Im buzzing right now.
I have just come back from seeing the courteeners at Southampton University.
I have to admit that i am a musical cynic and prior to the show i was greeted by a sea of "lads" clad in their newly purchased courteeners t-shirts. An image i was not best pleased about, being the ass hole that i am.
But how my opinion changed. I have not seen a wave of unity amongst band and crowd for a while...other than the music obviously...that moulded the masses together to one single profound body. It was quite special.
Liam Fray, despite the negative media, is infact a real romantic. His unshaven persona has produced negativity for far too long. The man is writing songs that will change peoples lives. He's a lover, he's a fighter and he's a fucking hero. He has the talent to pen incidents to paper in the most poetic and yet thuggish way. A spokesman for the masses perhaps? or it could be the drink talking....
Whatever the outcome...Tonight was a "moment" of real, revived rock music with Fray's very own whimsical angle on love, life and loss. Thankyou Courteeners for bringing pop music back to the front line.
Friday 25 April 2008
Sunday 20 April 2008
Liam Fray's response to the ST Jude review in the Guardian
This is Liam Fray's response to the ignorant review in the Guarian regarding the release of the Courteeners debut album, St Jude.
Liam has displayed real dignity in thise response. The man has truly stood his ground and in a professional and intelligent way. Good on you Liam, I for one believe him to be a great song writer who captures the essence of British life and he does so in style.
The guardian can get back to giving five stars to James Blunt and Hard-fi with there seemingly musically "educated" writers who clearly did not open their eyes for this album which will soon prove to be a significant step forward in British music,
Friday 18 April 2008
The Mouth announce secret gig!
The Mouth, a euphoric London fivesome, sent me a message yesterday regarding a small secret show which is to happen on Saturday the 26th in North London.
After returning from a few tour dates with The Music the London boys have gained a bit of a cult following, including Tim Lovejoy who was at the Jersey Budd gig at the borderline a month back.
The band have mentioned to me that the set they will be playing is going to be longer than usual, so it appears that some musical treats may be in store! and if it goes anything like the Leeds show the British public will be leaving the "shit hole" pub wide mouthed and very happy!
Wednesday 2 April 2008
Benjamin Wetherill - A gift from the PR company
Now here’s a test for you. Who remembers or even knows the Incredible String Band? No one? Well Mr Wetherill could very well be the distant relative of one of those hemp clad fiddle jousters.
This medieval montage trudges along like the hop-scotch of a woodland romp through the weeping willows and galloping hooves of chain mail doused knights of the round table. This shire anthem may have been contemporary during the reign of a king who had more than three wives and could quite easily order the be-heading of the local village thief, but despite this, it is completely fresh!
There are very few bands these days producing music of this 1400’s calibre, and the tweaking of a mandolin on b-side, “I would love to” makes the continuation of the holy grail narrative all that more confirmed. Wetherill has hardly taken a step forward in music, more like three thousand years back, but in the long term, it is a giant leap into the direction of diversity, which some may feel is lacking amongst the moan of a simple guitar band.
This medieval montage trudges along like the hop-scotch of a woodland romp through the weeping willows and galloping hooves of chain mail doused knights of the round table. This shire anthem may have been contemporary during the reign of a king who had more than three wives and could quite easily order the be-heading of the local village thief, but despite this, it is completely fresh!
There are very few bands these days producing music of this 1400’s calibre, and the tweaking of a mandolin on b-side, “I would love to” makes the continuation of the holy grail narrative all that more confirmed. Wetherill has hardly taken a step forward in music, more like three thousand years back, but in the long term, it is a giant leap into the direction of diversity, which some may feel is lacking amongst the moan of a simple guitar band.
The Mouth - Wearing the Halo high
West London bred The Mouth walk on stage prior to The Music, and far away from home the five lads are obviously not faded as they burst into a colossal wall of euphoric noise that melts the creases of your face and smashes the cobwebs from your crevices.
“Salvation” can cramp up your muscles with its incendiary blast of sheer crunching noise. It reeks with an audio flame that can set fire to towns and cities with an echo of burning that hails no blemishes. Centre stage dances a front man whose juttery movements jive their way into an Ian Curtis type movement marathon with a voice to match that of the legendary Robert Harvey’s.
Fingers corrode on fret boards throughout “Nobody is born a hero” as this profound tune builds into a momentous peak of an organised chaos that holds its own as a poetic masterpiece. “I said Rome wasn’t built in a day” tones Mark until he begins to bellow at the top of his vocal velocity beneath an undercurrent of a drum fuelled hurricane.
Something like this is special. It is actually what the mind can comprehend as incredibly amazing. So much spleen corrupting carnage that rings through the cranium right down to the curled up toes which helplessly attempt to grip to the floor before each and every individual is blown into oblivion. The Mouth. The Future.
“Salvation” can cramp up your muscles with its incendiary blast of sheer crunching noise. It reeks with an audio flame that can set fire to towns and cities with an echo of burning that hails no blemishes. Centre stage dances a front man whose juttery movements jive their way into an Ian Curtis type movement marathon with a voice to match that of the legendary Robert Harvey’s.
Fingers corrode on fret boards throughout “Nobody is born a hero” as this profound tune builds into a momentous peak of an organised chaos that holds its own as a poetic masterpiece. “I said Rome wasn’t built in a day” tones Mark until he begins to bellow at the top of his vocal velocity beneath an undercurrent of a drum fuelled hurricane.
Something like this is special. It is actually what the mind can comprehend as incredibly amazing. So much spleen corrupting carnage that rings through the cranium right down to the curled up toes which helplessly attempt to grip to the floor before each and every individual is blown into oblivion. The Mouth. The Future.
Leeds, where i'm from is not who i am
The Music have finally returned. After a well earned break and some troubled times it is clear to see that the Leeds foursome have been working their socks off to produce yet more incendiary and euphorically charged anthems.
A wall of sound greeted the audience of the Brunell social club as Robert Harvey rallied the troops and kicked off the ceremony with new song, “The Spike”. His presence is once again unmistakeably so prevalent. His crushing voice melts into the new songs like a well oiled machine as “The Spike” begins in its mellow, minor beat stage as bassist Stuart Coleman keeps the tempo until the finger movements progress to erupt poetically into a sea of organised musical chaos.
“The Truth is no words” returns like a long lost relative and is welcomed with open armed by an eclectic gang of sweaty onlookers. Harvey grooves his way through the complexity of Adam Nutter’s spleen splitting riffs as his feet glide across the stage in front of the tower of drums that Phil Jordan is faced with.
In the natural sense of the word, The Music may not be considered to be “cool”, but as the show begins to progress and the band rattle through songs, old and new, it seems evident that this band hail no blemishes. Each note is carefully crafted to near perfection behind the back drop of the paint stripping volume of “Take the long road and walk it” and the profound unity of “Strength in numbers” which sees knuckles whiten under the fist clenching grasp of such a powerful future anthem.
The third album, to be released June time, appears ready to be released upon the world, but whether the world is ready for it is a different story. It sports yet more psychedelic effects and a whirlwind of content lyricism that displays The Music for the real eyes and ears of the world that they are.
Philosophical to say the least, such heart felt tension is true to Harvey’s heart and beds deep into the souls of those surrounding him. Between wiping the sweat from his brow, Harvey brandishes his guitar for a skin scraping rendition of “Getaway” which blows the audience from the ground and as toes try desperately to grip to the floor it is an inevitable fact that a performance of such intensity is rare in today’s music scene.
There is no image here, no gimmick and certainly no falseness. What The Music have done tonight is true in its purest form. It is music delivered straight from the soul via a wave of melting melodic masterpieces that hover tentatively above Jordan’s non-stop drum bashing antics and delicately crafted songs of experience and feeling.
New tours have recently been announced, and after speaking to Harvey he declared, “It feels good to be back”, and not just for the band let me make that clear.
A wall of sound greeted the audience of the Brunell social club as Robert Harvey rallied the troops and kicked off the ceremony with new song, “The Spike”. His presence is once again unmistakeably so prevalent. His crushing voice melts into the new songs like a well oiled machine as “The Spike” begins in its mellow, minor beat stage as bassist Stuart Coleman keeps the tempo until the finger movements progress to erupt poetically into a sea of organised musical chaos.
“The Truth is no words” returns like a long lost relative and is welcomed with open armed by an eclectic gang of sweaty onlookers. Harvey grooves his way through the complexity of Adam Nutter’s spleen splitting riffs as his feet glide across the stage in front of the tower of drums that Phil Jordan is faced with.
In the natural sense of the word, The Music may not be considered to be “cool”, but as the show begins to progress and the band rattle through songs, old and new, it seems evident that this band hail no blemishes. Each note is carefully crafted to near perfection behind the back drop of the paint stripping volume of “Take the long road and walk it” and the profound unity of “Strength in numbers” which sees knuckles whiten under the fist clenching grasp of such a powerful future anthem.
The third album, to be released June time, appears ready to be released upon the world, but whether the world is ready for it is a different story. It sports yet more psychedelic effects and a whirlwind of content lyricism that displays The Music for the real eyes and ears of the world that they are.
Philosophical to say the least, such heart felt tension is true to Harvey’s heart and beds deep into the souls of those surrounding him. Between wiping the sweat from his brow, Harvey brandishes his guitar for a skin scraping rendition of “Getaway” which blows the audience from the ground and as toes try desperately to grip to the floor it is an inevitable fact that a performance of such intensity is rare in today’s music scene.
There is no image here, no gimmick and certainly no falseness. What The Music have done tonight is true in its purest form. It is music delivered straight from the soul via a wave of melting melodic masterpieces that hover tentatively above Jordan’s non-stop drum bashing antics and delicately crafted songs of experience and feeling.
New tours have recently been announced, and after speaking to Harvey he declared, “It feels good to be back”, and not just for the band let me make that clear.
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