Posts Tagged ‘carl stanley’

After first coming across the group 18 months ago as they released their first single ‘Take Turns’, Live4ever contributor Carl Stanley returns to the Manchester band for a talk with lead man Liam Faherty on line-up changes, the success of their last single ‘Rode Your Luck‘ and recent tour with city neighbours The Courteeners:

When Oasis’ manager stated that the band, ‘Does not exist anymore’, after an altercation between the Gallagher brothers in the bowels of a Parisian music festival in the summer of 2009, some feared the final nail in the coffin for a brand of contemporary rock & roll music which harks back to its original roots of carefree swagger, attitude and intrigue.

Talent scouts and the collective music media alike continue to search in desperation for the next guitar band that will supposedly ‘save rock & roll’, but arguably not since The Libertines, or more recently the Arctic Monkeys, have we witnessed a band able to command the attention of a nation in the manner of the Nineties Britpop-dominated music scene, when rock music transcended a basic style with anthems capable of uniting an entire generation.

In steps Cold Committee, a four-piece guitar band jointly hailing from the North Wales coastal towns of Prestatyn and Rhyl, with influences sourced from decades of past rock luminaries such as The Who and The Beatles, all the way up to the present day with the Arctic Monkeys and Oasis. The intrinsic link with Oasis in particular goes beyond merely a strong musical inspiration however, with the band having recently played a string of private in-store gigs in aid of Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green clothing line.

Manchester group Paris Angels will release the exciting new ‘Distant Drums‘ compilation album through Stereokill Records on March 4th in memory of their late drummer Simon Worrall.

The likes of The Inspiral Carpets, Supajamma, Mark Burgess (The Sun and The Moon), Proud Mary, Elixa P and many more of Simon’s friends have contributed to the tracklist, with all profits being donated to the Hectors Fund charity set up by Clint Boon in support of the baby ward at St Mary’s Hospital.

‘Distant Drums’ offers one-off tracks and special releases such as former World Of Twist man Tony Ogden‘s ‘Girls In Color‘, and Paris Angels themselves with a gem from their ‘long lost’ album. There’s also a super-cool collaboration between Intastella‘s Spen, MC Tunes and Mani on the outrageous and energetic rap/rock stomper ‘Saturday Night‘.

Simon’s passing last year brought his former bandmates together for two special reunion shows in his memory. Performing for the first time in 20 years, Paris Angels made a triumphant return to the stage supported by a long line of artists and groups who all knew and loved Simon; a big man with an equally big character, his loss was felt by many around the city of Manchester.

Live4ever contributor Carl Stanley recently talked to a selection of artists due to feature on the album. Ex-Fall drummer and Intastella’s Spencer Birtwistle, who features alongside Mani and MC Tunes on ‘Saturday Night’, explains how this unique line up and the monster rap/rock crossover came together:

Though with us for only a short time during the post punk years of the late Seventies and early Eighties, Joy Division‘s legend makes them one of Manchester’s most mythologised groups, as well as one of the cities most influential bands.

And though the story itself has been put to film several times and told by a number of people who were around at the time, no one from the group has ever taken the tale up themselves, until now.

Here, Peter Hook talks to Live4ever contributor Carl Stanley about why he felt the time was right for his new book Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division and of all the memories his writing brought back.

Following on from Live4ever’s interview with Jonny Owen early last year, when he told us all about his Internet comedy series Svengali, Carl Stanley has caught up with him again to talk about taking the show all the way to the big screen. In the last laps of editing the film for release next year,  Jonny discuses the film, Cardiff City and clothes…

Set against the rolling hills of the Snake Pass, on the outer edges of Sheffield, Smart Art Galleries recently showcased the wonderful abstract artwork of Alex Lowe, the ex Hurricane #1 frontman, singer-songwriter and already established artist.

The event was also a taster of things to come for Alex Lowe’s new creative partnership with the forward thinking gallery, with plans for a Smart Art record label, the joint project ‘The Aquarian Conspiracy’ with DJ-on-the-night Alan McGee, as well as a planned film working with Dean Cavanagh. For Alex and the Smart Art team, which also includes artist liaison Andrew Hunt, gallery designer Chris Mackevych and gallery owner Micheal Mackevych, exciting times lay ahead.

Since the release of modern indie classic ‘Heavyweight Champion Of The World‘ put Reverend & The Makers at the forefront of a guitar-led charge on the charts in 2007, the band’s frontman Jon McClure has proven himself to be one of the most engaging characters to burst onto the British music scene in recent years.

And while many contemporaries have already fallen by the wayside since that rock surge of a few years ago, McClure’s spirit of diversity and willingness to experiment has kept him right at the edge of the many changes which have re-shaped the music industry forever, with the band’s embracing of social networking ahead of the release of third studio album ‘@Reverend_Makers‘ on May 7th another strong symbol of their desire to welcome new trends with open arms.

In this exclusive Live4ever interview, Jon discusses the social network boom and its value for interacting directly with his fans, the revolution of the music world he’s witnessed during the last decade, how being chased by the cops on Facebook helped to fill in time between albums, and why he’s giving political commentary a miss this time round.

2012 is looking good for the boys from Manchester after The Janice Graham Band played a short UK tour warming up for their support slot with The Inspiral Carpets this month. Character is not in short supply with the band as singer Joe and drummer Tom let Live4ever contributor Carl Stanley know how things are with some straight Mancunian talking…

From fronting popular Nineties Britpop-era band Hurricane #1, to creating beautiful pieces of abstract art that have been snapped up by the likes of Donald Trump and Mike Tyson, Alex Lowe is successfully strutting the line between art and music. His next exhibition The Aquarian Conspiracy, which sees him team up with ex-record boss Alan McGee, is his latest artistic venture; exploring one of their mutually favourite topics – Magick. While also finding the time to write his fifth solo album, it seems Alex has hit creative overdrive. Where does he get the time?

Liverpool band Space are to perform in their beloved city this Christmas for a one-off gig. The band’s frontmen and sparring partners Tommy, Jamie and Franny – who split in 2005 – have announced they will play the Liverpool 02 Academy on December 22nd for what’s sure to be a special night. Tommy and Jamie spoke to Carl Stanley: