I’m sorry, part 9

I’d like to apologise. Hands up, I got it wrong. Over the last few years I’ve penned many disillusioned blogs about the state of the UK scene and the fact it doesn’t seem to be as exciting or as healthy as it has been in previous years. I’ve argued at great length that quality control seems to have nosedived as the internet and the likes of myspace etc have grown. But then I went to Slam Dunk Festival over May Bank Holiday weekend and was
blown away by the sheer brilliance of so many of the bands on show across the six stages – and more to the point, the number of amazing UK bands who blew their US contemporaries out of the water. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised as so many people have been telling me I’m wrong for quite some time, but watching six stages filled to the rafters with people worshipping homegrown talent maybe brought it home to me that the UK is fit and healthy when it comes to exciting new bands.

Five of the six stages were headlined by UK bands – You Me At 6, The Blackout, The Ghost of a Thousand, Hundred Reasons and In Case of Fire. On the only stage headlined by an American band, Anti-Flag, the likes of The King Blues, Farse and Sonic Boom 6 all played below them and all could have been worthy headliners. Throw in the likes of Hexes, Kids In Glass Houses, Attack! Attack! and We Are The Ocean and the number of established bands
hugely outnumbered the foreign counterparts. But that wasn’t what impressed me the most. I was most impressed by bands I hadn’t seen before, lower down on the stages, who rocked my socks clean off. Canterbury, The Auteur and My Emergency! were hugely impressive on the UK band stage. Young Guns – who incidentally have just released an incredible new EP – were brilliant too. Outcry Collective, The Skints and Me vs Hero were three others who, while vastly different in style, all had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hand.

Maybe I’ve been living in a bubble of misery and refusing to see what’s right there in front of me. But with the likes of The Blackout and You Me At 6 leading the charge on Epitaph Records right now and Kids In Glass Houses blazing a trail on Roadrunner, bigger labels are recognising that ‘our’ bands are as good as any in the world right now. And that can only be a good thing. With Sonic Boom Six set to open the main stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals does this mean the UK underground is set to burst open and start to attract even more fans? Hopefully so. In the meantime, let’s bask in the summer sun knowing that the UK scene is much healthier than one grumpy old columnist would have you believe…

Memory of a goldfish

I wrote a long, serious blog today yet totally forgot to actually to upload it. Oh crap…

I really do suck

So I haven’t blogged in a long time. I’m sorry. So much has happened and I don’t know where to start. Maybe with a photo of a burger?