| Michael: In terms of groundbreaking material Radiohead
stand tall above everyone and I'm sure will secure a very high position of the ladder of
the "greats". An often overlooked talent in my opinion is the partnership of
Neil Hannon and Joby Talbot of the Divine Comedy who combine their pop and classical
backgrounds to produce some clever material. Admittedly they "steal" from
various less traditional genres but they cobble it all together in a less than usual way. Erika: I’ve seen some
fantastic bands over the last couple of years - Placebo, Kenickie, My Life Story, Therapy?
- loads of others but no one can tough the Manics - without a doubt the most important
band of this decade and the best live band I’ve ever seen.
Tim: Two things are really exciting. One is just the whole way dance
is sucking in all new kinds of influences and for me that really started a few years back
with Alabama 3. Now there's Morcheeba, A1 People, Lowfinger, ADF, Badmarsh & Shri and
loads others doing their thing. Going to see a techno or dance music band was like
watching a technician fixing a piece of machinery and now there's a real sense of partying
to those kinda gigs.
The other thing that's kinda thrilling at the moment is that being into American roots
music since a psychologically-worrying young age there's a whole load of new young bands
taking those influences and putting a very British 90s slant to it. Gomez, Arnold,
Minibar, Sunhouse, Triumph 2000 etc all make fresher sounds with warped Brit influences
than the rather jaded American alt.country scene.
Those are the two things that really excite at the moment but there are so many ideas and
creativity around that there's just so much to choose from. Who cares if there isn't a
definitive scene that comes out of it. Just enjoy the music.
Michael Flaherty: Trends come and go but at the end of the day
people need music and people need choice. Music is an emotion booster, Smiths when you're
down, Techno when you're up... there needs to be variety, a choice and there's no
alternative that is so readily available to the average Joe. Rock N Roll is one of the few
things the UK is really good at... the amounts of kids wandering round London with guitars
on their backs is as large as ever... "Long Live the UK Music Scene..." as Helen
Love would say.
The front page of NME dated June
13th 1998: a burning guitar and "the burning issue: why British music is going up in
smoke". A few days later. The Times ran a page on "Pop industry rocked by
recession" on June 13th ending with an optimistic voice, Steve Lamacq’s. Phoenix
was cancelled and became big news. "To take the Phoenix sales, as some people have,
as proof that interest in music is on the wane is patently nonsense - all it proves is
that people’s interest in mud is on the wane..." Zoe Williams, London Evening
Standard.
a valid word from Jo Findlay
It isn’t all over for music,
we came very close at one stage, but I think we’ve clawed our way to the top again.
Of course there are others, yet Mansun are probably the leaders of the pack. Mansun are
what the future sounds like...
"Six" has blown the (so called) music journalists away. I’ve read several
reviews of it and every one has said you’re not going to find a piece as good as this
for a long while. I managed to get a copy before it actually came out and it completely
fucked all my expectations. Paul Draper has such talent it’s heard to find the words
to describe it.
The album is a very personal one and listening to the lyrics gives you some idea of what
the inside of Draper’s (if a little fucked up) mind is like. To me, it’s a
beautiful place. Not forgetting that each band member had input into "Six"
though.
Actually the two tracks I found the most moving were "Witness To A Murder (Part
Two)" and "Inverse Midas" - both written by Dominic Chad. Particularly the
former, which is about the last moments of Brian Jones’ life. This may upset some
people, but in my opinion I doubt if even the Manics can top the talent contained within
"Six". God, have I started something by saying that?
Pam says...
Well, what does everyone think?
Should NME and Melody Maker be taught by us Joe Publics how to review, interview and find
out the correct info about bands?
I am of the opinion that any band
they rave over, they soon find great pleasure in not long after ripping to shreds
if they do anything slightly commercial!
Their live reviews are just
laughable, I often wonder if they were actually at the same gig as me!
As for the comparisons between the
Manics and Stereophonics - how could two bands be more different? The only things they
have in common is three band members and being Welsh!
I actually first saw Stereophonics
supporting the Manics when music papers were taking NO interest in Stereophonics at all.
What a night! Two very different but totally fantastic bands in one night.
The criticism over "This Is My
Truth Tell Me Yours" - first comment by the shitheads? "every song is about
Richey" - lazy journalism or what? The album is one of the most sensitive, beautiful
and honest (know that word NME and Melody Maker?) albums I have ever heard (I am
definitely gonna have to have a spare for when mine falls apart due to being played
constantly)
I have something I MUST admit, when
I first saw the Manics (around '92) I thought they were awful, but they pulled me in and
made me love them through sheer talent, brazenness and being a totally nice bunch of lads.
My last thought is "let's hope
that through the internet NME and Melody Maker will get the competition they have never
and had and disappear on a bonfire of mediocrity!!" I'LL BE WARMING MY HANDS ON THAT
FIRE!!
Pam Gibson |
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