Back in business.

Well, two months ago I promised. And didn't deliver. 2010 will see more regular updates, I hope!

Suffice to say its been a busy time, some bad and some amazingly good. Overall the outcome for the decade is outstanding.

And on that note, short and to the point, for what its worth here are my Top Ten albums for the Decade:

1. Radiohead- Kid A
2. Muse- Absolution
3. The Killers- Hot Fuss
4. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Dig Lazarus Dig
5. Green Day- American Idiot
6. Arcade Fire- Neon Ballroom
7. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers- By The Way
8. MGMT- Oracular Spectacular
9. Dimmer- You've Got To Hear The Music
10. Guns n Roses- Chinese Democracy

And my Top 5 Gigs for the Decade

1. Iron Maiden in ChCh 2009
2. The Cure in Auckland 2007
3. U2 in Auckland 2006
4. Kasabian at the BDO 2006
5. Muse at the BDO 2006

Back in the swing of it all

Well its been a great three weeks for reactivating one of my favourite past times- live music.

Three weeks ago it was Liam Finn and friends. A fantastic show, a bit like last years one man mad professor shows with EJ Barnes in part, but also very interesting as a big part of the set saw him as a bit player in a new band with Conan Mockasin and Larence Arabia. It was intriguing, and had me thinking of early Split Enz. I really did wonder if we were witnessing the birth of something special. Have a look for yourself if you are a fan at the new Liam and EJ track...



The next week it was Head Like a Hole. What a stunning trip down memory lane! Booga has aged as ungracefully as we all would have hoped and is now the proud dad of twins no less. HLAH ripped through a stonking set of all the old favourites from Fish Across Face, to Spanish Goat Dancer, to Comfortably Shagged. Best track for me was the highly energised version of I'm on Fire. The warm up act were good too- Luger Boa. I definitely recommend them. So many memories came flooding back of the crazy student years and this has rekindled hope that HLAH might come up with some new material now.

We all know HLAH inside out so I'll give you a Luger Boa track to chew on instead- this song just won't leave my head! We were close enough to the front row to see the whites of their eyes...the true test of a live music experience.




Finally last Friday it was two of the most talented acts up and coming in NZ- The Valves and Midnight Youth. Both acts were standouts at Southern Amp last year so it was good to see them again a year down the track. The Valves are almost what you could call a "Christchurch Institution" now, and deservedly so. They play a great set, each and every time. They did in fact steal the show from Midnight Youth.

I was concerned I'd be the oldest person in the crowd at Midnight Youth. Fortunately I was about the middle. They have a solid album out from all accounts- I have only heard the singles, but they played a good set. I was very surprised to see them cover Alice In Chains and Black Sabbath though- as was half the crowd I think! A very promising band, could become one of NZ's biggest music exports. Lets see how their "difficult second album" goes.



and Midnight Youth making a "run" for my Kepler playlist...

Pearl Jam are on the way

I know where I want to be on November 29....

Pearl Jam were one of my first great musical obsessions.

They have always played unbridled rock, and they've done if with a sense of fun. Thats the key element that has seen them be the only survivors of the early 90's "Grunge" era. Rising from the ashes of the tragic Mother Love Bone saga (Apple is one of the greatest albums ever made, rest in peace Andy Wood), Pearl Jam represent what classic rock music should look like.

New album next month and a full tour of NZ and Oz coming up, I cannot wait. From Ed Vedders haunting voice to Mike McCready's freestyle guitar solo's these guys are a must see. Their mid 1990's set in Auckland is one of the best gigs I've seen- I wonder if the Finn Brothers will join them for a Split Enz encore again?

Heres a taste of what the fuss is about, the band were understandably nervous after crowd problems and a death at an earlier festival, but its a great version of one of their best tracks, Corduroy from the Vitalogy CD.

RIP The King of Pop

Maybe somewhere tonight theres a gig going on with the King of Rock n' Roll, and a Charlies Angel in attendance?

My thoughts are what a strange life, but what a talented one.

Heres a clip from a moment they say changed pop music forever- the first moonwalk



I suspect we are moving into a new era with the Culture of Celebrity- there are so many more 'celebs' these days that there will be obituaries for them on a daily basis in the coming years

The Best News in the History of My Blog

Ch-Ch and Auckland

February.

Stunned.

(Southern Amp pics and review to follow over the weekend, promise!)

Brighter Than A Thousand Suns

As we enter music festival season I've been dwelling a bit on who the most impressive band I've heard is. Those who know me will see no surprise in hearing that I've confirmed that band is in fact the incomparable Iron Maiden. After 30 years they are still putting out stunningly crafted rock music, and you could even argue they are as relevant as ever. You just need to look around Youtube a bit to see the legions of fans that rave about them, along with the huge crowds they pull the world over.

Heres a clip from their most recent album A Matter of Life and Death. Its a stunner, and I can honestly say its the first time I've seen a music vid go nuclear!

Take it away Bruce, Steve and the lads...Up the Mighty Irons!

Garbage down the toilet

Ok you all know I'm a bit of a music freak...well one of my favourate acts in the 1990's was "supergroup" Garbage featuring fiesty Scottish lass Shirley Manson. It's been a while since Garbage has an album, so long in fact that she has had to resort to a cameo role in TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, ...

....as a urinal. Now thats just tragic. See for yourself...

Dads Day

My boys rock. These fine young men just bought their Dad a ticket to Southern Amp. How cool is that?!

It is an honour to be their Dad

The King is Dethroned

Elvis has lost his record of number one hit singles.

The new King (or Queen?) is Mariah Carey.

I must rush out and buy her albums...

....or maybe not so much

One of these stories was an April Fools day joke

Guns N Roses release Chinese Democracy after 14 year wait for fans

The other is very sad news for rock fans

Not hard to guess which is which if you are a fan of either

In other news its been a busy couple of weeks. Split Enz, Smashing Pumkins and a weekend away in Wellington seeing the family are the highlights.

Life is good. Busy- but good.

My Guitar Gently Weeps

Jeff Healey has died. Best known as the blind guy who played the blues rock guitar on his lap, and perhaps popularly best known for his cover of The Beatles song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

This is a tragedy...I saw this guy play live in the early 1990's. One of the most innovative guitarists of our time, all the remarkable by the fact that he never saw a guitar in his life. Unorthodox style, he was a remarkable musician and taken too young with cancer at 41 years.

New York Times obit here

Razor Review- Crowded House

Well this was always going to be a good one. And in this particular case it was a great one shared with the best possible company :)

First time I saw the Crowdies was back in the early 1990's at a free gig in Hagley Park on my first ever visit to Christchurch. Of course since then I think I've seen every incarnation possible of the Finn family- brothers, solo, Betchadupa, Liam, Liam with dad, brothers junior, everything except Split Enz. And of course that little oversight is going to get fixed in March 2008 now!

We arrived near the end of Pluto's set, so I can;t really rate them. But the specially reformed Supergroove then proceeded to warm the crowd up very nicely thank you very much with a trip back down memory lane with the 1990's funk jazz fest, much like the Chilli Peppers on speed really. An energetic and enthusiastically received show.

The main even started off with a great version of Private Universe and then carried on for an hour or so with a mix of old and new tracks. Some of the new stuff has grown on me nicely- especially People Are Like Suns and the excellent Transit Lounge- there is a lot going on in that one when you give it a few listens.

For a few moments early on the band wandered off into freefall a bit often, but minor gripe really, this was more than made up for and soon forgotten with the stirring final encore of Don't Dream Its Over, the haunting Into Temptation, and Better Be Home Soon.

Everyone left happy, have to say not as good as 1992 but this was still great- 8 out of 10.

Razor Review- Snow Patrol; The Sequel- Christchurch

Aren't we lucky this year with live music? We are even seeing major acts such as Muse and Snow Patrol playing twice on our shores in one year, brilliant stuff.

After seeing a gig as incredible as The Cure last time it was going to be hard for Snow Patrol to follow up. However, they played a great show- and as it turns out their last show for some time, they are taking a hiatus for 12 months from any touring, hopefully to hit the recording studio in the meantime.

Iain Archer (Snow Patrol and Reindeer Section collaborator with Gary Lightbody) and OpShop played solid and occasionally excellent warm ups before the Energizer Bunny himself Lightbody hit the stage with the main act. I'm not sure how long they played but it was a much better show that the Auckland one earlier this year- but then perhaps the headspace was better for going to a gig this time round as well.

These guys clearly love NZ, and the high praise of our country was genuine in intent, right down to the lime green NZ RSA t-shirt that Lightbody wore for the duration of the gig.

The played all the hits and the best songs from both Eyes Open and Final Straw, some real crowdpleasers. The band, especially the singer, play with such unbridled pleasure that the energy through the crowd was infectious. We were a handful of rows from the front, right where you can see the whites of the eyes of the band. If I can be that close for Muse in November its going to be one of the years highlights.

A great night in what can sometimes be an unreliable venue soundwise, we all left with grins. Back in February I gave them a 7 out of 10. This time they get an 8.5 out of ten.

Come back soon!

Is This The Hottest Woman In Music?

Meg White? I think so!

I defy you to prove otherwise.....

Kurt Cobain was a Pajama Wearer

If he had any nouse like us smart people he wouldn't own any pajama's, and then this post- humous embarrassment would never have happened.

Courtney is a thief- (Link)

Razor Review- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Ok folks, this is a tough one to write about, but I'm going to do it while its as fresh in the head as a stroll up Queen Street. I'm feeling quite conflicted after a great gig that was ruined by a terrible finale.

To put it simply, the Chili's 5 years ago played one of the top five gigs I've ever seen. Tonight they matched that for 80 minutes, and then completely sabotaged it during a turgid and completely fetid encore.

The new Vector Arena is I'm pleased to say an outstanding venue. It really will be the site of many a great show in years to come. And tonight for the majority of the show the Chili's did what they do best, they galloped through 80 minutes of crowd pleasing virtuoso funk rock/ blues, featuring material primarily from their excellent last two CD's, Stadium Arcadium and By The Way. John Frusciante, as in ChCh 5 years ago, was the star of the show. The spirit of Hendrix lives in this man- and when I get round to compiling the list of top guitar players I've seen he's probably in the top two or three.

Flea is incomparable on bass, and still plays with an unexplainable vigour of youth even though by his own admission his daughter is older than some of the songs they play these days. And in Chad Smith he has a wonderfully solid foil on drums for those brilliant between-song impromptu jams. And thats why you go to a Chili's gig- to see the spirit of spontaneity, and to be taken on a wild ride.

Unfortunately for the encore the spirit was sucked into a lifeless void, so dramatically that much headscratching and venting of disappointment was being articulated by the 12,000 punters walking out after the sellout second gig for the weekend. After smoking the crowd with my personal show highlight I Could've Lied from Blood Sugar Sex Magic, they then proceeded to plod through Give it Away before starting a snorefest of a jam that was completely devoid of imagination, virtuosity or humor- those key ingredients that they normally do so brilliantly. After 15 minutes of complete monotony they simply downed tools and disappeared, up came the lights and 12,000 surprised faces looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and wandered out into the night.

Rumour has it the Chili's are retiring from touring soon, and if thats how they farewelled our shores its a great shame. For a ticket price that was $30 bucks more than the outstanding benchmark U2 show, and even $20 bucks more that the drooling epic lollyshop that is the Big Day Out, I think they could have done better. Perhaps a crowd pleaser like Under The Bridge, Higher Ground, Californication, Scar Tissue or Breaking the Girl might have been a better finish than a poor impersonation of a latter day Pink Floyd sleep inducer. Its not like they don't have an expansive back catalogue to delve into!

Anyway, to finish on a bright note, it was still a brilliant gig for the majority of the set, and between weddings, holidays, Routeburn races and a few other top secret plans I have to say Life Rocks- so party hard folks!

For those trainspotters out there the songlist was:

Cant Stop, Dani California, Other Side, Charlie, If, 21st Century, My Will For You, Hey Oh/ Snow, Get on Top, Shes Only 18, Catholic Schoolgirls Rule, Hump de Bump, Don't Forget Me, Tell Me Baby, By the Way, I Could've Lied, Give It Away

By the way (haha) this is how close my seat was to the stage, you could see the whites of their eyes!

Rockstar Razornova

Accomodation at Chateau Hereford comes with free music lessons (Thanks Paul!). I'm now a guitarist of world renown, I can play the tunes to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" with great expertise after just one day's lessons. If anything ever happens to The Edge I'm expecting my old mate Bono to give me a yell as soon as....

I'll let you all know when my first album is available for downloa...oppps....purchase. Haha.

On the thread of music, I've started a chart on the main page here to track whats top of my pops. Feel free to send me your advice on new (or old) stuff that needs to be heard!