http://www.neonfiller.com en-gb neonfiller.com 2010-9-3T00:00:00Z neonfiller.com http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#74519 This time next week Ill have arrived at the End Of The Road festival. I am extremely excited to be going to what looks to be the best festival of the year. Set in the beautiful Larmer Tree Gardens on the DorsetWiltshire border the festival aims to offer a better than the norm festival experience. The benefits in their words are You wont get all the over hyped bands headlining Most bands play longer sets than usual You can eat a range of quality food You can drink a range of quality beers The staff and security care about everyone and show respect The crowd will be there for the MUSIC You can watch the bands without having to stare at huge advertising hoardings.The festival has been running for six years and has a focus on alternative music with a leaning to folk country and Americana. Over the past four years American acts such as Ryan Adams Lambchop Fleet Foxes and Mercury Rev have been joined on the bill by stalwarts of the British music scene such as British Sea... 2010-9-2 17:45:05 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#69450 Just how much money can you justify spending on going to a gig And what if that gig looks like the greatest gig in the history of musicIm talking about the Matador records 21st anniversary celebrations. It may not be to the tastes of everyone but for me it is just about the best lineup I have ever seen. And the fact that it is in Las Vegas is pretty cool as well. It seems like a strange fit for a bunch of mainly ageing indie rock acts and their mainly ageing fans. To be honest I cant think of a way that Id rather spend three days. But can I justify the cost of the event Prices for the event havent been published yet but I doubt that it will be less than 150 for the three nights. So lets say a hopeful 163100 for the ticket. A very quick look on the internet brings up a range of prices for flights with 163400 seeming a realistic price. Hotel prices vary a lot but 16350 a night doesnt look unrealistic. So that is another 163150. Food and drink budget plus some souvenir merchandise again ... 2010-7-3 11:37:45 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#63522 The Digital Economy Bill has passed into law after being part of a final sweep up before the general election was called. The bill is 77 pages long but the Guardian has kindly produced a quick guide to the bill here. There has been some outrage about the bill and the potential human rights implications of people having their internet access cut off due to being accused of illegal downloading. And the bill would certainly seem to encourage a hard line approach from ISPs as the financial threats to them for not dealing with copyright issues are pretty steep.What strikes me about the bill the digital downloading elements at least is how pointless it is. I can see nothing in it that is going to successfully prevent widespread music piracy and file sharing. It is fairly widely accepted that large scale offenders will be the first people to mask their use from the ISPs use proxy servers and the like to avoid detection. This means that the bulk of culprits getting caught will be teenagers dow... 2010-4-21 17:41:01 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#60193 When I first heard of Mark Linkous AKA Sparklehorse he had already been pronounced dead once. That was the big story around the UK release of his debut album Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. Now he has succumbed to depression and his death is all too real. I dont know all the details of his death all I know is that it is a very sad loss.I feel that Sparklehorse are one of my bands. In that I discovered them without being introduced to them by a friend and Id never even heard their music when I purchased the debut album. To my mind it is one of the best debut albums ever recorded. A masterpiece of American alternative music. And each album he released was brilliant. I was disappointed at the time when his last Sparklehorse album Dreamt for Light years In the Belly of a Mountain was released because it didnt seem up to his high standard. But listening back to it now I realise just how good it was. His weakest album being streets ahead of most artists best output.I went to see Sparkleh... 2010-3-9 22:28:52 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#58963 Im something of an oddity in 2010. Buying CDs is still my main medium of choice for consuming music. I dont illegally download tracks although I have in the past because I feel that the artists deserve some money for their craft. I dont buy many albums by rich artists I dont care if U2 or Coldplay or any number of millionaire musician had all their music stolen for ever more but I understand how difficult it is for independent musicians to make a living these days. I dont buy MP3 files online either. I dont like spending money on data and because I like to listen to albums as a whole Id make little or no saving buying tracks in that way. The latest Field Music album was 1639.99 for 20 tracks so hardly expensive on a track by track basis.I also like the versatility that CDs afford me. I can play them in a stereo in a car or rip them to play on my PC or MP3 player. They sit on my shelf ready to be ripped again should my PC die or my hard drive corrupt. I can lend them to friends so that ... 2010-2-22 18:35:33 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#56736 Jagadambarecords has just released this clip on YouTube of I Met Up With The King the next single from the forthcoming full length album debut by Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. The album is called The Big Black and The Blue and is due out later this month Jan. 2010-1-22 16:50:28 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#54616 Varshons the most recent album by The Lemonheads received a fairly lukewarm response when it was released earlier this year not least of which from this website.To say it was critically panned would be going too far. But with a fairly tepid score of 6.7 out of ten from review aggregator site Metacritic including a 310 from ourselves and a 4.7 out of ten from Pitchfork it hardly set the world alight.A mess was how Pitchfork described the bulk of the album which is a collection of fairly bland cover versions by The Lemonheads. Among the most embarrassing tracks are a cover of Arling amp Camerons Dirty Robot improbably sung by Kate Moss.It was therefore a great surprise to read on The Lemonheads facebook site that the blog Cover Me had voted Varshons the greatest cover versions album of the year.Unable to stomach this gushing praise for what is a very ordinary album any more Neonfiller added its view on Facebook pointing out that not everyone thinks this is a great album. In fact some of ... 2009-12-16 15:13:35 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#54596 When I first heard about the campaign to get Rage Against The Machines Killing In The Name Of to number 1 I initially thought it was a good idea. But the more I have thought about it the worse the idea seems.First off the concept makes no sense. I assume that the Fuck you I wont do what you tell me refrain is deemed appropriate as a response to Simon Cowell and the XFactor machine. The thing is that nobody has ever told me to buy an XFactor single. Several people have told me to buy the RATM single however.The campaign also seems based on some false golden age before XFactor when we had great Christmas number 1s that were purchased on their festive merits. This just isnt true. Festive number 1s have always been in the minority novelty records being more popular or records by the popular artists of the day. The Spice Girls and The Beatles are the only artists to have had three in a row none of them Christmas records.Ignoring Band Aid and I tried to ignore the last couple of versions you... 2009-12-15 23:29:17 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#54427 With Darren Hayman topping our 2009 chart I was compelled to seek out clips of his former band Hefner on YouTube. I was pleased to find a video for the song I Took Her Love For Granted from their second album the Fidelity Wars. I wasnt quite prepared for the content of the video really quite odd. You definitely see a new side of Darren Hayman. 2009-12-12 14:05:09 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#54301 The Clash was one of the most iconic and prolific bands to emerge from the London punk scene of the late 1970s. From their stunning selftitled debut in 1977 through to 1982s Combat Rock they delivered some of the punchiest and thought provoking songs of the time.Shortly after Combat Rock though things turned sour. The bands chief songwriter and guitarist Mick Jones was fired by lead singer Joe Strummer. The atrocious album Cut The Crap followed and the band split for good in 1985.While Strummer and Jones patched up their differences and still saw each other regularly they never performed live together again until one exciting night in Acton London on November 15 2002. Strummer and his band The Mescalaros were playing a benefit show for striking firefighters at Acton Town Hall. Strummer launched into a version of The Clash classic Bankrobber for the first encore. Jones who was in the audience decided to get up on stage pick up a spare guitar and play along.Jones and a clearly delighted... 2009-12-10 16:02:39 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#53485 We at Neonfiller.com are currently compiling our list of the wierdest cover versions around. As if by magic the Muppets appear with their fantastic take on Queens Bohemian Rhapsody. Animals solo is perhaps the most emotional performance you will see all year. 2009-11-27 09:33:51 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#53129 Robert Pollard is the worlds greatest living songwriter. That may be a bold statement but it is true. I have many favourite songwriters James Mercer Sufjan Stevens Paddy McAloon but none of them have the longevity and body of work that Pollard has.Paul McCartney is obviously a challenge to what Im saying and Im a huge fan of his work. I love the Beatles and anyone who had the misfortune to spend last New Year with me will testify to my overplaying of his solo songs and work with Wings. But he hasnt produced a decent album since 1982 and his work in the 70s was pretty patchy. He was a spent force 20 years and two dozen albums into his career.Check out httpwww.gbvdb.com for an amazingly detailed look at his recording career.Pollard has been recording for 23 years and must have released 50 albums in his many guises. This year alone he has released 6 new albums three of which are amongst his best and has a three CD set of demos and outtakes ready for release.He is an artist that isnt ever ... 2009-11-22 19:59:54 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#52402 Multiinstumentalist Andrew Bird is to score the music for a forthcoming high schoolset film to be called Norman.In an interview with UK Radio station 6 Music he said Its got a fairly well known cast and its really well written and everything. It is more of a drama it tackles high school drama without being lame.I had the monitor of the film in the studio and Im playing. Its a lot of work. I dont know if I ever want to do it again. Bird also revealed in the interview that he has collaborated with a sculptor in Chicago who makes giant horn speakers. He is planning to create an installaton out of these horns that are shaped like poppies making loops that come out of different horns he says. Its like an arboretum of sonic sculptures. Itll be a travelling museum show. Its just getting started he added. 2009-11-11 16:00:19 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#52313 Blur frontman Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett are to team up with comic legend Alan Moore for a forthcoming musical collaboration.According to an interview with Mustard magazine Moore whose graphic novels include Watchmen and V for Vendetta said They came down to Northampton where Moore lives last week because were planning for me to do the libretto on their next opera. He declined to give further details leaving it up to our imagination what musical event they will create. The last opera by Albarn and Hewlet was Monkey Journey to the West.In the interview Moore also said that he hopes to get Albarn and Hewlett involved in his bimonthly journal Dodgem Logic which features essays art and even recipes.Moore said Weve hopefully got Gorillaz a reference to Albarn and Hewletts band onboardbeing an opportunist I asked them if theyd be prepared to contribute some pages to Dodgem Logic. Rather than just doing an interview I thought it would be interesting to hand over a few pages for the... 2009-11-10 11:56:14 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#52309 The Maccabees Bombay Bicycle Club The Big Pink and The Drums have been named as the acts taking part in next years Shockwaves NME Awards Tour.The annual UK tour is seen as a showcase for some of the best indie acts around well according to the NME that is.Among those to take part in previous tours and go on to other greater things are Ting Tings Klaxons Arctic Monkeys The Cribs Bloc Party and The Killers. The gigs start in Newcastle on 4 February 2010.The openers at the event will be New York band The Drums. It is worth noting that those that have opened in the past have also included Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand.Felix White The Maccabees lead singer said We understand the legacy of this tour. So thats a nice thing to be a part of. It looks like a good tour to me... were as lucky as anyone to be on it. As far as upping our game we understand the kind of bands who have headlined before. The kind of calibre those groups are weve got to reach that.SHOCKWAVES NME AWARDS TOURS 2010Thursday ... 2009-11-10 10:31:46 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#52255 A raft of previously unrecorded Iggy and the Stooges tracks have resurfaced.According to Bangshowbiz Iggy Pop has recently reconciled with Stooges guitarist James Williamson and both are keen to record songs from their 70s heyday that they did not get the chance to put down on vinyl at the time.Iggy Pop who recently won a Living Legend award at the Marshall Classic Rock Roll of Honour awards told Bangshowbiz James Williamson is really hot to trot and theres a lot of old stuff that The Stooges failed to record. We wrote a load of songs that we only ever played live so Im looking forward to doing some studio recordings. Meanwhile heres a clip of The Stooges at their peak. 2009-11-9 15:12:06 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#52232 Morrissey has left the stage for the second time in two weeks this time after a missile reportedly either a half full plastic glass or a bottle was thrown at him.He left the stage after the plastic glass hit his head about 25 minutes into his latest gig. An announcement at the concert taking place at the weekend Nov 8 at Liverpools Echo Arena said that he had been hit on the head and couldnt continue.He had already performed This Charming Man and was in the middle of his track Black Cloud as he was clouted by the projectile. A spokesperson for the venue told Sky News We have a strict policy of no glasses being allowed in the arena and we also decant all drink from bottles into plastic glasses at events of this kind.This is just the latest incident to mar Morrisseys latest tour. He refused to return to stage in Swindon two weeks ago after complaining of breathing difficulties.The crowd at Liverpool booed the announcement but many of the fans venom was directed at the hurler rather than... 2009-11-9 12:02:11 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#52229 Heavy Trash the rockabilly band fronted by Jon Spencer has released one of the dirtiest rock n roll albums of the year. Among the wonderfully filth ridden tracks on the album Midnight Soul Serenade is this gem Sometimes You Got To Be Gentle...caution the lyrics may offend. 2009-11-9 11:39:59 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#51952 Award shows can provide some of the music industrys most embarrassing and cringeworthy moments. From Katy Perrys antics to Kanye Wests recent outburst not a ceremony goes by without some sort of faux pas altercation or blunder. To mark the sheer stupidity of award shows weve compiled some of the most bizarre and embarrassing moments in recent ceremony history. Weve got a food fight a machine gun attack a bitter band feud and a drunken slanging match involving a Rolling Stone. Sit back and enjoy Neonfillers Top Ten Most Bizarre Music Award Ceremony Moments. 1. KLF with Extreme Noise Terror at the Brit awards In front of bewildered record industry executives at the 1992 Brit awards best group nominee KLF gave the performance to put all award show performances to shame. Known by the mainstream music world as more of a dance act KLF decided to belt out a thrash metal version of their hit 3AM Eternal with Extreme Noise Terror and then upped the ante further by audaciously firing machine g... 2009-11-4 15:22:41 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#51828 Neon Filler are lucky enough to have a chalet at Pavement ATP. Getting tickets for an event so long in advance means a lot of waiting time. But it also gives me the opportunity to play Fantasy Festival for the next seven months.Playing Fantasy Festival has rules like any fantasy football league. Bands need to be alive so no Johnny Cash active or have some chance of being brought back together so no Smiths and be the kind of band the organisers or curators are likely to pick that rules out Girls Aloud. There is also a budget to manage. You might want U2 REM and Coldplay to headline why you would want that I have no idea but that would probably be the entire festival budget shot in one go. So sensible and considered selections need to be made.The few bands that Pavement have already selected includes two that I would probably have put on my list. The Fall are an obvious choice and Quasi share members with the Jicks and were no surprise to see on the bill. They have also picked a classic... 2009-11-2 19:28:02 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#50775 A UK national newspaper has come under fire for publishing a homophobic column online suggesting Boyzone singer Stephen Gatelys death was strange and lonely and unnatural.The article by columnist Jan Moir on The Daily Mails website has sparked outrage across the UK. The article itself had received more than 500 comments by this afternoon and Twitter and Facebook pages were awash with criticism.Despite Gately dying in the same apartment as his long term partner and the cause of death being proved to be pulmonary oedema an accumulation of fluid on the lungs Moir shocked even Daily Mail readers with lines such as whatever the cause of death is it is not by any yardstick a natural one.Her article also said Another real sadness about Gatelys death is that it strikes another blow to the happyeverafter myth of civil partnerships.We at Neonfiller do not usually cover the music of Boyzone but felt we needed to add our weight to criticism of Jan Moir and this vile article. Moirs article is ei... 2009-10-16 15:28:40 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#49816 Youve played Beatles Rockband now try the I Cant Believe Its Not The Beatles version featuring fab four wannabes Oasis. Was alerted to this comedy sketch from the BBC by a twitter update by XTCs Andy Partridge whose son Harry created the sketch. Harry even finds space at the end to give his ole Dads band a mention. See clip here. 2009-10-1 19:48:53 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#49231 Spotify may well be the application that changes the face of music most dramatically since the launch of the iPod in 2001. The program enables you to listen to songs from a database of millions without spending a penny. There are no issues with download times the sound quality is good and no laws are being broken. With the launch of Spotify on Android phones and the iPhone it will be mobile as well. Which is all pretty perfect right Well maybe not quite perfect. My worry with Spotify is whether it will have a negative effect on new music and in particular new music by the smaller independent artists. I also fear that it may be a bad thing for the independent artists trying to make a living from their back catalogue. Whilst looking into a playlist for our Best of The Year So Far article I was struck by the fact that Spotify didnt have tracks from the most recently released records. Looking at it a bit further I started to see the gaps appearing. Some artists Hefner was one example ar... 2009-9-22 13:55:33 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#47965 I was watching a repeat of classic UK sketch show The Fast Show the other day when this sketch entitled Indie Club cropped up. No compromise indeed. 2009-9-2 19:54:21 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#47186 The 2009 U2 tour is well underway and the centrepiece of the tour is the massive stage set they have created. The biggest stage set ever This big construction is problematic for me in three ways. Firstly it cost tens of millions to build. As Bono rages from the giant stage about countries not giving enough to third world debt maybe he should look around himself. I agree that the richer countries have a responsibility to help the poorer but at least they have other things to worry about spending their money on. Maybe U2 should have donated the cost of the construction to the third world they dont need it and I doubt they would have sold any less tickets. Secondly it seems a bit at odds with their socially conscious image. Dozens of trucks are required to move the set alone. It probably has the biggest carbon footprint of any tour yet. Im sure the band is carbon offsetting but it doesnt really set a very good example. Thirdly and this is the most significant point of all ... 2009-8-20 11:15:54 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#45556 This week saw the Mercury Music Prize nominations being announced. And there were very few surprises in the list. The Horrors may have surprised some people but their currency has been rising in recent months and they probably deserve the attention just for being a bit more interesting than most British guitar bands right now. Im not greatly interested in who wins the prize. It is unlikely to be the album I think is the best of the year none of them are in the list and it is unlikely to be the best act from the shortlist. I learnt to ignore the result of the prize back in 1993 a year that included Sting in the shortlist... when The Auteurs and PJ Harvey were passed over in favour of Suede. And then again in 1994 when Pulp Blur and the Prodigy all with pretty significant releases were beaten to the prize by John Majoresque foghorn Heather Smalls M People. I am pleased to see so many strong female acts in the list and it is probably a good bet that one of them will be the first woman s... 2009-7-25 14:08:17 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#44966 What the hell is going on with Kings of Leon Since their Glastonbury headline slot last year their status as a powerhouse of indie rock has been cemented across Europe and the UK.Sadly though they have chosen to ignore the clich233 that with great power comes great responsibility and behave like big babies instead. At Scotlands T in the Park festival last weekend guitarist Caleb Followill behaved like a spoilt brat having a tizzy fit and smashing his guitar because the sound quality wasnt quite right like the tens of thousands of festival goers noticed or cared. see Neon Filler News 13 July 2009 Sure we at Neon Filler like our rock stars to behave like rock stars. Have the occasional fight get a bit tiddly turn the amp up to 11. But we dont expect them to behave like children and throw their dummies out of the pram every time they dont get their own way.And just like Kings of Leons tired seventies rock their behaviour is also nothing new in the world of musicChris Salewiczs excellent... 2009-7-15 10:02:36 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#44150 The death of Michael Jackson had an unexpected effect on me. It made me do something I didnt think Id ever do again. I purchased Q magazine. Not because I was very sad about his death I dont subscribe to emotional outbursts over strangers and not because I was a big fan. I was just interested in reading an article printed just before his death to get some much needed perspective amongst the sobbing and adulation. It is a fairly good article treading the fine line between ignoring how nuts he was and being a hatchet job. It was also a nice piece of good fortune for Q that they chose to share cover space with Jackson and an article about dead rock stars. Maybe they had him killed. The conspiracy starts here. The thing that strikes me most about Jacksons death is how much respect is being showered on him by the press. This is the same media outlets that have pilloried the man for the last 15 years and were waiting with expectant pens for his big comeback concerts to be a disaster. And t... 2009-6-30 22:12:37 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#43499 This week saw The Dirty Projectors release their album Bitte Orca see our album review on a long defunct format the cassette. At first I thought this was an odd choice but on reflection I think that it is the format of choice for anyone wanting to buy the album. Not only do you get a cool retro collectable for only 1636.99 in my local record shop but you get a code to get all the tracks as a digital download.This got me thinking about the much maligned format. When other portable formats came along the tape was abandoned pretty quickly. It didnt have the sound quality or ease of use benefits of the CD and it didnt have the tactile pleasures of vinyl. So it died a death. And nobody seemed very sorry.But in many ways it was the most significant format in mine and others of my generations lives in terms of defining the music that we listened to. Firstly it was a format that encouraged you to listen to an album properly. Finding specific tracks was difficult and fastforwarding used up batt... 2009-6-18 20:24:34 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#43129 The glee in which Pitchfork detailed Black Lips singer Jared Swilleys criticism of the Wavves Nathan Williams was nothing short of breathtaking.In a news story this week Pitchfork details an interview Swilley gives with Norwegian radio station NRK about Williams recent public breakdown at the Primavera festival in Spain.Theres so many people that would wanna be doing that being able to get flown over to Europe and have people like your records and buying them. And then just blow it on your first show in Europe someone like that needs to not do this Pitchfork recounts Swilley as saying.He needs to go back to school or move back in with his parents and sit down and think about things. He shouldnt play music. He shouldnt tour. Swilley added.But the very reason Williams had his tizzy fit on stage in which he strummed aimlessly while roadies cleared the stage around him is all down to Pitchfork in the first place.Sure Williamss lofi sound had its admirers but Pitchforks review of his second... 2009-6-11 15:51:18 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#42543 Rest assured fans of Wilco the new album Wilco The Album is a stormer. Unashamedly commercial catchy and confident all at once. Here Neon Filler.com gives a quick run through of the tracks ahead of its release later this month when we will be publishing a full review.Wilco the song Velvet Underground inspired chugging anthem which pays tribute to Wilcos fans and has the tonguein cheek confidence to suggest Wilco can ease any ill. Sure to be a firm fans favourite for years to come. Great opening track.Deeper Down The pace drops but the quality doesnt. This keyboard and countrytinged track showcases the quality production throughout.One wing Guitarist Nels Cline is given a chance to shine beautiful opening riff by the way.Bull Black Nova Bull Black Nova is a rollercoaster of 70s rock with around a quarter of the song taken up by an extended frenetic instrumental segment more Deep Purple than deep south as Tweedy screams and wails to its conclusion. Only gripe is that it is perhap... 2009-6-1 10:13:52 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#41233 Listening to the fabulous Pisshead by The Miserable Rich read our Willkommen Collective feature got me thinking about drinking songs. Alcohol must surely be the drug of choice in the sex and drugs and rock n roll trinity. Heroin has inspired some good songs from the Stranglers to Lou Reed but it doesnt speak of a common experience with most listeners. The same is true of 1960s LSD fuelled psychedelia. Oasis and Eric Clapton are both living proof that cocaine and good music making seldom mix.Drinking is a subject that is part of the common experience of songwriters and music fans alike. It is often a troubled relationship between artists and the demon booze. Lots of songs about drink are part of the singers struggle with it. Rarely are songs about alcohol in any way celebratory more often they are showing up the bad side. Revellers must see the irony when they drunkenly sign along to Born Slippy or Too Drunk to Fuck.And it isnt just drinking as a subject for or as a catalyst in song wri... 2009-5-7 16:11:27 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#40173 Two years ago the NME almost hammered the last nail into the coffin of the Glastonbury Festival with its scathing criticism of the 2007 line up which included socalled dinosaurs of rock The Who. It was a welcome piece of campaigning journalism from the publication that has been sadly lacking since. But while it was right to attack organiser Michael Eavis himself a middle aged man for hiring The Who it is not fair to say that festivals and the modern music lover should ignore all dinosaurs of rock and music. Yes by all means ignore Pete Townsend and Roger Daltry. After one good album in the mid 60s their descent into rock opera should quite rightly be shunned. But when it comes to other veterans such as former Husker Du frontman Bob Mould or Talking Heads David Byrne these middleagers should be treated with the respect they deserve. This month Neon Filler has been paying tribute to these two dinosaurs of alternative music. Byrne was this month performing at the Brighton Dome UK as part ... 2009-4-20 17:01:39 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#38612 The big music non story of the week was the announcement from John Squire that The Stone Roses will never reform. He means it to to prove it he has made a sculpture stating his lack of desire for the band to get back together and posted this on his website httpwww.johnsquire.com. He also appeared on News Night just in case people were unsure what he meant. Squires rather elaborate refutations come after rumours of a 20th anniversary reformation started to circulate. Of all British bands only The Smiths can rival them when it comes to fans clamouring for a return to the stage and studio. But why are people so keen to see them back After all they only released one good album in their career and postRoses releases have been far from encouraging. Ian Brown has released a string of underwhelming albums which have at least shown some glimmers of quality. Squire on the other hand has a truly dreadful catalogue first with The Seahorses and then solo. The bands rhythm section have faired bette... 2009-3-23 17:16:33 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#37087 February saw the release of Heroes in aid of the War Child charity the latest in a long line of cover version albums. It offers some interesting versions by among others TV On The Radio The Hold Steady and Elbow and puts other woeful covers by the likes of the Kooks who ruined the Kinks Victoria into perspective.Viewers of the X Factor know only too well what makes a bad cover. And as great as Girls Aloud are as a pop outfit we never want to hear them butcher Ill Stand By You or Jump ever again.But what makes a great cover version and can the cover version be an art form in its own rightThe release of Heroes has got us thinking at Neon Filler about the art of the cover version and weve made a valiant stab at coming up with a provisional list of the best ten cover versions by indie and alternative acts of all time. see our top tenThis is a mere provisional list. We dont want the great covers debate to end here. We want your views on what makes a good cover version and crucially your su... 2009-2-22 18:55:20 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#36401 As I write this Lily Allen is at number 1 remember when that was a big deal with The Fear. In the song she sings about being famous how vacuous it is how greedy it is and how it is all about selfpublicity and being thin. I first saw her singing this on an episode of the Jonathan Ross show showcasing her new sleek haircut and figure. First off this isnt an attack on Allen. I dont have a particular problem with her. She writes a good pop tune and Ive quite enjoyed some of her singles. Sure she sings in an annoying mockney child voice but singers often have afectations and she is no way near Kate Nash when it comes to that she sounds like a junior female Dick van Dyke. I have no urge to listen to Allens new album but I have no reason to think it isnt competent pop music. The problem lies with listening to pop singers rattling on about the evils of fame. Allen is clearly making a reference to Pulp who opened their This Is Hardcore album with a song Called The Fear. And it was an album a... 2009-2-10 11:46:54 http://www.neonfiller.com/page6.htm#35883 Last week the NME announced the nominations for their 2009 awards. In the list Oasis were nominated for 6 awards including Best British Band and Best Album. Noel was up for a further two awards including Hero of the Year putting him up there with Barrack Obama. 2003 was the last time Oasis won a significant NME award I dont count best video or best DVD as significant and that was about 8 years after they stopped deserving any recognition. Why does the music press and the media in general keep flogging the idea that Oasis are in any way a significant band Dont get me wrong I liked them when I first heard them. When I heard Supersonic whilst in the New Cross Venue in 1994 I thought it was brilliant Definitely Maybe was a good album. I tired of them pretty quickly but Ill concede that Whats the Story Morning Glory had some merit as well. But frankly thats it game over.Since 1997 we have been treated to the same raft of good reviews for their albums despite the ever decreasing returns. T... 2009-2-2 10:30:53