Stuff Of The Year 2013

2013 is drawing to a close. And all the good stuff has been released, all the good gigs have happened. Except the Christmas themed stuff, and who cares about that, right?

Well, some less grumpy people do, but this here blog entry is about our ‘Stuff Of The Year’ which we did for the first time in 2012. Each category has a number of things shortlisted by us, but ultimately it is a public vote that decides.

There aren’t any prizes or anything. It’s something money can’t buy – huge wads of respect and kudos. This IS Rhubarb Bomb, afterall (i.e. we’re cheap). Though I guess we'd be daft not to put the winners on at Long Division next year. Because there are no sure things in 2014, I can tell you that now. 

For the albums and singles, the rule was that it had to be something we reviewed and to be honest we’ve not been as hot this year as before. So there are loads of great things that didn’t make the cut because of that. But still, pretty tough choices me thinks!

Here are the categories. Vote HERE. It only takes two seconds and it’ll mean a lot to the people involved.

Albums

Creature Feature – Piskie Sits (review)

Cyclone – The Michael Ainsley Band (review)

Moon Coastal Maine – Imp (review) 

Sometimes Lifes Cool – Mi Mye (review) 

Winner in 2012: Midnight At The Sycamore Lounge by St Gregory Orange

Singles / EPs

19 – Narcs (review)

My Cat / Fruit – Allusondrugs (review)

Two Hearts – Tiny Planets (review)

Vicugna Pacos – Fur Blend (review)

Winner in 2012: Spectemur Agendo by Various Artists (Clandestines, The Do’s, Fur Blend)  

Gig

Art Brut @ The Hop

Jamie Lockhart’s Holiday Fundraiser (inc The Old House)

Mi Mye Album Recording @ Long Division

Philophobia Fifth Birthday All-Dayer

Skaters (+ Blackeye, Forever Cult & Slugs)

Winner in 2012: Retarded Fish @ The Hop

Music Festival

A Carefully Planned Festival

Beacons

Crooked Ways

Live At Leeds

Y01 Festival

Winner in 2012: Beacons

Making Wakefield Better

A Night Of Enlightenment @ The Orangery

Plays & Pints

Unity Hall on Calendar / building begins

Wakefield Lit Fest

Wood Street Market

Winner in 2012: The Cribs Play Wakefield Theatre

Best Rhubarb Bomb Article

Another Failed FestivalApplication

How I Made DiamondStudios

Rites Of Passage:Corporate Festivals & High Street Music Chains

The Day The EDL Came ToTown

Winner in 2012: Anatomy Of A Gig

Best Long Division Performance

Ed Tudor Pole

Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel

Post War Glamour Girls

The Fall

Too Many T's

And there will also be our annual ‘Tru DIY award’ which is especially chosen by us…

Issue 4.2

 So…. We finally have a new issue out. We have called it issue 4.2.

On the front is RM Hubbert who, funnily enough played Wakefield last night. In fact it was the third time he has played Wakefield since Issue 4.1 came out, so that has worked out quite nicely. There is a big interview with the man himself, or more the story of us going up to Troon to see where and how he lives just days after being awarded the accolade of ‘Best Scottish Album 2013’.

Inside we have:

-          A great story by Anna Alpatova, who tells of her trip from Moscow to Wakefield to watch a band from New York called SKATERS.

-          A heartfelt ode to the wonderful Inns Of Court pub, by Antonia Lines

-          A musing upon the recent Will.I.Am anus scandal.

-          A ponderance upon the virtues of Glastonbury (which slightly betrays how long in the pipeline this issue has been, but is still great, so we kept it in) by the twin powers of Matt Abbott and Ralph Dartford who, coincidentally, will be performing at our Christmas show on Dec 15^th at The Hepworth as part of The Firm Of Poets.

-          Matt O Leary interviews Wakefield’s only skate shop, Division 24.

-          Clive Smith’s final column, submitted the day before his disappearance

-          An interview by Andrew Whittaker with James Atkinson of Gentlemans Pistols

-          A new section which is called the Letter’s Page, but actually consists of emails. But we used our skills to make them look like letters. Roland X answers some of the more bizarre mail we receive.

-          A tiny comic strip from Japanese based Wakefieldian, Chris Cooper

-          The official Long Division announcement.

-          And finally, the regular Roland X Follow The Drum column talks about how, if you want to ‘make it’ in music, you need to start putting the hours in.

Quite a bit when I list it out like that, isn’t there? So we’ll try get it to various places. FB and Twitter are best for knowing where and when. Enjoy, and if you don’t, send us a letter about it…