AWARD NIGHTS SHOW OFF SURREY'S TALENT - University of ...

28 MUSiC
The Stag | 8th May 2012 music@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Old Dogs, New Tricks: The Who - 'Endless Wire'
By Dan Davison, Music Team
In light of Roger Daltrey's
ongoing Tommy tour and Pete
Townshend's expressed intent to
see a Quadrophenia tour materialise
this year, it seems as opportune a
moment as ever to touch upon The
Who. Despite the aforementioned
ongoing activities of its members
and last year's release of a remastered
'Director's Cut' of
Quadrophenia (1973), the band
has not produced a studio album
in over five years. In predicting
whether the band can still live up to
expectations, the most reasonable
place to begin would appear to be
their most recent outing. Thus we
are brought to Endless Wire (2006),
their first original album since
1982's It's Hard.
One immediately noticeable
feature of Endless Wire is that, in a
comparable manner to Kate Bush's
Hounds of Love (1985), the first half
of the LP consists of unconnected
tracks whilst the second forms a
concept album in its own right.
The latter part, entitled Wire &
Glass, features the fictional rock
musician Ray High, a character
introduced in Townshend's
1993 solo album Psychoderelict.
Although the narrative is often
vague and its 'rise and fall' theme
is anything but groundbreaking,
like Quadrophenia before it, the
mini-opera's semiautobiographical
nature allows Townshend to bring
a personal touch to several tracks.
Mirror Door lists the many musical
icons who undoubtedly inspired
Townshend whilst the spirited We
Got a Hit captures the sentiment
of finally achieving a commercial
breakthrough.
Nevertheless, Townshend's
greatest talents are ultimately as
a composer and not a librettist. For
this reason, whilst the short length
of the mini-opera's tracks largely
prevent its abstract nature from
undermining its enjoyableness,
Endless Wire's strongest pieces
are those of its first half. It's Not
Enough provides a potent rocker
evocative of the band's earlier hits.
Meanwhile, Black Widow's Eyes tells
the dark story of a love at first
sight formed through Stockholm
Syndrome. Long-term fans will
Festival Frenzy
By Rebecca Worley, Music Team
Gearing up to summer usually
involves many people planning
their festival choice for the
year. With Coachella festival in
California attracting masses of
fans and celebrities alike, it is clear
the festival frenzy is going
nowhere. While Britain
may not have the reliability
of sun and Glastonbury,
the festival staple, is taking
a break this year, it does
have an absolutely huge
variety of festivals for you
to catch your music
fix.
Did you know . . .
For a dose of rock and indie
music, Reading and Leeds is the
place to head, with The Cure,
Florence and the Machine,
Kasabian, Paramore, Foo Fighters
and The Black Keys all headlining.
For those looking for something
slightly quirkier, Bestival, on the
probably appreciate Townshend's
occasional throwbacks to The
Who's classic years. For example,
the opening track Fragments
features part of the synthesiser
riff from Baba O'Riley (1971). The
first half also contains the most
thematically notable track on the
album, A Man in a Purple Dress, an
overt and bitingly cynical attack
on religious leaders.
All things considered, Endless
Wire's most apparent flaw is rooted
in The Who's unfortunate tendency
to leave their projects incomplete.
The result of this, in regard to
both the standard and mini-opera
tracks, is that the album features
many outstanding products of
Townshend's initial vision, but
does not entirely come together
as a single, solid record. Despite
this lack of cohesion, the standout
elements scattered throughout
the album allow Endless Wire to be
greater than the sum of its parts.
It may not equal The Who Sell Out
(1967) or Who's Next (1971), but for
the band to pick themselves up
so admirably 24 years after their
last release reinforces my hopes
Isle of Wight, offers an eclectic
mix of Stevie Wonder, Friendly
Fires, Two Door Cinema Club, Ben
Howard and Sub Focus. The mix
of pop, dubstep and folk gives this
festival the edge to stand out from
the others. Beach Break Live offers
the unique experience of a student
only event. Designed with
… Johnny Depp plays guitar on Oasis’ Fade In/Fade Out from
their Be Here Now album.
for their intended tour. This is, of
course, cautiously assuming that
said tour does not become another
Townshend project that fails to
partying away exam stress in
mind, this smaller festival based on
a beach in south Wales boasts Chase
& Status, Ben Howard, Dizzee Rascal
and the Maccabees all combined
with a carefree, hedonistic
atmosphere. However, if your
budget doesn’t stretch to a couple
of hundred quid but you’re still
l o o k i n g
fully come to fruition.
Which Festival is right for you this summer?
for some festival fun, there are
still small, local festivals without
the price tag. So you might not
have a clue who the headliners
are, roll with it and have some fun!
Recently voted the best mediumsized
festival, Guildfest, right
on our doorstep at Stoke Park,
is perhaps the best compromise.
The adult weekend ticket with
camping costs £130, a bit of a
saving in comparison to the
major festivals. And the lineup
doesn’t disappoint with
Olly Murs, Gary Numan and
Tim Minchin playing, as well
as other modern and retro
bands. So grab your tent
and don your wellies;
once you’ve done
a bit of research
it’s easy to find
the perfect
festival for you.
‘Hopefully people can see my music is
tethered to my brain.” – John Mayer.
© Darcy Tanner