We caught up with Example at The Big Chill Festival backstage – he was nearly exactly midway through his run of festivals. Here’s what happened…

Here is a full review of The Big Chill , if you’re into that sort of thing.

Muso’s Guide is working with Vodafone VIP across festival season, be it live-blogging, video-interviewing artists, Tweeting (we’re at @musosguide) or reviewing weekends in handy snapshot form.

Vodafone VIP is part of the VIP programme for customers, and Muso’s Guide is taking on official music blogger status at some of the summer’s hottest festivals. There are currently competitions running to win tickets to Latitude, T in the Park and Wireless, with more to come over the summer.

The Vodafone VIP experience extends further too – there’s a Vodafone VIP area across fashion, festivals and Formula 1 over the summer, a viewing platform giving customers shelter and brilliant views, a recharging truck capable of charging 2,000 phones at once and selected apps allowing festival-goers to see what’s on and where, locate their tent via GPS and plan schedules for their weekends.

Visit http://www.vodafone.co.uk/vip to find out more.

We caught up with the new project of The Pussycat Dolls’ Kimberly Wyatt, Her Majesty and The Wolves – a dance-pop duo formed with Spencer Nezey.

Muso’s Guide is working with Vodafone VIP across festival season, be it live-blogging, video-interviewing artists, Tweeting (we’re at @musosguide) or reviewing weekends in handy snapshot form.

Vodafone VIP is part of the VIP programme for customers, and Muso’s Guide is taking on official music blogger status at some of the summer’s hottest festivals. There are currently competitions running to win tickets to Latitude, T in the Park and Wireless, with more to come over the summer.

The Vodafone VIP experience extends further too – there’s a Vodafone VIP area across fashion, festivals and Formula 1 over the summer, a viewing platform giving customers shelter and brilliant views,  a recharging truck capable of charging 2,000 phones at once and selected apps allowing festival-goers to see what’s on and where, locate their tent via GPS and  plan schedules for their weekends.

Visit http://www.vodafone.co.uk/vip to find out more.

We caught up with Fight Like Apes backstage at T In The Park. Here’s what happened:

To see our full T In The Park 2011 coverage, you can click anywhere (anywhere!) on this line.

Muso’s Guide is working with Vodafone VIP across festival season, be it live-blogging, video-interviewing artists, Tweeting (we’re at @musosguide) or reviewing weekends in handy snapshot form.

Vodafone VIP is part of the VIP programme for customers, and Muso’s Guide is taking on official music blogger status at some of the summer’s hottest festivals. There are currently competitions running to win tickets to Latitude, T in the Park and Wireless, with more to come over the summer.

The Vodafone VIP experience extends further too – there’s a Vodafone VIP area across fashion, festivals and Formula 1 over the summer, a viewing platform giving customers shelter and brilliant views,  a recharging truck capable of charging 2,000 phones at once and selected apps allowing festival-goers to see what’s on and where, locate their tent via GPS and  plan schedules for their weekends.

Visit http://www.vodafone.co.uk/vip to find out more.

We caught up with Wolf Gang at T In The Park, and here’s what happened:

You can take a peek at the rest of our T In The Park 2011 coverage by clicking on any of the words on this line.

Muso’s Guide is working with Vodafone VIP across festival season, be it live-blogging, video-interviewing artists, Tweeting (we’re at @musosguide) or reviewing weekends in handy snapshot form.

Vodafone VIP is part of the VIP programme for customers, and Muso’s Guide is taking on official music blogger status at some of the summer’s hottest festivals. There are currently competitions running to win tickets to Latitude, T in the Park and Wireless, with more to come over the summer.

The Vodafone VIP experience extends further too – there’s a Vodafone VIP area across fashion, festivals and Formula 1 over the summer, a viewing platform giving customers shelter and brilliant views,  a recharging truck capable of charging 2,000 phones at once and selected apps allowing festival-goers to see what’s on and where, locate their tent via GPS and  plan schedules for their weekends.

Visit http://www.vodafone.co.uk/vip to find out more.

We met new-fave girl group Parade backstage at Wireless 2011 – here’s what happened:

You can take a peek at the rest of our Wireless 2011 coverage by clicking on any of the words on this line. Generosity!

Muso’s Guide is working with Vodafone VIP across festival season, be it live-blogging, video-interviewing artists, Tweeting (we’re at @musosguide) or reviewing weekends in handy snapshot form.

Vodafone VIP is part of the VIP programme for customers, and Muso’s Guide is taking on official music blogger status at some of the summer’s hottest festivals. There are currently competitions running to win tickets to Latitude, T in the Park and Wireless, with more to come over the summer.

The Vodafone VIP experience extends further too – there’s a Vodafone VIP area across fashion, festivals and Formula 1 over the summer, a viewing platform giving customers shelter and brilliant views,  a recharging truck capable of charging 2,000 phones at once and selected apps allowing festival-goers to see what’s on and where, locate their tent via GPS and  plan schedules for their weekends.

Visit http://www.vodafone.co.uk/vip to find out more.

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.

Multi-instrumentalist Thomas White heads up the bill, with Two Wings, Liz Green, Monster Bobby, Eaten By Children and Panther Society all turning up for the fun.

Looks like the organisers have gone all out here… and there are few places we’d rather be on a bank holiday weekend than Margate.

It’s happening on Sunday August 29, from midday ’til 11pm at the Tom Thumb Theatre, Eastern Esplanade, Margate, CT9 2LB. Tickets are £12 from We Got Tickets or the venue.

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.

While the walking event has some of the most inane music imaginable and loads of booze, De Affaire is quite the opposite. The atmosphere is lovely, especially the first five days, as the last two days the crowd slightly changes. The other days it is music aficionados only, ranging from happy electro gays to shy high school groups loving the indie pop to vegans who like the trippy stuff. The best part is, everybody is served, everybody is happy, it is sunny, and everybody is having a good time.

Less kid-friendly is King Kahn and the Shrines. During the song ‘I Want to be a Girl’, the saxophone player drops his pants, puts his tail between his legs, and while making some feminine moves shouts along to the words of the title. King Kahn himself is also only wearing a cape and boxers. The music is straightforward rock and roll, and I doubt anyone takes it seriously. But it’s a fun act. Sort of James Brown meets fifties rock ‘n funk.

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.

http://hypem.com/track/1134063/Crystal+Castles+-+Suffocation+Memory+Tapes+Remix+

‘Weaker Arm’ by Zebra and Snake (Emperatron remix)

Oh no, this goes way too fast and is way too hard for my personal taste, that is clear from the start. Add to that transformed vocals, your standard club tricks and echoes, and there you go. It is a bit like Vitalic, only a B version of it. Because where Vitalic is hypnotizing and engaging, this is not. And it is a good five minutes of it. Not my thing at all, but I guess that if you want some sort of good trippin’ then this might do the trick, but I wouldn’t fancy hearing this on my evening out.

http://hypem.com/track/1128875/Zebra+and+Snake+-+Weaker+Arm+Emperatron+Remix+

‘Princess’ by Primary 1 (Isa Machine reinvention)

You did read my interview with Joe Flory, aka Primary 1, didn’t you? If not be sure to go to it now. Always nice to get to know an up-and-coming artist a bit better, no? Because you probably wouldn’t from this remix, as Isa Machine definitely puts its own stamp on it. The pop vibe that was very much present in especially this song of Primary 1 has gone out of the window and Isa Machine has slowed it down considerably. So the only thing still there are basically Flory’s vocals. But since this wasn’t my favourite track of his anyway I don’t mind the reinvention that much. The vocals were one of the better points anyway, and at three minutes this is definitely a comfortable listen.

http://hypem.com/track/1128499/Primary+1+-+Princess+Isa+Machine+Re+invention+

‘Even if it Works Out’ by Cloud Nothings

Lo-fi ramshackle American indie with barely distinguishable vocals. The thing is, if you do not fancy a particular genre, and that genre becomes popular, you are very prone of getting a bit of an “oh no, this again?” vibe. Which I’m having when I listen to this track. It is something that the people following the Gorilla vs Bear blog will probably love. Since I’m not an avid fan of their choice of music, I’m not digging this as much. If you have been relishing this type of music and the hype that has been surrounding it for a good year now, then you might hail this as the next so and so.  Me, I’ll probably be listening to something more up my alley.

http://pitchfork.com/forkcast/14436-even-if-it-worked-out/

‘Keep The Lights On’ by Wave Machines (Artwork remix)

Wave Machines is probably a bit of a blindspot for me. I’ve read some good things about them, and it seems that some people are really liking this band. But I unfortunately haven’t found the time to check it out. Despite me not knowing this band terribly well, I guess a lot of this remix is Artwork’s doing. I imagine, rightly or wrongly, that the deep vocals and the somewhat darker vibe is original Wave Machines, but the electronic and synthy additions are Artwork’s. Correct me if I’m wrong, naturally. If I’m right, and that is the case, I’m definitely be checking out Artwork’s stuff, because how this remix has turned out has got me pretty excited. I like the juxtaposition of the music and additions on one hand, and the deep vocals on the other.

http://hypem.com/track/1134379/Wave+Machines+-+Keep+The+Lights+On+Artwork+Remix+

‘Counterpoint’ by Delphic (Tim Goldsworthy edit)

This actually makes me think of – oh what is the name for it again? – one of those devices which flickers light insanely fast. One of those things you see in clubs sometimes, which goes on and off and on and off and on and off like it has gone berserk. This is sort of a happy, musical version of that device with those background bleeps. That device always annoys me to no end, and although this doesn’t make me want to punch someone, it does kind of irritate me. It is such a schizophrenic noise. The rest of the song is very poppy, a bit The Killers’ first album gone bad. Two weeks ago I praised a Goldsworthy edit, and I think this puts things in balance again.

http://hypem.com/track/1130862/Delphic+-+Counterpoint+Tim+Goldsworthy+edit+

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.

That’s right – the ubiquitous novelty song.  Christmas time is sadly haunted by them, and there seems to be a surge every couple of years when redundant footballers think it might be a good idea to earn some extra cash.  Oh yes:  all hail the football anthem.  This summer is no exception – and with the World Cup literally kicking off on Friday, there’s no escape from them….

Terry Venables – ‘If I Can Dream’

Oh, Terry.  Terry, Terry, Terry.  Times must be hard.  To be fair, although it’s like your dad sing karaoke badly, Tel can just about carry the tune off.  It still feels just as embarrassing to listen to though.  The only redeeming feature is that it’s for charity.

Lightning Seeds, Baddiel and Skinner – ’3 Lions’

No football tournament is complete without this anthemic delight making an appearance in the charts.  It’s been around for a whopping 14 years (it was originally released for Euro ’96) and has been re-released on several occasions – this year being no exception.  This is even the second version to be released this year, with a celebrity-filled version brought out a few weeks ago under ‘The Squad’.  It’s loud, fun and easy to remember the words to.  If there’s one song to get us through the tournament, it’s this.

StringFever – ‘Forever England’

On a slightly different note, this attempt at a classy, patriotic song could be quite good – but it’s a bit grown up for its target audience.  Opera probably isn’t the first choice musical genre of the football fan – having said that, the chorus is fairly easy to chant along to.  On a par with ”it’s coming home” from ’3 Lions’, ”Forever England” may well be heard across the terraces in South Africa.

Shuttleworth featuring Mark E. Smith ‘England’s Heartbeat’

He may have been the front man of John Peel’s (apparently) favourite band of all time, The Fall, but that doesn’t mean Mark E. Smith should try his hand at football anthems.  The video to the song has the words up on screen.  Perhaps it’s for karaoke purposes; perhaps it’s because Smith’s mumbled ‘singing’ is at times inaudible.  Whatever the reason, it in no way makes the song better.  Unlike Tezza’s effort, this isn’t for charity.  Avoid.

England Band: Joe Public – ‘Cabanga (Come On England)’

‘Cabanga’ is a Zulu word meaning ‘imagine’ and, other than the word ‘hope’ there’s no more an appropriate word for the England World Cup team.  Imagine if we DID get to the final? This cheery chant has every chance of appearing in the Top 10 this week.  A novelty record in a similar vein to ’3 Lions’, this is simple, lively and likely to win the hearts of the footy fans.

Now obviously (and thankfully), not all of this week’s releases are football related.  Here’s a round-up of some non-sporting singles vying to make it into the charts.

Clock Opera – ‘A Piece Of String’

This Vampire Weekend/Paul Simon-esque song happens to be on the odd subject of the relationship between a ventriloquist and his dummy.  An interesting track full of crazy sampling, the weird subject is made even eerier due to the calm vocals on top of the frantic music – which builds up to a rather abrupt ending.

The Exhibition – ‘The Crown/Coma’

This double A-Side from Barnsley based band The Exhibition is a bit disappointing.  ‘The Crown’ starts off rather threateningly, building into a less aggressive and slightly repetitive track.  The vocals drone on somewhat, although the music ascends into quite a frenzied affair toward the end.  ‘The Coma’, meanwhile, is slightly more upbeat, but singer Pete Dand’s vocals are a bit, well, boring.

Glee – ‘Poker Face’

Just as World Cup chat is reaching fever-pitch, you can’t go anywhere these days without seeing or hearing something from Glee.  There are a few singles out from the cast this week – but this is an interesting, stripped down version sung by main character Rachel – who, rather aptly, is as crazy as the GaGa herself – and features musical theatre star Idina Menzel.

Mumford and Sons ‘Roll Away Your Stone’

Another standard folk-pop song from the band.  In a similar format to their previous singles – Mumford’s gruff vocals backed up by the band, driven forward by the usual banjo/drums/guitar/double bass combo.  It’s nice, but all of their songs are starting to merge into one now.

Tinie Tempah – ‘Frisky’

The grime scene’s man of the moment, ‘Frisky’ has enough variety within the song itself to keep it interesting.  Tinie is hot on the heels of Dizzee Rascal – and if he keeps his music as fresh as this, he may avoid the by-the-wayside sound that his counterpart has fallen into.

Luckily, these days, with the price of a digital single normally less than a pound, you can treat yourself to two – sometimes even three – singles for the price of one cassette tape.  Just try not to make any of them a novelty choice.  You’ll only have yourself to blame when the Top 10 is full of football chants.

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!

http://hypem.com/track/1079805/The+Juan+MacLean+-+Feel+So+Good

‘Drunk Girls’ by LCD Soundsystem

I was not really amused with this when I heard this for the first time. I guess I was just expecting something else really (like more in the vein of the excellent cover ‘Bye Bye Bayou’ they did last year). Perhaps it’s also just the title, which I link to debauchery more than I do to something fun, but apparently Murphy does as well as he “believes in waking up together”. The more I listen to it the more I like it though. The catchy, full throttle mode and the speedy spoken word (or whatever you want to call this kind of delivery) make it into something I can enjoy. It is funny because this is really more of a fast food thing you could say then what you would normally call a grower, but it did grow on me. From not amused to enjoying it, eat that The National! And well looking forward to the Holy Ghost! remix of this. DFA rules.

http://hypem.com/track/1078175/LCD+Soundsystem+-+Drunk+Girls

‘Dead Sun’ by Liquid Vega (Museum of Bellas Artes Remix)

I guess I could get philosophical about a build-up leading up to nothing. As in, there is no climax, it is in the doing that one receives the fun and the reward, not in the actual achieving, or, to steal a line from Modest Mouse, “If you could be anything you’d be disappointed, am I right?”. The thing is, I was really really expecting this to lead to a climax, to something that would burn holes into the dance floor. That it would build up to a big mean punch. Instead, it lingers. And that is not a bad thing per se. It is semi danceable, some elements are quite nifty even though I do think it is a bit of a busy track myself (in the same vein perhaps as stuff like Caribou later in this column), and that Spanish guitar thingy is something you don’t come across everyday. I think that around three quarters (after which you have listened to five minutes of this) there is a definite opportunity to kick it into a higher gear. That would’ve done wonders for my attention span, because eight minutes is a bit too long without really having a pay off I think.

http://hypem.com/track/1076040/Liquid+Vega+-+Dead+Sun+Museum+of+Bellas+Artes+remix+

‘The Worse It Gets’ by Penguin Prison  (RAC remix)

If you are a regular reader of this column you might know I have been a bit critical on Penguin Prison from time to time. Enter RAC, which is one of my favourite remix collectives out there, and suddenly I am enjoying the heck out of a Penguin Prison track! This is just a great flowing (synth) pop song to which I wouldn’t mind dancing. So if you’re looking for a bit of fun 80s pop or something, this is definitely worthwhile I think. So yeah, it might not be the greatest thing ever made, but RAC sure knows how to make a catchy tune, and Penguin Prison apparently makes tracks which can be remixed quite well.

http://hypem.com/track/1079826/Penguin+Prison+-+Worse+It+Gets+RAC+Remix+

‘Panic Attack’ by Florrie (Fred Falke remix)

The thing is, I adore Fred Falke. He and RAC are two of my favourite remixers, so I’m getting spoiled this week I suppose (not to mention the DFA output!). Whether I would listen to Florrie if not remixed I highly doubt, as at the moment I imagine her songs to sound like every other female pop singer with a bit of indie/electro vibe. Falke makes everything enjoyable though, and this is another smooth and danceable remix by him. Like the RAC remix it is catchy and very poppy, so it might not be for everyone, but like every Falke remix it floooows. The vocals aren’t too shabby, but the voice and the way she sings isn’t really my cup of tea I’m afraid. And with six and a half minutes it might be pushing it a bit.

http://hypem.com/track/1079108/Florrie+-+Panic+Attack+Fred+Falke+Extended+Mix+

‘Odessa’ by Caribou (Nite Jewel remix)

Caribou is a bit hit and miss with me. It changes per song, and then it also depends on my mood, as sometimes I love it, and sometimes I suddenly find it all too cluttered and it starts to annoy me. This Nite Jewel remix mostly annoys me, not depending on my mood. It kind of feels as if everything has been slowed down and is working in slow motion, and I really get an itchy feeling when listening to this. Some stuff is pretty nice and well done (the bit starting around the 4:30 mark up to the end is pretty good), but overall I can’t really get into it.

http://hypem.com/track/1074870/Caribou+-+Odessa+Nite+Jewel+Remix+