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

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.

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.

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

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.

Most people will know it from the Celine Dion version, but that itself was a cover. The original was written by Jim Steinman for his girl-band project Pandora’s Box.

This version sees Meat Loaf duetting with Norwegian singer Marion Raven, and I must say it is quite stonking.

Raven’s voice takes a while to get used to – IMHO, her voice is a little child-like and nasal, but after the first couple of listens, it doesn’t grate as much. For the time being (at least until Google notice it!) you can watch the video at YouTube. It’s not the best of his videos (that place is reserved for the Michael Bay epic “Objects in the rearview mirror”) but it’s quite good.

Featuring all the trademark overblown operatics that characterise any Meat Loaf song, it certainally whets my appetite for the forthcoming album. With Desmond Child (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Aerosmith) producing and writing, perhaps it is in safe hands…

I found out that Meat Loaf is to release “Bat Out of Hell 3“

The initial Bat album is a classic – described by Q magazine as a guilty pleasure album, Steinmann and Meat’s opus has stood the test of time. In 1993, the followup was released. In a marketing masterstroke, the album marked the re-collaboration of the two men.

So in 2006, they decide to collaborate again. and so we get another Bat album.

The first has hardly dated, each track is a classic, and the title piece is still a fun driving track. However, the second album does not stand up to listening 13 years later. The stand-out tracks “I’d Do Anything for Love”, and “Objects in the Rearview mirror” still shine, but others, such as “Rock n’ Roll Dreams Come Through” and “Everything Louder than Everything Else” are just annoying now (Perhaps due to the amount of times I used to play this album I’m a bit fed up of it?).

My parents used to laugh at how Meat Loaf has apparently built an entire career around one album, and while this isn’t totally true, This is actually the 5th Bat Out Of Hell album I can think of (Bat 1 was remixed and “Dead Ringer For Love” added later, and there is the Orchestral version “Bat Out Hell Live“)

Meat’s last two studio albums have actually been very good, and truthfully I really want Bat 3 to be a hit, but I have my worries…

But you can rest assured that when the inevitable world tour comes, I’m going to be there! Meat Loaf is at his best live, one of the best performers I have ever seen.

In fairness, Willis’ more recent work has been pretty good: Sin City, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable… but do we really need another installment of John McClane having a bad day?

Also, with the exception of Mel Gibson (who I don’t suspect we’ll see doing Mad Max 4 for a few years yet…) has anyone noticed that these are the same people who promoted the struggling Planet Hollywood brand?

With Pixar you really do set your sights high. The original Toy Story broke new ground in animation and set the bar for others to jump. The second Toy Story proved the exception to the rule that a sequel can never live up to the original. Again, the standard of animation was improved upon to the point where they were ready to animate people in ‘The Incredibles’. With Cars, the character models are less animated, they are after all, cars. However, they do not have any less of a personality.

Some critics have complained that the audience is never engaged enough to care about the plight of the characters (In short, hot-shot race car gets stranded in hick town and can’t escape) however, I’d disagree. While the central character arc is fairly predictable Pixar fare: The hot-shot comes to realise that there is more to life than racing, and eventually grows to love the town he is ‘trapped’ in and the residents. There are several other narratives running through the film, with themes such as how the town of Radiator Springs, once a thriving community, falls into a ghost town as a new Bypass is built.

Character-wise, again, it is what we’ve come to expect: The young, good looking hot shot, the love interest who seems out of place in the small town, the crochety old man with a hidden past, the goofy sidekick, the hippy VW camper, the militaristic jeep…

But it is because we are in familiar territory that makes the film so enjoyable. There are no big twists in the plot, but as this isn’t “The Usual Suspects”, does it really matter? It is a fun film, with a simple story and amusing characters that provides genuine escapism for a couple of hours. But I defy anyone not to be even slightly moved when the historical montage of Radiator Springs is shown.

The jokes do not come as thick and fast as in say, Toy Story or Monsters Inc. but again, there are some for the adults and some for the children. (Although from the giggles in our screening, I imagine more children understood the joke about the ‘Piston Cup’ than the BBFC would have liked.

Pixar, being Pixar bring a huge amount of detail that brings the town of Radiator Springs to life. From the ‘Diner’ Petrol station that looks like an engine block to the shapes in the rocks that look like cars, to the reference to Cadillac Ranch, where a group of rocks in the background look like the tail fins of the Cadillacs in the famous art piece.

Again, as we have come to expect from Pixar, the animation is stunning. The cars may not be as agile as The Incredibles, but what they lack in flexibility, they make up for in detail. Apparently a single frame of Cars took 17 hours to render. If there was any one thing to encourage me to make the switch to HD-TV and the next generation of DVD, it would be to see the detail in Cars.

More than any other Pixar film though, the music really takes centre stage. From the opening rocky Sheryl Crow track (which wouldn’t look out of place on a ZZ Top album) to the Rock & Roll playing in the 1950′s style Radiator Springs, to the uptempo version of ‘Route 66′, this is a driving soundtrack. I had to purchase the album (something I rarely do for soundtrack albums) and although I was driving through the town, closing my eyes at a red traffic light, I could easily have been cruising through the American midwest.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a pixar film without a smattering of ‘star’ voices. Owen Wilson is perfectly cast as the young, cocky Lightning McQueen. Paul Newman was good as the grouchy Doc Hudson, but Michael Keaton was unrecognisable and unmemorable as bad guy Chick. Long-Time Pixar voice artist John Ratzenberger again makes an appearance, a joke that is played on during the closing credits.

Racing legends also make cameo appearances, including Michael Schumacher, Mario Andretti and Richard Petty.

Overall, a good night at the cinema, much more fulfilling than the disappointing Pirates of the Carribean 2.

I was fortunate to see Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds on its first live tour in Birmingham last night.

The musical masterpiece, the closest adaptation so far of the original HG Wells novel has, amazingly, never been performed live in its entirity before this tour. I’ve always been a fan of the original recording, featuring the voices of David Essex, Justin Hayward (ex Moody Blues), Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy) and Richard Burton as the journalist/narrator. The music, a combination of classical and synthesised sounds, still sounds as fresh today as it ever has.

So how does it come across as a live performance?

It is difficult to pre-empt what to expect for a show like this. Is it a classical concert? a rock concert? or a combination of the two?

I think the best way to describe it is to say that it is a multimedia experience. The Orchestra, band and Wayne (conducting) are on stage, as are the singers who perform the vocal numbers. Large video screens form the background, adding visuals to the show, including 3D graphics along with the original artwork from the album and video footage.

Also, suspended above the stage is a head, onto which the computer-generated image of Richard Burton is projected. Wayne comments in the programme that while an actor could have been used to replace Burton’s part in the performance, the late welshman’s booming voice is so synonymous with The War of The Worlds, no actor could live up to the expectations.

Completing the stage is a Martian Fighting Machine, complete with ‘heat ray’ and eye camera.

Justin Hayward reprises his role as ‘sung thoughts of the journalist’, and is joined by Russell Watson as Parson Nathaniel, Alexis James as the Artilleryman,Chris Thompson as ‘The Voice of Humanity’ and Irish singer Tara Blaise as Beth, the Parson’s wife.

The overall effect is fantastic, with the live performances complimenting the CGI and music, and making the show more engrossing than it would have been with simply an orchestra and performers, or an orchestra and the video screens.

However, Justin Hayward, once an idol to many teens, is now an old man. His voice certainally isn’t up to the standard it was when recording the original album, and he struggles in certain places. His performance was lacklustre too, simply walking around the stage. Wheras the other performers were acting as well as singing (James’ naive artilleryman and Watson’s doubt-ridden, and slightly mad priest being the standout performances), Hayward’s wandering around the stage gave the impression that he didn’t want to be there. Granted, as the journalist’s inner thoughts, perhaps he shouldn’t be running around the stage, but if he injected a litte amount of emotion into ‘Forever Autumn’, then we might be convinced that the journalist belived that he’d lost his fiancee. In the programme, Wanye comments that the original tests of the ‘Richard Burton’ head were unsuccessful as he appeared too old to play the mid-twenties/early thirties journalist of Wells’ novel. Perhaps in this case, a younger actor could have been used to replace Hayward.

The other little niggle was the unnecessary prologue. Those who have played the computer game based on the album will recognise this as the ‘martian prologue’, where the martians justify their invasion of Earth. However, having them explain their plan (in english!) is a bit superflous, and makes the show lose a little of the impact of Burton’s opening words: “No-one would have believed…”

The computer imagery on the head was passable, if a little expressionless. Aside from the odd eyebrow raise, and blink, the mouth was the only part that moved.

That aside, the rest of the show was incredible. The music remained pretty much unchanged from the album, a few minor flourishes aside, but played LOUD, the way it should be. The Sound Engineers took their time in building the volume up (perhaps to allow our ears to adjust), so The Eve of the War was perhaps a little tamer than I was expecting, but by the time The Artilleryman and the Fighting Machine came on, the orchestra was thundering, combined with the CGI of the Martian Fighting machines destroying everything in their path gave real power to the attack.

‘Forever Autumn’, as I have already said was a little disappointing, but Thunder Child was rousing. Part of the problem with a show like this, is that it is neither a concert, nor theatre, and I don’t think the crowd knew whether to join in our not.

The Second half opened with a CGI animation of the Red Weed taking root on earth, growing and twisting, before zooming into a church, and Parson Nathaniel. The Duet “Sprit of Man” was, again an audio-visual treat, with Beth’s verses accompanied with positive, beautiful imagery, and Nathaniel’s with images of death and destruction.

Watson and Blaise’s voices complemented each other well, with Watson also indulging in a little overacting, at one point, posing in the iconic stance of Nathaniel trying to ward off the martians with his cross from the album. Having said that, hammy acting is better than none at all, and Watson at least creates a character you can believe is losing his faith and going slightly mad.

Alexis James shines as The Artilleryman. Perhaps as the only stage actor in the performance, he knows how to engange an audience. His performance as young, naive Artilleryman is spot on, and you are amused by his plans of building a ‘brave new world’, yet feel a twinge of sadness for him, especially when the journolist abandons him.

Because of the type of show it is, there was no prospect of an encore, although, typically, people were leaving before the concert finished, with the modern day epilogue including images taken recently by the mars rover robots.

The problem with this type of event (and with the british!) is how to behave. People began applauding the arrival of the orchestra (as you would in a concert hall) but then stopped (as you would if it was the backing band for a popular singer). In a smaller venue, people would join in with the singing (particularly with the ‘come on thunder child’ lines), but that would be rude at a concert.

Although this was a short tour, I believe that having tried the formula, and seeing that it works, Wayne will be considering taking the show on a larger tour, perhaps in 2008, marking the 30th anniversary of a piece of music that sounds as good as it ever did.