Vanity Project

2008-04-08T11:39:00.000Z

VP new reviews - 27feb06

2007-02-27T13:09:00.000Z

Added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews
*Air Formation – Daylight Storms (Club AC30).
*Airport Girl – Slow Light (Fortuna Pop!).
*Antifamily – Antifamily (Difficult Fun).
*Autokat – Late Night Shopping (Akoustik Anarkhy).
*Betika – Halflove (Pawthorn).
*Captain Polaroid – Other Short Stories And Better Works of Fiction (Filthy Little Angels).
*Desert Hearts – Hotsy Totsy Nagasaki (Gargleblast/No Dancing).
*The Fall – Reformation Post TLC (Slogan).
*Hot Gossip – Angles (Ghost).
*Jerry Fels – Live In Your Bedroom (Nobodys Favorite).
*Manatees – Untitled (Motivesounds).
*Nat Baldwin – Lights Out (Broken Sparrow).
*Patrick Wolf - The Magic Potion (Polydor).
*Phelan Sheppard – Harps Old Master (Leaf).
*Piskie Sits – The Secret Sickliness (Wrath).
*The Playing Fields – Hello New World (CactiShed).
*Riotmind – Start.
*Sailboats Are White – Turbo! (Poptones).
*The Scaramanga Six – The Dance Of Death (Wrath).
*Stuffy/The Fuses - Angels Are Ace (Advanced Cat Skills).
*Superkings – Secret Chiefs.

Single Reviews
*Armstrong – Reinvent The Scene (Organic).
*Balor Knights – Tornado/Get Straight (Phantom Power).
*Chris Hallam – Silhouettes (Ordinary Life).
*The Hermit Crabs – Feel Good Factor EP (Matinée).
*Pan Electric – Ethiopia (Chillosophy).
*South Central – Nothing Can Go Wrong (art/goes/pop).
*Sovereign Heights – 81.
*Steveless/Syd Howells – Cutlery (FuKu).
*Steveless/Syd Howells – Teeth Like Tombstones, Eyes Like Coal (FuKu).
*The Walk Off – Vader Fader (Hungry Audio).

Live Reviews
*16 Bronsons. Portsmouth Registry. 15feb07.
*Autons. Shoreditch Cargo. 06feb07.
*Das Wanderlust, Retro Spankees, Persil, Inner City Pirates. Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre. 16feb07.
*Miss Odd Kid, Big Joan, Shuffle, Cruiser Chimps. Hoxton Macbeth. 24feb07.

Zine Reviews
*Shadowplay #19

and that, I'm sad to say, is yer lot.

Thanks for your support of Vanity Project.

VP writers best of 2006

2007-02-18T20:34:00.000Z

In the following 3 posts, you will find the Top 10s (or thereabouts) for 3 of VP's regular contributors.

You can scroll down or link directly, should you have ended up in this post and are not sure how.

Skif's Top 10's

Grebo's Top 10's

David Adair's Top 10

On his own blog, Silent Words Speak Loudest, another of our contributors, Ben, has supplied extensive personal listings for 2006.

SWSL Top 10 Albums

SWSL Top Singles

SWSL Top 10 Gigs

VP writers best of 2006: Skif

2007-02-18T14:37:00.000Z

Albums
The Gasman – This One’s For You
North Sea Radio Orchestra – North Sea Radio Orchestra
Scott Walker – The Drift
James Yorkston – The Year Of The Leopard
Dufus – The Last Classed Blast
Gareth S. Brown – Iron Henry
Smokers Die Younger – X Wants The Meat
That Fucking Tank - Day Of Death By Bono Adrenalin Shot
Zea – Insert Parallel Universe
Various – This Is Love

Singles
Soft Priest – Done It! EP
Cannonball Jane – Take It To Fantastic
Mew – Why Are You Looking Grave?
Xerox Teens – Round/Sometimes It’s Hard To Beat A Woman
Electroluvs – Boy Don’t Bother/Teenage Timebomb
Dungen - Festival
Be Your Own Pet – Adventure
Dilated Peoples – Back Again
Kings Have Long Arms – Lisa Riley/It Feels Like I’m In Love
Catnap – Have You Seen Larry?

Gigs
Cardiacs. London Astoria. 10nov06.
Shitdisco. Liverpool Barfly. 16mar06.
Only Son. Liverpool Carling Academy. 30jan06.
Stuffy/The Fuses. Herne Hill Half moon. 21dec06.
Gogol Bordello. Manchester Academy 2. 11mar06.
The Research. Liverpool Barfly. 18jan06.
White Rose Movement. Liverpool Barfly. 01mar06.
Blanche. London Luminaire. 04dec06.
Nina Nastasia + Jeffrey Lewis. London Scala. 28nov06.
Daniel Johnston & friends. London Barbican Hall. 14apr06.

VP writers best of 2006: Grebo

2007-02-18T13:37:00.000Z

Albums
Trash Money – Trash Money (Tragic Records)
John Kastner – Have You Seen Lucky (Boss Tuneage)
Loop Guru – Elderberry Shiftglass (Elsewhen)
Rusty Sheriff – d.e.a.f.? (Twenty Seven Percent)
Lucinda Sieger – Silver Life (Elsewhen)
The Bonesaw Romance – The Bonesaw Romance (Boss Tuneage)
Steve Turner & His Bad Ideas – New Wave Punk Asshole (Funhouse)
Comets On Fire – Avatar (Sub Pop)
Slayer – Christ Illusion (American)
You’re Smiling Now But We’ll all Turn Into Demons – Black Demon Time (Beware The Priest)

Singles
Noisettes – Don’t Give Up (Vertigo)
Edgar Jones & The Joneses – More Than You’ve Ever Had! (Viper)
Bluesky Research - True Spirit (Research Recordings)
Dead Kids – The Dead Wife Pills (Fierce Panda)
The Hedrons – I Need You (Measured Records)
The Exits – You Gotta Help Me Out (Demo)
Mach Schau – Necessary Evils (Demo)
The Horrors – Count In Fives (Loog)
Gene Serene – I Can Do Anything/Sound Of The Crowd EP (ORG)
Ninja Massacre – The Masterplan (Self Released)

Gigs
Rusty Sheriff + friends @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth.
Motorhead + Clutch @ Portsmouth Guildhall.
Wills & The Willing @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth.
Little London + $10 Hookers @ The Frog On The Front.
Trash Money @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth.
Aberfeldy @ Portsmouth Guildhall.
Little London + Dragon Eye Morrison + Hellcyon @ The Registry, Portsmouth.
Contra + The Carter Affair + Underdog @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth
The Strange Death Of Liberal England + The Demons + Big Squirrel @ The Registry, Portsmouth.
The Exits @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth.
The Bees @ The Albert Tavern, South Parade Pier, Portsmouth.

Worst gig
Guns N Roses @ Nottingham Arena. (Thank the lord I was paid to be there working, because if I had wasted money on that shower of shit I may have killed myself. Complete rubbish!)

VP writers best of 2006: David Adair

2007-02-18T12:33:00.000Z

Albums
1. Lloyd Cole; Antidepressant (Factory Records)
2. Be Your Own Pet; Be Your Own Pet (XL Recordings)
3. Breed 77; In My Blood (Albert Productions)
4. Scott Mathews; Passing Strangers (San Remo)
5. Alexisonfire; Crisis (Hassle Records)
6. Amy Winehouse; Back To Black (Universal Records)
7. The Hold Steady; Boys & Girls In America (Vagrant)
8. Kathryn Williams; Leave To Remain (Caw Records)
9. Mogwai; Zidane A 21st Century Portrait (Pias)
10. Hot Gossip; Hot Gossip (Ghost Records)

VP new reviews - 05feb07

2007-02-05T15:34:00.000Z

updated on www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews
*+ 44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating (Polydor).
*Anon – Violent (Non Applicable Records).
*Arachnotaur – Slo=w Pertinacious Threnody On The Abnegation Of Succour.
*Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity (ATP).
*Dragon or Emperor – Dragon Or Emperor (Pickled Egg).
*The Drones – Gala Mill (ATP).
*Everything On Black – Stain (Something To Listen To).
*Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby (Polydor).
*Little Barrie - Stand Your Ground (Genuine).
*Loop Guru – Elderberry Shiftglass (Elsewhen).
*L Pierre – Dip (Melodic).
*Mandalay – Virgin Passages (Fire).
*Musti Laiton – Collection.
*The Pines – It’s Been A While (Matinée).
*Plus Device – Puncture (Hefty).
*Radicalfashion – Odori (Hefty).
*Transmitters – I Fear No-One (Elsewhen).
*Trash Money – Trash Money (Tragic Records).
*William D. Drake – Briny Hooves (She Bear).
*William D. Drake – Yew’s Paw (Onomatopoeia).
*You Judas – Happiness (Fight Me).

Single Reviews
*Beangrowers – I Like You (Series 8).
*Fanfarlo – Talking Backwards (Fortuna Pop!).
*Gindrinker – Demo.
*Grand Prix ’86 – Everybody’s Dancing/Lights In Your Eyes (I Can Count).
*Grand Volume – History/Fire Come Soon (Fat Northerner) .
*The Hip Priests – Numbers Of The Priests.
*The Hold Steady – Chips Ahoy! (Vagrant).
*The Isles – Summer Loans (Melodic).
*It’s A Buffalo – Broken Toy /Climb Climb (Akoustik Anarkhy).
*Listen With Sarah – My Little Hula Girl/Animal Boum (Cherryade).
*Listen With Sarah – The World Of Listen With Sarah (Cherryade).
*The Maple State – Joanna/Wood and Rain (High Volatge).
*Mark Ronson - Toxic (Columbia).
*Midas – Don’t Dance (Killsound).
*The Nightjars – Cease To Exist (Kiss The Death).
*Switches - Drama Queen (Atlantic).
*X1 – Hypnosis (Curve).

Live Reviews
*Arachnotaur, You’re Smiling Now But We’ll All Turn Into Demons, Sons Of Caine, Frosthold. Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms. 10Jan07.
*The Good, The Bad And The Queen. Portsmouth South Parade Pier. 28jan07.
*Jamie T, The Macabees. Portsmouth Pyramids. 30jan07.
*Little London, Dragon Eye Morrison, Fivemiledrive, Sons Of Caine, Big Squirrel. Portsmouth Guildhall. 27jan07.

VP new reviews - 19jan07

2007-01-19T13:40:00.000Z

updated on www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews
*Animal Collective - Hollinndagain (Paw Tracks).
*Benoît Pioulard - Précis (Kranky).
*Bone-Box – Death Of A Prize Fighter (Fat Northerner).
*The Boyfriends – The Boyfriends (Boobytrap).
*Brighter – Out To Sea (Matinée).
*Dextro – Consequence Music (Grönland).
*Gareth S. Brown – Iron Henry (Misplaced).
*Griddle – Klimty Favela (Your Permanent).
*Horowitz – Frosty Cat Songs (Kitchen).
*Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter - Like, Love, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul (Barsuk Records).
*Kid Congo Powers – Solo Cholo (Transsolar).
*Kultur Shock – We Came To Take Your Jobs Away (Koolarrow).
*Mika - Life In Cartoon Motion (Casablanca).
*North Sea Radio Orchestra - North Sea Radio Orchestra (Oof!).
*The Pocket Gods – Sandringtonsput.
*Shalloboi – Petals.
*The Skygreen Leopards – 1000 Bird Ceremony (Cosmos).
*Various – Ammehoelahop (Transformed Dreams).
*Various – Furthest Branches From The Trunk (Timbreland).
*Various – See Dee Compilation (Topplers).
*Various - This is the New (art/goes/pop).
*Various – The Topography Of Chance (Sonic Arts Network).
*Various – This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The 22 Of Us (Twisted By Design).
*You’re Smiling Now But We’ll All Turn Into Demons – Black Demon Time/The Freewheelin’ Demons/Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Demons! (Beware The Priest).

Single Reviews
*The Distance – When The Wheels Came Off (Tokyotron).
*Ferry Corsten ft Guru - Junk (Positiva).
*Findlay Brown - Come Home (Peacefrog/BMG).
*Hammer Vs. The Snake – Goods (Lossless).
*Harper Lee – He Holds A Flame EP (Matinée).
*Jeremy Warmsley - Dirty Blue Jeans (Transgressive).
*Joe Matson – DTA.
*Johnny Foreigner – Sometimes, In The Bullring (Laundrette).
*Linda Draper – Traces Of (Skipping Stones).
*The Loves – Xs and Os/She’ll Break Your Heart Again EP (Fortuna Pop!).
*The Maccabees - First Love (Fiction).
*Mr Hudson & The Library - Bread & Roses (Genepool).
*Mr Luggs – Neeby Deep Ma Gubboch (Topplers).
*Outputmessage – Sommeil Remixes (Melodic).
*Screaming Mimi/RepoMen – Who Is Louise?/Trophy (Phantom Power).
*The Sound Movement – Modern Condition (Truck).
*Stuffy/The Fuses + The Aprons – Joe C (Is An Idiot) + Chase Me Mean Man (Hungry Audio).
*Unexploded Shells – Made In The Same City As You.

Live Reviews
*Blanche. London Luminaire. 04dec06.
*Jarvis Cocker. Camden Roundhouse. 16dec06.
*Mr David Viner. London Luminaire. 04dec06.
*Nina Nastasia, Jeffrey Lewis. London Scala. 28nov06.
*Xerox Teens, Bolt Action Five, Tim Ten Yen. London Buffalo Bar. 13jan06.

VP new reviews - 03nov06

2006-11-03T11:37:00.000Z

updated on www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews
*Various – Digital Northerner Volume Two (Fat Northerner).
*Various – Stressed Vol. 3 (Stressed).
*Viva Voce – Get Yr Blood Sucked Out (Full Time Hobby).

Single Reviews
*Boy From Brazil – Out Of The Past…Into The Future (Transsolar).
*Costar – Too Much Talk (Popfiction).
*Courtney Tidewell - Missing Link (Ever).
*DJ Shadow - This Time (I’m Gonna Try It My Way) (Island).
*H Bird – Pink Lights & Champagne (Dog Box).
*The Horrors - Count In Fives (Loog).
*Juliette and the Licks - Sticky Honey (Hassle).
*Klaxons - Magick (Polydor).
*Tunng - Jenny Again (Fulltime Hobby).

Live Reviews
*The Gossip, Comonechi. Liverpool Carling Academy 2. 29oct06.
*The Young Knives, The Grates. Liverpool Academy 2. 27oct06.

VP new reviews - 17oct06

2006-10-17T12:17:00.000Z

Added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews
*Angel Tech – Angel Tech.
*The Black Angels – Passover (Light In The Attic).
*Duke Fame – Too Proud To Practice (Geeves).
*DYRĐIN - DYRĐIN (Skipping Stones).
*Entrance – Prayer Of Death (Tee Pee).
*Fiel Garvie – Caught Laughing (Words-on-music).
*Harlan t Bobo – Too Much Love (Transsolar).
*Helios – Eingya (type).
*Humanzi - Out On A Wire (Fiction).
*James Yorkston – The Year Of The Leopard (Domino).
*Luxembourg – Front (Dog Box).
*The Meeting Places – Numbered Days (Words On Music).
*Mercury Rev - The Essential Mercury Rev, Stillness Breathes (V2).
*Milburn - Well Well Well (Mercury).
*The Nightingales – Out Of True (Iron Man).
*Pipas – Sorry Love (Long Lost Cousin).
*Sound Team - Movie Monster (Parlophone).
*Spotlight Kid – Departure (Club AC30).

Single Reviews
*Blackbud - Forever (Independiente).
*The Broken Family Band – You’re Like A Woman (Track And Field).
*Buswell – Don’t Go Wasting Time (4th Street).
*Circuits – Say No Say Yeah (Try Science!).
*Dirty Pretty Things - Wondering (Vertigo).
*Education – Cool As You/Charles.
*Henrik Schwarz - Imagination Limitation (K7).
*The Long Blondes - Once And Never Again (Rough Trade).
*Ooze feat. TishK – Random Wondrous Things (Chillosophy).
*Piranha Deathray – Dolly Dolly/Last Australian In Space (Dog Box).
*Piskie Sits – What Is The Point? (Wrath).
*Psapp – Hi (Domino).
*Quad Throw Salchow – The Unwelcome Guest/Speed (Try Science!).
*The Scaramanga Six – Baggage (Wrath).
*Shuffle – My Friend’s Girlfriend/An Old Uprising (Tummy Touch).
*Stoneleaf – Each Last Act.
*The Upwelling – The Upwelling.

Live Reviews
*Dear Eskimo, The Spoons. Manchester Night & Day Café. 26sep06.
*Shepherds Pi. Manchester Night & Day Café. 26sep06.
*The Tigerpicks. Manchester Night & Day Café. 26sep06.

VP new reviews - 14sep06

2006-09-14T08:56:00.000Z

added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews
*Anathallo – Floating World (Artist Friendship).
*Ash Verjee – I’m Sorry, I’m Lost (Freedom Road).
*Dufus – The Last Classed Blast (Iron Man).
*Envy – Insomniac Doze (Rock Action).
*Fallopian – Damn It, Eat Your Pudding (Avebury).
*His Name Is Alive – Detrola (Silver Mountain).
*Howling Bells – Howling Bells (Bella Union).
*Perspects – Peopleskills (Interdimensional Transmissions).
*Plaid & Bob Jaroc – Greedy Baby (Warp).
*The Pleasure – The Pleasure (Rookie).
*Salon Boris – I Am The Drug (UDiscs).
*Snowden – Anti-Anti (Jade Tree).
*Tapes N’ Tapes – The Loon (XL).
*Unknown Component – Everything At Once Is Nothing All The Time.
*Various – Easy To Be Free: The Music Of Rick Nelson (Planting Seeds).
*Various – History Is Bunk Part 1 & Part 2 (Hefty).
*Wolf Eyes – Human Animal (Sub Pop).
*Working For A Nuclear Free City - Working For A Nuclear Free City (Melodic).
*Zea – Insert Parallel Universe (Transformed Dreams).

Single Reviews
*Albert Hammond Jr - Everyone Get’s A Star (Rough Trade).
*Black Jackson - As Seen On TV.
*The Black Tulips – The Dogs Home EP (Scalpel).
*Bonnie Prince Billy – Cursed Sleep (Domino).
*Dead World Leaders – The Start Of The End Begins (October Frequency).
*The Department Of Eagles – Romo Goth/Sailing By Night (Melodic).
*Don Agbai – Cats And Travel EP (Vapen & Godis).
*Donderdag – Saturday.
*The Human Value - Give Me (Big Deal Records).
*Kings Have Long Arms – Lisa Riley/It Feels Like I’m In Love (Heart & Soul).
*Noonakai – All My Journeys (Red Weather).
*Paul De Aragon – Linearphase (Microdot).
*Peter Derzbach – Deni.
*The Pipettes - Judy (Memphis Industries).
*The Reverse – A Clean Incision (Run Out).
*Rosemary – Suburban Kings (MA2).
*Rotating Leslie – Fire! Fire!
*Steeple Remove – Love Machine (3rd Side).
*Tahiti 80 /Fugu– Chinatown/Morning Sun (3rd Side).
*Talk – Bypass Control/Return To Factory (Fortune & Glory).
*Underdog – Sunny Estate EP (Criminal).

Live Reviews
*Creamfields. Daresbury, Halton. 26aug06.
*Rocco Deluca And The Burden. Manchester Academy 4. 01sep06.

Zine Reviews
*Funky As Fudge #3.

VP new reviews - 17jul06

2006-07-17T09:09:00.000Z

Added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today.

Interview
*Zukanican

Album reviews
*Bonemachine – Why Can’t We Catch The Liars? (Hackpen).
*Ensemble – Ensemble (Fat Cat).
*The Sound Movement – Ichi Go Ichi E (Truck).
*Tender Trap – 6 Billion People (Fortuna Pop!).
*Various – Screaming Tarts: The Album vol. 3 (Screaming Tarts)
*Various - Thee Sheffield Radiophonic Workshop (Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation).

Single review
*Marmaduke Duke - Everybody Dance (Captains Of Industry)

Live review
*Son Of Dave. Liverpool Barfly Loft. 11jul06.

VP new reviews - 01jul06

2006-07-01T13:38:00.000Z

uploaded today at www.vanityproject.co.uk

Interview:
*The Gasman

Album Reviews:
*The Atoms – Staying True With The Atoms (Stressed)
*Bardo Pond – Ticket Crystals (ATP Recordings)
*Death Of Fashion – Hello Movement (Murder Mystery Records)
*The Gasman – This One’s For You (Planet Mu)
*The Grates – Gravity Won’t Get You High (Polydor)
*Growing – Color Wheel (Rock Action)
*Guilty Connector – Beats, Noise, and Life (Planet Mu)
*Hefner – Catfights (Darren Hayman Records)
*Jerry Colburn – On Fire (Strip Mall Of Sound)
*John Kastner – Have You Seen Lucky? (Boss Tuneage)
*The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble (Planet Mu)
*Mclusky – Mcluskyism (Too Pure)
*Natacha Atlas – Mishmaoul (Mantra)
*Now – Frisbee Hot Pot (Pickled Egg)
*Ochre – Lemodie (Benbecula)
*OMR – Superheroes Crash (Uncivilised World)
*Robots In Disguise - Get Rid (President)
*Rusty Sheriff – d.e.a.f.? (Twenty Seven Percent Records)
*Sebadoh – III (Domino)
*TV Smith – Misinformation Overload (Boss Tuneage)
*Uniform – Protocol (Planet Mu)
*Various Artists – Gommagang 3 (Gomma)
*Zukanican – Horse Republic (Pickled Egg)

Single Reviews:
*The Bobby McGee’s – The Bobby McGee’s…Yes Please! (Cherryade).
*Capulet – The World Is A Tragic Place But There Is Grace All Around Us So Attend To The Grace (Motivesounds).
*The Clerks – The Dissidents (art/goes/pop).
*Daniele Baldelli – Cosmic Asteroid 2006 (Gomma).
*Y Dull Duckworth Lewis – Dyfal Donc A Dyr Y Garreg (Recordiau Rhad Ac Am Ddim).
*The Electric Camera – Heat Exchange (SugarLow).
*Gay For Johnny Depp – Shh, Put The Shiv To My Throat (Captains Of Industry).
*Gossip - Listen Up (Backyard).
*Hey Negrita - Abandon Ship (Fat Fox).
*The Holloways – 2 Left Feet (TVT).
*The Mardy Bums – Put Wood In Hole (Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation).
*Monkey Swallows The Universe – Science (Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation).
*The OGB – Easy Life.
*The Pocket Gods – Little Guy In There.
*Sennen – Let You Down (Hungry Audio).
*Seven Days Awake – Look At You (RJ).
*The Soft Explosions – Ride Between The Eyes (Canarsie).

Live Reviews:
*Daniel Johnston and friends. London Barbican Theatre. 14apr06.
*The Devil and Daniel Johnston (film). Liverpool FACT.

Zine Reviews:
*Shadowplay #18.

VP new reviews - 12jun06

2006-06-12T08:18:00.000Z

Added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews:
*The Arrogants – You’ve Always Known When Best To Say Goodbye (Letterbox).
*Boy Kill Boy - Civilian (Vertigo).
*The Charade – A Real Life Drama (Skipping Stones).
*Crack Und Ultra Eczema – What Do You Think You Think? (Tes fesses).
*The Divine Comedy – Victory For The Comic Muse (Parlophone).
*Helene – Routines (Series 8).
*Instant Species – Robert The Bruces Spider (IS).
*John Ludi – Hell’s Laughter and Heaven’s Ache + Rise Above or Fall Below.
*Lovemat – The Fearless Hair Days Of Youth (Disturbia).
*Lucinda Sieger – Silver Life (Sunset Red / Elsewhen Records).
*Magoo – The All Electric Amusement Arcade (Series 8).
*MJ Hibbett & The Validators – We Validate (Artists Against Success).
*Niobe – White Hats (Tomlab).
*Sarandon – The June Bride (Wrath).
*Sucioperro – Random Acts Of Intimacy (Captains Of Industry).
*Sundealers –Tears, Love, Religion (Something To Listen To).
*The Terminal Generation – Our Monstrosity.
*The Triffids – Born Sandy Devotional (Domino).
*Varsity Drag – For Crying Out Loud (Boss Tuneage).
*The Year Zero – Oceania, I Will Return (Skipping Stones).
*You & The Atom Bomb – Shake Shake Hello?! (Sink & Stove).

Single Reviews:
*Bigeyeam – Shake It Like Ya Mean It.
*The Black Tulips – We The Lonely Ones.
*Capital X – Pirate Melodies EP.
*Champion Kickboxer – Perforations (Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation).
*Cheveu – DOG (s-s).
*Cheveu – Clara Venus (SDZ/Royal).
*Drunk With Joy – The Beginning (A Maze).
*Fireworks Night – When We Fell Through The Ice/Echo’s Swing (Organgrinder).
*Jack Adaptor – Who Can Shout Loudest (Schnitzel).
*John Stammers – The Fridge (Garden Sticks).
*King Alexander/Male! – Split 7” single (Save Your Wisdom Teeth).
*Ninja Massacre – The Masterplan.
*Onewordpoem – Demonstration .
*Pseudo Mellor – Demo.
*Scissors For Lefty - Ghetto Ways (Rough Trade).
*tKatKa – Lazerslab (Junkbait).
*Waitstill Baxter – Highway EP (Rebeat).

Live Reviews:
*Buck 65. Liverpool Barfly Theatre. 15may06.
*Holy Fuck. Liverpool Barfly Theatre. 15may06.
*Robots In Disguise, The Indica Ritual. Liverpool Barfly Loft. 24may06.

Zine Reviews:
*Empty Playground #1.
*Organ #151.
*Phlegm Comic #1, #2, #3.

VP new reviews - 14may06

2006-05-14T19:29:00.000Z

Added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews
*Being 747 – Health & Safety (Wrath)
*The Capstan Shafts – Springboard To The Boxwine Set (Yellow Mica)
*Elaine Palmer – Waves (Cosmos)
*Elektradog – Demos
*Forest Giants – Welcome To The Mid-West (Cherryade)
*The Haircuts – Sorrow Is The Way To Love (Yellowmica) www.myspace.com/thehaircuts
*Let’s Be Honeys – Popsongs For My Poor Self (Yellowmica) www.behoneys.tk
*Persil – Comfort Noise (Transformed Dreams)
*Planning To Rock – Have It All (Chicks On Speed)
*Riotmind – Look Out Westy
*Scott Walker – The Drift (4AD)
*Tom Kelsall – Tom Kelsall www.tomkelsall.com
*Various – They’ll Have To Catch Us First (Domino)

Single Reviews
*Autokat – Dish Out/Get Off The Bar (Akoustik Anarkhy).
*Bearsuit – Stephen F***ing Spielberg (Fantastic Plastic).
*The Bedroom Singer – Your Lover From Berlin (Yellowmica).
*Circuits – Radio Silence/Half Read Book (Try Science!).
*Diktendo – Sweet & Tender As We Are (Melodrama).
*The Invisible Clock Factory – Penelope Rose/The Quantum Particles Rock And Roll Song.
*Iodo – Walk-On Role.
*King Biscuit Time - Kwangchow (Poptones).
*Luxembourg – We Only Stayed Together For The Kids (Dog Box).
*My Passion – Bitter Too.
*The Playmates – Smash Hits (Wrath).
*The Pocket Gods – Jombal Portal.
*Ralfe Band –Women Of Japan (Skint).
*The Swear – Canis Minor EP.
*Thousand Natural Shocks - Under The Sun/Attack (Play It Again 7).
*Xerox Teens – Xerox Teens EP (Big Billy).

Live Reviews
*Autons, My Passion, You And The Atom Bomb, The Bro’s Grim. Islington Bar Academy. 22apr06.

VP new reviews - 25apr06

2006-04-25T12:54:00.000Z

Following added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews:
*Belong - October Language (Carpark).
*The Big Eyes Family Players – Do The Musiking (Pickled Egg).
*Electroluvs – Bubblewrapped (NinthWave).
*Finlay – The Fall Of Mary (Fortuna Pop!).
*Ghostdigital – In Cod We Trust (Honest Jons).
*Kyler – Pur Cosy Tales (Planet Mu).
*Mogwai – Mr Beast (PIAS).
*Rod Stern – Give It Up For Rod Stern (Tapestry).
*Sol Seppy – The Bells Of 1 2 (Grönland).
*Syntaks – Awakes (Benbecula).
*Uncle Ray – In Line With Mr Jimmy (Singer).
*Various – I Can Count Volume 1 (I Can Count).
*Various – The Pig’s Big 78: A Beginner’s Guide (Trikont).
*Zoppo – Don’t Trust Scarred Survivors (Transformed Dreams).

Single Reviews:
*Andy Robbins – First Person (Singular).
*Bib – BOX9 (Dog Box).
*Boys of Scandinavia – Why Do You Love Me? (Mate).
*Diastole – Escalade EP.
*Ejectorseat – Attack! Attack! Attack!
*The Knockouts – D-Zug/El Problemo/Husband Material (Topplers).
*The Ladies – Tissue of Lies EP.
*The Lodger – Let Her Go/We Come From The Same Place (Angular).
*Masque – Peacekeeper EP (Topplers).
*Maude – Fighting Chances.
*Piranha Deathray – BOX10 (Dog Box).
*Quartershade – Captain My Captain/Fragile (Yellow Noise).
*Think-Box – Getting A Rep In The Oval Office.
*This Et Al – Sabbatical (Jealous).
*Voodoo 7:2 – Musical Mountaineers.

Zine Reviews:
*Funky As Fudge #2.
*Shadowplay #17.

Jobs for the boys

2006-04-19T12:14:00.000Z

Finally getting to see them Autons this Saturday after too long waiting for an opportunity.

To whet my own appetite, I only do this 'zine for my own gratification y'know, an interview was undertaken with said scamps.

You can read it at the VP interview blog site as of NOW!

VP new reviews - 03apr06

2006-04-03T12:16:00.000Z

Now available to view via www.vanityproject.co.uk

Album Reviews
*Ampersand – Schadenfreude Blue (Banana).
*Breaks Co-op - The Sound Inside (Parlophone).
*Cat Power – The Greatest (Matador).
*Dawn Of The Replicants – Fangs (SL).
*Dilated Peoples – 20/20 (Parlophone).
*Highroad No. 28 – Unsteady & Steady State (DSM99).
*J.Kriste (Master Of Disguise) – This Is The Alternative (Moon).
*Mike K – A Simple Story Simply Told.
*My Latest Novel – Wolves (Bella Union).
*Niall Quinn – Under Some Sky.
*Smokers Die Younger – X Wants The Meat (Detail/Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation).
*Various – This Is Love (Dig Your Own Grave).
*Viva L’American Death Ray Music – In The Meantime (Transsolar).
*Volumen – Science Faction (Wantage).

Single Reviews
*Autons – Snakes/Ice Major (Mouthy).
*Be Your Own Pet – Adventure (XL).
*The Budda Cakes – The Budda Cakes EP.
*Cannonball Jane – Take It To Fantastic/Slumber Party (Fortuna Pop!).
*Commander Swift – Help For The Hopeful.
*The Common Redstarts – Killing Street (Seeca).
*Cyndee Lee Hulko vs. Don Agbai – Split 7” (Vapen & Godis/Dig Your Own Grave).
*Darlings Of The Splitscreen – Dots EP.
*Emit – Gun.
*Forest Giants – Planes Fly Overhead (Cherryade).
*The Pocket Gods – Brian.
*Shallowboi – Invisible Against The Sun (Endless December).
*Soft Priest – Done It! EP (Akoustik Anarkhy).
*They Drove Me To It – Save Me Sinner/Bulletproof.
*Various – Field Recordings EP (Regularbeat).
*The Voom Blooms – Politics and Cigarettes (Fiction).

Live Reviews
*Ladytron, Esa Shields. Liverpool Korova. 22mar06.

VP new reviews - 18mar06

2006-03-18T10:58:00.000Z

Added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews:
*Julie’s Haircut – After Dark, My Sweet (Homesleep).
*Mad Juana – Acoustic Voodoo (Diesel Motor/XIE).
*Mark Mandeville – The Accident That Led Me To The World (Nobody’s Favorite).
*Park Attack – Halfpast Human (Textile).
*Saint Jude’s Infirmary – Happy Healthy Lucky Month (SL).
*Six. By Seven – Club Sandwich At The Peveril Hotel (Saturday Night Sunday Morning).
*Soledad Brothers – The Hardest Walk (Loog).
*Spearmint – The Boy And The Girl That Got Away (hitBACK).

Single Reviews:
*A Million Billion – Volcano Season (Exercise1).
*Cherubs – Paper Cut Moon (Cargo).
*Duels - Animal (Nude).
*Elaine Palmer – Dadgad EP (Cosmos).
*Freemasons ft Amanda Wilson - Watchin (Loaded).
*Harlette – Don’t Call Me Creepy (Freedom Road).
*The Loungs – I’m Gonna Take Your Girl (Akoustik Anarkhy).
*Riotmind – Wrapped In Plastic.
*Rival Joustas – Animals.
*The Sweethearts – BOX7 (Dog Box).
*Swimmer One – BOX6 (Dog Box).
*The Tamborines – What Took You So Long? (Decadent).
*Xerox Teens – Round/Man It’s Hard To Beat A Woman (Big Bully).

Live Reviews:
*Boy Kill Boy. Liverpool Barfly Theatre. 03mar06.
*Gogol Bordello. Manchester Academy 2. 11mar06.
*The Like. Manchester Academy 3. 09mar06.
*Shitdisco. Liverpool Barfly Loft. 16mar06.

Zine Reviews:
*Homelovin’.

In for the K and L.

2006-03-03T15:50:00.000Z

Two more contributions from me good self for the Art of Noise encylopaedia.

At K, I submitted a piece on Killing Joke, which sits alongside the following: Keith;
Kentish Town Forum;
Kevin Keegan;
Kim Gordon;
Nat ‘King’ Cole;
Kings of Leon;
The Kinks;
& Kraftwerk.

For L, there's locomotives from me, some guff about the prominence of the train in song. That's joined by great gear on:
Lambchop – ‘Up With People’;
Lionel Richie;
‘Local Hero’ – Dire Strait;
London Calling – The Clash;
longevity;
Lost Sides – Doves;
'Love To Hate You’ – Erasure;
and ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ – The Beatles

VP new reviews - 02mar06

2006-03-02T15:02:00.000Z

The following now added to www.vanityproject.co.uk

Album Reviews
*A+E Line – Train Wrecks.
*Ant – Footprints Through The Snow (Homesleep).
*Babar Luck – Care In The Community (Rebel Music).
*The Bongolian – Blueprint (Blow Up).
*Charlie Parr – Rooster (Misplaced/Eclectone).
*David Francis – Fake Valentines.
*Hefner – The Best Of Hefner (Fortune & Glory).
*Jaed – Dirty Days (Instant Karma).
*Nalle – By Chance On Waking (Pickled Egg).

Single Reviews
*The Bleeding Hearts – You Bring Me To My Knees (Mother Tongue).
*The Bloom – Rinsing Boots.
*Elena - I Want You (Delicious).
*Glimr – Glamr (10Gev).
*Kypie – For The Silhouettes.
*Letters & Colours – Confrontation/Bigger Than Life.
*Lovemat – Between The Lines (Disturbia).
*The Marshals – Make Her Cry (Vertigo).
*Stop It You’re Killing Me – Waiting For Love EP.

Live Reviews
*Manchester vs Cancer. MEN Arena. 28jan06.
*The Scream, Kaputt, MiT. London Blow Up Metro. 25feb06.
*Shady Bard, Augustine. Birmingham Flapper & Firkin. 18feb06.
*White Rose Movement, The Violets. Liverpool Barfly Theatre. 01mar06.

Spasming through from the 1890's

2006-02-16T09:49:00.000Z

The latest instalment of the Art of Noise encyclopaedia is up.

We're now up to J.

Amongst the following entries

*James
*journeys down memory lane
*Little Jeff
*'Jerk it Out' by the Caesars
*joy
*juniors
*Junior/Senior
*Justified Ancient of Mu-Mu

is my piece on 'jugs'.

Yeah, you heard.

VP new reviews - 09feb06

2006-02-09T11:52:00.000Z

Reviews added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Interviews:
*Iodo

Album Reviews:
*Autumn’s Grey Solace – Riverine (Projekt)
*Buzzkill – Driven By Loss (In At The Deep End)
*Dakar & Grinser - Triumph of Flesh (Disko B)
*Dusty Sound System – Days of Splendour, Nights of Horror (Truck)
*Electronic Music Composer - Abandon Music (Planet Mu)
*François Tétaz – Wolf Creek OST (Rubber)
*Holly Throsby – On Night (Woo Me!)
*Jack Rose – Kensington Blues (Beautiful Happiness)
*Jethro Tull – Aqualung Live (RandM)
*Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds - ‘Philosophy and Underwear’ (Trans Solar)
*Licky – Press Fire To Continue (Something To Listen to)
*Millionaire – Paradisiac (Pias)
*Morning Runner – Wilderness Is Paradise Now (Parlophone)
*Pete Dale & The Beta Males – Betrayed By Folk (Fortuna Pop!)
*Rosolina Mar – Before And After Dinner (Wallace/Robotradio)
*Stretch Arm Strong – Free At Last (WPO)
*Various - Noise Research Program Volume 2 (Burning Emptiness)
*Various - The Sound of Young New York & Toronto (Plant Music)
*Various – Summoning Of The Muse, A Tribute To Dead Can Dance (Projekt)
*Volcano – Beautiful Seizure (Leaf)
*White Rose Movement - Kick (Independiente)

Single Reviews:
*5000 Killer Diseases –Demo
*At The Lake – These Days (Popfiction)
*Be Your Own Pet - Let’s Get Sandy (Big Problem) (XL)
*Harrisons - Bluenote (Melodic)
*Humanzi - Long Time Coming (Fiction)
*Idiot Pilot - A Day In The Life Of A Poolshark (Reprise Records)
*The Isles - Eve Of The Battle (Melodic)
*Joan As Policewoman – My Gurl/Sweet Thing (Reveal)
*THE KBC - Pride Before The Fall/Poisonous Emblem (High Voltage)
*Litterbug – Speaking Through The Gaps (Just Say No To Government Music)
*Magic8 – Battleships
*McQueen – Running Out Of Things To say (Furry Tongue Records)
*The Playmates/Instant Species/Farming Incident/The Terminals – Wrath Supersevens #12 (Wrath)
*Revue Noir – The Gravediggers (Projekt)
*The Scaramanga Six /Me Against Them – Wrath Supersevens #11 (Wrath)
*The Skeksis – EP1
*The Snowdrops – Sleepydust EP (Matinée)
*Stephanie Kirkham - Show Me What You’re Made Of (SLK)
*The Telescopes – Auditory Illusions (Double Agent)
*The Whip - Frustration (Kids)

Strands

2006-02-06T11:32:00.000Z

Quick post to highlight a little addition to the Beefheart.com weblog which appeals to me on several levels. Intrigued by a listing of two tracks part credited to Don Van Vliet, an investigation was undertaken into their involvement. After hitting several dead ends, they eventually stuck gold.

This is a tale which is bound to appeal to a librarian such as myself.

It also appeals to me on a personal and socially historical level as the tracks 'Can Fever' and 'Bone Crazy' were by now defunct Portsmouth band Screeper. I travelled around in their van up to London, Southampton and around Pompey back when I was first getting myself involved in the Portsmouth music scene in 1996. Saw them about 30 times in nigh-on 3 years.

One of my strongest memories is of the time they performed at the bottom of a 20 act, local FM radio pop bill in front of thousands in a Southampton park. Singer Dave's first words on stage to the assembled hoardes uninterested in anything that wasn't 'famous'? "C'mon you blues". Danger was his lifeblood.

Having Louise, Alisha's Attic and Jimmy Sommerville (amongst several others) knocking about with less of an entourage than our hometown heroes was quite a sight too. We came, we hid in the back of the van, we stole the free beer. I also remember drunkenly announcing the arrival of a Scottish rock band with the shout "Gun are here". Should have put more thought into that or, at least, said it less quickly.

Indeed, the precursor for Vanity Project, our Portsmouth-centric record label Elastic Fiction, released 'Can Fever' on its first cassette compilation that was distibuted free to promote bands on the scene at that time. Hardly any of which exist now. If anyone wants a free tape, or a CD that we did 3 years later, do email skif45@hotmail.com!

Screeper, well Dave Jones from the band, then formed Reinhardt and now heads up Autons, which also features Tony Rollinson, my kinda sven-gali figure for my label and writing efforts within the Pompey scene, and Leon Tricker, best mate of 25 years standing. I've yet to see them live, something i eventually hope to correct.

All the strands weaving together. Boot a football at it and it'd be nigh on perfect.

VP new reviews - 02feb06

2006-02-02T10:02:00.000Z

The following have been added to www.vanityproject.co.uk.

Album Reviews
*Amen Orchestra - 17 Waves (Art-Tek Records).
*Colt – These Things Can’t Hurt You Now So Throw Them In The Fire (Something To Listen To).
*Esoterica – The Fool (Something To Listen To).
*Greg Dulli’s Amber Headlights – Greg Dulli’s Amber Headlights (Infernal).
*Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat (Rough Trade).
*Kelley Stoltz - Below The Branches (Sub Pop).
*MJ Hibbett – Ubërset (Artists Against Success).
*The Ruts - Babylon’s Burning: Reconstructed - Dub Drenched Soundscapes (Collision).
*Send More Paramedics / Zombie Apocalypse – Tales Told By Dead Men (In At The Deep End).
*Siouxsie – Dreamshow (Live At The Royal Festival Hall with The Millennia Ensemble) DVD (Demon Vision).
*Sludgefeast – Virtua-Rock (Must Destroy).
*Super Distortion – Super Distortion (Pointy Bird).
*That Fucking Tank – Day of Death by Bono Adrenalin Shot (Jealous).
*Trouble Over Tokyo – 1000 (Tokyotron).
*Venetian Snares - Meathole (Planet Mu).
*Vex’d - Degenerate (Planet Mu).

Single Reviews
*Balor Knights/The Scarlet Tuesday – Just Cos Keenan Said So/A Perfect Quarter (Sheffield Phonographic Corporation).
*Boy Kill Boy – Back Again (Mercury).
*Cadillac – Wilder Than This (Popfiction).
*Catnap – Have You Seen Larry?
*Dilated Peoples – Back Again (Capitol).
*Electroluvs – Boy Don’t Bother/Teenage Timebomb (NinthWave).
*Korn - Twisted Transistor (Virgin).
*Rework - Psych Doll/Jogging Beat (Playhouse).
*Robben Island – Cigars And Burlesque.
*Roger - Kids and Thieves (Mate Recordings).
*The Strange Death Of Liberal England – stop/go happy/sad forward/forward.
*Trap2 – Low Without Sound EP (Blow Up).
*YSN – More (Wrath).

Live Reviews
*Regina Spektor. Liverpool Carling Academy 2. 30jan06.

If you'll indulge me...

2006-01-26T09:48:00.000Z

The A-Z on the Art Of Noise blog has reached I.

For this I have provided a missive on 'indulgence'.

This sits proudly alongside work on The Icarus Line, Iron Maiden, [Whitley Bay] ice rink, 'In A Silent Way' by Miles Davis, inCulto, interaction, iPod random shuffle and “I love you” compilations.

'J' will occur in a couple of weeks once the compiler has moved gaff. Lack of encyclopaedic commitment, if you ask me.

Box re-opened

2006-01-23T08:38:00.000Z

After burning out on theatre and comedy reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe, Box Social finally has some new review content. I can hear the sighs of relief being breathed.

Insomnobabble. Liverpool Unity Theatre. 21jan06.

In many ways, it was an Edinburgh preview as they plan to stage the show up there. Check it out if you're heading to Scotland this summer.

VP new reviews - 20jan06

2006-01-20T08:55:00.000Z

The following have been added to www.vanityproject.co.uk

Album Reviews
*Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene (City Slang).
*Cracking Amy – Loved To Death.
*Dragonflies Draw Flame – Harboured Safe (Stressed).
*The Fallout Trust – In Case Of The Flood (At Large).
*Zorch Factor – One Last Shower In The Dirt.

Single Reviews
*The Crimea - Lottery Winners On Acid (Warner).
*The Exits – Neon City EP.
*iForward Russia! - Twelve (Dance To The Radio).
*Frosthold – Winterswar.
*Hellcyon – Demo.
*Jack Viper – Sleazy Listening EP.
*StrangeTime – Demonstration No. 1.
*Sweetedge – Eucalyptus Sun.
*Swetbox – Swetbox.
*Vic Demone - Collectors Item.
*White Demons – White Demons.

Live Reviews
*Delta Fiasco. Liverpool Barfly Loft. 17jan06.
*Mono Taxi. Liverpool Barfly Loft. 17jan06.
*The Research. Liverpool Barfly Loft. 17jan06.

Zine Reviews
*Lip Gloss Zine #1.
*Organ Zine Dec/Jan 05/06.
*Shadowplay #16.

Stop your train / let a hobo ride

2006-01-19T11:40:00.000Z

This week's contribution to The Art of Noise A-Z centres around Howlin' Wolf. Only recently has his power really hit me, but when it did, it truly did knock me sideways. I'm no blues head, mind.

You can read it here, along with stuff about:

*hair
*Heart Of Glass – Blondie
*Hector’s Bunyip
*Help
*Heroes – David Bowie
*High Fidelity
*Hit the North
*Hockey Night

Catching up with the alphabet

2006-01-12T13:53:00.000Z

I'm delighted to be joining in with the musical blogging types over at The Art Of Noise, in their attempts to build an idiosynchratic A-Z of music.

I've been a bit late to volunteer my services, coming in this week at 'G', which means endless frustration at having missed the opportunity to gush on the subjects of The Fall, Captain Beefheart, Cardiacs and, err, Eiffel 65. Ah well. Maybe when they've got to Z they might start again.

My Woody Guthrie contribution sits alongside fine work on G4, ‘Gay Bar’, Gene, ‘Girls And Boys’, Glasgow, Glen Campbell and Goldie Lookin’ Chain.

VP writers' best of 2005

2006-01-09T11:47:00.000Z

In the following 3 posts, you will find the Top 10s (or thereabouts) for 3 of VP's regular contributors.

You can scroll down or link directly, should you have ended up in this post and are not sure how.

Skif's Top 10's

Grebo's Top 10's

David Adair's Top 10's

On his own blog, Silent Words Speak Loudest, another of our contributors has supplied extensive personal listings for 2005.

SWSL Top 10 Albums

SWSL Top 10 Singles

SWSL Top 10 Gigs

Ben also provides a host of links to other end of year music lists across the blogging community.

VP writers' best of 2005: Skif

2006-01-09T10:15:00.001Z

Albums of the year 2005
Steveless – Popular Music In Theory
The Fall – Fall Heads Roll
Quintron & Miss Pussycat – Swamp Tech
Linda Draper – One Two Three Four
The A-Lines – The A-Lines
Scaramanga Six – Cabin Fever
Fireworks Night – It’s A Wide, Wide Sea
Magnetphone – The Man Who Ate The Man
Baikonour – For The Lonely Hearts Of The Cosmos
Oceansize – Everyone Into Position

Singles of the year 2005
Stuffy/The Fuses – Where’s The Captain?
Deerhoof – Green Cosmos EP
Various – We Are Legion
Iodo – Note To Self EP
Who Made Who – The Loop
The Heart Strings – Try Fly Blue Sky EP
Signal Generator – Output EP
Stereolab – Kyberneticka Babicka Pts 1 & 2
The Fallout Trust – When We Are Gone
Yacht Club – YC001

Gigs of the year 2005
The Magic Band. Liverpool Carling Academy 2.
Architecture In Helsinki. Liverpool Barfly Theatre. 08jul05.
Schwervon. Liverpool Zanzibar. 21feb05.
Cranebuilders. Liverpool Carling Academy 2. 10mar05.
Thee More Shallows, a.P.A.t.T. Liverpool Hev’n & Hell. 01apr05.
Cardiacs. London Astoria. 11nov05.
Arcade Fire. Manchester Academy 1. 04may05.
Barb Jungr. Edinburgh Pleasance AceDome. 29aug05.
Sing Zimbabwe! Edinburgh St Georges West. 27aug05.
Misty’s Big Adventure. Manchester Dry Bar. 01oct05.
Laura Cantrell. Liverpool Academy. 22sep05.
Melys. Liverpool Cavern Club. 06mar05.

VP writers' best of 2005: Grebo

2006-01-09T10:09:00.000Z

Singles
*The Strange Death Of Liberal England - Stop/Go Happy/Sad Forward/Forward
*Little London - Small Town Coma
*Dragon Eye Morrison - The Official Pace Car Of The Apocalypse
*The Exits - Neon City EP
*Amplifier - The Astronaut Dismantles HAL EP
*Red Organ Serpent Sound - In Search Of Orgasmuz
*Weapons Of Mass Belief - Death Of A Nation
*Swetbox - Face Off
*Karn8 - Everything That You Despise
*The Kills - The Good Ones

Albums
*Turbonegro - Party Animals
*Colt - These Things Can't Hurt You Now So Throw Them In The Fire
*Ponies In The Surf - Ponies On Fire
*Kill Cheerleader - All Hail
*The Decemberists - Picaresque
*Thomas Truax - Audio Addiction
*DTX - One More Sinner
*Colin Clary - Sweater Weather Or Not, These Are The Songs I Got
*Lucifer Star Machine - Fire In Your Hole
*Big Squirrel - Escape From Squirrel Mountain

Gigs
*Cardiacs. Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms. 07nov05.
*Misty's Big Adventure, Retro Spankies. Portsmouth Frog On The Front. 15sep05. *Turbonegro. London Koko/Islington Carling Academy. 30nov05/19nov05.
*Motorhead. Southampton Guildhall. 23nov05.
*The Human League, Hoboken. Southampton Guildhall. 11dec05.
*Karn8, The Carter Affair, Chaser. Portsmouth Frog On The Front. 23sep05.
*Monkey Boy, Monkey Island. Southampton King Alfred. 14oct05.
*The Exits. Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms. 04oct05.
*Autons. Portsmouth Arts Centre, Portsmouth. 16apr05.
*The Filth Trinity featuring Little London, Mister Doom, Dragon Eye Morrison. Portsmouth Frog On The Front/Portsmouth HMC. 15jul05/25jul05/23dec05.
*The Good Time Charlies, The Sportiques, Room 99, The Missfits, Big Squirrel. Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms. 28dec05.

VP writers best of 2005: David Adair

2006-01-09T10:04:00.000Z

Albums
Orange - Welcome To The World Of Orange
Chiodos - All’s Well That Ends Well
Magnet - Tourniquet
I Am Kloot - Gods And Monsters
Rufus Wainwright - Want
Elbow - Leaders Of The Free Worldd
Belle Orchestre - Recording Tape The Colour of a Light
Babyshambles - Down In Albion
Pellumair - Summer Storm
The Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir

Singles
Stephen Fretwell - New York
Kathryn Williams - Shop Window
Joseph Arthur - Even Tho
A - Better Off With Him
The Cribs - You’re Gonna Lose Us/ The Wrong Way To Be
Babyshambles - Kilamangiro
Dr. Dog - The World May Never Know
Funeral For A Friend - History
Gratitude - This Is The Part
Helen Boulding - Housework

Gigs
The Music, Warrington Parr Hall
The Coral + Arctic Monkeys, Manchester Ritz
Circa Survive, Manchester Academy 2
Thea Gilmore (SWAP Festival), Manchester Academy
Aberfeldy, Liverpool Carling Academy

Falling upwards

2006-01-05T13:21:00.000Z

After our heavy Guardian bias in linkage today over at Hobo Tread, and the predominance of Fall related posts both here, here again and there, it seems entirely appropriate that I should up the Fall-posts to non-Fall-posts ratio on this blog, with the following link, recieved with thanks from Andrew McDevitt.

Dave Simpson has gone to obsessional lengths to track down some of the Fall ex-members. Some would argue that, like rats, you are never more than about 10 feet from one of them, and I saw an octogenarian lady this morning carrying a set of bongos in her shopping trolley that looked decidely suspect.

However, with some ex-Fallers lasting hours rather than years, it did turn out to be a hefty task. The results of which can be found here - Excuse Me, Weren't You In The Fall?.

Faint praise

2006-01-04T09:16:00.000Z

VP Editor Blog Laws
4.2) At least 3 in 10 posts must refer to either Cardiacs, Captain Beefheart or The Fall.

Latest issue of Mojo includes an interview with Mark E. Smith, a man who has to deem you worthy of throwing laudation at him.

And they dare to call this man cantankerous. Pah!

"If I could afford it, I would put an injunction on every fucking group that said they're influenced by The Fall. I find it very insulting. I get wrried when some Jimmy & The Fucking Nosepickers say they're influenced by The Fall when they sound like fucking Talking Heads"

These and more anti-Franz-Ferdinand-isms are yours for the best part of 4 quid, or thereabouts.

VP new reviews - 22dec05

2005-12-22T13:12:00.000Z

The following have been added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Albums
*Ariel Pink’s Haunted Grafitti 5 – House Arrest (Paw Tracks).
*Th’ Faith Healers – Peel Sessions (Ba Da Bing).
*Fariña – Allotments (Pickled Egg).
*Kepler – Attic Salt (Resonant).
*Merz – Loveheart (Grönland).
*Miller – Complete Buffoonery (Fred’s Crack).
*Spider – The Way To Bitter Lake.
*Undertheigloo – Circlesand (Freedom Road).
*Various – A Very Cherry Christmas (Cherryade).
*Various – Our Hearts Beat Out Of Tune (Yellowmica).

Singles
*The Bank Holiday – Day For Night (Lost & Lonesome).
*Boyracer – It’s Not True Grit, It’s Real Dirt (Yellowmica).
*clynder:sound – Houses For Kings.
*The Django Black Ensemble – Coastal Concert.
*Imperial Vipers – Promised Land (Eminence).
*Jaed – Catherine/Gutter Girl (Instant Karma).
*The Motorrettes - Super Heartbeats (Kitchenware).
*Sarandon – The Feminist Third (Wrath).
*Signal Generator – Output EP.
*Steve Treatment & The NoMen – 2005 ‘A’ Sided 45 (Topplers).
*The Young Untold – EP (Yellowmica).

Zines
*Funky As Fudge #1.

Whup whup whup

2005-12-21T10:19:00.000Z

Jus brought to my attention, a highly amusing, and effusive, review of The Fall's latest LP 'Fall Heads Roll' in the Guardian (09/12/05).

The record really is a fine piece of work, with more staying power than the last 2 or 3 Fall LPs. Likely to appear near the top of my albums-of-2005 countdown.

The Vanity Project end of year Top tens will appear here soon with my stuff, and hopefully some lists from our man in the South, Grebo.

A personal history of Karaoke

2005-12-19T10:06:00.000Z

My fellow librarians had the dubious pleasure of listening to me do a couple of numbers on the evenin' stage this past Friday. Our work Christmas do, took the form of a chinese meal followed by the usual bar action.

Of course, being tee-total these days renders me 'the boring one' (who would have thought you could have ever find that trait in a librarian), but I was necking bottles of Becks Alcohol-Free to keep up the blokey pretense (albeit in a female entourage), and it can have a small amount of placebo effect. Enough Dutch courage to return to the Karaoke floor after several years in exile.

Not 100% voluntary exile, I should add.

I can still recall the faces of horror of the 150 or so people on a Southampton Firkin pub as I attempted to impress a lady with my idiosychratic version of Shania Twain's 'Man, I Feel Like a Woman'. I would have loved to deliver it straight, but when you aren't overly familiar with the melody, you are left mumbling by way of catch up in a manner which Mark E. Smith has made a career out of. It was enough to tell me, that I should leave the mic behind.

The next person up was a lady doing 'That Don't Impress Me Much', and as I exited like a close-to-tears Weakest Link contestant, through a close-to-laughter audience, the spinmaster's words echoed in eternity, "now lets hear Shania done properly".

Needless to say, the lady remained mostly unimpressed, instead being somewhere between curled-up with mirth and a little frightened.

This was a bit of a come-down after reasonable reviews for previous performances. Always one of two songs, Roxy's 'Love Is The Drug', or Elvis' 'Burning Love'.

Once worked up enough to do it, my first effort on Friday was the Roxy one. I spent most of the night, being a walking conversational cul-de-sac, burrowed into the song-list, but thought to return to this, I'd best do something familiar. Take the old road, explore later.

The lack of a monitor was disconcerting, but thankfully mimicing Bryan Ferry's vibrato means dreadful singing can usually be disguised. I have no idea whether it was or not, but it felt good to be singing again.

Being a fanzine writer is essentially an admission that the music career is never going to happen, or more accurately in my case, that you ain't good enough in the first place. I'd be nothing without the words in front of me, and their presence is still no guarantee of quality from my harmful gob.

The occasional karaoke turn, after many nights, mostly good nights, of writing about the musical skills of others, is my chance to feel what it might be like if I'd have been given a creative gift rather than the cast-off of a reasonable ability to write about those who are creative. Gawd bless 'em.

A couple of hours later, having poured over the lists again, I plumped to finish my assault on the collective ears of the Atrium Bar, with a guerilla raid on 'This Charming Man', which only just (just, mind) edged out the Bob The Builder version of 'Mambo No. 5', as my sign-off option. Could hear myself better this time and quite pleased with my Joe-Longthorne-does-Moz effort.

I had been tempted with Lonnie Donegan's version of 'Rock Island Line' but the fast-paced nasal speak-singing up til the final frenzy would probably have been a bit of a stretch.

One thing that did startle me, aside from the presence of Megadeth in the lists, was that punters are given the chance to do Laurie Anderson's 'O Superman'. Does the DJ/host guy hand over a vocoder if you go down this road, I wonder? Certainly it would take a brave soul to electronically drawl over 8 minutes of "ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah....".

There's a crisp tenner in it though, if anyone's interested.

VP fanzine new reviews - 11dec05

2005-12-11T14:41:00.000Z

The following have been added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today.

Album Reviews:
*Cannonball Jane – Street Vernacular (Fortuna Pop!).
*Redworms’ Farm – Amazing (Fooltribe).
*Snap Ant – This Is Jut! (Invicta Hi-Fi).
*Steveless/Syd Howells – A Much Grimmer Place Than Oblivion (FuKu).
*Various – Ready, Steady, Purr! (Purr).

Single Reviews:
*The Atoms – Don’t Wanna Disco (Stressed).
*The Chemistry Experiment – Interstellar Autumn EP (Fortuna Pop!).
*The Graham Parsnip Liquidiser Torture Think Tank (Project) – In Search Of The Ugandan Goat Of Death.
*Milk Kan – Bling Bling Baby (Play It Again 7).
*My Enemy – Khreis (Vapen & Godis).
*My Enemy – Roo EP (Yellowmica).
*Oversol – Speed.
*Pop Levi – Blue Honey (Invicta Hi-Fi).
*Revolution – For Lonely Hearts & Tender Souls EP.
*Steveless/Syd Howells – Yo Ho Ho…A Selection of Xmas Treats (FuKu).
*Tender Trap – Language Lessons EP (Matinée).

Live Reviews:
*The Young Gods. Liverpool Barfly Theatre. 01dec05.

Hows thy father? ALRIGHT!

2005-12-01T09:28:00.000Z

So British Sea Power are doing a split 7" with the Wurzels, each covering a song by the other. As collaborations go, this ranks as 'quite unexpected'. Good to see the link up though between those provincial, rural oddballs and, err, the Wurzels.

Many run away in horror just at the mention of the West Country grandads, but I've had the pleasure of watching them at around mid-day at a sunny festival whilst gulping down Scrumpy Jack and I say, without irony, there really aren't many finer live musical experiences in my memory bank.

It's disappointing to first find out that one of them is Scottish and gulps back Stella during the course of their set, but they counter it with their vibrant and cuddly Cornish-folk thing.

Butterfly is dead, long live e-Butterfly

2005-11-17T09:18:00.000Z

Butterfly Crush, one of our favourite fanzines, will no longer be produced in paper form due to a lack of any increase in the number of their subscribers.

Always a bit of a shame when paper zines bite the dust but the economic reality of it is significant. Web zines cost only time. Trifling things like photocopying and stamps not required, of course.

As such I direct you now to read it online at www.livejournal.com/users/crushzine. It shouldn't disappoint you, particularly if you have a love of underground indie-pop and the like.

Of course, there may well come a time when VP ceases to exist outside of the world wide web, indeed the number of copies produced has come down out of necessity and practicality and instead of dropping them in record shops and gigs, I am trying to build a subscriber base, and there have a been a few respondents already. I am not delusional or greedy, just a handful of regular readers is enough to keep me going, and so thanks to those who have sent stamps for the next however many issues.

Also record label people should know that to save my stamp costs, I will only be distributing paper copies to the 'industry' mailing list every three issues. Most seem fine with the e-mailing web updates thing though and if you want to keep up to date with additions to the website, get an RSS feed going from this blog to automatically see updates.

Seeing double Cardiacs

2005-11-16T10:00:00.000Z

After my yearly pilgrimige to London for Cardiacs annual November London shindig, I usually supply some thoughts on the whole affair but, it seems, two of Vanity Project's other esteemed writers have beaten me to it. So I'll just keep my giddy buzz within this year.

Firstly Grebo reviews their show at the Wedgewood Rooms on his VP Live Review annex. You can also read Grebo in The Portsmouth News and the esteemed Organ. Southerly Turbonegro fans should also direct themselves his way!!

Then Leon Michael Tricker provides an experiential overview of both that Pompey show and the London thing. God I wish I'd been at the Portsmouth one too - my favourite band (he's right about that) in my favourite venue (205 visits, with Southampton's Joiners next best with 38).

Mind you I did see them there in '99, but I am a greedy soul for sure.

VP fanzine new reviews - 16nov05

2005-11-16T09:39:00.000Z

The following have been added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews:
*Akron/Family + Angels of Light – Akron/Family + Angels Of Light (Young God).
*Angels of Light - Sing Other People (Young God).
*The Atlantic Manor – Failing By The Second (Do Too).
*The Atlantic Manor – Sneaking Up On The Death Scene (Do Too).
*The Atlantic Manor – Special Is Dead (Do Too).
*The Atlantic Manor - The Trouble That You Left (Do Too).
*The Brian Setzer Orchestra – Dig That Crazy Christmas (Surfdog).
*Deerhoof – The Runners Four (ATP).
*DJ Ordeal/VB12 – Usher/Guitango/Usherette (Sparticus Stargazer/Other Worlds).
*Hell Demonio – Greatest Hits (Wallace/Robotradio).
*Laura Veirs - Year of Meteors (Nonesuch).
*The Mission - Lighting the Candles.
*The Morrisons – Psycho Surfin’.
*New Model Army – Carnival (Attack Attack).
*Pink Noise – All Is Nu.
*The Pocket Gods – Pondfield Solstice.
*Portal - Waves & Echoes (make mine music).
*Quintron & Miss Pussycat – Swamp Tech (Trans Solar).
*Serena Maneesh – Serena Maneesh (Honeymilk).
*Sigur Ros – Takk (EMI).

Single Reviews:
*Champion Kickboxer/The Interiors/Chuck – Thinking/She’s In Japan/Kill ‘Em All (Wrath).
*The Golden Virgins – I Am A Camera (Bunker UK).
*Halflight – Pick Me.
*Humanzi – Fix The Cracks/Get Your Shit Together (Fiction).
*Johnathan Rice – So Sweet (One Little Indian).
*The Legendary Ten Seconds – Hung Up On The Past.
*The Lodger – Watching/Not So Fast (Double Dragon).
*Man From Uranus – Moogimals (Strange Lights).
*Piskie Sits/The Old House – Props/Relationships Hooray! (Wrath).
*Silver Sun – Immediate (Invisible Hands).
*The Sound Explosion – Apollo (Captains of Industry).
*Spraydog – Allison Blaire.
*Various – We Are Legion (Gestalt).
*The White Stripes – The Denial Twist (XL).

Caressed by one hand, hit by another

2005-11-10T12:21:00.000Z

You may have noticed a slight revamp on the VP homepage. Having discovered the Feedburner Headline animation tool yesterday, my life in terms of updating the HTML of the VP homepage just got a whole lot easier. Allowing an easy view of the latest posts on the associated VP blog sites run by myself and the man Grebo.

This also kicked my arse into gear to contain the info on the homepage in a better way - was never satisfied with one long column but could never find the time to update it into tables. I think it looks a lot better now and doesn't really hide anything away from those unwilling to scroll, which was always a worry.

It appears though that I needn't worry about attracting the hits too much as a look on the site stats shows that the monthly hit rate on www.vanityproject.co.uk has doubled in the past year from 300/400 to 800/900. There was a massive surge in the summer of this year with a record 1205 listed in July.

I'd like to think this was due a period of legendary writing or excitement about our Magic Band interview. However the knowledge that Steven Page of the very popular Barenaked Ladies has a side-project called 'The Vanity Project' which released a debut album in mid-June brings the VP ego back to terra firma with a sickening boney crunch.

Still, all publicity...

If anyone has ended up here looking for information on said band - buy their record here.

VP update 26oct05

2005-10-26T08:54:00.000Z

The following have been added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today

Album Reviews:
*The Drones – Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By (ATP).
*The Lucy Show – Mania (words on music).
*Magnetphone – The Man Who Ate The Man (4AD).
*The Ralfe Band – Swords (Skint).
*The Raveonettes - Pretty In Black (Columbia).
*Ryan Adams & The Cardinals- Jacksonville City Nights (Lost Highway).
*Shooting At Unarmed Men – Soon There Will Be Shooting At Unarmed Men (Too Pure).
*The Swarm – Red Paint On The Odessa Steps (Fight Me).
*UM/Ascoltare – Giraffe [refined]/Fatty Parts For A Good Match (Tripel).
*Viola – Melancholydisco (If Society).
*You Judas – Discover Mutiny (Fight Me).

Single Reviews:
*Brian Eno – How Many Worlds (Opal).
*Caplyn – The Revolution Will Come.
*Chapter XIII – The Last Time (RTD/Universal).
*The Cutters – Jesus.
*The Far Cries – Stepping (Play It Again 7).
*The Fondas – Be Alone (RTD/Universal).
*Hey Negrita – Old Britannia (Fat Fox).
*The Hot Puppies – Terry/Love In Practice, Not Theory (Label Fandango).
*The Modern – Jane Falls Down (Mercury).
*Mr. Fogg – Giving In (Chromium).
*Riotmind – Where Did You Go?
*The Strollers – Your Reminder Has Changed.

Heads rollin'

2005-10-19T10:15:00.000Z

Excellent stuff greeting me on return home last night, big old Amazon box containing 3 DVD's of Ashes action as well as the new Fall LP. What a handsome combination.

New Fall LP sounding good thus far after 3 spins last night. This was despite a return of the European CD mountain that autumn always brings about - about 18 LPs and 20 singles in the review queue at the minute - taking a day off to tackle it on Friday, but in the meantime it's 'Fall Heads Roll' thats remains immovable from my deck.

My reaction to the last LP proper was immediate and positive as it is for this but my love for Country On The Click has not endured like it has for other LPs. However this one appears to improve with each spin so that certainly bodes well.

Every Fall LP is a return to form according to the press, and in comparison to the Interim collection then it certainly is, but generally The Fall are as thrilling and awkward and disappointing and genius and questioning as ever.

Tis a good week for music then, a good time to put out another paper version of VP. Do email the address given on www.vanityproject.co.uk if you want to get hold of a copy.

First Esther McVey, now this...

2005-10-19T10:08:00.000Z

Former Coronation Street star Adam Rickitt wants to be a Tory MP.

Gay kisses? Naked pop videos?

Should tick all the right boxes for the selection committee, I would have thought.

Mind you I'm still bemoaning the lack of a Rustie Lee in parliament.

Although she was standing for UKIP.

So maybe it's for the best.

Worthy of laudation

2005-10-18T09:58:00.000Z

Must sort out digital radio in my house!

Mind you I'd have been out for the Cardiacs session on Marc Riley's Saturday afternoon 6Music show Rocket Science, so thank god for the Beeb's 'Listen Again' facility on that there internet. Also thank god for the decent (not mini inner ear jobs) headphones lying around here at work.

It was during the classic late-night Radcliffe & Lard era of the mid-90's that I first came across Cardiacs, again in session. 1995. So here we are 10 years later, and since that time they have never been shifted from the position of 'my favourite band'. Considering the transcience of my tastes, this is quite something, but they are a special band, with a instricate history and even more intricate tunes.

Sometimes I over analyse and wonder why they mean so much to me and fill me with a thrill like no other band, but going to see them live each November reminds me. Last winter I also travelled to Manchester and Sheffield to see them do half an hour supporting the Wildhearts. No other band makes me do that. Fork out for B&B's, hostels, the lot.

The regular November Astoria show (click here and here for reviews of previous events) is coming up and I'm already excited.

I'm still as I type only half way through the session and I'm starting to brim over into giddiness.

Not sure what my colleagues here in the library think of my head-shaking/stupid grin combo.

VP update 17oct05

2005-10-17T16:40:00.000Z

The following have been added to www.vanityproject.co.uk

Interview:
*Itamar Ziegler

Single Reviews:
*Aberfeldy - Summers Gone (Rough Trade).
*Aluminum Babe – Everything 2 Me (Velocity).
*The Heart Strings – Try Fly Blue Sky EP.
*Luxembourg – Luxembourg Vs. Great Britain (Dog Box).
*Shuffle - Shuffle EP.

Album Reviews:
*Blackloud – Mysterious Waves.
*The Hundred Handed – Our Dead Language.
*Ian Brown - The Greatest (Fiction).
*Nutronstars – Love/Pop/Noise/Speed.
*Vinny Peculiar – Whatever Happened To Vinny Peculiar? Part 1 (Shadrack & Buxbury).

Zine Reviews:
*Robots & Electronic Brains #15
*Shadowplay #15

...since the reign of Queen Anne

2005-10-14T07:52:00.000Z

So, how did you spend John Peel Day?

Needless to say I felt duty bound to be gigging, but perhaps going to see two bands that the old fella used to play misses the point. Maybe I should have gone to see something new.

As it was I went to check out Cranebuilders with their slightly changed line-up at the former Las Vegas amusement arcade, an excellent new venue near to Lime Street Station. They certainly seem to miss their departed guitarist, but once the new guys timing is up to scratch, perhaps they will veer back from being uncharacteristically abrasive. That said, they have been on form for such a long time, I think we can allow them a bit of leeway to regroup.

In an excellent bit of luck, the headliners for the night were Ella Guru who I have been meaning to see for ages but life always seem to get in the way. Their election night show had to be missed due to my volunteering for vote counting duties.

Named after a Beefheart tune, they have nothing off his perversity, but do manage to capture the sound of dusty, deserted plains, but in an altogether more hushed manner that sweeps tumbleweed gently along the high road toward alt.country. However they by-pass country & western itself in the same manner as post-rock diverts past the excesses of the more mainstream brand.

An excellent night, and an ideal combination. Nothing new on the bill but Peelie was certainly one for continued support of old favourites too, so I'm sure he'd have been pleased with that as well as all the others going on around Liverpool, the country and the world. He'd have made some faux arrogant joke about it if he were on air, but would likely have been a touch embarrased by the attention in reality.

We still miss you John.

However the spirit of checking out new things was in evidence on Tuesday. It has been much of a bugbear of mine that I only seem to check out interesting new theatrical productions when I'm in Edinburgh and nowhere else. With the Everyman and Unity theatres in Liverpool, it is not as though the opportunities are not there.

So it was to the Unity on Tuesday to see Lost Ones (do check out the gallery for it), a show that had been at Edinburgh on a much larger scale. Utilising sliding doors, carnivalistic grotesque fantasy and an ethereal, haunted storyline, bitter folk music as part of the narration and big performances from the cast, it was startling and inventive. The use of shadow, even on this small scale, was brilliantly done, and even the sticking of the doors did not detract from it.

They seem to be touring very few places outside Scotland but if you get a chance, do go and see it.

VP update 05oct05

2005-10-05T10:37:00.000Z

The following reviews have been added to www.vanityproject.co.uk

Single Reviews:
*The Automatic – Recover (B-Unique).
*Battle – Demons (Transgressive).
*Beats Capri – Sampler.
*Cherubs – A Man Of No Importance (Cargo).
*Circus Normal – Circus Normal EP (Freeport).
*The Composers – A Way Of Being Free (Discoteque).
*The Decemberists – Sixteen Military Wives (Rough Trade).
*Film School – On & On (Beggars Banquet).
*M.I.A. – Galang ’05 (XL).
*Stoner – Life and Times (Rhythmbank).
*Winter Roberts – Escapado (Sidewalk 7).

Album Reviews:
*Bearsuit – Team Ping Pong (Fantastic Plastic).
*The Eighteenth Day Of May – The Eighteenth Day Of May (Hannibal).
*The Fiery Furnaces – Rehearsing The Choir (Rough Trade).
*“O” – Numero 0 (antenna).
*Pellumair – Summer Storm (Tugboat).
*Sennen – Widow (Hungry Audio).
*Steveless – Popular Music In Theory (Cherryade).
*Various – The Coming Of The Railways (SouthSCENE).
*Various – Stressed Vol. 2 (Stressed).
*The Young Gods – XXY (PIAS).

Live Reviews:
*Misty’s Big Adventure, Decoration, Seachange. Manchester Dry Bar. 01oct05.

VP update 26sep05

2005-09-28T14:12:00.000Z

The following have been added to www.vanityproject.co.uk

Album Reviews:
*Alexander Tucker - Old Fog (All Tomorrows Parties).
*An Emergency – We Are The Octagonists (Captains Of Industry).
*Bardo Pond - Selections: Volumes I-IV (All Tomorrow’s Parties).
*For Against – December (Words On Music).
*George – A Week Of Kindness (Pickled Egg).
*Itamar Ziegler – Itamar Ziegler.
*Itamar Ziegler – The Birds, The Sky, The Trees…All That Shit.
*Mi And L’au – Mi And L’au (Young God).
*Mon Electric Bijou – Bullets In The Penguin (Roast).
*Need New Body – Where’s Black Ben? (Pickled Egg).
*Oceansize – Everyone Into Position (Beggar’s Banquet).
*The Rogers Sisters – Three Fingers (Too Pure).
*Scout Niblett - Kidnapped by Neptune (Too Pure).
*The Telescopes - #4 (antenna).
*Various – Class aA; Beyond Entertainment (Akoustik Anarkhy).
*Wonderful Allstars – Try/Purpose (Positive Impact).

Single Reviews:
*Casual Saints – Bones In The Sun (Fat Northerner).
*Ciccone – My Summer Never Comes (Human).
*Communication Error – Demo.
*Deerhoof – Green Cosmos EP (All Tomorrows Parties).
*Dr. Dog – The World May Never Know (Rough Trade).
*Gay For Johnny Depp – Blood: The Natural Lubricant (An Apocalyptic Adventure Beyond Sodom and Gomorrah) (Captains Of Industry).
*Ironweed - Down to my Grave (Fat Northerner).
*Kallinger Co – Punkslutz EP (Criminal).
*King Biscuit Time – C I Am 15 (No Style).
*Magnetphone - …And May Your Last Words Be A Chance To Make Things Better (4AD).
*Mono Taxi – Kind Of Better (Play It Again).
*Peace Burial At Sea – They Kill Us For Their Sport (Captains Of Industry).
*Ralfe Band – 1500 Years (Skint).
*Sam & Me – Sonic Boomerang (Akoustik Anarkhy).
*Stereolab – Seven Inch One, Two & Three (Too Pure).
*This Et Al – You’ve Driven For Miles (Double Dragon).

Live Reviews:
*Laura Cantrell. Liverpool Carling Academy 2. 22sep05.

Springer span y'all

2005-09-22T11:16:00.000Z

Looks like Jerry Springer - The Opera is finally getting to go on tour round the length and breadth of this land.

Having seen the televised version, I can't say that I thought it was a brilliant piece of theatre. That said, I shall be going to a night of the Liverpool run to, if nothing else, bite my thumb at Stephen Green and his Christian Voice lunatics.

An excellent piece of comment in the Independent yesterday on this by Phillip Hensher, which can be read online for the cost of a quid if you are not a Independent Portfolio subscribers.

VP update 09sep05

2005-09-09T08:12:00.000Z

Due to the Edinburgh excursion, this has been a long time coming... enjoy over at www.vanityproject.co.uk

Label Focus
*moshimoshi

Album Reviews
*Alex Ward – Hapless Days (Copepod).
*Arsey Rob – Arsey Rob Stole My Girlfriend (Beerglass).
*David Jack – Iron Out San Francisco (KFM Records).
*Electronicat – Voodoo Man (Disko B).
*Isolee – We Are Monster (Playhouse).
*The Jena Campaign – The Jena Campaign (Hearts & Stars).
*Markus Kienzl – Product (Klein Records).
*Midwest – Whatever You Bring We Sing (Homesleep).
*Moonshot – Fear Today, Gone Tomorrow.
*Nasty P – When the Smoke Clears (KFM Records).
*The Psychotic Reaction – Rumble (Seasalter Sounds).
*Ricky – High Speed Silence (Beat Crazy).
*Various Artists – The Black Rabbit Whorehouse Vol. 1 (OSCarr).
*Ween – Shinola Vol. 1 (Schnitzel).

Single Reviews
*Cadillac – Locomotive (Kong Tiki).
*Milburn – Showroom (Free Construction).
*The Sonic Art – Do You Ever Feel (RJ).
*Whiskycats – Amsterdam.

Live Reviews
*As Is – A Capella. Edinburgh Theosophical Society. 25aug05.
*Barb Jungr. Edinburgh Pleasance Dome. 29aug05.
*Devendra Banhart. Edinburgh Liquid Rooms. 01aug05.
*Luminescent Orchestrii. Edinburgh Spiegel Gardens. 11aug05.
*Sing Zimbabwe. Edinburgh St Georges West. 27aug05.
*The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Edinburgh Pleasance Courtyard. 25aug05.

Real-ale and skittles

2005-09-01T08:29:00.000Z

Great lead lines from north-western news articles...

"A SCHOOLGIRL arm-wrestler's dream of world success is being hampered by a cash crisis."

School girl arm wrestler.

Surely 16 year old ladies are scary enough as it is?

Back to Scotland

2005-08-24T10:42:00.000Z

Box Social returns to Edinburgh tomorrow. Hopefully reviews (less this time, as I'm skint) will appear from Thursday morning through til next Tuesday).

Txt spk is taking over

2005-08-19T08:07:00.000Z

How to sell an Edinburgh show...

2005-08-19T08:03:00.000Z

pretend you're still at school (Teechers)

stay in miserable teutonic character all day (dieclatterschenkenfietermaus)

pretend you're dead, possibly as a result of free love

strike a light

ask about an exotic animals whereabouts

attach your press to your flyers, but keep the wimple on

exposure is the key

pretend you're dead again, but this time at the hands of a Nazi general

Robin Cook RIP

2005-08-17T16:10:00.000Z

Since being away for weddings and holidays, Robin Cook has passed away, and as one of the good ones, in my view (and that is a view I have as someone who has never voted Labour), he will be greatly missed from the House of Commons.

While I was in Edinburgh, of course, his funeral was held along the Royal Mile, and this meant I could stand with many others outside and listen to the service. It certainly was very moving, and Gordon Brown's eulogy was particularly good. "a 30 year masterclass in effective eloquence" I think he said. How so.

The slight breeze was taking the broadcast of John McCririck's bit slightly away from my ears and so I wasn't entirely aware why people were clapping when he stated, as I found out later, his criticisms of Tony Blair. I'm not sure that the funeral was entirely the right time for it though.

Nice to be able to pay my respects though. Rest in peace.

Edinburgh Fringe Diary

2005-08-11T09:13:00.000Z

...has kicked off now over at Box Social for those interested.

VP update 04aug05

2005-08-04T14:27:00.000Z

Added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today.

Album Reviews
*Architecture In Helsinki – In Case We Die (Moshimoshi).
*Bell Orchestra – Recording A Tape The Colours Of The Light (Rough Trade).
*The Lucksmiths – Warmer Corners (Fortuna Pop!).
*Mostly Autumn – Storms Over Still Water (Autumn).
*Quit Your Day Job – Sweden We Got A Problem (Bad Taste).
*Red Letter Day – Everything Matters (Zip).
*Shout Out Louds – Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (Capitol).
*Vacabou – Vacabou (All Saints).

Single Reviews:
*Aeon Spoke – Emmanuel (Mercy Stroll).
*The Fallout Trust – When We Are Gone (At Large).
*Hammer Vs The Snake – In It For The Money.
*Harrisons – Wishing Well (Melodic).
*Helen Love – Long Hot Summer (Invicta Hi-Fi).
*Hush Collector – Flowby (Candy Cone).
*Jynxt – Electric Knives (Halo).
*Letrix – Something Beautiful (Interference).
*Math & Physics Club – Movie Ending Romance (Matinée).
*The Modern – Industry (Vertigo).
*The New Shapes – You’ve Got Me Running Round (Pop).
*The Voltaires – Anti-Love EP (This Is Art).
*The White Stripes – My Doorbell (XL).

Live Reviews:
*Dropscience, Bangkok, The Bridge, Z- List Tears. Warrington Parr Hall. 29jul05.

Edinburgh Nights, Evenings, Afternoons and Mornings

2005-08-03T08:09:00.000Z

Just to flag up, I'll be doing an Edinburgh festival diary thing over at sister site Box Social while I'm there on holiday next week and at the end of the month.

Hopefully it'll be a daily thing.

Captain Blogheart

2005-08-02T08:11:00.000Z

The posts on here are becoming a bit Beefheart centric, but we'll keep it going anyhow.

There's a new Beefheart blog available detailing stuff about gigs played and such.

View it here.

VP update 20jul05

2005-07-20T14:00:00.000Z

Added to www.vanityproject.co.uk today.

INTERVIEW
*a.P.A.t.T.

ALBUMS
*Albert Kuvezin & Yat Kha – Re Covers (Yat Kha).
*a.P.A.t.T. – LP (Lowsley Sound/aPehAt).
*Baikonour – For The Lonely Hearts Of The Cosmos (Melodic).
*Capstan Shafts – Demon Dog Of The American Park Service (Yellow Mica).
*Captain Comatose – Up In Flames (Playhouse).
*InMe - White Butterfly (V2/Pandora’s Box).
*Left Alone – Lonely Starts & Broken Hearts (Hellcat).
*The Levellers – Truth & Lies (Eagle).
*Nelson King – Acoustic (NKR).
*Orange – Welcome To The World Of Orange (Hellcat).
*Pennywise – The Fuse (Epitaph).
*Toupé – Burgers (Hackpen).
*Various – Heathen Angel Vol. 2 (Heathen Angel).
*Various – Rising Stars 2 (State Of Emergency).
*Various – This Is Horrorpunk 2…The Terror Continues (Fiend Force).
*Who Made Who – Who Made Who (Gomma).

SINGLES
*Ascoltare - Gallery (Dubbel).
*Being 747/The Lodger – DIY Prescriptions/Getting Special (Wrath).
*Bird Of Galapagos – We Are Holy, Not Even Earthly (Yellow Mica).
*The Black Tulips – Just Keep Coming.
*Engerica – My Demise (Sanctuary).
*Homespun – Effortless Cool.
*Javelins – We Paid A Lot For Our Style (Yellow Mica).
*Karn8 – Everything That You Despise.
*Morning Runner – Gone Up In Flames (Parlophone).
*My Enemy – Elil EP (Vapen & Godis).
*No Hope Astronaut – Demo.
*Redcarsgofaster - Sanctuary (High Voltage).
*Serotonin - The Forcefedlies EP.
*Space Siren – Verschwende Deine Jugende/Lullaby (Get Ready) (Transformed Dreams).
*Spektrum – May Day (Nonstop).
*Stuffy/The Fuses/The Secret Hairdresser – Sir Wants Sex/Copier (Wrath)
*The Swear – Repeat It Repeat It EP (Filthy Little Angels).
*Switchfoot – Dare You To Move (Columbia).
*Tinnitus – Filthfit Or Thirteen.
*Tokyo Eye – Vindictive (Vapen & Godis).
*Tuco - The Shrinking Process (Robot).
*We Are Scientists – Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt (Virgin).

LIVE
*Architecture In Helsinki, Brubeck. Liverpool Barfly Theatre. 08jul05.

FANZINES
*I’d Rather Be Fat Than Be Confused #7

Box social fires back up

2005-07-12T11:26:00.000Z

The comedy review offshoot from VP has some content for the first time in a while. A review of Richard Herring's sadly disappointing 'Someone Likes Yoghurt' show that is currently previewing around the country before an Edinburgh Fringe run is now available to view.

A review of Laurence Clark's show should appear tomorrow.

Synapse shot to the mind's ear #3

2005-07-11T10:25:00.000Z

Half Man Half Biscuit - Dickie Davies Eyes

Fairly simple reason for this. Two simple reasons, actually.

Inspiration 1:

The office radio, well net stream (when not commandeered to Radio 6 by meself) often plays the hits and Mylo's 'In My Arms', with it's Kim Carnes 'Bette Davis Eyes' sample, creates an automatic shift to Nigel Blackwell's response to the original. Although I am quite fond of the 'Bette' one, I'm not ashamed to say.

I'd say Mylo's was the best of the recent trend to rip anthemic 80's pop rock choruses and stitch them to a kickin' disco beat for the kids, but it's getting pretty old pretty quick. By Christ, even Yes are getting a revival.

Perhaps we should start a new quiz on this blog. Guess the 80's vaseline-lensed vaguely-classic pop-nugget that will be ripped by some hack remixer next? Belinda Carlisle's 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth' perhaps, but fellow Go-Go Jane Wiedlin's 'Rush Hour' gets my vote. Yes it was done in '96 by sadly forgotten Irish noiseniks Joyrider, but that was a pretty close guitar rendition. Expect beats and a soft-porn video soon. Sigh.

Other guesses welcome in the comments. Any that actually occur will win the guesser a lovely biscuit.

Inspiration 2:

I notice that a 'Greats of ITV Wrestling' DVD has been made available, with a reinvigorated, handsomely-'tached Dickie Davies providing new links, or so I am led to believe. What more could you want? A look into a simpler, more innocent age of 'sports entertainment' - ideal.

Was quite the wrestling fan in the early 90s and had the pleasure of witnessing Pat Roach, Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks and Nagasaki perform in the flesh (and lots of it in the case of Shirley and the 'Stacks, god rest 'em) at Portsmouth Guildhall and, err..., Leigh Park Community Centre.

There is a picture in existence of a just-about-still-pre-pubescent me with the late Mr Crabtree, but it's sadly been a bit mangled and probably wouldn't scan too well.

Not sure if I want to rush out and buy the DVD, but I have my memories! Great days.

VP: little and fairly often (again)

2005-07-05T10:20:00.000Z

Due to a change in circumstances for Sue, our printer in Portsmouth, the paper version of VP will now be printed closer than 300 miles away from its place of production and therefore overcomes the deadlines created by the logistical vagaries of my trips south.

As such, VP will be going back to its roots, becoming once again a 12 page affair that will likely come out more regularly, when it's ready, rather than at a set time when copies can be picked up easily while I'm visiting the folks.

This is not to say that Sue's efforts were unappreciated. Far from it - in effect her help and support kept VP going between issues 5 and 14, donating a stack load of paper, ink and time in return for a small advert for her graphic design company.

It has to be said though, this relieves the pressure a bit, and as such putting together the paper edition no longer feels like work, and is enjoyable again. This bodes well for the mag's longevity.

I'd like to think thats a good thing for more than just me, but I'm counting no chickens.

Synapse shot to the minds ear #2

2005-06-29T23:13:00.000Z

The Fall - Spoilt Victorian Child

Spent the past Saturday at a wedding in Cardiff. Reception was held in the apparently 5 star St David's Hotel on Cardiff Bay. Spent the entire time, while decimating the buffet supplies (this in addition to the sit-down dinner), with Mark E. Smith's drawling cycling around my bonce.

Not sure what to make of it. Guess I may have been trying to keep it real in the face of all the luxury. Not sure how MES helps with that though. 'Do They Know It's Christmas' may have made more sense. Tisn't the season, I guess.

Had hoped the wedding band, the Classic Soul Dogs, might include 'SVC' in their repertoire, but sadly was not to be. Needless to say they were roundly booed from my quarter.

Had to get my freak on to 'Mustang Sally' instead. No problem with that, of course, but not quite the same as getting loose to a particularly perky Steve Hanley bassline.

Man's eyes flow out water, salt water

2005-06-17T22:15:00.000Z

Well, we've plugged the Autons Wedgewood Rooms show with the Magic Band enough in advance.

Now read all about the doin's at Between The City And The Deep Blue Sea.

Cuban Boys are BACK!

2005-06-16T10:23:00.000Z

Seems a week for it, those happy hardcore novelty munchkins the Cuban Boys, always a favourite in the VP villas (particularly for forcing a profoundly irritating tune into the Christmas Top 5 and calling it 'Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia') have returned with a typically vivacious tribute to the great John Peel.

Download 'The Nation Needs You' here.

Visit www.cubanboys.co.uk to catch up with the pesky f*ckers.

16 Bronsons are BACK!

2005-06-16T10:22:00.000Z

After a hiatus of about 4 years, the band I managed (not particularly well, I grant) for a year or two at the turn of the millenium, are back.

16 Bronsons, one of the most energetic bands it has ever been my pleasure to witness, were respected throughout the Portsmouth 'scene' for going beyond the punk yardstick, particularly with their epic tune 'Temper Trip' which was sadly never recorded back in the day.

It may well be now though as the band plan to go back to the studio.

Really excellent news.

Visit their new site here - 16bronsons.blog.co.uk

Gimme dat old time religion.

2005-06-05T10:24:00.000Z

Speaking of the Captain (as per last post), good luck to the assembled Autons, whose support slot with the Magic Band occurs this Sunday. If you can, I urge you to go and support these 3 amazing fellas, and stay around for the Magic Band.

I saw the Magic Band in Liverpool this past weekend and, if you need any more convincing (and shouldn't), my review of their amazing set is the first item to appear in the work-in-progress net pages of Vanity Project #15.

I am just gutted that I cannot make the 600 mile round trip to Portsmouth to see Autons for the first time, and another chance to catch messers French, Lucas, Boston, Whalley and Traylor. The distance would be no problem, but sadly this weekend I am elsewhere. In fact I am hooking up with my old chum, Sheep, my old compadre from our days opening the batting for the Warblington school cricket team, to scoot to Chester-le-Street for the first 2 days of the 2nd England v Bangladesh 'test'. This may be enough time to catch a result, if we go on the first encounter.

After that it's back down to Old Trafford to catch Lancashire playing our boys Hampshire in the Totesport league. The weather forecast is boding well for all 3 days, which is always a risk when you plan these things months in advance.

And you never imagine it'll clash with as important a gig, as I have previously described here, as well as above.

Synapse shot to the minds ear #1

2005-06-05T10:17:00.000Z

Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - 'Smithsonian Institute Blues'

Currently the centre of Liverpool is undergoing large scale improvements in preparation for being the Capital of Culture 2008. This is known as 'the Big Dig'. Massive signs proclaiming this are up around town including outside my work building. Can't knock a bit of the Captain playing in the internal jukebox each morning.

Bands say the darndest things

2005-06-05T10:06:00.000Z

Summer last year, after one of only about 3 harsh reviews Vanity Project has dolled out in it's time (and several hundred total reviews - it takes a lot to really rile us), I got the following message from the band concerned...

"Thanks for the really shite ?????????? writeup - can`t understand the vehemence (it wasn`t a review - it was a tirade), but in all probability you`re yet another miserable failiure of a musician turned wannabe hack. However irrelevant your burblings - I took`em personally, and my razor`s singin` your name into my ear daily. We`ll meet soon. I`ll rewire your little head."

I had already decided to pull the review anyhow as it didn't fit in with VP's 'supportive' policy, but the email did make me flirt with republishing it with a debut right to reply feature. The wannabe hack thing is fairly old, if probably accurate, but it's the threat of a slashing that really makes it stand out from the crowd.

It appears they have forgiven me though as today they sent me another mail out

"Hola Chacho`s Y Chiquita`s - I got`s another ??????????? cd fo` review - can you please snd me a contact address!"

My waste bin's been singing a particular tune recently, I think I've just worked out the lyrics.

Forever Peelie

2005-05-19T10:27:00.000Z

If, like me, you're still missing the great man John Peel, a new blog is making available old programmes, from fairly recent all the way back to the late 60's, each free for a limited time (owing to copyright).

Go to johnpeeltapes.blogspot.com

Post election selection

2005-05-06T10:48:00.000Z

As a sister to 'Notapathetic.com', we now have 'I Voted For You Because', where if you voted for a victorious candidate, you can tell them what their mandate is.

I was counting votes for the Liverpool Riverside constituency last night and, thanks to a very low turnout of 41.6% (the lowest in Merseyside, and probably one of the lowest in the country - bad for democracy, good for my eyelids), I was done by 01:45.

Stayed to watch the declaration for that and the Garston constituencies (all 5 Liverpool seats were being done at Picton Tennis Centre), before toddling off home to watch the action until 04:00.

Could have been very different as after we'd finished the Green candidate revealed they were touch and go on keeping their deposit and would be asking for a recount if they lost it by 10 or 20 votes. Wearily, I shouted to him as he walked off to see the returning officer, "I'll give you the £500". Thankfully, they polled 5.5%.

So I accepted my renumeration and scooted after watching a couple of declarations (I was mainly there due to my interest in the workings of democracy, but the bunce does sugar the pill of endless counting in the face of growing tiredness).

Fair play to all the counters who had to go through a recount, particularly those returning today at 12 noon over the water in Wirral West (where GMTV's Esther McVey is standing for the Tories) for another crack at it.

Not too much controversy in terms of spoilt ballot papers in my count, but a giant smiley face, several 'Brewster's Millions' homages and the odd essay on the democratic unfairness of the first past the post system made for a break in the endless crosses, ticks and, err, devil faces (well, one of those, but a clear mark against a candidate so it counts).

So we retain Labour as our leaders with a reduced majority. Probably the best kind of result for me generally and in terms of self-interest, which I like to think is only a small factor in determining how I vote, but I can't deny that it's there.

Still I liked the self interest shown by Catherine Taylor-Dawson in the Cardiff North constituency who did poll only her own vote. Mind you she was standing under a 'Vote For Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket'. As she was standing in all the other Cardiff consitituences at the same time though, she did manage to get 167 votes in Cardiff West, 79 in Cardiff South & Penarth and 37 in Cardiff Central, which of course misses the point and must count as a catastrophic failure after the heady celebrations that would likely have met the Cardiff North result.

As a final pleasing thing, after my previous post regarding the candidates standing in my 'home' constituency of Havant, is that the Green Party finished in 4th place, ahead of UKIP, Veritas and the BNP, polling more than the latter 2 combined. Good good.

Magic world is a small one

2005-05-03T10:50:00.000Z

Many congratulations to Leon, whose band Autons have scored the support slot with the mighty Magic Band at the Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms.

My favourite venue, one of me all-time favourite bands, and me best mate on stage. Fantastic. Devestating therefore I can't be there, as including Dave and Tony, the Autons are made up of three gentleman who have effected my life fairly significantly to differing degrees. Sadly I am already booked up.

The distance alone would not have been a factor.

Autons can rest assured that my spirit will be in the Wedge that night.

Oomph

2005-04-27T10:51:00.000Z

Was out reviewing Sunshine last night at the Liverpool Barfly, in their support slot to the Bellrays. Very nice stuff from a band doing the rounds in the Czech Republic for years and now getting some attention over here.

It was never my intention to stay for the headliners, due to tiredness, a need for dinner (having not been home prior) and the new CD backlog mounting (so soon!). On top of that, saw 'em once before at a festival, and wasn't gripped, nor was I by their 'Meet The Bellrays' collection, particularly. However, while I was there I thought I'd watch em for a bit.

When I was managing (badly) the wonderful 16 Bronsons at the turn of the millenium, the advice from our sven gali was to run two tunes together at different points in the set, to add a gloss of professionalism and up their already remarkable intensity.

I was reminded of this last night as the Bellrays ripped through 6 songs in about 15 minutes with about half a second of pause in amongst. Amazing stuff, which proves first impressions aren't always the thing. That said, a full set, rather than my quarter hour experience, may have dulled the impact. Better to quit when you're ahead.

Shorter gigs with punch should be encouraged. If the band don't self-edit, then pull yer own plug.

Present to self

2005-04-27T08:52:00.000Z

Picked up from the post office this morning:

The Fall 'Complete Peel Sessions' 6 CD collection.

Heaven in a box-set.

Election selection 5

2005-04-27T07:53:00.000Z

www.thekungfustatesmen.com/game/

Sweet!

Election selection 4

2005-04-26T10:55:00.000Z

Apparently silentwordsspeakloudest will suffer from a slower rate of content in the foreseeable future. A great shame, but Ben has wound down with one of it's finest features to date, an excellent 5-part Right to Reply on issues surrounding the election. While the participants may lean heavily to the left, there are some fascinating views in there.

The individual parts are:

Part One: Campaigning

Part Two: Choice

Part Three: Issues

Part Four: Media influence and public apathy

Part Five: The result

'Ave some!

VP writers' best of 2004

2005-04-21T12:56:00.000Z

Some magazines publish their writers yearly top 10's before the year is up.

Never understood that so by way of protest, ahem, we've left it until we're a third of the way through the following year.

Scroll down (or link from the 'previous posts' archive on the right) for top tens from myself, Grebo and Katherine. If any other VP contributors want to do one, they are welcome, and I'll add them.

Leave a comment with YOUR top tens if you wish!

VP writers' best of 2004: Skif

2005-04-21T11:57:00.000Z

Singles
Snap Ant – You Make Me Basic
Chuck – No, Not Ah!
Art Brut – Formed A Band
Javelin – Pale Average Crooks EP
Hyper Kinako – Don’t Delete My Frog/2 Tadgers
Fiery Furnaces – Tropical Iceland
Johnny Boy – You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve
Termites – Bolt Gun
Bearsuit - Chargr
Wevie Stonder - Kenyan Harry EP
Taz – Can’t Contain Me

Albums
Destroyer – Your Blues
Ella Guru – The First Album
Misty’s Big Adventure – The Solar Hi-Fi System
Blanche – If We Can’t Trust The Doctors…
Electrelane – The Power Out
TV On The Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Half Cousin – The Function Room
L Pierre - Touchpool
Patrick Wolf – Wind In The Wires
The Hidden Cameras – Mississauga Goddam

Gigs
Charlie Parr. Leeds Packhorse. 06apr04.
Soweto Gospel Choir. Edinburgh St George’s West. 31aug04.
The Magic Band. Highbury Garage. 28jul04.
Nina Nastasia & rare guests. Leeds City Varieties. 14jun04.
Kid Carpet. Liverpool Barfly. 09sep04.
Mount Sims, Snap Ant. Liverpool Carling Academy. 03dec04.
Misty’s Big Adventure, Manchester Academy Cellar. 02oct04.
Bobby Conn. Leeds Joseph’s Well. 26mar04.
Dawn Of The Replicants. York Fibbers. 20jul04.
The Research. TRUCK festival. 25jul04.

VP writers' best of 2004: Grebo

2005-04-21T11:12:00.000Z

ALBUMS
Slipper feat. Andrea Black - When Hot Dogs Fly
Rusty Sheriff - Music To Scare Children
Transglobal Underground - Impossible Broadcasting
Amplifier- Amplifier
Duri - Remember Rock?
Various - Decade:Ten Years Of Fierce Panda
Virgin Prunes -The Re-issues
Pornovurt - Pornovurt
The [International] Noise Conspiracy - Armed Love
Various -Nost8ment Sampler No.1

SINGLES
Living With Eating Disorders - White Like Snow
Everything Must Go - I Hate Music EP
Slipper feat. Andrea Black - Hands Against The Rain (Elsewhen).
Bonemachine - Another Day Over
Ninja Massacre - My Definition Of Punk
The Sultans - Walk Of Shame
[Culture Industry] - Dj Ascetic Loves Himself Badly
M.A.S.S. - Testify
Saint Silas Intercession - All About The Money EP
Ninja Massacre - Brainwash On Sale

GIGS
Mercury Tilt Switch, Three Children Of Fortune, Day Of The Fight, Last Kiss. Portsmouth Horseshoe. 10feb04.
Balance Of Power, Cinder. Portsmouth South Parade Pier. 17mar04.
GNA, Devilish Presley. Portsmouth Horseshoe. 30jan04.
The Demons, Flesh, Epideme. Portsmouth Frog On The Front. 26nov04.
Mister Doom. Portsmouth White Swan. 24aug04.
Funeral For A Friend, The Rapture, The Von Bondies, Franz Ferdinand. Portsmouth Pyramids. 06feb04.
The Dynamics, Cinder, The Dirty Touch. Portsmouth White Swan. 28sep04.
Radiate. Portsmouth South Parade Pier. 13apr04.
Red Letter Day. Portsmouth White Swan. 07sep04.
Franz Ferdinand, The Kills, Bob Log III. Portsmouth Guildhall. 23oct04.

VP writers' best of 2004: Katherine Tomlinson

2005-04-21T10:59:00.000Z

Singles
Greenday - Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Keane - Bedshaped
Matchbook Romance - Playing For Keeps
Embrace - Ashes
Evanescence - Everybodys Fool
Breed 77 - World On Fire
The Rasmus - Guilty
Belle and Sebastian - I'm A Cuckoo
Goldblade - Psycho
Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For

Albums
Greenday - American idiot
The Rasmus - Dead Letters
Breed 77 - Cultura
Evanescence - Fallen
The international noise conspiracy - Armed Love
Keane - Hopes and Fears
Embrace - Out Of Nothing
Ben Arthur - Edible Darling
Scissor sisters - Scissor Sisters
The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free

Election selection 3

2005-04-19T11:13:00.000Z

Once again the BBC come up trumps with a nice portal straight into all the manifestos.

All your bedtime reading for the next 2 weeks (ahem) can be found here.

The Official Monster Raving Loony Party's 'Manicfesto' is also available, via their website.

Any readers in the South West may also wish to get to grips with Mebyon Kernow, the party for the people of Cornwall.

Five minutes spent

2005-04-19T11:01:00.000Z

Found this on a livejournal, and thought I'd fill it in. If anyone else fancies a go, feel free. I make no demands of you.

1. Favorite Beatles song: A Day In The Life
2. Favorite Rolling Stones song: Start Me Up
3. Favorite Doors song: Light My Fire
4. Favorite Bob Dylan song: Subterranean Homesick Blues
5. Favorite Pixies song: Debaser
6. Favorite TV Theme Song: Littlest Hobo
7. Favorite Prince Song: When Doves Cry
8. Favorite Madonna Song: Like A Prayer
9. Favorite Michael Jackson Song: Earth Song
10. Favorite Metallica Song: Creeping Death
11. Favorite Motorhead Song: Motorhead
12. Favorite Ozzy Song: Bark At The Moon (unless 'Black Sabbath' allowed)
13. Favorite Public Enemy Song: Bring The Noise
14. Favorite Song from a cartoon: Family Guy – ‘I Need A Jew’
15. Favorite Faith No More song: Ashes To Ashes
16. Favorite Depeche Mode song: Enjoy The Silence
17. Favorite Cure song: Close To Me
18. Favorite song that most of your friends haven't heard: Cast of thousands in truth
19. Favorite Smiths song: Ask
20. Favorite Beastie Boys song: Sabotage
21. Favorite Korn song: nil
22. Favorite Police song: Message In A Bottle
23. Favorite Sex Pistols song: Pretty Vacant
24. Favorite Beach Boys song: God Only Knows
25. Favorite Def Leppard song: Action (although a Sweet cover)
26. Favorite song from your favorite movie: She Moved Through The Fair/Coda from ‘Michael Collins’ (not favourite film though)
27. Favorite Duran Duran song: Planet Earth
28. Favorite Blondie song: Hanging On The Telephone
29. Favorite Garth Brooks song: Standing Outside The Fire
30. Favorite song from an 80's one hit wonder: The Timelords - Doctorin' The Tardis
31. Favorite song from a videogame: nil
32. Favorite Kinks song: Dedicated Follower Of Fashion
33. Favorite Genesis song: Land Of Confusion
34. Favorite Led Zeppelin song: Kashmir
35. Favorite INXS song: Need You Tonight
36. Favorite Weird Al song: Smells Like Nirvana
37. Favorite Pulp song: Mis-shapes
38. Favorite John Lennon song: Instant Karma
39. Favorite Pink Floyd song: Shine On You Crazy Diamond
40. Favorite cover song: Lonnie Donegan – Grand Coulee Dam
41. Favorite White Stripes song: Stop Breakin’ Down (although a cover)
42. Favorite dance song: Marc Smith vs. Safe & Sound – Identify The Beat
43. Favorite U2 song: Sunday Bloody Sunday
44. Favorite song from an actor turned musician: Stefan Dennis – Don’t It Make You Feel Good? (am sure there’s a better example, but decided to answer this one with the first thing that came into my head)
45. Favorite disco song: Kelly Marie – It Feels Like I’m In Love
46. Favorite Motley Crue song: nil
47. Favorite Guns N' Roses song: You Could Be Mine
48. Favorite The Who song: I Can See For Miles & Miles
49. Favorite Elton John song: I’m Still Standing
50. Favorite song, period: Cardiacs – Big Ship
51. Favorite David Bowie song: Ashes To Ashes
52. Favorite Queens of the Stone Age song: ?

Beard fanzine

2005-04-14T11:13:00.000Z

We've eschewed our fondness for taches to bring you news of a quality zine.

The award winning 'Beard' fanzine is out - alternative music and beards in one glossy publication. Marvellous stuff. Current edition talks to Sky At Night and Motormark, the Asking For Trouble folks.and reviews the Instal festival, British horror movies and several gigs and bits. There's cartoon strips on Sonic Youth and a wonderful article on fatherhood for fans of odd music by Neil Jaques.

The Beard editorship also have a blog. Find out all about it here.

Also in beard news, there's this...

www.menwholooklikekennyrogers.com

Am sure it's been doing the rounds for a while, but worth your patronage I reckons.

Another election selection

2005-04-13T11:15:00.000Z

www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com

If you're struggling to work it out. Probably not an exact science, but worth a look.

Election selection

2005-04-13T11:07:00.000Z

I'm really undecided about what to do this year. I always am. Have been known to vote for local independents, but not all lone soldiers have the same kudos as your Martin Bells and Dr. Richard Taylors, so it's best I do some sniffing around before I put my cross against them.

I just have no enthusiasm for party politics anymore. My membership of the Liberal Democrats fizzled out, on my instruction, 6 years ago, and certainly no one party represents my views. This is probably because there are few issues where I have a firm view. Seeing merits in both sides of pretty much every argument (with exceptions - see below) doesn't help these things - where's my blind dogmatism?

I do love the democratic process though. It's a large part of the reason I did my Masters dissertation on Parliamentary libraries - an excuse to sneak a look inside the corridors of power. See how it comes together.

I have also volunteered to count votes. It's a dirty job etc. etc. Thing is, I just love to be involved in spite of the parties turning me off. I also like to think I can bring a non-partisan ethic to it which can't hurt.

Also as part of my work, I'm going to be putting some election stuff together for our library, and so any useful little websites I find, I'm going to bang on here.

Here's two to start.

Don't wish to vote as a democratic choice rather than a show of apathy? Here are some testimonials for those who feel the same. www.notapathetic.com

The BBC have a quality map graphic that enables you to see who is standing in your constituency - and will be updated until nominations close.

I notice from this facility that in my home ward of Havant (although now I'm registered in Liverpool), that alongside incumbent Conservative David 'Two Brains' Willetts, we have UKIP, Veritas and the BNP standing. Much better (it is, my fellow left-leaners) to keep an intelligent fairly moderate Conservative than get any of these reactionaries anywhere close to power.

Indeed, in the case of the BNP, don't even give them the satisfaction of keeping their deposit. They, certainly, must be defeated!

I find it weird that Havant gets all 3 of these parties represented as there's not much multi-culturalism in our part of the world. No real problem with economic migrants or asylum seekers either.

With that in mind, and the potential of split in the vote, means that I probably have nothing to worry about, but I encourage my former neighbours to be vigilant!

Flashmob, of a sort

2005-04-04T11:16:00.000Z

So, I was listening to Rob Da Bank's show that I'd taped from the previous night on Friday lunchtime as I took a quick break from m'colleagues maternity leavo do to drop off the latest VP at Probe Records.

Glad I did, as sometimes I stretch it out over a number of days to have some gear when I'm walking place to place, as he played a tune by Thee More Shallows, which immediately had my ears pricked up. Mr DJ man then says they're playing Liverpool on Friday. That'll be tonight then, I thought.

I've been bemoaning my lack of spontaneity when it comes to gigs, and I've certainly not been to as many as I would like at the really little clubs since moving to Liverpool (certainly not as I did in Leeds, and even then it wasn't enough). Good opportunity then to get amongst it on the hop, so stayed out with the work crew until the show.

A top show it was too with the crazed dadaism of support a.P.A.t.T. also pretty wonderful. Indeed, gig moment of the year thus far for me was when their bassist, while his band mates were screaming and crashing away at their instruments, stood calmly clicking his fingers like Sammy Davis Jr. conducting a school band. Beautiful.

A review will be forthcoming on www.vanityproject.co.uk.

Also it turns out the promoter will be starting regular nights. On this form I think it could therefore become a regular VP haunt.

To think I might never have known...

Serendipity and chance are fundamental in this game, and frankly I need more of this new stuff.

Starstruck again

2005-03-17T11:18:00.000Z

Considering my recent post about the forthcoming Magic Band tour, you'll understand just how excited I am by the fact that for the past two days I have been in email conversation with John French, vocalist in said band, and drummer in various incarnations of the Captain Beefheart group.

I never imagined in my wildest that Drumbo would become a VP interviewee, but that looks almost certain now.

A moment of great pride for me as a fanzine writer, and certainly as a fan.

Should thank Dave Jones I guess, without his sampling of Beefheart's 'Sure Nuff N Yes I Do' on his band Screeper's 'Can Fever' track (which our old label Elastic Fiction featured, with great pride I might add, on our first tape release back in 1998), my exposure and ultimate fascination with Don Van Vliet's music may have taken a great deal longer.

My best mate Dekx plays with his Jones' band Autons now, and apparently a new version of 'Can Fever' is played live. Good to know quality always bubbles back to the surface.

A new desire, possibly shortlived

2005-03-14T11:19:00.000Z

Seems I have itchy feet, despite the abundance of records coming into the VP villa which I'm barely keeping on top of.

Listening last night to the opening track 'Four', on the eponymous Billy Childish produced A-Lines LP on Purr, I suddenly decided that I really need to become a singer in a scuzzy garage combo. I think I could pull it off.

Mind you last week I was contemplating how to get me some DJing slots at gigs (I make no pretence that the tunes I would want to play would inspire dancing, so I'd have to be a 'between-bands' background DJ). A great deal of the fantastic records I've been sent recently are burning a hole on my shelves to be honest, desperate to hit more ears than mine. Hopefully I can somehow give them that chance.

There's a lap-steel guitar in the house that Jenny gave me 2 Christmas's ago that I've not had chance to have a go at either.

I'm also still mulling over putting on a gig or two.

And I complain about there being too few hours in the day now!

Heart attack fodder?

Good job I've given up booze and fags really.

Persil at the Cavern

2005-03-10T11:21:00.000Z

Had Persil camping with us again from Sunday to Tuesday (although I was away on my work training course, leaving Jenny to entertain them on the Monday night, arenlt I considerate).

Reason being their stay in the UK was extended after the Wedding Present tour to enable them to play a few dates with Melys which included a date at Liverpool's Cavern Club on Sunday, and a free day following. They were now slimmed down from four bodies to two as the nucleus of David and Martine experimented as a live duo for virtually the first time, thereby playing more of their electronicy stuff.

A review will occur on VP when I can get my house in order, so much going on, but here's some pics from the Cavern show.

Polite request

2005-03-05T11:22:00.000Z

Comedians! Social commentators! The general public!

We now all know what 'chav' means.

You don't need to use it in every other sentence any longer.

Thank you for your time.

Magic! Band!

2005-03-04T11:23:00.000Z

Fantastic! I am informed the Magic Band are coming back to the UK this summer.

Thier show at the Highbury Garage last June was just sublime and I toyed then with going to the Leeds show at the end of the same week.

Probably best I saved the cash, as I'm really looking forward to this.

I took delivery in January of a Magic Band DVD but as yet it remains unwatched simply as experiencing these things tends to work better when in the company of another enthusiast, so am saving it for my next visit to Chez Dekx. Looking forward to that immensely.

Getting hold of this DVD took an absolute age, as I first picked up the flyer at the June show last year and then waited 7 months or so after all the delays to finally get me mitts on it. However as I was one of the first to order, I got my inner inlay card thing signed by all the band, although I had to wait an extra month for them to be sent to America and back again, but I could cope with that.

Now I used to feverishly collect star autographs when I was a kid. From running on the fields of play after county cricket to writing to Southampton football players with questionnaires (that would never be published, obviously) to bugging obscure Radio Solent presenters for their promo 6x4's. I still have a lot of these artefacts - which gives me an idea for a new series on this very blog...watch this space!!

It's nice to know that physical maturity hasn't tempered my ability to be excited by these pretty ephemeral things though, although this example is sadly rare. I had to wait for the inlay card to arrive about a month after the DVD, and while I am not likely to ask for anyone's autograph ever again, to get hold of these five signatures was ridiculously thrilling.

Not just for potential identity theft reasons either. The draining of their bank accounts can wait til after the May show. I need them to be able to afford the plane tickets, after all.

All Present and correct

2005-02-23T11:24:00.000Z

Well, Persil have taken their leave of us and headed towards Colchester, before they pootle down tonight to Portsmouth, and my old second home, the Wedgewood Rooms. Ah, how many great nights have I had there. Well, I enjoyed most of the 200-odd gigs with the exception of perhaps 2 - Mega City Four in about 1995, and the Warlocks in 2003. Left both early. Just wasn't getting either and I have notoriously itchy feet when that occurs.

Anyway thanks to Persil for leaving our house almost cleaner than they had found it. I was particularly pleased to note that our telly and front room window remained unintroduced during their stay.

In truth, owing to work and their evening shows, we didn't see much of them apart from to clamber over them in the mornings. However we did greatly enjoy their set at the Liverpool Carling Academy, after which the Weddoes were top. More of that in a mo.

We may have Persil back in a fortnight as after this tour, they're doing a few shows with Betws-y-Coed's finest Melys, including one at the Cavern Club. They will only be a duo (Martine and David) for that show rather than a quartet (with hired hand Bas da bass and soundman Grrrt), as was the case this past weekend so that will make things more comfortable for them in terms of sleeping arrangements.

As yet we've had no other bookings from bands. Obviously word is getting about that our full English isn't up to scratch.

So, yeah, the Wedding Present are back, but as Gedge pointedly states during the show, he never went away, merely was performing at Cinerama who by the end were sounding much like his original band, hence the return to the Wedding Present name. This is not a 'reformation', but some seem to see it that way and this crowd dwarfs that for recent Cinerama Liverpool shows, something which clearly irks Gedge from his continued reference to those who weren't coming in the interim.

That aside, this is a top performance though mixing the very old (such as their second ever single), the very new (the latest single, but of course), some harder-edged latter day Cinerama (e.g. 'Careless') and a classic or two ('Kennedy', which Gedge repeats his dislike of afterward, amongst others). We Pavlovia dogs lap it up though.

I won't be doing a VP review for this (I like a night off sometimes) but the Pompey show may well get a write-up from Andrew Morrison. We shall see.

Kimya, cut short

2005-02-22T11:25:00.000Z

As much as I applaud small promoters shoe-horning their bills with a mixture of touring acts and local talents (and usually this is essential to get enough paying bodies in to be able to sufficiantly reward your visiting acts), it is immensely frustrating, for your solo punter with no wheels, when this leads to over-running.

While I can cope with it on the weekends, as the Liverpool night bus service sorts me out pretty well, during the week it's a different story and, frankly, I do like to get to bed at a reasonable hour on a school night.

As such last night I sat through Voo and Cara, who were fine, and the wonderful Schwervon, but had to leave 1 and a half songs into Kimya Dawson's set, which was shaping up pretty nicely based on those tunes. Holy arsing changeover delays, Batman.

She does tour a lot though, so hopefully will return fairly soon. If so I shall certainly be there.

God though, when did I become such a bloody moaner. Yikes.

Bedding washes whiter

2005-02-17T11:26:00.000Z

Picked up an email SOS yesterday.

Appears Amsterdam's Persil are in need of cheap (i.e. free) accomodation, as their support slot on the forthcoming Wedding Present tour, while a real thrill for the long-time Gedge fans, is not so rewarding in terms of the wallet.

As a result they've asked if they can stay at our gaff for their performances in Liverpool this coming Sunday and Manchester on Monday. Really like their music, but have never met them, so it could be a little odd. My shyness reflex says 'no', but my desire to help says 'yes' and with Jenny's approval, I've offered them some sofa, spare bed and floor action.

I have corresponded with them very briefly in the past to bemoan the fact that I couldn't get to their last UK tour, but their label boss, Marcel of Transformed Dreams is my usual contact for their stuff. Nonetheless, they seem perfectly pleasant peeps, so we shall see how it goes.

Mind you the email was sent Monday and I only got it last night so they might have thought me perfectly ignorant and surly and booked a B&B. We shall see.

Perhaps this will set a precedent and the VP villa will become the flophouse for all the rock n' roll waifs and strays coming to Merseyside. Perhaps Babyshambles will play a gig in our front room (actually, I'd rather they didn't).

Indeed, if I do start promoting again, we may have to get used to bodies on the living room floor in the morning.