from the original Elvis inspired rockabilly meets British blues... to the Scottish Punk rave-up... to the bushman's holidays version of The Slickee Boys (aka The Wanktones ) to the inevitable Cali rendition Well now the cats are rockin' and everyone is feelin' alright - alright! Said on a Wednesday evening there's sure gonna be a fight - be a fight! Somebodys's gonna get their head kicked in tonight! Well everybody's moving and everyone [...]
Okay, we are getting into list season here, and it is time not just for me to be preparing my own lists, but for you to be considering yours as well. Last year we had a vote on the fives which I failed to count properly, but this time I promise to keep a running tally as we go along, so we will hopefully end up with an actual Song, by Toad Readers' Champion.. or something like that anyway. So, between now and next week (10th) give some thought to your five favourite songs of the year, and [...]
The mists, the mists, the mists of October... October 2010 (Spotify playlist) Ken Nordine "The Vidiot" (Word Jazz: The Complete 1950's Recordings, 2010 Chrome Dreams Music) Buy it here!! The Breeders "Cannonball" (Last Splash, 1993, 4AD Ltd) Buy it here!! Violators "Gangland" (Punk and Disorderly Deluxe Edition, 2009, Anarchy Music) Buy it here!! X-Ray Spex "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!!" (Germ Free
On Saturday, I put on my shorts and sandals and made my way to the final year degree show at the Limerick School of Art and Design on Clare St. The show is the culmination of four year's work by the art students who attend the college and features a wide range of disciplines including painting, photography, graphic design, ceramics, sculpture and fashion. I arrived in the afternoon, so I didn't get to see everything. In fact, I was taken aback by the quantity of work on offer, but also pleasantly delighted by the quality of work. I went to [...]
Here's another example of just how many great bands have come out of Scotland. The Rezillos formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, back in 1976, and were quickly associated with the punk and subsequent new wave movement in the UK, with their panache for short, sharp, three minute pop gems. The band toured constantly with the likes of The Ramones and The Undertones, by 1979 it was all over. In 2001 they reformed for a one off gig, and reignited, leading to their continuing and welcome musical presence in 2009. [...]
When I worked at my college radio station in the mid-90s, we ran it like a rock 'n' roll university. Before you got anywhere near getting your own show, you had to learn a fair bit of indie history. Since this was in the dark, pre-Wikipedia ages, this knowledge was disseminated via photocopied handout sheets written by music directors as instructional guides for junior members of staff. It all might sound like it was sucking the fun right out of rock music, but quite the contrary: it was our way of preserving a secret history. When I should have been [...]
Filthy Little Angels Genre: Alternative / Alternative / Alternative From: USA & Nelson, United Kingdom The Devil owes the mighty Woon of the best indie label in the worlds bar none Filthy Little Angels a huge apology. During May a veritable cornucopia of indie magnificence, the equivalent of a Peel [...]
Until a mid-90's change in postal regulations, comic book publishers were forced to include a couple of text pages in each individual comic in order to qualify for the second class bulk rate for periodicals. Before the letters page/editorial page format became the standard method of fulfilling this requirement, publishers often filled two pages with dubious "educational" content or generally terrible short stories. Fawcett's Captain Marvel Adventures , a series which I've professed my love for in more than a few previous posts, met its obligations to the USPS though an ongoing series of stories starring "Lieutenant [...]
There it is – the first comic I distinctly remember owning, Gold Key's UFO and Outer Space #14 from June 1978. I say distinctly because I do remember reading and owning other comics prior to that one, mostly Disney stuff with dollops of Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman folded over the years into a hazy mnemonic stew of disassociated panels and captions. (I used to have a coverless copy of this comic for years in the antique school desk my parents set up for me in the front porch, but I only remembered it recently [...]
Je ne sais pas ce qu'il m'arrive : je vais faire un billet sur des anglais. Il n'ont pas de chapeaux de cowboys. Ils ne sont pas dépressifs. Ils sont presque des 80's. Je dois être fatigué pour trouver ça à mon goût... Je dois y trouver un petit avant-goût de compile de l'été. Je dois y trouver un petit goût de grillé. C'est con, c'est court, c'est bon, c'est la petite pillule énergétique dont j'avais besoin aujourd'hui. The Rezillos : Flying saucer attack (mp3)
Rockism is dead. Long live rawkism . Sure, it dwells in pockets here and there, like Japanese army holdouts in the Philippine jungle, but when the more hardcore elements among the performing set speak of "authenticity" there's the distinct tang of sour grapes in the air. Someone once said that inside every revolutionary beats the heart of a frustrated civil servant. Given access to a high tech studio and a massive production budget, even the most committed brick tossing rockist ideologue will start making heretical inquiries about overdubs, session musicians, and canned orchestral effects. Even The Clash, [...]
Simply put, the mid- to late-70s Scottish punk scene rarely attracts the attention it rightfully deserves. In response to that, I've put together a timeline (which will be posted in installments throughout the week), chronicling the short-lived movement's most significant events. This timeline, together with a recent story I did for Stylus, should serve as a good primer for those looking to get into the scene. And away we go . . . . 1976 March [...]
Bleedin Out
Song, by Toad
Easy Music for Difficult Ears
A Town Full of Losers
Beehive Candy
Radio Free Chicago
The Devil Has The Best Tuna
Armagideon Time
Un violon, un jambon
The Merry Muses Of Caledonia
Beat Culture
MOKB Premiere : Hacienda : Don’t Keep Me Waiting
Monday Music – 28 May 2012
Andre 3000 As Jimi Hendrix: Foxey
Listen: The Vaccines – No Hope
