Hey kids – well The Signal is just back from a fantastic weekend at the Explosions In The Sky curated ATP in Butlins, Minehead.  An absolutely wonderful festival of post-rock instrumentalism and indie boy strumming which led to lots of fun and much chalet dancing!  There were many, many great acts, but just some of the highlights included (deep breath!) the fantastic party-loving De La Soul, Okkervil River, the wonderful Jens Lekman, Adem with his brilliant array of covers, the delicate and beautiful Beach House, the rockin’ Silver Jews, The National who were mean moody and magnificent, and worthy headliners Broken Social Scene.  Plus of course the spine of the festival was Dinosaur Jr, who played 2 gigs, with J. Mascis and Lou Barlow seemingly being at every other band that played (but never at the same time!).

So as for The Signal, some changes are afoot (indeed even bigger changes were almost afoot, but that turned out not to be).  First up we are moving location to London, which I suspect means even more gigs to go to and great music to hear – all good things!  Which means we should be able to bring you the show on a more regular basis and packed with tunes, interviews and features.  Plus The Signal will still be exclusive to Radio Magnetic (which is mediaspeak for no-one else would have us).  Watch out for a new edition of The Signal on Radio Magnetic in June!

In the meantime I’m thinking about creating a portal for some of my own radio history.  I’ve been presenting radio programmes for a long time now, and over the years built up quite an archive of interviews and sessions.  The vast majority of these were recorded for Cool FM and include chats with big hitters and chart botherers such as Radiohead, Oasis, Manic Street Preachers, Suede and Fatboy Slim, plus indie kids like The Divine Comedy, Belle & Sebastian (several times!!), Teenage Fanclub, Hefner & Stephen Malkmus.  There are loads of others that I plan to catalogue and archive properly, and hopefully I’ll be able to offer them via a blog for any interested listeners.  I’ll also put up my playlists for my shows on previous stations if I can find them.  Total self-indulgence, but at least it’ll all be in one place!  Anyway, if anyone has some advice about how best to present audio interviews online I’d be happy to hear it.

Stay loose!

It’s been a while since the last update from Signal Towers – yet again real life escapades get in the way of making updates here and shouting loud and proud about the new sounds on Radio Magnetic.

The latest show is in preparation and should be recorded and uploaded soon – this time out featuring new tunes from Long Blondes, Ladytron, XXteens and Black Kids amongst others.

In the meantime I’ve been to a few gigs since the last post – the brilliant Foals who are sensational live and well worth checking out, and the brilliant Holy Fuck whose somewhat cumbersome moniker may prevent the easily spooked from hearing their extremely groovy brand of choopy guitars and funky keyboards.

Lined up for the next few weeks are live experiences with The Fall (as John Peel said they are always the same and always different), and in a few weeks from now I’ll be knee deep in ATP.

Listening-wise, the last few weeks has seen me revisit a few old favourites courtesy of some deluxe re-issues.  These are a nice idea for hardcore collectors, but I’m wondering how many times I have to buy another edition of The La’s album.  By my reckoning the new edition makes it the fourth for me : a cassette verson in 1990, a CD when I became a teenager with pocket money, then a CD re-release a few years ago with B-Sides, and now another edition with demos and original takes!  Even the recent release of Beck’s landmark Odelay, which promises remixes, a terrific update on the cover and additional B-Sides manages to balls it up by leaving off Diskobox from the original release!  What’s that about?

Much more satisfying is the new version of the ever shiny, sunny, summery pop classic that is It’s A Shame About Ray by The Lemonheads.  This set manages to include loads of demos plus a DVD of an Australian road trip documentary which includes plenty of the original videos too.  Recommended!

So – a new Signal soon.  Meantime stay tuned!

So Duffy is at Number 1. Great news you would think – if it was 1995. Or 1985. Or in fact any year pre-2008. Because in 2008 the moniker Duffy was stolen from one of the great songwriters of the past 20-odd years and taken by a tedious, souless, cabaret singer to front a charmless, meandering, faux-soul sound which has somehow managed to be hyped to death over the past 3 months, resulting in a Number One single.

I’ll explain – at Signal Towers we are lucky to enough to receive copies of some of our favourite records ahead of release. It’s always exciting to rip open an envelope to find a new single from Nick Cave or the debut album by the Teenagers. So it was with great joy and abandon that I opened such an envelope late last year to find a new single on Rough Trade (great label) produced by Bernard Butler (great producer) performed by Duffy – one of my true heroes and leader of The Lilac Time, as well as being sometime member of The Devils and recording under various names including Stephen “TinTin” Duffy.

So I put the single on, and seeping from my speakers like pus from a sore is a limp MOR ballad soppily sung by a wailing banshee bereft of any personality. I think the modern parlance for my reaction is WTF.

So I read the little sticker that tells you the release date and I discover the Duffy in question is not the singer- songwriter I’ve admired across a host of albums and stylings (yes even during the Robbie Williams period), but “a brand new Welsh talent” who apprarently is going to sweep all before her in 2008.

Well the little sticker writing people were right. Over the past few weeks we’ve all had to endure the mantra that Duffy is the great discovery of 2008, invoking the spirit of Dusty Springfield in voice, and heart and soul of everyone else we can think of with a great voice from Al Green to Aretha. As with her similarly boring chum Adele, we’ve all been told this by the makers and shakers in the know, so it must be true and we’d better start buying her record or we’ll miss out and look like people who are so unhip their bums are about to fall off.

Well the rot stops here – Duffy is NOT Duffy. Duffy is the moniker used by Stephen Duffy for two of the great lost pop albums of the 90s. The eponymous Duffy from 1995 (he can do that cos he’s actually called Duffy and didn’t steal his name from someone else) and I Love My Friends from 1998. Seek them out, play them to death and realise “You Are” is today’s greatest song you’ve ever heard.

As Duffy (the real Duffy, not the fake one) sings on She Freak “To be yourself, your true self, is the hardest thing to do and to do right”. Listen up Miss Not-Duffy!

In order to rescue the untarnished name of Duffy (the real Duffy, not the fake one), I’ll be playing a song from Duffy (the 1995 album by the real Duffy, not the fake one) at the top of the next show!

The next edition of The Signal is almost finished and should be online in the next few days. This time out we have an interview with Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse about the recent album Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain.

Meantime I went to see the amazing Von Bondies on the first night of the European tour. It’s been 3 years since the band’s last tour dates in Europe and four years since the last album Pawn Shoppe Heart. That album remains my favourite of this decade – I must have played it more than any other record over the past 4 years. Plus the last time I saw the VBs play was at the London Astoria in 2005, so to say this show was highly anticipated would be something of a smidgen of a hint of a whiff of an understatement!

There are been a few changes in Camp Von Bondies since 2005 – Marcie and Carrie have now left to do other things (Carrie’s last show was that Astoria gig), and the band have expanded to a five piece. They’ve also left their label and gone independent again, which mean the T-Shirts now pay for the tourbus petrol!

The gig was sensational – the band gave their all at full pelt, basically playing a greatest hits set with the very best selections from the previous albums and a few new tracks. Two of these – Pale Bride and I Don’t Wanna – can be found on the brand new EP We Are Kamikazes Aiming Straight For Your Heart. Pale Bride is a fizzing pop bomb with a holy hand grenade of a chorus at its centre, and sits perfectly with other VB classics such as Lack Of Communication and Tell Me What You See. It felt a bit weird hearing Not That Social without Carrie, but after opening with the old favourite It Came From Japan, the band had fans and newbies right in the palm of their hands until they finished up with a blasting double bill of Rock n’ Roll Nurse and Broken Man.

But the highlight of the night for me was meeting the great gentleman rocker of Detroit, Jason Von Bondie himself!! Jason was at the merchie stall and sold us a copy of the new EP so I genuinely feel I have added a little something to the Von Bondies’ efforts to stay on the road. Plus after the show he met up with us outside the venue, and was in a seriously good mood! Jason is a supercool guy – it’s such a relief when your heroes turn out to be truly cool!

Check out the new EP now – only available from the Von Bondies myspace, and hear the lead track on the next Signal!

So the musical highlight of this week will no doubt be my first experience of the rock colossus that is Queens Of The Stone Age live. This gig has actually been a long time coming for me – I had tickets to see QOTSA play in a tiny 500 capacity venue back in 2000, around the time “Rated R” came out. But the band cancelled due to illness, there was no rescheduled date, and before you know it, it’s 8 years before you get the chance to see them again. But no matter – Josh Homme is in town and ready to rock!

In other news ,I ‘ve been experiencing that bizarre ecstacy/anger that you get when you hear a song you love being played on TV, but then realise it’s been hijacked by THE MAN to make some political party seem cool, or even worse, try to sell you something. It’s a sensation akin to finding a fiver in the street, but having your wallet nicked as you bend over to claim it.

April March’s interpretation of the Serge Gainsbourg penned France Gall pop masterpiece “Laisse Tomber Les Filles” has seen mileage in the past year on the DeathProof soundtrack (cool), so it was a momentary delight to hear it eminating from my TV speakers this week. Unfortunately this joy lasted mere nanoseconds before I realised that it was being used on a car ad, which has somewhat tarnished my previously unbridled happiness at hearing its twangy opening riff (overall, not cool).

This generally negative experience has been tempered a little by the use of the dazzling Blonde Redhead track 23 from their album of the same name on the trailer for Series 2 of E4’s Skins. Firstly this is a stunningly atmospheric song, which accompanies a visually startling trail, and secondly it means one of my favourite records of 2007 is going to reach a much larger audience. All in all good work by E4’s trailer people.

So (finally getting to the point) this week’s What’s On The Box? really is on the box at the minute – and to celebrate here’s the original video from last year of the ethereal perfection that is 23 by Blonde Redhead.

The Signal Show 2008-02

featuring Blood Red Shoes

The Signal Show 2008-02 is now online! Stuart Flanagan meets Blood Red Shoes, the duo from Brighton who have released a series of sizzling 7″s over the past 18 months. The band are now signed to Mercury and will release their debut album “Box Of Secrets” in April. Stuart caught up with Steven as the band started their current tour of Ireland and the UK, and chatted about the trials of the tourbus experience and keeping your voice after a night on the brew! Steven & Laura Mary pick some of their favourite recent tracks for the show, plus we hear the new single “You Bring Me Down”.

Also featured is new music from Hatcham Social, Adam Green and Black Mountain, plus album tracks from British Sea Power and the Maccabees.

To listen to the show click the red Radio Magnetic logo above.

To go to the show site CLICK HERE.

The Signal Show 2008-02

1 JOY DIVISION – Digital (Factory)
2 ADAM GREEN – Morning After Midnight (Rough Trade)
3 ENVELOPES – Party (Brille)
4 POPPY & THE JEZEBELS – Nazi Girls (Reveal)
5 THE SUGARS – The Way To My Heart (Play Louder)
6 BEARSUIT – More Soul Than Wigan Casino (Fantastic Plastic)
7 KIM WESTON – Helpless (Castle)
8 THE SWEET THINGS – I’m In A World Of Trouble (Castle)
9 MACCABEES – All In Your Rows (Fiction)
10 BRITISH SEA POWER – A Trip Out (Rough Trade)
11 BLACK MOUNTAIN – Stormy High (Jagjaguwar) 12 THE CRIBS – Men’s Needs (Wichita)
13 HATCHAM SOCIAL – So So Happy Making (Loog)
14 ORANGE JUICE – Blue Boy (Postcard)
15 Interview – BLOOD RED SHOES – You Bring Me Down (Mercury)
16 Interview – BLOOD RED SHOES – I Wish I Was Someone Better (Mercury)
17 QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – Sick Sick Sick (Interscope)
18 PJ Harvey – White Chalk (Island)
19 BASIA BULAT – In The Night (Rough Trade)
20 SUPER FURRY ANIMALS – The Gift That Keeps Giving (Rough Trade)

Show 2 of 2008 is now up, and features some great new songs – I especially love the Hatcham Social single which is a perfect distillation of everything that was great about Glasgow’s Postcard label from the early 80s. Good to get some full on rock in the playlist too, with new-proggers Black Mountain and the towering QOTSA – can’t wait to see them play this week.

PJ Harvey’s White Chalk album was one of the most poetic and beautiful of last year so thanks to Laura Mary from Blood Red Shoes for nominating it for a play this time out. And finally drift away to the gorgeous SFA track that closes the show.

Tune in, listen, enjoy and feedback!

So I caught the brilliant Cribs as the headline act on the NME tour this week. This band have really grown in stature over the past 5 years, and their brilliant album from last year “Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever” was in danger of becoming the greatest overlooked record of the year. Fortunately the high profile NME tour has brought them right into the music lovers’ ears again, and not before time. The back catalogue boasts some of the best punkpop of recent time, and in particular the MNWNW album is rich with riffs from start to finish – a classic no fillers release!

To celebrate the singalong brillance of the Wakefield Three, here’s the video to one of the greatest singles of 2007, The Cribs’ Moving Pictures.

The Signal Show 2008-01

featuring Charlotte Hatherley

The Signal returns to Radio Magnetic! For the first edition of 2008, Stuart Flanagan catches up with Charlotte Hatherley, former guitarist with Ash. Since leaving Ash, Charlotte has released her second solo album “The Deep Blue”, a beguiling and dazzling album which was recorded in Italy and features a wealth of influences from Kate Bush to Liz Phair, and Juliana Hatfield to David Bowie. Charlotte collaborated with XTC’s Andy Partridge on one track and in this interview discusses her feelings on leaving Ash, achieving her own style and some of her favourite records.
Also in this show is new music from Cat Power, Supergrass and Sons & Daughters, plus classics from Sandie Shaw and XTC.

To listen to the show click the red Radio Magnetic logo above.

To go to the show site CLICK HERE. 

The Signal Show 2008-01

1 THE SHOUT OUT LOUDS – The Comeback (Bud Fox)
2 ARCTIC MONKEYS – Teddy Picker (Domino)
3 SUPERGRASS - Diamond Hoo Ha Man (Parlophone)
4 SONS & DAUGHTERS – Darling (Domino)
5 BRITISH SEA POWER – Waving Flags (Rough Trade)
6 EELS – Mr E’s Beautful Blues (Geffen)
7 LUCKY SOUL – Add Your Light To Mine (Ruffa Lane)
8 SANDIE SHAW – Reviewing The Situation (EMI)
9 THE MACCABEES – Toothpaste Kisses (Polydor)
10 BLOOD RED SHOES – It’s Getting Boring By The Sea (V2)
11 LOVE IS ALL – Busy Doing Nothing [Tapedeck Remix] (Parlophone)
12 THE GO! TEAM – Doing It Right (Memphis Industries)
13 CAT POWER – Song For Bobby (Matador)
14 BOB DYLAN – The Man In Me (Mercury – from The Big Lebowski ST)
15 Interview – CHARLOTTE HATHERLEY - Behave (Little Sister)
16 Interview- CHARLOTTE HATHERLEY – I Want You To Know (Little Sister)
17 Interview – CHARLOTTE HATHERLEY – Very Young (Little Sister)
18 XTC – This Is Pop (Virgin)
19 KATE BUSH - Pull Out The Pin (EMI)
20 BLONDE REDHEAD – 23 (4AD)

So the first 2008 edition of The Signal is finally online! It’s been a long time coming, but the new show is packed with cool tunes and classic, as well a brand new interview with Charlotte Hatherley about her recent album The Deep Blue. Charlotte talks about the many influences on her work and collaborating with XTC legend Andy Partridge. That led us to including “This Is Pop” an XTC single Charlotte’s been covering in her live shows.
Plus how great is the new single from Sons & Daughters? The magic touch of Bernard Butler’s production gives it a really dirty dancefloor feel and already its one of the great singles of the year. Plus I play some Bob Dylan for the first time ever (prompted by Cat Power and The Big Lebowski!) and there’s dance-around-inyou-bedroom pop noise from Lucky Soul and The Go! Team. Tune in, listen, enjoy and feedback!

Greetings all!  Well, long time, no Signal!  I haven’t fallen under a rock, but we have been in hiding here at Signal Towers for the past few months, which means we are well overdue bringing you another selection of fine tunes with talking inbetween.

A combination of technical difficulties and real life getting in the way has meant the continuing run of The Signal has been on hiatus fior a while, but the plan is to kick things off again with a brand new series with more supercool tunes and choice interviews.  I have a couple of cool chats lined up, including a lovely sit down chinwag with Joan As Police Woman, who was of course responsible for the Signal’s album of the year in 2006, plus a great interview with Charlotte Hatherley responsible for one of the best albums of 2007 so far.  Plus we’ll have giveaways a plenty lots of other interesting business to be about too.

In the meantime to make the blog look tidy I’m putting up some more What’s On the Box posts of things that have caught the eye lately.  They’ll be dated Feb and March (even though I posted them in April!).  Naughty, but it makes me feel chronologically more aligned.

 So – watch out for a new edition of The Signal very soon featuring the best of 2007’s singles, plus a tribute to Life On Mars.

Had the opportunity of seeing the brilliant Charlotte Hatherley at the Belfast Limelight recently, playing a brilliant gig in support of her superb new album. It’s a startling record, in equal parts Kate Bush, Bowie and Tanya Donelly, and already one of my faves of 2007. We recorded an in-depth interview with Charlotte about her departure from Ash and the recording of the new album in Italy, so listen out for that on a forhcoming edition of The Signal. Plus as part of the encore she did a snazzy version of XTC’s This Is Pop!

To celebrate the brilliance of Charlotte’s “The Deep Blue”, here’s the video of the first single from the album – this is Behave.