Since it first reached my ears, Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up has been my favourite feel-good soul record. Both music and lyrics, to me, are positivity incarnate. It's inspired some impressive covers including a mellow version from The Dynamics and Weller's contrasting 3:54 turbulent outburst. However, Mayfield's will remain top of my list until someone can deliver it with equal conviction and animation, which I can't see happening for quite a while yet.
Bite Your Lip & Take A Trip
Since it first reached my ears, Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up has been my favourite feel-good soul record. Both music and lyrics, to me, are positivity incarnate. It's inspired some impressive covers including a mellow version from The Dynamics and Weller's contrasting 3:54 turbulent outburst. However, Mayfield's will remain top of my list until someone can deliver it with equal conviction and animation, which I can't see happening for quite a while yet.
Pop Art Poetry
Mark Tamplin Prints (Eastbourne).
Other designs available.
It's hard to come by a decent but affordable piece of artwork, so it's nice to find something like this every once in a while. I received this print by Mark Tamplin for Christmas and absolutely adore it. Tamplin creates iconic images from song lyrics - this one, in particular, portraying Steve Marriott with lyrics from Small Faces classic All Or Nothing in classic red and blue.
GOO GOO G'JOOB
Magical Mystery Tour is on BBC 4. I haven't watched it before: I like the Beatles far too much to exhaust all of their work too quickly. I'd heard a lot of terrible reviews of it, so my expectations weren't exactly hitting the roof, but I'm halfway through and adore it so far. Then again, that's hardly surprising. Magical Mystery Tour has the sentimental value of being my first Beatles album and, like the LP, the film combines the quintessentially English with a healthy dose of psychedelia. Was bound to be a sucker for it.
The Coopers Christmas Party
Coopers Christmas Party at Club a Go Go, Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath).
Ace Face Promotions presented this year's Coopers Christmas Party at The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath. The venue was packed with familiar faces and The Coopers played a long set of classics including Tommy Tucker's High Heel Sneakers, The Undertones' Teenage Kicks and Gimme Some Lovin' (originally by Birmingham's own Spencer Davis Group). Jack Tyler joined the band onstage, taking up a tambourine for a three minute rendition of Booker T. & The MG's ultimate instrumental Green Onions. The night ended with a northern soul DJ set, which kept the crowd dancing into the early hours.
The Black Keys
The Black Keys, £27.50, NIA (Birmingham).
Support from The Maccabees.
College drop outs following their dream and making it big will always hold a certain appeal over me and The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney fit the bill perfectly. Slowly but surely, the two Ohioan musicians have gone from performing in small bars to selling out some of the largest arenas in the UK.
Their gig at Birmingham's NIA started with support from The Maccabees - a five piece indie rock band from Brighton. The choice seemed to provoke a few disgruntled comments and there were a surprising number of people deciding to use the support act's time to stock up on drinks and take trips to the toilet. However, I'd seen The Maccabees twice before at the o2 academy and Bestival, so knew well enough they were worth half an hour of anybody's time. Songs from their latest album Given to the Wild were chosen, but the band ensured to also play crowd pleasers such as Love You Better and Can You Give It? from their second studio album Wall of Arms and a few tracks from Colour It In for the more long-term fans.
The Black Keys themselves employed a similar tactic, ensuring to play a range of songs from their entire discography. Entering the stage in their usual humble manner, the two put on a solid show - no thrills and gimmicks, just straight up music as the fans want it - performing in a similar way as I'd imagine them to have put on their first shows in bars, just on a much larger scale. That was until the lowering of the largest disco ball I've ever laid eyes on, creating an astonishing lighting effect across the entire crowd and arena. Very visually impressive and I guess if you've sold 36, 000 tickets you have the right to throw in a little extravagance and glamour somewhere.
Brilliant performances by two brilliantly unpretentious bands.
Support from The Maccabees.
Their gig at Birmingham's NIA started with support from The Maccabees - a five piece indie rock band from Brighton. The choice seemed to provoke a few disgruntled comments and there were a surprising number of people deciding to use the support act's time to stock up on drinks and take trips to the toilet. However, I'd seen The Maccabees twice before at the o2 academy and Bestival, so knew well enough they were worth half an hour of anybody's time. Songs from their latest album Given to the Wild were chosen, but the band ensured to also play crowd pleasers such as Love You Better and Can You Give It? from their second studio album Wall of Arms and a few tracks from Colour It In for the more long-term fans.
The Black Keys themselves employed a similar tactic, ensuring to play a range of songs from their entire discography. Entering the stage in their usual humble manner, the two put on a solid show - no thrills and gimmicks, just straight up music as the fans want it - performing in a similar way as I'd imagine them to have put on their first shows in bars, just on a much larger scale. That was until the lowering of the largest disco ball I've ever laid eyes on, creating an astonishing lighting effect across the entire crowd and arena. Very visually impressive and I guess if you've sold 36, 000 tickets you have the right to throw in a little extravagance and glamour somewhere.
Brilliant performances by two brilliantly unpretentious bands.
Dr Martens Flora Boot
The chelsea boot has become a staple piece of any decent wardrobe. A nice sturdy boot with a clean, iconic look - and what's sturdier than a pair of docs? Their take on the chelsea steers away from the classic 60s look (a thin pointed boot with a cuban heal) in favour of a chunky round toe and signature air-cushioned sole. On paper you'd worry they might veer a little too far into a rather unrefined looking monstrosity, but the polished rub off leather neatens them up quite nicely, creating a good pair of casual boots that could potentially last a lifetime.
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