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The Fratellis have entered that awkward career midpoint for bands, where the tension between doing what comes easy to them and trying to expand their musical palette causes inevitable problems.
In The Fratellis’ case, what comes easy to them is sweet, tuneful rock n’ roll that pounds away cheerfully enough on the surface but has a slight melancholy to the vocals and chord progressions that gives it some tougher, juicier flavour underneath. Their biggest hit, “Chelsea Dagger”, isn’t really like this: it’s just straight-ahead, upbeat rock music. But right from their first album, tunes such as “Flathead” and “For the Girl” hid a slightly sour core underneath the guitars-and-drums surface, which came across to fans like me as a strange tension and can only be described as beautiful.
Labour Party to call it a day 7th May 2021
THE Labour Party has announced it is to be formally wound up after losing the Hartlepool by-election.
After 121 years as a political party and 99 years as the official opposition, the party has agreed that its best years are behind it and it would only embarrass itself by limping on further.
Sir Keir Starmer, who has been appointed as executor, said: “We’d all had a chat and decided that if we lost Hartlepool then the time had come to go our separate ways.
“We had a good run and we’ve got some great memories. Harold Wilson, Tony Blair, creating the NHS, it’s a fantastic track record and we don’t want to spoil it.
Skindred’s Benji Webbe: “What do I put longevity down to? I can’t get that magic anywhere else…”
From Dub War to Skindred, the always-honest Benji Webbe reflects on a whirlwind career of famous fans, “sleeper” records and forever doing things his way…
Words: James Hickie
The moment that kick-started Benji Webbe’s life changing for the better didn’t seem positive at the time. It happened at Reading Festival 2018, following a triumphant main stage set from Skindred, a band with a distinguished pedigree when it comes to live performances. Moments after leading 40,000 fans through closing track Warning, complete with the T‑shirts-over-the-head revelry of trademark move ‘The Newport Helicopter’, the frontman was greeted by his hulking son, Barrington, whose words of praise were tempered by a rather sobering observation.
Inside UK s wackiest pubs â from gothic haunt to gamers paradise and even Middle-earth
Check out some of the UK s top themed pubs in celebration of the Daily Star s Great British Booze Off Competition. There s everything from Super Mario to The Hobbit
13:15, 6 MAY 2021
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Stephen Fretwell’s songs have a magic touch.
And as the songwriter returns to the public eye, following a thirteen year hiatus, he can feel safe in the knowledge that his magnificent, haunting new studio album ‘Busy Guy’ is complete, set for a glorious summer release.
Growing up in Scunthorpe, the musician and songwriter, who is now 39, moved to Manchester in the early nineties. Living and breathing music in and around the Northern Quarter, his choice of city showed his desire to establish himself as an artist, while engaging with the tremendously influential music culture.
Featuring songs like ‘Emily’ and ‘New York’, Fretwell’s debut album ‘Magpie’ came out in 2004, followed by ‘Man On The Roof’ in 2007. As much as performing alongside bands such as Oasis, Elbow, Keane, and playing bass with The Last Shadow Puppets, his song ‘Run’ was part of BBC1’s sitcom Gavin and Stacey, where it became an instant classic.