Rewind The Film: New Video Released by the Manic Street Preachers

21 years ago the Manic Street Preachers were desperate to escape the lonely isolation of their small Welsh town, Blackwood. They took us far away as they possibly could in order to make a name for themselves, even taking us as far as the bright city lights of Tokyo in 'Motorcycle Emptiness', losing themselves in the crowd.  Now more accepting of their Welsh heritage, The Manics are now looking back with contemplative nostalgia at their small town roots, swapping the bright lights of Tokyo for the dim bulbs of a Bingo hall.

 Richard Hawley lends his vocals to the acoustic track of Rewind The Film  as the video follows the everyday life of a senior citizen in the small Welsh valley. The video features no traces of the famous ego of the Manics but instead artistically portrays the alienation and urban decay of working class life. Wire, Moore and Bradfield demonstrate to us just how far they have matured as a band via the melancholy use of acoustic guitar and the brooding vocals by Hawley. However I am glad to say that Bradfield has not lost any of the  passion in his voice as he joins in the chorus.

Rewind The Film contains all the ingredients that made the Manic Street Preachers stand the test of time as a band; thoughtful, brooding lyrics with political undertones combined with talented guitar work, but yet it ushers us gently into a new era of the Manics which will come with their new album release later on this year.

On a sidenote, I purchased tickets to see the Manic St. Preachers perform their new album at the O2 Shepherds Bush empire in September. Excited is not a big enough word!

Exclusive Interview with Doncaster's hottest band, The Kavaliers

Rawness, originality and a whole lot of kicking attitude are the three things that determines what gets played on my iPod these days. Therefore when I came across The Kavaliers I was instantly taken with the energy which blasted through my speakers. It was the guitar solo by Matthew Brewin in the intro to 'Clouds' which made me sit up and pay attention to this band from Doncaster and as soon as the Richard Ashcroft-esque vocals (courtesy of Tom Statham)  kicked in, I was an instant fan. 

The lovely lads from Doncaster (Tom Statham, Jordan Booth, Liam Ambrose and Matthew Brewin) were even kind enough to grant me an interview so I could find out what they're all about. 

First things first, how long have The Kavaliers been on the Doncaster music circuit? 

About 5 years* but the current line up is relatively fresh with the new bass player present for 18 months and the new guitar player for about 7 months. 

How influential has your hometown been on the music you've produced?

Quite, one of our songs 'Shotgun Town' is about Doncaster. One of the only good things about the town is you can get a couple of tunes out about it. 

You have listed Oasis and The Stone Roses as your main influences. These two bands put Manchester on the map in regards to music and did much to challenge the London Music Scene. As you guys are based in Doncaster, do you reckon there's still a north/south divide in today's music? 

No, not really. The people we've met appreciate good music regardless of north/south divide

You've played The Polish Festival Doncaster, how important are festivals to the British music scene? 

Very, they give the bands the opportunity to reach a wider audience and network with similar artists in places they're not necessarily from. 

You've shared a stage with Pete Doherty, is he a fan of The Kavaliers?

I don't think he'll remember much of that night haha! 

Will you ever take a jaunt down to London to play a live set for your Southern based fans? 

Absolutely, if a gig offer comes in we'll be straight down! 

Finally, are there any plans for a future album release? 

We plan to record an ep of material in the coming months but if you can't wait pop down to a show. 

If you would you like to know more about The Kavaliers, head over to their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter

*ooops, I'm a bit late to this party

The Clash's 'London Calling': overused advertising slogan or definition of an era?

Although The Clash's 'London Calling' is forever being overused as an advertising slogans, keen to get tourists into London (which is the opposite to what the song is actually preaching) I have to argue that it is on the list of songs that defined an era, an era that was full of uncertainty and collective depression. This song will forever go down in Punk history as it contains everything a punk song should have; raw energy, crackling vocals, a message of impending doom and the dismissal of society as 'phoney' (phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust).

The ominous beat of the drums in the intro tells us that this song is a warning; a prophecy of nuclear disaster accompanied by the wailing warning sirens. Joe Strummer's husky, masculine vocals then suddenly explode into his tale of dystopia as he tells us that the positive ideology of the 1960s has gone for good.  London Calling is THE anthem of the 1970s, summing up the fear of nuclear technology and the decay of society. In fact, it would have been the ideal soundtrack to the government issued 'protect and survive' instruction videos as they are both acceptance of the grim situation. Strummer is preparing us for battle, telling us that the dream is over and we have to 'come out of the cupboard' to face the apocalypse. He isn't scared of London drowning and he lives by the river. 

The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in....

Following the second chorus, Strummer caws like a bird of prey circling the city. Such a raw expression of anger and frustration that was felt by many in a time of mass strikes and unemployment before he assures us that we cannot tell anything new as he was there too. London Calling is still today a punk classic which gets pulses racing and as far of prophecies of doom go, this is my favourite.

David Bowie Is... You!

Today my senses were treated to an exotic feast of decadent  rock and roll at the David Bowie Is... exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibition catered for the fast-paced, multi-tasking world of rock and roll that we live in, as at every turn music and visuals in the shape of video footage, Bowie's costume and personal items asked us 'David Bowie is....(what exactly?)

The vast array of costumes and original lyric sheets (seen on the right here) made me personally conclude that David Bowie is every man and every woman. The fact that an exhibition was curated for a man who is actually still alive made me realize why we are so hypnotized by his various alter-egos.  As I sat and watched Ziggy performing Rock 'n' Roll Suicide on a 20ft screen, I had my own epiphany, Bowie isn't a mythological superstar, he is simply everything David Jones had growing inside of him. Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, The Thin White Duke, Major Tom are all the people that we have inside of ourselves, they are our wildest desires, our curiosities, our lusts and passions. We all have these creative fires burning inside of ourselves which we sometimes have to repress due to the demands of our society. But David Bowie released every side he had and by exposing himself fully, he gave everyone else the courage to release their true selves, which was highly significant in the 60s/70s as homosexuality was still a highly controversial issue.

So David Bowie is the Sound and Vision that we all have inside ourselves, Bowie is the key to unlocking who we really are and want to be.

.....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

People Power: The 1p Album Club

The beauty of music is that it is a phenomenon which is accessible to all, to rich or poor, Scottish or Chinese, human or goldfish. This is due to the fact that the idea of music is on such a wide scale as it can be found from the Wembley Arena to homemade didgeridoos in the Australian Outbreak. This is why I was so interested when I found out about the 1p Album Club as it gives ordinary, everyday music fans a voice. In fact the 1p Album Club has even gained support from the likes of Bernard Butler.

The 1p Album Club's origins is a group of friends who realized that music is currently being undersold. By downloading an album for 1p from Amazon and reviewing it, readers are able to see the true value of music across the board. Although many may argue that they are practically stealing albums by purchasing them for 1p, I disagree. The reviews are aimed at not just music fans, but those who care about music. Therefore by giving the albums publicity and an honest opinion, people are more likely to purchase the album at an honest price. The 1p Album Club is open to all, and as they claim on their website, there's no clubhouse, membership fees, handshakes or uniquely striped tie. 

If you are interested in the 1p Album Club or would like to get involved then click here for info or even follow them on Twitter