I thought I'd get in on the eulogising too. I used to be a huge Michael Jackson fan back in the '80's. I remember seeing the Thriller video when it was released - my uncle went and rented it so we could watch it, and I hid behind the sofa because it scared me. For my best friends birthday one year, we went to see Moonwalker at the cinema, and I remember getting Dangerous on vinyl one Xmas, alongside Iron Maiden's No Prayer For The Dying. I'm not going to be alone in having memories like this.
Regardless of what music you like, even if you're the most kvlt black metaller, if you grew up in the '70's, '80's or '90's, Michael Jackson's music will have touched you in some way. It was like a security blanket, the one thing that would always be there. I don't think I ever considered that he would die so young, and not on the eve of making a comeback.
The demonisation of Michael Jackson the man has taken some of the sheen off of his career, perhaps deservedly, perhaps not. As a child star he was never going to have a normal life, and it has been well documented how that could easily have contributed to his problems later in life.
Regardless of what people thought of him in the end, whether you loved him or hated him, he was a one of a kind pop star. The first true pop star of the video age, the first to suffer the trial by media that has become so common these days. His death leaves a void in the music industry that not many will be able to fill.
In ten, twenty years time, people will remember where they were when they heard Michael Jackson had died, much like another generation remembers the death of Elvis. Rightly so. Few have ever achieved as much as Michael Jackson did in his life.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Bloodstock 2009
It's been an odd couple of weeks for Bloodstock. Last week, GWAR pulled out of the festival, leaving quite a few people disappointed. Bloodstock announced Anathema (previously announced to be playing Damnation) and Wolf (Already having played at Hammerfest, in breach of Bloodstock's own booking rules). That kept people quiet for a while. Then Fear Factory pulled out...
In fairness, Fear Factory cancelled their entire tour, including Sonisphere, but it hits Bloodstock harder as Fear Factory were a bigger band for Bloodstock than they were for Sonisphere. Even with the announcement of Entombed (also previously at Damnation) playing, it leaves a bit of a hole in the line up. Coupled with the odd choice to have smaller co-headliners and the even odder choice of Europe headlining the Sunday, it makes the bill seem distinctly average.
The problem this seems to be the sheer number of hard rock/metal festivals in the UK this year. Already we've had Hammerfest and Download, and we have Sonisphere, Bloodstock and Hard Rock Hell still to come. Add into that Deathfest and Damnation, one day festivals that Bloodstock organisers have said that they don't want to book the same acts as, it leaves a much reduced pool of bands to choose from. The problem is, Bloodstock don't like to book bands that are playing other festivals.
This works when the market is limited, but looking at the sheer amount of festivals it's becoming impractical. Bloodstock can't just book the smaller, more underground bands anymore, but a lot of the bigger bands want the larger audiences and paychecks that are offered elsewhere. Bloodstock looks slightly confused in the middle of all of this.
While Bloodstock is still ticking over nicely, it doesn't look likely to be able to hit the level of expansion that it seemed that it would. It may just be that next year the booking rules for the lower card will have to be relaxed, particularly since Hammerfest is happening again next March, and this years festival has an early march on bands that would traditionally be at Bloodstock.
I can't help but feel that the UK festival market has reached saturation point, and that something is going to have to give. I fear for the future of Sonisphere, particularly as tickets sales seem to be very sluggish. Download will be safe, having had a good recovery with a strong line up this year. Hammerfest and Hard Rock Hell are off-season and in many ways sheer marketing genius. Bloodstock should by rights be safe, but it would struggle in the face of any more cancellations.
In fairness, Fear Factory cancelled their entire tour, including Sonisphere, but it hits Bloodstock harder as Fear Factory were a bigger band for Bloodstock than they were for Sonisphere. Even with the announcement of Entombed (also previously at Damnation) playing, it leaves a bit of a hole in the line up. Coupled with the odd choice to have smaller co-headliners and the even odder choice of Europe headlining the Sunday, it makes the bill seem distinctly average.
The problem this seems to be the sheer number of hard rock/metal festivals in the UK this year. Already we've had Hammerfest and Download, and we have Sonisphere, Bloodstock and Hard Rock Hell still to come. Add into that Deathfest and Damnation, one day festivals that Bloodstock organisers have said that they don't want to book the same acts as, it leaves a much reduced pool of bands to choose from. The problem is, Bloodstock don't like to book bands that are playing other festivals.
This works when the market is limited, but looking at the sheer amount of festivals it's becoming impractical. Bloodstock can't just book the smaller, more underground bands anymore, but a lot of the bigger bands want the larger audiences and paychecks that are offered elsewhere. Bloodstock looks slightly confused in the middle of all of this.
While Bloodstock is still ticking over nicely, it doesn't look likely to be able to hit the level of expansion that it seemed that it would. It may just be that next year the booking rules for the lower card will have to be relaxed, particularly since Hammerfest is happening again next March, and this years festival has an early march on bands that would traditionally be at Bloodstock.
I can't help but feel that the UK festival market has reached saturation point, and that something is going to have to give. I fear for the future of Sonisphere, particularly as tickets sales seem to be very sluggish. Download will be safe, having had a good recovery with a strong line up this year. Hammerfest and Hard Rock Hell are off-season and in many ways sheer marketing genius. Bloodstock should by rights be safe, but it would struggle in the face of any more cancellations.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Steel Panther @ the 229 Club 16/06/09
Steel Panther are fast becoming one of the most hyped bands going at the moment, picking up press coverage and good reviews for their album 'Feel the steel'. The basic conceit is that they're a parody of an '80s hair metal band, and it's something that doesn't quite work on record, coming across as too puerile at times. The live show needed to be something special to make it work.
The 229 club seemed an odd choice of venue, particularly since I'd never even heard of it before. Just around the corner from Great Portland Street, it's hidden under some kind of student hostel. The time on the ticket said 'doors at 19.00'. we arrived at 19.45, and the doors were untroubled by the idea of opening. I was after 20.00 before we finally got in. Not the best start.
Inside, Steel Panther pennants hung from the ceiling, and giant posters of the band adorned the walls. A small venue, it filled up pretty quickly. Even so, we still had to wait until after 21.00 for the band to take the stage, opening with 'Eyes of the panther'. The sound was good, and the crowd got into it nicely, but what was surprising was what happened when the music stopped. Steel Panther, it turns out, are a heavy metal cabaret show.
Perhaps due to their origins as a straight covers band in LA, they have the banter between songs down perfectly, building up self deprecating jokes that work with the characters they've created and which lead nicely into the songs, giving them the edge that they're missing on CD. In many ways, the album is a lot like owning the soundtrack to 'This is Spinal Tap'. The songs are amusing, but you lose the context.
Musically the band were excellent, playing not perfect versions of their songs. A surprise highlight came when Justin Hawkins joined them onstage to add backing vocals to 'Party all night..' and then for a quick run through 'I Believe in a thing called love', which reinforced my idea that they're an American version of The Darkness, minus the subtlety.
Satchel, the guitarist, also treated us to one of the most over the top guitar solos I've ever seen, which culminated with him behind the drumkit playing the bass drum with his feet while playing classic guitar solos. The musicianship in the band is truly high quality.
By the end of the set they had the crowd calling for more. Having run out of original tracks we got note perfect versions of Motley Crue's 'Kickstart my heart' and Van Halen's 'Panama', which rounded the night off nicely.
While I don't expect them to have much of a shelf life, they are worth checking out next time they tour. Failing that, there's always hope for a Darkness reunion...
The 229 club seemed an odd choice of venue, particularly since I'd never even heard of it before. Just around the corner from Great Portland Street, it's hidden under some kind of student hostel. The time on the ticket said 'doors at 19.00'. we arrived at 19.45, and the doors were untroubled by the idea of opening. I was after 20.00 before we finally got in. Not the best start.
Inside, Steel Panther pennants hung from the ceiling, and giant posters of the band adorned the walls. A small venue, it filled up pretty quickly. Even so, we still had to wait until after 21.00 for the band to take the stage, opening with 'Eyes of the panther'. The sound was good, and the crowd got into it nicely, but what was surprising was what happened when the music stopped. Steel Panther, it turns out, are a heavy metal cabaret show.
Perhaps due to their origins as a straight covers band in LA, they have the banter between songs down perfectly, building up self deprecating jokes that work with the characters they've created and which lead nicely into the songs, giving them the edge that they're missing on CD. In many ways, the album is a lot like owning the soundtrack to 'This is Spinal Tap'. The songs are amusing, but you lose the context.
Musically the band were excellent, playing not perfect versions of their songs. A surprise highlight came when Justin Hawkins joined them onstage to add backing vocals to 'Party all night..' and then for a quick run through 'I Believe in a thing called love', which reinforced my idea that they're an American version of The Darkness, minus the subtlety.
Satchel, the guitarist, also treated us to one of the most over the top guitar solos I've ever seen, which culminated with him behind the drumkit playing the bass drum with his feet while playing classic guitar solos. The musicianship in the band is truly high quality.
By the end of the set they had the crowd calling for more. Having run out of original tracks we got note perfect versions of Motley Crue's 'Kickstart my heart' and Van Halen's 'Panama', which rounded the night off nicely.
While I don't expect them to have much of a shelf life, they are worth checking out next time they tour. Failing that, there's always hope for a Darkness reunion...
Friday, 12 June 2009
Faith No More @ The Brixton Academy 10/06/09
So. There was a lot of anticipation for this one, wasn't there? The first Faith No More gig in eleven years, and it sold out almost immediately. There was a definitely a feeling that it could be something special. I saw them on their last UK tour, playing the Cambridge Corn Exchange of all places, and always felt priviliged that I got to see them. Getting to see them again was a bit of a bonus.
The Academy was uncharacteristically good about getting people in, which meant we had time to hit the bar before the support act, Selfish Cunt. I get the impression that Mike Patton had more than a little to do with the choice, as they ran through a set of garage-y music designed to bait the crowd, complemented by the singer dancing like an avant garde extra from Saturday Night Fever. The crowd booed, the band got off on it, and I loved it.
Of course, it was always going to be Faith No More's night. Finally arriving on stage amid a great sense of anticipation, they opened with a cover of 'Reunited', fittingly, before launching into 'The Real Thing' and 'From Out Of Nowhere'. Despite some inital muddy mixes, they hit top form, and you'd never guess that they'd been away for so long.
More obscure tracks followed, littered with the classics and some amusing banter ('So, you're the children of the people who came to see us last time?') and a phenomenal amount of energy from the whole band. My personal highlight came during 'Midlife Crisis' (dedicated to everyone at the back) when the crowd sang the chorus, perfectly and without prompting. Epic then sent the crowd mental.
Two encores later, we left after making sure there was nothing else to come. Despite missing out a few big songs, they proved that very much still have it. Not only that, they're still one of the best bands around. It's good to finally have them back.
The Academy was uncharacteristically good about getting people in, which meant we had time to hit the bar before the support act, Selfish Cunt. I get the impression that Mike Patton had more than a little to do with the choice, as they ran through a set of garage-y music designed to bait the crowd, complemented by the singer dancing like an avant garde extra from Saturday Night Fever. The crowd booed, the band got off on it, and I loved it.
Of course, it was always going to be Faith No More's night. Finally arriving on stage amid a great sense of anticipation, they opened with a cover of 'Reunited', fittingly, before launching into 'The Real Thing' and 'From Out Of Nowhere'. Despite some inital muddy mixes, they hit top form, and you'd never guess that they'd been away for so long.
More obscure tracks followed, littered with the classics and some amusing banter ('So, you're the children of the people who came to see us last time?') and a phenomenal amount of energy from the whole band. My personal highlight came during 'Midlife Crisis' (dedicated to everyone at the back) when the crowd sang the chorus, perfectly and without prompting. Epic then sent the crowd mental.
Two encores later, we left after making sure there was nothing else to come. Despite missing out a few big songs, they proved that very much still have it. Not only that, they're still one of the best bands around. It's good to finally have them back.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Faith No More
Faith No More are playing the Brixton Academy tomorrow night, their first gig in eleven years. It's a warm for their headline performance at Download on Friday, and it cost far more than I would normally pay for a gig at the Brixton Academy. but it's Faith No More, the band that most people thought would never reform.
They were a unique band back in the nineties, being one of the first metal bands to use hip-hop elements (which rather unfairly seems to get them blamed for nu-metal), but they stood out more to me for their lack of a rock star attitude. Hell, they sacked the only one of the band to think he was a star. Fame never sat well with them, which was odd for a band I remember seeing on Top Of The Pops, and it wasn't too surprising when they split up. They'd become too commercial for their own sensibilities.
I saw them on the last UK tour they did, back in 1997. They played the Cambridge Corn Exchange and blew me away. I've spent the better part of a decade being able to lord it up over people that I saw them live. Now the world and its dog is going to get the chance, and, despite the fact that it means I won't be able to gloat anymore, I'm glad that people will get the chance to see them and have the memories that I've had for the past twelve years. Besides, I get to go and see them too.
Now all we need is for Soundgarden to reform...
They were a unique band back in the nineties, being one of the first metal bands to use hip-hop elements (which rather unfairly seems to get them blamed for nu-metal), but they stood out more to me for their lack of a rock star attitude. Hell, they sacked the only one of the band to think he was a star. Fame never sat well with them, which was odd for a band I remember seeing on Top Of The Pops, and it wasn't too surprising when they split up. They'd become too commercial for their own sensibilities.
I saw them on the last UK tour they did, back in 1997. They played the Cambridge Corn Exchange and blew me away. I've spent the better part of a decade being able to lord it up over people that I saw them live. Now the world and its dog is going to get the chance, and, despite the fact that it means I won't be able to gloat anymore, I'm glad that people will get the chance to see them and have the memories that I've had for the past twelve years. Besides, I get to go and see them too.
Now all we need is for Soundgarden to reform...
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