex Turner to entertain the crowd. Playing alone, he premiered 'Despair In The Departure Lounge'. A video of the song has now appeared on this unofficial band website .
The group are planning to release an EP of brand new material in April.
Nick Foster (View Original Article)
PERFORMANCE - RAZORLIGHT
Razorlight start the show with a new song which "no-one has ever heard, even themselves". I suspect it`s only the gathered NME journalists who still give a shit as a non-plussed Jarvis Cocker looks on and Bob Geldof nods his head forcefully to a tune with strangely Big Country-esque guitars, and the same stop-start a new tune thing that Franz do. Not bad, a slight improvement in fact, but still utterly forgettable.
Best New Band
Nominations (Winners in Bold)
Best Video
You know, out of the five it probably is the best - who the hell nominated this motley bunch? It`s just best watched with the sound down.
Best International Band
PERFORMANCE - PLAN B
Plan B got up and did his acoustic hip hop thing sounding like Eminem and Damien Rice would if they stepped into that machine in The Fly. In fact the whole thing sounded exactly like what Rage Against the Machine used to do years ago on `Settle For Nothing`. It certainly shouldn`t do his career any harm.
Best Solo Arist
Phillip Hall Award For Best New Band
The Long Blondes
Best Live Band
PERFORMANCE - DIRTY PRETTY THINGS
It`s nice to see Carl Barat hasn`t forgotten what the Clash sound like as he tries to cram as many syallables into each bar as he can. It`s fast, it`s furious but it just ins`t very good.
Best DVD
Best Film - (Christ, do NME readers like their blockbusters or what?)
John Peel Award for Innovation
Gorillaz
Shaun Ryder picked up the award and thanked genital warts and hepatitis c.
PERFORMANCE - SUGABABES - I BET YOU LOOK GOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR
Sugababes do their rubbish cover of `I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor` and it actually sounds a lot better live. This really must seal the strangest year for the Monkeys to be sat watching an established pop band singing a tune they wrote.
Best Track
Alex Turner`s comment on the Sugababes cover version: "Very good girls, thank you...wrong key though"
Best Album
Best British Band
PERFORMANCE - BABYSHAMBLES
Acoustic performance from Babyshambles. Pete comes on and does his best Norman `where am I` Wisdom impression and it sounds like a bunch of drunks three minutes after closing time. But after what he`s just been through you can`t help but see this as a tremendous homecoming to the paper that (originally) made him famous.
Godlike Genius
Ian Brown
PERFORMANCE - IAN BROWN
Ian Brown played out with `F.E.A.R.` and then `I Wanna Be Adored` which had his cheese-eating peers eating out of his hands. Good to hear Ian still sounds terrible when singing Roses songs live. Really strange that.
OTHER AWARDS
Best TV
Best Radio
Best Event
Best Website
NME.com - once again...one day we`ll be nominated and snatch it away from `em.
Best Venue
Hero of the Year
Bob Geldof
Villain of the Year
Best Dressed
Worst Dressed
Worst Album
Worst Band
Sexiest Man
Sexiest Woman
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The event to be headlined by Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Who is seen by many this year as a replacement Glastonbury and, as a result, demand has been unprecedented.
2004 headliners The Strokes were added today to a bill already chock-full of the cream of indie including Arctic Monkeys, Primal Scream and the Brit-friendly Kaiser Chiefs looking to reprise their excellent performance from last year which largely contributed towards their Best Live Act statuette at wednesday`s ceremony.
If you`re disappointed at missing out then don`t worry. The Oxegen Festival near Dublin takes place on the same weekend with largely the same bill. Tickets will be on sale on Friday March 3rd at 8am and it comes CDX recommended as we popped over there last summer after last year`s TITP sold out in seconds.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Other bands confirmed to play the festival are Kaiser Chiefs, Primal Scream, Sigur Ros, Felix da Housecat and huge media favourites Arctic Monkeys and The Ordinary Boys.
This year, however, the Culturedeluxe team have their collective eye on Benicassim and some sun!
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
However, this is exactly the reaction they received from Alex Turner twice at a recent gig. Firstly Turner reacted badly to persistant chants to play Girls Aloud's 'Love Machine', a track the band covered on Jo Whiley's radio 1 show, telling the fans "Is that all you like us for? Fuck off, we can't remember how to play it.".
Later there was a poor reaction to new song 'Leave Before The Lights Come On' to which Turner responded, "Fucking hell, don't sound so enthusiastic, we'll get back to the classics afterwards."
It seems the band's meteoric rise has resulted in their exposure to an unlikely audience before they are ready.
In other news, the Monkeys have revealed that they've written another new song entitled 'Do Me A Favour' reputedly inspired by Alex Turner's ex-girlfriend.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The album could sell up to 200,000 in its first week.
Chart expert Gennaro Castaldo said: "We might be entering the Chinese Year of the dog, but as far as the Music Industry is concerned 2006 is very much the `year of the monkey`."
We at CDX would like to agree with Mr Castaldo and hope all the fever pitch excitement caused by the Arctics will hopefully spread to all Monkey releated musical projects.
Nick Foster (View Original Article)
British Male Solo Artist
I`m confused at Ian Brown and Will Young`s inclusions here for what amounts to one single each when I would argue Mylo had a considerably more successful year with a huge album and a string of top 20 singles. This one will be fought out between Blunt and the panel`s favourite Mr Williams. Neither deserves it either.
British Female Solo Artist
This category has always been notoriously thin on the ground, and Kate Bush used to frequently get nominated having done nothing the previous year. This year she came back with a very well received album and will fight it out with KT Tunstall. The others need not bother turning up, and Natasha Bedingfield must wonder how a year sat on her arse saw her more fit to be nominated than Jem.
British Group
This is the first of the Kaiser Chiefs 5 nominations and is not a category they are likely to win. This is a huge three way tussle between Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand and the band I think will beat them all - Gorillaz.
MasterCard British Album
I haven`t heard Back to Bedlam. But this will fight it out with X & Y and Employment for the statuette.
British Single
(Winner chosen by UK Commercial Radio listeners)
Commercial radio - the aural equivalent of Kentucky Fried Chicken. An army of wacky local characters talking about Eastenders in between adverts for the local glazier and the latest Robbie Williams record. So, this category is hereby declared null and void. Unless the Sugababes win.
British Breakthrough Act
(Winner chosen by Radio 1 listeners)
Now, Radio 1, there`s a station. Wacky "fat" or "gay" DJs talking about Coronation Street in between Madonna records. Ah, but at least there`s no adverts for the glazier, eh? It really depends on which shows this is advertised on and I`d really love to see the Arctic Monkeys grudgingly accept the award. But I see this as a two way between evil (Blunt) and good-ish (Kaiser Chiefs).
British Urban Act
(Winner chosen by MTV:Base viewers)
Well, it has been a thin year for British urban acts hasn`t it? Kano must win this, despite a dodgy track record in singles. The others have barely done a thing.
British Rock Act
(Winner chosen by Kerrang! TV viewers)
Enough to make Kerrang readers sob into their Metallica t-shirts. The rock award has been fully taken over by "alternative" acts. As a result I expect Oasis to win, but it should go to Franz Ferdinand.
British Live Act
(Nominees chosen by a panel of experts in association with The Live Music Forum. Winner chosen by Radio 2 listeners)
The experts consulted here have obviously never been to an Oasis gig or they would have realised it to be the most boring experience of anyone`s life. Two hours watching five blokes standing stock still with a lead singer who can`t sing in tune. Awful. While the Kaiser Chiefs put on an awesome live show, I expect this to be won deservedly by Coldplay...three blokes standing stock still with a lead singer who CAN sing in tune.
Pop Act
(Winner chosen by CD:UK viewers, readers of The Sun Bizarre column, and customers of O2 and Motorola)
This should be renamed the Westlife act. For the second year in a row I have to wonder why American acts are nominated for this and not for anything else though.
International Male Solo Artist
There is only one winner here and that is Kanye West. Late Registration is the best hip hop album in years, and the only reason John Legend is in that five is due to Kanye`s production!
International Female Solo Artist
Madonna`s latest reinvention (read rip off) gave her one of the singles of the year. This should be enough to secure the statuette.
International Group
The Arcade Fire could pull off a surprise here, and with one of the best albums of last year they would deserve it. Green Day, however, must be favourites here, with the biggest threat coming from those awards-friendly Black Eyed Peas.
International Album
Green Day or The Arcade Fire could pull off a double here. But I think the favourite is likely to be Madonna`s, rather Jacque Lu Cont`s, recent album which was a massive critical success.
International Breakthrough Act
If the Arcade Fire don`t win this then I will stick my foot straight through the television set. If Daniel Powter`s on the screen then expect it to come out the other side.
Outstanding Contribution to music
Ha! Well, I`m prepared to admit the Jam were pretty good. The Style Council had their moments, well one or two, and up until Stanley Road it looked like he might have been going in the right direction as a solo artist. But, this man had a hand in the destruction of Oasis. His influence on their atrocious third album Be Here now is there for all to see...and the Brits want to honour him? Nonsense.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The Monkeys rose to fame on the back of mass word-of-mouth hysteria through the Internet, and now it looks like the same medium could lose them a significant number of sales. However, chatting on-line to file-sharers, CDX understands that fans who have downloaded the album fully intend to buy a copy when it hits the shops and that they have simply been willing to effectively break the law in order to listen to the studio-grade versions of the tracks they`ve grown to love over the past year.
The album `Whatever People Say I Am, That`s What I`m Not` is released officially through Domino on 28th January, with brand new single, `When the Sun Goes Down` released on the 16th and expected to hit the CDX top 10 this sunday.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The disc, largely comprised of shiny new versions of tracks that have become huge live favourites, will be called `Whatever People Say I Am, That`s What I`m Not`.
The album is preceded by new single `When the Sun Goes Down` on Domino Recordings on January 16th.
We can now also confirm the tracklisting for the album.
1. The View From The Afternoon
2. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
3. Fake Tales Of San Francisco
4. Dancing Shoes
5. You Probably Couldn`t See For The Lights But You Were Looking Straight At Me
6. Still Take You Home
7. Riot Van
8. Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured
9. Mardy Bum
10.Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But...
11.When The Sun Goes Down
12.From Ritz To The Rubble
13.A Certain Romance
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
You must remember, of course, that these are only the midweek sales and there is a hell of a long way to go until Sunday. Traditionally "indie" singles are bought by fans of the genre who set their alarms no monday mornings to be the first at the counter, while the pop singles it`s up against are mostly bought on saturdays by teens keen to spend their pocket money. But to hang on to the number one position would mean a triumph for UK independents after years of battling the majors that has seen a number of labels go under, most notably Creation. Whether the single makes it to number one, this is proof that DIY is still alive in UK music. That a band can still make it if their tunes are strong (and, my word, they are) and if they can arrive at the right time. Well, where else were all those old Libertines fans going to turn? Babyshambles? No thanks!
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The latter is the route that the Artic Monkeys seem to have taken with `Humbug`. With help from QOTSA mainman Josh(ua) Homme on production duties, the sound is still very much Arctic Monkeys just slightly heavier and a bit more downbeat than their previous LPs. A classic 60`s influence is more pronounced, a possible side-effect of Alex`s `Last Shadow Puppets` side project, and the lyrics are more vague and cryptic than cheeky or funny but this a welcome development as it has resulted in a new maturity.
As for the much reported "lack of potential hits", I`d never have believed `I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor` could ever be a `hit` (considering what was propping up the top ten at that time) and both `Crying Lightning` and `Cornerstone` could easily hold their own against any of their singles to date.
`Humbug` is a brave, mature and better LP than anything that`s come before and a sure sign that the Arctic Monkeys, as long as they want, should be with us for a long time yet.
Nick Foster (View Original Article)
Everyone knows the curiously-named `Brianstorm` but what else do we have to look forward to with the new album? Well, `Balaclava` is full-on nutty rock - layered vocals, angular guitars and heavy drums reminding you where the Klaxons stole their blueprint from. Covering similar ground is `Old Yellow Bricks`, a track with numerous references to The Wizard of Oz and sounds like The Streets jamming with Shitdisco. It`s a tune The Twang would beg to be included on their debut album. It builds on the foundations of old tracks like `Dancin` Shoes` and with the help of producer James Ford places the band at the pinnacle of what is annoyingly termed `new rave`.
`505` is a fair understudy for `A Certain Romance` and a fitting and memorable album-closer. After two and a half minutes of restrain, Alex Turner calling out `I crumble completely when you cry` as the song explodes into life. It`s a wake-up signal that leaves you breathless and poised...with your finger on play...waiting for the disc to end so you can listen to it all over again.
Once again, however, what remains overwhelmingly impressive is Alex Turner`s `everyman` lyrical touch and never more so than on this album`s `Mardy Bum`, `Fluorescent Adolescent` - a paean to young sexuality and a smash hit in waiting - which features the penile conundrum `Was it a Mecca dauber or a betting pencil?`, Turner delivering the line as though he cannot believe he`s written it. Popular indie bands can live and die by their lyrics and Turner definitely shows the band to have more of the panache of Jarvis Cocker and Pulp than the childish poetry of Oasis.
`Whatever People Say I Am, That`s What I`m Not` was a remarkable success - an album where every track stands out as memorable. `Favourite Worst Nightmare` comes very close with perhaps only `Do Me a Favour` failing to remain in the conciousness on repeated listens. While lacking some of the instant classics from the debut, the greatly improved production from Ford and the fact the band sound as though they`ve improved as musicians mean this is every bit the equal of the debut.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
First dropped on radio and rush-released to iTunes over a month ago, `Crying Lightning` has already been and gone from the UK Top 40 with the almost universally harsh tag of "wow, that wasn`t exactly earth-shattering, now was it?" still ringing in its ears. While a matter of weeks is hardly enough time passed to think about re-assessing most work, we are talking about the Arctic Monkeys here and `Crying Lightning` has shown itself to be that most wonderful of things - a "grower".
My initial qualms concerning the lack of a real hook and the complete absence of a chorus have more than subsided. The song is substantial enough not to rely on a cheap main melody (in the style of, say, Stock Aitken and Waterman or The Fratellis) and, as for the chorus, talk about subtle...I haven`t had it out of my head all week.
Never keen on publicity and finally over the shock of their meteoric rise, the Arctic Monkeys mk.3 look to be settling down with consistency triumphing emphatically over hype. Sure, they won`t be crashing in at number one in the Top 40 any time soon, but you`ll find yourself humming this a lot longer than any record that does.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Nick Foster (View Original Article)
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
That's right, with their last two singles having gone straight in at number one, the Arctic Monkeys are now committing commercial (fucking) suicide with an inelligible EP which actively celebrates the anti-hype and begs the question they bet everyone will be asking in five years on the title track - 'Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys'.
Of course, they aren't all new songs, 'Cigarette Smoker Fiona' is a well-known tune from back in the day which sounds like it jumped straight out of the album. Meanwhile 'Despair in the Departure Lounge' is a tribute to love left at the airport done in the semi-ballad style of 'Riot Van' which has Alex explaining how on a transatlantic flight even 'Only Fools and Horses' repeats cannot take his mind off the girl he's left behind. It's a slow burner - average on first listen, essential by the fifth.
'No Buses' is vintage (can they be vintage yet?) Monkeys which unfortunately ends just as it gets going. While the title track explains the reasons behind the EP over a backing half-Smiths / half-Specials with excellent lyrics stating no fear of the inevitable backlash.
So, with a guaranteed top 5 hit in 'Mardy Bum' now looking like it will be forever an album track, have Domino and the Arctics done the right thing here? Well, with the charts meaning less and less every week (for instance, did the band ever get as pant-wettedly excited about their number ones as music journalists did - I doubt it) this is another "stand" against corporate music from the band who accidentally started it all off. If it's their last then even Custer wouldn't be able to compete.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The lyrics tell the initially separate stories of an out-and-out scumbag kerb crawling in his Ford Mondeo and the lady out the night he meets of an evening. In fact, this is the first tune on the subject I've heard since Johnny Hates Jazz gave us the girls with the pure Heart of Gold. But I digress.
The tunes three minutes and twenty seconds are split into two distinct sections, the verse a sparse Libertines-ish sound, while the main hook and chorus return to the sparky clang we enjoyed so much on 'Dancefloor'. They have little chance of hitting the top of the chart again, but they're losing none of their quality.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
So, to the eight-legged, plainly-dressed cavalry that is the Arctic Monkeys who emerge on stage to the collective whoop of a thousand office Christmas parties - a whoop that turns to a cheer for the early appearance of the rousing 'This House is a Circus'. It's the perfect start - fast enough for the pogo people and chockful of profanity for the wide-eyed, spitting rhythmical pointers. Following it up with current single 'Teddy Picker', the Arctics bathe in the collective sing-a-long and literally hundreds of barflys suddenly remember where the gig is.
Banter is short and sweet, Alex managing no more than a "f-f-f-f-friday" in introduction to their breakthrough number one 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor', now relegated to an early appearance. But that's never been a criticism of a band so loud and so assured you forget they're only a quartet. Even on the comparatively tame 'Dancing Shoes', where Alex is told in no certain terms that he's a 'sexy little swine', the band fill every corner of the famously cold Exhibition Centre - hats off to the sound man!
Tonight's performance isn't without criticism, however. 'Fake Tales of San Francisco' is delivered with as much enthusiasm as a calf staring at a bolt in an abbatoir and pauses between songs appear to be non-existent or painfully protracted. However, one long period before the huge 'Fluorescent Adolescent' does allow us the pleasure of hearing Nick's 'Theme from Jaws' bass solo. Also, a long period of new material and lesser known songs around the beginning of the second half leaves some fans wanting. One particular 'exodus to the bar' during a brand new song (which has a Tarantino vibe and hints at the band moving vaguely in a new direction) finds many of them filing past me. I promise them in turn that I'll shout them back through the moment another single is played.
But I digress, as is only fair. Those small criticisms aside, the night is full of golden moments. For one, the long forgotten 'Still Take You Home' sounds better tonight than it ever has done with the band breathing a harder, spellbinding lifeforce into a past glory. Later, the epic '505' sees Alex's keyboard hauled in ceremoniously while drummer Matt enjoys a healthy swig of beer. What follows sticks out like the proverbial injured fat digit, fans looking on in awe as the stand-out track from 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' stands out and proud on this Aberdeen stage. Following this up with lead single 'Brianstorm' shortly after, the Arctic Monkeys check another box marked 'great gig'.
Twenty four hour laters those four men re-took to the stage augmented by Santa Claus, a naked roadie and a crowdsurfing wheelchair...and you thought the Friday show was good? Well, if you're my brother then you didn't as he suggests "I'd rather be watching KC and the Sunshine Band or Kool and the Gang". Well, there really is no hope for some people.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Maybe I should start by talking about the bands that are performing tonight. Not that much about the first one though. Three reasons:
i. They weren’t that good
ii. I couldn’t be arsed listening to them for long
iii. I have no idea what they were called.
There you go - CDX, home of the incisive review. I can do a bit better with the next band though, Envy Corps. I knew I was going to like them as soon as I realised that the only merchandise of theirs I could buy was a tie. Yes, a tie with the band’s name on it. I like that, it shows a certain style. A geeky style admittedly, but still a bit of style. They look geeky too. You know how Jack Black looked in Orange County? Well, put a pair of glasses on him and you’ve got the lead singer. A couple of them look like the type of computer nerds you’d expect to be huddled around an Apple computer – in 1983. The drummer looks like he could be a mate of Napoleon Dynamite. The keyboard player looks pretty rock – that’s probably why they stuck him in the corner.
Considering where they are originally from their musical influences seems quite nerd orientated too. And that can only be for the good. “We’re from Iowa, but we’ve been here a while now and we feel pretty English. We’re so pleased to be in Manchester. So many of our influences are from here; Doves, The Verve, New Order.” To be honest you can hear some of those elements. Not too much Verve (thank your respective deity for this) but certain they do seem to enjoy making atmospheric, epic sounds on stage. They enjoy pop hooks too, which is always a good thing. And they do a pretty mean cover of New Order’s 'Age of Consent'.
But most importantly of all they appear to actually enjoy playing to, and engaging with, an audience. There’s far too many bands who seem to enjoy making lovely sounds in the studio but when it comes to playing live are at best indifferent to their audience (hello Early Years) or are just bloody awful (hello Maps). Give me a band that enjoys banter (“So tell me, who is better? City or United? Should I care?”), and can deal with drunken first year students (“Ah, hello lads. First time drunk away from your parents’ house, huh?”).
There’s a lot of freshers in the audience tonight. If I had to describe the audience I would have to say it was predominantly between the ages of 18-25, male, lager drinking and up for a boozy sing-a-long. And this is where Milburn come in. It’s a sell out crowd tonight and their rowdy indie-pop is just the thing this audience is after. In fact, everything that Tony Naylor mentions about the music is right. Milburn will never be cool. There is little to no pretension in their songs. They’re short, fast paced, loud and straight to the point. Certainly any of the softer, mid-tempo edges that can be found on their latest album are nowhere to be seen tonight. What did you write Tony? “(there is) no contradiction in writing songs about punching annoying neighbours and having your heart broken.” That’s it, bang on the money. And there is nothing this audience likes more than singing along to Milburn complaining about reality TV or acoustic laments to drunken weekend feels (and Roll out the Barrel does that well). Milburn do exactly what is expected of them, no more, no less.
And that’s the problem. Tonight has been enjoyable, but there are others that do it better. Milburn do a passable 60’s tinged retro sound, but The Coral do it better and with a lot more flair and imagination. They do an acceptable line in drunken choruses but Pigeon Detectives do it miles better and with more passion. They do have a good line in riffs, but so did The Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things and I’m more likely to put on their albums than “These Are The Facts”. And then there is the big fucking elephant - Arctic Monkeys. Yes, I know, but like it or not the comparisons between the two are inevitable and I think you’d be hard press to find anyone who would put Milburn above Alex Turner’s lot. Well, no one who isn’t related to them or doesn’t have a financial incentive to think otherwise.
Tony Naylor, this is the point where I think you’re wrong. What did you say?
“The lads who like such bands are a meticulous bunch who can spot a faker from five miles.”
Agreed. For some. But a lot of the audience are first year students who desperately want to be laddish. By that definition, they are fakes. And so long as they’re happy and not hurting anyone does it really matter?
“They can see that blinged-up hip-hop says nothing to them about their lives in, say, Bradford. They think pop music's for idiots. They're suspicious of synthesisers because a five year-old could play one.”
With this audience I would agree up to a point, but they are also smart enough to recognise the similarities, and enjoy the escapism. The true lad element is too busy listening to R’n’B and wearing their own bling to care about Milburn. True lads fill our town centres on a Saturday night and are as happy to sing camp pop hits as they are Chelsea Dagger. So long as it isn’t too hard to sing to, they’ll sing it.
“And they don't want to listen to angst-ridden pretentious student wankers, who attract other pretentious student wankers to their gigs.”
And now we split up. NOBODY likes pretentious student wankers, not even other pretentious student wankers. But the fans of bands like Twang and Pigeon Detectives are just as likely to be aware of other, geekier bands. They might not always buy it, they might not always enjoy it, but a surprising number of them can appreciate it.
So, good look to the Envy Corps. Geek rock shall prevail. They fought hard to win the audience at this gig in Manchester and they turned a disinterested crowd to a warm-hearted, responsive one. They may not always be lucky, but if they keep pushing they have the chance to be heard. That’s by the geeks, lads, and wannabe lads everywhere. And they sold out of their ties, so a few others at the gig agreed with me…
Geeks and Lads, Unite and FIGHT!
Dean Coster (View Original Article)
Or are we? More importantly, should we? The vast majority of people here tonight aren’t looking for something to dissect, categorise or gain enlightenment from. They’re here in their droves tonight to collectively drink in the most aggressive and literate band to come out of England since The Smiths. Or just drink - the bar here at the Astoria is packed with all different species of urban wildlife, from T4 teens though to Topshop indie kids and maybe even their parents. This is a major event in their calendar; less a gig, more a coming together, a calming of the Red Sea of popular culture that segregates us from each other so much of the time.
It is a shame, then, that the bands selected to support them are so, well, ordinary. Gas Club wander onstage to quite a rousing reception for a virtually unknown and unsigned band, but a distinct lack of energy and, well, effort seems to pervade most of their set. Lead singer Tim Stanton cuts an enigmatic figure, and his buckley-esque vocals hold together a ramshackle stew of post-punk, straight-up indie and rockabilly, but I could almost feel their nerves from where I was standing, and as the band launched into yet another song whilst staring at their shoes and mumbling to themselves, I start to lose interest.
The Little Flames are unfortunately no better, despite the great reception they received. The Liverpool band bear a close resemblance to their fellow scousers and Deltasonic labelmates The Coral, but lack the touch, charm or finesse that the latter band have in spades. If you want to make psychedelic rock, please don’t dress it up in a polite, faux-menacing post-Libertines sheen. It all sounded a bit like your best mate from work’s band that you pretend to like up until the point they ask you to buy their album, and you feel as if you have to, because deep down you know that really they’re a bit shit, and you only like them because you want to like them. Guitarist aside, this band are a wholly unwelcome by-product of the cosmic scouse scene, and ensured that once again I spent most of their set surveying the crowd, admiring the fleshy patchwork of people that have turned out for Alex Turner and company.
It’s difficult to really say what happened next. My brain is still processing it, to be quite honest with you dear reader. The Arctic Monkeys take to the stage, and they launch into set-opener 'If You Found This It's Probably Too Late'. Lights flash, camera phones are raised, as are expectancy levels for the band’s second album, ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare‘. And fucking hell CDX reader, if they aren’t the best live band I’ve ever seen then it’s probably time I hung up my trusty keyboard, because my bowels would probably fail in a fit of fear and excitement if it got much better than this. From this running start they launch straight into comeback single ‘Brianstorm’, and Matt Helder’s propulsive, excitable drumming combines with Turner and Cook’s guitars with such ferocity that it virtually rips the head off everybody in the venue. This is scary. Sophomore albums are meant to be to be more refined than this. Perhaps that’s why so many of them are shit. The old songs such as ‘Fake Tales Of San Franciso’, ’Dancing Shoes’ and ‘From The Ritz To The Rubble’ have not been scorched with the over-familiarity that tends to kill most debut albums stone dead, and are performed by a band that are pure propulsion in excelsis, relying on driving rhythms and staccato hip-hop-esque wordplay that transcends the flotsam and jetsam of their contemporaries. That is why so many people associate with Arctic Monkeys - they take the mundanity and predictability of the 24/7 Myspace SMS world that we live in and twist it into new and interesting shapes as observers rather than partakers. I am not one for sweeping statements, but in the space of the 75 minutes they spend onstage tonight, mixing new material (‘Teddy Picker’, ‘This House Is A Circus’) with old friends such as ‘Mardy Bum’, they merely re-affirm my belief that they have already done enough in their short careers to surpass a band as frenetic yet annoyingly inconsistent as The Jam. Yes, you heard me, Arctic Monkeys are better than The Jam. You don’t need to be Billy Hunt or Brian Storm to work that one out. The new songs are, in fairness, not that different from their older material, but with the addition of some Marr-esque guitar work and the world-weary tones of Alex Turner, you definitely feel as if you are in the presence of a band that have stepped up to the metaphorical plate, spat on it, shouted ‘Meep meep’ and blazed off into the distance. I guess that’s a convoluted way of saying that their new songs are even better than their old songs.
I don’t think it’s wrong to be a 25 year-old man in a herd of kids jumping up and down as if my life depended on it. I used to. Then I went to see the Arctic Monkeys and fell back in love with the simplicity and beauty of great rock music. There have only been a handful of bands as exciting and visceral as this band have been tonight. It may have taken me a year, but now I really do believe the hype. Life-affirming, reassuring and above all a brilliant live band, tonight Arctic Monkeys have proved to me and everybody else in this venue that they are here to stay. For music’s sake, that can only be a good thing.
Ben Goldrun (View Original Article)
FRIDAY
In an almost insultingly early slot, The Long Blondes shine like the stars they continue to promise to be in their Reading debut slot. Like their main influences, Pulp (none more so than on the largely spoken-word duet 'Long Blonde'), the main ingredient is sex from Kate's trademark wiggle to the seedy lyrics of the shaggingly cosmic new single 'Once and Never Again'.
Over in the alarmingly small Carling tent, are Yankee Britpoppers (if such a thing can exist) Scissors for Lefty. There's is a strong set of gallant guitar pop featuring not only a long, gazing serenade of the audience from eye level by singer Bryan but also an outing of one of three piano solos he recently learned in Manchester! New single 'Mama Your Boys Will Find A Home' has every southpaw in the tent clapping along and high-fiving (on the left hand side, naturally).
The manic, the crazy Gogol Bordello are late arriving on the NME stage and the huge tent has literally filled following hype surrounding the weekend's biggest word of mouth treat. When the band arrive and launch straight into their trademark sound of Ukrainian gypsy folk and hard, hard punk rock. Just before signature tune 'Start Wearing Purple', Eugene Hutz whips off his kecks to reveal scarlet (not quite purple) pants and starts flapping around cossacking as if his life depended upon it. If the Clash had formed in Kiev rather than seedy London squats we'd all be hailing Joe Strumchenko and his magnificent red underpants. A truly memorable festival performance and barely an audible mention of shhh-Levellers.
Oh My God I Can't Believe It shouts one punter as she realises the Kaiser Chiefs are not headlining the main stage today. However, their runners-up slot gives them a chance to resurrect last year's glorious festival performances which helped them make their name (to a considerably drunker audience), and treat us to some great new songs. It's the old singles that really hit tonight though, each decorated with a smattering of the soon-to-be-lesser-spotted 'wooooah', each accompanied by Ricky Wilson's choreographed-by-an-epileptic dancing and some with very special guest vocallists ('Modern Way' with Ryan from the Cribs, and 'Oh My God' with the entire crowd!) With the band's second album on the way, expect to see them step up to headliners for next year.
But that position tonight is held by the hardest working band in Scotland, Franz Ferdinand, the climax of three years slog that has seen them rise from playing Glasgow warehouses flanked by gurning revellers to a field in Berkshire to thousands...and flanked by giant, animatronic, can-canning mannequins. Crashing straight into a frenetic 'Michael', the band show that they've lost none of their live energy and that, while he may spend much of his time relating recipes these days, Alex Kapranos is still one of the most exciting frontmen around. Not even the arrival of rain can dampen the spirits or the dancing feet of Reading as rapturous receptions to Der Greatest Hits Auf Franz follow one by one. 'Do You Want To' is one of the biggest sing-a-longs of the day, 'Walk Away' a hands-in-the-air epic and 'Take Me Out' every inch the anthem it always has been. The best moment, as always, is the increasing number of drummers who join the band for the encore performance of recent album-closer 'Outsiders'. Tonight, the 'ten drummers drumming' include Ricky and Nick Kaiser, Screech from the Long Blondes and, if reports are to be believed, the legendary Woody from Madness. It's the perfect way to finish the first day of the festival, legs fresh enough to dance...and boy, I'd defy you not to have!
SATURDAY
In a world in which My Bloody Valentine have ceased to be relevant due to their own inactivity, it's a pleasure to welcome Serena-Maneesh and their MBV tribute to the Carling tent for a performance whose intimacy is only matched by it's effortless beauty. The band's new album is showcased, shoes are gazed at and at the end, for what seems like an hour, the two frontmen hammer their instruments - frantically wringing ever morsel of sound out of them.
Perhaps fighting the size of the NME tent are Be Your Own Pet, Nashville's greatest teen punk-shout-punk band. This afternoon the band deliver the same tight, spiky set as you may have been lucky to have caught over the last year or so, but the intimacy of their usually very small crowds is missing and it looks like many have stumbled in trying to escape the sound of The Cribs on the main stage. Finishing well before I expected them too without having played the incredible Buzzcocks tribute 'Fire Department' didn't sit too well with me, but a rapturous 'Adventure' atoned admirably and led a mini-rush for the stage from those in situ who 'get them'.
Massive favourites of Culturdeluxe, the Spinto Band, have unfortunately been booked alongside those most excellent indie journeymen The Fall, so reluctantly I strap a kazoo on and check out the former. After all, 'Nice and Nicely Done' has been one of my favourite records of this year and what has Mark E Smith ever done for me, eh? I am rewarded with one of the sets of the weekend as the six-man Spintos fire through recent singles 'Did I Tell You', 'Direct to Helmet', 'Brown Boxes' (complete with kazoos, yet strangely abridged?) and the recent (CDX) smash 'Oh Mandy'. The on-stage chemistry is unsurprising for a band who've already spent so much of their young lives together and a quick glance around the completely full tent reveals smiles all round.
So I still have time to catch the end of The Fall...where they any good? Well, by the sound of their final tune, ruddy marvellous...still, you can't accompany that on a kazoo...oh, you can.
In fact, Kazoos are surely also welcomed by the immense Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the band following The Fall and, with a yelping Alex Ounsworth on finest terrier form, one of today's highlights. Tracks such as 'Is This Love?', 'In This Home on Ice' and 'Upon this Tidal Wave of Young Blood'are greatly appreciated by a mid-sized crowd.
Mid-sized is not how you describe an Arctic Monkeys crowd, however. With new bassist Nick making his festival debut and absolutely no expense spent on their light show (yes, the Monkeys don't need gimmicks) the band launch into their best known material early with a particularly well-received run out for former number one '...Dancefloor'. By the time they've finished with 'A Certain Romance' via, most enjoyably, a rare appearance of 'Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts', the huge crowd retire, rather hoarse of voice from having accompanied Alex Turner on every poetic syllable.
With their massive success, many had touted the Monkeys to headline the entire festival, but not when Muse are in town. Consistently voted the best live act in Britain - it's easy to see why with an amazing light show and the confidence to debut with the epic 'Knights of Cydonia'. Listening to Muse, even as a partizan, you forget just how many of their songs you know. You forget just how exciting Matt Bellamy can sound mid-piercing scream. You even allow yourself to be amazed by streams of fire, lasers and a light show more at home with such dinosaurs as Yes, Frampton or the Floyd. Muse pull off the most spectacular show tonight with absolutely no (black) holes and a setfull of revelations.
SUNDAY
The day starts with massive disappointment as Kharma 45 have failed to turn up. This band, the future of rock n roll don't you know, should have been one of the highlights. As it is, we must turn to the art-disco-punk of Glasgow's Shitdisco in the dance tent (thankfully taking over from the sea of black that was the R1 Lockup stage for the previous two days). Shitdisco have unfairly been lumped into the non-existant new rave scene, their music bears no relation to rave old skool or new, but it does make you dance. Tunes such as 'I Know Kung Fu', 'Discoblood' and set closing new track 'Reactor Party' provide enough DFA-esque punk-funk electro-disco to instill a need to dance like your shoes are on fire...and if they are, then so much the better.
Similarly lumped into the new rave scene are The Klaxons, they're quickly enjoying an Arctic Monkeys shaped slice of hype and, with a comedy rave cover of Kicks Like A Mule's 'The Bouncer' kicking things off, quite rightly so. It's standing room only outside a tent which appears to be housing a mini riot as the band kick into recent success 'Atlantis to Interzone'. Another cover of Grace's 'Not Over Yet' and a triumphant 'Gravity's Rainbow' are the remaining highlights on a very short, but frenetic set. Watch these boys ascend to a much higher position next year...or watch them disappear in a puff of green smoke from a discarded glo-stick.
Sunday at Reading is very heavy on the rock and with the Main Stage hosting identikit rock and emo bands (and a very disappointing Slayer) it's up to the dance tent to provide the rest of the evening's entertainment. So, it's over to Soulwax whose Nite Versions have a crowd of people frugging and remembering just how much they 'fucking love that Funky Town song'. The group merge into tonight's headliners 2 Many DJs without fanfare and a series of the most unlikely treats collide with tracks such as 'La Rock 01' from Vitalic who had performed earlier. While Pearl Jam bored the rest of the festival on the Main Stage, those of us who still had enough energy danced our little arses off. Better than having it bored off, eh Eddie?
Nick's Roundup
Kaiser Chiefs – Friday Main Stage
I was fortunate to see the Kaiser Chiefs at last years Glastonbury where they were in danger of being upstaged by a very large inflatable, green dinosaur. No dinosaur this time but also no real change from the Chiefs either. The set consisted mainly of songs off the LP with a couple of b-sides thrown in, all delivered with plenty of enthusiasm, energy and fun but unfortunately I had the feeling that I had seen it all before (which I had, last year at an earlier time at a different festival). It may be time for the Kaiser Chiefs to lay low until the new album surfaces for although they are a great band, they do run the risk of turning stale due to over familiarity.
Aiden – Saturday Main Stage
Aiden’s singer likes to swear (he also likes to set his friends on fire - Ed). He manages to fucking put a fucking swear word after almost every fucking word that he fucking say’s. Well thank fuck that they turn out to be quite a fun distraction first thing on a Saturday morning. Ok the music’s quite derivative, American rocky/punky type stuff, but they all do move around a lot which means they become quite a difficult target for the bottlers who seem to want to use them as practice for when My Chemical Romance play on Sunday.
Flogging Molly – Saturday Main Stage
OK it’s early on Saturday afternoon, the first band have come and gone, it’s now time to liven the crowd up with a bit a oirish diddly punk. Trust me, there is a Floggin Molly type band early on Saturday at every festival bill. They arrive, liven up the crowd then piss off again. Job done and then you’ll never hear of them again ……. ‘til next year that is.
Wolfmother - Saturday Main Stage
Things start looking up on Saturday when the first major band of the day arrive in the form of new rock gods Wolfmother. If you are not aware of the mighty mother then imagine a composite of every great 70’s rock band you can think of and you wont be far off the mark. Riffs stolen from Deep Purple, check, vocals courtesy of Ozzy at his best, check, Afro hair style borrowed from the MC 5, check and double check. They are so close to the experience of seeing a great but now defunct classic 7o’s rock band they’ve almost become Spinal Tapeqse in their delivery. Starting with a storming version of Another Dimension, WM then carry on to deliver a absolutely cracking set with Mother (the new single) being another particular highlight. Great sound, great hair, great band.
The Fall – Saturday NME Stage
Unfortunately I only managed to catch about three songs of the Fall but I can happily report that from what I did see, Mark E Smith is still in splendid form (although a small table with a bottle of whisky and tumbler that he could have sipped from between songs would have strangely seemed appropriate). Lets face it, Mark E and The Fall are never going to have a Morrisey type resurgence in popularity but just having them around somehow seems right and proper.
The Streets – Saturday Main Stage
After Feeder had been all “Feeder like” on the main stage our first genuine surprise of the weekend came in the form of Mr Mike Skinner and The Streets. The Streets are now becoming regulars on the festival circuit and the experience shows. They play a very lean and mean best of set, including quite a few numbers from the first LP but surprisingly very few from the latest, which manages to rolls from one song to another almost seamlessly, held together by Mr Skinners witty and engaging banter. They end with Dry your Eye’s and Fit but don’t you know it but not before we’ve witness a naked male human pyramid and taken part in the largest “getting low” event (if you were there then you’d know) ever staged in a festival. Brilliant.
Boy Kill Boy - Sunday NME Stage
There s a very respectable turn out for BKB but not half as large as the crowd that comes later for the more inferior Kooks who follow.This puzzles me as BKB are such a great band who in some way remind me of the legendary Teardrop Explodes.
They play their three singles to date (Civil Sin, Suzie and Back Again) in what seems like an extremely short but memorable set and the crowd love it. Main stage beckons for next year and no mistaking.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Sorry mate, you`re not getting in". The Barfly bouncer has just witnessed CDX`s guest photographer for the night pissing against a bus shelter, and now it`s going to take all his wits to get convince this guy that it was for the shelter`s own good. Just as well really, for inside the door I have my camera confiscated. "Sorry mate, no digital". So, this is it...our indie darlings have reached the bigtime - two storeys of adoring fans of prime, young, punky, spunky rock - and all under the watchful eye of event "safety" staff. Honestly, they`ll be telling us we can`t smoke next...ah, yeah.
By the time we`ve been told to find a seat (like finding a sewing implement in a giant clump of straw) and settled for a space at the very top bar the band have arrived on stage...somewhere...amid a sea of mobile phone cameras held in the air. Holding up your lighter would seem to be dead (long live King Nokia and Queen Ericsson) as a thousand grainy photos are taken at once and Arctic Monkeys` Alex Turner begins `Riot Van` to tumultuous applause and the sound of a thousand incoming message beeps as kids share their newly taken photos with their mates on the other side of the hall. They barely have time to view the message though as the band kick straight into album opener and lead track from their new EP `View from the Afternoon`. This, understandably, galvanizes the crowd and during the song`s incredibly long mid-pause the band do seem as though they`re milking the early applause before resumption jolts the crowd into a pogoing, uniform jack-in-the-box once more.
"How you gettin` on?" asks Alex after a reasonably well received `Cigarette Smoker Fiona`, never a man of many words and this is ironic when he kicks into the incredibly wordy `You Probably Couldn`t See For The Lights But You Were Looking Straight At Me`.
But he does manage a series of mumbles as the night goes on, noticing that "the night`s young, yeah?" and "so we meet again...on a friday evening...again". Charismatic? Not really, but with a following double act of `Mardy Bum` and `Still Take You Home` it really doesn`t matter what he or indeed the other Monkeys say in between tracks.
New track `Who the Fuck are Arctic Monkeys?` is given a pretty poor response, many fans choosing to head to the bar or toilets, only to rush back as the opening clatter of `I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor` resounds around the building and the air is filled with the sound of thousands of people singing along...and then some as the hits keep coming thick and fast through `Vampires`, `Shoes` and `Red Light` (hey, who needs the full titles? They`re like old friends to us now). It`s a powerful series of rapturous melody and it`s broken only by one fan`s excitement proving so much that they throw their sock in Alex`s face at the beginning of `When The Sun Goes Down`, only for Alex to retort at exactly the right time `He`s a scumbag don`t you know` as their latest anthem brings the house down. "We`ll see you at T in the Park!" shouts Alex before set-closer `A Certain Romance` as the crowd begin their way through the lyrics all on their own.
What is great about the performance tonight is that you can really appreciate the rawness of the Arctic Monkeys debut album when hearing it live sounds almost exactly like listening to the disc. This has oft been a criticism I`ve levied at some bands (Keane and Hard-Fi being two recent examples) when the live performance does not offer anything new - a new angle, an extended bass solo or two, giant tap-dancing Panda bears, anything! - but their on-stage energy (even when you can barely see them) belies any such denunication. And...when a band has the balls to leave the stage to the sound of Carly Simon sing `Nobody Does it Better` you can do nothing but stand and salute them.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
| 1. | I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor |
| 2. | Mardy Bum |
| 3. | Dancing Shoes |
| 4. | Fluorescent Adolescent |
| 5. | Fake Tales of San Francisco |
| 6. | The View From the Afternoon |
| 7. | Crying Lightning |
| 8. | When the Sun Goes Down |
| 9. | Teddy Picker |
| 10. | Still Take You Home |