You, me, NME

[stuhuggett]

For the past six months or so, the NME has been running one-column profiles of the music scenes in different towns and cities, written either by their staff or local djs, promoters etc. They started with the obvious places like Brighton, Manchester and Glasgow, and are now finding they're having to write about places like (this week) Wrexham, and (last week) Truro. Before they run out of towns and cancel the column, does anyone wanna try emailing www.nme.com and angling for a Hastings profile? I'm too old to form a convincing argument for young hipness (bearing in mind the last piece of press we got was in the Melody Maker during the last Millenium, and since the Maker's been defunct over 5 years now a reasonable response when you tell that to The Kids would be "What's a Melody Maker?"), but I'm sure one of us could pull it off! Just a suggestion, like.

[marcusjr]

Not having read the NME I have no idea where to start. Maybe something to do with hair gel sponsorship, let them know there's an untapped market down here? Not sure how these things work...

[alfie]

I may give it a go, i'm great at writing nagging neverending letters that make people give up for the sake of peace....shall i tell them that i'm sending my boys if they don't obey?

[stuhuggett]

So, as well as this week's Mumm-Ra mentions (I suspect this may be a running-theme in the NME this summer), that is indeed Hastings' The Crayons in there too. I think this may be the first time that more than one of 'our' bands has been in the music press in any single issue since about 2000 (when, as well as The Crayons, you wouldn't be too suprised to turn up bits and pieces on 10 5 Neuton, Salena Saliva, or our friends Lowgold, amongst others). It's be nice if this continued, but (unless Mumm-Ra handle it the way any of us lot would) it may be just another blip. We'll see...

[stuhuggett]

Public Service Announcement: the covermount 'New Rave' cd with this week's NME is actually worth getting! It's not really Rave (or, despite the artwork, Acid) but it's noisy and fun: possibly this decade's Big Beat? Buy it, turn up the volume and the bass: see?

[Michael]

New Rave! Jesus. I move we put a stop to this and all other forms of popular music. I'm just tired of it all. Let's get into astronomy!

[stuhuggett]

Of all the spurious movements the music press has invented in recent years, this is the only one where I've actually thought that people might come up with some interesting new ideas and records (guitar groups inspired by early 90's rave/hardcore records, why not?)
Don't knock it 'til you've heard it! At least you'll be able to form an opinion then.

[Michael]

I'm able to form an opinion on the concept of "New Rave" as a movement without listening to the music produced by any bands/artists unlucky enough to be linked to it. Good records are good records. Movements just make it easier to drop bands and dismiss their music once a new one is invented by the media in order to boost sales.

[stuhuggett]

My main point was it's a really good cd, and I think people (including you) would like it. Every Wednesday, £1.99. Wouldn't bother so much with the accompanying articles though...

[Michael]

I'm sure it is good, I just don't like the NME and it's silly ways.

[rashamon]

Every covermount CD I ever had I gave away to a charity shop (except those Wire ones) - don't want to start getting them again. I'll take your word for it Stu.

[stuhuggett]

The aforementioned local music-scene type columns seem to have been abandoned for the most part this year... Never mind.

[petra]

NU RAVE IS EVIL. IT MUST BE STAMPED OUT.

[stuhuggett]

Reuben had been to see The Flesh Happening in London recently, and he reckoned the whole bloody city's gone New Rave!
Cattle.

It's the new Big-Beat, I swear...

[petra]

Yes. It is impossible to go clubbing in London now without being subjected to nu-rave. STAMP IT OUT.

[caroline]

Am woefully out of touch- this has completely passed me by...is this why the fashion pages of my magazines are trying (unsuccessfully) to persuade me to wear neon again?

Are we revisiting the eighties and nineties? (And if so, can I have better hair this time around?)

[stuhuggett]

Indeed, Caroline, it is exactly why the fashion pages are pushing neon/fluoro colours again! The New Rave movement has been concocted from the off with the participation of fashion designers as well as musicians and the press. In fact, it's currently more common than not that bands have deals with fashion labels as well as record labels, before they're even introduced to the market (some more obviously, eg Franz Ferdinand, than others; such as, perhaps suprisingly when you see the state of them, Babyshambles...)

[caroline]

BABYSHAMBLES? Babyshambles have a fashion label deal? There's someone other the Babyshambles dressing Babyshambles?!?

Is there much of a market for pre-urine soaked trousers and ready BO-ed shirts then?

[stuhuggett]

You've not tried Kate Moss' new line then?

(Not that sort of line, perish the thought...)

[petra]

I cried when I saw this, then I laughed at their comparative states of deshabille.

[carrie]

caroline said:

Am woefully out of touch- this has completely passed me by...is this why the fashion pages of my magazines are trying (unsuccessfully) to persuade me to wear neon again?

Are we revisiting the eighties and nineties? (And if so, can I have better hair this time around?)

jesus, i tried clothes shopping on monday and nearly ended up in tears, it was all so fucking BRIGHT. so i bought nice things for my kitchen instead (not in neon).

[stuhuggett]

Filling an ATP-shaped hole (but not as good) it's the first NME Weekender, coming to Pontins, Camber Sands, Nov 5-7.

They seem to be announcing (or booking) bands alphabetically: so far the only confirmations are Babyshambles, British Sea Power, Citadels, Chew Lips, The Crookes and Goldhawks.

Still, could be some interesting confirmations to follow, hopefully.