It’s very easy (I find) to forget just how good R.E.M were a few years ago. I heard The Great Beyond for the first time in ages today. It’s perfect R.E.M. Apparently, it was their highest chart placign single in the UK as well.

Video in the comments.

Vulpes has posted a Rocky Horror Show song in the great pauses thread. It made me think that I have never heard the song and have never seen the show or film. I am vaguely familiar with the Timewarp song but I do not recall ever listening to it actively or all the way through. I have certainly not done it. I then realised I have a strong desire to go nowhere near the Rocky Horror Show. I think its the sheer cheese of what it has become – like a hen night/stag night made into a quirky gothinc musical.

I have other actvively managed blackspots.

I don’t like the idea or concept of Tull. Too much hair and flute. Time changes, folk influences. They remind of my Dad’s cooking – he would continue adding ingredients until he had no more to add.

I avoid Star Wars at all costs. It’s just not good enough to warrant the hype and love that it seems to get. To me, it’s the Greggs sausage roll of film franchises. It’s bland and boring and there are so many better options.

The Marvel universe. The film equivilant of eating delivery pizza every day. » Continue Reading.

Emboldened by my Sam Fender post, I’m going to stick my head above the AW Muso parapet and post about my love of Lewis Capadi.

A Scottish Ed Sheeran I hear some of you say? Yes – but also no. He can knock out a tune in the same manner. And, similarly, he can hit the bullseye on emotional, acoustic pop music. But he is also, I think, a lyricist capable of work beyond his years. He is also the least likely pop star possibly ever. Genuinely so.

The song that got me is Before You Go. A simple love song at first glance but, actually, a song written about his aunts suicide. It’s a moving song and a great performance.

His recent documentary is also well worth a watch. It shows a down to earth lad dealing with enourmous amounts of fame and work struggling to deal with the pressure. He then discovers he suffers from Tourettes. It’s not your standard pop star stuff – and all the better for that. He seems to me to be something of a throwback to where pop stars were famous becasue the songs were good.

Video in the comments.

I’m a little surprised at how little attention Sam Fender gets round here. @niallb has sung his praises before but apart from that, not much.

And yet he seems to the right in the Afterword sweet spot. Like the offspring of a one night stand between Bruce Springsteen and The War On Drugs with his very own pop sensibility, The music is both classically rock but also bang up to date. Tunes aplenty, brilliant productions and lyrically interesting. I think the lad is ticking every box.

His last single, People Watching, is a groove, a tune and a moving set of lyrics about the loss of a family member. A fresh version of what we used to enjoy a few years ago.

Video in the comments.

Following on from the kitchen hacks thread, and prompted by a thing I learned via the internet during the recent (very) cold snap, I thought it would good to have a more general hacks thread.

My recent discovery was caused by the doors on my wifes car freezing up to the point that I thought I was going to break the door handles before the door would move.

A quick google came up with the suggestion of cleaning the rubber door seals with a product called Gummipflege (as ever, it seems, the Germans have solved this problem). A wipe down of the seals later and the next day (the coldest yet) the door opened with absolute ease.

So thats my top tip – what are yours?

Good luck to all and sundry for the first competition of 2025.

If anyone is interested in 3 tickets for The Damned show in Newcastle let me know. A friend has managed to buy them for the wrong venue and is open to offers. Face value £45 each

Video in the next comment but just need to share this glorious thing.

Heard this in a shop yesterday (a very hipster denim shop in Spitalfields where I could buy a pair of jeans that cost as much as a washing machine). I did one of those stand still in the shop just listening to it (much to the consternation of my wife) things and then got Soundhound out.

My intent is to secure 4 tickets for Wembley next August. My daughter especially is a fan and my wife is very keen to see them. My son and I are both partial to ‘ver Play. And I doubt anyone doea big gigs better. And gig going as a family is one of my favourite things.

I joined and was immediatly thrust into position 55,042 at 09:00. 55 minutes later, I have reached a dizzying 37,659. This is clearly going to go on until lunchtime when, I fear, the tickets will run out before I have managed to get 4. I will keep you posted.

I like a comedy gig and a few years a ago, I saw Micky Flanagan at the Reading Concert Hall – I think at the start of what became his Out Out tour. I laughed a lot – nearly fell of my chair at one point and a very good time was had.

We haven’t seen him since – to be honest, I am of the opinion that we saw him at the peak of his powers. But, an email from Reading Arts gave me, a humble member, news of a gig at the Reading Hexagon and the ability to get some tickets on a pre-sale. Mrs LB suggested buying tickets would be a very good idea.

Reminder set for this morning at 10:00, I dutifully refreshed a few times, became part of a queue (I was number 3 – either I was on fire with the timing or demand levels were slightly off Oasis levels.

Shortly, I had the option to pick some seats, I selected the fron of the balcony and let out a little noise of shock as I appeared to have picked top of the range tickets. £65 each plus booking fees (slightly less for me » Continue Reading.

Sometimes you wonder how a song that ticks so many of your boxes manages to evade you for 21 years. Heard this for the first time (I think at least) this weekend and its wonderful piece of jangly, harmonic pop. Greg Gilbert’s voice is the star of the show (although it is a fantastic ensemble show). The album it is from (the wonderfully named Faded Seaside Glamour is also fantastic. The other albums seem very highly regarded so I ma looking forward to delving deeper.

Video in the comments.

This is very funny. Apologies for the French subtitles.

This was quite chucklesome.

It will be interesting to see how much of an event this becomes. My 16 year old son was mildly excited to see Liam Gallagher at Reading on Sunday. It seems todays kids think of them very much as the Wonderwall hitmakers. He was underwhelmed – probably becasue he was at the front for Fred Again the previous night and his mind was impressively blown.

Given that bands (there are some exceptions) generally get more ploddy and less enegrgetic as they become a heritage act, and that Oasis were fairly ploddy to start with, I’m not expecting much and will definitely keep my money in my pocket.

Anyone excited? Anyone planning on going?

I suspect you don’t even have to like Middleton’s second best ever band that much to appreciate the joy in this clip. It’s a great tune, a band that are absolutely on it and an audience determined to have as much fun as possible.

I wish I had been there.

In a moment of extremely crap diary management, I have managed to double book a Procurement Conference in Frankfurt with Stewart Lee at the Reading Hexagon on 29 February.

On the basis that none of you want to go to the conference, I have a pair of tickets (decent seats – centralish on the 5th row of the balcony).

Face value only – £59 the pair. Let me know if you are keen.

Any other love for Loudermilk? It’s very funny and it’s on Netflix. Sam Loudermilk is the recvoering alcoholic addiction counsellor. His group is a pperfect ensemble of characters to base a comedy series on. It mellows a little over the three series but its consistently funny.

What makes it even better are the musical references and the way that they sometimes become central to whats going on.

The video – Lissie – When I’m alone is a case in point. The song is a cracker but it also becomes integral to the series 3 story arc.

I suspect a few around here would like it.

What a wonderful, powerful, important and vital piece of television this is. The acting is absolutely first rate. The four episodes perfectly paced. The story is shocking and anger inducing in equal parts.

If you haven’t watched it, you really should.

Actually, it’s even better than that. It’s a country rock version of Nelly’s Hot In Herre sung by Chance The Rapper.

https://youtu.be/TRCJZ9Uup3w

I know I’m late to the party but my 14 year old son streamed this to the Chromecast tv in our Airbnb and I thought it was brilliant.

I have a personal email address and website package from IONOS. I only use the email really and have accounts set up for immediate family. Overall the service is good but it costs £115 per year and I’m only using the mail function.

Is there a cheaper way to have my domain hosted just for email? Or should I bin it and use my gmail or apple mail instead?

Views most welcome.