Rolling Stone can be useful....at times....

A guide to 50 of Autumns most talked about albums:


http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/23181054/page/1

Forgot to put this up last week..........

FAT FREDDYS DROP

THE PRESETS

WHITE LIES

JOHNNY FOREIGNER

THOMAS TANTRUM

join

HERBIE HANCOCK, TV ON THE RADIO, CUT COPY, FUTURE OF THE LEFT, CLINIC, JAY REATARD & BESTIVAL REUNION TOUR (DAN LESAC vs SCROOBIUS PIP, 808 STATE, FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, DJ YODA, ROB DABANK, THE CUBAN BROTHERS, MERCY ARMS, SOMBRERO SOUNDSYSTEM)

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HEINEKEN GREEN SYNERGY: VILLAGE QUARTER

Tripod, Village, Whelans, Anseo, Solas and Shine

(Wed Nov. 12th – Sun Nov. 16th)

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The best festival this winter has just got better with Heineken Green Synergy expanding its line-up with a new mix of acts joining an already original and stellar bill.

FAT FREDDYS DROP bring their seven piece roots, dub, reggae, jazz and soul fusion from New Zealand to Tripod on Sunday November 16th. Woozy, echoing dub sonics characterise Based On A True Story, their best known release over here with uptempo party-type numbers like 'Roady,' which bounces with brass, organ bits and wah-treated guitar.

Fresh from wowing fans at the Electric Picnic, Aussie electro-pop duo THE PRESETS plan to rip it up again with some hedonistic beats in the Village on Sunday November 16th.

WHITE LIES are three 19/20 year olds from West London who only played their first gig together earlier this year yet already they've been signed to Fiction Records and Nick Cave, Morrissey and Mark Ronson have all been spotted at their gigs. Selking out their shows already, their debut single 'Unfinished Business' is an evocative moody tune. They play Whelans on Thursday November 13th.

Birmingham indie rock trio JOHNNY FOREIGNER hit Whelans on Wednesday November 12th with tracks from their debut album 'Waited Up 'Til It Was Light'. Support comes from THOMAS TANTRUM, a Southamption quartet whose infectious pop is already being championed by Glasvegas and Lily Allen.

And Heineken Green Synergy has more treats in store for the music fans in the Village Quarter this November. The countdown has just begun.


NEW SHOW DETAILS – on sale this Thursday @ 9am

FAT FREDDYS DROP / Tripod / Sun. Nov. 16th / €22.50 & €32.50

THE PRESETS / Village / Sun. Nov. 16th / €20

WHITE LIES / Whelans / Thurs. Nov. 13th / €12.50

JOHNNY FOREIGNER & THOMAS TANTRUM / Wed. Nov. 12th / €15

SHOWS ON SALE ALREADY

HERBIE HANCOCK / Tripod / Wed. Nov. 12th / €44.50 & €64.50

TV ON THE RADIO / Tripod / Sat. Nov. 15th / €22.50 & €27.50

CUT COPY / Village / Sat. Nov. 15th / €22.50

BESTIVAL REUNION TOUR / Tripod / Fri. Nov. 14th / €25

FUTURE OF THE LEFT / Whelans Upstairs / Fri. Nov. 14th / €15

CLINIC / Village / Wed. Nov. 12th / €15

JAY REATARD / Whelans Upstairs / Sun. Nov. 16th / €14




What a tasty treat this is! Feck this recession talk lets just party through it!

Feeling romantic?

I have been told from a very sure source that the Swell Season will be gracing Limerick before Christmas.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, stars of the low-budget gem "Once" will be playing St. Marys Cathedral (or St.Johns) to only 250 people. A lovely intimate setting to complement some charming tunes.

Score some serious brownie points guys and bring your lady friend

Lisa Hannigan

I type this fresh from seeing Lisa Hannigan in the Jean Monnet Theatre in UL.

I got the chance to interview here before the gig and as I expected she was a real genuine and kind soul. She was full of chat and indifferent to any time constraints.

Onstage and she was quite simply captivating. Her voice just enraptures your attention through soft swindlings to heavy yet soothing bellows. I dont know about anyone else there but I felt somewhat seduced by her performance...she is lovely.

Full report and interview to come soon.....when I get the chance!

Zion Train to play Trinity Rooms

Dub Reggae addicts should hit Trinity Rooms Sunday 2nd November to see Zion Train!

Saw these guys in the early months of 2007 in Dolans and it got frisky and sweaty! Be prepared to bop on to the frenzy!

RIP Richard Wright

The legandary keyboard player for Pink Floyd Richard Wright passed away on Monday aged 65. His role was vital to the epic Pink Floyd sound. He was one of the founding members of the band.

Pink Floyd are one of my all time favourite bands and they have been one of the worlds most influential. No home should be without "Dark Side of the Moon".

How to steal/save the show

I only got a chance to watch this years MTV VMAs yesterday and I have to say it was the blandest and most ridiculous show yet. If it wasn't for Russel Brand pushing the boundaries of what a presenter should say I would have gone off and made a curry.

The last performance was done by Kanye West displaying some of his new material from his forthcoming album. He really smacked the show in the right cheek. A gripping performance of a stomping new tune.

Elbow win the Mercury Music Prize 2008

Congratulations to Elbow for winning this years Mercury for their album "The Seldom Seed Kid". Watching the awards last night on BBC 2 I couldnt help but be absolutely delighted for the band. Upon hearing of their win the band became exasperated with expressions of utter joy. Had Radiohead won it I dont think they would have displayed a fraction of the emotion Elbow did.

The album is beauty. It bursts with emotion and magnificient song arrangement. The track "Grounds for Divorce" just stomps its way all over the joint. My personal favourite from the album is "Some Riot". The piano sequence at the start is quite simply captivating and Guy Garveys vocal fall upon it eloquently. The song soars to an epic climax which leaves the listener feeling very tingly inside.






One other thing of note from the awards was Burial not showing up which was no real surprise given his anonymous stance. I wonder if he did turn up would he have won it for his album "Untrue" which was my personal favourite of the year?

Net Neutrality

Nothing in this world seems safe anymore does it???..........

Mystery Jets new tune

I like this a lot. It is a tad on the cheese radar but it does draw me in. It smacks a bit of the Smiths but with a fresher kick. Your man also makes me want to get my nose pierced.

Electric Picnic 2008

Yes I am a tad late with my say on this....but I only after recovering from it now so whatever:

Highlights:

Sigor Ros on the main stage Friday night….what a performance, probably the best of the weekend

Kila surprising me with a set filled with theatrics and Celtic punk

Nick Cave and Grinderman tore the stage apart, Cave just owned the stage

The increased number of Art installations around the campsite led to such a vibrant landscape in which I could walk around the whole weekend

Putting the Bodytonic dance Village in one of the campsites was a genius stroke as it left the main area feeling less cluttered and more kid-free, which leads to my next point….

The apparent increase in number of families with small kids-it really was great to see all generations enjoying the festivities. If I had kids I would bring them with me without doubt

Hearing Mark Lanegans voice for the first time live when he played with the Gutter Twins….its so deep and coarse yet endearing at the same time

Going with my gut feeling and discovering two great acts: Pivot and Ullrich Schnauss- filled my tum tum with glee

Getting my bop on for the Foals


Lowlights:

The Body and Soul area being too big and cluttered-it really took away from the spirit of the area in the past years

The Sex Pistols-worst crowd I have seen for a headline at a main stage

Missing the following: Dan Deacon, Modeselektor, Benga and Rachel Allen getting her cook on

Waking up Sunday morning without my phone, wallet, jumper, sunglasses and my socks

No Portishead headlining-they should have been there

Missing Dark Side of the Oz in the cinema tent even though ive seen it before

Going home and getting a slap of Autumn in the face ever since

Jape to play Dolans

Good news for the Limerick gig scene:

Richie Egans Jape are to play Dolans on Wenesday October 15th

Caught them at the Life festival in July and they were really ripping. I also heard some very positive comments about their set at the weekends Picnic which I missed as I got lazy in the Body and Soul...as you do


heres a vid:





N.B.

Jack Whites outfit the Raconteurs seem to be covering this song at all their gigs now...so you know

The Blizzards

Before I went to Sicily I did an interview(my first actually) with Niall Breslin, lead singer of the Blizzards for the new "Pulse" magazine out this week in Limerick(mainly UL)

The Blizzards are not my swim in the sea.....I think they are very shit to be completely honest but I did my best to give as unbiased an article as I could. Here it is:



The Blizzards return to UL this September, David Morrissey talked to Niall Breslin “Bresy” about what can be expected of the upcoming gig and upcoming album.


The Blizzards return to UL this September armed with new material from their new album “The Domino Effect” which is due to be released . The lads from Mullingar have enjoyed a certain amount of success as a result of their 2006 album “A Public Display of Affection”. Their performance on the main stage at Oxegen 2007 helped them to the Meteor award for “Best Live Performance of that year. If infectious pop fused with a bit of punk and ska is your thing, well the Blizzards won’t disappoint.

Is there going to be a change in musical direction for their new album? The answer to this was no. According to Bresy there “isn’t much change”. He quickly followed on to explain that they did push themselves very hard on the new album but were very careful not to change anything. I found this slightly peculiar, especially for a relatively fresh and young band who would be expected to experiment to some extent. I queried him further on the matter of why there was no real change and he forwarded the example of Radiohead. He claimed everything that they have come up with after “The Bends” has been “rubbish”. Before their change in musical direction (from “OK Computer” onwards) they were producing “great rock music” he argues.

There is a bit of resemblance between the Blizzards and the now indie heavy-weights the Artic Monkeys. That point of resemblance is that of each bands vocal delivery and lyric style. Both bands use a colloquial styled collection of lyrics i.e. “street talk” and both bands, thanks to their lead singers, deliver the lyrics in a sort of “talkative” manner that transcends the lyrics perfectly. Recently Alex Turner (lead singer of the Artic Monkeys) has approached both lyrics and vocal delivery in a more articulate/mature manner with his latest side project The Last Shadow Puppets. I asked Bresy if this a direction he may choose to pursue himself. Again the answer was no. “Stick to your strengths” was his reasoning behind this.

So if they were to stick to their strengths they would yield huge amounts of success? Not necessarily. The Blizzards have enjoyed success in Ireland but have yet to break the UK market. They have built themselves into a very tight performance unit on the road throughout Irelands live venues. So if there is little or no change in their musical direction this time (or in the future by the sound of things) what is going to keep the Blizzards appeal in motion?

The simple answer to this is attitude. Throughout the interview Bresy spouted the word “attitude” several times. This was his interpretation of how the music has changed(if only very slightly) His tone throughout the interview was very direct and slightly rebellious. It was as if he was trying to say “F**k all the doubters, this is going to be a great album and we are going to show everyone. There was a very determined stigma attached to his speech. I for one felt quite convinced about the bands future as a result.

I asked what we can expect at the upcoming UL gig. He remarked amongst other things that they will have a brass section new to their shows. Brass and attitude-an intense gig it should be so.

Back for more....

I do apologise for my lack of posting of late but I was on holidays....which was nice for me.

Trapani(in Sicily) is a relaxing sun desination but I could not quite grasp why the Italians dont take pride in their beaches/old streets which are beautiful but are riddled with rubbish. Upon my arrival I was reminded of the Ancient Roman times where rubbish was merely flung on the streets.

Anyway good to be back.....back to the music