So if you don’t know, then where have you been, and do your bit to help change the minds of the powers that be…or by the end of 2011 6 music will be gone for good. Let’s hope that’s not the case!

According to the BBC Trust the annual £9M running costs are half of what Jonathan Ross earns (earn’t) as a BBC big shot celeb. The station delivers quality over quantity. At the time of writing this post 6 music blasts out ‘A Certain Ratio - Shack Up’ - we bet Chris Moyles doesn’t even know who ACR are!? Enough said.

Support the station and help it’s chances of defeating the planned closure…You’ll find all the necessary info from here.

GYEO

Bands and (pop acts!!) confirmed now listed:

Kings Of Leon
Kasbian
Sterephonics
Faithless
The Prodigy
David Guetta
Pet Shop Boys
Cheryl Cole
Paul Weller
The Kooks
Paolo Nutini
Florence And The Machine
Madness
Editors
Mika
White Lies
Groove Armada
The Courtneers
Goldfrapp
The Charlatans
Scouting For Girls
Chase And Status
The Temper Trap
Amy Macdonald
Newton Faulkner
La Roux
Sugababes
Pixie Lott
Skunk Anansie
Passion Pit
Ellie Goulding
Kate Nash
Paloma Faith
Shed Seven
Imogen Heap
Plan B

It’s everywhere… previously deemed manufactured pop is ‘cool’ again but….Cheryl Cole…are you having a laugh!! Following the BRITS performance Cheryl needs to redeem herself with some live vocals…can’t wait.

GYEO

All round for grass roots and independent artists this has to be good news.The principle behind the Sellaband business is a good one and they offer a different funding option for artists that want to do their own thing without a traditional label.

There are still things that the business needs to improve and the the focus going forward will also be on the marketing and promotion of music after a record is made rather than the focus being on the initial recording funding. It’s also expected that “weaker music” will be declined and therefore the A&R process is going to get tougher.

So now based out of Munich, the new company Sellaband GmbH, will live to fight another day and with the fresh focus on ROI rather than pure fan funding and recording we hope to hear a lot more about successful fan funded artists going forward.

Time will tell.

GYEO

Well in a music world that it’s fair to say in recent years has been dominated by cheaper and cheaper….OK predominantly FREE music we just had to mention a recent post we checked out on the fascinating discogs website.

Discogs is a user built database that lists artists, labels and their recordings and for anyone passionate about music it’s a really interesting place to ‘hang out’ and explore. Ran out of Oregon, USA  the guys behind the site have recently compiled a Top 100 tracks based on cash value within their community of dedicated record buyers & sellers.

It’s refreshing to go through a music chart that isn’t dominated by the usual suspects…. you know Lady or is it Lord GAGA, the latest X Factor puppets, the latest NME “they’re gonna be massive indie band” (YAWN!)… all that backed by big money hype other stuff. No thank god none of that stuff here folks…

You will find some seriously rare electro hip hip, soul funk jazz or some old school Italian disco tune…not all great gear to be honest… some of what the collectors get a ‘hard on’ about (because it’s rare) truth be known is poor…one particular Italian disco track we ‘rocked’ was pure crap (an insult to the disco genre!!).

You have to think about this logically, some tracks are rare because no one bought them in the 80’s or whatever decade they were originally released. Despite the sampling anoraks that want to create a new dance music genre every week pushing up the price the fact of the matter is some of this stuff is just shite.

That said a lot of the tracks are bang on and we totally recommend you having a nosey particularly in you have a love for dance music. The wider site is interesting whatever your musical taste. It’s all subjective of course so make your own mind up.

What we found interesting was the more abstract industrial electronic music that a few new music journalists/bloggers should listen to realise that ‘de rigeur’ electro pop bands of the moment are not really that new at all. It’s all been done before…well almost. OK enough negativity.

Fancy some mid 80’s Texan electro for $1,000….check out La Paris!

What about some 1970’s Industrial electronica from ‘Throbbing Gristle’ for $796…

And we just had to stick in the MOST expensive track of the lot….$4,000+

The Numero Uno…Yep you guessed it - Equidity Funk from ‘Misatfide’ in 1980…MURDER!!!!

A great post by Discogs, a cool website for those with inquisitive musical minds. Recommended.

GYEO

Firstly Download Festival banned them - very rock n roll eh, those rock kids are so wild these days - and then Glastonbury had a poll to see if the festival going “party people” minded someone waving a flag. Thankfully Glasto goers, just about though, decided it was OK.

What is it with people these days? Why is this type of thing even happening? Why do we seem to want to sanitise live music?

Well you get the obvious one - “people pay good money to go to festivals and they can’t see the band if someone is right in front with a 20ft flag” - OK, well try moving somewhere else in the crowd you mug. And whilst we’re on the moan…let’s be honest…what exactly can you see anyway when you’re towards the back of the crowd at a major festival? It’s about the buzz, the vibe, the experience…take that away and you start to seriously dilute the thing. Flags help the atmosphere, add colour and are a perfectly acceptable ‘badge waving’ part of our identity as people when we get together in large groups…

The Festival, like our football grounds, is becoming too obsessed with sales and sponsorship and ‘customers’ as opposed to fans, the type of person attending festivals has changed (just like it has in football grounds)…they must have if you feel you need to moan about a fucking flag at a Festival!

Is it any wonder that we are starting to see the rise of (admittedly small) DIY parties, gigs and events - people want a bit of an edge, a bit of excitement and there is nothing wrong with that… particularly in the live music environment. Now we’re not saying that flags are the ‘be all and end all’ but it’s the start of more erosion of perfectly enjoyable live music events…you see, what next?

No smoking festivals, reductions in PA volume because it’s too loud, non-alcohol beer, seating only, on stage adverts between the bands…..you get the idea.

Come on people don’t let the powers that be start to spoil your fun at a festival. And if they do then don’t go, don’t give them your money…. and make your own party.

GYEO

It started off as a truly novel idea in music - bringing fans closer to the artist - in effect the fans were becoming the investor/s in the artists recording with the hope of a payday somewhere down the road.

Launched late 2009, jury has been out on whether or not this type of model can work….well now it seems that the answer is clear. Check out this piece of news stating that the company has filed for insolvency in Amsterdam yesterday.

With the high profile funding problems faced with the Public Enemy “investment” (the biggest name involved with Sellaband) things were looking shaky but this is a real blow for those that assumed artist funding via fans would be viable.

DAMN.

DIY or go to the labels.

GYEO

Without doubt a creative mountain of ‘output’…check out akira the don’s site for more. His own merch, mixes, mash-ups, re-mixes, interviews….kind of a major media organisation/label without the bollocks…yeah akira the don of web 2.0 does the lot without any hint of caring what anyone else thinks.

Props.

So we thought for those that ain’t on it, we recommend you do check out this guy, anyways a few tunes to get you in the mood. First up one of the craziest mash up vids that draws you in…I’m Not A Troll featuring CopperCab of You Tube fame! Some heart-felt teenage angst  from the States meets London’s ATD.

Go You Tubing for the background, it’s a giggle. You have to watch this…

And after all that anger something a little lighter….variety or what?!

Not sure about the gig/live situation for akira the don but the man gets about so hop over to his site.

GYEO

After bursting through in 2006, Hot Club De Paris have never, despite  maintaining stoic support, matched the breakthrough impact of  sonically similar bands such as the Futureheads. Their hooky agit-pop  saw them support the Wearsiders, where this writer first became aware  of them and you sense their material and live output this year will  determine how much they can continue to propel themselves back into  musical consciousness.

Local boys Tantrums shown again in a short set just why the buzz  around them is un-ignorable. They seem to provide uplifting, vitalic  britpop choruses and the traits of a band displaying the best of  modern influences; the darker moments of Arctic Monkeys and the  percussive impact and yelpy choruses of Foals to name two. Before the  A&R man’s wet dream those references would inevitably cause though,  it’s important to note they are more than the sum of their parts.  Their dubstep influence is proof of their ability to weave the music  they like into the music they make. It is unsurprising their star  continues to rise.

Hot Club de Paris

Hot Club de Paris are from the off a feelgood band. The modest following here  enjoying the story-telling lyrics orientated around Teenage Fanclub-  esque melodies. The simplicity at times is very much pop-punk, not in  the saccharin-tinged American sense but in their way with a tune;  Liverpop-punk if you will. Crowd interaction is key tonight, piss-  taking about their scouse roots and even a Paul Simon ‘Boxer’  reference, what more could you want? The charm offensive is completed  with their acapella and beatbox showpiece, a live staple that they  have well and truly honed to sit alongside the rest of their set,  including gems such as Hey Housebrick!’ from 2008’s ‘Live At  Deadlake’. With their kooky-titled new EP ‘With Days Like This As  Cheap As Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want To Work’, (easy for me to  say) they mix old with new, the lead single off it, ‘Fuck You! The  Truth’, the perfect exponent of the HCDP brand.

Want ballsy, off- kilter pop? Crashing cymbal intro flying into ‘lolloping’ riff  territory?

Then you’ve come to the right place. Give them enough of a chance and you might stick around.

Words:  Liam Flowers

Photos:  Jay Somerville

Rhode Island’s finest are fresh off a successful year, riding into 2010 with the critical acclaim of ‘Oh My God, Charlie Darwin’ ringing in their ears. It’s a sleepy Sunday night in the second city and before The Low Anthem take the stage we are treated to Brownbird complete with lateral finger-picking, violining and a kick-drumming lead singer, their brand of travelling gypsy folk warming the crowd perfectly. David Ford follows; “the meat in your sandwich” as he puts it.

The revellers soon have their appetite satisfied and although lyrically he needs to be careful not to become a pastiche, his soulful, snarly yet melodic vocals work well with his minimalist approach and when he uses a pedal to layer his songs his talent is apparent, creating an organised cacophony. The Low Anthem take to the stage, their humble and low key entrance does little to prepare you for for the wonderfully confident, impressive and well-received performance that follows.

Switching instruments between basically every song, the four-piece meld woodwind with strings, harmonium with luscious vocal harmonies, the latter of which substantiates comparisons with their contemporaries Fleet Foxes. There can be a problem with folk music at times, it is a well-worn path and cliché is always a difficult obstacle to overcome. The immediately noticeable sincerity and warmth on display here quickly hurdles that however, the title song of their aforementioned LP a particular highlight; full band vocal participation and flawless instrumentation yet again.

You get the feeling tonight that whatever they touch will turn to gold, a feeling supported by a two-minute bass solo that leads into swampy blues, a testament to their great American forbears. A novel touch is when lead singer Ben Knox-Miller invites us to call each other during the next song, the result is a ghostly chorus of echoes as the song reverberates around the venue via the mobile phones being held aloft. They pull Brownbird back up onstage for a ‘traditional american song’ and although this has the potential to grate it only provides further evidence that as far as providing affecting and memorable live performances go….

The Low Anthem are second-to-none.

Words: Liam Flowers

Picture: Jay Somerville

You know the drill the usual questions - if you want to know what Fightstar think about live music then watch…

GYEO