---neonbuzz---

Hello Owen!

2011-01-24T03:08:00.000-08:00

He's my little dog.

SALZBURG

2010-09-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

I've been useless recently, I've not mentioned any of the excellent bands I've been listening to or any of the numerous festivals I found myself at this year - the past month has been a whirlwind of fields, trains, planes, gigs and (urgh) dentists. The basic idea is to get everything together at the end of the week when we'll start putting together a few round ups and interviews.

In the meantime here are a few photos from Salzburg, a city so small and packed so fully with pretty baroque buildings. We took a window seat at the Mozart Cafe to enjoy an apple strudel and tea and later visited the Haus der Natur, the wonderfully weird Salzburg Natural History Museum.

CE

THAT'S GOING TO BE IN MY DIGESTIVE TRACT FOR SEVEN YEARS

2010-08-31T02:56:00.000-07:00

Neon Star: Scott Pilgrim vs the World
No Star: Tormented

WHEN A TRAIN GOES BY IT'S SUCH A SAD SOUND

2010-08-30T02:28:00.000-07:00

There's a real romantacism and timeless celluloid quality to a long train journey, surrounded by strangers, watching the city become the countryside and the countryside become the mountains, over streams and past lonely white painted houses. The wildlife becomes more rugged, the weather gets more bitter.

Recently I took the four hour, early morning train ride to Edinburgh. I went on a rain soaked walk around the Old Town streets and found The Red Door Gallery, an excellent little shop on Victoria Street where I bought a beautiful illustrated postcard set from Laurie Hastings and an interesting local guide book.

Most of all I loved all the ghost signs and the colour of the wet sandstone that much of the city is built with.

CE

GET THAT CAT OUTTA HERE

2010-08-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

Not been to the cinema in three weekssssss

BERGEN

2010-08-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

FESTIVAL: 1-2-3-4 FESTIVAL, SHOREDITCH PARK, 24TH JULY

2010-08-06T04:10:00.001-07:00

Something doesn't feel quite right about the 1-2-3-4 Festival. Tucked away behind Hackney Leisure Centre, this arid part of Shoreditch Park struggles with its juxtapostion of young punk and the uncompromising sunshine. Throughout the day the tents remain half empty and with many of the audience sporting free passes it would be easy to accuse the Hackney crowd of being too cool to care, but really there's only so much anger you can believe on a steaming hot Saturday afternoon in London.

We got there early, specifically to catch the ever delightful La Shark. Their early billing pulls in only a small crowd but the morning heat doesn’t stop us dancing. Next we head over to the Artrocker tent for Pull In Emergency. They’re full of teenage zeal and harbour a real sensibility for pop writing that would leave people twice their age green.

After being denied a Converse tote bag (too bad, Converse) and bumping into friends in the dance tent it was time for the most controversial act of the day – Peter Hook playing Unknown Pleasures. It was obviously going to be strange and in between all of Hook’s arm waving and gurned COME ON’s it resembled an embarrassing karaoke episode. The most surprising thing was how many people enjoyed it. Later in the day Silver Machines – a Bobby Gillespie ego stroking project - also played the mainstage, an odd fact meaning two of the supposed main draws here today were cover bands.

Highlights of day included the Vivian Girls with their lo-fi Brooklyn noise pop and We Have Band, who had the audience baying for more. By 9pm the Rough Trade tent was teeming with people gathered to see These New Puritans and for about 30 seconds we did, then the power cut out and like a sign from the skies we knew it was time to go.

CE

OH! THAT'S JUST A DINOSAUR TOY DOWN THE STREET, THAT'S NOTHING

2010-08-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

We watched the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy this week...

CE

INVERNESS

2010-08-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

We recently spent a couple of nights in Inverness. It's a standard, Croydon-like town built into a spectacular glen. We spent a lot of time wandering around Loch Ness and the Craigmonie Woods. Sadly we didn't spot any prehistoric water monsters. Instead we probably had too much fun playing with the Nessies in the gift shop, sampling the highland whisky miniatures and reading the local headlines.

CE

BY A THREAD

2010-08-04T03:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Oriental Tiger for blogging a few of my photos. My Flickr is a busier place because of it!

CE

DAYS AT HOME

2010-07-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Once a month Stacey and I have a tourist's day out in London. This month was the Tower of London. On our way there we found one of the play me I'm yours pianos at Old Billingsgate and Stacey couldn't resist flapping away!

CE

THIS IS A ROBIN HOOD REVIEW

2010-07-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

I’d been looking forward to the release of the current Robin Hood film. I have disliked all other Ridley Scott / Russell Crowe collaborations and I had already concluded that the film was going to be terrible. But it’s Robin Hood and there are so many depictions of this “heroic outlaw” that no matter the outcome, for me it’s a must see.

Now I admit to going into the cinema blindly, not knowing what the purpose of this film was. All the way through, I was waiting for King John to say the one line that the trailer reiterated: “I declare him to be an OUTLAAAAAW”. Not for any other reason than I believed from this point the film would start to get interesting. I waited an hour… nothing. Two hours? Nope. It only comes at the end. Why? Well, there's been rumours of a sequel, this being part one: how Robin became an outlaw, which is not as interesting as would seem. If I’d had known this to be the case, I would not have attempted to bind myself to the series.

From the start, it’s arrows-a-flying! Unlike the graceful sound that they usually adopt in films, the arrows were forceful and quick sounding, and made me a little frightened. In this version, Russell Crowe plays a selfish Robin Hood, one who seems to be a reluctant leader. The whole story lies on coincidence and luck. He accidentally interrupts a hijacking, sees to an injured Knight and feels obligated to deliver the final request of the dying man. From this stems the plot. He enters the house of Maid Marian (who is not actually a maid at all) and tells her father-in-law, a very elderly blind man, the last words of his son. This man, on hearing Robin’s name and birthplace suddenly becomes shocked and although he doesn’t initially tell Robin, he knows who Robin is and decides to take him in. I am not entirely convinced with the plot and I just can't warm to Russell Crowe’s character, I feel no attachment to Robin, he comes across as continuously selfish and it's difficult to ignore the changing accents, at one point he sounds like David Dickinson.

I did however like the representation of the Sheriff. Of course it’ll never beat Alan Rickman, but he did deliver the best line in the whole film (see below). I also felt more attachment to John and more sympathy towards his situation. Even Mark Strong’s turncoat character is a more impressive and definite character.

Best Line: “Robin of Longstride, also known as Robin of the hood”. Ok, I know it’s not actually that hilarious a line, but being from South London, hearing this in general from anyone over 14 is pretty hilarious, let alone in the middle of a medieval tale.

SE

IN THE WEEK THAT MY COLLEAGUES ARGUED FOR TURNING BOOKS INTO APPS I WANT TO CHAMPION THE TRADITIONAL

2010-07-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

BOARD GAMES

My copy of The Great Penguin Bookchase has now been pulled out on Streatham Common and in various London pubs. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve failed to find my way back to the centre of the board first, but would still recommend this game to anyone who has ever read Frankenstein and Burglar Bill. You don’t have to be a literary know it all to enjoy it, the sometimes badly edited questions are on topics as varied as classic literature, science and nursery rhymes.

The design detail behind the player’s counters were what really won me over - the miniature bookshelves, which you have to fill with tiny books to win the game are inspired. Essentially a bookish alternative to Trivial Pursuit, The Great Penguin Bookchase is the perfect accompaniment to a summer picnic or drinking session, unlike those anti-social apps.

AH

2010-07-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

BOOKS WITH COVERS
The Junior Officers’ Reading Club by Patrick Hennessey has received a massive media campaign, I think seeing the poster for it at Colliers Wood tube every morning finally made me give in and read the much hyped title. For anyone who has ever read Michael Herr’s Dispatches this book will be a disappointment. Clearly also an admirer of Herr, Hennessey at times, tries to emulate his style but fails to be as searing or well constructed. The book is mediocre at best, sometimes well written, and sometimes revelatory, but lacking in the sharp shocks of Jarhead, Chickenhawk, or Generation Kill. The Junior Officers’ Reading Club is a bit too stylised, filled with pop culture references that detract from the importance of the subject matter, your time would be much better spent reading any of the other titles mentioned.

AH

2010-07-28T05:16:00.000-07:00

AND THOSE OTHER THINGS THE iPAD CAN'T QUITE PULL OFF

Mumford and Sons played the iTunes festival on the 9th of July, performing a rousing set, the crowd were dancing despite London’s 30 degree heat.

Apparently this gig was streamed on iPlayer, but is singing along to your computer really the same as being surrounded by people singing the songs back to the band?

Although Mumford’s collaboration with Dharohar Project is extremely well intentioned the tracks from the EP are disjointed. What with Laura Marling, Mumford and Dharohar Project – there’s just too much going on. Still, Mumford and Sons never fail to put a smile on your face.

AH

OH, I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO HIM FOR YEARS, AND I THINK HE'S FABULOUS

2010-07-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

My film watching this week has been severely hindered by the my new 30 Rock boxset.

Two thumbs up: 2 Days in Paris
Two thumbs down: Night at the Museum 2

RUMMAGE

2010-07-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

Car Boot finds, ftw.

CE

FESTIVAL: HOP FARM, 3RD AUGUST, 2010

2010-07-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have never been to Hop Farm before which is a shame considering past acts have included Neil Young. But then again it also had Paul Weller… This year, the festival has many rootsy acts, all of which I would pay to see, including, of course, Bob Dylan. At £65 for a Saturday ticket it’s a bargain considering this is the price you have to pay to see him some hideous venue such as the O2 arena.

And what a good day it was for a festival. The sun was out and there was nowhere to hide from it. Upon arriving at Paddock Wood Station we were driven to the festival in a large purple double decker (like one you would find in the Imperial War Museum with seats that were designed to fit five people but we are now so obese you’d be lucky to fit three in). After buying a purple (!) Gatsby style hat to protect me from the direct sunlight, the first act on (if you exclude The Magic Numbers which I will for the sake of my own sanity) was Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit. On the main stage they could either swim or drown. And swim they did, surprisingly making the crowd come alive early on this unbearably hot day and holding them captivated for the duration of the set.

Next we catch Laura Marling, also on the main stage. It’s a testament to how small this festival actually is when you have acts like this playing out in the open air. And with someone like Laura Marling there’s the fear that it may not translate on the mainstage. Luckily for her, she held the crowd, although she did lose me. Away from the intimate setting of the tents the music was lost on me; her voice, although beautiful and enthralling, didn’t hold the same impact.

We stumble across some highly entertaining soccer six matches played between bands who don’t really care about losing football against teams who seem to care enough to have brought their own football boots. There’s even a team called Big Brother, I assume consisting of people still wanting fame of any kind.

Later in the day, Ray Davies put on a surprisingly good show; although he didn’t perform Waterloo Sunset, we have a great dance and sing-a-long to Lola, You Really Got Me and Sunny Afternoon. In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t deny Davies to follow through with his threat to “play all night if I want to” but when it’s at the risk of missing Bob Dylan, I have to say, the thought was scary for a little while.

The main attraction of course was Bob Dylan. I had heard people can have one of two feelings after going to a Dylan concert. The first that it is entirely different to their expectations, he is older and doesn’t perform the material they expected in the fashion they expected and hate it. The second is that it’s Bob Dylan and despite the obvious difference in his performing style, to see the man perform on stage is enough. I came away from this experience with the latter opinion. There was not really any interaction with the crowd but they sang their hearts out to songs such as Rainy Day Women 12 & 35, Just Like a Woman, Like a Rolling Stone and Forever Young whilst Dylan sang them in a new manner. The band are excellent, and Dylan can still play the harmonica! Earlier in the day whilst queuing, we had overheard a young boy ask his father “who’s that?” while pointing at a black and white picture of Bob Dylan. His father simply replied “Daddy’s Hero”. I’m sure after tonight’s performance, this won’t have changed.

SE

WIMBLEDON

2010-07-21T03:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we took our maiden voyage to Wimbledon to watch the tennis. It was a last minute decision, at 4:30 we were at home watching Nadal and Murray on the BBC and by 5:00 we were watching them atop the hill.

On this second Friday of the tournament, blissfully there were no queues (so there, you queue nay-sayers that said we wouldn’t get in!) It’s huge inside and oddly exciting. We unwittingly bought a discounted court one ticket that wasn’t used and spent most of our time either on the hill or at Court 12 were we were fortunate enough to turn up just in time to see Bahrami and Le Conte (entirely unplanned, we only passed by to see Pat Cash, who we missed anyway.)

With all their spins, role playing and little tricks they are true crowd pleasers. Bahrami carrying six tennis balls in one hand was all it took to win over every kid in the court, who filed into their seats not knowing who these old guys were but by the end were audibly begging parents to stay behind a little longer for autographs.

Such a fun evening was had and like Murray, who predictably lost his semi final match, we started to plot our next Wimbledon escapade before we’d even left the grounds.

UNTIL MY FINGERS BLEED

2010-07-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

I spent most of last Saturday sewing together these pieces of leather jewellery for Messy Sea. Once I grow my fingerprints back I'll start making some more.

The rings are gradually making their way online too.

CE

I FAILED EVERYTHING BUT THE DATE OF BIRTH

2010-07-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

We watch a lot of films.

We ♥ thee: Breathless
Wish we hadn't bothered: Hansel and Gretel

CE

NEW BATCH

2010-07-09T13:46:00.001-07:00

New moustashes fresh out of the oven for Messy Sea. They're all set to become taste-tastic necklaces.

CE

NEON BUZZ

2010-07-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

This blog has been drifting around, forgotten for far too long. We've had a few ideas brewing since the New Year. It's shameful that it has taken six months to find the momentum to finally put a post up but the hope is it'll encourage at least one new one a day. Where would we be without wishful thinking?

I've been sketching a few new logos, I'll add some more later but the most recent is this one that I scribbled down while I was supposed to be taking minutes last week. I might clean it up and use it for something later.

TOMORROW: See Mystery Jets at Chevrolet Spark Unscheduled Tour

2010-04-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

WHEN: 8th April, Vinyl Factory, London

WHAT: The Chevrolet Spark Unscheduled Tour kicks off in London tomorrow night. Touted as a pop-up tour, it gives people the chance to vote where the next gig will be held, often offering the chance to visit interesting, old and unlikely venues. For the first show headliners Mystery Jets will be showcasing tracks from their third album under Kate Moross light installations and WAH nails will be offering free nail makeovers while djs play tracks from an overturned Chevrolet styled into a dj booth. Sounds like a fun way to spend a wet Thursday evening in Soho.

Get tickets by signing up to the mailing list

http://www.sparkunscheduled.co.uk/

Claire Evans

LIVE: Jeffrey Lewis and the Junkyard, Bowery Ballroom, New York. 20th June, 2009

2009-08-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

The small but perfectly formed Bowery Ballroom was host to the delicious Jeffrey Lewis, his brother, a friend, and the friend's boyfriend - otherwise known as the Junkyard, Jeffrey's band, at the end of June. Playing tracks from the recent 'Em Are I album as well as songs from his back catalogue, his two hour set not only kept my jetlagged eyes open but had me dancing to "If Life Exists," and "Something Good" like I'd actually had some sleep in the last 20 hours.

With such an intimate vibe Lewis was clearly happy to be playing his home town, and if you erase the almost painful support acts (Diane Cluck & Pepi Ginsberg) from memory this was the perfect introduction to NYC; please do "keep on strumming like you don't know what's coming" Jeffrey Lewis.

Amy Honda

FESTIVAL: Field Day

2009-07-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

WHEN: 1st August. Victoria Park, London

WHAT: Now in its third year, Field Day brings a summer fete and this years best line up to Victoria Park tomorrow. Field Day is definitely the music lovers festival; so much so that it's impossible to pick between the tents - Bugged Out! tent is hosting everyone's favourite DJ Erol Alkan, over in the Adventures in the Beetroot Field tent there is The Big Pink and Micachu; Mumford and Sons are a highlight from the Village Mentality stage and headliners Mogwai will be playing their only UK festival set of the year on the Eat Your Own Ears stage.

If you can prize yourself away from the music, there is all the fun of the fayre in the Village Green, where you make up rude words during a game of scrabble, try your luck with the tombola or gorge yourself on homemade cake.

WEAR: Something presentable, you don't want to look a state picking up your egg and spoon race winners prize.

Tickets can be bought online or on the door.

http://www.fielddayfestivals.com/

Claire Evans

FESTIVAL: Hop Farm Festival

2009-06-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

WHEN: 4th July - 5th July. The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent

WHAT: The festival season is fast upon us; after next weekend's Glastonbury follows the Hop Farm Festival. After the success of last year's Neil Young headlining show Hop Farm has extended to two days. The ethos is simple - everyone gets the same treatment - there's no VIPs and branding is shunned in favour of a purist festival experience of music, music and more music.

2ManyDJs are almost worth the entrance fee alone, but head to the smaller stages for White Denim, 65 Days of Static and Rumble Strips.

WEAR: What difference does it make? This is a back to basics affair so t-shirt and jeans will do nicely.

Tickets are still available

http://www.hopfarmfestival.com/

Claire Evans

FESTIVAL: Standon Calling

2009-06-07T12:57:00.002-07:00

WHEN: 31st July - 2nd August. Standon, Hertfordshire

WHAT: Our favourite small festival, Standon Calling returns for another weekend on 31st July. Fusing art and design with music (and a swimming pool,) Standon Calling is a tiny 3000 capacity festival with a big pull. Its small setting offers a great chance to see little bands who will soon be big bands, like Golden Silvers, Michachu and this year's headliners Friendly Fires. Other highlights are Son of Dave and Femi Kuti and the, frankly odd addition, of Tony Christie if that's your thing.

As well as the music, there will be literature, theatre and of course art - look out for the large Eidophone, a machine that turns music into paintings.

Standon Calling should be the benchmark for every other festival out there.

WEAR: As the theme is Space, it has to be those Moon Boots I thought I'd never be able to wear

Tickets are still available.

http://www.standon-calling.com/

Claire Evans

LIVE: Bishop Allen, David Cronenberg's Wife, A Classic Education. The Windmill, Brixton, 10th May, 2009

2009-05-17T03:26:00.000-07:00

The best thing about the Windmill isn’t the ramshackle barbeques, the affable crowd or even the headline acts that squeeze into this tiny venue, it’s the fact that no matter who it is you go there to see, there will always be a surprise gem to take home. Last night that crown fell on A Classic Education, an Italian alt-pop band touring their recently released single, the excellent Jeremy Warmsley produced ‘Best Regards’. With swathes of epic, American styled orchestral indie, they are a fun, dark and beautiful bundle.

David Cronenberg's Wife, up before the headliners, are another one of those great bands that not nearly enough people know about. Sounding like they've been transported from the 80s, their macabre lyrics are smoke tinged with a bitter, honest, comic edge.

Before heading back to America tomorrow Bishop Allen have just one last show to play and it was a treat to have them play it at the Windmill. Live they have boundless energy, relentlessly playing song after song without pausing for breath. With each new song they flutter between emotions – boisterous; angry; poetic; melancholy. The new songs sound bigger than they do on the stripped-back-to-the-bone sound of ‘Grrr’ and they delved into their past with oldies like ‘Busted Heart’ and a few tracks from their EP collections.

Bishop Allen are not big on banter, speaking only to introduce themselves, but that didn't make them any less charming and the little area in front of the stage was packed with a satisfied bunch of people by the end. It's just a shame they don't come to these shores more often.

Claire Evans

SINGLE: Lily Allen -Not Fair (EMI Records)

2009-05-17T03:24:00.002-07:00

How do you review a song about premature ejaculation? The whole idea of it ends up outgrowing the song itself so every time I listen to it all I can think about is how it’s Lily having a good laugh at a guy who can’t hold it in. One thing that ‘Not Fair’ makes really clear is what a good songwriter Lily Allen is – the lyrics flow so easily you’d assume that she talks in songs and the deadpan delivery adds even more ironic hilarity to some already hilarious lyrics. Add the instrumentation which sounds like backing track to some low-budget western and the single has me bursting into near-lethal giggling fits. Even if you’re not taken in by its catchiness you have to respect her talent with words and unflinching honesty.

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: The Siegfried Sassoon - Muscle Beach/The Al Gore Rhythm (feat. Laura-Mary Carter) (Natural History Records)

2009-05-17T03:24:00.001-07:00

A-side ‘Muscle Beach’ is perplexing – running from chorus to different chorus and patched together by completely different sounding verses, which while all well constructed individually (especially the counterbalancing of guitar chords and bleeps at the beginning), makes the song a bit hard to follow at first. Then again, the first chorus where the mariachi trumpets and harmonies come in is charming enough to win over the hardest-hearted of listeners. Still, it leaves you with a ‘what the hell just happened there?’ feeling.

AA-side ‘The Al Gore Rhythm’ is more of the same, featuring at the beginning a vocal battle between the lovely Laura-Mary Carter (of Blood Red Shoes) and what sounds like Wall-E, which in case you’re wondering is something definitely worth hearing. The once again crazy irregular beat and erratic guitar lines give the song a School of Language intelligent guitar pop feel, which if not catchy at first is at least pretty intriguing.

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: La Roux - In For the Kill (Polydor Records)

2009-05-17T03:20:00.000-07:00

Holmes: Wow, for once the NME wasn’t bullshitting. This has 80s written all over it – mechanical drums, floaty retro synths and production so shiny you can see your reflection in it.

Watson: The vocals are amazing. Well either that or horrendously annoying. Or maybe part of that weird hinterland where the two exist at the same time. So…is it good?

Holmes: That depends on whether you think the 80s were good or not. Actually, let’s look at this more carefully. What happened in the 80s? AIDS, acceptable use of leather trousers, Thatcher, Tiananmen Square and Bon Jovi. Bad, bad, bad, bad, actually quite good.

Watson: Really?

Holmes: No.

Watson: Well I suppose at least it’s catchy.

Holmes: But the 80s were when the current generation of middle-agers were young. This is either going to get them bitching about how much they miss Saint Etienne or doing the robot or whatever atrocity they did in the 80s.

Watson: Oh. And the instrumental b-side was totally pointless.

Ollie Khakwani

FESTIVALS 2009: The Great Escape, Brighton, 15th-16th May

2009-05-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

Brighton’s Great Escape is in its fourth year and already it is a highly anticipated event. Set against a seaside background, with plenty of ice-cream, fish ‘n’ chips and the pebbly beach at your disposal, the Great Escape festival rivals the Camden Crawl and has been described as the UK’s equivalent to Austin’s SXSW with its party atmosphere and music loving crowds.

This year is bigger and better than previous years with the seaside town hosting 300 new local and international bands across 34 stages inside and out as well as holding themed parties and club nights so you can enjoy yourself through the night as well as the day.

One of the best things about having a festival here is that gigs are relatively intimate and allow you to get up close and personal with your new favourite artists. And as it’s a student town, you can get great offers on food and drink. Bands on the bill this year include Metronomy, Patrick Wolf, Peggy Sue, Micachu and the Shapes, Brakes, Chairlift, Gang Of Four, Holy Fuck, Noah and the Whale and Johnny Flynn . Our recommended highlight will be The Maccabees show which will see the five-piece return to the place where it all began for them after the release of their second album.

So get yourself down to Brighton between 15th-16th May and witness some spectacular gigs within one of the most memorable backdrops.

There are still day and weekend tickets available.

http://www.escapegreat.com/

Stacey Evans

Protest Songs For the 21st Century

2009-05-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

After the nth argument with my Thatcher-cheerleader parents about why people can have other people to blame for being poor, I thought having hippie parents would be the coolest thing ever. And then I came to my senses and realised that more localised ranting about how the closest this generation gets to revolution is wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt that was probably stitched by 4 year olds held at gunpoint. But even if ideals have degraded to the point that Akon jingles about being locked up and not let out (for totally legitimate reasons) count as astute political commentary, in an effort to prove we’re not totally incapable of anarchy in the UK, here’s a rundown of the great protest songs of the 00s (minus Akon). It is MayDay, afterall:

Bloc Party – Hunting for Witches

Yep, back in the day Bloc Party lyrics were actually quite good (although compared to ‘at your funeral I was sad, so sad’ anything would be, but still). Add a killer guitar riff to a good old rant against the Daily Mail and everyone, except the neo-Nazis, are happy.

Rilo Kiley – It’s A Hit

There are lots and lots of brownie points for bands that can refer to their ex-President in a song as a monkey throwing his own shit at the enemy. Extra points if they sing as well as Jenny Lewis.

Metric – Succexy

Quite a few songs from Old World Underground are brilliant anti-war attacks on the Bush administration, but apart from its stroke-of-genius video, for once the left-wingers attack themselves for being so passive.

Sleater-Kinney – Combat Rock
The American government were lucky not nearly enough people listen to Sleater-Kinney because they’re more than persuasive enough to incite civil disobedience. A comprehensive attack on wars for oil, consumerist culture, use of arguments involving ‘patriotism’ to silence any dissent and a killer guitar hook on top of that.

M.I.A. – Paper Planes
Sampling/stealing from a Clash song about immigration (Straight to Hell), having a chorus of gunshots and a ka-ching! sounds, and attacking the perception of immigrants?! M.I.A. is a genius.

Green Day – American Idiot
Well, yes, in one way it was selling out, but seeing their cover shot on Q will make you yearn for the good old days of 2004 when 12 year old girls were suddenly ready to burn the good old stars and stripes.

Gossip – Standing in the Way of Control
Even if their 15 minutes of fame barely spanned an undeserved cover of the NME and being used on Skins, their breakout single buzzes with righteous rage about the American ex-government’s abuse of their Constitution by refusing to legalise gay marriage.

Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip – Thou Shalt Always Kill
3 minutes where pretty much everything wrong with the world gets attacked: Coca Cola, Nestle, not liking bands just because they become popular, making generic music, the NME etc.

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: The Maccabees - No Kind Words (Fiction)

2009-04-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

With the opening bars of this track, there is an immediate contrast to the battling guitars that usually fills The Maccabees sound. No Kind Words has a darker undertone, guitars are minimal, while Orlando’s singing compliments this new departure with less of the cries and yelps, yet it does not feel like the delivery is any less heartfelt.

The lyrics still capture a moment and tell a story, but the topic is not one of youthful nostalgia, describing how someone is diverting and battling from expectation with the words ‘Alone, alone, alone’ always setting the tone, in both its reputation and the way it is delivered. But when we reach the end of the song, there is an air of continuity from their previous sound with the return of a more sedate form of the battling guitars. The Maccabees sound has grown up and we love it.

Stacey Evans

SINGLE: Metric - Help, I’m Alive (Last Gang Records)

2009-04-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

Forcibly laser etched onto every Metric fan’s brain since it appeared on the internet and Canadian airwaves a few months ago, if there’s any justice in the twisted universe of the music industry ‘Help, I’m Alive’ might be Metric’s breakthrough single in the UK.

The band are backed by their usual array of strengths – breathy sing-talky vocals from Emily Haines, a well placed acoustic guitar second chorus and some clever juxtaposition of music and lyrics (‘my heart keeps beating like a hammer’ over the bass drum’s heavy heart-like pounding), as well as a new more personal perspective and clearer songwriting certain to drag in new fans. A brilliant single worthy of a great band.

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: Tommy Reilly - Gimme A Call (A&M Records)

2009-04-10T05:27:00.000-07:00

A sparse combination of folky guitar, voice and a bit of foot stamping on the chorus (I think, but it might have been a quiet drum), ‘Gimme A Call’ is one of the better examples of the work of singer-songwriters if not particularly groundbreaking. The single is lyrically tight and rendered by some not unpleasant but sort of pubescent sounding vocals that have a vulnerable charm (especially on the chorus where Reilly croons ‘Gimme a call/you got a phone, don’t you?). Still, if it weren’t for the acoustic guitar freakout of a post-chorus, the song would pretty quickly disappear into the forest of teenagers playing MTV Unplugged covers in their rooms. Good, but not really and instant classic.

Ollie Khakwani

ALBUM: Metric -Fantasies (Last Gang Records)

2009-04-10T05:26:00.000-07:00

Now that ’09 synthpop has apparently become an official term (at least according to the Guardian’s Guide from last week where contemporary slang was dissected), most 80s-sounding things have become more unwelcome to my ears than questions about censorship are to the Chinese government. Still, it’s hard to fault a band whose two albums both got nominated for Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards, collaborate in Broken Social Scene, and are unknown enough in England for me to lecture/brag about to friends. Fantasies leaves their untouchable aura of brilliance intact, providing yet another reason to love Emily Haines and James Shaw.

First single and opener ‘Help, I’m Alive’ was in simplest terms a wet dream to Metric fans, showing their trademark sound remains as good as it ever was with poignant lyrics, a killer refrain and possibly even sweeter breathy vocals. It also provides a good insight into the rest of the album – even though the perfect musical formula from before remains unscathed, the political element that dominated earlier releases (‘I fought the war/I fought the war/I fought the war but the war won’) has been eclipsed by a more personal theme. The album involves more songs that centre on controlling your own life and the problems that fame and other unwelcome monsters have caused on the subject. ‘Help, I’m Alive’ sees Emily use her brilliant falsetto to ask why she shouldn’t do what she wants; ‘Sick Muse’ attacks Cupid for sticking his arrows in her; Metric turn their attention to the need of musicians to push themselves so hard they burn out for the sake of staying edgy on ‘Front Row’.

As a whole, musically, Fantasies is appealing as anything they’ve released with songs catchy and credible enough to match up to the highlights of their back catalogue - the chorus on ‘Gimme Sympathy’ has super heart-melting powers; ‘Stadium Love’ will force you to dance like it’s got a gun to your head. Lyrically it shows a more wistful side of the band – they’re not railing against rehashing of old stuff in the music industry or the left’s failure to galvanise against the Bush administration’s capitalist-war machine, so it doesn’t feel quite as angry, but there’s little trouble being as emotionally intense – if anything it’s a sign Metric are getting even better at what they could already do perfectly.

Standout Tracks: Help, I’m Alive; Sick Muse; Gimme Sympathy; Front Row

Ollie Khakwani

ALBUM: Bishop Allen -Grrr… (Dead Oceans Records)

2009-04-10T05:23:00.000-07:00

Bishop Allen deserve love. They had the brilliant idea of an EP a month for a year, released the both charming and clever Broken String, and they were on screen for about 30 seconds in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (although I’d question the choice of song – ‘Middle Management’ is good, but why not ‘Click Click Click Click’?)

On the first listen, it doesn’t seem like much has changed since the surprisingly good last album – same mix of folk and pop, cute minimalist arrangements and general sugary twee-ness that makes you buzz with child-like joy. If anything, musically Grrr… is more exciting and even tighter than its predecessor, with more interesting instrumentation (like marimbas and trumpets on ‘True of False’) and addictive but understated melodies, sort of equivalent to valium among drugs, with ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘The Lion and the Teacup’ containing some of the best poppy treats. However, lyrically the album as a whole fails to match up to earlier work, sounding too infantile or simple, and in particular spots dissolves into nursery rhyme-like mush (the main offender being ‘The Magpie’ although ‘Tiger, Tiger’ is a bit of a howler if you’re in the wrong mood). The title’s toddler/tantrum implications might have been a warning that was coming. As well as this, Grrr…lacks the effortlessly appealing songs like ‘Rain’ and ‘Click Click Click Click’ that really made the last album so brilliant.

It would be pretty harsh to call this a bad album, because it’s far from that – there’s a lot of great indie pop to be found and masterful arrangements on basically every track, but overall Grrr…suggests that the cohesiveness of The Broken String was more a happy accident than anything and that Bishop Allen still have some growing to do.

Standout Tracks: Dimmer, The Lion and the Teacup, Oklahoma, Cue the Elephants

Ollie Khakwani

ALBUM: The All-American Rejects - When the World Comes Down (Interscope/Doghouse Records)

2009-03-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

The All-American Rejects - When the World Comes Down (Interscope/Doghouse Records)

Although I don’t think the magazine I read that contained the interview in which Tyson Ritter went on about how ‘totally different this album is’ was the NME, it seems like enough of a preposterous lie to have been published in that reputable publication.

I should point out now that I like (tense?) the All-American Rejects – even if I was into black eyeliner when I heard their first album, its adorable teen peppiness still isn’t lost on me now, but I have to say, ‘Gives You Hell’ does exactly what it says on the label (SEE? The title isn’t even creative!!!) What really grates about this album is that 7 years later they might have actually regressed as a band – it physically hurts hearing a 20-something write lyrics like ‘I’ve figured it out/breaking’s what your heart is for.’ Maybe that’s why I think the Jonas Brothers are worse than STDs (they’re roughly equal in destructive terms but those teen pop tossers are catchier). But I digress, the point is, studio polish will never be a decent substitute for imagination, and patriotic rejects’ eyes are blanker than my list of things I like about Miley Cyrus.

Standout Tracks: Do I have to? Fine, I guess ‘Real World’ was momentarily distracting, even if its namesake is the kind of show that would sink to using this album for a soundtrack.

Ollie Khakwani

ALBUM: Dead Young Club Vol. 1 - (Dead Young Records)

2009-03-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

Record label samplers are always a good way to get a quick snapshot of fresh, new bands and Dead Young Records’ latest release is no different. Showcasing four of their newest signings, ‘Dead Young Club Vol. 1’ spans the genres from bluesy indie to epic Welsh glacial scores.

‘Edward the Confessor’, provided by Liverpool’s The Cubical is a jaunty, blues tipped psych pop song that would be straight out of the Black Keys’ back catalogue if it wasn’t for the slightly menacing, growling vocals. Perfect for cutting some 60s shaped rug to but perhaps not so much for putting the kids to bed to…

A Love Supreme are a more child-friendly prospect with the emotional and driving ‘I Know You Got Soul’. Slightly self-indulgent with the guitar solo at the end but otherwise just the right sort of momentous and raw sound new and old bands alike should be trying to create.

Fuzzy JAMC pop has seen a bit of a resurgence of late, Glasvegas being a prime example. The Lucid Dream are a bit less current indie than the nation’s new favourite band from north of the border, instead sounding more like they’ve stepped into a time machine in the 1960s and somehow ended up in 2008. ‘I Got the Devil’ is a sparkling 5 minutes of distortion and noise proving the Lucid Dream to be something to look out for in the coming months.

Last but not least comes Yucatan, creating epic Sigur Ros-esque scores that represent and reflect the Welsh valleys. Singing entirely in their native Welsh language adds a more magical touch to the music although occasionally the whole thing does smack a bit of jumping on the aforementioned Icelandic group’s bandwagon a bit.

Standout track: The Lucid Dream – ‘I Got the Devil’

Rhian Daly

SINGLE: Tallulah Rendall - Lay Me Down (Transducer Records)

2009-03-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

Remember Mercury award winners Anthony & the Johnsons? Tallulah Rendall is essentially a British female version of focus point Anthony Hegarty, but with slightly less mystique and allure. ‘Lay Me Down’ is an almost timeless sounding single, all enchanting vocals and delicate piano accompaniment woven with other atmospheric instrumentation to create a haunting yet beautiful four minute wonder that will have you charmed from the very first beat.

Rhian Daly

SINGLE: Subliminal Girls - Self Obsession is an Art Form (PopArt London)

2009-03-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

“Vodka makes me act like a fool, I’m not very cool” sings Jim Rhesus on a ‘Self Obsession is an Art Form’, a song that will strike chords with many with it’s “I’m too drunk to carry you home, you’re too drunk to carry me home” chorus and descriptions of messy nights out. Wittily charming, it leads nicely into ‘Posh Girls Names’, a more confusing piece of synth-pop to get your teeth in. Underneath Rhesus’ vocals runs a spoken-word commentary that provides your brain with the conundrum of what part to concentrate on most. As a result, it ends up getting fairly annoying quickly as you try and snatch snippets of each separate vocal. Final track ‘Electronic Hearts’ is far more straightforward and easy to listen to and scores highly with its Sonic Youth referencing and dry, sarcastic lyrics cutting through melodic guitars and 80s synths.

Although sometimes they’re hard work, Subliminal Girls are worth the effort, once you get your head around them. Plus, they’re always coming up with something interesting – for instance, this latest single will set you back nearly £1500. Not a money-grabbing rip off, but an investment in art, with the record being housed in a special screenpainted box designed by Stuart Semple. Perhaps not the best timed move considering the current economic climate, but interesting nonetheless.

Rhian Daly

EP: Milky Wimpshake - One Good Use For My Heart EP (Fortuna Pop!)

2009-03-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Fortuna Pop! can generally be trusted to release music by only the most interesting and exciting artists and this occasion is no exception, with the slick indie this time putting out Milky Wimpshake’s latest EP. Stalwarts on the Newcastle scene, the simplistic yet sophisticated pop group have been going strong since their formation in 1993 and have an “indie celeb” fan in Ross Millard of Futureheads fame.

All this is well and good though but it doesn’t count for much if the music isn’t up to scratch. It’s hardly surprising to find that the ‘One Good Use For My Heart’ EP is way above par with five jangly post-punk indie tunes to keep you entertained in the miserable dark evenings this winter. They do tend to overdose a bit on brackets in song titles but surely they can be forgiven for such a crime this time; after all, if you’ve written a song as witty, catchy and downright wonderful as ‘(If You Wanna Know the Time Ask a) Policeman’ or the self-referential ‘Milky Cliché’ then you can probably get away with a bit of punctuational over-indulgence.

Standout track: Milky Cliché

Rhian Daly

SINGLE: Le Reno Amps - Send Me on My Way (Drift Records)

2009-03-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

Scottish alt.country might be a phrase you’ve come to dread, knowing that you’re in for a dull and painful listen but instead of running for the Highlands, perhaps you should give one particular quartet a try.
Le Reno Amps are the antithesis to the aforementioned dirge merchants, instead bringing to the table a fun and cheerful take on things. ‘Send Me on My Way’, their first single on Drift Records, shows the two sides to the group quite clearly with the title track falling more into the country camp and b-side ‘Airwaves’ fitting snugly under indie. Both are superb displays of musicianship that should have you up out of your chair and cutting some rug, although the lead track may be more of an acquired taste, with its successor a bit easier on the ear. But everyone knows good things come to those who wait, and after a little perseverance you’ll love both songs as if they were your own children.

Rhian Daly

SINGLE: Kora - Cabaret Voltaire Versions – ‘Kora! Kora! Kora!’ (Shiva Records)

2009-03-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

If you’re after some bog standard electro trying to be innovative by cutting and pasting sections of post punk legends, Cabaret Voltaire then look no further for Kora have created the perfect record for you. However, if you’re looking for something a bit more interesting and, y’know, above average then your best bet is to move along and fast.

Rhian Daly

ALBUM: Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke (Island Records)

2008-12-02T03:21:00.002-08:00

All the retreads of the disastrous MTV dominated decade of music – Alphabeat, Santogold, Black Kids and the mysterious internet meme that is Rick Astley have been getting pretty tiring. In fact, the 80s were up there on my list of stuff I hate – suits, genocide and famine. But somehow Pip Brown’s album manages to break out of the cheddar stylings (boring and cheesy) of the rest of the pack. For one thing, even though her lyrics aren’t complex or poetic in a Magnetic Fields way, they’re much more sharp and straightforward than most, like the ‘you’re so completely twisted; you’re so completely evil’ on ‘Manipulating Woman,’ proving Asperger syndrome can be kind of helpful. Then there’s the actual music – as retro as everyone says it is, it still has something original and contemporary about it, not at all like unearthing a rotten musical corpse *cough, Alphabeat, cough*. As much as there is to love about the album, from the intense electro-stomp of opener ‘Magic’ to the catchy but not sellout singles ‘Paris Is Burning’ and ‘Dusk Till Dawn,’ it’s not absolutely perfect. There are a few same-y moments, especially because of the overuse of the intro from Van Halen’s Jump (‘Another Runaway’ and ‘Back of the Van’) which isn’t helped by all the songs being in the mid-tempo range.

Still, with addictive riffs that’ll get you dancing without the aid of alcohol no matter how badly coordinated you are, Ladyhawke’s album shows how much you can do with some synthesisers and a little bit of autism.

Standout Track: My Delirium, or maybe Dusk Till Dawn

Ollie Khakwani

EP: Right Turn Left - Faust EP (Filthy Little Angels)

2008-12-02T03:21:00.001-08:00

Jaunty, jolly indie can get a bit sickening at times what with there being so goddamn much of it about. Fortunately, Right Turn Left make the kind of music that, even though it’s not that dissimilar to their peers’ efforts, is hard to tire of. The Faust EP encases four perfect examples of this, from the short, sharp title track to the wise ‘We’re’ (full title or not, who knows?) with its affirmative chanting chorus of “It’s best to regret something you did do rather something you didn’t”.

Stylistically, RTL are like a more literate Holloways; all upbeat rhythms and a cheery disposition but with lyrics that sound as if they’ve been written by a more well-read, poetically inclined individual.

By far the standout track on this EP is ‘Sloe Gin’, a tale of teenage rebellion, female vanity and falling in love with music set to the group’s trademark carefree sound. If they keep going like this, they should be very successful indeed.

Standout track: Sloe Gin

Rhian Daly

LIVE: Roses Kings Castles. FOPP, Cambridge. 28th September, 2008

2008-12-02T03:19:00.000-08:00

As fun as “proper” gigs are, sometimes it’s nice to not get pushed around or covered in beer. Hence, why intimate instores such as this one are such a pleasant change. With CD racks moved to one side and a privileged group of fans sat in a semi-circle on the floor or stood patiently a little further back, Roses Kings Castles takes out his acoustic guitar and enchants the top floor of FOPP with songs from his self-titled debut album, catching the attention of a few passers-by in the Saturday traffic along the way.

For those who haven’t yet heard, Roses Kings Castles is the side project of drummer Adam Ficek, first started as a way to keep busy whilst on tour. A couple of weeks prior to this meeting, he released his eponymous first record on his own label, The Sycamore Club. Tonight, Ficek is due to play at a Syd Barrett tribute gig across town but for now, he has a small but eager crowd to entertain.

Starting his five song set with recent single ‘Entroubled’, the audience is immediately drawn in. Whether intentional or not, playing with no microphone or amplification means to be able to fully enjoy Ficek’s performance you have to surrender yourself to him and give him your full attention. It’s a different experience to one you might normally have with live music, having to make an effort to hear the performer rather than being deafened by them, but the unusual act of exertion serves to make it that little bit more special.

Throughout the short set, Ficek chats and jokes with the crowd, especially when he has to restart second song and potential Christmas number one, ‘Horses’. A little later, ‘Sparkling Bootz’ is played much to the audience’s delight. Finishing on the beautiful twee-pop ‘Never Certain’, Roses Kings Castles leaves the store a veritable success, hopefully a trend that will continue wherever he goes.

Rhian Daly

INTERVIEW: Sam Isaac

2008-10-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Sam Isaac is gradually making himself known as one of the country’s most promising artists. Recently garnering airplay from the likes of Jo Whiley on Radio 1, Sam has come a long way from his intimate living room tours and limited edition releases. With his debut album on the way, Neon Buzz caught up with him before his recent show at London’s Borderline to get the low-down on the latest happenings in the Isaac camp.

So, how’s the tour going so far?

Tour is going pretty great. We’ve got to go all over, we started with a few northern dates which were quite fun and then we’ve had some good shows in Oxford, Bristol and Tunbridge Wells so it’s been pretty good. I’m looking forward to playing the London date, which is the kind of important one.

Has there been a place so far that’s been the best, in terms of reaction or otherwise?

Bristol went really, really well. There was a really full room and really good support acts, and we got a really good reaction. All of our equipment broke on stage but we got through it.

How do you choose your support acts?

Generally, I choose my friends cos it’s always fun to go on tour with your friends and also bands that I think are great. I try and choose as good support acts as I can, like bands that I think are better than me, cos then they’re going to make me play better.

You just released the ‘Sticker, Star and Tape’ EP, which has a few new songs on it. Are they the ones that weren’t good enough for your album?

I’m just going to say yes. I’m really pleased with the songs on the EP but they’re released kind of bearing in mind what I was going to save for the album. I’m hoping people enjoy the songs on the EP but in my opinion the songs left over for the album are much better.

You’ve spent the summer recording your album, is it all finished now?

Everything’s done apart from the vocals. I got quite ill over the summer so when it came to doing the vocals, I couldn’t really sing. I’m actually going in to do them straight after this tour so we’re actually so close to being finished. Hopefully by the start of November it’s all going to be done and we’re really hoping to release it at the end of January.

Can we expect to hear lots of new songs when it’s finally released?

Yeah, it’s weird to me cos it feels like a compilation of the last three years but I guess to my fans there are four or five new songs, but to me a lot of it feels quite old. I think they’re definitely the strongest songs I’ve written over the last two years and with the old songs we’ve done a lot to make the whole thing sound together.

You played a lot of festivals this summer, is there one that stands out as your favourite?

Latitude by far and away was the best one. We played to about 2000 people, which is easily the biggest crowd we’ve played to. There were just so many people and it was just absolutely amazing. If I never play any shows ever again, I will be happy that I got to play Latitude this year.

Why did you start writing and playing your own music?

The first music I ever listened to was the Beatles, my dad bought me all the tapes when I was little, and obviously they have great songs and great choruses and I think that was embedded in me so when I started playing guitar, I always wanted to write my own songs and write them with really good choruses. That was always really important to me. I guess I started writing songs when I was ten years old and it’s just always been something that I wanted to do.

You used to lots of shows and tours in people’s living rooms. Have you got any plans to do more of those or are you too big for that now?

I’m definitely not too big for that. When I started doing living room shows, it was just a way of touring. I couldn’t get booked in loads of venues across the country but I wanted to tour so it was just a way of doing that but it was also quite special because there wasn’t a lot of people doing it and also the scale on which I was doing it, going on tour for two or three months just playing living rooms, was quite outlandish at the time. But now, every single acoustic artist ever is saying I’ll play living rooms and stuff, and also it’s been commercialised so I’m not sure… I mean, it is really exciting and I had a great time, and I’m sure it’s a good way for new artists to get out there but if I did it now it might seem like I was rehashing an old idea, so I need to think of something new to do. They were really fun but I’m not sure it’s something I’d do on the same scale again. Maybe when the album comes out, we’ll do a week of special living room shows or something like that.

Do you miss doing living room shows?

Yeah, definitely. You know when you watch A Night with Take That or something on ITV, and as well as the songs everyone asks questions and stuff? Living room shows always turned into farces, like I’d play a song and then there’d be maybe ten minutes conversation in between of really good banter cos everyone’s just there and wants to get involved. I miss that cos I just turn up at venues now and play my songs as well as I can, it’s quite formulaic whereas playing living rooms is completely different every night.

What are your plans for the rest of the year, apart from finishing the album?

At the end of November I’m going to Sweden to play some acoustic shows, which is going to be really fun. Also, I’m doing another tour with the band of NME club nights and then we’re going to Germany to do a tour before Christmas, so a lot more touring I suppose and getting things ready for the album.

Rhian Daly

ALBUM: Marnie Stern - This is It and I Am It and You Are It and So is That and He is It and She is It and It is It and That is That (Kill Rock Stars)

2008-10-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

Like the title hints, this album shows Marnie Stern to be about as obsessive as you’d expect a girl who practiced 4 hours a day to perfect double-handed finger tapping technique that could scare the shit out of Eddie Van Halen. It’s hard to decide whether the admittedly pretty sick guitar work makes the album good or bad. On the first listen it comes across as making the album difficult – opener ‘Prime’ sounds like a lesson in song deconstruction that tries to explain what happened to the rest of the album (especially on ‘Clone Cycle’ where cryptic banter about triangles makes it sound more full of shit than These New Puritans). But then when you listen to it again the hooks are easy to spot and the guitar lines are almost hypnotic. Part of the problem might be the over-reliance on mental guitar solos without bothering with any bass on some songs so there’s nothing to propel them along and they sound like beached whales spasming helplessly on the shore. The album’s definitely at its best when the songs resemble actual songs rather than jam sessions, like ‘The Crippled Jazzer’ and ‘The Package is Wrapped,’ which manage to be exciting and interesting while remaining listenable.

It’s not all that reasonable to expect experimental rock to be easy to listen to, and ‘This Is It’ wouldn’t be at home in an elevator – it demands more careful listening because of how carefully it was crafted. Still, some cuts are so brilliant, like ‘The Devil’s in the Details,’ make it worth giving it the time.

Standout Track: The Devil’s in the Details (or The Crippled Jazzer)

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: Mr Beasley - Right As Rain (Bad Sneakers Records)

2008-10-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

‘Right As Rain’ sounds like what Bjork was really going for on ‘Volta’ but sort of missed – an inventive but more pop structured sound for her voice to go mental on. The song’s glitchy electronica and stomping bass riff seem to be begging you to do the robot while Sarah’s vocal acrobatics nail you in place – it’s arty and interesting but still danceable to. If you’re not into your Bjork and her relentlessly wandering singing this might just sound like another elf on acid but for anyone else who wishes she could stop trying so hard to be weird, ‘Right As Rain’ is a wish granted.

Ollie Khakwani

LIVE: Frightened Rabbit. Concrete and Glass, Hoxton Bar and Grill. Thursday 2nd October, 2008

2008-10-14T02:55:00.000-07:00

There’s that age old problem in music of how to make a brilliant record translate into an equally, if not more, fantastic live show. For some bands it seems effortless, like there’s nothing more simple and natural in the world, but then for others it takes that little bit more graft and patience to get it right.

Such is the case for Frightened Rabbit tonight, enjoying an increase in hype and popularity off the back of their latest full-length record ‘Midnight Organ Fight’. On paper, this is set to be one of the highlights of the Concrete and Glass festival, a sort of more cultural take on Camden Crawl. In reality though, it’s a meandering journey through sub-standard, stumbling versions of all the songs we know and love. Of course, the lyrical brilliance and musical ability is still there but there’s something missing, that certain je ne sais quois that has been getting everyone so excited all summer long.

‘Heads Roll Off’ is by far the highlight of the set, but still lacks that spark that would transform it from dimming torch to incandescent, luminescent firework. ‘The Twist’ and ‘My Backward Walk’ go down well with the packed out room but you can’t help but feel Frightened Rabbit have missed a trick here. Perhaps it’s the addition of an extra guitarist that is to blame, with the induction being only a recent one, or maybe the Scotsmen are just having an off day. But whatever it is, they have the potential to be a moving and breathtaking live band. They’ve got the songs, now they just to find the stage presence.

Rhian Daly

SINGLE: Crystal Castles/HEALTH - Crimewave (Different Recordings)

2008-09-24T01:44:00.000-07:00

I love HEALTH. I really do. Thanks to a Kevin Barnes namedrop, I googled, myspaced, and loved. I’ve never been the same since. Crystal Castles on the other hand, turned me away as the buzz surrounding plagiarism and art-stealing arose. Both together and they’re outstanding. Hipster or not, ‘Crimewave’ is better than anything you’re likely to hear at your local disco. A buzz here and a squelch there, this is electro nonsense at its best.

At the same time as not quite reaching the standard of both bands most recent releases, ‘Crimewave' is instant brilliance, combining what’s great about music today with melodic beats that tap out a rhythm so angular, it’s hard not to dance. Better buy this on vinyl though – you’ll get extra indie cred.

Olivia Jaremi

SINGLE: The Bishops - City Lights (W2 Records)

2008-09-24T01:43:00.000-07:00

Since when has it been cool to sound naff? Well, since 2007 apparently, if The Bishop’s debut was anything to go by. On first listen, all that I can think of is how a certain someone I know would adore this. Too bad that person is someone I would least like to be in contact with. Instant turn-off. Petty, I know, but this is the mind of a teenage girl. Anyway, the music – sounds like what series 1 Vince Noir would like, repetitive and 100% indie. Good or bad? I’ll leave that to your judgement.

Someone once said life is what you make it, and the same goes for music. It’s just that this screams negativity to me.

Olivia Jaremi

SINGLE: Scars on Broadway- World Long Gone (Interscope Records)

2008-09-24T01:42:00.000-07:00

With a riff more infectious than the very worst of diseases and vocals as sharp as a razor, ‘World Long Gone’ is deadly. Why I’ve never given these a chance is beyond my knowledge - I loved System of a Down and Serj Tankian equally now. With – and I quote – “thrash, death, black, and doom metal influences”, ‘World Long Gone’ sounds exactly how you’d expect it to, coming from the ashes of SOAD; and that is awesome in every sense.

The second single from their eponymous debut, ‘World Long Gone’ is three and a bit minutes of ultimate rock perfection. Finally something catchy enough to blast that pseudo-lesbian bile out of your head, Scars on Broadway will slay you – in a good way.

Olivia Jaremi

ALBUM: Dorp - Humans Being (Caned and Able records)

2008-09-24T01:05:00.000-07:00

If any band owed their whole back catalogue to one band, it would be Dorp to Placebo. From the vocals down to the guitar effects, this whole album screams Placebo, and not in a good way. And if that wasn’t bad enough, we come to the second major flaw of ‘Humans Being’. Yes, my good readers, a song called ‘NME’. I’m being serious. Not even scum-of-Disney Demi Lovato could come up with something so cringeworthy. There’s one thing looking for attention from the music press, but calling a song ‘NME’ is a completely new low.

‘Extreme’ sounds like it should be on an ITV advert for a new crime drama, and ‘Plug into the Machine’ sounds similar to every other Q-magazine endorsed act that isn’t Estelle. ‘London Out There’ sounds like something not even Britney would sing over, and does its job in truly setting this album up for complete failure. It delivers. Oh well, at least now I remember why I never liked Placebo.

Olivia Jaremi

SINGLE: Duffy - Stepping Stone (Polydor)

2008-09-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

Sixteen seconds in and I already feel like a 40-something single mum. My life sucks, my husband left me for his 28 year old boss, I’m still paying Littlewoods for my new coffee maker, my best friends can’t come over because they’re busy at salsa class and my youngest son is probably drinking himself to death in the closest child’s play park. Talk about specific marketing.

As much as it pains me to admit something so utterly ridiculous, Duffy sounds just like a bad Amy Winehouse - as if Amy Winehouse could get any worse in the first place. Regardless, from the vocals right down to the overly dramatic Radio 1 constructed tune, it sounds like the perfect replacement whilst dearest Amy sits in a corner puking up yesterday’s cider intake. It’s awful, insipid, and it’s never too early to start mother’s day shopping.

Olivia Jaremi

ALBUM: Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue (Warner Bros Records)

2008-09-22T05:03:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of reasons to love Jenny Lewis – she has nice hair, she wears cool hats, she’s a fucking awesome singer, she’s part of Rilo Kiley, Rabbit Fur Coat etc. And Acid Tongue seems like another one to add to the list.

Whatever people say about Kate Nash being the queen of the song as story, Jenny Lewis is every bit as good as her and more because she doesn’t have to use a Mockney accent. Each song on the album is another tale from the South, from the dark story of a friend’s experience of domestic violence on ‘Godspeed’ to the playful account of gold-diggers on ‘Carpetbaggers’ which is only slightly marred by Elvis Costello’s Stallone slur that makes him sound kind of brain damaged. Plenty of musical territory is covered, drawing on Rilo Kiley’s folk, country and even some blues inspiration and Jenny’s vocals are tighter than ever, effortlessly sweet in the harmonies on the chorus of ‘Acid Tongue’ but sultry and menacing on the rockier ‘See Fernando.’
‘Acid Tongue’ is a musical treat for anyone who subscribes to the Cult of Jenny and even all those infidels out there should find a lot to like.

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Come Saturday (Fortuna Pop)

2008-09-22T04:59:00.000-07:00

New York is, historically, London’s US counterpart in being a veritable breeding ground for the “next big thing”. Whether The Pains of Being Pure at Heart achieve that status remains to be seen but if they carry on producing such fine sounds as this, the mass media would be mad to ignore them.

‘Come Saturday’ is like a musical time machine, transporting you right back to the 80s and the sounds of My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain, with its distorted guitars and perfect melodies that are reminiscent of that era yet somehow still sound so fresh and exciting in the Pains’ hands. Possibly the lushest piece of noise-pop to come out of the Big Apple in 2008, if not the US, the Pains are sure to be one of the names on everyone’s lips come the turn of the year.

Rhian Daly

ALBUM: Delicious Vinyl All-Stars - Rmxxology

2008-09-22T04:57:00.000-07:00

Compliations are either hit or miss and this fifteen track mix of re-imagined work falls more into the latter camp than the former. Featuring tracks by artists such as the Brand New Heavies and the Pharcyde, Delicious Vinyl have then hooked up with a whole host of respected musicians, like Hot Chip and Peaches, and got them to remix the original tracks. Unfortunately, even with these big name remixers on board, the compilation fails to evoke any sort of desire to get up and dance, more find something better to listen to.

In short, ‘Rmxxology’ is an annoying excuse for Delicious Vinyl to show off their contacts list and force completely unnecessary remixes on the public at the same time.

Standout track: Bust a Move (Don Rimini Ravekid Extended RMX)

Rhian Daly

ALBUM: Kelli Ali - Rocking Horse (One Little Indian)

2008-09-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

After being asked to leave her former trip-hop home of Sneaker Pimps, Kelli Ali (also known as Kelli Dayton) started her own solo project, releasing two albums in quick succession (‘Tigermouth’ and ‘Psychic Cat’). After a short break, she’s come back with a fantastically ethereal record, the soon-to-be-released ‘Rocking Horse’.

This return to the music biz is possibly the furthest removed from the electronic introduction Ali first had to the industry, with ‘Rocking Horse’ being all about the folk, incorporating medieval and classical elements along the way to create something truly unique. Unfortunately, at thirteen tracks long, it does tend to get a little samey and is hard to digest in one sitting but as gentle background music it serves its purpose well.

‘The Savages’ in particular, showcases the medieval melodies that make this album so distinctive. Flute arrangements that sound like they’re straight out of the 14th century are the perfect antidote to identikit indie, in small doses. ‘Heaven’s Door’ is a luscious example of Ali’s ability to create soft coffee-table music, although to dismiss the beautiful textures completely is almost criminal. ‘A Storm in a Teacup’ is a sparser affair, with violins smoothly singing in the background. As ever, Ali’s voice is soothing and calming, something that makes ‘Rocking Horse’ perfect for the morning after the night before.

All this is well and good though, until you consider the album as a whole. With a couple of tracks taken off, it would be a better length to absorb in one go, but as it is the very things that make it such a rare effort make it so hard to get a grasp off without hitting the pause button every once in a while.

Standout track: The Savages

Rhian Daly

INTERVIEW: Line & a Dot

2008-09-22T04:48:00.000-07:00

Line & a Dot is the acoustic side project of One Toy Soldier bassist Sarah, with which she creates enchanting stories and songs that can both whisk you away to a magical place and break your heart at the same time. Neon Buzz caught up with her when she played a show at the Boathouse in Cambridge, recently.

So, you were in One Toy Soldier...

L&aD

: Still am...

NB: Are you still going?!

L&aD: Well, no... We’re on hiatus at the moment but we still have a second album to finish and put out. That’s the aim. I think maybe we’ll record it at the end of the year, perhaps, cos Ross is doing My First Tooth, he’s busy so I tried to make myself busy too. Ric is also doing shows… side projects become like main projects but we will finish our second album. We all have to but we’re not going to do it til the end of the year and then we’ll probably tour it a bit, I don’t know.

So how does performing and writing solo compare to how you did it with One Toy Soldier?

L&aD: Well, when I was in Soldier I was mainly singing what I was told to sing and writing bass parts, which I really enjoy, but I wasn’t really writing the songs so it’s all new. I didn’t really write in a group before… I didn’t write anything before either. But it’s different, not having someone to perform with or to plan with and it’s a shame there’s not somebody to go “Why don’t you not do that verse, trash it and do something else”, but I kind of deal with that. It’s just… different I suppose. I never had the two crossover because as soon as we lost our drummer in Soldier, I got really bored and didn’t have anything to do so I just started doing that one thing and that was pretty much the start of our break.

Do you ever worry writing by yourself whether what you’ve written is good or not? Do you get insecure about it?

L&aD: Yeah, I probably do write loads of crap but hopefully I gauge it myself. Like, I’ll trash something before I’ve gone too far with it. I mean, you get feedback from all kinds of different places anyway after the song’s finished so it’s not too much of a problem, I suppose. You’ve just got to trust yourself because you do know when something’s kind of shit. Someone will tell me if it’s really bad, hopefully.

On your list of influences on your Myspace page, the list of writers is longer than the list of musicians. Is literature more of an influence and inspiration to you?

L&aD: I think possibly… yeah, I only have a few musical influences listed. I think it’s because I’m really influenced by lyrics and words. I won’t go and watch a band and be like “How did they get that guitar sound?” or “How did they loop this?” so that kind of thing doesn’t interest me so much. I really love reading and I love so many different novels and the way that they’re written and I think I find that in a song and then that’s what I like about it. So everyone who’s an influence, obviously it’s partly their music but I think a bigger part of it is the lyrical side of things. That’s what I’m bothered about and authors are probably slightly better at it.

When you’re writing songs, do you write them from an autobiographical point of view or do you make up stories to turn into songs?

L&aD: I’m really crap at putting myself in other people’s positions. I think hopefully one day I’ll be able to make up something that’s totally different because it might be good to write about something that haven’t thought about or done. I strictly write myself but I try and incorporate similar situations and put them in so like I’m sad like a boy whose lost his balloon and I have never lost my balloon but I’m sad so I’ll just bring in the boy… y’know, that kind of thing. Things I haven’t done, I can’t write about.

You’re unsigned at the moment; do you think that gives you more artistic freedom?

L&aD: I think it’s a bit of a drag cos I don’t have any money or any way of recording, sometimes I moan about it a bit but I understand being tied to a record label can also have problems. Like we were signed to a record label in the band and it was great but it had its drawbacks. If I was on a record label I think they probably would have told me don’t go to New York and do a tour with four shows in it and I would be like “Yeah but I probably should do a tour with four shows in and lose like £200…” So they probably would’ve told me to be bit wiser about that kind of thing but yeah, it’s a good level of freedom and you can make your own decisions even if you don’t have a record out.

NB: If you could choose one label to work with, who would it be? L&aD: I don’t know, I’m really bad; I don’t know any bands and I don’t know any labels. I could probably name bands and ask what record label they’re on and go “Oh, that’s what I want”. I don’t know the difference between a promoter or a record label or a booking agency. I just get confused by all that kind of thing. So, a nice one, I suppose.

What’s the scene like in Northampton? Have you got plenty of places to play?

L&aD: Northampton’s good, yeah. We’ve got a pretty great music scene. It’s the biggest town in England that’s not allowed to be a city, for some reason. But yeah, we’ve got a lot of bands. Maybe over the last couple of years we’ve had probably ten or twelve albums come out of Northampton and be in the shops. And then there are so many other bands that are unsigned there. We’ve got two big venues that get like the NME tours and stuff and then there’s a whole bunch of smaller ones. My favourite is the Labour Club, which is a functioning Labour Club and it looks like a terraced house, you have to ring a doorbell to get in. I mean, just like two weeks ago I played there with Liam Dullaghan, who’s great, and Chris Mills from Brooklyn. They get people from all around the world at the Labour Club and you’ve got to know about it to know that they’re on but they’ve had people from Spacemen 3 and all these crazy groups turning up at the last minute. You’ll just see like an Australian cross-dressing band who play flutes or something one night… but that’s the best thing, that it’s kind of weird. It’s a good town for music.

NB: Do many people support the local scene then?

L&aD: There are a few bands that are especially big in Northampton and they always pull in a massive crowd so I think maybe the downside is it’s only the big bands that are guaranteed to get big crowds. Obviously the touring bands always get a massive crowd. To get a crowd in in our town, if you’re just little and small, you just have to be persistent and then somebody will catch on. There’s a whole group of great music fans there and they’ll do other things too, like they’ll take your pictures and bootleg your recordings.

You played the King’s Affair [King’s College summer ball] the other day, what was that like?

L&aD: That was weird. It might have topped my weirdest gig actually. But it was good. I think I turned up at half eleven and played at half twelve. It was kind of bizarre, these beautiful structures and spires and they’re just being destroyed by students in body paint and neon lights and rave music. They had a laser quest and some dodgems, it was hilarious. You were allowed on the grass, that was pretty amazing. And all these bands played til half four, maybe five o’clock. All the booze was completely free – that was great. And then in the morning, they cleaned up so quickly. The groundskeepers were just out there, flattening all the grass and picking up the fags and all the stuff. I was walking out of King’s at like ten in the morning the day afterwards and the grounds men were on the job, and the poor doorman was there and this tourist was outside of the gate going “Oh oh, can we come in?” and he was like “No, no it’s closed.” The tourist was like “Oh, can’t I just take a picture?” and he said “No, no certainly not” cos it looked a little bit of a mess.

NB: Quite a few of the bands who played are from Northampton like New Cassettes, My First Tooth…

L&aD: and me! I think probably because Stephen Davidson from Tellison is at King’s and he was running the music. I guess those three bands have played with Tellison a lot and I guess he’s picked his choice of a few different bands. I mean, he went for a whole bunch of people but I guess that’s probably why.

You mentioned your New York tour earlier, what was it like playing in America?

L&aD: It was really great! Somebody told me that they don’t clap in New York, I think this was somebody who played over there so I was like “Oh ok, cheers for the advice” but they all clapped. So, maybe they just didn’t like that person, I don’t know. But they were all really nice. I played in Manhattan and that was amazing. I’ve never been to the US before so that was exciting for me. Brooklyn was probably the best show. I played in this incredible antiques/junk shop record store place and it was incredible. I think Brooklyn was my favourite part. It was all very bizarre and exciting too; I think I’d definitely like to do it again.

NB: Did you get to do much sightseeing as well?

L&aD: Oh yeah, we went to Staten Island and we got a horse and coach round Central Park, not ashamed to say it. Yeah, we had a really good time.

On your myspace it says you’re playing End of the Road open mic. Are you just going to turn up and play?

L&aD: Yeah, they have an open mic stage and I’ve applied to play as one of their ten unsigned bands. They haven’t had the grace to get back to me yet but maybe they haven’t chosen yet. I’ll be doing the same thing at Glastonbury this coming weekend, sitting outside my tent. I’ll make my own open mic stage. And Latitude, I think they’ve got an open mic, I think it’s like a plank in the woods. I’m not afraid to take my guitar; I think it’ll be fine; I’ll get in there at the End of the Road hopefully.

Have you got any ambitions or goals, things that you want to achieve with Line & a Dot?

L&aD: In gigs, I think I’d like to play South by South West, being unsigned is the only way you can do it really, so that’s a good thing. My main goal is to make a song that somebody else can include themselves in and maybe I already have one and don’t know or maybe I’ll get one or never but I just want to be able to make something out of Line & a Dot where I’ve written this song but it isn’t so about me that you can’t run your own movie reel to it about yourself. I want to have a song that somebody can apply to their own lives, nothing to do with me, and appreciate it in that sense but I think it probably will take me a bit of time.

Rhian Daly

EP: The Black Box Revelation - Live At the AB EP

2008-09-22T02:13:00.000-07:00

Opening with an angry feedback buzz from an amp, even though I’ve never seen the Black Box Revelation or heard them before, I already respect them. Upcoming single ‘Love, Love Is On My Mind’ is a raw guitar rocker, all pounding drums, distorted guitar riffs, and best of all, an actual tune. Its relentless energy channels the rock and roll spirit of Blood Red Shoes’ live shows while there’s still enough of a White Stripes-like pop sense to make its chorus instantly catchy. The rest of the EP is more of the same – wild guitar hooks and raw blues power – pretty much everything awesome about blues rock in 15 minutes. If they didn’t live in Belgium I would be hunting gig tickets right now (I have a bit of a cow-phobia.)

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: Infadels - A Million Pieces (Wall of Sound Records)

2008-09-22T02:12:00.000-07:00

‘A Million Pieces’ sounds unusually chillaxed for Infadels, in fact its fuzzy synth background, poppy hook and slightly too epic chorus makes it sound like a Sam’s Town-era Killers song that isn’t as pretentious or completely full of shit. Then suddenly it’s clear the single was the warm up and now the band seems ready to rave with the mechanical stomp and sleazy guitar jabs on ‘Shanghai Melissa’ More addictive dance-rock follows with ‘Change My Colours’ whose opening line ‘change my colours up to loud as fuck’ pretty much sums up the song. The closer ‘Circus of the Mad’ remix gets all trip hop trance and spaced out for when you’re finally tired, dehydrated and ready to curl up in a corner from all the dancing. The whole thing sounds like it was designed as the soundtrack for a night of getting coked up and doing the robot until dawn.

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: Dave P & Adam Sparkles - Sunday Night in Glasgow (Satellite of Love Records)

2008-09-22T02:11:00.000-07:00

Photo: Chloe Richard

You know things aren’t promising when a CD starts with random synth squeaks and bleeps. I can’t even pretend to know anything about DJing but when Dave P and Adam Sparkles said they borrow as much stuff from rock as they do from techno I’m guessing they assumed that the occasional use of real drums instantly makes something into rock music. It could just be that lack of words and endless repetition that I hate about dance and trance is making me be kind of unfair to the guys, or that I don’t really get what they’re trying to do with their sound. Or maybe it’s that the only place anyone could possibly listen to this is at some dive in Ibiza when they’re getting fat Germans’ sweat rubbed on them and they’re stoned out of their minds.

Ollie Khakwani

LIVE: Robots In Disquise, Slagsmalsklubben, Black Affair, (We Are) Performance, Tim Ten Yen. 299 Great Portland Street, 3rd September, 2008

2008-09-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

Photo: Nicole Blommers

Fandango started as a club back in 2001 to promote upcoming bands and it has steadily become one of London's well known independent music promoters, which now is not only a club, but also a label, fanzine and MP3 shop. Last year September they introduced its very own Fistful of Fandango festival with five nights of live music in Great Portland Street's 229 venue. Bands to be staged were the likes of Friendly Fires, British Sea Power, Maps and Operator Please. For this years edition it is just as tasty as last years. I attended day two with the electro poppish line-up.

Openings act in the small room is Fandango label's very own English gentleman Tim Ten Yen. His friend Sinister Cat is warming up the audience by wagging its tail, but is swiftly being moved to the back of the stage by the gentleman himself. Tim Ten Yen is one guy with a backing tape, who dances around on stage like you would do at home. Fun, fun, fun!

(We Are) Performance, a band I am not familiar with, take over the main room directly after Tim Ten Yen. Is it electro, pop or rock? (We Are) Performance's style is a mixture of all three with a slight dark edge and a front man that catches (almost) every girl’s eye. They must have been around for ages, but why hadn't I heard from them?

The best thing about A Fistful of Fandango is that there are two rooms, so if you have enough of one band, you just pop in the other for a beer. And you can see every band that is playing, even if it is just half of a performance. Having seen Kid Carpet before, I knew what to expect. His lyrics might be fun and his toy guitar might be cool, but come on after two songs his kiddy electro punk gets quite boring. Whilst drinking a beer and having a conversation with a security guy about the kind of music we both like, it is time for Black Affair. In total darkness ex-Beta Band member Steven Mason and the C90s get on stage in the main room. Just like the band name and the playing in total darkness with one green beamer light, their music is fine noir electro. Not everyone's cup of tea, but definitely mine.

Highlight of the night are without any doubt the ever so pleasant and fun Slagsmalsklubben from Sweden. It does not matter how many times you have seen these Swedish boys, they will always make you move your feet and give you an enormous smile, which will last for a very long time. The night has not finished, yet. In the main room headline act Robots In Disguise have taken over the stage to end the second night of A Fistful of Fandango 2008 and they do so in style with their shouty electro-girl pop. Girls in bands are fun and this duo certainly makes it a fact.

Nicole Blommers

ALBUM: Rolo Tomassi – Hysterics (Hassle Records)

2008-09-04T01:54:00.001-07:00

Photo by: Tom Barnes

I want to be Eva Spence. I want to be fronting a band as awesome as Rolo Tomassi. I want to scream like that. I want to make an album as outstanding on first listen. I only want to hear Rolo Tomassi for the rest of my life. Hmm, maybe I should calm down a bit. The thing is though; I’ve been looking forward to this album for months. Ever since I saw them play to a room half full of bored teens sitting on the floor texting their boyfriends, I fell in love. So what if I – a short fashionably retarded girl, and some frankly quite terrifying looking boys were the only ones enjoying ourselves? So what they only played for 25 minutes, so what if everyone else hated them? I adored them, and made a mental countdown as soon as it was mentioned that their debut would drop sometime in September.

And here I am, going over and over in my head what words I can use to properly convey to you how goddamn awesome this album is. I’m actually finding it exceedingly difficult to think of any, but I’ll try either way. From the opener ‘Oh, Hello Ghost’ to the utterly fantastic ‘I Love Turbulence’, the addictive jazzy, screamy-squelchy noise-core tone is set, and sets a level so inhumanely high, it’s almost impossible for the rest of the album to deliver. It manages.
‘Abraxas’ is a jaggy masterpiece of a synth and a scream, epitomising Rolo Tomassi’s freakishly addictive charm in 2 minutes and 26 seconds. Instrument torture and abuse has never sounded so sweet. ‘Nine’ is just as good, with a beginning that sounds like the violent explosion of musically talented, angsty dwarfs, progressing into a relaxed slur of amazement, and follow up ‘Macabre Charade’ follows up in a similar way, only to excel in leaps and bounds, ticking all the right boxes of what a good record should be.

‘Trojan Measures’ insinuates more instrument violence, and at just one minute, it packs more than just your average punch, and with a scream and a kick in the teeth it’s over, like blackmail on Love Hearts. ‘Everything Went Grey’ starts as its title suggests, dark and gloomy, yet inspiring an overwhelming anticipation in the listener. At 3 and a half minutes, it’s one of the longest on the album (the fourteen minute Fantasia doesn’t count, you see!), and acts as a transition to the penultimate ‘Scars’ – a whirlwind attack of frantic riffs and pure genius. If the mind was blown to smithereens by ‘Scars’, then ‘Fantasia’ is the apocalypse in its disturbingly hazardous form.

Creeping up, the dark undertone of ‘Fantasia’ is unnerving, slowly descending into turmoil before being abruptly ignited with a detonation of yells, roars, and anything slightly catastrophic twisted into a musical output. Switching into jazz and soothing vocals, it’s not long before Rolo Tomassi’s wall of sound breaks free once again and shatters all expectations of this young band from Sheffield.

Albums like this should come with a warning sign - because it’s not long before Rolo Tomassi take swiftly over as your ultimate favourite band. You’ve been warned.

Olivia Jaremi

SINGLE: David Holmes - I Heard Wonders (Mercury Records)

2008-09-04T01:52:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to think that anyone remotely related to Ocean’s 13 could produce anything reaching anywhere near good, yet David Holmes seems to have managed this reasonably well. It’s not amazing; it’s not abysmal, but firmly slotted unashamedly in the middle. It’s pleasant and catchy, and carefully balances the two evils to create a pop song that for once actually isn’t vomit inducing.

Slightly repetitive, but bearable nonetheless, David Holmes dreamy slur is slightly reminiscent to Animal Collective, stripped of the fun. The verse is nice, the chorus is nice. All of it is just... nice. It’s what your cool mum would listen to drinking a latte. It’s a summer song, released a month too late.

Unfortunately, as the song lacks substance, I’m afraid this review does also. I’m at a loss to describe it any more to you. I’ve said all I think I can. Not even the press release can make this look like a dazzling, fresh indie hit. Instead, it’s background music. Nice enough not to pay attention to, but even for its purpose, there’s better out there. After all, isn’t monotonous background music what Coldplay are for?

Olivia Jaremi

ALBUM: Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst (Wichita)

2008-09-02T05:22:00.000-07:00

Conor Oberst has been a pretty regular figure at the forefront of alternative music for the past fifteen or so years, whether that be with Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, on his own or with countless other musicians. This latest release is his fourth solo effort, with help from the Mystic Valley Band. Recorded in a villa called Valle Mistico in Mexico, this long player is Oberst’s first release under his own name since 1995’s ‘Soundtrack to my Movie’. Since then, he’s gone from strength to strength, gaining and maintaining a large fanbase through his work as Bright Eyes.
If you’re expecting something radically different to what Oberst produces under the aforementioned pseudonym then prepare to be disappointed, as what is on offer here is mostly familiar ground. Somehow it still feels fresh and exciting, which is testament to Oberst’s talent and ability as one of the great songwriters of our time.

After years of perfecting his craft, Oberst knows how to create sonic beauty and this album is bursting with the evidence. ‘Cape Canaveral’ kicks things off gently, with typically poetic lyrics and understated melodies. ‘Sausalito’ is slightly more upbeat, with occasional jaunty guitars interjecting as the track shuffles on politely. ‘Get-Well-Cards’ is one of the highlights of the record, with its heartfelt vocals and flawless composition.

For the most part, ‘Conor Oberst’ is a calm stroll through central American landscapes, with the occasional bursts of energy and colour, like that found on ‘I Don’t Want to Die (in the Hospital)’. It’s almost as if the song is encapsulating and channelling the adrenaline rush that comes with the need to escape, complimented by the blues piano and noodling guitars. ‘NYC – Gone, Gone’ is a stomping sing-a-long that wouldn’t sound out of place reverberating around a stadium, even though it’s only a minute and ten seconds long.

This record is further proof, if it were needed, that whatever Oberst touches turns to gold and this self-titled LP is more than enough treasure to tide us over until the next Bright Eyes record is done.

Standout track: Get-Well-Cards

Rhian Daly

SINGLE: Rock City Sixteen - Lunettes Noires Pour Nuits Blanches/Antarctica (Cigarette Music)

2008-09-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

Is naming your single in French pretentious or just plain cool? I can’t quite decide, but what I do know is that London’s Rock City Sixteen are pretty darn good. A side ‘Lunettes Noires Pour Nuits Blanches’ (translates as ‘Black Glasses for White Nights’) is highly repetitive but strangely doesn’t get boring, even though it goes on for just over four minutes. Lo-fi vocals and a mix of scuzzy and pretty guitar work, it’s like how you imagine the Kills would sound if they joined forces with the Long Blondes.

‘Antarctica’ is a bit cleaner than its flipside, although uses almost the same level as repetition. With clearer vocals, it’s easier to make out the sweet female voices that make this stand out as more than just your standard indie single.

Rhian Daly

ALBUM: The Automatic - This is a Fix (B-Unique)

2008-09-02T05:09:00.000-07:00

We’re all familiar with the Automatic, right? The Welsh quartet who could easily play the part of Frankenstein, if his monster were 3 minutes of annoyingly catchy pop instead of some massive green bloke with bolts in his neck. Since those days, yelping keyboardist Alex Pennie has jumped ship to something a little more credible and Paul Mullen has broken Yourcodenameis:milo fans’ hearts by joining in his place. Out are the keyboards and incessant shouting, in are more guitars and a more brutal product.

Album opener ‘Responsible Citizen’ sets the scene for the whole album, one of paranoia a mistrust of the government and media. It’s fair to say ‘This is a Fix’ is a much more grown up effort than debut album ‘Not Accepted Anywhere’. Whereas their old songs were catchy in an infuriating way, on this record they’re far more likeable and seem to have more chance of being played on repeat than previous work. The aforementioned first track is the perfect example of this, with its simple yet effective chorus of “I’m going out of my way to go out of my mind” before it reaches the denial confessions of “I tell you I’m fine”. Single ‘Steve McQueen’ follows flawlessly, and is probably the most reminiscent of the old days of all of the songs on this album. ‘Accessories’ breaks the run of heavy guitars, and with it is more throwaway than the previous two tracks.

The inclusion of Paul Mullen in the band’s line-up really has done wonders for them (and I say this with my love of YCNI:M completely put to one side), helping them to produce pop that doesn’t make your skin crawl, with a prime example being ‘Magazines’, a song which tackles a hidden agenda within the media, bringing the paranoid nature of the album back into play. Mullen sings lead vocals on this track, which helps break up the record a bit and add some variety, without resorting to high-pitched yelping. ‘In the Mountains’ is another instance of near-perfect craftsmanship, which starts off sounding like the Killers crossed with a tranquilised Kaiser Chiefs before heading back to more familiar territory for the chorus.

‘Light Entertainment’ closes the album as it began, with resonating bass and simple hooks. ‘This is a Fix’ shows a marked improvement from previous efforts – whether they could have achieved an album of this quality without making changes to the group’s personnel will never be seen – but there’s still a way to go before they make the transition from being interesting but a little average to a force to be reckoned with. Still, it’s a step in the right direction and things can only get better from here on in.

Standout track: In the Mountains

Rhian Daly

SINGLE: Conor Oberst - Souled Out!!! (Wichita)

2008-09-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a good pun, don’t they? Hurrah for Conor Oberst then and his brilliantly titled new single ‘Souled Out!!!’ (exclamation mark overdose obligatory). Taken from his fourth solo record, it’s very much what you’d expect from the infamous American troubadour – a lifting, folky affair that leaves you begging for more.

‘Souled Out!!!’ is a rousing lead single, the perfect bait tempting you to buy the full-length record, which has you hooked after the first two lines of “The barrio starts two streets over/Miguel was a friend of mine.” Oberst’s ability to weave stories into his songs is widely renowned and here it’s no different. Imagery is his weapon as he paints vivid pictures in the listener’s mind with lyrics like “flying kites in the winter time” and “magic carpet is the transportation/went to the moon in a soda can” making for imaginative listening.

With takes of Conor and his Mystic Valley Band talking mixed into the song, ‘Souled Out!!!’ feels rough and raw, like it’s still got some traces of dirt from the Mexican desert left on. And like that, it’s perfect. To polish it up entirely would take away some of the magic and the charm, something Oberst seems to understand.

Rhian Daly

INTERVIEW: Golden Silvers

2008-08-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

Fresh from the release of their debut single, Neon Buzz caught up with Golden Silvers backstage at Cambridge Junction to talk club nights, capes and Phil Lynott.

You’ve just released your debut single, ‘Arrows of Eros’. Why did you choose to release that song?

Gwilym Gold: I think it’s because we started doing it at gigs and it seemed to be a favourite. It felt like the right one to do.

You released it on Young and Lost Club, which was a one-off deal. Have any other labels shown an interest in you?

Gwilym: Yeah, there’s quite a few actually. Suddenly they all – not all, a few – have started to show an interest but at the moment we’re not sure what we’re going to do. I think we’re going to try and do our next single on our own label.

I read a quote from you saying that the traditional way of signing a record deal is outdated – what did you mean by that?

Gwilym: I just think that the whole idea, the whole thing of getting signed is outdated because you can do a lot of it in your own way now. You don’t really need labels as much anymore ‘cos you can do stuff on the internet and whatever… it’s not like the olden days where you’d get signed and they’ll give you like a million pounds. It’s not really like that anymore. (Wryly) Probably going to sign a million dollar record deal next week though, hopefully.

You run the Bronze Club in London… is that always at the Macbeth?

Alexis Nunez: Yeah, it’s always at the Macbeth.
Gwilym: It’s pretty much always there. We have been known to do the odd one somewhere else but the Macbeth is the home of it.
Alexis: It’s getting quite busy now, actually. Every time we do it it’s getting busier so we might have to start thinking about moving it to somewhere else.
Gwilym: Although the Macbeth feels like a spiritual home to it.
Ben Moorhouse: The people who run it are really cool, they’re all musicians and in bands and stuff.

Why did you start running the club?

Gwilym: We basically just started it for a gig for our band. We knew the people at the Macbeth and we thought there’s a lot of shitty promoters out there so we thought why not promote your own gigs and then you can control how you put it out there. You can get all the bands you like to play with you.
Alexis: And pay them as well. We always put on good bands that we know and we love.
Gwilym: It’s the same thing as with the record label, to a degree, ‘cos I know at some point we’ll probably need people to help us but why at this point go through people when we can put our own gigs on and make sure that it’s all done in the way that we like.

So you held your single launch at the Bronze Club and people turned up in gold and silver clothes and made Golden Silvers outfits – was that a bit of a weird experience?

Gwillym: We made this dress code where if you dressed in gold and silver you’d get in free so quite a few people made the effort. Someone made like a gold cape that had Golden Silvers embroidered on the back, which I wore during the gig. There was this jacket as well with sequins that said Golden Silvers. There were some good outfits for it.

You won the Glastonbury New Talent competition and you played the Other Stage on the Saturday. What was it like to play Glastonbury?

Gwilym: We were really looking forward to it. It was a great weekend, there was a group of us and we all had our tents set up facing each other and everyone was hanging out the whole time, and then on that morning we just got up really early and went backstage. We walked on stage and the crew were all setting up then we just saw the massive field in front and all the people getting up in the morning.
Ben: It was mainly just seagulls though at that point. There was one guy who’d set up a little chair at the front, from about nine o’clock.

Michael Eavis compared you to Oasis and Coldplay after you played; what do you think about that?

Gwilym: (laughing) They’re probably two of the biggest influences on the band…
Alexis: It would be nice to have that kind of that success but I don’t think musically we’re that similar.
Gwilym: We’ll take it as a compliment though ‘cos he means it in a nice way. Both bands do their own thing in their own way. The thing is I don’t think people would instantly think that we’re a similar band to those two in terms of sound but songs-wise, we’ve got the songs but we just play them in a different way.

Over the rest of the summer you’ve also played Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Latitude and Oxegen. How did they compare to each other and to Glastonbury?

Gwilym: Radio 1’s Big Weekend was great because the guy who put us on, Huw Stephens, has been supporting us a lot. I’m not having a pop at it at all but it did feel a tiny bit underwhelming though, because we were playing at the very end so we were playing at the same time as all the other big bands on the other stages so there weren’t that many people there.
Alexis: But what was funny about that was we played to quite a few people but because we were headlining the BBC website said “the Golden Silvers ended on a triumphant….”
Gwilym: “Brought the Introducing tent to a rousing finale.” But it didn’t really feel like that.
Alexis: They just had to make it sound good.
Gwilym: Latitude was one of the best ones I thought. It started raining just as we played so there was like so many people in the tent. We couldn’t believe it. I looked out at one point and there was quite a lot of people and then when it started raining I looked out again and there was like a whole tent.
Ben: At Latitude though, we weren’t expecting it ‘cos we’d just done the Bronze Club the night before and we’d had to get up really early in the morning but it was really good.

Alexis: Oxegen was like… I didn’t like it.
Gwilym: I wouldn’t say that. We got treated really well there and got really nice food and they were really nice to us, just the tent we playing and the time were a bit dodgy. People started shouting at Ben, saying he looked like Phil Lynott.
Ben: We played the ballad, like the slow Fade to Black tune and that’s when they went for it the most.
Gwilym: When the music was down a bit, they’d go mental. It wasn’t really very fitting.
Ben: It is kind of my fault though, ‘cos I did dedicate that song to Phil Lynott.

You’re playing Bestival in September. Are you going to get into the spirit and join in with the dressing up?

Alexis: I’m just going to bring some clothes and it normally looks like I’ve made the effort anyway. It’s in the middle of the tour anyway so I’m probably going to take all my clothes with me.
Gwilym: We probably won’t have much time to get dressing up clothes. Sometimes I think when people are dressed up that that looks better than what you wear normally so why are you acting like this is a joke?

Mystery Jets chose you to support them on their tour in April/May, did you have a good time touring with them?

Alexis: It was really great fun; they’re lovely people.
Ben: They’re really warm people. We got really into the band and were always checking out their set.
Alexis: Plus we got to play in front of quite a substantial crowd as well so we learned how to do what we do but to a larger audience.
Gwilym: They’ve got a really nice crowd, a really good crowd to play to. They all turn up at the very beginning and watch all the bands, they don’t just come for the Mystery Jets.
Ben: It’s not really like London, y’know. People are a lot more accepting with the fact that you’re out there trying to do something.
Alexis: They’re a great band anyway so to be supporting them is really good.

The September tour is your first headline tour and it’s like a month long, right? Are you looking forward to playing anywhere in particular?

Gwilym: Probably Darlington (laughs)… no, all of them. I haven’t even been to half of these places. Everyday seeing a new place will be good.
Alexis: I don’t really know what to expect either because we’ve not been on a tour like this before, like a long one, so we’re going to have to learn quickly about all that stuff, try and keep out of people’s hair.

Are you going to have local supports or are you taking someone on the road with you?

Gwilym: We’re travelling with this band called the Ex Lovers so I think it’s going to be them and then local supports as well.

I heard ‘Magic Touch’ is going to be your next single and, like you said earlier, you’re going to release it on your own label.

Gwilym: Yeah, well we’re still working on it but it’s going to be a double A side with a song called ‘Another Universe’. We’ve just recorded it so I’m really looking forward to hearing it.

Your lyrics are quite poetic, do you take influence from literature and poetry or is it more lyricists? Do you have a favourite poet?

Gwilym: I suppose a bit of poetry and prose, yeah. [My favourite’s] probably Dylan Thomas or something.

What are your plans for an album?

Alexis: Well, we want to do one that’s for sure. It’s just the logistics of it, waiting for people to make offers but we want to get it done as soon as possible and hopefully get it out by the start of next year.

Is there anyone you’d want to produce it specifically?

Alexis: There’s lots of people that you’d like to work with, that are your heroes but realistically…
Gwilym: We did just do the single with this guy Lex and we got a really good vibe off of him.
Alexis: I’m sure a situation will just get in introduced and we’ll just end up going with it because we’re quite instinctive like that but obviously it’d be great to work with Pharrell, Prince…
Ben: Andre 3000…
Alexis: Just most of the big hip-hop producers.

Tonight was your first time in Cambridge, what did you think of the crowd?

Alexis: They were really cool, there was people smiling. It was nice, actually. I didn’t have a very good time, primarily because of the sound on stage, but it kind of makes up for it when people in the crowd are going for it and having a good time.

Rhian Daly

ALBUM: Bloc Party - Intimacy (Wichita Records)

2008-08-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

I think I’m probably not the only one who was thrown off guard first by Bloc Party’s single ‘Mercury’ and the apparent change in style to “dark electronica” and stupidly placed horns, then by the sudden release of the album two days after the name was confirmed. A few listens to ‘Intimacy’ and you’ll realize why they did it – because they sound really bored.

Opener ‘Ares’ seems to confirm Kele’s promise that the album would retain the visceral nature of ‘Silent Alarm’ – a war chant as opening gambit. It still marks a definite shift in sound without a guitar in sight and sounding almost like the Prodigy on the chorus but isn’t all that bad, managing to pull of a bit of intensity and some clever soliloquy lyrics.

However, after ‘Halo,’ the singular spiky guitar track that recalls the good old days of ‘Silent Alarm’ most of the album’s earlier energy disappears with exception of the fast-paced dance of ‘One Month Off’ and the last minute of ‘Better Than Heaven.’ If it wasn’t for the heavy production creating a little atmosphere on some pretty plaintive, almost self-indulgent break-up tracks, falling asleep would be inevitable.

For me the problem isn’t just that the album is full of slow-paced tracks that never build up to anything because Bloc Party have done a few tracks like that before that didn’t inspire apathy – it’s more that the so-called experimentalism isn’t well-placed – instead of original but not to difficult songs like they used to, pedestrian chord progressions and pretty uninspired cuts are getting jazzed up with random blasts of horns/strings/noises under the mistaken belief that it can make them exciting. This is definitely the case with the surprisingly hollow ‘Ion Square.’ With other tracks like ‘Mercury’ my issue is with the lack of bass on the verses. On opener ‘Ares’ the vocals were good enough to hold their own and actually give a little effect when it was just them and the drums, and same goes for ‘Positive Tension,’ one of my favourites from Silent Alarm, but on other tracks where there isn’t such a clear purpose it just makes the songs hard to get into. Add in the occasional lyrical howlers like on ‘Signs’ – ‘at your funeral I was so sad, so sad’ and ‘I held your heart in me’ on ‘Ion Square’ and ‘Intimacy’ starts looking like a rushed album that sought to hide its flaws under good production

The evolution of a band will always stir some upsets and it could just be how much I liked the old Bloc Party that makes ‘Intimacy’ unappealing, but at the same time the touches of experimental electronica have somehow succeeded at making songs boring and difficult. Maybe they’ll be good at their new sound by album four but the fact that the best track on the album sounds the most like their debut speaks for itself.

Standout Track: Halo

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: Nick Harrison - Oi Rude Boy (A&M Records)

2008-08-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Beyond the occasional No Doubt record I know pretty much nothing about ska but Nick Harrison’s self-assured tone and storytelling lyrics make ‘Oi Rude Boy’ too clever to be pop despite its catchy chorus, putting it closer to Alex Turner covering some kind of band that plays chilled-out music. And hey, even if reggae/ska aren’t your thing it’s refreshing to hear something that isn’t trashy R&B or generic guitar pop once in a while.

Ollie Khakwani

ALBUM: Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel (Parlophone Records)

2008-08-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about that NME-coined genre, ‘nu-rave’ *shudders*, I was assuming it would sound like this. Not the New Young Pony Club, not the Klaxons and not any dance-punk band you care to name with all the glowsticks in the world could ever be this exciting. Strange Bollywood rhythms, spiky guitars and glitchy synths make ‘The Bears Are Coming’ as quirky and inventive as anything M.I.A.’s genre-bending powers could come up with; ‘Broken’ sounds like an electro stomp through 80s glam rock; space-rocky ‘VW’ which could be Smashing Pumpkins on acid.

Plenty of musical ground is covered with skill, but Late of the Pier’s real gift is managing to not let their music dissolve into poor-Crystal Castles-imitation mess while not sounding as overwrought or affected as many of their indie brethren. Instead it’s plenty of cryptic banter, musical adventure and best of all fun from people who clearly love playing with sound and pushing boundaries.

Standout Track: The Bears Are Coming

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: Dorp - Pigs Do Fly/Cops and Robbers (Caned and Abled Records)

2008-08-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

The ‘uniqueness’ and ‘genre-bending’ mentioned in the press release isn’t that forthcoming on either of the singles of the double-A side, both tracks coming across as overly serious alt rock with an annoying South African accent.

First track ‘Pigs Do Fly’ could be at first mistaken for being epic with its heavy and austere bass but any effect it had evaporates instantly with the arrival of the chorus – ‘four plus four equals nine, we’re just numbers in disguise, pigs do fly’ – a pretty dire attempt to either be intelligent or bring some gravity and feeling that kills a track that was previously listenable at the worst.

‘Cops and Robbers’ plays the same kind of game but maybe more convincingly, musically at least with more angular guitars but all talk of people to violate and police bribes, but despite the fact that it’s got conviction, it’s just so much of a downer that I don’t want to listen to it again.

Ollie Khakwani

ALBUM: Pope Joan - Hot Water, Lines & Rickety Machines (OIB Records)

2008-08-19T01:37:00.000-07:00

Ok. Let’s forget the nonsense. I’m not going to introduce them in any way to you. All you need to know is that Pope Joan are great. Really, they are. ‘No TV’ is a perfectly scuzzy, aggressive screech of brilliant post punk-ery and disorientating magic. Hectic and twitchy, 49 Years Time is presented with a splutter and a kick in the teeth, as irritating as it is exciting.

Infectious and gawky, each bite sized chunk is as delectable as the next, with a sprightly essence encapsulated in each number. With a jittery tone seemingly unattainable to your standard indie kid clan, Pope Joan are bustling with raw energy, perfectly composed in each two-and-a-bit minute masterpiece.

Our Cuisine is plagued from start to finish with a riotous riff and an excitable squeal, and ties in perfectly with the rest of this short album. Having managed to encapsulate the spirit of a five year old with a packet of Haribo’s, Our Cuisine comes to a disjointed end, and slips into the slightly more subdued It’s The Same As When You Asked Me The Last Time, which despite its slightly more laid back tone, the somewhat mulish attitude still lingers.

As the album draws to a close, the high standard is continued, and each song kicking and screaming its way into the spotlight. Frantically clashing, each instrument is pieced together to form the most perfectly disorderly noise, which is more than just pleasing to the ears.

Surprisingly refreshing and, Pope Joan are a group to remember. it’s unfathomable to think of the richness of the current music scene if all the fakers were to take a leaf out of Pope Joan’s book. Basically, they’re just really really brilliant.

Olivia Jaremi

ALBUM: Stereo MCs - Double Bubble (Graffti Records)

2008-08-19T01:35:00.000-07:00

Some things belong in the past. Stereo MC’s are one of them. Sounding like Robbie Williams remixing Rock DJ with a synthesiser and ‘wicked kewl electro beats!’ opener Get On It isn’t a very promising start to what already seems like a not-so-promising album. With a quality somewhere in between sounding like a couple of middle aged men stuck in the mid to late 80s and NME’s most embarrassing nu rave collective, Stereo MC’s fourth album in sixteen years is a little less refined than one would think it to be.

With an aggrandizement of spacey synthy sounds, The Here & Now offers no alternative to the fractured electronic nonsense offered by the albums embarrassing start. Sounding like your dad having a seizure at the local Roller Disco, City Lights pulses with exuberant bass lines and breakdowns, whilst still remaining as colossal and edgy as the working script from Snakes On A Plane.

With an amalgamation of mildly interesting drum beats and an attitude that silently spits the phrase “we’re trying to be out there but failing!” Gringo is born. Revolution arrives some seven tracks in, and being an incessantly consistent number, it lives up to its low expectations. With very little progression in 4 minutes, it’s clear that very little is expected for the remainder of this disappointing album.

Closer Human sounds very similar to many of the songs on the rest of the album, and is unsurprisingly not saved by a jaunty climatic blast. Instead, a man sings in an irritating southern accent and sneers with a false sense of self righteousness, and a few plinky plonky notes are added at the end, as an exchange for a grand finale. Oh, and another boring song is added on the end. Hallelujah!

With a gauzy aesthetic as transparent as Britney’s favourite underwear, Stereo MCs have finally shown their true colours. Give it up lads, it’s all about the youth nowadays.

Olivia Jaremi

ALBUM: Victoria Berg and the Blindfolded Man -Victoria Berg and the Blindfolded Man (KFM Records)

2008-08-17T08:28:00.001-07:00

Half Swedish, half Scottish and a whole lot of aural fun, Victoria Berg and the Blindfolded Man have created a fuzz-pop record so sweet it’ll rot your teeth to the core within 3 full rotations. Just as well you don’t need your molars to hear then, otherwise you’d be missing out on the seven tracks of simplistic, lush melodies and occasionally bizarre lyrics that make up this, the duo’s eponymous debut effort.

Fizzing and crackling into life, this first LP begins with the gorgeous ‘Blindfolded Man’, which sees glimmers of Kylie-esque pop shine through the distortion, before segueing into ‘I’ll Meet You at the Chicken Lodge’ with it’s crunk beats and effortlessly catchy melody. I’ve no idea what the chicken lodge is but if it’s as fun as this track makes it seem, I’ll definitely be paying it a visit. ‘Since the Accident’ is a slower, piano-led epic that really showcases Berg’s soft and innocent vocals, whereas ‘No Maps’ is a gentle instrumental that would perfectly soundtrack the sun setting over a Hawaiian beach. ‘Intrepid Explorers of Amateurism…Begin’ brings Berg’s vocal chords back into play to create one of the strongest tracks on the record; there’s so many ideas going on here it’s a wonder they don’t clutter together and make the song incomprehensible. The result is quite the opposite though and all the better for it. Penultimate track ‘Gang of Coffee’ is a quick waltz through the heavens with Berg insisting “I don’t look pretty/But I’m doing the best that I can”. Who needs to look good when you make records like this? ‘The Bearded Lady’ rounds off the record in it’s full six and half minutes of spooky storytelling glory, perfectly capping what is a brilliant debut album and a sign of future greatness to come from this eccentric and spectacular pair.

Standout Track: Intrepid Explorers of Amateurism…Begin

Rhian Daly

SINGLE: The Pigeon Detectives - Everybody Wants Me (Dance to the Radio)

2008-08-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

There comes a time when all of us have to grow up and, on second album ‘Emergency’, The Pigeon Detectives have most certainly done that. ‘Everybody Wants Me’ relates the trials and tribulations of being in demand and reminisces about those bygone days when no one cared who these five lads from Leeds were.

Whilst the title might suggest the next three minutes something are going to be full of egocentric boasting - what is actually served up is a short but sweet love song with Matt Bowman sounding like a boy with some serious heartache when he sings “Everybody wants me now/But I just want you”. Sure, it’s a lot calmer than their usual frenetic outbursts but that just shows the Pigeon Detectives are more than capable of writing for all different settings and moods, whether that be on lazy afternoon on a sun kissed beach or in the dark, sweaty shadows of the indie disco.

Rhian Daly

SINGLE: The Housewives - Cream (Filthy Little Angels)

2008-08-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ever dreamed of a pop band who write songs about seedy activities, make brilliant use of boy/girl vocals and form outstanding melodies and rhythms from a broad spectrum of genres? Oh, you have. May we suggest you try the Housewives?

The East end’s brightest young things have already been dubbed “ones to watch” by the very respectable Clash and who are we to argue? The lead track on this latest single, ‘Cream’ is a ramshackle pop riot that could make even a cripple dance, mixing elements of a million different musical genres into one four minute slice of party perfection. ‘Charming’ is more of the same with the brilliantly ominous hook of “I’m so charming/Won’t you get into my car” transformed into an innocent request by the fairground melodies that compliment it, whilst final track ‘Ballad’ is a guiro-scraping, glockenspiel-kissing oddity that is as hauntingly catchy as it is melancholically beautiful. And there’s not many bands you can say that about.

Lyrically dirty and musically adventurous, The Housewives are full of backstreet charm and lo-fi fun – a winning combination, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Standout Track: Cream

Rhian Daly

SINGLE: Prego - Cause and Resolve (Pronoia Records)

2008-08-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

Like any good band with a stadium rock and shoegaze influenced sound, Prego are more full of ambition than gold-diggers Their heavy drums, U2-esque bass line and Mogwai-style contrasting dynamics create a song so epic that it would make Bono and Michael Jackson imitating Jesus while doing a duet of ‘Earth Song’ to a million people from the top of Buckingham Palace with every New Year’s firework display in the world behind him look like a shy 15 year old strumming an acoustic guitar in a pub basement. And Prego have the added benefit of not having a huge self-righteous stick up their arse like Bono, or Michael Jackson’s deranged delusions of grandeur. Some seriously good stuff.

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: The Postcards - The Hours Up To Midnight (Valiant Records)

2008-08-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

Jangly guitars, high male harmonies and a relentlessly twee attitude – yep, ‘Hours Up To Midnight’ is another offering of bite-sized indie pop snacks to gorge on when you’re down – 4 short songs with undeniable charm and childlike naivety that’ll melt your heart or nauseate you, depending on what kind of person you are. ‘Hurry On Home’ is about as light and fluffy as pop gets, but a little misleading as cuts like ‘Golden Boy’ sound like The Postcards are actually throwing darts at pictures of their ex-girlfriends instead of baking cookies and helping old ladies cross the road. Still, for all the venomous lyrics are blunted by soft voices and warm guitars. Closer ‘John Peel Was A Friend Of Mine’ is a highlight, almost a long-lost demo from the Beatles when they were still playing tiny basements in Liverpool.

For all the sweet melodies The Postcards suffer from the same problem as many an indie pop outfit – namely that their lyrics aren’t great. That’s not to say that the single is a bad effort; they’re good at what they do, but unlike really great indie pop bands like Tilly and the Wall and Rilo Kiley there’s a deficiency of imagination and daring.

Stand-Out Track: John Peel Was A Friend of Mine

Ollie Khakwani

BESTIVAL

2008-08-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight
5 – 7th September 2008

WHY WE’RE GOING
We’ve been raving on about boutique festivals all summer but all the boutiques in the world couldn’t replace Bestival. With every one of its four years it has become bigger but it is still cosily referred to as a medium sized festival, a tag that allows it to bring in some of the best breaking bands of the year with a host of unknowns and big headliners. This year is no different - Rob da Banks curating brings together a cross section of respected artists like George Clinton, Golden Silvers and Jeffrey Lewis.

These, along with the comedians and DJs leave hardly enough time to enjoy the cinema or the tea cakes, the swimming or the inflatable church, the mini Malawi festival or the physics performances.

Bestival has taken the ‘music festival that music fans go to’ baton firmly out of Glastonbury’s grasp and it won’t let go too easily.

WHO WE’LL BE SEEING
My Bloody Valentine
Gary Numan
Erol Alkan
George Clinton
XX Teens

WHAT WE’LL BE WEARING
Well the theme this year is '30,000 Freaks Under The Sea' so we’ll be dressed as Atlantis royalty.

The new Bestival compilation CD A-Z Bestival (Compiled by Rob da Bank) is released through Sunday Best on 1st September

www.bestival.net

Reading Festival is back to its rocking best!

2008-08-12T04:57:00.000-07:00

READING FESTIVAL

Little John's Farm
Richmond Avenue
Reading

The last couple of years I have found myself being a little jubious of Reading Festival. Why? For the simple reason that the bands playing, especially the headliners, haven't really captured my idea of what Reading Festival is- first and foremost a rock festival. The bands headlining appeared to still be in their prime, lacking a backbone strong enough to justify a headline slot. Take for instance Razorlight and the Klaxons, I'm not criticising their music in any way, but in 10 years could they still be headliners? That's why this year I was thrilled when Rage Against the Machine, Metallica and Manic Street Preachers were all announced, not only are they bands who have proved they deserve to be up there with their constant and expanding fanbases, but they bring me back to the idea of how I used to see Reading, a place where I could catch big acts I really admire amongst fans not just from my city but others too and just take it all in in a special environment. If I wanted to see some buzz bands I would just go to a smaller festival and pay less money, but this year I feel Reading has delivered and made spending that large sum worthwhile. There's still a wide mix of bands on various other stages, but the main stage has been preserved for acts who deserve to be there.

WHO WE'LL BE SEEING

Rage Against the Machine

Queens of the Stone Age

The Cribs
Bullet For My Valentine
Seasick Steve

WHAT WE'LL BE WEARING

Who cares? Whatever the hell we happen to be wearing when we get there!

http://www.readingfestival.com/

Stacey Evans

ALBUM: CSS - Donkey (Sub Pop Records)

2008-08-04T02:07:00.000-07:00

Photo: Mariana Juliano

In the army of stuck-up indie douches lecturing you about how you 'don't get our art' and going on about 'contentious subjects' like euthanasia and other shit no-one cares about in their songs, CSS are among the few renegades who are only signed up to the army when they were drunk/stoned out of their minds and had no idea what they're doing.

'Donkey' (terrible name, I know) is another explosion of indietronic rock fun from a band who know not to take themselves too seriously. Opener ‘Jager Yoga’ with its chorus of ‘we didn’t come to walk around/we came here to take you out’ sums up everything great about CSS – their knack for killer pop hooks, endless cool and ability to start dancefloor riots.

First single ‘Rat Is Dead (Rage)’ is the best example of the difference between this and their debut – it’s guitar heavier and more rock structured and even ventures beyond the usual fascination with pop culture that their lyrics show, instead concerned with domestic violence. Similarly, although Lovefoxxx sings about dancing on tables and drinking herself comatose in ‘Left Behind,’ the glam rock-like guitars hide the story of lost luggage and heartbreak.

Still, despite their improved English, extra studio polishing and sometimes more serious subjects, at least compared to ‘Meeting Paris Hilton’ (although at the rise festival Lovefoxxx slipped the line ‘and her vagina was dry’ into ‘Rat Is Dead’ at the Rise Festival), CSS are still the wild fun they were before and ‘Donkey’ like their previous stuff remains the musical equivalent of E.

Stand-Out Track: Jager Yoga

Oliver Khakwani

ALBUM: South – You Are Here (Genepool Records/Universal)

2008-08-04T02:06:00.001-07:00

Singers with such distinctive voices as Joel Cadbury’s can sometimes become annoying with their incessantly soft tones or unusual inflections. By the end of South’s fourth record, ‘You Are Here’, Cadbury’s timbre may grate a bit but anything other than his voice would destroy the whole sonic aesthetic of the Sussex trio a fair bit.

And besides, after hearing opening track ‘Wasted’, I’m sure you’ll agree we can all see past this trivial matter, right? Off the top of my head, I can’t think of such a beautiful start to the record and when Cadbury sings the line “Tired of getting wasted” in such a genuine, dejected manner – well, brace yourselves because it’s heart melting, sigh-inducing stuff. Unfortunately, the rest of the record doesn’t maintain the same level of quality, with both ‘Open Up’ and ‘Better Things’ bringing you down from the clouds with a bump, albeit one with a cushioned landing.

At 14 tracks and nearly 50 minutes, this record is a little overlong and grows tiresome quite quickly. Only a handful of tracks are really worth bothering with here – namely the aforementioned ‘Wasted’; oddly cheery ‘The Pain’ (which also slightly recalls Smashing Pumpkins, lyrically speaking); poetic electro-funk twist ‘She’s Half Crazy’ and the surprising, beautiful ‘Every Light Has Blown’, which harks back to the gorgeous start to the record.

If it were a little shorter and a little less MOR, ‘You Are Here’ could be a fantastic record; as it stands, it’s a mediocre attempt that starts promisingly yet by the end has become predictable and tired. Perhaps by focusing on creating more of the gentler, spine tingling tracks, South would have a more accomplished record under their belts instead of one that sounds like, for the most part, James Blunt doing a really awful parody of The Cooper Temple Clause.

Standout Track: Wasted

Rhian Daly

ALBUM: The Vichy Government – White Elephant (Filthy Little Angels)

2008-08-04T02:02:00.000-07:00

The Vichy Government’s third album starts off with a haunting yet amusing eight minute spoken word narration of suicide and the protagonist’s resulting existence as a ghost, set to only the sound of a ticking clock (‘Death of a Mummy’s Boy’). It’s hard to tear yourself away from the story, as it is with all other 17 tracks on ‘White Elephant’, so gently commanding is Jamie Manners’ voice with its broad Irish accent.

Generally, it’s an interesting album that doesn’t allow you to concentrate on anything else, not even for a second, all the while remaining dark and vicious yet still seeming to be light-hearted and jovial at the same time. ‘The Greatest Gift of All’ is a humorous explanation for the existence of AIDS; ‘Abusive Childhood narrative’ is a sly dig at authors of books about their troubled childhoods; ‘My Mail Order Bride’ is the height of satire and is delivered in Manners’ deadpan tone that is consistent across the record. He and his cohort, Andrew Chilton, should also be commended on the utterly brilliant line “I bought her on Ebay for £2.99”.

The Vichy Government, strangely exciting and innovative in the truest sense of the word, provide a refreshing break from the norm with ‘White Elephant’ and have succeeded in making not only a wonderful record but also an interesting and hilarious one too.

Standout Track: My Mail Order Bride

Rhian Daly

FILM: The Happening

2008-07-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when M. Night Shyamalan used to make good films? Films with absorbing atmospherics propelled by intelligent plotting, genuine chills and those shock twists that quickly became his trademark. Even as those twists started to become forced (‘Signs’), and gimmicky (‘The Village’), and his ideas increasingly insular (the bizarre mermaid fantasy ‘Lady In The Water’), we would be sure to get touching central performances from the likes of Bryce Dallas Howard and Paul Giamatti.

Not anymore, and with ‘The Happening’, it’s probably fare to say that he has lost it almost completely. A ludicrous ecological cautionary tale, it is embarrassingly conceived, poorly cast and a colossal misfire right from the get go. Though the idea of the world’s flora suddenly deciding on a mass culling of the human species is in itself timely and intriguing, Shyamalan doesn’t seem to know what to do with it. The result is a weird chase movie which sees Mark Walhberg’s science teacher fleeing Pennsylvania to escape the trees of Central Park whose toxic farts are driving the entire population to commit suicide, thus preventing them from seeing any more Shyamalan films ever!

Oh no!

As the film goes on, its plotting proves to be as disoriented as its suicidal victims with Elliot (‘Marky Mark’), traipsing through the strikingly unspectacular Pennsylvanian countryside with his girlfriend, Alma (Deschanel), looking for a point while taking regular breaks to gaze fearfully at the rustling trees. But try as he might, Shyamalan just can’t make a breeze look scary and no amount of overly intense close-ups of Wahlberg earnestly emoting will help to convey that supposed fear.

Just why Shyamalan thought it suitable to put Wahlberg in the lead role is anybody’s guess. As films like ‘I Heart Huckabees’, ‘The Departed’ and ‘Four Brothers’ showed, Wahlberg is much more suited to roles that require his wit and rage. Whenever he tries his hand at compassion and understanding (like in the awful, awful ‘The Big Hit’), he comes across as curiously patronising, so when he is trying to reason with a demented Betty Buckley, the effect is humorously forced and condescending. More entertaining are the oddball characters that are plonked here and there along the story, but unfortunately, they don’t stick around long enough to make the film more bearable. Deschanel fares better, but then she’s just too cool to let the shit of any film come too close to her.

Shyamalan seems to have written ‘The Happening’ with Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ in mind. Needless to say, Shyamalan fails to inject the same sense of utter helplessness and confusion into his film and that’s probably the biggest disappointment here. In every single one of his prior films, Shyamalan could effectively cause one’s insides to knot up in fear and tension at the simplest of cues; ‘The Happening’ has barely enough suspense to fill a thirty-second Benadryl advert.

It is actually a real shame that Shyamalan’s ego has grown by such an extent that he thinks he can serve up such an extraordinarily lazy effort and then rely solely on his name to get people into cinemas. Where has the heart, the professionalism and intelligence of his films gone? There’s nothing rewarding here, no big pay-off at the end and the entire thing feels merely like an after thought. If trees are being cut down for the sake of such abysmal screenplays, no wonder they’re pissed off.

Jorge Costa

SINGLE: The Inconsolables -Hoverfly (Jealous Tony Records)

2008-07-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Even though all the individual bits would usually annoy the hell out of me – the squeaky la la la la la’s, Gameboy sounding keyboards and overdubbed vocoder – together with the buzzsaw guitars and the poppy chorus hooks ‘Hoverfly’ makes for some electro-punk dancefloor fun that could make any other band look boring. First b-side ‘Hydra’ is in the same vein with fizzing keyboards and an even catchier hook, probably deserving of being a single itself, and second b-side ‘Surf Rats’ is a two-minute freakout of spiky guitars and sudden shifts. Factor in the boy/girl vocals and their smart, funny lyrics and The Inconsolables look like a band with a lot of promise.

Ollie Khakwani

ALBUM: The Sugars - The Curse of the Sugars (Bad Sneakers Records)

2008-07-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

Amid the swathes of indie bands who build their fan bases on their vintage look, here’s a band that’s walking as well as talking by sounding so retro it seemed like they were still using a double bass instead of a bass guitar.

Opener ‘Black Friday’ makes it impossible to resist a quick Zutons comparison, as it perfectly captures the 70s feel of their latest album. That’s about where the similarities end. Not content to just pick a decade and emulate the sound, every track on the album takes a different approach in sound, from the grungey guitars of ‘Unnamed Duet’ to the disarmingly charming doo-wop of ‘Mama’ to Jimi Hendrix references in lyrics and guitar work on ‘The Seamstress.’ The Sugars make it clear that they’re more ambitious and daring than The Zutons, eschewing their pop sensibilities to make something altogether more satisfying. Also unlike The Zutons, the girl in their crew, Anna Greenway, does more than adding more than the occasional backing vocals and building up a male fanbase, with her vulnerable and soulful vocals playing with Matt Bolton’s intense bluesy voice.

‘The Curse of the Sugars’ is a fresh debut, and the band’s talent and diverse influences make for a brilliant sound so convincing it could be a time-machine. And The Zutons suck.

Ollie Khakwani

ALBUM: The Subways - All or Nothing (Warner Bros Records)

2008-07-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

For anyone out there who loved ‘Young For Eternity,’ you’ll be pretty damn pleased because for the greater part ‘All or Nothing’ is more of the same – the relentlessly catchy albeit fairly simple riffs and the general good fun and vivacity. Basically, if you’re over 25 then it’s pretty likely this won’t be your thing but if you’re not over that hill yet then ‘All or Nothing’ is all the fun bits of rock music compressed into 35 minutes – the almost hair metal of the addictive ‘Kalifornia’ and ‘Shake! Shake!’ and single ‘Alright’ with its contagious pop punk hook begging you to sing along.

Butch Vig’s production definitely deserves some credit here – the guy behind Nevermind, Siamese Dream and every Garbage record’s trademark wall of sound thing works well for The Subways, making their songs sound heavier and more distorted, capturing more of the wild energy of their live performances than their previous album did. Nevertheless, the acoustic guitar based softer tracks like ‘Strawberry Blonde’ where Billy Lunn sounds so sweet he could almost be a choirboy prove that The Subways haven’t decided to throw in the towel and lose their innocence quite yet, and Billy and Charlotte’s harmonies remain as lovely as ever.

There are hints that The Subways have matured a little since ‘Young For Eternity.’ Despite their tendency for one line or even one word choruses, ‘Move To Newlyn,’ another ballad-like track shows a surprising amount of lyrical dexterity, with its chorus of ‘my cousin Rick he still believes/there’s a world he’s yet to see/carry on or fade away/eventually there comes a day/we’ll all see we are the same but different things we choose to say.’ Opener ‘Girls and Boys’ is also unconventionally complex in its arrangement (for The Subways), sacrificing its ability to be immediately catchy but suggesting that there might be a secret ambition to make more than just three chord soft-grunge rockers.

‘All or Nothing’ is a good album and definitely one that you’ll listen to over and over again after you get it but whether you’ll still be listening to it in a month is a different question. Still, there are occasional clues that make it seem not only that The Subways have dodged the sophomore slump but that album no. 3 could be even better.

Ollie Khakwani

SINGLE: My First Radio - Progress (God Is In The TV Records)

2008-07-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

I was lulled into a false sense of security/boredom by the soft piano of single ‘Progress,’ not sure if I really needed to listen to another band that was trying to make me curl up in ball and cry. So it scared me a bit when the synths and the vocoder came in and joined the swooning strings to make one of those sad but epic songs that would probably get played in Spiderman when Mary-Jane is about to fall of a building and into a giant blender and he realises he can’t save her in time. Not the most interesting song ever, but the vocalist had a lot of conviction I suppose, although it did make it seem like he was taking it a bit too seriously.

B-side ‘My Secret Plan’ was almost the opposite. The singer’s single line of ‘I have a secret plan to make all of you happy’ was repeated with a Mark E. Smith mysterious intensity over what started as Blonde Redhead/Mogwai chiming guitars and eventually dissolved into a crazy distorted fuzz of discordant screams and Russell from Bloc Party’s effect pedal overdrive.
For all the boredom of the actual single the b-side’s experimental shoegaze feel showcased a much better side of the band, one that goes beyond just being able to play their instruments – it was intriguing and demonstrated some actual musical vision. It’s a little hard to understand why they would make a pretty standard song like ‘Progress’ and then have it as the single when they can create hypnotic soundscapes like ‘My Secret Plan’ instead.

Ollie Khakwani

INTERVIEW: Cleft Palettes

2008-07-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

According to their Myspace, Cleft Palettes are "two geeks and a dweeb who use grime handclaps and MIDI samples to make awesome songs sound really fucking shit." I'd like to contest that fact but whatever, they've answered some questions for us which is a whole lot more interesting than me raving about them.

So, first of all, how did you guys meet and what made you want to form a music collective?
I wouldn't describe us as a music collective. That sounds like we should be playing gigs at the Royal Festival Hall. Dan and I met when he fingerbanged my sister (truth, not jerky interview answer).

Lucy was his next victim. From then on, we clicked and the faff began.

I guess your name could be seen as being a bit distasteful by some. Have you had any negative reactions to it so far?
No, just praise. A fan once received a dirty look from a mother when wearing one of our t-shirts.

I've seen you being compared to bands like Hadouken! Are you fans of their work? Do you think that's an accurate comparison?
Not really. Many moons ago, we drove down to Southend for their first gig. They smacked it. At the time it was really aggressive and refreshing, but they're a good example of the perils of hype ... and major record labels.

You're relatively unknown at the moment. What goals do you have as a band? Do you want to be mega famous or are you happy staying more underground?
Underground is the new overground. We're mega famous in our regular lives anyway - we do the band thing for a bit of anonymity.

You've done a few remixes, most notably The Teenagers' Homecoming. Do you prefer writing your own stuff or doing remixes?

We would never remix anything we didn't heart, so its a good foundation to build upon. Kind of like playing Grand Theft Auto and starting with all the weapons unlocked. Writing our own music is like the kill screen from Donkey Kong.

I guess it would be really easy to brand you as "new rave", but how would you describe your music?
We love the way new rave is becoming an insult. Like when the French say 'your father pissed up your mother'. You're new rave.

We came 16th in the UK Black Metal MySpace charts by accident a couple of months ago... so I guess we're more metal than rave and that makes all kinds of sense when you look at Lucy's t-shirt collection...

What sorts of things influence your sound? Do you take inspiration from things other than music?
We are heavily influenced by drugs, arguments and accidents.

You played your first gig recently. How did that go? How did you prepare for it?
We shat it, but it went super well. People seemed to like it and nobody threw stuff or threw up. We managed to gain and lose a manager that night too.

Do you have any tricks or surprises for your live shows or do you just let the music speak for itself?

Like gimmicks? I guess Pat being ginger and Lucy and Dan being heavily involved with each other are pretty gimmicktastic. But for the time being we're mostly trying to concentrate on the noises and putting our fingers on the right buttons. Pat wanted to keep porno running on his laptop whilst we're up there, but Dan's mum didn't sign the release documents.

If you could go on tour with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
GWAR.

So, what's next for you guys? Are you going to be booking more shows soon? Any plans for a record?
All the gigs we seem to get booked for are getting cancelled because of noise complaints. We'll be unleashing our album 'Doofus Bible' in the fall

Rhian Daly

LIVE: Late of the Pier, Bugged Out! Warehouse Ball, Shoreditch, 6th June, 2008

2008-06-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

Photo: +++ponyrock+++ www.flickr.com/photos/---ponyrock---/

For one night only, Late of the Pier take over Hearn Street Car Park to collaborate with promoters Bugged Out!; a perfect match indeed. Calling it one of the last London shows they will play until the festival season is over and the release of their eagerly anticipated album, it's set to be a good one. And they don't disappoint. Their set includes singles 'Space and the Woods', 'The Bears Are Coming', along with live favourites 'Broken' and 'Random Firl'. They produce hit after hit and their dose of piecing synths mixed with the grungier riffs of 'VW' along with drumming on bed slates and swift, funkadelic basslines manage to captivate. And all without an air of pretension; it all seems to come so naturally and the layers do not alienate, they only spur you on to dance until your feet ache. But it's still single 'Bathroom Gurgle' that gets the crowd really going and screaming in their best falsetto voices to lyrics that I still insist only dogs can understand. The more these boys play, the more amazing they get, they never fail to excite.

Claire Evans

FESTIVALS 2008: Forget Glastonbury, Go Boutique

2008-06-27T01:41:00.000-07:00

When Kate Nash steps on to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury today it will the mark the unofficial start of Britain's music festival season. It's too late to get Glastonbury tickets now but given the much publicised debacle over poor ticket sales and the name calling and blame throwing that followed it's safe to assume that those without tickets are so by choice.

So why did Glastonbury not sell out? Jay Z has, rather unfairly, been made a scapegoat to some extent (since when has Glastonbury been a rock festival anyway? It's always been a music festival,) the registration process that didn't seem to confuse anyone last year has been said to have put people off, even potential ticket buyers have been accused of not being the right type of music fans.

Given the line up this year and the cost of tickets it just doesn't seem like good value for money. For the same price as Glastonbury you can get yourself tickets to a couple of weekend events and if you include the money you save on a train ticket to Somerset, then you could also go to a few one day events too, and if you really look around you could find line ups that look like they've been hand picked especially for you.

Here's a few of the best alternative festivals to be seen at this summer.

ZOO THOUSAND
Port Lympne Wildlife Park
4th July - 6th July

WHY WE'RE GOING

With a 20,00 capacity Zoo Thousand is one of those new small festivals that has crept up on us from nowhere. As if a festival in the grounds of a zoo and fairground rides wasn't enough the line up is one of the best around this summer. Although the mainstage will host headliners Mark Ronson and The Hives, the Tap n Tin stage is the place to be, with Late of the Pier, Pete and the Pirates and Cazals all due to appear.

Unusually for a festival Zoo Thousand's line up crosses over to an urban audience without ever alienating guitar fans. As well as the usual indie fanfare the dance tents look unmissable with electro favourites MSTRKRFT, Stanton Warriers and Evil Nine standing out.

And if that isn't enough to sway you some of the proceeds go toward animal conservation so we'll all be helping our furry neighbours too.

WHO WE'LL BE SEEING

Metronomy
Friendly Fires
Sportsday Megaphone
These New Puritans
Wild Beasts

WHAT WE'LL BE WEARING

Anything aminal related - gorilla suits or animal masks. But we'd be most comfortable in Vince Noir and Howard Moon zoo-keeper outfits with a hint of summer neon.

http://www.zoothousand.com/

STANDON CALLING
Standon Lordship
1st August - 3rd August

WHY WE'RE GOING?

Festivals are great as they're a chance to catch all different types of acts that wouldn't usually play together within a designated area. This year at Standon Calling, those acts include Super Furry Animals, The Maccabees and Mystery Jets as headliners along with the likes of Friendly Fires, Late of the Pier and Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip. We also love festivals as they give you an excuse to go all out and dress up while you get to meet some crazy characters along the way. And all of this happens in an unbeatable atmosphere. At Standon Calling all of these things are definately on the agenda.

After seven years it has dropped its invite only policy and is opening its beautifully designed gates to everyone. More than just a music festival, Standon Calling invites artists and set designers to create alternative worlds and a festival far removed from the grit and shove of other weekenders. Held in the grounds of a 16th Century Hertfordshire manor house, the theme this year is Japan and on Saturday night there's a fancy dress session that will inevitably see many people taking advantage with the organisers plea to embrace "a clash between the floating world of old Japan and the searing neon decadence of its modern day equivalent."

There's Rockaoke on the lawn and if the weather's nice, you can enjoy a relaxing dip in the pool. On top of that they're raising money for local and national charities Standon & Puckeridge Community Centre and Phoenix Futures. What more could you want?

WHO WE'LL BE SEEING

The Mystery Jets
Super Furry Animals
Late of the Pier
Florence and the Machine
Eddy Temple Morris

WHAT WE'LL BE WEARING

Anything Japanese! We'll be whipping out our sequin masks, and wearing red lipstick and bright kimonos. And we expect the guys to be going all ninja on us. Hooray!

http://www.standon-calling.com/

Field Day

Victoria Park, London
9th August

WHY WE'RE GOING

Held in East London, Field Day is a festival for the trendy music lover set on seeing the latest acts within a small proximity. With stages hosted by the usual suspects (Eat Your Own Ears, Adventures In The Beetroot Field, Bugged Out!), this year sees Foals and Mystery Jets return to the bill along with Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale and Heartbreak. There is also what their website calls the 'Villiage Mentality', an area that contains fun and games and sports-like events that cater for creative and competitive minds. Splat the Rat!, Carrot Eating Contest and Pom Pom international look the most fun. So get stuck in.

WHO WE'LL BE SEEING

Foals
Jeffrey Lewis
Primary 1
Wild Beasts
Filthy Dukes

WHAT WE'LL BE WEARING

The latest trends worn in a 'I just ran through a charity shop naked' style. Glitter. Oh and big, bright sunglasses, come rain or shine.

http://www.fielddayfestivals.com/

GET LOADED IN THE PARK
Clapham Common
24th August

WHY WE'RE GOING

If camping isn't your cup of tea or you think Reading and Leeds has gone too metal this year then head over to Clapham this August bank holiday instead. Get Loaded in the Park blows away all one day competition with a super excellent line up comprising some of the biggest names in rock n' roll (Iggy and The Stooges) with some of its brightest young stars (Kid Harpoon.) Also on the bill are dance pioneers Soulwax and the lively, if a little odd Metronomy.

There are no gimicky extras here it's just a a day of great music, and the perfect excuse for local kids like us to to get all excited about South London again. You don't need to just take our word for it, ask the Maccabees, "we’re really looking forward to playing. We used to hang out on Clapham common when we were fourteen, so it's nice to do something near home."

WHO WE'LL BE SEEING

Iggy & The Stooges
Soulwax
The Maccabees
Boys Noize
Wiley

WHAT WE'LL BE WEARING

Whatever the hell we like, we won't be camping so it'll be as impratical as we can make it.

http://www.getloadedinthepark.com/

Claire Evans

LIVE: We Smoke Fags, Fangs, Animals Talking. Water Rats, Kings Cross. Wednesday 18th June, 2008

2008-06-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Photo: +++ponyrock+++ www.flickr.com/photos/---ponyrock---/

Following two excellent support sets from Animals Talking (spatial, almost glacial Joy Division-esque indie pop) and Fangs (like a Scottish Crystal Castles, but with entirely their own ideas and less undeserved media hype), the standard has been set and it’s pretty fucking high. Holloway boys We Smoke Fags are going to have to play a pretty tight set to stop themselves from getting upstaged by their awesome support bill. ‘Tight’ probably isn’t the right choice of word to use when describing this group though; in fact, it definitely isn’t. Raucous, rowdy, electrifying, invigorating... anything but ‘tight’. That’s not to disrespect Fags in any way, they would rather lose their edge if everything was perfect all the time.

Tonight, they’re their usual exciting selves, albeit battling through technical problems that leave a little to be desired in the sound department but that is beyond the band’s control. Still, songs like ‘Lust Puppet’ and ‘I Love You’ shine through, showing just how good these purveyors of electro punk can be. The whole set is packed with dirty, scuzzy electro hits that get the London crowd dancing, from ‘Passion for Fashion’ to the ‘Canapé of Love’, witty b-side to debut single and set closer, ‘Eastenders’. Despite the issues with sound, it’ll be hard to walk away from tonight’s gig feeling anything less than elated, a testament to the trio’s on-stage presence and charisma, and songwriting ability.

Rhian Daly

LIVE: Valgeir Sigurdsson , House of St Barnabas, Soho. Friday 16th May, 2008

2008-06-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Photo: Peter Corkhill

Crushed in between Oxford Street’s obnoxious shoppers, the hedonists of Old Compton Street and the theatre goers on Charing Cross Road, stepping into St Barnabas’ Chapel nevertheless has the affect of uprooting you from a Friday night in Soho and effectively reducing its bustle to a low, distant rumble. Inside the tiny chapel, a handful of fold-up chairs filled in for the pews, while candles lining the walls and banisters provided the only lighting: the atmosphere could not be more perfectly set for the gentle folk and electronica that followed.

First up was American folk singer, Sam Amidon, who played a generous amount of material from his recent, Valgeir Sigurðsson-produced LP, ‘All Is Well’. Joined by Sigurðsson himself, as well as a trio of female Icelandic musicians (seemingly framed alongside the altar’s murals of the Apostles), who would switch between accordions, bassoons, violas and a variety of brass instruments, the set was nothing short of captivating. Amidon sat at the front, sometimes plucking a guitar, sometimes a banjo, and despite the dark nature of some of his songs, spoke jovially to the audience. His confidence as a performer came out through a series of eccentric ticks: at one point between songs he spontaneously delivered a shrieking throat performance accompanied by odd gestures of his right hand. It went on for two minutes before he burst into laughter and such was his presence that you couldn’t help but laugh along. At another instant, he chose to “lope like a buzzard” during his performance of the cautionary ‘Little Johnny Brown’ which involved running and leaping through the audience and burning himself on some candle wax.

Alongside his more outlandish antics, he was also capable of incredible tenderness such as when he asked his friend ‘Dave’ to go up and provide and a hauntingly mournful backdrop of wails to ‘Wild Bill Jones’. Despite his warm tenor occasionally failing to reach his songs’ higher notes, Amidon set a very bar for Sigurðsson to follow, and alas it was one which he failed to match.

After the two effectively swapped positions (Sigurðsson to the front to play with his Mac and knobs and dials, Amidon to the back to sit in the corner banging a drum), the Björk producer played cuts from his excellent ‘Ekvílibríum’, replacing the album’s vocal contributions from Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Dawn McCarthy with fragile instrumentation. The most bewitching effect of the night came from the audience’s participation during ‘Equilibrium Is Restored’: over the low, rumbling synths and meandering instrumentation, Sigurðsson instructed the crowd to breathe slowly and heavily giving the impression that some gentle wind was circling through the chapel, casting everything in a hypnotic haze. It was really quite stunning.

One got the impression that Sigurðsson is a bit of a perfectionist: throughout the set, he would sit in front of his Mac looking over the musicians as if the songs could sound better. While it is a commendable feature, his constant walk up to the switchboard did detract somewhat from the experience. Another slight niggle came from his almost lack of presence. Sure he was there, but the songs strayed only very slightly from how they sound on record and you could probably have played the songs straight from the album to achieve the same entrancing atmosphere. Being first and foremost a producer, he could be forgiven for this, but one can see the performance diminish considerably had the setting been any other music venue.

It was fitting then that Sam Amidon came back for vocal duties on the closer, ‘Baby Architect’; Sigurðsson is a wizard of musical composition, but this was really Amidon’s night.

Jorge Costa