Influential ska-pop band The Specials have announced a full UK tour.

The Coventry outfit revealed in April 2008 that they would reform and return to live action for the first time since their split in 1981.

 

Heralded by the likes of Blur, Lily Allen and The Enemy as a primary influence – the line-up will play 10 UK dates next spring.

The jaunt begins in Newcastle on 22 April and concludes at London’s Brixton Academy on 12 May.

The gigs will see the line up of Terry Hall, Lynval Golding, Neville Staple, Roddy Byers, Horace Panter and John Bradbury reconvene. Omitting only Jerry Dammers.

The band are largely credited with the popularity of ska punk in the late 1970s and the emergence of the 2-Tone sound.

Rumours of an announcement had grown after the majority of the band made a special appearance together at this year’s Bestival festival in September.

 

Already got my ticket…Brixton 06 May.

Music As Art

Turn your Music Collection into your own unique piece of art.

 

Canvas mounted image of all of your music album covers converted into one collage.

 

No one will probably have exactly the same music collection as you and so your piece of Artwork will be unique too.

 

Each piece looks fantastic hung on a wall, a fantastic conversation piece.

 

The larger your music collection the more impressive your image becomes.

 

4 options : Random / Chronological release order / Colour Coded / Chronological purchase order.

 

The perfect present for the music buff in your life/bed/office/family.

 

Contact Stuart for prices and further details

www.musicasart.co.uk

 

email info@musicasart.co.uk

 

Nick Cave…you are making me feel old!

Straight off the bat I have to make you aware of a few things. I am no oil painting: Glasses help the deficient vision, too much gigging has given me tinitus, I am bald and the belly has paid the price for my delictation of a cold beer.

And I’m not saying here that Monsieur Cave is a gargoyle. However, I got into Cave and the Bad Seeds just prior to the release of their Live Seeds album. So, that would be 1992/1993. Let’s call it 15 years.

And at the time Cave looked like this.

yeah, we knew this man had a taste for the wilder side of life and dabbled in the occasional spot on unprescribed medication. But after all he’s a “rock and/or roller”, and who hasn’t puffed, popped or poured in their time.

Anywho, it’s 2008 and Cave’s latest album, Dig Lazurus Dig,  is out and the other night I saw him on the TV promoting it …looking like this.

Holy Cheeses! gone is the debonair, bohemian young soul rebel. Replaced by what now resembles a Moldovan porn flick director. And I don’t mean one of those “classy” high budget pornos, I mean one of those 20 minute “was she drugged into doing that” type of affairs.

Anyway, I don’t think Messr. Cave is one to judge a book by it’s cover and certainly won’t be concerned by his appearance. But what troubled me was how in the time I have admired his music he seems to have aged so much.

The hair on top of his head is going and seems to be being over compensated for by a lousy tache. And then it struck me. Cave is becoming Crosby.

David, rather than Bing that is.

So, by the time Cave’s next album comes out we could be expecting

Personally, I feel it would be an improvement on what we have at present.

Nick, we love you man, glad to have you in Brighton, still love the sound, but please lose the pornographer’s ‘tache.

What’s wrong with the USA, set to music. Lazyboy – underwear goes inside the pants

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My Top Ten Music Albums

In no particular order, but all albums I could/do play to death…

Gomez – Bring It On

Pink Floyd – The Wall

Van Morrison – Astral Weeks

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here

The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Jam – Extras

Toots and the Maytals – Pressure Drop

The Specials – The Specials

Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

Nick cave – B-sides and Rareties (3 disc set)

 

…N.B I will now get in the car , get 5 minutes down the road and think “how did i leave out…”