hotpress.com members update: "I thought it was Morrisey that would rather eat his own bollocks?"
4 July 2007
The Oxegen countdown has officially begun, and we are T minus 3 days till kick-off. So we've found our wellies, checked our tent for holes and tears and we are good to go with this week's *breath*-taking ezine (see what we did there?)!
Your last lyrical challenge looked like this:
"You could get arrested for
Getting your kit off in the street
How many times have I told you
It's not polite to meet and greet"
These are lines that fit right into the start of 'Downhill From Here' by Snow Patrol. And indeed it seemed many of you were up to the task, but most especially martha.clark who had the luckiest replying instinct. Now, we know you can get this week's teaser, from an artist who may or may not be joining us at Oxegen...
"I give a cheque to tax-deductible charity organisations
Two weeks paid vacation won't heal the damage done
I need another one"
Who needs a holiday? The clue is the lyric, surprisingly enough. Hit reply with your answer, just make sure it's the right one.
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VOTE FOR YOUR FIVE DESERT ISLAND DISCS
What did the critics think were the best albums over the last 30 years? We look back at critics' choices - and YOU vote on your faves!
Have a look at what Hot Press has chosen as its favourite albums throughout its 30 years - and then vote for YOUR favourites.
Hot Press' critics - including Liam Mackey, Jim Carroll, Neil McCormick and Kim Porcelli - have over the last 30 years always pondered the "best albums of the year".
We pulled up the top five from each year and reckoned you'd get a bit of fun reliving them - suffice to say we won't name those who voted for what, and NO we don't understand how they left Never Mind The Bollocks out of their top 5 in 1977 either - or as some of you have so rightly pointed out The Stone Roses in 1989.
Controversial omissions aside - and Peter Murphy dissects some of them in the magazine - we reckon you'd be able to produce a cracking five album fiesta.
Interesting? Yes. Fun? Of course. And will your vote really count? Indeed it will.
Have a look at the albums and vote here: http://www.hotpress.com/vote/30yearsalbums/albums.adp
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NEW ISSUE - OUT NOW!
It's the Hot Press Oxegen issue, meaning we're here to tell you everything you need to know about this year's festival. With arguably the line-up of the summer, there's no shortage of amazing bands ready for a pre-gig chat. We spoke to headliners Snow Patrol, Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro and indie-heads Razorlight. There's even an interview with Sinead O'Connor, carried out by none other than Mr Shane MacGowan himself! Luckily, Olaf was there to monitor the situation and report back.
Aside from festival fun, we have the usual coverage of politics, sport, music and movies, with an extra special interview with Bruce 'Die Hard' Willis as he looks forward to the fourth installment of the blockbuster franchise.
And that's not to forget that we're still in birthday mode, celebrating with more retrospective features - including Ireland's top 30 sporting moments, and we track down the former star musicians who've disappeared off the scene. Whatever are they up to now?
Best of all, there's also an extra-special treat inside in the form of a FREE 32-page reprint of selected articles and editorial from 1977 which features Rory Gallagher on the very first Hot Press cover.
With articles on the aforementioned Rory, Lizzy @ Dalymount, On the road with Clannad, Bill Graham interviewing The Clash, Gene Kerrigan on the threat to the future of the Irish Times, Bob Geldof & Jonnie Fingers interviewed in London it crams more into it's 100% authentic 32 page black & white newsprint pages then you can possibly imagine. With very, very, very, long headlines.
Hold this little piece of history in your hands, get along to a shop now!
Take all this home for just e3.50!
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Songs That We've Been Listening To This Week!
The Sleeping Years - 'Setting Fire To Sleepy Towns' (from the Setting Fire To Sleepy Towns EP, 2007)
Interpol - 'The Heinrich Maneuver' (from forthcoming album Our Love To Admire)
The Flaws - '1981' (from their as-yet-untitled forthcoming album)
Dirty Epics -
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Essential Reading On hotpress.com Department
1. Oxegen minisite (free content)
The festival season has made us generous, and thus we have taken time out to help prepare you for the coming weekend of fun and frolics. Our minisite will give you all the practical and impractical info you need to get through the Oxegen weekend.
Ready yourself by checking out this special site with line-up info, weather reports, news, video interviews, competitions and tonnes more.
http://heineken.hotpress.com/
2. Gary lightbody interview
Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody waxes eloquent about burnout, creativity, exotic fowl, and why David Healy should be made First Citizen Of The Republic And Overlord Of The Universe.
http://www.hotpress.com/music/interviews/2932948.html
3. Suicide - the silent epidemic sweeping Northern Ireland
Three teenagers from Craigavon High School have committed suicide in the past month. So why are young men in the North taking their lives in record numbers? And what can be done to prevent further tragedy?
http://www.hotpress.com/politics/frontlines/2932781.html
4. Christopher Hitchens interview
Christopher Hitchens is a journalist, essayist, author and, above all, agent provocateur. And he's not a big fan of God. But is he an atheist or an agnostic? The Vanity Fair writer talks about having Bono as guest editor on the magazine and explains why he once gave the finger to a US TV audience.
http://www.hotpress.com/features/interviews/2933126.html
5. Unkle album review
Unkle's new album War Stories is much more rock-influenced than their previous outings, with guest collaborators this time round including Josh Homme, The Duke Spirit and The Cult’s Ian Astbury.
http://www.hotpress.com/music/reviews/albums/2933188.html
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FIRST CUTS: BANDS WANTED!
As you probably know by now, Hot Press has joined forces with the Wexford Arts Centre and Beat 102 103 FM to present a series of monthly gigs for new bands and solo artists in the South-West called the First Cuts Sessions. After much deliberation and following acts have been chosen for the first two gigs:
13th July, 8pm, Wexford Arts Centre
Frantic State (Kilkenny)
The Rumours (Tipperary)
Chaplin (Wexford)
17th August, 8pm, Wexford Arts Centre
The Arrangements (Waterford)
Niall Colfer (Wexford)
Chaplin (Wexford)
Remember: Acts who have already submitted entries will be considered for their September and October gigs. New entries are still welcome.
For information on how to enter see www.hotpress.com or email any queries you may have to: firstcuts@hotpress.ie
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Old News Is Good News Department
So who actually managed to get tickets to REM? By all accounts, their run of shows is going swimmingly and the new album promises to be a blinder if these working rehearsals are anything to go by.
To remind us of their brilliance - as if we needed reminding - here's a look back at their articles in years gone by.
REM Interview, 1999
On the eve of REM s Lansdowne Road show, Peter Murphy talks to Michael Stipe about creativity, sexuality, LA and Patti Smith.
http://www.hotpress.com/archive/416315.html
REM album review, 1991
There's not many album that could merit a 12/12 (for such was the scoring system in the olde days of Hot Press) but Out Of Time won that accolade, and it's stood the test of time.
http://www.hotpress.com/archive/551781.html
REM News, 2005
REM play a special date at Ardgillan Castle, Co. Dublin, and take the opportunity to pay tribute to Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy Burmese leader who celebrated her 60th birthday the day before.
http://www.hotpress.com/archive/2808767.html
REM Interview, 1995
In Perth, Western Australia, Michael Dwyer sees two sides of REM on the opening brace of shows in their first world tour proper in five years. He also reports on behind-the-scenes developments, including the marriage of Pete Buck.
http://www.hotpress.com/archive/509307.html
REM Live Review, 2005
Colin Carberry's at REM's first Belfast performance ever. Wooh!
http://www.hotpress.com/archive/2785982.html
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WANT TO GET AHEAD IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
The HOTPRESS MIX 07 (Music Industry Xplained) is a course for those seeking careers in, and for those already employed in, the music industry.
The course will give participants a practical overview of the workings of the industry. MIX SIX is a 12-week series of lectures (one each week) by top professional exponents from the Irish and International music industry. Lecturers include: Willie O'Reilly (Managing Director Today FM), Janine Nallen (Marketing & Business director RMG Chart Entertainment), Steve Averill (U2 Designer) and Jackie Hayden (Hot Press).
Key subjects covered in the course include Music on the Internet, Record Companies, Music Marketing, Publicity, Image Development, Record Production, Songwriting, Music Publishing, Working with the Media, Management, Finance, Touring and Distribution.
MIX 07 will run at The Holiday Inn, Pearse St, Dublin every Tuesday at 7.30pm from September 25th to December 11th, 2007. The Course Directors are music publisher and IMRO board member Johnny Lappin and Jackie Hayden of HOTPRESS.
For further information see http://mixsix.hotpress.com, contact Elaine at HOTPRESS on 01-2411 500 or email mix07@hotpress.ie
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Our Favourite Postings From The Dank Bathroom Wall / Personal Advert Column / Huge Throbbing Collective Brain That Is The World Famous hotpress.com Messageboard...
BANDS REFORMING!
**smithrob:
There's plenty of bands getting back together as of late.
Some good: The Verve, James etc.
Some bad: Spice Girls etc.
There are some bands that look unlikely to return, ie: The Stone Roses, The Jam, The Smiths, Six etc.
Is bands reforming excellent bit of nostalgia or perhaps money grabbing idiots ruining a once good band?
**delisha:
it's really about the tits like me willing to buy the tickets that want to buy into the nostalgia, because they were too young and missed out on it the first time.
New Order got back together to promote Control apparently, for like a week.
**sibhanio:
I would sooooooo love Stone Roses to re-combobulate. Squire mentioned ages ago he was up for it, hope it's still on the cards.
**smithrob:
A Roses reformation will more than likely never happen. Brown too stubborn to reconcile with Squire plus solo-career is in full swing!
Squire has made the transition recently from musician to painter.
Mani would be up for it and has stated it several times.
Reni has given no word on it since he became a house-husband a few years back!
The Jam reunion...that'd be something!
**replika:
The Jam are reforming. Except they've not invited Paul Weller...
**sibhanio:
I'd love to see the ould Oasis line-up get back together - Tony McCarroll, Bonehead, etc. It'd be some scrap!! (I said SCRAP not crap)
**delisha:
Excuse my filthy emo tendancies, but on account of missing that ATDI gig back in the day, I'd love them to reform so I could get a goo at them live.
And I'd like Danzig to do a one off show with The Misfits somewhere tiny and sweaty. But I'd probably die of being overly sexy bitched. A nice way to go. I'm sure there's some willing young ladies out there who, purely for the sake of art, would be willing to be sexed to death to Die Die My Darling.
**davidlynch:
Weller was invited but said he'd " rather eat his own bollocks".
Good gig by the the other two with a Weller replacement in Tripod recently. Though it ain't the same without the key players.
The Jam like The Smiths will never reform neither will The Stone Roses, though a bit more likely that n the other two, which aint saying much.
**************post of the week: for speaking the truth. And providing us with a worrying mental image.****************
**evil_giraffe:
I thought it was Morrisey that would rather eat his own bollocks?
...."and I'm a vegetarian" blah blah blah.
Most of them wouldn't consider it if they could still make money from their back catalogue.
**************end post of the week************************************
**delisha:
In all fairness all that groupie sex would be a sore tempatation. I'd imagine say Sting wouldn't get it as handy these days.
**replika:
"Weller was invited but said he`d " rather eat his own bollocks"."
He already has, judging by his more recent material...
**cyberbuli:
Bah! The Jam without Weller would be like The Police without Sting: shite.
**paaul028:
They have Sting and they are still shite.
**poppycock:
There should be policing around the use of the word 'band'. Are the Spice Girls a band?
**smithrob:
Are they a band? No. Neither are westlife and all that crowd. They are people who sing and mime etc. The folk behind them playing the instruments are a band.
**delisha:
Would they be classed as a group then?
**brautigan:
I read on the front page that The Revs had reformed. I didn't even know they had split up. I thought they were still busy trying to be taken seriously as mature recording artists.
**evil_giraffe:
I believe that the collective term for a group of Pop Singers is 4our or a 5ive or a 6ix etc....depending on the number in the group.
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Which reunion are you waiting for? Tell your friends (or a random group of friendly strangers) here:
The Waltons Guitar Festival of Ireland, now in its fourth year, sees world renowned musicians from around the world congregate in Dublin for a series of concerts, workshops and masterclasses, a number of which are free of charge. These will take place in various venues around the city, from Temple Bar to the National Concert Hall.
The festival covers all genres of music so there is something for everyone, you can buy a festival pass for e95 which gives you access to all of the concerts. The masterclasses, workshops and seminars provide a unique opportunity for guitar fans. It's set to be the most exhilarating programme of events fans are likely to experience this year. Tickets can be bought through the box office: National 059 9146287 or by email info@gfi.ie or drop into Walton's Music Shops (North Frederick St and South Great George's St).
