Coachella and Lollapalooza. Indigo black nights

A lonesome road trip across midwest America, painted yellow lines swallowed up by a speeding vintage Chevrolet. Polaroid pictures and sepia negatives faded pink by the sun.

Coachella and Lollapalooza. Sienna sunsets and indigo black nights. Amaranthine light.

Battered old pickup trucks leaving trails of desert dust in their wake. Pulling up to a busted old parking lot with tin cans and glass beer bottles scattered around '94 Chryslers. Dressed in indigo denim and arenaceous brown boots, striding up to a smoky bar with the muffled sound of raw blues rock coming from inside becoming clearer with each dusty step.

Filthy money and ten cent pistols with a large shot of dry whiskey. The clack-clack of billiard balls on a stretch of cobalt green baize. Ex-girls and next girls. An intimate crowd in dreamy languor with nodding heads and hand claps.

Ostentatious slit drapes and glitter slash curtains, spotlights that illuminate musicians in the dark. Augmenting the pulsating thump of drum with velvet tones and sweet melodies. Raw, intense guitar riffs.

This is what I see when I hear this band's music.

The name of this band is The Black Keys.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k8es2BNloE]

To the End

Well, can you believe it? It is the twenty-first anniversary of the release of Blur's debut album, Leisure.

Blur, in case you did not know, are an English alternative rock band comprising of Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree. They burst onto the scene in 1989, christened Seymour, but as the Blur we all know and love, have remained at the top of their game ever since. To mark twenty-one years of Blur, Blur 21: The Box was released in July on Parlophone featuring the band’s fine body of work compiled and gathered together. In addition, Blur 21: The Exhibition documents their career as one of the most influential and successful bands of the past two decades.

These commemorations roused two different emotions within me. First, utter joy. What a band! How do I buy it / when can I go? Followed abruptly by heel-skidding shock. Whaaat? Twenty-one years you say? How did that happen? When did I get so old?!

Unquestionably, Blur rocked the music world but they did more than just rock my world - they heavily influenced my formative years and provided a social and musical commentary that was the soundtrack of my 1990s.

Leisurely Listening (1991)

I was thirteen when Leisure was released back in 1991 and can remember feeling spellbound on first hearing She's So High. Its haunting melody and strangely beautiful lyrics spoke to me in a way that I could not really understand at the time. I was intrigued, but not fully committed - this was the Grunge era after all and I was into a certain band from Seattle who had a tortured lead singer and a very nice drummer named Dave.

A mildly petulant and experimental teenager, I wore dreadful long, flowery skirts with all-the-way-down buttons, shapeless cardigans and heavy black boots. I sighed a lot and hang out at the local youth club, listening to Nirvana and trying to make sense of the world as my hormones raged on madly and I thought modern life was rubbish. I went to the obligatory teenage parties and tried hard to impress the boys I liked by head-banging to metal and grunge, resulting in the unfortunate predicament of only being able to move my head with the aid of a sharp burst of Deep Heat.

I listened to There's No Other Way and prayed for something interesting to happen. My Mum prayed I wouldn't get a nose ring.

Modern Life is Conflicting (1993)

My fifteen-year old self crawled out of bed, sat up and started to pay a little more attention. I liked the celebration of British heritage, the absorbing but cheeky lyrics and the attire that screamed posh-geezer. I was enamoured by Damon's face and had a penchant for Graham's glasses. Yet, it was the music that was transfixing me. It was melodic and lush, intertwined with punk rock, frazzled guitars and fast drums. I listened to Chemical World on repeat; that recurring guitar rift and Damon's hypnotic voice.

My eyes and ears loved Blur but the sounds of my streets spoke of something else – I had begun to go out to ‘night clubs’. Yet, I would stagger home and listen to For Tomorrow in my headphones until the early hours of the morning. It gave me what I needed; effervescence; a little sparkle.

Then Parklife was released and it was obvious that nothing would ever really be the same again.

Brit-Popscene (1994)

Quite simply, Parklife contains two of my all time favourite songs. To The End is one of the most powerful love-songs ever written.

End of a Century is two minutes, forty-five seconds of pure genius. The opening lyrics She said there's ants in the carpet. Dirty little monsters. Eating all the morsels. Picking up the rubbish still gives me goose bumps.

Walking through London now with this song coming out of my headphones, something strange happens. The landscape around me starts to slowly slide away. It collapses and morphs and suddenly I am enveloped in the red, white and blue of 1990s Great Britain. I am eighteen again, in blue jeans paired with my trusty blue Adidas Gazelles. I am proudly sporting a white and blue knitted zip-up cardigan, in an attempt to emulate the casual sportswear look of my heroes. My old pink Fiesta is parked in the drive and I am studying for my A ‘Levels, working two jobs and bursting with boundless energy.

It feels like I am part of something revolutionary and very important, and although me and my fellow teens are drinking far too much and infatuated only with ourselves, it is all OK. We are part of the Cool Britannia movement and with its huge cultural significance that is enough for me. It is irresistible.

Showtime (1994 - 1995)

I did not see Blur live at Alexandra Palace in 1994 (although I did buy the now chunky looking Showtime VHS) but I did make it to the gig at Wembley Stadium with my sister Michelle and our friends. We worked our way right to the front to get a suitable view of Damon and the boys.

The crowd was rowdy and preparing to mosh, the noise was deafening. The heat, the power, the intensity was all-consuming - girls around us started to faint and others waved frantically at the security guards in need of a great escape. My younger sister Michelle said she was off and was helped over my head, followed by both of our friends in quick succession. For a while that left only me in that slamming, pulsating crowd. Soon, the heat became too much (I blame the cardigan) and so I dejectedly waved for help to the burly security man. Strangers' hands lifted me along the crowd to safety, but all I could do was stare transfixed at the stage.

Momentarily, it was perfectly silent. Just me floating up in the air, watching the instruments move and Damon's mouth opening and closing but no noise coming out. It was hypnotic. Suddenly the music was intensely loud again and I was thrust back into reality and directed to an empty seat in the stands. I was alone for the remainder of that gig but it remains one of the best I have ever seen.

Modern Life is very good actually… Blur are back

Tonight sees Blur headlining a special concert to mark the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and if their headlining gig in Glastonbury in 2009 is anything to go by, it is bound to be a fitting farewell to the greatest Games the world has ever seen from arguably the greatest band the world has ever seen.

Blur are the perfect choice to play to the country's current state of beautifully frenzied patriotism. It is almost like being back in red, white and blue 1990s Britpop. It really, really has happened.

I would never claim to be the biggest fan; I was not there in the mud on that historic Sunday night at Glastonbury and although I desperately wish I could be there tonight, I will have to make do with listening to and watching the euphoria live instead.

Despite this, I will probably follow them until the end. (Jusqu'a la fin).

Whenever that may be.

L-U-V Madonna? I think you should

L-U-V Madonna Y-O-U You Wanna.

Yep, I bet it is in your head too.

After that half-time Superbowl performance, Madonna is the name on everyone's lips, the force dominating the twittersphere and Give Me All Your Luvin' is the song that you just cannot stop singing no matter how hard you try.

With the announcement of her forthcoming MDNA World Tour last week, once again Madonna has her sights set on world domination.

She courts controversy and is the undefeated queen of reinvention, but whatever your opinion of Madonna, here are a few reasons why to me she remains the most important and iconic person in music today.

Music, makes the people, come together

Sadly, the music often gets overlooked but Madonna's impressive back catalogue has provided a soundtrack to our own lives, loves and losses ever since she made her first UK appearance in 1984 (at Manchester's Hacienda Club where she danced and mimed to Burning Up and Holiday). She has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognised as the world's top-selling female rock artist of the 20th century. Her album covers are iconic works of art, telling a story of an era gone by, and showcase trends that get up again over and over.

So take a seat, sit back and relax and let us go on a visual adventure of some of the Material Girl's studio, soundtrack and compilation albums.

Peak UK Chart position: 6
Song you probably like very much:
Lucky Star
Heard this?
Physical Attraction
Who took the photo?
Gary Heery and George Holy

Peak UK Chart position: 1
Song you probably like very much:
Like a Virgin
Heard this?
Angel
Who took the photo?
Stephen Meisel

Peak UK Chart position: 1
Song you probably like very much:
Open your Heart
Heard this?
White Heat
Who took the photo?
Herb Ritts

Who's That Girl - 1987

Peak UK Chart position: 4
Song you probably like very much:
Who's That Girl
Heard this?
Causing a Commotion

Peak UK Chart position: 5
Song you probably like very much:
Get into the Groove
Heard this?
Where's the Party
Who took the photo?
Herb Ritts

Like a Prayer - 1989

Peak UK Chart position: 1
Song you probably like very much:
Like a Prayer
Heard this?
Keep it Together
Who took the photo?
Herb Ritts

I'm Breathless, 1990

Peak UK Chart position:  2
Song you probably like very much:
Vogue
Heard this?
Sooner or Later

Peak UK Chart position: 1
Song you probably like very much:
Express Yourself
Heard this?
Rescue Me
Who took the photos?
Herb Ritts

Peak UK Chart position: 2
Song you probably like very much:
Rain
Heard this?
Bye Bye Baby
Who took the photo?
Stephen Meisel

Peak UK Chart position: 2
Song you probably like very much:
Secret
Heard this?
Forbidden Love
Who took the photo?
Patrick Demarchelier

Something to Remember - 1995

Peak UK Chart position:  3
Song you probably like very much:
Crazy For You
Heard this?
One More Chance
Who took the photo?
Mario Testino

Peak UK Chart position: 1
Song you probably like very much:
Don't Cry for Me Argentina
Heard this?
You Must Love Me

Peak UK Chart position: 1
Song you probably like very much:
Ray of Light
Heard this?
Drowned World/Substitute for Love
Who took the photo?
Mario Testino 

Peak UK Chart position: 1
Song you probably like very much:
Don't Tell Me
Heard this?
What It Feels Like For a Girl
Who took the photo?
Jean-Baptiste Mondino

Peak UK Chart position: 2
Song you probably like very much:
Frozen
Heard this?
The Power of Goodbye

American Life - 2003

Peak UK Chart position: 1
Song you probably like very much:
American Life
Heard this?
Nothing Fails
Who took the photo?
Craig McDean

Peak UK Chart position: 1
Song you probably like very much:
Hung Up
Heard this?
Get Together
Who took the photo?
Steven Klein

Hard Candy - 2008

Peak UK Chart position: 1
Song you probably like very much:
4 Minutes
Heard this?
Beat Goes On
Who took the photo?
Steven Klein

Peak UK Chart position: 1 Song you probably like very much:
Vogue
Heard this?
Revolver
Who created the cover?
Mr Brainwash

Peak UK Chart position: ?
Song you probably like very much:
Give Me All Your Luvin'
Who took the photo?
Mert and Marcus
She gives good face

Madonna is a creative force to be reckoned with in her own right, but add some very famous friends to the energetic mix and you have an explosive collaboration. She has worked with some of the most prolific fashion photographers in the business to produce album covers, accompanying artwork, music videos and fashion campaigns, creating a visual treasure trove of images.

Take Patrick Demarchelier for example, the acclaimed French photographer who worked with Madonna on the artwork for her 1994 album Bedtime Stories and the cover art for the Justify My Love single. In 1989 he gave us a rare glimpse into Madonna's world by photographing her in her LA home for US Vogue.

She has worked with the legendary fashion photographer Herb Ritts on a number of occasions. From the iconic True Blue album cover, the instantly recognisable cover for the single Dear Jessie in 1987 (with the infamous Minnie Mouse ears) and the beautifully aquatic music video for Cherish. Not to mention those classic monochrome shots that showcased the music on the Immaculate Collection album in 1990, arguably Madonna's most successful year.

She teamed up with her good friends Dolce & Gabbana for their Autumn/Winter 2010 campaign, reportedly inspired by Italian Neorealism cinema. Shot by renowned US photographer Steven Klein in New York City, Madonna features in stunning black and white shots posing alongside an Italian family and even showing her domestic side. Fashion meets Italian-American legend.

On the cover of a magazine - Madonna always shines. She has featured on a multitude of covers from 1984 on the cover of i-D magazine, her first UK Vogue cover in 1989 and her shots with Helmut Newton for Vanity Fair in 1990, all telling the artistic story of a living legend.

She possesses the ingenuity of knowing when, where and how and the result is always iconic - a collector's item image right there on screen.

Beauty's where you find it.

Dress you Up

Admittedly, she may not win style plaudits, but Madonna is a game changer and her metamorphic style has empowered and inspired women through the decades. She has always set a trend and created enough looks to cram a stylist's lookbook and saturate a digital moodboard.

When she burst onto the scene back in the mid 1980s, she represented youth and strength as shown here on the The Virgin Tour in 1985. All of a sudden, it was perfectly acceptable to wear blue tights, lashings of romantic lace, religious adornments and strong makeup, all in one go. It was fun, it was accessible and it was totally unobjectionable to celebrate your sexuality.

Then in 1986 a different Madonna emerged; a complete image makeover. She gave us the gamine look with jeans and a tough-girl leather jacket, alternated with a toned and muscular Madonna with platinum blond hair and 1960s capri pants with bustier. Almost two competing sides of Madonna. We fell for them both. Italians really did do it better.

In 1990, we saw the tough, strong and fierce Madonna showing her Blond Ambition to the world in Jean Paul Gaultier. Then at the 63rd Academy Awards in 1991 we were presented with her homage to the great Marilyn Monroe. She displayed a softer, more curvy side in platinum blond curls as she purred her way through the award-winning and exquisite Sooner or Later.

Madonna is the ultimate style chameleon and remains fresh, fearless and daring when she dresses up, even to this day.

You can dance for inspiration

Madonna knows how to put on a show. Her music is powerful and remains a timeless listen but if you add slick choreography and striking visual art, the result is meteoric.

In 1990 she embarked on the Blond Ambition World Tour in North America, Europe and Asia and changed the world of tour concerts forever. Unfortunately it will always be associated with controversy and hair extensions, but the world was treated to what Rolling Stone magazine called 'the greatest concert of the 1990s'. Cleverly choreographed by Vincent Paterson, Madonna's performance was energetic and empowering. It was brilliantly theatrical and was both inspiring and inspired.

The costumes achieved cult status thanks to the cone brassiere and high blonde ponytail, a creation of the genius minds of Jean Paul Gaultier and Marlene Stewart. It combined fashion, art, theatre and music and influenced the world over.

The opening of the tour began with a segment named Metropolis, inspired by Fritz Lang's silent film. My favourite song was Express Yourself - an incredible way to start a concert. Inspired by the music video of the same name and set in a large industrial machine room with shirtless male dancers, when Madonna pops out of the stage resplendent in black suit, monocle and asking if we believe in love, it's impossible not to. The dance routine is amazing.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9goAWJ6L00]

Madonna ends the show with Keep it Together - inspired by the work of Bob Fosse and A Clockwork Orange. With bowler hats, ingenious dancing and chair juggling, not to mention an introduction of Sly and the Family Stone's Family Affair it enthralled me.  The song, and the concert, ends with Madonna throwing her bowler hat in the spotlight, and it gives me goose bumps every single time.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x0M3mK-TO4]

During the performance of Keep it Together, Madonna tells the audience to 'never doubt yourself'. When I'm unsure, having a wobble, unconvinced of how to handle a situation or what might be ahead, I think of those words and what Madonna stands for.  As my good friend Gin said to me, 'even at a young age, I just found her very inspiring, very brave and very courageous and it was these qualities that made me want to independent and want to lose the fear of what others may think and have the confidence to be just me'.

Last week I bought my ticket to see Madonna in July and I am just as excited as that seven-year-old girl whose first glimpse of Madonna was on Top of the Pops back in 1984, singing and dancing to Holiday.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMkwWamTRD8]

I last saw Madonna in 1993 at Wembley Stadium and it blew me away. Me and my close friend Louisa waited all day to get as near to the stage as we could, only to realise as we were firmly wedged between fellow fanatics that we desperately needed a wee. However, excruciating pressure on my bladder was not going to ruin the moment for me and she did not disappoint. It was an incredible show.

Take a Bow

So, I present my case to you. The haters will always hate, the disparagers will always disparage, no matter what she does. Her gender will automatically mean people judge her on her age (post-Superbowl critique featured tweets such as I'm sixty and I know it) and appearance (incessant scrutiny and speculation about possible surgical enhancements), but not many quinquagenarians can do what she does and in my eyes she is, and will always be, an inspiration.

Madonna is the original superstar, a creative phenomenon, and I for one cannot wait to see what she has next in store for us.

So dust off your old records and forget about the bad times.

It's time to celebrate.

RIHANNA ROCKS. Um, really?

The November edition of UK Vogue has just landed on my desk with a thump, bringing with it the turn of the season and an army of delicious autumnal fashion to do battle with the drop in temperature. (OK, that's a lie. I bought it myself from the magazine kiosk on the Euston Road with £4.10 scraped together with the last two and one pence pieces in my wallet, but the former sounds much more glamorous and fashion-y as befits the style bible).

Anyway I digress. Staring back at me defiantly from the sky-blue cover in Giorgio Armani Privé and short blonde wig was Rihanna. I felt disappointed. My usual enthusiasm deflated like a burst balloon.

Rihanna is a beautiful, successful and talented young woman at the top of her game and her Vogue debut has been highly anticipated – plus we all know celebrity sells magazines. I (only just) accept the fashion connection – her style evolution has been fascinating to watch and she steps out in all the right names. Finally, I applaud Condé Nast for recognising that not all Vogue readers are white, emaciated and hail from Notting Hill (although the cover comes not without some controversy - Alexandra Shulman has had to respond to the blogosphere and confirm that no skin lightening has taken place for Rihanna’s cover).

What I do have a considerable problem with is that ultimately I no longer consider Rihanna to be an empowering role model for women, due to the tiresome onslaught of raunchy images and lazy and offensive lyrics. I am bored of the vulgarity – she may be bad but she’s perfectly good at being degrading.

Before I am accused of being prudish, I am not a prude. A couple of Rihanna tracks have been hanging around on my iPod for a while now and I can’t deny that I’ve probably danced along after a few drinks in a club. Plus, if men can talk openly about sex through the medium of music then why the hell can’t women? Madonna's been leading that battle for decades. As Dodai Stewart, deputy editor of the US pop culture blog Jezebel, points out, female artists are systematically encouraged to capitalise on their sexuality. 'Female artists are definitely sexualised more often, which helps sell albums, but they're also criticised for being so sexual. Women can't win'.

This may be true, but Rihanna is not helping the battle. On the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in April 2011 she is described as Pop’s Queen of Pain and we are seduced into turning the page to find out about Sexting, Bad Boys & Her Attraction to the Dark Side. Yawn.

Jay-Z was photographed on the cover of the same publication in a suit and a tie. Much more interesting.

So, why has it got to be dirty and submissive to get attention? Rihanna says she is no role model and wishes people would stop trying to make her into one. In the Vogue article she says ‘people – especially white people – they want me to be a role model just because of the life I lead. The things I say in my songs, they expect it of me and [being a role model] became more of my job than I wanted it to be’. Like it or not Rihanna, being in the spotlight and all the advantages of success bring some responsibility - women, especially young girls, automatically look up to you (and men are looking you up and down).

To me, Rihanna continues to present an extreme portrayal of female over-sexualisation. You can’t escape the demeaning lyrics. When I see the music videos for S&M and Love the Way you Lie I don’t see art or something to admire. I see the glamorisation of domestic violence. Which is not romantic. It is just ugly. Her new video for We Found Love? Seen. It. All. Before.

It was Natasha Walter and Kat Banyard who last year were campaigning for a change in the law to stop the ‘pornification’ of society which they said promotes violence against women. Rihanna is hardly doing the cause any favours with her own take on pop-porn. Is this really the message we want to send out to our future stars – wear less, shatter the boundaries and give the men what they want?

I persevered and read the Vogue article in full, searching for something other than raunchiness and I was surprised that she came across as quite endearing and earnest. She has sold over sixty million singles and twenty million albums and is also involved in many philanthropic projects, with her own Believe Foundation created in 2006 to help terminally ill children. So why don’t we see more of this rather than her backside?

So, that is why I am ultimately disappointed with the choice of cover for November. You can reserve this type of 'role model' for all the Zoo, Maxim and FHM readers; for the men who still think it’s acceptable to shout abuse at women in the street or grope women in a bar after a few too many drinks, thank you very much.

The December issue of Vogue featuring a strong, intelligent woman who cares about other women? Cheers. I’ll (Drink to That).