.....and then 3 come along at once!

They say all good things come in threes and today certainly has followed that rule for me, so in no particular order here's what has made my day;

1] With the current fashion of nostalgia in the music world box sets are being released everywhere we look. However I was very excited to find out that The Clash are releasing a box set in the shape of a boombox (well, at least that's new!) which will feature the remastered versions of their first five albums and tapes from Mick Jones. In addition to this the box set will also include a DVD of  previously unseen footage.
Another jump on the remastering albums bandwagon for easy money? Perhaps!
Will I be caving into this blatant act of consumer exploitation? Shamefully yes!

2] I wrote an article a while back on the Manchester indie band Bauer with a review on their album 'Sleeping Giant'. As most of you know I always route for the physical release of albums and after pestering Bauer for a while, they announced on Twitter today that the physical copy of 'Sleeping Giant' will be out Monday, available from Townsend Records online.

3] One of my close friends (the fashion guru Becky Ferris)  is completely smitten with 'The Great Gatsby' and has been waxing lyrical about all things Gatsby for weeks now. So on her recommendation I gave the soundtrack a listen to. But while she so enamored with Lana Del Rey, she forgot to tell me that Jack White features also! 'Love is Blindness' is what Jack White does best, sexy moodiness which bursts at the seams with epic guitar lines. A track I could certainly listen to for hours on end.

I'm so content with all the above that I almost forgot I have a 3 hour exam tomorrow.....

The Front Bottoms Return to London Town

Greil Marcus wrote in his publication 'Lipstick Traces' in 1989:

'At Winterland people pushed, but not, it seemed with anger or fear, but with delight, almost as a greeting.' 

This is how I greeted, and was greeted by, the punk followers of The Front Bottoms on the night of the 23rd April* at Camden's Barfly. Usually at punk concerts, I have had to nudge, elbow and tut my way into defending my small standing space on the floor, but the camaraderie at this concert was unique with it's imported all-American friendliness in terms of the unwritten rules of moshing. Although I emerged from the venue covered in bruises and feet so frequently jumped on it was painful to walk, I had a massive grin plastered across my flushed face. But the best way to begin any story,  is well, at the beginning! 

I met Matthew Uychich (AKA DJ Pumpkin...bless!) by the merchandise stand as I entered the venue and so I took the opportunity for a little chit-chat until the support act came on. The support came from a male solo artist, whose name eludes me but I will get back to you on that one! Although his music was on par, average it did include many comical elements which created a relaxed atmosphere. As The Front Bottoms opened with The Beers, I was at the back of the crowd but with the soaring, electrical pulse that suddenly filled the room I found myself unwittingly by the front of the stage in under five seconds time! For those of you who have heard the Front Bottom’s self-titled debut album you would know that the appeal is in the unpolished acoustic, scratchiness of the Punk 'record it in your bedroom' vibes. However at the gig, they managed to keep this appeal while performing the songs from their debut at a faster, electrical manic pace. Matthew and Brian were joined on stage by session musicians which gave their songs a more polished and professional edge to when I had seen them previously last year. This was demonstrated in the teasers which they gave from their next album 'Talon Of The Hawk'. I managed to catch a quick interview with the session bassist following the gig and asked him about the new, professional direction which The Front Bottoms were taking, which he replied was due to funding for a better recording studio and the new album would be a lot more refined in it's quality. 

Jumping and moshing by the front of the stage was exhausting but between songs, Brian indulged in a bit of banter with the crowd with jokes that my Grandad would have been proud of (eg: 'I was wondering why that frisbee was getting closer and closer.....and than it hit me' oh dear!) which gave us a minute or two to gasp for air.One thing that you should understand about The Front Bottoms is that their fans don't like them....they LOVE them with every sinew. This manifested itself towards the ends of the set as everyone became a crowd surfer and as they closed, we all stormed the stage and caught up in the manic euphoria, I threw my arms around Brian's neck and gave him a massive kiss on the cheek. Every kiss has a meaning and this one meant 'you are fucking awesome!!' 

Me and DJ Pumpkin 

Although The Front Bottoms are an American band, you should definitely try and catch them when they return to the UK. Their second album to be released in the UK, Talons Of The Hawk is due out next week. 

*The delay in writing this up has been due to a very hectic schedule due to final year exams so apologies