GOGOL BORDELLO - SUPER TARANTA!

Buy the album here

You really must check out anything you can find from this superb band.
What more could you want from a band than mental Gypsy punk music!?
errr nothing in my opinion...
I first saw them on some Glastonbury footage from this year. One of the best of a fairly tawdry bunch of bands on the bill. ( I can only take SO many Kaiser Chiefs songs before my ears start to bleed!)
They are certainly Clash influenced and rock out with the most enthralling vibrant sound this side of Hell.
I couldnt really tall you what many of the songs are actually ABOUT, but I don't think literal meanings are really the point.
They use all sorts of weird instruments - violins, ballalaikas etc as well as some superb guitar playing.
They are touring the UK later this year and I for one hope to check them out in Manchester in December.
AY!!!!!!!

The Thing About Syd - Radio 2 - Saturday 21st July 2007

In case you aren't in the UK, or you missed it, there was an hour long tribute show for Roger on BBC radio 2 this weekend
I for one really enjoyed it. It was smoothly and warmly put together, and didn't focus too much on the 'crazy' stories and shone more light on his creative side. ( which is certainly what he would have wanted - not that he enjoyed any of the fuss at all..)

While it was nice to hear from the Floyd members ( minus Roger Waters) I felt the focus was too much on them at the expense of other players in the story. It would have been nice to hear from people like Robert Wyatt and Duggie Fields who don't tend to get asked to contribute to these type of ventures.
It was nice to hear my Aunt Rosemary contribute, and I felt she gave a very warm insight into what for most is a very difficult story to understand.
When people hear that he didn't understand what all the fuss was about - he really meant it.
When you have given up on music for so long, it is difficult to see why people don't forget it and move on.
This is obviously far from the truth, and it seems interest is growing rather than diminishing.

I know the BBC are supposed to be making the show available online for a week, but they seem to be having some technical difficulties and there is no link that I can see.
You should be able to download the show from this link i have made and listen to it for yourselves.
( please do post any comments about it here for others to see)
Radio 2 The Thing About Syd.mp3