50th anniversary of Dylan going electric

July 31, 2015July 31, 2015 / James Fenney

It is one of the single most famous moments in the history of music. On the 25th July 1965, Bob Dylan made a spontaneous decision to play with an electric backing band at the Newport Folk Festival. His set, which included the first ever public performance of ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, was met by both cheering and booing. Folk traditionalists were shocked by the fact that Dylan, who was a key creative force in folk music and was considered the voice of a generation, would move away from his roots in writing acoustic, political themed songs.

Over 1000 musicians play Foo Fighters song

July 31, 2015July 31, 2015 / James Fenney

A vast group of singers and musicians have gathered in the Italian town of Cesena to perform the Foo Fighters song ‘Learn To Fly’. The video, which has since gone viral, included a message to frontman Dave Grohl asking him and the band to play a concert in their town. Given the lengths they have gone to and the reception it has gotten I don’t see them saying no.

Neil Young removes his music from streaming sites

July 16, 2015 / James Fenney

The Canadian singer/songwriter made the decision to remove his music from streaming services after he claimed the sound was “the worst quality in the history of broadcasting”. He stated that he’d be willing to allow his music to stream again if the sound quality improved. This isn’t the first time Young has gone off the rails over sound quality, also dissatisfied with the quality of mp3 files he’s worked to produce his high fidelity ‘Pono’ player although it has found little success.

Ed Sheeran’s record breaking weekend

July 12, 2015July 12, 2015 / James Fenney

Singer/songwriter superstar Ed Sheeran has become the first artist to headline Wembley Stadium without the aid of a backing band. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing as he has performed 3 sold out shows over the course of the weekend, just him, his guitar and his array of effects pedals (oh, and Elton John making a brief surprise appearance). It adds to Ed’s other recent success in that his song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ has become the first song to spend a whole year in the UK top 40.

Damon Albarn carried offstage

July 10, 2015July 10, 2015 / James Fenney

The Blur frontman was recently carried offstage by his stage manager when his headline set at Denmark’s famous Roskilde Festival exceeded 5 hours in length. Albarn and Africa Express (one of his many side projects) played a lengthy set that included a reimagining of various Gorillaz songs and special guests which included soul singer Laura Mvula. You have to salute both his and the audience’s stamina as they all seemed eager for more. As he was carried away he encouraged the crowd to sing The Clash’s ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’.

Dave Grohl performs from his throne

July 8, 2015July 8, 2015 / James Fenney

The Foo Fighters frontman has performed from his own custom chair for dates on the band’s US tour after he broke his leg during a gig in Sweden. Grohl say’s that he designed the chair – which is based on the Iron Throne from Game Of Thrones – whilst he was ‘high as a kite’ on painkillers. It features numerous guitar necks as well as the band’s logo. He is undoubtedly making the best out of a bad situation and as much as I wish him a speedy recovery, I want to see plenty more of his creation while his leg heals over the upcoming tour.

Grateful Dead celebrate 50th anniversary

July 2, 2015 / James Fenney

The cult jam band have returned for a celebration of the group’s long illustrious career. The surviving members of the classic line-up have reunited for a series of shows in California for an eager crowd of ‘Deadheads’. It is their first performance together as The Grateful Dead in 20 years. Tickets were in high demand and have been resold at prices as high as $15000. The first of the shows concluded with a rainbow over the stage which has been suggested as being too much of a coincidence and it has been suggested that it was created artificially.

Chris Squire passes away

July 2, 2015July 2, 2015 / James Fenney

Celebrated bassist Chris Squire has died age 67 from leukaemia. A founding member of the progressive rock band Yes, and the only member to appear on every album, his skilful playing has influenced such other great bassists as Geddy Lee of Rush, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden and Les Claypool of Primus.

Glastonbury 2015

June 29, 2015July 2, 2015 / James Fenney

It’s been a bumpy ride but the world’s biggest and most important music festival has concluded for another year. Thankfully for those of us who live too far away, those who can’t afford a ticket and those who don’t fancy trying to scale the Great Wall of Glasto; the BBC have provided tireless coverage across the major stages. The next best thing to seeing the greatest show on earth in person is to watch it warm and dry at home with a cup of tea. Here are my highlights of the festival coverage from across the weekend: Continue reading →

Foo Fighters cancel European tour

June 16, 2015 / James Fenney

After frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg during a performance in Gothenburg, Sweden, the band have called off the remaining dates for their European tour including their headlining slot at Glastonbury. Depending on how well he recovers, his injury may also affect some American dates. There is no information yet as to whether any of the shows will be rescheduled or as to who will be filling the prestigious role of Glastonbury headliner. Here’s wishing him a speedy recovery!