The 'two-footed tackle' has come under intense scrutiny in the football media over the past two weeks as the latest scurge to plague the beautiful game. Once it was the elbow, now it is the indignant and unnecessary lunge with studs showing that has raised concern. Whether it was Robbie Keane's sending off versus Birmingham City that reignited the debate, the talk has been growing louder in recent days, and yet Ricardo Carvalho still incredulously jumped in on Gabriel Agbonhlahor on Boxing Day in such a fashion that demanded an instant dismissal.
But, as pundits would point out, the consistency of referees in applying the laws of the game has been questionable. But surely it's a matter of common sense first and foremost that if you come in a) from behind b) with two feet off the ground and sometimes c) over the ball, you have to walk. Without a doubt. It's a universal absolute for the game.
So what excuses this then? The fact that it's not the Premiership? The fact that the referee is a woman? Neither. Usually when I'm at a game like this, things flash quickly by but I was convinced at the time he should have walked. It could have been passed off as slightly-drunken bias but when the post-match photos surface, and you're proved right, it's near unbelievable that Ms Rayner (looking straight at the incident) cannot apply the laws correctly.
Play continues, Stevenage goalkeeper Alan Julian clears out of play to allow Stuart Lewis treatment, but he's back to his feet before the ball goes out. Rushden attack, win a corner and wonder why Boro' players aren't amused. Cue brawl, and a booking for Julian (plus a Rushden player). So what should have been a straight-red for Rushden becomes a booking for the opposition goalkeeper... But be warned, it's usually the most inconsistent referees from the Blue Square Premier that earn a promotion come the end of the year.
Who says it's a British trait to reward failure?
27 December 2007
22 December 2007
Cod pub rock??
Seriously, there's not much on the internet that gets me bothered enough to post some form of comeback. You see, I like to play the "those who speak, don't know; those who know, don't speak" card that, in all honesty, has varying results.
Then again, there's not much on the internet like this. Admittedly, I am a massive Manics fan - they were the first band who made music relevant to me at the tender age of 14. They put books on my shelves I may never have discovered, and added CDs to my collection I may never have considered.
But, to your eternal delight I'm sure, this is not an impassioned, one-sided tirade cursing Leonie Cooper for daring to cross my opinion. I want to be a journalist, disagreements are par for the course. I couldn't give two shits if said author doesn't like the Manics - enough people don't, so I'm definitely not going to start a war I can never win.
The issue I have a problem with how the piece is written. For an article dealing with the news that the Welsh band are to be awarded 'Godlike Genius' status by the ever-reliable NME next year, most of the discussion is a second-rate explanation as to why Cooper dislikes the band. There are two immediate things which strike me - 1) Is this news really worth getting that worked up over? I'm not overly concerned with what the NME choose to bestow upon a band they've had a fifteen-year-plus love-hate relationship with. And 2) what exactly is the justification for the use of 'cod' - is it because it rhymes with 'god'? Who knows.
And then there's the killer material - 'pantomime Stereophonics'. A truly evocative claim. But the facts, surely, speak for themselves in that MSP have had greater commercial and artistic success than their Welsh counterparts, so elevating Kelly Jones et al above the Manics seems as an ill-conceived idea. If you want pantomime, think Stuart Cable!
If it's a genuine dislike for the Manics, then fine. And yes, I guess as a blog it is going to be more personal. But I still think the outright critique was a tad unnecessary. Mind you, if it were Keane, The Feeling or Snow Patrol up for the award, I could perhaps understand how it might be hard to bite your lip before pressing the 'publish post' button.
But there we go. I've had a little say on the matter, and in truth have said very little. I'm sure I had a point based around the idea of the search for a little balance. Conceding one song in a long list of songs to be good is not quite there in my opinion. Anyway, there's enough time for that sort of Manic-bashing when the next record comes out. But I'll still buy it, and I'll still (hopefully) enjoy it. Because while I grimace at the idea of 'Godlike Genius' awards, the Manics have done more for British music in the last 20 years than some others have, and I'm not sure if one can deny that. Still, in the words of Public Image - "I could be wrong, I could be right..."
Then again, there's not much on the internet like this. Admittedly, I am a massive Manics fan - they were the first band who made music relevant to me at the tender age of 14. They put books on my shelves I may never have discovered, and added CDs to my collection I may never have considered.
But, to your eternal delight I'm sure, this is not an impassioned, one-sided tirade cursing Leonie Cooper for daring to cross my opinion. I want to be a journalist, disagreements are par for the course. I couldn't give two shits if said author doesn't like the Manics - enough people don't, so I'm definitely not going to start a war I can never win.
The issue I have a problem with how the piece is written. For an article dealing with the news that the Welsh band are to be awarded 'Godlike Genius' status by the ever-reliable NME next year, most of the discussion is a second-rate explanation as to why Cooper dislikes the band. There are two immediate things which strike me - 1) Is this news really worth getting that worked up over? I'm not overly concerned with what the NME choose to bestow upon a band they've had a fifteen-year-plus love-hate relationship with. And 2) what exactly is the justification for the use of 'cod' - is it because it rhymes with 'god'? Who knows.
And then there's the killer material - 'pantomime Stereophonics'. A truly evocative claim. But the facts, surely, speak for themselves in that MSP have had greater commercial and artistic success than their Welsh counterparts, so elevating Kelly Jones et al above the Manics seems as an ill-conceived idea. If you want pantomime, think Stuart Cable!
If it's a genuine dislike for the Manics, then fine. And yes, I guess as a blog it is going to be more personal. But I still think the outright critique was a tad unnecessary. Mind you, if it were Keane, The Feeling or Snow Patrol up for the award, I could perhaps understand how it might be hard to bite your lip before pressing the 'publish post' button.
But there we go. I've had a little say on the matter, and in truth have said very little. I'm sure I had a point based around the idea of the search for a little balance. Conceding one song in a long list of songs to be good is not quite there in my opinion. Anyway, there's enough time for that sort of Manic-bashing when the next record comes out. But I'll still buy it, and I'll still (hopefully) enjoy it. Because while I grimace at the idea of 'Godlike Genius' awards, the Manics have done more for British music in the last 20 years than some others have, and I'm not sure if one can deny that. Still, in the words of Public Image - "I could be wrong, I could be right..."
9 December 2007
Kevin Pietersen - Form and Fortune?
It's a bit frustrating to wake up on a Sunday morning and find that a test match has started out in Sri Lanka. Perhaps as an England fan, I'm automatically programmed to a Thursday-Monday timetable - even a Friday start throws me occasionally, so Sunday starts are completely new. I mean, this match will be running through to Thursday should it go the distance. Hardly conducive to the productivity of us armchair fans back in Blighty trying to get TMS to kick in at 3.45am.
But the most frustrating part of the affair is to wake up and see that Kevin Pietersen is gone, cheaply, and that England are straddling the line between collapse and rearguard action. At 4am (roughly, I wasn't in the best state to confirm), England were looking imperious on 160-1. So to be 258-5 at stumps is not the best of scenarios. And yes, there are mitigating factors that can explain the slump, and yes, England still can go on and get a score of 400+ as things stand. But the one score that worries me from the scorecard is:
It's not an exaggeration to say that England look to KP to get some runs on the board. He is, without doubt, a superb batsman of the modern game. Aggressive, astute and elegant. When facing bowlers like Muralitharan, you need batsmen who have the confidence to play him effectively. Coming in at number four, with such a solid base laid courtesy of Cook and Vaughan, it's the sort of opportunity that KP is most devastating at exploiting. It's that time of the game when he can take the game well away from an opponent. But at the same time, should he fail, the opposition know that they've made their task easier by removing him.
That's not to say that England will automatically collapse when KP walks. But the pressure that then gets put onto players like Collingwood, Bopara and Prior is intensified. The selectors took a while to cotton on to the qualities of Collingwood but if ever a player will get valuable runs regardless of the game's state, Collingwood is someone England can turn to more often than not. But it's not a fail-safe.
With England precariously positioned, Colly sits on 49no with Prior finding his batting form on this tour on 10no. Bopara's already back in the hutch for a first-ball duck and early wickets tomorrow morning will expose the tail. While Broad and Sidebottom can bat, any runs they contribute are more of a luxury. Further more, as often as I insist that Monty is on the verge of a 50 at number 11, it doesn't materialise. Even a repeat of his 26 vs Sri Lanka at Edgbaston would be welcome.
So we come back to Pietersen. Last summer against India he hit big centuries that helped combat the potent threat of the tourists' batting line-up, albeit in vain come the end of the series. But after three innings in Sri Lanka, his cumulative score is a mere 50, with a best of 31. If England are going to look for victory in Colombo this week, they need KP to hit big in the second innings.
His first innings dismissal for a single run is looking controversial in terms of whether the ball was grounded rather than caught legally. So in this instance, perhaps fortune was not on his side. If Michael Vaughan is aggrieved by the dismissal then the decision must have been a bad one. But umpires making erroneous calls are sadly part of the game. Sreesanth should have been given out at Lords last summer, Sidebottom should have been given not out in the last test... you can't legislate for such decisions. But KP can legislate for his own game, and if he can get it right in the second innings then it will be to England's massive benefit (and relief?).
But much depends on where the game is tomorrow morning. If England can muster some sort of first innings lead, then the pressure is on the Sri Lankans. And that is where Pietersen can come in and take the game out of the reach of the hosts on Day 4. If England trail heavily from the first innings (and this is a worst case scenario), then the pressure is on England to save the game and it will inevitably stifle batting. And consciously trying to stay in seems to be the time when you are most likely to get out.
It's alright though. Monty WILL get a half-century tomorrow morning. And a 10-fer. And Sports Personality of the Year... oh wait!
But the most frustrating part of the affair is to wake up and see that Kevin Pietersen is gone, cheaply, and that England are straddling the line between collapse and rearguard action. At 4am (roughly, I wasn't in the best state to confirm), England were looking imperious on 160-1. So to be 258-5 at stumps is not the best of scenarios. And yes, there are mitigating factors that can explain the slump, and yes, England still can go on and get a score of 400+ as things stand. But the one score that worries me from the scorecard is:
| Pietersen | c Sangakkara | b Vaas | 1 |
It's not an exaggeration to say that England look to KP to get some runs on the board. He is, without doubt, a superb batsman of the modern game. Aggressive, astute and elegant. When facing bowlers like Muralitharan, you need batsmen who have the confidence to play him effectively. Coming in at number four, with such a solid base laid courtesy of Cook and Vaughan, it's the sort of opportunity that KP is most devastating at exploiting. It's that time of the game when he can take the game well away from an opponent. But at the same time, should he fail, the opposition know that they've made their task easier by removing him.
That's not to say that England will automatically collapse when KP walks. But the pressure that then gets put onto players like Collingwood, Bopara and Prior is intensified. The selectors took a while to cotton on to the qualities of Collingwood but if ever a player will get valuable runs regardless of the game's state, Collingwood is someone England can turn to more often than not. But it's not a fail-safe.
With England precariously positioned, Colly sits on 49no with Prior finding his batting form on this tour on 10no. Bopara's already back in the hutch for a first-ball duck and early wickets tomorrow morning will expose the tail. While Broad and Sidebottom can bat, any runs they contribute are more of a luxury. Further more, as often as I insist that Monty is on the verge of a 50 at number 11, it doesn't materialise. Even a repeat of his 26 vs Sri Lanka at Edgbaston would be welcome.
So we come back to Pietersen. Last summer against India he hit big centuries that helped combat the potent threat of the tourists' batting line-up, albeit in vain come the end of the series. But after three innings in Sri Lanka, his cumulative score is a mere 50, with a best of 31. If England are going to look for victory in Colombo this week, they need KP to hit big in the second innings.
His first innings dismissal for a single run is looking controversial in terms of whether the ball was grounded rather than caught legally. So in this instance, perhaps fortune was not on his side. If Michael Vaughan is aggrieved by the dismissal then the decision must have been a bad one. But umpires making erroneous calls are sadly part of the game. Sreesanth should have been given out at Lords last summer, Sidebottom should have been given not out in the last test... you can't legislate for such decisions. But KP can legislate for his own game, and if he can get it right in the second innings then it will be to England's massive benefit (and relief?).
But much depends on where the game is tomorrow morning. If England can muster some sort of first innings lead, then the pressure is on the Sri Lankans. And that is where Pietersen can come in and take the game out of the reach of the hosts on Day 4. If England trail heavily from the first innings (and this is a worst case scenario), then the pressure is on England to save the game and it will inevitably stifle batting. And consciously trying to stay in seems to be the time when you are most likely to get out.
It's alright though. Monty WILL get a half-century tomorrow morning. And a 10-fer. And Sports Personality of the Year... oh wait!
8 December 2007
Manic Street Preachers - Ghost of Christmas
There was a time when Christmas singles were shamelessly fun... long before the days of pretentious X-Factor wannabes cluttering up stockings around the country. Not since Mr Blobby has there been a Christmas song I've thought worthy of listening to. I toyed with Proper Crim-bo! a few years ago but I mean, come on.
So, in keeping with the goodwill to all men and such bollocks, Manic Street Preachers have recorded a Christmas song for shits and giggles and made it free for download off their official website. There was talk that Ghost of Christmas was pencilled in for a proper release but you could cite reasons such as losing bottle for that not eventually happening. Depends who you want to believe.
Releasing this track properly wouldn't have been a crime. In fact, it may even have pushed other Number One contenders hard. It's deliciously glam, albeit with the chugging power chords that wouldn't necessarily be out of place on a standard MSP b-side. But the ingredients for a successful Xmas track are all over this three-and-a-half minute beauty.
There may be a distinct lack of sleigh bells over the verses, but there are the obligatory tubular bells and a glorious - YES, glorious - saxophone solo ripped straight out of the Dexy's instrument archive, or maybe lifted straight off the Whose Line is it Anyway? theme. Oh, and there's also the rousing sing-along chorus. So why not take a chance and let rip on an unsuspecting public in the year that credibility was restored through Send Away the Tigers?
I guess it depends on what the Manics wanted to achieve in the first place. But maybe, for the fans, it's all the more nicer to have something tucked away from prying eyes. It certainly sits on my Christmas playlist... Leona fucking Lewis does not.
So, in keeping with the goodwill to all men and such bollocks, Manic Street Preachers have recorded a Christmas song for shits and giggles and made it free for download off their official website. There was talk that Ghost of Christmas was pencilled in for a proper release but you could cite reasons such as losing bottle for that not eventually happening. Depends who you want to believe.
Releasing this track properly wouldn't have been a crime. In fact, it may even have pushed other Number One contenders hard. It's deliciously glam, albeit with the chugging power chords that wouldn't necessarily be out of place on a standard MSP b-side. But the ingredients for a successful Xmas track are all over this three-and-a-half minute beauty.
There may be a distinct lack of sleigh bells over the verses, but there are the obligatory tubular bells and a glorious - YES, glorious - saxophone solo ripped straight out of the Dexy's instrument archive, or maybe lifted straight off the Whose Line is it Anyway? theme. Oh, and there's also the rousing sing-along chorus. So why not take a chance and let rip on an unsuspecting public in the year that credibility was restored through Send Away the Tigers?
I guess it depends on what the Manics wanted to achieve in the first place. But maybe, for the fans, it's all the more nicer to have something tucked away from prying eyes. It certainly sits on my Christmas playlist... Leona fucking Lewis does not.
28 November 2007
In the beginning.... 2003
After the void of Britpop had horrifically let in the nu-metal regime at the turn of the millennium, it took an American band to show the Brits how to play their own game. The Strokes were both a blessing and a disaster for British music - it reinvented intelligent guitar music but at the same time slammed the Brits for letting themselves get in such a mess that the resurrection had to be pre-empted across the pond.
The response was swift, however, as 2002 acted as the bedding ground for a new wave of British guitar music that would act as the foundation for the indie explosion we're still experiencing. When The Libertines released Up the Bracket in October 2002, the album may have skimmed the lower end of the top 40, but more significantly, it ushered in a new literary era of British guitar music. The Coral soon followed, Placebo struck success with Sleeping with Ghosts and then Athlete arrived.
Listening back to Vehicles and Animals four years on is a joy. It is an utterly superb album; wistful melancholy that exuded euphoria. You only had to witness them at the V festival that year to gauge just how much impact their debut album had been. Yeah, so some of the lyrics weren't exactly challenging - "fly to El Salvador; I don't know why and I don't know what for" but it didn't matter. The Brits were back on top. And Athlete were serious contenders to be one of those at the front of the pack with Pete & Carl.
In the same whirlwind in which it came it almost unravelled itself. The Libs twisted tore their love apart at the height of their popularity, and even a number one album couldn't help that in September 2004. In fact, The Libertines was harrowing in some points. We delved into a conversation between two embattled friends that we really perhaps shouldn't have. And then there was Athlete, whose February 2005 album Tourist was a retreat further into the mist of despair, and the end result was a number one album, but a drastic decline in form.
The Brits had fought back against their American counterparts, despite heavyweight competition from Foo Fighters and Green Day. And within a year of doing so, it was back on the precipice. The Killers were lurking with Mr Brightside and White Stripes were always ready to take the initiative. And so the Brits looked desperately sideways, backwards, upwards, downwards and dug out Kaiser Chiefs, The Futureheads and Bloc Party. Saved, again.
From the uncertainty of appeal surrounding British guitar music after the public, painful explosion of The Libertines' Arcadian dream - uncertainty which unfairly claimed the record contracts of Dogs and The Paddingtons, there was salvation. Since then, British music has been unchecked in a meteoric rise. Yes, American indie still breaks through but it's struggled especially after Arctic Monkeys blew all preconceptions out of the water. It's not even the mainstream that needs appraisal... the undercurrent of British indie bands is very strong at present - The Rifles, Milburn, The Holloways, The Maccabees.
The danger now is the saturation of guitar bands. Of course, musical epochs move in cycles, and one suspects the British 'indie' revival since 2003 is not going to last forever. Even now it seems to be moving towards (or should that be back) to the rave culture of the early 1990s. Whether Klaxons, Hadouken!, et al can extract enough from the new rave movement to create the new world order remains to be seen, but even they owe much to the past four years, and must not be forgotten that when two likely lads from Bethnal Green decided to take up the challenge, it opened the floodgates to surround us with the talent that we enjoy today.
The response was swift, however, as 2002 acted as the bedding ground for a new wave of British guitar music that would act as the foundation for the indie explosion we're still experiencing. When The Libertines released Up the Bracket in October 2002, the album may have skimmed the lower end of the top 40, but more significantly, it ushered in a new literary era of British guitar music. The Coral soon followed, Placebo struck success with Sleeping with Ghosts and then Athlete arrived.
Listening back to Vehicles and Animals four years on is a joy. It is an utterly superb album; wistful melancholy that exuded euphoria. You only had to witness them at the V festival that year to gauge just how much impact their debut album had been. Yeah, so some of the lyrics weren't exactly challenging - "fly to El Salvador; I don't know why and I don't know what for" but it didn't matter. The Brits were back on top. And Athlete were serious contenders to be one of those at the front of the pack with Pete & Carl.
In the same whirlwind in which it came it almost unravelled itself. The Libs twisted tore their love apart at the height of their popularity, and even a number one album couldn't help that in September 2004. In fact, The Libertines was harrowing in some points. We delved into a conversation between two embattled friends that we really perhaps shouldn't have. And then there was Athlete, whose February 2005 album Tourist was a retreat further into the mist of despair, and the end result was a number one album, but a drastic decline in form.
The Brits had fought back against their American counterparts, despite heavyweight competition from Foo Fighters and Green Day. And within a year of doing so, it was back on the precipice. The Killers were lurking with Mr Brightside and White Stripes were always ready to take the initiative. And so the Brits looked desperately sideways, backwards, upwards, downwards and dug out Kaiser Chiefs, The Futureheads and Bloc Party. Saved, again.
From the uncertainty of appeal surrounding British guitar music after the public, painful explosion of The Libertines' Arcadian dream - uncertainty which unfairly claimed the record contracts of Dogs and The Paddingtons, there was salvation. Since then, British music has been unchecked in a meteoric rise. Yes, American indie still breaks through but it's struggled especially after Arctic Monkeys blew all preconceptions out of the water. It's not even the mainstream that needs appraisal... the undercurrent of British indie bands is very strong at present - The Rifles, Milburn, The Holloways, The Maccabees.
The danger now is the saturation of guitar bands. Of course, musical epochs move in cycles, and one suspects the British 'indie' revival since 2003 is not going to last forever. Even now it seems to be moving towards (or should that be back) to the rave culture of the early 1990s. Whether Klaxons, Hadouken!, et al can extract enough from the new rave movement to create the new world order remains to be seen, but even they owe much to the past four years, and must not be forgotten that when two likely lads from Bethnal Green decided to take up the challenge, it opened the floodgates to surround us with the talent that we enjoy today.
26 November 2007
VWF @ Buffalo, 16 November
"Now's the time, If I'm right then we've come to the end of the line"
Future offerings:
Foals @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 26 November
Future offerings:
Foals @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 26 November
Single Reviews: Make Model, Bearsuit etc
Bearsuit - Foxy Boxer
DeVotchKa - You Love Me
Make Model - The Was
Munch Munch - Wedding
Some album mutterings coming soon.
DeVotchKa - You Love Me
Make Model - The Was
Munch Munch - Wedding
Some album mutterings coming soon.
22 November 2007
The Pigeon Detectives @ Sin City, Swansea, 13 November
Floozey woozey moosic in the pretty shitty city
Future offerings:
Foals @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 26 November
Future offerings:
Foals @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 26 November
20 November 2007
The Cribs @ The Great Hall, Cardiff, 9 November
Not close and not personal, but a review all the same
Future offerings:
The Pigeon Detectives @ Sin City, Swansea, 13 November
VWF @ Buffalo, Cardiff, 16 November
Foals @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 26 November
...and maybe some CD reviews. Oh gosh, how sexy.
Future offerings:
The Pigeon Detectives @ Sin City, Swansea, 13 November
VWF @ Buffalo, Cardiff, 16 November
Foals @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 26 November
...and maybe some CD reviews. Oh gosh, how sexy.
5 November 2007
Songs To Drive Cars By?
Driving is always, nay ALWAYS, made better by the quality of music coming out of the speakers. Especially if there is a middle-lane hogger coming into view and the blood pressure starts to rise. So, having spent many days during the summer driving long hours to distant places - Swansea, Cardiff, Droylsden, Crawley (not that far, but ahem, M25), it made me think about what would be my ultimate 20-track mixtape (CD, you know what I mean).
Given that I'm currently about to face a proverbial firing squad, I thought I'd actually put my thoughts into pure, hard copy. It's a bit like picking a fantasy football team, knowing that two weeks down the line you'll wish you'd waited for that last-day-of-summer-signing that would make your line-up even better.
It's going to be contentious whatever. Jeremy Clarkson for one won't agree - there's no heavy stuff on it... well there might be, I still haven't fully thought this through. I was hoping it would take me where I'd want to go (not Gravesend). Anyway, there are no rules - no limits to age of track, no limits on amount of times a band is included etc. That's not to say anything goes, because I'm not including cheese. So like the hardest of anti-climax, here we go - 20 songs for killing an hour in a car:
1. The Cribs - Men's Needs
2. The Maccabees - X-Ray
3. Hadouken! - That Boy, That Girl
4. Bloc Party - The Prayer (Hadouken! mix)
5. Metric - Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT mix)
6. VWF - Burst Into Flames
7. Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone (Hadouken! mix)
8. The Cribs - Hey Scenesters!
9. Manic Street Preachers - You Love Us (Heavenly mix)
10. Those Dancing Days - Those Dancing Days
11. The Rifles - She's Got Standards
12. Foals - Hummer
13. Reverend and the Makers - He Said He Loved Me
14. Pigeon Detectives - I Found Out
15. The Clash - Safe European Home
16. Dogs -Tuned To A Different Station
17. Metro Riots - Butcher of Hollywood
18. The Sunshine Underground - Put You In Your Place
19. Los Campesinos - You! Me! Dancing
20. The Dykeenies - Stitches
Hmmm, well there we are - my idea of an ultimate driving mixtape. Yeah, that didn't feel totally fulfilling - it'll probably change within a month. But that would be the playlist if I was setting off into the sun tomorrow. But seeing as I'm not, I don't really need to say much more on the matter.
Given that I'm currently about to face a proverbial firing squad, I thought I'd actually put my thoughts into pure, hard copy. It's a bit like picking a fantasy football team, knowing that two weeks down the line you'll wish you'd waited for that last-day-of-summer-signing that would make your line-up even better.
It's going to be contentious whatever. Jeremy Clarkson for one won't agree - there's no heavy stuff on it... well there might be, I still haven't fully thought this through. I was hoping it would take me where I'd want to go (not Gravesend). Anyway, there are no rules - no limits to age of track, no limits on amount of times a band is included etc. That's not to say anything goes, because I'm not including cheese. So like the hardest of anti-climax, here we go - 20 songs for killing an hour in a car:
1. The Cribs - Men's Needs
2. The Maccabees - X-Ray
3. Hadouken! - That Boy, That Girl
4. Bloc Party - The Prayer (Hadouken! mix)
5. Metric - Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT mix)
6. VWF - Burst Into Flames
7. Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone (Hadouken! mix)
8. The Cribs - Hey Scenesters!
9. Manic Street Preachers - You Love Us (Heavenly mix)
10. Those Dancing Days - Those Dancing Days
11. The Rifles - She's Got Standards
12. Foals - Hummer
13. Reverend and the Makers - He Said He Loved Me
14. Pigeon Detectives - I Found Out
15. The Clash - Safe European Home
16. Dogs -Tuned To A Different Station
17. Metro Riots - Butcher of Hollywood
18. The Sunshine Underground - Put You In Your Place
19. Los Campesinos - You! Me! Dancing
20. The Dykeenies - Stitches
Hmmm, well there we are - my idea of an ultimate driving mixtape. Yeah, that didn't feel totally fulfilling - it'll probably change within a month. But that would be the playlist if I was setting off into the sun tomorrow. But seeing as I'm not, I don't really need to say much more on the matter.
31 October 2007
Kid Harpoon @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 26 October
Kid Harpoon seems like a very busy man. No, really - no sooner had he finished his support stint to The Holloways and The Wombats on a recent nationwide tour, the soloist embarked on his own national tour albeit at slightly smaller venues.
It was a tough choice on this particular Friday night - Forward Russia or Kid Harpoon: fate pushed towards the Kid at Clwb (yeah, Forward Russia was sold out) but let's get things straight, it isn't so bad at all. This boy is good - not great (yet?) but definitely good enough to warrant his stab at stardom having started out doing sets at Nambucca on Holloway Road.
With an EP available, it seems like the first tentative steps in carving out a route through the music industry which can be so gruelling. But the rewards are there, even if you have to play in front of no more than, say, 40 people in a Cardiff club. And the gentler, almost folk-like stylings are soothing and seductive. There are a few weak links in the armoury, but no-one's perfect - even The Clash wrote shit songs. In the first half of the set, there were a couple of numbers that slid into Chris de Burgh vs James Blunt mediocrity, and didn't sit particularly comfortably. Some of the lyrics brush against the banal, which is disappointing to say the least.
But wait, see it through, because as the set continues, and he reveals his full house full of aces - Late for the Devil and Riverside are two majestic compositions and will surely earn the Chatham fella a lot of acclaim. There is a reason why The Holloways are massive fans, and that reason is starting to spread like MRSA in a dirty hospital. If he continues to write songs as good as he undoubtedly can, any prospective debut album will be worth it's weight in gold. Probably...
Next up:
Nine Black Alps @ Sin City, Swansea
Viva Machine @ Clwb Ifor Bach
It was a tough choice on this particular Friday night - Forward Russia or Kid Harpoon: fate pushed towards the Kid at Clwb (yeah, Forward Russia was sold out) but let's get things straight, it isn't so bad at all. This boy is good - not great (yet?) but definitely good enough to warrant his stab at stardom having started out doing sets at Nambucca on Holloway Road.
With an EP available, it seems like the first tentative steps in carving out a route through the music industry which can be so gruelling. But the rewards are there, even if you have to play in front of no more than, say, 40 people in a Cardiff club. And the gentler, almost folk-like stylings are soothing and seductive. There are a few weak links in the armoury, but no-one's perfect - even The Clash wrote shit songs. In the first half of the set, there were a couple of numbers that slid into Chris de Burgh vs James Blunt mediocrity, and didn't sit particularly comfortably. Some of the lyrics brush against the banal, which is disappointing to say the least.
But wait, see it through, because as the set continues, and he reveals his full house full of aces - Late for the Devil and Riverside are two majestic compositions and will surely earn the Chatham fella a lot of acclaim. There is a reason why The Holloways are massive fans, and that reason is starting to spread like MRSA in a dirty hospital. If he continues to write songs as good as he undoubtedly can, any prospective debut album will be worth it's weight in gold. Probably...
Next up:
Nine Black Alps @ Sin City, Swansea
Viva Machine @ Clwb Ifor Bach
19 October 2007
Metro Riots @ Cardiff Barfly, 12 October
Destination heaven or destination hell...
The Metro Riots party blazed into the rather cute surroundings of the Cardiff Barfly even though the recent release of their debut album Night Time Angel Candy has splashed their name across the mainstream press. It promises much although something isn't quite right with the restrictive stage size. But it's goin' to be good anyway and you knows it!
Led from the front by the ever-dapper Damo, going on stage at 10pm on a Friday evening leaves them little time to make their impression before the club night kicks in. It seems like a travesty, and inevitably some songs will miss out. But like a short, half-hour burst of intense energy, the band don't hang about.
But first the lip service. The boy/girl combo of the first support act were hardly enthusing as a welcome act for when you walk in through the door, but they at least they were better than Noughts and Crosses, a lacklustre one-man show armed with an acoustic guitar and very little else. It hardly seems like the adequate build-up that the main attraction both deserve and arguably need.
Strutting, nay, swaggering on stage with an imposing presence, the bluesy rock of the London band resonates throughout the venue in a cacophony of euphoric grooves. So they had to leave Butcher of Hollywood out - don't all bands omit the best at some point? The wailing vocals of Damo lure you in and spit you out after a brief stint in utopia between.
The most apt word for the proceedings is 'frenzy'; a whirlwind created by the art of exciting song writing - compulsive foot-tapping and finger pointing. It rocks, and suddenly it ends. Someone's warming up the Arctic Monkeys for the club night afterwards on the stereogram. They can shove that, the Metro Riots are the band to get you moving on a Friday night and most of the people filing in as the set ends may never even realise it.
But you can't help some.
The Metro Riots party blazed into the rather cute surroundings of the Cardiff Barfly even though the recent release of their debut album Night Time Angel Candy has splashed their name across the mainstream press. It promises much although something isn't quite right with the restrictive stage size. But it's goin' to be good anyway and you knows it!
Led from the front by the ever-dapper Damo, going on stage at 10pm on a Friday evening leaves them little time to make their impression before the club night kicks in. It seems like a travesty, and inevitably some songs will miss out. But like a short, half-hour burst of intense energy, the band don't hang about.
But first the lip service. The boy/girl combo of the first support act were hardly enthusing as a welcome act for when you walk in through the door, but they at least they were better than Noughts and Crosses, a lacklustre one-man show armed with an acoustic guitar and very little else. It hardly seems like the adequate build-up that the main attraction both deserve and arguably need.
Strutting, nay, swaggering on stage with an imposing presence, the bluesy rock of the London band resonates throughout the venue in a cacophony of euphoric grooves. So they had to leave Butcher of Hollywood out - don't all bands omit the best at some point? The wailing vocals of Damo lure you in and spit you out after a brief stint in utopia between.
The most apt word for the proceedings is 'frenzy'; a whirlwind created by the art of exciting song writing - compulsive foot-tapping and finger pointing. It rocks, and suddenly it ends. Someone's warming up the Arctic Monkeys for the club night afterwards on the stereogram. They can shove that, the Metro Riots are the band to get you moving on a Friday night and most of the people filing in as the set ends may never even realise it.
But you can't help some.
10 October 2007
Toothpaste Kisses - The Maccabees (Single)
Released: 22 October
Label: Polydor
Oh, the compulsion... there's this song y'see, and it goes a little bit like 'lay with me, i'll lay with you; we'll do the things that lovers do', tied-up with finger-plucked chords and a romantic whistling solo - 'I'll win your heart with a whit-woo'.
It might be the wrong side of idealistic, but at the least The Maccabees can step away from the furious pace contained elsewhere on debut album Colour It In, and here we are with this undeniable gem, a starry-eyed reward for those who refuse to believe in harsher, black and white realities of the world. And why shouldn't it be that way?
'I'll be yours and you'll be mine' - who'd want it any other way.
Label: Polydor
Oh, the compulsion... there's this song y'see, and it goes a little bit like 'lay with me, i'll lay with you; we'll do the things that lovers do', tied-up with finger-plucked chords and a romantic whistling solo - 'I'll win your heart with a whit-woo'.
It might be the wrong side of idealistic, but at the least The Maccabees can step away from the furious pace contained elsewhere on debut album Colour It In, and here we are with this undeniable gem, a starry-eyed reward for those who refuse to believe in harsher, black and white realities of the world. And why shouldn't it be that way?
'I'll be yours and you'll be mine' - who'd want it any other way.
7 October 2007
VWF @ Cardiff Barfly
Kids, feel privileged; Cardiff have snatched their darlings back from the alluring clutches of Londinium and festival season and here we are - so what are we waiting for? But before we begin, and for the benefit of those gathered who give a damn - this is gig two of 'The Cardiff Year'. Unbelievable, an attempt to induce longevity... can we talk about VWF now?
Cardiff: the rain has started falling as September draws to a close. The temptation to descend into Dylan Thomas despondency and start warbling on about milk woods is growing, and that can't be good. BUT VWF are back in town *just* in time. It's been a busy schedule this summer for VWF - headline slots at Club NME down at Koko, playing the Hoxton scene and festival appearances including Secret Garden Party and Truck. And that means growing interest in a band that have remained too big a secret for too long. The revolution is at hand.
The set opens with forthcoming single Family Man, which is - to be frank - an utter slut of a tune. It's grimy, it's possessed and it's awesome. It probably deserves to be a dancefloor anthem for the dandy boys and girls in underground clubs nationwide, pissing on the generic indie-by-numbers rubbish that has a habit of stealing the show. In a similar vein, Let It Go and Sleep It Off are sweat-inducing, sense-cajoling teasers and my god how they strike through the heart.
Get Your Kicks and Burst Into Flames direct the set towards it's close, with the clearest nods to influences such as Primal Scream. Maybe it's the raucous temperament, the combative, swaggering bass hooks or the punching melody, but it's so damn good it's the closest you'll ever get to banging your head against the wall in such a way that would induce the ultimate orgasm. In fact, there's probably no other sensation that can boast that. Sounds good don't it.
But there we go. Swept up in a cacophony of brass licks, Jameson's and fervent melodies, the night seems to be an abrupt interruption to events. And the rain, the ceaseless rain. But like all festivities, it only ends when you let it end, so to the aftershow in Glo-bar, I think I've done enough to earn a (nother) drink.
Cardiff: the rain has started falling as September draws to a close. The temptation to descend into Dylan Thomas despondency and start warbling on about milk woods is growing, and that can't be good. BUT VWF are back in town *just* in time. It's been a busy schedule this summer for VWF - headline slots at Club NME down at Koko, playing the Hoxton scene and festival appearances including Secret Garden Party and Truck. And that means growing interest in a band that have remained too big a secret for too long. The revolution is at hand.
The set opens with forthcoming single Family Man, which is - to be frank - an utter slut of a tune. It's grimy, it's possessed and it's awesome. It probably deserves to be a dancefloor anthem for the dandy boys and girls in underground clubs nationwide, pissing on the generic indie-by-numbers rubbish that has a habit of stealing the show. In a similar vein, Let It Go and Sleep It Off are sweat-inducing, sense-cajoling teasers and my god how they strike through the heart.
Get Your Kicks and Burst Into Flames direct the set towards it's close, with the clearest nods to influences such as Primal Scream. Maybe it's the raucous temperament, the combative, swaggering bass hooks or the punching melody, but it's so damn good it's the closest you'll ever get to banging your head against the wall in such a way that would induce the ultimate orgasm. In fact, there's probably no other sensation that can boast that. Sounds good don't it.
But there we go. Swept up in a cacophony of brass licks, Jameson's and fervent melodies, the night seems to be an abrupt interruption to events. And the rain, the ceaseless rain. But like all festivities, it only ends when you let it end, so to the aftershow in Glo-bar, I think I've done enough to earn a (nother) drink.
4 October 2007
The Holloways/The Wombats @ Brizzle Carling Academy
The first gig of the year no-one has dubbed "The Cardiff Year" - and ironically it takes us back over the bridge to Blighty to Bristol, made famous by the contributions of both Casualty and Teachers. Not to disregard the heritage of Bristol, but that's another story for another day to be told by another person - preferably one with a beard and a weird gruff voice.
The Holloways and The Wombats - two cute demi-rock'n'roll gods fused into one indie giant; enough to mobilise the scenester army of Brizzle in their masses with their feckin' glowsticks. To quote Alfie Holloway "Why the glowsticks? We're not new rave!" Not that scenesters understand, for their method of communication is through quoted lyrics in the backpages of the NME.
This affable dream-team are in the midst of a modest tour around the sights and sounds of Britannia. The Holloways seem to have been touring endlessly for months off the back of acclaimed debut album, So This Is Great Britain?, and The Wombats are riding high after being adopted by the mainstream for their quirky indie-pop and unquestionable humour; look out for latest single Let's Dance To Joy Division for an example of how the Scousers can turn even the most morbid of lyrics into a smile-inducing jamboree.
Here in Bristol the crux of the matter is that The Wombats are supporting The Holloways along with the genuinely up-and-coming Kid Harpoon and another band whose name eludes the memory due to an issue with being late. Something to do with pirates. There is genuine remorse in being late... it won't happen again boss.
It took barely five seconds for the mayhem to begin as The Wombats launched into their set. Their back-catalogue may be shorter than Paul Daniels on all fours but there seems to be very few weak links in the Wombat arsenal at present. Give it a year and we'll see how far they have taken that momentum but for the time being who cares? It's hard to imagine how many acts could carry off a Norwegian version of Postman Pat mid-set, and go as far to get a rapturous reception for it. Having said that, the pre-requisite of a Norwegian speaker in your ranks can pose problems for most bands who would ever attempt it. The Wombats: brash, loud and bouncy - and consistently so.
That boxed ticked, the main event had a lot to live up to but The Holloways aren't scared of a challenge. Rob's sore throat, and Bryn's cracked ribs didn't keep them down. And after so long playing off the debut album, some new material starts to edge its way next to the likes of Two Left Feet and the enduringly charming Dancefloor. The Holloways gladly entered the party-piece duel for the evening too. With the Norwegian karaoke, the London band saw and raised by inducing an endless conga for one of the newer numbers. Who can resist a conga?
When the night reaches its conclusion in a haze of sweat, beer and glowsticks, it's an apt choice to finish with Generator; a paean to the 'music that makes you feel better', an exaltation of what it is to know that the night may end but the party will always continue. Time for some shouting in the multi-storey car park...
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