Susanna Clarke’s debut novel, the epic Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, is putting new blood into new magic, not to mention proving something of a sensation on the bestseller charts.
Twenty years after its original release, George Lucas sci-fi epic STAR WARS is back on the cinema screens of the world, fully restored and with several minutes of extra new footage. CRAIG FITZSIMONS explores the myth, mayhem and madness of the film, and attempts to nail down exactly what makes it so great.
Comedian and promoter MALCOLM HARDEE discusses his hopes for the Laughter Lounge, Dublin s spanking new 400-seater venue dedicated exclusively to stand-up comedy, and tells BARRY GLENDENNING the epic tale of the night he stole Freddie Mercury s birthday cake.
He’s been a Scottish warrior, a Panamanian revolutionary, a sheriff, a banker and a robot rag-and-bone man, all in the last eight years. in Scorsese’s new epic Gangs Of New York he plays, of all things, an Irishman. Brendan Gleeson holds forth on 19th century squalor, his late blooming as an actor, and the pleasure of working with big Marty.
Our correspondent road-tests a rare but legal herb which might offer him an epic, life-affirming religious moment or make him feel like a mere atom in a speck of dirt up some earthworm's arse. How did he fare? Read on...
On the eve of the release of Snow Patrol's epic fifth album A Hundred Million Suns, Hot Press finds out how singer Gary Lightbody gets inspiration for his songs.
The modulated bass tones of ‘Puck’ will scare the hell out of anyone with a nervous disposition, but ‘IO’ is more impressive, a bluesy 4/4 electro with an epic melody line.
It’s all about the epic reverb-drenched chords on Mehlhart’s Karmarouge debut – the oscillating deepness gives this neo-trance influenced number a slightly zoned-out MBV-esque quality. Sort of.
Young plays a blinder – the swirling Detroit strings give way to a busy, intricate rhythm that unfurls into an epic – rolling percussion, a sub-bass and more sweeping chords. One for B12/Black Dog fans.
This fabulous steampunk epic set in an unspecified post-apocalyptic future sees ‘stitchpunk’ puppets – the last evidence of human life - take on rampant killing machines.
The title track bored me to death, its mixture of ‘spiritual’ NY and bleepy electro house proving way too safe. ‘Leo’ sounds far better in Sasse’s hands, who turns it into a gorgeously tripped out Italo mini-epic.
‘Arabesque’ is a warm, clap-heavy rendition of the timeless Detroit techno sound, but ‘Satura’ is more impressive: based on melancholic, key-changing melodies and brittle rhythms, it’s a fragile, unforgettable mini-epic.
RadioSlabe and Abe Duque remix ‘Let No Man Jack’ in predictable fashion. But the abrasive vocal remains. Far better is Dominik Eulberg’s epic take on ‘Follow You’. Veering between minimal, chugging and acidy, it’s, quite literally, three tunes in one.
Diynamic’s latest offering will catapult it into the big league. ‘Feuervogel’ has the potential to become this year’s answer to ‘Rej’, featuring a dramatic, plucked string melody that sweeps its way across the arrangement. Not even Guido Schneider’s stripped back version can distract from this epic.
Build Me A Swan ushers in a self confessed ‘second stage’ for the Chakras and, by the sounds of it, the rethink has done them wonders. They’re starting to sound like a six piece, shot through with the ambition to make big records. For something most probably recorded on a small budget, this is an impressively far reaching release, seven tracks, each one an epic.
Agoria fancies himself as a pop act, but he’s really still a techno producer. Just check the way the title track’s hard drums and cavernous, epic riff builds to an air punching finale: it’s obvious that it will enjoy the same success as ‘La Onzieme Marche’.
Schwarz is damn hot right now – this three-part odyssey marries sparse piano, a repeated male vocal, balearic percussion, dub-isms, a dash of nu-disco swing and a slow house thwomp in some sort of almost brilliant epic sprawl. We think.
The typically epic mix de-rocks the original and makes it into something of a monster – the loose, live bassline that snakes through the track sounds great in prog mode.
Angle’ is a crunchy 4/4 meets break beat track, its heavy, harsh drums and grungy bass as visceral as anything Peter Grummich or Shitkatapult are capable of. On ‘Curve’, they change tact with an irresistible combination of niggling 303 signatures and epic, Vangelis-like synths.
Most of the tracks on ‘Norsk 3’ are the work of Norwegian producer Hans Peter Lindstrom, so this is hardly a compilation, but these niceties are irrelevant when the epic synths, over the top melodies and electronic grooves flow through the speakers and transport you to back to the golden age of Italian disco music.
It’s always interesting when an Irish band appear from nowhere all but perfectly formed. Mind you, Royseven have previous form as Jove, and have been honing their new incarnation around the Europe circuit. Both factors show through on a confident, emotive and expensive-sounding debut that attempts to muscle in on the already crowded epic rock market.
If Leya have one thing in their favour, it’s the self belief to make grandiose, epic music at a time when the emphasis has been on keeping things tight and structured.
That alone might be enough to carry them through, although ‘On All My Sundays’ suggests that their songwriting is beginning to match their ambition. A good way to end a good year.
Leya have been looking for the right song to fit their ambition for a while now, with the result that they’ve always sounded a bit hollow. 'In Our Hands' is exactly that song, epic and intense and all the other things that people say about Coldplay, Keane, Embrace and the rest. Thereby could lurk their problem, but at least now Leya really are giving their best.
French DJ Jennifer Cardini is lumped in with the minimalists, but this release has all the swing and sassiness of a Chicago house record mixed with epic, recycled trance chords. Admittedly, it is realised in a contemporary style, which means that the percussion is sharp and metallic and the bass has a dark, bleepy edginess to it.
He sounds like a dodgy porn star, but Ritzi Lee usually makes banging techno. For this release though, he has trawled the vaults of Detroit techno for an uplifting, end-of-night epic, the type that Secret Cinema used to make. There’s also a fine Orlando Voorn mix on the flip.
Not quite sure what the problem is with TG,TB&TQ, although raised hopes probably have a lot to do with it. ‘Green Fields’ is another very average release, lovely sounding, but offering nothing much beyond that. It threatens to build from a subtle start into something epic but then just stops at two and a half minutes, leaving you wondering how four such obviously talented individuals could find it so hard to come up with one complete idea.
‘Cloudy Bay’ follows a similar path to the sprawling, string-laden epic ‘Full Clip’ but lacks the latter’s cohesiveness, despite some interesting elements.
In the same way that last year’s ‘Verse 2 The Chorus’ de- and reconstructed dub techno, ‘Nerd’ focuses on Detroit techno. On ‘Kochanie’, the rhythms are intricate, but the warm melody shines through Tierney’s stuttering groove and on ‘Revenge Of The Mad’, the wiry percussion can’t halt a soaring, epic bass.
It’s epic, certainly, but hotpress ain’t sure that all the elements in ‘Two Of Us’ add up: the galloping, gritty riff and ‘Love Is Stronger Than Pride’-esque stomp are solid enough foundations to for the scraping, building FX and sparse, surging synths. But the house of cards collapses with the arrival of a ringing music box melody. So close…
Lassi Nikko plunges into the dark with pal Juho Hietala on ear-quaking technoid beast ‘Envelope Diving 2’ – an echo-y hiss adds drama to the eerie, gloopy dub-techno beats, the beautiful melodic pads and stabs an unexpected saving grace in this intoxicating epic.
It’s remarkable that Carickmacross’s The Flaws can produce something so mature and confident with their first proper release. ‘No Room’ is majestic, with its understated verses providing a launchpad from which frontman Paul Finn can soar to spectacular heights in the chorus.
In another life, he would be holding those epic notes all the way to the final of The X Factor. But such a waste doesn’t bear thinking about.
Damian Lazarus is another convert to the stripped down groove and this new mix features the scene’s big tunes – Trentemoller’s ‘Physical Fraction’ and Superpitcher’s epic version of M83’s ‘Don’t Save Us’ – as well as big names like Villalobos, Pier Bucci, James Holden as well as, erm, The Stranglers’ ‘Love 303’.
Karmarouge Noir travel to the dark side as Spanish producer Pablo Akaros delivers the spooky, acid-infused ‘Por La Boca’. However, the real madness is audible on ‘Big Wave’ and lead track ‘Celofans’, where space trance riffs and epic chords unfold over churning, grinding drums.
A new name on the block, Codes sound as though they could develop into something rather fine. The epic keyboard-flavoured rock that has stood Royseven (and others) so well of late would seem to be the initial order of the day, although closer inspection reveals their own small stamp of identity at work. The fact that it’s a really, really good song doesn’t hurt at all. We like, let’s have a check back in six months and see if they can match our expectations.
Given that The Killers’ opening string of near classic singles, ‘When You Were Young’ is a bit of a shock at first, being apparently devoid of any kind of hook. Give it a few listens however, and its subtle charms start to reveal themselves. They haven’t messed with the format too much, but there is a noticeable toughening up of the sound and an almost Springsteen-esque epic rock feel. Not the best record of the fortnight, but certainly the biggest and potentially most intriguing.
Limerick’s Veneer caught the ear earlier in the year and this follow up continues the good work. The title track builds around some particularly effective guitar work, culminating in an emotionally charged indie epic, while 'Weeds (Beauty’s A Beast)' shows a more experimental edge, something that suits them a bit better. One to watch for next year.
Limerick’s Veneer caught the ear earlier in the year and this follow up continues the good work. The title track builds around some particularly effective guitar work, culminating in an emotionally charged indie epic, while 'Weeds (Beauty’s A Beast)' shows a more experimental edge, something that suits them a bit better. One to watch for next year.
Smoke roams the plains at the far end of minimal on ‘Prima’: actually, it’s got sod all to do with m*****l, this adventurous epic is an exercise in building a track out of extreme edits, serious time-stretching and unpredictable programming. The addition of sweeping chords brings some humanity to this 11-minuter. His new edit of the fantastic brooding Detroit number, ‘Always And Forever’ is a must if you missed it on Seventh Sign.
Another remarkable 12” from the Ame pair. ‘Engoli’ is stripped-down disko with slight jazz undertones that develops into a hypnotic epic – a jagged Detroit riff, plunky bassline and Carl Craig-ish stabs. ‘Kuma’ is tougher – a similar riff unfurls over skipping beats and bassline that will move you. Excellent. The new Metro Area anyone?
Pulling every epic indie trick in the book, Boy Kill Boy come across like a more serious version of the Kaiser Chiefs. So ‘Back Again’ is dabbled in pop tunefulness, whilst front man Chris Peck’s soaring vocal remains franticly over-earnest. It makes for a gem to dance to while drunk. But a spin on the stereo reveals this to be more of the same Britrock drivel, from an act to file under ‘never-gonna-happen’.
‘Red Cabaret’ is an epic 10-minute slice of unboring noir-minimal – startling sirens, synth drones and acid dabs elbow for room as his trademark complex, vaguely tribal percussion keeps things moving. ‘Orion’ is odder and slightly trancey – live timbales drop in an out over an elastic bassline, moving pads and rather large synth washes.
The much anticipated project from ex-Cranberry Noel Hogan is as far from old-school Irish guitar rock as possible. After a subtle intro reminiscent of a Sea Change-era Beck, the first thing to strike the listener is that Richard Walters’ vocals are devastating, especially coupled with the dynamics of the tune, going from frail and introspective to full-on epic self-possessed heart-twisting melancholia.
With Master of Puppets, Metallica pushed their taste for the epic to the ultimate with what is their finest moment, that once-in-a-career phase when all members of a band seem to peak at the same time. It was their last album before the tragic death of bassist Cliff Burton, and also the album on which James Hetfield came into his true voice, as on ‘Battery’. With layers of grinding guitars creating a truly dark, sinister sound, Kirk Hammet peeled off riff after limitless riff.
Master Of Puppets proved that Metallica were one of the most important metal bands of all time.
A pyrrhic victory? Don’t the Manic Street Preachers own the rights to that phrase? Anyhow, London’s most epic rock band return after an extended hiatus, and it’s like the tenner in the pocket you forgot you had: you were fine without it but it’s a surprise and bonus in equal measures. The Smashing Pumpkins-esque lead track ‘War Of The Worlds’ is not quite as melodic as 2000’s ‘Grounded’, nor as driving as ‘Losing Touch’, but the layers are denser and the musicianship even more refined. Elsewhere they cover Martika’s ‘Toy Soldiers’, and ‘ElectroWar’ is a stunning instrumental that’s a textbook example of how to create atmosphere. Superb.
Shout has more in common with minimal-trance producers like Nathan Fake and Gabriel Ananda as the epic chords that underpin the hushed vocals on the title track and the quasi-mystical synth washes of ‘The Captain’ demonstrate.
Give this a bit of time. The arresting song structure and tempo changes mean that the opening track ‘Four Thorns’ doesn’t lodge fully in the brain on first listen – but with repeated exposure it emerges as a powerful and ambitious statement, featuring Ross McNally’s distinctive, emotionally appealing voice. The Chapters have retained the fragile elements that made their debut EP The Indecision Of Arthur Molloy so enchanting, but have added a muscular, masculine quality that will have fans of The Band swooning. There is a pop dimension at times in the choruses that recalls The Eagles – but behind the sweeter moments lurks something epic. There’s a great album in there, waiting to be made…
The most welcome of bolts from the blue. Envelope’s debut is the most gloriously delightful opener to come from an Irish group this year. A feast of pleasures, State and Nature shifts from the seductively visceral to deep and responsive melancholia. At its best, specifically on staggering second track ‘Cost of Living’, the Dublin trio eloquently spit contempt from the speakers, whilst locking their rage behind Simon Rand’s warm vocals to make for an uncomfortable hybrid of sound. It’s like Coldplay’s ‘Politik’, as executed by a crossbreed of Whipping Boy and Radiohead. The epic and the extraordinary continue to dominate on ‘Politis’ and ‘Store In A Dark Place’, with the sounds of Elbow, Doves and their closest Irish contemporaries God Is An Astronaut resonating throughout. An absolute gem of a debut.
Ricky Simmonds and Stephen Jones made their mark with a string of hugely successful epic vocal trance singles under psuedonyms like Chakra, Lustrial and Ascension, before deciding to concentrate on their Space Brothers project and taking the relatively unusual step (for trance producers) of recording an album.
From Here We Go…, the debut album by Swedish producer Axel Wilner, focuses on the epic qualities of Ride and MBV, combined with Wilner’s cosmic pop chops and his predilection for shuffly techno grooves.
Apart from Donnacha Costello and Dave Donohoe, Irish dance producers have failed spectacularly in their efforts to make a lasting dance album. While Swedish producer Jesper Dahlback co-wrote ‘Disarmed’, his partner in crime is Corkonian Mark O’Sullivan, and their debut is one of the freshest electronic albums of 2005. Apart from their ability to deliver timeless acid trax – ‘The Difference’ and ‘Life Is Everywhere’ – there’s the prickly indie pop of ‘Sweetness In Time’, the downbeat, Joy Division-styled doom of ‘Disarm’ and the mixture of epic dancefloor techno, brooding Dave Gahan-esque vocals and Gothic undercurrents on ‘Where’s The Fun’, ‘Heart Like A Demon’ and ‘Three Souls’. By combining music from opposite ends of the spectrum, DK7 have created something disarmingly compelling.
On the 50th anniversary of the first reading of his epic poem Howl, a host of celebrities such as Shane McGowan, Tommy Tiernan, Theo Dorgan, Eamonn McCann, Tony Curtis, Dermod Moore and BP Fallon will commemorate the work of the legendary Beat artist, Allen Ginsberg.
The duo’s classic dance floor sound is well represented here, with soaring, epic strings and plaintive vocals fused with moody bass undercurrents on ‘This World’, ‘Known Pleasures’ and ‘Human’.
On the downside, they’ve kept the hair and leather, along with a selection of best forgotten Dad rock staples: cringeworthy moments of cheese-o-riff guitaristry and an epic arena Rock Voice.
Though never as epic or memorable as the original, Jungle Book 2 is far from the act of total sacrilege that you might have feared, and there’s little justifiable reason for giving this a miss.
After what seems like (and probably is) half a decade on the road, the much-touted Downpatrick trio finally get to release an album. It's clearly a big budget affair too with no expense spared.
Kicking off on familiar territory with the epic, multi-layered single that is 'Rainbow Zephyr', it continues with the hard driving, generic rock of 'Heart Shaped Box'.
What’s impressive is how they manage to reproduce the epic sound of the album, with an aurally competitive blaze of samples, funky basslines and John Squire-ish guitars, all nailed together by Robert Harvey’s improbable vocals
Their trademark sweeping metallic sounds and airbrushed vocals are present and correct, and set the band apart from the clasps of nu-metal and emo, giving them an epic quality that's quite distinctive
A stately, highly ambitious and very impressively-photographed affair marred only by a distinct lack of pace, The Count Of Monte Cristo doesn't quite attain the epic matinee swashbuckler status it's aiming for
As far as this writer is concerned, Category III films – Hong Kong’s answer to the good old-fashioned X rating – are where it’s at. Johnny To’s triad thriller, the first film to receive the dread stamp in quite some time, isn’t the crimson tide we might have expected, nor indeed does it stylishly swagger into theatres like the director’s girl gang epic The Heroic Trio.
The Crimea manage to fashion epic tales from everyday material, intimate scenarios instilled with the heroic bombast of Greek myth, or a sense of tragedy befitting the Bard.
Religiously, but ill-advisedly, sticking to the Titanic template – right down to a Celine soundalike’s power-ballad over the credits – Michael Bay’s three-hour military epic is a suitably bombastic treatment of one of World War Two’s most infamous incidents – the Japanese bombing of a US naval base.
"We should be in the middle of an epic battle. We barely get handbags at dawn. It’s almost as if Jumper doesn’t believe in the universe it seeks to create."
The Vampire’s Assistant could pass for a Bosco Halloween episode. This is, contrary to the crummy production design, meant to be an epic tale of good versus evil.
Aside from a slew of wasted lives, a sad but inescapable consequence of the staggeringly high mortality rates that accompany most worthwhile rock’n’roll voyages is the fact that wet-eared young whippersnappers in their early twenties feel emboldened to undertake ambitious, epic statements about love and death.
"Generally the tracks have a real heart tugging quality to them, with rising melodies and great musical diversions as middle eighths – the band really know how to build a song to an epic climax."
This genre-bending film is simultaneously a coming-of-age fairy-tale, a time-travel sci-fi epic, an apocalyptic re-working of Back To The Future, a scathing attack on New American Puritanism and a seething side-swipe at suburban mores
It’s lock and load with a nod to Carpenter and the cavalry westerns of yore for the latest instalment of George A. Romero’s epic zombie saga. The pleasures, however, of riding shotgun with John Leguizamo at his sleaziest, as he mows down rows of the shuffling but evolving undead from the safety of a reinforced super truck, are short-lived.
Villagers are a such a fully-formed, unaffected and epic proposition and they don’t so much hint at genius as come with all the verified documentation from the Department of Genius.
“Don’t give in, 2000 man,” sighs Jason Lytle through the nine-minute prog-epic heartbreaker that is ‘He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot,’ and a theatre-ful of enthusiastic Lytle-people are delighted to have him looking out for us.
THE STANDOUT foreign-language flick of the season, sure to scoop awards by the bucketload, Central Station effortlessly avoids any of the snags that almost always seem to attend acclaimed prizewinning foreign movies. Beautifully filmed, it manages to adopt and sustain an epic, melancholic, sweeping majesty from start to finish.
This is Murder Ballads made celluloid – epic, edgy and contemptuous of the standards imposed by convention. It’s also an endlessly fascinating, morally complex proper Western despite the potential for Skippy sightings.
This suitably simmering study of racial disintegration in L.A. marks Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis’ directorial debut, though his deft, frequently caustic Short Cuts style -chain drama is surprisingly epic for a first timer.
If they ever get around to making Mannequin into a trilogy (we can but hope) the casting directors need look no further than the leads of Wicker Park. Indeed, the central couple are so lacking in charisma or rudimentary signs of life, their plasticity had me wondering if the film was a follow-up to Todd Haynes’ Barbie doll epic Superstar.
Music In Mouth is a more unified, distinctive and cohesive record that showcases the band’s multiple directions, adding further conviction to the depths of epic balladeering on ‘Eve, The Apple Of My Eye’, the quirky pop of ‘Next To You’ or the manic rock of ‘White Water Song
West crosses genres with wilful and speedy abandon, taking the listener on an epic quest where the journey is just as enjoyable and unpredictable as the destination.
You can count on it happening at least once a year – an album so singular it cuts through arbitrary notions of taste and unites disparate audiences in a brief consensus.
Ireland’s last-gasp Grand Slam win over Wales will go down as one of this nation’s greatest sporting achievements. It was both a much needed shot of good news for a country gripped by economic despair, and vindication for a group of players who had been tagged the ‘nearly-men’ of world rugby.
With his latest opus Team America upsetting everybody from Sean Penn down to the White House, South Park co-creator Matt Stone sounds off to Tara Brady...
John Walshe previews the new Foo Fighters double-album, In Your Honor, which Dave Grohl describes as "by far the most ambitious project I have ever had anything to do with in my entire life."
In a year that saw events which will forever change the world in which we live, selected hotpress contributors offer some personal recollections of the past twelve months. We begin by listing the critics’ choice of 2001’s single and album releases
Noko, squadron leader of dance cosmonauts Apollo 440 talks about his new album Millennium Fever and the small matter of what the universe will be like in the year 2,000. Ground control: John Collins
They got their first break when their single featured on an ad for digital cameras. Now South Africa’s The Parlotones are setting out to conquer the world.
Former war correspondent Ed O'Loughlin talks about tackling such epic subjects as Irish male identity and the pernicious influence of egotistical journalists on third world reporting.
Visionary singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright has built up a loyal cult following for his epic tales of love, lost and unrequited. But as he admits himself, that’s only half the story. “Usually interviewers are obsessed with one thing or the other – whether it’s the gay thing or the drugs or the politics,” he tells an intrigued Phil Udell.
They got knocked down, but they got up again – Dublin rockers 66E have weathered their setbacks and are now attracting serious attention for their epic soundscapes, which critics have likened to the work of Mercury Rev, Doves and Radiohead.
Ex-Python turned film-maker Terry Gilliam watched his latest movie project the man who killed Don Quixote collapse after a succession of production disasters. Yet two young film-makers who accompanied the director on the shoot have released a documentary film about the making, and un-making, of Gilliam's epic
Once he was the mouthy fop rocker who enraged at least as many people as he delighted; now with a debut novel just published he's a (mostly) critically acclaimed author whose time has apparently come. Peter Murphy meets former Toasted Heretic frontman Julian Gough to discuss a meeting with Morrissey and a near-miss with Sinead, the benefits of being humbled and crushed, fame and creativity on the dole and, one more time with feeling, the epic story of lawyers, lubricants and lunacy at Feile '92. Photography: Phillip Tottenham
PIGEON-HOLE THEM AS BELFAST HARDCORE MERCHANTS AT YOUR PERIL - IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS THERAPY? HAVE RELEASED TWO CLASSIC PUNK-POP EP'S THAT SHOOK THE BRITISH CHARTS, AND EVEN GOT THEM INTO THE PAGES OF TEEN-BIBLE SMASH HITS. AS THEY BEGIN RECORDING THEIR NEW LP, THEY TAKE TIME OUT TO GET NERVOUS ABOUT FEILE, GET ANGRY ABOUT THE BEATLES, AND EXPLAIN WHY THE DAYS OF THE NINE-MINUTE INSTRUMENTAL EPIC ARE OVER. INTERVIEW: LORRAINE FREENEY
Pigeon-hole them as Belfast hardcore merchants at your peril in the past few months Therapy? have released two classic punk-pop EPs that shook the British charts, and even got them into the pages of teen-bible Smash Hits. As they begin recording their new LP, they take time out to get nervous about Fiile, get angry about the Beatles, and explain why the days of the nine-minute instrumental epic are over. Interview: Lorraine Freeney.
During a career spanning almost forty years as a professional musician, Van Morrison has created an extraordinary body of work. A masterful musician, songwriter, producer, arranger and musical director, he possesses one of the most uniquely recognisable and powerful voices in music. His influence on contemporary music has been profound but far from resting on his laurels, his latest work Back On Top ranks among his finest albums to date. For Van Morrison, the search goes on. It was particularly appropriate, therefore, that he was chosen to become the first inductee into the Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame, at a special ceremony there last week. Report: Niall Stanage.
They’re one of the buzziest bands in indie-dom. But beneath the burbly synths and upbeat melodies, Hockey are serious songwriters with a passion for Dylan. And no, they don’t mind if you think they sound a little like LCD Soundystem
30th Anniversary Retrospective: On the eve of the release of their fifth album, Ash talk longevity, writing songs in Bono’s summer house and why Twilight Of The Innocents is not a pipe-and-slippers album.
Renowned Cork singer-songwriter John Spillane has joined forces with poet Louis de Paor as the bilingual Gaelic Hit Factory to prove that the Irish language can work in a contemporary context. Jackie Hayden investigates.
Clann Zu have taken their blend of rock, trad and classical strings halfway around the world from their native Australia to settle in Dublin. Why? Because "Ireland is very open to different styles" insists token mick, Declan de Barra
In a 25th anniversary rose-tinted special, Hot Press' dance correspondents select their 25 most influential floor fillers. The editor's decision is final and all that
She may have a reputation as an actress who has a penchant for getting romantically involved with many of her leading men, but Julia Roberts is guarded about her personal life. She has been romantically linked to Matthew Perry, Daniel Day Lewis and Pat Manocchia, a friend of the late John F Kennedy Jr. among others, but she is constantly surrounded by a loyal staff, whose job it is to preserve her privacy. However, she has been involved in some very public liaisons,
as Stephen Robinson reports.
Indigo Fury won the Hot Press band of the year competition in 2002. The fruits of that success are now becoming apparent, with the release of their debut single.
The new musical based on Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane’s infamous bust-up in Saipan, I Keano, aims to bring closure to one of the most divisive conflicts in the nation's history. Colm O’Hare talks to the play’s writer Arthur Mathews and lead actor Risteárd Cooper.
Although critics have discerned all manner of political and religious significance in There Will Be Blood, director Paul Thomas Anderson insists that it's a horror film about the birth of California.
They're rocky in a drum 'n' bass sort of a way, and will be right at home in November when they play Ireland. Lauren Murphy meets Pendulum's Gareth McGrillen
The last time we met Cillian Murphy he was fighting Black and Tans in west Cork. Now he’s the star of a lavish Danny Boyle space opera. Still, no matter what the subject matter, the actor keeps his feet firmly on the ground.
Controversial Irish webmaster Stephen Ryan caused a bit of a stir recently when he circumvented the rules on website name registration with his p.orn.ie website.
COLM O HARE talks to EMBRACE frontman DANNY McNAMARA about the band s new album, their fondly remembered Glastonbury performance and being told to sound more like Shed Seven .
After what was at times a stressful year, Damien Rice is on the verge of a major international breakthrough. Fiona Reid gets the inside story from the hungover but happy singer
They can rock with the best of them but beneath the guitars-to-eleven mania, Belfast noise-poppers Therapy? have a lot of smart things to say. Their new album was even inspired by an famous playwright
It was hardly the perfect start to guitar-based London outfit Rialto’s career when, after scoring three hit singles and recording their debut album, they were unceremoniously discarded by their record label. Interview: Nick Kelly.
John Walshe talks to Doves Andy Williams about their past life as Sub Sub, their debut album Lost Souls, and what it s like being heralded as the saviours of British rock music.
Veteran post-rockers Mogwai have just released arguably their finest record yet. On a suitably overcast day in France, band leader Stuart Braithwaite talks about the influence of Glasgow on their work – and explains the part played by ‘nonsense art’ in their music
John Walshe talks to World Party mainman Karl Wallinger about his quest for independence, his growing profile as a songwriter and his plans for a new online news channel
The Dublin Theatre Festival is fast approaching its 50th anniversary, but the organisers haven’t let anticipation of next year distract them from the task in hand. There’s a rake of quality shows to check out over the coming weeks, from Ibsen to Leonard Cohen.
It’s a long time since they graced the stadium circuit, but Simple Minds are still thinking big. Jim Kerr takes time out from sunning himself in Sicily to tell Ed Power their plans.
Having admitted that he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about, Brendan Dempsey briefs Paul Nolan on the upcoming Montreal Comedy Festival. and other stuff
It sounds like the opening line to an elaborate joke – heard the one about the Englishman, the Irishman and the multi-million selling, gag-stuffed science fiction saga? However, Eoin Colfer is perfectly serious about breathing new life into Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. But what has that got to do with The Blizzards? Read on to find out
With the 2008 battle for the White House turning into the most gripping saga in years, the best-selling novel The Race, by Richard North Patterson, could hardly be more timely.
He was one of America s greatest writers and he wrote almost nothing but record reviews. PETER MURPHY on a new biography of the rock crit s rock guru, LESTER BANGS.
He’s one of the most modest figures on the Northern Ireland music scene. But with David Holmes and Duke Special among his cheerleaders, it’s clear that Robyn G. Shiels is a special talent indeed.
Following a potentially fatal bout of auto-immune deficiency, Airborne Toxic Event’s Mikel Jollett gave up a damned promising writing career to play music.
Having bagged an Oscar for the angst-ridden Brokeback Mountain, director ANG LEE lightens the tone with his new movie, a paean to the Woodstock festival. He explains why he chose to honour the high-point of hippy culture
After cutting her teeth (ouch!) in Bachelor’s Walk and Shimmy Marcus’s Headrush, Derry actress Laura Pyper has squeezed herself into thigh-high boots and corset for Hex, Sky One’s teenage witch riposte to Buffy.
They've tangled with the legends of Krautrock, extended the hand of friendship to Eastern Europe and campaigned against light pollution. But what you really need to know about British Sea Power is that they're being hailed as this year's answer to Arcade Fire.
Brendan Kennelly s Book Of Judas is soon to hit the stage. Peter Murphy reports on a work which had Bono enthralled, and predicted many of the more unappealing features of contemporary Ireland
This year’s Heineken Green Energy festival has something for every music lover. Whether anthemic stadium rock (Snow Patrol) is your thing or you enjoy boisterous pop (Kaiser Chiefs), it’s a festival packed with sonic treats.
His career was almost over before it began. But hard work - and a surprise hit - have turned Edmund 'Mundy' Enright into one of Ireland's most widely adored stars. Here he reflects on some of the high points of what has been an amazing journey, during the course of which he has rubbed shoulders with some of the greats.
From playing tiny club gigs to serenading Wembley, songstress Tara Blaise has travelled a great distance in a short time. And the journey is only just beginning.
The making of Phantom Power, bringing it all back home to Wales and (sigh) why the Irish are great – the Super Furry Animals share a jar with Eamon Sweeney
It was an historic occasion when Bryan Adams bounded on stage in Ho Chi Minh City last week, kick-starting the first rock gig in Vietnam since the fall of Saigon. Report: Kevin Barrington.
The brutal regime of Idi Amin is the subject of Kevin Macdonald‘s The Last King Of Scotland. Here the director explains why, to capture the real Africa, he insisted on shooting on location in Uganda.
In her latest movie, the supernatural gothic thriller Underworld, Kate Beckinsale plays a slick vampire warrior entrusted with fending off maurading lycanthropes. with love entanglements, engagements and sniping press coverage to deal with off-screen, her personal life has been no less eventful recently.
Klaxons have got glowstick-waving fans, yes, but really, there’s so much more to this band than retro-beats, explains frontman Jamie Reynolds. For instance, have you heard the one about his spiritual healer grandfather.
One minute you're directing the UK National Lottery, the next you're fending off rabid dogs in the Himalayas. Asif Kapadia talks about his remarkable cinematic journey
Invisible Armies have just released their killer debut EP, A Neutral Space. Richard Brophy talks to Leo Pearson, one-third of the band s core assault squad.
Moviehouse meets the creative team behind King Arthur, the rollicking action-adventure story shot on location in County Wicklow. just don’t mention the Irish weather.
Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine have lived up to their name. When all and sundry thought they were dead and buried, the English agit-poppers have returned Lazarus-like with a brand new batch of songs. Interview: john walshe.
Critical brickbats aside, the success of TRAVIS seems to know no bounds. Here FRAN HEALY and co talk to STUART CLARK about drugs, Oasis, Paul McCartney, Ali G, and drunkenly dancing on computers! The man who took the photos: STEVEN FISHER
The emergence of The Boomtown Rats inspired a new generation of in-your-face Irish bands who re-energised an Irish music scene that has become moribund and predictable.
The sex lives of flamingos may seem an unusual premise for a Disney nature film but documentarians MATTHEW AEBERHAND and LENDER WARD weave cinematic magic from this most unlikely of source materials.
Exclusive: The new Coldplay album, X & Y, is set to finally hit the stores next month, and Hot Press has been granted a special sneak preview. Ed Power here gives a track-by-track guide to one of the most anticipated albums of the year.
Never mind the naysayers, Dublin 2006 is spilling over with white hot talent. Steve Cummins and Shilpa Ganatra run the rule over the capital's new breed.
With their affirmative vibes and sprawling line-up, indie heroes Broken Social Scene are a sight to behold. But keeping this 40-legged rock machine on the road isn't always exactly a romp in the playground, confesses fromtman keving Drew.
British director Bernard Rose hit paydirt over decade ago with Candyman, but his uncompromising single-mindedness has made him a virtual Hollywood pariah. However, Snuff Movie looks like putting him back in the game.
Stylish purveyors of streamlined, controlled Pop, 'Til Tuesday were one of the late eighties most critically acclaimed acts. But for frontwoman, AIMEE MANN, life in that band was often a frustrating and demoralising experience. Now, however, having languished in record company limbo for far too long, AIMEE has re-emerged blinking into the daylight with an album which Elvis Costello says will have male songwriters blushing with envy. GEORGE BYRNE meets the Mann woman herself.
They may have started out as avant garde indie noisemongers, but The Flaming Lips have matured into one of the greatest and most musical bands on Planet Earth. Plus, they do an utterly magnificent live show!
Tara Brady talks to uber-hip actor - and scion of the Coppola clan - Jason Schwartzman about his latest film with cult director Wes Anderson, an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox.
He’s the Latin smoothie who has wooed a gaggle of starlets, Scarlett Johansson among them. But Benicio del Toro shows a different side to his persona with his controversial new portrayal of South American revolutionary Che Guevara.
STEPHEN ROBINSON meets author JAMIE O’NEILL, who’s acclaimed first novel At Swim Two Boys, which concerns a sexual relationship between two Irish boys and an older Englishman set against the background of the 1916 rising
t's a veritable feast for Spiritualized fans: two CDs featuring 24 tracks, all previously unavailable on LPs and personally selected by the Spaceman himself.
In a surprise change of direction, Green Day’s latest album American Idiot sees the punk three-piece coming out fighting against a certain George W. Bush.
Brian Wilson is among the most influential forces in modern music and created, in The Beach Boys' 1966 album Pet Sounds, what many music fans agree is the greatest record ever made. In February he takes his world tour to Dublin's Point Theatre and Stephen Robinson asks what's on the set-list
The Flaming Lips, whose new record is a 'concept album about death' are possibly the most life-affirming band you’ll hear this year. Frontman Wayne Coyne explains why
MACY GRAY’s latest album "THE ID" documents two years of “love-life changes, sex-life changes and body changes”. FIONA REID hears her tales of drugs, men, music and late nights
After two decades of electro-pop hits, the PET SHOP BOYS have gone back to basics with their new album Fundamental – and thrown some timely political digs into the mix while they’re at it. But the real battle is getting people to take them seriously.
Now on their third album, Kings Of Leon have rubbed shoulders with Bob Dylan, U2 and the Pixies, and can count Led Zep and the Rolling Stones among their fans.
James Dean Bradfield on The Cult of Richey, The Spanish Civil War, Jon Bon Jovi, and the new album This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours. Truth Serum: Peter Murphy. Light Detector Test: Simon Clemenger.
Nearly a decade after the release of their debut single, U2 are widely regarded as the No. 1 rock band in the world. But the album and the film "Rattle And Hum" depict another kind of reality entirely. Larry, Adam and The Edge talk to Niall Stokes.
Having survived a flirtation with coke-addled infamy, nice-boy Britrockers Keane natter about the long road to recovery and how it feels to be Bret Easton Ellis' favourite band.
After two years of being that bloke who used to be in the Stone Roses, John Squire is back in the saddle with The Seahorses. On the eve of their Heineken Green Energy appearance at Dublin Castle, Madchester s answer to Jimmy Page talks to Stuart Clark about old friends, new challenges and his penchant for obscure Belfast punk bands.
Accompanied by images from his photo diary, DONAL DINEEN takes us through a month-by-month guide to the records that kept himself, and the Today FM faithful happy in 2001
Now that it has been seen by the whole world (and it's Uncle Bilbo) the truth can finally be revealed – Gimli was a most reluctant dwarf. John Rhys Davies explains how he overcame doubts about the book and an allergy to make-up and learned to love The Lord Of The Rings, voted movie of the year in the Hotpress Readers Poll
Now that it has been seen by the whole world (and its Uncle Bilbo) the truth can finally be revealed – Gimli was a most reluctant dwarf. JOHN RHYS DAVIES explains how he overcame doubts about the book and an allergy to make-up and learned to love The Lord Of The Rings, voted movie of the year in the Hot Press readers poll
Words: CRAIG FITZSIMONS
He's gone from bashing out Brel covers in pokey Dublin clubs to crooning 'New York, New York' while gazing at the Manhattan skyline.For his latest project, the wonderful story so far. Jack L has pushed the boundaries yet again by collaborating with up and coming Irish Novelist Anna McPartlin. Here they talk to Hot Press about their intriguing hook-up and explain how your career can lead you to some very strange places...
And why is young America going overboard about over-weight, over-30 jazzers? john walshe forgoes the pleasures of Dublin versus Kildare to pop across the Atlantic and investigate one of the most unlikely success stories of recent years.
'Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me' may be their battle cry, but leftist rocker/rappers Rage Against the Machine are new to Dublin and Tom Morello needs to be told how to do everything from crossing streets to putting vinegar on his chips. Here, while strolling through town, the guitarist talks about the band's politics, life in Los Angeles and the camera of the people - the Kodak Electrolux. Tour guide: Tara McCarthy
Discovered that there is life after Brett-pop, that is. nick kelly gets the lowdown from "the bloke who left Suede", Bernard Butler, whose mightily impressive solo debut People Move On, has just been released.
Although john squire and his new band The seahorses have taken something of a critical mauling following the release of their album Do It Yourself and some less-than-sparkling live shows, the former Stone Roses axeman is surprisingly unperturbed as peter murphy finds out.
THE CHARLATANS are back firing on all cylinders, and talking global domination. TIM BURGESS and JON BROOKES talk to STUART CLARK about the joys of L.A., the dangers of Jack Daniel s and falling down Noel Gallagher s
marble staircase. Pics: MICK QUINN
Origin of Symmetry? Freak of Evolution more like. The common response to Muse’s Showbiz debut in 1999 was akin to a primitive people’s first glimpse of a spacecraft over the prehistorical landscape. Here was an unlikely but hugely accomplished hybrid of prog-rock flash, quasi-symphonic attack and ferocious virtuosity, spearheaded by Matt Bellamy’s soaring tenor and Dick-ian lyrics. An impressive sound, even if you didn’t know what the hell it was.
In his debut novel writer – and Hot Press scribe – Peter Murphy has created a whole new genre, Irish South-Eastern Gothic. Set in his native Wexford, John The Revelator chronicles a troubled teenager's coming of age against a backdrop of rural strife and spiritual turmoil. He talks about the life upheavals that inspired the book – and explains why he draws inspiration from America's renegade writers rather than Ireland's kitchen-sink literary tradition.
RICH HALL has survived working with David Letterman and having his love life exposed in the Sindo, to take his rightful place as one of the top attractions of this year's Cat Laughs Festival. Interview: BARRY GLENDENNING.
Creativity for depression? It s an exchange he can live with, says PAUL WESTERBERG, whose days of excess with The Replacements continue to haunt his latest acclaimed solo album Suicaine Gratification. Interview: JOE JACKSON.
JJ72 are being cast as the great new hopes of Irish music. Intense, passionate and melodic, their music has captured an increasing number of fans. With a single in the UK Top Thirty and a debut album about to hit the shelves, they tell NIALL STANAGE how good they are and how good they want to be. Portrait of the Artists As A Young Band: MICK QUINN
Melissa Auf Der Maur, the former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist, on working with Courtney Love and Billy Corgan, and finding her own space in the male locker room. Interview by Peter Murphy.
When Pulp released the obsessively carnal This Is Hardcore, it was widely touted that the band's main mover, Jarvis Cocker, had lost the plot entirely. But Pulp are back on the road now and Cocker is in fine form - as eloquent when talking about pornography and sex as he is reflecting on the vagaries of the press and his relationship with his father. Interview: peter Murphy.
When Pulp released the obsessively carnal This Is Hardcore, it was widely touted that the band's main mover, Jarvis Cocker, had lost the plot entirely. But Pulp are back on the road now and Cocker is in fine form - as eloquent when talking about pornography and sex as he is reflecting on the vagaries of the press and his relationship with his father. Interview: peter Murphy.
SIMON FOWLER of OCEAN COLOUR SCENE speaks to Colm O'Hare about the band s new album, his outing at the hands of the tabloid press, and hanging out with Noel Gallagher.
With their latest album Riot Act, Pearl Jam have recaptured the blistering form of their first three albums. Matt Cameron, once of Seattle comrades Soundgarden, gives an insight into how the band has outlasted and outperformed most of its contemporaries
With the release of his second solo album, Running Dog, Nick Kelly has cemented his reputation as one of the leading contemporary songwriters in Ireland. Here, the former Fat Lady Sings frontman talks to Jackie Hayden about the break-up of one of Dublin's most respected bands, financing his solo career through the largesse of his fanbase – and the ongoing joys of artistic independence.
In an exclusive interview, Once stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova talk about the love affair that sneaked up on them, recall their Oscar-winning adventures, give us the inside track on the movie's remarkable success and explain what it's like to hang out with the Coen brothers for an evening.
When your personal background includes dusting down knives for sex and walking up the aisle wearing a white shirt with your husband’s name written in blood on it, then playing all-action heroine Lara Croft on the big screen probably seems like the very essence of normality. Angelina Jolie describes the joy of death-defying work, explains why England is more attractive to live in than the US, underscores the importance of her UN role and, finally, talks about life and love post-Billy Bob. interview Tara Brady and Craig Fitzsimons
To celebrate hotpress’s thirtieth anniversary issue, we thought we’d break out the bubbly (and the tea!) and invite round a collection of Ireland’s biggest stars.
When he was with PiL he ate cheese rolls and guzzled vintage wine by the neck in Maxim s of Paris. Having gotten the rock n roll lifestyle out of his system, he literally went underground, working as a driver on the London tube. Now he s back, mining the divine power of music with his latest album, The Celtic Poets. saraH Mcquaid meets the inimitable jah wobble.
Sean Tyrrell’s Cry Of A Dreamer has been hailed as a timeless masterpiece. In the long run, however, it may be seen as merely the beginning of an extraordinary musical saga. Interview: Patrick Brennan
This issue, Hot Press magazine comes with a stunning cover mount CD. Here’s your track by track guide to this exclusive collectors’ item, featuring the winners and headline acts from Murphy’s Live 2007. Click here to buy the mag and get your free CD!
SEAMUS HEANEY once described Ireland as a country that went from the medieval to the post-modern in a generation. More than any other native band, Horslips embody that idea. Over their ten-year career, the band lurched back and forth from neo-classical Irish chamber music to progressive rock to acoustic folk to psychedelic pop to glam rock; here was one combo capable of going from Carolan to Caravan in a single bound.
Queen of catharsis as the leader of Throwing Muses, Kristin Hersh raised a few eyebrows with her debut solo album Hips And Makers, a sublimely private collection which made it all the way to the Top 10. Here she explains her approach to songwriting, the emotional extremes she suffers and what it’s like working with The Sexiest Man Alive to NIALL CRUMLISH.
When it was first published, very few people would have predicted the extraordinary, best-selling success of Fever Pitch. Now, NICK HORNBY s winning story of a chronic football obsessive has been elevated to the big screen. But, in a world of bungs, bootboys, bandwagon-jumpers and the relentless hype of Sky Sports, is he still in love with the (sometimes not so) beautiful game? Interview: CRAIG FITZSIMONS.
When it was first published, very few people would have predicted the extraordinary, best-selling success of Fever Pitch. Now, NICK HORNBY s winning story of a chronic football obsessive has been elevated to the big screen. But, in a world of bungs, bootboys, bandwagon-jumpers and the relentless hype of Sky Sports, is he still in love with the (sometimes not so) beautiful game? Interview: CRAIG FITZSIMONS.
After his celebrated band the blades failed to make a breakthrough in the 1980s, PAUL CLEARY more or less turned his back on music for 15 years. But now unexpectedly, he’s back with a terrific solo album crooked town and more than a few tales to tell.
Interview: LIAM MACKEY
A win next week and we're there - but what lies in store for Irish supporters if Big Jack's men do qualify for America? Long suffering England fan Stuart Clark was in the States this summer for US Cup '93 and found that if the dress rehearsal is anything to go by, the World Cup Finals should be a sporting event to savour. Main pix: Simon Parry.
Irish teen popsters B*WITCHED last month became only the seventh act in chart history to see their debut single go straight in at Number One in the UK Top 40. Are they the latest great white hope for pop music, or simply a troupe of over-hyped cod-ceili dancers? And what does all this signify for the Irish music industry as a whole? peter murphy reports.
Metallica are back with an album that recaptures their brain-frying '80s pomp. Frontman James Hetfield talks about the dark side of hedonism and his love of Thin Lizzy.
And that s just the band! Galway s finest, The Stunning, take time out from sticking pins in themselves as their debut album Paradise In The Picturehouse finds itself perched atop the Irish charts to explain the secret of their success to an attentive Michael O Hara, who undergoes a road to Damascus experience en route.
You may well have thought Samantha Mumba had tumbled off the face of the earth. Not so. She’s been enjoying a year's break and plotting the next phase of her career. Ahead of the release of her new movie, the zombie comedy Boy Eats Girl, Mumba is in ebullient mood, as she talks about life in the goldfish bowl – and why she and Louis Walsh are still the best of friends. [Photos: Peter Evers]
With Cameron Crowe s Almost Famous putting rock hackery on the silver screen, no less, Peter Murphy wonders if Seventies rock journalism is the new rock n roll. Helping him with his enquiries: PAUL MORLEY and GREIL MARCUS
GREEN DAY have had a meteoric rise over the last 18 years, from poky Dublin dives to colossal international stadia. But despite their maturing worldview and increasing political articulacy, they’re still as exciting a kick-ass punk rock group as ever.
Making her solo debut, Andrea Corr has set about re-casting herself as a vampish singer with a taste for dark beats and sultry wordplay. In a forthright interview, she talks about her unexpected re-invention.
As suede prepare for their headline slot at Dublin Castle next month, their stock has never been higher, thanks mainly to the success of their fantastic third album Coming Up. craig fitzsimons talks to singer brett anderson about it and invites him to take stock of the last few wildly successful months.
The mainman in Tenacious D and scene-stealer in High Fidelity, Jack Black is now at the heart of a box-office phenomenon in School of Rock. But who does he really want to be – Laurence Olivier or Ronnie James Dio? Tara Brady asks the tough questions.
MIKE SCOTT once fronted the greatest rock n roll band in the world, but before the world got a chance to wake up to the fact he had gone west and invented raggle taggle. Now with a new Waterboys album, A Rock In The Weary Place, just released, Scott takes time out to reflect on his strange but true adventure. By PETER MURPHY
It’s been a hell of a year for The Thrills, propelled from rehearsal rooms in rainy Dublin to a number one album, sell-out shows and limo-driven tours of L.A. at night. Hotpress catches up with the band as they kick off an irish homecoming trek with an exclusive Dublin fan club gig.
Why are the Spice Girls animals ? Why would Crispian Kula Shaker benefit from a hefty spell of National Service? And why should you never trust a hippy? These are just some of the burning issues that Dr. Alex Paterson of The Orb would like to address. Oh yeah, and he also talks about his band s ace new album Orblivion, as well as his exotic, not to say erotic, yesteryear escapades on the road with LL Cool J and Motvrhead. Our man with the shiny black Panasonic tape recorder: jonathan o brien.
Running a marathon, writing the folk-pop equivalent of Dante’s Divine Comedy, buying a house, releasing the finest record of his career. All in a year’s work for Josh Ritter. John Walshe travelled to Boston to meet the young songwriter.
Thought that’d grab your attention! Having made his name with such arthouse classics as In The Mood For Love, Fallen Angels and Chungking Express, legendary Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai is back with the eagerly anticipated 2046. A dazzling collage of existential longing, wacky sci-fi and lurid pulp thrills, it confirms his status as, well, one of the real greats of modern cinema.
They love Ireland and Ireland loves them. As the Arcade Fire ramp up for world domination, the band talk about love, death, war and making music in churches.
RADIOHEAD are just about to release one of the most uncompromising and controversial records of the year in Kid A. As the band prepare for their upcoming Irish dates, mainman THOM YORKE talks about the genesis of a record that seems destined to divide rock fans for years. Not to mention Bono, Britney and Alicia Silverstone! Interview: DAVE FANNING
The story of how Paul Brady was transformed from a superlative folk artist into a superlative rock artist in a blinding flash of light (well, fifteen years actually). Today's reading is by Niall Stokes.
Every year thousands of film fans make the trip to the southern capital for the feast of cinema that is the Cork Film Festival. Hot Press looks back over the history of one of Europe’s longest-running cinematic events and checks out what this year’s packed programme has to offer. Report: Patrick Brennan
PACK YOUR LEMSIP AND NIGHT NURSE AND PREPARE TO DO BATTLE WITH THE BEIJING FLU AS THE SAWDOCTORS TACKLE THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND ON THEIR LATEST TOUR. CURRENTLY BETWEEN LABELS THE BAND’S U.K. FANBASE IS INCREASING STEADILY, EVEN IF THE CONCEPT OF ‘DESIGNER BOGMEN’ HAS YET TO PENETRATE THE SHIRES
CHECKING THE TEMPERATURE: BILL GRAHAM.
Many Irish holiday-makers will be heading for the United States this year. But there’s much more on offer in that vast playground than the dubious prospect of sweltering in the crushing heat of an Orlando football stadium in June. Jackie Hayden travelled with a bunch of media types to the small town of Lynchburg in Tennessee and visited the source of one of the world’s great spirits, Jack Daniels, making some musical connections along the way.
We asked the fans to vote for U2's Greatest Hits and they did - in their thousands. The result is a selection of 20 tracks which, without doubt, would combine to produce a record to rank among the weightiest and most powerful anthologies in the history of rock. The full track listing is not without its controversial selections and omissions, however. Bill Graham and Niall Stokes take us through the fans' vision of the fab four's dream album.
Is football hooliganism really the new rock ’n’ roll and should little boys be wearing Boot’s No.7 blusher? Stuart Clark fears for the moral wellbeing of the nation’s youth as Manic Street Preachers wage holy war against MTV, Take That, Kate Moss and poor old Gerry Ryan.
Pix: Cathal Dawson.
With the release of their acclaimed third album Flock, which went straight to No.1 in Ireland, Bell X1 have staked their claim not just to greatness, but also to potential world domination – a possibility which is reinforced considerably by their powerful showing in the Hot Press Readers’ Poll. Here, in an emotional and revealing interview, the band’s photogenic frontman Paul Noonan discusses life, art, love, death... and music.
Sex? Yep. Drugs? Uh-huh. Rock 'n' Roll? Yesireebob! Aerosmith were no strangers to the unholy trinity of debauchery during the '70's and early '80's but find that having cleaned up ten years ago they're now cleaning up with the punters. Not that they're beyond having fun, fun and, er, more fun as our resident boogiemeister Stuart Clark finds out.
Well, okay, it's SOMETHING HAPPENS, so that's overstating it a bit. Still, having taken a fair few industry beatings over the years, the band are no longer inclined to simply turn the other cheek. At the end of a year in which they toured the States with Warren Zevon, released a "Best Of ..." and are bringing it all back home for Christmas, Olaf Tyaransen finds the band can snarl as well as smile.
Though he was busking in Grafton Street at 14, it s taken Glen Hansard more than a few shakes of the lamb s tail to reach the plateau of success which his songwriting talents have, for so long, threatened to take him but after the colossal success of Revelate , The Frames are, finally, set fair to enjoy their day in the sun. Here, Glen and guitarist, Dave Odlum, put Niall Crumlish in the picture.
Though he was busking in Grafton Street at 14, it s taken Glen Hansard more than a few shakes of the lamb s tail to reach the plateau of success which his songwriting talents have, for so long, threatened to take him but after the colossal success of Revelate , The Frames are, finally, set fair to enjoy their day in the sun. Here, Glen and guitarist, Dave Odlum, put Niall Crumlish in the picture.
Bobby Gillespie's still staying up all night but now it's because there's a baby in the house. Otherwise, it's all systems go for Primal Scream at their bunker hq - Witnness cometh, Mani's back and Kate Moss, Kevin Shields, Robert Plant and AndrewWeatherall all feature on the groundbreaking evil high
The industry may not have always liked them but their fans couldn’t be more passionate. Ten members, four studio albums, three managers and two major labels later, The Frames still managed to add up to more than the sum of their parts. Peter Murphy, with help from Glen Hansard and other key players brings the story of the band up to date in this, the final part of our two-part special [Photo Mick Quinn]
When Jeff Buckley drowned in the Wolf River, Tennessee, five years ago, the world lost a fledgling musical visionary, his lone album Grace becoming a sacred text of loss and unfinished beauty. In his short 29 years on earth, his power and grace touched many, especially his mother Mary Guibert and his former bandmate Gary Lucas.
. . . Or not, as the case may be. In this extremely revealing interview with peter murphy, henry rollins speaks frankly about relationships, violence, depression, squaring up to Al Pacino and the problems that come with a life lived on the road
IN THE FIRST PART OF A WORLD EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW IN THE LAST ISSUE OF HOT PRESS, BONO UNVEILED THE NEW U2 ALBUM, SPOKE ABOUT ITS GENESIS IN CYBERPUNK LITERATURE AND THE BAND'S HUNGER TO PUSH ROCK'N'ROLL TO ITS LIMITS. HERE HE ELABORATES ON HOW U2 GO ABOUT WRITING THEIR SONGS AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF GLOBAL CHAOS, HIS ARTISTIC REFERENCE POINTS OUTSIDE MUSIC, THE SUBVERSIVE POWER OF HUMOUR, AND HOW HE ADMIRES THOSE WHO 'PARTICULARLY AGGRESSIVELY' DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD. AND THEN THERE'S THE STORY ABOUT JOHNNY CASH AND THE EMU. CAN THIS MAN BE FOR SURREAL? INTERVIEW:JOE JACKSON.
Damien Dempsey has battled his way centre stage, winning the support of luminaries as diverse as Morrissey, Robert Plant, Sinéad O'Connor, Larry Mullen and Brian Eno along the way. Now with the release of his third album Shots, he is poised to make a major breakthrough. Interview by Tanya Sweeney. Photos by Cathal Dawson.
JJ 72 have been hailed by some critics as the finest thing to come out of Ireland since U2 - and no wonder. With a hugely impressive debut album under their collective belt, the expectations are even higher for the follow-up, I To Sky. They share with their illustrious predecessors a predilection for intense songs of spiritual yearning - and a desire to make music that truly stands the test of time. But is it rock'n'roll?
Barry Glendenning had a good idea: as a journalistic exercise – and a guarantee of public humiliation – someone should try their hand at stand-up comedy. Indeed, it was such a very good idea, that he was promptly Hot Press-ganged into doing it himself. This, then, is the true-life story of one man who stood up to be counted.
Neil McCormick embarks on a verbal showdown with Hollywood's most famous drug store cowboys and discovers that 1994 was the year in which the hot shots traded in their smoking guns for a pill called Prozac.
It’s been ten years since his last novel, but Neil Jordan has now reprised his role as one of Ireland’s finest contemporary prose writers with the dark gothic drama, Shade. In a wide-ranging interview with Olaf Tyaransen the Oscar-winning writer/director discusses the challenges of literary craftsmanship, swimming with sharks in Hollywood, working with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, his disinterest in celebrity and why Ireland continues to be his preferred place of residence.
Whether starring in popcorn blockbusters or thoughtful art-house movies, Gabriel Byrne is a reassuring presence on our screens. But he reserves his deepest passions for keeping alive the flame of Irish culture among the diaspora.
Thirty years ago Neil Armstrong took that famous first step on behalf of all mankind. That means me and you. But wait a minute wasn t it also supposed to be a giant leap? So what happened next? And what went wrong? ANDY DARLINGTON reports.
With the tragedy which disfigured their last Irish appearance still fresh in people's minds, SMASHING PUMPKINS' return to a Dublin stage was never going to be an ordinary affair. As it turned out, PETER MURPHY witnessed an act of redemption and spoke to BILLY CORGAN about surviving troubled times.
Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden? It doesn t get much
better than this. JOE JACKSON goes
backstage for a brief but revealing encounter with Joni and, from a vantage point to die for, finds two 60s legends who can still send shivers up the spine at the end of the millennium.
He may unashamedly refer to himself as an artist and others may caricature him as a cold fish, but even if he suspects he has spent too much time writing and not enough living, john banville bears scant resemblance to the pompous boffin of popular prejudice. With the publication of his latest novel, The Untouchable, the acclaimed author gets his round in with liam fay. Pix: Cathal Dawson.
Following the huge commercial success of Set List and ‘Fake’, The Frames look poised to ascend to rock’s premier league with the upcoming worldwide release of the Burn The Maps album. Kim Porcelli joins the band on the day of their triumphant show at Marlay Park to discuss the pros and cons of pop-stardom, the departure of dave odlum, the abiding influence of mic christopher, and the challenge of creating their most eagerly anticipated record yet.
What links Richard Harris with Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel with The Supremes, and Frank Sinatra with er, Ghost Of An American Airman? Why, the music of Jimmy Webb, of course, one of the most widely-respected songwriters of all-time. Here he talks to JOE JACKSON about his friendship with Richard Harris, his encounters with Elvis and his deep-rooted love of Irish music.
It s been a long, long way from there to here and DONAL LUNNY has been at the centre of things every step of the journey. He has achieved enormous acclaim and considerable success with Planxty, The Bothy Band and Moving Hearts. Now with the launch of his latest band and their eponymously titled album COOLFIN, he takes time out to reflect on all of the major figures who have contributed to the extraordinary revival of folk and traditional music that has taken place over the past 30 years. He also recalls the highs and the lows the heartbreak, the good times and the great music that he himself has enjoyed as one of Ireland s finest and most influential musicians. Interview: Niall Stokes. Pics: Colm Henry
Triumph Of The Will meets Spinal Tap and Bach meets Sabbath as METALLICA join
forces with 101 dinner jackets. Peter Murphy travels to Berlin to sample the results.
BECKETT ON FILM is one of the most ambitious cinematic projects ever. Nineteen of Samuel Beckett's plays have been made into movies, directed by and starring numerous A-list figures. To mark the occasion, JOE JACKSON talks to Bono, John Hurt and Enda Hughes about one of the 20th century's greatest dramatists
In a remarkably honest interview, which directly preceded the death of his mother, Jonathan Rhys Meyers reflects on his spells in rehab and discusses life as one of Hollywood’s hottest young actors.
With the death of Johnny Cash two weeks ago, music’s Mount Rushmore finally crumbled. From the hell-raising country outlaw of the ’60s to his final incarnation as a patriarchal figure intoning songs of guilt and redemption, Cash’s voice resonated down through the years with undimmed intensity. In this special Hot Press tribute to the Man In Black, Peter Murphy talks to Cash collaborators Sandy Kelly and U2, and recounts the turbulent life and times of one of the most iconic figures in 20th century music
During the late eighties, Aslan were among the most celebrated of Irish rock acts, immensely popular at home and signed to EMI, a major multinational label, on which they released their debut album, Feel No Shame. And then it all came unstuck, amid squalid tabloid accusations of drug addiction, egotism and recrimination. Now they re back, older, wiser and more resolute but with their musical batteries recharged, a new contract with BMG under their belts and that old emotional band intact. Report: Liam Fay (with additional reporting by George Byrne).
During the late eighties, ASLAN were among the most celebrated of Irish rock acts, immensely popular at home and signed to EMI, a major multinational label, on which they released their debut album Feel No Shame. And then it all came unstuck, amid squalid tabloid accusations of drug addiction, egotism and recrimination. Now they’re back, older, wiser and more resolute – but with their musical batteries recharged, a new contract with BMG under their belts and that old emotional band intact. Report: LIAM FAY (with additional reporting by GEORGE BYRNE). Pix: MICK QUINN
From dark age to middle age, Nick Cave is such a far cry from the blood-spilling junkie of rock legend that these days you’re likely to encounter him commuting to his 9 to 5. Except of course that his job is writing and making music, his new album is called Nocturama and there are, he admits, some sizeable blow-outs in the memory banks.
Maverick genius or away with the fairies? Peter Murphy travels to North-East Scotland to meet Mike Scott at home in the spiritual Findhorn community where The Waterboys’ latest album was written and recorded. And Steve Wickham explains how he left and rejoined the band.
The Manson Family at work, rest and play, in sickness and in health. Peter Murphy travels to britain and the US to bring back the full, intimate story of a band on the run
brian hayes is a 28-year-old Fine Gael TD who represents the constituency of Dublin South West. At the last general election, he virtually tripled Fine Gael s vote in the Tallaght area. He opposes the legalisation of cannabis, claims that feminists need to have a fundamental re-think on their current position, feels guilty about not attending Mass regularly, and reckons that You need order in society . . . you need people who know what they re about . Is this the face of young, politically aware Ireland? Interview: liam fay.
Pics: colm henry.
He may well be a prime target for the jibes of other Irish comedian-types, but right now brendan o carroll is
riding the crest of a wave of popularity of quite phenomenal proportions. With three best-selling books to his credit, a smash hit play and a movie already in the offing, he s back on the road with his sell-out one-man show The Story So Far. Here, in a startlingly honest interview, he talks about his addiction to gambling, his contempt for the theatrical establishment, the fear and paralysis that is endemic in RTE, Father Ted, the Catholic Church, groupies and (cue fanfare please) his plans to become an M.E.P. Tape recorder: liam fay.
Pix: MICK QUINN
From "Out Of Control" to "All I Want Is You", Neil McCormick presents a major critical retrospective on the complete recorded works of U2, the band who went from being one of the world's worst cover groups to become a leading force in modern Rock'n'Roll
For many people it is U2's greatest album. Twenty years on, to mark it's re-release, Colm O'Hare talks to Daniel Lanois and reflects on the extraordinary background to a monumental album.
It's been a long strange trip and no mistake, one that describes a discernible line from
Harry Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music through to the Handsome Family.
But there's even more going on beneath the surface. GREIL MARCUS, the music critic's music critic,
is PETER MURPHY's guide on a mystery train whose other passengers include Elvis Presley, Robert Johnson, Mark Twain, Nick Cave, The Blair Witch, Bill Clinton, The Band, Siniad O'Connor, Beck, William Burroughs, William Faulkner and Bob Dylan. And that's just the first class carriage. All aboard
Colm O’Hare reports on the latest developments in the Irish film world which – thanks to initiatives spearheaded by Michael D. Higgins, Minister of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht – is experiencing an unprecedented boom period.
Niall Stokes draws on his best-selling book Into The Heart: The Stories Behind The Songs Of U2 to offer a unique insight into the way in which some of the greatest songs in the history of popular music came into being.
The future is here. Well, somehow it always is. And, as usual, it is both familiar and strange. Nothing seems to change, but one day you turn around, it is 1995, and you are cybersurfing on the internet, summer seems to last all winter, ambient-acid-techno is bubbling away on the radio, your fax machine shows up on the Antiques Roadshow and papa’s got a brand new drug.
They go together like a horse and carriage. You can't have one without the other - or words to that effect. In fact, however, even rock 'n' roll has yet to invent an erotic language that does justice to the breadth and complexity of human desire. In pushing out the boundaries, madonna has taken on the role of sexual pioneer, and done it with courage and no little success. Niall Stokes weighs up the evidence . . .
Kevin Moore changed his name to Keb’ Mo’ as part of a cunning plan to pass himself off as your friendly neighbourhood designer blues legend complete with trademark fedora hat.
Vesta Varro are dab hands at both foundation-quaking rockers and creepy-quiet ballads, and frontman Damien Drea’s vocals are showcased to powerful effect on this record.
Based on the true-life story of British mountaineer Joe Simpson, who went merrily climbing in the Peruvian Andes in 1985 with his mate Simon Yates, Touching The Void is another profoundly hair-raising documentary from the accomplished Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin MacDonald (One Day In September).
Fun, fun, fun! A film about 300 years in the life of a violin? It would be hard to think of a less prepossessing subject for a film - The Drying of the Paint or The Growing of the Grass might at least find a certain cult niche, but this is really putting the audience to the test.
You can almost smell the hairspray as Silver Addictive take a leaf out of The Darkness’ book and timewarp their way back to an age when crunching power chords, backcombing and very tight trousers reigned supreme.
Mac Con Iomaire may have started out as part of the Kila collective, but his range runs well beyond the Celtic pastoral and into the post-rock, the ambient and the neo-classical.
What happens when trip-hop producers stop making credible dance music? On the evidence of James Lavelle’s new Unkle album, they start churning out radio-friendly rock music.
Continuing on from last years reunion, and having bagged one of U2’s Croke Park slots, The Radiators continue to show that there’s still water left in the creative well.
Holy high expectations, Batman. Here are some of the phrases being thrown around about Chichester five-piece Hope Of The States. “Like Godspeed You! Black Emperor” (gorgeous, instrumental-based, violin-led apocalypse-rockers),.“Like…Trail of Dead” (gorgeous, song-based, guitar-led, er, apocalypse-rockers). And, not least: “First credible possible heirs to Radiohead”. Arooga!
David Donohoe, along with his friend Donnacha Costello, is one of Ireland’s brightest techno hopes and ‘Statuesque’, his second album for D1, shows that he has developed a unique identity.
The boy Kittser’s seemingly unstoppable rise towards world domination continues with the second single from this summer’s certifiable soundtrack album The Big Romance.
Tom Baxter is blessed with a talent to melt even those who feel inevitably bored around singer-snoozing-songwriters. For a debut release the maturity of his voice and the arrangements are gobsmacking.
As lush as a James Bond theme tune, as sweeping as an orchestra in a brush factory, as rich as Hugh Hefner’s lawyers and as comfortable as an old shoe, the latest release from Zero 7 is a big, bruised masterpiece.
Previous singles were lauded for their successful amalgamation of techno, progressive, trance and ambience, and, unsurprisingly, his debut album, Say Yes, follows the same pattern
Recently revealed to be the last ever Ash album, Twilight Of The Innocents re-announces the group's commitment to melody and proves they have successfully re-ignited their creative spark.
Few records are brass-necked enough to proclaim their genius from the very beginning. But then, few records are so audaciously beautiful as The Stone Roses.
J Swinscoe's Cinematic Orchestra made their name last year with the elegant night time tones of Motion, and Remixes 1998-2000 won't do their reputation any harm.
It is never a particularly auspicious sign when a film hangs around in post-production for over a year, and in The Thirteenth Warrior’s case, the process has been so protracted that director John McTiernan’s subsequent feature (the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair) has already beaten it to the big screen.
On the whole, Black Holes & Revelations is an album that delights, beguiles and satiates. At once familiar and new, this is Muse at their most crystallised, focused and ambitious.
Looking for films to get you in a romantic mood this weekend? Well HMV have compiled a list of the Top 50 Greatest Love Films, as voted for by the public. And guess what? Our man Swayze's bagged the top 2 spots...
DISNEY's '90s output has been somewhat hit-and-miss, with only 1997's astonishingly dark Hercules coming close to must-see status, but this one is a cracker, and compulsory viewing for those privileged enough to be in touch with their offspring.
Thankfully for them, the Manchester three-piece deliver on the promise of their debut, as their sophomore effort is brimming with the kind of timeless guitar tunesmithery that marked their earlier work
A highly entertaining band, from their fantasy-novel tackfest cover to the shamelessly swirly typeface on the back, the Worlds Apart album sleeve is an impishly over-designed comic-book of a thing.
Irish songstress Camille O'Sullivan wowed the crowds at the Pet Sounds stage at Oxegen earlier today, with an energetic and sultry set of old and new favourites.
Their's is a blend of jazz, beats, bossa, more jazz, drums and bass and oodles of noodles - yet there is, for the most part, something that sets them apart from the rest of the loud minority
Subtitled The Apple Venus Volume One Home Demos, this is essentially a companion piece to Apple Venus Volume One, XTC’s rather brilliantly conceived record which was released earlier this year.
FRANK DARABONT, whose 1994 Shawshank Redemption ranks as one of the most auspicious directorial debuts of all time, returns to centre stage after a lengthy six-year layoff with another Stephen King-penned Death Row drama,
Early speed metal incarnations, arguably the most technically demanding of all walks of rock, have done good things for this proggier-than-thou Boston quartet.
When The Twang get it right they achieve a lying in the gutter/staring at the stars poetic vision similar to Mike Skinner's. But these moments are in the minority, often replaced by a boorish, lads on the town vibe that doesn’t suit them.
It seems that Mike’s got a chip or two on his shoulder, and his heavies – including members of The Roots, Cypress Hill and Jay-Z, who is “executive producer” – are on hand to right a few wrongs that would be too personal to mention in his Linkin Park overalls. If it passed the quality bar. Which it doesn’t.
Given the incestuous nature of the Irish music scene, you’d have thought that a band who’ve been around over ten years, released five albums and received great acclaim across Europe would feature quite prominently on the radar. So how come Dublin’s Primordial aren’t exactly household names? The answer is simple – they play metal. Not the kind of post-ironic metal that abounds in these post-Darkness days but the real, dark deal.
Led by Wolf Parade’s one and only Spencer Krug, Montreal quintet Sunset Rubdown have announced they will perform at Dublin’s Crawdaddy on September 12.
Adored by fans of similarly inclined outfits such as Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Lift To Experience and Sigur Ros, this Austin, Texas four-piece return with their first long-player in four years.
The Rasmus are a Finnish quartet who, following several years of success in their homeland and a rake of indigenous accolades, are looking to make an impact world wide. I figure they’ll be waiting a while.
Often quite beautiful, yes, and probably perfectly matched to the visuals, but it doesn’t make this an album to which you’ll necessarily want to return to again and again.
There’s less self-aggrandizing posturing here than on his last album G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) and as the single ‘Luv U Better’ demonstrates, plenty of positive vibes as well as gansta-isms.
Far more than on any previous album, Cathy Jordan is at the forefront and she shreds the rulebook and pulls, from God knows where, the best vocal performances of her career.
With his blonde strands thinning noticeably and his trademark feline features becoming bloated, time appears to be taking a particularly heavy toll on the once vital Tom Petty. Performing 'Room At The Top' recently on Later with Jools Holland he looked and sounded jaded. Such is the mood on Echo his "long awaited" follow up to 1994's Wildflowers.
That Dave Matthews is still relatively unknown round these parts is not something you feel he’s particularly worried about, given the fact that his band have sold in the region of 25m albums stateside, where they enjoy a revered status amongst more sensitive college rock types.
Kraven are a Limerick four-piece who specialise in adrenalin-fuelled rock ‘n roll. Having served their stint playing covers to pub audiences, the band decided it was time to pour their efforts into original songwriting in 2002.
Having masterminded a miraculously swashbuckling escape from career quagmire (the lacklustre A Perfect Murder anyone? No? How about the unendurable G.I. Jane?) Viggo Mortensen has clearly decided that straightforward stand-offs between good and evil are where it’s at.
Morricone brings a taste of the Wild West to Belfast when he performs scores from famous western films through the sounds of an orchestra over 200 musicians strong.
The musical template remains largely unchanged, but the combination of galloping, melodic bass and searing twin lead guitars – at times oddly reminiscent of Thin Lizzy – is hard to resist.
The musical template remains largely unchanged, but the combination of galloping, melodic bass and searing twin lead guitars – at times oddly reminiscent of Thin Lizzy – is hard to resist.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking – I’m not sitting through a Tibetan film about a rag-tag gang of volunteers protecting antelope from poachers. But Chuan Lu’s Mountain Patrol is, as issue dramas go, rather more thrilling than, say, a Green Cross Code commercial.
Dublin quartet Stand have been making friends and influencing all the right people since their move to New York four years ago, having been championed in such influential music industry bibles as Billboard, Rolling Stone and The New York Times.
From balmy folk revivalist to angst-rock totem, there are many Neil Youngs. Sometimes, you wish there was only one: the feckless, snarling fallen angel of On The Beach and Rust Never Sleeps.
An altogether darker affair than its predecessor, Thirteenth Step sees Keenan and co drifting through the album’s twists and turns on a bass heavy raft.
Stack dead actors, stacked to the rafters/Line up the bastards all I want is the truth/hey hey now can you take it?/And we cry when they all die blonde?"
this rollicking hotchpotch of old obscure r’n’b standards and screeching rock guitars could and should catapult Rachel Nagy & Co. into the same league as their other Motor City compatriots, The White Stripes and Brendan Benson.
It’s all pretty brave – the faithful may scratch their heads and the detractors probably won’t even listen but just maybe they’ll find themselves reaching a whole new audience.
Give praise for obnoxious guitars. Without them, Semifinalists' wistful, precious debut might be too much to take. As it is, a patina of unruly powerchords and blowsy bass riffs saves the day for the London-based American/Indonesian three-piece.
This nineteenth misadventures of Victor (Depp), a bumbling groom-to-be, whose forthcoming nuptials to impoverished aristocrat Victoria (Watson) are disrupted when he accidentally weds the comely titular zombie (Bonham Carter).
When a band have been going 10 years, there’s only a certain number of variables that can keep a gig exciting – both for the audience as well as for themselves.
Waves of soldiers dressed in contrasting black and gold? Gilded corridors finished with crimson? Carpets of bright yellow chrysanthemums? Wow, this can only be a Zhang Yimou flick.
Recorded before an intimate crowd in the appropriately named Café de la Dance in Paris in 2006, this stripped-down all-acoustic affair showcases what is arguably Harte’s strongest point – her crystal-clear voice.
This is the group’s first record for a major label, Capitol Records no doubt reacting to the popularity of the Arcade Fire by snapping up a similarly quirky bunch of prog-orchestral indie-poppers.
When the whisperings of a union between core members of two of rock’s greatest bands first set wires buzzing, fans were torn between horror (“Rage? And Soundgarden? Together?! No! Don’t ruin the memories...”) and good old fashioned cat-slaughtering curiosity: what as-yet-unheard epics could such a cross pollenation bring forth? And could they ever top the likes of ‘Killing In The Name’ or ‘Pretty Noose’?
The opening track on Bay Area goth/metal/punk outfit AFI’s new effort beckons us to join them in their macabre dance of thrash melodies and is the first indication of a simple hardcore album being fed to the sharks of over-production.
This graphically personal and confessional album is reputed to be about the agonising and acrimonious break-up of Dylan’s marriage to Sara Lowndes, and it sees him alternately at his most vicious and his most vulnerable.
This may be the best spaghetti western since Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood stopped making movies together, with a dash of Japanese samurai flavouring for good measure.
An extremely belated comeback from Paper Moon and Last Picture Show director Peter Bogdanovich, who had Hollywood at his feet about a quarter-century ago, The Cat’s Meow is a textbook case of over-reaching ambition. Eminently missable stuff.
