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Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
MJ Lenderman wows crowd following sell-out debut Glasgow show
Life is cyclical. Music. Fashion. Politics. The longer you live the more you begin to wonder where you've seen something before. 2 MJ Lenderman was originally due to play St Luke's but packed out the Old Fruitmarket 2 The band blended melancholic rock with sharp lyrics Thankfully to be familiar isn't always unfortunate. Reinvention. Reimagination. Really f*****g good music. Enter MJ Lenderman. Bringing with him a hail of jagged chords, nasal vocals, and slide guitar that will make you wonder if the horrors of TikTok the rehabilitation of Shed Seven ever happened. Last year his album, Manning Fireworks, with its shades of alt country, topped end of year lists and sold out initial pressings on LP. That fervour was followed with a run of sold out shows. Tonight, his first performance in Glasgow, was upgraded from St Luke's to the glorious surroundings of the Old Fruitmarket. And as the daybright noodlings of opener Joker Lips gives way the angst of On Your Knees the antique hoardings are rattling. With a sound that veers from the ethereal sadness of Sparklehorse to Ragged Glory era Neil Young, you'd be forgiven for thinking MJ Lenderman was a man of advancing years but at 26 he's got an eye for a sharp line. The swagger of youth, pushed on by his understated delivery, puts him at the centre of what feels like a slacker resurgence. But this is not grunge mark II - never has a calmer man wielded a Gibson SG. A faithful cover of Sparklehorse's Maria's Little Elbows ramps up the melancholia with its refrain of 'Loneliness' before the blissed out blues are over. The facade of millpond calmness slips with the steady pulse of She's Leaving You. A gently chugging ode to the collapse of a relationship and a highlight from the album which builds, like so many things, to nothing. Collapsing into itself with a haze of backing vocals as Lenderman's wandering guitar vanishes and ushering in jagged riff of Wristwatch, a two-fingered rebuttal, which explodes from the stage. A string of facetious boasts 'I've got a houseboat up in Buffalo/and a wristwatch that's a compass and a cell phone/and a wristwatch that tells me you're all alone' are trapped by slashed chords and brooding bedroom vocals. To play two of your best known tracks mid set is a bold move. But confidence is not something lacking tonight. With youth often comes a sense of naivety and Bark At the Moon is a paean to inexperience. Chugging chords flirt with day-glo guitar solos before admitting: "I've never seen the Mona Lisa/I've never really left my room/I've been up too late with Guitar Hero/Playing "Bark At The Moon". Sharp tongued and slight of frame MJ Lenderman may well be this year's great white hope for alt rock but don't let that put you off. He may be young but in this game youth doesn't always equal inexperience - let's hope his first time in Scotland isn't his last.
Chicago Tribune
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
AC/DC at Soldier Field: They're still at the top if you wanna rock ‘n' roll
Angus Young, his shoulder-length hair now gray and failing to conceal a bald patch atop his head, spun on his back and kicked his legs like a child throwing a tantrum. Wearing his trademark schoolboy uniform with short pants and an Illini-colored orange-and-blue tie, the AC/DC guitarist used his left hand to squeeze the life out of a Gibson SG and his right to pick the strings with vision-blurring velocity. That scene at Soldier Field on Saturday was at once familiar and silly — and altogether brilliant, especially in its distillation of AC/DC's inimitable blend of harmless mischief, megawatt power, combustible energy and laser-focused attack. In town following a nearly 10-year local absence — the longest gap between Chicago concerts in its history — AC/DC went about its business as if nothing had changed with its personnel or its industry since the days of 8-track tape. Or, to quote singer Brian Johnson, speaking to the packed audience near the beginning of the 135-minute show, the group promised 'the same stuff we always do.' Given the Australian collective's live reputation and topsy-turvy circumstances over the past decade, that pledge carried considerable weight. And after a bit of a sluggish start, AC/DC stayed true to its word. Young and Johnson led the way, leveraging 45 years of shared experience and ignoring the typical limitations of their septuagenarian ages in their steadfast commitment to performing fun, hard, disciplined, bluesy rock 'n' roll at high decibel levels. They were aided by a stadium-geared set that threw one punch to the solar plexus after another, the mix of ubiquitous favorites and a few choice deep cuts emphasizing rhythm first and everything else second. AC/DC can surely recite cuts such as 'Back in Black' in its sleep, but the band's dedication to its craft prevented any shortcuts. The quintet may have nothing to prove except, possibly, to itself. Column: AC/DC and the underrated art of doing the same thing foreverAt this juncture, AC/DC deserves to update the name of its early single 'It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)' to reflect how remaining a heavyweight often proves far more difficult than making it big in the first place. The equivalent of a nine-lives cat, the band has survived serious challenges since forming in 1973. The 1980 death of vocalist Bon Scott due to alcohol poisoning, coupled with a creative and commercial freefall during the Reagan era, seemingly prepared AC/DC to handle other setbacks. The '80s also witnessed a shuffling of drummers and the plugging in of Stevie Young as a temporary tour substitution for his uncle, co-founding guitarist Malcolm Young, who checked into rehab. Comparatively, the next quarter century went swimmingly. AC/DC regained its mojo, releasing a solid new album every couple of years and filling arenas around the globe. Its 2003 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame confirmed what most fans already knew: The band stood as a visionaries whose incalculable influence topped that of many of its more celebrated brethren. In the mid-2010s, fate again reared its ugly head. The 2014 retirement of Malcolm (who died in 2017) and sudden spring 2016 departure of Johnson due to the risk of complete hearing loss threw shade on the future. Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose stepped in for Johnson and allowed the group to finish its tour, the finale of which coincided with bassist Cliff Williams' retirement. Had AC/DC reached the end? Nope. Surprising everyone, Johnson returned. Equipped with advanced in-ear-monitor technology, he partnered with his old mates on the 2020 LP 'Power Up' and got back in the ring. For its current trek, the band recruited bassist Chris Chaney and drummer Matt Laug to sit in for staples Williams and Phil Rudd, respectively. Admittedly, it felt weird not seeing Williams in his usual spot. Lacking the chemistry of the men they replaced, Chaney and Laug didn't always muster the wrecking-ball swing, foundations-rattling shake or hospital-corner tightness of their esteemed predecessors. A few songs, 'If You Want Blood (You've Got It)' and 'Thunderstruck' included, never hit full boil and unfurled at a slower pace. Paging Stevie Young and his steady, sweeping right arm. With him running point for the rhythm section and ironing out kinks, any lingering clunkiness and tardiness dissipated by the time the eerie tolling announced 'Hells Bells.' To be certain, this wasn't AC/DC in its prime with its classic lineup. Johnson's voice no longer even pretends to scale the extreme highs or possesses the lung strength to hold extended notes. He compensated by adjusting the vocal key, or doubling-up on the word or phrase in question. But as big-name veteran bands with retooled lineups go, AC/DC sounded engaged, lean, direct, even occasionally indomitable. It fared better than the Rolling Stones last year and 'Fare Thee Well' Grateful Dead in 2015, to cite two examples of still-respected peers that soldiered on with new faces. The decision to primarily forgo production excess and stick to the basics — a classic backdrop comprised of a wall of amplifiers bisected by the drum kit and framed by stairs; three video screens primary dedicated to broadcasting the action; a short runway — underlined AC/DC's obsessive moderation and dogged mentality. Adorned in a denim Harley-Davidson vest, jeans and newsboy cap, Johnson oozed blue-collar personality. His strained, sandpaper-coarse timbre served as an ideal conduit for songs concerned with boisterous revelries, shady agreements, licentious intentions and musical pleasures. Cackling, screeching, muttering: He nailed the persuasive magnetism of the back-door mercenary narrating 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,' hellraising spirit of the rabble-rouser boozing it up on 'Have a Drink on Me' and overconfident bravado of the high roller crashing 'Sin City.' With devil-may-care attitude, Johnson found joy in every stanza, operating in total synergy with Angus Young. The tandem's give-and-take dynamic blossomed on nearly every tune, with the generously spaced chords and steady buildups of the minimalist architecture inviting Young to flourish. He didn't disappoint. Still the clever prankster lurking at the back of the classroom, he snarled and gritted his teeth, holding his instrument at a 60-degree angle while dispensing disruptive solos that took the form of cruise missiles aimed at no particular target. His distinctive tones — raw, bluesy, cleanly distorted and proudly overdriven — surged with jolting currents and ultimately bolstered an 18-minute solo that instilled the history lesson of 'Let There Be Rock.' And was there ever, complete with Angus Young, knobby knees and thin ankles, scampering, duck-walking and hopping from place to place. His fireplug vitality surrendered only to his untamed playing, boogie feel and volumes upon volumes of mesmerizing riffs. Robust, substantial riffs that were brass-knuckle tough ('Demon Fire'), convulsive ('High Voltage'), jagged ('Riff Raff'), stacked ('Whole Lotta Rosie') and folded like intricate pieces of origami ('Stiff Upper Lip'). Young never ran dry or repeated himself, his electricity juicing the group's catchy hooks and prompting his pint-sized body to visibly shiver. The extent of his and his cohorts' wallop can best be framed by a question: How many other bands could afford to bury a signature song, one as recognized, charged and guaranteed to ignite a mass sing-a-long as 'Highway to Hell,' in the middle of their set without batting an eye? Right arm elevated and pointing skyward, the fleet fingers of his left hand racing down the guitar's fretboard, a knowing sneer washing over his face as he assumed an iconic pose, Angus Young knew the from Soldier Field May 24: 'If You Want Blood (You've Got It)' 'Back in Black' 'Demon Fire' 'Shot Down in Flames' 'Thunderstruck' 'Have a Drink on Me' 'Hells Bells' 'Shot in the Dark' 'Stiff Upper Lip' 'Highway to Hell' 'Shoot to Thrill' 'Sin City' 'Rock 'n' Roll Train' 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' 'High Voltage' 'Riff Raff' 'You Shook Me All Night Long' 'Whole Lotta Rosie' 'Let There Be Rock' Encore 'T.N.T.' 'For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)'
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
AC/DC bring high voltage rock & roll hits to the masses at the Rose Bowl
Precious few bands can fill a stadium 52 years into their career. Much less play to an audience heavily populated by parents and their teens/tweens, both generations cheering for 77-year-old singer Brian Johnson and white-haired guitar icon Angus Young, 70. While decked out in flashing red devil horn headbands, no less. But AC/DC did just that, playing 21 instantly recognizable sing-along tunes of considerable heaviness—the majority of them classic rock radio staples and cultural touchstones—rendered with a power and passion that belies their many decades of service. Kicking off with 1978's 'If You Want Blood (You've Got It),' Young, in his trademark schoolboy outfit (red velvet for this show) and recognizable black and white Gibson SG, took the stage to thunderous appreciation. Next was 'Back in Black,' the song and album that marked Johnson's 1980 entrée to the lineup. The frontman proved expressive and animated despite serious hearing issues that sidelined him for a few scary years, and a voice that, understandably, doesn't always have the sustain and power of earlier days. The quintet did a few tracks off their latest, 2020's "Power Up," but as expected and appreciated, the hits ruled, from 'Shot Down to Flames' to 'Hell's Bells' to latter-day crowd favorite 'Thunderstruck.' The band's set, despite the relentless, strident perfection and power of the rhythm section, wasn't a quick flow, with fairly frequent darkened-stage breaks between songs. The second half of the two-hour-plus performance proved the stronger, Johnson's energy seemingly renewed on this third show of 13 for this leg of Power Up tour. The band's hardcore devotees may wonder if AC/DC may be slightly callous or merely driven, as their career suggests. Other fans don't know or care about the lineup's backstory, which took its first devastating turn in February 1980 with the death of singer Bon Scott, 33. In less than six months, with new frontman Johnson, previously of Brit band Geordie, AC/DC released what would become one of the best-selling albums in history, "Back in Black," their first of 11 LPs (to date) with Johnson. Read more: Stevie Nicks is 'not pulling any punches' on her new album Like a Dickensian Andy Capp, Johnson is an uber-charming rogue, an everyman bluesy belter whose winking humor with a hint of the scoundrel are not entirely unlike Scott's demeanor though each man's vocals, inflection and stage presence are/were clearly their own. And beloved as such. However, on February 28, 2016, in the midst of AC/DC's 'Rock or Bust' tour, doctors told Johnson if he didn't stop performing immediately, he risked total hearing loss. By May 17, 2016, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose joined AC/DC as a fill-in vocalist for two dozen shows, a move that shocked many and thrilled others. Seemingly nothing will stop the juggernaut that is AC/DC. They're at once a band of brothers, literally—founded by Angus and late brother Malcolm Young—but also not. As the middle-aged concertgoer next to me noted: 'Angus is all about the money and he and his brother [Malcom] own the band.' That said, it was the fans' 10th show across several continents, though he purposely avoided seeing the Rose-fronted version of AC/DC. Johnson, his hearing issues managed, was back in the fold by 2019, and post-pandemic, playing live with AC/DC by October 2023. Interestingly, one of the other bands still filling stadiums are indeed Guns N' Roses. Even more titillating: Rose and guitarist Slash, the Johnson and Young of American rock, were in attendance at the Rose Bowl, their walk through the crowd inciting thousands to gasp and crane their necks for a look at the duo. But all eyes were on stage for the two-hour-plus show. AC/DC have written winking songs about sexually transmitted diseases ('The Jack'); large women ('Whole Lotta Rosie'); voracious encounters ('You Shook Me All Night Long,' 'She's Got Balls'); and of course, Hell (in the abstract). The tunes are all exuberant and undeniable, and even with a new era of political correctness, never offensive. Despite any challenges of health and member attrition, AC/DC remain unstoppable, undeniable, Young's own version of Chuck Berry's duckwalk and proving his preternatural energy, as did his expected and always lengthy (10 minutes? 15?) solo section during 'Let There Be Rock.' At least six songs in the set were made infamous by Scott—including 'Sin City,' 'Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap),' 'Riff Raff,' 'Let There Be Rock,' and 'Highway to Hell,' but they're so much a part of the band's oeuvre it matters not that Johnson has been singing them longer than Scott did. Another constant: AC/DC song titles are frequently convivial lowbrow bon mots—"Have a Drink on Me,' 'Hells Bells,' 'Stiff Upper Lip' —now so common in the vernacular that AC/DC might have invented the phrases. At this point, who knows; maybe they did. One valid complaint leveled at the band, is also the (not-so) secret to AC/DC's strength and continued and deserved world-wide success: they make the same record every time. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And when things do 'break,' they're quickly fixed. Instead of hoped-for drummer Phil Rudd, rounding out the live lineup are drummer Matt Laug, with the band for two years; and skilled journeyman bassist Chris Chaney of Jane's Addiction infamy. He replaced Cliff Williams, who first joined AC/DC in 1977. And there are two 'Young people' on guitar; Angus and his nephew, Stevie, 68, who replaced his uncle Malcolm in the band in 2014. So, will AC/DC keep going? Clearly, for as long as they can. It's what they do. Will audiences, fans young and old, keep showing up? They will. It's what they do. The world circa 2025 could use two hours of an ear-splitting sing-along with 70,000 like-minded denizens, celebrating the working-class joys of booze, broads and rock and roll. AC/DC remain the band to deliver that joyful bipartisan escapism. As Bon Scott sang (and Johnson never has) on the bagpipe-belter 'It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll),' and AC/DC hit indeed hit that top, and remain ensconced there. AC/DC did their audience a great service in having The Pretty Reckless as openers. Singer Taylor Momsen had a big presence on the massive stage, looking like the Runways Cherie Currie circa '70s, her voice sultry pitch perfect, her commanding voice as genuine as her positively magnetic stage presence. Overheard from a nearby seat: 'I was thoroughly blown away.' Like AC/DC, the band are guitar-driven and write great songs, their approach the perfect blend between accessible rock with the danger, volume and power of metal. It's a shame AC/DC are so by-the-book onstage, because a Momsen-Johnson duet would be a pairing for the ages. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
BBC News
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Signed Ozzy Osbourne guitar raises £15k for Acorns hospice
An electric guitar signed by rock legend Ozzy Osbourne has fetched £15,000 in an auction at a dinner for 2024 Gibson SG went under the hammer at the event, which raised £179,570 on the night for Acorns Children's Specials singer Neville Staple headlined an evening of entertainment at the ICC in Birmingham, inspired by BBC drama This electric guitar donated by Osbourne was also signed by artists who performed at the Black Sabbath frontman's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, including Jack Black, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billy Idol. Osbourne and Black Sabbath are reuniting to play a one-off fundraising concert in the city on 5 is set to benefit, alongside fellow charities Cure Parkinson's and the Birmingham Children's hospice, with bases in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester, is supported by Aston Villa, and Osbourne has been a lifelong fan of the the past year, the charity has cared for more than 780 children across the West Midlands and supported over 1,000 dinner event on Friday featured recreated sets from the drama by Steven Knight, which was set in the West Midlands during the evening included special appearances from Knight and some of the show's cast, including Levi Brown, Ben Rose and Eve said money raised in its This Town Gala Dinner would help it to continue its "life-changing care for children with life limiting and life-threatening conditions across the West Midlands and support for their families". Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tony Iommi almost launched Black Sabbath's heavy metal crusade with a Fender Stratocaster
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. With their doom-laden take on electric blues, Black Sabbath turned the world of heavy music upside down when they released their debut album 55 years ago, in February 1970. A 1964 Gibson SG propelled Tony Iommi's instantly recognizable guitar sound, but if it weren't for a bad pickup and a risky gear swap, the band's change-making album might have sounded very different. Iommi had a few misfortunes to thank for his title as the inventor of heavy metal. He'd lost the ends of several fingers on his fretting hand in an industrial accident when he was 17, requiring that he devise leather thimbles to cover his damaged finger tips. . He then had a brief, unsuccessful run in Jethro Tull, after which Iommi returned to Sabbath with a fresh drive and greater work ethic. But as the band went in to record their debut album, Iommi found his Fender Stratocaster — which he can be seen as he plays with Tull on the Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus — was having some issues. It was especially bad luck because, as Iommi tells Gibson TV, he'd worked hard to make the guitar suitable for his damaged digits. 'I worked on it myself to try and get it right for me to play, because I couldn't just pick up a guitar like you'd be able to pick up and play,' he tells his interviewer, Judas Priest's Richie Faulkner. 'I couldn't use heavy strings anymore. I had to change everything — change the fretting and lower the strings — because I was using the thimbles. i couldn't feel the strings." His backup guitar was a right-handed Gibson SG that the left-handed guitarist had strung upside down. As luck would have it he was able to swap it for a proper left-handed model shortly before recording began. 'I heard of this bloke that had a left-handed guitar, and he was right-handed, and he played that upside down,' Iommi says. 'Really peculiar! So I got in touch with him, and I arranged to meet him in a car park. "It was a bit dodgy,' he adds. 'He might have nicked it!' Although Iommi intended the SG to be nothing more than a backup guitar, it quickly became his main guitar when the Strat developed a problem with one of its pickups. 'I recorded 'Wicked World' with the Strat, and then the pickup went,' he recalls. 'So, I thought, I've got to use the other guitar. It was the first time I'd ever really played it, and I thought, Here I am, doing an album on a guitar I've never played before!' Yet, something about the SG won him over. 'I never went back after that. I've stuck with the SG ever since.' Asked why the Strat was abandoned rather than repaired, Iommi says, "as far as I knew, it was buggered. In those days, you couldn't just go and buy a pickup. I could have taken the front pickup out and put it in, but I never thought of that." Besides, he says, 'as soon as I started using the SG, and that was on the album, that was it. I swapped my Strat for a sax. I had this mad idea of trying to play the sax, which I drove everybody up the wall with. Iommi is set for one last Black Sabbath show this summer, having recently spoken to Guitar Player about why 'Iron Man' is the Sabbath song he relates to the most.
