Have you seen her? Have you heard?
Historically, I had a very hardline policy on reformed bands. Notably: don't.
If a band split up, it was probably for good reasons. If they subsequently got back together and went on tour, it was probably for bad reasons. It was probably for £££ and liable to be devoid of artistic merit.
I can't really remember what originally caused me to deviate from this, but deviate I have done. Many of the defunct bands whose music I like have been reforming, and I'm afraid sentiment has triumphed over principles. I went to see the Pixies when they started touring again, and last year I cheerfully partied to Pulp as if "let's all meet up in the year 2000" were still a sensible thing to say. Numerous smaller bands - like Ultrasound, yay, Ultrasound - have also lured me in.
So, tomorrow, I shall hurtle north from London to Heaton Park in Manchester. I'm going to see the middle one of the three dates The Stone Roses are playing there.
Like Pulp and the Pixies, TSR are a band I never saw live. Their eponymous first album has been a favourite of mine for years. I've seen Ian Brown playing solo sets where he did Roses' songs, but with a guitarist who wasn't a patch on John Squire.
I think in the past I've said that I didn't like the idea of a TSR reunion[*]. The band devolved into a mess, replacing Squire before falling acrimoniously apart. Surely any get-together would be purely cash-motivated and creatively sterile... then there were rumours the band members were speaking, then there were rumours of a reunion, then the announcement that they were playing together again and working on new material...
And, er, yeah.
I had vague visions of a pleasant Saturday evening sitting in a park. Green grass and sunshine featured largely. The weather forecast suggests this is rather a folorn hope. It's probably going to drizzle relentlessly all day. I will, at least, take waterproofs - I learned that lesson in Oxford's South Park in 2000.
Will it rain hideously? Will the place turn into a sea of mud? Will Ian Brown sound like a tuneless twat[**]? Will the logistics of getting to and from the park be as complicated as locals predicted?
Yes. All right. I'm quite excited about it :)
[*] I am still claiming that if The Smiths reform I will steer well clear. Place bets now.
[**] Obviously, yes, he will. The question is, will he do it in a bad way?
If a band split up, it was probably for good reasons. If they subsequently got back together and went on tour, it was probably for bad reasons. It was probably for £££ and liable to be devoid of artistic merit.
I can't really remember what originally caused me to deviate from this, but deviate I have done. Many of the defunct bands whose music I like have been reforming, and I'm afraid sentiment has triumphed over principles. I went to see the Pixies when they started touring again, and last year I cheerfully partied to Pulp as if "let's all meet up in the year 2000" were still a sensible thing to say. Numerous smaller bands - like Ultrasound, yay, Ultrasound - have also lured me in.
So, tomorrow, I shall hurtle north from London to Heaton Park in Manchester. I'm going to see the middle one of the three dates The Stone Roses are playing there.
Like Pulp and the Pixies, TSR are a band I never saw live. Their eponymous first album has been a favourite of mine for years. I've seen Ian Brown playing solo sets where he did Roses' songs, but with a guitarist who wasn't a patch on John Squire.
I think in the past I've said that I didn't like the idea of a TSR reunion[*]. The band devolved into a mess, replacing Squire before falling acrimoniously apart. Surely any get-together would be purely cash-motivated and creatively sterile... then there were rumours the band members were speaking, then there were rumours of a reunion, then the announcement that they were playing together again and working on new material...
And, er, yeah.
I had vague visions of a pleasant Saturday evening sitting in a park. Green grass and sunshine featured largely. The weather forecast suggests this is rather a folorn hope. It's probably going to drizzle relentlessly all day. I will, at least, take waterproofs - I learned that lesson in Oxford's South Park in 2000.
Will it rain hideously? Will the place turn into a sea of mud? Will Ian Brown sound like a tuneless twat[**]? Will the logistics of getting to and from the park be as complicated as locals predicted?
Yes. All right. I'm quite excited about it :)
[*] I am still claiming that if The Smiths reform I will steer well clear. Place bets now.
[**] Obviously, yes, he will. The question is, will he do it in a bad way?