====================================================[February 27, 1995]= __ | __ _ _ ___ | || ___ | __ __ (__ | | | \/ | ____) |___ || |___) |__ (__) | | ___) |___| | | | |___| |___) || |____ Editor: Bob Gajarsky Internet: gajarsky@pilot.njin.net Sr. Contributors: Jeremy Ashcroft, Martin Bate, Al Crawford, Dan Enright, Tim Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Tim Mohr, Joe Silva, John Walker Other Contributors: Kelley Crowley, Tim Hulsizer, Melissa Pellegrin, P. Nina Ramos, Michelle Richmond, Jamie Roberts, Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl, Jorge Velez, Scott Williams Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak, Jason Williams Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@pilot.njin.net ================================================================== All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). Permission for re-publication in any form other than within this document must be obtained from the editor. ================================================================== .------------. | Contents |-. `------------' | `------------' NEWS: Manic Street Preachers Guitarist Reported Missing INTERVIEW: Matthew Sweet, 100% Pop by Joe Silva REVIEW: Belly, _King_ by Reto Koradi REVIEW: Kirsty MacColl, _Galore_ by Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Prodigy, _Music for the Jilted Generation_ by Martin Bate REVIEW: Jayhawks, _Tomorrow the Green Grass_ by Linda Scott INTERVIEW: Bush's Gavin Rossdale, by Jamie Roberts REVIEW: _uziq vs The Auteurs_ and System 7.3, _First Water_ by Joe Silva CONCERT REVIEW: Australia's Big Day Out! by Martin Bate NEWS: Shampoo TOUR DATES: Victoria Williams THE READERS WRITE BACK! Back Issues of Consumable --- NEWS: Manic Street Preachers Guitarist Reported Missing Richey James (Edwards), guitarist for the British rock group Manic Street Preachers, has been reported missing in London, England. James, 28 years old, was last sighted leaving the London Embassy Hotel on Wednesday, February 1st, 1995, at 7:00 a.m. Suspicions were immediately raised because of his past history in a mental institution as well as his unstable mind. His car, a silver Vauxhall Cavalier motor car (license: L519 HKX), was recently found near a cliff in the United Kingdom, with no sign of James nearby. In addition, it is rumoured that prior to James' disappearance, he had systematically withdrawn 200 pounds per day from automatic teller machines throughout Britain. James spent part of this past summer in a British asylum to cure manic depression and feelings of inadequacy. He had previously carved "4 REAL" into his arm with a knife in response to a reporter's dubious comments on the band's devotion to their trade and style of music. The band was supposed to have started their first full length American tour on February 22, and kicked that off the week before with publicity work in the United States. Lead singer James Dean Bradfield made that trip; however, U.K. press representatives for the band said, at the time, that James could not make the trip because of an "ear infection". The tour has obviously been cancelled. The band's future is in doubt as of this writing, as Bradfield and other members of the group have repeatedly stated that the four men, who have known each other since childhood, would never perform without all four members. Police are asking anyone who has seen Richard or knows of his whereabouts to contact the Cardiff Central Police Station. --- INTERVIEW: Matthew Sweet, 100% Pop - Joe Silva Lately, when you're more prone to landing the cover of Rolling Stone by reinflating a legend and dusting it off for a nationwide tour, or by being the dysfunctional wife of one (you fill in the blanks...), Matthew Sweet figures in as something of a rare bird. The point was better illustrated at a recent Chinese New Year throwdown given by Atlanta's "modern" rock station. Matthew had been square pegged in third on a four act bill that also included one requisite alterna-pop metal band, some post-Tull blues/folk thing, and a top five adult contemporary (shudder shudder...) group who recently rang in the western calendar New Year with Dick Clark. But no matter how many dozens of spins Matthew's epic pop LP _Girlfriend_ have gotten at mainstream frat parties since it's release a few years ago, your garden variety radio listeners were still largely just filing into their seats when Matthew walked out under the indigo veil of the house lights. But then again, it's still a fairly dicey business these days trying to fashion a career by trafficking in pop songs, whether they're as pretty flawless as Matthew's are or not. You have to work harder than the CandleJamPilotGarden's of the world and there are long distances between pre-album release outings like this one and the MTV Buzz Bin. The last time Matthew was circumnavigating the halls and bars of the collegiate circuit, I accidently taped part of a conversation with him trying to persuade his record company people to let him have a break from the string of interviews he was doing on the road. Still caught in the popularity wake of _Girlfriend_, his publicity folk were having him do cellular press conferences from his tour bus with seven journalists at a time. Even though the somewhat moodier follow-up record (_Altered Beast_) wasn't quite doing the in-store business of its predecessor, Matthew was still hot, and everybody wanted to ask him why he wasn't he wasn't happy anymore. The joke became that the next record was going to be called something like _100% Fun_, and as it turned out he wasn't kidding. "You know, I would never bend my music because of pressure like that, although I will admit that I did have a sort of feeling like '...I'm gonna make a record and you will not be able to say it doesn't sound good...' so I'd be sure I'd never have to hear that again." Matthew says from his manager's office before the evening's show. He's more or less just walked in, still a little hoarse from the warm-up date the night before in a smaller Atlanta club. "People have come around a lot to it (_Altered Beast_) but it's still like this difficult record that's weird and sprawling." But Matthew would agree that beneath the surface plastic of _100% Fun_ (Zoo), there are probably just as many minor chord sentiments etched onto the new album as the last. "Yeah, now it's just that everyone will be fooled because of that title. It's got this photo on the cover from like 1974 of me with big headphones on blissfully listening to my King Kong soundtrack album wearing a smile you'd never get out of me these days" Discounting the smirk factor, _100% Fun_, plays like a well negotiated merger between the two works that pre-date it. It still has manages the semi-manicured, unbridled guitar rock moments of one with the high sheen tunefulness of the other. And with noted Black Crowes/Pearl Jam producer Brendan O'Brien enlisted to help the shape the project, the equation balances nicely. Onstage there's no clunky overlap between songs new and old. Having just motored in from LA (long-standing guitar contributor Richard Lloyd not being able to fly due to an recent auto accident) and only a few crashes rehearsals later, new material like "Super Baby" is seamlessly pulled off alongside the numbers they've played over and over. Freshly plucked from the Love Jones combo, drummer Stuart Johnson rattles away like a smiling, twenty-something version of Costello stickman Pete Thomas. During the more heated moments of their set, where Lloyd looks like someone more apt to fiercely snap the neck of his guitar during a wrenching solo than someone who just spent a week recovering in a hospital from a car wreck, Matthew and company have just as much bare naked aggression as the hair band that came on before them. What's bundled in with the Beach Boy vocal windup of "Not When I Need It," the blissfully swirling sonic muddle of "Lost My Mind," and the straightforward Peter Buck/Byrdsian hook of "Walk Out" is a more lyrically disassembled version of Sweet than we saw last time round. There's a tone of resolution to moments like "...everything changes/it's hard not to tell/like a bird you'd sooner fly away." or "...the reflection that you see/is a shell of what you were/it's not who you want to be." There are similar points like this littered throughout the record, where you seem to be getting clued into someone's concern for the passing of time. Although he won't let necessarily commit to it outright, you get the notion that you're privy to Sweet trying to verbally reconcile an inevitable shift in his nature. "I think for most people they don't really deal with that issue, thinking about whether they're going to die and what it all means. They're trying to forget. And for me, I couldn't stand it. I had to dig into and examine my entire youth." he says tossing in a few non-binding laughs. "I guess when I got into my young adulthood, I started thinking 'Do I really believe in God?' and that made me start thinking more about the reality of things. "Get Older" is kind of like the song I wrote to make myself feel better about it." Which leaves you to wonder that after two outright guitar ridden discs where he might be developing the scope of his verse, will he step away from the rock combo ethic that he initially shunned on his earlier records (_Earth_, _Inside_). Having a musical coming of age that was obliquely associated with (but not actually a part of) the Athens, Georgia scene of the early eighties, Matthew didn't appear primarily interested in miming the guitar, bass and drum success of his neighbors. There were keyboards and electronic percussion incorporated, but very little of that is mustered into his current makeup. "There's was a little monophonic synth sitting around at Brendan's when I was doing the vocals to "Super Baby" that I play in one section and people are horrified by it. They say it sounds like The Cars! Although the first Cars album is sounding pretty good these days. As it goes for programmed music now, I recently got a Kraftwerk record again so I'm into that electronic aesthetic, but as to how that would apply in my own music, I wouldn't expect me to make an electronic record. And as more and more bands come around to doing things with like string sections and stuff, although I really like The Left Bank and certain things with strings on them, it's kind of made me feel more against doing it." So while we apparently shouldn't look to Sweet hiring on a slew of semi-exotic Eygptian flute players for "his" next project, you're left to wonder what someone so firmly esconsced in the dwindling power pop bortherhood will do in the future. After applying a fresh face to any genre, the artist usually seeks to warp the parameters if not for the sake of the art at hand, then for sheer amusement. On occasion it's worked for Neil Young, but considering his recent return to Crazy Horse form, perhaps they were uneccessary forays for the listeners who bothered to follow along. "You know back at the time (of _Inside_), I wanted to be someone of my own time, doing things with keyboards and stuff. Then I heard _Pet Sounds_ and I got so depressed because it had been done so perfectly already." Point well taken. Matthew's new release, _100% Fun_, will be issued on vinyl by Zoo on February 28. The cassette and compact disc format will be serviced on March 14. --- REVIEW: Belly, _King_ (Sire/Reprise) - Reto Koradi "Take your hat off boy when you're talking to me, and be there when I feed the tree." This song, together with a few other singles like "Gepetto" and "Slow Dog" catapulted Belly's debut album _Star_ to the #1 spot of the alternative charts in '93 and was one of the most remarkable albums in the flood of alternative female pop. Two years later, after touring extensively, Belly is back with their second album. We've seen often enough that this is more difficult than a promising debut album. Repeating the same thing is the no-risk option, but it won't work as well as the first time. And, it's still too early to surprise the newly acquired fans with a drastic style change. So will Belly proceed to stardom, or will they belly-flop and be forgotten? The lineup has changed slightly since _Star_. Gail Greenwood has replaced Fred Abong on bass. The Gorman brothers, Tom on guitar and piano, Chris on drums and percussion, are still on board. And the key member, of course, is still Tanya Donelly on vocals and guitar. She also wrote all the lyrics and the major part of the songs, 6 of them are co-written by Tom Gorman or Gail Greenwood. While Belly are a rather new band, Donelly has been around the alternative music scene for a decade, being a driving force in the Throwing Muses together with her stepsister Kristin Hersh, and founding the Breeders together with former Pixies member Kim Deal. _King_ was produced by Glyn Johns, a man who has worked with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin. But, despite this background, he doesn't dominate the band. The production is clean yet still lively and fresh. The opening track of the album, "Puberty", indicates already in which direction they're going. While _Star_ was special in some ways, it still relied on the distorted guitars that seem to be mandatory for most alternative bands, even though they have lost their novelty effect long ago. Here the guitars sound more laid-back with the drums give the song a driving rhythm. And while Donelly's voice often sounded rather thin on _Star_, it has gotten fuller without losing its characteristic quality. "Seal My Fate" also reveals new qualities, with the sound gaining greater variance. The song starts slow, with Donelly's sweet voice mainly accompanied by percussions. The pace gets faster and the tension builds up for a catchy chorus. This change of rhythm within one song is even more pronounced in "Red", maybe the musically most interesting track of the album. Slow and melodic parts alternate with a punk-like chorus dominated by the drums. This kind of variation of style within one track has resulted in outstanding songs before, e. g. in PIL's legendary "Rise". The first single "Now They'll Sleep" is not a standout track, but is representative of more than half of the songs. It starts with an intro with heavy, but slow, almost blues-like guitar chords, and evolves into a rather straight rock song with a catchy melody. The title track is another example, with a more punky rhythm. The quiet songs that were highlights on _Star_ ("Untogether"), but somewhat underrepresented, are also here, and really sparkle this time. "Silverfish" is an immediate favorite with an irresistible melody - it is one of those songs where you're never sure whether you heard them before, or whether they were just waiting to finally be written. This should be released as a single and certainly has the potential to open them up for a much larger audience. "The Bees" is another very catchy song. All in all, _King_ is an impressive effort. The music is great, and Donelly's voice is more intriguing than ever. Sweet and lovely, but always sounding somewhat twisted, which saves even the slow, melodic ballads from getting cheesy. Belly left some of the child-like innocence of _Star_ on their way, but their step forward revealed new, interesting territory. We're taking our hats off, Tanya! The album release will be followed by a world tour that will take Belly through North America, Europe, Japan and Australia. --- REVIEW: Kirsty MacColl, _Galore_ (I.R.S.) - Bob Gajarsky Kirsty MacColl has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in alternative music, whether the Smiths (and, individually, both Morrissey and Johnny Marr), Billy Bragg, Evan Dando of the Lemonheads and the Pogues, just to name a few. The respect and familiarity which her name brings in the music community has not been echoed from the record buying public. Hopefully, sixteen years after her first single, this oversight can be partially corrected with the release of her first hits compilation, _Galore_. Kirsty first came to national British prominence in 1979 with her song, "They Don't Know", which received massive airplay, culminating in a #2 position in the Music Week airplay charts. MacColl claims she was inspired for this one by the girl group sounds of the sixties, especially Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound. British actress Tracey Ullman later took the song to a top ten placing on both sides of the Atlantic. Covers? MacColl has a few. Billy Bragg wrote an extra verse to his own "A New England" especially for Kirsty, and she took the version to #7 in the U.K.; The Smiths' "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" is pulled off without a hitch; the brilliance of the group's work can be seen through her fine presentation of this Morrissey/Marr classic. Even the Kinks' Ray Davies is brought into the act, with her cover of "Days". The two new songs which are presented on _Galore_ are a cover of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" (with Evan Dando of the Lemonheads) and "Caroline". Both tracks stand up to the rest of her collection. The girl group image which MacColl tries to convey continues in all her work, but with the maturity of a woman who is discovering the world as an adult. "Free World" and "Walking Down Madison" express contempt and dismay at the prevailing attitudes towards the working class in Britain and Manhattan, while "Can't Stop Killing You" is written from the point of view, in an abusive relationship, of both the abused and the abuser. For those who have been unaware of MacColl's music for the past fifteen years, this collection is a must-get. And, if you have heard Kirsty in the past, it's a great opportunity to collect all her key tracks on one compilation. --- REVIEW: The Prodigy _Music for the Jilted Generation_ (Mute) - Martin Bate The Prodigy are Liam Howlett in the same way that NIN are Trent Reznor. Their debut album was one of the few albums by an out-and-out rave act that I could listen to from start to finish - every track a speed freak thumping pop/dance song with insidious hooks and bass to move rooms. "So....To stop my work falling into the wrong hands, I've taken it back underground." This is The Prodigy getting serious, a reaction to both their alleged teeny-dance status and to the British Governments proposed anti-rave laws. The titles and tunes allude to drugs, crime, and speed (of the motorized vehicle variety), making a concept album of sorts. Few of the tracks go along with the first album's blue-print. There is much more of a variety of styles and tempos, with some tracks even borrowing perceptibly from the industrial, rap, funk and even soundtrack (imagine John Williams with break-beats) genres. Most of this works, although parts don't. For instance, "Voodoo People" mixes up a Nirvana-riff ("Very Ape"), with 70's "Shaft"-style flute, and hardcore techno and comes out as a great bit of dance with a twist. In contrast the Pop Will Eat Itself collaboration "Their Law" trudges along on the back of a lackluster live guitar riff, going nowhere, and doing little to improve my opinion of PWEI. Things finish off on a high note (in more ways than one) with "The Narcotic Suite", a collection of three drug related moods. Thus we have "3 Kilos" with its dreamy keyboards topped with super-fly flute and piano; "Skylined" with its alternating wide open expanses and hard dance; and "Claustrophobic Sting" with its dense roller-coaster beats cut with screams, scary laughter, and a voice repeating "My mind is glowing!" like a mantra. This *is* definitely a more mature album, sacrificing the debut's vicarious pop thrills for more of an exploration of the dance genre, with varying results. Some songs are stretched out a little too long and there is a comparative lack of hooks (especially vocal) for the listener's ears and body to latch onto on initial listens, but really I'm nit-picking. There are few dance acts who could produce an *album* as good as this. The Prodigy will be embarking on a full U.S. tour in April. Tour dates will be announced at a later date. --- REVIEW: The Jayhawks, _Tomorrow The Green Grass_ (American) - Linda Scott February 1995 marks the tenth anniversary of The Jayhawks, a folk- country-rock group out of Minneapolis. It also marks the release of the band's fourth album, _Tomorrow The Green Grass_. This is The Jayhawks' second recording for American, label of heavy metal bands Danzig and Slayer. Some fans and critics have worried that American may inject a little metal into The Jayhawks, but _Tomorrow The Green Grass_ shows the group's strong suits of lyrics and harmonies are still intact while appealing to an expanded audience. The band's integrity and strong sense of roots can best be understood by looking at two original members, Mark Olson and Gary Louris. Olson/Louris are the key songwriters, singers and guitarists of The Jayhawks. Olson provides lead vocals with Louris picking up the lead guitar duties and they are the glue that holds the band together. Marc Perlman (bassist) has been with The Jayhawks since the beginning while keyboardist Karen Grotberg joined about three years ago. These four are the core Jayhawks. The band started out playing small clubs in Minnesota and developing a special country-soul, country-folk style. In 1986 their first album had critics calling them "the new Flying Burrito Brothers". The band soon discovered they could write their own songs, and these were soon performed on the circuit. At this point their music had evolved into a country-rock sound. The _Village Voice_ in 1989 called The Jayhawks "the only country-rock band that matters". Louris described their sound as "folk music played really LOUD". Record producer George Drakoulias (Black Crowes) brought The Jayhawks to American and in 1992 _Hollywood Town Hall_ was produced. The Jayhawks toured the U.S. and Europe headlining their own shows, opening for the Black Crowes, playing Farm Aid, and winning the Edison Award, the Dutch equivalent to the Grammy. They have backed other artists in their recordings including Joe Henry, Maria McKee, Counting Crows, Soul Asylum, and Olson's wife, Victoria Williams. Over the decade since they came together, the band has matured and evolved without losing their trademark sound. _Tomorrow The Green Grass_ showcases a beautiful string of folk-tinged pop songs by a band that is confident enough to stretch out and experiment. "See Him On The Streets" and "Anne Jane" along with ballads "Two Hearts" and "Over My Shoulder" hearken back to _Blue Earth_, a total country-rock period, while "Blue" and "I'd Run Away" are great pop songs. The final track, "Ten Little Kids" is a teaser - sound effects and distortion hint at a band trying yet another side - more alternative than before. Hard core country-rock fans may be dissatisfied with The Jayhawks as they move away from that earlier exclusive style. But the country- rock inspiration of Gram Parsons and early Neil Young is still there. It can be seen in the economical yet emotional lyrics, stunning harmonies and impressive ensemble playing. The Jayhawks more open-minded fans will want their fourth album for its lovely songs as well as its snapshot of a band moving on to a more rocking style. Rock fans - even if you haven't heard much about The Jayhawks - take a chance on their _Tomorrow The Green Grass_ ! --- INTERVIEW: Bush's Gavin Rossdale - Jamie Roberts "...Being real is what is important," to Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of Brit rock saviors, Bush. That comes through clearly in his manner, as well as his music. "Real" (in a deep, true-to-feelings sense) can also be used to describe the lyrical content on Bush's debut _16 Stone_ (Interscope). Tackling topics like death, sexuality, ego, and general disenchantment, this inspired first effort serves as a catharsis of sorts for Gavin and company. "The more I talk about things, the more I understand myself.." he says of his externalizing-in-song. The intensity of their garage-rock music builds at a steady pace, and peaks with their single "Everything Zen". This hooky, melodic first track off _16 Stone_ has rocketed up the Modern Rock charts, and garnered quite a bit of airplay on rock radio (with KROQ in LA, and WAXQ in NYC heavily pushing the track). Bush has effectively resuscitated the British music scene, by plowing through the stereotypical overseas offerings. Their adaptation of the popular American Grunge style, by adding their personal style, and British songwriting sensibility, was what initially attracted Trauma Records' Rob Kahane. Judging from the reaction of the packed house to which they played their first U.S. show, at New York City's CBGB's, their formula is working. Gavin's fascination with ambiguity is evident in the name of the band, as well as in the meanings of the songs. "Bush can mean a number of things... we lived and recorded in a city called Shephard's Bush, and of course there's the sexual connotation..." he said shyly. The name was quite appealing, visually, and held many possibilities. One possibility that had not occurred to Gavin was the political angle. Never having thought about George Bush, he was surprised that the name was brought up by a fan after the CBGB show. This drove his point home about the distinct meanings a music fan can take from the same name, song, or entire show. In keeping with many listeners' assumptions that BUSH were American rockers, it follows that Gavin feels all the best records of the past 10 years have been made by American bands. Bush's music is, in large part, inspired by this- particularly the whole Pixies/Breeders musical history. Gavin's admiration of their musical history laid the groundwork for the driving rhythms and classic alternative style on _16 Stone_. It is obvious when talking with him, that he's excited about interacting with fans that are inspired by his band. After the CBGB show, he spoke to one particular fan who said the song "Glycerine" really spoke to him. "Now, maybe, this kid will use what he got out of our song, to create his own music," Gavin said. The participation in that chain of inspiration seems to be one of the many things that gives him satisfaction lately. After stopping to turn down his radio, Gavin shared something else he was excited about. "Have you heard about the album that's coming out by Tricky, of Massive Attack?" he asked "It's fantastic!" He mentioned this album (coming out on Island Records in a few months) because Tricky will be doing remixes of BUSH's present work, and will do something original with the band soon after. His dark, rap style is what Gavin is listening to lately, and a combination of that, and Bush's sound should make for an interesting future project. Bringing us back to what this industry used to be about (the love of music), and bringing the U.K. back to the forefront of Modern Rock, Bush is a band that is really going places. Glad to be along for the ride! --- REVIEW: _u-Ziq vs The Auteurs/System 7.3: Fire + Water - 777_ (Astralwerks) - Joe Silva You know when National Public Radio starts running stories about the ambient craze that (or any craze for that matter...), the scene is already looking back at it's apex and the members of the subculture as a whole have already singled out a time past which they refer to as the good 'ol days. Ambient is not about to displace the cover music in the bowling lanes of middle America, but it has a niche that might not be considered "thriving" but could easily seen as sustaining itself nicely. Both of these discs share the same roster, but upon listening you'd think they come from different planets. 777 are British guitar godhead Steve Hillage and pals, late of the UK outfit known as Gong. Hillage is part of the English cadre that see their salvation in rhythm and synths. 777 began as a collaborative move with help of King Orbian/DJ Dr. Alex Paterson, but manifestation 7.3 is want for the good Dr.'s influence. If you can get your media going in a continuous loop, over time you'll realize that there are few points of distinction on _Fire + Water_ despite its newly enlightened or at least well seasoned parentage. Among others, producer/original Killing Joke bassman Youth (who's added 777 to his Butterfly record label) is mentioned as being somewhere aboard, but 7.3 has warped itself into the most non-descript of ambient quadrants, that no one's hand in particular can be seen or felt. Even the Future Sound of London, who probably inhabit the same mellifluous camp as 777, are keen to the fact that beyond trying to envelop their listeners wholesale, there has to be some meat...um...or at least some flesh in the mix for the listener to latch on to. u-Ziq (pronounced "music"), aka Michael Paradinas, however, instinctively knows just how much should be stripped away from the ambient bone. His source material for this project (The Auteurs _Now I'm a Cowboy_ LP) quickly came and went with few positive nods in its direction, but what this 22 year old former architecture student has distilled from it make you wonder if _Cowboy_ shouldn't have been granted a slighter longer half life. As spare as the opener ("Lenny Valentino 3") comes off, it thrills in the same spooky manner that _Wish You Were Here_ era Waters and Gilmour did. Rhythms are hyped to the point where they distort blissfully and the whole cut has the classic electro-tuetonic aura of the analog era. From there the intrigue just grows boundlessly as uZiq drops poignantly into and out of the Auteur riffs and melody lines where he sees fit. The ambient crown stands contested. --- CONCERT REVIEW : THE BIG DAY OUT 95 - Adelaide, Australia (Friday 3rd Feb 95) - Martin Bate Big Day Out '95, Australia's version of Lollapalooza, rolled into town recently. What you get for your $50 Aus (that's about 25 quid or 35 US dollars) is a full day of music split over a main 'arena' featuring international and national 'alternative' guitar bands, two stages of local and national 'alternative' guitar bands, and 'The Boiler Room' which features the techno, dance, rap and industrial bands ie everyone who doesn't have a human drummer. Because,as we all know these people have to be kept sepaate from the rest of the stages in case they shrivel up in the sunlight or open some people's minds or something. So, first band of the day for me is Adelaide's MARK OF CAIN on the main stage, who's brand of Big Black meets Joy Division intensity is as brutal as ever. Comparisons with Helmet are all too easy but this three- piece have been doing it longer and what they *really* share is that stop- on-a-dime tightness where you can hear everyone hold theirbreath for a split second. Henry Rollins will be in town soon to produce their third album and a crack at the US market must be coming. Next up is LUSCIOUS JACKSON, who ultimately prove to be a glorious breath of fresh-air before the main arena is taken over by white-boy guitar bands for the next 8 hours (!). Needless to say, the crowd is fairly disinterested in their gentle collision of 70's funk and hip-hop until 'the song they recognise' comes in and wrecks shop in the same way the rest of their set would have done if people had been paying attention. Criminally overlooked genius. YOU AM I are one of Australia's big hopes. With their debut album and soon to come follow-up produced by Sonic Youth's Lee Renaldo and Soundgarden taking them out in the US after seeing them last year on this stage their time may be coming. Frontman Tim Rogers is a star - equal parts John Lydon and Pete Townsend with a raw emotional voice - and their material is the kind of driving guitar rock now lodged in the 'alternative' pigeon-hole. I still feel that half of their material is bona-fide classic and the other half bona-fide average - there's no inbetween and it makes for a patchy impression - but hey, maybe its just me. Next up SCREAMING TREES, late replacements for Oasis who cancelled because "Liam Gallagher has a throat infection" which is patently bollocks as he seemed to be singing fine at the re-scheduled Glasgow date four days after the cancellation. Don't they think people here read the UK press ? Anyway, Trees singer Mark Lanegan hobbles on stage supported by a walking stick and sits down to sing but all doubts are wiped away as soon as he opens his mouth and lets out that magnificent whisky-soaked rasp. In effect, his predicament gives him even more the air of a wise middle- aged man. But half way through, through no fault of their own my attention starts to wander. Their sound isn't a million miles away from You Am I before them, and I decide its time to check out pastures new. Over in the Boiler Room things are quieter and cooler away from the large crowds and baking sun. There's some ultra-cool video screens chucking out visuals at an epilepsy-inducing rate and Aussie techno-heads BOXCAR are turning in a lively performance of their trance techno. At the end of the set everyone files out to leave the between band DJ's to their own devices, part of the problem being that the DJ's are being given far too short a time to build up any atmosphere or get people hooked. So its back to the main arena for me to give OFFSPRING the time of day (which is more than I'd do for Green Day). The verdict ? Completely average, although the huge slamming crowd obviously would disagree with me. Think of all the punk bands of the last 20 years, from the sneering arrogance of The Sex Pistols to the buzz-bomb politics of The Dead Kennedys and the blitkreig hardcore of Minor Threat and Bad Brains, to the punk-plus-more of Fugazi and The Clash. And who do the US record buying public finally decide to make into stars ? Offspring and Green Day. Well, cheers folks! I mean lets face facts, "Self Esteem" is basically "Smells Like Teen Spirit" re-written and "Come out and Play" sounds like The Cult circa their big rock-out period. The whole thing appeals to the lowest common denominator with the crowd cheering heartily at Dexter Holland's suggestion that Axl Rose, Steven Tyler, and Jon Bon Jovi "really need to die". Err....Dexter you *do* realise that half of your audience were probably wearing G'n'R t-shirts up until not long ago and have _Get A Grip_ nestling next to _Smash_ in their CD collections right ? When guitarist Noodles starts getting the crowd to shout "Motherfucker" I leave for the Boiler Room before my sides split. And boy, I'm glad I did, as I arrive just in time for Aussie techno-terrorists SNOG. This is where hardcore industrial meats hardcore techno like a car-crash and creates the biggest mind-fuck of noise all day. OK, so the singer looks like a bit of a spare-part when not required to supply his baritone monotone to the sound but few notice as they get sucked in by the flashing video-screens super-imposing dollar-signs on top of Jesus and such like at the speed of sound. Their 160bpm finisher has me and a couple of hundred others dancing like idiots for possibly the first time in the day. Next up in the Boiler Room is Sydney chart-stars, SOUTHEND who are like Utah Saints with the pop skills and nifty samples replaced with your embarassing sister on vocals and bad dancing. Not a *great* swap I'm sure you'll agree. I give PRIMAL SCREAM a miss as they may come from my home town of Glasgow but I have zero patience for their Rolling Stones review show. I catch the last half of THE CULT which is their 'greatest hits' bit. Astbury is looking lean and mean and singing like the bastard child of Jim Morrison and Lucifer even if the rest of the bands polished polite approach is taking the edge off the songs. Now if only he had been in this kind of form when The Cult were still relevant instead of the bloated mess that screeched his way through the _Electric_ and _Sonic Temple_ tours. Headlining the main arena is MINISTRY for the simple reason that no one else would be able to follow them. Al Jourgenson is still looking and singing like all four of the horsemen of the apocalypse rolled into one and they basically race through their _Psalm 69_ set despite their imminent new album. Good move - no one wants to hear 60 minutes of new material at a festival. They shred despite an initially mushy sound which blurs the precision guitars and buries the samples. The feeling I got though was that they could do this show in their sleep even though they looked like they were having fun. And thats it - the only band left to play is FUN^DA^MENTAL in the Boiler Room. I duly rush over to make sure I get in. I shouldn't have worried - despite a healthy build-up in the local press the place isn't even half full, the huge majority of the crowd choosing to head home. At 10:30pm! I'm sorry, but what's the excuse ? Anyway I'm pleased to report that they all missed the band of the day as Aki, David Watts, Mushtaq and Dennis put every ounce of soul and energy into an hour of righteous anger. Middle-eastern B-Movies and archive footage of English colonialism provided the visual backdrop to tribal breakbeats, string samples, hip-hop scratching and the most animated performers of the day - Mushtaq and Dennis criss-crossing the stage and rapping straight at the audience, David Watts (aka Blacka D) headbanging over his turntables before coming stage front to aid in the rhetoric and beam a torch into the faces of the audience and Aki (aka Propa-ghandi) alternating between huddling over his keyboards and whirling his arms like a man posessed, only his eyes showing from beneath his bedouin head-scarf. Their impassioned pleas for unity ("Humanity is My Religion" read the t-shirts) and pro-woman message dispelled any reservations one might have that their Nation of Islam and Farrakhan name-checks might come with some attendant suspect views, although the confrontational nature definitely led to more than a few leaving - young Australians on the whole are possibly *the* most apolitical people I have ever met. Those at the front however are jumping up and down as if their life depended on it even if you get the feeling that half of *them* aren't listening to the message either. So that was the Big Day Out. It was pretty much what I expected - a polite mini-version of the UK summer festivals and a Lollapalooza without the pretense that they're trying to change anyone's attitudes. Having said that, the line-ups should be mixed more across the stages. There's little reason why bands like Fun^da^mental and Snog shouldn't have been forced on the radio-listeners in the main arena. My only other complaint would be that this years line-up was a little short of international stars on the ascent or at their peak with previous years featuring bands such as Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Smashing Pumpkins, The Breeders and Bjork (admittedly Sydney et al got the addition of Hole to the bill). This year's line up undoubtedly suffered from the withdrawals of Oasis and Orbital both of which would have hadded an extra spark to the festival but hey, we all had a good time. You can't ask too much more than that. --- NEWS: Shampoo (Food/Parlaphone) have followed the single "Trouble" with two subsequent singles in the non-US world. "Viva La Megababes" and "Delicious" have been equally well-received, and in Japan Shampoo has become the best-selling English band since the Beatles. Carter USM has covered "Trouble" as a b-side to the second single from their latest album, _Worry Bomb_. In the US, IRS releases Shampoo's debut, _We Are Shampoo_, on May 9th. --- TOUR DATES: Victoria Williams will be out on tour in the following cities. Some shows will also have Vic Chestnutt performing. March 17 Austin, TX Texas Union Ballroom (Sxsw) March 19 Nashville, TN 328 Performance Hall March 20 Athens, GA Morton Theater March 21 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse March 22 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle March 23 Alexandria, VA Birchmere March 25 New York, NY Town Hall March 26 Philadelphia, PA Theatre Of Living Arts March 27 Boston, MA Somerville Theatre March 29 Toronto, ON Bathurst Theatre March 30 Chicago, IL Park West April 1 Minneapolis, MN Guthrie Theatre April 4 Seattle, WA Backstage April 5 Portland, OR Aladdin Theatre April 7 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall --- THE READERS WRITE BACK: Where does David Landgren get his geographical background to places from which the bands come? The description of Bristol was totally unrecognisable to anyone who has lived there. It is not a sea-side town, it is on the Bristol Channel which is an estuary leading to the sea many miles away. It has docks and an industrial city, not beaches and sea swimming. While it's a stone's throw away (well assuming you're Geoff Capes) from the "beaches" or at least mud flats of the Bristol channel, this is not the border to Wales, which is further west on the River Severn, and the bridge is about 5 miles north west of Bristol, and the broder is further west at that point too. In addition, Massive Attack is not such a transforming band within Bristol - it doesn't provide the sole source of musical interest. There was always a *lot* to do in Bristol: it has many live music venues and lots of British bands play there on tours. The place was "jumping", as you put it, for years before Massive Attack appeared. - Jane P. -- Just wanted to let you know that one tour date listed for Low Pop Suicide (opening for Chris Connelly) is incorrect. They will be appearing at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC on Wednesday, March 8th, NOT on Thursday, March 9th. - Cheryl B. --- Since you mentioned American availability on Morrissey's new release, why not refer to "Moon River" as a b-side on "Now My Heart Is Full", as that was the release it was available on in the U.S. Otherwise, an extremely pleasant review: giving ample praise to satisfy the slavering masses of devotees, encouragement for the new followers that there is even better material in his past, and honest appraisal of his self-inflicted commercialism for those of us that have been around long enough to be cynical about these things. - Jeremy G. jeremy gotsch --- To get back issues of Consumable, check out: FTP: eetsg22.bd.psu.edu in the directory /pub/Consumable ftp.etext.org in the directory /pub/Zines/Consumable Gopher: diana.zems.etf.hr Engleski Jezik/Music/Consumable or Hrvastki Jezik/Glazbena Rubrika/Consumable (URL) gopher://diana.zems.etf.hr:70/11/eng/Music/Consumable http://www.westnet.com/consumable/Consumable.html (WWW) http://www.westnet.com (Delphi) Music Fandom forum; GO ENT MUSIC Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com), serving Westchester County, NY. 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