Ladysmith Black Mambazo UK Tour

Nelson Mandela publicly called Ladysmith “South Africa’s cultural ambassadors”, following his release from prison. The group sings a cappella isicathamiya and mbube music – loud, powerful choruses contrast with softer, almost whispering chants where voices blend harmoniously, combined with tightly-choreographed dance moves that keep the singers on their toes.

I must express how extremely gutted I was to have missed Ladysmith Black Mambazo when they were in Australia earlier on this year so don't make the same mistake I did and go and see them on their massive UK tour commencing next week.

OCTOBER

Thu 15 CAMBRIDGE Corn Exchange 01223 357851 · www.cornex.co.uk

Fri 16 BIRMINGHAM Symphony Hall 0121 780 3333 · www.thsh.co.uk

Sat 17 TRURO Hall For Cornwall 01872 262466 · www.hallforcornwall.co.uk

Sun 18 BRISTOL Colston Hall 0117922 3686 · www.colstonhall.org

Mon 19 HIGH WYCOMBE Swan 01494 512000 · www.wycombeswan.co.uk

Wed 21 BASINGSTOKE Anvil 01256 844244 · www.anvilarts.org.uk

Thu 22 OXFORD New Theatre 0870 606 3500 · www.newtheatreoxford.org.uk

Fri 23 LONDON Cadogan Hall 020 7730 4500 · www.cadoganhall.co.uk

Sat 24 LONDON Cadogan Hall 020 7730 4500 · www.cadoganhall.co.uk

Sun 25 NORWICH Theatre Royal 01603 630000 · www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

Tue 27 SALISBURY City Hall 01722 434434 · www.cityhallsalisbury.co.uk

Thu 29 POOLE Lighthouse 08700 668701 · www.lighthousepoole.co.uk

Fri 30 CHELTENHAM Town Hall 01242 227979 · www.cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk

Sat 31 NOTTINGHAM Royal Concert Hall 0115 989 5555 · www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk

NOVEMBER

Sun 1 CARDIFF Wales Millennium Centre08700 40 2000 · www.wmc.org.uk

Tue 3 LIVERPOOL Philharmonic Hall 0151 709 3789 · www.liverpoolphil.com

Wed 4 MANCHESTER Bridgewater Hall 0161 907 9000 · www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk

Fri 6 HARROGATE International Centre 0845 130 8840 · www.harrogateinternationalcentre.co.uk

Sat 7 SHEFFIELD City Hall 0114 278 9789 · www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk

Sun 8 GATESHEAD The Sage Gateshead 0191 443 4661 · www.thesagegateshead.org

Tue 10 GLASGOW Royal Concert Hall 0141 353 8000 · www.glasgowconcerthalls.com

Wed 11 ABERDEEN Music Hall 01224 641 122 · www.boxofficeaberdeen.com

Thu 12 INVERNESS Eden Court 01463 234 234 · www.eden-court.co.uk

Fri 13 PERTH Concert Hall 01738 621 031 · www.horsecross.co.uk

Sat 14 EDINBURGH Usher Hall 0131 228 1155 · www.usherhall.co.uk

Mon 16 BUXTON Opera House 0845 127 2190 · www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk

Tue 17 LLANDUDNO Venue Cymru 01492 872 000 · www.venuecymru.co.uk

Wed 18 DUNSTABLE Grove Theatre 01582 602080 · www.grovetheatre.co.uk

Thu 19 TUNBRIDGE WELLS Assembly Hall 01892 530613 · www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

Fri 20 BRIGHTON Dome 01273 709709 · www.brightondome.org

Sun 22 DARTFORD Orchard 01322 220000 · www.dartford.gov.uk/orchard

Mon 23 CRAWLEY Hawth 01293 553636 · www.hawth.co.uk

Dead to Me release new record art

Due out on November 10th this year, Dead to Me have released the artwork to their new album entitled African Elephants.

Since the release of their first record Cuban Ballerina and last years fantastic EP Little Brother 2nd singer Jack Darymple (formerly of One Man Army) left the group after becoming a first time father which should make it interesting to see how these guys sound now.

You can listen to new song Modern Muse online at www.myspace.com/deadtomesf

Guns n' Roses Sued

(Reuters) - Two independent record labels sued U.S. rock band Guns N' Roses for $1 million, claiming the group used portions of two songs by a German musician on their last album "Chinese Democracy."

Guns N' Roses and Universal Music Group's Interscope-Geffen A&M label were sued by British label Independiente and the U.S. arm of Domino Recording Company, who own the licensing rights to songs by German electronic musician Ulrich Schnauss.

Singer Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses band members and album producers copied portions of two of Schnauss' songs -- "Wherever You Are" and "A Strangely Isolated Place" -- for a song used on the band's last album called "Riad N' the Bedouins," according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed on Friday but made available on Monday, seeks $1 million in damages. A spokesperson for Interscope-Geffen A&M, owned by Vivendi's (VIV.PA) Universal Music Group, was not available for comment.

Soundwave 2010 Announced!

They've announced Soundwave 2010 and the lineup looks fantastic with the names of like Faith No More, Janes Addiction and My Chemical Romance amongst others released recently.

get more info here

SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL 2010

FAITH NO MORE
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
JANES ADDICTION
AFI
PARAMORE
HIM
ALEXISONFIRE
TAKING BACK SUNDAY
TRIVIUM
SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE
EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
THE GET UP KIDS
REEL BIG FISH
MESHUGGAH
ALL TIME LOW
A DAY TO REMEMBER
IT DIES TODAY
ESCAPE THE FATE
CLUTCH
ANTI FLAG
ISIS
GALLOWS
A WILHELM SCREAM
THE WEAKERTHANS
EMAROSA
ANVIL
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
COMEBACK KID
THE ALMOST
DANCE GAVIN DANCE
FOUR YEAR STRONG
YOU ME AT SIX
WHITECHAPEL
THE AQUABATS
ROLO TOMASSI
BARONESS
RX BANDITS
MAXIMUM THE HORMONE
THE CREEPSHOW


VENUES AND DATES

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2010
SATURDAY 20 BRISBANE, RNA SHOWGROUNDS
SUNDAY 21 SYDNEY, EASTERN CREEK RACEWAY
FRIDAY 26 MELBOURNE, SHOWGROUNDS
SATURDAY 27 ADELAIDE, BONYTHON PARK
MONDAY 1 PERTH, STEEL BLUE OVAL

Kurt Cobain Reanimated For Guitar Hero 5

The next installment of the hit video game Guitar Hero® is set for release tomorrow, September 1. Guitar Hero 5 will offer the predictable array of "new features" as it's publisher Activision prepares for a video game showdown with rival series Rock Band. The much hyped The Beatles: Rock Band set for release on September 9.

How can you possibly compete for video game supremacy when your going up against the Fab Four? You can't. I mean, of course its possible that the makes of Guitar Hero can make a game that is technically superior or whatever, but the reality is that both games have a similar format and gaming experience. So when one game brings the music and characters of The Beatles to life then that's really quite the scoop and the toughest of acts to follow. Judging from the screen shots and videos that I've seen of both games, Rock Band: The Beatles seems to be a much more visually stunning and imaginatively crafted project too, as its developers Harmonix Music Systems seem to have gone to town to make the most of their exclusive license.

So, again, the begging question: What does Guitar Hero 5 do to try and score sales in it's showdown with The Beatles: Rock Band It aims low. Below the belt in fact. Guitar Hero 5 will include Kurt Cobain as a playable guest character (among bonus characters will included Matt Bellamy of Muse and Shirley Manson of Garbage). My knee-jerk reaction: this is a shameless cash-in and just bad taste. I'm sure Activision could attempt to come out with some PR spin about the inclusion of Cobain, but take one look at the teaser in-game footage released on YouTube two days ago and tell me that this doesn't look shoddy. It's not exactly the best likeness - I know its "only a video game" but what exactly happened to his mouth? (Check out the video here or embedded below.)



The makers of the new Rock Band game had to 'reanimate the dead' if you'll pardon the pun, by recreating the likenesses of two deceased band members George Harrison and John Lennon. The general consensus (and really the whole marketing strategy) is that The Beatles game will be a fitting tribute to the music of The Beatles with the game set to be another medium for their music and imagery to flower and flourish. Whereas the inclusion of Kurt Cobain in the latest Guitar Hero looks like an act of last-ditch desperation to score as many sales as possible.

For the record, Guitar Hero 5 will feature two Nirvana songs, those being Lithium and predictably Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Shooting Green Day Was A Trip!

Earlier this month I shot and reviewed Green Day at Copps Coliseum - click here for a link to the article and review. It was a pretty big deal to me. Not only did I get to photograph one of the world's most famous bands, but also some of biggest heroes in music and life.

Green Day are the band that got me started in music. As a troubled 15 year-old stuck in my bedroom on an isolated house on a hill in north Scotland, I found both refuge and rebellion in music for the first time when I bought a copy of Nimrod and cranked the volume up loud on my little portable CD player. That album started off my addiction to music, unlocking a passion inside of me that had lain dormant. We've all got to start somewhere, and even my parent's collection of Beatles records didn't provide that initial draw. At 15 I was looking for something new, something from my generation and time - Green Day provided that.

Green Day lie at the root of my passion for music, being the band that started off my addiction and led me to go on to listen to so many bands past and present, and to see so many bands live. My addiction to music would lead me to combine that with my passion for writing, when I had an epiphany at University while studying journalism and realised that I could combine my passions and become the ultimate hack of the music industry: a music journalist.

Imagine my excitement then when I found out that the last-moment that (after much endeavour) I'd be added to the photo list for this Green Day's show at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton - cue a spontaneous video blog to YouTube as my levels of pre-show excitement hit a giddy high. Ah, that video is somewhat regrettable, but whatever.

Shooting Green Day was an amazing trip! The rules were "first 2 songs, no flash" which is 1 song less than the usual law of the photo pit which is in place at most concerts. I'm pretty pleased with the shots I got - my trusty little old school 50mm Nikkor lens did not let me down. My favourite shot is below, others can be found in the show review. It was an amazing night.




Thanks as always to the band, label and the show promoters for putting me on the list.

Incidentally, here are some snapshots below from a road trip I took in May this year after becoming a resident of Canada. It was a rite of passage and also a time used to try and get some perspective on life after my whole world as I knew it had just recently come crashing down around my feet. I took very few belongings with me, but the soundtrack to my adventure was 21st Century Breakdown.

Virgin Festival 2009 Ontario Announced!

I am stoked. I just found out the line-up for this year's Virgin Festival in Ontario - (a.k.a. V-Fest Toronto, except it's not in Toronto this year). Nine Inch Nails and The Pixies!!!! YESH!! And Franz Ferdinand too!! And Lights will be back this year too.

Even better, this year the festival will not be on Toronto island, which caused big headaches last year as we all had to wait like refugees to be transported off the island at the end of each night by the ferries that connect the isle to civilization. But instead, V-Fest 2009 in Ontario will be held at some place called Burl's Creek Park, which is probably going to be just as problematic to exit from at the end of the weekend but hey at least its on dry land. Maybe there will even be camping on site like a real festival... oooh...

Oh, I realise that it's been months since I've made a blog post, but that's due to a thing called life, some shit hitting a fan, and also the fact that really there's not been that much worth talking about. Well, aside from a few of the festivals I've covered recently in Toronto. Oh and of course Michael Jackson's death, but honestly I knew how that was going to play out: mass media sympathy to mass joking and disrespectful comments (let sleeping dogs lie already) to mass stupid distasteful cash ins and 'celebrations and tributes'. But yeah, apart from Jacko passing away - R.I.P., show some respect for the dead - there's been nothing much to talk about, especially here in the Greater Toronto Area... until now.

Virgin Festival Ontario is gonna be one hell of a festival. The line-up is incredible; full line-up and info here. The motherfucking Pixies!