The third part of our exclusive Alan McGee interview.

In this part Alan gives some predictions for next year (if we get there…), and talks about how getting music into films and TV probably does more for new bands than getting a record deal in today’s industry.

Check out the video!

Our very own Maxcast “Svengali” himself Alan McGee talks to Maxcast on a sunny October morning, on all things music and Alan. In this video he talks about the music industry, the demise of CDs, the surge of downloads and what he thinks the future is.

The Drums are Florida natives (now transplanted to NYC) and have established themselves as a ground roots pop phenomena, with their mainlined and almost irresistible pop music. Debut single ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ almost defies people not to love the Drums. With their influences ranging from Factory Records and the sort of sunshine pop a teenage Brian Wilson used to write, it all morphs into a perfect soundtrack for a jerky, geeky, and quirk-laden ride down to the Beach. The pop aesthetic offers a sense of nostalgia in the grooves; yet, the anxiety of their Peter Hook-like bass lines, underpins everything with a rushing urgency of pure, jangled, nervous pop.

For the Drums, pop is not a dirty word. ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ is a hand dealt with pop and possibly the best use of whistling in song since Morricone and Peter, Bjorn and John’s modern classic ‘Young Folks’. It harkens back to the days of innocence retro charms of the 50s (so much so, it is almost as if Jonathan Richman imagined them one afternoon so he wouldn’t feel as lonely). It makes sense for the Drums’ lead singer Jonathan Pierce and guitarist Jacob Graham to have initially met at a summer camp when they are kids. Their music is a peon to days past filled with sentimental vibes of innocence and happiness. ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ is no retread. The Drums music is made without a trace of cynicism or irony and I gotta say – the world is better for it.

Alan

Hey Pepsimaxcasters… It’s been a blinding few weeks indeed. We have had some truly brilliant gigs – Leeds on Monday was mental… we had the Sheffield Wednesday firm in and it went off!!

And the The London Forum last Thurs was totally insane!! It was packed, the crowd knew every single word to every song and  everyone was jumping about and going crazy- at one point I thought the balcony was going to come down! We then went on and partied till the small hours in Camden… I didn’t feel to clever in the morning though!

I also wanna say a big thank you to the Pepsi Max comp winners for coming down and saying  hello – top geezers! Anyway just thought you’d like a sneak peek at one of our soundchecks. This is me doing “The Drugs Don’t Work” by The Verve – one of my favourite bands. Liam, Andy and I like to take it in turns to choose a song to cover to keep sounchecks fun! Enjoy… TC.

Fade’s Tour Diaries™….. part.3 in an intermittent series…

(or musings from across the globe.)

The Adelaide Shuffle

Not only does water run away down plug-holes the other way in the southern Hemisphere, but their dance moves have a distinct funk of their own. The Adelaide-Shuffle (modified from the erstwhile Melbourne-shuffle) is a spectacle to behold. Kind of like the Running Man, mixed-up with what we used to call the X-man in 1990, then sped-up and stripped of any recognisable “dancing” characteristics and replaced with the unsexy frenetic stomp of a wooden-legged man dealing with too-high a treadmill setting. People seem to bust this local move out at any given moment all over the club, for a burst of about 30 seconds of cardio intensity like a mating-ritual for ephedrine-drunk robots. It’s bad enough when the boys do it (and let’s face it, what dance move isn’t?) but some girls get involved too. It’s a wonder any pro-creation gets achieved at all in Southern Australia. This won’t be seen in a club near you soon. [*sauce got some footage tho…]

E-Cup Bolt-ons

The best self-description of a pair enhanced-breasts I’ve ever heard. Brisbanites don’t mince their words. They also party harder than anywhere else we’ve been this year. And look good while doing it. All year-round sunshine does wonders for keeping-up your beach-bod credentials and yet manage to never take yourself (or indeed anything) too seriously. The Monastery, Brisbane, we salute you. You bring the party.

The Return from Oz

22 hours in the air is just wrong. But coming down for one hour break to visit the toilets in Singapore airport is the most unexpected dose of luxury, your long-haul economy traveller can experience. [*pic attached] They are plusher than any of the hotels we’ve stayed in on this tour. They are nicer than my own bathroom at home. They are nicer than my whole flat tbh. Like when u go into a really flash restaurant loo and wished you lived there. (we all do that….right?). There is even an attendant guy actually cleaning- all the time- instead of offering you Chupa Chups and a £5 squirt of Hugo Boss. My parting tip to anyone flying-out East is to save your ablutions for Singapore airport.. and don’t do any home-improvements before you’ve taken notes there.