Setlist: Rage Against The Machine, O2, 8 June 2010

Zach De La Rocha, Tom Morello and the RATM crew brought the rock to the O2 in Dublin last night. According to friends of mine who were at the show, it was an amazing spectacle, and there were many highlights including 'Know Your Enemy', 'Bulls on Parade', and of course that Christmas Number 1 'Killing in the Name of'.

Setlist:
Testify
Bombtrack
Know Your Enemy
Township Rebellion
People Of The Sun
Bulls On Parade
White Riot (The Clash cover)
Guerrilla Radio
Renegades Of Funk
Sleep Now In The Fire
Bullet In The Head
Wake Up
---
Freedom
Killing In The Name Of

Watch Rage Against the Machine 'Testify' at the O2 in Dublin:

Live: Rage Against the Machine at the O2

Christmas Number 1 one-hit-wonders Rage Against the Machine - well that's what Simon Cowell would have you believe anyway. But rock legends RATM will be bringing their live show to Dublin's O2 on June 8th.

Rage last played Ireland in 2008 at Oxegen, and played a storming set. Tickets for the O2 show go on sale this Friday at 9, and cost €65.70.

Watch the band's encore at Oxegen 2008:

List: 10 Reasons not to buy RATM this Christmas

SimplyZesty's Niall made an article yesterday about the importance of Blockbuster posts on your blog. It's posts like these that get the most hits, and thus the most feedback and comments. This is what I hope this post to be. One of those that generates a lot of feedback (in this case, I expect a lot of you to disagree with me!)

If you don't already know, there's a battle, nay, war going on. For control of the coveted position of the Christmas Number 1 in the singles charts (in both the UK and Ireland). It's been trending all week on twitter, as music fans "angry" at te state of the charts today make a stand against Simon Cowell and X Factor. I'm here to ask you to put down your weapons mouse, and to not buy Rage Against the Machine's 'Killing in the Name' this Christmas. Here's ten reasons why.



1. It's a One-Week Thing
The Christmas number 1 single is only for one week. What will knocking Joe McElderry achieve? One week of dominance for RATM, that's it. Are the people who are out there buying their single going to keep on clicking and buying it next week? Somehow, I doubt it. At which point, Joe McElderry will be guaranteed top spot in the singles chart. Are you going to keep buying RATM or NIN or whoever every week to stop crap songs getting to number one? Not a hope. It's a good idea, but it's a one-week special offer rather than a complete overhaul of the charts.

2. Can you name any other of this year's number ones?
Face it, you're not the kind of person who listens to BBC Radio 1 or 2fm each week to listen to the countdown of the week's top singles. You probably couldn't name more than ten chart toppers from this year. Sure Lady Gaga and Rihanna must have been up there, but who else? It's not like the charts are something you've cared passionately about before. So why become a vegetarian just for Christmas when all that uneaten turkey is lying around anyway?

3. You're facing a losing battle.
Rage Against the Machine may be ahead of Joe McElderry today, but the gap is closing. Physical CD copies of the winner's single have gone on sale, which are sure to sell like hotcakes. Especially tonight and on Friday when people get paid from work and give their kids the weekly pocket money. Even with all this campaigning, I can still see Joe being #1 this weekend. The bookies are just being cautious. They're going to lose money either way. So of course they're going to stop taking bets.

4. It's more money for Sony.
That's not really sticking it to the man (or in this case: machine), now is it? Both Joe McElderry and RATM are signed to Sony, so all you're doing by buying Rage is lining the pockets of Simon Cowell's peers. You may be annoying him, but a hell of a lot of other "suits" are profitting from your campaign. Come to think of it, it may have been some clever intern in Sony that came up with the idea of RATMforXmas anyway.

5. Why Rage? Why not someone else?
Rage Against the Machine are a well-established band. How about next year, instead of this, we take some unsigned or unknown act under our collective wings and try to make them number one. Zach de la Rocha needs neither the money or the attention (although he has to be enjoying Christmas a little more than usual this year). Imagine what it would mean to some act that usually plays to a crowd of 40 in local pubs. That would really show Sony and the major labels. They'd get none of the profits.



6. Actually, you're giving Simon Cowell more money.
You may think you're actually stopping Simon Cowell and his SyCo label from making money, but actually you're not. Has your campaign stopped any teen from buying Joe? No, you haven't changed their mind. They haven't had that "eureka" moment, where they sat up and said "I hate this pop nonsense, how about some hard rock instead?". If anything, these people who bought Joe anyway may well buy a second copy of the single or maybe even a third to counteract RATMforXmas. And who gains from that? Simon and Sony.

7. It could be worse...
You may not think it, but there are far worse things that could be number one at Christmas. Remember Bob the Builder a few years back? Mister Blobby? Even that Gary Jules' 'Mad World' nonsense. But even the most fervent Simon Cowell/reality TV hater has to admit that Joe's cover of Miley Cyrus's 'The Climb' is a million times better than Nizlopi's 'JCB Song'. Has there ever been a worse line than "I'm Luke, I'm five, and my Dads Bruce Lee"?

8. This kid doesn't deserve it.
Simon Cowell may deserve your hatred and your outrage, but does the young guy actually singing the song? Definitely not. He seems like a nice fella. He's just trying to make a living, trying to follow his dream of being a singer. Have you heard him? He's actually a damn good singer. Not an entertainer like Robbie, or Zach de la Rocha, but a great singer. He doesn't deserve your anger.



9. It's not allowing RatM to progress.
Instead of going out and creating new music, which admit it, you'd love, Rage Against the Machine are resting on their laurels. This song that you want to send to number one this Christmas is an old tune: seventeen years old, in fact. If you really want to buy a Rage song, it should be a new one. Anyone who already likes Rage will definitely have a copy of 'Killing in the Name' already. Why do you need another? You don't. A new song would be far more interesting. That's what they should be doing instead.

10. It's Christmas, save your money
Christmas is a tough time for a lot of people. Not Zach de la Rocha, not Tom Morello, not Brad Wilk, not even Tim Commerford. They're all wealthy due to touring and back catalogue sales. Instead of spending 50p/60c/whatever on downloading their song, give it to charity. Those people deserve your money. Zach has enough already. Try www.concern.net, www.trocaire.org, www.oxfam.org, or perhaps even www.bothar.ie

Give your money to someone who deserves it this Christmas. Not Cowell, not de la Rocha.

Single Review: Joe McElderry - The Climb

Rage Against the Machine for Christmas number one? The early week indications aren't looking so bad, you know? They're ahead in a few places (Amazon, iTunes all due to mp3 downloads), but when the physical CD from the X Factor winner is released on Wednesday, it'll be a very different story. Expect them to fly off the shelves to be buried deep in stockings on Friday week.

'Killing in the Name Of' won't be number one, nor will the Muppets covering 'Bohemian Rhapsody', so I thought I'd take some time to have a look at, and a listen to what will be the Christmas Number 1 for 2009.

Some people have said "who cares about the Christmas number 1 anyway?" Obviously a lot of people do, as evidenced by the facebook RATM campaign, and the fact that Joe McElderry will go on to sell nearly a million copies of his debut single, 'The Climb'.

I listed the original version of the song as one of my top pop songs of the decade, and rightly so. It's not a song aimed at those of you who love the anti-war lyrics of Rage and the growl of Zach De La Rocha, it's aimed at tweens, teens, and mums. If you like Westlife, you probably love Joe McElderry, the cutie-pie dimpled teen who won this year's X Factor with almost two-thirds of the final vote. Sunday's final had ten million votes or so, which means almost seven million of those were for GeordieJoe [sic]. Say half of them rang in twice for him, bringing that number down to somewhere nearer five million (before you correct my maths here, by half I mean 50% + (50%/2) = 75%, which I then rounded down, just in case they voted a third time). If one in five of those then buys the single, it's a definite number one. Any week of the year. The phonecall itself cost 80p, and the single £1, so I'm being very conservative. Forget about Rage Against the Machine, Joe McElderry will be number one. Definitely.

But is the song any good? Sort of. It's probably better than runner-up Olly didn't win and have to sing it, it's not his kind of tune (he'll be dancing up the charts next year, mark my words). Joe's version is everything you'd expect it to be. As clean and toothpaste. Joe is a return to the non-threatening High School Musical ideals rather than 2008/9's weird Twilight phenomenon with its sexual undercurrents.

Joe, whose sexuality has been of much interest to the internet (and gossip magazines), is almost asexual. He's non predatory, the kind of guy your grandmother would like. A total softie. Don't get me wrong, he seems like a nice guy, really humble and grateful, but his imminent Christmas number one suffers because of this: it's decidely middle of the road. Even when the choir kicks in at the end.

I never thought I'd be saying this, but Miley Cyrus's version is better. Much better, a million times better. Her voice isn't as polished and smooth as Joe's (who is always note perfect, check out his performance after the results where he came back perfectly despite being interrupted by the awful Rachel Adedeji). Miley has a gruff, raw edge to her voice which really brings something to the song - about a difficult journey - something you can believe she has had. Joe's most difficult journey on the other hand was probably down to the shop and back in his hometown of South Shields.

Judge Dannii Minogue said about his performance on the night "It was a beautiful performance and it was effortless. it was beautiful. Something happens when you hit those top notes... I get tingles." For once, Dannii is totally right, she didn't realise it, but she's right. One word: "Effortless". That's what the song lacks. Urgency. It's a great song, fantastically written, but Joe's take on it is just too easy. It's like being massaged into submission. But then again, that's what a lot of people want. A young sexless crooner for the masses? If he doesn't find some edge with his next few songs, and with his album, that's what he'll be. The adoptive child of Daniel O'Donnell and Cliff Richard.

Watch Joe McElderry singing 'The Climb' on Sunday's results show:

Setlist: Rage Against The Machine, Oxegen, 13 July 2008

Zach De la Rocha, Tom Morello and co. brought the 2008 Oxegen Festival to a close with fan favourite 'Killing in the Name Of'. The rest of the set was damn good too, and many eardrums were probably burst with the shear power on display from the band who reformed just this year. Zach talked little (he's noted for being a bit of an oddball), but with music this tenacious, who needs talking?

'Testify'
'Bulls On Parade'
'People Of The Sun'
'Bombtrack'
'Know Your Enemy'
'Bullet In The Head'
'Guerrilla Radio'
'Calm Like A Bomb'
'Sleep Now In the Fire'
'War Within A Breath'
'Killing In The Name'

Also played 'Ashes in the Fall', 'Freedom' and 'Born of a Broken Man'. I didn't see RATM, so I got the setlist from NME. Sorry guys.

Here's a tiny clip from Niamh on Youtube:


Some dude says in the comments that he cried afterwards. My Lord.