30/04/2012

Coming Up This Week

The full run-down of what's happening in the world of upcoming live listings, new CD/DVD releases and the schedule for new additions to Gigseen's video portfolio, including our free-to-view 'Gig of the Week'.

A Closer Look At...Pixies

This week Gigseen are bringing you another fantastic concert to enjoy at your own leisure. Our Gig of The Week featured concerts are completely FREE all week - all you have to do is register at Gigseen TV, sit back and relax as we bring you Pixies.


Gig Of The Week: Pixies

Live At The Paradise [2005, 56m]
~ watch now ~

The Pixies are one of the most influential American acts of all time. Initially spanning the late eighties and early nineties they created the blueprint for alternative rock that would be followed and embellished upon by everyone from Grunge to Britpop.

Smashing Pumpkins Reveal Album Details

Smashing Pumpkins have announced full details of their long-awaited seventh studio record Oceania.


The album, which was originally due last September, will now be released on June the 18th and has been described as an "album within an album" as it is part of their 44-song cycle for Teargarden By Kaleidyscope by singer Billy Corgan.


Featuring a total of thirteen tracks, Oceania will be released through EMI, who recently signed a deal to release the record with Corgan's label, Martha's Music. The album is the band's first recorded effort with their new line-up, which now features Mike Byrne on drums, Nicole Fiorentino on bass and Jeff Schroeder on guitar.


Last year, Corgan insisted that Oceania was the band's best album in over 15 years and their strongest offering since 1995's Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness.


The tracklisting for Oceania is as follows:


  • Quasar
  • Panopticon
  • The Celestials
  • Violet Rays
  • My Love Is Winter
  • One Diamond, One Heart
  • Pinwheels
  • Oceania
  • Pale Horse
  • The Chimera
  • Glissandra
  • Inkless
  • Wildflower


Robbie To Play At Jubilee Concert

Robbie Williams is the latest act to be added to the line-up for The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert. The event, which is to be held at Buckingham Palace on June 4, will be attended by 10,000 people and broadcast live on BBC One and BBC Radio 2.


The bill has been assembled by Williams' fellow Take That bandmate Gary Barlow with other performers including Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and Dame Shirley Bassey. Williams said on his website:


"If this doesn't get me a knighthood, nothing will, I can't wait for the show."


Stevie Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and JLS will also appear at the event along with The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the Royal Family. More than 1.2 million applications were made for the free tickets, according to figures released earlier this month and winners were chosen at random by ballot.


28/04/2012

Featured Music: Waskerley Way

Could it be that there is something genuinely interesting and new-sounding seeding itself across the music scene recently? Perhaps. Offering up a sizeable chunk of evidence on the affirmative side is Waskerley Way, the tricky-to-classify project of Newcastle's Michael Bridgewater.

Kylie To Headline Proms In The Park

Kylie Minogue is to play a special headline slot at BBC's Proms In The Park on September 8. The singer will be backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra at the show in London's Hyde Park, with support from classical group Il Divo and tenor Alfie Boe.


Minogue's Proms concert is part of her 25-year anniversary celebrations and the show will see the Australian singer's songs be re-interpreted with orchestral arrangements, an approach first taken with last year's Abbey Road Sessions.



Speaking about her Proms show, Minogue said:


"I'm delighted to be performing at one of the UK's most outstanding nights of the musical calendar. To sing in front of thousands of people whilst being accompanied by the legendary BBC Concert Orchestra in such a special year is truly a dream come true."


Proms In The Park, a companion to the Last Night Of The Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, will take place on Saturday, 8 September. Now in its 17th year, it will be hosted by Radio 2 presenters Tony Blackburn and Sir Terry Wogan - and forms part of the London 2012 Festival. Sir Terry said:


"To have the Princess of Pop herself, Kylie Minogue, performing in Hyde Park promises to make the concert an unforgettable spectacle."


Dylan To Receive US Medal Of Honour

Bob Dylan has been selected as one of the 13 recipients of the 2012 US Medal of Honor. The award is considered the highest honour that can be bestowed on an American civilian and is stated as being:


"Presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."


Announcing this year's recipients, a White House statement said of Dylan:


"One of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century, Dylan released his first album in 1962. Known for his rich and poetic lyrics, his work had considerable influence on the civil rights movement of the 1960s and has had significant impact on American culture over the past five decades."

"He has won 11 Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award. He was named a Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Art et des Lettres and has received a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation. Dylan was awarded the 2009 National Medal of Arts. He has written more than 600 songs, and his songs have been recorded more than 3,000 times by other artists. He continues recording and touring around the world today."


The award will be presented in the late Spring with Dylan alongside former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, civil rights supporter John Doar, physician William Foege, astronaut and senator John Glenn, WWII internment camp activist Gordon Hirabayashi, civil rights and workers advocate Dolores Huerta, Polish Underground member Jan Karski, Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Law, author Toni Morrison, Israeli president Shimon Peres, Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens and NCAA basketball coach Pat Summitt.


President Obama said of the recipients:


"These extraordinary honorees come from different backgrounds and different walks of life, but each of them has made a lasting contribution to the life of our nation. They’ve challenged us, they’ve inspired us, and they’ve made the world a better place. I look forward to recognizing them with this award."


Bill Wyman Re-Joins The Rolling Stones

Fans of The Rolling Stones can expect to see an old name in the credits soon. News comes that the band is heading back into the studio to mark its 50th year, and the rumour is that Bill Wyman is re-joining the band.


Plans are apparently underway for a 50th anniversary event that is now likely to take place in 2013, marking 50 years since Charlie Watts joined the band. Officially, the 50th came and went this month without any fanfare. But according to Keith, the 50th should be marked from when Charlie joined, even though the band actually formed in April 1962 and played their first gig in June of that year. Wyman joined in December and Watts in January of 1963.


However, getting agreement on what to do has been difficult for The Stones. Charlie's decision to stop touring after 2005's A Bigger Bang made the band re-evaluate its future and the 50th events could very well make this time really be the last time for The Stones. Instead of another major tour, the plans are being drawn up for a series of one-offs and that suits Bill Wyman.


Bill is the oldest member of The Rolling Stones. He is 75-years old now, 5 years older than Charlie. He left The Rolling Stones after 1989's Steel Wheels. His departure was announced in December, 1992.


27/04/2012

A Celebration Of Roadrunner Records

After this morning's news confirming that Roadrunner Records will be closing their UK, Canada and Germany offices, could this day go down in music history as the end of the road for metal fans across the world?

Manu Dibango Revisits 'Soul Makossa'

Back in 1972 Cameroonian saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Manu Dibango made a debut with the afrobeat hit Soul Makossa. Normally, you'd imagine that this would have resulted in the standard definition of a 'one-hit-wonder' ... However, 40 years and 29! albums later, obviously not. With the release of his 30th LP Past Present Future, Manu Dibango revisits the track that started the ball rolling in the beginning.

Roadrunner Records To Close UK And Canada Offices

Roadrunner Records is to close its UK and Canada offices, and is making huge cuts across its worldwide operation.


The famous label is home many of the top Rock acts in the world, such as Atreyu, Juliette Lewis, Korn, Murderdolls and Nickelback and is set to close its UK offices in the next few weeks, with the label's Canada and Germany offices shortly after.


With this news comes another huge blow to the rock music industry, already suffering with some of its biggest festivals, like Sonisphere cancelled from this year's summer circuit.


However, the record label is hoping to continue in a smaller form, but will inevitably cause great impact to the many artists on their current roster. Roadrunner Records has been in operation since 1980 and is a division of Warner Music. The label has long pioneered rock music, breaking new metal bands, including early releases from Metallica.


Van Halen To Release Exclusive Single

Van Halen are set to give away a limited-edition vinyl single of their song She's the Woman, with copies of the new album A Different Kind of Truth, on May 4th.


The 7-inch will only be available at participating independent retailers, much in the same way that other acts release Record Store Day exclusives.


At the moment, there is no word on whether or not the single will feature a new or previously unreleased track on the B-side. The vinyl single will be given away with the album whether it is purchased as a CD or as an LP.


You can watch the video to Van Halen's She's The Woman, below:



Tom Jones Covers Leonard Cohen Track

Tom Jones has covered Leonard Cohen's Tower of Song, taken from Cohen's 1988 album, I'm Your Man, and co-written by Cohen and Jennifer Warnes.


The cover version has been taken from Tom Jones' forthcoming album, Spirit In The Room, on which he also covers songs by artists such as Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Tom Waits and The Low Anthem.


Spirit In The Room, the follow up to 2010's Praise and Blame, is set for release on May the 21st and has been recorded with a band which includes Warpaint Stella Mozgawa on drums - pictured below - and Laura Marling producer and multi-instrumentalist Ethan Johns.


The album features 10 tracks in total and sees Jones singing his own versions of the title track from Tom Waits’ most recent album Bad As Me and Odetta's Hit Or Miss. The double A side single Hit Or Miss / Bad As Me is out on May the 14th.


Spirit In The Room also includes songs originally written by Blind Willie Johnson and Richard Thompson. Tom Jones recently covered Howlin Wolf's Evil. The track was released earlier this month on Jack White Third Man Records label as part of their Blue Series, along with a new version of Jones' 2002 track Jezebel.


Tom Jones will play London Hammersmith Apollo on July the 1st as part of BluesFest London. You can watch the video below:



26/04/2012

Profile: PINS

In today's profile, we bring you PINS; an all-female band from Manchester with quite a buzz gathering around them in the blogosphere. And rightly so!


The Hacienda's 30th Anniversary Plans

Manchester's influential Hacienda nightclub has announced that it will be hosting three one-off events to celebrate the club's 30th anniversary.


The events, which are named X1, X2 and X3, will take place in late May and early June and will take place in the city centre.


X1 will take place on May 21st in the Hacienda's car park, X2 on June 2nd in Sankeys Nightclub, with former Hacienda residents Laurent Garnier and Justin Martin part of the line-up. Finally, X3 will happen on June 4th, with fantastic bill including Peter Hook, Dave Haslam, Graeme Park and John Da Silva.


As well as the three events, there will also be a new clothing collection named 'Label, Location, Legacy' launched to coincide with the anniversary and a photography exhibition.


The full line-up for the Hacienda's 30th anniversary celebrations is as follows:


  • X1 – Haçienda 30 @ The Haçienda Apartments Car Park - May 21
  • Line-Up TBC
  • X2 – Haçienda 30, Sankeys – June 2
  • Laurent Garnier, Justin Martin, Oli Furness and Special Guests
  • X3 – Haçienda 30, Sankeys – June 4
  • Kevin Saunderson, Graeme Park Allister Whitehead, Tom Wainwright, Jon Da Silva, 808 State DJ’s, Peter Hook, Mc Tunes, Dave Haslam, Dave Booth, Jason Boardman.


The Noisettes Unveil New Single

The Noisettes are set to return with their third album and have previewed the release with a taste of their new single, Winner.


The track is another catchy tune from the band whose previous singles included Don't Upset The Rhythm and Never Forget You. However, the track is less retro than the material that made up their 2009 album, Wild Young Hearts.


Lead singer, Shinghai Shoniwa has been speaking about the recording process for their as yet untitled third album:


"We've been collaborating with with some fantastic pop-smiths recently. We enjoyed tropical evenings in L.A.'s infamous Westlake studios with will.i.am’s songwriter, Jean Baptise (Winner). Sometimes we'd drive off into the sunset after a session in our rental Mustang convertible and write a song or two by the highway-side with the top down, Californian style."


Winner is released on July 9th and you can hear a short preview of the song, below.



25/04/2012

Album Review: Jack White

blunderbuss (xl records)


Five years, two bands and three albums after The White Stripes' final record, Icky Thump, Jack White is back with his debut solo album, Blunderbuss. Featuring White's classic Blues/ Rock n'Roll sound, this time, it's a much more candid and personal affair.


Album Review: Pinkunoizu

free time! (full time hobby)


Copenhagen isn't just about dark drama, bridges and dead bodies you know. It's also about idiosyncratic bands with hard to pronounce Japanese names making some truly and unusually interesting music. Well, in this case just the one band - Pinkunoizu.

Blur And Gorillaz Aren't Finished

Damon Albarn has denied that he is finished with both Blur and Gorillaz.


The Brit-pop singer was recently quoted as saying that it is 'unlikely' that there will be any more new material from Gorillaz and that Blur's Hyde Park gig this summer might be the band's final show. However, in more recent interviews, Albarn denied this and said that he and his bandmates had not discussed "the beginning or the end" of Blur.


"I don’t know how we’ll feel when we play Hyde Park. Some days I feel one way and other days I feel the other. If you don’t see something as a career but as an important part of your life, you don’t know how you’re going to feel about it. We want to put on a great performance but nothing’s been said between us about the beginning or the end."


Albarn was also asked about the future of Gorillaz:


"When Jamie Hewlett and I have worked out our differences, I’m sure we’ll make another record. We’ve been through too much together for it to be that big of a mountain to climb. We’ve just fallen out like mates do sometimes. I’m not the only person to fall out with mates and then make up again – everyone does it."


However, Albarn has confessed he is really excited about Blur's show at Hyde Park:


"I love playing with Blur – it’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. At the same time, though, I don’t want to cock it all up by staying around too long and making a fool of myself. At 44, there’s a little trepidation about jumping around on stage but I love it."


The Beach Boys Preview New Track

The Beach Boys have unveiled a clip of That's Why God Made the Radio, the first single off their reunion album that's due to hit shelves this summer.


After splitting up in the 1990's and touring in separate camps, last year The Beach Boys decided to put the acrimony behind them and reunite for a tour. Subsequently, they've spent the last few months at a Los Angeles studio working on their new album. Brian Wilson has commented on the news:


"It's a sentimental thing for me. We've been together 50 years – that's a long time. Conceptually, the album is not going to be anything outlandish or silly, like Smiley Smile. It will be like the Beach Boys circa '65. I'm trying to write lyrics that fit the music without making it sound like you're writing from a hospice."


Their reunion tour starts tonight in Arizona, USA. You can watch the preview, below:



Jack White To Score Lone Ranger Soundtrack

Now that Jack White has his first solo outing in the can (Blunderbuss, released this week), the Third Man Records head has sights on another first: film scoring. As Variety magazine reports, White has been tapped by Walt Disney Pictures to provide the score for their upcoming Gore Verbinski-directed The Lone Ranger. The film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, had this to say:


"Jack’s an amazing songwriter with a unique style. We’re thrilled to hear his fresh take on the [Lone Ranger theme] 'William Tell Overture'."


Though White has contributed to films in the past (2008′s Bond film Quantum of Solace, 2007′s Cold Mountain), The Lone Ranger will be his first foray into scores. You can thank Verbinski and Johnny Depp, the man playing the Lone Ranger’s “sidekick”, Tonto. Bruckheimer said:


"Gore hatched the idea and Johnny was thrilled with it, We’re all very excited to have him on board."


With Armie Hammer in the iconic title role, filming for The Lone Ranger is currently underway in New Mexico with an eye on a May 13th, 2013 release.


24/04/2012

Live Review: Will And The People

The challenge of writing any review is to be unbiased. But to quote Evelyn Waugh, "Better interesting prejudice than bland open-mindedness." So the facts are that I think Will and the People are brilliant...flawed, but brilliant.

On The Radar 24/04/12

Tuesday's weekly selection of new tracks comprising this week's 'Staff Picks' from the Gigseen TV office ... New music featured from Dirty Projectors, Blackbird Blackbird, Pure Love, and an Adrian Sherwood remix of Django Django.

The Beach Boys To Release New Album

The Beach Boys are set to release an album comprising all-new material in June.


The legendary band are reuniting for an extensive world tour to celebrate their 50th anniversary this summer, with founding members Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine all involved.


Johnson has said the band are planning to release a new album on the 5th of June to coincide with the tour, with Wilson contributing a large portion of the material. The album's first single is set to be That's Why God Made The Radio.


"It's all brand new. There's a lot of what you'd hope to hear from Brian [Wilson] on there. It's not a quilt or a pot luck dinner, it's not like, 'OK, everybody show up with your songs.' It's not one of those kind of albums. There's a lot of Brian in there, and Mike [Love]. It's just nice to know there is a Mike Love and a Brian Wilson still around to write together."


Johnson first joined the Beach Boys back in 1965 to replace Glen Campbell, and has a new song in contention for inclusion on the album, She Believes In Love, which dates back to the 1980s.


"I took it from a recording we made of it in '85 and just stripped it down and softened it up and finally got it right. I have no idea if it's going in or not. The label picks the songs, not me."


The band have stressed that the reunion tour is a one-off thing, rather than a permanent arrangement. The stint kicks off in Arizona in July before taking in dates across Europe and finishing up in Japan.


Sales Surge After Record Store Day

Limited edition releases by the Arctic Monkeys and David Bowie helped boost sales of vinyl on Record Store Day.


Record Store Day is an annual campaign to get fans to visit their local independent music shop, with musicians supporting the campaign by releasing dozens of exclusive tracks and rarities. Last Saturday, a rare Noel Gallagher EP was the most popular release and some special highlights included a hard-to-find remix of ABBA's Voulez-Vous and a limited-edition coloured vinyl by the White Stripes.


Around 230 record stores took part in the campaign and according to organisers, all of the top 10 physical singles sold last week were Record Store Day exclusives. Noel Gallagher was at the number one spot with his limited edition four-track EP that compiled b-sides from his High Flying Birds project. Other highly popular releases were the purple vinyl edition of the Arctic Monkeys' latest single, R U Mine, followed by a re-release of the Sex Pistols Anarchy In The UK.


Newly launched for the event was the Official Record Store Chart, which tracks album sales in independent record shops, which saw the chart being dominated by Record Store Day releases. In fact, 7 of the top 10 records in the chart were exclusive releases, with The Beatles 4-disc vinyl box set of their numbers one singles reaching number 3.


Completing the chart run down was Leonard Cohen's Live In Frederiction at 4 and Metallica's Beyond Magnetic at No. 5, but the real top-seller was the new record, Sweet Heart Sweet Light by Space-Rockers, Spiritualized, pushing Alabama Shakes into second place.


Record Store Day coordinator, Spencer Hickman, who also runs the Rough Trade East in London, has been amazed at how busy Record Store Day was this year.


"With vinyl sales again on the rise for the fifth year in a row, indie record stores and RSD are proving to be more relevant than ever for the discerning music buyer."


So the good news is that vinyl record sales reached a six-year high in 2011. A total of 341,000 albums were sold, with Radiohead's The King Of Limbs the best-selling record of the year.


Fiona Apple Debuts New Single

Fiona Apple has debuted her new single, Every Single Night online.


The track is the first to be taken from her fourth studio album which has an amazingly long name, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw, And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do.


The album contains 10 tracks in total and will be released on June 18th in the UK and June 19th in the US. The LP is the follow-up to her third album, Extraordinary Machine and is also her first studio offering for seven years. Every Single Night is the album's opening track.


Apple is set to tour the US in June in support of her fourth album and will play eight shows in total. It is her first tour of any kind for five years. You can listen to the new single below:



The tracklisting for the new album is as follows:


  • Every Single Night
  • Daredevil
  • Valentine
  • Jonathan
  • Left Alone
  • Werewolf
  • Periphery
  • Regret
  • Anything We Want
  • Hot Knife


23/04/2012

Live Review: Tribes

Concorde 2, Brighton - 21st April


Arriving at Brighton train station to hundreds of rowdy football fans being ushered by annoyed looking police, I pottered down to the famous laines to catch the remains of Record Store Day before going to see Tribes at Concorde 2.