A brief update on Billy of Les Incompétents condition. Since I mentioned his incident on Saturday (here), he has had a 5 hour operation to relieve pressure on his brain but is in a pretty critical state currently.
The police have also issued an appeal for witnesses - "The victim, aged 19 alighted the no.29 bus in Camden Rd, at approx 23.00 on June 22nd. The suspect got off at the same stop and assaulted the victim. The suspect is described as a white male, aged approx 28 yrs, with dark hair and possibly an Australian accent. He was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans." I wish Billy my best of course and if you have information regarding the incident please call CID at Islington on 020 7421 0350 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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Now onto two A level students from Cambridge, whose spoof gangsta rap video We Drink Tea has become a massive internet hit recently. I can assure you there isn't that much to do in Cambridge apart from 'keeping it real'. Apparently this involves lots of swearing.
The song was inspired by a video on America's Saturday Night Live tv show called Lazy Sunday featuring two comedians rapping about buying cupcakes then going to see the Chronicles Of Narnia. The British response references things like Winnie The Pooh, Sir Richard Branson and Orlando Bloom. Speaking of whom, have you ever seen Owen Hargreaves and Orlando Bloom in the same room together? Suspicious. It also raises the time-old debate about scones - is it sc-own or sc-on?
Download an mp3 of We Drink Tea from the official website, where you can also download the video and read the lyrics.
Word to your mother.
Tuesday night saw the launch gig for Converse Music, headlined by The Rakes at the Islington Academy. Which wasn't showing the France vs Spain match. Poor form.
Kicking off proceedings were Lorca - no, I'd never heard of them either. Their MySpace claims they are "A screaming riot of killer tunes, twisted guitars and pulsating bass with dirty synths and disco-punk beats stolen from the gutter provinces." More importantly, they have Peaches AND Pixie Geldof in their top 8. A bit of a third rate Kasabian though and there was too much reliance on programmed beats. I've listened to their demo since then and it's nothing special really.
Next up were The Heavy. I'm not sure their bandname is appropriate. None of their songs seemed particularly 'heavy' and erred more on the side of R'n'B than anything exciting sadly. Although at times the beats were at least nodworthy, the falsetto vocals of the lead singer didn't compliment the music and the three backing vocalists were largely redundant. A rework of The Kinks classic All Day And All Of The Night was possibly the only highlight of a pretty bland set.
The Rakes finally took to the stage and we were treated to Alan Donohoe's usual onstage exuberance and their repertoire of perceptive yet danceable post punk songs.
Although I find it's always a pleasure to witness The Rakes rousing live performances, a surprising amount of the audience seemed indifferent to them. All the usual hits were played but perhaps the crowd were unfamiliar with the likes of Ausland Mission (an early b-side) and Perfect (a shortened version of the 18 minute song recorded for the Dior Homme catwalk show a while back). Two new songs, possibly previewing the new album were also played early on - I'm On A Mission and Down With The Moonlight.
They have toured with Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand and The Buzzcocks in the past and Paul Epworth produced debut album Capture/Release was one of my favourite albums of 2005. Further success surely beckons.
The Rakes - 22 Grand Job (Demo)
The Rakes - Retreat
Buy Capture/Release for less than a fiver(!) at HMV.
Photo courtesy of Gregory Nolan.
Kicking off proceedings were Lorca - no, I'd never heard of them either. Their MySpace claims they are "A screaming riot of killer tunes, twisted guitars and pulsating bass with dirty synths and disco-punk beats stolen from the gutter provinces." More importantly, they have Peaches AND Pixie Geldof in their top 8. A bit of a third rate Kasabian though and there was too much reliance on programmed beats. I've listened to their demo since then and it's nothing special really.
Next up were The Heavy. I'm not sure their bandname is appropriate. None of their songs seemed particularly 'heavy' and erred more on the side of R'n'B than anything exciting sadly. Although at times the beats were at least nodworthy, the falsetto vocals of the lead singer didn't compliment the music and the three backing vocalists were largely redundant. A rework of The Kinks classic All Day And All Of The Night was possibly the only highlight of a pretty bland set.
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The Rakes finally took to the stage and we were treated to Alan Donohoe's usual onstage exuberance and their repertoire of perceptive yet danceable post punk songs.Although I find it's always a pleasure to witness The Rakes rousing live performances, a surprising amount of the audience seemed indifferent to them. All the usual hits were played but perhaps the crowd were unfamiliar with the likes of Ausland Mission (an early b-side) and Perfect (a shortened version of the 18 minute song recorded for the Dior Homme catwalk show a while back). Two new songs, possibly previewing the new album were also played early on - I'm On A Mission and Down With The Moonlight.
They have toured with Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand and The Buzzcocks in the past and Paul Epworth produced debut album Capture/Release was one of my favourite albums of 2005. Further success surely beckons.
"The Rakes may belong to a time where the chav pub is king in 1000 towns, but they flood their songs with romance, intelligence and historical intrigue without breaking a sweat." Dailyinfo.co.ukThe Rakes - Ausland Mission
The Rakes - 22 Grand Job (Demo)
The Rakes - Retreat
Buy Capture/Release for less than a fiver(!) at HMV.
Photo courtesy of Gregory Nolan.
on Saturday, June 24, 2006
Firstly, a quick note about Billy Leeson of Les Incompétents who's currently in a medically induced coma having been attacked on the way home from their Barfly gig in London the other night (6 Music article). Write your messages of support on their MySpace or their forum.
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Morden's Good Shoes are not to be confused with the equally splendid GoodBooks, who are from...somewhere else. Good Shoes provide us with energetic, jerky pop music laden with melodies resulting in comparisons with The Futureheads and Maximo Park. They're much more than that and their rip roaring live shows attest to this. There is something delightful about their speedy numbers and simple, yet witty lyrics.
Good Shoes are playing a couple of 'secret' shows in London over the next couple of weeks: 28th June - Macbeth, Shoreditch. Doors 7.30pm and 10th July - another Shoreditch show but the venue is unknown at the moment. Their single launch is on July 23rd on a boat(!) on the River Thames, see the lineup here.
Good Shoes - Never Meant To Hurt You
Download lots of demos on this savefile project. Previous singles We Are Not The Same and Small Town Girl (albeit the demo versions here) are highly recommended.
All In My Head is availabe from July 17th. Preorder from Puregroove.
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Morden's Good Shoes are not to be confused with the equally splendid GoodBooks, who are from...somewhere else. Good Shoes provide us with energetic, jerky pop music laden with melodies resulting in comparisons with The Futureheads and Maximo Park. They're much more than that and their rip roaring live shows attest to this. There is something delightful about their speedy numbers and simple, yet witty lyrics.
Good Shoes are playing a couple of 'secret' shows in London over the next couple of weeks: 28th June - Macbeth, Shoreditch. Doors 7.30pm and 10th July - another Shoreditch show but the venue is unknown at the moment. Their single launch is on July 23rd on a boat(!) on the River Thames, see the lineup here.
Good Shoes - Never Meant To Hurt You
Download lots of demos on this savefile project. Previous singles We Are Not The Same and Small Town Girl (albeit the demo versions here) are highly recommended.
All In My Head is availabe from July 17th. Preorder from Puregroove.
on Thursday, June 22, 2006
So has been the cry from Art Brut's charismatic frontman Eddie Argos for the past couple of years. But with the demise of the BBC's long running music show Top Of The Pops (Guardian article), many of their fans have resorted to an online petition to finally fulfil the Art Brut dream.
They were supposed to go on TOTP for eight weeks in a row and everything, or so they decreed in debut single Formed A Band. They even wrote a speedy number entitled Top Of The Pops, featuring all sorts including hot "new" property The Long Blondes. Download it at the bottom of the page. If you think the 'Brut deserve their shot then sign the petition here.
Now, Top Of The Pops has been suffering over the last few years but it's a British institution isn't it? That darned Andi Peters. I guess it is pretty redundant now but that didn't stop Guillemots being magic on it last week (YouTube link). Oh well.
Art Brut & Friends - Top Of The Pops
Art Brut - Emily Kane (my pick off the album)
Buy Bang Bang Rock & Roll at Amazon
on Monday, June 19, 2006
Just a head ups, NME.com are selling some extra tickets to the 2006 Carling Weekend at Reading due to its increase in capacity from 9am tomorrow. Click here for more details. Get on there early! Or just sit back and watch chaos ensue like myself.
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Oh and fresh from being mentioned on here, London rudeboys Les Incompétents had a Rob da Bank session on Radio 1 the other night. You can listen on their website but I've forgotten how I managed to. Start here anyway.
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I'll do a proper post with mp3s and all that soon (i.e when I can be arsed).
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Oh and fresh from being mentioned on here, London rudeboys Les Incompétents had a Rob da Bank session on Radio 1 the other night. You can listen on their website but I've forgotten how I managed to. Start here anyway.
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I'll do a proper post with mp3s and all that soon (i.e when I can be arsed).
on Thursday, June 15, 2006
The Foo Fighters are playing a surprisingly intimate gig at the Camden Underworld on Friday June 16th. Tickets are £25 and onsale from noon today at Gigsandtours.com
All tickets must be picked up at the Camden Underworld Box Office evening of show. Doors at 7:30pm. Foo Fighters 8:45pm. You MUST bring a valid photo ID and the Credit Card used for ticket purchase.
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Battle are also playing on Friday, returning to Puregroove after last year's fab instore. The first 2000 people to register here will get their mitts on a ltd ed cd sleeve promoting the release of Children, which is out this week. All three formats only £3 in Virgin and HMV stores.
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The Sunshine Underground need extras for their vid for new single Put You In Your Place.
"Extras needed for video shoot. Venue to be confirmed but will be London based. Looking for very energetic individuals prepared to get worked into a frenzy around the band while they perform. Hardcore dancers and all-night party people is the vibe we're after. If you're available from midday till late on Tuesday 20th June please email your photo, sizes and contact details to info@redrabbitfilms.co.uk"
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Jamie T has unfortunately had to cancel his gigs in Liverpool (June 16th) and Sheffield (17th). The Sheffield gig has been rearranged to 22nd July.
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Get yourself a Converse Music membership card to get free entry into some special upcoming gigs. Bands playing include The Rakes,Ladyfuzz and Good Shoes. Awesome.
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Finally for a laff, check out DiS vs Towers Of London. Well 'ard innit.
All tickets must be picked up at the Camden Underworld Box Office evening of show. Doors at 7:30pm. Foo Fighters 8:45pm. You MUST bring a valid photo ID and the Credit Card used for ticket purchase.
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Battle are also playing on Friday, returning to Puregroove after last year's fab instore. The first 2000 people to register here will get their mitts on a ltd ed cd sleeve promoting the release of Children, which is out this week. All three formats only £3 in Virgin and HMV stores.
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The Sunshine Underground need extras for their vid for new single Put You In Your Place.
"Extras needed for video shoot. Venue to be confirmed but will be London based. Looking for very energetic individuals prepared to get worked into a frenzy around the band while they perform. Hardcore dancers and all-night party people is the vibe we're after. If you're available from midday till late on Tuesday 20th June please email your photo, sizes and contact details to info@redrabbitfilms.co.uk"
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Jamie T has unfortunately had to cancel his gigs in Liverpool (June 16th) and Sheffield (17th). The Sheffield gig has been rearranged to 22nd July.
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Get yourself a Converse Music membership card to get free entry into some special upcoming gigs. Bands playing include The Rakes,Ladyfuzz and Good Shoes. Awesome.
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Finally for a laff, check out DiS vs Towers Of London. Well 'ard innit.
on Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Wait for ages, blah blah blah. Here you go.
Weird Al parodying James Blunt
Death Cab For Cutie covering Cyndi Lauper
The Boy Least Likely To taking on George Michael
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Newsround
Lethal Bizzle calls Conservative Party leader David Cameron a 'doughnut', following his comments on rap's glamourisation of violence etc etc. Let's hope for an MC battle between them in the near future.
The Beach Boys reunite in LA. Are they getting back together then or what?
Bands get behind charity campaigns. Good on 'em.
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Did anyone see José González's mesmering performance on Later With Jools Holland last Friday? Well if you didn't you can find it on the Later With... homepage. This week's episode features Gogol Bordello and Dresden Dolls so could be rather ace.
Channel 4 on the other hand have different ideas and launch their new music show Transmission to clash with the BBC's Later With, this Friday at 11.35pm. Lily Allen, Dirty Pretty Things and The Kooks all feature.
Top Of The Pops supposedly has Muse AND Guillemots. Sunday at 7pm on BBC2.
Weird Al parodying James Blunt
Death Cab For Cutie covering Cyndi Lauper
The Boy Least Likely To taking on George Michael
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Newsround
Lethal Bizzle calls Conservative Party leader David Cameron a 'doughnut', following his comments on rap's glamourisation of violence etc etc. Let's hope for an MC battle between them in the near future.
The Beach Boys reunite in LA. Are they getting back together then or what?
Bands get behind charity campaigns. Good on 'em.
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Did anyone see José González's mesmering performance on Later With Jools Holland last Friday? Well if you didn't you can find it on the Later With... homepage. This week's episode features Gogol Bordello and Dresden Dolls so could be rather ace.
Channel 4 on the other hand have different ideas and launch their new music show Transmission to clash with the BBC's Later With, this Friday at 11.35pm. Lily Allen, Dirty Pretty Things and The Kooks all feature.
Top Of The Pops supposedly has Muse AND Guillemots. Sunday at 7pm on BBC2.
on Monday, June 12, 2006
I don't know what's worse, this intense heat or Paris Hilton's new track.
Chart roundup
Singles
The number of World Cup songs in the chart this week is somewhat ridiculous. I haven't even heard of the Talksport Allstars one. Or the Trinidad & Tobago Tartan Army. More importantly though, Sandi Thom is finally deposed from the number 1 slot by Nelly Furtado of all people. Embrace make it to 3, while The Automatic get to number 4 with Monster. Hope Of The States sneak into the top 40 at number 39. Good. Fightstar, The Fratellis, The Vines and The Research all make it into the top 75.
Albums
Great. No sooner than we push Sandi Thom off the top of the singles chart, she's immediately at the top of the album chart. The Feeling, Ronan Keating, Paul Simon and Primal Scream make up this week's top 5 albums, all new entries in fact. Other than that, not much happening apart from Sonic Youth in at 64. There's a film about them showing at the National Film Theatre next month too, read more about it here.
Newsround
Battle release their third Transgressive single Children today. You can buy all formats (1xCD, 2x7") for a miserly £3 in HMV and Virgin stores. Hear the Union Of Knives remix of Children on the Battle MySpace
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The Strokes have teamed up with Pearl Jam and Josh Homme to cover Marvin Gaye's Mercy Mercy Me, read more at NME.com
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Our local 'heroes' Boy Kill Boy tour the UK in October following the re-release of their other good song Civil Sin on July 31st. Check their MySpace for more details.
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The 2006 UK festival season is now in full flow, with Download and the Isle Of Wight festivals taking place over the last weekend. Read the NME blogs on what happened if you so wish - IOW and Download.
Chart roundup
Singles
The number of World Cup songs in the chart this week is somewhat ridiculous. I haven't even heard of the Talksport Allstars one. Or the Trinidad & Tobago Tartan Army. More importantly though, Sandi Thom is finally deposed from the number 1 slot by Nelly Furtado of all people. Embrace make it to 3, while The Automatic get to number 4 with Monster. Hope Of The States sneak into the top 40 at number 39. Good. Fightstar, The Fratellis, The Vines and The Research all make it into the top 75.
Albums
Great. No sooner than we push Sandi Thom off the top of the singles chart, she's immediately at the top of the album chart. The Feeling, Ronan Keating, Paul Simon and Primal Scream make up this week's top 5 albums, all new entries in fact. Other than that, not much happening apart from Sonic Youth in at 64. There's a film about them showing at the National Film Theatre next month too, read more about it here.
Newsround
Battle release their third Transgressive single Children today. You can buy all formats (1xCD, 2x7") for a miserly £3 in HMV and Virgin stores. Hear the Union Of Knives remix of Children on the Battle MySpace
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The Strokes have teamed up with Pearl Jam and Josh Homme to cover Marvin Gaye's Mercy Mercy Me, read more at NME.com
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Our local 'heroes' Boy Kill Boy tour the UK in October following the re-release of their other good song Civil Sin on July 31st. Check their MySpace for more details.
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The 2006 UK festival season is now in full flow, with Download and the Isle Of Wight festivals taking place over the last weekend. Read the NME blogs on what happened if you so wish - IOW and Download.
on Sunday, June 11, 2006
It was inevitable that I would post about London six-piece Les Incompétents because I've known them for bloody ages. I even helped put on some of their first gigs back in the day. Good times.
It's difficult to describe exactly what they do, but its largely super-enthusisatic-indie-pop. They have released two limited edition singles on White Heat Records, who have also had Forward, Russia! amongst others on their label. However, Les Inc really come into their own when performing live. Admittedly, it can go horribly wrong but for the most part their madcore displays delight the audience. Drownedinsound even went as far as proclaiming them 'the most entertaining band in London'.
Anyhoo, the reason I mention all this is because they are actually embarking on their first proper nationwide tour, supporting rockabilly quartet Vincent Vincent & The Villains. Check the dates and listen to some tracks on the Les Inc MySpace.
You can also download some very new demos mixed in with former single, the double a-side of Reunion/Much Too Much from this savefile project.
It's difficult to describe exactly what they do, but its largely super-enthusisatic-indie-pop. They have released two limited edition singles on White Heat Records, who have also had Forward, Russia! amongst others on their label. However, Les Inc really come into their own when performing live. Admittedly, it can go horribly wrong but for the most part their madcore displays delight the audience. Drownedinsound even went as far as proclaiming them 'the most entertaining band in London'.
Anyhoo, the reason I mention all this is because they are actually embarking on their first proper nationwide tour, supporting rockabilly quartet Vincent Vincent & The Villains. Check the dates and listen to some tracks on the Les Inc MySpace.
You can also download some very new demos mixed in with former single, the double a-side of Reunion/Much Too Much from this savefile project.
on Friday, June 09, 2006
Firstly, many thanks to Sweeping The Nation for giving this very blog a nice pat on the back.
And in a grand old 'pay it forward' style, I give my stamp of approval to the following:
1) The new Twisted Charm video, created by my good friends Snazzy Snail which you can find on their MySpace. It's the 4th video on the page.
2) The Motorettes new single, You Gotta Look The Parts. Heard it being championed by XFM DJ John Kennedy (who is surely the indie equivilant of that one cool uncle you have) many a moon ago and it's finally out this week.
3) The 2006 World Cup. It starts today, don't avoid it like the plague. Maybe even support England. Embrace it (no pun intended!).
And in a grand old 'pay it forward' style, I give my stamp of approval to the following:
1) The new Twisted Charm video, created by my good friends Snazzy Snail which you can find on their MySpace. It's the 4th video on the page.
2) The Motorettes new single, You Gotta Look The Parts. Heard it being championed by XFM DJ John Kennedy (who is surely the indie equivilant of that one cool uncle you have) many a moon ago and it's finally out this week.
3) The 2006 World Cup. It starts today, don't avoid it like the plague. Maybe even support England. Embrace it (no pun intended!).
on Tuesday, June 06, 2006
I couldn't really miss the opportunity to post on such a day, although I'm going to be lame and not really talk about the Devil and what not. See Who Needs Radio? and Funtime OK if you feel you must hear/read about satanic (err sort of) music.
I'm just going to point you in the direction of a solitary mp3 that I find delightfully serene. José González back with another fantastic cover (y'know after that Heartbeats one from the bouncing balls ad), this time of a Kylie song. Yes, a Kylie song. He seems to have a knack for making songs his own and although this is a reissue, all is forgiven as it is a beauty.
José González - Hand On Your Heart
Hand On Your Heart is out on July 3rd. Preorder from Amazon.
I'm just going to point you in the direction of a solitary mp3 that I find delightfully serene. José González back with another fantastic cover (y'know after that Heartbeats one from the bouncing balls ad), this time of a Kylie song. Yes, a Kylie song. He seems to have a knack for making songs his own and although this is a reissue, all is forgiven as it is a beauty.
José González - Hand On Your Heart
Hand On Your Heart is out on July 3rd. Preorder from Amazon.
on Sunday, June 04, 2006
The home straight. I decided to get an early train home so missed the likes of The Futureheads, The Kooks and even The Academy Is. No matter though, I did manage to catch:
Pressure Point, 7pm: Sh*tdisco
"they make art-pop dance music that makes you wanna shake your booty"
Admittedly somewhat of a second choice (the hardcore Kooks fans meant there was a stupidly large queue for Bat For Lashes) but they performed their hardcorediscopop commendably. Free glowsticks too.
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Audio, 8pm: Kubichek!
"Blending masterfully an underground-feeling ethic with a pop sensibility, there's tuneful pizzazz amidst fizz and the freneticism."
A passionate performance from the Newcastle lads who had to really fight against a largely half-asleep audience. Although they didn't quit win everyone over, it wasn't for lack of trying.
Kubichek! - Taxi!
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Audio, 8.45pm Tapes n Tapes
"This is indie-rock in the f*cked up Pixies and Pavement mould. A good thing."
They might have been the buzz band at South By SouthWest but the Audio was hardly heaving when they came on (albeit 15 minutes early). They didn't really seem to capture many people's imagination either and I left feeling...well, not much really. The songs on their website are still 'choons' (down-with-the-kids-moment) though:
Tapes n Tapes - Insistor
Tapes n Tapes - Cowbell
Tapes n Tapes - Omaha
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All in all, a good effort but room for improvement. The main problems were the size of the venues and the decision to use block stage times of around 7-11 on every day. Weather was a problem too and a move to later in the summer might be wise (the Hi:Fi festival also suffered). Let's hope next year's event fares better!
p.s Check out the DiS 'highlights package' here and if you really want to, The Sun's article too.
Pressure Point, 7pm: Sh*tdisco
"they make art-pop dance music that makes you wanna shake your booty"
Admittedly somewhat of a second choice (the hardcore Kooks fans meant there was a stupidly large queue for Bat For Lashes) but they performed their hardcorediscopop commendably. Free glowsticks too.
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Audio, 8pm: Kubichek!
"Blending masterfully an underground-feeling ethic with a pop sensibility, there's tuneful pizzazz amidst fizz and the freneticism."
A passionate performance from the Newcastle lads who had to really fight against a largely half-asleep audience. Although they didn't quit win everyone over, it wasn't for lack of trying.
Kubichek! - Taxi!
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Audio, 8.45pm Tapes n Tapes
"This is indie-rock in the f*cked up Pixies and Pavement mould. A good thing."
They might have been the buzz band at South By SouthWest but the Audio was hardly heaving when they came on (albeit 15 minutes early). They didn't really seem to capture many people's imagination either and I left feeling...well, not much really. The songs on their website are still 'choons' (down-with-the-kids-moment) though:
Tapes n Tapes - Insistor
Tapes n Tapes - Cowbell
Tapes n Tapes - Omaha
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All in all, a good effort but room for improvement. The main problems were the size of the venues and the decision to use block stage times of around 7-11 on every day. Weather was a problem too and a move to later in the summer might be wise (the Hi:Fi festival also suffered). Let's hope next year's event fares better!
p.s Check out the DiS 'highlights package' here and if you really want to, The Sun's article too.
on Saturday, June 03, 2006
On paper, this was the most impressive day of the Great Escape festival. The weather had other ideas and was a complete pain in the arse. Brighton seems to be the windiest place on Earth but it decided to absolutely chuck it down and all. Not cool.
Anyways, there was relative comfort in the venues to catch the following bands (ignoring Les Incompétents' below par performance):
Pressure Point, 7pm: Hot Club de Paris
"Scouse three piece Hot Club de Paris make punk sea shanties, dole-ite rants and jagged but bouncy melodies.
We say: Simply marvellous. I had great expectations but they were even better than I hoped. From the a capella harmonies to the homemade Mask Of Zorro t-shirt, HCdP were quite easily Keep Hope Inside's band of the weekend!
Hot Club de Paris - Shipwreck
Hot Club de Paris - sometimesitsbetter...
Preorder Sometimesitsbetternottostickbitsofeachother... at Puregroove
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Ocean Rooms, 7.45pm: Jeremy Warmsley
Jeremy Warmsley makes electronic music with real songs...
Although the description doesn't give much away, J-Wo has written some quite fantastic pop tunes (5 Verses vid). Alas, this set was a bit too stripped down and after a lengthy wait in the rain didn't quite do enough to raise spirits.
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Ocean Rooms, 8.45pm: Ladyfuzz
"[Ladyfuzz] claim to sculpt swine-flu, shine-thru, quiveringly idiosyncratic discordant tracks"
God knows what Liz Neumayr was wearing but her infectious grin and a particularly rousing Bouncy Ball do the job.
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Ocean Rooms, 10.15pm: Battle
"[Battle] make their enigmatic and soulful music in London. Their debut album album is nearly with us, and promises to be ace."
After the longest soundcheck EVER, the dynamically moody Battle put in a solid performance and their debut album looks certain to be one of the highlights of 2006.
Download Battle stuff here. Tendency and Demons are highly recommended!
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Ocean Rooms, 11pm: The Young Knives
"they make the finest punk-art-pop-eccentro anthems you can possibly imagine!"
An enjoyable end to the evening, with plenty of witty banter and some good songs to boot.
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Some other bands we sadly missed on the night - Good Shoes, The Sunshine Underground, Misty's Big Adventure, Keith and My Latest Novel.
Anyways, there was relative comfort in the venues to catch the following bands (ignoring Les Incompétents' below par performance):
Pressure Point, 7pm: Hot Club de Paris
"Scouse three piece Hot Club de Paris make punk sea shanties, dole-ite rants and jagged but bouncy melodies.
We say: Simply marvellous. I had great expectations but they were even better than I hoped. From the a capella harmonies to the homemade Mask Of Zorro t-shirt, HCdP were quite easily Keep Hope Inside's band of the weekend!
Hot Club de Paris - Shipwreck
Hot Club de Paris - sometimesitsbetter...
Preorder Sometimesitsbetternottostickbitsofeachother... at Puregroove
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Ocean Rooms, 7.45pm: Jeremy Warmsley
Jeremy Warmsley makes electronic music with real songs...
Although the description doesn't give much away, J-Wo has written some quite fantastic pop tunes (5 Verses vid). Alas, this set was a bit too stripped down and after a lengthy wait in the rain didn't quite do enough to raise spirits.
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Ocean Rooms, 8.45pm: Ladyfuzz
"[Ladyfuzz] claim to sculpt swine-flu, shine-thru, quiveringly idiosyncratic discordant tracks"
God knows what Liz Neumayr was wearing but her infectious grin and a particularly rousing Bouncy Ball do the job.
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Ocean Rooms, 10.15pm: Battle
"[Battle] make their enigmatic and soulful music in London. Their debut album album is nearly with us, and promises to be ace."
After the longest soundcheck EVER, the dynamically moody Battle put in a solid performance and their debut album looks certain to be one of the highlights of 2006.
Download Battle stuff here. Tendency and Demons are highly recommended!
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Ocean Rooms, 11pm: The Young Knives
"they make the finest punk-art-pop-eccentro anthems you can possibly imagine!"
An enjoyable end to the evening, with plenty of witty banter and some good songs to boot.
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Some other bands we sadly missed on the night - Good Shoes, The Sunshine Underground, Misty's Big Adventure, Keith and My Latest Novel.
on Friday, June 02, 2006
I recently visited Brighton for the inaugural Great Escape festival, dubbed "the UK's answer to South By SouthWest". 100 bands performing at over 15 different venues over the 18th-20th May and at less than 40 quid for a three day wristband, it looked particularly appealing.
Sadly, however the festival didn't quite fulfil its initial promise but I'll cover that in the final part of the Great Escape trilogy of posts. Onto the bands...
Pressure Point, 7pm: You Say Party! We Say Die!
"YSP!WSD!'s insanely catchy beats and viciously fun live show are reaching fever pitch in Vancouver's indie rock scene."
We say: Die. Not really, but even if we ignore slightly irritating frontwoman Becky Ninkovic, they were a bit of a mess. Disappointing.
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Audio, 8pm: Action Plan
"the lovechild of Trail Of Dead's mental-ness and Interpol's sexy dark fury, making sh*t-kicking, guitar-mangling mini anthems with great shouty bits."
A marked improvement from when I last saw them over a year ago, very impressive.
Action Plan - Stendhal
Buy Stendhal from Puregroove.
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We caught a fair bit of The Tenderfoot, whose acoustic affair was a bit too unexciting so we returned to the Audio to catch some of Tinydancers, whose acoustic-led pop was surprisingly entertaining.
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Audio, 10pm: The Spinto Band
"2006 saw the band's ascension into indie-pop royalty, with the release of their debut proper 'Nice And Nicely Done', a collection of songs that frogleap from Flaming Lips-esque quirkiness to immediate Arcade Fire choruses."
Absolutely fantastic. Such was their effect on the audience, two young females started kissing halfway through the set. Tongues and everything.
The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy
The Spinto Band - Brown Boxes
Buy Nice And Nicely Done from HMV.
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Other notable acts worthy of mention on the 18th include Kid Harpoon, The Rumble Strips, VV&TV, Buck 65 and BSP. Canadian blog iheartmusic covers The Cribs and Seal Cub Cubbing Club, both of whom also performed on the Thursday night.
Sadly, however the festival didn't quite fulfil its initial promise but I'll cover that in the final part of the Great Escape trilogy of posts. Onto the bands...
Pressure Point, 7pm: You Say Party! We Say Die!
"YSP!WSD!'s insanely catchy beats and viciously fun live show are reaching fever pitch in Vancouver's indie rock scene."
We say: Die. Not really, but even if we ignore slightly irritating frontwoman Becky Ninkovic, they were a bit of a mess. Disappointing.
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Audio, 8pm: Action Plan
"the lovechild of Trail Of Dead's mental-ness and Interpol's sexy dark fury, making sh*t-kicking, guitar-mangling mini anthems with great shouty bits."
A marked improvement from when I last saw them over a year ago, very impressive.
Action Plan - Stendhal
Buy Stendhal from Puregroove.
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We caught a fair bit of The Tenderfoot, whose acoustic affair was a bit too unexciting so we returned to the Audio to catch some of Tinydancers, whose acoustic-led pop was surprisingly entertaining.
-----
Audio, 10pm: The Spinto Band
"2006 saw the band's ascension into indie-pop royalty, with the release of their debut proper 'Nice And Nicely Done', a collection of songs that frogleap from Flaming Lips-esque quirkiness to immediate Arcade Fire choruses."Absolutely fantastic. Such was their effect on the audience, two young females started kissing halfway through the set. Tongues and everything.
The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy
The Spinto Band - Brown Boxes
Buy Nice And Nicely Done from HMV.
-----
Other notable acts worthy of mention on the 18th include Kid Harpoon, The Rumble Strips, VV&TV, Buck 65 and BSP. Canadian blog iheartmusic covers The Cribs and Seal Cub Cubbing Club, both of whom also performed on the Thursday night.
on Thursday, June 01, 2006
Wimbledon's finest Jamie T offers a free download of new track Do You Have The Time on his website.
Jamie T fuses many genres and although you'll see many people comparing him to Mike Skinner or even Lily Allen (who has apparently recorded a track with Jamie), the NME put it best for me:"An all-singing, all swaggering West London rudeboy specialising in tales of booze, birds and being broke."
Technical difficulties scuppered his performance supporting the Mystery Jets when I first saw him last September, so let's hope he avoids any misfortune when he tours with a full backing band throughout June!
Jamie T - Back In The Game (Demo)
You can hear the demo of new single Sheila and former single Salvador on Jamie's MySpace. Shiela is out on July 3rd.
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Keep Hope Inside also 'heart' Peter Crouch (or should we say Robocrouch - YouTube link) as much as we 'heart' Nickelodeon. Steven Gerrard diving wasn't too impressive but a goalie scoring from a goal kick is a great laugh (YouTube).
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Newsround
Having previously been 'unmasked' (or not) by The Sun newspaper, Eurovision winners Lordi seem to have actually been 'unmasked' in a couple of Finnish mags this week. Read about angry Finns here.
The Fly are opening a new venue on New Oxford Street in London. Sounds pretty good to me. You can also see the mag online now, which is great stuff.
Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies support Forward, Russia! on their July UK tour. The Russians also play some sort of Leeds residency, read about it here. They've also put up next single Eighteen for your aural pleasure on their MySpace.
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Just a quick note to say after the Brighton Great Escape festival posts (over the next three days), I'm taking a breather due to exams. Thanks for looking upto now and there still might be occasional posts so keep checking back!
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