Will Oasis’ new album make it to the number one slot? Mark Lindores makes his prediction.

After the furore surrounding his comments about Jay-Z headlining Glastonbury, it is little wonder that Noel Gallagher has resorted to slating Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson and Kaiser Chiefs in the press in a desperate attempt to drum up some publicity for Oasis’ new album Dig Out Your Soul.  And while Noel versus Scouting For Girls is unlikely to make the 9 o’clock news in the way Blur versus Oasis did back in the heady days of Britpop, it is understandable that the elder Gallagher is nervous, given that the new Oasis album is due amid the busiest time for “event releases” in recent years.

Following a quiet summer, during which record labels have resisted the urge to cash in on the potentially lucrative festival season, the final quarter of 2008 looks set for a barrage of new albums from the biggest names in music today.  U2, Take That, The Killers, Razorlight, Kings Of Leon, Keane, The Verve, The Cure, Girls Aloud, Sugababes and Dido are all readying their new albums, while the usual spate of Greatest Hits compilations comes courtesy of The Smiths, Foo Fighters and Chemical Brothers among others.

Such is the competition, many acts have decided to avoid the inevitable chart battle and move their albums to a time when they can garner maximum attention.  Coldplay got off to a head start by releasing Viva La Vida earlier in the summer, while planned releases by Kasabian, Franz Ferdinand and Lily Allen have all been put back to next year.

While Oasis and U2’s albums are arguably the most eagerly anticipated, it will be interesting to see how the elder statesmen of rock hold up next to their younger counterparts.  The music business has changed beyond recognition in the years since Oasis set the record for the fastest-selling album of all time with Be Here Now in 1997 (only Coldplay and Leona Lewis have come close to reaching its first week sales of 700,000 copies).  With artists generating the majority of their revenue from touring, albums are given away for free with newspapers or on the internet, the intention being that people like the music and buy tickets to see the artist live.

In a bid to halt the downturn in CD sales, the music industry is fighting back and is also using the pre-Christmas sales rush to try out it’s new marketing strategy of releasing “Deluxe Editions” of albums simultaneously with the regular release rather than a year down the line.  After the deluxe edition of Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black album outsold the regular edition last year, the decision was made to launch the new format on a grander scale.  As opposed to a couple of bonus tracks or remixes, the lavish new sets come in special packaging with bonus CDs, DVDs, books and artwork.  Let the battle commence!

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Sharleen Spiteri, best known as the feisty Texas frontwoman, has gone solo, to make an album of instant classics. And it’s all about her relationship break-up, she tells Flic Everett…
Sticking around in the music business is hard work. Sticking around for over twenty years when you’re subtle, intelligent, female and unwilling to compromise, is almost impossible- but Sharleen Spiteri has managed it.
Texas began casually scoring top ten hits in 1989, with I Don’t Want A Lover- then, as they used to say on Radio One, the hits just kept coming- Black Eyed Boy, Halo, Inner Smile, Sharleen’s foray in Elvis cross-dressing chic; they were a solid, Scottish outfit, with talent to spare. But after the last album, she explains, they all felt a need to try new things- perhaps, in Sharleen’s case, because she’d just split with her partner of ten years, Ashley Heath, father to her 6 year old daughter, Misty Kyd. (Yes, she’s charmingly down to earth- but come on, she’s still a pop star.)
The resulting solo album, Melody, which she describes as the record she’s “always wanted to make”, is a heartfelt, 60’s- inspired collection of sweeping, epic hits. It’s a little bit Dusty, a little bit Phil Spector, and a whole lot of beautifully-packaged emotional pain.
“Every decision I made on the record all stemmed from the break-up,” Sharleen admits. “I found it really easy to write- but giving that personal part of me away was much more difficult than the actual making of the record. Afterwards, I thought, Jesus, what am I doing with this?”
But with every nuance of the split already reported, she adds,  “I thought, I could make the happiest record in the world here, and sit down with journalists, and they’re still going to ask me about the split-  so I should have the balls to just put it out there and make the record that I want to make- and the words just came pouring out.”
Even the song titles-  new single, All The Times I Cried, Stop, I Don’t Love You Anymore, You Let Me Down and the brilliant, Nancy-Sinatra channelling I’m Going to Haunt You, are testimony to Sharleen’s remarkable soul-baring.
“I thought, I’m just going to stand up and say yep, that’s how I felt, yes, it did hurt like hell and was painful,” she shrugs,  “but I’ve come out the other end and I feel more positive than I’ve ever felt in my whole life.” She refuses to play the victim. “It’s not tragic in any way, it’s just something that happened, and it’s happened to a million people,” she says, firmly.
Sharleen is now 40, and while her contemporaries may jackknife themselves into corsets, hit the Botox and release songs about sex and boys, her talent has, thankfully,  allowed her to age gracefully.
“As you get older, you’re braver,” she muses. “When you’re young, you think, “well, I don’t care about anybody,” and you’re ready to take on the world- but the truth is, at that age, you’ve very aware of what everybody else thinks.  It isn’t until you get older that you become a true punk- because by then, you really don’t give a shit.”
In her younger years, she was regularly typified as a tough-ass Glaswegian tomboy; all swearing, thrashing guitar and spiky hair. But, she promises, those days are gone. Mostly.
“Well, at 20, it was all, ‘me against the world!’ but now.. if the world wants me to take it on, then yeah- I’ll stand up and be counted. But I don’t have that rage.”
Given that she looks like Juliette Binoche’s more serene sister, it’s easy to believe that- right up until the music industry is mentioned.
“It’s not an easy business,” she observes, “and yeah, it is hard to be a woman in it. I’ve been compared with every single other female singer, like we’re all in competition with each other,” adds Sharleen, annoyance building, “you just don’t get that when it’s a guy. I think women write fucking great songs, we’re some of the best, and we do not get the plaudits for that, we really don’t.”
She’s not afraid to name names, either. “Amy Winehouse.. Duffy.. we’re all writing great, heartfelt songs,” she goes on, “and people always say ‘oh they’re trying to do that retro thing.’ We’re just writing in a classic style- emotional lyrics, verses, a chorus-  but  people always lump us all together and say “ooh, there’s a movement”- it’s not a movement! Ultimately, I don’t give a shit, because I’m very proud of what I do, and I’ll do it my way,” she finishes. It’s suddenly entirely clear how Sharleen has navigated a band of tough Scottish blokes through the treacherous waters of the music industry for twenty years.
“Well, there’s a million people who’ve been the next big thing, and I’m still here,” she agrees. “It’s quite nice when people recognise that.”
Generally, longevity comes with adaptability- and Sharleen’s no slouch when it comes to style.
“I’ve always been very conscious of the image that goes with a record,” she admits, “I wanted to look different for Melody- this is me having a bit of fun, doing Nancy Sinatra. It’s just elements of all the women I’ve loved over the years. We’ve gone for a sort of Belle De Jour, Catherine Deneuve look.”
She even dressed up to sing.
“When I was recording the album, I went into the studio every day in a dress and high heels – and you make a very different record. With Texas, I’d be in jeans, T shirt, and baseball boots. In a dress, you stand differently, you perform differently- even playing my guitar I’d have to sit a certain way.”
Her perfectionism extended to painting the garage interior, to create the right reverb sound on the album. Well, her Dad did.
“My Dad’s still stoned from the high gloss paint,” she laughs, “it really kills your brain cells- it’s really not good for the voice, so I said, ‘Dad, you really need to do it, cos you ain’t singing- so get your ass in the garage for another coat!’”
Sharleen is touring in September, without the usual back-up of Texas.
“I’m playing venues that’ll be different from where I’ve played before. I definitely want that old velvet curtain look- that supper club kind of thing,” she reveals. But before that, she has to come to terms with the album’s release- and consequently, the fact that she’s baring her soul to millions.
“Yeah,” she sighs. “I’m at that point where I’m slightly bottling it, thinking ‘why do I always do this?’”
Perhaps because without writing the songs, or composing the music, or singing her heart out like the fantasy lovechild of Dusty Springfield and Elvis, this remarkable star just wouldn’t know what to do with herself.

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Well, it’s (semi-) official – the festival as we know it is wheezing its last. In the manner of the sneaky little mammals quietly usurping the dinosaurs (or, more appropriately, punk toppling 70s prog,) a multitude of smaller, more manageable festivals have been springing up, which don’t require the infrastructure of a small town. They’re also more family friendly. Of course, the relative success of Glastonbury means that the old ways are still running alongside – but the variety, for those still prepared to brave the unpredictable thrill of outdoor music in the British Summer, is stronger than ever.
Wickerman
25 -26 July
East Kirkcarswell, Dumfries, Scotland
Another pioneer of the smaller-is-better trend – although paradoxically becoming bigger and more successful because of it.  The festival is so named because of the site’s proximity to the location of the final scene of the legendary 1973 Edward Woodward pagan thriller film, and its general isolation makes for a lovely setting.
Eight stages include unlikely festival types Gary Numan and The Fall, while The Red Hot Chilli Pipers – yes, read it carefully – make for the best, most appropriate use of bagpipes in a rock context.
A wicker man does indeed get burned on the Saturday night, but uptight Christian virgins may rest easy; no human sacrifice is involved.
www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk

Camp Bestival
18 – 20 July
Lulworth Castle, Dorset
A sister festival to the already sold-out Bestival, curated by Radio 1’s Rob Da Bank, headliners include irritatingly wacky / innovatively artful Flaming Lips and bloody-hell-is-he-still-alive genuine rock and roll legend Chuck Berry.
In common with many of the new festivals, spoken word and literature are well represented.
www.campbestival.co.uk

Lovebox
19 – 20 July
Victoria Park, London
8 bespoke stages contain a strong musical bill including politically charged good-timer Manu Chao (a global superstar but still strangely underappreciated here), Seun Kuti – son of the legendary Fela – playing with his dad’s old band Egypt 70, The Flaming Lips (again) and the new, bucolic, festival friendly incarnation of Goldfrapp.
www.lovebox.net/weekender

WOMAD
25 – 27 July
Malmesbury, Wiltshire
WOMAD – world of music and dance – is another survivor of the old festival circuit, although it has always stood slightly apart from the rest with its concentration on ‘world’ music, whatever that pointlessly vague expression means. Jamaican reggae legend Ernest Ranglin lines up alongside more familiar faces such as Shane McGowan and, er, Squeeze.
www.womad.org/festivals/charlton-park

Big Chill
1- 3 Aug
Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Herefordshire.
Musically, festivals don’t have to be all about indie or gnarled rock veterans. The Big Chill has a leaning towards dance, but also features the requisite ‘rock’ stages, in the broadest sense of the term. 73 year old headliner Leonard Cohen is no-one’s idea of a festival closer – except in the sense that there’s no-where really left to go after his magnificently sombre light jazz-backed poetry has finished. But that’s part of the point.
www.bigchill.net

Fairport’s Cropredy Convention
7 – 9 August
Cropredy, Nr Banbury
Run by folk veterans Fairport Convention since the early 1970s and self-promoted as ‘Britain’s Friendliest Music Festival’ (how do they measure that? Can science detect geniality now?), this is traditionally a finger-in-the-ear folkstravaganza, although the line-up this year has a slightly disappointing air of the conventional to it – Supergrass and Midge Ure are among the big names. The website indicates that ‘you will usually be able to find a sing-song to join in’ at the campsite after the main stage has closed for the night, which should go some way to indicating whether or not this is the festival for you.
www.fairportconvention.com

The Magic Loungeabout
30th August
Newburgh Priory, Yorkshire
The Magic Loungeabout is the UKs first 24-hour musical picnic which aims to offer an intimate and contemporary alternative to the summer festival scene. The Magic Loungeabout will create a boutique festival experience in the stunning surroundings of Newburgh Priory in Yorkshire on 30th August. Guests can picnic in the landscaped gardens of the Priory during the day enjoying a glass of champagne and luxury hamper, with unspoilt views across the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. Cocktail Hour will be held at twilight before the evening performances and an after show party under the stars will be held in the ruined West Wing of the Priory, featuring DJ sets until 3am. The event aims to take the hassle out of festivals by offering a more refined musical day out for family and friends alike, and an exclusive line-up of international live acts has been announced including Gary Numan, Morcheeba, Lykke Li, The Egg and Sweden’s answer to Air  Pacific.
www.themagicloungeabout.net

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The boybands are back in town- about ten years after they left. Mark Lindores joins the reunion

First it was Take That and East 17. Then it was the Spice Girls and All Saints. This month sees yet another 90s pop act hit the comeback trail, as the recently reunited Boyzone arrive in Manchester for their Back Again… No Matter What Tour.

Despite Ronan Keating’s protestations that the Boyzone reunion tour was planned before their pop rivals’ comeback jaunts, cynics have suggested that the boys witnessing their solo success dry up (Ronan), and having exhausted their reality-TV options (the others), could be the real reason for their return, following such an acrimonious split.

And they’re by no means the only pop act angling for a second bite of the cherry. Eternal, 5ive, Busted, Blue, Steps, S Club 7 and New Kids On The Block are all supposedly due to announce their own comeback shortly. Needless to say, all will have been monitoring Take That very closely, for a master-class in how to stage a resurrection.

Since regrouping in 2005 for a TV documentary, Gary, Mark, Jason and Howard have gone from strength to strength, with their run of no.1 singles, albums and haul of awards astounding everyone, not least the band themselves. When their comeback tour was announced, just five arena dates initially went on sale- because, says Mark Owen, “we were worried about how it would sell”. Public demand subsequently turned the tour into 25 arena dates and 5 stadium shows, playing to over 500,000 fans. “The tour was bigger than any of the tours we did at the height of our fame,” says Gary Barlow. “We just couldn’t believe it.”

At a time when artists are giving their music away for free on the internet or in newspapers, it’s touring that makes musicians the most money. The number of bands agreeing to reform is being put down to the fact that it’s a sure-fire money-spinner and requires little effort from the artists involved. A common strategy, adopted most recently by The Police and the Spice Girls, involves the band committing to a few months on the road to support a Greatest Hits album, with no plans to record any new material. The Police’s world tour was 2007’s highest -grossing tour, while the Spice Girls are estimated to have pocketed £10 million each for their 10 week jaunt across the US and Europe.

While money is a huge factor in bands reforming, it isn’t always the reason. When Genesis toured last summer, Phil Collins denied they were cashing in.
“We’re all loaded enough not to worry about where the next million or two is coming from,” he said. “If money was the issue, we’d be playing more than 20 shows. I just felt now was the right time to have a go at it.” He added that he “missed the camaraderie”.

It isn’t just huge stadium tours that appear to be wallowing in nostalgia. A look at the line-ups for the forthcoming festivals-usually the ultimate indicator of who’s hot on the music scene – shows that The Verve, Sex Pistols, Smashing Pumpkins and Roxy Music are expected to be big crowd pleasers this summer.

Asked recently, who music fans would most like to see back together, gig promoters admitted that The Smiths, Stone Roses, Abba and Led Zeppelin have all refused millions to reform- although Robert Plant has hinted that he may go back on the road with Led Zeppelin as he enjoyed their one-off charity gig last December so much. Other than that, it seems the best we can hope for is the Sugababes getting back with Mutya. Or Westlife finally putting in that call to Brian Mcfadden.

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Actor, reality show winner� and now credible singer-songwriter. And he’s still only 18. Steve Stewart catches up with the driven Richard Fleeshman.

Richard Fleeshman has an urgent need to shed his old skin. That’s the impression you get, talking to the well-brought-up Mancunian lad who’s hoping to break into the music industry and buck the legacy of what he’s best known for- playing Craig the Goth in Corrie.
To date, he’s done all right. A first place on Celebrity Stars in their Eyes and Soapstar Superstar might well have proven to the public at large that he has a voice to better any of the squawking teenagers whose only justification for success is “but I want it soooo much”. But he still has far to go, to enter the realm of the serious musician and shake off that ‘celebrity’ albatross draped round his neck.
All that’s in the process of changing, though, as Richard embarks on his first ever live tour; a stretch that takes in Manchester on 12th March.
“Music was always my first love,” he insists. “I always wanted to make music and get a band together, but somehow, acting and Coronation Street took off and before I knew it, that was what I did for a living.”

In many ways, Fleeshman has a tougher job breaking through to success than a newcomer, because alongside the inevitable cynicism regarding ex-soap stars, there’s� a good deal of music-industry pressure to “pay your dues”. (Whatever that means.) And given that the slow, stupid music industry is in a state of near meltdown, for Fleeshman the road ahead is going to be tough.

The first single, ‘Coming Down,’ didn’t exactly set the charts alight – but nevertheless, here he is, poised to play The Academy 3 with nothing between him and the audience but a microphone. And that takes guts.

The second single, ‘Hold Me Close,’ continues his take on intelligently crafted pop – with a mood that takes him away from the throwaway, towards a classicism beyond his years.

“We‘ve been rehearsing together for a few weeks now,” he says, “and it’s really coming together. I ‘m not nervous about the tour, but it’s a whole lot different to anything I’ve ever done before, and that’s exciting.”

When probed as to what concerns him as a songwriter, he’s� more withdrawn. “The usual,” he says. “Love, relationships, these are the things I’m interested in; so that’s what I write about.”

So what about life on the road with your first tour? How are you going to cope with the excess, the groupies, the dreaded booze, and worse?

“I’ll do just fine thank you,” comes the amused reply. “I don’t mind a few late nights now and again when the mood takes me. I don’t think I’ll be in need of rehab quite yet though…”

Richard Fleeshman plays Academy 3 on 12th March.

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There are certain people in life who shine brighter than others. You can’t help but notice them when they walk in the room, their voice commands your attention and they leave you with an indelible mark you will carry for the rest of your life. These people are the ones in life who go after what they want, leading the way for the rest of us to follow and showing us that you can be who you want to be.

Anthony H Wilson was one of those people. Born in Salford in 1950 as Anthony Howard Wilson, at age 11 won a scholarship to the De La Salle grammar school and subsequently went on to study English at Jesus College, Cambridge in 1968. It was at Cambridge that Wilson took steps to entering the world of media whilst editing the college newspaper; from there he went onto the trainee scheme at ITN. Unlike many of his peers, Anthony resisted the allure of the big smoke and chose to come home to Manchester after attending Cambridge. Anthony’s infectious personality, quick tongue and razor-sharp wit gained him a job as a reporter for Manchester’s own Granada Television. After spending some time working on Granada’s current affairs show, World In Action, Wilson eventually made his mark on the music show So It Goes.

It was on this show that Anthony’s influence in the music industry began. He was witness to the infamous Sex Pistols gig at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall in 1976 and he himself described the experience as “nothing short of an epiphany”. As a result of the effect of this show he then booked the Sex Pistols to appear on his show So It Goes which was to be the bands first exposure to mainstream television and the country’s introduction to the emerging punk scene. Through the show, Wilson was part of documenting a music revolution that was happening at the time, and this is something that Anthony would continue to do. For the rest of his life. He seemed to have this incredible almost radar like instinct for new talent and emerging trends, which would set up the success and some failures for the rest of his life.

In 1978 Wilson officially joined the music industry by opening the Factory Club to showcase new local talent, which then became the record label Factory Records forming partnerships with band manager Alan Erasmus, designer Peter Saville, producer Martin Hannett and Joy Division Manager Rob Gretton. The label was initially best known for the group Joy Division, who later became the band New Order following the tragic suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis. The label was certainly not a capitalist empire; it was disorganised, irreverent, reckless and above all beautifully and brilliantly flawed. The label passed on bands you may know including Buzzcocks, The Smiths, The Fall and The Stone Roses.

Wilson was never one to take profits from the label – he didn’t believe in the ethics of it instead deciding to open the Hacienda club in an old textiles factory. The first few years were lean for the club, but by the mid to late 80’s it found its footing importing the Detroit and New York club sound with help from DJ’s like Mike Pickering. The club then became a Mecca for the ‘Madchester’ sound of bands like the Happy Mondays who were also signed to the Factory label. The Factory empire had a huge cultural influence during this time and beyond, the fact that neither the club or the label were interested in profit was an inspiration, but this also eventually led to its downfall. In the wake of mounting debts, accusations of drugs, and gangster culture, the club eventually closed its doors in 1997 with the label going under 6 years previously.

This was by no means the end for Wilson. He went on to form the In The City music conference here in Manchester with his partner Yvette Livesey, he was politically active in the region, and carried on with his esteemed broadcast and journalistic career rejoining Granada for a short time following a 13 year absence, becoming a regional political presenter for the BBC and even presented a weekly radio show on Xfm Manchester called Sunday Roast.

Wilson dedicated his life to making Manchester an internationally renowned city for its music and culture and so many people will remember him for the simple fact that he loved this city. Anthony Wilson was a unique person who was an icon in life and now in death, and will always be remembered for the cultural impact he had. When Anthony passed away, Manchester Town Hall lowered its Union Jack flag to half-mast as a mark of respect, and at his funeral his coffin was adorned with the number of the factory in which the Hacienda was based, FAC 51, which was perhaps the most fitting tribute to a legend in his own time.

To many he may be Tony but to us he will always be Anthony H Wilson, which is the way he would have wanted it.

Clint Boon wrote the following tribute for us……

We lost someone quite special recently, Mr Anthony H Wilson. The greatest Mancunian ever.

One of the most comforting things about the period immediately after Tony’s death is that masses of people spoke out saying the same things about him….a lot of the things we all felt and wanted to say.

When I heard about his death, I felt that there would be a lot of misconceptions about him that those amongst us privileged to know him would have to put right. His work for the city (not just it’s music), his incredible wordmanship (he was the best raconteur I ever spent time with), the fact that as a broadcaster he was untouchable (on radio and TV), his gentle side, the incredible way he inspired people…all aspects of his life which have been addressed in the last few days by people far more eloquent than myself. (Check out the tributes by Elliot Rashman and Paul Morley).

I’ll take this opportunity then to tell you a few personal tales about Tony.

I met him for the first time soon after Tony and his buddies launched the Factory night at The Russell club in Hulme. It would be midway through 1978. I’d attended Rochdale Art College from 1975 but had dropped out soon after seeing the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Buzzcocks and Johnny Thunders Heartbreakers at The Electric Circus in Collyhurst one night in December 1976. It had hit me that night that I wanted to be part of what those kids onstage were doing. My time at Art College came to an abrupt end but had totally served its purpose in that I was in the perfect time and place (and state of mind) to appreciate and embrace the Punk movement.

So by the time I met Tony Wilson outside the Russell Club, I was a regular gig goer, travelling down on the bus from Oldham checking out bands at Rafters, The Ranch, Pips and all the underground venues that were putting punk bands on. I was with my friend Mark (he was still at Art College) and we bumped into Tony outside the club. We collared him for a chat, introduced ourselves and told him about how we’d met at college and how I’d dropped out at which point he declared…”If there’s only one thing that’s worse than an art student, it’s a failed art student!”

Those were the first words he ever said to me. I doubt that Tony would have remembered the moment but I’ve remembered it proudly ever since.

I’ve worked with Tony many times over the years. Too many to list here but I’ll tell you about a couple of my most treasured memories. The first being the time the fledgling Inspiral Carpets were doing our best to get things moving, get a record deal and be taken seriously (hard when you came from Oldham and looked the way
we did).

A couple of our lads had bumped into Tony and he’d invited us to go on his TV show ‘The Other Side Of Midnight’. We were made up. We had the date confirmed and everything was going well. Then just a few days before the filming date, our original singer, Steven Holt decided to leave the band for personal reasons. We were gutted. We put a call in to Tony to explain that we’d have to cancel or postpone. His reaction was quite simply…”Do it anyway, do it without a singer, do an instrumental”

Which we did. A track called Directing Traffic. Our first TV ever. I’ve heard it from a lot of people in the last couple of weeks “he gave us our first TV”. People like Steve Diggle of the Buzzcocks, Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols, Siouxsie Sioux.

Another wonderful Tony moment for me was being his guest on the radio show he did for XFM Manchester, Anthony Wilson’s Sunday Roast, a breathtakingly stunning piece of radio performed weekly from the same seat I now occupy 5 times a week. I sat and chatted with him for an hour live, playing records, discussing the world of music and life in general. I’ve always thought that hour was one of the highlights of my professional life. And on a personal level….incredible and beautiful.

As a broadcaster, Tony was one of the greatest this country has ever produced. He had all the essential qualities, a great intellect, willingness to break the rules, the best voice and a genuine human warmth. He dared to challenge and confront those who came in his way…or on
his show!

As I’ve been writing this piece, I’ve received a text message from my friend Liam Frost. He’s a brilliant singer / songwriter from Manchester who Tony was a big fan of. Liam was a guest on the tribute show we did for Tony on XFM Manchester a few days after his death.

Liam and I went to Tony’s funeral together. He said in his text…”How are you feeling brother?” I replied…”Still thinking, talking, writing about Tony 24/7”. I guess a lot of us are. And will be for years to come.

Myself, my wife Charlie and The Inspiral Carpets all send our love to Tony’s family and friends. Our lives are better because of him.

I’ll miss you Tony.

Clint Boon
(failed art student).

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V Festival
Looking back on my V Festival experience and I am of course jealous of all of those who had a sunny weekend compared to the mud fest that was V Festival at Stafford. Even with the weather there was nothing (not even my crutches) that was going to stop me experiencing the delight of the weekend. The big headliners like the Kasabian, The Killers and Snow Patrol all put on amazing shows and all so different to one another. My ultimate headliner of the weekend had to be the Foo Fighters, I had never seen them live up until this point and all I can say is wow. They are an incredible live band and Dave Grohl’s charisma just oozes out of the speakers even showing his soft side by getting his mum out on stage.

On the smaller stages Manchester band The Ting Tings are my hot tip for next year, they are a two piece band with elements of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Klaxons and CSS about them, they even gave me goose bumps and Brandon Flowers was the only other person that weekend to do that! On the Channel 4 Stage I was really impressed with sets from Mark Ronson, The Coral, The Happy Mondays and Jet who were also real crowd pleasers. Overall V Festival is probably one of the more corporate festivals but its still hasn’t lost what makes it’s a great festival and that’s a great mix of fantastic bands.

Natalie Quinn.

Leeds Festival
Leeds Festival started on a high with the unusual presence of the summer sunshine. Friday was a day for the hardcore rock revellers with bands such as Gallows on the Lock Up stage while Smashing Pumpkins headlined. For those of us looking for something a little less death related, Gym Class Heroes kicked off the festival and New Young Pony Club were a highlight on the Radio One stage.

The mood lightened on the Saturday with a bigger crowd and an undeniably impressive line up. The Enemy, Plain White T’s and Reverend And The Makers each had a big following but it was the clash between Maximo Park and Get Cape Wear Cape Fly – both sets a must-see – that resulted in a split between my companion and I.

There was no contest when it came to the highlight of Saturday and, I might say, the entire weekend, when Kings of Leon took to the main stage with an electric performance. Razorlight headlined but were overshadowed by their warm up – the Kings – and left us feeling somewhat uninspired from their performance.

Sunday brought with it yet more sunshine and more fried breakfasts. Pigeon Detectives and Bloc Party drew in the big crowds while, for me personally, the Twang and The Shins stood out from the Sunday line up. Arcade Fire’s performance was let down by the sound quality on the main stage which was disappointing for fans of the band who felt they were a great choice as the penultimate finish to the three
day festival.

Sarah Quinn.

Creamfields
Creamfields was back for its ninth year this year, and by golly was it a good day/night out. Groove Armada who had the crowd rocking in the evening with a brilliant set made way for the Chemical Brothers who were superb. I heard whisperings that a few people were disappointed with the Chemical Brothers as they played the same set as they had done at Glastonbury earlier this year. For me, I hadn’t seen them play live before and I was blown away. From looking around at the other 49,999 people grooving away to the thumping beat I would say that they were enjoying it too. Like any outdoor event, it was a shame that the main stage couldn’t carry on playing into the night, but come 11pm we had a choice of excellent dance tents to flit in and out of. We managed to catch sets by Tidy Boys, Alex Kidd, 2ManyDJs and Carl Cox before calling it a night and heading home. For me up until this time I was a Creamfields virgin, but now I have had my cherry popped I am looking forward to next year, I loved it!

Nicola Kershaw.

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There isn’t much that the members of New Order can agree on these days, but one thing they have been unanimous in is their praise of Control, the new biopic depicting the life and death of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. “New Order hardly agree on anything, but they all agree that they love the film,” says the film’s director Anton Corbijn.

Although the story of Ian Curtis and Joy Division was touched upon in 24 Hour Party People, Control delves much deeper into the psyche of Curtis and explores his struggle to cope with his epilepsy, his relationships with his wife Deborah (played by Samantha Morton) and his Belgian girlfriend, whom he met while on tour, and the inner turmoil that led to his suicide at the age of 23.

Based on Deborah’s book Touching From A Distance, the film fulfils a lifelong ambition for Corbijn, best known for groundbreaking music videos for such luminaries as U2 and Depeche Mode, not to mention Joy Division’s seminal clip for Atmosphere. He moved to the UK from Holland in 1979, specifically to photograph Joy Division and harboured a desire to bring Curtis’ story to the big screen but found it a daunting task. It wasn’t until Sam Riley’s audition for the part of Curtis that he was convinced he could make it work.

“Normally when you make a movie like this, you always disappoint people and fans but I honestly do not think Sam will disappoint anyone,” says Anton. “This is a very hard role for anybody to play, because it is very hard to fit in somebody’s shoes who has become an icon in many people’s eyes. Not only does he look like him, he has the same innocence and charisma. I cannot think of the movie
without Sam.”

Much has been made of the fact that Sam was working in a Leeds factory prior to landing the lead role, but it should be noted that Control is not his first brush with stardom, having appeared briefly in 24 Hour Party People as The Fall’s Mark E. Smith and fronted his own band 10,000 Things. Despite garnering universal praise from critics for his performance, Sam admits to being nervous at the reactions from Joy
Division devotees.

“There will be critics of it because when you have people with that much of a diehard following, which Ian and the band do, some of them don’t ever want it to be touched or fucked with, so they’re suspicious from the outset and probably disappointed with it,” says Sam. “I’ve done my research. There’s not a hell of a lot of footage around. I’ve spoken with the family and the band, I’ve spent time with the epileptic society and I’ve been a front man in a band. I’ve tried to play him as a fairly normal bloke, with an exceptional talent. He was an incredibly enigmatic performer – unusual and uncomfortable in a way. But a fantastic lyricist for his age… for any age.”

Ironically, the release of Control has inspired an influx of Joy Division releases. As well as DVD’s of “lost” and “previously unseen” footage, the coming months will see the publication of a number of books about Ian and deluxe editions of Joy Division’s albums featuring rare material will be released, perhaps the only thing Control has in common with previous big-budget rock biopics such as Ray and Walk The Line which bolstered the back catalogues of Ray Charles and Johnny Cash.

Keen to capitalise on the success of these films (not to mention the fact that they seem to be a magnet for Oscar success), Hollywood bosses are buying the rights to biographies of rock’s most notorious hellraisers and licensing the back catalogues of the artists with choices for the leading roles ranging from the inspired to the bizarre. Currently in production, are projects based on the lives of Debbie Harry (Kirsten Dunst), Jimi Hendrix (Outkast’s Andre 3000), Janis Joplin (Zooey Deschanel), Stevie Nicks (Lindsay Lohan) and Iggy Pop
(Elijah Wood).

Next up, director Todd Haynes’ experimental take on the genre of the biopic casts 6 different actors (including Richard Gere, Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett) as Bob Dylan to represent different stages of his life in I’m Not Here. “I think it’s a great way to explore someone like him,” says Ben Whishaw, one of the multiple Dylans. “There’s so few interesting projects like that, brave, strange stuff. So I’m very curious to see how it will turn out.”

Mark Lindores.

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Natasha Bedingfield shot to stardom in 2004 with the release of her first album Unwritten. She provided a new generation of women with up tempo intelligent pop rock songs with a smattering of R&B influence. Not only did Natasha experience huge success here in the UK but she managed what so many British artists crave for, she broke America.

“I went there and I started from nothing because I was doing really well over here but no one over in the states knew who I was. So I went over there to see what would happen. I didn’t plan anything and I never expected to have a number one pop song that was just crazy, it really blew my expectations.”

For Natasha this was a great surprise to gain so much success so quickly here in the UK so she revelled in the challenge in breaking America and loved the initial anonymity she had when she first went state side. “It was actually quite fun but it was weird obviously going from everyone recognising you and then no one knowing who you are. It was actually quite nice because there was no paparazzi following me around and I kind of liked the challenge of starting again and winning over a brand new audience. “

Natasha seemed to initiate the female British invasion of the US. Individual artists such as Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen soon followed in her footsteps and American audiences just seemed to eat them up. In a country of perfectly plastic manufactured pop stars our distinctive girls with attitude seemed to capture the American consciousness. ” I think that we have something different that we do in our own way and I think that’s really great. We are individual and have something different to offer and we do pop songs but in our own way, with a bit of intelligence.”

With more and more women almost cheapening themselves and using sex and their sexuality to sell their music no matter what age they are I wondered how Natasha, as a blonde attractive woman, managed not to fall into the sex bomb trap? “I think when I first started my career the fact that I was blonde and I didn’t look awful meant that they wanted to put me in a box and make me into this blonde pop princess. People would try to get me to pose in this bikini and all that stuff, and I was just like no, I want to be comfortable in my pictures and I don’t want to be dressed in a way that I wouldn’t be normally. For me it was just about being comfortable and having dignity about the way I look. The funny thing was that people were quite shocked by that in the beginning and now I think people have got used to that and there are a lot more singers who are standing up for their music and that’s what they’re doing it for. For example you mentioned Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse and they’re known for their music not for being like playboy models. I mean I’m not anti any of that either because I think entertainment is wide enough for all sorts of different types. I think its just about more being true to who you feel you are.”

When you meet Natasha she has an obvious fun and ethereal personality, but her maturity and compassion beyond her years is also evident. This is something that may be in part due to do with her upbringing. Her parents were incredibly active charity workers with a strong Christian faith, (Natasha and her siblings were even part of a Christian pop group). Her charity work has extended into her adult years working with her mother’s charity Global Angels promoting the ‘Stop Traffik’ campaign to stop child trafficking. Natasha has also recently lent her support to the Red campaign and feels that the opportunity came at the right time in her life. “I think that I’ve been in the industry long enough and focused on my own career long enough to know that I want to be involved in other stuff too. My industry is quite a selfish one and it’s all about making my music and talking about my opinions and feelings and all that kind of stuff. It just feels so great to be involved in something that isn’t about yourself. When I heard about the Red Campaign and what they were doing for the aids crisis in Africa it just really goes to my heart. I think in the past like so many people I’ve just been cut off from it and been of the opinion that there’s nothing I can do about it. I think I’ve got to a point in my life where I feel like I can actually do something to help other people and not ignore it.”

When it came to Natasha’s new album NB she wanted to use her experiences over the last few years to inspire her lyrics and listening to the album it’s an obvious progression from her first Unwritten, which was a little more independent women compared to the intimacy of songs like Soul Mate on NB. “On my first album I don’t think I really said anything about relationships so with this album I really wanted to comment on relationships. Always being known as the single girl I feel that part of being single is that you do a lot of dating and meet people and I really wanted to document and to explore that whole theme really. I’m still talking about the dating and trying to win that person over and accidently saying the wrong thing which is where I want to have your babies
comes from.”

It’s nice to know that even world famous pop stars can mess up on a date, but you’ve got to really feel for the poor men who attempt to impress Miss Bedingfield, “I mean guys do it when they tell you their fantasies too soon on a first date or something, and I think the first date is not really the best time to be divulging your wildest fantasises. It could be, but I guess that depends on the type of person you are and whether you have a sense of humour
or not.”

Natasha also made collaborations a big part of her new album and was lucky enough to work with a rather handsome front man, “I’m a huge fan of Maroon 5 so working with Adam Lavien was just extremely wonderful. I also worked with other people on the album and I think collaborating with other artists is great and not something people should be scared of. When two artists come together something really magical happens.”

But for Natasha one of the biggest highlights of her last year has to be touring with Justin Timberlake. The US superstar personally invited Natasha on to his tour and it sounds like she had a pretty amazing time. “It was just incredible to be on his tour, it was just like a big night club party the way it was set up with his lights, dancers, band and crew. For me, I had my band with me and it was just great to be out on the road again and of course hanging out with Justin. It’s not a bad life really, not bad at all.” Lucky girl!

Natalie Quinn.

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GIG OF THE MONTH
Ryan Adams
08/06 MCR Academy
5/5

A wrist injury restricted Adams to vocal duties for his show, showcasing his ninth studio album, ‘Easy Tiger’. There will doubtlessly be those who, again, came expecting a set full of ‘classics’, but instead left with a few choice words. In truth however, Ryan Adams was at his unadulterated, breathtakingly brilliant best. He has never been one to take such criticisms on board and Easy Tiger looks set to prove his doubters he’s been right all along.

Beyonce
07/06 MEN Arena
4/5

This lady is undeniably one of the biggest female solo performers of the century thus far; a one woman empire who can sing, dance, act and tonight I find she can perform live faultlessly whilst holding the crowd in the palm of her hand. Opening with a fantastic rendition of Crazy in Love, up to the closing number Déj� Vu I was in awe. Beyonce is a power to be reckoned with when she’s on stage, roll on her greatest hits, she definitely deserves it.

Pull Tiger Tail
13/06 Night & Day
3/5

Pull Tiger Tail most certainly lived up to the hype surrounding them at their live gig. This is a band with pure raw energy, who turned Night & Day into a sweat box for the evening. With supporting slots with Razorlight, this is a band with a lot of indie cool. The show is raucous, unpolished, and full of falsetto charm with the standout track being Mr 100%. This is a band that is worth looking out for, with the right amount of radio play they could make it big.

Nine Black Alps
18/06 Roadhouse
4/5

The Manchester lads return from their hiatus and back into the limelight, set to conquer the mainstream and radio waves this time round with new single Burn Faster. The band have definitely developed their sound whilst they have been working on this new album. Instead of mimicking the grunge sound of the nineties, they’ve gone all indie pop. With their signature edgy guitar sound, the songs from the new album are set to be indie disco classics.

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