Reading this story on the BBC website, about Other Lives being hand-picked to support Radiohead, I reflected on some of the support acts I’ve enjoyed in the past. Frightened Rabbit, for example, blew me away at a Gomez concert. And I loved Pure Reason Revolution – whose last gigs I sadly missed this week – [...]
Do great band members make good solo artists? That’s the question I’ve found myself pondering in the last 10 minutes or so, since stumbling on Gomez (or, as it sounds like, just Ben Ottewell) doing their (or his) version of Wichita Lineman. Ben Ottewell released his own solo album – Shapes and Shadows – at [...]
What makes a good cover version? Is it authenticity to the original work, or taking the canvas of the original and painting over it with something entirely different? I think there are good examples of both. Mark Cox, regular commenter on this fine blog, recently introduced me to the mighty fine The Civil Wars. Check [...]
I first started writing this blog in April, then work got in the way. Prior to my Glastonbury summary – which was excellent – I thought I’d post my long-promised thoughts on the King of Limbs first. It’s been a while since I first listened to The King of Limbs. In the time that’s passed, [...]
Monday 14 February. Valentine’s Day. Lovers around the world showing signs of affection and buying gifts. This was also the day that Radiohead chose to share their latest present with their milions of adoring fans. Their long awaited eigth album – The King of Limbs – will be making it’s overdue appearance imminently. This Saturday, [...]
Last Friday, at a Christmas do for a company I used to work for, I was set a monumental challenge: to list my dream lineup for a medium-sized festival (smaller than Glastonbury, but bigger than an arena gig) that was to be watched by millions around the world. There were only two rules (well, these are the [...]
Glastonbury 2003 was magical. My first summer after graduating from university, I got to experience three firsts. My first Glastonbury; my first time seeing REM and my first time seeing my favourite band: Radiohead. I’ll never forget the view of the site after reaching the brow of the Hill of Death (those that have made [...]
First blog, first artist. Who’s going to feature? No question – my favourite band, Radiohead. How to Disappear Completely is a momentous song. Written about their experience of playing Glastonbury 1997, it really is a defining moment in Radiohead’s back catalogue. What’s this song’s moment? For me, it comes in the final furlong of the [...]
Musings on moving moments in music.