W♥M

Moby Richard

Moby at Gold Diggers, Los Angeles (29 Oct 2023) Read More Moby His latest single is "The Poison Tree", so he will be performing that song. The song is from Moby's 2011 Destroyed album. In the meantime, the double disc Destroyed Remixed album will be out May 1st (digital) and June 19th .…

MOBY
moby.com

Multi-platinum-selling, multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, author, and animal rights activist, Moby is DJing for the first time since the pandemic to benefit “Vegans of LA Food Bank”, this October 29, 2023.

The event will take place at Gold Diggers, in Los Angeles, and joining Moby will be KCRW’s DJ Raul Campos.

And the best part is that Moby decided to make it affordable, stating, “In a world of excessively high ticket prices, I thought it would be nice to play for $5 and give all of the money to one of my favorite local charities.”

The first 50 tickets sold are guaranteed entry at $5, then there will be an RSVP waitlist of 300 once those go. All the details and purchasing instructions can be found here.

Moby (23 May 2016)

We saw Moby at his book signing in May 2016, and said, “For the reading, dressed on a warm evening in a t-shirt, hoodie and sport coat, Moby selected two passages from his early days about DJ-ing in the late ‘80s in sketchy NYC venues and living (squatting really) in an abandoned warehouse, aspiring to make it on the club scene. The third and last passage read, was from near the end of the book, detailing being dropped by his label, battling with alcohol, and coming to terms that his career as a musician might be at its end.”

Now Then: The Very Best of Richard Hawley Read More Longpigs I believe the Longpigs opened up for all the dates on this 1997 tour. Note that the poster misspelled the name as "Long Pigs". The British band was riding the coattails of Britpop in the mid-90s …

Richard Hawley
richardhawley.co.uk

BMG has announced their first ever career spanning collection of Richard Hawley’s works in a double LP color vinyl or double CD album or digital release, called Now Then: The Very Best of Richard Hawley. The collection will come out October 20th, 2023.

For those not familiar with Hawley, he started his career in The Longpigs, and then joining Pulp as their guitarist.

He’s worked with everyone, from the Arctic Monkeys to the Manic Street Preachers to Paul Weller, and so on. His song “Tonight The Streets Are Ours” was featured in The Simpsons, and recently, his music have appeared in Peaky Blinders and The Full Monty, as well as the hugely acclaimed and award-winning musical named after his 2012 album, Standing At The Sky’s Edge, and Wes Anderson’s 2023 film Asteroid City.

PS, I have seen Longpigs in 1997, but have no memory of it.

2CD Tracklisting:

CD 1 1. Open Up Your Door 2. Midnight Train 3. Tonight the Streets Are Ours 4. Coles Corner 5. Ballad of a Thin Man (Full Version) 6. Baby, You're My Light 7. She Brings The Sunlight 8. Not The Only Road {unreleased} 9. Which Way 10. My Little Treasures 11. Naked In Pitsmoor 12. Standing At the Sky's Edge 13. Long Black Train 14. Heart of Oak 15. You Don't Miss Your Water (Till Your River Runs Dry) 16. The Ocean

CD 2 1. Don't Stare at the Sun 2. I Still Want You 3. Off My Mind 4. For Your Lover Give Some Time 5. Just Like The Rain 6. I’m On Nights 7. Seek It 8. Serious 9. Precious Sight 10. Remorse Code 11. Alone 12. Born Under a Bad Sign 13. Our Darkness 14. Run For Me 15. Coming Home 16. There's a Storm a'Comin'

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Flashback: Manic Street Preachers at the Quest (19 Sep 1999)

Setlist You Stole the Sun From My Heart Faster Tsunami No Surface All Feeling The Everlasting Kevin Carter Ready for Drowning Motown Junk My Little Empire Train in Vain (The Clash cover) Motorcycle Emptiness Acoustic Set Black Dog on My Shoulder Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head (Burt Bacharach cover) Australia You Love Us If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next A Design for Life Read More Manic Street Preachers ‘International Blue’ is the first new release from legendary UK band Manic Street Preachers. The single arrived this week (8th December 2017) and is taken from their 13th studio album Resistance Is Futile (Columbia/Sony Records). …

I have told this story before, but I accidentally saw Welsh band Manic Street Preachers for free in 1999.

I moved to Minneapolis area in 1998, and was still discovering the city. I have very fond memories of using Yahoo Maps to find the 400 Bar or looking for parking around First Avenue.

A year later, I wanted to see MSP at the Quest, which I’ve never heard of the venue before. I thought it was own by Prince, and I had a vague idea of where it was located. Since I’ve never been there before, I decided to arrive at the venue extra early. I must have gotten there extremely early, like 4pm or something. I was looking for the entrance, and mistakenly entered the venue through an open side door. There was a table, which I sat down and saw the soundcheck by the opening band… which MTV lists as U.S. rock band Remy Zero (but I cannot verify or deny this as I have no recollection of the opening band’s name). I could have sworn it was a local act.

Before I knew it, I heard the staff opening the venue, and fans were coming in the venue through the front entrance! Somehow, no one kicked me out, and I ended up seeing the show for free.

So, this was 1999, and the tour was for their then-new record This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours… which was the band’s first #1 record, selling over five million copies worldwide. I really love this record, actually, it was post-Richey Edwards (who presumably committed suicide). The record was calmer… but still had a lot of heart and soul in their songs.

James Dean Bradfield was great, and I was standing in front near bassist Nicky Wire, who was wearing eyeliner makeup, I might add! He was still jumping and doing splits in the air, it was great to finally see the band for the first time.

According to MTV archive news, the 1999 USA tour was supposed to take place in the Summer, but due to Manic Street Preachers singer James Dean Bradfield’s mother falling ill, the band had to reschedule the date for September. Although looking at the early five cancellation dates, it would seem that the band had not had their logistics all in order.

Manic Street Preachers USA 1999 tour schedule:

06/09/1999 Atlanta Cotton Club, Georgia - CANCELLED
08/09/1999 Washington 9:30 Club, D.C. - CANCELLED
09/09/1999 Philadelphia Theatre, Pennsylvania - CANCELLED
11/09/1999 Toronto Warehouse Canada
13/09/1999 New York Bowery Ballroom, New York
14/09/1999 New York Bowery Ballroom, New York - CANCELLED
15/09/1999 Boston Paradise, Massachusetts - CANCELLED
17/09/1999 Detroit St. Andrews Hall, Michigan
18/09/1999 Chicago Cabaret Metro, Illinois
19/09/1999 Minneapolis The Quest, Minnesota
22/09/1999 Vancouver The Rage Canada
23/09/1999 Seattle ARO Space, Washington
25/09/1999 Berkeley Mod Lang Records, California
25/09/1999 San Francisco Bimbo's 365 Club, California
27/09/1999 San Diego Canes, California
28/09/1999 Los Angeles Troubadour, California
29/09/1999 Los Angeles Troubadour, California USA

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Flashback: Space at the Roxy, Hollywood (05 Mar 1997) (Cancelled)

Read More Space Space was a short-lived band from Liverpool. The most interesting thing about the band is that singer, Tommy Scott sounds like he's trying to be Mexican. You can hear it in the way he rolls his "R"s. …

They had a whole segment on Liverpool’s Space in the four-hour Britpop documentary… and it made me think about this quirky little band. I love them. I know I went to see them play live in 1997… yet, I have very little, or no memory of seeing the band play. I remember going to Los Angeles with my friend Melinda to see Space. I remember going inside the venue. I remember thinking it wasn’t a very big venue, and that it was … club-ish. Still, why can’t I remember the band? It didn’t help that the band’s name is nearly impossible to find any information about Space in Los Angeles in 1997. Believe me, I’ve tried to look up any information to help me jog my memory.

Even in 2016, I admitted not remembering: “I think for their first US tour, we caught the band in Los Angeles in 1997 (?). It’s been a long time, but it was their first LA gig from what I can recall.”

Well, I asked my fellow Britpop friends if they remember the Space in Los Angeles show, and someone was also there (although we didn’t know each other back then). She told us that the Space show was cancelled at the last minute! It hit me like a ton of brick… it all suddenly all made sense: why I remember going to see Space, yet have absolutely no memory of the show.

You know that scene in Usual Suspect? That was my Keyser Söze moment. All the memories started flooding back. Now it made sense why we watched the music video to “Female of the Species” on the screen of the venue as a consolation prize, and why people started leaving the Roxy dance floor.

According to Wikipedia: “A tour of the US followed in mid-1997, which was less successful than many had hoped, with stories of homesickness and, in Murphy’s, case a severe nervous breakdown, as well as Scott losing his voice for two months.”

Space 2023 Tour

I still love the band, of course. Maybe, if they ever come back to the USA, I will be first in line to see them … now knowing that it would be for the first time.

Currently, the band is on their 25th Anniversary Tour.

The band writes:

It's a Pleasure to Announce our 25th Anniversary Tour and more - Spiders/Tin Planet/LYMTF/Sub RnR/50FT Kebab/GMYF/MFPMFP.

Our Website Is Being Edited As We Speak.
With Ticket Links
www.spacebanduk.co.uk

07/27 Longdon, App Fest 07/29 Bideford, Palladium Club 09/09 Huddersfield, The Parish 09/29 Oxford, O2 Academy2 09/30 Ashford, Revelation 10/06 Norwich, Norwich Arts Centre

10/07 Cambridge, Mash Cambridge 10/20 Newport (Isle of Wight), Strings Bar & Venue 10/28 Schwetzingen, Germany Alte Wollfabrik 11/10 Leicester, O2 Academy2 12/02 Hertford, Hertford Corn Exchange 12/08 Birkenhead, Future Yard

Space at The Roxy, Hollywood (05 Mar 1997) (Cancelled)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Britpop: The Music That Changed Britain

Britpop: The Music That Changed Britain Charting the birth, boom and bust of one of the biggest movements in British music. Britpop revitalised pop music and saw artists emerge that would help rewrite the workings of the music industry. Episode 1 - Sunday, 12 March How the fortunes and rivalries of Blur, Oasis, Suede and Elastica created Britpop as we know it. Featuring fascinating anecdotes and rarely seen archive footage. Episode 2 - Sunday, 19 March 1995 was the year Britpop took over, with the Blur/Oasis rivalry making the national news, Pulp emerging from the sidelines along with a raft of female-fronted bands. Episode 3 - Sunday, 26 March A look at the movement's peak in '96, when Britpop's laddish swagger was inescapable. Episode 4 - Sunday, 2 April Exploring the movement's tumultuous last days, as non-stop hedonism, creative exhaustion, and a change in the national mood combined to change Britpop beyond recognition. Read More Britpop P.S., Other Britpopsters The Bluetones, Space, and Salad will be joining Sleeper. Tour dates: Birmingham, O2 Institute (July 29) London, O2 Forum (August 5) …

There is a four-part documentary on Britpop airing on Channel 5. Unfortunately, the television documentary is geo-locked, so those outside the UK cannot watch this show. Thanks to a friend of mine in London, I was able to watch the show.

Being a massive Britpop fan, all the bands presented in the documentary are familiar to me. I love all the bands… but I felt the documentary actually goes beyond what I considered Britpop, for example, they dedicated a whole segment to Ocean Colour Scene, which I never really group them in Britpop.

Watching the show, and hearing all the great music, it made me put on some old records from Pulp, Oasis, Blur, Elastica, etc.

Again, I knew all about the birth and story of Britpop, as I was a huge fan… but there were some nuances that I didn’t get, because I didn’t live in England. Things like “Lads culture”, spearheaded by the magazine Loaded, caused a backlash from audience. I didn’t think that was a thing, but I can see how these “bros” rocking to music that some indie kids are into… and that might turn off some original fans.

They also had a segment about Three Lions, the “band” led by Ian Broudie of The Lightning Seeds, English comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner. Again, I don’t even consider this a Britpop song, even though it was one of the most famous song for England football team’s participation in that year’s UEFA European Championship. It was the sequel to New Order’s “World in Motion”… but it was lost on anyone outside of England to know “Three Lions” as a Britpop song.

Some of my favorite things about the documentary was seeing behind the scenes of Blur’s music video for “Parklife”. I love seeing Space! I love that band. I love seeing footages of Jarvis Cocker invading Michael Jackson’s performance. I remember the Cocker thing, but I never knew what a controversy it was. So many great moments in Britpop’s history.

I love that we got basically a four-hour documentary on Britpop, and it covers a lot of bases… but I felt like it was also missing things that I would’ve at least mentioned briefly. For example, the music movement before Britpop, I would’ve touched on New Wave of New Wave (NWONW) or Madchester or Shoegazing. I might have briefly mentioned some semi-obscure bands like Me Me Me or Northern Uproar or The Longpigs or Theaudience.

I think this is still a great documentary, and I’m just sadden that the BBC decided that the rest of the world can’t see it. I’m hoping that the producers will put this out on Bluray and make it for sale for the rest of the world. I know I will be one of the first to buy it. Many of my non-UK Britpop friends would buy it too. We love this stuff, just make it available for us.

Read more Television.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Sleeper: Look At You Now

Sleeper: Look At You Now Read More Sleeper Jon Stewart of Sleeper dropped in on W♥M Radio. Guitarist Jon, along with singer/guitarist Louise Wener, drummer Andy Macclure and bassist Diid Osman formed Sleeper in 1993.… Steve Lamacq Legendary Radio DJ Steve Lamacq is back at SXSW to help introduce some of Britain's brightest new bands to America. The man helped shaped Britpop.…

Yes, you all know how much I love Sleeper. The 90s band reformed in 2017, and I’ve been keeping a very close on an all-things Sleeper.

If you haven’t been keeping up, I’ll help you catch up. After the 2017 initial tour, the band announced they were recording a fourth studio album (recording at Metway Studio and mixed & mastered at Metropolis Studio) in September 2018. Currently, we know that the new album will be called The Modern Age and is produced by Stephen Street and John Davis, both men are masters at their craft.

Today, on Steve Lamacq’s show, he played their new single, “Look At You Now”. If you don’t have VPN or a BBC TV license, you can listen to the song via Spotify (note: US accounts will not work).

Sleeper may or may not be playing that song in the upcoming 6 Music’s All Day Christmas Party, in London on 14 Dec 2018.

Sleeper’s upcoming 2019 tour:

02 Feb 2019 The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
21 Mar 2019 The Garage, Glasgow
22 Mar 2019 Riverside, Newcastle
23 Mar 2019 Liquid Room, Edinburgh
28 Mar 2019 Engine Rooms, Southampton
29 Mar 2019 Roadmender, Northampton
30 Mar 2019 Church, Leeds
04 Apr 2019 The Venue, Derby
05 Apr 2019 The Globe, Cardiff
06 Apr 2019 Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
12 Apr 2019 O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol
13 Apr 2019 O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
28 Jun 2019 Piece Hall, Halifax

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Sleeper at O2 ABC, Glasgow (12 Aug 2017)

O2 ABC Date:  12 Aug 2017 Location: Glasgow, UK Retail Price: ¬£38 Publisher: starshaped.club Description Setlist: Pyrotechnician Dress Like Your Mother Delicious What Do I Do Now? Lie Detector Statuesque Vegas Nice Guy Eddie Atomic (Blondie cover) Inbetweener She's a Good Girl Encore: Miss You Play Love Your Countryside Sale of the Century Gigography‚Äé > ‚Äé2017‚Äé > ‚Äé

Related O2 ABC, Glasgow (12 Aug 2017) Star Shaped Festival Luise and Andy on Stage at O2 ABC, Glasgow (12 Aug 2017) photo: Dom Martin Sleeper on Stage at O2 ABC, Glasgow (12 Aug 2017) photo: Dom Martin Louise Wener on Stage at O2 ABC, Glasgow (12 Aug 2017) photo: Dom Martin Kieron Pepper on Stage at O2 ABC, Glasgow (12 Aug 2017) photo: Dom Martin Sleeper on Stage at O2 ABC, Glasgow (12 Aug 2017) photo: Aimee Sleeper at O2 ABC, Glasgow (12 Aug 2017) photo: Kenny K

Sleeper at 02 Forum Kentish Town, London (05 Aug 2017)

Star Shaped Festival - O2 Forum Kentish Town Date:  05 Aug 2017 Location: London, UK Retail Price: ¬£38 Publisher: starshaped.club Description Setlist: Pyrotechnician Dress Like Your Mother Delicious What Do I Do Now? Lie Detector Statuesque Vegas Nice Guy Eddie Atomic (Blondie cover) Inbetweener She's a Good Girl Encore: Miss You Lady Love Your Countryside Sale of the Century A ONE-DAY FESTIVAL BRINGING THE BEST OF BRITPOP TO LONDON! ON SATURDAY 5th AUGUST AT THE O2 FORUM, KENTISH TOWN, WE PRESENT: ‚Ä¢ SLEEPER (Exclusive to the Star Shaped Festival, playing their first gigs in 19 years!) ‚Ä¢ THE BLUETONES (Full Band set) ‚Ä¢ SPACE ‚Ä¢ DODGY ‚Ä¢ MY LIFE STORY ‚Ä¢ SALAD (Undressed) All tickets include entry to an exclusive after show party as our legendary Star Shaped Club DJ's keep the celebrations going until 3am! Plus exhibitions, visuals and lots of other surprises (Full details below) All this for an amazing ¬£38!! (+b/f) - tickets are starting to run low so grab one while you can! http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/star-shaped-festival-tickets/259643 Gigography‚Äé > ‚Äé2017‚Äé > ‚Äé Related O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK (05 Aug 2017) Star Shaped Festival Sleeper at O2 Forum Kentish Town (05 Aug 2017) Photo: Guy C Sleeper at O2 Forum Kentish Town (2) (05 Aug 2017) Photo: Guy C Sleeper at O2 Forum Kentish Town (3) (05 Aug 2017) Photo: Guy C Sleeper at O2 Forum Kentish Town (4) (05 Aug 2017) Photo: Guy C Sleeper at O2 Forum Kentish Town (05 Aug 2017) Photo: Philip S Sleeper at O2 Forum Kentish Town (05 Aug 2017) Photo: Tim P Sleeper at O2 Forum Kentish Town (2) (05 Aug 2017) Photo: Tim P Sleeper at O2 Forum Kentish Town (3) (05 Aug 2017) Photo: Tim P >>>

Britpop Now: Sleeper, S*M*A*S*H, and Elastica

Read More Sleeper I love fanzines. How I got into them were through Tower Records' massive magazine stand. They would sometime carry local fanzines. Usually the type of 'zines I was interested in were Morrissey, Suede…

Read more Britpop.

SLEEPER
sleeper.weheartmusic.com

What kind of A to Z would get you here.

I’m probably the biggest Sleeper fan you’ll ever meet... and I’m super excited to see them reform to play a few dates for the upcoming Star Shaped Festivals.

Personally speaking, the rumors of them reforming started in 2015, on the 20th anniversary of the release of their ‘Inbetweener’ single, which is the band’s signature song (although not my personal favorite single from them). The rumors were actually pretty solid, as I even got word from the rarely heard (or seen) original bassist, Diid Osman in 2015. We talked over email and I learned that he was still keeping in contact with guitarist Jon Stewart, so it felt like the time was right.

Anyway, it’ll be good to have Louise Wener and company back. I wish I was going!

P.S., Other Britpopsters The Bluetones, Space, and Salad will be joining Sleeper.

Tour dates:

Birmingham, O2 Institute (July 29)
London, O2 Forum (August 5)
Glasgow, O2 ABC (August 12)
Manchester, O2 Ritz (August 19)

Read More S*M*A*S*H Just a quick note on that S*M*A*S*H / NxtGen Split Single Launch, taking place 29 March 2014 at The Portland Arms in Cambridge. As I suspected, the lyrics …

S*M*A*S*H
s-m-a-s-h.net

You’ve been on my mind, like a tumor, eating away at my every thought...

Before Britpop, there was a New Wave of New Wave (NWONW) and S*M*A*S*H was part of this movement... Unfortunately, the quick shot to fame left the band crashing and burning and died in January 1996. As a big fan of S*M*A*S*H, I’ve been following their movement post-long hiatus.

S*M*A*S*H recently released their new album, Goodbye W.G.C., with album title logo and cover artwork inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A.. As of this writing, I do not believe the record is available to buy in the U.S.A., but you can always import it.

The trio (Ed, Salv, and Rob) just headlined The Green Room earlier this week (February 11th) and their next gig is at Banquet Records on February 26th - it’s £11 but includes CD. No excuse if you live in the area. Go take some photos for me.

Goodbye W.G.C. Tracklisting:

1. Art Therapy
2. Erin
3. Hedy Lamarr
4. I Thought I Was Right
5. My Father
6. Secret Bruise
7. Goodbye W.G.C.
8. You In Me (Blondes & Guns)

Read More Elastica Here's a band I know a lot about: Elastica. I have all their singles, EPs, albums, bootlegs and miscellaneous releases (booklets, playing cards, etc). I was a pretty massive fan, I guess.…

ELASTICA
facebook.com/ElasticaOfficial

I'd work very hard but I'm lazy, I've got a lot of songs but they're all in my head. I'll get a guitar and a lover who pays me, if I can't be a star I won't get out of bed.

In mid/late January 2017, Abbey Roads Studios mastering engineer Sean Magee wrote on his twitter that he “cut a record for Elastica today.”

Hold the phone. What?

A photo of Donna, Justin, and Annie, appearing at Abbey Roads came online via @Britpopmemories with singer Justine Frischmann obviously missing. She wasn’t at the studio with them, but the band promised that Justine is involved and that we should not worry. Justine has been a U.S.A. resident for a long time now, so it made sense that she couldn’t easily make it to the British studio.

There probably won’t be a tour, as I know Annie notoriously hated being on the road, but I will settle for a new Elastica record!

NOTE: The inside scoop I was given is that Elastica met in the studio to remaster their old albums, so I’m told there will not be any new songs from them.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Britpop Now: Ash, Lush, Oasis

Read more Britpop.

Read More Ash We love Ash. We've been following the Irish band for a long time now, and a few years ago, they famously said they would "never" release an album. Instead the trio concentrated on just recording singles …

ASH
ash-official.com

Hands down, the greatest Ash album has got to be 1977 (released in 1996). The record has all the hits we know and love, including ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Girl From Mars’, ‘Kung Fu’, and ‘Oh Yeah’.

I remember picking up the album at that time and was simply blown away by some of the catchiest songs I’ve ever heard. And let’s not forget that these guys “introduced” Jackie Chan to America using their single ‘Kung Fu’ as part of the promotion for his film Rumble in the Bronx.

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of 1977, the trio (singer/guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray) will be playing the album, from start to finish... of course, sans hidden track ‘Sick Party’.

In addition to the anniversary tour, Ash is also releasing Live On Mars: London Astoria 1997, an 18-track set recorded over the band’s five night run at the London Astoria from the 28th of February to the 4th of March. You can only pick up these limited colored vinyl or CDs at this upcoming tour (I believe if you can’t make it to a show, you can order the album via their official website).

Ian Fortnam from Classic Rock, writes, “These five nights at The Astoria, from February 28th to March 4th 1997, sound and feel like a party. An exuberant, irresistible celebration of a band who, transcending the faddishness of concurrent Britpop, succeeded on that rarest of commodities: raw talent.”

Tour Dates:

09/21 | The Roxy | Los Angeles, CA
09/22 | Independent | San Francisco, CA
09/23 | Soda Bar | San Diego, CA
09/24 | Rips | Phoenix, AZ
09/26 | Stubb’s Jr | Austin, TX
09/28 | Lincoln Hall | Chicago, IL
09/30 | Shelter | Detroit, MI
10/01 | Mod Club | Toronto, ON
10/03 | Middle East | Boston, MA
10/04 | Rock n Roll Hotel | Washington, DC
10/05 | Foundry | Philadelphia, PA
10/06 | Music Hall of Williamsburg | New York, NY
11/10 | Olympia | Dublin, Ireland
12/03 | MOD | Hasselt, Belgium
12/04 | Luxor | Cologne, Germany
12/05 | Knust | Hamburg Germany
12/07 | Lido | Berlin, Germany
12/08 | Paradiso Nord | Amsterdam, Netherlands
12/10 | Roundhouse | London, UK
12/11 | Ritz | Manchester, UK
12/12 | Rock City | Nottingham, UK
12/14 | Garage | Aberdeen, UK
12/15 | Garage | Glasgow, UK

Read More Lush I have mentioned this at various time, I was more of the Britpop-sounding Lush vs their early shoegazing beginning. That doesn't mean I don't occasional enjoy listening to Gala or Spooky …

LUSH
lushofficial.com

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to hear Lush reunited last year. I’ve caught the band in 1994 and have been patiently waiting for their reunion.

The band is returning to the States in September - and we are committed to driving to Chicago at the Vic Theatre on September 18th. The show is sold out, but we’re hoping to make it in.

I’ve deliberately avoided looking at their setlist from recent reunion shows, so not to spoil myself. I’m assuming they’ll play all the big hits (‘Ladykillers’, ‘Heavenly Nobodies’, ‘Untogether’, ‘For Love’, and ‘Kiss Chase’). I’m sure they’ll play ‘500’, even though it’s not my favorite song.

I would also love to hear B-Side ‘Ex’ live, but I doubt they will be playing these deep, deep cuts. Also, would love to hear the anti-love song ‘Ciao!’, but may be hard to pull off as that requires a Jarvis Cocker to sing the male part.

Tamaryn will be Lush’s special guest on all dates, excluding Portland and Toronto. We previously saw San Francisco’s Tamaryn in 2012 and noted, “Last night's show is what you'd expect from a shoegazing show: dimly lit atmosphere with movie projection accompanied by heavy guitar effects and distorted undistinguished vocals.”

Lush’s Tour Dates:

09/13/16 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
09/14/16 New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/15/16 Boston, MA @ Royale
09/17/16 Toronto Urban Roots Festival
09/18/16 Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
09/19/16 Detroit, MI @ St Andrew's Hall,
09/21/16 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
09/22/16 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
09/24/16 Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre
09/25/16 Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre
09/27/16 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
11/03/16 Iceland Airwaves Festival 2016
11/05/16 Rolling Stone Weekender Festival 2016
11/25/16 Manchester @ Academy

Read More Oasis Internet time moves so quickly. If I had mentioned something about Noel Gallagher quitting Oasis on Friday, that would've been accepted. But it's been three days later and now I feel like people …

OASIS
oasisinet.com

After an explosive breakup of Oasis in August 2009 and a quiet breakup Beady Eye (in October 2014 via a tweet!), frontman Liam Gallagher has signed a major label record deal with Warner Bros. His solo album is coming out in 2017. In the meantime, Liam is posting photos of his brother Noel Gallagher, calling him “Potato”.

Oasis is also the subject in a recent Supersonic documentary, set for release on October 2nd in limited UK theaters. Director Matt Whitecross was granted an unparalleled look into the troubled relationship between Gallagher brothers Liam and Noel who are both credited as executive producers... and showcase their humble beginning in 1993.

When I saw Oasis in Sacramento in 1994, they weren’t mobbed by fans for autographs. In fact, Liam and Bonehead was hanging outside the venue and we talked to them a bit before going inside to see the opening band...

Supersonic will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download on October 31.

Details:

Featuring extensive unseen archive, SUPERSONIC charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just 3 short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the most genre and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed.

PS Big Brother Recordings recently unveiled Oasis’ classic 1997 video for their No.1 single ‘D’You Know What I Mean?’ on vevo.com. Directors Dom & Nic added Noel Gallagher's new mix of the song and adding in previously unseen footage. The video has been completely re-graded and is now in High Definition format.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Britpop Now: Lush, Sleeper, Space, SFA, and more

Read More Lush I have mentioned this at various time, I was more of the Britpop-sounding Lush vs their early shoegazing beginning. That doesn't mean I don't occasional enjoy listening to Gala or Spooky …

LUSH
lushofficial.com

When I first heard the news that Lush reformed in September 2015, I was super excited. I had heard the rumors as far as 2013 or 2014 when singer Miki Berenyi granted interviews with Under the Radar and other magazines, so I can’t say I was completely surprised.

Just for the record, in case you aren’t a Lush fan or keep track of these things, but the Shoegazing-turned-Britpop band broke up after their drummer Chris Acland’s suicide in 1996. We caught the band in 1994 and noted, “vivid memories of watching drummer Chris Acland with his mouth wide open throughout the set (and I thought that was really strange).”

I’ve said this before, but these shows are very special because not only are we getting Lush again with the original members (Miki, Emma Anderson, and Phillip King... and filling in for Acland will be Justin Welch, formerly of Elastica), but this will also be a nice reunion for the fans. Trust me, you’ll see plenty of people you haven’t seen in the last twenty years... and it’ll be great!

Lush tour dates are:

4/14/16 Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
4/16/16 Indio, CA @ Coachella
4/17/16 San Francisco, CA @ Warfield
4/19/16 Portland, OR @ Crystal Room
4/20/16 Seattle, WA @ Showbox
4/21/16 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
4/23/16 Indio, CA @ Coachella
9/14/16 New York, NY @ Terminal 5
9/15/16 Boston, MA @ Royale
9/18/16 Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
9/21/16 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
9/22/16 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

Read More Sleeper No one loves Sleeper as much as I do. I own all of Sleeper's singles and albums. Their second album was a slightly superior to their debut Smart album, even though all the singles leading up to the debut album was wonderful. ... Elvis Costello I've seen Elvis Costello at the Berkeley Theater before. I was there to cover Sleeper, the opening band. We had pretty awful seats, I had brought some friends along. They wanted to leave, but not until he played "Veronica" ...

SLEEPER
sleeper.weheartmusic.com

Guitarist Jon Stewart (not to be confused with actor/comedian/show host Jon Stewart), was on The StageLeft Podcast last month. As a big Sleeper fan, obviously I wanted to bring this to your attention.

Head over to Soundcloud.com, or click on the right.

Details:

Recorded at The Brighton Dome, The StageLeft Podcast is joined by our great influence, Senior Lecturer in Music Business Studies & Sleeper Guitarist - Jon Stewart.

Jon talks us through being centric to the whirlwind of Britpop, his role as Music Director on Kevin Spacey's Telstar: The Joe Meek Story and appearing on the Trainspotting soundtrack. Jon tells us the advice he gives the many musicians he's worked with in relation to dealing with the pressures of the public eye, the difficulties that arise when being in a band with a complex set of personal relationships and current projects Jon is embarking on in relation to helping recovering alcoholics.

- "The 'Fame' experience is a mental health condition... it's a form of mental illness"
- "The way I dealt with it was to drink and to take lots of drugs"
- "This feels like a bit of a therapy session..."

Jon also tells us about being on Richey Edwards final tour with the Manic Street Preachers, supporting REM & Radiohead, playing with KD Lang, and having his music covered by Elvis Costello.

Read More Space Space was a short-lived band from Liverpool. The most interesting thing about the band is that singer, Tommy Scott sounds like he's trying to be Mexican. You can hear it in the way he rolls his "R"s. …

SPACE
spacetheband.co.uk

Look, I love Space, okay? They are a silly little band from Liverpool with silly songs like “Female of the Species” and “Me & You Vs the World”, etc. If you listen to Spiders, it’s clear that these guys love cinema, particularly American cinema. I think for their first US tour, we caught the band in Los Angeles in 1997 (?). It’s been a long time, but it was their first LA gig from what I can recall.

The band broke up for a while, but came back to the music scene in 2011. Last year, the band announced a new single “Strange World” (read all about it on news.weheartmusic.com), taken from their fifth studio album Give Me Your Future (Mulu Records).

Space dates:

7th April 2016 The Brook, Southampton
8th April 2016 Academy, Bournemouth
15th April 2016 Academy, Oxford
16th April 2016 The Haunt, Brighton
23rd April 2016 Bellfield Tavern, Kilmarnock
29th April 2016 Academy Newcastle
30th April 2016 Arc, Stockton
6th May 2016 Empire Music Hall, Belfast
7th May 2016 The Grand Social, Dublin
13th May 2016 Fruit, Hull
14th May 2016 Waterside Arts Centre
21st May 2016 Academy Birmingham
28th May 2016 Academy, Leicester
29th May 2016 100 Club, London
3rd June 2016 Fox & Goose, Southport
June 9th 2016 The Box, Crewe
10th June 2016 The Citadel, St. Helens
11th June 2016 The Exchange, Stoke-on-Trent
9th-10th July 2016 Frodsham Summer Festival 16
23rd July 2016 PKD Festival, Fife

Read More Super Furry Animals Finally, it looks like Super Furry Animals are going to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman - TONIGHT. I haven't been keeping up, but isn't there some sort of writer's strike or something ? …

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS
superfurry.com

I have seen Super Furry Animals at Coachella before... the only thing I can remember was that they were on early on the bill and that they dedicated “Mountain People” to the mountains.

They’ve been around for a long time, but, of course, every time they play in Minneapolis, either with the full band or as solo Gruff Rhys, I have been busy with another show or not available. Unfortunately, at this point, I don’t think they’re coming back here as a full band. I see that demands for them in Los Angeles is go good, they’ve added an additional date.

SFA is currently in the US again, but not promoting a new album. Oddly enough their 15-year-old album Welsh-only Mwng album got reissued by Domino Records recently... so expect some of those classic songs to make their way to their setlist.

Tour dates:

2/09 San Francisco, CA @ Great American
2/10 San Jose, CA @ The Ritz
2/11 Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
2/12 Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
4/29 Austin, TX @ Levitation
4/30 Austin, TX @ Levitation
5/01 Austin, TX @ Levitation
5/03 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
5/04 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
5/05 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
5/06 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
5/07 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

Read More Menswe@ar Nuisance Recordings and Post/Pop Records recently released Menswe@ar's first single since 1996, called Crash '14. Originally the song was a b-side to We Love You, but the song …

GIGANTIC INDIE ALL DAYER VOL 3
gigantic.com

The lineup for Gigantic Indie All Dayer Vol 3: A Big, Big Love looks incredible. The music festival is taking place at Manchester Academy on 28 May 2016 and will feature headliner The Wonder Stuff... but personally, I am more interested in Bentley Rhythm Ace (aka “BRA”), S*M*A*S*H, and Frank and Walters.... oh and maybe Menswe@r (yes, they are still around!)

Lineup:

The Wonder Stuff

House of Love

Bentley Rhythm Ace

The Darling Buds

The Frank And Walters

BMX Bandits

Back To The Planet

Cud

S*M*A*S*H

The Telescopes

Menswe@r

Credit To The Nation

Bivouac & Jack Adaptor (The Family Cat)

The after show will feature Mike Joyce (The Smiths), MCs & DJs Marc & Jason Jones (Indiecation & Planet X, Liverpool), and Andy Woods (Smile / Unknown Pleasures).

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic