The New Classics

Me and my Mum with Phil, Paul, Nick & Luke from The Temperance Movement

I like having a steady stream of gigs to attend and it's been a good few weeks since my last (Foals at Liverpool's East Village Arts Club). Since that was an indulgence for my inner indie self,  i'm eager to get back to what i love most, good old authentic rock 'n' roll.

Lucky enough my two favourite bands of the moment are touring, so i'll be off to Manchester to catch Blackberry Smoke for the first time next Sunday and The Temperance Movement (TTM) again in April. Also, i might squeeze in a trip to Chester on Friday to catch The Cadillac Three. Another band i've recently got into and they're playing near me. If i miss them, i've got a feeling i'll highly regret it! So we shall see....

It'll be my fifth time seeing TTM live and i don't intend to be stopping any time soon. It's been great seeing them in tiny rooms, in an intimate setting so it's almost bittersweet to see them grow, become more successful and play to bigger crowds. Saying that, it was inevitable anyway. They're just too good at what they do and it would be a travesty if they didn't get the recognition they deserved. I'd witnessed their entire debut album live, numerous times before it's release and knew every lyric, word for word before i had a copy in my hands. Each performance i think they can't get any better, then they come out and give one hell of a show, i come out thinking 'no way, how do they do that?' It's ridiculous, but oh so good. It's a beautiful thing when you can leave a show and still be buzzing with the energy from it days later. An easy addiction perhaps but long may it continue.

Blackberry Smoke, although new to me are not exactly new at all. They've been around for well over a decade and i wonder how i've gone so long without knowing who they are. Originating from Georgia in the US, their sound is southern rock at it's finest, laced with country and blues. Way back when, they would have blended in perfectly, which only adds to their appeal to me. Having toured with the likes of ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd, need i say more....

Both of these bands came to mind when i was watching the Brit Awards this week. I still have no idea why i tune in each year but i do. Anyways, my personal highlight was Alex Turner's acceptance speech.

Now, i like Arctic Monkeys, don't get me wrong and yes they are a certain type of rock but his speech got me thinking. I loved the fact that he was expressing his views on rock 'n' roll but at the same time i don't think he even really gets it. His band have made the crossover from indie to mainstream and although he acts like the Brits and commercialism aren't important, they generally are. He wants his band to be successful, winning a Brit should be an honour, but is it? I suppose that's the question. His attitude towards the awards is clearly conveyed but hidden deep down is he proud? He should be even if it is deemed rather meaningless in the scheme of things.

It's a shame that rock as a genre gets overlooked, especially when at the moment rock seems to be outselling pop and other genres. The charts are reflecting that so why don't the Brits? I know i'm saying this but even i kind of prefer rock to be separate. I like thinking that rock is the superior breed. If i had it my way, i'd love TTM to win Best British Band but simultaneously i'd hate it because then they'd possibly be oversaturated and people who probably wouldn't like them otherwise, would know about them and call themselves fans because of their mainstream presence. Maybe the whole idea of the alternative is more than the sound, maybe it's about people's personal perceptions. I don't know. When i think about it, it's probably a bit of both for me. I like being different and away from the mainstream but i still think the heart of it is purely down to the music. I know what i like regardless of its popularity.

Back to Alex's speech; when he's talking of rock 'n' roll, i wonder what he means exactly, or should i say who he means. Is he talking about his own band? The other guitar bands of today? Or is he referring to classic rock? I can't help but think he wasn't talking along the lines of Blackberry Smoke and The Temperance Movement. To me those are leading the way for rock 'n' roll and its continuity. I can only hope they inspire more to follow.

Real, raw rock 'n' roll delivered by bands who are true to themselves, doing what they love. Couldn't ask for more than that. Blackberry Smoke and The Temperance Movement. The New Classics. Keeping rock 'n' roll alive.