The randomiser says “relax”
Some of you will remember the Vodafone’s Bright New Sounds yoke from a few months ago. Well, the competition is now over and it would be churlish of me not to congratulate winning band The Minutes. I’m sure the 407 bands who entered but didn’t win will agree that it’s just an unfortunate co-incidence that two of the three winning band members work for Vodafone.
A couple of people (including Fearghal, Petee and Barry) have pointed out that €44 to see Hercules & Love Affair at The Academy in Dublin on June 1 is a bit much. It certainly is, especially when you consider the ticket prices for their UK shows earlier in the week - it’s £12 (€15) in Glasgow and just a tenner (€12.50) in Nottingham. Holy outrageous mark-up Batman!
Speaking of tickets, Bono and pals know where the money is at. No, not that deal, but this move by his private equity company Elevation Partners to acquire a stake in everyone’s favourite whipping boys Ticketmaster.
It’s official: Apple’s iTunes now sells more music than any other retail outlet in the United States. We give the CD another 4 years, 10 months and 16 days.
Vinyl, though, that’s another story. Here’s some filthy turntable porn for you.
Hear the drummers get wicked. But what about the noise of crumpling paper… is a one-day percussion fest taking place in Dublin’s Liberty Hall Theatre on April 26. Presented by Ergodos (the people behind the Printing House Festival of New Music), the event will feature New York’s Lehman College Percussion Ensemble and Dublin’s RIAM Percussion Ensemble performing Edgard Varèse’s Ionisation. There will also be performances of John Cage’s Third Construction in Metal, Michael Byron’s Music of Steady Light, works by Irish composer Aengus Ó Maoláin and English composer James Else and various drumming workshops.
And just in case you hadn’t noticed, the revisionism has begun. From today’s paper:
The media “has less time today for serious parliamentary reporting” than was the case in the past, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said last night.
This the same Bertie who reduced the amount of time he himself had to spend in the Dail answering questions over the last few years?
I’ve been outed.
Comment by Matt Vinyl | April 8, 2008 at 8:33 amVodafone Bright New Sounds just gets better and better. Hope the bright spark who came up with this one gets a raise.
Comment by Rasputin | April 8, 2008 at 8:37 amMaybe the Hercules & Love Affair gig is going to be 3 times longer in Dublin.
I’m typing this from Vicar Street - The Breeders went off stage at 10.15 p.m. after playing for an hour and seem to be taking a very long break…
Comment by Liz | April 8, 2008 at 9:01 am“two of the three winning band members work for Vodafone.” - no way! Jaysus.
@ Liz: RE: Breeders, it was just too short, wasn’t it?
Comment by UnaRocks | April 8, 2008 at 9:14 amI’m sure the 407 bands who entered but didn’t win will agree that it’s just an unfortunate co-incidence that two of the three winning band members work for Vodafone.
Are you serious? No way..
Comment by nialler9 | April 8, 2008 at 9:22 ammatt - could not resist
rasputin - its adds to the gaiety of the nation
liz - I think it’s safe to assume that they’ve gone by now. I didn’t know they had wi-fi in Vicar St
una/nialler - yes, it’s true.
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 8, 2008 at 9:25 amIt’s official: Apple’s iTunes now sells more music than any other retail outlet in the United States.
Jim, it was official too when I posted it on your blog last Thursday.
By the way, Gutter Twins were amazing at Vicar Street at weekend - hell of a long encore set.
Comment by Ivor | April 8, 2008 at 9:45 amit was official too when I posted it on your blog last Thursday
Ivor - you brought it up on a post which had nothing to do with Apple or Wal-Mart or music retailing so people may not have seen it.
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 8, 2008 at 9:49 amIvor … Lanegan & Dulli played in the Ambassador
Comment by Mully | April 8, 2008 at 9:55 amSeeing the price of my monthly bill, I feel like I work for Vodafone too.
Had always wondered how Stars of the City wrangled getting “128″ loaded as a free offering onto Vodafone’s first 3G phones.
As far as Irish bands go, I do like both incarnations though, going on what I have heard so far.
Comment by JD | April 8, 2008 at 10:08 amJD - You might need to clarify that post - do Stars of the City work for Vodafone and is the last paragraph refering to them too?
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 8, 2008 at 10:13 amIvor … Lanegan & Dulli played in the Ambassador
So that’s why my wifi wouldn’t work…
Comment by Ivor | April 8, 2008 at 10:18 amHere is what I do know - Vodafone provided a free copy of “128″ on a 3G phone that I brought a few years ago. I remember because I liked the song and even brought the single on CD. “Code” was the B-side!
What I am pretty sure I know is that two members of the since-defunct Stars of the City helped form The Minutes. I was very pleased to hear that.
According to your good self, two members of The Minutes also work for Vodafone. The same two? I do not know.
Nonetheless, this might all serve to explain why Stars of the City managed to get such a great marketing opportunity at the time. Exactly how it did come about, I do not know. Either way, I did not begrudge them their good fortune at the time.
And, yes, I like the band(s). Their video for “Ukraine” is brilliant.
Comment by JD | April 8, 2008 at 10:37 amAh, the plot thickens.
I don’t know if it’s the same two or not.
And welcome back JD. Dude, we missed you, we really did.
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 8, 2008 at 10:40 amThere were independent judges reviewing the show on the night.
I know, I elbowed one out of their seat for a shot of The Minutes from the balcony.
(Has anyone else noticed the whiff of Tripod’s carpet lately?)
Comment by Naomi | April 8, 2008 at 10:51 amWell you started talking up A Place to Bury Strangers! Hard to resist a site with such impeccable good taste!
Comment by JD | April 8, 2008 at 10:54 amThe Breeders were a bit short but the Deals were their usual chirpy selves.
I watched that Pixies documentary (showing free on Pitchfork)last night. Has there been a documentary about any band in the last few years where they end up coming out of it well? If anyone hasn’t seen “Quiet-Loud-Quiet”, the band come across like Metallica in “Some Kind of Monster” or Wilco in “I am trying to break your heart”. All four members looked continually depressed and hardly spoke to each other.
Okay, I got that off my chest.
Comment by Overfriendly Concierge | April 8, 2008 at 11:17 amKim Deal: my favourite interviewee so far this year
http://www.ireland.com/theticket/articles/2008/0307/1204675402818.html
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 8, 2008 at 11:20 amShe was interviewed on Phantom yeserday morning on Edel’s show and was fantastic. In fact listening to it I realised what you meant when you wrote about her cackling laugh.
Comment by Ian | April 8, 2008 at 11:50 amTom Cross and Mark Austin were in Stars of the City and are now two thirds of The Minutes.
Comment by UnaRocks | April 8, 2008 at 12:30 pmI’m not surprised the minutes work for Vodafone, I was at the Bright New Sounds gig and was stunned when they announced the result.
Comment by sinead | April 8, 2008 at 12:40 pmSinead - how? I was there too. There were no ‘great’ performances tbh. The Minutes (IMO) were the better of the 5.
Naomi - That carpet needs to be torn up. The place up-stairs is starting to smell like a provincial dance hall!
Comment by Le Catch | April 8, 2008 at 2:15 pm€44 to see flavour of the month/gone next month Hercules and Love Affair!!!??? Dear Jesus.
I’m going to see This Will Destroy You in Whelans this Friday whose latest album’s probably the best album I’ve heard in the last 12 months. Price of ticket?…hope you are all sitting down…………………ready?…..€7.50!
Yes. €7.50.
7 bloody 50!
Comment by Quint | April 8, 2008 at 2:57 pmSweet mother of yikes, €44 quid for Hercules and Love affair?? This price does not make sense on any level whatsoever. Sure remedy had them in playing downstairs for 22 squids at the michael mayer gig recently. Surely there aren’t fans so devoted to them yet. Its a cynical ploy to get them through the less financially fruitful gigs elsewhere in Europe. But it ain’t gonna work. At that price I can see a few dozen people showing up. And rightly fucking so. Wallet rape.
Comment by gardenhead | April 8, 2008 at 4:35 pmsorry just realized i sort of redundantly expressed the same shock as Quint there. But fuck it. Thats the best yet.
Comment by gardenhead | April 8, 2008 at 4:37 pmWallet rape?
That’s a lovely turn of phrase.
Comment by Matt Vinyl | April 8, 2008 at 4:43 pmThose H&LA “gigs” in March had just main-man Andrew Butler DJ-ing and the Dublin show also featured Michael Mayer hence the price (Butler’s DJing gig in Belfast was just £7).
I really dont know what the band, their agent or promoters MCD are playing at with that ticket price. I mean, it’s not as if Antony is going to be singing with them. People do know that, I presume? It’s not some cynical ploy, I hope, to fool the public into thinking that Antony will be onstage. That would never happen….would it? I mean, they’re only using “Blind” on the radio ads ‘cos it’s the biggest tune, right?
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 8, 2008 at 4:44 pmCongrats to the Minutes and all that schtich, but I’ve played with them before and to be honest, they’re just not *that* good.
Who the hell are Hercules and the Love Affair? Did I miss something here?
Comment by Leigh O'Gorman | April 8, 2008 at 5:26 pmOn the subject of wallet rape, I nearly crashed my car earlier when I heard the price of Madness tickets on the radio. €64.50 to €74.50!
Now I’d love to hear Return of the Las Palmas Seven, House of Fun and Embarrassment as much as the next gal, but seriously, that’s outrageous.
Leigh - Hercules and Love Affair are a band who wouldn’t be getting half the attention they currently are if Antony wasn’t singing with them. I’m not that keen on the album.
Comment by Sinéad | April 8, 2008 at 8:37 pmOn the subject of non-wallet rape Field Day festival - London, England. 9th of August, £26.50 for Dan Deacon, Dirty Projectors, Fionn Regan, Foals, James Holden, Jeffrey Lewis, King Creosote, Mystery Jets, Of Montreal, Richie Hawtin, Simian Mobile Disco, The Field, The Notwist, Tunng, White Lies and, as they say, many many more.
www.fielddayfestivals.com/
Comment by Ivor | April 9, 2008 at 1:26 pmIn relation to the minutes, I belive it was, as Jim pointed out in a previous entry “a popularity contest, where the bands with the biggest number of download-friendly mates” won.
Comment by Damien | April 9, 2008 at 8:19 pmTo be honest, that was with reference to qualifying for the final - a bunch of judges made the decision on the night.
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 9, 2008 at 8:32 pmUnderstood.
Do you reckon their positions as Vodafone employees had any influence on these judges?
Comment by Damien | April 9, 2008 at 8:36 pmDamien - as I said above in the original post, “an unfortunate coincidence”
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 9, 2008 at 10:23 pmDeals for dodgepots. There should definitely have been the usual exclusion of employees and relatives of Vodafone.
Will this disillusion never end?
Comment by Naomi | April 10, 2008 at 7:57 amI feel you are taking the fact that 2 memebers work for vodafone a bit far. As it states on the vodafone website that
Comment by suxy | April 10, 2008 at 8:07 amJack Hyland Phantom 105.2
Ken Allen Faction Records
Eleanor McGuinness Pod
Jackie Hayden HotPress
Tom McFall Producer
Keith Johnson IMRO
were the judges not VODAFONE. The guys played a fantastic guy and deserved to win. (in my opinion)
suxy - see comment from me in the original post and repeated at no 34. It’s an unfortunate coincidence which, if they had taken the advice of Naomi at no 35 to exclude employees or interested parties (which is a standard clause in the majority of competitions to avoid tainting the result), would never have happened.
Then again, it’s interesting that you concentrate on this aspect rather than the substantive problems with the whole competition which I originally wrote about - http://www.ireland.com/blogs/ontherecord/2008/02/06/csi-vodafones-bright-new-sounds/
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 10, 2008 at 8:11 amI can agree to an extent that vodafone should have excluded employees from the competition if they were judging the thing - the were not, the independant judges are being also seriously insulted here. If it was more then a coincidence then your suggesting that all the judges were paid to call out a pre decided victory for the Minutes?? I seriously doubt this happend. In the Top Ten download chart there was also a 2nd band whos memebers worked for vodafone who didnt get to the tripod final.
Comment by suxy | April 10, 2008 at 8:22 amHold on a second here suxy - where do I insult the judges? I don’t. I say it’s an “unfortunate coincidence”. I’ve made no reference to the judges good, bad or indifferent - you have and I think you owe them an apology for even suggesting such a thing.
And hold on, are you saying that there was ANOTHER band of Vodafone employees who made the final countdown? Which one? Was this a competition to find a band to play at the annual Vodafone Dinner Dance or something? So the reason why my Vodafone service is so terrible is because all their employees are in bands? We must be in a recession if everyone is back in bands again.
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 10, 2008 at 8:27 amMy lip is bleeding!!
Comment by Naomi | April 10, 2008 at 8:29 amOnly the top 5 made it, the other band were not in that group so didn’t make it to the final.(Your supposed to be the journalist here ? Im just a music fan and I knew this?)
I wont apologise because this information was in no way masked from the public and the fact that it was a happy coincidence has nothing to with them winning the competition your blog is trying to raise a question of the integrity of a competition where the winner was decided by Jack Hyland Phantom 105.2
Ken Allen Faction Records
Eleanor McGuinness Pod
Jackie Hayden HotPress
Tom McFall Producer
Keith Johnson IMRO
surely if your going to put your name in front of an event you are the ones getting the backlash as well as Vodafone. So yes I think who ever is saying the competition was fixed in any way is bringing the judges integrity into question also. ”I’m sure the 407 bands who entered but didn’t win will agree that it’s just an unfortunate co-incidence that two of the three winning band members work for Vodafone.” Ya rite your not implying anything.
Comment by suxy | April 10, 2008 at 8:40 amsuxy - do you work for Vodafone?
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 10, 2008 at 8:42 amNo Jim I don’t work for Vodafone and no im not in the band but yes I am a Vodafone customer like you. I have been following the guys for a long time since they were SOTC. I have delighted for them as I know how hard they work and how dedicated they are.
Comment by suxy | April 10, 2008 at 8:46 amMaybe those judges agreed that The Minutes were the best act of the night with good songs and the drive to move it up a notch. Most of my friends and colleagues at the BNS were rooting for the same band. No one’s doubting the judges’ integrity here.
All of those involved on the panel are well-known figures, some who actively seek to champion the cause of new music.
However most competitions exclude those in immediate relation as standard M.O. just to avoid situations like this. It’s a highly irresponsible move on Vodafone’s part to overlook something so obvious.
Reading that list, another glaring discrepancy crops up: why wasn’t there a No Carbon judge in attendance?
Comment by Naomi | April 10, 2008 at 8:52 amsuxy - again and at the risk of giving myself a repetitive strain injury, I am not talking about the judges when I saw it’s an “unfortunate coincidence”. If you read my original post, you will see I raised some questions about the competition. If you re-read the post above, you will see that I have not criticised or dissed the winning band or indeed ANY of the bands who entered. My issues were with the competition and its terms and conditions. If you can find ANY negative reference to ANY of the bands who entered on this blog, please feel free to show it to me.
Right, so who were the other Vodafone band, dude? With all due respects, I’m sure you’re one of the very few music fans who has this info - and Vodafone PR are unlikely to get back to me so quickly this time
I actually find it fascinating that not one person from Vodafone involved with this competition has bothered to respond to the issues raised in the original post. I do know from emails that there are plenty of people in Vodafone who AGREE with what I had to say about Bright New Sounds, though.
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 10, 2008 at 8:53 amJim im a busy lady and have to work so sorry I cannot do your work aswell as mine.
toodle do
Comment by suxy | April 10, 2008 at 8:55 amNo worries suxy, I’m going to do a seperate post on this later to see if anyone else can help.
thanks for dropping by. have a nice day.
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 10, 2008 at 9:02 amTime : 3 days, 9 hours.
A record of some sorts?
Comment by Naomi | April 10, 2008 at 9:05 amsurely there should be one of those rules where employees of vodafone shouldn’t be allowed to enter. thats bullshit
Comment by TheDecline | April 10, 2008 at 10:02 amJim vs Suxy!
Ah, that was great stuff. Enjoyed reading that. Can you please continue this on Nighty Night? VB would be sighing A LOT as a result.
Comment by Conor Furlong | April 10, 2008 at 11:56 am“…surely there should be one of those rules where employees of vodafone shouldn’t be allowed to enter. thats bullshit…”
(ba dum tisch)
Comment by Leigh O'Gorman | April 10, 2008 at 12:57 pmI was at the bright new sounds show and felt The Minutes were far and away the best act on the night. To even hint that the mighty vodafone would bend over backwards and risk serious criticism to help two of their phone answering monkeys is so objectionable that it is beyond riposte and only a dishonourable man would lower himself to reply. Fortunately, i am said dishonourable man and will say this. Don’t be silly. And Mr. Carroll, I know you have said that this is “an unfortunate coincidence” but i fear the most unfortunate thing is that you reduced yourself to cheap tabloid journalism by mentioning this at all. A right clever clogs you were, a congratulations followed by a snide comment full of suggestion. It think its fair to say you’ve probably caused the band in question a great deal of distress and may well have lost them some potential fans. I must say that i am not entirely unbiased having also followed the band since their Stars of the City days.
Comment by TwoCollars | April 11, 2008 at 9:41 amTwoCollars - so, leaving aside the personal attack on me, you have no problem whatsoever with the Bright New Sounds outcome, the fact that they should have excluded (and I quote your derogatory term here) “their phone answering monkeys” from the competition or the terms and conditions which I wrote about before?
It think its fair to say you’ve probably caused the band in question a great deal of distress and may well have lost them some potential fans
Oh, grow up. I haven’t even mentioned their music. Yet. But I can start on that, if you’d like.
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 11, 2008 at 9:45 amDear Jim,
To begin with, it was not a personal attack. I was being critical of your style of journalism, not your personality and so I am terribly sorry if i offended you. I agree there is cause to question whether vodafone were wise not to include such a clause in the terms and conditions. However, i am certain you will agree this was an honest mistake that won’t be repeated in the future and therefore i can see no reason for you to question the validity of the competition or its winners. You mentioned previously in your defence “I haven’t even mentioned their music” - a poignant statement, you after all a music reviewer (which i must say i religously read in the Ticket). I think it would have been much fairer on the band to give your opinion on them musically, however good or bad you might think them, rather than start this blog which i’m sure you knew would lead to an inevitable questioning of their integrity.
Much respect.
Comment by TwoCollars | April 11, 2008 at 10:37 amTwoCollars
TwoCollars - Dont worry dude, I have heard worse than that said about me - and will again, no doubt.
i am certain you will agree this was an honest mistake that won’t be repeated in the future
That statement leads me to believe you are working for Vodafone. How can you make such a statement if you don’t work for the company or are not involved in the competition? And isn’t it funny how every single pro-Bright New Sounds post has come from behind the cloak of anonymity? Funny peculiar, rather than funny ha-ha
I think it would have been much fairer on the band to give your opinion on them musically
You read my mind TwoCollars. I spent the last hour listening to tunes on their MySpace site and think they’re fairly anonymous, generic Dublin-indie tunes. Nothing more, nothing less.
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 11, 2008 at 10:46 amWheres the post Jim?
Comment by Paul | April 11, 2008 at 10:52 amanonymous?
We know who they are!
Comment by Paul | April 11, 2008 at 10:55 amAnd isn’t it funny how every single pro-Bright New Sounds post has come from behind the cloak of anonymity? Funny peculiar, rather than funny ha-ha
Apart of course from naomis
Comment by Paul | April 11, 2008 at 10:57 amJust for clarity my name is Dara and i do not work for Vodafone. I am myself a phone answering monkey all be it for a much smaller organisation. I am a musician myself and have seen the Minutes and Stars of the City on many occasions. Like suxy, i know how dedicated they are and would hate to see their name dragged through the dirt over something so petty as this. It is nice to see some musical critique on the blog. I don’t share your opinion though. I think they’re aces.
Yours looking forward to the ticket,
TwoCollars
Comment by TwoCollars | April 11, 2008 at 11:01 amOriginal post is here - http://www.ireland.com/blogs/ontherecord/2008/02/06/csi-vodafones-bright-new-sounds/
Comment by Jim Carroll | April 11, 2008 at 11:59 amMy my that is very interesting. Particularly the FROM ALL THE BANDS WHO MAKE THE CUT FOR THE FINAL part. Quite astonishing. Well i hope it works out dandy for em. Fingers crossed.
Comment by TwoCollars | April 11, 2008 at 12:15 pmI have to say I’m 100% with Jim on this. Nowhere in his original post does he criticise the band, he simply points out the fact that some of the winning band members work for the company that sponsor the event. That is noteworthy.
I can understand people wanting to defend a band they have an allegiance with - that is quite admirable - but attacking Jim is, in my opinion, mis-guided.
Vodafone are the ones to blame for this for not doing the standard thing of refusing the participation of people who are connected to the company. It is quite astonishing that they didn’t do so. That is what Jim is criticising.
The simple truth is that as a consequence of this Vodafone have devalued their competition ever further. Given the line-up of the judges involved I would imagine that their was actually no bias in choosing The Minutes but the public will naturally assume there was bias given that they work for Vodafone. That’s the issue here and it’s Vodafone’s fault - not Jim’s!
Comment by Conor Furlong | April 11, 2008 at 12:57 pmWhat Conor said.
Vodafone are the ones to blame for this for not doing the standard thing of refusing the participation of people who are connected to the company.
That’s it in one. It’s all Vodafone’s fault, not Jim Carroll or even the winning band. They’re the ones who devalued the competition and probably the winning band
Comment by Rasputin | April 11, 2008 at 1:05 pmJust want to jump in here and point out I’m not pro-BNS. Very much not although I can’t go into the reasons here.
Comment by Naomi | April 11, 2008 at 1:28 pmI covered the event for HP mag but didn’t give it any coverage on my blog other than an announcement of the winners. Although I have a gallery of live shots to post except a stupid thing called DNS is refusing access to my own blog and 80% of the web…purgatory
I have no allegances with Bright New Sounds and by the look of Mr. Carroll’s previous blog which i’ve just read, theres plenty wrong with it. All i wished to point out was that the only people who’ll suffer from shouting this from the roof tops is a hard working band who won fair and square. Apologies if my anger was misguided.
Comment by TwoCollars | April 11, 2008 at 2:28 pm