Jul 22
|
Sweat, love and rock n’roll. Tonight’s gig, headlined by a certain William Control (aka Wil from Seattle Alt Rock legends Aiden), had it all. |
Have your say
Jun 02
|
Imagine having the top of your head lopped off, your brains scooped out with one of those ice cream scoops, placed carefully on the floor, battered with a series of blunt objects, then carefully put back in your skull again...that’s pretty much what tonight’s gig was like. |
May 27
|
Man, that’s some powerful voodoo going on there. How else could you explain the sudden transportation of the Hare and Hounds from humble ol’ Kings Heath to the darkest depths of the Mississippi delta eh? Yep, shut your eyes tonight and you can almost hear the ‘gators a snappin’ at yer heels (if they hadn’t all been poisoned by several trillions of gallons of oil that is). |
May 22
|
From scuzzy punk schoolgirls to glossy pop vixens, Fuzzbox crammed a fair amount in to their brief career (just three years from first album ‘Bostin Steve Austin’ to their demise not long after scoring a string of top 30 hits with follow up ‘Big Bang’). In fact I’m struggling to think of many other bands who went through such a rapid change of sound and vision – which might partially explain their disintegration at the height of their powers. I’ve no doubt that, had they carried on, they’d have settled into their own distinctive style and it’s one of pop’s great tragedies (if you can have such a thing) that they didn’t. But dry your tears pop kids. Put down that tatty copy of Smash Hits and bin that scratched to buggery Big Bang CD ‘cos they’re back, back, BACK! |
May 16
|
There seems to be a bit of an indie revival going on at the moment. What with Slint marking the release of their landmark album 'Spiderland' last year by playing it live, and with Pavement currently hitting the road, now it's the turn of Built To Spill, who sound eerily like Stephen Malkmus and co, although a three guitar line up gives them a lush edge to their jangly antics, with their Hendrix-esque freakout moments. Frontman Doug Martsch is a low key but steady presence at the microphone, but then the crowd weren't here for flashy. |
May 12
|
I love Marina and her Diamonds (ahem!). She's everything a woman should be... Young, sexy, curves in all the right places, sassy, seemingly intellectual, talented both musically and vocally and generally just awesome! In short - she hot! And any girl that can still look tidy in a Micky Mouse jump suit certainly has that je ne sais qua! |
May 11
|
Florence casually sauntered on stage suggesting a relaxing gig, but I was wrong. Wearing in a black lacy dress over knickers and vest, she kicked off her shoes quite quickly and built up more and more energy with each song. Banging on a drum at her side and jumping around on stage, the audience were soon eating out of her hand. Her interaction with the audience created a really good atmosphere in the hall, which was just the right size, not allowing the intimacy she created to be lost and not letting her powerful voice overwhelm the room. |
May 10
|
Is too much hype a good thing? According to the NME The Drums are "New York's official coolest new band". Thankfully I had no idea of the hype or the NME statement proclaiming them to be so cool when watching them warm up the Civics crowd prior to the emergence of Florence and her ever-expanding Machine. |
May 07
|
Nothing to do with the performance - that was stunning - but more to the point, the fact that Rihanna didn't come on to the stage till nearly 10pm - almost an hour and a half after Pixie Lott had finished her performance. Now, it didn't really bother me, I had my iPhone to potter about with and there was a LOT of eye candy about, but - and it's a big BUT - the majority of the crowd were young girls, many of whom would be reliant on lifts off beleaguered parents/public transport to get home. I think even superstar Divas have a responsibility to their fans. It could have been a technical fault or she could have been applying another layer of make-up, who knows, but not a word of explanation or apology was uttered from either Rihanna or her management amongst the multitude of boos from the increasingly frustrated crowd as to why it was sooooo late to kick off. Bad form! Rant over! |
Apr 19
|
It’s hard to appreciate just what a big deal Boy George was back in the early 80’s. First of all the ‘is he a she debate?’ was, I recall, something of a national obsession, helping to catapult Culture Club into the big time all over the world. Then the drugs took hold and George was all over the papers again, this time literally fighting for life (at one point he was even outed by his own brother who claimed George had just days to live...looking at footage of the time he had a point). In recent years it’s been all about his battles with the law, culminating with what he tonight called his ‘holiday’ at her majesty’s pleasure last year. The fact that he’s arguably better known for all this other stuff right now than he is for his music is a real shame. Strip away the fuck ups (and boy, George has made his fair share) and there’s a lusciously rich vein of classic pop and dance anthems to get stuck into. Tonight, happily, George decided to do just that, covering all bases from early Culture Club through to his early solo stuff on to Jesus Loves You and right up to date with current single ‘Amazing Grace’. |
Apr 17
|
As angry clouds of volcanic ash sweep across the country from our dear friends in Iceland (presumably in part-payment for the £400 gazillion they owe us?), an (at times) equally angry Kate Nash is doing likewise, bringing her all new Riot Grrrrllllllllll act to the Hairy Hounds. I can’t believe it’s been three years since her debut but I guess, looking back, all the signs were there. Beneath the cutesy talky talk vocals there was plenty of bitterness...sorry bittahness (yep, must be all those lemon’s she’s been eating). Now she’s come out in praise of Le Tigre and Bikini Kill and, at times, tonight’s gig reminded me of those far off days when Riot Grrrl’s Voodoo Queens reigned supreme (was anyone else out there at their Edwards Gig in 1993? Oh. Just me then). |
Apr 09
|
It’s getting pretty popular this reforming business isn’t it? Name a band that split up at any time in the last 50 years and there’s a fair chance – at some point – that they’ll put their ‘musical differences’ aside, forget the fact that the drummer shagged his way through the rest of the band’s significant others (and ate all of the crab sandwiches backstage) and head out on tour...with varying degrees of success. The highest profile reformers du jour are, of course, The Libertines. A band that hit its peak way back in the early noughties, not unlike tonight’s headliners in fact. Although I doubt whether any of King Adora have shagged Kate Moss and burgled Carl Barat's flat...then again... |
Mar 20
|
In the week in which I discovered that Birmingham’s last remaining independent record shops (Swordfish and Tempest) are to close, tonight’s gig proved, once more, that both the live scene and new music in general is as healthy as ever. There’s something about gigs featuring new bands (by which I probably mean a band on its first album) that’s hard to beat and each one of tonight’s groups still had that mixture of excitement and freshness that, I guess, often gets knocked out of you when you’re on album number 6 and making appearances on The One Show (in between a feature on men who dress up as their favourite vegetables and a salutary warning – presented by Dom Littlewood naturally – of the dangers of sticking parts of your anatomy in food blenders). |
Mar 16
|
This makes for a refreshing change, making it to the venue at a reasonable time and finding the first of the two support acts already mid set. By no means was it planned to miss any of the bands, I just find waiting around for the first act can sometimes be a rather tedious affair. Anyway enough of my tale of woe it's time to move on. |
