Take two bottles into the shower? Nah mate, just take the fans!
I took this photo at the Concorde, Brighton, UK, 2014 and can’t help thinking he looks like he’s just getting out of the shower!
Long Live The Fans!
Anna x
Tag Archives: rock music
Real Fans #3
Thanks for checking out my previous photos of fans. Sometimes capturing the spirit of the fans either in words on in pictures is just as interesting as gleaning the passion and dedication of the artists themselves.
I’ve got a few more photos to share at a later date, and I dare say, I won’t be able to resist taking a quick snap of some others in the near future!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Long Live The Fans!
Anna x
Shall I compare thee to…?
Music fans, readers of poetry, viewers of art – do you compare?
Making comparisons in every day life seems natural. People compare themselves to others all the time: judging their own performance at work or socially; judging their own views against someone else’s; judging their own appearance in comparison with someone else’s; judging their child’s progress at school against that of the neighbour, the list of comparable situations is endless.
Read about new or up and coming bands and you’ll find they are always compared to other artists in their genre. Is this fair?
Copy and articles in the media compare bands and music artists to each other. Captions in magazines introduce groups with the words “For fans of…”, or “Sounds like…”, and liken them to other artists. This gives the listener an idea, but the suggestion will always be embodied in the listener’s mind. Why should a band’s sound be twinned to someone else’s in order to be recognised?
There can be no denial that similarities can be identified. Take Australian rock band Airbourne, notoriously likened to AC/DC . Lots of the components are there including two brothers, copycat riffs and a lead singer who appears to model himself on a mix of Angus Young’s lead guitarist antics and Bon Scott’s loveable cheek, wit and raspy vocals. But take away those saleable characteristics, put on to entertain the crowd, and it’s the music that is different. They do have their own exciting sound, despite it being peppered with something familiar. Examples of other bands in multiple genres could be dragged up for pages and pages to come, but every one of them is different on some level, it’s just discovering how the sound affects the ear on a personal level and subsequently how it moves the listener. Surely that’s what it takes to be a true fan? I like Airbourne. I like AC/DC. I don’t like Airbourne because they have been likened to AC/DC.
Can poets be compared to each other? Look at the current poetry and spoken word scene, huge and ever growing in popularity. Many London poets have been witnessed ranting along in monotone modern London dialect, a little bit street, a little bit middle class, sharing messages about political concern, personal opinion, dilemmas, glitches in our social systems and either make light of them or or target the audience with soapbox fury. The familiar strain seems to be, who can shout the loudest? Then again, all their words are valid and their work is listened to and applauded, because they cannot be compared. Each one has something different to offer and listening hard, or reading close, will open minds and stimulate. The beauty in each one can be identified as something unique.
Can authors be compared to each other? Can painters or designers be compared? Probably, but please try to ignore the comparisons dictated by someone else, it’s lazy. In writing about bands for the last three or four years, I have been guilty of making a comparison or two myself. I will do my best not to in future.
There will always be something in a style that stands apart in each group or individual. That style will catch the eye if we want it to, regardless of any similarities marked alongside anyone else.
Long Live The Fans!
Anna xx
Sons of Icarus – Barfly, Camden
So while the kids are on a sleepover at a friends, I’m off for a little loud music therapy.
Freezing cold, wet Camden on a Saturday night – love it!
Warm, boozy Barfly – love it!
Upstairs, cramped space, low ceiling, PA buzzing – love it!
Earplugs in, Pepsi in hand (I’m such a rebel!), band are on! – Love it!
Sons of Icarus, hard working young guys with a set full of chunky riffs, play to a happy crowd and show off their long awaited debut album. This album, Beyond the Sun, has been in the pipeline for years. Sons of Icarus first came onto my radar when they became the first ever competition winners of the Marshall Ultimate Band Contest back in 2010. I then interviewed them after an intimate gig at the CroBar for Stereoboard in 2013 when they told me their album release was imminent!
Over two years on and they have just released it! Obstacles get in the way all the time for these bands, but determination and hard work plus the will to achieve drives them along. And you know what? They are good! The place isn’t exactly heaving. These guys need a little recognition. The album sounds great. I’ve played it loud in the car already (yes, the kids needed stimulating after their “all nighter” at the friend’s house) and I shall be reviewing it soon, track for track.
Advent 3 – The Struts
A new favorite of mine this year. Great live entertainment. I wrote a review for Stereoboard earlier this Autumn of their gig at Dingwalls, Camden.
Enjoy this little ditty
Skam – Holy City
I haven’t ranted about any new bands on my radar for a while, but after seeing Leicester band SKAM live a few days ago, well, I had to. Yes, I siddled up to them for a little chat (such nice lads), bought the CD, got the T-Shirt and oggled at them on YouTube.
They have released two albums to date and have just finished a blinding UK tour. According to the Leicester Mercury, they also turned up in the back gardens and living rooms of some lucky fans for some random gigs during the summer, concreting their mission and desire to play live, pretty much anywhere they can.
What do they play? “It’s balls to the wall rock n’ roll, with singing not screaming.”
Enjoy your week people.
Long live the fans!
Highway Star – Buckcherry
Buckcherry covered Deep Purple’s classic song “Highway Star” and placed it on their 2008/9 Black Butterfly album.
It oozes Buckcherry’s sleazy American rock style from the start, and, dare I say it, I prefer it to the original. It’s an adrenalin rush of a song which is why it stuck in my head when my book’s main character had a craving for speed.
It’s no wonder that NASCAR chose it to theme one of their promo music videos. Enjoy.
Gentleman’s Pistols
This band from Leeds, UK, inspire my writing. Awesome recorded and live, they are a tantalising cocktail of riffs, hair and vests (yes, I did email them once to find out where to buy undergarments just like theirs.) Love them.
In keeping with the topical current Winter Games, the first vid was shot as an entertaining teaser by KillDestroy films for the 2008 dalikfodda tour. The second is the band playing one of my favourite songs live – “Comfortably Crazy” filmed by Desertscene UK .
Anna Ghislena 