Coldplay - Live at the Etihad Stadium 9th June 2012

Hey, well yes I'm back for the few if any people who read this page. If you do thanks but really it's not worth it. Anyhow, apologises for the absence and I shall attempt to post more shit from now on.

So yes, having travelled to the Etihad for a non-footballing occasion its needless to say that I was not let down having seen Coldplay.

With the gates opening at 4, I decided to get their nice and early for a good spot and to ensure that there was not a golden circle (Which there was not). Unfortunately, this meant that there was a 2 hour wait in the lovely Manchester summer i.e occasionally raining. When the first support did arrive, it happened to be a young British singer-songwriter Charli XCX of whom I have never heard and following her set have no desire to hear again. Don't get me wrong it wasn't that she was bad it just appeared a step too far for a young artist who hasn't had a single in the charts yet. This can be further highlighted when the last time Coldplay played a stadium in the UK they were supported by the likes of Jay-Z and Girls Aloud who could have been filling the stadiums on their own. Needless to say this lead to a portion of the disappointment the support acts filled me with. Following Charli's stint on the stage it was the turn of Swedish songstress Robyn who began to liven the crowd up. For me it was confusing,crazy and not for my tastes. However, no-one can fault the energy that Robyn brings to her performances.

After Robyn finished up her set of gyrating and springing about the stage it was time for Coldplay. Now, Coldplay as a band get a fair bit of grief from fans for being too middle of the road but for what I witnessed at the Etihad they are running the best live show at this time. Entering to the theme from Back to the Future, Martin and his fellow members began to the tune of Mylo Xyloto, which is one of the 30 second segments that fill the album of the same name whilst a series of fireworks leapt into the air before exploding into Hurts like heaven. Hurts Like Heaven is an example of the wonders of live music a track I previously didn't care for but after that night it has become a fave of mine. Following this the Classics started with In My Place bringing not only screams of song from the crowd but a flood of confetti from seemingly 20 confettis guns. Throughout the show the hits continued and it was clear that Coldplay have been watching some Flaming Lips live shows with the show becoming a spectacle involving the crowd. This of course being no more apparent than the use of the Xylobands which light up the stadium during songs Paradise and Charlie Brown. Needless to say they are worth the apparent cost to the band. Coldplay have also done well to revitilize the older songs in their set such as God Put A Smile On Your Face which is still getting the crowd as well as ever. Ending the set with Fix you and finally Every Teardrop is a waterfall Coldplay truely delivered a brilliant show. The only gripes I had with this show is that since the amazing Foo Fighters I always feel at a stadium gig the main act should be doing 2 hours minimum rather than the 1hr and 30 mins we were given also. Also, as an avid fan of the older Coldplay albums it'd have been nice to have had more songs from Parachutes such as Shiver and Spies although a plus note for the fact they played Warning Sign. All in all, Coldplay delivered a marvellous spectacle with fireworks throughout truly if Coldplay continue like this then there can be little argument about their talent and live abilities.

Coldplay Played

• 1. 1.      Back to the Future Theme 

     (Intro)

     1.      Mylo Xyloto 

     2.      Hurts Like Heaven 

     3.      In My Place 

     4.      Major Minus 

     5.      Lovers In Japan 

     6.      The Scientist 

     (Dedicated to the Stone Roses)

     7.      Yellow 

     8.      Violet Hill 

     9.      God Put A Smile Upon Your Face 

     10.  B-Stage

     10.  Princess of China 

     11.  Up in Flames 

     12.  Warning Sign 

     13.  Main Stage

     12.  A Hopeful Transmission 

     13.  Don't Let It Break Your Heart 

     14.  Viva La Vida 

     15.  Charlie Brown 

     16.  Paradise 

     17.  C-stage

     17.  Us Against the World 

     18.  Speed Of Sound 

     19.  Encore:

     19.  Clocks 

     20.  Fix You 

     (Songbird Intro)

     21.  M.M.I.X. 

     21.  Every Teardrop is a Waterfall 

Album Review - Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

So, Coldplay are back. Chris Martin & Co return with their latest effort following 2008's disappointing Viva la  Vida. And once again they continue their trend of unusual album names, with Mylo Xyloto apparently meaning.....well nothing at all the words are complete nonsense. Fortunately, the music doesn't follow suit with this being Coldplay's best effort since the excellent A Rush of Blood to the Head.

The Album begins with 'Mylo Xyloto' which is basically an instrumental one of three which basically act as some sort of pointless longer introduction to the songs that follow them, there's no reason for these to be included. Prehaps its to make the album see longer on track listings who knows? The album continues into an energetic blast in 'Hurts Like Heaven' which outlines what is to come for the rest of the album with Coldplay's take on pop as they said that this was the 'pop' album. The album continues with second single 'Paradise' which well has it all strings, synths, falsetto and generally crappy lyrics but to be honest that what makes Coldplay so special it never really matters what crap Martins singing about as the majority of the time it will end up and as catchy as the best of their work. Paradise is one of those songs which will work brilliantly live especially with the already included 'woooaaah woooooooaahhhhh's included in almost as a guideline for the fans at Glastonbury or whereever the 4 piece may be playing next and Paradise is not the only song with this well....almost all of them do so your guarenteed your fair share of 'wooahhhs' and crowd interaction at a Coldplay gig. Next up is for me the highlight of the album 'Charlie Brown' put simply it's classic Coldplay with another catchy riff a la 'In My Place' by Johnny Buckland. It's no wonder the band decided to play 'Charlie Brown' throughout the summer festival dates as it is just a brilliant song. Another song which deserves an honourable mention as a highlight of the album is the more rockier, heavier 'Major Minus' which actually has a guitar solos and gives the listener a lovely return to the days of A Rush of Blood to the Head. The albums lead single 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall' is a bit cheesy with its opening lyrics but all in all it's not a bad song however personally I wouldn't have chosen it as the lead single.

Also on the album is 'Primcess Of China' which features R&B goddess Rihanna which shows just how hard these Coldplay lads are going to work to make this 'pop' album work. The song for me just seems a bit  throwaway and the inclusion of the Barbadian singer coming off the better from the song but it just seems a bit pointless and more of a marketing move then a dream collaboration. The albums low point comes with 'Up in Flames' which drags the album along before is it picked up by classic Coldplay sounds in 'Don't Let it Break Your Heart.' The Album finishes with 'Up With the Birds' which samples Leonard Cohen and ends the album without the bang it began with. All in all this is a fairly good album which is let down by poor lyrical work which I feel comes from the story the album is supposed to be telling a rather ambitious one, however with Coldplay visiting the sounds that remind us of their past works yet managing to make it seem like something completely different and continues bringing us the anthems the fans crave.

Kaiser Chiefs - The Future Is Medieval

Recently The Kaiser Chief's Ricky Wilson stated that due to the way that they've approached the release of the Future is Medieval hardly anyone was aware that the Yorkshire band have released a new effort. In fairness to them the way that The Kaisers released their new attempt was a nice twist on the normal way of releasing albums by bands but it has dented their album sales in a time where sales of LPs aren't exactly high either. Rather than go through listening to all 20 songs available for me to create my album from I decided just to pick the most chosen and the singles. So to be fair I can't really review this album as it really is what you make of it. The songs and album cover another person picks could be totally different to mine.

From the outset of The Future is Medieval it is clear that the sound of Kaisers has changed gone are the catchy choruses and the 'na na na na naas' that had filled previous albums most memorably the 5 pieces breakthrough album Employment, replaced with a more mature feel and less upbeat sense to the songs. The album I was handed begins with lead single 'Little Shocks' which gives a feel to the darker mood that the Kaisers have taken with this new album.  It's not hard to see why'Little Shocks' was the lead single as its one of only a few songs on this 'album' it combines a catchy chorus with interesting lyrics and the typical quick paced song we have come to expect from the Leeds quintet. Another standout song for me was 'Starts with nothing' which was particularly strong when I caught the band live at Kirkstall Abbey. 'Child of the Jago' begins with an I Predict a Riot like riff. There is also the synth filled catchyness of 'Heard it Break'

All in all it's hard to rate this album as the next person as me mightn't pick any of the songs that I have. However I will say that it was a nice twist by the Kaisers to make this type of album available, however it must be asked could the band not pick the songs themselves because to be honest a large amount of the songs on this 'album' (its more a mixtape) are throwaway and it will be a while before I become to like the new mature Kaisers

Stone Roses Returning for 2011 Homecoming Gigs?

Since last Friday, rumours have been rife that  the Manchester legends The Stone Roses are going to be reforming for two homecoming gigs. Since then more information seems to be coming out from various sources about a full UK tour with Manchester's Heaton Park playing host to the homecoming gigs which look set to sell out in no time at all. Also rumoured is a headline appearance at V Festival lined up for the band.

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood To The Head

 

Following a long absence from this blogging lark I had time to stumble upon one of my favourite all time albums. A Rush of Blood to the Head in my opinion captures Chris Martin and co just before their fair trade loving and grandiose selves found in their more recent albums and this can be said to be refreshing to say the least.

This album is in my opinion is the best of all of Coldplay’s albums. Quite simply many if not all of the songs are good to brilliant with many notable standout points. The album opens with  ‘Politik’ which has Chris imploring people to ‘open up your eyes’ at the poor fair trade policies in countries around the world (perhaps this was the start of Chris and the boy’s influences for future albums). Next comes ‘In My Place ‘which for me is arguably the standout track of the album along with Clocks and The Scientist. ‘In My Place’ blends brilliant lyrics conveying emotion with a catchy guitar riff and that’s all you really need isn’t it?  This has ultimately lead to the song being an anthem in live performances and one of the bands most recognizable songs. Further Standout points in the album come with Martin’s piano skills especially on the song ‘Clocks’ which has given us one of the most memorable piano riffs of the past 20 years if not longer. Also on ‘The Scientist’ which continues the albums generally relaxing and slow mood. Furthermore, on a song called ‘Amsterdam’ which closes the album fantastically, truly one of Coldplay’s underrated if not recognised pieces of work.

As previously stated this album doesn’t really harbour a bad song. However some songs just don’t seem to belong either in the running they are on the album or on the album at all. One song that springs to mind when mentioning this is ‘A Whisper ‘which comes between 2 smooth, relaxed songs (Green eyes and A Rush of Blood to the head) and offers little more than a break from the calm you will find yourself in when listening to the album.

In all honesty this was the only fault I could find with this album. A Rush of Blood to the Head offers up a brilliant album which will have you returning to listen many times with some songs fully appreciated on one of these return listens.

Live Review : Arcade Fire @ The M.E.N

Arcade Fire last night proved that they deserve their standing as one of the top bands around today with an explosive 90 minute performance that wowed all at the M.E.N.

Arcade Fire are not your normal kind of live act for starters there's eight of them and at times I had to question to myself if they had snuck another person on as the drummer who is generally hidden by the hoard of band members would emerge from his kit to play guitar as the multi-instrument band ran around changing who played what at different songs and with the bodies and sheer energy each member brings you can't help but be captivated by the bands performance.
Following on from the release the simply brilliant The Suburbs, Arcade Fire's songs are seemlessly transformed from the studio to stage with perfomances of songs such as 'Rococo,' 'Ready To Start' and 'The Suburbs' with songs such as 'Wake Up,'  'No Cars Go' and 'Rebellion (Lies)' already classics for the band with Wake up demanding woahs from the crowd. With each song being met with raptorous roars of approval Arcade Fire truely rocked the M.E.N.

Entering to an array of movie trailers including an inspired part of 1979 film 'The Warriors' Arcade Fire immeditately jumped into Ready to Start. One thing that impressed me about the Canadian based group was their non-stop attitude, there was rarely a chance to breathe after one song before Win and Co have started another hit. As the set continues the energy rises and the members way of playing their instruments with an appetite of destruction toward them invites the crowd to go crazy which they dualy oblige. Theres no doubt about it Arcade Fire pack anthems into their live perfomances 'No Cars Go' and 'Rococo' just two of these with the latter including a homage to the Manchester supergroup Oasis with Win singing 'Champagne Supernova'

The hits continue until a break in which another film trailer is shown from 'Camelot' in which Vanessa Redgrave sings about the lusty month of May, following this the band re-enter playing their nod to the same month. Next is one of their all time best songs Rebellion (Lies) and finally ending with The Suburbs which for me was the only bad choice with the setlist as personally I prefer gigs to end with a bang whereas this was a more gentle approach. Upon research I saw that this is not usually the way the band ends and they normally end with the biggest band they have in their arsenal (Wake Up) however I think the change may have been due to the fact that these are the final shows on The Suburbs tour and may be a goodbye to the album. Also, this gig got a marked down due to the subdued nature of the people around me but I cannot blame the band for that as it was only the people around me who seemed more content not moving to the music but oh well.

All in all this gig was right up there with the best I have seen amazing musically and energetic to the full. Outside on the Merch stand there were t-shirts bearing "Who The Fuck is Arcade Fire?" a reference to the storm that surrounded the bands storming wins at the Grammys and with performances like the one I witnessed it surely cannot be long until the world knows who the fuck Arcade Fire is!

What is Wrong With the World?

Well, with the recent events going on it's given me a lovely chance to have a nice rant about life and things in general. And in the firing line in this edition of me ripping the piss out of something is :

Swagger Jagger being number 1 and The UK Riots, Personally I think they may be connected.

So, Where to start. Well, This week we saw the scum of the UK plastered all over the TV and Radio. Yes! Cher/Shit Lloyd has managed to bag itself a number one. What is wrong with the UK public! I have previously discuss my pure hatred for this disgrace for this noise (It's not allowed the classification of song) yet the retarded people that now buy the music that makes up the majority of chart music 99% of which is all  repetitive,boring crap have propeled Lloyd's disgrace to godlike status and dizzying heights for the train-wreck of a song and artist involved. Now if it had charted at a deserved position of about 38 then fair enough that was to be expected due to the type of audience she attracts (They're currently out on the streets rioting) that wouldn't be too bad but now with Lloyd getting the  number one spot we the knowledgeable people who listen to decent music will be forced to put up with the girl all over our TVs, papers and radios. Godhelp us no wander people want to Riot. Which leads me onto my next point.

As you all know the UK is currently in a state. Simple as that. All because a few chavs have felt the need to jump onto what began as a peaceful protest about the death of a man shot dead by police. One thing is clear and needs to be confirmed. The people currently roaming the streets and looting our shops are not protesting about anything. Too often are so called experts or youth workers are appearing on Sky News claiming that this is all a fightback about the cuts and rise in finances. This is Bollocks. Pure and simple, chances are that many of the delinquents have no intention of going to higher education let alone be protesting about the cuts if any of them knew about them. These are just people willing to take a chance to get some free loot and unfortunatly many are getting away with it due to the laxness of the police. Now don't get me wrong, the police have done brilliantly with the tasks facing them with many working non-stop for numerous hours but I personally feel that a more forceful approach needs to be taken. After the promise of 'robust' policing there wasn't that much difference from the tactics that had been used the previous night. Let us hope for the safety of our cities and the other chains of Foot Asylum and suprisingly Carpet Right that these police can step it up and step out the scum invading our city.

RANT OVER!