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!!!

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…

Birthday tribute to Kev BSM/PoP

We may all be busily celebrating Konnie Huq’s (former Blue Peter presenter and red hot fox – no, she really is) thirty-fourth birthday today – busily topping of the icing on Tom Fletcher from McFly’s secret 24th celebration cake and wishing fervently that Ismail I, Shah of Persia was still alive to see in his 512th in style, but spare a thought for the smaller (physically at least) music-based celebrities of Oxfordshire – namely Kev, co owner of Alcopop and lord of all BSM – who turns 26 today…

Happy birthday dear Kev – and may the year be as wretchedly drunken as the majority of the last 25! Short of presents, I instead decided to jet over today to Walt Disney World (it’s been a long one), to Florida to approach some mooks in stupid hats to bring you this, from all the Alcopoppers…

Alcopop@ The Great Escape – highlights, low lights and Kev’s plight

Ah The Great Escape – Brighton’s most hazy weekend, and this year – quite the most splendid weekend of 2009. Mass vomiting, plenty o’ partial nudity and winds so blustery that anchoring oneself to the pier would have been a good move were just a few highlights, and amidst the 1000’s of bands I wanted to see but missed due to over packed schedules, booze and the mighty Pav Tav – I caught some real highlights.

1.) Sam Isaac, who rocked like a gentle hurricane on the Thursday night – topping even Future of the Left with his accomplished set, making me very excited about forthcoming album bears.

2.) Riddim Saunter, a Japanese power-pop band who set the pier alight with delightful tunes, an over-happy drummer who never quite found his stool – and have definitely camped out for a good long stay deep within my heart.

3.) Idlewild – who topped off a really accomplished set by playing Low Lights, one of my favourite tracks from Hope is Important And…

4.) Kev BSM – who puked in his own mouth 4 times in one night. Congratulations Kev.

Overall though, it was just a remarkably pleasant experience, with just too many lovely people to mention. Whatsmore, we cast our first compilation into the tempestuous Brighton Ocean to produce a lovely video (on its way), outdrank our pressing hero Dave DMS (shame on you Dave) and dropped ice cream all over the pier.

I bloody love Brighton.

Alcopop at The Great Escape

We’re on our way – heading out on another Alcopop outing, and no doubt Kev has already cracked the first bottle of Pitcher (damn the fact I agreed to drive)… I’ll be checking emails vaguely over the next few days though so if anyone fancies hooking up, or thinks there’s a show we should definately be at – drop us an email at info@ilovealcopop.co.uk. Would be lovely to hear from you…

Otherwise, buy a CD, 7″ or two and feel safe in the knowledge that you’re bankrolling the future of Alcopop with another A&R mission into the unknown. We’ll invest wisely!

Maybe see you there x

Kev and I made a playlist…

Anyone use Spotify? Well if you have, you’ll probably be needing a playlist to have a listen to now and then – maybe one with all of your favourite indie classics from the mid/late 90s, dance tracks that make you killer killer killer killer dance like a mothertrucker (Stakka Bo for instance) – and pop hits so pomegranate fresh that Persephone just couldn’t help herself.

Well try this badboy out, and enjoy it time and time again. Capiche?

PS – it was my misfortune to catch Al Murray on TV tonight – I think he’s about as funny as a forest fire… When you’re in a low lying treehouse… Guarding barrels of petrol… In a matchbook coat.

Fury

I’ve just written a somewhat angry rant about the future of the music industry. I’m getting annoyed by everyone predicting its downfall and grouping us in with the major labels who rely on their hit singles and million selling albums to – to quote from what I’ve just written – “keep their noses packed with cocaine for another week” whereas us wonderful little independent labels are delighted if we can shift just a couple of thousand copies of something, probably generating enough money in the process to pay for the next 2 or 3, if not more, releases. Just because CD sales are dropping, it doesn’t mean that everyone is going to give up on their prized record collections. Ok the casual consumer will, but when did we ever sell music to them anyway? We sell real music to real music fans who still value the package, the brand and the artist, not just the one 79p song. To quote my rant once again, “Convenience is one thing, but my MP3 collection looks weak on my bedroom wall and I can’t for the life of me work out how to flick through the wonderfully printed accompanying booklet when I right-click.” Right now I’m in two minds as to whether or not I should post the whole thing. The language occasionally gets a little fruity and I’ve already blogged a lot today, mostly getting carried away by my support of Coolio to win Celebrity Big Brother!

So Alcopoppers, what’s happenin’? It’s 2009 y’all. A new year and time for some new music.

Jack’s still away, last seen driving a campervan around the New Zealand countryside like a maniac, and Oxford is colder than cold today. I need some new bands to warm the cockles and help fill this years release schedule. So far we’ve kept it purposefully sparse as last year was intense and we wanted a little bit of a break to let the dust settle and start to pick out the finest unsigned bands around. We love hearing your tips and recommendations, so keep em coming in. You can leave comments on this blog or email us at ilovealcopop@googlemail.com – heck, if we sign someone you tell us about, we might even list you as ‘executive producer’ or some shit on the sleeve notes!

I’ve got the mother of all headaches right now, probably brought on by too much ranting, so I’m gonna go soothe it with some gentle Hollyoaks viewing. If you haven’t done so already, don’t forget you can pick up Sam’s Isaac ‘Sticker Star And Tape’ EP and Stars And Sons ‘In The Ocean’ 7″ together for just £6 right now. And come back soon, cos I’ll be starting another ‘Whilst Jack’s Away, Kev Will Play’ promotion later this week. Bargain music all round!

Here’s what The Wire looks like with a laugh track. Kinda sucks the drama out of it:

Happy new year!

Hungover much?

So here we are again. For the third time in a year Mr Clothier has buggered off for some sort of glorious holiday leaving muggins here holding the blogging fort in freezing cold Oxford. Still, it’s not all bad, at least Stuart Little is on. Oh, wait… This is crap

During Jack’s trip I’ve decided I’m going to run a few little special promotions. The way I see it, the more mailorders you lot place, the more he’ll have to do (being the mailorder man around these parts) when he gets home, sunburnt and feeling sorry for himself. Cruel? Perhaps. But at least there’s something in it for you, in fact, there are two things…

Until Wednesday 8th January (one week today!) you can buy Stars And Sons brilliant 7″ single ‘In The Ocean’ and Sam Isaac’s ‘Sticker Star and Tape’ CDEP together for just £6. That’s a 25% saving! Click here to take advantage

If you have a moment, please head over to my full-time place of residence, Big Scary Monsters, and have a read of the blog. I’m looking for ideas of how I can fill 52 days off this year.

Jack’s Christmas present

…Well, nearly. Unfortunately it got a little rich for my blood…

What would Christmas be without Ebay?