February 23rd, 2010 -- Posted in General |
If there is one band that is destined for super stardom in our new decade (the Tennies? the Teens? Whatever) then it is surely the Noisettes and after an aborted attempt to see them live in action last year I finally got the chance to watch them this week. Let me tell you that I wasn’t disappointed!
The Noisettes are a trio of London origin. Drummer Jamie Morrison, guitarist Dan Smith and of course the all conquering presence of singer Read the rest of this entry »
February 22nd, 2010 -- Posted in General |
A lot of bands came through Cologne, so when I heard that The Strokes were playing half an hour away from my flat (at a venue whose name I sadly don’t recall), I wasn’t exactly on the edge of my seat to get to the front of the crowd first; They’d never been my favourite band, not even near the top of the list, so I’d convinced myself that what I was about to see would be a let down, Read the rest of this entry »
February 10th, 2010 -- Posted in General |
Every now and again you stumble across something deeply worrying in an online forum. Click the following link for proof, where a fan of Last of The Summer Wine asks if anyone might know where it was filmed.
Maybe it’s just me, being British and proud, but growing up watching Last Of The Summer Wine—a piece of television so inherently British in its style that I’ve always thought it to be utterly unmistakable—I always thought it was thoroughly unique Read the rest of this entry »
January 13th, 2010 -- Posted in General |
In 1999, Dido released her stonkingly good debut album, ‘No Angel’. It was a huge success with all kinds of different people. On one level, it could be seen as having a very middle class feel, but there was a bit more to it all than that. This collection of songs could have been described as being slightly twee, but there were so many more aspects to this album than that.
A large part of the album is influenced by Read the rest of this entry »
January 7th, 2010 -- Posted in General |
If you have had a friendship with someone over a number of years then there are plenty of things to remember. And if that person has since died then it can be a rather emotional experience.
Imagine then, experiencing all this beneath the watchful eye of the media and you will then have a vague idea of how Lou Reed and John Cale felt after losing Andy Warhol. There had been several disagreements between them all and for Lou and Read the rest of this entry »
December 19th, 2009 -- Posted in General |
Over the past few years in music there have been some pretty interesting bands. People are trying to come up with different ideas and it is hard work because so many things have already been done. Music is no longer the young and largely uncharted land that it once was; now it is home to many turning points and landmarks.
I think that the last really fresh idea to come along in music was probably Trip-Hop. Bands such as Portishead Read the rest of this entry »
December 18th, 2009 -- Posted in General |
When ‘Take on me’ stormed into the charts in 1985, a lot of people assumed that a-ha were just another ‘boy band’. It was a forgivable mistake to make, partly because of the single’s poppy sound, the way Warner Brothers marketed the band and because Morten Harket was so damn handsome.
Even after a-ha had released several other incredibly good songs as singles the image stuck.
Their debut album,’ Hunting High and Low’ was flawless. Every track was a joy Read the rest of this entry »
December 11th, 2009 -- Posted in General |
Having already wowed Gothic Rock fans with, ‘First and Last and Always’, Andrew Eldritch released, ‘Floodland’ on a wave of expectation in 1987. In many ways the album could not have been more different from its predecessor. However, out of the listeners who eagerly rushed out to buy it, there were certainly no complaints.
‘Floodland’ moved away from a heavy reliance on guitars and lurched off toward a more synthesised and industrial sound. Andrew Eldritch delivered an album that was Read the rest of this entry »
December 2nd, 2009 -- Posted in General |
One of my favourite bands is Dead Can Dance and one of my favourite albums is their ‘Within the Realm of a Dying Sun’.
Out of all of the CDs that I have in my collection (which is an awful lot) this is one of the few that makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
The album is split into two halves. The first part is a vehicle for the vocals of Brendan Perry whilst the Read the rest of this entry »
October 20th, 2009 -- Posted in General |
As far as I am concerned, Portishead are one of the most original groups to emerge for a very long time. I have enjoyed their music right from the first album, ‘Dummy’, to their last offering, ‘Third’.
If they really are to start working on their fourth album then I shall be a very happy man indeed. It was a long time to have to wait (around eleven years) for the release of ‘Third’. Mind you, it was worth it. Read the rest of this entry »
