The Gigwatcher 25/10/2006

Back once again it's the Renegade Master..

I know, the Gigwatcher is somewhat tardy again this week. My apologies, I had to sit in a small room with a tall man and talk about content management systems. I tell you, the days are just packed with interesting stuff like that happening to me, I should have my own TV show I really should.

[a tumbleweed rolls lazily by]

*koff*

Or perhaps not.

And so down to business, once again I've scoured the back pages of the NME to pick out the local gigs coming our way, thus:

Mojave Three @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 03/11/2006
Four Day Hombre @ The Joiners, Southampton - 06/11/2006
The Hours @ The Joiners, Southampton - 18/11/2006
New Found Glory @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 28/11/2006
Nina Nastasia @ Komedia, Brighton - 29/11/2006
The Bishops @ Sumo, Brighton - 05/12/2006
Black Wire @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/12/2006
Bloc Party @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 27/01/2007
brandnew @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 05/02/2007
Thirteen Senses @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 13/02/2007
The Feeling @ BIC, Bournemouth - 19/02/2007

When I get a spare five minutes I'll add those onto the SoMC's Events Calendar. There now follows a public service announcement..

The SoMC Events Calendar is rammed to the gills with all manner of gigs coming our way, though you'll need to be registered on the SoMC forum to peruse it (if you're not registered then, you can't. so there). Once registered you'll also be able to post on the forum; plugging this, asking that or perhaps creating a poll on the new Girls Aloud single (g'won, go nuts and post something).

And now back to our regular programming. Here's a selection of local gigs up and coming that I've found in my journeys across the internet:

King Creosote @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - TONIGHT!
Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 27/10/2006
Oxjam Finale @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 31/10/2006 (it's for charidee, and Hudson10 are headlining)
WASP @ The Brook, Southampton - 31/10/2006
Jason Donovan @ Chicago Rock Cafe, Fareham - 02/11/2006
Lily Allen @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 03/11/2006 SOLD OUT!
Misty's Big Adventure @ Unit 22, Southampton - 13/11/2006
The Be Good Tanyas @ The Anvil, Basingstoke - 15/11/2006 (hopefully the roof won't leak like it did the last time)
The Decemberists @ The University, Southampton - 09/02/2007 (woohoo!)

The Ed Harcourt gig at The Wedgewood Rooms, postponed from 14/10/2006 due to a touch of laryngitis, is STILL yet to be rescheduled.

Brettles braved the rain on Sunday to take part in the Great South Run (apparently he could be seen on Channel 5's coverage), to raise money for the Meningitis Research Foundation. He finished in the 7000s, his name can be found in the results in today's edition of The News. If you'd like to make a donation to this very worthy cause, you can still do so online.

I've started a YouTube thread on the forum, there's a couple of odd europop clips up so far. If you fancy a look, or want to add something, just go here.

And that's about it for this week; put a fork in me, I'm done.

The Gigwatcher 18/10/2006

Howdy Doody*

Is it me or are the nights starting to draw in? Y'know, it's getting dark earlier, and colder too. Already strange men have started selling pumpkins at the side of the road and, just last night, the sound of fireworks could be heard in my street. The year seems to have just flown by.

[insert mournful violin solo here]

Damn, I'm getting old.

*koff*

Moving swiftly on, in a rare display of multi-tasking I was able to peruse the back pages of this week's NME whilst simultaneously fixing Smudger's laptop (hella yes), hence the following local gigs for local people:

The Paddingtons @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 02/11/2006
Fortune Drive @ Lennon's, Southampton - 04/11/2006
The Paddingtons @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 08/11/2006
The Aliens @ Audio, Brighton - 01/12/2006
Goldie Lookin Chain @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 11/12/2006
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly @ Southampton University, Southampton - 18/01/2007
The Boy Least Likely To @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 24/01/2007 (Rescheduled Date)

Just as soon as I can be bothered I'll add those into the SoMC's Events Calendar. And now, a message from our sponsors..

The SoMC Events Calendar is chock-a-block full of gigs coming our way over the next few moths. In order to trawl through this valuable resource you'll need to be registered on the SoMC forum (if you're not registered then, well, you can't. them's the breaks I'm afraid). You'll also be able to make postings on the forum as well plugging this, asking that or posting up a link to something on YouTube (g'won, go nuts and post something).

And now back to our regular programming. Here's a selection of local gigs up and coming that I've found in my journeys across the internet:

Ezio @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - TONIGHT! Sold Out
Rick Wakeman & Jon Anderson @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - TONIGHT!
Hudson10 @ Chicago Rock Cafe, Southsea - TONIGHT!
Kate Rusby @ The New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth - 19/10/2006
Sandi Thom @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 19/10/2006 Sold Out
Jason Donovan @ Chicago Rock Cafe, Fareham - 02/11/2006
Amplifier @ The Joiners, Southampton - 19/11/2006
Tony McPhee @ The Joiners, Southampton - 10/12/2006
Barenaked Ladies @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 01/04/2007

The Napalm Death gig at The Brook tomorrow night has been cancelled, as has the Amy Winehouse gig at The Wedgewood Rooms on 20/11/2006. The Ed Harcourt gig at The Wedgewood Rooms, postponed from 14/10/2006 due to a touch of laryngitis, is yet to be rescheduled.

Brettles will be plodding the pavement this weekend when he competes in the Great South Run. He's running in order to raise money for the Meningitis Research Foundation, if you would like to make a donation to this very worthy cause, you can do so online here. It'll be on TV so be sure to keep an look out for a breathless bloke dressed in purple (cue Gogol Bordello).

And that's about it for this week, ay caramba!

;o)




* For best effect say in a David Bowie-style voice.

The Gigwatcher 11/10/2006

Aftnoon all..

I've just had a very nice and relaxing weekend in sunny Krakow (and I'm not being sarcastic, it really was sunny and it really was nice and relaxing) so I'm nicely recharged; I'd say it was good to be back but I'd be lying. In Poland the beer is cheap, the weather is good and their version of Deal Or No Deal features a whole bunch of lovely Polish ladies (a vast improvement over Noel Edmonds I'm sure you'll agree), I could quite happily have stayed there but other than knowing how to ask for three beers my Polish is near non-existent.

*koff*

And so back to reality (or as near as I'm likely to come to it) I must return; I've pored over the back pages of this week's fun-packed NME to bring you the following local gigs for local people:

Tiny Dancers @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 11/10/2006
The Southern Electrics & The Rise @ The Pressure Point, Brighton - 11/10/2006
Switches @ The Joiners, Southampton - 14/11/2006
The Hours @ The Joiners, Southampton - 18/10/2006
Milburn @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 23/10/2006
My Alamo @ The Joiners, Southampton - 25/10/2006
Good Books @ The Pressure Point, Brighton - 28/10/2006
Badly Drawn Boy @ The Pyramids, Southsea - 04/11/2006
Gossip @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 05/11/2006
Midlake @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 09/11/2006
Art Brut @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 17/11/2006
Rodrigo y Gabriela @ The Dome, Brighton - 27/11/2006
Captain @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 04/12/2006
My Chemical Romance @ The Brighton Centre, Brighton - 21/03/2007

I'll add those onto the SoMC Events Calendar just as soon as I get a spare five minutes.

Once in place they'll join all the other gigs I find out about in my wanderings across the interweb. As stated before, you need to be registered on the SoMC forum in order to interrogate the Events Calendar; if you're not registered then, well, you can't (them's the breaks I'm afraid). You'll also be able to make postings on the forum as well (g'won, go nuts and post something). Moving swiftly on, here's a selection of local gigs up and coming:

Dead Men Walking @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - TONIGHT!
Catfish Keith @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 14/10/2006
De La Soul @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 25/10/2006
King Creosote @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 25/10/2006
WASP @ The Brook, Southampton - 31/10/2006
NME Rock'n'Roll Riot Tour @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 08/11/2006 (rescheduled from the Pyramids on 11/10/2006)
Seth Lakeman @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 13/12/2006

Also, to rain on Mr Yemm's parade somewhat, the Hundred Reasons gig at Southampton University has been cancelled. To bring some sunshine back into his life, they're playing at the Wedgewood Rooms early next year.

As mentioned last week, the charitable efforts of one of the Moustacheers continues. Young Brett, or Bunty as he prefers to be known, will be taking part in the forthcoming Great South Run in order to raise money for the Meningitis Research Foundation. If you would like to make a donation to this very worthy cause, you can do so online here.

And that's about it for this week; put a fork in my pierogi, they're done!

;o)

The Gigwatcher 04/10/2006

Dzien dobry!

Isn't technology wonderful?

Here we are, in the 21st century, and a little bit of ill communication between us and those chaps at International Omni-Mega-Communications means that Fortress Gigwatcher is cut off from the real world. Apparently a crack team of engineers is beavering away (ooh, a dam, nice!) at fixing the problem, thus you good people out there in the real world will have received this missive sometime after I've sent it. The rest of us are getting withdrawal symptoms from the lack of internet access (or maybe that's just me) or attempting to better our Mini Golf scores.

And so, after all that, welcome to the Polish 'special special' Edition of the Gigwatcher. There's not all that much special about it, and only a hint of Polish, but considering I throw this thing together in about 10 minutes flat (and make it up as I go along) there you go.

*koff*

Moving swiftly on.. here's some local gigs blatantly lited out of the back pages of this week's NME..

newcassettes @ Unit22, Southampton - 10/10/2006
Vincent Vincent & The Villains @ The Joiners, Southampton - 18/10/2006
Akala @ The Venue, IOW - 20/10/2006
Johnny Panic @ Unit22, Southampton - 27/10/2006
Luke Haines @ The Joiners, Southampton - 01/11/2006
SixNationState @ Lennon's, Southampton - 11/11/2006
Ugly Duckling @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 15/11/2006
White Rose Movement @ The Joiners, Southampton - 26/11/2006 (rescheduled date)
Idlewild @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 30/11/2006
The Levellers @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 03/12/2006
The Blood Arm @ The Joiners, Southampton - 08/12/2006
The Boy Least Likely To @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 24/01/2007 (rescheduled date)
Journey @ BIC, Bournemouth - 10/03/2007

As soon as I have a spare ten minutes or so I'll add those into the SoMC Events Calendar. There they'll join all the other gigs I find out about in my meanderings across t'interweb. You have to be registered on the SoMC forum in order to interrogate the Events Calendar; if you're not registered then, well,

Ordinarily I'd pick some imminent gigs from the Events Calendar and plop them in here, but for earlier explained reasons we're stuck in the 50's here. So, instead, here's the heads up on a gig in beautiful down town Krakow (where I'll be) this weekend..

Chumbawumba @ The Rotunda Students Club, Krakow - 06/10/2006

Whatever will the Poles make of those mid-90s agitprop indie types? I may find out on Friday, depends whether or not we've found a Polish version of Scandals or not (which is entirely possible, we found one in Prague!).

*koff*

The Tacheback campaign finished at the weekend, at which point those taking part here shaved off their funky face furtniture as soon as they possibly could. As mentioned before all involved were cultivating hairy top lips in order to raise money for the Everyman cancer charity. A ballpark figure on the monies raised is around the "one followed by three noughts" mark, so a big thumbs up to all of the chaps who took part (and didn't wuss out like me) and another to everyone who donated. If you would like to donate then links (to both their website and photos of the guys taking part) can be found here.

Not content with growing a 'tache for charity, Young Brett will soon be taking part in the Great South Run for a very good cause, more information on that next week.

And that's about it for this week; as they say in Poland, do widzenia!

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!

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!).

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?

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. 

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 (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!

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..

The Gigwatcher 30/08/2006

Aft'noon..

Slightly late again this week I'm afraid, but I got waylaid reading about the Reading Festival in this week's NME (if anyone wants the aerial photo poster things just let me know and they're yours). After I turned to the back pages and was surprised to find it rammed to the gills with news of gigs in our locale (it's a big locale, honest):

CSS @ Audio, Brighton - 09/09/2006
White Rose Movement @ The Joiners, Southampton - 15/09/2006
Trailing Laces @ Unit 22, Southampton - 18/09/2006 (supported by Brannigan's Law, who have that Ant Shue on rhythm guitar so they do)
The Misfits @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 27/09/2006
Peter Bjorn & John @ Sumo, Brighton - 27/09/2006
Hot Club de Paris @ The Consortium, Bournemouth - 28/09/2006
Air Traffic @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 04/10/2006
Babybird @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 05/10/2006
Metric @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 06/10/2006
The Young Knives @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 09/10/2006
Rooster @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 15/10/2006
Plan B @ The Union, Southampton University - 17/10/2006
Milburn @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 19/10/2006
Howling Bells @ The Joiners, Southampton - 24/10/2006
The Long Blondes @ The Joiners, Southampton - 27/10/2006
Guillemots @ The Corn Exchange, Brighton - 29/10/2006
Scissor Sisters @ The Brighton Centre, Brighton - 11/11/2006
Scissor Sisters @ BIC, Bournemouth - 16/11/2006
Gomez @ The Old Market, Brighton - 26/11/2006
Ray Lamontagne @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 03/02/2007

As soon as I can be bothered (as there's a lot to type) I'll add the above into the SoMC Events Calendar, where they'll join all the other gigs I stumble across, such as the following:

Who's This @ Chicago Rock Café, Fareham - TONIGHT! (They're a Who tribute act, nice)
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band @ The Brook, Southampton - 01/09/2006
Hudson10 @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 09/09/2006
Teddy Thompson @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 28/09/2006
Peter Andre @ Chicago Rock Café, Fareham - 05/10/2006 (no, really)
King Naat Veliov & the Original Kocani Orkestar @ Turner Sims Hall, Southampton - 07/10/2006
The James Taylor Quartet @ Turner Sims Hall, Southampton - 14/10/2006

There's more where they came from, all you need to do is register on the forum and you can interrogate the Events Calender to your hearts content. If you're still in doubt then this handy posting on the forum should answer most of your questions.

In addition to the above gigs, tomorrow night sees the first semi-final of The Wedgewood Room's Showcase'06 event. I mention this because The Pancake Eating Freaks will be playing, having won their heat earlier in the competition. If you like Californian Punk why not go along and give the lads your support.

As mentioned in the big list above, Brannigan's Law are gigging at Unit 22 in Southampton in a few week's time. Click on the link to visit their online presence and hear some demo material.

Crumbs, I'm nearly at the end of this week's Gigwatcher and I've not gone off on one about Girls Aloud! Oh yes, that's right, I did it here. Well, that about wraps it up for this week.. see you in the funny pages.. or the yellow pages.. whatever..

The Gigwatcher 23/08/2006

Shoulda known, shoulda cared, I shoulda hung around the kitchen in my.. umm.. err.. *koff*

[tumbleweed]

OK, so I'm going to see The Tweedy and chums this weekend (sadly not at Portchester Castle, curse you local goverment) so I'm more than a little bit excited. That said, hopefully there'll be a beer tent so I can evade the horror that is Journey South. Anyway, all this talk of Girls Aloud has reminded me that I know of someone who has a spare ticket for this fine event for sale. If anyone out there fancies taking it off his hands leave a comment and we can, like Noel Edmonds, do a deal.

And so, after that poorly constructed and quite shameless sales message, it's that time of the week again. I've pored over the back pages of the NME and have found the following local gigs (for local people):

Keith @ Unit 22, Southampton - 09/09/2006
The Rifles @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 02/10/2006
NME Rock'n'Roll Riot Tour (featuring The Fratellis, The Horrors, The Maccabees and The Dykeenies) @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 11/10/2006
Mumm-Ra @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 29/10/2006
Two Gallants @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 01/11/2006
The Magic Numbers @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 14/11/2006
The Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Southampton University, Southampton - 21/11/2006
The Charlatans @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 30/11/2006
Paolo Nutini @ The Dome, Brighton - 02/12/2006

The above gigs will, just as soon as I have a spare five minutes, join all the other gigs I find on my travels across the interweb in the repository that is the SoMC Events Calendar, like the following for example:

Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 25/08/2006
Kojak's Revenge @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 26/08/2006
The White Knuckle Blues Band @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 16/09/2006
The Poozies @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 04/11/2006
Easy Star All-Stars @ The Brook, Southampton - 04/12/2006

If you want to peruse the Events Calendar then this handy blurb should answer most of your questions. There's bound to be something listed that pulls your chain, or the chain of someone you know, or the chain of whoever is in the cubicle next to you.

If Girls Aloud aren't your thing then there's plenty of music in the area this weekend. From Friday through til Monday the sixth annual Southsea Folk & Roots Festival will be taking over the South Parade Pier (and a couple of nearby pubs); more information can be found here. If that doesn't grab you, and it looks like rain, why not stay home and indulge in some on-line karaoke. Bizarre, truly bizarre.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week; have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend and, above all, be excellent to one another..

;o)

The Gigwatcher 16/08/2006

Hello everybody..

Apologies for the delay this week, it's been one of those days; a whirlwind of meetings, legacy restores and laptops misbehaving themselves (I think they're doing it to spite me). Before my afternoon got taken up with all things going wrong I had enough time at lunch to peruse the back pages of this week's NME to see what's coming our way, thus:

Ben Kweller @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 21/09/2006
Embrace (with Delays) @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 04/10/2006 (a dilemma for Shaun there)
The Eastpak Antidote Tour (Gogol Bordello, Bedouin Soundclash, Danko Jones & Disco Ensemble) @ The Dome, Brighton - 06/10/2006
Rancid @ The Dome, Brighton - 20/11/2006
The Long Blondes @ The Joiners, Southampton - 27/10/2006
Jamie T @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 28/10/2006
Rancid @ The Dome, Brighton - 20/11/2006
Lostprophets @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 28/11/2006
James Morrison @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 11/12/2006
Kasabian @ Brighton Centre, Brighton - 16/12/2006
Kasabian @ BIC, Bournemouth - 18/12/2006

As soon as I get a spare five minutes I'll add the above into the Son of Music Club's Events Calendar; there they'll join all the gigs that catch my eye as I wander across the interweb, such as...

!!! @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 21/08/2006 (it's pronounced 'chk chk chk')
Michael Franti & Spearhead @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 03/09/2006
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band @ The Brook, Southampton - 01/09/2006
Arlen @ The Cellars at Eastney - 20/09/2006
Seth Lakeman @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 04/10/2006

If you want to peruse the repository of local gigness that is the Events Calendar, then I've knocked up something that should answer all your questions. There's gigs on there through to the end of the year so there's bound to be something that boils your egg, or the egg of someone you know, or the egg of that bloke who sits across from you and looks at you funny).

And finally.. the new Scissor Sisters single reminds me of the Nolans. Discuss.

TTFN

The Gigwatcher 09/08/2006

Another week and another rock icon sadly leaves us...

"Oh, the snot has caked against my pants, it has turned into crystal..."

So sang Arthur Lee, of seminal 60's outfit LOVE, who sadly died last week. In case you're not aware of his work I urge and implore you to hightail it to the nearest music emporium and purchase a copy of their Forever Changes album; it really is a beautiful piece of work and may well improve your quality of life just by hearing it...

And so to the Shippam's meat paste of the Gigwatcher sandwich; once again I've squandered my lunchtime to bring you good people the local highlights from the back pages of the NME:

Keith @ The Joiners, Southampton - 09/09/2006
Babyshambles (with The Holloways and The Noisettes) @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 03/10/2006
The Cooper Temple Clause @ Southampton Uni, Southampton - 15/10/2006
Club NME on Tour @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 17/10/2006
Milburn @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 23/10/2006
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 24/10/2006
DJ Shadow @ BIC, Bournemouth - 07/12/2006

I'll update the Son of Music Club's Events Calendar with the above just as soon as I get the chance; there they'll join all the gigs I trip over on my forages through the interweb, such as...

One Weird Fish @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 12/08/2006
Gilkicker @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 19/08/2006
Catfish Keith @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 14/10/2006
Ezio @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 18/10/2006
Kate Rusby @ New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth - 19/10/2006
King Creosote @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 25/10/2006 (Kenny, as he's known to his chums, is a thoroughly nice chap; Neil and I had a chat with him in the bar at the Wickham Festival)

Don't forget, if you'd like to peruse the repository of local gigness that is the Events Calendar, all you need do is point your browser to that place and log in (there's bound to be something in there that pops your cork, or the cork of someone you know, or the cork of someone you haven't yet met but is just a blind date away).

Nathan has posted up some information on the forum about a one-off gig of a favourite band of his. And that just about wraps it up for this week. Relax.

The Gigwatcher 02/08/2006

Well, here we are again.

I hope you're all having a lovely super smashing week (note to self, stop inserting Jim Bowen catchphrases into everyday conversation) and not, like me, muttering and swearing at Lotus Notes because of how rubbish it is when it up and abends on you three times in a row [takes deep breath and goes to the happy place]. My regular lunchtime perusal of the back pages of the NME has yielded the following local gigs:

The Young Knives @ Southampton University, Southampton - 08/10/2006
Ladyfuzz @ The Joiners, Southampton - 09/10/2006
Infadels @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 10/10/2006
James Dean Bradfield @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 15/10/2006 (one for Shaun)
Rye Coalition (plus The Bell Rays) @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 24/10/2006
Delays @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 20/09/2006
Liam Frost & The Slowdown Family @ The Joiners, Southampton - 29/09/2006
Juliette & The Licks @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 15/11/2006

I'll add those onto the Son of Music Club's Events Calendar where they'll join all the gigs I trip over on my journeys across the interweb in an "Oooh, look at what you could've won" sort of way..

Ezio @ Talking Heads, Southampton - 15/09/2006
Jim Bob (ex-Carter USM) @ The Edge of The Wedge, Southsea - 17/09/2006
W.A.S.P @ The Brook, Southampton - 31/10/2006 (no, I couldn't believe it either)
The Wonder Stuff @ The Brook, Southampton - 06/12/2006
Delays @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 20/12/2006

If you'd like to interrogate the multitude of local gigs that the Events Calendar contains just point your browser to the usual place and log in (there's bound to be something in there that floats your boat, or the boat of someone you know, or the boat of that strange guy over there who keeps winking at you).

Apropos of nothing, this Risk-type game is way too addictive for its own good. And that just about wraps it up for this week.. if anyone is off to the Wickham Folk Festival this weekend then chances are I'll see you there, if you're not then I won't.. toodles!