59 posts tagged “sally”
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BRITPOPCAST #6: THE GIRLS OF BRITPOP (wave 2)
The show was actually longer, but I'm including more Jarvis-stalking
festivities until next week. This week is all about the second wave of
girls of Britpop (the first wave consists of Powder, Sleeper, Salad,
Echobelly, Elastica). Since we've talked so much about them already, I
thought talking about the second wave was a little more interesting.
Second wave:
Honorable mentions:
BRITPOPCAST #6: THE GIRLS OF BRITPOP (wave 2)
Second wave:
- Kenickie (Lauren Laverne - all girls band)
- Kenickie, believe it or not, was the only all-girls Britpop
band. There was another band called Fluffy around this era, but they
were more hard-rock than brit-pop. While Fluffy's ultimate was branded
with "eight tits no talent", Kenickie was more loved in general. While
their music is often more polished punk/pop early on, they shifted
their sound to more lounge for their second album. Obviously the band
was still in their infancy ... but eventually broke up shortly after
the second album.
- Lush (Miki Berenyi & Emma Anderson)
- In early Lush's history, they were two best friends, Miki
Berenyi & Emma Anderson. They were fanzine producers, and started
their own band based on their love of shoegazing music with their EPs
and debut album Spooky. You can hear their love of melodies as
they sing in and out. Of course, when you have two songwriters, they
often clash if they have other interests. In this case, at the time Split came out in 1994, some of the songs were clearly "britpop"esque. Even the naming of the album (Split)
was an indication, between aggressive pop songs like "Kiss Chase" and
"Hypocrite" - the britpop songs would later continue with "Ladykiller"
and their ultimate britpop moment with Jarvis Cocker on "Ciao!" While
I did tend to like the Miki songs, Emma did coin a few great pop gems
like "Shake Baby Shake" (which is about the love of her car).
- When we heard that drummer, Chris Acland committed suicide by
hanging himself, we all knew the band would be split up after this.
And it's true, they never quite recover. I was lucky enough to catch
them before the tragedy and continued to follow to see what the band's
been up to. The last I heard, Emma is in Sing-Sing, which had a great
pop song called "Feels Like Summer".
- Catatonia (Cerys Matthews)
- Since we previously talked about Catatonia in our previous Welsh Britpop bands, I'll only briefly mention them here. The thing with Catatonia for me was that each of their song was either a hit or miss... no inbetween feeling. I either hated or love it. But the songs I really love, I really love, so that makes up for them. I love the way Cerys sings, in fact, all Welsh people have a particularly weird accent to them and it's always a nice earful when you do hear them sing or talk. It's like they're speaking English, but learned it from another planet.
- Favorite songs: "Mulder & Scully", "I Am the Mob", "Karaokee Queen", "Road Rage", "Dead from the Waist Down"
- Theaudience (Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
- This was a very brief band from 97-99, fronted by Sophie
Ellis-Bextor - who went on to have a series of very successful
Eurodisco releases. I must admit, I never followed the band that much
- they arrived a little too late for me. I didn't buy their debut
album (it was never released in the US), but managed to get their debut
single, "I Got the Wherewithal". The song is quite good, and even
their b-side "Penis Size and Cars" is amusingly catchy.
- Bis (Amanda MacKinnon)
- I love this Scottish band. Although they were far too
"kiddish" in their cute unreadable spellings and anime-influence, they
were pretty damn cute and catchy. Songs like "Kandy Pop" topped many
playlist around this time, although in retrospect, looking back, it was
a pretty mindless dum (dumb as in DUM) song. Unfortunately, many
people, including myself, didn't regard Bis as a Britpop band, but
they're often grouped in. My favorite song: "Action & Drama"!
Honorable mentions:
- Black Box Recorder (Sarah Nixey)
- Very catchy/dancey, but not Britpop. Their bassist is Luke Haines, formerly of the Britpop band The Auteurs.
- Dubstar (Sarah Blackwood)
- This British act came out during the birth of Britpop, but they
were far too alternative-dance/electronica to be considered Britpop.
The singer is Sarah Blackwood, who, I reckon the band ditched toward
their later music releases.
- Sneaker Pimps (Kelli Dayton)
- Fluffy
- Republica (Saffron)
- Fat Les (Lily Allen sings on their last single???)
12/30/2009 03:45:48 ♥ vu (
) ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
First thing I’d like to say is, if you really love a band and you get the chance to see them play in Adelaide, take that chance. I am now a firm believer the people in Sydney are at least seven times more rude than anywhere else.
So, Jarvis Cocker is about to wrap up his second solo Australian tour this weekend and I managed to see him at both the Metro in Sydney and the Gov in Adelaide. Now… both shows were equally as excellent musically, the sound was much better in Sydney, but the atmosphere in Adelaide was just so much more amenable to such an apparently accommodating chap such as Jarvis Cocker.
What do I mean by accommodating? Well he’s very generous with the chocolates (can’t say the same for the girl in Sydney who would only stretch as far as giving me half a square of a chocolate – I didn’t care that it was Jarvis’, I didn’t want to ruin your chances of selling it for $15 on ebay, I just wanted chocolate) and drinks (but hopefully not a nasty strain of Jarvicoccus Aureus – oh microbiology jokes, so hilarious) and quite amenable to having a good old chat with the audience.
One thing I was especially impressed with was that between the two shows, I can’t recall one thing he repeated saying. (Might have had something to do with the cheat sheet he had attached to his set list). Although, I am well known for being easily impressed.
All the tunes were there: Angela, Black Magic, Further Complications, Fuckingsong, Homewrecker and even You’re In My Eyes, the disco song, which I have professed to dislike intensely, but actually got me dancing. I must say, there’s something about the really loud parts of Jarvis’ songs, most notably in Black Magic, that just sends a shiver down ones spine. The man, again, lived up to all expectations (after two sneaky pretending-the-show-was-over-and-walking-off-stage moments), wrapping up the set with a lovely rendition of Running the World.
Aside from his witty banter about such profound topics as koalas and why they don’t just eat something else (because what they actually eat doesn’t give them enough energy to do anything other than sleep when they aren’t eating), being attacked by an emu and whoever’s birthday it happened to be on that day (someone had been doing their research), by far the greatest thing of all was Jarvis’ trademark dance moves. He must really have an excellent sense of balance, a lesser man would have been a pile on the floor if they tried to pull off some of the leg-flailing movements that Jarvis can do.
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Special mention also goes out to Martin Craft (you may remember him from the Australian band, Sidewinder); support act and guitarist within Jarvis’ crew. Talented guy; quite a musical contrast to Jarvis both within the song subject and the feel of the tunes. Slow, and wispy, a single acoustic guitar, a synth and a saxophone. Nice.
Brilliant.
(Thanks to Miss Kristen who followed the man around the country and took these pictures)
On a side note, I just wanted to
thank everyone who came to the Abercrombie hotel for britpop last week and want
to draw your attention to the Britpop Christmas party happening on the 23rd.
Could very well be the last one! Get there!
Sally
Athlete: Four piece out of London, England. You’re probably familiar with their 2005 single Wires, which saw them being becoming household names in the UK and even saw them make it to Australia. Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t their first release (Vehicles and Animals was their first full-length album) and hasn’t been their last.
Following the release of Tourist (the album that contained Wires) was the release of the 2007 album Beyond the Neighbourhood. I must admit, this release didn’t make a big impact in Australia and as it seems, didn’t make it into the collection of many, claimed to be considered “a disappointment” by some.
Much like Coldplay, Athlete has been critically acclaimed for their songwriting efforts picking up a Mercury Music Prize nomination and winning an Ivor Novello award for Wires. The band has additional similarities to Coldplay, in that their music it quite mellow and mature; appealing to a slightly older audience than your general indie-pop/rock. If you hate Coldplay though, never fear their music is not quite in that same realm of “ya mum probably likes it”. That is, I don’t think mums would dig Athlete. They still retain that slight edge which will appeal to the kids, but maybe not the ones that think dressing like they stepped out of the 80’s is cool.
To celebrate the upcoming February 2010 US release of the bands fourth full-length album Black Swan (the album was released in the UK in August), the band have recently released an EP entitled, The Getaway.
Black Swan, is not, as you may have thought, a tribute to the state emblem of Western Australia, but apparently, encompasses the events and emotions that the boys from Athlete have gone through. Based around the tale that saw the Black Swan being seen as a mythical animal for hundreds of years, until someone went to Western Australia (obviously) and the metaphor that life is made of up significant events, some of which can be shocking, both good and bad.
Don’t worry, it’s not all sadness and gloom. The first single from Black Swan, Superhuman Touch (which is also on the EP), is quite upbeat and lyrically uplifting. Whereas the EP title track, The Getaway, is less uplifting, but just as heartwarming and emotive lyrically.
To mark the EP's release, Athlete is offering a free download, which is a deal well worth jumping on. So, to get your grubby hands on this freebie you just need to pop along at drop.io/athlete_press
You can also download the EP from iTunes at http://bit.ly/10Dcg3
Sally
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BRITPOPCAST #5: Q MAGAZINE'S BRITPOP QUIZ
Recorded in the same session as Britpop Top Ten Countdown (which I still consider the best show ever), this super hard quiz was written by some hardcore journalist at Q Magazine, published in a paperback book called Q Quiz Book.
The book is free, along with Q Greatest Rock & Pop Miscellany Book, as bonuses for an annual subscription. I got the book via one of their magazine off the stand.
Some questions are dubious, as far as Britpop is concern, like The Verve question... but overall one of the better quiz out there.
The later part of the show, we talk a bit about The Abercrombie Hotel closing down, Pavement, and Empire of the Sun.
Also, don't forget to see DJ Sal in Sydney at britpop.com.au.
Below are the questions and answers.
BRITPOPCAST #5: Q MAGAZINE'S BRITPOP QUIZ
Some questions are dubious, as far as Britpop is concern, like The Verve question... but overall one of the better quiz out there.
The later part of the show, we talk a bit about The Abercrombie Hotel closing down, Pavement, and Empire of the Sun.
Also, don't forget to see DJ Sal in Sydney at britpop.com.au.
Below are the questions and answers.
| Question | Answer | Points | ||||||
| 01 From which London suburb did The Bluetones hail? | Hounslow | 0 | ||||||
| 02 What was the Boo Radley's debut album called? | Ichabod and I (1990) | 0 | ||||||
| 03 What was the name of Elastica's long-delayed second album? | The Menace (2000) | 1 | ||||||
| 04 What was Pulp's original name? | Abacus Pulp | 1.5 | ||||||
| 05 What was the name of the band fronted by Danny Goffrey's wife Pearl? | Powder | 1 | ||||||
| 06 What was the name of Sleeper's first Top 10 single? | "Sale of the Century" | 0.5 | ||||||
| 07 Who replaced Bernard Butler on Suede? | Richard Oakes | 1.5 | ||||||
| 08 What were Blur originally known as? | Seymour | 1 | ||||||
| 09 Which Ocean Colour Scene song was the theme music on Chris Evans's TV show TFI Friday? | "The Riverboat Song" | 1 | ||||||
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10 Which Britpop supergroup featured both Blur's Alex James and | Me Me Me | 1.5 | ||||||
| 11 How many Brit Awards did the Verve take home in 1998? | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| 12 In which year was Pulp's first Peel Session? | 1981 | 1 | ||||||
| 13 What was the name of Echobelly's singer? | Sonya Madan | 0 | ||||||
| 14 Which Britpop frontman had his shoes stolen by muggers in 1997? | Rick Witter | 0 | ||||||
| 15 Which member of John Power's band Cast also performed with Shack? | Peter Wilkinson | 0 | ||||||
| 16 One of the follow was not a member of Kula Shaker. Which one?
a) Alonza Bevan b) Jay Darlington c) Steve Peck d) Paul Winterhart | C | 0 | ||||||
| 17 Who was the singer of the Seahorses, John Squire's post-Stone Roses outfit? | Chris Helme | 0 | ||||||
| 18 Which member of Dodgy went out with Denise Van Outen? | Andy Miller | 0 | ||||||
| 19 In 1995, with Britpop at its zenith, which three acts headlined the Reading Festival? | Smashing Pumpkins, Bjork, and Neil Diamond | 0 | ||||||
| 20 What item of furniture played a prominent role in the video to Supergrass's Alright? | bed | 1 | ||||||
| 21 What was Marion frontman Jaime Harding convicted of stealing in 2000? | a garden gnome | 0 | ||||||
| 22 Which Britpop outfit were the first to appear on Top of the Pops without releasing a record? | Menswe@r | 0 | ||||||
| 23 How many Top 5 UK albums did Space manage? | 2 | 1 | ||||||
| 24 Gene's 1994 debut single For the Dead came in a limited run of how many? | 1994 | 0 | ||||||
| 25 Which former member of Pulp now runs a ceramics shop? | Nick Banks | 1 | ||||||
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26 The infamous "Battle of Britpop" - name the two singles by Oasis and Blur that went head to head that same week.
Bonus point: Who won in term of most singles sold. | "Roll With It" vs "Country House"; Blur won the battle (but Oasis won the war). | 1.5 | ||||||
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27 Elastica stole the guitar riff of "Connection" from what 70s punk band?
Bonus point: name the song. | Wire; "Three Girl Rhumba" | 0 | ||||||
| 28 Name Blur's bassist Alex James' unusual hobby? | Cheese lover | 1 | ||||||
| 29 Before Kanye's "I'll let you finish" upstage,
which Britpop maverick danced his way on stage during Michael Jackson's
performance of an award show. Bonus point: name the award show. | Jarvis Cocker; The Brit Award | 1.5 | ||||||
| 30 Name the lead singers of (1) Oasis, (2) Blur, (3) Pulp, (4) Suede, (5) Sleeper, and (6) Elastica. | Liam Gallagher, Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker, Brett Anderson, Louise Wener, and Justine Frischmann | 3 |
11/29/2009 20:09:50 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
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Britpop: Jarvis vs Blur ♥ Flyer (12/05/09) |
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BRITPOPCAST #4: TOP TEN BRITPOP COUNTDOWN
This is the best of the best, and as far as I'm concern, this is the best countdown ever. If you had to listen to just one of our podcast, I think this the one you have to listen to.
Going into the recording, we already knew that it would be one massive recording session that will be split into two parts. So the first part is the countdown, thirty of our favorite Britpop tunes. The second part will be uploaded next week and involves a very hard Britpop Q Magazine Quiz. Seriously, it was hard, even for seasoned veterans like ourselves.
The next show, some ideas: Britpop girl bands ? Britpop band reunions ? If those doesn't sound appealing, let me know what you'd like us to discuss. Otherwise, I can always talk hours on end about stalking Louise Wener.
As for the Britpop top list, these are our preference and not a mean to measure how important a band is to that genre. Also, obviously we all had our Pulp, Blur, and Oasis moment, but the choice in songs are interesting to note. I have always known that my top two are the Blur vs Oasis, it was the other eight that was hard to have placement. I could have easily had a top 20 or 30. Easily.
Some honorable mentions should be sent to Cast, Salad, Charlatans.
If you like what you heard, and you happen to be in Sydney in early December, DJ Sal is doing her bits at britpop.com.au.
PS, stay after the song and you're in for a Buzzcocks treat.
BRITPOPCAST #4: TOP TEN BRITPOP COUNTDOWN
This is the best of the best, and as far as I'm concern, this is the best countdown ever. If you had to listen to just one of our podcast, I think this the one you have to listen to.
Going into the recording, we already knew that it would be one massive recording session that will be split into two parts. So the first part is the countdown, thirty of our favorite Britpop tunes. The second part will be uploaded next week and involves a very hard Britpop Q Magazine Quiz. Seriously, it was hard, even for seasoned veterans like ourselves.
The next show, some ideas: Britpop girl bands ? Britpop band reunions ? If those doesn't sound appealing, let me know what you'd like us to discuss. Otherwise, I can always talk hours on end about stalking Louise Wener.
As for the Britpop top list, these are our preference and not a mean to measure how important a band is to that genre. Also, obviously we all had our Pulp, Blur, and Oasis moment, but the choice in songs are interesting to note. I have always known that my top two are the Blur vs Oasis, it was the other eight that was hard to have placement. I could have easily had a top 20 or 30. Easily.
Some honorable mentions should be sent to Cast, Salad, Charlatans.
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Vu
10. Gene - Sleep Well Tonight
09. Echobelly - I Can't Imagine the World Without Me 08. The Bluetones - Bluetonic 07. Shed Seven - Dolphin 06. Sleeper - Nice Guy Eddie 05. Pulp - Disco 2000 04. Elastica - Stutter 03. Suede - Metal Mickey 02. Blur - Girls and Boys 01. Oasis - Supersonic |
Sally
10. SFA - Ice Hockey Hair
09. Doves - Pounding 08. Teenage Fanclub - Sparky's Dream 07. Blur - Sunday Sunday 06. Suede - Animal Nitrate 05. The Coral - Dreaming of You 04. Ocean Colour Scene - The Day We Caught the Train 03. Dodgy - Good Enough 02. Pulp - Babies 01. Stone Roses - Fools Gold |
Kristen
10. MSP - Motorcycle Emptiness
09. South - Keep Close 08. Pulp - Acrylic Afternoons 07. Oasis - Columbia 06. Wendys-Pulling My Fingers Off 05. Supergrass - Moving 04. Blur - This is a Low 03. Oasis - The Masterplan 02. Suede - Killing of a Flash Boy 01. Pulp - Sheffield: Sex City |
If you like what you heard, and you happen to be in Sydney in early December, DJ Sal is doing her bits at britpop.com.au.
PS, stay after the song and you're in for a Buzzcocks treat.
11/22/2009 12:33:44 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
Jarvis Cocker: this pasty, lanky man from Sheffield, what is it about him?... it's not a traditional attractiveness; it's a combination of about seven things (give or take a few). That awkwardness, those frantic dance moves, and of course... those flailing limbs.
You have to hand it to him, others would have given up long ago, but Jarvis stuck it out. I probably don't need to say it, but Mr Cocker started his career as the frontman for the amazing English band, Pulp. If you are familiar with them, i reckon like me, you probably first heard them around 1995/1996? But NO! Pulp's first gig was at a Rotherham Arts Centre in July 1980 (the month I was born - yeah scary). So really, they'd been at it 16 years until they released Different Class, causing a vast number of people to jump on the (literal) bandwagon.
My theory for why these songs are instantly likable is not just because of the catchy tunes, but because Jarvis has an amazing knack to lyric writing. He has an acute talent for writing songs with lyrics that are clearly from experience as opposed to the usual "I'm pining for lost love" or "I've got a girlfriend, she's super lovely, she's not yours, you lose" drivel. These are all songs that the average person can identify with in some way or another. Another thing that I'm sure I mention a lot, is that I love the fact that if you happen to be listen to any Jarvis-written songs on earphones... you have to be quite careful who you sing out loud (and how loud) in front of.... "so she bought a toy that can reach the places he never goes".
I can't help but think that if Pulp kept on going at it, it wouldn't have ended gracefully in any way (although I'll probably get physically beaten for saying that Pulp aren't together anymore by a certain crazed Pulp fan i know). Anyway, i could talk about Pulp all day.... the purpose of this here article today, is to talk about Jarvis and his solo albums.
The
songs themselves are less poppy than Pulp, a bit more laid back and
slightly depressive. Without a doubt, there are a few gems that need to
be mentioned.
Dont Let Him Waste Your Time,
is one that catches my attention. As a "lady" who is getting on a bit
and being occasionally hassled by a certain nanna who is constantly
wondering "am i going to ever see you get married?", the lyrics of this
song grab me, and more than anything, make me laugh. I think nanna and
Jarvis could have a good conversation about the topic though.
Black Magic is
another that stands out. This song has probably the best chorus on the
album. It's one that slightly sneaks up on you. The versus are quiet
and minimalist, but the chorus then hits you, loudly.... nice. Gosh,
I'm listening to the album as i write this and although i loved the
album before, I'm listening and picking up on things I'd never noticed
before.
The
song that only made is as the "secret song" at the end of the album is
probably one of my favourites. Even though it contains the only word i
will not say out loud, Cunts Are Still Running The World, is both catchy and speaks the truth lyrically. It's true, when are nice people going to get a look in?
"Sometimes a well chosen swear word is the only thing that will do" Well put, Mr Cocker.
The newer album, Future Complications,
is his second helping. I realise that it's not overly new anymore, but
with Jarvis imminent arrival on our fair shores someone needs to
mention it (although, I'm sure I'm not the first). Further Complications
is much the same as the previous album. With all those years of musical
experience, there's not a whole lot of growing musically that Jarvis
can do. He's got the whole "writing catchy songs" thing down pat. I
would like to say that Further Complications has a
different feel to Jarvis, it's slightly more dramatic sounding. More of
those sad sounding minor chords, slower and more quiet.
The first single, Angela,
hated by some, loved by others, could easily be a Pulp song. In my
opinion, it's quite danceable, but the element that makes it Pulp-esque
is the subject matter. "Making four-fifty an hour, Complimentary shower" Is it what I think it's about? (I'm always the first person to miss the point)
I must admit though, reluctantly, that there are a few songs on Further Complications that almost bore me (this is a product of my lack of attention span rather than the songs actually being boring). Slush is long and slow. It's not a bad song by any means, it's just a bit too mellow for it's own good. You're In My Eyes....
what's going on there? My dislike of this song could have something to
do with the disco-ness of it all. Admittedly, it is quite danceable, so
it claws back a few points in that respect.
Listening to both of these albums, I feel as though I'm slightly seeing into the private life of Jarvis. I wonder "Did fat children really take his life?". But what about the beard, Jarvis? That's the real question.
Listening to both of these albums, I feel as though I'm slightly seeing into the private life of Jarvis. I wonder "Did fat children really take his life?". But what about the beard, Jarvis? That's the real question.
Tour dates?.. oh yeah, he's coming to Australia...
9 Nov - Village Underground, London
10 Nov - Village Underground, London
11 Nov - Village Underground, London
2 Dec - Town Hall (Wellington), Wellington
4 Dec - Powerstation, Auckland
5 Dec - Hi Fi Bar, Brisbane
7 Dec - Metro (Sydney), Sydney
8 Dec - Metro Freo, Perth
10 Dec - HQ, Adelaide
11 Dec - Forum (Melbourne), Melbourne
12 Dec - Meredith Festival, Meredith
More info?
That's all?
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Britpop ♥ Flyer (11/07/09) |
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Subscribe to our show at gcast.com (RSS), more information at podcast.whm.com.
BRITPOPCAST #3: WELSH BRITPOP BANDS
This show was recorded on Saturday morning at 12.30am with Sally. I was half tired and half unprepared... but lots of fun on this episode about Welsh Britpop bands.
Welsh bands we focused on: Super Furry Animals, Manic Street Preachers, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Catatonia, Stereophonics, and 60ft Dolls.
The second part, which is more like a post script is that Sally will be DJing Jarvis Cocker/Pulp music for an hour on December 5th in anticipation and celebration of Cocker touring in Australia around that date. Come stalk her in Sydney, more details on britpop.com.au.
Below is the interview Sal did with singer Gruff Rhys from SFA, originally published in Kill the Cod fanzine.
BRITPOPCAST #3: WELSH BRITPOP BANDS
This show was recorded on Saturday morning at 12.30am with Sally. I was half tired and half unprepared... but lots of fun on this episode about Welsh Britpop bands.
Welsh bands we focused on: Super Furry Animals, Manic Street Preachers, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Catatonia, Stereophonics, and 60ft Dolls.
The second part, which is more like a post script is that Sally will be DJing Jarvis Cocker/Pulp music for an hour on December 5th in anticipation and celebration of Cocker touring in Australia around that date. Come stalk her in Sydney, more details on britpop.com.au.
Below is the interview Sal did with singer Gruff Rhys from SFA, originally published in Kill the Cod fanzine.
KILL THE COD INTERVIEWS GRUFF RHYS
Whilst attending a smashing concert at Newcastle Uni (25th.Feb), i managed, as well as being able to watch three of my favourite bands (Lavish, Super Furry Animals and Custard), i was able to have a chat to a Mr Gruff Rhys, the lead singer of the Super Furries. So here is the story of that night....................................................................................*sally*
What's the deal with all the Welsh bands that have been touring Australia lately?
It's really funny, you know, we used to share the same amps as Catatonia and we shared drummers, we've known members of Catatonia since I was...you know...
So you lived near them?
ah...Catatonia are from North Wales and we're from South Wales...your in bands for years playing along and it's...so surreal, you know...we'll be playing in Melbourne the same night as Catatonia and we'll probably meet up with them after...and I saw them in a pub in Cardiff before coming over...
So it's just coincidence that you, Catatonia and the Manic Street Preachers have all decided to tour Australia at the same time?
Yeah...cos Wales is a small place...you bump into everyone and you meet everyone...the music is quite different...you know? Everyone does their own thing, so no one is in competition with each other...it's great you know...to meet up in exotic locations
How do you like playing with Lavish and, tonight, Custard?
well...I haven't heard Custard and I hadn't heard Lavish until last week
How do you feel about not being the headlining band tonight (Newcastle Uni)?
That's fine...yeah...I mean we've never played in Australia before and no one's heard of us practically...you know..we sort of have just started out in Australia, so it's great to be number 1 and number 2...it's good to have an audience...I don't care about headlining...you know, I think that's secondary to the music true true...
So how did the Super Furry Animals form?
ahh...we started recording in Dafydd's house about five years ago (points to Dafydd)...this doesn't translate on tape..um..that short guy with the brown shirt..um..we had a home studio..we spent a few years writing songs and before that me and Dafydd were in a band called Ffa Coffi Pawb, Guto and Bunf were in a band, and Cian had his own band and Cian is Dafydd's brother so he used to hang out with us...and by this time me Cian and Dafydd had moved down from North Wales to Cardiff and we knew Bunt and Guto from the days in Ffa Coffi Pawb, we were all in Welsh punk rock bands you know..then we spent two years in the house writing songs and playing around and um...then we decided to start playing live...we did a few gigs and then we got together to release a single on a label called Ankst and so it's one of those freaky things...we'd played about two gigs and we sent a copy to the NME or something and we got a slot in a pub in London and about 10 journalists came to see us and wrote rave reviews...we went to London again the week after and played in another pub and there was about 40 record companies and they all wanted a piece and...it was really strange and easy and then we did an album for Creation...we've been in bands for 10 years making music and suddenly you get offered this chance to record the albums of your dreams you know..and come to places like Australia to play
Are you enjoying Australia?
Yeah...I didn't know what to expect at all and it's a good place and um...i'm looking forward to coming back...yeah I want to come back
I don't know if you've ever been asked this but...i've got a game called Actua Soccer at home..
..oh yeah...
and I notice a SFA team with you running around the field...so how did you get into that?
well...we were making a video and we didn't have many pictures and we wanted to walk into the screen and change into football players and so we got in contact with these people and they did it free for us and...but they fucked up cos..we selected a team of all our heros..um...we had..i think Che Guevara was in goal, Nelson Mandella on the wing..i think Lou Reed was in the team and...Fidel Castro and...Frank Zappa on the wing, etcetera, etcetera and the five of us...apparently they've put like..Stalin and Ghengis Khan on the team and it's horrible cos they lost the piece of paper we sent them so they put all these wankers in, you know...it's really bad...so we're all embarrassed it's still an alright game though I prefer Fifa 98
yeah...me too... What football teams do you support?
Bangor City...their in the league of Wales............ah a bug (on the ground).........yeah..i support Bangor City in the league of Wales and I support Cardiff City who are in the third division of the English league even though it's a Welsh team...um...I support Barcelona and Bilbao in the Spanish league...who do you support?
I support Arsenal and it's not just because they won the FA cup and that, I had been supporting them for years, so don't get any ideas
o.k....i know some Arsenal fans
What is your favourite telly show ever?
well...Calimero...it's like a Czech cartoon. Calimero is a little black chicken with half a shell on its head and um...I did have a photo of him (searches his pocket and wallet)...he's like the only black chicken in a family of yellow chickens and it gets translated into Welsh so we used to watch it in Welsh on Welsh TV and i've met Japanese people...it's been translated into Japanese and Italian and in Scotland it's in English with an Italian accent so Calimero's catch phrase is "It's an injustice" (in an Italian accent) and um..in Welsh it's (Welsh words-sorry ) which is "there's no flavour to life"..it's this depressed chicken..it's a cartoon for kids but, you know...Calimero...god guy..one of the greats
How do you Kill the Cod?
Are you an active fisher?
it's actually out of the Goodies
Ah yeah...i saw a band a few weeks ago and they've got Graeme Garden's son on keyboards...he's got the same smile...that's quite amazing..i don't'know if I endorse killing cod..so maybe we should let it swim..you know.
Whilst attending a smashing concert at Newcastle Uni (25th.Feb), i managed, as well as being able to watch three of my favourite bands (Lavish, Super Furry Animals and Custard), i was able to have a chat to a Mr Gruff Rhys, the lead singer of the Super Furries. So here is the story of that night....................................................................................*sally*
What's the deal with all the Welsh bands that have been touring Australia lately?
It's really funny, you know, we used to share the same amps as Catatonia and we shared drummers, we've known members of Catatonia since I was...you know...
So you lived near them?
ah...Catatonia are from North Wales and we're from South Wales...your in bands for years playing along and it's...so surreal, you know...we'll be playing in Melbourne the same night as Catatonia and we'll probably meet up with them after...and I saw them in a pub in Cardiff before coming over...
So it's just coincidence that you, Catatonia and the Manic Street Preachers have all decided to tour Australia at the same time?
Yeah...cos Wales is a small place...you bump into everyone and you meet everyone...the music is quite different...you know? Everyone does their own thing, so no one is in competition with each other...it's great you know...to meet up in exotic locations
How do you like playing with Lavish and, tonight, Custard?
well...I haven't heard Custard and I hadn't heard Lavish until last week
How do you feel about not being the headlining band tonight (Newcastle Uni)?
That's fine...yeah...I mean we've never played in Australia before and no one's heard of us practically...you know..we sort of have just started out in Australia, so it's great to be number 1 and number 2...it's good to have an audience...I don't care about headlining...you know, I think that's secondary to the music true true...
So how did the Super Furry Animals form?
ahh...we started recording in Dafydd's house about five years ago (points to Dafydd)...this doesn't translate on tape..um..that short guy with the brown shirt..um..we had a home studio..we spent a few years writing songs and before that me and Dafydd were in a band called Ffa Coffi Pawb, Guto and Bunf were in a band, and Cian had his own band and Cian is Dafydd's brother so he used to hang out with us...and by this time me Cian and Dafydd had moved down from North Wales to Cardiff and we knew Bunt and Guto from the days in Ffa Coffi Pawb, we were all in Welsh punk rock bands you know..then we spent two years in the house writing songs and playing around and um...then we decided to start playing live...we did a few gigs and then we got together to release a single on a label called Ankst and so it's one of those freaky things...we'd played about two gigs and we sent a copy to the NME or something and we got a slot in a pub in London and about 10 journalists came to see us and wrote rave reviews...we went to London again the week after and played in another pub and there was about 40 record companies and they all wanted a piece and...it was really strange and easy and then we did an album for Creation...we've been in bands for 10 years making music and suddenly you get offered this chance to record the albums of your dreams you know..and come to places like Australia to play
Are you enjoying Australia?
Yeah...I didn't know what to expect at all and it's a good place and um...i'm looking forward to coming back...yeah I want to come back
I don't know if you've ever been asked this but...i've got a game called Actua Soccer at home..
..oh yeah...
and I notice a SFA team with you running around the field...so how did you get into that?
well...we were making a video and we didn't have many pictures and we wanted to walk into the screen and change into football players and so we got in contact with these people and they did it free for us and...but they fucked up cos..we selected a team of all our heros..um...we had..i think Che Guevara was in goal, Nelson Mandella on the wing..i think Lou Reed was in the team and...Fidel Castro and...Frank Zappa on the wing, etcetera, etcetera and the five of us...apparently they've put like..Stalin and Ghengis Khan on the team and it's horrible cos they lost the piece of paper we sent them so they put all these wankers in, you know...it's really bad...so we're all embarrassed it's still an alright game though I prefer Fifa 98
yeah...me too... What football teams do you support?
Bangor City...their in the league of Wales............ah a bug (on the ground).........yeah..i support Bangor City in the league of Wales and I support Cardiff City who are in the third division of the English league even though it's a Welsh team...um...I support Barcelona and Bilbao in the Spanish league...who do you support?
I support Arsenal and it's not just because they won the FA cup and that, I had been supporting them for years, so don't get any ideas
o.k....i know some Arsenal fans
What is your favourite telly show ever?
well...Calimero...it's like a Czech cartoon. Calimero is a little black chicken with half a shell on its head and um...I did have a photo of him (searches his pocket and wallet)...he's like the only black chicken in a family of yellow chickens and it gets translated into Welsh so we used to watch it in Welsh on Welsh TV and i've met Japanese people...it's been translated into Japanese and Italian and in Scotland it's in English with an Italian accent so Calimero's catch phrase is "It's an injustice" (in an Italian accent) and um..in Welsh it's (Welsh words-sorry ) which is "there's no flavour to life"..it's this depressed chicken..it's a cartoon for kids but, you know...Calimero...god guy..one of the greats
How do you Kill the Cod?
Are you an active fisher?
it's actually out of the Goodies
Ah yeah...i saw a band a few weeks ago and they've got Graeme Garden's son on keyboards...he's got the same smile...that's quite amazing..i don't'know if I endorse killing cod..so maybe we should let it swim..you know.
10/24/2009 20:06:30 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
Yawn.
Doesn't
really conjure up images of excitement, does it? I nearly wrote this
band off before even listening to them (a very sally thing to do).
Well... look at the cover art.... i thought "ooh, some sort of
horrendous metal band". Who ever said i jump to weird conclusions?
The best part is that you can download the EP for free on their website and that would be right HERE.
Not a great deal of information on these guys (maybe my detective skills aren't up to scratch), but according to their MySpace page, they come from Chicago, are influenced by after-birth and biblical murals, and used to be called Metrovox, but have since changed direction musically and hence required a new name. I wouldn't say Yawn is a fitting name, but who am i to make that call?
As
far as i can tell, this is their self-titled debut EP. The music?
Simply, it's indie pop. I wont say cute, but there's some really
quirky, but well put together songs. The music itself is thick, layers
of indie guitar pop intertwine with a whole realm of unusual sounds
(I'm sure there's a kookaburra in there somewhere - mmm well known as
the greatest songbird in history *ahem*). Seems a bit novelty-esque; a
bit Vampire Weekendy, very similar sounding vocals, same sort of
whimsical feeling, same bouncy beat, but just that little bit more
quirky. Favourite track? Empress. Makes me feel as though I'm on
a beach drinking cocktails out of coconuts (not that I've ever done
that.... or really want to, come to think of it).
Also, if you happen to be in Chicago, you might be interested to hear that they are playing a show (with Megachurch... great band name!) on the 31st October at Snack Manor (I'm imagining this place has an abundance of cheese toasties).
Short and sweet today.
Sally
Feel free to have a go at me, but yes, I think it's taken me these four years to realise that Art Brut are
not about catchy tunes and immaculate sounding vocals; they're about
the lyrics. The reason why the lack of tunefulness within the lyrics
previously irritated me so much is because they are at the forefront of
their overall sound. There's no avoiding them; they're clear and
coherent. According to various sources, it seems that Eddie's lyrics
have even been the subject of lecture at a Berlin university entitled "The Depressive Dandy: the
Lyrics of Eddie Argos"; a description that has apparently cause
confusion to the man himself. But all the same, says a lot about the
lyrics.
Why
are they special? Well... let see. They aren't pretentious; they're
to-the-point, describing exactly what is being said. No poncey
metaphors. It's like a story is being told in each song; most commonly
describing various life experiences: a love of public transport, going
home with someone you don't quite fancy after an alcohol-fuelled
evening, having annoying songs stuck in your head and embarrassingly
singing them in public, drinking just that bit too much and waking up
the next morning with all manner of mystery bruises. (he sounds a bit
like me actually... except my love of public transport is probably not
as strong... ha!)
"I can't remember anything I've done. I fought the floor and the floor won." Love it.
There a some parallels with Eddie's lyrics and those penned by Jarvis Cocker.
That is, the fact that they evoke images of situations that most of us
would find ourselves in, which is possibly why he has once been
described as "the new Jarvis" by NME.
What strikes me about Art Brut Vs Satan,
is that the lyrics are more melodic than previously, as though there's
been some effort put into creating a more tuneful record rather than
just the voice with the english twang speaking over what could be
mistaken for a completely unrelated backing band. Before I get my arse
kicked, in addition to a marked improvement in the vocals, the
melodies, harmonies and overall sound of Art Brut as a band have improved immensely. Simply... This album is fairly excellent indeed.
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16 Oct 2009 -Cambridge, MA, Middle East
17 Oct 2009 - Hoboken, NJ, Maxwells
18 Oct 2009 - Washington, DC, Black Cat
19 Oct 2009 - Carrboro, NC, Cats Cradle
20 Oct 2009 - Atlanta, GA, The Earl
21 Oct 2009 - Tallahasee, FL, Club Downunder
22 Oct 2009 - Birmingham, AL, The Bottletree
23 Oct 2009 - Baton Rouge, LA, Spanish Moon
24 Oct 2009 - Houston, TX, Walters On
25 Oct 2009 - Austin, TX, The Mowhawk
27 Oct 2009 - Tucson, AZ, Club Congress
28 Oct 2009 - San Diego, CA, Casbah
29 Oct 2009 - Pomona, CA, Glass House
30 Oct 2009 - San Francisco, CA, Café Du Nord – 2 shows
31 Oct 2009 - Davis, CA, UC Davis
01 Nov 2009 - Portland, OR, Holocene
02 Nov 2009 - Seattle, WA, Nuemos
03 Nov 2009 - Vancouver, BC, The Biltmore
05 Nov 2009 - Salt Lake City, UT, Urban Lounge
06 Nov 2009 - Denver, CO, Bluebird
07 Nov 2009 - Lawrence, KS, The Bottleneck
09 Nov 2009 - Minneapolis, MN, Triple Rock
10 Nov 2009 - Chicago, IL, Lincoln Hall
11 Nov 2009 - Oberlin College, IL, Oberlin College
13 Nov 2009 - Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn Bowl
14 Nov 2009 - Baltimore, MD, Ottobar
15 Nov 2009 - New York, NY, Bowery Ballroom
Sally
If you've progressed through the years with this four-piece from sunny Leicester, you would have to agree that since their first (and self-titled album) album Kasabian have really grown as songwriters. Indie rock at it's finest.
For example, there were some absolute gems of songs on the first album; catchy as they come, but West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is just amazing. You have the first single Fire with it's shifts from the mellow, through to it's loud and catchy chorus (be careful of that volume shift when you're listening on some sort of earpod arrangement) and then back again.
You also have songs like Underdog that you may have first seen on some sort of television ad and thought "Hang on, that sounds like Kasabian, but it's much more awesome than I recall them ever being before!"; Where Did All The Love Go?, Vlad The Impaler and Fast Fuse, which each have incredibly catchy guitar riffs and completely splendid underlying basslines; foot-tappingly so.
On the other hand there's tunes like Happiness and Thick As Thieves (I quite like the pronunciation of the words 'Thick' and 'Thieves' - listen for yourself), which although less danceable than those tracks just mentioned, still have that awesome composition of sounds that runs through the entire album.
So many melodies that are just going to stick right in your head and not shift for a good hour. You'd best fire up the vacuum cleaner now, or get in the car and go for a 51 minute and 59 second drive.... the perfect soundtrack for either.
A couple of little tidbits for you:
1. if you head here: http://www.kasabianasylum.com/ you can play a splendid little game.
2. If you gaze down there and do a little clicking you'll notice a Mr Noel Fielding from one of our favourite telly shows The Might Boosh in a promo video for Vlad The Impaler.
Paris / Bataclan, France - 23/10/09
Lyon / Le Radiant, France - 24/10/09
Toulouse / Le Bikini, France - 25/10/09
Köln, Live Music Hall, Germany - 28/10/09
Bochum, Zeche, Germany - 29/10/09
München, Germany - 31/10/09
Hamburg, Germany - 01/11/09
Berlin, Huxley's, Germany - 02/11/09
Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena, UK - 10/11/09
Aberdeen, AECC, UK - 11/11/09
Glasgow, SECC, UK - 12/11/09
London, Wembley Arena, UK - 14/11/09
London, Wembley Arena, UK - 15/11/09
Liverpool, Echo Arena, UK 16/11/09
Nottingham, Trent FM Arena, UK - 18/11/09
Birmingham, NIA, - UK 19/11/09
Manchester, MEN, - UK 20/11/09
Cardiff, International Arena, - UK 22/11/09
Sheffield, Arena, - UK 23/11/09
Links - http://www.kasabian.co.uk - http://www.myspace.com/kasabian
Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com
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