Comeback Album of the Year: Shed Seven

There’s been a lot of discussion in the last couple of months about which Britpop legend has made the best album in 2017, Liam Gallagher or Noel Gallagher. But what everyone seems to be missing from the question is the inclusion of Shed Seven.

Shed Seven actually reformed ten years ago in 2007 having broken up in 2003, however 2017 saw the release of their first album since 2001’s ‘Truth Be Told’ in the form of ‘Instant Pleasures’.

The immediately enjoyable single ‘Room In My House’ and the vibrant bright red album cover marked the album launch campaign, with probably one of the most visually striking covers of the year.

Shed Seven have toured many a time in the last ten years and played to big crowds at festivals so it was little surprise to find they still had an audience to release an album to after a 16 year gap. But what was more of a surprise was the sheer size of the audience.

A Number 8 chart placing in the UK Charts and a Number 6 in Scotland helped illustrate just how big the band still are. This was followed up by a massive UK Tour which had largely sold out months in advance, including some cities like Glasgow where the band were playing more than one night. To top it all off the band recently announced a huge show headlining the Castlefield Bowl in Manchester next summer back by one of my favourite bands Reverend & The Makers and The Twang, the biggest in the band’s history! Not bad for a band who had, in the eyes of some, been away for so long.

So now we’ve established there’s still an audience for the band, let’s take a look at the actual album they released. The 12 track, 51 minute album kicks off with the single ‘Room In My House’, which builds up with a chant of ‘whoa oh oh oh oh oh’ until Rick Witter comes in with a trademark vocal to really kick off the album. A very strong, gripping opening track really setting the tone for the album. ‘Nothing To Live Down’ picks up the tempo even further in the form of a song you just know is going to be a live favourite in the style of the classic ‘Bully Boy’.

‘It’s Not Easy’ is up next and is arguably even better than the first two songs. When Rick builds up to the crescendo of ‘You knock me for six with your spellbinding tricks, that’s how you get your kicks, It’s not easy’ you just know this is a band back on top form. ‘Said I’m Sorry’ keeps up the quality with a message we’ve all said many times before the spiky ‘Victoria’ rides in. On first listen of the album this song gripped me right away, a properly exciting, entertaining tune.

But the masterpiece of the album is up next, ‘Better Days’. One of the best songs of 2017 and one of the best ever Shed Seven songs. It’s an absolute anthem and the 2017 tour has proved that fans are already placing it alongside the iconic ‘Chasing Rainbows’. Seriously if you like Shed Seven (or similar bands) and haven’t heard this song, you’re missing out.

The double-punch of energetic rockers ‘Enemies & Friends’ and ‘Star Crossed Lovers’ are up next, keeping the standard up. A gospel backing floating along nicely along with some brass on the large-scale ballad ‘Hang On’ which picks up where ‘Better Days’ left off. The bridge from 3 and a half minutes in this song proves to be one of the musical highlights of the album before one more triumphant chorus saunters in. The immediately striking ‘Butterfly On The Wheel’, taking us back to Alexander Pope’s 1735 quote “Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?” Not the first time this quote has been reference by Britpop legends!

The penultimate track ‘People Will Talk’ is possibly the poppiest song on the record with an easy to sing a long chorus. The song is undoubtedly good fun, with great use of instrumental backing to supplement vocals at the end of lines during the verses. While this is not necessarily one of the strongest tracks on the album the one that proceeds it is. Closer ‘Invincible’ is probably my second favourite song on the album with a classic Shed Seven sound. Musically the song is quite chilled, with a stylish guitar line backing a chanted vocal by Witter. I think this is my favourite ever closing track from a Shed Seven album.

This caps off a very strong comeback album for Shed Seven, one has has proved to be one of the best albums of 2017. ‘Instant Pleasures’ contains some excellent songs which will go down very welcome in next summer’s massive Castlefield Bowl show.

I haven’t touched upon the second disc of the Deluxe Edition of the album, but I would urge fans of the band to pick up this version rather than the Standard Edition. There are four very good songs on here plus three demos, including a beautiful version of ‘Better Days’ which is worth it alone, and finally three remixes. 10 songs for a second disc is well worth spending a few extra pounds!

Liam Gallagher vs. Noel Gallagher: the Post-Oasis Battle for the Media and Fans

Since Oasis split up in August 2009, when Noel Gallagher quit the band after an argument with his brother Liam, the Gallagher brothers have walked quite different paths. Noel went solo and created Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, which despite the name suggesting the formation of a band became a solo project for Noel, accompanied with different musicians depending on the album and tour. Meanwhile, Liam, Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Chris Sharrock went on to form a new band, Beady Eye, along with Kasabian guitarist Jay Mehler.

In February 2011, Beady Eye struck first and released their debut album, ‘Different Gear, Still Speeding’, which was a mixed bag of a debut and received mixed reviews to reflect this. There was great tracks on this album, such as ‘Kill For A Dream’, ‘The Beat Goes On’ and ‘The Roller’, written by Andy Bell (x2) and Gem Archer respectively. Liam’s songs unfortunately were not as good as those written by his former Oasis bandmates.

Noel on the other hand released his debut album ‘Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’ in October 2011, with 10 tracks all written by the man himself. This album received more positive reviews and included some strong tracks like ‘If I Had A Gun’, ‘The Death of You and Me’ and live favourite ‘AKA… What a Life!’

Not only was Noel’s debut the better album of the two, all of the songs were written by him. Noel had won Round 1 and became established as the media darling of the pair.

Various publications used Noel’s success to have a dig at Liam and, in turn, Beady Eye. This continued to widen the divide between the two brothers but also boosted publicity for both acts with constant barbs between the two appearing in the media. That summer Beady Eye headlined the NME Stage at Reading and Leeds while NGHFB sub headlined T In The Park and V Festival to the newly reformed (and heroes of both brothers) The Stone Roses.

Just over two years later, Beady Eye returned with their second record, ‘BE’, which introduced new sounds not previously heard in Oasis or Beady Eye work. This gained the band some new fans and some interested listeners. Lead singer ‘Flick of the Finger’ was a genuinely intriguing piece of work, with a strong lead vocal by Liam Gallagher. Unfortunately again, the album as a whole did not live up to this standard. Again, reviewers took the chance, seemingly with glee to criticise Liam and Beady Eye. Unlike 2011 Noel did not release an album in the same year. Interestingly though, one of the bonus tracks of ‘BE’ titled ‘The World’s Not Set in Stone’ proved to be arguably the best Liam-written song of the Beady Eye era but received little attention. In October 2014, Liam Gallagher confirmed Beady Eye had split up. While he still received significant media attention as an individual, musically he had become ignored.

‘Chasing Yesterday’, the second NGHFB album was released in February 2015 with the Blur sound-alike single ‘In the Heat of the Moment’, an interesting turn from the former Oasis man given the past rivalry of Blur and Oasis, now long gone! Whilst not receiving quite as positive reviews as his first record the album still was generally well received and spawned some of Noel’s most exciting work in years in the shape of ‘You Know We Can’t Go Back’ and ‘Lock All the Doors’ along with epics such as ‘The Dying of the Light’ and the Johnny Marr-featuring ‘Ballad of the Mighty I’.

Also in 2015 Liam had appeared in a pub signing a new song called ‘Bold’ which sounded like it had real promise, would it ever see the light of day on a record?

Check out the video here:

Bold Live in an Irish pub

Luckily it did! In 2017, this year of course, Liam released his debut solo record, ‘As You Were’, taken from the phrase he used to sign off many of his tweets. The album featured many co-writes with songwriters including Greg Kurstin and Andrew Wyatt. Between them, they created by far the strongest record Liam had released since leaving Oasis. Whilst there was much publicity about the co-writers it was clear that Liam was writing better songs than ever before. Only ‘I’m Outta Time’ from his previous work could compare with his new songs. Tracks like ‘You Better Run’ and ‘I’ve All I Need’ are genuinely brilliant songs and sounded massive live when he toured them in June this year in smaller venues such as Glasgow Barrowland.

Unlike the Beady Eye days, Liam’s new sets were a mix of new solo and old Oasis material, giving him one of the finest back catalogues around to draw from. ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’, ‘Morning Glory’, ‘Slide Away’, ‘Be Here Now’ and ‘Live Forever’ amongst others were all aired and sounded fantastic. The press were back with Liam, as were his fans.

Glowing reviews of the album and his live shows followed. Liam Gallagher is back on top was the general gist of any comments. His album sold over 100,000 copies in its first week and charted at Number 1 in the UK. He announced a UK-wide arena tour which sold out in a matter of minutes. Eventually he announced outdoor gigs for the summer of 2018 which again, remarkably sold out in minutes. He has re-established himself as one of the biggest acts around and the media love him again.

So where does this leave Noel? A month after the massive success of ‘As You Were’, Noel launched his third album, ‘Who Built The Moon?’ with the lead single ‘Holy Mountain’ to a chorus of “Hold on, what? This is Noel Gallagher?”, which I feel is exactly what he wanted. With the media deciding they love Liam more just now, this was the perfect time for Noel to try something a bit different, and he certainly did. Working with David Holmes, Noel produced music like nothing we had ever heard from either brother before. Once critics put their doubts aside and gave the album a try, many decided they loved it. Noel had cemented himself as a creative solo artist and pushed through his own boundaries. Whilst his arena tour is not sold out at time of writing it’s not far off. But this is interesting in itself, as not only has it sold more slowly than Liam’s, his album sold 25,000 less copies in launch week. Quite a chance in affairs since Noel was headlining festivals with Liam played to 2,000 people.

For the first time since Oasis split, Liam is on top and he knows it. What will be very interesting will be to see what the future holds. Will Liam be able to match ‘As You Were’? Will Noel emulated ‘Who Built the Moon’ or return to his classic Oasis sound? And who be the media darling going forward? Only time will tell.

 

 

Resonate 2017 – A Volunteer’s Perspective

Last week on Thursday 16th November I gained a rare opportunity, to take volunteer at the inaugural Resonate conference in Glasgow. For those of you who don’t know about Resonate, it is a new musical conference and event taking place in the Barras Art and Design Centre (BAaD). The conference itself ran from 9am to 6:30pm with a variety of panels, workshops and drop ins. I was stationed in the pizza watching over two events: Meet the Funders and Meet the Rights Organisations. But more on that later.

We arrived at BAad at 8am and gathered in the attractive main hall where the body of the conference took part. Before registration of delegates began at 9am we set up the drop in halls and stalls along with the registration area itself. Staff from the brilliant 23rd Precinct along with the volunteers set all of these up, with a good team spirit being established immediately. This was a theme which would continue all day, I’m pleased to say.

With everything set up and looking good, the delegates began to arrive and look around the venue. They were then treated to the Opening Keynote at 10am, ‘In Conversation with Ged Doherty’, a fascinating insight into the music industry from the chairman of the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) and Brit Awards. He also spoke about his more recent ventures into the film industry. SMIA (Scottish Music Industry Association)’s Tam Coyle conducted the event and was entertaining, setting a pleasant tone for the day ahead. While preparing my drop in centre for the first session at 11am I was lucky enough to get the chance to listen to Ged Doherty and was thoroughly impressed that Resonate had got such a figure to open their first ever event.

At 11am the first panel of the day started, ‘Celebrate Women in Music’, followed by ‘Joining the Dots’ at 12pm. However, by this point Meet the Funders was well underway and I was watching over the thriving event. As soon as  the Opening Keynote had ended there was a flurry of movement towards the pizzeria, with all of the funders being kept busy with delegates and a small queue building, talking about how much they liked the look of BAaD and how they had enjoyed Ged Doherty. In this drop in we had Chris Tams (BPI), Jamie Houston (Creative Scotland), Ian Smith (Last Night From Glasgow), David Culbert & Liam Hennessy (Help Musicians UK) and Jen McGlone (Glow Art).

Interesting, Meet The Rights Organisation brought a slightly different vibe to the Pizzeria as we were joined by Kevin Benz (Broadcast Music Inc), Stuart Fleming (Performing Rights Society), Richie Malone (Performing Rights Limited), Duncan McCrone (Mehnical Copyright Protection Society) and Marco Giulinai (PPL). They informed and chatted with a crowd with quite a relaxed atmosphere. I had the chance to have a chat with Stuart  and Kevin , both of whom were full of interesting and useful information and enjoyable to speak to. I also had the pleasure of chatting of chatting with Andrew from Chemikal Underground, who whilst not part of the panel also gave me some great insights and entertaining anecdotes.

There was then a break for lunch, provided by A’Challtain restuarant – a tasty curry with rice, chips and naan bread. I dutifully provided the sound guys with their lunch before grabbing my own and very much enjoyed it. There was some live acoustic performances during this  break, as people casually strolled round the stalls in the main hall, such as the Electric Honey stall which was full of great, unique Electric Honey products related to both Glasgow Kelvin College and bands on the label such as Pronto Mama.

After lunch, Meet the Funders and Meet the Rights Organisations reconvened with a new set of interested attendees, whilst on the main stage there were panels of ‘What You Syncing?’ and ‘Are You Even Listening?’. When half past 4 rolled around I was pleased to get the chance to watch the panel, ‘Developing the Infrastructure of Scotland’s Music Industry’ featuring head of DF Concerts, Geoff Ellis. Whilst this panel was taking place news filtered through that DF had extended the 2018 TRSNMT Festival to 5 days.

After a brief announcement from Help Musicians UK there was the final event of the conference, ‘The Man, The Myth, ‘The Legendary A&R Man, Dave Ambrose’. This was genuinely brilliant, with some fantastic stories. Dave Ambrose has worked with an unbelievable amount of huge and historic bands including The Sex Pistols, Radiohead, Duran Duran (who he spoke very highly of), Queen and AC/DC. Again, Tam Coyle conducted proceeding and the audience clearly loved this talk. This was another feature of the day, anyone I spoke to enthused about how much they’d enjoyed and been impressed by the conference. Credit here again goes to 23rd Precinct for putting together such a great event.

The evening brought Resonate Live, and with it performances from Flew The Arrow, Ant Thomaz, The Nickajack Men and Declan Welsh and the Decadent West. There were some very enjoyable performances and I’ll definitely be checking out some of these acts again, particularly The Nickajack Men who I had never heard of before but was really impressed by. I had heard of Declan Welsh and the Decadent Welsh before but never seen them. They put on a strong closing set to finally bring to the day to an enjoyable end.

After such a successful first year, hopefully Resonate will be back in 2018 and will be even bigger and better!

 

 

Top 10 Acts to see on Sunday at T In The Park 2015

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Main Stage

Key Tracks: The Masterplan, Whatever, Champagne Supernova

Jamie T – BBC 3 / Radio 1 Stage

Key Tracks: Sticks ‘N’ Stones, Zombie, Rabbit Hole

Kodaline – BBC 3 / Radio 1 Stage

Key Tracks: After The Fall, Honest, The One

Everything Everything – King Tuts Wah Wah Tent

Key Tracks: Photoshop Handsome, Cough Cough, My Kz, Yr Bf

Admiral Fallow – King Tuts Wah Wah Tent

Key Tracks: Old Balloons, These Barren Years, Old Fools

The View – Main Stage

Key Tracks: Shock Horror, Superstar Tradesman, Sunday

Catfish & The Bottlemen – BBC 3 / Radio 1 Stage

Key Tracks: Fallout, Cocoon, Homesick

Stereophonics – Main Stage

Key Tracks: Same Size Feet, More Life In A Tramp’s Vest, The Bartender And The Thief

Saint Raymond – King Tuts Wah Wah Tent

Key Tracks: Fall At Your Feet, Young Blood, I Want You

Peace – BBC 3 / Radio 1 Stage

Key Tracks: Lovesick, Float Forever, Flirting USA

Top 10 Acts to see on Saturday at T In The Park 2015

The Libertines – Main Stage

Key Tracks: Up The Bracket, Can’t Stand Me Now, Time For Heroes

The Proclaimers – King Tuts Wah Wah Tent

Key Tracks: Spinning Around In The Air, What School?, Sunshine On Leith

Courteeners – King Tuts Wah Wah Tent

Key Tracks: What Took You So Long?, Sycophant, Are You In Love With A Notion?

The Vaccines – BBC 3 / Radio 1 Stage

Key Tracks: 20 / 20, Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra), Teenage Icon

Circa Waves – BBC 3 / Radio 1 Stage

Key Tracks: Get Away, T-Shirt Weather, Best Years

Twin Atlantic – BBC 3 / Radio 1 Stage

Key Tracks: Oceans, Crash Lands, Brothers And Sisters

George Ezra – Main Stage

Key Tracks: Listen To The Man, Did You Hear The Rain?, Blame It On Me

Marina & The Diamonds – King Tuts Wah Wah Tent

Key Tracks: Hollywood, I Am Not A Robot, Are You Satisfied?

Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott – King Tuts Wah Wah Tent

Key Tracks: Good As Gold, Happy Hour, D.I.Y.

Alt-J – BBC 3 / Radio 1 Stage

Key Tracks: Left Hand Free, Breezeblocks, Mathilda

Top 8 Acts to see on Friday at T In The Park 2015

The Cribs – Main Stage One of the most surprising placements on the Friday this year sees Wakefield heroes The Cribs take to the Main Stage for the first time. As the finest band playing all day this is no doubt deserved but surprising nonetheless. The band recently brought out their sixth album ‘For All My Sisters’, playing some riotous intimate shows and in-store appearances which I was lucky to be able to attend. They may not have a had a big hit single in a few years but they’re bound to put in one of the performances of the weekend. Key Tracks: Be Safe, Mirror Kissers, Our Bovine Public The Wombats – Main Stage On after The Cribs on Main Stage this has the potential to be one of the best back-to-back pairings of the weekend. The Liverpudlians’ first time to T In The Park in 7 years sees them touring their third album ‘Glitterbug’ which continues the strong form set by their earlier work. Having seen them in the Barrowlands in April its safe to say the band will put on an entertaining show to a deserved Main Stage crowd. Key Tracks: Techno Fan, The English Summer, Kill The Director Kasabian – Main Stage Kasabian need no introduction, it will be their third time headlining T In The Park in the last five years. But that shouldn’t take away from the fact that they will put on one of the performances of the weekend. Their fifth album ’48:13′ included some of their best ever work such as ‘Eez-Eh’ and ‘Bumblebee’, which should be an explosive opener for their headline set. Their set at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Glasgow last year was the best I saw all weekend so I’m looking forward to seeing them do it again this year. Key Tracks: Eez-Eh, Bumblebee, Re-Wired The War On Drugs – Radio 1 Stage The most surprising booking of the weekend, surpassing even The Cribs on Main Stage, is seeing The War On Drugs sub headlining the Radio 1 Stage to David Guetta. It’s hard to imagine two acts further apart on the bill in terms of their ethos. The War On Drugs’ ‘Lost In The Dream’ album gained them huge critical respect last year and for a lot of people, myself included, this will be the first chance to see the band as they bring their National-esque style to T In The Park Key Tracks: Eyes To The Wind, Under The Pressure, Red Eyes Lonely The Brave – T Break Stage One of the smallest bands playing on the Friday this year are also one of the most exciting. There’s a lack of real rock music on this year’s line up but Lonely The Brave will deliver that to the T Break Stage. Having just released last year’s ‘The Day’s War’ the band have an expanded repertoire to draw from now and I will be doing my best to get along to the tent to see them for the first time before they really take off. Grant Nicholas – T Break Stage It’s hard to believe the frontman of Feeder is stuck down in the bottom half of the T Break Stage but Grant Nicholas should be well worth checking out if his solo music so far is anything to judge by. Feeder were due to play T In The Park in 2012 but unfortunately pulled out so it would be great to see Grant in action in such an intimate setting this year. Key Tracks: Soul Mates, Black Clouds, Everyday Society Hozier – Main Stage Hozier had one of the biggest hits of 2014 with ‘Take Me To Church’, a song that was so unavoidable that it put me off him for a long time. Then I heard ‘Someone New’ and was brought back around, he’s bound to have some huge sing-along for these on the Main Stage and will be looking to impress live as he did on his breakthrough appearance on ‘Later With Jools Holland’ last year. Key Tracks: Someone New, Angel Of Small Death & The Codeine Scene, Take Me To Church The Twilight Sad – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent There are relatively few Scottish bands on the Friday this year but I would say The Twilight Sad are the pick of the bunch. The band released their fourth album ‘Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants to Leave’ last year and are still riding high on the reception this received. Sadly the band are likely to clash with The Cribs but if you’d rather check out the tent rather than the Main Stage I would recommend them. Key Tracks: That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy, Cold Days From The Birdhouse, I Became A Prostitute

Lionel Messi – Back To Being The Best

13 days ago Cristiano Ronaldo was deservedly named the best player in the world at the 2015 Ballon D’Or ceremony. No one could truly dispute Cristiano had been the best player in the world throughout 2014. However, in the first  few weeks of 2015 Lio Messi has quickly moved to reassert himself as the greatest player in the world, and indeed arguably the greatest ever seen.

Some of Messi’s performances, such as the demolition of Atletico Madrid, one of the strongest defences in world football, have been utterly mesmeric. With Neymar Jr alongside him Messi has found the perfect foil. Many of Neymar’s goals this season have come from moments of genius by the little Argentine. This weekend’s masterclass against Elche was a perfect example of this.

All top players need one or two players near their level to bounce off as Messi now has exactly that with Neymar and Luis Suarez up front at Barca, forming a front three capable of competing with Real Madrid’s BBC of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano.

Barcelona’s front three: Suarez, Messi and Neymar

It seems almost as if Ronaldo picking up another Ballon D’Or has inspired Messi to up his game, and he is now doing things no other player on the planet is capable of. This is not wholly similar to Ronaldo’s reaction to Messi’s last Ballon D’Or win when he pushed himself harder than ever to remain the crown, and retain it.

The football world is lucky to have Ronaldo and Messi pushing each other, each determined to be not only the best player in the world but the best of all time. They surely must both rank in the Top 10, possibly Top 5 and it would not be at all surprising for one to end their career hailed as the greatest ever.

2015 looks to be another fascinating year with Messi back to the peak of his prodigious powers. There is no doubt Ronaldo will not ease off. The other question will be for the seventh year running, is there anyone else out there who dares to challenge these two?

Real Madrid’s front three: Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema

10 Bands to see on Sunday at T In The Park 2013

My list of the best bands playing on Sunday 14th July at T In The Park. The list is broken down in descending order of stage size with my own plan at the bottom of the page.

The Killers – Main Stage

Are The Killers an obvious headliner? Yes. Have they headlined too many times? Yes. Will they still put on a great show? Yes. Despite the amount of times The Killers have been at T In The Park they will still definitely be worth watching. Their latest album ‘Battle Born’ was a big step up from the poor ‘Day & Age’ meaning they are likely to play a strong setlist. They were excellent at T In The Park 2009 and could be even better this year.

Key songs: Runaways, Spaceman, All These Things I’ve Done

 

Stereophonics – Main Stage

Stereophonics are the sort of band who’ve played this kind of slot so many times that they have it utterly nailed down. They know how to play this set and they won’t disappoint. Bound to be a great performance whether you’ve seen them many times like me or if its your first time. Expect a few from new album ‘Graffiti on the Train’ mixed with lots of past hits.

Key songs: Superman, More Life In A Tramp’s Vest, The Bartender And The Thief

 

Two Door Cinema Club – Main Stage

I wouldn’t honestly say that Two Door Cinema Club are a particularly special band. But they’re decent and they will probably fill a gap in the day between Frank Turner and Editors. Their songs are all very listenable and catchy so should be a pleasant day if not one to blow you away.

Key songs: Sleep Alone, I Can Talk, You’re Not Stubborn

 

Ocean Colour Scene – Main Stage

I’ve never properly seen Ocean Colour Scene (I heard them playing from outside a tent at T In The Park 2011) but I could imagine them fitting into the same category as Stereophonics. Having packed out their tent completely two years ago, the organisers have taken the sensible step of moving the band to the Main Stage this year. Could be a good set to start the morning.

Key songs: The Day We Caught The Train, The Riverboat Song, Day Tripper

 

Foals – Radio 1 Stage

Foals sadly look likely to clash with Stereophonics meaning I’ll miss them but the feedback around the band this year is that their live performances have been on top form. Now with three albums, the band have a good selection of songs to choose from and should play an exciting evening show. Although they don’t play ‘Cassius’ much, be warned!

Key songs: Cassius, Inhaler, Total Life Forever

 

Editors – Radio 1 Stage

Editors were great at T In The Park 2010 despite touring a very poor album in ‘In This Light And On This Evening’. So they should be even better this year touring ‘The Weight Of Your Love’. Higlights of the set are likely to come from second album ‘An End Has A Start’ though and luckily the band recognise its quality and normally play a fair number from it. Make Editors one of your Sunday priorities.

Key songs: Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors, Fingers In The Factories, A Ton Of Love

 

Frank Turner – Radio 1 Stage

Ah, Frank. The finest act the festival has to offer. Do not miss him, he’s a genius. Seriously, if you spend the whole weekend lying drunk in your tent, make the effort to see just Frank. I think that sells him highly enough. His latest album ‘Tape Deck Heart’ kept up the very high standard he has set himself. This will be my 9th time seeing Frank and hopefully that number keeps rising!

Key songs: I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous, Plain Sailing Weather, Glory Hallelujah

 

Johnny Marr – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent

Johnny Marr was the guitarist in the greatest band in British history, The Smiths. And he’s playing a few Smiths songs in his set. This alone makes it very exciting! However, he’s probably going to be up against Editors whose setlist overall is likely to be better. Choose carefully. If possible get to Johnny for his last two songs, I won’t spoil what they are just that they’ll be awesome.

Key songs: How Soon Is Now?, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, Bigmouth Strikes Again

 

The 1975 – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent

The 1975 don’t have an album out yet but they’ve put a few EPs out, the singles from which will justify going to this set. I can’t comment what the set as a whole will be like but those are sure to be good.

Key songs: Chocolate, Sex, The City

 

Tom Odell – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent

Tom Odell’s album received one notoriously bad review but don’t believe it, it’s a solid album and I’m looking forward to seeing him for the first time. Would expect a lot of people only interested in seeing him play the brilliant ‘Another Love’ but he has other good songs to keep his fans happy.

Key songs: Another Love, Grow Old With Me, Till I Lost

 

My plan:

The Killers

Stereophonics

Editors

Two Door Cinema Club

Frank Turner

The 1975

Tom Odell

Arches

Anderson McGinty Webster Ward and Fisher

10 Bands to see on Saturday at T In The Park 2013

My list of the best bands playing on Saturday 13th July at T In The Park. The list is broken down in descending order of stage size with my own plan at the bottom of the page.

The Lumineers – Main Stage

A lot of people will view The Lumineers as one-hit wonders because of ‘Ho Hey’. However, they actually put out a good debut album this year which shows their is much more to them than that overplayed song. I will definitely be seeing them this year although I can imagine their crowd being pull of people just waiting for that song.

Key songs: Big Parade, Flowers In Your Hair, Ho Hey

The View – Main Stage

Hardly the most original booking consider The View play T In The Park literally even year, even last year when they weren’t contractually allowed to and played under a false name. But nonetheless they’re one of Scotland’s best bands and always put on a great show. Despite their regular appearances I would still say definitely go and see them, you won’t be disappointed. The crowd alone will make it pretty wild.

Key songs: Shock Horror, Superstar Tradesman, Sunday

The Fratellis – Main Stage

Another one of Scotland’s best bands. Frontman Jon Fratelli is a bit of a genius in my eyes. The Fratellis don’t necessarily showcase the very best of his songwriting talents but they’re a great band who’ll start the party early on Saturday morning. The singalong for ‘Chelsea Dagger’ should be massive. It should be part of T In The Park law that Jon Fratelli gets booked in some form every year. If you’re a fan of The Fratellis check out the unbelievable Codeine Velvet Club and Jon’s solo work.

Key songs:

Chelsea Dagger, Whistle For The Choir, A Heady Tale

Beady Eye – Radio 1 Stage

There’s your Saturday night headliner sorted! I was concerned with Rihanna headlining the Main Stage and rumours of David Guetta headlining Radio 1 but luckily its Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye instead. The band recently brought out a very good album in ‘BE’ which added to their debut album would provide them with enough songs for a good set. But on top of this they’re playing Oasis tunes ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’ and ‘Morning Glory’ live. This makes their set unmissable for me, these will both be contenders for song of the weekend.

Key songs: Rock ‘N’ Roll Star, Morning Glory, Flick Of The Finger

Noah And The Whale – Radio 1 Stage

Part 1/3 of the worst clash of the weekend for me. I saw Noah And The Whale twice last year and for a sunny day I would say they’re basically a perfect band for it. With four albums now, their setlist is brilliant and they’ll have lovely big singalongs. However, in the middle of such a clash the fact that I’ll  be seeing them with Vampire Weekend in November might push me to see one of the other contenders.

Key songs: 5 Years Time, L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N., Just Me Before We Met

Alt-J – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent

Another good alternative to Rihanna, Alt-J are a good band with a good album but they don’t really deserve a headline slot. I would have gone to see them had they been playing a lower slow but realistically Alt-J compared to Beady Eye is an easy choice for me.

Key songs: Breezeblocks, Matilda, Tesselate

Twin Atlantic – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent

Another one of the many Scottish bands on the line up. They look a bit ridiculous sitting above Travis on the line up but they should still put on a good show. Having been a little dwarfed by the Main Stage last year they return to a tent this year, which I’m reliably informed they’ll be a whole level up. A good bit of proper rock music before Beady Eye.

Key songs: Yes, I Was Drunk, Make A Beast Of Myself, Free

Travis – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent

Travis being only third top in King Tut’s is possibly the most ridiculous placement on the line up. Baring in mind they have previously headlined T In the Park and are playing below two one-album bands. They should have at least headlined King Tut’s or. even better, played high on an outdoor stage. Even so, they’re one of the bands I’m most looking forward to seeing all weekend having never them before. They have a back pocket full of hits and could generate some of the best crowd singalongs of the weekend.

Key songs: Flowers In The Window, Why Does It Always Rain On Me?, Driftwood

Miles Kane – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent

Part 2/3 of the worst clash of the weekend. When I first saw Miles Kane at Leeds Festival 2011 I wasn’t too fussed, judging him as decent but nothing special. When I saw him at T In The Park 2012 I thought he was brilliant. I’d expect more of the latter this year. I’ve become a big Miles Kane in the last couple of years and his new album ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ is another bunch of really good songs.

Key songs: Come Closer, Colour Of The Trap, Taking Over

Willy Mason – Transmissions Stage

Part 3/3 of the worst clash of the weekend. Not too many people here know Willy Mason but he’s a brilliant singer-songwriter from the USA. I saw him at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow last December and thought he was superb. He would be unmissable for me if it were not for my dilemna with Noah And The Whale and Miles Kane. There is also the issue that I may not get into King Tut’s to see Travis if I go see Willy Mason first. However, he is brilliant so I may just have to.

Key songs: Oxygen, We Can Be Strong, Pickup Truck

My plan:

Beady Eye

Twin Atlantic

Travis

Willy Mason/Noah And The Whale/Miles Kane

The Lumineers

The View

Deacon Blue/The Strypes

The Fratellis

Swim Deep

10 Bands to see on Friday at T In The Park 2013

My list of the best bands playing on Friday 12th July at T In The Park. The list is broken down in descending order of stage size with my own plan at the bottom of the page.

Mumford & Sons – Main Stage

They may not be the strongest headliner T In The Park has ever had but they’ll still put on a great show. They headlined the King Tut’s tent in 2010 and were the best headliner of the Saturday night, they were also very good on tour in 2012 at the SECC. Having just headlined Glastonbury this is very much their time.

Key songs: The Cave, Little Lion Man, Lover Of The Light

 

The Proclaimers – Main Stage

Unmissable. The best band playing on the Friday. A lot of people will just go to see them play ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ but this is just one song from an unbelievable back catalogue, they are simply the best band that Scotland has ever produced or will ever produce. At festivals they always pick a hit-packed set so this is one for real fans and casual passers-by alike.

Key songs: Spinning Around In The Air, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), Letter From America

 

The Courteeners – Radio 1 Stage

The best band to come out of Manchester since Oasis, which says a lot given the city’s musical heritage. Liam Fray and co. always put on a great show and now have an even bigger catalogue of songs to draw from after the release of new album ‘Anna’. They’ve moved up a slot from last year so with another great performance they could be in line to headline the Radio 1 stage in 2015.

Key songs: What Took You So Long?, Sycophant, Not Nineteen Forever

 

Jake Bugg – Radio 1 Stage

Jake Bugg has probably made the biggest job of anyone on the line up this year having been stuck near the bottom of Transmissions Stage last year he now sits third top of Radio 1. It’s well deserved, he put out a very good album last year. Even as a relative unknown last year he pulled a huge crowd and is now selling out Academies up and down the country.

Key songs: Taste It, Broken, Lightning Bolt

 

Kraftwerk – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent

I personally will be watching Mumford & Sons but credit to T In The Park for putting on Kraftwerk as an alternative headliner. A hugely influencial band who apparently put on a unique and spectacular show. A must see for fans of classic dance music.

Key songs: The Robots, The Model, Trans-Europe Express

 

Everything Everything – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent

Having seen Everything Everything three times I will be missing them to see FIDLAR this year but they are a very exciting live act, even if you don’t know many of their songs. With two albums now they tend to stick to the singles for their festival sets so if you know a couple of those you’ll enjoy them.

Key songs: Photoshop Handsome, My Kz, Ur Bf, Kemosabe

 

Steve Mason – Transmissions Stage

The former Beta Band frontman brings his new album ‘Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time’ to T In The Park this year. I don’t know a huge deal about his music but having listened to some of his songs after seeing his name on the poster he sounds good enough to recommend if you have a gap at this time. I will be watching The Courteeners at this point though.

Key songs: A Lot Of Love, Fight Them Back, Oh My Lord

 

James Skelly & The Intenders – Transmissions Stage

Former frontman of likeable pop rock group The Coral, James Skelly brings his new group The Intenders to TITP to promote his new album. Expect a reasonable crowd of Coral fans hoping for old hits. I don’t know whether he plays many these or not but his new songs are pretty nice too so should be an enjoyable set. I have heard though that he apparently still plays ‘Dreaming Of You’ so that would be worth going for anyway! Again, at this point I will actually be watching Jake Bugg.

Key songs: Dreaming Of You, Do It Again, You’ve Got It All

 

Tribes – Transmissions Stage

Tribes’ album ‘Baby’ was one of the finest albums of 2012 and they have now followed it up with the energetic ‘Wish To Scream’. They were great live touring with one album so they should be even better now touring with two. Would definitely recommend Tribes to any rock/indie fans at the festival. They have lots of big singalong songs and all their songs are good.

Key songs: Coming Of Age, When My Day Comes, Dancehall

 

FIDLAR – Transmissions Stage

I’ve never seen FIDLAR before despite having liked them for a couple of years so I’m rather looking forward to seeing them on Friday. Their album is a bunch of fast-paced frenetic punk rock songs so they should hopefully put on an exciting live show. On before Tribes this should be a very enjoyable back-to-back pair of bands. If you don’t like drug references in songs this probably isn’t for you, but then again maybe a music festival isn’t either.

Key songs: Wake Bake Skate, No Waves, Max Can’t Surf

 

My plan:

Mumford & Sons

The Courteeners

Jake Bugg

Tribes

FIDLAR

The Proclaimers