Sound & Vision (Peter Wyngarde, David Soul, Joaquin Phoenix Feature)

If you think about it, acting is a strange way to earn your daily crust: one moment you’re playing the role of a greenhouse gas in a Hackney council funded play about global warming; the next moment you’ve landed the leading role in a Bollywood version of “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo”. When your acting makes you a household name, the temptation to cash in on your fame must be strong. Some actors have dipped their toes into the waters of music with varying degrees of success. Back in the mid- 80s Kylie Minogue was just an Australian soap opera actress; these days she’s a global pop star. However, some actors haven’t been (to paraphrase Kylie’s song) “so lucky“ when they have tried their hand at music.

Written by: Rob Burns | Date: Tuesday, 01 March 2011

Whatever Happened To Cool Cymru? (Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia, Feeder, Stereophonics Feature)

With it being St David’s day today and local radio playing anything and everything they can find by Welsh bands, it reminded me of the term ‘Cool Cymru’ that was thrown around a lot around the mid 90’s and got me wondering what ever happened to that whole scene?

Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Tuesday, 01 March 2011

Oceansize - A Tribute (Feature)

It is sadly a rare thing in this day and age. Rare indeed for a band to have the strength and determination to be everything they want to be without caving in to the inevitable financial pressures and lack of mainstream recognition. It is even rarer, not just in the world of today but in the whole of modern musical history, for a band to be anywhere near true musical perfection. Yet Oceansize, in the minds of many including myself, achieved this elusive state. The elusive state in question meant that it was never a case of the band possibly writing anything bad but instead of writing things that were slightly less amazing than everything else they wrote.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 01 March 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Frank Turner

Let’s face it – Frank Turner could probably be voted for Tour of the Week every week. As anyone who has been a fan of the singer since he started his solo career five years ago will confirm, it seems that the former Million Dead frontman is very rarely not on tour. Having just completed a string of dates, which included his own NME Awards Show, it’s unsurprising to discover that the travelling folkster wasn’t going to hang around long before announcing his next bunch of gigs. Lined up for May, in the run-up to his fourth album ‘England Keep My Bones’, Frank Turner will tour the UK once again for almost the entire month, making stops in most parts of the country. Despite the constant reappearances, we’re certainly not getting bored of him yet.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 25 February 2011

Why Beyonce Is NOT A Bad Booking For Glastonbury Festival 2011 (Glastonbury/ Beyonce Feature)

Since the announcement earlier this month that pop diva Beyonce Knowles will be the closing headliner for 2011’s Glastonbury festival, internet forums have been buzzing with people hammering their keyboards with every reason imaginable why the booking is terrible and a travesty. Something I’ve read several times is 'it’s not Glastonbury’. For me Glastonbury is absolutely about this sort of booking.

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

Born To Be Mild (Hot Chip, Kraftwerk, Devo Feature)

If you want to see sex and drugs and rock ’n’ roll in one place, you could become a roadie for Daniel O’Donnell or just watch the documentary “The Decline of Western Civilization Part 2: The Metal Years”. The film (a documentary about the Los Angeles heavy metal scene from the mid to late eighties) is littered with rock and roll clichés: Kiss’ Paul Stanley is interviewed on a bed, surrounded by scantily clad lingerie models and a drunken Chris Holmes from WASP, confesses to ‘4 women at a time’ sex sessions and pours vodka over his head. However for every Keith Moon in the world of rock and roll, there’s also a geek. The likes of Kraftwerk and Devo wouldn’t look out of place at a Dr Who convention but have become established, revered figures in the history of pop music.

Written by: Rob Burns | Date: Tuesday, 22 February 2011

Stereoboard.com Launch Access All Areas Anti-Scamming Viral Film - Watch Here!

After months of production, Stereoboard.com have launched their eagerly-anticipated 'Access All Areas' short film. 'Access All Areas' was premiered before a music industry audience at the Royal Hotel in the heart of Cardiff last night, with the film launching earlier today at 10am.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Friday, 18 February 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – The Airborne Toxic Event

There aren’t too many LA-based groups that choose to spend an entire month of their lives over here in the UK, playing a gig every single night just to entertain their British fans. In fact, it’s probably fair to say that we’d be lucky to have a week’s worth of gigs to pick from by one of our transatlantic friends. However, that is exactly what The Airborne Toxic Event did a few years ago. Back in November 2008, a few months ahead of the UK release of their eponymous debut album, the alt-rock five-piece were kind enough to grace us with their presence for the whole month. During their 30 Shows in 30 Days Tour, as it became known, the band travelled up and down the country, visiting all four corners of the UK and returning to London each week for a gig at Camden Town’s iconic Dublin Castle.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Thursday, 17 February 2011

Access All Areas Anti-Scamming Viral Film Set For 'Royal Premiere'

After months of production, Stereoboard.com will launch their eagerly-anticipated 'Access All Areas' short film this week. 'Access All Areas' will be premiered before a music industry audience at the Royal Hotel in the heart of Cardiff tomorrow evening, with the film launching online on Friday February 18th at 10am.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Wednesday, 16 February 2011

For The Record (Music Downloads Feature)

In December 2010 a second HMV store opened in Cardiff city centre. My limited understanding of big business is based on watching the ‘Who shot JR?’ Dallas episode so this new store opening made me think that HMV was an expanding business. However, in the following January HMV announced that it would be closing 40 of its stores in 2011. In the last few years high street record shops have been threatened by a combination of Internet downloads, supermarket chains selling cheap CDs and online shops like Amazon. This leads me to ask a number of questions: What will be the future for the music format? Is downloading killing the beloved CD and ultimately the high street record shop? Why did it take so long to axe ‘Last of The Summer Wine’ from the BBC schedule? Ok, maybe not the last question.

Written by: Rob Burns | Date: Wednesday, 16 February 2011

Food For Thought (A Bing Ji Ling Feature by David Evans)

Talk about living on cloud-cuckoo land: there’s me thinking that just because I made a point of not being sidetracked by all that cookery jizz-jazz, everybody would sit up and take notice. Yeah, well, serves me right for being cocky …

Written by: David Evans | Date: Monday, 14 February 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Primus

For many British music fans, Californian funk-metallers Primus are probably only known for being “that band that do the South Park theme tune” and you’d be forgiven if that’s as much as you know. After all, the trio have hardly given us a chance to get to know them over the past fourteen years, having not performed here on a single occasion in that time. 1997, the same year that they recorded their now famed contribution to the then brand-new satirical cartoon, was the last time that Primus visited these shores to play any gigs. And their UK fans have since had a very long wait to catch them in all their live glory again.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 11 February 2011

Don't Be Told What You Want. Don't Be Told What You Need (John Lydon/Iggy Pop Feature)

Back in the good old days Public Image Limited’s John Lydon sneered at the system with the lyric of “Big Business is very wise. I’m crossing over into enterprise”. Thirty years on the same spokesman for a disaffected generation has appeared in a butter advert. Lydon isn’t the only punk to be labelled as a corporate shill. Iggy Pop is now maintaining his lust for life by doing car insurance adverts. The way things are going Thomas Cook adverts will be accompanied by The Sex Pistols’ ‘Holidays in the Sun’ and Iggy’s 'Passenger' will be used to promote mobility scooters.

Written by: Rob Burns | Date: Wednesday, 09 February 2011

Why Government Legislation Of Secondary Ticket Resale Would Be Bad For Music Fans (Feature)

Anyone who has been attending concerts, sports games or any other ticketed events for more than 10 years will have noticed a significant drop in the number of dodgy looking blokes wandering around outside venues mumbling to anyone passing ‘buy or sell, anyone need tickets’ but a Labour MP is claiming this is a bad thing.

Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Tuesday, 08 February 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – The Vaccines

After previously being confirmed as the opening act for Crystal Castles, Magnetic Man and Everything Everything at this month’s Shockwaves NME Awards Tour, it seems that London four-piece The Vaccines have already surpassed the prominence of the other bands on the bill before the tour has even begun. Over the past couple of months since the tour was announced, The Vaccines have managed to create a buzz that can be heard up and down the country and has now reached a deafening level that is almost impossible to ignore. That’s no small feat either. Especially when you bear in my mind that they are yet to release an album.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 04 February 2011

What's My Name Again? (Stage Names Feature)

  So you want to be a pop star? Right you need to have some of the following things : your own songs, a measure of talent (unless you’re on X Factor), an image, a good manager and a great stage name. Why should a good stage name count for anything? I mean John Logie Baird’s invention of the television wouldn’t have commanded more respect in the scientific community if he had worked under the pseudonym of Zak Wonderpants.

Written by: Rob Burns | Date: Tuesday, 01 February 2011

A Few Reasons The Black Eyed Peas Should Phunk Off

Clubs. I bloody love clubs...obviously. I love the chunky bouncer who gets to third base with you before you’ve even entered the building. I love paying a crisp ten pound note to get in and then nigh-on five pounds for a pint of Fosters-flavoured water. I love getting evil looks from the man in the toilets for washing my own hands. I love being hugged by sweat-drenched strangers. I love being guilted into putting my hands up for Detroit and I love to superman dat ho...obviously.

Written by: James Conlon | Date: Monday, 31 January 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Big Audio Dynamite

It’s been a busy few days as far tour announcements go and this week’s winner has faced some steep competition from the various bands that have been revealing new live dates for the next few months. One of the main ones, of course, is the new tour from Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye. Everyone’s eagerly awaiting February’s release of their debut album ‘Different Gear, Still Speeding’ to find out what Liam can do without big brother Noel. Their live dates in March and April are sure to add some extra excitement to all the hype. Then there’s the confirmation of a huge post-Libertines’ reunion tour from Mr Pete Doherty himself, as well as more dates from hotly-tipped Slough indie-rockers Brother.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Monday, 31 January 2011

Stereoboard Tour of the Week – The Black Crowes

Last year, after over two decades of playing and recording a kick-ass brand of bluesy Southern rock, the Black Crowes from Atlanta, Georgia celebrated their 20th anniversary with a huge US tour entitled the ‘Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys Tour’. Well, the good news is that, this summer, the long-haired rockers will be bringing the tour over to the UK for three dates in Manchester and London. Unfortunately, the bad news is that the ‘Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys Tour’ isn’t just a clever name. After the string of European shows, the Black Crowes will indeed be saying “good night”. For now anyway. The six-piece have confirmed that the tour will be their last for a while as they prepare to go on an indefinite hiatus to spend time with family and to work on other projects.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 21 January 2011

Money Changes Everything (BRIT Awards Feature)

In the 1980s there seemed to be some certainties in life: the Tories would win the general election; I would never get to own a Commodore 64 and Annie Lennox and Phil Collins would get a nomination in the Brit Awards. Many pop videos were only shown on cable channels that few people had access to in the 1980s. You’d have to wait until at least the early evening to listen to some good tunes in the evening on Radio One (eg John Peel or Annie Nightingale). In those days to mention bands like The Smiths or other alternative music on mainstream TV could lead to hideous tortures such as death by Orville (being set alight in a huge wicker replica of Keith Harris’ loveable bird puppet).

Written by: Rob Burns | Date: Thursday, 20 January 2011