2013 Summarized and 2014 Predicted

Once a year, usually as the month of December fades out into the dawn of a new era, I get visited by three ghosts. The Ghosts of Music Past, Present and Future come to visit as the midnight bells chime twelve..... Ok, I'll stop now as I'm sure there might be copyright laws involved at some point.
However it is that time of year when every music publication, blog, podcast etc review the best events of 2013. I have decided to tackle mine with also making predictions of what will occur in the future*, so here goes;

Best Album Releases

The Next Day - David Bowie

Past:  The King of Pop and personification of rock 'n' roll had been in self-exile since his 2004 'Reality' tour. After leading everyone into thinking that the era of Bowie had been and gone, he carried out the most simplest of publicity stunts which just consisted of popping down the road for a pint of milk. The media were whipped up into a frenzy but even they couldn't predict the sudden, surprise release of 'Where Are We Now?' on the Thin White Duke's 66th Birthday, 8th January, with the announcement of a new album. The Next Day reached Number 1, Bowie's first since his 1993 album 'Black Tie, White Noise'.  

Present:  Bowie and Visconti are still holding all Bowie fans in a state of limbo by releasing contradicting statements over the possibility of live performances. 

Future: Different versions of 'The Next Day' will be released over the next five years with the promises of unheard tracks and remixes of original versions. Despite the controversy over the title track, The Pope will release a statement saying that he is a fan. 

Rewind The Film - Manic Street Preachers

Past: After waving farewell to the Welsh musicians at the O2 arena in 2011 as they announced they were embarking on a UK hiatus, I immediately began suffering Manic withdrawal symptoms (see what I did there?).  Remedy and much excitement came in May of this year however as James Dean Bradfield  announced to NME that recording was in progress of two new albums, with one being almost purely acoustic. Rewind The Film was nostalgia in its purest form for everyone involved as the Manics explored the ideologies that had moulded them as a band.

Present: Nicky Wire is carefully selecting his wardrobe for the tour of the second album. Milkman outfit or leopard print skirt, or both?

Future:  30 Year War will be used as the official song for Margaret Thatcher's memorial service in 2014 due to an embarrassing mix up on behalf of the Tory Party.

 

 New- Paul McCartney 

Past: It seems that 2013 should go down as the official year for musical nostalgia as Paul McCartney released his sixteenth studio album to express his memories of the days before The Beatles as well as more recent events in his life. Selecting producers such as Mark Ronson, McCartney went against the grain of what was to be generally expected of him by making a fun-loving pop album. 

Present: 'New' reached number 3 in the UK album charts and I wouldn't be surprised if DJs everywhere are selecting tracks from the album to put on their New Year's Eve Party song list. 

Future: Paul McCartney will go down in history as the most successful Post-Beatles Beatle.

Best Live Performances

 Roger Waters - The Wall 

After sharing air with the legendary Roger Waters and seeing performed live one of the most famous albums in British history, I predict that I will still be wearing the Tee Shirt when I'm old and frail. On a more serious note, the concert has also inspired me to get more involved in politics and hopefully one day I will get a chance to teach impoverished children in third world countries so that they can have a fighting chance in this world. 

Beady Eye -BE 

'You're not a mod,  you're just a c**t in a Parka coat' I thought to myself as Liam Gallagher swaggered onto stage at Kingston's New Slang. Kudos to New Slang for getting a Gallagher brother up onto their stage but the night for me just contained pure comedic value. You can imagine the crowd that they drew for their acoustic set and although I had managed to wiggle my way to the front, Liam was sat down on a stool so that anyone from the third row back couldn't see their Britpop hero. Cue shouts of 'STAND UP YA PRICK', 'NOEL WOULD STAND UP' and the wittier 'SIT DOWN IF YOU LOVE MAN U' .  I predict that Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will turn up at Kingston in a demonstration of 'whatever our Liam can do, I can do fucking better...a''ight?' 

Magistrates

The Magistrates had it all together back in 2009, on the verge of huge success. Unfortunately the promise of a debut album never actually materialized and the band went their separate ways. Last month the band were on stage together once more with their new(ish) single 'When We're Apart' as they tested the water. The band create a vibrant, party atmosphere with their electro-dance beat which enables the crowd to just let go of their inhibitions. Hopefully 2014 will see a release of an album to accompany them on their tour. 

Best Moments

Leaving work one night, I had a couple of hours to kill before heading over to New Slang to see The Front Bottoms, my favourite American band. There was no point in heading home so me and my boyfriend decided to amble round Kingston before we spotted Brian, the lead singer of the Front Bottoms, come out of the club. He was rather restless before the gig and so we gave him a quick tour of Kingston. It was rather surreal as we chatted away about many different things, such as explaining to him why it is not okay to be a Milwall supporter. We ended up giving him our Kingstonian scarf to make sure that he went away supporting a decent 'soccer' team. My 2014 prediction is that one day he'll turn up on the terrace to see Kingstonian play. 

My inability to grasp modern technology manifested itself on the worst possible day. My camcorder would chose not to work on the day I had my first ever live interview wouldn't it? However it was fantastic getting the opportunity to interview Mutineers as it felt just more like a friendly conversation, even if I'm still struggling to get the footage from my phone to my computer. I can see Mutineers making more of a name for themselves in 2014 with their upcoming tour whereas I'll be beginning a one-woman war against technology.












*not actually psychic

Mutineers: A Live Review

As I walked towards the Islington last Friday night I was shaking despite the unseasonably warm weather. This was the first time I had been placed on a guestlist so I could review and than interview the headline act. I don't belong to any publication and I am fairly new to all of this. I was stupid to be so nervous though as everyone I met was the polar opposite of the indie hipster stereotype that I was so scared I would have to deal with.

The Mutineers were originally scheduled to play at the London Rattlesnake but due to complications, they had to be shifted to the The Islington. This than meant that the support acts also underwent a shift and artists that were not scheduled for the event warmed up the crowd. I entered the tiny side room where a handful of people lined the walls watching the first act. Unfortunately I was too late to catch her name but the crowd had fallen into a hushed trance with the beauty of this Cornish songstress' voice. Sat behind a keyboard was a petite blonde solo artist singing soft, melancholic ballads in minor key. As talented as she was however, I couldn't help but think that she had an air of snobbery about her due to the song she closed on. 'America' was a tale of how she wanted to leave her small Cornish town for the open spaces of the United States. Fair enough. However the lyrics suggested that she felt she was too good for the people of her hometown, with a lot of emphasis on teenage pregnancies and at one stage even suggested that the working class were happy with their lot, with her being the only one who wanted more. I don't deny how effortlessly she hit her notes and how beautifully she played the keyboard, but that final song did irk me! The next artist was extremely successful in entertaining the crowd. Nothing gets everyone singing and dancing more than a man with a ginger beard doing folk songs about whiskey (think Johnny Cash becoming a member of The Dubliners). Moment of mass confusion soon arose however when he dropped his guitar pick, let go off his guitar and the music continued! Wasn't this meant to be live music? Although I will give him the benefit of the doubt given that he was given his slot last minute.

The intimate venue was soon buzzing with a friendly, vibrant atmosphere which was a perfect fitting for when the Mutineers arrived on stage. Charles on bass, looked sharp as ever in a turtleneck jumper and jacket combo with Mallins looking effortless in a casual black shirt. Although each track on their debut album 'Friends, Lovers, Rivals' contains hooking riffs and catchy lyrics which means you're still singing along hours later, hearing it all in an energetic live performance deemed it even more infectious which I didn't think could be possible. What makes the Mutineers unique as a band is that although their songs are moody, the bass lines are always funky and the beat always danceable. Each member was in their own element within their respective talents, Mickey engrossed on his guitar riffs gave a kick of rock n roll attitude to each song whereas Mallins', so pure within his vocals, effortlessly conveyed the emotion. If I had to name one element of the performance which did much to impress me was the subtle vocal harmonizing as it demonstrated to me that this band were perfectionists in everything they do.

What makes the Mutineers special as a band is that they contain all the melodic moodiness which is typical of Manc bands but each member is so particular in their given roles that their talents combined results in songs that showcase the fact you don't need record companies to be a success.

After the show, I sat down with the lads for a quick Q&A. Unfortunately technology and me never seem to get along and as result my camcorder refused to work. I'm still working out how to upload the footage onto here but as soon as I can I will do so.