
In the seasonal spirit of rejoicing the new year here is my choice for a New Year Eve tune. A message of defiance for any hardship we may face.
MP3: This Year - The Mountain Goats

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As a childhood Clash fan I was eager to watch this film when a friend lent it to me. It's a documentary style film covering Joe Strummer's life and career including: his childhood; his first successful band The 101ers; his days living as a hippie in London squats; the rise and fall of The Clash; his life post Clash including his continued musical career with The Mescaleros. It is not just a rockumentary and tribute to Joe Strummer but also a fascinating insight into the times in which he lived, his personality, and relationships with band members and people he met and worked with. There are many interviews with people who knew Joe, these are filmed in the ambiance of a cosy campfire. Campfire 'get togethers' at music festivals where occaisions for which Joe was renown. The interviews, (Conversations with Joe), are also available on the DVD as an extra feature to watch separately, this also includes interviews that didn't appear in the film itself.
I enjoyed the film and found it informative with great footage and music. This DVD was two hours well spent. Clash and Strummer fans will love it.
For a more eloquent and informed review and loads of MP3 music downloads from the film visit:
Minniapolisfuckingrocks(MFR)
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This debate and threat seems to come back every year. Let's hope the council see the good for the community that the festival brings. People getting out and meeting each other, coming to our city - that sort of thing. Coventry should be proud of Godiva Festival not shun it!
Coventry's Memorial Park has become a focal point in our city for cultural festivals and events. The Godiva Festival, in particular, regularly attracts more than 60,000 visitors each year, making a valuable contribution both to our local economy and the vibrancy of our city. Residents of the Memorial Park's local vicinity have long campaigned for this small number of festivals to be stopped, claiming 'noise and nuisance' as their reasons. We do not agree that the events held at The Memorial Park cause any undue or additional noise or nuisance to the local residents on the very few days each year they are held. Furthermore, we believe that Coventry's Memorial Park exists for the use of ALL of the people of Coventry. The Godiva Festival is a highlight in the city's cultural calendar, whose benefits to the wider population of the city far outweigh the somewhat questionable case of a very small minority. As such, festivals and events like The Godiva Festival should be protected and continue unhindered and unrestricted.
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My first festive offering is a cover of a Christmas classic that will be (and rightly so) played to death over the next few weeks. But to offer you something you may not have heard before I thought I’d post this Christy Moore live version. I believe I found it on a blog somewhere a few years back at about this time of year, so it's time to pass it on.
MP3: Fairytale of New York – Christy Moore (live)
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The local traffic was hideous this morning. Driving through Kenilworth and into Leamington at 8am was like queuing to get into Vfestival but without the bacchanalian blowout at the end. As I drove home last night, in the perpetual darkness this time of year offers, I noticed that some people have already bought pine trees and dressed them up like tarts in tinsel and then covered their properties with 2000 rhythmically flashing coloured lights. I don’t mean to be a scrooge, but 'dudes!', your tree will be dead and void of any needles come the big day, half of the lights will have fused and the Santa will have fell from the top of your porch on at least two occasions and will be minus its head. The inflatable snowman hung from the chimney will be deflating and look more like a hung villain rather than festive décor.
It seems that the roman calendar has been altered whilst I was on the nod and it now reads October, November, Christmas, January. Christmas is of course the time of year when Jesus was in the Walsgrave after giving birth to Santa by caesarean. It ordinarily would have annoyed Jesus being in hospital for Christmas but he quite liked the morphine and would be out by New Year’s Eve anyway.
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A shite weekend sports wise with England, Lewis and City all being the big losers. The party I attended to watch the rugby was at least a raucous and drunken affair, and made up, to some degree, for the lack of success by our local football and international Rugby team. After the match we listened to some tunes and had a failed attempt to download ‘In Rainbows’, I still haven’t heard it. But we did listen to some decent Adrian Sherwood stuff and chilled out ‘til late.
I felt bad on Sunday, I probably shouldn’t drink like that. I was also having feelings of doubt about Lewis’s F1 championship title race. It turned out my paranoia was proven right as only moments after the start it was basically all over for Lewis, and a few laps later a technical gremlin meant that his championship hopes were over. So not wanting to watch yet more disappointing sport I turned it off and watched Simpson’s repeats and ate some food, which was something I hadn’t really done since Friday.
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10:16
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Well its been an exciting week for me as there has been some restructuring going on at work which has meant I have been frantically compiling my CV - as a precaution. So my music-listening has been somewhat limited this week as trials and tribulations have been prevelent, I even have an unheard copy of the new PJ Harvey CD - White Chalk. Whats wrong with me!!!
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Emergency services were called to Bucks Hill, Nuneaton this morning as high winds ripped apart trees and tore roof tiles from homes. This was the scene that greeted me as I drove up Bucks Hill at 6:45am this morning. The journey from Coventry had been bad enough contending with torrential rain and gusty wind but as I climbed Bucks Hill towards The Bucksford I noticed there were parts of tree branches all over the road and up ahead was the blue flashing lights of a police patrol car that was blocking the entry to Trafford Drive. The trees near the Trafford Drive shops on Bucks Hill looked like they had been savaged. I managed to squeeze my car past the police car, which I don’t think particularly impressed the copper inside, but then I had to pull up immediately anyway as there were more police cars and a whacking great fire engine blocking Mallard Ave and the houses on the corner of Trafford Drive and Mallard Ave had varying degrees of their roof tiles missing and there was debris all over the road and pavement.
It was blatantly obvious I was not going to get to my destination down Mallard Ave anytime soon so I turned the car around and headed back to Coventry. On the way I went down Astley Lane to discover Seeswood pool had partially flooded the road, and The Nuneaton Road near Fillongly was also flooded. I finally managed to get to work in Leamington Spa praying the rain would ease up as Leamington Spa floods like a bath.
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Big band little venue is a good recipe. The Colosseum, Coventry, was pretty much packed and inside it was hot and sweaty, and your beer came in a plastic cup, just like a gig should be. Hard-Fi got Suburban Knight’s out of the way about third track in and the crowd really to rose it. The highlights of the show included the clash-esque Television and We Need Love which was my personal favourite. Most of the new CD was covered plus Cash Machine and a really loud version of Tied Up Too Tight, (cue crowd participation and leaping around) I can’t remember the exact set-list as I had been drinking and generally enjoying myself but I can remember a good spirited crowd who were really up for blowing off a bit of steam on a Friday night. There was an encore but my wife and I headed for the doors because we were knackered and it was also easier to get a pint in the other downstairs bar, in which I discovered there was a DJ performing. The Colly is still the good old tatty venue it has been for an age but now features a very strange fellow in the gents with aftershave and other cleansing potions and a smokers area which runs down the side of the venue.
Verdict: Good laugh
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05:19
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A lad I know who did the weekend at Reading remains unshaven and still has the armband tightly clamped round his wrist. I'm not sure if he realises that it's all over yet. He can occasionally be heard mumbling something about how lucky they were with the weather, but he's definately still dancin' inside. Below is my highlight of what I heard on the TV coverage, Get cape, Wear cape, Fly performing a classic festival audience sing-a-long moment, the sort that makes you impatient for summer when you listen to it in January. Local lads The Enemy also played another electric show.
MP3: I spy - Get cape, Wear cape, fly (live Reading 2007)
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Photography by Chris Johnson from the event can be found here
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Labels: Godiva Festival, local, music
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10:45
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Well I 've just watched Channel 4s afternoon coverage of yesterdays Chelmsford Vfestival and whilst annoyingly short it was quite a treat. The show contained performances by The Kooks, Snowpatrol, Just Jack, The Hoosiers, The Editors, Paolo Nutini, Pink (??? - main stage), Kanye West and the Foo Fighters. Despite the weather it looked like a day of music worth experiencing. It looked like the festival goers may have had some dry periods today, although, it is, at the moment, pissing it down in Coventry. Anyway here is, in my opinion, the best track from the coverage I have seen so far, a grand performance by what sounds on occaission like the
Scottish Bob Marley - Paolo Nutini. A track from his 2006 album
These Streets.
And yes, I would rather be there, than watching it on tele.
Text from V2007 - Stafford:
Just seen him mate (Paolo Nutini) very good. Killers were good last night. Pished it down all weekend.
MP3: Paolo Nutini - Jenny don't be hasty (live V2007)
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Sadly I am not present at this years festival. As for many festivals this summer it looks like the revellers that are attending are going to have to contend with at least some rain. This includes several close friends who are either camping or have day tickets. The coverage on tele isn't as comprehensive as it was for Glastonbury but there is some coverage on E4.


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09:31
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John Vanderslice has put Emerald City, his new album, up to listen to in it's entirety on his myspace page.
http://www.myspace.com/johnvanderslice
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02:54
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09:33
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Today I decided to check if there was any news about the new album from John Vanderslice and discovered that Emerald City is about to be released (24 July) and is available to pre-order from Barsuk. There is also a track from the album called White Dove (mp3) that is available to download as a taster. John Vanderslice also covers Karma Police on Stereogum’s OKX a tribute to the tenth anniversary of Radiohead's OK Computer. OKX is available to download free (mp3) in its entirety.
Order Emerald City & download White Dove here (mp3)
Download Stereogum’s OKX here (mp3s)
Emerald City on Amazon with track samples to stream
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09:49
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The Enemy have a number one album with We'll live and die in these towns.
chart link
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12:56
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Labels: festivals, Godiva Festival, local