Tag Archives: music

U2 at the O2 Arena, 30 October 2015

Posted on November 2, 2015 by John S

On Friday, still a bit jet-lagged, after arriving back from New York at nine that morning, I went to see U2 at the O2 arena, aka the Dome. I’d had tickets for the Tuesday, but gave them away after I … Continue reading →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Have you heard? – (68) “Every Open Eye” by Chvrches

Posted on October 23, 2015 by John S

I’d really been looking forward to the new Chvrches albums. Readers of this blog will know I loved the first album, “The Bones of What You Believe” – it was was my top album of 2013. Quite a long time … Continue reading →

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Gengahr at the Scala, Kings Cross, 8 October 2015

Posted on October 11, 2015 by John S

Gengahr at the Scala was always going to be good. Their album, “A Dream Outside” is almost certainly going to be my album of 2015, unless the new Chvrches release takes over. They were excellent at Latitude, in a half … Continue reading →

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Choosing a book cover

Posted on September 27, 2015 by John S

Tonight Brian Eno gave a brilliant talk at the BBC 6 Music annual John Peel lecture. His theme was the importance of art and culture and that it wasn’t just about contributing to GDP or getting a job. Early on … Continue reading →

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Have you heard? – (67) Gengahr and This Is the kit

Posted on September 6, 2015 by John S

Over the summer, especially since Latitude in mid-July, the two albums I’ve been listening to most are “A Dream Outside” by Gengahr and “Bashed Out” by This Is the Kit. I’d heard both albums before Latitude and already liked them … Continue reading →

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The Jam: About the Young idea, at Somerset House

Posted on August 18, 2015 by John S

There’s a great exhibition of memorabilia, photos and music about The Jam at Somerset House, on the Strand in central London, at the moment. I went there on Sunday. It was full of geezers in polo shirts, Fred Perrys to … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, books, theatre, cinema | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

My Top Thirteen – Reflective Songs for a Summer Evening

Posted on August 14, 2015 by John S

This was meant to be a ten, but I just couldn’t leave any of the songs out. In the same series though. They are songs with their roots in folk, but few would be classified purely as folk. They are … Continue reading →

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Have You Heard? – (66) MonoTony and Sauna Youth with “Human Troll” and “Transmitters”

Posted on July 27, 2015 by John S

This is a great joint single. Two pieces of the best rock’n’roll noise. MonoTony provide “Human Troll”, which is simply a piledriver of riffage. Sauna Youth’s “Transmitters” is a sparky punk thrash. Love them both! With thanks to Marc Riley … Continue reading →

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My Top 15 Latitude 2015 moments

Posted on July 21, 2015 by John S

If you don’t have time to read my rather lengthy review, or just like lists, here are the memories that will really stick with me from this year’s Latitude festival. I meant to do a ten, but what could I … Continue reading →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections, Music - Top Tens | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Latitude 2015 – My fourth, and Latitude’s tenth!

Posted on July 20, 2015 by John S

My fourth Latitude – and Latitude’s tenth. 17-20 July 2015. Another Latitude, another few days off shaking off the shackles of work and responsibility, and just enjoying the music, the arts, the Tuborg, the vibe. A new stage to look … Continue reading →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , | 7 Comments