My Vitriol gig review - 22/05/09 Southampton, The Joiners

My Vitriol – 22/05/09- Southampton, The Joiners.

“It’s roughly been nine years since we last played small venues like this,” muses Som Wardner before their sold out Southampton Joiners gig. Boy, has time flown by. But since the 2001 release of ‘Finelines,’ the storm of British alternative scene in which My Vitriol were a part has abated. Once everywhere splashed across the music tabloids, bands such as Cay, Seafood, and Vex Red have now vanished into the ether like dissolving feedback, leaving a huge void in their wake. Tonight’s show, and the rest of their recent tour for that matter, will be a test to see if MV are still as relevant now as they were all those years ago.

Tonight, in the Southampton toilet, nobody gives a hoot about the warm up acts. Punters trickle in during Burn the Fleet, a five-piece hardcore act who beat their chests through a set emo infused thrash by numbers. There are enough bone-crunching breakdowns to even out the inevitable heart string pulling choruses, but the fact remains that this brand of faux emotional metal has passed its sell by date.

A further disappointment comes in the way of The X-certs, a clean-cut weedy trio who trudge through a set of ripped off Weezer songs which are neither warm nor catchy. Their drearily predictable quiet-loud format seems to drag on through a set of instantly forgettable pop throw-aways.

Come ten o’clock and the place is rammed. The temperature rises as bodies pile in for a decent vantage point of the wide berth platform. A coal mine stuffiness pervades the air as the 4-piece walk onstage; they are greeted by a curious and surprisingly quiet reaction from the crowd, a reticence which seems to say “so where the fuck have you guys been?!”

Kick starting with a full-throttle rendition of ‘Moodswings,’ they dispel any apprehensive feelings the crowd may have. A heady rush of shimmering guitars and thumping drum explosiveness is matched only by thundering strobe lighting, morphing the band into flickering, imperceptible shapes.

“It’s been a while,” Wardner says before vaulting into raw gem ‘Losing Touch,’ a sucker punch of angst ridden screams and buzz-saw guitars. “About time too,” one funny guy replies afterwards, a declaration met with rapturous applause.

Romping through a mixed set of ‘Finelines’ favourites and new numbers, MV prove that they have aged well, returning with a slicker, bolder sound. After technical difficulties put down to the searing heat, ‘War of the worlds,’ a song as gargantuan as the title suggests, soars from the speakers with its ascending guitar hooks and beautifully pitched melodies. In the past, Som’s live vocal performances have struggled to match the band’s shining brilliance, but tonight his highly improved delivery is duly noted.

Among the waves and waves of distortion, heat and light, the band retain their maverick cool mystique throughout. Wardner keeps the chat to a minimum, relying solely on music to make the deepest impact.

There are but two low points during a largely breathtaking set: A rather rushed, ramshackle rendering of ‘Cemented Shoes’ and a punk rendition of Katy Perry’s ‘Hot n Cold,’ which sounds like the pre pubescent fumbling of a garage covers band.
Nevertheless, they end on a scorching high note with signature finale track ‘Tongue Tied,’ a mind bending tremolo assault which spirals into a cacophony of ear splitting noise. By the end, the mosh pit is a frenzied sea of flailing bodies, and anyone with enough breath left shows their gratitude with panting, ragged howls.
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Without a shadow of doubt, MV are back, brimming with just as much vitality and vigour as 2001. They’ve been away for a long time, but have proved their relevance more than ever. Their impressively loyal fan-base will be glad to know that they haven’t lost touch.

My Vitriol- Q&A

Q&A with My Vitriol

Putting pause on proceedings at the end of 2002, My Vitriol have bounced back with a string of smaller venue shows across the UK, many which are now sold-out. I caught up with Ravi, Seth and Som at their Southampton leg of the tour to chew some tasty My Vitriol fat.

How is the tour going thus far??

Ravi: The tour has been going really good, its been good to get back on the road again. We played in Leeds which was the first show last Saturday and it was great, had an amazing crowd. It was funny, the gig was a late addition to the tour and we were surprised at the turnout.

Som: Then we went down to Liverpool, where we hadn’t played much at all before. In fact, I think we haven’t played a lot of venues in these towns for years.

What’s it like playing small venues again?

Seth: I really like it because it’s very intense, you really sort of feel the audience right there, getting into it. Some of the bigger festivals we’ve played, you can’t even see the audience’s faces, they’re a big blur. You kind of get in touch with the crowd all over again.

Som: There is actually a level that we take out that maybe a bit too much for these venues!! We bring in a lot of lights, fry the PA’s. We tend to fry a lot of retinas too!!

How has your sound progressed since Finelines?

Seth: Well, I guess it’s bolder and bigger, but you have got to remember that within Finelines itself was a sound that was still growing. We signed after having played just seven shows so I think we were still growing into what we are now, we were still only in the puberty stage back then.

Ravi: It was really just work in progress in the limelight if you know what I mean, and it’s still work in progress now, were still always developing our sound, trying to inspire ourselves with new sounds and gadgets.

What new sounds and gadgets have you been working on?

Ravi: We’ve been using a lot of synthy stuff on the new record.

And when will that be coming out?

Ravi: (Huffs.....then laughter) Hopefully, this year.

Som: We’d like to have it out in Japan before we actually release it here.

I didn’t realise you were big in Japan..?

Som: Yeah, we did pretty well there. They have a major radio station out there called J-Wave which play-listed every track on Finelines. So Sony were quite thrilled about it, because we booked a small 500 person show which sold out, then we upgraded to a bigger capacity, then that sold out. It was quite an interesting vibe. You feel like you’re in the Beatles or something – you arrive in Japan and there are all these kids at the airport and at the hotels, giving you presents and stuff. I don’t even know how these guys found out what flight we were on!!!

As artists of a high(ish) calibre, do you feel a constant weight of expectation on your shoulders?

Som: Well I guess that different people expect different things. And I think that was one of the troubles we had when we started out. Early on, there were a lot of people who expected us to be a punk band and we had ambitions slightly more left field than that. When we started playing with effects, people started calling us ‘shoe-gaze.’ We weren’t a shoe gaze band either, we were much louder than that, especially with the drumming. So following that I joked to the NME that we weren’t a ‘shoe-gaze,’ but you could probably call us ‘Nu-gaze.’ (Laughter)

We were actually going down an electronic route with a song called ‘My whole world implodes’ which was very MV but was a million miles away from our first ‘Always’ demo that we initially did. And that was the vibe that the second album was going down, but Warner Brothers weren’t very keen on that as they didn’t believe that electronic rock would sell. They asked me to go along the lines of Alien Ant Farm and Papa Roach. Frankly, by that time I’d had enough. I was trying to push things forward, keep things fresh and exciting and they just wanted us to move into a certain box.

We went from being band who just played seven shows to playing Top of the Pops, and Reading main stage , then moving to a major label in America and Japan and the rest of the world with Warners. This all happened in the space of two years and other bands spend decades to reach that status.

Aside from the obvious influences, what other art forms are significant to configuration of your music?

Som: Depends on what mood I’m in really. I used to do a lot of painting when I was younger and tended to prefer a lot of classical works. As I got older I got more into abstract stuff- Magritte, Escher, Dali- it was a natural progression, like when you listen to music. I started off listening to pop music and my favourite first band was The Beatles and then through them I got into other bands; Nirvana were my Magritte of the other world.

What’s next for MV?

Seth: Just progressing what we need to finish the album.
Som: Playing to the fans, trying out some new material. We want to go play places we haven’t played in years.

Mountaineer’s climate change plea from the top of Everest.

From Mount Everest’s summit, seasoned mountaineer Apa Sherpa has today (21st May, 2009) sent out an urgent global plea for people to take action on climate change.

Reaching the peak on his 19th ascent of Earth’s highest mountain, Mr. Sherpa placed a WWF banner saying “Stop Climate Change, Let the Himaalayas Live!”

The expedition, a part of the Climate for Life campaign aiming to raise awareness on climate change impacts in the Himalayas, is a reminder to politicians of their responsibility towards preserving the mountain range as a global heritage.

It is also is a call to strike a global deal to fight climate change at the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December.

Mr Sherpa himself is all too familiar with the impacts of climate change on his native Nepal, having been a victim to its disastrous consequences – a glacial lake burst its banks and washed away half his property and land in 1985.

It has been reported that these glacial lake bursts are one of the most visible impacts of climate change in the area, an issue Mr. Sherpa wants to highlight through the expedition.

The climb was led by two-time Everest summiteer Dawa Steven Sherpa (no relation), a passionate supporter of climate change issues.

Six Americans were on the team.

At the summit, Apa also installed a sacred vase personally blessed by the Venerable Rinpoche of Tengboche (Buddhist spiritual leader), containing 400 sacred ingredients intended to restore the sanctity of the Himalayan sacred valleys against the negative impacts of rapid environmental changes.

“Apa and Dawa have achieved greatness while carrying the most important message of our time to the top of the world,” said Jon Miceler, Director of WWF’s Eastern Himalayas Program.

“Now it’s up to the rest of us to save the Himalayas and all of Earth’s ecosystems by pushing for a strong international agreement to tackle climate change.

"The well being of Himalayas is crucial for economic development of Nepal," said Mr. Ganesh Sah, Nepal's Minister for Environment, Science and Technology.

"It's only by coming together that we can deliver this message emphatically to the world.

“We congratulate Apa, Dawa and the entire Eco-Everest Expedition, who achieved their mission despite the tragic loss of a team member, Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa, in an avalanche on May 6,” Miceler said.
WWF Nepal will be raising awareness for the Climate for Life campaign with multiple events throughout 2009 highlighting the issues at stake

James Lovelock windturbine blast.

Ground breaking scientist James Lovelock is rarely ever a stones throw away from controversy. In an article published in the Guardian last Sunday (29 March), the veteran environmental campaigner claimed that a new planning regime for wind farms “is an erosion of our freedom and draws near to what I see as fascism.” (1)

The blast was in response to Ed Miliband’s suggestion that opposing wind farms should be as socially unacceptable as failing to wear a seatbelt. Mr. Miliband, the UK climate change minister, had appeared at a screening of the climate change documentary The Age of Stupid and suggested that the government need to be resilient against local opposition to wind farms. He said: “The government need to be saying, ‘It is socially unacceptable to be against wind turbines in your area- like not wearing a seatbelt or driving past a zebra crossing” (2)

Apparently, Prof. Lovelock feels the comments made were hot air. In his piece entitled “Fascism in the wind,” Lovelock describes Miliband’s declaration as an attempt to use “the social rejection of political correctness” to nullify the rights of those who oppose wind farms. He continued: “As part of this campaign, the great and the good are now hectoring on the moral need to embrace wind energy.” (1)

But Prof. Lovelock’s hard words didn’t go unchecked. The ever crusading campaigner George Monbiot reminded The Guardian readers of one of the main facets of fascism: Violence. And in a mocking dig he suggested that “if Prof. Lovelock knows of people who have been killed as a result of their opposition to wind farms, he should tell us.” (3) Fascism, Mr. Monbiot concedes, “is not a charge that could be laid at the door of Mr. Miliband’s department.” (3)

This flurry of claim and counter claim comes at a time when investor interest in wind generated electricity is blowing cold. Energy giants are putting money back into coal now that the price of fossil fuels has fallen. Monbiot goes on to cite the companies with cold feet: “Shell has pulled out completely. Centrica, E.ON and BT are reviewing their plans. Sun Microsystems has suspended its projects.” (3) As a result, he believes that the government’s attempt to meet an EU target of producing 20% of all energy through renewables by 2020 is “unrealistic.” (3)

So, is the government’s planning scheme an act of fascism, as Lovelock suggests? He is not the only high-profile figure to oppose the erection of wind farms. Melvyn Bragg, mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington and David Bellamy have also been involved in campaigning against it too. Bob Barfoot, the Devon chair of the Campaign to Protect Rural England has also chipped in, saying that if the plans were given the go ahead, the government would be “undermining democracy.” (2) The people are divided; should the government press forth with their 2020 targets regardless of the opposition? Or should they follow the path of democracy by heeding requests not to wreck the rural British landscape?

Sources:

(1) Ministerial hectoring on green energy is fascism in the wind – James Lovelock, The Guardian, Sunday 29 March.
(2) Opposing wind farms should be socially taboo, says Ed Miliband- Allegra Stratton, The Guardian, Tuesday 24 March
(3) Just when we need him, the professor has an acute attack of the Bellamoids- George Monbiot, The Guardian, Tuesday 31 March.

Resurgence of the Green Party?

The Green Party has never been particularly popular. Their one and only electoral triumph, to the astonishment of many, came twenty years ago when it won over 2 million votes in the 1989 European elections. Since then, however, support for the party has been weak. Could this all soon change?

In a YouGov poll to be released tomorrow (Mon 18 May), 34% of respondents said they would either be voting Green or would consider voting Green. This is the highest percentage ever to indicate potential support for the party.

Over the last few years they have expanded, changing their political tune to make forward progress. Once fiercely opposed to economic growth, they now suggest they are the best party to save the economy. In a new advertising campaign, they aim to persuade voters who think they know them to “think again.”

Lib Dem voters are the largest group to consider switching to Green. The second largest are Labour voters, who, actually, are usually the most likely to switch to Green. Interestingly, one in five of the survey’s respondents were Conservative, the group considered least likely to contemplate changing colour.

Caroline Lucas, the first ever official leader of the Green Party, recently told The Independent: "It's a really exciting time for us. People are looking for alternatives. The three other parties are collected around an ever-smaller centre ground. A whole area of the political spectrum is completely empty, and it's an area where we feel we are the natural occupiers."

This new surge of potential Green interest comes amid the expenses row, where MP’s from the three main parties have been publically, and quite rightly, shamed for spending tax payers’ money on a variety of superfluous domestic adjustments. UKIP are considered unlikely to benefit from voters' anger at other parties' sleaze thanks to its own frequently-criticised record.

And so the Greens themselves are not ruling out a possible eruption of interest like that in 1989. But even a much smaller swing from the big three could be enough to win new Green seats in several regions, as well as holding the party's existing seats in London and the South East.

Peter Cranie, top Green candidate in the North West, commented:

"This 34% is the best indication we've ever had that people would consider voting Green. And the other poll showing us at 11% is extremely encouraging, not least because the Greens have always been underestimated in polls before Euro-elections. In 1989 we were showing at 7-8% but we got 15%. And we only need about 8% in some regions to win seats.

"We do expect that the current disenchantment with the big three parties will prompt more people to take a second look at the Greens. Our Euro-election broadcast has been very well received and we believe our million-jobs manifesto is going to strike a chord with a lot of people.
"When it comes down to it, we're the only party in this election that (a) isn't mired in sleaze and (b) is putting forward a positive vision."

He added: "There is still a lot of speculation about disillusioned Labour voters voting BNP as a protest. But I really can't see why left-of-centre voters would want to vote for the extremist far right.”

Slow sales of sustainable palm oil

Multinational companies have bought just one percent of sustainable palm oil available on the market, raising concerns that “one of the major solutions to halting deforestation of tropical forests is not catching on fast enough,” the World Wildlife Federation yesterday confirmed. (1)

The rapid production of the vegetable oil, which can be found in anything from cosmetics to ice-cream, has caused extensive land clearing in Borneo and Sumatra, resulting in the displacement of native people, destruction of unique eco-systems and devastation to the habitats of endangered species like tigers and orang-utans.

Certified sustainable palm oil, available since November 2008, provides assurance that valuable tropical forests have not been cleared and that environmental and social safeguards have been met during production.

However, the vice president of agriculture for WWF, David McLaughlin, has said that “around 1.3 million tons of certified sustainable palm oil has been produced, but less than 15,000 tons has been sold.”(1)

“This sluggish demand from palm oil buyers, such as supermarkets, food and cosmetic manufacturers, could undermine the success of sustainability efforts and threatens the remaining natural tropical forests of Southeast Asia, as well as other forests where oil palm is set to expand, such as the Amazon,” he claimed. (1)

43 out of 100 of the UK’s most popular brand names contain the substance native to West Africa, far exceeding the “one in ten estimation” made by Friends of the Earth four years ago. (2)

Palm oil is present in products produced by Kellogg’s, Cadbury, Mars, Heinz, Nestle, Kraft and Premier Food to name but a few.

“Hovis and Kingsmill bread, the country's best-selling margarine Flora, KitKat and Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars, as well as Dove soap, Comfort fabric conditioner and Persil washing powder,” all contain the bulking ingredient. (2)

WWF has asked all companies buying palm oil to make public commitments to buy 100 per cent certified sustainable oil by 2015.

They have also urged them to make public their plans with deadlines to achieve this goal and begin purchasing sustainable oil immediately.

Presently, only 4 per cent of palm oil production is certified sustainable by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (Rspo), meaning that the majority of global supply can be linked to the awesome scale of rainforest destruction.

If the current rate of deforestation continues, the UN Environment Program has estimated that 98 per cent of Indonesian forest will have disappeared by 2020.

ENDS.

By Jamie Skey

Sources:

(1) Slow Sales Of Sustainable Palm Oil Threaten Tropical Forests; WWF To Grade Palm Oil Buyers: http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/media/press/2009/WWFPresitem12330.html

(2) How Britons fuel destruction of the rainforest: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/how-britons-fuel-destruction-of-the-rainforest-1677096.html.