Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare

The Arctic Monkeys "Favourite Worst Nightmare" went straight to the top of the UK albums chart this week, to become the fastest selling album of the year as it outsold most of the Top 20 albums put together. Following up their record breaking debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not was never going to be easy, but the Arctic Monkeys have delivered a superb second album.

From the opening single track "Brianstorm" to the closing number "505", the distinctive sound of the Arctic Monkeys comes through loud and clear - all without compromising them as a band. Earlier pre-album press reports had indicated this album was very different from the first, which could have been worrying for fans - yet "Favourite Worst Nightmare" delivers everything you have come to expect from Sheffield's finest.

This album should go on to become one of the best selling albums of the year and will no doubt bag the boys some more awards to add to their growing collection. For us, the listening public - we get to add a quality album to our collection.

White Light Parade and The Switches

White Light Parade in action at Warwick Student Union


As well as seeing The Ripps at Warwick Student Union this week, I got to see White Light Parade who were also supporting The Switches. It was the first time I had seen both groups, and I wasn't disappointed. White Light Parade are lads that look hard on stage, with a female drummer who looks equally determined to get the beats out there. It was a pity the crowd at Warwick Student Union were quite subdued, maybe it's because it is exam season, but you could almost feel the frustration as Danny Yates belted out lead vocals. As I listened to the very infectious "Wait For The Weekend", it could have been Oasis stood there on stage singing it.

Danny gets ready for the weekend!

Jono the spaced man!

Jono Yates is rhythm guitar and backing vocal in White Light Parade, and I found myself watching his face - not in THAT way, it was just he looked so "high" - on alcohol of course! Afterwards he stole my glasses and popped them on for a fun photo, proving that WLP are also fun.

Jono in his "gizza kiss" pose!

The Switches were on Channel 4's "Transmission" on Friday night, so it was even better when I saw them live at Warwick Uni. They seem to be making plenty of waves in the music world and had already won me over because i got a free sweet and badges when I joined their mailing list - yippee! I did feel a bit guilty at having to go before their performance finished but from what I did hear, they sounded pretty funky. I like the whole image they have on stage too.

The Switches at Warwick Uni on Thursday

The picture above is of The Ripps poster and stickers I got from the gig, as well as The Switches badges and the sweet. The bottle of Stella was the one Patch gave me.................

White Light Parade in action at Warwick Student Uni.

The Switches at Warwick Student Union

robmacca meets The Ripps

robmacca meets Patch.

robmacca meets Raul.

robmacca meets Rachel.



Coventry's finest group, The Ripps, were performing live at Warwick Student Union as part of the line up supporting The Switches. I went with my Lithuanian friends, Vilimas and Elvaldas - this was the first gig Vilimas had ever attended and since we were on the guest list, we got in quickly. We managed to get right to the front and got an excellent view of The Ripps as they performed a whole host of songs from their funky punk album "Long Live The Ripps".


Raul on stage at Warwick Student Uni

One of the many reasons why I like The Ripps is because they are so down to earth and totally unchanged by all the attention and limelight. For me as a new fan, I feel honoured that they recognise me and take the time to say hello and chat. I find it really hard to go up to people and ask for an autograph or to take a picture because I feel so self conscious but Raul, Patch and Rachel put me at ease because they are normal individuals that love doing what they do - performing live. If anything, it should be me buying them a drink - but Patch came up and gave me a bottle of Stella. I felt special and this is something I've never felt before when seeing any other artist.


Patch live on stage.
I really ought to invest in a digital camera because my mobile picture quality and videos don't do the bands justice. Thankfully the pictures here are taken by my friend Vilimas and Evaldas.

Visit: robmaccaEXTRA for the whole picture and video collection from the night.

MySpace Band of the Month - "KOLO"

Myspace seems to be one band after another clambering for our attention with requests and adverts - so it makes a refreshing change when a band like Kolo come along offering something for free. Even better that it's a real CD that they deliver it to you.

When it arrived,I popped the very professional looking CD in and carried on running my bath, to be honest I could hardly remember which band it was at the start because I've had so many added lately. Initially I turned the volume down when it first started playing "Wait a Minute Honey" because it had some weird special effects going on in the background but by the end of the first track my attention was captured.

Then as soon as the catchy introduction of "Lamb & Flag" started, I immediately remembered the bright orange MySpace site. The lyrics "You've had six pints down the Lamb and Flag,and now you want to hear my voice" get right inside and capture your ears attention. The CD goes on to better that tune with "I Bet Your Lonely Mad Clive", a 80's electro mix meets The Kooks.

By the time "Headache" came on, I had to get out the bath and start the CD again because I wanted to hear all the tracks again while I soaked lazily. So it was a while before I heard the simple, yet classically apt - "night out on the piss" anthem being belted out by Kolo. "The Return of Jonny Boy" belongs in a movie, something along the lines of "Shallow Grave". The tune is not only great but the lyrics are classic: "I live to live another day and I fought to gain my revenge. So I went to the nearest D.I.Y, the man in the shop thought I was raving mad". You sense a great storyline here unfolding as the track plays.

Kolo are the "MySpace Band of the Month", not because they sent me a free CD - but because that CD was bloody good. I've played it over and over and can honestly say it's better than many CD's I've actually bought. This is their second EP and they have a single coming out on Monday 11th June called "Lou Reed Scared Man", which will be available to download for as little as 79p. It would be fantastic to see these lads from Exeter break into the UK charts and reach a wider audience than the 8859 friends on their MySpace. They have restored my faith in MySpace bands, proving that real talent does exist and needs to get snapped up by the record labels.

A Day Of Celebration!

It's a day to celebrate - firstly, it's St George's day so being English I'm celebrating that fact today. I've got my England flags up on all 3 front windows for today only. If it was my day off work I may have gone out and had a drink but I think my body is still recovering from all that alcohol at The Enemy gig on Saturday..........

Secondly, it's a day to celebrate because Coventry's The Enemy stormed into the UK Charts this week at #8. Liam, Andy and Tom worked their socks off last week touring England doing gigs, signings and HMV performances. It all turned good as the single climbed up from 52 - 8, giving the lads their first Top 10 with their first chart eligible track entitled "Away From Here".
Ironically, The Enemy will now be jetting off to Europe for a 16 date tour so will indeed be "Away From Here" but they will be back soon with another 19 UK dates taking them through to late May.

The single sold a respectable 13,000 copies last week as UK singles saw a 5% increase in sales at almost 1.4 million.

Quote from Yahoo Music:

"The weeks biggest winners though are surely The Enemy. Hailing from
Coventry, they have benefited of late from the patronage of the NME and a well
received support slot with the Fratellis. Their third single 'Away From Here'
now becomes their first ever chart hit, surging 52-8 after a physical release
this week. The anthemic and incredibly appealing single arrives to herald the
release of their debut album 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns' "

*See videos from Saturday nights Coventry gig HERE

The Enemy celebrate getting to #8 in the UK charts yesterday in Coventry.

The Enemy - Colosseum Gig Coventry

The Enemy performed in front of the home crowd at the Colosseum club in Coventry last night. The gig was sold out, the atmosphere was great as both the band and the crowd were "up for it". Before the gig had even got started, the fans were crowd surfing and going mental, then when the boys came on stage the whole place became electric. You had a real feeling that this was the night before The Enemy really hit the big time - for Tom, Liam and Andy their lives would never be the same again from this day on.

This was a night to remember for anyone who comes from Coventry, a gig where people will be able to say "I was there" when The Enemy hit the big time and put Coventry back on the music map. As they played and I watched from the balcony, you could feel the vibe as the crowds pushed and shoved and surfed and chanted - already these lads were legends in our eyes. Even during the short half time interval, the Cov chants rang through the Colly with one voice - this was the home coming gig and The Enemy were like the Coventry City football team, who 20 years earlier rode back into the city triumpant victors.

It was great talking to the people of Coventry at the gig - they were proud to come from Coventry, something which had been lacking in days gone by. The lads I talked to at the bar were saying that it's not just The Enemy and The Ripps, but other great bands are coming out of Cov. Another lad chipped in and mentioned yet another group who are creating a wave in the music world. You could sense that Coventry was alive musically and The Enemy were helping that revival. (Cheers for the pint!). During the gig there was a "oneness" and the random stranger next to me put his arm around me and I did the same to him as we sang along to "Away From Here". It was indeed a night to remember and the begining of a great future for The Enemy and the music industry in Coventry.

Watch some of the videos from the gig HERE

The Enemy "Away From Here" , the final song for the night as the crowds go wild.

The Enemy - HMV Coventry (Post-signing)

Here is the video I made after I'd seen The Enemy perform at HMV Coventry. Find out what I thought about the performance and see what I got signed by the group................

The Enemy - HMV Coventry (Pre-signing)

Today The Enemy perform and sign copies of their new single "Away From Here" in their home town of Coventry and robmacca wants to be one of the lucky one's watching them perform, but will he get a wristband in time?

Watch this short video blog to find out what happened before the signing:

* more exclusive pictures and video's of "The Enemy" may follow later!

"The Enemy" Storming Charts

Coventry's music sensations "The Enemy" are taking the UK singles chart by storm this week with their first chart eligible single from their forth coming album "We Live And Die In These Towns". Here at robmacca we reported the band are touring the country working their socks off promoting "Away From Here".

According to early indications, the single could enter the Top 5 on Sunday based on physical sales alone - not bad for a first single!

"Top 5? How come they are so popular suddenly?"

This was a question asked on a forum, and the answer is down to the fans buying the single and the band working so hard, mixed with good promo. I've got about 16 copies on various formats, which might sound excessive but I'm hoping this local group makes it big and I may well sell some copies on ebay or give them to friends.

My copies of the single

I was a bit annoyed because I'd bought the limited edition Stiff records format (10 copies), having been told only 1,000 copies were being printed. I thought they would be individually numbered like the last limited edition "It's Not OK". But now I find out they are not numbered and it seems they are printing more copies. Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

Long Live The Ripps!

I went into Coventry city centre today on a mission to buy a "I ♥ Cov " t-shirt from Vintage Urban Village, sadly they had sold out, but it turned out well as I saw a "Long Live The Ripps" t-shirt and almost creamed myself with excitement..............

I tried it on and it fitted perfectly, even though it was a medium junior size. I'd tried on the small adult size but when your a bag of bones like me - then there is no shame in buying kids sizes!

If you've not heard of Coventry group The Ripps then head over to their MySpace and give them a listen. The album is awesome, plus they remain totally humble and down to earth and loyal to Coventry - which I love so much.
Rather ironically there was a bulletin from the group saying you can order "I ♥ Cov " from them for a great price of £10 (plus £2.50 postage and packaging) so all has not been lost in my quest to own one of the t-shirts. While I was in Vintage Urban Village I also bought a retro top for the summer.

Good news for The Ripps fans - they are releasing a new single "Holiday" is released on 21st May, which has a perfect summer feel to it. The band can be seen "every fuckin where" as my new t-shirt says, so support this brilliant local group.

The promo video can be seen below:

Holiday



Add to My Profile More Videos

The Enemy - Away From Here

It's an important week for Coventry music as local lads "The Enemy" release their first chart eligible single "Away From Here". The group have been touring up and down the country and this week they will be performing in Manchester, Cardiff, Bristol, London, Northampton and finally a sell out gig in Coventry. The Enemy will also be performing at HMV Coventry on Thursday (5pm), hopefully this time the licence has been approved!

The Enemy have also been featured on TV over the weekend on Sky's "Soccer AM"
and on Fridays "Transmission" over on Channel 4. The album is out on July 2nd, entitled "We'll Live And Die In These Towns" and is available for £7.99 on pre-order at HMV .We'll have more news on that nearer the time. Look out later in the week as robmacca tries to get some exclusive photo's of The Enemy.

See "Away From Here" video below:

Coventry's music scene is buzzing at the moment as local group The Ripps announced the next single to be released from their acclaimed album will be "Holiday", an upbeat quirky single full of summer sunshine.The album is also being released this week in Australia. Watch this space for more news about The Ripps.

Madonna v Melanie C - The Remix Video

It's a surprisingly good remix of Madonna's "Music" and Melanie C's "Yeh YehYeh" singles and video's as seen on YouTube and Melanie C forum . I enjoyed it and I hope you do as well.

* I wanted to post lots of photos and videos from the holiday weekend but I'm having trouble transferring the media to my laptop.

*Late Update: My good friend Martin has just spent a few hours sorting out the software problems with the phone upgrade and so now the media is ready (as seen by the silly picture above). So get ready for some new pictures and video entertainment during the days ahead.

Melanie C - "I Want Candy" Lyrics

This Week's sing along song is Melanie C's "I Want Candy" - how could it not be the song of the week? So, get your hair brush out and if you've got a black cat suit, slip into that as well cos it's time to get sexed up with Miss C..................

I know a girl who's tough but sweet
She's so fine, she can't be beat
Got everything that I desire
Sets the summer sun on fire

I want candy
I want candy

Odyssey, with her hair hung down
Ain't no finer girl in town
Candy's just what the doctor ordered
She's so sweet, she makes my mouth water

I want candy
I want candy

(Woo, huh, I want candy, oh, uh, hey)
(I want candy, candy, I want candy, *laugh*)

Hey!
(With her hair hung down)
Hey!
Hey!

Candy on the beach, there's nothing better
But I like candy in slacks and a sweater
Some day soon I'll make you mine
And I'll have candy all the time

I want candy
I want candy
I want candy
I want candy

(Yeah, hey, hey)

Hey! (repeat until fade)

(Hey, Hey, I want candy, uh huh, oh oh, yeah-ah-ah, uh huh,
oh oh, I want candy, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I want candy,
I want candy)

Girls Aloud - United or Divided?

Girls Aloud are all over the media this week as they topped the UK charts with their third #1 single, "Walk This Way" for the Comic Relief charity. But it's Louis Walsh who is trying to steal the headlines as he went on record saying he thinks the girls should split up after the next studio album, which will be their fifth since winning the reality programme back in December 2002.

Other websites and newspapers have reported that Sarah Harding is set to "quit" the band to join the Arctic Monkeys. We reported the story here on "robmacca" last week and we know Sarah has no plans to switch groups on a permanent basis, so is very much united with her fellow band mates. Sarah is said to be working with Arctic Monkeys front man Alex Tuner. I've not even mentioned the dream I had about Sarah this week..............

All the press stories talking of a possible divide in the group haven't stopped Girls Aloud member Nadine Coyle and her Desperate Housewives boyfriend, Jesse Metcalf from apparently becoming united as one! According to the media headlines, The actor is said to be ready to pop the question to the Girls Aloud beauty, after dating her for just over a year.

A source close to the couple said: "They're completely in love. Their romance was sealed after Nadine spent time with Jesse in Los Angeles recently.They are so happy together, despite living on different sides of the world. They have learnt to deal with a transatlantic love affair very well. Marriage is the next step." The couple began dating last February after meeting while they were both in Australia while Nadine was making a documentary.

Rather interesting, since many other reports have Jesse Metcalf in rehab this week following a four day drinking binge at Los Angeles' Mondrian hotel, where he was subsequently banned from.

I've a feeling some of these stories are a little pie in the sky or Jesse Melcalf was still somewhat drunk, just as well Nadine Coyle keeps her knickers well and truly on (as reported today) and is a respectable Catholic girl!!

Eurovision Cock Up!

It wouldn't be Eurovision without some cock-up or other and Terry Wogan provided us with his best yet this weekend as he announced the wrong winner in the UK's "Making Your Mind Up" contest (as featured on "robmacca" a few days ago).



The UK voting public seem a bit twisted, but they rejected the bookies 3 favourite songs by well known artists, instead making it a show down between Scooch and Cyndi. As you can see in the video above, poor Terry Wogan announced that Cyndi had won and Fern announced that Scooch had won - bringing a few moments of total confusion for everyone. Over 6 million saw the mistake live on BBC1 and were finally told that Scooch were indeed going to be representing the UK in Eurovision this year.

Now you can watch the pop song by Scooch called "Flying The Flag":

The Ripps Rock Leamington!

Patch goes Loco!

Raul and Rachel give it some welly!

Patch goes mental........

The Ripps album "Long Live The Ripps" was released today and I was privileged to be able to pop over to Leamington Spa and watch this Coventry band live for the first time.

I wasn't disappointed as Patch, Raul and Rachel put on a fantastic performance in front of all those present at Fopp Records. Right from the start of Rachel's drum stick clicks until the end as Patch belted out his strong vocals - The Ripps proved that they not only sound great in the studio, but also sound just as great live in front of an audience.

My album arrived from HMV today so I'd not had much chance to listen before the in store performance but the catchy "Holiday" was easily recognisable and has real potential to become their next single. Raul, Rachel and Patch bring out the best in each other and looked like they get on really well off stage as well as on stage. The Ripps prove that Coventry, with all it's faults is a great place to be and a city we can all be proud of.

Watch the 30 second video clip I recorded of The Ripps performing "Loco", their opening track at the performance and also on the album:

The Ripps perform "Loco" live at Fopp Records, Leamington Spa.

The Ripps rock live.

Afterwards Raul, Rachel and Patch chatted to those who had turned up to watch them perform and it made my day when the guys recognised me from MySpace and thanked me for supporting them. Each of them then signed a copy of "Loco" on 7"vinyl, CD single and the new album and were really down to earth and friendly.

If you want to know more visit their MySpace:

http://myspace.com/theripps

You can buy the new album "Long Live The Ripps" for just £7 from Fopp records:

http://www.fopp.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/57444

Eurovision: Britain Makes It's Mind Up!

It's that time of the year where the UK voting public vote for the song they want to represent the nation for this years Eurovision Song Contest. Although recent years haven't faired too well for the UK, it hasn't stopped some well known musicians stepping forward for their stab at winning the most ridiculed musical event televised in the UK.

The most famous UK winners were Bucks Fizz back in 1981, and press reports in The Sun say the group look set to perform for the first time in 20 years, during Saturday nights "Making Your Mind Up" show on BBC1. Over 210,000 applications were made for the 600 seats available for the programme,according to Eurovision websites.

This years UK song hopefuls are:

1. Justin Hawkins (The Darkness) & Beverlei Brown

2. Liz McClarnon (Atomic Kitten)

3. Brian Harvey (East 17)

4. Big Bruvaz

5. Scooch

6. Cindi

You can see interviews with the hopefuls here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6400000/newsid_6406100/6406183.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm

The Ripps "Loco" Single

The Ripps new single "Loco" had me racing into Coventry's HMV record store this morning and then dancing around my dining room singing at the top of my voice to the B Side "Too Much Too Young". Now I'm enjoying the exclusive non album track "Promises", so all in all the single gets a 10 out of 10 from robmacca.

Brothers Patch and Raul Lagunas along with Rachel Butt make up this exciting new Coventry group as mentioned in this blog over the weekend. Not only are they proud to come from Coventry , they actively promote it by singing The Specials classic "Too Much Too Young". The Ripps give the song a fresh new edge that deserves to be heard by every single person in the world!

I've had a bit of a tinker with some codes so that I could get the video to play for all the visitors to robmacca! You can buy the single from such sites like: http://www.hmv.co.uk , you can also pre-order the forthcoming album Long Live The Ripps for just £7.99!

Music Video: The Ripps "Loco"

Music Video Code provided by Video Code Zone

Melanie C - "I Want Candy" Video

Melanie C - like you've never seen her before in her stunning new video "I Want Candy". Watch the video and buy the single (Out March 23rd).

Dolly Parton Video Double Bill

Dolly Parton may be best known for having the best knockers in Country Music, but for me she has the best voice in Country as well. My love for all things Dolly were ignited this weekend while watching the film "TransAmerica" (which was very good viewing!).

Dolly wrote and performed the title track to the film with "Travellin' Through", which tells the everyday story of a person's struggle for identity and acceptance by the world around them. The song has a Southern gospel feel to it, that only Dolly Parton could sing so well. But it inspired me to sing my own version this morning, only because I didn't know the words. I would have continued but given the school kids were passing, thought it best to stop incase they thought I was mad!



Anyway, sit back and watch the video and listen to the lyrics and maybe you too can be inspired.

While I was searching the internet for "Travellin' Through", I came across her version of John Lennon's "Imagine". Dolly gives it a good old country feel to it, enjoy........................

Music Video:IMAGINE (by Dolly Parton)

Music Video Code provided by Video Code Zone