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Month: December 2017

Live Review: Happy Mondays at Academy

In 2012, Shaun Ryder mentioned in an interview with Philip Schofield on This Morning that when the Happy Mondays reformed their original line up (Shaun Ryder himself on vocals, Mark “Bez” Berry on percussion, Paul Ryder on bass, Mark Day on guitar, Gary Whelan on drums, Paul Davis on keyboards, who apparently left in 2015, and Rowetta on female vocals) ‘it was just like the old days but without the madness’. Although I have never actually been to a Happy Mondays gig previously, their performance did seem slightly toned down. Personally, I thought the absence of the ‘madness’ was noticeable. With nothing to compare it to however, my opinion on that may be completely irrelevant. This did not stop either myself or the audience from enjoying the gig though. Jon DaSilva, formerly a resident DJ at the Haçienda, acted as their support act. Playing hits like ‘Dennis and Lois’, ‘Loose Fit’ and of course ‘Step On’, the band graced the stage for about an hour and a half as part of their 30th anniversary tour. Bez made an appearance (I say ‘appearance’ – he was present for the entire concert), swaying around the stage, maracas in hand. Rowetta provided additional vocals for certain songs. They played a vast range of tunes from their rather established 30 year careers. The crowd loved it when the band played their most famous songs, ’24 Hour Party People’ and ‘Step On’. People were sat on others shoulders, dancing, clapping and singing along to the iconic lyrics of some of Manchester’s best music. It really was a great experience, one which I might get to relive one day – maybe they’ll return to the Academy eventually? The Mondays were pioneers of rave culture in the 1980s/1990s, most notably at the Haçienda, and in my eyes (and I’m sure in many others too) they still are. They are on tour until late December, playing the final date of their tour in Glasgow on the 23rd.

Sophie Nebesniak for Fuse FM

 

 

 

News Around Fuse #2

Hello again readers! Once again it’s been a busy fortnight for Fuse FM, with our hard-working volunteers turning out some great radio – ‘The Review Show’ reviewed some killer new tracks, ‘Ben And T Shouldn’t Have A Radio Show’ had listeners laughing at an alarming rate, and ‘First Light’s Mixtape Monday’ once again served up an amazing musical mix. Remember to head to TuneIn.com to catch these shows and more, seven days a week.

Away from our live shows, ‘Laughing Hz’ made it’s podcast debut recently, and the ‘Mancunion Sport Podcast’ kept us up to date with what’s happening on the pitches and courts of Manchester, and ‘Take Three’ told us what to see at the cinema. Head over to our Mixcloud page to see what all the fuss is about.

Elsewhere, the wheels are fully in motion for Fuse’s next event: Feijoa. This takes place on 5th December at Cubo Fallowfield, from 10 pm to 2 am. Some of the best student DJs in Manchester will keeping the party vibes flowing, so come down on Tuesday to get your groove on.

Lastly, our first reviews of live events went up this week, with our two Jacks (Walker and Palmer) looking at the latest Warehouse Project nights and how our old friend WHP is still going strong, eleven years on. You can check those out on the reviews section of our site.

Fuse will be taking a break for the end of semester one, but you can still hear the best of our podcasts and shows over the Christmas holidays. The next News Around Fuse will be released in 2018, so from everyone involved at Fuse we thank you so much for listening in this semester, and we can’t wait to start up again in February, it’s been a pleasure.

Once again, don’t forget about Feijoa on the 5th December, and we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from Fuse FM!