“We recorded a couple of demos, but most of the time we got wasted, you know…” Primal Scream lead singer Bobby Gillespie on the initial recording sessions of “Give Out But Don’t Give Up” To understand just how hard drinking… Read More ›
Clube da Esquina by Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges was one of only five Brazilian albums to be featured in the book “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die”.
If you have yet to hear this fusion of Brazilian music and Beatles-inflected pop, this may whet your appetite…
In which we discover why a naked picture of Adam Clayton nearly became the cover art of U2’s Achtung Baby…
It says much about the popularity of Pink Floyd that remaining solo members can tour to packed houses around the world decades after their commercial peak. While Roger Waters and David Gilmour have played Floyd’s best known songs from The… Read More ›
In a world where Spotify algorithms are finding ever more devious ways to enter our consciousness it seems almost old-fashioned having an actual human recommend you some music. U2’s ill-fated attempt to load their new album automatically on the world’s… Read More ›
This week The Arctic Monkeys sold out four consecutive nights at the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena. They now move out of town to sold out shows in Birmingham, Sheffield, Dublin and Newcastle. Such is the clamour for all things Arctic… Read More ›
If pithy song titles and smart lyrics were all the five-piece Bristol punk band IDLES had, they would still be a very good band indeed. You have to love an album with a song title as good as “Never Fight… Read More ›
These are troubling times. Russian bots influencing elections on both sides of the Atlantic. An American president surrounded by criminals. And an unprecedented polarisation of the political spectrum. And what’s trending on Twitter? Pete Doherty eating breakfast in a greasy… Read More ›
The Black Crowes are long gone. It has been three years since they split, ten years since their last album Warpaint and more than twenty years since their commercial peak when despite everyone else playing grunge or Britpop The Black… Read More ›
For the kids who Snapchat photos of themselves with a dog’s nose and ears superimposed, or who Instagram their every (doubtless avocado-based) meal, blogging about music may feel about as unfashionable as, well, Facebook. * Although very much the best… Read More ›
Ah, it’s mid summer. A time of hazy, sunny evenings. As the organisers of Wimbledon erect their “Sale! Punnet of Strawberry’s: only £50” signs (complete with grocer’s comma) it’s the time of year that allows me to drag out the… Read More ›
Although we might all have a stab at naming Elton John’s best albums, in these times of Spotify, there sometimes needs to be a reason why a particular record should be bought on vinyl. Happily in Elton’s case there are… Read More ›
It was the climax of the Stone Free Festival at the O2 Arena, and the 20,000 seater was less than a third full. Perhaps a reflection of the bill which veered from Supertramp to Megadeth but stuck to a “classic… Read More ›
In which we discover how Bernie Taupin’s mum brought Reg and Bernie together by cleaning her front room, how the cost of storing vinyl in Chelsea is ruinously expensive, why Elton has only the second-worst real life name of any pop star, and why you shouldn’t kick a piano stool at work.
The Vinyl Revival (TM) continues apace, sucking up the cash of Millennials faster than a pop up craft-beer-and-smashed-avocado stall at a box park. With new LPs often costing £20 or more, vinyl-loving Millennials are reportedly struggling to save for a… Read More ›
