PUNK POP GRAHAM COXON
Garage, Glasgow, Wed 22 Mar; Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Thu 23 Mar
K'ETIL BJORNSTAD Queen‘s Hall. Edinburgh. Tue 21 Mar
F r ' l r v- t' 1 during his time with them. But it was only after being 1- 9r .t tit 'r : 1. ' z z" u ~ : freed of those band constraints that he really came into My " " ~ hisown. F" r rt : tr .' : Now set to release his sixth solo album, Love Travels 4‘3"? ‘ "
So much rock today is the product of committee at Illegal Speeds (‘a sentimental, despondent, whiny, : ' ~ ' .1 ' w t' ' a r - r ‘J
thinking - either bashed out in boardrooms or else stingy, horrible record‘, he recently joked in interview), [ ’r 1 ‘, ' compromised every step of the way — which makes the Coxon is an established artist in his own right.
focused determination and vision of Graham Coxon all Influenced by American indie, English punk and folk '3 r ' w ' '- r t r v. r " iv the more welcome. In these days of mortgage rockers music, Coxon’s songwriting has matured over the years fm' r .r s 2 ~ , m r ' r ' r~ ~-
(step forward Embrace and a legion of other plodders), to the point at which each record is a near-perfect ru- ‘
here’s the man who walked away from Blur, one of the collection of catchy punk-pop, with brains to match. :r T' r. t‘ tn vi ‘, n biggest cash cows in British music, at the height of Coxon’s guitar playing has always been fantastic (it‘s TM: w ' " "
their popularity to do his own thing. And a fine thing it is too. Let’s face it, Coxon was but now he‘s got the tunes to match. ‘ r u t: w r’
about knowing what not to play as much as anything), : °r « ' r r ‘ _ '
always the coolest one in Blur compared with the nerdy And not only that, but he also finds time to run his In r' v Ir t' m 'r
drummer, the ego of Damon and the wannabe dandy own Transcopic record label, as well as doing all his :tv '1: " ' ,‘ f-f» «' " »- t t" ‘ Alex, and so it’s proved throughout his solo career. own artwork (he dropped out of the same class as r ," i : 2' ' y
Coxon was always slightly separate from the Blur gang Damien Hirst at Goldsmiths to pursue Blur). x ' It r w a Wt v anyway; after all, he released three decent solo records Renaissance man? Damn straight. (Doug Johnstone) w : ’ I :"1" " ' ' "4' 'r
Phill Niblock
[EXPE lthl NlAl .zr tr); ‘ g r-',I,‘ Wu ‘9': ,r. ,‘ PHILL NIBLOCK ,‘ ', , .
Reid Concert Hall, Edinburgh, 27 Mar , ., ,. , '1 DIALOGUES 2006 H ' .’.‘T‘ ' lnverleith House, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sun 19 Mar; Adam House “ 3 ' I r r’ I Theatre, Edinburgh, Sun 19 Mar; Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Tue 20 Mar “0" ' . Vt" '
When Pltrll NIl)l<>t:k riztr Mutt/1.“. t it": trr ;? "Lt ‘a-tr- ,' A" Ei 1' two years; age. the strur'rrt, titu'nu' ,f rt k, l ' v r w ,2
thrilling) (:eritr'rlugatl blast designer: tr : reunit- ,m. lira-rift itrr'y ‘r' « :- ort. MK}SEA-1'},“VEXNYKIH“Ht;(l’Jlfilf'lkjNl‘... Yr vr‘rTm '1‘ t 2m" :;(:erte41nd (:ortterrtpurztry J J ulr (nitr- ts: tutr r r- t ,r' 1:.” " layer of sampled clusters. Nitrluc k"; Trutmu' ‘uzr‘; .'.' ' .. , brought to the (,‘(tlwlitl lust tr'rtw t:a,,rr‘_r:‘;, if f‘:'- 'rrgt‘q '. "'rm'rwt" Ir", m:
t;ttt(‘(? when gtrt (éxrlltsrgttrrr‘, 'Htt'rtp-rmua 't M- "r‘rr'rj' r.'1" ’ I: “ ' J" It}; trttrrtu tlten illétl tltrt; ,(rgtr"~; [Jtrluztw Fe 1 .':1 " 1' ‘/
one of three i’F“.'(>l‘.lf$ flint tzr‘rtrt S'sziet‘ w '-' .w~ :' W .‘~,"Y:r":' " " f‘
WW“? iiklllllsrrle falter. turntlwx Won-mt. “aw- " :r t" " ,' r «r»: lite Surnlm .at'te'rx:,»<;n t’rnrim tth- Mr; 3' CK mm: Ham" :' '1 rte:
Knee performing tT‘.:r‘.ut(: not: t" t‘xt: r,::x.<«r'.-,-v', » ' :w: t“:<;w concurrenth about tit»: entire :lgtizéft‘. arr: r: it» ' w-w " w»-
pertorrrtartees rennxetl l». \/I€'rtnr-é;(: ‘>:;..r”t J.“ Minna Puffirtzrte'. WW0 0” MOW“) "Milt Rune Glit'l‘rllttDif tri'rx Hur'm'arx" 1:! :A, m; 151' unman-
their wares; alongside Dart \"r’rlira'r‘n' 'tga'r=(tr‘rr, Mat n Jit),£:l‘ M 12422;:th . a recent (:ornrnrssmn tor the rer‘er‘tl, set trr, mwrw’: "‘ grr‘. r ",t“’,. Squaring the art nurse :ntertare 2;.i'r‘r;.-.":;:t, nu" .z‘. t'w’; P‘wt Mir/ow SUDDOr'ted D) Lied MUSIC. current Beck; FLifu'a-s nur'v'w'ogfl . W; F7 .' my duo With John Fail. which marries {.‘r.’!"‘.li:.€‘: TLiIM' ".ur/s in 'xa'W: "W’l‘:
instruments. rNerl Cocpen
m'.‘ :' 1/ /" THE LIST 67