(CNN) -- "I don't know the ins and outs of his politics (but) for his procession to become President I was in America and his speeches were spine tingling. Barack Obama can talk, and coming after Bush it was something to behold. In my humble opinion, if he loses the next election to the other bunch then, good Lord, I will run myself."
So says Noel Gallagher, former creative force of British band Oasis and one of rock 'n' roll's biggest mouths. Singer-songwriter, brother to Liam and now a U.S. presidential candidate: 2012 promises to be quite a year for the 45-year-old whose song-writing talent has taken him from unemployment in a city called Manchester in northern England to sell-out stadium tours around the world, playing to millions.
By September, Gallagher will have completed the tour of his first solo album since the demise of Oasis in 2009; an expedition entailing 81 shows across Europe, the Pacific (Japan and Australia) and America as well as being a voyage into the unknown for the forthright backing-singer-now-frontman.
It was initially intended as a small affair, but such has been the demand for the new record -- "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" topped the charts in the UK in October 2011-- theaters have rapidly been upgraded to arenas to cope with demand. A move that surprised the man himself and maybe explains the overriding mood of calm satisfaction the guitarist exudes from beneath a leather jacket as he sits down with a coffee to talk to CNN.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/06/showbiz/music/noel-gallagher-oasis-obama-high-flying-birds/index.html
Showing posts with label British Band. Show all posts
Showing posts with label British Band. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Rock rules
Nothing beats watching an honest-to-goodness rock concert. The latest gig that floored us for its awe-inspiring components was that of Evanescence, held recently at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The show was actually a twin-bill, with British band Bush playing a 10-song set that burned with hot musicianship.
Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale channeled his grunge roots through a no-frills, take-no-prisoners stance, howling out with passion on songs like “All My Life” and “Sound of Winter” (both from the band’s 2011 album “Sea of Memories”), “Greedy Fly” and “Everything Zen.”
The band’s dense guitar sound was a palpable element—with guitarist Chris Traynor flying high with fiery solos and, in several instances, trading licks with Rossdale.
A pleasant surprise came when Rossdale sneaked in some lines from Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime,” revealing a fondness for New Wave music.
“I’m on fire,” he growled on “The Afterlife” (another track from “Sea of Memories”), triggering screams from women in the audience. Moments into the song, Rossdale jumped off the stage and walked briskly around the Big Dome, further stoking the fans’ excitement.
We went bonkers over a blistering cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together.” It had been ages since we last shouted out a song’s lyrics.
We’re glad to note that Rossdale has not lost touch of his artistic gifts, even after Bush split up not too long ago and he formed another band, Institute. The way he looked, sang, played guitar and danced like a young man made it difficult for us to believe that he’s 46. Then again, Mick Jagger is 68 (!), which just confirms our hunch that rock ’n’ roll keeps these guys hale and hearty.
It took a while before Evanescence went onstage, but the minute the band cranked it up, it seemed like the heavens growled with non-stop thunder.
“Hello, hello,” lead singer Amy Lee wailed—her banshee-like voice floating over an onrushing wave of screeching guitars and pounding percussion.
It was hard to decipher the lyrics she was spouting in the succeeding numbers, but the sound was enough to bring smiles to many a star-struck, hard rock fanatic.
It was like hearing the soundtrack of the Apocalypse—except that this wasn’t a horrific scene of doom, but rather a cathartic expression of fears that ends in joy.
Mind-boggling was the way Lee belted out the high notes without letup, even as she conspicuously took a few sips of water after a few songs.
We thought things would cool down when Lee started playing on a baby grand and singing slowly, only to give way to another round of aural assault from the band.
Later on we realized we were listening to a wonderfully crafted sound that melded classical and heavy metal—seemingly disparate genres but whose complex passages and tempo changes virtually share a common ground.
In a fitting climax, the band capped its spellbinding performance with the hits “Bring Me To Life” and “My Immortal,” sending out a clear: Life sucks, but love makes it worthwhile.
source: http://entertainment.inquirer.net/31871/rock-rules
The show was actually a twin-bill, with British band Bush playing a 10-song set that burned with hot musicianship.
Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale channeled his grunge roots through a no-frills, take-no-prisoners stance, howling out with passion on songs like “All My Life” and “Sound of Winter” (both from the band’s 2011 album “Sea of Memories”), “Greedy Fly” and “Everything Zen.”
The band’s dense guitar sound was a palpable element—with guitarist Chris Traynor flying high with fiery solos and, in several instances, trading licks with Rossdale.
A pleasant surprise came when Rossdale sneaked in some lines from Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime,” revealing a fondness for New Wave music.
“I’m on fire,” he growled on “The Afterlife” (another track from “Sea of Memories”), triggering screams from women in the audience. Moments into the song, Rossdale jumped off the stage and walked briskly around the Big Dome, further stoking the fans’ excitement.
We went bonkers over a blistering cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together.” It had been ages since we last shouted out a song’s lyrics.
We’re glad to note that Rossdale has not lost touch of his artistic gifts, even after Bush split up not too long ago and he formed another band, Institute. The way he looked, sang, played guitar and danced like a young man made it difficult for us to believe that he’s 46. Then again, Mick Jagger is 68 (!), which just confirms our hunch that rock ’n’ roll keeps these guys hale and hearty.
It took a while before Evanescence went onstage, but the minute the band cranked it up, it seemed like the heavens growled with non-stop thunder.
“Hello, hello,” lead singer Amy Lee wailed—her banshee-like voice floating over an onrushing wave of screeching guitars and pounding percussion.
It was hard to decipher the lyrics she was spouting in the succeeding numbers, but the sound was enough to bring smiles to many a star-struck, hard rock fanatic.
It was like hearing the soundtrack of the Apocalypse—except that this wasn’t a horrific scene of doom, but rather a cathartic expression of fears that ends in joy.
Mind-boggling was the way Lee belted out the high notes without letup, even as she conspicuously took a few sips of water after a few songs.
We thought things would cool down when Lee started playing on a baby grand and singing slowly, only to give way to another round of aural assault from the band.
Later on we realized we were listening to a wonderfully crafted sound that melded classical and heavy metal—seemingly disparate genres but whose complex passages and tempo changes virtually share a common ground.
In a fitting climax, the band capped its spellbinding performance with the hits “Bring Me To Life” and “My Immortal,” sending out a clear: Life sucks, but love makes it worthwhile.
source: http://entertainment.inquirer.net/31871/rock-rules
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