Lopez Blogs

Well I am very tired and slightly ill today (have you passed your illness onto me Mr Dust?!) but I know you are all just dying to read about Mr. William Young in concert at Birmingham's NEC last night and I have already started to forget the witty things I was going to write so I better get on it. I blame my piano teacher - he told me (in a nicer way than this) that I had a crap phrasing. Sniffle.

The Support Acts:

First up was two rather not very impressive support acts. The better of the two was first up - Shelly Poole who used to be the Attic in Alisha's Attic. But i felt sorry for her cos no-one even noticed that she came on stage, and to be honest I don't think she was noticed when she was singing either. But I found her songs quite pleasant and was well chuffed when she sang AA song The Incidentals. There was nothing wrong per se with second act Anna Krantz (who i mistakenly called Anna Kuntz) - but she was a bit similar to Shelly and I was ready for William by that point...

MP3: Shelly Poole - Hard Time For The Dreamer
MP3: Anna Krantz - Sweeter Devotion

The Main Show:

So then it was time for William to take the stage. While Bernice and I were waiting (and the other surrounding bumboys and housewives) we flicked through the actually quite lovely tour programme with free cut out doll of Will in his pants that you can dress (and of course undress when you are drunk which I would never consider doing!). Marvelous. Plus he does look exceedingly handsome on the cover and I vowed to sit in the exact same pose in all my meetings this week.

I first discovered The Killers in June 2004 and instantly loved them - they seemed to have this longing for the moody electro-indie of 1980s Britain and created a knack for radio friendly choruses that all of their new wave songs, swathed in synths, ended up sounding like chart bound smashes. And most of them were (although criminally All These Things stalled at 19?!). Now for sophomore album Sam's Town - the synths haven't gone completely but have been scaled back in favour of "real instruments"... the title track sounds a little like the theme to McGyver (patty and selma will be pleased) and the whole album owes a debt to U2 and Bruce Springsteen without ever sounding generic... While every track is a winner, highlights include Bling and second single Bones. Its songs like this that show The Killers moving closer to U2 with every song they play - Bones is an instant rock anthem, grown in the roots of The Joshua Tree. Midpaced Read My Mind is such an obvious hit that they should be presented with an award hailing it to be the best selling single of 2007 - it really is that much of a no brainer.

Crucially, Sam's Town comes across as a cohesive complete collection of songs that flaunt B-Flo's rediscovered love for America and their newfound sensitivity. Just. Stunning.

Hello Pips and Pipettes! Well Ruthless and I left poor DazPains doubled up on the new leather corner sofa last night (the poor lamb has a kidney infection - he has the worst luck ever) and tried not to feel too guilty by running to the Pipettes opening night of their tour here in, er, glamourous Birmingham...

Pipettes tour review:

- as we walked through lovely Birmingham we couldn't help but notice that on the lifts/elevators (i'm so multi-cultural) there were some rather snazzy Scissor Sisters advertisements. ooo clever!

I am not sure how I came across Justin Lanning's myspace site, but I'm certainly glad I did. Like my current fave new find Simon Curtis, Justin has battled his demons, fought his way forward and used the experience to do better things with his life. And that's something I really admire in a person. I'm all for learning and growing from the bad things that happen in life and trying to make something positive grow out of them. And clearly Justin is a talented young guy - he plays drums, bass, guitar, piano, percussion, harmonica, & violin (and here's me struggling with just piano!) and writes his own music. The two songs on his myspace site are most tender and show a rare abillity to project to others his innermost feelings - one of the reasons I love Deb Gibson's songs so much... Anyway Justin has an album coming out early 2007 and i for one am looking forward to it... it would be great to see such a talented young singer songwriter develop his craft. Plus he has really good popstar hair which myself and poppostergirl agree is very important!

Link: Check out Justin's you tube videos
Link: Check out Justin's home page

Ever since thezapping first wrote about super duper pop act Switch 22, we've had great feedback about them and their music. Here are two great guys putting the fun back into pop and being willing to interact with their ever growing fan-base (although not in a creepy Pete Doherty sort of way). So imagine how thrilled I was when the boys agreed to do a semi-regular feature (depending on how busy they are) on their latest exploits for me to print. Feel free to leave them some love in the comments box and without further delay I hand over the reigns to tomorrow's superstars of the superhero pop chart>>>

So its been a crazy summer for us SUPER HEROES of POP. We’ve been lucky enoughto unleash our Electro-Pop-Disco-Rock-Pork-Chop sound in the ears of thousandsof people and hopefully they loved it! From rocking the Carlisle massive withthe 3 and only Sugababes and the lovely Roxanne Pallet, to the wet and wonderfulweird world of Cardiff Pride, its been a funky trip. We’ve finally found oursuper power sound and were ready to drop musical treats onto all you laps, ifyou’re willing of course.

Our MySpace site is doing really well, we have SWITCHETTES and SWITCHDUDESjoining up all the time and making new side kick buddies on our very own forum,so come on board guys. Or come where you want, just watch the hair!

So see you all soon moon beams and remember, there's a

SUPER HERO OF POP

in us all, or at least there will be if you come to one of our shows. Kiss for your face! Yarrrrrrrrrrr, SWITCH22 outta here.

X

Stream music: Switch 22 myspace site

Link: Switch 22 home page

Not only are Brandon and his boys likely to be tops this Sunday (yes please) with the majestic When We Were Young, but one of my favourite music webchannels is holding an intimate acoustic session with them on October 3rd...usually this comprises of a few of their hits acoustic styl-ee and a cover version...So be sure to bookmark Stripped and then be right back here afterwards to discuss...

MP3: The Killlers - All The Pretty Faces

I first got Wicked - The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch Of The West (the novel by Gregory Maguire) as a gift for Christmas 1999. Now this wasn't the best time of my life healthwise as I was being treated for cancer and a lot of the themes in the book seemed very relevant to me - love, life, death, fate, choices... somehow the book really touched me and got me through some tough times. I've read it several times since and still find it incredibly clever, topical, an allegory for the world today, witty and just plain engrossing. The musical of course is pretty much the same as the book although it takes some liberties with the story. Madame Morrible, Dr Dillamond, Fiyero and even Elphaba have different endings to their stories on the stage, but in context it still works and is equally fascinating.

One of the main themes of the musical is what is the true nature of evil? Is someone born evil or is wickedness thrust upon them? Certainly Elphaba (the wicked witch) seems to have been a victim of circumstance and manipulation for most of her life as she tries to help others more needy than her - in this case Animals who can speak being treated like cattle. This leads to her being labelled Wicked by the wizard and its a title she then chooses to live up to, each decision and spell she casts having consequences she can't imagine. Is she wicked? It would seem not - she's a pawn in a bigger game, and when her faith in the wizard is misguided all she has ever believed in crumbles around her and we begin to see why she makes the choices she does. She truly believes she is going to make the world a better place.


Choice and consequence is another theme in the musical - Glinda the good witch chooses a different path from Elphaba but isn't happy with the outcome of her choice and ends up as much a victim as Elphaba. Yet Glinda realises she is unhappy with her choices and still plays up to the life she has, before redemption is at hand towards the end of the play. Fiyero - initially the lover of Glinda makes a choice to help Elphaba one day and we see some great character development in him. He changes from someone who claims not to worry about the past - its the here and now thats important ("i'm deeply shallow") to being passionate about a cause and another person. Adam Garcia is great in the role and more than a little foxy. Each choice made by the characters has repercussions for themselves and others - its when they realise this and learn from it that they start to change for the better and perform acts that seem selfless. Yet, as elphaba herself says are these acts truly inspired by good or do people want others to see them as good??

Friendship and love play a vital role. Elphaba and Glinda become firm friends and have this amazing platonic love affair where despite their differences, they both have this profound influence on each other. Fiyero and Elphaba become friends then lovers and again its the type of friendship that is life altering and makes you want to be a better person. In reality those friendships are rare - i've had a couple in my lifetime and while one didn't end well, it still influenced me and made me part of the person i am today. I was lucky enough to marry the other...

Oh gosh, i could just write so much more. There is a lot to love about this production. Sly wizard of oz film references, witty dialogue, a dynamite cast, etc. My favourite song Defying Gravity which i have loved for a long time was incredible live, i swear i was tingling from head to toe... I may come back and edit this post later but for now I need to lie down and rest and try to capture the memories from this story come to life :)

Link: The wicked musical website
Buy: Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Buy: Wicked the grimmerie - the story of the musical
Buy: the original broadway cast recording

Oh my! Popping up rather quietly on maroon 5's myspace page was the following message from drummer Ryan…

" Due to the rigors of touring, I have sustained joint and nerve injuries that have made me unable to continue performing as a drummer in a touring rock band. I am therefore leaving Maroon 5 to pursue songwriting and producing on my own, a process I have already begun with much enthusiasm.

The split is amicable, and I have made my peace with this unfortunate reality, because I feel that I have a lot of music still to make. I worked in the creative process and production of the new M5 album with the title Musical Director, and I hope to collaborate with the band again in the future. I am still close friends with the guys, including my replacement, Matt Flynn, to whom I wish good luck and much success.

I would also like to thank all of you who have supported me for many years, and I hope to create music for you in the near future. Its been an incredible twelve years since Adam, Jesse, Mickey and I started this band. Now I begin a new phase in my life, to which I look forward graciously. Thank you, and I love you all."

Maroon 5 were one of the four bands I fell in love with in 2004 and are still my favourite, even over the mighty Scissters and killers. It was quite a shock to read this news and wish Ryan all the best with his new path in life. It must have been a difficult decision to leave. Apparently the band are close to finishing their sophomore set – I for one can't wait to hear it…while we are waiting for that, here are a couple of demos from Songs About Jane…

MP3: Maroon 5 – Thats Not Enough (unreleased demo)
MP3: Maroon 5 – Shiver (demo)

As stated before I have a bit of a hit and miss relationship with Elton John – I find him quite irritating but he does seem to produce some brilliant music from time to time. And with his mucky fingerprints all over Ta-Dah, he suddenly seems relevant all over again. So cast your minds back to 1975 – EJ was releasing one of his best albums Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy. Quite rightly it topped charts all around the world – a concept album about struggle; about how rubbish not being famous is. It’s the album that really made me want to play piano and now – 31 years later comes the followup: The Captain and The Kid. This is a recollection of what happened once EJ and Bernie became famous. 10 short précis of what happened from 1970 –2006. The autobiographical nature of the tracks brings greater emotional resonance to the work than witnessed on his last two albums. The Bridge is a gorgeous first single with an understated choir part during the middle eight. I Must Have Lost it On The Wind is a sweet sorrowful lament to lovers past and the title track is a country styled trip down memory lane referencing rocket men and yellow brick roads. Listened to with its predecessor makes for a lovely listening experience and reaffirms Elton's role as one of Britain's premiere singer songwriters.

MP3: Elton John – I Must Have Lost It On The Wind
MP3: Elton John – Captain Kid

I just noticed that homoeclectic also reviewed these two albums!

I watch too much tv. It's a bit of a crime really. But ever since i got my archos mp3/video player, i get to watch the american shows I downloaded from Limewire on the train on the way to work - usually months before they get shown on tv... And i do believe that some tv is a great visual form of literature with rewarding storylines and great character development. But heck, most of it is just plain enjoyable. So here are the shows I will be keeping an eye on this season...

THE RETURNING FAVES:

JT's Sexy/Back pretty much polarised the blogging community - people either loved it (me!) or bemoaned its lack of anything remotely resembling a melody or chorus... Now that parent album FutureSex/LoveSounds has "officially" been released (ie, not leaked all over the internet), i thought i would add some thoughts on whether it lives up to the hype or not. There are some really great tracks on the album and JT takes great strides forward as both a writer and performer: stomping Summer Love is a terrific groove, My Love (the next single) is awash in a sea of juddering synths, LoveStoned, which is built from vocal samples is a mighty impressive track and piano ballad Give Me Another Chance is a doozy. It's not a perfect album by any means but it certainly has its fair of stand out tracks. For an alternative perspective, check out Nick's review...

MP3: Justin Timberlake - Boutique In Heaven

Check out the original cast (not the fantastic touring cast, but the guys who will be in the movie) from The History Boys in a great fashion shoot in the new york times...

It's great to see Switch 22 getting more publicity, particularly at the popular Arjanwrites site - I love this fun band and am excited that they finally have a release over here in blighty. They seem super nice guys who really want to have some fun making music and entertaining people. My favourite song Sweet Dreaming - a sort of mash up between Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) and A Little Respect isn't on the EP they have released, which is ok - I know they have more great songs ahead of them. I really want these boys to be HUGE! Now go purchase their EP!

For those that don't know, Daddy Cool is based on the music of Boney M (and a little bit of Milli Vanilli, No Mercy and La Bouche) so how much you will like it depends on how much you like Boney M. As with most of this musicals (Mama Mia, We Will Rock You) the story is wafer thin, linking the songs with almost embarrassing seagueways ("hey I want to know - where did you go" leads into No Mercy's Where Do You Go!). The first act is a lot of fun however - it's almost like being at a Boney M tribute concert with colourful stage sets, great choreography and a real sing a long atmosphere. Unfortunately, it falls apart somewhat in the second half when it turns into a mawkish drama about gang wars (the "rap off" music contest between gangs was cringeworthy!) but pulls it back together somehow for the audience participation sing a long finale...

All in all, its an enjoyable musical - not a great piece of art, but a fun afternoon out. Javine and Harvey get top billing but definitely do not have the starring roles - they belong to Sunny and Rose whose Romeo and Juliet style love story dominates the musical. And the actors in those roles were both incredibly good...

And now for a bit of culture - and a topic i may revisit as i now become obsessed by all things History Boys. I just got back from seeing the national touring production of this play and I absolutely adored it from start to finish. As i knew I would...

I first read about The History Boys about a year or so ago and decided to order the book of the play. I really liked it - it definitely makes you think and I, of course, identified strongly with the character of Posner and his unrequited love on one of his schoolmates.

As with all of Alan Bennet's plays, it is a study of Englishness or more particularly the English education system. Different teaching methods are enshrined in the three main characters - Mrs Linnot, Hector and Mr Irwin - and this sets up a dialogue about truth, the function of knowledge and how history is made.

But the History Boys is far from didactic. The writing touches on the humanity of the characters and the complexity of the issues. Orlando Wells and Stephen Moore were particularly excellent as Irwin and Hector - the first tasked with getting the boys through exams, the second professing a horror of formulaic teaching methods. Hector is a brilliant character who you really feel for - and its interesting that the boys want to get on his motorcycle even though they know he will act inappropriately with them...

The play has many moments of great comedy, sometimes in the witty incisive dialoge and sometimes in the reactions of the cast (and audience - i never heard such a sharp intake of breath from the woman behind when Mrs Linnot calls the headmaster a c***wipe!!). But my favourite characters had to be the excellent Steven Webb as sensitive outsider Posner and his cocky big-man-on-campus crush Daykin, played by the aesthetically pleasing Ben Barnes. And what a beautiful relationship they had...

Ultimately, i wanted to watch it all over again as soon as it had finished (something that only usually happens with Love, Actually) - a wry and touching piece that forces many questions but provides few answers - yet is somehow incredibly satisfying :)

(check out download discussion pack here!)

Did i tell you i love Wicked? And that it opens today in the West End? And that i will be there in just 9 days time? Well maybe i have gone on about it a bit. But did you know it features Adam Garcia who is rumoured to be one of the nicest showbiz blokes there is? He's been a west end sensation (Saturday Night Fever), a hollywood star (Coyote Ugly) and even warbled with Kylie on her audience with show, turning Better The Devil into a toe tapping swing number. Wicked will make his star burn brightly once more as he plays Fiyero - a hedonist, frivolous party animal (think male Paris Hilton) role. Adam - who gets his top off in an awful lot of previous stage roles keeps his shirt on for Wicked (boo!) and will hopefully now get full recognition for his triple threat of acting dancing and singing abilities. Garciamania starts here - you have been warned :)
MP3: Adam Garcia - Night Fever

THE NEW MISTRESS OF COOL

Well i already had my blog planned for today, then awoke this morning to find a new album kindly perched in my inbox. About a year ago, Rachel Stevens released the brilliant single I Said Never Again and underappreciated album Come And Get It to a shockingly largely disinterested public. What should have been a smash hit of Kylie proportions (why Crazy Boys wasn't a genius Christmas single is so far beyond me it's not even funny), merely ended up as a lost opportunity mourned by bloggers across the land...

It seems appropriate that on Mr Mercury's would be birthday his secret love child should pop up in the form of 22 year old virtuoso Mika (pronounced Mee-kah fact fans). Ok, so there is no real relation to the flamboyant Queen frontman but he sure has a set of lungs just like him. Just listen to the brilliant pomp of Grace Kelly on his myspace site and you'll see what i mean. he's also blessed with a suitably stunning you-wouldn't-believe-it back story (born in beirut, grew up in the war, father held hostage in an embassy in kuwait, self imposed exile in paris before settling in london) and has a great catchy new single that Rob(o)pop accurately and scarily predicted i would like! Its called Billy Brown and is all about a straight guy who falls for another man! Genius!!

MP3: Mika - Billy Brown