say goodbye in the pouring rain...

Every 5 or 10 years or so a band will come along that just reeks of class, from the style, to the songwriting, to the delivery, to the marketing and to the packaging. Of course there are many that have some of those attributes but Hurts tick all those boxes.
I posted their Wonderful Life video over a year ago on my 'Something For the Weekend' posts and now finally they are getting all the attention they deserve.

They remind me of when i discovered Depeche Mode, Human League, New Order and Soft Cell back in the old days...the excitement of hearing about a new single and waiting for the record shop to open the day before release day because you know the owner has a promo 7" single and that is the only way you are going to hear it first, things have changed obviously.

My mates and i would wait all day from 10am onwards outside the Hammersmith Palais and venues of that ilk mingling with the cool cats and reprobates...more about that in a later posting.
The thing is, Hurts brings those feelings back, not that i would sit on my arse all day outside a concert venue these days, but i am certainly passionate enough to know that they will be with me for a very long time to come...watch and feel what i feel

2 pints of lager and a packet of crisps please

Whatever happened to the pub? the place where the greasy haired landlord stood behind one end of the bar and his big haired blonde wife, with too much make-up on, stood at the other end showing off a bit of over-tanned cleave, both with big welcoming smiles.
Salted crisps and peanuts in little bowls to make your mouth just that little bit dryer to boost bar sales, table top space invaders, a classic pub quiz, piano in the corner for those impromptu sing-a-longs and darts...the good ol' days, halcyon days if you like.

Now it's all massive TV screens, loud SHIT music, organic beer, energy drinks and miserable bar tenders and waitresses in sports and gastrobars judging you by the size of tips you leave after each drink, fuck off !  It shouldn't be like that.
Pubs are not supposed to sell food either, just snacks to soak up the beer, go to a restaurant if you want to eat L'escargot and salads, get out of my pub!

Anyway, onto the music...

How it all started

Watching Swap Shop one Saturday morning, Noel Edmonds was asking a group of snotty nosed gits who their favourite band was as he did every week, but, this week was different. As i looked down the line someone caught my eye... there he was, completely different from the rest of the audience, there was something about him, his clothes, his haircut, all new to me, he was a new romantic.
It wasn't a gay thing, merely 13 years young and looking for an identity of some sort i suppose... and i remember thinking to myself  'whatever band that boy says, they will be my favourite too' so infatuated was I with how brilliant, cool and disaffected this lads whole look came across on screen.
The words 'Spandau Ballet' had only just finished spilling from his lips when i grabbed my jacket and ran to Woolworths with my Saturday moring pocket money to buy something by them, anything, i didn't know what, all i knew was that i had to have it.