Song of the day (Australia) – 150: Witch Hats
I’ve thought about this next entry, a lot. I want to balance out this series of being Australian with old and new, otherwise I’d just pack it with Lighthouse Keepers and Hummingbirds B-sides. And I can’t find a link to Melbourne’s own proto-Riot Grrrls Matrimony… oh wait. That’s a lie. Here’s their MySpace page. Let’s […]
Back when I was a working critic, part two
I’m trying to avoid working here, so here’s another excerpt. Taken from 2001, I believe. FRIDAY AUGUST 17 2001 Clever, friendly and articulate, I notice I have no memory of the events that transpired more than three days hence. The sun beats down upon a town of ingrates and foreign students, each more desperate than […]
Back when I was a working critic, part one
(Excerpted from my 2001 journal, posted at the Tangents archives.) Saturday July 8 … so I’m stuck high up in the rafters at Dublin’s Lansdowne Road international football ground, freezing my fucking fingers off, chatting to Dave Simpson about the stupidity of editors and the rise and rise of PRs in the music business industry […]
Song of the day (Australia) – 149: The Birthday Party
No explanation required here, I hope. The interview that follows the video is lifted from Careless Talk Costs Lives #6 – which came out in January 2003 (split cover with Erase Errata because we figured Nick to be a little too well-known to command the cover just by himself). I think the order of it […]
Song of the day (Australia) – 148: The Cannanes
The debut Cannanes single was the third record that David Nichols brought across to my house in Willesden Green that fateful day in 1985. I’m not saying that I liked it… but I made it Single Of The Week in the NME, and then formed a record label (Calculus) with my future house-mate Jamie to […]
Song of the day (Australia) – 147: Love Of Diagrams
Day six in this series (give or take a couple of days off, spent playing support to Kate Nash in Melbourne and Sydney). Have you noticed that it’s always the slipstream Melbourne bands who sound the most English? I wonder why that is. Anyway, I’m including Love Of Diagrams in this here series despite the […]
Song of the day (Australia) – 146: The Saints
Day five of this series, and this one is an absolute no-brainer. The Thin Kids played up support to Kate Nash last night in the totally fucking awesome East Brunswick Club in Melbourne, and my head is pounding through lack of sleep and excitement and the cold Victoria air this morning. Three rows of Kate […]
Song of the day (Australia) – 145: Dave Graney And The Coral Snakes
Charlotte suggested Rolf Harris as the next in this series celebrating the fact we’re now Australian. I’m a big fan of Rolf as well, but… shrugs… I’m not sure folk would think I was taking this too seriously and all. Aside from anything, I think Rolf’s probably bigger in the UK then he is here, […]
Song of the day (Australia) – 144: The Drones
Day three of my tribute to being Australian, and no surprise here. I’m aware that I’ve only seen The Drones perform twice, maybe three times, since being here – but man. This band have absolutely blown my head apart. It’s never struck me as that difficult to get rock – it’s always seemed mind-bogglingly simple […]
Song of the day (Australia) – 143: Venom P. Stinger
OK. Day two of my tribute to becoming Australian, and this group have significance for me. I’m sure my pal David Nichols can remind me of this, but when he found himself at a loose end for those crucial 12 hours in London on a stopover back from Olympia, WA to Melbourne in 1985, and […]
