MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : Q – SEPTEMBER 2012

“Last chance to see” screams the headline accompanying cover stars Blur. That turned out to be a lie, as I saw Blur in August 2013.

As you open the magazine, there are five pages dedicated to Stone Roses comeback with a large scale concert at Heaton Park in Manchester.

Talking of concerts, there is a look at the recent trend of Meet and Greets, looking at the various packages on offer and the fans who have taken advantage of them.

In future albums, there is a page dedicated to Foals, who are working on a new album for release in “Early 2013”.

Graeme Swann takes Q through his record collection, singing the praises of Queen, Oasis, Stereophonics, The Bluetones and Pink Floyd.

The subject of this month’s Cash For Questions is Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips, who states that he would make a good Doctor Who.

As the summer is now long gone, Q dedicates eight pages to reviewing the festivals of 2012 in the UK, although they did manage to go to Portugal for one.

Cover stars Blur get seven pages, as the band gets ready for a concert at Hyde Park, unsure of what direction for the band to go next.

The magazine ends with a Q and A with Tom Meighan from Kasabian, who reveals he would like to do a Mowtown covers album.

2019 IN PICTURES – MAY

May 2019 began with a busy Bank Holiday Weekend, starting off by going to see Echo and the Bunnymen at Custom House Square, Ulster v Connacht at Ravenhill, and then checking out Street Art as part of Hit The North.

The following weekend, I headed to Manchester to see United take on Cardiff City. The less said about that match the better.

On the plus side, I did manage to get some Street Art photos from the city.

That was it. The first two weekends of the month were busy, the second two not so much.

Echo and the Bunnymen live at Custom House Square

Echo and the Bunnymen live at Custom House Square Photo Album

Ulster v Connacht

Ulster v Connacht Photo Album

Hit The North

Hit The North Photo Album – Sunday 5th May 2019

Hit The North Photo Album – Monday 7th May 2019

Hit The North Photo Album – Aftermath

Manchester Street Art

Manchester Street Art Photo Album

Manchester United v Cardiff City

Manchester United v Cardiff City Photo Album

Salford Quays Street Art

Salford Quays Street Art Photo Album

MANCHESTER STREET ART – MAY 2019

It’s a bit grim when visiting Street Art in Stevenson Square is more exciting than going to Old Trafford.

Headed over to Manchester at the weekend for United’s match against Cardiff City, but I made sure to get some Street Art photos while I was there.

A regular visitor to the city, I automatically know where to go in pursuit of Street Art.

I was a bit late getting into the city on Saturday, heading straight to Stevenson Square in the Northern Quartet, a hotbed of Street Art.

Thanks to websites dedicated to Street Art in the city, as well as local media coverage, I knew there would be new pieces waiting for me.

One of them was a mural of someone called Arya Stark, who sounds like a German midfielder being linked with an English club this summer that Championship Manager experts on Twitter rate as the new Lothar Matthaus, but is actually someone from Game Of Thrones.

I haven’t a clue who she is, or was, as I don’t watch Game Of Thrones, but I am aware through media consumption that she died recently, and this was Manchester’s tribute to her.

Obviously, an hour away in Liverpool, the tribute would have been black armbands and a minute silence at Anfield. YNWA Arya.

It took ages to get a photo of it as there was a queue of people getting photos when I arrived.

Beside it, is one of Ian Brown.

There are other murals on the Northern Quarter, on the shutters of Vinyl Revival, and on a board to cover a building site on Thomas Street, as well as the usual pieces on Tibb Street.

Sunday was spent mopping up what I missed, focusing on Ancoats, and spotting a work in progress on Spear Street.

And then, it was off to Old Trafford. The less said about that the better.

As a post script, last week, BBC Newsline did a feature about Belfast Canvas, but unfortunately, I can’t find a video of it online.

Meanwhile, BBC NI’s website has a feature on Street Art in Derry. I’m planning on visiting the city some Saturday in June, so i’ll be keeping an eye out for anything I see. Keep an eye out for that.

Photo Album

Manchester Street Art – January 2019

Manchester Street Art – November 2018

Manchester Street Art – May 2018

Manchester Street Art – December 2017

Manchester Street Art – May 2017

Manchester Street Art – February 2017

Manchester Street Art – November 2016

Manchester Street Art – May 2016

Manchester Street Art – January 2016

Manchester Street Art – November 2015

Manchester Street Art – May 2015

Manchester Street Art – November 2014

THE SOUND OF 2016 : 1-25

And here we are, what you’ve been waiting for, to find out the best song of 2016. Not long to go until it is revealed. Are you ready? Are you ready?

Oh ok, I’ll shut up, here’s the Top 25.

1. The Strumbellas – Spirits
2. James – Nothing But Love
3. Iggy Pop – Gardenia
4. The Courteeners – No One Will Ever Replace Us
5. Christine and the Queens – Tilted
6. The Temper Trap – Fall Together
7. Chvrches ft Hayley Williams – Bury It
8. Clean Cut Kid – We Used To Be In Love
9. Sia – The Greatest
10. Oasis – D’You Know What I Mean? (NG’s 2016 Rethink)
11. Travis – Animals
12. Stone Roses – All For One
13. Bastille – Good Grief
14. Travis – Magnificent Time
15. Aurora – Conquerer
16. Biffy Clyro – Howl
17. Bastille – Send Them Off
18. The Lumineers – Ophelia
19. Grimes – California
20. Travis – 3 Miles High
21. Two Door Cinema Club – Are We Ready? (Wreck)
22. Blossoms – Getaway
23. KT Tunstall – Maybe It’s A Good Thing
24. Rose Elinor Dougall – Stellular
25. Clean Cut Kid – Make Believe

Thank you for your support over the past year and I’ll hope to bring you more Friday Fives and pointless themed charts throughout 2017.

Congratulations to The Strumbellas, who join Kasabian, Feist, Sons and Daughters, Little Boots, Marina and the Diamonds, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Taylor Swift, Haim, Jamie T and Blossoms in the Hall Of Fame.

Hopefully, over the past four weeks, i’ve helped you discover some songs you’ve never heard before.

If you haven’t heard the winning song, here it is ……

Want to get excited for music in 2017? Here’s four words for you – Liam. Gallagher. Solo. Album.

THE SOUND OF 2016 : 51-76

51. White Spaces ft Jim Kerr – The Man Who Sold The World
52. Stone Roses – It’s A Beautiful Thing
53. We Are Scientists – Too Late
54. Biffy Clyro – Wolves Of Winter
55. Oasis – Stand By Me (Mustique Demo)
56. Laether Strip – Waterfront
57. Bruce Springsteen – Purple Rain
58. Birdy – Keeping You Head Up
59. Madness – Mr Apples
60. The 1975 – Somebody Else
61. Ellie Goulding – Army
62. Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz – Midnight Gold
63. Simple Minds ft KT Tunstall – Promised You A Miracle
64. Chvrches – Warning Call
65. Tom Odell – Magnetised
66. Nina Nesbitt – Chewing Gum
67. Halsey – New Americana
68. Lorde – Life On Mars?
69. All Saints – One Strike
70. Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend
71. The 1975 – A Change Of Heart
72. Paul Simon – Wristband
73. Blink 182 – Home Is Such A Lonely Place
74. Laura Mvula – Overcome
75. Graham Nash – This Path Tonight

2016 : THE HALF-TERM HALF CENTURY

It’s that time of year again, where we have reached the halfway point. So, as is tradition, it’s time to look back at the 50 best songs of the year so far.

1. The Strumbellas – Spirits
2. James – Nothing But Love
3. Iggy Pop – Gardenia
4. Blossoms – Getaway
5. Aurora – Conquerer
6. Travis – Magnificent Time
7. Blossoms – At Most A Kiss
8. Grimes – California
9. The Lumineers – Ophelia
10. James – Dear John
11. Christine and the Queens – Tilted
12. Stone Roses – All For One
13. Bloc Party – Virtue
14. Manic Street Preachers – Feels Like Heaven
15. Taylor Swift – Out Of The Woods
16. Last Shadow Puppets – Bad Habits
17. The Temper Trap – Fall Together
18. The Coral – Miss Fortune
19. The Last Shadow Puppets – Aviation
20. Jake Bugg – Gimme The Love
21. Lukas Graham – 7 Years
22. White Spaces ft Jim Kerr – The Man Who Sold The World
23. Tom Odell – Magnetised
24. Foxes – Feet Don’t Fail Me Now
25. Tegan and Sara – Boyfriend
26. Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend
27. Ellie Goulding – Army
28. Biffy Clyro – Wolves Of Winter
29. Halsey – New Americana
30. Richard Ashcroft – This Is How It Feels
31. Bruce Springsteen – Purple Rain
32. The 1975 – The Sound
33. DNCE – Cake By The Ocean
34. Lorde – Life On Mars?
35. The 1975 – A Change Of Heart
36. All Saints – One Strike
37. Laura Tesoro – What’s The Pressure?
38. Birdy – Keeping You Head Up
39. Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz – Midnight Gold
40. Tame Impala – The Less I Know The Better
41. Paul Simon – Wristband
42. Laura Mvula – Overcome
43. Manic Street Preachers – Together Stronger
44. Sergey Lazarev – You Are The Only One
45. Graham Nash – This Path Tonight
46. Tegan and Sara – U-Turn
47. Chvrches – Warning Call
48. Richard Ashcroft – Hold On
49. Nina Nesbitt – Chewing Gum
50. Travis – 3 Miles High

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : Q – MARCH 1991

Queen, having just released their latest album Innuendo, are the cover stars of Q, in the early months of a year that would see the death of their lead singer Freddie Mercury.

Tom Jones feels the wrath of Q in their monthly “Who the hell does …….” column.

In news, Stone Roses are in Wales, working on an album they hoped to release that Autumn. It was slightly delayed …….. until December 1994.

Q does a four page feature on the work of Showbiz journalists at The Sun, Daily Mirror and Daily Star. You may recognise The Sun’s man, a young Piers Morgan, who boasts that he earns as much money as the Prime Minister.

Queen get a five page feature, mainly an interview with Brian May, covering the furore over their appearance at Sun City, with May defending the band’s appearance “The audience was mixed, as was our hotel. We were able to speak against Apartheid in interviews and play with black musicians in Soweto”

May also spoke about their post Live Aid revival, their decline in America, and Ice Ice Baby, which featured a sample of Under Pressure, which May thought wouldn’t sell as he thought it was crap.

50 YEARS OF TOP OF THE POPS : NOV 14 – NOV 20

Not a lot of pop birthdays this week, but let’s get stuck into our weekly TOTP round-up.

Travis Barker from Blink 182 is another year closer to 40.

Incidentally, he shares a birthday with Faye from Steps, who, from next week, can be seen doing Panto in Belfast.

Anni-Frid from Superswedes (Actually, only three of them were Swedish, Anni-Frid is actually Norwegian) Abba (or Frida, as she’s more commonly known) turned 68 this week. ABBArasure anyone?

Mani from the Roses turned 52 this week.

And a Girls Aloud double birthday as both Sarah (17th November) and Kimberley (today) turn 33.

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 30.3.2012

1. The Shins – Simple Song
2. Bruce Springsteen – We Take Care Of Our Own
3. Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know
4. Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Jackie Wilson Said
5. Lloyd – Dedication To My Ex

As stated in a previous blog, I purchased Belsonic tickets for Madness and Two Door Cinema Club. Not going to lie, i’m pretty much excited about it.

This morning, I shall be desperately trying to get tickets for Noel Gallagher.

It’s great how much Belsonic has grown since it’s inception in 2008. I thought it was doing too much too soon, but it’s great to be proved wrong.

In honour, I shall do a Top Five for Belsonic and Tennent’s Vital.

FIVE SONGS BY BELSONIC WEEK 1 ACTS

1. Madness – My Girl
2. Emeli Sande – Next To Me
3. Madness – Lovestruck
4. The Darkness – Friday Night
5. Madness – Lola

FIVE SONGS BY BELSONIC WEEK 2 ACTS

1. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – AKA ……. What A Life
2. Noah and the Whale – L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N
3. Two Door Cinema Club – What You Know
4. The Enemy – No Time For Tears
5. James Morrison – Wonderful World

FIVE SONGS BY TENNENT’S VITAL ACTS

1. Stone Roses – Waterfall
2. Florence and the Machine – Shake It Out
3. Foo Fighters – The One
4. Florence and the Machine – Rabbit Heart
5. Black Keys – Lonely Boy

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : Q – FEBRUARY 1996

With Oasis as the biggest band in Britain, Q has managed to get Noel Gallagher on the cover with the headline “THE GREATEST SONGWRITER OF THE 90s?”

The magazine comes with a free casette tape of songs from the Channel 4 show ‘The White Room’

Meanwhile, Mick Jagger is in the news after doing an online webchat with fans. Well worth getting dial-up for.

1995 was reviewed with most of the coverage focusing on the chart battles between Blur and Oasis.

Q lists “20 CRAP THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN 1995”, among which includes : Irvine Welsh, Prince Naseem Hamed, Hollyoaks, Jim Davidson’s Generation Game, The OJ Simpson Trial, and Princess Diana.

Hope the Daily Express don’t find out about that last one.

Stone Roses get five pages dedicated to them, where Mani proclaims “We have the X-Factor”

Within six months, they had split up, before reforming in 2011.

Thus far, they have never appeared on an ITV talent show.

Noel Gallagher gets five pages dedicated to him. We wouldn’t have been happy if he looked at the album chart, as Oasis were number two behind Robson and Jerome.

John Lennon (The Beatles) and Freddie Mercury (Queen) make posthumous appearances in the top ten while Michael Jackson is at number nine, one place ahead of Pulp, which maybe inspired Jarvis Cocker to bare his arse at Jackson at that month’s Brit Awards.

Stuart Maconie’s round-up of the best of the (still fledgling) internet sees him review a Tina Turner fansite.

One of the greatest inventions of the modern era, and somebody is using it to show their love for Tina Turner.