Blogs
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Still Flyin' On The Madness Of SXSW OJ from the San Francisco collective on jams, jams and more jams...
By OJ Hammond on 24 March 2009
OJ here - Still Flyin's guru just checking in after what was about the buck wildest party I've ever freakin witnessed. 4 days of uberjamming the likes the world has never seen!!! Where to start, where to end - no one really knows because when you're in the middle of a level 10 hammjamm - you have no way of telling which way is which. Except you know where the sky is because you just keep jamming higher up into that thing. Like jamming so hard into the sky that your shoes disintegrate.
Ok so sheish...let's try to harness this jam. First off we had 8 shows in 4 days. All of them totally dominated the previous one and by the end of the weekend we were a SUPERMACHINE OF RADICAL RIFFS. However, the most important part of SXSW was not the shows, or impressing the media, or any of that stuff - it was about jamming with your friends. And let me tell you we did more of that than the mind can handle. Check this list out of the stuff we jammed - just jammed, no mind worries, nothin - just jammed this list. Check out our sxsw jam list:
-about 400 high fives
-a midnight alley way jam
-a fake puke jam
-a pizza jam
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Adam Ficek: 'Why I Love Cassettes' The Roses Kings Castles and Babyshambles man speaks about his upcoming demos release...
By Adam Ficek on 23 March 2009
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Babyshambles drummer and Roses Kings Castles lynchpin, Adam Ficek, tells Gigwise exactly why he's decided to release six demos, aptly dubbed 'Roses Kings Cassettes', via the fading format next week (March 30).
Why the hell are you releasing cassettes?
A question asked many times, well, firstly I like cassettes there's something about the hiss crackle & pop, similar to vinyl, that warms the cockles of my soul. Back in the old days when CD albums first surfaced cassettes were the only way to copy music and thus many tapes of recorded favourites made their around the bedrooms of the music heads of every boy and girl.
I remember giving and receiving many a tape of indie compilations of new music that excited me, it was a hip thing to give a young love a cassette of your favourite songs. Let us also not forget the beloved bootleg tape sellers of Camden town, selling their ware from a shifty suitcase, not being a London teen, these tapes were the only a wanabee indie hipster like me could hear Blur playing the forum.
Anyway so back to today, yes the beloved cassette. I have always wanted to see my music on a tape and here's my chance.
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New Music Monday Introducing Girls and Two Door Cinema Club...
By David Renshaw on 22 March 2009
Any new band worth their keep has been in Austin, Texas this last week trying to stir up the suits interest, excite the blogs and avoid sunburn. The annual Texan industry scrum always propels a few select bands forwards and this weeks NMM pick Girls are one of the hottest names to drop in Austin right now. By the time you read this however the festival will be over and the bands flying home with bloated BBQ stomachs, read on to see what they are up to this week.
Girls
They might look a bit like Hanson but don't let the flowing blonde locks fool you- Girls are a special band. The San Francisco foursome are one of a host of great Californian groups around at the moment (The Oh Sees, Magic Bullets, Wavves) and arguably the pick of the crop. Their sweet acoustic pop is augmented by lead singer Christopher Owens jerky Elvis Costello-esque vocals and their laid back pop is perfect for the coming Summer months. 'Lust For Life' sounds like a lost classic, a sort of upbeat Elliott Smith or Bon Iver if he got a surf board and had recorded his album on a beach instead of a log cabin. As a bizarre juxtaposition Girls also deal a fine line in feedback heavy noisepop as shown on last years single 'Hellhole Ratrace' and 'Morning Light'. Whether this more aggressive edge comes to full fruition on their debut album due soon we'll have to wait and see.
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8 Bands Who Refuse To Reform Fresh from The Stone Roses quashing their reunion rumour...
By Scott Colothan on 19 March 2009
Today, legendary guitarist John Squire spectacularly quashed rumours that The Stone Roses are reforming through a piece of artwork inscribed with the words “I have no desire whatsoever to desecrate the grave of seminal Manchester pop group The Stone Roses”.
In homage to this ingenious snub, below are eight more seminal acts who 'say' they will never get back together.
'Say', of course, being the operative word as despite the acts below claiming they'll never reform, we all know how fickle and two-faced bands can be. After all Dickie Ashcroft famously once said of The Verve “It's more likely that all four of The Beatles would be getting back together than us reforming.” Lo and behold, a few years later The Verve were back! Something that never fails to amuse me...
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New Music Monday The first of a brand new column about all things new music...
By David Renshaw on 16 March 2009
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Hello and welcome to the first instalment of the Gigwise weekly new music round up. We aim to tell you about the best new bands, tracks and albums available, where you can see them live and everything else in between. Please read on...
Top 5 New Tracks To Download
Cocknbullkid - ‘I’m Not Sorry’. Stylish electro glamour with streetwise vocals backed up by a Metronomy production job.
Favours For Sailors - ‘I Dreamt That You Loved Me In Your Dreams’. Not since Morrissey’s nocturnal monologues have dreams sounded so beautiful. This is a dizzying Weezer-esque slice on romance from the bands superb ‘Furious Sons’ EP.
The Big Pink - ‘Velvet’. Epic dose of hypnotic, maudlin shoegaze from the men behind Merok Records (Klaxons, Crystal Castles) and recent NME Award winners.
Two Door Cinema Club - ‘Undercover Martyn’. Wrestling the title of indie disco floor filler away from Mystery Jets will be a tough task but if anyone can do it it’s these three Northern Irish boys. Just try keeping your toes from tapping.
The Soft Pack - ‘Nightlife’. Fresh from touring with Franz Ferdinand these San Diegans hit the UK with their first proper single. An effortlessly cool, nagging and addictive slice of post-Strokes rock: it more than lives up to the hype.
On Tour This Week
Yo Majesty play shows in Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, London and Bristol. La Roux is supporting Lily Allen (Bristol, Southampton, Brighton, Norwich). Everything Everything play The Lexington in London (Tuesday), Birmingham on Wednesday then hook up with The Maccabees to play Glasgow, Sheffield and Coventry. Dutch Uncles play an album launch show in Manchester (Monday). The Joy Formidable and Chew Lips support Howling Bells in Liverpool (Monday) and The Invisible play dates with Doves in Coventry (Tuesday), Portsmouth (Wednesday) and London (Thursday).
New albums Out This Week
Formerly in charge of the Kill ‘Em All clubnight and now musicians in their own right Filthy Dukes release their first full length record ‘Nonsense In The Dark’. It features collaborations with Orlando Weeks of The Maccabees, The Secret Machines and Samuel Dust of Late Of The Pier.
Hatcham Social, championed by Tim Burgess, release their album ‘You Dig The Tunnel, I'll Hide The Soil’ this week. Featuring the superb new single ‘Murder In the Dark’ it is available on Fierce Panda.
News
Little Boots has announced the details of her first single since topping the BBC Sound of 2009 poll. ‘New In Town’ will be released on May 25th and iss produced by Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen, Ladyhawke)
Vivian Girls follow up their debut album with a 7” single, ‘Moped Girls’ to be released in May.
Video Of The Week
The Temper Trap - 'Science Of Fear'
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Soundcity: From Austin To The Mersey Head honcho Dave Pichilingi updates us on preparations for this year's events...
By Dave Pichilingi on 16 March 2009
What a week it has been. On top of all the build up to SoundCity we are also in the throes of getting ready to do a series of shows over in USA which include best of Liverpool and Manchester event at the Mercury Lounge (NYC) on Paddies Day, Tuesday 17th March. It promises to be a interesting ride as it will feature those Manc whippersnappers The Courteeners and new scouse upstarts The Hot Melts.
After we take a big bite out of the apple we move onto warmer climes and cowboy country. Yes, it is SxSW time again already. This year we are hosting our third Liverpool SoundCity at the amazing Latitude 30 on Saturday 21st March (3-6pm). In previous years we have given many doe eyed NW artists (inc The Wombats, Eugene McGuinness, The Rascals, 28 Costumes, Hot Club de Paris) their first taste of America. This year is no exception as we welcome back The Whip (now veterans) who will mash it up with The Wave Machines, Hot Melts, Lost Brothers and the very young and very talented Polly Mackey.
Once we get back it is the big push through to SoundCity 2009 which takes place from May 20th to May 23rd. We have got so many amazings things lined up this year that I cry even thinking about it. Not only are we bringing in over 400 bands from over 15 different countries and putting them on in over 30 of the coolest venues in Liverpool. We are also serving up a world class music business conference in the splendour of the Hard Days Night Hotel and delivering a new offering called The Trial which literally involves real judges and real barristers and puts the music business in the Dock. Want to know more?? No time now but loads more next week..
Reverend & The Makers Perform at Liverpool Soundcity 2008
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20 Music Videos That Parody Movies! With Blur, The Killers, 2Pac and more...
By Scott Colothan on 9 March 2009
From big-budget Hollywood epics to underground French cinema, below are some of my favourite music videos which pay homage to / copy / rip-off / mimic or pilfer from movies.
Featuring 30 Seconds to Mars taking on Stanley Kubrick's horror masterpiece The Shining, Blur dressed as Droogs, Tupac Shakur mimicking Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Elliott Smith chasing balloons and much more...
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Seriously Weird Album Titles! In homage to Kasabian's 'West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum'...
By Scott Colothan on 6 March 2009
According to HMV.co.uk, Kasabian's upcoming third album goes by the completely and utterly stark-raving-bonkers title of 'West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum'.
This got us thinking of our favourite weird-as-shit album titles from down the echelons of time. Here they are below in all their glory!
If you can think of any more then, either post a comment or tell us on our the @Gigwise Twitter page right here.
1. A Silver Mount Zion - 'He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms…' (2000)
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The 13 Worst Cover Songs Ever! Weird, turgid and unforgivable cover versions...
By Scott Colothan on 5 March 2009
Fresh from The Proclaimers unveiling their damn bizarre acoustic cover of Kings of Leon's '17' (check it out here), I present what I think are the most hideous, stomach churningly turgid cover versions of all time.
Get your sick buckets at the ready and click through the plethora of song massacres below.
As always, if you can think of any more aural attrocities or you disagree with some of the videos on the list, then post your thoughts on the comments section.
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The Ultimate Michael Jackson Setlist - What Would Yours Be? For his summer shows...
By Jason Gregory on 4 March 2009
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Unless he has a dramatic change of heart – or, recent reports have been widely inaccurate – Michael Jackson will announce a series of concerts at the O2 Arena in London tomorrow (March 5th).
The shows, which look set to emulate Prince's 2007 residency at the same venue (not to mention bag the King of Pop a nice pay day), will, undoubtedly, be some of the most anticipated of all time. Apart from two rather contrived live performances, Jackson has not performed a full live concert tour since his 1996/7 HIStory tour.
To put that jaunt into perspective, HIStory saw Jackson play in 82 countries to approximately 4.5million fans. And at a time when ticket prices were lower, the tour still grossed Jackson an impressive $163.5million – a figure which, if reports are to be believed, will only be surpassed by his summer O2 residency.
Suffice to say, the Gigwise office is rather excited about this. Putting aside the singer's legal troubles and various physical transformations, Jackson is still the artist who gave us the biggest – and, in my opinion, one of the greatest – albums of all time in 'Thriller; he's still the greatest male solo performer of all time – someone who made the live show an unforgettable experience, rather than simply a chore; and, at the end of the day, he's still Michael Jackson.
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Alice Cooper Brings His Rock N' Roll Theatrics To Manchester - Photos
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