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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 line up for the Camden Crawl (which this year features the celebrated Roundhouse venue for the first time) has been further bolstered with the addition of two acts responsible for a large portion of Manchester`s collective musical genius - 808 State and The Fall, leading lights in the dance and post-punk scenes respectively and still cool as fuck in middle age.
Other acts added to the line-up include the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Maccabees and The Big Pink, the hotly-tipped revivalist act who no doubt consider both 808 State and The Fall as prime influences.
There are also appearances from Justin Hawkins` post-Darkness (and therefore doomed) comeback vehicle Hot Leg and unintelligible Dundee also-rans The View - if you like that sort of thing.
The festival takes place over Friday 24th April and Saturday 25th April and features spoken word performances and comedy on top of a stellar cast of the world of indie as it stands.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been forced to push forward the release of their new album, after it was leaked online.
The band were preparing to launch their third studio record It`s Blitz in April but the group will now make the songs available for download earlier after the new material made its way on to the internet.
Tracks will now become available via download in the US as early as 10th March, a month ahead of the original schedule and physical record will land in stores on 31st March, instead of the original 14th April launch date.
The band write on their official blog, "The cat`s out of the bag after IT`S BLITZ! escaped from our clutches into the big bad world last week. Why should some have and some have-not?
"YYYs have been brimming with nervous excitement in anticipation of releasing this record to the world! Leaks are NO FUN but it`s out of our hands."
Nick Foster (View Original Article)
The Yeah Yeah Yeah`s have announced the name of their new album in their own inimitable way. See below.
Hooray!
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have revealed further details about their new album set to be released next year. The following message was posted under the blog heading `Best News` on their MySpace yesterday.
"There is no beating the bit of news sweeping the nation at the moment but YYYs have a bit of news of our own to share. NEW RECORD? NEW RECORD!! NEW RECORD IS GETTING CLOSER TO BEING DONE DONE DONE! You still won`t be hearing it until 2009 but damn are we close to finishing it and only after a year of writing and recording! Will it sound kind of like Show Your Bones? No, been there done that. What about IS IS? Is that more of the direction it`s going in? Absolutely not, it sounds VERY different from last year`s EP. Did we go back to our roots and write something closer to Fever to Tell? No looking back now silly, just full speed ahead. WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?? Not much like anything you`ve heard from us before- DOES IT SOUND LIKE THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS??? YOU BET YOU`RE SWEET ASS IT DOES. Phew, can`t wait. We can hardly wait ourselves, we miss all of you and we`ve been working extra hard on this one with the intention to make you as happy as possible. Just wanted to drop a line to let you in on how quickly we`re approaching the finishing line and to GET PSYYYYYYYYYYYYCHED."
Excited yet?
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The following blog posting appeared this week on their site:
"Fuzzy soft muses aka kittens have played a major role in the writing process of YYYs current and past records. Show Your Bones was written in Sam Spiegel's home studio amidst the birth of a litter of kittens, little gold lions scrambling around. Amazingly therapeutic, nothing turns a frown upside down (there are many frowns in the record writing process) as a purring kitten in your lap. Alas our favorite kitten of all beloved SQUEAKER arrived just in time for record three! Abandoned by his mother, we've watched him grow before our very eyes from a blind and helpless little thing into a frisky and fierce little beauty- much like the tunes we're writing. Go figure."
For further insight into what the third record may sound like, here's a picture fresh from the studio of the band. Presumably working on their next classic or arguing over who's going out to buy kitty chow.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
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)
"Never never ever would I do that. If I ever said 'maybe,' and I might have, it was a very naive thing to say."
"The more I think about the audience of that magazine, the more I'd never do that."
So, bang go the dreams of floppy-haired teen indie boys everywhere.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their 'Is Is EP' last week.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The moment which pretty much cemented the arrival of Beth in Britain was this amazing performance on the Jonny Woss show.
This year's list is quite refreshing. Gone is Johnny Borrell from the list for being a cunt with awful songs. Down heavily also is Pete Doherty and not forgotten is Alex Turner from the top spot to the mid-30s. Here's the full top 10:
1. Beth Ditto (The Gossip)
2. Faris Rotter (The Horrors)
3. Lily Allen
4. Jarvis Cocker
5. Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
6. Keren Webster (The View)
7. Kate Jackson (The Long Blondes)
8. Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance)
9. Thom Yorke
10.Lovefoxxx (CSS)
To check out the full list purchase a copy of the NME from your local newsagent for £1.99 or hang around a train station / airport departure lounge and look in the bins.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
The as-yet-untitled album will feature a flag on the cover, and it is this flag that the YYY`s want you to design. Here`s the skinny...
The Flag Must Be:
1. Whatever size you like
2. Whatever colours you like (easy on the hot pink - Boo! - CDX Design Ed)
3. Related to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4. Embodying the symbolic essence that you have vibed off of us totally to the max
5. Recognisable as above all a flag that we can stick on a pole and wave around.
You only have until December 8th so if you`re interested, get cracking now!
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Dean Coster (View Original Article)
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
Andy J (View Original Article)
Well...lets do the time warp again!!
When I first moved to London (in the late eighties), Camden was the place to be for young, music-obsessed, alternative tykes. Many a weekend was spent hanging around the many pubs, our days and evenings soundtracked by 80`s electro and jangly indie bands as we loitered around, taking up most of the pavement much to the annoyance of the locals trying to get on with their daily routines.
Now fast forward twenty years to the first day of the latest Camden Crawl and lo and behold, almost nothing has changed!!
The same markets where you can get cheap jackets, jeans plus lots of other music-related tat, same boutique type shops and eateries, most of the same pubs (although some have undergone major refurbishments), the Electric Ballroom and Camden Palace Theatre (now renamed KOKO) and, of course, the same pesky kids getting in the way of Josie Public as she tries desperately to manoeuvre her double buggy around the inebriated, pavement straddling youth.
Camden is truly unique in the best sense of the word so what better place to hold a two day festival with over 150 artists spanning 40 different venues?
It`s Friday afternoon, the sun is out and so are the kids. Pubs are already doing a roaring trade, especially the ones, like The Hawley Arms that are already holding events, musical or otherwise (there are comedy, magic and theatre acts doing their routines during the day).The first real pull of the night are The Yeah Yeah Yeahs who aren`t appearing at the Roundhouse until 7.15pm, yet the queue for the gig started at around five. Alas, it was far to much of a wrench to drag the beer loving CDX team from their position at the Enterprise bar at that time of day so there were no surprises when we eventually approached the Roundhouse with half an hour to spare only to be told that it full. Hey, we didn`t particularly want to see Karen O and her overhyped monkeys anyway and after all there were still plenty of other bands to see...well, there would be if we could get into any of the pubs to see them. The thing about the Camden Crawl is that although there are over 150 artist, a lot of the venues are slightly on the small size for some of the bands playing which means that if the group has any sort of popularity then the chances of seeing them (without queuing for a few hours) are pretty remote. So our earmarked seven bands we wanted to catch tonight become reduced, thanks to queuephobia, to a paltry three.
After wondering from one overcrowed venue to another we thankfully come across one which we could just walk into. Fortunately for us Tommy Sparks hasn`t the same pulling power as Idlewild who are playing the very tiny Dublin Castle across the road and so the Earl Of Camden is only three quarters full. Their `relatively unknown` status doesn`t stop Tommy and his band from putting on a bit of a show and although they are squeezed into a small corner of the pub they still manage to, literally, illuminate the stage with their lighting props and,umm, leather stage costumes. Kicking off with new single `She`s Got Me Dancing` Tommy`s infectious take on (you guessed it) 80`s electro pop / rock (think a slightly heavier Thomas Dolby) soon has the small crowd moving and doing that `hold and push the invisible box` type of dance thing that the kids are doing these days (`I think they did it in my day too Grandad` - slightly younger Ed).
It`s a good start to our night but, unfortunately, the thought of having to queue to witness some of the other bands mean that we leave Tommy mid set and progress towards the VV Brown gig, which we don`t find and decide to head straight to KOKO instead. This turns out to be a good move as the queue for the classic, traditional theatre was minuscule and we were soon propping up the top bar. By the time we moved to the ground floor to watch The Whip the crowd had swelled immensely and the atmosphere was starting to feel electric. They sound absolutely fantastic tonight with their alternative, electro house whipping (pun intended) the crowd into a frenzy. The problem is (and I know I`m being shallow here) that although they sound like the coollest electro kids on the block, they look like Starsailer with headbands, which is quite off putting. It`s like having a band overdubbed live with a totally different sound - in this case it`s not metter to bix things up!! In fact I`d go as far as saying that The Whip should`ve have traded images with Tommy Sparks, had the three male members stand behind keyboards and do that Metronomy synchronized arm movement thing, then it would have looked, as well as sounded, ace. That said they were very energetic and really got the crowd going with live favourites like `Trash`.
Now although I`ve been a fan of Echo & The Bunnymen on record for a very long time (the first four LP`s particularly), live (seen them a fair few times, including the Royal Shakespeare gig in Stratford) I`ve always found them a bit dull and tonight, unfortunately, is no exception. Despite rolling out a greatest hit`s set spanning most of their career (`Rescue`, `Villiers Terrace` from `Crocodiles`, `Back Of Love`, `The Cutter` off `Porcupine`, `Killing Moon`, `Seven Seas` from `Ocean Rain` etc) and playing all these songs brilliantly, it`s still difficult to get excited about their performance.
Mac the Mouth does his usual Jim Morrison `hug the mic stand` impression, talking to the crowd only once to express his dislike for these types of events, whilst Will Sargent and the rest of the band know their place and keep themselves in the background. The songs sound great, even when we decide to call in a night three quarters in and head toward the exit ...it`s just that I can`t quite shake the belief that I would`ve enjoyed them more in a seated venue with possibly chicken in a basket brought to our table...hmmm.
The fact we only saw three bands tonight was more down to our bad planning and the unforgiving train times out to rural Hertfordshire but for what we experienced, although this review may not convey it, Friday at the Camden Crawl was an absolute blast.
Nick Foster (View Original Article)
Base camp was established on Friday evening; heavy inbound traffic meant I missed some of the earlier scheduled acts for the day, bur rather than run around like a headless chicken trying to play catch-up, I decided to take it easy, get fed, get my bearings and gear up for Massive Attack.
As the night enveloped us, the Bristolian downbeat collective took to the stage and commenced with standout recent track 'False Flags', silhouetted by neon screens showing various banners of the world, and it's clear from the offset that current world policy is on Robert '3D' Del Naja's mind; it's not long before the Bush-bashing begins, but, if anything, this angry sentiment fuels their performance, particularly during the incendiary 'Safe From Harm'. Unsettling bass rumbled off the stage and through the ground into our feet as they pulse their way through the majority of their recent best-of collection, bringing out long-time collaborators Horace Andy, Shara Nelson & Liz Frazer to perform the delicate ethereal vocals which compliment 3D & Daddy G's dark lines of truth. Del Naja informs us that despite our good cheer it might get 'a bit depressing' - oh we know. You come to see this band fully aware you're on a 'coaster going down, for like the phoenix, it's only in the flames you can be reborn. A killer encore of 'Inertia Creeps', 'Unfinished Sympathy' (still one of the best songs ever), and a colossally chaotic 'Angel' completed the set in devastating fashion. Almost worth the ticket price alone.
The rain, though predicted and certainly not light, confined itself to the twilight hours, and while wellingtons were Saturday's must-have fashion item, the skies were kind for most of the day. Camp Yellow was but a short walk from the main stages' entrance, and a plethora of produce was available to the hungry punter. Far from the dodgy burger vans that usually cater to festival-goers, I was pleased to discover a wide range of food on offer, including Mexican, noodles, coffee & buns, and my personal favourite, the Pieminister van, who will serve you a delicious proper pie, mash 'n' peas for under 10 euro.
After comparisons with my own band were raised, I felt it prudent to check out the Archie Bronson Outfit in the Foggy Notions tent to begin the day, and despite being a tad aloof they delivered a raucous drone-laden bluesy stomper of a set. If you're into the kind of infectious Southern-tinged deltarock peddled by the likes of the White Stripes, get a hold of this lot's current long player, 'Derdang Derdang'.
I caught the tail end of the irrepressibly electro Gary Numan's set, and needless to say for a lot of thirtysomethings a good time was had. Hell, even those not completely familiar with Gazza's back catalogue were gettin' down to 'Are Friends Electric?', thanks to being sampled by the Sugababes a few years ago on bootleg hit 'Freak Like Me'. If James Brown is the godfather of soul, is Numan the godfather of synthpop? For these '80s revellers, let it be so.
Next up was possibly my gig of the festival, Broken Social Scene. This stellar Canadian supergroup's existence was always tenuous, and while they remained together long enough to put out and tour two outstanding albums, commitments to their own bands were always threatening to come to the fore, and did so this weekend, the last date of their current tour, after which they would go on 'indefinite hiatus'. Having already experienced their live set back home in Belfast, I knew what to expect, but the moment the glorious opening chords to 'KC Accidental' burst forth like flowers in springtime, you are IN. Never before have I witness a band with such joyous identity make such joyous music, and possibly I won't ever again. From the easy breeze of 'Shoreline' to the handclaps on 'Stars and Sons' and the music-box innocence of 'Anthems For A 17-Year-Old Girl', that tent contained more happy per square metre than has ever been registered for the hour they were on. Closing the set with 'Ibi Dreams Of Pavement', Kevin Drew calls for the assembled crowd to scream as one, not for them, but for us, and that moment has been frozen in my head since it occurred. Here's hoping this isn't the end and they make time for BSS again in the future.
The somewhat reclusive DJ Shadow hasn't played in Ireland for 4 years, a fact he freely admits later in the set, and so the Electric Arena tent is packed full, undoubtedly by fans/worshippers of his seminal completely sampled debut album '...Endtroducing'. His new album has taken almost as long to make and hits the shelves in the next couple of weeks, and all were eager for a taste of the new material. After an opening speech slightly marred by a dodgy mic, the man his parents named Josh Davis informed us he would be playing some new stuff, and some old stuff too. True to his word, the highlights from '...Endtroducing' and second album 'The Private Press' were rolled out and expertly mixed to a crazy cut-out style video montage, and sandwiched between were some cuts from new LP 'The Outsider', featuring special guest vocals from hitherto unknown folkie Chris James and Lateef The Truth Speaker from Lyrics Born and Blackalicious. Apparently influenced by the still relatively regionalised San Francisco hip-hop variation known as 'hyphy', Shadow's new tracks come off sounding considerably more poppy & less cerebral than the last two albums, and while I choose to reserve judgement until the album is out, I hope this doesn't mark his slide into being 'just another big-name producer'. As the title of the new album hints at, he's always been different than the rest, and up til now that has worked in his favour. Interrupting closer 'Midnight In A Perfect World' to tell us he has to split, he leaves playing the track that will hopefully not be his only legacy.
At this time the pies were calling once again so I crossed the fields in time to see a snippet of Bloc Party's set. A year ago I stated that they were close to being Britain’s Most Awkward Band, but perhaps with time and gracing a few more stages they'd grow into it. Now they're a few steps higher up the bill, but seemingly the same wallflowers they always were. "We're not going to let a little raaaaain ruin things for us, are we?" frontman Kele intones several times, and though it's slightly cringeworthy to hear, he's correct, as despite the drizzle, the post-punk tinged tracks from Silent Alarm sound just as judderingly jubilant, and if new material like "Waiting For The 7:18" is anything to go by, the forthcoming album will be worth a look-in.
The Soulwax Nite Versions experience is one that I've savoured twice up until this point, but Sparks were due on in the opposing tent. A choice of brothers: Mael or Dewaele? Wacky cabaret or dance-rock fusion? In the end, my allegiance went to the Belgians, but this turned out to have been the wrong decision. 40 minutes I waited for them to reveal themselves in the Bodytonic tent, but nothing. I could only surmise that either they were either severely abusing their current status as remix kings / alt-dance overlords, or they had utilized one too many sound-bending gadgets in their setup and it had blown a fuse. Much as I wanted to feel the remixology, their tardiness had messed up my schedule, and for that heinous crime there is no forgiveness. I left and made my way back to the main stage for New Order.
Another band I saw last year, apparently jovially comfortable with their position as elder statesmen of indie; Barney & Hookey get on like two blokes having a swift half at the local on a Sunday afternoon, good-naturedly berating each other for being past it and in bad need of a pair of slippers and mug of Ovaltine. They’re even comically introduced as "four lads who changed the face of pop music - The Beatles... only joking, it's New Order!". It's all tomfoolery of course - songs like 'Krafty' and 'Waiting For The Siren's Call' from the recent album of the same name sound perfectly placed next to classics like 'Regret' and 'Temptation'. "I can't believe we were going to drop that from the set", Barney exclaims after a top performance of 'True Faith'. "Think we'll keep it in now," - damn right Mr. Sumner, it's me favourite and all. Joy Division's 'Transmission' and 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' are included, with a massive singalong for the latter, and a barnstorming 'Blue Monday' closed the set. Essential.
Others were keen to stay up & party with Groove Armada or 2ManyDJs, but I was tired, cold and wet, so I scampered back to my tent, pausing for a brief foray into the Blue Room. This was a large-ish white dome structure on the edge of the camp, sponsored by O2 and worth mentioning because it played a very pleasing esoteric selection of tunes throughout the day and night. It was arranged in a circle formation with the DJ at the front and raised benches around the outside, lending it a club-meets-Roman-Colosseum vibe, and also briefly there was a vampish performance involving a very camp man singing and writhing to an ambient dance track while being noosed by two scantily clad girls in tight leather. Enough flesh was exposed to warrant a girl near dragging her transfixed boyfriend out the door and admonishing him outside, something I found entirely too amusing at the time, but then again I had been drinking cheap cider.
The drizzle was back on Sunday morning, but we BBQ-ed anyway protected by thin plastic ponchos and swapped tales of the previous nights. The word IDMcore was invented, among other things. All was dry again at 2pm so we headed back in for the promised spectacle of DJ Grazzhoppa's DJ Big Band, which I had envisioned in my head as some kind of explosion in a Technics factory, but turned out to be 12 DJs lined up mixing various samples together with a live saxophonist to create stoner soundtrack music. There was a relatively impressive solo performance by Grazzhoppa himself, but having an inkling about DJing myself, I couldn't help wonder why, novelty value aside, there needed to be so bloody many of them. Now that WAS too many DJs. (I made the same quip on the day and I make no apology for it. Groan all you like.)
Judging by the considerable silence during the call-&-response segment of their set, the EP audience weren't exactly down with the finer details of hip-hop-history, but all that was set bang-to-rights as Grandmaster Melle Mel & Scorpio from the Furious Five gave us a guided tour of the classix from back in the day in what was undoubtedly the most funtastic set of the festival. Clearly having a ball, Mel & Scorpio led all us honky boys and girls through 'White Lines', 'The Message', 'Rapper's Delight' - a veritable hip-hop 101. 'Muscles' Melle Mel also took great enjoyment in showing us his moves 'n' poses, and taking the mick out of Vanilla Ice, which is his undeniable right as a hip-hop hall-of-famer. In addition they paid respect to their fallen heroes, and dropped the tracks which they claimed were rockin' the block parties way back when, including Madonna's 'Holiday', and bizarrely 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. We were all wiggas after that. 24 years of hip-hop, suckas.
Back to the tent for a small allotment of time-out. Next up, Elbow. I've been a fan since they released their sparkling melancholy debut 'Asleep In The Back’, and have since followed it up with two equal feats of soaring yet intimate melody, 'Cast Of Thousands' and last year's 'Leaders Of The Free World'. During the sunny interval they occupy the stage, a buoyant Guy Garvey leads his cohorts through such tender missives as 'Fugitive Motel', 'Red' and 'Newborn', as well as the anthemic 'Forget Myself' and the Bush-baiting 'Leaders Of The Free World'. "If it's not entirely obvious, we're having a great time up here," Guy tells us, and the massively uplifting tunage they provide ensure we are also.
A sizeable number of sensitive types were already filling the Electric Arena tent in anticipation of charmingly camp troubadour Rufus Wainwright. Playing solo tonight, switching between guitar and piano, he and his wonderfully expressive voice gently cast out moving moments from 'Poses' and double album opus Want, as well as his now ubiquitous cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'. New song 'Sans Soucci' he claims is about 'a castle somewhere with all the cute boys he hasn't slept with yet', but the truth is he's dashing and talented enough to almost make some straight lads' heads turn. The audience were the most respectfully quiet I've seen in a good while, so much so that Rufus had to encourage them to sing himself. Granting a fan's request by playing ‘Rebel Prince’ and finishing by displaying his mastery of French with 'Complainte de la Butte', this I feel was the gig of Electric Picnic where the distance between the artist and audience was least, despite the numbers present.
Gnarls Barkley's cancellation meant a quick schedule rethink, so despite not being totally familiar with all their material, I bounded back to the main stage for a bowl of chili and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Looking very much the art-school darlings, Karen O is a multicoloured free spirit on the loose, and the only thing more angular than Nick Zinner's axemanship is his hair. Their NY bombast lends extra life to the fractured brilliance of tracks like 'Gold Lion' and ‘Date With The Night', and yet you still believe them when they give you the most simple and honest indie love song in recent history, 'Maps'. Very much owning the stage, Karen O delivers an intense performance that promises they are every bit worth the hype.
The Electric Arena had seen a brief taste of camp earlier in the evening with Mr. Wainwright, but that was nothing compared to the sheer spectacle of the Pet Shop Boys live show. More gold lamé and silver sequins than you could shake a stick at. The mechanics of the music being provided by Chris Lowe and his synthesizer, the show is all about Neil Tennant in a top hat 'n' tails leading the assembled throng of dancers and backing vocalists in considerable celebration. Every PSB song is an anthem, from the intellectually informed 'What Have I Done To Deserve This' and 'Left To My Own Devices, though the dark undercurrents of 'It's A Sin' and 'Opportunities'. They even manage to infuse their covers with this epic stature; witness the reverential treatment of 'Always On My Mind' and the cheeky choral collision of 'Where The Streets Have No Name / I Can't Take My Eyes Off You'. Audaciously theatrical every step of the way with neon light set pieces, costume changes and choreography, they finished on the fabulous 'Go West', took a bow and exited stage right. Marvellous.
To cap the festival off I took the path less traveled and went to the Crawdaddy tent to catch the other turntable icon playing this weekend, founder member of Jurassic 5 now gone solo, Lucas McFadden aka Cut Chemist. From the off it's a groovy and informed ride through cool beat-riffic tunes, together with some sneak peaks from his forthcoming debut 'The Audience's Listening'. At the end there's some humorous interaction as the Cutmaster uses his technologic wizardry to sample three members of the audience and scratch their voices to the beat, a process made unintentionally chucklesome by the third guy to be picked and his completely indecipherable country accent. With a modicum of talent and economics, Cut re-jigs his own recorded intro to be his outro without speaking another word. A better formulated and precise set you are not likely to see.
Long as this review is, it only represents my own individual EP experiences - a mere snapshot of the almost innumerable gigs & other activities that were on offer. Kudos and 'who thought that up?' plaudits go to the cinema tent (open 24 hours, showing the epitome of student & stoner favourites), the overall site layout complete with alternative art pieces erected throughout ("Jimi Hendrix is in that tree!! I saw him!! You believe me don't you?!"), the Comedy tent, impromptu performances at the Big Tree, the many varied food and drink stands and countless other things that I sadly did not have the time to visit. This had been more than just a music festival; this had been a gathering of like-minded souls, something that had been ingrained from its very inception, not something that arises merely from paying a lot of top name bands to play while providing minimum facilities, like so many other festivals seem to be doing. Not once during the weekend did I encounter a soul who exuded anything less than total immediate friendship, from the bloke who offered to trade me a cigarette for my sunkissed spot under a central tree, to the kind sound engineer from Galway who called the following Monday to inform me he had found my lost wallet and would post it back to me. No ill will was bared to any person present, save perhaps those who cranked up the volume and partied all night at the expense of those who would rather grab a few hours sleep, but there was even a special quiet campsite outside the main grounds for those parties who desired to be away from the festivities at night.
Festivals of this magnitude are always business endeavours, and sadly it seems that a growing number of them are increasingly sacrificing a quality experience in order to cram in more punters, cut back the facilities and generally gloss over the needs of the attendees in favour of commercialism and maximum cash extraction. The organisers of Electric Picnic, now in its third year, have swore that this will never happen to their festival, and I sincerely want to believe them, for right now it is a shining example of how a festival should be run, and I intend to book my ticket for next year's celebrations at the earliest opportunity.
Richard Brown (View Original Article)
| 1. | Heads Will Roll |
| 2. | Zero |
| 3. | Maps |
| 4. | Gold Lion |
| 5. | Soft Shock |
| 6. | Dull Life |
| 7. | Skeletons |
| 8. | Runaway |
| 9. | Hysteric |
| 10. | Shame And Fortune |