Okay, Okay, Okay! been a while I know, i’ve been scouring the bowels of I-Tunes again and was really impressed by Stereolab-esque Ms. John Soda. If you like kind of german flavoured experimental electronica with an alternative slant then you could do a lot worse than this lot. Particularly recomended tracks are “A Nod on Hold” and “Hands”. Check them out at www.msjohnsoda.com

North Shields Fish Quay Festival comes round each year and generally get worse and worse. The smell of fish the washed up bands of yesterday headlining  to promote their best ofs (see Aswad/Cockney Rebel). The highlight is usually a portion of Noodles from the Japanese Noodle bar a water down pint and good raining on…..if your lucky! But you would miss it if it wasn’t on, kind of like Lost, an addiction but so far utterly pointless and unfulfilling.

Scowering papers in May of this year for Fish Quay Fest details led to a dead-end, it was true, no local festival to rip to shreds this year. What would Osibisia or The Real Thing do to promote their best ofs….Enter The Mouth of the Tyne Festival taking place in South Shields and Tynemouth (The UK’s equivalent to Malibu) Similtaineously, initial thoughts of this event were that it would be a small scale Fish Quay Festival spread over a broader area. I was happy to find out I was wrong, okay we had all the same trappings, street performers, jazz bands, stalls selling hippy jewellery, overpriced beer, icecream vans, fish n chips and stalls selling Clown scarecrows on sticks of course (honest! wot the f**k was that all about eh?). Weirdness aside, the festival was great down to four main factors.

1. There were no Charvers

2. It was well organised

3. The priory ruins was one of the best ever venues to see any kind of music, even if it is The Wildcats of Kilkenny and The Real Thing

4. The weather was sensational

 Okay I never went to South Shields, which could have been full of charvers, and let’s face it – often is, however, my theory behind the no charvers thing is, that firstly the festival wasn’t overly advertised, secondly the chavers probably thought that as you had to pay for the music on the first night the same applied on the second. It didn’t (que Simpson’s style ha-ha). The music was free on the second night (not great but free anyway). Stick on some salsa and the Chavers won’t know what the hell to do, if it hasn’t got a 4/4 beat then they’re in trouble!

You can only imagine what Spinal Tap live in this arena would be like, there always next year, I hope anyway.

Rockin, well Salsarin’ the UK’s  very own seventeenth wonder of the world

I was on the old I-Tunes the other day again and I came across Spinto Band. If you can imagine a cross between Talking Heads, specifically the jarring vocals, and Pavement’s DIY slacker approach to playing, with inventive chords and amusing lyrics, then your half way to Spinto land. This band are really great particularly recomended are Direct to Helmet and Oh Mandy (my fave!).

 

 Some amusing caption to accompany photo…………

They also seem very entertaining live; they were on Jules Holland a while back and are one of those bands who just seem to have a lot of fun on stage. This was borne out by the fact that they had an all band kazoo riff which was exciting enough for me. They also have an interchange between the two lead singers who have distinct and unique vocal styles which work very well in harmony. I’d completely forgotten to investigate them further, but I’m glad I did. Their music has a real spirit and invention to it which is at once charming but immediate and accessible. Well done lads. You can check out the video for Direct to Helmet or Mountains here, they’re canny good n’al that. If anyone knows if there gonna come to the North East (the UK’s “Gold Coast” for those not in the know) let me know….

I used to make a hell of a lot of compilation CDs for friends. I still do occassionally and used to enjoy getting horrific album covers to compliment the music within. “God Squad” album were always easy pickings as pictured below.

Mulligan and O’Hare?

I felt recently I was running out of amusing material for the compilations covers and scowered the net for any new material and man did I find a good sight. For the worst albums covers ever click here, this is a data base of the entire master works.

Check out this beauty entitled Reborn by Orion……….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nacho Libre?

There are 155 more where that came from too……if you know of any more please let me know.

I don’t know if  many people  remember Austrian Hip-Hop/Classical Muso, Punk Rockin, Dracula faced, James Bond-esque Falco, but when I was a nipper I actually had three albums by him! Yes he had at least three as well. Obviously in the UK and USA he was most famous for “Rock Me Amadeus”, some may even recall the poorly recieved “Vienna Calling” (tra-tra-tra!). Johan Holzel (Falco) tragically died in 1998 in a car accident.

However, he has been immortalised in an Austrian musical, cleverly entitled Falco meets Amadeus (see what they did there!) Now that I want to see. He was a massive hero in Austria (mind you so is Dj Otzi) and I believe the only way to watch the musical would be in German, unless they’ve managed subtitles at the theatre, which I don’t think they have yet. I’d love to see the musical interpretations of lyrics like “Munich Girls, jus-a -lookin’ for love” and “Cowboys and Indians: Russia and the USA”.

If anyone knows if this is out on Region 2 DVD I’d love you to post a comment!

Falco Das Musical!

 

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Son of Adam? No, Daughter of Eve? No, Son of Dave? Yup

 I don’t know if anyone is aware of Son of Dave? I saw Benjamin Darvill AKA Son of Dave’s ”act” on Jules Holland not that long ago, well maybe six months or something and in the words of Spinal Tap, “It was goooood!” If you’ve ever seen that Scottish Folkster KT Tunstall doing her solo of “Black Horse And The Cherry Tree” with her live samples and loops providing the backing…..then you know the kind of thing Son of Dave is doing. A one man band and orchestra of blues, his performances are surreal and bring to mind David Lynch and Film Noir. His music on record doesn’t inspire as much as seeing what crazy sound he can create live. You guessed it… he’s in town (Newcastle, a kind of Industrial garden of Eden for those not in the know) at the Cluny Bar on Wednesday the 19th July. Click here for further details

I heard that he was once in that Crash Test Dummies Band who did the “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” song, if you don’t remember it, check out the lyrics here. For god’s sake don’t let that put you off!

“……Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm(repeat until insane)”

Can you believe it yet more of it! local bands that is, not bulls**t. I remembered over the weekend I’d forgotten to plug, yet another local band. Facia are from the costal region, and although I have yet to see them live, as they arealways playing when I’ve got other plans (not an excuse!), they sound pretty damn good on their my space site which you can check out by clicking here

Keep me posted on up on coming gigs lads I will make it one of these days!

 

 

They’re mint….

 Do you watch Ferris Beuller’s Day Off whilst skiving from work? Do you backcomb your hair, own cherry red DMs and sulk around as your mascarra drips down your white powdered face? Do you have pogoing sessions round the front room, curtains closed and lights off to “Panic” by The Smiths smashing flowers off the side board in the name of nostalgia? If this sound like you - but you’ve hit thirty or so and tend to have dinner parties with close friends rather than getting trollied at the local goth/indie disco….. Then Nouvelle Vague are the band pour vous (sorry) and they are tres bon (sorry and I’ll stop). They are essentially a covers band, however, all their tracks are  alternative 80s music and some may be rather familiar. For example their versions of “Teenage Kicks” by The Undertones (from some advert for cars?), “I’ll Stop The World and Melt with You” by Modern English (from some mobile phone advert and the Mr and Mrs Smith Soundtrack) and ”Just Can’t Get Enough” by Depeche Mode (From some other bloody car advert!) are taken from their first album and will, no doubt, been drumed into your subconcious already, whether you like it or not. Their new album: “Bande A’Part” contains another corking tracklist which you can find by clicking here (this link has the debut album tracklist too, bonus!).

 I reckon they’d be great live – even with less revealing clothing

The main twist, for me personally is that they play new versions in a gentle gallic lounge style. Unlike the humourous Richard Cheese covers or the plain crazy Senor Coconut, there is an unpresidented air of cool and class about Nouvelle’s covers which makes them ideal background music for someone who grew up listening to 80s music.

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT NOUVELLE VAGUE CLICK HERE

 When not making cracking mid-field performances for club and country local lad makes nice tunage………

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes plus another Yes! N0rthern B0y rocks well lounges at least. N0rthern B0y is a project by Gary Bell well, is him really. Another local lad, but this will appeal to anyone with a touch of Royksopp here and a dash of Air there.  His slinky grooves should don films, adverts, TV screens and elevators across the globe like a fine feathered chapeau (or is it chapeaux? A f**kin bad-ass flamboyant hat anyway). Really, Really great check him out by clicking here.

 

           Free Diamonds!                                                   Expensive ones!

More Shameless, tasteless promotion, this time on behalf of old friends. Free Diamonds are a band from Newcastle, Uk who have recently got snapped up by the well-respected Deep Elm Records in the US. They have possibly the most manic and unique sounding singer in Scott…..that alone is worth the admission fee. Free Diamonds? maybe not, but quite cheap on I-Tunes, Their debut Album “There should be more dancing” is oot noo. Check them out by clicking here.