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Legendary Slits Frontwoman Writes For Uncut!

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Legendary Slits Frontwoman Writes For Uncut!

Everywhere I go people still want to talk to me about The Slits. Sometimes it's old punks and rockers reminiscing about the anarchy of ‘77 to ‘79, sometimes its riot grrrls and 18 year olds that have just started their own band. It doesn’t make any difference to me whether their questions are original or I’ve already heard them a million times before, the important thing is people still want to know about The Slits. Whatever anyone else says, we weren’t just a punk rock group - we were four girls on a mission to bring about the revolution. We could have chosen film or theatre or literature or art as our medium but we chose music because we knew it would have the most impact and immediacy. I look at the bands making music these days and most of them seem happy to play by the rules and do what their managers and record labels tell them. They might call themselves free-spirited but you can tell they are in it for the exposure and the money and the record sales. It was never about anything that superficial for us. It was about passion and politics and the four of us coming together to create this incredible explosion of energy. People assume we must have had dozens of offers to reform The Slits over the years because bands like the Pistols have, but nobody ever asked us. I don’t know why but I think its probably because we were so bolshy and confrontational. People were either with us or against us. There was never an in-between. Me and Tessa are the only original members in the new incarnation of The Slits. The other girls are all new. They bring the youth and vitality and we bring the roots and the history and the legend. We don’t see what we’re doing as reforming The Slits either because we’re not interested in nostalgia. We’re interested in moving forwards and taking the group to the next level. I can’t comment on how the other girls in the original group feel because that’s a touchy subject. It's too personal and too political to discuss in the media and I don’t want to upset or deceive anybody. Tessa and I just knew we had to continue our mission. We lost touch completely when I moved to Jamaica but I’m glad we’re working together again. She’s an incredible bass player and an incredible woman. It took us ages to recruit the right girls but eventually we found Nadia, Adele, No, Holly and Lauren. Nadia and Adele both play the guitar, No plays the drums and Holly and Lauren both sing and are jacks of all trades. Holly is the daughter of Paul Cook from the Pistols and Lauren is the daughter of Mick Jones from The Clash - so the punk legacy continues! We played our first gigs together in London recently and I have to say, I think we sounded pretty good. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed myself because enjoyment is not a word I’d ever use to describe playing live but the audience seemed to have a good time. We played ‘Typical Girls’, ‘Instant Hit’, ‘Spend Spend Spend’, and a couple of songs from my recent solo album Dread More Dan Dead. Since then, we’ve gone into the studio with Marco from Adam and The Ants and recorded an EP, which should be out soon. There’s four tracks on it including a hypnotic, reggae version of ‘Kill Them With Love’ and a really raw version of ‘Number One Enemy’. That’s an original song that we wrote in ‘76 and never released or recorded. There’s also a completely new track which combines the sound of the old skool with more cutting edge hip hop. I don’t know what people will make of it but I like the fact all the tracks are so different. It would be great if one of them got lots of airplay and become a big hit but I can’t imagine that happening, not when the music industry is just as difficult as it was in ‘77. Men still overshadow women and women are still being depicted as sex kittens. I’ve been told bands like Le Tigre and Chicks on Speed have kept the spirit of The Slits alive over the last decade, but it's hard for me to comment since I’m not that familiar with their music. I like the idea of there being lots of baby Slits dotted across the world, though. I find that very empowering. The line-up and the sound might have changed but the attitude and intention of The Slits is exactly the same. We were musical terrorists then and we’re musical terrorists now. The revolution continues! ARI UP WAS TALKING TO SARAH-JANE Ari Up’s solo album Dread More Dan Dead is out now. For live dates and more info about The Slits visit www.theslits.co.uk

Everywhere I go people still want to talk to me about The Slits.

Sometimes it’s old punks and rockers reminiscing about the anarchy of ‘77 to ‘79, sometimes its riot grrrls and 18 year olds that have just started their own band.

It doesn’t make any difference to me whether their questions are original or I’ve already heard them a million times before, the important thing is people still want to know about The Slits.

Whatever anyone else says, we weren’t just a punk rock group – we were four girls on a mission to bring about the revolution. We could have chosen film or theatre or literature or art as our medium but we chose music because we knew it would have the most impact and immediacy.

I look at the bands making music these days and most of them seem happy to play by the rules and do what their managers and record labels tell them.

They might call themselves free-spirited but you can tell they are in it

for the exposure and the money and the record sales. It was never about

anything that superficial for us. It was about passion and politics and the

four of us coming together to create this incredible explosion of energy.

People assume we must have had dozens of offers to reform The Slits over the years because bands like the Pistols have, but nobody ever asked us. I don’t know why but I think its probably because we were so bolshy and

confrontational.

People were either with us or against us. There was never an in-between.

Me and Tessa are the only original members in the new incarnation of The

Slits. The other girls are all new. They bring the youth and vitality and we

bring the roots and the history and the legend.

We don’t see what we’re doing as reforming The Slits either because we’re not interested in nostalgia. We’re interested in moving forwards and taking the group to the next level.

I can’t comment on how the other girls in the original group feel because that’s a touchy subject. It’s too personal and too political to discuss in the media and I don’t want to upset or deceive anybody. Tessa and I just knew we had to continue our mission.

We lost touch completely when I moved to Jamaica but I’m glad we’re working together again. She’s an incredible bass player and an incredible woman.

It took us ages to recruit the right girls but eventually we found Nadia,

Adele, No, Holly and Lauren. Nadia and Adele both play the guitar, No plays the drums and Holly and Lauren both sing and are jacks of all trades. Holly is the daughter of Paul Cook from the Pistols and Lauren is the daughter of Mick Jones from The Clash – so the punk legacy continues!

We played our first gigs together in London recently and I have to say, I think we sounded pretty good. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed myself because enjoyment is not a word I’d ever use to describe playing live but the audience seemed to have a good time.

We played ‘Typical Girls’, ‘Instant Hit’, ‘Spend Spend Spend’, and a couple of songs from my recent solo album Dread More Dan Dead.

Since then, we’ve gone into the studio with Marco from Adam and The Ants and recorded an EP, which should be out soon.

There’s four tracks on it including a hypnotic, reggae version of ‘Kill Them With Love’ and a really raw version of ‘Number One Enemy’. That’s an original song that we wrote in ‘76 and never released or recorded. There’s also a completely new track which combines the sound of the old skool with more cutting edge hip hop.

I don’t know what people will make of it but I like the fact all the tracks are so different. It would be great if one of them got lots of airplay and become a big hit but I can’t imagine that happening, not when the music industry is just as difficult as it was in ‘77.

Men still overshadow women and women are still being depicted as sex kittens.

I’ve been told bands like Le Tigre and Chicks on Speed have kept the spirit

of The Slits alive over the last decade, but it’s hard for me to comment

since I’m not that familiar with their music.

I like the idea of there being lots of baby Slits dotted across the world, though. I find that very empowering. The line-up and the sound might have changed but the attitude and intention of The Slits is exactly the same.

We were musical terrorists then and we’re musical terrorists now. The revolution continues!

ARI UP WAS TALKING TO SARAH-JANE

Ari Up’s solo album Dread More Dan Dead is out now. For live dates and more info about The Slits visit www.theslits.co.uk

Richard Hawley to play homecoming show

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Richard Hawley to play homecoming show

Acclaimed songwriter Richard Hawley has announced two winter shows, one in his hometown of Sheffield to round off his amazing year. Hawley’s third solo album Coles Corner, named after a place in Sheffield where lovers court, has just achieved Gold status in the UK – sales of over 100,000 copies. The album was also nominated for this years Mercury Music Prize – when the Arctic Monkeys pipped Hawley to the prize, the Monkeys Alex Turner quipped “Somebody call 999, Richard Hawley's been robbed!" The ex-Longpigs and Pulp member Hawley is currently in the studio recording a follow-up album but will play the following two shows: Shepherds Bush Empire (November 29) Sheffield City Hall (December 12) For more information about Hawley – Click here to go to his homepage

Acclaimed songwriter Richard Hawley has announced two winter shows, one in his hometown of Sheffield to round off his amazing year.

Hawley’s third solo album Coles Corner, named after a place in Sheffield where lovers court, has just achieved Gold status in the UK – sales of over 100,000 copies.

The album was also nominated for this years Mercury Music Prize – when the Arctic Monkeys pipped Hawley to the prize, the Monkeys Alex Turner quipped “Somebody call 999, Richard Hawley’s been robbed!”

The ex-Longpigs and Pulp member Hawley is currently in the studio recording a follow-up album but will play the following two shows:

Shepherds Bush Empire (November 29)

Sheffield City Hall (December 12)

For more information about Hawley – Click here to go to his homepage

The Return Of The Mighty Stooges

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The Return Of The Mighty Stooges

Iggy Pop and the Stooges have just completed work on their first new studio album since 1973’s David Bowie-produced “Raw Power.” The new album is due for release in March, after mastering at London’s Abbey Road Studios. As previously reported on www.uncut.co.uk, The Stooges are now joined by The Minutemen’s bassist Mike Watt who replaces Dave Alexander. The 16-track album recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago includes a vocal contribution from Brendan Benson on “Free And Freaky”. Other song titles for the new material include "Trollin',” "ATM," "You Can't Have Friends," "My Idea of Fun," "The Weirdness" and "Greedy Awful People." Iggy Pop, speaking to Billboard.com, confesses that being back with the Asheton brothers did prove difficult at times. He said, "Some of it is exciting and some of it is scary, and I don't care to go over there. But at the end of the day, I know these guys. I don't know anybody else quite that way, “ he concluded. Iggy and The Stooges are headlining the UK Nightmare Before Christmas festival at Minehead on December 8. They also plan to tour in the Spring around the time of the record’s release. A show on March 17 is already lined up at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. For Mike Watt’s perspective in making the new Stooges record – Click here

Iggy Pop and the Stooges have just completed work on their first new studio album since 1973’s David Bowie-produced “Raw Power.”

The new album is due for release in March, after mastering at London’s Abbey Road Studios.

As previously reported on www.uncut.co.uk, The Stooges are now joined by The Minutemen’s bassist Mike Watt who replaces Dave Alexander.

The 16-track album recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago includes a vocal contribution from Brendan Benson on “Free And Freaky”.

Other song titles for the new material include “Trollin’,” “ATM,” “You Can’t Have Friends,” “My Idea of Fun,” “The Weirdness” and “Greedy Awful People.”

Iggy Pop, speaking to Billboard.com, confesses that being back with the Asheton brothers did prove difficult at times.

He said, “Some of it is exciting and some of it is scary, and I don’t care to go over there. But at the end of the day, I know these guys. I don’t know anybody else quite that way, “ he concluded.

Iggy and The Stooges are headlining the UK Nightmare Before Christmas festival at Minehead on December 8.

They also plan to tour in the Spring around the time of the record’s release.

A show on March 17 is already lined up at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

For Mike Watt’s perspective in making the new Stooges record – Click here

Various Artists – Forever Changing: The Golden Age Of Elektra Records 1963-1973

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Various Artists – Forever Changing: The Golden Age Of Elektra Records 1963-1973

After 55 years in the American music business, it looks increasingly unlikely that we’ll hear from Elektra Records again. Formerly home to Tim Buckley, Love and The Doors, Elektra had a nondescript 1990s before being merged in 2004 with Atlantic. We are told it now exists merely "as an imprint of an office within the Warner Music Group corporate structure". An imprint within a structure is a sad end for a label that earned an international connoisseur audience in the 1960s with its mouthwatering folk/rock/blues roster, fastidious production values and trend-setting cover art. Even today – diminished to CD size – the landmark Elektra recordings ("Strange Days", "Forever Changes", "Goodbye And Hello") are artefacts of alarming beauty. No matter what the genre, Elektra’s Jac Holzman specialised in promoting off-kilter, incorrigible talent (Phil Ochs, Arthur Lee, Jim Morrison, Iggy Stooge), not only reflecting, but undoubtedly influencing, the strange course that American music took in the Vietnam era. From folk-rock to Lizard Kings to the 1970s singer-songwriter boom, Elektra’s logo was at the forefront. A five-CD anthology, "Forever Changing: The Golden Age Of Elektra Records 1963-73" doesn’t attempt to straddle the label’s lifetime. Compiled by three Englishmen (Uncut regular Mick Houghton, Stuart Batsford and Phil Smee), it focuses on a 10-year period of acceleration and revolution which made Elektra successful, but also unrecognisable. The box set begins with the first of six appearances by Judy Collins ("Turn! Turn! Turn!") and ends, a decade later, with a mortally over-hyped Bowie impersonator named Jobriath. It’s a proper story. The 40,000-word booklet tells of genius, madness, vindication, failure, disillusion and death. The compilers have been assiduous, skilfully sequencing 117 songs into a convincing 'flow', including more than 50 never released on CD before. The first disc is primarily non-electric. On its picaresque journey we encounter strait-laced balladeers, railroad hollerers, jug bands, banjoists and the political activist Ochs, represented by his anti-warcry "I Ain’t Marching Anymore". Judy Henske’s "High Flying Bird" (1964) is folk-rock’s future delineated in booming drums and bending guitar licks. Dick Rosmini’s triptych of impressionistic instrumentals rivals Bert Jansch. And whilst the more earnest folkies, inevitably, sound cruelly quaint at 40 years’ remove from Dallas motorcades and Cuban missiles, Fred Neil ("The Other Side To This Life") has a voice so sensually chocolatey that the generations between us and him simply fall away. The following two discs acknowledge Elektra’s 1966-67 move into electric rock with Love ("My Little Red Book", "Alone Again Or") and The Doors ("Light My Fire", "Five To One"). Neither disc relies very heavily on rock, however. There are haunting, well-chosen performances from Elektra’s coterie of idiosyncratic singers: Tom Rush, Tim Buckley, David Blue, David Ackles, Nico. The UK’s Incredible String Band ("First Girl I Loved") apply their outlandish Kenneth Williams voices to a rites-of-passage tale suffused with Indo-Chinese exoticism. And as the compilers intrepidly chart the outermost reaches of the Elektra roster, even '60s aficionados might stare blankly at names like Alasdair Clayre, David Stoughton and The Waphphle. This is serious archivist stuff. Indeed it’s disc three, a minor miracle of judicious programming, that affords most pleasure. Tom Rush’s poignant prototype of "No Regrets" is counterbalanced by Stoughton’s eerie toytown whimsy. The lethal melancholia of Nico and Ackles is cobwebbed away by the motorvatin' Stalk-Forrest Group (a pre-incarnation of Blue Oyster Cult), who propel us towards the MC5’s fever-pitched "Kick Out The Jams" by way of Delaney & Bonnie. Even Judy Collins, whose kumbaya-my-lordy tintinnabulations aren’t always welcome, is resplendent on "Both Sides Now". Elektra now led the field in artist diversity, and disc three proves it. But, tellingly, after a fists-flailing Stooges opener to disc four ("Down On The Street"), it’s fumigation time. The antiseptic scalpels of soft-rock make their clean incisions: Bread (who’d sell millions) and Farquahr and Plainsong (who wouldn’t). The singer-songwriter craft, always vital to Holzman’s plans, was dominating Elektra once again by 1972. The new superstar was not Jim Morrison, but Carly Simon. Disc four has laidback vibes, then, but not much mood alteration. There‘s little 'exclusivity', little to distinguish Elektra from other labels – from David Geffen's Asylum, for instance, with whom Holzman sanctioned a 1973 joining-of-forces. Elektra forged ahead into punk and New Wave (where it signed Television and The Cars), and even beyond to the Pixies and Sugarcubes, but its original identity had totally evaporated. That identity is a moot point when we consider disc five, which aims to take "a more skewed and tangential perspective". The joker in "Forever Changing"'s pack, disc five has no musical policy or mission statement, save that its contents are roughly chronological. Some of these bands didn’t stay at Elektra long. The Beefeaters became The Byrds, joining Columbia. The Lovin' Spoonful signed to Kama Sutra. Eric Clapton & The Powerhouse, a supergroup with Steve Winwood, was a 1966 studio one-off. Along the way, disc five is sidetracked gleefully by calypso crooners, bluegrassmen playing Beatles covers, marijuana paeans by pro-legalisation campaigners and – yes – bloody Judy Collins. But you can’t complain. The adventures, the snap decisions, the gambles and mistakes of life – "Forever Changing" has them all. It has music. Music that allows us to bear witness to what must have been a fabulous ride. By David Cavanagh

After 55 years in the American music business, it looks increasingly unlikely that we’ll hear from Elektra Records again. Formerly home to Tim Buckley, Love and The Doors, Elektra had a nondescript 1990s before being merged in 2004 with Atlantic. We are told it now exists merely “as an imprint of an office within the Warner Music Group corporate structure”.

An imprint within a structure is a sad end for a label that earned an international connoisseur audience in the 1960s with its mouthwatering folk/rock/blues roster, fastidious production values and trend-setting cover art. Even today – diminished to CD size – the landmark Elektra recordings (“Strange Days”, “Forever Changes”, “Goodbye And Hello”) are artefacts of alarming beauty.

No matter what the genre, Elektra’s Jac Holzman specialised in promoting off-kilter, incorrigible talent (Phil Ochs, Arthur Lee, Jim Morrison, Iggy Stooge), not only reflecting, but undoubtedly influencing, the strange course that American music took in the Vietnam era. From folk-rock to Lizard Kings to the 1970s singer-songwriter boom, Elektra’s logo was at the forefront.

A five-CD anthology, “Forever Changing: The Golden Age Of Elektra Records 1963-73” doesn’t attempt to straddle the label’s lifetime. Compiled by three Englishmen (Uncut regular Mick Houghton, Stuart Batsford and Phil Smee), it focuses on a 10-year period of acceleration and revolution which made Elektra successful, but also unrecognisable.

The box set begins with the first of six appearances by Judy Collins (“Turn! Turn! Turn!”) and ends, a decade later, with a mortally over-hyped Bowie impersonator named Jobriath. It’s a proper story. The 40,000-word booklet tells of genius, madness, vindication, failure, disillusion and death. The compilers have been assiduous, skilfully sequencing 117 songs into a convincing ‘flow’, including more than 50 never released on CD before.

The first disc is primarily non-electric. On its picaresque journey we encounter strait-laced balladeers, railroad hollerers, jug bands, banjoists and the political activist Ochs, represented by his anti-warcry “I Ain’t Marching Anymore”. Judy Henske’s “High Flying Bird” (1964) is folk-rock’s future delineated in booming drums and bending guitar licks. Dick Rosmini’s triptych of impressionistic instrumentals rivals Bert Jansch. And whilst the more earnest folkies, inevitably, sound cruelly quaint at 40 years’ remove from Dallas motorcades and Cuban missiles, Fred Neil (“The Other Side To This Life”) has a voice so sensually chocolatey that the generations between us and him simply fall away.

The following two discs acknowledge Elektra’s 1966-67 move into electric rock with Love (“My Little Red Book”, “Alone Again Or”) and The Doors (“Light My Fire”, “Five To One”). Neither disc relies very heavily on rock, however. There are haunting, well-chosen performances from Elektra’s coterie of idiosyncratic singers: Tom Rush, Tim Buckley, David Blue, David Ackles, Nico. The UK’s Incredible String Band (“First Girl I Loved”) apply their outlandish Kenneth Williams voices to a rites-of-passage tale suffused with Indo-Chinese exoticism. And as the compilers intrepidly chart the outermost reaches of the Elektra roster, even ’60s aficionados might stare blankly at names like Alasdair Clayre, David Stoughton and The Waphphle. This is serious archivist stuff.

Indeed it’s disc three, a minor miracle of judicious programming, that affords most pleasure. Tom Rush’s poignant prototype of “No Regrets” is counterbalanced by Stoughton’s eerie toytown whimsy. The lethal melancholia of Nico and Ackles is cobwebbed away by the motorvatin’ Stalk-Forrest Group (a pre-incarnation of Blue Oyster Cult), who propel us towards the MC5’s fever-pitched “Kick Out The Jams” by way of Delaney & Bonnie. Even Judy Collins, whose kumbaya-my-lordy tintinnabulations aren’t always welcome, is resplendent on “Both Sides Now”.

Elektra now led the field in artist diversity, and disc three proves it. But, tellingly, after a fists-flailing Stooges opener to disc four (“Down On The Street”), it’s fumigation time. The antiseptic scalpels of soft-rock make their clean incisions: Bread (who’d sell millions) and Farquahr and Plainsong (who wouldn’t). The singer-songwriter craft, always vital to Holzman’s plans, was dominating Elektra once again by 1972. The new superstar was not Jim Morrison, but Carly Simon.

Disc four has laidback vibes, then, but not much mood alteration. There‘s little ‘exclusivity’, little to distinguish Elektra from other labels – from David Geffen’s Asylum, for instance, with whom Holzman sanctioned a 1973 joining-of-forces. Elektra forged ahead into punk and New Wave (where it signed Television and The Cars), and even beyond to the Pixies and Sugarcubes, but its original identity had totally evaporated.

That identity is a moot point when we consider disc five, which aims to take “a more skewed and tangential perspective”. The joker in “Forever Changing”‘s pack, disc five has no musical policy or mission statement, save that its contents are roughly chronological. Some of these bands didn’t stay at Elektra long. The Beefeaters became The Byrds, joining Columbia. The Lovin’ Spoonful signed to Kama Sutra. Eric Clapton & The Powerhouse, a supergroup with Steve Winwood, was a 1966 studio one-off. Along the way, disc five is sidetracked gleefully by calypso crooners, bluegrassmen playing Beatles covers, marijuana paeans by pro-legalisation campaigners and – yes – bloody Judy Collins.

But you can’t complain. The adventures, the snap decisions, the gambles and mistakes of life – “Forever Changing” has them all. It has music. Music that allows us to bear witness to what must have been a fabulous ride.

By David Cavanagh

Robert Plant – Nine Lives (Box Set)

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Robert Plant – Nine Lives (Box Set)

Good grief, has Robert Plant really made all these albums? His solo career has now lasted nearly twice as long as Zeppelin’s, and the nine discs assembled here run from 1982’s "Pictures At Eleven" to last year’s "Mighty Rearranger". Their trajectory illustrates how he escaped from Zep’s shadow and grew increasingly adventurous in his musical syntheses and quest for cover versions. But while he excels on "Fate Of Nations" (1993), "Manic Nirvana" (1990) and "…Rearranger", some of the earlier stuff has dated both technologically and musically. More digestible is the "Sixty Six To Timbuktu" compilation, which cherry-picks the albums and adds a bunch of tantalising rarities. By Adam Sweeting

Good grief, has Robert Plant really made all these albums? His solo career has now lasted nearly twice as long as Zeppelin’s, and the nine discs assembled here run from 1982’s “Pictures At Eleven” to last year’s “Mighty Rearranger”.

Their trajectory illustrates how he escaped from Zep’s shadow and grew increasingly adventurous in his musical syntheses and quest for cover versions. But while he excels on “Fate Of Nations” (1993), “Manic Nirvana” (1990) and “…Rearranger”, some of the earlier stuff has dated both technologically and musically. More digestible is the “Sixty Six To Timbuktu” compilation, which cherry-picks the albums and adds a bunch of tantalising rarities.

By Adam Sweeting

Damien Rice – 9

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Damien Rice – 9

The gradual success of Rice’s 2002 debut, "O", took him from cult status to over-exposure. Fortunately, it hasn’t blunted his songwriting. "9" is a delicate and sometimes bleak record, verging at times on the melodramatic, with Rice apparently exploring the entrails of a terrible romantic hurt. His debt to Leonard Cohen is evident and, while the music sometimes swells to gloomy thunder (even sounding like PJ Harvey on "Me, My Yoke And I"), Rice is at his best when he’s quiet. The vocal on "Elephant" is brave, staking a terrain right on the edge of embarrassment, and the single "9 Crimes" is a tender duet with regular foil Lisa Hannigan. "O" fans will appreciate the sweet simplicity of "Dogs", while the Nick Cave-like "Accidental Babies" is a grimly intimate exploration of jealousy. By Alastair McKay

The gradual success of Rice’s 2002 debut, “O”, took him from cult status to over-exposure. Fortunately, it hasn’t blunted his songwriting. “9” is a delicate and sometimes bleak record, verging at times on the melodramatic, with Rice apparently exploring the entrails of a terrible romantic hurt.

His debt to Leonard Cohen is evident and, while the music sometimes swells to gloomy thunder (even sounding like PJ Harvey on “Me, My Yoke And I”), Rice is at his best when he’s quiet. The vocal on “Elephant” is brave, staking a terrain right on the edge of embarrassment, and the single “9 Crimes” is a tender duet with regular foil Lisa Hannigan. “O” fans will appreciate the sweet simplicity of “Dogs”, while the Nick Cave-like “Accidental Babies” is a grimly intimate exploration of jealousy.

By Alastair McKay

Willie Nelson And The Cardinals – Songbird

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Willie Nelson And The Cardinals – Songbird

Opening for Nelson at New York’s Beacon Theatre in November 2005, Ryan Adams closed with Whiskeytown classic "16 Days". "I wrote that song under the influence of much whiskey and Willie Nelson," he told the audience, "so I thought I'd do it for you." It was something of a surprising admission. An appearance at Nelson’s 2002 birthday bash notwithstanding, Adams has been much more associated with other outlaws; Gram Parsons, Dylan and Keith Richards in particular. But listen to, say, "Houses On The Hill" or "Oh My Sweet Carolina" and the Nelson influence is palpable. They may share a knack for controversy (Nelson recently hit the headlines for a Louisiana drugs bust), but what really draws together these two free spirits is a willingness to absorb all manner of musical styles. Following recent excursions into reggae and jazz, Nelson allows Adams free rein on "Songbird". By drafting in his own backing band The Cardinals – Neal Casal, Jon Graboff, Brad Pemberton and Catherine Popper – the sound is urgent and instinctive. Adams’ production frames Nelson’s knotty old pipes in boisterous settings, not least by turning Gram Parsons’ "$1,000 Wedding" into a cranky old rock number. An equally raucous take on Grateful Dead’s "Stella Blue" ends amidst a cloud of guitar spray, whilst Nelson’s own "Rainy Day Blues" is recast with a blowsy steel guitar solo and harmonica courtesy of Nelson veteran Mickey Raphael. Of the other covers, Leonard Cohen’s "Hallelujah" suffers next to inevitable comparisons with Messrs Buckley and Wainwright, but the two new originals are wonderful. Set against pedal steel, the plaintive "Back To Earth" is up there with Nelson’s finest work, whilst the Adams-penned "Blue Hotel" – country gospel lifted up by Hammond organ and churchy choir – feels like a modern classic. Word is they weren’t always sympathetic in the studio, and Adams has already admitted they have "a weird relationship", but the results are outstanding. Nelson’s best album in a decade. By Rob Hughes

Opening for Nelson at New York’s Beacon Theatre in November 2005, Ryan Adams closed with Whiskeytown classic “16 Days”. “I wrote that song under the influence of much whiskey and Willie Nelson,” he told the audience, “so I thought I’d do it for you.”

It was something of a surprising admission. An appearance at Nelson’s 2002 birthday bash notwithstanding, Adams has been much more associated with other outlaws; Gram Parsons, Dylan and Keith Richards in particular. But listen to, say, “Houses On The Hill” or “Oh My Sweet Carolina” and the Nelson influence is palpable.

They may share a knack for controversy (Nelson recently hit the headlines for a Louisiana drugs bust), but what really draws together these two free spirits is a willingness to absorb all manner of musical styles. Following recent excursions into reggae and jazz, Nelson allows Adams free rein on “Songbird”. By drafting in his own backing band The Cardinals – Neal Casal, Jon Graboff, Brad Pemberton and Catherine Popper – the sound is urgent and instinctive.

Adams’ production frames Nelson’s knotty old pipes in boisterous settings, not least by turning Gram Parsons’ “$1,000 Wedding” into a cranky old rock number. An equally raucous take on Grateful Dead’s “Stella Blue” ends amidst a cloud of guitar spray, whilst Nelson’s own “Rainy Day Blues” is recast with a blowsy steel guitar solo and harmonica courtesy of Nelson veteran Mickey Raphael.

Of the other covers, Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” suffers next to inevitable comparisons with Messrs Buckley and Wainwright, but the two new originals are wonderful. Set against pedal steel, the plaintive “Back To Earth” is up there with Nelson’s finest work, whilst the Adams-penned “Blue Hotel” – country gospel lifted up by Hammond organ and churchy choir – feels like a modern classic.

Word is they weren’t always sympathetic in the studio, and Adams has already admitted they have “a weird relationship”, but the results are outstanding. Nelson’s best album in a decade.

By Rob Hughes

San Francisco’s Flipper To Reform

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San Francisco’s Flipper To Reform

Inflential punk band Flipper are reforming again and the new incarnation has ex-Nirvana Krist Novoselic on bass and they will be bringing their trademark gigs of noise to the UK next month. Krist Novoselic is replacing Bruno DeMartis as Flipper’s new bassist, a dangerous role some would say. Talking about the band's history, Bruce Loose once quipped that being in Flipper was just "like Spinal Tap, except the bass player keeps dying". Flipper have lost many members to wreckless rock ‘n’ roll and numerous heroin overdoses throughout their patchy career, notably founder member Will Shatter who died in 1987 and bassist John Dougherty who died in 1992. After Shatter’s death, Bruce Loose, himself an addict, allegedly stole the band's master tapes from Subterranean's warehouse, to broker a deal with legendary LA-based producer Rick Rubin. Rubin still holds the rights to Flipper’s back catalogue and plans to re-release six albums plus an album’s worth of never-before-released tracks from the 1984 “Gone Fishin” sessions, on his own American Recordings label next year. The seminal punk band kick of their tour in Seattle on December 1, coming to the UK on December 8 to play the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Minehead with Iggy and The Stooges and Sonic Youth. Catch the rejuvenated Flipper at the following venues next month: Minehead - ATP festival “Nightmare Before Christmas” (December 8) London – Scala (11) Manchester - Academy 3 (13) Glasgow - The Garage (14) Belfast – Venue tbc (15) Dublin - The Village (16) Galway – Venue tbc (17)

Inflential punk band Flipper are reforming again and the new incarnation has ex-Nirvana Krist Novoselic on bass and they will be bringing their trademark gigs of noise to the UK next month.

Krist Novoselic is replacing Bruno DeMartis as Flipper’s new bassist, a dangerous role some would say.

Talking about the band’s history, Bruce Loose once quipped that being in Flipper was just “like Spinal Tap, except the bass player keeps dying”.

Flipper have lost many members to wreckless rock ‘n’ roll and numerous heroin overdoses throughout their patchy career, notably founder member Will Shatter who died in 1987 and bassist John Dougherty who died in 1992.

After Shatter’s death, Bruce Loose, himself an addict, allegedly stole the band’s master tapes from Subterranean’s warehouse, to broker a deal with legendary LA-based producer Rick Rubin.

Rubin still holds the rights to Flipper’s back catalogue and plans to re-release six albums plus an album’s worth of never-before-released tracks from the 1984 “Gone Fishin” sessions, on his own American Recordings label next year.

The seminal punk band kick of their tour in Seattle on December 1, coming to the UK on December 8 to play the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Minehead with Iggy and The Stooges and Sonic Youth.

Catch the rejuvenated Flipper at the following venues next month:

Minehead – ATP festival “Nightmare Before Christmas” (December 8)

London – Scala (11)

Manchester – Academy 3 (13)

Glasgow – The Garage (14)

Belfast – Venue tbc (15)

Dublin – The Village (16)

Galway – Venue tbc (17)

Watch The Afghan Whigs Go Beat Crazy

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Watch The Afghan Whigs Go Beat Crazy

Everyday, we bring you the best thing we've seen on YouTube -- a great piece of archive footage, a music promo or a clip from one of our favourite movies of TV shows. Today: Watch The Afghan Whigs cover Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” in this classic live performance. Frontman Greg Dulli is heard to shout out to the crowd, “Y’all just gonna stand there or what? This is a good fuckin beat!” Greg Dulli is currently on a short UK tour joined by his new band Twilight Singers and former Screaming Tree’s frontman Mark Lanagen. Watch Dulli in Whig-out action by clicking here now

Everyday, we bring you the best thing we’ve seen on YouTube — a great piece of archive footage, a music promo or a clip from one of our favourite movies of TV shows.

Today: Watch The Afghan Whigs cover Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” in this classic live performance.

Frontman Greg Dulli is heard to shout out to the crowd, “Y’all just gonna stand there or what? This is a good fuckin beat!”

Greg Dulli is currently on a short UK tour joined by his new band Twilight Singers and former Screaming Tree’s frontman Mark Lanagen.

Watch Dulli in Whig-out action by clicking here now

Quest for the Next Big Thing

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Quest for the Next Big Thing

Echo & The Bunnymen singer Ian McCulloch is searching for music’s next big thing as part of a new unsigned bands competition, Pringlesunsung. The singer is joined by ex-Island Records Managing Director Marc Marot, Radio 2 contributor Paul Sexton and award-winning producers Bacon & Quarmby in a campaign that aims to help bands make and release their own material. McCulloch says he’s “really excited about being involved”, especially because of the fact that “the music industry can be hard to break into, especially if you sound or look a bit different to everyone else.” He adds that, "We need to encourage diversity in music, and campaigns like this are exactly the sort of thing that could uncover the next big thing in the music world." To enter the search, all bands have to do is post a song online along with a few details – so everyone can listen and rate what they hear. The winners of the search will get the chance to record a demo produced by Bacon & Quarmby as well as receive important management advice. The winning artists will potentially release a download single, too. Join Ian McCulloch for a special live webchat at 2pm this Friday (November 24) when he will dispense advice on how to get a foot in the musical door and dole out as many tips on how avoid pitfalls as possible! To find out more about McCulloch’s online chat – Click here to go to www.webchats.tv

Echo & The Bunnymen singer Ian McCulloch is searching for music’s next big thing as part of a new unsigned bands competition, Pringlesunsung.

The singer is joined by ex-Island Records Managing Director Marc Marot, Radio 2 contributor Paul Sexton and award-winning producers Bacon & Quarmby in a campaign that aims to help bands make and release their own material.

McCulloch says he’s “really excited about being involved”, especially because of the fact that “the music industry can be hard to break into, especially if you sound or look a bit different to everyone else.”

He adds that, “We need to encourage diversity in music, and campaigns like this are exactly the sort of thing that could uncover the next big thing in the music world.”

To enter the search, all bands have to do is post a song online along with a few details – so everyone can listen and rate what they hear.

The winners of the search will get the chance to record a demo produced by Bacon & Quarmby as well as receive important management advice. The winning artists will potentially release a download single, too.

Join Ian McCulloch for a special live webchat at 2pm this Friday (November 24) when he will dispense advice on how to get a foot in the musical door and dole out as many tips on how avoid pitfalls as possible!

To find out more about McCulloch’s online chat – Click here to go to www.webchats.tv

The Beatles Love Is Global

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The Beatles Love Is Global

The Beatles “Love Album” is launched by Apple Corps/ EMI today and has a special globally tracking music stream available on the band’s website. In 1967, The Beatles took part in a similar event when 'All You Need Is Love' was broadcast as part of a telethon, becoming one of history's biggest simultaneous broadcasts. This time around, by logging in, a Google map will appear allowing you to literally pin-point your location. You are able to see where the album has been streamed throughout the world. Demand for the site meant that its server crashed within 30 minutes of launching the stream, but the music is flowing once more. The new album is effectively the soundtrack to the Cirque du Soleil show of the same name, a celebration of The Beatles that opened last year in Las Vegas. The album was produced by George Martin and his son Giles from Abbey Road mastertapes to create a new perspective on Beatles classics like “Get Back”, “I Am The Walrus”, “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds”. From today, to become a part of the universal audience for the “Love” album visit www.thebeatles.com/hearlove and simply log on

The Beatles “Love Album” is launched by Apple Corps/ EMI today and has a special globally tracking music stream available on the band’s website.

In 1967, The Beatles took part in a similar event when ‘All You Need Is Love’ was broadcast as part of a telethon, becoming one of history’s biggest simultaneous broadcasts.

This time around, by logging in, a Google map will appear allowing you to literally pin-point your location. You are able to see where the album has been streamed throughout the world.

Demand for the site meant that its server crashed within 30 minutes of launching the stream, but the music is flowing once more.

The new album is effectively the soundtrack to the Cirque du Soleil show of the same name, a celebration of The Beatles that opened last year in Las Vegas.

The album was produced by George Martin and his son Giles from Abbey Road mastertapes to create a new perspective on Beatles classics like “Get Back”, “I Am The Walrus”, “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds”.

From today, to become a part of the universal audience for the “Love” album visit www.thebeatles.com/hearlove and simply log on

Bryan Ferry To Play UK Shows

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Bryan Ferry To Play UK Shows

Bryan Ferry has announced an extensive UK tour to take place next March, including a prestigious date at London’s Albert Hall. The tour will coincide with the release of Ferry’s first solo album since 2002’s Top 10-charting album “Frantic”. Ferry has said that as well as his premiering his new solo material he will play tracks from the Roxy Music catalogue. Last summer Ferry and Roxy Music were the star headliners at the Isle of Wight, playing to a packed 40,000 capacity festival. Ferry also played the Live 8 concert in Berlin last summer, making him one of the few artists in the world to play at both Live 8 and the original Live Aid. You can catch Ferry at the following venues around the UK: Carlisle Sands Centre (March 1) Dundee Caird Hall (3) Glasgow Clyde Auditorium (4) Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre (5) Gateshead Sage Theatre (7) Birmingham Symphony Hall (8) Manchester Bridgewater Hall (10) Sheffield City Hall (11) Nottingham Royal Centre (13) London Royal Albert Hall (14 Bristol Colston Hall (16) Cardiff St Davids Hall (17) Ipswich Regent Theatre (19) Brighton Dome (20) Harrogate International Centre (22) Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (23) For ticket availability – Click here to go to nme.com/gigs

Bryan Ferry has announced an extensive UK tour to take place next March, including a prestigious date at London’s Albert Hall.

The tour will coincide with the release of Ferry’s first solo album since 2002’s Top 10-charting album “Frantic”.

Ferry has said that as well as his premiering his new solo material he will play tracks from the Roxy Music catalogue.

Last summer Ferry and Roxy Music were the star headliners at the Isle of Wight, playing to a packed 40,000 capacity festival.

Ferry also played the Live 8 concert in Berlin last summer, making him one of the few artists in the world to play at both Live 8 and the original Live Aid.

You can catch Ferry at the following venues around the UK:

Carlisle Sands Centre (March 1)

Dundee Caird Hall (3)

Glasgow Clyde Auditorium (4)

Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre (5)

Gateshead Sage Theatre (7)

Birmingham Symphony Hall (8)

Manchester Bridgewater Hall (10)

Sheffield City Hall (11)

Nottingham Royal Centre (13)

London Royal Albert Hall (14

Bristol Colston Hall (16)

Cardiff St Davids Hall (17)

Ipswich Regent Theatre (19)

Brighton Dome (20)

Harrogate International Centre (22)

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (23)

For ticket availability – Click here to go to nme.com/gigs

The Prestige

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The Prestige

Batman director Christopher Nolan has been interested in adapting Christopher Priest's novel about two feuding Victorian magicians since the week he finished shooting Memento back in 2001. Nolan's movies have always been concerned with identity, trompe d'oeil and sleight of hand all of which are central to Priest's novel. Co-writing with brother Jonathan, the director's developed a story that exhibits his avowed love of Welles' alchemy of angles and perspective. Boasting a heaven-sent cast, The Prestige is a heart-pumping thriller and mesmerising mind-game. There hasn't been a tighter, more every-second-counts movie since, well, Memento. You immediately want to see it again, to fathom where the smoke and mirrors fooled you, where this brilliant director wilfully misdirected you. The title refers to the third and final "act" of any successful conjuring trick; the transformative moment when the magic happens. In fin de siecle England, Robert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale) are up-and-coming illusionists, mentored by sage-like Cutter (Caine). Angier's a flashy, elegant showman, Borden a Cockney tough with more natural talent and, initially, greater keenness to get his hands dirty. When Angier's wife (Piper Perabo) is killed in an onstage accident, he lays the blame at Borden's door. The rivalry escalates, as does their fame. Soon it's out of control, with neither baulking at inflicting physical/psychological harm on each other. Glamorous assistant Olivia (Scarlett Johansson in a minor, bosomy role) is a trophy pawn. Using complex flashback structures, we're read their diaries as Borden faces trial for Angier's murder. We learn that a tormented Angier travelled to Colorado to seek out electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla (David Bowie, rueful, precise) whose inspiration helps him create the ultimate trick to better his foe; meanwhile both anti-heroes allowed spiralling obsession to wound those closest to them. The intensity is palpable; how it's achieved, less so. Breathtaking fast edits and multiple cut-aways bounce you between various time frames until the truth behind the bells and whistles is (perhaps) revealed. From its opening line - "Are you watching closely?" - to the final heartbeat, this is Nolan at his best - pushing every inch of the form's envelope yet keeping you twitching on the seat-edge. CHRIS ROBERTS

Batman director Christopher Nolan has been interested in adapting Christopher Priest’s novel about two feuding Victorian magicians since the week he finished shooting Memento back in 2001. Nolan’s movies have always been concerned with identity, trompe d’oeil and sleight of hand all of which are central to Priest’s novel.

Co-writing with brother Jonathan, the director’s developed a story that exhibits his avowed love of Welles’ alchemy of angles and perspective. Boasting a heaven-sent cast, The Prestige is a heart-pumping thriller and mesmerising mind-game. There hasn’t been a tighter, more every-second-counts movie since, well, Memento. You immediately want to see it again, to fathom where the smoke and mirrors fooled you, where this brilliant director wilfully misdirected you.

The title refers to the third and final “act” of any successful conjuring trick; the transformative moment when the magic happens. In fin de siecle England, Robert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale) are up-and-coming illusionists, mentored by sage-like Cutter (Caine). Angier’s a flashy, elegant showman, Borden a Cockney tough with more natural talent and, initially, greater keenness to get his hands dirty. When Angier’s wife (Piper Perabo) is killed in an onstage accident, he lays the blame at Borden’s door.

The rivalry escalates, as does their fame. Soon it’s out of control, with neither baulking at inflicting physical/psychological harm on each other. Glamorous assistant Olivia (Scarlett Johansson in a minor, bosomy role) is a trophy pawn. Using complex flashback structures, we’re read their diaries as Borden faces trial for Angier’s murder.

We learn that a tormented Angier travelled to Colorado to seek out electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla (David Bowie, rueful, precise) whose inspiration helps him create the ultimate trick to better his foe; meanwhile both anti-heroes allowed spiralling obsession to wound those closest to them.

The intensity is palpable; how it’s achieved, less so. Breathtaking fast edits and multiple cut-aways bounce you between various time frames until the truth behind the bells and whistles is (perhaps) revealed. From its opening line – “Are you watching closely?” – to the final heartbeat, this is Nolan at his best – pushing every inch of the form’s envelope yet keeping you twitching on the seat-edge.

CHRIS ROBERTS

Kasabian To Play UK Arena Tour

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Kasabian To Play UK Arena Tour

Kasabian are play a full UK arena tour next month, including London’s Earl Court. Kasabian fronted by Tom Meighan and Sergio Pizzorno are playing in support of their second album “Empire” which charted at number one in the UK album charts this summer. You can catch the Leicester rock band at the following mammoth arenas: Leicester, De Montford Hall (December 5) Leicester, De Montford Hall (6) Glasgow, SECC (7) Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena (8) Sheffield, Hallam FM Arena (10) Manchester, M.E.N Arena (11) Cardiff, C.I.A (12) Birmingham, N.E.C (14) Nottingham, Arena (15) Brighton, Centre (16) Bournemouth, B.I.C (18) London, Earl’s Court (19) Newcastle, Metro Arena (21) Sheffield, Hallam FM Arena (22) Better be quick! As the band’s recent show at Brixton Academy show sold out in less than 10 minutes. For more information, click here to go to Kasabian’s homepage

Kasabian are play a full UK arena tour next month, including London’s Earl Court.

Kasabian fronted by Tom Meighan and Sergio Pizzorno are playing in support of their second album “Empire” which charted at number one in the UK album charts this summer.

You can catch the Leicester rock band at the following mammoth arenas:

Leicester, De Montford Hall (December 5)

Leicester, De Montford Hall (6)

Glasgow, SECC (7)

Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena (8)

Sheffield, Hallam FM Arena (10)

Manchester, M.E.N Arena (11)

Cardiff, C.I.A (12)

Birmingham, N.E.C (14)

Nottingham, Arena (15)

Brighton, Centre (16)

Bournemouth, B.I.C (18)

London, Earl’s Court (19)

Newcastle, Metro Arena (21)

Sheffield, Hallam FM Arena (22)

Better be quick! As the band’s recent show at Brixton Academy show sold out in less than 10 minutes.

For more information, click here to go to Kasabian’s homepage

Pearl Jam Join U2 In G20 Protest

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Pearl Jam Join U2 In G20 Protest

Eddie Vedder’s Pearl Jam today (November 17) joined Bono’s U2 in solidarity against the start of the G20 summit in Melbourne, Australia. The surprise open-air concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl was modelled on last year's Live8 concert in London to raise awareness of the Make Poverty History campaign and aims to kick off three days of organized protests in the area. Bono sang Neil Young's “Rocking In The Free World” in front of 14,000 fans at the free concert, calling on world politicians to fight against global poverty. He repeated his current mantra that "Politicians have to do what you tell them to do. We are gonna make poverty history." Both Eddie Vedder and Bono have signed a statement addressing the members of the G20 forum with their Make Poverty History views. Reuters news agency reports that police have locked down parts of Melbourne to stop protesters getting too close to the summit involving finance ministers and central bankers . Violence flared severely at the smaller, World Economic Forum in Melbourne in 2000. This years’ “Stop G-20” protestors are planning a major rally on Saturday to cause as much disruption as possible. The annual economic summit G20 now represents 20 industrialised and developing nations, from the United States and China to developing states Mexico and Indonesia.

Eddie Vedder’s Pearl Jam today (November 17) joined Bono’s U2 in solidarity against the start of the G20 summit in Melbourne, Australia.

The surprise open-air concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl was modelled on last year’s Live8 concert in London to raise awareness of the Make Poverty History campaign and aims to kick off three days of organized protests in the area.

Bono sang Neil Young’s “Rocking In The Free World” in front of 14,000 fans at the free concert, calling on world politicians to fight against global poverty.

He repeated his current mantra that “Politicians have to do what you tell them to do. We are gonna make poverty history.”

Both Eddie Vedder and Bono have signed a statement addressing the members of the G20 forum with their Make Poverty History views.

Reuters news agency reports that police have locked down parts of Melbourne to stop protesters getting too close to the summit involving finance ministers and central bankers .

Violence flared severely at the smaller, World Economic Forum in Melbourne in 2000.

This years’ “Stop G-20” protestors are planning a major rally on Saturday to cause as much disruption as possible.

The annual economic summit G20 now represents 20 industrialised and developing nations, from the United States and China to developing states Mexico and Indonesia.

Watch The Byrds Cover Dylan In This Live Recording

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Watch The Byrds Cover Dylan In This Live Recording

Everyday, we bring you the best thing we've seen on YouTube -- a great piece of archive footage, a music promo or a clip from one of our favourite movies of TV shows. Today: Watch influential 60s pop folk band The Byrds performing the legend Bob Dylan’s classic song, “The Times They Are A Changin.’” This live performance was filmed for US TV programme “Hullabaloo!” which aired on November 29, 1965. This episode was hosted by Michael Landon – who can be seen introducing The Byrds at the start of the TV clip. The Byrds appeared twice on the same episode – they also played “Do You Believe In Magic?” Other acts who featured on the same episode were Jackie DeShannon with “A Lifetime of Lonliness” and Paul Revere and the Raiders with “Steppin’ Out.” Check out the bonkers set design - complete with dogs and hunting hats, and what's with all the straw on the floor? Watch The Byrds in action by clicking here now

Everyday, we bring you the best thing we’ve seen on YouTube — a great piece of archive footage, a music promo or a clip from one of our favourite movies of TV shows.

Today: Watch influential 60s pop folk band The Byrds performing the legend Bob Dylan’s classic song, “The Times They Are A Changin.’”

This live performance was filmed for US TV programme “Hullabaloo!” which aired on November 29, 1965.

This episode was hosted by Michael Landon – who can be seen introducing The Byrds at the start of the TV clip.

The Byrds appeared twice on the same episode – they also played “Do You Believe In Magic?”

Other acts who featured on the same episode were Jackie DeShannon with “A Lifetime of Lonliness” and Paul Revere and the Raiders

with “Steppin’ Out.”

Check out the bonkers set design – complete with dogs and hunting hats, and what’s with all the straw on the floor?

Watch The Byrds in action by clicking here now

Jarvis – Live At Koko – November 15

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Jarvis – Live At Koko – November 15

JARVIS KOKO, LONDON November 15, 2007 The t-shirts make the point. Lined up in the foyer of London’s Koko, they’ve all got song lyrics printed on them, a way of reinforcing Jarvis Cocker’s status as one of the great wordsmiths of post-80s pop. Lyrically, Cocker’s debut solo album Jarvis – his first release since 2003’s A Heavy Night With… from side-project Relaxed Muscle – is certainly in the glorious tradition of the pithy, blackly comic best of Pulp. Musically, though, the album is something of a curate’s egg – as evinced by tonight’s show, which comprises almost exclusively material from Jarvis. Supported by Richard Hawley and Pulp’s Steve Mackey and Candida Doyle, Cocker launches into the full-throttle opener of “Fat Children”, one of the album’s highlights. But “Heavy Weather” sounds note-for-note like “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”, and there are several mid-tempo longeurs around two thirds of the way through the set which slow the pace. When the material shone, though, as on the driving “I Will Kill Again” and Glam rock stomp of “Black Magic”, Cocker was peerless. Some things never change: Cocker gives us vintage, gangly Ministry Of Silly Walks-style dancing, and some magnificent between-song banter, much of it to do with Jarvis’ distaste for the venue’s name change from Camden Palace to Koko. After returning to the stage for “Running The World”, Jarvis teased the audience with the promise of playing “an old song” – which he did, but it turned out to be Bowie’s “Space Oddity” rather than anything from his own back catalogue. The set list: Fat Children Don't Let Him Waste Your Time Heavy Weather One Man Show I Will Kill Again A-I Tonite Big Julie Disney Time Big Stuff Black Magic ____________ Running The World Space Oddity

JARVIS

KOKO, LONDON

November 15, 2007

The t-shirts make the point. Lined up in the foyer of London’s Koko, they’ve all got song lyrics printed on them, a way of reinforcing Jarvis Cocker’s status as one of the great wordsmiths of post-80s pop.

Lyrically, Cocker’s debut solo album Jarvis – his first release since 2003’s A Heavy Night With… from side-project Relaxed Muscle – is certainly in the glorious tradition of the pithy, blackly comic best of Pulp.

Musically, though, the album is something of a curate’s egg – as evinced by tonight’s show, which comprises almost exclusively material from Jarvis.

Supported by Richard Hawley and Pulp’s Steve Mackey and Candida Doyle, Cocker launches into the full-throttle opener of “Fat Children”, one of the album’s highlights. But “Heavy Weather” sounds note-for-note like “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”, and there are several mid-tempo longeurs around two thirds of the way through the set which slow the pace. When the material shone, though, as on the driving “I Will Kill Again” and Glam rock stomp of “Black Magic”, Cocker was peerless.

Some things never change: Cocker gives us vintage, gangly Ministry Of Silly Walks-style dancing, and some magnificent between-song banter, much of it to do with Jarvis’ distaste for the venue’s name change from Camden Palace to Koko.

After returning to the stage for “Running The World”, Jarvis teased the audience with the promise of playing “an old song” – which he did, but it turned out to be Bowie’s “Space Oddity” rather than anything from his own back catalogue.

The set list:

Fat Children

Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time

Heavy Weather

One Man Show

I Will Kill Again

A-I

Tonite

Big Julie

Disney Time

Big Stuff

Black Magic

____________

Running The World

Space Oddity

Motorhead Get Into Sport

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Motorhead Get Into Sport

Motorhead are baulking slightly against their hard rocking image of booze and speed by sponsoring youth football team, Greenbank FC. The under-10s team in Lincoln have won a sponsorship deal which will see them kitted out in all-black Motorhead skull logo’ed football kits and run out onto the pitch to the tune of the band’s classic track “Ace of Spades.” The deal came about because Greenbank FC’s manager Gary Weight knew Lemmy and Motorhead from his previous career in a band and as roadie for The Stranglers and Echo And The Bunnymen in the early ‘80s. Weight said, “I knew Lemmy years ago. I think the thought of a football team running out with the Motorhead logo made him chuckle a bit, so that’s where it has come from.” The young football players will have a team photograph taken with Lemmy and Co. before a show at Nottingham’s Rock City this Sunday (November 19). The heavy metal band formed in 1975 when frontman Lemmy was kicked out of successful prog-rock group Hawkwind.

Motorhead are baulking slightly against their hard rocking image of booze and speed by sponsoring youth football team, Greenbank FC.

The under-10s team in Lincoln have won a sponsorship deal which will see them kitted out in all-black Motorhead skull logo’ed football kits and run out onto the pitch to the tune of the band’s classic track “Ace of Spades.”

The deal came about because Greenbank FC’s manager Gary Weight knew Lemmy and Motorhead from his previous career in a band and as roadie for The Stranglers and Echo And The Bunnymen in the early ‘80s.

Weight said, “I knew Lemmy years ago. I think the thought of a football team running out with the Motorhead logo made him chuckle a bit, so that’s where it has come from.”

The young football players will have a team photograph taken with Lemmy and Co. before a show at Nottingham’s Rock City this Sunday (November 19).

The heavy metal band formed in 1975 when frontman Lemmy was kicked out of successful prog-rock group Hawkwind.

Ted Nugent’s Got A Hunting Guitar

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Ted Nugent’s Got A Hunting Guitar

Ted Nugent, the famous Detroit hard rocker, has gone one step further than anyone else in his quest to be a pro-hunter. He’s had his fantasy guitar made – one that doubles up as a high-caliber Derringer handgun. The instrument was built to order by Ed Roman’s Quiksilver Guitars in Las Vegas for the renowned hunter. Ted Nugent, famous for songs such as “Dog Eat Dog” and “Cat Scatch Fever”, is also a board member of America’s National Rifle Association. Speaking his extremist views at the group's National Convention last year, Nugent said, “I want the bad guys dead. No court case. No parole. No early release. I want ‘em dead. Get a gun and when they attack you, shoot ‘em.” Nugent describes his new precision firearm/guitar as "a work of art; it's absolutely magnificent. What a concept.” It remains to be seen if he’ll be brandishing his weapon live on stage. Rather worryingly, Ed Roman, founder of Ed Roman’s Guitars, has said: “As usual, Ted will kill audiences with his hot finger work, but now he can employ his expert marksmanship with a six string, as well." You can check out Ted Nugent with his precious new guitar by clicking here now

Ted Nugent, the famous Detroit hard rocker, has gone one step further than anyone else in his quest to be a pro-hunter. He’s had his fantasy guitar made – one that doubles up as a high-caliber Derringer handgun.

The instrument was built to order by Ed Roman’s Quiksilver Guitars in Las Vegas for the renowned hunter.

Ted Nugent, famous for songs such as “Dog Eat Dog” and “Cat Scatch Fever”, is also a board member of America’s National Rifle Association.

Speaking his extremist views at the group’s National Convention last year, Nugent said, “I want the bad guys dead. No court case. No parole. No early release. I want ‘em dead. Get a gun and when they attack you, shoot ‘em.”

Nugent describes his new precision firearm/guitar as “a work of art; it’s absolutely magnificent. What a concept.”

It remains to be seen if he’ll be brandishing his weapon live on stage.

Rather worryingly, Ed Roman, founder of Ed Roman’s Guitars, has said: “As usual, Ted will kill audiences with his hot finger work, but now he can employ his expert marksmanship with a six string, as well.”

You can check out Ted Nugent with his precious new guitar by clicking here now

Dave Matthews Ditches Band For Solo Tour

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Dave Matthews Ditches Band For Solo Tour

Dave Matthews, of The Dave Matthews Band, one of the biggest bands in America, has announced a solo European tour early next year. This is the first time the two-time Grammy Award winning artist has embarked on a solo tour in Europe and will be showcasing material from his album “Some Devil” as well as new material. The tour starts at Newcastle’s City Hall on February 23 and finishes up in Germany on March 13. Matthews will play the following dates in the UK: Newcastle, City Hall (February 23) Galsgow, Exhibition and Conference Centre (24) Dublin, National Stadium (26) Belfast, Waterfront Hall (27) Manchester, Apollo (March 1) Oxford, New Theatre (2) Since their 1994 major-label debut “Under The Table and Dreaming” – Dave Mathews Band have sold over 35 million albums and 13 million concert tickets. The band are currently working on their forthcoming studio album, which will be released in spring 2007. For more information go to Dave Matthews Band homepage by clicking here

Dave Matthews, of The Dave Matthews Band, one of the biggest bands in America, has announced a solo European tour early next year.

This is the first time the two-time Grammy Award winning artist has embarked on a solo tour in Europe and will be showcasing material from his album “Some Devil” as well as new material.

The tour starts at Newcastle’s City Hall on February 23 and finishes up in Germany on March 13.

Matthews will play the following dates in the UK:

Newcastle, City Hall (February 23)

Galsgow, Exhibition and Conference Centre (24)

Dublin, National Stadium (26)

Belfast, Waterfront Hall (27)

Manchester, Apollo (March 1)

Oxford, New Theatre (2)

Since their 1994 major-label debut “Under The Table and Dreaming” – Dave Mathews Band have sold over 35 million albums and 13 million concert tickets.

The band are currently working on their forthcoming studio album, which will be released in spring 2007.

For more information go to Dave Matthews Band homepage by clicking here

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