The Big (Dance Explosion) Bang: Push interviews Underworld, 22nd January 1994

Underworld on the cover of Melody Maker 22nd January 1994

Underworld on the cover of Melody Maker 22nd January 1994. Photo by Kevin Westenberg

Back! Did anything happen while I was gone?

I shared a tiny lift with Andrew Collins today but thankfully retained enough cool to ignore him.

The 1992 Reading Festival Review, 12th September 1992

The 1992 Reading Festival review, 12th September 1992.

Writers: Everett True, Jim Arundel, Shane Danielsen, Andrew Smith, Simon Price, Sharon O’Connell

Photographers: Kevin Westenberg, Stephen Sweet, Matt Bright, Steve Gullick

Those who also turned up to get drunk: Allan Jones, Steve Sutherland, Andrew Mueller, Ben Turner, Sally Margret Joy, Ben Stud, Ngaire, Black Mat Smith, Clint Poppie

Apart from the mud this was the infamous Reading Festival where ET pushed Kurt onto the stage in a wheelchair. Has the story of how and why that came about been told already? If so please post a link and if not then can I tempt the story from the horse’s mouth?

UPDATE: Discussion about Reading and particularly this Reading Festival over on the WSC message board prompted by Simon Price considering breaking a 21 year attendance record.

And if you’re looking for a timeline of Reading Festival from inception to present day then this site if worth a look

Jimmy Cauty on the cover of Melody Maker, 16th February 1991

Jimmy Cauty on the cover of Melody Maker, 16th February 1991. Photo by Kevin Westenberg

Steve Sutherland interviews Curve, 26th October 1991

Steve Sutherland interviews Curve, 26th October 1991. Photo by Kevin Westenberg

As a dutiful indie kid back in the day I saw Ten Little Girls on Snub and *loved* it – even the rap, something of which I was still very suspicious of back then.  Bought that E.P. and saw them live once (twice?) but never bought an album and I’m not sure why thinking back.

Listening to it right now it sounds like Butch Vig used Curve as the template for Garbage and given the fact that the tracks are now nearly 20 years old it sounds remarkably ‘en vogue’ to me.

Curve – Ten Little Girls

Curve on the cover of Melody Maker, 26th October 1991

Curve on the cover of Melody Maker, 26th October 1991. Photo Kevin Westenberg.

OK so this is what I’m going to do. Pick a copy from random year. Scan the cover and all pages inside that seem worth it, then move on to another issue. This way there’s a sense of randomness and I get to have just 2 piles, scanned and not scanned.

So I picked this up initially because I have a friend who’s mate’s with Dean, but skimming through this now it feels like there’s something of interest on every page. ET’s not going to appreciate being reminded of the cover story interview he did with The Cranberries though. So tune in again and hold your breath – because Midway Still ARE coming back – at least in print anyway.

Simon Reynolds interviews Ian McCulloch, 30th September 1989

Simon Reynolds interviews Ian McCulloch, 30th September 1989. Photos by Kevin Westenberg.

Never was a big Bunnymen fan. I know there are plenty of people that disagree with me but apart from Killing Moon (now ruined by Donnie Darko) the rest left me cold.

Just as I’m uploading this ex NME journo James Brown is on TV judging Miss Naked Beauty. I know he doesn’t need the money (how is the big house James?) so why has he agreed to be on this piss poor excuse for a show? And while I’m on the subject, who thought that asking Mylenne Klass (a size 8 woman who’s career is principally based on looking fuckable in a white bikini) to present a show questioning the media’s obsession with unrealistic perceptions of women’s bodies was a good idea?

There’s another level of hypocrisy with this too. With one show Channel 4 celebrates being fat and then with others e.g. Jame Oliver etc. chastises us for eating crap food and being obese. Modern life huh?

Sorry about the intermittent posts. Life’s busy at the moment.

Inspiral Carpets on the cover of Melody Maker, 14th April 1990

Inspiral Carpets on the cover of Melody Maker, 14th April 1990. Photos Kevin Westenberg.

So this is how it feels to be lonely
this is how it feels to be small
this is how it feels when Lehman Brothers mean nothing at all

Ted Mico interviews Ride on the release of the Fall EP, 22nd Sepember 1990

Ted Mico interviews Ride on the release of the Fall EP. Taken from Melody Maker, 22nd Sepember 1990. Photo by Kevin Westenberg.

Don’t know much about Ted Mico or what he’s doing now – can anyone help? I did find this at ZTT records which also has some scans from old Melody Makers. Not as good or as large as this site obviously – possibly because of the C word – but still interesting to browse if you ever liked any of the artists on ZTT.

I could gush about those first 3 Ride EP’s. I won’t.
This is my youth – tell me yours.