Recently in Music Category

I was at a conference a few weeks ago, which was debating the essence of identity for Brits and Americans. It was run by the British American Project, an organisation which exists to build relationships between the two countries.

I've been to a few of their events previously and always find them to be enormously stimulating, not least because of the cast lists they assemble. There can be few places where your dining companions include a professional poker player, a young female Church of England Vicar, a National Lottery Commissioner, a whistle-blower on Ken Livingstone's administration, and a Scottish Chieftain. Oh, and Trevor Philips as the after-dinner speaker.

In trying to define what it meant to be British, all the usual hackneyed definitions were wheeled out by conference delegates: "if you can explain the rules of cricket and sing Jerusalem, you must be British" being my perennial favourite. Well forgive me, but being brought up in Scotland, neither cricket nor 'England's green and pleasant land' was high on the curriculum choices at my school.

I love getting stuff through the post, I stockpile books so I always have poorly-wrapped second hand novels dropping through the letterbox. So much so that the cleverer of the two cats has decided it definitely won't sit on the mat, despite what cliché might say. I haven't been looking forward to a letter from Virgin Media though, because despite my best efforts I'm sure I've downloaded something I shouldn't over the past few years.

It's normal for people who write about illegal downloading to give all sorts of reasons why the record companies are out of touch, out of time, monolithic and wrong, to say that piracy actually results in more sales not less ­ and then say that, of course, they buy all their music legally from iTunes. I won't, I'll admit that sometimes I've download albums, the odd TV or radio show and once ­ because I was absolutely desperate to watch a film involving penguins yet to reach the UK - a whole film. The film took ages and wasn't worth it, it was obviously recorded on a camcorder, the colours were washed out and someone went out for a wee right during a crucial squawk.

So this week I was expecting to be notified of the first of my "three strikes", with a kindly letter reminding me of the illegality of downloading, advice to keep my wifi connection secure and informing me that Feargal Sharkey was on to us.

Welcome to Brumcast Lite Show 2, and it's a pretty dark week in the hot sun for Birmingham as one of its most prestigious music venues, 'The Jug of Ale' in Moseley is closing its doors for good to be converted into an Indian restaurant apparently. At least that's what I've heard....Big Shame! Anyway on the plus side, this week I've got some pretty exciting stuff for you....exciting ....remember that??? Please listen in!

Well, they've done a grand job those Guide guys at The Guardian and Observer. In the democratic and freethinking spirit that typifies the brave and wonderful world that is blogging and the internet, not to mention the sheer untrammelled niceness that is the hallmark of the Post, I recommend that you go to http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk and search out the Guitar Guide.

Full of great stuff and they've done a good job of trying to include some female players - not easy in a world where the instrument has unfortunate and obvious phallic overtones.

Well, if those greying, middle class, lefty types on The Guardian and The Observer can do it, we greying, middle class lefty types here on The Birmingham Post can do it too.

Tomorrow (that's May 10, 2008 for all digital librarians filing this for future generations when it will be sought out by millions, obviously) and on Sunday, the London-based newspapers are publishing a guide to playing guitar. I don't know what it will be, but it's billed as for absolute beginners and more advanced players. They've previewed it online today with a bit of pointless nonsense about air guitar.

Brumcast originally was put together about two years ago by me, Chris Downing to air some of Birmingham and the Midlands' unsigned musical talent.

There has now been over 90 shows put together and the response that I have received has been very positive. The charming folks at the Birmingham Post have asked me to put together a show for their new blogs to air the voice of the underground further which I 'm only too pleased to do.

Ian Dury, right, wins hands down - but he has to be left out because of the xxxx factor.

I've been looking at pop record openings as part of another project and thought it would make one of those annoying/fascinating listy things for our little corner of the blogosphere.

Plaistow Patricia is the title of the Dury song which has the most arresting intro I can think of. It's just a series of very strong Anglo Saxon words if you can recall it. If you can't, it's worth seeking out on the iTunes explicit list, as is anything else by the Blockhead-in-chief of blessed memory.

During the weeklong jubilee of creation, the great Googly Moogly must have stopped for a couple of pints midweek and got his wicked cap on.
On that afternoon, he engineered some of the more irksome things on the planet: the pubic louse, the common pigeon, the traffic warden and... the ticket tout.
These scum-sucking leaches were never designed to inherit the earth, but they will flog it on for five times its face value given half a chance.
There's something obscene to me, a lifelong music fan, in seeing the dozens of Sex Pistols tickets already for sale on eBay. Prices have already topped £100 and they'll go much higher in the week the auctions run.
These people are not Sex Pistols fans, they're chancers out to make a fast buck from those who weren't able to get through to the ticket lines or websites.

It's probably the only festival to come close to challenging Glastonbury for scale and quality. We're talking about the V Festival, of course, the annual three-day hootenanny happening on the outskirts of Stafford and in Chelmsford.

The dual sites have swerved the organisers well and now, with only 162 days to go, we have details of the first 39 acts.

You'll need to clear the decks for the weekend of August 16 and 17 and save up the £145 for a weekend ticket. Booking starts on Friday and the event always sells out.

With the calibre of acts lined up this year, expect them to be the proverbial hot cakes.

Mark your calendars for July 11-13 2008, for this year's installment of what Plan B magazine called "the best organised and most wisely curated festival".

We're talking about the Supersonic festival of course.

2008 sees Supersonic, now in its sixth year, go from strength to strength: adding new stages and more opportunities to see bands you've never heard of alongside established performers.

The festival takes place in the urban setting of Birmingham's Custard Factory offering a firm ground underfoot as you take advantage of the Capsule duo (Jenny Moore and Lisa Meyer)'s highly eclectic booking policy.

Along with the critically acclaimed musical side of the festival, there will be more film programming, more art based endeavours, more stalls and more cake.