Graham Coxon - Love Travels At Illegal Speeds (EMI) Reviewed By Steve Rudd

Since leaving Blur, Graham has proved himself to be one hell of a rock god, and right from the off with this mesmerising thirteen track album, the focus is on loud guitars and swaggering rock 'n' roll trials and tribulations. Fittingly, the album-opening tune is the hugely popular single release Standing On My Own Again - a bona-fide anthem in every respect. Elsewhere on this album, Graham dives into relatively punked-up territory, as I Can't Look At Your Skin testifies, courtesy of its steaming swagger, before the uber-cool pop-rock of You + I.

The anthems come thick and fast with barely a moment to catch your breath between such impassioned assaults, with the colossal riff of Gimme Some Love eliciting similar energy levels to the Sex Pistols. This album is the follow-up to the hugely successful Happiness In Magazines, and on Love Travels At Illegal Speeds there really is not one duff track.

The awesome riffs just keep on coming, with I Don't Wanna Go Out and the life-affirming anthem You Always Let Me Down coolly contrasting with the slower and more melancholic nature of Don't Believe Anything I Say. Coxon says himself, 'This album is like a trip down the fine line between love and hate. ' Thus, all manner of raw emotions are rife, and full of deadly life, which have in turn fashioned a very special and unforgettable album indeed.

Album Reviews - The Landaus - 5 Track Demo Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	If the likes of Razorlight can take the nation by storm as they have, then so can these young upstarts from Hull. Each of these five tracks is a chart-hungry monster, packed to the hernia-inducing hilt with jaw-dropping melodies and soul-filled vocal performances that have the power not only to break one's fickle heart, but to effectively smash to smithereens. Read more...

Album Reviews - The Sesh 3 Compilation By Michelle Dee
	I'm not going to review this collection compiled by DJ Mak -host of the Sesh night at Linnet and Lark in Hull- track by individual track. Reasons being, for the most part I have talked previously on the bands that appear on here previously on this site. I listen to these bands most Tuesdays, and Sundays either live or through the demos played by Mak. I also listen to Read more...

Album Reviews - Hazardous Chemistry By Andy Cornfoot Reviewed by Bekki Stephenson and Michelle Dee
	Similarly to Andy's last album, Hazardous Chemistry takes you on a journey. Lying somewhere between chilled out tunes and summer anthems, it is hard to put your finger on one specific overall feel. Each track leads perfectly on to the next, combining just enough similarity and diversity which leaves you lingering for more. A US vibe flows through the Read more...

Music, Columns - Andy Tullock's Music Column February to March 06
	Okay, so I'm kinda expecting a dressing down of Parent Magnitude for coming home late from Block (Hide & Seek in macho speak) 2 hours after your tea was put out. So maybe I should explain have I got time before I wash my hands & sit down to eat Meat Pie & Chips? Thanks. Basically after the launch of my monthly ramblings I had Februarys all prepared and in the bag Read more...

Single Reviews - Morning Runner - Burning Benches (Parlophone) Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	Slowly but surely these four lads are breaking into the big time with their anthemic Emo-edged Indie-Rock music. Their sets in support of Coldplay's last tour naturally thrust them into the limelight, and now that their stunning debut album - Wilderness Is Paradise Now - has stormed the charts, this band is fast becoming one of the most famous and respected groups in the country. Read more...

Album Reviews - Meg Williams Band - Fragments Of Love (3 Track Demo) Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	Meg and her band here present three rousing rock numbers that have been recorded at Hull's legendary Fairview Studios. Singer and lyricist Meg and her musician friends have fashioned some truly entrancing numbers, with Stole A Kiss being the first song on the CD, which oozes moody atmospherics in a Mostly Autumn kind of way, Read more...

Album Reviews - Breaks Co-op - The Sound Inside (Parlophone) Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	This trio of musicians is a thoroughly exciting Anglo-New Zealand collective, and comprises one very famous DJ indeed - Mr. Zane Lowe. Back in 1997, Zane and pal Hamish Clark released Roofers, which showcased their sample-aided approach to making music. Now they are working with the vocalist from The Away Team, Andy Lovegrove and The Sound Read more...

Music Band News - Want to play Leeds Festival?
	Are you in a band? Do you want the chance to play Carling Weekend Leeds Festival? This years Leeds festival is on 25th - 27th August at Bramham Park, Leeds. After the success of the Lee Unsigned Stage at last year's Leeds Festival the event organizers, Mean Fiddler, have decided to continue and are now looking for bands to complete this year's Read more...

Album Reviews - There are Angels by Rivers By Michelle Dee
	Just seen Rivers (formerly The Rivers) opening this Tuesdays the Sesh at Linnet and Lark in Hull. First thing I notice is that each and every member bears a resemblance to somebody from our own crowd. Lead singer Jack Simpson reminds me of Begbie ex- Dirty Dreamers manager. The bass player, aptly enough, has a definite look Read more...

Music, Band Biog- Introducing Lorca
	My name is Jam and I am the singer/acoustic guitarist/writer of the band Lorca. Previously I was in Buff Meaba (local band for 7 years). In 1998 I went to the USA and Canoe Story were formed in my absence. Canoe Story won best live band 2001 on BBC Raw Talent Radio Humberside. We then formed Lorca in 2003 with brothers Dave (lead) Read more...

Music Band News - The Circus is Coming to Town
	Formed in 2006 from the ashes of some of the most influential bands on the local music scene - still life, The Raindogs and Midlands band The Ropemakers, Circus Envy has arrived. The band have already booked their first performance at the Wellington Inn, Russel Street, Hull on the 1st June. The full band will be playing in the area soon, Read more...

Album Reviews - Evon Brennan - Small Mercies (Red Cliff) Release Date : June 2006 Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	Evon is surely destined to become a huge star in her own right when her Small Mercies album is released in June 2006. Born to an Irish mother and African father, Evon spent some of her childhood in a children's home where she learned to play the piano. Brought up in Ireland, once she moved to Dublin she realised that a career in music was the only thing for her Read more...

Single Reviews - Dirty Pretty Things - Bang Bang You're Dead (Vertigo) Release date : April 24th 2006 Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	Whenever 'legendary' bands split, fans of such bands tend to fear the worst, and that life will never the same again. When Pete stumbled out of The Libertines fray for good, a great many people mourned such a fact - yet it wasn't long before he returned with his Babyshambles project of greatness that has in due course made Pete something of a household name... although Read more...

Album/EP Reviews - Hey Negrita - The Buzz Above (Fat Fox) Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	Blessed with stunning single release Can't Walk Away, that opens this twelve-track album, Hey Negrita return with their eagerly-awaited second album. And, thankfully, the London quintet is sounding better than ever. Fronted by Felix Bachtolsheimer, the band fuses an emotionally mature brand of Americana with rousing Indie-Rock influences. There aren't Read more...

Album/EP Reviews - Sandi Thom - Smile ... It Confuses People (Viking Legacy) Release Date: June 5th 2006 Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	If you think that KT Tunstall is an outstanding talent, it's high-time you became better acquainted with Sandi Thom. Whilst KT is a truly incredible singer-songwriter, the Tooting-based Sandi somehow seems to be an even more extraordinary songwriter in a league of her own, armed with a cauldron of top melodies and a voice literally to die for. This debut Read more...

Album/EP Reviews - The Fondas - Dirty Kicks (Level Sound) Release Date: April 8th 2006 Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	Fans of vibrantly anthemic rock 'n' roll music could do worse than seek out this 12-track album from this quartet, a four-piece that hails from the South Wales/ Bristol area where they're a well-known outfit on the back of having played plenty of gigs in the region. Fronted by Andy Ward, D'ya Feel Lucky? hears the band hit their stride right from the opening Read more...

Music, Band Biog- Introducing InI Oneness and the UK Players
	The Band In a country where digital dub has ruled the roost for the past decade, InI Oneness & the UK Players are a breath of fresh air. Very much a live band; InI Oneness & the UK Players have been working together since the summer of '97, and have clocked up over 200 gigs to date. They have released a 7" single called Further and more recently the acclaimed debut Read more...

Single Reviews - The Human Value - Give Me (Big Deal) Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	Armed with band members from as far-flung places as Cuba, Greece, Spain and North America, this fresh quartet is making some exceptionally exciting sounds courtesy of this debut single. Here is an Alt.-rock band with commanding attitude, fronted as it is by the feisty Turu - who used to be in the band The Send Effect. Turu, in The Human Value's initial Read more...

Album Review - In the Head of a Dreamer by Mary (Copenhagen) By Sean
	Picture yourself lying in a field of long grass, it's 1969. You've kicked off your battered boots and your large flowery shirt lies open, as the sun beats down on you from a cloudless sky. You've just been to Woodstock festival, you're a little bit stoned, and lethargy has kicked in. you're ears are ringing a bit, and you're clutching a guitar that you're too exhausted to play. Read more...

Single Reviews - Hey Negrita - Can't Walk Away (Fat Fox) Release Date : 24th April 2006 Reviewed By Steve Rudd
	Hey guys! Hey gals! Guess who it is? It's Hey Negrita!!! This band might be based in London, but their sweeping Country-cradled rock sound has come via Nashville, Tennessee to a large degree. Indeed, Hey Negrita's brand of Americana revolves around some beautiful melodies and soulfully melancholic vocals from frontman Felix. Can't Walk Away is a chilled-out Read more...