As anticipated in a recent blog article, Green Day has finally announced they will be playing a full UK tour in October to promote their new album “21st Century Breakdown”. The tour will follow on from the first leg of the band’s North American tour in August.
This UK (and European) tour will be their first in over four years. Anyone who has ever been to a Green Day gig will know exactly what they are in for – over 2 hours of relentless energy and fist-pumping rock from Billie Joe and co. The shows are sure to be a sell out, so I would advise true Green Day fans to get their tickets the minute they go on sale at 10am (BST) this Friday.
The band has scheduled ten dates concluding in my hometown Manchester on October 31st.
They will play:
October 2009
19 Glasgow SECC
20 Belfast Odyssey Arena
21 Dublin 02
23+24 London O2 Arena
26 Sheffield Arena
27+28 Birmingham LG Arena
30+31 Manchester MEN Arena
Tickets can be purchased from: www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.gigsandtours.com.
A lot has been said about Green Day recently prior to the launch of the new album on 15th May. Billie Joe has now given a frank interview regarding the effects the making of the album have had on the band.
Billie Joe said:
“This is the album that could have killed us. We had set the bar so high with American Idiot.
“We all became sick as dogs. I was close to being hospitalised but they caught me in time. I had the boogie woogie flu.
“I got a BlackBerry and started to write down every idea for a lyric on it.
“I had many a sleepless night where I’d get something and have to get up and tap it into my BlackBerry.”
Green Day has also announced plans to re-release their back catalogue on vinyl through 2009. Dookie is the first up for a re-release.
The band has just released their single Know Your Enemy and the incredible video is exclusive to mtv.co.uk and MTV channels.
The video basically shows Green Day performing amidst whooshing helicopters in an urban setting. Billie Joe and the band look like they mean business with the usual Green Day massive hooks. Of course, Green Day are hardly just punk anymore and do infuse some classic rock into the mix. There is certainly some Bruce Springsteen to be heard within this powerful song. Green Day do exactly what they like to do: they rock.
There are a lot of rumours as well as news about Blink 182 going around at the moment. Since the last blog post regarding the band reuniting at the Grammy Awards back in February, we have all been waiting to hear what happens next.
Well, it has been reported that Blink 182 began rehearsing together again this week in preparation for their reformation tour from August to October this year.
According to a recent blog post by singer/bassist Mark Hoppus, the band is itching to get back on the road.
Hoppus said:
”Good day today. Started tracking the new Motion City Soundtrack record, and then four hours of Blink 182 rehearsal.
“It was the first time the three of us have played our instruments together in the same room in a long time. We still have sooo many songs to rehearse. Barely even scratched the surface today, and it was so much fun. Can’t wait to get this tour all put together!”
Some of the recent rumours about the band include their choice of touring partner. It has been suggested that Weezer will be touring alongside Blink 182 this summer. If this turns out to be true I for one will be hoping these bands reach British shores. I have been a fan of Weezer since their ‘Blue album’ released back in 1994 and have all their albums to date. It may seem like a strange match, but it may just work.
Hopefully there will be official news on this in the near future.
Since Green Day announced details of a massive US tour this summer (as noted in a previous post) following the release of their new album 21st Century Breakdown I have been frantically trying to find out if this tour will eventually include the UK. On the MTV website it does say that the group are expected to tour the UK this year too, but that is all I can find at the moment.
However, I was excited to hear that Green Day and Blink 182 (who toured together in 2002) are set to be approached by Festival Republic, the Leeds/Reading Festival organisers to headline next year’s festivals.
The event’s chief booker, Neil Pengelly told Rock Sound that he had spoken to both bands regarding this year’s bash but that next year would be a better fit for all concerned.
He said:
“I think that Blink-182 will be doing something over here next year and I don’t think we will see them here this year. I can’t say what Green Day want to do but I’m sure they will reveal their plans in the course of time.
“We would love to have Green Day at Reading and Leeds one year and when they are around doing festivals then I’m sure we are something they will look at.”
This year has seen a notable lack of rock emphasis giving way to indie acts. Pengelly did admit the lack of a heavy rock day in the line-up:
“It was definitely a question and something we are conscious of as we booked the rest of the bill.
“We want to keep that appeal and be as broad as possible while at the same time getting the best bands we can. Once we announce the Lock-Up Stage people will see how rounded it is.”
Green Day last played the event in 2004 and I was there – it was an amazing performance for the band. I was also there the year before when Blink 182 headlined with Linkin Park and more strangely (for a rock festival), 50 Cent.
An official DVD release of Nirvana’s legendary performance at the 1992 Reading Festival is set to follow the release of a bootleg version entitled ‘Life Takes No Prisoners’ out on May 4th.
I was initially fooled into thinking the bootleg version was the “official” DVD and have since cancelled my –pre-ordered copy. I am waiting with anticipation for the re-mastered 5:1 surround sound version entitled ‘Live At Reading’ and set for a November release by record label Universal Music. This official DVD release, which will feature restored footage and as yet unrevealed bonus features, has been officially sanctioned by the remaining members of the band.
The festival set is famous for front man Kurt Cobain coming onstage wearing a hospital gown while sat in a wheelchair. It was fifteen years ago this month that the 27-year-old Cobain committed suicide.
When Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin announced he was leaving the band last month, frontman Billy Corgan issued an immediate statement saying he intends to continue performing and recording under The Smashing Pumpkins name. However, now he is the bands only remaining original member. So, where do the Smashing Pumpkins go from here?
Well, a few weeks on and it seems the drummer auditions have gone quite well. 12 drummers auditioned for the role to replace Jimmy and this included System Of A Down’s John Dolmayan. SOAD have been on hiatus for three years, but haven’t officially broken up, while the other SOAD band members continue with their own music projects.
A message posted on the Smashing Pumpkins website regarding the auditions reads:
“Overall the drumming auditions were considered a very positive experience. The talent in all the drummers that tried out was incredible.”
“An additional tryout could potentially be held in May due to such overwhelming response to the audition process.”
Jimmy will be missed by Pumpkins fans as he had been with the band since the start when it was originally formed in 1988 and played on all of The Smashing Pumpkins’ albums except 1998’s ‘Adore’.
What the future holds for the band nobody knows yet, and it seems, even Billy Corgan doesn’t know. I saw the Pumpkins live in Manchester in February last year. The gigs were notorious for Billy walk outs and uncompleted sets, although the gig I went to was relatively uneventful and although the set list was the same as at all other venues it was still great to see them live again.
If you’ve not heard of “New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk-comedy duo” yet, then you’re in for a real treat. The television series was first released by HBO in the US and British audiences had to wait for the DVD release before they could sample the delights from comedic duo of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement.
They are similar to Tenacious D in that Flight of the Conchords riff on many of rock’s clichés. And they are certainly smart enough and funny enough to do it in the cleverest of ways.
The HBO hit comedy show basically follows the misadventures of two struggling folk singers from New Zealand, trying to make it big in New York City. Obviously, things don’t quite go according to plan, and it becomes clear that America might not be ready for their unique brand of music.
The duo has been away from UK screens for a while now and it was good to read the first bit of good news – the DVD of the Complete HBO Second Season will be released on August 3rd. There are ten episodes in total. Flight of the Conchords is currently touring the US and has been receiving favourable reviews with US audiences and critics alike. Season 2 has just finished in the States and now I am eagerly waiting to find out if it is anywhere near as good as the quite exceptional first season.
If they ever tour the UK, you’ll be the first to know. The songs performed on the show that fit the strange situations they find themselves in do work out of context (as the CD release of their self-titled album proves), so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the songs work just as well onstage. It’s one of those shows that is easy to convert your friends to, so check some of these out on YouTube and see what all the fuss is about.
Dave Matthews Band, who will be supporting Bruce Springsteen at the Hard Rock Calling Festival in June (see previous post), have now revealed the track list to their new album Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King which is out on June 2nd.
The first single “Funny The Way It Is” is still available as a free download over at DMB’s official site and the new album features 13 songs (listed below). The band also unveiled the hand-drawn cover artwork.
Dave Matthews, when speaking with Rolling Stone Magazine, explained that; “This is a good record. Even people who don’t like Dave Matthews Band are going to like this record — and if they don’t, then they just don’t like music.”
Rolling Stone also called Big Whiskey “DMB’s heaviest album yet, both musically and emotionally” so it is certainly something to look forward to. The album is also a tribute to saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who passed away early in the album’s recording as a result of injuries sustained in an ATV accident. The album’s title, “GrooGrux King” is a reference to LeRoi’s nickname.
Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King track list:
“Grux”
“Shake Me Like A Monkey”
“Funny The Way It Is”
“Lying In The Hands Of God”
“Why I Am”
“Dive In”
“Spaceman”
“Squirm”
“Alligator Pie (Cockadile)”
“Seven”
“Time Bomb”
“My Baby Blue”
“You And Me”
With Eddie Vedder due to embark on his 11-date US solo tour during June and July, news on the Pearl Jam front would appear to be very quiet at the moment. Since the last Pearl Jam article back in December, there has been very little to report.
Pearl Jam will still be appearing at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park at the end of August (28th-30th), but for UK fans all there is to look forward to at the moment is the forthcoming new album due at the end of the year.
Billboard reported in December 2008 that Pearl Jam is currently working on its ninth studio album, building on tracks written last year. Vedder stated at the time; “The new record feels good so far — really strong and uptempo, stuff we can sink our teeth into.”
The new album (halfway through recording) is the group’s first album to be produced by Brendan O’Brien since Yield. “At this point, I think we’re willing to let somebody cut the songs up a little bit,” says Vedder.
Vedder added:
“In the past, Brendan would say, ‘It’s a great song, but I think you should do it in a different key’, and we’d say no. But now that we’ve heard Bruce [Springsteen] has listened to his suggestions, I think we will too.”
The band is rumoured to be considering embarking on a small tour later this year around the release of the album, so let’s hope these prove to be true.
Following the success of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Neversoft/Activision decided to continue with the one band approach and Guitar Hero: Metallica (as mentioned in a previous post) will be hitting UK shelves in May. The game was released in North America on the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 on March 29th and on the PS2 on April 14th.
I am already a fan of the Guitar Hero series and got the ‘World Tour’ edition for Christmas complete with the full band. I am really looking forward to the Metallica version of the game as they are one of my all-time favourite rock bands and I have their back catalogue of albums.
The game has received positive reviews in the US, with critics stating it to be a strong tribute to the band and Neversoft’s best work on the Guitar Hero series to date. The difficulty level was also praised with it said to be more enjoyable to players of all skill levels than the more-difficult Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock release.
The track listing, which includes songs from other artists, is as follows:
Metallica Tracks
All Nightmare Long
Battery
Creeping Death
Disposable Heroes
Dyers Eve
Enter Sandman
Fade To Black
Fight Fire With Fire
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Frantic
Fuel
Hit The Lights
King Nothing
Master of Puppets
Mercyful Fate (Medley)
No Leaf Clover
Nothing Else Matters
One
Orion
Sad But True
Seek And Destroy
The Memory Remains
The Shortest Straw
The Thing That Should Not Be
The Unforgiven
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Wherever I May Roam
Whiplash
Other Artists
Alice In Chains - No Excuses
Bob Seger - Turn The Page
Corrosion of Conformity - Albatross
Diamond Head - Am I Evil?
Foo Fighters - Stacked Actors
Judas Priest - Hell Bent For Leather
Kyuss - Demon Cleaner
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Tuesdays Gone
Machine Head - Beautiful Mourning
Mastodon - Blood And Thunder
Mercyful Fate - Evil
Michael Schenker Group - Armed and Ready
Motorhead - Ace of Spades
Queen - Stone Cold Crazy
Samhain - Mother of Mercy
Slayer - War Ensemble
Social Distortion - Mommy’s Little Monster
Suicidal Tendencies - War Inside My Head
System of a Down - Toxicity
The Sword - Black River
Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town
