Superchunk channel the Narns

Given it's two years since the Superchunk reunion album, it's not clear if the new Superchunk single is a continuation of that comeback, or a whole new comeback all of its own.

The most exciting part of he new single is the b-side: a cover of Bananarama's Cruel Summer.

Bananarama - Cruel Summer by hushhush112
(Nb: this is the original.)

The bad news? The single, This Summer, is limited to a pressing of 1300 . Good luck hunting one down.

Bananarama: Where did you get your crazy name?

Talking of CB-TV, here's a small treat for a Wednesday morning - Bananarama getting a grilling (of the light, flash variety) from "young journalists" shepherded by Anneka Rice:

My dad was never in a Bananarama video

Whoever knew that in 2011 there would be a solid gold news hook upon which we could hang embedding Bananarama's Rough Justice video?



That's Justin Webb's dad, Peter Woods, sat in his post-newsdesk career having his studio invaded by the mid-period politicised Narns. I was never sure if they meant that one of the starving children on the streets were disappearing every week, or if some children were starving but the disappearing children were being drawn from a wider pool of all children.

The video is, of course, a fantasy. After all, what would be the chances of a group of young women breaking through the security at a BBC News studio and interrupting a broadcast? Oh.

This is why they want to keep children from computers

We suppose, at least, the current fascination with the 'Rickroll' (whereby one links something random to Never Gonna Give You Up on YouTube) isn't being driven by a marketing company trying to flog deodorant or training shoes.

What is rickrolling?

As far as we can tell. It's a bit like a slightly less infernal version of that 2inches.com stunt you used to see all the time on Popbitch, back when you used to read Popbitch all the time. A link promising one thing, but delivering something else.

Rick himself is being good natured about this blast of kind of fame:

“I think it’s just one of those odd things where something gets picked up and people run with it,” Astley said. “But that’s what brilliant about the Internet.”

Rickrolling is being co-opted into direct action, too, reports the New York Times:

Former Scientologists protesting against the church, for example, have been playing and singing the song this year outside Scientology offices in London, Washington, Seattle and other cities.

Although singing 'Never gonna give you up' outside a cult office is surely the wrong message, isn't it?

It will all help ticket sales for this summer's Here And Now tour, where he shares billing with Bananarama, ABC, Paul Young, Curiosity Killed The Cat, Johnny Hates Jazz and the Cutting Crew. (Since H&N promises 'only the hits', surely those last two won't be on stage very long?) It'll help with sales, that is, providing that someone links to the actual ticketshop and doesn't just rickroll the curious.

Not the same old same old

Retrofest - which, effectively, is like a cross between the Here & Now tours and The Big Chill, in that it's old bands hanging round in the fields of a castle. Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, in fact.

Organisers are inviting you - yes, you - to send them an mp3 of you singing; the "best" will be invited to play a three-song set at the festival. Of course, the standards aren't that high, as Hue And Cry are going to be playing a full set so you can probably get away with the odd bum note.

Also playing will be The Human League, ABC, Bananarama and - if the organisers manage it - Michael Jackson. But we'd not expect Michael Jackson, to be honest.