Juliana Hatfield in 2001, by Get Off Your Knees!

Special thanks to the talented Marta from friendly blog Dadanoias.net for drawing my attention to this. Fansite getoffyourknees.com has some live pictures from the Blake Babies shows in 2001, and a number of live and session recordings (including a BBC Radio 1 Evening Session recording I remember taping in 1993!) from Juliana. Well worth a visit I’d say!

MP3: Juliana Hatfield - Spin the Bottle (BBC Evening Session October 1993)

The rather sterling Noah and the Whale release their second album The First Days Of  Spring on August 3rd.  Pre-orders will be available from this week and you can grab an audio morsel for free here:

http://www.noahandthewhale.com/FDOS.html

 It’s understandable then that Yo La Tengo walk on sedately (although as a fan for some years, and having seen them multiple times, it’s not like I was expecting nor hoping for drum solos and whooping!). The band; tonight billed as The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo take their seats for tonight’s semi-acoustic show and introduce the question-and-answer concept of the gig.

 What follows is an entertaining evening of Ira Kaplan’s dry, self deprecating candour, James McNew’s whimsy and George Hubley’s softly delivered quips interwoven with back catalogue highlights and ‘fuzz box’ songs from their Condo Fucks alter -ego record ‘Fuck Book’.

They open with ‘Tom Courtenay’, sung by George (later revisited and sung by Ira in the encore) and  wax lyrical about having recently been at a film screening with Lou Reed (triggered by the question of  ‘Seen any good movies lately?) which provides neat lead into a cover of Velvet Underground’s ‘I Found  A Reason’.  Ira explains that he was told a London audience might be too reticent to participate in this kind of gig: how wrong he is! Questions fire at the band from across the auditorium, ranging from the well-versed in YLT trivia “What’s the best season to wear a Sweater?”, to the obscure  to the downright creepy as a voice in the dark quips “Anna and I enjoy most of our intimate moments to your music. What music does it for you?”. Nervous giggling and exchanges of glances between husband and wife Ira and George peter out in favour of more songs.

 Bizarre though this often is;  the sporadic line of questioning and random statements from the crowd does yield some entertaining and off beat anecdotes from the band.   James McNew concludes that ‘memorising the ATP festival schedule’ is the coolest super power, Ira reveals he once fainted in a hot spring, an experience which he recommends and George talked about a fondness for the album artwork of Swatdog (featuring said artist sitting cross-legged in ‘bulldog’ underpants).

One girl  hasn’t quite grasped what’s happening and yells ‘Why don’t you just PLAY!” Fortunately, YLT aren’t put off their stride.

 The stripped down version of ‘Autumn Sweater’ and the lilting ‘Dreaming’ sound crisp and sweet in this intimate setting, but seeing Ira wig -out on the guitar whilst sitting on a swivel chair reminds me of why I love this band so much. They are a seriously good musicians who love what they do without taking themselves too seriously.

All up it’s been an entertaining evening of silly stories and great songs, surely a fitting addition to Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown festival. Yo La Tengo have spent a little time in our corner of the world, I look forward to return visits

The band walk on smiling, visibly heartened by the enthusiastic reception. What’s clear from interviews and their onstage demeanour; is that they are fans, hugely excited by making music and theopportunities to meet indie heroes and like-minded musos while out on the road. It’s an endearing trait.

A sea of bracelet-adorned hands point skywards through the darkly comic ‘This Love Is Fucking Right’, and the crowd  join in with the ‘ooh-oohs’ on ‘Come Saturday’ the band’s ode to absent lovers.

Despite their cult/ C86 band comparisons: there is a louder, overdriven side to them. Blasts of Jesus and the Mary Chain and Pale Saints come through at times: setting off what has to be the politest mosh pit I’ve ever seen.

I’m not sure whether it’s down to the sound levels in the club, or the sheer volume of fans singing along; but occasionally Kip and Peggy’s vocals get lost in the mix. That said, seeing the giddy response to ‘Young Adult Friction’ tonight, I’d say this is a strong contender for indie anthem of the summer. Watch out Black Kids, I envisage competition on the festival circuit this year!They say few things onstage, sweetly acknowledging the tube strikes and taking time out to thank support bands Tender Trap and Shrag.

It’s been a joyous evening: I sincerely hope their charm remains as the mainstream draws them in. I suspect it will.

21/6 Rep. Ireland Cork Infirmary
22/6 Rep. Ireland Dublin Whelans (upstairs)
23/6 UK Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach
24/6 UK London Queen Of Hoxton (w/Kelli Ali)

There’s also a free giveaway track, Grey Weather, over on The Line of Best Fit

Yorkston has sent out blank record sleeves, which the likes of Steve Mason, The Lone Pigeon, King Creosote and The Pictish Trail are already crayola-ing

This is where you come in: James giving his fans the chance to have their words immortalised in vinyl. He is looking for Haikus to be etched into the run out groove on the single.

Send in your poetic efforts based on James Yorkston/Folk Songs/Big Eyes  to competition@dominorecordco.com with JY POEM COMP in the subject line.  Entries must be received by the 30th June. Winners also get a pair of tickets to this year’s Field Day festival.

Get scribbling and good luck!

Taking their name from a friend’s story; Brooklyn’s The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are wistful, lyrical storytellers with an ear for distorted but melodic indie-pop. The British popular press and fanzines alike have been full of high praise for their eponymous debut album. Singer Kip Berman and Keyboardist / Singer Peggy Wang kindly took time out from their current UK tour to answer our questions via email.

KV:How did the band start, and had you played in bands before?

 Kip: We were all friends, and formed to play at Peggy’s birthday party. Kurt’s the most accomplished musically, playing in The Depreciation Guild and Zaza in addition to drumming for us. Peggy used to play in a band called The Metric Mile, that recently put out a wonderful 7″ and I played in a band in Portland, OR that never really played a show outside of Portland… 

Peggy: I met Kip through a mutual friend and we bonded over music, going to see shows together.  When I joined the Pains, I was already in another band called the Metric Mile.  I’ve been in bands since the 8^th [first year at high school-KV] grade.  This is probably the sixth band I’ve been in. 

KV:You’ve drawn a lot of comparisons to British (and Glaswegian in particular) indie bands like The Pastels, Camera Obscura, The Vaselines et al. Are you quite anglophile in your tastes and influences?

Kip: Actually, we grew up listening to more American stuff, like Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and post-hardcore/punk bands. We grew up in the suburbs, so we just sort of were open to anything, and for some reason the music from Glasgow, like Teenage Fanclub and The Pastels just seemed to strike a chord with me.

Peggy: I like a lot of British bands, and I was into a lot of American indie growing up as well. But there are other countries that make good music too!  Like New Zealand.  I love the Clean, and the Bats, and a newer band called Surf City. 

 KV: There is a lot of buzz around your debut album, are you ready for   bigger crowds and festival appearances that beckon this summer?

 Kip: We’re cool with whatever. 

 Peggy: I’m excited but nervous.  We’ve been touring and playing more shows now, so I feel like I’m getting more comfortable with being on stage.

 KV: Brooklyn seems a very fertile place for music in the last few years; is it good to be part of a creative community or do you think location is incidental what you do?

Kip: There is cool music being made lots of places, not just Brooklyn. I’m not sure what it means as a band, but as a music fan, it’s really cool to live close to so many great bands that i love going to see live. Whether it’s caUSE co-MOTION, Chairlift, Crystal Stilts or any number of other bands, it’s a great place to live and a really fun to be a part of.

Peggy: Living in a big city helps you find the right people to be in a band with.  And I love that all of my friends are in bands, bands that are actually awesome, and that there’s always a show to go to.

KV: Troublesome love, friendships and longing seem to be recurring themes; do you include stories from your collective past or do you combine them with imaginary characters?

 Kip: It’s all pretty real. Perhaps we’re not that imaginative, but it just seems like it’s easiest to write about stuff that’s happened to us. 

KV: Your name comes from a friend’s book that wasn’t published; I think it’s interesting when one art form influences another. Are you influenced by films and books as well as music?

 Kip: I guess that sounds pretentious to say, but we’re influenced by all the stuff that happens to us that we’ve experienced. Music, Movies and books are a big influence, but so are just the day- to -day things that happen to you growing up. It’s not like we’re “Consciously” influenced by “art” any more than we are by hanging out.

 Peggy: Recently I got really into that show Friday Night Lights, and I was joking that that show should be called The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.  Because all the characters are fundamentally good people put in really heartbreaking situations.

KV: It’s good to see bands who excite music fans as well as the more mainstream press; is there anyone that you have seen recently that you think deserve more attention?

 Kip: There are so many bands that deserve acclaim that don’t get it– we’ve recently toured with both The Depreciation Guild and Zaza, who are really incredible. 

 Peggy: The last band I really tried to go see, but couldn’t because we were touring, is this band from Ireland called So Cow.

 KV: Apart from the obvious things like hanging out as friends and playing music together: what have been the highlights of being in the band so far?

 Kip: I feel like you’ve already named it– hanging out together and playing music is about the best, most cool thing to do. Traveling and meeting new people is really fun too.

 Peggy: I guess it’s just really cool that people care about what we do.  We’ve met so many awesome people through being in a band, from those who come to our shows, to people who interview us, to the people we work with. I also enjoy any opportunities we get to DJ or make mix tapes and playlists.  

KV: And finally, what are you most looking forward to for the rest of 2009?

Peggy: I’m excited for the sixth season of Peep Show [That's understandable, so are we-KV]

 Kip: We’re really excited about the 7″ singles we’re releasing this summer. The first should be out around July, while the second should come out in September. 

 The band’s debut album and follow up single ‘Young Adult Friction’ is out now on Fortuna Pop. The tour wraps up at the Isle of Wight festival in June.

(via tsururadio.com)

Secondly, Bon Iver and My Brightest Diamond performing the gorgeous Bon Iver track ‘Flume’ at the Radio City Music Hall in NYC last weekend for the Red Hot Organization.

(via Music is Art)

It’s a short set of shimmering, 60s pop tinged indie. Think The  Shins or The Lilys in places ; it’s just a pity that cavern acoustics muddy the sound, as on record it’s much more crisp and that is occasionally lost here. However, Violens seem to take it all in their bright denim-attired stride. They plug their forthcoming single ‘Violens Trance Like Turn’ which takes a turn for the New Order school of electronic indie and makes for a perfect night club warm up. Expect more outbursts of Violens soon.

Adding to our growing collection of useless videos, here’s one of them performing ‘Send Me An Angel Down’ at the showcase, although actually you can only really see Chris and Stephanie