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

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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