Since we last spoke, official word came back regarding Ari Up's untimely passing: it was cancer. In her memory and the memory of the tunes she left behind, Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg is hosting a show on January 16th called "Ari Up Punky Reggae Birthday Party" featuring appearances from members of The Slits, The Slackers, PiL, as well as Neneh Cherry and many others. Tickets are on sale.

Being that Ari Up was John Lydon's step-daughter, it's not surprising that her passing had an effect on him:

John Lydon has delayed sessions to record new material with Public Image Ltd following the death of his step-daughter, The Slits singer Ari Up.

"We were going to go into the studio but in light of my step-daughter's death, I really can't be doing that at the moment," Lydon said [around November 22nd].

"I don't want to leave my wife alone for any length of time right now. So the music side has had to be held." -[BBC]

PiL becamse active again recently, and toured through NYC in May.

Another recent tribute to Ari Up happened in the form of Kathleen Hanna and The Raincoats covering a Slits song at MoMA. Video of that, with info on upcoming Kathleen Hanna-related events, can be found HERE.

Members of The Slackers are involved in the Ari Up show at MHoW, and the band has a show of their own in NYC next week. Tickets are still available for The Slackers at Brooklyn Bowl on December 18th. The show is one of two December dates for the NYC ska band. The second is New Years Eve in San Francisco, and the first date on a larger tour for the band who will be pretty busy through June. Openers for the Brooklyn show are Frighteners, the Forthights, and DJ 100dBs with special guest appearances by Greg Lee (Hepcat) & Jesse Wagner (Aggrolites).

All Slackers dates and some videos below.

Continue reading "an Ari-Up birthday party show, Slackers tour dates & more"

The Black Keys doubled in size @ MSG (pic by rossmckillop)

"Auerbach and Carney, who used to tour as a duo, will be joined by some extra players for the first time.

"We might bring out a couple of people to play a few of songs with us," he said. "The majority of the set will still be two-piece, but [we'll] have a couple of guys come out because we really like a lot of the arrangements on the record and it would be fun to be able to do those live instead of having to strip down. We've got two guys who helped us with the live Blakroc stuff, and we became friends with. Leon Michels, a keyboardist and Nick Movshon on bass -- they're pretty tight." [express night out] (via)

Was Eddie Vedder @ PiL one night earlier in Brooklyn? (pic by Jonathan Bayer)

The Black Keys (with four members) opened for Pearl Jam (with Eddie Vedder in a Public Image Ltd t-shirt) at MSG last night (5/20). It was Pearl Jam's 1st of 2 shows in a row at the NYC venue. The next is tonight, Friday, 5/21, but with Band of Horses opening instead (maybe The Black Keys will go check out Macgruber). The Black Keys, who also played a Microsoft Kin show in NYC the other day, played a benefit at Housing Works bookstore one night before MSG. Videos and setlists from both shows (for both bands) below...

Continue reading "Pearl Jam played MSG w/ The Black Keys (who played as a four-piece & in a bookstore one day earlier) - setlists & video"

"Was the pope a nazi? Yes the pope was a nazi" - Johnny Rotten

PiL @ MHOW - 5/19/2010 (Brooklyn365)

"Hey. We were dancing next to each other for basically the entire Public Image Ltd. (PIL) concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Weds night. You were wearing a plaid dress and had blonde hair, I was wearing a fake leather jacket and a grey hoodie, with longer brown hair. I wanted to ask for you number but didn't want to piss the dude you were with off. If you want to hang out, listen to some records and talk about how amazing the show was, I am down." [Dancing to Public Image Limited - PIL at Music Hall of Williamsburg - m4w (Williamsburg)]

As that guy points out, it was an amazing 2 hour and 20 minute, tour-ending PiL show at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Wednesday night (5/19). Johnny Rotten was on fire. The band was great, as was the venue. I can't wait to see the footage they were filming for the "forthcoming PiL documentary directed by Alex Mar and produced by Artists Public Domain".

Check out the pics and setlist from the night before at Terminal 5. And some videos from T5 below...

Continue reading "Public Image Ltd. played Music Hall of Williamsburg "

photos by Greg Cristman

"Despite the leather-clad, spikyhaired lookalikes who peppered the audience at Terminal 5 last night, there is only one Johnny Rotten.

Rotten, 54, who these days goes by his given name, John Lydon, is still the brash, politically outspoken, anti-authoritarian punk who assaulted music, first as a Sex Pistol and then by leading the post-punk movement with his other band, Public Image LTD.

This show resurrected PiL after an 18-year New York performance hiatus. And the band's kitchen-sink mix of rock, noise, dance and pop remains as strange and engaging as its frontman." [NY Post]

Public Image Ltd played Terminal 5 in NYC last night (Tueday, 5/18). It was the band's first of two NYC shows. The next is at the smaller Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight (5/19). The reunion tour, which began around Coachella also included a performance on Kimmel. On Monday, the band made their second TV appearance, but this time on Fallon. A video from that, with more Terminal 5 pics and the setlist below....

Continue reading "PiL played Terminal 5 (pics, setlist) & Jimmy Fallon (video) "

PiL @ Coachella 2010 (more by Rachel Carr)

tonight in NYC
* UI & Dan Friel @ the Bell House
* Local H, Kinch @ Gramercy Theater
* Public Image Ltd @ Terminal 5
* Neil Halstead, J. Wise @ Union Hall
* Pearl Jam & Band of Horses @ Prudential Center
* Stone Temple Pilots @ Gramercy Theater
* Phantogram, Light Pollution @ Maxwell's
* Bees Are Flowers, Woom, Boveda @ Cake Shop
* Janelle Monáe, DJ Moni @ Highline Ballroom
* Mumford & Sons, The Middle East @ Webster Hall
* Brahms, Bell, Aislyn, Passion Pit (DJ) @ Pianos
* CAVES, Polite Sleeper, Nerd Parade @ Death By Audio
* Madden, Fostercare, DJ Harrison, Robin @ Glasslands
* Radical Sons, Byrds of Paradise, Pregnant @ Union Pool
* Recoil (Alan Wilder of Depeche Mode)@ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Keepaway, DOM, The Tony Castles, Rewards @ Mercury Lounge
* This Frontier Needs Heroes, Kath Bloom, Marcellus Hall @ Bruar Falls
* A-Trak, DJ Enuff, DJ Clark Kent, Lord Finesse, Boogie Blind, Sean C & LV, Henley Reid @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Sex Slaves, Eve To Adam, Black Water Rising, Hellbent Hooker, Honor Among Thieves @ Santos Party House

"Bees are Flowers" are really These Are Powers tonight at Cake Shop.

"Bassist Sasha Frere-Jones and drummer Clem Waldmann began playing together in 1990. Wilbo Wright joined in 1993 and Ui began recording. Ui's songs draw on rock, funk, dub and electronic music. The band's early releases incorporated instruments less common to pop - banjos, tubas and kettle drums - but the band soon stopped using any instrument that couldn't fit into a cab. In addition to one of the earliest known single-artist remix albums ("Unlike," 1995), the band has released four studio albums, including "Answers" and the nineties classic, "Lifelike." Ui has collaborated with Stereolab, Techno Animal, Microstoria and Luke Vibert. In early 2010, Dan Friel began playing electronics and baritone guitar with the band." Yes, The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones is playing a show at the Bell House tonight. Parts & Labor member Dan Friel is both in the band and opening with one of his solo sets. It's Ui's first official show in 10 years, and a warm up for the slot they landed on the lineup of the Primavera Festival at the end of this month in Barcelona.

The new video for Keepaway's "I Think About You All The Time" is posted below. They play an EP release show tonight with DOM, The Tony Castles and Rewards at Mercury Lounge.

DOM also play the BV Northside show at MHOW this summer.

PiL's recent DC show is streaming on NPR. John Lydon is on East Village Radio at 10am. Pil play Terminal 5 tonight, and then the smaller Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday.

DJ Roc Raida's birthday is being celebrated at Brooklyn Bowl tonight.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

The Luyas @ MHOW in April (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

tonight in NYC
* High Violet Annex (see below)
* Effi Briest @ Union Pool
* Blank Dogs @ Home Sweet Home
* Iggy Pop @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Clare & The Reasons @ Joe's Pub
* Elliot Brood, Jonny Corndawg @ Pianos
* TBA, Only Son, Ching Chong Song @ Cake Shop (see below)
* Heavenly Beat, Attics, Red Romans @ Bruar Falls
* Dick Heaven, James Pobiega, Jeff Halen @ Zebulon
* Cold Heat, Rahzel Sadat, X Craig G, Torae, Poison Pen @ SOB's
* Massive Attack, Neon Indian, Martina Topley Bird @ Terminal 5
* Two Door Cinema Club, Bad Veins, MillionYoung @ Bowery Ballroom
* Hot Hot Heat, The Stationary Set, Paige Whitcher @ Public Assembly
* Leatherface, Ninja Gun, Two Man Advantage, Iron Chic @ Knitting Factory
* Steve Moore, itsnotyouitsme (Joshua Light Show Fest) @ Abrons Art Center
* Venom P. Stinger, Fresh Kills, Violent Bullshit, Golden Error @ Shea Stadium
* Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now!, Murder Mystery, Blackbells, Phil and the Osophers @ Mercury Lounge

Joshua Light Show's four-night fest at Abrons Art Center kicks off tonight, and has Silver Apples, Oneida, Dean & Britta and more coming up.

Tonight at the National's High Violent Annex

LIVE sets by:
6:05 - INLETS
6:25 - ZACHARY CALE
6:45 - HELADO NEGRO
7:05 - JULIANNA BARWICK
7:25 - THE LUYAS
7:45 - TALK NORMAL
8:05 - ARLT
8:25 - MARTHA WAINWRIGHT

Unfortunately Kimya Dawson is not in NYC so "The Bundles" aren't playing Cake Shop tonight, but Jeff & Jack Lewis and Anders Griffin (the rest of the band) will still play an opening set. What happens at the end of the night is still TBA.

Unfortunately Leatherface never made it into the country.

Venom P Stinger back together again, warm up for an ATP UK gig in NYC tonight.

Clare & the Reasons play their own show at Joe's Pub tonight. They tour the US with Van Dyke Parks in September. Tickets are on sale for the NYC show at the Bell House.

Tonight's PiL concert will be streaming from DC at NPR.

Blank Dogs reports that, "This and Pendu NYE&E are our last NYC shows or a while. Ok?" He plays the Wierd Records party at Home Sweet Home tonight.

The new video for Memoryhouse's "Lately (Deuxieme)," which cops a sample from Jon Brion's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack, is posted below (along with a Jay Electronica song that does the same and the original).

Jonsi performed on Craig Ferguson last night. Video below....

MGMT was on Letterman. Videos below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

Say Yeah Yeah!
Posted on: Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Wow...we [Hypnitic Brass Ensemble] missed our flight to Ireland, some quick thinking got us on a flight to Kerry! We stayed and practiced in Dolans on Monday and then hit the radio and colleges on Tuesday Afternoon. The last two shows in Limerick were aiiight, but fuck, for a Tuesday, this even blew us away, thanks to Joe & his team in Limerick, we really love it here, it just keeps getting better and better.
We should have bought a house here, cause we have more fans and friends here than anywhere in the world...

...Looking forward to Galway & Cork and praying the volcanic ash does not prevent us from getting to Coachella for the Gorillaz show..peace

That's a message Hypnotic Brass Ensemble posted on Thursday. It was confirmed today that the ash did in fact keep them from Coachella. Same goes for Talvin Singh. Along with Gary Numan, Bad Lieutenant, Frightened Rabbit, The Cribs, and Delphic, that's at least seven volcanic Coachella cancellations this year.

That obviously isn't stopping the California festival from continuing. There are more than enough artists to go around, and Frank Turner and RX Bandits just kicked off the second day. You can see the full schedule HERE, and start streaming today's performances around 7PM EST.

Video of Beyonce performing with Jay-Z, and Public Image Ltd performing Death Disco, during their respective Day One headlining sets last night, below...

Continue reading "Coachella Day Two kicks off, though Talvin Singh & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble have cancelled now too"

"For me Malc was always entertaining, and I hope you remember that. Above all else he was an entertainer and i will miss him, and so should you" - Johnny Rotten on Malcom McLaren

Public Image Ltd's upcoming US tour kicks off Tuesday night, April 13th in LA before continuing to Coachella for a show on Friday. The trip was scheduled to end with a show at Terminal 5 on Tuesday, May 18th - tickets for that are still on sale, but the band has added a second NYC date for the same venue on Wednesday, May 19th. Tickets for that go on sale Friday at noon (and they'll probably be an AmEx presale before then too).

PiL played Jimmy Kimmel Live on April 7th (reactions to the performance were mixed). Jimmy's interview with Johnny Rotten and an April 9th interview on Fox's Red Eye (where Johnny Rotten talks about the recent death of Malcolm McLaren) are posted below...

Continue reading "Public Image Ltd add 2nd NYC show, Johnny Rotten talks to Fox News, talks about Malcom McLaren (videos) "

Public Image Ltd gave us a taste last night of what to expect on their semi-reunion tour that kicks off with a pre-Coachella show at Club Nokia in LA on April 13th. In what was their "first television performance in 18 years", the John Lydon-led group performed "This is Not a Love Song" and "Rise" on the Jimmy Kimmel show. Videos of both songs and updated tour dates below...

Continue reading "Public Image Ltd played Kimmel (videos), updated tour dates "

After reforming for UK dates last fall, Public Image Ltd has announced North American dates for this April and May. The tour kicks off at Coachella, and comes to NYC for a Tuesday, May 18th show at Terminal 5. They're also scheduled to play Saturday, May 15th at Atlantic City's Borgata Music Box. Tickets for the tour go on sale March 5th and 6th.

The 'reunited' band includes frontman John Lydon, former members Lu Edmonds on guitar and Bruce Smith on drums, and new addition bassist Scott Firth. Original guitarist Keith Levene and bassist Jah Wobble both declined to participate in the tour.

[Jah] Wobble says the original line-up could have reconvened under the right circumstances, but that will now never happen.

"I was asked last July and I definitely did think about it and talk about it to an extent, but it just wasn't the right move for me," he says. "It just wasn't the way I would do it. I don't care, I think it's great and I'm not bothered at all."

"I suspect with John it's about two things - raising money efficiently and quickly and reactivating the PiL brand as his vehicle," Wobble says of the comeback. "That's just business."

The fee Lydon offered the bassist to go on the road was not appropriate for such a tour, with tickets costing up to £39, he said. [BBC]

The tour will be the band's first US shows in 18 years. The current schedule (more dates are planned) is below...

Continue reading "Public Image Ltd will tour North America after Coachella - 2010 dates "

"We'll see where we can go," 53-year-old Lydon told the Guardian. "Some things may be quite similar, some may not."

December 2009 sees the return of Public Image Limited for 5 very special live dates in the UK. Their first shows in 17 years.

The shows will mark the 30th Anniversary of the release of 'Metal Box' but PiL will NOT be limited to tracks from one album and the tour will showcase their whole career.

PiL founder John Lydon will be joined by former members Lu Edmonds (Guitar & Misc) and Bruce Smith (Drums), plus new recruit Scott Firth (Bass).

As a Reuters article says, "the new-look PiL will not contain original band members Jah Wobble or former Clash guitarist Keith Levene". Those UK-only tour dates and some videos are below...

Continue reading "John Lydon reforming Public Image Ltd -- UK tour dates"

Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke claims he was left with severe facial bruising and a split lip following what he alleges was a racist attack by Sex Pistols singer John Lydon [aka Johnny Rotten]. The incident occurred on Saturday evening at the Summercase festival in Barcelona while the bands were socialising backstage.

In an official statement released by Okereke, who is of Nigerian descent, the singer says he approached Lydon and asked him about the possibility of a reunion for Public Image Ltd, the band Lydon formed following the Sex Pistols demise in 1978. In Okereke's words, Lydon became "intimidating and aggressive while his entourage responded with a racist tirade, including the statement, 'your problem is your black attitude'." An assault allegedly ensued in which three people attacked Okereke.

Several other bands witnessed the incident, with members of the band Foals and Kaiser Chiefs singer Ricky Wilson intervening on the Bloc Party singer's behalf. Both have confirmed to the Guardian that the incident occurred but could not confirm or deny reports that the assault was racially motivated. Following his involvement, Foals singer Yannis Philippakis was arrested. He is expected to make a statement shortly.... [The Guardian] (thx J M)