1. Give Yourself A Try – The 1975
2. Always Crashing In The Same Car – David Bowie
3. Love Me – The 1975
4. Youngblood – 5 Seconds Of Summer
5. Dylan And Caitlin – Manic Street Preachers
6. Fireworks – Embrace
7. Faster – Manic Street Preachers
8. Hangin’ Tough – New Kids On The Block
9. A Time To Remember – Special Needs
10. Celeste – The Rocks
1. Star Treatment – Arctic Monkeys
2. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino – Arctic Monkeys
3. Four Out Of Five – Arctic Monkeys
4. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart – Backstreet Boys
5. This Is America – Childish Gambino
6. Legacy – Mansun
7. She Makes My Nose Bleed – Mansun
8. Anthem For A Lost Cause – Manic Street Preachers
9. Redbone – Childish Gambino
10. 2002 – Anne Marie
I fucking LOVE McFly. Have done since day one, buying both CDs of ‘5 Colours In Her Hair’ from the old Virgin Megastore in Piccadilly Circus and the mix of the killer a-side (later improved somehow for the rockier American version with “I’d like to phone her…” becoming, well guess, think Blink) and one of their finest songs tossed on the other side ‘The Guy Who Turned Her Down’, I was onboard instantly. Did I mention the cover of Lola featuring Busted? Yeah, that happened too.
I saw them at Wembley, headlining and then thanks to an awesome grrrlfriend of the time, again at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. I also saw them at Cardiff International Arena and Bournemouth International Centre. So yeah, a fan.
Sometimes people give me the classic “How can you like Metallica and Slayer and then talk about McFly?” Because they are just all fucking great, I can’t really be slotted into a box musically, that does not mean I am one of those ‘tards that ‘just like a bit of everything’, nope. I am incredibly passionate, whether it is The Downward Spiral or Wonderland.
Wonderland, McFly’s sophomore release is a fucking masterwork. For anyone who thinks they are too bubblegum, the opening track is about depression (“All the alcohol in the world can never help me to forget…”), The Ballad Of Paul K details a nervous breakdown which costs the narrator his family and the centrepiece of the record, She Falls Asleep (Parts I and II) details a girl looking for her boyfriend’s attention who attempts suicide, expecting him to save her. It does not end so and time runs out. Not a party record.
So, yeah, I love them. Now they are on ‘sabbatical’, I’m not expecting them to ever get back together, with Tom Fletcher releasing a million awesome kids books and Danny Jones a brand new father – so it is up to Mister Dougie Poynter to keep the rock and roll alive, first by joining awesome rock band A, of Monkey Kong fame, AMAZING. And now with his own trio, the very difficult to google INK.
Look at the picture on the poster and they are just another Alt. trio. EXCEPT ONE OF THEM IS DOUGIE POYNTER. Their biog throws out writer’s names which would have hooked me like a prize bass (Steinbeck, Nabakov) even if they did not have a hero on board. When they announced they were playing my favourite venue in the world, Exeter’s Cavern Club, I got tickets instantly, and geeked out majorly.
Live, INK. has some great big tunes of their own, including the first single Heaven and one of the gig highlights Symphony Woman and they definitely have a groove in their soul underneath the guitar band action, shown by their awesome cover of Sia’s Cheap Thrills. Dougie, like when you saw him with McFly, is unstoppable, flying around the stage with his pink bass, which later he proudly lights up, because, why not? Between songs, he laughs, he jokes, he seems to be having the time of his life, asking if the support act jizzed on the stage as it is so sticky and celebrating being given a bra ONLY TWO SONGS IN. In the old days Fletcher or Jones would have given him a look and quietened him down, but this is his show now and he spends plenty of time laughing and joking with the fans at the front who already know words to songs not available anywhere. Applaud the hardcore fans. APPLAUD.
Did I mention there was also a storming cover of Abba’s Lay All Your Love On Me? Amazing. It was a great gig and did I mention that Dougie was standing in EXACTLY the spot I was in when our band headlined the great venue? YES.
“We will be over by the merch table if you wanna come and say hi”
HELLO, WHAT?
A six minute queue and I was shaking hands and chatting with DOUGIE POYNTER. We talked about how when Motion In The Ocean came out, I was in Cardiff the day it came out and they were signing in HMV, but we passed by first thing in the morning and there were already so many people that all the queue lines were full and we were told we could not get in, even though the doors did not open to Midday for the signing. “Oh man, sorry about that!” “Hey, it’s cool, better late than never, right?” “Yeah man, thanks for coming down.” CLICK, security takes the picture that no doubt accompanies this piece and I left a happy man.
If INK. come round your way, definitely go see them, you’ll groove, you”ll laugh, you’ll rock. Tell ’em Kendallrock sent ya! 🙂
1. Dylan And Caitlin – Manic Street Preachers Ft. The Anchoress
2. Firepower – Judas Priest
3. Soldiers Under Command – Stryper
4. 18 And Life – Asking Alexandria
5. She’s Kinda Hot – 5 Seconds Of Summer
6. Stupid For You – WATERPARKS
7. Kelly Watch The Stars – Air
8. Unsolved Child Murder – The Auteurs
9. She – Suede
10. Where The Pigs Don’t Fly – Suede
1. Television Romance – Pale Waves
2. Hollow – Desperate Journalist
3. Want You Back – 5SOS
4. Blonde – WATERPARKS
5. Murder By Pride – Stryper
6. The Hell Of It – Paul Williams
7. Love Is Dead – Brett Anderson
8. She – Suede
9. Shake It Off – Ryan Adams
10. Head Like A Hole – Nine Inch Nails
1. Bad Reputation – Joan Jett
2. Don’t Speak – New Year’s Day
3. Photograph – Def Leppard
4. Yes – Manic Street Preachers
5. Happy Shopper – 60ft Dolls
6. Patio Song – Gorkys Zygotic Mynci
7. I Am The Mob – Catatonia
8 – Fire In My Heart – Super Furry Animals
9. Please Don’t Send Me Away – Matthew Jay
10. Shake It Off – Ryan Adams
