NOIZEMAKESENEMIES.CO.UK

REVIEW // ROCK WERCHTER FESTIVAL 2009, BELGIUM

2009-07-16T00:03:00.002+01:00

A different age, a different setting, and for a different kind of troubadour a distinctly European muster gathers once a year. One town called Werchter (its in Belgium). Two stages. Four unrelentingly sunny days (repeat its in Belgium not the UK). A festival of candour in a chaotic summer schedule.
After arrival and territorial acquisition, like gold rush pioneers, the desirous throngs gathered slowly to the softening light of evening and ebullient beats of French DJ Laurent Garnier. On the Main stage, Oasis’ bombastic larrikins unfurled revered classics, while Liam blustered away. Don’t look back Anger Noel asked of the crowd. No anger, just a wistful longing for the return of the days before more recent paucity. As expectancy rose, headliners and middle-aged mentalists, the Prodigy, lit the proverbial pyre, triggering feverish scenes amongst the exuberant deluge.

Some day later

Next day crowds rose from their island-havens where tents were pitched amongst a coveted canopy of European Pine. Self-contained campsites, complete with all manner of amenity, including giant beer tepee, scene of the endless late night one-for-the-road. Queue-less bars prescribed Hoegarden Rose, that bountiful nectar of recovery. Almost worth, perhaps, the familiar buy-a-ticket-to-buy-a drinks system again present, three types of tickets this time, non-transferable between sites, of course.

The sanguine masses sat appreciatively for Elbow, before climbing into the enthused and grateful palms of Bloc Party. The Killers regaled with stories of Jenny and Mr Brightside, before a closing reminder, in the setting sun, of a time before we were old. In the midsummer night, Coldplay, delivered a rousing sing-a-long, Billy Jean tribute included, before time ran out with Clocks and thousands of paper butterflies fell over the crowd.

Day One a distant memory

Top-less or bikini-ed masses busied themselves like tired ants. A multitude of hats constructed from the growing detritus of beer holders, the latest festival fashion. The avian inspired and lavishly attired Karen O, of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, stared out across a sea of sun kissed revellers, from behind a shock of blue war paint. Franz Ferdinand crooned to the chilled masses, relaxing in the grass or gathering for refuge by tiny Oasis (water filled paddling pools not a midget Manchester tribute band). Perennial festival-ers Kings of Leon trooped out sex on fire and Somebody, looking every bit in need of a rest. Finally Belgium’s finest, 2ManyDJs, delivered an spellbinding set including a magical remix of MGMT’s kids, steering the unbridled crowd to its wanton climax, and leaving this little corner of Belgium in peace for another year.

Everyone suddenly burst out singing; And I was filled with such delight
As prisoned birds must find in freedom,
Winging wildly across the white
Orchards and dark-green fields; on--on--and out of sight.

“Everyone Sang” by Siegfried Sassoon, 1919

By Simon Owen
Photography by Isabell Schneider

REVIEW // DANANANANAYKROYD @ LEVI’S ONES TO WATCH, VIBE BAR, LONDON

2009-07-15T23:32:00.004+01:00

Dananananaykroyd headlined the first night of the Levi’s Ones To Watch 5 night revue in East London last night (7th July). Playing to a rapturous, sold out crowd in Brick Lane’s Vibe Bar, the Glaswegian sextet treated them to a stunning set jam-packed with hits from their debut album, ‘Hey Everybody’ and a succession of topless stage dives and mass sing-a-longs.
Combining the chaos and craft of their math-rock, fight-pop mash up, the Scots ripped through crowd favorites and previous singles, ‘Totally Bone’, ‘Black Wax and the manic ‘Pink Sabbath’. The latter causing utter carnage as both lead singer Callum Gunn and singer/drummer John Baillier Junior delivered the song from the belly of the mosh pit as their band mates behind cut their angular, twisted frames to the frantic beat.

With barely any respite the band launched into ‘Some Dresses’, a song they oddly dedicated to their ginger haired, perverted friend in the crowd and ‘Infinity Milk’, a track performed at such heat defying intensity, it’s now legendary dance-off finale was cheered and heckled by two thirds of the band striped down to the waist as Gunn and fellow fans attempted to break-dance in the middle of the pit..

With their front man still writhing amidst his increasingly sweaty devotees, the band delayed hurling themselves into set closer ‘Song One Puzzle’ by playing guess that theme tune before tentatively asking for their singer back. Once back on stage the band dedicated the song to an ‘awesome crowd’ before declaring it ‘the last chance to dance’. Que flaying arms and legs as the crowd manically mosh while lead guitarist David Roy performed the track over by the venue’s bar. As the song raged to an enthralling end Gunn descended on the crowd for what he described as the now ritual ‘wall of cuddles’ hugging each member of the crowd before making his way back onto the stage to play out both ‘Chrome Rainbow’ and ‘1993’ for a scintillating encore.

Earlier in the evening sultry post-punk 4-piece Romance played an energetic set which included tracks ‘Mother’ and the stand out ‘Picture Frame’. While the lo-fi brilliance of The Late Greats took to the stage for what was a breathtaking set of Pavement inspired tracks taken from their much hyped debut album Life Without Balloons.

By Dan Wade

REVIEW // HOCKEY @ LEVI’S ONESTOWATCH, VIBE BAR, LONDON

2009-07-15T23:27:00.002+01:00

Who can remember a year more deliriously giddy with the sound of brand new, unashamedly ace pop music than this very one whizzing us by.
Nope? Thought not. La Roux, Micachu and the Shapes, Little Boots, FrankMusik, Passion Pit, they’ve all soundtracked a hum-dinger of a year so far and, on tonight’s soul soaring regal spectacle, the power of pop looks nailed on to continue well into the winter too. Hell, we’ll eat our 501s if both Hockey and Chew Lips aren’t crowned one of the breakthrough artists of the year by the time you’re leaving a carrot and mince pie out by the fireplace at bedtime.

Evening three of the Levi’s OnesToWatch 5 Night Revue and we’re treated to perhaps the strongest line up of our Vibe Bar residency yet. Headliners Hockey have been making waves amongst industry types and smitten fans throughout the year, but its support band Chew Lips who, fronted by the sharp and sassy Tigs, stake their claim for pop supremacy from the very first filthy, heart pounding note of ‘Salt Air’. It’s one of a plethora of pant-wettingly exquisite tracks that showcase the very essence of soulful, dirge-driven, 8-bit disco brilliance that the London trio so effortlessly deliver. In fact, set closer and shape-pulling highlight ‘Solo’, an intimate, heart-wrenching aria to life slipping away, is the perfect way for the stunning, gemstone that is Tigs to perfectly embody the throbbing rhythm with every twist, thrust and boom of her Ditto-like larynx to end what was a spellbinding show.

Next up and it’s those Portland popsters Hockey. The very same boys that blew every single one of us out of our silly little minds at The Great Escape festival back in May. Kicking off with the dizzying and down-right delectable ‘Work’, a hundred Shoreditch stares melt in an instant as it loops, twists and grinds through every art-rock strut of a killer baseline while the new wave funk off, ‘Learn To Lose’ and the ‘3am Spanish’ Talking Heads verbosity, render the venue an utter sweat dripping hot box. Not that anyone cares. Especially as contender for track of the year, ‘Too Fake’ hit’s a bedazzled crowd with all the subtlety of a run away party bus. Set closer ‘Song Away’ see’s fidgety bum front-man, Benjamin Grubin, thrust his slender frame in the faces of an already hyperventilating group of female devotes and bask in the glory of what is a quite ridiculously loud sing-a-long.

By Dan Wade

REVIEW // SILENT SCREAMS + ESTATES AND STREETS @ THE UNDERGROUND, STOKE

2009-07-15T22:44:00.001+01:00

On a Friday night, The Underground moves into the dark world of screamo, hardcore, metal and anything that falls under those genres. Dressed in the skinniest of skinny jeans, high top trainers and so many piercings, they would make a pin cushion feel ashamed.
Playing to only a small crowd, Estates and Streets confidently played a good support set with everything a metal band could have. The right voice, sound, attitude and image. “Put your hand up if you liked that song”, lead singer, Nath, had a good response from the crowd. Encouraging 2-stepping and general mosh by climbing off the stage and onto the dance floor, it could have spelt disaster but it worked in its own way. It was easy to see that the young group had put effort into their set. Having played with many bands such as Azriel, Romeo Must Die and Stokes own Among Your Ashes, they are certainly making a name for themselves on the underground music scene.

The night was a ‘Scene Kid’s’ dream with the other bands and Silent Screams playing a top notch set to the people of Stoke. Hopefully, Nath, Paul, Sean and Chris will make a bigger name for themselves across the music scene and keep working hard.

By Lilly Roberts

www.myspace.com/estatesandstreets

REVIEW // BLUR @ HYDE PARK, LONDON 3/7/09

2009-07-06T23:40:00.002+01:00

Meteorologists were predicting heavy rain and thunderstorms for Friday 3rd July but the only rumble anyone around London will have heard that day was the brontidual noises emanating from Hyde Park.
So deafening, desperate and delighted was the cheer, nay roar, from the tens of thousands congregated in front of the Hyde Park stage who greeted Blur that it almost blew the Colchester quartet back into the dressing room.

Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree appeared on stage to Parklife’s The Debt Collector - a nod towards other bands’ cash-grabbing reunions, or their own, perhaps? – soaking up not only the sun but the complete love, adoration and thanks of the dedicated following they have collected over the years. Any cynics claiming Blur got back together to make a fast buck were soon proved to have misplaced their suspicions. The band’s emotion was etched all over their faces, clear as the blue skies above Hyde Park.

After taking it all in and a brief hello, they kicked off proceedings with four rapid-fire numbers. She’s So High, Girls And Boys, Tracy Jack and There’s No Other Way all got the crowd dancing, singing and bouncing but they went by in a flash. So involved were the crowd in – at the risk of sounding like a babbling sponge-headed happy-clapper - “the moment”, it was hard to remember what the last song was after about 10 seconds of the next.

It didn’t stop there. In fact it didn’t stop for another two and a bit hours. Jubilee very quickly followed, complete with Coxon acrobatics. Or rather a bit of flailing about on the floor while indulging in some guitar-noodlry during the “plays on his computer games” bit and then almost falling over on the way back up, to which he cracked a smile.

After a frenetic start the mood was lowered as Damon Albarn announced Andy Murray’s exit from our national tennis tournament. If there was ever a mood-killer, that was it. Momentarily, miraculously, the focus was not on Blur and the green grass of Hyde Park but on one solitary Scot and the green lawns of Wimbledon. Things were wound down yet further with Badhead and Beetlebum which offered some rest bite to both the band and fans.

This was the first gig announced when Blur reunited so the vast majority of those in attendance were the most eager of Blur fans, evident when Albarn had to ask the crowd at the front to calm down as they were starting to squash fellow onlookers. There was a sense that the band knew these were some of the most loyal fans and wanted to put on an extra impressive performance for them. They certainly delivered, bashing out a mix of classic singles and album favourites like Trimm Trabb, Coffee And TV, an apparently infinite version of Tender which began to border on tedious if we’re being completely honest, Country House, Oily Water, Chemical World, Sunday Sunday and Parklife for which, as at Glastonbury, Phil Daniels joined them on stage and joined Albarn in running and jumping around the stage with an exuberance that span the clock back those 15 years.

The various demographics in attendance, particularly the wide ranging age groups, were a testament to the band’s longevity and relevance. Their observations and social commentary are as applicable today as they were in the 1990’s, their pop craftsmanship just as infectious, and that is clearly something that younger fans have picked up on. A significant proportion of the crowd looked like they may not have even been born, or at least old enough to know about them, when Blur were in their youth.

The whole band was visibly affected by their fans’ reactions and wrapping the set up with End Of A Century, To The End, This Is A Low, Death Of A Party, For Tomorrow and the hugely moving The Universal sandwiching Popscene, Advert and Song 2 was too much for many a fan to take.

“It really, really, really, could happen…” sang a teary Albarn. Well, it just did and long will this most joyous of days live in the memory of every Blur fan and the band.

By Stephen Milnes

REVIEW // MANIC STREET PREACHERS @ ULSTER HALL, BELFAST

2009-07-06T23:37:00.000+01:00

"Please go out and have the most re-defining summer of your lives. Just go out and fucking kick it to fucking pieces and go for it!" That was James Dean Bradfield's advice to the crowd in Belfast's Ulster Hall before the Manics ripped into A Design For Life, bringing the evening to an ecstatic close.
The set was divided into two parts, firstly the new album 'Journal For Plague Lovers' was played in its entirety, and followed by a 'greatest hits' set. 'Journal...' was rendered beautifully into a live setting, and the decision to play it in its entirety allowed Richey's songs to be heard as a coherent whole and in context. While, as Bradfield has said, there are no singles on this album, it nevertheless provided a few sing-along moments. ‘Jackie Collins Existential Question Time’, ‘Marlon J. D’ and the title track went down particularly well.

Throughout this set the emotion surrounding these songs was clear, but the most poignant moments came with the more reflective tracks; ‘This Joke Sport Severed’, ‘Facing Page: Top Left’, and ‘William’s Last Words’, the latter two performed acoustically by James and Nicky respectively.

Following ‘William’s Last Words’ the band left the stage and returned in altered mood to deliver the greatest hits. This part of the set opened with Motorcycle Emptiness which fired up the crowd and set the breakneck pace for the final hour of the night. All the expected songs were played, among them ‘Your Love Alone’, ‘Tsunami’, ’La Tristesse Durera’, ‘If You Tolerate This...’, ‘Little Baby Nothing’, and ‘You Love Us’ with the only real surprise coming in the form of ‘Sorrow 16’ from the Motown Junk EP.

Yet whether the crowd had come only to hear the big hits, to see what the band had really made of Richey’s lyrics or, cynically, to see if the Manics have still ‘got it’, every single person in the hall was with them 100%. And as we emptied into the streets it was clear that, even if there’s only one re-defining summer inspired by that night, several hundred people went home happy, having glimpsed a flash of beauty.

By Ruth Thompson

REVIEW // SONAR FESTIVAL 2009

2009-06-29T22:00:00.002+01:00

Festivals come in many shapes and sizes these days, but a commonality links them all. Location. While some languidly stretch over verdant grassy fields in the bucolic hinterland, others sit fervently upright in some city centre park.
Sonar may just stand in a class of its own, spreading its effusive fingers across an entire city for 3 days. That City is Barcelona, a paragon of modernity and traditional beauty on the gilded shores of the Mediterranean. Over 150 live acts and DJs from the world of electro combine with a whole host of art, multi-media installations, exhibitions and demonstrations by painters, sculptors and visual artists.

In its 16th year, Sonar is officially divided into day and night sections, but in reality is supported by a myriad of “Off Sonar” events spread around the city, including boat, beach and pool parties and club nights starting morning, noon and night. A whole host of DJs, producers and remix kings, including Ed Banger, Sunday Best, Red Bull Academy and Secret Sundaze book acts across the city, giving Barcelona the feel of a massive, de-facto all night, three-day rave that besets the city. The Spanish, like no others, know how to party and how to party late and long.

Sonar de Dia (day) is set in centre of Barcelona, and is a civilized affair focused upon the progressive arts and world of multi-media while ambient electro tunes drift all around in the background. You’re as likely to bump into serious arts and media lovers as clubbers looking for a daytime hop. Most notable acts this year included Micachu and the Shapes, La Roux, Ebony Bones and a whole host of DJs.

Sonar de Noche (night) couldn’t be more different, set in Fira Gran Via L'Hospitalet, a vast conference centre in an industrial wasteland on the city limits. Looking like an aircraft hanger with its 20,000 capacity, Sonar de Noche runs, unsurprisingly, all night and is akin to a giant organized futuristic rave. This is where the serious partying takes place, though the presence of a dodgem track seemed incongruous. Headliners included Animal Collective, Orbital, Crystal Castles, Grace Jones, Fever Ray and Late Of The Pier.

The revellers certainly seemed up for it, judging by the trade in Red Bull outside the main gate and the assortment of comedy hats/sunnies/facial hair and fancy dress on display. Electro loving locals, international pilgrims of dance, Festival hopping tourists, turbo charged stag do’s, dub step loving hippies, old school ravers, the gay clubbing brigade and gangs of hedonistic under 20s. Every kind of reveller filed in as the gates opened their welcoming arms and dispersed the expectant crowds across the three stages, both indoor and outdoor.

Club, looking like a vast aircraft hangar, and Lab, another smaller, more intimate indoor stage, were both predominantly reserved for DJs. In contrast, Pub was an outdoor stage that offered up a good mix of live acts. Despite the fervent 20,000 capacity crowds, the venue never seemed overly full and was relatively easy to wander around. Even the drinks were reasonably priced for a festival, getting one another matter with the ludicrous buy-a-ticket-to-buy-a-drink system and its inevitable queues.

In the vast Club arena, Grace Jones, didn’t let the female diva union down as she turned up nearly an hour late. Still, she crooned out a few good tunes, wearing a mirror ball hat and even hoola-hooping on stage, before pulling the whole front section of the crowd up on stage during Pull Up To My Bumper, for their “look a me mum” moment.

Current darling of the music press Little Boots opened with Earthquake before ripping through an electric set, determined to make converts of us all. “This is the first time we’ve played in Barcelona – it’s great to be here!” declared Ms. Boots, grinning.

Fellow Brits Late of the Pier were also in fine fettle, raging through their electro-indie rock set including perennial favourites Focker and Heartbeat, despite having to leave the stage halfway through due to technical problems.

After the Worst Mojito In The World™ – poured from an industrial sized metallic canister - it was on to catch the end of James Murphy & Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem), Richie Hawtin and Sebastien. By then the hair-raising low-end bass, incredible lighting and abundant profusion of man-made stimulation available had got the serious techno heads going, lost in the waves of music, bobbing along like little islands amid a sea of noise.

Buraka Som Sistema and the UK’s Mary Ann Hobbs provided a slight change of pace with some late night dubstep action, and the crowds ebbed and flowed, increasingly subjugated in the incredible 25 degree heat. But that was to be the last variation of the early morning, and as the night sped towards its climax, the crowd transformed from early ambivalence to energetic collectiveness to daze and confusion

Finally all three stages in unison turned themselves over to a heady mix of repetitive beat and heavy distortion. Here perhaps a more accessible headliner, on a least one stage, might have been the order of the day (or night). The Chemical Brothers for example, Mylo or 2ManyDJs spring to mind.

Brodinski and Don Rimini brought the night to a shuddering climax, and left the stupified multitudes that were still going looking, wanting and needing more.

As the night stretched out it’s hand to greet the lazy sun, rising over Barcelona’s beaches, the crowds spilled out into the grey dawn, sunglasses the only bulwark against the intruding reality of the day. Many, still able, would forgo sleep and seek out the plethora of early morning beach and boat parties that carry would them through until midday and beyond. The rest, tired and befuddled, would contemplate that only 6 hours remained before they would be doing it all over again.

By Simon Owen and Derek Robertson
Photos by Will Edmond

REVIEW // KAP BAMBINO @ THE COOLER, BRISTOL

2009-06-29T21:49:00.004+01:00

If I were to say The Cooler was rammed…my hands would be wrist deep in bull-shit... This unmitigated emptiness could have been because it was a Sunday, and it would have been even easier to blame the credit crunch, but empty is empty, and The Cooler was fucking dead.
So at their 5th U.K halt, Bordeaux primary, “dance your ass off”, electro duet; Kap Bambino, were whim to the anticipation of a select and disappointing 20.

“Hello Bristol, we are Kap Bambino...” Devilishly angelic, front girl Martial’s petite beauty matches her child like spokeness, and clad in Parisian marche nuggets, her classic French aura is appearing-ly and confusing-ly innocent. However, snapped at the first kick, an instantaneous salirophilic orgy, turns representative of an exorcism as she tears through the stage in a fit of frenzy, ripping at the backdrop, and intermittently collapsing in exhaustion. With this alters wretched energy, still shockingly in-comprehendible, she croons to Neutral, centre stage, mic clenched and head between the knee’s. Her stabbing screams, carrying across the street, could sharpen the calmest of bystanders yet rearing around the Coolers dance-floor, her inviting nature is incredibly endearing. Like Karen O on K-R-A-C-K.

Bouvier the boy-half, hood up and head down (and not to be forgotten), is electrified… Mechanically dipping to the driving distortion he so mercilessly cranks, he parries on as his counter-part, dropping and spotlighting the backdrop to the pairs new amalgamation: Blacklist.

It’s hair-raisingly blunt, with barbaric synths emitting clenched, hard-house beats, matched perfectly by uncompromised bass lines; all soaked to the brim in distortion. It can only be described as “in-your-face” 8bit terror-core, and combined, Martial and Bouvier are an un-stoppable, electronic force. It’s just a shame no-one was there to witness it.

Leaving Miss Glass in a puddle of embarrassment , you can catch the original unisex-lectro couplet on the Q stage at Glasto or at one of their many dates listed on their myspace.

By Matt Riches

REVIEW // WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS + THE TWILIGHT SAD @ HMV IN-STORE, GLASGOW

2009-06-21T16:18:00.002+01:00

Edinburgh-born four-piece We Were Promised Jetpacks play a short acoustic set at Glasgow’s strangely acoustic HMV store in support of their debut album, These Four Walls, and in preparation of the album launch party at King Tuts later in the evening.
Guitarist / vocalist Adam Thomson, with his odd vocals comprising Beirut/System of a Down influence, leads the way with solo-renditions of ‘This is My House, This is My Home’, with its Explosions in the Sky-esque musicianship and ‘Ships With Holes Will Sink’, before being joined by Michael Palmer (bassist) on glockenspiel and guest-violinist Robyn Dawson for ‘An Almighty Thud’ and ‘Keeping Warm’ – the latter of which being one of the main standout tracks on These Four Walls. Adam insists that this is quite an extraordinary experience for his band, to be playing to a host of people at an in-store gig in his adopted city, before expressing his extreme gratitude. This was little more than a mouthwatering preview of We Were Promised Jetpacks and the endless potential of the young bairns, with Adam Thomson and co proving that they don’t require the ferocity of a full-band performance to sound truly great.

After restarting their opening song, ‘Walking For Two Hours’ due to sound disagreements, The Twilight Sad deliver an acoustic set of the highest standard. Broad-accented vocalist James Graham, who posed a rather nervous figure, states that the words ‘acoustic performance’ is generally followed by extreme scepticism, although he and guitarist Andy MacFarlane run through a short set, which, similar to their predecessors this afternoon, was verging on epic. The pair performs songs taken from widely acclaimed album Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters, such as ‘And She Would Darken the Memory’ and ‘That Summer, at Home I Became the Invisible Boy’, as well as new material from the yet untitled forthcoming album, including ‘Made To Disappear ‘ and ‘I Became a Prostitute’. While banter in-between songs was extremely limited, the material on show was a welcomed and long overdue reminder of what The Twilight Sad have to offer, and the forthcoming album is undoubtedly a release that shall be highly anticipated.

By Andrew Burns

REVIEW // THE HORRORS @ BIRMINGHAM ACADEMY

2009-06-20T11:50:00.001+01:00

What better way to spend a warm summers evening than in an overcrowded, overheated room. As the evening goes on, everyone becoming more dehydrated and cramped but every person dancing, pushing, jumping and sweating and enjoying every second of it. This can only be one thing, a Horrors gig.
Showcasing recent album ‘Primary Colours’ to fans old and new, the band have most definitely excelled as musicians and their live shows are still the very thing that make them who they are. As Faris’ enchanting voice echoes through the Academy, there is not one person standing still. Opening song ‘Mirror’s Image’ instantly had the room moving. The sound has obviously changed from their once underground 1960s ultra-gothic to something more on the ShoeGaze spectrum. But nevertheless, Faris, Joe, Rhys, Joshua and Tomathy still have the ability to bombard the ears of people with their haunting, individual and truly amazing music. New single ‘Who Can Say’ and album song ‘New Ice Age’ were the main crowd pleasers and there was not one person in the Academy cool and sweat free.

The Southend shock-rockers finished their set with ‘Primary Colours’, they reappear to the stage within a minute to perform old classics, ‘Count in Fives’, ‘Sheena is a Parasite’ and finally closing with ‘Gloves’. “I feel a little bit better with myself”, says Faris after screaming out ‘Count in Fives’.

The set was a powerful, psychedelic party that made anything loud seem quiet. Support came from the brilliant industrial pop sounding S.C.U.M and the very unique Factory Floor. Both bands ones to watch for the future as Tom, lead singer of S.C.U.M, is a powerful front man.

If you have never seen The Horrors live, you cannot miss the opportunity to experience their live shows this year. It would most certainly convert a those unsure to The Horrors into new fans.

By Lilly Roberts
Photo by Brianna Saraceno

REVIEW // GALLOWS + ROLO TOMASSI + WOUNDS @ THE ACADEMY, DUBLIN

2009-06-20T11:48:00.001+01:00

Unfortunately, due to getting lost in Dublin, Noize arrived too late to see Dublin four-piece Wounds and only caught the end of screaming youngsters Rolo Tomassi. Rolo Tomassi have concocted their own mix of music which seems to be about two parts metal, three parts electro and seventy parts lungs.
Eva Spence (lead singer) is a fragile looking girl but her appearance deceives as she has a scream on her that would make a pack of hungry lions scarper. From hearing the tail end of their set they sound slightly musically confused especially concerning structure but as a fairly new band it’s understandable that they might have a few kinks to work out.

After several sound checks and stage re-arranging the lights finally darken and Gallows jump on stage to their eery opening music. Frank Carter is the last to make an ominous arrival, a hooded figure appearing from the darkness. Lags drops the first riff and they go straight into “The Vulture Act II” the first release from new album “Grey Britain”. They continue with “Come Friendly Bombs” from their successful debut “Orchestra of Wolves” before Frank Carter gives himself a breath to address the crowd.

The Academy is a pretty small venue and Carter is unimpressed with the lack of intensity in crowd movement. After a couple more numbers he decides to do something about it and stalks his way into the crowd mic in hand to show us how it’s done. The Watford quintet take the audience by the throat with both hands for the anthemic “London Is The Reason” and the equally hard-hitting “Leeches”. As they ram through the set Frank is travelling the lengths of the room on a sea of hands while his brother Steph somehow makes it to the upper balcony and decides to play guitar from there. It’s a wonder Frank has any voice left to talk to the audience with, especially as this is the last night of a UK tour and he puts every fibre of himself and his oesophagus into each show. Most of the set so far has been majoritively from “Grey Britain” which is no bad thing as it’s an album of epic proportions but they are wise to include some of the older tunes which made them so successful. The double hitter of “In the Belly of a Shark” and their debut single “Abandon Ship” proves to be a killer combination as the audience seems to morph into one giant circle pit mess. Frank looks over the crowd pleased with the chaos his shrapnel spitting voice has mustered.

The set comes to a close with “Crucifucks” coming just after the epic “Orchestra of Wolves” which reduced the crowd size as security hustled out the crowd surfers and one daring fan who made a jump from the balcony to the stage and stage-dived into the crowd. All in a night’s work for one of the most genuine and original rock bands grey Britain has to offer.

By Sara Irvine
Photo by Brendan Docherty

REVIEW // THE MACCABEES + THE CUTAWAYS @ SPRING AND AIRBRAKE, BELFAST

2009-06-20T11:45:00.001+01:00

It’s The Maccabees’ first ever Belfast show which looks to be off to a good start with a packed-out venue hungry for some of the five-piece’s unique brand of Indie.
“No Kind Words to Say” taken from new album “Wall of Arms” opens the show and immediately gets the crowd moving from the first strums of Felix White’s guitar. The Maccabees certainly seem to have carefully crafted their live performance as every song sounds just as it does on their albums but with added vigour. Orlando Weeks’ voice remains consistently pitch-perfect as they breeze through the show. His own individual musical talents are made apparent as he moves from vocals, to guitar to accordion through the set. Despite their performance of several new tracks such as “Love you better” and “Can you give it”, it’s good to see them acknowledging the popularity of their debut album “Colour it in” as they play the delicate “Toothpaste Kisses” as well as the more energetic “Precious Time” and “First Love”.

They finish all too soon despite audience chants for “one more tune!” but it’s clear that without playing an encore they’ve certainly cemented an impressive reputation for themselves in Belfast.

By Sara Irvine

REVIEW // PETE DOHERTY @ THE UNDERGROUND, STOKE

2009-06-20T11:39:00.002+01:00

For the second time this year, the good ship Albion has returned to The Underground and yet again has brought in a full house. There is no denying that Pete Doherty brings in the crowds but this time it was a lesser known affair.
Just less than two hours before, Doherty had graced the stage at Britannia Stadium for the Love Music Hate Racism festival but in his true style, played what was a great acoustic set. Always one to please the Stoke crowd, Pete donned the stage at around 11PM with his guitar, harmonica and leather arm chair.

His set lasted almost over an hour and a half and consisted of his usual Libertines, Babyshambles and solo songs, comical banter between the crowd and short but sweet covers. Opening with Libertines classic, ‘Horror Show’, Pete pleased the sweaty Stokies and strummed out classic after classic. He even made requests for people on the front row to have drinks.

Between the songs and alcoholic beverages, Pete was more than happy to exchange banter with the crowd and even played songs requested by the fans. As he belted out song after song, his manager came on stage to tell Pete that they it was time to finish and he continued with the set.

He was also joined on stage by two ballerinas for song ‘Last of the English Roses’ and then for the last half an hour of the set, his entire team came on stage to dance and sing along. As well as his own classics, Pete sang covers of The Specials ‘Gangsters’, The Smiths ‘The Boy With the Thorn in his Side’, The Stone Roses ‘I WannaBe Adored’ and merging Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ with ‘Don’t Look Back Into the Sun’.

Ending the night at roughly 12:30AM, Pete closed his spectacular show with ‘What a Waster’, Pete threw his guitar into the crowd cutting the song short and rushing out of the venue. It is still unsure as to why that happened but it did not ruin what was brilliant gig.

If you love or hate Pete Doherty, there is no denying that he is a performer who can please the most stubborn of people into enjoying his gigs.

By Lilly Roberts

REVIEW // SPOT FESTIVAL 2009 AARHUS, DENMARK

2009-06-14T12:58:00.001+01:00

Think Scandinavian music. What immediately springs to mind? Perhaps only a small cluster of notables, spanning from kooky Ida Maria, the intellectual sonic bleeps of Royksopp or the wonky electropop of Casiokids.
SPOT is Denmark’s finest new music festival - now in its 15th year. Three days long, it’s stock full to the brim of new fangled and note worthy bands, and testament that this Scandinavian shindig is a worthy one to watch.

Swap branded bags brimming with wads of neon flyers, trudging through knee deep mud, heckling, inebriated staggering youths necking pear cider and impromptu fisticuffs and exchange with hearty picnic baskets, mini bottles of the nations equivalent of legal moonshine, Gamm Dansk, pleasant festival frivolity and a selection of Scandinavian finest acts, all running to schedule....

It doesn’t sound very sexy but it IS good clean fun. Impeccable organisation is of course The Scandinavian Way. All set in the pretty town of Aahus.

Most people think Scandinavia is too cold to be a hot bed of talent but we found plenty to get excited about.....

HIGHLIGHTS

First we catch Vice crowd-pleasing hipstresses Le Corps Mince De Francoise (or LCMDF to those already acquainted). This Finnish sassy electro punk pop trio are what you’d imagine Telepathe injected with Prozac would sound like - with elements of Chicks on Speed, minus the attitude. Sheer bliss and deserving of a headline slot rather than the festival opener. This lot are worth keeping your eye on with their impressive self released material.

Bodebrixen could be considered as the new saviours of the Danish pop scene. They shone brightly with an energetic set jam packed with shiny catchy tracks.

Avid fans swelling at every given entrance made it near enough impossible to catch some of the festival’s heavy weights, such as the native Choir of the Young Believers to Iceland’s Emiliana Torrini. Also causing a stir were sister duo Taxi Taxi! and experimental electronica of Hanne Hukkelberg.

We also caught wind of another band not noted in the programme, Giana Factory, who most recently supported Glasvegas on tour. Playing an outdoor marquee today, this lot played Sixties tinged new wave pop with a modern twist. Headed up by the sister of The Raveonettes Sharin Foo, expect this band name to be dropped enthusiastically in the forthcoming months.

Oh Land, fronted by the striking Nana Øland Fabricius struck an instant comparison to Bjork´s quirkiness with shades of Alison Goldfrapps Felt Mountain era too.

The omnipresent Casiokids surprisingly weren’t in attendance however; troop member Feddy represented in his other guise, as drummer for super band The Megaphonic Thrift. This Bergen collective, consisting of band members of Low Frequency in Stereo, the brilliant Syme and Stereo 21 (phew!) served up defiant noise rock with nostalgic shoe gazer overtones.

Highlights took shape of I Was A King, whose melodic pop rock with radio friendly sing-along harked back to Teenage Fanclub - yet sounding so fresh and now. Perhaps one of the strongest acts tipped to breakthrough internationally.

Oh No Ono closed the festival with a set of epic proportions. Pretty much dividing the auditorium in opinion with their shrill trademark vocals which proved piercing and contrived at times, love em or loathe em, Oh No Ono are a band acclaimed for all their weirdness and differences. Melding aspects of MGMT with prog rock complexity, Oh No Ono have the makings of a cult band. Watch this space.

In summary, a totally unpretentious festival with a genuine spirit for collectively showcasing a myriad of new blood and big native hitters, SPOT hits our spot.

Mostly comprising of little known names, this festival may not to be high up on your agenda but it should be. Go and check out what the Danes have to offer next year - you won’t be disappointed.

By Nazlee Jannoo

www.spotfestival.dk/index.php?language=uk

REVIEW // ATP CURATED BY THE BREEDERS

2009-06-11T22:47:00.001+01:00

“I don’t really want to go home…..EVER,” said a bleary-eyed friend as we both prepared ourselves to face the reality that loomed just outside those shiny red doors. Weighed down by an unbearable feeling of emptiness, we dragged our weary bodies through a place that had once seemed so alive with noise, boys, toys, and a lot of flashing lights……
ATP: where kitsch and cool collide with ferocity, on a rollercoaster ride of a festival. But it’s not just a festival, it’s a cultural experience: quaint English seaside charm with a hardened edge. “It’s like living in an amusement arcade for three days, but where the soundtrack isn’t Steps, it’s Shellac.” All in all, like a shiny, plastic, noisy, wonderful toy wonderland. The stuff kids’ dreams are made of.

However, despite enjoying myself to the point of exhaustion, I did leave Minehead feeling pretty p*ssed off at having missing so many bands (due to my awful organisational skills and newfound love of Corky’s vodka shots). So, for your delight (and potential distaste), here are some of the bands I was fortunate (and organised) enough to catch at this year’s ATP…..

After tumbling off the bus in a wine-induced haze and stopping to buy cigarettes, more wine and a ‘marshmallow penis’, we eventually arrived at Butlins. With our schedule ingeniously marked out in liquid eyeliner, we sidled up to the bar: “It’s a bit of a dude ranch!”, my friend (sarcastically) lamented. And despite our initial annoyance at having missed Yann Tierson we soon found a good spot for Bon Iver, sandwiched between a boy wearing a plaid shirt on one side and a boy wearing a plaid shirt on the other.

As soon as I heard Justin Vernon’s haunting, breathy mountain call and glanced upon the crowd of lumberjack impersonators (I started to rate the beards) as if by magic I was transported to a hunting cabin somewhere in Northwestern Wisconsin, far, far away from the gaudy lights of the Butlins Pavilion. Bon Iver certainly warmed my frosty cockles (it was pretty cold by the sea) and melted the crowd of frosty cynics as his lo-fi, understated sound filled the Pavillion. A fleeting moment of acoustic tenderness from the man of the moment.

As we were stood watching Mr Lif, my friend confessed: “I’m just not urban enough to dance to this!” And even if the rest of the crowd felt the same, it certainly didn’t show. The diversity of music on offer at ATP is definitely its USP, so with a bop and a jump, I let the beat do the talking. Variety is the spice of life after all.

If you’ve seen a band play six times before, then watching them again can be a pretty irksome task, especially if you don’t think much of them in the first place. So watching CSS perform at ATP was akin to watching paint dry for me. Colourful paint, but paint nonetheless. And it looked like the audience felt the same way, as they limply swayed in a detached manner to the overly familiar sound of the Brazillian five-piece.

With their tantalisingly delicious jangly-pop sound, Teenage Fanclub were responsible for informing my early musical tastes:I was intrigued to see if my idolatrous worship of them would be cruelly flattened by their performance at ATP. Back when I was just a carefree hippy-girl, and it was cool to scribble band names on your army bag, Teenage Fanclub were like a more pumped up, more accessible version of the Sarah Records repertoire. Anyway, fast forward twenty years, and here they stand, skipping effortlessly through songs like ‘What You Do To Me’ as if it was 1991 all over again.

“Holy Fuck!”, amusingly enough became my catchphrase for the weekend, borne from my constant and hysterical anticipation at seeing them perform. To put it simply, Holy Fuck are f***ing awesome. Heart-racing, stomach-wrenching, head-pounding, watching Holy Fuck is a profoundly physical experience as you let the powerful and uncontrollable forces take over your body. Party times.

As The Breeders, Wire and Gang of Four played alongside contemporaries like Foals, Holy Fuck and Deerhunter, this year’s ATP gave rise to the ultimate clash of the titans in ‘a brief history of indie since the 90s.’ Throw in a few ATP chalet parties, (most notably the ‘gay disco’), some top-notch knitting time and some serious gambling and you have a UK festival unrivalled by any of the other thousands that exist out there in the festival ether. Go forth and conquer.

By April Welsh

REVIEW // MARIACHI EL BRONX @ ATP CURATED BY THE BREEDERS

2009-06-11T22:42:00.001+01:00

Offering a radically different interpretation of hardcore punk, Mariachi El Bronx have secured ubiquitous fame in their hometown of LA by fusing classic rock structures with traditional mariachi instrumentation.
The result is a totally unique, wholly invigorating cross-over sound, where cultures and genres collide and coalesce in an audio-visual banquet of a live show.

At a festival with a seemingly steadfast monopoly on indie-rock stalwarts (past and present), the decision to add a mariachi band to the bill was a very well-informed one indeed, bringing a much needed flash of joviality to a weekend largely dominated by progressive guitar bands.

Decked out in studded charro suits and brightly-coloured sombreros, The Bronx confidently appear on stage and their party vibe provides instant appeal to an ostensibly jaded looking audience. As the trumpet sounds, a previously unenthused crowd suddenly springs to life with a renewed sense of sparkle, tapping their winkle pickers in anticipation.

Uncompromising, but not at all unpleasant, the high-pitched plucking of the viheula glibly reverberates throughout the room, as the guitarron mexicano holds a somewhat baffled looking audience captive with its powerful sound. Flitting effortlessly between tracks like the wonderfully ironic ‘Gary Glitter’, and surprisingly soulful ‘PR Rules’, The Bronx bring sprinkles of humour and cultural tradition to ATP, winning over a crowd of stubborn cynics.

By April Welsh

REVIEW // STAG AND DAGGER FESTIVAL 2009

2009-05-28T22:34:00.003+01:00

Another urban day-to-night festival. An appetizer before the main feast of the summer arrives. This time featuring 20 venues around East London and over 100 acts.
After dodging brick lane’s sea of restaurant touts, first stop was a hot and sweaty Vibe Bar for bearded Glaswegian 6 piece, Phantom Band, and their curious combination of art-prog rock and simple lo-fi folk. The crowds were still pouring in as they launched into Burial Sounds, with its clanging bells and sliding guitars. Shortly followed by After Throwing Bones and Folk Song Oblivion, before Crocodile, a 7 minute instrumental with a soothing but throbbing baseline and wandering ethereal guitars. Think Beta Band, Captain Beefheart, REM.

Next stop across the road, and more scot rock with Twilight Sad at 93 Feet East. “Hello, this is our first time in Brick Lane” introduced lead singer James Graham before kicking off with That Summer, At Home I had become the Invisible Boy, a slow drum led lament about adolescence that crashes into a room filling sound of full guitars. They don’t look like a band. More like a bunch of lads on a cheap night out. “Drink some buckie”, (the drink of choice for teenagers and tramps alike) a member of the crowd begged of Graham. He obliged a couple of songs later. Aside from his trippy twirling on stage and manic percussive cymbal beating during Talking with Fireworks, the overall band performance was a bit staid. That said, their songs are excellent and the reverb of their guitars and bass suited the enclosed harsh industrial interior of 93 Feet East, even if a combination of thick Scottish accents and poor sound made it difficult to understand the vocals.

The one distinguished element was the drumming of Mark Devine. Sometimes simple, sometimes with a flourish, but always a guiding light amidst the wall of noise. Never more so than on On Talking with Fireworks/Here it never snowed, with its percussive and vocal led periods interspersed only by raging guitars. After several more tracks, they closed with And She Would Darken the Memory, ending with its prolonged, spine tingling, wall of distorted noise, while Graham stood statuesque at the end of the stage, silently mouthing words, while staring transfixed out across the sea of heads.

Then onto the red-bricked interior of Cargo, housed in the railway arches of Shoreditch, and the eagerly anticipated Cold War Kids, a 4 piece from California. Standing on stage almost amongst the packed 500 capacity crowd, they launched vigorously into opener Mexican Dogs, with the bluesy howling vocals of Lead Singer Nathan Willet dominating the bleak screeching guitar lines underneath.

Next up came Something is not right with me, to shouts of appreciation from the crowd and Hang me Up to Dry with its pounding bass and agonising vocals. Hospital Beds as well as any song demonstrates their preference for troubled lyrics, in this case about the terminally ill. There’s nothing new about their music. Its southern blues rock with a foot in soulful gospel origins, combining solid melodies and vibrato heavy vocals. The mixture of chiming guitars, stomping piano and crooning high-pitched vocals are reminiscent of The Whites Stripes, Jeff Buckley, Bruce Springsteen and even Deus. But their delivery is infectious, and definitely draws on the feverish nature of southern influences. Never demonstrated better than in the fantastic closing number St John, a rousing gospel style sing-a-along about a man waiting on death row.

Generally the crowds had been lukewarm at Stag and Dagger but Cold War Kids got them going as much as anyone had, and passed them on to the ranks of DJs waiting to extend this little slice of a festival for as long as possible.

By Simon Owen
Photos by Lucia Graca

REVIEW // ANE BRUN @ UNION CHAPEL, LONDON 20/05/09

2009-05-28T22:31:00.001+01:00

There’s something about Scandinavia that seems to produce either bands that make your ears bleed or acoustic singer-song writer types that make you walk around barefoot and stare at the clouds.
Norwegian singer-songwriter, Ane Brun, most recognisable from her cover of Cyndi Lauper's “True Colours” (the one from the Sony Advert), played to a packed, luminous and spellbound Union Chapel.

The Chapel (a real one) is unlike most normal venues, and is complete with pews, homemade food and stained glass windows. But the acoustics are simply amazing. Between songs, Ane announced, “I love this place, all I have to do is open my mouth and it sounds so amazing”. She was right.

She sang songs from her 6 albums about relationships, loss and heartbreak. Ane seems to alternate between a mixture of pared down folk numbers and more complex gospel-inspired rousing epics. She also alternates between a number of singing voices, and also pitch and volume, reminiscent of Jeff Buckley and Joni Mitchell. It works better in the pared down tracks, less reliant on complex backed harmonising but instead on her innately beautiful voice and simple but effective finger-picking.

This is no more evident than in the Nick Drake inspired Lullaby For Grown Ups. While on tracks like Don’t Leave she reverts to a warbling country and western style voice. Finally there’s an emotional intimacy about her songs. She dedicates Changing of the Seasons to “all the Scandinavians in the room”. A beautiful song about the emotional ups and downs in life that seem to replicate the ebb and flow of seasons.

Whether her music is for you or not, there’s no disputing the pure beauty of her voice, and of her backing singers, all artists in their own right, and support acts for her on the night.

By Simon Owen

REVIEW // THE GREAT ESCAPE 2009

2009-05-21T22:13:00.005+01:00

300 artists, 34 venues, 3 days… This year The Great Escape also provided its’ punters with the unannounced addition of being able to experience all four seasons throughout its short duration.
Still with coat on, brolly in hand and sunglasses in bag, off I trundled into the wind/rain/sun to try and discover something musically new and exciting to stop me moaning about how generic and dull music is at the moment.

THURSDAY

VIDEO NASTIES @ LEVI'S ONES TO WATCH STAGE - www.myspace.com/videonasties

Mixing punk, rock, indie and garage, Video Nasties are a loud cacophony of sound. They have energy and enthusiasm and know how to perform, but it is only in the rare moments in between the aggro-riffs and beats that they begin to shine. Stand out track: None

THE INVISIBLE - www.myspace.com/theinvisiblethree

Visually captivating, this band are not at all what I expected. Experimental and genre-spanning, musically gifted but not really my cup of tea… However, everyone I speak to disagrees and not one negative comment is uttered. I guess I’ll give them another try. Stand out track: London Girl

EVERYTHING EVERYTHING - www.myspace.com/everythingeverythinguk

Finally something new rears it’s head on stage at Komedia! Everything Everything are a four piece band who are creating something completely new. Complex melodies, beautiful harmonies and poetic lyrics are all mixed together to create something genuinely refreshing and despite its musical complexity it sounds so, so simple. Judging by the smiles all round the heaving venue, everyone seems to agree with me.
Stand out track: Suffragette Suffragette and Photoshop Handsome (I can’t pick just one)

RUMBLESTRIPS - www.myspace.com/rumblestripsuk

I’m torn as to what to write here. Rumblestrips are definitely a popular choice at the now full-to-capacity Komedia and when they are good, they are really, really good. But as the rhyme goes, when they are bad…
Stand out track: Girls and Boys In Love

FRIDAY

LOVELIKEFIRE - www.myspace.com/lovelikefire

Friday starts off on a real unexpected high with LoveLikeFire stunning me into silence. Hailing from San Francisco, this four piece band with a Caleb-Kings-Of-Leon-lookalike for a drummer know how to win over an audience. Think of a happy Arcade Fire mixed with an upbeat Sigur Ros. Very basically it is Indie Rock music with an airy atmospheric addition, which perfectly compliments Ann's dreamy vocals.
Stand out track: William

GRAN RONDE - www.myspace.com/granronde

Heading along to Komedia to catch The Big Pink, I was at first disappointed to find they had cancelled, and then elated to discover the beauty of their replacement; Gran Ronde. Big, beautiful musical landscapes with a dirty edge. Think Editors crossed with Bloc Party. Shame they are US based and don’t visit our shores too often… yet. Stand out track: On and On

MUMFORD AND SONS - www.myspace.com/mumfordandsons

Never ones to disappoint in the past, thankfully Mumford didn’t start tonight. The school assembly hall-like Corn Exchange was full to bursting, and the expectation and atmosphere turned tangible. When and how did country/folk/indie music become so exciting?! Marcus was born to be a front man and his humble, gentlemanly persona is so genuine it makes me love the band that little bit more. I sang, danced and waved my hands throughout the whole set. Without a doubt my highlight of the weekend!
Stand out track: Hold On To What You Believe

SATURDAY

FIGHT LIKE APES @ LEVI'S ONES TO WATCH STAGE - www.myspace.com/fightlikeapesmusic

I’m pretty sure I didn’t take a breath for the duration of this set. FLA have energy by the bucketload, an unhealthy amount of personality and are just a little bit mental, which is probably my main reason for loving their set so much, even if I nearly did get hit in the face by a flying crate. FLA are funny, violent and have the ability to even whip a Katie Melua audience into a frenzy, although this huge input of crowd interaction does mean that lead singer Maykays vocals can be a bit hit and miss. Stand out track: Something Global

MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS - www.myspace.com/marinaandthediamonds

It’s been a while since I last saw Marina live and witnessing her enter the stage was like seeing a Gok Wan transformation; Tiny spangly outfit, massive hair and a huge personality to match. Marina can really belt out a vocal, and she certainly knows how to perform and entertain. A new Kylie in the making maybe…?
Stand out track: Girls Girls Girls

DAN SMITH - www.myspace.com/dansmithuk

Sitting quietly and humbly behind his keyboard Dan looks fragile until his beautiful folksy-pop brings him to life. I don’t think I could ever get bored of watching Dan live; he throws in his British vocal wit and mixes it with the most incredible backing tracks self-assembled from vocals, keyboard, maracas, body parts, tambourines and anything else he can find lying around! Unique, impressive and passionate, he definitely left this audience smiling.
Stand out track: Dictator

By Jade Dali

REVIEW // JASON MRAZ @ HMV HAMMERSMITH APOLLO

2009-05-21T19:44:00.001+01:00

It’s the tour that all ‘original’ fans begin to dread. The tour that fans fear will see the set list become inaudible because of some screaming nineteen-year old in the crowd behind them shouting the only lyric she knows. It’s the tour where tickets sell out faster than they’ve known because of the success of ‘that song’.
‘That song’ is of course, ‘I’m Yours’, and in the same way that Radio One’s repetition of ‘Sex on Fire’ left Kings of Leon’s long-standing fans feeling like a wife who’s husband suddenly starts getting a lot of female attention, Mraz’s fans seem to mourn the days of intimate gigs when he was their best kept secret.

Yet in Hammersmith, on this uncharacteristically pleasant Sunday evening in April, his audience, both new and long-standing, seem as ready to fall in love with him as ever as Jason starts off his ninety minute set with ‘Song for a Friend’ and intoxicatingly cheerful ‘Dynamo of Volition’.

Amongst a crowd of Jason-inspired-hat toting males, all of course craftily tilted to the side, the atmosphere exudes such adoration for Mraz that the walls seem to bow, or perhaps that’s the floor as a result of the full capacity of the standing area now involved in a mass dance routine to ‘Mary Jane’, choreographed by Jason himself with the hope it’ll continue on London’s streets after the Apollo’s doors have closed.

As soulful as he is charming, Mraz brings on support act, the adorable Norwegian, Marit Larson, to sing with him on ‘Lucky’ before a simplistic and beautiful rendition of ‘Beautiful Mess’ that sees even the audience members who had seemed more interested in watching the gig through the lens of their camera, stop in their tracks.

Jason’s super-band, Sensatious, elevate his second night in Hammersmith to the next level, quite literally during the brass solo of ‘Live High’ which sees the brass section serenade the standing audience from the seated area under spotlight. It is exactly moments like this that demonstrate Mraz’s effortless showmanship and embody what makes Jason so endearing to his his fans.

Bringing the show to a close with ‘Im Yours’, causing as much hysteria as suspected but ever-keen to accommodate for his devoted fans, Jason removes any monotony by turning it into a medley with ‘3 Little Birds’ and ‘Every Little Ending’, to compliment his number one hit. Mraz’s appreciation of his fans is a massively welcomed attribute and something of a seemingly dying out quality in modern music. It is also something further exemplified by the fact that the set list for Sunday’s sold out show is completely different to his previous night in the same venue.

Consequential to the audience’s relentless chanting, on returning to the stage for a four song encore, the band show off their instrumental prowess and the good mood radiates from the stage to the audience and back again. Typically light hearted and tongue-in-cheek, Jason treats his very bewildered but completely impressed audience to a soprano solo during ‘Mr Curiosity’, before ‘Tonight, Not Again’, ‘No Stopping Us’ and ‘Buh Buh Bye (You’ve Got It All)’.

Whilst the secret of Jason Mraz might be out to the possessive regret of some of his long-time fans, the world, or at least Hammersmith on this Sunday night, is undoubtedly a much better place for it.

By Laura Routledge

REVIEW // GALLOWS + EVERY TIME I DIE + THE GHOST OF A THOUSAND @ MANCHESTER ACADEMY 6/5/09

2009-05-10T21:47:00.002+01:00

The dictionary definition of epic is ‘surpassing the usual or ordinary; heroic and impressive in quality’, and that is definitely what tonight was.
A fairly empty academy led to the start of The Ghost of a Thousand’s set, one of which was the weakest of the night, but still fantastic (that to explain just how good the night really was). The sound wasn’t great but the band kept together a high energy performance, cracking out some golden oldies and some from their album out this autumn, and from the crowd’s reaction they were loving it too!

Every Time I Die had a tough act to follow, but outshone TGOAT. After a tricky start, out of tune and out of time, they soon corrected this and pulled out an amazing set, tight riffs, great vocals and they bounced off the audience’s enthusiasm.

And then the stage was set for the almighty Gallows. Their album recently released, (on the Monday), their set was full of new songs off the album, it really was the accompanying tour, and luckily the crowd lapped it up. I’d have preferred more of the old stuff too, but front man Frank explained it; ‘we’re very proud of our new album, and that’s why we want to play it to you’. Easy. Their set was full of morals, excitement and fantastic musicianship, easily one of the best sets I’ve ever seen live. Halfway through Frank and his guitarist decided to get involved with the fans and just ran round the auditorium, still playing their song, it was funny, creative and very well executed. That’s the thing with Gallows. They are nothing original, nothing special but the do what they do so well. The whole set was like being pinned against the wall and shouted at, but as for their ending, well, if I just say there were drums, and lots of them, a soldiers march played by all members of the band and crew, so epic it sent shivers down my spine.

By Jessica Kempner
Photo by James Singh

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

REVIEW // JEFFREY LEWIS AND THE JUNKYARD @ THE TUNNELS, ABERDEEN 2/5/09

2009-05-10T21:44:00.002+01:00

The Tunnels in Aberdeen is a great venue. Tucked away underground, it is small, slightly dingy and extremely laid back, with only one bouncer at the door and decent music at a reasonable volume between sets. In fact it's almost perfect for an intimate Jeffrey Lewis gig.
The man himself sat on the merchandise stall, along with his brother and bassist Jack and long time drummer Dave, dishing out t-shirts and comic books of his own creation to fans, while the support acts trouped on and off to an atmosphere of anticipation for the main event.

First act Reverend Shepherd explained their formation as an ad hoc arrangement for the sake of the support slot, and could therefore be forgiven for sounding and acting like a pretty average wedding band. They did a capable job of cracking wise and playing half decent songs to a thin crowd of early arrivers, before making way for Jeffrey's touring support act, Don't Move! Always suspicious of bands with exclamation marks in their name, my apprehension found some justification, when this somewhat mediocre dance pop punk band played a rather drawn out set. Something that really grinds my gears is when a band tells a disinterested crowd to move closer to the stage, which the slightly arrogant lead singer of Don't Move! insisted on doing repeatedly. I couldn't see how the music would appeal to fans of Jeffrey Lewis, and indeed there seemed to be very few bobbing heads in the crowd.

Jeffrey Lewis is an artist who seems to understand the manipulation of crowd emotion, and does his best to avoid any loss of attention; he breaks his set up with various large comic books, or “low budget movies”, which this time around included the history of Communism in Korea, a story about finding a severed hand and an incomplete, black and white noir/comedy.

As for the music, there were surprisingly few tracks from the new album. Perhaps it was nerves about the new material, or a keenness to please with old favourites; either way, every song seemed to be a hit with the crowd, and those that he did play from 'Em Are I sounded fantastic live. On some older tracks, such as “Time Machine”, “They Always Knew” and “Art Land”, the call and respond vocals with his brother Jack worked brilliantly; each had a clairvoyant sense of what the other was doing, and both seemed to be massively enjoying playing together, an enthusiasm which rubbed off on the audience. They seemed to have a real passion for playing; there was even a rare moment during “Art Land” where Jeff lost his usual his slightly self conscious sense of composure and started thrashing about in a frenzy, whipping around a loose guitar strap.

After the main set, the band stayed on stage while Jeff stood in a store cupboard for a couple of minutes, before returning to play some more songs, including a personal favourite, the manic “If You Shoot the Head You Kill the Ghoul”. After more applause he returned to his cupboard until the crowd dispersed, before re-emerging when the coast was clear. This strange lack of confidence only adds to the aura of intelligence and beauty that surrounds Jeff's work, which was displayed brilliantly, if not fully, in the evening's performance. A great gig, from a truly great artist.

By Steven Garrard

www.myspace.com/jefflewisband

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

REVIEW // THE TEMPER TRAP + FLASH GUNS + ANIMAL KINGDOM @ THE FLY, LONDON 30/04/09

2009-05-07T23:32:00.004+01:00

Almost as if James Brown had joined TV on the radio for the night. Few 'buzz' bands tend to live up to the hype lavished on them from all angles, but tonight, Aussie bandits The Temper Trap not only lived up to, but exceeded it!
Animal Kingdom usher us down the narrow stairs for a night of the finest, jean endorsed new music. Far to good to be an opening band on a 3 band bill (a testament to the strength of the line-up however) they treat us early birds to some exquisite sound-bed indie with moments of Sigur Ros-esque high vocalised beauty.

Flashguns, along with the Temper Trap, are one of the bands on many a set of lips right now. It may be that fact that preys on my mind as I try to suppress thoughts that it does seem a little skinny jean, mop top scenesterish. But you can't deny they have the songs to back up the buzz as they romp through the set with boundless energy.

You could feel the night building to it's anticipated climax as The Temper Trap finish setting up and it wasn't long before the anticipation was justified. They sound great on record, but I was blown away by how great they sound live! They effortlessly engrossed the sweaty, sardine tinned crowd into waves of head nodding and foot-tapping around the pockets of people lucky enough to find enough room to dance. Only stopping briefly to scramble for mobiles as Dougy announces that we can all Bluetooth 'Science of Fear' free as they're about to play it. They have an insatiable natural groove and surf along on an organically soulful wave riding higher than Wigan Casino. If you like what you hear on record, I'd gladly have a little flutter against you not coming out of one of their gigs thinking their one of the best live bands you've seen for an age.

By Martin Kendrick

www.myspace.com/thetempertrap

REVIEW // ROLO TOMASSI @ EXETER CAVERN 30/4/09

2009-05-07T23:27:00.003+01:00

Not long ago, I reviewed Rolo Tomassi's debut full-length, 08's 'Hysterics', for this very site. A quick scan through that and it won't take five seconds to realise that I liked it.
An unhinged masterpiece full of sharp twists and turns that baffled and excited in equal measure, it's one of those albums that people either 'get' or don't. Let's not fuck about - you can probably already guess what my angle might be going into this gig.

Tonight sees the band play to literally about 20 people in one of Exeter's most intimate venues, something which works both in their favour and against them. The crowd interaction is kept to a minimum, the brief murmurings of the captivating Eva Spence the only link with those on the floor, many of whom don't look as if what they're seeing will quite sink in until it's over. A few members of the crowd will later begin to throw themselves around, although there's nothing to suggest any future Strictly Come Dancing finalists are in the room tonight.

Opening in rather ambitious fashion with a completely new song, the band rip through highlights from 'Hysterics' and their self-titled EP, including the likes of 'Film Noir' and 'Abraxas', and end with the raucous trio of 'Oh, Hello Ghost', 'Scabs' and 'I Love Turbulence'. It's no surprise that these three tunes get arguably the biggest reaction of the night, venturing as close to being melodic as Rolo Tomassi are likely to ever stray.

So, yes, it's a predictable triumph for the young band, spoiled only by the lack of numbers. It's a tight and technically impressive performance, but, disappointingly, the roof remains on, and the bouncers are able to clear out any remaining patrons (i.e. me) by half 11. Then again, it is a school night.

Words and photos by Rob Dand

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

REVIEW // THE RAKES + FOL CHEN + LOWER HEAVEN @ THE TROUBADOUR, LOS ANGELES

2009-05-07T23:13:00.005+01:00

Last month, I was fortunate enough to see Lower Heaven’s first gig outside of Los Angeles at Psych Fest in Austin, Texas. I was incredibly impressed by their dense melodies, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to fully enjoy them as I wanted to. When I heard they were opening for the Rakes, I was confused, but excited to experience them again.
I was blown away by how good they were at the Troubadour. The autoharp, which is not an instrument you routinely see (um, never) is such a genius move to create the melodies which really drive their songs forward and at the same time create range, from warm songs to darker songs. The songs really are held together by Christina Park’s steadying bass, over which Marcos Chloka is free to run the gamut on vocals between sonorous and peaceful. I’m really excited to see where this band goes, as they are really coming together.

Fol Chen, as a friend of mine put it, are a band you have to “get”. Usually, I’m not good at getting gimmicky bands and so for the first two songs of Fol Chen’s set, I was not a happy camper suffering through their “electro-pop”. Then the band asked if the audience would like to hear a Mariah Carey cover or a song about Sea-sluts, I perked up a little. Through the course of those two songs, both incredibly ridiculous and filled with falsetto vocals and comical dancing, they endeared themselves to me. The crowd, outside of myself, was pretty into the set. Some were even moved to ask the name of each song, the name of the album and generally heckling (in a good way) Fol Chen. Now, I wouldn’t call myself a fan but I would definitely give them a second chance live.

After such hit-and-miss openers, by the 10:15 stage time, I was incredibly ready to see the Rakes. Although I was pretty jazzed up to see them, a part of me was apprehensive. I loved the first album, and had been re-realizing how good it was, but was pretty appalled by the quality of the second album. However, the third album, Klang, which was released March 23rd, is a return to their former angular, sinister, witty glory.

Because the Rakes haven’t played Los Angeles in so long, I was concerned that the turnout might be a little poor. I was proven very wrong when by stage time; the Troubadour was packed with the usual British music crowd including Adam Green, Har Mar Superstar, and Eddie Argos.

Let me just say, Alan Donahoe can dance. The man jumps, frolics, dances, spazzes around stage for the entire set. I would almost call it Ian Curtis-esque! Where he gets that energy, I can’t say but the audience was really feeding off of it. The usually apprehensive crowds that the Troubadour can sometimes draw were gone and in their place a huge mosh-pit and dancing even towards the back of the venue.

The Rakes seemed to be really enjoying themselves during their 50-minute set – their energy was almost tangible and you could see the effects throughout the entire crowd – over 200 people just grinning and enjoying themselves. Even Alan was feeling sassy; asking “Is anybody feeling sexual? Awesome! So am I!” and even dedicating a song to Prince Charles and Princess Diana, “We've come all the way from England where after sex we always have make each other a nice cup of tea." They played a healthy mix of songs from their first album, second album and current new album, Klang. The crowd was especially pleased by “22 Grand Job”, “Terror” and “We Are All Animals” shouting and screaming in response to the first couple of notes of each song respectively.

Like I said, I was really apprehensive but by the middle of the first song I realized that this night was going to be everything that you can ask for in a gig – loud, thumping bass; amusing front-man; great tunes to dance to; and a crowd that were really into it. The Rakes really delivered even though I wasn’t sure they were going to, and now I’m especially happy having revisited their first album and getting more into their 3rd album.

Words & photos by Brianna Saraceno

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST