I went to the NME Awards Tour last night featuring Florence and the Machine, White Lies, Friendly Fires and Glasvegas. To illustrates the point that the tour is sponsored by Shockwaves there were loads of people with stupid haircuts.
Capital of Culture finale – Liverpool's Transition Light Night
Cultural venues across the city centre are throwing open their doors late into the evening as part of a special Transition Light Night, in what will be one of the biggest free events in the Capital of Culture programme.
The Bees, Howie Payne and The Cubical at Static Gallery
A party band par excellence, great musicians without being muso wankers – what’s not to like? Once again there’s a buzz about the Bees.
Pete Bentham and the Dinnerladies dish out free rock'n'roll
Free Rock’N'Roll is pretty eclectic stuff, and there’s an eclectic audience to match. I always think of the scouse-pub drunken singalongs that any history of the city describes whenever I’m there, especially when Bentham’s anthemic choruses kick in.
Laser-guided music connects Hope Street cathedrals
Two laser beams – one visible and one invisible, the latter carrying the music – connect the Metropolitan and Anglican cathedrals, which stand at either end of Hope Street.
Charnock and Russell
I’ve seen Charnock and Russell in several incarnations over the years and, while I like the previous models, I feel I can safely say their current outfit is by far their most successful, even if they look like a weary Glen Campbell and a 70′s lecturer.
Liverpool gets it right – La Princesse farewell
There was a glorious mechanical giant fucking spider walking around the city amid fire, hoses, fights with diggers and a huge firework display – backed by a superb group of musicians. It cut through class, religion, race, background, attitudes, interests. It moved children to squeals of delight and adults to tears. It was superbly accessible public art.
La Princess giant spider photos
Having returned from being soaked at the Albert Dock I’ve uploaded some photos of La Princess – La Machine’s giant spider that has been ‘terrorising’ Liverpool.
Beatles Day, the Pops, the Echo and the Arena
In a year when the city is the European Capital of Culture and there’s a whole host of new music, theatre, art and other media going on around the city, the spectacle of its fading celebrities donning mop-top wigs and singing songs written over 40 years ago was a backward step.
Hugh Cornwell at FACT: Hooverdam, Blueprint and bananas
I’ve just returned from a viewing at FACT of Hugh Cornwell’s Blueprint film, which consists of a live performance of the former Strangler’s new album Hooverdam interspersed with Hugh’s take on the album, in conversation with Robert Elms.