Barking Spiders

that is helluva lotta dosh considering for a little more than that I got two tickets for Rammstein at the MK stadium. I don't spose Snarky Puppy are putting on a mind boggling display of pyrotechnics?

Yep, can't say I care for most rap/hip hop acts that have emerged since the mid 90s. For me there's only been one decent act so far this millennium and that's Run The Jewels., who have a line in anti-capitalism

As a yoot I was blown away by The Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill, it being on constant rotation much to my flatmates delight. When the follow up, Paul's Boutique, came put it was a huge change and I was pretty disappointed as it lacked the crunching guitar sound. For a long while it's been gathering dust but recently I've gone back to it. Not only did I play it in the car three times yesterday IMO it's a more varied, entertaining and durable album than the debut. For me it's one of the best albums in hip hop history. So, what albums did you write off initially but now think are among the best you have?

I appreciate Dave and Stormzy have their own take on rap and their messages but for me London/English accents don't work. Think I'll stick with Compton and Brooklyn.

Damn, missed it but I think I saw the Beeb performance a year ago. I'm fine with Curt's vocals. They work really well on tunes like Pale Shelter, Change and Mad World. Have to say I prefer The Hurting to Songs, but that's still v good.

Ain't that the truth. In one semi-pro/wedding band I used to play in the stuff that went down the best with all ages was covers of 70s glam pop like Juke Box Jive, The Bump, My Coo Ca Choo. It was bluddy good fun to play too.

You not heard the sad news yet? Bit of a timely choice considering

For those of us who grew up as part of the rave, baggy generation AW was a significant figure, best known as the man who made Screamdelica the classic it is. It's always credited to Primar Scream but really it is his album. He was one of the big names of the UK dance music scene and was also the main man behind the very fine Sabres of Paradise and Two Lone Swordsmen. He was only 56. I'm pretty saddened to hear this as he meant a big deal to me musicwise.

Ya know, a set list that comprises stuff like Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow blah blah, Agadoo , Mambo No 5, Let's get ready to rumble., My humps, I'm blue , Ooops I did it again. I reckon a band with this setlist could be in regular work as this is the kind of stuff lots of people know and lose their inhibitions to . If there aren't any I think there's a market opportunity!

Why be in a covers band? Instead of being locked away in a box room writing tunes n' stuff you can be watching re-runs of Top Gear on Dave or having a few sherberts at yer local instead. And you still end up getting paid the same.

To be fair to him he initially went on X Factor as a solo singer anyway and it was only Cowell who decided to throw him and the other 4 lads together to make One Direction (my daughters were fans of XF a few years ago, honest!). Not my bag but there are far worse

This is a negative word music hacks have long used to describe musicians - particularly electronic and prog rock - that don't tell the world about how they've been wrestling with their crystal meth addiction or appear on talk shows to 'ave a laff' with Alan Carr'. I was just wondering why some people apparently can't appreciate music with having to know the makers inside leg measurement and sexual preference. So, what is exactly is the problem with being 'faceless' ? I guess it's another part of a world of sleb culture where you have to tell everyone about your inner pain. So, if you'd made the biggish time would you have been the kind of person to shy away from interviews or would you happily have done them in your pants?

The only gig I'm going to this year is Groove Armada at Blue Dot. I was made up I heard they were headlining and have been playing this track every day since then cos I feckin love it

hmm the ones that real take me back to happy days in my teen years . More than three but there ya go Mr Solitaire by Animal Nightlife, Sunset Now by Heaven 17, Male Stripper by Man to Man meets Man Parrish, Theme from S'Express by S Express, Criticize by Alexander O'Neal and French Kiss by L'il Louis. So rock n roll me ☺️.

I didn't find him annoying though I didn't agree with all his comments about amateurs but then he might be right and me wrong. I never wanted to be a pro precisely for the reason that most of the stuff I'd be playing wouldn't be to my liking. I only ever wanted to play music that I liked and when I liked and wouldn't touch most genres with three bargepoles attached end to end.

A fair bit of Ulrich Schnauss over the last coupla days. Luvverly stuff it is too, this being a fave tune of mine

First concert - now you're asking. Probably some classical stuff my olds dragged us kids along to. That I'd chosen to see? something like The Beat or UB40 in the mid-late 80s Last concert - Rammstein in MK last year Best concert - a toss up between Rammstein at the MK stadium, Afro Celt Sound System at Folk by The Oak, 2015 I think or Orbital headlining Blue Dot a couple of years ago Worst concert - seen quite a few that were meh. Possibly Echo & The Bunnymen, somewhere in London in 1997 ish just after they'd reformed and The Cult, also in the late 1990s, I think that was at the National Ballroom in Kilburn. Both just very dull as I recall with zero audience interaction Loudest concert - Rammstein at the MK possibly Seen the most -Transglobal Underground Dreadzone, Afro Celts, Martin Simpson and Tommy Emmanuel Most surprising - Dream Theater at Download last year and I'm not even a fan but I enjoyed them. Also Limp Bizkit and Babymetal at Sonisphere 2014. Both were 👌 Next concert - nothing planned Wish I would have seen - Rock Beyatch 😉

Only Bach's toccata which I nicked from Sky's version anyway. Found it great for training the pinkie on the fretting hand and using using three plucking fingers. I can see the value of playing classical pieces to improve technique but beyond that I've no time for the bass as a solo instrument on which to play etudes etc

and lo, here's the Wobble

and there's this fella

Ay caramba, got to page 6 and no mention of this geezer .

so that'll be 20 songs you'll be hearing strummed and warbled on every street corner across the land this year

I put up a Cort fretless for sale here but no joy but I did manage to find an EBay buyer albeit at £50 below my asking price.

I've only got a Cort GB74 and a Sub Ray 4 now I've sold 4 basses this year. The alignment on the SR4 is fine but the top string on the Cort is off-centre over the poles by a couple of mm 😲😵. It plays fine but now I find this a slight niggle as well ! I've also been checking my Epiphone Sheraton and Ibanez SA 160 and the top string on the Epi is out by a mm😨

Good stuff there as well👌