Poppin all over the world! Jack DJ’s the planet

Or London anyway… Just a quick heads up to tell you about a couple of really awesome events I’m spinning a few hits at next week. So if you’re free on Tuesday and Thursday and about town – do pop down!

Firstly, Tuesday sees the excellent magazine ‘Ballad Of’ putting on a cute little show at BARDENS BOUDOIR!! They have set out to create Ballad Of… a community of emerging and exciting artists with the shared goal of collaborating to produce outstanding work for publication and portfolios.

This is awesome, and it features Nadine Shah and The Duloks – if you fancy it, give us a yell and I’ll snare some cheap tickets for you. Oh yes I will xxx

Secondly, it’s my old pal Galbo – a soldier of a gent, who is launching his epic multi-media creation ‘Operation Concrete’ at Vibe Bar next Thursday. I shall be a-spinning once more as well as reading an excerpt… Nerves…

Most excitingly though, Ross from My First Tooth (you know him, handsome lad) is playing a bit of a solo spot as he is one of the many collaborators for the book. There are more details over at the facebook group – and the poster resides hungrily below. Somehow, he’s managed to keep the party free entry, which is rather impressive. So do pop on down and get involved…

It’s like an art exhibition, gig and literary party all in one – and I guarantee your senses will be lit up with every moment you spend nearby. True story.

Pop in the City

Ah music industry biased events – how I doth love you… The booze always seems to continuously flow, I never see enough bands, and proud ideals of going to all sorts of fascinating in-depth discussions from fascinating types often seem to go by the wayside. That’s not to say we don’t usually have a super time though. Just the other week Kev and I visted Manchester’s In The City. It was fun; Stagecoach and My First Tooth partied like animals and we joined in, although the event itself didn’t really seem that vibrant.

But I blather on – if you fancy reading a full account, and my poorly educated take on the event, pop over to the ever-delicious Rock Midgets where my third column has just gone up.

Meanwhile, I won’t go too much into it yet, but keep your eyes peeled over the next week or two for some announcements. We’ve got T-Shirts on the way, 3 new CDs to be released before Christmas and a few must-go-to gigs a coming (specifically in December time). Shit, actually, looking at the schedule, December is going to be insane.

Ah well, at least an Alcopop themed Christmas is well on the cards…. Rudolph was clearly always on the Hooch Lemon, and he came off all sorts of good. Prime, prime. Meanwhile, here’s a picture that somehow surfaced off the back of the great Coach/Tooth/Pop takeover of Manchester just the other week.  Props to anyone who knows who the blonde girl is, though it looks like we were all getting on famously…

Hope you’ve had a good weekend!

Today, Kev is dead to me…

Anyone who knows co-owner of Alcopop Kev, will rightly be aware he’s currently sunning himself (well, shivering) in the big apple – following The Gat Up Kids on tour, hanging with Morgan Freeman and shimmying down cocktails at 10am. This is rightly making me very jealous – although I can bring myself to revel in his joy.

However, those who know Kev even better will know he’s also a big Reading fan, and being of the Sky Blue persuasion (Coventry City indeed) myself, today’s match which pits the two sides together is bloody massive. Despite mis-firing all season, resembling half cut, crippled mules trotting around a football pitch whilst sporting extremely thick blindfolds – Reading are still a threat, and if they beat Coventry today, it will be a disaster. A disaster unparalleled.

So today I call upon all poppers who are pure of heart and fresh of soul, to pray to the gods of football that today doesn’t end in disaster. Because despite the fact that my estememed business partner, and all round charming pal is thousands of miles away – just won’t stop the mock if we lose….

This is a massive game! Feel for me Team PoP!!!

Note to self: Summery mini albums FTW

Just remembered I wrote this for the latest edition of the very ace – A Short Fanzine About Rockin’… Way back when the air was warm and the skys were a dramatic blue. I think it’s still relevant though A little bit anyway..

I’m not one to whinge generally, but sitting alone at home suffering with the dreaded swine flu haplessly trying to direct my haplessly drunk girlfriend, via mobile phone, to a tent she can’t find at a festival I would desperately love to be at makes my rarely seen pessimistic side think that – at times summer-life can be a big bag of shit….

On the other hand I muse, with the Wire series 5 stuffed into my DVD player, and life otherwise resembling something like that awesome late 90s indie episode of TOTP which featured Gay Dad, The Sebadoh and The Offspring (come on, it was ace at the time and Lou Barlow is always cool) – it’s not all bad. And that’s mainly down to the way we soundtrack it…

What I think we’re missing though is enough massive raw powerpop 5-8 track EP/mini-albums that oh so often blasted out through youthful summers with the kind of rattling enthusiasm that could provide accompaniment for a whole summer of drunken fun. I’m talking Alcopop by Midget, Captain by Idlewild, All Hail Urusei Yatsura and, to get a little more contemporary about things, hell, A Modern Education by goFASTER>>.

So my rallying cry for this summer and every summer beyond is that, as a nation’s youth (ish in some cases) we should seize upon some classic nugget of a mini-album, and play the fuck out of it – and make sure everyone in remote proximity is, willingly or not, exposed to late night parties, sun-drenched sessions and general whatever else with that particular soundtrack firmly at hand, so in years future everyone can recall the summer of ‘insert ace mini-album here’.

I had a mate once who spent the entire summer of 98 blasting One Day at a Time by Symposium out of his window whilst smoking weed and playing ISS Pro… British summers may be short, but he owned that one!

Kev + I interviewed by the 405, and column 2 w/ RockMidgets

Just a quick update on a couple of bits and bobs that have surfaced over the last couple of days, without meaning to use the blog as my own personal mouthpiece, for lovely music sites on the web. Firstly, I penned my second column for the mighty Rock Midgets which was fun because I got to see Andrew WK in the making of it, and quote The Warriors film – which is possibly my favourite flick of all… In it I investigate creativity in music and the fact that the industry’s not dead damnit…!

Secondly is the very humbling interview I answered for the 405 music blog alongside, to put it bluntly, some of my ‘oh so much betters’ from the indie music scene. It’s well worth a read, and really interesting to see how the thoughts are similar, though subtly different. Introducing ladies and gentlemen, co-owner of Alcopop and head-honcho of BSM Kev Douch, Jane from Gravity Dip and the magnificent Dave House of Banquet – oh and me…

It’s a great read – so read if you got a moment…

Bought this – it is absolutely ridiculous….

Cheers Sainsburys…. FML….

RockMidgets column – View from the Pop…

Is the undeniably ‘hilarious’ title (I thank you) of my newest feature for excellent website RockMidgets – long time favourites of us here at Alcopop, and purveyors of quite frankly magnificent content. Therefore I was most delighted to be asked to write a bi-monthly column for them, about well – pretty much anything to be honest…

Expect details of my thoughts on what’s happening in the industry at the moment, recommendations of bands that I think are awesome and the odd nonsensical rambling included, just to keep things interesting. This week I’m focussed on the ever-changing record industry as a whole, ignoring the naysayers who continually sensationalise the ‘death of it’…. Instead exploring the decline of advertising, big budget poster campaigns and the like, which has finally giving way to massive listener choice and moreover, the wider community of the record-buying public (or heroes as we call them).

It’s a general introduction for sure, and I’ll be focussing on keener points as we progress inexorably through 2009 – but have a look if you have a minute, and any feedback gratefully received…

PoP love…

Vox POPped in Kerrang

After years of wondering where they pick these people up from, I’ve finally been Vox Popped by Kerrang for The Get Up Kids show… And in my haste to appear cool – I come across as a one-eyed giggling schoolgirl, so pleased was I with the propensity of hits in the set. In my defense they did play Campfire Kansas – and it was f**king amazing!

Such a good evening….

So I was interviewed by Punktastic…

Proud days, fine times –as an interview I recently conducted with Punktastic website has gone up, and is now ready for your consumption. Covering everything from how the label started, through what we look for in bands to the gap between indies and majors… There’s a whole lot to read but if you got a spare 20 minutes then help yourself. I am, of course, fascinating – mwahaha.

In other news the weekend has been pretty productive. Kev rocked up Rapturefest on Saturday, laying down some fruity beats, Wolf Am I have got a couple of new shows announced, The Candle Thieves have begun their garden party tour in earnest – and Stagecoach have been getting some lovely new press shots sorted out (watch this space). I meanwhile checked out Bill Bailey yesterday at an intimate pub show (photo of us genially waving at each other here), somehow acquired a big bag of mangoes and got sent round this rather lovely tweet by @JavedKurmoo.

Thanks pal. Much appreciated… Oh and for anyone who’s revelling in the glory of the football season, I’ve made some lofty predictions about league winners over here, and has anyone noticed who’s top of the Championship…. *unadulterated glee*

BSM 5-A-Side Tournament video shows Alcopop have the skills to very much pay the bills

Ole – it’s time that the football season begins in earnest (although in fairness the only league that truly matters kicked off last week) – and in celebration of this dramatically ace fact, I’m keen to show you some true, liquid football… The kind that teenagers dream of their heroes performing, and premiership footballers strive their hardest to achieve.

This, ladies and gentleman, is the official video from the BSM 5-a-side tournament where tie-dye dreams were made, and dashed, and Blakfish became (for the day) official Alcopop cheerleaders. Look out for some incredible skills, most notably by Brett Ackroyd giving defences a torrid time, and a red hot interview with yours truly.

Strong times, strong African coloured kits.

Next year Team Pop, next year….