2012 hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts however; this week has seen the tragic passing of blues legend Etta James and the cancelation of Herefordshire’s Big Chill festival – organisers citing lack of artist availability and schedule conflicts with the Olympic Games. Fear not though, my music-loving peers, while Britain will be swapping its guitars, tents and wellies for Powerade and running shoes this summer, there is nonetheless a tantalising musical plethora to keep us running. It’s re-masters galore as this year sees the consolidation of EMI’s ‘Prog Rocks’ campaign, an ambitious drive resulting in a fully-reissued catalogue of over forty artists, spanning four decades. Given the company’s recent brush with financial adversity, it’s a commendable act indeed for a genre that sceptics argue has become stagnant in recent years, one that restores faith in a time when record labels believed in whom they signed. Elsewhere in ‘Progland’, Pink Floyd continue to please their followers with ‘The Wall: Immersion Box Set’; as rumours swell, whispering a reunion between surviving members, this offers the ultimate fan experience. Lavishly packaged, this collectable includes the full remixed album, previously unreleased demos and live cuts, DVD documentaries,and miscellaneous paraphernalia such as coasters, marbles, postcards and your very own Floyd scarf - continuing my anorak-like obsession, expect a full review soon.
As for new music, you’d just have to stop off at Terminal Gods. Emerging from a Goth scene that has enjoyed renewed popularity of late, this quartet practically burst with enthusiasm and have enough hooks to catch half the ocean. Sometimes unwieldy, their songs threaten to spatter and spill over in a riot of colour that belies their shadowy uniforms; debut single ‘Electric Eyes’ is a perfect clash of Johnny Thunders rock n roll attitude and the thoroughly English allure of 80s Brit-Goth, knocked into shape through half a dozen months of gigging, rehearsing and general tomfoolery. Now building a considerable following, why not mosey on down to their next Leeds show at the Library, 4th of February and see what all the fuss is about?
The year is one of rich eclecticism with new releases from such disparate artists as Leona Lewis, MGMT, Leonard Cohen, stalwart rockers Feeder, thrash behemoths Metallica and a posthumous collaboration from Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson. Renowned singer-songwriter Tom Petty brings the Heartbreakers to the Royal Albert Hall for their first UK concert in eighteen years, while ubiquitous icon Lady Gaga plans another world tour, founding the Born This Way Foundation for youth empowerment this-coming February. As Coldplay head off to the States for the first time since 2009, our borders are open to a string of dates from a Frusciante-less Red Hot Chili Peppers, blues-rockers the Black Keys and a reunion from remaining surf legends the Beach Boys. If you thought you’d escaped the reissues think again as Smashing Pumpkins main man Billy Corgan announces a full-catalogue rebirth as new record ‘Oceania’ hits the shelves towards the summer with a host of shows to follow.
So, while the festival fields may be eerily quiet this year, there is plenty to be keeping you busy in this re-mastered, reissued, reunited twelve months.
