Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros - Home

A song for all nostalgics out there :)

Something British, Something cool

I was barely a teen when their music reached my years … and not only the music, but that whole cool, detached attitude counterbalanced by the lyrics, that are quite to the point – very British, one might say! And Britain seen through the songs of The Smiths has something of its own, something of that humor – dark at times or nearly always - , something of that twist of straightforwardness as well.

Their music has a specific genuine flow coming from the raw simplicity, which is suggested by the very name picked to define the music band. What other more ordinary British name than Smith? Still, The Smiths, as simple as they might seem, brought poetry and artful guitar sound into the picture, turning rock music into something more similar to what we hear nowadays. In one word, they were the pioneers of the sound that dominates nowadays.

Still, there is a specific melodic attribute that is to be given not as much to the sound as to the lyrics. Morrissey – the band's front man – has never ceased to also be a writer. He definitely brought an undeniably unique and unmistakable element to the band not only due to his performance, but also to his talent in writing lyrics. 'There is a light that never goes out' with Morrissey charming the audiences… 

 The song 'There's a light that never goes out' is from the album The Queen is Dead. There is an undeniable legacy that Morrissey carried on from his previous punk experiences. But, at the same time, there is a legacy that the Manchester band carried forward, as they made music and sang for and from the everyday life experiences of the simple and unpretentious, of those called 'the common people', still dignified by frankness and honesty. And it is precisely this honesty trans-passing the music made by The Smiths that politicized their music when the case, singing for and in the name of all those affected by Thatcherism and harsh policies affecting precisely the simple people in Britain.

 The band did not have a long-living life as they dismantled in 1987, only five years after getting together as a group. There were also some disputes taken to court concerning the royalties. No harm done, though! The strong and leading former members went on with their careers. The most well known ones remain Johnny Marr (the guitarist of The Smiths) and Morrissey, who went on with an independent career that brought him much reward for his talent and hard work, as well as the public acclaim that he seemed to have always been looking forward to, as he both is and he's being regarded as one of the most influential artists of today.

  

The Big Beach Ball Festival in Aberdeen

UK is known for a million of things but if you are less than 25 years old and you crave for alternative rock music you certainly know Britain for its rock festivals too, the Glastonbury Festival and Reading and Leeds Festival among others. It is there where tens of thousands of youth from all around Europe gather annually to drink… as much as they can (beer is the predominant type of alcoholic drink) while losing themselves to the ecstatic rhythms of rock music. If you want to take a taste of the festival’s history then I would recommend Julian Temple’s documentary Glastonbury.

Since 2005, when the documentary was shot, many more artists have brought waves of enthusiasm to young music enthusiasts. Given the fact that last year the festival was not held due to the London Summer Olympics something tells me that many are already impatiently waiting for this year’s big rock party!

Apart from these gigantic festivals though, there are many more festivals of smaller size in many parts of the island. For example, on the 5^th of May The Big Beach Ball takes place in Aberdeen, Scotland. Who would say no to some fine rock tunes by the beach in Scotland? Surely not anyone that wishes to stay updated with the latest trends of alternative music and hipster attitudes!

The festival takes place at the legendary Beach Ballroom, a beautiful art deco building ran by the Aberdeen City Council. Bands like The Beatles, The Small Faces, Pink Floyd and Cream have performed in the Beach Ballroom in the – not so remote – past. In case you want to grab a taste of a temple of rock ‘n’ roll that continues to rock till today, then book your Travelodge hotel in Aberdeen as soon as possible, not to somehow miss your chance to party!

Miaoux Miaoux

This year, a number of international DJ’s and Scottish groups will perform at the Big Beach Ball including Inner City, Octave One, The Xcerts, Miaoux Miaoux (nice name, eh!?), Lockah, the Little Kicks, Nevada Base and Marionettes, among other fancy choices. What is more, DJ Jackmaster in particular, is expected to set fire to around 3.000 people with the latest dance hits.

The festival is organized for the second year in a row. One might argue that The Big Beach Ball is a relatively new festival, but surely is an ambitious and up to date one! Not to mention that it is much less 'sweaty' than Glastonbury! Plus, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to decide to stay some more in Aberdeen and discover the city, which is, after all, one of Scotland’s biggest cities. Maybe a good idea would have also been for a festival to be held inside a Scottish castle; just imagine… the aura of a remote medieval past combined with rock ‘n’ roll tunes and endless amount of beers! Hic! However, now, that I am thinking of it, I could also do with that legendary Beach Ballroom. After all, it is not bad at all to step on the footsteps of The Beatles!