Friday Flash(back) - Jon Toogood - LAST OF THE LONELY GODS

(Pre) Friday Flash(back)

Jonathan Charles Toogood or as he is simply known as Jon Toogood, the lead vocals & guitar of the rock band Shihad.

He formed the band in 1988 with fellow Wellingtonian Tom Larkin. Toogood and Larkin met as teenage fans of AC/DC and Metallica.

In 2009, Toogood revealed he had been travelling around New Zealand to collaborate with other New Zealand artists for a project, in addition to Shihad's music. 

Confirmed collaborators included Tiki Taane, Ruban and Kody Neilson from the Mint Chicks, Julia Deans from Fur Patrol, Anika Moa, Shayne Carter of Dimmer/Straitjacket Fits fame and Ladi 6.

The Adults was released as a full-length album in New Zealand in June 2011. Toogood subsequently toured New Zealand and Australia under this banner, joined onstage by Deans and Carter.

In 2018, Toogood completed a master of fine arts degree at Massey University, with a thesis on Aghani Al-Banat music. In 2020 Toogood was inducted into Massey University's College of Creative Arts' hall of fame.

Now back to Shihad. Consisting of founders Tom Larkin (drums, backing vocals, samplers), Phil Knight (lead guitar, synthesiser, backing vocals) & Toogood (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), who were joined by Karl Kippenberger (bass guitar, backing vocals) in 1991. 

The band were known as Pacifier between 2002 and 2004.

Six of Shihad's studio albums have peaked at number one–The General Electric (October 1999), Pacifier (September 2002), Beautiful Machine (April 2008), Ignite (September 2010), FVEY (August 2014) and Old Gods (October 2021). 

They share the honour for most number-one records for any New Zealand artist with Hayley Westenra. As of 2014 Shihad had the most Top 40 New Zealand chart singles for any local artist, with 25; three of these reached the top ten. 

The singles Home Again, Pacifier, & Bitter are listed at No. 30, 60 and 83, respectively, in the Nature's Best compilation, an official collection of New Zealand's top 100 songs.

So ahead of streaming Toogood's solo record tomorrow, here are some newer and older Shihad tunes below.

Album of the Week - Offical Music Videos

Album of the Week - RÜFÜS DU SOL - {Inhale / Exhale}

 

Album of the Year Nomination - October Update

Well Charli XCX & Tyla have done it again, grown their album of the year nominated records. brat just continues to grow. Jam packed with guests galore. Tyla's self titled debut record has also added some tasty tunes.

Charli has gone for a long, new title. Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat, while Tyla has gone simply for TYLA+.

You can stream both records below before next week heading across the ditch to NZ for a new Friday Flash(back) and a whole pile of Rüfüs Du Sol.

See you then!

Friday Flash(back) - Coldplay - MOON MUSiC

(Pre) Friday Flash(back)

Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey.

Martin, Buckland, Berryman, and Champion all met at University College London, calling themselves Big Fat Noises and changing to Starfish, before settling on Coldplay. 

After releasing Safety in 1998 independently, Coldplay signed with Parlophone in 1999 and wrote their debut album, Parachutes in 2000. 

Parachutes featured breakthrough single Yellow & received a Brit Award for British Album of the Year and a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. 

The group's follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head in 2002, won the same accolades. While X&Y in 2005 completed what they regarded as a trilogy and was shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards. Its successor, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends in 2008, prevailed in the category. Both releases were the best-sellers of their respective years, topping the charts in over 30 countries. 

Viva la Vida's title track was the first song from a British act to lead the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart simultaneously in the 21st century.

Coldplay continued to give us full length records including, Mylo Xyloto in 2011, Ghost Stories in 2014, A Head Full of Dreams a year later, Everyday Life in 2019, Music of the Spheres in 2021, & Moon Music last Friday.

Additional endeavours for the band involve philanthropy, politics and activism, as they donate 10% of their profits to charity and endorse various humanitarian organisations. 

With over 100 million albums sold worldwide, Coldplay are among the best-selling music acts of all time. Coldplay own three of the 50 best-selling albums in the United Kingdom and the most number-one albums in the region without missing the top (nine), while My Universe is the first British group single to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100. 

Coldplay have two of the 15 highest-grossing tours of all time. The British Phonographic Industry described them as one of the most influential and pioneering artists in the world, while the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) on the 200 Definitive Albums index and Yellow on the Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll exhibit.

So take a trip down memory lane with some hits and memories below. Moon Music streams in full, right here tomorrow.