stevemah

Hi Just wondered if anyone else was interested in the rugby?

Bangkok 100 Festival Review -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quite simply, the festival punters came, they saw and they had a truly rocking good time last weekend in Bangkok. For two glorious days, revellers from across the region who attended the inaugural Bangkok 100 Rock Festival – touted as the biggest such festival in South-East Asia – were treated to a thrilling rock festival experience that came tantalisingly close to being “the real deal”. While it was not quite on the epic scale as Glastonbury (in England) or Big Day Out (Australia), the Bangkok 100 Rock fest definitely has the potential to develop into something as vital and exciting, something like a Roskilde, Coachella or a Benicàssim festival for the region. All said, it is a very good thing indeed for local music lovers who have been starved of such happenings. Held at Lakeside Muangthong Thani, an expansive carpark site situated about a 30-minute drive from the Bangkok city centre, the festival boasted a bill that read like a who’s who of British indie rock. Oasis’ frontman Liam Gallagher (right) in the thick of the swaggering rock action. On the first day last Saturday, Britpop giants Oasis headlined a bill that also included Scottish art rockers Franz Ferdinand, ex-Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown and Belgian experimentalist outfit Deus. It was some feat pulling together such an indie treat. Day two saw art-school punks the Futureheads and Mercury Prize-nominated quartet Maximo Park sharing the bill with indie heavy hitters Snow Patrol and Placebo. Not too bad either. On both days, the line up of intentional acts were augmented by popular local Thai groups like Modern Dog, Ebola, Flure, Body Slam and the rather interestingly named Big Ass. For some unknown reason, local promoters have tended to underestimate the pulling power of British indie rock bands like Oasis and Franz Ferdinand, despite their continued success in Britain and the United States. But Bangkok 100 Rock proved that not only can these guys pull a bumper festival crowd but also that they could do it with much style, invention and panache. Certainly bands don’t some any bigger, brasher and more exciting than durable Mancunian superstars Oasis. The band showed that they could attract a huge crowd almost anywhere in the world by pulling nearly 25,000 excitable punters to their Saturday night headline slot. All this on a night when Liverpool was entertaining arch rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup. For both nights, an intoxicating sense of bonhomie and camaraderie was palpable in the air as indie fans congregated in Bangkok to witness one of the most awesome bills put together in a South-East Asian music festival. Indeed there were plenty of indie fans from Malaysia who made the long trip up to Bangkok to check out the bands. Although there were some teething problems for the organisers (Riverman, Matching Entertainment and Pernod Ricard), which is understandable as it was the first time they had attempted to stage an event of this magnitude, the festival was generally very well organised. Logistical support from the Thai government was a big plus. For the average music fan, it was a pleasure to attend the fest considering the festival minders and police were friendly ... and more importantly, the portable toilets were relatively clean and the festival site spotless. Malaysian festival organisers should be taking notes here and the fact that Thai policemen were happy to pose for pictures with inebriated foreign music fans was hospitality at its best. Without doubt, any minor quibbles were all forgotten when the bands took to the stage. Over the course of two days, there were many highlights and it’s rather difficult to isolate them. Certainly day one of the fest belonged to Oasis and Franz Ferdinand – judging by the frenzied reception received by both. Franz Ferdinand’s main man Alex Kapranos (right) and drummer Paul Thomson thrilling the crowd. – Photos courtesy of The Nation / Asia News Network Oasis lived up to their billing as one of the best rock ’n’ roll bands on the planet by swaggering on stage and blowing the crowd away with a brilliant set mainly comprising tracks from their new album Don’t Believe the Truth. Frontman Liam Gallagher, the epitome of rock star cool, was in good form. Dressed in a blue Adidas tracksuit top, he was in fine voice and capped off the night in thrilling rock star fashion as he leapt into the crowd during a rousing version of The Who’s classic My Generation. On that kind of form, the younger Gallagher proved that he was indeed one of the best singers to come out from Britain. Anyone disputing this should have been there to hear the band’s version of Rock and Roll Star, dedicated on the night to Ian Brown. Before Oasis took the stage, Franz Ferdinand wowed the crowd with a set that resembled adrenaline punk rock of the highest order. Franz Ferdinand wanted to write songs to make people dance and last Saturday that was precisely what they did. With the sizzling energy of the Buzzcocks and a set that drew from both hit albums, Franz Ferdinand underlined the fact that it has arrived as a contender for the big stage – and the Bangkok crowd went bananas. Ian Brown, the former Stone Roses frontman also deserves a special mention just for being the most charismatic rocker at the festival. Certainly, he must be the only man who can pull off wearing a bright pink Adidas tracksuit. While his set was rough and ready at best, watching Brown perform the Stone Roses classic She Bangs the Drums in front of 25,000 felt like a genuine festival moment. After the highs of Saturday night, thanks to Oasis and Franz Ferdinand’s excellent performances, Sunday’s bill of bands had their work cut out. But down to the potency of their melodic and heartfelt tunes, Irish/ Scottish quartet Snow Patrol managed to entertain the crowd with a set comprising songs from their excellent million-selling album Final Straw along with new songs from their forthcoming new album Eyes Open. Headliners Placebo worked hard to get the crowd going but as much as Brian Molko tore into a nearly indie metal-sounding set, the night really belonged to Snow Patrol and their singer Gary Lightbody who sang beautifully throughout with soul and emotion. source: Malaysia Star http://www.live4ever.us/newsroom.html

Seoul Press Conference -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gem Archer, center, and Liam Gallagher, right, join Noel Gallagher of Oasis at a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday. Andy Bell, sick with a cold, was absent from the photo session but performed at the concert. For Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher, it’s either one way or the other. It can be ``fabulous,’’_ what he describes himself and his playing _ or, in reference to a specific musician, he may take a more critical tone. As for his first stay in Seoul, his comments were positive. Gallagher arrived not expecting to see much of the place. ``But last night out _ it was nice,’’the Brit told at an intimate meeting with the local press yesterday hours before Oasis’ first-ever show here. ``It’s great. It’s really great to be in a country you’ve never been before,’’ he added. British rock group Oasis is paying local fans a long overdue visit, their stop over in the peninsula made to stage the Seoul leg of their world tour. Oasis played a set of 18 songs including ``Lyla,’’ ``Let There Be Love’’and more off the group’s most recent album ``Don’t Believe the Truth.’’before a sell-out crowd at the Olympic Hall yesterday evening. How anxious were Koreans fans to see him? With the best seats in the house gone within a week of the opening of box offices and left over sold out clean by early February leaving concert promoters no choice but to put up an additional 100 seats for sale on Feb. 15. Gallagher said he doesn’t like to get involved in anything other than writing songs, which is why it took so long for his band to make its way to South Korea. Oasis was formed in 1992 when Noel joined a group started up by brother Liam with his fellow schoolmates Paul Arthurs, Paul McGuigan and Tony McCaroll on the condition he be the leader and sole song writer. Their first full-fledged recording, 1994’s ``Definitely Maybe,’’ shot straight up to number one in the U.K. chart upon entering. It also went down in British pop history as the fastest-selling debut ever. The success of the band’s next recording effort ``(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'' in the American pop scene propelled the band into the international spotlight. However, their own reputation is not all that’s come out of their success. Oasis is credited to have kicked off the 1990s British Invasion, having paved the way for other U.K. rock acts like Radiohead and Blur into the international music scene, When asked of his take on newer groups from the U.K. like Coldplay, he flat out denied feeling threatened in any way. ``Oasis is not Coldplay as is Coldplay not Oasis. The music we make are completely different,’’ said Gallagher but didn’t hesitate to add that Coldplay is one of the most successful bands to come out of the U.K. ``Chris (of Coldplay) is actually a good friend,’’ he said. While the band’s popularity and public’s demand for the group rose, so did tension between group members. The current line-up _ Noel, Liam, Andy Bell and Gem Archer _ is different from its original, with the exception of the two Gallaghers even though that the brothers are known to have frequent run-ins with each other. And this may explain why Noel sat alone yesterday at the press conference while Liam met with local cable networks. ``Liam doesn’t particularly like talking,’’ he said. Oasis made a strong come back with ``Don’t Believe the Truth’’ in June, 2005. The album sold over 40 million copies worldwide and proved that Oasis was still together. Oasis leaves today to make two more stops in Asia before going on to the Americas to wrap up their world tour in Mexico City on March 31. ``As of the 32nd (of May), we’ll be on a very long holiday,’’ he said. Reporter: Han Eun-jung http://www.live4ever.us/newsroom.html

coldplay talk

Gem on touring and recording -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guitarist Gem Archer spared some time for a brief phone interview recently from Melbourne, Australia. “Liam said it was one of the Top 5 shows we’ve played. Ever! It was great man, really great. There are certain places in the world where the reception is really great like Glasgow and Melbourne’s like that,” said Gem with much enthusiasm. As noted during this world tour, the setlists have been all about new Oasis material. Well, it took the band close to three years to come out with a new album, and there is no reason to hide behind the old hits. With tunes like Lyla, Turn Up The Sun, A Bell Will Ring, The Importance of Being Idle, Mucky Fingers and more from Don’t Believe The Truth playing a bigger prominence at recent concert sets, Oasis has proven it is more than capable of mixing the rocked up new material with the classics on this tour. To date, the Oasis tour has gone without a hitch. Remember the regular instances of Noel Gallagher quitting in the middle of a tour, the band accident in the United States in 2002 and Liam’s bust-up in Germany in 2003? No such incidents have plagued the band so far. Left with a month, Oasis plans to tour hard before heading into the studio to do another record. Gem, who joined Oasis in 2000 after the recording Standing On The Shoulder of Giants, noted: “Liam wants to go to the studio now. It’s one of those things, you know. We’ve got six albums worth of material but we’re loving it, loving what we do as a band; touring and then it’s back to the studio to record more songs.” Even though the Gallagher brothers are the only original members of the band now, all the current bandmates play a role when it comes to making music, including bassist Andy Bell. “The way we make music is that everybody writes. Either we do a demo together or I do a demo with Noel or Andy will do one in Sweden (it’s where he lives). For this album, producer Dave Sardy picked the songs out and it was a good batch of songs.” For a first time Oasis songwriting credit, Gem provided the standout A Bell Will Ring on the album. It also helps that Noel has got his own studio filled with vintage gear whenever they want to record a track or demo. “When we do a demo, it’s more like a first take and it’s not like a usual demo. For the guitar solo in The Meaning of Soul, it was just one take. When it comes to recording, we do it really quick. A song can take a day and we can record five songs in a week and have a break after that,” revealed the 38-year-old. Gem used a Fender Esquire plugged straight to a Vox AC30 for the record and said that the Fender is his favourite axe. “Noel loves his Gibson ES335 in the studio but live, it’s a different story.” source: Malaysia Star Newspaper http://www.live4ever.us/newsroom.html

Noel gives thumbs up for new Kasabian LP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kasabian have revealed that they are taking a more organic approach with their second album and as of yet it’s “ugly.” Leicester’s finest have ditched sampled beats and looped drums that were the trademark of their eponymous debut, but album is roughly cut at the moment. Frontman Tom Meighan explains: “What we’ve done is become more real. It’s not about the sampled beats anymore, it’s all about real drums. “But don’t worry, the album’s still really fucking ugly. Sometimes even I’m upset by its ugliness.” He continued to The Star: “It’s a proper beast of a record and I can’t wait to get it out there. “But to be honest… the whole album just picks you up and tears through you. “Noel Gallagher’s been in the studio a couple of times for a listen and given it the thumbs up, so you know it must be as good as I’m saying.” source: Gigwise.com

oasis let there be love

oasis turn up the sun

oasis morning glory

oasis wonderwall

coldplay sleeping sun

the beatles she said she said

the coral the operator

the coral in the morning

editors bullets

editors blood

editors all sparks

editors munich

editors lights

kasabian lsf

kasabian cut off

kasabian reason is treason

kasabian club foot

coldplay - clocks

coldplay - yellow