Bloc Party have been hanging around all day here, flitting in and out of the press tent, big smiles on their faces. Back in the halcyon/wilderness (delete as appropriate) years of the late 90s, Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack first met at Reading Festival and decided to form a band – tonight, then, is a sort of homecoming.
Bloc Party – a kind of homecoming…
Dinosaur Jr Show Us How Its Done
Dinosaur Jr have just stormed the NME/ Radio 1 stage this afternoon (August 25). Playing an hour long set over at the far tent, J. Mascis, Murph and Barlow were confident and adept at showing how guitars SHOULD sound. Minimal talking between songs, J Mascis did introduce 'Mountain Man' as a 'Song that you might know. It was NME's single of the week on November 23, 1966' before starting up the intro to raptuous applause from the crowd. Drawing most of the set from early albums ' Dinosaur' and 'You're Living All Over Me' - Mascis also threw in a surprise cover of The Cure's 'Just Like Heaven.' The set list in full, including plenty from newer album 'Beyond' was: Gargoyle Been There All The Time Lou#1 Just Like Heaven Little Fury Things Out There This is All I Came To Do Feel The Pain Freakscene Mountain Man Sludgefeast Check out our special Uncut Festival's Blog bringing you today's rocktastic action here. Pic credit: Andrew Kendall
Dinosaur Jr have just stormed the NME/ Radio 1 stage this afternoon (August 25).
Playing an hour long set over at the far tent, J. Mascis, Murph and Barlow were confident and adept at showing how guitars SHOULD sound.
Minimal talking between songs, J Mascis did introduce ‘Mountain Man’ as a ‘Song that you might know. It was NME’s single of the week on November 23, 1966’ before starting up the intro to raptuous applause from the crowd.
Drawing most of the set from early albums ‘ Dinosaur’ and ‘You’re Living All Over Me’ – Mascis also threw in a surprise cover of The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven.’
The set list in full, including plenty from newer album ‘Beyond’ was:
Gargoyle
Been There All The Time
Lou#1
Just Like Heaven
Little Fury Things
Out There
This is All I Came To Do
Feel The Pain
Freakscene
Mountain Man
Sludgefeast
Check out our special Uncut Festival’s Blog bringing you today’s rocktastic action here.
Pic credit: Andrew Kendall
The Shins soundtrack sweltering Reading
Reading: This heat is tiring… Fun pic blog of those all rocked out
Reading. Sunny? All threats of having to traverse the site via some form of boating service have thankfully gone unfounded. The sun is gracing us with some intense heat. Maybe it’s some idea of a joke from the Higher Powers, who’re having a laugh at seeing rockers donned head to toe in black get blistering sunburn.. who knows! Anyway, this afternoon’s pic blog involves those all rocked out and catching an afternoon snooze…
Eagles Of Death Metal wake up Reading
Jesse ‘The Devil’ Hughes raises his hand to the sky. “This is the biggest and coolest rock and roll show we’ve ever played in our motherfucking lives!”
Reading Festival Second Day Heats Up
The Carling Weekend at Reading today (August 25) gears up for the second day of the annual three day rock festival. US rockers Eagles Of Death Metal and The Shins kick off the Main Stage today, ahead of Saturday night performances from Bloc Party, Arcade Fire. and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Despite the odds, the sun is out in force, suncream is out and clothes are coming off - historically speaking, Reading is never this summery. The two tent stages should certainly be interesting! The NME/ Radio 1 stage features a diverse mix of old and new with our highlight being J Mascis and co paired either side on the tent’s bill by The Pigeon Detectives and The Twang. Dinosaur Jr recently played a storming festival set at Benicassim festival in Spain, our guess is that today will be just as amazing, with plenty of back catalogue mixed in with tracks from latest album ‘Beyond’. The NME/Radio 1 stage is headlined tonight by The View and We Are Scientists. Reading today also hosts the Dance stage, Does It Offend You Yeah, Datarock and Dan Le Sac will be getting the rock kids dancing ahead of headline sets from multi-tasking multi-instrumentalists !!! and UNKLE. Over at the festival’s second site in Leeds, headliner’s tonight are Razorlight, Kings Of Leon and Ash, the bands having travelled up overnight from the Reading site. Check out our special Uncut Festival's Blog bringing you today's rocktastic action here. Check out some fun pics from those taking a power nap before the rest of the day proceeds here. Today’s Reading highlights are: Main Stage: Red Hot Chili Peppers Arcade Fire Bloc Party Panic! At The Disco The Shins Eagles of Death Metal NME/ Radio 1 Stage: We Are Scientists Biffy Clyro The Twang Dinosaur Jr The Noisettes The Carling Stage: Hot Hot Heat Battles Silversun Pickups Foals
The Carling Weekend at Reading today (August 25) gears up for the second day of the annual three day rock festival.
US rockers Eagles Of Death Metal and The Shins kick off the Main Stage today, ahead of Saturday night performances from Bloc Party, Arcade Fire. and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Despite the odds, the sun is out in force, suncream is out and clothes are coming off – historically speaking, Reading is never this summery. The two tent stages should certainly be interesting!
The NME/ Radio 1 stage features a diverse mix of old and new with our highlight being J Mascis and co paired either side on the tent’s bill by The Pigeon Detectives and The Twang. Dinosaur Jr recently played a storming festival set at Benicassim festival in Spain, our guess is that today will be just as amazing, with plenty of back catalogue mixed in with tracks from latest album ‘Beyond’.
The NME/Radio 1 stage is headlined tonight by The View and We Are Scientists.
Reading today also hosts the Dance stage, Does It Offend You Yeah, Datarock and Dan Le Sac will be getting the rock kids dancing ahead of headline sets from multi-tasking multi-instrumentalists !!! and UNKLE.
Over at the festival’s second site in Leeds, headliner’s tonight are Razorlight, Kings Of Leon and Ash, the bands having travelled up overnight from the Reading site.
Check out our special Uncut Festival’s Blog bringing you today’s rocktastic action here.
Check out some fun pics from those taking a power nap before the rest of the day proceeds here.
Today’s Reading highlights are:
Main Stage:
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Arcade Fire
Bloc Party
Panic! At The Disco
The Shins
Eagles of Death Metal
NME/ Radio 1 Stage:
We Are Scientists
Biffy Clyro
The Twang
Dinosaur Jr
The Noisettes
The Carling Stage:
Hot Hot Heat
Battles
Silversun Pickups
Foals
Patrick Wolf and Albert Hammond, Jr.: geniuses marooned on the Carling Stage
While Razorlight headline the main stage, we caught up with some of the brighest talents this festival has to offer – Patrick Wolf and Albert Hammond, Jr.
Kings Of Leons rule the roost at Reading
Having seen Kings Of Leon at T In The Park last month we knew what to expect. There’s no pyrotechnics, no acrobatics – just some great songs, brilliantly performed.
Reading Opening Day Draws To A Close With Razorlight
Opening day at Reading today (August 24) saw fantastic performances from Kings Of Leon, Interpol, and The Gossip. Early on this afternoon, the overcast grey made way for hundreds of discarded jumpers amidst bright blue sky and blazing sunshine, around the time The Gossip came on. Our afternoon round-up from the NME/ Radio 1 stage proved to be a agreat spot for part of the afternon, The Horrors and The Enemy were certainly a great pair of festival introductions. Other highlights today were Kings Of Leon who put in a storming Southern rock set, before Reading headliner's Razorlight. Razorlight played a set laden with radio chartopping-friendlies like 'America' and 'Golden Touch. Johnny Borrell and co, however seem don't appear to connect to a quicky dissipating audience, struggling to hold attention towards the end of a 90 minute set. Tomorrow, headliners are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arcade Fire and Bloc Party. NME/Radio 1 stage is headlined by The View, We Are Scientists and Dinosaur Jr. Check out special Uncut Festival's Blog here Pic credit: Andy Willsher
Opening day at Reading today (August 24) saw fantastic performances from Kings Of Leon, Interpol, and The Gossip.
Early on this afternoon, the overcast grey made way for hundreds of discarded jumpers amidst bright blue sky and blazing sunshine, around the time The Gossip came on.
Our afternoon round-up from the NME/ Radio 1 stage proved to be a agreat spot for part of the afternon, The Horrors and The Enemy were certainly a great pair of festival introductions.
Other highlights today were Kings Of Leon who put in a storming Southern rock set, before Reading headliner’s Razorlight.
Razorlight played a set laden with radio chartopping-friendlies like ‘America’ and ‘Golden Touch. Johnny Borrell and co, however seem don’t appear to connect to a quicky dissipating audience, struggling to hold attention towards the end of a 90 minute set.
Tomorrow, headliners are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arcade Fire and Bloc Party.
NME/Radio 1 stage is headlined by The View, We Are Scientists and Dinosaur Jr.
Check out special Uncut Festival’s Blog here
Pic credit: Andy Willsher
Reading: Interpol: The Secret Policeman’s Ball
My girlfriend is Interpol‘s biggest fan. In the morning, I get ‘Antics’. In the afternoon, ‘Our Love To Admire’. In the evening ‘No I In Threesome’. It’s a good day which doesn’t involve the ‘Heinliech Manouevre’.
The Horrors and The Enemy: from the sublime to the successful
Finally making it onto the Carling Weekend: Reading Festival site, we ran and caught two new(ish) groups, The Horrors and The Enemy. Despite both being bigged up by the NME, the groups share little in common and have slagged each other off in the press. A fan standoff awaits?
Jimmy Eat World Preview New Songs At Carling Weekend
American rockers Jimmy Eat World are to showcase previously unheard tracks from their new album at this weekend’s Reading/Leeds Festival. The band’s sixth album, ‘Chase This Light’, is to go on sale from October 15 but the Arizona quartet will be playing two gigs at Reading on Friday and twice in Leeds on Saturday. They’ll be appearing on the Main Stage during the day and headlining the Lock-Up stage in the evening. Speaking exclusively to Uncut.co.uk, lead singer Jim Adkins reveals: “We’ll play 'Big Casino' and maybe a song called Carry You. We know what we’re doing on the Main Stage but we just don’t know totally what we’re doing on the [Lock Up] tent stage. We might add a few things.” Jimmy Eat World are the only band to be playing two sets on the same day but front-man Atkins sees the double-header of gigs as a chance for the fans to hear some of their older material. Speaking to Uncut yesterday (August 23) shortly before going onstage to present an award at the Kerrang! Music awards last night at the Truman Brewery, Atkins said: “I think it’s just an opportunity to play some different songs”. “I wouldn’t say it will be like the tour we did in America where it was all kinda mellow songs but there will be some totally different sets, different songs. We’ll play some older songs that maybe we wouldn’t normally play at a festival on a main stage.” Jimmy Eat World bassist, Rick Burch, also revealed impending tour announcements from the band to promote their new album. Burch said: “The record [Chase This Light] is going to be released this October so we’re going to tour around the States in late September until the rest of the year pretty much, and then early next year we hope to be Europe side.” Check out our full Jimmy Eat World interview here where Jim, Tom, Rick and Zach discuss “Chase This Light” at length.
American rockers Jimmy Eat World are to showcase previously unheard tracks from their new album at this weekend’s Reading/Leeds Festival.
The band’s sixth album, ‘Chase This Light’, is to go on sale from October 15 but the Arizona quartet will be playing two gigs at Reading on Friday and twice in Leeds on Saturday. They’ll be appearing on the Main Stage during the day and headlining the Lock-Up stage in the evening.
Speaking exclusively to Uncut.co.uk, lead singer Jim Adkins reveals: “We’ll play ‘Big Casino’ and maybe a song called Carry You. We know what we’re doing on the Main Stage but we just don’t know totally what we’re doing on the [Lock Up] tent stage. We might add a few things.”
Jimmy Eat World are the only band to be playing two sets on the same day but front-man Atkins sees the double-header of gigs as a chance for the fans to hear some of their older material.
Speaking to Uncut yesterday (August 23) shortly before going onstage to present an award at the Kerrang! Music awards last night at the Truman Brewery, Atkins said: “I think it’s just an opportunity to play some different songs”.
“I wouldn’t say it will be like the tour we did in America where it was all kinda mellow songs but there will be some totally different sets, different songs. We’ll play some older songs that maybe we wouldn’t normally play at a festival on a main stage.”
Jimmy Eat World bassist, Rick Burch, also revealed impending tour announcements from the band to promote their new album.
Burch said: “The record [Chase This Light] is going to be released this October so we’re going to tour around the States in late September until the rest of the year pretty much, and then early next year we hope to be Europe side.”
Check out our full Jimmy Eat World interview here where Jim, Tom, Rick and Zach discuss “Chase This Light” at length.
Countdown To Carling Weekend: The Hold Steady
Make no mistake about it; The Hold Steady are one of the greatest bands on the planet, and Uncut loves them. The Brooklyn-based outfit have produced three albums to wide critical acclaim and their last, Boys And Girls In America, was given five stars by our editor, Allan Jones. The Hold Steady will be headlining the Carling stage in Leeds on Friday and in Reading on Sunday. If their previous showstopping sets at Glastonbury and Latitude are any indication, expect lashings of material from all three of their albums to date – Boys And Girls. . ., and its predecessors, The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me and Separation Sunday. As musically dynamic as the E Street Band in their turbo-charged prime, The Hold Steady draw unashamedly on the classic rock swagger of Springsteen, the Stones and The Replacements and in Craig Finn have a lyricists whose songs are passionate hymns to the redemptive power of rock’n’roll, full of testifying rapture, soiled and tattered vignettes about live in the teenage wastelands. The Hold Steady will be headlining the Carling Stage in Leeds on Friday and on Sunday in Reading. They will be appearing alongside Peter Bjorn And John, Seasick Steve, Charlotte Hatherley, Kate Nash, Maps, Little Ones, Kubichek!, Operator Please, Republic of Loose, Kharma 45, I Was A Cub Scout, Make Model and Stalkers. Uncut.co.uk will be bringing you blogs and news throughout the weekend from the Reading site, plus pics too. Check out our festivals blog here
Make no mistake about it; The Hold Steady are one of the greatest bands on the planet, and Uncut loves them. The Brooklyn-based outfit have produced three albums to wide critical acclaim and their last, Boys And Girls In America, was given five stars by our editor, Allan Jones.
The Hold Steady will be headlining the Carling stage in Leeds on Friday and in Reading on Sunday. If their previous showstopping sets at Glastonbury and Latitude are any indication, expect lashings of material from all three of their albums to date – Boys And Girls. . ., and its predecessors, The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me and Separation Sunday.
As musically dynamic as the E Street Band in their turbo-charged prime, The Hold Steady draw unashamedly on the classic rock swagger of Springsteen, the Stones and The Replacements and in Craig Finn have a lyricists whose songs are passionate hymns to the redemptive power of rock’n’roll, full of testifying rapture, soiled and tattered vignettes about live in the teenage wastelands.
The Hold Steady will be headlining the Carling Stage in Leeds on Friday and on Sunday in Reading. They will be appearing alongside Peter Bjorn And John, Seasick Steve, Charlotte Hatherley, Kate Nash, Maps, Little Ones, Kubichek!, Operator Please, Republic of Loose, Kharma 45, I Was A Cub Scout, Make Model and Stalkers.
Uncut.co.uk will be bringing you blogs and news throughout the weekend from the Reading site, plus pics too. Check out our festivals blog here
Band Of Horses Complete Second Album
Seattle indie act ‘Band of Horses’ have announced the release of their second album, “Cease To Begin”, on October 9. Subpop Band of Horses have again made an album full of searching lyrics and a melodic blend of folk, rock and country that stems from their South Carolina surroundings. “Cease To Begin” leans slightly more towards country music whilst preserving the unique sound of their front-man Ben Bridwall. After undergoing several line-up changes, the band now consists of three members; lead singer Ben Bridwell, Rob Hampton and Creighton Barrett. Band of Horses have also announced a set of four US dates playing with rock veterans Dinasaur Jr to coincide with the promotion of their new album. Track listing for Cease To Begin: 1. Is There A Ghost 2. Ode To LRC 3. No One’s Gonna Love You 4. Detlaf Schrempf 5. The General Specific 6. Lamb On The Lam (In The City) 7. Islands On The Coast 8. Marry Song 9. Cigarettes, Wedding Bands 10. Window Blues Band of Horses & Dinasaur Jr September 2007 tour dates: Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern (September 8) San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine (9) Seattle, WA - Neumos (11) Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom (12)
Seattle indie act ‘Band of Horses’ have announced the release of their second album, “Cease To Begin”, on October 9.
Subpop Band of Horses have again made an album full of searching lyrics and a melodic blend of folk, rock and country that stems from their South Carolina surroundings. “Cease To Begin” leans slightly more towards country music whilst preserving the unique sound of their front-man Ben Bridwall.
After undergoing several line-up changes, the band now consists of three members; lead singer Ben Bridwell, Rob Hampton and Creighton Barrett.
Band of Horses have also announced a set of four US dates playing with rock veterans Dinasaur Jr to coincide with the promotion of their new album.
Track listing for Cease To Begin:
1. Is There A Ghost
2. Ode To LRC
3. No One’s Gonna Love You
4. Detlaf Schrempf
5. The General Specific
6. Lamb On The Lam (In The City)
7. Islands On The Coast
8. Marry Song
9. Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
10. Window Blues
Band of Horses & Dinasaur Jr September 2007 tour dates:
Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern (September 8)
San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine (9)
Seattle, WA – Neumos (11)
Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (12)
Can’ t stop talking about The Gossip – Main stage at Reading is go
Christ almighty, is this really Reading? On the way here my only thoughts were whether I was ready for the first underwater festival. That, and the odd hungover thought about how many records the Horrors must sell in Japan.
The Stones bring it all back home, amazingly
I had originally intended to fill this space on Wednesday with some excited words on the first of this week’s three shows by The Rolling Stones at the O2 Arena, but I had urgent business in Birmingham with a former rock god whose new album may be the best thing he’s done in nigh on 30 years. But more on that later, let’s get back to the Stones. If I’d had the chance to write about Tuesday’s show, I would have said unequivocally that it was one of the best I’ve seen them play, so good in fact in parts that I could barely imagine anything better – and this despite moments of wholly endearing sloppiness and an inclination towards the ramshackle that makes for hugely spontaneous entertainment: a version, for instance, of Rocks Off that Jagger thinks has ended, only to realise the band are carrying on without him, and an intro to an otherwise fabulous Beast Of Burden that seems like three or four different things being played simultaneously. Elsewhere, however, the Stones are in formidable form and the big set pieces are delivered with peerless aplomb, Jagger’s sensational athleticism a wonder to behold and Keith and Ronnie Wood absolutely on fire – appropriately enough, as most of the headlines the next day are about the pair flaunting the smoking ban by lighting up on stage, for which briefly the venue is threatened with a paltry fine. Anyway, I was back in North Greenwich again last night, for the second show, the end now in sight for the record-breaking Bigger Bang tour, an amen to which will be said on Sunday, a little over two years to its start in Boston and a year after they last played London, at Twickenham Stadium, shows that were an absolute masterclass in the presentation of stadium rock and how scale and spectacle doesn’t always reduce the music to an onerous irrelevancy. As great, in other words, as the shows looked, the Stones sounded even better. And so to last night, the lights going down, a familiar excitement in the air, Keith suddenly there, centre stage, a grin as big as a bus, the tectonic opening chords to Start Me Up inspiring huge cheers as Jagger, limber as a cheetah, sashaying into the fray with gleeful exuberance. What follows over the next two hours, amazingly, is even better than what had seemed definitively thrilling on Tuesday. There’s an early outing for a totally rambunctious Let’s Spend The Night Together, an entirely unexpected All Down The Line and Shine a Light, a ferocious Midnight Rambler, with much incendiary work from Keith, including at least one solo that threatens to blow the top off the former Millennium Dome. The next thing you know, Keith is threatening to bring down the house when before a charmingly wrecked You Got The Silver, he very deliberately lights up a fag, takes a generous puff and chuckling hoarsely declares: “So go ahead and bust me, man.” Whenever I write about them these days, I can fully expect a certain amount of grumpy correspondence from people who dourly and hopelessly refuse to believe that my enthusiasm for the Stones is not somehow misguided, evidence, I suppose, in the opinion of these dowdy agnostics, of an unstoppable decline into critical senility. To which point of view, I can only politely demur. The Stones tonight are simply peerless – the B-stage performances of “Miss You”, “It’s Only Rock’N’Roll”, “Satisfaction” and “Honky Tonk Women” unbelievably exciting, but still outdone by rampaging versions of “Sympathy For The Devil”, “Paint It Black”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and the closing, single, encore of “Brown Sugar”. Anyone got a ticket for Sunday they can spare? The Stones’ set list for Thursday at the O2 Arena was: Start Me Up Let’s Spendd The Night Together Rough Justice All Down The Line She’s So Cold Shine A Light Midnight Rambler I’ll Go Crazy Tumbling Dice You Got The Silver I Wanna Hold You Miss You It’s Only Rock’N’Roll Satisfaction Hionky Tonk Woemn Sympathy For The Devil Paint It Black Jumping Jack Flash Brown Sugar
I had originally intended to fill this space on Wednesday with some excited words on the first of this week’s three shows by The Rolling Stones at the O2 Arena, but I had urgent business in Birmingham with a former rock god whose new album may be the best thing he’s done in nigh on 30 years. But more on that later, let’s get back to the Stones.
Carling Weekend Reading and Leeds Kicks Off
Today (August 24) sees the annual Carling Weekend three day rock festival get started with a diverse set of headline acts from Razorlight to Smashing Pumpkins to Ash at the event’s two sites of Reading and Leeds. Weather conditions are humid at both sites, overcast but warm. Festival goers arriving onsite are carrying clothes and equipment for every eventually after the week’s heavy downpours. Forecasts for the rest of the weekend are good though, the sun is expected to arrive soon, with temperatures set to hit 26º C tomorrow. Headliners on the Main stage today in Reading are Razorlight, Kings Of Leon and Interpol, and Leeds sees the highly anticipated return of the Smashing Pumpkins to the UK plus Nine Inch Nails and Fall Out Boy. Leeds today, also sees Klaxons, LCD Soundsystem and CSS all bring some colourful dance action to the festival on the NME/ Radio 1 stage. The Reading site is hosting the first day of the Lock-Up stage – for alternative acts such Mad Caddies, The Bronx and The Living End. The part emo, part hardcore stage this year takes up two days, instead of the usual one. Jimmy Eat World are headlining tonight at the Lock-Up, shortly after playing a Main stage set too. The NME/Radio 1 stage will today see performances from Ash, Enter Shikari and The Enemy, the Coventry boys are one of the few bands not playing at both sites over the weekend - they have prior engagements opening up for the Rolling Stones on their final UK date this Sunday at the 02 Arena. Uncut.co.uk will be bringing you blogs and news throughout the day from the Reading site, plus pics too. Check out our festivals blog here
Today (August 24) sees the annual Carling Weekend three day rock festival get started with a diverse set of headline acts from Razorlight to Smashing Pumpkins to Ash at the event’s two sites of Reading and Leeds.
Weather conditions are humid at both sites, overcast but warm. Festival goers arriving onsite are carrying clothes and equipment for every eventually after the week’s heavy downpours. Forecasts for the rest of the weekend are good though, the sun is expected to arrive soon, with temperatures set to hit 26º C tomorrow.
Headliners on the Main stage today in Reading are Razorlight, Kings Of Leon and Interpol, and Leeds sees the highly anticipated return of the Smashing Pumpkins to the UK plus Nine Inch Nails and Fall Out Boy.
Leeds today, also sees Klaxons, LCD Soundsystem and CSS all bring some colourful dance action to the festival on the NME/ Radio 1 stage.
The Reading site is hosting the first day of the Lock-Up stage – for alternative acts such Mad Caddies, The Bronx and The Living End. The part emo, part hardcore stage this year takes up two days, instead of the usual one. Jimmy Eat World are headlining tonight at the Lock-Up, shortly after playing a Main stage set too.
The NME/Radio 1 stage will today see performances from Ash, Enter Shikari and The Enemy, the Coventry boys are one of the few bands not playing at both sites over the weekend – they have prior engagements opening up for the Rolling Stones on their final UK date this Sunday at the 02 Arena.
Uncut.co.uk will be bringing you blogs and news throughout the day from the Reading site, plus pics too. Check out our festivals blog here
Jimmy Eats World
Uncut: Your fans tend to be a little bit crazy, but how do the British crowds compare to their American and European counterparts? JA: Culturally it’s different country by country. I don’t think it’s a Jimmy Eat World specific thing. European audiences just seem to have made up their mind when they go out where as American audiences are waiting to be blown away. There’s a lot more dancing at European shows. Could that be due to drinking age being lower in Britain and Europe? JA: Haha, maybe, didn’t think of that. You are playing two sets at Reading/Leeds festival in both cities. How will they differ? JA: “I think it’s just an opportunity to play some different songs. I wouldn’t say it will be like the tour we did in America where it was all kinda mellow songs but there will be some totally different sets, different songs. We’ll play some older songs that maybe we wouldn’t normally play at a festival on a main stage.” Will you be playing many of the songs from the upcoming album? Which ones? “We’ll play Big Casino and maybe a song called Carry You. We know what we’re doing on the Main Stage but we just don’t know totally what we’re doing on the [Lock Up] tent stage. We might add a few things.” The new album is a bit more upbeat, while keeping some of the broodier songs…but it’s a different sound, isn’t it? JA: “We’re all still the same people and we all have our over reaching ideas of what we like and then bring that to the band. To me that sounds like us. It’s hard for us to answer that. We don’t really think a whole lot about ‘us’. We never recorded songs thinking ‘should we be recording this? Does it sound like us’? We typically like to try out new things, and have a variety of songs. Nothing was calculated about it. I think it’s just where we are, and where our heads are as a band and what we count as challenging and fun to play, and if it ends up being categorized as more mainstream rock - so be it.” Butch Vig, who produced your new album is known for taking bands from their own sub-genre (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins) and making them mainstream success stories. Is this one of the directions you wanted to take; move away completely from the ‘emo-core’ sound of Clarity and embrace mainstream rock? JA: “I think Butch got into the process of helping us to make our record. There was never a time we felt Butch was trying to make his record. He really didn’t come in and dictate how it should be. It was more like ‘this is working, this sounds good’, or maybe ‘this isn’t working, how can we make this different’. [His contribution was] feedback that’s usable for us to come to our conclusion and to implement in the way that we would as a band and in a way that’s natural.” Jimmy Eat World have always been labelled ‘emo’ or some other tag by the media, is that frustrating? JA: “I don’t think music can be put into such easy sound-bite description. ‘Emo’ or pick whatever subgenre, it’s a little bit of lazy journalism to say ‘check out this ‘emo’ band’ - it doesn’t describe anything and its not an academic description.” What does ‘Chase This Light’ mean for Jimmy Eat World? ZL: “I think in general all the songs have different lyrical things and meanings but as a whole I think the album represents the band sound of our “Futures” [album] era. Recording and touring for that record there was a lot of adjustments we had to make and difficulty getting through that and I think as a whole the record seems like a response or a natural bounce back to that more optimistic outlook and that’s kind of where I think we are as a band. More optimistic, healthier point view.” Big Casino is the next single from the album, why did you choose that song in particular? JA: “It’s kind of in the context of the record it’s doing its part and from a DJ perspective it just works as a good rock song to kick it off.” RB: Maybe the reason we wanted to put it first in the album is kind of the same reason we thought it might make a good first single. I think it’s definitely a new sound for us on that one.” What’s the most likely follow up to Big Casino? ZL: “I like Fire Fight a lot, I think it’s my favourite song lyrically. It could be the second single. It’s definitely a contender for the second single but lets wait and see.” In the past you have always toured very heavily to promote your albums. Can we expect any announcements soon? “The record [Chase This Light] is going to be released this October so we’re going to tour around the States in late September until the rest of the year pretty much, and then early next year we hope to be Europe side.”
Uncut: Your fans tend to be a little bit crazy, but how do the British crowds compare to their American and European counterparts?
JA: Culturally it’s different country by country. I don’t think it’s a Jimmy Eat World specific thing. European audiences just seem to have made up their mind when they go out where as American audiences are waiting to be blown away. There’s a lot more dancing at European shows.
Could that be due to drinking age being lower in Britain and Europe?
JA: Haha, maybe, didn’t think of that.
You are playing two sets at Reading/Leeds festival in both cities. How will they differ?
JA: “I think it’s just an opportunity to play some different songs. I wouldn’t say it will be like the tour we did in America where it was all kinda mellow songs but there will be some totally different sets, different songs. We’ll play some older songs that maybe we wouldn’t normally play at a festival on a main stage.”
Will you be playing many of the songs from the upcoming album? Which ones?
“We’ll play Big Casino and maybe a song called Carry You. We know what we’re doing on the Main Stage but we just don’t know totally what we’re doing on the [Lock Up] tent stage. We might add a few things.”
The new album is a bit more upbeat, while keeping some of the broodier songs…but it’s a different sound, isn’t it?
JA: “We’re all still the same people and we all have our over reaching ideas of what we like and then bring that to the band. To me that sounds like us. It’s hard for us to answer that. We don’t really think a whole lot about ‘us’. We never recorded songs thinking ‘should we be recording this? Does it sound like us’? We typically like to try out new things, and have a variety of songs. Nothing was calculated about it. I think it’s just where we are, and where our heads are as a band and what we count as challenging and fun to play, and if it ends up being categorized as more mainstream rock – so be it.”
Butch Vig, who produced your new album is known for taking bands from their own sub-genre (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins) and making them mainstream success stories. Is this one of the directions you wanted to take; move away completely from the ‘emo-core’ sound of Clarity and embrace mainstream rock?
JA: “I think Butch got into the process of helping us to make our record. There was never a time we felt Butch was trying to make his record. He really didn’t come in and dictate how it should be. It was more like ‘this is working, this sounds good’, or maybe ‘this isn’t working, how can we make this different’. [His contribution was] feedback that’s usable for us to come to our conclusion and to implement in the way that we would as a band and in a way that’s natural.”
Jimmy Eat World have always been labelled ‘emo’ or some other tag by the media, is that frustrating?
JA: “I don’t think music can be put into such easy sound-bite description. ‘Emo’ or pick whatever subgenre, it’s a little bit of lazy journalism to say ‘check out this ‘emo’ band’ – it doesn’t describe anything and its not an academic description.”
What does ‘Chase This Light’ mean for Jimmy Eat World?
ZL: “I think in general all the songs have different lyrical things and meanings but as a whole I think the album represents the band sound of our “Futures” [album] era. Recording and touring for that record there was a lot of adjustments we had to make and difficulty getting through that and I think as a whole the record seems like a response or a natural bounce back to that more optimistic outlook and that’s kind of where I think we are as a band. More optimistic, healthier point view.”
Big Casino is the next single from the album, why did you choose that song in particular?
JA: “It’s kind of in the context of the record it’s doing its part and from a DJ perspective it just works as a good rock song to kick it off.”
RB: Maybe the reason we wanted to put it first in the album is kind of the same reason we thought it might make a good first single. I think it’s definitely a new sound for us on that one.”
What’s the most likely follow up to Big Casino?
ZL: “I like Fire Fight a lot, I think it’s my favourite song lyrically. It could be the second single. It’s definitely a contender for the second single but lets wait and see.”
In the past you have always toured very heavily to promote your albums. Can we expect any announcements soon?
“The record [Chase This Light] is going to be released this October so we’re going to tour around the States in late September until the rest of the year pretty much, and then early next year we hope to be Europe side.”
R.E.M. Release First Live Album
R.E.M. release their first ever live album on October 16. Titled with barnstorming simplicity, R.E.M. Live is a two-CD plus DVD set recorded on february 27 at Dublin's Point Theatre during the band's 116-date 2005 world tour. Content for the show spanned the band's 27-year career, although the bulk of the playlist was drawn from their then current Around The Sun album. The set also features the previously unreleased I'm Going To DJ. The full track listing for the album is: I Took Your Name So Fast, So Numb Boy In The Well Cuyahoga Everybody Hurts Electron Blue Bad Day The Ascent Of Man The Great Beyond Leaving New York Orange Crush I Wanted To Be Wrong Final Straw Imitation Of Life The One I Love Walk Unafraid Losing My religion What's The Frequency, kenneth? Drive (Don't Go Back To) Rockville I'm Gonna DJ Man On The Moon
R.E.M. release their first ever live album on October 16.
Titled with barnstorming simplicity, R.E.M. Live is a two-CD plus DVD set recorded on february 27 at Dublin’s Point Theatre during the band’s 116-date 2005 world tour.
Content for the show spanned the band’s 27-year career, although the bulk of the playlist was drawn from their then current Around The Sun album. The set also features the previously unreleased I’m Going To DJ.
The full track listing for the album is:
I Took Your Name
So Fast, So Numb
Boy In The Well
Cuyahoga
Everybody Hurts
Electron Blue
Bad Day
The Ascent Of Man
The Great Beyond
Leaving New York
Orange Crush
I Wanted To Be Wrong
Final Straw
Imitation Of Life
The One I Love
Walk Unafraid
Losing My religion
What’s The Frequency, kenneth?
Drive
(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
I’m Gonna DJ
Man On The Moon
First Look — David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises
Regular readers of UNCUT will recall that Cronenberg's last film, A History Of Violence, was our Film Of The Year in 2005. This, set among the Russian mob relocated to London's East End, is something of a companion piece, and further proof that Cronenberg is enjoying a third act revival in his fortunes. The film's written by Steve Knight, who also wrote the script for Stephen Frears' film, Dirty Pretty Things. It's located in a roughly similar milieu, of immigrants in London. Eastern Promises also finds Cronenberg re-teaming with his A History Of Violence leading man, Viggo Mortensen, here playing Nikolai, a driver for the Russian crime organisation, Vory V Zakone, who're headed up by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and his son, Kirill (Vincent Cassell), who's apparently channelling the same levels of volatility and belligerence last seen in Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. Our entry point into this world comes from Anna (Naomi Watts), a second-generation Russian who works as a nurse. She assists the delivery of a baby to a 14 year-old Russian girl, who dies giving birth. Anna takes it upon herself to trace the girl's relatives, via her diary, which eventually finds her encountering the Vory V Zakone. If A History Of Violence was a commentary on role of violence in American society and culture, an exploration on shifting identity and a cracking thriller, Eastern Promises riffs on similar themes. But it says something about the population churn in the capital that, 10 years ago, an East End crime thriller would have starred Vinnie Jones and a bunch of bullet-headed Krays wannabees. Now, it's the Russians. And they're pretty fearsome. Anna finds herself confronting sex trafficking, drugs and murder. Watching the poor teenage Russian girls, dead-eyed and listless, who're paraded in front of Kirill and Nikolai in one scene, I'm reminded of Lukas Moodysson's unforgettably bleak Lilya 4-Ever. Both A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises explore the impact of violence on the family unit -- here, it's the relationship between Anna, her mother and uncle, as well as Semyon and Kirill. Cronenberg and Knight also address notions of loyalty -- Vory V Zakone means thieves-in-law but, typically, there's very little honour to these men, and what binds them seems very easy to unravel. Viggo, of course, is excellent, as Nikolai -- stoical, calm, emotionally disengaged. As with a Cronenberg film, things are a little tricksy, so I won't explain further. There's moments of extreme violence -- throats are cut, a corpse has its finger tips removed to avoid identification, one poor unfortunate has a knife stabbed into his eye -- levened by some cruel, dark humour. In one scene, naked and tattooed, Nikolai has to fight off two hitman in a Turkish bath, which borders on the camp. Cronenberg shoots the whole thing in a grainy, understated palette, showing a hazy, nocturnal London, both frightening and strangely alluring. After faltering with Spider, he seems to have found his feet again. And that he seems to be happy proding and poking around the crime movie genre is no bad thing. After all, if it stops Guy Ritchie making another Right Royal Barrel Of Cockney Monkeys, we can only applaud. Eastern Promises opens this year's London Film Festival before it gets a full release on October 26.
Regular readers of UNCUT will recall that Cronenberg’s last film, A History Of Violence, was our Film Of The Year in 2005. This, set among the Russian mob relocated to London’s East End, is something of a companion piece, and further proof that Cronenberg is enjoying a third act revival in his fortunes.