Roll up Roll up, her we go, for those who missed Michael Forshaw the last time around due to the freak snow storm, we thought we would drag him back for a one off exclusive DJ set on June 30th. As I'm sure many of you are aware Michael normally does a live set of his own material so we are honoured to have him come down and spin a set of the music that makes him dance.
Sun on the Skylined
When a sunny day finally appears I get a little shot of happiness before I’ve even
start my day. That small adrenaline like feeling you get only when looking out of a
window onto a blue dawn, knowing that a day of warmth is ahead. That’s the feeling I
want replicated in my record that represents my sunny day, the record to help me
celebrate or find a little bit of sun on a grey passionless afternoon, for this task I
choose ‘Skylined’ by ‘The Prodigy’ the stick out track on the their sublime second
album ‘Music for a jilted generation’
A piece of music so powerful and personal it makes me feel like I’m in the sun.
If I close my eyes when listening to it I get the vision of just gliding towards an Ibiza
sunset, over the emerald waters of the great white isle, a cliché maybe, but for me the
ultimate summer image.
The backbone of this track is its rolling tribal drums, which confirms the Balearic
image in my mind to the point of feeling sand between my toes.
The production being almost orchestral in its composition, sweeping in with
crescendos and holding different levels of sounds as little audio platforms that leaves
it feeling like a condensed electronic symphony, I truly believe if Mozart was alive
today and had our technology and sound capabilities he would be sitting in a little
studio in Vienna churning out epic little journeys like this for fun, but fear not we
have our own Mozart and his name is Liam Howlett and he’s from Essex
. Long live the Prodigy.
ROAD TRIP
Its 8.30pm and the crowd are hollering for more. Some are shouting Stoke related observations, but most of this Sheffield crowd just want one more song before the main act is on. It’s a great reaction.
When I heard local band New Education were about to embark on their first big breakthrough tour supporting the rifles I knew I had to go and take a look and see what all the fuss was about.
With tour dates supporting the Holloway’s and the Twang, plus new single ‘today’ under their belts this four piece are starting to gain momentum.
The venue on the first night of this sixteen-night tour is the sold out Lead mill in Sheffield. Surrounded on three sides by student accommodation this place always promises to be a wild affair.
Fortunately I managed to talk my way into tagging along on this inaugural outing and get an inside view of an up and coming band on the road.
This is a four-piece band whose two creative drivers are in the form of the bassist Jack and the front man Ryan. The Dooley’s
There is a healthy friction in the band, omitting almost entirely from the Dooley’s and usually towards each other. This sort of sibling energy, previously in the form of the Gallagher’s was what powered Oasis towards success, so comparisons are hard to ignore
It was going to be busy tonight, so the sound check is meticulous and drawn out as there is a problem with the bass dominating the monitors, so after much tweaking the stage is set.
Of the seven tracks that new education perform new single ‘today’ whips the crowd into frenzy.
Their solid sound is raw with passion, and the working class message goes down a storm with the Sheffield crowd.
There is no pretence or image to pander to here, just music from the heart and received by the heart.
This band is going to make a splash. So be ready.
