Review HERE!
(Photo: Anika)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
THE THERMALS (London Lexington, 09/02/09)
Quality bouncy indie-rock from this Weezer-ish Portland trio, whose simple, direct riffs and singalong choruses maximise the good times for all. They may only really have one song, but hey, it’s a damn good one.
(Photo: Anika)
Quality bouncy indie-rock from this Weezer-ish Portland trio, whose simple, direct riffs and singalong choruses maximise the good times for all. They may only really have one song, but hey, it’s a damn good one.
(Photo: Anika)
ASOBI SEKSU (London Islington Academy, 09/02/09)
Having missed them five times previously, it’s a minor miracle that fate conspired to allow me and the excellent American shoegazers in the same room in the first place. And, all things considered, they were pretty good- some of the subtleties were lost under a fug of impenetrable guitar fuzz and the new material, whilst pleasant, lacked the killer hooks of Citrus. But Strawberries and Thursday were as awesome as I could have hoped, and they certainly didn’t skimp on the ground-sundering volume...
(Photo: Anika)
Having missed them five times previously, it’s a minor miracle that fate conspired to allow me and the excellent American shoegazers in the same room in the first place. And, all things considered, they were pretty good- some of the subtleties were lost under a fug of impenetrable guitar fuzz and the new material, whilst pleasant, lacked the killer hooks of Citrus. But Strawberries and Thursday were as awesome as I could have hoped, and they certainly didn’t skimp on the ground-sundering volume...
(Photo: Anika)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
60% OF THE PRIMAVERA LINE-UP HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED
And includes bands such as these:
SONIC YOUTH
MY BLOODY VALENTINE
YO LA TENGO
THROWING MUSES
DAN DEACON ENSEMBLE
BAT FOR LASHES
SPIRITUALIZED
SQUAREPUSHER
THE JESUS LIZARD
APHEX TWIN
LIGHTNING BOLT
SHELLAC
THE VASELINES
JARVIS COCKER
DEERHUNTER
DAMIAN JURADO
MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC COMPANY
ALELA DIANE
BOWERBIRDS
THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH
BLACK LIPS
THE DRONES
MARNIE STERN
GIRL TALK
SHEARWATER
BLOC PARTY
ANDREW BIRD
ART BRUT
PHOENIX
ARIEL PINK
WOODEN SHIPJS
CRYSTAL STILTS
WOMEN
PLANTS & ANIMALS
PONYTAIL
VIVIAN GIRLS
CRYSTAL ANTLERS
GANG GANG DANCE
THE MAE SHI
FUCKED UP
WAVVES
This isn't the full list- these are just the bands I'd like to check out. Actually the best festival line-up I think I've ever seen.
And includes bands such as these:
SONIC YOUTH
MY BLOODY VALENTINE
YO LA TENGO
THROWING MUSES
DAN DEACON ENSEMBLE
BAT FOR LASHES
SPIRITUALIZED
SQUAREPUSHER
THE JESUS LIZARD
APHEX TWIN
LIGHTNING BOLT
SHELLAC
THE VASELINES
JARVIS COCKER
DEERHUNTER
DAMIAN JURADO
MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC COMPANY
ALELA DIANE
BOWERBIRDS
THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH
BLACK LIPS
THE DRONES
MARNIE STERN
GIRL TALK
SHEARWATER
BLOC PARTY
ANDREW BIRD
ART BRUT
PHOENIX
ARIEL PINK
WOODEN SHIPJS
CRYSTAL STILTS
WOMEN
PLANTS & ANIMALS
PONYTAIL
VIVIAN GIRLS
CRYSTAL ANTLERS
GANG GANG DANCE
THE MAE SHI
FUCKED UP
WAVVES
This isn't the full list- these are just the bands I'd like to check out. Actually the best festival line-up I think I've ever seen.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
ALESSI’S ARK (Camden Barfly, 06/02/09)
18-year-old Alessi has been garnering a great deal of blogosphere love over the last few months, and having had the honour of seeing her perform at a Pure Groove in-store last year I’d already been converted to the cause before tonight‘s freebie showcase at the Camden Barfly. Although the headliner was V.V. Brown, it was clear a good percentage of there audience was there for the singular songstress and it’s not difficult to see why. One music journalist described her as ‘Britain’s answer to Jenny Lewis,’ and certainly, she shares that artist’s powerful charisma but the more overriding comparisons are Chan Marshall, Liz Green and Joanna Newsom. Her anti-folk stylings are engaging and tinged with quirky nuance, but it’s her voice that‘s the real draw- imagine less abrasive version of Newsom’s with unusual enunciation that adds real character to her sound.
Unfortunately, not even the most ardent fan could deny this performance didn’t quite do her justice. With solo acts, there‘s always a danger that acquiring a band can all too easily redirect attention from the qualities that propelled them to notice in the first place and alas, that seems to be partly the case here. That’s not to disparage “The Ark“- they’re a skilful, proficient bunch of instrumentalists- but their full-on sound didn’t bring out the best out of her songs or the delicate idiosyncracies of her voice. The arrangements on the album suggested she’d be more suited to a stripped down, classical style backing and experience has proved that she can enchant with just a guitar. But combined with the swampy, murky sound of the venue, she too often came over as a competent but unspectacular Laura Marling type, lacking that same arresting spark that left me reeling the last time I saw her.
(Photo: Anika)
18-year-old Alessi has been garnering a great deal of blogosphere love over the last few months, and having had the honour of seeing her perform at a Pure Groove in-store last year I’d already been converted to the cause before tonight‘s freebie showcase at the Camden Barfly. Although the headliner was V.V. Brown, it was clear a good percentage of there audience was there for the singular songstress and it’s not difficult to see why. One music journalist described her as ‘Britain’s answer to Jenny Lewis,’ and certainly, she shares that artist’s powerful charisma but the more overriding comparisons are Chan Marshall, Liz Green and Joanna Newsom. Her anti-folk stylings are engaging and tinged with quirky nuance, but it’s her voice that‘s the real draw- imagine less abrasive version of Newsom’s with unusual enunciation that adds real character to her sound.
Unfortunately, not even the most ardent fan could deny this performance didn’t quite do her justice. With solo acts, there‘s always a danger that acquiring a band can all too easily redirect attention from the qualities that propelled them to notice in the first place and alas, that seems to be partly the case here. That’s not to disparage “The Ark“- they’re a skilful, proficient bunch of instrumentalists- but their full-on sound didn’t bring out the best out of her songs or the delicate idiosyncracies of her voice. The arrangements on the album suggested she’d be more suited to a stripped down, classical style backing and experience has proved that she can enchant with just a guitar. But combined with the swampy, murky sound of the venue, she too often came over as a competent but unspectacular Laura Marling type, lacking that same arresting spark that left me reeling the last time I saw her.
(Photo: Anika)
GANG GANG DANCE TOUR CANCELLED
All their gear was wiped out in an electrical fire :-(. I hope they bounce back soon, must be pretty devastating.
All their gear was wiped out in an electrical fire :-(. I hope they bounce back soon, must be pretty devastating.
Friday, February 13, 2009
THERE IS A MOUNTAIN OF SNOW, UP PAST THE BIG GLEN
16/02/09: CHOIR OF YOUNG BELIEVERS- London Rough Trade East
16/02/09: THE SECRET MACHINES- Islington Academy
17/02/09: THE JOY FORMIDABLE- London Pure Groove
19/02/09: ***LUNCHTIME SHOW*** PASSION PIT- London Pure Groove
19/02/09: PARTS AND LABOR- London Cargo
21/02/09: HERMAN DUNE (w/ Jeffrey Lewis; Laura Marling; Johnny Flynn; Mechanical Bride e.t.c)- London Union Chapel
22/02/09: THE DEER TRACKS- London Old Blue Last
23/02/09: GANG GANG DANCE- London Rough Trade East
23/02/09: TITUS ANDRONICUS- London Hoxton Bar and Kitchen
24/02/09: THE DEER TRACKS- London Pure Groove
24/02/09: FLEET FOXES (w/ Vetiver)- London Roundhouse
25/02/09: ***LUNCHTIME SHOW*** AMADOU AND MIRIAM- London Pure Groove
25/02/09: CHAIRLIFT- London Pure Groove
25/02/09: M. WARD- London Borderline
26/02/09: KYTE (w/ School of Seven Bells)- London Cargo
27/02/09: EMMY THE GREAT- University of London Union
28/02/09: VETIVER (w/ Hush Arbors)- London Cecil Sharp House
02/03/09: HOWLING BELLS- FOPP Covent Garden
02/03/09: WILDBIRDS AND PEACEDRUMS- London Social
05/02/09: ***LUNCHTIME SHOW*** PETER, BJORN AND JOHN- London Pure Groove
12/03/09: PATRICK WOLF- London Heaven
13/03/09: THE ACORN (w/ Babel)- Brixton Windmill
16/03/09: CAMERA OBSCURA- London Lexington
26/03/09: MONO- London Scala
07/04/09: WILDBIRDS AND PEACEDRUMS- London Luminaire
08/04/09: HANDSOME FURS- London 93 Feet East
12/04/09: DAVID BYRNE- London Royal Festival Hall
17/04/09-19/04/09: COACHELLA FESTIVAL- Coachella Valley, California, USA
23/04/09: DAN DEACON (w/Future Islands)- San Francisco Great American Music Hall
06/05/09: THE SPECIALS- Brixton Academy
07/05/09: BISHOP ALLEN- London Barden’s Boudoir
08/05/09: BEIRUT (w/ Shearwater)- London Forum
14/05/09: YANN TIERSEN- London Electric Ballroom
15/05/09-17/05/09: ATP: CURATED BY THE BREEDERS- Minehead, Somerset
22/05/09: LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA- London Royal Festival Hall
28/05/09-30/05/09: PRIMAVERA SOUND FESTIVAL- Barcelona, Spain
18/06/09: DENGUE FEVER- London Scala
28/06/08: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (w/ The Gaslight Anthem)- London Hyde Park
03/07/09: BLUR- London Hyde Park
16/07/09-19/07/09: LATITUDE FESTIVAL- Henham Park, Suffolk
11/09/09-13/09/09: ATP: CURATED BY THE FLAMING LIPS- New York, USA
16/02/09: CHOIR OF YOUNG BELIEVERS- London Rough Trade East
16/02/09: THE SECRET MACHINES- Islington Academy
17/02/09: THE JOY FORMIDABLE- London Pure Groove
19/02/09: ***LUNCHTIME SHOW*** PASSION PIT- London Pure Groove
19/02/09: PARTS AND LABOR- London Cargo
21/02/09: HERMAN DUNE (w/ Jeffrey Lewis; Laura Marling; Johnny Flynn; Mechanical Bride e.t.c)- London Union Chapel
22/02/09: THE DEER TRACKS- London Old Blue Last
23/02/09: GANG GANG DANCE- London Rough Trade East
23/02/09: TITUS ANDRONICUS- London Hoxton Bar and Kitchen
24/02/09: THE DEER TRACKS- London Pure Groove
24/02/09: FLEET FOXES (w/ Vetiver)- London Roundhouse
25/02/09: ***LUNCHTIME SHOW*** AMADOU AND MIRIAM- London Pure Groove
25/02/09: CHAIRLIFT- London Pure Groove
25/02/09: M. WARD- London Borderline
26/02/09: KYTE (w/ School of Seven Bells)- London Cargo
27/02/09: EMMY THE GREAT- University of London Union
28/02/09: VETIVER (w/ Hush Arbors)- London Cecil Sharp House
02/03/09: HOWLING BELLS- FOPP Covent Garden
02/03/09: WILDBIRDS AND PEACEDRUMS- London Social
05/02/09: ***LUNCHTIME SHOW*** PETER, BJORN AND JOHN- London Pure Groove
12/03/09: PATRICK WOLF- London Heaven
13/03/09: THE ACORN (w/ Babel)- Brixton Windmill
16/03/09: CAMERA OBSCURA- London Lexington
26/03/09: MONO- London Scala
07/04/09: WILDBIRDS AND PEACEDRUMS- London Luminaire
08/04/09: HANDSOME FURS- London 93 Feet East
12/04/09: DAVID BYRNE- London Royal Festival Hall
17/04/09-19/04/09: COACHELLA FESTIVAL- Coachella Valley, California, USA
23/04/09: DAN DEACON (w/Future Islands)- San Francisco Great American Music Hall
06/05/09: THE SPECIALS- Brixton Academy
07/05/09: BISHOP ALLEN- London Barden’s Boudoir
08/05/09: BEIRUT (w/ Shearwater)- London Forum
14/05/09: YANN TIERSEN- London Electric Ballroom
15/05/09-17/05/09: ATP: CURATED BY THE BREEDERS- Minehead, Somerset
22/05/09: LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA- London Royal Festival Hall
28/05/09-30/05/09: PRIMAVERA SOUND FESTIVAL- Barcelona, Spain
18/06/09: DENGUE FEVER- London Scala
28/06/08: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (w/ The Gaslight Anthem)- London Hyde Park
03/07/09: BLUR- London Hyde Park
16/07/09-19/07/09: LATITUDE FESTIVAL- Henham Park, Suffolk
11/09/09-13/09/09: ATP: CURATED BY THE FLAMING LIPS- New York, USA
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
DAVID BOWIE AND ARCADE FIRE @ FASHION ROCKS
Jesus Christ, I can't believe this was almost 3 and a half years ago. I'M GETTING SO OLD. But before I depress myself too much, please enjoy two of the best acts of the last 50 years joining forces with inevitably AWESOME results:
WAKE UP
FIVE YEARS
LIFE ON MARS (Bowie sans Arcade Fire)
And because I'm feeling kind, here's Arcade Fire covering Bowie's "Heroes" at an Obama fundraiser last year.
Jesus Christ, I can't believe this was almost 3 and a half years ago. I'M GETTING SO OLD. But before I depress myself too much, please enjoy two of the best acts of the last 50 years joining forces with inevitably AWESOME results:
WAKE UP
FIVE YEARS
LIFE ON MARS (Bowie sans Arcade Fire)
And because I'm feeling kind, here's Arcade Fire covering Bowie's "Heroes" at an Obama fundraiser last year.
PETER BRODERICK (London Social, 04/02/09)
Another day, another loop-pedalist. Or so it sometimes seems. Once upon a time the technique was a rarity at gigs, but the likes of Owen Pallett, Andrew Bird and K.T Tunstall have popularised it to the extent that it’s lost the novelty factor it once had. But amongst all the gimmick-merchants who electronically layer songs to disguise weakpoints in their writing, you get the occasional true talent like Efterklang’s Peter Broderick who do genuinely exciting things with the medium. His first headlining set, he’s visibly nervous and there’s a few stumbles along the way but the creativity of his looping- in one song utilising the applause of the audience and his own banter- and his amazing array of instruments could win over any audience. Violins, pianos, guitars, sleighbells, musical saws, swirly tubing of death…he’s like some crazy one man Shearwater rather than your typical dull solo act. Well worth checking out!
(Photo: Anika (Flickr))
Another day, another loop-pedalist. Or so it sometimes seems. Once upon a time the technique was a rarity at gigs, but the likes of Owen Pallett, Andrew Bird and K.T Tunstall have popularised it to the extent that it’s lost the novelty factor it once had. But amongst all the gimmick-merchants who electronically layer songs to disguise weakpoints in their writing, you get the occasional true talent like Efterklang’s Peter Broderick who do genuinely exciting things with the medium. His first headlining set, he’s visibly nervous and there’s a few stumbles along the way but the creativity of his looping- in one song utilising the applause of the audience and his own banter- and his amazing array of instruments could win over any audience. Violins, pianos, guitars, sleighbells, musical saws, swirly tubing of death…he’s like some crazy one man Shearwater rather than your typical dull solo act. Well worth checking out!
(Photo: Anika (Flickr))
CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE- Jeanne, If You're Ever In Portland (Live)
I know some people are put off by indietronicist Owen Ashworth's ridiculous stage monicker, but I think he's great and this a particularly excellent rendition of my favourite song of his. Never seen him play with a full band, so I hope he drags 'em along for his April show at the Luminaire.
BONUS VIDEO:
There's a cat riding a unicorn! AND A PANDA. Anika, how can you resist?
I know some people are put off by indietronicist Owen Ashworth's ridiculous stage monicker, but I think he's great and this a particularly excellent rendition of my favourite song of his. Never seen him play with a full band, so I hope he drags 'em along for his April show at the Luminaire.
BONUS VIDEO:
There's a cat riding a unicorn! AND A PANDA. Anika, how can you resist?
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Sunday, February 01, 2009
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