Speedy’s 1996 album to be released – finally!

Sheffieldblog is reightly (sic) very excited at the news that a copy of Speedy’s debut album News from Nowhere has “been found” and is going to be released online later this month.

Speedy’s only notable release was 1996’s “Boy Wonder” a brilliant tune which came right at the height of Britpop. But while Supergrass, Ocean Colour Scene, Pulp, Dodgy and Shed Seven were banging out hit after hit, Speedy sadly disappeared quickly from earshot. The single never charted, but did feature on one of the Shine compilation albums – the Indie equivalent of the Now series.

 

Full of fun, full of energy, taking me – *weep* – 16 (sixteen) years back.

Anyway, while I’m wondering where my life went, here’s the heads up on the album streaming etc.

Cape Town has no idea that Lady Gaga concert is happening after newspaper blackout

Capetonians were left utterly bemused as to what on earth is going on at the Cape Town Stadium this evening after local newspapers chose to boycott coverage of… well… whatever is happening at the Cape Town Stadium this evening.

MAJOR Cape newspapers have supported a call to withdraw coverage of the Lady Gaga concert at Cape Town Stadium today.
Gaga’s management team confirmed to the SA National Editors Forum (Sanef) that no news photographers would be allowed to cover the event.

Ah there it is. A Lady Gaga concert.

And, true to their word, looking at today’s Cape Times, you’d be hard pressed to work out that there was any sort of Lady Gaga concert happening tonight if it wasn’t for the page three piece telling you about them not telling you about the Lady Gaga concert happening tonight. Well, that and the City of Cape Town ad for the transport arrangements on page five, but money is money and media freedom ethics go out of the window when you’ve got the offer of cold hard cash, right?

Right.

Sanef said last week this attempt to control coverage was “unprecedented”. News photographers were usually allowed to at least take shots of the first three songs.

Unprecedented.
un·prec·e·dent·ed
Adjective: Never done or known before.
Synonyms: unexampled – unparalleled – unheard-of

Yes, of course it’s absolutely unprecedented. Except for the international precedent set by the rest of the Lady Gaga tour, which has sparked outrage… er… nowhere. Oh, and the other local precedent set by U2 last year (a concert much covered and adulated by the local press):

Publicists for Big Concerts, Pamberi Communications, said yesterday the ban extended to all countries involved in Lady Gaga’s global tour.
The city’s Tourism, Events and Marketing director, Anton Groeneweld, said this was not the first time a ban on news photography had been imposed: “It was the same request at the U2 concert last year. The artists have a right to accredit the photographers they want.”

How very dare they choose the photographers that they want to accredit? Next they’ll be charging people to go into the stadium to see the artists. And what comes after that? Where do we draw the line?

Ridicule aside though, much like the claims that the concerts should be cancelled “because she is a Satanist“, I think we can all see that  this boycott will hit Lady Gaga hard. I find it unlikely that we will hear anything at all about the concert now that Die Burger isn’t reporting on it. I can’t see her selling any more tickets for gigs in South Africa this year simply for the reason that the Weekend Argus isn’t going to tell us if she was any good. I, for one, don’t go out buying tickets for concerts that the Daily Voice haven’t specifically (and positively) vetted.

I hope that other artists coming to Cape Town in the near future will take note of this very mature attitude from our local press. Because yes, their dad is bigger than your dad and it’s their ball and they’re taking it home and you can’t play any more and you smell.
So don’t you come over here with your international rules and norms and expect us to simply comply without a belated press boycott of your concert so only the 58,000 concert goers, that strange Afrikaans lady and everyone else will know that it’s happening.

That’ll teach you.

Daniel

The first of the Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset concerts this evening saw Daniel Bedingfield on the stage and we went along for old times sake. It’s actually almost nine years to the day since I took Mrs 6000 to see him in Portsmouth, of all places. Nine years is a long time, but like his music or not, his surprisingly still raw talent is still there for all to see.

image

Bedingfield fitted perfectly into the Kirstenbosch vibe, mingling with the crowd before, during and after a show heavily influenced by reggae jams with local session musicians. Honest Questions was sung acappella from the middle of the appreciative audience and we got two different versions of Gotta Get Through This, just in case anyone didn’t like his live remix.
He even borrowed These Words from his sister and mixed it with a touch of Beyonce. Sounds odd, but it actually worked rather nicely.
Yet again, another overseas act who genuinely appeared to enjoy performing here and genuinely enjoyed being here in SA, he mocked the crowd for their lack of enthusiasm and energy:

They told me that South Africans sit down if they like what you’re playing. You guys must really love me.

Things did liven up a bit after that though and it was a really enjoyable kick off to the new concert season. Even the kids had a great time.
Here’s who else you can see this year.

Everything was going fine, and then…

…suddenly a modern day Charlie Chaplin turned up in a pullover that his mum had knitted and then given him as a Christmas gift.

I jest, obviously. This is Cape Town’s P.H.Fat with “City of Thieves”.

Yes. They’re white. Yes. You’re amazed. They sound black, but they look white.
And as final proof that your eyes are actually correct, they dance white too.

It’s been getting a lot of airplay and although it’s a little outside the usual demographic for this blog, I can like to stretch your boundaries a little. (Dad: Don’t even bother)

The MK video demonstrates some of Cape Town’s nicest places and elements of its fetid industrial heartland.

Enjoy.

Hello Sweet World

I’ve shared lots of SA music on this blog before. Not just rubbish stuff because it’s fun to ridicule, but some rather decent things as well – Ashtray Electric and Isochronous spring immediately to mind.

Right now, I just can’t get enough of this track from local lads Gangs of Ballet:

Many are comparing this track to Coldplay and Audioslave and I can kind of see where they’re coming from, but that piano is so very Placebo to me.

But we should stop comparing them to other musicians, because they’re their own band and that’s their own sound.

And a damn good sound it is too. Fine work.