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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
You have to feel a little sorry for Pink Floyd fans. Not too much, obviously. They are more likely than you are to have a final salary pension, a second home, a car that starts on a cold day, a… Read More ›
Record Store Day seems to be a day of doing things you wouldn’t normally do. You rise earlier than you would for work. (Motivation may have something to do with this…) You happily stand in a queue outside a record… Read More ›
Arcade Fire have overcome many obstacles in their path over the years. Grabbing the attention of the world through their indie-released debut LP Funeral; delivering credible follow ups to one of the decade’s most critically acclaimed albums, and then dealing… Read More ›
Geoff MacCormack was just seven years old and was wearing the brown uniform of Burnt Ash Primary school when he first met David Jones. They went to cub scouts together and were in the choir together. It transpired neither the… Read More ›
It has been quite a journey since Gaz Coombs began his rock career as the teenage lead singer of…. The Jennifers. Signed to Nude Records in 1991 – the contract signed by his mum as he was too young –… Read More ›
