Features

To fit the description of a music business mogul, no one could be more suited than Tom Silverman. One of the prominent and seminal self-made figures in the industry, passing enthusiasts will undoubtedly be familiar with his name and, of course, his company that became one of the most successful of all independent labels, Tommy Boy Records.

We are all confronted with the concept of cool and the actual reality of it. Either when we were young and foolishly delved into the latest fashion craze or delve into when we get a little older without understanding the context it never worked quite the way you wanted it to. The reason tends to be that the people we try to emulate pull off cool effortlessly. At Southpaw on March third, Imelda May, continued that trend by playing a conquering set of effortless cool rockabilly and owning every inch of the stage.

They might have raked in the most dough in 2009 but are they necessarily the best acts out there right now?  Judge for your self and leave us your thoughts!

After seeing The Midnight Lycan Party’s gig in Stoke last month I felt like putting my iPod in a guillotine, eradicating every byte of voguish trash and instead basking in the unpretentious revival of raw performance.

The three piece from Stoke-on-Trent categorize themselves as a gothic garage band with shadings of post-punk and they’re right in that no newfangled umbrella term should hogtie them to one sound, because it’s so much more than that.

The news that the BBC could axe 6Music has dealt another blow to new and unsigned bands looking to get their music heard by a wider audience. The message being sent to new bands, and music fans who wish to find them, is increasingly becoming ‘you’re on your own’.

Live4ever caught up with Editors’ lead guitarist and synthesizer man Chris Urbanowicz before the lads from Birmingham England hit the stage at Terminal 5 in front of a packed house on New York City’s West Side this Friday night. The band is about to return to the UK and Europe as the US tour leg has just two  more nights in Philadelphia and Washington DC.  Chris gave us his insight on Editors’ new album (In this Light and on this Evening) direction, thoughts on the music biz, touring , life in the  big Apple and much more. We were also in the photo pit to catch all the gig’s action for you  -  so read on and check out the live shots in our gallery following the interview!

The Patio Set caught the attention of our writer Peter at ‘Adults night’ at The Macbeth the other night. Read on to see if the quartet left behind a good impression :

Michael, Gareth, Sean & James make up The Patio Set and this band of awkward noiseniks made me salivate from my ears. They’re brought together by their love of all things slightly angular and their shared joy of making an intelligent racket. With their frenetic guitar work and pummeling drum sounds, these guys do not shy away from challenging the norm to an ear-bashing, and they are always triumphant too. Describing their sound is tough, try to imagine Fugazi having a threesome with The Foals and Talking Heads. It’s mind-bending and frustrating at times, but what may seem like a heart-wrenching display, is in fact an example of something quite brilliant.  Lead singer, Gareth also demonstrates the more emotional and harrowing side to The Patio Set, as at times, the lyric’s dark undertones seemingly guide their constantly growing sound into another dimension.

Live4ever had the unique pleasure of getting access to the secret Babyshambles gig at The Proud Galleries in Camden last week. Our Peter Cornish-Barlow now cought up with Babyshambles drummer and Roses Kings Castles mastermind, Adam Ficek for an exclusive interview.

For younger generations in the UK, there has long been an enviable awe surrounding all things New York – the centre of style and the bastion of ‘cool’. Whether it’s for the latest fashion, TV shows or the newest musical trends, it seems the UK has always had an insatiable desire to latch on to the NYC ethos and take a bite of the Big Apple. And it would be fair to say that there are plenty of attractions in this imitable metropolis that can’t be found on the other side of the pond – the city’s music scene for one.

This coming Saturday will be the anniversary of the legendary Rooftop Concert by The Beatles in 1969. To mark the event please help us count down 10 of the most important and significant live performances  of all time: