Transvision Vamp’s first two highly successful album releases from the late 1980s, Pop Art and Velveteen. The albums are being released as 2-CD sets, each featuring a bonus disc of B-sides and rarities.
Signing to MCA in 1986, British rock-pop act Transvision Vamp enjoyed massive chart success in the UK and abroad before disbanding in early 1992. In late 1987 they released a cover version of the Holly and the Italians song, Tell That Girl To ShutUp and a few months later their follow-up single, I Want Your Love, which made number 5 in the UK charts.
Transvision Vamp's debut album, Pop Art
Their debut album, Pop Art was released in October of that year, reaching the British Top 5. Pop Art was Transvision Vamp’s debut album and is celebrating its 25th anniversary with this 2CD re-issue.
Led by the forthright Wendy James, backed up by the songwriting of Nick Sayer and musical muscle of Dave Parsons and Tex Axile, the band provided a splendid antidote to the Stock-Aitken-Waterman dominated pop charts of the late 80s. In the brief finger of time after the breakthrough of acid house and before Madchester, the group brought some old-fashioned punk sparkle to the charts.
The album’s big single I Want Your Love was perfection itself – big, brash, stupid, loud, funny, clumsy, short, spiky, and became a huge hit. With its snarling guitars and punk rush, it all seemed incredibly exciting, certainly to teenage audiences who had missed out on new wave the first time around.
Pop Art was released in October 1988 and reached No. 4 on the UK charts, where it spent 32 weeks. This expanded edition, through all its mixes, BBC sessions and B-sides demonstrates how hard the group worked and how much intelligence went into their 15 minutes of fame. It was a bold start for a group that were destined for big things and had the chutzpah to put their money where their mouth was.
With its hatful of influences and a barrel load of swagger, Velveteen is the absolute definitive article for the group: 1989 was the group’s high-water mark. Singles were stripped off it and it cruised to the UK No. 1 album slot.
Baby, I Don’t Carewas the first single with its cheeky appropriation of the Troggs’ ‘Wild Thing’ riff and signalled the group’s brief imperial phase. It was a superb hard rocker, full of the requisite joie de vivre of a band achieving their goals. This was followed by The Only One, bright, synthesizer driven pop, Landslide Of Love, a tremendous Phil Spector homage and Born To Be Sold, their ultimate list song, stating how artists from Elvis to Margot Fonteyn were there to be sold, and culminated with James singing Sayer’s words that she was going to make her own history.
Transvision Vamp - Velveteen
Velveteen was released in June 1989. It was big, bold, brash, a bit daft, funny and exhilarating, all the things that rock ’n’ roll is supposed to be. And Transvision Vamp had rock ’n’ roll in spades.
Today, with all its bonuses, session material and b-sides, it is a vibrant flashback to when Transvision Vamp were there at the cutting edge, with all the exuberance, passion, anger and naïveté that pop breakthrough acts possess.
Big Country will release their brand new studio album, The Journey as they embark on a 14-date tour of the UK this April. Released on Cherry Red Records, this is Big Country’s ninth studio album and their first since the sad and untimely death of lead singer and songwriter, Stuart Adamson in December 2001.
The Journey was recorded on the Welsh border town of Wrexham in an old cold war nuclear bunker.
Aptly titled, The Journey is released some two years after Big Country embarked on a new era, when guitarist and founder member Bruce Watson officially invited Mike Peters (The Alarm) to join them as lead vocalist for two concerts to celebrate 30 years since the group’s formation.
Two years of intense and emotional touring followed and as fans and critics alike responded positively and a whole new generation of fans were created, the group, imbued with new energy and passion, performed at many of the UK and Europe’s most prestigious festivals, including Isle of Wight, V, T In The Park and Oxygen.
More recently, Big Country has been joined by another long-standing friend of the group, Derek Forbes (Simple Minds), who took over bass guitar duties from original bassist Tony Butler who retired gracefully in 2012.
Mike Peters has had a long and heartfelt association with Big Country. He first met Stuart Adamson in 1983 and was with him at his last ever Big Country show at Glasgow’s Barrowlands in 2000. Mike, who has fought and won two very public battles with cancer, also credits the words of In A Big Country as literally inspiring him to “Stay Alive” during his illnesses.
Mike wrote 99% of the lyrics for The Journey, a challenge he accepted in the knowledge that it would mean having to look into the soul of the band’s original lyricist, Stuart Adamson, whose words revealed someone who was at once both positive and pessimistic. Moreover, Mike realised the importance of following the formula for all of the great Big Country songs, which started life as instrumentals; a guitar phrase from founder member Bruce Watson or a drum break and piano melody by Mark Brzezicki, with lyrics and vocal melody coming after the music had been created by the band as a unit.
One Direction are the latest in a long line of British bands to crack America. Fifty years ago, The Beatles were the first pop group to fly the flag for Britain as they took the United States by storm. Other groups have followed in their footsteps. From Led Zeppelin to The Clash and from Oasis to Coldplay. But the latest British export have broken records and played to hysterical fans wherever they go; and the phenomenal record breaking success of One Direction is more than anyone could have imagined when they were borne from the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. After all, they didn’t even win the talent show. They all failed to progress as individual performers, and it was only when guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan join forces to qualify for the programme’s Groups category that One Direction was formed.
After a journey that included a duet with Robbie Williams, they finished third in the contest. But within just two years they had sold more than 15 million albums, and made US chart history by becoming the first British band to go straight to the Billboard top spot with their debut album Up All Night; and now they are playing to sold out arenas all over the world as the biggest boy band in the world.With dates in Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham and Dublin tickets to see One Direction live are like gold dust!
After releasing their second album Take Me Home in November 2012, the band prepared for the mammoth 2013 One Direction World Tour which started in February and includes 100 dates in for Europe, North America and the rest of the world.
One Direction – European Tour Dates 2013
Fri, 12/04/2013
SECC
Glasgow, UK
Sat, 13/04/2013
Motorpoint Arena Sheffield
Sheffield, UK
Sun, 14/04/2013
Motorpoint Arena Sheffield
Sheffield, UK
Tue, 16/04/2013
Capital FM Arena Nottingham
Nottingham, UK
Wed, 17/04/2013
LG Arena Birmingham
Birmingham, UK
Fri, 19/04/2013
Manchester Arena
Manchester, UK
Sat, 20/04/2013
Manchester Arena
Manchester, UK
Fri, 26/04/2013
Motorpoint Arena Sheffield
Sheffield, UK
Mon, 29/04/2013
Paris Bercy
Paris, FR
Tue, 30/04/2013
Galaxie Amneville
Arrondissement de Metz-Campagne, FR
Wed, 01/05/2013
Sportpaleis
Antwerpen, BE
Fri, 03/05/2013
Ziggo Dome
Amsterdam Zuidoost, NL
Wed, 08/05/2013
Friends Arena
Solna, SE
Thu, 16/05/2013
Hallenstadion
Zurich, CH
Sun, 19/05/2013
Arena di Verona
Verona, IT
Mon, 20/05/2013
Mediolanum Forum
Assago, IT
Wed, 22/05/2013
Pavello Olimpic de Badalona
Santa Coloma De Gramanet, ES
Wed, 22/05/2013
Pavello Olimpic de Badalona
Santa Coloma De Gramanet, ES
Justin Bieber has had an eventful week. On Tuesday he was almost two hours later than expected at the first of his four nights performing at London’s O2 Arena.
Angry parents and young fans booed, and when Justin Bieber eventually came on stage there was no apology. That evening irate parents called a late night Radio 5 Live phone-in to complain of missing trains or being home late on a school night. A caller to Radio 5 Live said Justin Bieber had been an hour late the previous week for the Nottingham show. Some parents complained they had to take their children out of the London concert to catch last trains home.
The following day a belated apology was offered in response to a backlash and bad publicity. At this stage “technical issues” was cited for the prolonged delay. But in Thursday’s show the 19-year-old singer took a 20-minute break during after he came to a halt during the performance. His manager, Scooter Braun, addressed the crowd and explained: “Justin got very light of breath, the whole show he’s been complaining. He’s backstage with the EMTs [emergency medical technicians] and the doctor.” He completed the concert after a 20 minute break.
Some parents complained they were left waiting in the car park for more than two hours as they waited to ferry Bieber mad teenage daughters home. Maybe they would have preferred to be in the warmth and comfort of their own homes playing online games like partycasino.com/ instead of outside in the cold, dark O2 car park!
On Friday Justin Bieber had an altercation with a photographer as he left his Park Lane premises. This followed the teen pop singer being photographed in several nightclubs while on his two-week UK tour dates in between concerts in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Nottingham and London.
If Justin Bieber is suffering from exhaustion or another medical condition he is only going to get worse as he has 63 live dates remaining on his world tour, which doesn’t end until August.
Evolution Festival
May Bank Holiday Weekend
Sunday 26th and Monday 27th May
Newcastle Gateshead Quayside
Evolution Festival returns to the North East with another outstanding line-up featuring the most influential and exciting names in popular music right now. Evolution has been highly acclaiming for delivering fantastic line-ups at unbeatable prices and this year a host of amazing acts will perform for under £40 for the weekend.
Paloma Faith is the queen of retro soul and sassy pop and this this complete (and petite!) performer commands the stage with her rabble rousing shows.
Performing tracks from her two highly acclaimed albums ‘Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful’ and ‘Fall To Grace’ Paloma has been nominated for Best Female Solo Artist and Best British Album at the Brit Awards.
The Vaccines are arguably the best live band in the country and have been nominated as one of the best live acts at the Brit Awards. The band are also shortlisted in the Best British Band and Best Album categories at the upcoming NME Awards. Their ‘Come Of Age’ album entered the chart at number 1 and they continue to spearhead the UK’s garage / indie rock movement.
Jake Bugg has taken the music world by storm over the last 12 months, seemingly appearing from nowhere to becoming one of the most acclaimed artists in the country. His eponymous debut album reached number 1 in the charts and has been a permanent fixture in the top 10 ever since. This 18 year old somehow manages to sound retro and yet absolutely modern and his set is sure to be one of the defining Evolution moments.
One of the UK’s most singular and compelling songwriters Ellie Goulding has found international acclaim with her albums ‘Lights’ and ‘Halcyon’. Halcyon saw Ellie laying her emotions bare, a journey out of heartbreak and into hope. Back on track her live performances earned rave reviews in 2012 and this is the first opportunity to catch Ellie at a festival in 2013.
Rudimental are the new drum & bass dons, tearing up clubs where ever they perform and this is a rare chance to catch them live as they bring the sound of the dance floor to Evolution. Bastille have been cited as the most exciting thing to happen in indie for a long time. Fronted by Dan Smith the band quietly built a fan base before releasing their debut album Bad Blood which has spawned a number of big radio records over the past few months.
London based duo, AlunaGeorge are the name on all the critics lips in 2013. Having been together for barely a year, this talented duo’s infectious mixes are immersed in sweet harmonies and electronic charm. Nominated for both the BBC Sound of 2013 and the Brits Critics Choice award, catch them at Evolution before they go stratospheric.
The Strypes are undoubtedly the hottest band in the world right now. This four piece rhythm and blues band from Ireland viciously hammer out their no-nonsense blues repertoire and have already met with critical acclaim from greats such as Jeff Beck and Paul Weller for their outstanding live shows. This is a must not miss performance at Evolution.
Headlining the dance stage are two of the most gargantuan names in electronic music Sub Focus and Modestep both of whom will be performing live.
Sub Focus is one of the superstars of bass music, a production obsessive whose attention to detail is matched only by the raw spectacle of his incredible live show. A bone fide cross over artist Sub Focus is that rare thing in dance
music, someone who can keep one foot in the underground and still have credible radio hits all of which he will be performing for the Evolution crowd.
Modestep fused dubstep and electronic rock to devastating effect on their debut album ‘Evolution Theory’. Their sound is a hybrid of heavy rock riffs, brutal synths and bludgeoning synth breaks, all connected together by soulful pop led vocal melodies. Modestep slay audiences wherever they play.
Other acts confirmed for Evolution include the 21st century soul of rising local star Lulu James, Nas protégé Arlissa, the haunting acoustic indie and folk of Sunderland’s The Lake Poets, Grime superstar Lethal Bizzle, Radio 1 and 1xtra supremo MistaJam and drum & bass / breakstep overlord Zinc.
Loadstar, Delta Heavy, Dismantle, Decibel, Drenge, Bondax, Gorgon City, P Money, Chroma, Gentlemen Jonny,Eliza & the Bear and Rossi Noise will also perform and the North East finest music festival.
Evolution is a snapshot of everything that is vital in contemporary music right now and continues to strive to bring the best artists to the North East to perform in front of the UK’s most rapturous festival audience. At £29.50 for a day ticket or £39.50 for the weekend, Evolution continues its tradition of providing an amazing show for an unbeatable price.
Evolution Festival promoter Jim Mawdsley comments’ ‘We have been working damned hard over the last few months to put together the strongest, most varied line up yet! As usual we are proud to have such a strong mix of today’s heavy weights and future stars. The dance stage at Ballast Hills will be an even bigger draw this year and again we are producing all of this for the best value ticket in the UK Festival market. I for one can’t wait!’
Evolution Festival 2013 Full Line Up
Sunday 26th May
Spillers Wharf Stage
The Vaccines
Ellie Goulding
Rudimental Live
The Strypes
Arlissa
The Lake Poets
Rossi Noise
Ballast Hills Stage
Modestep Live
Lethal Bizzle
Loadstar
Delta Heavy
Dismantle
Decibel
Gentleman Jonny
Monday 27th May
Spillers Wharf Stage
Paloma Faith
Jake Bugg
Bastille
AlunaGeorge
Lulu James
Drenge
Eliza & The Bear
Ballast Hills Stage
Sub Focus Live
Mista Jam
Zinc
Bondax
Gorgon City
P Money
Chroma
Evolution Festival
May Bank Holiday Weekend
Sunday 26th and Monday 27th May
Newcastle Gateshead Quayside
Evolution Festival Tickets:
£29.50 for a day ticket or £39.50 for the weekend
