It’s that time of year where our end of year lists have been compiled, submitted and shared. Once again I had the pleasure of submitting my top 10 for inclusion in the Applestump Records 2024 review book. If you haven’t got yourself a copy of this free yearbook yet please do so. There are inspiring words from both Thea Gilmore and Steve Cook (record shop owner). When you combine these words with the lists that highlight the diversity of albums that have been released this year you are reminded of how despite all the challenges that artists are faced with there are an abundance of albums released every year that we all fall in love. Albums that help us get through the challenges that the world throws at us, and it is music that brings us together and helps us feel a part of something and helps us to make sense of life.
When I get to the end of any year and take the time to think back, the albums I have loved, the gigs I have been to, the songs that have spoken to me I always find it hard to narrow it down to ten. The list I make is not necessarily the ten albums that I think are ‘the best’ they might be the ten albums that for one reason or another have struck a chord with me, provided comfort at the right time, gave me a door to a different universe. The point is that even though I do narrow it down to 10, there have been so many more that have given me moments of joy and for that I will always be grateful to the artists and the album format. For example, on the day that I finalised my list I could not quite squeeze Songs of a Lost World by The Cure into the top 10. How was that possible as this is without a doubt one of the most important releases of the world. I commented in my review how the album seemed to give us hope following the American election results, the album provided so much comfort during those weeks and still does now.
I also couldn’t find room in my list for Tiger's Blood by Waxahatchee, My Light, My Destroyer by Cassandra Jenkins, Where’s My Utopia by Yard Act, Love Is The Call by Cast, Back to The Clubhouse by John Mouse who gave us yet another dose of creative pop music that needs to be heard by everyone. Sadness Sets Me Free by Gruff Rhys didn’t make my top 10 nor did Every Inch of Earth Pulsates by W.H. Lung, Wish on the Bone by Why Bonnie who gave us an album of perfect pop songs. Speaking of perfect pop how did I manage to leave The Last Dinner Party out of the top 10? Prelude to Ecstasy was a real moment in pop history, with a band at their absolute best. A band full of confidence and belief and anyone who doubted or questioned The Last Dinner Party should hang their heads in shame. Peanuts by Liz Lawrence, Wild God by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, When I’m Called by Jake Xerxes Fussell, One More Thing by Lime Garden, Humble As The Sun by Bob Vylan, GNX by Kendrick Lamar, All Hell by Los Campesinos, This Place Takes A Lot of Beating by Lonely Tourist and Nonetheless by Pet Shop Boys also missed out on a top 10 slot. Just writing that blows my mind. The Pet Shop Boys have been present in my life for as long as I can remember and every time I see Neil Tennant I say to my wife, “I hope I look as good as he does when I am 70”. Nonetheless is beautiful album that unites generations, A New Bohemia, and New London Boy gets me every single time.
Fontaines DC were left out of my top 10 list. Whenever I talk about Fontaines I always feel the need to be completely honest and admit I did not get into this band from the start. I would hear the singles on the radio, always enjoyed what I heard but for some reason never took a deep dive into their albums. It might have been an age thing, there might have been a subconscious part of my brain saying this is a band for the new generation and I am not part of that. That led me on to having a word with myself and instead saying my twenty something self would have been obsessed with Fontaines let's find that twenty something self who has never really left me. I might be the wrong side of 45 but that should not stop me or anyone from falling in love with a band and 2024 has definitely been the year where I have fallen in love with Fontaines DC. Romance is one of those era defining albums, it is the album that sees a band take the next step up and take people with them whilst still being true to themselves. I attended the Cardiff arena gig on this tour and you could see the crowd were lapping up every sound they heard.
Thinking back on the live music I have seen in the last twelve months, 2024 has been the year of getting back out there for me. The last five years definitely saw a decline in the number of gigs I went to. It was a combination of turning 40, closely followed by COVID, and having other commitments in life that resulted in less gigs. At the start of the year I made a promise to myself that 2024 would be the year I did something about that. Watching live music has always been a part of me and I made sure I reunited with that version of me these past twelve months. Met up with friends who I was not seeing so regularly. I even attended a couple of gigs on my own, which if you are sat at home thinking about whether you should go to a gig on your own stop thinking and take the step, do it, you won’t feel out of place, and you will feel alive. I recently read an article by Tracey Thorn in The New Statesman who commented on how seeing Charlie XCX didn’t make her feel young but it made her feel alive. That comment said a lot to me, and isn’t that what we all want, and what we should all be doing. Taking steps to feel alive before our time is out.
Together with Fontaines DC some of the live music I have seen this year includes Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Half Happy, Bill Ryder-Jones, Sweet Baboo, Gruff Rhys, Slate, Ivor Woods, Paul Heaton, Georgia Ruth, Carwyn Ellis, Cast, Manic Street Preachers, Suede, Noel Gallagher, The Libertines, Nick Cave, The Big Moon, Rum Jungle, Holy Youth Movement, The National, Camera Obscura, Keane, The Lathums, Becky Hill - with my 12 year old, she goes to enough of my choices so wanted to embrace her choice and was something that I enjoyed (despite looking out of place). That is the other thing I think is great about music these days is a lot of the tribal feeling and snobbery seems to have gone out of the window. Music is there to be enjoyed by all. I also attended Green Man festival for the first time since 2017 and it instantly felt like going home after a holiday. It felt like I was being reunited with a long lost friend. There were so many highlights from Green Man; the two main ones being Big Thief, a band who have meant so much to me over the years so to get to see them headline the Mountain Stage on the Saturday night was an absolute joy. Myself and my daughter sitting on the top of the natural amphitheater setting, looking at the night sky with a beautiful full moon behind us whilst we drifted away with the magical songs of Big Thief is something that will stay with me forever. I also loved Moonchild Sanelly on the Walled Garden stage. I got my daughter down to the barrier at the front as she really wanted to see Moonchild and for the duration of the set the smiles didn’t leave either of our faces. I also went back to SWN festival this year after a few years away and again had a great time with many highlights including The Wave Pictures, Malan, Hana Lili, Melin Melyn, Philip Selway and Lanterns On The Lake. That is a selection of some of my live music adventures this year, there are some that I have left off for no particular reason other than being conscious of the reader's time.
2024 has also sadly seen two people from the music world that had a big impact on my life leave the world far too early. In August we woke up to the tragic news that Carl Bevan drummer with the 60ft Dolls passed away at the age of 51. This came as a great shock. Carl and the 60ft Dolls changed our lives, I have written before about how growing up just down the road from Newport this was our band. They spoke to us all, and made us believe that anything was possible. Carl was such a character, I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times in Newport and he was one of these people that just made the world a better place. The last few years of his life were devoted to his art and if you haven’t seen it please have a look at his paintings they truly are beautiful. In November the world lost one of the greatest music journalists of a generation. James McMahon passed away aged 44 following a battle with soft tissue sarcoma (a rare form of cancer). If you read the NME in the early 2000s you would have fallen in love with the writing of James McMahon, his passion for new music and promoting new bands was second to none. Future Heads, Maximo Park and Field Music owe a lot to James. Like so many of us of a certain age James wanted to work for the NME and his drive, passion and undeniably great writing got him there. In latter years James also launched a podcast that was honest, refreshing and continued to highlight his love for music and the underdog. Carl Bevan, James McMahon neither of you will know the difference you made to my life but both of you did in a way I will never forget.
Reflecting on the year, all the music that has been released, the live music I have had the pleasure of seeing, the people we have sadly lost, highlights how we all need to be grateful for everyone in the music world. Everyone who has written, recorded and released an album, released an EP, released a song because lets face it all of that is getting harder and harder to do. The live music scene changed my life, has given me so many memorable moments over the year and this year I got back in touch with that version of me and started going to gigs on a more frequent basis again and doing so made me feel alive. However putting on these gigs is a battle and people work incredibly hard to do so. I am writing this shortly after the heart breaking news of the closure of The Moon Club in Cardiff and how all of us and the Government needs to do more to protect these places. If you can, look at the listings of your local venues and just take a chance, you won’t regret it. Without these places the world would be a much poorer place, and if they continue to close due to the challenges and pressures put upon them we will have less and less places to go to. If you can buy a record, CD, a t-shirt or whatever piece of merch a band / artist is selling please do so. They need your money and support more than you may realise. If you can’t afford it, as let's face it times are hard and we have to make difficult choices, send the band / artist a message, let them know how much the music they make means to you. I am sure knowing there are people out there connecting with their music will help them.
The only thing left to say is a big thankyou to anyone who has released music this year, anyone who has organised a gig, all those record shop owners, music blogs, writers, magazines that are still printed you all make the world a better place to live in. You all bring us together and make us feel part of something. Have a great Christmas and New Year and we will look forward to more music adventures to come in 2025.
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