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This letter from London ponders the state of things in 2005.
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This letter from London ponders the state of things in 2005.
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2005 has started as 2004 finished here in the UK. The first number one of the year is Steve Brookstein, winner of X Factor (a British Pop Idol style TV show). Even more depressing is the fact that he tops the charts with a cover of Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” – sorry, I just can’t pull any punches on this one.
It could have been worse – the runners-up, G4, apparently massacred Radiohead’s “Creep” on the show’s final. (This also begs the question of why Radiohead’s “No Logo” stance doesn’t extend as far as telling X Factor to fuck off when asked if someone can cover one of their songs…)
To my mind one of the most unwelcome trends in music over the last year is the seemingly relentless conveyor belt of reality TV singers and boy and girl bands belting out karaoke style cover versions of (mainly) 80s songs. Obviously likeminded individuals can choose to ignore all of the above and dig a little deeper to find something they do like. However, I can’t help but wonder why are the UK charts dominated by acts such as these and hope that it isn’t to the detriment of any more original, up and coming bands.
Another trend from last year which shows no sign of abating is the comeback. Last year will have to go down as the one when the old empire struck back. Comebacks were the order of the day – a trend which did produce some pleasing surprises. Seeing Kraftwerk at Brixton Academy was the gig highlight of this and many other years. Brian Wilson, U2 and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds produced three of my favourite albums of the year.
Old timers coming back to scratch creative itches is something which looks set to continue in 2005. In a list which is by no means exhaustive or extensively researched, UK music fans will be able to catch reformations or new material from artists including Gang of Four, MC5, House of Love, The Wedding Present, Cream, Pixies, Oasis, New Order, Kate Bush, Guns n Roses and The Who. Some of these acts have been away longer than others and it will at least be interesting to see what they serve up to us.
It doesn’t do to analyse music too deeply (it’s so big, so diverse and so subjective – analysing it is a Herculean task for anyone). But are the rise of reality TV/boy bands and the flow of faces from the past connected? Has the music industry run out of ideas so that it needs to pedal a formula which pays dividends in the short-term whilst recognising that like the goose and the golden egg it can’t go on forever? Hence the need to call back older acts with previous form. Maybe it is down to sophisticated market segmentation – boy bands for the youngsters and reformed bands for their parents/older siblings?
If we take rock ‘n’ roll as starting in the last 1950s, then we are amongst the first few generations which can have rock nostalgia. The reason why bands like Cream, MC5 and Gang of Four are getting back together is simply supply and demand – it is now okay for people in their late 30s, 40s and beyond to buy CDs and go to gigs. People are growing old less gracefully than in the past and wanting to see rock bands which take them back to their youth is all part of this.
Maybe it is just more fundamental than that – perhaps the Gang of Four saw all of the new wave of indie bands stealing their act and thought “we’ll have some of that”. Maybe it is just too lucrative for bands, agents and labels to miss out on cashing in one last time – like I said it doesn’t always do to analyse music too much.
The coming year will also see the end of two UK music staples. One of London’s coolest venues, The Union Chapel, is due to close early in 2005. Located in Islington, the Union Chapel is a fully functioning church by day and a fantastic venue with an intimate atmosphere and brilliant acoustics by night. The reason for closure is a vote by the church committee to ban the consumption of alcohol within the venue’s performing space, which I guess hit the revenue stream of the people booking the bands to the point that it is not financially viable anyone. Gig goers would sit on pews to enjoy the entertainment – obviously it would only work for certain acts but when it did work it was an unforgettable gig experience. I saw Turin Brakes and the Polyphonic Spree there and was gutted to miss Bjork and Patti Smith (it was a small venue and sold out very quickly). Other luminaries such as Beck, Cat Power, Iron and Wine, Low and the Raincoats have also played there. If you ever got to go, remember it fondly. If not, sorry, but you missed out on one of London’s best little gig venues – it will definitely be sorely missed by music fans in the capital.
Also in for a big change in 2005 is Top of the Pops (one of the UK’s leading music shows). After years and years of being broadcast on BBC1 is being demoted to a Sunday evening slot on BBC2 alongside Songs of Praise – the TV equivalent of being relegated to the B-side, if ever there was one. One of my fondest TOTP memories involves watching Divine perform “You Think You’re a Man” with my Grandad, but I’m going relate the recent story of Babyshambles who were thrown out of the TOTP studios whilst rehearsing latest single “Killamangiro”. Apparently one of the audience, who delights in the name of Oli Res-Horsely, shouted “How much crack have you had?” to Pete Doherty. By all accounts, our Pete promptly jumped into the crowd and starting fighting with Oli, meaning that his band was banned from playing live on the show later that evening. Pete then waited for him outside in an attempt to kick it all off again – bet that won’t happen on a Sunday on BBC2…
But it’s not all bad news for the coming year. Music is on the up – a record number of albums were sold in 2004 (although Dido was the best selling of all!) and IPODs were one of the most popular Christmas gifts. It looks as if there is an interesting crop of young bands coming through; the Mercury Rev album is getting rave reviews and I, for one, can’t wait to see what bands including The Coral, Franz Ferdinand, Kasabian, British Sea Power, Amityville, The Dears and Bloc Party, have to say for themselves in 2005.
Words : John Cottrill