With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

Hey Bill Don’t Ask Me Questions with Lost Trends June 12, 2017


I recently had the pleasure of interviewing (or throwing questions at) Pete, John, Adam and Rusty of one of York’s finest rock bands Lost Trends. Pete and Rusty over a few pints at the Duke of York pub and John and Adam outside Fibbers after the boys played a storming set in support of Billy Bibby and the Wry Smiles. Click here for that review. If you have never heard Lost Trends or seen them play live yet then you really need to rectify that soon. But in the meantime find out a bit more about the band with questions about their musical influences, favourite chocolate bar, rejected band names and which of them reckon they could take Justin Bieber in a fight.

  1. Who are your biggest musical influences?

Pete – Funky, jagged, staccato sounds especially Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead

Rusty – Punk, funky punk, Foals, Bloc Party, Radiohead

John – Bloc Party

Adam – Foals, Arctic Monkeys, Motley Crue

  1. Where does the name Lost Trends come from?

Rusty – A previous band had an Arctic Monkey’s style song called “Lost To The Trend”

Rusty & Pete – Mentioned that they had considered Swedish Jesus and the Dyslexics. But the latter would be spelt wrong!

  1. What brought you together as a band?

Rusty & Pete – They were at York College and become mates after a friend of a friend introduced them. John’s brother was the original drummer and they found Adam via GumTree

Adam – Was looking for a band on Gum Tree (so it worked then!)

John – He took his brother’s place in the band

  1. Are there any Lost Trends side projects?

A resounding NO from both Pete and Rusty

John – A cryptic who knows!

Adam – Maybe some acoustic stuff one day

  1. Is there a particular song or musical passage that never fails to move you emotionally?

Rusty – Radiohead’s “Let Down” but perhaps the greatest impact is from Lindisfarne’s 70s classic “Lady Eleanor”

Pete – Thought about this for a while before deciding on a song that always makes him happy and upbeat, another 70s classic “September” from Earth, Wind & Fire. At a recent wedding they made sure the DJ played it.

Adam – Chose “Stay The Same” by a band that you may know, they are called Lost Trends. He is very proud of his bass on that track. He is also really keen on some good bass sounds in a Motown, Soul environment.

John – His choice would depend on his level of intoxication

  1. What would be your first big purchase when music makes you rich and famous?

Rusty – A recording studio

Pete – A Ferrari

John – Loads of kick pedals – he has a habit of losing them

Adam – A barrel of coconut rum

  1. Who were you, or would you be nervous to meet?

Pete – Kurt Cobain

Rusty – Was lucky enough to walk past David Bowie at Glastonbury in 2000, he didn’t know what to do (Rusty not Bowie that is) so he nodded hello and got a nod in return

Adam – Don Broco, he would love to tour with them

John – Jimi Hendrix

  1. Which instruments do you play?

Pete – Guitar, piano and backing vocals

Rusty – Guitar, piano, drums and vocals obviously!

Adam – Power chords on a guitar

John – Didgeridoo

  1. When and why did you start playing?

Pete – Grandad was in a York band called the Modernaires. They were once played on Radio 2 after being introduced by no less than Patrick Moore. It was his Grandad who bought Pete his first guitar.

Rusty – His Dad was obsessed with music and he had a Beatles book with chords for every one of their songs. Rusty learnt to play by borrowing his Dad’s guitar and the book.

John – Started playing at school

Adam – Started playing bass at High School as there were no other bass players there

  1. What was the first tune(s) you learned?

Rusty – “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles

Pete – No particular song, just plenty of riffs.

Adam – “She Sells Sanctuary” by The Cult

John – Can’t remember but probably something simple

  1. What are the best and worst things about the music industry today?

Both Pete and Rusty agreed that they really don’t like pay to play.

Pete – He said that nowadays reality TV has made the industry very hard to get into. There is more of a need to win a competition or to have a back story, particularly one that would tug the audience’s heart strings

Rusty doesn’t like the favouritism that many promoters and industry people show. Also the apparent lack of daring, no one wants to take a chance any more.

Adam – Worst thing is dodgy promoters who insist that you sell 30 tickets or more

John – A good thing is that there are often more opportunities at the moment

(Incidentally one thing that at least two of the band mentioned is that Simon Pattison of York is an excellent promoter!)

 What tunes are you currently grooving to?

Rusty – Anderson Paak and the Free Laterals – “Come Down”.  He also loves the new Jamiroquai album ‘’Automaton’, and is a big fan of the creative genius of Jay Kay.

Pete – A big fan of the new Bonobo album

John – Chase and Status

Adam – Sofi Tukker – “Drinkee”

  1. Best Saturday night record?

Rusty – King Curtis – “Memphis Soul Stew” or “Milk and Black Spiders” – Foals

Pete – “Move On Up” – Curtis Mayfield

John – “Upside Down” – Diana Ross

Adam – “This Girl” by the Kungs

  1. Best Sunday morning record?

Rusty – “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers. This was a particular favourite with an old housemate and would often get them properly woken up on a Sunday. Rusty is also partial to a little Ralph McTell on a Sunday morning.

Pete – “Daydream In Blue” by i Monster

Adam – “Sunday Morning” by Velvet Underground

John – Kruder & Dorfmeister

  1. What is your favourite book?

Pete – Autobiographies, Anthony Kiedis is a great one

Rusty – Tolkein, plus Luke Reinhart’s Dice Man, Kerouac’s On The Road and Atonement by Ian McEwan

Adam – Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte

John – Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts

  1. What is your favourite film?

Pete – Nothing in particular

Rusty – Apocalypse Now, Raging Bull

John – Pulp Fiction

Adam – L.A. Confidential

 

  1. What is your favourite TV show?

Rusty – Twin Peaks, Breaking Bad

Pete – Game of Thrones, Red Dwarf

Adam – Residue (Netflix)

John – Better Call Saul

  1. What is your favourite chocolate bar?

Pete – Boost

Rusty – Double Decker – he is a fan of the girth!

John – Another vote for the mighty Boost bar

Adam – Wispa Gold

  1. What is your favourite board game?

Rusty – Pictionary, Cards Against Humanity

Pete – Monopoly – and yes like everyone he cheats!

John – Risk

Adam – Another vote for Monopoly, no admission of cheating from John though

  1. What is your favourite place in York?

Pete – Mansion House, down Stonegate towards the Minster

Rusty – Back of the railway station near the Iron Bridge out towards Acomb. It is the contrast between old and new that he loves.

Adam – Museum Gardens

John – York Dungeon

  1. Could you beat Justin Bieber in a fight?

Pete – Definitely

Rusty – Definitely

John – No

Adam – It would be a close one which Adam might lose on points

  1. What do you sing in the shower?

Rusty – Falsetto stuff, maybe Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”

Pete – Doesn’t sing in the shower, he thinks!

John – Pretty much anything by Diana Ross

Adam – “Bad and Boujee” by Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert

  1. Who is your favourite super hero?

Rusty – Spiderman

Pete – Batman

Adam – Gambit from X Men

John – The pink Power Ranger

  1. Who is your non-musical hero?

Pete – F1 legend Ayrton Senna

Rusty – Marlon Brando, the man who changed cinema

John – Adam!

Adam – Not John, but Jeremy Corbyn

  1. What band names did you reject?

Lucas AIDS

  1. What was the first single you owned?

Rusty – “Bad” by Michael Jackson

Pete – “The Locomotion” by Kylie Minogue. The first video that he owned was Wacko’s Moonwalker

John – “Ooh Ah Just A Little Bit” by Gina G

Adam – “Here To Stay” by Korn

  1. What was the first album you bought?

John – Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai

Adam – Dandy Warhols – 13 Tales From Urban Bohemia (because Bohemian Like You was on it)

Pete & Rusty – Bad – Michael Jackson

  1. Who is the richest – Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark?

Pete, John and Rusty – Tony Stark, he sells weapons and Bruce Wayne gives too much to charity.

Adam – Bruce Wayne

  1. Use three words to describe yourself.

Pete – Unsure, confident, contradicting

Rusty – Bright, angry, sexy

Adam – Very very lovely

John – Can Bang Drums

  1. What is your favourite website?

Rusty – Daily Mash

Pete – Digital Spy

John – BBC Sports

Adam – YouTube

  1. Tell me a joke.

Pete – No idea of a good one that I remember

Rusty – What is the difference between a large blue whale and a small white whale? Size and colour. J

Adam – An English man, an Irish man and a Scots man walk into a bar. The barman says is this some kind of joke?

John – (You need to read this one out loud) An English cat called One two Three and a French cat called Une Deux Trois decide to have a swimming race across the English Channel. One Two Three won because Une Deux Trois Quatre Cinq …. Cat sank……geddit?

 

 

Cry Baby at the Crescent, York Friday 14th October 2016 October 18, 2016


It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to attend another Northern Radar show put on by good friend, the very talented Mr Simon Pattinson. I have attended many gigs that Simon has either put on or recommended and he has not let me down so far. At four quid for four bands did he let me down for the first time tonight? Well dear reader you will have to read on to find out.

kram

The first band on were Kram with a Grunge-like take on Royal Blood. The singer/ guitarist, knowingly or unknowingly, gave a nod to the late, great Kurt Cobain by taking to the stage in a dressing gown. A bit like Cobain did at the Reading Festival back in 1992 when he came on stage wearing a hospital gown. I was actually there for that too. But enough trivia and comparison, Kram are an excellent band. A versatile and skilled guitarist who possesses a great rock voice more than ably backed up by a drummer who really knows his way around a drum kit.

losttrends

Next up were Lost Trends from my adopted home city of York. How the hell have I not seen these blokes before? This mob sound really well rehearsed and watching them play I felt that they really knew rock history. Chatting to them afterwards about everything from the Beatles to Bowie and the Shadows to Radiohead it is very clear that they do. Lost Trends are very difficult to slot into a specific genre. They have a bit of indie, a touch of classic rock and are most definitely a band that you can dance to. They have the potential to become one of my and I hope your favourite bands. If I had left after their set I would have gone home happy. Oh and their excellent single “DJ” has been featured on racing ads on Channel 4, check it out at the end of this post.

nakedsix

The penultimate band of the evening were the Naked Six. If you like classic rock with a twist of 21st Century then this is definitely a band that you must see. Riffs reminiscent of Jimmy Page and vocals could grace many classic bands. Their songs were all incredibly powerful and the playing was stupendous. Given the right breaks the Naked Six have the potential to surpass the success of two of their famous fathers. Thank you for letting your boys get into a band Biff off of Saxon and Finley Quaye. If I had left home after the Naked Six I would have gone home bloody ecstatic. A mega monster of a band and one that I will definitely pay to see again.

crybaby

I didn’t envy Cry Baby having to follow three very talented and stunning bands. But they did it incredibly well and with great aplomb. The great thing about all of tonights bands is that they are all very different. Cry Baby perform classy indie rock n roll with influences from many sources; the Killers, Razorlight and the Arctic Monkeys. They have some well crafted songs and know how to put on a show. I am sure that I will see this lot again. I suggest that you, dear reader, should check out all the bands that I saw at this gig you will not be disappointed. Talking of disappointment, did Simon let me down tonight? What do you think? Of course he bloody didn’t this was yet another awesome Northern Radar show!

The usual public service announcement, all the pictures were taken using my shitty little Nokia phone and the video is courtesy of YouTube.

 

 

“Forget the hearse cause I’ll never die” February 21, 2015


Photo of Kurt COBAIN and NIRVANA

Kurt Cobain was quite open about the music he loved and was very clear that he ripped off the riff for Nirvana’sSmells Like Teen Spirit” from Boston’sMore Than A Feeling“. Which for me are both great songs. Did you what the first song that Kurt learned to play on the guitar that he got for his 14th birthday was? It was another slice of classic rock, none other than AC/DC’sBack In Black“. Incidentally don’t you think it’s sad that Kurt would have been 48 yesterday. A great loss to rock music! Talking of great losses, AC/DC’s Bon Scott died 35 years ago on 19th February 1980, just a day before Kurt Cobain’s 13th birthday.

ACDC_Back_in_Black_Single_Cover

 

“I don’t need to sell my soul, he’s already in me” December 30, 2013


BbswjVuIEAAwAqUHave you ever thought about having a garden gnome on display at your home but then thought that you were too cool to do it? Well think again, especially if you are a fan of a Manchester band that you may have heard a little about. Yes folks you can now buy a full set of Gnome Roses who look remarkably like the Stone Roses. You could create your very own Spike Island next to your garden pond. Check out the Gnome Roses on Facebook and purchase them here at Alternative Merchandise. If you have already bought yours or received them for Christmas feel free to send me a picture and I will definitely give you a mention on this blog!

JS30467290-2953621Creator of these little gems is Andrew McDermid and he has ideas to expand the range, starting with the Ra-Gnomes with the advertising strap line of ‘Hi Ho Let’s Go!’. He also plans to work on the Rolling Gnomes, Kurt Cobain and Queens Of The Gnome Age. What? No Bowie as “The Laughing Gnome“?

 

Reading Festival 2013 – Day 1 – Friday 23rd August August 24, 2013


So here we are once again and Nick Horslen and I have arrived at the Reading Festival site for the umpteenth year. I think it’s more than 10 years for us as a team. As for me I have missed only two from the last 20 years. I attended my first ever Reading in 1976 and got in through a hole in the fence, which doesn’t seem so easy to do nowadays. Today turned out to be the hottest day at the Festival for a few years; for the weather at least!

Wytches (why is there a new wave of making your band’s name appear to be from ye olde English language?) were first up they sound a little Doorsy and their guitar wig-outs were like a harder edged garage band. Pretty good though.
King No-one from Leeds were on the BBC Introducing stage; fans of Vampire Weekend maybe? I like these dudes.
Night Engine are channeling the vocal ghost of Billy McKenzie and answering the questions can gingers rock and can they funk? The answer in my opinion is fuck yeah! Irish band  Kodaline come on like the bastard love sprogs of Bono and  Chris Martin but with more balls! This band deserves to  be HUGE!
If you want top performance power pop look no further than the fabulous Parquet Courts. Top band! So what were New Found Glory like? As the sign said ‘Pop Punk’s Not Dead! Right on. They played the whole of the  Sticks and Stones’ album.

Next came our first visit to the comedy stage for the excellent Shappi Khorsandi and Idiots of Ants who weren’t so good. They weren’t really able to engage with the audience.

Does what it says on the tin no. 1; Frank Turner – mightily awesome! Although perhaps not as awesome as I have known him to be in the past. His Mum introduced him, which was a nice touch. He also had a Cobain moment as he was pushed on to the stage in a wheelchair; his Mum explained that he had a bad back, however he stayed in the chair for about a minute! Interestingly he got the whole of the Main Stage crowd, including us, to sit down for one of the choruses of “Photosynthesis” to which we all sang along. Now that is a little ironic given that the chorus starts with the line ‘I won’t sit down’

We met 3 thirds of the Tuts and half of Colour Me Wednesday outside the Festival Republic Stage! I saw the Tuts earlier this year when they supported Kate Nash and I am looking forward to seeing Colour Me Wednesday later this week in Leeds. If you are reading this post and you haven’t heard the Tuts or Colour Me Wednesday then I order you to do something about that!

Has Marc Bolan been reincarnated? Nope it’s the Temples on the Festival Republic stage! Kate Nash is supremely talented and after her set I am now an even bigger fan than I was when I saw her in York earlier this year. It was great to see Nadia Tut make it onstage eventually too! A brief note to the festival organisers; what is wrong with a bit of a stage invasion instigated by Kate herself? It would have been fun and no harm would have been done. But at least three people made it up.
System of a Down on the Main Stage; loud, heavy, technically superb but would I ever listen to them outside the confines of a festival? I doubt it. Does what it says on the tin number 2; Green Day. They were very, very good and certainly had more energy than last years Friday headliners the Cure. But in a way it is kind of identikit pop punk. They played the whole of the ‘Dookie’ album, which will be 20 years old next year. I felt that apart from a few songs it hasn’t aged well. “Basket Case” will always be a classic though. The light show was superb and Billie Joe‘s stage presence is unquestionably great. The best part for me was the storming encore of “American Idiot” (I do believe I will never tire of that song) and “Jesus Of Suburbia“. Then just when we thought it was all over Mr Armstrong came back on for a solo acoustic rendition of “Time Of Your Life”. All in all a pretty good day. Now bring on Day 2!

 

“You’re not down with who I am, look at you now, you’re all in my hands tonight” March 10, 2012


A white parka? Seriously?

XFM listeners recently took part in a poll to name the greatest front man of all time. So many great blokes to choose from and they went for Liam Gallagher. Now don’t get me wrong Liam has been very good in the past, particularly in the early days of Oasis, but the greatest front man of all time? I don’t think so. The full top 20 was;

1. Liam Gallagher
2. Freddie Mercury
3. Dave Gahan
4. Dave Grohl
5. Matt Bellamy
6. Brandon Flowers
7. Morrissey
8. Jim Morrison
9. Kurt Cobain
10. Alex Turner
11. Paul Weller
12. Mick Jagger
13. Tom Meighan
14. Eddie Vedder
15. Joe Strummer
16. Ian Curtis
17. Caleb Followill
18. Ian Brown
19. Thom Yorke
20. Chris Martin

A white double-breasted jacket? Seriously?

I agree with many of these, but I am surprised Robert Plant and John Lydon didn’t make the cut. Who do you think should have been included? Click here to read the report on nme.com.

Liam wasn't very happy with his dental work

 

“A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido” October 16, 2011


I am pleased to see that someone has kicked off a Facebook campaign to make Nirvana’sSmells Like Teen Spirit” the UK Christmas number one this year. I posted something of a similar sentiment a short while ago, click here to read it. This new Facebook campaign was kicked off in response to the X Factor naming one of this years crop of average karaoke singers, another insipid, bland girl group, Rhythmix. The name is also the name of a UK charity that uses music as and to help children and young people from difficult backgrounds. It gives many young people the opportunity to make music to help them develop and learn. Check out the charity website here.

Simon Cowell will do anything in his desire to rule the world, including throwing babies to sharks

When the charity contacted the X Factor team they were told to “get a lawyer”. Effectively because they didn’t have the rights to the name for use as a band, basically they held the rights for educational purposes only. That’s within the letter of the law I’m sure, but ethically and morally it suggests that Cowell and his cronies are emotionally bankrupt.

Nirvana's unused sleeve for their cover of the Commodores "Brick House"

So let’s get behind this campaign and spoil this years pop muppets Christmas. Click here to find the page on Facebook. In the meantime enjoy the band doing the song at the Reading Festival in 1992. They even insert a short burst of Boston’s “More Than A Feeling” a song fromwhich Kurt Cobain claimed to have ripped off the riff for Teen Spirit from.

 

“I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are now, entertain us” July 30, 2011

Filed under: News — justwilliam1959 @ 8:01 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

Do you ever feel like Big Brother or simply the Nanny State is watching us or coming to get us even? Are there people and organisations out there that would like to control what we see, hear and read? I believe that there are. I guess the recent phone hacking debacle has gone some way to proving this. If scum tabloid newspapers can get away for years with listening to people voice messages (and who knows what else) then what the hell must the ‘powers that be’ get up to?

Spencer Elden recreates that classic album cover aged 17

So a small part of this kind of state is reflected in the recent action by Facebook. They removed a picture of the iconic cover of Nirvana’s classic album ‘Nevermind‘ from the album’s Facebook page. Presumably because it shows……..shock, horror…. a baby penis! They have apparently rectified what has been described as an administrative error, personally I see it as more of a cock-up. What do you think?

Spencer Elden in a TV appearance around the time he turned 20 earlier in 2011

Click here to read about it in the Guardian. Spencer Elden, now aged 20, was the baby in the picture. In 2008 he was quoted as saying “Quite a few people in the world have seen my penis, so that’s kinda cool.” He is the son of a friend of Nirvana’s photographer.

 

“So we are history, your shadow covers me” July 23, 2011


I’m sure you’ve heard the sad news of Amy Winehouse’s death aged just 27. As I type this the cause of death given by the police is ‘unexplained’ Unlike some interpretations I doubt there is anything sinister in this. Amy’s drug problems were much publicised and probably helped sell thousands of tabloids here in the UK. Whilst her passing is incredibly sad there is also an air of inevitability about it. At least now the tabloids are nicely chastened they will allow her friends, family and fans to grieve.

I believe that Amy was a truly talented and gifted individual. I remember buying her first album ‘Frank’ in 2003 after hearing some of it on the radio following it featuring as one of the nominees for the Mercury Music prize. It was (and still is) a good album and made me think that there was really something to this young lady. Clearly there was, her follow-up album ‘Back To Black’ remains one of my favourite albums and it’s such a shame there hasn’t been another since that in 2006.

She also recorded some great cover versions, pretty much making the Zutons “Valerie” her own. I really was rooting for her to come back with an amazing album a mega succesful tour and years of new music in front of her. I really wanted to see her in concert but I never got around to it. I’m sure it won’t be long before much of the talk is about the 27 club, which is derived from the age at which a number of talented musicians died; Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain to name a few. Indeed Amy is already included on the 27 Club Wikipedia page. Does that sound like a degree of obscene haste to you?

Billy Bragg mentioned this on Twitter earlier today and made the much more credible point that it wasn’t a specific age that killed any of these people, it was drug abuse. But enough of the salacious elements of Amy’s demise and let’s enjoy some of her wonderful music. My condolences go to her family, friends and fans.

RIP Amy Winehouse

 

“Because she said she love you, love you long time!” March 2, 2011


Nelly shows us how big her booty from Gaddafi was

A random selection of news for you in this post dear readers. In a follow-up to one of my earlier posts about a number of music stars playing some very rich gigs at private parties for the Gaddafi family it has been reported that Nelly Furtado will be given the money she by playing for the Gaddafi’s in 2007 to charity. Top marks to Nelly in my opinion. Click here to read the story.

It was announced recently that the 100 Club has a saviour so it won’t have to close. That saviour, who is now the venues sponsor is Converse. Personally I think that is a great move, I have possessed a pair of Converse All Stars for most of the last thirty or so years. As a teenager I went through a white pair, a blue pair and a red pair. I have now settled on a very safe black pair, which I replace annually. I feel I’m in good company as the All Star was worn by such luminaries as Kurt Cobain and the Ramones.

Lady Gaga meets and eats Baby Gaga

I recently discovered a great clip collection of 101 bad covers of Lady Gaga’sBad Romance“. Click here to see it. In other Gaga news a London company has started to produce ice cream made from human breast milk. Click here to read the story. It has been named Baby Gaga. How many of you Little Britain fans just said or thought ‘bitty’?

Syd's psychedelic Baby Gaga 99 with flake caused his feet to grow incredibly large

Just how big a fan of Syd Barrett are you? Big enough to own the Syd Barrett Colouring Book perhaps? Well they are already extremely rare along with the first in the series which was the Joy Division Colouring Book. Click here to see the Syd book.

First a haunting, now levitation. What next? Exorcist style head spinning and green vomit?

Apparently Pete Townshend off of the Who has had a ghostly visit comparable with Dickens ghosts in ‘A Christmas Carol’. He claims that Les Paul appeared to him in a hotel recently telling him to rethink his guitar smashing which showed he had no respect for the instrument. The ghost of Les told him that if he didn’t do this he would suffer for the remainder of his life. Click here to read the story.

 

 
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