If you live in Manchester and happen to have been to the funky Mojo bar off Deansgate then you’ll know that it is fast becoming one of the most popular venues in town. They serve great cocktails, beers and any spirits you fancy, plus play a great selection of indie, rock, alternative and well known classics.
I happened to end up in there yet again for my birthday this weekend just gone and I have to say it was another top night. As usual, we ended up dancing on the seats and getting into the spirit of the occasion.
For those who don’t like a place too packed, and like a quiet place to talk, this is not the venue for you, but if you like to dance and have a good time you could do far worse than go to Mojo.
Rock has always traditionally been the rebellious younger brother when it comes to music in Britain. It may not always be celebrated by the masses, yet - until last year - it was still the genre of choice when it came to the charts.
Recent results published by the Official Charts Company (OCC) would suggest that the trend is now turning towards bland, generic pop music.
All thanks to headline-grabbing celebrities like Cheryl Cole, La Roux and Lady GaGa pop music is indeed becoming more popular.
The figures showed that 33.5 percent of singles sold in 2009 were classified as pop compared to 28 percent the previous year. Rock music sales fell from 31 percent to 24.5 percent over the same period, with Kings of Leon, Kasabian and Rage Against the Machine leading the charge.
Despite these grim statistics (which don’t really surprise me), I’ll stick to my rock music, thank you very much.
Most Glasto-goers will no doubt enjoy the varied mix of acts that perform at the festival these days. However, many purists still recoil at the thought of urban acts such as Jay-Z and this year’s Snoop Dogg being added to the bill.
The famous festival was renowned for drawing in classic rock artists as well as folk acts, but now the mix seems to be moving away from this, despite rock giants U2 and Muse being added to the line up for the celebratory 40th year of the festival.
The change in emphasis for the type of acts recruited to play the festival has divided those that go to the festival year on year. Many will not stop going because of this, but would still rather see more artists like Vampire Weekend, Willie Nelson and the Flaming Lips than the Scissor Sisters and Dizzee Rascal.
At least rock music lovers have a choice. Maybe this accounts for the rise in popularity of events such as Download.
I must admit that I have never been to the Download Festival at Donington Park. Even though it is only in Leicestershire, and is not as far from my home as certain other rock events I have been to, this is one festival I would love to go to.
Even though I have been a fan of rock and metal music for years, many of my friends are more inclined towards indie and so have usually opted for more middle of the road events in the past. However, this year at Download the line up looks spectacular for rock fans everywhere.
Rage Against The Machine and the full line up of Aerosmith (so we are led to believe) are joining rock titans AC/DC in headlining this year’s event which takes place between Friday 11th and Sunday 13th June.
As if that wasn’t already enough, Dave Grohl’s side project Them Crooked Vultures, Deftones and Stone Temple Pilots will also be there along with Thirty Seconds To Mars and Billy Idol in the line-up.
I can’t see many other events coming close to this festival in 2010. Tickets are still available through links from the official Download website.
The rise in accessibility and cheaper prices of MP3s available online has led to the surge in sales and a downward trend for CDs. So, is this the end for this medium or will we always want a physical reminder of our purchase?
As many people still collect old vinyl records, I’m sure there are those who would argue it is always better to have something to show for your music purchase. Personally, I do agree with this view to some extent as I still like to have CDs in my collection. However, I still buy some MP3 purchases online, all the same.
The main advantages of buying MP3 files online is they are easily downloaded into your music playlists and can be accessed right away - you don’t have to wait for the CD top be delivered or have to go out and buy it.
In conclusion, I still think there is a place for CDs, especially when released by my favourite rock bands but, occasionally, when I just want to hear a certain track, I prefer to download it and have it instantly. Therefore, I try to get the best of both worlds.
One of the things that really infuriates me - and shows my age too, I guess - is when a cover version of a perfectly good classic rock track is released and all the kids immediately refer to the latest song as the definitive track.
A good example of this for me is when Joe McElderry sang a version of Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey on the X Factor. Okay, he didn’t release it officially as such - mainly because Journey wouldn’t let him - but he still made most people I spoke to think of the song as his own.
I did like Metallica’s version of Whisky in the Jar, however, so it goes to show that it is not always bad - just when the song is covered by a pop star or band!
Are you one of those who are angry about the continued success of Canadian rockers Nickelback, or are you one of its many fans across the globe ready to stick up for the much maligned band?
If they haven’t done anything else, the band have certainly gained coverage for dividing opinion amongst rock fans everywhere. Their legion of fans can’t get enough of them while their detractors hate the very mention of their name alongside the term ‘rock’.
The Facebook group set up to prove that there are many in both camps has gained almost one million members. The protest group against the music churned out by the soft rockers is called ‘Can this pickle get more fans than Nickleback?’
Well, it may not have more fans on Facebook than the band just yet (913,000 to Nickelback’s 1.4million), but it is certainly closing the gap…
This may seem like an unusual topic at first for a rock blog, but there have been many festivals down the years that have produced some major carnage. At most major concerts and festivals it requires a huge clean up and rubbish removal operation at the end of the night or weekend. However, there are certain events that go beyond the usual paper cups and remains of fires after the festivals have ended. Here are just a few:
Glastonbury
Every year this festival leaves the farm in a right state but back in 2008, 140,000 revellers left it looking like a rubbish tip. There was not as much rain this year and ticket sales were lower following the announcement that rapper Jay-Z would be headlining.
Bonnaroo Festival
The clean-up operation after this year’s Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee, US, turned up the dead body of a male in his mid-20s (though no foul play was suspected)! As well as this extraordinary find, there were discarded mobile phones and lots of shoes!
Woodstock
Back in 1969 this legendary hippie festival produced mounds and mounds of litter-filled ground. The clean-up operation was epic and many festival-goers stayed behind to help with the carnage left behind.
We’ve had the Isle of Wight Festival; we’ve had T in the Park, Download and Glastonbury. Now, it’s the turn of the legendary Leeds Festival in the north and the Reading Festival in the south, both held across the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The line up this year is strong as always, despite the lack of hard rock acts – see my previous post on the subject. For indie and alternative music fans, this event is eagerly anticipated.
On the Friday there’s the Arctic Monkeys and The Prodigy. Saturday’s line up sees the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Bloc Party and the mighty Radiohead. The festival closes with a bang on the Sunday with Kings of Leon following Placebo and the Kaiser Chiefs.
If you are going to it, let us know what you are most looking forward to seeing.
See the full line-up here: http://www.leedsfestival.com/home/
As for me this year, I have Pearl Jam in a few weeks, followed by Green Day in October.
If you do have to pay over the odds for tickets to get to see your favourite band play live then there are ticket exchange sites as an alternative to eBay.
One site which is often described as an “official partner” of ticketing agents such as Ticketmaster is Viagogo. The site is set up to securely transfer money from the buyer to the seller via credit card or bank transfer, with Viagogo as the middle man, so to speak. The seller posts the tickets Royal Mail Special Delivery “from Viagogo” to the buyer. It works well, although the prices set by sellers can be astronomical at times.
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