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Live Music Review: Muse @ Lancashire Cricket Club

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

4th September 2010

Muse Lancashire Cricket Club

Overblown is a word that suits everything Muse do. Their stage – and it really is THEIR stage, they don’t just go and hire one like everyone else – contains a grand piano, multi headed guitars, giant eyeballs and lighty up suits. It is 4 stories high and looks like a block of flats from 1984 – the book, not the year. Their set spans an impressive two hours and even at today’s inflated admission prices it was more than possible to see where everybody’s money had been spent. The sheer scale of the construction involved means their three UK gigs are a week apart.

Over 50,000 people gathered to pay homage to the Devon legends that make up Muse, who can easily be considered one of the top five bands in the world – a ten year plod more than a sprint but there’s no denying they belong there. Matt Bellamy, Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard arrived on stage to a back drop of red flags – their multi storey stage then became a giant video wall with footage from their videos mixing with their performance. As with most rock behemoths these days their show can be appreciated as much in the mosh pit at the edge of the stage as it can from a quarter of a mile away sipping a corporate beer in the pavilion.

Muse are about as far from being our cup of tea as it is possible to imagine – songs about mythical machinery and the universe as a whole are just that bit too big for our little heads – but it’s undeniable that they can entertain. A bit like going to watch We Will Rock You instead of Chekov, sure there’s fireworks and bluster but it’s not what we listen to music for, total escapism rather than someone with a guitar telling you his girlfriend has left him.

Bizarrely it seemed to make for a family day out too – 15 year old kids and Guardian reading Dads awkwardly trying to meet in the middle somewhere. But maybe that’s it – a Muse gig isn’t an alternative to watching a band anymore, it’s more like a trip to Alton Towers.

Muse Set List:

Uprising

Supermassive Black Hole

New Born + riff

Map of the Problematique

Riff + Butterflies & Hurricanes

Guiding Light

Hysteria + Back in Black riff

Citizen Erased

Nishe

United States of Eurasia

Feeling Good

MK Jam

Undisclosed Desires

Resistance

Starlight

House of the Rising Sun riff + Time Is Running Out Unnatural Selection + Power of Soul riff

Encore 1

Exogenesis: Symphony Part I (Overture)

Stockholm Syndrome

Encore 2

Take a Bow

Plug In Baby

Man with a Harmonica intro + Knights of Cydonia

Watch the video for Supermassive Black Hole by Muse here…

Check out the latest offers on CDs from Muse at zavvi.com>

Words by Same Teens

CLICK HERE to read the latest from Same Teens

New Music 2010: The Charlatans – We We Touch exclusive playback

Monday, September 6th, 2010

Now, normally our first listen to an album involves a hastily unwrapped, newly purchased CD, popped into the stereogram at Same Teens towers and then a read of the sleeve notes and a shuffty at the photos. When you’ve got friends like Tim Burgess though, all that goes out of the window and it becomes one of the best nights of the year so far! Our excitement about the release of The Charlatans‘ 11th Studio album, ‘Who We Touch’ had started last December when we were asked to DJ on their tour around Christmas – new tracks were aired and it was some of their best new material in years.

Tim Burgess at the exclusive Charlatans playback of Who We Touch

Photography by Sarah Thompson @ GigJunkie.co.uk

We were updated as to the progress of the album and it was completed in July, with the release date of September 6th (that’s today if you’re reading this today!) and, so, ‘Who We Touch’ was to remain unheard for a month. It was too long for us to wait so we cheekily asked the band if we could get hold of a copy and have the first ever public playback of it.

We were really pleased when they said yes and beside ourselves with excitement when Tim Burgess said he’d bring the album up with him, DJ and see what people thought (if you’re reading this Tim, we were trying to act cool about it, so sorry if we seemed nonchalant!)

The next week was a bizarre succession of events – we asked The Deaf Institute, our favourite venue, if we could use their basement bar for a private little listening party but the story got in The Metro and other newspapers (oops, that press release worked then) and soon we had 250 people wanting to come. We upgraded to two floors in the venue and expanded the night to include a DJ set from Word legend (and official best raconteur ever) Terry Christian.

“I knew Tim from back when The Charlatans were on The Word and we don’t get many chances to catch up, we’re both seriously into collecting records so I jumped at the chance of DJing and catching up with him”

Once everyone had gathered it was down to Tim to press PLAY.

Photography by Sarah Thompson @ GigJunkie.co.uk

The white noise that preceded ‘Love is Ending‘ marked out the punk credentials of the album, further driven home by the album sleeve. The artwork was done by Gee Vaucher who looked after the imagery of arch anarcho punks Crass and before a note had been struck we knew we were getting something special. The first track has a bass line that Joy Division would be happy with and a riff that The Sex Pistols were the last to be able to graft on to a track.

From there ‘My Foolish Pride’ comes along like the opening credits to a film set in St Tropez featuring a northern soul bass line and a sunshiney dose of pure pop. Near enough everything gets covered in the next hour, from the swoony poetry of Oh! to the more familiar hammond organ sounds of Sincerity. Even a hidden track gets a look in featuring the legendary Penny Rimbaud and the applause breaks out as the album comes to an end.

The final part of our line up came in the bequiffed shape of John Robb. Member of seminal band The Membranes, and author of seminal books like Punk Rock and The North Will Rise Again. An encyclopedic knowledge and a fixture on the music scene for 30 years made John the perfect choice to ask Tim the questions with over a hundred people packed into the bar that normally accommodates 70.

Subjects a varied as the musical key that the world turns in  (F sharp if we remember correctly) to Tim’s twenty one years of adventures in the music business were covered – even his past excesses and present avoidance of drink and drugs came in an audience Q and A where nothing was off limits.

After another spell on the decks which relied heavily on some gorgeous northern soul sevens and a few more autographs and Tim was off down Oxford Road with his box of records – hard to think that this was album number eleven and it sounded as fresh as anything they’ve done in the previous twenty one years. Here’s to the next one!

Watch the video for My Foolish Pride here…


The Charlatans – My Foolish Pride

Check out the latest offers on The Charlatans CDs at zavvi.com>

Words by Same Teens

CLICK HERE to read the latest from Same Teens

Competitions: Share your festival story to win 1000 pounds

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Festival Season 2010 has been a good ‘un so far and is set to become even better with Leeds/Reading, Creamfields and Bestival yet to arrive!

The office has been buzzing with laughter and festival tales all summer; take our Games Buyer who ended up face down in the mud at Glastonbury after attempting to climb the flag poles, or our Web Developer who ended up missing his ferry home thanks to the hangover from hell and lack of alarm clock at Isle of Wight! We’re pretty sure you all have a story or two yourselves, either from this year’s festivals or one you’ve been to in the past so if you fancy a chance to win £1000 simply share your stories with us at FestivalStories.com!

Same Teens: Halloween Haunted House Party

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Since the summer sun appears to have taken an early vacation to the Southern hemisphere , we’re beginning to turn our attention to the winter festivities ahead to get us through these dark and dreary days. First up – Halloween!

Same Teens' Halloween Haunted House Party

This Halloween Same Teens will be taking their legendary House Party format to a new level with the ultimate Haunted House Party – and all at zavvi HQ have  already snapped up a ticket! Think about everything that would make a perfect Halloween Party and Same Teens have it covered; The Horrors – check. Halloween punch – Check. Best Fancy Dress competition with prizes galore courtesy of zavvi.com – check. The party takes place on Sunday 31st October at Ruby Lounge, Manchester – get involved!

The Horrors

You can expect a creepy, kooky and all-together ooky house built from scratch especially for you to party in. There will be rickety beds to jump on, a creepy kitchen to hang in, forbidding wardrobes to rummage in, (with clothes to pilfer, of course) and special hidden Halloween freebies dotted all around the place (but be careful where you poke your hands – anything could be in that chest of draws).

Where once was a beautiful garden you’ll find a zombie filled graveyard and grandpa may well still be in the bed he breathed his last in (he’s still happy for you to climb in though).

As ever there’ll be some very special guest acts and DJs alongside The Horrors, which will be announced over the next few weeks. Check out the Same Teen Haunted House facebook event for updates>

Want in? Make sure you grab some very special early-bird tickets at just £5. These are super limited and once gone will be replaced by full priced ones. Log onto Ticketline.co.uk to bag some or call on 0161 832 1111.

Plus keep your eyes peeled for our creepy and  kooky, Mysterious and spooky competition next week! You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter for further updates.

Competitions: Win a signed Charlatans vinyl & £25

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Last week we told you that The Charlatans have chosen The Deaf Institute in Manchester for the first public playback of their new album on 27th August, nearly two weeks before its release, now the competition you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived!

The Charlatans

Once again we’ve teamed up with our friends at Same Teens, this time to celebrate the launch of The Charlatans eleventh studio album ‘Who We Touch’ and together we’re offering you the chance to win a signed vinyl copy of their new album plus a £25 zavvi voucher!

If you’re a die hard Charlatans fan then this is a prize you definitely don’t want to miss! Don’t know much about The Charlatans? Take a peek at our exclusive Charlatans 20th Anniversary interviews from earlier this year.

How do I enter?

Simply click here to enter>>

The Charlatans
Order ‘Who We Touch’ from zavvi,com today>

View the entire Charlatans back catalogue here>

Music: zavvi loves…..Tim Scott

Friday, August 13th, 2010

For a man who’s been frequently compared to some of history’s greatest guitarists, Tim Scott’s forward-thinking attitude towards dance music is not only commendable, but has assisted in producing some delectably unique music. Being compared to the likes of Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai and Steve Lukathar may have prompted a less ambitious musician to perpetually play it safe, something which Scott has absolutely failed to do.

Tim Scott

Following his impeccably well-received debut Bald On The Inside that was released in 2003, Scott has continued to experiment with his own unique take on genre fusion, and some of the results, such as the improvised live guitar mash-ups that he performed alongside Judge Jules in Ibiza in 2005 and 2006, have helped to develop a style that Scott can definitely claim to be all his own. His successful partnership with Jules continues to this day.

Following some similarly successful collaborations with some similarly prominent dance producers (including Mike Koglin and Herd & Fitz) Scott’s eagerly awaited second album was released in 2008. Called Guitar Mashing, the album was the guitarist’s most critically lauded creative endeavour yet, with the likes of Guitar Techniques, Total Guitar, CityLife and The Express all lavishing it with some seriously noteworthy praise.

Tim Scott

The last two years have seen Tim Scott focusing primarily on digitally released material, and to no less applause. In the month of its release, last year’s excellent Amy Jane single made Total Guitar’s list of the Top Ten Tracks To Download, with Sound On Sound describing it thus: “The production is slick in the extreme.” And Scott’s most recent release, the Cosmic Ignition single that emerged in mid-July, quickly earned the distinction of being his fastest-selling download ever.

With more singles to follow, as well as a slew of upcoming Guitar Mashing events planned for well into the new year, Tim Scott’s next creative move is yet to be determined, but fans can easily rest assured that the results will be as fresh and as unexpected as ever.

New Music 2010: The Charlatans – Who We Touch

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Those Charlatans boys have had a great 2010 so far; what with the re-release of their debut album, ‘Some Friendly‘, a string of sell out gigs and slots at some of this summer’s coolest festivals such as Barcelona’s ‘Primavera Sound’, they’re now about to release their eleventh studio album, ‘Who We Touch‘ next month!

The Charlatans Who We Touch

No doubt this will be exciting news for die hard Charlatans fans but if you’re pretty unfamiliar with the band, we’ve got the perfect opportunity for you to preview the album before you buy…

The band have chosen The Deaf Institute in Manchester for the first public playback nearly two weeks before its release, so if you’re about on the 27th August between 7.30pm – 9pm head on down. No tickets needed – just put yourself down as attending on the Facebook event and we’ll see you on the night.

Liam Quinn from Beat Boutique will be playing some records beforehand and there’ll be copies of the album and signed artwork to win on the night too!

If you missed our exclusive Charlatans 20th Anniversary interviews earlier this year you can take a peek here, plus we’ve got an exclusive Charlatans giveaway coming very soon so watch this space!

Listen to ‘Love is Ending’, the first single from new album ‘Who We Touch’, here…

Order ‘Who We Touch’ from zavvi,com today>

View the entire Charlatans back catalogue here>

New Music 2010: Introducing zavvi’s new Favourite Band: The Dunwell Brothers Band

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

The Dunwell Brothers Band are a band potentially on the cusp of some very big things. The Yorkshire five-piece are releasing their debut single “Elizabeth” today, and are using only their wits, an ever-increasing fanbase, and some deft usage of a social networking tool to get their song into the UK Top 40 this weekend.

The band financed the recording of the single entirely by themselves, without any kind of support from a record label. They’re also responsible for promoting its release, and inspired by the Rage Against The Machine Facebook campaign that made headlines over Christmas, they’re similarly using that site as a way to drum-up interest in their own, slightly more modest campaign… and it appears to be working. Within just one week, more than 2000 fans had signed up to the Facebook group, and the sales figure that the band are aiming for – a six-day tally of 4000 – appears to be tantalisingly within their grasp.

“We formed in October of last year,” explains guitarist David Dunwell, who took a quick break from recording the band’s debut album at the Analogue Studios in West Yorkshire. “There has been a lot of local support, but I’d say that the Facebook thing is quite an important part to it. Hopefully not only will it do well to actually get the single in the charts, its actually built our following up as well.”

Watch The Dunwell Brothers Band perform “Dance with me” here…

How confident are they about meeting their sales target? “Quietly confident, ” says David. “Not arrogantly confident, because it is still a big thing to achieve for a new band. But I’d say that we were all quietly confident.”

Defining their sound isn’t easy, and the band have absolutely no interest in pigeonholing themselves. One of the truly unique things about them – that they all sing, and frequently perform five-part harmonies together – gives their music a bewitching, otherworldly air that doesn’t bear easy comparison with anything. Their press release points out that this hasn’t really been done since the heyday of the Eagles, but The Dunwell Brothers‘ sound is far from antiquated.

“The songs are great anyway, we love the songs. But for the band personally, we believe that the harmonies are the strongest part of our sound. Its the one thing that makes us stand apart.”

The band aren’t merely standing back and pinning everything on Facebook either; they’re gigging constantly, and are about to embark upon an entirely different set of very special shows, to coincide with their debut single’s first week of release. A nationwide busking tour, taking place on the streets of five different cities (including York today and London on Friday) will keep them busy, and their minds focused, until the start of this crucial upcoming weekend. Full details of the busking mini-tour are available on the band’s website.

“We’re really trying to achieve a new model in the industry,” continues David’s brother and fellow guitarist Joe. “The record companies aren’t signing new artists very often, so what we’re trying to do is launch the band ourselves, fund it ourselves, and prove that the new model for the music industry might not involve major record labels.”

Help support the The Dunwell Brothers Band in their bid to win the Band Battle and support British legends The Stranglers and rising stars Mumford & Sons at this year’s Triumph Live 2010. Click on this link and vote for them now

You can hear the track in full on the band’s website thedunwellbrothersband.co.uk, and as well as being able to buy “Elizabeth” from zavvi.com.

Watch The Dunwell Brothers Band perform “Elizabeth” here…

Buy From zavvi

The Dunwell Brothers Band: Hot or Not?

Buy Elizabeth by The Dunwell Brothers at zavvi.com today

Album Review: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Mojo

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

For four years, Tom Petty kept us waiting for new material.  And now as a seasoned veteran of all things classic rock, he along with his Heartbreakers offers audiences MojoMojo – magic, charm, self-confidence, raw sex appeal…not really the kind of term that people would think of when describing Tom Petty’s music.  This album should have been simply titled “Blues” because that is in its very essence what it is.

Tom Petty - Mojo

Tom Petty’s repertoire has always lent towards that Southern-fried sensibility yet maintained a contemporary pop sound that lent itself to countless hits.  There have been touches of blues licks on albums like Echo and Highway Companion but the blues never really dominated.

Nevertheless, Mojo has had mixed reviews.  This mature offering could be described as one-faceted, music for musicians…but I’m not from this camp.  I love it.  And Tom Petty fans are digging it.

The album was originally announced as a back to basics, no overdubs, no frills, no re-takes album.  And with that it is refreshing and quite rightly shows off the band’s established talent.  The album art boasts the equipment used and a lovely collaged photograph of the band – a little grey and wrinkled and remarkably unrock-n-roll.  The best bit is the teasing pictures of the guitars in the background, hanging on the wall – an impressive array of vintage axes and Rickenbacker logos galore.

Tom Petty

The album starts off with a fast-paced, rhythm-matic track in Jefferson Jericho Blues complete with fuzzy guitar riffs, pounding piano and Tom Petty’s iconic nasally vocals. Start as you mean to go on is what it says to me.

This is followed up by a scalular, sliding guitar intro of First Flash of Freedom before breaking into a laid-back jazzy ¾ time instrumental as Tom Petty’s vocals emerge, listless and poetic – “Love it is hard, Like an overdue train. We felt so much more, than our hearts could explain” and “A fistful of glory, a suitcase of sin”.

Tom Petty’s talent for the narrative lyric is also felt in later tracks particularly in the Clapton-esque reggae tune Don’t Pull Me Over and The Trip to Pirate’s Cove.

By the middle of the album, a seasoned listener would pick up on that naked recording with the occasional sloppy fingering of guitar solo like on the kickin’ I Should Have Known Better.  But rather than turning you off, it should sorta give you that impression of a live performance.

Americana is another stark theme to this album.  Tracks like Candy ooze 40s American South with its references to coca-cola, moonshine and fruit jars.  US 41’s acoustic styling, vocal drawl and effects that sound like it is being played on vinyl. And a more modern country ballad with mournful guitar like that of No Reason to Cry.

With 15 tracks, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers certainly aren’t stingy to listeners with Mojo. Classic rock aficionados, Petty lovers and fans of music like Clapton and BB King should really get into this CD.

Watch the video for Jefferson Jericho Blues here…

Words by Juanita Appleby, Beatlebabe.com

http://www.zavvi.com/cd/tom-petty-and-the-heartbreakers/mojo/10178834.html

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