It's that time of year again.
Every year it looms up in front of us all and there's nothing we can do about it, just grit our collective teeth and hope it's not as painful an experience as the year before. Someone always makes a fool of themselves or does something to make you feel uncomfortable.
Just what is the point of the Brits anyway?
*koff*
In other news, it's St Cyril's Day, so I hope you all got cards with funny letters on this morning. Moving swiftly on, here's the pick of the gigs from the back pages of this week's NME:
Fields. @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 18/04/2007
Jamie T @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 21/04/2007
Pure Reason Revolution @ The Joiners, Southampton - 05/03/2007
Friendly Fires @ Unit22, Southampton - 10/03/2007
Kubichek! @ The Joiners, Southampton - 14/03/2007
Buswell @ The Hobbit, Southampton - 23/03/2007
Buswell @ The Nell Gwynne, Portsmouth - 24/03/2007
If I'm not too busy opening up my many many valentine's cards (yeah right) I'll add the above gigs into the SoMC Events Calendar. As I've mentioned several times already the Events Calendar contains listings of local gigs and is both free and (relatively) easy to use. To whet your appetite I've plucked from it the following gigs for your delectation and delight:
The Secret Show @ Nexus, Southampton - 18/02/2007
Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 23/02/2007
Rival Joustas @ Unit22, Southampton - 25/02/2007
Golden Section @ Unit22, Southampton - 28/02/2007
Theatre of Hate @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 28/04/2007
Cradle of Filth @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 30/04/2007
The Twang @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 28/05/2007
The Maximo Park gig at Southampton Guildhall on the 1st of May is SOLD OUT, as is the Klaxons gig at the Pyramids on the 17th of May. Grobbits.
Snow Patrol and Muse are lined up for this year's Isle of Wight Festival, rumour has it that The Rolling Stones will be there too (yes, that old chestnut again).
Some tuneful whistling in the office this morning led to a small debate on who was the better Hannibal (Lecter that is, not the guy with the elephants) so I knocked up a small poll on the forum to canvas opinion. Go votify.
And that just about wraps it up for this week, this afternoon I will mostly be listening to Klaxons and Cold War Kids. Nice.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Friday, February 09, 2007
The Whoooooooooooooooooooooooo!
A wee Gigwatcher bonus.
The Who have today announced dates for their forthcoming European Tour which includes a stop in Southampton. Messrs Daltrey and Townshend pitch up at the Rose Bowl on Saturday 2nd June.
Ticket prices haven't been released as yet but I'll be sure to spill the beans as soon as I know (I can't see them being cheap though). More information can be found on NME.COM and on the Rose Bowl website.
The Who have today announced dates for their forthcoming European Tour which includes a stop in Southampton. Messrs Daltrey and Townshend pitch up at the Rose Bowl on Saturday 2nd June.
Ticket prices haven't been released as yet but I'll be sure to spill the beans as soon as I know (I can't see them being cheap though). More information can be found on NME.COM and on the Rose Bowl website.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
The Blue Van - Revelation of Love
As mentioned previously, Danish rockers The Blue Van are one of the supports on the current Jet tour (the other being New Zealand's The Checks). I stumbled across a couple of tracks from their debut album The Art of Rolling on some blog or other awhile back and liked what I heard; a nicely derivative combination of guitars, Hammond organ and thumping drums that appears to have leapfrogged the past 30 years of music without a second glance.
Here's a taster:
OK so it isn't really ground-breaking, but sometimes all you want to do is rock. Or pretend it's 1968.
Here's a taster:
OK so it isn't really ground-breaking, but sometimes all you want to do is rock. Or pretend it's 1968.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
The Gigwatcher 07/02/2007
Snow.
This time last year I was happily yomping around Stockholm, marvelling at the city's snow-covered buildings whilst trying desperately hard not to slip over and break something. Happy days. I think the thing that struck me most, other than the fact I discovered I have some mental problem with walking down snow-covered gradients (my chum Smudger has video proof of this), was the nonchalance the locals had to the white stuff.
Honestly, it was wasted on them. I didn't see one Swede throw a snowball. God only knows what they made of us making snow angels, snowballs, Phil writing a message in the snow (with his finger!) and pulling Shaun around like a sledge.
Well. I can hazard a guess.
*koff*
Moving swiftly on, here's the pick of the gigs from the back pages of this week's NME (including two Swedish bands, nice!):
Electric 6 @ The Engine Room, Brighton - 13/03/2007
Love Is All @ The Joiners, Southampton - 17/03/2007
My Luminaries @ Lennon's, Southampton - 17/03/2007
The Sounds @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 19/03/2007
I Was A Cub Scout @ The Railway Inn, Winchester - 23/03/2007
I Was A Cub Scout @ The Joiners, Southampton - 24/03/2007
Paul Steel @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 31/03/2007
The Horrors @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 01/04/2007
The Horrors @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 11/04/2007
Cold War Kids @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 19/04/2007
Ugly Duckling @ Ryde Theatre, IOW - 24/04/2007
Ugly Duckling @ The Consortium, Bournemouth - 27/04/2007
65daysofstatic @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 16/05/2007
Klaxons @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 17/05/2007
Willy Mason @ The Pavillion, Brighton - 18/05/2007
Mad Caddies @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 21/05/2007
Manic Street Preachers @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 05/06/2007
Manic Street Preachers @ The Dome, Brighton - 06/06/2007
If I'm not too busy building a Calvin & Hobbes style Snowman Diorama I'll add the above gigs into the SoMC Events Calendar. They'll join many many other gigs I've stumbled across, like these:
Aereogramme @ The Joiners, Southampton - TONIGHT!
Clinic @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 09/02/2007
Keith James & Rick Foot @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham
Hugh Cornwell @ The Studio at The Petersfield School - 02/03/2007
Kristin Hersh @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 06/03/2007
Martyn Joseph @ The Brook, Southampton - 13/03/2007
Martin Simpson @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 28/03/2007
Fresh from appearing on the BBC's Just The Two Of Us, Minneapolis-based 80's soul star Alexander O'Neal is touring. He stops at The King's Theatre in Southsea on the 8th of March.
On the forum more weirdness is appearing on the YouTube thread; Stu has posted up some most excellent Star Wars related shorts, I've let the side down somewhat by responding with some Guild Wars funnies.
And that just about wraps it up for this week, this afternoon I have mostly been listening to Radio KAOS (by Roger Waters) and The Tain (as performed by The Decemberists).
OK, so a bit of a strange combo there I know.
This time last year I was happily yomping around Stockholm, marvelling at the city's snow-covered buildings whilst trying desperately hard not to slip over and break something. Happy days. I think the thing that struck me most, other than the fact I discovered I have some mental problem with walking down snow-covered gradients (my chum Smudger has video proof of this), was the nonchalance the locals had to the white stuff.
Honestly, it was wasted on them. I didn't see one Swede throw a snowball. God only knows what they made of us making snow angels, snowballs, Phil writing a message in the snow (with his finger!) and pulling Shaun around like a sledge.
Well. I can hazard a guess.
*koff*
Moving swiftly on, here's the pick of the gigs from the back pages of this week's NME (including two Swedish bands, nice!):
Electric 6 @ The Engine Room, Brighton - 13/03/2007
Love Is All @ The Joiners, Southampton - 17/03/2007
My Luminaries @ Lennon's, Southampton - 17/03/2007
The Sounds @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 19/03/2007
I Was A Cub Scout @ The Railway Inn, Winchester - 23/03/2007
I Was A Cub Scout @ The Joiners, Southampton - 24/03/2007
Paul Steel @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 31/03/2007
The Horrors @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 01/04/2007
The Horrors @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 11/04/2007
Cold War Kids @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 19/04/2007
Ugly Duckling @ Ryde Theatre, IOW - 24/04/2007
Ugly Duckling @ The Consortium, Bournemouth - 27/04/2007
65daysofstatic @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 16/05/2007
Klaxons @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 17/05/2007
Willy Mason @ The Pavillion, Brighton - 18/05/2007
Mad Caddies @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 21/05/2007
Manic Street Preachers @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 05/06/2007
Manic Street Preachers @ The Dome, Brighton - 06/06/2007
If I'm not too busy building a Calvin & Hobbes style Snowman Diorama I'll add the above gigs into the SoMC Events Calendar. They'll join many many other gigs I've stumbled across, like these:
Aereogramme @ The Joiners, Southampton - TONIGHT!
Clinic @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 09/02/2007
Keith James & Rick Foot @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham
Hugh Cornwell @ The Studio at The Petersfield School - 02/03/2007
Kristin Hersh @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 06/03/2007
Martyn Joseph @ The Brook, Southampton - 13/03/2007
Martin Simpson @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 28/03/2007
Fresh from appearing on the BBC's Just The Two Of Us, Minneapolis-based 80's soul star Alexander O'Neal is touring. He stops at The King's Theatre in Southsea on the 8th of March.
On the forum more weirdness is appearing on the YouTube thread; Stu has posted up some most excellent Star Wars related shorts, I've let the side down somewhat by responding with some Guild Wars funnies.
And that just about wraps it up for this week, this afternoon I have mostly been listening to Radio KAOS (by Roger Waters) and The Tain (as performed by The Decemberists).
OK, so a bit of a strange combo there I know.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
The Gigwatcher 01/02/2007
Everybody out!
[blows whistle]
No, the Gigwatcher isn't delayed because I was watching re-runs of The Rag Trade in my head, us civil servant types were on strike yesterday (oh yes Comrades, come the revolution, etc). Not that I stood on picket duty, singing acapella whilst toasting marshmallows on the flames of a hastily procured brazier you understand. No. I stayed home and watched Diagnosis Murder and HouseMD.
This of course led me to wonder whether Dick Van Dyke's english accent is as good as Hugh Laurie's american accent. Honestly, you'd think I'd have better things to use up the resources of my grey matter with but, as I'm sure you may have noticed by now, I'm easily distracted.
*koff*
This way to the cafeteria.. no.. wait.. I mean, here's what I found in the back of the NME this week:
Halfdis Huld @ Hope, Brighton - 12/02/2007
Patrick Wolf @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 14/02/2007
Little Man Tate @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 19/02/2007
Jakobinarina @ The Engine Room, Brighton - 20/02/2007
Dartz! @ The Joiners, Southampton - 20/02/2007
SixNationState @ The Registry, Portsmouth - 22/02/2007
The Black Keys @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 25/02/2007
The Holloways @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 05/03/2007
The Rapture @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 08/03/2007
Deftones @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 19/03/2007
Kate Nash @ Red Roaster, Brighton - 24/03/2007
Just Jack @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 29/03/2007
Scott Matthews @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 03/04/2007
The Cooper Temple Clause @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 04/04/2007
The View @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 19/04/2007
Maximo Park @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 01/05/2007
The Sunshine Underground @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 07/05/2007
If I'm not to busy wasting brain cells pondering long on some random element of trivia I'll update the SoMC Events Calendar with the above gigs. To whet your appetite here's a taster of what else is inside:
Hudson10 @ The Hogshead, Southsea - TONIGHT!
The Bluetones @ The Brook, Southampton - 07/02/2007
Puressence @ The Engine Room, Brighton - 09/02/2007
Bog Rolling Stones (Acoustic set) @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 13/02/2007 (in aid of the Tom Prince Cancer Trust)
BlackStarCrash @ Talking Heads, Southampton - 15/02/2007
Bad Toad @ Talking Heads, Southampton - 17/02/2007
One Weird Fish @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 03/03/2007
The Musical Box (performing 'Selling England By The Pound') @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 15/03/2007 (I bet Malibu has got tickets already)
Doctor Teeth Big Band @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 31/03/2007
This Sunday the legendary Red Letter Day are performing at Unit22 in Southampton, joining them will be Adamseed, Lights Alive and The Pancake Eating Freaks (regular readers may remember me mentioning them before; they did fairly well in The Wedgewood Rooms Showcase '06 competition). Tickets are £5.00 on the door (it's a deal, it's a steal, etc).
The Thirteen Senses gig at The Wedgewood Rooms has been rescheduled from 13th of February to the 25th of March, original tickets remain valid. In other news, the support slot for the forthcoming Jet tour has been filled by Danish rockers The Blue Van. Nice. They're rockers. They rock out.
And that just about wraps it up for this week, this afternoon I have mostly been feeling a tad unwell (blech!) but have been listening to the Easy-Star All Stars to cheer myself up.
[blows whistle]
No, the Gigwatcher isn't delayed because I was watching re-runs of The Rag Trade in my head, us civil servant types were on strike yesterday (oh yes Comrades, come the revolution, etc). Not that I stood on picket duty, singing acapella whilst toasting marshmallows on the flames of a hastily procured brazier you understand. No. I stayed home and watched Diagnosis Murder and HouseMD.
This of course led me to wonder whether Dick Van Dyke's english accent is as good as Hugh Laurie's american accent. Honestly, you'd think I'd have better things to use up the resources of my grey matter with but, as I'm sure you may have noticed by now, I'm easily distracted.
*koff*
This way to the cafeteria.. no.. wait.. I mean, here's what I found in the back of the NME this week:
Halfdis Huld @ Hope, Brighton - 12/02/2007
Patrick Wolf @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 14/02/2007
Little Man Tate @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 19/02/2007
Jakobinarina @ The Engine Room, Brighton - 20/02/2007
Dartz! @ The Joiners, Southampton - 20/02/2007
SixNationState @ The Registry, Portsmouth - 22/02/2007
The Black Keys @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 25/02/2007
The Holloways @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 05/03/2007
The Rapture @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 08/03/2007
Deftones @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 19/03/2007
Kate Nash @ Red Roaster, Brighton - 24/03/2007
Just Jack @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 29/03/2007
Scott Matthews @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 03/04/2007
The Cooper Temple Clause @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 04/04/2007
The View @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 19/04/2007
Maximo Park @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 01/05/2007
The Sunshine Underground @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 07/05/2007
If I'm not to busy wasting brain cells pondering long on some random element of trivia I'll update the SoMC Events Calendar with the above gigs. To whet your appetite here's a taster of what else is inside:
Hudson10 @ The Hogshead, Southsea - TONIGHT!
The Bluetones @ The Brook, Southampton - 07/02/2007
Puressence @ The Engine Room, Brighton - 09/02/2007
Bog Rolling Stones (Acoustic set) @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 13/02/2007 (in aid of the Tom Prince Cancer Trust)
BlackStarCrash @ Talking Heads, Southampton - 15/02/2007
Bad Toad @ Talking Heads, Southampton - 17/02/2007
One Weird Fish @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 03/03/2007
The Musical Box (performing 'Selling England By The Pound') @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 15/03/2007 (I bet Malibu has got tickets already)
Doctor Teeth Big Band @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 31/03/2007
This Sunday the legendary Red Letter Day are performing at Unit22 in Southampton, joining them will be Adamseed, Lights Alive and The Pancake Eating Freaks (regular readers may remember me mentioning them before; they did fairly well in The Wedgewood Rooms Showcase '06 competition). Tickets are £5.00 on the door (it's a deal, it's a steal, etc).
The Thirteen Senses gig at The Wedgewood Rooms has been rescheduled from 13th of February to the 25th of March, original tickets remain valid. In other news, the support slot for the forthcoming Jet tour has been filled by Danish rockers The Blue Van. Nice. They're rockers. They rock out.
And that just about wraps it up for this week, this afternoon I have mostly been feeling a tad unwell (blech!) but have been listening to the Easy-Star All Stars to cheer myself up.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Music for Anoraks: Storm Damage
Just when you thought it was safe.
OK so it's been awhile since any of us could be bothered but one of our number has pulled his finger out and knocked up a CD of what he's been listening to lately. The culprit this time is Neil who has lovingly crafted a 15 track trawl through his record collection called Storm Damage.
As is our way reviews will possibly (but most likely not) appear on the forum as the CD makes its peripatetic journey around the office. Its release was delayed for a few days as the first burning suffered from skipping on the last two tracks (the second attempt plays A-OK however).
OK so it's been awhile since any of us could be bothered but one of our number has pulled his finger out and knocked up a CD of what he's been listening to lately. The culprit this time is Neil who has lovingly crafted a 15 track trawl through his record collection called Storm Damage.
As is our way reviews will possibly (but most likely not) appear on the forum as the CD makes its peripatetic journey around the office. Its release was delayed for a few days as the first burning suffered from skipping on the last two tracks (the second attempt plays A-OK however).
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The Gigwatcher 24/01/2007
Just when you thought it was safe.
There I was at lunchtime, idly flicking through the NME whilst munching on a cheese and onion roll, with not a care in the world. All was good in my world. And then I turned the page. There it was, the news I never thought I'd see. Straight away my skin started to crawl, a cold feeling of dread gripped my stomach and a wave of nausea swept over me.
I read it again. No, it was true. There was no denying it.
James have reformed.
[insert Charlton Heston style NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO like from the end of Planet of the Apes here]
What? What do you mean it's not that bad? It is, trust me. If I hear that bally song of theirs one more time I'll go postal. Or cry. Or possibly both.
*koff*
It's not all gloom though. In a karmic balancing act akin to that of the Mint card adverts I read on the BBC News site that Crowded House are reforming as well. Nice.
Anyway, enough of that.. here's what I found listed in the back of the NME this week:
Foals @ The Joiners, Southampton - 12/02/2007
The Early Years @ The Engine Room, Brighton - 13/02/2007
Duke Special @ Duke of Yorks, Brighton - 17/02/2007
Micah P. Hinson @ Audio, Brighton - 19/02/2007
The Pigeon Detectives @ Audio, Brighton - 04/03/2007
Bromheads Jacket @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 11/03/2007
The Hours @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 12/03/2007
Towers of London @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 19/03/2007
Good Shoes @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 28/03/2007
Enter Shikari @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 28/03/2007
The Waterboys @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 08/05/2007
Ray Davies @ The Centre, Brighton - 26/05/2007
Damien Rice @ BIC, Bournemouth - 09/10/2007
As is usual practice I'll add the above gigs into the SoMC Events Calendar. I've lovingly plucked the gigs below from the calendar as a taster:
Whole Lotta Led @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 26/01/2007
Hundred Reasons @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 30/01/2007
Bluesky Research @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 31/01/2007
Fairport Convention @ The Brook, Southampton - 02/02/2007
pluck @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 10/02/2007
Sonny Black @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 15/02/2007
Zoot Money's Blues Quintet @ The Brook, Southampton - 22/02/2007
Frank Sidebottom @ The Alma Arms, Portsmouth - 25/02/2007
A provisional line-up for this year's Wickham Festival has been released. As I alluded to last week the big headline act for the opening night is Jethro Tull; also there this August will be Boo Hewerdine, The Hamsters, Eliza Carthy, Eddi Reader, The Men They Couldn't Hang, The Sawdoctors and (wait for it) Dean Friedman. I'll add a posting on the forum with more information.
This Saturday Portsmouth Guildhall plays host to a rocktastic showcase featuring four local bands. Big Squirrel, Five Mile Drive, Dragon Eye Morrison and Little London make up the bill, tickets are a very reasonable £8.00 in advance (or £10.00 on the door).
And that just about wraps it up for this week; I was going to rant off on one about the NME giving The Decemberists' new CD a measly 6 out of 10 but I predicted they'd do as much months ago. This afternoon I have mostly been listening to The Young Knives, they're a bit bonkers but I like 'em.
There I was at lunchtime, idly flicking through the NME whilst munching on a cheese and onion roll, with not a care in the world. All was good in my world. And then I turned the page. There it was, the news I never thought I'd see. Straight away my skin started to crawl, a cold feeling of dread gripped my stomach and a wave of nausea swept over me.
I read it again. No, it was true. There was no denying it.
James have reformed.
[insert Charlton Heston style NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO like from the end of Planet of the Apes here]
What? What do you mean it's not that bad? It is, trust me. If I hear that bally song of theirs one more time I'll go postal. Or cry. Or possibly both.
*koff*
It's not all gloom though. In a karmic balancing act akin to that of the Mint card adverts I read on the BBC News site that Crowded House are reforming as well. Nice.
Anyway, enough of that.. here's what I found listed in the back of the NME this week:
Foals @ The Joiners, Southampton - 12/02/2007
The Early Years @ The Engine Room, Brighton - 13/02/2007
Duke Special @ Duke of Yorks, Brighton - 17/02/2007
Micah P. Hinson @ Audio, Brighton - 19/02/2007
The Pigeon Detectives @ Audio, Brighton - 04/03/2007
Bromheads Jacket @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 11/03/2007
The Hours @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 12/03/2007
Towers of London @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 19/03/2007
Good Shoes @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 28/03/2007
Enter Shikari @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 28/03/2007
The Waterboys @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 08/05/2007
Ray Davies @ The Centre, Brighton - 26/05/2007
Damien Rice @ BIC, Bournemouth - 09/10/2007
As is usual practice I'll add the above gigs into the SoMC Events Calendar. I've lovingly plucked the gigs below from the calendar as a taster:
Whole Lotta Led @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 26/01/2007
Hundred Reasons @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 30/01/2007
Bluesky Research @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 31/01/2007
Fairport Convention @ The Brook, Southampton - 02/02/2007
pluck @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 10/02/2007
Sonny Black @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 15/02/2007
Zoot Money's Blues Quintet @ The Brook, Southampton - 22/02/2007
Frank Sidebottom @ The Alma Arms, Portsmouth - 25/02/2007
A provisional line-up for this year's Wickham Festival has been released. As I alluded to last week the big headline act for the opening night is Jethro Tull; also there this August will be Boo Hewerdine, The Hamsters, Eliza Carthy, Eddi Reader, The Men They Couldn't Hang, The Sawdoctors and (wait for it) Dean Friedman. I'll add a posting on the forum with more information.
This Saturday Portsmouth Guildhall plays host to a rocktastic showcase featuring four local bands. Big Squirrel, Five Mile Drive, Dragon Eye Morrison and Little London make up the bill, tickets are a very reasonable £8.00 in advance (or £10.00 on the door).
And that just about wraps it up for this week; I was going to rant off on one about the NME giving The Decemberists' new CD a measly 6 out of 10 but I predicted they'd do as much months ago. This afternoon I have mostly been listening to The Young Knives, they're a bit bonkers but I like 'em.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Wickham Festival 2007 line-up announced
The line-up for this year's Wickham Festival, which takes place in early August, has been released. Once again there's a definite folk feel to the proceedings, though the Friday night has been given to the blues.
The Festival fires into life on Thursday 2nd August with prog-folk legends Jethro Tull headlining (what are the chances of curry-loving frontman Ian Anderson paying a visit to the Verandah in the square after the performance?).
The Hamsters top the bill on the Friday night, with Eddi Reader and Kathryn Tickell appearing on the Saturday.
The Sunday session includes Dean Friedman, Hazel O'Connor and Eliza Carthy. The Festival comes to a close with what looks to be a rousing singalong with The Men They Couldn't Hang and The Saw Doctors. Full details follow:
Thursday 2nd August (1930-2300)
Jethro Tull, The Spooky Mens Chorale
Friday 3rd August (1300-2300)
The Hamsters, Maggie Bell & The British Blues Quintet, Hans Theesink, The Spooky Mens Chorale, Les Barker, Ashley Hutchings' Rainbow Chasers, The Mick West Band.
Saturday 4th August (1300-2300)
The Donnie Munro Band, Eddi Reader, Kathryn Tickell, Yves Lambert & Le Bebert Orchestra, Eivor, Lisa Knapp.
Sunday 5th August (1300-2300)
The Saw Doctors, The Men They Couldn't Hang, Eliza Carthy & The Ratcatchers, Shooglenifty, Hazel O'Connor, Dean Friedman, Quimantu, Boo Hewerdine.
For its sophomore year the Festival will be moving a short distance up the road from Wickham Community Centre to a new green field site on adjacent farm land. This will mean more room, better facilities and the organisers won't have to obscure the location on their website (something intentionally done last year as, sadly, a community centre just doesn't have the same cachet).
Tickets are on sale now, with "early bird" pricing in place on weekend season tickets until 31st March.
The Festival fires into life on Thursday 2nd August with prog-folk legends Jethro Tull headlining (what are the chances of curry-loving frontman Ian Anderson paying a visit to the Verandah in the square after the performance?).
The Hamsters top the bill on the Friday night, with Eddi Reader and Kathryn Tickell appearing on the Saturday.
The Sunday session includes Dean Friedman, Hazel O'Connor and Eliza Carthy. The Festival comes to a close with what looks to be a rousing singalong with The Men They Couldn't Hang and The Saw Doctors. Full details follow:
Thursday 2nd August (1930-2300)
Jethro Tull, The Spooky Mens Chorale
Friday 3rd August (1300-2300)
The Hamsters, Maggie Bell & The British Blues Quintet, Hans Theesink, The Spooky Mens Chorale, Les Barker, Ashley Hutchings' Rainbow Chasers, The Mick West Band.
Saturday 4th August (1300-2300)
The Donnie Munro Band, Eddi Reader, Kathryn Tickell, Yves Lambert & Le Bebert Orchestra, Eivor, Lisa Knapp.
Sunday 5th August (1300-2300)
The Saw Doctors, The Men They Couldn't Hang, Eliza Carthy & The Ratcatchers, Shooglenifty, Hazel O'Connor, Dean Friedman, Quimantu, Boo Hewerdine.
For its sophomore year the Festival will be moving a short distance up the road from Wickham Community Centre to a new green field site on adjacent farm land. This will mean more room, better facilities and the organisers won't have to obscure the location on their website (something intentionally done last year as, sadly, a community centre just doesn't have the same cachet).
Tickets are on sale now, with "early bird" pricing in place on weekend season tickets until 31st March.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
The Gigwatcher 17/01/2007
What's that coming over the hill? It's Niko Kranjcar. It's Niko Kranjcar.
Hello again.
Yes, it's Wednesday, it's long past lunchtime, it must be Gigwatcher time (I spent about 10 minutes working out an elaborate Crackerjack-style opening but it just didn't work. Maybe I should've used Howdy Doody instead).
*koff*
Moving swiftly on; I put my nut cutlet and chilli sauce baguette to one side just long enough to flick through the back pages of the NME, where I found the following:
The Black Velvets @ The Railway Inn, Winchester - 27/01/2007
Blood Red Shoes @ The Joiners, Southampton - 29/01/2007
Make Good Your Escape @ The Albert, Brighton - 30/01/2007
Assembly Now @ Unit 22, Southampton - 03/02/2007
Ben Taylor @ Komedia, Brighton - 05/02/2007
Last Gang @ The Joiners, Southampton - 06/02/2007
Aereogramme @ The Joiners, Southampton - 07/02/2007
The Rapture @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 08/02/2007
The Violets @ Unit 22, Southampton - 10/02/2007
1990s @ The Joiners, Southampton - 03/03/2007
Charlotte Hatherley @ The Wedgewood Rooms - 04/03/2007
Ash @ Southampton University - 06/03/20073
The Twang @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/03/2007 (this is the CORRECT date, the information lifted from NME.COM last week was wrong).
Incubus @ BIC, Bournemouth - 08/04/2007
If I'm not too busy trying to make my Guild Wars character stand like the lead singer of Jethro Tull this evening I'll add those onto the SoMC Events Calendar. The Events Calendar contains a selection of local gigs for local people, all you need to do is log into the forum to access it. Here's a taster of some of the gigs I've stumbled across that I've added in already:
Saiichi Sugiyama @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 18/01/2007
Marmalade @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 19/01/2007
Karmadeva (with Hudson10 supporting) @ Unit22, Southampton - 21/01/2007
I Am Kloot (Acoustic Set) @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/01/2007
Bluesky Research @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 31/01/2007
Red Letter Day @ Unit22, Southampton - 04/02/2007
Bedouin Soundclash @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 15/03/2007
The line-up for this year's Gosport & Fareham Easter Festival has been released. Amongst the artists gracing the stage of Ferneham Hall this April are Kate Rusby and Seth Lakeman. More information is available here. The bill for this year's Wickham Festival is due to be released next week (I can however let slip that the headline act for the first night will feature a guy who stands on one leg and plays the flute).
There's still time to catch the 2006 Festive Fifty on Dandelion Radio; the station operates a rolling programme over a 16 hour period, check the forum link for the schedule.
And finally, The Obligatory YouTube Thread has had some bizarre Darth Vader skits, new British hip hop and a lot of Eddie Murphy added to it. Well that just about wraps it up for this week. This afternoon I have mostly been listening to Gogol Bordello. Bojemoi!
Hello again.
Yes, it's Wednesday, it's long past lunchtime, it must be Gigwatcher time (I spent about 10 minutes working out an elaborate Crackerjack-style opening but it just didn't work. Maybe I should've used Howdy Doody instead).
*koff*
Moving swiftly on; I put my nut cutlet and chilli sauce baguette to one side just long enough to flick through the back pages of the NME, where I found the following:
The Black Velvets @ The Railway Inn, Winchester - 27/01/2007
Blood Red Shoes @ The Joiners, Southampton - 29/01/2007
Make Good Your Escape @ The Albert, Brighton - 30/01/2007
Assembly Now @ Unit 22, Southampton - 03/02/2007
Ben Taylor @ Komedia, Brighton - 05/02/2007
Last Gang @ The Joiners, Southampton - 06/02/2007
Aereogramme @ The Joiners, Southampton - 07/02/2007
The Rapture @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 08/02/2007
The Violets @ Unit 22, Southampton - 10/02/2007
1990s @ The Joiners, Southampton - 03/03/2007
Charlotte Hatherley @ The Wedgewood Rooms - 04/03/2007
Ash @ Southampton University - 06/03/20073
The Twang @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/03/2007 (this is the CORRECT date, the information lifted from NME.COM last week was wrong).
Incubus @ BIC, Bournemouth - 08/04/2007
If I'm not too busy trying to make my Guild Wars character stand like the lead singer of Jethro Tull this evening I'll add those onto the SoMC Events Calendar. The Events Calendar contains a selection of local gigs for local people, all you need to do is log into the forum to access it. Here's a taster of some of the gigs I've stumbled across that I've added in already:
Saiichi Sugiyama @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 18/01/2007
Marmalade @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 19/01/2007
Karmadeva (with Hudson10 supporting) @ Unit22, Southampton - 21/01/2007
I Am Kloot (Acoustic Set) @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/01/2007
Bluesky Research @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 31/01/2007
Red Letter Day @ Unit22, Southampton - 04/02/2007
Bedouin Soundclash @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 15/03/2007
The line-up for this year's Gosport & Fareham Easter Festival has been released. Amongst the artists gracing the stage of Ferneham Hall this April are Kate Rusby and Seth Lakeman. More information is available here. The bill for this year's Wickham Festival is due to be released next week (I can however let slip that the headline act for the first night will feature a guy who stands on one leg and plays the flute).
There's still time to catch the 2006 Festive Fifty on Dandelion Radio; the station operates a rolling programme over a 16 hour period, check the forum link for the schedule.
And finally, The Obligatory YouTube Thread has had some bizarre Darth Vader skits, new British hip hop and a lot of Eddie Murphy added to it. Well that just about wraps it up for this week. This afternoon I have mostly been listening to Gogol Bordello. Bojemoi!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Gigwatcher 10/01/2007
Giggity!
Well, here we are again. Another year, another Gigwatcher for your delectation and delight. I hope you all had a lovely super smashing Christmas and took the opportunity of the festive break to recharge your batteries. I indulged myself by lounging around the house listening to music, accompanied by a pile of books and an endless supply of coffee. Is there a better way to waste time over Christmas? Probably not.
I also got beaten hands down at Star Wars Top Trumps. I've since have come to the conclusion that it's impossible to lose if you've got Yoda in your deck after the deal (not that I'm bitter or anything).
*koff*
Moving swiftly on, the NME must have pigged out at Christmas and gone on a crash diet; it's noticeably thinner post-yule but it still has a fair selection of gigs coming our way listed:
Loney, dear (supporting The Boy Least Likely To) @ The Wedgewood Rooms @ 24/01/2007
Hot Club de Paris @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 23/01/2007
Clinic @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 09/02/2007
Larrikin Love @ Garden Court, Southampton University - 10/02/2007
Switches @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/02/2007
The KBC @ The Joiners, Southampton - 15/02/2007
Mika @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 20/02/2007
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 22/02/2007
Howling Bells @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 27/02/2007
The Twang @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/02/2007
Forward, Russia! @ Garden Court, Southampton University - 02/03/2007
Aim @ The Brook, Southampton - 09/03/2007
The Broken Family Band @ Komedia, Brighton - 11/03/2007
The SoMC Events Calendar is liberally sprinkled with a selection of local gigs for local people, all there for your perusal, and those above will soon be added on. Those below I stumbled across earlier:
Arachnotaur @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - TONIGHT
The Electric Light Orchestra Experience @ The Brook, Southampton - 12/01/2007
Tom Lillywhite @ The Joiners, Southampton - 15/01/2007
Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 20/01/2007
Bluesky Research @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 31/01/2007
Aereogramme @ The Joiners, Southampton - 07/02/2007
John Otway @ The Joiners, Southampton - 09/02/2007
Portsmouth Guildhall plays host to not one but two local showcases this month. The first is promoted by Native (no, me either), features Before We Left, Jaimison, Run Riviera and Sheilatakeabow and takes place on Saturday 20th January. The second is promoted by Portsmouth Scene Promotions, features Big Squirrel, Five Mile Drive, Dragon Eye Morrison and Little London and takes place on Saturday 27th January.
Online broadcaster Dandelion Radio have inherited John Peel's mantle and taken on the task of producing the famed Festive Fifty. Follow this link to the forum for more information and details on when to "tune in" to the finished programme.
Also on the forum, freshly added to The Obligatory YouTube Thread, is just about the weirdest advert I've ever seen. It's for the Microsoft Musicbrick (aka the Zune) and, well, you'll see if you go here.
Included with the Festive Gigwatcher was the lovingly compiled Most Fantastic Lyric Quiz. Several of you took the challenge and, as promised, it's time to name the winners.
In third place, having combined their efforts with the rest of their office, are Ali and Jim. In second place are the triumvirate of Simon, Claire and Dan; together they solved several of the sneakier and more obscure lyrics included (so I now know I'm not the only person who bought Highway 5 by The Blessing). There must be a winner though, and the soiled chalice of victory goes to Team HSBC (aka Shaun and his chums at the bank).
Congratulations, high fives and tickertape are directed in their direction. As promised there is a prize for winning; sadly Calendar Club had run out of Hollyoaks Babes calendars so they'll have to make do with whatever I can find. I suppose you want to know the answers now? Click this link to get them (they'll be available for download for the next 7 days).
And that just about wraps it up for the first Gigwatcher of the new year, late hitting the streets though it was. This afternoon I have mostly been listening to Girls Aloud's Greatest Hits, ding dang doo!
Well, here we are again. Another year, another Gigwatcher for your delectation and delight. I hope you all had a lovely super smashing Christmas and took the opportunity of the festive break to recharge your batteries. I indulged myself by lounging around the house listening to music, accompanied by a pile of books and an endless supply of coffee. Is there a better way to waste time over Christmas? Probably not.
I also got beaten hands down at Star Wars Top Trumps. I've since have come to the conclusion that it's impossible to lose if you've got Yoda in your deck after the deal (not that I'm bitter or anything).
*koff*
Moving swiftly on, the NME must have pigged out at Christmas and gone on a crash diet; it's noticeably thinner post-yule but it still has a fair selection of gigs coming our way listed:
Loney, dear (supporting The Boy Least Likely To) @ The Wedgewood Rooms @ 24/01/2007
Hot Club de Paris @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 23/01/2007
Clinic @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 09/02/2007
Larrikin Love @ Garden Court, Southampton University - 10/02/2007
Switches @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/02/2007
The KBC @ The Joiners, Southampton - 15/02/2007
Mika @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 20/02/2007
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 22/02/2007
Howling Bells @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 27/02/2007
The Twang @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/02/2007
Forward, Russia! @ Garden Court, Southampton University - 02/03/2007
Aim @ The Brook, Southampton - 09/03/2007
The Broken Family Band @ Komedia, Brighton - 11/03/2007
The SoMC Events Calendar is liberally sprinkled with a selection of local gigs for local people, all there for your perusal, and those above will soon be added on. Those below I stumbled across earlier:
Arachnotaur @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - TONIGHT
The Electric Light Orchestra Experience @ The Brook, Southampton - 12/01/2007
Tom Lillywhite @ The Joiners, Southampton - 15/01/2007
Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 20/01/2007
Bluesky Research @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 31/01/2007
Aereogramme @ The Joiners, Southampton - 07/02/2007
John Otway @ The Joiners, Southampton - 09/02/2007
Portsmouth Guildhall plays host to not one but two local showcases this month. The first is promoted by Native (no, me either), features Before We Left, Jaimison, Run Riviera and Sheilatakeabow and takes place on Saturday 20th January. The second is promoted by Portsmouth Scene Promotions, features Big Squirrel, Five Mile Drive, Dragon Eye Morrison and Little London and takes place on Saturday 27th January.
Online broadcaster Dandelion Radio have inherited John Peel's mantle and taken on the task of producing the famed Festive Fifty. Follow this link to the forum for more information and details on when to "tune in" to the finished programme.
Also on the forum, freshly added to The Obligatory YouTube Thread, is just about the weirdest advert I've ever seen. It's for the Microsoft Musicbrick (aka the Zune) and, well, you'll see if you go here.
Included with the Festive Gigwatcher was the lovingly compiled Most Fantastic Lyric Quiz. Several of you took the challenge and, as promised, it's time to name the winners.
In third place, having combined their efforts with the rest of their office, are Ali and Jim. In second place are the triumvirate of Simon, Claire and Dan; together they solved several of the sneakier and more obscure lyrics included (so I now know I'm not the only person who bought Highway 5 by The Blessing). There must be a winner though, and the soiled chalice of victory goes to Team HSBC (aka Shaun and his chums at the bank).
Congratulations, high fives and tickertape are directed in their direction. As promised there is a prize for winning; sadly Calendar Club had run out of Hollyoaks Babes calendars so they'll have to make do with whatever I can find. I suppose you want to know the answers now? Click this link to get them (they'll be available for download for the next 7 days).
And that just about wraps it up for the first Gigwatcher of the new year, late hitting the streets though it was. This afternoon I have mostly been listening to Girls Aloud's Greatest Hits, ding dang doo!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
The Gigwatcher 20/12/2006
Ho Ho Ho!
So the slow wind-down into Christmas begins; the tins of sweets on the centre desk have been multiplying, the rubber bands have been flying across the office for most of the morning and we've spent a good hour or so working out what topping to have on our pizzas on Friday lunchtime (I may even set up the Big Big Loader for a play as well).
Umm.
And worked really hard and not wasted your tax dollars, obviously.
*koff*
Quite.
Last week's NME was a double issue, tempting though it was to re-list the selection of gigs I picked out from it last week I decided not to. If you're in need of a gig fix over the Christmas period don't forget that all the gigs I pick out and send on are added (eventually) into the SoMC Events Calendar. It's packed to the rafters with an assortment of local gigs for local people, there should be something in there that tickles your fancy (think of it as a gig version of a tin of Quality Street and won't go far wrong, for every Noisette Triangle there's probably a couple of Toffee Pennies and Peanut Cracknels).
It just wouldn't be the same if I didn't have any gigs listed though, so I've picked the following morsels from the Events Calendar for your delectation:
One Weird Fish @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 23/12/2006
Skylar @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/12/2006
Kojak's Revenge @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 29/12/2006
Wilko Johnson @ The Brook, Southampton - 06/01/2007
Bluesky Research @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 31/01/2007
Kristin Hersh @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 06/03/2007
Thea Gilmore @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 03/05/2007
Lou Rhodes @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 10/05/2007
As I may have mentioned once or twice over the past few weeks, I've concocted a Most Fantastic Lyric Quiz for your delight which you can download here (link valid for 7 days). Email recipients of the Gigwatcher (who recieve it several hours before I blog it here) are teased each week with a Mystery Lyric so they've had a bit more practice; it's not fiendishly difficult but it should get you scratching your noggins.
It's for fun but there are some rules (which are listed in the PDF) as there may be a prize for the highest scorer. I'll post a new thread on the forum where you can post your scores or ask for clues/help. You've got until January, I'll link to the answers in first Gigwatcher of the New Year. Enjoy.
Well that about does it for the Gigwatcher for this year, I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and that Santa brings you some nice new choons to enjoy. This afternoon I shall mostly be the glorious tones of the late great Richard Burton. Of course, it's Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. Excellent!
So the slow wind-down into Christmas begins; the tins of sweets on the centre desk have been multiplying, the rubber bands have been flying across the office for most of the morning and we've spent a good hour or so working out what topping to have on our pizzas on Friday lunchtime (I may even set up the Big Big Loader for a play as well).
Umm.
And worked really hard and not wasted your tax dollars, obviously.
*koff*
Quite.
Last week's NME was a double issue, tempting though it was to re-list the selection of gigs I picked out from it last week I decided not to. If you're in need of a gig fix over the Christmas period don't forget that all the gigs I pick out and send on are added (eventually) into the SoMC Events Calendar. It's packed to the rafters with an assortment of local gigs for local people, there should be something in there that tickles your fancy (think of it as a gig version of a tin of Quality Street and won't go far wrong, for every Noisette Triangle there's probably a couple of Toffee Pennies and Peanut Cracknels).
It just wouldn't be the same if I didn't have any gigs listed though, so I've picked the following morsels from the Events Calendar for your delectation:
One Weird Fish @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 23/12/2006
Skylar @ The Joiners, Southampton - 28/12/2006
Kojak's Revenge @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 29/12/2006
Wilko Johnson @ The Brook, Southampton - 06/01/2007
Bluesky Research @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 31/01/2007
Kristin Hersh @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 06/03/2007
Thea Gilmore @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 03/05/2007
Lou Rhodes @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 10/05/2007
As I may have mentioned once or twice over the past few weeks, I've concocted a Most Fantastic Lyric Quiz for your delight which you can download here (link valid for 7 days). Email recipients of the Gigwatcher (who recieve it several hours before I blog it here) are teased each week with a Mystery Lyric so they've had a bit more practice; it's not fiendishly difficult but it should get you scratching your noggins.
It's for fun but there are some rules (which are listed in the PDF) as there may be a prize for the highest scorer. I'll post a new thread on the forum where you can post your scores or ask for clues/help. You've got until January, I'll link to the answers in first Gigwatcher of the New Year. Enjoy.
Well that about does it for the Gigwatcher for this year, I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and that Santa brings you some nice new choons to enjoy. This afternoon I shall mostly be the glorious tones of the late great Richard Burton. Of course, it's Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. Excellent!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The Gigwatcher 13/12/2006
One two three O'Leary.
So here we are again, another Wednesday and, as per usual recently, the Gigwatcher is a wee bit late in hitting your inboxes. Usually I have a good excuse, something to do with servers or important boxes of lights that occasionally go phut. This week's reason? I finally realised that Christmas is just around the corner.
Yes, I know, you'd have think I'd have twigged from the houses on my street that are festooned with gaudy lights. Or maybe the Santa-less grotto substitute in Fareham Shopping Centre would've given it away. Or that it was December even.
No. It's lamer than that.
The festive edition of the Radio Times arrived in the shop at work and, as expected, I spent too long perusing it to get the Gigwatcher out on time. This could be termed as slacking I know, but it's got that lovely 'new magazine smell'. And how else would I know when to set the video for Herbie Rides Again or The Last Starfighter.
Just count yourselves lucky I didn't break out the highlighter pen to plan my viewing.
*koff*
Umm. It's not just me who does that is it?
Right. Well. Moving swiftly on, this week's NME was the festive double-sized issue (featuring Girls Aloud), so here is a bigger than usual selection of new gigs as found in the back pages:
Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 @ Komedia, Brighton - 05/01/2007
Isobel Campbell with Mark Lanegan @ Komedia, Brighton - 24/01/2007
Hundred Reasons @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 30/01/2007
Assembly Now @ Unit 22, Southampton - 03/02/2007
Wolfmother @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 04/02/2007
Air Traffic @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 05/02/2007
Aerogramme @ The Joiners, Southampton - 07/02/2007
Regina Spektor @ The Corn Exchange, Brighton - 11/02/2007
Larrikin Love @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 11/02/2007
Little Man Tate @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 13/02/2007
Switches @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/02/2007
Frank Turner @ The Joiners, Southampton - 14/02/2007
Patrick Wolf @ The Wedgewood Rooms - 14/02/2007
Mr Hudson @ The Joiners, Southampton - 16/02/2007
Alterkicks @ Lennons, Southampton - 17/02/2007
The Holloways @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 21/02/2007
Little Barrie @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 23/02/2007
Howling Bells @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 24/02/2007
The Black Keys @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 25/02/2007
Reuben @ The Joiners, Southampton - 27/02/2007
Howling Bells @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 27/02/2007
Enter Shikari @ Southampton University - 04/03/2007
Richard Swift @ Audio, Brighton - 09/03/2007
Shiny Toy Guns @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/03/2007
Electric Six @ Engine Room, Brighton - 13/03/2007
Archie Bronson Outfit @ Audio, Brighton - 20/03/2007
The Rakes @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 30/03/2007
Fall Out Boy @ BIC, Bournemouth - 31/03/2007
The Young Knives @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 06/04/2007
Midlake @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 12/04/2007
INXS @ The Dome, Brighton - 17/06/2007
I add all the gigs I list into the SoMC Events Calendar (well, just as soon as I put my mind to it I do), which is chock-a-block with local gigs (some more local than others admittedly) for the delectation of you good people. In order to peruse its delights you have to be registered on the SoMC forum, but once signed up you also have the run of the forum boards to post, well, whatever takes your fancy I suppose. If not, then I've plucked the following from the Events Calendar to whet your appetite:
Dead!Dead!Dead! @ The Joiners, Southampton - 16/12/2006
Perfect Alibi @ The Brook, Southampton - 16/12/2006
The Velvet Doonicans @ Talking Heads, Southampton - 31/12/2006
Tom Lillywhite @ The Joiners, Southampton - 15/01/2007
La Chicana @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 24/02/2007
Courtney Pine @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 24/02/2007
Kate Rusby @ Ferneham Hall, Fareham - 07/04/2007 (part of the Gosport & Fareham Easter Festival)
After seven years, during which time they've shared their love of ska with thousands of sweaty punters (no, not like that), 2-Tonic have decided to call it a day. They'll be performing their last EVER gig at The Brook on Friday 29th December. It's likely to be a sell out, so you'd best mosey on over to The Brook website PDQ if you want to bid them farewell.
For us muso types the best thing about Christmas was always John Peel's Festive Fifty. Sadly Peely is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on; online station Dandelion Radio has taken on the task of producing the show. More information and a link to the voting page can be found here.
There's still plenty of time to take part in the 2nd Annual Son of Music Club poll-type-thing. Why not cast a slightly pink eye over the past year and dump your musical high (and low) lights onto the forum:
And that about does it for this week's Gigwatcher; this afternoon I shall mostly be listening to A Triumph For Man by the most excellent Mew. Lovely.
So here we are again, another Wednesday and, as per usual recently, the Gigwatcher is a wee bit late in hitting your inboxes. Usually I have a good excuse, something to do with servers or important boxes of lights that occasionally go phut. This week's reason? I finally realised that Christmas is just around the corner.
Yes, I know, you'd have think I'd have twigged from the houses on my street that are festooned with gaudy lights. Or maybe the Santa-less grotto substitute in Fareham Shopping Centre would've given it away. Or that it was December even.
No. It's lamer than that.
The festive edition of the Radio Times arrived in the shop at work and, as expected, I spent too long perusing it to get the Gigwatcher out on time. This could be termed as slacking I know, but it's got that lovely 'new magazine smell'. And how else would I know when to set the video for Herbie Rides Again or The Last Starfighter.
Just count yourselves lucky I didn't break out the highlighter pen to plan my viewing.
*koff*
Umm. It's not just me who does that is it?
Right. Well. Moving swiftly on, this week's NME was the festive double-sized issue (featuring Girls Aloud), so here is a bigger than usual selection of new gigs as found in the back pages:
Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 @ Komedia, Brighton - 05/01/2007
Isobel Campbell with Mark Lanegan @ Komedia, Brighton - 24/01/2007
Hundred Reasons @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 30/01/2007
Assembly Now @ Unit 22, Southampton - 03/02/2007
Wolfmother @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 04/02/2007
Air Traffic @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 05/02/2007
Aerogramme @ The Joiners, Southampton - 07/02/2007
Regina Spektor @ The Corn Exchange, Brighton - 11/02/2007
Larrikin Love @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 11/02/2007
Little Man Tate @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 13/02/2007
Switches @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/02/2007
Frank Turner @ The Joiners, Southampton - 14/02/2007
Patrick Wolf @ The Wedgewood Rooms - 14/02/2007
Mr Hudson @ The Joiners, Southampton - 16/02/2007
Alterkicks @ Lennons, Southampton - 17/02/2007
The Holloways @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 21/02/2007
Little Barrie @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 23/02/2007
Howling Bells @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 24/02/2007
The Black Keys @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 25/02/2007
Reuben @ The Joiners, Southampton - 27/02/2007
Howling Bells @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 27/02/2007
Enter Shikari @ Southampton University - 04/03/2007
Richard Swift @ Audio, Brighton - 09/03/2007
Shiny Toy Guns @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/03/2007
Electric Six @ Engine Room, Brighton - 13/03/2007
Archie Bronson Outfit @ Audio, Brighton - 20/03/2007
The Rakes @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 30/03/2007
Fall Out Boy @ BIC, Bournemouth - 31/03/2007
The Young Knives @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 06/04/2007
Midlake @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 12/04/2007
INXS @ The Dome, Brighton - 17/06/2007
I add all the gigs I list into the SoMC Events Calendar (well, just as soon as I put my mind to it I do), which is chock-a-block with local gigs (some more local than others admittedly) for the delectation of you good people. In order to peruse its delights you have to be registered on the SoMC forum, but once signed up you also have the run of the forum boards to post, well, whatever takes your fancy I suppose. If not, then I've plucked the following from the Events Calendar to whet your appetite:
Dead!Dead!Dead! @ The Joiners, Southampton - 16/12/2006
Perfect Alibi @ The Brook, Southampton - 16/12/2006
The Velvet Doonicans @ Talking Heads, Southampton - 31/12/2006
Tom Lillywhite @ The Joiners, Southampton - 15/01/2007
La Chicana @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 24/02/2007
Courtney Pine @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 24/02/2007
Kate Rusby @ Ferneham Hall, Fareham - 07/04/2007 (part of the Gosport & Fareham Easter Festival)
After seven years, during which time they've shared their love of ska with thousands of sweaty punters (no, not like that), 2-Tonic have decided to call it a day. They'll be performing their last EVER gig at The Brook on Friday 29th December. It's likely to be a sell out, so you'd best mosey on over to The Brook website PDQ if you want to bid them farewell.
For us muso types the best thing about Christmas was always John Peel's Festive Fifty. Sadly Peely is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on; online station Dandelion Radio has taken on the task of producing the show. More information and a link to the voting page can be found here.
There's still plenty of time to take part in the 2nd Annual Son of Music Club poll-type-thing. Why not cast a slightly pink eye over the past year and dump your musical high (and low) lights onto the forum:
And that about does it for this week's Gigwatcher; this afternoon I shall mostly be listening to A Triumph For Man by the most excellent Mew. Lovely.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
The Gigwatcher 06/12/2006
And relax.
Following the great unpleasantness of last week (I'll spare you the gory details) normal Wednesday service is resumed. Yay! It was the pills what did the trick, isn't science just the most useful thing? I tell you it's just a matter of time before we're all bouncing down the streets in anti-gravity boots, making sure to look up as well as left and right when crossing the road to avoid the hovercars.
*koff*
Or perhaps not.
Moving swiftly on, so here are the pick of the new gigs I found listed in the back pages of t'NME:
Fortune Drive @ Sumo, Brighton - 13/02/2007
Forward, Russia! @ Southampton University - 02/03/2007
The Rapture @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 08/03/2007
The Deftones @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 19/03/2007
I know, slim pickings this week, don't forget though that ALL the gigs I list are added into the SoMC Events Calendar at some point. The calendar is just full to the brim with gigs in this locale (and thereabouts). In order to pick through its delights you'll need to be registered on the SoMC forum. Once signed in you can post up reviews, jokes, web-links et al on the forum boards. To whet your appetite here are some gigs from the Events Calendar that I've picked for your perusal:
Keith James & Rick Foot play Nick Drake @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - TONIGHT
Mike Sanchez @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 11/12/2006
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel @ The Brook, Southampton - 15/12/2006
St Agnes Fountain @ Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 15/12/2006
Jon Amor @ The Joiners, Southampton - 17/12/2006
Helsinki @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 19/12/2006
Rocco Deluca @ The Joiners, Soutampton - 21/12/2006
The Bog Rolling Stones @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 31/12/2006
Wolfmother @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 04/02/2007 RAWK!!
If anyone was tempted to turn up on the door at The Brook tomorrow night for The SAS Band (featuring Spike Edney) gig then you'd best make other arrangements; it's SOLD OUT. No, I couldn't believe it either.
With the end of the year in sight (well, it's a dim light at the end of a medium-sized tunnel) thoughts usually turn to presents, booze and some time off. Alternatively you could cast your mind back over the past year at the musical highs and lows, then take part in the 2nd Annual Son of Music Club poll-type-thing.
Or you could instead go to the YouTube thread on the forum and check out the Cat Head Theatre clip I posted a link to. They're doing Hamlet, and it scares me in a way I don't want to talk about.
And that about does it for this week's Gigwatcher.. this afternoon I shall mostly be listening to Stu's latest compilation CD, Transcendental Cheese Meditation. Nice.
Following the great unpleasantness of last week (I'll spare you the gory details) normal Wednesday service is resumed. Yay! It was the pills what did the trick, isn't science just the most useful thing? I tell you it's just a matter of time before we're all bouncing down the streets in anti-gravity boots, making sure to look up as well as left and right when crossing the road to avoid the hovercars.
*koff*
Or perhaps not.
Moving swiftly on, so here are the pick of the new gigs I found listed in the back pages of t'NME:
Fortune Drive @ Sumo, Brighton - 13/02/2007
Forward, Russia! @ Southampton University - 02/03/2007
The Rapture @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 08/03/2007
The Deftones @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 19/03/2007
I know, slim pickings this week, don't forget though that ALL the gigs I list are added into the SoMC Events Calendar at some point. The calendar is just full to the brim with gigs in this locale (and thereabouts). In order to pick through its delights you'll need to be registered on the SoMC forum. Once signed in you can post up reviews, jokes, web-links et al on the forum boards. To whet your appetite here are some gigs from the Events Calendar that I've picked for your perusal:
Keith James & Rick Foot play Nick Drake @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - TONIGHT
Mike Sanchez @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 11/12/2006
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel @ The Brook, Southampton - 15/12/2006
St Agnes Fountain @ Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 15/12/2006
Jon Amor @ The Joiners, Southampton - 17/12/2006
Helsinki @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 19/12/2006
Rocco Deluca @ The Joiners, Soutampton - 21/12/2006
The Bog Rolling Stones @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 31/12/2006
Wolfmother @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 04/02/2007 RAWK!!
If anyone was tempted to turn up on the door at The Brook tomorrow night for The SAS Band (featuring Spike Edney) gig then you'd best make other arrangements; it's SOLD OUT. No, I couldn't believe it either.
With the end of the year in sight (well, it's a dim light at the end of a medium-sized tunnel) thoughts usually turn to presents, booze and some time off. Alternatively you could cast your mind back over the past year at the musical highs and lows, then take part in the 2nd Annual Son of Music Club poll-type-thing.
Or you could instead go to the YouTube thread on the forum and check out the Cat Head Theatre clip I posted a link to. They're doing Hamlet, and it scares me in a way I don't want to talk about.
And that about does it for this week's Gigwatcher.. this afternoon I shall mostly be listening to Stu's latest compilation CD, Transcendental Cheese Meditation. Nice.
Friday, December 01, 2006
The Gigwatcher 01/12/2006
Urgh.
Apologies for the excessive tardiness this week but I've been a tad unwell. I don't mean 'unwell' in a Jeffrey Bernard sense, I've not been languishing in a bar drinking heavily and doing bad O'Toole impressions (though that's something I can try tomorrow).
I've had one of the many many strains of lurgee that are doing the rounds, and very unpleasant it was too (I'll spare you the gory details). Thus I got to spend a few days at home, moaning pathetically as us blokes are wont to do when we're not feeling that great, watching old films* on TV and getting cajoled into online gaming by the chaps at work (even on my sick bed I can't escape it).
But now I'm feeling much better so, for some foolish reason, I decided to come back to work. On a Friday. Ah. Weddun.
*koff*
Luckily the nice lady in the shop had held onto my NME, so here are the pick of the new gigs I found listed in the back pages:
The Mescalitas @ Lennons, Southampton - 02/12/2006
Jackie-O Mofo @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 11/12/2006
The Enemy @ The Joiners, Southampton - 02/02/2007
+44 @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 09/02/2007
ShockWaves NME Awards 'Indie Rock' Tour 2007 (featuring The Horrors, The Automatic) @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 16/02/2007
Amy Winehouse @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 18/02/2007
ShockWaves NME Awards 'Indie Rave' Tour 2007 (featuring Klaxons, CSS) @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 20/02/2007
The Rifles @ The University, Southampton - 07/03/2007
Don't forget that ALL the gigs I list each week are added into the SoMC Events Calendar, it's literally packed to the gunnells with local gigs for local people (i.e. you guys). However, in order to peruse its contents you'll need to be registered on the SoMC forum. Once you've signed up you can post up reviews, jokes, web-links et al on the forum boards. If you're still undecided, here's some gigs from the Events Calendar that I've picked for your perusal:
Red Honey & The Pimps @ The Nell Gwynne, Portsmouth - 02/12/2006 (featuring the legendary John 'Two Chillies' Nixon)
Easy Star All-Stars @ The Brook, Southampton - 04/12/2006
UK Subs @ The Joiners, Southampton - 07/12/2006
The White Knuckle Blues Band @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 09/12/2006
Tony McPhee @ The Joiners, Southampton - 10/12/2006
Fi Lo Beddow (aka Mark Morriss of The Bluetones) @ The Joiners, Southampton - 18/12/2006
Seth Lakeman @ The Brook, Southampton - 19/12/2006
The Bog Rolling Stones (acoustic) @ Little Johnny Russells, Portsmouth - 20/12/2006
A Tribute To Joe Strummer (featuring The Neville Staples Band and Amsterdam) @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 21/12/2006
Wilko Johnson @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 30/01/2007
Both of the 'local' gigs by Faithless, 24th March at the BIC and 27th March at the Brighton Centre, are now SOLD OUT. I can't gets no tickets.. doo doo doo doo de de doo doo doo doo de de.. quite.
As you should all be aware, today is World Aids Day. In an effort to promote AIDS awareness (and have a laugh at the same time) local beat combo Hudson10 are joining forces with the one and only Adi Henry to become Adi & The Gaze. They're playing a FREE gig at the Old Vic in Portsmouth TONIGHT. It's likely to get a bit raucous, if the blurb here is anything to go by.
I can't wrap up this week's edition without a mention of the passing of Alan 'Fluff' Freeman, DJ and legend. RIP Fluff. Not 'arf. Well, that's about it for this week pop pickers.. this afternoon I have mostly been listening to Amy Winehouse. She scares me. A lot.
;o)
* The classic "I Was A Male War Bride" was on Sky Cinema, cheered me up no end.
Apologies for the excessive tardiness this week but I've been a tad unwell. I don't mean 'unwell' in a Jeffrey Bernard sense, I've not been languishing in a bar drinking heavily and doing bad O'Toole impressions (though that's something I can try tomorrow).
I've had one of the many many strains of lurgee that are doing the rounds, and very unpleasant it was too (I'll spare you the gory details). Thus I got to spend a few days at home, moaning pathetically as us blokes are wont to do when we're not feeling that great, watching old films* on TV and getting cajoled into online gaming by the chaps at work (even on my sick bed I can't escape it).
But now I'm feeling much better so, for some foolish reason, I decided to come back to work. On a Friday. Ah. Weddun.
*koff*
Luckily the nice lady in the shop had held onto my NME, so here are the pick of the new gigs I found listed in the back pages:
The Mescalitas @ Lennons, Southampton - 02/12/2006
Jackie-O Mofo @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 11/12/2006
The Enemy @ The Joiners, Southampton - 02/02/2007
+44 @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 09/02/2007
ShockWaves NME Awards 'Indie Rock' Tour 2007 (featuring The Horrors, The Automatic) @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 16/02/2007
Amy Winehouse @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 18/02/2007
ShockWaves NME Awards 'Indie Rave' Tour 2007 (featuring Klaxons, CSS) @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 20/02/2007
The Rifles @ The University, Southampton - 07/03/2007
Don't forget that ALL the gigs I list each week are added into the SoMC Events Calendar, it's literally packed to the gunnells with local gigs for local people (i.e. you guys). However, in order to peruse its contents you'll need to be registered on the SoMC forum. Once you've signed up you can post up reviews, jokes, web-links et al on the forum boards. If you're still undecided, here's some gigs from the Events Calendar that I've picked for your perusal:
Red Honey & The Pimps @ The Nell Gwynne, Portsmouth - 02/12/2006 (featuring the legendary John 'Two Chillies' Nixon)
Easy Star All-Stars @ The Brook, Southampton - 04/12/2006
UK Subs @ The Joiners, Southampton - 07/12/2006
The White Knuckle Blues Band @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 09/12/2006
Tony McPhee @ The Joiners, Southampton - 10/12/2006
Fi Lo Beddow (aka Mark Morriss of The Bluetones) @ The Joiners, Southampton - 18/12/2006
Seth Lakeman @ The Brook, Southampton - 19/12/2006
The Bog Rolling Stones (acoustic) @ Little Johnny Russells, Portsmouth - 20/12/2006
A Tribute To Joe Strummer (featuring The Neville Staples Band and Amsterdam) @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 21/12/2006
Wilko Johnson @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 30/01/2007
Both of the 'local' gigs by Faithless, 24th March at the BIC and 27th March at the Brighton Centre, are now SOLD OUT. I can't gets no tickets.. doo doo doo doo de de doo doo doo doo de de.. quite.
As you should all be aware, today is World Aids Day. In an effort to promote AIDS awareness (and have a laugh at the same time) local beat combo Hudson10 are joining forces with the one and only Adi Henry to become Adi & The Gaze. They're playing a FREE gig at the Old Vic in Portsmouth TONIGHT. It's likely to get a bit raucous, if the blurb here is anything to go by.
I can't wrap up this week's edition without a mention of the passing of Alan 'Fluff' Freeman, DJ and legend. RIP Fluff. Not 'arf. Well, that's about it for this week pop pickers.. this afternoon I have mostly been listening to Amy Winehouse. She scares me. A lot.
;o)
* The classic "I Was A Male War Bride" was on Sky Cinema, cheered me up no end.
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