Beppo is frontman of XX Cult, a regionally well known rock cover band in the German south-west (Freiburg). He's very good with those Joe Cocker and Gary Moore songs.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Boney M singer Bobby Farrell dies at 61

Charismatic frontman dies on tour in St Petersburg after performing despite concerns about his health

Martin Wainwright

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 30 December 2010 17.42 GMT

Article history

The charismatic frontman of Boney M, Bobby Farrell, has died on tour in St Petersburg after finishing a gig despite medical concerns.

The 61-year-old, who brought the Caribbean carnival tradition of his native Aruba to western pop, had complained of breathing problems before and after the show.

His agent, John Seine, said that "heart problems, shortage of breath and problems with his stomach" had plagued the performer for 10 years, but had never dented his love of performing live. A natural showman, Farrell made slick dance routines and exotic costumes as much a part of Boney M appearances as the music.

The most famous person to come out of Aruba – a tiny island nation which along with Curacao and Sint Maarten are part of the Netherlands – he towered over the women who took the other three places in the group. His signing in 1975 gave a new lease of life to an odd collective, which primarily performed to music pre-recorded by the German singer and composer Frank Farian.

Farrell was seldom involved in studio recordings of the group's many hits such as Rivers of Babylon and Brown Girl in the Ring. His forte was live performance, when his sometimes ragged voice worked well and his movements were a whirl of bare midriff, tight bell-bottoms, huge afro hair-do and spidery reach and height.

"I like to look good on stage and to release all my energy in my shows," he said on his website recently. "The energy in my music has no limit. I want people to feel entertained and to hear the love that I have for creating music, translated into my songs."

Farrell was involved in a succession of dramatic splits and makeups with Farian, leaving the group more than once after allegations of unreliability. But his career continually reignited after initial stardom in the 1970s, and he barnstormed the international concert circuit in the 1990s and the first decade of this century.

"He was a fantastic person, quite bizarre," said Seine. "He had a big heart but he was also explosive."

Born Alfonso Farrell, he was brought up amid Aruba's rich musical combination of carnival songs and processions, mixed with religious ceremonies from the Dutch colonial era. He left school at 15 to work as a sailor, but jumped ship in Norway and set himself up as a DJ.

Modest success took him to Germany where he was spotted by Farian, who had invented Boney M as a pseudonym, taken from an Australian TV series. Music was Farian's strength but he needed a sexy and attention-catching cast to present curiosities such as Baby Do You Wanna Bump, which he recorded entirely himself in 1974, singing both deep bass and falsetto parts.

Farrell proved his worth with Daddy Cool, which was Britain's number one for five weeks in 1978, the same year as Rivers of Babylon made the top spot. His own Boney M team played to wild acclaim up to his death, with an Abba-like repertoire of past golden hits to sing. Following tours of the United States, Colombia, Turkey, Finland and Slovakia, he was due to release a new album and tour Italy this spring.

He was found dead by staff at St Petersburg's Ambassador hotel after failing to respond to a wake-up call. A Dutch speaker, he lived near Amsterdam, where he leaves a son and a daughter.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Rewire Festival 2016

Grote Kerk, Den Haag

Einstürzende Neubauten-frontman and former guitar player of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ Blixa Bargeld (DE) and Italian composer Teho Teardo present their beautiful work together with a local string quartet. Their collaboration started in 2013 with their stunning record ‘Still Smiling’. This record consists of 12 ‘flexible’ songs, of which the arrangements form both a beautiful contrast as wel as a unity between acoustic string instruments and electronics. ‘The duo’s work comprises two albums; ‘Still Smiling’ in 2013 and ‘Spring’ in 2014.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Bono, the frontman of U2 and co-founder of the ONE Campaign, visited the European Parliament on 10 October.

Check our article here:

www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/eu-affairs/20181...

This photo is free to use under Creative Commons licenses and must be credited: "© European Union 2018 - European Parliament".

(Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives CreativeCommons licenses creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). No model release form if applicable.

For bigger HR files please contact: webcom-flickr(AT)europarl.europa.eu

Decapitated

Alcatraz - Milano

07 Gennaio 2014

ph ©Mairo Cinquetti

All rights reserved

DECAPITATED As a Teenage Death Metal act DECAPITATED averaged an age of just 17 by the time of their debut album but incredibly drummer Vitek was a mere twelve years old upon their formation in 1996. Both guitarist Vogg and bassist Martin also held down membership of Black Metal act LUX OCCULTA . In 1997 the trio of vocalist Sauron, guitarist Vogg and Vitek added the 13 year old bassist Martin. DECAPITATED, hailing from Krosno, debuted with the demos Cemeteral Gardens in 1997 and 1998 "The Eye Of Horus". Further exposure was garnered by the inclusion of tracks on the 2000 Relapse Records 'Polish Assault' compilation alongside YATTERING , LOST SOUL and DAMNABLE . The first album, recorded for Earache subsidiary Wicked World, was produced by VADER Piotr Wiwczarek and sees a cover of SLAYER Mandatory Suicide. DECAPITATED early demos were pressed up onto CD by Poland’s Metal Mind Productions entitled The First Damned, adding two live tracks from the 'Thrash 'em All' festival. The band toured as support to VADER in early 2001. DECAPITATED's February 2002 album 'Nihility' would include a cover version of NAPALM DEATH 's 'Suffer The Children'. The band scored a valuable coup later that same year, being chosen to perform at the Polish 'Ozzfest' event in late May. By August DECAPITATED was on the road in North America with tour partners INCANTATION , VEHEMENCE and DEAD TO FALL . The band, shooting a promotional video for the track 'Spheres of Madness' to further promote the album, would form up part of a strong package bill topped by VADER for a run of dates across mainland Europe from late August alongside KRISIUN and PREJUDICE . Vitek took time out to lay down drums on VADER frontman Piotr Wiwczarek's PANZER X project EP 'Steel Fist'. The February 2004 DECAPITATED album 'The Negatron' would see a bonus track offering of a take on DEICIDE 's 'Lunatic Of God's Creation'. A short spurt of UK dates saw the band ranked alongside ROTTING CHRIST , ANATA and THUS DEFILED . The band then united with Norwegian Black Metal elite outfit MAYHEM and Japanese act DEFILED for a European tour commencing early April. US dates scheduled for July and August had DECAPITATED opening for CANNIBAL CORPSE . However, all North American touring plans were cancelled due to the sensitivity in regard to the band's name and the executions of hostage victims in Iraq. DECAPITATED parted ways with guitarist Jacek Hiro in October, opting to remain a quartet for February 2005 European gigs allied with HATE , CRIONICS and DIES IRAE . The band re-shaped in June when frontman Sauron closed a nine year tenure by announcing his withdrawal. DECAPITATED quickly drew in their friend Covan formerly of ATROPHIA RED SUN, NEUROTOXIC.c.w.a., as replacement. The band entered Hertz Studios in Bialystok in August to record a new album entitled 'Organic Hallucinosis'. September European dates had DECAPITATED partnered with British act GOREROTTED and Dutch DETONATION . Following US gigs in December, DECAPITATED parted ways with bassist Martin, the four-stringer having to deal with military conscription issues, pulling in Richard Gulczynski as replacement. Live work breaking into 2006, promoting the 'Organic Hallucinosis' album recorded at Hertz Studio in Bialystok, saw the band teaming up with HYPOCRISY , SOILENT GREEN , RAGING SPEEDHORN , NILE and WITH PASSION for a North American tour commencing in early January. In mid February it was learned that bassist Martin had returned to the fold. US dates for September and October 2006 saw the band hooking up with KRISIUN , CATTLE DECAPITATION , SIX FEET UNDER and ABYSMAL DAWN . The band united with headliners FEAR FACTORY and SUFFOCATION for further North American shows in November. The band united with Nancy's PHAZM for extensive European touring throughout February 2007. In May the group toured throughout Australia and New Zeeland supporting NILE . The band's next tour outing was to be the 'Summer Slaughter' trek across the USA throughout June and July, seeing NECROPHAGIST headlining on a mammoth package billing with BENEATH THE MASSACRE , CEPHALIC CARNAGE , CATTLE DECAPITATION , THE FACELESS , AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK , ARSIS and ION DISSONANCE . The band is ready for next tour attacks! Asia, North and South America and Europe!!!

Read my interview with the band's frontman, Alex Turner, from last Friday (April 6) - plus a brief review of the Glass House gig - here: soundcheck.ocregister.com/2012/04/12/live-review-arctic-m...

All images Copyright © David Brendan Hall. Please do NOT steal or repost my images without prior consent & proper credit. Please e-mail directly for inquiries regarding prints and licensing.

Jason Wade, frontman for Lifehouse, performing in Charlotte on May 22nd.

PLEASE, NO GRAPHICS, BADGES, OR AWARDS IN COMMENTS, They will be deleted.

Fonte Official Skindred web page :

The music world may be in a permanent state of panic and flux, but one basic principle of rock’n’roll remains true: the key to longevity is to always deliver the goods. No band has better encapsulated this ethos of integrity and determination over the last decade than Skindred.

Widely acknowledged as one of the most devastating and enthralling live bands on the planet, the Newport destroyers have been a perennial force for musical invention and remorseless positivity since emerging from the ashes of frontman Benji Webbe’s former band Dub War back in 1998. Over the course of four universally praised studio albums – Babylon (2002), Roots Rock Riot (2007), Shark Bites And Dog Fights (2009) and Union Black (2011) – Skindred’s reputation for producing the ultimate spark-spraying state-of-the-art soundclash, combining all manner of seemingly disparate musical elements into an irresistibly exhilarating explosion of energy and cross-pollinated cultural fervour has rightly earned them a reputation as a band capable of uniting people from all corners of the globe and making every last one of them tear up the dancefloor with a giant shit-eating grin plastered across their faces.

With the toughest and most infectious metal riffs colliding with the biggest, phattest hip hop and reggae grooves, cutting edge electronics and a razor-sharp pop sensibility guaranteed to encourage even the most curmudgeonly music fans bellow along with rabid enthusiasm, Skindred are both the ultimate thinking man’s party band. And now, with the release of their fifth studio album Kill The Power, Benji Webbe and his loyal henchmen – bassist Dan Pugsley, guitarist Mikey Demus and drummer Arya Goggins – are poised to spread their gospel of good times and badass tunes to an even bigger global audience.

“We know that everyone recognises us as one of the best live bands around,” says Arya. “We’re really proud of all of the albums we’ve made, but we all felt that we needed to make an album that would be as powerful and effective as the live show. That’s what Kill The Power is all about. This time, we want everyone to sit up and listen and join in the party.”

“I started DJ-ing a little while ago and it’s taught me a lot,” adds Benji. “Now I feel like I wanted to make an album where every intro to every song makes kids think ‘Fucking hell, they’re playing that song!’ Every middle eight on this album is a banger. Every chorus is massive. On this album, the lyrics are deep and the songs are just bigger than ever.”

In keeping with their tradition of making people move while singing about universal issues and spreading a message of positive action and social unity, Kill The Power is an album bulging with fury at the state of the modern world. Never afraid to tackle important topics head on, while never forgetting his band’s mission to entertain and leave the world in a sweaty, sated heap, Benji’s notoriously insane energy levels seem to be creeping up with every album and Kill The Power showcases his most furious and impactful performances to date.

“The world’s getting worse so how can I get more mellow?” he laughs. “Of course I’m getting angrier! People normally stay in a bag when it comes to lyrics. Stephen King stays with horror and he’s brilliant at it, you know? With Skindred, it’s always about encouraging an uplift. It’s about a sense of unity. Lyrics can change people’s lives, you know? You can be going down one road and hear a song and have a Road To Damascus experience and become someone else.”

On an album that has no shortage of invigorating highlights, Kill The Power takes Skindred to new extremes at both ends of the lyrical spectrum, reaching a new level of fiery intensity on the lethal cautionary tale of “Playin’ With The Devil” and the euphoric end-of-the-working-week celebration of “Saturday”: both songs proving that this band’s ability to touch the heart and fire the blood remains as incisive and potent as ever. As if to enhance their songwriting chops more than ever, Kill The Power also features several songs written in collaboration with legendary songwriting guru Russ Ballard, the man behind such immortal rock staples as Since You’ve Been Gone and God Gave Rock & Roll To You, and this seemingly perverse team-up has led to Skindred’s finest set of lyrics and melodies to date.

“Basically, I try to write songs that people can interpret however they like,” says Benji. “When I wrote ‘Playin’ With The Devil’, I originally wrote some words down on a piece of paper thinking about friends I’ve had who smoke crack and live on the pipe, you know? I wrote the song about that kind of thing, but then a couple of days later the riots happened in London and so it became about that as well. When you shit on your own doorstep, your house is going to smell of shit. You’ve got to clean that up! With ‘Saturday’, it’s not a typical Skindred song; it’s a big celebration. We got Russ Ballard involved on that one and he helped me structure the lyrics in the right way so when the chorus hits, it hits like a hammer. It’s an upbeat song but when you listen to the lyrics it goes on about how people all have different reasons to be out and partying. Some people are celebrating, some people are drowning their sorrows, and we all come together on a Saturday. When this record comes out and people go to a club on a Saturday, that’s when it’s gonna go off! The chorus is huge!”

While Skindred’s previous album Union Black was dominated by the bleeps, booms and squelches of British electronic dance music, albeit balanced out by Mikey Demus’ trademark riffs, the new album sees the band return to a more organic sound that amounts to the most accurate representation of the Skindred live experience yet committed to tape. From the huge beats and stuttering samples of the opening title track and the laudably demented Ninja through to the insistent melodies and rampaging choruses of “The Kids Are Right Now” and “Saturday” and on to the thunderous, metallic throwdowns of “Proceed With Caution” and “Ruling Force” and the cool acoustic breeze of the closing More Fire, Kill The Power is Skindred cranked up to full throttle and revelling in their own febrile creativity like never before.

“It’s all about making an album that moves people in the same way that our live shows do,” says Arya. “We love what we achieved on Union Black and we still used a lot of those basic ideas on Kill The Power, but this time it’s a more organic sound. All the drum loops you hear were originally played by me before we started chopping them up, and there are a lot more guitars on this record too. We love combining all the music that we love in Skindred but we all love heavy music and we’re a rock band at heart and that really comes across this time.”

“We’ve delivered an album that’s gonna make people rock for the next few years,” states Benji. “You know what? I can’t do anything about record sales, but if people come to a Skindred show they’re gonna know they’ve been there, you know? Ha ha! The music we make is not about Christians or Muslims, straight people or gay people, black or white or any of that shit. When people are in that room together it’s just Skindred, one unity and one strength!”

Having conquered numerous countries around the world, Skindred could easily be taking a breather and resting on their laurels at this point. Instead, this most dedicated and hard-working of modern bands are preparing to launch their most exuberant assault on the world ever when Kill The Power hits the streets. Anyone that has ever seen the band live before will confirm that it is impossible not to get fired up and drawn into the joyous abandon of a Skindred show and with their greatest album to date primed and ready to explode, the best live band on the planet simply cannot fail to conquer the entire world this time round. Wherever and whoever you are, Skindred are coming. Open your ears and get your dancing feet ready…

“There’s nothing better than being on stage with these guys,” says Arya. “Skindred is my favourite band and I’m so lucky to be part of this thing we’ve created. We’ve been all over the world but there are always new places to visit and new crowds to play for. We just want to keep getting bigger and better.”

“We’re a global band. We’ve played in Colombia and India and everywhere and it’s the same energy,” Benji concludes. “I get letters from people in Hawaii and people in Turkey. It’s all the same. We resonate globally and it’s the greatest thing ever. It seems funny to us sometimes because we’re always kicking each other’s heads in and saying ‘You’re a wanker!’ to each other before we go on stage, but as soon as it’s time to play the show the oneness this band creates together and the unity we bring is unique. I’ve never experienced anything like it and we can’t wait to get back on the road and do it all again.”

Ghost - Tobias Forge

A Pale Tour named Death

Le Zénith de Paris, Paris, France | 07/02/2019

Live report soon on MusicWaves

Philippe Bareille

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Frontman Chris L.

www.darksightberlin.com

Fonte Official Skindred web page :

The music world may be in a permanent state of panic and flux, but one basic principle of rock’n’roll remains true: the key to longevity is to always deliver the goods. No band has better encapsulated this ethos of integrity and determination over the last decade than Skindred.

Widely acknowledged as one of the most devastating and enthralling live bands on the planet, the Newport destroyers have been a perennial force for musical invention and remorseless positivity since emerging from the ashes of frontman Benji Webbe’s former band Dub War back in 1998. Over the course of four universally praised studio albums – Babylon (2002), Roots Rock Riot (2007), Shark Bites And Dog Fights (2009) and Union Black (2011) – Skindred’s reputation for producing the ultimate spark-spraying state-of-the-art soundclash, combining all manner of seemingly disparate musical elements into an irresistibly exhilarating explosion of energy and cross-pollinated cultural fervour has rightly earned them a reputation as a band capable of uniting people from all corners of the globe and making every last one of them tear up the dancefloor with a giant shit-eating grin plastered across their faces.

With the toughest and most infectious metal riffs colliding with the biggest, phattest hip hop and reggae grooves, cutting edge electronics and a razor-sharp pop sensibility guaranteed to encourage even the most curmudgeonly music fans bellow along with rabid enthusiasm, Skindred are both the ultimate thinking man’s party band. And now, with the release of their fifth studio album Kill The Power, Benji Webbe and his loyal henchmen – bassist Dan Pugsley, guitarist Mikey Demus and drummer Arya Goggins – are poised to spread their gospel of good times and badass tunes to an even bigger global audience.

“We know that everyone recognises us as one of the best live bands around,” says Arya. “We’re really proud of all of the albums we’ve made, but we all felt that we needed to make an album that would be as powerful and effective as the live show. That’s what Kill The Power is all about. This time, we want everyone to sit up and listen and join in the party.”

“I started DJ-ing a little while ago and it’s taught me a lot,” adds Benji. “Now I feel like I wanted to make an album where every intro to every song makes kids think ‘Fucking hell, they’re playing that song!’ Every middle eight on this album is a banger. Every chorus is massive. On this album, the lyrics are deep and the songs are just bigger than ever.”

In keeping with their tradition of making people move while singing about universal issues and spreading a message of positive action and social unity, Kill The Power is an album bulging with fury at the state of the modern world. Never afraid to tackle important topics head on, while never forgetting his band’s mission to entertain and leave the world in a sweaty, sated heap, Benji’s notoriously insane energy levels seem to be creeping up with every album and Kill The Power showcases his most furious and impactful performances to date.

“The world’s getting worse so how can I get more mellow?” he laughs. “Of course I’m getting angrier! People normally stay in a bag when it comes to lyrics. Stephen King stays with horror and he’s brilliant at it, you know? With Skindred, it’s always about encouraging an uplift. It’s about a sense of unity. Lyrics can change people’s lives, you know? You can be going down one road and hear a song and have a Road To Damascus experience and become someone else.”

On an album that has no shortage of invigorating highlights, Kill The Power takes Skindred to new extremes at both ends of the lyrical spectrum, reaching a new level of fiery intensity on the lethal cautionary tale of “Playin’ With The Devil” and the euphoric end-of-the-working-week celebration of “Saturday”: both songs proving that this band’s ability to touch the heart and fire the blood remains as incisive and potent as ever. As if to enhance their songwriting chops more than ever, Kill The Power also features several songs written in collaboration with legendary songwriting guru Russ Ballard, the man behind such immortal rock staples as Since You’ve Been Gone and God Gave Rock & Roll To You, and this seemingly perverse team-up has led to Skindred’s finest set of lyrics and melodies to date.

“Basically, I try to write songs that people can interpret however they like,” says Benji. “When I wrote ‘Playin’ With The Devil’, I originally wrote some words down on a piece of paper thinking about friends I’ve had who smoke crack and live on the pipe, you know? I wrote the song about that kind of thing, but then a couple of days later the riots happened in London and so it became about that as well. When you shit on your own doorstep, your house is going to smell of shit. You’ve got to clean that up! With ‘Saturday’, it’s not a typical Skindred song; it’s a big celebration. We got Russ Ballard involved on that one and he helped me structure the lyrics in the right way so when the chorus hits, it hits like a hammer. It’s an upbeat song but when you listen to the lyrics it goes on about how people all have different reasons to be out and partying. Some people are celebrating, some people are drowning their sorrows, and we all come together on a Saturday. When this record comes out and people go to a club on a Saturday, that’s when it’s gonna go off! The chorus is huge!”

While Skindred’s previous album Union Black was dominated by the bleeps, booms and squelches of British electronic dance music, albeit balanced out by Mikey Demus’ trademark riffs, the new album sees the band return to a more organic sound that amounts to the most accurate representation of the Skindred live experience yet committed to tape. From the huge beats and stuttering samples of the opening title track and the laudably demented Ninja through to the insistent melodies and rampaging choruses of “The Kids Are Right Now” and “Saturday” and on to the thunderous, metallic throwdowns of “Proceed With Caution” and “Ruling Force” and the cool acoustic breeze of the closing More Fire, Kill The Power is Skindred cranked up to full throttle and revelling in their own febrile creativity like never before.

“It’s all about making an album that moves people in the same way that our live shows do,” says Arya. “We love what we achieved on Union Black and we still used a lot of those basic ideas on Kill The Power, but this time it’s a more organic sound. All the drum loops you hear were originally played by me before we started chopping them up, and there are a lot more guitars on this record too. We love combining all the music that we love in Skindred but we all love heavy music and we’re a rock band at heart and that really comes across this time.”

“We’ve delivered an album that’s gonna make people rock for the next few years,” states Benji. “You know what? I can’t do anything about record sales, but if people come to a Skindred show they’re gonna know they’ve been there, you know? Ha ha! The music we make is not about Christians or Muslims, straight people or gay people, black or white or any of that shit. When people are in that room together it’s just Skindred, one unity and one strength!”

Having conquered numerous countries around the world, Skindred could easily be taking a breather and resting on their laurels at this point. Instead, this most dedicated and hard-working of modern bands are preparing to launch their most exuberant assault on the world ever when Kill The Power hits the streets. Anyone that has ever seen the band live before will confirm that it is impossible not to get fired up and drawn into the joyous abandon of a Skindred show and with their greatest album to date primed and ready to explode, the best live band on the planet simply cannot fail to conquer the entire world this time round. Wherever and whoever you are, Skindred are coming. Open your ears and get your dancing feet ready…

“There’s nothing better than being on stage with these guys,” says Arya. “Skindred is my favourite band and I’m so lucky to be part of this thing we’ve created. We’ve been all over the world but there are always new places to visit and new crowds to play for. We just want to keep getting bigger and better.”

“We’re a global band. We’ve played in Colombia and India and everywhere and it’s the same energy,” Benji concludes. “I get letters from people in Hawaii and people in Turkey. It’s all the same. We resonate globally and it’s the greatest thing ever. It seems funny to us sometimes because we’re always kicking each other’s heads in and saying ‘You’re a wanker!’ to each other before we go on stage, but as soon as it’s time to play the show the oneness this band creates together and the unity we bring is unique. I’ve never experienced anything like it and we can’t wait to get back on the road and do it all again.”

Ananda is the frontman of Calcutta post-punk rockers The Supersonics.

One of the first bands I ever saw live at Someplace Else, Calcutta.

Shot at the #nh7roadkill tour in Bombay.

borrowed from cdbaby.com :

It was really only a matter of time before Buttercup went nuts.

Of course, lotsa folks figured the San Antonio foursome was kinda already there from the get-go. Certainly frontman/guitarist Erik Sanden was always at least borderline crazy, going back to “Dial-a-Song” days when he wrote and recorded a tune a week just for anyone with enough time on their hands to call a special hotline and hear a song over the telephone. Not to mention the stunt where he committed to playing a single song over and over again for 24 hours, just to see if he could. And the bass player, Odie? Goodness, where does one start? Sweetest dude you’ll ever meet, but not “normal” even by the most liberal definition of the word. As for the two straight guys, drummer Jamie Roadman and lead guitarist Joe Reyes … they’d have to be nuts to hang around with the other two, right?

And let us not forget all those “Grackle Mundys” — Buttercup’s handle for their legendary, no-two-alike, what-will-they-possibly-think-of-next very special … events. Concerts, if you will — though they were more like performance art music socials. They were usually held in some tiny art studio in or around downtown San Antone. Or maybe in somebody’s living room or, every now and then, just to fuck with the status quo, an actual rock club. What happened at Grackle Mundys? We could tell you, but unless you were there, you wouldn’t believe it. Come to think of it, most folks who were there — band members included —didn’t believe it, either.

But they did learn to believe in a band that through years of strange gigs, countless songs, and more than a little practice has grown into a moody, melodic, powerful rock band with a sound that is somewhere between the Kinks at their most depressed and Neil Young at his most ecstatic.

Four loons, five-years worth of “Grackle Mundys,” and, just last year, a damn good sophomore album that they actually saddled with the name, um, Hot Love. So yeah, Buttercup has been on the road to madness for a while now. But as Sanden outlines the band’s schedule for the year ahead, it’s clear they’ve now officially gone certifiable.

With two albums under their belt (the aforementioned giddy Hot Love and the previous year’s moodier Sick Yellow Flower), Buttercup will triple their catalog in 2007 by writing, recording and releasing four CDs (three generous EPs and one full-length) before the end of the year. From scratch. First out of the gate is the freewheelin’ rock ’n’ roll EP Captains of Industry — its very title a cheeky nod to the band’s lunatic ambition. Hot on its heels will be the largely acoustic Living Again (July), followed by August’s Camp Zama, an “experimental” live album which may or may not be recorded somewhere in West Texas, far from the band’s San Antonio/Austin comfort zone. The as-yet-untitled full-length, schedule for October … well, there’s no telling what shape and sound that one will take. The band’s kinda making this all up as they go. Truth be told, the whole campaign was pretty much decided on a whim with a quarter of 2007 already in the rear-view mirror.

It’s an ambitious little to-do list, to say the least — and a cynic (realist?) would surely point out that they’ll never pull it off. But there were doubters at quite a few of those Grackle Mundy fetes, too: lured to the shows by friends or curiosity over what all the buzz was about, but ready to call “bullshit” the moment the band broke out the ukuleles, asked the crowd to watch the show on monitors at the bottom of oil drums or led the whole audience outside for a musical parade through a dicey part of town. By evening’s end, though, cynicism was invariably dropped in favor of the warm, fuzzy embrace of the “Buttercult.” Buttercup fans learn fast that this is a band that thrives on the unexpected and taking risks. And they’ve watched this band grow into one of the best, most solid rock bands around.

“We needed to move the goalposts a bit,” says Sanden of the Buttercup’s four-records-in-a-year gameplan, noting that Buttercup’s previous one-album-a-year schedule felt like a snail’s pace to the band. “I think doing this was my idea at first, but nobody in the band needed any convincing. They were all like, ‘Let’s do it! Why not?’”

Ah yes, the Buttercup battle cry: “Why not,” every bit as much as their songwriting and musical chops, is what makes this band tick. It’s what made Sanden, Odie and Roadman — three-quarters of San Antonio’s late, great Evergeen — decide to regroup after a year or two apart and pick up nowhere near where they left off: With the slacker, goof-off rhythm guitarist (Sanden) recast as a take-charge visionary and dynamic frontman, and the whole Stones swagger traded for an unabashedly more fey and whimsical but ultimately more daring and mercurial Kinks fetish. “Why not” is also the mindset that made Reyes, formerly half of the acclaimed Alamo City flamenco duo Lara & Reyes and a Grammy-winning producer (for Freddy Fender, R.I.P.), decide to throw caution to the wind and expand his musical horizons with a group of guys long on originality but initially short on prospects. A few years and countless laughs and musical dares later, “why not” remains Buttercup’s answer to pretty any challenge they set their minds to.

It’s also the key to the characteristic insouciance that pervades their approach to songwriting, performance and, most recently, recording. The Captains of Industry EP marks Buttercup’s first attempt at producing themselves, with every note cooked up in Sanden’s freshly installed home studio. Reyes’ Grammy-certified production mettle notwithstanding, Sanden admits to finding the DIY method daunting — but ultimately exhilarating. After recording half a dozen tracks that went into the “delete pile,” the band had a bit of an epiphany while recording “Sun in the Sky,” a 7-minute epic reminiscent of the Pixies and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd that Sanden describes as “scream therapy on a boat.”

The epiphany came when they captured Reyes beating up Sanden’s bathroom — slamming the toilet seat cover and spilling all his hair care products into the bathtub. “To my ears, this was freedom,” enthuses Sanden. “This was a realization that we could do anything we wanted to, and that there were no rules that we had to obey.”

Nuts? Yeah. But like everything else Buttercup has ever done — or even attempted — it’s all in the name of fun. In the name Art, too, of course, but first and foremost, fun. And should they fail … well, it still promises to be an epic ride.

“If we should falter in our quest,” says Sanden (invoking one of his musical heroes, Jad Fair) “we solemnly promise to wear our clothes inside out for a one year period. On this you have our word!”

Fonte Official Skindred web page :

The music world may be in a permanent state of panic and flux, but one basic principle of rock’n’roll remains true: the key to longevity is to always deliver the goods. No band has better encapsulated this ethos of integrity and determination over the last decade than Skindred.

Widely acknowledged as one of the most devastating and enthralling live bands on the planet, the Newport destroyers have been a perennial force for musical invention and remorseless positivity since emerging from the ashes of frontman Benji Webbe’s former band Dub War back in 1998. Over the course of four universally praised studio albums – Babylon (2002), Roots Rock Riot (2007), Shark Bites And Dog Fights (2009) and Union Black (2011) – Skindred’s reputation for producing the ultimate spark-spraying state-of-the-art soundclash, combining all manner of seemingly disparate musical elements into an irresistibly exhilarating explosion of energy and cross-pollinated cultural fervour has rightly earned them a reputation as a band capable of uniting people from all corners of the globe and making every last one of them tear up the dancefloor with a giant shit-eating grin plastered across their faces.

With the toughest and most infectious metal riffs colliding with the biggest, phattest hip hop and reggae grooves, cutting edge electronics and a razor-sharp pop sensibility guaranteed to encourage even the most curmudgeonly music fans bellow along with rabid enthusiasm, Skindred are both the ultimate thinking man’s party band. And now, with the release of their fifth studio album Kill The Power, Benji Webbe and his loyal henchmen – bassist Dan Pugsley, guitarist Mikey Demus and drummer Arya Goggins – are poised to spread their gospel of good times and badass tunes to an even bigger global audience.

“We know that everyone recognises us as one of the best live bands around,” says Arya. “We’re really proud of all of the albums we’ve made, but we all felt that we needed to make an album that would be as powerful and effective as the live show. That’s what Kill The Power is all about. This time, we want everyone to sit up and listen and join in the party.”

“I started DJ-ing a little while ago and it’s taught me a lot,” adds Benji. “Now I feel like I wanted to make an album where every intro to every song makes kids think ‘Fucking hell, they’re playing that song!’ Every middle eight on this album is a banger. Every chorus is massive. On this album, the lyrics are deep and the songs are just bigger than ever.”

In keeping with their tradition of making people move while singing about universal issues and spreading a message of positive action and social unity, Kill The Power is an album bulging with fury at the state of the modern world. Never afraid to tackle important topics head on, while never forgetting his band’s mission to entertain and leave the world in a sweaty, sated heap, Benji’s notoriously insane energy levels seem to be creeping up with every album and Kill The Power showcases his most furious and impactful performances to date.

“The world’s getting worse so how can I get more mellow?” he laughs. “Of course I’m getting angrier! People normally stay in a bag when it comes to lyrics. Stephen King stays with horror and he’s brilliant at it, you know? With Skindred, it’s always about encouraging an uplift. It’s about a sense of unity. Lyrics can change people’s lives, you know? You can be going down one road and hear a song and have a Road To Damascus experience and become someone else.”

On an album that has no shortage of invigorating highlights, Kill The Power takes Skindred to new extremes at both ends of the lyrical spectrum, reaching a new level of fiery intensity on the lethal cautionary tale of “Playin’ With The Devil” and the euphoric end-of-the-working-week celebration of “Saturday”: both songs proving that this band’s ability to touch the heart and fire the blood remains as incisive and potent as ever. As if to enhance their songwriting chops more than ever, Kill The Power also features several songs written in collaboration with legendary songwriting guru Russ Ballard, the man behind such immortal rock staples as Since You’ve Been Gone and God Gave Rock & Roll To You, and this seemingly perverse team-up has led to Skindred’s finest set of lyrics and melodies to date.

“Basically, I try to write songs that people can interpret however they like,” says Benji. “When I wrote ‘Playin’ With The Devil’, I originally wrote some words down on a piece of paper thinking about friends I’ve had who smoke crack and live on the pipe, you know? I wrote the song about that kind of thing, but then a couple of days later the riots happened in London and so it became about that as well. When you shit on your own doorstep, your house is going to smell of shit. You’ve got to clean that up! With ‘Saturday’, it’s not a typical Skindred song; it’s a big celebration. We got Russ Ballard involved on that one and he helped me structure the lyrics in the right way so when the chorus hits, it hits like a hammer. It’s an upbeat song but when you listen to the lyrics it goes on about how people all have different reasons to be out and partying. Some people are celebrating, some people are drowning their sorrows, and we all come together on a Saturday. When this record comes out and people go to a club on a Saturday, that’s when it’s gonna go off! The chorus is huge!”

While Skindred’s previous album Union Black was dominated by the bleeps, booms and squelches of British electronic dance music, albeit balanced out by Mikey Demus’ trademark riffs, the new album sees the band return to a more organic sound that amounts to the most accurate representation of the Skindred live experience yet committed to tape. From the huge beats and stuttering samples of the opening title track and the laudably demented Ninja through to the insistent melodies and rampaging choruses of “The Kids Are Right Now” and “Saturday” and on to the thunderous, metallic throwdowns of “Proceed With Caution” and “Ruling Force” and the cool acoustic breeze of the closing More Fire, Kill The Power is Skindred cranked up to full throttle and revelling in their own febrile creativity like never before.

“It’s all about making an album that moves people in the same way that our live shows do,” says Arya. “We love what we achieved on Union Black and we still used a lot of those basic ideas on Kill The Power, but this time it’s a more organic sound. All the drum loops you hear were originally played by me before we started chopping them up, and there are a lot more guitars on this record too. We love combining all the music that we love in Skindred but we all love heavy music and we’re a rock band at heart and that really comes across this time.”

“We’ve delivered an album that’s gonna make people rock for the next few years,” states Benji. “You know what? I can’t do anything about record sales, but if people come to a Skindred show they’re gonna know they’ve been there, you know? Ha ha! The music we make is not about Christians or Muslims, straight people or gay people, black or white or any of that shit. When people are in that room together it’s just Skindred, one unity and one strength!”

Having conquered numerous countries around the world, Skindred could easily be taking a breather and resting on their laurels at this point. Instead, this most dedicated and hard-working of modern bands are preparing to launch their most exuberant assault on the world ever when Kill The Power hits the streets. Anyone that has ever seen the band live before will confirm that it is impossible not to get fired up and drawn into the joyous abandon of a Skindred show and with their greatest album to date primed and ready to explode, the best live band on the planet simply cannot fail to conquer the entire world this time round. Wherever and whoever you are, Skindred are coming. Open your ears and get your dancing feet ready…

“There’s nothing better than being on stage with these guys,” says Arya. “Skindred is my favourite band and I’m so lucky to be part of this thing we’ve created. We’ve been all over the world but there are always new places to visit and new crowds to play for. We just want to keep getting bigger and better.”

“We’re a global band. We’ve played in Colombia and India and everywhere and it’s the same energy,” Benji concludes. “I get letters from people in Hawaii and people in Turkey. It’s all the same. We resonate globally and it’s the greatest thing ever. It seems funny to us sometimes because we’re always kicking each other’s heads in and saying ‘You’re a wanker!’ to each other before we go on stage, but as soon as it’s time to play the show the oneness this band creates together and the unity we bring is unique. I’ve never experienced anything like it and we can’t wait to get back on the road and do it all again.”

Memorial services for iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister was held at the Rainbow Bar And Grill in West Hollywood, California 1-9-2016.

Lemmy, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve (December 24-2016), learned two days later, on December 26, that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on December 28 at his home in Los Angeles.

MOTÖRHEADwas revered by both metal and punk fans, and Lemmy was considered an icon for his musical talent and his embodiment of the rock n’ roll lifestyle.

The Rainbow Bar And Grill on L.A.'s Sunset Strip was known as Lemmy's hangout, made it an obvious place for friends and family to say goodbye to the legend.

Read more at: www.blabbermouth.net/news/overhelming-response-to-lemmys-...

borrowed from cdbaby.com :

It was really only a matter of time before Buttercup went nuts.

Of course, lotsa folks figured the San Antonio foursome was kinda already there from the get-go. Certainly frontman/guitarist Erik Sanden was always at least borderline crazy, going back to “Dial-a-Song” days when he wrote and recorded a tune a week just for anyone with enough time on their hands to call a special hotline and hear a song over the telephone. Not to mention the stunt where he committed to playing a single song over and over again for 24 hours, just to see if he could. And the bass player, Odie? Goodness, where does one start? Sweetest dude you’ll ever meet, but not “normal” even by the most liberal definition of the word. As for the two straight guys, drummer Jamie Roadman and lead guitarist Joe Reyes … they’d have to be nuts to hang around with the other two, right?

And let us not forget all those “Grackle Mundys” — Buttercup’s handle for their legendary, no-two-alike, what-will-they-possibly-think-of-next very special … events. Concerts, if you will — though they were more like performance art music socials. They were usually held in some tiny art studio in or around downtown San Antone. Or maybe in somebody’s living room or, every now and then, just to fuck with the status quo, an actual rock club. What happened at Grackle Mundys? We could tell you, but unless you were there, you wouldn’t believe it. Come to think of it, most folks who were there — band members included —didn’t believe it, either.

But they did learn to believe in a band that through years of strange gigs, countless songs, and more than a little practice has grown into a moody, melodic, powerful rock band with a sound that is somewhere between the Kinks at their most depressed and Neil Young at his most ecstatic.

Four loons, five-years worth of “Grackle Mundys,” and, just last year, a damn good sophomore album that they actually saddled with the name, um, Hot Love. So yeah, Buttercup has been on the road to madness for a while now. But as Sanden outlines the band’s schedule for the year ahead, it’s clear they’ve now officially gone certifiable.

With two albums under their belt (the aforementioned giddy Hot Love and the previous year’s moodier Sick Yellow Flower), Buttercup will triple their catalog in 2007 by writing, recording and releasing four CDs (three generous EPs and one full-length) before the end of the year. From scratch. First out of the gate is the freewheelin’ rock ’n’ roll EP Captains of Industry — its very title a cheeky nod to the band’s lunatic ambition. Hot on its heels will be the largely acoustic Living Again (July), followed by August’s Camp Zama, an “experimental” live album which may or may not be recorded somewhere in West Texas, far from the band’s San Antonio/Austin comfort zone. The as-yet-untitled full-length, schedule for October … well, there’s no telling what shape and sound that one will take. The band’s kinda making this all up as they go. Truth be told, the whole campaign was pretty much decided on a whim with a quarter of 2007 already in the rear-view mirror.

It’s an ambitious little to-do list, to say the least — and a cynic (realist?) would surely point out that they’ll never pull it off. But there were doubters at quite a few of those Grackle Mundy fetes, too: lured to the shows by friends or curiosity over what all the buzz was about, but ready to call “bullshit” the moment the band broke out the ukuleles, asked the crowd to watch the show on monitors at the bottom of oil drums or led the whole audience outside for a musical parade through a dicey part of town. By evening’s end, though, cynicism was invariably dropped in favor of the warm, fuzzy embrace of the “Buttercult.” Buttercup fans learn fast that this is a band that thrives on the unexpected and taking risks. And they’ve watched this band grow into one of the best, most solid rock bands around.

“We needed to move the goalposts a bit,” says Sanden of the Buttercup’s four-records-in-a-year gameplan, noting that Buttercup’s previous one-album-a-year schedule felt like a snail’s pace to the band. “I think doing this was my idea at first, but nobody in the band needed any convincing. They were all like, ‘Let’s do it! Why not?’”

Ah yes, the Buttercup battle cry: “Why not,” every bit as much as their songwriting and musical chops, is what makes this band tick. It’s what made Sanden, Odie and Roadman — three-quarters of San Antonio’s late, great Evergeen — decide to regroup after a year or two apart and pick up nowhere near where they left off: With the slacker, goof-off rhythm guitarist (Sanden) recast as a take-charge visionary and dynamic frontman, and the whole Stones swagger traded for an unabashedly more fey and whimsical but ultimately more daring and mercurial Kinks fetish. “Why not” is also the mindset that made Reyes, formerly half of the acclaimed Alamo City flamenco duo Lara & Reyes and a Grammy-winning producer (for Freddy Fender, R.I.P.), decide to throw caution to the wind and expand his musical horizons with a group of guys long on originality but initially short on prospects. A few years and countless laughs and musical dares later, “why not” remains Buttercup’s answer to pretty any challenge they set their minds to.

It’s also the key to the characteristic insouciance that pervades their approach to songwriting, performance and, most recently, recording. The Captains of Industry EP marks Buttercup’s first attempt at producing themselves, with every note cooked up in Sanden’s freshly installed home studio. Reyes’ Grammy-certified production mettle notwithstanding, Sanden admits to finding the DIY method daunting — but ultimately exhilarating. After recording half a dozen tracks that went into the “delete pile,” the band had a bit of an epiphany while recording “Sun in the Sky,” a 7-minute epic reminiscent of the Pixies and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd that Sanden describes as “scream therapy on a boat.”

The epiphany came when they captured Reyes beating up Sanden’s bathroom — slamming the toilet seat cover and spilling all his hair care products into the bathtub. “To my ears, this was freedom,” enthuses Sanden. “This was a realization that we could do anything we wanted to, and that there were no rules that we had to obey.”

Nuts? Yeah. But like everything else Buttercup has ever done — or even attempted — it’s all in the name of fun. In the name Art, too, of course, but first and foremost, fun. And should they fail … well, it still promises to be an epic ride.

“If we should falter in our quest,” says Sanden (invoking one of his musical heroes, Jad Fair) “we solemnly promise to wear our clothes inside out for a one year period. On this you have our word!”

borrowed from cdbaby.com :

It was really only a matter of time before Buttercup went nuts.

Of course, lotsa folks figured the San Antonio foursome was kinda already there from the get-go. Certainly frontman/guitarist Erik Sanden was always at least borderline crazy, going back to “Dial-a-Song” days when he wrote and recorded a tune a week just for anyone with enough time on their hands to call a special hotline and hear a song over the telephone. Not to mention the stunt where he committed to playing a single song over and over again for 24 hours, just to see if he could. And the bass player, Odie? Goodness, where does one start? Sweetest dude you’ll ever meet, but not “normal” even by the most liberal definition of the word. As for the two straight guys, drummer Jamie Roadman and lead guitarist Joe Reyes … they’d have to be nuts to hang around with the other two, right?

And let us not forget all those “Grackle Mundys” — Buttercup’s handle for their legendary, no-two-alike, what-will-they-possibly-think-of-next very special … events. Concerts, if you will — though they were more like performance art music socials. They were usually held in some tiny art studio in or around downtown San Antone. Or maybe in somebody’s living room or, every now and then, just to fuck with the status quo, an actual rock club. What happened at Grackle Mundys? We could tell you, but unless you were there, you wouldn’t believe it. Come to think of it, most folks who were there — band members included —didn’t believe it, either.

But they did learn to believe in a band that through years of strange gigs, countless songs, and more than a little practice has grown into a moody, melodic, powerful rock band with a sound that is somewhere between the Kinks at their most depressed and Neil Young at his most ecstatic.

Four loons, five-years worth of “Grackle Mundys,” and, just last year, a damn good sophomore album that they actually saddled with the name, um, Hot Love. So yeah, Buttercup has been on the road to madness for a while now. But as Sanden outlines the band’s schedule for the year ahead, it’s clear they’ve now officially gone certifiable.

With two albums under their belt (the aforementioned giddy Hot Love and the previous year’s moodier Sick Yellow Flower), Buttercup will triple their catalog in 2007 by writing, recording and releasing four CDs (three generous EPs and one full-length) before the end of the year. From scratch. First out of the gate is the freewheelin’ rock ’n’ roll EP Captains of Industry — its very title a cheeky nod to the band’s lunatic ambition. Hot on its heels will be the largely acoustic Living Again (July), followed by August’s Camp Zama, an “experimental” live album which may or may not be recorded somewhere in West Texas, far from the band’s San Antonio/Austin comfort zone. The as-yet-untitled full-length, schedule for October … well, there’s no telling what shape and sound that one will take. The band’s kinda making this all up as they go. Truth be told, the whole campaign was pretty much decided on a whim with a quarter of 2007 already in the rear-view mirror.

It’s an ambitious little to-do list, to say the least — and a cynic (realist?) would surely point out that they’ll never pull it off. But there were doubters at quite a few of those Grackle Mundy fetes, too: lured to the shows by friends or curiosity over what all the buzz was about, but ready to call “bullshit” the moment the band broke out the ukuleles, asked the crowd to watch the show on monitors at the bottom of oil drums or led the whole audience outside for a musical parade through a dicey part of town. By evening’s end, though, cynicism was invariably dropped in favor of the warm, fuzzy embrace of the “Buttercult.” Buttercup fans learn fast that this is a band that thrives on the unexpected and taking risks. And they’ve watched this band grow into one of the best, most solid rock bands around.

“We needed to move the goalposts a bit,” says Sanden of the Buttercup’s four-records-in-a-year gameplan, noting that Buttercup’s previous one-album-a-year schedule felt like a snail’s pace to the band. “I think doing this was my idea at first, but nobody in the band needed any convincing. They were all like, ‘Let’s do it! Why not?’”

Ah yes, the Buttercup battle cry: “Why not,” every bit as much as their songwriting and musical chops, is what makes this band tick. It’s what made Sanden, Odie and Roadman — three-quarters of San Antonio’s late, great Evergeen — decide to regroup after a year or two apart and pick up nowhere near where they left off: With the slacker, goof-off rhythm guitarist (Sanden) recast as a take-charge visionary and dynamic frontman, and the whole Stones swagger traded for an unabashedly more fey and whimsical but ultimately more daring and mercurial Kinks fetish. “Why not” is also the mindset that made Reyes, formerly half of the acclaimed Alamo City flamenco duo Lara & Reyes and a Grammy-winning producer (for Freddy Fender, R.I.P.), decide to throw caution to the wind and expand his musical horizons with a group of guys long on originality but initially short on prospects. A few years and countless laughs and musical dares later, “why not” remains Buttercup’s answer to pretty any challenge they set their minds to.

It’s also the key to the characteristic insouciance that pervades their approach to songwriting, performance and, most recently, recording. The Captains of Industry EP marks Buttercup’s first attempt at producing themselves, with every note cooked up in Sanden’s freshly installed home studio. Reyes’ Grammy-certified production mettle notwithstanding, Sanden admits to finding the DIY method daunting — but ultimately exhilarating. After recording half a dozen tracks that went into the “delete pile,” the band had a bit of an epiphany while recording “Sun in the Sky,” a 7-minute epic reminiscent of the Pixies and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd that Sanden describes as “scream therapy on a boat.”

The epiphany came when they captured Reyes beating up Sanden’s bathroom — slamming the toilet seat cover and spilling all his hair care products into the bathtub. “To my ears, this was freedom,” enthuses Sanden. “This was a realization that we could do anything we wanted to, and that there were no rules that we had to obey.”

Nuts? Yeah. But like everything else Buttercup has ever done — or even attempted — it’s all in the name of fun. In the name Art, too, of course, but first and foremost, fun. And should they fail … well, it still promises to be an epic ride.

“If we should falter in our quest,” says Sanden (invoking one of his musical heroes, Jad Fair) “we solemnly promise to wear our clothes inside out for a one year period. On this you have our word!”

Fonte Official Skindred web page :

The music world may be in a permanent state of panic and flux, but one basic principle of rock’n’roll remains true: the key to longevity is to always deliver the goods. No band has better encapsulated this ethos of integrity and determination over the last decade than Skindred.

Widely acknowledged as one of the most devastating and enthralling live bands on the planet, the Newport destroyers have been a perennial force for musical invention and remorseless positivity since emerging from the ashes of frontman Benji Webbe’s former band Dub War back in 1998. Over the course of four universally praised studio albums – Babylon (2002), Roots Rock Riot (2007), Shark Bites And Dog Fights (2009) and Union Black (2011) – Skindred’s reputation for producing the ultimate spark-spraying state-of-the-art soundclash, combining all manner of seemingly disparate musical elements into an irresistibly exhilarating explosion of energy and cross-pollinated cultural fervour has rightly earned them a reputation as a band capable of uniting people from all corners of the globe and making every last one of them tear up the dancefloor with a giant shit-eating grin plastered across their faces.

With the toughest and most infectious metal riffs colliding with the biggest, phattest hip hop and reggae grooves, cutting edge electronics and a razor-sharp pop sensibility guaranteed to encourage even the most curmudgeonly music fans bellow along with rabid enthusiasm, Skindred are both the ultimate thinking man’s party band. And now, with the release of their fifth studio album Kill The Power, Benji Webbe and his loyal henchmen – bassist Dan Pugsley, guitarist Mikey Demus and drummer Arya Goggins – are poised to spread their gospel of good times and badass tunes to an even bigger global audience.

“We know that everyone recognises us as one of the best live bands around,” says Arya. “We’re really proud of all of the albums we’ve made, but we all felt that we needed to make an album that would be as powerful and effective as the live show. That’s what Kill The Power is all about. This time, we want everyone to sit up and listen and join in the party.”

“I started DJ-ing a little while ago and it’s taught me a lot,” adds Benji. “Now I feel like I wanted to make an album where every intro to every song makes kids think ‘Fucking hell, they’re playing that song!’ Every middle eight on this album is a banger. Every chorus is massive. On this album, the lyrics are deep and the songs are just bigger than ever.”

In keeping with their tradition of making people move while singing about universal issues and spreading a message of positive action and social unity, Kill The Power is an album bulging with fury at the state of the modern world. Never afraid to tackle important topics head on, while never forgetting his band’s mission to entertain and leave the world in a sweaty, sated heap, Benji’s notoriously insane energy levels seem to be creeping up with every album and Kill The Power showcases his most furious and impactful performances to date.

“The world’s getting worse so how can I get more mellow?” he laughs. “Of course I’m getting angrier! People normally stay in a bag when it comes to lyrics. Stephen King stays with horror and he’s brilliant at it, you know? With Skindred, it’s always about encouraging an uplift. It’s about a sense of unity. Lyrics can change people’s lives, you know? You can be going down one road and hear a song and have a Road To Damascus experience and become someone else.”

On an album that has no shortage of invigorating highlights, Kill The Power takes Skindred to new extremes at both ends of the lyrical spectrum, reaching a new level of fiery intensity on the lethal cautionary tale of “Playin’ With The Devil” and the euphoric end-of-the-working-week celebration of “Saturday”: both songs proving that this band’s ability to touch the heart and fire the blood remains as incisive and potent as ever. As if to enhance their songwriting chops more than ever, Kill The Power also features several songs written in collaboration with legendary songwriting guru Russ Ballard, the man behind such immortal rock staples as Since You’ve Been Gone and God Gave Rock & Roll To You, and this seemingly perverse team-up has led to Skindred’s finest set of lyrics and melodies to date.

“Basically, I try to write songs that people can interpret however they like,” says Benji. “When I wrote ‘Playin’ With The Devil’, I originally wrote some words down on a piece of paper thinking about friends I’ve had who smoke crack and live on the pipe, you know? I wrote the song about that kind of thing, but then a couple of days later the riots happened in London and so it became about that as well. When you shit on your own doorstep, your house is going to smell of shit. You’ve got to clean that up! With ‘Saturday’, it’s not a typical Skindred song; it’s a big celebration. We got Russ Ballard involved on that one and he helped me structure the lyrics in the right way so when the chorus hits, it hits like a hammer. It’s an upbeat song but when you listen to the lyrics it goes on about how people all have different reasons to be out and partying. Some people are celebrating, some people are drowning their sorrows, and we all come together on a Saturday. When this record comes out and people go to a club on a Saturday, that’s when it’s gonna go off! The chorus is huge!”

While Skindred’s previous album Union Black was dominated by the bleeps, booms and squelches of British electronic dance music, albeit balanced out by Mikey Demus’ trademark riffs, the new album sees the band return to a more organic sound that amounts to the most accurate representation of the Skindred live experience yet committed to tape. From the huge beats and stuttering samples of the opening title track and the laudably demented Ninja through to the insistent melodies and rampaging choruses of “The Kids Are Right Now” and “Saturday” and on to the thunderous, metallic throwdowns of “Proceed With Caution” and “Ruling Force” and the cool acoustic breeze of the closing More Fire, Kill The Power is Skindred cranked up to full throttle and revelling in their own febrile creativity like never before.

“It’s all about making an album that moves people in the same way that our live shows do,” says Arya. “We love what we achieved on Union Black and we still used a lot of those basic ideas on Kill The Power, but this time it’s a more organic sound. All the drum loops you hear were originally played by me before we started chopping them up, and there are a lot more guitars on this record too. We love combining all the music that we love in Skindred but we all love heavy music and we’re a rock band at heart and that really comes across this time.”

“We’ve delivered an album that’s gonna make people rock for the next few years,” states Benji. “You know what? I can’t do anything about record sales, but if people come to a Skindred show they’re gonna know they’ve been there, you know? Ha ha! The music we make is not about Christians or Muslims, straight people or gay people, black or white or any of that shit. When people are in that room together it’s just Skindred, one unity and one strength!”

Having conquered numerous countries around the world, Skindred could easily be taking a breather and resting on their laurels at this point. Instead, this most dedicated and hard-working of modern bands are preparing to launch their most exuberant assault on the world ever when Kill The Power hits the streets. Anyone that has ever seen the band live before will confirm that it is impossible not to get fired up and drawn into the joyous abandon of a Skindred show and with their greatest album to date primed and ready to explode, the best live band on the planet simply cannot fail to conquer the entire world this time round. Wherever and whoever you are, Skindred are coming. Open your ears and get your dancing feet ready…

“There’s nothing better than being on stage with these guys,” says Arya. “Skindred is my favourite band and I’m so lucky to be part of this thing we’ve created. We’ve been all over the world but there are always new places to visit and new crowds to play for. We just want to keep getting bigger and better.”

“We’re a global band. We’ve played in Colombia and India and everywhere and it’s the same energy,” Benji concludes. “I get letters from people in Hawaii and people in Turkey. It’s all the same. We resonate globally and it’s the greatest thing ever. It seems funny to us sometimes because we’re always kicking each other’s heads in and saying ‘You’re a wanker!’ to each other before we go on stage, but as soon as it’s time to play the show the oneness this band creates together and the unity we bring is unique. I’ve never experienced anything like it and we can’t wait to get back on the road and do it all again.”

Motörhead frontman , Hawkwind bass player and music legend has died. I had the pleasure of meeting him at an early Motörhead gig ( St.Albans - year? ) and course got him a JD . I am sure he will be rockin somewhere so RIP does not seem adequate.

Bono, the frontman of U2 and co-founder of the ONE Campaign, visited the European Parliament on 10 October.

Check our article here:

www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/eu-affairs/20181...

This photo is free to use under Creative Commons licenses and must be credited: "© European Union 2018 - European Parliament".

(Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives CreativeCommons licenses creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). No model release form if applicable.

For bigger HR files please contact: webcom-flickr(AT)europarl.europa.eu

DIRECTOR Chel White

STUDIO Bent Image Lab - bentimagelab.com

MUSIC BY Thom Yorke

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke describes this song as his most political work. "Harrowdown Hill," is part of Yorke's solo album, "The Eraser," which released in August 2006. After seeing the short films of Chel White, Yorke sought him out to direct his next music video.

White, who is co-founder of Bent Image Lab in Portland, OR, chose to incorporate an innovative technique that he and the rest of the Bent artists had been researching previous to this project. Dubbed Smallgantics, the technique takes footage of large objects (rivers, factories, city skylines) and makes them appear as though they are actually miniatures. In "Harrowdown Hill," Chel used aerial footage from the pacific north west to be miniaturized using Smallgantics.

The process involves splitting the footage up into several vertical planes that move back over the perceived z-axis, or into the image along its perceived depth. These planes are then affected with varying degrees of blur to simulate a shallow depth of field. If done right, the amount of blur increases smoothly as it moves along the planes of the image. Next, these levels of blur are animated to simulate a change in focus or to compensate for the forward movement of the camera.

Chel White's video for Thom Yorke's, "Harrowdown Hill," won Best Music Video at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2007, ResFest 10, and The Worldwide Short Film Festival. It was nominated for Best Music Video and Best Special Effects at MVPA and FutureShorts.

Watch this video on Vimeo. Video created by Bent Image Lab.

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor does an instore booksigning at Dymocks in Sydney, all photos here.

★ facebook ★ website ★ mini supercars ★

Bono, the frontman of U2 and co-founder of the ONE Campaign, visited the European Parliament on 10 October.

Check our article here:

www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/eu-affairs/20181...

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No, not the band with frontman Phil Collins. I'm talking Genesis. Like, out of the Bible. Creation. Raw, unbridled, unfiltered creation.

We saw lava. Of course, it wasn't really a front seat -- more like deep mezzanine -- but hey, lava's lava.

We hiked out over Kalapana, a town that was eaten by lava not that many years ago -- we walked 10-15 minutes with a number of other lava-seeking pilgrims over some mildly treacherous terrain (made moreso by our nocturnal jaunt back).

At the end we could all witness a great gusting plume of steam rising from the ocean where the lava tumbled off a cliff and into the sea. No lava could actually be discerned, though -- just the steam, just the great geyser of white.

Ahh, but then, the sun sets. Night falls.

At which point, the plume takes on a pregnant orange glow as the illumination of the vomiting fire refuses to be denied. Still no actual lava, tho.

Except! Then!

Lava!

Just a spatter of it -- luckily, a spatter I caught on camera during its two seconds of existence.

Yeah, yeah, the picture sucks, I know. It's eaten by noise. It was dark, whaddya gonna do? I had no tripod. Just me and my shaky hands and wobbly knees.

Still, it gives an idea, doesn't it?

It looks and feels a bit like the Apocalypse, but it's really more like Genesis. Of course, the Big Island is also handy evidence disproving that particular book of the Bible, really. I mean, "God created the world in seven days," ehhh, no. The world's still baking, folks. New ground is being made every day here on the Big Island. The making process never stopped -- seven days is just a blink of time's unyielding eye.

...

Anyway. Tomorrow, we leave Volcano and head back to the dry side of the island.

I had poke (pronounced poh-kay) tonight.

I met a very old man who was a very good photographer and knew Photoshop. He gave me tips.

I saw a mongoose.

I sang a song about "Baby Diapermeat."

Hawaii is awesome.

More later.

borrowed from cdbaby.com :

It was really only a matter of time before Buttercup went nuts.

Of course, lotsa folks figured the San Antonio foursome was kinda already there from the get-go. Certainly frontman/guitarist Erik Sanden was always at least borderline crazy, going back to “Dial-a-Song” days when he wrote and recorded a tune a week just for anyone with enough time on their hands to call a special hotline and hear a song over the telephone. Not to mention the stunt where he committed to playing a single song over and over again for 24 hours, just to see if he could. And the bass player, Odie? Goodness, where does one start? Sweetest dude you’ll ever meet, but not “normal” even by the most liberal definition of the word. As for the two straight guys, drummer Jamie Roadman and lead guitarist Joe Reyes … they’d have to be nuts to hang around with the other two, right?

And let us not forget all those “Grackle Mundys” — Buttercup’s handle for their legendary, no-two-alike, what-will-they-possibly-think-of-next very special … events. Concerts, if you will — though they were more like performance art music socials. They were usually held in some tiny art studio in or around downtown San Antone. Or maybe in somebody’s living room or, every now and then, just to fuck with the status quo, an actual rock club. What happened at Grackle Mundys? We could tell you, but unless you were there, you wouldn’t believe it. Come to think of it, most folks who were there — band members included —didn’t believe it, either.

But they did learn to believe in a band that through years of strange gigs, countless songs, and more than a little practice has grown into a moody, melodic, powerful rock band with a sound that is somewhere between the Kinks at their most depressed and Neil Young at his most ecstatic.

Four loons, five-years worth of “Grackle Mundys,” and, just last year, a damn good sophomore album that they actually saddled with the name, um, Hot Love. So yeah, Buttercup has been on the road to madness for a while now. But as Sanden outlines the band’s schedule for the year ahead, it’s clear they’ve now officially gone certifiable.

With two albums under their belt (the aforementioned giddy Hot Love and the previous year’s moodier Sick Yellow Flower), Buttercup will triple their catalog in 2007 by writing, recording and releasing four CDs (three generous EPs and one full-length) before the end of the year. From scratch. First out of the gate is the freewheelin’ rock ’n’ roll EP Captains of Industry — its very title a cheeky nod to the band’s lunatic ambition. Hot on its heels will be the largely acoustic Living Again (July), followed by August’s Camp Zama, an “experimental” live album which may or may not be recorded somewhere in West Texas, far from the band’s San Antonio/Austin comfort zone. The as-yet-untitled full-length, schedule for October … well, there’s no telling what shape and sound that one will take. The band’s kinda making this all up as they go. Truth be told, the whole campaign was pretty much decided on a whim with a quarter of 2007 already in the rear-view mirror.

It’s an ambitious little to-do list, to say the least — and a cynic (realist?) would surely point out that they’ll never pull it off. But there were doubters at quite a few of those Grackle Mundy fetes, too: lured to the shows by friends or curiosity over what all the buzz was about, but ready to call “bullshit” the moment the band broke out the ukuleles, asked the crowd to watch the show on monitors at the bottom of oil drums or led the whole audience outside for a musical parade through a dicey part of town. By evening’s end, though, cynicism was invariably dropped in favor of the warm, fuzzy embrace of the “Buttercult.” Buttercup fans learn fast that this is a band that thrives on the unexpected and taking risks. And they’ve watched this band grow into one of the best, most solid rock bands around.

“We needed to move the goalposts a bit,” says Sanden of the Buttercup’s four-records-in-a-year gameplan, noting that Buttercup’s previous one-album-a-year schedule felt like a snail’s pace to the band. “I think doing this was my idea at first, but nobody in the band needed any convincing. They were all like, ‘Let’s do it! Why not?’”

Ah yes, the Buttercup battle cry: “Why not,” every bit as much as their songwriting and musical chops, is what makes this band tick. It’s what made Sanden, Odie and Roadman — three-quarters of San Antonio’s late, great Evergeen — decide to regroup after a year or two apart and pick up nowhere near where they left off: With the slacker, goof-off rhythm guitarist (Sanden) recast as a take-charge visionary and dynamic frontman, and the whole Stones swagger traded for an unabashedly more fey and whimsical but ultimately more daring and mercurial Kinks fetish. “Why not” is also the mindset that made Reyes, formerly half of the acclaimed Alamo City flamenco duo Lara & Reyes and a Grammy-winning producer (for Freddy Fender, R.I.P.), decide to throw caution to the wind and expand his musical horizons with a group of guys long on originality but initially short on prospects. A few years and countless laughs and musical dares later, “why not” remains Buttercup’s answer to pretty any challenge they set their minds to.

It’s also the key to the characteristic insouciance that pervades their approach to songwriting, performance and, most recently, recording. The Captains of Industry EP marks Buttercup’s first attempt at producing themselves, with every note cooked up in Sanden’s freshly installed home studio. Reyes’ Grammy-certified production mettle notwithstanding, Sanden admits to finding the DIY method daunting — but ultimately exhilarating. After recording half a dozen tracks that went into the “delete pile,” the band had a bit of an epiphany while recording “Sun in the Sky,” a 7-minute epic reminiscent of the Pixies and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd that Sanden describes as “scream therapy on a boat.”

The epiphany came when they captured Reyes beating up Sanden’s bathroom — slamming the toilet seat cover and spilling all his hair care products into the bathtub. “To my ears, this was freedom,” enthuses Sanden. “This was a realization that we could do anything we wanted to, and that there were no rules that we had to obey.”

Nuts? Yeah. But like everything else Buttercup has ever done — or even attempted — it’s all in the name of fun. In the name Art, too, of course, but first and foremost, fun. And should they fail … well, it still promises to be an epic ride.

“If we should falter in our quest,” says Sanden (invoking one of his musical heroes, Jad Fair) “we solemnly promise to wear our clothes inside out for a one year period. On this you have our word!”

Gary Lightbody & Tom Smith

Snow Patrol frontman-led supergroup Tired Pony played one of three planned shows in support of their sophomore studio album release The Ghost of the Mountain at London's Barbican Hall.

Joined by R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, Gary Lightbody brought on a host of special guests to work through a set of songs from both records with guests including R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, Editors front man Tom Smith, Commitments singer Bronagh Gallagher as well as members of Snow Patrol and presenter Edith Bowman.

In attendance were funny man James Corden and his wife Julia Carey as well as One Direction singer Harry Styles.

Playing host to the rescheduled Foo Fighters concert at Wembley (that was cancelled after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off stage at a show in Gothenburg, Sweden), the National Bowl in Milton Keynes came alive on Sunday, September 6, 2015 with the sound of 65,000 screaming fans. Following sets from rock duo Royal Blood and the eclectic propo-punk icon Iggy Pop, the Foos knew they had to deliver. From the moment the curtain sucked into a black hole vortex to the end of the show, it was obvious it was going to be one hell of a night to remember. Debra, Karl and I had arrived relatively early for the show and, being among the first to enter the MK Bowl, were offered "Inner Pit" passes. Issued on a first-come-first-serve basis, these gave fenced-off access to the stage and were an excellent surprise. We had a great view of the day's action and I was well positioned for photographs. "All My Life" opened the two and a half hour set, with Grohl spending the entire show seated on a most gloriously over-the-top throne, designed by Grohl himself and adorned by guitar necks. It transported the front-man up and down the runway, and was in itself a crowd pleaser! I have wanted to see the Foo Fighters for about two decades - and desperate to do so since "Wasting Light"- and they did not disappoint. A shredding version of "White Limo" alone justified the ticket price, and the rest was a wonderful (and sometimes nostalgic) tour through their back-catalogue. All in all, it was a triumphant, heart-warming singalong set that showed why, for so many, the Foo Fighters have been the soundtrack to the last two decades. Here's the Foo Fighters' set list for the Milton Keynes "Broken Leg" concert.

If I was desperate to see the Foo Fighters, I was absolutely aching to see 69 year old rock legend, Iggy Pop. I narrowly missed one of his gigs in Amsterdam at the end of 1978 and, after this initial disappointment, Iggy stayed on my Bucket List through the late-80's in London, the 90's in Prague and the naughties in the UK. When he was in town, I was always travelling, had other commitments or just had bad luck (i.e. the cancellation of the Foo's concert at Wembley in June where Iggy was on the supporting bill). Well, I finally got to see James Newell Osterberg, Jr. in full, topless, action in Milton Keynes on a fine evening in September 2015! Iggy brought his old school punk snarl to the party, prompting mass singalongs to classic tunes, some of which he penned with his old mate David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. If I'm still as active as Iggy when I'm almost 70, I'll be more than happy! He made fine use of the runway before him, skipping, kicking, twisting and turning as only Iggy can. He took a breather every now and then, but Iggy still has more energy than any new breed act you care to mention. Fucking hell - he's the man that wrote "Lust for Life"! The snot-noses in the audience didn't know what hit them :-) FYI, here's the Iggy Pop's set list for the night.

A wonderful, sunny day and balmy evening with my family, and a fine way to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first date with my future-wife on September 7, 1983.

Memorial services for iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister was held at the Rainbow Bar And Grill in West Hollywood, California 1-9-2016.

Lemmy, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve (December 24-2016), learned two days later, on December 26, that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on December 28 at his home in Los Angeles.

MOTÖRHEADwas revered by both metal and punk fans, and Lemmy was considered an icon for his musical talent and his embodiment of the rock n’ roll lifestyle.

The Rainbow Bar And Grill on L.A.'s Sunset Strip was known as Lemmy's hangout, made it an obvious place for friends and family to say goodbye to the legend.

Read more at: www.blabbermouth.net/news/overhelming-response-to-lemmys-...

borrowed from cdbaby.com :

It was really only a matter of time before Buttercup went nuts.

Of course, lotsa folks figured the San Antonio foursome was kinda already there from the get-go. Certainly frontman/guitarist Erik Sanden was always at least borderline crazy, going back to “Dial-a-Song” days when he wrote and recorded a tune a week just for anyone with enough time on their hands to call a special hotline and hear a song over the telephone. Not to mention the stunt where he committed to playing a single song over and over again for 24 hours, just to see if he could. And the bass player, Odie? Goodness, where does one start? Sweetest dude you’ll ever meet, but not “normal” even by the most liberal definition of the word. As for the two straight guys, drummer Jamie Roadman and lead guitarist Joe Reyes … they’d have to be nuts to hang around with the other two, right?

And let us not forget all those “Grackle Mundys” — Buttercup’s handle for their legendary, no-two-alike, what-will-they-possibly-think-of-next very special … events. Concerts, if you will — though they were more like performance art music socials. They were usually held in some tiny art studio in or around downtown San Antone. Or maybe in somebody’s living room or, every now and then, just to fuck with the status quo, an actual rock club. What happened at Grackle Mundys? We could tell you, but unless you were there, you wouldn’t believe it. Come to think of it, most folks who were there — band members included —didn’t believe it, either.

But they did learn to believe in a band that through years of strange gigs, countless songs, and more than a little practice has grown into a moody, melodic, powerful rock band with a sound that is somewhere between the Kinks at their most depressed and Neil Young at his most ecstatic.

Four loons, five-years worth of “Grackle Mundys,” and, just last year, a damn good sophomore album that they actually saddled with the name, um, Hot Love. So yeah, Buttercup has been on the road to madness for a while now. But as Sanden outlines the band’s schedule for the year ahead, it’s clear they’ve now officially gone certifiable.

With two albums under their belt (the aforementioned giddy Hot Love and the previous year’s moodier Sick Yellow Flower), Buttercup will triple their catalog in 2007 by writing, recording and releasing four CDs (three generous EPs and one full-length) before the end of the year. From scratch. First out of the gate is the freewheelin’ rock ’n’ roll EP Captains of Industry — its very title a cheeky nod to the band’s lunatic ambition. Hot on its heels will be the largely acoustic Living Again (July), followed by August’s Camp Zama, an “experimental” live album which may or may not be recorded somewhere in West Texas, far from the band’s San Antonio/Austin comfort zone. The as-yet-untitled full-length, schedule for October … well, there’s no telling what shape and sound that one will take. The band’s kinda making this all up as they go. Truth be told, the whole campaign was pretty much decided on a whim with a quarter of 2007 already in the rear-view mirror.

It’s an ambitious little to-do list, to say the least — and a cynic (realist?) would surely point out that they’ll never pull it off. But there were doubters at quite a few of those Grackle Mundy fetes, too: lured to the shows by friends or curiosity over what all the buzz was about, but ready to call “bullshit” the moment the band broke out the ukuleles, asked the crowd to watch the show on monitors at the bottom of oil drums or led the whole audience outside for a musical parade through a dicey part of town. By evening’s end, though, cynicism was invariably dropped in favor of the warm, fuzzy embrace of the “Buttercult.” Buttercup fans learn fast that this is a band that thrives on the unexpected and taking risks. And they’ve watched this band grow into one of the best, most solid rock bands around.

“We needed to move the goalposts a bit,” says Sanden of the Buttercup’s four-records-in-a-year gameplan, noting that Buttercup’s previous one-album-a-year schedule felt like a snail’s pace to the band. “I think doing this was my idea at first, but nobody in the band needed any convincing. They were all like, ‘Let’s do it! Why not?’”

Ah yes, the Buttercup battle cry: “Why not,” every bit as much as their songwriting and musical chops, is what makes this band tick. It’s what made Sanden, Odie and Roadman — three-quarters of San Antonio’s late, great Evergeen — decide to regroup after a year or two apart and pick up nowhere near where they left off: With the slacker, goof-off rhythm guitarist (Sanden) recast as a take-charge visionary and dynamic frontman, and the whole Stones swagger traded for an unabashedly more fey and whimsical but ultimately more daring and mercurial Kinks fetish. “Why not” is also the mindset that made Reyes, formerly half of the acclaimed Alamo City flamenco duo Lara & Reyes and a Grammy-winning producer (for Freddy Fender, R.I.P.), decide to throw caution to the wind and expand his musical horizons with a group of guys long on originality but initially short on prospects. A few years and countless laughs and musical dares later, “why not” remains Buttercup’s answer to pretty any challenge they set their minds to.

It’s also the key to the characteristic insouciance that pervades their approach to songwriting, performance and, most recently, recording. The Captains of Industry EP marks Buttercup’s first attempt at producing themselves, with every note cooked up in Sanden’s freshly installed home studio. Reyes’ Grammy-certified production mettle notwithstanding, Sanden admits to finding the DIY method daunting — but ultimately exhilarating. After recording half a dozen tracks that went into the “delete pile,” the band had a bit of an epiphany while recording “Sun in the Sky,” a 7-minute epic reminiscent of the Pixies and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd that Sanden describes as “scream therapy on a boat.”

The epiphany came when they captured Reyes beating up Sanden’s bathroom — slamming the toilet seat cover and spilling all his hair care products into the bathtub. “To my ears, this was freedom,” enthuses Sanden. “This was a realization that we could do anything we wanted to, and that there were no rules that we had to obey.”

Nuts? Yeah. But like everything else Buttercup has ever done — or even attempted — it’s all in the name of fun. In the name Art, too, of course, but first and foremost, fun. And should they fail … well, it still promises to be an epic ride.

“If we should falter in our quest,” says Sanden (invoking one of his musical heroes, Jad Fair) “we solemnly promise to wear our clothes inside out for a one year period. On this you have our word!”

borrowed from cdbaby.com :

It was really only a matter of time before Buttercup went nuts.

Of course, lotsa folks figured the San Antonio foursome was kinda already there from the get-go. Certainly frontman/guitarist Erik Sanden was always at least borderline crazy, going back to “Dial-a-Song” days when he wrote and recorded a tune a week just for anyone with enough time on their hands to call a special hotline and hear a song over the telephone. Not to mention the stunt where he committed to playing a single song over and over again for 24 hours, just to see if he could. And the bass player, Odie? Goodness, where does one start? Sweetest dude you’ll ever meet, but not “normal” even by the most liberal definition of the word. As for the two straight guys, drummer Jamie Roadman and lead guitarist Joe Reyes … they’d have to be nuts to hang around with the other two, right?

And let us not forget all those “Grackle Mundys” — Buttercup’s handle for their legendary, no-two-alike, what-will-they-possibly-think-of-next very special … events. Concerts, if you will — though they were more like performance art music socials. They were usually held in some tiny art studio in or around downtown San Antone. Or maybe in somebody’s living room or, every now and then, just to fuck with the status quo, an actual rock club. What happened at Grackle Mundys? We could tell you, but unless you were there, you wouldn’t believe it. Come to think of it, most folks who were there — band members included —didn’t believe it, either.

But they did learn to believe in a band that through years of strange gigs, countless songs, and more than a little practice has grown into a moody, melodic, powerful rock band with a sound that is somewhere between the Kinks at their most depressed and Neil Young at his most ecstatic.

Four loons, five-years worth of “Grackle Mundys,” and, just last year, a damn good sophomore album that they actually saddled with the name, um, Hot Love. So yeah, Buttercup has been on the road to madness for a while now. But as Sanden outlines the band’s schedule for the year ahead, it’s clear they’ve now officially gone certifiable.

With two albums under their belt (the aforementioned giddy Hot Love and the previous year’s moodier Sick Yellow Flower), Buttercup will triple their catalog in 2007 by writing, recording and releasing four CDs (three generous EPs and one full-length) before the end of the year. From scratch. First out of the gate is the freewheelin’ rock ’n’ roll EP Captains of Industry — its very title a cheeky nod to the band’s lunatic ambition. Hot on its heels will be the largely acoustic Living Again (July), followed by August’s Camp Zama, an “experimental” live album which may or may not be recorded somewhere in West Texas, far from the band’s San Antonio/Austin comfort zone. The as-yet-untitled full-length, schedule for October … well, there’s no telling what shape and sound that one will take. The band’s kinda making this all up as they go. Truth be told, the whole campaign was pretty much decided on a whim with a quarter of 2007 already in the rear-view mirror.

It’s an ambitious little to-do list, to say the least — and a cynic (realist?) would surely point out that they’ll never pull it off. But there were doubters at quite a few of those Grackle Mundy fetes, too: lured to the shows by friends or curiosity over what all the buzz was about, but ready to call “bullshit” the moment the band broke out the ukuleles, asked the crowd to watch the show on monitors at the bottom of oil drums or led the whole audience outside for a musical parade through a dicey part of town. By evening’s end, though, cynicism was invariably dropped in favor of the warm, fuzzy embrace of the “Buttercult.” Buttercup fans learn fast that this is a band that thrives on the unexpected and taking risks. And they’ve watched this band grow into one of the best, most solid rock bands around.

“We needed to move the goalposts a bit,” says Sanden of the Buttercup’s four-records-in-a-year gameplan, noting that Buttercup’s previous one-album-a-year schedule felt like a snail’s pace to the band. “I think doing this was my idea at first, but nobody in the band needed any convincing. They were all like, ‘Let’s do it! Why not?’”

Ah yes, the Buttercup battle cry: “Why not,” every bit as much as their songwriting and musical chops, is what makes this band tick. It’s what made Sanden, Odie and Roadman — three-quarters of San Antonio’s late, great Evergeen — decide to regroup after a year or two apart and pick up nowhere near where they left off: With the slacker, goof-off rhythm guitarist (Sanden) recast as a take-charge visionary and dynamic frontman, and the whole Stones swagger traded for an unabashedly more fey and whimsical but ultimately more daring and mercurial Kinks fetish. “Why not” is also the mindset that made Reyes, formerly half of the acclaimed Alamo City flamenco duo Lara & Reyes and a Grammy-winning producer (for Freddy Fender, R.I.P.), decide to throw caution to the wind and expand his musical horizons with a group of guys long on originality but initially short on prospects. A few years and countless laughs and musical dares later, “why not” remains Buttercup’s answer to pretty any challenge they set their minds to.

It’s also the key to the characteristic insouciance that pervades their approach to songwriting, performance and, most recently, recording. The Captains of Industry EP marks Buttercup’s first attempt at producing themselves, with every note cooked up in Sanden’s freshly installed home studio. Reyes’ Grammy-certified production mettle notwithstanding, Sanden admits to finding the DIY method daunting — but ultimately exhilarating. After recording half a dozen tracks that went into the “delete pile,” the band had a bit of an epiphany while recording “Sun in the Sky,” a 7-minute epic reminiscent of the Pixies and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd that Sanden describes as “scream therapy on a boat.”

The epiphany came when they captured Reyes beating up Sanden’s bathroom — slamming the toilet seat cover and spilling all his hair care products into the bathtub. “To my ears, this was freedom,” enthuses Sanden. “This was a realization that we could do anything we wanted to, and that there were no rules that we had to obey.”

Nuts? Yeah. But like everything else Buttercup has ever done — or even attempted — it’s all in the name of fun. In the name Art, too, of course, but first and foremost, fun. And should they fail … well, it still promises to be an epic ride.

“If we should falter in our quest,” says Sanden (invoking one of his musical heroes, Jad Fair) “we solemnly promise to wear our clothes inside out for a one year period. On this you have our word!”

Arcturus - ICS Vortex, Knut Magne Valle, Hugh "Skoll" Mingay, Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg

On the Temple Stage at Hellfest Open Air 2022 Part 2 - Day 3

15th Anniversary Edition

Clisson, France | 25/06/2022

Live report soon on MusicWaves

Philippe Bareille