When there's a band set to play at The George, Ashford, you just know they are going to rock. It seems that only the best local bands get to play there, so there were high expectations of Wireless, a cover band that I've been keen to see for some time. As soon as the band started playing, I knew that they were great and their whole set definitely impressed. If a cover band ever plays a Green Day song then I'm hooked but my ears are also pricked to listen to how good the cover is. The opening riff of 'American Idiot' blasted out across the pub and it was from that moment onward that it was apparent how talented this band are. If you gave Billie Joe Armstrong an English accent then you'd be listening to Wireless, that's how great it was. A couple of songs further into the set came 'The Wolf' by Mumford and Sons, a song that the band are very proud of. The song was suggested by one of the members a while back, and the suggestion was received with mixed feelings about how they would make it work. However, a couple of rehearsals of the song later saw those feelings change to ones of "oh shit, this is good", accompanied with excitement for audiences to hear it. You can see just how proud the band are to have conquered that song, which, with its various harmonies and melodies, definitely wasn't an east feat. Check out a snippet of the song below.
The first half of their set was filled with classic songs that got everyone dancing and singing along with lead vocalist Phil Mace; his voice really suited the songs performed and his vocal range gave the songs an extra dimension. Songs including Queen's 'Hammer To Fall', Radiohead's 'Just' and 'Everlong' by Foo Fighters filled the pub and gave the best atmosphere. The final song of the first half was 'Comfortably Numb' by Pink Floyd, a song that "all cover bands do" according to Mace. The first part finished and the audience were revved up for more to come.
The second half came and Wireless were back at what they do best. This set of songs was much more mixed than the first half and really showed that the band could turn their hands to anything. Words can't describe how great the band made Beatles hit 'Paperback Writer'. Guitarist John Hynes explained how the band made the song sound so good: "It took some doing! I used a Beatles fan on YouTube who had all the parts worked out, so it was just a matter of matching the parts with our voices then using a recorder to listen back to what we were doing to check we hadn't cocked it up!" For a band to have that level of dedication to make that one song sound so well really shows how immensely they care about the music and what their audiences listen to. Their harmonies were right on key and the heavier tone to the song gave it that something indescribably extra. You can watch a clip of the song below.
After another outing for Queen with 'I Want It All', the audience were treated to a duo of Blur songs ('Parklife' and 'Song 2') followed by Pulp's 'Disco 2000'. It was amazing to see so many people singing along and enjoying the music, and it was really humbling to see local music bring people together. Think what you will of cover bands, but this one is special. This one has determination to perfect the songs and a lineup of really talented guys. Wireless is made up of lead vocalist Phil Mace, guitarists John Hynes and Adrian Longley, bassist Jonny Hogben and Clive Patterson on drums. If you're interested in seeing Wireless, their upcoming gigs are: Friday August 5th- Ricky's Bar At The Fountain, Sittingbourne Saturday 3rd September- The Sun Inn, Faversham Hop Festival Friday 16th September- Ypres Tavern, Sittingbourne Saturday 24th September- The Swan, Teynham You can follow the band by liking their Facebook page, where you can see videos of their performances and keep up to date with their gigs. -All photos and videos are mine-
David Bowie's musical, 'Lazarus', which he co-wrote in the months leading up to his sad death in January, is set to have a four month run in London later this year. The musical itself will see Michael C. Hall, Michael Esper and Sophie Ann Caruso all reprise their roles for the London production and will be directed by Ivo Van Hove. 'Lazarus' has already had a string of shows in New York earlier in the year; David Bowie attended the opening night which was his last public appearance before his death on January 10th. The New York stint ended on January 20th and so the London production has been anticipated since. The musical is based on the 1963 novel 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' by Walter Trevis, which was then made into the 1976 sci-fi film which starred Bowie. It features hits from the late musician, as well as three unreleased tracks and the title song 'Lazarus' that made it onto the heartbreaking farewell album 'Blackstar'. This is how the official website has described the musical: “Lazarus focuses on Thomas Newton, as he remains still on Earth - a 'man' unable to die, his head soaked in cheap gin and haunted by a past love. We follow Newton during the course of a few days where the arrival of another lost soul - might set him finally free.” You'll be able to see 'Lazarus' in London from October 25th until January 21st at Kings Cross Theatre. Bowie co-wrote it alongside 'Once' writer Edna Walsh, and it has been described as a 'sequel of sorts' to 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'. Tickets are on sale now and are available here. Watch the video for the title track 'Lazarus' below:
After much speculation by fans, Zac Farro has confirmed that he is drumming on the new Paramore album. The band originally uploaded an photo to their Twitter account which featured the then-former drummer of the band with the current members having dinner. The caption, "Eating with people not doing anything special at all" made Paramore fans very excited at the possibility of Farro rejoining, or at least working with, the band again.
Farro originally left the band after his brother Josh in 2010 following his own bad attitude and wanting to go in a different direction. It seems as though all that has been put aside for the time being and the new album has been brought to the forefront, which is how it should be. In an interview with Idobi, Farro confirmed his involvement with the new album whilst talking about his current project HalfNoise: "They’ve asked me to play drums on their album, on their new album. So [Hayley] put it on their Instagram and put it on their website, and it’s no joke that I’m back just playing drums for them on their album alongside with doing my HalfNoise stuff. That’s it, and that’s literally all it is right now.” Exciting things are underway in Camp Paramore!
It's been 5 long years since pop-punk veterans blink-182 released their last album Neighborhoods, and since then the band have been through the mill. Their new album, California, is the product of everything that has happened and although there are some flaws, it is still a great listen. In its 16-song entirety, California is the record that screams to its audience that even though the band suffered some knocks over the years, it is still one of the greatest on the planet. Honestly, after the departure of guitarist Tom DeLonge last year and the introduction of Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba as a replacement, the expectations weren't too high. I was pleasantly surprised on my first listen; the charisma that the band has prior to DeLonge's departure is still there with Skiba and the band have such a good chemistry together which is reflected in the overall sound. Mark Hoppus' harmonies with Matt Skiba sound as though the planets have aligned, they work incredibly well together and particularly make 'No Future' a punchy song. Their almost-story-telling approach to 'The Only Thing That Matters' creates the image of the guys having a great time in the studio, an image that also pops up when listening to material from the band from the early 2000's; the passion that all three members have for the band and for its music obviously outweighs any outside circumstances that have occurred and shows how they have all moved on. Another success of this record is Travis Barker's talent behind the drumkit. Opening track 'Cynical' really throws his skills out there as the beats pick up from the band's older and faster material. Barker is on top form for the whole album, giving and getting the best from his kit to produce some incredible patterns. Listen to 'Cynical' below.
Just like a classic blink-182 record, it's got those NSFW songs that apparently come as standard. But if you take out the lyrics from 'Built This Pool' ("I want to see some naked dudes/That's why I built this pool") and 'Brohemian Rhapsody' ("There's something about you/That I can't quite put my finger in"), the quality of the guitars riffs and drum beats really make it a shame that the songs aren't longer. Combined, both songs have a total of 47 seconds play time, which isn't really long enough to really sink your teeth into them. There's a slight wish that live versions of these songs are made longer. Unfortunately, along with the aspects that make this a great album, there's a blindingly obvious part that stop is from being an amazing album. It's just as though producer John Feldmann has had way too much time to tweak the music to the point that most of the songs sound over-produced and static. Feldmann actually started his music career in ska punk band Goldfinger before turning his hand to producing; 5 Seconds of Summer, All Time Low and many more bands have had him to thank for their successfully charting songs. After all that experience, you would have thought he would know what to do behind the mixing deck, but his over-compressed vocals and gimmicky bridges almost make it laughable. It's like taking the band and wrapping them in bubble wrap, and the more you listen to it the more the production lets it down. Some of the lyrics are also questionable, but you've got to remember that the band is now nearly 25 years old and a lot of topics that would have captured audiences in the band's peak barely get sniffed at now. California isn't the comeback myself and a lot of other fans were hoping for, but it is definitely a start in the right direction. The lineup works, the concepts of the songs work, but the band really need to get a grip on how all that will sound at the end of production. It is without a doubt a great album, but sadly it isn't a stunning album. Here's hoping on the next one, boys!
