On Margate Sounds: a preview

On Margate Sounds

Well here’s something that caught MG’s eye… it’s a one-dayer in Margate, by the name of On Margate Sounds – and it’s taking place at one of the smallest theatres in the world.

There’s music and audio-visuals too, and the audience are also encouraged to become collaborators, bringing their own recorded contributions or noise-making offerings to be used by the artists. What a treat! And the end goal? An online sound library – attendees will be given a CD-R memento of the day with the sounds collected, forming the library’s start-point. Fancy. … Continue Reading

De Affaire Festival, Nijmegen, Netherlands

July 18-23, 2010

What’s there not to love about the De Affaire Festival in Nijmegen? It’s free and, for seven evenings straight, bands from all over the world come to perform. From metal to indie to folk to avant-garde, everything but mainstream pop is represented. It is linked to the 4 Daagse (a four day walking event where people walk forty or fifty miles each day, for four days straight). Yes, everybody is crazy this side of the pond.

… Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #33

crystal castles

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week: ‘Suffocation’ by Crystal Castles (Memory Tapes remix)

I always feel slightly ashamed when I have to say that I don’t fancy Crystal Castles that much, because it kind of seems the thing to do. I do love Memory Tapes though, and I do love that band a whole bunch (me is the proud owner of a first edition vinyl of the album). So this could go either way. You would think. But I was lucky enough to have a little interview with the man behind Memory Tapes and so I know how he does his remixes. And the thing is, he doesn’t look at the original at all. He just looks at the components and creates a remix off of that. So in essence, it will definitely be more his aesthetic that will be shining through than that of Crystal Castles. Which, for me personally, is a good thing. So no surprise here, I do love this one. It has got a bit of that dreamy vibe that I love so much and which I think is just so great to listen to while walking around at night. If you want to bounce off of each other on the dance floor then this probably isn’t going to make you happy. But if you like the dreamy, fantastical vibe, then this might just be for you. It definitely is for me, in any case. Also, nifty drumming. … Continue Reading

Singles of the Week: A World Cup Special

Terry Venables - If I Can Dream

The single.  A mighty art form that reignites fond memories that hark back to Saturdays as a youngster, pocket money in hand, marvelling at the wall of cassette tapes laid out in the order of the Top 40 in Woolworths.  Which ones to choose? The song that’s been playing on the radio all week? The one your mates have been banging on about? The one your crush said they liked?

If you were a young muso, perhaps it was more about the band than the song (particularly in the case of the Britpop Battle of the Bands circa 1995).  Sometimes, in a moment of madness, you endorsed an awful song released by, say, Zig and Zag, Mr. Blobby… Bob The Builder, even. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #24

The Juan MacLean

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week:

‘Feel So Good’ by The Juan MacLean

In case they ever get tired of doing ‘Happy House’ (which I don’t hope because that song kills) they already have its replacement in place. This song will appear on John MacLean’s DJ Kicks, and it’s an absolute corker! It’s just ten minutes of pure dance mania, super catchy, and I can’t get enough of it really. One of the best tunes this year so far in my book. I just love that band, and live they are simply magnificent. Now, to support the DJ Kicks release John MacLean will appear behind the turntables throughout Europe, so be sure to be there. I believe he’s going to do a set with Horse Meat Disco in London, and if that doesn’t get you dancing nothing will I think. Not quite as great as the live version of ‘Happy House’ (which is twenty minutes of madnesssss), but I’m not sure anything is up to that really. Big love! … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #20

Ali Love

Just a little bit later than usual, here’s our weekly look into the blogopshere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Ali Love – Love Harder (Prins Thomas remix)

Spaceness by Prins Thomas of course! Who else? None other than the Lindstrom accomplice turns this rather poppy track into a space disco eight minute lovefest. Hips a flailing on that sweet bass, which keeps on coming and coming. Who needs vocals, right? Well they do come in, first kind of high and on the background, but at the half mark (as in, almost precisely the half mark I reckon) they get a more prominent place. This is after you’ve been seduced for a good four minutes by Prins Thomas and his space disco qualities, and after that you’re so into the song that the vocals offer just a bit of variation in this nine minutes behemoth. Prins Thomas makes it pretty easy to start singing along a bit as well. So if you find yourself singing and dancing like a loon, Prins Thomas is to blame, as this is one seductive remix. … Continue Reading

The best of January

Beach House - Teen Dream

For the intrigued/lazy amongst you we’ve decided to condense a month’s worth of blabber into an easy to digest Spotify playlist. Included are tracks from reviewed albums by Laura Viers, Beach House and Delphic as well as some January singles (OK and some late December ones) from These New Puritans, Late of The Pier, Plan B, I Was A King and The Strange Boys. … Continue Reading

We’re looking for bands and short dramatic pieces

Muso's Guide

We are looking for short dramatic pieces, to be performed as part of a one-day event at The Camden Head we’re hosting on Sunday 4th April. In association with Broken Glass Theatre Company, the day will showcase innovative approaches to theatrical and musical performance.

If you’re  a band, please post links to your MySpace page as a comment to this piece – we’ll listen to all of them.The Muso’s Guide half of the event is looking for new bands and artists to be brought to our attention.

We are open to submissions of complete pieces from theatre companies and individual performers working with fresh approaches to live theatre, with a maximum running time of 25 minutes. Please email a short CV of previous work and proposals of no more than 300 words to alex@brokenglassplay.co.uk or vicky@brokenglassplay.co.uk by Monday 1st March.

2006: Gnarls Barkley, Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen

Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

While it was only a few short years ago, 2006 was a real game changer in terms of this decade. The previous year saw the implementation of digital sales into the singles chart and by summer this year Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ became the first UK number one not to sell a single physical copy. It was the also the year that YouTube went supernova and allowed many of us to check out classic clips of bands performing on Top of The Pops while we mourned the final weekly episodes. While the great rush to add people to your fledging MySpace account may have been slightly earlier, there are two acts that will forever be associated with it; Lily Allen and The Arctic Monkeys. … Continue Reading

2005: the year of Maxïmo Park

Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger

2005 was the year my favourite bands became more than a passing hobby, the year I slaved away at a double life reading my books in the daytime and drinking 70p spirit and mixers at dusk, the year I’d learn about new things through the anachronistic MySpace-trail and the year I became obsessed with Maxïmo Park. … Continue Reading