Live: Bang Bang Romeo – The Leadmill – 19/04/14
When I first encountered Bang Bang Romeo, I had no expectations of them, as I was supposed to be reviewing another band. That night they absolutely blew me away and I’ve been relentlessly enthusiastic about them and their stunning We Were Born EP ever since. A few weeks later and I’m back in The Leadmill …
Feature: Cheerio Jethro Tull – thoughts on the ending
Following a particularly demanding day at work, I wandered into Sheffield branch of HMV on Tuesday. As I walked through the doors, my eyes inevitably flicked to my right and across to the new release display. Ninety percent of the time I don’t even recognise the name of at least half of the acts on …
A Buyers Guide to Pixies
Just imagine what rock music over the last 25 years would have been without the influence of Pixies. Few bands have had the all-infusing influence that Pixies have demonstrated and fewer can claim to have had a direct impact on two of the biggest rock acts of a generation. Indeed, both Nirvana and Radiohead are/were …
Not Forgotten: Bernard Butler – People Move On
When former Suede guitar botherer Bernard Butler announced he was going solo after a short but troubled collaboration with Soul singer David McAlmont, I barely blinked. I was actually pretty ignorant of his career up to then actually. I had heard that he had quit Suede just before the epic and gloriously overblown Dog Man …
Feature: Britpop – A music fan remembers…
I don’t know when I became aware of Britpop as a ‘scene’. In late 1994 I had read a few articles on a hotly-tipped band called Suede, and then watching Top of the Pops one Thursday evening it featured a band called Blur playing a slightly annoying song called “Girls and Boys”. Personally I was …
Not Forgotten – Sparks – Exotic Creatures of the Deep
Following up the undisputed best album of your career must be an unenviable task. There was no way that Oranges & Lemons was ever going to be a match for Skylarking, Desire was no Blood on the Tracks, i, as brilliant as it is, will always suffer in comparison to 69 Love Songs, Guerrilla would …
A Buyers Guide to Free
The late 60s were an exciting time for blues based rock in the UK, Cream was the supergroup, Fleetwood Mac had genuine hit singles and we haven’t even mentioned Led Zeppelin yet. Hot on the heels of these heavy hitters were four little skinny guys, younger than their contemporaries, they could still play the blues …
Not Forgotten – Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Top selling musicians these days have it easy. The average recording artist is expected to release a new album once every two years, maybe one a year if they are a new artist. Back in the early 70s it was a given that at least one album a year was the acceptable rate, that way …
Album Review – The Hold Steady – Teeth Dreams
The Hold Steady return in a hail of guitars. Great, that’s exactly what I want from The Hold Steady. As much as they’ve engaged my enthusiasm for wordy guitar rock over the last few years, I have to admit that their previous album, Heaven is Whenever, was the one I had the most difficulty connecting …
A Buyers Guide to Progressive Rock
Progressive Rock, much like Dr Who, was far more enjoyable in the 70s. While it is undeniably glossier these days, it has lost much of the intangible brilliance that caught the imagination back in the day. As for me, I’ve had a love / hate relationship with the genre for decades. There are some prog …