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Day: 22 October 2013

Feature: Is Glasto Worth the Hype?

Written by Matt Byrne on . Posted in Music.

Glastonbury, a festival that was initially free and a safe haven for travellers has become the jewell in Britain’s festival circuit, with the amount of people there each year making it temporarily the third largest city in the South West. With the demand for tickets now so high and outweighing the 120 000 supply, the  Glastonbury  ticket sale is now a frantic button bashing event that leaves a lot disappointed at the outcome. This year tickets sold out in record time although See tickets failed to sell a ticket in the first half hour, leading to just a few disgruntled customers. See tickets then responded by tweeting “Thanks for all the advice. Never knew we had so many IT consultants following us”. This measured response did little to ease the storm – not the best way to encourage customers to buy through them in the future.

Is the early wake up worth it though? Would you be better off seeking cheaper alternatives and still have just as much fun? Naysayers insist Glastonbury has transformed from a place of escapism for everyone, to a very much middle class love-in – with the price of a Glastonbury ticket now above £200 you can understand some of their gripe. But if you compare it with the other large festivals in the UK, they are all in the same price bracket, and if you’re paying per act then Glastonbury wins hands down. There are alternatives overseas, but with travel expenses this can work out just as pricey. But what about the infamous Glastonbury weather, surely that’s  a major turn off. However last year Glastonbury (much bemoaned for its wet and muddy conditions) was bathed in sunshine throughout the weekend.

Whilst Reading and Leeds have strayed from their rock roots, Glastonbury has stayed true to providing a diverse range of music. Where else could you see half of a career-spanning set from The Rolling Stones, then go and indulge in Olympic opening ceremony contributors Fuck Buttons atmospheric electronica. Each year Michael Eavis books a mix of established acts and Glastonbury newcomers, making the line-up appetising for young and old.

Music continues long into the night as well – Glastonbury is well known for special guest DJ sets, notably Shangri La (Thom Yorke was there last year), or see Fatboy Slim play in a giant Arachnid. There’s a wide range of literature, theatre and comedy on show too for all the Travel Agents who’ve gone because they think they have to. Even a casual stroll around Glastonbury delivers extraordinary sights, such as a man playing a piano whilst riding a bike. A place where the weird and wonderful become the norm, you should definitely visit Glastonbury at least once in your lifetime, but if you’re like me you’ll be hooked after your first five days there, and want to spend at least a couple of months in your life wandering around worthy farm.

Live: Goo Goo Dolls

Written by Dan Whiteley on . Posted in Music.

Manchester Academy 1,

16th October, 2013

7/10

If you’ve ever happened to bring up the Goo Goo Dolls in conversation, you’ve likely received one of two responses – either “Christ, are they still about?” or “they did ‘Iris’, right? My mum loves that song.” Such is the current status of Buffalo, NY’s most famous sons; it’s been fifteen years since a slew of ballads and jangly rock anthems made them MTV and pop culture icons. Fast-forward to 2013, and, with newly released tenth album Magnetic in tow, the band are keen to prove they’re not just another nostalgia act.

After a warm-up set from the newly reformed, leopard-print loving Flesh for Lulu, the Goos kicked off proceedings in curiously low-key fashion with new album track ‘Last Hot Night’. However, it wasn’t until the early one-two punch of fan favourites ‘Slide’ and ‘Here is Gone’ that they properly got the crowd going. Their hit-heavy, slickly executed ninety minute set largely depended on their more subdued recent albums – save for 2010’s moody Something for the Rest of Us, which was omitted completely – all but ignoring the scrappy grunge pop of their formative years.

The band themselves seemed genuinely glad to be back on the live circuit, as frontman John Rzeznik – with his trademark mega-fringe hidden under an unassuming beanie – regularly bantered and shared personal stories with the crowd between songs, and bassist Robby Takac grinned and headbanged along enthusiastically to even their softest tunes. ‘Black Balloon’ and their breakout track ‘Name’ were highlights, both showcasing Rzeznik’s husky baritone, with the only real lull coming in the form of recent single ‘Rebel Beat’, as its electronic flourishes and layered sound came off comparatively flat in a live setting. Takac also stepped up to the mic on occasion, his piercing rasp carrying the band through some of the more upbeat tracks in the band’s catalogue such as ‘January Friend’ and ‘Crash’, providing brief, light hearted interludes in a show that was otherwise fairly ballad-heavy.

The band held off playing signature song and instant tearjerker ‘Iris’ until near the end, and its unveiling received raucous applause and an enthusiastic sing-a-long from fans; the years had clearly not numbed its show-stopping potential. The Bon Jovi-esque ‘Broadway’ ended the main set, which was capped off with a brief encore containing a vamped-up cover of Supertramp’s ‘Give a Little Bit’, which ended the gig on a positive, almost celebratory note.

On paper, their performance was expertly delivered; one thing that became immediately apparent is how the Goo Goo Dolls have, in the intervening years between Dizzy up the Girl and Magnetic, turned into a polished, veteran live band. Whether this is entirely a force for good, though, is unclear – they’ve managed to iron out most of their kinks and flaws, but there’s also a sense that they’ve lost some of their energy and intensity along the way. This could also be down to the setlist choices, as they seem to mellow out more and more with every passing record.

In short, the Goo Goo Dolls are a likeable and enjoyable live band, and deserving of their longevity, but I left the Academy with the feeling that I wished I’d been able to see them the first time around instead.

Interview: Gentleman’s Dub Club

Written by Phoebe Clarke on . Posted in Music.

Pioneers of Reggae revival with modern dance floor dynamics, Gentleman’s Dub Club are a group of musicians, engineers and writers who are bringing the authenticity of live performance back to the UK Music scene. With their long awaited debut album FOURtyFOUR due for release on 21st October, I caught up with the band to discuss the creative process, social commentary and a live set up that’ll knock you sideways.

What is the concept behind the new album FOURtyFOUR? 

It’s really a combination of loads of different styles that range from Ska to Reggae, Dub and even some Grime in parts. We tried to reflect the heavy weight bass and fun in our live shows and capture that on record.

How important was it for you to have this variety of influences in your sound?

Well, as there is a lot of us, the influences mainly came from the music that we all listen to and like as people. The record was produced by our bass player, Toby and he did the vast majority of the production. Although the main concept was to capture the energy of a live show with different tempo and beats, the album mainly revolves around Bass music.

In five words then, how would you describe your sound for those who aren’t familiar with you? 

High energy Bass driving grooves!

Track ‘Riot’ has a very important social message. What inspired this?

‘Riot’ isn’t so much about London in particular or even social commentary. It’s more about the state of mind present in today’s youth. The track was quite a personal thing to Johnny (lead singer) and aims to reflect where society is at now. I’d say it’s more about how society is losing its humanity.

Are there any other tracks on the new album that are politically motivated?

‘Give It Away’ is about looking at peoples’ journeys. The band always have deep lyrics about human struggle alongside the party vibes.

With so many of you who make up Gentleman’s Dub Club, what is the creative process like?

It can be hectic, but generally there’s three or four main writers, they’ll bring a tune to the band, Johnny will think about main line melodies and lyrics and then we’ll all play it live and work out different bits of the structure. Normally however, the foundation of the song is usually written before it all comes together.

How important is it for you to have a live set up at your gigs?

The hardest part is to translate between the live and the record. Lots of artists have experienced that and so we’ve built up a reputation of consistently strong live songs that aim to smash it every time. The live is so important. With us it’s all live, no backing track. As the tempo swings around, it allows us to speed up and improvise and that’s the secret to a really tight live show.

What has been your favourite live show that you’ve done in the past and why? 

Outlook festival! Its always absolutely crazy with 6,500 people watching our show this year. This summer in Boomtown was also amazing.

We’re looking forward to hitting Hit&Run at Mint Lounge in Manchester on the 21st October. Last time we played Manchester, it was at the Ritz and it was absolutely packed.

What other artists are you really admiring at the moment?

Submotion orchestra are fantastic live and really good musicians. Also people like Congo Natty, who consistently put out amazing music.

What does the future hold beyond the release of this album?

We’re already looking at the summer for next year and festival season is always massive for us. We’re just starting to push into Europe, last year we played in India and now we want to tour France, Germany, Spain and America. That’s the big plan, to tour. We want to continue writing too although FOURtyFOUR took us 7 years to complete and so it’s a big accomplishment! Now we’ve found our method and formula for writing, it’s an exciting time.

You can catch the Gentleman’s Dub Club live at Mint Lounge in Manchester on 21st October by grabbing your ticket HERE.

Review: Captain Phillips

Written by Robbie Davidson on . Posted in Film.

Tom Hanks is one of the few actors who can play an everyman so convincingly and still be Tom Hanks. It’s this remarkable ability which propels Captain Phillips through the rough waters of films based on real events and comes out a storming success.

With a story of this calibre there is very little need for alteration. Based on the events in 2009 when the crew of Maersk Alabama were taken hostage by Somali pirates, and a subsequent US military operation was launched to rescued the ship’s captain who had been taken with the pirates after they left the ship in one of its lifeboats, is the sort of material for great cinema.

The producers have provided the material with a crew of master filmmakers, chiefly among them Paul Greengrass, whose unique style is perfectly suited to this story. The jittery, hand-held camerawork which has become synonymous with Greengrass (and copied by so many others) has at times been distracting, even slightly nausea-inducing, in some of his past films. But in Captain Phillips, where we witness the terror and drama of the ordeal almost exclusively from Phillips’ perspective, Greengrass’ intimate camerawork, aided by cinematographer Barry Ackroyd, creates a totally immersive experience. From the moment Phillips reads where he’ll be posted at the beginning of the film, through to the extra precautions he takes once on board and up until the green dot appears on his radar signalling the pirates’ arrival, Greengrass sets the level of tension at high and it only grows from there.

Greengrass and co have also made the brave decision to portray Phillips’ pirate captors as more than faceless villains. But nor does he try to humanise them to the point that you would pity them: the opening scenes where the pirates’ leader, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), recruits his team on the beaches of an impoverished Somali village, establishes that piracy for many young men is simply a job where there are none else to do- a sentiment expressed by Muse when confronted by Philips about why he had chosen a life of crime. But the potential for extreme violence always hovers, despite their claims that they are ‘merely fishermen’. Most remarkable of all is that despite knowing how this story ends, the threat that Phillips might not survive is constant almost right through to the final reel- a testament to Greengrass’ direction and Hanks’ brilliantly measured performance.

There are moments in the final half hour where the temptation for the film to turn into a Team America vs Team Evil Somalia is real but resisted. This restraint pays off and the climatic rescue leaves you neither cheering or weeping, but echoing the exhaustion and relief felt by our protagonist.

If Captain Phillips needs to be faulted, then its running time is slightly longer than perhaps necessary, a crime most Hollywood movies are guilty of these days, but given the real life event stretched out for five days, you’d forgive the producers for wanting to emphasise the duration of Phillips’ detainment. Besides, when Hanks is giving one of his best performances in years, a few extra minutes with Phillips and his captors in their cramped lifeboat is hardly a chore.

 

★★★★