‘Ain’t No Easy Way Out’

As 2008 draws to an end I’m wondering what 2009 holds. For me it’s been a year of musical highs and lows, for most of us it’s been the year that revealed the shallow and short-term nature of politics; the implications of instilling the ‘feel-good factor’ and the amount of our money it takes to rescue the reputations of incompetent and dishonest politicians. Since Thatcher, making people feel wealthier than they actually are has kept governments in power. Politicians are now madly scrabbling around, injecting billions of the people’s money to save themselves and the institutions who were allowed to roam far and wide, unhindered by regulation, in search of obscene profits (especially in the UK and USA). Whatever happened to ‘the market rules’? Until those in power take a long, hard look at themselves to identify the real problems those billions will be wasted. And they will find out that there is indeed no easy way out of the historic mess they have created.

‘Thriller’

2006 and 2007 were great album release years but ‘third time lucky’ didn’t apply to 2008. In fact it was a pretty average year dominated by BBC radio-friendly, mainstream mediocrity. Hell, even well-matured return albums from AC/DC and Guns & Roses failed to lift the gloom. So where was the real music action? Look no further than the live arena for it was here that most of my musical satisfaction in 2008 emanated. Liverpool celebrated its year as European Capital of Culture with the opening of its new and very wonderful venue, the Liverpool Echo Arena, towering over the city’s muddy Mersey. It was here that Roger Waters thrilled with my show of the year, a performance that dropped just about everybody down a couple of notches, in front of a capacity (and typically appreciative) Liverpool audience. Even Waters was forced to acknowledge that of his 146 shows, this Liverpool gig was the best. It was nothing less than a masterpiece and while the songs have been well rehearsed over many years the messages are still as cogent, powerful and relevant as they were back then. I’ve attended literally hundreds of gigs but I have to confess this was the first time I had stood in a pit shaking with anticipation.

To this wondrous gig I can add others that really impressed: Serg Tankian’s first gig at the Liverpool Academy (his second there was pants!), Def Leppard and Whitesnake at the Liverpool Arena, Mercury Rev at the Manchester Academy, The Hours at Manchester’s tiny Ruby Lounge, Airbourne at the Liverpool Academy, Trivium at the Manchester Apollo, and Sia at the Liverpool Academy. Special mention goes to Australian Pink Floyd for so respectfully and skilfully replicating the original songs during two glorious sell-out shows at the Liverpool Arena, Goo Goo Dolls and Good Charlotte.

‘We Are The Champions’

Achievement of the year just has to go to our friends Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for scooping the Best Film Song Oscar against the massive power of the Disney studios. Of course, out came the fair weather friends of the British music media after criminally ignoring Glen and his band the Frames for so long. Even Radio 1 had them in the studio for an interview so I thought I would try something and emailed in a (sensible) question which (to my utter surprise) was the only one used – little did they know… Close runner-up was Elbow for finally receiving the recognition the band so richly deserved by winning the Mercury Music Prize.