The exam answer would be a decent read I’d imagine.

Spoilsport!

Brought me back to my own assignment’s in Music Tech @ BCFE, fun times.

For those in Dublin seeing them this weekend, The xx were good last night, but a large section of the crowd were frustrating. I’m not normally one to get precious about people talking at a gig, but the natter for a band like the xx was pretty poor.

I’m going to the XX tommorow but I am expecting them to be poor. Far too early for them to be playing a 1000 + venue. Tripod really does lend itself to the chatterers so I won’t be expecting anything less.

I remember Bon Iver last year @ Tripod in May – bar staff slamming empy bottles into bins during intimate moments of the set, madness.

Joe – I thought The xx were really good last night too, for a three piece they make some big sound. Crowd were a bit chatty but I think it’s part of the time of year – it was the same at Fuck Buttons gig the night before.

Friday December 18th
Doors 11pm
Screening at 11.15 sharp
Ricky Powell Slide Show 11.45
DJ Scope 12.15
Edan The Deejay 1.15pm
http://www.choicecuts.ie

Saturday December 19th
Cyprus Avenue, Caroline Street, Cork
Admission 15euro Doors 11pm – 2.30am
http://www.cyprusavenue.ie http://www.choicecuts.ie http://www.tickets.ie

** Echo Party Screening in Plug’d Records with Edan & Ricky Powell at 6.30pm approx**

The Looks + Animal Channel & Kid Karate

Tonight @ The Thinktank (The Mezz)

Doors: 8pm

Admission: FREE

http://www.myspace.com/thelooksmusic

Ivan St John Xmas Party ginch!
w/guests Funzo
Whelan’s Upstairs
Mon 21st Dec
Doors 8pm
Tix 10yips
WaV 1890 2000 78

Free exclusive copy of Ivan’s debut single ‘There You Stand’ w/entry.

DOI : Ivan’s manager.

Carol Anne McGowan plays downstairs in Shebeen Chic on Tuesday, doors at 9. “Carol Ann’s ethereal sound was particularly special; a truly beautiful vocalist.” The Stephen’s Green Preservation Society

I would heartily recommend having a look at the wonderful video she did for one of her demos on her youtube or myspace page.

http://www.youtube.com/user/carolannemcg
http://www.myspace.com/carolannemcgowan

Carol Anne McGowan plays downstairs in Shebeen Chic, Tuesday, December 22nd at 9pm, 5 euro in. “Carol Ann’s ethereal sound was particularly special; a truly beautiful vocalist.” The Stephen’s Green Preservation Society

http://www.youtube.com/user/carolannemcg
http://www.myspace.com/carolannemcgowan

dealga – am I the only one who thinks this “battle” for the Xmas Number One is a total non-event? Who gives a flying fuck what’s at number one when we all sit down to burp over the turkey?

I find this whole concentration on X Factor v RATM to be as risible and manufactured as Jedward’s hairdos. I also think that there’s a huge and growing constituency out there who are now fully removed from what’s actually in the charts, yet are still actively involved in finding out about and supporting new music. That’s of far more interest – yet we’re not finding as much written about that.

There are 2 interesting pieces in today’s Guardian Film & Music which are worth reading on this score. One is Bob Stanley on his experience of listening to EVERY number one in the UK chart this decade and being amazed by the stuff which reached the top – http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/dec/17/noughties-number-one

The other is Jude Rogers on album sales in 2009 and what really sold – http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/dec/17/xfactor-album-sales

“Who gives a flying fuck what’s at number one when we all sit down to burp over the turkey?”

Well you don’t obviously, your friends and family mightn’t and so on but plenty of people do, you must know that. Maybe the people who have bought RATM have been duped by a manufactured ‘battle’ but so what? The people buying Killing in the Name Of believe they’re making some kind of statement. There are a lot of them, to them it’s clearly not a non-event and, furthermore, it’s bloody funny as proven by that Fogarty idiot from the 5Live breakfast show yesterday.

Maybe there is a ‘huge and growing constituency out there who are now fully removed from what’s actually in the charts’. Great… so? In this context it’s not really the point. When all is said and done, while people Spotify, Last.fm and all the rest to their hearts content, the mainstream is still the behemoth. Shite music gets bought by the masses? Colour me surprised. Next thing he’ll be writing an article accusing the Pope of being Catholic. There’s a reason the playlists you post here aren’t from a 2FM show on weekday afternoons.

This week it looks like a lot of genuinely intentioned people are going to fuck with the mainstream. This could be our Sex Pistols/Bill Grundy moment. And the fact RATM are signed to Sony doesn’t alter that fact, because Sony aren’t the point either.

what dooes DOI stand for?

. To focus on the fact that both R.A.T.M and Joe are under Sony is to totally miss the point of this protest. The R.A.T.M song is a rebel anthem that voices how many people feel about manufactured pop being spoon fed to people at the detriment of original artists and of how X factor have a monopoly on the Christmas charts.

I think it’s hilarious that some people are rabbitting on about manufactured pop being forced onto youngsters as if it’s a new fad! The Monkees were manufactured, Stock, Aiken & Waterman in the 80’s manufactured loads of popular acts – it’s nothing new & it didn’t hinder the quality of music then, as it doesnt now. I think people just like to sound knowledgable & have something to give out about.
As a teenager i was a total Top of the Pops addict, dying to know what Christmas No1 was, even up until a few yrs ago, but it doesnt matter a jot to me now, i’d imagine a lot of people feel the same.
I found the whole campaign a bit cringeworthy tbh – XFactor getting to Christmas no 1 isn’t going to ruin my Christmas!

Story Jim,

The archives for the last couple of shows are up on the http://www.powerfm.org website. The last two shows were a run through some of my vinyl highlights over the last decade. I could have done with few more shows at it because I’ve left loads of personal highlights out. Anyhows, Part 1 is at http://www.powerfm.org/2009/12/14/static-in-the-attic-14th-december/ and Part 2 is at http://www.powerfm.org/2009/12/21/static-in-the-attic-21st-december/ . There’s playlists up there too and there’s a fast forward button on Media Player. Top buzz.