Week Commencing: 6/12/04
By: Toby L
Ooh,
I say, what a f**king week. Turning 20 is weird. It makes you feel as if you can't get away with as much - responsibilities creep in, and the notion that acting like a twonk in public being no longer acceptable becomes more intense. Bugger it.
Yet the rockfeedback team were in good climes to celebrate one of its more arrogant contingent passing into the realms of the twenty-something (or 'twenty-nothing', in this case). All Tomorrow's Parties: The Nightmare Before Christmas. Over three days on the beautiful coast of South England, we watched the surreal merging of Peaches, Aphex Twin, Shellac, ... Trail Of Dead, Violent Femmes, a reformed (and since split again) Throbbing Gristle and a smattering more vie for our fancy with live-sets frankly comparable only to global salvation itself. We even did a 6am dip in the sea, barely clothed. It was that special. Full review / pix online imminently.
Otherwise, additional major rockfeedback movements: our last live event of 2004 is occurring next week at London's Camden Barfly, featuring an xclusiv performance from current interview-stars The Magic Numbers, who are also set to co-curate the evening (order tickets now / further info: click here); and rockfeedback's definitive list of the finest records of a very wonderful year in music is due very shortly.
In offshoot-land, look out for an upcoming feature in 'Dazed & Confused' of our allied Transgressive Records, as well as our second release, and current BBC 6 Music 'Single Of The Week' stars, Ladyfuzz, who shall be performing their debut London headline at a 'Single Launch' party for their stunning first 45, 'Oh Marie'. Hotly tipped, solo chum - and former collaborator - Tom Vek is confirmed to DJ in support, in addition to brand-new, morbid-keys dance outfit Burning Pilot. That occurs on Tuesday 11th January - order tickets here.
Speaking of live forays in sound...
Gigs this week, London: prior Basement Clubbers Agent Blue try their luck at the Barfly, Camden (Thurs 9th; £7:00); The Dillinger Escape Plan have a go at the Kentish Town Forum (Thurs 9th; £12:00); 'ard rock legends Fear Factory (didn't they split up?) tear up the Astoria the same night (£17:50); Manic Street Preachers and Razorlight bellow it out in the tannoy-sounding Wembley Arena the same night again (£23:50); Kings Of Leon hit the Brixton Academy for the eightieth time this month (Sun 12th; sold out); The Darkness and Ash similarly arena themselves at Wembley (Fri-Sun 11th-13th; sold out); The Futureheads continue their reign with two sell-out gigs at the ULU (9th-10th; sold out); and the aforementioned Tom Vek graces a rammed Metro (Weds 8th; sold out).
UK Chart-action, this week: the Nigel Godrich-produced Band Aid 20 rendition of 'Do They Know It's Christmas' charted, not unsurprisingly, at number one, following hundreds of thousands of sales in the first week (yet it only made number ten in our recently updated Hit Parade; hmm...); Green Day continue their comeback crusade by surfing to five with 'Boulevard Of Broken Dreams'; Peter Doherty's Babyshambles makes 8 via 'Killamangiro'; Razorlight's re-recorded 'Rip It Up' cracks the top-twenty at, er, 20; The Streets' 'Could Well Be In' is #30; and - bubblin' under - REM at 41 with 'Aftermath', Wolfman with 'Napoleon' (44), Fatboy Slim and 'Wonderful Night' (51), and irrepressible duo The Black Keys along with double A-side 'Til I Get My Way' / 'Girl Is On My Mind' (62).
Enjoy your Xmas shopping. With you again shortly.