Red China Turns Green Giant

ICONIC: CCTV Tower in Beijing is a real spectacle.

AS Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt, crossed the Olympic finish line in 9.69 seconds at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the iconic Bird’s Nest Stadium the world stopped to take a second look.

So the Chinese had succeeded, as splashing out on the most expensive Olympic games of all time and building some of the most spectacular buildings ever seen, made the world sit up and take note.

No longer do Stalinist structures dominate the communist landscape of the world’s most populated nation with such prevalence.

Instead they now form the historic backdrop to what China has become, an economic show pony with grand ambitions.

The 80,000 seat, skeletal, Swiss-designed Beijing National Stadium, also known as Bird’s Nest Stadium, is a small part of a huge cultural change, casting polished steel shadows over historic Chinese landmarks.

Even 17^th Century Tiananmen Square is now overlooked by an other-worldly futuristic blob, known colloquially as the Alien Egg.

Officially called the Grand National Theatre, the French-designed Alien Egg follows the pattern of western architects being commissioned to shape Chinese cityscapes, suggesting a departure from traditional oriental design.

As a result China and Beijing in particular are now synonymous with cutting edge design and this $300million three-theatre structure, is every bit the grand spectacle.

Another imaginatively named example of extreme development, the Twisted Donut, is a structurally radical, 44 floor loop that acts as the Chinese Central Television Headquarters.

Yet this facade of aesthetic transformation, sparked in part by Olympic ambitions, is seemingly covering the cracks of a painful, forced economic growth.

After communism took hold of China following the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, a longing to become the dominant world super-power, despite their drained economic status, led to ecological and social strife.

Over cultivation, over grazing and deforestation have turned around a quarter of China’s land into desert, while an estimated 300,000 people die prematurely every year from polluted air in the country.

And for decades questions have been murmured tentatively from world leaders as to how and why controversially communist China’s immense environmental shortfalls have not been corrected.

At one point it was even believed that on average China opened one new coal-fired power station every week, increasing its emissions more than any other industrialised country put together since 2001.

Typically however, the Chinese were never going to solve this simply.

Instead they, among other things, pledged to build from scratch a showpiece ‘eco-city’ that would support itself through renewable energy created on the island, minus gas guzzling cars and troublesome landfills.

However this more than ambitious plan, proposed to be on Chongming Island, across the water from Shanghai, has been beset with problems and delays since it was announced in 2005.

Recognised as one of the world’s most exciting ecological projects, Dongtan still may become the world’s first zero carbon, completely self sufficient city despite a lack of construction years after it was scheduled to start.

Proposed to home around half a million people in an area about the size of Manhattan, the island still has its supporters and many environmentalists refuse to accept that Dongtan is dead.

And with funds practically spewing from a country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, such immense environmental undertakings are by no means out of the question.

In fact China has also embarked on an aggressive mission to cut fossil fuels, spending more than $34billion in 2009, more than any other country in the world.

TOWERING: Pudong skyline with soon to be completed Shanghai Tower.

The Chinese now has more hydroelectric generators than any other, is increasing its use of bio-fuels, tops the world in terms of solar power generation and is frenetically increasing its use of wind power.

The Three Gorges Dam, in Hubei province, is all that is modern China.

Considered the largest hydroelectric dam and largest generator of electricity in the world since 2006, this dominating dam measures 1.5miles in width and is the country’s largest construction project since the Great Wall.

This humungous structure, which along with its underground power station is set to be fully operational by 2012, is the tip of the iceberg in terms of Chinese environmental ambition.

Immense projects such as this and the increased push for renewable energy has made red China a green giant.

Projects like these provide a constant reminder of Chinese ambition and innovation in the face of crisis, the centre piece of which however lies to the east, in Shanghai.

In 1992 the then Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping, described the city as “the head of the dragon” pulling the country into the future.

Shanghai has since experienced massive investment aimed to redress over half a century of neglect.

Yet again, foreign architects were commissioned to transform what was a rundown industrial city into the personification of modernity and more importantly of the new China.

Shanghai’s recent development again is linked in to European design and competitive communism, with an unprecedented skyline that has sprung up from virtually nowhere.

The 88 storey Jin Mao Tower and immense 101 storey Shanghai World Financial Center, in the Pudong district, lie on what was an area of rice paddies and small factories just over twenty years ago.

Home to economic heavyweights like General Motors, IBM and Credit Lyonnais, these buildings are a bold statement of Chinese world ambition, but again it is argued that a ruthless cultural sacrifice has been made.

Similarly Shanghai International Circuit, a spectacular $450million venture, was transformed from swampland within 18 months to become a world renowned Formula 1 race venue from 2004 onwards.

And the construction steam train is by no means coming to a halt as the biggest Shanghai mega structure yet begins to materialise. The Shanghai Tower will be the third tallest building in the world by 2014.

The multibillion dollar glass tower, which will engulf its Pudong neighbours and feature the world’s highest observation platform, is another glowing example of architecture that marks out China as forward thinking.

After decades of decay and environmental neglect, China is now ruthlessly transforming itself from an over industrialised workhorse into a rounded, environmentally viable economic powerhouse.

As the old saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but China’s relentless charge towards to the top seat in world economics is seemingly inevitable.

Album Review: Home Video - 'The Automatic Process'

RETURN: Home Video's second album comes after four year wait.

ELECTRONICA, synth and classical training aren’t exactly what you’d call a natural collection of musical terms but a pair of American high school chums fused those influences to create Home Video in 1997.

Classically inclined David Gross and New Orleans schoolmate Collin Ruffino have again teamed up to create their 11 track second album ‘The Automatic Process’ in a self released, produced and penned effort.

Coming after a four year wait, this album is aimed at more of the critical acclaim that its predecessor ‘No Certain Night or Morning’ got in being compared to Radiohead’s legendary ‘Kid A’ album.

This collection is somewhat difficult to categorise however, as it continues on the same electro influenced theme as their debut and again carries no real get up and dance element.

Instead it’s an atmospheric and quite arty outlook on the genre that is more to be listened to in admiration than to be raved to in a converted warehouse.

‘Smoke’ is a perfect example of this and how the duo use cloudy synth, wailing strings and echoed vocals to create mesmeric imagery around a steady bass line and a high pitched sparkling background piano.

Ruffino is then backed by harmonic synth when he sings: “The smoke billowing.”

The album opener ‘Accomplished But Dead’ also shares this textured almost visual aspect with wailing chords, eerie layered vocals and a recurring deep guitar strum that adds further drama to the track.

One standout and to a degree standalone track is ‘Beatrice’. This reflective love song has an acoustic guitar core backed by heavenly synth and floating percussion before an ‘In The Air Tonight’-style drum section introduces more dreamy instrumentation and a soft bass line.

Ruffino is irresistibly comparable to Thom Yorke’s yearning falsetto particularly in this heartfelt track when he sings: “I see her in my dreams.”

‘Every Love That Ever Was’ starts with a chilled out synth backing with tinkling piano excerpts before joining forces with a Meat Loaf-style piano rock chorus that is completely out of character for this album but it works. But that can’t be said for everything on this album.

Tracks like ‘No Relief’ and ‘I Can Make You Feel’, although different, do fall into the trap of becoming relentless and somewhat tiresome over five minutes, the former for its brash electro soundtrack and the latter for its uninspiring repetitive vocal.

But there’s such a wide range of influences on this album that other than being full of layers and texture, these tracks have no real consistency.

The piano laden ‘Business Transaction’, creepy interlude ‘Description of a Struggle’ and mix and match ‘You Will Know What To Do’, although having individual merits could all be from entirely different records.

In all this is a good follow up to ‘No Certain Night or Morning’ and continues in the same vein although some more forgettable tracks dampen its parade somewhat, there’s still plenty worth sitting back and taking in here.

7/10

Also published on www.virgin.com

http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/the-automatic-process-out-on-home-video/

Bye Bye Boyd

A MAN who scored more goals in the Scottish Premier League than anyone else in history, beating off names like the great Henrik Larsson and Boro’s very own Scott McDonald, Kris Boyd has sneaked out of the Riverside after just six months.

The beefy striker, who managed 164 goals in nine years that were split between Glasgow Rangers and Kilmarnock, has opted for a loan move to reignite his faltering move to England.

Having scored only six goals in 29 league and cup appearances, Boyd’s loan move to Nottingham Forest hasn’t exactly been frowned upon by fans despite the big man’s fantastic SPL record.

But in all truth Boyd’s poor work rate and less than endearing style made him unpopular at Boro from day one.

The fact that one of the major factors in Boyd’s move was money and his reported £25,000-a-week wages did nothing to turn what eventually became frustrated jeers into supportive cheers either.

Although still under contract with Middlesbrough until the summer of 2012, his latest move and blatant failure to persuade Tony Mowbray of his usefulness to the team makes a summer departure for the 27-year-old forward look ever more likely.

But Mowbray himself has praised Boyd’s effort in training, while at one point Gordon Strachan claimed that Boyd was trying too hard, quoted by BBC Sport as saying: “I can’t ask anymore from his training.”

He added: “He was actually trying too hard and I said, 'Listen, you don't need to do that', because sometimes when players try too hard, they can get frustrated.”

Scott McDonald in truth hasn’t lived up to his goal scoring billing either but his all round effort, quality on the ball and commitment to the cause won the Boro faithful over practically after his first game. Goals aren’t always everything.

But in Boyd’s case his clumsy touch, lack of involvement in interplay and general demeanour meant that his contribution to any side would seemingly only be goals but then again he hasn’t been helped.

Boro haven’t been as free scoring as the fans would have liked this season, having only scored 44 goals in 35 league games this term and until recently the midfield’s lack of creativity has often left the club’s forwards dropping back to get the ball or becoming isolated up top.

Known primarily as a poacher, Boyd never really ventured much further than the six yard box in Scotland and considering the dominance that the Old Firm clubs have in the SPL, chances were always in the offing.

The forward has shown glimpses of his finishing ability though, his goal against Sheffield United in August, which saw a rare win under Strachan, was a predatory run and shot that raised hopes early on for instance.

In the right side, with the right formation where he is not required to get too involved in interplay Boyd might hit it off, but for the cost to Boro to be both financially and strategically worthwhile he’d have to score much more regularly than he has.

The club’s quite perilous present position in the league and monetary constraints however mean that Boyd’s status as a bit part player was simply not viable considering his wages.

Mowbray has managed to bring in experienced Forest goalkeeper Paul Smith in as competition and cover for Jason Steele and Danny Coyne, while he has also hinted at bringing in a midfielder on loan as a result of Boyd’s departure.

Given that Mowbray has hinted that the deal for the Scot is beneficial to Boro financially because of a ‘discrepancy’ between Boyd and Smith’s wages certainly makes it sound like each club is paying most if not all of their respective signing’s wages which can only be a positive.

Opening the door to yet more reinforcements during Boro’s hugely important run towards the end of the season is a massive plus point and something that might help to add more of that attacking creativity that Mowbray appears to crave.

And at this point in the season when it seems like safety is the main objective as results have not yet mirrored the change in style that Mowbray has brought with him, Boyd’s departure could well be the master stroke that saves the club from a relegation dog fight.

A few goals at Forest combined with a rise in his value and an improvement in Boro’s league form could mean either the return of Boyd to a rejuvenated team or a big earner off the wage books and some money for Mowbray to spend come June.

Either way if Boyd bangs in the goals at Forest and Boro stay up no one will be complaining.

Also published on www.oneboro.co.uk

http://oneboro.co.uk/bye-bye-boyd-10-03-2011-355.html

Album Review: Clare Maguire - 'Light After Dark'

DEBUT: Hype queen Clare Maguire is out to impress

AFTER coming fifth in the BBC Sound of 2011 list, Clare Maguire has been backed by TV appearances, celebrity meetings and supporting roles on tour with Hurts and Plan B.

So her debut album ‘Light After Dark’ has a lot of hype riding on it despite the fact that her first single to come off the album, ‘Aint Nobody’, only managed number 78 in the UK singles chart after its October release.

The album kicks off with a 58 second introduction called ‘Are You Ready’, which ultimately consists of her adlibbing sounds without actually saying any words in something more like a cry for attention than a teasing sign of things to come.

Despite this the music kicks in with the catchy ‘The Shield And The Sword’, which immediately reminds you of The Eurythmics and Annie Lennox with that earthy yet soothing vocal and some bright orchestral chords.

A lovely violin backing adds drama to a heartfelt piano and Maguire’s deep vocal that builds and builds to a crescendo as Maguire sings: “You have the shield, I have the sword, I no longer love you, no longer love you.”

‘Last Dance’ then follows, which is her recently released second single, and immediately brings in those Sharleen Spiteri-esque adlibs before her superb vocal range takes the song onwards and upwards.

Inspired and written the day after her hero Michael Jackson’s death and the public reaction that followed, this track has a synth undertone and powerful drumbeat to mark it out as a worthy second release.

After track three however this album begins to waiver in an attempted 80s throwback that has as much synth as it does violins.

Maguire’s website bio speaks of the fact that a lot of the tracks on this album were wrote in a day and the lyricism as a result here leaves a lot to be desired at times.

Take ‘Bullet’ as an example as she sings: “I was told a dead man was heavier than a broken heart, am I dead now, my heart sure feels heavy.” Maguire’s vocal is comparable to many an old powerhouse, Jennifer Rush comes to mind during this track, but the songs just don’t stack up.

In parts ‘Sweet Lie’ again is lovingly reminiscent of that Spiteri emotion as a soft drum beat, stripped back piano and harmonies follow her gently restrained voice before another limp, ordinary chorus, as she sings: “Out of sight out of mind, what a sweet lie.”

A sincere lack of imagination and that fight and rawness that pours from her press interviews is distinctly lacking on tracks like ‘You’re Electric’.

Although it has shiny synth, thickset drums and a pretty harp it is just full of cliché, it’s crying out for direction in places rather than, “You’re electric, I know lightning won’t strike twice in the same place, so lets run away.”

Tracks like ‘Break These Chains’ and title track ‘Light After Dark’ again have that rangy potential but lack a cutting edge chorus or anything to set them apart from the ordinary.

‘Aint Nobody’ is a moody synth-clad bluesy affair that is more Mortal Kombat theme music than catchy synth-pop as the droaning chorus repeats, packing no real punch.

The album is rounded off by a strange sort of plea in the form of ‘This Is Not The End’, which has a deep orchestral backing, prayer-like sound and although sung pleasantly has no other function than to make you question why it is on the album at all.

At the end of the day Maguire has a magnificent voice and range but a lack of imagination and catchy hooks on ‘Light After Dark’ makes her debut somewhat hollow as it seems something to be bought more to marvel at her vocal than at her music itself.

3/10

Also published www.virgin.com

http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/clare-maguire-light-after-dark

Album Review: The Shoes - 'Crack My Bones'

KICK OFF: The Shoes release their debut album

PARIS is the city of love but it’s not very often that the UK looks to the French for modern musical inspiration.

Parisian duo The Shoes are trying to buck that trend and ship their electronic Euro-beats over to British ears when their debut album ‘Crack My Bones’ is released on March 7^th 2011.

Their first single ‘Stay The Same’ is a dancy, cowbell-laden pop track with that Calvin Harris feel, particularly through the straight up vocal and high-pitched harmonies. It’s a great chirpy little dance-pop track that’s woody drum sections and catchy chorus are a great start to the album.

In the same vein ‘Cover Your Eyes’ delivers a dancy bass line and some nice touches, particularly the piano excerpts that brighten up the verses. A constantly pitched harmonised male vocal maintains that disco-pop theme, with some tinkly electronics added in that sound like they’re straight out of Streetfighter 2.

‘Hmmm’, your thinking, ‘sounds like a decent prospect’. Well I’m afraid to say from here on in The Shoes begin to lose their sole (apologies, it had to be done), especially as the first of three Bewitched Hands collaborations kicks in.

‘Time To Dance’ starts with some strange ABBA-inspired piano tinklings and a 70’s disco bass line that just doesn’t go away. Then it gets worse as the campness is accelerated by a Lazytown-style kids spell-along and a harmonised Eurovision vocal that grates straight from the off.

The other two of these collaborations aren’t much nicer with title track ‘Crack My Bones’, which sounds like a trippy Pet Shop Boys narration with unconvincing accents, and the Transylvania-inspired Cheeky Girls-fest that is ‘The Wolf Under The Moon’.

Featuring lyrics like, “Every night the clock stop in my room, it’s so far the wolf under the moon,” it’s hard to take seriously.

‘Wastin’ Time’, which is one of only three songs not to be a collaboration is a definite highlight however, with that Calvin Harris aspect returning, it’s chilled bass line, sleepy harmonies and pretty piano sections make it well worth a listen.

There is so much going on here however that it’s hard to tell if the tracks are from the same record.

‘Cliché’, which features CocknBullKid, is a great example of this with its weird bass line reminiscent of ‘Sweet Like Chocolate’ by Shanks & Bigfoot and a grating electro chorus.

Another oddball is the last track, ‘Investigator’, which is a near nine minute dance track with Empire of the Sun-like vocals but with drums straight out of ‘Wildboys’ by Duran Duran that are too much to bare.

Overall this debut is an odd mishmash of inspirations and collaborations that are often ordinary, although there are some redeeming features, but more often than not they are extraordinary for all the wrong reasons.

3/10

Also published on www.virgin.com

http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/crack-my-bones-its-the-shoes/

Same Old Story or Step Forward?

AFTER yet another disappointing goal conceded by Middlesbrough at the death, this time against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, you begin to wonder whether Tony Mowbray’s men are making that much needed progress.

The 92^nd minute Dele Adebola goal made it 14 points dropped by Boro after 84 minutes this season, which would have put the club in eighth place, three points outside of the play offs, and possibly in the FA Cup for at least another round.

Swansea, Preston, Burton Albion, Leeds, Doncaster and Portsmouth have all broken the team’s backline in the final minutes of games and with the club still just six points outside the relegation zone, it’s getting beyond a joke.

Boos rang out around the Riverside following Adebola’s smash and grab, and with dwindling attendances and lessening finances those Premiership giant killings are more than ever becoming a distant memory.

But should we be so downhearted after what was essentially a very good performance?

Mowbray’s men dominated possession, the shot count and looked by far the more enterprising side on a night when the defence had been decimated by injury and the midfield was not at full strength.

If anything, from a spectators point of view, Mowbray was a little naive in leaving the line-up, formation and general approach as it was for the final 20 minutes as Forest began to pile forward in numbers.

In fact it was only as the free kick that Adebola scored from was being taken, that Marvin Emnes and Maximilian Haas stripped off in preparation to come on and seal the victory.

The Boro backline has more recently been the focus of fan’s frustrations, with Seb Hines and Jonathan Grounds getting more stick than most, particularly after their last pairing in a back four when Boro let a 3-1 lead slip to go down 4-3 to Swansea City.

For the most part however, the pair dealt with seasoned Championship strikers, in David McGoldrick and Robbie Earnshaw, well although somehow the latter did win a few headers against Grounds.

This dominance was threatened by the aerial threat of Adebola however, who at 6ft 3in tall highlighted a lack of strength at centre back and to be fair to Mowbray, Haas doesn’t exactly look like the Terminator.

With options limited in defence, few could argue with the effort that was put in although this part of the pitch is clearly something in need of work.

Yet when Stephen McManus, Matthew Bates and Andrew Davies return, Hines and Grounds might be fortunate to feature on the bench.

Maxi Haas is continually being mooted as the perfect man to fit that centre back mould in recent weeks although his deal is understood only to run until the end of the season according to BBC Tees, with Boro having an option of a one year extension on that.

As a result Mowbray’s opinion of him at this point may well be an implication of whether he is likely to take up that option as Haas continues to look on from the bench.

However the front men, although hard working, could have been more clinical and killed the game off long before Forest equalised, with Scott McDonald and Leroy Lita among others failing to convert.

In all Boro scored just one of their 11 shots on target, as opposed to Forest’s three on target, which I suppose you could either put down to good goalkeeping or poor finishing on Boro’s part.

Despite this both McDonald and Lita’s work rates were fantastic although Lita’s at times frustrating approach of not playing to the whistle annoyed the home support, despite his uncharacteristic role as a header winning target man.

The 15,341 fans in attendance also gave a relatively good account of themselves, particularly during Boro’s more dominant stages towards the end of the first half and start of the second.

But understandably during the tenser moments, particularly during the first 15 minutes or so, the atmosphere resembled that of a reserve team match despite two staunch sections of diehards singing throughout at either end.

It is during these periods in games that Boro seem most vulnerable however, whether it be through conceding early, which the players seem to have a distinct lack of confidence in dealing with, or conceding late on when the opposition fans are willing their side on.

Whether it was the fault of Mowbray’s naivety, defensive frailty, poor finishing, good goalkeeping or wavering support, something that must be stressed is that this season’s objectives are now set.

Instead of there being a cheeky play off push in the making, Boro are all but certain to be in the Championship for a third season come May.

This period between now and then is vital in persuading the fans and players that next season will finally be Boro’s fight back year.

Time is running out on the club in terms of its fans’ patience, its ability to attract high quality players and quite possibly those underlying finances that the club are continue to be worryingly vague about.

One thing is for sure now however. That step forward will only come if Middlesbrough as a footballing town gets behind the Reds for the remainder of the campaign.

By next season, a stable line-up of committed and proud Boro players can hopefully turn that same old story into a different one entirely.

Also published on www.oneboro.co.uk

http://oneboro.co.uk/same-old-story-or-step-forward-03-03-2011-354.html

Live Review - Morning Parade

ON PARADE: Morning Parade on show in Manchester

CHURCH pews, multi-coloured chandeliers and burgundy walls welcome electro-rock five piece Morning Parade to Manchester at the quirky ballroom-esque Night and Day Cafe.

Vintage-looking picture frames and beams don’t initially strike you as the perfect backdrop for a fresh dance influenced band but blue fairy lights and spotlights attempt to make the group feel more at home.

Having recently signed to Parlophone, joining the likes of Kylie Minogue and Coldplay, and getting airplay on Radio 1, XFM and BBC 6 Music, expectations of the Essex natives are high despite an anything but capacity crowd of around 80 punters.

Prior to the gig only ‘Under The Stars’ has been released as a single from their as yet untitled upcoming album, with ‘A&E’ set to hit the shops on February 28^th.

As the nervous-looking fivesome stroll onto the slim line Night and Day stage, the waistcoat-clad lead guitarist, shirted bassist and singer set for action with his sleeves rolled up form a frontline of strings, as that familiar distant soft electronic start brings the mixed crowd alive.

Those there just to see what all the fuss is about are even nodding their heads in approval as the beat rises higher before jumping into the echoed yearning bass guitar rhythm at the centre of ‘Under The Stars’.

All of this is added to by a Foals ‘Spanish Sahara’-style bleeping accompaniment and lead singer Steve Sparrow’s polished vocals before a rocky interlude and final bit of chorus that couldn’t have opened their set in a bigger way.

After that tight opening song the stage then beckons for a sound man who’s out to solve the technical issues that Sparrow is already apologising about before the gleaming guitars and pulsing drumbeat of ‘Marble Attic’ urge the singer to stand in front of his mic in the heavier sections.

More problems coerce Sparrow into saying: “Ever feel like life’s f**king you in the arse?”, before a later admission that the band have never had a good gig in Manchester marks a strange rapport with the crowd who look bemused as the band sound tight.

For a group that has major label backing and have supported the likes of Feeder and Florence and the Machine, Morning Parade are a clean cut almost imageless set of mates that seem keen just to get on with the music.

Besides all this however, the band continue to power through with their set that rings of everything from My Chemical Romance’s catchy emo-rock and Angels and Airwaves’ big sounding symphonic indie.

Described as a band that are stadium rockers in the making by their supporters, a lot of their expansive tracks warrant that reputation and are in truth more suited to Wembley than a Mancunian cafe.

‘Speechless’ is a classic example of this with its heavy drum backing, soaring guitars and pretty piano that accompany Sparrow’s wide-eyed vocal that is more than up to the task as he brings the tempo down gently, singing: “I’m just speechless”.

And it’s not long before their second single, ‘A&E’, kicks into action with its vibrant bouncing guitar and familiarly atmospheric electronic background yearnings and a vocalist who at his best sounds like Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins.

But if anything this continuous use of keyboards, electronic organ chords and bleeps and beeps does make defining tracks individually harder and blends the set more than you might like as it goes on.

One black sheep in the set that signifies the stranger grating tendencies on the part of the group then follows in the form of ‘Your Majesty’.

Shadowed by an odd-sounding organ based dancy backing which sounds like something from an 80’s horror film or Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is added to by an uncharacteristic ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ guitar riff during the chorus that on the whole is hard on the ears.

‘Carousel’ then swiftly follows in emphasising Morning Parade-based frustration with dubbed in electronic claps and yet more random additions of feedback and electro sound effects over what is essentially a good guitar-centred track.

Before signing off with the slightly less electronic ‘Born Alone’ the self deprecating Sparrow says: “We’ll make sure we’ll be better for you next time,” which if anything ends the night on a low after what was for the most part a good gig.

And on the whole it’s not difficult to see why Morning Parade are being tipped for the top as they clearly have some fantastic mixed influences and ingredients, none more so than Sparrow’s standout live vocal.

But at points the overuse of echoed electronics make what could be great tracks become too layered and unnecessarily complex when Sparrow and those gleaming guitars are calling out to be centre stage.

Also published on www.virgin.com

http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/morning-parade-at-night-day/