The Home of Bad Music, Art and Culture. I make music, some folk don't particularly like it - oh dear, whatever shall I do..? Generally a third rate musician, writer, promoter, weatherman and gentleman - what more could you ask for?? Also happen to be a very cynical person. These are my thoughts...
Tonight, art and performance night Speechmotion makes its way back to the Horse & Groom in Shoreditch for its second season of events. Taking place on the final Tuesday of every month, Speechmotion mixes various forms of art, spoken word, theatre and film, cultivating a large troupe of artists with an interest in art that stems farther than a bar in a dingy pub echoing workmanlike rock ‘n’ roll.
Occasionally delving into the obscure and unwieldy, Speechmotion delivers some truly distinctive and unique variations of established art and this month the night will be kicked off poets Catherine Brogan and The Captain of the Rant. Also featuring is performance artist The Purp – the London artist made his performance debut last year and has since gone on to work with the likes of Warrior Queen and Shaxman. Finally, Tom Geens will be showing his latest short-film, You’re the Stranger Here.
Long before they became a parody of modern pop, whereby one face/name/voice/personality is interchangeable with another, the Sugababes were easily one of the strongest groups in British pop - a fact borne out with their record as one of the most successful groups of the 21st Century.
The trio were considered to be somewhat unsuccessful by London Records following their début album, One Touch (it was only certified Gold status...), leaving them to regroup and consider their future. At this early stage, original member Siobhán Donaghy departed the band during a tour in the Far East, paving the way for former-Atomic Kitten vocalist Heidi Range to join. Within a short period, Sugababes had been picked up by Island Records, beginning a process that would lead to their reputation blossoming. This second line-up would be the most famous, staying together for the next four years, scoring multiple hits along the way.
Late-summer 2002, they released their second album Angels With Dirty Faces, led by a cover of Adina Howard's single, 'Freak Like Me'. The song, - originally a mash-up bootleg by Richard X - was re-arranged to fit around a sample of 'Are Friends Electric?' by Gary Numan and became the Sugababes' first UK number 1, leading the album to be one of the highest sellers of the decade. Not only was Angels With Dirty Faces a commercial success, but also a critical one as it neatly weaved modern pop, electronica, garage and R&B together in an easily digestible sound. This was bolstered by 'Round Round' and 'Stronger', before they released their third album, Three, in 2003 to similarly positive reactions. Taller in More Ways was the final long-player for the classic line-up and some months after its release, Amelle Berrabah replaced founding member Mutya Buena. The circle broken, things would begin to take a downhill slide for Sugababes; Universal sensing the end might be on the cards, rush-released a greatest hits package prior to the Christmas run in.
In the time since, Keisha Buchanan has also departed (replaced by Jade Ewan), leaving the current version of the group with none of its original members. Three further albums have been released since then, but none have captured the success of their earlier days - an eighth album is expected early next year.
Coming a little bit later than usual this week (one must sleep sometime), Something for the Weekend presents a video that has become a bit of a modern classic.
With both the Pixies and Throwing Muses beginning a short term break in 1988 following an exhausting tour (both bands had been touring together throughout Europe for the Pixies album, Surfer Rosa), Kim Deal (Pixies) and Tanya Donelly formed the Breeders as a side-project for material that deal had written while on-tour. What originally started as an idea for a dance band, soon transformed into a alternative rock band, not too dissimilar to the parent artist's.
Ironically, the name "The Breeders" came from a band that Deal had formed with her twin sister Kelley during the mid-70's, so it was quite fitting that Kelly joined following the release of their 1990 début, Pod on the independent label 4AD. The Pixies became active again after this brief respite and released two more albums, but by now Kim Deal's relationship with the rest of the band had reached a low and with Trompe le Monde released in 1991, was the last of the Pixies in their original run. With both Deal's on board and Jim MacPherson on drums, the Breeders released the Safari EP at the end of 1991 and joined Nirvana on their Nevermind tour. However, by this stage Donelly felt the need to move on and formed the band Belly upon her departure. Josephine Wiggs replaced her in time for the band to record their biggest album, The Last Splash. Indeed The Last Splash became one of the biggest albums of 1993 and produced such classic singles such as "Cannonball", "Divine Hammer" and "Saints", although it is the former for which they are best know.
Following this success, the Breeders went into decline and Kim Deal was placed in rehab for heroin addiction in 1994. The band, now sidelined without a lead singer went on hiatus, but never actually broke-up; however their best days had passed. A year later, Kelley Deal would also be caught out in a drugs bust, debilitating the group even further. In this time, both Wiggs and MacPherson left the operation and were replaced by Jose Medeles and Mando Lopez. During the next six years, there were several attempts to reignite the band, but all failed until 2002, when the band finally stabilised long enough to record their third album, Title TK. While it was not a commercial success, it was well received critically. With the Pixies doing occasional reunion tour through the following year, the Breeders took the backstage once again, but returned to release their fourth album Mountain Battles in 2008.
Before taking time out with her side-project Fan Death, Canadian artist Dandilion Wind Opaine was working with boyfriend Szam Findlay in their apocalyptic electro-punk band, Dandi Wind. With noises echoing the likes of Peaches, Sexy Sushi and Bjork (whenever she is somewhat accessible), the duo carved out a sonic boom that manages to be tame and beautiful, while at the same time punching you in the stomach very hard.
From their 2005 EP, Bait the Traps, Findlay's background sounds propel "Umbilical Noose" through a post-industrial landscape, while Opaine affronts the noise, tempting to tear it all apart - or some bullshit like that. It's just good.
As the ghosts of summer depart, the skyline paints itself a solemn grey - the cool winds of loss become ever more apparent. Not only through heat, but also by the withdrawl of warm colours - even the vibrancy of reds and yellows dull somewhat, leaving a void of life in its place. Autumn is indeed the struggle, but soon even those steeped in brown tinted age must soon move on. It doesn't mean I shall stop having fun though...
This week, Something for the Weekend visits with one of my favourite bands of all time... well, kind of. Broadcast and the Focus Group were a collaboration between the Birmingham dreampop two-piece, Broadcast, and graphic designer / musician Julian House.
Released at the tail end of 2009 on Warp Records, Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age was a very well received mini-album that combined a number of aural aesthetics (uneasy rhythms and ghost-like vocals) versus the Focus Group's music concrète stylings of House.
Although "Witch Cults" is a brief glimpse into what the ...Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age holds, it also works as a short look at the maturing Broadcast as they prepare for another album to be released shortly. If anything, Broadcast are quite reminiscent of Pram - as time goes by, their output gets decidedly odder and odder. They also get better with age too.
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