PJ Harvey - rocks
18th April 2008: Girls Don't Play Guitar
As a young Thom Yorke once told us - Anyone Can Play Guitar. According to a new report by the Institute of Education, however, that "anyone" is far more likely to be a boy than a girl. Of 5 to 16 year olds learning how to play electric guitar and bass, a staggering 81% are male - a bias that's almost as pronounced as the fact that 90% of harpists are ladies.
The gender split has led some commentators to expand on the theory of some mens' preference for oversized cars and speculate that there's some kind of sexual reason why instruments such as the guitar and tuba are popular with young men, while the piccolo is roundly ignored. Far more likely is the lack of female role models - an undeniable fact but a bizarre one considering how cool women look with a guitar. So, here's a quick survey then - who is the greatest female guitarist of all time?
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Quids in!
16th April 2008: Glastonbudget
If watching Jay-Z and The Verve from a mile away while caked in mud doesn't appeal, or if the credit crunch means spending £164 on a ticket is a bit too, erm, crunchy you might like to consider an alternative to attending this year's Glastonbury Festival. Although distinctly lacking in naked hippies, stone circles and bearded farmers Glastonbudget does feature an all-star musical line-up. All-star except that they're tribute versions of the real thing so instead of Oasis, The Kaiser Chiefs and Amy Winehouse you can sing-a-long while being rained on to Oasish, Kaiser Thiefs, Maybe Winehouse and dozens of other poorly punned tribute acts (sadly Razorlike aren't on the bill).
The three day event which takes place in Wymesworld in Leicestershire between the 23rd and 25th May costs a wallet-pleasing £47.50 but is ruined slightly by the fact that the real - and surprisingly still alive - Bad Manners headline the final night. As a protest I'm not going, although I am sending a tribute version of myself instead.
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Alex Turner - puppet
14th April 2008: The Last Shadow Puppets
Those thoughtful young gents from what many are labelling the best Arctic Monkeys side-project ever - Alex Turner and Miles Kane, aka The Last Shadow Puppets - have filmed four almost-acoustic versions of tracks from their much-anticipated new album. You can watch them all at www.theageoftheunderstatement.com, and marvel at the pair's fabulously identical hair, harmony skills and the most echo-laden guitar sound since Hank Marvin was a lad.
