Stefan Melbourne is a singer-songwriter from Holmfirth, now resident in Manchester and has just self-released his debut EP “Before The Sun Sets”.

The four-track EP stands Stefan out from many of the masses of singer-songwriters through simple, yet wholly expressive, heartfelt emotion through his voice, guitar and female backing vocals rather than attempting any studio trickery. It evokes comparisons with Nick Drake as well as contemporaries such as Stephen Fretwell, but still with a distinctive sound of his own. There’s not a weak track of the four, How Long Is Always, being the standout on an EP that marks him out as someone to keep a very close eye and ear on.

Stefan spoke to Louder Than War on how the EP came about and his plans for the future.

A few years ago, Stefan was playing drums with his friend’s band in Holmfirth and they decided to move to Manchester to seek their fame and fortune – “a fairytale idea that kind of fell apart”. Undeterred, and still harbouring his own ambition, he started to write songs in his bedroom.

Performing live at open mic nights in Manchester and buoyed by the reception to his songs, Stefan looked to lay down some demos and see what happened next. “A friend of mine started to work at SSR in Manchester and got me some free studio time so I went in and recorded a track called Virginia. It was great to go in there and experiment really. It sounded really good, and I thought that I should then go and get some gigs off the back of it.”

His search for gigs led him to Simon Robbs, guitarist for Karima Francis. “He was putting on J P Cooper and Rae Morris, both of whom I love, and I asked if I could play at any gigs he put on in future. He kind of mentors singer-songwriters in Manchester, and, as I was new to it, he was a massive help to me. He ended up producing the tracks I then went into record at SSR.”

It was through Simon’s links with Crisis Management in Manchester that Stefan got his first shows with Rae Morris at a Communion night at The Castle in Manchester and the Slaughtered Lamb in London. It was at another Manchester gig, at The Ruby Lounge, where he met Chloe Leavers (http://www.chloeleavers.com/), a talented singer-songwriter in her own right, who provides backing vocals to the EP.

The self-funded EP is out now and Stefan explains the idea behind it. “We wanted to go in and record some low-fi acoustic tracks to give a people an idea of what I’m about. We released two demos for free on the website that weren’t the final mixes, and then got carried away and made it into an EP with a couple of extra songs.”

The plan is to see how far the EP can take Stefan. “I’m quite impatient when it comes to this stuff, but I want people to hear the record and I want to play more gigs. I’ve got enough songs for an album, the EP songs are actually quite old and I’m writing all the time. I always like to have at least one new song on the go. I’d also like to try and get on some support tours and get it out to more people, maybe release it properly on a small label.”

“Before The Sun Sets” can be listened to and bought on cd or download from Stefan’s bandcamp page (http://stefanmelbourne.bandcamp.com/album/before-the-sun-sets). He plays with J P Cooper at The Comedy Store in Manchester this Sunday, 20 May.

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Howler
Sub89, Reading
14 May 2012

Surf / Garage rock band band Howler have been receiving quite a bit of attention recently with people likening them to The Strokes & The Vaccines. They recently played a date in Reading & Paul Stephens was there to see it.

It’s all a bit awkward as Howler wander on stage a band member shouts “Has anyone seen our drummer…?”

A few nervous glances are exchanged across the stage, as guitarist Ian Nygaard nervously asks his frontman ‘Er… know any Bob Dylan songs?’

‘I know all of them’.

The sticksman eventually arrives and the band click into gear with ‘America’. The noise is incredible, filling the gaps in Reading’s Sub89 venue, which is far from sold out – and that’s a shame, because this is a band with promise. Championed by the NME, Howler are in the midst of a lengthy world tour in support of debut album America Give Up, an energised 32 minutes of no nonsense rock and roll, drawing critical comparisons to the likes of The Strokes and The Vaccines.

They burst through the album opener, ‘Beach Sluts’, before a brief change of pace – ‘Too Much Blood’ is fuzzed-out guitar bliss, and shows there’s more than one string to Howler’s bow. Normal service is resumed, however, with the excellent ‘This One’s Different’.

Frontman Jordan Gatesmith plays and sings with passion, but between songs is quieter than expected and interaction with the crowd is fairly minimal – possibly down to all four members playing through illness, as Gatesmith later admits. The band motor through their album – they don’t have many songs, and rarely do they exceed three minutes, so this was never going to be a late night. They tear through the tracks, firing heart racing punk pop gems one after another.

The infectious ‘Back Of Your Neck’ (which you can stream above & download for free here) closes proceedings, and an over excited fan invades the stage, dancing furiously. The band lap it up, openly encouraging the fun, and it’s a nice way to end the evening. There’s no encore – they don’t have enough songs.

Howler aren’t anything new or game changing, but then they’re not pretending to be. The album’s a solid debut and on tonight’s live evidence, they might just have a bright future… and if they ever do a run through of gutter rock Dylan covers, I’m first in the queue.

All words Paul Stephens.

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Two Wounded Birds: S/T (Holiday Friends Recording Co.)
CD/LP/DL
Available June 24th

Johnny Danger – Vocals
Ally Blackgrove – Bass
Joe Stevens – Guitar
James Shand – Drums

Two Wounded Birds are from the sea-side town of Margate (UK) and they have a retro, surf sound surrounded by an edge of punk. Think sun, sand, leather and Raybans.

I have been waiting for this self-titled album since I first heard TWB in 2009. Though they did release a well received EP, Keep Dreaming Baby in 2010,  I only considered it a tasty appetizer and I was still hungry for the main course. I have not been disappointed. This album is a heaping full pop platter and it has been plated so that each course compliments the next. This is classic pop tinged with haunting melodies and killer hooks. This band loves music and loves performing and they draw you in so you become a part of it. You can feel the energy and enthusiasm in each song. You can hear the influences of the Beach Boys, Elvis, and Neil Young, as well as The Cure, The Ramones and The Smiths. I think someone was even channeling Jerry Lee Lewis on Daddys Junk.

1. Together Forever
2. My Lonesome
3. To Be Young
4. It’s Not Up To You
5. Daddys Junk
6. Night Patrol
7. The Last Supper
8. I’m No Savior
9. If Only We Remain
10. No Goodbyes
11. The Outer World
12. Growing

Starting with the upbeat Together Forever this is one of those “debut” albums where every single song is worth listening to. It is a consistently solid album that will never grow old. The sound is so full and well rounded it is hard to believe there are only four members of this band.

My Lonesome (Listen above) is a song I was already familar with. It is one of my favorites. The vocals backed by the retro Hawaiian guitar combine to give lonesome a whole new meaning. Johnny Danger does sound a bit dangerous and I have to wonder what he does all alone. To Be Young and It’s Not Up To You are lovely pop songs full of of angst.

I am mezmerized by Night Patrol. It is not just the sky that is dark at night. Johnny Danger sounds sultry and mysterious and takes you on a journey somewhere exotic and possibly illegal. I love it.
The opening of The Last Supper reminds me of a Clint Eastwood Spagetti Western then it turns all groovy. The beat, the angst, the harmonies in I’m No Savior are simply beautiful.

I may have a girl crush on Ally Blackgrove, she is so impressive on bass and gorgeous to boot and especially solid on If Only We Remain. It has The Smiths influence all over it. I plainly hear young Morrissey. No Goodbyes and The Outer World (listen above) have a 60′s vibe and they both feel comfortable and familar. The last track, Growing, is a lovely song that is filled with longing and delicious melancoly.

Every song has a distinct sound yet the album flows from track one to track twelve as effortlessly as water poured down a slide. I am thrilled with this album.  I have followed @twowoundedbirds since 2009 and I personally adore them. I have watched the hard work and effort they invest in their craft and they have gained respect.  I also compliment Two Wounded Birds on their social skills. They have a great rapport with the fans and interact whenever possible.  I think you will be happy with yourself if you pre-order Two Wounded Birds today.

Thank you for reading and please enjoy this free download: To Be Young

More info about Two Wounded Birds can be found at their TWB website
.Their Facebook page is here and they are on Twitter here: @twowoundedbirds.

All words Dona Bogart. Dona blogs at Had To Look & is on twitter as @donabogart

Watch some videos of Two Wounded Birds below:

(I love this stock footage, I hope they don’t update it)

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In this weeks episode from the reality TV show everyone (for a moment there I was going to call them “our heroes”) was trying to sell sparkling English wine. How did they do? Read on….

With a series which has thus far been more of a whine it was fitting that last nights episode was about the wine. English sparkling wine that is.! It never managed to live up to Team Phoenix’s ad campaign however which promised less fizz and more sparkle represented by a shocking advert which had more the aroma of pungent cheese than an English alternative to Champagne. The episode did clear up one issue which has been troubling me for years however; why does Alan Sugar think he is a stand up comic? The answer was delivered in an off the cuff remark by the grizzly one himself when he remarked how he may look a bit like Sid James. Immediately the cheap and lame ‘Carry On’ jokes made perfect sense when I realised they were being delivered by his self appointed doppelganger; it doesn’t make them any funnier though!

As I remarked last week this was Tom’s area of expertise and if he failed this task he was definitely on the chopping block. Putting himself up as project manager was also a risky strategy as he had such a narrow escape in the last episode therefore not following the brief closely enough and several cleverly edited shots led us to believe he thought he had failed the task whilst his face had the expression of a man about to face the electric chair and was preparing himself to bid the game show-sorry, process- au revoir or more correctly, with this being a promote England task, cheerio. It was just clever editing however-the producers obviously felt the need to throw in a red herring to keep the audience interested or perhaps to simply resuscitate them from the coma this series is likely to induce-and Team Sterling’s boring campaign to raise awareness of English sparkling wine trounced Team Phoenix’s cheesy advert.

Led by Ricky Martin team Phoenix felt outclassed from the off and perma-irritant Stephen didn’t help matters much by getting up everyone’s noses more than any aromas of fine wine. Coining the inappropriate strap-line featuring the unappetising thought of luxury oozing from every pore he also thought it would be a classy idea to give the product a French name-Grandeur- despite the criteria being it was essentially an English and not French wine. After it was revealed they had lost the task I was convinced he was definitely homeward bound in the back of that ever present waiting taxi.

It was not to be however and foghorn Jenna – who I have always insisted was in possession of a voice which was a sackable offence in its own right – instead took her place in the cab’s back seat and Stephen was given one last chance to balls up which in all probability he will next week in his already appointed role as the next project manager of his team.

Hopefully we will see a little more fizz and sparkle than this series has so far delivered and I am placing my money on Tom, Nick and possibly Gabrielle being the three front runners. Mind you Adam has constantly surprised us through this series and his comments made about various wine aromas – like Xmas cake and whopping great whiffs of boil in the bag shepherds pie- provided some much needed comedy relief and allowed Jilly Goolden to sleep a little more soundly. Also I think the Sid James doppelganger sees something of his younger self in him, though if I were Adam I would be worried about this and arrange for a personality transplant pronto.

Find this weeks episode on the iPlayer.

All words David Marren. More of David’s Apprentice blogs can be read here.

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The Grey (OST): Marc Streitenfeld (Lakeshore Records)
CD / DL
Available Now.

Released back in January The Grey was a survival movie – following a plane crash a group of oil workers tried to survive whilst also being hunted by a pack of wolves. The film got reasonable reviews but what was the soundtrack like? Read on to find out.

Marc Streitenfeld may not be a household name yet, but with his work on the highly anticipated Prometheus (2012) just about to be released upon the world, all that may soon change. His work so far has been primarily associated with director Ridley Scott, who produced ‘The Grey’.

We are immediately thrust into bleakness. There is no sugar coating, nor gentle coaxing into Streitenfeld’s world. His minimalist tracks (some no more than a minute or two long) offer scattered images and brief glimpses into a world of deceptive calm. Sometimes whilst listening, you find your mind wandering, only to be commanded back to attention before realising that things have progressed faster than you can keep up with.

In other words, it loses you. Intentionally so. It is a score that stays several steps ahead of the listener, and be wary when comfort is presented, for it may well be temporary. It is a remarkably subtle piece of work, the density and content of which belie its astonishingly brief 35 minute running time.

Familiarity with the film is not essentially necessary, but the added fulfilment which is provided from doing so is somewhat astonishing. The central themes of isolation and fear, dependence and will to survive all manifest themselves within the light strings and piano of Streitenfeld’s work. The shortness of the tracks only leaves you wanting so much more from them, a worthy and admirable trait.

It is a hugely adaptable piece of music, and by that I mean that it not only perfectly accompanies the movie, but that it has now taken a solid place amongst my most listened to albums of this year so far. The plain, stripped down nature of it will not appeal to those who like their movie scores abrasive, upfront and booming, but for the patient and receptive listener there is much to be gained.

An absolutely beautiful and intelligently structured soundtrack album which continually provides something new upon every visitation.

For more info on ‘The Grey’ go here.

All words Colin McCracken. More Louder Than War articles by Colin can be found here. Colins blog is Zombiehamster.com & he tweets from @zombiehamster.

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Factory Records exhibition pictures by Kevin Mccan

A full year ago more or less ago to the day Colin Gibbins staged the first almost complete Factory records discography, its all about his love for a label that’s shaped his life and raising profits for charity with this his second show, a collection of Factory rare releases to the more known pieces looked stunning set out in the Ice works venue which ran all May bank holiday. LTW went along to check it all out and to speak to Colin about making it happen

Great to see the exhibition up again Col

well its been a year since I did the first Fac collection exhibition at Ducie bridge and what happened during that period is that I’ve had Trevor Johnson come on board who was one of the original designers at Factory records and was so enthusiastic about it he felt it had to be seen in a bigger environment and talked about a getting the the collection possibly documented in a catalogue.
The actual 20th year anniversary is this year not last year as I originally thought, in proper Factory mode I had the right date but ‘I got it wrong’…haha, 91 was the Palatine booklet release and 92 was when the label demised, on the 2nd of November.

the exhibition looks great, whats the origins of this bank holiday Fac show

Well we approached the charities in the Manchester area and Forever Manchester helped us greatly, Nick Massey who’s ‘Forever Manchester’ Director, and his team, found me the Ice Plant where actually the Happy Mondays used to rehearse back in the day along with other Manchester bands. They’ve been massive getting this off the ground by funding the display units and other costs like insuring the records, material and everything in the exhibition, but everyone has given their time for nothing for this.
Staging it all week wasn’t possible so we did it over band holiday weekend, but its been a very humbling experience having these people on board who really wanted to help and in True Factory faith we’ve got it together which runs in conjunction with the show we did last year, it felt it should be around the weekend of the Monday’s gig because of fans in the city that day. I wanted to give it that Hacienda feel to it and asked Phil Grunshaw to DJ who was around the Mondays from the early days up and did his own recordings and pictures of them back in then day.

Then brochure we’ve put together with Trevor Johnson’s help, which we’ve called the ‘ factvm’, is some thing I’m real proud of getting together, collating the full Fac discography. There’s all the stories about me following the Happy Mondays when Phil Saxe made me aware of them from 85 and getting the collection together. Peter Hooks been really great writing the forewords, also sent me a nice letter of best wishes but right now he is on tour so couldn’t make it, as well Peter Saville who gave his backing to the catalogue.

what about the 3 or 4 pieces you still needed for the collection last year, did you eventually get your hands on them

Yeah, they’re all complete, its just a waiting game, Ive still got all the white label promos to collect and DAT tapes, I’ve only got a few of them but yeah…Ive got every issue in one format.

featuring original black and yellow tape!

You’ve put everything into this haven’t you, Time, Money, hard work

It has been a bit of a long hard slog, I haven’t earned any money for then last month with regards to earning a wage because I’ve been so busy with this, the catalogue, the event and everything else, people have had a full week off work helping to get it together, 15 helpers who have all been great.

So How about an actual Fac number for the event then, catalogue and everything about the collection

I Would love that to be the case but I was told by Oliver, Tony’s son that the numbers were buried with him,but maybe one day some of the fans will sort out some of these numbers that weren’t allocated.

Where is the Factory egg timer?

what you hoping to raise through this Colin

Up to know we’ve generated up to £700 and that’s just to now, the Forever Manchester team have told me they have manged to collect up to £500 hundred already and at this point were only 24 hours into it, so its all looking good and were hoping more can be done in the future maybe.

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which ones were the twins?

WHERE MUSIC is concerned, very few artists have crossed the fine line that separates mere brilliance from absolute spiritual oneness; that indescribable unity, understanding, between listener and creator. In fact, only the mighty Joy Division (and if there are others, they number very few) have ever succeeded in conquering absolutely, and tapping, this mysterious, elusive, stairway to the soul.

Scotland’s magnificent Cocteau Twins, on their recent second session for John Peel’s show at least, are mere inches from That Magical Line. All they need now is the gentlest of pushes, a single, unexplainable flash of inspiration.
But try telling them this, and although in many ways it’s a positive asset, they’ll cringe, and blush, in total disbelief.

The strangest, most beautiful voice in the world makes a most perplexing, nervous chuckling sound. The mouth from which it sometimes sweetly pours, with a rich, sensuous extravagance, and an often other-worldly mystery, is buried beneath a protective shield built of her two extremely Scottish hands.

Cocteau Twin Elizabeth obviously finds even the most heart-felt of compliments an unbearable ordeal.
But nevertheless, her group’s second EP, ‘Peppermint Pig’, is on release, and THAT John Peel session – a fabulously exquisite tapestry of supreme, breathtaking power – is gratifyingly, constantly being repeated; a classic performance in the making. Something must be said.

Are you aware, Liz, that you possess an utterly unique voice; a voice so bewitching, so generously blessed with an unmatchable, alternately delicate and seething force, that you, indisputably, are emerging as one of modern music’s very few genuine innovators?
(Silence.)
Rob (Cocteau guitarist): “Look, you’ve embarrassed her now, see?”
Oh. Sorry Liz.

There! Are your misconceptions crawling into the light? Understandable. Misconceptions are something of a burden to the Cocteau Twins. People seem to listen to their trio of 4AD releases: the exotic ‘Garlands’ LP, with its bizarrely constructed lyrical imagery of mysticism and witchery, plus the entrancing ‘Lullabies’ and ‘Peppermint Pig’ EPs – spot the accompanying sensitive artwork – and get everything terribly wrong; much to Rob’s disgust.

“We bore everybody,” he exclaims; “Because they’ve got into us, they think we’ll look like Bauhaus and be skinny, into art and everything… They think we’ll be fucking pseuds, but we’re not!”

He’s right, of course. But why should this glorious, dizzy Cocteau music, this dreamiest of guitar exoticas, this numbing wash of bass-guitar and inhumanely human drum-machines, this… VOICE; why should it mislead the world into believing its designers are PSEUDS??

“It’s just because we’re called the Cocteau Twins, that’s all,” mopes Rob. “It’s all ‘cos of our name.

“It was good at the time,” he explains. “It’s the name of an old Simple Minds song they used tae do when they were wee laddies… It was about a book or something, nothing tae do with us.

“Everyone’s expecting us to be wearing bloody doom-coats, never smile, and be heavily into Joy Division – Ian Curtis died for ME – all that sort of thing, which is right out.”

But this faintly doomy music of yours…

“We don’t play doomy music, we play happy music… It IS happy sometimes!”

And this faintly Factory-type inclination towards the elegant, sophisticated, perhaps even majestic presentation of your record sleeves?

“They just look nice. I think it’s better to have a nice sleeve, something interesting, rather than just a sleeve with pictures of us on it. They’re not doomy, they’re pleasant! Yeah, there you are, quote me on that!”

‘PEPPERMINT PIG’, the new EP, although overshadowing most competition with relative ease, is clearly not up to scratch. Something’s lacking, a certain edge, dissipated by Associate Alan Rankine’s unsatisfactory production. A lighter touch…

“It’s shit,” sulks Rob. “‘A new lighter, accessible sound from the Cocteau Twins’, that’s what it says in the biography… It’s a bad mixture – bad song, bad producer… bad band.”

All this clicked into place too late then, did it?

“Yeah,” Rob affirms. “Well, we’d never used a producer before, so we thought it might be good to have someone on the outside try to help, but it didnae work out, because he wasn’t interested, he didn’t like the music to start with. If he’d been into what we were doing, it would have been a lot better.”

But why record a song that, apparently, you don’t even like?

Liz: “It’s all we had at the time.”

Will: “We’re learning, we’re learning – next time we’ll wait.”

Was a big change in sound on the cards, before its release?

“No, not as big as it turned out to be.”

So, no intentions of becoming ‘light and accessible’?

Liz: “I don’t think we’re meant to be…”

Rob: “If we’re going to be light and accessible, it’s going to be natural, over a long time, y’know? That was unnatural, overnight accessibility.

“The next record’s going to be fuck-all like that,” the guitarist promises. “It’s going to be an LP, produced by ourselves.”

The Twins’ debut album, last year’s ‘Garlands’, was a shockingly fine introduction to the band’s music. Stamped with the distinctive Cocteau trademarks of mystical, pirouetting guitars and hypnotic, ghostly vocals, it shone through mountains of mediocrity like a shaft of golden sunlight, creeping through a crack in rock’s creaky basement door, revealing the futility of the numerous relics, both aged and recent, stored therein.

Or did it?

“‘Garlands’ is like a big stone hanging round our necks,” counteracts the ever-chirpy Rob. “Everybody’s expecting us to be like that all the time, and we’re not.”

Will: “Everything we do gets compared with ‘Garlands’ now, and there’s no way we can get a sound like that again, because it was created through total naivety, we just didn’t have a clue what was happening.”

There’s no apparent attempt to get away from that sound though, is there?

Rob: “No, we want to develop it and take it further, because it’s not right yet, it’s just not right. The sound, on everything we’ve done, hasn’t been how we wanted it.

“There’s a hell of a lot more power when we play live than anything we’ve ever done on a record.”

‘Lullabies’, Rob feels, is the nearest the Cocteau Twins have ever come to capturing their live sound on vinyl.
“But it still could have been a whole lot better,” groans Will, gruffly, “about 200 per cent better!”

IT REMAINS to be seen whether the Cocteau Twins will continue along the path of supremeness, and cross That Long-Neglected Line into glory.

As always, rationality reasons it would be wisest to expect them not to, and rationality is so often, so terribly often, correct in these matters. Sad, but honest.

More instantly harrowing is Liz’s unwillingness, or rather, inability, to communicate any form of key to her mind.
Her largely unintelligible, yet brilliantly disturbing lyrics, must for now remain a mystery.
“It’s impossible,” the singer whispers shyly. “It’s impossible in as much as… No. You’d be disappointed if you found out.

“…I might make it sound as if I think it’s unimportant, but the words are important, important to me I mean, but… I think you’re just supposed to get out of them what you can.”

Liz stops, both eyes fixed on the table-mat which her fingers nervously toy with, and then adds…

“And they DO make sense.”

The strangest, most beautiful voice in the world groans in frustration, and once again its embarrassed owner’s face sinks to the table, soon to be entombed beneath yet another forest of all-concealing hands.
“Oh shit,” the singer curses, “I just wish I could explain myself!”

Ahh. Sheer magic.

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The Cribs
In the Belly of the Brazen Bull
Wichita Records,
May 2012

The Cribs deliver and become one of the UK's best bands

Read LTW’s huge interview with Ryan Jarman about the album, Johnny Marr and gender politics

Few bands have as consistent an output as the Cribs, and the anticipation of each album brings a brief moment of suspense that this could be the card that collapses down the pack. This moment is very brief, and be under no illusions that one need fear this about fifth record ‘In the Belly of the Brazen Bull’. Gary, Ryan and Ross Jarman have returned to their impenetrably tight sibling unit, though not through easy times. Fergal Kinney celebrates one of our best bands.

The record largely reflects the state of flux in which it was recorded. The album was recorded in different sessions with two seperate producers (David Friddman and Steve Albini), and Ryan was in recovery from mental illness – whilst the departure of Johnny Marr brought about an unexpected change in circumstance and need for reflection within the group, and though it in parts suffers from the lack of cohesion that this brings, the highlights of the album are spawned from this turmoil. Indeed, it’s Ryan’s tracks from this period that provide the most memorable moments on the record – from the Nirvana influenced ‘Come On, Be a No-One’ to the slow burning swell of ‘Back to the Bolthole’. ‘Back to the Bolthole’ is lyrically one of the band’s finest hours, all darkness, claustrophobic isolation and introspection, and builds on the sonic experimentation last seen on ‘City of Bugs’. Another more mid-tempo track on ‘In the Belly of the Brazen Bull’ is ‘I Should Have Helped’, seeing Gary hit the high notes in a lo-fi, acoustic song inspired by the suicide of a prominent fan of the band.

The influence of producer Steve Albini, the legendary Pixies and Nirvana engineer, is heavy in the monster of ‘Chi-Town’, a cathartic release from Ryan in the form of an infectious punk stomp. The pop sensibilities that have underpinned much of their work inform the excellent opener and next single ‘Glitters Like Gold’, with themes of inadequacy and confusion that resonate through other album tracks such as ‘Confident Men’, bemoaning ‘confident men and their unwelcome friends’ and crippling shyness (‘I could have kissed you but the moon was there’). The final tracks of the album are loosely assembled as a rock opera of sorts, but is less the Who’s ‘Tommy’ and more the Beatles’ Abbey Road medley – which is fitting given that these tracks were recorded at Abbey Road. The luscious ‘Like a Gift Giver’ and ‘Butterflies’ burst into the final part of this arrangment, ‘Arena Rock Encore With Full Cast’; a rousing celebration and confession of everything that has made the Cribs great over the last five years:

‘Sorry that it’s taken years,
We were victims of our own ideals,
But I’d rather be tied to myself than to anyone else’

‘In the Belly of the Brazen Bull’ is a marked return to the lo-fi sensibilities that were absent on their last two records, and is generally all the better for it. Whilst 2009′s ‘Ignore the Ignorant’ with Johnny Marr was as excellent as any of their records, it’s clear that in regrouping the Jarman brothers have regained something that was lost somewhere along the way, though perhaps this momentum doesn’t sustain throughout the album’s 14 tracks. The Cribs have delivered their darkest, most achingly personal record yet, and it’s as enthralling and exciting as ever.

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Whilst I told myself it was some sort of social experiment that motivated my viewing of ‘American Pie: Reunion’,it was easily more nostalgia and a hope that something guiltily amusing may come from this venture that led to such actions. ‘American Pie: Reunion’ sees the ‘old gang’ back together for the first time in nearly a decade, since the bashful Jim Levenstein married the at-least-slightly-interesting Michelle Flaherty. In the ensuing time, all manner of DVD-only expansions on the‘American Pie’ franchise have been crafted, with only the eternally endearing Eugene Levy as Jim’s dad staying as a permanent fixture.

As expected, the familiar heroes Jim, Stifler, Oz, Finch et al are all peddled out, and also as expected – the character progression has been intense. Stifler is more outrageous and bawdy than ever, and Oz has managed to become more vacuous and stultifyingly dull than could ever be perceived imaginable. Unlike most of the cast, Stifler as a concept has at least moved with the times into a hyper-irritating, Jaegerbomb downing, Facebook pest. The dialogue, often failing to replicate the conversation of mammals, goes from the dubious (“Doesn’t it seem like girls have gotten sluttier these days”) to the just plain poor (“I know this place like the back of my cock”). Plot is notably absent at many points, and ‘the gang’ find themselves having to awkwardly deal with all manner of embarrassing incidents without the writers fully putting the time into getting them there. Whilst nudity, toilet humour and bawdiness goes with the territory, the way they’re just assorted and inserted into the film like quotas to be met stinks of the straight to DVD releases that the American Pie franchise is now synonymous with. Things go from the sublime to the ridiculous when you find yourself bemusedly watching Jim desperate to avoid some sort of teen-movie Chappaquiddickwith an inexplicably nude girl.

Allison McCarthy in the Guardian () was right to swiftly raise concern over the film’s descent into casual sexism and misogyny. Stifler’s request to “see the goodies” of an unconscious, topless eighteen year old girl may be innocently chuckled off as harmless, but the testosterone-heavy belly laughs reverberating around the cinema confirmed my doubts. Whilst without any serious malintent, American Pie Reunion’s main crime is failing to provide a voice of conscience or questioning to the sexism and ‘banter’ present. Indeed, the laddish interpretation of ‘banter’ that has crept all too malevolently into masculine discourse in recent years really is fully endorsed by this film. And this isn’t a general comment on the franchise neither – the first American Pie film saw the males as hormone-driven, hapless and held hostage by an array of strong, domineering women. Thirteen years later, the same women bitch about sexual conquests and fight on all fours over TV sports presenters. Any saving grace of liberal mindedness – in which two lacrosse players make Stifler question his prejudices through their open homosexuality – is sharply made redundant by making the only female from the original film to not engage in sexual activity a lesbian, complete with the peddled out stereotype of the caricatured-butsch girlfriend.

Admittedly, you do get everything you expect from ‘American Pie: Reunion’, all parties with red plastic cups, heavy product placement and an endless supply of beautiful women – and everyone’s inexplicably very wealthy. And yes, the film does have the token attempts at warmth and the need to create an illusion of moral to the madness, but these gestures are perpetually little more than token. Where the original American Pie had charm (honest!), this one is left with a filling that is definitely a little hard to digest.

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The Undertones
Wonder Villains
Soak
+ DJ Terri Hooley – CQAF Marquee, Belfast, 12/05/2012
Picture
(review & photos © Joe Donnelly)
review reprinted from NI punk

the Undertones contemplate playing a 30 song set...

I was actually looking forward to this gig as its been a few years since my last live encounter with the band, plus Steven had never seen them onstage and this evening was his chance to continue his musical education and see yet another legendary Irish punk band doing their thing in the flesh instead of watching retro video clips.

Another blast from the past ‘The Monochrome Set’ who back in the glory days actually played the local punk mecca the ‘Harp Bar’ were also in town tonight playing in the ‘Dockers club” as part of the Cathedral Arts festival. Punky / New Wavers were spoilt for choice this year as John Cale & Hazel O’Connor were also part of the programme.

For those of you like me who have never been inside the ‘CQAF marquee’, it is a very spacious , calming & impressive venue with a luverly twinkling faux night sky fairylight display ceiling. By the time we arrived the marquee was rapidly filling up, there was already a band I’d never heard off called ‘ Wonder Villains’ onstage and apparently we’d missed a previously unannounced combo called ‘Soak’ . So no report or pics to pass on regarding them as I know or have nothing to present .

As for ‘Wonder Villains’ , their incredibly sickly sweet and featherweight indie was definitely not for me, but they had some hometown travelling support with them .so they must be doing something right, but sadly what it is I don’t know!

Future matinee idol ‘Mr Hooley’ was doing his dj set before, after and between the bands, spinning classic garage / punk vinyl from the likes of ‘The Ramones, The Kingsmen, The Ruts, Buzzcocks etc etc. He was also brought onstage to say a few words and to introduce ‘The Undertones’. ‘Mickey Bradley’ later in the gig would dedicate a tune to Terri and give his longawaited bio pic a heads up , I heard some idiot (who wasn’t a young kid) standing behind me ask his girlfriend “Who is Terri Hooley” and her reply was ” he own’s a record shop or something”. Phillistines .

Suddenly there seemed to be a lot of Derry punters here tonight , no doubt some of them were down for their home teams ‘Setanta Cup final’ defeat earlier in the day by Belfast club ‘Crusaders’ (NI Punk site boss GT is a fan). They gave the Undertones a heroes welcome as they took to the stage, ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ the opener was the first of so many crowd pleasing tunes played during a blistering ’30′ song setlist ,yes! you read it correctly, a ’30′ song set.

There wasn’t to many familiar local punky faces to be seen, and wouldn’t it be silly to think that this was because the Undertones have some ancient history with the older Belfast punks . The set progressed at speed and we laughed as a 40 /50 something guy who had been building up a head of steam dancing on the spot wanted to go and join all the other embarrassing oldies tempting fate in the middle of the dancefloor , but was then told in no uncertain terms by his wife to stay where he was . And what is this new trend with women bringing two pairs of shoes to a gig, changing into flats to dance and walking round with their high heels in their hands allnight!.For all you fashionista’s out there I’ve been reliably informed that this is quite common these days, but I’d never seen it before tonight.

Throughout the gig ‘Mickey Bradley’ who likes a laugh and is a bit of a cheeky chappy had been sharing his witty rapartee with the audience , one highlight was when he thanked the CQAF organisers for putting the band on with the ‘Wonder Villians’ & ‘Soak’ as it could easily have been ‘The Outcasts’ or some band like that lol.

And as if the ‘Tones’ hadn’t already gone well beyond the call of duty by playing a 25 song set , after a very short break they came back on and played a cracking five song encore which included a first time stab at John Lennon’s ‘Instant Karma’. It sounded fantastic, the band members glam rock / TRex influenes were all over it .

22.58 pm and it was time for ‘Mars Bars’ which was definitely going to be the last tune of a great night , some wag had obviously came prepared and started throwing the self same chocolate bars onto the stage . The surprise in-bound missiles flying towards their heads had a couple of the band members ducking down, but once ‘Micky Bradley’ worked out it was only a bit of craic with no malice intended and what it actually was coming his way, he quickly lifted one and started eating it while still playing his bass and attempting to continue his backing vocals with a mouthfull of tasty confectionery.

‘The Undertones’ gave it their all here tonight , and to quote an overused crappy cliche “they gave it 110%” . Unbelievably tight superior pop punk, they absolutely worked their balls off until the 23.00 pm curfew. And after all that they still had time to offer their Derry bound fans a lift home on their bus. Top band , top night, enuff said.

30 song Setlist.
(but not necessarily played in this order)
Jimmy Jimmy / Jump Boys / Here comes the summer / Girls that don’t talk / Thrill Me / Tearproof / Gotta Getta / Enough / Love Parade / Billy’s 3rd / You got my number / Family Entertainment / My Perfect cousin / Wrong way / Hypnotised / Listening In / When saturday comes / Teenage Kicks / Need your love / Wednesday Week / She’s a runaround / I know a girl / Get over you / Male Model / Girls don’t like / There goes Norman / Top 20 / True Confessions / Instant Karma / Mars Bars.

Joe Donnelly Belfast. 13.5.12.

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