The Gig - The Stone Roses - Feile Cork 1995

Six years after the release of arguably the greatest debut album of all time, five years since their last live show in the UK, five years shrouded in mystery and rumour culminating in the eventual release of the hugely anticipated and therefore ironically titled 'The Second Coming'. It's rather lukewarm critical reception and the departure of their rhythm lynchpin, drummer Reni, could not dull the almost ravenous appetite for a live Roses show. This was further whetted by the cancellation of their headline slot at Glastonbury, set to be the scene of their triumphant UK return but cancelled due a broken collarbone to guitarist John Squire in a bicycle accident. So it came to pass that their eventual return to the local live arena came on the 5th of August of 1995, not to Manchester or London, but to Parc Ui Chaoimh, County Cork in Southern Ireland, the headline act on the final night of the three day Feile festival. Such was the demand for this gig that fans travelled from the UK and all over Europe to witness this event.

After relatively lukewarm performances from Elastica and Paul Weller, darkness descended, the neighbouring dance tent emptied out and the venue filled to capacity for the first time that weekend. Pills were popped, joints lit, tabs ingested while static filled the giant screens either side of the stage. Then the intro of 'The Second Coming'. A twenty minute mood piece featuring jungle noises and bongos building and building as did the excitement of the crowd culminating in the appearance through the static of lead singer Ian Brown, messiah-like in a simple oversized white shirt, one fist raised aloft his appearance caused a minor earth tremor. Then instead of sequeing into 'Breaking Into Heaven' as expected the mighty bass of Gary 'Mani' Mountfield began to play the opening riff from the by now legendary debut album and the crowd as one bellowed along with joy to 'I Wanna Be Adored'. This was followed as it could only be by the next two tracks from the same record. As we wondered how the fourth song would be performed, a backwards version of 'Waterfall' possible only with studio trickery the band switched to the new album and arguably it's best song 'Ten Storey Love Song'. The evening took on a magical quality, a huge love-in where we all sang along and danced in unison. A major highlight was the extended coda of 'I Am The Resurrection', it must have lasted a quarter of an hour but you wanted it to go on forever. They finished with 'Made Of Stone' and then it was over, already forming into a story to tell your children, it felt that good to have been there. Orbital took to the stage to perform the chill out phase of the night but I left soon after the Roses as I knew nothing could top them. As a strange epilogue to the night when we returned to the house we were staying in for the weekend a highlights package of Feile was being broadcast on RTE as we arrived and we could watch again what we had just witnessed. What was strange was how bad it seemed, out of tune singing and lack luster playing, it made no sense until you realised how true the old adage was of - you had to be there - ask anyone who was....

Music On TV - Sopranos & John Cooper Clarke

More often than not these days I find myself exposed to new music through television. Many shows of course use soundtracks, some orchestral, most notably 'Lost' whose musical soundtrack was superb throughout but there are also those who rely on existing songs to accompany and enhance their imagery, Sopranos being the best of these and this the best example. Played over the closing scenes of the 79th episode 'Stage 5', noted mancunian poet John Cooper Clarke's 'Evidently Chickentown' literally made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. You don't have to have seen the show to watch this scene, feel the tension and realise that important decisions are being made and huge events are imminent.

The clanking and insistent staccato rhythm never lets the listener settle, it's almost uncomfortable and the ominious echoing organ constantly droning yet never building aids this effect, but it's the vocals, delivered in overlapping, spitfire style, cursing diatribe at authority and apathy in a working class town that makes this song what it is. The opening track on Cooper's fourth album 'Snap, Crackle and Bop', 'Evidently Chickentown' is quite simply brilliant and in this setting trancends brillance into that most elusive creative ambition - originality.

The scene preceding the music is possibly Frank Vincent as Phil Leotardo's finest moment in the entire series.

the bloody cops are bloody keen
to bloody keep it bloody clean
the bloody chief's a bloody swine
who bloody draws a bloody line
at bloody fun and bloody games
the bloody kids he bloody blames
are nowhere to be bloody found
anywhere in chicken town

The Video - Witness (1 Hope)

The first single from his second album, Roots Manuva's Witness (1 Hope) was released in July of 2001. It didn't do much commercially, only scraping to number 45 in the UK charts but the video is a work of art. Innovative, clever and above all hilarious. Directed by Mat Kirkby (better quality version at this link) it is the story of Roots' triumphant return to his former school to take part in the annual sports day. The script is brilliant and I have to say Roots acting is excellent, it would appear the kids were not in on the joke as their responses seem all too real... enjoy.

Witness the fitness
The cruffatin liveth
One hope one quest.

The Gig - Mercury Rev - Olympia Theatre

It was the encore that made this gig memorable for me. Quite possibly the best encore I have ever witnessed personally. I didn't recognise the first song initially, the droning Theremin hypnotic in it's looping melody, I was already enjoying it before I realised I was listening to my favourite Rolling Stones song - '2000 light years from home' from their much derided Their Satanic Majesties Request album. The Stones weak riposte to The Beatles St Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Despite it's deserved poor reception it did yield this classic track upon which Brian Jones had cast a spell with his theremin and dulcimer contributions. Listening to it live affirmed my belief in it's brilliance. This would have been enough for me but they then launched into a song by one the architects of St Pepper, John Lennon.' I don't want to be a soldier', an angry anti-war diatribe from Lennon's pivotal 'Imagine' album. Delivered in a style not quite as abrasive or caustic as the original, it became more a plea in Jonathon's distinctive vocal style. None the less powerful though, it was a great song to choose to finish a great performance.

The Gig - A House - Olympia Theatre

One of the greatest tragedies of Irish music towards the end of the 20th century, A House were the nearly men of their time. Deserving of so much more than the almost universal critical acclaim they regularly garnered for their recorded output, A House were also a fantastic live act. Formed in 1987 and part of an alumni graduated from the now defunct Underground venue on Dame Street in Dublin that included Something Happens! and Stars Of Heaven, A House quickly built up a following of loyal and obsessive fans. Six albums, four Eps, twelve singles and three record companies later they decided to call it a day by playing a final farewell gig in the Olympia Theatre also on Dame Street just yards from their starting point in The Underground. Unlike many previous farewell shows and tours from other acts, most notably Status Quo, A House's integrity meant that this was the real deal. After this we would never see them or their like again, tickets sold out rapidly and the scene was set.
Suitably charged with emotion the band started with their debut single 'Kick Me Again Jesus' and began to chart a course through their career and large back catalogue. Made all the more tragic by the realization with each gem of a song/memory that we were witnessing the demise of one of the greats. Family members videotaped the performance for posterity from the beautifully ornate private boxes of the theatre, a visual memento and record to show future generations the adoration that their dad once commanded. Tears were shed openly by grown men and women as they finished with the achingly poignant 'When I Last Saw You' and that was that. Gone as a live act forever though nostalgia saw the release of a best of collection entitled 'The Good Old Days' five years later in 2005, you would do your music collection a service to add this album to it, especially the double disc version including the rarer tracks of their career. If you want to know more about this marvelous band check out this exhaustive and informative fansite. Here's one of my favourites, from their debut album, "I'll always be grateful", and I will.

TV Moments - L7 on The Word

This was fun television. L7 meets The Word, two forms of entertainment that both thrived on shock value. One, a late night British television show that regularly courted controversy through it's content and the behaviour of it's guests, the other, an all girl grunge rock band from Los Angeles. It was the first time I had either seen or heard L7, they played what turned out to be the biggest hit they would ever have, 'Pretend That We're Dead', a reasonable pop song which followed the pattern previously laid down by their male counterparts in the currently popular grunge rock movement spearheaded by Nirvana. So far, so what, nothing new here. But towards the end of the song as it, rather predictably, began to break down, lead singer and guitarist Donita Sparks seemed to be struggling with her guitar. In fact she was wrestling down her own trousers and underwear. Then, much to the delight of thousands of males tuned in that evening, myself included, her guitar swung aside to give us that now infamous and hairy view. If you thought that was bad, that same year in response to heckling due to to sound problems at the Reading festival, Miss Sparks threw her used tampon into the crowd. Surprisingly this has never shown up in any rock memorabilia auction to date.

Live - Suede at the Brits

Prior to 1993 the Brit Awards was seen as a yearly tribute to long established multi million selling stars such as Annie Lennox and Phil Collins. In 1993 Suede were the British band of the moment, seen as an answer to the domination of American grunge rock acts like Nirvana. They had appeared on the cover of Melody Maker under the headline 'The Best New Band In Britain' before they had even released anything and their first two singles had been critically lauded, the second, 'Metal Mickey' made the top twenty. Many commentators at the time believed Suede should have been a foregone conclusion for best new act at the Brits but they were not even nominated. 

The NME began a campaign which eventually led to a last minute invitation for Suede to open the show at the Alexandra Palace, London on 16th of February 1993. Hosted by Richard O'Brien of Rocky Horror Show and Crystal Maze fame he introduced the band almost reverently as the 'already legendary Suede'. Cue polite clapping and quite possibly the best performance by a British band ever on the Brit Awards.

It was the first time I had seen Suede or anything like this for that matter. I was hooked instantly. Quite apart from the fact that the song performed, Animal Nitrate, was and still is one of the best songs of all time, it was the performance that blew everyone away. Lead singer Brett Anderson personified androgynous sexuality with his girlish bobbed haircut and practically bare, pale torso, snarling the sexually charged lyrics with ferocious energy, literally whipping himself with the microphone. Joined at the very front of the stage by Butler and Osman it looked like they were about to launch themselves into the crowd and fight them. It was jaw dropping stuff to me at the time. Suede went on to become one of the most popular and influential English bands of their time but they would never be this good again.