Beatmag News
September 2007
Edited By Blackbeltjonez whose opinions (notably about the Sex Pistols) are not necessarily those of Beatmag editorial. Mess with him, though, and you mess with us.
Fink
Even Britain’s rabid Sun newspaper has taken time out from nipples and immigrant-baiting to enjoy the good work of Ninja Tune’s Fink, suggesting some of his tunes to be better than those of Jose Gonzalez, high praise indeed for anyone brandishing a plectrum. Lazy comparisons aside, the reviews for Fink’s work either in the studio or on the road have been very positive. Following on from last year’s ‘Biscuits For Breakfast’ LP on Ninja Tune, Fink returns with ‘This Is The Thing’. His vocal performance is all poise and heartache over beautifully simple, falling country blues, as Fink takes aim at the heart of modern relationships: “The things that keep us apart, keep me alive. And the things that keep me alive, keep me alone…”
Not only will this release endear him to lovers of weeping and public displays of emotion, it should establish Fink as one of the UK’s pre-eminent singer-songwriters and guarantee him a fumble with Abi Titmuss or one of the latest female Big Brother evictees.
Fink’s ‘This Is The Thing / Make It Good’ download single is released 13th August. The album ‘Distance And Time’ is due on 1st October
Album launch party will be at the Luminaire in London on 17th October, with a bigger London gig and Uk tour later in year. Tickets from: http://www.theluminaire.co.uk/cnt/events.php?month=October&event=534&year=2007.
Shirley Bassey
Will someone please offer this poor woman either a seat or some decent fresh material? Shirley Bassey (or Dame Shirley when she wants a table at The Ivy) is still bellowing out dusty, cob-webbed numbers like it’s nobody’s business and though her voice has retained it’s fog-horn quality, as her set at this year’s Glastonbury proved, it’s clear that somebody somewhere should give her something else to sing.
‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Hey Big Spender’ have sounded pretty tiresome for at least a decade now and although she’s released a new album, the tracks are mostly remixes of old favourites. The Propellerheads had the right idea when they dusted her off 10 years ago. She brought alive ‘History Repeating’ – a blinder of a tune – but it was tragically snapped up as the theme to ‘So Graham Norton’, thus automatically rendering it useless drivel. No-one at Beatmag is asking for complex lyrical wizardry but re-singing Pink’s ‘Get The Party Started’ definitely isn’t a good enough reason to squeeze another album out of the old girl. Having had to leave Glastonbury in a helicopter in the pissing rain, the Welsh whirlwind is either enjoying an unexpected career renaissance (her nineteenth) or she simply won’t sit down because of piles. A grim image maybe but a gentleman back-stage armed with a pea-shooter and a steady aim could be the secret behind that voice for all these years.
‘Get The Party Started’ by Shirley Bassey is out now.
Sex Pistols
You’d think someone would have a new twist on this by now? A re-release of material by the self-appointed anti-Christ called John and his charming friends that dates back 30 years is hardly stretching the imagination is it? The Really Slow Removal Of A Plaster Award goes to the numbskull who’s decided to release the band’s four singles for four consecutive weeks leading up to the album release. Dragging it out hasn’t been done this well since the Queen Mum (‘Gawd bless er toothless maaf’) kept us all guessing for six or seven years. In recent times, the ‘Never Mind The Bollocks…’ album has come to be commonly regarded to be one of the most influential rock releases of the last 40 years, and has been described as “one of the greatest, most inspiring rock records of all time”. Inspiring? How? Only in a “what not to sound like” type-of-way, surely?
“The Sex Pistols weren’t part of a movement. They defined a movement” says the PR. This much is true, but how relevant is their voice in a UK where kids get stabbed and shot for dog ownership and walking down the wrong street? Times have changed vastly and while this will serve as a trip down memory lane for some people, even the majority who stood watching them gobbing on one-another would be hard pressed to deny it sounds dated now. The music of The Sex Pistols was a small portion of the overall package, almost a by-product. You can see how it’d be easy to be caught up in the excitement of a live show and the knowledge that they were upsetting the establishment but they upset nobody now. The Pistols are either older or deader and politicians and Royalty are still masters of the purse-strings.
To be fair to John Lydon it’s unlikely he’ll be signing copies. Virgin are re-issuing it and I can’t imagine they asked if he was bothered. It’s a shame they didn’t check to see if anyone else was either…
Festivals Preview
The last issue of Beatmag had a run-down of up-coming festivals for the summer, basing much on the assumption that global warming would do for us all in the long run but short term it would ensure sun-blessed festivals and a sharp increase in the sale of sun-lotion, ketamine and expensive frozen yoghurts.
The benefit of hindsight is underrated but even the poor sods knee-deep in slurry at Glade couldn’t have imagined it would have been quite so mucky, no-matter how many mind-bending mushroom truffles they’d gobbled down.
With the miserable statistics that recent weather reports provide, the following information is to be digested under supervision. If you choose to act upon it and go to any festivals in England, it’s your own fault…
Punkt Festival, August 29 – Kristiansand, Norway
If you’ve got too much money and too many braincells then go and see a bunch of arty toss in Norway: http://www.punktfestival.no/punkt.php
Numusic, September 5-8 Stavanger, Norway
…and if you’ve got too much money and like dancing your tits off, go to this in Norway. Legendry legends of legend-type-status Underground Resistance will be there. As will Lindstrom, Jean Jacques Perry, Daedelus and possibly this years best named artist, Hudson Mohawke. Go, get smashed and snog a hot Norwegian. http://www.numusic.no/
Bestival – September 7 – Newport, Isle of Wight, UK
With a bit of luck, the weather will have grown tired of being a c*nt and this year’s Bestival will be remembered by all who went as “mmmmmmm”. The line-up includes Spank Rock (who really need to be seen live), Gossip (who really REALLY need to be seen live but with more clothes on), 2ManyDJs, Primal Scream and then older favourites like Marlena Shaw and Tim Westwood. There’s also gonna be a massive Fancy Dress party, a Beard And Moustache Championship and some poncy posh camping facilities for those clever enough to book it early. We’ll stop here because tickets are no longer available and we don’t want to rub it in cause Beatmag will be there with bells on.
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How do I fit the training set to my ESky helicopter? First click the four small brackets onto the lower part of the skids. Then push the rods through the holes and slot them into the circular centre hub.
God helps those who help themselves