In today’s Soundbites – our look back at the past week’s news, features, videos and tabloid gossip – Foo Fighters interrupt Belfast’s dinner, there’s a few unwelcome returns, the lights go out on Noel Gallagher, Spector’s debut album is reviewed, and the spotlight is shone on this week’s most popular video.
Foo Fighters (Photo: Live4ever Media)
Fair to say Foo Fighters like it loud. Last year, a gig in New Zealand was reported to have caused ‘volcanic tremors’, and now they’ve been rattling the cutlery in the kitchens of local Belfast residents during a headline performance at the Vital festival earlier this week. “I pretty much heard every ooh and ah and beat of the drum,” local Grainne McGarvey has said. “I was actually offered a ticket for the concert but I turned it down as I’m not a big fan of the Foo Fighters but I still managed to hear the entire thing.” More grumbling right here.
A few years ago Shaun Ryder, birthdays, the Happy Mondays and Ibiza would’ve been a pretty lethal combination, no doubt leading to a week of excess that would make even Prince Harry blush. Things are a bit different for the reunited band these days though, and the Madchester torch-bearers were this week happy to see in Ryder’s 50th birthday with nothing more toxic than a performance at the summer-long Ibiza Rocks event. Happy birthday Shaun!
Now, and if you’ll just indulge us in a bit of tabloid nonsense for a moment, Girls Aloud are planning on a most unwelcome return sometime in the future and, according to The Sun newspaper, they’re hoping that grinning bundle of muscles Tom Daley is going to join them. “The girls think it would be great to have him on stage with them,” a ‘source’ has told the tabloid. “They all think he’s really cute and love him in his little Speedos. They know he’ll get a great reception from their fans and are confident he’ll be up for it — even in his Speedos.”
Talking of unwelcome returns, Kings Of Bon Jovi have dashed hopes that the problems which dogged the final stages of touring last summer might convince them to throw the towel in altogether by confirming their plans to begin work on a new album very soon. According to Kings Of Leon bass player Jared Followill – speaking to BBC DJ Zane Lowe: “We’ve been meeting with producers every day so we’re starting to get the ball rolling on album six. I don’t know what I can say, but we’re definitely planning on starting the record at some point in the near future.” Meanwhile, Jared has also unveiled a new side-project with Mona frontman Nick Brown. Check out the encouraging first single here.
Spector are celebrating the recent release of their debut album ‘Enjoy It While It Lasts‘ at Reading/Leeds this weekend. “Few indie bands have been as well-hyped in recent years as Spector,” Live4ever reflects in our review, published this week. “Telegenic, impeccably styled in a la mode suits and leather shoes, and occupying a berth on the BBC’s Sound of 2012 list, they seem almost too vogue to be believed.” Check out the review in full here.
There’s not much that has gone wrong for Noel Gallagher since he launched the new solo venture Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds last year. Sell-out tours, millions of album sales, acclaimed festival performances. But during a co-headline gig in Dublin this week with Kasabian, Gallagher did suffer the minor inconvenience of a complete power cut just as things were nicely warming up at Marlay Park. Check out a video and details of the shortened set at this link.
We Are Augustines will release the new double A-side single ‘Book of James’/‘Philadelphia’ on September 3rd, the latest to be taken from the Brooklyn trio’s stunning ‘Rise Ye Sunken Ships‘ album. ‘Book Of James’ especially is a gut-wrenching, no holds barred look at family tragedy, given all the more depth and intimacy by frontman Billy McCarthy‘s emotionally-charged vocals. But it’s ‘Philadelphia’ which takes the crown as the most popular video on Live4ever this week. Head on over to our Videos section for all the latest new and classic videos.
