Well, way back in the sands of time, or last October to be precise, I began chronicling my progress in visiting over 180 pubs in Brighton and Hove in my adult life to date so far. In my first instalment, I cast both a critical and whimsical eye over 40 pubs in Brighton's Hanover and Seven Dials areas, the 2 main areas in which I have lived my 32 years to date. However, I never returned to speak about the other 140 joints I have visited and to tell some of the tales from those liquid inspired journeys.
Should you wish to recap on the first part of this guide, this can be read by following this link - http://joeinbrightonblogs.blogspot.com/2010/10/good-pub-guide-part-1.html
Before I move on to speak about the second batch of pubs I have visited, which will focus on pubs in Brighton's North Laine and Lewes Road areas, there is a stop press to the first article as I subsequently visited another pub in one of the areas I reviewed. This wasn't just any old pub either, but one of Brighton's most well known boozers which had rather curiously escaped a contribution from my wallet before. I am talking about the favourite haunt of the ale connoisseur, The Evening Star.
Let's start with a swift half at the Evening Star before walking down the road into North Laine to continue this epic nostalgia trip.
41. The Evening Star
It is not often that I remember the exact date that I popped my cherry at a particular hostelry, so to speak. However, I can remember with great clarity the date when I finally set foot in the Evening Star after well over a decade of unintentional avoidance. Saturday 31 October 2010. Halloween to the witches and warlocks of the world. Kerching Day to retailers of white sheets and 'Scream' masks. I had been out for a few pleasant drinks with an old acquaintance during which we watched our respective favoured football teams play one another. I had more reason to be pleased with the outcome than he, but afterwards we pitched up at The Evening Star for some post-match refreshment. As a debutant at Brighton's most well renowned specialist ale establishment, I was keen to test out some of the house ales. But I was constantly distracted by some of the fellow customers' choice of seasonal attire, with hair of different colours, bulging eyes and fangs all on display. I was going to say that was just the bar staff, but that would be slanderous!
Memories of what drinks I actually did purchase that evening are a little bit hazy, but I think I may have gone for a dark stout (kind of along the lines of Guinness) followed by a pale, slightly fruity ale before deciding to call time and head home to rest my weary napper. In summary, the Evening Star was a small but very vibrant pub with plenty of character and characters in attendance. The in-house ales remain its unique selling point and while these are an acquired taste depending on the beer-holder's taste buds, they are definitely worth sampling at some point. I hope not to leave it for another 14 years before visiting again. Rating 7/10
NORTH LAINE
42. The Prince Albert - One of Brighton's most renowned music venues, The Albert is famously located at the very top of Trafalgar Street, just before the railway bridge leading up to Brighton Station. In recent years, the side wall has been decorated with an ever expanding collection of street artwork. This started with a portrait of John Peel, paying homage to both Peel and to the venue's commitment to showcasing alternative music, before latterly seeing further artwork depicting George Best and recently a Banksy entry showing two policemen kissing. This all adds to the Albert's slightly arty image, embraced by its clientele. The biggest selling point for the venue is its upstairs live music room, with local bands performing there on at least two nights of the week. This is where local bands such as The Levellers and Kooks performed in their formative days. On such nights, an upstairs bar is often also opened to save the inconvenience of popping downstairs for a refreshment between songs. In truth, if you strip away the music, The Albert is a slightly dingy and ordinary outfit and the drinks are not the cheapest on offer in the city. But there is a vibrancy about the place on a music night with people able to drink outside on the street, giving The Albert a strangely continental feel on such occasions. If you like live music, there are few better places to attend in the city. Rating 6/10
43. The Lord Nelson - At the last count, there were 4 pubs and 1 bar on Trafalgar Street in Brighton, all of which are completely contrasting in clientele and character. If the revolution was being planned in the Albert, then it would likely disturb the peace at the Nelson. Another one of the Harvey's pubs in Brighton, the Nelson is generally a more sedate, traditional ale drinker's haunt with an unusual layout. The front end of the bar is very cramped with just a couple of 'snugs' where people can be seated. This means it can be a Goldfish Bowl on a Saturday when it is a popular pre-match meeting point for Brighton & Hove Albion supporters. Round the back of the bar, however, there is further seating and there is also a heated patio beyond these seats. Getting a seat on weekend evenings can sometimes be troublesome, but in the week it generally tends to be a spit and sawdust convention popular with some older, eccentric characters. If you are one of those sorts of people that bemoans the lack of classic watering holes that have been replaced by trendy wine bars, then the Lord Nelson will be up your alley. It is a no-frills venue with no gizmos or gadgets, but it is all the better for that, although a lick of paint wouldn't go amiss. Rating 7/10
44. The Great Eastern - As the name might suggest, this pub which is over 200 years old, has close links with the railway which traditionally provided the pub with a good number of its regulars, helped by its proximity to Brighton Station. The pub is situated towards the bottom of Trafalgar Street and much like the Nelson is a largely unspoilt drinking hole. The pub has very narrow gangways so swinging a cat on a Friday night would be a problem for those short of feelings for felines. But that does not detract from its charm. It is a few years since I last paid a visit, but I have fond memories of nights of debauchery in my 20s that started in this pub. There was an old railway bell prop situated next to the bookcase at the back of the pub which of course was rung many a time by my posse because, like Mount Everest, it was there. Hopefully I will return one day without auditioning as a campanologist. Rating 8/10
45. The George - Directly opposite the Great Eastern is The George, noted as the gastro-pub of choice for those of a vegetarian persuasion. Not being a vegetarian myself, I tend to head elsewhere for a pub lunch, but nonetheless I have sampled The George's food on a few occasions and have to say that it is quite nourishing. You certainly cannot complain about the portions. The pub has had a lick of paint over it since I last attended, but the pub is largely unspoilt. More spacious than the other pubs on the same street, it can sometimes suffer from being deserted during the week. Back in the day, it used to run a tricky pub quiz on a Sunday night, although I think this was discontinued some time ago. Nothing particularly wrong with The George, but nothing outstandingly right either. A tiny bit bland, but you can do worse. Rating 6/10
46. Room 101 - An Orwellian inspired, former trendy bar that was found on Trafalgar Street and which has now been 'The Golden Dragon' Chinese restaurant for pushing on for a decade. Only went there once when I enjoyed a fun night out with some university friends in the autumn of 2000. The night was enjoyable more for the company, than the location. Rating 4/10
47. More Bar - I have vague recollection of staggering into this joint late at night on a works drinks expedition some Friday night about 4 years ago and I think shots might even have been consumed. Other than that, I have little to recommend or to deter you from the place due to my lack of memory of the evening. Rating 5/10
48. The Office - Back in days of yore, this pub was the notorious 'Green Dragon', one of Brighton's oldest pubs and also one of its most troubled, as it had once been the scene of a murder. When a new brewery chain took it on, they felt that a rebranding was the order of the day and so it became 'The Office', presumably to appeal to the male clerical worker who could always tell his loved one that he still had business to attend to at the office. After work drinkers seem to be its main clientele, but otherwise this is quite a soulless pub, out of keeping in a location that is slap bang in the middle of one of Brighton's most colourful and bohemian backstreet thoroughfares. For colour and humour, visit the fancy dress shop next door. Some of the wigs are probably cheaper than a pint at The Office as well. Rating 4/10
49. Basketmakers Arms - If you were to peruse the pages of the latest Real Ale Guide, the chances are that this pub would post one of the highest scores in the Brighton and Hove area. There is good reason for this, which is that the pub, owned by Youngs these days, is very much a paradise for the ale drinker with a number of local ales available on tap inside. It is also situated on Gloucester Road, a road that is something of a hidden gem in North Laine in comparison to the noisier and busier parallel roads of Trafalgar Street and North Road. All good so far, but the Basketmakers is a tiny bit underwhelming for me. It certainly isn't short of patronage and it makes for a lively atmosphere on most nights of the week, but especially at weekends. But if comfort is your thing, this pub isn't necessarily for you. The pub can get very cramped and this sometimes means having to drink outside when it gets very busy, and in the absence of a beer garden, this means hanging out in Smokers' Corner and taking the inhalations associated with the product. Not a bad pub by any means, but just not as good as it likes to think it is. Rating 6/10
50. The Eagle - Almost opposite the Basketmakers is the Eagle and it is not just the side of the road on which it is diametrically opposed to the Basketmakers. The Eagle is the original name of the establishment, which it reverted back to around 10 years ago after having been renamed 'The George Beard' for a number of years, during which time it had been owned by the same brewery as the Basketmakers and therefore also enjoyed a similar clientele. Perhaps sensing that there were only so many ale drinkers to go round in the vicinity, the pub rebranded upon gaining new ownership and became something of a student friendly joint. It also gained notoriety for its in-house bakery, although I think this may have now closed down following a subsequent refurbishment, which has also seen the atmospheric fish tanks removed. Back in those glorious, halcyon days of 2003, I attended a pub quiz on a Monday night there for a while, which very much tapped into its student customer base. This excursion stopped after a couple of months, not helped by the price of drinks. Inflation has naturally driven these prices up still further since, and is one of my major criticisms of a pub that has the potential to be far better than it is. It is not an easy place to hold a conversation in either, even on nights when it is sparsely attended. Rating 5/10
51. The Pond - Further up Gloucester Road, this small pub is situated round the back of Royal Mail's sorting offices and so consequently is a popular haunt for posties finishing their shift. I have only been to the pub on a couple of occasions when with friends, but due to the size of the pub, it is one of those places that you would only go to for a couple of swift halves before proceeding to the next port of call. Still, it is a pleasant and hospitable enough place and with a small courtyard for outdoor drinking on a summer's day. Not that you tend to get much people traffic to observe walking along the generally tranquil Gloucester Road. Rating 5/10
52. Three Jolly Butchers - Another small pub, this time in the next street along, the far busier North Road. This pub has a thriving lunchtime trade, helped by having an adjoining deli bar to deal with the lunchtime sandwich orders. The pub itself is also popular at lunchtime, with workers from local office blocks attending to have a liquid lunch. I can vouch that the food menu is impressive and the quality of service is also good. Outside of the lunch hour, it is a pub that you would again classify as a place to stop off for a quick drink before going somewhere with more hustle and bustle, but 3JB is an unpretentious and friendly pub that does not pretend to be anything it is not. Rating 7/10
53. Heart & Hand - One of the United Ales chain's pubs, complete with the distinctive green brick exterior. This pub is something of a retro music haunt frequented by 60s swingers and hippies, as well as the city's younger wave of musicians and poets. This perhaps should not come as a surprise given that it is situated next door to the local guitar and keyboard shop. The pub is small, but perfectly formed with a laid back ambience with some further seating outside. I have only visited on a couple of occasions, but this is not a negative reflection of the place. Rating 7/10
54. Fountain Head - A fairly recent addition to the local pub trail, the Fountain Head is a curious fusion of a homely, traditional pub and a modern, thriving gastro-bar. On a cold, autumnal evening, it is the perfect place to seek sanctuary to luxuriate on the comfy sofas in front of a log fire. In the summertime, there are outdoor benches to take in the rays. There is also an extensive food menu, provided at reasonable prices. If only the same were true of the drinks, not a huge amount of options and some very steep prices. Guinness was nearly £4 on my last visit, which even by Brighton standards is expensive. The Fountain Head is certainly a nocturnal establishment, generally always busy after dark but deserted in the daytime. Gripes about the price of grog aside, it has a lot going for it, especially for a comparative newcomer. Rating 7/10
55. Earth & Stars - There are two features about this pub which make it stand out from the competition. Firstly, it is Brighton's premier organic pub, with the vast majority of its on tap beers and lagers being organic. Secondly, it has 2 chalkboards outside which are personified with regularly chalked comments on upcoming events and even the weather. Given this undercurrent of quirkiness and humour, you would expect the Earth & Stars to be one of the top pubs in Brighton. Yet, beneath its quirky and charms and sound principles, the Earth & Stars is a little disappointing. The novelty of organic beer somewhat wears off if you are not naturally inclined to drink that on a regular basis. The non-organic options are limited. It is also a small venue, so not the place to go if you want the guarantee of a seat. That said, you will usually find the place packed to the rafters towards the end of the week, which is usually an encouraging sign. Rating 5/10
56. William the Fourth - Named after a monarch that resided in the Royal Pavilion just down the road, William IV is situated on the corner of Church Street and Bond Street and is somewhat against the grain in that corner of town in that it is a very old fashioned spit and sawdust pub, both in its outward appearance and its clientele. The net result of this is that while other pubs in the area come alive at night, this place is deserted, while in the daytime it has its locals that support it while other hostelries are short of punters. The pub itself is decidedly dull and a little bit antiquated. As such, I would advise visiting some more vibrant outposts in the vicinity before stopping off here. Rating 4/10
57. The Mash Tun - Previously went by a far more sober pub name, the name of which escapes me, The Mash Tun rebrand occurred in the late 1990s in order to attract a younger core customer base. Despite the aberration of a name, or maybe because of it, The Mash Tun has become an iconic city centre pub in just a few years with the city's professionals and students both regularly patronising the venue. The Mash Tun isn't just a 'yoof' pub though and there is something here for most drinkers. It is a popular start of evening venue to go for quick drinks, especially given its proximity to The Dome and Theatre Royal, or it can be a place to stick around for the duration. Some enjoyable evenings have been spent at the Mash Tun and as with its next door neighbour Fitzherberts, it is an ideal place to people watch if drinking outside. Can get quite busy and crowded at weekends, so worth getting to early in the evening, but overall there is much to recommend about the Tun. One for the shortlist. Rating 9/10
58. Fitzherberts - Literally next door to the Mash Tun, it makes you wonder how anyone allowed two competing pubs to be housed next to one another. I have frequented Fitzherberts on far fewer occasions than its neighbour, although they unsurprisingly have a lot in common. Not the largest of pubs, but there is plenty of space outside to drink, which is a popular choice in the summer months. In my experience, Fitz's doesn't quite have the same level of atmosphere that the Mash Tun enjoys, but it is still in a prime location and has buckets of vibrancy. Worth a visit. Rating 7/10
59. The Waggon & Horses - Across the road from the Tun and Fitz's is the Waggon & Horses, which I think previously went by the name of 'The Volunteer' back in the sands of time. This is a good place to go for a large gathering due to the extensive outdoor seating, which often leads to people drinking their pints in the street, much as you might expect to see on continental Europe. A word of warning though, get there early. When planning a recent leaving do from my workplace, this seemed like a prime location, but even by 4:30 in the afternoon, all the outdoor seating was taken and this did not abate even 4 or 5 hours later. The inside to the pub is restricted for seating and is generally deserted when the weather is glorious other than at the bar. Has a more traditional feel than some of its neighbours and is largely a no-frills pub, although it does retain a jukebox in the corner. How so very 2001! Not a pub that gets huge fanfare, but it seems to retain its popularity, and with good reason. Rating 7/10
60. Riki Tiks - Not a pub, but more an American influenced trendy pre-club bar venue. Have only visited this place on two occasions if my recollection serves me right. My abiding memory was that the price of the drinks were unnecessarily high. If you want to go somewhere with loud music playing to get you in the mood before going to a club, you might appreciate this place. On the other hand, if you want to go somewhere that sells beer at an affordable price, go somewhere else. Rating 3/10
61. The Colonnade - This is the bar that is situated next door to Brighton's Theatre Royal and there is in fact a door that takes you from the bar-room through to the stage door. I only recall heading to The Colonnade on a couple of occasions, but in both instances, the bar was largely empty, not helped by there being a performance taking place at the time. The one abiding memory was of the montage of signed photographs of past performers who had stopped by which had pride of place on the wall. Curiously, this included a photograph of Jeffrey Archer! You'd have thought that someone would have had the foresight to hide that once he took up Her Majesty's invitation. I am tempted to return to see whether anyone has subsequently removed his photograph, but there would be little other reason to do so. Rating 4/10
62. Cocktail bar, New Road - I have temporarily forgotten the name of the bar in question, but there is a small cocktail bar situated upstairs next to the Italian restaurant at the end of New Road. Not that cocktails are usually my poison, but I have visited this establishment a couple of times with easily persuasive friends. The cocktails are meticulously served, which is just as well given the luxury prices! Not a lot else going on, but if cocktails are your thing then this is as good a place as any. Rating 4/10
Notable absentees: The Pedestrian Arms, Dorset Arms, The Black Horse, The Brighton Tavern
LEWES ROAD
63. The Race Hill Tavern - Now sight of a plush GP's surgery on the corner of Lewes Road and Park Crescent, this was formerly the sight of a train-wreck of a Courage pub. The Lewes Road area has always been blighted by a small minority of troublemakers in its pubs and sadly the Race Hill attracted more than its fair share. Most of my memories of the pub revolve around the pool table. I seem to recall some very competitive games of 'Killer' in my early 20s when some friends lived in the area. I also remember some of the people that would get on the pool table, recalling that I wouldn't have wanted to dispute the 1 shot on the black rule with them! Sadly, that aggro led to the Race Hill's demise, but leaving nostalgia aside, the pub is probably not greatly missed. Rating 3/10
64. The Park Crescent - During a spell in the early part of the noughties, a good friend of mine lived on Park Crescent and that meant I was fortunate enough to spend several enjoyable evenings in the Park Crescent. Back in the day, the pub ran a Sunday night pub quiz (I think it possibly still does) which our team of waifs and strays enjoyed mixed success in. One night I recall in particular that was successful was when a couple of extra players turned up who my friend and I encountered at a gig 2 nights before. They had flown over for the gig from Norway and were still in town on Sunday night and so joined us for the quiz. To add to the surreal nature of it all, a couple of questions about Norway came up and we ended up winning the quiz and the evening culminated in us sharing the prize of a bottle of wine looking out over the crescent. Quiz glory aside, there are plenty of other good things about the PC, not least its beer garden which is one of the best in Brighton, as well as its eclectic mix of beers. Its location makes it a favourite with student drinkers, but it always used to get a good mix of young and old customers. Sadly my friend has long departed the area and so it is some time since I last made a return visit to this old haunt. I know the pub has had a couple of refurbs in recent times, but I hope it retains its old character. Rating 9/10
65. The Franklin Tavern - I worked just off Lewes Road for the majority of the first half of the last decade and so this pub happened to be en route on my way home, meaning I frequented it more than was possibly healthy. One memory stands out which is of watching the Holland versus Italy penalty shoot-out from the Euro 2000 semi-final in this pub with another late finishing colleague. As a sports pub, the Franklin ticks the boxes and it also serves pretty decent pub grub. Sadly, it has always had one major flaw, which it has never rid itself of. That is the trouble element and maybe due to the closure of the Race Hill, this situation hasn't improved over the years, despite attempts to rebrand the pub. The Franklin has always had a raw edge to it, but as I grow older, I have more of an appreciation for how much I am prepared to compromise my safety when going out for a recreational drink. It is a shame because the Franklin could be a far better pub than it is, but the exposure to aggro has just increasingly made it a no-go area. Rating 5/10 when I first went there in 2000, 2/10 now
66. The Bugle - When I wrote the first instalment of this blog, I mentioned that backstreet pubs in Brighton are either hidden gems or hideous dives. The Bugle very much comes in the first category. What memories of this place! So many memories in fact, but for the purposes of keeping this synopsis brief, back in the early part of the 2000s, some friends of mine had a flatshare which resulted in The Bugle being their local. In fact, so local was it, that one of my friends once reckoned he recorded the time it took him to get from his living room, down the stairs, out the door and into the pub, presenting at the bar as being 30 seconds. Whether he could make the return journey at the end of the evening as fast is another matter. As the name suggests, The Bugle is an Irish pub, run by Irish owners and which regularly has live Irish bands playing in the bar on Wednesday and Saturday nights. It also has a piano near the gents' toilets, although I don't think it is for the public domain. Getting a good pint of Guinness was never a problem, back in 2002 I could even order one for £2! Oh for such opportunities now. It also had a no-football-talk policy, which I can't imagine was enforced as my friends would have been barred very early on! It's a couple of years since I last set foot in The Bugle, but it's one of those places that is unlikely to change much, especially all the while the present owners and its regulars remain. That Guinness won't cost £2 any more though, but I know it will be served well with the compulsory shamrock. Rating 9/10
67. Martha Gunn - The Upper Lewes Road in Brighton only has one pub along its whole stretch from Ditchling Road to the Vogue Gyratory and it is this pub, named after a woman of some local notoriety. Given its location, the Martha Gunn should attract a mixture of students, local workers looking for an after work refreshment and some local retired people. In the event, it can often attract nobody, due to having developed a reputation as being something of a dive. Difficult for me to confirm or deny this, as it is getting on for a decade since I last visited. What I do know, however, is that I won't be returning for lunch in a hurry. On my last visit during a lunch hour, circa 2003, I ordered lunch and a soft drink, only to wait 20 minutes for food and then was informed that the baguette I ordered had been dropped en route, so I was being made another. Another 15 minutes passed before I eventually got my order, by which time I was due back at the office. On the plus side, the Martha had a decent beer garden and also had a fiendish pool table, but its location means it has a tendency to attract the wrong type of customer. Rating 3/10
68. The Gladstone - A bright yellow relic of the psychedelic era, The Gladstone is paradoxically situated next to the Woodvale Crematorium. The pub is very much a haunt for local students and was well known for live DJ nights later on in the week. It is also a popular after work venue given its proximity to a couple of nearby offices, including the one I used to work in. The colour that is seen on the exterior of the pub is matched inside the pub as well and also in the beer garden, which is usually well attended when summer comes round. More outlandish than other pubs in the area and also largely free of the trouble that infests other pubs on Lewes Road, yet strangely it can be a soulless place. Certainly not a bad pub, but not somewhere to spend an entire evening. Rating 6/10
69. The Hartington - Another backstreet pub, this time tucked away on one of the streets that links Hartington Road to Elm Grove. The Hartington evokes certain similarities with The Hanover and The Pub With No Name over the other side of Elm Grove, particularly with its use of art as a means of providing the decor. Like one or two other pubs in Brighton (the Park Crescent and Reservoir spring to mind), it also has a shelf with newspapers to read, generally aimed at those of a higher brow. This pretty much encapsulates the demographic The Hartington is aiming at, the culturally influenced professional, usually with a family. A thinking man's Pub With No Name is a fair description, and like TPWNN it is a child friendly pub. My last visit was a couple of years ago and although the pub was almost empty that night, I found it a cosy place, which is ideal to meet in for a quiet drink or two. Rating 7/10
70. The Bear - So named due to being at the bottom of one of the longest roads and steepest hills in Brighton, Bear Road. I first attended The Bear in my university days after the exams and in all the intervening years since, the pub has barely changed, save for a few licks of paint. By far its greatest asset is its beer garden, although there are a range of pub games available for those who are that way inclined. An unspectacular, does the basics pub, which holds very few memories of note. Rating 5/10
71. The Hub (previously No Man's An Island) - At the last check, this pub had changed its name again to 'The Dugout', very much marketing itself as a sports bar just as it had in its guise as The Hub. Its original name was 'The Counting House', but a name change became necessary after it was the scene of a high profile murder in the early 1990s. When the rebranding came, it was a clever one, with the new name being 'No Man's An Island', a reference to the pub's location on a traffic island at the Vogue Gyratory. I liked the pub when it went under that name, it was a friendly, laid back place that was short on frills but generally had a good vibe. As 'The Hub', the vibe was more loud and boisterous, but it could get busy on a Saturday night, especially if there was a big match or big fight being televised on the screen. I assume it is more of the same as 'The Dugout', but I still feel its best days came before it rebranded as a sports bar. Rating 7/10 as No Man's, 5/10 as The Hub
72. The Newmarket Inn - Occasionally, going to a pub can be like visiting a town they forgot to shut down, as Morrissey once put it. Following the backstreet pub principle mentioned earlier, alas the Newmarket Inn, located in a satellite street off Bear Road, was a pub stuck in a time warp. The pub reminded me of 'The Marquess of Exeter' which I mentioned in the first instalment of this guide with plenty of spit and sawdust, sticky floors and generally a lack of love and attention given to the place. This was back in 2002, so it is quite possible that the pub has subsequently revamped, but I doubt it. A local's local, so don't go there unless you happen to be local yourself. Rating 2/10
73. The Lectern - As a former University of Brighton student based at the nearby Mithras House, many an afternoon and evening as an undergraduate was spent in The Lectern. A million tales of student debauchery could be told and would make for salacious memoirs, but let's adopt the Fight Club principle for now! Back when I first went in this pub on a cold winter's day in December 1998, it wasn't even called The Lectern. Back then it was still the humble old Royal Hussar, populated by a couple of old men and a dog and their food menu mainly consisted of barely edible, industrial strength ham sandwiches. A year later though, the pub took on new ownership and it rebranded as a student pub with an appropriate name to boot. To say that The Lectern was greater than the sum of its parts would be an understatement, but there was plenty to keep you going back with decent food, its legendary pool table, jukebox and underrated beer garden. It also had further seating upstairs. After leaving university, I frequented the pub again a couple of years later when the pub had realised that it needed to attract more than just its student core customers and had started to show live football at weekends and the atmosphere for some of the big matches I watched there has ranked among the best I have seen in a pub. I returned last year after a few years away to attend a benefit gig being staged upstairs and was pleased to see that the place had changed very little from when I had left it. When you consider that The Lectern has only been in existence as we know it for a decade, it has done really well to establish itself and to evolve as much as it has in that time. It will always have plenty of students propping up the bar and contributing towards their life stories in the years to come. Rating 8/10
That's the 2nd instalment completed. In the third part, I will move on to discuss the pubs and bars I have visited in the London Road, Level and Lanes areas of Brighton.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Friday, 15 April 2011
World Snooker Championships - 1st round previews and predictions
Hi everyone.
Well, as you probably have gathered by now, I am something of a sporting enthusiast, albeit an enthusiast devoid of any natural talent on that front. But, this weekend sees the start of one of my favourite sporting televisual events of the year, namely the World Snooker Championships. There has always been something magical about the 17 days at the Crucible as far as I am concerned. I first remember watching the event as a 7 year old child and one of my first memories is of being allowed to stay up late to watch the conclusion of the 1985 'black ball decider' final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. I was in the minority at the time in as much as the 'Ginger Magician' was my favourite player and so I was disappointed that he lost to the genial Ulsterman who wore his giant spectacles upside down!
The game has moved on a lot since those heady days and both of the 1985 finalists will be confined to commentary duties at this year's event, with Davis having failed to qualify for the televised stages. The sport's other elder statesman, Jimmy White, also misses out this year and so the senior figures in the tournament will be Peter Ebdon, 7 times winner Stephen Hendry, and Ronnie O'Sullivan. The Rocket will be particularly interesting to watch given that he almost pulled out of the tournament just last week, before having a change of heart. Flawed genius that he is, nonetheless, O'Sullivan remains his sport's box office draw card in the same way that Tiger Woods is to golf and Roger Federer is to tennis.
In this blog, I will preview the first round matches in draw order, and will offer my score prediction for each match-up. Here goes:
Neil Robertson v Judd Trump
You do not need to look very far to find the tie of the first round. Australian Neil Robertson is the defending champion at The Crucible and is bidding to become the first ever first-time champion to retain the World Championship since the event moved to Sheffield in 1977. He is also bidding to become the first player to successfully defend the title since Stephen Hendry won the last of his five in a row in 1996. With that burden of history already to consider, you then have to take into account that Robertson has been pitted against arguably the toughest unseeded player in the draw in 23 year old Bristolian, Judd Trump.
Trump's potential has been known about for 3 or 4 years now and he is a fearless attacking player. Reining in his instincts has just been his problem, particularly in shorter matches. However, Trump arrives in Sheffield having taken the first step towards realising his potential by winning his first ranking tournament, the China Open, a fortnight ago. In the final, Trump defeated Mark Selby, who is second favourite for the World Championships, which gives you an indication of the threat he poses to Robertson.
Both players like to go for their shots and there will be no Cliff Thorburn-esque hanging about in this match. Whoever comes out on top in the first session will likely have a pretty crucial advantage. As good as Trump's victory was in the China Open, however, a word of caution. That tournament is not always the best form guide to the World Championships. The players who get eliminated from it early are able to gear themselves up for the long haul in Sheffield with quality time on the practice table, while the players that advance furthest in the Orient, have a tendency to peak early.
Robertson will need to be at the top of his game to win this match, and although his season has been topsy-turvy, it is no different to his preparation heading to the Crucible 12 months ago where he was ultimately victorious. His whole season has been based towards successfully defending his world crown, and on that basis, I expect him to have the edge over a player playing at this venue for the first time in four years.
Prediction: Robertson 10-7 Trump
Marco Fu v Martin Gould
If Robertson-Trump is snooker's equivalent of Manchester United and Arsenal drawing each other in the third round of the FA Cup, then on first sighting, this has the look of an underwhelming tie between two mid-table Championship clubs. That does do something of a disservice to both players in action here, and only handful of ranking places separate Hong Kong's Marco Fu and Londoner Martin Gould.
Marco Fu is something of an enigmatic player, capable of beating anybody on his day, but also capable of crashing and burning to a club player. His recent seasons had seen more lows than highs until he reached the final of the UK Championships a couple of seasons ago. Fu then recorded a mediocre campaign last year before making a return to form by reaching the Masters final at Wembley in January and losing to Ding Junhui. However, the Masters does not carry any ranking points and so the reality is that Fu is heading to Sheffield fighting to keep his place in the world top 16, which gives him exemption to the televised stages of the major tournaments. An early exit here would pretty much seal his fate.
The bespectacled Martin Gould is unlikely to be a household name to snooker's casual observers but he has been an up-and-coming player for the past 18 months now. He perhaps first showcased his potential in this event 12 months ago when he reached the 2nd round before giving the eventual champion, Neil Robertson, the biggest scare he had all tournament. Gould led 11 frames to 5 going into the final session, before Robertson staged a dramatic recovery and eventually won through in the deciding frame. The incentive for Gould to win this match is that his 2nd round opponent could well be Robertson and a chance for revenge. Added to which, Gould is a contender to grab a top 16 place with a good run in the tournament.
This has the makings of a tight and nervy match. If Fu is at his best, then he should have the fluency to win through and the longer frame formats are generally to his liking. However, given the pressure on Fu with his top 16 place on the line and considering Gould has less to lose but a lot to gain, I see Gould setting up a rematch with his Australian nemesis of 12 months ago.
Prediction: Fu 8-10 Gould
Graeme Dott v Mark King
For those traditionalists that like a good old-fashioned scrap on the baize between 2 tactical players who value a good safety shot as much as sinking a long red off the lampshade, then this might well be the match for you. These 2 are seasoned match players who tend to play their best snooker when their back is against the wall. Their mantra is very much one of winning as ugly as is necessary.
That said, it is very easy to forget that the gritty Scotsman Dott has reached 3 World Championship finals. To put that into context, Dott has only won one other ranking tournament, so the Sheffield lights seem to bring the best out of him. Dott's World Championship was won in 2006, but he played the best snooker of his career last year in reaching his third final and losing to Robertson. Whereas Dott won in 2006 with very cagey, attritional play, last year he was knocking in frame winning breaks consistently and quickly, averaging under 20 seconds a shot.
This change in attitude owes much to a new perspective given that Dott suffered a period of depression away from the table. Dott's run to the final 12 months ago as an unseeded player propelled him back in to the world's top 10, but you sense from now on that Dott will play with the shackles off. Meanwhile, his Essex opponent's predicament is the exact opposite with King having dropped out of the top 16 after he lost in a deciding frame to former practice partner, Steve Davis, at this stage last year in a match that was excruciatingly painful to watch.
Dott's record in this tournament marks him down as favourite, but King has a knack of dragging good players down to his level and knocking them out of their rhythm. He defeated Mark Selby in the first round in 2008 when Selby came into the tournament as the previous year's runner-up and he thrives on being the underdog. On that basis, I see this match heading the distance and if King's will is stronger, I fancy him to spring a surprise. Don't expect any quarter to be asked or given.
Prediction: Dott 9-10 King
Ali Carter v Dave Harold
This match sees the 2008 runner-up Ali Carter take on the oldest player in the tournament in Dave Harold, who at 44 years of age, is still in nappies in comparison to Steve Davis, who reached the quarter-finals last year at the age of 52.
Carter is the current world number 8 and as well as reaching the final in 2008, he also reached the semi-finals 12 months ago before succumbing to Neil Robertson. He also is one of a select band of players to have made a 147 at the Crucible, doing so en route to the final in 2008 where he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan, who had also made a maximum in that year's tournament and so Carter had to share the maximum break prize. Carter has a good record in the longer frame formats, but he does have something of a reputation for choking at key moments.
His opponent has been a regular competitor at The Crucible for nearly 20 years and although for the large part, Harold has enjoyed a journeyman's career, he is a player who has reached 2 ranking finals during his long career and will be an obdurate opponent for the man they call the Captain.
Of those players discussed as a potential challenger in this year's tournament, Carter arrives in Sheffield a little off the radar, which is likely to suit the player who started this season by winning the Shanghai Masters, which at the time lifted him to number 3 in the world. A slump in form since has seen his ranking fall, but Carter always goes well at The Crucible and should have no problem in seeing off the veteran Harold.
Prediction: Carter 10-5 Harold
Ding Junhui v Jamie Burnett
For some time, the Chinese invasion on the green baize has been talked about by snooker's raconteurs. A world champion within five years would be a formality as millions of people tuned in the other side of the world to hail the new national hero. At the forefront of this invasion was Ding Junhui, who won the UK Championship in 2005 at the age of 17. For all Ding's promise though, there is one glaring omission from his trophy cabinet, namely the World Championship. In fact, Ding has never gone beyond the quarter-finals at the Crucible.
Why Ding has underachieved here is difficult to pinpoint. He certainly cannot attribute it to home sickness given that his home these days is in Sheffield. It would also seem simplistic to attribute this to any weakness in longer matches. Ding has twice won the UK Championship, which is second only to the Worlds in the number of frames played. Ding's lack of success here up to now really just seems to be a case of bad fortune mixed with a tendency to throw the towel in when things have not been going for him. Ding has certainly had some unkind draws here in previous years, which have not helped his cause.
But to win a World Championship, tough opponents need to be disposed of and so Ding will need to be mentally tough to last out the 2 and half week duration of this tournament. A turning point for Ding, however, may have come in the shape of his Masters victory in January. While the victory carried no ranking points, it will have exorcised demons from one of Ding's most crushing defeats at the hands of Ronnie O'Sullivan, with a partisan Wembley crowd revelling in his misfortune. That defeat took Ding a long time to recover from, so to return to Wembley and win the tournament 4 years later may well mark a significant watershed in his career.
Ding's first round opponent Jamie Burnett first played at the Crucible in 1996, when he lost in the first round to a player making his final World Championship appearance, Terry Griffiths. It took Burnett another 13 years to make it to Sheffield again, but he has enjoyed an Indian summer in his career in the past 2 seasons and reached his first ranking final in Shanghai at the start of the season.
While Burnett clearly deserves respect for the improvement he has made, he is unlikely to pose a stern test to Ding and the Chinese prodigy really should dispose of his Scottish opponent with ease if he has any aspirations to win this year's tournament.
Prediction: Ding 10-4 Burnett
Peter Ebdon v Stuart Bingham
If you were to ask me whether any of these matches would be less appealing than spending 2 hours in a lift with Alan Titchmarsh and Anne Widdecombe and the smell of garlic for company, then this would be the match I would pick out. Peter Ebdon, even now at the age of 40, is a difficult player to derive pleasure from watching given his unorthodox and sometimes downright ugly style of play, added to which he has one of those faces that you have an unfathomable urge to test your pugilistic skills out on. And then in the blue corner, enter Stuart Bingham, something of a nearly-but-not-quite player, who despite being an accomplished break builder is renowned as someone who prefers being a counter puncher, who relies on cleaning up on his opponent's mistakes.
Famous last words, but all of this adds up to a match that is likely to be quite scrappy and which will involve quite a lot of manoeuvring the cue ball from one tight position to another at the other end of the table. That said, Ebdon has had a decent campaign in which he has reached a couple of semi-finals and has returned to the top 16 after a spell of having to qualify for tournaments, during which some had questioned whether he would ponder retirement. As with some of the other hardened match players, Ebdon likes the long matches at snooker's amphitheatre.
Ebdon is not likely to intimidate Bingham though, who has some notable scalps on his CV. He defeated Crucible royalty in Steve Davis in the 1st round here a couple of years ago and more recently he thrashed fellow Essex boy Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 32 of the UK Championship earlier in the season, a tournament which tends to serve as a good trial for the Worlds.
This looks likely to be another match in the Dott-King mould which goes to the wire and where it comes down to whose nerve holds when it counts. It is tempting to call Ebdon in that situation, but he makes more careless mistakes than he used to, and because of that, I slightly fancy Bingham to win through to the last 16.
Prediction: Ebdon 8-10 Bingham
Stephen Hendry v Joe Perry
A few years ago, this is a match that you might have expected to have seen later in the tournament. Hendry's legend, however much it is now consigned to the past, is guaranteed in these parts, but Joe Perry too is a player of some repute. Only 3 years ago, Perry narrowly lost in the semi-finals at the Crucible to Ali Carter. But rather than building the platform for Perry to advance to the next level, his fortunes have taken a major nosedive since.
As for the 7 times former world champion, he seems to have accepted that he is now at the twilight of his career and although in the main, he is nowhere near the supreme cueman of his 90s heyday, he still has his days of genius, such as a recent 5-0 win over Matthew Stevens in the China Open. There is also a principle that generally holds true which is that Hendry is a different proposition at the Crucible to what he is at any other venue. That is not to say that he will win the tournament, but Hendry has pulled off a couple of fine victories in the early rounds in recent years, such as a win over his friend Mark Williams 2 years ago.
While you would hope for a fluent match with plenty of sizeable breaks and good safety play, I think the recent form of the 2 players points towards a match with plenty of tension and unforced errors. From Perry's point of view, he will know that the Hendry he faces here is perfectly beatable and does not hold the aura of a decade ago. From Hendry's end, he will know that if he can get through a couple of rounds and build some momentum, he can dream about reaching another final at his second home.
The added incentive for Hendry is that a first round win is likely to mean a reunion with Mark Selby in the 2nd round, who defeated the Scot at the same stage 12 months ago, after Hendry had more than matched Selby in the first session, only to fall apart thereafter. I expect Hendry's desire to turn the tables on Selby to be the key motivational factor in getting past the awkward Perry at the one place that he still thinks he owns.
Prediction: Hendry 10-7 Perry
Mark Selby v Jimmy Robertson
The top half of the draw is completed with a match-up between a player who is second favourite with the bookmakers to win the tournament and a player who is a rank outsider. A match between a former World Championship finalist and a player who has never played on television before, never mind the Crucible Theatre.
This really would appear to be the David versus Goliath tie of the 1st round draw. However, one warning should be heeded which is that Jimmy Robertson should not be under-estimated, not least because he has had to play three matches just to get through qualifying to this stage, and in the final qualifying round, Robertson defeated a former World champion, Ken Doherty, to make it to Sheffield. Admittedly, Doherty's best days at the green table are quite some way behind him now, but Robertson still did well to claim his scalp.
'The Jester From Leicester' as Selby is sometimes nicknamed on account of his home town and his tendency to wisecrack during matches comes into the tournament having enjoyed a very consistent campaign and through his regular participation in the extra tournaments on the schedule this season, he has risen up to provisional world number 2 in the rankings. His status as the bookies' 2nd favourite is a reflection on his form, but also his proven suitability to longer matches. He reached the final as an unseeded player in 2007 and narrowly lost out to Graeme Dott in the semis 12 months ago. In between, in 2009, Selby went out in an astonishing quarter-final to eventual tournament winner John Higgins. A quarter-final loss for Selby in a tournament in which he had compiled 10 century breaks did not do his level of play justice.
Selby without a doubt is a major player in this year's tournament, but at 28, it is high time for him to shake off the 'nearlyman' tag. Sure, he has won 2 Masters tournaments which is an impressive feat, but these are non-ranking tournaments. As far as ranking pots are concerned, Selby only has a solitary Welsh Open trophy to his name so far, a tally that does not do him justice. Another close shave in the China Open occurred 2 weeks ago. Selby should have no problem getting past his rookie opponent, but he will have some tough matches to follow on this side of the draw.
Prediction: Selby 10-4 Robertson
Mark Williams v Ryan Day
There will be some divided loyalties over the Severn Bridge in this year's World Championship with no fewer than 5 Welshmen taking part in the televised stages of the tournament. Curiously, all 5 players find themselves in the bottom half of the draw and 40 per cent of the representatives from the Valleys are drawing battle lines in this match.
Southpaw Mark Williams is a double world champion, having won at the Crucible in 2000 and 2003. 2003 was the apogee of Williams' career given that during that year, he held the World Championship, Masters and UK Championship crowns all at the same time, which no-one has managed to do since. Then, at the very point that Williams' world should have been his oyster, curiously his career fell into alarming decline, and by 2007 he had slumped to world number 47 and was threatening retirement after suffering the igmoniny of losing in qualifying in front of 2 spectators and a dog.
As improbable as Williams' decline was, his resurgence has also been surprising but also very refreshing to see and Williams arrives in Sheffield with his best chance of winning a third World title for several years. If he gets his cueing arm flowing, it will take a very solid player to remove him from the tournament. In a recent tournament, Williams lost a first round match despite scoring four centuries! He also narrowly lost in the UK Championship final this season after his opponent John Higgins mounted an astonishing comeback from a seemingly hopeless position.
While Williams' career has been prone to wild fluctuations these past few years, it is easy to forget that his compatriot Ryan Day was also talked about as a future World champion a few years ago and was responsible for knocking out John Higgins in the 2nd round in 2008, when Higgins was the defending champion. Day was in snooker's top 16 for five years before dropping out of it last season and he has reached a couple of ranking finals. A victory here could be the kickstart that his career appears to need.
Of the players Williams could have faced in the first round, he would probably have wanted to avoid playing a fellow Welshman, but it will at least get his competitive juices going for the later rounds. The Ryan Day of 2 or 3 years ago would give Williams a very tough examination of his tournament credentials, but Day's weakness has always been his shot selection. He takes on shots that are far too bold when he should play safe, and Williams with his experience and nous should make him pay for any misjudgements that he makes.
Prediction: Williams 10-7 Day
Jamie Cope v Andrew Pagett
The third Welshman to enter the fray at the Crucible is 30 year old Andrew Pagett, who like Jimmy Robertson, is also making his Crucible bow. He is also Mark Williams' practice partner and so he has the added incentive of potentially setting up a second round match with his friend.
To make that possible, Pagett has to get past the man that I would mark down as the dangerous dark horse in this year's tournament. Jamie Cope has been around for the past 4 or 5 years now and has reached a couple of tournament finals, but he has particularly shown signs of progress this season and made it through to the semi-finals at the Masters, in what was his first appearance at the Wembley Arena. The Stoke player is nicknamed 'Shotgun' because of his quickfire style of play and he gave John Higgins a major scare in a second round match 2 years ago in which Higgins came from 12-10 down to win in a deciding frame on the way to winning his third title.
The new rolling ranking system has benefitted Cope this season and he is now established in the world's top 16 players, a status that his potential over the past few years suggested he warranted. Although there are some very tough players in the bottom section of the draw, Cope will be a difficult opponent for any of the big guns to face and if his potting game holds up and Cope does not get overly ambitious and go for needlessly wild shots against the top players, he could be a lively outsider in the business end of the tournament. I certainly expect him to be too powerful for Pagett in this match.
Prediction: Cope 10-5 Pagett
Mark Allen v Matthew Stevens
Another match-up which could perhaps have been played at a later stage in the tournament 2 or 3 years ago. Left-hander Mark Allen made it through to the semi-finals at the Crucible 2 years ago and made the last 8 here 12 months ago. As with many of his contemporaries, the fiery Ulsterman is a blistering long potter but also has a pretty impressive safety game.
His opponent Matthew Stevens has twice reached the final of the Worlds, losing to compatriot Mark Williams in 2000 and Shaun Murphy in 2005. Much like Mark Selby now, Stevens was something of a nearly player at his peak, but he always seemed to produce his best snooker in the longer frame formats. Stevens' problem was that he stopped winning matches in the shorter matches and consequently he fell out of snooker's top 16 three years ago, and he has not returned to the elite club since, and only occasionally shown any signs of his former glory since. A recent 5-0 whitewash to Stephen Hendry in China does not bode well.
Stevens' slump in fortunes seem to owe much to him not putting as many hours in on the practice table as he once did, due to the family commitments. This was also what resulted in Mark Williams' years in the wilderness, and if Stevens does not have the hunger he once had for the game, there are plenty of players around who certainly do have the appetite for success.
Stevens comes up against one such player here in the shape of Mark Allen. Allen is looking for his first major breakthrough as semi-finals have proven so far to be an insurmountable glass ceiling in his progress towards world domination. Allen has the talent to win a World Championship, but questions persist as to whether he has the temperament. Stevens will give Allen a tough test first up, but if Allen's potting game is firing, he should have the ammunition to see off the Welsh wizard.
Prediction: Allen 10-6 Stevens
Stephen Maguire v Barry Hawkins
If it wasn't for the continued presence of Ronnie O'Sullivan, snooker's great enigma could well be Stephen Maguire. The Scotsman, like the Rocket, can on his day make the game appear easy to play when he is in full flow. However, when he is not focused and cannot get his game together, he can be surly and very frustrating to watch. For several years, Maguire has turned up as one of the players who could win the World Championship, but he seems no nearer to accomplishing that mission than he was 7 or 8 years ago. In fact, Maguire has never even made the final at the Crucible, despite having been world number 2 on more than one occasion that he has played here.
His first round opponent, Barry Hawkins, was ranked in the top 16 for all of one season some 5 years ago, but has largely been ranked in between 20th and 30th in the world ever since scaling those dizzy heights. Hawkins has been a regular qualifier for the Crucible in recent years, but has only made it past the first round on one occasion.
The attitude that I would take to this match is that there is only one player that can beat Stephen Maguire and that is Maguire himself. As long as he is switched on and keeps his head, he should have too much for Hawkins to deal with. The only way for Hawkins to win is for him to frustrate Maguire, keep him off the table and force him in to making mistakes and sealing his own fate. That is not beyond the realms of possibility, but I expect Maguire to take his place in the second round.
Prediction: Maguire 10-5 Hawkins
Shaun Murphy v Marcus Campbell
The 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy hails from Rotherham which is just up the road from the Crucible, so he should be guaranteed plenty of home support in the auditorium. Murphy's victory in the 2005 tournament was somewhat unexpected given that he was ranked number 48 in the world at the time, but he has since proven that his victory that year was no fluke by being a mainstay of the world's top 10 players pretty much ever since. The only surprise has been that he has not won more tournaments since, with just 2 further ranking tournaments to his name, including the 2008 UK Championship.
Murphy does, without question, thrive in the longer matches. He has a tendency to be a slow starter in matches, which can be very costly when matches are just the best of 5 or best of 9 frames. Whereas, he knows exactly how to pace himself in matches lasting for 2 or 3 sessions. He is also a pure potter and if his cue arm is flowing and he has his eye in, he could prove to be the immovable object in the bottom half of the draw.
What doesn't help Murphy is the draw because a first round win could well see him face Ronnie O'Sullivan in the second round, a player against whom Murphy has a wretched record. The fact that those 2 players could face each other in the last 16, seeded as they are 7th and 10th, is something of an indictment of the times and this is where Murphy has paid for losing in the early stages of the shorter format tournaments.
Marcus Campbell is a classic example of a snooker journeyman and whose career highlight came in 1998 when be beat fellow Scotsman Stephen Hendry 9-0 in a televised tournament. More recently, he scored a 147 in the Bahrain Championship in 2008. This suggests he is an awkward match player and although his ranking is over 30 places below his opponent's, this could be a closer match than you might first anticipate. Nonetheless, it is hard to see past a Murphy victory.
Prediction: Murphy 10-7 Campbell
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Dominic Dale
For people that do not follow the snooker scene on a regular basis, it will come as a shock to learn that the most naturally talented player of his generation pitches up at Sheffield this year ranked the world number 10. The last time that the Rocket was ranked so low he would have still been a teenager back in the mid-1990s, since when he has won three world titles. For such an outrageously gifted player to be ranked so low is almost criminal, but therein lies the constant enigma that is Ronnie O'Sullivan.
In fact, O'Sullivan appearing in the tournament is progress of sorts. Just a week ago, so disillusioned was he with life, that Chigwell's finest told his sport's governing body that he would not be participating, only to have a change of heart the next day. As O'Sullivan grows older, he seems to have less time for the longer tournaments and it is little surprise that his best results in a barren season have been in the short competitions which can hold his interest, such as the Premier League Snooker competition. There are off-table factors that have also played a part, such as a custody battle that O'Sullivan is involved in and also the release of his father from jail. This in particular will have been a major upheaval, given that it will have been the first time in O'Sullivan's adult life that his father will have been a free man.
The fact that Ronnie has turned up in Sheffield is encouraging, but it would take a major leap of faith to expect him to rediscover his magic and win the tournament. It has been some time since O'Sullivan has shown the patience to last out for 17 days and he would have a very difficult run to the final, with the likes of Shaun Murphy and John Higgins potentially waiting for him in later rounds.
O'Sullivan's first round opponent Dominic Dale is the right kind of test for him first up. Dale is a vastly experienced player who has also won a couple of ranking tournaments in his long career, albeit some ten years apart. The Welshman, perhaps surprisingly, has not played at the Crucible since 2004 and is sure to want to make up for lost time. He is decent enough that Ronnie cannot afford to take him lightly, but it is a match that is there for Essex's Exocet to win and I expect him to do just that.
Prediction: O'Sullivan 10-6 Dale
Ricky Walden v Rory McLeod
This does not jump out as one of the ties of the opening round, but Ricky Walden is another fast improving player who has a tendency to play a gung-ho, attacking method of snooker, which when it is effective, makes him a dangerous player against anyone. As with many players of that ilk, however, consistency is Walden's main weakness, but he has now crept into the top 16 for the first time, which could prove to be the making of him.
One of the elder statesmen in the tournament, Rory McLeod serves as something of a phenomenon in snooker circles due to him being the only high profile black snooker player. Other than this piece of trivia, McLeod has also spent part of his time coaching young snooker players in the United Arab Emirates, so he could play a role in future champions emerging from that part of the world.
It does not strike me as being a classic, but there is an incentive to possibly play John Higgins in the second round up for grabs. Although Higgins has held the upper hand in recent times, Walden did defeat Higgins in the UK Championship a few years ago and would pose a threat if they were to meet here. I expect Walden to keep his side of the bargain.
Prediction: Walden 10-5 McLeod
John Higgins v Stephen Lee
Other than Robertson against Trump on the opposite side of the draw, this has the potential to be the tie of the opening round. It is easy to forget with the passage of time, but between them, these two players have amassed 27 career ranking tournament victories. Admittedly, Higgins has claimed 23 of those, but any player with 4 tournament victories as Lee has should be given respect too.
This is the tournament that John Higgins has building towards for his whole season. A year ago, he was unceremoniously removed from the tournament by Steve Davis in the 2nd round, only for sordid allegations to emerge courtesy of film footage from a Sunday newspaper with previous where investigative journalism was concerned, which seemed to imply that Higgins had given an undertaking to throw a match in exchange for a pile of notes with a monarch's head on them. Higgins was cleared of fixing, but banned for six months not declaring the incident and thereby bringing the sport into disrepute. Although Higgins was cleared of corruption, there are plenty of people that follow the sport that felt he had been let off lightly.
As if Higgins' loss of livelihood was not enough, he has also had to contend with the death of his father, who had been a huge mentor in his career. Such setbacks would test the resolve of most mere mortals, but Higgins' response has been extraordinary, even for those familiar with the granite hard determination and will to win that the 'Wizard of Wishaw' has displayed over the years. Since returning from his suspension, Higgins has won 2 ranking tournaments, including a magnificent comeback victory in the UK Championship final, just weeks after his return.
Given how the allegations about Higgins' involvement in match fixing cast a huge shadow over this tournament 12 months ago, I think there will be great determination on Higgins' part to try and atone by winning his fourth World Championship this year, to move him ahead of Ronnie O'Sullivan. He is certainly capable of doing so and there is no-one in the field with a better tactical brain than him, which will be an extremely handy attribute to have over 17 days of play, and he rightly starts the tournament as favourite.
But Stephen Lee is no pushover and comes into the tournament in good form having thrashed Steve Davis in the final qualifying round for the tournament and then beaten Mark Williams in China. He is building breaks again, having struggled in this department for a few years, and if he can keep Higgins off the table for a sustained period in the match, he could force mistakes from his opponent.
This has all the makings of being an epic first round match and although I think that ultimately, Higgins' greater resolve and fighting spirit will see him through, he cannot afford to be involved in too many epics in this tournament, because at 35 years of age, he will quickly get mentally and physically drained as the tournament wears on, whereas he would not have done so much a couple of years ago.
Prediction: Higgins 10-8 Lee
Well, as you probably have gathered by now, I am something of a sporting enthusiast, albeit an enthusiast devoid of any natural talent on that front. But, this weekend sees the start of one of my favourite sporting televisual events of the year, namely the World Snooker Championships. There has always been something magical about the 17 days at the Crucible as far as I am concerned. I first remember watching the event as a 7 year old child and one of my first memories is of being allowed to stay up late to watch the conclusion of the 1985 'black ball decider' final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. I was in the minority at the time in as much as the 'Ginger Magician' was my favourite player and so I was disappointed that he lost to the genial Ulsterman who wore his giant spectacles upside down!
The game has moved on a lot since those heady days and both of the 1985 finalists will be confined to commentary duties at this year's event, with Davis having failed to qualify for the televised stages. The sport's other elder statesman, Jimmy White, also misses out this year and so the senior figures in the tournament will be Peter Ebdon, 7 times winner Stephen Hendry, and Ronnie O'Sullivan. The Rocket will be particularly interesting to watch given that he almost pulled out of the tournament just last week, before having a change of heart. Flawed genius that he is, nonetheless, O'Sullivan remains his sport's box office draw card in the same way that Tiger Woods is to golf and Roger Federer is to tennis.
In this blog, I will preview the first round matches in draw order, and will offer my score prediction for each match-up. Here goes:
Neil Robertson v Judd Trump
You do not need to look very far to find the tie of the first round. Australian Neil Robertson is the defending champion at The Crucible and is bidding to become the first ever first-time champion to retain the World Championship since the event moved to Sheffield in 1977. He is also bidding to become the first player to successfully defend the title since Stephen Hendry won the last of his five in a row in 1996. With that burden of history already to consider, you then have to take into account that Robertson has been pitted against arguably the toughest unseeded player in the draw in 23 year old Bristolian, Judd Trump.
Trump's potential has been known about for 3 or 4 years now and he is a fearless attacking player. Reining in his instincts has just been his problem, particularly in shorter matches. However, Trump arrives in Sheffield having taken the first step towards realising his potential by winning his first ranking tournament, the China Open, a fortnight ago. In the final, Trump defeated Mark Selby, who is second favourite for the World Championships, which gives you an indication of the threat he poses to Robertson.
Both players like to go for their shots and there will be no Cliff Thorburn-esque hanging about in this match. Whoever comes out on top in the first session will likely have a pretty crucial advantage. As good as Trump's victory was in the China Open, however, a word of caution. That tournament is not always the best form guide to the World Championships. The players who get eliminated from it early are able to gear themselves up for the long haul in Sheffield with quality time on the practice table, while the players that advance furthest in the Orient, have a tendency to peak early.
Robertson will need to be at the top of his game to win this match, and although his season has been topsy-turvy, it is no different to his preparation heading to the Crucible 12 months ago where he was ultimately victorious. His whole season has been based towards successfully defending his world crown, and on that basis, I expect him to have the edge over a player playing at this venue for the first time in four years.
Prediction: Robertson 10-7 Trump
Marco Fu v Martin Gould
If Robertson-Trump is snooker's equivalent of Manchester United and Arsenal drawing each other in the third round of the FA Cup, then on first sighting, this has the look of an underwhelming tie between two mid-table Championship clubs. That does do something of a disservice to both players in action here, and only handful of ranking places separate Hong Kong's Marco Fu and Londoner Martin Gould.
Marco Fu is something of an enigmatic player, capable of beating anybody on his day, but also capable of crashing and burning to a club player. His recent seasons had seen more lows than highs until he reached the final of the UK Championships a couple of seasons ago. Fu then recorded a mediocre campaign last year before making a return to form by reaching the Masters final at Wembley in January and losing to Ding Junhui. However, the Masters does not carry any ranking points and so the reality is that Fu is heading to Sheffield fighting to keep his place in the world top 16, which gives him exemption to the televised stages of the major tournaments. An early exit here would pretty much seal his fate.
The bespectacled Martin Gould is unlikely to be a household name to snooker's casual observers but he has been an up-and-coming player for the past 18 months now. He perhaps first showcased his potential in this event 12 months ago when he reached the 2nd round before giving the eventual champion, Neil Robertson, the biggest scare he had all tournament. Gould led 11 frames to 5 going into the final session, before Robertson staged a dramatic recovery and eventually won through in the deciding frame. The incentive for Gould to win this match is that his 2nd round opponent could well be Robertson and a chance for revenge. Added to which, Gould is a contender to grab a top 16 place with a good run in the tournament.
This has the makings of a tight and nervy match. If Fu is at his best, then he should have the fluency to win through and the longer frame formats are generally to his liking. However, given the pressure on Fu with his top 16 place on the line and considering Gould has less to lose but a lot to gain, I see Gould setting up a rematch with his Australian nemesis of 12 months ago.
Prediction: Fu 8-10 Gould
Graeme Dott v Mark King
For those traditionalists that like a good old-fashioned scrap on the baize between 2 tactical players who value a good safety shot as much as sinking a long red off the lampshade, then this might well be the match for you. These 2 are seasoned match players who tend to play their best snooker when their back is against the wall. Their mantra is very much one of winning as ugly as is necessary.
That said, it is very easy to forget that the gritty Scotsman Dott has reached 3 World Championship finals. To put that into context, Dott has only won one other ranking tournament, so the Sheffield lights seem to bring the best out of him. Dott's World Championship was won in 2006, but he played the best snooker of his career last year in reaching his third final and losing to Robertson. Whereas Dott won in 2006 with very cagey, attritional play, last year he was knocking in frame winning breaks consistently and quickly, averaging under 20 seconds a shot.
This change in attitude owes much to a new perspective given that Dott suffered a period of depression away from the table. Dott's run to the final 12 months ago as an unseeded player propelled him back in to the world's top 10, but you sense from now on that Dott will play with the shackles off. Meanwhile, his Essex opponent's predicament is the exact opposite with King having dropped out of the top 16 after he lost in a deciding frame to former practice partner, Steve Davis, at this stage last year in a match that was excruciatingly painful to watch.
Dott's record in this tournament marks him down as favourite, but King has a knack of dragging good players down to his level and knocking them out of their rhythm. He defeated Mark Selby in the first round in 2008 when Selby came into the tournament as the previous year's runner-up and he thrives on being the underdog. On that basis, I see this match heading the distance and if King's will is stronger, I fancy him to spring a surprise. Don't expect any quarter to be asked or given.
Prediction: Dott 9-10 King
Ali Carter v Dave Harold
This match sees the 2008 runner-up Ali Carter take on the oldest player in the tournament in Dave Harold, who at 44 years of age, is still in nappies in comparison to Steve Davis, who reached the quarter-finals last year at the age of 52.
Carter is the current world number 8 and as well as reaching the final in 2008, he also reached the semi-finals 12 months ago before succumbing to Neil Robertson. He also is one of a select band of players to have made a 147 at the Crucible, doing so en route to the final in 2008 where he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan, who had also made a maximum in that year's tournament and so Carter had to share the maximum break prize. Carter has a good record in the longer frame formats, but he does have something of a reputation for choking at key moments.
His opponent has been a regular competitor at The Crucible for nearly 20 years and although for the large part, Harold has enjoyed a journeyman's career, he is a player who has reached 2 ranking finals during his long career and will be an obdurate opponent for the man they call the Captain.
Of those players discussed as a potential challenger in this year's tournament, Carter arrives in Sheffield a little off the radar, which is likely to suit the player who started this season by winning the Shanghai Masters, which at the time lifted him to number 3 in the world. A slump in form since has seen his ranking fall, but Carter always goes well at The Crucible and should have no problem in seeing off the veteran Harold.
Prediction: Carter 10-5 Harold
Ding Junhui v Jamie Burnett
For some time, the Chinese invasion on the green baize has been talked about by snooker's raconteurs. A world champion within five years would be a formality as millions of people tuned in the other side of the world to hail the new national hero. At the forefront of this invasion was Ding Junhui, who won the UK Championship in 2005 at the age of 17. For all Ding's promise though, there is one glaring omission from his trophy cabinet, namely the World Championship. In fact, Ding has never gone beyond the quarter-finals at the Crucible.
Why Ding has underachieved here is difficult to pinpoint. He certainly cannot attribute it to home sickness given that his home these days is in Sheffield. It would also seem simplistic to attribute this to any weakness in longer matches. Ding has twice won the UK Championship, which is second only to the Worlds in the number of frames played. Ding's lack of success here up to now really just seems to be a case of bad fortune mixed with a tendency to throw the towel in when things have not been going for him. Ding has certainly had some unkind draws here in previous years, which have not helped his cause.
But to win a World Championship, tough opponents need to be disposed of and so Ding will need to be mentally tough to last out the 2 and half week duration of this tournament. A turning point for Ding, however, may have come in the shape of his Masters victory in January. While the victory carried no ranking points, it will have exorcised demons from one of Ding's most crushing defeats at the hands of Ronnie O'Sullivan, with a partisan Wembley crowd revelling in his misfortune. That defeat took Ding a long time to recover from, so to return to Wembley and win the tournament 4 years later may well mark a significant watershed in his career.
Ding's first round opponent Jamie Burnett first played at the Crucible in 1996, when he lost in the first round to a player making his final World Championship appearance, Terry Griffiths. It took Burnett another 13 years to make it to Sheffield again, but he has enjoyed an Indian summer in his career in the past 2 seasons and reached his first ranking final in Shanghai at the start of the season.
While Burnett clearly deserves respect for the improvement he has made, he is unlikely to pose a stern test to Ding and the Chinese prodigy really should dispose of his Scottish opponent with ease if he has any aspirations to win this year's tournament.
Prediction: Ding 10-4 Burnett
Peter Ebdon v Stuart Bingham
If you were to ask me whether any of these matches would be less appealing than spending 2 hours in a lift with Alan Titchmarsh and Anne Widdecombe and the smell of garlic for company, then this would be the match I would pick out. Peter Ebdon, even now at the age of 40, is a difficult player to derive pleasure from watching given his unorthodox and sometimes downright ugly style of play, added to which he has one of those faces that you have an unfathomable urge to test your pugilistic skills out on. And then in the blue corner, enter Stuart Bingham, something of a nearly-but-not-quite player, who despite being an accomplished break builder is renowned as someone who prefers being a counter puncher, who relies on cleaning up on his opponent's mistakes.
Famous last words, but all of this adds up to a match that is likely to be quite scrappy and which will involve quite a lot of manoeuvring the cue ball from one tight position to another at the other end of the table. That said, Ebdon has had a decent campaign in which he has reached a couple of semi-finals and has returned to the top 16 after a spell of having to qualify for tournaments, during which some had questioned whether he would ponder retirement. As with some of the other hardened match players, Ebdon likes the long matches at snooker's amphitheatre.
Ebdon is not likely to intimidate Bingham though, who has some notable scalps on his CV. He defeated Crucible royalty in Steve Davis in the 1st round here a couple of years ago and more recently he thrashed fellow Essex boy Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 32 of the UK Championship earlier in the season, a tournament which tends to serve as a good trial for the Worlds.
This looks likely to be another match in the Dott-King mould which goes to the wire and where it comes down to whose nerve holds when it counts. It is tempting to call Ebdon in that situation, but he makes more careless mistakes than he used to, and because of that, I slightly fancy Bingham to win through to the last 16.
Prediction: Ebdon 8-10 Bingham
Stephen Hendry v Joe Perry
A few years ago, this is a match that you might have expected to have seen later in the tournament. Hendry's legend, however much it is now consigned to the past, is guaranteed in these parts, but Joe Perry too is a player of some repute. Only 3 years ago, Perry narrowly lost in the semi-finals at the Crucible to Ali Carter. But rather than building the platform for Perry to advance to the next level, his fortunes have taken a major nosedive since.
As for the 7 times former world champion, he seems to have accepted that he is now at the twilight of his career and although in the main, he is nowhere near the supreme cueman of his 90s heyday, he still has his days of genius, such as a recent 5-0 win over Matthew Stevens in the China Open. There is also a principle that generally holds true which is that Hendry is a different proposition at the Crucible to what he is at any other venue. That is not to say that he will win the tournament, but Hendry has pulled off a couple of fine victories in the early rounds in recent years, such as a win over his friend Mark Williams 2 years ago.
While you would hope for a fluent match with plenty of sizeable breaks and good safety play, I think the recent form of the 2 players points towards a match with plenty of tension and unforced errors. From Perry's point of view, he will know that the Hendry he faces here is perfectly beatable and does not hold the aura of a decade ago. From Hendry's end, he will know that if he can get through a couple of rounds and build some momentum, he can dream about reaching another final at his second home.
The added incentive for Hendry is that a first round win is likely to mean a reunion with Mark Selby in the 2nd round, who defeated the Scot at the same stage 12 months ago, after Hendry had more than matched Selby in the first session, only to fall apart thereafter. I expect Hendry's desire to turn the tables on Selby to be the key motivational factor in getting past the awkward Perry at the one place that he still thinks he owns.
Prediction: Hendry 10-7 Perry
Mark Selby v Jimmy Robertson
The top half of the draw is completed with a match-up between a player who is second favourite with the bookmakers to win the tournament and a player who is a rank outsider. A match between a former World Championship finalist and a player who has never played on television before, never mind the Crucible Theatre.
This really would appear to be the David versus Goliath tie of the 1st round draw. However, one warning should be heeded which is that Jimmy Robertson should not be under-estimated, not least because he has had to play three matches just to get through qualifying to this stage, and in the final qualifying round, Robertson defeated a former World champion, Ken Doherty, to make it to Sheffield. Admittedly, Doherty's best days at the green table are quite some way behind him now, but Robertson still did well to claim his scalp.
'The Jester From Leicester' as Selby is sometimes nicknamed on account of his home town and his tendency to wisecrack during matches comes into the tournament having enjoyed a very consistent campaign and through his regular participation in the extra tournaments on the schedule this season, he has risen up to provisional world number 2 in the rankings. His status as the bookies' 2nd favourite is a reflection on his form, but also his proven suitability to longer matches. He reached the final as an unseeded player in 2007 and narrowly lost out to Graeme Dott in the semis 12 months ago. In between, in 2009, Selby went out in an astonishing quarter-final to eventual tournament winner John Higgins. A quarter-final loss for Selby in a tournament in which he had compiled 10 century breaks did not do his level of play justice.
Selby without a doubt is a major player in this year's tournament, but at 28, it is high time for him to shake off the 'nearlyman' tag. Sure, he has won 2 Masters tournaments which is an impressive feat, but these are non-ranking tournaments. As far as ranking pots are concerned, Selby only has a solitary Welsh Open trophy to his name so far, a tally that does not do him justice. Another close shave in the China Open occurred 2 weeks ago. Selby should have no problem getting past his rookie opponent, but he will have some tough matches to follow on this side of the draw.
Prediction: Selby 10-4 Robertson
Mark Williams v Ryan Day
There will be some divided loyalties over the Severn Bridge in this year's World Championship with no fewer than 5 Welshmen taking part in the televised stages of the tournament. Curiously, all 5 players find themselves in the bottom half of the draw and 40 per cent of the representatives from the Valleys are drawing battle lines in this match.
Southpaw Mark Williams is a double world champion, having won at the Crucible in 2000 and 2003. 2003 was the apogee of Williams' career given that during that year, he held the World Championship, Masters and UK Championship crowns all at the same time, which no-one has managed to do since. Then, at the very point that Williams' world should have been his oyster, curiously his career fell into alarming decline, and by 2007 he had slumped to world number 47 and was threatening retirement after suffering the igmoniny of losing in qualifying in front of 2 spectators and a dog.
As improbable as Williams' decline was, his resurgence has also been surprising but also very refreshing to see and Williams arrives in Sheffield with his best chance of winning a third World title for several years. If he gets his cueing arm flowing, it will take a very solid player to remove him from the tournament. In a recent tournament, Williams lost a first round match despite scoring four centuries! He also narrowly lost in the UK Championship final this season after his opponent John Higgins mounted an astonishing comeback from a seemingly hopeless position.
While Williams' career has been prone to wild fluctuations these past few years, it is easy to forget that his compatriot Ryan Day was also talked about as a future World champion a few years ago and was responsible for knocking out John Higgins in the 2nd round in 2008, when Higgins was the defending champion. Day was in snooker's top 16 for five years before dropping out of it last season and he has reached a couple of ranking finals. A victory here could be the kickstart that his career appears to need.
Of the players Williams could have faced in the first round, he would probably have wanted to avoid playing a fellow Welshman, but it will at least get his competitive juices going for the later rounds. The Ryan Day of 2 or 3 years ago would give Williams a very tough examination of his tournament credentials, but Day's weakness has always been his shot selection. He takes on shots that are far too bold when he should play safe, and Williams with his experience and nous should make him pay for any misjudgements that he makes.
Prediction: Williams 10-7 Day
Jamie Cope v Andrew Pagett
The third Welshman to enter the fray at the Crucible is 30 year old Andrew Pagett, who like Jimmy Robertson, is also making his Crucible bow. He is also Mark Williams' practice partner and so he has the added incentive of potentially setting up a second round match with his friend.
To make that possible, Pagett has to get past the man that I would mark down as the dangerous dark horse in this year's tournament. Jamie Cope has been around for the past 4 or 5 years now and has reached a couple of tournament finals, but he has particularly shown signs of progress this season and made it through to the semi-finals at the Masters, in what was his first appearance at the Wembley Arena. The Stoke player is nicknamed 'Shotgun' because of his quickfire style of play and he gave John Higgins a major scare in a second round match 2 years ago in which Higgins came from 12-10 down to win in a deciding frame on the way to winning his third title.
The new rolling ranking system has benefitted Cope this season and he is now established in the world's top 16 players, a status that his potential over the past few years suggested he warranted. Although there are some very tough players in the bottom section of the draw, Cope will be a difficult opponent for any of the big guns to face and if his potting game holds up and Cope does not get overly ambitious and go for needlessly wild shots against the top players, he could be a lively outsider in the business end of the tournament. I certainly expect him to be too powerful for Pagett in this match.
Prediction: Cope 10-5 Pagett
Mark Allen v Matthew Stevens
Another match-up which could perhaps have been played at a later stage in the tournament 2 or 3 years ago. Left-hander Mark Allen made it through to the semi-finals at the Crucible 2 years ago and made the last 8 here 12 months ago. As with many of his contemporaries, the fiery Ulsterman is a blistering long potter but also has a pretty impressive safety game.
His opponent Matthew Stevens has twice reached the final of the Worlds, losing to compatriot Mark Williams in 2000 and Shaun Murphy in 2005. Much like Mark Selby now, Stevens was something of a nearly player at his peak, but he always seemed to produce his best snooker in the longer frame formats. Stevens' problem was that he stopped winning matches in the shorter matches and consequently he fell out of snooker's top 16 three years ago, and he has not returned to the elite club since, and only occasionally shown any signs of his former glory since. A recent 5-0 whitewash to Stephen Hendry in China does not bode well.
Stevens' slump in fortunes seem to owe much to him not putting as many hours in on the practice table as he once did, due to the family commitments. This was also what resulted in Mark Williams' years in the wilderness, and if Stevens does not have the hunger he once had for the game, there are plenty of players around who certainly do have the appetite for success.
Stevens comes up against one such player here in the shape of Mark Allen. Allen is looking for his first major breakthrough as semi-finals have proven so far to be an insurmountable glass ceiling in his progress towards world domination. Allen has the talent to win a World Championship, but questions persist as to whether he has the temperament. Stevens will give Allen a tough test first up, but if Allen's potting game is firing, he should have the ammunition to see off the Welsh wizard.
Prediction: Allen 10-6 Stevens
Stephen Maguire v Barry Hawkins
If it wasn't for the continued presence of Ronnie O'Sullivan, snooker's great enigma could well be Stephen Maguire. The Scotsman, like the Rocket, can on his day make the game appear easy to play when he is in full flow. However, when he is not focused and cannot get his game together, he can be surly and very frustrating to watch. For several years, Maguire has turned up as one of the players who could win the World Championship, but he seems no nearer to accomplishing that mission than he was 7 or 8 years ago. In fact, Maguire has never even made the final at the Crucible, despite having been world number 2 on more than one occasion that he has played here.
His first round opponent, Barry Hawkins, was ranked in the top 16 for all of one season some 5 years ago, but has largely been ranked in between 20th and 30th in the world ever since scaling those dizzy heights. Hawkins has been a regular qualifier for the Crucible in recent years, but has only made it past the first round on one occasion.
The attitude that I would take to this match is that there is only one player that can beat Stephen Maguire and that is Maguire himself. As long as he is switched on and keeps his head, he should have too much for Hawkins to deal with. The only way for Hawkins to win is for him to frustrate Maguire, keep him off the table and force him in to making mistakes and sealing his own fate. That is not beyond the realms of possibility, but I expect Maguire to take his place in the second round.
Prediction: Maguire 10-5 Hawkins
Shaun Murphy v Marcus Campbell
The 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy hails from Rotherham which is just up the road from the Crucible, so he should be guaranteed plenty of home support in the auditorium. Murphy's victory in the 2005 tournament was somewhat unexpected given that he was ranked number 48 in the world at the time, but he has since proven that his victory that year was no fluke by being a mainstay of the world's top 10 players pretty much ever since. The only surprise has been that he has not won more tournaments since, with just 2 further ranking tournaments to his name, including the 2008 UK Championship.
Murphy does, without question, thrive in the longer matches. He has a tendency to be a slow starter in matches, which can be very costly when matches are just the best of 5 or best of 9 frames. Whereas, he knows exactly how to pace himself in matches lasting for 2 or 3 sessions. He is also a pure potter and if his cue arm is flowing and he has his eye in, he could prove to be the immovable object in the bottom half of the draw.
What doesn't help Murphy is the draw because a first round win could well see him face Ronnie O'Sullivan in the second round, a player against whom Murphy has a wretched record. The fact that those 2 players could face each other in the last 16, seeded as they are 7th and 10th, is something of an indictment of the times and this is where Murphy has paid for losing in the early stages of the shorter format tournaments.
Marcus Campbell is a classic example of a snooker journeyman and whose career highlight came in 1998 when be beat fellow Scotsman Stephen Hendry 9-0 in a televised tournament. More recently, he scored a 147 in the Bahrain Championship in 2008. This suggests he is an awkward match player and although his ranking is over 30 places below his opponent's, this could be a closer match than you might first anticipate. Nonetheless, it is hard to see past a Murphy victory.
Prediction: Murphy 10-7 Campbell
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Dominic Dale
For people that do not follow the snooker scene on a regular basis, it will come as a shock to learn that the most naturally talented player of his generation pitches up at Sheffield this year ranked the world number 10. The last time that the Rocket was ranked so low he would have still been a teenager back in the mid-1990s, since when he has won three world titles. For such an outrageously gifted player to be ranked so low is almost criminal, but therein lies the constant enigma that is Ronnie O'Sullivan.
In fact, O'Sullivan appearing in the tournament is progress of sorts. Just a week ago, so disillusioned was he with life, that Chigwell's finest told his sport's governing body that he would not be participating, only to have a change of heart the next day. As O'Sullivan grows older, he seems to have less time for the longer tournaments and it is little surprise that his best results in a barren season have been in the short competitions which can hold his interest, such as the Premier League Snooker competition. There are off-table factors that have also played a part, such as a custody battle that O'Sullivan is involved in and also the release of his father from jail. This in particular will have been a major upheaval, given that it will have been the first time in O'Sullivan's adult life that his father will have been a free man.
The fact that Ronnie has turned up in Sheffield is encouraging, but it would take a major leap of faith to expect him to rediscover his magic and win the tournament. It has been some time since O'Sullivan has shown the patience to last out for 17 days and he would have a very difficult run to the final, with the likes of Shaun Murphy and John Higgins potentially waiting for him in later rounds.
O'Sullivan's first round opponent Dominic Dale is the right kind of test for him first up. Dale is a vastly experienced player who has also won a couple of ranking tournaments in his long career, albeit some ten years apart. The Welshman, perhaps surprisingly, has not played at the Crucible since 2004 and is sure to want to make up for lost time. He is decent enough that Ronnie cannot afford to take him lightly, but it is a match that is there for Essex's Exocet to win and I expect him to do just that.
Prediction: O'Sullivan 10-6 Dale
Ricky Walden v Rory McLeod
This does not jump out as one of the ties of the opening round, but Ricky Walden is another fast improving player who has a tendency to play a gung-ho, attacking method of snooker, which when it is effective, makes him a dangerous player against anyone. As with many players of that ilk, however, consistency is Walden's main weakness, but he has now crept into the top 16 for the first time, which could prove to be the making of him.
One of the elder statesmen in the tournament, Rory McLeod serves as something of a phenomenon in snooker circles due to him being the only high profile black snooker player. Other than this piece of trivia, McLeod has also spent part of his time coaching young snooker players in the United Arab Emirates, so he could play a role in future champions emerging from that part of the world.
It does not strike me as being a classic, but there is an incentive to possibly play John Higgins in the second round up for grabs. Although Higgins has held the upper hand in recent times, Walden did defeat Higgins in the UK Championship a few years ago and would pose a threat if they were to meet here. I expect Walden to keep his side of the bargain.
Prediction: Walden 10-5 McLeod
John Higgins v Stephen Lee
Other than Robertson against Trump on the opposite side of the draw, this has the potential to be the tie of the opening round. It is easy to forget with the passage of time, but between them, these two players have amassed 27 career ranking tournament victories. Admittedly, Higgins has claimed 23 of those, but any player with 4 tournament victories as Lee has should be given respect too.
This is the tournament that John Higgins has building towards for his whole season. A year ago, he was unceremoniously removed from the tournament by Steve Davis in the 2nd round, only for sordid allegations to emerge courtesy of film footage from a Sunday newspaper with previous where investigative journalism was concerned, which seemed to imply that Higgins had given an undertaking to throw a match in exchange for a pile of notes with a monarch's head on them. Higgins was cleared of fixing, but banned for six months not declaring the incident and thereby bringing the sport into disrepute. Although Higgins was cleared of corruption, there are plenty of people that follow the sport that felt he had been let off lightly.
As if Higgins' loss of livelihood was not enough, he has also had to contend with the death of his father, who had been a huge mentor in his career. Such setbacks would test the resolve of most mere mortals, but Higgins' response has been extraordinary, even for those familiar with the granite hard determination and will to win that the 'Wizard of Wishaw' has displayed over the years. Since returning from his suspension, Higgins has won 2 ranking tournaments, including a magnificent comeback victory in the UK Championship final, just weeks after his return.
Given how the allegations about Higgins' involvement in match fixing cast a huge shadow over this tournament 12 months ago, I think there will be great determination on Higgins' part to try and atone by winning his fourth World Championship this year, to move him ahead of Ronnie O'Sullivan. He is certainly capable of doing so and there is no-one in the field with a better tactical brain than him, which will be an extremely handy attribute to have over 17 days of play, and he rightly starts the tournament as favourite.
But Stephen Lee is no pushover and comes into the tournament in good form having thrashed Steve Davis in the final qualifying round for the tournament and then beaten Mark Williams in China. He is building breaks again, having struggled in this department for a few years, and if he can keep Higgins off the table for a sustained period in the match, he could force mistakes from his opponent.
This has all the makings of being an epic first round match and although I think that ultimately, Higgins' greater resolve and fighting spirit will see him through, he cannot afford to be involved in too many epics in this tournament, because at 35 years of age, he will quickly get mentally and physically drained as the tournament wears on, whereas he would not have done so much a couple of years ago.
Prediction: Higgins 10-8 Lee
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Playlists 74 to 88 - O, P, Q & R
Well, the last time I posted my alphabet inspired playlists from my various travels, I'd got as far as the end of 'N'. So, we move on now to O, P, Q and R. As usual, this experiment means that there's a real mixture of old and new stuff, and also a journey across different genres. This may be the last playlist for a while as I have over 400 tracks on my iPod beginning with 'S' to wade through, by far the highest represented letter of the alphabet song wise on my MP3 of choice! By contrast, as you will see, I only listened to the grand sum of 2 songs beginning with Q!
Incidentally, for anyone wondering when my next proper blog piece will be written, fear not. All I can say is, watch this space...
PLAYLIST #74
Aztec Camera - Oblivious
Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Dolores O'Riordan - October
Amy Winehouse - October Song
Sheryl Crow - Oh Marie
Ladyhawke - Oh My
Kaiser Chiefs - Oh My God
Ash - Oh Yeah
David Bowie - Oh You Pretty Things
The Thrills - Old Friends, New Lovers
Fleet Foxes - Oliver James
Richard Ashcroft - On A Beach
PLAYLIST #75
Ash - On A Wave
Red Hot Chili Peppers - On Mercury
Brandon Flowers - On The Floor
Tiffany Page - On Your Head
Badly Drawn Boy - Once Around The Block
Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
U2 - One
Texas - One Choice
Elbow - One Day Like This
The Thrills - One Horse Town
REM - The One I Love
The Stone Roses - One Love
Regina Spektor - One More Time With Feeling
Travis - One Night
PLAYLIST #76
Moby - One Of These Mornings
The Eagles - One Of These Nights
Madness - One Step Beyond
The Charlatans - One To Another
U2 - One Tree Hill
Queen - One Vision
Blondie - One Way Or Another
Lene Marlin - One Year Ago
Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains
The Charlatans - The Only One I Know
The Last Shadow Puppets - Only The Truth
Brandon Flowers - Only The Young
Kooks - Ooh La
Richard Hawley - Open Up Your Door
PLAYLIST #77
Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes
Madonna - Open Your Heart
Reverend & The Makers - Open Your Window
The Courteeners - The Opener
REM - Orange Crush
Dolores O'Riordan - Ordinary Day
Sheryl Crow - Ordinary Morning
John Legend - Ordinary People
Duran Duran - Ordinary World
U2 - Original Of The Species
Ash - Orpheus
KT Tunstall - Other Side Of The World
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside
PLAYLIST #78
Madness - Our House
Fun Boy Three - Our Lips Are Sealed
Travis - Out In Space
The Rifles - Out In The Past
Embrace - Out Of Nothing
Paul Weller - Out Of The Sinking
Blur - Out Of Time
James - Out To Get You
Doves - The Outsiders
Echo & The Bunnymen - Over The Wall
Stevie Wonder - Overjoyed
PLAYLIST #79
The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter
The Smiths - Panic
James Brown - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
Madonna - Papa Don't Preach
The Beatles - Paperback Writer
Travis - Paperclips
Coldplay - Parachutes
Garbage - Parade
Massive Attack - Paradise Circus
Guns N' Roses - Paradise City
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Parallel Universe
Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning
Corinne Bailey Rae - Paris Nights/New York Mornings
Stevie Wonder - Part Time Lover
The Coral - Pass It On
Iggy Pop - The Passenger
PLAYLIST #80
Oasis - Part Of The Queue
Guns N' Roses - Patience
White Lies - Peace & Quiet
Bat For Lashes - Peace Of Mind
U2 - Peace On Earth
Travis - Peace The Fuck Out
Kings Of Convenience - Peacetime Resistance
The Stranglers - Peaches
Paul Weller - Peacock Suit
Bat For Lashes - Pearl's Dream
The Beatles - Penny Lane
Echo & The Bunnymen - People Are Strange
White Rabbits - Percussion Gun
Alanis Morissette - Perfect
New Order - A Perfect Kiss
PLAYLIST #81
Mercury Rev - The Petrified Florist
Blondie - Picture This
Echo & The Bunnymen - Pictures On My Wall
The Who - Pinball Wizard
Crowded House - Pineapple Head
Travis - Pipe Dreams
Lene Marlin - A Place Nearby
White Lies - A Place To Hide
Snow Patrol - The Planets Bend Between Us
The Kinks - Plastic Man
Queen - Play The Game
Brandon Flowers - Playing With Fire
Glasvegas - Please Come Back Home
James Brown - Please Please Please
Sade - Please Send Me Someone To Love
Muse - Plug-In Baby
Coldplay - Politik
PLAYLIST #82
Glasvegas - Polmont On My Mind
Texas - Polo Mint City
Razorlight - Pop Song 2006
Moby - Porcelain
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Porcelain
Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man
Coldplay - Postcards From Far Away
Doves - Pounding
White Lies - The Power & The Glory
Madonna - The Power Of Goodbye
Frankie Goes To Holly - The Power Of Love
Kings Of Convenience - The Power Of Not Knowing
John Lennon - Power To The People
Massive Attack - Prayer For England
Texas - Prayer For You
Foo Fighters - The Pretender
The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
PLAYLIST #83
White Lies - The Price Of Love
U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Madness - The Prince
Crowded House - Private Universe
Oasis - Probably All In The Mind
Ladyhawke - Professional Suicide
Simple Minds - Promised You A Miracle
Massive Attack - Protection
Echo & The Bunnymen - Proxy
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
Squeeze - Pulling Mussels
Supergrass - Pumping On Your Stereo
The Lightning Seeds - Pure
Prince - Purple Rain
Garbage - Push It
Texas - Put Your Arms Around Me
Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On
PLAYLIST #84
Travis - Quicksand
Fleet Foxes - Quiet Houses
Florence & The Machine - Rabbit Heart
Queen - Radio Ga Ga
Kings Of Leon - Radioactive
Moby - Raining Again
Coldplay - Rainy Day
Blondie - Rapture
Prince - Raspberry Beret
The Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap
Madonna - Ray Of Light
The Killers - Read My Mind
PLAYLIST #85
Travis - Re-Offender
Republica - Ready To Go
Arcade Fire - Ready To Start
Deacon Blue - Real Gone Kid
Nerina Pallot - Real Late Starter
Colbie Caillat - Realize
David Bowie - Rebel Rebel
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Basement Jaxx - Red Alert
U2 - Red Hill Mining Town
Delphic - Red Lights
Texas - Redbook
Sheryl Crow - Redemption Day
New Order - Regret
Kings Of Convenience - Renegade
Ash - Renegade Cavalcade
PLAYLIST #86
Delphic - Remain
Basement Jaxx - Rendez-Vu
The Strokes - Reptilia
Echo & The Bunnymen - Rescue
The Courteeners - The Rest Of The World Has Gone Home
Kings Of Leon - Revelry
The Beatles - Revolution
Supergrass - Richard III
Garbage - Right Between The Eyes
Simply Red - The Right Thing
Alanis Morissette - Right Through You
Joss Stone - Right To Be Wrong
Duran Duran - Rio
Kings Of Convenience - Riot On An Empty Street
Razorlight - Rip It Up
PLAYLIST #87
Gabrielle - Rise
Bruce Springsteen - The River
Elbow - The River
Ocean Colour Scene - The Riverboat Song
Talking Heads - Road To Nowhere
The Libertines - Road To Ruin
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Road Trippin'
The B-52s - Roam
Oasis - Rock N' Roll Star
AC/DC - Rock N' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
Ryan Adams - Rock N Roll
Razorlight - Rock N Roll Lies
Simple Minds - Rockets
Neil Young - Rockin' In The Free World
Mumford & Sons - Roll Away Your Stone
PLAYLIST #88
Oasis - Roll With It
Arcade Fire - Rebellion
Catatonia - Road Rage
The Verve - The Rolling People
Beady Eye - The Roller
Basement Jaxx - Romeo
The Rifles - Romeo & Julie
Port O'Brien - The Rooftop Song
Stevie Nicks - Rooms On Fire
Dirty Vegas - Roses
RPA/UN Of Sound - Royal Highness
The Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday
Kings Of Convenience - Rule My World
Muse - Ruled By Secrecy
Midlake - Rulers, Ruling All Things
Snow Patrol - Run
Garbage - Run Baby Run
Moby - Run On
Elbow - Running To Stand Still
Soul Asylum - Runaway Train
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
U2 - Running To Stand Still
Incidentally, for anyone wondering when my next proper blog piece will be written, fear not. All I can say is, watch this space...
PLAYLIST #74
Aztec Camera - Oblivious
Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Dolores O'Riordan - October
Amy Winehouse - October Song
Sheryl Crow - Oh Marie
Ladyhawke - Oh My
Kaiser Chiefs - Oh My God
Ash - Oh Yeah
David Bowie - Oh You Pretty Things
The Thrills - Old Friends, New Lovers
Fleet Foxes - Oliver James
Richard Ashcroft - On A Beach
PLAYLIST #75
Ash - On A Wave
Red Hot Chili Peppers - On Mercury
Brandon Flowers - On The Floor
Tiffany Page - On Your Head
Badly Drawn Boy - Once Around The Block
Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
U2 - One
Texas - One Choice
Elbow - One Day Like This
The Thrills - One Horse Town
REM - The One I Love
The Stone Roses - One Love
Regina Spektor - One More Time With Feeling
Travis - One Night
PLAYLIST #76
Moby - One Of These Mornings
The Eagles - One Of These Nights
Madness - One Step Beyond
The Charlatans - One To Another
U2 - One Tree Hill
Queen - One Vision
Blondie - One Way Or Another
Lene Marlin - One Year Ago
Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains
The Charlatans - The Only One I Know
The Last Shadow Puppets - Only The Truth
Brandon Flowers - Only The Young
Kooks - Ooh La
Richard Hawley - Open Up Your Door
PLAYLIST #77
Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes
Madonna - Open Your Heart
Reverend & The Makers - Open Your Window
The Courteeners - The Opener
REM - Orange Crush
Dolores O'Riordan - Ordinary Day
Sheryl Crow - Ordinary Morning
John Legend - Ordinary People
Duran Duran - Ordinary World
U2 - Original Of The Species
Ash - Orpheus
KT Tunstall - Other Side Of The World
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside
PLAYLIST #78
Madness - Our House
Fun Boy Three - Our Lips Are Sealed
Travis - Out In Space
The Rifles - Out In The Past
Embrace - Out Of Nothing
Paul Weller - Out Of The Sinking
Blur - Out Of Time
James - Out To Get You
Doves - The Outsiders
Echo & The Bunnymen - Over The Wall
Stevie Wonder - Overjoyed
PLAYLIST #79
The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter
The Smiths - Panic
James Brown - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
Madonna - Papa Don't Preach
The Beatles - Paperback Writer
Travis - Paperclips
Coldplay - Parachutes
Garbage - Parade
Massive Attack - Paradise Circus
Guns N' Roses - Paradise City
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Parallel Universe
Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning
Corinne Bailey Rae - Paris Nights/New York Mornings
Stevie Wonder - Part Time Lover
The Coral - Pass It On
Iggy Pop - The Passenger
PLAYLIST #80
Oasis - Part Of The Queue
Guns N' Roses - Patience
White Lies - Peace & Quiet
Bat For Lashes - Peace Of Mind
U2 - Peace On Earth
Travis - Peace The Fuck Out
Kings Of Convenience - Peacetime Resistance
The Stranglers - Peaches
Paul Weller - Peacock Suit
Bat For Lashes - Pearl's Dream
The Beatles - Penny Lane
Echo & The Bunnymen - People Are Strange
White Rabbits - Percussion Gun
Alanis Morissette - Perfect
New Order - A Perfect Kiss
PLAYLIST #81
Mercury Rev - The Petrified Florist
Blondie - Picture This
Echo & The Bunnymen - Pictures On My Wall
The Who - Pinball Wizard
Crowded House - Pineapple Head
Travis - Pipe Dreams
Lene Marlin - A Place Nearby
White Lies - A Place To Hide
Snow Patrol - The Planets Bend Between Us
The Kinks - Plastic Man
Queen - Play The Game
Brandon Flowers - Playing With Fire
Glasvegas - Please Come Back Home
James Brown - Please Please Please
Sade - Please Send Me Someone To Love
Muse - Plug-In Baby
Coldplay - Politik
PLAYLIST #82
Glasvegas - Polmont On My Mind
Texas - Polo Mint City
Razorlight - Pop Song 2006
Moby - Porcelain
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Porcelain
Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man
Coldplay - Postcards From Far Away
Doves - Pounding
White Lies - The Power & The Glory
Madonna - The Power Of Goodbye
Frankie Goes To Holly - The Power Of Love
Kings Of Convenience - The Power Of Not Knowing
John Lennon - Power To The People
Massive Attack - Prayer For England
Texas - Prayer For You
Foo Fighters - The Pretender
The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
PLAYLIST #83
White Lies - The Price Of Love
U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Madness - The Prince
Crowded House - Private Universe
Oasis - Probably All In The Mind
Ladyhawke - Professional Suicide
Simple Minds - Promised You A Miracle
Massive Attack - Protection
Echo & The Bunnymen - Proxy
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
Squeeze - Pulling Mussels
Supergrass - Pumping On Your Stereo
The Lightning Seeds - Pure
Prince - Purple Rain
Garbage - Push It
Texas - Put Your Arms Around Me
Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On
PLAYLIST #84
Travis - Quicksand
Fleet Foxes - Quiet Houses
Florence & The Machine - Rabbit Heart
Queen - Radio Ga Ga
Kings Of Leon - Radioactive
Moby - Raining Again
Coldplay - Rainy Day
Blondie - Rapture
Prince - Raspberry Beret
The Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap
Madonna - Ray Of Light
The Killers - Read My Mind
PLAYLIST #85
Travis - Re-Offender
Republica - Ready To Go
Arcade Fire - Ready To Start
Deacon Blue - Real Gone Kid
Nerina Pallot - Real Late Starter
Colbie Caillat - Realize
David Bowie - Rebel Rebel
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Basement Jaxx - Red Alert
U2 - Red Hill Mining Town
Delphic - Red Lights
Texas - Redbook
Sheryl Crow - Redemption Day
New Order - Regret
Kings Of Convenience - Renegade
Ash - Renegade Cavalcade
PLAYLIST #86
Delphic - Remain
Basement Jaxx - Rendez-Vu
The Strokes - Reptilia
Echo & The Bunnymen - Rescue
The Courteeners - The Rest Of The World Has Gone Home
Kings Of Leon - Revelry
The Beatles - Revolution
Supergrass - Richard III
Garbage - Right Between The Eyes
Simply Red - The Right Thing
Alanis Morissette - Right Through You
Joss Stone - Right To Be Wrong
Duran Duran - Rio
Kings Of Convenience - Riot On An Empty Street
Razorlight - Rip It Up
PLAYLIST #87
Gabrielle - Rise
Bruce Springsteen - The River
Elbow - The River
Ocean Colour Scene - The Riverboat Song
Talking Heads - Road To Nowhere
The Libertines - Road To Ruin
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Road Trippin'
The B-52s - Roam
Oasis - Rock N' Roll Star
AC/DC - Rock N' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
Ryan Adams - Rock N Roll
Razorlight - Rock N Roll Lies
Simple Minds - Rockets
Neil Young - Rockin' In The Free World
Mumford & Sons - Roll Away Your Stone
PLAYLIST #88
Oasis - Roll With It
Arcade Fire - Rebellion
Catatonia - Road Rage
The Verve - The Rolling People
Beady Eye - The Roller
Basement Jaxx - Romeo
The Rifles - Romeo & Julie
Port O'Brien - The Rooftop Song
Stevie Nicks - Rooms On Fire
Dirty Vegas - Roses
RPA/UN Of Sound - Royal Highness
The Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday
Kings Of Convenience - Rule My World
Muse - Ruled By Secrecy
Midlake - Rulers, Ruling All Things
Snow Patrol - Run
Garbage - Run Baby Run
Moby - Run On
Elbow - Running To Stand Still
Soul Asylum - Runaway Train
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
U2 - Running To Stand Still
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Playlists 52 to 73 - J to N
Found below are my latest batch of playlists listened to when I have been on my travels. This latest collection of 22 alphabetically sequenced playlists covers approximately a 2 month period and 5 different letters of the alphabet. As ever, there is an eclectic mix of mainstream and less well known artists to be found amongst the lists.
A few points of note. Playlists 68 to 70 were listened to during extended journeys during the course of trips to and from Manchester. Also, Playlist #62 which consists exclusively of songs prefixed with the word 'Love' in the title was rather appropriately listened to on a train journey on 14 February. This was not deliberate, it just so happened that these were next set of songs I came to in the alphabetical index of songs on my iPod.
Playlist #72 makes reference to the track 'Not In Love' by the Canadian electronica act Crystal Castles. Please note that the track I listened to was the album version without Robert Smith of The Cure's vocal contribution. This was not a reflection on Robert Smith's dulcet tones (as you will see from The Cure's other appearances in playlists here), but a reflection on my ineptitude in downloading the correct track! The single version which does feature The Cure frontman has now been downloaded and is a much better version than the track that appears on the 'Crystal Castles II' album.
Lastly, I should say that future updates of these playlists may be less frequent as I will commuting less in my work capacity, which is the main time when I have listened to these alphabetically sequenced playlists. Enjoy!
PLAYLIST #52
Travis - J.Smith
Green Day - JAR
AC/DC - The Jack
Kooks - Jackie Big Tits
The Coral - Jacqueline
Moby - Jam For The Ladies
John Lennon - Jealous Guy
David Bowie - The Jean Genie
The Killers - Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
Supergrass - Jesus Came From Outta Space
Doves - Jetstream
PLAYLIST #53
Green Day - Jesus Of Suburbia
Joss Stone - Jet Lag
Sade - Jezebel
Brandon Flowers - Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts
The Undertones - Jimmy Jimmy
David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing
The Killers - Joy Ride
Van Halen - Jump
Basement Jaxx - Jump N' Shout
The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash
Alistair Griffin - Just Drive
Pink - Just Like A Pill
The Cure - Just Like Heaven
PLAYLIST #54
John Lennon - Just Like Starting Over
Texas - Just Hold On
The Thrills - Just Travelling Through
The Cars - Just What I Needed
Massive Attack - Karmacoma
Marillion - Kayleigh
Edwyn Collins - Keep On Burning
Soul II Soul - Keep On Movin'
Arcade Fire - Keep The Car Running
Oasis - Keep The Dream Alive
Embrace - Keeping
Manic Street Preachers - Kevin Carter
Richard Ashcroft - Keys To The World
The Pretenders - Kid
MGMT - Kids
PLAYLIST #55
Queen - Killer Queen
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
Joss Stone - Killing Time
Queen - A Kind Of Magic
Prefab Sprout - The King Of Rock & Roll
Coldplay - Kingdom Come
Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
The Courteeners - Kings Of The New Road
Razorlight - Kirby's House
Prince - Kiss
Seal - Kiss From A Rose
U2 - Kite
Muse - Knights Of Cydonia
Kings Of Convenience - Know-How
PLAYLIST #56
Kasabian - LSF
Madonna - La Isla Bonita
Squeeze - Labelled With Love
Twin Sister - Lady Daydream
The Beatles - Lady Madonna
White Rabbits - The Lady Vanishes
James - Laid
Matchbox Twenty - Last Beautiful Girl
Doves - Last Broadcast
Embrace - The Last Gas
The Dandy Warhols - The Last High
Travis - The Last Laugh Of The Laughter
The Courteeners - Last Of The Ladies
The Libertines - Last Post On The Bugle
Regina Spektor - Laughing With
Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly
Nerina Pallot - Learning To Breathe
Razorlight - Leave Me Alone
Joss Stone - Less Is More
PLAYLIST #57
John Legend - Let's Get Lifted
Prince - Let's Go Crazy
The Cure - Let's Go To Bed
The Rolling Stones - Let's Spend The Night Together
Fyfe Dangerfield - Let's Start Again
The Beatles - Let It Be
Queen - Let Me Live
Oasis - Let There Be Love
Simple Minds - Let There Be Love
David Bowie - Let's Dance
The Coral - Liezah
Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It
PLAYLIST #58
RPA & Utd Nat Of Sound - Life Can Be So Beautiful
Coldplay - Life In Technicolor II
The Eagles - Life In The Fast Lane
Echo & The Bunnymen - Life Of A Thousand Crimes
Lightning Seeds - The Life Of Riley
David Bowie - Life On Mars
Snow Patrol - Lifeboats
Moby - Lift Me Up
Madonna - Like A Prayer
Corinne Bailey Rae - Like A Star
Manic Street Preachers - Little Baby Nothing
Oasis - Little By Little
Fleetwood Mac - Little Lies
Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man
Prince - Little Red Corvette
PLAYLIST #59
RPA & Utd Nat Of Sound - Let My Soul Rest
U2 - Like A Song
Pulp - A Little Soul
Madonna - Little Star
Colbie Caillat - The Little Things
Mohair - Little Voice
Oasis - Live Forever
Kings Of Convenience - Live Long
Madonna - Live To Tell
AC/DC - Live Wire
Fyfe Dangerfield - Livewire
Hard-Fi - Living For The Weekend
James Brown - Living In America
PLAYLIST #60
Primal Scream - Loaded
Crowded House - Locked Out
Supertramp - The Logical Song
The Kinks - Lola
The Clash - London Calling
Elbow - The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver
Rebecca Helmer - Lonely
The Beatles - The Long And Winding Road
Counting Crows - A Long December
Sheryl Crow - Long Road Home
The Eagles - The Long Run
Eagle Eye & N.Cherry - Long Way Around
Big Country - Look Away
PLAYLIST #61
Moby - Look Back In
ABC - The Look Of Love
Jet - Look What You've Done
Embrace - Looking As You Are
Madness - Los Palmas 7
James - Lose Control
Dolores O'Riordan - Loser
The Killers - Losing Touch
Echo & The Bunnymen - Lost And Found
Coldplay - Lost!
Corinne Bailey Rae - Love's On Its Way
U2 - Love And Peace Or Else
Athlete - Love Come Rescue
Ladyhawke - Love Don't Live Here
Jamiroquai - Love Foolosophy
Sheryl Crow - Love Is A Good Thing
Kings Of Convenience - Love Is No Big Truth
PLAYLIST #62
Oasis - Love Like A Bomb
The Beatles - Love Me Do
The B-52s - Love Shack
Moby - Love Should
Sara Bareilles - Love Song
Simple Minds - Love Song
The Stone Roses - Love Spreads
Travis - Love Will Come Through
The Eagles - Love Will Keep Us Alive
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
The Cure - The Lovecats
The Cardigans - Lovefool
Bill Withers - Lovely Day
Coldplay - Lovers In Japan
The Cure - Lovesong
Madness - Lovestruck
PLAYLIST #63
Coldplay - Low
Dan Clews - Lucid And Sincere
The Verve - Lucky Man
Lightning Seeds - Lucky You
The Beatles - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Suzanne Vega - Luka
The Courteeners - Lullaby
The Cure - Lullaby
Shawn Mullins - Lullaby
Oasis - Lyla
The Eagles - Lyin' Eyes
PLAYLIST #64
Doves - M62 Song
Moby - Machete
Regina Spektor - Machine
Matchbox Twenty - Mad Season
Tears For Fears - Mad World
The Stone Roses - Made Of Stone
Brandon Flowers - Magdalena
Ladyhawke - Magic
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
U2 - Magnificent
Steve Harley - Make Me Smile
Supergrass - Mama & Papa
Alanis Morissette - A Man
Massive Attack - Man Next Door
Regina Spektor - Man Of A Thousand Faces
David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World
The Libertines - The Man Who Would Be King
PLAYLIST #65
U2 - A Man And A Woman
Simple Minds - Mandela Day
Ladyhawke - Manipulating Woman
Muse - Map Of The Problematique
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakesh Express
Oasis - Married With Children
Scissor Sisters - Mary
Supergrass - Mary
Alanis Morissette - Mary Jane
Manic Street Preachers - The Masses Against The Classes
Stevie Wonder - Master Blaster
Texas - Masterthief
Kooks - Match Box
Oasis - The Masterplan
PLAYLIST #66
Madonna - Material Girl
Sheryl Crow - Maybe That's Something
Kings Of Convenience - Me In You
Fleet Foxes - Meadowlarks
Crowded House - Mean To Me
Oasis - The Meaning Of Soul
Garbage - Medication
The Last Shadow Puppets - Meeting Place
Sharleen Spiteri - Melody
Ash - Meltdown
The Stone Roses - Mersey Paradise
Coldplay - A Message
The Police - Message In A Bottle
The Pretenders - Message Of Love
PLAYLIST #67
Sheryl Crow - Members Only
Garbage - Metal Heart
Madness - Michael Caine
Travis - Mid-Life Krysis
The Pretenders - Middle Of The Road
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Midnight
Garbage - Milk
The Coral - Milkwood Blues
Dirty Vegas - A Million Ways
John Lennon - Mind Games
KT Tunstall - Miniature Disasters
The Cure - Mint Car
Queen - The Miracle
PLAYLIST #68
U2 - Miracle Drug
Elbow - Mirrorball
Pulp - Misshapes
Kings Of Convenience - Misread
Passengers - Miss Sarajevo
The Rolling Stones - Miss You
Everything But The Girl - Missing
Sheryl Crow - Mississippi
Ryan Adams - Mockingbird
David Bowie - Modern Love
Kaiser Chiefs - Modern Way
The Dandy Warhols - Mohammed
U2 - Moment Of Surrender
Prince - Money Don't Matter Tonight
Richard Ashcroft - Money To Burn
Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench
Razorlight - Monster Boots
Bat For Lashes - Moon And Moon
I Am Kloot - The Moon Is A Blind Eye
Van Morrison - Moondance
Boston - More Than A Feeling
The Coral - More Than A Lover
Ladyhawke - Morning Dreams
Oasis - Morning Glory
John Lennon - Mother
Tears For Fears - Mothers Talk
Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness
PLAYLIST #69
Dan Clews - Move Too Fast
Primal Scream - Movin' On Up
Supergrass - Moving
Nerina Pallot - Mr King
Amy MacDonald - Mr Rock & Roll
The Killers - Mr Brightside
Guns N' Roses - Mr Brownstone
Dan Clews - Mr K
Kings Of Convenience - Mrs Cold
Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs Robinson
Catatonia - Mulder And Scully
Morrissey - Munich Air Disaster 1958
Madonna - Music
The Commitments - Mustang Sally
The Charlatans - My Beautiful Friend
The Cars - My Best Friend's Girl
Ladyhawke - My Delirium
Rebecca Helmer - My Everything
Travis - My Eyes
Sheryl Crow - My Favorite Mistake
Madness - My Girl
Echo & The Bunnymen - My Kingdom
The Killers - My List
The Last Shadow Puppets - My Mistakes Were Made For You
The Knack - My Sharona
Moby - My Weakness
Embrace - My Weakness Is None Of Your Business
Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
U2 - Mysterious Ways
INXS - Mystify
PLAYLIST #70
Kaiser Chiefs - Na Na Na Na Naa
Kooks - Naive
Moby - Natural Blues
Oasis - The Nature Of Reality
Lissie - Needle Starts To Fall
The Killers - Neon Tiger
The Verve - Neon Wilderness
Muse - Neutron Star Collision
Sade - Never As Good As The First Time
The Noisettes - Never Forget You
Fleetwood Mac - Never Going Back Again
Jack Johnson - Never Know
Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss A Beat
Texas - Nevermind
Kirsty MacColl - A New England
Simply Red - A New Flame
Simple Minds - New Gold Dream
The Eagles - New Kid In Town
U2 - New Year's Day
The Futureheads - News And Tributes
PLAYLIST #71
The Jam - News Of The World
Sleeper - Nice Guy Eddie
Nerina Pallot - Nickindia
Ash - Nicole
Madness - Night Boat To Cairo
The Pretenders - Night In My Veins
James Brown - Night Train
Mercury Rev - Nite And Fog
U2 - No Line On The Horizon
The Stranglers - No More Heroes
Jack Johnson - No Other Way
TLC - No Scrubs
The Courteeners - No You Didn't, No You Don't
PLAYLIST #72
Garbage - Nobody Loves You
John Lennon - Nobody Told Me
Razorlight - North London Trash
I Am Kloot - Northern Skies
The Beatles - Norwegian Wood
The Rolling Stones - Not Fade Away
Crystal Castles - Not In Love
The Courteeners - Not Nineteen Forever
Alanis Morissette - Not The Doctor
Crowded House - Not The Girl You Think You Are
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U
Echo & The Bunnymen - Nothing Lasts Forever
PLAYLIST #73
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters
Madonna - Nothing Really Matters
White Lies - Nothing To Hide
Guns N' Roses - November Rain
Lyrebirds - Now I Know Why
Coldplay - Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground
Embrace - Now You're Nobody
The Beatles - Nowhere Man
Pink - Numb
John Legend - Number One
A few points of note. Playlists 68 to 70 were listened to during extended journeys during the course of trips to and from Manchester. Also, Playlist #62 which consists exclusively of songs prefixed with the word 'Love' in the title was rather appropriately listened to on a train journey on 14 February. This was not deliberate, it just so happened that these were next set of songs I came to in the alphabetical index of songs on my iPod.
Playlist #72 makes reference to the track 'Not In Love' by the Canadian electronica act Crystal Castles. Please note that the track I listened to was the album version without Robert Smith of The Cure's vocal contribution. This was not a reflection on Robert Smith's dulcet tones (as you will see from The Cure's other appearances in playlists here), but a reflection on my ineptitude in downloading the correct track! The single version which does feature The Cure frontman has now been downloaded and is a much better version than the track that appears on the 'Crystal Castles II' album.
Lastly, I should say that future updates of these playlists may be less frequent as I will commuting less in my work capacity, which is the main time when I have listened to these alphabetically sequenced playlists. Enjoy!
PLAYLIST #52
Travis - J.Smith
Green Day - JAR
AC/DC - The Jack
Kooks - Jackie Big Tits
The Coral - Jacqueline
Moby - Jam For The Ladies
John Lennon - Jealous Guy
David Bowie - The Jean Genie
The Killers - Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
Supergrass - Jesus Came From Outta Space
Doves - Jetstream
PLAYLIST #53
Green Day - Jesus Of Suburbia
Joss Stone - Jet Lag
Sade - Jezebel
Brandon Flowers - Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts
The Undertones - Jimmy Jimmy
David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing
The Killers - Joy Ride
Van Halen - Jump
Basement Jaxx - Jump N' Shout
The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash
Alistair Griffin - Just Drive
Pink - Just Like A Pill
The Cure - Just Like Heaven
PLAYLIST #54
John Lennon - Just Like Starting Over
Texas - Just Hold On
The Thrills - Just Travelling Through
The Cars - Just What I Needed
Massive Attack - Karmacoma
Marillion - Kayleigh
Edwyn Collins - Keep On Burning
Soul II Soul - Keep On Movin'
Arcade Fire - Keep The Car Running
Oasis - Keep The Dream Alive
Embrace - Keeping
Manic Street Preachers - Kevin Carter
Richard Ashcroft - Keys To The World
The Pretenders - Kid
MGMT - Kids
PLAYLIST #55
Queen - Killer Queen
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
Joss Stone - Killing Time
Queen - A Kind Of Magic
Prefab Sprout - The King Of Rock & Roll
Coldplay - Kingdom Come
Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
The Courteeners - Kings Of The New Road
Razorlight - Kirby's House
Prince - Kiss
Seal - Kiss From A Rose
U2 - Kite
Muse - Knights Of Cydonia
Kings Of Convenience - Know-How
PLAYLIST #56
Kasabian - LSF
Madonna - La Isla Bonita
Squeeze - Labelled With Love
Twin Sister - Lady Daydream
The Beatles - Lady Madonna
White Rabbits - The Lady Vanishes
James - Laid
Matchbox Twenty - Last Beautiful Girl
Doves - Last Broadcast
Embrace - The Last Gas
The Dandy Warhols - The Last High
Travis - The Last Laugh Of The Laughter
The Courteeners - Last Of The Ladies
The Libertines - Last Post On The Bugle
Regina Spektor - Laughing With
Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly
Nerina Pallot - Learning To Breathe
Razorlight - Leave Me Alone
Joss Stone - Less Is More
PLAYLIST #57
John Legend - Let's Get Lifted
Prince - Let's Go Crazy
The Cure - Let's Go To Bed
The Rolling Stones - Let's Spend The Night Together
Fyfe Dangerfield - Let's Start Again
The Beatles - Let It Be
Queen - Let Me Live
Oasis - Let There Be Love
Simple Minds - Let There Be Love
David Bowie - Let's Dance
The Coral - Liezah
Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It
PLAYLIST #58
RPA & Utd Nat Of Sound - Life Can Be So Beautiful
Coldplay - Life In Technicolor II
The Eagles - Life In The Fast Lane
Echo & The Bunnymen - Life Of A Thousand Crimes
Lightning Seeds - The Life Of Riley
David Bowie - Life On Mars
Snow Patrol - Lifeboats
Moby - Lift Me Up
Madonna - Like A Prayer
Corinne Bailey Rae - Like A Star
Manic Street Preachers - Little Baby Nothing
Oasis - Little By Little
Fleetwood Mac - Little Lies
Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man
Prince - Little Red Corvette
PLAYLIST #59
RPA & Utd Nat Of Sound - Let My Soul Rest
U2 - Like A Song
Pulp - A Little Soul
Madonna - Little Star
Colbie Caillat - The Little Things
Mohair - Little Voice
Oasis - Live Forever
Kings Of Convenience - Live Long
Madonna - Live To Tell
AC/DC - Live Wire
Fyfe Dangerfield - Livewire
Hard-Fi - Living For The Weekend
James Brown - Living In America
PLAYLIST #60
Primal Scream - Loaded
Crowded House - Locked Out
Supertramp - The Logical Song
The Kinks - Lola
The Clash - London Calling
Elbow - The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver
Rebecca Helmer - Lonely
The Beatles - The Long And Winding Road
Counting Crows - A Long December
Sheryl Crow - Long Road Home
The Eagles - The Long Run
Eagle Eye & N.Cherry - Long Way Around
Big Country - Look Away
PLAYLIST #61
Moby - Look Back In
ABC - The Look Of Love
Jet - Look What You've Done
Embrace - Looking As You Are
Madness - Los Palmas 7
James - Lose Control
Dolores O'Riordan - Loser
The Killers - Losing Touch
Echo & The Bunnymen - Lost And Found
Coldplay - Lost!
Corinne Bailey Rae - Love's On Its Way
U2 - Love And Peace Or Else
Athlete - Love Come Rescue
Ladyhawke - Love Don't Live Here
Jamiroquai - Love Foolosophy
Sheryl Crow - Love Is A Good Thing
Kings Of Convenience - Love Is No Big Truth
PLAYLIST #62
Oasis - Love Like A Bomb
The Beatles - Love Me Do
The B-52s - Love Shack
Moby - Love Should
Sara Bareilles - Love Song
Simple Minds - Love Song
The Stone Roses - Love Spreads
Travis - Love Will Come Through
The Eagles - Love Will Keep Us Alive
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
The Cure - The Lovecats
The Cardigans - Lovefool
Bill Withers - Lovely Day
Coldplay - Lovers In Japan
The Cure - Lovesong
Madness - Lovestruck
PLAYLIST #63
Coldplay - Low
Dan Clews - Lucid And Sincere
The Verve - Lucky Man
Lightning Seeds - Lucky You
The Beatles - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Suzanne Vega - Luka
The Courteeners - Lullaby
The Cure - Lullaby
Shawn Mullins - Lullaby
Oasis - Lyla
The Eagles - Lyin' Eyes
PLAYLIST #64
Doves - M62 Song
Moby - Machete
Regina Spektor - Machine
Matchbox Twenty - Mad Season
Tears For Fears - Mad World
The Stone Roses - Made Of Stone
Brandon Flowers - Magdalena
Ladyhawke - Magic
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
U2 - Magnificent
Steve Harley - Make Me Smile
Supergrass - Mama & Papa
Alanis Morissette - A Man
Massive Attack - Man Next Door
Regina Spektor - Man Of A Thousand Faces
David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World
The Libertines - The Man Who Would Be King
PLAYLIST #65
U2 - A Man And A Woman
Simple Minds - Mandela Day
Ladyhawke - Manipulating Woman
Muse - Map Of The Problematique
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakesh Express
Oasis - Married With Children
Scissor Sisters - Mary
Supergrass - Mary
Alanis Morissette - Mary Jane
Manic Street Preachers - The Masses Against The Classes
Stevie Wonder - Master Blaster
Texas - Masterthief
Kooks - Match Box
Oasis - The Masterplan
PLAYLIST #66
Madonna - Material Girl
Sheryl Crow - Maybe That's Something
Kings Of Convenience - Me In You
Fleet Foxes - Meadowlarks
Crowded House - Mean To Me
Oasis - The Meaning Of Soul
Garbage - Medication
The Last Shadow Puppets - Meeting Place
Sharleen Spiteri - Melody
Ash - Meltdown
The Stone Roses - Mersey Paradise
Coldplay - A Message
The Police - Message In A Bottle
The Pretenders - Message Of Love
PLAYLIST #67
Sheryl Crow - Members Only
Garbage - Metal Heart
Madness - Michael Caine
Travis - Mid-Life Krysis
The Pretenders - Middle Of The Road
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Midnight
Garbage - Milk
The Coral - Milkwood Blues
Dirty Vegas - A Million Ways
John Lennon - Mind Games
KT Tunstall - Miniature Disasters
The Cure - Mint Car
Queen - The Miracle
PLAYLIST #68
U2 - Miracle Drug
Elbow - Mirrorball
Pulp - Misshapes
Kings Of Convenience - Misread
Passengers - Miss Sarajevo
The Rolling Stones - Miss You
Everything But The Girl - Missing
Sheryl Crow - Mississippi
Ryan Adams - Mockingbird
David Bowie - Modern Love
Kaiser Chiefs - Modern Way
The Dandy Warhols - Mohammed
U2 - Moment Of Surrender
Prince - Money Don't Matter Tonight
Richard Ashcroft - Money To Burn
Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench
Razorlight - Monster Boots
Bat For Lashes - Moon And Moon
I Am Kloot - The Moon Is A Blind Eye
Van Morrison - Moondance
Boston - More Than A Feeling
The Coral - More Than A Lover
Ladyhawke - Morning Dreams
Oasis - Morning Glory
John Lennon - Mother
Tears For Fears - Mothers Talk
Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness
PLAYLIST #69
Dan Clews - Move Too Fast
Primal Scream - Movin' On Up
Supergrass - Moving
Nerina Pallot - Mr King
Amy MacDonald - Mr Rock & Roll
The Killers - Mr Brightside
Guns N' Roses - Mr Brownstone
Dan Clews - Mr K
Kings Of Convenience - Mrs Cold
Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs Robinson
Catatonia - Mulder And Scully
Morrissey - Munich Air Disaster 1958
Madonna - Music
The Commitments - Mustang Sally
The Charlatans - My Beautiful Friend
The Cars - My Best Friend's Girl
Ladyhawke - My Delirium
Rebecca Helmer - My Everything
Travis - My Eyes
Sheryl Crow - My Favorite Mistake
Madness - My Girl
Echo & The Bunnymen - My Kingdom
The Killers - My List
The Last Shadow Puppets - My Mistakes Were Made For You
The Knack - My Sharona
Moby - My Weakness
Embrace - My Weakness Is None Of Your Business
Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
U2 - Mysterious Ways
INXS - Mystify
PLAYLIST #70
Kaiser Chiefs - Na Na Na Na Naa
Kooks - Naive
Moby - Natural Blues
Oasis - The Nature Of Reality
Lissie - Needle Starts To Fall
The Killers - Neon Tiger
The Verve - Neon Wilderness
Muse - Neutron Star Collision
Sade - Never As Good As The First Time
The Noisettes - Never Forget You
Fleetwood Mac - Never Going Back Again
Jack Johnson - Never Know
Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss A Beat
Texas - Nevermind
Kirsty MacColl - A New England
Simply Red - A New Flame
Simple Minds - New Gold Dream
The Eagles - New Kid In Town
U2 - New Year's Day
The Futureheads - News And Tributes
PLAYLIST #71
The Jam - News Of The World
Sleeper - Nice Guy Eddie
Nerina Pallot - Nickindia
Ash - Nicole
Madness - Night Boat To Cairo
The Pretenders - Night In My Veins
James Brown - Night Train
Mercury Rev - Nite And Fog
U2 - No Line On The Horizon
The Stranglers - No More Heroes
Jack Johnson - No Other Way
TLC - No Scrubs
The Courteeners - No You Didn't, No You Don't
PLAYLIST #72
Garbage - Nobody Loves You
John Lennon - Nobody Told Me
Razorlight - North London Trash
I Am Kloot - Northern Skies
The Beatles - Norwegian Wood
The Rolling Stones - Not Fade Away
Crystal Castles - Not In Love
The Courteeners - Not Nineteen Forever
Alanis Morissette - Not The Doctor
Crowded House - Not The Girl You Think You Are
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U
Echo & The Bunnymen - Nothing Lasts Forever
PLAYLIST #73
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters
Madonna - Nothing Really Matters
White Lies - Nothing To Hide
Guns N' Roses - November Rain
Lyrebirds - Now I Know Why
Coldplay - Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground
Embrace - Now You're Nobody
The Beatles - Nowhere Man
Pink - Numb
John Legend - Number One
Sunday, 13 February 2011
The Brit Awards 2011 - predictions and general ramblings
Friends, Romans, countrymen and fans of Chris Moyles.
Once again the Brit Awards are upon us, being televised later this week, hosted by the ubiquitous yet strangely unfunny James Corden, who is apparently donating his entire fee for hosting the event to Comic Relief. Well, he'd have only spent it on pies otherwise. Here's my predictions for this year's categories, along with who my personal selections would be.
BEST MALE (Mark Ronson, Paul Weller, Plan B, Robert Plant, Tinie Tempah)
Well, Tinie Tempah holds the distinction this year of being nominated for 4 awards, which past history tells us probably means he will end up winning none of the awards for which he has been shortlisted. Personally, I'd disqualify him on the grounds that his name alone has a negative impact on the standard of literacy in schools. Plan B has had what would be termed a major breakthrough year. So much so that you wonder just how successful he could have been had he stuck to Plan A. Mark Ronson as usual released some kind of experimental album where he probably mixed the Uzbekistani national anthem with an early 90s dance classic, while I was blissfully unaware of Paul Weller releasing anything last year. Strange but refreshing to see this category Robbie Williams free, but somewhat disappointing that Fyfe Dangerfield who contributed the cover version of 'She's Always A Woman To Me' to the John Lewis advert, taken from a pretty impressive debut solo album, was overlooked in this category. You'd have to say that Plan B and the rapper with the glasses and the misspelt short fuse are the 2 likely winners here, but I'm sticking to the formbook and giving this to Plan B.
MY PREDICTION: Plan B MY SELECTION: In the absence of Fyfe Dangerfield, probably Plan B
BEST BRITISH FEMALE (Cheryl Cole, Ellie Goulding, Laura Marling, Paloma Faith, Rumer)
Hmm, this is a tricky one to call because all of these acts have their supporters and their individual merits. In fact, it is some indictment of the strength around at the moment amongst the female of the species that Adele who has just returned with a new album was not nominated, and neither were Corinne Bailey Rae, Amy MacDonald or KT Tunstall, who each had prolific years in 2010. Cheryl Cole seems to be something of a national treasure these days, although I think that is more for her aesthetic qualities rather than her musical ones. Ellie Goulding is certainly becoming popular in the mainstream, although I personally thought her rendition of 'Your Song' butchered Elton John's original. Laura Marling is quite well known in the folk music scene which is flourishing at the moment, but I would be surprised to see her win the popular vote here. Paloma Faith being nominated will get people excited as she is bound to wear a big hat for the occasion. Musically, Rumer is the best nominee out of all of these as she has an excellent, soulful voice, but for all that, she has had limited commercial success which you tend to need in order to win one of these awards. Cheryl Cole's status as the Queen of Hearts gives her a big chance, but I have an inkling Ellie Goulding's status as the 'in thing' at the moment gives her the edge in this category.
MY PREDICTION: Ellie Goulding MY SELECTION: Rumer
BEST BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT (Ellie Goulding, Mumford & Sons, Rumer, Tinie Tempah, The XX)
This was an award that I believe Florence & The Machine bagged last year and it was significant that the year before, Florence had won the Critics' Choice award, an award that in 2010 was won by....Ellie Goulding. I would say that award is a good barometer for who wins this award the following year because the critics do play a part in making the music buying public aware of new acts. That said, Ms Goulding is up against some very stiff competition in this category. There is a school of thought that Tinie Tempah has to win at least one of the awards he is up for, especially given his consistent chart success last year which helps to pay some of the judging panel's wages. Then there is The XX, an electronic meets indie band that won last year's Mercury Music Prize. That tends not to be a good barometer for the Brits, however. As much as it is good to see Rumer recognised again in this category, I think the biggest challenge to Ellie Goulding here comes from Mumford & Sons, a folk rock band who went down a storm at all of the festivals last summer and who released their excellent debut album 'Sigh No More' at the beginning of last year. You may well claim to not know any of their tracks, but you will do at least on a subconscious level, as the instrumental sections of their tracks have regularly been used for TV trails and on programmes like 'Countryfile'. They should scoop one award on the night, but I think it might come elsewhere.
MY PREDICTION: Ellie Goulding MY SELECTION: Mumford & Sons
BEST BRITISH GROUP (Gorillaz, Biffy Clyro, Mumford & Sons, Take That, The XX)
It is a sign of the times when Take That being nominated for this category is the least controversial selection. There have been some strange choices in this category. How do Gorillaz get nominated when they are still, in the most part, a cartoon band? Biffy Clyro are a poor man's AC/DC yet they have got nominated purely because the X-Factor winner released a lame cover version of one of their already lame songs. Yet, the Manic Street Preachers release some of their best material in over a decade, and they are strangely overlooked. This looks like a straight fight between Take That and Mumford & Sons and given Take That's mainstream appeal these days where it is does not damage your credibility to admit to liking a couple of their songs even if you are a male, balding, approaching middle age office worker, then it would be surprising to see the odds-on favourite fall at the final fence here in a weak renewal of this category.
MY PREDICTION: Take That MY SELECTION: Mumford & Sons
BEST BRITISH SINGLE (Alexandra Burke & Pitbull - All Night Long, Cheryl Cole - Parachute, Florence & The Machine - You've Got The Love, Matt Cardle - When We Collide, Olly Murs - Please Don't Let Me Go, Plan B - She Said, Scouting For Girls - This Ain't A Love Song, Taio Cruz - Dynamite, Tinie Tempah - Pass Out, The Wanted - All Time Low)
The Wanted inadvertently provide an apt description of this category in their nominated song title, although this category will always reflect buyer behaviour in the charts and as such, the nominees are largely dominated by commercial pop records. The songs that have been nominated are generally what would make the A-playlist on Heart or Juice FM. Looking at this objectively, I would put a line through Alexandra Burke, Matt Cardle, Scouting For Girls and Taio Cruz's chances of winning. Also, Florence & The Machine's nominated song was released over a year ago, which places her at a disadvantage, plus it was also one of her weaker songs. Scouting For Girls will be disqualified on the grounds that the judging panel would not have been able to differentiate their song from anything else they have released. So that leaves the angry, bespectacled rapper who showed how hardcore he was by name-checking Scunthorpe in one of his songs, Her Royal Highness Dame Cheryl Cole, Olly Murs, Plan B and The Wanted. It really is needle in a haystack time here, but I'm sure there must be some law stating that Cheryl Cole must win at least one award on the night, so it will probably be this one, although Olly Murs might be her biggest threat.
MY PREDICTION: Cheryl Cole MY SELECTION: Plan B
BEST BRITISH ALBUM (Plan B, Mumford & Sons, Take That, Tinie Tempah, The XX)
Well, last year when this category's nominees were announced, I identified that I had listened to none of the nominated albums during the course of the year. This year, I have listened to one album in full (Mumford & Sons) and downloaded half of another album (The XX), so as Take That say in the title of their nomination, that's Progress. Nonetheless, there are some notable absentees from this category. The Manics, The Courteeners, Fyfe Dangerfield, Klaxons and Rumer all released albums last year that were worthy of inclusion. Of those that have been nominated, it would be surprising if Take That were to claim this award as they are not really renowned as a group that release life affirming albums, but are more of a singles group. Tinie Tempah and Plan B's albums were among the most successful commercially last year, while the XX had a critically acclaimed one. Crucially though, Mumford & Sons appear to have the album that bridged the gap between commercial sales and critical acclaim, and they have led a trend that has seen folk rock become popular on the radio again. For that reason, I mark them down as favourites in this category, although Plan B looks likely to be the other main contender.
MY PREDICTION: Mumford & Sons MY SELECTION: Mumford & Sons
INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST (Cee-Lo Green, Bruce Springsteen, David Guetta, Eminem, Kanye West)
I am going to hold my hands up and admit to my complete ignorance in not knowing who one of these nominees is, David Guetta. He sounds like he was the third choice, unused goalkeeper in Spain's World Cup winning squad. Due to his anonymity, I am anticipating that the Brits Panel aren't that familiar with him either, so I'm putting a line through him. Bruce Springsteen, music legend though he has been, is surely only nominated to remind the general public that his pulse remained intact into 2011. Although I don't profess to be an aficianado where the rap scene is concerned, I don't recall 2010 being a vintage year for Eminem and while I dare say Kanye West was kept busy on the collaboration front, I don't think it was his defining year either. In contrast, Cee-Lo Green seemed to be everywhere last year with his first major solo project and he enjoyed quite a lot of chart success too. Therefore, I think the man who may be a distant relative of Shrek's will be far from a donkey on Brits Night.
MY PREDICTION: Cee-Lo Green MY SELECTION: Cee-Lo Green
INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST (Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Robyn)
If this category was won purely on the basis of airplay and TV appearances, the presence of New York's favourite warbling ivory tinkler, Alicia Keys, would surely determine the result in her favour. She is not without a chance but she is up against some big hitters. At the risk of sounding like the Pub Landlord, everyone likes a bit of Kylie, don't they? Even so, I think Kylie's best days as a recording artist are probably behind her now and so it is hard to see her winning this award in this year. This looks like a straight fight between Mrs Russell Brand and R&B's favourite promoter of rain protection gear. Katy Perry is a bit of Marmite figure, but whereas I find her to be at least mildly irritating, she certainly has her supporters and she had plenty more chart success last year. The same applies to Rihanna though and I think I am right in saying she has now had a number 1 hit in each of the last 5 years. Expect there to be some fireworks if Ms Perry loses, but I'm calling this one for Rihanna.
MY PREDICTION: Rihanna MY SELECTION: Alicia on the music front, Kylie on the 'all-round package'
INTERNATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH ACT (Bruno Mars, The Glee Cast, The Temper Trap, Justin Bieber, The National)
What an uninspiring collection of misfits we have here! The uncontrolled laughter you could hear was me rolling around in hysterics upon reading that the Glee cast had been nominated. One presumes that the Brit judging panel is largely made up of women. The Temper Trap's nomination is curious given that their big radio friendly hit 'Sweet Disposition' was released the year before last and I don't recall them releasing anything since. The National are a good, up-and-coming indie band who might attract more of a following in the next couple of years, but they are largely unknown by most people in this country at the moment, so it is hard to see them winning. That leaves Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber, and given that he seems to be the latest teen sensation, I'd be surprised if the Bieber juggernaut did not crush everything in its path.
MY PREDICTION: Justin Bieber MY SELECTION: The National
INTERNATIONAL GROUP (Arcade Fire, Black Eyed Peas, Kings Of Leon, The Script, Vampire Weekend)
Looks like a bit of a wide open category here given that none of these acts had what you would term a spectacular 2010. Black Eyed Peas are one of those acts that I've never quite understood how they attract the level of popularity that they have, and I gather that their performance at the Superbowl left a lot to be desired. Kings Of Leon could have made 2010 the year they became the biggest band in the world following on from their previous album, but from what I have heard of their latest material, they are quite some way short of the level they found when 'Use Somebody' and 'Sex On Fire' made it big. The Script are another one in the Scouting For Girls category where most of their songs sound about the same, but they have enjoyed a lot of chart success through churning out lots of dull, radio friendly material. Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend seem to represent the Q/NME readers with their presence in this category and in what is a close contest, I expect Vampire Weekend's reputation as a good live band to give them the edge over the Canadian rock band, although I personally would give Arcade Fire the nod.
MY PREDICTION: Vampire Weekend MY SELECTION: Arcade Fire
INTERNATIONAL ALBUM (Arcade Fire, Cee Lo Green, Eminem, Katy Perry, Kings Of Leon)
I don't have a lot of personal insight to offer in this category as I have only downloaded tracks from 2 of the nominated albums (Arcade Fire and Kings Of Leon). However, I would anticipate there being a lot of excess filler on a Katy Perry album judging by some of the dirge that her record company persuaded her to release as single cuts. While I am not best placed to appraise the finer workings of Kings Of Leon's latest long play, I have not heard anything particularly inspiring that was released from it. While I'm guessing that lesser known Eminem album tracks probably consisted of a disproprortionately high percentage of cursory invective. That then leaves Arcade Fire and Cee Lo Green, and while Arcade Fire had more critical acclaim, the Reverend Green (I'm not sure he is actually a man of the cloth) has had more mainstream exposure and chart success, so I can see him winning his second award here.
MY PREDICTION: Cee Lo Green MY SELECTION: Arcade Fire
CRITICS' CHOICE (Jessie J, James Blake, The Vaccines)
This award has already been decided with the singer-songwriter Jessie J guaranteed to collect the award on the night. That immediately marks her down as someone to look out for in some of the more senior categories in 12 months time. I am not familiar with her work, or that of the 2 nominees. James Blake seems to have had a career change from the days when he was a bandana wearing, American tennis player that won the pre-Wimbledon Queens Club tournament one year, although judging by his photo, he may also have had a head change since then too. The Vaccines doesn't exactly seem like a very rock and roll name, does it?
In addition to these awards, there is also an award for Best Producer, but your guess on that one is as good as mine. A couple of awards are conspicuous by their absence this year though. There's no 'Best Live Act', which is surprising given the number of festivals there are now. Nor is there a 'Lifetime Achievement' category this year, presumably because they have run out of credible people to give that award to. Surely a band like Texas, back in the recording studio after 20 years in the business, would be a worthy future candidate for that award if it is brought back.
Once again the Brit Awards are upon us, being televised later this week, hosted by the ubiquitous yet strangely unfunny James Corden, who is apparently donating his entire fee for hosting the event to Comic Relief. Well, he'd have only spent it on pies otherwise. Here's my predictions for this year's categories, along with who my personal selections would be.
BEST MALE (Mark Ronson, Paul Weller, Plan B, Robert Plant, Tinie Tempah)
Well, Tinie Tempah holds the distinction this year of being nominated for 4 awards, which past history tells us probably means he will end up winning none of the awards for which he has been shortlisted. Personally, I'd disqualify him on the grounds that his name alone has a negative impact on the standard of literacy in schools. Plan B has had what would be termed a major breakthrough year. So much so that you wonder just how successful he could have been had he stuck to Plan A. Mark Ronson as usual released some kind of experimental album where he probably mixed the Uzbekistani national anthem with an early 90s dance classic, while I was blissfully unaware of Paul Weller releasing anything last year. Strange but refreshing to see this category Robbie Williams free, but somewhat disappointing that Fyfe Dangerfield who contributed the cover version of 'She's Always A Woman To Me' to the John Lewis advert, taken from a pretty impressive debut solo album, was overlooked in this category. You'd have to say that Plan B and the rapper with the glasses and the misspelt short fuse are the 2 likely winners here, but I'm sticking to the formbook and giving this to Plan B.
MY PREDICTION: Plan B MY SELECTION: In the absence of Fyfe Dangerfield, probably Plan B
BEST BRITISH FEMALE (Cheryl Cole, Ellie Goulding, Laura Marling, Paloma Faith, Rumer)
Hmm, this is a tricky one to call because all of these acts have their supporters and their individual merits. In fact, it is some indictment of the strength around at the moment amongst the female of the species that Adele who has just returned with a new album was not nominated, and neither were Corinne Bailey Rae, Amy MacDonald or KT Tunstall, who each had prolific years in 2010. Cheryl Cole seems to be something of a national treasure these days, although I think that is more for her aesthetic qualities rather than her musical ones. Ellie Goulding is certainly becoming popular in the mainstream, although I personally thought her rendition of 'Your Song' butchered Elton John's original. Laura Marling is quite well known in the folk music scene which is flourishing at the moment, but I would be surprised to see her win the popular vote here. Paloma Faith being nominated will get people excited as she is bound to wear a big hat for the occasion. Musically, Rumer is the best nominee out of all of these as she has an excellent, soulful voice, but for all that, she has had limited commercial success which you tend to need in order to win one of these awards. Cheryl Cole's status as the Queen of Hearts gives her a big chance, but I have an inkling Ellie Goulding's status as the 'in thing' at the moment gives her the edge in this category.
MY PREDICTION: Ellie Goulding MY SELECTION: Rumer
BEST BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT (Ellie Goulding, Mumford & Sons, Rumer, Tinie Tempah, The XX)
This was an award that I believe Florence & The Machine bagged last year and it was significant that the year before, Florence had won the Critics' Choice award, an award that in 2010 was won by....Ellie Goulding. I would say that award is a good barometer for who wins this award the following year because the critics do play a part in making the music buying public aware of new acts. That said, Ms Goulding is up against some very stiff competition in this category. There is a school of thought that Tinie Tempah has to win at least one of the awards he is up for, especially given his consistent chart success last year which helps to pay some of the judging panel's wages. Then there is The XX, an electronic meets indie band that won last year's Mercury Music Prize. That tends not to be a good barometer for the Brits, however. As much as it is good to see Rumer recognised again in this category, I think the biggest challenge to Ellie Goulding here comes from Mumford & Sons, a folk rock band who went down a storm at all of the festivals last summer and who released their excellent debut album 'Sigh No More' at the beginning of last year. You may well claim to not know any of their tracks, but you will do at least on a subconscious level, as the instrumental sections of their tracks have regularly been used for TV trails and on programmes like 'Countryfile'. They should scoop one award on the night, but I think it might come elsewhere.
MY PREDICTION: Ellie Goulding MY SELECTION: Mumford & Sons
BEST BRITISH GROUP (Gorillaz, Biffy Clyro, Mumford & Sons, Take That, The XX)
It is a sign of the times when Take That being nominated for this category is the least controversial selection. There have been some strange choices in this category. How do Gorillaz get nominated when they are still, in the most part, a cartoon band? Biffy Clyro are a poor man's AC/DC yet they have got nominated purely because the X-Factor winner released a lame cover version of one of their already lame songs. Yet, the Manic Street Preachers release some of their best material in over a decade, and they are strangely overlooked. This looks like a straight fight between Take That and Mumford & Sons and given Take That's mainstream appeal these days where it is does not damage your credibility to admit to liking a couple of their songs even if you are a male, balding, approaching middle age office worker, then it would be surprising to see the odds-on favourite fall at the final fence here in a weak renewal of this category.
MY PREDICTION: Take That MY SELECTION: Mumford & Sons
BEST BRITISH SINGLE (Alexandra Burke & Pitbull - All Night Long, Cheryl Cole - Parachute, Florence & The Machine - You've Got The Love, Matt Cardle - When We Collide, Olly Murs - Please Don't Let Me Go, Plan B - She Said, Scouting For Girls - This Ain't A Love Song, Taio Cruz - Dynamite, Tinie Tempah - Pass Out, The Wanted - All Time Low)
The Wanted inadvertently provide an apt description of this category in their nominated song title, although this category will always reflect buyer behaviour in the charts and as such, the nominees are largely dominated by commercial pop records. The songs that have been nominated are generally what would make the A-playlist on Heart or Juice FM. Looking at this objectively, I would put a line through Alexandra Burke, Matt Cardle, Scouting For Girls and Taio Cruz's chances of winning. Also, Florence & The Machine's nominated song was released over a year ago, which places her at a disadvantage, plus it was also one of her weaker songs. Scouting For Girls will be disqualified on the grounds that the judging panel would not have been able to differentiate their song from anything else they have released. So that leaves the angry, bespectacled rapper who showed how hardcore he was by name-checking Scunthorpe in one of his songs, Her Royal Highness Dame Cheryl Cole, Olly Murs, Plan B and The Wanted. It really is needle in a haystack time here, but I'm sure there must be some law stating that Cheryl Cole must win at least one award on the night, so it will probably be this one, although Olly Murs might be her biggest threat.
MY PREDICTION: Cheryl Cole MY SELECTION: Plan B
BEST BRITISH ALBUM (Plan B, Mumford & Sons, Take That, Tinie Tempah, The XX)
Well, last year when this category's nominees were announced, I identified that I had listened to none of the nominated albums during the course of the year. This year, I have listened to one album in full (Mumford & Sons) and downloaded half of another album (The XX), so as Take That say in the title of their nomination, that's Progress. Nonetheless, there are some notable absentees from this category. The Manics, The Courteeners, Fyfe Dangerfield, Klaxons and Rumer all released albums last year that were worthy of inclusion. Of those that have been nominated, it would be surprising if Take That were to claim this award as they are not really renowned as a group that release life affirming albums, but are more of a singles group. Tinie Tempah and Plan B's albums were among the most successful commercially last year, while the XX had a critically acclaimed one. Crucially though, Mumford & Sons appear to have the album that bridged the gap between commercial sales and critical acclaim, and they have led a trend that has seen folk rock become popular on the radio again. For that reason, I mark them down as favourites in this category, although Plan B looks likely to be the other main contender.
MY PREDICTION: Mumford & Sons MY SELECTION: Mumford & Sons
INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST (Cee-Lo Green, Bruce Springsteen, David Guetta, Eminem, Kanye West)
I am going to hold my hands up and admit to my complete ignorance in not knowing who one of these nominees is, David Guetta. He sounds like he was the third choice, unused goalkeeper in Spain's World Cup winning squad. Due to his anonymity, I am anticipating that the Brits Panel aren't that familiar with him either, so I'm putting a line through him. Bruce Springsteen, music legend though he has been, is surely only nominated to remind the general public that his pulse remained intact into 2011. Although I don't profess to be an aficianado where the rap scene is concerned, I don't recall 2010 being a vintage year for Eminem and while I dare say Kanye West was kept busy on the collaboration front, I don't think it was his defining year either. In contrast, Cee-Lo Green seemed to be everywhere last year with his first major solo project and he enjoyed quite a lot of chart success too. Therefore, I think the man who may be a distant relative of Shrek's will be far from a donkey on Brits Night.
MY PREDICTION: Cee-Lo Green MY SELECTION: Cee-Lo Green
INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST (Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Robyn)
If this category was won purely on the basis of airplay and TV appearances, the presence of New York's favourite warbling ivory tinkler, Alicia Keys, would surely determine the result in her favour. She is not without a chance but she is up against some big hitters. At the risk of sounding like the Pub Landlord, everyone likes a bit of Kylie, don't they? Even so, I think Kylie's best days as a recording artist are probably behind her now and so it is hard to see her winning this award in this year. This looks like a straight fight between Mrs Russell Brand and R&B's favourite promoter of rain protection gear. Katy Perry is a bit of Marmite figure, but whereas I find her to be at least mildly irritating, she certainly has her supporters and she had plenty more chart success last year. The same applies to Rihanna though and I think I am right in saying she has now had a number 1 hit in each of the last 5 years. Expect there to be some fireworks if Ms Perry loses, but I'm calling this one for Rihanna.
MY PREDICTION: Rihanna MY SELECTION: Alicia on the music front, Kylie on the 'all-round package'
INTERNATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH ACT (Bruno Mars, The Glee Cast, The Temper Trap, Justin Bieber, The National)
What an uninspiring collection of misfits we have here! The uncontrolled laughter you could hear was me rolling around in hysterics upon reading that the Glee cast had been nominated. One presumes that the Brit judging panel is largely made up of women. The Temper Trap's nomination is curious given that their big radio friendly hit 'Sweet Disposition' was released the year before last and I don't recall them releasing anything since. The National are a good, up-and-coming indie band who might attract more of a following in the next couple of years, but they are largely unknown by most people in this country at the moment, so it is hard to see them winning. That leaves Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber, and given that he seems to be the latest teen sensation, I'd be surprised if the Bieber juggernaut did not crush everything in its path.
MY PREDICTION: Justin Bieber MY SELECTION: The National
INTERNATIONAL GROUP (Arcade Fire, Black Eyed Peas, Kings Of Leon, The Script, Vampire Weekend)
Looks like a bit of a wide open category here given that none of these acts had what you would term a spectacular 2010. Black Eyed Peas are one of those acts that I've never quite understood how they attract the level of popularity that they have, and I gather that their performance at the Superbowl left a lot to be desired. Kings Of Leon could have made 2010 the year they became the biggest band in the world following on from their previous album, but from what I have heard of their latest material, they are quite some way short of the level they found when 'Use Somebody' and 'Sex On Fire' made it big. The Script are another one in the Scouting For Girls category where most of their songs sound about the same, but they have enjoyed a lot of chart success through churning out lots of dull, radio friendly material. Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend seem to represent the Q/NME readers with their presence in this category and in what is a close contest, I expect Vampire Weekend's reputation as a good live band to give them the edge over the Canadian rock band, although I personally would give Arcade Fire the nod.
MY PREDICTION: Vampire Weekend MY SELECTION: Arcade Fire
INTERNATIONAL ALBUM (Arcade Fire, Cee Lo Green, Eminem, Katy Perry, Kings Of Leon)
I don't have a lot of personal insight to offer in this category as I have only downloaded tracks from 2 of the nominated albums (Arcade Fire and Kings Of Leon). However, I would anticipate there being a lot of excess filler on a Katy Perry album judging by some of the dirge that her record company persuaded her to release as single cuts. While I am not best placed to appraise the finer workings of Kings Of Leon's latest long play, I have not heard anything particularly inspiring that was released from it. While I'm guessing that lesser known Eminem album tracks probably consisted of a disproprortionately high percentage of cursory invective. That then leaves Arcade Fire and Cee Lo Green, and while Arcade Fire had more critical acclaim, the Reverend Green (I'm not sure he is actually a man of the cloth) has had more mainstream exposure and chart success, so I can see him winning his second award here.
MY PREDICTION: Cee Lo Green MY SELECTION: Arcade Fire
CRITICS' CHOICE (Jessie J, James Blake, The Vaccines)
This award has already been decided with the singer-songwriter Jessie J guaranteed to collect the award on the night. That immediately marks her down as someone to look out for in some of the more senior categories in 12 months time. I am not familiar with her work, or that of the 2 nominees. James Blake seems to have had a career change from the days when he was a bandana wearing, American tennis player that won the pre-Wimbledon Queens Club tournament one year, although judging by his photo, he may also have had a head change since then too. The Vaccines doesn't exactly seem like a very rock and roll name, does it?
In addition to these awards, there is also an award for Best Producer, but your guess on that one is as good as mine. A couple of awards are conspicuous by their absence this year though. There's no 'Best Live Act', which is surprising given the number of festivals there are now. Nor is there a 'Lifetime Achievement' category this year, presumably because they have run out of credible people to give that award to. Surely a band like Texas, back in the recording studio after 20 years in the business, would be a worthy future candidate for that award if it is brought back.
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