Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Forever Blue

The Bluetones, Cardiff Barfly, 22nd September

Ten years ago a record was released that, despite debuting at Number One in the album charts, remains criminally overlooked in both discussions of the Britpop era and recent British music history. Cruely dismissed upon release as being 'sub-Stone Roses', at a time when The Stone Roses had taken about five years to decide that a) they thought they could be Led Zeppelin and b) they all hated each others guts, this record featured a picture of that eternally flightless bird, the peacock, on it's front cover: an image that captured the tone of the whole album. It was an album for all those who didn't get the girl, those who couldn't find the right words to say to that girl, those who had been trodden on by the world (including those closest to them) and were quietly, poetically, plotting their revenge despite knowing that they'd never get it. It was an album for those who didn't want to pretend they were a cockney, who didn't have the wit and irony to celebrate and criticise the culture they found themselves in, and who had grown tired of the bickering, drug-taking Gallaghers, partly hollowed by realising that there was no meaning behind what a 'Champagne Supernova' actually was. It was a record for the nervy guy in the corner who was liked but never deemed that important. Nonetheless, this was a record of hope, as encapsulated by it's title, 'Expecting to Fly', captured perfectly in that front cover image image, and transmitted through the lyrics and music.

It's now ten years since that record, and whilst all the other bands mentioned above have either come and gone, disappeared up their own artistic anal passages, or become comedic parodies of themselves, The Bluetones remain. They never conquered the world, they never sold millions of records. In short, they became that image that graced their debut album sleeve: an animal that, despite it's aspirations otherwise, is often forgotten although fondly recalled, and never soared to the heights that perhaps it'd imagined.

What they did get was a dedicated fanbase. This is demonstrated by the sold-out audience of devoted followers of the Blue Army gathered together on this bright-yet-cold Cardiff evening, who are treated to a run through of a the old classics ('Slight Return', 'Soloman Bites the Worm), fan favourites ('The Fountainhead') and slightly obscure B-Sides ('Blue') mixed with new material from their forthcoming album, simply entitled The Bluetones. Does everyone enjoy it? Hell yes! Whilst the biggest cheers are reserved for the hits, all material is well recieved and the band clearly enjoy being back together and playing live again. What is remarkable about The Bluetones is how little they seem to have aged over the past ten years, for whilst Scott has grown himself a beard, and Eds has lost a bit of hair, Mark and Adam still look as fresh-faced as they did when they could still get in the pages of the NME.

The new material demonstrates a return to their jangly, reflective, early work, with 'Surrendered' demonstrating this well, whilst new single 'My Neighbour's House' is a tour de force through harmonious, melodic indie-pop. We get the usual random facts attached to certain songs that we've come to expect over the years ('Slight Return' is introduced as being 'the cabbies favourite'), and it all rounds off with the kind of song that sums up The Bluetones' career, 'If...'. With every new album you momentarily wonder 'if' this is going to finally be the time that it all clicks for them. However, part of you melancholically realises that, deep down, they're forever going to remain as grounded, and yet loved, as that flightless bird. Hopefully though, they'll still be around in another ten years though.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

V for the Future

And so, it's now time to draw our quadrology to a close. Despite what you might think, that last post was not meant to be the glorious conclusion. It was instead getting something out of my head that had been lodged in their for a good few days, and aside from going outisde and shouting it out or writing it on my wall in some form I couldn't think of a better way to let it out. Bit like an annoying itch that needs a scratch. Still, it allowed for me to celebrate how great Idlewild are at putting their finger on abstract feelings once more.

The truth is, I'm not really sure how to bring our quadrology to a satisfying conclusion. It could end up like 'The Caves of Androzani', then again it could end up like 'Planet of the Spiders' (Obscure Who-related reference). Eitherways, all the things that could possibly be talked about, such as getting drunk in the back of a Ford Fiesta, kidnappings, inappropriate comments, faux-Led Zeppelin songs called 'Get Yr Arm In, Hairy Woman', and so on, seem both a little old and a little idiosynchratic: the kind of jokes that were hilariously funny at the time but when you try and explain them to other people just come across as a little lame. As a result, we're not looking backwards this time, but instead looking to the future with a sense of optimism and hope, which is always important. There'll always be the memory of a weekend in Stafford, followed by some days in Teignmouth, Newton Abbot and Exeter that won't be forgotten easily.

It's been a good week. Still quite busy as there has been a lot to catch up on that got pushed aside what with finshing my Masters dissertation. As a result, I feel as though I could do with an extra week before this whole PhD malarky starts up on Monday. Nonetheless, I'm getting a real sense of 'returning home' just walking around the Bute building once more and the fellow postgrad students all seem cool. I still can't get my head around the fact that I'm actually going to achieve what I always set out to, as that's a little freaky. I suppose in that respect it's better that I've not had much time to let this all sink in as it may confuse me further.

So, to the future, Dear Readers! If I had a glass of wine handy I'd propose a toast, but it's still a little early in the evening for that. Let's hope that the next three years are as much fun as the last three at Cardiff Uni were.

CyberControl's Top 5 Songs for the Start of a New Adventure:

Gomez - 78 Stone Wobble
Idlewild - A Modern Way of Letting Go
The Grates - Sukkafish
The Bluetones - My Neighbour's House
R.E.M. - Gardening at Night

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

A Statement

"If I know, what I know,
Losing isn't learning to be lost.
It's learning to know when you've lost."

(Idlewild, A Modern Way of Letting Go, 2002)

Right. Glad I've got that out of my system. That lyric has been running around my head for about the past five days and I've been wanting to make it explicit. So there we are. It's out there now. Make of it what you will.

Monday, September 18, 2006

V for Visual


Craig, Stu and Myself sat in my tent on Saturday morning, awaiting the beginning of the V Festival. As you can note, everyone was very happy at this point in space and time.

And, despite the rain, all the smiles remained as the party made their way into the arena for a weekend of musical frivalties


Evidence of the Glow Sticks! Unfortunately, due to the lack of a substantial dance tent there was no chance to properly throw some shapes, but nonetheless this is Stu enjoying The Grates with some glow sticks.


Feeding Time (Lord)


A photograph taken during the aforementioned Barbeque Incident. I think it's important enough to warrant capitalisation now, Dear Readers. It was that much of an abomination.


Keane doing a very good job at being the best band of the whole weekend. I can't remember which song they're playing here...


...however, this was them definately playing 'Try Again' as, from memory, this was the only song they played where Tom played the piano as well. I think...


This is Beck playing on the Main Stage on Sunday. Unfortunately these photos are the only decent ones I have of bands playing at the festival, as I was too far back to get decent shots of people such as The Grates, Rufus Wainwright and The Beautiful South. Ah, the problems of using disposable cameras!


Three weary travellers awaiting to depart on the Monday morning. Note how the tone of the body language has drastically altered from the jovial looks of everyone seen earlier. It seems as though eye contact can barely be made between all members of the party.


"Hello. I'd like to talk to you about The Conservative Party."
This, Dear Readers, is the visualisation of an ongoing joke about Conservative Politicans. My Dad thinks its a work of comedy genius, but I think he's being a little over the top. It's supposed to be an impression of David Cameron.


David Cameron visits The Ness in Teignmouth. Unfortunately, it's not The Family Ness, as that would be cool, but they've not been spotted in Devon since the mid-1980s when a group of disgruntled fishermen attempted to sell them at the local fish market.


To fully appreciate this joke, you have to be familiar with the picture that adorned Morrissey's last single, which saw the singer looking disgusted at an ice cream. This, is a rather half-hearted attempt to recapture that image.


The pavement near the seafront in Teignmouth, accompanied by Craig's trainer. What a dedicated follower of foot fashion that man is!


I thought this man was dead. Instead, it turns out he works in a rather salubrious pub in Teignmouth that used to be frequented by Muse and looks like he should be in Metallica. Wierd.


Newton Abbot Clock Tower, looking quite picturesque in the early morning sunlight. It's not like that come the night, as there's usually some tramps and people having drank too much hanging around it. However, I did once meet the Portreath of Newton Abbot outside of the Clock Tower. Now, I never realised Newton Abbot had a Portreath and was quite impressed, continuing to ask him how one became the Portreath of Newton Abbot, which he duly explained. When I asked him if he'd ever been to Castrovalva, he looked very confused and walked away.


And finally, my Dearest Mother. Quite what she's looking so pleased about is beyond me but she'll be astounded there's a photo of her on the Internet. Good old Mumsy.

Monday, September 04, 2006

V for Very Good

So here we are. Not only is that a nice foreshadowing of comments to come but it also marks a certain frankness to this post, which is supposed to be the sequel to the last, and hence the second installment of our quadrology. Now the law of sequels states either you have to build on and develop the narrative universe in new and exciting ways, developing character and so on, or that you throw a load more money at it, increasing the scope and explosions but losing the heart of the original and making everyone forget how good it was in the first place. Judge for yourself, Dear Readers, where this one falls.

Let's be honest though, the last post went on for a bit and whilst it was nice to review all of the artists it may have been better to have just offered the edited highlights. As a result, that's what you'll get this time. Sunday brought some much needed hilarity to the non-music proceedings, due to the rain dampening the spirits of all involved. This hilarity emerged in the form of the worst attempt at a barbeque I've ever had the pleasure to witness. Not only was said barbeque supposed to demonstrate that a pizza could be cooked in such a manner, but it was also supposed to demonstrate the ability of other foods suitability to barbequing, including amongst others pitta breads and cereal bars. In honesty, it was the biggest shambolic embarassment I've ever seen as one of the party (and I'm not gonna name names as I feel they should escape with at least a little dignity) attempted two pitta breads stuffed with marshmallows (only for one to end up on the grass) and one cereal bar were placed on said cooking implement. When these failed, said individual lost interest and then seem astounded that you could barbeque a sausage roll. Sometimes, Dear Readers, words fail me...

On to the music, and Sunday brought high expectations due to the quality of the bands playing on the Main Stage. Before that could happen though, there was enough time to be re-aquainted with KULA SHAKER who were making a welcome return after their unexpected split in 1999. There's something immensely satisfying about hearing songs you loved when you were growing up, such as 'Tattva' and 'Hey Dude', again, and although their new material was solid and typically them, the biggest cheers were reserved for the old classics.

The rest of the day was spent camped out in front of the Main Stage for various bands. THE MAGIC NUMBERS were pleasent enough if rather twee and forgetable, whilst BLOC PARTY did their utmost best to prove why everybody has been quietly going crazy about them. Intriguing guitar work? Check. Nervy, edgy lyrics displaying a sense of modern paranoia? Check. Great stage presence? Check, and whilst the material from last album Silent Alarm was best recieved by the crowd, new song 'Waiting for the 7:18' - written about experiencing the London bombings last July - displayed a level of poignancy as it covered such communter habits as escaping to Brighton for the weekend. In short, the song proved a touching and harrowing experience at the same time. Probably why they played it first.

The came KEANE, and they blew the socks off me. In all honesty I wasn't expecting them to be the best band of the weekend. Not because they're not a good band, but given the piano-led nature of their stuff, and the other bands playing, they didn't jump out at me as much as some of the other acts. How wrong I was, as they were truly fantastic. Playing a set that mixed the hits from Hopes and Fears with most of the new album, Under the Iron Sea, the undoubted highlight was soaring ballad 'Try Again', for whilst the biggest cheers were reserved for the singles, this song was performed with such intensity it was captivating. A number of people also seemed to have new single 'Crystal Ball' lodged in their head afterwards as well, judging by the amount of melodic humming that followed their performance.

Next up was BECK, complete with puppets and the usual array of innovative strangeness that comes to be expected from one of his live shows: songs start, stop, mould into others, get played in different ways and the general sense is that this is organised chaos at its best. The set consisted mainly of material from last year's (great) Guero album, but added in the expected classics ('Devil's Haircut, 'Where it's At) and a few newies to keep everyone interested. The wierdest moment of the festival had to be the performance of 'Clap Hands' however, which consisted of Beck singing, whilst his band sat around a dining table playing the accompanying precussion on cutlery and glasses of water.

After three great performances, surely it was time for RADIOHEAD to lay waste to everyone else and reaffirm their status as the greatest band, and live act, around at the moment. You would think so, but unfortunately there was something distinctly workman-like about their performance. Whilst in no ways bad, it just lacked something to kick it off. The largely 'Greatest Hits' set gave a feeling that the band were simply going through the motions and, whilst the stuff off The Bends and OK Computer is always warmly recieved, the relative lack of stuff from (in my opinion the most interesting record ever recorded) Kid A was disappointing. Sure, when songs from this album appeared it was great: 'National Anthem' was suitably chaotic, 'Idioteque' as fascinatingly cold as it is on record, and 'Everything In It's Right Place' reaffirming its place as their most enigmatic (and best) song. One thing that was strangely comforting about Radiohead's performance was that, between the end of the main set and the first encore, the entire crowd broke into a simultaneous chorus of 'For a minute there, I lost myself' as though it was some form of national anthem, confirming the general sense of anomie existing in these times. This may be Yours Truly reading too much into a chance occurance, Dear Reader, but it gave me a strange feeling of being part of something and yet totally isolated at the same time. If only they'd have played 'Let Down'...

And so, CyberControl's Top 5 Bands (and songs) of the Festival were:

1. Keane (Try Again)
2. The Grates (Inside Outside)
3. Rufus Wainwright (Hallelujah)
4. Bloc Party (Waiting for the 7:18)
5. Radiohead (Everything In It's Right Place)

Right, enough of the music, now time for the pictures!