The Who Close TCT Shows With Performance Of Quadrophenia

The Who closed this year’s series of benefit concerts for the UK charity Teenage Cancer Trust at London’s Royal Albert Hall last night (Tuesday, March 30th) with a full-length performance of their 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia. The Who’s usual touring band of Roger Daltrey (lead vocals), Pete Townshend (vocals and guitar), Zak Starkey (drums), Pino Palladino (bass), John “Rabbit” Bundrick (keyboards), and Simon Townshend (guitar and backing vocals) was augmented for the show by horn and string sections. They were also joined by special guests Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Tom Meighan of Kasabian. Vedder sang “The Punk and the Godfather” while Meighan sang Keith Moon’s part in “Bell Boy” and began the song seated on a scooter. 

There was no encore after the performance of Quadrophenia. Daltrey is the patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, and is believed to have attended all of the shows this year. He may have been too tired to do an encore last night. 

There have been rumors that last night’s show might have been the last gig ever by The Who. Pete Townshend’s tinnitus has been bothering him lately, and some scheduled shows by The Who in North America have already been cancelled. The reviews for last night’s show were positive. If last night’s performance of their best album was the last show that The Who perform, then they went out on a high note. 

For more about The Who ‘s Quadrophenia show last night, see the reviews from XFM London, NME.com, RollingStone.com, and the UK newspapers The Times of London, The Sun, and the Evening Standard. 

Matt Kent of TheWho.com took a bunch of great photos at the show, one of which is above. To view the photos, go to TheWho.com.

Ellie Goulding’s Debut Album Goes Straight To Top Of UK Album Chart

Ellie Goulding, the 23-year-old who won the BBC’s Sound of 2010 award and the Critics’ Choice award at this year’s BRIT Awards, released her debut album, Lights, last Monday, March 1st, in the UK. And the album went straight to number one in the UK album chart in its first week of eligibility, knocking off Lady Gaga’s album, The Fame, in the process. In addition, her latest single, “Starry Eyed,” is now at number four in the UK singles chart. 

Ellie has been promoting the album with numerous appearances in the UK music press. She recently appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge. To hear an interview with her and to see photos from the session, go to the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge section. She also gave an interview to XFM London’s Steve Harris, which you can hear by going to the XFM London Web site and then clicking the individual audio links. And she was the subject of a feature in the February 28th edition of The Sunday Times of London. In that feature, she discussed her doubts about having a career in music: 

“I never believed I could be a singer, or do anything with it. I was never given the assurance that I could. Never.

“I’m naturally quite a negative person, which I can’t help. It’s the way I’ve been brought up. The attitude my mum had, if she went to a job interview or something, was, ‘I’m not going to get it.’ That prepares you for the worst — you don’t get your hopes up. If I ran around going, ‘Oh, I might be up for a Brit award’, I’d feel like I’d tainted it in some way.”

To watch Ellie Goulding perform “Starry Eyed” on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, click below:

To watch Ellie Goulding’s cover version of Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition” from BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, click below:

 

To watch Ellie Goulding’s performance of “Starry Eyed” with a full band on Alan Carr’s Channel 4 show, click below: 

 

For more on Ellie Goulding, go to:
http://elliegoulding.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/elliegoulding
http://www.youtube.com/user/elliegoulding

Marina And The Diamonds Go “Hollywood”

Marina Diamandis (pictured above in a photo by Rankin), the 24-year-old Wales native who records under the name Marina and the Diamonds, has been all over the UK music press lately following the recent release of her debut album, The Family Jewels. She was the subject of a profile in the February 27th edition of The Times of London. She also did a Q&A for BBC London’s BBC Introducing section. And late last month, she stopped by the Leicester Square studios of XFM London to be interviewed on the air by DJ Steve Harris. You can watch a video of that interview by going to the XFM London Web site and then clicking the individual video links. She will be touring the UK in May. 

Marina’s current single, “Hollywood,” is getting quite a bit of airplay on music radio in the UK. To watch the video for “Hollywood,” which was directed by Kinga Burza, click below: 

 

In the song, Marina sings, “I’m obsessed with the mess that’s America.” Great lyric, that. Will America be equally obsessed with Marina when her music makes its way across the pond? Time will tell. 

For more on Marina and the Diamonds, see:
http://www.marinandthediamonds.com
http://www.myspace.com/marinaandthediamonds
http://www.youtube.com/user/Marinaandthediamonds

Ellie Goulding Scores With “Starry Eyed” Single

Ellie Goulding, the winner of the BBC’s Sound of 2010 award, has seen her latest single, “Starry Eyed,” get a good bit of airplay on UK music radio stations like XFM London and BBC 6 Music. The single was released this past Monday, February 22^nd, in the UK. Ellie’s debut album, Lights, will get its UK release on Monday, March 1^st. 

To watch Ellie Goulding’s video for “Starry Eyed,” click below: 

 

To watch a brief interview with Ellie Goulding  that was done at the “Starry Eyed” video shoot, click below: 

 

To watch an interview that Ellie Goulding did with Absolute Radio at the recent BRIT Awards, click below: 

 

For more on Ellie Goulding, see:
http://elliegoulding.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/elliegoulding
http://www.youtube.com/user/elliegoulding

Paul Weller Praises Bruce Foxton And Britpop, Slams Grunge In Recent Interviews

Paul Weller has been making the rounds of the UK music press in the run-up to the April release of his new album, which is titled Wake Up The Nation. 

Weller discussed working on his new album with his former bandmate in The Jam, Bruce Foxton, during an interview with BBC 6 Music. About working with Foxton again, Weller said: 

“A bit of dialogue opened up between us two, just through various other personal things that have gone on in our lives, but it just sort of felt right.

“Because of the fact that we had started talking and were in touch and that, I thought it was an honor to have us getting together to make a bit of music, which always levels everyone out really. 

“It was a nice day, we had fun. We had a laugh and it was nice and easy, there wasn’t too much pressure on anyone I don’t think.” 

For more on this story, see the article from BBC 6 Music. 

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Weller gave his opinions on grunge and Britpop. Not surprisingly, Weller slated grunge while praising Britpop. On grunge, Weller stated: 

“You’d had all that shoegazing bollocks and then the whole Nirvana thing, which I thought was fucking rubbish – it was just America catching up with punk rock 20 years too fucking late for me, you know.” 

Weller was far more charitable about Britpop, saying:

 “That was the first time ever that I’d felt any kinship with any musicians – even though they were all probably at least ten years younger than me.”

 For more on this subject, see Weller’s interview with the Irish Examiner and the article from XFM London.

 Weller received the Godlike Genius award at the Shockwaves NME Awards, which were held this past Wednesday night, February 24^th, at the O2 Brixton Academy in London. Weller gave a video interview to NME.com at the awards show in which he gave props to both Bombay Bicycle Club and Kasabian. You can watch the interview by clicking here.

Is This The End For The Who?

The Who’s Pete Townshend has told Rolling Stone magazine that The Who might be done since his tinnitus has returned. The Who had a busy year planned but Townshend states that the band cannot continue if his tinnitus remains a problem. He told Rolling Stone, “If my hearing is going to be a problem, we’re not delaying shows. We’re finished. I can’t really see any way around the issue.” 

Townshend will test an in-ear monitor when The Who perform Quadrophenia on March 30^th at London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust concerts. If the experiment fails, that performance will likely close the curtain on The Who’s career. The Who formed in the early 1960s in London and have been working on and off since their so-called “farewell tour” in 1982. 

For more on this story, see the articles from RollingStone.com, XFM London, and NME.com. 

In other Who-related news, Roger Daltrey told BBC 6 Music that he’d like to work with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. Daltrey said: 

“I’d love to do something, I’d love to do an album with Jimmy Page. He needs a singer to drive him. I’m a great blues singer.

“I don’t sing the blues with The Who, but that’s what I used to be before Townshend started writing. I used to be a great blues singer.” 

For more on this story, see the article from BBC 6 Music. 

Last week, Daltrey also did an interview with Geoff Lloyd of the UK radio station Absolute Radio. During the interview, Daltrey discussed The Who’s performance at the Super Bowl, Depeche Mode’s show at Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust, the difficulty of organizing the Teenage Cancer Trust shows, Noel Gallagher’s first post-Oasis shows for the Teenage Cancer Trust, finally getting the Arctic Monkeys to play the Teenage Cancer Trust shows, The Who’s upcoming performance of Quadrophenia for the Teenage Caner Trust, his disgust with Twitter, and other subjects. Curiously, Daltrey did not address Townshend’s recurring hearing problems that may force an end to the band. To watch the interview, click below: 

The Knack’s Doug Fieger Dies Of Cancer At Age 57

For those of us who are “of a certain age,” The Knack’s number-one 1979 power-pop single “My Sharona” will always occupy a special place. I was just getting interested in music when I first heard “My Sharona,” and I was totally bowled over. It’s a great song. Although it was The Knack’s only big hit, the song still holds up quite well today. 

Sadly, the song’s writer, The Knack’s lead singer Doug Fieger (pictured above with The Knack, second from right), lost his battle with brain and lung cancer and died yesterday in Woodland Hills, CA. He was 57. 

Fieger wrote “My Sharona” about a former girlfriend. The success of the single propelled The Knack’s debut album, Get The Knack, to number one in the US album chart for six weeks in 1979. “My Sharona” was used prominently in the 1994 film Reality Bites. 

In January, Fieger told the Detroit News, “I’ve had 10 great lives. And I expect to have some more. I don’t feel cheated in any way, shape, or form.” 

For more on this story, see the article from XFM London. 

To read Fieger’s obituary from the Los Angeles Times, click here. 

To watch The Knack performing “My Sharona” live, click below: 

 

Doug Fieger 1952-2010 R.I.P.

Kate Nash Offers New Song For Free Download

The Harrow, England-based singer-songwriter Kate Nash is offering a song titled “I Just Love You More” from her as-yet untitled second album as a free download from her Web site, http://www.katenash.co.uk/. The free download will be available until Monday, February 15^th. 

The song is quite punky-sounding and is considerably different from the material on Nash’s 2007 debut album, Made of Bricks. Nash is known to be a punk fan, and has cited The Buzzcocks as one of her favorite bands in interviews. I love the new song. But I wonder how all of those teenage female fans of Nash’s are going to react to the new song. 

To listen to “I Just Love You More” by Kate Nash, click below: 

 Nash’s new album is slated for an April 19^th release in the UK. The tracklisting is as follows:

You’ll Never Listen
Kiss That Girl 
Don’t You Want To Share The Guilt? 
I Just Love You More 
Do Wah Doo  
Higher Plane 
I’ve Got A Secret  
Oh Jay 
Later On   
Pickpocket 
You Were So Far Away 
I Hate Seagulls

Nash performed some of the new material when I last saw her in concert, in April 2008 at Webster Hall in New York City.

For more on this story, see the article from XFM London.

 For additional information on Kate Nash, go to:
http://www.katenash.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic

Noel Gallagher To Play Two Solo Gigs For The Teenage Cancer Trust

Noel Gallagher will be playing his first solo shows since leaving Oasis when he takes the stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall on March 25^th and 26^th for the benefit of the UK charity Teenage Cancer Trust. 

Gallagher spoke about the shows with XFM London and said: 

“Ten years ago, I got a call from Roger [Daltrey] asking me to join him for the first-ever concert for the charity. 

“Since then, I’ve been honored to support this amazing charity. I’ve had some of the best nights I’ve ever had on a UK stage.”

Gallagher talks about the shows and other subjects in a recent interview that he did with ESPN in the UK, which you can watch below: 

 

Tickets for this year’s Teenage Cancer Trust shows went on sale on Friday, February 5^th. The full lineup for the shows is as follows:

Wednesday 17 February – Depeche Mode
Monday 22 March – Them Crooked Vultures
Tuesday 23 March – Comedy night: Jimmy Carr, Noel Fielding and Rhod Gilbert
Wednesday 24 March – Suede
Thursday 25 March – Noel Gallagher
Friday 26 March – Noel Gallagher
Saturday 27 March – Arctic Monkeys
Sunday 28 March – JLS
Monday 29 March – The Specials
Tuesday 30 March – The Who 

The Who will be performing their 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia in full at their Teenage Cancer Trust show. On the subject of the Teenage Cancer Trust shows, The Who’s lead singer, Roger Daltrey, who is the patron of the charity and organizes the yearly concerts, told BBC 6 Music: 

“When The Who first got together in 2000 to raise money for this brilliant charity, I had no idea we’d achieve so much from these shows. In the last ten years we’ve raised over £8.7 million, helping Teenage Cancer Trust to open nine more specialist cancer units for young people across the UK. 

“Teenage Cancer Trust has come such a long way since our first gig and I’m extremely proud of this event. I’m forever inspired by the support I have received from the artists and members of the music and comedy industries.” 

For more on this story, see the articles from BBC 6 Music, XFM London, and NME.com. 

I had the very good fortune to attend two Teenage Cancer Trust shows at Royal Albert Hall during a 2004 trip to London. I saw The Who as well as an all-star show fronted by Jools Holland. Both shows were excellent. And the charity is a very worthwhile one, indeed. If you are reading this in the UK, please support the charity if you can. 

For additional information on the Teenage Cancer Trust, see http://www.teenagecancertrust.org/. 

If you will be in the London area during the show dates and would like to attend, you can purchase tickets on the Royal Albert Hall’s Web site at http://www.royalalberthall.com/.

Liam Gallagher Talks About His Future In Music On XFM Manchester

Liam Gallagher has never been one to mince words, and his recent interview with XFM Manchester DJ Clint Boon was no exception. In this interview, Liam ripped Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine as well as his brother and former Oasis bandmate Noel Gallagher. Liam also promised that he’d be on stage with his new as-yet-unnamed band later this year. 

On the subject of Florence Welch, Liam opined: 

“No, I’m not having someone with ginger hair making music. I’m not going down that road. I’m sure she’s a nice girl, but she sounds like someone’s stood on her fucking foot.”

For more on this bit of Liam’s rant, see the article from XFM London. 

I can’t say that I agree with Liam at all on this. I quite like Florence’s voice. And it’s not like Liam has got the best voice in rock, is it? 

Liam took aim at brother Noel, saying:

“It just felt like some people were talking out of their arse. A lot of lies went down.

“I find it funny that our kid [Noel] was going around saying he had no support from his band members and management. A week later they’re all round his house having a party. Someone’s telling porkies – and it weren’t me.

“I think it was all going on anyway, behind my back. Noel wanted out, but fair play to him, that’s life. I’m not going to dwell on it.”

For more of Liam’s feelings about Noel’s departure from Oasis, see the article from XFM London.

Here’s what Liam had to see about what his new band will be doing this year:

“We’ll be on stage this year, mate. Without a doubt. We’re half way through the record – the demos, that is.”

For more on this, see the article from XFM London.

To hear Clint Boon’s interview with Liam Gallagher (which is, unfortunately, censored), click here and then click the audio link on the page that reads, “Hear this brilliant interview now.”

I’m curious to hear what Liam and the new band come up with. He didn’t give away the name of his new band during the interview, but he did say that it would NOT be called Oasis. Stay tuned . . .