I am well aware that Rhian Daly has already covered Reading Festival in her roundup, excellently so, i must add and if you haven't already, check it out! But i noticed that a lot of the bands that i went to see, she didn't, so unafraid of writing a far less impressive version of events than Rhian, I've done my own. Hope you enjoy it.

Ignoring the fact that you are stuck in a dirty, boggy field, surrounded by masses of beer and cider cans and various other rubbish, constantly smelling of your own filth and the fire from the blokes camping next to you, suffering from severe sleep deprivation, surrounded at best by complete idiots and at worst complete (enter expletive) there's not many places in the world where you can have a more fun weekend, than Reading festival if you ask me.

If you didn't go, you are probably quite sensible, but no doubt you'll want to know which bands were good, which were bad and which were Rage Against the Machine. That's where I come in. arriving on the Wednesday in order to allow my brother to get a weekend ticket, we are greeted by the sight of around 2000 people all queuing up, for access to one ticket booth. That's half the fun of reading though, queuing next to smelly obnoxious people, for reasons you aren't quite sure of. Nevertheless he's one of the lucky ones, and after about 3 hours queuing he is in, and the weekend can begin. I get my nose pierced in one of the tents on-site. Not the best idea when you are basically sleeping on farmland, but it's still in now, and my nose hasn't decayed, so it worked out ok, and I didn't cry. Anyway, to the bands.

FRIDAY

The clichéd major label punk stylings of Anti-Flag kick off the proceedings, and despite fairly tedious rants that manage to establish nothing that we don't already know- yes George Bush is a bit of an idiot, and yes peace is, generally, a good thing- they do manage to be quite good fun. Sure they're not covering any new ground, but they mean well, and they aren't a bad way to wake up in preparation for the rest of the day. Next up, over on the Lockup Stage is Blackhole. Having not heard a lot of them beyond the odd track from their EP before today, they come across as a promising prospect. Resembling, somewhat inevitably Gallows (the front man is Frank & Steph Carters brother) they put on a high octane show, that's pretty good to watch. By the time Frank joins his younger brother on stage, Blackhole have already won themselves a fair few new fans. They are certainly one to watch out for, unpretentious, loud and fast hardcore that's powerful live.

Time for a bit of unabashed nostalgia over on the mainstage, with Taking Back Sunday playing to a group of 18+ kids, acting as though they are 14 again. The sound for this is quite honestly atrocious, and it's hard to pick out much beyond the drums and bass, and this is within the inner circle, at the centre. Nevertheless its great to see and songs like ‘Cute Without the E' reduce the crowd into whiney idiots, screaming along. It's just a shame the sound was so bad. No such problems seem to exist for Dizzee Rascal who whips the crowd up into a cacophonous frenzy, with a 45 minute set full with hits and singles from each of his three efforts. ‘Sirens' causes many white kids more at home listening to the Fratellis to, in Dizzee's words ‘bounce'. However it's clear there remains a fair amount of confusion, as moshing takes place among those doing gun signs. This man knows how to work a crowd, and without doubt, yet again produces one of the best and most enjoyable sets of the weekend.

Back to the Lockup stage for NYHC legends H2O, who are back touring after almost a decade away.  Lots of tracks off this years ‘Nothing to Prove' get an airing here, along with older classics such as ‘Thicker than water'. Highlight is ‘What Happened?' without doubt one of the best songs I've heard all year. It's good to have them back.

Over on the mainstage Biffy Clyro continue their Reading festival trend of playing to bigger crowds each year. Whilst some (many) purists may claim they peaked several years before they released the stuff that makes up much of their set list today- set closer ‘57' is the only pre-‘Puzzle' song played- there aren't many bands writing radio friendly alternative tunes that can compete with Biffy right now. Following them, but over on the Lockup stage I go to investigate Tiger Army. Dubbed as pyschobilly, there's little here to interest me, they sound pretty generic, and do little to capture my attention or make any real impression.

At the NME/Radio 1 stage, MGMT pack the tent to the brim. Whilst it often may seem that there's two bands on evidence here, one capable of indie-pop gems such as ‘Kids', ‘Electric Feel' and ‘Time to Pretend' and the other, more self indulgent band immersed in psychedelia and LSD, this set has more than enough to keep most captivated. The album tracks aren't quite up to the standard of the aforementioned songs, but its an impressive performance nevertheless, capping off a great year for MGMT. Late of the Pier also pack out their tent, although it's the smaller Festival Republic stage (formerly the Carling Tent, and before that The New Bands tent). The crowd here also leave satisfied, with every song wonderfully catchy, in an unconventional way. Oh, and the bassist has a dressing gown on, the singer is wearing some pyjamas and the keyboard player some sort of wizard gown, and seems to have invented a new form of dance in between playing. I've forgotten what the drummer was wearing. This is a great performance regardless of stage attired, one that is high on energy and a lot of fun.

Back to the Lockup for some legendary skate(sk8) punk, in the form of Pennywise. Whilst it seems apparent that the bands heyday has been and gone, and despite the fact that the majority of the crowd probably should know better, it's still an enjoyable performance, not only for nostalgias sake.

All this leads up to Rage against the Machine. Such is the hype surrounding tonight's set; it was always going to be difficult to live up to it. For much of the crowd this is the first time seeing a band that they grew up with, and for such a formative band to be playing a massive festival like this, it's a big deal. Hence why it is important that they don't suck. And they don't, almost sounding as fresh as they did ‘back in the day' regardless of questionable motives, and the faint stench of hypocrisy. It's impossible not to get excited as the air raid sirens sound, and the band appear on stage dressed in Guantanamo bay outfits. Rage clearly have not mellowed with age, de la Rocha still sounds like he's really, really pissed off, even if it is in a champagne socialist way. Bursting into ‘Bombtrack' it's clear they are not going to disappoint. Questions about the sound level cannot spoil this performance, and hearing 100,000 people in a field chanting ‘Fuck you I won't do what you tell me' is something that cannot fail to have impact.  They're tight as anything, and whilst not quite as edgy as they once were, given that any two bit ‘alternative rock' band around today seems to have an opinion on how things should be run, they give the fans exactly what they want. You can almost pretend Audioslave never happened. Almost. An amazing performance to bring the first day to a close.

Come back tomorrow for the next gripping installment!

Jack Pitt

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For the third straight week, American rising pop-star Katy Perry ruled this week's UK Singles Charts with her worldwide smash anthem "I Kissed A Girl". She beat the Script which were number 1 in the UK Albums Charts for the second week. 

Kid Rock slips to third with "All Summer Long" while current US #1 Rihanna ascends to the #4 spot with "Disturbia".

Highest entry in the charts came from Scottish rock trio Biffy Clyro with "Mountains" which debuted at #10. Up and coming rock band The Automatic enters at #16 while Australian prodigy Gabriella Cilmi climbs to 33 from 91 with "Save The Lies (Good To Me)".

Meanwhile in the albums chart, The Script dominated the bunch with their debut album for the second week in a row while Abba and Duffy remained at 2 and 3 respectively.

SINGLES:

1. (1) Katy Perry: 'I Kissed A Girl'
2. (3) The Script: 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved'
3. (2) Kid Rock: 'All Summer Long'
4. (6) Rihanna: 'Disturbia'
5. (7) Madcon: 'Beggin'
6. (5) Dizzee Rascal ft. Calvin Harris: 'Dance Wiv Me'
7. (4) The Verve: 'Love Is Noise'
8. (9) Noah & The Whale: '5 Years Time'
9. (8) Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown: 'No Air'
10. (-) Biffy Clyro: 'Mountains'

ALBUMS:

1. (1) The Script: 'The Script'
2. (2) 'Abba: Gold - Greatest Hits'
3. (3) Duffy: 'Rockferry'
4. (4) Coldplay: 'Viva La Vida'
5. (-) Monkey: 'Journey To The West'
6. (6) Kid Rock: 'Rock N Roll Jesus'
7. (5) Noah & The Whale: 'Peaceful The World Lays Me Down'
8. (10) Rihanna: 'Good Girl Gone Bad'
9. (7) Jane McDonald: 'Jane'
10. (15) Scouting For Girls: 'Scouting For Girls'

complete the charts HERE.

Which of the witches do you belong? The one with the eyepatch? Forms and dates. I am reduced to numbers, not so random in proportion to who I am, although relatively obscure in the grand scheme of things. A collection of numbers may serve me better in the lottery.

・Band Of Horsesがふつうのバンドだったのが残念。
・The Verve思ったほど感情的にぐわっとはこなかったんだけど良いもの観れました。
・夜のModular！ The SoftLightesファンタスティック！
・Silversun Pickups、melatoninやらなかったのは残念だけどライブ良かった。
・Biffy Clyroの新曲mountains、ライブだとさらにかっこよかった。
・ずっと待ってただけのことはあった、期待以上のすばらしパフォーマンス。Mute Math！

ほかよかったの
Los Campesinos! / Yelle / Vampire Weekend / Super Furry Animals / Pendulum / MEG / Spiritualized / JAMC / Coldplayとかとか。

デスキャブは、ですね。駆け足なライブとか選曲とか、最高！大満足！とはまではいかなかったけど、なにより3年前と比べてお客さんの反応がとても良くなっていて、「ああ、ここまで受け入れられたんだなあ…」なんて自分のことのようにうれしくおもっていました。なのでよし。
大阪はi will follow you into the darkやったみたいで。いいなあああ

Death Cab for Cutie @ summer sonic 08 - 8.9 tokyo sonic stage

01. Bixby Canyon Bridge
02. The New Year
03. Why You'd Want To Live Here
04. Crooked Teeth
05. Long Division
06. Title And Registration
07. I Will Possess Your Heart
08. Cath…
09. Soul Meets Body
10. The Sound Of Settling
11. Transatlanticism

1. My Chemical Romance - I Don't Love You
2. Death cab for cutie - I will follow you into the dark
3. Tom Petty - Saving Grace
4. Biffy Clyro - Who's Got A Match ?
5. Radiohead - Creep
6. Travka - Corabia nebunilor
7. Kid Rock - All Summer Long
8. Beck - Loser
9. Slipknot - Psychosocial
10. Serj Tankian - Sky Is Over

Cele mai ascultate melodii de saptamana asta. Intradevar, uneori sunt un om al extremelor. Enjoy !

[Nacional: recipients of August's single of the month award. But there is no award... more like an accolade actually.]

Punk is all the rage - on the evidence of the first two singles this month anyway. The King Blues are a London act who project a renagade, guerilla-gigging image. Let's Hang The Landlord (*, 4 Aug), however, is just punk caricature, with its talk of scratching tattoos with safety pins and living in a squat "forever without a care". The Vivians may owe their image to the Sex Pistols - and they have moved to London - but at least the Edinburgh band don't truly believe it's 1977. A Human Angle (**, Out Now) is a bit of a disappointment of a debut single though: as tight as their skinny jeans, but oddly generic for such an act.

Talking of generic rock, Biffy Clyro just can't hold back the plastic these days. No sooner have they turned their attentions from last year's Puzzle than they're flooding HMV again with free-standing single Mountains (**, 25 Aug). "I am a mountain, I am a sea," sings Simon Neil. Huh, never would have guessed it to look at you. The schlock don't stop with Feeder. They are one band who've happily lost any punk muscle under a layer of soft rock puppy fat. Tracing Lines (*, 11 Aug) is another stultifying slice of meh. How do they get away with it? If you want a more authentic serving of the dark stuff, look no further than Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Midnight Man (***, Out Now) is another late-night, organ-soaked shadow play, but not one of the moustachioed one's finest moments.

It's time to leave the badasses behind and step into the sunny glare of upbeat indie-pop. Sussex-based duo Les Valentine are a good place to start in this respect, but Nervous (**, 18 Aug) is like sub-standard Turin Brakes. And who remembers them? Maybe the same folks who remember Delays' debut album Faded Seaside Glamour, which promised much from this Southampton band. But Keep It Simple (**, 11 Aug) does exactly what it says on the sleeve: basic, easy-listening guitar pop. Red Light Company don't fare much better. Meccano (**, 11 Aug) is more rainy day rock than knobbly-kneed beach pop, but it merely takes the component parts of bands like Editors and British Sea Power and fails to add anything new. So can ex-Bluetones man Mark Morriss brighten up this Scottish summer of a singles round-up? He does at least provide sunny intervals with Lay Low (***, 11 Aug), a homely country-rocker that builds to a string-laden climax.

No sooner do we get the rays than some diva's reaching for her Gucci shades. Lights Out (***, 4 Aug), the latest offering from Brooklyn's polymorphous popster Santogold, is another case of album track posing as single: a hummable melody but ultimately unexciting. By now we're usually into four-star territory, so why  do The Parlotones choose this moment to stick their oar in? They got a solitary star back in February and that's all they're getting now, with Here Comes The Man (*, 18 Aug). Say no more: it's just bad. On cue, Nacional come to the rescue of a damp squib month with Telephone (****, 4 Aug). The latest signing to the Art/Goes/Pop label (who've also supported Scottish up-and-comers Popup, Isosceles and The Low Miffs) could do with the full producer treatment, but the raw ingredients are there for a great band - and single of the month.

Vimos a Pete and the Pirates, The Kooks, The Breeders, Facto Delafé y las flores azules. Mención a parte los divertidisimos Los campesinos! Pero si hubo un concierto que sobresalió por encima de todos fue el de Biffy Clyro.

¿Como es posible que una guitarra, una bateria y un bajo, tres tios sobre un escenario, nos dieran una descarga de rock de tan alto voltaje? Estabamos en primera fila, y desde la primera canción hasta la última los Biffy Clyro se avalanzaron sobre los acordes como auténticas bestias humanas. Excelentes melodías y letras, un sonido grunge muy conseguido, con una perfecta afinación en el directo. Impresionante la actuación del guitarrista, un auténtico héroe épico sobre el escenario. Sinceramente impresionante. No los conocía y ahora soy un seguidor fiel.

By Alexander Lawrie

Scottish bands who performed at this year’s T in the Park have seen their CD sales rocket – with The Fratellis leading the way with an amazing 157 per cent increase over the past week.

HMV have said copies of the Glaswegian rockers album ‘Here We Stand’ are flying off the shelves after their successful festival appearance last weekend.

Kilmarnock outfit Biffy Clyro have also seen a spin off from Scotland’s largest music extravaganza with sales of their album ‘Puzzle’ up a whopping 58 per cent.

And KT Tunstall’s ‘Drastic Fantastic’ CD has seen a 45 per cent rise since her acclaimed performance on the festival’s opening night.

Dave McGeachan of T in the Park promoters, DF Concerts, said: “It’s great to see that the weekend’s performances at T in the Park have had such a fantastic effect on music sales for the artists concerned.

“Biffy Clyro, KT Tunstall and The Fratellis are an example of the terrific talent Scotland has to offer and their live sets to huge crowds at T in the Park were phenomenal.”

But it’s not just Scots bands that have benefited from this year’s festival.

Sales of New York electro duo MGMT’s album ‘Oracular Spectacular’ have risen an incredible 135 per cent on the back of their appearance.

English popsters The Ting Tings have experienced an 85 per cent hike in copies of their No 1 debut album, ‘We Started Nothing’.

And controversial chanteuse Amy Winehouse benefited from her performance north of the border as sales of her soulful ‘Back to Black’ increased by 37 per cent.

Following an increase in television and radio coverage, HMV has seen music sales rise dramatically on the back of the various summer festivals over the past couple of years.

A number of artists who saw a pick up in current album sales are thought to have enjoyed even greater success if they had new material available to purchase. 

The Chemical Brothers saw their ‘Singles Collection 1993-2003’ rocket up by 95 per cent the week after their amazing performance at the festival.

An HMV spokesman said: “With the profile it now enjoys, T in The Park ranks alongside the likes of Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds as a premier-tier festival, and its impact on artist sales - Scottish as well as British and international - is becoming increasingly significant.”

Damn, Mickey Mouse is going through some dark shit.

"Glitter and Trauma" opens this affair with a pulsing industrial/techno beat, but the song doesn't come alive until a minute has passed, when the drums kick in hard with a spidery guitar piece. This is then consumed by a firestorm of heavier guitar, which vanishes just as quick for a precise, sharp post-punk section, with the vocals. Infinity Land just cannot stand still. 'You are the human strobe light.' The whole thing is propelled by nervous energy without the uncoordinated messiness that most similar such undertakings tend toward. It is not math-rock, but it moves with mathematical balance.

Upon first listen, I was a bit knocked back by the emo aspects, but upon subsequent listens they more or less vanish. There are some shouty bits that feel excessive (especially "Strung to Your Ribcage" and "Only One Word Comes to Mind" and "There's No Such Thing as a Jaggy Snake"), but mostly they work in a bit more subtlety although undeniably epic and urgent. The trading off between guitar and vocals on "My Recovery Injection" is a highlight of the album (and gets a lot of character out of the brief surfacing of their accents).

Infinity Land is a dark and unhappy album, all its energy a howl in the wasteland, frustration but not defeat. "Wave Upon Wave Upon Wave" earns its title with the powerful, climbing thrust of the guitars while the lyrics ask again and again 'why bother?' All this exhausting power in service of negativity can wear you out after a while, but one can't blame them for adherence to theme and dedication.

68% => ***1/2

These English boys have a great thing going on here. One thing that will impress is the catchy melodies, the well played guitar riffs and the amazing range that Dave has in his singing voice. They're hardworking and they sure as hell know where they wanna get to- enjoy the interview:

How did you come up with the name?
The song is called 'The World on fire' and its from the album American Prayer by Jim morrison. (the 1995 re-release, it wasn't on the original i don't think)
We had a lock in in our studio and we wasn't allowed to leave til we had a band name. in the end we just stole this title cos it sounds quite cool and its a bit of a hommage to Jim Morrison who might not obviously influence our sound but does personify Rock n Roll.
which is nice.

Tell me a little about yourselves?
Dave Walsh - Vocals
Joe Lazarus - Drums
Bill Ginn - Guitar
Haaris Ali - Guitar
Dell Car-Rickwood - Bass.
Well we are all from the same town, called Harlow.
Everyone in the band except Joe the drummer have known eachother pretty much from school, and are all 24 years old.
The band formed in 2000 but Joe was recruited later on in 2003, he is 20.

What did you guys do before the group started?
All of the band, except Joe have been in various bands before The Worldonfire, trying to get a line up that stuck, and eventually it all came together, then Joe joined and was the last piece of the puzzle as such.

How did you start out/ was it hard?
It was hard to get gigs and get a steady following but as time went on we started to gain more and more fans and impress more audiences and we started venturing around the UK. We release our Debut album on our own label (Live To Tell The Tale) in 2007 and after that we got more interest up and down the UK, playing bigger venues every time round.

Any big plans for the near future?Well we are half way through recording our 2nd Album, we are due to finish it in the summer and we are going to be looking to get that released on a bigger, more established record label, enabling us to play bigger venues and play with more established bands.
We have supported bands with the likes of : Biffy Clyro, Oceansize, Million Dead, The Subways.

--Random questions--
What song have you been listening to most in the past few weeks?
The Frame by Oceansize, that whole album (Frames) is out of this world!

What one materialistic thing can you not live without?
Our Van :) its a beauty

Does being in a band help in picking up girls/boys?
We wouldn't really know as we all have girlfriends :) you would have to ask Haaris as he is the only single one.

Have fun listening to some great musicalities.

Links:
The Worldonfire Myspace

It's like the Foo Fighters never died. Oh wait...

• 1) Du sollst deinen Müll anzünden
• 2) Nachdem Securities deinen Müll gelöscht haben - Zünde ihn erneut an
• 3) Du sollst am letzten Tage eine Dixie-Toilette umstürzen
• 4) Du sollst deinen Pavillon abbauen - indem du ihn zerstörst und über den halben Platz verteilst.
• 5) ...

... und noch viel mehr. Ich kann ja verstehen, dass man am letzten Tag nochmal etwas Spaß haben will, und ich finde es ja toll, wenn (wie bei uns geschehen) man mit dem Müll, bevor man ihm seinem endgültigen Schicksal im schwarzen Müllsack übergibt, noch einmal eine  ausgelassene Percussion-Messe zelebriert. Aber ich kann es nicht verstehen, warum einige Festival-Besucher den letzten Tag nützen müssen, um nochmal all ihre assozialen Gelüste auszuleben. Ein bisschen mehr Menschenverstand und Anstand wäre da doch angebracht. Aber jetzt genügend gemeckert, ich widme mich wieder der Musik (von der es auch am Sonntag wieder jede Menge gab):

The Wombats (14:45 - 15:30, Blue Stage)

An die Wombats geht auf jeden Fall schon mal der Preis für das trolligste Bandlogo :) Auch entsprechend lustige (Girlie-)Shirts gab es von der Band im Merchandise-Shop. Nach dem guten Auftritt der Wombats sind danach bestimmt auch noch die letzten weggegangen. Die Band hat mir wirklich gefallen (zumal sie auch noch mit einem recht frühen Nachmittags-Zeitpunkt gehandicapt war). Mit Liedern wie "Backfire at the disco" und "Let's dance to joy division" haben sie auch um die Uhrzeit für Party gesorgt. Schön, das nächste mal später bitte!

The Subways (16:00 - 17:00, Blue Stage)

Und gleich nach The Wombats kamen The Subways - die nächste "The" Band (erinnert mich immer wieder an das geniale Sum 41 Video zu "Still Waiting" in der sie die "The"-Manie verarschen). Hier ging's auch gut ab - "Rock & Roll Queen" kannte ja eh dank der Video-Reklame das ganze Festival auswendig (der Text is' ja auch nicht der schwerste).  Der Sänger Billy hat sich ordentlich bemüht dem Publikum anzuheizen, während die Kamera-Männer immer wieder versucht haben der blonden Charlotte unter den Minirock zu filmen (tststs ^^). Am Ende hat dann noch der Schlagzeuger sein Instrument zerstört - Tolle Show, mit noch Potential nach oben.

Biffy Clyro (17:30 - 18:45, Zeltbühne)

Anschließend ging es in die schattige aber stickige Zeltbühne zu den Schotten von Biffy Clyro. Die wurden im Vorfeld auch noch einmal von den Wombats und den Subways empfohlen, standen aber auch schon so auf meiner Liste, da ich mir ihre Musik die letzte Zeit intensiv angehört hatte. Das Konzert war im Zelt von der Atmosphäre her sehr gut, ich hätte mir nur ein wenig mehr "Interaktion" zwischen Band und Publikum gewünscht. Ich mein, sie müssen ja nicht einen auf Entertainer machen, aber nur auf die eigenen Stromgitarren starren, die Haare als eisernen Vorhang vor das Gesicht hängen und gerade mal ein "Thank you" zu vermelden, wirkte dann auf mich doch irgendwie nach einem "hingeklatschten" und etwas unmotivierten Auftritt. Ich würde drauf wetten, dass die in Schottland anders abgehen. Egal - ich konnte das grandiose "Living is a problem because everything dies" live erleben und auch sonst waren Biffy Clyro musikalisch hervorragend. Gutes Konzert, aber mit etwas unmotivierter Band.

Kaiser Chiefs (18:00 - 19:15, Green Stage)

Nach Biffy Clyro konnte ich von recht weit hinten noch ein wenig von den Kaiser Chiefs sehen. Im Vorfeld hatte ich nicht viel Gutes über deren Live-Auftritte gehört und ich muss sagen, wirklich von den Socken gehauen hat es mich auch nicht. Der Funke springt irgendwie nicht so groß rüber auf das Publikum, wie ich es aus Indie-Discos sonst gewöhnt bin ("Every day I love you less and less" war einer der Kracher während meinem Erasmus-Jahr in Bilbao). Bonus Punkte gab's auf jeden Fall für den Sprint des Lead-Sängers zum Feuerwehrtruck. Die Energie hätte er aber lieber auf der Bühne abrufen sollen. Mäßig - bringen in der Disco mehr Stimmung.

Billy Talent (19:45 - 21:00, Green Stage)

Beim Southside vor zwei Jahren hab ich sie noch nicht gekannt - dann kennengelernt, und rauf und runtergehört (noch heute Platz 3 in meinem last.fm Profil)  und irgendwie auch satt gehört. Jetzt zwei Jahre später hatte ich erneut die Chance gehabt Billy Talent zu sehen - und alle Befürchtungen von wegen "ich hab mich satt gehört" sind schnell verflogen. Ein wirklich super Konzert mit einem Leadsänger Benjamin, der die besten Sprüche des Festivals losgelassen hat ("Feuer her!" statt Feuerwehr als er von den Fans Deutsch gelernt hat). Er ist das ganze Konzert mit seinen Stimmbändern wirklich nicht zimperlich umgegangen - krass. Bei den gespielten Liedern war alles wünschenswerte dabei, wobei das tolle "Pins and Needles" live leider nicht so toll rüberkam. Egal - Super Konzert, definitiv ein Highlight, wenn nicht sogar DAS Highlight des ganzen Southside 2008.

Maxïmo Park (21:00 - 22:00, Blue Stage)

Sitzend, mit müden Beinen und von etwas weiter weg haben wir uns dann Maxïmo Park angeschaut. Schien von weitem ein tolles Konzert gewesen zu sein - ärgerlich, dass die Füße nicht mehr mitgemacht haben. Vor zwei Jahren hatte ich sie nicht gesehen, weil gleichzeitig Manu Chao spielte. Nächstes mal, wenn Beine wieder fit, ein Pflichttermin!

Foo Fighters (22 - 23:30, Green Stage)

Als Abschluss des Festivals gab es dann noch die Foo Fighters. Wieder so ein Headliner, der von vielen schon heiß erwartet wurde, und von dem ich nur ein zwei Lieder kannte (z.B. "Learn to fly"). Dementsprechend (müde Beine bedingt) unmotiviert bin ich in das Konzert hineingegangen und dann auch schon früher wieder hinaus. Die Musik war zwar auf den ersten Eindruck ganz vielversprechend, aber ich hab dann doch lieber meine früher abreisenden Freunde noch ein paar Meter begleitet und noch den letzten Festival-Abend in unserem Pavillon-Heim ausklingen lassen. "Gesehen und abgehakt" - dabei sein war alles! Wohl gutes Konzert, mit den Foo Fighters muss ich mich aber erst noch anfreunden.

So - Schön war's! Ein echt tolles Festival, mit super Konzerten und vielen netten Leuten, genialem Wetter (fast zu heiß) und einem Haufen schöner Erlebnisse, die mir gut in Erinnerung bleiben werden :)

Und das soll's dann auch schon für's erste mit meinem Southside-Bericht gewesen sein. Wenn ihr noch mehr Nachberichte über das Festival lesen wollt, werdet ihr bei andisblog bestimmt fündig.

... aber aus gegebenem Anlass ziehe ich mal den Punkt M von untenstehendem Artikel vor... . ;-))

K
Kalorien, die:
a) Scheinbar die neue Ersatzdroge von Dave Wyndorf. Auch wenn der Gute jetzt einen deutlich größeren Schatten wirft, war es schade, dass der Auftritt seiner Band Monster Magnet nur ein Schatten ihrer selbst war. Übrigens war Wyndorfs Leibesfülle letztlich auch Gesprächsthema Nr. 1 am Freitag. O-Ton: „Boah, ist Dave Wyndorf fett geworden.“
b) Führten sich die tapferen Camper vornehmlich durch Ravioli, Grillgut und Dosenbier zu.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Konzertbericht: HURRICANE FESTIVAL - 20.-22.06.2008, Scheeßel -

Das Festival-Highlight von A-Z ....

A
Alkohol, der: Gehört in Maßen durchaus zu einem gelungenen Festival dazu. Leider schien er für manche aber auch der einzige Beweggrund für den Hurricane-Besuch gewesen zu sein.

„Anyone Can Play Guitar“: Alter Radiohead-Gassenhauer, der am Festival-Wochenenden von ein paar Trunkenbolden, aber auch der ein oder anderen Band bestätigt wurde.

Ausverkauft: War das Festival in diesem Jahr. Bei näherer Betrachtung des Line-Ups auch wenig verwunderlich.

B
Beste Band der Welt, die: Auch wenn sich die Ärzte so nennen, halten viele Musikfans Radiohead für eben diese. Der Auftritt beim Hurricane sollte diesen Musikfans in die argumentativen Karten spielen. Viel Spektakel auf der Bühne und ein hervorragend aufgelegter Thom Yorke. Ein wahrlich würdiger Festival-Headliner.

Briten-Indie: The Enemy, The Wombats, The Subways, The Pigeon Detectives, The Kooks und äääähm die Kaiser Chiefs. Vornehmlich auf der blauen Bühne anzuschauen.

C
Chaos, das: Wurde perfekt, als manche Leute wegen Platzmangels auf den Wegen zelteten. Aber es gab ja noch einige markante Flaggen zur Orientierung.

D
Drummer, der: englisch für Schlagzeuger. Der bekannteste Drummer des Festivals trat jedoch mit Gitarre auf, denn Dave Grohl rockte mit seinen Foo Fighters als einer der Headliner.
Zwischen „The Pretender“ und „Best Of You“ fast nur Hits und ein schmaleres Akustikset als bei einem regulären Gig der Foos. Da der Auftritt an einem Samstag stattfand, nahm sich Dave Grohl dann auch mal das Recht heraus a la Gottschalk zu überziehen. So macht man das.

E
Einlass, der: Nur ohne Flaschen und andere gefährliche Gegenstände kam man aufs Festivalgelände. Selbstverständlichkeit.

F

Flunkyball: Beliebteste Kombination aus Sport und Trinkspiel auf dem Campingplatz. Wird bestimmt bald olympisch. >>> weiterlesen!!!!

"I look around the grave for an escape route of old routines
There doesn’t seem to be any other way"

"I whisper empty sounds in your ear and hope that you won’t let go
Take the pieces and build them skywards"

Machines

I would dig a thousand holes to lay next to you
I would dig a thousand more if I needed to
I look around the grave for an escape route of old routines
There doesn’t seem to be any other way

Take the pieces and build them skywards
and
Take the pieces and build them skywards
and
Take the pieces and build them up to the sky.

Viernes por la mañana, tempranico con la Berlingo cargada de buenas vibraciones nos fuimos para Getafe, con la ilusión de ver a uno de los grupos que mas me ha enganchado en toda mi vida, Rage Against The Machine.

Llegamos al medio día, nos metimos media docena de sandwiches cargados de buen embutido murciano para coger fuerzas y ale, a currarnos los 2 Kilómetros que separaban el parking del recinto festivalero. Cuando decidimos emprender la marcha empezó a llover un poco, y meditamos si quedarnos en el coche o echarle un par. Se los echamos y después de 2 kilómetros ( de los cuales uno de ellos fue sin sentido ante la discriminación por parte de la organización a los que solo íbamos un día ) llegamos al recinto empapados de agua.

Tras escurrir nuestras ropas escuchando a los cansinos Nothink ( no entraré en detalles sobre los grupos por que para gustos cada cual ) que sonaban como si tocaran dentro de una enorme lata de conservas, decidimos ir a cambiar pelas para pillar algo de bebida. Tercer susto, 1º el acceso al recinto, 2º el sonido de mierda que había en la carpa y ahora ¡¡¡ 8 € un mini de cerveza !!!!. Una vergüenza, una puta vergüenza. Por lo menos había suficientes aseos portátiles y no tenías que hacer colas de un cuarto de hora como en otros festivales.

Terminan Nothink, pillamos unas cervecitas a precio de oro líquido (y no del de Arguiñano) y nos vamos al escenario grande a ver a Biffy Clyro, que sonaban muchísimo mejor y que pese algún tema ñoño sin sentido hicieron un concierto bastante bueno.

De nuevo hacia la carpa a ver a Millencolin, mejor sonido que Nothink aunque insuficientemente bueno. Sobre el grupo, en fin, los peinados pseudo memos de las dos mil personas más cercanas al escenario lo decían todo.

Venga gastar de ocho en ocho, y de nuevo al escenario grande donde para mi sorpresa empezó mas que bien un poco creíble Serj Tankian. Fue perdiendo fuelle, hasta que hartos volvimos a la carpa con la esperanza de ver a los hermanos Cavalera.

The Cavalera Conspiracy habrían dado un gran concierto si no fuera por la mierda de sonido que arrastraba la carpa. No se entendía nada, solo era un mar de graves sin sentido, con mezcla de envidia al ver los dedos del hermano de Max en las pantallas sin poder distinguir en el sonido tanta virtuosidad.

Nos armamos de valor y nos acercamos lo más posible al escenario grande para ver al gran Iggy y sus Stooges. Ese tío se sale. Saltos, clásicos, provocación que demuestran porque después de tantos años se puede seguir siendo uno de los mas grandes. El tipo está como una cabra, y eso se agradece.

Cuando tocaba el momento de Offspring, decidimos que vistos sus últimos discos mejor cenábamos y cogíamos fuerzas para celebrar el cumpleaños de Tom, pero OH!!!, "4ª metida", debido al peñazo ( mas del permitido ) no podemos cenar por falta de tickets. Nos lo tomamos con algo de filosofía y "humo" y decidimos salir fuera para pillar lo que sea donde sea y si!!,,5ª: NO SE PUEDE SALIR DEL RECINTO!!. Así de sencillo, nos dice el tipo de entrada, si salís no entráis. Pero hombre, le decimos, ¿no hay un sello?,,¿con la entrada?,, ¿una pulsera?,,,quédate con nuestros carnets....algo!!!.

Deambulamos una hora, mientras iba y venía el sonido de Offspring, hasta que por fin pudimos acceder a tan ansiado ticket, para poder pedir un auténtico bocadillo de zapato.

Comimos, nos peleamos por un par de sillas, otro par de refrescantes bebidas, y a ver a los Rage. Sin duda el mejor concierto de la jornada. Me hacía gracia la continua sensación de que me estaba sermoneando Zack, de que nos estaba echando en cara todo lo mal que el imperio Español lo había hecho con América, pero pronto recordaba que si no hubiese sido por esa brutal conquista el no estaría cantando y disfrutando la utopía salida del tiesto que es poner La Internacional al empezar el concierto. En fin, correctos, lo que se esperaba de ellos. Rock perfecto y enérgico, base rítmica inmejorable.

Finalizamos con Queen Of The Stone Age en la carpa, y menos mal porque empezó a llover y bien. De nuevo sonido regulero aunque mas compacto y definido. Buen concierto aunque sigo echando de menos a Olivieri.

Los festivales en España siguen siendo en su mayoría una gran chapuza y cara. Pero mientras hallamos miles de fans dispuestos a pasar penurias por ver a nuestros ídolos seguirán aprovechándose de nosotros y ganando cantidades brutales de dinero por un servicio de mierda.

Caminata hacia Berlingo, y caminico de Murcia. Multa de la Guardia Civil a la altura de Albacete, y a las diez en el Cerrellar durmiendo.

Foto de: comcinco

Today, I venture into the dark portal of foreign cultures and old people that is Bournemouth and hope to return with a brand new Guitar Hero controller, as it isn't fair to ask Chris if I can use his everytime I want Impulse on Expert to kick my arse. Soon, however, it will not by my arse being kicked.

Back onto Biffy Clyro, for me, and here is a youtube for you:

Och inte att förglömma!!! The Futureheads släpper nytt album om 5 dagar!

The Futureheads - Houds Of Love

Biffy Clyro

Puzzle

Original Release Date: 25-May-07

Label: Wea/14th Floor

******

«Вначале мы звучали, как любая другая группа, слушающая записи Nirvana. На
старте ты хочешь «смахивать» на твой любимый бэнд, но позже понимаешь -
возможно своим любимым бэндом можешь стать ты». Так фронтмэн Biffy двумя
предложениями разделался с их 12-ти летним андерграундным прошлым и
амбициозно заявил о серьёзном коммерческом успехе нового альбома. Сегодня
за плечами бэнда совместные выступления с Muse, The Who и The Rolling
Stones, но год назад о 3х парнях из Шотландии знали исключительно
узкие «альтернативные» коммьюнити. В 2006-м они заключают контракт с
Warner Bros., и отправляются в Канаду записывать новую историю Biffy Clyro. В таких случаях рок-бэнды не выбирают опцию «свой звук» и теряются в уже успешно «сработанных» саунд-штампах. Но Biffy, ужасные эгоцентристы, управляются даже с монстром Warner и в современный рок-мейнстрим встраивают новую опцию: звучать как Biffy Clyro. Biffy-стиль
это немного «длинноволосого» панка 70-х и тяжелого, но мелодичного
модерн-рока; трэк-динамика и стили, напоминающие «американские горки»
даже в границах одного трэка; эмо-крики живущие в песнях рядом с мульти-вокальными гармониями и плюс – фирменная трейд-марка Biffy
Clyro – оркестр-панк ( Puzzle записывали вместе с Сиэтлским
симфоническим оркестром). Без этого рекорд-пазла рок-мозаику 2007-ого
не сложить.

Beat Crusaders

EPopMaking

Original Release Date: 19-Jun-07

Label: Sony

******

Потеряв в кризисные 2000е трёх из четырёх своих основателей,
праотцы японского коммерческого хипстер-панка Beat Crusaders
возвращаются. Правду сказать, праотец остался один - Toru Hidaka,
остальные – новички. Но бэнд в общем выглядит также: пятёрка японских
парней, закрывших лица фейс-картинками с матричного принтера. Учитывая,
что со дня основания в 97-м, Hidaka в бэнде был главным музыкальным
экспериментатором, в новый состав группы он мог взять и свою бабушку,
естественно спрятав её за принтом – альбомы Beat Crusaders от этого по
иному не зазвучат. EPopMaking – лучший гид по современному японскому
року, если вы впервые о нем слышите. Можно сказать, что он критически
ритмичный и сумасшедший. Можно также заметить в нем сильный дух панка и
рок-кантри. И совершенно невозможно забыть о синтезаторах, без которых
приставку J к стилям не лепят.

BlackStrobe

Burn Your Own Church

Original Release Date: 5-June-07

Label: Play Louder

******

Уверен, только в леденящих душу ужасах снились первым панкам закрытые v.i.p клубы, где неприлично «золотая» молодежь восторгается панк-идолами. Такими как BlackStrobe – почти
что уже классиками электро-клэш, электро-панк-стиля коим можно выделить первое
десятилетие после 2000-ого. Участники французского клаб-проекта еще не
разменяли третий десяток, но уже вписаны в летопись музыки. Ни в коем
случае не за саунд-каноны, а за эксперименты и звуковой маяк для целой эпохи.

На Burn Your Own Church французы вдохновились записями норвежского death-hard-rock бэнда
70-х. Сначала мне было трудно представить ультратяжелый «метал»
записанный исключительно с помощью компьютерного электро. Но только до
того момента, как нажал play на первом трэке. Burn Your Own Church шокирует и изумляет, но на короткое время.

Joshua Path

Headlight In The Sun

Original Release Date: 1-Jul-07

Label: Vanalden Records

******

В
Лос-Анджелесе рок-звезды совершенно иные. Они не увлекаются агрессивным
саундом, не любят шумных вечеринок и красных дорожек, размышляют о
разрушительности наркотиков. И, как например Joshua Path,
дом делят с котами. Кроме котов, Joshua владеет славой одного из лучших
«безконтрактных» рокеров Штатов. Его альбомы – это попытка собрать все
лучшее, что смог сотворить американский поп-рок за последние 3
десятилетия. Плюс немного ранних Beatles и отсутствие лимитов на
творческую интимность. Часто попадают в руки очень
прелестные рэкорды, но хороший трек там звучит 20 раз снова и снова –
все в одной тональности. В крайне меланхоличном Headlight In The Sun есть
приятное и разное – от тяжелого модерн-рока до баллад, от кантри рока
до эклектичных саунд-экспериментов. Когда Джош отбирал для этого
рекорда треки из более чем 60-ти, написанных им за последние 3 года, он
руководствовался гениальным принципом: «Такие, которые не могут быть
спеты James Blunt». Только за это стоит полюбить.

Portugal. The Man

Church Mouth

Original Release Date: 24-Jul-07

Label: Fearless Records

******

Возможно это один из самых удивительных и загадочных альбомов, которые могут попасть вам в руки в этом году. Экспериментальный
рок Church Mouth, под влиянием пост-панка и альбомов Роберта Джонсона и
The White Stripes, полон эклектичных мотивов и абстрактной лирики.
Утверждают будто ультраиндивидуальное звучание и бесстрашие перед
экспериментами у бэнда с Аляски благодаря их фронтмену. John Gourley
все свое детство провел вместе с родителями в глухих, малоизведанных
землях американской тайги, без телефона и (О! Ужас!) Интернета.
Естественно, для нас, испорченных чрезмерной социализацией и MySpace, его взгляд на мир притягивает как магнит.

Spoon

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Original Release Date: 10-Jul-07

Label: Merge Records

******

Измучайте
перфекционизмом и педантичностью каждый звук гитар, ударных, пианино,
кучи других инструментов. Не забудьте столько же внимания уделить
электро-семплам и синтезаторам. Все эти вещи должны быть исключительно
необычны и креативны, сшиты из панка, классического рока и фанка.
Получился гигантский, несуразный айсберг инди-музыки. А теперь как
техасские Spoon,
попробуйте высечь из него простой, но изящный рекорд, при этом не
потеряв горячего танцевального грува и умудриться его не испортить, так
как существует такое обстоятельство как абразивная лирика. Ещё будет
необходимо вместить весь этот инди-саунд в трэки меньше 4! Минут,
умудриться придумать ему сумасшедшее дадаистское название и
в первую неделю сразу получить место лучшего инди-рок альбома Штатов.
Учитывая еще и 13 лет в шоу-бизнес «сумерках»... больше не могу найти
убедительных причин раздобыть Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Is Is [EP]

Original Release Date: 24-Jul-07

Label: Fontana Interscope

******

Пора
напомнить и о Yeah Yeah Yeahs (хотя, кто их забудет), которые не только
показали нам, что такое арт-панк, но и смогли сделать дерзкие 70-е
частью духа кибер-поколения.

В дороге к третьему рекорду, нью-йоркский бэнд выпустил миньон Is Is – 5 трэков, написанных в 2004-м во время первого тура группы, и лайв-видео. Хотя
песни уже не раз исполнялись во время живых выступлений, это их первая
студийная версия. Трэки не менее великолепны, чем остальные от YYYs – тот
же крик Карен О, также успешно пробирается к мозгу, та же изумительная
эклектичная и энергетическая музыка. Но в Is Is есть одна шокирующая
неожиданность – немного энергии эротичной возбуждённости.

Stars

In Our Bedroom After The War

Original Release Date: 10-Jul-07 (digital download); 25-Sep-07 (physical release)

Label: Arts & Crafts International

******

Живет
на свете не только инди-рок, но и его странный родственник инди-поп.
Чем чаще с ним сталкиваюсь (а популярность его растёт), тем труднее
разглядеть его отличия от традиционной поп-музыки. Лишь по каким то уж
совершенно загадочным причинам – инди-поп рекорды продаются
намного-намного медленнее.

Канадская
команда Stars уже несколько лет - прилагательное на инди-сцене:
практически всех новичков, «копающих» электро-поп или электро-рок
«крестят» маркой «Starslike».

Stars
запоминаются не только экспериментами с поп-музыкой, поп-роком,
винтажным фанком, диско и пианино-балладами. Они знамениты
гиперчувствительными и энергетическими совместными вокал-сессиями Torquil
Campbell и Amy Millan – лидеров бэнда.

В
In Our Bedroom After The War канадцы пробуют более утяжеленный саунд, в
отличии от прошлых работ. Тем не менее держат интимность и минорность,
как один из собственных почерков.

Пора расслабиться без трагических последствий для мозга.

· Gone are my careless teenage days of jumping on the next train to London (about 30 minutes train journey away) getting drunk with my friends, stumbling to a gig (more than likely to be Biffy Clyro), and having just enough time and money to get back to Kings Cross for the last train home. Gone are the days where I'd be sitting at home when a friend calls me from a gig or a festival during The Killers song 'Andy, You're A Star', leaving me a smiling goon. Gone are the days that I'd not think twice about travelling hundreds of miles to see a band in a friends home town, and not care about where I'd be sleeping that night, or with whom I'd be sleeping with.

Now, a few years on, I'm in a different city, can make it to a gig in any venue in about 10 minutes, for a lot less money, and can be home in a sober state with plenty of time to get a decent enough sleep for work the next day. How depressing I've become in my old years. In fact, its in my old years that I now notice all the things about gigs that once didn't bother me, and imagine my delight when I find from this article, that in annoys other people too. I feel bad for all the people I once stumbled into whilst trying to find my way to the front, I feel a slight remorse for all the people I stood in front of who were smaller than me, hell, I even feel slightly bad for all the times I 'forgot' to pay my train fare, costing First Capital hundreds. With that in mind, I urge you to read the article for the quotes and descriptions written by Much Music, as they list the ten things that really grinds their gears at gigs, the ten are:

Recording the show or incessantly taking photos with your cell phone.

Waiting until the show has started to secure your spot in the front row.

Talking throughout the entire show.

Being over 6'4 and choosing to stand in front of the shortest person in the crowd.

Continually crowd surfing or slam dancing even though it's not that kind of show.

Being an unruly lout.

Spastic dancing and general disregard for personal space.

Holding up a sign or flag for the duration of the show.

Standing at a seated venue.

Waiting till the band plays their radio hit and then leaving.

Now, you may think this is just common sense, but you'd be surprised just how little drink it takes for some morons to completely disregard this. Think about it, how many times are you actually going to go home and sit and watch an entire song recorded very badly from your mobile? how many photos that you take are actually going to be of any decent quality, and especially when there's about half a dozen professional photographers in front of you. In some cases, some people were even born into this stupid mentality, and sadly they always seem to appear at the gigs you attend. So, a plead; everyone who goes to gigs must remember these issues; one day you'll be annoyed by them too, and then it'll be you who will be pointing out to anyone breaking them, that they are being very annoying, and deserve taking outside and shooting.

~

· It's astonishing to think that 19 years ago, straight after the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford sat down and decided that the development of the fourth Indiana film should be started immediately. Initially, George Lucas and Spielberg made a deal with Paramount Pictures for five Indiana Jones films, and maybe if it wasn't for an initial disagreement between the two, we would have seen all five by now, but after a difference of opinions, Indy 4 was shelved, and both men went onto other projects. It wasn't until 2000 that interest kicked off again, and after screenwriters Jeb Stuart, Jeffrey Boam, M. Night Shyamalan, Frank Darabont and Jeff Nathanson all tried (and failed) to write appropriate drafts, Jeff Nathanson's script satisfied all three men (Spielberg, Lucas and Ford), and after some touching up from to David Koepp, filming began last year, and finished in October.

As mentioned on these hallowed pages before, Sean Connery didn't want to take part, citing that he was enjoying retirement too much, and in week 37, where I talked about the cast, but not a lot was known about the plot. Well, here's the preview taster:

"Indiana Jones is having a quiet life teaching before being thrust back into his old adventuring. He battles agents of the Soviet Union for the crystal skull. Indy's journey takes him across New Mexico, Connecticut, Mexico City, and the jungles of Peru, as well as the warehouse from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark."

So, I've no need to sum up how much I'm looking forward to this film. I even neglected going to see Iron Man until next weekend, giving a review of it, as I wanted to talk about this again.

Here's a top 5 of things you're almost guaranteed to get with this film

1. There will be lots of jokes regarding how old Indy is now. Expect the odd 'grampa' jibes, and 'shouldn't you be in a old peoples home' comments. Joining him in his adventures is Shia LaBeouf, who I saw last year in Transformers, so expect lots of references to him being 'too young' to be on 'these kinds of adventures' and so on. And, although it may not be referenced in the films, you'll also notice that despite Harrison being well into his 60's, he's been working out for this role. So yes, lots of old man muscles, possibly making him look like Ric Flair.
2. Shia will be young, cocky, and think he knows best. He has been put in the role of a Greaser, the 1950's equivalent of the Fonz from Happy Days
3. Jim Broadbent succeeding in portraying an even better foolish sidekick than the equally talented Denholm Elliot, who played Marcus Brody. I take nothing away from Denholm, his chacter in the 1st and 3rd films was a great addition, but as Broadbent is one of my favourite 'older' actors, I think this kind of role will see him shine.
4. Ford will spend some of the movie trying to chat up the main bad female (Cate Blanchett) and will kiss her at some point too. And why not, he's kissed Nazi's before, but of course the film stars Karen Allen, so at some point Indy will...
5. ...Finish with Marion in his arms, riding of into the sunset... and no-one good will die.

Indy 4, or to give it its full title 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' will be released worldwide on May 22nd. Just enough time for you to sit down with your pals and see the first three in one sitting, then.

~

· This weekend saw Steve Ballmer announce that he was abandoning Microsofts three-month-old blockbuster bid to purchase Yahoo after the two companies could not agree on a price.

The breakdown followed a meeting in Seattle on Saturday morning between Microsoft C.E.O. Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, and Yahoo C.E.O. Jerry Yang, Yahoo's co-founder and chief executive.

Here's a few sites that have been covering the story since it broke over the weekend:

Rory Cellan-Jones, part of the dot.life team, which itself is part of the BBC News website, says:

"On the face of it, Microsoft certainly comes out of this pretty badly. It has huffed, and it has puffed, but instead of blowing Yahoo's house down, it has walked away meekly into the night, grumbling a little. Did it realise, during the three months from bid to retreat, that Yahoo was not such a prize after all?"

and he goes on to say:

"What a bright and sunny Sunday for those clever chaps at Google. Without spending a cent, they have stuck a spoke in the wheel of the Microsoft machine, and brought its efforts to mount a serious challenge in online advertising to a halt. So Google played a blinder, Yahoo was more adept in defence than in previous games, and Microsoft bottled it in front of goal. But I've a sneaking suspicion that we may get a rematch before the year is out."

Anders Bylund at Ars Technica follows up the pro Google talk, on how it may now jump on whatever carcass Microsoft left:

"In this Olympic year, I think it's clear how the medals were distributed for the MicroHoo race: Google gets the gold, Yahoo silver, and Microsoft did not finish due to a severely stubbed toe. Or maybe it's a broken heart."

Monday was clearly not a good day at Yahoo, shares were down 22%, for those who know what that means:

"At the start of the session, the Internet search pioneer was down nearly 20 percent, and in premarket trading down 22 percent. Microsoft's gains have been shrinking through the morning, leaving the software giant up 0.24 percent to $29.48 a share in late morning trading."

This was further noted on Mashable, under the heading 'Yahoo sets $14 billion on fire':

"On the plus side, if there is one, Yahoo is only down 18 percent so far today (Monday), and at $23, is still about 20 percent higher than it was before Microsoft made its initial offer."

Mashable aslo brought the name NewsCorp back into the equation, saying that it was 'not a likely alternative', even AOL have been mentioned again. Even debates on Ballmer losing his job have surfaced... It's all getting rather silly now...

It's quite clear that this is far from the last time these three will be mentioned in this context this year. However will it end?

~~~

That was the week in lumps, a week in which: London is in for a very interesting 4 years, Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby ( Eight Belles, the horse that came in second and was euthanized, was Hillary Clinton's pick...), There is a final scene after the credits of Iron Man you'll probably walk out before, a 'sex pest' seal attacked a penguin, there are more than 500 Red Lions in the UK, and silence please, for the dumbest criminal of all time...

...and yes, you may be expecting a review of GTA:IV, since I was raving on and on about it, and bought it on the day of release, but as good as it is, I think firing my 5 pence worth isn't going to make any difference. In short, I'm enjoying it one minute, hating it the next, baffled that I can't seem to get the multiplayer to work thereafter. When I'm not playing it, I'm wanting to, and when I am, I'm getting frustrated with missions to the point of turning it off. This review does the best to some it up, so I take my hat off to the guy who wrote it.

ttfn
x

6 Nirvana - Nevermind

 An essential old school album, just to get the party going. The grunge and fuzzy guitar tracks blasting out in the earlier afternoon are great to set the party in motion or when preparing.

5 Metallica - Master Of Puppets  

Most of my friends like the sound of heavy guitars and crashing drums whilst playing a game of who can down the can of beer the fastest. An essential when you have dumbfounded friends wanting to drink the night away.

4 Biffy Clyro - Puzzle

Such a brilliant album, so I've had a few and some people are now falling asleep but the majority of the people are partying in the kitchen and garden etc, a refreshing blend of talent to continue the party atmosphere.

3 Transformers - Original Sound Track

With lots of people comes lots of differences, this album has a variety of bands to cater for those needs. Most are current popular mainstream bands that every ones heard of. A dabble of alternative rock, perfect for drinking Jagger bombs with.

2 Feeder - The Singles

Some of my favourite songs, I find this album has a good purpose when the party is outside or a little bit low key. The Singles have a blend of different tempos and guitars, ideal for that little bit extra variety.

1 Daft Punk - Discovery

No bothered about music, just want an album playing through out, then this is perfect. This album has a everything needed for a party mix tape, it's got dance beats and guitar solos!? mental. Its the ultimate blend of genres packed into one CD.

So there you have it, thats my working and party soundtracks now, a little similar genres but thats my personal taste I guess, whats your opinions, your sroundtrack?