I’m still alive, for those of you who might be wondering. Over the past few months I managed to take a well deserved holiday to my beloved Barcelona, combined that with the awesome Sonar Festival, enjoyed the UK sunshine more than I probably should have done, got obsessed with Spain winning the World Cup (and with the now dark-haired Fernando Torres) and got talking to Dan McClure about the next stage of features for Rockhaq.com. So I’ve been a bit preoccupied. I’m going to add my thoughts on the discussion with Paul Brown from Spotify at Sonar’s Digital Music 2.0 sessions soon. Silly me accidentally deleted my notes from my Hero so have been trying to remember bits from it, hence the stupid delay :S
Despite all of this stuff, I was blessed with the foresight to attend this year’s Wordcamp UK in Manchester over the weekend and despite my initial misgivings (mainly along the lines that I’m not enough of a nerd!) about being there at all, I had a brilliant time attending sessions like Continue reading →
Me with guitar
Anyone who knows me knows I hate having my photo taken. But I know I wanted more done what with promotional work for Rockhaq and it HAD to be by someone I knew and felt comfortable throwing tantrums with so I asked Beth Swift at Burnt Orange in Nottingham to help out. She’s Phil’s missus and like him, is really great at getting good shots – obviously! Just take a look below. For the first time in ages, I’m really happy with how I look in a photo! 
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Plan B, or Ben Drew, is a star. You might not have heard of him before, but let me assure you of one thing without any doubt whatsoever – this guy’s name will be well and truly etched upon the dark recesses of your musical memory well before 2010 is over and out.
Who would’ve thought this boy from Forest Gate, who’s grown up spitting out razor-sharp and uncompromising rap, brandished guns in 2008’s Adulthood and sung about commercially unpalatable subjects like rape and gang murders would be blessed with the sugary sweet voice of an angel? It’s highly unlikely, but this is exactly what is showcased in all its glory on his new album, The Defamation Of Strickland Banks.
It’s a concept album and that itself is an instant black mark as it risks being tagged as pretentious, or worse, not working at all. Plan B is Continue reading →
Posted in Grime, Hip Hop, Pop, Soul
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Tagged 679 Records, Album Review, Amy Winehouse, Grime, Hip Hop, Plan B, Soul, The Defamation Of Strickland Banks
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Ok, so it’s been a while. And yeah, I guess there’s not much of an excuse for neglecting my blog so blatantly. Due to a flurry of people contacting me through it, I thought it best to make it look like I’m still alive, so enjoy my reviews of some outstanding bands I’ve caught recently – The Horrors, Miike Snow and (unbelievably) Chipmunk and (less unbelievably) Skepta (pictured, left).
What have I been upto? Well the past six months or so have seen me burying my head in Rockhaq, which will go live in beta form pretty shortly. In fact, I have to thank my long-suffering web developer Dan McClure for Continue reading →
Posted in Grime, Hip Hop, Indie, Pop
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Tagged 679 Records, Amy Winehouse, Broken Bells, Chipmunk, Eastenders, Gorillaz, Grime, Miike Snow, Plan B, Rockhaq, Skepta, The Defamation Of Strickland Banks, The Horrors
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I’m not really in the mood for hordes of screaming teens with their hands in the air tonight, but that’s firmly on the agenda when Chipmunk ( aka Chip Diddy Chip) hits Nottingham Rock City (or anywhere, I guess!). But first, the tone gets nice and grimey, blud. One of the original kings of the UK grime scene, Skepta, hits the stage to a cacophony of deafening screams. It’s awesome that these kids know who he is and greet him with the kind of reverence reserved for a headliner.
Dressed in a grey tracksuit and wearing the infamous BBK t-shirt, he kicks off his twenty minute set somewhat predictably with Skream’s Let’s Get Ravey remix of La Roux’s In For The Kill, spitting out his lyrics over the top like a true master. He tells us
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Posted in Grime, Hip Hop, Pop, Rap
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Tagged 2010, Chipmunk, Live, Nottingham, Review, Rock City, Skepta, Tinie Tempah
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I’m still alive, for those of you who might be wondering. Over the past few months I managed to take a well deserved holiday to my beloved Barcelona, combined that with the awesome Sonar Festival, enjoyed the UK sunshine more than I probably should have done, got obsessed with Spain winning the World Cup (and with the now dark-haired Fernando Torres) and got talking to Dan McClure about the next stage of features for Rockhaq.com. So I’ve been a bit preoccupied. I’m going to add my thoughts on the discussion with Paul Brown from Spotify at Sonar’s Digital Music 2.0 sessions soon. Silly me accidentally deleted my notes from my Hero so have been trying to remember bits from it, hence the stupid delay :S
