Split the difference

Bands come and bands go. But the last week or so has seen three bands at totally different stages in their career go 'down the dumper'. The Cooper Temple Clause were first to bite the dust. They'd been around for a few years, flirted with success, then kind of fizzled out. Fair enough. Then came New Order. A bit of surprise really considering the forthcoming Joy Division movie is bound to create more buzz around the remaining members. The final one, and the one which got to me more than most, was Larrikin Love (that's a picture from their Happy as Annie single...classy eh?). I'd only seen them once, but thought they were pretty great. They seemed to have the kind of dedicated fanbase that The Libs had too. A smattering of singles, one album and...that's it. Curtains. Odd really. It's strange the impact that a band splitting up can have on you. If it's a band I really like I kind of feel a bit let down. Selfish I guess, if the band can't stand each other you can't expect them to keep plodding on for your sake. But, in all of these cases, 'musical differences' doesn't appear to be the reason for taking the needle off the record for the last time. Conversely bands that do keep 'plodding on' get my complete and utter admiration. The Bluetones spring to mind. Despite largely (and unfairly) being dismissed by the eNeMEy they're still touring, putting out records and doing their own sweet thing. Bands, like the rest of us, have a pretty predictable career pattern. Tour the toilets/work in a call centre. Then, if you're lucky, hit the big time/get a job in middle management. And finally back to the toilets / working in a call centre again. Maybe Larrikin Love just couldn't face the inevitable decline and fall? And perhaps Peter Hook fancies a stint answering billing enquiries at Global Power Tech (£6 per hour, breast feeding breaks for new mums and all the instant coffee you can stomach)?

Anyway, on to cheerier things. I'm off! "Hurrah!" shout dozens...oh alright then 3 or 4...oh bugger maybe even less than that...of devoted readers. But soft, what light on yonder window breaks (nope, no idea why I wrote that either) ? I'm not actually off for good...just off to sunny Brighton for the orgy, literally, of musical yumminess that is The Great Escape Festival. 200 bands, one pair of socks and a Kiss Me Quick hat. I've not been before but it all looks like jolly good fun. Expect a series of random outpourings upon my return.

In the meantime hugs and kisses to the ladies..and manly back slaps to the chaps.

ADDED BIT>>>whilst in Brighton I discovered that Ladyfuzz (another great new band) split up in April too...not good news. It seems to me that a load of bloody ace new bands are releasing funking great albums that get nowhere whilst the mainstream music biz gets ever more mundane and run by computer companies....aaaaaaaaaaggghhhhhhhhh!