A bit harsh methinks. As a musician and songwriter she is of course, superior to Britney. I am not really a fan of that pop-punk sh*te though e.g. Blink 182, Good Charlotte (deserving of death) New Found Glory etc; crap. But she's not a musician. And she writes only *some* of her lyrics (I think she was the lyrical genius that realsied "skater boy" rhymes with "later boy"). The fact that she/her management pretends she is a proper musician (eg "playing" the guitar in her first video) is pretty sad. Interestingly enough, her band seem to be fairly talented - on the Icons programme in question they eclipsed her totally. Agree wholeheartedly about all that pop-"punk" nonsense though.

I'll have to disagree with you there.....Britney Spears in baggy trousers, nothing more.

Icons was an embarrasment........Avril Lavigne doing Fuel? And Limp Bizkit doing Welcome Home.....graaah that was disgusting. Really is pathetic that Sum41 of all bands put on the best performance. Incidentally, my clothes aren't very baggy but my personal hygene may have been called into question before .

Yes he's Scottish (just like me!). Plays in a local band called Austin now.

A mate of mine was in Mogwai before they got signed. Boy, is he kicking himself now..........

No it's an instrumental from Ride The Lightning (waaaaaaaaaay back in 1984 when Thrash meant THRASH) that got altered practically beyond recognition for S+M.

St. Anger is ok.....I think. The songs are too long, which is something I rarely say; its just that they go on and on with the same riff for too long - Th Call Of Ktulu, Disposable Heroes and One are massive without seeming so. The drumming is suspect too at times - Lars Ulrich is a fantastic drummer, but it often sounds like he's just whacking a beer keg with a crowbar on St. Anger. Also, no solos? i'm one of the few that doesn't think much of Garage, Inc. Metallica were far better in the 80s, and I reckon their best record is the usually overlooked Ride The Lightning.

What gets me about Radiohead is the astounding arrogance of a lot of their fans. All other forms of music are looked down upon for not being "real" enough. I once heard the excuse that Kid A was terrible because "probably the best guitarist in the world started playing keyboard"

What he said. Well not anymore.

Sorry are you talking to me? As for NME, it has to be the most pretentious music guide in the world. The way it champions extremely dodgy groups who are in some way 'underground' is ridiculous. Anything that is anyway mainstream is looked down upon, no matter how good it is. Only the middle paragraph, I was talking to Cornawall with the first one, and just making a genral observation with the Coldplay bit. The NME's favourite-playing is nauseating Coldplay - second rate indie-pop band with a few (half) decent sings on the first album. As an aside, Chris Martin is a self important, pretentious @#/?. Strokes - a complete joke. Absolutely worthless. White Stripes - decent outfit. However the praise they get is ridiculous. Especially nonsense like saying (eg) the way the drums are so simplistic is designed to contrast with the <insert your own over the top adjective here> guitar to genius effect. I'd say its simply down to Jack White realising he needed a drummer for rythm and brought in his sister as a favour. But then, I am rambling. Etc Etc

Bloody hell, did he kill a nun or something?

What in the blue hell is going on with your post count Bryan old boy?

Hmmm I wouldn't really call Rage Metal and definitely not Nu-Metal (far, far too mature and distanced from the mainstream). I know I did hear a genre for them but it's slipped me mind. Matt - surely left wing activist is a contradiction in terms of some sort anyway? As for Coldplay............I've never been so underwhelmed in my life. Anything the NME jizzes over (Idlewild excluded) is always suspect.

Here's a question: if Audioslave are simply Rage with a better frontman (Chris simply has a better voice than Zack), why are Rage so much better? Hmmm.

Just picked up Rage Against The Machine's first album. What took me so long?

Bet gig? Hard to say. Probably Manic Street Preachers or Bon Jovi (go on, flame me, I don't care ). I'm hoping to put that right by seeing either Maiden or Metallica in the summer. And I get to see Chili Peppers in August, woohoo!

Never heard Live After Death or S&M have you? :'>

JJ72's new album is good - but not as good as the original. There's a bit more variety, and no unarguably garbage songs like Bumble Bee on this one, but there's less standout tracks. Formuale, Serpent Sky, City (sh!tty dance intro aside) and 7th Wave are all great. As for Idlewild, like I said, all three albums are very good. Some good songs to download as a taster, try: You've Lost Your Way You're So Fragile A Modern Way Of Letting Go When I Argue I See Shapes In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction Live In A Hiding Place

Hilary is stunning, but a pretty average bass player - if I remember correctly, she'd never picked one up before Mark asked her to join the band. There was never any danger of them splitting up over it. Still bloody annoying.

Try any of the Idlewild albums. Or JJ72.

Only in certian quarters. If they were to release a record of themselves farting into the microphone it would still go platinum and Kerrang! would still have them as "The most important band in the world today" or typical garbage like that. as it happens I've been deriding them (and the entire genre) from the off.

Hmmm I was sure you were a big fan of theirs the last time I savaged them . Oh well who cares?

No, that would be Linkin Park!

Don't get me wrong, I love Sabbath, but really, after the stand out tracks (Gasoline, Cochise, Set It Off and Show Me How To Live) the album fades into obscurity. Cornell is a great singer.

The three impatient years of wating for the new Maiden album (what the hell was Edward the Great all about, really?) are nearly over. Should be getting my Donington ticket soon. Also looking forward to Metallica's first album of new, self-written material for (count 'em) six years. Counting the fact that I have done everyting in my power to pretend the Load album didn't actually happen, that equals only their second record since the Black Album. Sad really. Lost Horizon's new album is fantastic, more of the same please. I've also finally got my paws on Luca Turilli's new album, but I've been somewhat dismayed to find a Techno influence running through it, which isn't cool. Metal-Orchestral-Operatic works, Metal-Orchestral-Operatic-Techno doesn't, let that be a lesson to you. Other stuff: Chili Peppers QOTSA (first album's superb) Helloween Rhapsody JJ72 Marylin Manson PS Audioslave have been a disappointment.