The Kings = History

So I haven't updated this in A WHILE (understatement) and what makes it even worse is I have been indulging in a lot of music oriented activities all 'summer'/the past few rainy months, such as the Great Escape, Lovebox, Field Day and the great Reading Festival - if it comes across as I'm boasting... well... that's cos I am.

One thing that gave me the biggest urge to come straight on here and moan is Kings of Leon's new single! What??? Is??? Going??? On??? They already made me very sad from watching their strop and abuse on the Reading Main Stage last summer, but to be fair it was slightly out of their hands seeing as they can't really be to blame from the curse of the mainstream... but I still loved them - just a little less, as I kept hold of the masterpiece that is Aha Shake Heartbreak in my memory of them plus some of Only By The Night is alright... But what is this!? If I was listening it to one of the ten times it's been played on radio one then I probably wouldn't have been so... disappointed. I saw it on good old nme.com and it is very... African Child with Russell Brand from Get Him To The Greek. Since when did they play with little children?! Surely that's for the old rock bands who need to revive their career and are easy to get to go to those type of places? And what's with the title Radioactive? (yes I have only listened to the song once and it is probably in the lyrics) Are they saving these deprived children from radioactivity? Is that why they're hanging out in a barn in the countryside? Very random. The music is promising, it sounds like a good tune until the weird gospel-y chorus.

A new direction I would not like to go down thanks. But they play to a different crowd now, and I'm sure they will like it. If not radio one will make them anyway.

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In other AMAZING news, apparently naked pics of Pete Doherty have leaked online. Best news I've heard in a while. Let's hope it doesn't go far though, might have a negative impact on his career. Oh wait.

Beautiful.

Two posts today, I'm so generous. Had to share this sweet acoustic song 'Flaws' by one of my favourite bands - Bombay Bicycle Club. It is beautiful and it's nice to hear them switch it up a bit by having a duet with a girl, similar to when Mystery Jets had folk singer Laura Marling on 'Young Love' - except this is much more sensitive and minus pop. Jack's ageless aged voice is given priority for once and it is clear to see now why they are releasing an acoustic album coupled with acoustic tour dates. Not so obvious however why Jack is doing a side electro project - I guess everyone needs an electro outlet. Delicate and charming, impossible not to pause to listen.

P.s. Talking of Mystery Jets, their new album Serotonin (out July 5th) is a wicked mixed bag and a must must listen if you can get hold of it. They still flirt between 80s synths and pop tunes but vary the vocals a bit, and the lyrics are still memorable and clever. This is their new one apparently 'Flash a Hungry Smile'...

Venison...

Wow. It's been a while... So basically this time last week (June 9th), I was lucky enough to have a friend with a laptop that was able to actually get on to the Dingwalls site, and get us a pair of tickets to The Strokes secret gig! They went on sale the night before at 9pm and I was lucky/geeky enough to find this out from helpful old xfm, so off we went... It was possibly better than I could have ever imagined, probably because I only had one night to burst with excitement before the gig and little time for heightened expectations, for a band which I thought I wasn't ever going to get the opportunity to see - let alone in a tiiiiny room for only a tenner.

I enjoyed the 'Venison' business, they actually performed under that name and all the merch had Venison on it, as well as the crowd chanting it to goad and support them - to which Julian responded by holding his hands up 'guilty'. Such a dude. The Camden venue only had 500 people in, who were mainly surprisingly young, and it was the hottest room I have ever been in - we are talking sweat rain here - and the crowd were unusually stubborn with letting people past, probably because it was the first gig The Strokes had played in FOUR YEARS. Yeah you heard. For ten English pounds. Yep.

It was so surreal, they appeared out of a tiny door onto one of the smallest stages I have ever seen a band perform on, completely understated with just black fabric as the backdrop. They launched into 'NYC Cops' which sent everyone understandably mental, and was perfect and effortless. Julian left on the leather jacket and sunnies the whole set, he must have been dying inside, but it definitely kept up the New York indie-cool appearance we have all recognised them for since 2001. Thankfully the set was loaded with classic songs - what I was looking forward to watching most, with crowd favourites clearly being 'Hard to Explain', 'Reptillia' and after much Venison chanting, the encore 'Juicebox' and 'Heart in a Cage' were very appreciated.

Surprisingly 'Last Nite' wasn't recieved as excitingly as I had predicted, I thought it would be standard favourite, as it is probably their most famous song. But perhaps this just shows that the crowd was made up of true fans who know their other songs, or as it was last before the encore I thought people were actually dead and exhausted/melting - seriously I'm not exaggerating this heat, it was beyond tropical. Julian had warmed up a fair bit by this song as joked 'shit I forgot the words' before he launched into the hit, before he was getting friendly with the lucky/squashed lot at the front - high fiving them regularly and saying: "I like you guys", "What the fuck is going on at my feet?!" and with one girl "Wait.. I just saw you go to the toilet... have you washed your hands?!". Mainly a warm-up gig for their performance at Isle of Wight Festival on Saturday just gone, The Strokes definitely proved hardly any time had passed in the last four years, watching them perform was like listening to them again for the first time when I was thirteen - unique and clearly influential and well as being ridiculously and unimitatingly cool.

Funeral Party - not funeral music..

But most definitely party music. The LA band's EP all the way back from 2008 has to be rediscovered - or just discovered if you haven't yet, like me. Track 'NYC Move to the Sound of LA' is Zane Lowe's track of the week and is a fusion of indie/dance/pop, shouting and... cow bells. It even makes you feel like you are at a party by the end with all the talking and general crowd noise, or maybe just close to a party (reject), but either way it will definitely be heard lots this summer.

Call me Dave.

So I have literally just heard that cool kid David Cameron has said he likes The XX.

WHY OH WHY OH WHY!!

Why does he do this?! Please stop trying to ruin good music for me Dave, I agree it is working it's trick by getting him more attention (if possible) before Thursday, but it is also incredibly embarrassing and cringy x 100. I think he perhaps needs to realise that he is not cool, mainly because of his massive face and the fact he is a Conservative, so can he please stop tarring good bands - who have probably worked hard and do not need this association right now - with his daddy cool brush. Perhaps someone recommended them to him from their song Intro featuring on the BBC Election coverage advert...

That said, it did intrigue me to find out more bands he 'likes'.. In a similar way to when you can't help but watch Britains Got Talent. I have found something which is much worse than his like for The XX, he likes the lead singer of my favourite band of all time = Morrissey. However, I will actually give him maybe half a percent of credit because he humorously realises this is not good news for potentially the best lyricist of all time:

"I’m sure when Morrissey finds that he’s getting an endorsement from the leader of the Conservative Party, he will think ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’. But I’m a big fan, I’m afraid. Sorry about that.”

Moz replied with something fairly tame (for once), considering one of his solo records is called 'Margaret on the Guillotine': 'It’s difficult to make comment because you might hurt people’s feelings.” And apparently Dave also likes Johnny Marr's part time dabbling in Modest Mouse too. Of course.

I always thought he was ignorant when it came to music and real people, from back in the day when he randomly took a lyric from one of Lethal Bizzle's songs and linked it directly to influencing street/gun/knife crime. Because apparently young people are so hollow they will do whatever a song tells them to. But unsurprisingly this slander wasn't researched and Bizzle rightfully shot down Dave's comment, by saying he had actually worked with troubled youths trying to make it clear to them there is are alternatives to crime. I hate sweeping generalisations so this made me angry, hence my understandable anger towards his apparent fondness of good music...

Another sign that Dave isn't cool is the fact that even Keane thinks he's lame! Keane! Apparently he used their 'Everybody's Changing' song as background music on a manifesto VT and they weren't very happy about it. Frankly I think they should be happy they have at least one fan, even if he is a douche. Also, Dave admitted he loves Paul Weller's song 'Eton Rifles', which is ANTI-Etonian... errrr?!?! This has been done before, word on the 'dufus politicians' grape vine is that ex President Ronald Regan thought Brucie's 'Born in the USA' was a patriotic tribute, whereas it was actually anti-Vietnam. I think it is fairly obvious politicians need to do their research before name dropping/slandering!

I don't like that he likes good music. I don't like it at all. It makes me feel uncomfortable so I am going to pretend it's all terrible terrible a lie.

And the rest..

Top three! Here they are...

3. Ok Go – This Too Shall Pass

I could literally have put most of their videos in here, they are a band which are known for their innovative and normally simple videos, usually revolving around some sort of dance routine. This one is vastly more complicated, but it pays off as it is pretty spectacular. Only a few weeks old, it has already created a massive buzz, sweeping around the internet, and getting the song as much coverage as possible. The song, to be honest, is probably not as good as the video, but watching it definitely makes the song grow on you. It begins with a tiny truck, which is pushed to topple over dominoes leading to cars smashing and bowling balls flying around, culminating in paint being sprayed in the bands faces, to the cheers of a patient audience watching from above. Apparently all filmed in one take, it is an absolute must see video, which will you will definitely end up watching more than twice.

2. Foo Fighters – Everlong

This band are another who have perfected their music videos, they like to be the centre of them too, playing the characters be it male or female. This video sees singer Dave Grohl as the boyfriend/husband of the ‘female’ drummer Taylor Hawkins, trying to fight off two baddies who seem relentless. The video goes between dream world and reality; it’s highly imaginative with some of the best bits being Grohl’s massive hand - which inflates when he gets angry, and the giant phone. Plus the end where they all seem to spontaneously strip so they end up being the band and finish by playing out the song. The running time of the video is longer than the original version of the song, so just for the video, the final chorus is followed by a brief interlude consisting of the last few seconds of the song played backwards, then followed by a repeat of the chorus. An extra cheeky fact for fans: although Taylor Hawkins appears in the video as the drummer, Dave Grohl actually plays the drum track on the original album recording, as Hawkins had not yet joined the band.

1. Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues

No it’s not Thriller. Timeless and effortless, the 1967 video has to be my top video of all time. It is so simple, comical, awkward and iconic that it leaves an impression even today with all the special effects and costumes. Dylan standing shiftily holding pieces of card with some of the lyrics written on doesn’t make for painful and boring viewing, the song even seems to pass quickly, and it’s funny to watch him slip up, when you feel they have so many takes to make the video it was definitely avoidable. But that’s what creates the character, and emphasises his cool rebellion, looking away from the camera and walking off just before the end. It is a song that is so influential even influencers since than have found it strikingly hard to measure to; John Lennon reportedly found the song so “captivating” that he didn’t know if he would be able to write a song that could “compete” with it. Now if that isn’t a reason for the video to be at number one I don’t know what is.

Let's just refresh your memory...

Top ten music videos - Avenue 61

So here's a little sumin' sumin' I've just written for Avenue61.co.uk... A list of my top ten music videos. It was pretty hard to actually think of some amazing ones in the first place, because I swear you always forget them until you see them again! But think I've got a pretty good list, wouldn't go as far to say it's my definitive list, because there will almost definitely be some I have missed out by mistake.. But hey it's a start!

Here is ten to seven... (I miss Top of the Pops)

10. The Maccabees – Can You Give It

One of my favourite bands, this may have slightly influenced their place in my top ten; this is their best video to date. The commentary at the beginning is one of the best bits, closely followed by watching tens of village folks chase a roll of cheese down a hill. Very imaginative, satirical yet based on a true event, Can You Give It is the perfect soundtrack to the country setting and... cheese factory.

9. Pendulum – Slam

The most entertaining fitness video ever. The drum and bass band which have recently exploded into the mainstream, really like to go alternative with this video. Watching someone exercise themselves to skinny is now a common sight on the billions of TV shows around at the minute, but watching a man flaunt his, ahem, ‘curves’ to an innocent public is not something you can catch at 9pm on channel four. We love to watch things that make us cringe, but what makes this video watchable and humorous is the progression from ‘supersize’ to ‘superskinny’. An inspiration? Not so sure that’s the intention.

8. Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce – Telephone

Yes I know, many will find it sacrilege that Gaga is in the same group as Bob Dylan and Blur, but truth is I think she has surpassed many people’s expectations with this video. Getting some major extra cool points for nicking Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pussy Wagon’ and clearly taking pointers from his films. Ridiculous yet amazing costumes, my favourite perhaps being the cigarette sunglasses, it is nice to see her share the limelight and wardrobe with another modern day icon – Beyonce. It is hard not to watch any part of the epic ten minute video, not just for the outfits and slow seductive language “You’ve been a very, very, bad, bad girl gaga”, but also for the crazy Japanese like interlude in the kitchen. That is very Tarantino and potentially the part I find most enjoyable, as it’s not only random it also crazily makes sense. Pretty much like everything she does then.

7. Weezer - Buddy Holly

Many people think the past decades are much more interesting than now, which may be Weezers thoughts when they decided to go back to the days of TV show ‘Happy Days’. It is remarkable how they manage to get old footage of the show to make it look like they are in the same room in 1994, they even get ‘the Fonze’ to make a dance appearance. They also manage to get in some banter with Al, and get their own ‘to be continued’. Pretty darn cool.

6. Mystery Jets – Half In Love With Elizabeth

A video which slightly takes the piss out of the title of the song, but still manages to take itself seriously enough to justify being the actual music video for the song. The highlight is perhaps the boyfriend playing basketball with... the Queen? Also when the girlfriend finds the cupboard stashed with patriotic Monarchy memorabilia. They seem to reconcile at the end, but not sure it would be wise to stay with someone who is so obsessed with a granny.

5. Radiohead – Just

A regular in the lists of top videos, but I couldn’t really justify leaving it out. What does he say that makes everyone lie on the street?! One of the best things about this video is the lasting impression it leaves on the viewers and the debates it creates surrounding it. It doesn’t draw attention away from the now - classic song either.

4. Blur – Coffee and TV

Another top video regular, but clearly justifiably. I defy anyone not to feel sympathy towards the cute little milk carton trying to make its way in the world. It is especially sweet when he meets a hot girl milk carton but then has to witness her get squashed. It also cleverly entwines the band into the main story as most good videos do, by having the guitarist Graham Coxon as ‘missing’ on the side. Something which has yet to be equalled of exceeded by another mainstream band, a memorable and breakthrough video.