Album review: The Long Ryders – Final Wild Songs
If the Flying Burritos invented country rock then the Long Ryders pretty much created Americana so it was always bizarre there was no decent retrospective of their impressive back catalogue. Now they have courtesy of Cherry Red who have pulled together a four CD box set with tracks selected by singer/guitarist Sid Griffin and bassist …
News: Smiths legend Mike Joyce pledges signed vinyl to record fair to help flooded record store
The Smiths drummer Mike Joyce has donated some very rare signed vinyl to a special record fair that will help save Muse Music who lost their stock after floodwater ripped through Hebden Bridge on Boxing Day. Mike’s signed records form a unique retrospective of Britain’s greatest indie band that is just one of the star …
Obituary: Farewell to Alan Rickman – King of the Villains
That Alan Rickman was one of our great screen actors was really brought home to me in the underrated British classic Truly, Madly, Deeply – a movie that still make me mist up – due to his tender performance as the recently deceased Jamie who has returned to ‘live’ with his distraught wife. Playing against …
Meet: Sid Griffin from The Long Ryders
In the midst of endless mid-80s synth pop the arrival on these shores of The Long Ryders with their swaggering fusion of country rock with punk attitude was a welcome relief from the manufactured pap clogging up the charts. Their first album Native Sons was only held off the top of the UK Indie Charts …
Meet: Tim Burgess is Telling Stories in aid of flood relief
When The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess agreed to play a DJ set at the Hebden Bridge Trades Club on Saturday he couldn’t have forseen the Boxing Day floods that flooded the club’s cellar and decimated other local businesses. But true to his reputation as one of the nicest men in pop Tim has slotted in …
Album Review: Kate Rusby – The Frost Is All Over
Kate Rusby is undoubtedly one of the big names in the recent revival of British folk helping rescue the genre from silver tankard wielding traditionalists to create a more contemporary sound and this is her third Christmas album. This time Rusby has just not delved in the songs of her South Yorkshire festive roots, but …
Live: Ash at The Ritz Manchester 9.12.15, plus gallery
It remains one of rock’s enduring mysteries why Northern Ireland’s finest Ash are only playing decent sized venues like this instead of stadiums and this fun packed greatest hits sets only added to the conundrum. Most bands would settle for a couple of indie pop classic like Girl From Mars or Goldfinger, but this set …
Album Review: Wolfgang Flur – Eloquence
I was a Robot/coming from the Autobahn/I was a Radio-Active man. Yep, those opening words from I Was A Robot tells what you need to know – Wolfgang Flur was a key member of Kraftwerk when they were busy completely re-inventing electronica, but this is a retrospective of his solo stuff. But be warned – …
Album Review: Penetration – Resolution
Penetration are one of the great lost punk bands that shone brightly before burning out. Their first two albums – Moving Targets and Coming Up For Air – are punk pop classics that pissed all over what the massively overrated Siouxsie was doing, The secret to their brilliance was the powerful, yet keening, vocals of …
News: James announce new album and 2016 arena tour
Indie legends James have announced an arena tour for 2016 promoting their 14th studio album Girl At The End Of The World. As well as their string of massive hit singles, including indie disco classic Sit Down, Come Home, She’s A Star and Born of Frustration, years of touring has turned them into a tight …