*koff* And yes, I thought it was a big gag when I first heard of it too. Words fail me. Moving swiftly on, here's what I found listed in the back pages of this week's NME:
Crystal Castles @ The Barfly, Brighton - 15/08/2007 Silversun Pickups @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/08/2007 Architecture In Helsinki @ Concorde2, Brighton - 16/09/2007 InME @ Concorde2, Brighton - 25/09/2007 InME @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 26/09/2007 Reverend And The Makers @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 01/10/2007 Foals @ Komedia, Brighton - 01/10/2007 Super Furry Animals @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 25/10/2007 The Coral @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 17/10/2007 Amy Winehouse @ The Brighton Centre - 26/11/2007 Amy Winehouse @ BIC, Bournemouth - 27/11/2007 Hello Goodbye @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 29/11/2007
If I'm not playing catch-up on all the TV I've recorded, but have been to busy watch (there's three episodes of Dexter at least), I'll update the SoMC Events Calendar just as soon as I can. The Events Calendar is, as I may have remarked previously, just packed with local gigs for local people, like these...
Dean Friedman @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 25/07/2007 Denise Marie @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 26/07/2007 Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 28/07/2007 Perfect Alibi @ The Brook, Southampton - 28/07/2007 The Cool Banana Junkyard Show @ Havana Bar, Southsea - 28/07/2007 Sly & The Family Stone @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 28/07/2007 The Checks @ Unit22, Southampton - 28/07/2007 Dave Shepherd's Swing Fever & Hot Club Macdiva @ The Bandstand, Southsea - 29/07/2007 (free afternoon entertainment) The Maple State @ The Joiners, Southampton - 29/07/2007 Craig Johnston & Vincent Treacey (ex-Lisheen) @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 29/07/2007 Cherry Ghost @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 30/07/2007SOLD OUT! Zoot Money & Papa George @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 31/07/2007 Laura Veirs @ Concorde2, Brighton - 31/07/2007 Kojak's Revenge @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 25/08/2007 I Am Kloot @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 09/09/2007 Kosheen @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 22/09/2007 Seth Lakeman @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 26/09/2007 Thomas Dolby @ Concorde2, Brighton - 04/11/2007 Oceansize @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 18/10/2007 José González @ Concorde2, Brighton - 20/10/2007 Justin Currie (ex-Del Amitri) @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 24/10/2007 Paul Potts @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 09/02/2008
Southampton band Timshel will be at The Wedgewood Rooms on Saturday 28th July to celebrate the release of their new albums (plural, they're releasing two). Also on the bill are Skyline Heroes, Ninja Biscuits and the mighty Brannigan's Law (featuring the SoMC's own Axe-Meister General, Ant Shue). Tickets are available now, a bargain at £5.00.
And finally, as I may have mentioned once or twice previously, I can think of no better way of wrapping up a Saturday night in Portsmouth than staggering into Scandal's; it's my favourite hole in the ground and I've been going there for longer than I care to remember. Some emails last week got me thinking about classic Scandal's floorfillers, with a view to knocking up a Best of Scandal's CD, so I started a thread on the forum to canvas ideas. If you can think of any more, do that 'post a response' thing.
And that's it for another week; this afternoon I have mostly been listening to Kate Bush and David Devant & His Spirit Wife (who should've been huge, but there you go). Join me next week when I'll be leaping tall buildings with a single bound.
There's nothing like a bit of rain to make people want to buy songs about umbrellas. But honestly, nine weeks at number one? That's just a tad excessive.
Or is that exces-cess-cessi-ive-ive-ive?
*koff*
I'll get me coat.
Moving swiftly on, here's what I found listed in the back pages of this week's (redesigned, so yes it's smaller) NME:
Lethal Bizzle @ The Joiners, Southampton - 16/08/2007 And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 22/08/2007 Dan Le Sac v's Scroobius Pip @ Audio, Brighton - 17/09/2007 Dan Le Sac v's Scroobius Pip @ The Joiners, Southampton - 18/09/2007 New Young Pony Club @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 21/09/2007 New Young Pony Club @ Corn Exchange, Brighton - 24/09/2007 Euros Childs @ The Joiners, Southampton - 25/09/2007 The Kissaway Trail @ Audio, Brighton - 02/10/2007 (I've only been waiting two months for their album to turn up, bah humbug!) The Rumble Strips @ The Joiners, Southampton - 06/10/2007 The Rumble Strips @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 19/10/2007 The National @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 10/11/2007
As I'm being more of a gigwhore than usual this week I'll probably not have time to update the SoMC Events Calendar with the above gigs until Sunday afternoon. As has been inferred before, the Events Calendar is lovingly packed with lots of super smashing gigs to whet your appetite, like these:
Easy Star All-Stars @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 18/07/2007 Dave Sharp @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 18/07/2007 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 19/07/2007 Silversun Pickups @ The Barfly, Brighton - 19/07/2007 Jonquil @ The Joiners, Southampton - 19/07/2007 Julie Felix @ The Kings Theatre, Portsmouth - 20/07/2007 The Beatmakers @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 20/07/2007 Mary Jane @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 21/07/2007 Bill Kirchen @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 21/07/2007 The Rushes @ Unit22, Southampton - 21/07/2007 The Fabulous Thunderbirds @ The Brook, Southampton - 22/07/2007 Go Lem System & WiserVice @ The Bandstand, Southsea - 22/07/2007 (free afternoon entertainment) Toupé @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 22/07/2007 Golden Section @ Drift Bar, Southsea - 24/07/2007 The Bravery @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 24/07/2007 Elle Milano & Winterkids @ The Joiners, Southampton - 24/07/2007 The Peacocks @ The Joiners, Southampton - 20/08/2007 The Parlotones @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 09/10/2007 Tom Hingley @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 26/08/2007 Fightstar @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 12/10/2007 Two Gallants @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 12/11/2007
The Wedgewood Rooms' Showcase 07 competition kicks off tomorrow night, Thursday 19th 2007, with four local bands taking the stage. Making up the first heat are The 47's, Avondale 45, The White Coats and, making their live debut, Yop Radio Saga. Each band will play a 25 minute set, after which both the audience and a panel of judges get to cast their votes on what they've heard. Tickets for the Showcase events are a bargain £5.00.
Bands from five european nations will be descending on The Wedgewood Rooms on Monday 23rd July to show that the International Language of Rock knows no borders. Joining Portsmouth's own Leptany will be Mal'damak (France), Wozu (Lithuania), Cloudcuckooland (Netherlands) and, from Duisburg in Germany, Neurotic Underground. Tickets are a ridiculous £4.00. H'mm, I wonder what the Lithuanian for 'mosh' is?
The second Tin Hut Music Festival takes place this Saturday 21st July, once again in the village of Stroud (near Petersfield). As mentioned here previously, the festival is a fund-raiser for the Stroud Village Hall Project (which is attempting to raise enough funds to replace the 'tin hut' the village has currently with something sturdier). Amongst those on the bill this year are Brian Houston, Hardly Heroes, Suburbian and One Weird Fish. Tickets for the day long event are £10.00 in advance (£12.50 on the day) and, to add to the festival feel, on-site camping is available this year as well.
And finally. When my chum Chris isn't hanging out the side of a helicopter he can be found indulging his obsession for cover versions. He takes a well known tune, finds six to ten covers of said song, then edits them seamlessly together in Garage Band. He then appears in the pub with the tunes on his iPod, teasing us to guess who sang which part of the song. You can now share in the often infuriating quest to figure out the artists involved as he's posted the first three of his mixes on his website, which this link to the forum will point you to.
Put a fork in me, I'm done. This afternoon I have mostly been listening to the excellent Delays and the very wonderful Feist (who was awesome at the Wedge last night, just about the loveliest gig I've been to in ages). Join me next week when I'll be unleashing my army of flying monkeys on to an unsuspecting public, mwah-ha-ha!
This interesting snippet of footage was filmed at the TS Wisla Hala in Krakow, Poland, during Reading prog-rockers Pure Reason Revolution's recent European jaunt supporting Porcupine Tree. This new tune, posted on YouTube with the band's consent, shows them going in a more 'industrial' direction.
To be honest, given the year the band has had, it's good to see them enjoying themselves (when I last saw them live they didn't have the best of evenings). This track is a good sign that the new album, which they're currently recording, is shaping up nicely. Excellent.
The Law have been added to the bill for Timshel's double album launch gig there on Saturday 28th July; not content with releasing one long player, the Southampton based band are releasing two CDs, Burnt Fingers and Keeping Me Home, for the public's aural pleasure.
Also on the bill are Ninja Biscuits, Guildford's The Savage JazzandSkyline Heroes from the Isle of Wight. Tickets are a bargain £5.00 and are available from the venue or direct from the bands.
OK Live Earth, I'll make a deal with you; I'll keep buying the energy saving light-bulbs if you promise to keep James Blunt locked up.
*koff*
Well, it was worth a try wasn't it?
Moving swiftly on, here's what I found listed in the back pages of this week's (is it me or is it smaller) NME:
Marnie Stern @ Greenhouse Effect (Do Club), Brighton - 13/07/2007 Air Traffic @ Student Union, Southampton University - 23/09/2007 Does It Offend You Yeah? @ Audio, Brighton - 13/09/2007 Does It Offend You Yeah? @ Unit22, Southampton - 30/09/2007 The Sugars @ The Barfly, Brighton - 07/08/2007 The Rumble Strips @ Mr Kyps, Poole - 16/08/2007 Pink @ Brighton Centre - 23/08/2007 Jack Peñate @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 04/10/2007 HIM @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 07/12/2007 Gogol Bordello @ The Dome, Brighton - 10/12/2007 Shed Seven @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 12/12/2007
If I'm not trying to reduce my carbon footprint I'll update the SoMC Events Calendar with the above gigs; as I might have said before (once or twice), the Events Calendar is hand-tooled and just full of lovely super smashing gigs, like these...
Ghosts @ The Barfly, Brighton - 11/07/2007 Air Traffic @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 12/07/2007 Albert Hammond Jr @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 12/07/2007 Saiichi Sugiyama @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 12/07/2007 The Bog Rolling Stones @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 13/07/2007 Cracking Amy & Three Days Hiding @ Black Bar, Portsmouth - 13/07/2007 The Strange Death of Liberal England @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 14/07/2007 The Edible Stems & Silent Hours @ Havana Bar, Southsea - 14/07/2007 Damien Rice @ The Dome, Brighton - 14/07/2007 The Victorian English Gentlemens Club @ Unit22, Southampton - 14/07/2007 The Plymouths @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 15/07/2007 The Superheroes & Zuma @ The Bandstand, Southsea - 15/07/2007 (free afternoon entertainment) Apnia @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 15/07/2007 Joey Nightmare & Cut The Blue Wire @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 16/07/2007 I'm From Barcelona @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 16/07/2007 Feist @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 17/07/2007 Wills & The Willing @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 17/07/2007 Mexicolas @ The Joiners, Southampton - 17/07/2007 Richard Thompson @ The Brook, Southampton - 09/08/2007 Spear Of Destiny @ The Railway Inn, Winchester - 28/08/2007 John Otway @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 26/09/2007 Mr Hudson & The Library @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 17/10/2007 Asia @ BIC, Bournemouth - 02/12/2007
Tonight's gig by Trafficker at The Cellars at Eastney has been cancelled, please contact the venue for further information. The Hayseed Dixie gig at The Brook, scheduled for Monday 23rd July, has been postponed. Again, contact the venue for further information.
The week-long Bishop's Waltham Festival combines music, drama and history in the delightful surroundings of Bishop's Waltham Palace. The musical events this year touch rock, folk and jazz; Merseybeat stalwarts The Swinging Blue Jeans take the stage tomorrow, Thursday 12th July, with Terry Lightfoot bringing the festival to a close with his flavour of jazz on Sunday 15th July. Saturday 14th July is given over entirely to folk; Julie Felix, Rachel Unthank, Chien Bizarre and Les Barker are all on a bill that's nicely topped by Oysterband. If a whole day of folk is too much for you then 'evening only' tickets are available.
Continuing the festival theme, this year's Guilfest kicks off in Stoke Park, Guildford, this Friday. This alternative festival has grown considerably over the years and now boasts six stages, an acoustic lounge and both comedy and theatre tents. Supergrass and The Ordinary Boys top the line-up on Friday 13th July (The Hold Steady will also be appearing). Saturday 14th July features Sandi Thom, Captain and Morcheeba with Squeeze topping the bill. The festival comes to a close on Sunday 15th July with appearances from The Beat, The Icicle Works, The Magic Numbers and, finally, Madness. Both Day and Weekend tickets are still available (which is nice).
So like 500 million or so other people on the globe I sat and watched the Concert for Diana on Sunday, marvelling at the scale of the new Wembley, impressed by the organisational skills of the two princes and more than a little bemused by the terrible links provided by Jamie Theakston and Claudia Winkleman (though they didn't look nearly as lost and confused as Dennis Hopper).
Admittedly it was never going to provide the spectacle of Live 8, with only the tease of a possible full Take That reunion to keep us glued to our seats, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Of course, in an alternative reality Diana may well have been a fan of Motorhead or Metallica.
H'mm.
Well, if it would've stopped P Diddy turning up that's no bad thing.
*koff*
Fiddle-de-dee, here's what I found listed in the back pages of this week's NME:
Shiny Toy Guns @ The Barfly, Brighton - 24/07/2007 Winter Kids & Elle Milano @ The Joiners, Southampton - 24/07/2007 The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster @ The Barfly, Brighton - 25/07/2007 iLiKETRAiNS @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/09/2007 iLiKETRAiNS @ The Barfly, Brighton - 14/09/2007 Editors @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 02/10/2007 Starsailor @ Student Union, Southampton University - 08/10/2007 Ash @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 02/11/2007 Good Shoes @ Concorde2, Brighton - 20/11/2007 Maroon 5 @ The Brighton Centre - 05/12/2007
When I have a spare half hour away from playing that bally Baseball game that Stu forwarded to me I'll add the above gigs onto the SoMC Events Calendar; as mentioned once or twice before, the Events Calendar is lovingly crafted with lots of lovely super smashing gigs, like these...
The Hold Steady @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 04/07/2007 Shaped By Fate @ The Joiners, Southampton - 05/07/2007 The Dodge Brothers @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 05/07/2007 Cut The Blue Wire @ The Railway Inn, Winchester - 06/07/2007 Night of Treason & Barbwire Bob @ The Tap, Portsmouth - 06/07/2007 The Purple Project @ The Brook, Southampton - 06/07/2007 The Cartel & The Visitors @ Black Bar, Portsmouth - 06/07/2007 Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 07/07/2007 Waking Up The Neighbours @ The Brook, Southampton - 07/07/2007 Proxy @ Unit22, Southampton - 07/07/2007 The Way & Solrun @ Havana Bar, Southsea - 07/07/2007 Assembly Now @ The Joiners, Southampton - 08/07/2007 Dead Like Harry @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 08/07/2007 Jill Daniels & The Chris Walker Swingtet @ The Bandstand, Southsea - 08/07/2007 (free afternoon entertainment) The Stations @ Unit22, Southampton - 08/07/2007 Arachnotaur @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 08/07/2007 Ron Trueman Border @ The Raglan Rooms at The Alma Arms, Portsmouth - 09/07/2007 The Sarah Prichard Quintet @ Havant Arts Centre, Havant - 10/07/2007 Eve's Only Son & Jessica Spencer @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 10/07/2007 Julie Felix @ The Kings Theatre, Southsea - 20/07/2007 East 17 @ Chicago Rock Cafe, Southsea - 09/08/2007 Sign @ The Joiners, Southampton - 12/08/2007 Kojak's Revenge @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 25/08/2007 Ezio @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 05/09/2007 John Power @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 19/09/2007
There's still no word on a possible new owner for The Brook, but news has reached that one gig there (which I was particularly looking forward) that was cancelled has been rescheduled, albeit at a different venue. The planned Easy Star All-Stars gig will now take at The Talking Heads (about 5 minutes walk from The Brook); the date remains the same as before, Wednesday 18th July.
And that just about wraps it up for this week. This afternoon I have mostly been listening to Black Grape and The Wannadies. Join me next week when I'll be proving that my kung fu is stronger than your kung fu.
Sir Tom of Jones, covering the Arctic Monkeys breakthrough tune, from the Concert for Diana at the weekend:
OK, so it might not be everyone's bag of chips (a couple of Monkeys' purists I know loathe it) but I like it. It's got soul, more than the comparatively bland Sugababes' take on the song that's for sure, and that's not a bad thing.
