ALBUM: NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - PUSH THE SKY AWAY

Review by Jon Birch

Listen Up Manchester Album Rating: 7/10

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds released their debut album ‘From Her To Eternity’ back in 1984. Now, 15 albums and nearly 30 years later, ‘Push The Sky Away’ sees them at maybe their most dark, poetic and beautiful. Sharing more in common with the seminal 1997 album, ‘The Boatman’s Call’, than their more recent works, this is an album of deep, dark fairy tales told over gentle atmospheric piano.

In a musical sense, it’s a very much a stripped back and minimalist affair. Music here is used to create the atmosphere and Nick Cave’s distinctive baritone is the driving force. The opening track to the album, ‘We No Who U R’ is a poetic and eerie number, with lightly threatening overtones (We know who you are, and we know where you live’) On ‘Waters Edge’, Cave paints a picture of a seedy, apocalyptic underworld where the old men (‘you grow old, and you grow cold’) watch girls dancing on the streets ‘shaking there asses’.

In many ways its perhaps not right to describe these as songs, there more like gothic poetry. The music certainly set the tone but you’re always drawn back to the vocal and Nick Cave’s voice is so enticing, you don’t always need to understand the meaning behind the lyrics. The way they’re delivered is enough.

Another highlight is ‘Jubilee Street’, which is one of the few tracks where the music itself really comes into its own, building and swooping to a climax. In a surreal touch, this is followed in the second half with ‘Finishing Jubilee Street’, a song about the writing of the earlier track.

All in all, it’s a big departure from both 2008’s ‘Dig, Lazarus Dig!’ which was a big, bold confident record and Cave’s side project Grinderman, an outlet for his more loud and frantic offerings. However, it’s certainly not unknown territory and is perhaps one of his more accessible records in recent years. If you’re ready to indulge in some beautiful, yet dark storytelling, like no-one else can offer, there is plenty to intrigue you here.

GIG: ETHAN JOHNS

Ethan Johns live at the Sacred Trinity Salford 18.02.2013

Review by Jon Birch

Photography by John Cooper

This is the second church gig I’ve been fortunate enough to attend in Manchester and it’s an utterly different experience from any big arena, or theatre show you’ll go to. In such an intimate setting, the artist is able to connect directly with the audience in a way that’s just not possible in larger venues. The audience as well tend to be different too, real fans engrossed in what’s taking place in front of them. It’s a real music lover’s experience.

It’s a surprise to me that the show isn’t sold out and tickets are available on the door. There’s a certain thrill in getting on board with an artist before they break into the mainstream, particularly if you know that what they offer is something pretty special. It’s like knowing a secret before anyone else. On entering the main body of the church, support act Marika Hackman is on stage. She’s a fragile looking creature who sings folk songs with a dark edge. She’s an artist that could easily be swallowed by a bigger venue but the gentle finger picking guitar and haunting vocals are perfect for the location.

The Pugh’s are full and extra chairs have appeared for the latecomers as Ethan Johns’ takes the stage. He’s dressed in a black suit, with a loose, crooked black tie and his messy hair and full beard complete the dishevelled look. He greets the audience and kicks straight off with ‘Hello Sunshine’, the album opener. It’s a gentle arpeggiated ballad and straight away he’s got the room under his spell. It’s been a long tour and it’s evident as he follows on with ‘Red Rooster Blue’ that it’s taking a few minutes to get his bearings. He stops half way through and with a bashful smile, acknowledges he’s sung the first verse twice. With such an intimate setting it works to his favour; we’re all in on this together and it’s all part of the experience. He goes again and it’s on the mark this time. The song, he explains, was written initially for Bush and Blair but dedicates this performance to Cameron and Milliband. The political theme is one that’s carried into quite a few other tracks, particularly the rousing call to arms, Valley. These are thoroughly modern protest songs with a thoroughly traditional sound.

The pace and sound level is upped considerably as Johns plugs in for ‘Morning Blues’, the drum machine accompaniment coming from his iPhone. It’s a classic blues track with a deep throbbing bass line that shows his versatility as artist. A quick apology to The Man upstairs (‘he won’t have liked that one, this might go down better!’) and Johns’ takes to the piano for the musing and mournful ‘Eden’.

Throughout the set, he introduces several new songs, again covering a variety of genres. The highlight is ‘Black Heart’ (the second and last time he goes Electric), a track driven by Swampy-Blues style slide guitar and littered with Americana imagery. He explains that he’s been writing non-stop on the road and these songs are very raw and still works in progress. Even with this being the case, there is enough here to make a second album a very exciting prospect.

Johns’ manner throughout the show is engaging, warm and friendly. For someone who’s been around high profile musicians for much of his life, he doesn’t display the slightest hint of ego. His humour is self-depreciating as he tells anecdotes and explains the stories behind his songs. Part of the beauty of playing a venue like this is that he can talk directly to the audience. With a a different act, not so readily willing to converse, let alone admit they may have failings (‘I’m no good at the talking parts, music does all my talking, it always has’) the atmosphere could easily go stale. Johns’ has such a warm manner and charm that there’s never a danger of that.

There is also a generous spattering of covers including a beautiful and breath-taking version of Gillian Welch’s ‘Revelator’(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4LdjEObjGo)and an encore, that isn’t really an encore (we’re asked to imagine he’s walked off and come back), of Howard Eliot Payne’s ‘Lay Down Your Tune For Me’. The former, he says, may be included on the next album and it would be a huge shame if it’s not.

It’s refreshing to see an artist, particularly one who has been in around the industry for so long, that is so humble and grateful. As soon as he’s bowed his head and accepted the applause, he’s down to the merchandise stall at the entrance to the church, signing albums, shaking hands and thanking each and every person for coming.

The next time he plays in the UK, it’s likely to be in a much larger venue. His music will definitely translate to that (and in fact, he talks of how he envisages full band versions of some tracks), but I feel absolutely privileged to have had the opportunity to see him play such an intimate setting. 

GIG: FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND

Funeral For a Friend live at NQ Live, Manchester 16.02.2013

written by David Beech

I often think that, as a band, it must be quite disheartening playing smaller, more intimate venues after several years of larger ones. It's almost an admittance on the behalf of tour managers/promoters that your fan base isn't what it once was or that your music doesn't resonate the same way it once did. However tonight's show at NQ proved that, for Funeral for a Friend at least, a downsizing in venue doesn't always mean a regression in career. In fact, the very notion that the band are still releasing albums and touring when so many of their contemporaries have fallen by the wayside proves that they're a band that still have a lot left to give.

The first band of the night are I Divide. Exeter's freshest five piece have been hotly tipped as a band to watch out for over the coming months and seeing them live it's easy to see why. Though they've only been a band since 2011 their music is as confident as it is accessible. Pop hooks punctuate heavy riffs throughout in a style that will no doubt appeal to fans of bands such as You Me At Six or Saosin. The band upholds a kind of youthful exuberance and despite playing to a limited crowd, it's transferred to those already at the front, foreshadowing what's expected to be an energetic show.

The second band to grace the stage are Major League, a pop-punk quintet from New Jersey. Despite this being the first time in the UK for the band, they have already garnered a devout following amongst aficionados of the ever-growing transatlantic punk scene. Capturing the lovelorn innocence of bands such as New Found Glory and The Ataris, it goes without saying that Major League will break a whole new generation of hearts in much the same way the aforementioned were doing ten years ago. You would be forgiven for thinking that Major League were the headlining act tonight. They give their all and the crowd reciprocates. Fans of the band already sing back every line and clamour for the microphone each time it's offered by vocalist Nick Trask. If the job of the support band is to warm up the crowd then it's safe to say that Major League go above and beyond the call of duty and have no doubt converted a slew of new fans (myself included) nationwide.

The final support are Such Gold, part of a new generation of pop-punk bands who take as much influence from 90s emo bands such as The Juliana Theory and Christie Front Drive as they do Blink 182 or Green Day. That doesn't mean their show is an exercise in self-pity or pop-punk cliché. Their blend of hardcore inspired gang-chants coupled with melodic guitar parts whips the crowd in to a frenzy. As they're a band who have already established themselves, a fair few members of the crowd are obviously here to see Such Gold above the headliners. Circle pits form at least every other song and fans are drawn in with reckless abandon. 'Sycamore' is a particular highlight of their set and is spurred on by vociferous crowd reactions, much to the chagrin of a security guard who overtly and perhaps unnecessarily felt compelled to make his presence known. However, over-zealous security can't detract from the fact that Such Gold who, despite being fairly new at the game, come across like they've been doing this for years. Their mixture of hardcore and pop-punk might not be to everyone's taste but they were a perfect choice for tonight's main support and only just overshadowed by Major League's ebullience.

At 8.30 Funeral For A Friend take to the stage to riotous applause. Despite it being 6 years since the release of their most commercially successful album, Tales Don't Tell Themselves, Manchester's NQ is packed to the unusually low rafters, confirming once again that commercial success counts for little when your fan base is a loyal as FFAF's. Opening with long-standing favourite 'She Drove Me to Daytime Television' causes the most raucous response thus far. Choosing to omit the more melodic tracks from new album Conduit was a wise decision given the bands limited time-slot and the hardcore enthused elements of contemporary tracks such as 'The Distance' and 'Grey' slot in next to fan favourites such as 'Roses for the Dead' and 'You Want Romace?' as if they've always been there. Front-man Matt Davies keeps the crowd entertained between songs, even going so far as to cheekily ask the aforementioned over-zealous bouncer if the crowd could “start a circle pit around the entire venue?” to which he understandably declines. Penultimate song of the night is the band's début single and my personal favourite 'Juneau'. Finally hearing this song live, a decade after it's release is something really special for me, and the majority of the crowd too given their reactions. However, the song that receives the best reaction of the night however belongs to 'History', taken from 2005s Hours. Davies is barely audible over the crowd who sing back every lyric as if it was their last night on earth and as the closing chords ring out, there's not a person in the room who can leave tonight doubting the staying-power of a band once tarred with the emo brush.

Be that as it may, tonight wasn't without it's drawbacks. There were some minor issues with the sound quality across the board, this was particularly noticeable during FFAF's set which is a massive shame; this however can be attributed more to the location of the venues sound desk (the side of the stage) as opposed to the bands overall performance. In fact any complaints on tonight fall at the feet of the venue as opposed to the acts. 

NQ feels more like the club it is than a venue that plays host to some of the biggest bands of yesteryear and ending on a negative feels somewhat ill-fitting given the quality of the music on show tonight. Sure there were some songs which felt a little flat when compared to the singles, but that’s the perils you face when playing newer material live. All in all this was a solid show and one which cements FFAF's place as one of the top contemporary British bands. It doesn't matter whether they're headlining the Apollo or a backstreet dive such as NQ the passion and the heart that went in to their previous records is back with a vengeance and as long as Davies and co keep making music like they are doing, long may their hearts stay broken and permanently on their sleeve.

ALBUM: ETHAN JOHNS - IF NOT NOW THEN WHEN?

Review by Jon Birch

Listen Up Manchester album rating: 7/10

If Not Now Then When, is the debut solo album from prolific record producer, Ethan Johns. The son of the legendary Glyn Johns, producer for the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Faces, The Who and Eric Clapton to name but a few, Ethan has a mightily impressive pedigree of his own. He’s the man behind The Kings Of Leon’s first two, sound-defining albums and has worked with the likes of Joe Cocker, Ray LaMontagne and Laura Marling.

As the title suggests, it’s a record that’s been long planned and on first listen, Ethan Johns has got plenty to offer as a solo artist. There’s a wealth of genres packed in here, from the mournful acoustic opening of Hello Sunshine, the full on Blues-Rock of Morning Blues to the upbeat Americana of Red Rooster Blue.

With the record just ten tracks long, it does sometimes feel a little this mass of styles has been crammed together; across the opening few tracks, it almost lurches from genre to genre, pieces of a jigsaw that don’t quite fit. However, it comes together on The Turning which see’s John’s at his most contemplative. There’s something of the wistful beauty of Nick Drake in the soft piano and clear reflective vocals. It’s a beautiful, moving song and leads the album into its strongest section with the Nick Cave-like, Rally and Don’t Reach Too Far.

Johns has worked closely with Ryan Adams for much of his career (he took the helm for both Adam’s seminal 2001 album Gold and its predecessor Heartbreaker) and Adams, along with Laura Marling, joins in for the lead track, Whip Poor Will, contributing a backing track of haunting vocals and subtle slide guitar.

Throughout his time behind the desk, Ethan Johns has worked with a wide range of musicians and that’s openly expressed in his music. It’s the reason why so many genres are on display here and why many tracks sound so readily influenced by others. What it does lead you to wonder is, is it his style that has been influenced by those he’s worked with or is it maybe the other way round? This is a decent debut that showcases Ethan John’s many talents and, if there is a follow up, it will be intriguing to see which direction he takes next. 

ALBUM: FOALS - HOLY FIRE

Review by David Beech

Listen Up Manchester album rating: 5/10

Finding success off the back of the ill-fated nu-rave scene of 2007/2008, Oxford's Foals managed to avoid the break-ups that many other bands suffered and yesterday released album number three: Holy Fire. Gone are the progressive math-rock beats and off-kilter angular guitars that populated earlier releases and in their place are gentle, ambient synth patterns, jazz influenced guitars and silky smooth vocals. It's a far cry from the days of 'Cassius' and 'Hummer' and a direction that won't please everyone,

The first single taken from Holy Fire is 'Inhaler', a song which aims a little too high with what it wanted to achieve. A messy breakdown halfway through the song hampers the quality and seems somewhat out of place given the steady plod of the verses. There's an attempt at utilising shifts in dynamics here, which unfortunately doesn't work well and leaves the song feeling erratic.

Track four on the album 'Bad Habit' fortunately sees an increase in quality. As a gentle drum beat slowly gathers momentum and instruments until it breaks out in to a chorus reminiscent of New York's Black Kids.

  

Late Night is the sixth track on the album and features a disco tinged breakdown towards the end which is completely out of character for the band and really doesn't help their case any.

Holy Fire is an album which has lost all the youthful energy and urgency that made Foals earlier records so fresh and exciting. It's a natural progression for a band to feel that they need to move away from their initial sounds, it stops their sound becoming formulaic, even boring. But the idea is to keep it fresh and interesting; to bring an element of maturity to their sound, not retirement. Foals have made an album that is essentially all fluff with the occasional moment of quality. Rarely does Holy Fire rise above anything more than just an 'okay' album. The production quality is first-rate. But that doesn't help when everything can be described as beige at best. Unfortunately Foals have fallen victim to an overt case of 'all filler no killer' and would do well to revert back to their exuberant party tunes before they alienate fans further than Holy Fire might well do.

100 INFLUENTIAL ALBUMS

So i'm guessing a lot of people have seen & had a go on the recent facebook post going round "100 most influential albums" - one of our favoutite "critiques" had a go and thought there were clearly some blatent errors so has compiled his own. Here is the list from Mr Carbohydrates (AKA the Moleholme) - let us know your thoughts and comments!!!

The 60’s-------------
Beatles “Revolver” / “Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band” / “Magical Mystery Tour”
Jimi Hendrix Experience “Electric Ladyland”
MC5 “Kick out the Jams”
Beach Boys “Pet Sounds”
Bob Dylan "Bri...ng it all Back Home”
Johnny Cash “At Folsom Prison”
Doors “Debut”
Love “Forever Changes”
Velvet Underground & Nico “Debut”
The Small Faces “Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake”
Kinks “Something Else”
Captain Beefheart “Trout Mask Replica”
Electric Prunes “Mass in F Minor”
 
The 70’s----------
Nick Drake “Bryter Layter”
Fleetwood Mac “Rumours”
Marvin Gaye “What’s going on?”
Roxy Music “Debut”
Kraftwerk “Autobahn”
Neil Young “Harvest”
Simon and Garfunkel “Bridge over Troubled Waters”
Pink Floyd “Dark Side of the Moon” / “The Wall”
David Bowie “Low”
Iggy Pop “The Idiot”
Rolling Stones “Exile on Main St.”
Clash “London Calling”
Sex Pistols “Nevermind the Bollocks…”
Stooges “Raw Power”
Joy Division “Unknown Pleasures”
Queen “A Night at the Opera”
The Jam “All Mod Cons”
Ramones “Rocket to Russia”
The Who “Quadrophenia”
Elvis Costello “My Aim is True”
Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run”
Lou Reed “Transformer”
PiL “Metal Box”
Led Zeppelin “IV”

 The 80’s--------------
Black Flag “Damaged”
Misfits “Walk Among Us”
Prince “Purple Rain”
The Fall “Grotesque”
Psychedelic Furs “Debut”
Tears for Fears “The Hurting”
Talking Heads “Remain in Light”
Sonic Youth “Daydream Nation”
Pixies “Doolittle”
The Stone Roses “The Stone Roses”
Smiths “The Queen is Dead”
Jesus & Marychain “Psycho-candy”
Echo & the Bunnymen “Ocean Rain”
U2 “Joshua Tree”
New Order “Technique”
Talk Talk 'It’s My Life'
Dexy’s Midnight Runners 'Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'
Cure “Disintegration”
Guns’n’Roses “Appetite for Destruction"

The 90’s-------
Happy Mondays “Pills n Thrills & Bellyaches”
Ride “Nowhere”
Teenage Fanclub “Bandwagon-esque”
Massive Attack “Blue Lines”
Smashing Pumpkins “Melancholy & the Infinite Sadness”
Spiritualized “Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space”
Primal Scream “Screamadelica” /
Depeche Mode “Violater”
Oasis “Definitely Maybe”
Radiohead “OK Computer”
REM “Automatic for the People”
My Bloody Valentine “Loveless”
Suede “Dog Man Star”
Beck “Odelay”
Nirvana “Nevermind”
Pearl Jam “Ten”
Manic Street Preachers “Holy Bible”
Mansun “Six”
Jeff Buckley “Grace”
Bjork “Post”
Moby “Play”
Elliott Smith “Xo”
Portishead “Dummy”
Nine Inch Nails “The Downward Spiral”
The La’s “Debut”
Mercury Rev “Deserter’s Songs”

The 00’s-----------------
Primal Scream “XTRMNTR”
Radiohead “Kid A”
Libertines “Up the Bracket”
Interpol “Turn on the Bright Lights”
At the Drive-in “Relationship of Command”
Strokes “Is This It?”
Sigur Ros “Debut”
Jimmy Eat World “Bleed America”
White Stripes “Elephant”
PJ Harvey “Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea”
LCD Soundsystem “Sound of Silver”
The Horrors “Primary Colours”
Queens of the Stone Age “Songs for the Deaf”
Arcade Fire “Funeral” / “The Suburbs” (yes its the 10's)

ALBUM: EELS - WONDERFUL, GLORIOUS

Review by John Cooper

Listen Up Manchester album rating 9/10

The opening lines to the new Eels album “Wonderful, Glorious” (their 10^th studio album) set the tone nicely for the rest of the album “nobody listens to the whispering fool, are you listening? I didn’t think so, I’ve been as quiet as a church-house mouse, tiptoeing everywhere I go, I’ve had enough of being complacent, I’ve had enough of being a mouse, I no longer keep my mouth shut, bombs away, I’m gonna shake the house” for this album has a real fighting spirit to it and sounds like E (aka Mark Oliver Everett) stating to the world he's no longer gonna put himself down & he's got something to say. The usual trademark understated melancholic Eels sound is still there beneath the surface, but its given a real boost and a bit of a lift - in particular by the lyrics. The very next track E proclaiming he’s “feeling kinda fuzzy” a reference to his ongoing battle with depression, but he’s “up for the fight”. Talking about the album recently, E commented “It probably would have been predictable if I’d done a bummer album after ‘Tomorrow Morning’, which was pretty positive, but a more interesting curveball was going further with the positivity.”

The lead single form the album sits nicely after the much gentler “Accident Prone” which gives it (“Peach Blossom”) much more impact when its rocksteady drumbeat and heavy fuzz laden guitar intro kicks in. E claiming that its his favourite track on the album along with “On The Ropes” – which as the title implies is another track that embodies that aforementioned fighting spirit of this album (“I’ve got enough fight left inside this tired heart, to win this one and walk out on my feet”).

“New Alphabet” has a Beck-like quality to it and kicks in to become a bit of a rocker & further tracks “Stick Together” & “Open My Present” keep the momentum running throughout the second half of the album. Amongst all this there are some tender moments here, most notably the track “True Original” a beautiful ballad, (sounding more like earlier Eels work) in which E states he’d “stand between the bullet and her”.

The album finishes on a high – a very warm positive song “Wonderful, Glorious”, that rounds things up nicely and tells the listener everything’s gonna be alright! Give this album the time, attention and love it deserves (“my love is beautiful and its here for the taking”) and each listen to it will reward you further. 

ALBUM: JIM JAMES - REGIONS OF LIGHT AND SOUND OF GOD

Review by Jon Birch

Listen Up Manchester album rating: 8/10

Back in 2008, Jim James became obsessed with the early Graphic Novel, God’s Man by Lynd Ward. In what was a ground breaking format for the time, the book tells the story of an impoverished artist who accepts a gift of a magic paintbrush from a stranger clad only in black. The artist at first finds riches beyond his wildest dreams but soon finds himself losing his sanity and ultimately, his life, as the true nature of the stranger is revealed.

Taking time away from his day job with My Morning Jacket, he began composing and writing songs inspired by this tale and these would ultimately become his debut solo album. The result is a quite beautiful record with a thoroughly dreamlike quality. It’s what you imagine the afterlife must sound like; unknown, hazy and ethereal but at the same time, comforting and safe.

It impossible to pigeon hole this album and every track is different and takes on its own form. The opening song, ‘State Of The Art (A.E.I.O.U)’, starts with a simple piano backing with James’s vocal, both strong and fragile at once, telling a cautionary tale of being careful what you wish for; ‘Your signing on forever. When you ink it in blood’. ‘Dear One’ is driven by a complex drum beat and fuzzy bass and ‘Exploding’ is a simple instrumental picked out on an acoustic guitar, distorting and changing as it reaches its climax. As the album plays through, it’s similar to being in a dream filled sleep; each one is slightly different but once they’re finished, you can't clearly remember individual details, you’re just left with the feeling they gave you.

If there is one criticism, it’s that there are no natural peaks here; the album glides along, in and out of consciousness, before drifting to a quiet close. At the same time though, there are no real weak moments. It’s written to be enjoyed as a whole and at just over 40 minutes long, it’s easy to let this wash over you without feeling your committing too much. Come back repeatedly though and ‘Regions Of Light And Sound Of God’ starts to reveal some stunning depths that are begging to be explored.

ALBUM: FIDLAR (Self Titled)

Review by David Beech

Listen Up Manchester album rating: 6/10

Born off the back of a skate-punk resurgence, LA's FIDLAR are living life to it's fullest and creating the kind of booze-fuelled skate-sleaze your parents warned you about. Their self-titled début album is a balls-to-the-wall surf-jam influenced by So-Cal punk bands such as The Offspring and Blink 182 as much as earlier punk bands such as T.S.O.L and Social Distortion.

Clocking in at just over half an hour long Fidlar is a short, sharp kick in the ribs. Songs such as 'No Waves' ooze So-Cal attitude and paint pictures of the holy trinity of Californian punk.  Surfing; drinking and girls. While track six, entitled 'Max Can't Surf' is full of sleazy guitar-licks and a surprisingly Weezer like chorus.

Unfortunately the album isn't without it's downsides. About halfway through, it does seem to get quite repetitive, as if you've heard it all before. The lo-fi vocals, while suiting to the overall archaic sound of the band, do seem to be slightly over used and would benefit from some respite every now and again.

There are occasional moments where something particularly special shines few, although they are few and far between. One such moment is the shortest track on the album '5 to 9' which is a fantastic minute long stomp-along that is bound to go down well during live shows. While 'LDN' sounds like The Ramones meets The Beach Boys in a lo-fi surf amalgam which is surprisingly inoffensive given the drug-addled subject matter of most of the other songs.

Fidlar is an album that will almost certainly have it's critics. On the surface it's an aggressively hedonistic portrait of Cali life steeped in punk history (two members of the band are children to the guitarist from aforementioned T.S.O.L). Beneath an obnoxious exterior however is an album with promise and potential. Perhaps a second album will reveal a maturity in their song-writing. But for now the lads are more inclined to drink and snort their way through the royalties, but where else would they get their subject matter for album number two from?

GIG: LIAM FRAY

Review by John Cooper (special thanks to Lauren & Amelia for the photos)

When two special acoustic solo performances (an afternoon matinee & an evening) by Liam Fray were announced a few weeks ago, scheduled for the eve of the release of the Courteeners third album Anna, we knew we had to get tickets to one of these shows. Tickets sold out fast (something Liam made comment to and thanked the crowd for during his set saying that it had really meant something to him), and we were more than happy to secure a couple of tickets for the evening show. Also for the cost of £12, this not only included the ticket, but a copy of the new album & and individually signed lyric sheet by Liam – a real bargain. 

We arrived at the Ritz a shortly before Liam was due on stage, and battled our way to the busy bar amongst a crowd of die-hard Courteeners fans. There was a real buzz about in the room, and when Liam walked out the shouts (and screams) were both passionate and loud. Liam launched straight into "How Come" and the crowd responded with singing every word with arms outstretched towards their hero. Even stood to the side you could really sense the atmosphere of this gig was going to be something special, I can only imagine how intense it would have been right at the front in the heart of it all. The first 5 songs were all classics from St Jude with the crowd knowing every single word and singing back at a clearly humbled Liam. He carried on with a couple of B-sides including  “an Ex is an Ex for a Reason” the B-side to the 7” version of the early single “Acrylic” probably a good opportunity for him to dust off these rarely played songs. He then followed up with a good mixture of tracks from Falcon and of course the new Album Anna. The Stand out tracks that Liam played from the new album included “Van Der Graaff”, “Marquee” & album closer “Here Come the Young Men”.

At one point during the show a girl was pulled from the front after feinting and was taken by the security staff to the side of the stage, after finishing the song he was playing – Liam ran off for a few moments to check on her – something that was really good to see that he genuinely cares about his fans – he could have easily left something like that to the officials – so hats off to you Liam. Another incident that happened during the show (something that seems to be a staple of a Courteeners gig is the throwing of beer – why I’m not quite sure as its never a cheap pint in most major music venues and just seems a waste of beer to me), but this particular pint hit the stage and covered Liams back – he didn’t rise to this, have a rant and walk off like some artists might – instead he got on with doing what he does best and entertaining his crowd (who were already booing the pint thrower who had soaked their hero). Liam rewarded the crowd with a real crowd pleaser to finish on “Not Nineteen Forever” cue more singing in adulation. The lights went down and everyone realised that one song was missing, prompting the mass repeated chanting of “Whoh-oh-oooh U-huh-hu-oooh” the final refrain of “What Took You So Long?” and indeed Mr Fray didn’t let down his audience coming out for a one song encore of the song the crowd needed to hear. Upon leaving the venue there were so many beaming faces and the continued singing from them of “Whoh-oh-oooh U-huh-hu-oooh” filled the air as we filed out. A truly memorable night where both artist and audience fed of each other to make it one of those special gigs that will remain in the hearts and memories of everyone who was there.

ALBUM REVIEW: THE COURTEENERS - ANNA

Written by Jon Birch

Listen Up Manchester album rating: 6/10

The Courteeners burst on to the scene in 2008 with their debut album, St Jude. It was an album full of raw guitar riffs, honest relatable lyrics and homages to their hometown of Manchester. It was a huge success, reaching no. 4 in the UK charts and prompting claims they were ‘the next Oasis’. That was followed by 2010’s Falcon which, although retained the down to earth lyrics, was a far more polished record in terms of production and saw the band’s sound evolve with the introduction of synths and strings into the mix. It was commercially well received but is not as instantly accessible and ultimately, likeable, as the debut.

Anna then, is The Courteeners third full length album and sees them following much the same blueprint as Falcon. There are some strong tracks to be found here but there are too many that pass you by or, worse still, leave you reaching for the skip button. The production quality is again high, and the sound has now evolved to a point where, once the next great hope for guitar music, The Courteeners now seem to be more concerned with embracing the trendy art-pop scene.

Opening track, ‘Are You In Love With A Notion’, kicks in with an 80’style drum beat and guitar riff and is a tale of falling in love and getting caught up in the moment. The beauty of Liam Fray’s signature down to earth lyrics is that they’re so easy to relate to. We all know someone who’s been in these types of situations; ‘You told Deborah, that he is the one, you’re going to quit Debenhams, elope and get married in the sun’. The strong start continues with the lead single ‘Lose Control’. It’s by no means one of their career best but it’s got a strong hook and enough synths and drumbeats to become a dance floor staple at Indie club nights in the months to come.

Van Der Graaff sees an attempt at a Kasabian style riff and Welcome To The Rave is a reflection on the rise to fame, the changes it brings (‘I’ve got a pass to Aladdin’s cave, are you coming with?’), and the fears that come with it. ‘When You Want Something You Can’t Have’ and ‘Marquee’ are possibly the two songs here that have most in common with the first album and share bittersweet experiences.

This isn’t a bad record; it’s just not exciting or enough to make you want to come back time and again. There are tracks that will stay with you but there are more that you’ll forget. Ultimately, if you’re a Courteeners fan, this will fit nicely in your collection and you’ll sing your heart out to each song. If you’re not, I’d advise you to give St Jude a listen. 

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME.....

Written by Jon Birch

From ancient civilisations to the internet, where does music go from here?

The demise of HMV is another timely reminder that the retail world is evolving and in particular, the way people buy music has changed dramatically in a relatively small amount of time. I read a comment from Comedian Frankie Boyle in his tabloid column which I think sums up HMV’s plight perfectly; ‘HMV was the place you went to when you had half an hour to kill in town but didn’t intend to spend any money’. With internet shopping becoming secure, safe and above all, value for money, there really is no reason for people to make their final purchases on the high street anymore. This will affect all retailers to a degree (John Lewis reported that 25% of their Christmas sales were conducted online) but has hit HMV so hard because their main product and source of income, music, has seen perhaps the biggest swing away from the high street.

It’s easy to see why. Even though, I’m a self-confessed vinyl junkie and love the thrill of hunting for that illusive record, a lot of my music collection is in MP3 format from ITunes and similar online services. Its user friendly, instant and with prices that a retail outlet can’t get near. In addition to this, purchasing a CD is becoming increasingly redundant as MP3 files can be shared effortlessly between laptop, tablet and phone. Digital music is clearly the future.

If you believe the doom-mongers, this is going to mean the end of the music industry. It’s certainly a massive time of change but for me, it’s perhaps the most exciting time for music in the modern age. With the UK’s largest music retailer closing its doors and many independents already gone (ironically, in a lot of cases, because HMV or one of the other big chains came to town) the retail end of the music industry is now firmly based on the World Wide Web. This opens up a huge range of opportunities, not only for established artists, but for up and coming acts and even unsigned bands. With Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a myriad of Blogging sites, anyone with an internet connection can share their thoughts, views and their music with the world.

Self-promotion is no longer about drawing up a few flyers and passing them around in pubs and clubs; it’s now about your own web page, your own YouTube channel and easy connections to the world. While the quality of home recording equipment goes up, the price comes down meaning up and coming bands no longer have to shell out for expensive studio time to put together that all important first demo. For new artists, the possibilities and the opportunities to promote yourself are huge. It doesn’t mean actually getting signed is any easier but it does mean you can make your music available to a much wider audience yourself. Bands are now able to build a considerable following and even play fairly large shows without necessarily having a recording contract.

With the evolution of digital music, the evolution of file-sharing has gone hand in hand and there have been many claims that this will bring the music industry to its knees. I don’t believe this at all but I do believe the industry needs to grow and change with the times. We all taped off the radio as children and we all copied friends CD’s. File-sharing is just an evolution of that, albeit on a huge scale. It’s also something that’s not going to stop. It’s an unfortunate fact but if the technology exists, then you’re not going to stop it being used.

Of course this will have an effect on CD sales but this is where record companies need to get smart. Established artists have barely scratched the surface of the potential that digital media can offer. You only have to look at the resurgence in the vinyl market over the last couple of years to see that the key is to make something that people want and need to own. The opportunities for innovation are endless and a few artists have started to embrace this. The Flaming Lips for example launched songs in several different formats last year including a Gummy Skull, with a USB stick hidden at the centre. The Doors entire catalogue is due to be released as an IPad app later this year and will include unseen interviews, essays and promo videos. Of course the tech savvy could crack this and download it illicitly but again, by creating something new and innovative, you tap into people’s desire to possess something, be it physically or digitally. Other ideas have seen bands like McFly creating a members only area to their website. The music is free but the subscription paid entitles you to exclusive contact with the band and photos and tracks not found elsewhere.

Music no longer has to be just an audio experience.  Nearly everyone nowadays has not only a music player but also a video player in their pocket. This could see more examples of the music video being not just an accompaniment to a song, but also a means to tell a story. In addition to this, the simple album cover no longer needs to be a single image. Why not an image per song, why not a video per song, the possibilities are endless.  

It’s easy to sound the death knell for music but it’s important to remember that the music industry in its current form is only around 60 years old. Before this time, pop music wasn’t easily accessible and records weren’t widely released. It was only in 1967 with the advent of Radio 1 that popular music was given its own place on the airwaves.

Music in itself has been around for thousands of years and is in no danger of going anywhere. If you  go to a museum and look at the remnants of any ancient society, It’s fascinating to me that there are three things you will always find in common. Tools for building, weapons for hunting and instruments for music; It really is that important to a society. Digital music and file-sharing won’t bring about the end of music but it will force change and innovations and that can only be a good thing.