Performance

 

SWR - Close the Dam

New solo material from Shaun Ryder. Sounding a lot fresher than the terrifying, yet compelling, 2003 drug fuelled self indulgence that was Amateur Night in the Big Top, SWR (as he's rebranded himself) releases two quality tunes.

Close the Dam is a solid club track unlike anything Ryder's penned before, potentially a glimpse of any future Mondays/Grape releases. Electric Scales is a proper glorious vintage Happy Mondays sound straight from the Squirrel and G Man heydays. And as he sings in the latter song, never mind the quality, feel the weight. Well, you get both for your buck with these two quality tracks.

That's double, double good.

Loaded Icons

 Loaded has had many iconic covers in its time, but many of my favourite icons have appeared on the front of the lads favourite. Here's a few...

Thrifty Shopper

I love a bargain. Here's a few purchases I've amassed in past few months via cheap but not always tasteful means...

GANT - Brand new, in my size and all for the low low price of £3.50 from the local hospice charity shop. Quality find that proves visiting your local thrift shop, despite leaving hundreds of times empty handed, eventually leaves you quids in...

CC Sweat - Had this since the summer actually, but now we've got to autumn it'll get a bit of wear. Full Metal Jacket inspired Viet conflict sweatshirt that says 'Yeah I support the boys overseas, but I'll do it whilst lounging round at home in a quality sweat. Deal with it". £12 from fleabay.

Decent Denim - Lost a fair bit of weight (two stone to be precise) so needed some new jeans as my arse was slipping off in the old ones. A lot of spoken about Japanese selvedge and the like, but I've headed West for the heritage brands of the US in Levi and Lee. By west I mean I went to the local TKM.

Woolrich - You can't beat a bit of Wooly. Got this vintage shirt from bay of despair for a few bob. Not sure what the design pattern is, but provides a bit of welcome relief from all checks in the wardrobe - Smart chambray with fossils. An added bonus is that it's a large. Get in there you formerly fat bastard.

Minster Moors - Love a shoe that looks like a burnt asymmetrical cornish pasty. So just as well I snapped these prime Minsters from the Connoisseur forum for a price of similar worth to fifteen of the Cornwall delicacies...

Faconnable - My favourite shirt brand of all time, but now available as a cap. Wow. Admittedly I'm not a cap wearer (my basey and Air Max days are about a fifth of a century behind me) but this was going for free on above said CC forum. Will name and shame the kind member - Hax. A true Gent who gave me holiday headwear for the price of a fart (only nice)...

Loaded - I only bought it for the articles. No really. Back in 1995 there were no semi nipped lasses in Loaded. Anyway a Great and Straight (Yeah) Shaun Ryder discusses newly formed Black Grape, plus a decent interview with the yet to be disgraced Ron Atkinson and an article on Casuals shopping. From Bay for a bob or two, expect a blog involving this in the not too distance future...

Coal not Dole - Pin badge for a quid. Just doing my bit, a show of support for the NUM. The union will never cave in...

Serpico - Gone full circle and back to the same charity shop where I got this cult classic, that I've shamefully never owned, for 50p. Widescreen edition too so I can appreciate the great mans beard and choice in hats in all there glory...

Mr Madchester

Tony Wilson died seven years ago today...

Happy Mumdays

Hope you're sending her a bit Sunshine & Love today. Happy Mumdays.

It's Great When You're a Straight Edged...Badge

Carlos the Jackal. Immortalized. In florescent colourways. By Central Station designs. For Black Grape. Now as a pin badge.

 

Concert Live

I first became aware of this company when waiting for Madness to come out at the arena in 2006. Adverts were plastered all over stating Concert Live were recording the gig and that'd it be copied, pressed and wrapped ready for purchase some 20 minutes after the Nutty Boys left their encore.

I bought the said CD, albeit later from their website. All the crowd chants, Suggs's cheeky banter and the interuption 30 seconds into NW5 (The biggest bra in the world was thrown on stage and they had to stop playing such was their mirth) were all on there. A great momento of the evening because  let's be honest, for as much as you enjoyed yourself, you'd had one or three beforehand, everything is a bit fuzzy during and then you struggle to remember the track listing the next day.

Imagine my delight when on the recent Mondays reunion they were doing the same. Not at every venue like Madness but just the close gig at Brixton. Good enough for me, same setlist and quality tunes as were played at Newcastle for their opening night. Shaun Ryder's sweary banter inbetween songs and Rowetta's sexy grunting on 'Bobs Your Uncle' were all there and similar in London as it was to Toon. Greatest hits meets Pills N Thrills plus unoriginal line up gem Jellybean. Superb for fifteen quid, reliving one of the best gigs I've been too whilst on iPod on way to work.

1. Loose Fit
2. Kinky Afro
3. Dennis and Lois
4. Donovan
5. God's Cop
6. Judge Fudge
7. 24 Hour Party People
8. Rave On
9. Cowboy Dave
10. Hallelujah
11. Bob's Yer Uncle
12. Holiday
13. Mad Cyril
14. Step On
15. Jellybean
16. W.F.L

Music v Designer Collaborations

The most iconic music artists are often the most influential when it comes to clobber. Music and fashion go hand in hand similar to that of football and fashion. You only have to attend a gig and the crowd will be largely dressed similarly to the band. Mods and Rockers wore their hearts on their sleeves when it came to music allegiance and dressed accordingly. The Clash and Sex Pistols brought punk styling, anti establishment and anti label. Late 1970s and London and Coventry meet the West Indies musically, Madness and Specials music goers clad in Ben Sherman, Crombie and DMs, complete with cropped hair. 1990s Britpop and it's Blur in Fila, Oasis in Stone Island and Gazelles etc. The fans always follow suit. Just look at gigs these days - go to Beady Eye/High Flying Birds (aka Oasis) and it's the parrot heads clad in Liam's latest Pretty Green offerings (now in TK Maxx...). Go to Madness and it's still Fred Perry and Brutus. Anything Madchester then it's bucket hats, Adidas and loose fitting tees.

And designers ain't no mugs. They'll cotton on to the fact they're part of the cult, or at least try to stick their finger in the pie and force their way in, and cash in. And over the last few years there's been quite a few official designer v band collaborations. Maybe it speaks volumes that most of them are old imperial brands mixed with bands that are not quite the 'now' in music - maybe both music and fashion are dead.

The first I ever saw of these was back in 1999. Doctor Martens brought out a special limited 'Madness' boot to coincide with the Nutty Boys 20 year anniversary. And since then Madness haven't done too badly with the whole collab thing. 2-Tone staple clobber Ben Sherman did an official cross over with Madness including checked shirts, Harrington's and tees. Some of the gear was quite frankly horrible but the jacket and Polos stood out - unsurprisingly only available in black or white...

I've also seen on fleabay a Madness shirt by Aertex. A North west label, famed for dressing WW2 Desert Rats and the 1970 England World Cup squad, meets the North London Invaders. Bit of a strange one and don't know the link but I do know it knocks the spots off the Shermanator efforts. The Madness M taking pride of place on the chest of a cool blue gingham check.

Fred Perry were in on the act before Ben Sherman linked up with Madness. It may be disputed what brand was more associated with ska - Perry or Sherman - but theirs no doubt which band were truly ska and that's the Specials. The Laurel Wreath was given a slight 2-tone makeover and again the clobber was all black/white, shirts and polos the staple diet available. Since then Perry has also linked up with Amy Winehouse to make her collection. It was short lived.

Up the road in Manchester there's been a few. The centre of the music universe for a spell during the 80s and 90s, designers got it too. Not strictly a collaboration but Admiral linked up with the Mondays in 1999 to provide the band with swag on their reunion tour, and for Shaun et al to front the sportswear's latest advertising campaign. The campaign was ill fated as the brand went bust and as no one really rated the gear Shaun was unable to flog it off his own back to score smack.

Oasis were arguably the biggest band since the Beatles and have had the odd collaboration. Iconic brand Barcuta teamed up with them to create a cool limited edition Harrington. They also liked a bit of Manchester brand Kangol and several times the Kangeroo was sported on tour gear for band and back stage crew alike - often have a peek on eBay for these meself. The khaki parkas I've seen are pretty damn cool. And like it or loathe it (and again not strictly a collab) but Liam Gallaghers Pretty Green label is here to stay. Here you've got the rare example of musician creating a designer label and then approaching another musician for a collaboration with the Paul Weller label. Music v Fashion v Music.

 Finally the North West has always had a thing for its trainers. Plenty of Adidas Originals to be seen from the 1970s onwards. Bands like the Mondays and the Farm often sported the latest kicks, but two of the biggest faces from the areas music got the envious pleasure of having their own personal link with Adolph Dasslers training shoes. Noel Gallagher, the biggest celebrity trainer head if ever there was one, with his rather suave looking Man City coloured kicks, and across the city's footballing/music divide Stone Rose Ian Brown with his personalised Superstars in Man Utd red/black.

So there's the pick of the music v designer collaborations. There may be more but these are all bands and brands I like. Would I buy any of them? Probably not. Some would argue there's no individuality with this gear and it's simply a cash in and/or sell out. The flip side of the coin it means people can staple their colours to the mast and identify with both band and brand. And what do I think? Don't care. It's only a blog.

Happy Mondays @ Newcastle

Me and our kid are on the rattler to Toon, excited at the prospect of seeing the Happy Mondays original line up play together for the first time in 19 years. The Ryder brothers reunited after over a decade of hating each others guts. Bez, Mark Day, Knobhead, Gazza Whelan and Rowetta completing Madchester's finest.

It's been a long time coming for those guys, nearly two decades since the ill fated 'Yes, Please' caused ill temper and the breakup of the Mondays. Back in previous forms and line ups as far as 2007 but never the original bunch. And they're playing their first reunion gig in Newcastle. Good times.

We're having a few jars in the pub round the corner. Usual crowd milling about wetting their whistle. Ageing chaps who remember them first time around, resplendent in their Lyle & Scott, CP Company et. al. Never understand lads wearing their best gear at gigs considering there'll be bottles of piss flying round later. I'm dressing it down in a vintage RL harrington and battered Trimm Trabs. I'm telling the tale that Rowetta has retweeted/replied to me three times in 48 hours. The little tease. We sink a few lagers, rib a guy who wants to be Liam Gallagher (who isn't going to the gig), give a cheer when 'Step On' comes on the jukey and slope off to the O2.

In the academy and overpriced Carlsberg I'm jealously eyeing up the Happy Mondays bucket hats the merch stalls are selling, kicking myself that I only brought beer vouchers. The Inspiral Carpets come on as support earlier than expected and do a cracking job of rousing the crowd with a handful of quality tunes. Clint Boon plays up to the 'Boon Army' and seems quite emotional that its the first time the Carpets have played together for awhile too. I make the mistake of seeing out their set before going for a slash and join every gent in the place in a queue for the one set of khazi's.

Then there's a long old wait of anticipation waiting for the guys to come out. Eventually Bez swaggers out to a massive cheer and introduces the guys. They come out of the wings to critical acclaim and kick us off with Loose Fit. The crowd, including myself and the lad, go mental, but more so when Bez comes back out for some Freaky Dancin for Kinky Afro. He disappears after this - well he is a grandad.

Hit after hit and tune and tune come out from the Mondays. Shaun swearing a lot and living up to his lead role, checking the setlist sellotaped to the floor and ribbing Bez about his aftershow party being very exclusive - pay the six quid or have excellent tits and you're in. Paul and Mark do an excellent job on respective guitars and Rowetta looks and sounds great. The sound is a little muffled but they're doing a smashing job. They can play and are doing it as if they have been doing it for 19 years.

Anxiously checking watch as the last train to Durham looms. Ryder breaks into 'Step On', Bez reappearing to bop around. The crowd noise goes up a couple of decibels and I'm thinking they can't possibly do an encore after Step On. Alas they do and theres no fucking way I'm leaving for the train. They reappear and go to Mr. Jellybean followed by WFL. Then it's off the stage enroute to tomorrow's gig in Glasgow with Newcastle cheering them all the way there. Great reviews to follow on this tour if tonight's show is anything to go by.

Me and our kid leave - all sweaty bodies, passive weed stink, stale beer fug clouding and piss stained shoes. We find a bus stop and get on the last double decker of the night to the land of Prince Bishops. Sat on the top deck, flying through dark silent streets we relived the songs, me slightly disappointed 'Tart Tart' wasn't on the menu. Still 'God's Cop' and 'Holiday' were. Pleased about that.

The Mondays playing together for the first time in 19 years. And we were there. Champion.

Thats Entertainment

808 State. Black Grape. Blur. Ian Brown. The Charlatans. The Coral. The Enemy. The Farm. The Futureheads. Gorillaz. Happy Mondays. Housemartins. Inspiral Carpets. James. Kasabian. The La's. Madness. Manic Street Preachers. New Order. Oasis. The Seahorses. Shed Seven. Suede. Supergrass. What's this? Thats Entetainment.

That is just some of a few artists whose work I've picked up from the store that is That's Entertainment. Dealing in used CDS/DVDs and selling from 99p up, most £1.99 (or 3 for a fiver), it's enabled me to expand my CD collection dirt cheaply. Some from the list, like Kasabian, were important albums that I hadn't bought as I couldn't warrant spending a tenner on a CD brand new. So £1.99 each used? Bang on. Other artists like Blur, Mondays and Oasis I grew up with and already had several albums, but has enabled me to get 'lesser albums' (Oasis Be Here Now and Standing On...) or rarer ones (Mondays Rave On EP) rather than just the best sellers or greatest hits.

They seem to be situated in the North (Metro Centre, Newcastle, North Shields and York were about 60% of the companies stores last year) but with the likes of HMV struggling and the recession biting it wouldn't surprise me if they expand. Saying that I was gutted to visit the Metro the other day and find it closed. Was genuinely upset. I told the wife who kindly informed me that they've now branched out to on tinterweb. So had a look. Thousands of bargains there and free P&P. So Gorillaz Plastic Beach and Wonderstuff's Greatest are wending their merry way to me for £3.98.

Loose Fit - Baggy Clothing and Madchester Fashion

First we had the Roses reform, now the Mondays and Carpets have done the honourable thing and reunited.  So with the early 90s music resurfacing surely its time to do away with all the slim, skinny and custom fit bollocks, and get a bit of a loose fit and bring back the baggy.

I'm fed up of all the tight fitting gear everyone seems to be wearing, parrot heads in skintight tees and pants with fucking plimsoles. Even at the footie a lot of lads are wearing slim denim and no one can deny that top end gear has gotten a lot more 'fitted'. Myself being a larger gent I despise slim gear - mainly because I look exactly what I am. A fat cunt. As Alan Partridge once said - it's well concealed in casual clothing, but you don't want to see me in my underpants.

Burning Money

I'm not telling everyone to go out and buy Manchester based clothes as Gio-Goi, Joe Bloggs and Henri Lloyd are far from my cup of E, but there was some decent gear floating around back then, made iconic by the bands wearing it - Ian Brown's Paul Smith 'Burning Money' tee (above) was immortalized in 'Fools Gold', and was deemed worthy enough by those Connoisseur lads to do a remake of with subbuteo figures some 20 years later.

www.casualco.com

Brands like Stone Island and Ralph Lauren made it big in UK around that time and are still around today - a nice old school Stoney sweatshirt can be picked up off eBay for a few bob, or Raffs classic Polo (a size too big) with a cagoule, Kangol bucket hat, loose jeans and hiking boots would look the part. Or do what some football going lads did at the time, and turn their back on the whole labels thing and go for the 'under a-fiver jivers' - namely cheap loose tee shirts from fruit of the loom and the like. I can probably do with out that floral hippy thing, but some stonewashed denim with an oversized polo (with a classic chest pocket) would sit well with me.

Reni & Mani

 Anyway I think it's definately worth a shout, looking back to go forwards as has happened countless times. Flared jeans and baggy Polos are already in my wardrobe selection, because being hefty it's a necessity, and everyone else just needs to realise that it's What the World is Waiting for. Fuck the neatness and clean lines of selvedge jeans and custom fit tops - when I go see the Mondays in Newcastle in May it'll be a Loose fit. Come on Baggy get with the beat.

Roses

Carpets

Mondays

Central Station Artwork

Often going hand in hand with Factory Record sleeves, here's some iconic gems by Central Station...

Shaun Ryder (cut for 'Bummed' cover)

Ken Dodd

Babs Windsor

Delightful EP

Wrote For Luck

Pills & Thrills 'Sweetie wrapper' cover

Kelly's Heroes