It Might Get Loud - Southampton's Social Music Project

It Might Get Loud – Southampton’s Social Music Project

Budding Southampton superstars now have the chance to shine thanks to the SOCO Music Project.

The Soco Music Project is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the creation and musical development of people of all ages in Southampton and the surrounding areas. Included in this are the Creative Hub situated in the Bargate shopping centre in Central Southampton as well as projects running in Thornhill, Basingstoke, Weston, Romsey., Redbridge and Freemantle.

“Originally we just worked with schools in the area, but we decided to expand to allow people of all ages and ability to come and create something,” says Matt Salvage, one of the workers at the Bargate site called the Creative Hub. “The Creative Hub is a place where anyone can come down and have a go at creating music or film or anything creative that they can think of” Matt says.

Soco's Creative Hub at The Bargate Centre.

The Creative Hub is located on the top floor of the Bargate Centre and is equipped with all sorts of musical instruments and equipment from guitars and amplifiers to far eastern instruments and computers for recording. The Hub also features a stage area for local artists to come down and rehearse and perform.  “The reason we have so much stuff here is just so people can pop in and play without having to go home and lug around a big amp or a drum kit” Soco worker Louis Duarte explains. “We recently ran an event called the Balcony Sessions where local bands could come and play a set, and we’d film and pop it on YouTube. It was a great success and we hope to make it a regular event. On the last Saturday of every month we also run the Saturday Showcase, which gives local bands another chance to come and play for free in front of an audience.”

The stage all set up to rock at the Creative Hub.

Things really took off in November 2009 when the project was granted £50,000 from the People’s Millions scheme. “That was a real boost for us and allowed us to expand and create so many more projects!” Matt explains.

A rock star in training taking advantage of the equipment available at Soco.

Along with activities at the Hub, Soco run projects in the greater Southampton area including the Contact Festival, which took place at Romsey School on the 31^st July last year. The People’s Millions win also lead to the development, with Thornhill Plus You, of Hightown Studios at the Hightown Youth Centre in Thornhill. Matt says, “We’ve always been keen to work with other community projects in Southampton and the Hightown Studios project is such a boost for Thornhill.” Thornhill is currently going through a multi million pound regeneration project, which includes new homes, shops and a new community centre. “We like to think we’ve helped out in someway,” Matt smiles.

The Soco project is also looking to expand into more multimedia avenues. Matt explains; ”we have plans to include more radio in the near future, as well as creating an online magazine, so it’s not just the performers who can get involved in our projects. All are welcome!”

The Soco official website.

http://www.socomusicproject.org.uk/index.html

The Soco Official Facebook Page

http://www.facebook.com/socomusicproject

People’s Millions article on Soco’s £50,000 grant.

http://www.peoplesmillions.org.uk/past-winners/hightown-studios

Friday, I'm Not In Love

Friday – I’m Not In Love

As wondrous as the digital revolution was, the Internet hasn’t half produced some insipid dross over the years.

From Rick-rolling to cats playing keyboards, YouTube has brought us some smash hits of Internet culture.  Indeed, this is the system that has created Justin Bieber’s career from nothing, and now Rebecca Black is the latest in the parade of absolute tosh that the interwebs has churned out in the current few years.

Her song, if it can be so called, “Friday” has gone viral, and the Internet hate machine has got fully into gear. The song itself is some auto tuned rubbish not worth anyone’s time and yet has some how has 42 million views, Even the hideous, child exploiting, crap merchant gargoyle Simon Cowell has come out in support of Black saying in an interview with People magazine that 'I love her [and] the fact that she's gotten so much publicity. People are so upset about the song, but I think it's hysterical.' 

The thing is though, even though the song is a poorly written pile of awfulness, Rebecca simply doesn’t deserve the abuse and death threats that cover the YouTube comments page. That’s tantamount the child abuse. Fact of the matter is she’s a 13-year-old girl who is a product of the 21^st century music industry. Some self styled svengali type manager saw Justin Bieber’s career skyrocket and in typical fat-cat American style decided they wanted a piece of that big ol’ pie. This isn’t anything new. This kind of packaged manufactured approach of leeching off someone else’s success has been happening for decades (one’s thoughts turn to Andrew Loog Oldham and the Rolling Stones and Brian Epstein’s exploitation of other, less talented Liverpudlians in the 60’s).

And according to an article published on Billboard’s website, Black hasn’t even made that much money from those 42 million views. Stalling at number 42 on the ITunes sales chart, and including costs of her distribution, she stands to make about $15.000 to $20,000. Small change for so many views.

My point is that she is just another novelty one hit wonder who will fade away into obscurity. And although her song has become a talking point amongst hipsters and Internet tough guys, she isn’t responsible for the lyrics, which seem to be getting the most derision. She’s 13 years old for Christ sake! Everyone had a crappy music taste then. She obviously thought it was a good enough song to record, and some greedy Cooperate shill has attempted to cash in on it. If it wasn’t for the Internet, the public would’ve had  no knowledge of her, and a 13 year old girl could go on living with out the need for anonymous idiots to threaten her with cyber, and real, violence.

Pictured: The Only Sane Reaction To This Whole Debacle.

I’ll repeat this; She’s a 13 year old product of a money hungry, capitalist system, who has recorded a song she thought was good. Lay off her people and grow up.

Related Links:

Daily Mail Article About Simon Cowell and Rebecca Black http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1367627/Simon-Cowell-loves-Rebecca-Blacks-YouTube-hit-Friday.html

Billboard.com Article about Rebecca Black’s record sales

http://www.billboard.com/news/rebecca-black-s-friday-first-week-sales-1005084932.story#/news/rebecca-black-s-friday-first-week-sales-1005084932.story

Rebecca Black – Friday music video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

30 Day Challenge Part 1 - The Bloodening (topical blogging)

I spose it being the issue of the day - well, yesterday anyway - i suppose i should blog about The Royal Wedding; the occasion that the phrase "haters gonna hate" seems tailored made for.

Let me say straight away, I am not a Royalist, but then i'm also not in favour of having a republic. It seems Britain has managed just fine since the Monarchy had it's power stripped, what with a globe-spanning empire, being a super power for centuries and creating a culinary masterpiece in the Chicken Tikka Massala.

I don't really attest to the radicalised, so edgy and 2koolforskool, drugged out ramblings of those who  ask for the Queen to be killed and what not, it get's to the point where you're essentially slagging off an old woman, and that's not on. And seeing as I'll probably end up being governed for a government i didn't vote for, it appears that democracy in Britain is much as the same as the King or Queen dictating whatever they want; you still don't get a choice, except this time we don't end up at war with France so much, (I'll allow you to decide wether this is a good or a bad thing) I don't really mind. Plus i'm a student, thus don't pay tax, huzzah for being a more expensive version of the dole!

I think i saw on facey-b the other day one of those polls asking a question such as "are you for or against the royal wedding?" and couldn't help thinking what does that even mean? For or against? I am confused by the people who actually gave a half a shit to vote on polls like these. Half of them probably won't vote on the upcoming referendum on the AV vote (shit i should blogged about this and actually made use of my C in AS level politics!).

Anyway weddings and junk. I'm happy for the couple at least. They got married in a beautiful old building on a lovely day (with one of the Beatles and Mr Bean in attendance, which is strange seeing as the last time he met the Queen, the Queen ended up getting nutted like a football hooligan and going down faster than public approval in the Blair years), and probably had a right - literally - royal knees up. Jolly good. Pimms and Pork Pies for all!

The Media furore  over the whole thing was a tad annoying, Channel 4's "Meet The Middletons" showing that families can actually be diverse for once, (groundbreaking television) being particularly arbitrary, and the Daily Mail being even more pugnacious and "British" than usual.

But i'm sure the general consensus is that everyone loves a sunny bank holiday. Street's partied up and down the country like V-E day, swinging to the sounds of supporters or detractors, but people of all colours, creeds, shapes, sizes and even conflicting ideologies came together to celebrate that rarest of rares; a weekend in April when the sun is shining and everyone's in a good mood. The Royal Wedding was the perfect frame work to a lovely weekend (even though I was hung over in a car with 3 other men, and ended up smelling of salt and vinegar farts), and made us all forget our respective troubles, be they uni work or the recession. I'm not saying everyone who went out and got slaughtered was in favour of the monarchy or what have you (they probably spend too much of their time voting on facebook polls to give a hoot) but it was nice to have an excuse to take some time off, break open the ale and celebrate a sunny day.

All in all i wish them every success in the future, until such times as the stoner minority gets militantly organised and we look at an October Revolution style scenario.

Awwwwh SHIT! The 30 Day Blog Challenge is imminent.

Taking inspiration from my fellow course students/bloggers I have decided to get off my arse and actually do something un-uni related in terms of writing. Thusly, i'm taking up this 30 day blog challenge malarky courtesy of http://www.nikkipilkington.com/


Basically, you get emailed erry day for 30 days with a different blog subject and forced under pain of swift, brutal execution (courtesy of http://www.nikkipilkington.com/) if you don't scribble down your thoughts in a high personable style.


So stayed tuned for my blogsh or news of my messy beheading.


Tootle Bastard 

Second Coming - The Stone Roses

After the exhilarating rush of pure pop perfection, and the legendary gigs at Spike Island and Glasgow Green, the Stone Roses disappeared into a world of paint spattered legal cases for nigh on 5 years. Retreating to Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, after snatching a more than generous record deal from Geffen, the Roses spent the intervening years having children, smoking copious amounts of grass, skinning up on Aerosmith CD's and creating an album almost entirely removed from their scallydelic debut.

A burst of squealing feedback surprises as soon as you press play before a sonic collage of tribal drums, a babbling welsh brook, baby alligators (yes really) and squawling guitar entices in for the first 4 more minutes of "Breaking Into Heaven" before we're treated to some imperious, funky wah wah and a pounding, driving groove. The Roses have returned, and it sounds monumental. Straight away, you can tell that this album is Squire's album. Through "Breaking Into Heaven", with it's religion slating lyrics and imagery, the guitar is simply stunning, Squire's growth as a player in the Jimmy Page white bluesman milieu is evident with squidgy, driving riffs and imperious soloing. Ian's vocals are more rough, more dogged and more menacing than ever before.

"Driving South" however is somewhat of a stumbling block in accepting the new, rockier Roses. Squire's resurrection of the crossroads myth, as well as a swipe at the music biz itself, is a swamp of guitar tracks, all cranked up into the red, meaning Mani and Reni's luscious grooves struggle to gain recognition under the maze of hard rock rifferey. And although the track demonstrates Squire's ability, it smacks of self indulgence. Much the same can be said of the dreadful "Good Times",  the weakest track on the album. "Good Times" is far too emblematic of the clod hopping dinosaur rock the Roses set out the destroy five years previous.

However, with the eastern influenced, tumbling guitar lines, fluctuating grooves and Ian's blissful, tender vocals, "Ten Storey Love Song" is a revelation. Demonstrating that the Roses never lost their melodious grasp on the pop world, "Ten Storey Love Song" is a soaring slice of melody, that recalls past glories, such as "She Bangs The Drums" and "Elephant Stone."

Fading out of "TSLS" with some outrageously funky drumming from Reni comes "Daybreak." On first listen this sounds like an unfinished, unpolished jam, but upon closer inspection reveals the strengths of the roses; Reni's astonishing drumming, Mani's ability to hold down the groove like no other, Squire's consummate skill and Ian's ability to create iconic powerful lyrics just from the vibe's he was getting off the group. The highlight of the track is definitely the rhythm section, a section so loose, funky and driving their the tighter than being wedged between two obese blokes at a buffet line.

"Your Star Will Shine" is one of the Roses sweetest songs. Ian's voice is at it's most earnest, sliding perfectly over gorgeous 12 string arpeggios and reverb soaked drumming, painting the song's lyrical imagery in bright, vivid colours, and even making a "na na na" sound beautiful. More Byrds-tinged acoustic balladry shows up in the luscious, campfire sing a long of "Tightrope", with Reni's backing vocals sounding more sweeter than a robin made of candy floss. Filled with the usual religious imagery, it's the closest the Roses ever got to sounding like Primal Scream. Echoes of "Sympathy for the Devil and "Magic Bus" are present, allowing the 60's white boy influences to seep through.

The lone, solely Ian Brown composition comes in the form of "Straight To The Man" a bouncy tune that allows the rhythm section to again shine out from behind a restrained John, in their classic mercurial, liquid fashion. This song most closely resembles the Roses circa 1990 when their funk, Parliament inspired explorations created some of the most iconic dance/rock hybrids.

Speaking of dance rock hybrids, imagine if you will Bootsy Collins and Jimmy Page tripping off acid, fucking and producing a blisteringly, darkly funky child that recalls amphetamine fuelled Northern Soul nights, with a harder, darker twist. Congratulations, you've just imagined the sound of "Begging You" an almighty mash of pulsating rhythm and scratchy guitar runs. Amazing.

"Tears" is where John's Led Zep influence is worn more prominently on his sleeve. Melancholic, yearning one take lyrics from Ian drift over "Stiarway" esque finger style 12 string and lemon soaked drums before erupting into a monumental solo from Squire, and descending into a stop/start jam of lush Les Paulery and percussive power.

"How Do You Sleep?" is the ultimate fusion of the new harder, blusier, older Roses and their "angry young teddy bear" psychedelic past. Ian singing the malicious lyrics like a fucking choir boy, the lovely interplay between Reni and Mani, as well as John reigning in his talent to produce subdued runs and fills, it all comes together in a way which eradicates the memories of "Driving South" and "Good Times" before the album even finishes, and highlights just why the Roses were so important to begin with. John's solo, instead of sounding like King Kong climbing the Empire State Building, is restrained, melodic and, frankly, beautiful.

Closing the album is the simply barnstorming "Love Spreads". An impenetrable maze of swampy slide guitar, jagged, spikey, squealing Lead Work combines with darkly dangerous bass and breezy drums to create what Bobby Gillespie called "the best comeback of all time". Ian's vocals are those of a hushed prophet, growling with lazy cool and charisma. A brilliant track.

The harder, rockier Roses are not everyone's cup of tea, especially when compared to their generation defining debut. However, this album shows that genius never left the Roses, at least not on record. A testament to the power of change and frankly 66 minutes of stonking riffing, grooves and funk.

Essential in 1994, essential now; The Stone Roses ARE the resurrection.

Battles, Blood and Breasts - 300

The word Spartan has a firm place in the English language as a synonym for "austerity", "ruggedness" and "discipline". However, if we're to pierce the mists of time in order to actual see what the Spartan psyche was really like, a more appropriate term might be "belligerent, ultra-violent nutter". At least that is what the message is from Zach Snyder's 2007 Frank Miller adaptation 300. Miller's comic book brings to life one of the most iconic battles of the ancient world, and the battle that has shaped Spartan identity ever since; the Battle of Thermopylae, in 480 bc.

Touted, at the time, by it's creators as "Sin City meets Gladiator" 300 tells the tale of King Leonidas'  stand against the overwhelming might of the Persian army, lead by their enigmatic leader  Xerxes. However, like most tales of ancient battles that have been adapted into comic book or movie form, the film is as removed from reality than Jedward on an LSD trip. Though there is some truthful elements to the story, Miller decided to agree with the maxims of Tony Wilson and print the legend (queue Elephants the size of buildings, Ogre-eqsue evil henchmen and a bard with a goat's head). The historical accuracy is more off target than your average Stormtrooper at the shooting rage, but as this IS a stupidly over the top slice of machismo, that can be forgiven.

Visually the film is stunning. Snyder has remained remarkably faithful to the source material. Shots are framed as if moving from one page of sumptuous illustration to the next, with Spartans framed against the backdrop in iconic silhouettes, such as when forcing Persians of a cliff into the raging sea below, replicating the frames of the book. The film sticks to a limited palette of Crimson and Bronze, colours which suitably represent a) the comic and b) Spartan personality. However, Snyder's love of shooting the action as moooooooovingreaaaaaallyslooooooowly to breakneckfast becomes tiresome at times, but the visual treat of seeing Persians being despatched in such stylised ways quickly overcomes this. More importantly, the cinematography of the battle scenes creates the belief that the Spartans are hard actually arsed bastards, capable of dispatching the hordes of men arrayed before them

Subtly is not something to expect from 300. The narrative is painted in such broad strokes as to neglect any real character development, period detail or motivation. Characterisation is as exactly 2d as you'd expect from an action flick. Leonidas himself is stubborn and noble, but deadly when crossed; very much a metaphor for Sparta itself. Gerard Butler is impressive and believable as Leonidas; a perfect leader of men who is able to mix up the wisecracks and the inspiration convincingly, due to Butler's own charisma. The Spartans themselves, with more six packs on display than an Australian off license, give off the air of stubborn, brick shit houses satisfyingly. Curious though, was the cast of Michael Fassbender in such a small role, wasting his talent and charisma that was put to such good use in Inglorious Basterds.

Ultimately, 300 is more of a visual treat than anything substantial, and in a way this makes 300 a sterling comic book adap. It also has a key ingredient missing from adaptations of late; It's Fun. Yes it's loud, bloody and obnoxious, intercut with sex and nudity, but 300 is campy and over the top enough to forgive it's flaws, and be taken for what it is.

If you're struggling for entertainment on a Saturday after, then 300 is the perfect film for you.

Blog Restart: Let's Review shit!

Having got sick of this blog being a torrent of self loathing i have decided to delete those posts and do something else with it. My blog was getting stale, i'm taking it to strange new places!

So instead of filling the e pages of this blog with mope shit, I'm gonna start reviewing junk instead! Whatever i watch, hear or read (despite most of it being over 20 years old) i'll review, so watch this space!