Real men fish, I prefer to watch someone who eerily looks like Super Mario try to fish, only to break one rod and fail to use the cast release on the other (that might not be what it’s called but I did, for a short time, edit a fishing magazine). It is all the fun of Roskilde - a music festival where you don’t actually have to know there’s music going on to have plenty to do.

When it comes to music though, Roskilde is amongst the best for knowing its roots despite increasing international popularity. With a host of Scandinavian bands on the line-up, it would be rude to pass up the possibility of turning up some gems from the dust.

Following my day four blog post, I made my way over to the only open stage, Pavilion Junior, to sample the wonderfully named The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. From Copenhagen, the six piece started life supporting Amy Winehouse when she played our host nation’s capital. They also look like they could crack the foreign market, but only in a quirky Aqua type of way (as an aside, I heard that Aqua raised Denmark’s GDP by 5% in the 90s). The sugary sweet front woman Mette Lindberg pops and jumps and squeaks around to a soundtrack reminiscent of Morcheeba. It’s good for a dance, but Danes have done danceable pop a lot better in the past, and will continue so into the future.

One of these bands is Tiger Tunes, who are something of a not so guilty pleasure of Bearded’s second reporter in the dust fields of Roskilde. Frontman KR Hansen is shared with not so similar side project Beta Satan, who take the pop edge of Tiger Tunes and layer it under a heavy rock psyche. The result is quite brilliant, in a festival live sort of way. Ferocious guitars and rather splendid vocal segues such as “rape a face” going into “I’m not your pet you fucking cunt”, make it by far the most pleasurable set of pre-’proper’-programming before the full arena opened on day five.

When the arena did open up, there really wasn’t much to do but continue where I had left off. So it was The Dø (pronounced ‘dough’ I’m not so reliably informed) who introduced me to the Astoria stage. The international aspect of the festival meant that the Finnish/French duo spoke in broken English, all well and good if you want to be entertained by rather bizarre comments like “this is dedicated to everyone… err… with shoulders,” and the retort “everyone with shoulders say ‘hey’”.

Of course everybody in the rather packed tent cheers rapturously, and in keeping with what seems to be the Scandinavian way, the band keep the crowd entertained with more pop rock. They close up with a disappointing cover of Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’, which simply slows it all down - quite like what Mark Ronson would probably do, only without the trumpets.

But the first big draw are the recently independent Radiohead on the Orange Stage. There are no surprises as Thom and co. hold their cards close to their chest. It starts off slowly and barely gets out of third gear as what is an elaborate (or not that elaborate) dress rehearsal takes place. Whilst watching, I wrote a long rambling dissection of the band’s relevance in music today, comparing my reaction to watching the band play material predominantly from an average record at Glastonbury in 2003 to watching the band play material predominantly from an average record at Roskilde this year. Prior to both sets I was indifferent, but whilst I can away enthralled and excited five years ago, I came away indifferent this time around.

Bearded picks, day 6
1800 - Vieux Farka Touré (Modiba)
2000 - Sunburned Hand of the Man (Smalltown Supersound)
2100 - Mogwai (Wall of Sound)
2200 - CocoRosie (Touch and Go)
2300 - Holy Fuck (Young Turks)
0000 - Battles (Warp)
0100 - Yeasayer (We are Free)
0200 - Motorpsycho (Stickman)

In an announcement, organiser Barry Stilwell said:

“We’re sorry to announce that will not be a tapestry festival this year.

“This decision was made when it became obvious that ticket sales would not reach the figure needed to stage the event.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused, tickets will be refunded from the point of purchase.

“The option to scale down the event was considered but it was decided it would have made it relatively poor value and it would be a shame to put on a half hearted gig, you can’t cut back on health and safety so all the best things about it would be the first casualties.

“There will be a end of July Club and a Festival special at St Aloysius on Saturday the 9th featuring some of the bands who would have been playing the Festival so hope you can make it.

“The Tapestry Festival will be back and plans are already in place to make it very special indeed and, if not bigger, it will definitely be better so watch this space.”

The Local’s organiser and host Howard Monk said, “Building on the success of last year’s Local tent we come back again bigger, better and more eclectic than ever. As well as the bright new things on The Local stage including Essie Jain, The Miserable Rich, A.p.a.T.t, Birdengine, By the Fireside, Karima Francis we have some killer favourites of our own for you - Dead Meadow, The Chap, The Constantines and Wildbirds and Peacedrums. And as usual, the kind of surprises you got on our stage last year!”

The full line-up for the stage is:
A.p.a.T.t
Alessi
Birdengine
David Thomas Broughton
The Chap
The Constantines
Cut a Shine 21st Century Barn Dance
Dead Meadow
Karima Francis
Charlotte Hatherley
Essie Jain
Folk Orchestra
Denis Jones
One Little Plane
The Singing Adams
The Miserable Rich
Wildbirds and Peacedrums
Pictish Trail w/ Rozi Plain
By the Fireside
Robyn G Shiels

For more information and to buy tickets for the bash headlined by Low, Mercury Rev and Calexico, visit www.endoftheroadfestival.com

With their debut Wichita release, psychedelic folk popsters Meric Long and Logan Kroeber deliver more than a collection of astoundingly well-crafted melodies. Mixing freewheels of guitar-stringed experimental fun with country blues and syncopating Ewe drum rhythms, this pair work hard at keeping things interesting. The album’s cover art, a bubble of yellow crayon scratched over the misspelled kid-scrawl of ‘Visiter’, gets the feel about right. The edges are carefully drawn, but there’s room for a bit of bright and messy play in there. Think clean pop riffs that break off into ambient thunderstorms and jazzy tonal harmonies.

Sweet, tuneful vocals are driven throughout by an extraordinary range of beats and claps and bells, toy pianos and tambourines. At times, as on track ‘Red and Purple’, acoustic percussion arrangements and guitar driven pieces approach a sound that has a precision and timbre not unlike a kind of indie electro-beat. These birds shake it up. Sometimes with all the time signature foolery going on it seems like there these Dodos recorded in a dance hall. Blends of carnival, and jazzy ewe, old style waltz and bluegrass combine with a purity of melody that allows the sound to mix up but never muddy. So claps and natural stick crack sounds can combine with sweet sincere lyrics on tracks like ‘Eyelids’ to create upbeat near-pop. Swampy trumpets can vie with folk dance rhythms, steel guitar and a cappella shouting chants on ‘Fools’ and create a full spectrum depth of sound that approaches stadium capacity.

The San Franciscan duo pack an aural punch that, in terms of decibel range and fresh sounding vibes, can be second only to their live show. The fine production seen throughout the record is balanced so as to give space to the tracks. There are ebbs and flows. Rich over-layered guitar and bass and beats are juxtaposed with echoic vocals and sparse piano. Pieces like ‘Joe’s Waltz’ and ‘Paint the Rust’ are built around intermittent lulls and crescendos that introduce a kind of dark theatre alongside the joyous impulse of melodic sing-along. And there are simple love songs like the blissed out multi-layered ‘Ashley’, there are rhythmic trumpeting tracks like ‘Winter’ and rocking, playful, southern jams like ‘Jodi’. These guys have range. We’re pretty sure these Dodos aren’t visiting, but are here to stay.

Nicole Farrell

But if the first night was a challenge, the rest has been the reward: glorious sunshine, good food, good times. The music doesn’t even start until tomorrow, so Bearded has been taking time away from an internet connection to soak up the atmosphere, all of it, and this year it is a holiday camp, especially for those who endured a month’s worth of rain in a night in 2007, and still came back to tell the tale under the canopy.

So not much to write about, not from a musical perspective anyway, from the one stage that is open we have seen someone try to be Bjork and fail, then a beer in the sun seemed the only serious option for the serious music news hound.

Instead perhaps a preview, this year there are some fantastic independent artists playing: Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Efterklang, Holy Fuck to name a few off the top of my head. We also have some real legends of music performing too: Neil Young, Solomon Burke and, no matter what anyone has said about his set at Glastonbury, Jay-Z is closing it for Bearded at midnight on Sunday.

Sun, fun and good music, with rain not forecast to come in until at least Sunday, it looks like a long, glorious week is ahead.

Their last album, ‘Puzzle’, was somewhat of a success for them. Having signed for a major label, they matched the pressure to perform, with often stunning results. This was Biffy’s chance to show people who they were and what they were capable of, but for the dedicated few, we knew already. Now former (soon to be defunct) label Beggars Banquet are releasing a collection of the band’s singles from their first three albums.

Did anyone else here that?…there it was again…’KERRRCHIIINNNG!!!’

This is sad for many reasons. Not only is it blatant cash in from recent success, the band were also involved in compiling it, so it’s not just a money hungry label. Also, Biffy are definitely an album band, so the songs often lose a piece of themselves when standing on their own.

For me, there is nothing worse than seeing the dreaded ‘single version’ in brackets after the title because you know it has been edited to suit a mainstream sound; basically to sell more. If it can’t be original then don’t bother. Five of the twelve tracks here are single versions, which means that ‘Only One Word Comes To Mind’ (which I once heard the twatty Chris Moyles play) loses its deathly screams, and ‘Toys Toys Toys Choke, Toys Toys Toys’ cuts off its guitar driven ending.

The first four tracks, all from debut album ‘Blackened Sky’, stand above the rest as they are original and include the stunning ‘Justboy’ and ‘Joy.Discovery.Invention’. And the chronological order of release for the other songs highlight the progression in their sound that is seen in greater detail while listening across the individual albums.

The superb ‘There’s No Such Thing as a Jaggy Snake’shows the band at their most outrageous, but also at their best, but it loses its impact away from the complimentary confines of its ‘Infinity Land’ parent album.

This collection will give you the wrong impression of what Biffy are really about. Instead of this, go buy their first album while it’s still cheap, before they realise and hike the price up. It will be worth it, trust me.

Peter Clark

A point perfectly illustrated by Royal Treatment Plan. Personally, I have something of an aversion to female fronted pop punk and ‘Undercurrent’ (Light) isn’t going to help me expand my musical horizons anytime soon. Produced by Teo Miller who has previously been seen behind the knobs for Placebo, it’s a familiar formula, and not one that’ll get us bopping along with the 12-year-olds at your local underage gig.

Swinging waaaay over on the age scale, you’d expect a song called ‘Sequested in Memphis’ (Rough Trade) to be sung by a bunch of Bush supporting, minority lynching, aging Texans. The Hold Steady are a bunch of not-so-young-but-not-that-old Brooklyn folk who probably don’t lynch young hoodlums, but they sound like they do – and no usage of complicated (sic) diction is going to change that.

They probably can’t pronounce tKatKa properly either. And anyway, if you want to get clever, ‘Grief Hijakers’ (100m) comes with a recommended volume level (72dB if you’re interested) which we barely reach in the Bearded office because we have neighbours (good friends). If we did reach the epic proportions demanded by the sleeve notes, we’d be having a good time as its slowly warped electronic beats swirl through the air like rather pleasant larks. Rewarding in its fullness, you’d expect it to soundtrack a spooky art flick, but it won’t because it’s better than the film would be.

Now, I do like to be the one for superlatives, and myself and the rest of the Bearded lot are running out of ones to throw at the rather splendid Paul Hawkins & Thee Awkward Silences. ‘You Can’t Make Somebody Love You’ (Jezus Factory) follows his scary/innocent/fabulous trail with the typical menacing keys, simplistic Daniel Johnston-like rambling about love and rejection and awesome, if invisible, energy. This is his fifth single this year, now hurry up and get an album out (NB: it’s out in September).

No matter what the snobs and the purists say, I for one am thrilled the Arctic Monkeys exist, even more so that they exist on an independent label. The Last Shadow Puppets released one of the great singles of the year in ‘The Age of the Understatement’, unfortunately their follow-up ‘Standing Next to Me’ (Domino) seems to be The Coral if they tried their hand at writing the soundtrack to a spaghetti western, which is a shame because you just know The Coral would have done a much better job of it.

As far as summer pop goes, the woefully named Sparkadia (really?!) do it pretty well on their free download single ‘Morning Light’ (Ark). You can expect them to be charming festival crowds all summer long with this one. You can download it from their Myspace page for a week from 7 July.

Did you know that Stiff Records was once the home of genre defining music that gave birth to an entire culture of musos? Well it’s back, if only in name form. The press release for The Displacements new single ‘Down and Out’ (Stiff) manages to compare them to the Stones, Chuck Berry and The Clash without really saying their music sounds like any of them, that’s useful, because this is by far the worst, most bile-inducing, wet paper bullshit I have heard since that Rrrs single a few months ago.

Bloody hell, who’d have thunked it? Morrissey and Suggs had a bastard offspring, bought it some bongos and someone with an eighties Rhodes synth and paid for its recording sessions. Now the fruits of their horrible to imagine labour have come to the fore in Golden Silvers and their new single ‘Arrows of Eros’ (Young and Lost Club). It’s horrid, but mildly infectious, even worse.

Who knows if when a band’s guitarist goes solo their band support them? Graham Coxon left Blur in a tirade of bitterness, as did Bryan Maclean when the genius behind ‘Alone Again Or’, ‘Orange Skies’ and ‘Old Man’ left Love back in the 60’s. Albert Hammond Jr. has what looks like his fellow Strokes on the cover of latest single ‘GfC’ (Rough Trade). They could learn a thing or two as well because, as is so often the case, an artistically-frustrated side member often shows a glimpse of what his underachieving bandmates could actually be doing. ‘GfC’ is not brilliant, it’s not unique and it’s nothing to write home about. What it is is not the same shite that Julian Casablancas has been dredging up for The Strokes since the barely good ‘Is This It’ in 2001.

John & Jehn might sound like a before and after heavy drinking session pronunciation of the word ‘John’, but what we have is girl-boy dirty rock pop of the ilk The Kills have been doing for a lot longer but not quite as well. ‘Fear, Fear, Fear’ (Faculty Music Media) doesn’t fill me with any of the above, but it does make me shrug my shoulders and think ‘meh’.

For someone who has been in the habit of releasing low-budget recordings prior to a record deal, Chris Bathgate is taking the finances of his label for a ride with ‘Restless’ (Tangled Up!). Lots of bombastic trumpets kinda take away from the majority of his beautiful folk-tinged debut ‘A Cork Tale Walk’. Not that that’s an overly bad thing though.

Who says that aging rockers have bad taste? Well anyone who has heard Noel Gallagher’s former favourite band Proud Mary or possibly those who listen to The Thirst, personally recommended by Ronnie Wood. It’s very Arctic Monkeys, only with less soul and more wank, ‘My Everything’ (Wooden) is nothing more than a poor imitation, the kind of thing that makes you fall out of love with music. It is sad that ‘artists’ like this exist, and utterly depressing that out of touch rock stars get conned out of a tiny percentage their hard earned cash to support them.

A re-recorded version of ‘Milk Crisis’ (Memphis Industries) to keep The Go! Team in people’s minds as they tour the world might be seen as a cheap way of keeping the cash flowing in for a band not quite at the heights of lovability they once were. Fortunately this version of ‘Milk Crisis’ is being given away for free from www.thegoteam.co.uk from 21 July – a good thing too, because it’s only one for fanboys and purists.

Last slaughter I was talking about labels that are like a seal of approval. Half Machine were one and was illustrated by the praise being showered upon Psychedelic Horseshit. Unfortunately they seem to have hit a sour note with ‘New Wave Hippies’ (Half Machine) which takes the distortion familiar to fans of Times New Viking and Thee Oh Sees but, like a nervous lover, fails to do anything interesting under the cover. Instead the two piece resort to poor Mark E Smith impersonations and woeful subject matter, C- could do much better.

Time for something ever-so-slightly different, from a bunch of Columbus art students doing ironic distorted songs about hippies, we go to a folky band with songs that actually echo back to the hippy era: She & Him are the latest band to come through Domino imprint Double Six and involves Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy actress Zooey Deschanel and M.Ward, whose last record ‘Post-War’ was topping a wide array of critic best-of lists in 2006. The result is, well, a stunning flashback to the sound of the 1960’s hippy movement, delightful pop rhythms, acoustic guitar and female chorus lines. Deschanel’s vocals charm beautifully and ‘This is Not a Test’ (Double Six) is the sound of lying down in a field this summer.

Now Underground Railroad seem like an interesting bunch, by that I mean they have wonderfully innovative lyrics like “sticks and stones will break your bones” for a song called ‘Sticks and Stones’ (One Little Indian) from an album called, erm, ‘Sticks and Stones’. Has someone been bullied as a child? They haven’t turned that negative energy into something great either, chugging along with all the pace of an underground railroad train without any wheels.

I do like to finish with some gushing praise, but no praise is gushing enough to credit the ‘Prisoner of the Seven Pines EP’ (Domino) from Pram. The Birmingham stalwarts lead with the quite fabulous ‘Beluga’ from ‘The Moving Frontier’ long player of last year, but it is in the remixes where this EP comes into its own. Using a number of artists who like their toys and alternative instruments gives the remixes a light-hearted reflection to Pram’s traditionally darker electronica. Psapp’s take on ‘Metaluna’, Misty’s Big Adventure frontman Grandmaster Gareth’s reworking of ‘Beluga’ and Modified Toy Orchestra’s superlative remix of ‘Salva’ make this record simply the must have release of the year.

Jeremy Style

View the short film for Pram’s Beluga, produced by Film Ficciones:

Recently there’s been the retro chic of Amy Winehouse and even Christine Aguilera went ‘Back to Basics’, but this could just be a passing fad. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings has impressed with ‘100 Days, 100 Nights’, likewise Shelby Lynne’s Dusty interpretations on ‘Just A Little Lovin”. But now stand back for some authentic hip-shaking, hand-clapping, foot-stomping soul from Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed & The True Loves. When you listen to this CD you could easily mistake it for a sampler of long lost gems from the Atlantic/Stax vaults. But no, this is a contemporary seven-piece outfit from the States. Their leader was influenced by the sounds he heard played by his music critic father, while his CV reads like an unlikely career progression for the 21st Century, as he learned from seasoned blues and soul musicians.

What you hear on this album is someone who has totally immersed himself in the music he is obviously so passionate about and put a ‘now’ feel to it. These are original compositions which hint at past classics. ‘Take My Love With You’ revives fond memories of Sam and Dave, while ballads such as ‘It’s Easier’ reveal a Redding-tinged tenderness. There’s some sexual swagger on ‘The Satisfier’ and even the obligatory dance craze ‘(Doin’ The) Boom Boom’.

The songwriting, delivery, musicianship (a tight rhythm section punctuated with a pair of tenor saxes plus a trumpet), and the overall production combine to make a damn fine album. This is Soul!

David Brown

Underage Festival will take place at Victoria Park in Hackney.

For tickets, visit www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk.

The record, out in the UK on 6 October, is released on CD and double 12″ vinyl, with an extra track for those who still love waxed hardcore.

A posting on the Matador blog commented:

“This sprawling, multi-instrumental epic is “basically about rebirth and the Sun. And lightning,” according to guitarist 10,000 Marbles. The sound is incredibly dense, featuring 10-15 guitar tracks on many songs, along with flutes, organs, and French horn, with an elegant clarity and sense of purpose. The record picks up where 2006’s Hidden World left off, in terms of the band’s characteristic monumentality, but injects a newfound urgency and unease which the mystical lyrical concerns only amplify.”

The band are also touring the UK on the following dates:

Jul 3 - Chatham, Kent UK - The Tap and Tin
Jul 4 - Kent UK - Z008 Festival, Tap and Tin Stage
Jul 5 - Belfort FR - Eurokennes Festival
Jul 6 - Zurich CH - Dynamo
Jul 8 - Benidorn ES - Abraxas
Jul 9 - Barcelona ES - Nitsa
Jul 10 - Getaria ES - Gaztetxe
Jul 11 - Madrid ES - Sal El Sol
Jul 12 - Balado, Kinross-shire, Scotland - T In The Park
Jul 13 - Birmingham UK - Supersonic Festival
Jul 14 - London UK - Water Rats in Kings Cross
Aug 17 - Lelystad NL - Lowlands Festival, Charlie Stage
Aug 20 - Belfast IE - Limelight
Aug 21 - Dublin IE - Whelans
Aug 22 - Ghent BE - Ieper Fest
Aug 23 - Reading UK - Reading Festival
Aug 24 - Leeds UK - Leeds Festival
Aug 25 - Bradford UK - 1 in 12 Club

Divano productions issued the following release:

“After several months struggling to process Schengen and British visas in order to complete a promising Congotronics tour ( both concerned tours were related on many levels), and despite having strong support from our partners (booking agencies and promoters), and media interest and pressure on diplomatic missions in Kinshasa and abroad, we ended up with the following situation:

A quick look down the list of confirmed acts for the Friday 4^th- Sunday 6^th July event reveals almost too many treasures to choose from. Crowdpleasers like Funeral for a Friend, British Sea Power, The Young Knives, Roni Size and Reprazent, Pendulum and Andy C are all making their way to Port Lympne to rock this wildlife park like nature never intended.

The Holloways, Pete and the Pirates, Ida Maria, the Delays, Goldie, Fabio, Flogging Molly, Friendly Fires and Charlotte Hatherley are also slated to wow the audience, as are hardcore Punk funsters Gallows. Truly, the musical lineup is as varied and exciting as the wildlife at this famous centre for rare breed conservation and rehabilitation.

The show promises to be a spectacular one amid the gorgeous, lush land of the Port Lympne Wild Animal Park estate. Cutting edge groups join the big names at the festival, which will be held in these exotic surroundings close to the sea, nestled in the lush Kent countryside like a rare fruit in the Garden of England.

Festival goers will be spoilt for choice as the event spans the weekend, dispensing a musical cornucopia that will make you wonder how they can possibly fit it all in. Add this to the relatively small audience size, and that makes a pretty good performer to punter ratio. Camping on-site is available, and the organizers have made sure that the wild animals in the park will kept at a safe distance from the festival goers. Hopefully the camping area will be well away from anything carnivorous on the 600 acre site.

During the weekend, if the great lineup of acts leaves you feeling overwhelmed with musical greatness, and you are able to find even a tiny gap in the brilliant line-up of music, the Port Lympne Wild Animal Park is also offering festival goers visits to the park at a reduced price. The Zoo Thousand and Eight festival is a real first, being a weekend of excellent live music and an opportunity to enjoy these acts in a unique location. Standard tickets cost #99 camping or #45 a day, and the festival is expected to be a wild one.

For details on the event, see www.zoothousand.com or call 087012 885 092.

Eamon Hamilton’s band of merry Brightonians, including the Electric Soft Parade’s White brothers and The Tenderfoot’s Marc Beatty, will be joined by Matador’s fantastic Seattle three piece Cave Singers and local six-piece Fireworks Night.

For an idea of what you might see, view this video of Brakes live:

To buy tickets for a ridiculously cheap £9, visit We Got Tickets

As the heavy drums and piano are broken against the repetitive bass line that opens the track, you are instantly reminded of the monotonous, industrial sounds of Pink Floyd’s ‘Brick in the Wall’. Indeed, their musical influences remain firmly in this era, with a Peter Gabriel-esque tone to the vocals. This combined with Brewis’ distinctly British delivery lends the track a dark, uneasy, moodiness, reminiscent of Thatcherite Britain.

‘Scratch the Surface’ unites various Field Music contributors but also showcases Peter Brewis’ talents as a producer. This track is an impressive taster of ‘The Week That Was’, and hopefully only ‘scratches the surface’ of what the album has to offer!

Laura Silver