The concept of ‘Plastic Beach’ is one of desperation and a resultant change. The accompanying promotional clip to opening single ‘Stylo’ sees virtual villains Murdoc and 2D coasting through a blazing barren desert before being violently run off the road by a gun-toting Bruce Willis. The final images from the graphic display 50% of Gorillaz plummeting deep in to the ocean, their sinking ride submerged in water before it sprouts metallic fins and sails off into the tranquil drink. The album expands on this theme as we discover, for reasons not quite clear, Gorillaz find themselves stranded on a deserted island that largely consists of discarded plastic packaging. Although initially embracing their new found habitat they soon grow weary of the artificial existence they are forced to tolerate and yearn for a return to reality.

Musically ‘Plastic Beach’ is an extremely ambitious effort. Cramming sixteen tracks into fifty seven minutes is a brave move. As a result ‘Plastic Beach’ demands your full attention and repeated listens will reap rewards as a variety of tones, colours, textures and flavours make up this very layered outing. Having cultivated a credible cast starring Snoop Dogg, Mos Def and former Clash cohorts Paul Simonon and Mick Jones, ‘Plastic Beach’ could run the risk of celebrity overload. Thankfully the star studded ensemble are mostly there to simply ’serve the song’ leaving the Music free of bloated egotism or pointless one-upmanship. Key cuts such as ‘Rhinestone Eyes’ and ‘Empire Ants’ employ a similar shuffling structure to many of Gorillaz previous standards whilst ‘Superfast Jellyfish’ floats hysterically upon a childlike chant provided by former Super Furry Animal Gruff Rhys, begging it’s listener to acquiesce to the idyllic imagery of living free spiritedly.
Underground British grimers Bashy and Kano pop up on ‘White Flag’, one of the album’s true highlights which combines a hard edged freestyle spit with gorgeous string arrangement courtesy of the National Orchestra for Arabic Music. Albarn’s dickensian drawl has been noticeably reigned in and recurring collaborators De La Soul return to inject their usual funk inspired theatrics. As the record wears on however, you find the mind wandering at the prospect of too many reflective tracks such as ‘Broken’ and ‘To Binge’, a pair of generic keyboard led ditties that limp slowly on, stunting the growth of what could otherwise be a truly classic long player. The Lou Reed assisted ‘Some Kind of Nature’ equally fails to deliver, proving to be nothing more than a poor imitation of the dynamic Dennis Hopper pairing ‘Fire Coming out of the Monkey’s Head’ from 2005’s excellent ‘Demon Days’. It’s at these moments that you realise ‘Plastic Beach’ represents Gorillaz first album constituting anything resembling filler perhaps the result of self production and not having a Danger mouse or Dan the Automator to edit the wide array of ideas and themes.

Co-founder and ‘Tank Girl’ creator Jamie Hewlett continues to impress with his askew animation, adorning the visual aspect of the album with cutting edge japanese inspired imprints and off-kilter sketches proving his contribution is just as valued as his Musical counterparts.

Adventurous, ornate and whimsical. ‘Plastic Beach’ although sketchy in places is an album truly befitting the cartoonish creatures that make up it’s presentation.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Fan Death are tonight’s support, named after a Korean urban myth which states that if fans are left on overnight they can kill you (I’ll never leave my fan on whilst sleeping ever again.) The band itself where typical electro, mixed with array of other standard instruments, but also a violinist was onboard. The lead singer (who I’m sure been infected by Karen O) did a lot of dancing about in Kate Bush style, but had a voice I could hardly hear and didn’t have control over any of the songs. That was left to the violinist the only part of the set that was interesting at all. That inst saying much as you could play a violin out of tune and I’ll still go weak at the knees. I was just waited for a big fan to be turned on to blow them off stage (yes I used a fan pun). Seriously the violinist could have done the set herself with dancing girl, and that would have made a better support.

Basically 30 minutes of electro-disco that took 30 seconds to forget. No substance and more importantly no good songs.

One of the things the lead singer had to say was ‘This is the biggest venue we’ve played it showed.

Rating: 2 out of 10 stars

With three chandeliers perched high above Vampire Weekend came onto stage with the sounds of House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’. With a well received second album, and a exciting debut that put them on the map in a big way, VW are here to enjoy themselves. They kicked off with the new album with ‘White Sky’ and ‘ ‘Holiday’ something from the first record might of been abit more suitable to get the crowd moving as there was little in the initial opening. That was the theme of the night as most of the new material was met with apprehension and a conserve of energy for the older and popular songs. Luckily it didn’t take them long to please their faithful as cuts from the first record where splashed out including arguably there best song ‘M79′ which still sounds gratifying even without the orchestra elements.

The only song from the new album which got the crowd going was ‘Cousins’ a short to the point number which was a highlight of the set, and was over quicker than you could say ‘Me and My Cousins, You and Your Cousins’. The highlight of the night for many would of been ‘A-Punk’ with virtually everyone getting involved for the ‘Eh, Eh, Eh, Eh’ moments creating a wall of noise showing just how damn popular that song was when it was released.

The band where evidently glad to be here with Ezra (lead single) claiming Manchester as the ‘Bestchester’.  As the set wore on old, and new songs where mixed together to create a portioned setlist. Also the huge backdrop of the ‘Contra’ album cover (with the right lighting looked like Vigo from Ghostbusters 2) started to glow literally with its demonic red eyes (maybe I’ve had too many pear drops?). For viewing pleasure ‘Giving Up the Gun’ provided this with some nifty shadow effects which went hand in hand with the song’s faster approach.

The set leaded heavily on the older songs as the set closed, ending proceedings well with crowd favourites such as ‘Mansard Roof’ and ‘Walcott’. There was a clear difference between old and new tonight. The new songs felt more intimate and complex rather than the directness of the older songs, but there no doubting that VW for a small time at least rubber stamped their status as one of the best melodic oddballs around.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars
White Sky
Holiday
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
I Stand Corrected
M79
California English
Cousins
Taxi Cab
Run
A-Punk
One
Diplomat’s Son
Boston
Giving Up The Gun
Campus
Oxford Comma
Horchata
Mansard Roof
Walcott

‘Mixtaped’ presents the duo’s first full live performance in over fifteen years featuring an intimately recorded show at London’s modest Bush Hall. Drawing from a diverse palette of electronica, trip hop and progressive jazz, ‘Mixtaped’ captures ‘No-Man’s’ stark surreality perfectly, drifting from art rock to dream pop with relative ease. The ninety minute film emphatically pinpoints ‘No-Man’s’ strengths treating it’s audience to blissed out soundscapes fusing frontman Tim Bowness’ meandering melancholy with minimalist technic touches. ‘Time travel in Texas’ and ‘Pretty Genius’ exude a confident swagger noticeably absent from earlier works proving ‘No-Man’ truly shine when locking into a filthy funk groove and easing off their all too regularly crowded formulae.
For every ray of light ‘Mixtaped’ affords however, a glaring shard of negativity is unearthed. Highlights such as ‘Days in the Trees’ do not carry enough value to forgive the half dozen tracks that lazily sink into a puddle of pretentious self parody. The unfocused fuzz of ‘Carolina Skeletons’ acts as a blueprint to the severe lack of songwriting credentials and the first of many forays into a shallow sheen of indignant self indulgence that has always lay at the core of their sound. In addition ‘No-Man’ are far from a visual force. With very little between song banter and a non-existent stage presence you can’t help but feel ‘Mixtaped’ would have been better suited strictly to an audio release.

The second disc ‘Returning’ is primarily a documentary underscoring the band’s roots from creating experimental sounds in a teenager’s bedroom to near obscurity following the fallout from a failed stab at a mainstream pop career. The understated production makes for a refreshing twist on the big budget blockbuster template of modern ‘Rockumentaries’ whilst offering original Art prints that accompanied the band’s major releases. What is immediately apparent however is ‘No-Man’ don’t really have a captivating ‘warts and all’ tale to tell. Despite the obligatory inter-band tensions and obvious jealousy at Steven Wilson’s successful side project ‘Porcupine Tree’, ‘No-man’ are really just an act that didn’t fit in with their contemporaries. Very little here will present a revelation for long standing followers nor is it likely to usher in a legion of fresh admirers. ‘Returning’s’ main ambition is to plead ‘No-Man’s’ case as an experimental figurehead, the story of two men kicking against the system and breaking new ground to the dissatisfaction of an under appreciative Music scene. In actuality we are left with the feeling of bitterness from a band that would like to be earmarked as pioneers, paving the way for successful acts such as Massive Attack and Portishead when in reality ‘No-Man’ are little more than a hangover from the New Romantic scene that delved ever so slightly into a hip hop inspired hybrid and oversaturated their sound with far too many ill-fitting elements.

Fans of the band will love it, most everyone else will not.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Before that we get Mirrors who as soon as they head out you think poor man Kraftwerk with their sharp suits and grim expressions. As soon as they start their love of 80’s synth (boy do they stick to this formula) you still thinking poor man Kraftwerk, and is this it? I might have well been seeing a covers band instead of the blandness on show here. I’m not even convinced that Mirrors are about the music as more effort was put in to making a spectacle, and stand out visually rather than musically. The matching suits, the monotone expressions, and the big screen playing short films above them. Even visually they failed as these short films where just pointless, a camera spinning around a tree for four minutes. Need I say more? Amidst all the forgettable music on show one song named ‘Into the Heart’ which for a few minutes made this set a bearable watch.

If Mirrors are to go progress they really need to look at what they’re here for, to play music or just play out their own arty wet dreams.

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars

After fighting the urge to venture to the toilet thus not losing my great vantage point of the stage I noticed that the house lights (or lack of) where missing in attendance…cutbacks eh!

With all the praise heaped upon Delphic in such a short space of time, the majority of people where possibly here based on what they read or heard. It possibly showed in the first part of the set as allot of people nodded away to openers ‘Carrion Call’ and ‘Doubt’ feeling the band out, and trying to get adjusted to the many dynamics the band have in their sound. These dynamics are the reason Delphic stand out in the first place, keyboards that make a nod to dance music new and old, but they have that added twist with drums, and guitar that makes there mark instead of filling a void or being in the background. Neither of these components overlaps the other, and one impresses just as much as the other. This works best on the longer songs like ‘Red Lights’ or ‘Counterpoint’ which really got the crowd sweaty, and where the stand out songs in a very solid set. The crowd where won over by the end. Any doubts about this band can be put in the bin. There sound inst as remarkable as other people would make it seem, but they do have the tools, and the confidence to go further sooner rather than later.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Also on a separate note the visual aspect of Delphic set was certainly a added bonus it certainly brought more to the set.  I didn’t want to mention that in the review after me berating the previous band for focusing on visuals rather than the sound. Saves all the hypocrite comments .

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars

With a new album finally on the horizon for tonights second band “We Are The Ocean” These boys have cause to celebrate. They played a couple of new songs from the forthcoming album “Cutting Our Teeth” plus a few crowd faviourites from their debut self titled EP that the ten fans at the front appreciated. Once the band realised they had some dedicated fans here, lead singer decided to get in amonst the crowd for a mini moshpit.

The difference in sound between the old and new material is quite literally staggering. The main attarction of WATO is still Liam Cromby whose vocals still impress, but yet he does not overshadow his very capable band mates. The older songs have done a good job of getting the bands personality across, but they’ve needed something more to really stand out. The new songs give them that, and make the band more of a draw than before. If the other tracks on the new album deliver like the ones we heard tonight then I expect these boys to be headlining their own shows very soon.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

With four years passed since tonights main event Thrice last played Manchester, tonight feels extra special. However tonight’s event is not helped by the loss of lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi due to his mothers recent passing. In addition the show was downgraded from Manchesters academy 2 to the much smaller club academy (unbelivably due to poor tickets sales). All this adversity is overcome instantly though with opener. Despite the small venue stand in guitarist Nate Patterson (of “The Deer Hunter”) won over any doubters when he nailed a rendition of ‘Dust And Nations’ including the stand out ending. He was from that point on accepted for one night at least a honourably member of Thrice.

Plenty of old tracks were on offer this evening for the hardcore fans, but for fans of the new album there was plenty here as well. It was the new songs that made more of a mark as the old songs were there to please, but the new songs where here to impress.

There was little talk from Dustin + co, just your usual thanks for coming, thanks to supporting bands etc. There was though a teaser to a summer return that prompted the crowd to chant ‘Leeds, Leeds, Leeds (Leeds + Reading Festival). Despite missing a major component of their band Thrice delivered a blistering set despite their set not containing a single song from arguably their best album (Alchemy Index I + ll).

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

So, in essence, i’m sorry about my lack of impartiality, but I LOVE THIS CD! From start to finish i’m singing along to, dancing about, and genuinely having a great time listening to this album. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can pay this album, is that at least half of the crowdsurfer team are going to see the band live!

Musically the album should be seen as a return to form, after a semi disapointing third album, the band sound tighter, the beats are brilliant, the harmonies instant attention grabbers. Perhaps there are some tracks that are not as good as others, but when the bar is this high it doesn’t matter. The truth is, tracks 3, 5, and 8 (Her words destroyed my planet, Delirium, and Pulp Fiction) stand out as brilliant as well as the ever impressive change of pace track 11, skin and bones.

I’m sorry, I could go on waxing lyrical about this album for many hours! But don’t want to bore you so, please, just trust me, go buy it when it comes out on the 22nd of March, you won’t regret it.

Oh and see you on the 27th in Manchester.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

Before the trilbies and trenchcoats however, the chinrubbers were awash in a sea of burberry, celebrating the simple pleasures of a cup of rosey lee and saucy sexual innuedoes. This unashamedly arrogant attitude would later give birth to Girl Power but in 1995 it was all about the boys, namely a quintessentially Essex quartet known as Blur and a moody mob of Mancunian mouthpieces calling themselves Oasis. The unnecessarily unpleasant ‘battle of the band’s’ that these two figureheads of ‘Britpop’ would wage eventually exterminated this rather indulgent period of pop culture. Blur would live to fight another day, radically reinventing themselves and garnering critical acclaim before their storied existence would climax on a muted note. Oasis however would record far past their peak, morphing into characitures of themselves releasing a series of dull discs before yet another internal implosion that nobody could care less about. ‘No Distance Left To Run’ presents a revealing retrospective of one of the more intriguing acts of the past twenty years whilst also acting as a exclamation mark on the pointless rivalry between two British institutions.

A two disc presentation, ‘No Distance Left To Run’ begins with a compelling film directed by aspiring artists Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace. A sensationally shot piece, the movie follows Blur as they plot their path from grimy rehearsal rooms through to intimate stops at student unions and musky railway museums building up to a triumphant return at Glastonbury 2009. Boasting dazzling cinematography and a soundtrack bolstered by classic cuts from Blur’s seven studio albums the film delivers a stark insight into the delicate relationships that lay at the centre of the band for it’s twelve year inception. Perhaps most intriguing is the differing personalities that form the nucleus of the group being Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon. We are given a glimpse of the tense clashes they have endured since meeting at school going some way to explain the fall out that would see see Coxon’s departure prior to the band’s final lp. It’s easy to forget just how massive Blur were as the film charts their rise from baggy indie darlings to pop megastars. The footage included from their mid-nineties heyday showcases a band consumed by their own success whilst highlighting Coxon’s escalating battles with alcoholism proving their main battles were not with other acts but rather themselves. It makes for emotional viewing made all the more apparent by the image of Albarn slumped over a speaker at Glastonbury, weeping with his head in his hands.

The second disk is an uninterrupted account of the group’s sell out date at Hyde Park in July 2009. The two hour setlist comprises a detailed delve into the bands varied back catalogue and it’s refreshing to see the boys belt through old standards such as ‘Tracy Jacks’ and ‘Sunday Sunday’ without the embarrassment they may have felt following their lauded latter material. ‘Out of Time’ is the only cut provided from the 2003’s Coxon-less collection ‘Think Tank’ and it’s a pleasure to see that geezer from Albert Square acting more Quadrophenia than Eastender as he leads the crowd through an anthemic ‘Parklife’.

‘No Distance Left To Run’ is an apt conclusion to the legacy of a talented troupe of Musicians that may have lost an initial Musical battle but won the fight for their souls.

Four stars