B is for Bernard Butler

Greetings music-lovers, apologies for this taking so long! Here we go with 'B'!

B is for Bernard Butler - the more attractive half of Suede.

If you think of Britpop, then one or two bands immediately come to the mind - and its guaranteed that one of them will be the disjointed, volatile and frankly, aesthetically unusual collective that is Suede.

This episode in our A-Z has become even more poignant in the face of recent news that Suede played a reunion gig for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and especially as our pal Bernard was not asked to join in. I don't think he was particularly fussed, but it serves an insight into how there has always been animosity between Bernard and Brett.

I'm sure reams could be written about the trials and tribulations of Suede, but this post is about one man only. The success story of Bernard in his life after that eponymous band.

Post-Suede he went solo with two massively successful records - "Friends and Lovers" and "People Move On"; then onto form one half of the duo "McAlmont and Butler" in 1995; repairing the rift with Brett to form the Tears in 1995 to make the album "Here Come the Tears".

Aside from being championed as one of the best guitarists of his generation, and a solo artist in his own right, he has developed a serious reputation for being one mean record producer. He's worked with the likes of Duffy, The Cribs, The Libertines, the bloke from James, Pretenders, Black Kids and the View. Big names. Not necessarily to my taste or yours, but the guy must have made some serious dollar. Recently Butler has worked with K-Nash, and more impressively has lent his expertise on the Fyfe Dangerfield solo album, which we can all agree is an absolute triumph.

In all honesty, Suede nor Bernard are really my cup of Chai. I never liked that foppish look, and I've never really got into their music. BUT. I cannot deny that Butler's work is nothing short of a masterpiece; to give it a try, I'd start with his solo stuff to get a feel for his angle. Then if you're feeling brave, the McAlmont stuff would be the next step. The Tears are generally accessible but only produced one record, so save that one for a treat.

Despite my apathy towards the bloke, Butler is in this list because of his legacy. Unlike the majority of Britpop acts, his work has stood the test of time and he's not only gone on to inspire future bands, but to actively shape the way music should sound. And that sound is good.

So there you go. The Man, the Myth, the Legend - Bernard Butler ladies and gentlemen.

Brand New to Your Sunday Evenings

Hello lovers,

From Sunday 25th November, there's a new sound that you should be 'diggin"

University Radio York is being hijacked 9-1o-pm by your very own resident 90s savvy siren to play all the hits from the golden decade laced with bias and hilarity. My co-pilot is none other than the irreplaceable Russel Brown - an actual veteran of the 90s. Respect.

So tune in every Sunday from 9pm, 1350am on campus, at ury.org.uk or through the itunes college radio whatsit.

You're going to love it.

alice x

A is for 'The Auteurs'

Beginning this long yet enjoyable folly of creating a A-Z of Britpop are The Auteurs.

Snobbery, Slander and a Rebel without a Cause.

Conveniently I've begun with a band whose front man Luke Haines has now made a name for himself as the antithesis of Britpop. Which is rather a shit deal for me unfortunately. Before I indulge you in any further Britpop contemporary commentary or opinion, lets spell out the band shall we?

n. The Auteurs - formed in the early nineties, released their debut record "New Wave" in 1993 and according to Last.Fm "amassed a reasonable cult following" up to their second record "Now I'm a Cowboy".
Best Single: Lenny Valentino
Best LP: "Now I'm a Cowboy" (although it could be argued that this was because it was simply more "commercial" than its predecessor)

...This should already be ringing a few alarm bells music fans. I don't think I've ever heard such a tepid reception from the usually fanatical Last.Fm. But its the truth. The Auteurs never reached the dizzy heights of fame as such household names as Pulp or Suede, and after listening to their first album, I can tell why. I wasn't expecting brilliance, but listening to the record was like being slavered on by Haines, whilst giving me some sort of slow, vile and
sickening lap dance. In short, its a revolting record. Its only saving grace is the very faint trace of a nod to the fathers of Britpop in "Show Girl" and "Junk Shop Girls".

Their second offering "Now I'm a Cowboy" was better, and is host to the brilliant "Lenny Valentino" - which believe me, is one of those "you'd know it if you heard it" ones. It peaked at number 41 in '93. This single is classic Britpop. It has the snarling vocals, the tambourines, obligatory distortion teamed with the trademark cutting yet melodic riff.

They released a further two records in '96 and '99 which were "After Murder Park" and "How I Learned to Love the Bootboys" respectively. Which sound like the kinda shite I was writing as a young ailing musician (at the age of 15).

I have a great deal of sympathy for washed up Britpop has-beens (John Power, if you're reading, put down the acoustic...), but Luke Haines is just something else. I have no idea why he bothered with a band, or how he managed to fit his ego in a tour bus.

The biggest puzzle is/was his refusal to associate himself with the Britpop genre. In a recent Mojo interview he stated Britpop "was just a short-lived, low level pest". What a massive arse. He also called Britpop artists "chancers with guitars" - which just smacks of jealousy. I don't know if he actually listened to his own records, but Haines must have been delusional. And the sad truth is, if he'd actually tried a little harder and not isolated his band from the rest of the emerging "scene", and not tried to promote himself as some form of 90's music apostle, he would have made a bit more money. Not that I'm endorsing artists to subscribe to a genre and become sell outs - its just that The Auteurs were no different to any other Britpop at the time, and they could have rivalled Suede if Haines had just pulled his head out of his arse.

Despite my attempts to slight the man, he went on to succeed with many more beautiful projects such as Black Box Recorder and made his name there.

So here rests The Auteurs. They could have been SO much better, and fizzled out before they made it big.
Created sometime in the blur that was '92 and '93, and whilst haven't officially split, haven't released anything since '99.

Haines has revealed plans for his solo album "21st Century Man". Oh do send me a copy.

The A-Z of Britpop

I am about to embark on a massive task. I'm compiling the A-Z of Brtipop.

There'll be a daily installment of the fantastic movement which is often thought to have fathered modern day rock, indie and even dance. Charting not only the hits but the one hit wonders, glossy pictures and opinion galore.

Keep it 90s folks.

Single Review: The Big Pink - Dominos (Absolute Bilge)

Just heard the new Big Pink single - what a massive disappointment from these 90s inspired heroes! "Velvet" was such a massive song - combining a taste of the indulgent shoegaze movement with modern synth, almost sounding like a late-in-the-day Placebo track - coming to an orgasmic crescendo in the chorus. "Dominos" just doesn't have the same hook - its boyish repetitive lyrics epitomise this poor offering from The Big Pink. The phrase "one-hit-wonder" comes to mind. Despite my "quick-to-judge" attitude, I might catch the guys at York Duchess at the end of September to truly make up my mind. Maybe.

New Favourite Obsession

They're called Amazing Baby. I've missed them live twice now, third time's a charm though aye?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_pVW8ZrSyc - This is called Head Dress, its a very good track. Its just a shame I'm a technophobe and have no idea how to post videos properly on here...

Enjoy, courtesy of another website x

Camp Bestival Frolics - Day Three

26th July

The day the weather finally gave in. Well, we had it pretty good for the rest of the weekend!

At midday we gingerly scurried to see a starstruck Golden Silvers. Disappointingly, the crowd that had gathered was pretty thin and mostly consisted of the remnants of the crowd from the previous performer of the Main Stage - the eponymous Mr Tumble. Their set was a bit flat, with really only two soundtracks, one of course being "True Romance" - but the festival set-up didn't really seem to carry their glam funk punk image.


Dans Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip were a definite highlight of the weekend although it seemed like they didn't want to be there and were dragged kicking and screaming by their label Sunday Best to the Dorset fest. Nevertheless they were fucking amazing. Scroobius Pip was hilarious as ever with a cheeky Dans le Sac bouncing off his jokes. "Thou Shalt Always Kill" and "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" were little treats.

Oddly, amongst the hoards of dalmatians, pop up frogs and penguins, we found ourselves at the main stage listening to Roots Manuva in the pouring rain. He did seem bemused by the crowd, but still brought out the classics - what a nice man.

Will Young was marvellous from what I could hear from the bar. I think he was there for the moms and the kids. He did lift the mood in the downpour though, bless him.

We joined Michachu and the Shapes in the Big Top, Mica's weird and wonderful compositions seem to wow the crowd (or those simply sheltering from the rain). We caught the splendidly sarcastic "Just in Case" and "Golden Phone". Micachu is set for great things and is touring exhaustively throughout the summer at countless festivals across the country.

To top it all of Wild Beasts serenaded the pair of us, leaving us swooning. Their haunting vocals and engulfing guitar riffs were not the only delights we had from the band - they were incredibly humble and polite, which to me, is a priceless quality which just made the whole set -well, just splendid really.

Rob da Bank, the organiser and curator of both Camp Bestival and Bestival, shelled out a couple of quid and gave us all some awe-worthy fireworks to a backdrop of what seemed like an indie-disco soundtrack. How fitting.

It was worth the hoards of brats, twee performers and student-prejudice. What a wonderful way to spend a weekend in Dorset.

Camp Bestival Frolics - Day Two

25th July

The Saturday offered the most musically. We had a team of acts to look forward to and the weather was still holding.

Alela Diane was a pleasant start, feeding the audience a little TLC and sympathizing with heads from the morning after the night before. Sultry southern pop from an equally sultry siren.

In the true nature of Camp Bestival, with clashing genres and lawsuits galore, Goldie Lookin Chain took the indoor stage in the afternoon. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or weep at the hundred strong children on their parent's shoulder's bopping and gesturing along to "Your Mother's Got a Penis". I shrugged it off as all in good fun. The Welsh motley crew were amazingly energetic and provided comic relief for an otherwise hungover music lover.

More seriously now, I spent the latter half of the afternoon running between the sets of Frank Turner and Laura Marling - the ying and yang of the indie folk scene. I can see why they were put on at the same time, no normal person would see the appeal of both artists, but during that afternoon I experienced the witty Bragg-esque pull of Turner with his rugged charm set against the etheral and somewhat eery drawl of Marling churning out her own tales of misguided love and sorrow. All I can say was that it was a beautiful experience running half a mile between the tents*

The highlight of my weekend came in the form of six French men. The band Phoenix that is. After the recent release of their fourth studio album "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix", I was excited to see this marvellous record live. I expected european pop with a hint of electronic and synth, we were undeservedly treated with sumptuous sophisticated alternative, just oozing with generous helpings of french cool. Phwoar. Ok, so may be getting a little excited here, but they were simply mind-blowing. They rattled off hits such as "Run, Run, Run" off alphabetical, an early one "Long Distance Call" to name a few (ok so I don't know exactly what was playing, I was too busy having a bloody good time dancing) and rounded off with a brilliant crowd-cheering rendition of "1901". C'est bloody magnificent.

The evening came to a head with the appearance of P J Harvey, the tent was completely rammed as this was the songstress' only UK festival experience - a rare treat! After the opener "To Bring You My Love", Polly divulged that she would play only her favourite songs in the way they were originally composed. For an avid fan like myself, this was somewhat a dream, but for a Peej novice, like my friend beside me, it was a night of indulgent folk played on an array of expensive looking tat. I picked out a rather modest version of "Big Exit", and a haunting version of "Down by the Water" on some sort of stringed tissue box, which sat comfortably alongside new'uns such as "The Last Living Rose". All in all, I felt I got my value for monety Saturday night and felt slightly exhausted by PJ's hour and a half long set. Standing up listening to plinky plinky guitar when you've had a skinful is hardly ideal, but still charming and I'm glad to have caught her set.


* distance may have been exaggerated for dramatic effect.

Camp Bestival Frolics - Day One

24th July

For one weekend a year the picturesque town of East Lulworth is transformed from an idyllic seaside town to a raucous weekend creche, the otherwise peaceful cove invaded by hoards of middle class families with their brood of "little angels". I can hear you asking - why on earth would a 19 year old student find herself at a small family orientated music festival? And more importantly, why did she choose this above Latitude and Glade which were around the same time? The honest answer is, it was cheap, the timing was right, and me and my fellow enthusiast weren't aware of the full extent of the family based theme.

But we made the best of it (and also made sure we camped in the non-family bit, screaming toddlers at 6am is not what I signed up for).

Friday's entertainment started with VV Brown, playing all three singles - "Leave", the new'un "Shark in the Water" and "Crying Blood" - which, much to the audience's delight, she repeated in a reggae fashion. Brilliant. As the evening dragged on, and after an alcoholic afternoon of outrageously priced Scandinavian lager, me and my accomplice trudged to see Hayseed Dixie. I was slightly put off by the fact that my parents are avid fans of these Deep South heros - but clad in what can only be described as stereotypical lesbian attire and armed with banjos, these fellas did not disappoint! They rattled through AC/DC over after motorhead cover, with their cheeky drawls and hilarious impromtou solos. Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" was given a whole new dimension. However their crowning glory was an original, a song written after a painful break up entitled "Poop in a Jar" - it may sound purile, but it was simply genius. Florence and the Machine followed, with Welchy belting out her new album and oscillating wildly around the stage, throwing herself from one side to the other. She seemed to relish the amount of ankle-biters who had been hoisted onto their parent's shoulders - she obviously didn't have to put up with the little blighters 24/7 on camp.

To round the night into a neat first night bow, we ran between the two headliners of the night - Frankie Boyle in the Big Top indoor stage, and Kid Creole and the Coconuts on the Castle Main Stage - both proved to be equally funny. Frankie Boyle started off a little predictably, churning out the Mock the Week classics but then pulled his weight with some unfamiliar material, all of which totally inappropriate for the young audience - which only made it even funnier. After listening to most of his set, we managed to scurry to Kid Creole just in time to hear "Annie I'm Not Your Daddy" and "Don't Take My Coconuts". Absolute class.

Mecureeee

So tomorrow is the announcement of the prestigious mercury award nominees, brought to us by the lovely Lauren Laverne. Doves are rumoured to be on the list. Watch this space...

First Post!

And so it was done. Alice had her own music blog where she can rant, brag and generally be a massive music arse.

News, reviews etc to follow,

alice