Good Times From Bad Times

Don’t know about you lot, but if I hear the words ‘downturn’, ‘credit crunch’ or ‘recession’ one more time I’ll hit the fucking roof!! We all know were in pretty bad times of late wouldn’t you agree? But, to make matters worse (apart from the sight of Robert ‘I’ve got a lovely new pink tie’ Peston on the news every fucking night) I’ve just finished watching the Glastonbury highlights (or was it, as I predicted: Glastondaddy?) and that was fucking shite as well!! Don’t know about credit crunch, it’s more like Music Crunch!! Anyway, I went out last Saturday for SAFP’s birthday (amazingly he’s still yet to fall foul to the mid-thirties pot belly like most of the people I know who read this Blog!!) and we were talking about music from the nineties compared to today’s ‘offerings’. This conversation also coincided with Blur’s reunion at Glastonbury (one of the only decent bands to play that weekend by the way) so, as well as having a spot of nostalgia, it got me thinking about the mid nineties and when Brit Pop ruled the land. Blur, Suede, Supergrass, Oasis, Pulp and er … Shed Seven became number one artists in the country and well and truly cemented the Indie label into the mainstream. Most of all, from what I can remember, these were fun times. Everyone had fun as (in my opinion) the music was fun and there was no such words as ‘credit crunch’ to be heard! During these times we were obviously a lot younger then so our weekend retreats (The Mardi, Le Bateau & L2 to name just a few) were times of carefree enjoyment when everyone went out and we all pretty much enjoyed the majority of the music that was out at the time. These also were the days when we use do to the conga around town singing “Gary Bone, Gary, Bone, Gary Bone, Gary Bone, La Laaaaaaa” to the tune of Vindaloo amongst other mad things (see some previous Blogs for some of the stories by the way) Many of us also attended gigs pretty much twice a month no matter who the band were as the ‘scene’ at the time felt quite special, so much so that we really didn’t got to gigs for the music! I was watching a documentary the other day about how British Indie and what went onto form Britpop came out of the misery of Thatcher’s Britain and basically lifted the nation. Bands like The Smiths, The Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses all picked themselves up and dusted themselves down to bring a new type of music for the people and put smiles back onto their faces and basically inspired a generation of bands such as the Oasis, Blur, Supergrass, etc, etc. They stood up to the ‘old guard’ of British music (George Michael, Paul Young, Phil Collins, etc, etc) and basically said “fuck you lot, we’ll play what we want and wear what we want and go with an Indie label instead of a major as they will support us”. And support them they did. This was the kind of attitude that made people proud to be in a British band in the early nineties again as some people (most notably Blur) were sick to death of the influx of American Grunge bands flooding the country (I feel that way now actually – once again – see previous Blog). So, In other words: they took a stand! The rest, as they say, is history! Saldy, when I look at some of today’s offerings from as the NME would call ‘Saviours’ of British music I can’t help but think the morbid band of shoe-gazers have not grasped the ideals of the mid nineties and are yet to embrace the true meaning of the word entertainment! Kind of ironic that we are in the mists of such harsh economic times that most of the bands are fucking miserable as well don’t you think? It’s like some sort of cycle of music/economics/politics is happening. Depressing times in more ways than one!! If you take a closer look at a few of the new British bands currently doing ‘the rounds’ who the NME ‘big up’, White Lies for example: Decent band, decent tunes, but you can’t help but think that they are just that little bit dull and compliant to the rules of being, well, dull! Another thing I noticed about White Lies was that they are well versed in the old fashioned one time extinct art of shoe gazing (I bet they know every stitch on the Brown Brogues they wear no doubt) And while were on the subject of dull bands I thought I’d give a rather special mention the god unbearable Glas Vegas. They are pass masters at the art of shoe gazing as well and could well and truly give The Cure or The Jesus and Mary Chain a good run for their money! So, to sound a bit like Odd Ball from Kelly’s Heroes: whose gonna take up the reins and show the country that good, happy music really can increase good vibes? Whose gonna kick bands like White Lies & Glas Vegas up the arse and tell them that there are other colours available apart from black? Whose gonna rally the troops and bring us out of this recession? Whose gonna write the songs that bring us out of the dark clutches of MP’s expenses, fascism, unemployment, police brutality, knife crime and er … Shed Seven? Musical saviours – your country needs you more than ever! Apply within (no stamp required) Mol