And the winner is...
Three cheers and a rousing hurrah for Elbow, worthy winners of this year's Mercury Music Prize. For a while there, given the repeat listens I've given it over the past few weeks, I'd started to cross fingers that Neon Neon would walk away with it...
Umm.
Yeah, I bet on the wrong one again...
*koff*
And so to business; I purloined the following entertainments from the dark and musty back pages of this week's NME for your edification and delight:
Friendly Fires @ The Joiners, Southampton - 24/09/2008
Johnny Foreigner @ The Albert, Brighton - 29/09/2008
Ladyhawke @ Komedia, Brighton - 30/09/2008
The Datsuns @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 11/10/2008
Deadmau5 @ Digital, Brighton - 23/10/2008
The Datsuns @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 22/10/2008
Johnny Flynn @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/10/2008
Black Kids, Ladyhawke and Magistrates @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 02/11/2008
Cage The Elephant @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 04/11/2008
Fucked Up @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 07/11/2008
I'll endeavour to add the above gigs onto the SoMC Events Calendar at some point over the weekend (so much for thinking the world was going to be sucked inside out; I had two days of sitting on the edge of the event horizon all planned). When bang up to date the Events Calendar is a most useful aid for the idle muso about town, and is full of local gigs, like these...
Little London, Dragon Eye Morrison and Insinerate @ Havant Arts Centre - 11/09/2008
Have Mercy @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 11/09/2008
Kids Can't Flyy, Bigtopp and Taste The Chase @ The Joiners, Southampton - 11/09/2008
Das Wanderlust, The Bobby McGees and Shrag @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 11/09/2008
The Ex-Patriots and Painterman @ The Fat Fox, Portsmouth - 11/09/2008
Team Medal, Remain Silenced and Beyond Help @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 11/09/2008
In Like Flynn, Sheilatakeabow, The Zedmen and Blue Gazelles @ The Railway Rifle Club, Portsmouth - 11/09/2008
Eliza Carthy @ Komedia, Brighton - 11/09/2008
Red Jackson @ The Platform Tavern, Southampton - 11/09/2008
The Chemists, Loose Tongue and The Lonely Cardinals @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 12/09/2008
The Bog Rolling Stones @ The Brook, Southampton - 12/09/2008
Rick Payne @ Havant Arts Centre - 12/09/2008
Intraverse and Karalta @ The Hobbit, Southampton - 12/09/2008
Almeida, Action & Action and Shackleton @ The Nell Gwynne, Portsmouth - 12/09/2008
Crystal Arcade, The Inklings and Atlas @ The Joiners, Southampton - 12/09/2008
Barb Wire Bob @ The Railway, Gosport - 12/09/2008
Contra, Abraxas, The Exposed and No Problems @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 12/09/2008 FREE ENTRY!
Orphans & Vandals, The Inklings, Benny The Moth and Jazica @ Kolebka, Southampton - 12/09/2008
The Chap, Restlesslist and Gloria Cycles @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 12/09/2008
The Model Horror @ The Soul Cellar, Southampton - 12/09/2008
The Asylum Seekers, WiLF, Archive 45 and Vinny Void (DJ) @ Moodeaze (Sidewalk) Club, Gosport - 12/09/2008
Bob Log III, Skulls, Edward J Hicks and The Moulettes @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 12/09/2008
Deltawave (DJ) @ The Fawcett Inn, Portsmouth - 12/09/2008
Purple Monkey @ The Firehouse, Southampton - 12/09/2008
The Strange Death Of Liberal England, Little Fish and Six Nation State @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 13/09/2008
The Baddies, Ashbies and Jonny Dare @ Hamptons, Southampton - 13/09/2008
Annabelle Chvostek @ Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 13/09/2008
Perfect Alibi @ The Brook, Southampton - 13/09/2008
The Wild Oats @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 13/09/2008
Lynchpin @ The Firehouse, Southampton - 13/09/2008
The Cheese Doctors @ The Square Brewery, Petersfield - 13/09/2008
Superfly @ The Colonial Bar, Horndean - 13/09/2008
The Legendary Derek @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 13/09/2008
Dlugokecki @ The Soul Cellar, Southampton - 13/09/2008
The Sock Monkeys and Luke Toulson @ The Railway, Winchester - 13/09/2008
The Colours, Crystal Arcade and The Quotes @ The Hobbit, Southampton - 13/09/2008
Your Demise @ Salisbury Arts Centre - 13/09/2008
The Reservoirs and Gloria Cycles @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/09/2008
Sunset Mission, The Issues and Rusty Strings @ The Nell Gwynne, Portsmouth - 13/09/2008
The Mirimar Disaster and Olmec Diagram @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 13/09/2008
Underoath, Envy On The Coast and Oh, Sleeper @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 14/09/2008 SOLD OUT!
Little Toby Walker @ The Forge, Basingstoke - 14/09/2008
Artisian, Gilla Bruja and Archaic Arcanum @ The Hobbit, Southampton - 14/09/2008
The Mirimar Disaster, Proceed and Tento @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 14/09/2008
The Toasters and 3 Minute Warning @ The Joiners, Southampton - 14/09/2008
Gentle Bren (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth - 14/09/2008
In Bob We Trust (Dylan tribute) @ Komedia, Brighton - 14/09/2008
Blues etc @ The Platform Tavern, Southampton - 14/09/2008
Lach, Arthur Delaney and Lucy Mitchell @ The Fat Fox, Portsmouth - 14/09/2008
Rozi Plain, The Pictish Trail and Francois @ The Railway, Winchester - 14/09/2008
Dave James Wheat, Ian Scarbro and Star Anise @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 14/09/2008
Bad Manners, Max Splodge and Django @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 14/09/2008
Gotye @ Komedia, Brighton - 15/09/2008
Alannah Myles @ The Brook, Southampton - 15/09/2008
The Toasters, 3 Minute Warning and Essay For The Ordinary @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 15/09/2008
Saiichi Sugiyama Band @ The Fat Fox, Portsmouth - 15/09/2008
Bad Manners @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 15/09/2008
Hifi Hand Grenades and The Exposed @ The Joiners, Southampton - 15/09/2008 CANCELLED!
Doug MacLeod @ Komedia, Brighton - 15/09/2008
Fraser Anderson, Ben Pinwill and Karen Harmony @ Drift, Southsea - 15/09/2008
The Hot Melts, Sterling and Hardly Heroes @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 16/09/2008
Crystal Castles @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 16/09/2008 CANCELLED!
Solent City Jazzmen @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 16/09/2008
The Devil's Conspiracy, Andrew Jarmin and James Tippens @ The Edge of The Wedge, Portsmouth - 16/09/2008
Stu & Denovo @ The Hobbit, Southampton - 16/09/2008
King Size Slim and The Marvellous Mechanical Band @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth - 16/09/2008
Dave Cloud & The Gospel Of Power and The Sticks @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 16/09/2008 CANCELLED!
American Music Club and Peter Bruntnell @ The Railway, Winchester - 16/09/2008
My Brightest Diamond and Marla Hansen @ Komedia, Brighton - 16/09/2008
The Metros @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 17/09/2008
Dave Swarbrick & Martin Carthy @ The Haymarket, Basingstoke - 17/09/2008
Stackridge @ The Brook, Southampton - 17/09/2008
Little Toby Walker @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 17/09/2008
California Dreamin' (Beach Boys tribute) @ Chicago Rock Cafe, Fareham - 17/09/2008
Stickee Ickee (DJ) @ The Hobbit, Southampton - 17/09/2008
Golden Silvers @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 17/09/2008
Deaf Havana, Asking Alexandria and Finely Tuned Assassins @ The Joiners, Southampton - 17/09/2008
Eileen Rose & The Holy Wreck @ Komedia, Brighton - 17/09/2008
Collapsing Cities, Recreation and Kosmonaut @ The Railway, Winchester - 17/09/2008
Summers, Fantastic Castle and The Tripods @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 17/09/2008
Iglu & Hartley @ Komedia, Brighton - 17/09/2008
The Alan Titchmarsh Project @ The Square Brewery, Petersfield - 17/09/2008
The Mercury Men, The Visitors and Aitch @ Drift, Southsea - 17/09/2008
Hey Negrita & The Travelling Band (plus documentary) @ Komedia, Brighton - 17/09/2008 CANCELLED!
Shotgun and The Charlie Parkers @ The Fat Fox, Portsmouth - 17/09/2008
This week's Waster features DJs Will chuMp and Lemon from the Southsea Mafia, who'll be providing the best indie/rock/dance/alternative tunes around in the fine surroundings of Portsmouth's Envy nightclub. Doors open at 2200 tomorrow, Thursday 11th September, with admission £2.20 before 2300, rising to £3.20 after. More information, including how to get on the guest-list, is available from the event's Facebook page.
The Swan in Woolston will be hosting a day of music and comedy this Sunday, 13th September. The line-up features local rock bands Lynchpin and Superfly, comedian Matt Black (and his piano) plus a selection of tunes from Carly & Graham of Perfect Alibi, the South's leading Pink Floyd tribute band. The music starts at 1400, finishes at 2200, and admission is £2 on the door (all proceeds go to charity).
Fans of Peckham indie kids The Metros are advised to check out club-night Connection at Scandal's tomorrow night, Thursday 11th September, as amongst the usual fine array of tunes will be a selection of the band's forthcoming new album (which, it must be said, the NME didn't like all that much) plus give-aways of Metros' merchandise to boot. Doors open from 2200 and entrance is £1 before 2330, £2.50 after. More information can be found on the Facebook event page.
The Wedgewood Rooms hosts the play off of its Showcase 08 competition tomorrow, Thursday 11th September, when the highest scoring runners-up (or acts most deserving of a second chance) will be battling it out for a place in the final. The line-up for the play off includes The Tripods, Not Good Enough For Tony, Goodbye Stereo and Rusty Sheriff & Friends, all of whom have the judges to impress and the audience to win over. Doors open at 2000, admission is £4.
This week Roger Courtney's Open Mike Club features performances from Portsmouth all-girl band Minds Gone Blank, Gosport's The Unknown Soldiers, 70's recording artist Roy Hill and local indie five-piece Pathway. Doors open at The Barn at The Milton Arms at 1900 tomorrow, Thursday 11th September, with the music starting at 1900 (the Open Mike session follows on after the guest artists at 2230). Admission is FREE and you're advised to arrive early.
Southsea Fest 2008 takes over Albert Road for a whole day of musical delights this Saturday, 13th September, with 14 hours of live music spread across 8 of the venerable thoroughfare's finest establishments. Amongst the entertainments on offer are an afternoon of acoustic performances in Porter's, sets from The Strange Death of Liberal England and Six Nation State at The Wedgewood Rooms, a DJ set from Dirty Pretty Things at Little Johnny Russell's, rock from White Knuckle Revolution and Alternative Car Park at the Southsea Liberal Club and selection of the best local bands at The One Eyed Dog and The Fat Fox. Full information on who's playing where, and when, plus ticketing details are available from the event's website.
In addition to the aforementioned list of events along Albert Road this Saturday, 13th September, club-night Chaos returns to The Wedgewood Rooms for a festival special. The Main Room features DJs Hev Stilet-Hoe and Marky Marc, with Will Chump and Ruby Soho mellowing things out in The Chaos Lounge (aka The Edge of The Wedge). Doors open 2200 through to 0300, entrance is £5 on the door (last admission at 0100).
Power down the Flux Capacitor, that's it for another week; today I have mostly been listening to Elbow's Mercury Award-winning album and the mellifluous tones of Vampire Weekend. Be sure to join me next week when I'll be standing on the edge, looking over.
Mercury Rising
Yes, it's that time of year again; the shortlist for this year's Mercury Music Prize has been announced, with the usual mix of household names bolstered by acts that you might not expect to see mentioned in the mainstream music press any other time.
Whilst it might seem a safe bet to put a pound on the likes of Elbow or Radiohead to walk off with the shiny trophy and £20,000 prize money, I think I'm going to pick one of the "unknowns".
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset it is then.
*koff*
Or maybe the Portico Quartet.
Umm.
Eyes down for a full house; here are the forthcoming gigs of note filched from the back pages of this week's NME:
Magistrates @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 08/08/2008
Selfish **** @ The Joiners, Southampton - 18/08/2008
Selfish **** @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 19/08/2008
Lach @ The Fat Fox, Portsmouth - 14/09/2008
Lykke Li @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 02/10/2008
Seasick Steve @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 03/10/2008
The Hold Steady @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 06/10/2008
Seasick Steve @ The Dome, Brighton - 07/10/2008
The Streets @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 13/10/2008
CSS @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 15/10/2008
Goldfrapp @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 29/10/2008
Okkervil River @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 12/11/2008
The Kooks, Mystery Jets and Kid Harpoon @ The Brighton Centre - 29/11/2008
Kings Of Leon @ The Brighton Centre - 01/12/2008
Kings Of Leon @ BIC, Bournemouth - 14/12/2008
If the Agent Orange I've deployed on the bindweed in the back garden has the desired effect I should have time to add the above gigs onto the SoMC Events Calendar this weekend (if not then I'll be tied up with Plan B, which involves a flame-thrower and a team of attack trained goats). As has been mentioned once or twice before the Events Calendar is, when up to date, a handy aid for the average gig monkey. Here's a wee taster of some of the fine local gigs it holds...
Medison, We're What's Left and The Ex Patriots @ The Railway Rifle Club, Portsmouth - 24/07/2008
Brigade and Slaves To Gravity @ The Joiners, Southampton - 24/07/2008
Christine LeDoux @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 24/07/2008
Dance Paris Dance and Hellcyon @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 24/07/2008
Flamboyant Bella, Fresh Legs and Audio Digital @ The Fat Fox, Portsmouth - 24/07/2008
Auteur, Herbarley and Dacsha @ The Railway, Winchester - 24/07/2008
Mike TV, The JB Conspiracy and Mr Kamikaze @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 24/07/2008
Black Bart, Oblongata, I See Sparks and Long Shore Drift @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 24/07/2008
Major Melon, God Send and In Like Flynn @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 25/07/2008
Deft Leppard (Def Leppard tribute) @ The Brook, Southampton - 25/07/2008
Revenge of Shinobi, They Came And Ate Us and Milk Is Good For You @ The Hobbit, Southampton - 25/07/2008
Sandinistas, The Dirty Tricks and Simon Stevens & The Yellow Groove @ The Joiners, Southampton - 25/07/2008
Kingskin and 8 Fold @ The Railway, Winchester - 25/07/2008
Alice Cooper @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 25/07/2008
The Uplifter (DJ) @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 25/07/2008
Catalyst @ The Firehouse, Southampton - 25/07/2008
Caroline's Capucin and The Soul Liberators (DJ set) @ The Soul Cellar, Southampton - 25/07/2008
Manti @ The Square Brewery, Petersfield - 26/07/2008
Maybe Winehouse (Amy Wino tribute) @ The Brook, Southampton - 26/07/2008
Mary Jane @ The TMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 26/07/2008
Flamboyant Bella, Fresh Legs and The Adamseed @ The Joiners, Southampton - 26/07/2008
Barbwire Bob (featuring John "Two Chillies" Nixon) @ The Fareham, Fareham - 26/07/2008
Tiny Spark, Recreation and The Lonely Cardinals @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 26/07/2008
Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 26/07/2008
The Blueskies, The Frantic and We Aeronauts @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 26/07/2008
Nephwrack, Terrathorn and Nya @ The Railway, Winchester - 26/07/2008
Doris & The Dots @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 26/07/2008
Nanci Griffith @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 27/07/2008
Silent Hours, A Flaming Florence and Hardly Heroes @ The Joiners, Southampton - 27/07/2008
Letz Zep (Led Zeppelin tribute) @ Komedia, Brighton - 27/07/2008
Red Light Company and Loose Tongue @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 27/07/2008
James Hollingworth @ The Platform Tavern, Southampton - 27/07/2008
Flis Pitman, Hayley Angel and The Insouciant Ones @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 27/07/2008
Kids Can't Fly, The Clarity and Who's Keeping Score @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/07/2008
Hadouken! @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 28/07/2008 SOLD OUT!
Attack! Vipers!, The Manatees and Throats @ The Railway Rifle Club, Portsmouth - 28/07/2008
Co-Pilgrim, Guided By Lights and The Great Park @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 28/07/2008
Waiting For Sirens, Fantastic Castle and Burn The Fleet @ The Railway Rifle Club, Portsmouth - 29/07/2008
The Metropolise, Speakyourheart and Joey Nightmare @ The Joiners, Southampton - 29/07/2008
Xavier Rudd and Streebeck @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 29/07/2008
Alistair Goodwin, Tremain and Michael McLinn @ the Edge of The Wedge, Portsmouth - 29/07/2008
Rod Thomas, Hello Country and Great Walls @ The Railway, Winchester - 29/07/2008
The Uplifter (DJ) @ The Soul Cellar, Southampton - 29/07/2008
Leafcutter John, Birdengine and Junkboy @ Komedia, Brighton - 30/07/2008
My Winehouse (Amy Wino tribute) @ Chicago Rock Cafe, Fareham - 30/07/2008
Caimbo, The Levels, The Exits and Colonel Mustard @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 30/07/2008
Frantic Bliss, Imightdisco and Ex Boy Racer @ The Joiners, Southampton - 30/07/2008
Joey Nightmare, Hold Fast and Speed The Collapse @ The Railway Rifle Club, Portsmouth - 30/07/2008
Swimming, The Light Sleepers and Stars & Sons @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 30/07/2008
Mr James Bright, Peter Lyons and Thos Henley @ The Railway, Winchester - 30/07/2008
Hours Till Autumn, Jet Heeled Striker and Wilf @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 30/07/2008
Ludovico Einaudi @ Turner Sims Hall, Southampton - 03/10/2008
Longview @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 04/10/2008
Neil Cowley Trio @ Turner Sims Hall, Southampton - 11/10/2008
The Streets @ The Guildhall, southampton - 13/10/2008
Scorpions @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 16/10/2008
Bellowhead @ The City Hall, Salisbury - 28/10/2008
Paul Carrack @ The City Hall, Salisbury - 29/10/2008
Funeral For A Friend @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 31/10/2008
Noah & The Whale @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 03/11/2008
Beth Rowley @ The Talking Heads, Portsmouth - 06/11/2008
Seth Lakeman @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 07/11/2008
Extreme @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 21/11/2008
The Southsea Mafia DJs again take control of Waster this week with another selection of the best indiepunkelectrorockdance in town. Admission is £1 before 2230 (£2 before 2300, £3 after, etc), doors open at Portsmouth's Liquid Envy at 2200 tomorrow night, Thursday 24th July. For more information see the Facebook group page.
The Wedgewood Rooms' Showcase 08 competition continues this week with heats six and seven. The sixth heat, featuring Sheilatakeabow, This Manhattan, On Flight Movie and Audio.Video.Disco (previously Hobos & Eskimos), takes place on Tuesday, 29th July. The following evening, Wednesday 30th July, Rivers Of Sound, Split Sixty, Cozy Flashbak and Roughly Translated will be taking the stage. Each band gets to play a 25 minute set, with votes from the audience and a panel of judges deciding the winner. Admission is £4.
The Hobbit hosts an all-day Reggae Beach Party this Saturday, 26th July, featuring DJ sets from Stickee Ickee, The Uplifter and Skankenstein. Doors open at 1200 and entrance is FREE up until 2200 (the event runs through til 0100).
Kiss My Bass returns to Café Havana in Southsea this Saturday, 26th July, for another packed evening of bleeps, beats and bass. Joining resident DJs Fotza, Aimz and Udy this time around will be Tom Mayhem (Ricochet) and Ruined Jon (Subtechment). Admission is FREE and doors open at 2000.
Chaos returns to new home The Wedgewood Rooms this Saturday, 26th July, when Ruby Soho and Hev Stilet-Ho will be in charge of the wheels of steel. Will Chump and Lemon will be presiding over the Chaos Lounge (in the Edge of the Wedge), where there'll be FREE Sega on offer. Doors open at 2300, entrance is £5.
Osborne House, Queen Victoria's summer home on the Isle of Wight, will be hosting two open-air gigs this weekend. The Modfather himself, Paul Weller, plays Saturday, 26th July, with Girls Aloud gigging the following evening. Tickets are £32.50 (for Weller) and £29.50 (for Cheryl and chums).
Kodiak Jack, the love child of the mighty Hudson 10 and Brannigan's Law, unleash their new sound on the masses for the first time at The Talking Heads this Tuesday, 29th July. Support comes from Caimbo, The Prime and Life With Max and tickets are £4.50.
Roger Courtney's Open Mike Club this week features performances from singer-songwriter Andy Matheson plus acoustic pop from Portsmouth's Becky Jerams. The first artist is on stage at 2000 with the Open Mike session following at 2200. Doors open at The Barn at The Milton Arms at 1900 tomorrow, Thursday 24th July. Admission is, as always, FREE!
And that about wraps it up for another week; today I was mostly listening to Vampire Weekend's excellent debut long player and the sublime new album from Sigur Rós. Be sure to join me next week when I'll be battling Qaatii, the Demon Octopus from the 5th Dimension.
:o)
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 (four 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!
Yo Blairs.. how's it hanging?
That George Bush, he's so street. I bet his air-conditioning works as well. Don't get me wrong, I like the heat.. but it's a dry heat (first one to name the movie wins a bag of molten yoghurt covered banana pieces). Moving swiftly on, with my Diet Coke warming gently, here are the goodies from the back pages of this week's NME:
The Automatic @ Southampton University, Southampton - 04/10/2006
The Goo Goo Dolls @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 08/10/2006
Paolo Nutini @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 09/10/2006
Larrikin Love @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 04/09/2006
Aberfeldy @ The Joiners, Southampton - 12/09/2006
The Flaming Lips @ BIC, Bournemouth - 04/11/2006
The Feeling @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 11/11/2006
I'll bung the above onto the Son of Music Club's Events Calendar where they'll join the large number of gigs that I trip over on my endless journey across the interweb, for example:
Dead Jack @ The Frog On The Front, Southsea - 20/07/2006 (OK, so I've not added this one in yet)
John Otway @ South Parade Pier, Southsea - 21/07/2006 (nor this one.. NTL have been 'fiddling' with my broadband)
Who's Who @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 25/07/2006 - This is a benefit gig for local guitarist Steve Kew.
Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 28/07/2006
Manfred Mann's Earth Band @ The Brook, Southampton - 27/09/2006
The Selecter @ The Joiners, Southampton - 08/11/2006
Don't forget that the first heat of The Wedgewood Rooms 'Showcase 06' competition (featuring The Pancake Eating Freaks) takes place on Monday 24th July.
Blah blah if you want to interrogate the vault of local gig-ness that is the Events Calendar blah blah just point your browser to blah blah and log in (there's bound to be something in there that tickles your fancy, or the fancy of someone you know, or the fancy of whoever happens to be sat beside you).
And on the Forum, the Girls Aloud saga rumbles on. There have been letters in The News every day this week, all decrying the NIMBYs. Lovely. Oh, and the Mercury Music shortlist has been announced; tough one to call this year.
And that about wraps it up for this week. If you go out in the sun don't forget the sunscreen (so you should now remember that song and have it in your head all day (it makes a change from Brett whistling the theme to The Great Escape I guess).
Adios!
