Razorlight @ Fleche d'Or, Paris Feb 22 2011

Razorlight + Thos Henley @ Fleche d'Or
Paris, Feb 22 2011

Razorlight is playing two low-key club shows @ Fleche d'Or (500 capacity) in Paris, France to introduced the new line-up. Maybe we should call them New Razorlight as there has been many changes.
We are attending the second show which was the first one announced and sold-out in a day. Yesterday's gig was added later and was also quickly sold out too.
It's a 90 % female audience. :-)))
Their success has been going downhill for the last few years, from playing full house @ the Olympia theatre ( 2500 capacity) to an half full ( or half empty) Bataclan theatre (1200 capacity).

Chris Cornell has joined the New Razorlight !

Razorlight has two new members Freddie Stitz on bass, who looks like he escaped from a a southern rock band and Gus Robertson on guitar who looks like Chris Cornell from the early incarnation of Soundgarden just before he turned into a model for Gap.

We've never been fans of Razorlight, they were way too light for us and we always thought that Johnny Borrell looked like a dick with his white-sneaker-white pants & white INXS tee shirt.A good mama's boy.

Hey baby ! Things have changed for the new year, the guy looks like a tough mother-fucker now: dressed in black, short hair, moustache & beard , now he's looking like a proper rocker.
Even his attitude on stage is completely different ( see pics).
I don't know if it's a very honest move, the press will probably nail him to the wall for that but... we like it.

Johnny Borrell 2011: Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know

Even the music is much more rock than it used to... and we like it too this way.

The band is playing pretty late (10:00pm) with Thos Henley & his band opening with their cool folk. Thos played an Oliver Peel session on his own a few months ago so we're glad to see him here.

Lots of heavy guitars for the new Razorlight and fun set as the bass player is singing a song on his own, we also have a guess singing ( and playing guitar) on Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso". Looking for credibility ?
They've played some of their hits including "America" (click for video) plus many other songs (see setlist for details) we're not very familiar with but it was rocking.

setlist

The setlist is as long as my arm ( 28 songs ?) for a 90 min set.
They've changed a few things compare to the original setlist : (tbc)
Real thing
Perfectly high
America
Military Man
Pablo Picasso
Somewhere else
?
People who party

The new Razorlight is rocking and we like it.

Keren Ann @ L'Album de la Semaine, Paris Feb 21 2011 8:30pm

Keren Ann @ L'Album de la Semaine, Canal+
Paris Feb 21 2011

setlist

Keren Ann is promoting her new album and is having an international career playing all over the world , she's singing in perfect English, her music is influenced by Englo-American music. (that's probably why she has an international career: cqfd).
Many people over here think that she's french, her french is perfect, but she's in fact from Holland, born in Israel.
Large band: as usual drums, bass, guitar, keys + 4 guys on violin & cello & Keren on vocals, acoustic & electric guitar.
Her music is a kind of cool pop-folk, tonight we're lucky as she's not only playing songs from the new album ( That's the rule here) but also a few oldies and the show is longer than what other bands are doing @ L'Album de la semaine.
Very sophisticated pop-folk songs, great songwriting and soft clear high voice.
We only had two "UFO" songs : one with a rapper (?!?) and her latest single " My name is trouble" which sounds like 80's electro -pop with a very disco sounding bass.
Considering her repertoire , we really wonder what this song is doing here and why it is the single, the video is funny though.
Very good show. We like her a lot @ Rockerparis.

Timber Timbre @ Fnac Montparnasse, Paris Feb 21 2011 5:30pm

Timber Timbre @ Fnac Montparnasse
Paris Feb 21 2011 5:30pm

As we came into the Fnac Montparnasse, there wasn't any instrument on the stage but a table and a few chairs, so we guess that something was wrong.
In fact the band was tired after doing the soundcheck and didn't bother playing so they just signed their record and left after half an hour.

They are playing tonight @ Maroquinerie with C.W Stoneking (we saw him last week @ L'Album de la semaine ) but we didn't bother going.

Next Shows for the end of February...

Band of Horses/ Skunk Anansie/PJ Harvey

Check first before going, we'll go to these shows

Feb 21:
Razorlight @ Fleche d'Or (sold out) check our review of the last gig @ Bataclan in Nov 2008
Timber Timbre @ Fnac Montparnasse @ 5:30pm ( free show)
Keren Ann @ L'Album de la semaine (invit' only)
Feb 22:
Razorlight @ Fleche d'Or (Sold-out)
Skunk Anansie @ Olympia (Sold-out) Check our review of the private gig @ Nouveau Casino in Sept 2010 & Rock en Seine 2010
Crocodiles @ L'Album de la semaine (invit' only)

Feb 23:
Kumi Solo (electro pop) + Anything Maria (electro pop) FREE SHOW @ L'International (map) M° Menilmontant
Joan As PoliceWoman @ Fleche d'Or (sold-out)
Feb 24:
PJ Harvey @ Olympia (sold-out) Check our review of her gig @ Maroquinerie with Pics, setlist and links to videos of the whole gig
Alan Vega @ La Machine
Ebony Bones @ Trianon
Warpaint @ C'est Lenoir Black Session (sold-out, invit' only)
Feb 25:
PJ Harvey @ Olympia (sold-out)
Feb 26:
Band of Horses @ Cigale (sold-out) check our reviews @ Rock en seine 2010, C'est lenoir, Fleche d'or & Album de la semaine : all in 2010

Who said nobody's going to concerts anymore ?

Ringo Starr plans European Tour for summer 2011

It's official !

click on Pic above for video

Ringo Starr is working on an new album and will be touring Europe, from Russia to Spain, this summer.
He will be in Hamburg for his birthday on July 7th.

New Radiohead album " The King of Limbs" OUT NOW

Radiohead's new album is already out, one day in advance.
Here's the single:

Another electronic shit ! Get the guitars back !!!

UK Rock Magazines are doing well !

Bauer Media's music title MOJO has an average monthly circulation of 98,484 ,retaining its status as the biggest paid-for music magazine.

Another Bauer music monthly, Q, held second spot with circulation of 88,240.

Uncut held on to third place among the paid-for rock music titles with sales down 2% period on period to 72,586.

Future Publishing's Classic Rock is within 5,000 copies of third place with 67,695.

Bauer's Kerrang! leapfrogged Metal Hammer to take fifth spot with a respectable 4.5% uplift in year-on-year circulation to 42,967. ( Metal Hammer: 41,826)

IPC media's NME, which was the only title in the sector to report a double-digit year-on-year fall, had a circulation of 32,166 in the second half of last year.

[ All are monthly magazines except Kerrang! & NME which are weekly]

Source: Guardian.co.uk for full article.

Can we get the numbers for France ? Rock&Folk, Crossroads, Inrocks, Rock Hard, Hard Rock, Rolling Stone ...

Buffalo Springfield Plans to Reunite for Fall Tour

Buffalo Springfield @ Bridge School

Stephen Stills, Neil Young & Richie Furay to Tour as Buffalo Springfield this fall while Crosby & Nash are touring together this summer. (@ Paris' Olympia on Oct 14 2011)
They will be one of the headliners with Arcade Fire, The Strokes & Eminem @ Bonaroo Festival

Rare Recording of Jim Morrison Poem Unearthed For New Charity Album

A rare recording of Jim Morrison reciting an untitled poem about the plight of Native Americans in Los Alamos, New Mexico will finally be released as part of a charity album titled Prayer Cycle 2. The record will benefit the anti-nuclear organization Global Zero. The album hits stores on May 10th, but you can listen to the poem, which features accompaniment composed by Elias, HERE right now.
Source: Rolling Stone

Charles Bradley @ L'Album de la Semaine, Paris Feb 16 2011

Funk-Brother Charles Bradley @ L'Album de la Semaine Canal+
Paris, Feb 16 2011

At the age of 62, Charles Bradley is releasing his first album.
He's here tonight to promote it with a small gig in the Studio 104 of Plaine St Denis for the famous Canal+ tv show L'Album de la Semaine.
Charles probably listened to Mr James Brown a lot, he can't dance like Mr Brown, nobody can't dance like him, even if he tried to, but the voice is pretty amazing.
It's very powerfull and when you close your eyes it sounds like James, sorry... Mr Brown is in da house.
Very cool & groovy 9 songs set.
I've already seen the musicians that are playing with him, maybe they're the same as Lee Fields, who already played at L'Album de la Semaine a few months ago, and with whom Charles Bradley is playing tomorrow night ( Feb 17) @ Maroquinerie club in Paris

Next Tv recordings @ L'Album de la Semaine Canal+ for February

L'Album de la semaine , Canal+ TV show

Feb 16:
Soul Man Charles Bradley
Feb 21:
Keren Ann
Feb 22:
Crocodiles
Feb 28:
Country soul folk rock band : The Duke & the King

Bookings for all these shows are open NOW
Call Bertrand on 01 55 93 40 48 or mail to albumdelasemaine((@))canal-plus(dot)com

It's a 45 min set @ Studio 104, Plaine St denis M° Porte de la Chapelle (7:30pm)

P.J. Harvey @ Maroquinerie, Paris Feb 14 2010 9:00pm for Deezer Online

Updated Feb 16: Videos from the OFFICIAL broadcast available HERE

Updated Feb 15 : Most of the show has been recorded by someone and is available on this YOUTUBE CHANNEL maybe minus one song !

Contact : irockinparis((@))yahoo((dot))fr

PJ Harvey @ Maroquinerie
Paris, Feb 14 2011

First show on the Tour to promote her brand new album "Let England Shake" that came out this morning in France.
It's a World Premiere as it's the first show and a private gig @ the tiny 400 capacity club La Maroquinerie.
They did the rehearsals yesterday I've been told ( They probably did some more this afternoon).
Lots of guests ( including English actress Helen Mirren) and a few competition winners.
As the show is broadcasted live on Arte TV there are a few cameras on each side of the stage and at the back of the venue, it's also broadcasted live on Deezer.

As you're getting in , they are giving you a wristband for the aftershow party ( it looks like everybody has one).
Polly is getting on the stage @ 9:15pm , there's a very relax atmosphere in this club, there was a few people outside without ticket, I guess (hope) they let them in as there is some empty space in the pit, it's far from being packed.
Conditions are perfect as we're first row on the left , which is the good option as PJ is standing on the left of the stage for the whole gig, just in front of us.

As you can see on the setlist ( scroll down for detailed setlist) she played the whole new album in different order.
Nice lightshow and the sound is perfect.
She played several instruments, auto-harp (see pic) + acoustic & electric guitars.
Songs are very quiet and everyone is listening religiously for the whole set.
Her high voice is crystal clear.

She's very concentrated for the whole set and didn't communicate at all apart from a couple of words at the Encore, she felt more relax then. Remember it was live on tv .

Four songs for the Encore including "Down by the river" (here on video) which had the best ovation for the night. [ Yeah I know it's NOT a video from the new album, I was a bit surprised that the show ended so quickly, I shouldn't have the setlist was in front of me, anyway it's better than nothing and the show was live on the internet so...]
Short set : 70 min

We felt very lucky to be there ( Thanks again to Patrice for sorting out tickets) for this Premiere of " Let England shake".
Conditions at the Olympia for her two sold out shows on Feb 24 & 25th will certainely not be as perfect as tonight.

setlist & Highway to Heaven with Polly.

The Encore: "Down by the river":

The show was broadcasted LIVE on Deezer & on Arte TV @ 9:00pm ( French Time).

Here's the OFFICIAL re-run of the show on Arte TV ( only 6 songs ):

Cool aftershow party at the bar of the maroquinerie with free drinks and a few canapés, Polly wasn't there but we spotted Dame Helen Mirren.


Check our previous review with PJ Harvey & John Parish @ Bataclan on May 17 2009 and the day after on May 18 2009.

The Faces together again with... Mick Hucknall @ Cornbury Festival this summer

The Faces headlining Cornbury Music Fest in England this summer

A couple of weeks ago Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood & Kenney Jones went to the Ivy in London fuelling rumours that they will get back together.

It looks like NOT AT ALL as The Faces are booked for the Cornbury Fest in Oxforshire on July 2nd 2011 with, once again, Mick Hucknall as their lead vocalist.

No reunion of the original Black Sabbath according to Geezer Butler

Ozzy,Geezer & Tony

Since the death of the late great Ronnie James Dio there has been numerous rumours, fuelled by Ozzy and Tony Iommi, that the original line up of Black sabbath (Ozzy, Tony, Geezer & Bill) will get together again in the near future for a Tour or a new album.

Geezer Butler has released the following statement:
"I would like to make it clear, because of mounting speculation and rumors, that there will be definitely NO reunion of all four original members of BLACK SABBATH, whether to record an album or to tour."