Reading and Leeds don’t rock like they used to!

Reading and Leeds don’t rock like they used to!
It used to be that the Reading festival (and latterly the Leeds festival) was a good hard rocking festival where you would get a great number of bands who would fill the moshpit. Even a quick look at this year’s line-up would indicate that this is not going to be the case in 2009. That’s not to say that there is a lack of great bands on the bill but there is just not the same if you wanted to headbang your little heart out. There is also a feel of familiarity with some of the other big festivals this summer although they have managed to keep one or two exclusives up their sleeve with the headliners.
Radiohead are still a band that thrill and bore many people and the thought of Thom Yorke singing splits a crowd like very few others. There is no doubt that songs like “Paranoid Android”, “Just” and “Creep” are bona fide festival classics but the band has lost their way commercially in their last few records. Artistic expression is one but thing but heading down a prog rock route is not for everyone. Radiohead are the band that Muse would like to be but it is fair to say that Muse are further down the prog-rock like the sons of Queen , Rush and Pink Floyd.
The other headliner Arctic Monkeys have changed their sound with third album ‘Humbug’ and the influence of producer Josh Homme looms large. The Queens of the Stone Age front-man has worked with the band in hardening up their sound and broadened the musical output of the band. The change in the bands sound can also be seen in the clothes with press photos showing band members to be wearing Black Sabbath t-shirts. Alex Turner has a better lyrical turn of phrase than Ozzy Osbourne but whether he will be as famous for as long as the Prince of Darkness remains to be seen.
It can only be hoped that this weekends headliners have better luck than Oasis who were the listed headliners at V festival. The simmering tension between Noel Gallagher and his little brother Liam Gallagher appears to be peaking again and many believe that the singers drop-out to laryngitis was a cover for another explosive bust-up between the brothers. What must really gall the Gallaghers is that old sparring partners Blur have managed to rebound and wowed festival audiences earlier this summer. At this moment in time, there is no doubt that Blur appear to be the better bet for having a long-term future than Oasis, which may have sounded out of place over a year ago. The biggest downside is that any fan who was singing “where were you while we were getting high?” would have been directing their lyrics to the band as opposed to joyfully singing ‘Champagne Supernova’ in front of the stage. It may well be the final chapter in the turbulent history of the boys from Manchester.
There probably wont be a classic Reading moment like the time Kurt Cobain was wheeled onstage for Nirvana’s seminal set but it must be hoped that the fans who attend get some memorable moments to enjoy.

Could we finally have a cool supergroup again?

It sounds as though it cant be a bad thing but how many times have you heard the word supergroup only to be let down by what was eventually offered to the fans? It seems simple enough to take a bunch of talented musicians and have them make some music that everyone will love but somewhere along the way, supergroups stopped becoming fun. Back in the 1960s, Neil Young would be popping up everywhere and the tapes of John Lennon jamming with Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Mitch Mitchell as Dirty Mac are still revered today. At the time, that band pulled members from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience but the era of the supergroup hasn’t been as exciting since then but that may be changing sometime soon.
Even jaded rock fans would have raised an eyebrow at the news that Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones are going to work together in a group called Them Crooked Vultures. There hasn’t been much music working its way from the band yet but there has been a promise to not suck and if they achieve that, then they will probably be a bigger success than many peoples previous attempts to pull together a supergroup.
Dave Grohl certainly needs no introduction having been in two of the biggest bands of the last two decades. When Kurt Cobain took his own life and ended the career of Nirvana, you would not have put too much money on the drummer going off to become the biggest success of all the group. That is exactly what has transpired with Grohl dropping the drum sticks and picking up guitar and forming the Foo Fighters. The first Foo Fighters record was practically a solo lp in all but name but since then they have evolved into stadium rockers extraordinaire. That has kept Grohl rather busy but he has found time to hook up with some other bands with one of the most popular being with the Queens of The Stone Age.
Grohl joined with Homme and Nick Oliveri, and Mark Lanegan on a few numbers, for the phenomenal ‘Songs For The Deaf’ record so there is a previous working relationship between the two as well. Grohl also provides the link to the other member of the new group as rumours persisted that he would be the man to complete a reunion of another well revered rock n roll band.
When the Led Zeppelin reunion tour rumours were starting to build, the talk was about who would replace John Bonham on drums and Dave Grohl was heavily tipped to take on the mammoth role. We all know that Bonhams son eventually took the chair but perhaps something stuck with John Paul Jones. Grohl may not be playing with Robert Plant or Jimmy Page but he will get the chance to play behind their bass player, which is much more than most rock n roll fans will ever get to do.
Who knows if Them Crooked Vultures will be a success but it can only be hoped they do because with the talent at their disposal, they could be just what the genre needs.

Wildhearts win Kerrang Spirit of Independence Award wearing BathroomWall

Wildhearts win Spirit of Independence Kerrang! Award and Ginger collects the gong whilst wearing a Rock & Roll Geek "Who The Fuck Is Michael Butler?" T-shirt from BathroomWall

Respect to Michael for getting his name splashed across one of his musical idols and of course a HUGE thanks to Chelsea at The Viper Room / High Voltage Magazine for making it happen

Ace Frehely wears BathroomWall - a better picture

A better picture of Ace Frehley wearing his Dr Keith T-shirt

Ace Frehley... Yes, THE Ace Frehley wears BathroomWall

ACE FUCKING FREHLEY is wearing a BathroomWall T-shirt. One of the guys that made me fall in love with rock n' roll is standing centre stage as guest of all-star rock n' roll jam band, Camp Freddy and he, the man that gave Kiss a heart and soul; the man that set an entirely new standard for stage craft and performance; the guitarist 100% responsible for all of Kiss' finest moments (Love It Loud excepted); the space man that influenced a whole generation of guitarists is WEARING a Keith Richards Dr Keith's Rock N' Roll Pharmacy T-shirt that I designed. Rock N' Roll All Nite. Do You Love Me? Too right I do Ace.... YOU RULE.

On stage with Ace are Camp Freddy, which tonight are Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver, The Cult & Guns N' Roses), Steve Stevens (loads of people, but most famous as Billy Idol's guitarist), Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction), Billy Morrisson (The Cult, Ginger Wildheart's solo band).

Rock stars wear BathroomWall T-shirts

Last night (Saturday 1st August) former Darkness front man and current Hot Leg mainman, Justin Hawkins took to the stage for a secret private show at an un-named Californian venue wearing T-shirts from www.BathroomWall.co.uk. This photo shows Justin in his Sleazy Guitars T-shirt.