The Bewitched Hands On Top Of Our Heads
A rather peculiar record has recently come to my attention. It is the debut EP of the quirkily titled French outfit The Bewitched Hands On Top Of Our Heads. Following on from a strong showing at this year’s SXSW festival, they have recently been garnering plenty of press attention – including the American blogs Spinner and Nylon. … Continue Reading
The Crookes
May 31, 2010
The Manchester leg of the Dot To Dot Festival 2010 plays host to an impressive array of established and upcoming artists, with notable mentions for the ferocious and fantastic The Chapman Family and the ever-dependable Mystery Jets. However, there was one band that stole the show (and hearts) of all with the good fortune to stumble across them.
Ladies and gentlemen, The Crookes. They are a four-piece pop band formed during their time at Sheffield University studying English Literature. Their grounding in the literary world is borne out in their imaginative and touching lyrics, which are delivered with sincerity and aplomb by lead singer George Waite. Telling tall tales of romance in the most affable manner possible, The Crookes are an example of an emerging band that is brimming with potential. … Continue Reading
Delays by www.?hollowayphotography.?co.?uk
May 25, 2010
2010 marks the welcome return of Delays with their forthcoming fourth album, Star Tiger, Star Ariel, to be released on 21st June. The band are currently wheeling their way across the country on an extensive UK tour in support of the album, which is beginning to garner some positive critical acclaim in the press. Tonight, however, will be a success or not off the back of Delay’s live credentials.
Stornoway - Beachcomber's Windowsill
There’s no two-ways about it – this is a record that promises so much in terms of potential and excitement. Stornoway’s inexorable rise shows no signs of slowing down as performances at Radio 1’s Big Weekend and Glastonbury attest. The Stornoway snowball has gathered considerable weight and pace since the band’s appearance on Later with Jools Holland back in November 2009. Both of their performed songs form that night, ‘Zorbing’ and ‘Fuel Up’, made the cut onto their full-length debut, Beachcomber’s Windowsill. … Continue Reading
Stornoway
Paul Wilson recently caught up with Stornoway’s drummer extraordinaire, Rob Steadman, for a chat about their new album Beachcomber’s Windowsill and their ongoing rise as folk-pop stars…
Your new album, Beachcomber’s Windowsill, is out on May 24th, how does it feel to have your album finally released to the public?
It’s definitely exciting, we’re a bit nervous about the reaction. We’ve had some really good comments from people who’ve heard an advanced copy, people are saying they think it’s really great so we’re looking forward to its release but anxious at the same time. We’re hosting three launch parties at a small venue in Oxford, with about one hundred people each night. We’re doing it for our local fanbase that we started with. … Continue Reading
Young Rebel Set
Muso’s Guide’s Paul Wilson went along to Manchester’s Ruby Lounge to meet hotly-tipped Teesside newcomers Young Rebel Set, and get the lowdown on their creative ethos, tour antics and other such. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Matt Chipchase, Patrick Jordan and Andy Parmley of Young Rebel Set… … Continue Reading
The Chapman Family
February 15th 2010
The Georgian Theatre plays host to three strikingly separate bands this evening as part of the NME Awards show series. Rotating the order every night in the tour’s other shows in York and Leeds; it is the turn of Frankie & The Heartstrings to get proceedings underway tonight.
Striding on with assured confidence, the hotly-tipped act from Sunderland waste no time in pressing their case. In Frankie, they possess a front man who resembles Morrissey in the foppish-nature of his styling and Paul Smith in his bounding energy. Their songs are a potent combination of angular-pop guitar melody and regionalised dialect vocals. The Teesside crowd appears enthusiastic and provides the encouragement that it is apparent the band never really needed in all honesty. Former Kenickie member, Pete Gofton (AKA J Xaverre) provides some energetic guitar and keyboard work alongside the rest of the band who are all on fine form. An endearing performance which leaves us intrigued to hear more, a band to be keeping tabs on for sure.
Next up are Newcastle-based band Little Comets, who are also an act with their respective stars on the rise (pun very much intended). A stagecraft unlike no other, they have some old blue rope of the sort you used to make a ‘tarzee’ with as a child with various percussion hanging down, they are certainly engaging. Their singer appears to lose a few pounds in sweat due to the oversized fleece-jumper he sports but it doesn’t affect his energetic performance. Their highlight track is soon-to-be single Joanna, a pop-tune that is likely to win them even more plaudits.
Stornoway
February 14th 2010
Presented by Twisted Folk, this tour juxtaposes the two very different entities of Beth Jeans Houghton and Stornoway. Although billed as headliners, it is the fine young gentlemen from Oxford that take to the Sage stage first and on whom we shall focus. The whole aura around Stornoway is carried in a very understated fashion, a minimalist approach signified by the apparent meekness of lead singer Brian Briggs. He ambles closer to the microphone in instalments before mustering a barely registering “hello”.
Once the band strike up, the facade of simplicity dissolves into the many layers of their thoughtfully constructed tunes. Each song is well-received by a crowd that needed some encouragement, even for a Sunday night outing, yet thankfully Stornoway’s charm does enough to win them over. It is plain that many are here to see them on the back of TV appearances on Jools Holland’s Later… alongside Jay-Z; Foo Fighters and Norah Jones, and a BBC Radio 1 session for Huw Stephens.
We manage to spot one lady in particular who seems to be growing in delirium as their set progresses, rocking backwards and forwards whilst clapping in a strangely afflicted manner, and can frequently be heard calling for various requests. Such fandom is something that is surely only to increase where Stornoway are concerned, with their debut album expected sometime later in 2010.
The Saturdays
Britain’s quickest accelerating girlband have returned with their second long-player, the intriguingly titled Wordshaker. Running off the back of a platinum-selling debut in 2008 (Chasing Lights) and a well-received cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ for Comic Relief, these five ladies are well placed to continue their assault on the charts.
Bloc Party
October 11th 2009
Bloc Party remain something of an anomaly in the current music scene. Their originality and downright peculiarity remain undoubted. Having been an avid follower of the band with their breakthrough debut Silent Alarm I must confess, like many others, to have slightly lost touch with the band’s developments. The latest full-length offering, Intimacy, crept up rather quickly on my unsuspecting self. It also seemed to pass by without making as much of a splash that you would have expected. Therefore, it was with this in mind that I travelled to see a Bloc Party live show for the first time in approaching three years.
… Continue Reading
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