Years ago, a friend lent me the CD single of Eels’ ‘Susan’s House’, from their 1996 debut Beautiful Freak. While I was suitably charmed by ‘Susan’s House’, my 15 year-old, Sylvia Plath-saturated brain was mesmerised by the b-side, ‘Manchester Girl’, a stark, melancholy treat.
Unfortunately, the CD was not mine, and my taped copy has long since bitten the dust, so you can imagine my delight when I discovered Manchester Girl featured on their recent alternative best of, Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Rarities and Unreleased.
So Leona Lewis has done it, and reached number one in America. And good on her. She’s undoubtedly a big talent, and could hardly afford to fail with the amount of dosh invested in her success.
But isn’t it remarkable - nay, criminal- that she’s the first UK female to achieve the feat of a number one single Stateside for 21 years (Kim Wilde was the last, in 1987)? Yes, yes it is, is the answer.
With that thought of pure fact ricocheting around your brain like some kind of truth bullet, read over for (deep breath) 21 WOMEN WHO SHOULD HAVE HAD NUMBER ONE SINGLES IN AMERICA BETWEEN 1987 AND 2008 JUST LIKE THE TITLE OF THIS PIECE SUGGESTS.
The Underage Festival. What a good idea that is. No, seriously. I know that I can be sarcastic sometimes, but hell, if you’re 14 and you’re sick of kicking out the jams in yer room or being chucked out of pubs, this is a godsend. So, with that, if you’re 14 - 18 years old, who can you watch?
Well, Gallows have been chosen to headline this year’s festival, which takes place in Victoria Park, east London on the 8th August. There are loads of other bands on too, some of ‘em pretty big names… Highlights including The Horrors, Sons and Daughters and the very fashionable Foals. Who else is on? Read over for a long list of bandnames.
‘Clubbed to Death’ by Rob Dougan. Where have you heard it? You’re probably listening to it right now. And ten minutes ago. And last night. In fact, this tune will have dogged you around almost constantly for the past year if you’ve switched the telly on at all in that time. Reality TV shows simply can’t survive without using this track to give an air of tension or credibility. Someone needs to take this tune outside and put it down before it keels over with exhaustion. That or I stick nails in someone.
[video: nh3nh4]
Posted by
mofgimmers on
Thursday March 27th, 2008 at
12:56 pm
If you can get past the appalling Fearne Cotton in this clip, you might just find a little bit of pop gold. Supergrass, pretending to be called Diamond Hoo-Haa Men, rattle through a fuzzed-up cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ on ITV1 show, Guilty Pleasures. Now, I take umbridge with this slightly as Thriller ain’t really a guilty pleasure is it? It’s a cracking LP! Anyway, Supergrass obviously feel a little shamed, so join in the blush and press play on the vidjio below.
[video: Parlophone]
Posted by
mofgimmers on
Thursday March 27th, 2008 at
12:45 pm
Not so long ago, in a post about Bon Jovi using their fans’ video-making talents as a way to create content for their live show, I rather flippantly stated: “Mark my words: within a decade your favourite pop star will be hectoring you to record their next flipping album for them.”
Well, we’re nearly there folks! Rivers Cuomo, frontman of Weezer and sometime songwriting genius, is asking you to help him write a new tune. He’s doing it all through his YouTube page named, heartstring-tuggingly, “RiversCuomoAlone”.
You thought she ran on crack and eyeliner, didn’t you? Well, maybe she still does. But apparently Amy Winehouse is all set to pull in £350,000 to appear at a venue powered by a much overlooked source of renewable energy: human sweat and urine.
Watt, a Dutch (might’ve guessed, eh?) nightclub, is going to be powered by the fluids of the venue clientèle themselves.
How long before Ken Livingstone and/or Boris Johnston create some kind of earcrime in aid of their campaigns to become London mayor? Until then, there’s still plenty of nonsense being recorded in honour of the upcoming US elections.
Following musical tributes to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, enjoy - as much as you can - “Raining McCain”, which is set to the tune of “It’s Raining Men”. I love how the lyrics bear pretty much no relation to the original song apart from the “it’s raining McCain” bit. However, my fave part is when one of them washes her face with a little John McCain. We’ve all wanted to do that at one point or another.
Check it out after the jump.
Have you noticed that most articles on The Sex Pistols feature a snap of the band in their ’70s pomp? That’s because these days, they look like a ridiculous troupe of sulky pantomime dames. So with that, we’re not bucking any trends and giving you a vintage snapshot.
So why this talk of The Sex Pistols? Well, the punks will play a warm-up show for their Isle Of Wight Festival show in Birmingham this summer, it has been confirmed. The re-reformed snot projectors are to play a tiny gig (for an act of their size at least) at the Birmingham Academy on June 11, performing in the city for the first time in over 30 years.
I almost feel dirty for typing this… but… I just don’t like Jimi Hendrix as much as I’m supposed to. At least, the Jimi Hendrix that everyone else loves. Now, that’s not to say Mr Hendrix isn’t without merit. Far from it. Jimi was a trailblazer. A black man making it in whitey’s world, mixing up soul with rock and playing a guitar like no other before him… or since. He looked the part, he strutted cool as a peacock and, let’s be honest, he was devilishly good-looking.
However, there’s something that doesn’t float my boat when Jimi is represented by the annals of rock. Getting stuck into a Jimi Hendrix LP is no easy thing. They’re often sprawling messes that are littered with too many long, noodly guitar solos and dippy lyrics about Aquarius and throwaway mysticism.
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The Priscillas@ Left 4 Dead 2 launch, Old Blue Last, London 19.11.09