Muso’s Guide introduces… Performance

Performance

Here at Muso’s Guide, we particularly enjoy introducing you to new bands. And today, we bring you another of our favourites, Performance – think of us as your ever-convivial host, as the lead singer Joe Stretch tells you a little bit more…

I’ve taken a crap in every toilet venue from The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen to The Joiners in Southampton. I sat on the seat or, if there was no seat or the seat was broken or had piss on it, then I hovered above the bowl. I did this at The Castle in Oldham, The Cluny in Newcastle, Fibbers in York. I did this all over England.

My name is Joe Stretch and I am the lead singer in a band called Performance, a three-piece, hailing from Manchester in the north-west of England. We formed around 2003 and signed a record deal with Polydor in December 2004. We were, in no particular order, a gambling addict, an anorexic, a drug addict and a depressive. We made pop music. I dropped out of university and signed the record contract with a Ladbrokes betting pen. Like everyone else, I regret nothing. … Continue Reading

Life Without Buildings: the catch up interview

Life Without Buildings

Life Without Buildings leapt out of an art school corner of Glasgow at the turn of the millennium, and have since – passively – courted listeners who deem their debut (and only) LP Any Other City among the most precious in their collection. It’s not the sort of album to be absorbed immemorably, instead sticking like a giant earworm. The inner rumblings of singer Sue Tompkins are set against a spiky, coarse backing from the other three members of the band (Chris Evans, Will Bradley and Robert Johnston) and appeared, then, in short and mostly unnoticed bursts that may or may not have been happed upon via the release of three double A-sides and a fourth, distributed only in Australia. The internet wasn’t what it is now, so a quick blink and LwB were gone. … Continue Reading

Mike Doughty – London Relentless Garage

Mike Doughty

February 2nd 2010

“I want to be on you”.  Ron Burgundy’s “immortal words” are those chosen by Mike Doughty to sell himself to the British public.

Doughty, formerly of alt-rock band Soul Coughing, is pretty popular in the States, but relatively unknown here.  My question referred to selling himself to us in the style of a dating ad.  His witty answer, I come to realise, is standard.

The American singer-songwriter is a fairly open book, regularly tweeting (find him @mikedoughtyyeah) and blogging on his website, where he comments honestly on his day to day activities and thoughts on the happenings in the world; two recent tweets include “Lousy night. Crowd couldn’t have cared less” and “Salinger gone – perhaps we’ll at last hear his Rock Opera”.  Is it important for him to keep in touch with fans? “I think it ends up being important, but the reason I do it is just my general obsession with killing time online” he says. “I think my crowd feels pretty close to me because of the access I give to myself, but I don’t think it’s necessarily vital to being a musician these days”.

This openness has extended to a book about his previous life as a drug addict, which he’s in the process of writing.  Mike claims “writing prose is a lot more time consuming than song writing” and that “linear thinking”  is not his strength.  He’s currently struggling to write about his time with Soul Coughing, describing it as “pretty shitty”.
… Continue Reading

Ones To Watch: The Wilderness Of Manitoba

The Wilderness Of Manitoba

We’re into January now which means, for some, more nights in to discover new music. Thankfully, we’re on hand (as ever) to guide you in the right direction – this time towards a breathtaking discovery in Canadian slowcore band, The Wilderness Of Manitoba. Their music is stripped back to a skeleton of stark and slowly-moving opuses, emotion bleeding through the grazes.

We took the band to one side and asked them a few questions which will familiarise you with the background as you fall in love with the music over at the MySpace. … Continue Reading

Ones To Watch in 2010: Dimbleby and Capper

Dimbleby and Capper

Don’t be fooled by the ampersand, for Dimbleby & Capper are just one. 22-year-old Laura Bettinson – who miraculously remains unsigned – produces witty, refreshing and sultry dark electronic pop. She certainly has a lot in common with artists like Goldfrapp and The Knife, but adds a more playful reality to the electro-pop tunes. Tipped by Radio1’s Huw Stephens, she featured on the ‘BBC Introducing’ stage backed by an entourage of masked musicians at this years Glastonbury. Laura will no doubt be riding the crest of 2010’s torrent of Microkorg toting electro-pop artists. To hear Dimbleby & Capper is to understand why. One visit to her MySpace page will have you humming to yourself for weeks. … Continue Reading

Amanda Palmer: “I think deliberate intrigue is not my forte. I’ll leave that to PJ Harvey.”

Amanda Palmer

Muso’s Guide met up with Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls to talk about Twitter and getting dropped…

… Continue Reading

Free Energy wouldn’t buy LCD Soundsystem’s new single?!

Yesterday, we posted an ever-so-special feature involving Free Energy, currently all over Muso’s Guide, reviewing this week’s singles. Click here to see it. They had a jolly old time, and after that we took a few more minutes to ask them a few questions, and see how they found the old Reviewface experience. … Continue Reading

Muso’s Guide presents headliners Spiral Beach: “we can’t wait to be back!”

Muso's Guide presents... Canadian Blast

Spiral Beach are sonic rebels unafraid of breaking all the rules and having a party in the process! The band’s love of exploring different sounds and song structures is offset by their sophisticated sense of melody and elaborate vocal harmonies. And what’s more, we’re putting them in two weeks today! Spiral Beach are headlining our London Queen of Hoxton show on Tuesday November 24, playing alongside Hey Rosetta!, The Argument And How It Started and Redbluegreen.

The band has spent the last three years touring across the the United States and Canada with bands like the Hidden Cameras, The Go! Team and Tokyo Police Club, as well as performing in the UK in 2008 to celebrate the release of the ‘Voodoo’ single. They have also gained a devoted following in their hometown of Toronto thanks to their innovative live performances, putting on DIY all-ages shows in unusual venues such as art galleries, theatres, loft spaces and outdoor parks, which often feature audience participation and interactive visual projections.

The band has released two albums on Sparks Music in North America, 2007’s  Ball (recorded by ex-Hidden Cameras and Arcade Fire member Michael Olsen) and their most recent album The Only Really Thing.

Are you looking forward to returning to the UK?

Yes of course!! It’s been over a year since we were in London, we can’t wait to be back! … Continue Reading

Reviewface #3 with Free Energy

Free Energy

Free Energy rock Muso’s Guide’s socks. Their show at the Barfly a few weeks ago left me completely astounded – have a read here.

We employed them temporarily to review the singles out this week, so you can get to know them a little bit better. And we even got them to review their label boss James Murphy’s new single! Yes, they’re on DFA, and yes this was a leak at the time but check it out, it’s the first time they ever heard ‘Bye Bye Bayou’! … Continue Reading

BEAK>’s Billy Fuller: “Maybe we’ll end up being like Marmite”

BEAK>

It’s an enviable prospect having some of Bristol’s finest musicians as label mates, especially when you happen to run the label they belong to. This was the position Geoff Barrow found himself in one Christmas in 2007 at the Invada label Christmas party, The Invada Acid Tests.

It was at this party that Geoff, Billy Fuller of Fuzz Against Junk and Matt Williams of Team Brick came together to jam, with Barrow on drums, Fuller on Bass and Williams playing clarinet. In January of this year with space in their schedules, the trio came together once again to record what would be BEAK>’s debut album.

Today, BEAK>’s bassist Billy Fuller has allowed some time to discuss the album. When I speak to Billy, he and the band are in the process of putting the finishing touches to 500 limited edition BEAK> box sets. “We wanted to do something a little bit special in this age of downloading where you just grab it and stick it on your iPod. I’m an avid record collector and I think there are still people out there who like products. A physical thing that looks nice. The box set is like the Beak fans instant collectors box.” … Continue Reading