You and I both know that February’s The Beginning EP promised and delivered more than we ever thought possible and that the dazzling, groovy coloured video which accompanied the kick-ass, razor cut single ‘That’s The Way It’s Meant To Be’ fulfilled every one of our crazy, psychedelic dreams. On top of bands like Hot Hot Heat, Stellastarr*, Franz Ferdinand and The Libertines we didn’t feel we really deserve another fiery little star trail sailing over our burgeoning rock firmament. But Continue Reading

With two critically acclaimed albums under his belt – ‘My Beautiful Demon’ and ‘Spoonface’ – it wouldn’t be a surprise if we should find Ben Christophers in a particularly positive and buoyant frame of mind on new album ‘The Spaces In Between’ and lo and behold we do. Even Christophers himself describes it as the most ‘upbeat and optimistic record’ he’s ever written. No mean feat for a man dropped recently by those major dingbats at former label V2. The Continue Reading

So this is what it comes down to then, when all the debris has cleared? After the rucks, the rocks, the petty theft, the 12 steps, hotelling at Her Majesty’s pleasure, Dot Cotton, Thailand, the great escape, expulsion, court appearances, non-appearances, gig no-shows, arrest, smoking crack in front of countless journalists, candid monologues, bizarre web postings, doubtful tabloid hearsay, the splinter Libertines live sets, the separate interviews, the side-projects, the singles, the ups, the downs, the promises, the spontaneity. This Continue Reading

First it was the turn of the Windows Media Player on my computer. That didn’t do it. So I next tried my Boombox during a workout. That didn’t achieve anything. Neither did the workout. I’m still not anything to look at and neither was the record. So I tried it in the bathroom, forgoing my usual five-minute finger workout for something that so far hadn’t threatened to yield the same brief momentary pleasure. So in the end I just kept Continue Reading

Another week and another timely terrorist atrocity keeps Bush’s anti-terrorist, pro-oil spin turning wildly in his favour. It happened on September 11th 2001. It happened in Madrid in March 2004 – just as the anti-terror campaign itself was about to blow in the face of mounting evidence supporting prisoner abuse. We now know pretty much for certain that the Bush administration deliberately chose not to act on warnings of Al-Qaeda’s plans on September 11th. We can pretty much guarantee that Continue Reading

You remember The Prodigy, don’t you? Insane, hypoid-dancing punk-rock drawf, bombshell beats, curiously belligerent attitude to the press, contentious pseudo-masochistic misogyny in tow? Firestarter? Erupting egos? Sudden departure of dwarf? Thought you did. Well this time they’re back.: leaner, tighter, brighter but every bit as nasty as before. And for those who thought the ill-advised 2002 comeback single ‘Baby’s Got A Temper’ all but doused their mighty electro- punk flame, be heartily reassured that all those dirty, sleazy, crazy nasty Continue Reading

In the event that you were scratching around for any further evidence of The Rapture’s celebrated ‘quirky conceptional left-turns’ Vertigo release the band’s first full length live DVD  ‘The Rapture Are Alive and Well In New York City’ on July 12th 2004, directed by acclaimed young video director Patrick Daughters, whose recent work includes the video for the bands ‘Love Is All’ promo clip, and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s ‘Maps’. Recorded just prior to Christmas 2003 at the band’s three Continue Reading

‘Never underestimate the determination of a quiet man’. In the case of Iain Duncan Smith the phrase sounded oddly pathetic, but whispered alongside the charming and distinguished Ed Harcourt – its resonance could scarcely be sweeter. Ed Harcourt returned this month with new single ‘This One’s For You’. Tender, bruised and effortlessly melodic, ‘This One’s For You’ like much of the new album, ‘Strangers’ is a veritable hourglass of whimsical melancholy and slurring, inebriated vigour. With shades of everyone from Continue Reading

The world’s getting smaller. Either that or we’re getting bigger, which statistically may be true, but to such proportions? Bite size is where it’s at. TV news runs clips rather than interviews, we watch more adverts than full length programmes, broadsheets don’t obscure your views on trains or leave the person opposite with an inky nose anymore, the physical music press has all but disappeared and the remainder rarely dare their dear reader(s) to work through much over 500 words Continue Reading