Reports just in that Noel Gallagher has quit Oasis. The band’s founder, Noel Gallagher, announced he was quitting tonight after a series of recent rows. They pulled out of tonight’s headlining gig in Paris with reports suggesting Liam had smashed Noel’s guitar in an “altercation” before they were due on stage.
In a statement on oasisnet.com Noel said: “It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer. Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz and Milan.”
This follows a difficult few weeks for Oasis. They controversially pulled out of a headlining slot at last weekend’s V Festival at the last minute, apparently due to Liam’s “layrngitis”, although strangely, Noel twittered that it was himself who was feeling under the weather. Reports at the time suggested the perennial in-fighting between the two had reached unbearable levels. They have been on different flights and staying at different hotels throughout their recent tours. Last week they watched their beloved Manchester City from different ends of the Stadium.
Last night Arctic Monkeys played their first UK show in 18 months as they warmed up for their forthcoming headline slots at Reading and Leeds Festivals by playing to a packed Brixton Academy.
Supporting them were Them Crooked Vultures, the American supergroup consisting of singer and guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) and drummer Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters). This was something of a treat, the band only playing their first gig at Chicago Metro two weeks previously. They played for over an hour, all original material. The songs were all very long, with plenty of guitar solos and feedback, a good rocking sounds. The versatile John Paul Jones was playing a bass guitar which had 6 standard guitar strings added to it - I’d never seen an instrument with such a wide neck. Dave Grohl was like a throwback to his Nirvana days, dressed in shorts and perched on an extraordinarily low stool, he had the demeanor of a schoolboy as he pounded his kit. The closing song, which they didn;t reveal the name of, was 8 minutes of epic rock, squalling guitars and feedback, and sounded like an instant classic.
Following Them Crooked Vultures’ excellent and loud set the Arctic Monkeys arrived onstage at 9:30, opening with My Propeller. Unlike anything else Turner has written, I find the euphemisms are a little too unsubtle in this song, but the machine gun stop start section always does it for me. They then launched straight into their cover of Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand, a great song but an unnecessary cover when they have so many classics themselves. Still, the last two minutes of this song are a joy as the Monkeys run free with pounding drums, heavy riffs and solos.
“Hello We’re Arctic Monkeys. Have we got time for one more?” asked Turner as they played the opening riff of current single Crying Lightning, resulting in big cheers from the crowd. This song has an incredibly catchy chorus, and the breakdown before they launch into it again is classic Monkeys. This was followed by the opening thunderous roll of Brianstorm which sent the crowd wild. This was followed up with Still Take You Home, the crowd still singing back every lyric four years after Whatever People Say I am That’s What I’m Not. “Is everyone alright” Turner asked, as clearly a lot of the crowd had been pushed around a lot in the frantic scenes. As resounding yes rang out the Monkeys somehow upped the pace even more by playing Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, which every time I hear live I think must be one of the best singles of the last ten years, if not ever!
The pace was thankfully slowed a little with Potion Approaching, a Doors-esque number which sees Turner abandon his guitar and slouch on the mic stand like the ghost of Jim Morrison. The eerie keyboard intro of Pretty Visitors was next. This is one of my favourite songs on Humbug, quick-fire verses spat out by Turner, including the classic line “Which came first the chicken or the dickhead?” and a the wonderfully-eloquent “tail wrapped up in a gasp”. It’s a difficult song to dance to, the quick-fire verses followed by a lurching and dark chorus, all you can do is move up and down slowly.
This House is a Circus followed, one of their best from Favourite Worst Nightmare and a classic live track. This sounds little different from their new songs, a clear indication of the direction they were heading and Turner’s favourite song from FWN. The chorus beats anything on Humbug though, “Like a search for murder clues, in dead man’s eyes”. During this song it strikes you just how heavy sounding the Monkeys are now, they always had the pounding drums but the guitars have got louder. If You Were There Beware followed, with its classic coda “I don’t know what it is that they want, but I haven’t got it to give” which could somehow be an answer to the fans who are disappointed with the new direction and want more Mardy Bums.
Dangerous Animals is my least favourite track on Humbug. I find the chorus D.A.N.G.E.R.O.U.S. really irritating and live it still does nothing for me. Never mind. Next came The View From The Afternoon, complete with extended break before the final chorus, so long the band-mates took a drink before it all kicked off again. The band hasn’t quite got the hang of playing Cornerstone live yet, a superbly tender song from Humbug with classic Turner lyrics (he apparently wrote it in an afternoon). The vocals were a little drowned out and the subtleties of the studio version were lost, but it is still a great song. “I’d like to take it down even further” said Turner before “Only Ones Who Know”, a real lighters in the air moment and a song they didn’t previously include in their live sets, showing how confident they now are.
The set closed with Do Me a Favour, featuring the great singalong during “She walked away and her shoes were untied and her eyes were all red, you could see that she’d cried…” followed by an extended version of Fluorescent Adolescent, which segued into Dion’s “Only You Know” and back into a rousing chorus of Fluorescent Adolescent. The band left the stage but returned five minutes later for the inevitable encore. “We’;ll do two more, just two more” said Turner as they played the lovely Secret Door, with the wonderful finishing chorus of “Fools on parade”. They then closed with a slightly underwhelming version of 505 - they have played this better before, but nevertheless it is still a fitting song to close with, despite the fact I miss old set-closer A Certain Romance.
A great, sweaty and exciting show then. Their cause wasn’t helped at all by the sound cutting out a number of times - often at crucial moments such as during the climax of 505. Of the new songs I wish they would drop Dangerous Animals and play Dance Little Liar or the Fire and the Thud. It would also be great to hear them play a live version of Jeweller’s Hands, the album closer on Humbug. But these are minor gripes. Whilst Humbug may be a difficult listen, they have taken the hard option rather than the boring safe option, which as to be admired. After a number of listens Humbug starts to reward the listener, it is to be hoped that people have the patience in this day and age when music is so freely available. Where the Arctic Monkeys go from here will be really interesting.
Arctic Monkeys played a warm-up for their Lollapalooza performance at Chicago’s intimate Metro on Friday 7 August. The venue, which has a capacity of just 1,100, reminded me a little of London’s now defunct Astoria, with its dingy ground floor and balcony upstairs. A perfect venue for the Monkeys then, and I was really looking forward to seeing them showcase their new songs.
The Arctic Monkeys came onstage at around midnight to an eager crowd, Josh Homme playing the eerie organ intro of Pretty Visitors. This song features the classic line “Which came first the chicken or the dickhead?” and some heavy riffing, a statement that the Monkeys are going through a metamorphosis after their recent desert sessions, not just in their music either, as all band members with the exception of drummer Matt Helders now sport straggly rock star hair.
Following Pretty Visitors there was little let up as they launched into 3 driving classics. This House is a Circus is the song on Favourite Worst Nightmare which indicated most clearly the direction the Arctic Monkeys were heading, and tonight the crowd sang back the chorus “Like a search for murder clues…in dead man’s eyes”. This was superb stuff, the pounding drum intro of Brianstorm coming next. After a brief breather, Alex Turner introduced the next song as an old one - and proceeded to launch into a great version of Still Take You Home - is it really only 4 years old?
After Da Frame 2R they played another new one, Dangerous Animals. In my opinion this is one of the weaker tracks on Humbug, it lacks a tune and I find the chorus of D.A.N.G.E.R.O.U.S. a bit irritating, but it does contain the classic line “Let’s make a mess lioness”. Crying Lightning followed, one of the best songs on Humbug with a superb meaty chorus which keeps reappearing. The sound in the Metro was great, very loud. Turner was now fully warmed up, engaging the crowd, “Is Chicago ready for bed yet?”, before playing the unmistakable chords of Fluorescent Adolescent, which featured a bonus verse sung tenderly over strummed chords before segueing back into a slow version of the chorus before all the instruments came back in for a grand finale.
Cornerstone is one of the more accessible tracks on the new album, apparently written by Turner in an afternoon, a sweet love song with a twist in the tale as he searches for a girl and chances upon her sister “You can call me anything you like”. The patient crowd were then rewarded with frantic versions of View From The Afternoon and Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, which had the crowd shaking the tiny venue to its foundations.
The Doors-esque groove of Potion Approaching gave things a seedy turn, before If You Were There Beware, with its superb outro “I don’t know what it is that they want, but I haven’t got it to give”. An unnecessary cover of Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand followed, the Monkeys haven’t done covers before and I was not sure why they insisted on playing this tonight, as they would the following day at Lollapalooza, but it is firmly in their setlist for now. The euphemism-heavy My Propeller features lines such as “My Propeller, won’t spin, and I can’t get it started on my own” and “have a spin on my propeller” and is one of the better new songs live, with its machine gun riff.
The small crowd were then treated to a rare live outing of the tender Only Ones Who Know from FWN, prompting a mass singalong to lines such as “I hope you’re holding hands by New Year’s Eve, they made it far too easy to believe, that true love can’t be achieved these days” before closing with the driving bass of Do Me A Favour.
There was no way the crowd were going to let them retire to their no doubt squalid dressing room, and true enough they returned with Secret Door, so obviously about Turner’s girlfriend Alexa Chung, (”Fools on parade cavort and carry on, for waiting eyes, that you would rather be beside than in front of, but she’s never been the kind to be hollowed by the stares”), who is evidently happier in the public eye than Turner himself, and featuring a lovely chorus of “Fools on parade”. Perennial set closer 505 was as good as it always is, this time with Homme rather than Turner manning the organ, allowing the lead singer to lay down his guitar and awkwardly hold on to the mic stand. Alex Turner revealed recently that he had wanted the band to have another frontman, and whilst he is obviously not comfortable in that role, who else could sing his songs? A great show then, the new songs will take some getting used to and aren’t as instantly catchy as previous Monkeys songs, but they have real bite. Humbug seems to be a transitional album, and where they go from here will be very interesting. You have to applaud them for not resting on their laurels.
Setlist Pretty Visitors This House Is A Circus Brianstorm Still Take You Home Da Frame 2R Dangerous Animals Crying Lightning Fluorescent Adolescent / Only You Know Cornerstone The View From The Afternoon I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor Potion Approaching If You Were There, Beware Red Right Hand My Propeller Only Ones Who Know Do Me A Favour
Encore:
Secret Door 505
I was lucky enough to attend Chicago’s annual Lollapalooza Festival at the weekend. Situated in Grant Park, with the skyline on one side and Lake Michigan on the other, it’s easy to get to, there’s no camping, the bands have a stunning backdrop, and it’s unlikely to pour down with rain like British Festivals. Well actually…
Friday 7 August
The festival opened on a grey overcast day, the first raindrops appearing just as the crowds started to arrive, and the rain persisted until the evening. For some bands this didn’t matter at all. White Lies performed a tight early afternoon set, which was well-received by the audience, closing with new single Death.
As the rain continued to pour, Bon Iver was not really the kind of music to lift the crowd’s spirits. Most of the crowd were ill-prepared for the weather, and there were some amusing plastic bag shoes and plastic bag hats. Unfortunately, Bon Iver’s melodic drone needed either good weather or patience and this afternoon both were in short supply.
With no shelter from the rain to be had anywhere, moving on to the Perry’s stage (the new dance area) to get fully involved with some dance action seemed the only sensible course of action. The Bloody Beetroots’ hard squealchy beats did the trick and then some. They may have overused the breakdown and drop a little but it was a good trick, as were the spider masks they wore. The crowd danced in the rain, soggy revellers crowd-surfed and a four-year old girl spent the entire set on her father’s shoulders waving her arms in the air with the best of them. Who needs sunshine?
It had finally stopped raining and it was time for Friday’s headliners, Depeche Mode. I’d seen them before at 2005’s Benicassim and found their set a bit heavy and dark. Tonight they were like a different band, they had impressive lights and video displays, and after a slow start they finished the set strongly with Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence and more classics. A varied and entertaining first day at Lollapalooza then.
Saturday 8 August
On Saturday the problem was with the heat rather than the rain, as Atmosphere took to the stage in the early afternoon. Frontman Slug amused the crowd by talking repeatedly between songs, and whilst the beats lacked bite, the rapping was superb, this was great sunny daytime music.
Saturday seemed to be the busiest day, and the crowd for Arctic Monkeys’ mid-afternoon slot was huge. Two things that strike you as Josh Homme plays the eerie organ intro to Pretty Visitors is how ridiculous they look with long hair - they are about ten years too young for hair that long, and skinny Alex Turner’s decision to wear a muscle man vest is questionnable, but you have to love them for trying. The second thing that strikes you is how much harder the new songs sound. In typically awkward fashion they proceeded to play 6 songs from Humbug, which isn’t even released yet, and only two from Whatever People Say I am That’s What I’m Not. This was something of a shame, as the new album requires repeated listening to enjoy fully which even illegal downloaders hadn’t had the chance to do, but the flip side is that this band is in no danger of turning into another Oasis, sticking to what they know and picking up the pay cheques. The new album is very different, with its dark desert-tinged atmosphere. Of the new songs, Propellor and Pretty Visitors sounded the best, along with new single Crying Lightning which was superb. There was no doubting that the biggest cheer came for a frantic version of Dancefloor, but Brianstorm, This House is a Circus, If You Were There Beware and an extended version of Flurescent Adolescent also went down a storm. The Monkeys seemed to find the heat a problem, with both guitarists regularly wiping down their fingers, although drummer Matt Helders didn’t show any signs of flagging. Disappointingly, all it would have taken was When The Sun Goes Down and another old singalong to turn an ok set into a great set. Arctic Monkeys? Awkward Monkeys.
Next on the Budweiser stage were TV on the Radio, who had there moments, with Golden Age, Crying and Love Dog being superb. This is one band who probably sound better in the studio than live, their delicate mix of keyboards, horns and multi-vocals was a little lost in the wind today.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, last minute replacements for the Beastie Boys after Adam Y’s recent cancer scare, headlined Saturday. Whilst being disappointed at missing out on the Beasties, I was looking forward to seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for the first time. Appearing onstage in a bizarre hat and feathered Japanese cape, Karen O had the crowd in the palm of her hand as she launched into opener Runaway. Entertaining, sexy and fun, this was a bright and colourful perfect Saturday night show. It sometimes seems a shame that they have taken a new electro-route when they have such a good guitarist in Nick Zinner, but it really makes sense with huge shows like this. Beefing up a garage rock sound inevitably morphs into a kind of U2 style stadium rock, something Kings of Leon are currently struggling to come to terms with whilst maintaining their dirty southern roots. The crowd were well up for this, dancing as Karen O hopped around the stage, spitting water into the air, moving her arms like a geisha and deepthroating the mic before a pair of giant inflatable eyebals were released into the crowd. The only disappointment was the non-appearance of an expected cover of the Beasties, although we got the guitar riff from So Watcha Want. As Karen O cried “Best! Crowd! Ever!” it was difficult to argue.
Sunday 9 August
One of the earliest acts of the day on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year, still managed to pull an impressive crowd thanks to the hype currently surrounding her. It was too hot for my pasty English skin, but every person I asked who saw Bat For Lashes said she was great. Kaiser Chiefs also went down a storm, somehow finding their usual energy in the punishing heat to stir the crowd with rousing versions of Ruby, Angry Mob and I Predict a Riot.
Vampire Weekend played the perfect sunny afternoon slot, with their World Music-inspired hits of Oxford Comma and A-Punk, and dedicating Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa to the late Chicagoan John Hughes, whose Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was set in the city. In their ridiculous shorts they champion geekdom, but there is something glorious in not caring how you look, and they still managed to get the whole crowd dancing with their African-Indie whatever you want to call it.
When I got to Passion Pit there were grumbles that they had been put on too small a stage, a large crowd turning up to the tiny Citi Stage to see the Massachussets band’s lively electro-pop. It is easy to see why they’ve been compared to MGMT, with their high vocals and synths. Like them, not every song hits the spot but those that do provoke an uncontrollable urge that starts with a tapping of the foot and ends up with body shaking and arms waving in the air. Meanwhile on the main stage Snoop Doggy Dogg drew a huge crowd despite playing against Lou Reed, but on a hot afternoon do you choose to Walk on the Wild Side, or to shout out “I Wanna Get Fucked Up” along with 30,000 others? it was a tough choice but Snoop Doggy Dogg gave a polished party set, playing plenty of his classics.
On one of the second stages Silversun Pickups began nervously, lead singer Brian Aubert’s voice sounded a little off and it seemed maybe the moment had got to them. As the sun set behind the Chicago skyline however, they seemed to grow in confidence, and were clearly now enjoying the moment as their melodic rock got a great reception. The excellent drummer is particularly fun to watch, with flourishes such as reaching behind his head to smash his cymbal in an extravagant movement mid-pummelling. The last two songs were ramped up, with closer Lazy Eye featuring plenty of squealing feedback and driving bass and drums. Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat then, and they showed their appreciation to the crowd with a thousand thank-yous.
Jane’s Addiction wound up the festival. Perry Farrell, dressed in a gold tuxedo, sleazing and sauntering around the stage like the ghost of Jim Morrison. They opened with Mountain Song as a helicopter with spotlight swooped low over the crowd. They were harder than I expected, producing a big sound with Dave Navarro wrestling with his guitar until it produced some classic rock riffs. At the end of a well-received set, Perry Farrell took time to thanks the organisers and even big up Chicago’s 2016 Olympics bid. And then it was all over (too soon). A great festival in a great city, you couldn’t ask for much more.
Reports just in that Noel Gallagher has quit Oasis. The band’s founder, Noel Gallagher, announced he was quitting tonight after a series of recent rows. They pulled out of tonight’s headlining gig in Paris with reports suggesting Liam had smashed Noel’s guitar in an “altercation” before they were due on stage.
