I need some time in the sunshine...

Wednesday and I’ve finally got around to watching Seven ages of Rock, the final programme, What the world is waiting for. I haven’t ever though of The Smiths as being an indie band, although I never found them very ineresting and so never took much notice of them (oh heresy!) I guess the first time I really twigged was with The Stone Roses, not that I ever liked them either, but at the time I was beginning to be aware of other bands whose tunes were starting to grow on me. One of the clips that the programme showed was The Happy Mondays doing He’s Gonna step on you again, a tune that irritated me on two fronts. Firstly, I didn’t like the Happy Mondays (didn’t like much did you?), and secondly, the track itself was a rubbish cover taken from the very fine 1971 album Kongos by John Kongos, a South African singer/songwriter, which I owned.

Of course Brett Anderson (Suede) hit the nail on the head when he said (and I paraphrase here) that as soon as a genre of music escapes from its underground roots and becomes widely enjoyed, the big labels move in and it becomes commercialised. I personally enjoyed the first two albums from The Stereophonics, but after that they were very popular and descended into the commericla mainstream. It’s the nature of the beast I guess.

The Blur v Oasis, sorry Noel; Oasis v Blur, chart battle was, for me, the beginning of the end of that period of “indie” music, and certainly Oasis at Knebworth was the final nail in the coffin. The blip on the Radar of Rock that was BritPop was a glorious time for music, 1994/5 saw the likes of Elastica, Sleeper, Manic Street Preachers, Suede, Gene, Supergrass, The Boo Radleys, The Charlatans, The Verve, Kula Shaker, Shed Seven, The Seahorses, Ocean Colour Scene and The Bluetones, to name but a few. And bubbling below the surface were some minor bands that were producing good tunes as well; Longpigs, Whipping Boy, The Spin Doctors etc. It was flipping brilliant! Of course “indie” continues because there are still independent record labels out there but the music then moved to a harder, edgier sound with bands such as 3 Colours Red, Muse, and Feeder.

Oops, back to the programme and the series ends with clips from The Libertines, Coldplay, The Artic Monkeys, and Franz Ferdinand. Although of course The Libertines were not the first band to have played “guerrilla gigs” or impromptu sessions in their own front rooms, Scary were doing that while Pete Doherty was still in nappies. What ever happened to Scary? Anyway, a brilliant series and I shall definitely (maybe) be looking out for the DVD.

Shuffling through the stores like zombies

Friday night and we are chancing our arm at the Old White Swan. Will Hazzard County be there or not? Good grief, they are! All the usual suspects; Chris, Paddy, Tom, and Country John, and by Jove they’re as good as ever. I even manage to bag my usual corner as soon as I arrive instead of waiting until it becomes vacant. Sadly, we have to leave after the first set so I don’t know if they are playing again next week. Taking a look at The Talk Magazine online doesn’t really help as there is no entry for the Old White Swan for Friday 29 July.

Having been on holiday all last week, I’m using the weekend to wind down ready for work again on Monday. Saturday is therefore a lazy day with plently of musical action in the form of snippets from Glastonbury and perfectly rounded off with the latest episode of Seven Ages of Rock on BBC2, which this week is Left of the Dial: The rise of alternative rock in the USA. I’m always a bit wary of the label “Alternate rock”. OK it was a resurgence of interest in rock in the wake of the pomp rock of the ’80, but it was hardly alternate, just more stripped back. The programme focussed on the Seattle scene which built on the work of bands like Black Flag, REM, Hüsker Dü, and The Pixies. Basically the tale revolved around the rise of Nirvana and the equally rapid downward spiral of Kurt Cobain. Overall, another jolly fine programme with my only complaint being the slightly gratuitous use of a clip from The Beverly Hillbillies.

This week I ‘ave mostly been …

… on holiday. Not going anywhere special, just doing odd jobs around the house. I’ve gravelled the postage stamp of a front garden, it should be easier for me to weed between the roses. I’ve also painted the exterior of the front bay window and the French windows, and the downstairs windows ledges (they’re sandstone you know) and creosoting the back fence. Well, it’s probably not creosote anymore, it’ll be “exterior wood preserver CE, your local council has special facilities for disposing of the product.” Cynical? Me? Never!

Hey, I’d like to say “Hello” to you folks that read my blog, you know who you are. I find it odd that anyone would want to read my ramblings, but I guess I read other people’s so maybe it’s not so odd after all.

I’m having a bit of a rock day today, listening to Lacuna Coil Comalies, Magum Brand New Morning, Linkin Park Minutes to Midnight, Kings of Leon Because Of The Times, Free Chronicles…. The latest issue of Classic Rock hurtled through my letterbox this morning, what a jolly fine read. There looks to be some interesting music that I need to get hold of (watch out play.com, there’s money coming your way.) A bit of a old one but Dream Theatre’s When Dream and Day Unite seems to be highly regarded. I haven’t got any of their stuff so that could be a toe in the water. Joe Bonamassa has a forthcoming new album called Sloe Gin. I’ve listened to a track off it, Dirt In My Pocket, definitely my cup of rosy. Finally, CR has given a rave review of Velvet Revolver’s new offering, Libertad, so I might have to put my prejudices aside and shell out for that.

Just caught up with last Saturday’s Seven Ages of Rock on BBC2 which I had to record as it clashed with Jekyll. This week it was We Are the Champions, looking at the rise of stadium rock. I was left with the impression that it’s only the great UK rock bands that can really do stadium rock (U2, The Police, Queen, Genesis, Pink Floyd, etc), the US bands either have rubbish music but great theatre, or great music but can’t do stadium sized gigs. I’m probably generalising, but it seems like a decent rule of thumb. Personally I don’t do big gigs. I once saw Wet Wet Wet (don’t laugh, I was with friends) and I couldn’t actually see them, apart from on the screens at the side. I reckon if you can only see them on screens, you might as well buy a DVD and watch it at home! (Climbs off soapbox.) Anyway, another excellent programme in the series, well done Aunty Beeb.

Out tonight to see if Hazzard County still exist. If not, UK Subs are at Certificate 18 and Fibbers has I Was A Cub Scout punk electronica. So we’ll probably end up at the Roman Bath. Ah, and I’ve got my ticket for Four Day Hombre at Fibbers on 19 July, see you there, let’s hope folk don’t talk all through the gig like last time.