News and Reviews: 22nd April 2012
21 April 2012.5.30pm.QPR 1 SPURS 0.
Fourth from bottom against fourth from top but we managed another fantastic home win.
Our goalie played a blinder and we hung on with only ten men for the last 15 mins after getting a player sent off.Had a nice result with the tickets as we used the season tickets from two musicians who were away on dj duties.Glen Matlock was playing in Venice and Goldie was playing in Devon.
Hopefully Bolton slip up on Tuesday and next weekend QPR have a tough one away to Chelsea.
Great news that Bee Gee Robin Gibb has woke from his coma.
Some good has come out of the cancelled Sonisphere Festival in July in that some of the main bands due to play there are now playing London shows instead including Queen with Adam Lambert,Faith No More,Marilyn Manson and Incubus.Doubt that KISS will sneak one in.
I love stories like this one below.
Global Radio’s Capital FM and Heart brands have not aired music by One Direction since the boy band accidentally thanked Radio One while accepting a Brit award in February that was voted for by Capital listeners.
It has been reported that Global’s executive president and founder Ashley Tabor placed an immediate ban on mentions of One Direction or plays of their songs on-air following the blunder.
Bearing in mind One Direction are taking off worldwide and are headlining New Yorks Madison Square Garden before the end of the year do One Direction care?
19 April 2012.6.30pm to 8.30pm."Walk By Stik"
preview evening at Imitate Modern Gallery,27 Devonshire Street,Marylebone,London W1.
Cult graffiti artist previews his new work in a small gallery that holds maybe 50 but 200 are invited so lots of folks are standing on the pavement outside.
Freebie beers and wines for all although the canapes were drab.
Quite a success story as two years ago Stik was homeless on the streets of Hackney.
When i was at the Q Awards last year the goodie bag had a couple of prints by Stik and since then his reputation as "The New Banksy" has rocketed as musicians including
Elton John,Brian May and Bono have bought his pieces.His distinctive stick characters are simple and childlike but seem to work.
Stik was very friendly and chatty on the night and put up a makeshift canvas on the gallery canopy to spray some street art on.
Plenty of art journos here along with a couple of film crews and some photographers.
Open to the public 19 April to 10 May.
See www.imitatemodern.com
18 April 2012.CHELSEA 1 BARCELONA 0.I watched the game on a big screen at a casino in Leicester Square.A great result for Chelsea.
The return leg next week will be mega.
Then a few mins walk to the main event.
9.45pm to 1.30am i was at "The White Party" at Stringfellows,London.
Probably the most famous lapdancing club in the UK holds one of its parties for members and press.
Free booze all night here for all.
Around 50 topless girls in white lingerie.
All taking in turns on the poles.
Around 150 punters with a few girls too.
Lots of very pretty girls although half seemed to be from Eastern Europe.
There was the usual £20 for a private dance but they soon left us alone and moved on to those who were ready to splash the cash.
Stayed a lot longer than expected but it was good fun i must say.
16 April 2012.Noah And The Whale + Bahamas + Rae Morris live at The Royal Albert Hall, London.
Up first we have Rea Morris who is a teenager from Blackpool.Just her and keyboards.She admitted to being very nervous but the crowd warmed to her 30 mins set.
Then Bahamas who are one of those duos without a bass player so we get a milder version of White Stripes with two backing vocalists.
They are from Canada.An ok 30 mins set.
Headliners Noah And The Whale have moved up the indie ranks after the huge success of their third album "Last Night On Earth" that came out a year ago.
A nice stage set with lamps around the stage,carpets on the floor and a big screen.
The band are all in smart suits and get a great reception from the sold out crowd.
The arena floor is used for standing tonight.
The 85 mins set had lots of catchy tunes.
Set included "Give It All Back","Give A Little Love","Blue Skies" and brilliant versions of "Tonights The Kind Of Night" and "5 Years Time".Also good was "Waiting For My Chance" and all the crowd singing along to biggie
"L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N." and the encore was "The First Days Of Spring".A good gig.
15 April 2012.Punk rock legends The Sex Pistols are to re-release their classic anthem "God Save the Queen" to coincide with the jubilee celebrations this summer.
The song, widely regarded as an attack on the monarchy with lyrics equating the Queen with a “fascist regime”, is to be released 28 May 2012 in a bid to top the charts over the Diamond Jubilee weekend at the beginning of June.
Originally released on May 27 1977, ahead of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, the single, which featured a defaced image of the Queen on the cover, sparked widespread controversy and was banned by the BBC and the Independent Broadcasting Authority which regulated commercial television and radio and independent radio.
Without doubt it is one of the greatest singles of all time.I bought it on the first day of release way back in 1977 which was my exact 18th birthday.
This coming Saturday 21 April 2012 is Record Store Day when over 300 special vinyl releases come out.They include Sex Pistols "Anarchy In The UK" on picture disc and Public Image Limited new four track 12" ep "One Drop".
13 April 2012.Frank Turner + Billy Bragg live at Wembley Arena,London.
I cannot remember the last time so much fuss was made about an artist playing this venue.
Frank himself has been talking about it for months since his Hammersmith Apollo show last November.Some of his fans are saying he is selling out by playing this huge venue.
NME had a three page interview with him a couple of weeks ago from the venue with pictures of him playing outside Wembley Park tube station,him on the Wembley Arena stage with all the seats behind him etc.
His promoters had a full page gig ad in NME this week with a big SOLD OUT sign across the poster.Not fully true as half a dozen blocks at the back are unsold but still a very impressive 9600 tickets sold.Keeping tickets down to a rock bottom £20 helped as nobody plays Wembley Arena that cheap.
I actually know more about support act Billy Bragg than Frank Turner.It is years since i last watched him but he is still totally excellent.Just him and his electric guitar and 45 mins of great clear lyrics full of passion with gems including "To Have And To Have Not","Sexuality","Never Buy The Sun","The Milkman Of Human Kindness","All You Fascists Bound To Lose" and superb versions of "Great Leap Forward" and "A New England" with all this younger crowd knowing the words as Frank Turner has namechecked Billy Bragg many times as his hero.
Frank Turner is this generations Billy Bragg in many ways.He really connects with his crowd over the 1 hour 45 mins set.Backed with a lively band and backing vocalists his barnstorming folk rock sent the floor standing wild with full singalongs and dancing.
His website www.frank-turner.com has an amazing giglist history where he has listed all his 1200 plus shows played since 2004 in 31 different countries.He loves playing live.
He really is one of the hardest working live acts out there and that is gradually paying off for him.
Lots of good songs played including "Eulogy",
"If Ever I Stray","Glory Hallalujah" and
"Four Simple Words".
He got his mum on stage for one song to help out on harmonica.His usual cover of Queens "Somebody To Love" seems an odd choice compared to his own style but the crowd love it.Encores were a cover of Dylans "The Times They Are A Changing" where he was joined by
Billy Bragg.Then it was "The Ballad Of Me And My Friends" and the streamers and confetti came out for "Photosynthesis".A really good show.A DVD of the gig will be coming out and Frank Turner announces a full UK tour on Monday.
11 April 2012.QPR 3 SWANSEA 0.
Squeaky bum time for QPR fans.
A full house tonight for this mega important game.We had to get a good result tonight and hope other teams in the relegation battle have bad results.
Regulars Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) and Mick Jones (Clash) were here.Also BBC Radio London dj Robert Elms.
QPR were on top form and Swansea had an off day.Gives us a little breathing space just above the bottom three teams.Great evening.
10 April 2012.The Titanic Requiem live at Central Hall,Westminster,London.
100 years to the day that The Titanic set off.A near full house at this 2000 capacity venue across the road from The Houses Of Parliament.A massive guest list of some 300 meant the start was delayed by 15 mins as the queue was huge.I was in a large room for press/vip/hospitality where the free booze was flowing before the show and at the interval.Quite a few faces here including RJ Gibb(Robin Gibbs son),Sir David Frost,Rick Wakeman,Pattie Boyd,Susan George,
Blue band members Duncan James,Simon Webbe and Antony Costs,Vanessa Feltz,actor John Altman,djs Paul Gambaccini,Bob Harris and Mike Read and boxer Chris Eubank.
Around 100 people on stage as there is a huge orchestra and choir.
The first set was 60 mins of music played by the orchestra on The Titanic as it sailed.
Some of it was well known pieces.
The second half was 75 mins of the new album.
On 15 April 1912 the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic and over 1,500 people died. 100 years later, Robin Gibb and his son RJ, commemorate this disastrous voyage and catastrophic loss of life with the release of "The Titanic Requiem", their first classical work together. Recorded at Air studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the RSVP Voices choir, and produced by Cliff Masterson and Savvas Iosifides, this modern classic includes three vocal pieces : "Daybreak" (Mario Frangoulis on the record but tonight sung by Aled Jones), "Christmas Day" (Isabel Suckling), and "Don't Cry Alone" in which Robin Gibb sings the lead vocal.Robin was taken ill again over the weekend so could not appear tonight so the recorded version was used tonight.That was a shame as he had cleared his diary for the past month to be in good health for this event but he has gone suddenly back into hospital with pneumonia.His son RJ made a couple of speeches thanking the crowd for their support etc and he introduced the album.
As expected it was a full classical concert really.Not very rock n roll but ok in parts.
Trivia note.The only band i have seen at the legendary Madison Square Gardens in New York was the Bee Gees in 1979.They happened to be playing there when i was in America for the first time.
Stuff over Easter that i was digging.
DVDS.
AC/DC "Live At River Plate".
The South American crowd are just amazing.
Scorpions "Live At Wacken".They still have not announced UK dates on their world tour.
Paul McCartney "Live In The U.S".
Rod Stewart And The Faces "The Best Of".
Manic Street Preachers "The Complete Singles".
ALBUMS.
Public Image Limited "The Greatest Hits So Far".
Glen Matlock And The Philistines "Born Running".
Foo Fighters "Greatest Hits".
Wombats "This Modern Glitch".
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers "Greatest Hits".
BOOKS.
Ace Frehley "No Regrets".
Tony Iommi "Iron Man".
Keith Richards "Life"
Nick Kent "Apathy For The Devil".
Frankie Poullain "Dancing In The Darkness".
03 April 2012.Kylie Minogue live at Hammersmith Apollo,London.
This special show was only announced last week via her website to celebrate her 25 years in the music biz.
For hardcore fans only as all tickets for this were a whopping £79 and but its still rammed.
Her arena tours have always been big amazing productions but this show is titled "Anti-Tour B-Sides-Demos-Rarities" and Kylie stated in advance that the big hits would not be played.
Quite a brave move for a mainstream pop act to play this kind of show but her fans know all the lesser known songs anyway.A great atmosphere.
I have a great view in front circle guest area near her 80s producer Pete Waterman,Boy George,Will Young and Nick Grimshaw.
There is no big stage production,dancers or multi costume changes like the arena shows but there are lots of lights and lasers.These work best on the uptempo disco based songs.
The pocket sized Aussie pop queen was on stage for two hours.All smiles and bubbly on stage
banter.The crowd adore her.
She used lyric sheets for some of the songs.
Tracks played included "Cherry Bomb","B.P.M.",
"Give Me Just A Little More Time","Too Much",
"Paper Dolls","Its No Secret" and the early hit
"Got To Be Certain".Encores were "Do It Again",
"Tears On My Pillow","One Boy Girl" and "Enjoy Yourself".A great show.
See afterparty page for this show.