RECORD OF THE WEEK - WRETCH 32 feat Example, Unorthodox

THERE are two ways of looking at this.
One - that Wretch 32 has taken a classic Stone Roses hook (from Fools Gold) and presented it to a "Landan"-centric generation that will never realise or understand the fundamental importance of its Manchester indie roots.
Or, two - that he has just confirmed the greatness and enduring mass appeal of the Roses and introduced it to a crop of pop aficionados who may then go on to discover the real thing.
I prefer the latter.
Either way, this is a one-listen-don't-forget kinda tune gilded by Example's popular touch that's unlikely to escape chart popularity.

TOP FIVES READY FOR AMOEBA MUSIC, JIM MORRISON'S CADILLAC NIGHT, BLACK PANTHERS TRIBUTE + DEVLIN HITS CAMDEN

BACK in the UK doesn’t quite have the same ring as Back in the USSR, and much less romanticism, but, sadly, that’s where I am.

So I promise this is my last mention of my Californian musical trail, which until now had pretty much failed. Yes I saw Earth, Wind & Fire, and though I couldn’t tell which were the original members, they were reasonably fun. Shame about the atrocious dancing from certain sections of the crowd. I also managed to stay in the Cadillac Hotel in LA, where I hear Jim Morrison once jammed and Charlie Chaplain used to live. No trace of that history now, just pleasant rooms and grimy beach surroundings.

But the highlight of the trip must have been visiting Amoeba Music in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district. Occupying a former bowling alley, it is said to be the world’s largest independent music store and it’s massive.

I spent hours trawling through the records and found a lovely rare recording of songs by my LA psychedelia heroes, Love.

It felt just like being in a giant version of High Fidelity, or maybe Empire Records. Now where's my top five list....?








• Speaking of Haight-Ashbury, the band of the same name support The Vaselines at Scala (September 22).

• Here’s a good one – Tongues on Fire: a tribute to the Black Panthers takes place at the Barbican on Saturday (September 11). Described as a “unique musical tribute to the cultural influence of 1960s African-American radicals the Black Panthers”, The Roots, The Last Poets and Doctor L are among the talent on the bill.

• Recent Record of the Week appearance, Dagenham MC Devlin’s making two appearances in Camden in October. He supports Example at Koko (October 12) and headlines Underworld (October 28). I only hope he brings Giggs along.

TRAGEDY FOR CAMDEN BAND OU EST LE SWIMMING POOL - EXAMPLE POSTS TRIBUTE TO SINGER CHARLIE HADDON ON BLOG

CHARLES Haddon, singer with Camden band Ou Est Le Swimming Pool has reported taken his own life.
The news spread across twitter late Friday evening and was later confirmed on blogs and music news websites.

Rapper Example has posted a tribute on his own website - http://www.trythisforexample.com/2010/08/rip-charlie-haddon.html
According to reports on a Dutch website, Charlie took his life yesterday, (Friday) after performing at Belgian festival Pukkelpop.
Friends in Camden have joined fans across the world in expressing their sadness.

PAUL WELLER AND SEASICK STEVE HEADLINE HAITI CONCERT AT CAMDEN ROUNDHOUSE

THE line-up for the Roundhouse's Haiti Earthquake Fundraiser on Feb 25 is shaping up nicely.
Paul Weller, KT Tunstall and Reverend and the Makers, confirmed this week, join Bombay Bicycle Club, Seasick Steve, Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, Magic Numbers, Mr Hudson and The Futureheads for a night of comedy, music and most importantly to raise as much as possible for Haiti.
Due to the success of the night, a sister event has been set up at Proud Camden, including The Hoosiers, Adam Ficek Charlotte O'Connor, Example, The Strangeways and Stornoway. And Faithless' Maxi Jazz, Zero7 and Stereo MCs are amongst the list of DJs booked for the night.
All money raised will go to Medecins Sans Frontieres and ActionAid.
Tickets from www.haitiearthquakefundraiser.com