Back in December, I had a chat with the bassist from The Futureheads on their special evening at The Sage in Gateshead and this is my write up of both the interview and the gig itself. I’ve got an MP3 of the original gig somewhere that I need to get sorted and uploaded.

Read the whole article in Issue 703 of Palatinate

This is Radio Nowhere…is there anybody alive out there? - Bruce Springsteen

Writing about ones self in this manner is always difficult but here’s my attempt to give you some information about who am I. For a start, I will tackle my my unusual middle name. The E is short for Early - this comes from the fact I was born six weeks early back in 1989. Aside from the topics mentioned below, I also enjoy politics, current affairs and debating on a wide range of topics. A common question is who my favourite musician are - at the time of writing are tossed up between Talking Heads and Pink Floyd. I am sure most will agree thatDark Side of the Moon is an epic masterpiece, while I find Fear of Music just as exciting. They say what a man drives, defines him and hopefully my car does just that. I own a 2004 Mazda MX-5 1.6i in British Racing Green that I purchased in the summer of 2008 to enjoy the nice weather and something nicer than my old Toyota Aygo+ 1.0. I likely own the largest hat and scarf collection in Van Mildert College, with a wide assortment of garments in my possession. I am onto my second brownish panama hat after losing my first one at Jam By The Lake in June. Blown away or stolen…you decide?

Seb Payne is the definition of ‘the great British eccentric’ - Gary J. Cameron

Computer Scientist

I’m in the second year of my reading of Computer Science at the University of Durham. Being the UK’s only Active Learning In Computing Centre, one feels special and to be here and I enjoy studying here, even when the theory gets though. The areas of day to day study range from Java, mathematics, logic, more maths, networking to even more mathematics. This year, I’m involved in a cross-site virtual geocaching project with a team at Newcastle University too, just to make things interesting. I have not got any ideas on which area I will research in depth for my dissertation but I am hoping some ideas will become apparent in the next six months.

Journalist

As you browse around site, you can see that many articles are linked to Palatinate, the student newspaper at Durham. For the past few months, I have become a steady and major contributor to their Indigo arts section with opinion pieces, interviews with bands and reviews of new music. The Writings category links to all my published work. I have also contributed photography to various issues, of both sporting and portrait nature. Improving my writing skills has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of my second year and journalism is a profession I wish to pursue in the future.

Station Manager

As from 15th March 2008, I am the official boss of Purple Radio, the student radio station for Durham. Purple Radio operates 24 hours a day during term time with over 150 DJs that broadcast daytime shows, specialist shows in the evening and speech shows here and there. Being the manager involves everything from hoovering the office, ensuring DJs turn up for shows, maintain the quality of our stream and decorating here and there. If you are around Durham and want to see around Purple, just let me know. I am very proud of the station and the work we have done so am always willing to show people what we have. Read about more Purple on our website.

Photographer

Since my father passed me his Nikon F at a young age, photography has been a passion and interest for me. I currently own a Nikon D80, F50 and the aformented F. Lenses include the Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G, 50mm f/1.8 D as well as a few older manual ones for the F. Since Christmas past, a SB600 flash has joined the collection to make low-light situations slightly better. You can see my photos online in three places on online (dependent on what you are looking for) - Facebook for fun stuff, Flickr for general creativeness and Smugmug for the serious stuff.

DJ and Presenter

Stop Making Sense is my specialist music show every Wednesday at 8:00pm on www.purpleradio.co.uk. As well as the odd show with just myself, I try to bring special guests on to brighten the atmosphere and introduce some great banter. The music usually ends up being an eclectic mix of songs that spring to mind at a certain point in time. Artists can range from The Rascals to the Spencer Davis Group. The show may be available as a podcast one day but licensing issues forbid the station from rebroadcasting copyrighted music and it will require myself to edit it down to the speech content only. One day, maybe.

Musician

In the spare time I have, I like to do a bit of music jamming. Like most teenagers, I started off with a cheap electric guitar a few years ago but moved to a Fender Telecaster when I continued to learn and progress. In February 2007, I discovered the electric bass and my true calling in life was found. My go-to bass these days is a Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay in black with maple neck and a 2EQ preamp with EB Slinky Strings through an Ashdown Electric Blue E180. I also own a Lakland Duck Dunn signature, as a backup and when I fancy a slimmer neck.

I’m the bassist and master of ceremonies for The Gatefold - a fun and funky band that play around Durham whenever work permits. Someday, we’ll have a website to point to so you can find out more!

• Jet (Newcastle Carling Academy) - 31st October 2006. Standing around third from front. Taken to this gig by the persuasion of a friend. Not a big fan of Jet and still not that enthused. Their second album is better musically then their first but lacks the raw passion and energy found in the first. I got several tones of beer split over me. Being my first gig, I was shocked at how loud the thing was and how much fun everyone was having. Support acts were Captain and +44 if my memory serves me right. Captain were quite good but +44 were pretty awful.
• The Feeling (Newcastle Caring Academy) - 19th November 2006. Standing right at front. A very memorable gig that was less violent that Jet - didn’t get hit around as much. The audience was slightly older but I enjoyed this one more, knowing the music and the band really helps. Played all their big hits and managed to get signed set-list that’s hanging in my room. Played Join With Us, which eventually appeared on their sophomore album in different form.
• Bob Dylan (Newcastle Metro Radio Arena) - 12th April 2007. Seating, stage left, first level. What a difference compared to the other gigs. The acoustics were terrible and it was very hard to exactly what Dylan was playing. It was a fantastic feeling to have *the* Bob Dylan in the same room as you are. The setlist included some old, lots of new and obscure numbers. My cousin and myself spent the whole show doing the guessing game - working out what each number is, since they were so unrecognisable from the originals were are all used to. I have a bootleg of this show so it’s quite fresh in my mind. Bob’s guitar licks were great but the keyboards not so.
• James Taylor (Newcastle City Hall) - 29th April 2007. As I commented to people when I came out, this is what Bob Dylan should have been like. A small venue with great acoustics, great view of the stage and good banter the audience. Bob is known for not talking to his audiences but for his style of music, I would strongly questions why they chose the Arena bu the perfectly good City Hall was available. Sure, it is 2,000 vs. 10,000 people but I doubt many had as good as time. James was fantastic - his voice in top form. The songs sounded as fresh as they do on the records and his voice has not chance one iota since his heydays of the 70s. The long hair may be gone but a drum machine and help from pianist Larry Goldings made this a fantastic concert. All his hits were played - Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain, You’ve Got a Friend, Copperline and Something In The Way - as well as some more modern and less-known material. I have found a new love for the album October Road after seeing James perform some songs live. The friendliness with the audience and stories of his life were fantastic. His children, home life, experiences and music all got a showing in this concert. I would not hesitate to go and see him live again.
• Roger Waters (Earl’s Court) - 11th May 2007. The first time I was a concert specular! Beyond the music, there were pyrotechnics, videos and of course, an inflatable pig! The setlist was the same for all shows and mixed in solo, early Floyd and late Pink Floyd with a new song too. The second half was a run through of Pink Floyd’s 1973 magnus opus Dark Side of The Moon. Waters was the bass player and sometimes vocalist for the band, meaning plenty of support was needed from his backing band. A collection of true musicians, they did a fantastic job and the music was awfully good. Waters said he attacks playing the music ‘like playing a classical piece’ - making it coincidential that he wrote most of it. If you look at the show this way, it was a job well done, if you look at it as Pink Floyd, it wasn’t. I was sitting stage right in the rafters but moved to stage left, near the floor for the second half. Earl’s Court isn’t a great venue but this didn’t disappoint. Pink Floyd are my favourite band and this was a great chance to see my favourite music performed live! Unfortunatly, Nick Mason featured on the second night so I missed seeing ‘half of Pink Floyd’ by one night. My first time travelling to London indepently too.
• The Kooks (O2 Arena) - 29th August 2007. Although they were a support band, the Kooks are big enough on their own to warrant a small entry. Doing a support for the Rolling Stones isn’t an easy task, especially with minimal equipment and no theatrics. The auditorium was half full but I enjoyed their set - Ooh La was a highlight. I don’t think they have an awful lot of experience playing such large venues but they did a good job. Support acts are meant to get people enthused for the main act and the Kooks succeed in this role. I don’t have any need to see them again. To me, their music goes under the rule of ‘generic indie’ - especially Konk.
• The Rolling Stones (O2 Arena) - 29th August 2007. I was browsing the internet, and found a press release, announcing that the Stones would be doing a few more dates to round off their Bigger Bang tour. I spoke to a friend friends and found a little party that would be willing to make the trip to London. The concert was phenomenal, in different ways to Roger Waters. Waters has never been about enthusiasm or fast music, allowing his words and lyrics to do work. The Stones are different, right from the beginning it was a fast paced concert. For a band that has a collective age of 255 years, their energy was fantastic. Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Brown Sugar and Start Me Up sound as vibrant as they do on record. Another nice touch is that everything has been extended or evolved slightly from the original version. The highlight was a 10 minute+ rendition of Can’t You Hear Me Knocking, the jazz-blues-fusion masterpiece from Sticky Fingers. Playing a mix of material from 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s, the concert provided a great spectrum of their whole career. If you haven’t already seen them, the Rolling Stones are a band you must see before their retire (if that ever happens).
• The Police (Wembley Arena) - 20th October 2007. The first gig after I arrived at university, I missed The Police at Twickenham several months previous to this concert. Another friend said his bandmate had seen them at Twickenham and was very impressed as another train ride later and I was at Wembley Arena. The arena isn’t terribly big and it raised a question - why didn’t they play Newcastle Arena? Sting is very popular in the North East and tickets would have sold very quickly. Instead, we had to spent £40.00 each travelling to London. Aside from this, the concert impressed me in a different way. The musicianship of these three gentlemen was impeccable. Sting’s vocals and bass work, Andy’s guitar lines and Stewart Copeland’s drumming. He was the star of the show in my opinion - the rhythms he kept were unlike anything I have seen before, although he had a look of pure concentration on his face for the whole show. Playing material from all their albums, there was nothing missed out. Roxanne and Can’t Stand Loosing You were the highlights for me. Beyond, Don’t Stand So Close, the songs sounded very similar to the studio versions. Sting had previously said there would be few special effects, allowing the audience to focus on the music. They were right, none were needed. I am very glad I saw the band - my interest in New Wave music has increased since then and it seems the band will be calling it a day by the end of this year. I had an interesting train ride, which may be written about in a future post that made the trip that little more interesting.
• The Eagles (O2 Arena) - 26th April 2008. I’d been keeping my eye on the Eagles’ website as there had been rumours they would be touring in 2008. The first dates to be announced were the O2 Arena and I bought two tickets, although only one of them ended up being used. The same train ride to Kings Cross and I was outside the O2. I ended up in the rafters of the O2 and felt distinctly sick at the thought of sitting that far up so had a chat and the very kind staff found a seat nearer the ground - and the stage too! The setlist was a healthy mix of new and old - plenty of songs from their new album as well as classics like Hotel California, One Of These Nights and Take It Easy. A few Don Henley and Joe Walsh solo songs made it into the list, although I was slightly disappointed at the lack of Rocky Mountain Way. However, the fellows put on a fantastic show and the traditional the ‘five part harmonies’ were present as expected. The touring band consists of an extra guitarist, pianist, percussionist and horns outfit, so the songs tended to have an extra zaz added to them, with variations on the studio versions. Watching Don Henley drum and sing on Hotel California is fantastic and the guitar solo has reached legendary status. At times, the set felt like pure perfection - the acoustics of the O2 were ideally suited to this sort of music finally. If you are in any doubt of their new material, How Long and Long Road Out Of Eden will change your mind. One being a cover of a song by J. D. Souther and the other being a 10 minute epic commentary on the Iraq war. With the Stones, another band I recommend you really see if you can.
• Mark Knopfler (Newcastle City Hall) - 21st May 2008
• Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (Emirates Stadium) - 30th May 2008. Fresh in my mind, this was the longest gig of the tour so far. Bruce and the band played 28 songs and the set neared around three hours of playing time. A sound limit didn’t seem to bother. Thanks to the help of my cousin, I managed to get a ‘yellow band’ - this gave me access to the front section and managed to get some excellent views of the stage and the band. The gig had a mixture of old, oldish, newish and new - playing material from Magic, The Rising, Born In The USA, The River, Darkness, Born To Run and The Wild/Innocent. Previous to this, I have never been to a stadium gig and it was a wild experience. My feet were killing but it was fantastic fun. Take a look at the full set list here on Bruce’s website. Defiantly one of the best I’ve been to - it amazed me how intimate Bruce could be with a crowd of 60,000 and somehow taking song requests too!
• The Moody Blues (Newcastle City Hall) - 23rd September 2008
• The Last Shadow Puppets (Newcastle City Hall) - 27th October 2008
• The Futureheads (Sage Gateshead) - 19th December 2008

Witnessing Live (In The Near Future)

• David Byrne (Sage Gateshead) - 1st April 2009
• Oasis (Sunderland Stadium of Light) - 19th June 2009

I managed to catch up with Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, the chief fellows behind the top band of 2008, according to NME anyway at Leeds Academy a few weeks. Apart from the usual chat, look out for some questions on hair treatment and octopus as well as my thoughts on the gig itself.

Read the whole article in Issue 702 of Palatinate

As the year is coming to an end, I wrote a brief summary of some my favourite pieces of music that have graced the music scene in the past 12 months, with entries for AC/DC, Oasis, Randy Newman, The Verve and David Byrne,

Read the whole article in Issue 702 of Palatinate

After the last-minute ticket offer from the lovely music team at Palatinate, I managed to get a press pass for this gig to photograph the band and attend the gig at the legendary City Hall in Newcastle upon Tyne. With the two dapper frontmen and a 16 piece orchestra, this was an inspirational concert and more so than anything else I have seen this year.

Read the full article in Issue 700 of Palatinate.

The topic of this article have been floating in my mind for a while and this was the first article that I wrote when I joined the music team of Palatinate at the beginning of my second year at Durham. Hopefully, it will introduce some to the music to both bands and encourage individuals to think about what they are listening to.

Read the full article in Issue 699 of Palatinate. It can be found in Page 11 of Indigio.

The first piece I wrote for Palatinate was this mini-review of Oasis’ first album in three years. Overall, it is a positive review and I have thoroughly enjoyed this album, although others may not agree with the review. The album has to be looked at, compared to their back catalogue and not the stature of their first two albums.

Read the full article in Issue 699 of Palatinate

David Gilmour and his solo band appeared on Later…with Jools Holland last night, and thanks to the wonders of iPlayer and YouTube, you can catch the best bits now. Apart from a rather good performance by Elbow, David had a piano-side chat with Jools about Richard, his musical style and contributions to Pink Floyd’s sound. In tribute, they played an early Pink Floyd track, Remember A Day that can be found on the Saucerful of Secrets album. It’s a very interesting track, with an unusual drum beat, some slide-guitar work seldom seen from David and has the ’spaced-out’ feeling of most of their early work. This would be the final album where you could feel this, as they would move to more conventional rock and blues styles in their future works. Nether less, this is a lovely tribute for a lovely man.

My hopes continue that David will take his band out on another tour next year and I will be sure not to miss this, and make the mistake of not acting fast enough back in 2006.