Jack’s Mannequin live review

Andrew McMahon. Photograph by Brooke Charlesworth

As I stand in the crowded room at the Manchester Academy, I remember why it’s called an ‘intimate’ gig. The place is heating up already and I can feel strangers’ arms touching mine, reaching out with cameras and pulling off jumpers. But tonight there is a distraction from my claustrophobia.

Looking back to 2002, floppy-haired Something Corporate frontman Andrew McMahon was at the top of his game. ‘Punk Rock Princess’ had just become a hit in the States, as well as hitting the UK rock charts – hard. Without a care in the world, Andrew was like a child; singing songs about growing up in America and the girls he didn’t like.

Then, suddenly, everything changed.

Spotlight on: Finley Quaye

His father is jazz legend Cab Quaye. His Godfather is Duke Ellington. In 1997 he won a Mobo award for best reggae act, and a year later he was picking up a Brit award for best male singer. He has a multi-platinum album under his belt, and he’s toured the world. And now, he’s sitting opposite me on a picnic bench outside the Sheffield Academy, smoking a joint. Finley Quaye is not what I was expecting, at all.

When I’d first arrived at the Academy to meet him, dead on 5 o’clock, he hadn’t been there. I called him up.

“HELLO! HELLO!” he had yelled, in a sort of Essex-ish accent (this, I certainly hadn’t anticipated).
“Hi Finley, it’s Brooke Charlesworth here, just letting you know I’ve arrived for the inter…”
“I’M ON THA RADIOOOO! CALL ME BACK!”
And with that, he was gone.

Fall Out Boy launch video game

Not doing too well.

From the makers of ‘The Emo Game’ comes ‘Fall Out Boy Trail’ – an addictive online video game based on ‘Oregon Trail’.

Despite being similar to Oregon Trail in its old-school graphics and general objectives, there are some major changes which have been made to suit the fact that… well, the game’s based on pop-punk band Fall Out Boy.

Instead of landmarks, you hit US cities, playing shows and making money in Guitar Hero-style mini games.

No surprises at Shockwaves NME awards

Tonight is the night where trendy indie bands nationwide either celebrate or wallow in their own self-pity after this year’s NME award winners are announced.

If you missed the ceremony, don’t panic – yes, Kings Of Leon did win Best Album, and yes, MGMT did win Best New Band, and yes, White Lies made a special guest appearance. But one thing which did utterly catch me off guard was the one award I’d never noticed before; the Godlike Genius award.

Songs of the week

With so many new artists emerging thanks to the wonders of Garageband and the social networking revolution, it’s hard to keep track of what’s hot and what’s not. Here are MusoNuso’s top three tracks you absolutely must hear this week.

Blink are back

Yes, you heard correctly – Blink182 are back, and with a vengeance.

The princes of punk pop, who announced their hiatus in February 2005, hinted at a reunion at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. After weeks of rumours and speculation, it was finally made official in a statement issued after the award ceremony, as well as in a message on their official website which reads:

‘We’re back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy.’