you tried it just for once found it alright for kicks but now you find out that it’s a habit that sticks you’re an...
Issue 1 Feb 2009
Feeder The W idowmaker Kings Of Leon Adam Ficek Franz Ferdinand Goodbooks W hite Lies
“We’re
Exclus pirates, we st ive!!! them ou eal thing s and r own
THE PR ODIGY ”
make
Locked, l
oaded and ta king n o priso ners!!
Would you rather?
With
The Hoosiers
Justin Hawkins shows his Hot Legs @ Solent
Editor;s Letter: The revolution is upon us and it’s in the shape of an Audio Addiction. We have hyped the crowd, the mic is buzzing, and the Strongbow soaked floor is filling with the awaiting fans. We are unleashing a power unlike any other upon the student population and from this point music appreciation will never be the same. Here at Audio Addict we are both excited and thoroughly overjoyed to bring you the best in new music, new gossip and new addictions. You don’t want to miss out on possibly the biggest music revolution this side of indie/electro/nu-rave britpop. This is the first issue of this musical extravaganza and we have proven we are no dictatorship we are a rhythmic democracy compiled of every piece of the genre puzzle. We have brought you everything from a Prodigy exclusive to the review of Lily Allen’s newest offering. You can catch a glimpse of White Lies after flicking through an interview with Justin Hawkins. Don’t be scared… jump on in. Don’t forget to flex your Addicted muscles and join the Facebook group which has been thriving since we said goodbye to 2008 Spread the words of tomorrow - AUDIO ADDICT. New year, new look, new addiction. Vicky McIntosh Editor
Contents 3-5 NOISE: Justin Hawkins, The Hoosiers and more... 6 - 11 FEATURES: The Prodigy EXCLUSIVE, Adam Ficek from Babyshambles, The Merchandise Man and more... 12 - 13 ALBUM REVIEWS: Franz Ferdinand, Lily Allen and loads more... 14 - 15 LIVE REVIEWS: Feeder, Luke Leighfield, Kings of Leon and much more...
EDITORIAL TEAM: Vicky McIntosh - Editor Ian Easton & Paola-Roxanne - Features Editors Ines Punessen - Reviews Editor Carl Gwynne - Production/Front Section Editor Marie-Lou Cooper - Designer Contributors: Jonathon Howley, Paul Ward, Ally Lyons, Maria Sahiby, Andrew Sheppard, Liam Martin, Cecilia Delporte, Nicola Elliot, Bryn Jones, Claire Rollins, Chris Parker, Paul Dugdale, Matt Lain.
www.facebook.com Search: Audio Addict email: audio.addict@live.com
Audio Addict is produced by Students of the BA(hons) Popular Music Journalism course. Disclaimer: All the views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily representative of the University. Southampton Solent University cannot be held responsible for the individual views in this magazine.
E IS O
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Metal And Tongues!! by Ian Easton
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LATEST NOISE
The Widowmaker
Audio Addict I-Pod. What’s rocking the rafters in the AA office right now? Just read on... The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die Hands in the air rave bangers in a nosebleed aggro style. Awesome. Let’s ‘ave it!!! Laura Marling - Failure The most beautiful song to ever grace the country. Thom Yorke - The Eraser Bleep beats, droning synths, carrying an understanding and a meaning. It’s a masterpiece. Fall Out Boy - I Don’t Care Full of catchy riffs and witty lines that you always expect from the band, sticking in your head for hours. Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue
Audio Addict gets deep with Solent’s most sesnsational experience - welcome to The Widowmaker...
Makes me laugh every time.
The soulful songs sweep from my earphones into my hopeful ears and a familiar smile appears on my face. The longing tone of his voice with the echo of the lyrics soaking through my mind, I have fallen in love...and I don’t even know his name yet. When music makes you feel like you are being unfaithful to your one and only, then you know you are addicted. With the new EP ‘Soundtrack to Reality’ shining through the super power that is ‘MySpace Music’, a grand sense of mystery surrounds the elusive Widow Maker. While ‘Queen of Hearts’ murmurs through your speakers you are no longer ferociously social networking, you are being caressed by a lonely wanderer as he reminisces about the love of his life.. As the strums of the acoustic guitar guide you into the song the vocal starts to mimic the bellowing shifts of his strings. The song reads like a conversation between a tired man and his lover counting the flaws he sees in himself and with their relationship but still remembering the love they have, a conversation every not-quite-perfect person has had with the one who looks after them when they don’t know their own name. Beyond the songs previously mentioned, one song remains on my lips for hours after its conclusion. A song, which despite its bleak meaning and lost hope, brings forward all the visions of the most amazing times of your life with someone you never thought would go away. Be it a friend or a lover, ‘1983’ has the soothing qualities of a lullaby, the relevance of a breaking news bulletin the day a disaster strikes and the purity of a wide eyed little girl taking her first steps. Each word sung drips with remorse with an unapologetic echo allowing you to own a little piece of this uncontrollable story. It is here that you realise some addictions cannot be broken. by Vicky McIntosh www.myspace.com/ianisthewidowmaker
Quick Questions with Goodbooks
Goodbooks are set to release a second album. Audio Addict caught up with them to find out more...
Audio Addict: Its been almost 12 months since we’ve heard anything come from Goodbooks aside from the odd remix so is there any particular reason for this?
Goodbooks: “It took a long time dancing around with the label, we’re not with them (Columbia) anymore so that kind of pulled the plug out and we’re just able to get on with it now. As well as there was a lot of waiting around, it was deciding on a second option, whether or not we were going to make another record with them. As soon as we got dropped we decided lets just make our album.” AA: For your second album what sort of sound are you going for, I mean are you staying true to the old sound?
what we listen to and what we want to create is so different, at the same time we spent quite some time in Berlin so we kind of embraced the club culture and it sort of comes through in some ways. It’s slightly more euphoric, less safe, bigger, bolder and more exciting. “On this record we’ve got one song that lasts for a minute and a half which we would have never done on the first record, the arrangements are bolder, we got a string quartet that we put on and it sounds good, better. “Because we’re producing it ourselves we have to invest all our emotion, all our ability into it, there is no one else to rely on, no label and no producer, its going to be a very honest record.” By Liam Martin
GB: “Not really I mean it’s recognizable but it’s a bit bigger kind of rougher, its been such a long time since we made that record (Control) that
HOT LKD Southampton
One of the best alternative nights out for any student who wants a welcome break from funky house.
4
NOT Motown’s 50th anniversary
The legendary record label that churned out countless undeniable tunes celebrates 50 years of compilations.
AUDIO ADDICT
Recognition for Leonard Cohen Every cloud has a silver lining and the same goes for the overbearing storm cloud that is the X-factor.
The X-factor
Where dreams are broken and timeless classics are forever marred, at least it highlights how shallow we are as a nation.
Boy George goes down
A sad day for pop when one of its most charming stars was sent down for kidnapping a male escort. If that’s how he treats his friends...
White Lies and home truths
Keeping us going through the Credit Crunch gloom is the bright light of White Lies, Audio Addict caught up with frontman Harry McVeigh... hite Lies are on the verge of becoming a W household name. They were in the bandsto-watch in 2009 lists of every music and lifestyle
magazine and their debut album, ‘To Lose My Life...’ all over our radio stations like a rash on a saturday night.
unusual for a young British band. Did you have a certain intention for doing this?
McVeigh: “We were given the opportunity to do it by someone offering us a slot on a festival in Japan called Fuji Rock. And we were also offered Lollapalooza Festival which is in Chicago, America. With those two festivals booked in we had the chance to go over to America. I think it was a really good thing for us to do because it meant we could start working in America the same way we were working in the UK by just playing a few shows over there and getting people interested. We were very ambitious then and I think we got every attention of trying to be successful in America as well as in the UK.” AA: Originally, the release of your album ‘To Lose My Life ...’ was planned for the end of September. Why was it postponed to the 19th January 2009?
their recent gig at The Joiners AA shared beers and gossip with the band’s enigmatic frontman.
McVeigh: “We felt we needed more time to tour, to play to more people and also to have enough time to get the singles out and played on the radio. It was important to us just to get the name out there a little bit more before we release the album. Most bands are playing for two or three years before they even sign a record deal and before they are going to record their album. We wantaed to build up a little bit more experience and just realise what it’s gonna be like.”
Audio Addict: You had toured through America before you did a proper UK-tour which is pretty
AA: Can you tell me something about the idea of the album cover.
e needed to discover if the dark sound they create comes from within or is it just a shroud W covering three fairly normal people so, following
Would you rather?
McVeigh: “I think these three towers are water towers. The photograph is from somewhere in America. The reason that we chose that image is because it continues on from the artwork that we’ve been doing before. The ‘Death’ single cover had three squares on it and the next single cover will have three objects on it as well. It is sort of a representative of us and also the image fits very well with our music. It’s very striking and bold.” Many of your songs have quite negative titles, such as ‘Death’, ‘Unfinished Business’, ‘Black Song’ or ‘To Lose My Life’. Does Charles think a lot about such topics in his private life? McVeigh: “I think as a band and certainly Charles as well, we definitely think about those things in our lives. But we’re not miserable or depressed people.” You often use metaphors in your lyrics. What does Charles mean with this passage of the song ‘Death’? ‘I’ll live on the right side, and sleep on the left / That’s why everything’s got to be love or death.’ McVeigh: “I’m not sure whether it will actually be what it means. I think that it is just to do with the fact that love and death are the most powerful factors in everyone’s life. Half of you are thinking about love and falling in love, and half of you is thinking about death or things related to it.”
by Ines Punessen
With The Hoosiers! Pub games with the rich and famous? No problem. This month we challenge The Hoosiers!
From ‘Shame about Ray’ to ‘Goodby Mr A’, The Hoosiers’ brand of quirky pop seemed to dominate the airwaves last year. So when drummer Alfonso Sharland and bassist Martin Skarendahl dropped into Southampton’s Orange Rooms to give an an impromptu DJ set Audio Addict decided to challenge them to our favourite pub game... Alfonso and Martin, you are pop’s nicest guys, but... would you rather : Audio Addict: Eat an apple or a banana? Alfonso: ‘An apple’ AA: Spend a day in Paris, France, or with Paris Hilton?’ Alfonso: ‘I’d say in Paris Hilton. Definitely in Paris Hilton yeah!’ AA: Have no legs, or no arms? Alfonso: ‘This is a good one, I’ve actually thought about this before... can i have one of each?!’ AA: Cheeky. Ahh, Go on then! AA: Have 5 bottles stuck on one hand, or a bucket stuck on your foot? Alfonso: (no hesitation) ‘Bucket Foot’. Over to you Martin. Would you rather... AA: Have everything you eat taste like strawberry ice cream, or have no sense of taste at all? Martin: “Ice cream without a doubt!” AA: ‘Have a neck like a giraffe or a trunk like an elephant?’ Martin: “The trunk... its very useful right?!” AA: Run naked through the streets of a town where no one knows you, or ride a bus all day completely naked? Martin: “Depends, how long would i have to run for?” AA: ...let’s say 15 minutes. Martin: ‘I’d run it! It’d keep me fit.’ AA: ‘Be Eaten by Ants or Lions?’ Martin: “Hmmmm, lions, quick and painless... kind of.”
by Paola-Roxanne
AUDIO ADDICT
5
The Merchandise Man AA’s Vicky McIntosh talks to the only man not affected by the Credit Crunch about life on the road with one of the biggest bands in the UK.
T
he Kaiser Chiefs gig is over, and all have vacated the area apart from a select hardcore of fans begging to meet the Leeds mob. Audio Addict are in the throng too. But we’re not interested in getting up close and personal with singer Ricky Wilson, or even drummer Nick Hodgson - the Chiefs’ main brain, every magazine’s done that. No, we’re here to get the behind the mask and get a story from the people who are really in the know about the Kaiser Chiefs’ touring machine - the crew.
F
rom the overexcited middle-aged women screaming in Ricky’s face “Remember me?!? I put my hand down ya pants in there!!”, to the way-past-their-bedtime schoolkids in search of contact with their favourite pop stars, it’s a freakfest of fan worship. In the middle of the mayhem of autograph hunters, kiss-me-quickers and toodrunk-to go-homers, one man stands out. He seems unaffected by whatever financial disaster is happening today as he shows off his twenty–something festival armbands. He flicks through his blackberry, swigging on an Artois with a self confidence unmatched by any fan in this shivering crowd of admirers. But then he’s not an admirer... he’s The Merchandise Man.
T
‘‘
he Merchandise Man is a legendary Working on figure in the world of music and is loved by few but respected by all. He is the man who supplies the masses of rich indie kids with their strict uniform of band t-shirts and similar branded items so they can show their (not so indie) friends just how god damn cool they are. He is the only man at the festival still smiling by the third day because he is the only man leaving with more money then he arrived with. He watches as hundreds of eager fans push violently past each other to catch a glimpse of the band in the knowledge that he will be sipping a beer with them later on the tour bus. He seems to always have money and always be happy. Is The Merchandise Man the only man in Britain unaffected by the Credit Crunch? AUDIO ADDICT met this mythical creature from Windsor who, having given up training as a solicitor, started touring with his merchandising stall three and half years ago.
“Shall I let you in on a secret? Working on the merchandise stall is better than any other job in the world. I get to travel the country, meet funny people like you guys, drink for free, get paid well and still get loads of time off. Plus if you are really nice to your boss you can have as many free shirts as you want.” That’s very interesting of course, but what we here at AA want to know is the inside story on the band. So Mr Merch, got any good gossip? Any tour bus shag fests you want tell us about? OK, we know, ‘what happens on the road stays on the road’, but can you at least tell us why on earth the Kaisers are touring such small venues, we thought they were strictly an arena band now? “Well I think the boys and Ricky in particular, like to see the faces of their fans.” he says with a smile that suggests that he also likes to see the faces of the Kaiser’s fans, “Especially with their new album (produced by super producer Mark Ronson), they like to see the response. In a stadium you are a bit faceless as a fan but in a smaller venue like this one you are part of the group in a way.”
the merchandise stall is better than any other job in the world.
’’
At this point a homeless lady strolls over asking for change (a regular occurrence in this dock town) and the merchandise man hands over a few notes. It was here that AA forgot completely about their Kaiser obsession. The ‘Merch Man’. is the true legend So there you have it, he may not have the celebrity status of the band members, but nevertheless the Merchandise Man is still an important cog in the Kaiser Chiefs’ touring machine. He is an enigma; he travels from town to town, says little, unpacks the saddle bag and sets up his stall. He is the mysterious figure at the back of the hall, the Clint Eastwood of the Kaiser Chief’s road crew... and we never even got his name. Vicky McIntosh. The Kaiser Chiefs DVD ‘Live at Elland Road’ is on sale now.
“A mate of a mate said at a party that this promotions company were looking for a tradesman at gigs and so I just jumped in there and was touring within two weeks with The Feeling.” For someone who was just “at the right place at the right time” this man has landed very nicely on his converse covered feet. So apart from the obvious financial gain and swanky industry folk you can call friends, what are the most attractive features of being the ‘King Of The Band Tee’s’?
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AUDIO ADDICT
For official Kaiser Chiefs merchandise, go to www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk
THE PRODIGY RETURNS! The anger fuelled Essex Trio are back with a new venom infused album Invaders Must Die...and guess what? Audio Addict were invited to an eclusive playback with Liam Howlett and the boys.
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’s
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pa ran ma oia n, any we ’re mor Th e, w e P e’ rod re r igy eal an ly ti d w gh e’r t. W e b e’ ac re n k!” o Lia t f* m *kin
Sarm West studios in Portobelo Road, London. It’s a location better know to the outside world as the studio owned by legendary producer Trevor Horne. It’s a labyrinthian maze of state of the art studios and music industry offices all buzzing with the hubbub and hype of the pop world in full flight.
High above the buzz, in a tiny attic studio is where we find Prodigy mainman Liam Howlett who is taking us through an exclusive playback of The Prodigy’s new album ‘Invaders Must Die’. It’s the first time Liam has played the album in what is to be it’s finished playing order and he is justifiably proud. The fifth album from everyone’s favourite Firestarters is a ramraiding remake of 1991 hardcore rave rewired through 2009’s pounding circuits. The Prodigy with their canines unleashed and and snapping at pop music’s jugular. Following their last album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned there were rumours the lads were finished and another Liam Howlett solo set would have only confirmed it. But thankfully, that didn’t happen, and we should be proud of them, they stand as a shining example of British Culture at its best. 1997’s release of Fat Of The Land was the most anticipated album of the year, and the quickest selling album that decade, beating other big sellers, such as the Spice Girls, Oasis and Radiohead and easily became the biggest album of The Prodigy’s very well established career. Tracks such as Firestarter, Smack My Bitch Up and Breathe
ga
rou
nd
EXCLUSIVE spat all over the music industry and like the unruly rebel leaders they truly are, gave the world the finger, and got away with it. The rave scene they developed in South London quickly grew on the American music scene and as quickly as it crossed the one sea, punk raves spread like a disease over the other six and into every country and establishment with a PA system, stereo and someone who can relate. Invaders Must Die has resurrected the monster, poised to destroy, to be unleashed on the world. Tracks such as ‘Take Me To The Hospital’ and ‘Omen’ have already been given the nod by Liam and the boys, “We haven’t played this tune live yet but I know this tune is going to drop live for us, we can already tell it’s
“We’re pirates, we steal things and make them our own” Liam
going to be a fans favourite.” Even ‘Omen Reprise’ puts an interesting twist on how this album plays out “It’s like you get hit with a baseball bat, then get a breather and then back in and then back slapped across your face again” says Maxim. The story of how the albums name came about is an interesting one also, Liam explains “Three years ago we decided the band was in a good place and wanted to make the record. There had been quite a bit of paranoia then, people were starting to infiltrate our unit, starting to bleed into what we were and we needed to re-establish ourselves as a unit. Can’t remember whether it was Keith or Maxim that said it, but one of them went, ‘f*** it, invaders must die!’. I was like that’s the album, title right there. It stayed with us. It’s about protecting what’s yours.” With that the albums creation was a go, like a black ops mission, the band declared themselves as a unit and marched on “There’s no paranoia any more, we’re really tight. We’re not f***ing around man, we’re The Prodigy and we’re back!” From the start this album was going to be a declaration of independence, it almost makes you think the Americans were right “The process started off really well with ‘Colours’ and ‘Writings on the Wall’ which became ‘Omen’ but then it was a year later that we really started on the album” says Liam. The creation of such a beautiful piece of anarchy never lost its roots however, “When we first started I really wanted to get away from the usual way of working with me writing beats and building the tracks around them. This time I wanted to start with real songs. But that quickly changed!” Never escaping the fundamentals reveals just how true the saying “don’t fix something that isn’t broken” really is. The lads have it going from the start with some of the tracks they’re hitting back with. Tunes like ‘Warriors Dance’ and ‘World’s On Fire’ have definitly got that Prodigy feel. “It’s a total look back to 1990-
’91 rave tunes. It sounds really fresh but it also sounds like early Prodigy” says Liam. Also not without some stealing I might add, The Prodigy as a rave sensation would blatently admit that they ripped off a song, wouldn’t they? “Yeah, with the tune ‘Thunder’ we ripped the vocal off from the original, cos that’s our business, that’s what we do, we’re pirates, we steal things and make them our own” says Liam. Outside involvement from other well established artists on the track ‘Run With The Wolves’ created a new spin on the albums writing process, “A track that Dave Grohl got involved with” Explains Keith. “All started with an email to Liam saying ‘listen man I’ve finished touring and I’m bang up for doing something. Liam said he was just finishing the album but Dave said listen, I’m just going to go in the studio and put down some
drums, which he did. A hard drive arrived at our studio and out of that come the process of writing this. We had the vocal on another track already but they just weren’t working. They had too much venom for the track. But we still enjoyed the excitement of it and what it was saying and this was the ideal opportunity to make it work. Liam redid the track, then we redid the vocals and we sent it over to Dave who was like ‘yeah I was really hoping it was going to be something like this’. He was really excited and worked some more on it.” “I think we’re more relevant than ever now” Liam continues with obvious pride “I think we were at our least relevant at the peak of our success. And that matters to me. I want to make a good record that people recognise. I’ve always lived in a fantasy world, we’re not like a pop band you know, like the Kaiser Chiefs who are pop with guitars but they’re not from any culture. So I live in this fantasy world where we come from a wave of culture, which “I think we was the next most important culture after punk or ska. I think we should be protected man. I do, I think l we should come under some should be kind of protection act. Like how Oasis are held up in their world, protected man. then that’s how we should be seen, as leaders of one of the country’s great cultural scenes. Rave bleeds into everything it’s grounded to I do, I think l everything in the same way that punk is. Elements of rave come out all of the time. That’s why it should be protected! Rave is a part of we should come UK culture and everyone should be proud of it.”
under some kind of protection act.” Liam
The Prodigy have shot to fame since they were recognised as ‘not another one track wonder’ on the dance scene, and since then released albums and tracks that makes Basshunter look like a schoolboy and created an image that dishes out more fear than the devil himself. A true national treasure. By Carl Gwynne
Invaders Must Die is relaesed on March 2nd. They play the Isle of White festival on Friday June 12th. Photo Credit: Paul Dugdale
Fan Wars When Rockstars Attack!!
Babyshambles’ Adam Ficek’s verbal attack on AA’s Ian Easton spurs thoughts on acceptable gigging behaviour.
P
icture the scene; the dark and dingy interior of a well-recognised stop-and-go venue in Winchester. As I weave my way through the audience to speak to the support band I have just interviewed, the main act takes to the stage. The overall atmosphere is one of despondence and disinterest. Certainly the lead act, Roses Kings Castles, seems to be particularly switched off. Would you expect a man who considers himself to be a rock star to be anything but? Roses Kings Castles is the new solo project from Adam Ficek - the drummer from Babyshambles. As I wander over to the support band I realise not one person is standing near the front. A few people sit at the side; gloomy faces slightly illuminated by the spotlight on the main act. As I converse with the support band, Adam Ficek – the drummer from Babyshambles - stops mid-song and says to someone in the crowd ‘You have a really loud voice, do you know that?’ I look up, trying by best not to snigger at the poor bugger who just received quite a severe verbal chastising by Adam Ficek - the drummer from Babyshambles. I am shocked to the core in my half-standing, halfhunched state when it dawns on me that Adam Ficek – the drummer from Babyshambles - is looking at me. His piercing blue eyes bore into mine, blazing. To my horror and embarrassment I realise that the audience have become deathly silent and instead of all eyes being on Adam
Adam Ficek eyeing up his next victim.
Ficek - the drummer from Babyshambles - I realise all eyes are on me. I just stare back, mouth agape, Neanderthalstyle. Just my luck; Adam Ficek – the drummer from Babyshambles - had ‘Done a Cantona’ on me for talking too loudly. Sometimes rock stars attack; Amy Winehouse infamously elbowed a fan in the face at last year’s Glastonbury Festival. Sex Pistol Sid Vicious was known for whipping press (Nick Kent) with a chain from the stage. Liam Gallagher is also not one to shy away from hitting the odd paparazzi photographer. Pete Doherty once squirted what appeared to be blood from a syringe onto a camera lens and into the face of a cameraman. Even Coldplay frontman Chris Martin recently got in on the act by punching a journalist in the chest.
“I think some times people need to be told, I’m really sorry if I embarrassed you, it wasn’t my intention - I was just being a diva ”
Can this be excused? With hundreds of flashes and personal questions being fired at these people, could they be forgiven for wanting some privacy? Invading personal space aside, what makes these pop stars want to verbally or physically abuse people in the audience at their own gigs? These are people who have paid to see them play, people who are their bread and butter? What pushes rock stars over the edge and makes them think this kind of behaviour is acceptable? Eric Cantona of Manchester United brought this trend to the forefront of the media by ‘kung-fu kicking’ Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons after being sent off during a football match in 1995. Cantona was subjected to severe racial abuse and lost his temper, which resulted in studmarks on Matthew Simmons’ chest, a hefty fine, community service and a yearlong ban from football. Adam Ficek’s verbal attack on me was even less vicious; he didn’t lay a finger on me. The experience was a complete eye-opener, however. I went along as a fan and my perceptions of this person being the warm, kind-hearted singersongwriter were totally smashed. Appalled and embarrassed, I decided to make my feelings heard; I drove home with a face like thunder and aired my thoughts on Babyshambles’
Adam Ficek a.k.a Mr Grumpy.
Facebook Fansite, noting that I was disgusted at how Adam had treated me, and that if he carries on as he is, he will not make it very far with his less-than-desirable talent. This provoked a number of replies, including one from Adam Ficek himself, telling me I should not be writing things like that on the fansite, and that we should talk. So we talked. When I asked him about it in an interview following the event, the following ensued: IE. ’So what happened between us the other night?’ AF. ‘I was a little miffed but sorry if you got offended by my on stage antics, is it so annoying though when people are shouting when I ‘m trying to entertain them, I don’t mind people chatting but the guy at the front was particulary loud. Anyway, all is good. ‘ IE. ‘The guy at the front was me actually.’ AF. ‘Haha, oh shit, sorry mate. lets forget about all this miscommunication. I will buy ya a pint next time. Perhaps I should be more resilient but I find it hard to hear myself sometimes over the noise. I don’t really get it much but I always give as good as i get, which is probably not the best thing to do. ‘
“I was a little miffed. Its so annoying if people are shouting when I’m trying to entertain them. ” AF. ‘I think sometimes people need to be told, I’m really sorry if I embarrassed you, it wasn’t my intention - I was just being a diva.’ This poses the question; because these artists believe they can get away with abusing fans, do they do it on purpose to make themselves look good on a larger scale? What happens inside a rock star’s head that means its okay to attack a paying customer? Where do they draw the line? Answers on a postcard please. Ian Easton.
Albums
Franz Ferdinand, all dressed up, but nowhere to go!
Not Tonight, Franz Franz Ferdinand return with third album shocker. Audio Addict investigates Franz Ferdinand Tonight:Franz Ferdinand Domino Paul got rid of Heather, Keith Richards got old in an unholy way, the Spice Girls reformed and America finally got rid of George Bush. 2008 proved to be an unusual kind of year with new beginnings to match the messy endings but one true miracle came about among the rubble. A new dawn loomed through the malicious gossip and celebrity scandal; the news came of a new leader in the making, a new light that will shine through our bleak history, a true sign of how far we have come... Who’s Barack Obama?? No I’m
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over-worked and over-hyped ‘Ulysses’. The song reeks of crowd pleasing and a hopeful festival air grabbing moment but in reality it fails to deliver the stand out qualities it was Alex Kapronos, the front man of the manufactured for. ‘Twilight Omens’ follows Glaswegian four piece has previously described on the same path and while the final chord the new album ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’ is played and the synthetic as music buzzing dies a painful death to ‘fling “lost in a chemical imbalance, my eyes dart across the room yourself dad- dancing ensued” waiting for the punch line to around the this rather bad indie- electro room to.’ With a claim so grand I would have in-joke. taken great pleasure in sitting quietly tapping We waited patiently; we made a countdown on my toes but alas I failed. From the twirling our Facebook pages, we added every snippet of base of ‘Lucid Dreams’ and the sing along gossip to our Franz Ferdinand scrapbooks, and values of ‘Katherine Kiss Me’ I was lost in a now ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’ has arrived… chemical imbalance and dad-dancing ensued. we wish it would just go away again really. My inability to keep still should not be an Vicky McIntosh indication of the quality of the music provided For more info check franzferdinand.co.uk on this album however, for every catchy ‘Katherine Kiss Me’ jingle comes a talking about Franz Ferdinand and the third album you fool… don’t get your hopes up too much.
Cabaret Voltare Kora! Kora! Kora!’ Shiva Records This is not a new album from the Sheffield’s Cabaret Voltaire but a rework of cut-up pieces from the début album from the band Kora, which went platinum when released on Southampton based Shiva Records. Cabaret Voltaire were one of the most important bands to fuse pop music with dance music. With this new material have proved they are most definitely worth listening to. Sampling the soulful vocals of Kora and blending it with easy to listen to electronic beats, with the occasional spacey synth and odd funk guitar riff it definitely fits in with retro sounds that have been cut into many tracks in recent times, but the Cabaret Voltaire have made something that can stand in its own right as a ‘new’ album, from something that already exists. Paul Ward.
Cat Power ‘Dark End Of The Street’ Matador Records Cat Power seems to be short of inspiration. In her precedent album, “Jukebox”, released in early 2008, Chan Marshall already covered the songs of very famous American artits such as James Brown or Billie Holiday. The cover versions were pleasant but often unrecognizable. In the new album she presents six covers released during the recording of “Jukebox”. The new EP is also disappointing. Indeed, Cat Power’s voice is always powerful and the selection of songs is pertinent like “Fortunate Son”, but in the majority of cases, the original songs are better. This new EP is accessible and perfectly produced, less “inde” than her others opus. The orchestration and the music efficiency are indeniable. Even though the album is easy to listen to, it is less touching than her first albums. Her interpretation of the songs is great but consensual, just reminding others singers like Norah Jones or Joss Stone. The arrangements simplicity of her precedent albums will probably be missed by her fans. But this EP, in the continuity with “Jukebox”, will open her a larger public. Cecilia Delporte.
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead ‘Festival Thyme’ Superball From the name of this band I was expecting something brilliantly brutal with undecipherable lyrics over crunching riffs. Something in between the likes of Underoath and Bring Me The Horizon. I was definitely mistaken something fierce I realised when I pressed play. I was faced with an e.p. of what would make fantastic background music to a lazy afternoon, each track
different to the last, which was a nice change from the albums of sameness that you get most of the time now. The final track was the highlight for me, an instrumental which drew on a lot of electronic samples, almost 65daysofstatic like. Paul Ward.
1000 Robota
Du Nicht Er Nicht Sie Nicht‘ Tapete Records A drum intro which introduces one of the freshest contemporary interpretations of the 80‘s Fehlfarben-sound ever. After that - a request to dance before the ultimate Arctic Monkey‘s guitar chord
Grand Duchy ‘Petits Fours’ Cooking Vinyl Petits fours is the debut album from Grand Duchy, the new project from legendary Pixies frontman Black Francis and singer, and also Mrs Black Francis, Violet Clark. The end product is a musical journey which is situated somewhere between alternative pop, indie and dark electro on the genre map. The ambient, angelic tones of Violet Clark forms an incredible contrast with dark, scratchy style of Francis’ singing, and alongside the rambunctious drums, sludgy guitar work and 80s style synth, the mix works well. There is obvious influences of The Smiths, and Blondie and the electro aspect of the album shines through on tracks such as ‘Black Suit’ and ‘Break The Angels’, but the album also has it’s quiet, relaxing, harmony based tracks with ‘Fort Wayne’, with vocal arrangements that wouldn’t be out of place on a Beach Boys record. Definately check out Grand Duchy, just leave any assumptions based on the pixies at the door. Andrew Sheppard.
Lily Allen
comes in.
Three guys from Hamburg - not even eighteen – know exactly how to let their musical inspiration flow in the pushing sound that supports their own youth movement. Lyrically, they examine critically their surrounding and accuse those responsible, whereas the typical Arctic Monkey‘s guitar chords provide some songs with the necessary ‚Storm and Stress‘ attitude. With this aim in view, singer Anton Spielmann internalizes an emphasis that reminds of German Electro/ Hip Hop act Deichkind and Fettes Brot. Especially in ‚Mein Regen‘, Fehlfarben themselves seem to be omnipresent. In a cheeky but fastidious way, 1000 Robota also quotes Chicks on Speed‘s ‚Kaltes Klares Wasser‘ and Tocotronic. 1000 Robota only need 26 minutes and 35 seconds to win the listeners over to their personal youth movement. Their simple intention: „Celebrate the things you love!“ Ines Punessen.
Wet Paint
“It Rots” Trial & Error Recordings
“It’s not me, It’s you.” Parlophone
After the success of her debut album “Alright Still” released in 2006, Lily Allen comes back with her new album called “It`s not me, It`s you.”. Produced notably by Greg Kurstin (The Bird) and Mark Ronson who both had collaborated on her first album. Basically, this album is not fundamentally different from the precedent. The first single “The Fear” contains again these caustic lyrics with this simple and catchy tempo. Songs like “I could say” or “ 22” are not really surprising with the same themes and rythms that made her first album success. However, the second opus is more elaborated.With songs like “Who’d’ve know”, the singer shows a more melancolic side, and the lyrics are more mature. She still mentions the everyday life of a young woman from London, talking about drugs in “Everyone’s At It”, or about a relationship in “Never Gonna Happen”. But some songs sound more darker and the lyrics are more varied and studied. This album is not revolutionary, but if you like the first you will probably love this one. Cecilia Delporte.
Do we really need another samey indie band on the music scene? It seems the answer is yes, we do, as Wet Paint prepare to tour with Bloc Party after releasing their debut album. At first, the strong guitar sound and rugged voiced front man seemed a winning combination. If only it hadn’t been done so many times before, I would have been much more impressed. After listening to the whole album, I found myself less excited as each song played, sounding more and more like a poor man’s Cribs with very droned, similar note. Every song’s guitar riffs are so alike, it’s hard to distinguish one from another after a while. I think the answer is definitely no; we don’t need to hear another band like this on the music scene. Time for some originality, please. Claire Rollins
Ones to Watch Kasabian (April) Pete Doherty (March 9th) Gallows - ‘Everything is Falling Apart (May) Beastie Boys (Spring)
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AMPED Southampton Solent University Bands Showcase The Joiners, Southampton The packed, sweaty, sticky floored ‘Joiners’ was to be the host for Southampton Solent’s 2nd year music performances. The place was rammed full of students waiting to see their fellow friends and classmates play in the showcase, which really created an amazing atmosphere that seemed to reverberate throughout the venue. The first group on stage and started playing; think Dragonforce with doors-esque keyboards and this is what you have staring at you in the truly heaving Joiners. The band then went on to do some fantastic covers of Maroon 5, Fall Out Boy plus a couple of originals. All in all a great, tight live band and an asset to the show.The next group arrived and broke out into a Ska-like song, which didn’t quite fit into the indie look they had going, but they were accompanied by a drummer that could keep a beat like Phil Rudd. They had won me over. Up next were a band that can only be described as “Funktastic”. Flowing funky bass lines, slick guitar, tight drums and a great front woman. Close your eyes and you could be listening to Stevie Wonder in the Apollo Theatre. This band was definitely the most musically able group here and that quality really shined throughout every song.
Luke Leighfield Hamptons, Southampton “As his Lambrini fuelled chatter and his solitary piano produced chiming chords flood through the air, you begin to fall for this singer’s innocent charm. His southern dialect, which falls beautifully on these northern ears, penetrates the conversational lyrics organically. He tunefully asks this crowded bar ‘Have You Got Heart?’ and discusses ‘kissing indie girls’ with a constant smile on his face, a smile that proves real heart-felt dedication and passion from this unique singer. However please do not be fooled... this fresh faced singer is not here simply to entertain. He is not here to simply sing his ethical Christmas song. He is not even here to just sell his hilarious branded t-shirts. He is here to conquer. He is Luke Leighfield. His
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mix of irony and honesty conceives a home grown sound which has potential to create hysteria in females ranging from the age of consent right through to menopause. He plays the naive student and he does it with pride. He plays the drunken fool but with a knowing smile. He plays the ironic joker with a meaningful edge. All these parts collect together in a mesh of improvisation and ‘in’ jokes to form Luke Leighfield’s unique set, which left the residents of Southampton’s Hamptons Bar open mouthed. With a new two track CD to show off on his merchandise table, Leighfield is proving to be a power among the local venues and upon embarking on a tour of Germany, China and Russia he may soon be an international talent. The question is will Luke Leighfield still be playing at local house parties when his fame catches up to his talent?” Vicky Mcintosh
The penultimate band took the stage, very reminiscent of the GooGoo Dolls. They built up into a fury of delayed guitars, resounding vocals and powerful drums. I think the front man was right when he said: “Get your lighters out!” It really was one of those moments. Finally the last group started out with a bit of good oldfashioned tapping guitars, walking bass lines and a beat that followed very tightly. Good stage presence and great all round performance. So there you have it AUDIO ADDICTS, that was Southampton Solent’s music performance 2nd year student showcase. Chris Parker
The Mighty Boosh Wembley Arena, London
Feeder Southampton Guildhall “We are one. We are family“, the smooth finale of the ´We Are The People´ album version breathes out of the speakers in a way that suggests the calm before the storm. Opening with ´We Are The People´ - a hymn for change and unity in the world, the dimension of Feeder`s overpowering live energy and intensity casts everyone under their spell. Amongst new songs, such as their latest single ´Tracing Lines´ and the lonely-suffering ´Fires´ which was dedicated to their crew who were able to escape their burning sleeper bus some weeks earlier, Feeder performed a ´best-of´ show that even included ´Insomnia´, ´My Perfect Day´ and the beautifully retrospective ´Yesterday Went To Soon´. Feeder`s musical admiration for Foo Fighters was given expression to by embedding ´All My Life´ perfectly into Lost And Found`s rough and pushing sound. Finally, ´Just A Day´ resulted in an explosion of energy both on stage and in the crowd – creating a communal spirit which was once one of their intentions for writing ´We Are The People´. Ines Punessen
LATEST AMPED White Lies The Joiners, Southampton Four black shapes, sharply defined by the white flickering spotlight stood mysteriously out of the fog. A beginning rarely so close to the final ´end´. ´´To Lose My Life´´ - a hymn for dying, came in seeming to withdraw the air in which to breathe. McVeigh, possessing the dark magic and sad absolutness of Ian Curtis´ voice enrichened by Editors´ emotional intensity, performed the chorus ´´Let`s dance all together and die at the same time …´´ to full conviction. In fact, completely dressed in black, White Lies´ appearance reminded of a funeral. But as singer McVeigh pointed out, “ their intention by wearing black clothes is to steer the focus only on the music, nothing else“. Playing songs off their upcoming debut album, a fusion of Alternative Rock and PostPunk elements, ´Black Song´, ´Unfinished Business´ and ´Death´, testified the genius of the young lads from London, who let their outstanding musical talent speak on their behalf throughout the whole set. But let`s go back to the final ´end´: ´Death´ according to McVeigh´s description “a song that centres the two most powerful factors in everybody´s life: love and death“. The song everybody knew, everybody died for this evening and everybody, ironically, seemed to dance to eternity. Ines Punessen
Although obviously a comedy tour, at times it felt like I was watching a cheesy (but very funny) musical instead. Classic characters such as The Hitcher performed a new, improved version of his infamous songs. There was plenty of new material though including a solo from Howard, a rap from Naboo and a introduction of new, space age character ‘Sun Flash’ from Noel. Throughout each song it was clear Noel Fielding craved the attention of a rock star, taking his music performances quite seriously, dancing and all. The finale involved a medley of popular songs from the show, including ‘Charlie’ and Nanageddon’. As the audience poured forward to the front of the arena to catch a closer look at the Boosh Band, I began to feel the same buzz I would catch at a concert. The huge venue created an awesome, exciting atmosphere. The audience jumped and sang along in time with them, much to the Boosh’s excitement and surprise. Perhaps a Boosh Band tour will be next on the cards? Claire Rollins
Kings of Leon Wembley Arena, London
Caleb’s amazingly powerful and smooth voice echoes so prominently across the arena, filling the room with such emotion. With each faultless twang of their guitars yet another goose bump appears, each song so thought provoking and poignant. Highlights include the classic ‘Milk’ and ‘Charmer’, showing off the true versatility of the band. Though new songs like ‘Sex on Fire’ and ‘Use Somebody’ do not fail to impress, creating an almost anthemic feel to them. The Kings are exactly that, kings of indie rock and roll; truly one of the most impressive bands to see live. It feels like something unexplainably amazing is happening when they perform, like the performance is going to change the world in some way, and for that hour and a half you truly believe you are watching something so mind blowing and influential. Claire Rollins
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