Mike's Mad4these
Choice new music - w/c 30 Aug 10
1 - ROBERT PLANT Angel Dance new single 6 September 2010
2 4 JIMMY EAT WORLD My Best Theory new single 27 September 2010
3 5 THE WOMBATS Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) new single 27 September 2010
4 - BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB Rinse Me Down new single 20 September 2010
5 1 KATY PERRY Teenage Dream new single 30 August 2010 VIDEO
6 2 GO HOME PRODUCTIONS Smells Like Rockin Robin from the new 'San Francisco' EP VIDEO
7 3 MAROON 5 Misery new single 12 September
8 6 TOKYO POLICE CLUB Bambi new single 20 September 2010
9 7 LINKIN PARK The Catylist lead single from the new Linkin Park album 'A Thousand Suns' due 13 September 2010
10 8 EXAMPLE Last Ones Standing new single 12 Septmber 2010
10 10 DAN LE SAC & SCROOBIUS PIP with KID A Cauliflower new single VIDEO

UK Top 40 Sun 29 Aug 10
Eminem batters Iron Maiden to reclaim the UK's No.1 Album slot again while he's top of America's Singles for an umpteenth week with Rihannas help on 'Love The Way You Lie'. This song is a cross genre hit with it's 'burn the house down loving liars' lyric and surely will soon be top in the UK. Strange and a sign of the times that this week Eminem's record company scrapped plans to release a CD Single of the song.

So a new UK Number One Single from Taio Cruz with 'Dynamite' as Roll Deep falter fast and fall to 4 - the top ten now includes five former number ones.

The Top 40 has become a multi-national affair with France and Australia represented by David Guetta and Yolanda B Cool.... then there's Rumer (Sarah Joyce) of Pakistani origin new at 16, Rumania with Inna's 'Amazing' and Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina's 'Stereo Love'.... and surely for the first time a Rwandan Belgian is in the Top 40 - Stromae's (Paul van Haver) massive German No.1 'Alors On Dance' enters at 33 (and went down a treat after Hot Chip's 'Over & Over' last night).

10 new entries – 0 up, 28 down, 2 non-movers

This Week ... Last Wk ... Wks In ... Artist ... Title ... Origin

1 new 1 TAIO CRUZ Dynomite UK

2 2 10 EMINEM & RIHANNA Love The Way You Lie USA

3 3 5 FLO RIDA & DAVID GUETTA Club Can't Handle Me USA & France

4 1 2 ROLL DEEP Green Light UK

5 new 1 KATY B Katy On A Mission UK

6 4 8 YOLANDA B COOL & D CUP We Speak No Americano Australia

7 6 5 TRAVIE McCOY & B.o.B. Billionaire USA

8 new 1 BRANDON FLOWERS Crossfire USA

9 5 4 NE-YO Beautiful Monster USA

10 8 13 B.o.B. & HAYLEY WILLIAMS Airplanes USA

11 7 3 THE SATURDAYS Missing You UK

12 9 8 ELIZA DOOLITTLE Pack Up UK

13 12 5 SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA & PHARREL One (Your Name) USA

14 11 2 CHASE & STATUS with MALI Let You Go UK

15 10 5 THE WANTED All Time Low UK

16 new 1 RUMER Slow UK/Pakistan

17 14 2 INNA Amazing Rumania

18 13 10 KATY PERRY & SNOOP DOGG California Girls USA

19 new 1 AGGRO SANTOS Saint Or Sinner UK

20 15 7 JASON DeRULO What If USA

21 new 1 HURTS Wonderful Life UK

22 18 5 MAGNETIC MAN & ANGELA HUNTE I Need Air UK

23 20 11 EXAMPLE Kickstarts UK

24 21 6 USHER & PITBULL DJ Got Us Falling In Love USA

25 19 9 ENRIQUE IGLESIAS & PITBULL I Like It USA

26 16 3 TINCHY STRYDER In My System UK/Ghana

27 24 4 DJ FRESH Gold Dust UK

28 new 1 KE$HA Take It Off UK

29 17 4 THE HOOSIERS Choices UK

30 22 15 EDWARD MAYA & VIKA JIGULINA Stereo Love Rumania

31 25 7 MARK RONSON Bang Bang Bang USA

32 26 14 LADY GAGA Alejandro USA

33 new 1 STROMAE Alors On Dance Belgium/Rwanda

34 27 11 KELLY ROWLAND DAVID GUETTA Commander USA & France

35 28 14 EMINEM Not Afraid USA

36 new 1 BIFFY CLYRO God & Satan UK

37 30 18 TRAIN Hey Soul Sister USA

38 31 13 DAVID GUETTA, FERGIE, CHRIS WILLIS & LMFAO Getting Over France & USA

39 new 1 PRETTY RECKLESS Miss Nothing USA

40 29 3 ELLIE GOULDING The Writer UK

Usk Matrimonial

Posted Friday 30th July 2010 -
All the very best wishes to Liz & Chris, as we celebrated their wedding with them on Monday night at the wonderful Glan-yr-Afon House Hotel. Liz was one of the first to appear on this site back in 2003 when we'd regularly plaster physogs for free admission... in fact click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page for Friday 3rd October 2003 and our very first Xplosure Mad4it trio of customer pics.... and hey presto there's Liz...

also pictured back then is Tash from Red Dragon FM and Yves & Cath who now live and work in London... happy days.

Barfly Confirmed
Posted Thu 2nd Sep 2010 - Source - The Guardian
Confirmation has come today that Cardiff Barfly has closed for the last time. Many who don't understand the effort and costs involved in setting up a live music venue like Barfly will quickly disrespect it's virtues.
But the truth is that so many gigs are not financially viable unless the bill is built properly... hot NME bands who pull 5 people will have a dismal experience without a couple of local bands and fifty of their pals. The money making gigs and successful club nights make it possible to book the many deserving but lossmaking quality and new artist gigs.
"You gotta pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues and you know it dont come easy" noted Ringo Starr.
If your love of music is from the heart and soul, your love of music will remain... if money and power is your hearts desire best become a lawyer, banker or similar.
In 2002 Barfly was by far Cardiff's best live music venue opening every night with three bands per night yet still suffered the discrimination of losing what was a major if 'joke' Welsh Pop & Rock Award to it's main rival who put on substantially less live music that year.
Joe Public won't know that but I know that because I was there. It's an ever more common occurance in the Eastenders world that's being created around us.
If we think the recession is bad now... let's hear it for next year when the economic cuts really begin.

Blur are a Gas
Posted Thursday 2nd September 2010 -
It's surely Blur's biggest gig yet - a non stop revenue raiser on the British Gas switchboard - I'd love to know the size of the royalties. While you're waiting to be connected enjoy the repeated joy of the instrumental section of 'The Universal' - you could be there for hours. Any problems with British Gas? It might come in handy to talk to their head of marketing and quietly mention you can offer her/him some Blur goodies, pretend your Damon's brother/sister... you know, that kind of thing.

Beatles UK Final
Posted Wednesday 1st September 2010 - Source - The Beatles Bible
Did You Know The Beatles' final UK tour ended with two concerts at the Capitol Cinema in Cardiff. The date was 6pm Sunday 12th December 1965 and they had previously performed at the venue on 27 May 1963 and 7 November 1964. The four support acts were, in order of appearance, The Paramounts, Beryl Marsden with Steve Aldo, The Moody Blues, The Koobas and The Marionettes, and the compere was Jerry Stevens. 2,500 fans saw each concert, which lasted around 30 minutes. The Beatles performed 11 songs: I Feel Fine, She's A Woman, If I Needed Someone, Act Naturally, Nowhere Man, Baby's In Black, Help!, We Can Work It Out, Yesterday, Day Tripper and I'm Down. Between their two sets The Beatles ate sausages and mashed potato in their dressing room backstage, and watched a Western on television. During the second show a male fan appeared on stage and attempted to grab Paul McCartney and George Harrison. He was quickly bundled away by security staff and thrown out of the venue. After the concert the group piled into their black limousine to drive back to London to attend a Christmas party at the Scotch Of St James nightclub.

Blair Saved Us
Posted Wednesday 1st September 2010 - Source : BBC
It seems Tony Blair hung on as PM to save us from Gordon...
Our 'Tone's memoirs are published today with an illuminating insight into his thoughts on Comrade Brown
"having him inside and constrained was better than outside and let loose or, worse, becoming the figurehead of a far more damaging force well to the left. When it's said that I should have sacked him, or demoted him, this takes no account of the fact that had I done so, the party and the government would have been severely and immediately destabilised and his ascent to the office of prime minister would probably have been even faster."

Ex Cardiff Barfly
Posted Tue 30 Aug 2010 - Source : twitter
Despite recently investing in their best ever sequence of gig posters the Tweets are looking bleak for Cardiff Barfly with many indicating the venue has today closed without notice. "A sign in the window says the venue has closed down until further notice"... from Wales On Line Here's a not untypical Tweet from myraminhead - "bye bye cardiff barfly I'll miss the sticky floors, the disgusting toilets, and the smoke machines. also the emo kids who would queue up."

Stereophonics..
Posted Thursday 26th August 2010 -
If you're a Phonics fan you'll have 'Word Gets Around' and you'll probably seriously consider paying £26.99 to get the disc again.... 'Word Gets Around' is re-released on 18 October 2010 as a Deluxe Edition with a second CD including B-sides and rarities... and also a Super Deluxe Edition with a third CD which includes their original Grass Roots made in Charles Street, Cardiff. This demo got them the gig in Aberdare that put them in touch with their future manager John Brand... the man who would within weeks land them their deal with Richard Branson. Upon hearing these demo versions of 'More Life In A Tramps Vest', 'Looks Like Chaplin' and 'In My Day' one can immediately assert how important the availability of oodles of dosh is when making a demo in terms of production. The songs were there and assuming his managerial role John Brand put Kelly and Co. in touch with the new production team that made them sound like a Welsh version of The Jam. Stereophonics will be performing their first and second albums on consecutive nights at London Hammersmith Apollo on Sunday 17th October (Word Gets Around) and Monday 18th October (Performance & Cocktail). 'Word Gets Around' is our pick, the essential Stereophonics album with some wonderful new inclusions, check the HMV site here

America's Hot 100

This Week ... Last Week ... Weeks In ... Artist ... Title

1 1 9 EMINEM & RIHANNA Love The Way You Lie USA

2 2 12 TAIO CRUZ Dynamite

3 5 5 KATY PERRY Teenage Dream

4 4 15 ENRIQUE & PITBULL I Like It

5 7 6 USHER & PITBULL DJ's Got Us Falling In Love

6 new 1 LIL WAYNE & DRAKE Right Above It

7 6 17 MIKE POSNER Cooler Than Me

8 3 15 KATY PERRY & SNOOP DOGG California Gurls

9 16 5 BRUNO MARS Just The Way You Are

10 11 11 B.o.B. & RIVERS CUOMO Magic