Golden Brown
January 10, 2010 | Posted by Andy Carling 
Stoned Immaculate
Ian Brown,
13 Jan – 20:00, Ancienne Belgique
We get the chance to see one of the most influential musicians of the last 25 years play live and at the top of his game. Ian Brown was the frontman for The Stone Roses, who in 1984 were one of the major forces behind the ‘Madchester’ scene that gave new life to the music scene in the North West of England. However the atmosphere around the band was chaotic and, after long legal disputes the band finally folded in 1996. The band have been cited as a major influence by Oasis, The Verve, The Charlatans, Kasabian, Coldplay and The Bluetones.
Since the split, Brown has continued to release records, some better than others, but all have been an interesting blend of musical styles as well as occasionally getting arrested and appeared in a cameo role in a Harry Potter film. His sixth and latest solo album, My Way has been getting good reviews, especially for its track “Stellify” that he claimed that the song was originally written for pop star Rihanna, but he thought he had created “a great sound” and kept it for himself. Speaking to Clash Magazine, he explained the song’s title, which turns out not to be a reference to a Belgian beer, but, “On each album, I try and get a word in on a Pop song that I’ve never sung before… that’s right back to ‘Waterfall’ and ‘Roses.’ I’ve never heard the word brigantine in a song before and it’s like find the word and on this one it was ‘inclement,’ like this inclement weather. I’d never heard before and then I came across ’stellify,’ the one before that was ’solarised’. Yeah, I just try and put one in each album.”
So, go and see a living legend, one who has mastered the mix of edgy and powerful guitar sounds, a rhythm coming from Jamaican dancehall, traces of soul and funk, but above all something unique, something original.
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