Thursday, June 30, 2016

Live Review: The Stone Roses at Madison Square Garden




In the last week, Great Britain has left the EU, England crashed out the Euros against Poland and the British PM announced his resignation and butchered Smiths lyrics on top of it. Needless to say, it must have been a very strange and hard week to be British. Something needed to bring the people together and it just so happened that something would be one of their finest bands playing The World's Most Famous Arena for the first time in their career.

The Stone Roses have been on a small summer tour, mainly playing their hometown of Manchester and will eventually head to other parts of Europe but in between they returned to New York City for the first time in over 20 years and for the first time with their original line-up.


Since reforming in 2011, the band have toured all over Europe and their only stop in America was the 2013 Coachella festival. Now, they added The Big Apple to the mix.

Ian Brown, Mani, John Squire, Reni, the gang was all there and as the houselights dimmed at 9:15 p.m., they arrived on stage to a heroes welcome. "New York, nice to see you," Brown belted before Mani plucked his bass to open with the appropriate, "I Wanna Be Adorned."

At many points in the night it looked as if they were nervous, shy and a bit afraid, yet as the evening progressed they began to command the stage. Brown would dance around, play his sleigh bell tambourine, as his band projected a sound that the audience waited for -- something that no record could hold -- raw power. They sounded so perfect.


As most of the fans inside the arena seemed to be British, they became part of the program. Brown did not speak much to the crowd in between songs but the fans were out of their seats, jumping, dancing and screaming for more.

In 1989, the Roses released what could arguably be the greatest debut album in history. Each song on that timeless masterpiece is a classic and for fans it is 11 anthems of a generation, so to hear them in concert makes the spirit of the songs come alive. As songs from their 1994 sophomore release, Second Coming, were sprinkled into the 90-minute set, they also shined with their latest single, "All For One."

By the time of "This Is The One" and the showstopping "I Am The Resurrection," Madison Square Garden was a massive dance party. Even uber-fan David Beckham was in attendance to capture the action and attention the audience shed.

A video posted by David Beckham (@davidbeckham) on


 Fans hope for a new record and rumors are it will arrive, while that remains to be seen, moments like Thursday night show the power of what this band still has. It may have been over 20 years for them to return to New York, but it was worth the wait. Now, let's hope it is not 20 more.

Schoolboy Q on 'Colbert'


Watch Schoolboy Q perform "THat Part" on The Late Show.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Live Pix: Only In Queens Summer Fest


On Sunday, Corona Park in Queens featured hip-hop icons Kid N Play as well as DJ Camillo, DJ Wiz, Mack Wilds, and others for a free event. 

Our RICH D SMOOV was on hand to capture the action.

DJ Camillo

 DJ Wiz
 Mack Wild
 Kid N Play



Quick News


via GIPHY

If there was ever a reason to prove that Oasis could not be getting back together in the near future, Noel Gallagher's latest interview with The Toronto Star, explains it. He claims he hasn't spoken to his brother, Liam, since the 2009 breakup of the band, saying: "We’ve not been on speaking terms since 1996. I tolerated him up until he stopped being able to sing. When singing becomes shouting - I switched off then. I was just amassing money.”

Ozzy Osbourne has no plans on retiring despite the fact that this year will mark the official end of Black Sabbath. The Prince of Darkness told Billboard: "It’s not me that wants to retire, it’s Black Sabbath. I’ll be continuing my own musical thing. My wife is good at telling me partial information, but I know I’m not hanging my boots up for a while.”

The Wedding Present will release their new album, Going Going... in September. 

Following the release of the 2014's disastrous, A Better Tomorrow, Ghostface Killah told HipHopDX that he will be leading the new Wu-Tang Clan record, not RZA. "RZA put the ball in my hand," he explained. "He said 'Yo, I want you to do it,' and I been wanting to do it, and that’s a big test for me right there...I’m going to do my part first and let them know what I did and then have them listen to that and follow my lead.It’s like how they do in sports with athletes. It’s like alright, just follow my lead." No word yet on when the project will begin.

Iggy Pop appeared on The Graham Norton Show in the UK last week and said that he will be stepping away from the music world. Pop told the British host: "I will step back at some point. Another album would be a big undertaking from an old git like me!" He then added: "There's a lot of things I can't do now that I could do when I was 25. But because I was basically kind of a loony, what's happened with me is that the less I can do, the better off I am! But I can do a music show, and I enjoy that. And I can do an advert, or a part in a film, or a radio show. And I really enjoy those things."

Monday, June 27, 2016

Jake Bugg at Glastonbury


Watch Jake Bugg perform "Gimme The Light" Sunday night at Worthy Farm.

Gary Clark Jr. at Glastonbury


Watch Gary Clark Jr. perform "Bright Lights" Sunday at Glastonbury!

Beck at Glastonbury


Watch Beck perform "Loser" Sunday at Glasto!

Guy Garvey at Glastonbury


Watch Elbow's Guy Garvey perform solo at Glastonbury on Sunday.

Coldplay at Glastonbury


Watch Coldplay perform "Hymn For The Weekend" and "Stayin' Alive" with Bee Gees' Barry Gibb during the closing set at Glastonbury.

LCD Sounsystem at Glastonbury


Watch LCD Soundsystem perform "All My Friends" at their first England gig since reuniting.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Philip Glass' Heroes Symphony Pays Tribute to Bowie at Glastonbury


Watch Philip Glass' FULL Heroes Symphony set from Saturday at Glastonbury as they paid tribute to David Bowie.

James Blake at Glastonbury


Watch James Blake perform "Radio Silence" plus his song "Timeless," where he brought out Vince Staples during his Saturday night set at Worthy Farm in England.

The Last Shadow Puppets at Glastonbury


Watch The Last Shadow Puppets perform "Miracle Aligner" as well as a cover of David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" at Glasto on Saturday evening!

Savages at Glastonbury


Watch the always incredible Savages perform "Sad Person" Saturday evening at Glasto!

Madness at Glastonbury


Watch the legends, Madness, perform "One Step Beyond" as well as a cover of David Bowie's "Kooks" Saturday afternoon at Glasto!

M83 at Glastonbury


Watch M83 perform "Do It, Try It" Saturday night at Worthy Farm.

Lady Leshurr at Glastonbury


Watch Lady Leshurr rip through "Queen Speech 4" during her Saturday afternoon slot at Glasto!

Editors at Glastonbury


Watch Editors perform "Munich" during their Friday afternoon slot at Glastonbury.

New Order at Glastonbury


Watch New Order perform "Temptation" during their Saturday Glastonbury set.

Listen to Our Essential New Order Playlist on Spotify

Sigur Ros at Glastonbury


Watch Sigur Ros perform "Vaka" during their Saturday Glastonbury set.

Adele at Glastonbury


Watch Adele perform "Someone Like You" during her headlining Saturday set at Glasto!

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Friday BBC Tent at Glastonbury


BBC Music set up a little tent at Glastonbury for some artists to give special performances. Take a look at those including The 1975, Christine & The Queens and White Denim.

Catfish & The Bottlemen at Glastonbury


Watch Catfish and the Bottlemen perform "7" at Glastonbury on Saturday.

Muse FULL Glastonbury Set


Watch Muse's full Friday night Glasto set!

Foals FULL Glastonbury Set


Watch Foals' full Friday evening Glastonbury set.

Live Pix: Duck Down BBQ at Betsy Head Park


On Thursday, Brooklyn's Betsy Head Park hosted the Duck Down BBQ. The likes of AFRO, MOP, Statik Selektah, Heltah Skeltah, Smif N Wessin, and others performed.

Our very own RICH D SMOOV was there to capture the action.

AFRO
 Buckshot and Black Moon
 MOP
 Smif N Wessin
 Statik Selektah
 Terminology

To see more pictures of the event, LIKE us on FACEBOOK
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Friday, June 24, 2016

Birdy on 'Corden'


Watch Birdy perform "Keeping Your Head Up" on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Twin Peaks on 'Conan'


Watch Twin Peaks perform "Walk To The One You Love" on Conan.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

VINTAGE CLIP: The Cure on 'Letterman' in '96


Following our coverage of The Cure at Madison Square Garden earlier this week, we can't seem to shake the show and want to relive it again and again. Here is a VINTAGE CLIP of the band performing "Mint Car" on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1996.

Read: Live Review of The Cure at Madison Square Garden

Listen to Bat For Lashes' New Album 'The Bride'


Thanks to the good folks at NPR, you can now stream Bat For Lashes new album, The Bride.

A$AP Ferg on 'Meyers'


Watch A$AP Ferg on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

The Claypool Lennon Delirium on 'Corden'


The Claypool Lennon Delirium, the new band featuring Les Claypool and Sean Lennon, made their TV debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden last night. Watch them perform "Breath of a Salesman."

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Atmosphere Announces New Album!


Atmosphere will return with their new album, Fishing Blues, in August.

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, as well as watch the video for the new single, "Ringo."


01 - Like A Fire
02- Ringo
03 - Besos
04 - Pure Evil (feat. I.B.E)
05 - Perfect
06 - Seismic Waves
07 - Next To You (feat. deM atlaS)
08 - The Shit That We’ve Been Through
09 - When The Lights Go Out (feat. DOOM & Kool Keith)
10 - No Biggie
11 - Everything
12 - Chasing New York (feat. Aesop Rock)
13 - Sugar
14 - Fishing Blues (feat. The Grouch)
15 - Won't Look Back (feat. Kim Manning)
16 - Anybody That I’ve Known
17 - Still Be Here
18 - A Long Hello 

Quick News

Found Ratking member Hak has left the New York hip-hop collective to pursue a solo career. A representative for the outfit told NME that Ratking will continue without him.

Speaking to Fader, Vince Staples said he will release a new EP called Prima Donna. It will be the rapper's follow-up to last year's fantastic Summertime '06.

The surviving members of TLC, T-Boz and Chili have begun work on the group's final album. No word as to when it will be released, it will be their first in 14 years and first without Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez.

The Rolling Stones latest exhibition, "Exhibitionism," will arrive in New York this fall after a successful run in London. The event featuring a slew of Stones memorabilia will be on display inside the West Village's Industria Superstudio.

Maynard James Keenan will release his autobiography, A Perfect Union of Contrary Things, in November. Take a look at the cover, below:

Live Pix: Public Enemy @ Betsy Head Park


Fans took advantage of Public Enemy inside Brooklyn's Betsy Head Park as the iconic hip-hop group performed a free concert. 

Our own RICH D SMOOV was on hand to capture the action. Take a look!







The Last Shadow Puppets on 'Corden'


Watch The Last Shadow Puppets perform "Aviation" on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

The Head and The Heart on 'Kimmel'


Watch The Head and The Heart perform "All We Ever Know" and "Lost My Mind" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Live Review: The Cure @ MSG


Wrapping up a three night sold-out stay inside Madison Square Garden Monday, The Cure went out in grand fashion. In a near 3 hour set, the iconic British band lived up to expectations of all fans who were looking for hits, rarities and deep cuts.


The Cure, who have become a gothic Grateful Dead, did not hold back to finish their weekend in the Big Apple. Opening with "Out of This World" and "Pictures of You," fans of all ages and types, whether the casual supporter or the hardcore type, were immediately entranced.  Featuring five long screens behind the band as well as various rigs of lights around the stage, The Cure added to the ambiance and show with their interesting production.


Some fans dressed the part for the occasion, others came from work to relive a moment in their lives, while some were looking to see what The Cure had in store. Hardly speaking to the audience, Robert Smith saved his magnificent voice for the music. The band are just about 3/4 of the way through their current North American tour and the fact that they can go on for as long as they can each consecutive night is an achievement in its own.


In a set that was heavy on songs from 2000's beautiful and underrated Bloodflowers, as well as hits like "Lovesong," "Just Like Heaven," and "In Between Days," The Cure pulled from every direction of their 40 year catalogue. In the first of four encores, a new single, "It Can Never Be the Same," was played. It was a hard and passionate song that blows what most rock bands of today have done out of the water. As the clock got closer to midnight, the legendary band was in the mood for a dance party. Songs like "Shake Dog Shake," "Hot Hot Hot!!!," "Why Can't I Be You," and the final song, "Boys Don't Cry," had everyone on their feet. As the stage lights dimmed for the final time, the big boy himself, Smith was not a man of his word and wiped away tears of joy and triumph from under his eyes. It looked as if at 57 he didn't believe he could still sell out The World's Most Famous Arena, but he did. He did it for three nights. The notion must have overwhelmed him to tears which left a poignant and emotional ending to the illustrious night.

Band of Skulls on 'Meyers'


Watch Band of Skulls on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Mumford & Sons on 'Fallon'


Mumford and Sons were joined by South African musician Baaba Maal on The Tonight Show. Take a look!

Ziggy Marley on 'Colbert'


Watch Ziggy Marley perform "Weekend's Long" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Garbage on 'Kimmel'


Watch Garbage perform "Empty" and "Push It" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Monday, June 20, 2016

The Beatles '8 Days A Week: The Touring Years' Trailer Released


The forthcoming Ron Howard-directed Beatles documentary, 8 Days A Week: The Touring Years, finally has a trailer. The film arrives on September 16 in theaters and the next day exclusively on Hulu.

Live Pix: Kamasi Washington in Central Park


As part of the Blue Note Jazz Festival, Kamasi Washington performed an epic near 2-hour set Saturday night for free in Central Park.

Our Rich D Smoov was on hand to capture the action.







Sunday, June 19, 2016

QUICK SPINS



Tegan and SaraLove You to Death
The twin sisters return to dance their hearts away. Some of the most infectious and perfect pop music in years has finally been released thanks to Tegan and Sara. Every song on this album could be a single and that is enough to say they made a great record.
FINAL GRADE: A

Masta Ace The Falling Season
The Brooklyn emcee throws it back in sound and story by taking listeners to a time when he was coming into his own – high school. Masta Ace has crafted a concept record about what his high school years were like and the music that inspired him.
FINAL GRADE: A-

Kaytranada99.9%
The Canadian beatmaker unleashes his debut for those that are ready for sunshine. A kaleidoscope of sound and styles from across the world, Kaytranada has created a summer-ready LP that will make anywhere your feet touch a dance floor.
FINAL GRADE: A-

Chance the Rapper Coloring Book
The Chicago rapper returns with an album unlike any he has released before. Chance the Rapper gets personal, political and passionate and paints with the words he has made a career with in Coloring Book.
FINAL GRADE: A-

Unlocking the TruthChaos
The long-awaited debut from young Brooklyn heavy metal trio, Unlocking the Truth has finally arrived. After being discovered on the streets of Times Square to signing a blockbuster contract with a major label to eventually getting out of the big business, the lives of these three young men has been a roller-coaster and they are not even able to vote. Chaos is the debut fans expected and the record you waited for.
FINAL GRADE: B+

Evans The DeathVanilla
The latest record from the British indie rockers is a noise rock extravaganza. Think early Sonic Youth meets Pixies with a touch of The Cure thrown in. It is dark and humble, plus singer Katherine Whitaker’s voice is divine.
FINAL GRADE: B+

Ladyhawke – Wild Things
The New Zealand songstress returns with a record that will have you moving and shaking for hours. Wild Things is what the title suggests as well as Ladyhawke’s best album since her fantastic 2007 debut.
FINAL GRADE: B+

GarbageStrange Little Birds
Since surviving the 90s, Garbage have been hit or miss but Strange Little Birds, the band’s sixth is by far their best since their 1995 debut. It takes the darkness and grit from their early work and blends it in with what happens when rock stars grow up. It is not only a fascinating album but a damn good one, too.
FINAL GRADE: B+

The Avett BrothersTrue Sadness
The folk fraternity returns with more deep-rooted rock from the plains and country. With their signature heartfelt lyrics and rousing choruses, True Sadness is just a title, not a feeling after listening to this.
FINAL GRADE: B

Cat’s Eyes Treasure House
The offbeat sophomore release from Cat’s Eyes picks up with their melancholy and moody 2011 debut left off.
FINAL GRADE: B

Minor Victories
The debut album featuring members of Slowdive, Editors and Mogwai is a British shoegaze extravaganza.
FINAL GRADE: B

The Kills Ash & Ice
The Kills will always rock, even if their albums all feel and sound the same, they will never made a bad record, just the same record over and over.
FINAL GRADE: B-

Peter Bjorn and JohnBreakin’ Point
The Swedish indie rockers are back and like always, bring the fun, catchy tunes and sincerity to their game.
FINAL GRADE: B-

Fitz and The Tantrums
The third album from the California party starters is more electronic than previous efforts and backup singer Noelle Scaggs shines more than on previous releases. The band’s latest is a blast but we do miss the horns.
FINAL GRADE: B-

DischargeEnd of Days
Taking punk and speed metal and throwing it together, underground OG’s Discharge come with the heavy.
FINAL GRADE: B-

Red Hot Chili PeppersThe Getaway
In The Dark Knight, Aaron Eckert’s Harvey Dent famously said: “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Since Stadium Arcadium, every Chili Peppers record has been a dud and while Danger Mouse comes on The Getaway to help the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, it doesn’t save them. What he needed to save were themselves. The album feels all over the place and lacks focus, it also doesn’t have any energy. If the Chili Peppers have dried out in the last decade, this record is further proof of that.
FINAL GRADE: C-

The StrokesFuture Past Present
To call this an EP is a slap in the face to fans. There was once a time when CD Singles would contain the single plus 2 other songs and maybe a remix. That is what this “EP” from the fallen New York band feels like. The Strokes were a star that burned so bright and keeps a legacy for that but for the last five years, they have been below mediocre and lazy. This current “EP” feels like that. It is 3 songs and a remix. It is a glorified CD Single that record companies would release in the 90s for more money. The Strokes did this for more streams in 2016. You couldn’t write 3 other fucking songs to add to 3 average ones on here? At least pretend you are trying because we have not faked caring. You are better than this.
FINAL GRADE: F