Steve Davis' Interesting Alternative

What’s delighting and disgusting Davis.

DISGUSTED: South Park’s portrayal of the U2 frontman as the world’s largest shit bizarrely came true in the ears of music fans around the world when Bono the dog and his band uploaded doo-doo to 500-million treasured iTunes collections. For a split second of eternity, I was furious and contemplated seeking out his address so I could crap on his doorstep to see how he liked it. Then I came to my senses and realised that this act would be giving him physical product as opposed to the virtual (zeros and) ones he had dumped into my folder. Besides, should his roses improve the following year as a result then he’d end up the winner!

No, what we need is a ‘Rage Against The iMachine’ protest in order to redress this injustice. Emmett Elvin’s brilliant new album Bloody Marvels (Bad Elephant Music) is the solution. It’s similar to the faecal freebie, inasmuch as it starts with one track and ends with another, but the subtle difference is that one is about as original as tipping a bucket of iced water over your head and the other is from another planet! Get on the bat-phone, order our superhero’s CD and rip it to exactly the same space that the insidious, turdy one had previously occupied on your hard drive.

DELIGHTED: Isn’t it just the way? You wait ages for an artist who hasn’t performed live since the 70s to venture out of retirement and then two come along like buses! Kate Bush’s concerts at the Hammersmith whatever-it’s-called this year were cause for great celebration and tears of joy, if only because the demi-goddess had decided to return to the stage. The true icing on the cake of course was just how amazing the shows turned out to be. While I’m not familiar with all of her work, I have subsequently investigated 50 Words For Snow after her beautiful encore of Among Angels, which had the audience melting. However, perhaps an even more unlikely reunion is about to unfold, as Henry Cow reform to celebrate the life and work of Lindsay Cooper, who sadly passed away last year. While the shows will take place under this cloud, I’m sure there will still be great excitement at the Barbican in London on November 21 as Michel Berckmans (ex-Univers Zero) and other special guests join the classic Cow line-up for a truly special evening, and ReR records are issuing a memorial CD of previously unreleased songs from the pen of Lindsay Cooper at the concert and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival the next day.

Catch Steve’s Interesting Alternative Radio Show every Monday 10pm-midnight at www.phoenixfm.com