Wednesday, September 27, 2006

The Gigwatcher 27/09/2006

Aftnoon..

After last week's excursion to the big city, which I didn't see all that much of (not above ground anyway; I saw a lot of the tube though thanks to my country bumpkin-like ineptitude at following a map), it's business as usual here at Gigwatcher Towers.

Once more I've wasted my lunch break to bring you good people the head's up on what's coming our way gigwise, courtesy of the back pages of the NME. This week's edition comes with the annual Student Guide, full of pointers to life in the bright lights for young whippersnappers; once again Portsmouth gets barely a mention yet Southampton gets a double-page feature. Oh well, c'est la vie.

Moving swiftly on..

The Heights @ Unit 22, Southampton - 14/10/2006
James Yorkston @ The Joiners, Southampton - 16/10/2006
Killa Kela @ Nexus, Southampton - 18/10/2006
The Heights @ The Registry, Portsmouth - 19/10/2006
Dartz @ Lennon's, Southampton - 23/10/2006
Brightblack Morning Light @ Komedia, Brighton - 24/10/2006
My Alamo @ The Joiners, Southampton - 25/10/2006
Enter Shikari @ The Joiners, Southampton - 03/11/2006
The Fratellis @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 04/11/2006
Arab Strap @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 05/11/2006
Gossip @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 05/11/2006
The Others @ The University, Southampton - 07/11/2006
The Others @ Ryde Theatre, Ryde - 10/11/2006
The Rumble Strips @ Sumo, Brighton - 10/11/2006
The Rumble Strips @ The opera House, Bournemouth - 12/11/2006
Misty's Big Adventure @ Unit 22, Southampton - 13/11/2006
Switches @ The Joiners, Southampton - 14/11/2006
The Bees @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 20/11/2006
The Bees @ The Pier, Southsea - 21/11/2006
Kubichek! @ The Joiners, Southampton - 25/11/2006
Ali Love @ Unit 22, Southampton - 26/11/2006
The Futureheads @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 03/12/2006
Brakes @ The Pavillion Theatre, Brighton - 08/12/2006

As soon as I have the time I'll add the above gigs onto the SoMC Events Calendar where they'll join all the other gigs I find out about in my trundlings across the interweb, like these for example...

Teddy Thompson @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 28/09/2006
Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 29/09/2006
The Exits @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 30/09/2006
Embrace @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 04/10/2006
Go West @ The Ferneham Hall, Fareham - 05/10/2006

Once registered on the SoMC forum you can interrogate the Events Calendar to your hearts content, if you're not registered then, well, you can't (them's the breaks I'm afraid).

Red Honey and The Pimps, featuring the legendary John 'Two Chillies' Nixon, are still looking for a new bass player. Are you up to the task?

The Tacheback campaign has entered its final week and pretty much all involved are sporting fetching face furtniture. Both Stu and Andy have lovely Zapata handlebars, whereas Young Brett resembles a dashing gentleman thief more and more each day. As mentioned before they're cultivating hairy top lips to raise money for the Everyman cancer charity. If you'd like to donate then links (to both their website and photos of the guys taking part) can be found here.

And that's about it for this week, tune in next week for a Polish 'special special' edition.. tatty bye!

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

The Gigwatcher 20/09/2006

Cor blimey guv'nor..

This week's Gigwatcher comes to you from the nicely air-conditioned climes of our London office, a fairly large and mundane example of 1980's architecture. Sadly no-one is dressed as chimney sweeps or talking like Dick Van Dyke, neither has Babs Windsor made an appearance.

London, it's not like on TV is it?

Still, it's Wednesday and that means that, yes, I've once again squandered my lunchbreak to bring you good people the head's up on what's coming our way gigwise, courtesy of the back pages of the NME...

Bugs In The Attic @ Orange Rooms, Southampton - 24/09/2006
Battle @ Lennon's, Southampton - 14/10/2006
The Cooper Temple Clause @ The University, Southampton - 15/10/2006
Vincent Vincent & The Villains @ The Joiners, Southampton - 18/10/2006
Badly Drawn Boy @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 04/11/2006
The Sunshine Underground @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/11/2006
Mika @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 15/11/2006
Little Barrie @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 23/02/2007

I'll add the above gigs onto the SoMC Events Calendar when I get a spare five minutes. Once added they'll join all the other gigs I find out about in my trundlings across the interweb, like these for example...

Showcase '06 Grand Final @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 21/09/2006
Flip Top @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 23/09/2006 (OK, so who remembers the Jail House?)
Soma High @ The Joiners, Southampton - 23/09/2006
Manfred Mann's Earth Band @ The Brook, Southampton - 27/09/2006
James Yorkston & The Athletes @ The Brook, Southampton - 16/10/2006
Scott Matthews @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 06/11/2006
CSS @ The Joiners, Southampton - 17/11/2006

Once registered on the SoMC forum you can interrogate the Events Calendar to your hearts content, if you're not registered then, well, you can't (them's the breaks I'm afraid).

This weekend sees the return of Blues at The Fort, once again high on the hill at Fort Purbrook. The line-up includes Dr Feelgood (Friday) and The Ben Waters Band (Saturday) as well as a fairly good selection of real ales. More information is available from the entries on the Events Calendar.

Red Honey and The Pimps, featuring the legendary John 'Two Chillies' Nixon, have found themselves minus a bass player. If you're tempted, or know of one who may be interested, more information can be found here.

The Tacheback campaign continues; as mentioned before some of the SoMC are proudly growing Chopper-esque facial hair to raise money for the Everyman cancer charity. If you would like to donate then links (to both their website and photos of the guys taking part) can be found here.

And that's about it for this week; hopefully I should make it safely home from The Big Smoke (and not get on the wrong tube train like I did this morning, doh!).

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

The Gigwatcher 13/09/2006

Hi-De-Hi!

Every Wednesday lunchtime I find myself sitting here, at my cluttered desk, wondering how to kickstart the Gigwatcher with some witty anecdote or a piece of dumb information. Some weeks inspiration comes swiftly, other weeks it takes awhile.

This week falls into the latter category.

I've sat here, mused on going off on one about the tickets to Kasabian that I "won" (but didn't really, it was one of those "the first 700 people get in" deals) or the Arctic Monkeys giving their Mercury winnings to charity (and I don't mean their ex-bass player), before deciding I might as well just get on with it. So, eyes down for a full house..

Motion City Soundtrack (plus OKGo) @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 27/09/2006 (it's SOLD OUT!)
Liam Frost & The Slowdown Family @ The Joiners, Southampton - 29/09/2006
People Under The Stairs @ The Orange Rooms, Southampton - 04/10/2006
Pink Grease @ Traid, Brighton - 06/10/2006 (in-store gig, starts at 1500)
Ed Harcourt @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 14/10/2006
CSS @ The Joiners, Southampton - 17/11/2006
Mystery Jets @ St George's Church, Brighton - 22/10/2006
Reverend & The Makers @ Sumo, Brighton - 27/10/2006
Jamie T @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 28/10/2006
Cord @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 30/10/2006
Tenacious D @ The Brighton Centre, Brighton - 17/12/2006

Yes, Jack Black and Kyle Gass are inbound; hopefully he won't phone it in like he did at the VMAs last week :o) The above gigs will be added onto the SoMC Events Calendar when I get a spare five minutes; there they'll join all the other gigs I find out about in my pootlings across the interweb, a selection those in the next week follows:

Sherman Robertson & Blues Move @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - TONIGHT!
Ezio @ Talking Heads, Southampton - 15/09/2006
Superfly @ The Red Lion, Stubbington - 15/09/2006
Night of Treason @ The Railway Inn, Gosport - 15/09/2006 (supported by Red Honey and the Pimps, featuring Mr John 'Two Chillies' Nixon)
Racketeers @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 15/09/2006
Bic Runga @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 17/09/2006
The Cult @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 19/09/2006

To check what else is coming our way all you need do is register on the forum. Once registered you can interrogate the Events Calendar to your hearts content.

Don't forget that Brannigan's Law, featuring the irrepressible Ant Shue on rhythm guitar, return to Unit 22 in Southampton on Monday 18th September. If you want a listen beforehand then streaming demos are available on their MySpace.

The Everyman cancer charity is running its fourth annual Tacheback campaign this month, and some of the SoMC are proudly growing Chopper-esque facial hair (although Brett's is going a bit Errol Flynn). More information, including a link to some photos showing the progress of those involved, can be found here.

And that's about it for this week.. time flies when you're having fun eh?

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Music for Anoraks: Big Wave

Inspired somewhat by Stu's last offering, admittedly if only in a "what the hell, I've not knocked up a compilation CD for awhile" kind of way, young Paul has cogitated over his record collection to bring us Big Wave. 

As the man himself says, "It's lean, only 11 tracks and around 42 minutes long, so there's no excuse not to give it a quick listen!". It's doing the rounds of the office, reviews will appear on the forum (if people can be bothered) with the tracklisting appearing here later on. 

Possibly. 


Wednesday, September 06, 2006

The Gigwatcher 06/09/2006

Ah, Wednesday.. the midpoint of the working week, from here on in it's downhill to the weekend and the joys that await us away from the daily grind. Is it me or does time speed up as we get older? It's probably me, I never really did have a grasp on science.

Moving swiftly on.. I've once again squandered my lunchbreak perusing the NME for local gigs for local people, thus:

To My Boy @ Lennons, Southampton - 09/09/2006
Aberfeldy @ The Joiners, Southampton - 12/09/2006
The Datsuns @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 15/09/2006
The Victorian English Gentlemen's Club @ Unit22, Southampton - 16/09/2006
Imogen Heap @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 06/10/2006
Fightstar @ The Pyramids, Southsea - 16/10/2006
Ray Davies @ The Dome, Brighton - 17/10/2006
Chikinki @ The Joiners, Southampton - 22/10/2006
Salmonella Dub @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 26/10/2006
Guillemots @ The Corn Exchange, Brighton - 29/10/2006
The Hedrons @ The Joiners, Southampton - 31/10/2006
Ugly Duckling @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 15/11/2006
Bromheads Jacket @ The Joiners, Southampton - 27/11/2006

The above will be added onto the SoMC Events Calendar some time soon; there they'll join all the other gigs I find out about in my pootlings across the interweb, a selection of which follows:

The Storys (with Brian Houston as support) @ The Studio @ The Petersfield School, Petersfield - 08/09/2006
Hudson10 @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 09/09/2006 (f
our local bands for a fiver, it's a deal it's a steal..)
Ezio @ Talking Heads, Southampton - 15/09/2006
Racketeers @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 15/09/2006
The White Knuckle Blues Band @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 16/09/2006
Ed Harcourt @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 14/10/2006
Napalm Death @ The Brook, Southampton - 19/10/2006 (no, really!)

Once registered on the forum you can interrogate the Events Calendar to your hearts content, there's gigs on there now through til February 2007. If you're still in doubt yadda yadda yadda...

The winner of the 2006 Mercury Music Prize was announced last night by a slightly sweaty Jools Holland, assisted by a rather nasal Jo Whiley. The cheque went to some chaps from Sheffield (hopefully the bass player will get a cut of it).

Before I wrap up this week's Gigwatcher I have to make a brief public service announcement. The Everyman cancer charity is running its fourth annual Tacheback campaign this month, and some of the Son of Music Club are proudly growing Chopper-esque (though in Brett's case it's more of a Clark Gable style) facial hair. If you would like to sponsor them, or donate to this very worthy campaign, then please visit their charity webpage.

And that's about it for this week.. have a good one!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

WOXY RIP

Unfortunately, despite it being probably the best internet radio station across the whole wide web (IMHO), and having pulled off a quite remarkable Lazarus act last time it looked like buying the farm, it appears that time has finally run out for WOXY.

An announcement appeared on the famed radio station's website over the weekend; the business model has failed and there just isn't the money to keep the station 'on the air'. Little short of a miracle The Future of Rock'n'Roll will be (once again) silenced come September 15th. The message wraps up as follows..

Sometimes no matter how hard you try and how special the thing you do, it simply isn’t enough to beat the odds. It’s the cold reality of business that not even we could escape. When September 15th comes, we’ll meet it proudly with heads held high and celebrate the past two years of woxy.com and the spirit of 97X. For those lucky enough to have been part of it, The Future of Rock and Roll will forever be in our minds and hearts.

It's a damn shame. Thanks to WOXY I heard of some excellent bands that I'd not have encountered otherwise, bands such as Fruit Bats, Over The Rhine, Forget Cassettes and, most importantly, The Decemberists.

As its says on the website, this sucks..