Me my head - Unit

Me My Head grace the Unit stage at We Are Rockstars on July 11th.

Emerging from the breakup of their previous band, The Moth, this West-London five-piece have recently performed with hot new acts Dananananaykroyd and The Joy Formidable (both recent guests of The Joiners).

Since the recent completion of their album, Survival in No Mans Land, MMH are now set to unleash their keyboard-infused indie rock to the masses, as they headline their own tour.

The band already have some big names behind them; Dave Bascombe (Depeche Mode, Manic Street Preachers and The Verve) mixed the album and their latest single, Tumbling Down, was produced by Embrace guitarist, Richard Mcnamara.

Joiners Website

Ash

Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms, 4th June 2009

Things have gone a bit stale for Ash in recent years. Whether you blame the departure of Miss Hatherley or the lack of musical impact since the release of Free All Angels, it's apparent that despite a couple of hits (Clones, Orpheus) and a 'controversial' decision not to release any further albums, Ash have barely hit the headlines.

Maybe things are about to change, the emergence of Irish 3-pieces seems to be the 'in thing' at the moment, with the likes of Fighting with Wire and In Case of Fire being signed to major labels, and as Ash were the original trio, (barre the coming and going of Hatherley, of course) this could be the perfect time for them to make a comeback. Plus, their new plans to release 26 singles, one per fortnight, across 12 months, could be what they need to create a buzz about the band again.

Jumping straight in with Walking Barefoot then on to Girl from Mars and A Life Less Ordinary clearly shows the repertoire of hit singles that Ash have created over the years, but despite succinct performances and the crowd reaction displayed throughout these tracks, relying on these alone can only last so long. This was very much a 'best of' gig, with the exception of 4 new tracks on the set list, most of which weren't very well received and juxtaposing newer material alongside hits like Kung Fu created an awkward atmosphere amongst the crowd.

The modern sound they've acquired this past year, using synths, drum machines and mechanical whirring noises, certainly didn't provoke excitement amongst the audience, which poses the question - where have all the hooks gone?

The catchy rock and roll riffs that first captured the Ash audience, alongside front-man Tim Wheeler's charismatic lyrics, seem to have been neglected and replaced with banal repetition and dodgy electronic intros. Whilst an overbearing drum-machine blasts out behind Wheeler's vocals on Return of the White Rabbit, I wonder if he notices the irony as he painstakingly sings 'Is this the end of the line my friend?'. Reciting a few lines over and over again doesn't always guarantee success (unless you're the Ting Tings *Ahem*) - and even then, if it's not cleverly done it threatens the sustainability of a bands career.

Still, if all this fails, throwing in Teenage Kicks (an oddly post-pubescent rendition, given Tim's never-fading boyish looks) and ending on Burn Baby Burn is a wise move.

The release of their 26 singles (The A-Z series) begins in September, but the 'prequel' Return of the White Rabbit is now available for free, from their website: http://www.ash-official.com

Update! Update! Read all about it (in less than 30 words...?)

This whole twittering, face-booking, constant need for updates and self indulgence generation is really starting to give me a headache. And it’s a little concerning, don't you think?

Sure, it’s terribly exciting to be kept in the know about how horny some person you’ve barely met is, or how many kids one of your classmates from school has successfully popped out since…well school by the looks of it! But, it simply looks to me like yet another sign of the 'dumbing down' of culture.

Even I have fallen subject to the ‘occasional’ (ahem) emotional rant via status updates - it’s an easy place to vent, especially if you can’t (or don’t want to) directly communicate with specific people. But in retrospect, it’s humiliating. No one wants to know how angry I am because things aren’t going MY way. They may be concerned, but they don’t want to know every, single emotion or detail of my life, (or so I‘d expect). And when my passion for writing starts to dwindle, reading becomes a chore and watching the news is pushed aside for Britain’s got talent - well, then you know something is seriously wrong.

This intrigue and need to be 'in the know’ about things such as who on earth ‘Susan Boyle’ is, just so that we can understand half of these 'tweets', is so incessantly strong, that it has almost rendered people’s thirst for actual knowledge and intellect extinct. Now that’s a worry, is it not?

If I was to be pedantic I’d say how wonderful it is that technology has progressed to the point that we can have news updates sent to our brick-sized I-phones/Blackberries instantaneously and keep in touch with our many, well-valued friends and contacts, apparently lost along the way. But let’s face it, how many of us use it to find out what’s going on in Korea or speak to every, single person you’ve ever met since you were born?

Easy, comfort viewing and online ‘in jokes’ with your mates are one thing, but if it further destroys the motivation to learn I might have to give it all up...but then again, I might not get invited to anymore parties...!

PS. If you read past the first sentence - there might be hope for us all yet!