Post by The Curmudgeon on Aug 31, 2009 14:30:04 GMT 2
You know the script for bands releasing stuff nowadays. Release single, release album, tour, release few more singles off album, tour, break for a year or two, new single, new album. Repeat to fade.
So full marks must go to one of my long-time favourite bands, Ash. I first fell in love with them when they released a song that namechecks Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and even Mr Miyagi - Kung Fu (well, what else could it be called?) Check it out here, along with a video of Jackie Chan almost killing himself for the billionth time.
Anyway, they too went down the whole album/single/album line (although they did release several vinyl only singles and DVD singles to break the monotony), but they've done something that has, in their words, never been done before. They've used the alphabet.
What's known as the A-Z series, Ash are releasing 26 singles, 1 every 2 weeks. And also, they've begun touring the UK in weird and tiny locations that also follow the alphabet. I managed to get tickets to a tiny place that's usually just a bar and wouldn't normally be used for gigs, but it DOES fit in with the whole A-Z thing. I'm going to the "F" part of the tour, thank God I'm not doing Z, 'cos fuck only knows where ZENNOR actually is.
But in a world of stadium filling superbands, X Factor world domination and commercial juggernauts following tried and tested patterns, isn't it nice to see bands and artists embrace their fans with something new?
So full marks must go to one of my long-time favourite bands, Ash. I first fell in love with them when they released a song that namechecks Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and even Mr Miyagi - Kung Fu (well, what else could it be called?) Check it out here, along with a video of Jackie Chan almost killing himself for the billionth time.
Anyway, they too went down the whole album/single/album line (although they did release several vinyl only singles and DVD singles to break the monotony), but they've done something that has, in their words, never been done before. They've used the alphabet.
What's known as the A-Z series, Ash are releasing 26 singles, 1 every 2 weeks. And also, they've begun touring the UK in weird and tiny locations that also follow the alphabet. I managed to get tickets to a tiny place that's usually just a bar and wouldn't normally be used for gigs, but it DOES fit in with the whole A-Z thing. I'm going to the "F" part of the tour, thank God I'm not doing Z, 'cos fuck only knows where ZENNOR actually is.
But in a world of stadium filling superbands, X Factor world domination and commercial juggernauts following tried and tested patterns, isn't it nice to see bands and artists embrace their fans with something new?
