FEATURE PIECE :: COLOSSUS PT1

Current mood: BIG
Category: BIG Music

So, one thing i find very difficult is being pressured and forced.

It's a stubborness issue, indeed, some would say it's all in the stars, it's TAURUS!! You're a Taurus Paul, you're bound to be stubborn!! And maybe there's some truth in that, but my mum was born in July and she's exactly the fucking same as me in this regard, so maybe it's all a load of sacred bullcrap...

Anyway, since i started this blog and my 27 month adventure into music writing, there's only been one band who have really worked me into their hearts and this band are called Colossus.

I say worked - by this I mean they came after me and kept badgering me until they defeated the 'I'll take my own damn time' angle i dish out to most acts who approach with polite requests to consider their greatness....

Yes boss, the first thing I realised about this band is that these boys have determination and drive in abundance, and of all the boxes that need to be ticked to guarantee stardom in the music game, this is most certainly one of the most important..

Of course, by itself this trait can just be a hiding to nothing. A band also needs an image and an agenda and talent and most importantly (to me at least) some good musical ability...

So when I found Colossus had all of these, or at least the potential to have all of these, I became much more interested...

Yes boss, playing this band for the first time is deceptive.

My original thoughts were that they were a bit heavy and a bit discordant for my tastes. Rock is a dying art on Planet Paul Giovanni and something has to be very good to grab my goat and slaughter it.

But because Colossus bothered me, I listened a few more times and at a certain moment I realised that Melody was one of the finest rock pop songs I'd heard for a very, very long time...

Go take a listen, or maybe a few listens ...

Melody is simple, it has swagger, it has a tune, it's well worked, it's got energy and most importantly, it makes me think of big and successful rock bands...

Yes boss, put Melody on loud and you can imagine it being played in a stadium. Think The Stone Roses. It's a sound that's distinct and new and slightly awkward. The vocals are challenging, it asks questions....

But, like The Stone Roses it's gonna creep up, because you can't really locate it close to anything else and it simply sounds huge...


So, once Melody had clicked, I felt the need to talk to this band, to meet them and see how they shaped up in reality - was everything else in place?? Was Alan McGee after them or was he still obsessing over The Charlatans?? Could they walk it like they play and sing it???

I needed answers...

Thing is, I don't much like the idea of interviews. Asking idiotic questions, taping the answers then heading back to write them up seems like a wholly silly idea. But what else can you do???

Well, I figure the best way to get inside, is to spend some time with the subjects and get them to relax a little. To take a walk, have a drink, chat as if they were anyone else you might have met with whom you have mutual interests...

This is nothing new, it's how many journos work and in part 2. We'll go over what I found out....

Currently listening : The Stone Roses By The Stone Roses Release date: By 25 October, 1990