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Thursday 30 May 2013

The Sweet Sorrows - It All Belongs (May 2013)


Get The Sweet Sorrows debut album from BandCamp.



 
A debut album from The Sweet Sorrows brings together the tender sounds of Americana and Celtic in what is a reminder that those traditions are actually not too far apart from each other.



The Sweet Sorrows are husband and wife team, Sammy and Kylie Horner, and they have pulled together 10 self-penned tunes that are beautifully crafted and full of sweet moments. The album kicks off with 'Ain't No Devil Ever Gonna Steal My Soul' and I swear I thought it was going to burst into a Steve Earle song at any moment (though it also has that sweet opening like Bon Jovi's 'Wanted Dead or Alive' - not sure if they would want to know that!), that is not to discredit the song in anyway! It's a real beauty and Kylie's harmony add's a nice touch to it.

'Helper' is one of those great songs that reminds us that we can't do everything ourselves and that we have to look outside ourselves to "drag me through".

'The Baby Song' is a cute look at the heart of a parent who knows when they look at their kid that their "heart is fit to burst". It's a tender song on which Sammy and Kylie both contribute a beautiful vocal.

'It All Belongs' is a peculiar song in this day and age because it's a song about gratitude (a rare commodity) and not just gratitude when the sun shines on your path but when there's struggle and pain.

'I'll Dance With The Girl That I Brung', Sammy must have been thinking of Scotland when he penned this one, a beautiful look at dancing at a cΓ©ilidh with a girl who's maybe not as pretty or as great a dancer as the other girls present.

'Nothing New', is a reminder of how great man thinks he is with all his creations and yet the reality is there is nothing new beneath the sun and that we best set our sight somewhere else. Spirituality is actually quite a fixture of the album but do not let that daunt you because we do have to remind ourselves the eternal does actually have some bearing on each of us.

'Jesus, Are We OK?' In the face of failure, defeat, barreness there's a temptation to think that things between the Lord and us is on shakey ground and the song brings all that to bear with the question.

'If I Knew How To Tell You' is like a song of confession of dealing with the paradox's of life and wondering how on earth you can actually communicate that - "the peace between my calm and rage/if I could write it on a page/I'd know how to tell you."

'Different' is another tender song on the album about how folk differ from each other and yet they still fit together (I mean it would be boring if our significant others were exactly the same as us wouldn't it?).

'May The Road Rise Up To Meet You' ends the album on a high note with a song of blessing for the journey, and how we need it.

All in all it's a great little album that fits well into the canon of Sammy's previous work but at the same time is new enough to show a different side to him. Kylie certainly adds flavour to album and it's great to hear that the move from Scotland to Canada has not daunted their love of the Celtic side of things.

Happy Birthday Topper!


Happy Birthday Topper.
Born this day in 1955.


Wednesday 29 May 2013

The 45's - Carlisle's Latest Sensation!



Carlisle is not exactly the kind of place that you expect music with real quality to stem from and so when given the opportunity to listen to these guys and check out a few more videos on You Tube I have to say I'm blown away.

A few weeks ago I was raving about The Strypes and my friend Karl Parsons has just put me onto this little band, The 45's (of course he's got every right to be excited as he's managing them). Nothing more exciting to me than seeing young lads (who are still at school!) discovering the wonders of good solid down to earth R 'n' B, Blues and Rock and Roll.




I wish them well for the future and I'm sure that Karl with his wisdom will help keep the lads grounded.




The 45s. High octane Rhythm and Blues by 4 sonic schoolmates from Carlisle, UK

FROM THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE:
Metaphorically stepping straight from a 1950’s time machine, sent from Mississippi and crash landing in Cumbria, the group come vocally and visually inspired by the sentiment and character of the 50’s. Harnessing their songwriting talent with an explosive repertoire of classic sounds and lyrics the band pass an admirable nod to International blues legends including Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley, together with the outrageous techniques of guitar hero Wilko of Dr. Feelgood.
For more info check out the band's website: CLICK HERE.

John Fogerty - Wrote A Song For Everyone (27th May 2013)



What to do for your 68th birthday?...How about release a kind of Greatest Hits album backed by a few friends and family? Yep, that's exactly what John Fogerty has done with the release of 'Wrote A Song For Everyone'.

The list of friends contributing to the album is pretty impressive: Foo Fighters, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Tom Morello, Zac Brown Band, My Morning Jacket, Kid Rock, Dawes, Bob Seger, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Jennifer Hudson and Allen Toussaint. As for family his two sons Shane and Tyler.

Many of the songs are so familiar having grown up listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival or listening to Fogerty's solo works but what really stands out is the quality of songwriting and the sheer joy that Fogerty has performing these classic tunes with a real mixed bag of artists from the world of Rock, Country and Jazz.



Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball Tour - Hannover, Germany 28th May 2013


Very strong and varied setlist tonight in Hannover that included only the 4th performance ever of 'Drift Away' and also for the first time since the 'Devil's and Dust' Tour in 2005 an acoustic version of 'Roll of the Dice'.

I Will add more links when they become available.

Setlist:
Land of Hope and Dreams
No Surrender
We Take Care of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
My Love Will Not Let You Down
Death to My Hometown
Hungry Heart
Spirit in the Night
Drift Away (solo acoustic)
The E Street Shuffle
Atlantic City
Jack of All Trades
The River
Because the Night
Murder Incorporated
Johnny 99
Open All Night
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Radio Nowhere
The Rising
Badlands
Light of Day
* * *
ROLL OF THE DICE (solo acoustic)
Born in the U.S.A.
Born to Run
Seven Nights to Rock
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
American Land

Saturday 25 May 2013

Happy Birthday to Charlie Harper - Still Keepin' It Real at Aged 69!


The UK Subs fb page posted a birthday greeting for Charlie Harper today, for some odd reason I had assumed that his birthday was in April (Wikipedia have it listed as 25th April)! Obviously they know best when it's the good man's birthday. Heck even it was in April he's legend enough to have two birthday's seeing as he's Punk Rock Royalty!

Happy Birthday to the great man himself.

 (UK Subs Then)







(UK Subs Now)




Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball Tour - Napoli 23rd May 2013


Acoustic pre-show:
This Hard Land/Growin' Up
Setlist:
O Sole Mio
Long Walk Home/My Love Will Not Let You Down
Out in the Street
Hungry Heart
We Take Care of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown
Spirit in the Night
Rosalita
The River
Prove It All Night ('78 intro)
Radio Nowhere
The Promised Land
Pay Me My Money Down
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Who'll Stop the Rain
The Rising
Badlands
Land of Hope and Dreams
* * *
My Hometown
Born in the U.S.A.
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Twist and Shout
Thunder Road (acoustic)

Friday 24 May 2013

Mavis Staples - One True Vine (24th June 2013)


Following on from the Grammy winning 'You Are Not Alone', Mavis Staples has teamed up again with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy for a new collection of tunes. It will be released on 24th June. If it's anything like it's predecessor it's going to be a real cracker of an album.








All Tomorrow's Parties Festival Going Out With A Bang


The All Tomorrow's Parties Festival is going out with a band near the end of the year.

Part One on November 22-24 they have Television headlining performing the most excellent 'Marquee Moon'.

Part Two, a week later (29th November - 1st December) sees the return of The Pop Group, Loop and 23 Skidoo.

Both events are at Pontions, Camber Sands and for more information go to the All Tomorrow's Parties website.

It will be the performance by Television that will be the standout thing in my mind.




Tuesday 21 May 2013

Ray Manzarek



Ray Manzarek 
(Feb 12th 1939 - May 20th 2013)

Digging Up The Bones of Strummer and Jones!


Product Description from Amazon

Cost £13.99

The Clash Hits Back features 33 of the band’s iconic tracks, across a two-CD set. The tracklisting is sequenced from the band’s legendary Brixton Fairdeal show in 1982 and contains the best studio recordings of the full set, plus eight additional iconic tracks. It comes with the original setlist, handwritten by Joe Strummer which he would tape to the back of his Telecaster before each gig. 

My Thoughts:
So, when I first saw this I got excited because I thought it was the first "official bootleg" release of a the final London shows of Mick Jones with The Clash. But, it's not that at all! Basically it's the studio versions of the setlist. Not wanting to sound like a total cynic here but it's almost like someone at the record company sat and put together a playlist on his iPod and then decided that they could make a few bucks by releasing it as an actual album!

I don't know what Joe would have thought of this but he did mention one time in one of his songs those immortal lines about 'Turning Rebellion Into Money' (White Man in Hammersmith Palais) and it seems that this is exactly what the release of this album is! 

There's also another release:


Price: £111.81

Product Description
The Clash's Sound System is the band’s re-mastered recorded works collected together for the first time. Contained within classic boombox packaging designed by Paul Simonon, this boxset contains the band’s five seminal studio albums in their original eight-disc format, newly re-mastered by The Clash; a further three discs featuring demos, non-album singles, rarities and B-sides; a DVD with previously unseen footage by both Don Letts and Julien Temple, original promo videos and live footage; an owner’s manual booklet; reprints of the band’s original Armagideon Times fanzine as well as a brand new edition curated and designed by Paul Simonon; and merchandise including dog tags, badges, stickers and an exclusive Clash poster.
Conceived and compiled by The Clash, Sound System is a significant and unique collection of the complete recorded works by the 20th century’s most influential British band. Greatly enhanced by the careful re-mastering rendering the original recordings more vital and crisp, it's all contained in Paul Simonon’s iconic design, with a selection of bonus material. 




 Tracklist: The Clash, Sound System box set
CD 1 The Clash
CD 2 Give ‘Em Enough Rope
CDs 3-4 London Calling
CDs 5-7 Sandinista!
CD 8 Combat Rock
CD 9 Sound System Extras 1
1. White Riot (Single version)
2. 1977 (B-side)
3. Listen (Capital Radio EP) / Interviews (Capital Radio EP)
4. Capital Radio (Capital Radio EP)
5. London’s Burning (Live B-side Remote Control)
6. Complete Control (Single version)
7. City Of The Dead (B-side)
8. Clash City Rockers (Original single version)
9. Jail Guitar Doors (B-side)
10. White Man In Hammersmith Palais (A-side)
11. The Prisoner (B-side)
12. 1-2 Crush On You (B-side Tommy Gun)
13. Time Is Tight (Black Market Clash)
14. Pressure Drop (B-side English Civil War)
15. I Fought The Law (Cost Of Living EP)
16. Groovy Times (Cost Of Living EP)
17. Gates Of The West (Cost Of Living EP)
18. Capital Radio (Cost Of Living EP)
19. Armagideon Time
20. Bank Robber (A-side)
21. Rockers Galore On A UK Tour (B-side)
CD 10 Sound System Extras 2
1. Magnificent Dance (12”) 5:36 (available on Singles box set)
2. Midnight To Stevens (Outtake)
3. Radio One (B-side Hitsville UK)
4. Stop The World (B-side The Call Up)
5. The Cool Out (US 12” B-side of The Call Up)
6. This Is Radio Clash (A-side)
7. This Is Radio Clash (B-side 7” – different lyrics)
8. First Night Back In London (B-side Know Your Rights)
9. Rock The Casbah (Bob Clearmountain 12” mix)
10. Long Time Jerk (B-side Rock The Casbah)
11. The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too (Outtake)
12. Idle In Kangaroo Court (Outtake listed as Kill Time)
13. Ghetto Defendant (Extended version – unedited)
14. Cool Confusion (B-side Should I Stay Or Should I Go 7”)
15. Sean Flynn (Extended ‘Marcus Music’ version)
16. Straight To Hell (Extended unedited version from Clash On Broadway)
CD 11 Sound System Extras 3 Extracts from The Clash’s first ever recording session at Beaconsfield Film School 1976. Recorded by Julien Temple
1. I’m So Bored With The USA
2. London’s Burning
3. White Riot
4. 1977
Polydor Demos – The Clash’s second recording session January 1977
Produced by Guy Stevens
5. Janie Jones
6. Career Opportunities
7. London’s Burning
8. 1977
9. White Riot
Live at The Lyceum, London 28th December 1979
10. City Of The Dead
11. Jail Guitar Doors
12. English Civil War
13. Stay Free
14. Cheapstakes
15. I Fought The Law
Bonus DVD
Julien Temple Archive – 6:20
White Riot Interview – 7:10
Promo and interviews with Tony Parsons
1977 1:87
White Riot 1:48
London’s Burning 2:05
Sussex University 1977
I’m So Bored With The USA 2:14
Hate & War 1:94
Career Opportunities 1:42
Remote Control 2:73
Don Letts Super 8 Medley 11:40
White Riot 1:52
Janie Jones 1:73
City of the Dead 2:04
Clash City Rockers 2:15
White Man in Hammersmith Palais 2:53
1977 1:41
Clash On Broadway – 19:50
London Calling
This Is Radio Clash
The Magnificent Seven
Guns Of Brixton
Safe European Home
Promo Videos
Tommy Gun 3:00
London Calling 3:20
Bankrobber 4:00
Clampdown (Live) 5:00
Train In Vain (Live) 2:10
The Call Up 3:10
Rock The Casbah 3:20
Should I Stay Or Should I Go (Live at Shea Stadium) 2:50
Career Opportunities (Live at Shea Stadium) 3:00

My Thoughts:

Well, in some ways this of course is better than the 'Hits Back' album above. But, (yes I know, I have too many "but's") there's still a lot of material that has already been released previously. The singles, A and B-sides came out in the excellent 'The Singles Box' in 2006. CD11and the DVD actually look like the ones to have. A few things have been available on bootlegs for awhile like The Polydor Sessions ('If Music Could Talk -Volume 1') and The Lyceum Show (Soundboard Bootleg) and so it's probably good seeing them finally on an official release. The live footage on the DVD sounds most interesting especially the 'Sussex University' and 'Don Letts' footage.
It's still a lot of money though, even with the little goodies of Poster, magazines thrown in.

This has to be the final word in repackaging The Clash though (somethings tells me that the remastered albums might end up being released individually!).

Sunday 19 May 2013

Jars of Clay in Glasgow 22nd May 2013




Very, very excited as on Wednesday me and my good lady are off to Glasgow to see Jars of Clay play their first ever show in the City. Last time we saw them in concert was a long time ago (2002) at AtlantaFest (AtlantaFest photos below - Angie Westin).


What was real special about their performance that night headlining the opening day of AtlantaFest was that they had recently released one of their best ever albums in 'The Eleventh Hour' and some of those songs were just amazing live.

Fly.
Flood


Since the release of 'The Eleventh Hour' they have released some cracking music. In 2003 they released 'Who We Are Instead' that included two great singles: 'Sunny Days' and 'Show You Love'. Also on the album was the excellent 'Amazing Grace'.

They followed up with a great collection called 'Redemption Songs' that included originals like 'God Will Lift Up Your Head', and cover versions like 'Nothing But The Blood' with The Blind Boys of Alabama.

In 2006 they released 'Good Monsters' and again it was an album packed with wonderful songs: 'Oh My God', 'Good Monsters', 'Work', 'Dead Man (Carry Me)', 'There Is A River', and not forgetting their excellent cover version of Julie Miller's 'All My Tears'.

'Long Fall Back To Earth' came three years later and that includes two of their finest songs to date: 'Closer' and 'Two Hands'.

'Shelter' came next in 2010 and that's a pretty interesting album as it's mostly collaborations with other artists like Brandon Heath ('Small Rebellions'), Gungor ('We Will Follow'), Mac Powell ('Eyes Wide Open'), TobyMac ('Shelter'), David Crowder ('Lay It Down'), Sara Groves ('Love Will Find Us') and Amy Grant ('Benediction') to name but a few.


In August they will hopefully be releasing a brand new album entitled 'Inland'. Maybe at the show we might get the chance to hear some of the new songs from it.



Friday 17 May 2013

Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball Tour - Herning, Denmark 16th May 2013


Under three hours in Herning but a few choice requests were played.

When links become available I'll add them.


Setlist:
Long Walk Home/My Love Will Not Let You Down
The Ties That Bind
We Take Care of Our Own
Out in the Street
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown
Hungry Heart/Tougher Than the Rest - Request
Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street? - Request
For You (Full Band) - Request
I WISH I WERE BLIND (solo acoustic) - Request
The River
Prove It All Night ('78 Intro)
Murder Incorporated
Johnny 99
Open All Night
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Rising
Badlands
Land of Hope and Dreams
* * *
Born in the U.S.A.
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Ramrod
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out

Thursday 16 May 2013

Jelly - Troubadour, Wizard, The Queen And The Machine - May 2013

(Album Artwork by Vera Wild. Picture by Cristina Rossi)

(photo byAshlinn Nash from the Jelly Facebook Page)

4. The Note
7. Maybe I'm Stupid
8. Hush Now
9. Alice In Paris

(photo byAshlinn Nash from the Jelly Facebook Page)

From their Facebook Page - What Jelly Want You To Know About Them:

Passionate tunes, sinister undertones and a pop punk sensibility infused with a hint of the troubador.

A one off advertisement sent from Switzerland, fused with a once only look at the classified ads….
The synchronicity of these events put Mickey Howard (guitar), Stevie Bray (vocals/drums) and Vera Wild (bass) into the same frame for the first time– all from ex name bands and all hungry to get playing live. The three made an excellent writing team and with Stevie naturally falling into the roll as front man and vocalist, the bands needs now shifted to drummer hunting. Having known of Martin Drees for a while, he was invited for a jam and hasn’t gone home since. 

What I Want You To Know About Jelly!
London based band Jelly can count themselves most fortunate that their individual paths crossed and they hooked up with each other with the common goal of making great music!

Now, this is what you call a debut album! Eleven slices of superb rock and roll that hopefully will give them a platform to better things. Musically it is very tight, with some classy guitar moments from Mickey Howard, and a vocalist in Stevie Bray who reminds me of a cross between Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople with a Pete Shelly (Buzzcocks) sensitivity. Martin Drees provides the backbeat that puts the songs in your face.

I should mention as well that they have a pretty tidy looking bassist in Vera Wild (she can play and sing as well and is not just eye candy for the punters!). Vera's presence is obviously a lesson the band took from one of their influences The Smashing Pumpkins!

For Information on how to get 'Troubadour, Wizard, The Queen And The Machine' Click Here to Go To Jelly's Facebook Page.

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Rewind: 14th May 1982 - The Release of Combat Rock - The Clash


May 14th 1982 was the release date for the fifth studio album from The Clash (and the last to feature Topper Headon and Mick Jones).

On release it entered tha album charts in the UK at number 2 and spent 23 weeks in the chart. In the US it peaked at number 7 and spent 61 weeks on the chart. It is by far the biggest selling album by The Clash.

Originally slated to be a double album entitled 'Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg' (see below), that plan was thwarted when Mick Jones' mix of the album was rejected by fellow band members. Glyn Johns was brought in to sort out the mess and it was eventually released as a single album containing 12 tracks and not the 18 (or 16 depending on what copy of the Bootleg you own) that were part of the 'Fort Bragg' mixes. 

Prior to the release of the album Topper was asked to leave the band due to his drug addiction that that was not only harming himself but the band also. Terry Chimes stepped in for the live dates that were to follow. Topper's departure seemingly caused a lot more friction between Joe and Mick. One of Topper's last brilliant contributions to the band was 'Rock the Casbah' on which he not only plays drums but also the bass and piano that are heard on the record. 'Casbah' would be a massive hit for The Clash in the USA reaching number 8 on the chart (though it only reached number 30 in the UK). The Clash would play support to The Who on dates of their US tour and the show from Shea Stadium was released in 2008.


Terry Chimes would eventually leave the band in 1983 fed up with all the infighting and Pete Howard would replace him for the final show that Mick Jones ever played with the band on May 28th 1983 at the US Festival in San Bernardino, California.

Tracklist
Side One

Side Two

 Playlist for Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg. Two tracks are missing from it ('Overpowered by Funk' and 'Inoculated City')

Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg track list

  1. "The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too" – 3:45
  2. "Kill Time" – 4:58
  3. "Should I Stay or Should I Go" – 3:05
  4. "Rock the Casbah" – 3:47
  5. "Know Your Rights" (extended version) – 5:04
  6. "Red Angel Dragnet" – 6:12
  7. "Ghetto Defendant" – 6:17
  8. "Sean Flynn" – 7:30
  9. "Car Jamming" – 3:53
  10. "Inoculated City" – 4:32
  11. "Death Is a Star" – 2:39
  12. "Walk Evil Talk" – 7:37
  13. "Atom Tan" – 2:45
  14. "Overpowered by Funk" (demo) – 1:59
  15. "Inoculated City" (unedited version) – 2:30
  16. "First Night Back in London" – 2:56
  17. "Cool Confusion" – 3:10
  18. "Straight to Hell" (extended version) – 6:56

Remember Those Brickfield Nights...The Matt Dangerfield Interview




A while back I posted an interview with Honest John Plain, guitarist, songwriter and vocalist of The Boys, and now I'm really pleased to get the opportunity to chat with the "Quietest" Frontman of The Boys - Matt Dangerfield - Guitar, Vocalist, Songwriter and Producer.





S4L: The Boys have a good legacy, having formed around the time of the growing Punk  movement in the late 1970's and born out of The Hollywood Brats and London SS,  was that a really good time to be starting a band, especially as there were so  many bands that were exploding onto the scene around the same time?

Matt: It was certainly a brilliant time to be starting a punk band if not a great time to be starting any other kind of band because almost overnight everything else became unfashionable. After the Bill Grundy show it was like a cultural atom bomb had been dropped on the UK and also a rare occasion when the music business was turned on its head. The early punk bands had the upper hand because although they didn’t understand what was going on, every record company was suddenly desperate to sign a punk band and there weren’t that many of us to begin with. And it wasn’t just the bands who benefited because the media from all over the world was beating a path to London – I remember punk friends charging foreign photographers fifty pounds a go to photograph them on the Kings Road and at the Roxy. 




S4L: The Boys live debut was in 1976 at the famous Hope and Anchor in Islington, do  you have any memories of that night and what you were thinking and feeling  prior to hitting the stage? Since then of course you have played loads of  shows and even today are still performing concerts. Does it give you a sense  of satisfaction that all these years down the road that the music that you put  out 35 years ago is still loved?

Matt: I remember it well. I don’t remember being particularly nervous, just relieved that we were finally getting to play our first gig after months of songwriting and rehearsing. From that point on we were constantly honing our set and continually adding the new songs that Cas and myself were writing on an almost daily basis. Within a few months we’d gone from being told by venues that we were the worst band that they had ever booked, to having the same venues desperate to have us back.
It does please me a lot that the music we made still resounds with those who heard it the first time around but even more so when it’s younger fans who weren’t even born at the time that are picking up on it. The fact is that worldwide there are infinitely more punk fans and bands today and a much bigger market for the music than there was in the seventies and that pleases me too.



S4L:   Mentioning the the first album and it's age, you've just recently reissued  that and Alternative Chartbusters. Are you excitited to seem them available  again, especially with some of the great bonus material on each set? There's  so many great songs on each of the albums, were you frustrated that because of  your label NEMS that you didn't get the chance to get your music more widely  heard?

Matt: I’m mostly pleased that both albums have now been properly remastered and sound as good, if not better, than the original vinyl releases. They have been released on CD in the past but I personally can’t listen to those because they usually sound so awful – so over compressed they’ve had all the dynamics sucked out of them. We were cheesed off with NEMS at the time, but to their credit they did eventually let us go, which they didn’t have to if they’d really wanted to be difficult. Looking back I think they meant well but were just unprepared and incompetent and they lost out as much as we did.



S4L:   Besides the albums you actually released a cracking bunch of singles as well.  What ones stand out for you? I personally love 'Brickfield Nights', it was a  record that seemed to sum up the life that me and my friends were having at  the time and I love the fact that when I hear that opening drumbeat that I am  transported back almost to my teens. Do you think a lot of modern music has  lost that ability to connect with its listeners in that kind of way and  therefore is actually quite disposable? When you were writing them did you  have a sense that they would breed such a connection or were they written  primarily as an extension of what was going on in your own lives at the  time?

Matt: I’m sure modern music connects with it’s target audience. It just disappoints me that kids today are generally so un-rebellious and willingly buy into whatever big business tells them is ‘cool’. In the seventies young people just laughed at any advertising that tried to engage them, now they swallow it whole. Speaking for myself, I think most of the songs I’ve written and still write are based on my own experiences and what appeals to or concerns me at the moment. If it resonates with other people, that’s a bonus.



S4L:   On June 22nd you've got a big reissues launch show at The Borderline in  London, do you have a lot of preparation for a show like that? Do you as a  band collectively come up with the set you play that night? Will it be a  combination of both albums?

Matt: We are geographically all over the place these days so there’s little possibility for preparation. We generally only have an acoustic run through before the gig to remind us of the arrangements etc. and that will be the same for the Borderline show. We are currently discussing the idea of doing a special set for that gig that includes only songs from the first two albums, which I think will probably happen. There will no doubt be a few cock-ups doing stuff we haven’t played for years but it will be fun.




S4L:   All of you have been involved in projects other than The Boys down through the  years, whether it be solo or side bands, do you think that has helped keep The  Boys sharp and helped you create new music - I believe there is a new album on  the way at some point?
 

Matt: Yes a brand new Boys album is close to completion. We’ve been recording it in France a few songs at a time over the last year, as we needed to fit it in between our individual commitments but it’s coming along very nicely. We’ve all moved in slightly different musical directions over the years but when we got together on this project it immediately started sounding exactly like The Boys of old, which we’re pleased about. We’ll be finishing it over the summer and hope to release it later this year. 

S4L:   Who inspired you, Matt Dangerfield to get into music in the first place? Could  you ever have imagined that you'd still be playing and singing all these years  down the road with great musicians and songwriters like Casino and Honest  John? Any wisdom you can impart to any youngsters who are starting up bands  today that you picked up on your own musical journey?

Matt: I grew up in the sixties, when there was such a fantastic explosion of new music constantly going in new directions, and just about all those bands were a huge influence. From about the age of 13 my ambition was to be in a band and make music so I’m enormously grateful that I was given the privilege to do that. My only advice to would-be musicians is stick to your guns, stay true to what inspired you in the first place and try to find your own direction rather than follow someone else’s. 

S4L:  One of the things it's nice to discover is what music has been a part of your  own musical journey and still today forms part of your soundtrack4life, so  could you name half a dozen albums, singles or songs that you feel have  somehow shaped you into the musician and person you are today?

Matt: Half a dozen is not nearly enough but the albums I will never tire of listening to:  

“Highway 61 Revisited” - Bob Dylan 
“Revolver” - The Beatles 
 “Otis Blue” - Otis Redding
“Velvet Underground & Nico”- Velvet Underground 
“SF Sorrow” - The Pretty Things
"Hunky Dory" - David Bowie



S4L: Many  thanks for your time Matt, it's much appreciated. Wish you well for future  days and very excited at the prospect of a new Boys album. Take care.

Matt: Thanks Doug, the pleasure is all mine.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE BOYS CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE AND THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE.
 
To celebrate the definitive re-releases of The Boys’ first two albums – "The Boys" and "Alternative Chartbusters", featuring previously unreleased bonus recordings, track notes by singer/guitarist Matt Dangerfield and sleeve notes by Mojo’s Dave Henderson – THE BOYS will play a one-off gig at The Borderline in London on Saturday 22 June 2013.
 

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