Gary Numan - Fan Q & A

Gary Numan has answered a series of fan-submitted questions on his official website.  He talks about some recent struggles he's had with the media, his anticipated move to Los Angeles (he almost bought a castle!), and the latest on his musical projects.  Numan reveals he's written quite a few new tracks and coming later this year a remix album will be released as a companion to Artrocker's upcoming Gary Numan iPad issue.  Get the full low-down straight from Numan here.

Gary Numan  "The Fall"

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Steve Lillywhite - Interview in Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter published a new interview with famed producer Steve Lillywhite. The interview mainly focuses on Lillywhite's upcoming releases and bands he's worked with lately - he talked about his working relationship with Dave Matthews, gave major props to Brandon Flowers and Jared Leto, and admitted he's still hoping for a job as a judge on a television talent show.  But the most revealing portion of the interview was Lillywhite's brief discussion of how he "got the U2 job" because of Martin Hannett:

"Martin Hannett produced U2's first single, and he was going to do the album. But then Ian Curtis [of Joy Division] committed suicide, and Hannett got all weird and said he wasn’t in the right head space to produce U2. So they went back to their list, and I was on it."

Read the full interview with Steve Lillywhite in The Hollywood Reporter.

U2's promo video for the Hannett-produced "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" is posted below. The video features the studio version of the single set to live footage:

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My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult have added a Detroit date to their fall tour.  According to the band's website, the show is scheduled for October 28th at the Token Lounge in Westland.  Currently the Token Lounge appears to have the wrong date (October 12th) listed on their website and a link to buy tickets is not available yet.  I'm sure everything will be sorted out soon, however at least it's good news that a fall Detroit date has been added...

"The Devil Does Drugs"

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Morrissey - U.S. television appearances planned

Morrissey's upcoming tour of the U.S. will include a handful of late night tv gigs.  According to True To You, Moz will appear on Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and the Colbert Report.  Air dates are yet to be announced. 

Good thing Morrissey doesn't hold a grudge - last year his scheduled appearance on Jimmy Kimmel was canceled at the last minute.  Morrissey later explained the cancellation:

"We all enjoyed the Conan O'Brien Show, especially after the sinking loss of the Jimmy Kimmel Show being dropped. We only had one other free night to do the show, so Jimmy asked his booked guests 'Lady A' if they would switch their slot so that we could fit in; but they refused. Oh."

Morrissey's lone U.S. television gig in 2011 was on Conan last November. Watch "People Are The Same Everywhere" from his November 29th appearance:

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Hopewell featuring Mark Gardener

Mark Gardener from Ride has been busy with a variety of projects lately. Besides preparing the 20th anniversary reissue of Ride's Going Blank Again, earlier this year Gardener announced a new collaborative music/art project Hush Delirium, recorded a song with Robin Guthrie, and has been on the road performing solo shows along with Sky Parade. Now comes news from self-titled mag that Gardener has hooked up with New York band Hopewell to record a cover of the Brian Eno song "Needle In The Camel's Eye." The cover is available as a 7 inch single and is the lead track on Hopewell's five song ep titled Another Music, which arrives on September 11th via Tee Pee. Stream "Need In The Camel's Eye" below via self titled mag and order the 7 inch and/or ep from Tee Pee here.

Related posts:

Video: Mark Gardener acoustic session in New Zealand
Video: Mark Gardener live in Portland, Oregon
Video: Mark Gardener live in Seattle + Hush Delirium update

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R. Ring - Kelley Deal

Kelley Deal has formed a new project along with Ampline's Mike Montgomery.  The pair have named the project R. Ring and will release their debut single on October 30th.  Take a listen to the single, "Fallout & Fire" below (via Stereogum).

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The Cure - Reading Festival, 2012

The Cure played Reading 2012 on August 24th.  The first hour of their set aired on the BBC and can be viewed below.  More content on the Cure's set at Reading is posted here:

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Mark Gardener - Live session

Watch a fantastic live acoustic session with Mark Gardener below.  The session was recorded at 95bFM in New Zealand earlier this month.  The performance is guaranteed to make you swoon. :)

"Vapour Trail"

"Drive Blind"

"The Places We Go"

"Love Like Ghosts"

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The 10:04's - Lights Out

The 10:04's are a pretty cool new band out of Edinburgh and they have just released a new single, "Lights Out." I first heard this on Going Underground a few weeks ago and fell in love with the track instantly! Watch the official video for "Lights Out" below and grab it on iTunes now:

"Lights Out"

If you liked "Lights Out," you may also want to check out the band's first single, "S.O.S." which was released digitally earlier this year. Catch up with The 10:04's on Facebook.

"S.O.S."

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Chateau Taylor-Taylor - Dandy Warhols

Courtney Taylor-Taylor from the Dandy Warhols has created his own limited edition wine.  For years Taylor-Taylor hoped someone would come along and make a red wine to pair perfectly with spicy foods.  Frustrated with no one else stepping up to the plate, he concocted his own - the Chateau Taylor-Taylor Bocca d'Avolo 2010.  Taylor-Taylor explained a little bit about the wine recently on the Dandy's official site: 

I ended up getting a lot of help, advice, and experience and finally came up with a blend of two fairly obscure Sicilian grapes that deliver an earth and mineral old world red with a vaguely bright opening bouquet.  Do I sound like an asshole yet?  Well I’m pretty serious about wine so believe me, this is beautiful in the order of older Borolo, Rioja and Bordeaux or even a little Barbaresco except bigger.  You’ll shit.  It’s awesome.

The Chateau Taylor-Taylor Bocca d'Avolo 2010 is a red Sicilian is made from 90% Nero d’Avola/10% Grillo grapes, and is certified organic.  Pre-order the limited edition (only 75 cases being sold) wine here.  Expected ship date is late October/early November.

In more Dandy-related news, during a June unplugged gig at the Bing Lounge in Portland, Oregon, the band dusted off a Brian Jonestown Massacre song, "Stars." Before playing the song, Taylor-Taylor, who has previously commented about his unfair portrayal in the 2004 film Dig, made a few more, uh, digs about the production, and also talked about recently hanging out with BJM's Anton Newcombe. Check it out along with some other songs from the session below:

"Stars" (Brian Jonestown Massacre cover)

"We Used To Be Friends"

"Sad Vacation"

Related posts:

Courtney Taylor-Taylor talks Dig + Robert Smith

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Tears For Fears - Live in Manila

Tears For Fears played shows in Manila on August 10th and 11th. Watch fan shot video from the August 10th show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum below.  The band also played the Summer Sonic festival in Japan last weekend.  Stream the full show (audio only) here :

"Mad World"

"Pale Shelter"

"Change"

"Memories Fade"

"Shout"

"Head Over Heels"

"Sowing The Seeds Of Love"

"Everybody Wants To Rule The World"

"Break It Down Again"

"Woman In Chains"

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Quicksand - Jimmy Fallon

Quicksand performed on Jimmy Fallon last night. The band played "Omission" live on the show, then played "Fazer" as a web-exclusive.  Watch the performance of both songs below:

"Omission"

"Fazer"

Related posts:

Watch: Quicksand's full Revelation Records' anniversary gig

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Bryan Ferry - When She Walks In The Room

Bryan Ferry is offering a free download of "When She Walks In The Room."  The track was recorded live while on 2007's Dylanesque tour.  Stream and download "When She Walks Into The Room" below.

Bryan Ferry will post another live recording on Soundcloud next week - the song will be determined by fan votes on Facebook, so click over and vote for your favorite live track here.

Related posts:

Bryan Ferry + Johnny Marr - live at Lokerse Feesten

Bryan Ferry + Johnny Marr - live at Guilfest
Brian Eno - The Man Who Fell To Earth

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Quicksand - Revelation Records gig + Jimmy Fallon

Quicksand reunited in June for Revelation Records' 25th anniversary celebration in Pomona, California. Tonight Quicksand play Jimmy Fallon ahead of a pair of shows in New York City on August 24th and August 25th. The band has only one other gig scheduled for this year (the FYF Fest on September 1st in Los Angeles.) It's unclear if more live gigs or anything else is in the works - leader Walter Schreifels told the crowd at the Revelation show in Pomona, "I don't know where all of this is going to lead, but be good to yourself and be good to your friends and family."

Prepare yourself for tonight's Fallon gig by watching Quicksand's full set from the Revelation Records anniversary show (Walter makes comments about hardcore, Revelation Records, and the Smiths ~ 16 minutes in, right before the band's cover of "How Soon Is Now")

01. Omission

02. Unfulfilled

03. Fazer

04. Dine Alone

05. How Soon Is Now

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Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer would have been 60 years old today. Look back upon Strummer's remarkable life with video posted below.

1. Joe Strummer - The Future Is Unwritten. A documentary about Strummer released in 2008. If the Greek subtitles are too annoying for you, the film is also available to watch in 15 parts starting here

2. The Clash - Westway to the World. The 2000 film directed by Don Letts, the influential DJ, director and musician:

3. The Punk Rock Movie. Another film directed by Letts - the film features live footage of the Clash, Sex Pistols, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and more:

4. Punk Britannia Part 2. The second hour of the 2012 BBC documentary on punk music in Britain features some Clash music/footage. (Links for the other two hours of the film: Part 1 - pre-punk, Part 3 - post-punk)

5. Because it's awesome: stream Joe Strummer + Johnny Cash "Redemption Song"

Finally, Joe Strummer's daughters Lola and Jazz were interviewed ahead of last weekend's Strummer of Love festival, a major concert event that celebrated the life and career of Strummer. Read the interview here, and here's an article on Strummer of Love.

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The Stranglers - V Festival + Hugh Cornwell solo album

The Stranglers played the V Festival on August 18th and video from their set is posted below.  Meanwhile, ex-lead singer Hugh Cornwell recently finished up work on his new solo album, Totem & Taboo.  The album was recorded in Chicago, produced by Steve Albini, and will be released on September 10th.  Dates for Cornwell's U.K. tour were recently announced and are posted here. 

"Golden Brown"

"Peaches"

"No More Heroes"

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Madness - V Festival

Watch video of Madness recorded at the V Festival on August 19th:

"Baggy Trousers"

"Our House"

"Showtime" "House Of Fun"

"The Sun & The Rain"

"Misery"

"Madness"

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Jack White - Laundromat gig in Portland, Oregon

On August 15th, Third Man Records sent out a tweet informing fans of an impromptu Jack White show at a laundromat in Portland, Oregon!

Jack White B show. B there. B square. City Laundry. 1414 NW Glisan St. Portland. 4:30 pm.
— ThirdMan RRS (@ThirdManRRS) August 15, 2012

Not too long after the tweet was sent out, fans gathered at City Laundry for a three song set. Watch video of Jack's arrival and the performance of "Freedom At 21" below:

Last weekend, Jack White played another secret show in the woods at the Outdoor Lands Festival in San Francisco. Watch video of the show here.

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Stone Roses - Pukkelpop 2012

The Stone Roses have been on the European Festival circuit this summer.  Yesterday the band played Belgium's Pukkelpop Festival.  Watch some close up video from the show below:

"I Wanna Be Adored"

"Shoot You Down"

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Bob Mould - Copper Blue live + Silver Age

Sugar's 1992 record Copper Blue/Beaster was reissued a few weeks ago and Bob Mould is currently on the road performing the classic album in its entirety. The tour will visit a handful of cities in North America next month, so be sure to grab tickets if you're lucky enough to have a date in your town.  If not, well, there's always You Tube...

Watch about 30 minutes of Mould's Copper Blue set captured at the August 6th stop in Helsinki, Finland below:

On August 15th Dave Grohl invited Bob Mould onstage to play with the Foo Fighters at their show in Italy. Mould ended up joining the Foos for two songs: Wasting Light's "Dear Rosemary," and a cover of Tom Petty's "Breakdown." Watch video of the performance below (the first video captured Grohl's full introduction of Mould and "Dear Rosemary." The second video cuts off part of Grohl's introduction, but includes both songs and has clearer audio).

(Full introduction, performance of "Dear Rosemary)

(Partial introduction, performance of "Dear Rosemary" + "Breakdown")

Bob Mould recently announced a new solo record, Silver Age, will drop on September 4th. Stream the first single, "The Descent" below and pre-order the full album through the Merge Records store or on Amazon.

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Brian Eno - The Man Who Fell To Earth

A 2010 documentary on Brian Eno which explores Eno's early days in Roxy Music and his remarkable solo career has appeared on You Tube.  Watch Brian Eno - 1971 -1977: The Man Who Fell To Earth below. 

By the way, Oblique Strategies (the deck of cards with motivational ideas designed to help musicians in the studio) is still available today. The first edition of cards was published by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt in 1975 and is extremely rare, however subsequent editions are floating around on Ebay, albeit for a considerable amount of money. Eno is selling the most recent edition of Oblique Strategies on his official website for a reasonable price.

Envelop yourself in the glammy awesomeness of Roxy Music below.  The live performance of "Ladytron" is taken from the band's 1972 appearance on the BBC show Old Grey Whistle Test.  Bonus: the video begins with a closeup of a mirror ball.  Good times!

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Noel Gallagher talks Olympics & Wonderwall

Noel Gallagher revealed he had to give his consent for Beady Eye to perform "Wonderwall" at the Olympics.  Speaking with XFM last night before his concert at Dingwalls, Gallagher explained Olympic organizers contacted him for permission. Organizers sent a recording of a newly arranged version of the song to Gallagher, who eventually consented to the performance, but not before drawing it out a little bit. Gallagher told XFM:

"I did play a bit of cat and mouse with them for a few days - I took it 'til Friday night at ten o'clock before I said yes and they were shitting it.  Not Beady Eye, the organisers.  Because I had to say yeah and I was like...I'm not sure with this new string arrangement' and they were like 'fuck! the gig's on Sunday' so I was like 'okay, alright, you can have it then'."

Gallagher also confirmed he was asked to perform at the Olympics, but turned it down because they wanted him to sign a confidentiality agreement and originally wanted him to mime the performance!

Read more about the XFM interview with Noel Gallagher here and watch the full interview below (the comments about the Olympics are ~ 5:44 into the video):

Stream the full Noel Gallagher acoustic set below and click here to watch fan filmed video from the show:

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Noel Gallagher - War Child benefit

Noel Gallagher played an intimate acoustic show Dingwalls in London last night. The charity gig for War Child was broadcast live on London's XFM, and Noel didn't disappoint. He ripped through an 11 song set of mostly Oasis songs, including the rare performance of the Oasis b-side "Angel Child." Noel also dedicated "Wonderwall" to "Stratford's finest Oasis tribute band," a barb unquestionably directed at Beady Eye's performance at the Olympics closing ceremony.

Stream the full concert below (Noel begins ~ 3:00 after XFM introduction)

Video of "Angel Child"

"Supersonic"

"If I Had A Gun"

"It's Good To Be Free"

Short video clip of "Don't Look Back In Anger"

It's Good To Be Free

Talk Tonight

If I Had A Gun

Supersonic

Wonderwall

Whatever

AKA...What A Life

D'Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman

Half The World Away

Angel Child

Don't Look Back In Anger

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Madness - Death Of A Rude Boy

Madness are giving away a free mp3 of their brand new song "Death Of A Rude Boy."  The track is from their forthcoming new album.  Download the track via the widget below or here.

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Blur - Damon Albarn interview

Damon Albarn from Blur was interviewed by Absolute Radio prior to the band's Hyde Park gig. Albarn discussed a broad range of subjects - the band's early days, commercial success, the music industry, London, and even the decline of tea. Take a listen to the 30 minute interview below.  Fans can also listen to a full stream of Blur's Hyde Park performance here and buy a digital version of Parklive here.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Blur "Tender" (Hyde Park)

Related post:

Blur - Hyde Park 2012

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New Order - Live in Liverpool, 2001

New Order released their seventh studio album, Get Ready, in August 2001. Prior to the release the band debuted a number of songs from the album at a gig in Liverpool at the Olympia.  The show was a big event at the time, as New Order hadn't gigged since 1998.  To make the show even more noteworthy, Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan was featured on guitar and backup vocals (though Corgan only sang backup on "Turn My Way.") Take a listen to the full July 18th show below.  A transcript of New Order's onstage comments and some other show info is posted here.

New Order, The Olympia, Liverpool, 2001

01. Atmosphere

02. Slow Jam

03. Crystal

04. Regret

05. Love Vigilantes

06. Isolation

07. Your Silent Face

08. Turn My Way

09. Close Range

10. Touched By The Hand Of God

11. Bizarre Love Triangle

12. True Faith

13. Temptation

14. Love Will Tear Us Apart

Encore

01. Ruined In A Day

02. 60 Miles An Hour

03. Blue Monday

*Corgan's involvement with New Order wasn't a one off thing - he toured with the band, playing several dates in 2001, though he never joined as an official member.

Related posts:

New Order - Hyde Park, 2012

New Order - interview + link to 1985 bootleg

New Order - pro shot video from In Music Festival 2012

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New Order - Hyde Park 2012

Updated with new audio/video - "Bizarre Love Triangle" and 30 minutes of audio have been added below:

"The Perfect Kiss"

"Blue Monday"

"Love Will Tear Us Apart"

"Bizarre Love Triangle"

30 minutes of audio (Isolation/True Faith/Blue Monday/Temptation/Love Will Tear Us Apart)

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Blur - Hyde Park 2012

Blur played Hyde Park last night and audio from the concert is available as a live album titled Parklive.  Parklive is available digitally today, will drop as a double disc set later this week, and finally in November, a deluxe five-disc edition will be released.  Details are posted here.

Take a look at some pictures from the Hyde Park show here, and a review from the show is posted here.  Video from the set is posted below.

"Girls & Boys" (show opener)

"Tender" (Damon gives Graham a kiss on the cheek ~ 40 seconds in)

"Parklife" (with Phil Daniels)

"Country House"

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Echo & The Bunnymen - Live at Lokerse Feesten

Echo & the Bunnymen played Lokerse Feesten in Belgium on August 9th. Watch fan filmed video from the show:

"Bring On The Dancing Horses"

"Seven Seas"

"The Cutter"

"Lips Like Sugar"

"Villier's Terrace" + "Roadhouse Blues"

"Nothing Lasts Forever"

Related posts:

Ian McCulloch on Data Run, 1984

Echo & the Bunnymen: Liberation Festival

Ian McCulloch - Live at Union Chapel

How The Brits Rocked America - Go West

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Data Run - Ian McCulloch + Morrissey & Johnny Marr

In 1984 a children's program called Data Run aired on television in the U.K. One of the show's segments was apparently a question/answer type of feature where the kiddies would ask a celebrity guest questions. The Smiths and Ian McCulloch were among the guests who appeared on episodes of the show and you can watch the awesomeness below:

Data Run w/ Ian McCulloch

Data Run w/ Morrissey and Johnny Marr (note incorrect graphic: "Paul Morressey")

Can you imagine Ian McCulloch or Morrissey consenting to appear on a kids show nowadays? For some reason, I could easily picture Johnny Marr agreeing to it and being a great sport.

By the way, the theme to Data Run was written by Vince Clarke and sung by Alison Moyet (aka Yaz/Yazoo):

Published on August 12, 2012 @ 8:31 PM

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Modern English - Live in San Francisco

Modern English played Cafe du Nord in San Francisco a few weeks ago as part of their eight-date tour of North America. The band debuted one new song "Moonbeam" and ended the set with their classic "I Melt With You."  Before playing their biggest hit, frontman Robbie Grey told the crowd, "I'll tell you what, it pays the fucking bills," then launched into an almost 7 minute version of the song, complete with audience participation.  Watch video from the show below courtesy of uploader AdmiralNeeda, who was front and center at the show! Awesome!

"I Melt With You"

"Moonbeam" (new song)

"Hands Across The Sea"

"Sixteen Days"

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Bryan Ferry + Johnny Marr - Live at Lokerse Feesten

Bryan Ferry performed at Lokerse Feesten (festival in Lokeren, Belgium) on August 4th. Ferry's band included original Roxy Music drummer Paul Thompson and guitar legend Johnny Marr (who is now in New York working on some new music!)  Watch video from the set including Ferry's introduction of the band:

Short clip of Bryan Ferry introducing the band members

"Slave To Love"

"More Than This"

"Casanova"

"Love Is The Drug"

"Avalon"

Related posts:

Bryan Ferry + Johnny Marr: GuilFest 2012
Ministry - Live at Lokerse Feesten

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Ministry - Live at Lokerse Feesten

Ministry are back on the road after Al Jourgensen's onstage collapse July 28th at a show in Paris (the collapse was later chalked up to heat exhaustion/extreme dehydration.) On August 5th, Ministry played the Belgian festival Lokerse Feesten and you can check out footage of Uncle Al and the band chain smoking rocking out below.

 "Thieves"

"N.W.O."

"99 Percenters"

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Elizabeth Fraser - Royal Festival Hall

Elizabeth Fraser played a few shows this week at Royal Festival Hall in London.  Video from the August 7th show has been uploaded and is posted below, and video from the August 6th show is posted here.  Reviews of the shows are available: The Guardian, The Quietus, Uncut, Drowned In Sound, and The Independent.  FYI, the review in the Independent has additional commentary (in the comments section) from fans who attended the show.

"Pitch The Baby"

"Song To The Siren"

"Frou Frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires"

"Pearly Dewdrops Drops"

Here's an additional video from the August 6th show at Royal Festival Hall:

"Metal" + "Athol Brose"

Related post:

Elizabeth Fraser: Royal Festival Hall

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New Order - In Music Festival, 2012

Watch some pro-shot video from New Order's performance at the In Music festival in Croatia below.  Meanwhile, fans may NOT want to click here to see the latest Joy Division/Peter Saville/Unknown Pleasures ripoff t-shirt.

"Blue Monday"

"Regret"

"Ceremony"

Related post:

Bernard Sumner: You Don't Mess Around With Joy Division

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Mark Gardener - Live in Australia

Mark Gardener (ex-Ride) has been on a short tour of Australia. Video from his August 4th show at the Factory Theater in Merrickville/Sydney was captured and is posted below. The set included a performance of the new song Gardener recorded with Robin Guthrie titled "The Places We Go." The single is available digitally on iTunes and Amazon.

"The Places We Go"

"Vapour Trail"

"Chrome Waves"

"How Does It Feel To Feel"

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Toy - Dead & Gone

Toy debuted another new track ahead of the release of their debut album.  Take a listen to "Dead & Gone" below:

Toy's breakthrough song from last year, "Left Myself Behind," will not be on the album, however the track "Motoring," which was released as a single in April will be included. Take a look at the official video for "Motoring."

Toy's self titled debut album drops on September 10th. Watch the trailer for the album below:

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Tim Burgess - Solo record + Kendal Calling 2012

Tim Burgess from Charlatans U.K. is releasing a solo record, Oh No I Love You, this fall via his label OGenesis.  The record features Lambchop's Kurt Wagner, who wrote lyrics for the album.  Burgess previously explained how the collaboration with Wagner came about:

The root of this album goes right back to a Kurt Wagner show in Manchester.  It was the quietest yet most powerful live performance I had ever seen and afterwards I carried Kurt's guitar to the car for him.  I took the chance to ask him if he would ever consider writing a song with me.  "Sure Tim, you write the music and I'll write the words."  That one song turned into an album and almost ten years after we first talked about it, the album is ready and it's called Oh No I Love You.

Take a listen to the song, "White" below and pre-order Oh No I Love You here.  The album drops October 1st.

Burgess recently hosted an evening at indie festival Kendal Calling 2012 and invited some of his musical friends to join him for an informal night of entertainment. Watch video captured at the event below:

Tim Burgess, Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera), Edwyn Collins "A Girl Like You"

Tim Burgess + Nick Heyward (Haircut 100) "Fantastic Day"

Nick Heyward "Favourite Shirts"

Nick Heyward "Love Plus One"

Roddy Frame "Oblivious"

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Bob Mould - The Descent

On the heels of Sugar's Copper Blue/Beaster reissue, Bob Mould has announced he'll release a brand new album, Silver Age, on September 4th.  Listen to a stream of the album's first single, "The Descent" below and purchase the digital single now on iTunes.  Pre-order Silver Age on cd and vinyl from Merge Records or Amazon.

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Blur - Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Blur wrapped up a two-night stand at Wolverhampton Civic Hall last night. Watch fan filmed footage from the August 5th show below. Blur play their final Olympic warm up show at Plymouth Pavillions tonight.

"Caramel"

"Beetlebum"

"Girls & Boys"

"Coffee & TV"

"Trimm Trabb"

"The Puritan"

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Stone Roses - Adidas gig at Village Underground, London

The Stone Roses played an intimate "secret" Olympic gig for Adidas at Village Underground in London last night.  The band gave away free tickets to the show (fans who bought tickets to see them at Heaton Park were eligible to win), though most of the 400 attendees were VIPs--Paul Weller, Jimmy Page, Bobby Gillespie, photographer Kevin Cummins, and Olympians Jessica Ennis, Bradley Wiggins, and Pete Reed were all in attendance.  Watch fan shot video from the show:

"Love Spreads"

"I Am The Resurrection"

"She Bangs The Drums"

"Waterfall"

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Elizabeth Fraser - Royal Festival Hall

The legendary Elizabeth Fraser played Royal Festival Hall in London last night.   ALL reports from the show said Fraser was incredible live, however some fans reported the mix was a little off and Fraser's beautiful vocals were drowned out somewhat.  Watch Fraser's encore performance of "Song To The Siren" below:



Video below taken from Fraser's Southbank Centre performance on August 7th





Originally published August 7th, 2012

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New Order's Bernard Sumner: You Don't Mess Around With Joy Division

Playground interviewed New Order when they were doing press for their gig at Benicassim a couple of weeks ago.  The band discussed getting back together, the upcoming Hyde Park Olympic show, their favorite new bands, and inevitably, the departure of original bass player Peter Hook, who is currently on tour playing full Joy Division albums with his band The Light.  During the interview, Playground's Alvaro Garcia Montoliu stirred the pot by baiting Bernard Sumner with, "Peter Hook said that New Order isn't New Order without him." Sumner responded with the following deliciousness:

"Well, apparently Joy Division is Joy Division without Ian Curtis, so it’s a bit hypocritical, isn’t it? About what you’re asking… I think Joy Division is a very revered group and you don’t mess around with Joy Division. He’s messing around with it. Joy Division was all about non-commercialism, about not selling out. I think what he’s doing is selling out like bananas in a market and I don’t like it at all."

Read the full Playground interview with New Order here. 

Meanwhile, a bootleg of a 1985 New Order concert featuring the band's first live performance of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" has been unearthed here.

New Order  "Ceremony" (live, 1981)

Related post:

Video of  New Order + Peter Hook live

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Morrissey - Newsy update

Over the weekend, Morrissey posted a rather newsy update on his favorite fansite, True To You.  Moz ranked his favorite recent gigs, announced new drummer Anthony Burulcich, thanked Tel Aviv for presenting him with the key to the city, got a few digs into the media's coverage of the Olympics, and ripped on the British Royals.  Highlights from the update are posted below:

"Once again, all I can offer is the sore throat of thanks to everyone who bought tickets and who supported us along the way.  The incredible audience reactions in Istanbul, Athens and Tel-Aviv have left me insensible, and were completely at odds with the common belief that the world of music is now dumb and sterile." 

"To continue to do so well, and to continue to mean something to so many people, brings a gratitude that I will never tire of repeating.  Thank you to the city of Tel-Aviv for granting me the Keys to their city. I just might die with a smile on my face, after all."

"The "dazzling royals" have, quite naturally, hi-jacked the Olympics for their own empirical needs, and no oppositional voice is allowed in the free press. It is lethal to witness. As London is suddenly promoted as a super-wealth brand, the England outside London shivers beneath cutbacks, tight circumstances and economic disasters. Meanwhile the British media present 24-hour coverage of the "dazzling royals", laughing as they lavishly spend, as if such coverage is certain to make British society feel fully whole. In 2012, the British public is evidently assumed to be undersized pigmies, scarcely able to formulate thought."

Read Morrissey's full statement here.

Morrissey ranked his July 19th show in Istanbul as his favorite recent gig.  Take a look at his emotional performance of "I Know It's Over" from the show:

Morrissey will take a bit of a breather for the next couple of months and will return to the road in October for his North American tour. Dates are posted here.

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