this is my 3,000th post on this blog.
Which is a bit mad.
Nightsies!
Friday, May 30, 2008
SoundCheck last night... and so to the weekend!
SO busy today, so no blogsies.SoundCheck was loads of fun last night - Sounds of a System Breakdown was amazing, pretty much a revelation to everyone in the audience. Delos played a really fun DJ set, and the cookies were also yum. Looking forward to the next one already! Watch this space.
Our mobile photee booth Lili Forberg has some fab photees of the night.
Ok, off to London now for fun times. There's so much stuff going on in Dublin over the bank holiday weekend - take your pic from Santogold, Bon Iver, Mr Scruff, Dirty Pretty Things, Daniel Lanois, De La Soul, We Smoke Fags, Hercules and Love Affair, Blood Red Shoes, the new Summer of Love club at Spy, Kenny Dope, the sprawling Soundtrack festival @ the Pod, Felix Da Housecat - it's endless! So have fun!
Rock.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
SoundCheck guestlist competition now closed
Well done to the winners, you have been informed by email.
See y'all down there tonight (8pm):
SoundCheck launch night: May 29th, 8-11pm @ Spy.
€5 at the door
DELORENTOS (DJ Set)
Sounds of a System Breakdown
UnaRocks (SoundCheck DJs)
http://www.delorentos.net/
www.myspace.com/soundsofsystembreakdown
www.myspace.com/soundcheckdublin
(PS: thanks a bunch to the crew at Phantom for their support!)
See y'all down there tonight (8pm):
SoundCheck launch night: May 29th, 8-11pm @ Spy.
€5 at the door
DELORENTOS (DJ Set)
Sounds of a System Breakdown
UnaRocks (SoundCheck DJs)
http://www.delorentos.net/
www.myspace.com/soundsofsystembreakdown
www.myspace.com/soundcheckdublin
(PS: thanks a bunch to the crew at Phantom for their support!)
listening to Bon Iver reminds me of how much I love Scott Matthew
Here he is in his loft in NYC:
The brilliant 'Upside Down' (live in the rain):
One of my favourite songs: 'Language':
You can listen to more on his MySpace page.
The brilliant 'Upside Down' (live in the rain):
One of my favourite songs: 'Language':
You can listen to more on his MySpace page.
UnaRocks articles of the day
Sex & The City, pointless and plotless - Village Voice
Muse get cracking on their fifth album - NME
The normalisation of oral sex - Slate
Child voted out of kindergarten class - CBS
Why 'Lost' is the best game show in TV history - New York Magazine
Philadelphia cops beat up graffiti artist - Philly.com
People 'allergic' to wireless Internet signal want Wi-Fi banned - KOB
Dan Deacon talks about his new album - Pitchfork
Muse get cracking on their fifth album - NME
The normalisation of oral sex - Slate
Child voted out of kindergarten class - CBS
Why 'Lost' is the best game show in TV history - New York Magazine
Philadelphia cops beat up graffiti artist - Philly.com
People 'allergic' to wireless Internet signal want Wi-Fi banned - KOB
Dan Deacon talks about his new album - Pitchfork
Morrissey - not playing at that posh gaff in Wicklow after all
POD Concerts proudly presentMorrissey
28th June @ Royal Hospital Kilmainham
Tickets on sale Friday 30th May
The press release says this is Mozza's only "Dublin date this year", so there's still room for Stradbally, I guess.
I keep on having weird music related dreams
I generally only have random celebrities in my dreams (Britney, Madonna and other A-listers make frequent appearances), but recently I've been having really random dreams about Irish bands. I had a dream last night that Delorentos worked in a library and were getting fired for being loud, and another one recently about Fight Like Apes digging a grave for Zoe Ball at Glastonbury (WTF) and another one where Niamh from Ham Sandwich was having this big giant traveller wedding.RANDOM.
What would Freud say about this? Probably that I'm listening to too much music.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Win guestlist to SoundCheck!
As you all know by now, SoundCheck, Ireland's newest indie evening, is launching @ Spy tomorrow (8pm - 11pm). To be in with a chance to get guestlist for you and a mate and see Sounds of a System Breakdown play live and Delorentos DJ, along with other quality tunes and general fun times, answer this question:
What is the name of Delorentos debut album?
A: In Love With Retail
B: In Love With Detail
C: In Love With John Cale
email your answer to jacksgraff@hotmail.com before 1pm tomorrow (Thurs) and the winner picked at random will be on the list for SoundCheck!
SoundCheck Blog
SoundCheck MySpace
What is the name of Delorentos debut album?
A: In Love With Retail
B: In Love With Detail
C: In Love With John Cale
email your answer to jacksgraff@hotmail.com before 1pm tomorrow (Thurs) and the winner picked at random will be on the list for SoundCheck!
SoundCheck Blog
SoundCheck MySpace
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
All systems go for HWCH '08
Hard Working Class Heroes 2008 launches on June 4th at the Button Factory (have you stopped calling it the Music Centre yet? Me neither.)
New Amusement, Nakatomi Plaza and Carly Sings will play the launch, and all the details of the(apparently Budweiser-less) festival will be announced.
Party on - HWCH ROCKS.
New Amusement, Nakatomi Plaza and Carly Sings will play the launch, and all the details of the(apparently Budweiser-less) festival will be announced.
Party on - HWCH ROCKS.
Past Tense: Shane Hegarty's blog bites the dust
crysies / byesies.
I really enjoyed Shane's blog, actually. Twas on my daily read list.
I think we're entering a post-blogging period here, on, um the interweb, the world etc? Have been thinking a lot meself about taking a long break from blog world... probably will do so in the next couple of months, I reckon, when I think of something more useless to do with my time.
I really enjoyed Shane's blog, actually. Twas on my daily read list.
I think we're entering a post-blogging period here, on, um the interweb, the world etc? Have been thinking a lot meself about taking a long break from blog world... probably will do so in the next couple of months, I reckon, when I think of something more useless to do with my time.
going to SoundCheck on Thursday?
Then join the Facebook group!.SoundCheck launch night: May 29th, 8-11pm @ Spy. €5 at the door
DELORENTOS (DJ Set)
Sounds of a System Breakdown
UnaRocks (SoundCheck DJs)
DELORENTOS (DJ Set)
Sounds of a System Breakdown
UnaRocks (SoundCheck DJs)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Super Extra Barcelona Party
piece I did on the Boners for the Tribune last weekend.
"Hi, yeah. A bit of a heavy one last night." Nialler9, the award-winning blogger and visual-design mastermind behind this year's Choice Music Prize winners Super Extra Bonus Party, is somewhere in Barcelona.
It's early Saturday afternoon and he's trying to locate the rest of the members of the nine-strong musical outfit from Newbridge, Co Kildare (the Brazilian MC and drummer from Tallaght notwithstanding). A mugging, some pizza, and a wild goose chase around the city later, Nialler9 and bass player Fatsy wander outside the club they are to play that night (or rather, at 3.15am on Sunday morning), an infamous temple to all-night partying called Razzmatazz.
Being surrounded by 'The Boners' - as they're known to their fans - is like being in the middle of a dysfunctional but hilarious liquid Christmas dinner. Nearly all of the lads have known each other forever. There are injokes within in-jokes within injokes. Everyone seems to have countless nicknames, with new ones created as the conversation flows. Musically, Co and Mike are in charge of beats, synths, scratching and programming, Ducky is the drummer, Steve and Gav play guitars, Fatz or 'Fatsy' is the bass player, Nialler9 takes care of live visuals, Sean is their travelling sound technician, and Rodrigo 'Rod' is the MC.
Their music isn't classifiable. A poster advertising the Razzmatazz gig translates as 'the music of the Irish youth: they interpret Julie Andrews with batteries', a reference to their electronic warping of a 'Sound of Music' sample on their self-titled debut album's highlight 'Favourite Things'. With nine people in a band, and tastes ranging from indie to metal to hip hop to everything electronic and back again, the sound they make is a perfect mix of it all. It's the last thing you would expect Newbridge to sound like, never mind Ireland.
Their debut album was released to rave reviews, winning the Choice Music Prize, the annual award which decides the best Irish album of the year. Since then, they've been playing the odd gig, concentrating on recording the second album (most of which happens in the kitchen of their house in Terenure, south Dublin) and playing in London, and now mainland Europe.
Here in Barcelona, their entourage is 17-strong. It's rather unusual for a band to have so many mates and girlfriends travelling to wherever they play. Almost cult-like. They say it's because of how involved people are with the band, how it feels like some important travelling circus. Co puts it a little more bluntly later on "our mates are mentallers".
At soundcheck, the band surveys the massive room in the club. They consult each other on how many people could fit in it (up to 2,000). Everyone falls around laughing when guitarist Gav sticks a few bars of 'Boys of Summer' into one of their songs, as the Don Henley track has been stuck in everyone's heads all weekend. The Razzmatazz roadies and management staff look a bit confused throughout. What is this crazy loud noise these kids are making?
The band is almost impossible to interview. Nine hyped-up guys sitting around a table is not really conducive to a serious conversation about musical achievements and career plans. Tangents build on tangents, then smaller groups start talking among themselves and, at one point, Rod gets up, disappears into a lift and doesn't return. It's tough to get any sense out of them. One minute they're saying that although the Choice Music Prize was a good thing, it "distracted" them from recording, as they played more gigs to capitalise on the exposure.
Then, Mike diverts sense. "I proposed to Rodrigo in Park Guell today. He declined though." "Please, keep quiet, " Rodrigo says jokingly, propped on a couch, "later, later. Not now. At the proper time." "When is the proper time?" Mike asks. "That's what you always say." "Yeah, " adds Ducky, "every time any of us propose to you, that's what you say." Rodrigo takes over. "Listen, musically, the best thing about playing abroad is that people can check out what we're doing. We wanna take it everywhere."
Gav is the most vocal of the group. Like the rest of the band, he has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of contemporary Irish music and beyond."We've been noticing, even before the Choice, there's been a lot of people who would be interested in one set type of music, and then see something in us that they like. For example, if somebody is into indie, and picks up on a track like 'Everything Flows', then they might get into hip hop or electronica because of the association of the band. . . it's like tumbleweed that keeps gathering dirt."
Everyone pauses at the fauxprofundity. And then laughs in unison. Fatsy lifts up his T-shirt displaying his bellybutton. "I've got a serious innie, " he says out of the blue, gazing at his navel. "Connect my lips to your innie, " says Mike, robot-like. And they're off again.
After the interview, Nialler9 says that he thinks sometimes the band doesn't understand how important their independence is. They're doing everything on their own. No PR machine, no manager, no record label, no tour manager, no roadies, no driver or agent. This gig came off the back of an opportunistic email.
Dinner is another raucous affair. As Mike is the only one in the group who speaks fluent Spanish, the previous evening they ended up ordering a mixture of pig feet and bananas. Afterwards, a few go back to the hotel, to their rooms, to the bar, chilling out. At midnight, the doors of the club open.
Across the road, Super Extra Bonus Party have stumbled into a biker bar called 'Rock N Food'. The name of the establishment has prompted the invention of a game whereby you take a band name and incorporate a food product into it, Radiobread, Queens of the Scone Age and Pjork get the biggest laughs. With conversation being drowned out by Steve Vai videos and Kiss posters (plus the fact that the bar only appears to serve bottles of Budweiser), they move next door to another bar, for more beers, as the women in the 'entourage' neck vodka and Red Bull.
The subtext to many of the hours preceding the gig is an attempt to keep guitarist Steve from drinking gin, following a marathon drinking session the previous night. Steve is hilarious. Pale, skinny, and wrapped up in a scarf, trilby and elaborate moustache, he apparently has a habit of collecting knives (the latest is named 'The Negotiator') and makes occasional dramatic pronouncements detailing his imminent movements, usually things like, "I think I'm going to smoke", "I think I'll have a gin and tonic", "I think I'll go to the jacuzzi." Fatsy glowers every time Steve makes for the bar.
At 2am, they head for the venue. It's ?15 at the door and, secretly, they have to be concerned about how many people are going to turn up. Backstage in their sign-posted dressing room, the fridge is full of beer. Someone brings in a crate of Red Bull, and some friends are attacking a litre bottle of vodka while Steve is wrapping Christmas lights around his hat. Fatsy has donned pyjama bottoms for the gig, and Co and Mike have drawn various Spanish words in black marker on their white vests. Co's translates as 'mad dogs', and he complains that the handdrawn picture of a dog underneath the makeshift slogan only has three legs. Eventually, a couple of the lads decide to sneak up on stage to see how many people are there. A DJ is playing, and a curtain hides the stage from the venue floor. "Fucking hell, " says Cormac, peeking behind the curtain. The venue is packed beyond capacity. They return to the dressing room. And at least two members announce "this is going to be fucking great" to no one in particular.
At 3.15am, the music dies down and the curtain is raised. Cheers are deafening, and Super Extra Bonus Party launch into a belting 45-minute set, jumping, sweating, near-crowd surfing. Midway, there is some full-on moshing in the crowd, others hang off the balcony above and dance crazily on raised platforms.
Mike runs from behind his laptop and smashes a badminton racket to pieces off the stage. Rod throws his towel into the audience and people scramble to claim it. They descend dripping in sweat to the dressing room, almost a little stunned.
The drinking continues. A couple of people pass out at various stages. Some head back to the hotel. Eventually, at around 7am, the club's doors are opened, and thousands of people descend into the drunken Barcelona morning. Street beer-sellers are busy. The remaining Boners are jovial if pissed, joking and slapping backs. Something Co said around the table earlier almost echoes in the dawn. . . "it's fairly stupid to say, but it is genuinely friends first. If that element goes out of it - we've all said it - there's no point in being in this band anymore. 'Cos, like, it is fun, like."
"Hi, yeah. A bit of a heavy one last night." Nialler9, the award-winning blogger and visual-design mastermind behind this year's Choice Music Prize winners Super Extra Bonus Party, is somewhere in Barcelona.
It's early Saturday afternoon and he's trying to locate the rest of the members of the nine-strong musical outfit from Newbridge, Co Kildare (the Brazilian MC and drummer from Tallaght notwithstanding). A mugging, some pizza, and a wild goose chase around the city later, Nialler9 and bass player Fatsy wander outside the club they are to play that night (or rather, at 3.15am on Sunday morning), an infamous temple to all-night partying called Razzmatazz.
Being surrounded by 'The Boners' - as they're known to their fans - is like being in the middle of a dysfunctional but hilarious liquid Christmas dinner. Nearly all of the lads have known each other forever. There are injokes within in-jokes within injokes. Everyone seems to have countless nicknames, with new ones created as the conversation flows. Musically, Co and Mike are in charge of beats, synths, scratching and programming, Ducky is the drummer, Steve and Gav play guitars, Fatz or 'Fatsy' is the bass player, Nialler9 takes care of live visuals, Sean is their travelling sound technician, and Rodrigo 'Rod' is the MC.
Their music isn't classifiable. A poster advertising the Razzmatazz gig translates as 'the music of the Irish youth: they interpret Julie Andrews with batteries', a reference to their electronic warping of a 'Sound of Music' sample on their self-titled debut album's highlight 'Favourite Things'. With nine people in a band, and tastes ranging from indie to metal to hip hop to everything electronic and back again, the sound they make is a perfect mix of it all. It's the last thing you would expect Newbridge to sound like, never mind Ireland.
Their debut album was released to rave reviews, winning the Choice Music Prize, the annual award which decides the best Irish album of the year. Since then, they've been playing the odd gig, concentrating on recording the second album (most of which happens in the kitchen of their house in Terenure, south Dublin) and playing in London, and now mainland Europe.
Here in Barcelona, their entourage is 17-strong. It's rather unusual for a band to have so many mates and girlfriends travelling to wherever they play. Almost cult-like. They say it's because of how involved people are with the band, how it feels like some important travelling circus. Co puts it a little more bluntly later on "our mates are mentallers".
At soundcheck, the band surveys the massive room in the club. They consult each other on how many people could fit in it (up to 2,000). Everyone falls around laughing when guitarist Gav sticks a few bars of 'Boys of Summer' into one of their songs, as the Don Henley track has been stuck in everyone's heads all weekend. The Razzmatazz roadies and management staff look a bit confused throughout. What is this crazy loud noise these kids are making?
The band is almost impossible to interview. Nine hyped-up guys sitting around a table is not really conducive to a serious conversation about musical achievements and career plans. Tangents build on tangents, then smaller groups start talking among themselves and, at one point, Rod gets up, disappears into a lift and doesn't return. It's tough to get any sense out of them. One minute they're saying that although the Choice Music Prize was a good thing, it "distracted" them from recording, as they played more gigs to capitalise on the exposure.
Then, Mike diverts sense. "I proposed to Rodrigo in Park Guell today. He declined though." "Please, keep quiet, " Rodrigo says jokingly, propped on a couch, "later, later. Not now. At the proper time." "When is the proper time?" Mike asks. "That's what you always say." "Yeah, " adds Ducky, "every time any of us propose to you, that's what you say." Rodrigo takes over. "Listen, musically, the best thing about playing abroad is that people can check out what we're doing. We wanna take it everywhere."
Gav is the most vocal of the group. Like the rest of the band, he has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of contemporary Irish music and beyond."We've been noticing, even before the Choice, there's been a lot of people who would be interested in one set type of music, and then see something in us that they like. For example, if somebody is into indie, and picks up on a track like 'Everything Flows', then they might get into hip hop or electronica because of the association of the band. . . it's like tumbleweed that keeps gathering dirt."
Everyone pauses at the fauxprofundity. And then laughs in unison. Fatsy lifts up his T-shirt displaying his bellybutton. "I've got a serious innie, " he says out of the blue, gazing at his navel. "Connect my lips to your innie, " says Mike, robot-like. And they're off again.
After the interview, Nialler9 says that he thinks sometimes the band doesn't understand how important their independence is. They're doing everything on their own. No PR machine, no manager, no record label, no tour manager, no roadies, no driver or agent. This gig came off the back of an opportunistic email.
Dinner is another raucous affair. As Mike is the only one in the group who speaks fluent Spanish, the previous evening they ended up ordering a mixture of pig feet and bananas. Afterwards, a few go back to the hotel, to their rooms, to the bar, chilling out. At midnight, the doors of the club open.
Across the road, Super Extra Bonus Party have stumbled into a biker bar called 'Rock N Food'. The name of the establishment has prompted the invention of a game whereby you take a band name and incorporate a food product into it, Radiobread, Queens of the Scone Age and Pjork get the biggest laughs. With conversation being drowned out by Steve Vai videos and Kiss posters (plus the fact that the bar only appears to serve bottles of Budweiser), they move next door to another bar, for more beers, as the women in the 'entourage' neck vodka and Red Bull.
The subtext to many of the hours preceding the gig is an attempt to keep guitarist Steve from drinking gin, following a marathon drinking session the previous night. Steve is hilarious. Pale, skinny, and wrapped up in a scarf, trilby and elaborate moustache, he apparently has a habit of collecting knives (the latest is named 'The Negotiator') and makes occasional dramatic pronouncements detailing his imminent movements, usually things like, "I think I'm going to smoke", "I think I'll have a gin and tonic", "I think I'll go to the jacuzzi." Fatsy glowers every time Steve makes for the bar.
At 2am, they head for the venue. It's ?15 at the door and, secretly, they have to be concerned about how many people are going to turn up. Backstage in their sign-posted dressing room, the fridge is full of beer. Someone brings in a crate of Red Bull, and some friends are attacking a litre bottle of vodka while Steve is wrapping Christmas lights around his hat. Fatsy has donned pyjama bottoms for the gig, and Co and Mike have drawn various Spanish words in black marker on their white vests. Co's translates as 'mad dogs', and he complains that the handdrawn picture of a dog underneath the makeshift slogan only has three legs. Eventually, a couple of the lads decide to sneak up on stage to see how many people are there. A DJ is playing, and a curtain hides the stage from the venue floor. "Fucking hell, " says Cormac, peeking behind the curtain. The venue is packed beyond capacity. They return to the dressing room. And at least two members announce "this is going to be fucking great" to no one in particular.
At 3.15am, the music dies down and the curtain is raised. Cheers are deafening, and Super Extra Bonus Party launch into a belting 45-minute set, jumping, sweating, near-crowd surfing. Midway, there is some full-on moshing in the crowd, others hang off the balcony above and dance crazily on raised platforms.
Mike runs from behind his laptop and smashes a badminton racket to pieces off the stage. Rod throws his towel into the audience and people scramble to claim it. They descend dripping in sweat to the dressing room, almost a little stunned.
The drinking continues. A couple of people pass out at various stages. Some head back to the hotel. Eventually, at around 7am, the club's doors are opened, and thousands of people descend into the drunken Barcelona morning. Street beer-sellers are busy. The remaining Boners are jovial if pissed, joking and slapping backs. Something Co said around the table earlier almost echoes in the dawn. . . "it's fairly stupid to say, but it is genuinely friends first. If that element goes out of it - we've all said it - there's no point in being in this band anymore. 'Cos, like, it is fun, like."
SoundCheck launches this Thursday!
Click here for ze details.
SoundCheck launch night: May 29th, 8-11pm @ Spy. €5 at the door
DELORENTOS (DJ Set)
Sound of a System Breakdown
UnaRocks (SoundCheck DJs)
SoundCheck on MySpace.
ROCK. ON.
SoundCheck launch night: May 29th, 8-11pm @ Spy. €5 at the door
DELORENTOS (DJ Set)
Sound of a System Breakdown
UnaRocks (SoundCheck DJs)
SoundCheck on MySpace.
ROCK. ON.
Ze Weekend
Went to a BBQ at my sistas on Friday evening, then to Brogans and then to Mermaid for YoCo's birthday dinner (happy birthday!). Then ran down to Doran's to check out Heathers which was awesome. Then went to the Tivoli until the end of time.Saturday night was Miss Spy (go YoCo and Lili and Rick!) then dinner @ Stonrs - Darwins new place beside Bia Bar. Yumsies.
Sunday, lunch @ Koh and then the Lighthouse cinema (so nice) to see Persepolis, which was VG.
In work now. Going to Belfast in a couple of hours. Busy. Busy.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Anja Schneider /// James Holden comp closed
Well done to the winners, you have been notified by email. Enjoy the show.
Lily Allen on the press and "sexist" journalists
"I don't really like to respond to things I read about my self in the press but , for the record I was not thrown off anybodys yacht in Cannes , occasionally I drink wine with lunch and yes i swim topless , this in my book is not embarrasing behaviour I'm 23 years old it's not my fault if photographers follow me everywhere and need a story to print with their pointless pictures . I wish digital cameras hadn't been invented , if these photographers had to pay for film it wouldn't wouldn't be worth their time , there is nothing proffesional about them , most of them look like they wouldn't be out of place at a BNP meeting . On the other hand digital pictures are easier to retouch , so i shouln't complain .I went for lunch with my ex boyfriend yesterday , lunch . I am not some failed baby making machine desperately to trying to win my man back . Sometimes I think these journalists are still living in the 50's . No one knows anything about my relationships . Ed and I are friends , who went for lunch yesterday , thats it .
It's all so sexist , i wonder how many of these male journos , had bought themselves a house by the time they were 23. I work very hard at what i do , yes I like a drink and yes I have my bad days , but that doesn't mean I'm out of control. I'm perfectly capable of looking after my self thank you very much ."
competition time running out
Just an hour left to enter the Anja Schneider + James Holden comp. Thanks to everyone who has entered so far and congrats to the Jimmy Edgar winners - hope you had a good night last night.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
song and video of the day
ALICE
here's the mp3
The guy behind it is called Pogo and yo ucan download three more of his tracks at his LastFM page.
Thanks to LLMM for ze heads up.
here's the mp3
The guy behind it is called Pogo and yo ucan download three more of his tracks at his LastFM page.
Thanks to LLMM for ze heads up.
they may have lost, but at least they're hot (or not)
Chelsea players discuss who is the hawtest player on the team
(Thanks RoRo!)
(Thanks RoRo!)
Jimmy Edgar competition
Just two hours left to enter the competition to win Jimmy Edgar tickets tonight @ Spy.
Ham Sandwich confirmed for Electric Picnic
Kells finest will be hitting the 'Picnic this year - woohoo! Rumour has it, they may be making a trip across the pond to ze most famous festival of zem all too.Their excellent debut album 'Carry The Meek' is released in the UK on May 26th, and they play Club Fandango @ Dublin Castle in Camden on the 27th.
Other tour dates are available on their MySpace.
YES!
Nearly had 40,000 heart attacks and have no nails left after the match last night. Incredible stuff. Afterwards, we went to see Duke Special play in Odessa. Great evening, plenty of new songs (so new he was tearing the lyrics from a notebook, in fact) and MayKay FLApes sang on one of the tunes which was really spine-tingling stuff.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
"We need to get a handle on this, will you ring those fuckers."
Is Brian Cowen to the Dail what Super Extra Bonus Party's live-on-radio winning speech is to the Choice Music Prize?
Competition time!
The blags are back. This time, I've got two double passes for both Jimmy Edgar (Warp) in Spy on Thursday 22nd May and two double passes for James Holden and Anja Schneider (pictured) in Spy on Friday 23rd May.1. To win double passes to Jimmy Edgar, answer this question:
We know Edgar is a musical artist, but what other art form has he won awards for?
Competition closes at 2pm Thursday. Doors are at 8pm.
2. To win double passes to Anja Schneider and James Holden, answer this question:
What record label does Anja Schneider run?
Competition closes at 2pm Friday. Doors are at 10pm.
EMAIL YOUR ANSWER TO: jacksgraff@hotmail.com
Winners are picked at random and will be notified by email.
Dirty Dozen: Vol 90
1. The Teenagers - 'Scarlett Johansson'
2. Deerhoof - 'Sealed With A Kiss'
3. Kathleen Edwards - 'In State'
4. Lykke Li - 'Dance Dance Dance'
5. Why? - 'Sanddollars'
half a dozen. The Gossip - 'Fire/Sign'
7. The Ting Tings - 'Great DJ' (Calvin Harris remix)
8. Soho Dolls - 'Trash the Rental' (Crystal Castles remix) (via I Really Love Music)
9. Santogold - 'Starstruck'
10. Kate Nash - 'Purple Rain'
11. Cajun Dance Party - 'The Firework'
dozen. N.E.R.D. - 'Everybody Nose' (remix)
2. Deerhoof - 'Sealed With A Kiss'
3. Kathleen Edwards - 'In State'
4. Lykke Li - 'Dance Dance Dance'
5. Why? - 'Sanddollars'
half a dozen. The Gossip - 'Fire/Sign'
7. The Ting Tings - 'Great DJ' (Calvin Harris remix)
8. Soho Dolls - 'Trash the Rental' (Crystal Castles remix) (via I Really Love Music)
9. Santogold - 'Starstruck'
10. Kate Nash - 'Purple Rain'
11. Cajun Dance Party - 'The Firework'
dozen. N.E.R.D. - 'Everybody Nose' (remix)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
thanks Rick!
Had a major laugh listening to Rick's show today on 2fm as he and his listeners played The Band Food Game.
It's the game that keeps on giving. Just ask Sushi Quatro.
It's the game that keeps on giving. Just ask Sushi Quatro.
UnaRocks articles of the day
The Fall of Conservatism - New Yorker
English festival cancelled due to 'credit crunch' - NME
Will HDTV do to McCain what TV did to Nixon? - Slate
The Russian-American princess - New York Magazine
The real Gossip Girls - Vanity Fair
Massive Oreo truck spill in Chicago - Chicago Tribune
Louis Vuitton seduces bloggers - Haute Concept
16 US Army recruiters took their own lives - Houston Chronicle
English festival cancelled due to 'credit crunch' - NME
Will HDTV do to McCain what TV did to Nixon? - Slate
The Russian-American princess - New York Magazine
The real Gossip Girls - Vanity Fair
Massive Oreo truck spill in Chicago - Chicago Tribune
Louis Vuitton seduces bloggers - Haute Concept
16 US Army recruiters took their own lives - Houston Chronicle
Monday, May 19, 2008
How much closer can we actually get to celebrities?
Pete Doherty, Amy Winehouse and mice (via Rick)
in other news, here's Amy and her god daughter playing:
in other news, here's Amy and her god daughter playing:
You are named after the dog?
There's a funny line in Charlotte Higgins' piece on Indiana Jones in the Guardian today, which starts with a quote from Steven Spielberg,
'"We weren't going to have F14s flying under freeways. This is a real story about real people," he said of the film, which involves a race to control the minds of the entire human race, and a mystical Mayan temple created by hyper-intelligent extraterrestrials.'
'"We weren't going to have F14s flying under freeways. This is a real story about real people," he said of the film, which involves a race to control the minds of the entire human race, and a mystical Mayan temple created by hyper-intelligent extraterrestrials.'
Ze weekend: ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Bread
Spent the weekend in Barcelona with Super Extra Bonus Party. Funsies.
A large part of that time involved a game incorportating food products into band names. The band or artist can't already have food in their name (so no Meatloaf or Ham Sandwich). We realised that this game is actually endless. Try and beat some of these bad boys:
Thom Yorkie
Toastface Killah
Bovril Lavigne
Radiobread
Aphex Twix
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Bread
Queens of the Scone Age
Ovaltina Turner
Cannibal Oxo
Pizza Townsend
Mick Jaegermeister
The Meatles
Profiterolling Stones
The Pita Band
The Japanese PopTarts
Rogun Josh Ritter
Franz Ferdinaan
Pjork
Linkin Pork
My Morning Jacket Potato
Maximo Pork
MGMTea
Aesop Pop Rocks
Bruce Springrollsteen
Sly and the Family Scone
REM&Ms
Onion Rings of Leon
Breaditors
Manic Beef Preachers
Rage Against the Mashedbean
Sugar Ros
Goldfrappuccino
and it goes on and one, there were probably 1,000 more, but I can't remember them. New ones keep popping into my head too though, so I might update this later.
then there's the the Irish band subdivision:
Republic of Cous Cous
Fight Like Grapes
Super Extra Bonus Party Platter
Cathy Gravy
Damien Rice Cakes
Paddy Quesadilla
Mark Beery
Hooray For Hummus
We Should Be Bread
Starbar Little Thing
Dry Bounty
The Vinny Club Sandwich
UStew (with Edam Clayton and Larry Mullen Junior Box)
Nina Heinz
Stanley Souper 800
Ann Scotch Egg
Adebisi Lamb Shank
Lisa Hamigan
A large part of that time involved a game incorportating food products into band names. The band or artist can't already have food in their name (so no Meatloaf or Ham Sandwich). We realised that this game is actually endless. Try and beat some of these bad boys:
Thom Yorkie
Toastface Killah
Bovril Lavigne
Radiobread
Aphex Twix
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Bread
Queens of the Scone Age
Ovaltina Turner
Cannibal Oxo
Pizza Townsend
Mick Jaegermeister
The Meatles
Profiterolling Stones
The Pita Band
The Japanese PopTarts
Rogun Josh Ritter
Franz Ferdinaan
Pjork
Linkin Pork
My Morning Jacket Potato
Maximo Pork
MGMTea
Aesop Pop Rocks
Bruce Springrollsteen
Sly and the Family Scone
REM&Ms
Onion Rings of Leon
Breaditors
Manic Beef Preachers
Rage Against the Mashedbean
Sugar Ros
Goldfrappuccino
and it goes on and one, there were probably 1,000 more, but I can't remember them. New ones keep popping into my head too though, so I might update this later.
then there's the the Irish band subdivision:
Republic of Cous Cous
Fight Like Grapes
Super Extra Bonus Party Platter
Cathy Gravy
Damien Rice Cakes
Paddy Quesadilla
Mark Beery
Hooray For Hummus
We Should Be Bread
Starbar Little Thing
Dry Bounty
The Vinny Club Sandwich
UStew (with Edam Clayton and Larry Mullen Junior Box)
Nina Heinz
Stanley Souper 800
Ann Scotch Egg
Adebisi Lamb Shank
Lisa Hamigan
Friday, May 16, 2008
A Day In The Life
Luggala Estate in Wicklow, as previously reported by detective Jim Carroll will host a big gig this summer on June 28th. Morrissey will headline 'A Day In The Life' organised by Pod and Second Symphony. Other attractions will be a 'body and soul' area, 'ambient' bar (does that mean no queues?) and 'healthy organic food stalls'. Pass the hummus.€69.50, 3pm - 11.30pm, no camping. Setting looks amazing. The festival website is down, though, fix it!
Where is the Love?
Big disappointment for those who were waiting and waiting and waiting for Courtney Love's new album 'How Dirty Girls Get Clean'. Despite the lead single being leaked approx 10 million years ago, it looks like the original album will never see the light of day. Love has stopped working with Linda Perry who she was co-writing the album with. Although most people were under the impression that the record was done and dusted and awaiting release, it aint so.Love is starting to write some new songs with guitarist Micko Larkin, and it seems that the Linda Perry-era stuff will be scrapped.
yet even MORE acts added to Oxegen
The National, The Go! Team, Tricky, The Pigeon Detectives, Feeder,
The Enemy, The Whigs and One Night Only.
Day by day breakdown so far
Friday 11th July 08:
Kings of Leon, Interpol, Editors, Aphex Twin, The Go! Team, Tricky, Bell X1, Cat Power, Paddy Casey, Groove Armada, The Coronas, dEUS, Battles, Future Kings of Spain, Unkle, Calvin Harris, Annie Mac, MSTRKRFT, Koze, Kosheen, Burns, Sneaky Sound System and many more.
Saturday 12th July 08:
R.E.M., The Verve, Amy Winehouse, The Prodigy, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, Counting Crows, The Zutons, The National, Newton Faulkner, Panic at the Disco, Feeder, Richard Hawley, Seasick Steve, The Hoosiers, Scouting For Girls, The Charlatans, Powderfinger, Declan O’Rourke, My Morning Jacket, The Enemy, The Ting Tings, Camille O’Sullivan, British Sea Power, Black Kids, Delays, Concerto For Constantine, Paul Heaton, Pendulum, Justice, Bowling For Soup, One Night Only, Boys Noize, Mylo, Slam, Michael Mayer, Kavinsky, The Japanese Popstars and many more.
Sunday 13th July 08:
Rage Against The Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, The Swell Season featuring Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová, The Fratellis, Ian Brown, The Kooks, MGMT, The Feeling, Kate Nash, Roisin Murphy, Tom Baxter, Reverend and the Makers, The Pigeon Detectives, Band of Horses, Lightspeed Champion, The Pogues, The Subways, The Stranglers, Ryan Bingham, The Courteeners, Alabma 3, The Whigs, David Guetta, Luciano, Kaz James, Crookers, Radioslave, Quiet Village, Does It Offend You Yeah?, Carl Craig and many more.
PLUS:
Chemical Brothers, The Raconteurs, Hot Chip, Vampire Weekend, Echo and the Bunnymen and Delorentos.
The Enemy, The Whigs and One Night Only.
Day by day breakdown so far
Friday 11th July 08:
Kings of Leon, Interpol, Editors, Aphex Twin, The Go! Team, Tricky, Bell X1, Cat Power, Paddy Casey, Groove Armada, The Coronas, dEUS, Battles, Future Kings of Spain, Unkle, Calvin Harris, Annie Mac, MSTRKRFT, Koze, Kosheen, Burns, Sneaky Sound System and many more.
Saturday 12th July 08:
R.E.M., The Verve, Amy Winehouse, The Prodigy, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, Counting Crows, The Zutons, The National, Newton Faulkner, Panic at the Disco, Feeder, Richard Hawley, Seasick Steve, The Hoosiers, Scouting For Girls, The Charlatans, Powderfinger, Declan O’Rourke, My Morning Jacket, The Enemy, The Ting Tings, Camille O’Sullivan, British Sea Power, Black Kids, Delays, Concerto For Constantine, Paul Heaton, Pendulum, Justice, Bowling For Soup, One Night Only, Boys Noize, Mylo, Slam, Michael Mayer, Kavinsky, The Japanese Popstars and many more.
Sunday 13th July 08:
Rage Against The Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, The Swell Season featuring Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová, The Fratellis, Ian Brown, The Kooks, MGMT, The Feeling, Kate Nash, Roisin Murphy, Tom Baxter, Reverend and the Makers, The Pigeon Detectives, Band of Horses, Lightspeed Champion, The Pogues, The Subways, The Stranglers, Ryan Bingham, The Courteeners, Alabma 3, The Whigs, David Guetta, Luciano, Kaz James, Crookers, Radioslave, Quiet Village, Does It Offend You Yeah?, Carl Craig and many more.
PLUS:
Chemical Brothers, The Raconteurs, Hot Chip, Vampire Weekend, Echo and the Bunnymen and Delorentos.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
WeTV webisodes
WeTV has been the host of many a great band recently all in preparation for their temporary migration online. It's a really cool programme, offering a stage / couch for musicians that often don't get to see the spotlight on TV, but also for some stars too; The Kooks, The Kinetiks and Jape all feature in webisodes to come.Check out some of the latest episodes here, including one which features a festival guide from myself. Witness my hair partially obscuring half of my face for most of the interview and embarrassingly getting a question wrong in the festival quiz. Yay!
Keep an eye on the page for future webisodes. Go Team WeTV!
If you don't want to watch in Real Player, check out their YouTube channel.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Soundtrack: AAA
Shockingly good line-up for a city centre festival to be held in the Pod complex from May 25th over 9 days. Details are here. Really interesting stuff, not least because it adds to the gig congestion of early summer in Dublin.Question(s) of the day: Is a festival still a festival if it has no common theme (apart from a venue) over nine days, with no singular ticket prices for each gig or any other hallmarks of a festival? Is it not just nine days of solid Pod bookings? Wouldn't Booka Shade, Santogold, Spiritualized, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Tapes N Tapes, Cadence Weapon and Mystery Jets be better utilised as beefer-uppers for the Electric Picnic line-up instead?
BOOKA SHADE
SANTOGOLD
EVIL NINE
ALEX METRIC
EL GUINCHO
BOY 8-BIT
PUBLIC ENEMY
THE BOMB SQUAD
CADENCE WEAPON
SPIRITUALIZED
SIAN ALICE GROUP
TAPES ‘n TAPES
SONS AND DAUGHTERS
PORT O’BRIEN
BUFFALO TOM
DAVID KITT
THE MACCABEES
WILD BEASTS
EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS
LATE OF THE PIER
BETH ROWLEY
PETER VON POEHL
BON IVER
GET WELL SOON
LAURA IZIBOR
INFOMATICS
DE LA SOUL
NOAH AND THE WHALE
ROBOTNIK
RUBY SUNS
TELEPATHE
JOY ZIPPER
GAVIN GLASS & THE HOLY SHAKERS
NEW AMUSEMENT
MYSTERY JETS
DJ SASHA
GROVESNOR
PNAU
Bang Gang DJs
Radioclit
Simbad & Zed Bias
Lawrence aka Sten Live
We Smoke Fags (live)
stay tuned!
Something very cool and something that I'm very excited about (personally) will be announced today to do with these people, and co. ;)
Stay tuned!
Last night I had some Kopparberg with my sis and then YoCo and Anthony and Caroline dropped by South William, which prompted a movie quiz (name 8 Michael J Fox movies; name 5 Lindsay Lohan movies; what is the name of the movie in which Mischa Barton can talk to Dolphins?; what was the name of the gay bar in Police Academy? and so on and so forth.)
It's nice when it's sunny.
On Phantom Daily today, I'll be talking about an interesting blog topic, so tune in after from 2pm til 5pm. Rock!
Una
Stay tuned!
Last night I had some Kopparberg with my sis and then YoCo and Anthony and Caroline dropped by South William, which prompted a movie quiz (name 8 Michael J Fox movies; name 5 Lindsay Lohan movies; what is the name of the movie in which Mischa Barton can talk to Dolphins?; what was the name of the gay bar in Police Academy? and so on and so forth.)
It's nice when it's sunny.
On Phantom Daily today, I'll be talking about an interesting blog topic, so tune in after from 2pm til 5pm. Rock!
Una
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Blog Post of the Month Award
Check out the little cutesie wootsie trophies! There is now a Blog Post of the Month Award.All you have to do is Fill out this form to nominate what you think is the blog post of the month.
Rock on Mulley!
Arcade Fire to score thriller
via Pitchfork - thanks to Derek 2.0 for the heads up.Orcade Foire will be scoring 'The Box', a thriller starring Cameron Diaz and written/directed by Richard Kelly, who did Donnie Darko.
Inneresting!
(AF pic by Minky Von Faberge)
Heathers
I'm really digging Heathers, for, oh, at least half a day now. Had only really vaguely heard their name, but only started listening to them this morning, prompted by meeting Mr Hide Away Records last night.Heathers are twins Louise and Ellie from Dublin. They are 18 and sit their Leaving Cert this June. On May 23rd they release their debut album 'Here, Not There' in Eamonn Dorans on Hide Away Records.
After their Leaving Cert, they're going to hit the road in the US for a 30-date tour with Ghost Mice. Their album will be released on Plan-It-X in the States. Tegan & Sarah are clearly a big influence (it's a twin thing I guess. Maybe siblings can only create REALLY perfect harmonies) but Heathers are pretty much their own band. Heavy accoustic guitar and awesome vocals. Check out some of their tracks on the MySpace above.
Here's an mp3: a demo called 'Honey Please'.
(photee by Alex Sinclair)
Short Shorts @ the Gay Theatre Festival
I went to see Short Shorts and Very Shorts at the Cobalt Cafe last night. It was GREAT, I'd really recommend it. Ragin's play, 'Blind Mating', was awesome, obviously, and there are five other great plays too. My other favourite was 'Tom Cruise Get Off The Couch', which is one of most hilarious pieces of theatre I've ever seen. Check it out!You can look at the programme and book tickets here.
Hannah Montana - from tweenie-bopper to tworn star
Here's an interesting piece (thanks Super Dee) about How Karl Marx predicted Hannah Montana would go nude.Here's my Tribune column from a couple of weeks ago on the matter:
The picture said it all. In fact, it said too much. Miley Cyrus, the 15-year-old billion-dollar Disney franchise glanced from the pages of Vanity Fair hugging a satin bed sheet to her not yet formed breasts. Her back is exposed, goose pimples pepper her young skin. The light shines on her face, her lips, a bright blood red, contrast with the sepia and bluish tones of the rest of the portrait. Her hair is tousled into the kind of style that can only be described as “just been f***ed hair”; damp and messy. There’s a knowing smile too, and an accidental glint in the eye, “look what I just did.” Cue moral outrage.
Miley Cyrus is Hannah Montana, a Disney star with a TV show, endless merchandise, concerts where she earns $1 million a week on tour, and soon, movies. When she decided to do an interview with Vanity Fair, the magazine drafted in their favourite snapper Annie Leibovitz to take the shot. The one she chose is the one that has shocked America. Disney say Leibovitz took advantage of the teen star whose main audience is the fastest growing and incredibly lucrative demographic, the tweens, worth around €200 billion in money spent on products in America a year.
There is nothing America loves more than a good old – hypocritical - moral outrage. Think of the world almost stopping that time Janet Jackson showed her pierced nipple at the Superbowl, or when Paris Hilton’s sex tape leaked. These stories often get more air time than war, the economy and politics put together on the week they break. The American media reacts like The Simpsons’ Reverend Lovejoy’s wife, running around hands in the air screaming “won’t somebody please think of the children!”
The moment Disney realised that the Vanity Fair shoot was going to get a bad public reaction, they went on the defensive. They don’t want to be lumbered with a Nickelodeon-type shame that burdened the station recently when their Miley Cyrus – Jamie Lynn Spears, sister of Britney – announced she was pregnant aged just 16. And a already this year, Vanessa Hudgens, the star of Disney’s other mammoth franchise – High School Musical – was busted sending naked pictures of herself on her mobile phone to her boyfriend. Oops, they did it again.
We want to pretend that Cyrus has been manipulated by an evil old photographer trying to sexualize her, but Leibovitz wasn’t doing that. Leibovitz is probably given too much credit as a photographer. The most interesting thing about her photography is the access she is granted to top celebrities. In fact, as gossip blogger Perez Hilton pointed out earlier in the week, the controversial Miley photograph is extremely similar to a shot of Diana Ross that featured on a 1989 cover of, you guessed it Vanity Fair, shot by, yep, Annie Leibovitz. Cyrus, as a 15-year-old girl in 2008 (how long before we start saying 15-year-old ‘woman’) is already sexualised. She knew what she was doing, and she didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. During the shoot, her parents and teacher were on set. They knew what they were doing too. Cyrus called the photo “artsy”, she liked it. It seemed like a natural shot to take for a girl who dresses and acts like she is in her twenties anyway, and certainly has a career and a branding model far more suited to someone well on in their showbiz career.
Cyrus thought that this photo was ‘artsy’ because in her world it is. In a world where actresses, musicians and other celebrities resort to pornography to publicise themselves (indeed, Lindsay Lohan recently posed naked for New York Magazine, and getting out of a car with your legs spread so the paparazzi can get a shot of your genitalia is seen by many young starlets as a surefire way to get your name in the tabloids the next day), then sitting only kinda naked on a bed in a post-coital pose is ‘artsy’. In the interview, she named checked ‘Sex and the City’ as her favourite programme. Disney aren’t happy with that either. It’s hard learning the truth about your child stars.
Meanwhile, Disney huffs and puffs, flaunting their morals while they are happy to use Cyrus’ sexuality to build her franchise, to sell her TV programme, CDs, clothing line and merchandise, but the minute a photographer gets the shot that accidently sums up this exploitation then, well, they go all Mrs. Lovejoy on us.
If you look at the photograph for long enough, a sort of sadness creeps in. Cyrus begins to look vulnerable. Despite being bombarded with sex – as all 15-year-olds are in their consumerist world, which has gone from sex sells to everything sold must be sex – she doesn’t really know how to work it, sexily. Her back is hunched, at odds with the usual exhibitionist pose of shoulders back and tits out. Her fingers grip the sheet, pulling it over her breasts indicating that she is, hiding, not showing. But I guess, she’ll learn.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Are you there Puffincat? It's me, Amy
A group of people, including my homegirl Jen Macken made this short documentary on Amy from Diet of Worms:
Diet of Worms run their Puffincat Club in the Bewley's Cafe Theatre, check it out. Some of their other upcoming gigs are here.
Diet of Worms run their Puffincat Club in the Bewley's Cafe Theatre, check it out. Some of their other upcoming gigs are here.
Free Dying Seconds album
You can download the new album from Dubliners The Dying Seconds here, fo frizzle!
Fans of Casiotone For the Painfully Alone should be into this one.
Fans of Casiotone For the Painfully Alone should be into this one.
Cois Fharraige is back
Despite serious summer gig congestion, and Garden Party retiring, this three day surfing and music festival returns in 2008. There is always an audience for bigger gigs on the west coast of Ireland, given that they are more starved than their east coast homies when it comes to live shows, so I'm sure CF will go down well this year. Indeed, last year, it had nearly sold out before MCD even put any posters up. The big name sponsor Sony Ericsson is back too - which should be helpful if sales do take a hit.No line-up yet, but expect the usual mix of popular Irish bands, someone old school and some easy listening chart action on September 5th - September 7th.
I went to this last year and had so much fun. The setting is beautiful, the parties are awesome, venue isn't bad (for a tent in a field) and everything is pretty close together. Would recommend it muchly - especially if the sun is shining.
Dragnet @ Sugar Club
LGBT NOISE, the gay marriage equality activists, are hosting a fundraiser at the Sugar Club this Friday with some serious Dublin drag royalty. Panti, Heidi Konnt, Donegal Catch, Phil T Gorgeous and Slicko will all be on hand to entertain for the evening. Should be a good one.
Head along to show your support and raise some lids for the NOISE crew. Tickets are €15 and available from Panti Bar.
Head along to show your support and raise some lids for the NOISE crew. Tickets are €15 and available from Panti Bar.
Is it plagiarism when you're used to it?
Green Ink points out that a piece I wrote in the Tribune on Eamon Ryan being zexy is in the Irish Daily Mirror today. Green Ink calls in plagiarism. When you work in a Sunday newspaper, you become very used to seeing your stories lifted and whacked in the pages of the tabloids the next day.
If it's a big story, others will 'follow up' and report on it as their own, or with a new angle, but the tabloids just lift it wholesale, including quotes from any interviews you conducted for the story (the Mirror just reprinted the interview I did with Lili Forberg as their own). Occasionally, when a story is being followed up, somewhere in the copy will be the lines, "in a report in The Sunday Tribune" or whatever newspaper, but generally, it is just reprinted as the newspaper's own story. This practice is not limited to tabloids or newspapers either (like when RTE lifted by 'Glen might lose his Oscar' story), and one becomes accustomed to relinquishing ownership of a story as soon as it is printed or broadcast.
This kind of thing doesn't really piss me off, although it probably should. It's just part of the Irish newspaper Sunday-Monday cycle. Sunday newspaper reporters are well used to seeing their stories reappear uncredited in Monday's tabloids. The only thing new here, is that someone else (Green Ink) has noticed the trend.
In conclusion, writing about Eamon Ryan being a roide is not going to get me a Pulitzer, but if it did, can I get two for the reprint?
If it's a big story, others will 'follow up' and report on it as their own, or with a new angle, but the tabloids just lift it wholesale, including quotes from any interviews you conducted for the story (the Mirror just reprinted the interview I did with Lili Forberg as their own). Occasionally, when a story is being followed up, somewhere in the copy will be the lines, "in a report in The Sunday Tribune" or whatever newspaper, but generally, it is just reprinted as the newspaper's own story. This practice is not limited to tabloids or newspapers either (like when RTE lifted by 'Glen might lose his Oscar' story), and one becomes accustomed to relinquishing ownership of a story as soon as it is printed or broadcast.
This kind of thing doesn't really piss me off, although it probably should. It's just part of the Irish newspaper Sunday-Monday cycle. Sunday newspaper reporters are well used to seeing their stories reappear uncredited in Monday's tabloids. The only thing new here, is that someone else (Green Ink) has noticed the trend.
In conclusion, writing about Eamon Ryan being a roide is not going to get me a Pulitzer, but if it did, can I get two for the reprint?
your Irish music video digest
Halves - 'Medals'
Dirty Epics - 'Pony'
The Mighty Stef - 'Death Threats'
Your bonus live one:
Delorentos - 'Eyes Open'
And one from the archives:
Noise Control - 'Steel'
Dirty Epics - 'Pony'
The Mighty Stef - 'Death Threats'
Your bonus live one:
Delorentos - 'Eyes Open'
And one from the archives:
Noise Control - 'Steel'
some recent album reviews
For The Tribune.
The Jimmy Cake
Spectre & Crown (53:45)
Pilatus
****
It has been six years since their last album, which by the sound of this appears to be the exact amount of time the The Jimmy Cake needed to perfect the highly advanced seamless musicianship. The record is simply a work of extreme orchestral splendour. There is momentum everywhere, with each track driving and driving until the tune is perfect. While the first half is rather lo-fi, the result being that the music hangs around you, from then on, perfectly controlled tension sums up the rest. ‘Haunted Candle’ is a brilliant - mainly piano-driven - piece which just sparkles with atmosphere. The complexities are so expertly worked upon that the compositions almost seem simplistic. They are, of course, anything but. The band show a unique ability in capturing what sound is exactly right at any given moment, and this is summed up by the beautifully recorded rain on ‘The Art of Wrecking’. Certainly the Irish band’s best work. So far.
Download: ‘Haunted Candle’, ‘Jetta’s Palace’, ‘The Day The Arms That Came Out Of The Wall’
Dawn Kinnard
The Courtesy Fall (44:42)
Kensaltown Records
****
If Dawn Kinnard’s voice was sitting at the bar, it would be smoking rollies, drinking scotch and burning a book of matches to its fingers mourning that passing of another lover. Or something equally dramatic. Her throat must be filled with Polyfilla to create the sound that she does, as if pushing out notes over layers and layers of huskiness. Yet it also feels effortless and even fragile. The alt-country songs straddle soul and pop and are perfectly meditated, sticking in your head almost before they are over. Usually the problem with a singer songwriter’s whose voice is the main attraction is that the music lags behind, such is the attention given to the main instrument. But that’s not the case here. It’s sparse enough, but with plenty of invention and an occasional hint of distorted synths, pleasant guitars, great drumming and some pretty powerful piano riffs. A lovely, wintery record.
Download: ‘Island’, ‘Clear The Way’, ‘Pennsylvania’
The New Bloods
The Secret Life (23:30)
Kill Rock Stars
**
A tuneless voice, busy drumming, prominent bass and grating, drunken violin riffs make up the sonic foundation of all of the New Bloods tracks on this album that sneaks in under half an hour. The vibe is Portland, Oregon DIY noise. The rawness of this is completely overpowering, especially considering it sounds like it was recorded in a cardboard box in the toilets of Bus Aras. ‘Day After Day’s’ acapella nearly works, and ‘The Cycle Song’ rambles along well, but still, essentially – like most of the stuff here – sounds like a demo. The thoroughly avant guarde approach is slightly admirable, but also quite annoying because all the ‘we’re so out there’ philosophy does is desperately attempt to mask the fact that there are no really decent songs behind the wailing.
Download: ‘The Secret Life’, ‘The Cycle Song’
Jape
Ritual (40:56)
V2
****
Four years off, floating on the success of The Raconteurs-covering, um, ‘Floating’, Jape - aka Richie Egan of The Redneck Manifesto - returns with a very tight third album. It’s a boisterous and confident collection of tunes. Crunchy guitars, bass, glitchy fun, up tempo, raw and accessible indie-electro flit through every orifice of the ten tracks here, and it’s all killer. If Justin Timberlake is prince of the outro, then Jape is the king of the intro. And that’s not too crazy a comparison given the acute pop sensibility throughout. Almost every song is instantly danceable and catchy. While some of the best moments come with electronic wig outs – dirty disco in some places, electro in others – Jape can do acoustic pop perfectly too. ‘Phil Lynott’ is an incredibly sweet tribute, where Egan draws parallels between himself and the Thin Lizzy front man - “And I was thinking, one day I will be a dead man who plays the bass from Crumlin.” ‘I Was A Man’ contains Jape’s best riff since ‘Floating’, and it is probably the most radio and dancefloor-friendly track on the album, a storming and scuzzy autobiographical LCD Soundsystem –like tune with a great breakdown and build. You can almost feel the wood floors of Dublin venues creaking under the anticipation of the moves people will throw to this during the coming summer months. Even though the self-congratulatory lyrics of the disco-tinged ‘Replays’ are a little off-putting, there’s not much too fault anywhere apart from the sparse acoustic ‘At The Heart Of All This Strangeness’, which almost threatens to steal momentum until the anthemic ‘Apple In An Orchard’ steals back the dance. The most beautiful moment is saved for last, with ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ showing how Egan has an incredible talent for injecting emotion and atmosphere into the simplest of melodies. Brilliantly simple some of the hooks might be, but there is nothing by-numbers about ‘Ritual’. Those few years off were clearly well spent, and each listen brings a new discreet sound out from the shadows of each track making the listening process rather exploratory, and pretty captivating. Jape commands huge respect on the local indie scene, and by the quality of these tracks, such kudos is well deserved. Impeccably produced too, one imagines the bookies are already shortening the odds on ‘Ritual’ for next years Choice Music Prize.
Download: ‘I Was A Man’, ‘Christopher and Anthony’, ‘Phil Lynott’
Robotnik
Pleasant Square (1:02:10)
Angry Xmas Shop
***
Baldoyle twenty something Chris Morrin has veered from lives as a pianist and a garage rocker into this latest electronic guise. ‘Pleasant Square’ has plenty of ideas; from an interesting experimental intro to the spooky ‘I Get Excited’ with a vocal that evokes Elliot Smith. While not as advanced as his contemporaries, Robotnik certainly shows promise, although a lot of the musings spread across ‘Pleasant Square’ occasionally sound only half-developed. While the Gomez-ish ‘People Walk Away’ is the catchiest thing here, Robotnik is more interesting when he puts the guitar down. ‘Pleasant Square’ is far too long, which is unfortunate, because if some of the filler amongst these 15 was dispensed with it would be a far more gripping album.
Download: ‘People Walk Away’, ‘Lazyboy’, ‘I Get Excited’
Death Cab For Cutie
Narrow Stairs (44:40)
Atlantic
***
Their eighth album in eleven years, Death Cab For Cutie is certainly more prolific than the average indie band, but there is a sense of fading on this rather unusual record. There’s little flow, unless you take into account the similar pace with which many of the tunes run. The Jaunty ‘You Can Do Better Than Me’ is jarring, and ‘Long Division’ is jarring. The highlight is the eight-and-a-half minute ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’, which wanders through a bassy stoner intro until lashing into one of their best songs of recent years, full of Death Cab’s trademark sensitive-boy lyrics. ‘Narrow Stairs’ has fewer complexities than its predecessors. Occasionally, it sounds like a band tiring during a journey, rather than enjoying going on one. It’s no ‘Transatlanticism’ or even ‘Plans’, but there’s still something here for fans.
Download: ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’, ‘No Sunlight’
Republic of Loose
Vol IV: Johnny Pyro and the Dance of Evil (1:16:59)
Loaded Dice Records
****
With the bratty, catchy chanting choruses that acted as terrace tapestry on their last record ‘Aaagh!’ left to the side, Republic of Loose set themselves the more complex task of injecting melody throughout tracks without the aid of crowd-pleasing oohs and aahs. The result is a hefty musical box in the jaw. Mick Pyro has outdone himself lyrically (“ba mhaith liom pussy / ba mhaith liom booze / but listen, na bi ag caint, bitch / ba mhaith liom snooze.”) and humour, filth, hatred, self-analysis, commentary on love all play with each other in equal measures. While ‘Aaagh!’ concentrated on the bands own brand of hip hop, ‘Vol IV’ is a different beast. It begins with metal-tinged disco, then there’s underlying driving and choppy funk, complex piano riffs, fast-paced rap, ballads that beg for a sequined blazer and badly lit TV set (in a good way) and of course, the Loose’s brilliant and casual talent for whacking out a clear radio hit when they want to – this time with ‘I Like Music’. But the thing that really makes this band special is their phenomenal musicianship and attention to detail. Training your ear to the music on this album taps into a relentless high-energy vibe from old school session musicians and to boot, it’s impeccably produced. So, just another cracking record from probably the best band in the country, then. What more do you want, bitches?
Jamie Lidell
Jim (37:52)
Warp Records
***
A new Jamie Lidell record is an exciting prospect. His live performances have become legendary for his methods of transforming into a human sound machine by layering vocals, beats and noises made into his mic to create some fantastic tunes. But this isn’t that Jamie Lidell. This is ‘Jim’ – a straight up soul record with occasional cheery gospel overtones. You spend a lot of the album waiting for the punch line, but it seems Lidell is happy enough to replicate a very specific past sound. While many might give him credit for achieving that vibe - albeit a bit of a bland version of it - if this came from any old crooner, it would receive little attention. It does have a sort of charm in a sunny day’s soundtrack to an orange juice ad kind of way - a kind of Sesame Street soul - but still leaves you wanting to ask Jim to give Jamie back.
The Jimmy Cake
Spectre & Crown (53:45)
Pilatus
****
It has been six years since their last album, which by the sound of this appears to be the exact amount of time the The Jimmy Cake needed to perfect the highly advanced seamless musicianship. The record is simply a work of extreme orchestral splendour. There is momentum everywhere, with each track driving and driving until the tune is perfect. While the first half is rather lo-fi, the result being that the music hangs around you, from then on, perfectly controlled tension sums up the rest. ‘Haunted Candle’ is a brilliant - mainly piano-driven - piece which just sparkles with atmosphere. The complexities are so expertly worked upon that the compositions almost seem simplistic. They are, of course, anything but. The band show a unique ability in capturing what sound is exactly right at any given moment, and this is summed up by the beautifully recorded rain on ‘The Art of Wrecking’. Certainly the Irish band’s best work. So far.
Download: ‘Haunted Candle’, ‘Jetta’s Palace’, ‘The Day The Arms That Came Out Of The Wall’
Dawn Kinnard
The Courtesy Fall (44:42)
Kensaltown Records
****
If Dawn Kinnard’s voice was sitting at the bar, it would be smoking rollies, drinking scotch and burning a book of matches to its fingers mourning that passing of another lover. Or something equally dramatic. Her throat must be filled with Polyfilla to create the sound that she does, as if pushing out notes over layers and layers of huskiness. Yet it also feels effortless and even fragile. The alt-country songs straddle soul and pop and are perfectly meditated, sticking in your head almost before they are over. Usually the problem with a singer songwriter’s whose voice is the main attraction is that the music lags behind, such is the attention given to the main instrument. But that’s not the case here. It’s sparse enough, but with plenty of invention and an occasional hint of distorted synths, pleasant guitars, great drumming and some pretty powerful piano riffs. A lovely, wintery record.
Download: ‘Island’, ‘Clear The Way’, ‘Pennsylvania’
The New Bloods
The Secret Life (23:30)
Kill Rock Stars
**
A tuneless voice, busy drumming, prominent bass and grating, drunken violin riffs make up the sonic foundation of all of the New Bloods tracks on this album that sneaks in under half an hour. The vibe is Portland, Oregon DIY noise. The rawness of this is completely overpowering, especially considering it sounds like it was recorded in a cardboard box in the toilets of Bus Aras. ‘Day After Day’s’ acapella nearly works, and ‘The Cycle Song’ rambles along well, but still, essentially – like most of the stuff here – sounds like a demo. The thoroughly avant guarde approach is slightly admirable, but also quite annoying because all the ‘we’re so out there’ philosophy does is desperately attempt to mask the fact that there are no really decent songs behind the wailing.
Download: ‘The Secret Life’, ‘The Cycle Song’
Jape
Ritual (40:56)
V2
****
Four years off, floating on the success of The Raconteurs-covering, um, ‘Floating’, Jape - aka Richie Egan of The Redneck Manifesto - returns with a very tight third album. It’s a boisterous and confident collection of tunes. Crunchy guitars, bass, glitchy fun, up tempo, raw and accessible indie-electro flit through every orifice of the ten tracks here, and it’s all killer. If Justin Timberlake is prince of the outro, then Jape is the king of the intro. And that’s not too crazy a comparison given the acute pop sensibility throughout. Almost every song is instantly danceable and catchy. While some of the best moments come with electronic wig outs – dirty disco in some places, electro in others – Jape can do acoustic pop perfectly too. ‘Phil Lynott’ is an incredibly sweet tribute, where Egan draws parallels between himself and the Thin Lizzy front man - “And I was thinking, one day I will be a dead man who plays the bass from Crumlin.” ‘I Was A Man’ contains Jape’s best riff since ‘Floating’, and it is probably the most radio and dancefloor-friendly track on the album, a storming and scuzzy autobiographical LCD Soundsystem –like tune with a great breakdown and build. You can almost feel the wood floors of Dublin venues creaking under the anticipation of the moves people will throw to this during the coming summer months. Even though the self-congratulatory lyrics of the disco-tinged ‘Replays’ are a little off-putting, there’s not much too fault anywhere apart from the sparse acoustic ‘At The Heart Of All This Strangeness’, which almost threatens to steal momentum until the anthemic ‘Apple In An Orchard’ steals back the dance. The most beautiful moment is saved for last, with ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ showing how Egan has an incredible talent for injecting emotion and atmosphere into the simplest of melodies. Brilliantly simple some of the hooks might be, but there is nothing by-numbers about ‘Ritual’. Those few years off were clearly well spent, and each listen brings a new discreet sound out from the shadows of each track making the listening process rather exploratory, and pretty captivating. Jape commands huge respect on the local indie scene, and by the quality of these tracks, such kudos is well deserved. Impeccably produced too, one imagines the bookies are already shortening the odds on ‘Ritual’ for next years Choice Music Prize.
Download: ‘I Was A Man’, ‘Christopher and Anthony’, ‘Phil Lynott’
Robotnik
Pleasant Square (1:02:10)
Angry Xmas Shop
***
Baldoyle twenty something Chris Morrin has veered from lives as a pianist and a garage rocker into this latest electronic guise. ‘Pleasant Square’ has plenty of ideas; from an interesting experimental intro to the spooky ‘I Get Excited’ with a vocal that evokes Elliot Smith. While not as advanced as his contemporaries, Robotnik certainly shows promise, although a lot of the musings spread across ‘Pleasant Square’ occasionally sound only half-developed. While the Gomez-ish ‘People Walk Away’ is the catchiest thing here, Robotnik is more interesting when he puts the guitar down. ‘Pleasant Square’ is far too long, which is unfortunate, because if some of the filler amongst these 15 was dispensed with it would be a far more gripping album.
Download: ‘People Walk Away’, ‘Lazyboy’, ‘I Get Excited’
Death Cab For Cutie
Narrow Stairs (44:40)
Atlantic
***
Their eighth album in eleven years, Death Cab For Cutie is certainly more prolific than the average indie band, but there is a sense of fading on this rather unusual record. There’s little flow, unless you take into account the similar pace with which many of the tunes run. The Jaunty ‘You Can Do Better Than Me’ is jarring, and ‘Long Division’ is jarring. The highlight is the eight-and-a-half minute ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’, which wanders through a bassy stoner intro until lashing into one of their best songs of recent years, full of Death Cab’s trademark sensitive-boy lyrics. ‘Narrow Stairs’ has fewer complexities than its predecessors. Occasionally, it sounds like a band tiring during a journey, rather than enjoying going on one. It’s no ‘Transatlanticism’ or even ‘Plans’, but there’s still something here for fans.
Download: ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’, ‘No Sunlight’
Republic of Loose
Vol IV: Johnny Pyro and the Dance of Evil (1:16:59)
Loaded Dice Records
****
With the bratty, catchy chanting choruses that acted as terrace tapestry on their last record ‘Aaagh!’ left to the side, Republic of Loose set themselves the more complex task of injecting melody throughout tracks without the aid of crowd-pleasing oohs and aahs. The result is a hefty musical box in the jaw. Mick Pyro has outdone himself lyrically (“ba mhaith liom pussy / ba mhaith liom booze / but listen, na bi ag caint, bitch / ba mhaith liom snooze.”) and humour, filth, hatred, self-analysis, commentary on love all play with each other in equal measures. While ‘Aaagh!’ concentrated on the bands own brand of hip hop, ‘Vol IV’ is a different beast. It begins with metal-tinged disco, then there’s underlying driving and choppy funk, complex piano riffs, fast-paced rap, ballads that beg for a sequined blazer and badly lit TV set (in a good way) and of course, the Loose’s brilliant and casual talent for whacking out a clear radio hit when they want to – this time with ‘I Like Music’. But the thing that really makes this band special is their phenomenal musicianship and attention to detail. Training your ear to the music on this album taps into a relentless high-energy vibe from old school session musicians and to boot, it’s impeccably produced. So, just another cracking record from probably the best band in the country, then. What more do you want, bitches?
Jamie Lidell
Jim (37:52)
Warp Records
***
A new Jamie Lidell record is an exciting prospect. His live performances have become legendary for his methods of transforming into a human sound machine by layering vocals, beats and noises made into his mic to create some fantastic tunes. But this isn’t that Jamie Lidell. This is ‘Jim’ – a straight up soul record with occasional cheery gospel overtones. You spend a lot of the album waiting for the punch line, but it seems Lidell is happy enough to replicate a very specific past sound. While many might give him credit for achieving that vibe - albeit a bit of a bland version of it - if this came from any old crooner, it would receive little attention. It does have a sort of charm in a sunny day’s soundtrack to an orange juice ad kind of way - a kind of Sesame Street soul - but still leaves you wanting to ask Jim to give Jamie back.
Ronan Keating outlines dream collaborations
In The Star today, Boyzone's Keating says he wants to work with Mark Ronson and Kanye West. On the latter, he said, "Also, Kanye West is a genius - working with him is incredible."
...
WorkING? WorkING?
In other news, I'm hoping to have a time machine built by the end of the day, and Timbaland, Sinden and Linda Perry are producing MeNoFemBo's next single.
...
WorkING? WorkING?
In other news, I'm hoping to have a time machine built by the end of the day, and Timbaland, Sinden and Linda Perry are producing MeNoFemBo's next single.
On the down low
Terence Dean, a former producer at MTV, has written a book about gay subculture in hip-hop called 'Hiding in Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry'. It's mainly a memoir about Dean's life, and he says he won't be 'naming names', but should still make for interesting reading. Gayness and hip hop obviously aren't very compatible. The industry is incredibly macho, and in commerical hip hop, homophobia - along with misogyny, violence, vanity and consumerism - is one of the lyrical pillars for global hits. So, obviously, Dean's account of being gay in the hip hop industry will probably be more compelling than an experience in another music genre, with rock, dance and pop traditionally 'gay' industries.The Observer has an article on the book here
New York Magazine has a short interview with Dean here
And Terrance Dean's blog is here.
The Game talking about G-Unit
UnaRocks articles of the day
Dermot Ahern - new Minister for Justice - was against decriminalisation of homosexuality - Maman Poulet
What GTA: IV gets right about the gangster economy - Slate
Sasha Frere-Jones on 'American Idol' - New Yorker
Scarlett Johansson interviewed - Pitchfork
Glass Candy feature - Fader
Oxfam goes highbrow - Guardian
McCain's 7 steps to beating Obama - Time
Students suspended for not standing for pledge of allegiance - Minneapolis Star Tribune
What GTA: IV gets right about the gangster economy - Slate
Sasha Frere-Jones on 'American Idol' - New Yorker
Scarlett Johansson interviewed - Pitchfork
Glass Candy feature - Fader
Oxfam goes highbrow - Guardian
McCain's 7 steps to beating Obama - Time
Students suspended for not standing for pledge of allegiance - Minneapolis Star Tribune
some recent gig reviews
For The Tribune. We're doing them more regularly now, so I'll try to post one a week instead of in bunches like this.MTV Spanking New Music Tour: MGMT / The Futureheads / CSS
Wednesday, May 7th @ The Academy, Dublin.
One might have a bit of a case with the Advertising Standards Authority about the ‘spanking newness’ of this line-up. Sure, as one punter put it, MGMT are so young “they were practically tucking their umbilical cords into their jocks”, but Futureheads are on their third album, and CSS – who play Ireland with a frequency reminiscent of ‘Who’s Eddie’ in pre-Celtic Tiger suburban pubs – have been peddling their debut record for three years. First up was MGMT, twenty minutes late. Their entrance – Andrew VanWyngarden Ben Goldwasser dancing on stage, both singing along to a backing track like some kind of hippy karaoke – was extremely ill-advised, as was the grimacing crunch of a guitar solo that was dropped in like an anvil. This band headlined the same venue a month ago, so their positioning lower down the bill was just bizarre. Their short set suffered from bad sound and a non-lubricated crowd. Still, ‘Time To Pretend’ reinforced itself as 2008’s anthem; a gripping, emotional and aspiration commitment to youthful rock stardom: “This is our decision / to live fast and die young / we’ve got the vision / now let’s have some fun. / Yeah it's overwhelming / but what else can we do? / Get jobs in offices / and wake up for the morning commute?” the crowd roared in unison.
Wednesday, May 7th @ The Academy, Dublin.
One might have a bit of a case with the Advertising Standards Authority about the ‘spanking newness’ of this line-up. Sure, as one punter put it, MGMT are so young “they were practically tucking their umbilical cords into their jocks”, but Futureheads are on their third album, and CSS – who play Ireland with a frequency reminiscent of ‘Who’s Eddie’ in pre-Celtic Tiger suburban pubs – have been peddling their debut record for three years. First up was MGMT, twenty minutes late. Their entrance – Andrew VanWyngarden Ben Goldwasser dancing on stage, both singing along to a backing track like some kind of hippy karaoke – was extremely ill-advised, as was the grimacing crunch of a guitar solo that was dropped in like an anvil. This band headlined the same venue a month ago, so their positioning lower down the bill was just bizarre. Their short set suffered from bad sound and a non-lubricated crowd. Still, ‘Time To Pretend’ reinforced itself as 2008’s anthem; a gripping, emotional and aspiration commitment to youthful rock stardom: “This is our decision / to live fast and die young / we’ve got the vision / now let’s have some fun. / Yeah it's overwhelming / but what else can we do? / Get jobs in offices / and wake up for the morning commute?” the crowd roared in unison.
The Futureheads sweated and grimaced to win over a rather apathetic crowd, sounding louder, punkier and heavier as a result. Their new songs didn’t exactly inspire, but they put on a good ol’ rock show nonetheless.
CSS, perhaps buoyed by a paycheck from Roman Abramovich’s daughter’s birthday bash, brought the party atmosphere, firing ticker tape, handing out booze to the jumping – and at this stage, sloshed – crowd, and showcasing some of their latest tracks, which sounded quite promising amongst the cat suits, tattoos and dance moves. ‘Reggae All Night’ was the stand out new track, a funky, messy, party of a tune which the crowd caught on to immediately. The entire band’s ecstatic mood was contagious - you can’t but smile at front woman Lovefoxxx’s endless energy and charm. By the end of this rather oddly assembled gig, with the bar stock running dry, most were left screaming for more – on a school night and everything.
*******
Ladyfest: Party Weirdo, We Should Be Dead, Zing
26th, 27th April @ Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Late on last Saturday night, outside the Cyprus Avenue gig venue in Cork city, the pavement is thronged with people. It’s the peak of Ladyfest, a music and arts festival that has taken over parts of Cork all week. Art exhibitions, anarchist feminist magazine stands, workshops, rock shows, and yes, the obligatory sketch show about periods (the misfiring but occasionally stupidly funny ‘Adventures in Menstruating’) make up the basis of the festival, which is part of a global franchised philosophy.
One might presume this is a relic from feminism past, but the first Ladyfest actually only kicked off eight years ago, in Olympia, Washington, one of the flashpoints of the riot grrrl musical movement. The aim is to motivate female bands, artists and audiences to celebrate real female empowerment and feminism, with all money raised going to not-for-profit organisations.
The real action happened on stage at Cyprus Avenue. And the main highlight came early. Underground Dublin and Berlin-based threesome Party Weirdo (www.myspace.com/partyweirdomusic) are extremely difficult to dissect. Their off beat rhythms and complex melodies jar when you’re first confronted by them. But then through a haze of noise, everything begins to make sense. Driven by probably the most unique style of drumming this side of, well, anything, their tunes are assaulting at first hand, but full of substance and sometimes sweetness when examined. You probably could call Party Weirdo a musical armadillo of sorts. Visually they are captivating as well, sharing glances and laughs and generally endearing themselves to the audience.
The real party kicks off with throw-back pop rockers We Should Be Dead from Limerick. Although their debut album falls a little flat in terms of originality, you can’t fault them for upping the tempo live. Lead singer Tara threw herself around the stage, prompting the audience to do the same on the floor and temporarily transforming Cyrus Avenue into a mass of manic dancing. ‘Forget Romance Let’s Dance’ was the highlight from them, and even an elongated pause in proceedings to get a replacement guitar, forcing a keyboard sample to be played on repeat couldn’t dampen the buzz.
The next afternoon and garage rockers Zing are up on stage. They are an interesting bunch, a great female lead singer with some Karen O mannerisms, a trashy drummer and a guitarist with a loop pedal and some emo sensibilities. The fact that they manage to hold any attention at all during an afternoon show is victory in itself.
But the best thing about Zing’s set was that it was an all-ages show. Although this technicality prevented certain sectors of the audience from getting their hair of the dog due to a closed bar, the site of young female teenagers dancing around the place to rather progressive raw rock, was pretty inspiring. That ethos is, after all, what Ladyfest is all about.
One might presume this is a relic from feminism past, but the first Ladyfest actually only kicked off eight years ago, in Olympia, Washington, one of the flashpoints of the riot grrrl musical movement. The aim is to motivate female bands, artists and audiences to celebrate real female empowerment and feminism, with all money raised going to not-for-profit organisations.
The real action happened on stage at Cyprus Avenue. And the main highlight came early. Underground Dublin and Berlin-based threesome Party Weirdo (www.myspace.com/partyweirdomusic) are extremely difficult to dissect. Their off beat rhythms and complex melodies jar when you’re first confronted by them. But then through a haze of noise, everything begins to make sense. Driven by probably the most unique style of drumming this side of, well, anything, their tunes are assaulting at first hand, but full of substance and sometimes sweetness when examined. You probably could call Party Weirdo a musical armadillo of sorts. Visually they are captivating as well, sharing glances and laughs and generally endearing themselves to the audience.
The real party kicks off with throw-back pop rockers We Should Be Dead from Limerick. Although their debut album falls a little flat in terms of originality, you can’t fault them for upping the tempo live. Lead singer Tara threw herself around the stage, prompting the audience to do the same on the floor and temporarily transforming Cyrus Avenue into a mass of manic dancing. ‘Forget Romance Let’s Dance’ was the highlight from them, and even an elongated pause in proceedings to get a replacement guitar, forcing a keyboard sample to be played on repeat couldn’t dampen the buzz.
The next afternoon and garage rockers Zing are up on stage. They are an interesting bunch, a great female lead singer with some Karen O mannerisms, a trashy drummer and a guitarist with a loop pedal and some emo sensibilities. The fact that they manage to hold any attention at all during an afternoon show is victory in itself.
But the best thing about Zing’s set was that it was an all-ages show. Although this technicality prevented certain sectors of the audience from getting their hair of the dog due to a closed bar, the site of young female teenagers dancing around the place to rather progressive raw rock, was pretty inspiring. That ethos is, after all, what Ladyfest is all about.
*******
Crystal Castles
Tuesday, 22nd April @ Andrew’s Lane Theatre (ALT),. Dublin
Just when you thought no one could be more self-aware than the crowd of cool indie kids that have assembled in this so-fresh-you-can-smell-the-new-paint refurbished venue, Crystal Castles arrive on stage. The Canadian twosome of Alice Glass and Ethan Kath has become the acceptable, innovative, hipster face of the current trend in indie music to dispense of guitars and concentrate on bleeps, beeps and beats. Such a ‘now’ approach is reflected in the fans, the majority achingly young, cool, impeccably dressed, able to strike some serious poses, and irresponsible enough to have some serious fun on a school night. Glass eats up the stage, demonstrating a rather detached, yet energy-filled set of moves; jumping around, sweating and switching between almost forgetting herself and participating in the crowd’s party before standing back, mouth agape, arm to her head, surveying her minions. Kath spends the entire gig hunched over his table in a hoodie, slamming keyboards and samplers. In the shadows, a live drummer keeps up. Glass manipulates her voice brilliantly, sounding not like a female vocalist, but another bizarre programme in Crystal Castles’ 8-bit creation. Occasionally, she over does the heavy breathing distortion, but otherwise, her screeches, yelps and moans add to a rather astounding stage presence.
Tuesday, 22nd April @ Andrew’s Lane Theatre (ALT),. Dublin
Just when you thought no one could be more self-aware than the crowd of cool indie kids that have assembled in this so-fresh-you-can-smell-the-new-paint refurbished venue, Crystal Castles arrive on stage. The Canadian twosome of Alice Glass and Ethan Kath has become the acceptable, innovative, hipster face of the current trend in indie music to dispense of guitars and concentrate on bleeps, beeps and beats. Such a ‘now’ approach is reflected in the fans, the majority achingly young, cool, impeccably dressed, able to strike some serious poses, and irresponsible enough to have some serious fun on a school night. Glass eats up the stage, demonstrating a rather detached, yet energy-filled set of moves; jumping around, sweating and switching between almost forgetting herself and participating in the crowd’s party before standing back, mouth agape, arm to her head, surveying her minions. Kath spends the entire gig hunched over his table in a hoodie, slamming keyboards and samplers. In the shadows, a live drummer keeps up. Glass manipulates her voice brilliantly, sounding not like a female vocalist, but another bizarre programme in Crystal Castles’ 8-bit creation. Occasionally, she over does the heavy breathing distortion, but otherwise, her screeches, yelps and moans add to a rather astounding stage presence.
It’s suitable that the human faces to what is a largely mechanical sound are quite robotic and stand-offish. That said, a few songs in, there is a hint of the cool melting from the facade. Glass occasionally semi-throws herself into the crowd, and the first few rows go wild; holding her up, tousling her hair, reaching out to touch her with a passion that evokes refugees chasing an aid truck. A smile even creeps in when Glass takes in the crowd’s enthusiasm, as the venue – a simple, large graffiti-splashed room - is turned in to a sweatbox of a club. ‘Alice Practice’ and ‘Crimewave’ get the biggest cheers, with everyone going wild for the latter, flattening each others’ expensive haircuts and limited edition trainers in stamps and sweat. The sentiment that Crystal Castles are just for hipsters is denied in the quality of the songs on their eponymous debut album, and tonight, playing for just forty minutes with the sound a bit muddy, they are moody, haughty, noisy and incredibly exciting.
Ze Weekend
Chilled in London for the weekend; London Fields, outdoor swimming pools, jugs of Pimms with Felicity, Shoreditch flower market, window shopping on Brick Lane (wantsies: several Mexican wrestling masks and everything in Tatty Divine - namely the 3D glasses necklace), watching the match in the Water Poet pub (CHAMPIONS!) and so on. It was SO HOT too, which was lovely.So, as Wilson txtd me RE: United, "one down, one to go."
When we got the papers on Sunday, it was so sad to see that Nuala O'Faolain has passed away. Death is the last real taboo, and nobody had broken it with such tenderness than she during her last interview with Marian Finucane (listen to it here.)
Friday, May 09, 2008
May ticket passes competition winners announced
Check your emails! Winners have been notified.
Remember, if you didn't win the passes but did enter the Ellen Allien @ Spy comp, you have won the discounted ticket offer for €15. Bargain! You will be notified of how to avail of this offer by email.
Happy weekend.
I'm off to London later to have some funsies. Felicity - I'm coming for ya!
Una
Remember, if you didn't win the passes but did enter the Ellen Allien @ Spy comp, you have won the discounted ticket offer for €15. Bargain! You will be notified of how to avail of this offer by email.
Happy weekend.
I'm off to London later to have some funsies. Felicity - I'm coming for ya!
Una
Coldplay: buy one, get one free
Coldplay have decided to introduce a 'buy one, get one free' policy for Internet downloads of their new album 'Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends'.Chris Martin sez: “Buy one get one free, it comes from working in Kwik Save (British budget supermarket), I think. As I said before nobody buys albums any more, certainly no body buys full albums and we’ve made an album that you have to have from start to finish.”
Moment's silence for how shite that album title is... thanks.
Here is the album title track remix:
don't forget to enter the May gig passes competition!
Details are here, competition closes at 5pm tonight.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
The wonder of... cock
In celebration of Mick Pyro apologising to me on Phantom after his 'cocksucker' rant at the Republic of Loose album launch last week - (buy their new album on iTunes here, it's deadly) - here are some cocksuckingly awesome videos. Mick - it's all good homie.
Fight Like Apes - 'Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues' (live @ The Village)
Rolling Stones - 1972 Cocksucker Blues Tour Drug Fallout
Fox News 'cock' blooper
Fight Like Apes - 'Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues' (live @ The Village)
Rolling Stones - 1972 Cocksucker Blues Tour Drug Fallout
Fox News 'cock' blooper
MGMT / Futureheads / CSS
Went to this gig last night in the Academy - jammers! MGMT were due on at 7.45, but came on after 8 and only played for around 25 minutes. Pretty bizarre really, since most of the people at the gig seemed to be there to see them. Didn't they sell out this venue just a month ago? Why put them third on the bill then?
Contrary to the title of 'MTV Spanking New Music' hanging over the gig, The Futureheads played next. They were heavy and energetic, but the crowd didn't give them much love until the end. CSS were fun fun fun as usual. Giving out booze to the crowd, encouraging dance moves, and playing some of their new stuff (a few new ones sound pretty good actually.)
Anyway, good fun for a school night.
Anyone else head along?
Contrary to the title of 'MTV Spanking New Music' hanging over the gig, The Futureheads played next. They were heavy and energetic, but the crowd didn't give them much love until the end. CSS were fun fun fun as usual. Giving out booze to the crowd, encouraging dance moves, and playing some of their new stuff (a few new ones sound pretty good actually.)
Anyway, good fun for a school night.
Anyone else head along?
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
May gig passes competition
Yo! The competition fun is back. This time, I've got two pairs of tickets to Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem) at Spy on Thursday 15th, and two pairs of tickets to Ellen Allien at Spy on Friday 16th. AND as a super extra bonus, everyone who enters the Ellen Allien competition and doesn't win double passes gets tickets for €15 instead of €22, so everyone's a winner really.
Right, so to win tickets to the Pat Mahoney gig, answer this question:
Who did LCD Soundsystem claim was "playing at my house" on their 2005 single?
send your answer to jacksgraff@hotmail.com with 'LCD' in the subject line.
To win tickets to Ellen Allien, answer this question:
What record label did Ellen Allien found to which Modeselektor are signed?
send your answer to jacksgraff@hotmail.com with 'Ellen' in the subject line.
All winners will be notified by email. Competition closes at 5pm this Friday. 
UnaRocks articles of the day
The 100 most influential people in the world - Time
New Babyshambles song and video - NME
Obama's nearly there - Slate
Spring album preview guide - Rolling Stone
Pascal Dangin: the king of fashion photo retouching - New York Magazine
New Beck album out in a month - Guardian
The Gospel according to Dolly Parton - Village Voice
The Dubliner's sex survey - The Dubliner
Hermes launches art initiative - Vogue
New Babyshambles song and video - NME
Obama's nearly there - Slate
Spring album preview guide - Rolling Stone
Pascal Dangin: the king of fashion photo retouching - New York Magazine
New Beck album out in a month - Guardian
The Gospel according to Dolly Parton - Village Voice
The Dubliner's sex survey - The Dubliner
Hermes launches art initiative - Vogue
Mischa Barton's Russian lesbian movie
Possibly the best thing since Britney's 'Crossroads'. Possibly.
more acts for Oxegen
Manic Street Preachers, The Kooks, Bell X1, Cat Power, Feeder, MGMT (pictured), Paddy Casey, Powderfinger, Groove Armada, Declan O’Rourke, Tom Baxter, Vampire Weekend, My Morning Jacket, The Ting Tings, Reverend and the Makers, The Coronas, Echo and the Bunnymen, Delorentos, Camille O’Sullivan, dEUS, The Subways, British Sea Power, The Stranglers, Black Kids, Delays, Ryan Bingham, Concerto For Constantine, Paul Heaton, UNKLE, Justice and David Guetta.
Oxegen website.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Dirty Dozen: Vol 89 - May Madness
Here's a preview of some of the stuff you should be hearing at gigs in Dublin this May:
1. MGMT - 'Time To Pretend' (@ The Academy, Wednesday 7th)
2. Deerhunter - 'Cryptograms' (@ Whelan's, Thursday 8th)
3. Boys Noize - 'Oh' (Somebody's Going Down Tonight remix) (@ Spy, Friday 9th)
4. Iron & Wine -'Boy With A Coin' (@ The Olympia, Sunday 11th)
5. Yeasayer - '2080' (Brenmar remix) (@ Whelan's, Tuesday 13th)
half a dozen. The Octopus Project - 'I Saw The Bright Shines' - (@ The Sugar Club, Tuesday 13th)
7. The National - 'Start A War' (@ The Olympia, Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th)
8. The Hold Steady - 'Chips Ahoy' (@ The Academy, Tuesday 13th)
9. Battles - 'Tonto' (Four Tet remix) (@ Vicar St, Thursday 15th)
10. Glass Candy - 'Nite Nurses' (@ The Button Factory, Friday 16th)
11. Frightened Rabbit - 'Keep Yourself Warm' (@ The Sugar Club, Sunday 18th)
dozen. Ham Sandwich - 'Click Click Boom' (@ The Village, Saturday 24th)
1. MGMT - 'Time To Pretend' (@ The Academy, Wednesday 7th)
2. Deerhunter - 'Cryptograms' (@ Whelan's, Thursday 8th)
3. Boys Noize - 'Oh' (Somebody's Going Down Tonight remix) (@ Spy, Friday 9th)
4. Iron & Wine -'Boy With A Coin' (@ The Olympia, Sunday 11th)
5. Yeasayer - '2080' (Brenmar remix) (@ Whelan's, Tuesday 13th)
half a dozen. The Octopus Project - 'I Saw The Bright Shines' - (@ The Sugar Club, Tuesday 13th)
7. The National - 'Start A War' (@ The Olympia, Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th)
8. The Hold Steady - 'Chips Ahoy' (@ The Academy, Tuesday 13th)
9. Battles - 'Tonto' (Four Tet remix) (@ Vicar St, Thursday 15th)
10. Glass Candy - 'Nite Nurses' (@ The Button Factory, Friday 16th)
11. Frightened Rabbit - 'Keep Yourself Warm' (@ The Sugar Club, Sunday 18th)
dozen. Ham Sandwich - 'Click Click Boom' (@ The Village, Saturday 24th)
Blind Mating
The Gay Theatre Festival is on at the moment, and my homegirl Ragin Spice has a short play on at the Cobalt Cafe which you should totally go see.
It's called 'Blind Mating' and runs from the 12th to the 17th of May in the Cobalt Café on North Great Georges St. You can buy tickets on-line here. Do it!
It's called 'Blind Mating' and runs from the 12th to the 17th of May in the Cobalt Café on North Great Georges St. You can buy tickets on-line here. Do it!
Download Jape's 'Cathedrals'
Jape has stuck up a track called 'Cathedrals' on the aul MySpace page for a while, so download it while you can.
Got the new album 'Ritual' today - pretty funky.
UnaRocks video of the day
Five O'Clock heroes feat Agyness Deyn:
She looks awesome. Pity the song is dodge.
She looks awesome. Pity the song is dodge.
Ricardo Villalobos, stopping Sven Vath from jumping off a balcony, pigeons, parties and too-much-dancing
Sunday night at the Tivoli was amazing. I mean, AMAZING. Ricardo is the man. The vibe was amazing - 1,000 people going crazy. It was such a beautiful day on Sunday. Had a couple of beers on the roof of Fitzsimons before heading to YoCo's to play the Wii with Neilsies, Tiger and Mairead. It was one of those days where everything was building towards that evening. It was always going to be good. There was so much on around town, that Dublin was clearly just out dance and go crazy. And that's what happened.
We headed to the Tivoli at about 12 and it was pretty high-octane from the get go. Everyone was having so much fun. Bumped into McMorrow and Peanut, Chantelle, Fionntimes and loads of other people and everyone was having a really good time.
After that, we went to a party with Ricardo and a few others. Sven Vath was already there, so it was all a bit mad and surreal, but good fun. Loads of cool people from all over the gaff. The sun was up when me and Neilsies finally dragged ourselves out of the Coombe.
Yesterday I chilled. It was such a nice day though, and I kind of felt like I wasted the good weather, just sitting at home watching Family Guy and My Super Sweet Sixteen. But then again, I haven't had a weekend like that in Dublin for ages, just going out and chilling out the next day and talking about what happened the night before. It was so much fun. I'm away the next four weekends out of five, so sometimes it's just fun to wreck the gaff and then laze around in Dubtown.
As a result of such lazing around on the days after the nights before, my table-tennis has improved like mad. Beat Johnny B in an epic best of five battle, and my serve is pretty rocking too. Who dares to challenge me?
Here's a video I found that someone took @ the Tivoli. It only starts making sense at the 2 minute mark really:
What did other people get up to? I was meant to head to Spy at some stage, but the Tivoli was so rocking I just couldn't leave.
(PS: all photees stolen from the wonderful Chantelle)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
