http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk __________________________________ Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:48:51 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en September 7th, 2010     Paul Weller has stiff competition for the Mercury prize this year Bookies have slashed the odds on Paul Weller winning tonight’s Mercury Prize, making him the 1/10 favourite, after a number of large bets were placed. Weller has a bit of form here. A series of last minute ... http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk/?p=1374 September 6th, 2010     “I’ve never intended to be controversial,” Morrissey once claimed, “but it’s very easy to be controversial in pop music because nobody ever is.” Well, he’s gone and done it again, with an interview in the Observer, in which (as a particularly outspoken vegetarian) Morrissey conveys his disgust at a ... http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk/?p=1371 September 6th, 2010   “I’ve never intended to be controversial,” Morrissey once claimed, “but it’s very easy to be controversial in pop music because nobody ever is.” Well, he’s gone and done it again, with an interview in the Observer, in which (as a particularly outspoken vegetarian) Morrissey conveys his disgust at a ... http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk/?p=1368 Publishes 02  Sept 2010   [caption id="attachment_1366" align="aligncenter" width="425" caption="Only the hair remains the same"][/caption] Robert Plant & The Band of Joy: One Mayfair, London (live review) Warming up for his UK tour, Robert Plant played a secret gig in a converted church in London’s West End. “It’s nice to play in one of ... http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk/?p=1363 Published: 5:13PM BST 01 Sep 2010     'The modern world has always slightly mystified me,” says Laura Marling. Just 20 years old, already an NME cover star and nominated for next week’s Mercury Music Prize (for the second time), Marling is about as contemporary as you can get. Yet somehow it is ... http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk/?p=1360 September 1st, 2010     Is heavy metal conclusive proof that the devil actually doesn’t have all the best tunes? I am not entirely convinced by the Reverend Rachel Mann’s proposal that Christians could learn a lot about life from heavy metal. The only thing I ever learned at a heavy metal concert ... http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk/?p=1357 Published: 26 Aug 2010 The Libertines, HMV Forum, London     They arrive onstage to Vera Lynn’s 'We’ll Meet Again’; four men dressed in black staring at their feet and instruments, barely acknowledging the 2,500 strong audience or each other. But as the first clanging chords of 'Horrorshow’ ring out, the place erupts, with ... http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk/?p=1354 Published: 27 Aug 2010 Katy Perry: Teenage Dream (Virgin) Katy Perry must curse the day Lady Gaga donned her exploding bra. Just two years ago, Perry was the new bad girl on the pop block, done up like a Forties burlesque pin up, singing smart, funny anthems about youthful misbehaviour. She had costumes, ... http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk/?p=1349 25 Aug 2010     Why do people continue to want to believe in The X Factor? The revelation that auto-tune has been used to enhance (and possibly, in some instances, even worsen) performances has been greeted with shock, with fans voicing disappointment and tabloid headlines denouncing it as the TV scandal of ... http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk/?p=1346  August 25th, 2010    Bob Dylan in 1965 Photo: rexWith all this talk about auto-tune, I’ve been wondering what Bob Dylan would sound like if the pitch correction device had been available in the 60s? “Someday everything’s gonna be smooth like a rhapsody / When I auto-tune my masterpiece.” Better not to go ... http://www.neilmccormick.co.uk/?p=1342