Lopez Blogs

One of the things I love about myspace is that it allows you to see a pop act blossom from it’s humble beginnings into something with great potential. The trick is to spot what acts those are and weed out the fluff. And hey, even if they don’t make it, you at least got to hear some of their early promise and pontificate about what might have been. Someone with tremendous staying power, a never give up attitude and a deeply embedded love for all things pop is Chris Tolley. Longtime zappyzap readers may know that Chris was part of pop act Lockdown before they split up earlier this year. He’s now back with a new boy-girl pop combo and is looking to come knocking on the door of pop success with his new act Tru Calling. Rising like a phoenix from the ashes of Lockdown, one can only hope that they keep that pop sensibility and even some of the tunes (their cover of Alice Cooper’s Poison was a funky floorfiller matched only in sheer pop audacity by A*Teens cover of One Night In Bangkok!). Eastern tinged Freak draws on a myriad of styles and mainly showcases the strong male vocals leading the group forward. However, Every Little Thing hints at the magic to come from the group – pure pop all the way through, the song is a delight to listen to and one can only anticipate how ace it will sound with a few dance remixes. Oh, and their cover of Maniac is a stomper and should go down a treat at the office Christmas party. Stylistically, the band embody the fun colourful stylings of acts long gone like Steps and S Club, with the boys Rob and Chris putting their own stamp on today’s high street fashions (Chris’ pairing of a red tie for colour with jeans and a black shirt works particularly well). The band are performing at popshow on October 27^th so if you are down that way, be sure to give them all your support...

LINK: Check out the tunes at the official myspace page

THE NEW MAN:

First there was the homo-sexual, all fashionable, cutting edge and savvy groomer. Arguably David Beckham latched onto this and suddenly lads everywhere were purchasing L’Oreal for Men and becoming narcissistic metrosexuals. Ubersexuals took this to a whole never lever when these well dressed, coiffered straight blokes were willing to flirt outrageously with the gays before snatching away the forbidden fruit before any actual bumming took place. But those days are now gone. It’s the alphasexual that rules the street. Labels – designer or otherwise – are no longer relevant. It’s about being totally comfortable with who you are, promoting a healthy body shape (no extremes here), finding clothes that complement and flatter you (rather than succumbing to fancy labels and extreme fashions) and projecting that inner confidence outwards. You are alphasexual, let’s hear you roar. Now oddly enough, I’ve been lucky enough to develop an online friendship with someone who embodies all these qualities, is a jolly decent dude and a fine singer to boot. I’ve written about Robert O’Connor before, but his latest song Killing Kind (available now on myspace) is a doozy. A collaboration with Moroccan singer/songwriter Aziza el Messaoudi. The track was produced during Robert’s sessions with Mourad Bouchiba in Amsterdam during the summer. Go check it out, as it will only be there until Sunday and click here to find out how you can get a free mp3 of a live version of Robert’s ace debut single Spend The Night. You can also read Robert’s insightful blog Sex and The Liffey by clicking here...