Barking Spiders

yeah I used to have Set, which is cracking album, with this as the lead off single, made when there used to be a house load in the band

Great track. I'm now tempted to put up some Transglobal Underground which was formed by two of the guys in Furniture but they're not post punk/alt-rock so I'll resist the temptation. So, how about some Woodentops. Once again, they're another fave band of mine that never got that big break but were a big Peel fave. The debut album Giant is an absolute cracker, from which comes this beaut

Probably not post punk, but any opportunity to squeeze in a Macc Lads number... or two 😊

After four pages it's about time for Birkenhead's finest, Half Man Half Biscuit. Too many greats to choose from but let's kick things off with

A gentle ditty before I hit the hay. Sugar was formed by Bob Mould following the demise of Husker Du. The debut album Copper Blue is a bit of a gem but for me the Beaster EP is their best effort, with this track guaranteed to blow your heads off. Play at volume 11!

Anyone remember the hidden gem that is the album Burned by Echo & The Bunnymen side project Electrafixion? This is the lead track off it..

I was gonna come round to them soonish and would've picked the same track to highlight Stuart Morrow's great pick playing. As it is this below might be my fave tune of theirs, especially the chorus

I find it hard to get why guitar bands like The Chameleons, The Sound and the House of Love got overlooked while The Smiths got so much critical kudos and decent UK sales. For me The Queen is Dead has to be one of the most critically overrated albums in any genre and Morrissey has a voice as annoying as wossisface from Rush.

The debut album is a total gem from start to finish and while the 'butterfly' album doesn't quite hit the same heights as consistently for me there are several tunes which are as good as anything on the Creation album e.g. I Don't Know Why I Love You, Never, Hannah and Shine On.

Biosphere again. He's bluddy brilliant and for my money the best producer of ambient electronica out there

Here's another undeservedly overlooked band from the 80s/early 90s, despite them having critical success, being a Peel fave and having NME's 1988 AOTY. Here's a cracking tune.. What puzzles me is they were labelmates with Oasis while at Creation. If only Alan McGee had been as much behind HoL it might've been a different story.

Bluddy Planet Rock keep playing Free songs to death, mostly just the usual suspects. Don't get all the credits Paul Rogers gets for his singing. Just check out the appalling 'Radioactive' made with Jimmy Page as The Firm where IMO the vocal is pretty weak. I prefer the other The Firm who made Star Trekkin'. Anyway credit where credit's due there are some nice basslines on Free songs e.g. Mr Big.

The baggy scene of the early 90s featured lots of bands crossing indie guitar rock with grooves, the best known being the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays. However, several years before this That Petrol Emotion were already doing this. Formed by the Undertones O'Neill brothers TPE were a far better band than anything the baggy scene threw up.

Shriekback's stuff is chocka with tasty bass. Check out the tone on this alt-funk gem

Any love here for The Chameleons? Another band that should've been bigger, at least on the same level as Echo and The Bunnymen.

Here's another of the great lost post punk bands, the Sound. Sadly the mainman Adrian Borland later threw himself under a train as he suffered from severe depression

Hoping this might take off and be of interest to BCers who are well into their post punk and alt-rock. By alt-rock I'm talking about stuff that''s not Classic Rock or metal and would include Grunge bands plus Pixies, Husker Du, Smashing Pumpkins, Jane's Addiction, Weezer, QOTSA and all that kinda malarkey. So just put up any clips whether bass related or just music vids. To get the ball rolling, here's one of Sheffield's finest, the Comsat Angels...

I'm of the opinion that power chords are for those who can't play barre chords

I hate indoor gigs, all for the reasons others have stated and some! Don't really like the big festivals either unless there's a must-see band. The nicest is Folk by The Oak at Hatfield House. Relaxed, spacious and good natured.

Wot, not this classic from Serge and Jane and for those of a less horny but a more religious bent...

I wanted to barf out my entire innards when I heard the words. Shame on the adults who've brainwashed these kids. Next stop, a new British spin on the Horst Wessel song

Hurrah, at last a decent song on Planet Rock this morning, Rainier Fog by Alice in Chains. Cue for me to dig out the album now. Really like the William Duvall era stuff. He's got a great voice and works brilliantly with Jerry Cantrell

I actually finding myself cringing a lot more at lyrics that try to be philosophical or deep in some way but come across as pretentious (to me anyway). For me Rush are one of the worst offenders. Planet Rock played Limelight ten mins ago. Check out Living on a lighted stage approaches the unreal For those who think and feel In touch with some reality beyond the gilded cage Cast in this unlikely role, ill-equipped to act With insufficient tact One must put up barriers to keep oneself intact Living in the limelight, the universal dream For those who wish to see Those who wish to be Must put aside the alienation Get on with the fascination The real relation, the underlying theme Living in a fish eye lens, caught in the camera eye I have no heart to lie I can't pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend All the world's indeed a stage and we are merely players Performers and portrayers Each anothers audience outside the gilded cage...(blah blah) The Shakespeare allusion is particularly toe-curling. On the subject of Shakespeare, there's much for the more sensitive among us to get upset over. There's murder, rape, mutilation, incest, cannibalism, misogyny, racism and wife abuse. Titus Andronicus is particularly hardcore. Are theatre directors/producers going to edit out the more 'distasteful' stuff to cater for modern times?

+1 here. Not sure 99.99% of people listen to lyrics unless it's 'I wanna s3x you up'. Heard Brown Sugar and Delilah hundreds of times and not once have I bothered to find out what the songs are about

While that's true, other than the veteran Brit bands I originally mentioned, over the last decade or so the big draws at Download have been US bands and a number from non-English speaking countries.