Making our way into the depths of the woods, to the Sunrise Arena, we half expected to be assaulted by a Jack o’ the Green, or some ancient, primal force of nature.
Damn, what a band! I’ve seen Wilco so many times over the years, but they never cease to knock me sideways. And one of the great things – one of the many great things, actually – about tonight’s show at Latitude is that the audience is not one of those over-reverential and often weird crowds that have frequently freaked out Jeff Tweedy when he’s visited the UK.
Not many stars spotted here as yet, but I did just see a dragonfly in the bogs, which was moderately impressive. I was on my way to the Uncut tent, where Tinariwen played a tremendous set.
Jeff Tweedy and Wilco played an extraordinary set on the first night of the Latitude Festival in Norfolk. Second on the bill on the main stage, the band played ten songs in an energetic and often euphoric set. A few spots of rain began to fall as Wilco started, prompting a rueful Tweedy to note, "It was a lovely day 'til we got here. I apologise." The show, however, disproved the popular notion that Tweedy and Wilco are introverted and depressive as a band. Instead, their set focused on raging and often very noisy rock'n'roll, with lead guitarist Nels Cline often taking charge. Wilco played: 1 You Are My Face 2 I Am Trying To Break Your Heart 3 Shot In The Arm 4 Side With The Seeds 5 Via Chicago 6 Handshake Drugs 7 Impossible Germany 8 Walken 9 I'm The Man Who Loves You 10 Spiders (Kidsmoke) Uncut is at Latitude Festival all weekend bringing you up to date blogs, news and pictures. Click here for the special Uncut Latitude blog Uncut.co.uk/latitude Pic credit: Andy Willsher
Jeff Tweedy and Wilco played an extraordinary set on the first night of the Latitude Festival in Norfolk. Second on the bill on the main stage, the band played ten songs in an energetic and often euphoric set.
A few spots of rain began to fall as Wilco started, prompting a rueful Tweedy to note, “It was a lovely day ’til we got here. I apologise.”
The show, however, disproved the popular notion that Tweedy and Wilco are introverted and depressive as a band. Instead, their set focused on raging and often very noisy rock’n’roll, with lead guitarist Nels Cline often taking charge.
Wilco played:
1 You Are My Face
2 I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
3 Shot In The Arm
4 Side With The Seeds
5 Via Chicago
6 Handshake Drugs
7 Impossible Germany
8 Walken
9 I’m The Man Who Loves You
10 Spiders (Kidsmoke)
Uncut is at Latitude Festival all weekend bringing you up to date blogs, news and pictures. Click here for the special Uncut Latitude blog Uncut.co.uk/latitude
Pic credit: Andy Willsher
Tinariwen proved to be one of the hits of Friday at the Latitude Festival, when they brought their desert blues to Uncut's own stage. The Malian band are Tuareg nomads from the Sahara, and received a rapturous reception for their 40-minute set, much closer to rock'n'roll than many world music acts. Dressed in flowing robes, they played songs from their two albums for World Circuit, with three guitars creating a sound reminiscent of The Grateful Dead. Other highlights at the Uncut-sponsored Latitude Festival have been Midlake, Two Gallants, Candie Payne and The Magic Numbers. Headliners tonight include Wilco, Damien Rice, Patrick Wolf and New Young Pony Club. Uncut is at Latitude Festival all weekend bringing you up to date blogs, news and pictures. Click here for the special Uncut Latitude blog Uncut.co.uk/latitude Pic credit: Andy Willsher
Tinariwen proved to be one of the hits of Friday at the Latitude Festival, when they brought their desert blues to Uncut’s own stage.
The Malian band are Tuareg nomads from the Sahara, and received a rapturous reception for their 40-minute set, much closer to rock’n’roll than many world music acts. Dressed in flowing robes, they played songs from their two albums for World Circuit, with three guitars creating a sound reminiscent of The Grateful Dead.
Other highlights at the Uncut-sponsored Latitude Festival have been Midlake, Two Gallants, Candie Payne and The Magic Numbers. Headliners tonight include Wilco, Damien Rice, Patrick Wolf and New Young Pony Club.
Uncut is at Latitude Festival all weekend bringing you up to date blogs, news and pictures. Click here for the special Uncut Latitude blog Uncut.co.uk/latitude
Pic credit: Andy Willsher
Just got on site for my second year at Latitude. In some ways, not much has changed -- there's the familiar stroll down through the woods, passed the coloured sheep and over the lake -- but the crowd seems a lot younger this year. I guess this is due to the bigger acts they've attracted -- I'm really looking forward to seeing Wilco, Jarvis Cocker, and The Good, The Bad And The Queen, I've gotta say. There's even, I notice, a Speed Dating tent. Sadly, the next sitting isn't for another hour and I feel the need to wander in the direction of the Film & Music Arena. Maybe I'll try it out tomorrow... My final memory of the F&M Arena last year was dancing to dub-step at about one in the morning, after a particularly lengthy stint on the pear cider. This year, the arena has a much more genteel vibe. There's tables and chairs arranged to resemble, I assume, an arts theatre bar, with soft lights and table cloths. It kinda resembles a make-shift trattoria, I have to say. But I settle down and catch Carol Morley, director of the documentary The Alcohol Years, who's talking through some of her favourite films -- including the Maysles Brothers' Grey Gardens. I then see a bit of Ed Simpson soundtracking Wong Kar Wai's Days Of Being Wild. A great film, but the sight of Ed standing by the screen, occasionally pressing keys on his laptop, somewhat detracts from Kar Wai's majesterial, dreamlike visions. Off to the comedy tent where I catch excellent Kiwi comic Ben Hurley, who does a fine job of insulting Australians, Americans, South Africans and us Brits. His sharp, deceptively earthy sense of humour is engaging, and he's spot on, too, about music. "I love the Beastie Boys," he muses. "Nothing suits hip hop better than three Jewish guys in the 40s..." Anyway, John's just got back from seeing the mighty Tinarewen and is frantically battering away at his keyboard over the way, so check in for his blog. Back later!
Just got on site for my second year at Latitude. In some ways, not much has changed — there’s the familiar stroll down through the woods, passed the coloured sheep and over the lake — but the crowd seems a lot younger this year.
Midlake have just played the Latitude Festival main Obelisk stage, to a hazy sunny crowd. The Magic Numbers' singer Romeo Stoddart joined Midlake vocalist Tim Smith for the second track, after a shaky, sound issues start on the runing-late stage. Introduced as "My friend Romeo," Smith and Stoddart collaborated for Midlake's new single "Roscoe." Fellow Magic Number Angela Gannon, watched Romeo's appearance from the front of the crowd, ahead of their own bands appearance on the Obelisk stage after Midlake. Sounding very Fleetwood Mac-y, Smith declared to the audience with delight that they've "heard they now get played in strip clubs." He chuckles and says "Hey we can't get in the Top 10, but we can do that!" Midlake then played a new a song, Tim Smith saying that 'Children Of The Ground' will "probably appear on the next album. Midlake finished the hazy sunny set with a soaring version of their hit single from last year, 'Head Home.' Uncut is at Latitude Festival all weekend bringing you up to date blogs, news and pictures. Click here for the special Uncut Latitude blog Uncut.co.uk/latitude
Midlake have just played the Latitude Festival main Obelisk stage, to a hazy sunny crowd.
The Magic Numbers’ singer Romeo Stoddart joined Midlake vocalist Tim Smith for the second track, after a shaky, sound issues start on the runing-late stage.
Introduced as “My friend Romeo,” Smith and Stoddart collaborated for Midlake’s new single “Roscoe.”
Fellow Magic Number Angela Gannon, watched Romeo’s appearance from the front of the crowd, ahead of their own bands appearance on the Obelisk stage after Midlake.
Sounding very Fleetwood Mac-y, Smith declared to the audience with delight that they’ve “heard they now get played in strip clubs.” He chuckles and says “Hey we can’t get in the Top 10, but we can do that!”
Midlake then played a new a song, Tim Smith saying that ‘Children Of The Ground’ will “probably appear on the next album.
Midlake finished the hazy sunny set with a soaring version of their hit single from last year, ‘Head Home.’
Uncut is at Latitude Festival all weekend bringing you up to date blogs, news and pictures. Click here for the special Uncut Latitude blog Uncut.co.uk/latitude
I just found one of the coolest stages I can remember seeing at a British festival. There’s a lake in the middle of Latitude, and a densely wooded slope that runs down to it. Somewhere fairly deep into these woods is the Sunrise Stage, and it’s here that I find Alberta Cross.
I just found one of the coolest stages I can remember seeing at a British festival. There’s a lake in the middle of Latitude, and a densely wooded slope that runs down to it. Somewhere fairly deep into these woods is the Sunrise Stage, and it’s here that I find Alberta Cross. The stage is in a small clearing, with some loose canvas covering that isn’t quite a tent. Behind the band, all you can see is trees, apart from a couple of portaloos to the side of the stage, which are useful if you want to see your heroes doing an anxious pooh seconds before they go on. But anyway, Alberta Cross are ideally suited to this kind of getting-it-together-in-the-country kind of setting. An Anglo-Swedish quartet with a lot of hair and plaid and ripped denim, the heady smell that comes off them is redolent of Woodstock or Topanga Canyon, classic rock with a mellow, rustic sensibility. Consequently a lot of their excellent songs are strongly in the old Crazy Horse mode, complete with Jack Nitzsche-style keyboards. Maybe My Morning Jacket, if you’re looking for a more modern reference. It’s all good, and plenty of the set is unfamiliar from the mini-album (an Uncut debut of the month) that came out on Fiction a few weeks ago. It occurs to me that there should be plenty more people watching this, but as I’m heading out of the tent, I can hear Midlake playing “Roscoe†wafting over from the main stage, and it seemed a bit unfair that Alberta Cross had to play at the same time as an established band with such a similar aesthetic. Oh, I also saw a bit of Emmy The Great, but she was a bit too Nanci Griffith for my taste. Got to dash and see Tinariwen on the Uncut Stage now. Later. . .
I just found one of the coolest stages I can remember seeing at a British festival. There’s a lake in the middle of Latitude, and a densely wooded slope that runs down to it. Somewhere fairly deep into these woods is the Sunrise Stage, and it’s here that I find Alberta Cross.
Afternoon all. By some dark miracle, it seems that East Anglia may be the hottest place in the UK today. Which is pretty handy for us, since we're here at the Latitude festival, with the pastel-coloured sheep and the posh burger vans and the bijou dog kennels to sleep in. It's lovely, actually. I've just had a proprietorial stroll round the grounds. As I think Farah mentioned earlier, it's tremendously green, and the woods appear to be alive with drama students. Up at the Uncut stage, I just managed to catch a bit of Candie Payne, whose pretty nice '60s torch songs were getting a bit mugged by the foursquare indie manners of her band. As I type, anxiously waiting for power to return to the press tent, I can hear Two Gallants rattling away on the other side of the lake. Sounding good, actually, and I'll try and get over to see them once the power returns. Later today, myself and the rest of the Uncut team will be checking out Wilco, Midlake, Tinariwen, Bonde Du Role, Alberta Cross and anything else good that we stumble across. Don't be a stranger. . .
Afternoon all. By some dark miracle, it seems that East Anglia may be the hottest place in the UK today. Which is pretty handy for us, since we’re here at the Latitude festival, with the pastel-coloured sheep and the posh burger vans and the bijou dog kennels to sleep in. It’s lovely, actually.
Good morning! Uncut has landed on site for this year’s Latitude festival, on the edge of England, on the cleverly monikered ‘Sunrise Coast’. I wonder if that means Wales is now to be known as the sunset coast?
Its the first day of this year's Latitude Festival, and the band's kick off on the festival's four stages in about an hour. The opening night tonight (July 13) sees headlining performances by Damien Rice, Wilco, Patrick Wolf and New Young Pony Club. For the first time, the three day festival opened it's doors to music fans on the Thursday night. Last night (July 12) saw Daft Punk's Electrorama screened at the field cinema and the poetry and cabaret tents warmed-up for the weekend ahead. Uncut is proud this year to be hosting our very own arena, with 35 bands playing over the weekend. Today the Uncut arena is about to be opened by new EMI pop rock act Grace, and this afternoon will see Fields, Maps, and Candie Payne all play. Uncut’s Michael Bonner and John Mulvey are currently en route to the site, and we will be reporting and blogging from across the site, throughout the weekend. Click here for the special Uncut Latitude blog Uncut.co.uk/latitude Highlights in the line-up today include: Obelisk Arena Damien Rice Wilco Midlake Two Gallants Uncut Arena Patrick Wolf Albert Hammond Jr Tinariwen Maps Fields Candie Payne Sunrise Arena New Young Pony Club Bonde Do Role Findlay Brown Alberta Cross Lake Stage I Was a Cub Scout Metronomy The Teenagers Vessels Pic credit: Farah Ishaq
Its the first day of this year’s Latitude Festival, and the band’s kick off on the festival’s four stages in about an hour.
The opening night tonight (July 13) sees headlining performances by Damien Rice, Wilco, Patrick Wolf and New Young Pony Club.
For the first time, the three day festival opened it’s doors to music fans on the Thursday night.
Last night (July 12) saw Daft Punk’s Electrorama screened at the field cinema and the poetry and cabaret tents warmed-up for the weekend ahead.
Uncut is proud this year to be hosting our very own arena, with 35 bands playing over the weekend.
Today the Uncut arena is about to be opened by new EMI pop rock act Grace, and this afternoon will see Fields, Maps, and Candie Payne all play.
Uncut’s Michael Bonner and John Mulvey are currently en route to the site, and we will be reporting and blogging from across the site, throughout the weekend.
Click here for the special Uncut Latitude blog Uncut.co.uk/latitude
Highlights in the line-up today include:
Obelisk Arena
Damien Rice
Wilco
Midlake
Two Gallants
Uncut Arena
Patrick Wolf
Albert Hammond Jr
Tinariwen
Maps
Fields
Candie Payne
Sunrise Arena
New Young Pony Club
Bonde Do Role
Findlay Brown
Alberta Cross
Lake Stage
I Was a Cub Scout
Metronomy
The Teenagers
Vessels
Pic credit: Farah Ishaq
Just a quick note to say that I'll be heading off to deepest East Anglia tomorrow to report on the Latitude Festival, which we're sponsoring. Instead of posting here, I'll be active all day and night on our special Latitude blog. I'm vaguely planning to see, amongst other things, Wilco, Tinariwen, The Hold Steady, CSS, Gruff Rhys and the Arcade Fire. And if you're coming along, please say hi: I'll be the one trying to interest a noisy ginger three-year-old in watching Rickie Lee Jones. Wish me luck. . .
Just a quick note to say that I’ll be heading off to deepest East Anglia tomorrow to report on the Latitude Festival, which we’re sponsoring. Instead of posting here, I’ll be active all day and night on our special Latitude blog. I’m vaguely planning to see, amongst other things, Wilco, Tinariwen, The Hold Steady, CSS, Gruff Rhys and the Arcade Fire. And if you’re coming along, please say hi: I’ll be the one trying to interest a noisy ginger three-year-old in watching Rickie Lee Jones. Wish me luck. . .
Looking back over the past few months of writing Wild Mercury Sound, it does seem like I go on again and again about Sonic Youth and Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace label. I guess I can be a bit fanboyish over the whole business, but then there are few bands who've shaped my musical aesthetics as profoundly as the Youth, and the wild and varied music that Moore has been putting out on his imprint of late (from Wooden Wand to Turbo Fruits, from MV + EE And The Bummer Road to Sunburned Hand Of Man, to Awesome Color) means they've kept me excited and engaged more, perhaps, than any other label in 2007. The latest thing that's turned up from them is especially good. "Trees Outside The Academy" is a solo album from Thurston Moore himself, in some ways the first since "Psychic Hearts" in '95. Moore, of course, is always working on extra-curricular projects outside the confines of Sonic Youth, so various and often extreme that even groupies like me have trouble keeping up with them. "Trees Outside The Academy", though, is what some might call a "proper" album, if a "proper" album necessarily contains neat little songs rather than sprawling, frictional skronk-outs. It's composed, rather than improvised, I think. And it's also extraordinarily pretty. Essentially, much here is a showcase for Thurston Moore's gifted songwriting. I guess a lot that has been written about Sonic Youth over the decades, even when they're at their most accessible, has focused on their tunings, the radical guitar techniques which they habitually use. On "Trees Outside The Academy", Moore mainly plays acoustic. Instead of Lee Ranaldo as a sparring partner, he's mainly matched up against Samara Lubelski, a very good violinist who's added texture to plenty of the East Coast avant-folk scenesters, notably The Bummer Road. Nevertheless, Moore's driving, slightly distracted style is immediately recognisable. It's interesting to discover that the genius is not in the treatment, but in the substance. The other thing that "Trees Outside The Academy" tells us about Sonic Youth is how critical Steve Shelley is to their sound. One of the reasons why songs like "Frozen Gtr" and the title track here are so immediately familiar is because of Shelley's presence on drums, adding that pattering motorik that pushes them away from pastoral dawdling and into something more dynamic and edgy. Moore, Lubelski and Shelley are the core trio, but there are some very cool guests sitting in, too. "Frozen Gtr" is punctuated by a mighty solo from J Mascis: the album was recorded in Mascis' home studio, and like some of the best work on Dinosaur Jr's "Beyond", he gives the impression of playing a solo non-stop during his waking hours, occasionally wandering into the vicinity of a microphone. "Wonderful Witches" is a great, pointed little punk pop song that's a throwback to the Youth's "Goo" era, only with John Moloney (from Sunburned and the first line-up of my beloved Howlin' Rain) at the kit. But maybe my favourite this morning is "Honest James": just Moore on his acoustic, laid-back and ornate in a kind of Takoma style, then joined in a duet by Christina Carter, who sounds much friendlier here than on her ethereal and other-worldly solo records and work fronting Charalambides. Oh, and at the end there's a hilarious sound collage recorded by Thurston when he was 13 and either auditioning for Fluxus, or being bored in an engagingly arty way. "What you're about to hear is me banging a pencil against the table," he says. There is a banging. "There!" he says. "Now to add a little 'Honky Tonk Women' to the beat of the pencil on the table," he says. There is a fractionally more rhythmic banging. "There!" he says. Eventually, he is forced to admit, "What you have heard is me wasting time." It's cute.
Looking back over the past few months of writing Wild Mercury Sound, it does seem like I go on again and again about Sonic Youth and Thurston Moore‘s Ecstatic Peace label. I guess I can be a bit fanboyish over the whole business, but then there are few bands who’ve shaped my musical aesthetics as profoundly as the Youth, and the wild and varied music that Moore has been putting out on his imprint of late (from Wooden Wand to Turbo Fruits, from MV + EE And The Bummer Road to Sunburned Hand Of Man, to Awesome Color) means they’ve kept me excited and engaged more, perhaps, than any other label in 2007.
This weekend's Latitude Festival has today (July 11) been announced as officially sold out. The Uncut-sponsored three day bash set in the grounds of Henham Park Estate will see 20,000 music fans gather to see an eclectic array of music, theatre, comedy and cabaret. The event, now in it's second year will see headline performances from Arcade Fire, The Good, The Bad and the Queen and Damien Rice. Uncut are especially looking forward to seeing Wilco, The Hold Steady and Jarvis Cocker, in amongst the BAFTA film screenings, costumes and stand-up perfomances from the likes of Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey. For the first time, Uncut will be hosting our very own arena, with performances from Tinariwen, Turin Brakes, Patrick Wolf and The Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr to name just a few. Uncut.co.uk will be reporting from the Southwold site from Friday morning (July 13), bringing you the best news, blogs and pictures from Latitude. In the meantime, we will be continuing our 'Countdown to Latitude' - click here for the special Uncut Latitude blogUncut.co.uk/latitude
This weekend’s Latitude Festival has today (July 11) been announced as officially sold out.
The Uncut-sponsored three day bash set in the grounds of Henham Park Estate will see 20,000 music fans gather to see an eclectic array of music, theatre, comedy and cabaret.
The event, now in it’s second year will see headline performances from Arcade Fire, The Good, The Bad and the Queen and Damien Rice.
Uncut are especially looking forward to seeing Wilco, The Hold Steady and Jarvis Cocker, in amongst the BAFTA film screenings, costumes and stand-up perfomances from the likes of Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey.
For the first time, Uncut will be hosting our very own arena, with performances from Tinariwen, Turin Brakes, Patrick Wolf and The Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr to name just a few.
Uncut.co.uk will be reporting from the Southwold site from Friday morning (July 13), bringing you the best news, blogs and pictures from Latitude.
In the meantime, we will be continuing our ‘Countdown to Latitude’ – click here for the special Uncut Latitude blogUncut.co.uk/latitude
Kevin Ayers is back from the wilderness after fifteen years with a brand new album. The genius songwriter/guitarist has teamed up with many of the musicians he has inspired over the years to make ‘The Unfairground’. Ayers co-founded Soft Machine with Robert Wyatt, David Allen and Mike Rattlegate in 1966 and later flourished in his solo career working with the likes of Syd Barrett, Mike Oldfield and John Cale. 'The Unfairground' was recorded with the help of several artists, including Teenage Fanclub, Euros Child, Neutral Milk Hotel, Candie Payne and Architecture in Helsinki. Kevin Ayers has been all around the globe, recording the album between 2006 and 2007. The bands have recorded in Arizona, Brooklyn, New York, London and Glasgow and will be ready to release the album by September 3 through Lomax Recordings. The track listing for the album is: Wide Awake Cold Shoulder Walk On Water Friends & Strangers Brainstorm Unfairground Baby Come Home Shine a Light Run Run Run Only Heaven Knows Pic above are (L-R): Francis Reader (Trash Can Sinatras), Euros Childs (Gorky's Zygotic Mynci), Dave McGowan (Teenage Fanclub & Various), Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) & Kevin Ayers.
Kevin Ayers is back from the wilderness after fifteen years with a brand new album. The genius songwriter/guitarist has teamed up with many of the musicians he has inspired over the years to make ‘The Unfairground’.
Ayers co-founded Soft Machine with Robert Wyatt, David Allen and Mike Rattlegate in 1966 and later flourished in his solo career working with the likes of Syd Barrett, Mike Oldfield and John Cale.
‘The Unfairground’ was recorded with the help of several artists, including Teenage Fanclub, Euros Child, Neutral Milk Hotel, Candie Payne and Architecture in Helsinki.
Kevin Ayers has been all around the globe, recording the album between 2006 and 2007. The bands have recorded in Arizona, Brooklyn, New York, London and Glasgow and will be ready to release the album by September 3 through Lomax Recordings.
The track listing for the album is:
Wide Awake
Cold Shoulder
Walk On Water
Friends & Strangers
Brainstorm
Unfairground
Baby Come Home
Shine a Light
Run Run Run
Only Heaven Knows
Pic above are (L-R): Francis Reader (Trash Can Sinatras), Euros Childs (Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci), Dave McGowan (Teenage Fanclub & Various), Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) & Kevin Ayers.
The 'early bird' tickets for next year's T in the Park festival have sold out already, only two days after this year's event packed up. The 40,000 tickets for what will be the event's 15th birthday sold out in a record 69 minutes when they went on sale yesterday morning. Last year, 35,000 'early bird' tickets were snapped up in 70 minutes. When the 2008 event is launched officially early next year, a further 40,000 tickets will be made available along with the full line-up. This year's event, the first year it has expanded into a three day festival drew Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Snow Patrol and Arcade Fire to play for Scottish music fans. Former Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson was one the T highlights, headlining, aptly, the Pet Sounds Arena. The crowd despite their youth, knew all the lyrics and sang along to the greatest hits set of 25 songs that Wilson and his band played. To see BBC Scotland video footage of Brian Wilson playing 'Californian Girls', 'Good Vibrations', and 'Fun Fun Fun' at this year's T In The Park Click here To catch up with all the action from this year's T, see Uncut.co.uk's blog action from the weekend here Uncut.co.uk/festivals
The ‘early bird’ tickets for next year’s T in the Park festival have sold out already, only two days after this year’s event packed up.
The 40,000 tickets for what will be the event’s 15th birthday sold out in a record 69 minutes when they went on sale yesterday morning.
Last year, 35,000 ‘early bird’ tickets were snapped up in 70 minutes.
When the 2008 event is launched officially early next year, a further 40,000 tickets will be made available along with the full line-up.
This year’s event, the first year it has expanded into a three day festival drew Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Snow Patrol and Arcade Fire to play for Scottish music fans.
Former Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson was one the T highlights, headlining, aptly, the Pet Sounds Arena. The crowd despite their youth, knew all the lyrics and sang along to the greatest hits set of 25 songs that Wilson and his band played.
To see BBC Scotland video footage of Brian Wilson playing ‘Californian Girls’, ‘Good Vibrations’, and ‘Fun Fun Fun’ at this year’s T In The Park Click here
To catch up with all the action from this year’s T, see Uncut.co.uk’s blog action from the weekend here Uncut.co.uk/festivals
Blondie are to provide the soundtrack for the West End transfer of Madonna’s 1985 film, Desperately Seeking Susan, due to open this October. The band's frontwoman and rock icon, Debbie Harry says, ‘the story just works with the lyrics, I thought it was a good idea, really smart’. The show will include a number of Blondie hits including ‘Heart of Glass’, ‘One Way or Another’ and ‘The Tide is High’. Also appearing in the musical will be an original song written by Harry during her solo career which kicked off with her 1981 solo album, Koo Koo. Taking Madonna’s role in the show will be West End actress Emma Williams who turned down the role as Maria in The Sound of Music, after the popular TV search for an actress for the role. Williams will be starring alongside ex-Guys and Dolls actress Kelly Price who will play the role of Roberta Glass. Susan Gallin, who is producing the film, assures fans of the film that the West End show will be ‘very close to the movie’, but as Debbie Harry explains ‘it’s a live show so it’s going to be different to the film, probably more light-hearted’. Desparately Seeking Susan the original movie was released at the initial peak of Madonna’s success in 1985 and her first UK number one hit, ‘Into the Groove’ accompanied the release of the movie.
Blondie are to provide the soundtrack for the West End transfer of Madonna’s 1985 film, Desperately Seeking Susan, due to open this October.
The band’s frontwoman and rock icon, Debbie Harry says, ‘the story just works with the lyrics, I thought it was a good idea, really smart’.
The show will include a number of Blondie hits including ‘Heart of Glass’, ‘One Way or Another’ and ‘The Tide is High’.
Also appearing in the musical will be an original song written by Harry during her solo career which kicked off with her 1981 solo album, Koo Koo.
Taking Madonna’s role in the show will be West End actress Emma Williams who turned down the role as Maria in The Sound of Music, after the popular TV search for an actress for the role.
Williams will be starring alongside ex-Guys and Dolls actress Kelly Price who will play the role of Roberta Glass.
Susan Gallin, who is producing the film, assures fans of the film that the West End show will be ‘very close to the movie’, but as Debbie Harry explains ‘it’s a live show so it’s going to be different to the film, probably more light-hearted’.
Desparately Seeking Susan the original movie was released at the initial peak of Madonna’s success in 1985 and her first UK number one hit, ‘Into the Groove’ accompanied the release of the movie.
TURIN BRAKES
Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian first soft-shoed into view in 2001 as part of the ‘new acoustic movement’, quickly making a name for themselves with their mellifluous and prettified, alt-pop tuneage and sweet vocal harmonising.
As the Beastie Boys’ previous album, To The 5 Boroughs, made painfully clear, it’s hard to grow old gracefully in hip hop. Rock, funk and jazz are far kinder on middle-age joints, limbs and mindset than rap – no matter how much yoga Mike D does these days. Perhaps realising this, the Beasties have ditched the computers, samplers and mics in favour of drums, organ, bass, guitar and synths for this: the entirely instrumental The Mix-Up. Unlike 1996’s instrumental album, The In Sound From Way Out!, which sounded exactly like it was – a collection of throwaways and outtakes – The Mix-Up is more fully realised and unified. This is not to say that it’s the trio’s “mature†album (trying to swing but ending up like your dad dancing to “Thong Song†at your wedding) – but that all the reference points and hat-tipping here coalesces into something like a statement of purpose, rather than just a rehash of Meters and “Groove†Holmes beats. Much of the pre-release hype focused on this being more of a rock album, but while the guitar riff in the middle of “Off The Grid†suggests that Beastie Boys would make great ’70s stadium rockers à la Grand Funk if only they would let their hair down, unless your idea of rock is Dennis Bovell Slits remixes, French library music and David Axelrod’s Electric Prunes record, there’s not a lot here to inspire you to get out the denim and leather. Instead, Beastie Boys append Jah Wobble bass grooves (especially on “Suco de Tangerinaâ€, “The Gala Event†and “The Rat Cageâ€) to dusty Hammond licks and let go with all manner of credible quotations: cod-psychedelic calliopes, barrio percussion, kitschy Moog lines, Dave Pike Set-style sitars, Northern Soul foot-stomping rhythms and Echoplexed guitar vamps. While this may sound like yet another connect-the-dots pastiche on paper, the effect on album is far more cohesive and more than the sum of its influences. The Mix-Up is the best record collection ever thoroughly digested and re-imagined by a bunch of guys in love with sound. IE, exactly what hip hop is supposed to be, no matter how old you are. PETER SHAPIRO
As the Beastie Boys’ previous album, To The 5 Boroughs, made painfully clear, it’s hard to grow old gracefully in hip hop. Rock, funk and jazz are far kinder on middle-age joints, limbs and mindset than rap – no matter how much yoga Mike D does these days.
Perhaps realising this, the Beasties have ditched the computers, samplers and mics in favour of drums, organ, bass, guitar and synths for this: the entirely instrumental The Mix-Up.
Unlike 1996’s instrumental album, The In Sound From Way Out!, which sounded exactly like it was – a collection of throwaways and outtakes – The Mix-Up is more fully realised and unified. This is not to say that it’s the trio’s “mature†album (trying to swing but ending up like your dad dancing to “Thong Song†at your wedding) – but that all the reference points and hat-tipping here coalesces into something like a statement of purpose, rather than just a rehash of Meters and “Groove†Holmes beats.
Much of the pre-release hype focused on this being more of a rock album, but while the guitar riff in the middle of “Off The Grid†suggests that Beastie Boys would make great ’70s stadium rockers à la Grand Funk if only they would let their hair down, unless your idea of rock is Dennis Bovell Slits remixes, French library music and David Axelrod’s Electric Prunes record, there’s not a lot here to inspire you to get out the denim and leather.
Instead, Beastie Boys append Jah Wobble bass grooves (especially on “Suco de Tangerinaâ€, “The Gala Event†and “The Rat Cageâ€) to dusty Hammond licks and let go with all manner of credible quotations: cod-psychedelic calliopes, barrio percussion, kitschy Moog lines, Dave Pike Set-style sitars, Northern Soul foot-stomping rhythms and Echoplexed guitar vamps.
While this may sound like yet another connect-the-dots pastiche on paper, the effect on album is far more cohesive and more than the sum of its influences. The Mix-Up is the best record collection ever thoroughly digested and re-imagined by a bunch of guys in love with sound. IE, exactly what hip hop is supposed to be, no matter how old you are.
PETER SHAPIRO
