This year’s review is not really a review at all just a list of winners. Most years I ramble on and on but this year is different. Blame it on having too many kids, blame it on OFSTED, blame it on laziness…. I did consider not writing anything but then if I picked it up in future years there would be a big gap where 2014 should be!!! So here goes………….

BEST ALBUM:

2010: MITCHELL MUSEUM “The Peter’s Port Memorial Service”
2011: THE MINOTAURS ” Eat Yr Hate”
2012: THE WELLGREENS “Wellgreens”
2013: LANTERNS ON THE LAKE “Until the Colours Run”

This summer I stumbled across another Scottish band that I fell in love with straight away. Their new album became my album of the year. I give you the TWILIGHT SAD with their 4th long player; Nobody wants to be here and Nobody wants to leave”. Like Joy Division in kilts. Superb.

BEST TRACK:

2010: “Wreckin’ Bar”: THE VACCINES
2011: “Sold my Soul”: CATTLE & CANE
2012: “I Just Can’t Stop Thinking of You”: DEERHART
2013: “The Morse code for love is beep beep, beep beep. The binary code is one one” SWEET BABOO

This year’s winner has not even been officially released yet. It was a demo on Soundcloud that has been taken down. But we haven’t forgotten it. An absolute monster tune from THE CAROLS. The Carols? Yes, they used to be The Imagineers. Their track “Red Road” was a star that burnt very brightly but only very shortly. Where are they? When are they gonna do some gigs?? Soon, we hope!!!

GIG OF THE YEAR:

2010: Woodenbox with a fistful of Fivers/Washington Irving/Cattle & Cane @ The Westgarth
2011: Stockton Calling (Various venues in Stockton)
2012: The Lake Poets/Union Choir/Natasha Haws @The Sage, Gateshead
2013: Edwyn Collins/Fake Major @ The Westgarth, Middlesbrough

Gig of the year was also one of the events of the year. TWISTERELLA at various venues in Middlesbrough was a great day out. My second helping of FatherSon, Lilliput, Sweet Baboo, Woodenbox, Stanley Odd all finished off by a triumphant home town return of Cattle & Cane. Looking forward to next year’s already!!!!

BEST BOX SET:

2011: THE SMITHS: Complete
2012: THE JAM: The Gift box set
2013: VARIOUS ARTISTS: Still Mad At Me? 15 Years Firestation Records 1998-2013

Only bought one box set NME C86 the 3 CD version. Superb collection of real 80s indie!!!!

BEST TV PROGRAMME:

2011: This is England ’88
2012: The Olympics
2013: The Wrong Mans

We don’t watch much tv except football. This year there was a world cup. The winner? Brazil 2014. No competition.

BEST BOOK:

2010: “No Redemption”: KEITH PATTISON
2011: “Clough & Revie: The Rivals who changed the face of English football”: ROGER HERMISTON
2012: “Kimberley’s Capital Punishment”: RICHARD MILLWARD
2013: “Autobiography”: MORRISSEY

“The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins” by our most favourite author Irvine Welsh.

FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR:

2011: DEERSHED 2011
2012: DEERSHED 2012
2013: DEERSHED 2013

If it isn’t broke don’t fix it!!! For the 4th year running our favourite week-end of the year was spent in sunny North Yorkshire what with Johnny Marr, Withered Hand, Stornoway, ex members of The Fall, Dan Le Sac and loads more how could anyone compete. Actually, special mention must go to SPLIT FESTIVAL in Sunderland which was an excellent day out despite the rain. But DEERSHED #5 gets the gong again. Already getting excited about this year’s shenanigans!!

BEST VENUE:

2011: THE WESTGARTH SOCIAL CLUB in Middlesbrough
2012: THE WESTGARTH SOCIAL CLUB in Middlesbrough
2013: THE WESTGARTH SOCIAL CLUB in Middlesbrough

A venue we got to see the inside of for the first time this year was the new Leeds Arena. We had seen it from the outside every 2 weeks as we travelled to the match but we had yet to see what this magnificent building looked like on the inside. The Manics in March gave us the answer and what a great night it was. So good it wins the prize for this great new venue.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR:

2012: SAMUEL PEPE JEFFERIES
2013: KARL STRIKER

No winner this year. Sorry.

BAND OF THE YEAR:

2010: CATTLE & CANE
2011: WASHINGTON IRVING
2012: THE IMAGINEERS
2013: WASHINGTON IRVING

For the last 3 years our winners have come from North of the border and 2014 is no different. With a superb album; I Am An island and two great gigs in Middlesbrough our band of the year is FATHERSON.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2015:

The debut from Cattle & Cane!!!!!!! I have said this every year since 2010. It’s starting to look like Lee Mavers, Syd Barret and Lord Lucan are producing this long awaited debut. They say patience is a virtue well we all must be pretty virtuous waiting for this. Will it be worth it?? It bloody better be!!!!

That was what I wrote this time last year. And still we wait. I do have it on good authority that we wont have too long to wait. Let’s hope so.
New albums from Fake Major, Washington Irving, Woodenbox and Frankie & the Heartstrings. Lots of gigs to look forward to; The Twilight Sad, ForeignFox, Morrissey, Stockton Calling, the Deershed Festival and this year’s Twisterella, of course!!!

By peter on January 12, 2015