Post by paulo on Mar 29, 2011 16:48:07 GMT
After having a whole day to reflect about the news and thinking about it alot, I would like to give my own personal account on why I will miss the Bluetones so much. I know there are so many stories like mine, but I feel like I need to get these words off my chest in a forum where hopefully they will be appreciated...
I never really got music much growing up, my house was a haven for poor music choices. Dad liked Phil Collins and Mum thought that the music of Paul Young was revoloutionary. My older Sister was obsessed with the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and later on Bon Jovi, so its no suprise I grew up accepting the Pop Music that came through the TV box. It was the summer of 1994 when I really started to notice bands. As an impressionable 13 year old I was looking for some kind of solace from the mediocre mundanity of School and bands like Oasis and Blur seemed like a perfect way to crossover to adult life and break the shackles of Pop Music. I remember going to my local music store 'Trax' and just buying cheap cd singles of bands that sounded interesting. One day I stumbled across 'Bluetonic' and a love affair was born.
It was the first time guitar music had really made me smile and to this day remains one of my favourite songs. The hook got me straight away and the chorus was stuck in my head for weeks. I use to sing it over and over again in my head to kill time in Geography lessons (I should have paid more attention, I only got a C). As my infactuation grew, so did the bands popularity and I remember glued to my TV clinging on every last word from 'The O-zone' as four scruffy looking lags from London were interviewed on some ferry or barge. It was about this time that I started to realise that there was more to this band than just the music.
I was too young to really go to gigs in those days so I had to wait a full 3 years before I got my first Live experience during the RTTLCS tour. I remember running into college clinging my copy of the NME and running to my then girlfriend and shouting 'The Bluetones are playing Southampton!'..'When is it?' she said...horrified she informed she had tickets for 'Symposium' at the Portsmouth Wedgewood rooms and she would rather see them - was she frigging mental? This did signal the end. Anyway, after much persuasion I dragged her along and she loved it, so did I. Over the years I have seen The Bluetones about 40 odd times and dragged countless friends, girlfriends, hobo's along to see them to in their glory. I always lived in good faith, no matter how rubbish my year was, there was always a Winter Bluetones tour around the corner to cheer me up.
I remember having to sit through Limp Bizkit watching people punch each other in the face for entertainment in order to sustain a good viewing point for the Tones at Reading in 2000. I remember being elated when Mark said 'hello' to me outside Southampton Uni circa 2002. I remember a fight breaking out at a gig in Portsmouth circa 2003 and Mark ordering the band to play calming Jazz music in order to 'diffuse the situation' - and that is why I loved them, no other band would do that kind of thing.
I have tried to explain my love of the Bluetones to my friends countless times. Its simple - their songs make me happy. I couldnt even pinpoint my favourite song, there is so many it changes all the time. To see the Bluetones live wasnt like any other gig. You know you would get great music, stand up comedy and a general family feel that you wouldnt get at other gigs. They were my band. They didnt belong to the NME or Radio 1 or any other media organisation that dictates what people listen too - the people came to the gigs not out of curiousity, but because they were fans.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mark at a solo gig last year. I was pissed as a fart and spouting absoloutely nonsense, but he politely talked to me and posed for photos - even though he probably thought I was a complete tool. As I went home last night I thought back to the lyrics from 'thought you'd be taller' -'Never meet your heroes, its never any fun'.....Quite to the contrary - it was flipping brilliant!
It's always annoyed me over the years how they have been pigeon holed in the 'Britpop' banner - they were better than that. Yeah, the music fitted that mould and was prevalent at the time, but there was much more substance to the Bluetones than bands like Menswear, Shed Seven etc. Whenever I say who my favourite band is, people either respond 'never heard of them' or go 'Oh yeah they did that 'Where did you go?' song' - its that naiveity that that is all the band is about that use to frustrate me. I love Slight Return, but would it be in my top 20 Bluetones songs...probably not. The greatest travesty of all of this is that my 5 year old daughter has really got in to 'A New Athens' - I just unleashed them to a whole new generation!
No band have ever connected with me like the Bluetones have and no one ever will. As I said before, it was more than just the music - it was the personality, charm, humour and style that shone through the music that made them so loveable. Someone at work tried to console me today by saying 'I remember how upset I was when Micheal Jackson died'..I got really angry and was like 'this is so much worse' - what worse than death (of a suspected paedophile, but still) - oh yes of course its worse. But now I think, hey it had to end sometime and atleast we know 'This is the end' and we can celebrate it like it is.
I will be purchasing tickets for Bournemouth, Southampton, Yeovil, London and Leeds tomorrow, 3 of which I have no one to go to with - do I care? Not on your nelly. If I look sad stood there on my own, so be it. Inside I wont be sad, I'll be full of joy and reliving the memories for one last time. I know this has been pitched as a 'Thank you to the fans', but I will be attending to say thank you to the band. Their music has got me through so much and has been the soundtrack to my life. I'm really gonna miss the entity of 'The Bluetones', but hope they will follow on their creative patterns individually...and if not 'Glastonbury 2015 boys?'.......Thanks for everything Bluetones - Its been a blast.
I never really got music much growing up, my house was a haven for poor music choices. Dad liked Phil Collins and Mum thought that the music of Paul Young was revoloutionary. My older Sister was obsessed with the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and later on Bon Jovi, so its no suprise I grew up accepting the Pop Music that came through the TV box. It was the summer of 1994 when I really started to notice bands. As an impressionable 13 year old I was looking for some kind of solace from the mediocre mundanity of School and bands like Oasis and Blur seemed like a perfect way to crossover to adult life and break the shackles of Pop Music. I remember going to my local music store 'Trax' and just buying cheap cd singles of bands that sounded interesting. One day I stumbled across 'Bluetonic' and a love affair was born.
It was the first time guitar music had really made me smile and to this day remains one of my favourite songs. The hook got me straight away and the chorus was stuck in my head for weeks. I use to sing it over and over again in my head to kill time in Geography lessons (I should have paid more attention, I only got a C). As my infactuation grew, so did the bands popularity and I remember glued to my TV clinging on every last word from 'The O-zone' as four scruffy looking lags from London were interviewed on some ferry or barge. It was about this time that I started to realise that there was more to this band than just the music.
I was too young to really go to gigs in those days so I had to wait a full 3 years before I got my first Live experience during the RTTLCS tour. I remember running into college clinging my copy of the NME and running to my then girlfriend and shouting 'The Bluetones are playing Southampton!'..'When is it?' she said...horrified she informed she had tickets for 'Symposium' at the Portsmouth Wedgewood rooms and she would rather see them - was she frigging mental? This did signal the end. Anyway, after much persuasion I dragged her along and she loved it, so did I. Over the years I have seen The Bluetones about 40 odd times and dragged countless friends, girlfriends, hobo's along to see them to in their glory. I always lived in good faith, no matter how rubbish my year was, there was always a Winter Bluetones tour around the corner to cheer me up.
I remember having to sit through Limp Bizkit watching people punch each other in the face for entertainment in order to sustain a good viewing point for the Tones at Reading in 2000. I remember being elated when Mark said 'hello' to me outside Southampton Uni circa 2002. I remember a fight breaking out at a gig in Portsmouth circa 2003 and Mark ordering the band to play calming Jazz music in order to 'diffuse the situation' - and that is why I loved them, no other band would do that kind of thing.
I have tried to explain my love of the Bluetones to my friends countless times. Its simple - their songs make me happy. I couldnt even pinpoint my favourite song, there is so many it changes all the time. To see the Bluetones live wasnt like any other gig. You know you would get great music, stand up comedy and a general family feel that you wouldnt get at other gigs. They were my band. They didnt belong to the NME or Radio 1 or any other media organisation that dictates what people listen too - the people came to the gigs not out of curiousity, but because they were fans.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mark at a solo gig last year. I was pissed as a fart and spouting absoloutely nonsense, but he politely talked to me and posed for photos - even though he probably thought I was a complete tool. As I went home last night I thought back to the lyrics from 'thought you'd be taller' -'Never meet your heroes, its never any fun'.....Quite to the contrary - it was flipping brilliant!
It's always annoyed me over the years how they have been pigeon holed in the 'Britpop' banner - they were better than that. Yeah, the music fitted that mould and was prevalent at the time, but there was much more substance to the Bluetones than bands like Menswear, Shed Seven etc. Whenever I say who my favourite band is, people either respond 'never heard of them' or go 'Oh yeah they did that 'Where did you go?' song' - its that naiveity that that is all the band is about that use to frustrate me. I love Slight Return, but would it be in my top 20 Bluetones songs...probably not. The greatest travesty of all of this is that my 5 year old daughter has really got in to 'A New Athens' - I just unleashed them to a whole new generation!
No band have ever connected with me like the Bluetones have and no one ever will. As I said before, it was more than just the music - it was the personality, charm, humour and style that shone through the music that made them so loveable. Someone at work tried to console me today by saying 'I remember how upset I was when Micheal Jackson died'..I got really angry and was like 'this is so much worse' - what worse than death (of a suspected paedophile, but still) - oh yes of course its worse. But now I think, hey it had to end sometime and atleast we know 'This is the end' and we can celebrate it like it is.
I will be purchasing tickets for Bournemouth, Southampton, Yeovil, London and Leeds tomorrow, 3 of which I have no one to go to with - do I care? Not on your nelly. If I look sad stood there on my own, so be it. Inside I wont be sad, I'll be full of joy and reliving the memories for one last time. I know this has been pitched as a 'Thank you to the fans', but I will be attending to say thank you to the band. Their music has got me through so much and has been the soundtrack to my life. I'm really gonna miss the entity of 'The Bluetones', but hope they will follow on their creative patterns individually...and if not 'Glastonbury 2015 boys?'.......Thanks for everything Bluetones - Its been a blast.