Two Blown TV Speakers Later...
May 6, 2007 7:43 AM   Subscribe

The World's Greatest Live Music Show is back on the air [warning: YT-heavy first sentence]. Friday's season premiere featured inspired performances by Arctic Monkeys, CSS and The Hold Steady. Next week: Joanna Newsom, Grinderman, Travis, and more.
posted by chuckdarwin (33 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
Whether you love Jools or hate him (as a host), the show itself is usually solid. What's more, it's all we've got. One could argue that Austin City Limits is sometimes better, but it never gets so many guests from so many different genres / cultures. Neither does anything on CMT. SNL and MTV became irrelevant musically years ago (sadly).
posted by chuckdarwin at 7:45 AM on May 6, 2007


Oh yeah: I really miss Sessions at West 54th.
posted by chuckdarwin at 7:46 AM on May 6, 2007


Hey chuck - what are the acts under the first links (spare me some clickin' if I'm not a fan!)
posted by jonson at 7:47 AM on May 6, 2007


Man, I have a real bad crush on Cat Power.
posted by Divine_Wino at 7:51 AM on May 6, 2007


Thom Yorke, Raul Midon, Cat Power, Arcade Fire, Rodriog y Gabriela, Damien Rice, Arctic Monkeys (new song - 505)
posted by chuckdarwin at 7:53 AM on May 6, 2007


Well, this is good news: there's definitely a need for shows that focus on live musical performance. (I have fond memories of New York's long-gone Night Music, a show which offered a fabulous variety, often showcasing the kind of relatively obscure musicians who'd never been seen on TV before and never have been since...) For those of us outside England, let's hope the spots from Later get YouTubed with frequency!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:54 AM on May 6, 2007


I forgot this one!
posted by chuckdarwin at 7:57 AM on May 6, 2007


chuckdarwin, the Ray Lamontagne link was really nice. Also, I'm glad that CSS are as good live as they are digital. Thanks.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 8:03 AM on May 6, 2007


what are the acts under the first links (spare me some clickin' if I'm not a fan!)

chuckd: That first YT-heavy bunch of links is a perfect example of where mouseovers would be welcome!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:07 AM on May 6, 2007


Sweet! Thanks flapjax! mouseover
posted by chuckdarwin at 8:11 AM on May 6, 2007


I liked Sessions at West 54th, and I really think Night Music was a better show than the Jools Holland show, especially if you wanted a variety of genres, and to see them play together. Night Music was more about the musicians. People who played on Night Music were generally extra talented as musicians, so you were less likely to see people on there just because they were popular.
posted by Eekacat at 8:13 AM on May 6, 2007


What, they're bringing back The Tube?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:15 AM on May 6, 2007


One could argue that Later... has just picked up where The Tube left off.
posted by chuckdarwin at 8:27 AM on May 6, 2007


"We're sorry, but for rights reasons if you're outside the UK you won't be able to watch any of the video content on bbc.co.uk/bbctwo."

Sigh. Stupid rights. Is there any way to view this show from outside the UK other than hunting down clips on YouTube?
posted by scottreynen at 9:12 AM on May 6, 2007


No, not that I know of... bittorrent?
posted by chuckdarwin at 9:19 AM on May 6, 2007


CSS is great. I love that whole New Rave/Dance Rock/Brit Pop sound that's so trendy now. It's like Madchester is happening again, except all over the world this time.
posted by empath at 9:58 AM on May 6, 2007


Ah, the famous Arctic Monkeys!

So, I was at a club a few weeks ago, and some quite drunk Brit in a band name "something something shakira" was going on about how his band was about to take off like skyrockets, and that they were touring with the Arctic Monkeys. My friend and I didn't (don't) know who the Arctic Monkeys were, and this Shakira guy could not wrap his head around it. It wasn't that he disdained us for not knowing who they were, it was more like the reaction you'd have if you ran into someone who had never heard of Madonna or Michael Jackson.

I mention all this because this post is the first time I've ever heard the name "Arctic Monkeys" besides from that drunk guy. So they're famous enough to mention in MeFi. Whooda thunkit?
posted by Bugbread at 10:34 AM on May 6, 2007




Chuckdarwin:

Thanks for the wikipedia link. I had no idea.

I found the name of the band that the guy who was talking to us was in: "Enter Shakira". The Wikipedia page doesn't make it out to be all that famous (no NME cover, etc.). Are they actually on the up and up, or was he just a tosser trying his best to ride Arctic Monkeys coattails? (or, of course, both: an up-and-coming band riding Arctic Monkeys' coattails?)
posted by Bugbread at 10:56 AM on May 6, 2007


Or it could have been some guy who loves music and was really excited about his life long dream of being a rock-star possibly coming true? I don't get the negativity there. People in bands are regular people just like you and me.
posted by empath at 11:26 AM on May 6, 2007


the Arctic Monkeys are massively, massively successful.

...in the UK. I've heard Scissor Sisters and Muse and Robbie Williams are big over there too.
posted by smackfu at 11:29 AM on May 6, 2007


empath writes "Or it could have been some guy who loves music and was really excited about his life long dream of being a rock-star possibly coming true? I don't get the negativity there. People in bands are regular people just like you and me."

My anecdote was poorly phrased: The guy was really, really hyping his band to us, out of the blue.

It wasn't so much: "Oh, really, you guys are from Texas? What are you doing here in Japan? I'm here with my band Enter Shakira. It's awesome, we're even on our first world tour! We're touring with Arctic Monkeys. You don't know them?! Really?!"

It was more like: "You're from Texas? I'm here with my band Enter Shakira. We're going to be really really big. You wait! We're going to be the biggest band ever!! We're touring with the Arctic Monkeys! We're going to be really, really massive! You just watch!!"

To be fair, he was really drunk. But, if anything, the negativity comes from the fact that, unlike the other folks I know in bands, he wasn't a regular person just like you or me, he was an obnoxious git accosting us in the hallway to tell us how extraordinarily famous his band was going to become. Amusing as well, but that was the unintentional part.
posted by Bugbread at 11:51 AM on May 6, 2007


It wasn't that he disdained us for not knowing who they were

And why would he really? Why would anyone? (Just a general question, I'm curious.)

I mention all this because this post is the first time I've ever heard the name "Arctic Monkeys" besides from that drunk guy. So they're famous enough to mention in MeFi. Whooda thunkit?

Here is the Arctic Monkeys thread, via MeFi, from October of 2005.

I'm a big fan of this show and the others from Jools, not to mention Jools himself. Any backlash the current show suffers seems to be the "but their popular so they can't possibly be good musicians" sort. I find the British are willing to expose and tolerate a rather larger spectrum of music, musical genres, and ability than shows over here (North America.)

I think the Arctic Monkeys have a couple very good songs and have a ton of, though I hate to say it, potential. They can grow I think. Just kids still really.

...in the UK. I've heard Scissor Sisters and Muse and Robbie Williams are big over there too.

And Kings of Leon, The Strokes, The Good, the Bad, and the Queen, and well, a lot of other bands, including some of the popular ones here I'd imagine.
posted by juiceCake at 12:03 PM on May 6, 2007


Robbie Williams is a different story. More a performer and a 'star' than a singer, he has definitely struggled to find the success he craves in the states (despite living there).

I wouldn't bother if I were him. He sells out arenas here. I guess the grass is always greener...
posted by chuckdarwin at 1:15 PM on May 6, 2007


juiceCake writes "And why would he really? Why would anyone?"

What I meant was, often, if you say you don't know a band, people will do the "act like you don't believe it, but not because you really don't believe, but instead to express disdain that someone's tastes aren't good enough to know the band" thing. "You don't know Flipping Throughput Overtrough?! They got a five star rating at Pitchfork!" It's similar to the disdain-masked-as-surprise thing that happens when there's a good movie that you haven't seen, or a good book that you haven't read. I just meant that this guy wasn't expressing surprise in that way, as a form of disdain for our inferior tastes, but just regular ole "no way!" amazement.

(Sorry, didn't mean to make such a derail of this whole thing.)
posted by Bugbread at 1:21 PM on May 6, 2007


Enter Shakira is starting to get a name for themselves among the kids who read Kerrang. Don't know any of their music, but do recognise the name. Would never have pegged them to play support for Arctic Monkeys however...
posted by slimepuppy at 3:14 PM on May 6, 2007


Yeah, and if you live in the UK and have ears, you will have heard of Arctic Monkeys.

They currently have every single song off their new album in the charts. No lie. I'm not a huge fan, but as someone pointed out earlier, the kids have got heaps of potential and are definitely worth keeping an eye/ear on.
posted by slimepuppy at 3:17 PM on May 6, 2007


CSS ftw.
posted by bardic at 5:46 PM on May 6, 2007


The new arctic monkeys album kicks all sorts of ass. It will be big in the US I think.
Is all Cat Power that LOVELY?
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 10:47 PM on May 6, 2007




For the record I think Enter Shikari are truly awful but they're being hyped as some sort of nu-rave when in fact they're just all the worst metal cliches you can string together!

And I do love 'Later...' cheers for this!
posted by TwoWordReview at 8:24 AM on May 7, 2007


Thanks posting this. The Radiohead performance (and the time before that when they previewed No Surprises and (I think) The Tourist) still bring me out in goosebumps.
posted by patricio at 10:23 AM on May 7, 2007


okay, good post. glad to see Later is back on the air, but could we possibly get a youtube.metafilter.com or something? ugh...
posted by spish at 5:03 PM on May 7, 2007


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