The Front
LYRICAL MANIA
l‘l’jfl. '-‘:.":", i: " 1"" t, ‘ r ’ . ‘.l' V 1"“ . l ' ‘£' . (,} v}'\‘-}"r. ‘ ‘fi-‘jr' (r- ‘t""ftl’,‘:‘) l)“)'l '1 ‘f) l ' ’t’l“ " l ‘t‘r'l l‘ [‘3 i r
" i ' (t. l’)‘ ' T i ‘ i‘ 'i""’l'..'l‘:.'." TUSM‘,
www.sr.se/cgi-bin/p1/src/sing/ default.asp?key=XQCVWU72
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SMOKING
llirt; Neonatal t;ll(: explores at! angles of runolxrntg: from pro and anti smoking; lol)l>r(2:; and innokrnt; glamour photography to the ll|53l()l\' of tobacco, It's; lurid of crowd and ()l):§(?t;§;r‘.(: lrut has some interesting links to intriguing
disct fi§§|()llf§ on the truly (Z()lll(?t‘.ll()tlf3 issue of lighting; up.
www.5mokingsides.com/
POLITICAL JUSTICE
As If arwono needed more ()MKiUllCt? against the own this campaign site is; dedicated to loblyvrng to not George W
Bush to stand trial for war (‘llt‘Yii't‘s in liar),
l'rrst hand testrmorw of the: Meets 0‘ ins
government's actions.
www.peoplejudgebush.org
Wha DidYoulhink?
Richard fan's: l1” Mic-.1”. 1".)
6 THE LIST .33 Sop? Oct '
heEditorial
Fn in high places
Franz are feeling the
Mercury already
Franz Ferdinand were deserved winners, but is the Mercury more promotional opportunity than high-minded accolade?
s milsic a competition'.’ Depends who )Ull ask.
Musicians will sit} it‘s not and that thevre just
doing their own thing. and there‘s enough room l'or everyone in the hig old music lltdllslt‘_\.
But we all like a good scrap. don‘t w e'.’ We need winners and losers. we deep down love those irritating Top Ten lists. and we‘d happin have a harney over what should he the hest air guitar anthem ever.
And so to the Mercur} l’ri/e. liarlier this month liranx Ferdinand won the ch annual Mercury l’ri/c and there couldn't have heen a more popular winner. especially here in Scotland. The (ilasgow hand have enjoyed phenomenal success with their epon_vmous dehut alhum this year. and are a hreath ol‘ liresh air in an ever more cynical milsic indiistr}; liven hetter lot‘ Scotland. they were one ol’ three Scottish (specifically. (ilasgow) hased hands on the shortlist and. along with Belle and Schastian and Snow Patrol. their success signals a homegrown music scene that is in rude health.
But underneath it all. what reall} is the point ol'
the Mercury l’ri/e'.’ lt‘s awarded h} ‘an independent panel ol'judges'. with some sort ol' vague remit to award the {MN on the hasis ol' artistic merit or creative talent. How the hell do )Ull judge that‘.’ Putting .-\m_v \VinehoUse. Snow Patrol and Rohert Wyatt up against each other in competition is delicioust meaningless. But it was ever thus. ln
I‘M}. when Primal Scream picked up the inaugural ;l\\ill'd littl' St‘I't'rllllrlr/r'Ht‘rl. lltc‘ sllot'lllsl ltlltl included Simpl} Red and the Jesus and .\lar_\ (‘hain
.-\nd )et the {MN docs haxe merit. It‘s the one that most l'ls' artists would admit to wanting to win. pi‘ccisel} because it seems to ha\c kudos attached to it that a pri/e hased purel} on sales and Miles like lllc‘ Bl'lls L‘itll ttL‘\Cl' llith‘.
()l course these da_\s it's more ol' a commercial and media-lricmll} c\ct‘cisc. Last week. ll.\l\' rushed out a press release proclaiming that sales ol l’ran/ lierdinand’s alhum had rocketed alter the} won. So much tor artistic merit.
The glow ol' puhlicit} and the commercial henelits that l'ollow are sweet. hut the longer term impact til the .\lercur_\ on careers is tlccltlctll} duhious. .-\ quick scoot over past shortlists rexeals a mixed hag. Amongst the winners. acts like (iome/. l’ortishcad and ’l‘alx in Sinin ha\en't e\act|_\ hecomc glohe-straddling gods. while other shortlisted hands such as ('oldpla}. Oasis and Blur ha\e done rather nicel}. despite not walking oll with the pri/e.
.\'one ol‘ which is to detract l'rom l'ran/ l‘erdinand's most deserx ed success this )car. Whatever the reasons and motnalions hehind the \ler‘cur} l’ri/e. it is a jo} to see the music (it such charming and talented homegrown lads celehrated. ls mirsic a competition‘.’ Yes and what‘s more. this time at least. we won.
Post-Eclectic Pre-Man - My Little Soldier at Arches Live! the Arches. Glasgo Fri t’j Aug
Michaela