Online Plot for Nirvana Top Spot - SHAME

In 2009 the UK was shown the true force of the Internet when Rage Against the Machine fans showed Simon Cowell where to stick it by beating Joe McElderry to the number one spot at Christmas.


When 2011 rolled around it was only to be expected that X Factor winners, Little Mix, would be up against some stiff competition, and crazed rocker nerds came up with a fool proof plan!! Smells Like Teen Spirit was released in 1991. Cobain himself said "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song." Surely there was no better song to follow up the 2009 Rage success?

Little Mix came in at Number 5. Huzzah! Eat that Simon!!


So where were our legendary grunge rockers in this success??!


Number two? Well, no. That one actually went to Lou Monte's 'Dominick the Donkey'. Not heard of it? That's because it's 51 years old. 


So obviously the rocking heroes were number three! Again, not quite. Third spot went to Coldplay's 'Paradise' (even after Chris Martin confessed that his band 'are a sh*t Radiohead.') 


Logic prevails, then, that Nirvana purely scrapped a fantastic success in at number 4 just narrowly laughing in the X Factor's pretentious face! Unfortunately, that logic is wrong again. Flo Rida took fourth with his track 'Good Feeling'. 


Heart radio announced on Christmas Day that the well deserved top spot was achieved by The Military Wives Choir (all the proceeds go to the Royal British Legion and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, so go and download it  RIGHT now.) 


The sad truth is that Nirvana's legendary 90's grunge track, that has spoken to generations, ranked in at number 32 on Christmas Day 2011. 


Just not quite the same is it? Especially when Olly Murs grabbed number 6 AND number 22, One Direction grabbed number 21 and Labrinth picked up number 12 (the only artist signed to Simon Cowell's record label that didn't sprout from a talent competition.) 


So do Nirvana fans not care anymore?! Is that blasphemy?! What is the world coming to?! Do we need to just admit defeat to the music monopoly man?


No one can deny the well deserved victory of The Military Wive's. But it's also safe to say that rockers everywhere should probably hang their heads in shame. 

Marmozets - Passive Aggressive - EP Review

Do not be fooled. Nothing about Marmozets is ‘passive’. This band is sheer aggression, and you know what? It’s spectacular and that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Get this band in your life. It might just be essential.

Marmozets have received quite a reaction with their EP, Passive Aggressive. It’s not surprising. Who wouldn’t be excited about getting five tracks of sheer musical genius for absolutely free? It won’t be long until fans everywhere are yelling “Marmozets gave away a CD for free?! I’m so jealous!”

Opening track, Collisions, gives a perfect intro. It’s a faultless showcase of their instrumental ability and instantly gets the head banging. Thanks for that adrenaline impulse can be sent to Josh Macintyre whose extreme drumming talent is one of the instantly noticeable aspects of the EP. A word of warning, listen with caution because that head banging won’t stop until you break yourself away from this EP, and that will take a very long time.

That drumming is given nice character with intricate, clever and unique guitar tracks which may well become the Marmozets trademark.

Just when you think that there isn’t possibly anything more that this band could pull out of the bag, it happens. There is only one word to describe the vocals on Passive Aggressive and that word is, sublime. Becca Macintyre’s raspy and raw tones give well crafted lyrics something that is very different to other female fronted bands. She adds to the increasingly growing group of women who are proving that they are serious contenders in the world of rock.

Back to Blackout, is an absolute gem of a track with another world class intro brilliantly sculpted for the stage. It conjures up the images of screaming crowds and vicious fist thumping which can make the best live show.

If this is what Marmozets are producing now then it’s hard to imagine what they will come out with next. It’s a superbly made EP that may be hard to follow, but there’s no doubt that Marmozets are up to that challenge.


http://www.facebook.com/marmozets

http://www.marmozets.co.uk/

Kings & Rogues - The 100 Club - 5th August 2011 - Review

The 100 Club is legendary for hosting legendary shows before anyone believed that they were legendary. The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The White Stripes are just a few names that appeared at London’s premier music venue before they went down in music history. The 5^th August 2011 is another date to add to the impressive list as Kings and Rogues take to the 100 Club stage.

Kings and Rogues are the gathered remains of previous projects and it’s easy to see that the three-piece have used all their experience, style and talent to create a new masterpiece. Nick Drew (Vocals & Guitar), Gary Summers (Bass & Backing Vocals) and Wayne Summers (Drums) have an impressive command over their instruments and together have created something that rivals the likes of Biffy Clyro and Queens of the Stone Age.

For a relatively new band the aggression and energy that Kings and Rogues display is exceptional. They capture the crowd with intricate riffs and dominant drum tracks (which are particularly impressive). It may be impossible to not be stunned by the sheer skill of this band, which is a bold statement to make, but a fair one. A nostalgic grunge back bone brings this raw talent together and creates the sound that could fill a stadium very soon.

As they own this historic and legendary stage the word that comes to mind is beautiful. It’s passion and it’s anger and it’s very, very clever. Good things are coming for this band and it won’t be too long until every single person in The 100 Club crowd is bragging about being there on August 5^th 2011. Nick, Gary and Wayne are genuinely lovely and hard working guys and they deserve every moment of success coming to them.

Keep your eye’s peeled for Kings and Rogues because their future looks pretty damn fantastic.  

http://www.facebook.com/KingsandRogues

Next Stop Atlanta - EP Review

Next Stop Atlanta sure have made an impression here at Louder Now, and it’s no surprise. This band are exceptional and are set to take true leaps and bounds in 2011 with their debut, self titled EP, which has been played non stop at Louder Now HQ since we got our grubby paws on it.  

The EP, produced by Matt O’Grady (You Me At Six, The Blackout, Don Broco) is four tracks of pure pop-punk without compromise, brought together by a sheer determination, passion and brilliance. Opening track, ‘I’ll Catch Fire (The Gift)’ was featured on Hang Tight Records compilation album, ‘Sing Your Heart Out Loud’ earlier this year and it absolutely sparkles. A perfectly executed gang shout and ridiculously catchy guitar riff made for a shiny first video, shot and edited by Mark Forrer. This was closely followed by a second for track “Fourteennineeightyseven”, which will give you goose bumps with its gang shout of the word ‘forever’.  

Lyrics throughout this EP are brought alive by Georgia Peters’ absolutely entrancing voice. She manages to keep things fast paced and fun, just as pop-punk should be, but can still slow it down, for the stunning acoustic track “When Perfection is Key”, without missing a trick. But Next Stop Atlanta are, by no means, a one woman show as the vocals compliment well structured and bouncy guitar riffs and aggressive drum beats.

We were lucky enough to have a chat with Peters about the bands busy year ahead: “We really just try to play as many shows as physically possible, whether it be big, small, as part of a tour or just a one off! If we can play a show we'll just grab at the chance!” It’s that determination which is going to get this band to some amazing places, and by the likes of the shows they have lined up it will happen sooner rather than later.

The videos and recordings are exceptional but word on the street is that they don’t do justice to what these guys bring to the stage. Though that’s easy to imagine, there’s no reason why you can’t find out for yourself. The band has got a busy year ahead of them and Louder Now are very proud to be working alongside Next Stop Atlanta to bring the Louder Now Launch Night Showcase to Leicester’s Firebug on April 7^th 2011. You all need to get down to this show and join Next Stop Atlanta as they look forward “to strip back from the bigger venues and play something a little more intimate!”

Tickets are priced at £4 and can be reserved by contacting our Facebook loudernow@hotmail.co.uk NOW!

Feargal Sharkey Speaks at DMU

Feargal Sharkey, most famous for his role in the seventies punk rock band The Undertones, has done more for the UK’s music industry than most. After being a member of the Radio Authority for the full term of five years and earning numerous awards for his contribution to the live music industry, Sharkey is now CEO of UK Music, which protects the UK’s commercial music industry. Louder Now were lucky enough to join Sharkey as he looked back at his time within the music industry and talked about the future of live music.


Growing up in Derry, Northern Ireland, during the sixties and seventies proved to be a challenging experience that shaped Sharkey into the brilliant man he is today. Looking back at the early years he remembers “walking down the road carrying what I now know to be an anarchist flag” but maintains: “I am desperately grateful for the world I grew up in.”


It’s a bold claim to make for a man who, whilst playing a show with The Undertones in Nottingham, was told that his mother and sister were being held hostage by members of the IRA. “They had gone to visit a close family friend” says Sharkey “but the door was opened by a guy in a balaclava who said they had better come in.” The house had been taken over for use in an IRA mission and Sharkey’s mother and sister were held there until his mother found a way out by faking a heart attack. “I think at that point they thought, oh shit this is Feargal Sharkey’s mother and they called an ambulance which took them both from the house.”


His mother and father’s politically influenced lives alongside the fame and success, which allowed him to be one of the only people in Derry to own a home at the age of twenty, gave Sharkey the chance to make huge change in the industry. “The voice still works,” says Sharkey, “I still do it occasionally on a Sunday morning to annoy the kids saying, look you un-grateful kids, people use to pay for this shit!”


On why he traded the lights and glamour of showbiz for the business side of the industry he said: “Well who in the hell else was going to give me a job?!” But on his journey Sharkey has found documents and legislation that have encouraged him to make some very important changes. Not least of which are The Licensing Act 2003, which affects the ability of music venues to provide regulated entertainment as well as alcohol, and Form 696, a risk assessment form compulsory to promoters and licensees in certain boroughs of London.


As a result of the Licensing Act 2003, a venue cannot legally host a live music event without a license that clearly states it has permission to do so. Sharkey highlights the impact it has on struggling young artists who are trying to get people to take notice of them, something which is very close to Louder Now’s heart. “If I picked up a guitar now and sung a song, someone would be facing a £20,000 fine and/or a 6 months prison sentence, now would that stop a pub landlord putting a kid on stage one night? I think it might.” Despite the security and profit that can be brought to venues who hold a licence Sharkey remains adamant that the process is un-fair and damaging: “I don’t think it is healthy that someone who wants to do something as harmless as sing a song in the back of a pub has to ask permission from a local council.”


One of the most pressing issues facing the music industry today is that of illegal internet downloads which, with the closure of Limewire in late 2010, seems to have fierce action being taken against it, especially in the US. Sharkey says: “I genuinely think the Internet is an extraordinary thing. My industry has a 120 year history of disruption. For me this is just another disruption.” Memories of days when radio shows were recorded on to tapes and passed on to friends and family, and an acknowledgement that the music industry is still booming leads to a conclusion that this disruption is a fleeting one. “I think now is an extraordinary time to be a music fan. You can buy Liam Gallagher’s new album off Amazon for £3.99. £3.99? Bloody hell I can barely buy a pint of beer for £3.99!”


Feargal Sharkey is a remarkable character and with his experience, morals and sheer determination the myths and rumours of the music industries demise will remain just that, myths and rumours.

Clear Shot Presents: Limit The Dead & Guests - Wycombe Academy - Review

Darkness falls on a freezing night in High Wycombe but it’s just about to start getting hotter in Wycombe Academy of Music and Arts as the scene gets set for some severely heavy metal. A loyal crowd are pumped for some ear piercing guitar riffs, dirty screaming and brutal mosh pits, and that’s exactly what they’re getting.


Opening up for the night is High Wycombe’s own, Honour In Ashes, who set the bar high for the night. Their first song gets a pretty impressive mosh pit started, that later bands struggle to achieve, and it’s obvious that this band already have a good following. High pitched guitar riffs and impressive vocals are pulled together by aggressive drum beats and that holds this crowd perfectly. The crowd are instructed to explode on the count of three, and it begs the question, do they really need instruction? They’re already going insane and the chanting just goes to show how much of an impact this band is already having. There is a very promising future for Honour In Ashes. With a bit of progression they can achieve amazing things.


One questionable cover of System of a Down’s Chop Suey later and Kieland Ridge present the crowd with a calmer set then the night is use to. The understated, much slower, aggression of this band conjures up nostalgic memories of a grunge period, supposedly lost decades ago, but this band may well bring it back.


For two bands this show marks the end of a mini tour across the UK. Decodes and The Art of Reason show more potential than most tonight and this tour may well be the start of something much bigger for both acts.
The Art of Reason’s increasingly perfect mix of rap and synth made for a fitting cover of Limp Bizkit’s Break Stuff, which shaped up to be the best cover of the night. This band are definitely on to something and it’s quite obvious that soon their going to hit that mark.
Decodes’ track, Nurturers and Murderers is a first-class progressive track which is entrancing live. A line-up reshuffle might have been just the thing this band needed to get them in the right direction and their upcoming EP is sure to be a masterpiece.


The most impressive vocals of the night are clearly displayed by Cascades whose lead singer is left breathless on more than one occasion, and no one is blaming him. Their change in musical direction since their line-up and name change has proved to be nothing less than a musical master stroke. Expect great things from this band.


Headliners, Limit The Dead, play no games in showing exactly who they are and what they’re here to do. Warnings of strobe lighting get the crowd buzzing for the long awaited climax of the night, and they did not disappoint their audience who are captivated from the word go. This melodic, heavy metal is the best way to wake up a crowd after an exhaustive night of head banging and the strobe lighting just helps that along!


Limit The Dead
http://www.myspace.com/limitthedead
Cascades
http://www.myspace.com/cascadesuk
Decodes
http://www.myspace.com/decodesuk
The Art of Reason
http://www.myspace.com/theartofreason
Kieland Ridge
http://www.myspace.com/kielandridge
Honour In Ashes
http://www.myspace.com/honourinashes93
Clear Shot
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001670915455

Feargal Sharkey at De Montfort University

Feargal Sharkey will be gracing De Montfort University with his presence during their tenth annual Cultural Exchanges Festival with a talk based around the singer’s vibrant career.


The Undertones vocalist shot to fame in 1978 with their single “Teenage Kicks” and since then his career has gone through several makeovers. After appearing in other bands, such as The Assembly with Vince Clarke of Depeche Mode, and a successful solo career sprinkled with collaboration gems, Sharkey now heads up UK Music making a real impact to the state of live music in the UK.


“Cultural Exchanges is an exciting annual festival.” states Director of Cultural Exchanges, Tony Graves. “It started in 2000 and is organised by our third year students on the BA (Hons) Arts and Festival Management course. We proudly welcome Feargal Sharkey who has become a leading figure in the music industry.”


Sharkey’s career has been highlighted with various awards including the Scott Piering Award in 2004, The Bottle Award for outstanding contribution to the live music industry in 2006 and an Honorary Doctor of Arts from the University of Hertfordshire for an outstanding achievement in the field of music.


Chris Maughan, principal lecturer for arts and festivals management at DMU, will discuss the issues Feargal has primarily been concerned with over his career. The Licensing Act 2003, which affects the ability of music venues to provide regulated entertainment as well as alcohol, and Form 696, a risk assessment form compulsory to promoters and licensees, are expected to be top of the agenda.


UK Music have said that “topics for discussion will include careers in the music industry, policy issues and looking at how the British music industry needs to develop if it is to sustain its contribution to Britain’s cultural and economic life”


Sharkey will be at DMU’s Clephen Building, room 2.13, between 6-7pm . Tickets cost just £3 and are available from https://store.dmu.ac.uk

Sing Your Heart Out Loud - Hang Tight Records - Compilation Review

‘Sing Your Heart Out Loud’, Hang Tight Records (February 21st 2011), is a big step towards proving that British pop-punk is horrifically underrated. Bands from across the country have come together to create a compilation album stamped with the trademark epic beat downs and explosive gang shouts that rival those of stateside pop-punk bands.


Hang Tight Records formed in December of last year to release Me vs Hero's full length ‘Days That Shape Our Lives’ on vinyl. Since then the label has found more and more bands that represent the thriving scene of pop-punk in Britain.


“I really started working with the bands on the compilation from December,” Says Joe Hurst of Hang Tight Records, “but it took about a month to collate and to get the band total up to twenty. There is so much talent in the UK that gets over looked by promoters and other labels. I want to show people that us boys and girls in the UK can do as good as the guys in the states can!”


The album is dowsed in influence from the likes of Four Year Strong, Deaf Havana and Hit The Lights, with the same lively energy shining through on every track. It’s not surprising considering that most of these bands have supported the big guns of pop-punk in recent months.


Leicester’s own, We’re Not Worthy, sit midway in the compilation with ‘Make Mine a Double’, a song which has such a catchy chorus that it is near impossible to not get hooked, jump around and scream along (three things the crowd will definitely be doing at Lock 42 when the band support The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus on March 17th).


Dublin’s Storyboard (who have signed to Hang Tight records since the compilations release) and Young Wolves, stand up for the Irish in their contributions which blow others out of the water. Both have managed to keep the upbeat happiness that makes pop-punk what it is whilst including a depth, meaning and emotion to their lyrics which helps them to stand out. Together on this album they prove that Ireland’s pop-punk scene is growing into a beat down fuelled monster. Watch that space.


Next Stop Atlanta’s Georgia Peters is a breath of fresh air in a vastly male dominated genre. ‘I’ll Catch Fire’ is one of the most attention grabbing tracks of the album with a guitar riff that you really will not get out of your head and a gang shout to be proud of. It’s bands like this, Paramore, Mimi Soya and We Are The In Crowd that are campaigning for the ladies, and they’re doing a remarkable job of it.


British pop-punk is a force to be reckoned with, and it’s only getting bigger by the second. Hurst hopes that “the kids listening to the compilation will find their new favourite band, maybe they will buy a shirt, EP or go to a show,” and your life will be brighter for it! Pop-punk is not dead!


‘Sing Your Heart Out Loud’ is available to download for just £1 from http://hangtightrecords.bandcamp.com NOW!