John Lydon
Public Image Ltd - Metal Box
Public Image Ltd - Metal Box
Landmark post-punk LP remastered for its 30th anniversary.
Summer Sundae 2012 Review
Summer Sundae 2012
Summer Sundae started in Leicester in 2001 with a cosy venue and a fairly limited line-up. Today the site is the same but the stage options and line-up have grown considerably. Now it has the main outside stage ‘The Lion’s Den’, and 3 indoor/tented stages. The indoor venues are, in order of size, ‘Crocodile’s Lagoon’ (de Montfort Hall), the ‘Into the Wild stage’ in the big top and ‘The Watering Hole’ in, well, the beer tent.
P.I.L - Live 2012
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X-RAY SPEX
UK Punk pioneers X-Ray Spex formed in 1976, as deliberate underachievers; a shambling musical mess of Rebellion and fashion, as main muse ‘Poly Styrene’ danced to her punchy “buzz saw ‘n’ biscuit-tin’ band,” whilst trying to fight off Saxophonist Lora Logic.
Not conventionally attractive, Styrene wore thick braces on her teeth, and once stated that “I am not a sex symbol, and if somebody tried to make me one, I’d shave my head tomorrow” - Which she later did at John Lydon’s apartment, prior to the ‘Rock Against Racism’ concert in Victoria Park, Hackney in 1977. Lydon’s close friend and bassist for his post-punk venture PiL described Styrene as “a very strange girl, who often talked about hallucinating. She freaked John out.”
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X-Ray Spex later went on to record two live sessions for John Peel, at BBC Radio 1, their profile further enhanced by a fortnightly residency at CBGB’s, even though their debut album “Germ Free Adolescent’s,” was not released in America until late 1992.
However after releasing the album in the UK, along with a number of singles, including the notorious “Oh Bondage, Up Yours” - a track often confused with the riot girl movement some fifteen years later, the band split up in 1979, when Styrene left the band to record a solo album and join the Hare Krishna movement.
The band had several failed reconciliation attempts, before finally reforming more successfully in 1995 to release a new album “Conscious Consumer.” Although heralded as the first in a trilogy, the album was not a commercial success, Styrene later explained that touring and promotional work came to an abrupt halt, when she was run over by a fire engine in central London. The group disbanded, but subsequent releases include a compilation of the group’s early records, a live album, and an anthology of all the aforementioned.
Members include Jak Airport (born Jack Stafford), guitar; Paul Dean, bass; John Gun (joined in 1979), saxophone; B.P. Hurding, drums; Laura Logic (born Susan Whitby; left band in 1977; returned in 1995), saxophone; Poly Styrene (born Marion Elliot), vocals; Rudi Thompson (joined band in 1977), saxophone.
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. content@rokpool.com
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GREEN DAY
Green Day can definitely be considered one of the iconic bands of modern times, with platinum plaques dating back nearly twenty years to 1992’s ‘Kerplunk’ album. In 2004 the Punk-Rock band Green Day released the critically acclaimed, politically driven, multi platinum selling album ‘American Idiot’, it would be this album that would finally see them crowned as rock ‘n’ roll royalty.
For Green Day it all begins at a venue called the Gilman in 1989, it was here that the band honed their performance and were able to gauge there song writing skills. By the end of the year the band released the adolescent and bratty ‘1039 Smooth’ EP on Lookout Records founded by Lawrence Livermore. This would later become the 1990 album '39/Smooth', which would become their first full-length album release. Two years later their second album “Kerplunk” became a huge underground success, which led to the band leaving Lookout records and signing with the Major label Reprise records.
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The release of the “Dookie” album in 1994 marked the moment the whole world was introduced to Green Day’s band members; Billie Joe Armstrong (Lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar), Mike Dirnt (Bass) and Tre Cool (drums and percussion). ‘Dookie’ would go on to sell a reported 15 million units worldwide.
Green Day's music has always been characteristic of Punk, Anti-establishment, and hard-edged guitar-driven music, yet many a debate has been held over the Punk-Rock status of Green Day, in particular whether Green Day can be considered “Punk” at all. John Lydon (or Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) a significant Punk contributor has repeatedly dismissed Green Day being what he considers “Punk”. Regardless of whether they are or aren’t “Punk” Green Day continue to have considerable success across the globe.
2004’s ‘American idiot’ album would be their crowning glory, in a climate polluted with illegal downloading, Green Day were without doubt, the band of the year, out wrestling U2 for the title. This eventually led to over 14 million sales worldwide and a Grammy for record of the year with the song “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”.
The bands most recent effort “21st Century Breakdown” sold over 215,000 copies in it’s first three days of release and consequently reached number one on the Billboard album chart and No.1 in a further 13 countries, a clear sign that Green Day, as middle aged men, are as relevant among fans as ever.
Segun Murray Ogunsheye
HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT GREEN DAY MERCHANDISE HERE
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
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Sex Pistols
SEX PISTOLS
Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Steve Jones and Paul Cook. Four names that can mean only one band, Sex Pistols. An English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 and were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the UK. Their initial career only lasted two and a half years but they are regarded as one of the most influential acts in popular music.
The Sex Pistols may have only been together for two years in the late '70s, but they changed the face of popular music. Through their raw, nihilistic singles and violent performances, the band revolutionized the idea of what rock & roll could be. In England, the group was considered dangerous to the very fabric of society and was banned across the country; in America, they didn't have the same impact, but countless bands in both countries were inspired by the sheer sonic force of their music, while countless others were inspired by their independent, do-it-yourself ethics. Even if they didn't release any singles by themselves, there was an implicit independence in the way they played their music and handled their career. The band gave birth to the massive independent music underground in England and America that would soon include bands that didn't have a direct musical connection to the Sex Pistols' initial three-minute blasts of rage, but couldn't have existed without those singles.
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Guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook were regulars at a boutique owned by their manager, Malcolm McLaren; bassist Glen Matlock worked at the store. Vocalist John Lydon, who would later perform under the name Johnny Rotten, met the rest of the group at the shop and was asked to join the band. While the band played simple rock & roll loudly and abrasively, Rotten arrogantly sang of anarchy, abortion, violence, fascism, and apathy; without Rotten, the band wouldn't have been threatening to England's government -- he provided the band's conceptual direction, calculated to be as confrontational and threatening as possible. The publicity caused by their caustic first single "Anarchy in the U.K." caused the band to be dropped by their record label, EMI. Matlock was fired before their next single "God Save the Queen," which was released on Virgin; it was banned by the BBC. Matlock's replacement was Sid Vicious, a tough street kid who, unlike the rest of the band, couldn't play his instrument.
Their short career only produced four singles and one studio album, “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols”. Perhaps best known for their single, “God Save the Queen”, the band’s concerts and public appearances often ended in mayhem.
January 1978 saw Rotten leave the band and announce their breakup after a turbulent US tour. Vicious died of a heroin overdose in February 1979.
In 1996 the band reformed for a reunion tour and have staged further reunion shows since. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 but refused to attend, calling the museum “a piss stain”. Well guys, it’s good to know you appreciate your fans…
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
