Sam Sam Steele Dele Fadele "you look

from current "shut yer"shutmouf" sotto voce " toucha has of the in the same tone you themight the call in same At the final stage you get glimpses Ostensibly an indictment of the ex- The The second stage features songs The The catchy song about finding Which whereis the strangeness possess a a modicumpossess of small scale Dolores pouring her heart out even if It, So It, Why So Can't We?' songs still it doesn't soar off into the ether. imperious mode when she's not decidedhas to exaggerate her Irish makes certain speakers of Queen's English very uncomfortable, but is more restrained into the future, the songs that will Bonos Bonos about it, and the whimsical she's she's no longer the woman of thesongs. Surprise, then, that although 'Linger' takes on anthemic qualities, and feature the 24-year-old in accent until it teeters on parody. can reason You that this goodis if it 'Dreaming My Dreams' gains from a Cranberries have expanded their Beatles' murder, here's where Dolores metaphorically gets on the feeling reflective. Disturbingly, she decidedly rank otherwise and assail youassail - whether you like it or not crystal ball reveals thatis The expected ginormous audiences. "soulsalvation is a a 'lightersis aloft' number of the first Shot John Lennon'. pulpit over vaguelya tasteless, run screaming from the hall - threehence and miss costume changes, but you choose to slip out for a begins. thanks to her constant exhortations, that date from the current release treatment. jangle-pop and a definite ofsense formula toas so cater for the song written for her late grandfather out for, with great trepidation, 'I is serrated, rock groove. You want to an imitation of Irish whistlesguitarist, by the and a distinct mid-set lull - cigarette instead. - for months to come. What the water. But really the one to watch - who died four years ago aged -94 Unlike Pinkie MacClure, though, it's not MacClure, Pinkie Unlike Still, the smart Bond Street bob, Dierdre bob, Dierdre Street the Bond smart Still, It's a peculiar mood: part Parisian jazz jazz mood: peculiar part a Parisian It's PINKIE MACCLURE/HOPPER Camden Monarch Camden London Hopper is the identikit is Hopper pop kid. Mate. '90s of tad a being showing signs are Hopper (natch), original Adidas plimmies (yep) and and (yep) originalplimmies Adidas (natch), fine, but Which is cultural revitalised oasis. of any the self-assurance specs, Barlow "alien" CHEWING GUM (check), cheap shiny shirt shirt shiny cheap (check), GUM CHEWING drinking Brit from pop is deeply a music, through (ouch!) taught bounce spiked a set jeers punk pop attitude. Rachel confrontational leer (what else?) - Rachel confrontational- Rachel (what leer else?) greedy. Hopper as compelling vision a all makes Blondie to bonkers, from to to clobber Blondie cool bonkers, a combat bewildering stripes, ofmix candy film on a noirbohemians trip Page Betty would he notbothered lips to have invent ('Nice Set Up'), or calls some hapless muse an an muse hapless some or calls Up'), Set ('Nice and strangely thrilling. strangely and percussion the hop. Beguiling minus Eastern cartwheel plunge down octaves, melodies And into ifyour soul. had Theremin Mr the heard perfectly "woooooaaaai"eerie weird radiationhis which piano Portishead much. so love betteryou're when wasted" You see, the in blur mod(ern) of fashionable see, You with '80s and pure brittle lyrics, riffs, spunky across a few arpeggios and swallow-dive few and a arpeggios across single 'Wasted', sneers sneers 'Wasted', single Justine or Louise, the crafted cockney whine, whine, the crafted cockney or Louise, Justine snakes alongside moody synths, seductive seductive synths, moody alongside snakes floatingpainted chant from MacClure's Ms Tories' wankers. And effective very it's all wankers. Tories' from we thrillinglymove Thus strange. (without the Galas part cellar, Diamanda sophisticated and as axe-wielding psychosis); cigarettes. Sobranie and cocktails vodka as trousers and kiss-curls. Pinkie MacClure are are MacClure Pinkie kiss-curls. and trousers And with whothat needs style much fashion? Ben Ben Willmott Johnny Cigarettes ______Go forGo a crafty smoke during one It's all disorientation around these What a paradox this Whenis. the The The raised catwalk behind the There are three distinct stages THE CRANBERRIES NEC Birmingham Whether to they're your set ramraid Kafka-esque corridors, just to make IN THIS half-full THIS IN aircraft hanger of a parts and, yet. The Cranberries, by larger stadia, monster stages, more punters, And more caSh... then again, heart of their music give the illusion venue, no-one can hear you scream. of the more soporific Cranberries sea- shanty songs and Dolores O'Riordan's dulcet tones ricochet around the sure you don't anything.miss Take a wrong turn and lose your completelybearings so you have to chat merrilyaway to policemen. Slide into the and bar get mistakenly locked in for few a minutes. their singer's admission, want MORE: the sad, melancholy words at the of intimacy; of private thoughtsto the world; sung of attempts ofsense the at nonsense makingof love and politics. finallyscales drop from your eyes, during a spirited final encore trawlthrough 'Dreams', you realise there's no turning forback Dolores and long-sufferingher merry men. has She completed the metamorphosis from brightly lit stage - spotlight reserved keyboard and fewa steps for the musicians hidden in the wings (there 'wind-swept' hybrid that's got its fair of seven bull elephants and no-one's gonna stop her now. singer to demonstrate her athleticism. While you're buffeted by and idly wonder if there are extra aren't), you can note the musical changes The Cranberries have gone share of Celtic mysticism... the shiest woman in rock to a the pounding, extremely full sound through to arrive at the current Tasmanian Devil with the confidence for Dolores - plays host to a tonight. The 'Everybody Doing Is Else living living theirroom or up explode own pimply rads when the drummer, pimply rads music. band's over his kit at the end, not as a lame kit lame a at thehis over notend, as arses remains to be seen, but this was a a but this was to seen, be remains arses suddenly and manically, stamps all all stamps and manically, suddenly to the stunt butconclusion logical a frustrationseething fromthat this spits fine 'how d'you do'. But things things aren'tBut looking too forgloomy probably So where they once caressed, the Brummies now go the Brummies caressed, where they once So Togged out in brand new plaid baggies and skate outskate Togged and in brand new plaid baggies The kids certainly don't - they dance, snog and certainly don't and kids snog - The they dance, The big chill is over. big chill The is Worcester Stage Worcester HIGHER INTELLIGENCE AGENCY HIA's UV-bedecked gig is warmly gig populated. is UV-bedecked HIA's IT'S NOT just the indie scene that's got thejust its indie scene NOT IT'S Skinny, - or forRollerskate Minxus every underachievers brand new set of spiked-up, mid-pace techno that mid-pace by of spiked-up, set brand new moping round the country's toilet scene, there's a there's moping a round the toilet country's scene, milkman-captivating melodies. as the aforementioned guitar slingers find themselves the aforementioned find guitar as themselves slingers attemptinggeneration like ofHIA bands to brighten a more system sound up cranked a by aided rocking, body it's hard toit's hard complain. timethis and they want your back are eardrums. HIA of their 'Colourform' for debutinstead a and head sunshine. the on frommoving offensive, nodding tohead full-on accused, to certain extent, ofa the deserting ambient accused, bandwagon favourin ofthe trendier, territory bouncier the hardest workingthe hardest outfit of indie this side guitardom: to theplaying up people are road, 30 Dolls while 60Ft thedump the ambient dub pair unceremoniously shirts, there's a Higher Intelligence Agency to match. tojust And match. Agency Intelligence Higher a there's withnight Worcester bitin a Thursday of electro-sonic of new skool electro, this well ofelectro, but skool when new it's executed Autechre's weighty for Autechre's Orbital's and ear metallica beat suited to a room three times the size. They stand stand They to the suited threeroom size. times a chill-out room and mileage in the Transit van approach, approach, chill-out van thein Transit room mileage and turns echoes The Black Dog's quirky rhythmania, Dog's Black The turns echoes whoop through there's the life Proving beyond the set.

be had here unless you the you count unless here had be or something. Monkey But Blobby grinding, repetitive Island's exemplified the in (best malevolence drummer's utterly bizarre acid-dream utterlydrummer's acid-dream bizarre stories of being cast adrift of cast being on stories Mr hatefulin all its embraced glory or out shut completely of your head you finallyaltogether. They convince single, 'She's Wearing Thin') has to be Wearing Thin') has 'She's single, they're notjust badge-collecting s kyd iver kyd s "...Jump right off the face off it" COLUMBIA the the single out out now So what can a poor boy do? Just Just poor do? whata boy can So fewthere are frills to Superficially, during an earthquake" Melody Maker ribbons in thein ribbons process. class structure. class Monkey Island, around ofhim, course. and chic clerk insurance early-'80s, existential withitch an wiry scratch guitarquite willing strings, to cut take take it out on everything everyone and for they, hang irritatedit is in grey, themselves and totheir and audience themselves

"Schtum "Schtum took Like hell and sound like heaven untermensch "...a shiny modern thing with arching melodies" NME MONKEY ISLAND boredom. The old-man-with-pint The boredom. slot forstreet-fighting a no really place three whey-faced, let man, alone Mancunian malnourished London Camden Dublin Castle Dublin Camden London at London's premier indie cider-pit is premier indie at cider-pit London's is class, not to mention the economic class, from the wrong side of the economics from the wrongofthe side economics THE AIR is thick with is murderous a AIR THE Page 34— New Musical Express August 12 1995 PICTURE: PETER WALSH THE TV MEN THE D Is RIC BLAXILL, Top Of The Pops boss who JO WHILEY, co-presenter of Radio Vs resurrected the fortunes of the UK's Evening Session, which won the NME Brats longest-running music programme. TOTP BLUR VS OASIS award screened Blur's 'Country House' on August 3 and Oasis' 'Roll With It' follow ed in a later edition, THE NEUTRALS ANDREW LOOC OLDHAM, '60s scam king, TONY WILSON, music industry legendary Rolling Stones manager and co­ svengati, boss of Factory, In The City founder and owner of Immediate Records director and professional Mancunian "Sometimes there's ■m m *******™ *™ * mm "I think it's nothing better than a ^ .... H great It's | m idea that the rivalry is like head-on clash. It conflict. Conflict, a The Beat!es anc* The Stones reminds all the ^ W / 9 t lillR l conft,ct/ conflict. minions at record ; I have split °as*s anci B*ur are companies that they Hfe.. loyalties because they're the only ones who have a job to do. It's ^ ~ I I ’: J H B : I'm a great friend could do this. 'Clash Of The Titans' is the thing totallyhealthy.lt W m k of Blur's producer "It seems that Oasis have forced the issue but that springs to mind." comes at a time : Stephen Street they probably don't care because they've already VerdictfTdg close to call wimp-out when music is a little ^ T I| B ' w S / lli hut l/m from ' had a Number One. This is where people are more exciting. jjWBl Manchester and going to put their cards on the table. They will PHIL DAVEY, series producer of The Chart "I saw Blur and |/m an Oasis fan. go for one or the other. It's kind of like declaring Oasis at the Brits. It was the first time I'd been in If 1 had to choose between them, I'd go undying love for one or the other." "Suddenly there would Britain and compos mentis for about five years. I'm not for Oasis by a long way. But I wouldn't bet Ifv ■■■'ASIII appear to be some kind of sure who'll go into the chart higher. But I'm more a penny of my money until I'd heard both feud between the bands. familiar with Blur." |S." But the August 14 date Verdict: AggreCf^te win for Blur ...... hadn't even occurred to us PHIL DANIELS, actor and London geezer until today. It won't be a who provided vocals on '' ■ "I don't PHIL GIBBS, Parlophone radio plugger DYLAN WHITE, independent Oasis plugger ^ SUP^° S^ who drew first blood when he got named Plugger Of The Year last year. He 'Country House' played on Radio 1 before sacked Primal Scream for messing him : videos if they are of good "The record has gone straight onto the A-List B oo Radleys, Portishead, Leftfield, Paul enough quality. There's no at Radio 1 and will get between 25 and 31 plays Weller and The Beautiful South pecking order between so I'm over the moon. Our job is to make sure "{ don't regard it as a competition between them as far as we're concerned. We don't look all the producers have the record well in bands. It's a competition between rock'n'roll backwards at previous chart placings, we look advance and that they want to play it. and bland. It's about Oasis and Blur versus Bon forwards."THE PROMOTER "We started off with The Evening Session on Jovi, Celine Dion and Tina Arena. Radio 1 are Verdict: Davey elevated to a job in the july 1 3 and Oasis were on July 1 7. Blur playing them both, GLR and Virgin aTIMdiplomatic PARSONS, service boss of MCP, w ho prom ote wanted The Evening Session to be first. So are playing them both, Atlantic 252 both Blur and Oasis, alongside other acts many people wanted the single and * plaYs ^ as,s ancJ Capital are startjn9 to including REM, U2 and Guns N'Roses. people were even threatening to play it f play Oasis, too. It's like when REM "It's brilliant that there are two relatively new off the pre-release tape. As soon as we ; started, none of the stations wanted English acts who can do this. The thing I like best had the finished product the radio had to know about them in 1983 but about it is that Madonna is releasing a single on it. It came in on the Thursday and it was the same day and nobody gives a shit because of played on the Thursday. It was like Ifc thing will carry on into 1996. The som e stick-ons." Blur and Oasis. But it's unfair to make a opening the floodgates. 1 would be very important thing is that they do well Verdict: Oasis (astonishingly) predicition. I work with both bands." surprised if the Blur single doesn't get to mtXmMtmmMmm }n America and Australia and japan Verdict: Abstention on the grounds of Number One." C; and all over the world." # Additional reporting STEVE SUTHERLAND conflicting interests.

RIDICULOUS THOUGHTS THE NEW SINGLE OUT NOW ON CD, CASSETTE & LIMITED 7” VINYL All formats include the smash hit ‘LIN G ER ’. CD also includes previously unavailable live versions of ‘TWENTY ONE’ and ‘RIDICULOUS T H O U G H T S ’. Limited edition 7” comes with FREE POSTER 'Ridiculous Thoughts’ is taken from the double platinum album 'No Need To Argue’ and is featured in the forthcoming Michael Winterbottom film ‘Butterfly Kiss’ starring Amanda Plummer & Saskia Reeves For further information on The Cranberries, write to: The Cranberries Internat ional Fan Club, P.O Box 2660, Brighton BN I 1SX England

ISLAND

Page 44— New Musical Express 12 August 1995