They come in many different forms. I’ve seen one in which a guy gets ‘born’ out of a cow’s ass, i’ve seen one that is the world’s biggest water slide and i’ve seen one that’s a mock up of Guitar Hero, but it’s on a bike (i havn’t explained that very well, i shall post the video below).

It’s hard to know how successful these campaigns are. The videos always seem really popular, but the product or brand doesn’t really get much of a mention. Ray-Ban are massive fans of the viral video and have made numerous, but you wouldn’t really know they are about Ray-Ban. It was only because i did some research that i found out the video was made by Ray-Ban.

Here’s a string of video, they’re always pretty entertaining :]

BIKE HERO – Viral for Guitar Hero

GLASSES TATTOO – Ray-Bay

MEGAWOOOSH – Microsoft Office

General Fiasco will be bringing their well groomed hair to Stiff Kitten, Belfast on Wednesday 13th of January. This is one of many special MTV Presents gig across the UK. General Fiasco have seen a lot of success in 2009 and this is a great kick start to 2010. Support comes from local acts, A Plastic Rose & Yes Cadets.

Tickets
Event
General Fiasco Website

General Fiasco – We Are The Foolish

As pubs go, the Front Page in Belfast is the stuff of legend. Long a mainstay of the underground punk and electronic scenes in the city, it’s fair to say that just about every band worth talking about has played there at some point in their nascent career. As promoter Ludwig O’Neill launches a new club/gig night called Come Together, we fired a few questions his way in order to get the skinny, and to find out how it fits in with the venue’s storied history.

Interview by Richard W Crothers

AU: Can you tell us a bit about the new night?

LO’N: The Front Page has always evolved over its long history as one of Belfast’s premier music venues, from a rock and blues theme in the Seventies and Eighties with bands like Katmandu, The Gents and artists like Maggie Toal and Rab McCullough, through a resurgence in the punk scene in the Nineties. The Come Together nights are probably the next step on that long journey, featuring a mix of live music and cool dance and rock tracks. The emphasis is firmly on a vibey, trippy mixture. The age range is very broad too, with 20-year-old hippy kids rocking out with the old heads. And you know, it works!

Where has the inspiration for these nights came from?

The idea of a great rock DJ night had always struck me as something I would love to do. A few years ago I was the singer with a band called The Bush Turkeys and sometimes before our gigs I would set up the old decks and spin a few heady rock tracks to get people in the mood. It worked really well and so I suppose I’ve always harboured that desire to do it again, only in a more focused form.

I also truly believe that there are lots of tracks that never get played at other club nights because either people never knew they existed, or the mainstream dance genres of those particular nights prove a little bit restrictive and dictatorial. I play anything if I think or indeed discover that it works. I also try to cover as many independent artists as possible – acts I have met through MySpace or on the local music scene. Some superb writers and performers are falling by the wayside through lack of industry attention, and while my efforts may prove to be a mere scratch on the surface, I still get a buzz when I play a local artist and then find myself having to field enquiries from people as to who they are and passing on their MySpace details etc. I always promote new, local, original music wherever I get the opportunity.

How do you find this music suits the setting of The Front Page?

The Come Together vibe is all about eclecticism, and The Front Page is in many ways similar to the old Rotterdam Bar, in that the two main ingredients that make up the building are loads of natural wood and Belfast brick. In my experience over years of attending both bars – and many other music venues – I find that when you get an organic structure that has evolved over many, many years and soaked up so many different sounds in that time, the reality is that when you turn those lights down and fill a few seats, ANY music that is complementary to the structure and atmosphere will work. For instance, we recently had Drumology, an interactive drum circle, as part of the live music. The audience were invited to take part in this very cathartic activity, and it was a superb success. I hope to make it a regular ‘once a month’ feature. The venue also has a great shape, almost circular, that you can walk right around and people seem to like that layout. You can wander off and chill and chat round by the bar or sit right beside the music and get rocked out – it is just perfect.

Where do you find you acts and have you any tips on getting a gig for this new night?

I have an extensive contacts list from 30 years of involvement in the NI music scene. I also try to stay in touch with new music through attending a lot of the open mic events in and around Belfast and when I ran the acoustic Sunday sessions in The Rotterdam for the last few years I added a spectacular array of artists from all across Ireland to that list. Some of the acts on a Come Together night would range from solo acoustic, electronic pop/rock, audience participation drum circles, to a full-on band. As long as it has a deep vibe then it’s probably going to work alright. Come Together is all about bypassing the diatribe of plastic, superficial, meaningless pop music that the current X Factor culture has been promoting. That whole ideology is misguided, exploitative and wrong. Come Together nights will always have ‘real’, original music – that’s going to be what makes us!

Anyone interested in a slot at the night can email Ludwig at ludwiginfo@yahoo.co.uk, approach him at a gig or leave a demo CD (with a performance video if available) at the bar for his attention, marked ‘Come Together’.

Building a house out of Lego pieces is no small task, but James May has convinced BBC producers that it will make great television. May, has begun construction on this time consuming adventure in Dorking, UK. Rather appropriate location. The temporary construction will host over 3 million pieces of Lego and May has decided to reside in the abode for a few days after construction is complete. The house will be equipped with a staircase, toilet and shower, but there is no mention of a kitchen.

These time consuming adventures can been seen on BBC’s James May’s Toy Stories. Another episode will take a look at the world’s first plasticine garden. You might be thinking ‘what’s the point’, well, there is no point, it’s just television.

For more pics and info click here.

Richard W Crothers

Since my first blog was a massive success, I thought I should follow-up with something equally as insightful. I figured I knew a way to please the people, give them something that they already thought was great. So I Googled ‘best music video ever’ and, from the hits, I clicked on the ‘MTV Top 100 Videos’ ever made. I saw ‘Thriller’ in at number 1. However, I didn’t want to blog about it, as it would have been no great surprise. Scrolling down, though, I see that ‘Smells Like Teen Sprit’ has captured the Number 3 slot. Initially, I thought that, ‘wow, it’s great to see Nirvana way up the chart’, but then it dawned on me, ‘what’s so great about the video!?’ NOTHING! There’s some slow motion grainy action from the band, some shots of cheerleaders and shots of people sitting on bleachers. I am one of the biggest Nirvana fans around, but come on, the video shouldn’t even be in the top 438. Tell us what are your all time favourite music videos over at the AU forum.

Here’s a personal favourite. I’m not a huge fan of the song, but it’s all about the video. Also, what’s the deal with YouTube. It took me ages to find this. It seems to be removing loads of music videos. So, I’m sorry about the bad quality of this video, It’s the only one I could find.

Having recently fallen into the arms of a coffee addiction, I seem to get drawn into anything coffee related. I bought a coffee machine, I’ve got a friend designing a coffee cup tattoo for me and I spend at least 30 mins picking out what coffee I want from the supermarket. Coffee is what I am all about. Looking for new music is also a passion of mine and when I came across a song called ‘Coffee’ you can imagine my joy. The band Motel Motel come from Brooklyn and have a Modest Mouse / Ryan Adams sound going on. ‘Coffee’ is a great song and I can’t wait to hear more. Join me on their MySpace after you have a listen to ‘Coffee’.