The Afterword

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The Stranglers

by 57 Comments

Venue:

Roundhouse

Date: 01/11/2025

A tale of 2 bands tonight. The Stranglers supported by the Buzzcocks

Both bands down to 1 original member, JJ Burnel and Diggle

Buzzcocks were quite frankly, tuneless and dreadful. Most songs incomprehensible. Even the ones I recognised butchered. Honestly just knock it on the head

The Stranglers were better, but in my opinion they aren’t the band with 1 original member. The tunes are reproduced faithfully enough and JJB is still a charismatic and great bass player, but the whole thing seemed soulless. I know they’ve been going a long time without Hugh but now Dave and Jet are dead its really flogging a dead horse

What other bands would be in this position of ever decreasing returns?

The audience:

Obviously the older generation. I felt positively youthful

It made me think..

Bands with few original members should quit

Julian Cope – Friar Tuck

by 39 Comments

What does it sound like?:

Julian Copes output in the noughties onwards is very variable at best. I made the mistake of buying his 70 minute ambient mellotron album last year that is an exercise of torture

However I read a few things that suggested this was a “proper” album and indeed it is. There’s only “Me and the Jews” that sounds like he made it up as he goes along The rest are proper vintage Cope with proper melodies and everything. Bits of it remind me of Fried

It doesn’t appear to be on any streaming services or been reviewed anywhere. I only knew it was coming out as I’m on his Twitter account. Would be a crying shame for it to disappear into the ether and not be heard, but I’d get why people gave up on him years ago considering the volume of dirge he puts out at times

It’s very low fi ala Skellington of course but I’d say this is his best album in 20 years plus. If only he’d tour again…

What does it all *mean*?

The old bugger still has it in there somewhere

Goes well with…

Release Date:

18th October

» Continue Reading.

Gruff Rhys

by 7 Comments

Venue:

St John’s Church Kingston

Date: 29/01/2024

St John’s Church is always a good intimate venue and wanted to see Gruff for a while. Played of course most of his new album Sadness sets you free. This is a good thing as it’s a corker. I wasn’t too on board with a lot of his solo work but he unusually seems to get better the later he gets

This album and the one before are way better in my opinion than than the ones before. Going for the more reflective and beautiful and the stripped down non drummer set suited it perfectly

Cover up the cover up, an anti Tory song is an absolute highlight. No SFA songs other than a great and obscure Colonise the moon. I wonder why he won’t make a new SFA album but maybe they don’t like the beautiful music he makes now.. he’s a genius in my book

But I’d love to see a new SFA tour as it’s criminally forgotten what a great band they are. The rest of the band are playing as Das Koolies and they are not bad at all, but they miss the beauty of Gruff for » Continue Reading.

Coping with death (trigger warning – do not read if you are affected)

by 112 Comments

I didn’t weather to post this but I’m out of ideas how to cope with something like this. I suffered the sudden death of one of my teenage children over the weekend. The pain is unbearable and quite frankly although I have other family to carry on for, I don’t feel like it.

If anyone has any words of wisdom I’m all ears. Apologies if anyone is triggered by me posting this, as I’m sure other people have suffered similar. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

Pulp

by 3 Comments

Venue:

Hammersmith Apollo

Date: 28/07/2023

Pulp are the greatest band of the 90’s IMHO. In fact probably my all time favourite so the chance to see them in a relatively smaller venue was too good to miss

They were magnificent. Played the hits but also the best of everything post 92, oldest song they played was Razzamatazz (and what a song that is) and they finished with Hymn to the North, a song I had never even heard before

Highlights for me were This is Hardcore and Glory Days from TIH, a great great underrated album. But to be honest as they reeled off song after great song, it’s hard to quibble with anything they played. We Love life is probably my least favourite of theirs from that period, but they played Weeds and Sunrise and both sounded bloody great.

Jarvis wouldn’t like the comparison I expect but he’s getting Mick Jagger esque, looking the same age and putting in the same stage moves as 30 years ago. He’s nearly 60, but looks same as before A brilliant frontman

Steve Mackey was missed from the band, he was such an integral piece, and they played a nice tribute » Continue Reading.

Belle and Sebastian

by 11 Comments

Venue:

Roundhouse

Date: 17/07/2023

The long cancelled B&S gig from 2 years ago finally went ahead at the Roundhouse. I saw B&S at a much smaller venue last year and they were way better to my ears. A bit more ragged but played more of their album from last year and a bit more soul.

Last night they played what filled me with dread, a lot of “deep cuts”, lingo for “not playing your best songs” It’s not an old vs new thing either, I would have liked to have heard a lot more songs from last years A bit of Previous as that was their best album in years I thought. But alas only 1 song

Stuart Murdoch does seem to have a gap between what he thinks his best songs are and what they actually are. They could churn out a flawless set if they got rid of the landfill. Definitely underwhelming and won’t be seeing them again.. venue is great though I wish they’d bring back the real ales…

The audience:

Surprisingly young audience I thought, for what is basically a nearly 30 year old band

It made me think..

Legends but why exactly…

by 190 Comments

The Kevin Rowland thread got me thinking about bands or artists who achieve legendary status with very little music of merit. I quite like Dexys and just bought the Too Rye At reissue. It’s good but nothing earth shattering.

Kev hasn’t released much else. Is it just that 1 album Don’t Stand me Down bestowing his legendary status? Or is it more because he’s good copy and a character?

Stone Roses were the other one I thought of. 2 fairly good albums and nothing else

Which other artists have the biggest gap between credibility, acclaim and the lack of decent music they released?

Gaz Coombes

by 5 Comments

Venue:

Pryzm, Kingston

Date: 13/01/2023

Friday 13th happens to be the day that Gaz Coombes new album “Turn the car around” comes out, and he has a warm up show in Kingston.

Listened to the new album earlier before the concert and enjoyed it. Not sure what he’s been through last few years but seems a bit more lyrically deep, lots of references to love and loss. Maybe a break up or death somewhere

Played mainly the new album, he’s as ever an excellent live performer. The band were good but lack a bit of fire, like his proper band. The newer material sounded much better than his earlier solo stuff. Changed his guitar pretty much every song. Played no Supergrass stuff despite a few optimistic shout outs for Sun hits the sky from the crowd.

I wonder if on a longer set he plays any of his older hits. I like the new album but I think a lot of his solo work sounds a bit samey over a whole set.

The audience:

Full of 40 something people myself included.

It made me think..

Gaz is same age as me in his mid 40’s but looks 20 » Continue Reading.

Jubilee concert

by 63 Comments

Against my better judgement I sat through the abomination that was the jubilee concert last night, albeit from the comfort of my sofa.

It was actually entertaining at points just to guess which act the randomiser chose next. And how bloody awful some acts were

Rod Stewart’s voice has gone completely . I didn’t think it possible to make Sweet Caroline more unlistenable but he managed it

Diana Ross popped up from her crypt. Actually quite good but reminded me of James Browns later performances. There wasn’t much Diana in it.

Alicia Keys playing her 1 hit and boring the pants of everyone with her other songs.

Andrea Bocelli proving how good Pav was by murdering Nessun Dorma

Elton literally phoning in his performance via Zoom.

And of course Queen with Adam Lambert, who weren’t bad in a tribute act type of way.

Please god the actual Queen doesn’t make to 75 years do we have to endure another one

The guy in the white suit

by 3 Comments

This is driving me insane… there was an album re released maybe 10 years ago, by a mysterious guy in a white lounge suit

He’d self released it back in the 70’s and then it was rediscovered recently and re released. No one knows where the guy is now I recall it being quite a floaty pleasant type of listen but I cannot for the life of me remember the guys name.. it was in Mojo I think so someone on here must know it… Help!

Breaking Bowie virginity

by 23 Comments

Well almost… I’ve never listened to a Bowie album all the way through other than Blackstar (which I loved)

I’ve heard the hits of course, most of which are great, but also been underwhelmed. But I can’t help feeling there are nuggets I am missing but the sheer volume of material is daunting. Am I missing it or is it enough with the hits I wonder…

So thought I’d try at 2 opposite ends.

First up – Tonight As the supposed nadir of his career I enjoyed a fair chunk of this. Loving the Alien is great, and Tonight is not bad and I quite like the reggae bits. Of course it’s not a classic but I’ve heard worse. Is it really that much worse than Let’s Dance, which I get the impression was also a couple of hits, an Iggy cover and filler.

Then second up – Hunky Dory Some over familiarness with songs like Life on Mars, Changes, Queen Bitch but they sound better on an album. Kooks the first genuinely new good discovery. I kept reading the Bewley brothers was a classic but sounds a dirge to my ears. Some good songs here but doesn’t hang together » Continue Reading.