David Ellcock has just posted about the audience behaviour at last night's Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan gig at the Manchester Academy.

I on the other hand would like to discuss what happened on stage. Or rather didn't. This is the first time I have been to a gig where I am able to repeat the entire evenings "between song banter" without fear of mistake. It was made up of just TWO post song "thank yous" from Mr Lanegan [who, while looking remarkably like Herman Munster's younger brother, spent the entire show looking mean n moody and didnt even crack a smile once] while Ms Campbell's contribution to the evening's chatter was one "thank you" and a reply to the shout of "We love you Izzy" with a "thanks, we need all the extra love"...and that was it. In full.

No "Hello, goodevening [insertnameoftownhere]"
No "I'd like to introduce the band..."
No "Here's one off the new album"
No "Goodnight, you've been a lovely audience"

Now I don't expect all performers to be great ranconteurs or stand up comedians but just the basics would have been welcome. Surely?

and may your chosen deity have mercy on it's soul...From the Lipster -
George Lamb wins radio Oscar

Neil Young gets a spider named after him

According to the Guardian web site Roger Waters has lost his giant inflatable pig and he wants it back. There's a $10,000 reward should you find it.

spotted on Spicks And Specks [ The Oz version of Never Mind The Buzzcocks but actually funny ] this video should appeal to anyone who's tried to converse with a teenager recently.

Despite all the pain already discussed pain torture and expense of buying tickets, I still manage to go to quite a lot of gigs. In fact I clocked up 22 shows already this year. I'm single and don;t drink or smoke, what else am I going to spend my money on? Anyways as also mentioned in previous post, I like to be at the front, because, well that's just the way I am. There is however a price to be paid for this. 1] Get there early and be prepared to queue for hours, sometimes in the cold and the rain. No problem, I go prepared and a few hours in the cold never hurt anyone as Captain Oats used to say.
2] Sitting through the Support Act. This is where the real pain is. Now if you are lucky you'll find an new artists who brings joy and delight into your life. It was as gig openers that I first encountered acts like Beth Rowley, Catherine Feeny and Kate Walsh. Now if you are REALLY lucky you'll just get someone who while not setting your world on fire, fills 30 mins without sending you to sleep. Then there are the other times when you find yourself confronted by something so dreadful that it makes you want to gnaw your own leg off. Having stood through the likes of Adem [those twee handbells!] Natasha Beddingplant [ who knew the brother would be the talented one?] and Breaks Co-op [ more like Lidl if you ask me ] I thought I was suitably hardened to the worst that the gig gods could throw at me. Oh how wrong I was.

Nothing prepared me for the sheer terror induced by Saturday's support that was Har Mar Superstar. Has anyone else seen this man? Does anyone like him? If so would they please explain him to me? Is he some sort of great cosmic joke? He stole 35 minutes of my life and I want them back god damnit!!!

What exactly is his appeal? Having disrobed down to his underpants and proceded to climb the barrier and mingle amongst the audience I was forced to remove my glasses to save what little eyesight I have left. The sight of his short fat sweaty body heaving up close and personal was possibly the worst gig going experience of my life and whats worse is that I have no one to blame but myself.

Anyone suffered worse than over half an hour of a be-mulleted nearly naked sweaty fat man screaming at them? Outside of Guantanamo Bay that is?

this is the new Amee Mann cd - scores double for both crap title and cover art.

I am a huge huge fan, but really this isn't going to win any converts. Surely she's not so scary that during the development meetings someone couldn't have gone "err it's a bit crap isn't it?"

well at least now they can if they want to.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/7317497.stm
I'm sure Mick n Keef will be dead chuffed.

just reading the new issue of the Radio Times to discover that Later is getting a 30min live show on Tuesdays at 10pm. Should be interesting.

why Mama Cass didn't end up the same way as Karen Carpenter?
It's always puzzled me you'd let anyone sing about you getting a bit chubby. Is this a more lyrical version of chanting "who eat all the pies?" Lovely song but that line just rankles.

not being a fan of the good Mr Waits, I'll not comment on how bad this could be...but I'm already a little scared.
http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2256359,00.html

I was reading Joe Queenan's amusing article about the Winehouse's Rehab single... http://music.guardian.co.uk/vinylword/story/0,,2254844,00.html
when I read this

"Elvis Presley had enriched himself in a genre that did not originate with his ethnic group. The Rolling Stones made a career out of sounding black, and Stevie Winwood and Joe Cocker made careers out of sounding even more black. (How come black singers never try to sound white? Why is there no African-American vocalist who sounds like the guy from Weezer?)"

OK so it's a comment made to get a laugh but it did make me wonder why there are no black rockers? Or are there and I've been too blinkered to notice? Why is there no all black rock band like Oasis or Stereophonics? [apart from the fact that they are a bit rubbish, but you get my point] Where, for that matter, is the black female equivalent of someone say like KT Tunstall?

I have a lot of time for Sheryl Crow. Really. So much so that despite the so-so last album, some friends and I are making the 400 mile round trip to London to see her play the Scala next week. Mainly because live she is terrific and the prospect of seeing her in a tiny venue is too much to resist. However she doesn't exactly make it easy on her fans. I have just heard the new album Detours...and well it's a bit rubbish really. A quick glance at the track list should really have been a warning to me with such titles as Shine Over Babylon, God Bless This Mess, & Gasoline. This is her Iraq album and frankly she's not happy. Now I'm all for pop stars making a statement and coming out in support of Hillary or Obama but try and keep it to one protest song per CD would you? Listened to in full and in sequence is just all just a bit too "worthy". I just hope she wont get all preachy at the gig.

I hope this is a lie
http://www.nme.com/news/nme/33935
may your deity help you if it's true

am I the only one who cant wait?

Watching this evening's Pop What Is It Good For? brought back some memories. My mother when she was a slip of a lass was a fan of Adam Faith who's record "What Do You Want" used to infuriate her father no end with the outrageous pronunciation of the word "baby" as "bye-bee".

Then there was, at the grand old age of 15, when I had my very own "dad moment" seeing The Smiths on TotP and saying, out loud as I recall "what the hell is this racket?"

To this day I have never got the Smiths or Morrissey...

the lawyers are at it again...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7176538.stm