Wildbirds & Peacedrums
August 26, 2010
On the way to this gig, a friend asks for a description of Wildbirds & Peacedrums. “They make your insides shake,” we tell them. He raises an eyebrow. Another friend adds “but your heart is in your mouth.” He looks faintly suspicious as we arrive at the (lovely) Lexington.
Grammatics
August 20, 2010
About a month back, and seemingly out of the blue to the majority of us, Grammatics announced their intention to split, citing insurmountable financial woes as the primary cause. I have watched their latter days with interest, both as a fan of the band, and also as someone intrigued by the machinations of the music industry. They have fallen back on online resources to repay their debts by selling off band paraphernalia, merchandise and little exclusive treats like access to rehearsal time and gigs in people’s gardens. While it has been disagreeable to see a band having to resort to flogging off parts of their history, it’s also encouraging that these days they would have the means to be able to do this to break even, and it has also allowed them to draw a neat line under their story with a final tour and a farewell EP.
Broken Bells
June 21, 2010
The closing night of Richard Thompson’s Meltdown Festival marks the European debut of Broken Bells, the studio project of super producer du jour Danger Mouse, and James Mercer of perennial indie favourites, The Shins.
The Drums
June 7, 2010
There’s a marked contrast between the simplicity of pop put out there by Summer Camp and The Drums. The Drums’ music – save being heard in isolation, for ‘I Feel Stupid’ is a great big chunk of fun-pop – is ungraciously distilled if you’re vaguely familiar with the 1960s, Sarah Records, C86, Labrador Records, Joy Division, New Order, The Cure, Beach Boys or The Smiths. Their main trick is in producing a stream of concussed-simple lyrics encouraging dumb dancing as reflex. Summer Camp, on the other hand, offer pure pop key changes, beautiful nostalgia, two entirely distinctive vocals and intricately put-together songs so adorable they feel like they’re soundtracked the ’80s I imagine my older (, dafter) incarnation to have lived. … Continue Reading
Marina and the Diamonds
May 31, 2010
Upscaled from the modest Cockpit to the more accomodating Leeds Met, Marina and the Diamonds return to Yorkshire on the back of some pleasing album sales and a pair of heavily-playlisted singles. Her ascent to the aisles of Tesco’s has been an elongated one, but hardly hindered by the recent victories of a more successful, yet similiarly kooky female solo-singer also masquearading under a band name. … Continue Reading
Titus Andronicus
May 25, 2010
I’m actually witnessing a crowd of people visibly enjoying themselves at a gig in Shoreditch.
Shuh-Hit you not: It’s real. Maybe stuff like this goes on all the time, it’s just you have to travel southwest of the roundabout to find it. Anyway, The CAMP’s a funny old space – Downstairs is very Tins-Of-Strongbow, upstairs is a bit Bottles-Of-Bulmers. … Continue Reading
Cold Cave
May 12, 2010
Maybe it’s the slight drunkenness, maybe it’s the moving horse head in the pub before the gig, maybe it’s the hour I spend trying to talk to a Dutch girl in rudimentary German when all I know are requests for snack food and lewd come-ons, maybe it’s the way Cargo seems like a cross between a Mediaeval dungeon and a BBC set for a dystopian science fiction drama, with huge exposed pipes and thick black curtains. Whatever the reason, opening band Factory Floor come close to being the cheapest hallucinogenic experience I’ve ever had bar sleep deprivation and that time I didn’t eat for 5 days. … Continue Reading
The Futureheads
May 1, 2010
Defiant as ever, Sunderland’s The Futureheads can now afford to pick and choose from four albums of cathartic, high octane punk-pop masterpieces and still leave their fans lamenting the omission of certain tracks. And now, at the closest to a hometown gig they will come to on this tour, they are unstoppable. The old adage that the spectator doesn’t want it to end has rarely been truer.
… Continue Reading
Bear In Heaven
April 25, 2010
Opening act Juffage deserves praise for his hard-working take on a one-man performance, using loop pedals and sequencers to aid him as he darts around his little stage buiding up layers of varied instrumentation and vocals. But while his ability to simultaneously sing, play bass one-handed and knock out a ferocious drum beat is no doubt impressive, his songs sometimes fail in execution. An incredible tour de force of a closing song, however, ensure it’s a performance worth sticking with. … Continue Reading
Field Music
March 3, 2010
Field Music are avant-pop doyens. That sure sounds pretentious but it’s shorthand for “Field Music should be selling out the Royal Festival Hall but audiences’ attention-spans just aren’t big enough to let that happen”. They sell out the Scala no sweat, which marks the well-deserved success of their comeback record Field Music (Measure), but tonight – while a great platform for their instrument-swapping skills, astounding musicianship and general loveliness – lacks magic. … Continue Reading
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