I've had the undoubtable pleasure of seeing Radiohead once before, on my 18th Birthday two years ago at the Hammersmith Apollo, where, amongst classic tracks, they squeezed in more than half-dozen unreleased "new" tracks that would eventually form the bulk of their next album In Rainbows, over a year later. I was very eager to repeat what was possibly the best gig of my life.
With doors opening at four, and DJs keeping the crowd somewhat entertained (assuming that all of the rumoured 30,000 members of the crowd were familiar with and big fans of minimal beats and filter noise), Bat For Lashes took to the stage in the only scheduled support slot relatively late on. They, AKA Natasha Khan and her backing band, proceeded through a 45 minute set of Bjork-ish music that was far more impressive compared to my aborted attempt to see them at last year's Connect Festival in Scotland. I think my exact words then were "Sod this, this is boring."
After some technical difficulties and a brief acoustic set, the band were able to finish, with almost everything plugged back in properly, with a rousing version of "What's A Girl To Do?", which fitted comfortably alongside some very strong new material for a new album rumoured to be out before the end of the year.
During the brief intermission between acts we discussed the gigs apparent green credentials. The t-shirts, although still extortionately priced at £20, were each made from recycled plastic bottles that had been saved from landfill sites. The stage lights were energy efficient, meaning that they gave off less heat and therefore used less energy. The band themselves were re-using recycled water carriers for their onstage drinks and had elected to take with them "only" twelve guitars and two laptops for the whole tour, and use alternative forms of transport to airplanes whereever possible. All very respectable, but still did not explain why this gig cost £40 a head.
However, as soon as Thom, Jonny, Ed, Colin and Phil walk out on stage, all thoughts on environment and cost are forgotten as they begin with In Rainbows' opener "15 Step", which is just as good, if not better, than when I heard it two years previously. It sets par for the course in which every track, bar "House Of Cards", from In Rainbows is given an airing. It is for songs in before a pre-Rainbows track is played, in the form of the still-amazing "National Anthem", and over an hour into their set before anything pre-Kid A, with "Just" possibly being the most well-received song of the night, although hopefully not just because of Mark Ronson's brassed-up bastardisation, which is followed by the first of three OK Computer tracks; "Climbing Up The Walls".
In the meantime, relatively obscure album tracks in the form of fan-favourite "The Gloaming" from Hail To The Thief and "Dollars & Cents" from Amnesiac. Alongside these is are the fantastic "Pyramid Song" and the blistering former single "There There". Of all the latest tracks, the clear fan-choice is "Reckoner", whereas my personal choice was the awe-inspiring "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi". Even "Faust Arp", featuring just Thom and Jonny, is impressive.
Before "Everything In Its Right Place", a slightly chattier Thom begins a chant of "Free Tibet" with the Tibetan flag draped over the piano and a couple of amps. The main set ends with "How To Dissapear Completely" and "Jigsaw Falling Into Place", a suitable summing up of the night so far.
In the interim, there is the talk of what they will play for their (possibly) multiple encores, with some naively hoping they will give a certain "Creep" an airing. With Thom returning with a piano anticipation heightens and there is talk of perhaps "Karma Police" or "Sail To The Moon". Instead, there is an audible moan from sections of the crowd as he begins to play one of my favourite In Rainbows tracks, "Videotape".
The rest of the encore is curiously hit-free, almost in defiance to Parlophone's decision to issue a greatest hits record without their permission since their departure from the label. Instead, the brilliant "Airbag", complete with jingle bells, is played, with The Bends' opener "Planet Telex" also being played alongside the curiously chosen "Bangers n' Mash" - a song which only features upon the second In Rainbows disc availiable in the limited edition discbox last December (which incidentally is currently selling on ebay for almost double the £40 original price). The first encore ends with an unfortunately lacklustre version of "The Tourist" from OK Computer.
The second encore again begins with Thom behind a piano, this time alone and playing a barely recognisable version of "Cymbal Rush" from his solo album The Eraser. This was followed by Thom and Jonny performing "You And Whose Army?" with a camera putting Thom's face on the big screen (pictured) as he played piano. Finally, they ended on the classic Kid A track "Idioteque", with the whole band onstage.
Overall, the gig went on to show that Radiohead can pretty much play any song, from any album, and still put on a great gig, showing how consistent they have been ever since 1995's The Bends right through to last year's In Rainbows. Some reviews will criticise the lack of "hits", but if anything, this shows how the band don't feel the need to rest on the laurels and rely on songs like "No Surprises", "Karma Police" and "Street Spirit" to make a show absolutely brilliant.
While it may not be considered a classic gig in terms of their legendary Glastonbury appearances in 1997 and 2003, it just goes to show how great a band they still are and how relevant they remain.
Radiohead continue their world tour through Europe and North America this July and August.
Thursday, 26 June 2008
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
ALBUM: Feeder - Silent Cry
Let's be honest here, ever since their landmark album Echo Park, Feeder have become more and more of a guilty pleasure. It's not that they are particularly bad - not at all - their brand of post-grunge anthemic arena-pop-rock remains as infectious as ever, it just that they have never really broken a huge amount of new ground in front of their competitors, but then again, no one ever asked them too.
If nothing else, this album demonstrates how Feeder are the strawberry jam of the British music world. It can pretty much be put on anything within reason, be it on toast, porridge or the line-up of Download Festival. Some may prefer blueberry jam or marmite, but no one can really say they don't like strawberry jam. Strawberry Jam is also simple, sweet and one third japanese.
But before I over-stretch an already straining metaphor, Feeder's latest album, and their first full album of new material since their Singles album and re-issued B-Sides compilation Picture Of Perfect Youth, has all the hallmarks of what has come before. The anthemic lyrics, the less-than-subtle loud-chorus, quiet-verse formula that they have used in almost every song, and the general feeling that these tracks were made to be blasted out into an arena-sized auditorium full of teenagers.
Opening track "We Are People" starts out like Weezer before Nichols and a frankly epically-proportioned drumbeat drive the track on. "Itsumo" follows a similar formula, but with an intro more in tune to Coldplay's "Fix You". "Fires" is unashamed pop with its ballady yet driving intro and verse, countered with the somewhat inevitable guitar crescendoes for the chorus. "Heads Held High" is an acoustic number that would not have been out of place on Pushing The Senses.
For a while in the development of this album, there was rumoured to be a return to the old Feeder sound that many fans had been asking for, and this is present in a couple of cases, but the tongue-in-cheek joviality of Feeder's early albums Swim and Polythene is gone in favour of the "emotionally availiable" sound of their most recent albums. At the time of their last album, the band were roundly criticised for apparently being influenced by both the fashionable misery-mongers of early 00s bands such as Coldplay and Travis, as well as trying to satisfy the softer end of the emo-market.
However, throughout Silent Cry, it is difficult not to notice how much of a mark that the somewhat softer Pushing The Senses has made, and while it's unlikely for Feeder to be placed in the same sentence as pop-emoers 30 Seconds to Mars, it would not be a massive leap of imagination to link the two, insulting as that is to Feeder.
Rather ironically, even though the album resembles the poppier edge of their countrymen Lostprophets, it contains fewer hooks than any of their previous singles, despite what greatest hits single "Lost & Found" appeared to be alluding to, instead favouring power over precision, blasting every song to within the very inch of their lives. Basically - it all sounds a bit samey, but still good enough to put on your toast.
6/10
Silent Cry is out now in the UK on Echo records.
If nothing else, this album demonstrates how Feeder are the strawberry jam of the British music world. It can pretty much be put on anything within reason, be it on toast, porridge or the line-up of Download Festival. Some may prefer blueberry jam or marmite, but no one can really say they don't like strawberry jam. Strawberry Jam is also simple, sweet and one third japanese.
But before I over-stretch an already straining metaphor, Feeder's latest album, and their first full album of new material since their Singles album and re-issued B-Sides compilation Picture Of Perfect Youth, has all the hallmarks of what has come before. The anthemic lyrics, the less-than-subtle loud-chorus, quiet-verse formula that they have used in almost every song, and the general feeling that these tracks were made to be blasted out into an arena-sized auditorium full of teenagers.
Opening track "We Are People" starts out like Weezer before Nichols and a frankly epically-proportioned drumbeat drive the track on. "Itsumo" follows a similar formula, but with an intro more in tune to Coldplay's "Fix You". "Fires" is unashamed pop with its ballady yet driving intro and verse, countered with the somewhat inevitable guitar crescendoes for the chorus. "Heads Held High" is an acoustic number that would not have been out of place on Pushing The Senses.
For a while in the development of this album, there was rumoured to be a return to the old Feeder sound that many fans had been asking for, and this is present in a couple of cases, but the tongue-in-cheek joviality of Feeder's early albums Swim and Polythene is gone in favour of the "emotionally availiable" sound of their most recent albums. At the time of their last album, the band were roundly criticised for apparently being influenced by both the fashionable misery-mongers of early 00s bands such as Coldplay and Travis, as well as trying to satisfy the softer end of the emo-market.
However, throughout Silent Cry, it is difficult not to notice how much of a mark that the somewhat softer Pushing The Senses has made, and while it's unlikely for Feeder to be placed in the same sentence as pop-emoers 30 Seconds to Mars, it would not be a massive leap of imagination to link the two, insulting as that is to Feeder.
Rather ironically, even though the album resembles the poppier edge of their countrymen Lostprophets, it contains fewer hooks than any of their previous singles, despite what greatest hits single "Lost & Found" appeared to be alluding to, instead favouring power over precision, blasting every song to within the very inch of their lives. Basically - it all sounds a bit samey, but still good enough to put on your toast.
6/10
Silent Cry is out now in the UK on Echo records.
Labels:
album review,
feeder
Sunday, 15 June 2008
New Sigur Ros Album!
I know its old news now, but Sigur Ros have announced details of their new album out on June 23rd. It is going to be called Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, which roughly translates as "With A Buzzing In Our Ears We Play Endlessly". It also features at least one track in English ("All Alright") and is a bit of a change in direction for the band - who have said they were greatly influenced by their acoustic shows in Iceland that were featured in their documentary Heima.
Track Listing:
- "Gobbledigook" – 3:05
- "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" (Within me a lunatic sings) – 4:05
- "Góðan daginn" (Good day) – 5:15
- "Við spilum endalaust" (We play endlessly) – 3:33
- "Festival" – 9:24
- "Suð í eyrum" (Buzz in ears) – 4:56
- "Ára bátur" (Row boat) – 8:57
- "Illgresi" (Weeds) – 4:13
- "Fljótavík" [A place in Iceland] – 3:49
- "Straumnes" [A mountain near Fljótavík] – 2:01
- "All alright" – 6:21
It is also availiable as a deluxe "Discbox" for $120 (£60) similar to Radiohead's self-released double-vinyl, double-cd gift set for last year's alum In Rainbows.
Sigur Ros Homepage
Labels:
album preview,
Radiohead,
sigur ros
Thursday, 12 June 2008
Video HIT
Mystery Jets - Two Doors Down
This is the new single from the Mystery Jets, from their latest album, Twenty One. Not to be confused with that band, Three Doors Down, or that decade, the 80s.
PS: I'll write some more crap soon.
Labels:
mystery jets,
video
Monday, 9 June 2008
ALBUM: Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue
These genetically-generated scamps seem to have made themselves known to me through adverts, tv appearances and blog hype. Like any other band really. These guys, in particular featured in the american episode of Skins (the one where Cassie goes mental and fucks off to New York) and a mobile phone provider advert. Actually, there's nothing stopping me saying who it is, its Orange, and despite them not being my provider, the person who decides the soundtrack to the adverts has an awesome taste in music.
But I digress.
Having heard only "Hummingbird" and their take on Grizzly Bear's "Knife", my hopes were very high. I was expecting something that was both unashamedly poppy and energetic, yet with enough ragged fuzzy bass and strained guitar that I wouldn't feel too guilty about it.
I wasn't really expecting this.
Opener and title track "Red, Yellow and Blue" has the same afrobeat air of Vampire Weekend, yet lacking its pretension and soul-sucking precision. Lalonde's voice reminiscent of Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Josh Grier of Tapes n' Tapes, and eventually so does the rest of the band. Struggling for an original sound, only "Hummingbird" immediately stands out and is clearly and somewhat predictable the best track of the album.
The mood is often lethargic despite the upbeat tone and tempo, and the band all too often descend into Jack Penate style guitar wankery that takes away so much from the often delicate chaos of the subtle guitar and bass interplay.
What does happen when the band slow down for the second act, is that their somewhat timeless influence does shine through, showing a pleasant mix of the contemporary and the classic.
But, to be honest, its just all a bit samey. The same tricks are pulled out of the bag in every song and the singer's voice soon becomes wearing (again bearing similarity to Alec Ounsworth) on an album that is not nearly as fun as "Hummingbird" suggested. It's not a horrible listen, and is a bit of a grower, really, except that that's not what I wanted. Its horribly reminiscent of being told I'd have to clean my plate of horrible vegetables before getting any chocolate ice cream - and then finding that these disgusting carrots have filled me up already.
I'm pretty these guys weren't Canadian I would have hated it even more.
6/10
Red, Yellow & Blue is out now in the UK on Warp Records
But I digress.
Having heard only "Hummingbird" and their take on Grizzly Bear's "Knife", my hopes were very high. I was expecting something that was both unashamedly poppy and energetic, yet with enough ragged fuzzy bass and strained guitar that I wouldn't feel too guilty about it.
I wasn't really expecting this.
Opener and title track "Red, Yellow and Blue" has the same afrobeat air of Vampire Weekend, yet lacking its pretension and soul-sucking precision. Lalonde's voice reminiscent of Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Josh Grier of Tapes n' Tapes, and eventually so does the rest of the band. Struggling for an original sound, only "Hummingbird" immediately stands out and is clearly and somewhat predictable the best track of the album.
The mood is often lethargic despite the upbeat tone and tempo, and the band all too often descend into Jack Penate style guitar wankery that takes away so much from the often delicate chaos of the subtle guitar and bass interplay.
What does happen when the band slow down for the second act, is that their somewhat timeless influence does shine through, showing a pleasant mix of the contemporary and the classic.
But, to be honest, its just all a bit samey. The same tricks are pulled out of the bag in every song and the singer's voice soon becomes wearing (again bearing similarity to Alec Ounsworth) on an album that is not nearly as fun as "Hummingbird" suggested. It's not a horrible listen, and is a bit of a grower, really, except that that's not what I wanted. Its horribly reminiscent of being told I'd have to clean my plate of horrible vegetables before getting any chocolate ice cream - and then finding that these disgusting carrots have filled me up already.
I'm pretty these guys weren't Canadian I would have hated it even more.
6/10
Red, Yellow & Blue is out now in the UK on Warp Records
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