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Grateful Dead – All The Years Combine

Michael Bonner
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0
Grateful Dead – All The Years Combine

The full extent of the Dead’s official DVD arsenal... According to the Dead’s chief audiovisual archivist David Lemieux, there are now over 2,500 videotapes in the band’s vault, alongside its renowned stash of 16,000 audio tapes. All The Years Combine may only be scratching the surface, but it’s the most complete Grateful Dead DVD collection to date: 14 discs taking in 10 concerts, ranging from The Grateful Dead Movie, filmed in 1974, to an RFK Stadium show in 1991, featuring what turned out to be the Dead’s final line up. Joining these films are a disappointing 55-minute conceptual film So Far, from 1987. Completing the box is an exclusive bonus disc, the centrepiece of which is Justin Kreutzmann’s beautifully crafted documentary Backstage Pass, which affectionately chronicles every musician to have played in the band between The Acid Tests in 1965 and the Dead’s final concert at Soldier Field, Chicago in July 1995. The two Seventies concerts are the most elaborate, painstakingly edited films in this collection. For atmosphere and thrills, The Closing Of Winterland, from the Dead’s annual New Year’s Eve concert in 1978, has the edge over the more venerated Grateful Dead Movie. It’s distinguished by a devastating second set that comes to life on a smouldering “Terrapin Station”, ending with a rousing “Not Fade Away” featuring War’s harmonica player Lee Oskar and scything guitar from Quicksilver’s John Cippolina. In contrast, Dead Ahead from Radio City Music Hall in October 1980, celebrates the final tour where the Dead opened each night with an acoustic selection, sitting on stools and picking genially through their own homespun folk anthems “Ripple”, “Bird Song” and “To Lay Me Down”. Truckin’ Up To Buffalo, a full show from July 4, 1989, is memorable for another inspired second set. The Dead always took a while to hit their stride; emerging after the first break full of smiles and encouraging nods, before unleashing a brutal “All Along The Watchtower”, straight into a scorching “Morning Dew” and followed by another “Not Fade Away”. This version stands out for the unusually animated interplay between a jovial Jerry Garcia and keyboardist Brent Mydland. The four discs from the more intimate View From The Vault series were compiled from basic videotaped recordings made for the big screens at stadium gigs. Using only the two track sound straight from the PA, they are video equivalent of Dick’s Picks, the Dead’s long-running series of live albums. Two of them date from 1990, another combines a couple of the group’s own sets on the spotty Dylan And The Dead tour in 1987, while the best is an RFK Stadium show from June 1991, filmed a year after Brent Mydland’s death, when keyboard duties had been picked up by Vince Welnick and Bruce Hornby. Once again, its the second set that’s the best, the group vigorously tearing into the grand Blues For Allah song cycle, ”Help On The Way”/”Slipknot!”/”Franklin’s Tower”. It’s followed by a spectral “Dark Star” before Bob Weir, full of gusto, takes on “Turn On Your Lovelight”, traditionally one of former frontman Pigpen’s down-and-dirty showstoppers. The mood intensifies as Garcia steps up to sing “Stella Blue”, then an impassioned “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” with the fresh-faced Hornsby on accordion. This show is very much a last hurrah for the Dead; arguably, they never really reached such magical heights again. Witnessing their almost evangelical bond with audiences, the recurring image is one of warmth and camaraderie; just a bunch of working stiffs who liked nothing more than playing in the band. EXTRAS: In addition to Backstage Pass, the bonus disc has an engaging interview with archivist David Lemiuex, plus five further unreleased clips. Also includes all bonus material from previous releases. 8/10 MICK HOUGHTON

The full extent of the Dead’s official DVD arsenal…

According to the Dead’s chief audiovisual archivist David Lemieux, there are now over 2,500 videotapes in the band’s vault, alongside its renowned stash of 16,000 audio tapes. All The Years Combine may only be scratching the surface, but it’s the most complete Grateful Dead DVD collection to date: 14 discs taking in 10 concerts, ranging from The Grateful Dead Movie, filmed in 1974, to an RFK Stadium show in 1991, featuring what turned out to be the Dead’s final line up. Joining these films are a disappointing 55-minute conceptual film So Far, from 1987. Completing the box is an exclusive bonus disc, the centrepiece of which is Justin Kreutzmann’s beautifully crafted documentary Backstage Pass, which affectionately chronicles every musician to have played in the band between The Acid Tests in 1965 and the Dead’s final concert at Soldier Field, Chicago in July 1995.

The two Seventies concerts are the most elaborate, painstakingly edited films in this collection. For atmosphere and thrills, The Closing Of Winterland, from the Dead’s annual New Year’s Eve concert in 1978, has the edge over the more venerated Grateful Dead Movie. It’s distinguished by a devastating second set that comes to life on a smouldering “Terrapin Station”, ending with a rousing “Not Fade Away” featuring War’s harmonica player Lee Oskar and scything guitar from Quicksilver’s John Cippolina. In contrast, Dead Ahead from Radio City Music Hall in October 1980, celebrates the final tour where the Dead opened each night with an acoustic selection, sitting on stools and picking genially through their own homespun folk anthems “Ripple”, “Bird Song” and “To Lay Me Down”.

Truckin’ Up To Buffalo, a full show from July 4, 1989, is memorable for another inspired second set. The Dead always took a while to hit their stride; emerging after the first break full of smiles and encouraging nods, before unleashing a brutal “All Along The Watchtower”, straight into a scorching “Morning Dew” and followed by another “Not Fade Away”. This version stands out for the unusually animated interplay between a jovial Jerry Garcia and keyboardist Brent Mydland.

The four discs from the more intimate View From The Vault series were compiled from basic videotaped recordings made for the big screens at stadium gigs. Using only the two track sound straight from the PA, they are video equivalent of Dick’s Picks, the Dead’s long-running series of live albums. Two of them date from 1990, another combines a couple of the group’s own sets on the spotty Dylan And The Dead tour in 1987, while the best is an RFK Stadium show from June 1991, filmed a year after Brent Mydland’s death, when keyboard duties had been picked up by Vince Welnick and Bruce Hornby. Once again, its the second set that’s the best, the group vigorously tearing into the grand Blues For Allah song cycle, ”Help On The Way”/”Slipknot!”/”Franklin’s Tower”. It’s followed by a spectral “Dark Star” before Bob Weir, full of gusto, takes on “Turn On Your Lovelight”, traditionally one of former frontman Pigpen’s down-and-dirty showstoppers. The mood intensifies as Garcia steps up to sing “Stella Blue”, then an impassioned “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” with the fresh-faced Hornsby on accordion. This show is very much a last hurrah for the Dead; arguably, they never really reached such magical heights again. Witnessing their almost evangelical bond with audiences, the recurring image is one of warmth and camaraderie; just a bunch of working stiffs who liked nothing more than playing in the band.

EXTRAS: In addition to Backstage Pass, the bonus disc has an engaging interview with archivist David Lemiuex, plus five further unreleased clips. Also includes all bonus material from previous releases.

8/10

MICK HOUGHTON

Andrew Bird – Break It To Yourself

Michael Bonner
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0
Andrew Bird – Break It To Yourself

Chicagoan prodigy drops his guard and takes flight.. Like the green parakeets of south London, Andrew Bird is an exotic creature (violin prodigy, jazz-folk-zydeco musical adventurer, musical-saw virtuoso and world-class whistler) who has adapted himself impeccably to a more staid environment - in his case the 21st century, post-Arcade Fire ecology of adult alternative. So successfully, in fact, that his eighth album, 2009’s Noble Beast, debuted at number 12 on the US album charts and established him as the darling of NPR. Nevertheless, you still got vivid flashes of peregrine plumage, not least in his lyrics, which revealed him to be the most recondite rhymester this side of Edith Sitwell. Noble Beast featured not just “calcified arythmatists” and “young radiolarians” but “proto-Sanskrit Minoans” and indeed “a colony of dermestids”. Break It Yourself by contrast feels like an attempt to communicate more directly and is his most affecting album yet. “Eyeoneye”, for example, may refer to reionisation and defibrillation, but, rocking along on a Win-Butler-goes-Spector beat, is concerned with more visceral matters: “you’ve done the impossible/ took yourself apart/made yourself invulnerable/no on can touch your heart/ so... you break it yourself”. Similarly “Lazy Projector” extends a metaphysically cinematic metaphor but concludes, simply “I can’t see the sense in us breaking up at all”. Elsewhere Bird lets a little air into his previously overly-studied exercises “Danse Caribe” seems borne on some blithe gulf stream breeze from Van’s “Cyprus Avenue” back to the rhythms of Trinidadian soca, while “Hole In Ocean” ascends to Vaughan Williams heights. But the album’s two highlights hit a perfectly judged pitch of heartbreak: “Lusitania”, which seems to tramp the dream prairies of early Grant Lee Buffalo, and best of all, “Sifters”, a lovely lullaby of departure in which “the moon plays the ocean like a violin”. Stephen Troussé

Chicagoan prodigy drops his guard and takes flight..

Like the green parakeets of south London, Andrew Bird is an exotic creature (violin prodigy, jazz-folk-zydeco musical adventurer, musical-saw virtuoso and world-class whistler) who has adapted himself impeccably to a more staid environment – in his case the 21st century, post-Arcade Fire ecology of adult alternative. So successfully, in fact, that his eighth album, 2009’s Noble Beast, debuted at number 12 on the US album charts and established him as the darling of NPR.

Nevertheless, you still got vivid flashes of peregrine plumage, not least in his lyrics, which revealed him to be the most recondite rhymester this side of Edith Sitwell. Noble Beast featured not just “calcified arythmatists” and “young radiolarians” but “proto-Sanskrit Minoans” and indeed “a colony of dermestids”. Break It Yourself by contrast feels like an attempt to communicate more directly and is his most affecting album yet.

“Eyeoneye”, for example, may refer to reionisation and defibrillation, but, rocking along on a Win-Butler-goes-Spector beat, is concerned with more visceral matters: “you’ve done the impossible/ took yourself apart/made yourself invulnerable/no on can touch your heart/ so… you break it yourself”. Similarly “Lazy Projector” extends a metaphysically cinematic metaphor but concludes, simply “I can’t see the sense in us breaking up at all”.

Elsewhere Bird lets a little air into his previously overly-studied exercises “Danse Caribe” seems borne on some blithe gulf stream breeze from Van’s “Cyprus Avenue” back to the rhythms of Trinidadian soca, while “Hole In Ocean” ascends to Vaughan Williams heights. But the album’s two highlights hit a perfectly judged pitch of heartbreak: “Lusitania”, which seems to tramp the dream prairies of early Grant Lee Buffalo, and best of all, “Sifters”, a lovely lullaby of departure in which “the moon plays the ocean like a violin”.

Stephen Troussé

The Kid With A Bike

Michael Bonner
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0
The Kid With A Bike

Belgian superstar filmmaker brothers gonna work it out... The Belgian Dadenne brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc, are heavyweight European filmakers, having twice won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and, with The Kid With A Bike, the festival’s Grand Jury Prize. You can draw comparisons – superficially, at least – between the Dardennes and filmmakers like Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, who explore a similar social landscape. The Kid With A Bike explores the relationship between 12 year-old Cyril (Thomas Doret, who closely resembles Kes’ David Bradley) and Samantha (Cécile de France), a local hairdresser who takes him in when his father disappears. Cyril is unable to understand that his father abandoned him. In one of the film’s many understated but powerful scenes, Cyril’s father – played by Dardennes’ regular Olivier Gourmet – almost breaks down as he explains to Samantha that he just can’t cope with raising a 12 year-old boy. As ever with the Dardennes, it’s their instinctive understanding of human behaviour that makes their films so compelling.

Belgian superstar filmmaker brothers gonna work it out…

The Belgian Dadenne brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc, are heavyweight European filmakers, having twice won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and, with The Kid With A Bike, the festival’s Grand Jury Prize.

You can draw comparisons – superficially, at least – between the Dardennes and filmmakers like Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, who explore a similar social landscape. The Kid With A Bike explores the relationship between 12 year-old Cyril (Thomas Doret, who closely resembles Kes’ David Bradley) and Samantha (Cécile de France), a local hairdresser who takes him in when his father disappears.

Cyril is unable to understand that his father abandoned him. In one of the film’s many understated but powerful scenes, Cyril’s father – played by Dardennes’ regular Olivier Gourmet – almost breaks down as he explains to Samantha that he just can’t cope with raising a 12 year-old boy. As ever with the Dardennes, it’s their instinctive understanding of human behaviour that makes their films so compelling.

Michael Kiwanaku – Home Again

Michael Bonner
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0
Michael Kiwanaku – Home Again

Earnest, soulful debut from hotly tipped North Londoner... The BBC’s annual ‘Sound Of’ award has an impressive history of picking the right names for the year ahead. So will Michael Kiwanaku, the Beeb’s choice for “Sound of 2012” likewise go on to sell albums by the lorryload? Probably. Home Again is an arresting, if low key debut, that confirms its creator’s rapid ascent. Last year Kiwanaku, a modest 25 year old from Muswell Hill (of Ugandan parents), was plying his trade as a singer-songwriter in North London pubs. Now he fronts his own band, recently playing to 2,000 people at the Worldwide Awards. Support slots with Adele and Laura Marling have helped his climb, but much of the work was done by last year’s Tell Me A Tale EP – all three tracks are here - that had him widely likened to the folk-soul sound of yesteryear greats Bill Withers and Terry Callier. The comparisons are not entirely fanciful. Kiwanaku’s gruff, direct vocals are akin to Withers’, while his songs are similarly simple affairs driven by acoustic guitar. After that the similarities start to fade. Withers was ex-navy when he made it, a seasoned observer of life and love. The ten songs on Home Again are the heartfelt cries of a young man looking for his place in the world, their vulnerability being part of their appeal. Opener “Tell Me A Tale” hits the spot straightaway, with its plea to “turn me around so I can be /everything I was meant to be”. With its washes of strings and dancing flute contrasting to Kiwanaku’s powerful voice, there’s a touch of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks in play too. Kiwakanu hands credit to producer Paul Butler of The Bees for the orchestral flourishes that wrap around what were previously spartan songs. Having seen Kiwakanu play, Butler offered him his isle of Wight studio and secured him a record deal. The mood of world weariness but hoping for better times is the mainspring of Home Again, with most tracks following the same structure, moving from a bare, acoustic opening into orchestration. It’s an effective ploy, though one arguably over-used, and has helped make “I’ll Get Along” and “Home Again”, feel like a familiar classics after a few months of exposure. Variety arrives in an unlikely shape on “Bones”, the kind of whimsical love call likely to pop up on a Norah Jones album. Kiwanaku drawls and pines for that certain girl while a jaunty massed vocal chorus lends the piece the feel of a 1950s country song. It’s the exception among the ten cuts on offer. “Always Waiting” returns to the theme of “my time is coming soon”set to an intricate piece of guitar picking (a reminder of Kiwakanu’s regard for early Dylan) while “I Won’t Lie” has the singer wondering “what it is that I can’t find”. “Any Day Will Do Fine” is more straightfowardly downcast, a call on God for help, with Kiwanuka’s vocals shifting towards Otis Redding territory. “Rest” evokes another soul great, Al Green, using the kind of crawling pace Green employed on hits like “For The Good Times” – the plea to “rest your head on my shoulder” echoes that song none too subtly - and while Kiwanuka hasn’t Green’s vocal range, he captures sorrow and resignation. The closing “Worry Walks Beside Me” strikes a more defiant note, stretching Kiwakanu to the upper end of his vocal powers but oozing strength. By that time the lack of ups to go with the album’s downs has become apparent, an imbalance addressed in live performance, where the band brings more attack. There will doubtless be more varied shades on future records, but for now, this pensive debut gives notice of a fine new talent. Neil Spencer Q&A MICHAEL KIWANAKU Did you write these songs with orchestration in mind? I always thought of “I Need Your Company’” that way, but I write everything on acoustic guitar. The arrangements came from working with Paul Butler. How did you fit everyone in his small studio? We did it with one violin player and moved him round to sound like a section! It was very spontaneous. That studio has a lot of analogue equipment, and I prefer the sound of valve amps, but we also used Logic– a mix. What of the constant Bill Withers comparisons? I’m starting out, and wear my influences on my sleeve. I listened a lot to Bill and Otis Redding, but more to Shuggie Otis, who’s a fellow guitar player - you can hear the rock and roll influences alongside the soul. You don’t sound as downbeat as the album. Writing anything new? I don’t think of it as downbeat, there’s hope in there too. I’ve written a new one which closes the live set, “Lasan”, named after a Brum curry house. It’s about ho life’s short so live to get the most from it. INTERVIEW: NEIL SPENCER

Earnest, soulful debut from hotly tipped North Londoner…

The BBC’s annual ‘Sound Of’ award has an impressive history of picking the right names for the year ahead. So will Michael Kiwanaku, the Beeb’s choice for “Sound of 2012” likewise go on to sell albums by the lorryload? Probably. Home Again is an arresting, if low key debut, that confirms its creator’s rapid ascent. Last year Kiwanaku, a modest 25 year old from Muswell Hill (of Ugandan parents), was plying his trade as a singer-songwriter in North London pubs. Now he fronts his own band, recently playing to 2,000 people at the Worldwide Awards.

Support slots with Adele and Laura Marling have helped his climb, but much of the work was done by last year’s Tell Me A Tale EP – all three tracks are here – that had him widely likened to the folk-soul sound of yesteryear greats Bill Withers and Terry Callier. The comparisons are not entirely fanciful. Kiwanaku’s gruff, direct vocals are akin to Withers’, while his songs are similarly simple affairs driven by acoustic guitar.

After that the similarities start to fade. Withers was ex-navy when he made it, a seasoned observer of life and love. The ten songs on Home Again are the heartfelt cries of a young man looking for his place in the world, their vulnerability being part of their appeal. Opener “Tell Me A Tale” hits the spot straightaway, with its plea to “turn me around so I can be /everything I was meant to be”. With its washes of strings and dancing flute contrasting to Kiwanaku’s powerful voice, there’s a touch of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks in play too.

Kiwakanu hands credit to producer Paul Butler of The Bees for the orchestral flourishes that wrap around what were previously spartan songs. Having seen Kiwakanu play, Butler offered him his isle of Wight studio and secured him a record deal.

The mood of world weariness but hoping for better times is the mainspring of Home Again, with most tracks following the same structure, moving from a bare, acoustic opening into orchestration. It’s an effective ploy, though one arguably over-used, and has helped make “I’ll Get Along” and “Home Again”, feel like a familiar classics after a few months of exposure.

Variety arrives in an unlikely shape on “Bones”, the kind of whimsical love call likely to pop up on a Norah Jones album. Kiwanaku drawls and pines for that certain girl while a jaunty massed vocal chorus lends the piece the feel of a 1950s country song. It’s the exception among the ten cuts on offer. “Always Waiting” returns to the theme of “my time is coming soon”set to an intricate piece of guitar picking (a reminder of Kiwakanu’s regard for early Dylan) while “I Won’t Lie” has the singer wondering “what it is that I can’t find”.

“Any Day Will Do Fine” is more straightfowardly downcast, a call on God for help, with Kiwanuka’s vocals shifting towards Otis Redding territory. “Rest” evokes another soul great, Al Green, using the kind of crawling pace Green employed on hits like “For The Good Times” – the plea to “rest your head on my shoulder” echoes that song none too subtly – and while Kiwanuka hasn’t Green’s vocal range, he captures sorrow and resignation.

The closing “Worry Walks Beside Me” strikes a more defiant note, stretching Kiwakanu to the upper end of his vocal powers but oozing strength. By that time the lack of ups to go with the album’s downs has become apparent, an imbalance addressed in live performance, where the band brings more attack. There will doubtless be more varied shades on future records, but for now, this pensive debut gives notice of a fine new talent.

Neil Spencer

Q&A

MICHAEL KIWANAKU

Did you write these songs with orchestration in mind?

I always thought of “I Need Your Company’” that way, but I write everything on acoustic guitar. The arrangements came from working with Paul Butler.

How did you fit everyone in his small studio?

We did it with one violin player and moved him round to sound like a section! It was very spontaneous. That studio has a lot of analogue equipment, and I prefer the sound of valve amps, but we also used Logic– a mix.

What of the constant Bill Withers comparisons?

I’m starting out, and wear my influences on my sleeve. I listened a lot to Bill and Otis Redding, but more to Shuggie Otis, who’s a fellow guitar player – you can hear the rock and roll influences alongside the soul.

You don’t sound as downbeat as the album. Writing anything new?

I don’t think of it as downbeat, there’s hope in there too. I’ve written a new one which closes the live set, “Lasan”, named after a Brum curry house. It’s about ho life’s short so live to get the most from it.

INTERVIEW: NEIL SPENCER

The Beatles’ sons to form band?

Tom Goodwyn
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0
The Beatles’ sons to form band?

The sons of The Beatles are set to form a band together, according to reports. In an interview with the BBC, Paul McCartney's son James said he and the rest of the Fab Four's offspring could pay tribute to their dads by creating a second-generation incarnation of the group. James, who has released two EPs titled 'Available Light' and 'Close At Hand', admitted that he had discussed working with Sean Lennon and Dhani Harrison, although it seems as if Ringo Starr's son, Zak Starkey, isn't keen on the idea. When asked if he had ever thought about forming a band with the rest of the Beatles' children, he replied: "I don't think it's something that Zak wants to do. Maybe Jason [drummer and one of Starr's other sons] would want to do it. I'd be up for it. Sean seemed to be into it, Dhani seemed to be into it. I'd be happy to do it." He went on to say that the idea had been mooted "a little bit" and, when pushed on if it could become a reality, answered: "Yeah, hopefully, naturally. I don't know, you'd have to wait and see. The will of God, nature's support, I guess. So yeah, maybe." Last month, Beatles legend Paul McCartney revealed that he and his former bandmates had often discussed reforming the band, but had ultimately decided against it in case they tarnished their legacy. He released his latest solo album, 'Kisses On The Bottom', earlier this year.

The sons of The Beatles are set to form a band together, according to reports.

In an interview with the BBC, Paul McCartney‘s son James said he and the rest of the Fab Four’s offspring could pay tribute to their dads by creating a second-generation incarnation of the group.

James, who has released two EPs titled ‘Available Light’ and ‘Close At Hand’, admitted that he had discussed working with Sean Lennon and Dhani Harrison, although it seems as if Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey, isn’t keen on the idea.

When asked if he had ever thought about forming a band with the rest of the Beatles’ children, he replied: “I don’t think it’s something that Zak wants to do. Maybe Jason [drummer and one of Starr’s other sons] would want to do it. I’d be up for it. Sean seemed to be into it, Dhani seemed to be into it. I’d be happy to do it.”

He went on to say that the idea had been mooted “a little bit” and, when pushed on if it could become a reality, answered: “Yeah, hopefully, naturally. I don’t know, you’d have to wait and see. The will of God, nature’s support, I guess. So yeah, maybe.”

Last month, Beatles legend Paul McCartney revealed that he and his former bandmates had often discussed reforming the band, but had ultimately decided against it in case they tarnished their legacy. He released his latest solo album, ‘Kisses On The Bottom’, earlier this year.

New Rolling Stones bootleg receives official release

Michael Bonner
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0
New Rolling Stones bootleg receives official release
THE ROLLING STONES have released a new bootleg from their archives, called LA Friday. In fact recorded on Sunday, July 13, 1975 at the Los Angeles Forum, the show took place during the band’s Tour of the Americas, the first Stones tour featuring then-new guitarist, Ronnie Wood. Remastered by Bob...

THE ROLLING STONES have released a new bootleg from their archives, called LA Friday.

In fact recorded on Sunday, July 13, 1975 at the Los Angeles Forum, the show took place during the band’s Tour of the Americas, the first Stones tour featuring then-new guitarist, Ronnie Wood.

Remastered by Bob Clearmountain, the album contains Stones’ classics “Honky Tonk Women”, “Gimme Shelter”, “Angie”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Street Fighting Man”.

LA Friday is the third bootleg the Stones have officially released, following on from the Hampton Coliseum show in 1981 and 1973’s legendary Brussels Affair set.

LA Friday is available to buy from www.stonesarchive.com.

The 14th Uncut Playlist Of 2012

John Mulvey
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0
The 14th Uncut Playlist Of 2012

After last week’s notable arrival of Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s “Americana”, Playlist 14 is somewhat sketchier. Harder than usual for me to get behind a fair bit of this list, as a consequence – though as you can see, there’s still at least one very interesting new entry… Also, following some digressive talk about drum solos at www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey yesterday, an amazing track by The Sweet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ein1HIT7qNI Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey

After last week’s notable arrival of Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s “Americana”, Playlist 14 is somewhat sketchier. Harder than usual for me to get behind a fair bit of this list, as a consequence – though as you can see, there’s still at least one very interesting new entry…

Also, following some digressive talk about drum solos at www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey yesterday, an amazing track by The Sweet

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey

Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch to release LCD Soundsystem movie

Tom Goodwyn
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0
Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch to release LCD Soundsystem movie
Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has gained distribution rights to the LCD Soundsystem film, Shut Up And Play The Hits. Watch the trailer at the bottom of the page. Yauch's company Oscilloscope Laboratories, will be releasing the film in North America this summer. According to LCD Soundsystem's Twi...

Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has gained distribution rights to the LCD Soundsystem film, Shut Up And Play The Hits. Watch the trailer at the bottom of the page.

Yauch’s company Oscilloscope Laboratories, will be releasing the film in North America this summer. According to LCD Soundsystem‘s Twitter, the movie will be out in the UK later in the year.

The movie documents the last performances of LCD Soundsystem in 2011 at New York’s Madison Square Garden venue. Adam Yauch – pictured right – has said of the film: “Perhaps having grown up in a band for most of my life – a band that formed when I was 16 years old – and having released our first record when I was still in high school, this film addresses so many questions.”

“For instance, it can be pretty clear when a band starts, but perhaps less so when it ends, or how it should end. In that sense, it’s brilliant of James [Murphy] to end it in such a definitive way.”

Shut Up And Play The Hits premiered at the Sundance Film Festival at the start of the year, and was also screened last month at SXSW.

Richard Hawley announces his largest UK show to date

Tom Goodwyn
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0
Richard Hawley announces his largest UK show to date
Richard Hawley has announced his largest UK headline show to date this autumn. The singer, who releases his new album 'Standing At The Sky's Edge' on May 7, will headline London's O2 Academy Brixton on October 3. 'Standing At The Sky's Edge' is the follow-up to his 2009 effort 'Truelove's Gutte...

Richard Hawley has announced his largest UK headline show to date this autumn.

The singer, who releases his new album ‘Standing At The Sky’s Edge’ on May 7, will headline London’s O2 Academy Brixton on October 3.

‘Standing At The Sky’s Edge’ is the follow-up to his 2009 effort ‘Truelove’s Gutter’ and contains a total of nine tracks.

Speaking about the LP, Hawley said he wanted to make a simpler record and move away from the grander sounds of his previous albums. He said of the album: “I wanted to get away from the orchestration of my previous records and make a live album with two guitars, bass, drums and rocket noises!”

Hawley also recently collaborated with Arctic Monkeys on their new B-side ‘You And I’, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click to watch the video for the track.

Uncut At The Great Escape Festival With Beth Jeans Houghton, EMA, Willy Mason, Hans Chew

Uncut
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Uncut At The Great Escape Festival With Beth Jeans Houghton, EMA, Willy Mason, Hans Chew

This year’s Great Escape Festival in Brighton is almost upon us, running from May 10-12 at a 30 venues across the town and featuring somewhere in the region of 300 new artists. As we have for the last couple of years, Uncut will have its own stage at the festival, where we’ll be hosting shows on all three nights at the Pavilion Theatre. We have a particularly strong line-up this year, including EMA, BETH JEANS HOUGHTON, WILLY MASON, TOY and FOREST SWORDS. EMA – better known to her folks back home as Erika M Anderson – made one of my favourite albums of 2011, Past Life Martyred Saints, the best of which hinted at a talent reminiscent of Patti Smith. I’d put money on her blowing the roof off the Pavilion. I’m looking forward to seeing Beth Jeans Houghton just as much, having been recently more than smitten by her debut album, Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose (we had a great track from it, “Dodecahedron”, on our recent Watch That Band free CD). It’ll be good to see Willy Mason back in action, too – it seems an age since he made such an impact with Where The Humans Eat and If The Oceans Get Rough, the second of these two very good albums released as long ago as 2005. He was in apparently splendid form at a recent London show at the Hoxton Bar & Grill, according to friends who saw him there. Toy, meanwhile, have been getting rave write-ups lately and their two singles to date, https://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/wild-mercury-sound/hans-chew-free-download-live-in-williamsburg-etc “Left Myself Behind” and “Motoring”, have been terrific. Some of them used to be in the ill-fated and frankly pretty awful Jo Lean And The Jing Jang Jong, who I seem to recall seeing at Wembley Arena, opening for Babyshambles. Toy fortunately don’t sound anything like them, the noise they make more resembling what my colleague John Robinson has identified as the results of a late-80s/early-90s jam session featuring Stereolab, Pulp and Felt. It’ll be interesting also to find out how Matthew Barnes’ Forest Swords sound live – amazing, I suspect, especially if something like “Hoylake Misst” is given an appropriate airing. Over our three nights at the Pavilion, there’ll also be appearances from Nashville garage girl band THE BLACK BELLES (whose Olivia Jean guests on Jack White’s new album, Blunderbuss), Fuck Buttons spin-off, BLANCK MASS, synth duo SOLAR BEARS and all the way from Brooklyn, fiery piano player HANS CHEW, whose debut album, Tennessee And Other Stories, made him an Uncut office favourite. When John was in New York recently to interview Jack White for this month’s Uncut cover story, he had time to nip over to Brooklyn to see Hans and his current band, The Boys, play at a place called Don Pedro, where they revealed themselves to John as “pretty much the bar band of my dreams”. You can read a full report on the show here - https://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/wild-mercury-sound/hans-chew-free-download-live-in-williamsburg-etc. There are still a couple of acts for the Uncut stage still to be announced, so look out for further details in our next issue or keep an eye on www.uncut.co.uk. For further information go to www.escapegreat.com Have a good week. Allan Beth Jeans Hughton & The Hooves Of Destiny pic: Lottie Gray and Beth Jeans Houghton

This year’s Great Escape Festival in Brighton is almost upon us, running from May 10-12 at a 30 venues across the town and featuring somewhere in the region of 300 new artists.

As we have for the last couple of years, Uncut will have its own stage at the festival, where we’ll be hosting shows on all three nights at the Pavilion Theatre. We have a particularly strong line-up this year, including EMA, BETH JEANS HOUGHTON, WILLY MASON, TOY and FOREST SWORDS.

EMA – better known to her folks back home as Erika M Anderson – made one of my favourite albums of 2011, Past Life Martyred Saints, the best of which hinted at a talent reminiscent of Patti Smith. I’d put money on her blowing the roof off the Pavilion.

I’m looking forward to seeing Beth Jeans Houghton just as much, having been recently more than smitten by her debut album, Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose (we had a great track from it, “Dodecahedron”, on our recent Watch That Band free CD).

It’ll be good to see Willy Mason back in action, too – it seems an age since he made such an impact with Where The Humans Eat and If The Oceans Get Rough, the second of these two very good albums released as long ago as 2005. He was in apparently splendid form at a recent London show at the Hoxton Bar & Grill, according to friends who saw him there.

Toy, meanwhile, have been getting rave write-ups lately and their two singles to date, https://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/wild-mercury-sound/hans-chew-free-download-live-in-williamsburg-etc “Left Myself Behind” and “Motoring”, have been terrific. Some of them used to be in the ill-fated and frankly pretty awful Jo Lean And The Jing Jang Jong, who I seem to recall seeing at Wembley Arena, opening for Babyshambles. Toy fortunately don’t sound anything like them, the noise they make more resembling what my colleague John Robinson has identified as the results of a late-80s/early-90s jam session featuring Stereolab, Pulp and Felt.

It’ll be interesting also to find out how Matthew Barnes’ Forest Swords sound live – amazing, I suspect, especially if something like “Hoylake Misst” is given an appropriate airing. Over our three nights at the Pavilion, there’ll also be appearances from Nashville garage girl band THE BLACK BELLES (whose Olivia Jean guests on Jack White’s new album, Blunderbuss), Fuck Buttons spin-off, BLANCK MASS, synth duo SOLAR BEARS and all the way from Brooklyn, fiery piano player HANS CHEW, whose debut album, Tennessee And Other Stories, made him an Uncut office favourite.

When John was in New York recently to interview Jack White for this month’s Uncut cover story, he had time to nip over to Brooklyn to see Hans and his current band, The Boys, play at a place called Don Pedro, where they revealed themselves to John as “pretty much the bar band of my dreams”. You can read a full report on the show here – https://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/wild-mercury-sound/hans-chew-free-download-live-in-williamsburg-etc.

There are still a couple of acts for the Uncut stage still to be announced, so look out for further details in our next issue or keep an eye on www.uncut.co.uk. For further information go to www.escapegreat.com

Have a good week.

Allan

Beth Jeans Hughton & The Hooves Of Destiny pic: Lottie Gray and Beth Jeans Houghton

First Look – Marley

Michael Bonner
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First Look – Marley

The reggae singer, given the rock doc treatment... We've been spoilt with music documentaries over the last few years. I'm thinking principally about Martin Scorsese's films on Bob Dylan and George Harrison, but also Peter Bogdanovich's documentary on Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers and the BBC's tremendous ... Britannia series. Bob Marley is the latest A lister to receive the documentary treatment from a major league filmmaker is Bob Marley, in this case Oscar winner, Kevin Macdonald. It is a thorough enough trawl through Marley’s life and times, but Macdonald’s film conspicuously lacks any real critical interrogation of its subject. Admittedly, we live in an age where Scorsese’s films have set the bar very high, but Macdonald isn’t exactly a novice documentarian. One Day In September and Touching The Void are both tremendous and, with Being Mick, Macdonald even came close to capturing the essence of a professionally elusive rock star. By comparison, Marley feels quite programmatic; Macdonald doesn’t really stray from telling an already well-documented version of events. The freshest parts of the film find Macdonald’s crew visiting Nine Mile, the small village in the Jamaican hills where Marley was raised. Macdonald truffles out cheery old dudes like Marley’s cousin Hugh “Sledgo” Peart, who offers up an engaging, if rambling snapshot of the young “Robert”, “rejected” because of his mixed race parentage, and having “to earn his every meal.” Other characters come and go – among them Bunny Wailer and Lee Perry. Unsurprisingly for a film exec produced by Marley’s son Ziggy and former label boss Chris Blackwell, Macdonald is granted the very best access to friends, collaborators and family – even a former Jamaican Prime Minister – who all offer fulsome anecdotes and testimonials. The archive footage is as good as you’d expect. But the trajectory is routine and straightforward; Bob “just loved music, cricket and football,” we are told. Well, yes, that’s true enough – but at 144 minutes, Macdonald’s film surely warrants a more robust examination of its subject.

The reggae singer, given the rock doc treatment…

We’ve been spoilt with music documentaries over the last few years. I’m thinking principally about Martin Scorsese‘s films on Bob Dylan and George Harrison, but also Peter Bogdanovich’s documentary on Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers and the BBC’s tremendous … Britannia series.

Bob Marley is the latest A lister to receive the documentary treatment from a major league filmmaker is Bob Marley, in this case Oscar winner, Kevin Macdonald. It is a thorough enough trawl through Marley’s life and times, but Macdonald’s film conspicuously lacks any real critical interrogation of its subject. Admittedly, we live in an age where Scorsese’s films have set the bar very high, but Macdonald isn’t exactly a novice documentarian. One Day In September and Touching The Void are both tremendous and, with Being Mick, Macdonald even came close to capturing the essence of a professionally elusive rock star. By comparison, Marley feels quite programmatic; Macdonald doesn’t really stray from telling an already well-documented version of events.

The freshest parts of the film find Macdonald’s crew visiting Nine Mile, the small village in the Jamaican hills where Marley was raised. Macdonald truffles out cheery old dudes like Marley’s cousin Hugh “Sledgo” Peart, who offers up an engaging, if rambling snapshot of the young “Robert”, “rejected” because of his mixed race parentage, and having “to earn his every meal.” Other characters come and go – among them Bunny Wailer and Lee Perry.

Unsurprisingly for a film exec produced by Marley’s son Ziggy and former label boss Chris Blackwell, Macdonald is granted the very best access to friends, collaborators and family – even a former Jamaican Prime Minister – who all offer fulsome anecdotes and testimonials. The archive footage is as good as you’d expect. But the trajectory is routine and straightforward; Bob “just loved music, cricket and football,” we are told. Well, yes, that’s true enough – but at 144 minutes, Macdonald’s film surely warrants a more robust examination of its subject.

Orbital stream new album ‘Wonky’ in full – listen

Tom Goodwyn
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Orbital stream new album ‘Wonky’ in full – listen
Orbital are streaming their new studio album 'Wonky' – scroll down to the bottom of the page and click to listen. The album, which is the dance duo's first LP since their 2004 effort 'Blue Album', is out now, but has been made available to listen to online. Orbital have also produced a video tr...

Orbital are streaming their new studio album ‘Wonky’ – scroll down to the bottom of the page and click to listen.

The album, which is the dance duo’s first LP since their 2004 effort ‘Blue Album’, is out now, but has been made available to listen to online. Orbital have also produced a video track-by-track guide to the new LP, in which they explain the process behind the new record, which you can watch by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking.

‘Wonky’ is the pair’s eighth studio LP, and was recorded in Brighton and mixed by Depeche Mode/U2 knob twiddler Flood. It also features collaborations with Zola Jesus and UK MC Lady Leshurr.

Speaking about the title track – the band’s Phil Hartnoll said: “This is one of our key tracks from DJing last summer, one that came out of nowhere. We were so surprised by the reaction to this, it just went down really well. Right at the last minute we got Lady Leshurr to do her vocal, in one of our ‘correction sessions’ for the album, after we had been DJing it. It turned out brilliantly.”

Earlier today, it was revealed that Orbital will headline the Slam Tent at this year’s T In The Park festival on its final night (July 8). The Scottish festival will be headlined by The Stone Roses, Kasabian and Snow Patrol and takes place over the weekend of July 6-8 in Balado Park, Kinross.

Orbital will also tour the UK in support of the album this month, playing six shows. The trek begins at Manchester’s Academy on April 5 and runs until April 10, when the duo headline London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Orbital – Wonky by Mondo_Management

Watch David Lynch’s ‘psychotic’ self-directed video for ‘Crazy Clown Time’

Tom Goodwyn
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Watch David Lynch’s ‘psychotic’ self-directed video for ‘Crazy Clown Time’

Movie director turned musician David Lynch, has premiered the self-directed video for his track, 'Crazy Clown Time'. Scroll down to watch it. The typically off-kilter and disturbing seven minute long video features two topless women, a glamorous blonde in a red satin bra top and a man howling at the skies while another man sets his mohawk hairdo on fire. Lynch, who makes a number of cameos in the video, has said that the backdrop to the promo clip is "intense psychotic backyard craziness, fueled by beer". Speaking about his debut album, also called 'Crazy Clown Time', which was released last year, David Lynch said that there was "a lot of fear involved" in its making. Lynch, the mastermind behind films such as Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, told The Guardian that making his own LP had forced him to "overcome a lot of fear and embarrassment". The director said of his music career: "You might get someone else, an actor, to play a role. But then there are some roles where you think: 'I want to be that person. I want to go into that world'. So I wanted to try." He then went on to add: "I wanted to see whether I could nail it, assuming I could overcome a lot of fear and embarrassment and find a safe place to work. But yes, there's a lot of fear involved. It's very fearful." Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O guested on the 'Crazy Clown Time' album, on a track called 'Pinky's Dream'. A Super Deluxe Edition of 'Crazy Clown Time' was released earlier this year by Sunday Best Recordings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QJpY2VNP0E

Movie director turned musician David Lynch, has premiered the self-directed video for his track, ‘Crazy Clown Time’. Scroll down to watch it.

The typically off-kilter and disturbing seven minute long video features two topless women, a glamorous blonde in a red satin bra top and a man howling at the skies while another man sets his mohawk hairdo on fire. Lynch, who makes a number of cameos in the video, has said that the backdrop to the promo clip is “intense psychotic backyard craziness, fueled by beer”.

Speaking about his debut album, also called ‘Crazy Clown Time’, which was released last year, David Lynch said that there was “a lot of fear involved” in its making. Lynch, the mastermind behind films such as Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, told The Guardian that making his own LP had forced him to “overcome a lot of fear and embarrassment”.

The director said of his music career: “You might get someone else, an actor, to play a role. But then there are some roles where you think: ‘I want to be that person. I want to go into that world’. So I wanted to try.” He then went on to add: “I wanted to see whether I could nail it, assuming I could overcome a lot of fear and embarrassment and find a safe place to work. But yes, there’s a lot of fear involved. It’s very fearful.”

Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O guested on the ‘Crazy Clown Time’ album, on a track called ‘Pinky’s Dream’.

A Super Deluxe Edition of ‘Crazy Clown Time’ was released earlier this year by Sunday Best Recordings

The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach to produce new Hanni El Khatib album

Tom Goodwyn
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The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach to produce new Hanni El Khatib album
The Black Keys' frontman Dan Auerbach is set to produce the new album from Los Angeles based garage rock solo artist Hanni El Khatib. Auerbach will be at the helm of the "'60s garage but without nostalgia" themed follow up to 2011's 'Will the Guns Come Out' - pictured below - after the pair met i...

The Black Keys‘ frontman Dan Auerbach is set to produce the new album from Los Angeles based garage rock solo artist Hanni El Khatib.

Auerbach will be at the helm of the “’60s garage but without nostalgia” themed follow up to 2011’s ‘Will the Guns Come Out’ – pictured below – after the pair met in France. Khatib also designed the logo for Auerbach’s studio.

Speaking to LA Weekly, Khatib says of their meeting: “A friend owns a bar in Paris and introduced us when I was deejaying after a show. He went deep into music and started dropping knowledge about all these obscure LA bands. We ended up going back and forth deejaying all night.”

Auerbach recently collaborated with British soul singer Michael Kiwanuka. The track, which is titled ‘Lasan’, made up the B-side on Kiwanuka’s single ‘I’m Getting Ready’, which features on the singer’s debut album, ‘Home Again’.

Speaking previously about the track, Auerbach said: “It was great – really quick. We went and did it really quick at Ray Davies’ studio. It was nice. Obviously his voice is amazing the songs are cool. The production on that stuff is great too – I like what the guy is doing.”

The Black Keys released their seventh studio album ‘El Camino’ in December last year. Auerbach recently revealed that he and drummer Patrick Carney will be playing UK festivals this summer, but couldn’t reveal which ones as they were “top secret”, and also hinted that they had already begun planning the follow-up to their last LP.

Van Morrison to headline Green Man Festival 2012

Tom Goodwyn
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Van Morrison to headline Green Man Festival 2012
Van Morrison will headline this year's Green Man festival. The 68-year old singer songwriter, who released his 33rd studio album 'Keep It Simple' in 2008, joins Feist in headlining the Welsh festival. Also confirmed to play are Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, The Walkmen, Jonathan Richman, The...

Van Morrison will headline this year’s Green Man festival.

The 68-year old singer songwriter, who released his 33rd studio album ‘Keep It Simple’ in 2008, joins Feist in headlining the Welsh festival.

Also confirmed to play are Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, The Walkmen, Jonathan Richman, The Felice Brothers, tUnE-yArDs, Of Montreal, King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, Michael Kiwanuka and over 30 other acts.

The event takes place in Wales’ Brecon Beacons from August 17-19. It was headlined by Explosions In The Sky, Iron And Wine and Fleet Foxes in 2011 with the likes of Laura Marling, The Low Anthem, Noah & The Whale, James Blake, Gruff Rhys and Bellowhead also playing sets.

See Greenman.net for more information about the festival.

The line-up for Green Man festival so far is as follows:

Van Morrison

Feist

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

The Walkmen

Jonathan Richman

The Felice Brothers

tUnE-yArDs

Of Montreal

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins

Michael Kiwanuka

Yann Tiersen

Scritti Politti

Junior Boys

The Time & Space Machine (live)

Damien Jurado

Bowerbirds

Field Music

Friends

Cass McCombs

C.W. Stoneking

Slow Club

Ghostpoet

Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves Of Destiny

Willy Mason

Dark Dark Dark

Daughter

Peaking Lights

Three Trapped Tigers

Megafaun

Islet

Joe Pug

Lucy Rose

Trembling Bells

Cashier No. 9

The Wave Pictures

TOY

Pictish Trail

Teeth of the Sea

Laura J Martin

Sweet Baboo

∆ Alt J

KWES

Gang Colours

Rocketnumbernine

Steve Smyth

Jamie N Commons

Stealing Sheep

Vadoinmessico

Treetop Flyers

Tiny Ruins

Seamus Fogarty

Chailo Sim

RM Hubbert

Mowbird

Goodnight Lenin

The Perch Creek Family Jug Band

Cold Specks

Richard Warren

Feist scoops three awards at Canada’s Juno Awards

Tom Goodwyn
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Feist scoops three awards at Canada’s Juno Awards
Feist has been honoured at Canada's Juno Awards, picking up three gongs including the award for Artist Of The Year. The singer also picked up adult alternative album of the year for 'Metals' and best music DVD for 'Look At What The Light Did Now' at the North American country's version of the Gra...

Feist has been honoured at Canada’s Juno Awards, picking up three gongs including the award for Artist Of The Year.

The singer also picked up adult alternative album of the year for ‘Metals’ and best music DVD for ‘Look At What The Light Did Now’ at the North American country’s version of the Grammys last night (April 1).

Adele meanwhile, to her list of ever growing titles after ’21’ was named international album of the year.

Arcade Fire were the big winners at last year’s event picking up four gongs including album of the year for ‘The Suburbs’.

Feist recently completed a short UK tour last month. She is due to headline the closing night at this year’s Green Man festival on August 19. For more information go to Green Man.

Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders: ‘We want to do a record that is like ‘Evil Twin’ and ‘R U Mine?’

Tom Goodwyn
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Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders: ‘We want to do a record that is like ‘Evil Twin’ and ‘R U Mine?’
Arctic Monkeys' drummer Matt Helders has spoken about the band's plans for their new record and has revealed that they are keen to continue in the vein of recent single 'R U Mine?' and B-side 'Evil Twin'. Speaking to the Examiner, the drummer replied to a question about their new single by saying...

Arctic Monkeys‘ drummer Matt Helders has spoken about the band’s plans for their new record and has revealed that they are keen to continue in the vein of recent single ‘R U Mine?’ and B-side ‘Evil Twin’.

Speaking to the Examiner, the drummer replied to a question about their new single by saying: “The way ‘R U Mine?’ has gone we are more into doing songs like that for now. We are kind of into the idea of doing a record that is like ‘Evil Twin’ and ‘R U Mine?’.”

The band are currently in the middle of a lengthy stint across the USA and Canada as support to The Black Keys on their US arena tour and Helders also spoke about this, revealing that the band had been excited to appear as the opening act for the first time in their career.

He said of this: “We’ve been looking for a tour like this since we started because we’ve never done a support tour, not in England, not anywhere. We were trying to think what the right band would be, and we had some good offers that didn’t work out timing wise from other bands. For this (tour) we thought it would be stupid to turn down. It’s a massive tour, and I think we’ve done as much as we could on our own without doing something like this.”

The drummer also spoke about the band’s new track ‘Electricity’, which is due out later this month as the B-side to ‘R U Mine?’, saying: “When we recorded ‘Electricity’ we recorded ‘You & I’ which was the B-side to ‘Black Treacle’ and (recorded) another one that didn’t really work out. It was a good song, but it didn’t fit in with ‘R U Mine?’ so ‘Electricity’ was the one that seemed to make more sense. It’s really the only thing we’ve got that nobody has heard yet that is already recorded.”

Graham Coxon hints that Blur will play new material at Hyde Park reunion gig

Tom Goodwyn
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Graham Coxon hints that Blur will play new material at Hyde Park reunion gig
Graham Coxon has hinted that Blur could play new material at their Hyde Park show later this year. The reunited Britpop legends will return to Hyde Park, the scene of two of their reunion shows of 2009, for a gig which will also feature The Specials and New Order on August 12 – and Coxon has hi...

Graham Coxon has hinted that Blur could play new material at their Hyde Park show later this year.

The reunited Britpop legends will return to Hyde Park, the scene of two of their reunion shows of 2009, for a gig which will also feature The Specials and New Order on August 12 – and Coxon has hinted that the band may have some “surprises” up their sleeves for the show.

When asked if the band would be unveiling new material at the gig in an interview on the BBC, Coxon replied: “Mmmm, perhaps. There might be some surprises. I’m not sure what any of the other people in the group have said – we all say different things and then we all get told ‘Don’t say that’, ‘But they said that’, and [end up] getting intro trouble. But there’s going to be some surprises.”

Previously, bassist Alex James claimed that Blur would play a brand-new song during the show, describing it as a “tearjerker”, but it was unclear whether he was referring to ‘Under The Westway’ – which frontman Damon Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon played during their brief set at a pre-Brits charity gig for War Child at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London last month – or another new song.

Speaking to NME recently, Blur confirmed they had been working on new material since reuniting, but were cagey about whether they’d record a new album, which would be their first since 2003’s ‘Think Tank’.

Pressed on whether any of their new songs would make the Hyde Park set, Coxon said he’d be “interested in playing new things” during the gig, adding: “We always used to play underdeveloped things and kick them into shape during the shows, but it isn’t the occasion for that. Obviously we’re not gonna play the same set we played in 2009, but there things that people always, always wanna hear.”

Earlier this year, producer William Orbit hinted he was working on new material with Blur in a series of tweets, while Stephen Street, who helmed a number of the band’s albums in the mid-to-late-’90s, has also expressed an interest in recording with them again.

Along with playing at Hyde Park, Blur are also scheduled to headline Sweden’s Way Out West festival in August.

Meanwhile, Graham Coxon is set to release his new solo album ‘A+E’ on April 2. The guitarist has described the album, which is the eighth of his solo career, as “cold, hard and gritty” and said there would be a “lack of romantic songs” on the LP.

Graham Coxon will tour in support of ‘A+E’ in April, playing 14 shows across the UK. These begin at Oxford’s O2 Academy on April 13 and run until April 30 when Coxon will headline Falmouth’s Princess Pavilions venue.

Sir Peter Blake recreates The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ cover

Tom Goodwyn
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Sir Peter Blake recreates The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ cover
The Beatles' iconic 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' album cover has been redesigned by original sleeve designer Peter Blake on his 80th birthday. Noel Gallagher, Amy Winehouse, late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and Paul Weller all feature in th...

The Beatles‘ iconic ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album cover has been redesigned by original sleeve designer Peter Blake on his 80th birthday.

Noel Gallagher, Amy Winehouse, late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and Paul Weller all feature in the new collage entitled ‘Vintage Blake’.

“It’s a cross I bear, it’s an albatross I have to deal with,” Blake said of the original 1967 album cover. “What vaguely depresses me still is that I’m known pretty much as ‘Peter Blake – who did the cover of Sgt. Pepper’ when I’ve done so much else. Every so often I manage to forget it, but it comes back all the time.”

Other than Paul McCartney the remaining Beatles members have been cut out of the collage because of copyright issues, according to Blake.

Speaking about his inclusion Noel Gallagher told BBC News: “I was lucky enough to go down to his studio. We were fans and all the props were still there from the ‘Sgt. Pepper’ photo shoot.”

He added: “If, for me, The Beatles and The Who and The Kinks and the Stones were the sound of the ’60s then Sir Peter’s work is the visual representation of that. When I look at his pop art stuff, I hear The Beatles. He’s as important as the music.”

The cover is set to feature at The Vintage Festival which brings together fashion, music and art from the 1920s to the ’80s at the Boughton Estate in Northamptonshire on July 13-15, as part of Blake’s 80th birthday celebrations.

Pulp play first full gig of 2012 at London’s Royal Albert Hall

Tom Goodwyn
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Pulp play first full gig of 2012 at London’s Royal Albert Hall
Pulp played their first full live show of 2012 at London's Royal Albert Hall last night (March 31). Taking place as part of this year's run of Teenage Cancer Trust gigs, the show opened with a number of questions being projected onto a large screen above the stage. The final one asked the crowd '...

Pulp played their first full live show of 2012 at London’s Royal Albert Hall last night (March 31).

Taking place as part of this year’s run of Teenage Cancer Trust gigs, the show opened with a number of questions being projected onto a large screen above the stage. The final one asked the crowd ‘Do You Remember The First Time?’ before Pulp appeared on stage to kick off with the 1994 hit.

The set spanned Pulp’s vast career, including the inclusion of ‘My Lighthouse’ during the encore. Jarvis Cocker spoke about how the song, recorded in 1983, featured his sister Saskia and her school friend Jill Talbot on backing vocals. The pair were invited onstage to contribute once again nearly 30 years later to huge cheers.

“Dunno what you’re clapping for…” quipped Javis, “…nobody bought it.”

Other guests included former Pulp guitarist Richard Hawley, who appeared for ‘Like A Friend’ and then remained for the duration, while support band Cat’s Eyes’ orchestral ensemble were purloined for ‘This Is Hardcore’. Violinist Natalie returned to take departed Russell Senior’s place for the band’s biggest hit ‘Common People’.

Jarvis later referenced the fact the band hadn’t played live in six months, aside from performing two songs at the NME Awards in February, when they also picked up this year’s Teenage Cancer Trust Outstanding Contribution To Music award.

He commented: “I think it’s going OK.”

Pulp played:

‘Do You Remember The First Time?’

‘Mis-Shapes’

‘Razzmatazz’

‘Something Changed’

‘Sorted For E’s And Wizz’

‘I Spy’

‘The Birds In Your Garden’

‘Bad Cover Version’

‘Like A Friend’

‘This Is Hardcore’

‘Sunrise’

‘Bar Italia’

‘Common People’

‘My Lighthouse’

‘Babies’

‘Disco 2000’

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