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The Mid 1990’s was a bad time to be a rock band. Rock was facing a backlash from the overindulgence of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. With stalwarts that defined an era self-imploding (Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue) and Grunge rising to fill the void of the disaffected youth, it was a tough time to launch a rock band with a classic blues sound.

SKIN were one band that emerged during this turbulent time.

Daring to write classic feel-good rock tracks, Skin stood out from the crowd and committed that cardinal sin of putting a live show on where the band were clearly enjoying themselves.

With a lack of support from the record industry, the band called it a day in 1998 and bowed out with a farewell tour that left many a good memory in SKIN fans minds.

When an opportunity to play the Download festival 2009 arrived, the band were convinced to talk to each other and actually do it.

The first I heard about the fact that they were playing one of three warm-up gigs in Wolverhampton was when I noticed a billboard advertising the show. I assumed it was actually going to be a comeback gig from the lead singer of Skunk Anansi, such was my scepticism that the band would ever reform. Then I saw an article in Classic Rock magazine confirming that Neville MacDonald, Myke Gray, Andy Robbins, Dicki Fliszar and keyboardist Colin McLeod were actually going to play Download and that I could actually see the guys play in Wolverhampton once again.

So after 11 years of obscurity, did they still have the magic, or would it be the remnants of a truly great band reminiscing former glories?

Typically for SKIN at Wolverhampton, they started late. With what seemed like an eternity of the road crew testing, tuning and miming along to the likes of AC/DC and KISS playing on the PA, things did look a little worrying.

Opening with a slew of tracks from Experience Electric, any fears of a disappointment quickly evaporated as the band blasted through a 90 minute set

The guys looked and sounded great. Neville jokingly asking ‘What the f*** is this all about?’ when referring to the fact that his once huge hair was now closer cropped, and Myke showing what the last few years as a ‘Life Coach’ can do to a man’s body.

The only one who looked completely unchanged was bass player Andy Robbins, who could easily have been in cryogenic storage for the last 11 years.

The hair may be shorter, but the songs and sound were as big as they ever were. I really had forgotten how loud SKIN were. It was almost as if they were testing the volume levels for Download as well as warming up for the gig itself.

After an opening salvo of later-years tracks, the band launched from one classic SKIN track to another. The tempo only dropping briefly for the big ballad ‘Which Are The Tears?’ from their eponymous debut album before picking up again.

The band were clearly having the time of their lives and once again, SKIN were unashamedly enjoying themselves.

Despite my initial fears, Neville’s voice still had it and he was visibly touched that even after 11 years, there was still a lot of love for the band and their music.

There was a real party atmosphere all the way through the gig, despite a couple of technical hitches and the roof of the Wulfrun Hall was blown off by a singalong ‘Look, But Don’t Touch’. A very emotional ‘Tower of Strength’ followed with ‘Unbelieveable’ to close off the main set.

It was obvious that an encore would soon follow, with the band blasting through another 4 classic tracks from the first album and ‘Lucky’ before bringing the house down with ‘Shine Your Light’.

I was initially intending to make a note of the setlist, but to be honest, I was having too much of a good time Highlights included:

• Money
• Shine your Light
• House of Love
• Colourblind
• Which are the Tears
• Look, But Don’t Touch
• Tower of Strength
• Unbelievable
• Take me down to the River
• How Lucky You Are
• Perfect Day

The Wulfrun Hall is a nice venue for this sort of gig, the Download stage won’t be as intimate. However, if anyone is attending Download, they should take the time to see SKIN, you are in for a treat. If you missed the gig and can’t make Download, the band were videoing the whole of the Wulfrun event, so we may see a DVD release of the concert…

So what’s next for the band? There are rumours circulating on the Internet that a support slot for Sammy Hagar’s Chickenfoot is in the offering. Nev refused to be drawn, simply stating they ‘never say never’ but that it had already been a long, hard road to get them this far.

Clearly there is a strong desire from the fans for a permanent reformation, but even if there isn’t, the chance to see one of my favourite bands of all time and hear those songs live for one last time is a memory to cherish. If this is to be their final swansong – they are going out on a high.

A few pics taken on my iPhone below, but for some much better pics, check out BeeExcellent’s web album

Last night I gave one of my most disappointing movies a second chance.

The League of Gentlemen was one of my favourite TV series, and its dark humour still makes me laugh. The problem with the TV series was the risk that it would become a parody of itself, with catchphrases and recurring characters who essentially had a limited lifespan.

Many of the characters were one-joke characters, similar to those in shows such as The Fast Show. The difference being that in The Fast Show, the  intention was to produce one-joke, instantly quotable characters, placing them in different situations, delivering a few humorous lines before wrapping up with their punchline catchphrases. In 30 second to 2 minute sketches, this is easy to do, but when you have created a whole world (well, village) that these characters live in and interact in, the characters become harder to write for, and less believable as a result.

The first two series of The League of Gentlemen centred around the characters of Tubbs and Edward, the Local Shopkeepers, their plans to disrupt the building of a new road that would bring strangers to their village, and their attempts to find a mate for their son, David (ironically the developer who was building the road from the first series). By the end of the second series, the characters of Tubbs and Edward had got a little worn, and were killed off. The writers took a bold decision here, as they could have easily took the easy route for a few more series with their ‘Local Shop, for Local People’. For the third series, they tried a new approach with a single story that was told from different angles, introducing new characters while reducing of some of the older characters. Series 3 wasn’t as well received as previous series, but it was obvious that the writers wanted to take a step away from their creations.

The announcement of a League of Gentlemen movie genuinely excited me, but could you turn a half-hour show into a full length movie?

When I saw the movie for the first time, I thought it was terrible. The characters escape from the fictional world of Royston Vasey and enter our world in a ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ way, the humour coming from the fact that these cartoonish characters were interacting with normal people.

The low budget was particularly evident, and the diversion into a story-within-a-story-within-a-story seemed nonsensical, and not relevant to the plot at the time.

I suppose my initial reaction was also coloured by the fact  that two of the main characters were two of my least favourite – Herr Lipp and Geoff Tipps.

Lipp I’ve always found too creepy and his innuendos the least funny. Geoff just rude and not very funny (which I suppose is the point of his character.) However, on second viewing, these were possibly the best selection of characters to use for the movie.

The opening sequence where Tubbs, Edward and Papa Lazarou confront writer Jeremy Dyson (the unseen gentleman, and again, played by someone else) sums up the fact that most of the characters are too bizarre to exist in the ‘real’ world. While the murderous butcher Briss is possibly the most extreme character of the bunch, he is also the most intelligent and perfect as a leader.

Lipp is a one-joke character, and actually has quite a good story arc in the movie, where he comes to realise that he is a one-dimensional character, and craves to be seen as more than a stereotype. His final rant filled with his trademark innuendos is not meant to be humourous, and draws another parallel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit, he is almost like Jessica Rabbit – “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way…”

The premise that the actors are fed up with playing the characters they have played for the last 10 years and want to go on to other things, is believable – As parodied in the excellent episode of Father Ted ‘The Mainland’, Richard Wilson (a respected Shakespearean actor) is constantly being taunted by Ted saying his catchphrase from ‘One foot in the Grave’: ‘I Don’t believe it!’. The League of Gentlemen are actors and want to be remembered more than ‘Are you Local?’ or ‘Okey-cokey-pig-in-a-pokey! Good Morning Jobseekers!’.

The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse is a tribute to those characters – a fond farewell.

Since this film, the actors have all gone on to do other projects, from Dr. Who to Lassie.

The final twist in the film that it is all in the mind of Jeremy, the one who is not prepared to let go of Royston Vasey is particularly poignant, as well as being amusing in that his original plan for everyone to have tails. The idea that the writers have not all perished leaves the village of Royston Vasey alive as long as the writers stay alive, and we have the possibility to return there one day.

It ain’t over ’till it’s over

I finally got round to watching Rocky Balboa on DVD, having missed it in the cinema. When the sixth installment of the Rocky Franchise was announced I was disappointed, and didn’t believe that there could be another part to the Rocky story.

I think it was a very wise decision to title the film “Rocky Balboa”, as opposed to “Rocky VI”. This is not a “Rocky” film, more it is a film about Rocky. It is more of a character piece than the previous installments, with the first hour containing no boxing, other than in the title sequence which merely sets up the back story of Rocky’s Opponent for the inevitable finale.

While I feared with my previous rant post that it would be a vehicle to boost Stallone’s ego and frankly limp career, Stallone actually lets the story tell itself. The characters around Rocky become more than window dressing, and get room to breathe alongside the larger-than-life character of Balboa. Marie, the young girl from the first Rocky film provides both a link to the series past, but also allows for a positive female role. I always thought Adrian was far too discouraging of Rocky – having a character believe in Balboa’s ideals (however misguided they might have been) is a breath of fresh air.

The other minor characters are a bit hit and miss – the plot thread contrasting Rocky’s son resenting his father’s ‘big shadow’ and Marie’s son gaining some self-belief is glossed over, and doesn’t really get as much gravitas as it pehaps deserved. However, with a 90 minute running time and several plot angles to explore, some things have to fall by the wayside.
However, the star turn is surprisingly by Burt Young. As Rocky’s brother-in-law Paulie has never been a likeable character, he bullies his sister, was resentful and jealous of Rocky’s success, and was even the instigator of Rocky’s bankruptcy. However, with the assistance of some of the best lines in the film, Young injects a spark into the character that finally makes him a lovable rogue.

Perhaps the most jarring part of the movie, and one which people will love or hate are the certain sections of the finale fight that switch into black & white. The boxing in the film is more ‘real’ than we’ve seen before in a Rocky movie, and even in the behind the scenes features, Stallone states that for the first time, the punches are real – they actually land (much to the director, and I’m sure Stallone’s insurers disapproval). Raging Bull was shot completely in black & white, and Scorcese made that decision to make the fights look more brutal. With Rocky, it doesn’t work – bright primary colours have defined the series.

Overall, an enjoyable movie and one I will watch multiple times, but despite all its efforts, I still don’t see it as part of the Rocky franchise, more of a companion piece.

Last night I saw one of the most enjoyable concerts I’ve been to in recent years, with a band I never thought I’d go to see.

If you only know the swedish rock group Europe for their massive hit “The Final Countdown”, you’ve not heard Europe at all. I’ve had The Final Countdown for a number of years, on both casette and CD, and while the title track is the epitome of 80’s Hair Metal, the rest of the album is a much rockier sound, which is more of what Europe’s music is like.

Since their reformation in 2000, the band have released two new albums, and toured both of them. I missed out on the “Start From The Dark” tour, due to it clashing with another concert, so I was determined to see them this time.

No support act meant that Europe had their hands full as they had to warm the crowd up, blasting straight in to “Love is not the enemy” from their newest album, the initial response was somewhat subdued, but quickly warmed up.

Interestingly, many of the parts that I thought were guitar on the album are actually keyboards, but that’s not to take anything away from John Norum’s playing. A fantastic bluesy player, and great performer (Like Richie Sambora, every note causes pain to etch across his face).

Each band member had a solo, which was just the right length – sometimes guitar solos (and particularly Bass solos!) go on for far too long. The shortest “solo” was drummer Ian Haugland – 4 bars that lead straight into “Cherokee”, but the best solo was Norum’s; a fusion of styles leading into the opening lick of “Girl From Lebanon”.

With a wide catalogue of great music to choose from, there are always favourites that will be missed off. For me, “Hero” and “Prisoners In Paradise” were notable omissions.

The sign of a good concert is one where you don’t notice the time fly, and “The Final Countdown” came all too quickly.

If when you think of Europe you think of hairspray and lipstick, consider listening to “Start From The Dark” – and you’ll discover a different side to the band.

Set List: (as far as I can remember – and not in this order!)

• Love is not the enemy 
• Always The Pretenders
• Superstitious
• Seven Doors Hotel
• Rock The Night
• Carrie (Acoustic)
• Cherokee
• Yesterday’s News
• Girl From Lebanon
• Got to have Faith
• Flames
• The Getaway Plan
• Let The Children Play
• Forever Travelling
• The Final Countdown

The White Room The KLF
As an ardent Heavy Rock fan, you might be surprised to find The White Room in my collection, but it is one of my favourite albums of all time.

At the time, I had no idea what Stadium House or Ambient House music was, and to be honest, I still have trouble with the differences between House and Garage music. I just knew that I liked some of The KLF’s songs, and most of those were listed on the track list of this album.

Pidgeonholing and labeling aside – this record was released at the peak of The KLF’s popularity, having just released the single “Justified & Ancient” with Tammy Wynette. The single peaked at #2 in the UK single charts, but this album is a complete departure from the radio-friendly commercial material that The KLF had been releasing.

Perhaps as a departure from the commercial world that Caulty & Drummond aped so much (to the point where they were to eventually delete The KLF’s back catalogue and burn the £1M royalties they still had remaining). This album is a mixed selection of ambient chill-out and loud ‘Stadium House’ – House music mixed with crowd noises and a large ambiance, making the music sound as if it was being played in a large stadium.

I remember being somewhat underwhelmed by the album, as the versions of the chart songs I was familiar with were different. In fact, if you’re used to the source material and listen to the album with those expectations, it feels like a collection of outtakes and ‘b-side’ mixes.

However, for some strange reason, I keep coming back to this album…
You can only listen to it as an album – individual tracks flow into each other, and the vocals reflect various themes across songs – prominently the Justified & Ancient melody, which opens the album, and also features on track 7 “No More Tears”.
Unlike a lot of music from the late 80’s/early 90’s, this album still sounds as fresh as ever. I know it’s a cliche, but it’s true… Perhaps because it is so unique it has stood the test of time.

Lyrically, it is nothing clever, witty or cerebal, but musically it is something else.

I’d highly recommend getting this album, listening to it a couple of times, and then leaving it alone for a couple of years – putting it on when you’re a bit bored with your record collection and rediscover it as opposed to just listening to it.