What the pop papers say: Bloodless coup

Last week, the free NME made a semi-decent bid at suggesting there was a life ahead for the title.

This week? Not so much. You could probably just about get away with a Robert Pattinson cover, if you didn't feel the need to allude to Twilight on it. The NME does, so they don't.

There's also three pages on Jeremy Corbyn but it's not clear who it's aimed at - the information assumes so little background knowledge that it's presumably intended as a 'start here' guide, but why would anyone who hadn't bothered to discover that he's the new Labour leader by now give a shit? And who is this audience who need to have Corbyn's voting record detailed for them, but who will know who Tony Benn is? After a summer where young people have been more engaged with politics - and Labour politics at that - this suggestion the kids need a primer is embarrassing at best.

There's a really confused sidebar, too - the "punkest politicians of all time". It includes Berlusconi, calling his dodgy behaviour as being "in the punkest fashion possible". Apparently either the all-new NME doesn't know much about the fraudulent, sexist Italian politician, or it doesn't know much about punk.

They also include Cromwell, but don't manage to squeeze in the whole being the only non-Royal head of state. It also describes him as "extremely unpleasant", which suggests the NME doesn't like punk. (Their inclusion of Andy Burnham reiterates this.)

There are a full four album reviews this week, which is something. But there's only one music feature - Rudimental - and it looks about two hundred words long.

The first issue they had over a month to work on. The second issue, clearly, didn't have as much time, or as much room for thought, and so gives a clearer sense of what the new NME is trying to be.

What it seems to be is a really watered down Shortlist. Which is a blow to those of us who were hoping it might at least be a watered down NME.

Something better: Art Decades**, which has just* launched its fourth issue, with a 20 page appreciation of Lush. There's interviews with both Miki Berenyi AND Emma Anderson. One of the main revelations is that there's a Lush song which rips off the theme of Reggie Perrin.

* - I say "just"; it's dated July 2015.

** - You can get it via ArtDecades.com

Bookmarks: Lush

Under The Radar catches up with Miki & Emma from Lush. They talk about Chris' death, how horrific their management were, and - of course - about the music:

"I'm not going to say that we were trying to be Britpop," says Berenyi. "Because that's just horrendous. I think the world went Britpop, or certainly Britain went Britpop. I think we just carried on doing the same thing, actually. I don't think there's a huge amount of difference between songs like [Split track] 'Hypocrite' and 'Ladykillers' in terms of spirit."

"It was annoying," adds Anderson, "because people go, 'Oh, Lovelife, they've gone all pop.' But actually, we've always had pop songs. 'For Love' [from Spooky] was a pop song. And so was 'Sweetness and Light' [from 1990's singles compilation, Gala]. It wasn't obscure music. It was always really accessible, songs that were written in a very traditional manner. We were never an experimental sonic band."

Bookmarks: Lush

While the Manics busily rush to sneak in a 20th anniversary Holy Bible event before the 20th anniversary year passes by, there's some other albums turning 20 this year. Including Lush's Split. Marking the occasion, Ghost Life Ghost Life has spoken to the surviving members of the band. Yes, a Lush interview in 2014. I bloody love the internet. It's in depth:

MIKI ‘Split’ was a bit of a rite of passage, I suppose. The band’s three main supports – Howard Gough (manager), Ivo (head of 4AD) and Tim Carr (Warners A&R) – were each having their private crises, and we were left to navigate our way through choppy waters without their previously constant guidance. There were so many opinions and interferences, producers, mixers, UK record label, US record label, video directors, marketing strategies, etc. Expectations were high but every plan sounded as valid as the next and we didn’t know which direction to turn. I​ guess we survived, a bit battered and bruised, and ultimately became a much better band, both on record and live. It left its scars though, and we lost our innocence.

There's also praise for Loz, the drummer from Ride; a link with Nigella Lawson and some warm words for Steve.

Bookmarks: 4AD

This is a few months old now, and so you've probably already consumed it and moved on, but just in case...

BookD interviews Matt Johnson, Miki Berenyi and Simon Raymonde about their time on 4AD.

Taking the Miki

With Rhino records releasing a compilation of British indie in the US, UnderTheRader took the excuse to track down Miki Berenyi, formerly of Lush, to catch up with what she's been doing since the band split. It's a lovely, nostalgic piece, where she rules out any chance of a permanent comeback:

UTR: Are you aware of the online Bring Miki Back/We Miss Miki campaign (www.mikiberenyi.com, www.myspace.com/mikiberenyi)? How do you respond to this?

Berenyi: I guess it’s flattering that anybody gives a shit. Not sure how enthusiastic the support would be if they realised that bringing back Miki Berenyi would deliver a 40-year-old office employee with graying hair whose still struggling to shift the weight from her last pregnancy.

... and she's a little dismissive of the Box Set, too:

I’m afraid I’m going to come out with the stock answer of anyone who’s ever been in a band and throw a tantrum about being labelled as part of a ‘scene.’ Britpop? I remember Blur hated Oasis and Oasis hated Blur. And that Blur won the battle but Oasis won the war. But then later Oasis won the battle and Blur won the war. Several people embarrassed themselves by shaking hands with Tony Blair.
I think our contribution was to stand at the sidelines (being ignored) with stunned bemusement at this desperate attempt to create an advertisable brand of Britishness that seemed to represent a minuscule stereotyped sector of the U.K.

...not to mention, of course, that Lush were - if anything - shoegazers/scene that celebrates itself rather than Britpop anyway.

It feels like it's been something of a weekend for old friends and old faces. Perhaps it's the onset of Christmas.

[via Chromewaves

Pulling back the chain

The Scotsman meets up with Jim Reid to find out the motivation for the Mary Chain reunion. Could it be money?

"Obviously, or I'd be lying to you - and I hate when other people do that. I'm not rich. I'm not lighting cigars with £50 notes. I've got a family, and it's a consideration. I'm not saying I'm doing it for the money but I'd be a fool if I said it didn't matter."

Still, it must be nice to have all that falling-out and bad blood firmly in the past. It is in the past, isn't it, Jim?

"It's never going to be perfect. Me and William will always yell at each other. We always have, we always will. I don't really know how it's gonna go, nobody does. But we have to do this to find out whether it's going to work or not. I really am nervous. We haven't played music together for about ten years, so it's going to be... interesting."

At the word "interesting", a dozen venue managers run fingers around the inside of their collars and double-check their insurance policies.

Of note to shoegazers, reformed and otherwise, is the detail that drummer for the tour will be Loz Colbert, formerly of Ride (that's Bobby Gillespie stood down, then - clearly the brothers Reid decided they wanted more than one drum being tapped throughout the show) and Phil King out of Lush will be doing the bass.