New Arrivals: Death in Vegas "One More Time"

Although this has been out for ages, it still nice to pick up odd bits like this. Released inbetween The Contino Sessions and Scorpio Rising in 2000, this was a limited edition 10" red vinyl that did not see a CD and digital release until 2007. Technically if you were to try and flog this on eBay, you probably would not get that much for it, but I'm not an eBay person and this shall be staying firmly in my record pack.
Also turned up this afternoon was the Russian language Songs of Romance by Pyotr Tchaikovsky lead by pianist Mstislav Rostropovich.





























Leigh

Review: Elephant Stone "The Seven Seas"

Canada has had something of a chequered history when it comes to modern music. For every Galaxie 500, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Venetian Snares, Metric and Women, there in turn rises the lamentable and awful Nickelback, Celine Dion, Joni Mitchell, Rush and Bryan Adams; then there are Montreal's Elephant Stone.
Formed out of the ashes of the High Dials in 2008, Elephant Stone play something that is akin to sweet indie power-pop; although on occasion touches of psychedelia trickle throughout their music.

Their debut album, The Seven Seas, released in Ireland earlier this year on Indiecater Records reveals a band immersed in the sounds of 1960's psychedelic pop of the Byrds, while also directing a nod towards the Stone Roses, Kula Shaker and the Brian Jonestown Massacre.
This is an exercise in summery jangle pop (which is odd seeing as this is November) and while I would normally be wary of such sonic pilfering, I must admit that this rather pleasant stuff.

The opening quartet of "Bombs Away", "How Long?", "I Am Blind" and "The Seven Seas" deal in rather dark lyrical passages, while all the time letting upbeat rhythms bring positive moods to the fore - you can feel happiness win out right the way through this long player.
Nearing the halfway point is the first of two songs on the album that clocks in at over 7 minutes; "The Straight Line" splits in two with jangly sitars on one side and buzzing square sines on the other. Its a full 2-and-a-half minutes before any other instruments join in and from that moment on, it descends into a raga jam with tabla's joining the mix of instruments at the 5 minute mark. This is definitely intriguing stuff and worthy of at least one bedroom wig out.

The second half of the returns to the earlier's jangle pop movements with "Blood from a Stone", while "Oh, Heartbreaker" breaks out Rishi Dhir's more rockier tendencies. Admittedly, Elephant Stone may pick up a few jibes for picking the name of a Stone Roses single, but it cannot be ignored that The Seven Seas' eighth track, "A Morning Song", is a direct lift from "Waterfall" by the Stone Roses to the point where it's not even funny; something made even more clear cut as the production of both tracks is also very similar.
The Seven Seas closes with its second long player, "Don't You Know" and this is the perfect way to finish out their debut as it encapsulates many of the better elements of the previous eight pieces and locks them into a 7-and-a-half minute psychedelic pop/rock sonic blast.

There is plenty to recommend here and it's not difficult to see why this album was nominated for 2009's highly prestigious Polaris Music Prize. Although it loses marks for siphoning a little too much from their influences, it crams enough excellent rhythms and instrumental wanderings to make this a rather joyful listen.
Elephant Stone MySpace
Buy the Elephant Stone "The Seven Seas" on Indiecater Records
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Leigh

An Open Letter to Heart FM (and all other commercial radio monstrosities)

There are something things in life that need to be said, feelings that need to be aired and truths revealed. Following a somewhat harrowing and volatile Friday afternoon in work, here one such truth - an open letter to Heart FM...

Dear Sir or Madam,

As an office-based enforced listener, I would just like to remind that today is Friday November the 20th, yet for some bizarre reason your station is proceeding with this frankly obscene obsession of playing Christmas songs.

Admittedly, I thoroughly believe that it would be fantastic if a law was drawn up that forbade the playing of Christmas songs outside of December 1st and January 6th; however that would be wholly unrealistic as it would introduce an unwarranted block on your rights as a broadcaster.

Regardless of that fact, I don't recall ever hearing Halloween songs in the middle of September - do you? I would appreciate it if you (and others at Heart FM) would cease this frankly wrong notion that people are jolly before December 1st and therefore kindly ask you to refrain from playing such seasonally heartfelt meandering crap for another 12 days at least.

Could you please do us all a favour and cease this aural profanity?

Yours sincerely,

Leigh O'Gorman

Squire

They responded this morning by offering me the chance to win Whitney Houston tickets. Fuck sake!!

Currently watching:
ITV's Motorsport UK "November 20th Edition"


Leigh

Review: Bill Coleman "Welcome to the Breakdown"

I really, really need to respond to e-mails and other media much faster. Over time, correspondence and requests for reviews and stuff come in and I take note and mumble something along the lines of "this afternoon..."
Eventually two weeks pass and a feeling of "ohhh yeahhhh..." crops up as the display reveals a nearly forgotten message - these messages are extra special when they turn out to be good. The e-mail sent by Bill Coleman turned out to be one of those rather good moments.

"Welcome to the Breakdown" - a lead single from his EP, Black & Red, announces its intentions immediately as a static throbbing synth surges over defiant 4/4 drums creating an instant hook.
This hook is tamed somewhat by intricate guitar and secondary keyboard lines that balance beautifully - for once the handclaps are welcome.
When the vocals arrive, they tell the tale of someone who is out of work and on the dole - something that many can empathise with at the moment, but rather than sit back and wallow the song's character lurches into a songwriting stab.
The chorus opens up and reveals a seriously energetic piece that should get living people dancing like idiots. Although "Welcome to the Breakdown" is in itself a solo-file single, the aforementioned Black & Red EP, can also be downloaded from Coleman's own website for a price of the customers discretion.

There are touches of Beck and Hot Chip littered throughout this, without ever daring to steal directly from their wares - with the result "Welcome to the Breakdown" has imprint all its own. The song is evenly matched with a wonderfully satirical video showing (current... ahem) Irish Taoiseach, Brian Cowen trying to solve the ongoing economic crisis.

Coleman has shows coming up in the Academy 2 in Dublin (Nov 28th); the Spirit Store, Dundalk (Nov 29th); the Spinmaker, De Barra's and An Cruibin in Cork (Dec 13th, 15th & 16th), so if you can make it down to at least one of those, you may find yourself with a nice pre-Christmas treat.
More please!!
Bill Coleman MySpace
Rating: 4.5 out of 5




Leigh

Review: Arrow in the Sky "Do What Thou Wilt"

Coming together in the deaths of 2008, I have been led to believe that Mulligar band, Arrow in the Sky, musings lean towards to the folk-rock spectrum - something that, even I must admit, made me shudder my shoulders.
Their MySpace tells of influences from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills & Nash, Turin Brakes and Simon and Garfunkel. While Turin Brakes are hardly the worst band in the world, the other three influences is (for me) the musical equivalent of getting shot in the stomach and left to die on the streets like a sick dog - this could be... interesting.

However, in the spirit of fairness and keeping a somewhat open mind, Arrow in the Sky's debut EP Do What Thou Wilt shall get an open listen.
Opening with "Half Glass of Emptiness" and instantly sounds as if it was constructed by summer. Rather than stepping in the world of past players, Arrow in the Sky's ware's are more reminiscent of folk tinged world music with upbeat melody's winning out over apparently downcast lyrical musings. It's almost as if the Apostles of Hustle have come to beat Paul Simon to death and I can only approve of that.
As the EP slides into the second song, "Last Breath", it become even more apparent how excellent both the instrumentation and the mix is. Apparently simplistic rhythms neatly mask deeply complex arrangements in what is a neat in studio magicians trick, making the openers a joy to listen to.

Unfortunately though, the rest of the EP exposes some of the limitations - not necessarily of the band - but of the genre as a whole. As "Verbal Waltz" fills out the third track and flows into the subtle veins of "Little Puritan", my attention spans grinds to a halt and my mind begins to wander as restlessness sets it. The uncertain feeling of "same, same" is confirmed with the fifth track, "Agape", and as good as the songs are structured, there's not enough happening to draw this listener back into the fold.

The EP closes with "Turn this Life Around" and while this is all heartfelt stuff, the struggle to maintain interest has long since been lost. If anything, I start to think what TV show this would star in, as some of these bits would be perfect for a shit US drama, much in the same way material by A Fine Frenzy fits that niche. In fact, I can feel the "deep" scene now, where all the characters in Grey's Anatomy find time to contemplate to whatever musings the producer is in love with that week. "Turn this Life Around" would be perfect for that end of episode weeper moment.

Admittedly, I may hate Simon and Garfunkel with a passion, but I don't hate Arrow in the Sky - in fact they're rather pleasant (in a drinking Cider in a park on a hot summer's day kind of way); however like the aforementioned influences, the variations are limited and boredom creeps in a little too easily to truly appreciate this.
Part of the problem is that Do What Thou Will measures in at a half hour, which for 6 songs is too long - with some of the songs unnecessarily breaking the five minute barrier long and this gives the impression of dragging after a while. All in all a good effort, that might have worked better a two separate singles as opposed to one overlong EP.
Arrow in the Sky MySpace
Rating: 3 out of 5

Currently watching:
FIA Formula 3 "2009 Grand Prix of Macau, Feature Race"


Leigh

Review: The Ralph's "Waste of Time / Gunfire"

Galway based band, The Ralphs, have just independently released their debut single - the double A-side Waste of Time/Gunfire. Apart from the two leading songs, the single also includes two others tracks, firstly "Dead Ends" and then an extended version of "Waste of Time" closes the CD.

According to their MySpace, the Ralphs play energetic punk rock and indie songs and when you hear them, you know they mean it.
Opening with "Waste of Time", the single immediately kicks in with surging upbeat guitars and squared solid kick beats that unashamedly wears its rock 'n' roll heart on its sleeve. They instantly conjure up comparisons with the like of The Only Ones and early Blondie and whilst not wholly original, one senses that this was never the point - this is the sound of a band having fun.

With the first A-Side finished, the CD moves to song number; the slightly more subtle "Gunfire". It is here that the Ralphs really hit the nail on the head; it would have been so easy to produce just another 2-and-a-half minute sonic romp, but instead the band respond with a more measured song.
Trickling acoustic moments sit nicely over the floating bass, whilst manic scatterbrain drums pound in the background - this is excellent in its simplicity and yet they parts being played are actually rather complex. Even the lyrics are just right as 'Jamie Ralph' repeats the line "you're falling to pieces, like my heart" throughout the bridge, one senses that this is stays on the right side of "nice and does not become Bon Jovi-esque schmaltz. "Gunfire" is a fantastic song that may not have the power or the sublime energy of "Waste of Time", but is probably pound-for-pound the best track on the EP

While not stellar stuff of the A-Sides, "Dead Ends" serves its purpose as a loyal and adequate B-Side. Occasionally the vocals in the track faulter slightly, but it is the only real niggle on what is a fantastic release. For all intents and purposes, "Dead Ends" is filler, but as a B-side, it does its job very well and maintains attention going into the final track.
Initially I wondered why there was a need to include an extended version of the A-Side; most bands just add an extra chorus/solo/bridge to the end tacked on, but there is an intro verse here which while not perfect is still rather pleasant - I can see why it was left off the single version though.

All in all, the mix of the single is also very good - so good in fact, that I can't think of anything to say other than it sounds great. It is purely guitar, vocal, bass and drums and all the better for it - bullshit need not apply. Admittedly, this is hardly Mozart, but then again, who cares if it is or not? A Waste of Time is something this single is not - great stuff
The Ralphs MySpace
Rating: 4 out of 5


Leigh

Movers and Shakers

Often when things heat up in the world of Formula 1 and the IRL, a tendency to just sit back, relax and watch what happens sets in as I am very well aware that things move very fast - often too fast to assert any sort of reliable thought or opinion.
On many occasions, a potential will be announced, only for it to be discarded later and to find out that it was just a negotiating ploy; so rather than keep knocking 100 word reports (I tried it once), I decided to wait until everything was done before I launched into an article (or tirade).

There is, naturally, only one place to start - Jenson Button, McLaren and Mercedes - for these three elements factor together to create one truly unusual story. It seems incredibly odd that a driver would choose to jump ship after winning a title with that team, but it would appear on paper, that that is what happened - only four weeks after securing the Formula 1 World Championship, Jenson Button has signed a deal with McLaren; some days after the Mercedes team announced that they had bought Brawn GP.
Now I will be the first to admit that Button is an excellent driver and a deserving World Champion - after not all titles are won in a blaze of glory; you only need to see Alain Prost's championship years to understand that, but does he really have the raw skill to challenge Lewis Hamilton in a team that the younger driver has bedded in?

Admittedly, I don't believe for a moment that the McLaren will instantly side with Lewis, but they may do so if Button is not up to speed quickly and that is the factor that may become an uphill battle for the reigning champion. Hamilton's knowledge and experience with the McLaren group - which goes back long before the start of his F1 career will mean he will have a psychological head start, irregardless of Button's current World Champion status.
Another issue the team must face is the driving styles of the two drivers is utterly different and this could have a negative impact on how the team approach car design and set-up status. It is well known that while Hamilton favours a car with light rear-end and that Button loves a car that pushes up front and McLaren may find it difficult to find useful dual set-ups at certain tracks next season.

However, Button can at least lay claim to the fact that he has a drive for 2010 season; something that Kimi Raikkonen cannot say. The Finnish 2007 World Champion has found himself locked out of a drive after being dropped by Ferrari in favour of Fernando Alonso and unable to secure a seat back at McLaren - even Brawn-Mercedes have passed on the subdued Finn.
Unfortunately for Raikkonen, since winning the title in 2007, he has had two seasons during which he has showcased flashes of brilliance (especially in the latter half of 2009), but has switched off if the car and team hasn't been geared towards him and it nails his attitude in one foul swoop. The inability that he has displayed to guide a team to victory if the team is not 100% behind him has made many other teams wary of him and as fast and as skilled as Raikkonen is, none of the top teams are likely to build a squad around him when the Constructor's battle is looking to get fierce between four outfits.

In the meantime, it appears as if Nico Rosberg is going to have one seat the Mercedes team; however if it is not Raikkonen in the second car, then who will it be? Since the announcement of the Brawn-Mercedes deal, rumours have been bouncing round regarding an all-German team for 2010, with a keen eye for Sebastian Vettel to be with the team in 2011; but who would possible go to a team like Mercedes for one year only?
Initially, there were whispers of Nick Heidfeld, but as good as the BMW Sauber driver actually is, it must be remembered that neither he nor Rosberg after yet to win a Grand Prix - despite having 237 starts between them and that is a number that will not sound appetising to either Ross Brawn or Mercedes team.

Since then, rumours of a Heidfeld have fallen away and talk of a Michael Schumacher return have come about again. Schumacher was initially thought to be replacing the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari earlier this year - a return made impossible following an unhealed neck injury sustained in a German Superbike race in February.
The possibility of a Schumacher return raises one or two questions; such as "why bother?" The legacy of the 7-times world champion is currently intact; however he runs the risk of damaging his stellar reputation if his comeback is a failure. Not only is three years out of the car is a very long, but the Formula has moved on with giant steps since then - never mind the fact that Schumacher has not raced cars competitively for over three years and has only had marginal testing time.
Yet he may be the most sensible option available - his ties with Mercedes are well known and he has the comfort of not having to worry about a contract for 2011 which is the one thing that other drivers would naturally fear and brings me back to the question "who would possible go to a team like Mercedes for one year only?"
It is rather unlikely than an experienced driver would jump to Mercedes in the middle of career for one year as come July, he will be back in the situation of having to search long for a drive again - with few other top seats available for 2011, anyone that drives for Mercedes next year might find themselves on the scrapheap or with a minnow for the following year. It is also a questionable move for a new driver to the sport and could lend itself to the Verstappen / Button factor; whereas a driver starts with a big team for one season before spending years mired at the back of the grid trying to rebuild their career.

However, there is a huge potential for Schumacher to not be the final option and it all boils down to whether or not Renault will be on the grid next year. Toyota's number 2 driver, Timo Glock, had been rumoured to partner Robert Kubica with the French team, but has instead signed for the new Manor Grand Prix team amid nervousness regarding the ongoing uncertainty as to whether Renault will be in F1 next year. Should Renault jump ship, Mercedes may indeed be the perfect spot for Kubica to kick-start his career following a disappointing final year with BMW.

Indeed Robert Kubica is not the only driver looking to restart his F1 career now that Heikki Kovalainen has been expectantly ejected from the McLaren team. Following two rather poor seasons that granted him one very fortunate Grand Prix victory in Hungary 2008 (Massa led every lap until the car broke two laps from the end), Kovalainen has been removed from the Woking squad and word has been very quite regarding his next move. What must worry Formula 1's second Finn is that many of the top and mid-field slots have been taken up and unless he takes a step backwards, he career could be finished after only three years - Mercedes could halt that slide backwards, but will the German manufacturer want to take on Kovalainen after having dealt with him at McLaren?

There is still a seat available at Force India, but it is questionable as to whether they can maintain the good form that they produced in the latter half of 2009; however as it stands, the lamentable Nelson Piquet Jr is one of the favourite for that drive - pending on whether he delivers ample sponsorship or not.
For a moment I am not going to refer to Piquet Jr's antics at Singapore in 2008; however I will point to his substandard performances with Renault during the eighteen months he was with the squad. There were far too many accidents and races where he was near the back and as sad as it may appear, the quality was simply not there.
This is the time that Force India need to produce results to follow on from 2009 and they may not find that with Piquet Jr. Adrian Sutil is still with the team for 2010, but he needs to crash less - when he was on it, he was very good, but he now finds himself in a very different position than in previous seasons as this is the first year that he will lead a squad.

As you can probably tell from the above, this has indeed been a very big week with regards to the movers and shakers of Formula 1, but I will finish this with one quick paragraph from the IZOD IndyCar Series - the Australian driver, Will Power, will be driving the number 12 car for Penske Racing next season and for that, the series can only benefit as I believe that Power can challenge for the title.
Interestingly enough, I couldn't help but wonder if the Penske squad is grooming the Australian as a permanent replacement for Helio Castroneves when he contract is up. Admittedly, Castroneves may get a year's extension on his contract, but following that, the Brazilian will be 36 years old and both Power and other team-mate Ryan Briscoe will be at the peak of their abilities.

Power was initially brought in to cover races missed by Castroneves last year following his tax evasion trial, but it is questionable as to whether anyone believed he would be as good as he was and although Power's oval skills need to be finetuned somewhat, Penske team president Tim Cindric may have just stumbled on of the finest drivers to have entered the IRL in its short history.
At 28, Power has both time and ability on his side to become champion of a series that is looking to become more and competitive as it rebuilds itself following the merge of the IRL and Champ Car in 2008.
Next year is looking to be something special indeed.


Leigh

Review: The Dirty 9's "Lucy Opus" (*Updated)

A faint synth opening subtly leading to delay soaked drums that sit obediently under wandering guitars as the opening drifts into the first verse, before powering into the into the second part of the first phase. By the way, this The Dirty 9's - and it happens to be rather good.
My attention thus grabbed, "Lucy Opus" - the first single from their debut album Stop Screaming, Start Dreaming - surges into the chorus with the distortion pedal on full, powering through moments of sheer angsty pop/rock.

Normally I would hate, but there is something rather pleasant, yet vital about the way The Dirty 9's have structured this song and the key is in how each part perfectly blends together - the song rolls very nicely through the second verse and chorus and eventually into a subtle and rather acquiescent bridge, before driving once again into the final chorus and outro.
There are touches of Placebo and Manic Street Preachers that float nimbly throughout, yet the band never seem dragged down by those influences; rather a niche has been found and a corner declared.

They have had positive mentions from State.ie and downloadmusic.ie and I think I will add to those. The single , which will be released on Friday November 13th, was produced by Greg Haver, which probably accounts for the Manic's reference, sounds rather fine indeed and the song certainly pumps out high decibels without going overboard.
The Dublin-based 5-piece are still a relatively young band (they've been in existence for only a year) and I would like to hear more in the future, just to see where they go from here.
myspace.com/thedirty9's
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Leigh


(*Updated)
The video for Lucy Opus is below
- Leigh

My Cup (R.I.P.: 1988 - 2009)

This was originally one of a six-pack picked up in the late 80's and tonight, the last one cracked under the pressure of a nice cup of tea.

It has traveled with me from house-to-house and from country-to-country, but on Thursday November 19th, 2009 it held its final cup of tea.
I shall miss you dear cup; nothing shall ever replace you in my heart.


Leigh

Review: Conor Furlong "Playing with Fire"

Conor Furlong's new album, Playing with Fire, was released on Friday November 13th. Featuring some soaring pop-rock tunes, the singer-songwriter has crafted an interesting album with 10 new songs - led by the single, Wrong.

To be honest, it's very difficult to know what to make of the "sound" - from the album sampler, the songs all appear to be rather well structured, but suffer from occasionally being overlong; however any real issues are based within the mix of the instruments.

According to his MySpace, Furlong is influenced by the likes of Bowie, the Beach Boys and Beck; although their are touches of Neil Young to his material as well. While these influences are present and correct in the material, they don't overawe or chain the songs down.

As already pointed out, the biggest issue seems to be the actual mix of the album - there is far too much compacted air throughout the songs that is reminiscent of some mid-80's production methods, as well as instrument levels that simply don't sit right.
The greatest example of this is the placement of the lead guitar in some of the recordings - on "Wrong", for example, the guitars are too prominent and where they could simply define the nature of a piece, they at times overpower and come on too strong; with the result that other instruments are drowned out.

"Are You Going to Sleep Tonight" is more subtle in its mix and it is here that Furlong's vocals feel much more confident. The bridge is perfectly balanced and the song is equally well structured, until the guitars come back in. With both this and "Wrong", I can't but feel that there are some unnecessary parts being thrown to the songs and in both these cases, it is a guitar solo throw in.

"Godless" is easily the most impressive here as the bass rumbles perfectly in tandem with nicely mixed guitars and even though it clocks in at over 6-minutes, it never feels drawn out or too long and it finishes with subtly and sleeks into "The Preacher".
This opens with what sounds like whale song, before the rest of the instruments charge in; generating an energy that instantly lifts this song of the ground. However, once again, it is drawn downwards by failings that could have been easily fixed at the production stage. The singing is at times quite weak as the vocals seem to struggle when trying to maintain notes in the higher range, which is a shame as there is great potential for a radio-centric single here.

There are some decent songs here, if not exactly revolutionary; however I believe an odd mix and some unnecessary instrumental pieces with other outstanding problems stops this from being a true success. If Furlong had been reigned in by an outside influence, this could easily have been a much better album as the talent or good song construction is obvious from the outset - it really just needed more work.
The album can be bought from iTunes, Road Records and Tower Records and the single "Wrong" is available for free from Furlong's own website.
Conor Furlong MySpace
Rating: 2.5 out of 5


Leigh

Autoban; The Mad Hatters Ball (Whelan's, Dublin; December 5th)

Dublin-based indie band, Autoban, will be staging a Christmas party at the Academy 2 in Dublin on Saturday December 5th and are quite determined to make it somewhat memorable.
Rather than tow the regular gig line and have a few band's playing while neatly accessorised with copious amounts of alcohol, the threesome have decided to enlist a dress-code of sorts - i.e., some form of headgear will be necessary.

The band are hoping that the "The Mad Hatters Ball" will help them raise some money to go towards recording their new EP. Thus for one night only helmets, top hats, caps and/or some other sort of elegant or thrashy head warmers will not only be welcomed, but fiercely encouraged.

The band will be supported by DJ's from the Academy's very own No Disko clubnight, but as of yet no other support has been announced; so keep a lookout on their MySpace for any info or news that may arise.
Autoban MySpace
No Disko MySpace


Leigh

Shit Album Covers... Stereophonics "Keep Calm and Carry On"

...has a new entry. I have yet to hear Stereophonics new album and am not really pushed to either as their previous pub-rock musing's have consistently failed to rouse any interest.
They are, for all intents and purposes, that band in the background that keep chugging away; saying little of relevance and often what is said is vague to the point of meaningless.
If music can be described as a series of colours, then the Stereophonics are slightly dull beige, with an option on light afternoon brown.

With a large degree of success, they have managed advance the theory that "safe-rock" is an actual genre and convince a generation of small-time drunks that playing unimaginative bullshit in the key's of C and E is all you have to do to get signed to the major label gravy train.
Thankfully, the train has been derailed and gravy is actually watered-down soup.
For fuck sake, they even contributed to the frankly unnecessary history of "Handbag's and Gladrag's" by Mike d'Abo - any band that can be featured in the same sentence as Rod Stewart must surely be stopped now - along with Coldplay and their ilk, it is the sick music of the office prison; an incarceration made worse by the epileptic bleetings of BBC Radio 1 or Heart FM.
Personally, I'm with Bob Hoskins as in The Long Good Friday - "shit 'em!!"

With regards to the actual subject matter, I would ask people to seriously look at the cover of Keep Calm and Carry On - I mean look at it!! Four brooding bores plonked down at a table for breakfast, while the sea washes around their neatly manicured legs, as they glare intensely into the middle distance with an air of subdued contemplation... fuck off!! Christ, if Kelly Jones sucked his cheeks in any further, there will no oxygen left for the rest of us to breathe - what a cunt!!
Of course, the picture metaphor in conjunction with the album title is pretty obvious, but it is also very poorly executed. Last, but not least; it just looks like a really shit, cheap and nasty Photoshop/Quark Express job. At that level, there should be no excuse for something so shoddy, but then again, it is the Stereophonics...


Leigh

Max Headroom

The Max Headroom Show is a programme that I have not seen in a very long time. Originally broadcast on Channel 4 in the mid-80's, its surreal mix of mash-up TV, cyberpunk intellect and the corruption of (what was then) modern media made for intriguing viewing; if at times a little nauseating.
For this post, I have managed to find the final episode of the original series which happens to feature music from the Redskins (not long before they broke up) and an interview with a 6-foot tall giant talking cock (aka Sting).











Leigh

Super Extra Bonus Party (The Academy, Dublin; November 13th)

Something that should be burned into people's mind's is that any happening that takes place on Friday the 13th is a risky venture; that it should take place on Friday the 13th during the Month of Dead Souls is indeed asking for large amounts of trouble, only to be relieved by excessive amounts of Valium and Nembutal mixed with cheap red wine and crumbled up biscuits.

That is unless, of course, you are Super Extra Bonus Party. The Kildare sextet will be performing one of their final shows of the year at The Academy, Middle Abbey Street in Dublin with support from Bats, Le Galaxie, Heathers and Band on an Island.
The live show will be followed by DJ sets from IStandCorrected and CNRCNRY. Doors open at 8pm and run right through until 2am.

During the Bonus Party's set, long lime collaborator and MC, Rodrigo Teles, will be making his final appearance with the band before he splits back to Brazil to be with family and the bambino Teles. The band will also be joined on stage by Heathers for the song "Comets".
If you haven't got it already, be sure to pick up Bonus Party's rather fantastic second album, Night Horses, if not at the show itself, then at the shops.

Tickets for the show are priced at €17.50 from Ticketmaster outlets and can also be purchased from agent's website. Have fun - I am sure it will be wonderfully delightful.
Super Extra Bonus Party
Bats
Le Galaxie
Heathers
Band on an Island
CNRCNRY


Leigh

New Arrivals and Happenings

No explanation needed:
Broadcast are one of my absolute favourite bands' ever - they rarely play, so I cannot fucking wait. As for Battles, I can give or take them as they're not very interesting, but the inner-thinking is that I shall get rat-fucked.






















Leigh

The IZOD IndyCar Series

(I was meant to post this last weekend, but... forgot).

The IRL has had a couple of title sponsors over the years, but neither of those were successful ventures and, to be honest, were half-arsed from the outset.
However, the series has just signed a new title sponsor in the shape of IZOD with a 6 year-plus deal that, rather than just keep the series alive, but even push it towards sustainable heights once more. I've stuck the press conference below - most will think it's boring, but for me it was a genuinely exciting announcement. As well as that, I am also amazed at the how the models in background don't move a fucking inch for 21 minutes solid...


Announcement

Discussing the IZOD IndyCar Entitlement

Driver Reaction to IZOD

Leigh

Irish Music on Television / Internet Shocker

The Irish Music Industry has recently received a severely unexpected shock when news trickled out the Irish music was to be broadcast. On television. It is well known that Irish music and television have got something of chequered history as seen recently with the cancellation of Channel 6's Nightshift and the showing of RTE's lamentable Raw Sessions.

However, last night saw a new 6-part show begin on RTE 2 and initial reports about the program appear to be rather positive. The show - titled When Under Ether - is presented by Michelle Doherty (formerly of Night Shift) and Elton Mullally and aim's to focus on Ireland's often overlooked indie and alternative music industry, with the first episode showcasing live music from Delorentos and David Geraghty.
The debut broadcast also featured music videos from the likes of Grizzly Bear and the XX, so the ever so slightly leftfield angle of the show (I'm being generous here) is apparent for everyone from the off. It is on at 11.50pm for the nex five Tuesday nights; however I am not sure if it has been cleared to be broadcast on the RTE's website (song's rights and that legal stuff).

Don't go away yet folks, because the good people at Analogue Magazine have produced the debut of a cracker of a bi-monthly web series, called (funnily enough) Analogue.
After an aborted attempt at producing a short episode earlier on this year, the chaps from Analogue went back to the drawing board and have returned with a nicely refined product. This new series will present artist features and documentaries, as well as interviews, performances and music videos.
The series' first episode contains interviews, performances and other tidbits from the Kronos Quartet, Patrick Kelleher and So Cow. Zeroing in on such diverse influences, such as indie, lo fi, folk, classical and electronic on both the local and international scene, Analogue is attempting to break the tired traditional approach to music television and create a new progressive format with diverse cinematic techniques.

Episode 1 of Analogue was directed by Graham Seely and Tim Gannon and produced by Brendan McGuirk and can be found below for viewing pleasure.

Analogue Episode 1 from Analogue on Vimeo.

Current listening:
The Ralph's "Waste of Time / Gunfire"


Leigh

Music Conference Weekend (Riverbank Arts Centre, Co Kildare, Nov 21st - 22nd)

Next weekend, First National Music (FMC) will be hosting a free music conference weekend at the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge, Co Kildare (Ireland). Starting the weekend off on Saturday November 21st at midday, will be the National Music Industry Clinic - a talk focused on career's in the music industry with a panel of experts; including Keith Jonson (IMRO), Alison Curtis (Today FM), Angela Dorgan (FMC) and Alexi Vokos (The Delphi Music Company) amongst others.

Following the panel, musicians and other interested parties will have an opportunity to book a 10 minute 'Speed Session' with panel members in order to talk about how best to get your music out there, pass on a demo and ask about your next move in your music career.

On Sunday November 22nd, Filter - The Irish Electronic Music Conference will also be taking place. Opening at 11am (and staying open until 5.30pm), it is a day-long music conference dedicated to the Irish Electronic and Dance music industry. Hardware and Software workshops will be available as well as a forum with industry insiders and experts to discuss topics that are relevant to Irish electronic musicians, DJ's and producer's.
Appearing at the forum will be Mark Kavanagh, Jack Fox (RTE Pulse), Orla Feeney, Jeff Timony, Desy Balmer and a whole host of others. The workshops will include introductions to Logic Audio and Ableton Live as well as demonstrations of various turntable techniques.

The conferences will be brought to you by the FMC, who are also responsible for the wonderful Hard Working Class Heroes Festival, the Music from Ireland Project and breakingtunes.com; however the majority of their work consists of serving information and advice for artists in the popular music sector.
For information and advanced booking, go to the Riverbank website or contact them at 045 448327; you can also e-mail their box office at boxoffice@riverbank.ie.


Leigh

Toyota F1

Aaahhh Toyota, we hardly knew ye...

Of course it is naturally disappointing when a team decides to leave Formula 1 - especially one as big as Toyota. The Japanese manufacturer are just another in an ever growing list of Asian companies to have decided to jump from developmental motorsports in the last 18 months; that list includes Bridgestone and Honda (F1), Subaru and Suzuki (WRC) and Kawasaki (Moto GP) - there may be others that I have not heard about yet.

Whether Formula 1 will truly miss Toyota or not is a different matter, but the initial feeling from fans and viewers is that while it is bad news that another team has left the sport, no one is surprised that Toyota have split - it is news that had been rumbling for over a year. There were strong rumours at the start of this season that they had to win at least one race during the 2009 season, otherwise a serious rethink would be necessary.
Considering that they had some of the highest funding in Formula 1 history, the best the team managed was 4th place in the Constructor's Championship in 2005 (which was achieved under speculation of cheating) and a number of 2nd place finishes. However, 13 podiums in 8 years for a team that reportedly spent over $1 billion is simply not good enough - the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Renault have won World Championships by spending less money.

Stories of political infighting and difference of opinion regarding future direction seemed to plague the team following team boss Ove Andersson's departure from the squad in 2003; too much influence wielded by people from outside of the team itself also seemed to be a constant complaint - there appeared to be many instances of the team itself not working as a productive unit and Toyota are not be the first (or the last) to fall into that trap.
The truth be told, Toyota are not a racing team; they're a car manufacturer - one of the biggest in the world, if not the biggest. For a company such as this, motorsports is a side-issue and like Jaguar and BMW, they seem to lack the appreciation for motorsports to understand its finer nuances.
Many large constructor's see F1 as a massive marketing tool, but I have never met a single person who bought a Toyota, Honda, BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault or Ford because they happened to be competing in Formula 1 - it is not a theory that enters the public consciousness.
Toyota failed, sadly, because they didn't know how to race.

There is one remaining question for Toyota: "was Timo Glock actually injured?" Whenever this subject came up over the last couple of races, there was a feeling of "Timo's still injured (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)", but we happen to have this Japanese who can jump in the car at a moments notice.
Admittedly Kamui Kobayashi did a very good job in the two races he drove for the team in Brazil and Abu Dhabi (if maybe a little ragged at times), but rolling out the national driver when the boardroom are considering pulling the plug was a little crass. Meanwhile, Glock himself appeared to be wandering around the paddock with seemingly little actually wrong with him.
In a sense Toyota had very little to lose in fielding the Japanese driver - they were mathematically too far ahead of the teams behind them and were never realistically going to catch the McLaren or Ferrari teams for 3rd or 4th place, so what ever result that Trulli and Kobayashi got in Brazil and Abu Dhabi would have little potential baring on the eventual outcome.
So, did Glock deliberately crash in qualifying and thus, was he injured at all?

What now for Trulli, Glock and Kobayashi? Well, the rumour mill says that Trulli will be at Lotus and will be back with former Toyota and Jordan designer Mike Gascoyne at the new Lotus team and that Kobayashi is to battle it out with Takuma Sato for the second seat at the returning squad, while Timo Glock is nearly certainly signed by Renault, but it has yet to be officially announced.
How ironic that the last fuel stop in modern Formula 1 was done by a Toyota..? Well, not at all actually - that was just a coincidence...

Current listening:
ADULT. "Why Bother?"


Leigh

Pat Kenny "Frontline"

Since leaving the Late, Late Show earlier on this year, TV presenter has moved to a Questions and Answers type show called Frontline.
Normally the show passes without incident - that was until last night, when he was verbally molested in what was (but shouldn't have been) one of the funniest pieces of television I have seen in a very long time.




Leigh

Kap Bambino / Hello Sunshine (Old Blue Last, London)

T'is Tuesday November 3rd in the Old Blue Last in London as Kap Bambino return to launch their new single Batcaves. Having never been to the venue before, i can only compare to the upstairs room in Whelan's, Dublin or maybe like a tiny version of Cargo.

It is grimy and small and will most likely suit what comes next.

Batcaves is the third release from Kap Bambino's third album, Blacklist, and to celebrate they have brought with them some French compatriots in the shape of hard rock duo Hello Sunshine.

After a while of waiting and twiddling my fingers, Hello Sunshine jump on at around 9.30pm and make their presence felt immediately. The two-piece, just comprises of a drummer and guitarist, but don't mix them up with some cheap White Stripes knock off - these guys are all about noise, screaming, heavy string stroking and double peddles and they were quite fantastic. In the space of 25 minutes, they seemed to churn out about 10-12 songs, but it was quite hard to tell as many segued into the next piece, thereby creating a multitude of medley's.
They came, they played, they finished, they'd get me to see them again if they came back over.

There was about thirty minute wait before Kap Bambino came on and in that time place seriously filled up - I mean, it filled up far beyond capacity. By the time they started, I was already firmly pinned against the stage monitors.
As Bouvier Orion clicked a few buttons and got some programs going, grumbling noises began to emirate from the speakers - a grumbling that took a few moments to gain definition and reveal itself to be New Breath. Suddenly, there were great pushes from behind as the crowd surged forward and became more and more raucous. The energy running from Kap Bambino was immediately apparent and the enraptured tapped into it for all its worth, creating a current that carried most through the pains and exhaustion.
Over the course of 50 minutes, the French couple steam-rolled their way through most of the now familiar new album, as well revisiting old favourites from their 2006 long-player, Zero Life, Night Vision. A brief two song encore ensued before the live show wrapped up and the DJ kicked in.
Admittedly, I would have loved to have hung around a had a couple of beers and chill out for a while, but I was far too fucked to even contemplate that - besides I badly needed a shower and several pints of water.

Apparently they are supposed to be back in December supporting Peaches in Koko, but I haven't seen any details yet. As much as I would love to see them again, I can't be arsed with paying to see Peaches, but if someone had a freebie...
Before I finish up, I must note two things took away from the show:

• it was massively overcrowded (as in waaaaay over venue capacity) - as I was front and centre, there were occasions where I was jammed up against the stage in quite a bit of pain and the bruises thereafter covered significant portions of my legs and back.
• it was far too loud. I don't mean that in an old guy sort of way, but considering how much volume gets soaked up by the audience, I was still left with ringing ears about a day and-a-half after the show; thereby necessitating, no headphones or loud music until Friday.
  

But other than that, it was great ...and yes, that is me doused in sweat in front of Caroline Martial in the above photo.
(photo: unknown credit)


Leigh

Le Galaxie (Whelan's, November 18th)

Irish electronic band, Le Galaxie, will be playing their final Dublin show of 2009 at Whelan's on Wexford Street on Wednesday November 18th, with support from the ever reliable Ambience Affair and Neosupervital.
This show will form the final stage of the Autumn 2009 tour, which has already seen the four-piece perform in Waterford, Dundalk and Galway and will see them play further shows in Belfast and Cork (as well as one other Dublin gig).

The Whelan's event will see Le Galaxie headline in the venue's main room and to celebrate this fact, there will be a free download of "Victory" available on the day.

Seeing as how the show takes place on the same night as the Irish World Cup Qualifier against France, they will not be on stage until around 10.30pm.
This will be followed by the late club "Intergalactic" which promises to play weird and wonderful dance/indie/electro/gabba (!!); which I will believe only when I see it.

Doors are at 8.30pm and the door tax is €10; however if you e-mail the band at legalaxie@gmail.com with the words 'Jean-Luc Picard' followed by your name, then you get a princely €2 off.
LeGalaxie MySpace
Ambience Affair MySpace
Neosupervital MySpace


Leigh

Mike Lawrence "Culture"

A few folks that know me, know that I am a fan of a number of Formula 1 and Motorsports websites and blogs in general, but one of my favourites is a website called PitPass. Many F1 websites and journalists tend to be rather sycophantic simply because they have to be - any anti-FIA articles are often met by a withdrawl of one's press pass.

Over the weekend of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there were many empty platitudes offered to the wonderful facilities and the wonderful hotel and the wonderful flashing lights and the wonderful yachts, but few spoke of the circuit itself - which speaks volumes. When some of the drivers did open up, many spoke of how it wasn't much of a driving challenge at all; but at least the facilities were good...

Personally I couldn't care less where F1 goes, as long as Australia, Britain, Monaco, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, Japan, Canada and the United States are on the schedule - fill up the rest of the 8 races in the middle of the ocean for all I care, but if the circuit isn't up to it and isn't a challenge, then what's the point. As it stands, none of the new territories has yet to pass the 5-10 year test* and when you also factor in the empty grandstands at Malaysia, Bahrain, China and Turkey, one must consider if they ever will.
So, it is refreshing to see PitPass' finest writer taking a truly worthwhile and necessary dig at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi (amongst other things).
Mike Lawrence "Culture"

Current sickness:
A Cold "Constant coughing, fleeting nausea, temperature and a runny nose"


Leigh

*the 5-10 year test:
If a country has such an international event, then rather than scoff it immediately, a certain amount of time is given in which a grassroots level of drivers may develop - if there is not even a blip on the radar after 10 years, then the project may be deemed a failure. There are obvious exceptions to this rule (i.e. - Spain) but they are very rare indeed.

The Formula 1 and Motorsports Archive Centre

I initially started The Formula 1 and Motorsports Archive centre about two years, but back then I was up to my eyes in college work and had no time to maintain it in an efficient manner. However, every so often I have managed to get a few motorsport related posts up onto Easy Music... and I have finally got round to transferring them.

Officially the Archive Centre will be a place for news, tidbits, opinions and race/event reviews and although it may be fairly quiet-ish for the most part, there'll be occasional blatherings from yours truly about the state of life with four-wheels and what can be done to make it better.

In the meantime, the odd motorsports article will still appear on Easy Music... as that it my central site, but this be a specific place for motoring nuisance. It must be remembered that I do and will continue to spend a vast majority of time talking out my fucking arse - and so let it be...
The Formula 1 and Motorsports Archive Centre


Leigh

David Firth "Jerry Jackson is RLY RLY Board!"

More animated works of utterly bizarre genius from Fat-Pie's David Firth with this BBC short released a few weeks ago.




Leigh

The Playground (November 14th, London)

To ward off of the scared bones following a predictably disastrous Friday the 13th of November (let's not forget the November is the month of dead souls!!), I may have to attend this fully recover - or maybe because I want to.
The fact that it is only a mile or so from where I live is also a bonus.














































Current listening:
Siouxsie and the Banshees "Hong Kong Garden"


Leigh

Glenn Beck is a Seriously Frightening Man

...and I worry about the folks that buy into his deluded bullshit, but this is beyond parody. Part of me wants to believe that it is all a practical joke and that when he gets home at night, he is a level headed normal individual, but then again...
So, could Glenn Beck be the American version of Jeremy Kyle or is it the other way round?
(Yes, I know this came out a while a go, but I only caught it recently)




Leigh

Cold in Berlin Single Launch

Cold in Berlin's new single, Destruction // What Went Wrong?, will be launched from 2076 Records on Monday November 30th. The double A-side, which is the bands' second release, will be available for download on all major providers and on limited edition vinyl styled CD-single (I'm assuming it'll be similar to T-Woc's Reign Blood EP).

Only 200 copies of the single will initially, all hand-crafted and numbered by the band, so these may go very quickly indeed. There may be more news of further pressings thereafter and as well as that, the good people of 2076 have agreed to release two more follow-up singles and an album for the band later next year.
The single will officially be launched at the Old Blue Last on Tuesday December 1st and although the support list has yet to be announced, I can reliably inform you that it will be free-in.
myspace.com/ColdInBerlin

Currently watching:
GP2 Asia Series "Round of Abu Dhabi, Sprint Race (Rd 1, Race 2)


Leigh

New Arrivals: Kap Bambino (Multiples)

Kap Bambino
"Red Sign / Acid Eyes 7-inch", "Dead Lazers EP", "Blacklist"























Leigh

Channel One Album Launch (Friday, Nov 6th)

Dublin electronic-rock foursome, Channel One, will be releasing their long-awaited debut album, Sound to Light, tomorrow evening at the Button Factory (formerly Temple Bar Music Centre), Dublin. Although they have moved on somewhat from their edgier days towards a more considered spacial sound, the Dublin band still pack one hell of a punch in a live setting.

So with that in mind, be sure to pop down to the Button Factory - doors open at 7.30pm and is free in before 11pm. Support on the night is from the wonderful Le Galaxie and both bands will be followed by a host of DJ's; including Bodytonic's Barry O'Donoghue.

The album itself is out tomorrow and will be on sale at the show and will also be available from Amazon, iTunes and various record shops around the country.

Currently listening:
Deerhunter "Cryptograms"


Leigh

Easy Music for Difficult Ears

Tomorrow (Friday) marks three years since the debut LPX EP, Easy Music for Difficult Ears, was released - three fucking years!! Since that time, Easy Music... has gone on to mean and represent many different things for me - initially it became this blog (which is 2 years old next Wednesday by the way).
It has also become the the title of a couple of club nights I've done as well, but more importantly it is also the header of a number of social and music industry documents that I have been working on - the largest one so far being "The Loudness Wars", which eventually became a dissertation in itself.

Although "the Loudness Wars" is currently (still) being updated, there are plans in place for a future long piece regarding the development of electronics in music from the late 19th century onwards. This may take a very long time, but time is something that I have plenty of - one may even use this as a holiday.

As for LPX, well, true interest waned long ago in the same way that many never held any at any stage - there is too much else to do to give a shit about whiny bedroom laptop noise and other "musical" projects (and I mean those inverted comma's) are now a priority. Anyhoo in the meantime, Easy Music for Difficult Ears can be downloaded for free from my LastFM page and the rest of the LPX releases are right here too, but don't blame me if you bore yourself to death.


Leigh

James Corden is a Cock!!

I don't think I need to explain this too much...




Leigh

Bridgestone Quit F1 After Next Year

It is 6:22am and the sun is slowly brightening the sky on this cool November Monday morning and only one day after the 2009 Formula 1 season finishes, I rise to the news that Bridgestone are quitting Formula 1 cold from the end of next season. After what will be fourteen seasons (seven of which will have been contested without opposition), they are to concentrate purely on their "development of innovation technologies".

The big question now is "who next?" Pirelli are an extremely unlikely candidate for a start. Will this see the return of Michelin or will the slow grumblings of a comeback by Goodyear come to fruition? I'm sure we will find out soon enough and I have a feeling that a new tyre manufacturer may be met with a series of rule changes regarding wear rate and rubber expulsion.
Interesting times ahead indeed.

Current listening:
Various Artists "Vintage Songs of Sex, Drugs and Cigarettes" (Spotify link)


Leigh

Cold in Berlin / Breton (The Vic, Mile End, London)

Sometimes in London on a night like Halloween, there is simply not a whole lot to do that is going to interest me too much. Parties don't interest me as I'm not much of a social mingler and having spent so many years going to gigs and clubs on my own, I have gotten used to my own company - plus the conversations tend to be better too.
Something else about Halloween is the lack of "looks" that are attributed to people of an obtuse fashionable nature. Occasionally I get odd looks from a few folk when I am wandering about for 364 days of the year, but no one bats an eyelid at me on October 31st - the slightly filthy jacket, dirt brown shoes and messy shirts are an apparent make-up in itself; but my word do people try hard here. Really hard.
There were momentary lapses of concentration when though it would be interesting to slip into skinny jeans and doll myself up as some attempt of an ironic Halloween costume, but I do not have the interest to fall into that (besides I am far too fat to even try).

Unfortunately, pressing business on Sunday morning meant that Saturday was not going be late one, but being bored into near unconsciousness led me to throwing on random threads and heading to the Vic in Mile End, where local promoters, London Is Dead, were showcasing 12 acts over the course of 12 long hours with a Halloween-ish theme; however I only caught the last three (because it's all I could be arsed with).

At this stage Advert had just finished and Breton were setting up, but for the second time in the space of a week, I was met by a band that were having massive set-up problems and what should have been a short changeover became 30 minutes of watching a band put their equipment together - for a 20 minute set. Bit-by-bit, boredom seemed to set in and more and more people split for a cigarette, but when Breton did eventually get going, this reviewer was glad to have stayed around.
Consisting of just a drummer and what one can only call a multi-tasking frontman, Breton launched into what can only be described as a formless and delay soaked post-punk/funk reminiscent of A Certain Ratio and newer elements of Bloc Party - and they were quite fantastic. It would be very easy to see how this band would work perfectly as a three-piece and it later transpired that their bassist was ill after a dodgy trip, but regardless of the loss of one-third of their band, they were gripping throughout. The short set consisted of three pieces of very danceable music that segued into one solid medley and I would most certainly be interested in seeing them perform again.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said of Demontre whose rendition of formulaic rock nearly sent me to sleep and for the most part, the crowd felt the same way too. In fairness to them, they had a couple of drunken teenagers that appeared to know the words bouncing up front with them, but left me feeling incredibly nonplussed - musical beige with distortion pedal. Without wishing to appear too... whiny regarding media content, I swear they have just soaked up many myths of shoegaze and rock and converted them to the stage; but they are young and might still learn (or not at all).

Last up were Cold in Berlin - formerly known as Death Cigarettes. Of all three artists that were caught tonight, Cold in Berlin showcased the advantage of a good front-person as (name of nameless person) writhed around the stage with a haunted energy to add to the ferocity of the musicians behind her.
Somewhat reminiscent of gothic post-punk nature Siouxsie and the Banshees and the urgency of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cold in Berlin romped through their set with fervour that I have not seen from a local artist for some time.
They are launching their new single at the Old Blue Last on Old Street on Tuesday December 1st - it would be amazing if they could release some information about (i.e. - what it is called or where it will be available would be helpful), but I suppose you can't have everything in life.

Such a shame that when I got home I couldn't get close to sleep - a party was raging downstairs and one couldn't help but stare out the window at the drunken youth in t-shirts with fake blood stains. Maybe they should try wearing that on the tube on Monday morning and see how much of a tit they feel like; how or never, it is nice to see that the sentiment of Halloween by the Dead Kennedys is still very relevant in these modern times.

Breton MySpace
Demontre MySpace
Cold in Berlin MySpace


Leigh

Bruno Senna: An Old Name, but A New Face

Bruno Senna has signed a deal with Formula 1 new boys, Campos-Meta, for the 2010 season. Bruno, who is the nephew of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Ayrton Senna, has had success in a number of junior categories; despite having not run in the many Karting Championships that his peers competed in.

Although he had began to race Karts at a young age, his family forbade the youngster from racing when Ayrton was killed at Imola in 1994; however having driven his uncle's 1986 Lotus charger some years ago, Bruno decided to take up motor-racing once more and jumped straight into the Formula BMW series in the UK.
Seasons in Formula 3 and GP2 followed and although the young Senna did not score any Championship victories, he did many to win races on a number of occasions - finishing 3rd in the 2006 British Formula 3 series and 2nd in the 2008 GP2 Championship.

Still prone to mistakes from time-to-time, Bruno has shown a prowess in wet conditions that his famous uncle regularly displayed having taken dominant victories in dreadful weather at both Oulton Park and Mugello.
Senna just lost the 2008 GP2 Championship to ex-Formula 1 veteran Giorgio Pantano, he took three wins along the way, but his stint in GP2 in mainly remembered for when he hit a stray dog at 170mph during the Sprint Race at Istanbul Park.

Following his second season in the junior series, there were rumours that the young Senna was to replace Rubens Barrichello at Honda for the 2009 Formula 1 season; however those plans were scuppered when the Japanese manufacturer pulled out of the series last December.
When Bruno lines up on the grid at Bahrain in March, he will join the list of famous (and not so famous) drivers that have had sons or nephews race in F1; such as Hill, Villeneuve, Fittipaldi, Andretti, Nakajima and Rosberg. Whether he will success as Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Nico Rosberg have or whether he disappear like Christian Fittipaldi and Michael Andretti (and like Kazuki Nakajima soon will) is entirely up to him, but one thing is for certain - the name Senna will create a pressure that may be difficult to live up to.

Currently watching:
GP2 Asia Series "Abu Dhabi, Feature Race (Round 1)"


Leigh

Review: Jesse Booth "Moving in Under Cover"

Every-so-often, there are periods in music that deem to lose themselves in times gone passed. During this decade alone, there have been throwbacks to the New York punk scene (The Strokes), the post-punk scene (far too many bands to mention) - even the Kooks are a lighthearted version of the La's.
More recently 1980's- esque electro-pop has been rediscovered with a vengeance as the likes of Calvin Harris, Hot Chip and MGMT make the "retro" sound their very own. Although those artists might be doing relatively OK at the moment, the future prospects look grim once the genre drive takes another turn.

It is in the latter bracket that Jesse Booth's solo debut Moving in Under Cover slots fairly neatly into. Covering a swift ten tracks, the relationship between the moving synths and Booth's half-static/half-fluid voice is at times perfect and at times balanced poorly, but when it does work (on the opener "Church of Lenders") it is excellent.

There are moments though that the vocals almost seem lost in the mix; however rather than just being too low, it is more a case of too many things going on. Musically a number of the tracks feel overcrowded - almost as if a keyboard turned up to a party uninvited - something that is most prevalent on "In China" and "You're So Special".
However, if I were to have a real issue with the album, it would be the occasional synth stabs get very annoying after a while. So much so that they ruin "Everybody Needs a Robot" and "Trevor Reginald" - two tracks that are otherwise rather accomplished.

Moving in Under Cover finishes on a high note with the rather more subtle "New Times" - it feels as if after a number of attempts, a perfect balance between voice and synth has been found. All in all, it's a good album, but hardly an artifact that will still be listened to in months or years to come. Like all media driven genre pick ups, the shelf life is normally short, leaving many recording destined for a life on a dusty shelf. I could not help but catch a line from the chorus of the closer, where Booth proclaims that he "...want(s) to live in the new times..."
How apt to make a bold statement on a piece that sounds drafted from another time?

mySpace.com/jessebooth; Buy the album here
Rating: 3 out of 5

Leigh

Greg Moore: 10 Years On

One of the drawbacks of motor-racing is, quite obviously, it is a very dangerous sport to partake in - even at the very pinnacle, accidents can happen - whether they be through driver error or mechanical fault. Some crashes are large, some are minor; but thanks to many developments in car and circuit safety since the mid-90's, drivers generally walk away fairly unscathed.

The days of at least one or more fatalities or serious injuries are (for the most part) long gone - ironically enough, this year would seem to be the exception to that rule (see Henry Surtees and Felipe Massa).

However, every so often, there is an accident that is so devastatingly huge that it can leave a chill down your spine. Examples that stand out would be Alex Zanardi (CART, Lausitzring, 2001), Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna (F1, Imola, 1994) and Jeff Krosnoff (CART, Toronto, 1996); but no accident has turned my stomach quite like the one suffered by Canadian CART driver Greg Moore at Fontana Motor Speedway on October 31st, 1999.

It seems so difficult to believe that it is ten years since Moore's death. There had been an exciting lead-up to the race as it was the Championship decider between Juan-Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti. Earlier that day, Mika Hakkinen had just won his second Formula 1 World Championship and I was desperately excited to see the climax of what had been a great year of racing. The US500 would be the final top-tier race of the year and what better setting than California?
For those that have seen Moore's accident, it can be rather difficult to explain (and not nice to visualise). To put it simply, Moore over-steered off of turn 2 and fell into a fast slide; his car was flipped up into the air by high level grass and the top of the machine smashed against the inner concrete barriers. Following a number of barrel-rolls there was nothing left of the car and no life in the cockpit. Ironically enough, Moore had a separate crash the previous day - only this one was in the paddock on a motor-scooter. Although he had broken a finger, he was administered with painkillers and cleared to race the following day.
Whatever one says about his crash, it is difficult to describe the exact feeling when you witness something so horrific and brutal. I vaguely recall a deep emptiness at the bottom of my stomach - I really wanted to be sick and from the severity of the incident, it was fairly clear that no good was going to come of this.

Moore had something of a meteoric rise through the junior ranks of USAC and IndyLights and eventually reached the CART World Series with the Forsythe Racing team at the tender age of 20 and it was not long before he was making his mark on the series by picking up a number of podiums during his debut year. He didn't have to wait too long for his first victory though as Moore triumphed at the Milwaukee Mile in 1997 just ahead of Michael Andretti and followed that up with - admittedly - a lucky win at Detroit a week later when the PacWest duo of Mauricio Gugelmin and Mark Blundell ran out of fuel on the final lap.

Wins didn't come easily though for the Forsythe team over the next couple of yeas as Moore only picked up three more wins during the 1998 and '99 seasons, but his speed and enthusiasm could not be questioned and it was these factors that brought him to the attention of US Racing giant, Roger Penske. Just prior to his fatal accident, Moore had announced that he had signed to Penske Racing from 2000 onwards - a move that would surely have made him as a top-level driver. Penske has had a habit of taking fast, but inconsistent drivers and turning them into very quick, consistent runners; the kind of stability that Moore lacked on occasion.
He was also just one of an exciting generation of drivers that burst through to CART in the mid to late-90's that are still successful in the IRL series today - namely Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan; others from that group that are not active right now include Paul Tracy, Alex Tagliani, Orial Servia and Patrick Carpentier.

One of things that I always admired about Greg Moore was his demeanor. He projected a character that was calm, charming and genuinely likable and lacked the arrogance and aloofness that is often associated with top-level athletes. Often I have thought it pointless and silly to predict the outcome past events had circumstances been different (but I do it all the time anyway); however I am one of many that feel Moore had the potential to be Indy 500 winner as well as CART / IRL Champion at some stage.
Moore was only 24-years-old at the time of his death and is still sorely missed by all - he surely would now still be at the top of his game and could well have been one of the greats.
(Greg Moore, 1975 - 1999)

Current listening:
BBC Radio 5Live "Nighttime with Richard Bacon"


Leigh

Hoyt Ming & His Pep Steppers "Indian war Whoop"

I came across this evening and thought it was worth posting. This is "Indian War Whoop" by Hoyt Ming & His Pep-Steppers - a Mississippi fiddler who led his three-piece band of guitars and mandolins during the 1920's.
This folk group recorded a number of cuts for Victor (later RCA) and this particular track is taken from one of their 1928 sessions and is quite frankly stunning.
They stayed active until the 1950's, while Hoyt also worked as a potato farmer in his home state, but the band was reformed in the 60's when they had a track featured on the Anthology of American Folk Music, before finally ceasing during the 1970's.

Leigh

Congratulations to Sebastien Loeb

*I was actually meant to post this on Monday, but things have been busy, busy, busy...

It has a number of years since I last followed the World Rally Championship properly - it is around the turn of the decade that I lost touch with the series. This had nothing to do with not liking the events and series, but more to do with the local network losing coverage; rallying simply fell off the radar. The same happened for CART and MotoGP too - once I left home, it became impossible to follow and eventually interest naturally waned.
To a degree, the WRC is always something that was going on in the background. It was impossible to have at least not heard of the exploits Colin McRae, Richard Burns, Marcus Gronholm and Petter Solberg, but I never followed it too closely until this season.

There are a large number of people that claim the Michael Schumacher/Ferrari era of dominance in Formula 1 was one of the worst in the sport's history due to the sheer scale of his dominance over the field, but I have never agreed with that stance - if anything, there was a feeling of excitement as sheer excellence triumphed at the pinnacle of motorsports.
For this reason, I am somewhat saddened to have missed out on the last few years of the WRC, because Sebastien Loeb has been busy "doing a Schumacher" and destroying everything in his wake and on Sunday just gone, Loeb with his co-driver Daniel Elena, claimed his 54th Rally victory (from 125 starts) at the Rally of Britain and his sixth consecutive WRC title. One must also bare in mind that the Citroen driver could have made that seven straight titles, but lost out to Petter Solberg in 2003 by a single point.

Although made have had it easier in years gone by (2004 is a good example), this season he was really pushed by Finnish driver Mikko Hirvonen. Although the Ford driver first entered the WRC in 2002, it is only since the 2007 season that he has strung together consistently good performances and victories - 12 in all now - but this was the first year where Hirvonen looked really close to Loeb.
The Finn led the championship coming into the final Rally in Britain, but lost out to a superb drive by his rival, giving the title to the Frenchman. One thing is for certain though; Hirvonen's time will come - at only 27, he's still young, but he will be eager to claim at least one WRC before Loeb retires and with the Citroen man now on the wrong side of 35, that may only be a couple of seasons away.

If one were to look at the season as a whole, Loeb probably deserved it with his seven Rally victories to Hirvonen's four; however it was Mikko's consistency that really stood out this year. When he wasn't winning, he was often in 2nd place and a drop-off in form mid-season by Loeb let Hirvonen back into the title.
Confusing matters though was an awful lot of talk of Loeb switching to Formula 1 to drive for Toro Rosso - in fact it was only four days before the Rally of Britain that he was denied his superlicence. Many in the Rally paddock spoke of the Citroen man suddenly becoming distracted from matters at hand and not quite focusing on the job, thereby letting Hirvonen creep up in the points standings.
We may now never know how competitive Loeb would have been in an F1 car; he has since conceeded that the Toro Rosso opportunity was his last chance and now signed on again for the French manufacturer for another season. One thing is for certain though, Loeb may well be in for a fight next yeat; not only with Hirvonen, but it would seem his young team-mate, Dani Sordo, has finally found his feet and may fancy a challenge.


Leigh

Save Spa-Francorchamps

News emerged last month that the famous Spa-Francorchamps race circuit in Belgium is to have its license revoked due to noise complaints from recently arrived residents.
The track, which was originally built in 1920 and apart from a few gaps, has been holding Grand Prix as the host to the Belgian Grand Prix - occasionally swapping with Zolder Race Circuit - and is a known favourite amongst both drivers and spectators. So much so, that many of the Formula 1 drivers claim it to be the finest track in the world, with only Le Mans and Suzuka coming close to a similar accolade.
It's not just the circuit as a whole that is famous, but also some of its terrifyingly fast corners such Eau Rouge (pictured), Pouhon and Blanchimont.

As of September 23rd, it appears that the historic circuit's future is in serious doubt. Noise issues arising in 2007 have led the facility to have its license removed until 2026 by the local Council of State; however opposing locals have decided to raise their voices in defence of the track, claiming that the track is:

"...the most beautiful circuit in the world is a real economic tool, which gives work to a significant amount of people and a lot of publicity and a dynamic and qualitative image of Belgium all around the world..."

They also go on to say that:

"...they are for the continuity of the circuit... and we will fight to preserve it. We are sorry for the people that don't agree to be integrated into local life.
If like us, you like the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps;
If like us, you are conscious of the historical and touristic heritage of our country;
If like us, you are proud of your area;
If like us, you want to fight the crisis and react to the criticisms;
If like us, you like the track and want it to survive;
Then please sign the petition"

The petition to help save the wonderful Spa-Francorchamps circuit can be found here - petition. Meanwhile, a lap from Fernando Alonso...




Current listening:
Doctor Who "The Enemy of the World, Episode 2 (Narrated TV Soundtrack)"


Leigh

The Collectable Few / Bear Arms (The Enterprise, London)

There are times when, admittedly, I think that I am being far too harsh or cynical towards a band or an artist who is just getting out there and doing their thing. Having spent years trundling around doing bullshit gigs LPX and throwing myself completely into something, I am well aware of how difficult it is to play shows to people that have preconceived ideas of what one should sound like (yes, that happens a lot). With this in mind, I have adopted a brand-spanking-new mind set - nothing is shit until I have seen it. Let's see how this works, shall we?

The first night of this new theory was actually last night at the Enterprise in Chalk Farm to catch a few bands and see what the score is. Come 9.30pm, I popped my head in the door just as Bear Arms were starting and seemed to do fairly well for themselves; although the reaction to their particular grasp of indie-rock was hardly ecstatic, the audience that was there appeared to show some appreciation for the West London quartet. There were moments where they were something of a ramshackle in places, but solid enough to get their message across.
Admittedly Bear Arms are not the most inspiring band in the world, but when locked the intellectual dead-end that is London, creativity doesn't come easily. Not bad, but not great either.

...which brings me to the next band, The Collectable Few. When watching this four-piece, I could not help but think "I've seen this band a thousand times before" and once again, they same old story reared its head. They are a rather decent band - they are very tight and together, seem at ease with other and the audience; unfortunately they are utterly predictable in every other sense.
It is something that grates, but every facet of them screams style over substance while their material was a series of rich pickings swiped from every indie band that has emerged in the last few years. For a band as obviously talented and as tight as they are, it is a shame they are so programmed. From every jump, pose, even vocalist, Tarek Al-Shamma enthusiastic yelps of "oh-oh-oh" (ala We Are Scientists) felt surplus.
They are not a bad band by any stretch, but The Collectable Few just sound like one-of-many and need to work of some new material, otherwise they will remembered as just another fourth-generation indie band doing the rounds in LDN [sic] town.

All in all, it was a fairly decent show with a nice audience and the sound in the Enterprise - which can be ropey at the best of times - was pretty good too and £1.50 for an orange juice is not bad at all.
Christ, I'm a bastard.
*I missed Savants and The Moonshakers.

Currently reading:
Autosport "October 22nd, 2009 Issue"


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Barry Letts (R.I.P.)

Former Doctor Who producer, Barry Letts, has sadly passed away last Friday at the age of 84. Letts had been actively involved in the show from 1967 through to 1981, but was the show's main producer during the Jon Pertwee years.

During his tenure, he oversaw the creation of the Master Autons and the Silurians / Sea Devils. Most importantly in 1974 he was the man that brought Tom Baker to the show as the Doctor to follow Pertwee.
Following this, Letts took a step back from the series while Philip Hinchcliff and Greame Williams took over the producer role, however when John Nathan-Turner, Letts returned to the show as an executive producer.

A person of multiple talents, not only was Letts a successful producer, but he was also a highly rate actor, writer and director. His career began following his tour with the army in the 1940's with many theatre performances before he moved onto live teleplays, such as The Avengers and Scott of the Antarctic. Once he had completed his directing course, he left acting to work on Z-Cars and The Newcomers, after which he switched to Doctor Who.

Letts directed the 1967 serial Enemy of the World and eventually became the show's producer in 1969 taking effective reign at the end of the Patrick Troughton's final serial, The War Games. Over the next decade, Letts directed several Who stories as well as contributing a number of scripts.
When the show was effectively canceled in 1989, Letts revived Doctor Who, not as a television show but a radio production with Jon Pertwee reviving his role as the Time Lord for two stories - The Paradise of Death and the Ghosts of N-Space.

In recent years, Letts has also contributed to many documentaries on Doctor Who DVD's and has supplied a number of commentaries for the Jon Pertwee serials, while still writing a number of "missing adventures" novels for the range.
Ironically his recently completed autobiography, Who and Me, is due out at the start of November.
(Barry Letts, 1925 - 2009)


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DEAF 2009

I got a mail the other day from Karen Walshe of Dublin Electronic Arts Festival (DEAF) regarding their 2009 line-up. The festival, now in its 8th year, showcases some the most innovative and intriguing electronic artists from Ireland as well as the wider reaches of the world.

While there are some shows that are hosted by the DEAF folk themselves, other parts of the festivals are held by independent outside promoters, such as u:Mack, Kaboogie, Alphabet Set as well as a number of others. There will also be a number of independent films being shown at this year's event, which sees the festival expanding into more multi-media streams. To mark his appearance at the festival, Surgeon has contributed an exclusive mix for DEAF; which can be found right here.

All info regarding what is on and where can be found at http://deafireland.com/2009/.

Current listening:
Throbbing Gristle "Exotic Violence Della Morte"


Leigh

Video: Talulah Does the Hula "Bad Boyfriend"

The first official video from Irish indie-pop band, Talulah Does the Hula, for their song Bad Boyfriend, which can be picked up from downloadmusic.ie right now.

Bad Boyfriend - Talulah Does The Hula from jessie ward on Vimeo.

Leigh

Review: Frankmusik "Complete Me"

Well, this has been a long time coming. There are times when I have wondered to myself "what album could possibly earn a minus rating?" Well kids, I think I have finally found it!!

Complete Me by Frankmusik is quite simply one of the worst album in the history of recorded sound... (with the exception of Eoghan Quigg's self-titled debut). That people have been sucked into the Frankmusik sphere is even more incredible; however it is nice to see that the mind control devices employed by the good people at Universal Music Group are in full working order.
I have joked in the past about artist's that have seemingly built by the social networking circus and none is more true to form than Frankmusik; for none of this is "real" - I'm sorry to say, but at any other time this guy would be written off as a reject from the boyband Blue.

Even his advert on Spotify is wank and it contains one of the most cringe-inducing lines I have ever heard, which goes something like:

"...not content with sorting my own tour, my label have me recording my own adverts on Spotify...";

suck it up you shithead and while you're at it, stick it to the man. Problem is, Frankmusik was bought and sold and long time ago and you may find that his every move and word is orchestrated as it would be had he been in an actual boy-band.

There is a scene in my head whereby Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem are ditching their crap material, while amateur grave diggers like Frankmusik hang around outside like wolves, desperate for some sonic bones to chew on; yet on closer inspection, these bones have no teeth marks. As soon as soon as he has finished collecting his second and third-hand pickings, you sense the owner calling and patting him on the head whilst no doubt muttering "good boy..."
This particular dog's faithful owner is Stuart Price (see also Jacques Lu Cont, the Killers, No Doubt, Madonna). I can appreciate smart production and while there is something fresh about some of Price's earlier work, a lot of his produce now sounds tired and overly familiar - in other words, when you hear a Price recording, you know pretty quickly that it's a Price recording (see and apply to Mark Ronson and others).
Memories also abound and all of a sudden thoughts of the View, the Twang and the Enemy slink into my mind - the three bands that hammered the final nail into NME's landfill-indie coffin. Frankmusik falls into the category of artists (as do Little Boots, Mika, Sneaky Sound System, et al) that are quickly hammering the nails of finality into modern electropop. The material of the album quickly melds together like weak soup and soon it becomes increasingly difficult to tell each song apart.

Buy this right now if fashion really is more important than content, because it more certainly has absolutely no substance whatsoever and it is with that in mind that I really feel sorry for those who "get this". This is truly awful stuff, destined only to be forgotten by those with an attention span so short that they raise a curious eyebrow when the name "Datarock" is mentioned.
How long will it be before synthpop becomes a swear word again..?
myspace.com/frankmusik
Rating: -1 out of 5

Epilepsy at Heathrow Airport

It's those bloody flashing lights that are doing my head in. In fairness though, there is a niggling doubt as to whether the advertisers really want their motion boards to be on the blink (literally) - it is quite clear that they are knackered to all, but the most energetic four-year-old.

Add to that, the fact that I am sitting in Heathrow's vast waiting area, whilst being bombarded on both sides by some of the most inane dance-lite shopping music imaginable and one can understand why a form of deep nausea is beginning to unfold. This trip is making me feel ill already and I have yet to fly...

The dry pain that is this airport on a calm Wednesday evening cannot merely be explained by the depiction of drying paint by magazine stands - it more closely resembles the slow stripping of skin from my hands. Clocks stop, breathing slows and free motion shuns conventional theory - things are always different at Heathrow Airport and all it makes me want to do is get completely fucked.

*Why is it that when I put "Heathrow fucking airport" into Google Images, I just get pictures of Posh Spice and Naomi Campbell?

Current listening:
Throbbing Gristle "Mission is Terminated"


Leigh

Sleep Thieves "City Lights"

Irish electronic band, Sleep Thieves, will be releasing their debut single City Lights this coming Friday (September 18th). The single, which is due to be a download only issue was recorded in their rehearsal rooms by guitarist Derek Murphy and was mastered by Chris LeDantec at Grand Canal Studios.

The band will officially launch City Lights on Saturday at the Underground in Kennedy's on Westland Row, Dublin with support from the Holy Roman Army and Nakatomi Towers.
A video for the song will follow in October.

Sleep Thieves MySpace
Holy Roman Army MySpace
Nakatomi Towers MySpace

Leigh

The Banks of Monza

One of the current themes of not just Formula 1, but motor racing in general, is one of cost-cutting and material conservation - mention those two elements in the same sentence as F1 fifteen years ago and you would have been laughed out of every room, but times have changed. In a greater push to bring costs down, the FIA has introduced a raft of new regulations over the last decade or so, to try to limit amount of waste associated with the sport; however to assume that this is a recent concept may be something of an error - in fact, the theory of material conservation was originally planted in the early 1950's, although it is doubtful that economy was the main driving force behind it.

When designers Antonio Beri and Aldo di Renzo set about redesigning and rebuilding the old oval section at Monza, they had a couple of primary motives;

• in accordance with the thoughts of today, it was considered that rebuilding the oval from the 1920's would give both brakes and transmissions time to "breathe" following a lap of Monza's hard braking, hard-shifting circuit, therefore making them last a full race distance with fewer issues; and also
  
• it would create a performance track with a very high average speed.

In addition to these points, a very high banking - approximately 38.69 degrees at its highest (the equivalent of a gradient 80%) - would also benefit the steering column and arm section, as the machine would naturally curve around the high banked walls as opposed to the cars having to steer into them.

Beri and di Renzo's great plan was to have the Autodromo di Monza ready for the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, but they very nearly didn't make it in time. Construction began in March of that year as the remaining sections of the old oval from track built in 1922 was demolished and replaced; however the project was severely delayed and continuous circuit development problems meant that the track was completed only two weeks prior to the Grand Prix; however difficulties refused to go away.
The new circuit when opened measured at 9.8km making the 1955 Italian just under 500 kilometers in length, yet there were still concerns about the bumpiness on the banking's and quality of surface over many sections.

The first race at the "new" Monza was scheduled to take place less than three months after the great Le Mans disaster that claimed the lives of 84 people - as a result of the Le Mans incident, there were fears that the Grand Prix may be canceled due to worries about excessive speeds on the banking. With the tragedy still raw in the minds of many, all the British teams (except for Vanwall) boycotted the race, essentially leaving a field with just Mercedes, Ferrari and Maserati cars.
Eventually the Grand Prix was given the go ahead and was taken by the Mercedes of the great Juan-Manual Fangio in a time just shy of 2-and-a-half hours.

The following year, the British teams entered the race following a test to ensure that the cars could survive the high speeds on the outer sections. Sterling Moss took the victory ahead of Fangio in front of a very interested party - American race manager, Duane Carter. The Autodromo's chairman, Giuseppe Bacciagaluppi, had often dreamed of a contest whereby the best talent from Europe could take on the might of the US - a proposition made to Carter following the 1956 race. At the time, the Indianapolis 500 was still part of the Formula 1 World Championship and Bacciagaluppi was determined to bring USAC drivers to Monza to compete in a 500 mile race on the oval section - the first event (called the Monzanapolis 500 or the Race of Two Worlds) took place in June 1957.

Prior to the race, American driver Pat O'Connor conducted a tyre test on the oval and clocked over 225 miles with a top speed of 170mph - the competition had yet to start and the speeds were already 30mph faster than at Indianapolis.
However, apart from a small number of sports car drivers, the first event was shunned by the Formula 1 community and Jimmy Brian won the first Two Worlds Trophy with a combined average speed of 160mph. Unlike the Indianapolis 500, the Monza event was split into three separate 63-lap heats with an hour in between the sprints.

The following year Jim Rathmann took the prize with a minor Formula 1 field present and with Fangio and Maurice Trigtinant in USAC machines while a young rookie called AJ Foyt would replace Trigtinant to make his European debut in the second heat. Nightmares of what might happen should a driver get it wrong or suffer a failure on the steep section were very nearly realised in the final heat as the steering column of Moss' Maserati failed 20 laps from the end.
Unlike at most circuits where circuits were lined with barriers, tree, hay or ditches, Monza's steep banking had a small wooden barrier - if a driver broke through it, the only way was down to the forests and track below. On this occasion, Moss got lucky. He was able to scrub off enough speed before riding the barrier itself; eventually he slowed down enough to safely ride down to the inside lane.

And that was it... Unfortunately the Race of Two Worlds was considered a financial failure, despite being a favourite with drivers and the few fans that did attend. Grand Prix at Monza over the next couple of seasons took part on the regular circuit and the oval section did not come back into use until the 1960 Italian Grand Prix, but even this reprieve would be short lived. As Formula 1 cars became faster and faster, it became apparent that at some point soon, they would be too fast for the full track and when an accident in the 1961 race claimed the lives of fourteen spectators and Ferrari driver Wolfgang Von-Trips at the entrance to the oval section, the banks of Monza remained closed to the higher echelon's of motor sport for good.

Although the oval was used for intermittent sports car races from 1961 onwards, it eventually fell into disrepair and the final competitive race on the banks took place in 1969 as more and more events moved to the road circuit for safety reasons.
Since the late-1990's the banking has escaped demolition on a number of occasion's and there are petitions and campaigns to get the oval section recognised as a monument of historical significance - as of now, trees grow around and the concrete is slowly cracking and breaking apart; however there are rumours that it may be saved with the addition of a national park as the centre piece.
One can only hope it is true.


News Review of the 1957 Race of Two Worlds




Footage of the oval from the motion picture Grand Prix (1966)





Leigh

DJ Set (The Vic, Mile End, London)

Coming up

The Value of Sebastien

Without wishing to question the talent of Sebastien Bourdais, something has always struck me as troubling; but let it be known first, that these particular troubles are irrelevant!! However, this must be asked - what true worth are attached to Sebastien Bourdais' four Champ Car titles?
Seabass made his way to Formula 1 on the back of his fourth consecutive title with Newman / Haas / Lanigan Racing, yet failed to impress opposite Sebastian Vettel in the Toro Rosso team - a spectacular defeat against the young rookie.

Before all that though, Bourdais had won the 2002 Formula 3000 Championship after the original winner, Tomas Enge, failed a drugs test; however with no race seats available in formula 1 for the Frenchman, he headed to America to compete in CART - at this stage, a dying series.
With many of CART's star names gone (to other racing formula's such as NASCAR, IRL, variations of Sportscar's or even retirement) its big teams swiftly vacating the series, CART was a shadow of its former self. At their lowest ebb, teams began to refocus their efforts and resorted to hiring "pay" or "sponsorship" drivers in order to pay the bills - many still cite 2002 as the last season that CART had a large array of talent still active. By the following March, with the series' financial and political woes becoming more public, even CART's staunchest supporters were jumping ship.

2003 saw Paul Tracy finally win his first (and so far only) Open Wheel Racing title, but by then years of mismanagement finally saw the CART series bankrupt, eventually to be taken over by Open Wheel Racing Series and renamed Champ Car.

With the series "re-started" and featuring the likes of (an aging) Roberto Moreno, Alex Yoong, Mario Dominguez and Tiago Monteiro amongst others, it became difficult to take Champ Car as seriously as CART was in its 1990's heyday. Laterly Gaston Mazzacane and Tarso Marques would join its ranks and the reputation of the series would dip further still.
...and then in 2004, even I stopped caring.
The depth of talent that had existed in years previous had disappeared - Alex Zanardi had lost his legs, while Greg Moore had lost his life and names such as Andretti, De Ferran, Vasser, (Bobby) Rahal, Unser and Fittipaldi had now vacated the series long since and suddenly Champ Car had no stars to turn to and no public face with which to show the public.

While he was Rookie of the Year in 2003 and had taken three victories as well as pole position in his first race, it was here that Bourdais' run of success began and in 2004 he notched up the first of his four titles. From here on in the field began to shrink and the number of events each season grew smaller, before the series finally merged with the Indy Racing League in February of last year. There is no doubt that Bourdais is a talented racing driver; however there must be serious questions as to whether he would have taken four titles, 31 race wins and 27 poles in a stronger field.
When it comes to "raw" racing, then Bourdais is incredibly talented, but when he made the move to Formula 1 he was badly caught out by the speed of technical development - earlier this year, one Toro Rosso mechanic noted to F1 journalist James Allen that Bourdais was fast, but he spent his entire time chasing the car.

This week, the 30-year-old Frenchman secured a seat with Formula Superleague team Seville AFC - it's a series that may suit his style, with spec chassis and engine units designed by Panoz and Menard respectively; however one quick look at the entry list and thoughts of Champ Car era poor drivers rapidly return - Bourdais should win easily...

*(p.s. - I will try to get an article about the old Monza banking up in time for the Italian Grand Prix, but it's going to be a close call - also more reviews are to come soon too!!)

Current listening:
Johannes Brahms "Variations on a Theme (as performed by The Berliner Philharmoniker; conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt)"


Leigh