supergrass

I personally wouldn't have made the choice the Big Brother contestants did. Sure it'd make for boring TV, but faced with the decision of smashing the skull in of the woman who is bound to die, or embarking on what will obviously be a fatal mission for at least one of the gang (probably two), it's a bit of a non-starter. That said, I was hoping the zombie woman was going to catch the van and dive in the back.

Damn fucking right he would. Get Kamara in and all. That'd be unbelievable, Jeff. Also, Bear Grylls. How could you not? This. Bear Grylls is so fucking manly that he would somehow have his camera crew there with him, on the island, recording as he educated viewers on how to dominate and survive a Battle Royale. Doesn't even matter what weapon he gets, he could get nothing and still win the whole thing. There are too many survival experts at present, it seems survival is quite straight forward. Bear Grylls, Ray Mears and Bruce Parry, one tent, only one leaves alive.

Eavis was saying if Kanye West was booked it'd be on the Other stage, apparently the headliners of the Pyramid Stage will be "more traditional". I really wanted to go this year but I'll be away, then I think it's on a break in 2010 isn't it?

They could certainly do with him back, their Didz-less efforts were not good.

I can assure you your review was positively glowing compared to many they got in the press.

The lead singe, Tired Of England, was also a contributing factor. Awful choice, the one bad(ish) song on the album. Gary should be alright. He was filling in with We Are Scientists a few months back when they were drummerless, that would've been a decent move for him.

Predictably I love the second album, or rather I love the songs. The production is all wrong, it's like the album didn't know what it wanted to be. Or rather - and various bits of information at the time suggest this might be it - there were a few too many people throwing their opinions in. In a lot of instances the rough demos the band knocked together surpass the studio versions, particularly Chinese Dogs, which just lost all of its charm on the record. Couple that with the absolute minimal advertising and support they got from Alan McGee and co and it was obvious they'd dropped from the label, the optimist in me thought they could find a new deal (and I'm sure they could have), but I suspected this might happen. I'm glad they tried something different, it didn't work out/sell, so on to something new. I'm sure all four of them will reappear soon, obviously Carl's next steps are going to make more waves than the rest.

Obviously I disagree. This was the official statement: Thank god for the bracketed part, perhaps now the members of the band will be able to step out from under The Libertines' shadow. Probably my favourite band of all time but people need to let it go, it's not 2004.

Mine will vary depending on the artist. Someone I'm trying out or otherwise not a huge fan of I'm download across the various sites. A band I like a fair bit I'll tend to get the album, one of the bands I'm an avid fan of will usually see me get the album on CD and vinyl and then any singles released on 7".

The break-up is about to prompt the second one. EDIT: I'd have started a thread, but I assumed the split was pretty much news to me only on here.

Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are ones I'll usually give a chance too, same with Jason Lee. As a result of his writing/directing I'd say it also applies to Kevin Smith as an actor. I would have otherwise avoided a film like Catch & Release and would've met Die Hard 4 with indifference but for his brief appearance.

Good to see The Cribs make it near the half way mark. Georgie Thompson should not be so high, she ranks low on the Sky Sports News presenter list.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7637141.stm For any fellow UKers growing up in the early-to-mid-nineties I will go ahead and assume that this was a routine part of your weekly television schedule. Land a plane, complete an abstract puzzle, general knowledge quizzes in the dark, horribly acted spot the difference rounds, laughing as the woman comes in last in the assault course despite her headstart. All part and parcel of the game. No news on Gordon Burns returning though, sadly.

That Purity Ball was the part I found most unsettling, you had these fathers warning their children off of the slightest contact with a man, then getting dressed up and taking them to a ball in the role that would traditioning be filled by a boyfriend. On top of that you had the whole "you must find a man who is like your father". Creepy. The girls being manipulated by the fathers I get, or rather isn't entirely unheard of for me. However that interview with the 21 year old son left me unable to question the TV screen. Surely he doesn't believe any of that? I kept waiting for him to break down and admit he thinks it's crap, yet he never did. Not even kissing a girl until he's married? I really don't see what that achieves in anyone's mind. He's basically ruined any hope of meeting a girl who hasn't been brainwashed to the same extent he has, and any chances of wowing on the wedding night judging by his huge anxiety over even talking about kissing a girl. Surely these people experience the same rush of hormones etc that we all do at that age? How can he supress what is basically his human nature to that extent? Why is sex automtically linked to being a whore - is there no middle ground? This is why I don't watch docs like these too often, there are always more questions than answers.

Just got back from the game, needless to say Vela was fantastic. His second goal was ridiculous, flicked it over the defender then chipped the ball over the keeper. His first goal was very 'Henry'. Wilshere and Ramsey have a touch of the Hleb's about them, very good on the ball, incredibly fast feet, just need to work on the final ball which will obviously come with experience and being a part of the team. To be honest I fully expected us to beat them considering they weren't on the best run, but 6-0 surpassed all expectations.

Not a new release by any means, but heard it for the first time in ages at a club on Saturday night and have had it lodged in my head ever since.

I didn't think Lightspeed Champion would actually end up placing, let alone a solid and shared 82. Good news.

Thankfully my suspicions have been confirmed on first listen to the album. Like Clawson has said, the sound has changed - no it's not exactly a massive departure from what you'd expect, but there's a clear development. Again I assume for the sake of single sales The Shock Of The Lightning was selected ahead of something a bit more daring, but we're long past the point where singles mean anything. Liam continues to get better as a song writer. I see that Noel recently has been saying he might go for the solo album but would like the others to agree to tackle solo/other projects at the same time. Considering what all four members have put out over the last couple of albums, I'd be very interested in hearing more of Liam, Andy and Gem as well as just Noel. Which has put me in the mood to listen to some Ride (as well as the album we're currently discussing) while I work.

The Libertines 1. Death On The Stairs 2. Music When The Lights Go Out 3. The Good Old Days 4. Don't Look Back Into The Sun 5. Tell The King Oasis 1. Slide Away 2. Live Forever 3. Whatever 4. Acquiesce 5. D'yer Wanna Be A Spaceman Lightspeed Champion 1. Dry Lips 2. Galaxy Of The Lost 3. Midnight Surprise 4. Everyone I Know Is Listening To Crunk 5. Tell Me What It's Worth The Cribs 1. Men's Needs 2. The New Fellas 3. Another Number 4. Be Safe 5. The Wrong Way To Be Dirty Pretty Things 1. Deadwood 2. Plastic Hearts 3. Come Closer 4. B.U.R.M.A. 5. Last Of The Small Town Playboys

I was hoping the lead single would be more in the vein of Lord Don't Slow Me Down or The Importance Of Being Idle which while they still are clearly Oasis tracks, have a little something that sets them apart from the Britpop era. I think overall Don't Believe The Truth did show signs of progression, or at least a change in their sound, however they picked the most typical sounding Oasis-song in Lyla to be the lead track. Then there was Let There Be Love as the closing single from that album. I think had they been a little bolder in their single choice - didn't Noel want Mucky Fingers to be the lead single? - they could've changed their standing in the eyes of most somewhat. Looks like what has happened again. It's a good song, you instantly recognise it as Oasis, but it's not groundbreaking. It's a safe choice, it'll chart, sell well and bring attention to the album release. Being that they in my top 3 bands of all time, it was a bit disappointing as I'd hoped for more, but I think it'll be a solid album track and I continue to hold great hope for Dig Out Your Soul. Since the band became a Gallagher-Gallagher-Archer-Bell democracy they've gone from strength to strength.

You can't have a Libertines or DPTs gig without the obligitary Gary chant. It's a shame Yeti took so long to get a proper release for their album here, seems like a lot of momentum was lost what with them having the same few core tunes year after year. I've seen them live a couple of times and think they're great. As much as I miss The Libertines (although don't wish for a return), I think it worked out well for John. He's a great bass player, but it's a shame to limit him to just that as he's a good song-writer too. Sister Sister was one of the songs Yeti did that was originally put out on the Legs 11 session I think. I remember originally not being aware John sang it. Pete's singing voice back then wasn't too dissimilar to John's now.

A slight review of the bands I saw, of course some clashed so I didn't see the entire sets - for most I did. FRIDAY Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - Pretty good, better than expected and renewed my interest in him. Dizzee Rascal - More for the novelty of it all, but it wasn't that bad. Not really my thing. Florence & The Machine - First "wow" set of the weekend, one of my favourites of the 3 days. Biffy Clyro - Suitable soundtrack to Friday's dinner. Jack Penate - He did the songs I wanted to hear, he danced like an idiot, all boxes ticked. MGMT - Thought it would be epic, was quite bored. Prefer them on CD to the live show. Queens Of The Stone Age - It dawned on me I'm not as big a fan of QOTSA as I thought. Enjoyed some, but not most. Rage Against The Machine - Took in the 30 mins or so before Babyshambles came on and returned for Killing In The Name Of. Babyshambles - Great. Singing and dancing along to I Wish was another highlight of Reading for me. SATURDAY The Subways - Wasted so much time trying to get the crowd interested. Just play the songs! Dirty Pretty Things - One of my favourite bands at the mo, enough to get tattooed the other week anyway to show my allegiance. The crowd weren't as into it as I was to be honest, but I loved it from start to finish. We Are Scientists - Stayed down the front after DPTs and enjoyed the show. Glad they played a lot of 1st album. The Raconteurs - First time seeing Jack White live under any band-name. Good experience. Bloc Party - Aren't they in this slot every year? Best year yet though, pretty good. The Killers - Another band I didn't enjoy as much as I hoped I would. Felt like it was lacking something. SUNDAY Alexisonfire - Don't know anything about them. There seemed to be a shirtless man hanging around who doesn't do a great deal. Plain White T's - Couldn't be bothered to move so watched it. Did well to ignore the early bottles and play their set. Lightspeed Champion - Last show of the year, glad I caught it. Star Wars medley was again thrown in for good measure. Emmy The Great - Wish her material was easier to come by, mellow set which contrasted somewhat with the next act I saw. Crystal Castles - Enjoyed the 'show' more then the music. Decent enough but didn't make me a fan. Feeder - Kept the girlfriend company as she wanted to see them. Played mostly hits, had a singalong and some food. Tenacious D - So surprised by this one. Thought I'd hate it, ended up laughing quite a lot. Glasvegas - Left Tenacious D early to see them, would be in my top 5 performances I think. Metallica - Unfair as it's not my thing and only saw about 30 mins of it. The Cribs - Perfect way to end the night. Lost my voice, danced from start to finish about half way back in the tent, then ran off for my camp gear and train. Having grown sick of Sunday nights at Reading over the last two years I decided enough was enough and got my bags and left after The Cribs. It took 40 mins of running to make it to the camp site (Purple) and then to the station for my last train, however I made it. Felt good to wake up in my own bed on Monday and not my ever deflating airbed.

As the only bag I had was one standard sized rucksack I had to be very selective. Anyway, I'm off to Reading now (after breakfast), see you there. To the Leeds-folk, good luck.

All of my clothes and such are going into one bag, which I will tie the sleeping bag's case to to join them. Then the tent...I think I can convince my girlfriend to carry it as I bought it. And wellies are fantastic, despite my claims overwise I know I will end up with some by Friday at the latest.

I had the same thing the other week with T-Mobile. The guy on the phone to begin with was abrupt and gave me a perfect opportunity to vent. As I prepared for more they switched to a chirpy young-sounding woman from Newcastle. Liking the accent and her demeanour, I had to cave. On the subject of mud, Reading's been ok the past two years. I've bought wellies at the festival, and lost them both times. I hope to get by without them this time, usually some of the paths get a bit boggy - and around the toilets - but it's not been terrible.