Saturday's Alright For Continuing

Just to add to the confusion of Power Pop Review's arse about tit presentation, we now finish our Saturday night review from 2011 with three bands we enjoyed immensely but left out from the main review yesterday for no good reason other than we thought the post was long enough. Included is both one of ours and IPO head honcho David Bash's perennial favourites The
Mellowmen for which we wanted to make this separate post.

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Saturday Part 2

When seeing Radio Days, for the first time, it's their visual impact which makes an impression: - four skinny guys, skinny ties, head to toe in black threads topped off with a line of three white guitars – it's impressive. We'd seen the band before but that image from seeing them the first time remains with you for future encounters and psychologically nails the brand as I'm sure they absolutely aware.



The band from Milan (Italy) are a heady mix of The Nerves, The Romantics, and 'Wicked' era Jeff Dahl. In fact they touch all the crunchy Power Pop bases from yesteryear and add a few of their own. Every song is chock full of clean rich harmonies and sharply tailored beginnings, middles and ends. Indeed such is the exactitude of the way these guys play and deliver their material, that for those of us who remember the Prog era with affection, appreciate the rhythmical underlining, criss-cross interplay, false endings and shear precision that you'd be forgiven for imagining you were hearing 'Yes' finishing 'Yours Is No Disgrace' rather than a bunch of pop upstarts from Italy making sure that you'd not forget them.

Always cool with their choice of appropriate powerpop covers, Radio Days this time did a great turn with Elvis Costello's 'Pump It Up' which is tailor made for their urgent exasperating delivery. We were most taken with own song 'My Little Baby' which evokes a 50's throwback more than any other song I've seen them do before.

Lastly, getting close to drummer Paco Orsi for a photo maybe is not for the faint-heated as this powerhouse is maybe the loudest percussionist I've heard on a Matthew Street house kit – phenomenal.
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We've seen The Mellowmen every year since their debut at IPO in 2007. Consistently they have been our favourite artists at the festival for each year for a number of good reasons:

1) In Andreas Nyberg the band possess a remarkably gifted singer/songwriter who although takes his lead from 60's/70's songwriting, it's only because this period represents pop songwriting at its very pinnacle and sets the bar by which all others are measured – he and the band are far from derivative though and very much make the Mellowmen sound unique.

 

2) They put every ounce of their skill and sweat into each performance – never once producing a lackluster saunter when a frantic gallop is the order of the day.

3) There's no doubt that every member loves what they do and enjoys it at a level I've seen few other artists achieve in performance. Often they seem almost trancelike taking themselves and us to a different place.

4) Their material and rendition of the same is impeccably written and performed but they never lose sight that this is serious fun – they always bring a smile and delight to the faces of their audience and leave you with a show to remember.

On this occasion it was unfortunate but it seemed the band were only in town for one night and had to leave straight after their performance owing to commitments back home in Sweden. This doesn't show in performance nor in the excellent new material they are airing tonight for the first time: 'There Will Be Rain' is a particularly strong contender in its lilting and soaring beauty.

The band haven't released a new record since 2006's superb 'Tomorrow's Sound Today' (revamped in 2007 with 2 extra tracks for the US market). They also left Rainbow Quartz Records in recent years as the label didn't appear to be doing a heck of a lot for them. Meanwhile Andreas Nyberg has been involved with other musical ventures back home. Whilst it's great to see them back at the IPO doing what they do superbly well, we can't help but feel a certain frustration for the guys as somebody seems to applying the brake and it's not the band. You can't blame the public, but somehow you want to get hold of the world at large and say stop listening to that karaoke drivel and cop an ear of this – it's proper music – and you'd love it if only there was the kind of exposure that these chaps deserve!

It was a complete chance thing. I was trying to get a picture of the Mellowmen, but somebody kept obscuring my view. As they moved out of the way I couldn't help but readjust my focus as I noticed sat down in front was IPO organiser David Bash and his partner Rina Barfield sharing an intimate moment whilst his particular favourites,  The Mellowmen, launched into another scintilating number.

OK, that's the rant over, meanwhile the Mellowmen deliver two exceptional sets this day, just as if everything in the world is fair and lovely and really we shouldn't get so upset – this is only music we are talking about – nothing too important eh people ;)

Deb was overjoyed to receive a new promo from the band in the shape of a two tracker sampling both the aforementioned 'There Will Be Rain' and the groovy 'Driving on 5' as guitarist Johan kindly jumped off the stage and thrust the prize in her hand. We look forward to when these and other new songs form the backbone of their next record, as would the rest of the world, if they only knew it!!

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Spanish pop band Octubre had brought along a legion of loyal fans from their homeland and sharing the performance of the band in their company certainly heightened the experience more than it would otherwise be.

Often when we've seen a Spanish audience at the IPO in May in previous years they are bundled up in wintertime clothing, but this season's unprecedented warm spell saw them suitably attired like the rest of us in teeshirts and shorts. In fact the band's lead singer/guitarist was uncharacteristically literally dripping from every pore – but then that's the Cavern's deserved sweat drenched reputation for you.

Most songs are sung in Octubre's native language and addressed their loyal supporters in the same, eliciting plenty of cries of approval and recognition from those in the know.

Much of what Octubre present is of the medium-paced pleasant pop/rock variety, but title track from their latest album 'Todo se lo lleva el viento' seemed to stand out with its rising melody and excellent strong block harmonies.

Despite the heat the band put on a good fun show with plenty mock Status Quo guitar pose formations. We purchased 3 CD's and look forward to getting them home for the recorded appreciation of what Octubre are about in the studio.
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For your Your Further Appreciation:

Radio Days - www.facebook.com/RadioDaysPowerpop and
www.radiodays.it/

Mellowmen - www.myspace.com/mellowmen

Octubre - www.myspace.com/octubremusic

On Third Day We Rose... to the Occasion

It may not seem so to you, but to us, it seems like only yesterday since we were reporting back from the Liverpool IPO 2011.

It may seem somewhat ridiculous to still be reporting on an event that happened some 10/11 months ago, and amazingly we now are on the eve of the 2012 festival, but we started this, so we'll finish. Just because somehow our own lives and events got in the way of us completing our review, we did take notes and photos and somehow feel we'd be letting down both the bands we enjoyed so much and ourselves if we didn't finish what we'd set out to do. So this is our third day and probably the best of the festival for a whole bunch of reasons.

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Saturday

Rudimentary Confusion – Things got off to a great start with Rudimentary Confusion, a band we'd seen just once before, but were happy to see again. With more than a passing nod to the hard rock three piece 60's chic of The Experience or Cream, the band centre around thrashing guitarist and vocalist Matthew Withey who certainly cuts a dash in his Quality Street hat and thinking man's cravat. Half close your eyes and you might even mistake his pixie-like presence for a parallel universe's Johnny Thunders long lost younger sibling.

Although there are powerhouse trio references, RC (as I affectionately refer to them now) merge these obvious ingredients with an altogether Irish folky blues which permeates pretty much of all of their material.

Sample 'Without You Blues', not a million miles away from the traditional 'Whiskey in the Jar' but we have to get to the end before the band finish with one of their best, the reflective 'This Town', a homage to somewhere close to their hearts and features a brash folk/blues, with some frantic guitar pyrotechnics from the aforesaid Matt. RC's recorded output seems mainly to consist of live takes, which certainly suits their persona, but we'd like to see some studio sourced sides to emerge in the near future.

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The Beat Rats – New York visitors from earlier festivals - we never had - but everyone says you must see the Beat Rats – we weren't disappointed. Evoking Hamburg leather clad Bier Keller Beatles with hint of MC5 and that dirty Detroit je ne sais quoi in tow, the band deliver authentic Mersey steeped rock and roll with the kind of infinite appeal to an audience of a certain age and disposition that for many would see them part with their soul and a good deal more.

Having the benefit of nostalgia and more the Beat Rats blend their obvious British Invasion sound with solid roots Rock n Roll and serve it up with a fine honed precision that makes it look so easy – but as their fellow musicians at IPO will attest, making it this good and real, takes years of fine craft and accomplishment.

Whilst not attempting one iota of originality The Rats actually achieve a sound, depth and shear grit that few of the original Beat Bands of the early/mid 60's could attest . Apart from maybe the Stones, the Pretty Things and a few others, many sounded quite innocuous when trying to get as down and dirty as these guys.

Some highlights: the instrumental 'Ratfink' throws surf band chic and Ventures grooviness into the pot. Whilst the cheeky rewrite of all things 1963/4 Beatles 'My Jolana' will have Fab Four fans spotting where they copped a variety of riffs and runs.

The Beat Rats can be found most weeks somewhere in the Big Apple propping up some suitable dive, but for this weekend only, we were glad to see them at the Cavern shaking their thang.
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Fuzzy Halo – I don't know what it is about Scandinavian pop, but this area of the world somehow has captured a major foothold of the genre we love and keeps on serving up the goods. Fuzzy Halo from Stockholm generally keep to a fairly safe modest jangly mid 60's beat scenario for the majority of their 30 minute set, peppered with shy polite thanks in between each number. However they surprise us with 'God Help Us' which seems to mark a more mature turn in their songwriting and reaches beyond the mere Beat Group derivative to introduce twists and turns and diversions which suggests hope for the future.

They continue with 'Long Road' which has a lovely infectious opening guitar figure and a laid back short middle section which continues this more slightly subversive direction. Certainly we are eager to hear them develop further down this more interesting path and maybe an album in the near future if there's not one already?

One slight annoyance on the otherwise groovy smooth running of Cavern Club was the introduction this year of rope barriers and bouncers blocking the stage whilst Fuzzy Halo and at least one other act were on. I imagine this is to prevent people during peak tourist period of charging the stage and posing for photos as some are wont to do. Kind of understandable for a brief moment but do we really need the roping off of the acts that followed when once the tourist influx had receded? Hopefully this blight won't be around in 2012?
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The Carousels make no secret of the fact that they firmly align themselves with the trappings of mid 60's chic as mod bouffant hair and paisley circles abound in amongst the Rickenbacker and Hofner guitars. Make no mistake we are in a folk-pop world here where the neither the Byrds or Starry Eyed and Laughing would be out of place alongside these chaps . 

Although, interestingly I think this is their intended focus, indisputably their best song is the distinctively Dylanesque 'Winds of Change' with it's wheezy harmonica and bump and swing tempo. We purchased a demo CD from the merchandise stand but The Carousels promise a proper EP early in 2012 for which we've started saving!

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I've been mildly critical of the Liverpool IPO event in the past which appeared to have included one or two indie orientated artists who might fill an afternoon slot but do not qualify as contributing to the wider Power Pop remit I believe promoter David Bash wisely sets himself. On this occasion I'm happy to report that save a few fringe acts early on in the week that prestigious platforms have been largely occupied by wholly deserving artists. The Beta Rays are one such band that firmly fall in the mixed bag box I plonk Indie acts in. Nothing wrong with what they do, and in fact, establishing themselves as a cut above the usual bland non-descript indie tag the Beta Rays acquit themselves well.

 

They definitely possess stage presence and a lead singer who knows how to utilize a formidable set of pipes. With material like 'The Girl You Are You Are' (shades of Be Bop Deluxe meets ELO meets The Jags) and 'What Do You Do When You're Alone?' (big, bold and dense) they demonstrate that they qualify themselves as more than fit to fill stadiums of the future with their anthemic yet catchy brand of lightly pop coated indie swagger.
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Moving to the backstage of the Cavern, bigger and more traditional than it's older sibling, it has come to be regarded as the premier sounding post in the world famous venue.

We were delighted to be greeted by the rather wonderful Kinbeats, named so as they are made up of three brothers and a cousin, misplaced from Germany via Kilburn! Their similar construction to the Beach Boys is not lost on us or other fans as their beautiful blend of closely related vocal chords is one of the Kinbeats enduring strengths. I overheard one diehard in the audience venture that they were the best harmonies he'd heard in the Cavern since the appearance some years ago by the fabulous Avenues (now sadly defunct) – a bold claim – but these guys are not short of the mark.

Often they sport rich four part harmonies which are achingly beautiful, including an acapella rendition at one point, mostly though they rely on two part harmonies from front line brothers Arthur and Patrick Ralla, who provide the focal point visually and musically.

Their songs range from soft and gentle to medium pace and relaxed, rarely do they do hard, but when they do, they carry it well and the contrast is quite marked and is mostly revealed in their closing songs.

Our favourites of the set included 'New Morning' which for a moment recalls the Rutles and 'Cheese & Onions' in it's Lennonesque descending pedal note intro and 'Shine On' which has the trade mark harmonies that make the band so beguiling.

(Now known as Wide Sea since they lost a member and readjusted the line-up, and have spent some time supporting the legendary Edwyn Collins on a US and European tour and recording a new album. Their first long player I believe, 'A Place To Call Home' is available now on AED Records and realises the band live and much more.)

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Without warning Ulysses seem to emerge from a sea of feedback and chaos, amid the unprecedented rising temperatures and swampy sweat of the Backstage Cavern to bring us a heady mix of acid drenched cacophony mixed with glam stomp and roll. We had no preconceptions but ladies and gentlemen we were gobsmacked!

They fired off instantly into the infectious 'Eye on You' all chants, stabs and starts, hardly letting up the pace for a minute as guitarist Luke Smyth whacks an insubordinate foot pedal or two before we're into more instability and maybe shades of a Bowie copped riff into the next number. Before long the drummer who we later learn is Shane Maximus (yeah really) takes command of his kit like a herd of unruly cattle, pretty soon he's tamed the toms and demands his stage space. It's rare to see a band in this day and age, certainly one you'd never seen before, to field a set of four different personalities who establish themselves quickly enough for you to form an impression you then keep with you when it's all over. 

In some ways they put me in mind of The Who – not that they sound, look or imitate them - it's that identifiable four parts of the whole that connects in a very real way. We did see the band twice (one day after the other) so I guess it's to their advantage that this impression is felt so acutely.

 

Later the chaps from Bath steam into the memorable 'Why Why Why' which suggests a Steely Dan backbeat, complete with a Skunk Baxteresque guitar solo.

More than any other song 'Sometimes' suggests some of the hallmarks we reckon define important identifiable elements of the Ulysses sound. There's the slightly skewed boogie throb of Hawkwind, then some 70's glam rock fused with the American acid of Randy California's Spirit and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. This mash oozes from out of the craziness and loveliness from every pore and screams Ulysses. I know If I had it – I'd bottle it!

They finish the first time with 'Dark Old Days,' which has occasional flashes of The Move at their peak, then a bit of fairground nonsense, then we are into an acidy jam which culminates with all members bar the drummer hunched around one mic for a percussion extended tag-out (see lead picture).

The second time we saw Ulysses, they finalled with a Beatles cover I've never heard anyone else do – 'The End' from Abbey Road complete with powerhouse tub thumping from Shane and the outstanding 3 Beatles successive guitar solos but this time with only Luke and other plank spanker Tom Satoryal doing the honours. I mean who else covers this song? What an impressive finish – phew!

If I had one criticism, and this is only after an appreciable passage of time has passed, it would be that Ulysses does not capture the excitement and mayhem of their stage performance on record. The fun and frivolity is there, but somehow that controlled chaos, that trying-to-keep-the-lid-on-the-genie is not present. Of course it's early days, and there's plenty of time for all that , and it's maybe a lot to expect after only one album? Meanwhile we look forward to when we next see this incredible revue again. For us this was definitely a major Power Pop Review highpoint and perhaps the IPO band of the festival this year! _____________________________________________________________

How to follow that – well, with something quite different. Longplayer kick off with a killer instrumental – how many bands do that these days?. 'Space Place Cafe' is one part surf, one part Ventures/Shadows and another Allman Brothers 'Jessica' . The Shadow Man as the band called him effortlessly peals off beautiful melodic and scintillating liquid guitar lines, which melt like sticky delicious candy into a satisfying whole. It's a great and startling opening which makes the audience sit up and listen.

The Shadow Man steps up again to lay down a rootsy introduction to 'I Won't Let You Down', a song which although unashamedly pop traditional suggests they've been paying attention in their ELO/Travelling Wilbury lessons. The bands material although in many ways retrograde traditional pop is meticulously executed and their presentation so charming that their set goes by in a breeze.

 

Although it gives you that deja vu it appeared to reach into the past without sounding merely derivative as is so often the danger in this genre. Clearly enjoying themselves, Longplayer often construe themselves into a Shadowslike guitar thrust and wavy dance which assures them of much audience approval and delight.

Hiding a light under a bushel was keyboard player on stage right, with a formidable voice, strong compositional ability (and a rich pop past) up his sleeve. The main singer/guitarist confided in us later that they swapped duties for stage, as Goran (for that is his name) preferred not to front the band. Clearly this arrangement worked well as we were none the wiser during the performance, only learning of this fact afterward during a relaxing chat.

We purchased Longplayer's album which they kindly autographed, and were not disappointed on getting it home – we strongly urge you to buy a copy – it's one of 2011's best kept secrets.
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Night After the Prom - an almighty surprise awaited us when the penultimate act of the night hit the stage – we hadn't read David Bash's programme blurb in advance so we didn't know what to expect.

Kicking off with The Doobies 'Without Love' led by a sassy Hispanic girl, the band of post Prom Night performers on a high, caught the audience open mouthed as they motored through one great rock classic after another. Their must have been at least twenty performers as singers, guitarists, drummers etc changed pretty much with every song.

It sounds a bit cheesy on paper, and it could have easily been so, had these teens not played and performed the material so well and convincingly. In many ways it didn't seem like we were a million miles away from The Kids From Fame via Glee and as much as those programs are loaded with a cosy cheese that smacks of precocious stage school brats, here something different was seemingly at work.

 
Bombarded by flabby modern commercial pop: endless talent contest karaoke fodder, unison laughable emoting tepid boy bands by the half dozen, autotuned pyrotechnic kid divas invading eardrums like pesky insects – a bunch of switched-on high school teachers have introduced their students to a time when pop was enjoying its developing purple patch – obviously talented, the kids have embraced their elders wisdom, knowledge and skill.

True these kids were hand picked from a Performing Arts Academy from California, but on whatever level you choose to view it, this was an unqualified success and kudos to the teachers and the performers – this was a joy too good to miss.
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As the clock approached 2pm we chickened out, missing the Sparkle*jets UK for a second time – sad, we really wanted to see these guys ever since we discovered them on an MP3.com CD back in the 90's – but it was not to be.
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We actually saw three more acts on Saturday but are saving them for a part 2 tomorrow, then we are into Sunday's billing.

For Your Further Enjoyment:

Rudimentary Confusion - www.myspace.com/therudimentaryconfusion and
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rudimentary-Confusion/12186409226

Beat Rats - www.myspace.com/beatrats and
www.facebook.com/pages/THE-BEAT-RATS/8583688585

Carousels - www.myspace.com/thecarouselsuk/blog

Fuzzy Halo - www.myspace.com/thefuzzyhalo

Beta Rays - www.facebook.com/betarays/info and
www.myspace.com/betarays

Kin Beats (now Wide Sea) - http://www.widesea.co.uk/

Ulysses - www.myspace.com/ulyssesgb and
www.facebook.com/ulyssesgb

Long Player - www.facebook.com/pages/The-Longplayer-Orchestra/110079335716482 and www.longplayer.se/

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Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends

My husband and I have never been disappointed when we have gone to the annual Liverpool International Pop Overthrow Festival and this year was no exception; indeed it would be fair to say that this one turned out to be probably the very best we have ever attended. This is due in part to the broad mix of bands and artists from all over the world, and the great friends and acquaintances we've made over the years at the event. This particular year was the 9th year running for Liverpool – kudos to promoter and all round IPO guru: David Bash – in a year that has seen artists possibly harder to contact (MySpace decomposing to some extent) he surely did his homework.

For those of you who have attended the event on a regular basis there was the return of many favourite bands in addition to quite a few new surprises. As in the past the ambiance of the three venues, Cavern pub and club (with its 2 stages) enhances the experience of hearing such wonderful music. You have the rich history of the Cavern plus the semi-fanatical music lovers of this festival combined with the worldwide tourists who have made the trip to see the legendary Beatles birthplace. We've been to the same festival in New York also, but none approaches the fun, diversity and draw of Liverpool.

In the past we've only been able to attend 1 to 2 days of the festival but this year we decided to spend as many days as we could due to the very rich bill being sported this year. Now having stayed for most of the festival, we know there is no way we will ever only attend for a short spell. In total we ended up seeing over 40 bands and although at the time it seemed like the merry-go-round would go on forever, in reality it was all over far too quickly.

Upon arrival, the sky was blue, the birds were chirping. I was practically running to Matthew Street in my excitement to get there. Mr Qwerty was close behind with his camera to capture the moment and beyond...

Liverpool International Pop Overthrow Festival Review 2011


We will combine reviews where we saw an artist more than once and indicate thus: (x2) - but we'll comment as though it were one performance, with some deviations, naturally.

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Richard Snow & the Inlaws (x2) - We were late to the Cavern Pub, the scene of our first concert. The room was uncharacteristically busy for the late afternoon and the IPO schedule, but we were pleased to see it so. Obviously our first artist Richard Snow was responsible for the healthy draw.

We had missed Richard at previous IPO's and Debbie in particular was familiar with his last album and we were both eager to see this talented singer/songwriter and his band. He was chiefly featuring songs from his forthcoming third album: Am I Really That Boring?


First song I remember was Middle Class Girl which was dedicated to Margi (audience member and fellow midlander). The recorded version is swelled out sonically with semi-lengendary figures: powerpop luminary and Brian Wilson Band member: Nelson Bragg, along with singer/songwriter and star ascendant Anny Celsi - quite a coup for Richard and delight for our ears. Not that the heavy friends were present on this occasion, but Richard and the two members of his band all sing and make a sound big enough you'd swear there was at least an extra phantom member or two! From it's catchy " GIRL/Girl" call and response intro it arrests the listener from the very beginning.

Richard songs are full of melody, ringing Searchers/Byrdsian guitars and beautiful pin sharp harmonies. His somewhat ironic tales of real life are often insightful and can hit a truism many of us can recognise – on 21st Century he sings “21st Century sucks and blows... - ...it's modern life I fear” – too true mate!

Next up is the pretty If You Don't Rescue Me, with its Paul Simon fingerpick and wonderful Beach Boyslike tag out.

Stop Your Crying echos a slight 'Don't Fear The Reaper' figure but takes it off in a different direction with another lovely call & response vocal so beloved by Snow and us fans of vocal harmony.
The past occurs again in Take Me Back Home Again where Snow explains the double edged sword of looking youthful “When I was 18 I looked like I was 10”.

Last and best, the show stopping number from the new album is title song “Am I Really That Boring?” with its infectious twiddlly opening riff, almost Claptonesqe, and Joe Jackson type shouty vocal. Snow then goes on to list a set of scenarios which I guarantee will have most of you nerdy/anal pop types identifying with 90% of them – Mrs Q & I exchanged several glances of recognition even on first listen. You can check it for yourself here.

Richard Snow has an intimacy and spareness of expression that captures common experiences and relates them with candid honesty, plus a rare gift for melody, harmony and hook. He connects well with his audience and sometimes you might think, we've found the British Marshall Crenshaw – Ladies and Gentlemen – this is a good thing!
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Sara Lowes - After some technical difficulties (yes unusual keyboard set-ups can be a pain in amongst a sea of predominant guitar bands in a festival situation) Sara's stunning songs came as a complete surprise – we had no idea what to expect.

A bit of piano noodling begins her set – I thought she was still messing about – suddenly this changes gear and gives way to a solid crunchy riff recalling early Steely Dan – turns out this is the leading track from her new album 'Back To Creation'. Later there's a suggestion of Chicago in the anticipation of some phrases as the drummer plays also some brass (how?). Listening to the album somewhat later, it becomes apparent that Sara dresses her arrangements with fabulous brass intervention a la Chicago/Blood,Sweat &Tears. Fans of this most creative period of pop/jazz grooviness will definitely enjoy Sara's twist on the fusion.

There's always a danger with female singers who practice open heart surgery about their life and loves to stick them in some cosy sub-folk category. Although we detected some strong traces of Renaissance in their airiest of phrases, there were also equal parts Andy Pratt, Ben Folds and even Traffic – very fine company indeed.

Onwards and Sara introduces 'Something I Don't Know' a song closer to classic white soul than anything else she has played thus far. I've always admired artists that are not tied by genre – great stuff.

It turns out that Sara is originally from Barnoldswick but based in Manchester and studied classical music, plus she has done quite a lot of session work for the likes of the fab Micah P Hinson, King Creosote, Jim Noir and The Earlies. Thus she's quite the seasoned pro, which belies her seeming young innocence and modest presentation – I hope she doesn't mind us saying?

IPO often surprises us – Sara was one of the first to make us sit up, take notice and appreciate the eclecticism. One to watch definitely.

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Eskimo Blonde (x2) – It may have been my imagination but there seemed to be a buzz in the air, an anticipation during the set-up period for these guys from Aberdeen, Scotland. An act that we were fortunate to get to see twice across two days. First time, on the Cavern big stage they prove that they are a force to be reckoned with – our second look later confirms that the intimacy of the Cavern Pub is far more comfortable, as the band relax and connect with their audience when they can see the whites of their eyes.

With no nonsense they are soon ready and kick off with Something for the Weekend a song that cops the riff from Bad Company's 'Feel Like Making Love' but far more puts me in mind of the excellent early 70's London hard rockers Stray.


Effortlessly, they soon slip into the next number 'Happy' where a great thump and grind riff starts things off as soon the chorus escalates to a soaring hook line. The band follow that enduring line of outfits influenced by the unfussy classic rock of the mantle laid down by Free but also encompass the now sadly defunct but brilliant Moke and the great Canadian band Cry of Love. Eskimo Blonde are our next great hope to occupy this space.

Lead vocalist Mike Laszek has a great edgy rasp to his voice; in the high points he elevates this to a controlled whine which soars above the back line to accentuate the all important hooks. Complete with blonde spiky hair, he cuts a fine outline against the Cavern backdrop; close your eyes for just one moment and you can hear a young Bryan Adams at his creative best.

Mike has strong support from the rest of the band, led by their slightly nerdy looking lead guitar player, but he belies his bespectacled demeanour and delivers a constant stream of interjecting rips and runs complimenting their sharp and infectious riffy tunes.

The band's penultimate song begins with a Talking Heads' 'Psycho Killer' bass line but develops into a full scale AC/DC style four on the floor rocker. Called Trip it's a definite stage high point. They finish with a new song harshly and ironically christened by their leg pulling home audience as 'Shit' but is in fact currently titled Heaven Almighty. It's a great finish to a great performance.

Eskimo Blonde deliver a very polished, confident and powerful set, chock full of bump and grind riffs and infectious choruses. Highly recommended and definitely one of the IPO highs in what proves to be an exceptional year!

Advice: Take a trip and try to see It their way

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“We're the fill in band” announced besuited Corner Laughers (x2) singer/guitarist KC Bowman as he stepped up to the microphone. The first band I've ever seen at the Cavern proper not to be introduced by IPO head honcho David Bash or his partner Rina Bardfield. Indeed they were the fill in as they were unannounced on the programme. We later learn that the charmingly named Corner Laughers are an alter-ego of billed combo Agony Aunts, which are normally fronted by Karla Kane and Angela Silletto and augmented by various powerpop aristocrats such as Chris Von Sneidern. However tonight, all the way from the Bay area of San Francisco we get the Agony Aunts (albeit with Karla Kane at the helm) posing as the Corner Laughers.

Clear? No, OK never mind, what about the music? The Corner Laughers were not surprisingly, completely unknown to us. They seem to inhabit that narrow but delightful chasm left by the likes of the great Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks crossed with jug band appeal of The Lovin' Spoonful. Depending on your Point-Of-View, their brand of good timey western swing delivered with suitable quirkiness on ukulele & mandolin by the aforementioned waif-like bespectacled vocalist Karla Kane and her assembled bunch of equally whimsical similar sailors, is totally engaging. However, its fun and frivolity on the outside hides the lyrical underbelly, where we are recounted tales of myths, betrayal, ancient history and lets not forget: jerk-off boyfriends!

The second time we saw the band, later in the evening was as Agony Aunts (as billed). In many way the Corners although they are much more accessible to your actual Powerpop fan with their skew on Beatlesque melody and song structure, their inclusion of plenty of 7ths and diminished 5ths and all round R. Crumb & his Cheap Suit Serenaders references makes you realise just how very interchangeable the two bands are.
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We had seen The Anydays before but such was their improvement over the last time we had done so, we barely recognised the fact. Hailing from Oxford they completed the night for us by delivering a sharp concentrated set of mod-u-like crunchy songs in an assured and deliberate fashion. Leader Drew Atkins, every inch the rock star in Lou Reed shades, red wasp-like hooped shirt and Chelsea boots, announced songs in a nonchalant, sometimes unintelligible insolence, which went well with the territory.

The audience, at this time of the night, strongly represented by the tourist fraternity (The Cavern naturally attracts many unconnected to IPO visitors from all over the world) seemed to treat the band with an undeserved disinterested indifference, which frankly amazed this writer. Somebody was tired and it wasn't the band.

Nonetheless, they didn't allow it to affect their performance and continued with a great animated elan.Their best song blew off our socks, called Tambourine from their just released new album 'Move'.

You should buy it, and we look forward to seeing The Anydays again soon.

We'll be publishing our review of the next day at IPO (Friday) in a few days time.

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For Your Further Delectation:

Agony Aunts - agony-aunts.bandcamp.com/album/greater-miranda

Anydays - the-anydays.208records.co.uk/

Corner Laughers - cornerlaughers.com

Eskimo Blonde -myspace.com/eskimoblonde

Richard Snow – richardsnow.co.uk/

Sara Lowes - saralowes.co.uk

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The Best Albums of 2010

Yes I know we're very late, but if the Brits, the Grammys and even the Oscars can hold out this long into the new year to spill their collective beans, why can't we?

For the first time we’ve actually included a best of the best. The albums featured in our jukebox above represent our solid gold favourites, and for one reason or another stand above the rest in 2010. However in keeping with previous years, the entire 116 hand picked albums are laid out in non competitive alphabetical order and we make no distinction between them. Simply, these are our 116 favourite albums of 2010 and we recommend all of them to any discerning fan of Power Pop, Alt Country and Essential Rock music of the final year of the noughties. Recognizing that you are seeing virtually all those mentioned in our blog for the first time, we are including a few mini-reviews where we think necessary, for your added appreciation. A number of Sub-Lists follow the main album run, but first here are our Best 116 Albums of 2010:

1. 78 Saab - Good Fortune (There are reminders of REM, Hoodoo Gurus and The Church, but these Aussie guitar drangers take you in all kinds of spaces and never leave you without a proverbial paddle. Already on their 4th album, these guys must surely break through eventually?)
2. Aaron Fox & the Reliables - Late Too Soon (Perfect accompaniment to a day spent driving around in the car with the windows down. Songs encapsulate a yearning for times gone past. Singer Fox has the perfect voice for the mood of his introspective and infectious material)
3. Aberfeldy - Somewhere To Jump From (Token UK Folk/Rock entry #1)
4. Agony Aunts - Greater Miranda
5. American Hi-Fi - Fight The Frequency
6. Apples In Stereo - Travellers In Space & Time (Continued quirky grooviness)
7. Autumn Defense - Once Around (In common with a number of albums this year, this evokes another time and almost seems the very antithesis of the turbulent times we live in)
8. Backyard Tire Fire - Good to Be (Grade A+ Roots Rock)
9. Bellowhead - Hedonism (Token UK Folk/Rock entry #2)
10. Bellrays - Black Lightning
11. Ben Patton - Kaboom! Wow! Summertime! I Love You! ("I Paid For My Ticket I Expect You To Rock Me" - Ben nails it!)
12. Ben's Diapers - Up In The Mountains
13. Biters - Hang Around (Retro punky, but with gusto)
14. Bleu - 4
15. Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer Of The Void
16. Blue Giant - Blue Giant
17. Blue Van - Love Shot
18. Bodeans - Mr Sad Clown
19. Broken Promise Keeper - Poptimized (Wish we'd thought of that title)
    
20. Buckcherry - All Night Long
21. Butch Walker and the Black Widows - I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart
22. Cabinessence - Naked Friends
23. Candle Thieves - Sunshine & Other Misfortunes
24. Charles Jenkins And The Zhivagos - Walk This Ocean
25. Charlie Watts Riots - Long Story Short
26. Chatham County Line - Wildwood
27. Chris Corney - Sans Everything (Aching mournful melodies from The Ravines front man)
28. Contrast - God of Malfunction (A career best for this Glam/Prog/New Wave/Pop concoction)
29. Coral - 1000 Years
30. Coral - Butterfly House
31. Crowded House - Intriguier (Understated grower is elegant without being earth shattering)
32. Darker My Love - Alive As You Are
33. Decemberists - The King Is Dead (One good reason to wait till the year actually ends before you compile a best of list. Their breakthrough album)
34. Devo - Something For Everybody (Pleasant surprise from these hardy perennials)
35. Dom Mariani - Rewind and Play (Requisite purchase for fans of Someloves, Stems & DM3. Stripped down, alternative takes on stand out songs from his earlier career. One of the coolest CD covers featuring a reel to reel tape deck. Both of us owned these in youth for superior quality, when we bothered about these things, before the advent of the compressed digital sound.)
36. Doobie Brothers - World Gone Crazy (Deserved nostalgic mention for old time's sake)
37. Doug Powell - The Apprentice's Sorcerer
38. Drums - The Drums (Yes it's a little bit indie, but we won't hold that against it, will we? )
39. Dwight Twilley - Green Blimp
40. Dylan Leblanc - Paupers Field (Outstanding new talent)
41. Edward Rogers - Sparkle Lane
42. Eels - End Times (Phenomenally prolific, and consistently brilliant. 2 Albums this year)
43. Elephant Stone - The Glass Box
44. Elvis Costello - National Ransom
45. Elvyn - The Decline (We were particularly struck by the innocence of the lyrics which recall a simpler time. These are songs that linger for quite some time after hearing)
46. Ex Norwegian – Sketch (This is not an easy first listen and to the band's credit, the songs take time to grow. Repeated listening certainly pays dividends for this quirky eclectic bunch of tunes to fully sink in the consciousness. Strongest track is the excellent 'Seconds')
47. Family of the Year - Songbook
48. Farrah - Farrah ("My baby doesn't get it all"... nuff said)
49. Figgs - The Man Who Fights Himself
50. Gay Blades - Savages
51. Genuine Fakes - The Striped Album
52. Gin Blossoms - No Chocolate Cake
53. Goo Goo Dolls - Something For The Rest of Us
54. Graham Parker - Imaginary Television (Living proof that angry young men don’t always mellow with age, they often get angrier and can continue to deliver work as good as their best and earlier success)
55. Greg Pope - Blue Ocean Sky
56. Grip Weeds - Strange Change Machine
57. Guster - Easy Wonderful
58. Hanson - Shout It Out (Ignore at your peril as this is their most assured volume to date)
59. High Dials - Anthems For Doomed Youth
60. Hoodoo Gurus - Purity of Essence
61. Imperial State Electric - Imperial State Electric (Recalls glam and shouty 70's Powerpop like no one has before them and makes it theirs)
62. Joe Reyes - Worry Row
63. Joey Sykes - Joey Sykes
64. John Grant - Queen of Denmark (Quite remarkable, frank, sometimes brutal, brilliant and breathtaking)
65. John Hiatt - The Open Road
66. John Holk & The Sequins - If You See Her (Exquisite melodies, effortless delivery with a gorgeous lustre)
67. John Mellencamp - No Better Than This (You couldn't wish for a more authentic rootsy masterpiece - superb)
68. JP, Chrissie and the Fairground Boys – Fidelity (The pairing of the lovers works as their voices compliment each other. Chrissie retains that sublime voice so diehard fans will be satisfied)
69. June - Green Fields and Rain
70. Justin Currie - The Great War
71. Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues
72. Kula Shaker - Pilgrims Progress (As close to return to form as damn it )
73. Len Price 3 – Pictures (Surely world domination can't be too far around the corner for these noisy Londoners on their 3rd outing?)
74. Lloyd Cole – Broken Record (Pure Americana from this Ex-Pat Scot and here he finally finds his voice)
75. Lovetones - Lost
76. Magic Kids - Memphis (Don't be fooled by more than the occasional nod to Beach Boy innovation and arrangement, here beats a heart of pure nerdy dedication to multilayered pop on so many levels rewarded by repeated listens)
77. Magnetic Fields – Realism
78. Marc Cohn - Listening Booth 1970 (Finest covers album since Def Leppard's very different but unsurpassed 'Yeah!' in 2006)
79. Mark Bacino - Queens English (Mark takes us on a whirlwind tour of every classic pop singer/songwriter we've grown up without stealing from any of his (or ours) idols (apart from maybe Harry Nilsson, but nobody else does and maybe should?). However Mark very much makes this his own. This almost perfect pop album only narrowly missed our Jukebox Top 16, absolute best of the 2010)
80. Mt Desolation - Mt Desolation
81. Neil Young - Le Noise (The shaky master returns to delight on this minimalist but satisfying offering)
82. New Pornographers - Together (Contrary to popular opinion builds on past glories and surpasses them)
83. Nushu - Hula (Unashamedly retro but it couldn't be any other way, could it?)
84. OK Go - Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky (Where our Powerpop heroes breakout the straitjacket and embrace a kind of Prince meets Tommy James & The Shondells netherworld - refreshing & quite brilliantly seductive)
85. Oranjuly - Oranjuly
86. Outrageous Cherry - Seemingly Solid Reality
87. Parties - Coast Guard (A Jangle indulgence par excellence)
88. Paul Weller - Wake Up the Nation
89. Pernice Brothers - Goodbye Killer
90. Pete Molinari - A Train Bound For Glory (On paper it shouldn't work, but somehow it does, and wonderfully so)
91. Posies - Blood/Candy
92. Richard Barone - Glow (Kind of harks back to the 80's without being shameful about it)
93. Robyn Hitchcock - Propeller Time (One of two great releases this year)
94. Romeo Flynns - Masque of Anarchy
95. Rooney - Eureka
96. Sally Seltmann - Heart that's Pounding
97. Secret Powers - Lies and Fairy Tales
98. Seth Swirsky - Watercolor Day (Simply more greatness from Seth)
99. Silver Seas - Chateaus Revenge (Beautiful songs and arrangements)
100. Skeleton Staff - Solipsism (Cartoon Glam Rock, but so much more)
101. Smash Palace - 7 (Their Seventh is our Smashie favourite to date)
102. Solar Bears - She Was Coloured In (Somewhat sexy electronica)
103. Summer Fiction - Summer Fiction (The best summer album we ever got to hear in December)
104. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
105. Taylor Locke & The Roughs - Grain & Grape (One of 2 releases in a 12 month - phenomenal)
106. Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
107. Thee Wylde Oscars - Right Yeah
108. Three Hour Tour - Looking For Tomorrow
109. Tim Lee 3 - Raucous Americanus
110. Trashcan Sinatras - In The Music
111. Treefight For Sunlight - A Collection Of Vibrations For Your Skull (Demands you sit up and listen)
112. Volebeats - The Volebeats
113. Well Wishers - Post Modern Romantic (Echoes of an urgent primitive Shoes vibration verging on classic status)
114. Winter Gloves - All Red
115. Young Veins - Take A Vacation
116. Zombie of The Stratosphere - Ordinary People
     

The Best Mini LP/ EP / Singles of 2010

Always a strange one, when is it a bit more than a single or slighty longer than an EP? What constitutes a Mini-Album, how long is a piece of string? Anyway, as it turns out the following also delighted but are in some way shorter in length than a recognisable LP duration.

1. 88 - No One Here (EP)
2. Blackpool Lights - Okie Baroque (EP)
3. Elephant Stone - The Glass Box (Mini Album)
4. Fountains of Wayne - Song Of The Passaic (Single trackd download)
5. Hives - Tarred and Feathered (EP) (What happened to promised album?)
6. Jackdaw4 - Retrospectacles (EP) (For the title alone!)
7. Jim Noir - Zooper Dooper (Mini Album)
8. Jonny - Gloria (Free EP)
9. Kyle Andrews - Kangaroo (EP)
10. Luxury Liners - Believe (EP)
11. Pierces - Love You More (EP)
12. Parnetheon Huxley & Kyle Vincent -Dirty Girl (single)
13. Thea Gilmore - Teach Me To Be Bad EP (Title track is sheer bliss)
14. Two Wounded Birds - My Lonesome (single)
15. Winterpills - Tuxedo of Ashes (Mini Album)
    

The Best Reissue/Remasters of 2010 (must include new material to warrant mention)

1. Tom Petty - Damn The Torpedoes [2 CD Deluxe Edition] (1979)
   
2. Riley - Grandma's Roadhouse (1971) (Never got proper release at the time, blindingly, brilliant, crunchy, choogling and unpretentious Country Rock from the peak period)
   
3. Badfinger - The Apple Remasters (1969-73)
   
4. Monkees - Head (1968) (Deluxe)
   
5. Louie & The Lovers - The Complete Recordings (1970) (Released perhaps last year, but a fine archaeological discovery in any year, particularly 40 years ago when it first trickled out)
   
6. I See Hawks In L.A. - Shoulda Been Gold 2001-2009 (Packed with enough new material to entice even the biggest fan, from, along with Jayhawks, the best Country Rock band of last 2 decades)
   
7. Tommy Keene - You Hear Me: a retrospective 1983-2009
   
8. Church - Deep in the Shallows (30th Anniversary Singles Collection)
   
9. Black Crowes - Croweology (In fact more essential than the plugged in stuff)
   

Overlooked from 2009 (Not heard till 2010)

1. Plasticsoul - Peacock Swagger (A favourite amongst the cognoscenti but did not hit our collective eardrums till 2010, yes, now we know what the fuss was about)
2. Train - Save Me, San Francisco (Golden Gate Edition) (Not sure when this appeared but this band have been consistently excellent since their first appearance - this contribution is no exception)
3. David Nail - I'm About To Come Alive (Alt Country excellence)
4. Dog Eared Moonlight - Milk & Honey Band (Sometimes slight but completely engaging songs really hit the mark.The album seems to have reached a new level of maturity that earlier Milk & Honey Band records do not possess)
5. White Buffalo - Hogtied Revisited (Privately released, easy to miss, but impossible to ignore when once heard - brilliant)
6. Terry Adams - Holy Tweet (NRBQ Driving Force, delivers his best solo to date - superb songwriting, but what do you expect?)
7. The Pines - Tremelo (Understated, and quietly beautiful)
8. Luke Jackson - And The Some... (Luke Jackson rocks... but gently - Luke's 3rd & best to date is a collaborative and not unformidable effort between the man himself and his beloved Swedes Christoffer Lundquist and Robert Kirby (string arr). These gorgeous arrangements, the interplay and sumptuous dressing is never too lavish and beds in nicely especially in the more gentle tracks - and it's here where I feel Luke excels. Best songs are stunning opener 'Come Tomorrow', would be McCartney/Brian Wilson instrumental '1970s Kids TV Show', and my fave 'A Little Voice'.)

Honourable Mentions

1. Willie Nile - The Innocent Ones (Almost great)
2. Steve Miller Band - Bingo (A guilty pleasure in 2010?)
3. Brothers Streep - Suitable For The Whole Family (We mentioned them last year and their album delivers the promise we heard in their 'off the wall 'Anna Paquin' single we loved from back then.)
4. Jason Falkner - I'm OK, You're OK (Of course it's Jason and, we love you, it's brilliant, but this really dates from 2007, so why these erratic releases and odd territory restrictions?)

Disappointments

Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown (Faves who have let us down. Touring with U2 seems to have produced an unnecessary merging of KOL with the aforementioned band's anthemic stadium blandness to produce something we already have and don't require any more of thank you.)

Ali Campbell - Great British Songs (A great voice undermined by a karaoke wander through the classics, shouts desperation.)

The End Rant
We may publish very infrequently, but that's not to say we don't spend a lot of time and put a lot into what we do choose to put here. This article hasn't appeared till the last day of February 2011 but a good solid four months has gone into its preparation.

The main intention of this year’s best of list is not to simply demonstrate our impeccable taste in music, and this fact whilst unavoidably true ;-), we are happy to reveal that our primary purpose is that in parading a cavalcade of interesting and perhaps new titles into your radar, is the hope that you might be sufficiently motivated to investigate further, both those you may already know and those less familiar in the pursuit of something new and excitingly different. Today's music industry is in a horrible mess, we don't have to tell you that, you know, and if what we laughingly used to call The Majors (although nobody selling records in the first 100 years of its existence, still is doing so today) aren't gonna do it any favours then it's up to you and us to support the artists we love by supporting them directly by buying their music through their own websites, and the likes of Reverbnation, eMusic, CD Baby and independent record retailers (whatever's left of them).

Some bands even ask their fans to help fund their next recording venture by pledging their support in advance for some exclusive kick-back on the records eventual release, such is the difficulty of the cashflow situation in some rock 'n' roll camps. However if this works and can help to keep your faves afloat, why not?

In addition to direct support you might want to add your muscle to the few remaining music magazines that are still in existence. Big Takeover always turns out a quite remarkable review and article laden magazine, several times a year. We recently discovered a UK magazine 'Shindig' that focuses primarily on garage rock which we both quite appreciate.The magazine reminiscent of the short lived and now much defunct 'Strange Things Are Happening' has the same deluxe feel and attention to detail and presentation.

Lastly, as well as purchasing the music and magazines we highly recommend joining the recent music network for veteran rockers: Rock and Roll Tribe If you value intelligent discussions that take in all manner of genres and occasional fun leading questions, then this site should interest you. There are now over 1,200 members from all kind of backgrounds including some musicians themselves, industry shakers and mere mortals like ourselves.

This finale piece to our Best of 2010 has been a bit of a rant, and I imagine
we are mainly just preaching to the converted, but you know that we simply care about the continuation and the further exploits of this thing we all love, so take heed and put your money on the nose of the music we adore.