In Defence Of Illegal Music Downloads

Even as I typed the title of this article just then, I flinched a little bit in my chair, half expecting a SWAT team to rappel down through the window and take me out. “Tango down” they’d say, in a ridiculously deep American accent, high-fiving each other as the contents of my head slowly stained the carpet. I didn’t flinch because I’ve necessarily got anything to offer that isn't regulation-grade journalistic drivel, however, but rather because the topic of file sharing is one so vehemently opposed in the press that it’s hard to even approach the subject without that little bit of hesitation.

Written by: James Conlon | Date: Wednesday, 18 May 2011

Eurotrash (Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Feature)

Pop music television shows come and go. In my time The Tube, The Roxy (remember that one ?), The Word and even the weekly Top of the Pops show have become distant memories. However one show still remains with us, and that show is the Eurovision Song Contest. Terry Wogan’s years of amusing commentary about the show have turned the contest into a bit of a joke for many Brits. Britain hasn’t done too well in the Contest in recent years so there was a lot of interest in British entry Blue’s performance this year. I thought I’d take a look at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest Final and cast my critical eye on the acts.

Written by: Rob Burns | Date: Monday, 16 May 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Motorhead - Tickets Onsale Friday May 13th at 9am

No prizes for guessing who we picked for this week’s Stereoboard Tour of the Week. However, if you are struggling to figure it out, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover who we chose. It is, of course, Motorhead. That’s right – after reaching the 35 year mark with 2010’s anniversary tour, did you really think Lemmy and co were going to call it quits? If we’ve learnt anything about the legendary mutton-chopped rocker over the past three and a half decades, it’s that this is a man who doesn’t quit anything. Ever.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Tour of the Week - Slash - Tickets Onsale Friday 9am

After two years out of the limelight, guitarist Saul Hudson – known to most as Slash – returned with a bang in 2010 with his own long-awaited solo career. Many would argue that, this time around, the legendary axeman was bigger and better than ever. While former bandmate Mr Rose continued with his lifelong tradition of turning up late and generally frustrating fans wherever he showed his face, Slash’s year proved far less disappointing.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Thursday, 05 May 2011

Permanent Ability Interview - Frontman Brian Lanese speaks to Stereoboard

Following in the footsteps of rock luminaries such as No Doubt, fellow Californians Permanent Ability recently headed into the studio with producer Jim Wirt to work on their latest release ‘Bring It On!’. Wirt, who is best-known for producing a string of groundbreaking rock albums like Incubus’s ‘S.C.I.E.N.C.E.’ and Hoobastank’s 2001 debut, spent some time working with Permanent Ability on the funk-rock quartet’s second EP last year. However, despite only having a short history, this isn’t the first time that the LA-based group have collaborated with a well-known artist. For their 2008 debut EP ‘From the Womb to Hollywood’, Permanent Ability were joined by funk legend Lige Curry, who was formerly the bass player with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Wednesday, 04 May 2011

If You Bump Into Ozzy, Don’t Tell Him Where I Am … (Feature by David Evans)

I’m not being boastful on her behalf, but my grandma was a great cook. Even my fuddy-duddy cousin, who seemed to live on mashed up boiled eggs with salad cream and pineapple yoghurt without the bits, never turned her nose up at any of gran’s puddings and pies.

Written by: David Evans | Date: Wednesday, 04 May 2011

Michael Jackson Legacy - The Lies That Bind

April 29, 2011. London. Westminster Abbey groans under its own weight in flowers and a nation prays for the sun to shine. A centuries old country hyperventilates as it waits for a young Prince and a young woman who would become a Princess – well, Duchess as it turned out – to kiss. The level of anticipation and interest in Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, building in the weeks and days before the big day, powered not only by a media whipped frenzy, but out of the massive desire to see the eldest son of the late ex-Princess of Wales make his choice before an audience of billions. Lady Diana Spencer, self-confessed ‘Queen of Hearts,’ was for many both in England and overseas, the real heroine of the Royal Family. And it was the memory of the joyous potential a young Diana’s own wedding represented and the huge sorrow and anger her death precipitated – that gave her son’s wedding the pathos and historic power it did.

Written by: Deborah Ffrench | Date: Tuesday, 03 May 2011

Skindred Interview – Frontman Benji Webbe speaks to Stereoboard about ‘Union Black’

After recording their first three albums over in the US and spending much of the past seven years riding high over on that side of the pond, Newport ragga-metal quartet Skindred have decided to bring things back home for their fourth and latest effort ‘Union Black’. On the third night of the band’s current tour, we ask frontman Benji Webbe whether it was their intention to target this Great Britain-themed album at the UK audience.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Tuesday, 03 May 2011

Tour of the Week - Wu Tang Clan - Tickets Onsale Now

Three years ago, Glastonbury Festival’s organisers announced New York rapper Jay-Z as one of the three Pyramid Stage headliners for their 2008 event. Despite Glastonbury’s long reputation for having one of the most musically diverse line-ups on the UK festival circuit, which has often seen them include hip-hop artists on the bill, the announcement proved somewhat controversial and a large number of people – most famously Noel Gallagher – slated the decision.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 15 April 2011

Record Store Day 2011 – Saturday 16th April: Interview with Organiser Spencer Hickman

We’re still a couple of weeks away from Record Store Day and it already looks set to be a major event for 2011. After last year’s annual festivities, which marked the third and most successful Record Store Day yet and saw special edition releases from the likes of Blur, it seems that they might be difficult to top. However, with Foo Fighters, Gorillaz and Arctic Monkeys among the artists getting involved this year, expectations are high for another massive event. Last year, Stereoboard spoke to Record Store Day UK organiser Spencer Hickman, the manager of Rough Trade East in London, about the history of the event and the future of record shops. In the run-up to Record Store Day 2011, we caught up with Spencer again to find out more about this year’s celebrations.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Monday, 04 April 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – The Bluetones

A few weeks ago, we made Ocean Colour Scene our Stereoboard Tour of the Week for their forthcoming ‘Moseley Shoals’ 15th anniversary dates. Now it’s time for another group of Britpop survivors, although these ones have decided to call it a day. That’s right, it’s The Bluetones. After seventeen years, six albums and thirteen Top 40 singles, this London quartet have announced that their tour in September will be their last. Earlier this week, the band’s MySpace page read: “We're afraid the time has come and we must say farewell. We will be playing a career-spanning set of songs as a way to say thank you to our loyal supporters and hopefully signing off with a bit of a bang. We hope we'll see you all in September.”

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 01 April 2011

'Fowl Play' A Feature By David Evans (Rockness Feature)

Draw up a list of legal addictions and it’s a fair bet that at some time or another I’ve caved in to the lure of at least two, and in the unlikely event of you including something to do with vinyl records, I could chalk up a hat trick.

Written by: David Evans | Date: Thursday, 31 March 2011

Stereoboard Rejects Proposal To Cap Resale Prices of Concert & Festival Tickets

With Reading & Leeds festival tickets going on sale yesterday the argument about ticket resale has surfaced once again with the assumption being that tickets for the festival would have sold out in double quick time and secondary websites would have had highly inflated tickets for sale almost immediately.

Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Tuesday, 22 March 2011

Leader Of The Starry Skies – A Tim Smith Tribute (Tim Smith Feature)

The name Tim Smith will probably elicit, from the majority of people who claim to be in the know about all things music, nothing more than a mere shrug and question of “Tim who?” Whilst he will never go down as one of the most successful and famous musicians of his era, Cardiacs frontman Tim Smith will always be one of the most influential and the calibre of artist present on this tribute record proves this to be the case. Featuring contributions from the likes of The Magic Numbers, Oceansize and Steven Wilson, this record raises money to help Tim with the condition he currently faces. Having suffered a serious stroke in 2008, Tim’s health is still in a perilous position and it is still unknown whether he will ever take up his musical career again. Thus many bands who recognise his influence and his importance have taken on the task of celebrating the amazing career he has already had.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 21 March 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Ryan Adams

Don’t you mean Bryan Adams? No – definitely not. This particular member of the Adams family (they’re not actually related) is not at all fond of being confused with the Canadian rocker. Anyone that has heard about his infamous run-ins with fans certainly won’t be making any such mix-up in the near future. There have been several reports in the past regarding alleged occasions where Ryan Adams has had concert-goers thrown out and even fought with people that have dared to request ‘Summer of 69’ during one of his shows. Thankfully, according to an interview with Spin Magazine a few years back, the singer has since sought help for his anger issues: “I had to go into therapy because of the whole Bryan Adams ‘Summer of 69’ thing. I turned that into such a negative thing that it paralysed me. So now it’s not like someone’s not going to shout ‘Summer of 69’, but I can choose to not let that ruin my evening.”

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 18 March 2011

How To Make Money From Music (Feature)

Following the recent announcement of a heavy drop in attendance at concerts across the UK’s major arenas and the issues facing smaller music venues (as discussed in Rob Sleigh’s feature here) I got to thinking about how artists actually make a living from music these days.

Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Support Your Local Gig Venue (Feature)

Following the recent rescue of London's 100 Club and the optimistic progression of the new Live Music Bill, we're taking a look at the current state of Britain's live music scene and of the smaller venues around the nation. We want to hear from you about your favourite local gig venue and we don't mean your nearest arena. We're interested in those nearby little places with a bit of history and character about them. Somewhere you can watch a band in relatively close quarters and get a drink for a reasonable price. Leave your comments at the end of this feature and, in the meantime, here are a few words to whet your appetite for low-key live music.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Stereoboard’s Fantasy Festival 2011

It's that time of year again – the time when we have to decide which of this year's countless music festivals to spend our hard-earned pounds on. No doubt many of you have already splashed out on one of the few summer events that have recently released tickets, such as T in the Park and the V Festivals. However, there are still plenty to choose from and, with all the speculation surrounding the bands that are still to be announced for the various line-ups, it could prove to be a difficult choice. With the Reading and Leeds line-up soon to be revealed, more artists being confirmed for Glastonbury and tons of bands still to be added to the host of other festivals, we decided to find out what your hopes and predictions are for 2011's summer of music. So we asked you for your dream festival performances and here are the results. We've compiled a virtual line-up of some of your expectations, over-optimistic or otherwise, as well as a few of our own for this year's Stereoboard Fantasy Festival.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Monday, 14 March 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – The Kills

Three years after the release of their third album ‘Midnight Boom’, transatlantic lo-fi duo The Kills are to return next month with their latest offering entitled ‘Blood Pressures’. Following a previously-announced UK live date at London’s Heaven venue on 31st March, just a few days ahead of the album’s release, the pair have now revealed details of a full tour for May and June, including a slot at Newcastle-on-Tyne’s Evolution Weekender festival on 28th May.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Monday, 14 March 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Ocean Colour Scene

Britpop is back. Or so it would seem. Pulp and Suede are reforming, Blur are still umming and arring about whether or not to record any new material and Liam Gallagher is attempting to find out what life would be like without big bro. Also, speaking of Brother, one Slough-based group going by that very name have been accused of trying to revive the same genre and have even hooked up with Blur’s old producer Stephen Street to record their debut album. So who’s next?

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Monday, 07 March 2011