warby blog on Absolute Radio

Isle of Wight 2009

warby — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:21:00 +0100

Have been a bit busy since the festival, so before I get time to write a review here's the photo log of the trip!

http://gallery.me.com/warby101#100146&view=mosaic&sel=0

Cheers

Warby

U2 Rehersals in Barcelona

warby — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:14:00 +0100

Songs played so far!

20-06-09

    Breathe
    No Line On The Horizon
    Get On Your Boots
    Magnificent
    Beautiful Day
    I still have't found what I'm looking for
    Drowning Man
    Bad
    In a little while
    Angel of Harlem
    Bono's speech
    Unknown Caller
    Unforgettable Fire
    Even better than the real thing (Perfecto mix with full band playing)
    City of Blinding lights
    Pride
    MLK (during Desmon Tutu speech)
    Where the streets have no name
    Ultraviolet
    With or without you
    Walk on
    Vertigo
    Crazy Tonight
    Moment of Surrender

19-06-09

    Sunday Bloody Sunday
    Magnificent
    Get On Your Boots
    Beautiful Day
    Vertigo
    Moment of Surrender
    Magnificent
    Get On Your Boots

    Pause

    Intro
    Breathe
    No Line On The Horizon
    Get On Your Boots
    Magnificent
    Beautiful Day

18-06-09

· Beautiful Day
· Vertigo
· Magnificent
· Get On Your Boots
· Crazy Tonight
· I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
· Drowning Man
· Breathe
· In A Little While
· Angel Of Harlem
· Unknown Caller
· The Unforgettable Fire
· City Of Blinding Lights
· Pride (In The Name Of Love)
· MLK
· Where The Streets Have No Name
· Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
· With Or Without You
· Walk On

Encore
· No Line On The Horizon
· Elevation
· One
· Moment Of Surrender

17-06-09

    The Unforgettable fire
    City of Blinding lights
    Unknown song
    Magnificent
    Get on Your Boots
    Elevation
    Beautiful Day
    Breathe
    I still have't found what I'm looking for
    Drowning Man
    In a little while
    Angel of Harlem
    Unknown Caller
    Moment of Surrender
    Unforgettable Fire
    City of Blinding lights
    Pride
    MLK
    Where the streets have no name
    Ultraviolet
    Vertigo
    With or without you
    Crazy Tonight
    No line on the Horizon

Isle of Wight 2009

warby — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:22:00 +0100

Well I am now heading off to IOW Festival back in a week. Will be the sixth year we have been and also been a good crack.

I don't think it's the strongest line-up they have had and this has been reflected in the slow ticket sales but still plenty to look forward to.

Some Oldies like

Human League

Ultravox

Simple Minds

The Charlatans

Some Loud!

The Prodigy

Pendulum

Stereophonics

Pixies

Will report back next week.

Cheers

Warby

FREAK FOOTBALL INJURIES

warby — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:33:00 +0100

The burns suffered by Kirk Broadfoot after an egg exploded in his face is the latest in a long line of bizarre footballing injuries.

ROY CARROLL: The West Ham goalkeeper was collecting balls from a goal during training when his foot got caught in the net and injured his knee.

RICHARD WRIGHT: Wright was ruled out of Everton's FA Cup fourth-round replay at Chelsea after suffering a freak injury during the warm-up. Wright ignored a notice warning him not to practise in the goalmouth and promptly fell over the sign, suffering a twisted ankle. The same player also damaged his shoulder falling through a loft as he was trying to pack away his suitcases.

RIO FERDINAND: During his spell at Leeds, the England defender managed to pick up a tendon strain in his knee watching television. Ferdinand had his foot up on a coffee table for a number of hours and ended up injuring a tendon behind his knee.

SEAN FLYNN: The then-Kidderminster captain suffered a broken nose, busted lip and bruised toes after tripping over his son's toy cars.

DAVE BEASANT: The veteran goalkeeper managed to rule himself out for eight weeks in 1993 when he dropped a bottle of salad cream on his foot, severing the tendon in his big toe.

DAVID JAMES: The England goalkeeper once pulled a muscle in his back when reaching for the television remote control and the keen angler also tweaked his shoulder when trying to land a monster carp.

ALEX STEPNEY: In 1975 the Manchester United goalkeeper Alex Stepney dislocated his jaw while shouting at his defenders during a match against Birmingham.

CHIC BRODIE: The Brentford goalkeeper's career came to an abrupt end in October 1970 when he collided with a sheepdog which had run on to the pitch. Brodie shattered his kneecap while the dog got the ball. "The dog might have been a small one, but it just happened to be a solid one," he reflected.

SANTIAGO CANIZARES: The Spain goalkeeper missed the 2002 World Cup after accidentally shattering a bottle of aftershave in his hotel sink. A piece of glass fell on his foot, severing a tendon in his big toe.

KASEY KELLER: The American international knocked out his front teeth while pulling his golf clubs out of the boot of his car.
ALAN WRIGHT: The diminutive former Aston Villa full-back strained his knee by stretching to reach the accelerator in his new Ferrari. He subsequently swapped the sports car for a Rover 416.

STEVE MORROW: The former Northern Ireland defender broke his collarbone after falling off the shoulders of Tony Adams while celebrating the 1993 League Cup final win against Sheffield Wednesday.

SVEIN GRONDALEN: The Norway defender had to withdraw from an international during the 1970s after colliding with a moose while out jogging.

ALAN MULLERY: The England star missed the 1964 tour of South America after injuring his back while brushing his teeth.

DAVID BATTY: The former Leeds and Blackburn midfielder managed to re-injure his Achilles tendon when he was run over by his toddler on a tricycle.

DARREN BARNARD: The former Barnsley midfielder was sidelined for five months with a torn knee ligament after he slipped in a puddle of his puppy's urine on the kitchen floor.

LEE HODGES: The then Barnet player slipped on a bar of soap in the shower and wrenched his groin.

CHARLIE GEORGE: Arsenal's 1971 FA Cup hero managed to cut off his toe with a lawnmower.

KIERON DYER: The Newcastle midfielder damaged his left eye when he collided with a pole in training – ruling him out for two weeks.

LEROY LITA: The England Under-21 international damaged a muscle while stretching after he woke up.

MICHAEL STENSGAARD: The Danish goalkeeper was forced to retire after suffering an injury to his shoulder while he attempted to fold down an ironing board.

DEREK LYLE: The Dundee striker fell through a glass table in his home which required 16 stitches and he missed his side's Scottish Cup quarter-final against Queen of the South.

DARIUS VASSELL: The then Aston Villa striker missed several games after he drilled through his toe nail with a home power drill thinking it would relieve the pressure on a swollen toe. The attempt at DIY surgery succeeded only in giving the toe an infection which required medical attention.

KEVIN KYLE: The Kilmarnock striker spent a night in hospital in 2006 when his eight-month old son kicked a jug of boiling water over his crotch.

LIAM LAWRENCE: The Stoke midfielder fell down the stairs and injured his ankle after tripping over his dog.

Absolute Sony Radio Awards

warby — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:04:00 +0100

Just like to say congrats to Ian Lee on his Sony Silver Award last nightand also Tim Shaw's Bronze Award.

Presenter: Iain Lee
Producer: David Lambert
Executive Producer: Roque Segade-Vieito

Iain Lee is quite literally a riot! From his early days on TV, through his fledgling days on radio, until now, he has always provoked a reaction - and not always a positive one! He is a risk taker and a dedicated fan of all things Gonzo. However, to dismiss him as a chaos tourist would be missing the point. Iain's entry displayed huge skill, and subtly guides his special guests (his listeners) to deliver exactly whats needed to create a alternative world where anything is possible and the lines of listener and host become gloriously blurred. He manages this without ever feeling out of control or needy. It was also very very funny! A modern day media treasure, who has so much more potential yet to be recognised.

Tim Shaw's AbsolutionPresenter: Tim Shaw
Exec Producer: Roque Segade-Vieito
Producer: Eloise Carr

Tim Shaw is the man on the edge and at the edge. Often riveted to their radio by his dangerous, fresh ideas, his listeners enjoy a feast of creativity and are kept engaged by wondering whats just round the corner.

Dinosaur Jr are showcasing their new album with a free download

warby — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:52:00 +0100

Download and crank up the volume!

Legendary eardrum-botherers Dinosaur Jr are showcasing their new album with a free download.

'Farm' - the fifth full-length release to feature the founding trio of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph - is previewed with 'I Want You To Know', available by clicking the link below.

The Link Below

You'll have to leave some details, but fuck it man, it's Dinosaur Jr. Do them that one favour.

'Farm' will be released via PIAS on June 22 - find the band on this internet thingy HERE.

Serpentine Sessions hits London's Hyde Park in June

warby — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:38:00 +0100

I am a Bon Iver fan so might give this a look, interesting line up shame it is so close to Hyde Park calling dates though!

A brand new event is set to take place over the summer, when the Serpentine Sessions hits London's Hyde Park in June.

Taking place over three days, the gigs will see New York songstress Regina Spektor playing her only UK show of the year, followed by Bon Iver (ClashInterview) the following night, with Tindersticksdebuting their new line-up on the last evening.

Other than a recent collaboration with Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture on his recent Nikel Eye project, Regina Spektor has been quiet of late, however is set to return with her fifth album 'Far' this June. The singer will open the event on the 29th June.

After the success of last year's sublime 'For Emma, Forever Ago', Bon Iver will also return for his only London show on the following evening (30th June), whilst celebrated UK folk-rock relics Tindersticks will close proceedings.

The shows take place in a specially designed area of Hyde Park, with capacity limited to 3000 for each of the three nights and more acts to be announced.

June
29th London Hyde Park Regina Spektor
30th London Hyde Park Bon Iver July
1st London Hyde Park Tindersticks

Tickets on-sale here http://www.seetickets.com/see/event.asp?e%7Cartist=SERPENTINE+SESSIONS&n%7Cartist=null&resultsperpage=20&filler1=see&filler2=art-srch&orderby=date

The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office and ticket price

warby — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:51:00 +0100

Interesting espcially the average ticket price, now if I could find the one for UK!

The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city in U.S. dollars and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.

TOP 20 CONCERT TOURS

1. (2) Elton John / Billy Joel; $2,185,634; $115.84.

2. (3) Celine Dion; $2,075,108; $106.68.

3. (1) Britney Spears; $2,046,399; $97.09.

4. (4) Eagles; $1,691,056; $130.12.

5. (New) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band; $1,646,223; $89.71.

6. (6) Fleetwood Mac; $1,143,665; $98.71.

7. (7) Nickelback; $789,761; $58.39.

8. (8) Rascal Flatts; $656,209; $61.08.

9. (9) Lil' Wayne; $573,928; $68.72.

10. (10) Brad Paisley; $454,374; $48.30.

11. (11) Motley Crue; $382,436; $54.11.

12. (12) Jeff Dunham; $272,548; $44.17.

13. (13) The Killers; $263,409; $42.69.

14. (14) Slipknot; $250,080; $37.87.

15. (15) New Kids On The Block; $229,557; $53.62.

16. (16) Avenged Sevenfold / Buckcherry; $184,684; $36.91.

17. (17) John Legend; $179,374; $55.41.

18. (18) Larry The Cable Guy; $172,301; $32.82.

19. (19) Rain - A Tribute To The Beatles; $168,160; $47.40.

20. (21) Ron White; $143,698; $44.67.

Paul Jones: the man who could have been in the Rolling Stones

warby — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:05:00 +0100

When Paul Jones turned down an opportunity to sing in a newly formed band, he had no idea it would one day become the Rolling Stones. But the musician has no regrets.

Here’s how musical history can hinge on a single decision, arrived at for what now looks like a laughable reason. In 1962, a talented 20 year old musician named Brian Jones asked singer Paul Jones (no relation) if he would join a band he was forming. Brian had plans to move to London from his home town of Cheltenham to have a crack at the big time.

Paul, then an undergraduate at Oxford, declined. He had already asked Brian to join his own group – but Brian had stiffly replied that he had no wish to be part of a band unless he was its leader.

“I didn’t say no out of spite,” Paul Jones says now. “I simply couldn’t see an economic future for us. And I’d just auditioned to be a singer with a dance band. In Slough.” He smiles ruefully at the memory. “Slough! That wasn’t anything like the height of my ambition, but I thought it could be a way into the music business.”

Soon afterwards, of course, Brian Jones hooked up with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and the Rolling Stones were born.

At first glance, it seems a huge missed opportunity – but Paul Jones sees it differently. “We can laugh now,” he says, “because in theory I could have been Mick Jagger. But I wouldn’t have been Mick Jagger. This is what would have happened. Brian and I would have had a band. Mick and Keith would have started another band. And that band would have become the Rolling Stones.”

It’s not as if Paul Jones got left behind by history. He became lead singer with Manfred Mann, one of the half-dozen most successful British groups of the 1960s, and stayed with them for over two years, singing on such hits as Doo Wah Diddy, Oh No Not My Baby and Pretty Flamingo.

As a solo artist he enjoyed chart success with High Time and I’ve Been a Bad Boy. He starred (along with 60s uber-model Jean Shrimpton) as a pop messiah in Peter Watkins’s controversial film Privilege. And he had a decent acting career, treading the boards at the RSC -- and at the National, most memorably as Sky Masterson in Richard Eyre’s acclaimed production of Guys and Dolls.

That was where he met his wife, actress Fiona Hendley. She gave up the stage to devote her life to Christianity, and in 1984, after they went to see American evangelist Luis Palau together, Paul converted too. They now record gospel albums and perform at church events. No Sympathy for the Devil there, then.

He still tours for a few weeks a year with the Manfreds (excluding keyboard player Manfred Mann) and with his own group, the self-explanatory Blues Band. And for the last 24 years, he has had a slot as an articulate, knowledgeable, enthusiastic disc-jockey on a national radio station – formerly Jazz FM, but these days on Monday evenings on BBC Radio 2.

“Here’s how I used to be introduced on Jazz FM,” he says. “It was (he adopts a treacly mid-Atlantic accent): ‘Paul Jones – blues, gospel, soul and jazz’ -- which is exactly right. I call it all blues. I don’t separate. But for me, that’s the music I love.”

It’s a broad portfolio, sustained by his faith and his love of music. Brian Jones taught him how to play blues harmonica when they were both 20, and it hit him like a thunderbolt: “Even now, I only have to hear the tone of a harmonica and I’m out there.” He notes proudly that he is president of the National Harmonica League.

I meet Paul Jones at the home of his friend Bill Gautier, a recording engineer who has a studio in the garden of his home, south-west of London. He is spending the day there, laying down a couple of harmonica tracks.

He is 67 now, but looks startlingly young, as well as fit, lean and energetic. He needs to be: merely juggling his schedule requires a nimble mind and a rock-solid work ethic.

On top of all his other commitments, Jones has completed his first solo album in some 30 years. Starting All Over Again comprises 13 tracks of workmanlike blues, rock and soul, including songs by Van Morrison (Philosopher’s Stone), Eric Bibb and Johnny Taylor. His sidemen are no slouches either. Eric Clapton plays guitar on two tracks; soul veteran Percy Sledge duets with Jones on another.

So how does that work? Does Jones just call up Eric Clapton and say: ‘I’m doing an album, come on down’?

He smiles modestly: “I’m not responsible for any musician being on the album. (Producers) Saul Davis and Carla Olson did the lot. They booked the studio, the band, and the guests. Saul had been talking to me about making an album for a couple of years, but I didn’t know if I’d ever find the time.”

After a projected US tour by the Manfreds last April collapsed, Davis, realising Jones would be available, seized his chance. “I flew over to Los Angeles for two clear days, did the sessions and flew straight back. It was great.”

Starting All Over Again sounds like the work of a man steeped in blues, and Jones admits his passion for it still burns fiercely half a century later.

As a teenager growing up in Portsmouth, he sought out swing music, then jazz, Lonnie Donegan (whose hit Rock Island Line led Jones to Leadbelly), and of course blues.

After his family moved to Plymouth, a local record store owner, knowing his tastes, played him a T-Bone Walker album with Junior Wells on harmonica: “And I went, wow! That was it. Within weeks, I had the best of Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and Bo Diddley. But that one track made me think: I really want to do this.”

Fifty years on, and he’s still shaping half his working life around the music he loves. “You know what I think? “ Jones says. “I think I’m blessed.”

Iggy Pop car insurance advert banned

warby — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:35:00 +0100

Must admit I have not heard it on AR today!

An insurance TV advert featuring Iggy Pop has been ordered not to be broadcast in future, after being judged "misleading" by advertising authorities.

Following complaints by 12 people about the clip, the Advertising Standards Authority has now ruled that the advert was misleading.

A report published on ASA.org.uk ruled that the advert was deceptive.

"Because the policy was promoted by a well-known musician, which might lead some viewers to believe the policy covered those who worked in entertainment, when it did not, and because Iggy Pop did not have a policy with Swiftcover, we concluded the ad was misleading."

The report said that the advert "must not be broadcast again in its current form".

Fair enough I think!

Iggy Pop car insurance advert banned

warby — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:46:00 +0100

Must admit I have not heard it on AR today!

An insurance TV advert featuring Iggy Pop has been ordered not to be broadcast in future, after being judged "misleading" by advertising authorities.

Fair enough I think!

Glade Festival 'welcomes naked ravers'

warby — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:47:00 +0100

Sounds like fun.....

Organisers of this year's Glade Festival have confirmed the appearance of naked ravers from Germany at this year's event.

Writing on the official Twitter page for the festival, staff had expressed concerns of legal repercussions if the unclothed dancers turned up.

They said: "Awaiting feedback from their lawyers regarding the 30 nudist German ravers who have confirmed attendance. We want to cover our backs.

"This is real, they sent us an email the other day, I think we should let them come regardless but Nick [Ladd] is talking to lawyers. They've been to another festival before apparently. Loads of them."

They added: "Well we don't want to be held liable for knowingly allowing naked people to turn up - should be okay though (we think/hope).

"We spoke to our lawyers, the German nudist ravers can come! We'll be seeing (all of them) there!"

Artists confirmed for this year's festival include headliners Underworld, Squarepusher and Booka Shade alongside other electronic music acts and DJs.

Glade Festival will take place at the Matterley Bowl in Winchester from July 16 to July 19.

Man 'eats finger in wages protest'

warby — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:46:00 +0100

A union official in Serbia has cut off his own finger and eaten it as part of an ongoing protest against unpaid wages.

Zoran Bulatovic, who leads the union at the Raska Holding textile factory in Novi Pazar, told Reuters that he used a hacksaw to chop off most of the little finger on his left hand last Friday.

Bulatovic said: "We, the workers have nothing to eat, we had to seek some sort of alternative food and I gave them an example. It hurt like hell.

"[My deputy], a single mother of three, was the first to say she would cut off her finger. I could not allow her to do that."

Some of the 100 workers at the factory have not been paid in years and receive only social benefits such as medical care.

Workers, who went on a 19-day hunger strike last year, are calling for the implementation of a welfare programme for those approaching retirement and for the company's debt to be exchanged for state-held equity.

The Noisettes

warby — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:41:00 +0100

Last month I went to see The Stereophonics at The Royal Albert Hall, this was part of The Teenage Cancer Trust gigis they have every year, a very good cause.

One of the support bands was The Noisettes, who turned out to be pretty good, have posted a clip from the show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsP3jSSEMnw

Cheers

Warby

Mr T: I pity the fools who try to remake The A-Team

warby — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:17:00 +0100

Actor doesn't think new movie can do justice to cult show

Mr T isn't happy that The A-Team is being remade for the big screen.

The hit US show, about a group of military veterans fighting off evil tyrants, ran for five seasons in the 1980s.

Mr T, 56, who played BA Baracus, doesn't think the new cast will be able to recreate the magic.

'I pity the fools who try to remake The A-Team,' he tells Now.

'You can’t duplicate a Rembrandt. Whoever plays me has some tough shoes to fill. But it’s more than being tough – it’s my charisma and everything. I’ll let my fans judge the movie.'

Mr T, real name Laurence Tureaud, thinks the cult series still stands the test of time.

'I’m addicted to watching reruns of The A-Team,' he adds.

The A-Team movie is due for release in 2010.