Some more acts have been announced to this year’s Hop Farm Festival including Athlete, Jose Gonzales and I Am Kloot. They will join an exciting collection already on the bill to play the Kent festival including Bob Dylan, Suede and Peter Gabriel. The line-up has grown from strength to strength throughout the last few months and fails to disappoint each year.

Athlete are no strangers to the festival circuit and have some big performances under their belt from the past. It’s a rare outing for the band of late though and one that will no doubt be well appreciated.

Last year Hop Farm Festival won ‘Best upcoming festival’ in thegigreview.co.uk annual awards ‘The Giggies‘ voted for by the public and fighting off some strong competition.

Beady Eye, meanwhile, have ruled themselves out. Liam Gallagher confirmed this to fans on twitter with “The mighty Beady Eye will not be performing at Hop Farm this year“. This comes after some posters were spotted with the ex-Oasis front mans band on the line-up. Apparently, a festival spokesman told the NME that the posters were accidentally leaked and that the band will definitely not be appearing at the event.

Richard Ashcroft, Damien Rice, Primal Scream, My Morning Jacket, Maximo Park, Ray Davies and Gomez are also playing over the weekend of June 29th – July 1st at Paddock Wood, Kent.

Buy Hop Farm Festival Tickets

For more information go to Hop Farm Festival website.

The line-up:

Bob Dylan

Peter Gabriel And The New Blood Orchestra

Suede

Damien Rice

Primal Scream

My Morning Jacket

Maximo Park

Patti Smith And Her Band

The Stranglers

Dr John And The Lower 911

Joan Armatrading

Billy Ocean

The Psychedelic Furs

Lianne La Havas

The Jezabels

Richard Ashcroft

Ray Davies

Kool and the Gang

George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic

Randy Crawford and Joe Sample Trio

The Levellers

The Futureheads

Gilbert O’Sullivan

Ian Hunter

Gary Numan

Bellowhead

British Sea Power

The Tallest Man on Earth

Gomez

Howling Bells

Peter Hook and the Light

Gruff Rhys

King Charles

Marcus Foster

Lights

Tanita Tikaram

Mary Coughlan

The Datsuns

Field Music

Treetop Flyers

Various Cruelties

Little Barrie

Athlete

Jose Gonzalez

I Am Kloot

Taj Mahal

Nitin Sawhney

Cashier No 9

Robert Francis

Jonquil

Mary Epworth

James Levy and the Blood Red Rose

The Sheepdogs

Dan Clews

Helen Boulding

Noah Francis

Yossarian

Flight Brigade

Maia

Holy Something

Slow Club

Benjamin Francis Leftwich

Frightened Rabbit

Tom Vek

White Denim

Ben Kweller

Lucy Rose

Fin

Dog Is Dead

Race Horses

Steve Smyth

Sian Sanderson

Ligers

Jack Bruce & his Big Blues Band live Review-March 22nd Komedia Centre- Bath Somerset.

It was an impulse decision to go and view the legendary Mr Jack Bruce.I was feeling rather gig starved and after reading the small write up about this man on the flyer, “Probably the most musically gifted bass player there’s ever been”- Roger Waters in Rolling Stone magazine.

I was curious to see just how good.I had heard the name here and there and was aware of the Eric Clapton-Cream connections.The crowd consisted mostly of silver haired men in their middle to late 50s who Jack no doubt was a youthful hero to.

The show begins with a piano ballad which morphs into a very rhythmic Instrumental.The bass playing is fast and deep, Jack has perfect rhythm, he holds his bass like it’s his baby,his prize possession,like an embrace.

Jack and his Big Blues Band all look like they are enjoying themselves, all hard working, enthusiastic,fast playing musicians with a trumpet player that cannot stop giggling throughout the whole show.

The first four tracks are fast & energy fuelled to the hilt.The fifth “Child song” has an acoustic guitar and Jack returns to the piano.Some heartfelt emotional ballads follow.

The Cream classic “Bad Sign” was the highlight of the night for me, very seductively played.”White Room” was also played so there are two I recognise, thankfully.

The other highlight of the evening is the drum solo, I don’t think I have ever heard or seen anything like it, no wonder Jack works with this man, a gifted musician for sure.

There was sadly one small downer about the show, an extremely rude heckler yelling rude comments regarding the Blues, to which Jack calmly responded “define the Blues” what a brilliant answer, and he said it so calmly, leaving this nasty heckler looking rather silly!

The encore consists of a “12 bar blues track, called a turn around” announces Jack, “Get into my big black car”

A great night, and the pleasant chat I had with the bass player from the Big Blues Band was the icing on the cake, a total gentleman.

A great gig, worth every penny.

Available : Limited Edition CD Live Recording of Jack’s performance at The Stables-Milton Keynes-19th March 2012

www.JackBruce.com

With Galsto taking a year off, many more Brits are expected to make the trip over to Spain to see what we think will be one of the best line-ups of the summer festival season. Bennicasim host an array of talent including the likes of Noel Gallagher, Miles Kane and Bombay Bicycle Club. They’ll join the likes of Florence and the machine, The Vaccines and of course, massive headliners The Stone Roses. The festival runs from July 12-15. 165 Euros will bag you a 4 day ticket and are available here.

Example, Chase & Status, Jesse J & David Guetta will be the big names amongst the POP contingent. The lineup is full of Legends, with Bob Dylan, New Order & Buzzcocks all showing they can still cut it with the youngsters.

The festival has a rich history in pulling in the big bands. Set in an idyllic beach town north of Valencia, it runs throughout the night to give festival goers respite from the 30 degree daily heat. The week long festival is renowned for a diverse lineup with the best of European acts.

TGR will have someone there to bring you the full stories, news, interviews and photo’s. Buy tickets for Bennicasim 2012 here!

Full Lineup is:

Benicassim Thursday 12th July 2012
Florence + The Machine

At the Drive-In
Arveene and Misk
Bat For Lashes
Dave Clarke
De La Soul
Example
Kurt Vile & the Violators
Lisa Hannigan
Los Tiki Phantoms
Pony Bravo
The Horrors
TUYA
Yuksek

Benicassim Friday 13th July 2012
Bob Dylan

Bombay Bicycle Club
Chase & Status
Arp Attack
Disappears
Django Django
Jero Romero
Joe Crepúsculo
Katy B
Klaus Kinski
Little Dragon
Miles Kane
Oscar Mulero
SebastiAn
Sons Phonetic
The Maccabees

Benicassim Saturday14th July 2012
The Stone Roses

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Buzzcocks
Crystal Castles
Delorentos
Department S
Dizzee Rascal
Ham SandwicH
Jessie J
Ligers
Maverick Sabre
Modulok
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3
School Of Seven Bells
The New Raemon

Benicassim Sunday 15th July 2012
New Order

David Guetta
Agoria
Cooper
Ed Sheeran
Howler
Juanita y los Feos
La Casa Azul
Maya Jane Coles
Spector
The Secret Society
The Vaccines
Thee Brandy Hips
Todd Terje
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Hey rainmaker come away from that man…

Is it really over 20 years since Manchester was the epicentre of cool? Time may have marched on with the legendary Hacienda nightclub, birthing pool of so many bands and the Madchester rave scene, now a swanky apartment block and of course there is now no chief alchemist in Tony Wilson.  However 2012 could well be the resurrection of the Second Summer of Love. Not only have The Stone Roses reformed in a publicity frenzy to play Heaton Park this summer but James were recently awarded a lifetime contribution and The Inspiral Carpets have reformed, recorded new material and embarked on a sell out tour.  Last night at the Manchester Evening News arena two of the greatest genies to come out of the Manchester bottle were in evidence; The Inspiral Carpets and The Happy Mondays.  Despite breaking up and reforming more times than most of us can keep count the constituent members have been put back into that lamp, shaken up and released once more to show that once again the acid house zeitgeist can move any mountain.

First on stage is The Inspiral Carpets with original lead singer Stephen Holt now centre stage.  It must feel a bit surreal for him to be singing songs recorded after he left but he slots in seamlessly to the band and if you didn’t know otherwise you’d think he’d never left.  Providing an hour’s worth of set, the Inspirals revel in the enormity of the challenge, reminding people that “you come from the best city on the planet” and by the end of the second song the arena is considerably more full than it was when they started as people stream in like ants to the distinctive iconic sound and the place is soon reverberating to chants of “Boon army” along with moo-ing.  All the favourites are here after the opener Joe; Directing Traffic, She Comes in the Fall, This is How it Feels and Dragging Me Down along with other lesser known gems.  Rounding off with their latest single and then Saturn 5, the Inspirals prove that they can still more than hold their own in the annals of music culture.

Exit the Inspirals, enter a DJ.  Now this is a brilliant idea.  I’ve been to far too many gigs where the initial atmosphere built up by the support deflates like an old balloon once they’ve left the stage but for the 20 minutes or so in-between bands the DJ kept the party atmosphere going playing everything from New Order to The Charlatans (met with a very loud cheer), from The Cure to The Specials’ Message to Rudy which seemed to be some sort of pavlovic cue for middle aged men to form themselves into groups and ska dance or wave scarves above their heads.  Frankly I’d have thought that the accountancy profession would have known better…..

Then came the main event and what better for a main event to have an MC in the form of Bez.  Ah Bez, Celebrity Big Brother winner and holder of “Most hilarious attempt to flee British Transport Police”.  Actually he did a brilliant job and it’s a sign of how much affection he’s held in that as soon as he walked onto the stage he was met with a wall of sound from the crowd.  In fact every time he appeared on stage for his sparse dancing – arthritis has curtailed his maraca shaking – he was lauded.  After whipping the crowd into a frenzy it fell to Rowetta to herald in the first Manchester Monday’s gig of the original line up in 19 years as she broke crystal clear into Loose Fit being joined on stage a couple of minutes in by the cheeky chappie, Mr Ryder himself.  Channelling pure rock and roll in leather and indoor sunglasses he shouts “ ’Ello you lot” before proving that unlike previous outings this time he can sing and remember the words.  That stint in the celebrity jungle must have done him the world of good.  For the next hour and a half the crowd are reminded just why this band epitomised the Madchester scene;  ‘70s USA funk from the talented fingers of lead guitar Mr Day given a typical Manchester spin with lyrics so wrong they’re right.  Only Shaun Ryder could write let along sing the line “the sun shines brightly out of my asshole today” (Donovan) and credit both Greater Manchester Police and Manchester Airport’s Customs and Excise with “writing” songs.  The whole air is one of “oooh we were bad lads” with a knowing wink of the saucy seaside postcard and the crowd lapped it up.  The atmosphere created earlier of one long party just gets better and when Shaun introduces (for the second time) the original band of Mark Day (Guitar), Paul Ryder (bass), Paul David (keyboards), Gaz Whelan (drums) and Rowetta laughs are to be had when he references the fact he and his brother “our kid on bass” weren’t speaking until last year with “that’s more words than I’ve had out of him in 20 years”.  24-hour Party people even brings the comment “Even I enjoyed that” and as they move through their set list it’s clear that every track is a gem;  Mad Cyril from Bummed is there along with the always fuggy Hallelujah, Kinky Afro and the anthemic  Step On which would not be complete without Bez and his maracas.  Pretty soon the main set is over and the band leave and then return for the encore of two songs, leaving the stage for good after Wrote for Luck surely one of the best songs to come out of the Madchester scene.  Then they’re gone.  Yes they’re older, aren’t we all, and hopefully wiser but to the audience of mainly  30 and 40 somethings for one brief shining night Madchester has been back,  they were young again with no responsibilities and yes, everything was as Cool. As. F**K.

Like much of their other work before it, The Cribs’ fifth studio album In The Belly of the Brazen Bull has divided opinion like a marmite sandwich since its release this month. Some have lauded it as another addition to their catalogue of disaffected lo-fi anthems, while others have described it as mid-afternoon festival filler which fails to fulfill the promise of their breakthrough album, Man’s Needs, Woman’s Needs, Whatever. For my money, the truth lies somewhere between those two theories, yet what can’t be denied is the cult following for this Wakefield group.

Ever since they delayed recording their second album, instead choosing to tour the country playing anywhere that would have them for “fuel money and a crate of beer”, the band have enjoyed a strong and committed fanbase who not only dig their unpolished sound, but love the way they have refused to retreat from it. The result is a pretty unique live experience, yet I can’t help but wish that more of their new material caught the ear and stayed in your head the way the old stuff did. I don’t mind putting a bit of effort into an album, but tracks that jump out of the iPod are far better.

To their credit, The Cribs mixed the old and new with skill at The Troxy on Tuesday night and after opening with some fresh stuff, they whipped up a storm with a trio of punchy riff-heavy hits. The juddering ‘I’m A Realist‘ and ‘We Were Aborted‘ – which swings sorrowfully before changing pace with the kind of hook that defined the band’s 2007 watershed – was followed by ‘Hey Scenesters‘. Given the queue for the cloakroom after the lights went up, it was an appropriate choice and it built a great platform for some of their most promising new material.

‘Come On, Be A No One‘ has been earmarked to lead the new release, yet despite it’s excellent title, it felt a bit pedestrian. With its grungy undertones, ‘Anna‘ was far more impressive and as the empty plastic glasses stacked up at my feet, we got some of the new album and some cracking stuff from their early days.

For its part, The Troxy was the perfect venue for the whole thing. I’d never heard of the East London theatre before the gig, but with it’s flat carpeted stalls, it felt like The Cribs were playing in a massive living room. Which was no bad thing. God knows what upstairs was like, but anyone who avoids the floor deserves everything they get.

After a mid-section of new stuff, they dragged everyone back in with ‘Mirror Kissers‘ and ‘Cheat On Me‘, before rolling out ‘Another Number’ from their first album. The stripped back ballad was one of the highlights of the night, but served to demostrate the difference between the well-defined songs The Cribs used to make and the more crowded, edgeless ones of later years. ‘Man’s Needs‘ and a pounding rendition of ‘City of Bugs‘ provided a satisfying encore but it was ‘Be Safe‘ which really set the place alight and as Lee Ranaldo talked his way to the song’s throbbing crescendo on the giant back-screen, the gig reached its high-water mark.

On a grey and miserable Friday evening in Kings Cross, TGR heads down to The Lexington Arms to see if a metaphorical ray of sunlight in the disguise of Carey Willets’ new project, Boxes, can brighten up everyone’s night. Upstairs at the Lexington is a charming little venue. Especially tonight as the stage set is peppered with antique props, tube lighted retro TV’s and an altogether 70/80′s vibe. The dimly lit room, paired with the hushed tones of the crowd, make for a strong feeling of excited anticipation of what is to come.

After a nice solo acoustic support act, which seem to go down well with the crowd, Carey takes to the stage alongside a female keys player also providing backing vocals. This is a nice surprise as I, maybe naively, was expecting a one man show. Opening with a heavy, energetic, mish-mash of samples for the intro, the pair thrashed out the opening track to the delight of fans.

This is followed by the extremely catchy ‘Don’t Look Down‘ taken from debut EP Silent Alarm. The transition works well and the crowd are captivated. The chorus brings with it some audience participation.

The set flows nicely and it’s not long before Silent Alarm is delivered and not surprisingly seems to get the best reaction of the night. New track Red Sky is a close second too and also seems to have struck a chord with the Boxes audience. Midway through Carey swaps the guitar for a go on the Keyboard proving his versatility. Telling the audience to “Shhhhsssh” is a brave act but it pays off and the silence that has fallen over the venue, gives us all a chance to hear the true vocal talent this guy has and that may of gone unrecognised to many from his time in Athlete. The track ‘Sharks’ deserves attention, and the crowd oblige.

The set finishes with Throw Your Stones. Overall, this is an impressive, elctro-fueled, debut London performance from Boxes, which proves this exciting new project has plenty of legs. It’s imaginative music, expert song writing and above all – exciting! The live shows do more than just please your ears, the impressive visuals that the musical soundtrack triggers, also excites your eyes and is one big attack of the senses.

The debut album Stickers is out 11th June.

Being the first time I’ve seen the Antlers live, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. The music on their debut full length concept album “Hospice” was, well, rather depressing to say the least, but incredibly moving and immersive – after a few listens it was hard to put down, like some bad habit that you know will do you harm in the long run. Their follow up “Burst Apart” followed some of the same trends as Hospice, but dropped the ‘concept’ mantle being more of a traditional album of singles.

So what about the live experience? This group of 20-somethings going on 45 ably led by the main protagonist Peter Silberman took to a stage adorned with nothing more than some simple lighting and a few bunches of white flowers, and welcomed the crowd with a simple ‘hello’ before launching into a wall of noise.

The song selection was a balanced mix of the more accessible tracks on Hospice and the best that Burst Apart has to offer, highlights being the relatively speaking ‘Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out’, which given the addition of the extra guitar to the usual threesome had real bite, ‘Rolled Together’ and ‘Putting the Dog to Sleep’, which built into a crescendo finishing up sounding like My Bloody Valentine.

Peter Silberman’s slightly affected vocals live are an absolute triumph. His falcetto voice adds real delicacy to the songs, and the mix was just about right so that his vocals could be heard above the occasional wall of distortion generated by the band – at times they were LOUD. On ‘Kettering’ the bands delicate side really came to the fore, the song starting with the delicate piano and Peter’s fragile delivery before building into a crescendo of epic proportions.

In between songs, the boys were surprisingly chirpy, in sharp contrast to the content of their lyrics, almost awkwardly so. Going from “How are you all doing, we’d love to go out with you, are you all free later” to a song about dogs dying is a peculiar and unexpected juxtaposition! The performance technically was immaculate, and incredibly mature given their young age. What was clear from listening to their music and seeing them live, it is clear that the potential within the band is something truly exciting – rarely seen in bands these days. They have a truly unique sound, and have intelligence on their side which will no doubt help them develop further.

Closing with “Putting the Dog to Sleep” completed a perfect delivery, culminating in the on stage flowers being distributed amongst the welcoming audience. Turning to face the audience, it was clear that most of the gig goers were in a trance like state, slowly swaying to the music as if in an anaesthetised state – it’s fair to say that with songs such as The Antlers have in their armoury, you are never going to see enthusiastic jumping around, but that’s not why we came.

A great gig and an experience I look forward to repeating in the near future – their next album should be something quite special.

The Subways kick off their UK (+ Irish) tour today! The band announced to fans “We climbed back onto the tour bus yesterday and travelled overnight to Belfast. The last 3 weeks off have been RUBBISH. Charlotte got so bored that she ran the marathon in a crazily fast time! We can’t wait to start rocking! “

The Subways prepared a early present for fans by heading to London’s Shepard’s Bush Empire venue early and performing their next single ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ (watch below) on the balcony. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is out May 7th in the UK! To pre order the radio remix and EXCLUSIVE track which Billy recorded and mixed himself click here for iTunes

The band will have Royal Republic and Turbowolf opening the shows. The tour dates are as follows:

APRIL
27th – Belfast Limelight (get tickets)
28th – Dublin Academy 2 (get tickets)
29th – Cardiff University (get tickets)

MAY
1st – Bournemouth Old Fire Station (get tickets)
2nd – Middlesborough Empire (get tickets)
3rd – Coventry Kasbah (get tickets)
5th – Live At Leeds (Cockpit) (get tickets)
6th – Edinburgh Liquid Rooms (get tickets)
8th – Manchester Ritz (get tickets)
10th – London Shepherds Bush Empire (get tickets)
30th – The Forum, Hatfield (get tickets)

See the acoustic performance below:

The Dooley brothers – frontman Ryan and bassist Jack – along with guitarist David Cartwright and drummer Will Heaney make up All The Young. Hailing from Stoke, this gritty, working class outfit have been tipped by many a music journo as the 2012 band to watch out for. Now we all know what a curse this can be but All The Young’s debut album, Welcome Home, more than lives up to the hype! Hardcore indie music fans out there who have been crying over Smiths LP’s at the demise of the current scene – sit up and take note – The future could have arrived. Morrisey himself obviously thinks so after inviting the band to support him on tour. With northern connections, good honest song writing, a sibling pairing, killer guitar hooks and a cracking debut album, could history be repeating itself? You know what we mean! All The Young insist though, ‘it’s forward thinking guitar music‘ they are making. So fresh back from touring Europe, thegigreview caught up with them to ask them about their early gig memories, how it’s all been so far and what it was like making their debut album.

Firstly, congrats on the release of the debut album. One thing that hits you when you first listen to the new album is how incredibly ‘vintage indie’ the sound is. It’s like being transported back to the early/mid nineties, is this something you boys set out to achieve with ‘Welcome home’?

Thank you! We were very young during the 90′s so never really saw it for ourselves, but we are definitely influenced by a lot of music from that time. We wanted to make more of a forward thinking modern guitar record though, without wearing our influences on our sleeve too much. That said we do feel that there isn’t enough great guitar music on the radio or in the charts at the moment. British rock and roll is one of this country’s finest exports, but it seems like some people in the industry are set on killing it off. We’re battling against that and will continue to do so.

Having released 4 singles already, I’d imagine it wasn’t hard to find enough material for the album? Were there any that reluctantly didn’t make it?

We chose 10 tracks from roughly about 15. We’ve always known what our strongest songs are, so there wasn’t much debate about what tracks made the record.

As far as touring goes, you’ve just finished your UK dates and are now in Europe. How did the UK gigs go down?

The last UK tour was immense, it was the first time we’ve played to packed out rooms on a nightly basis. As I mentioned before, it’s quite tough at the moment for guitar bands, so we’re relying on our live show and good old fashioned word of mouth to get people involved in what we’re doing. It seems to be working though as we’ve got a really dedicated following all over the UK, and one that is growing all over Europe.

 Lately we’ve been asking bands to recall the experience of the first live gig they can remember going to? Could you tell us yours?

Me and Ryan went to see Supergrass at Wolverhampton Civic Hall in 1998. We were 10 and 11 years old. Our Dad bought us a copy of the NME and said, choose a gig and I’ll take you. We’d loved Supergrass for a while so it was a no brainer. I remember feeling completely blown away.

If you had to sum up the experience to date in 3 words, what would they be?

Testing, rewarding, exciting.

Your sound has been compared to some of the greats – Oasis, The Clash, The Smiths & The Stone Roses – are these bands you feel have inspired you or are people way off the mark?

Add The Cure to that list and you’ve got my top 5 favourite bands ever! It’s great to be compared to artists like that. Their track record speaks for itself. Hopefully one day we’ll be mentioned in a similar vein.

Morrissey is a big fan and asked you to tour with him? How did that come about?

We played a gig at Proud Galleries in Camden, and as we were warming up I just saw him sat down sipping a beer. I was pretty blown away so didn’t tell the other lads, incase we went onstage feeling star struck! After the show he joined us in our dressing room for a few drinks and a chat, and he invited us to play some shows. He’s a very humble chap, and a complete gentleman.

We’re nearly into festival season now, which fields can we see you entertaining the masses in and will you be hoping to catch a glimpse of the Roses comeback?

We’re playing Hurricane and Southside in Germany which the Stone Roses will be doing, so we’ll see them then. We’ve also got Heaton Park tickets so if we’re not busy we’ll be there too. We’ve got a load of UK festivals to announce very soon, but can’t say too much just yet.

What’s the plan for the rest of 2012?

Keep gigging, keep spreading the word, keep giving people the best live show we possibly can, and have a few tear ups while we’re at it, of course.

Finally, tell us what All The Young bring to the current music scene and (if anything) what it needs more of?

We put 200% into every live show we ever do, whether it’s in front of 5 people or 5,000. These days, I’m not sure how many acts can say that.

Congrats on a brilliant Debut and good luck with the rest of 2012!

Find out more on the band :

http://alltheyoung.co.uk
http://twitter.com/alltheyoung
http://youtube.com/alltheyoungofficial

Boxes is the new solo project from Athlete’s Carey Willets. Described by the man himself as, ‘Indie electro pop’, Boxes first EP was released in 2011 entitled ‘Silent Alarm‘. Carey has finished his debut album ‘Stickers‘ for release in June and is preparing for his upcoming UK live dates. He took time out of dismantaling old keyboards and playing with his retro gadgets to answer some TGR questions. Carey tells us how he nearly gave up on music to be a ‘Butcher’, about his collaboration with Athlete front man, Joel on his album, what he has in store for the upcoming live shows and how he loves to interact and share ideas with his followers.

Firstly, thanks for taking the time out to catch up with TGR. So the debut album ‘Stickers’ is done and the previews are coming thick and fast with tracks such as Red Skies and Between Whisky and Snow appearing on soundcloud, any tracks in particular on the album that supprised you in their final form?

Yes, the last 2 songs I wrote were a happy surprise / accident. ‘One’ began it’s life as a different song called The Gun. Alas it was a rubbish song but the instrumentation was great fun so I had a little play and ‘One’ was born. A great beginning to a record, it makes me laugh every time i hear it.

The biggest surprise was ‘Between Whisky and Snow‘. I felt the album needed one more song but I didn’t know what to do. It was a real journey each time I came up with a part it would lead to

For those that don’t know yet, tell them a little bit about Boxes. How did the solo project come about and what kind of sound is it?

Boxes began a little over a year ago although it took me until about July to realise what it is.

It began as Athlete was taking a break. During the making of Athlete’s last album i kind of lost my way. I wasn’t sure if i could write songs anymore or if i even wanted to. I thought about giving up music, I even did some butchery training.

I had a couple of weeks free so i decided to make some pieces of music, the only criteria was to try and enjoy it. It was liberating having no-one else to rely on, having to do everything myself. Quickly i found myself singing lyrics over these ‘pieces of music’. I didn’t plan on ever playing these to anyone but a good friend forced me to and it kind of snowballed from there. I kept writing, blinked and had an EP coming out. I would say the sound is indi elctro pop ish.

You released the Silent Alarm EP last year (reviewed by us here), how did that go?

Thanks for the review by the way.

I really enjoyed making the EP and i am happy with how it turned out. The response to the music and artwork has been fantastic. In fact the artwork won ‘Artwork Of The Year’ in Artrocker magazine. However i have had quite a lot of stick over the Silent Alarm video, but i like the fact you can’t watch it and remain passiveYou played a handful of gigs last year and have (mention gig dates and venues here) coming up, are you looking forward to getting your music and ideas out there infront of a live audience? What can we expect?.

You played a handful of gigs last year and have the tour coming up, are you looking forward to getting your music and ideas out there infront of a live audience? What can we expect?

I’m really looking forward to playing more live gigs. I’ve spent a bit of time figuring out how to trigger video (mostly old atari game footage) from sounds, like Pac man for Hi Hats and static for snares. Old school organs, early 1980′s TV”s, a few lamps

The Boxes tracks to date include many different samples and beats, are you an electro kid by heart?

Very much so I love electro music, always have. It’s so much fun, no rules beyond do I like it?

Have any of the Athlete gang featured on Stickers?

Joel and I wrote a song called ‘My Time Machine‘ for my album just before christmas but beyond that I’ve tried to keep the two quite separate. It’s a bit like introducing your ex to your new girlfriend.

From following Boxes on Twitter (@BOXESClever) you seem to share ideas, tracks and interact with your followers a great deal. Do you see social media as an important outlet for your music?

Totally, everything is more accessible than ever before. I like that i get to know people on twitter and facebook and i also like that they get to have their say which I try and take on board. It’s those people I want to have first look and listen because they are genuinely interested.

Lastly, TGR is all about giving real fans and gig goers a free platform to share their reviews of gigs and artists they’ve seen/heard recenlty. Anyone that’s blown you away or impressed live recently?

My First Tooth are a great live band, I really enjoyed Tree Top Flyers too.

Good luck with everything and TGR Look forward to seeing you live in May.

Fri 27 April – Leeds Cockpit
Sat 28 April – Nottingham Bodega Social
Mon 30 April – Glasgow Arches
Tue 1 May – Manchester Ruby Lounge
Thu 3 May – Brighton Sticky Mikes
Fri 4 May – London Lexington Arms

Buy Tickets for Boxes

Debut album Stickers is due for release on 11th June. Find out more info on Boxes here.

You know it’s going to be a Parkway Drive show when the venue is sold out, there are kids head to toe in imported merch not available in the UK, and there are a few proudly representing the boy’s hometown with Australian shirts on. Now conquering one of their biggest UK tours yet and a DVD release on the horizon, Parkway Drive plan on taking the O2 Indigo by storm.

As Aussie hardcore band Confession leaves the stage, the audience are already pumped with so much adrenaline; it’s a surprise that they don’t self-combust. As the stage lights dim, Miss May I return back to the UK for a third time, playing a venue that is by far 20 time if not more the size of those that they’ve already dominated. However, no fear is shown in their presence as they launch straight into the gut ripping but ever so catchy ‘Relentless Chaos’. With no anxiety, frontman Levi Benton is controlling the audience like a ring master, demanding crowd surfers and pits that will swallow up the entirety of the venue. By the time ‘Our Kings’ echoes out through amplifiers, the reception from the crowd is incredible! They’ve done everything asked of them, and now the photo-pit that lies between the stage and crowd is jammed packed with enthusiastic punters. Still in control, one final blow is delivered during the final breakdown of the gnarly anthem ‘Masses of a Dying Breed’. Like a jack in the box, all five band members are leaping across the stage from the drum kit to the edge of the ocean of fans. For a band that formed only in 2006, they’ve pulled of an un-miscible performance, particularly with the weight of the world on their shoulders.

No need to feel under pressure is painted on the face of The Ghost Inside’s frontman, Jonathon Vigil’s face when he is greeted by a swarm of cheering fans. It would come as a shock to find that not only are the fans here to watch Bryon Bay’s finest, but have mainly seized this as opportunity to watch TGI tear up the stage of the O2 Indigo, a venue renowned for holding pop concerts and classical orchestral events “What do we stand for” cries loudly from those all around throughout the gnarly ferocious chorus of ‘Between the Lines’ with guitarist, Aaron Brooks and Jonathon stepping back to allow the audience to yell each lyrics off the top of their lungs. Hefty, convoluted guitar breakdowns tear through the amplifiers during ‘Greater Distance’ and ‘Overlooked’ , where Jonathon and co show no remorse- they want every single person in the venue off their feet. As if it were a chaotic tornado, the crowd go absolutely spare during the infamous and most anticipated songs of the set, ‘Destined’ and ‘Shiner’. With a thick energetic buzz in the air, the calamity climaxes as the bridge of ‘Faith or Forgiveness’ builds up, then as if a the pin was tugged out of a grenade, the audience explode into one more bust of energy during the closing anthem ‘Unspoken’. With locking down tonight’s show successfully, TGI can be sure it won’t be long until they are once more being pulled back into doing another UK tour.

Despite all three support bands putting on outstanding performances tonight, nothing can compare to the moment that Parkway Drive step out onto that stage. Intensely, Vocalist Winston McCall gives a beastly roar into the microphone as ‘Unrest’ shatters the walls of the venue. The crowd are suddenly flung into a turmoil fever, opening the room into one colossal pit.  The anathematic ‘Bone Yards’ , filled to the brim with immaculate vocals, soaks those rushing around drenched in sweat beseeching for more. Upon announcement of the Byron Bay boys name (“We are PARKWAY DRIVE!”), a rivalry pit bursts open the minute the first guitar chord of ‘Sleepwalker’  is struck. As the breakdown of ‘Karma’ crashes down, Winston demands that the two rivalry pits fuse into one ultimate destruction. Happily, the audience participate and take up the offer as hell is unleashed when ‘Dead Man’s Chest’ erupts, and continues even during a new unnamed song Parkway show off (to win us over completely Winston has decided to unofficially name the song ‘UK’).  Yet the most memorable point of tonight’s set would be when, even before Winston can, the crowd scream in sync “1, 2, 3 DELIVER ME!” where the band are thrown off their feet by waves of bouncing bodies. ‘Home is for the Heartless’ has the same mass effect, as during the bridge, like a calmer tide, the “woah-ohwoah” rolls throughout the venue during the spine chilling bridge. It’s at this precise second you understand why the venue has sold out, Parkway Drive are just too damn good at what they do. Even when they ‘Carrion’ with an encore, it’s absolutely mind blowing as Parkway put every inch of skill, talent and effort into their final song.  This had undoubting been one of the best shows PWD gave pulled off, and with a brand new album coming soon (with one of the song already going down a hit like a sunken ship) the excitement only builds as we await for what Parkway Drive have in store for us!

I’ve never really liked The Futureheads. I always felt they were one of those bands that got swept up with the hype of British indie bands in the mid 2000′s but didnt’t have much substance. They did have a few good hits, but they never really grabbed me. This week I was invited to join a friend to watch the band at the Royal Northern College of Music.

The support band were called the Cornshed Sisters, another band who are based from the North East. They are a four piece, piano, two guitars and what I think was a half sized guitar, but it looked like ukulele. They sang beautifully. The songs were a mix of guitar picking acoustics, strong rhythms with melodic piano and complete acapella. Some gems ‘Dance at my wedding’ and ‘If you were mine’… a cheeky little tune which just made me want to hop about smiling, Their harmonies were piercingly good, I spent most of their performance with my eyes closed, jut listening. So yes, I was impressed, I fell in love with the lead Jennie for half an hour, bit nervous talking to her later, I didn’t tell her though, bit weird.

Once Ross from the Futureheads had finished selling merchandise outside the theatre a huge cheer rang out as the band came on stage carrying their guitars. The mood was relaxed, the band were cracking jokes the whole way though, especially when their instruments misbehaved. The set included old English acapella songs, which were aided by the Cornshed Sisters and the Northern Quarter Boys and Girls Choir. The sound was big and exciting and diverse, it was also interesting to watch the leaser singer, Barry Hydes, conducting the choir. My favourite acapella song was one about a pub that was one fire, which involved the audience shouting ‘Macintyre!’, good fun. The band also played some of their classic songs such as ‘Man Ray’ and ‘It’s the Beginning of the Twist’. They were vocally very good, you can see they’ve worked hard on this and it has paid off. The main aspect of the gig was the rapport between the band and between the band and the audience, it was very relaxed and you could really get a sense of each member’s character. They ended the set with ‘Hounds of Love’, classic.

So, at the end of all this I declare myself a Futureheads fan. They’ve really gone up in my estimation, perhaps this has been a mturing process, where they’ve been experimenting with new ideas, and I credit that all the way, or perhaps this is their true passion. Whatever the case, they were good and commanded the performance expertly and I had a good night and I am one happy chappy.

Bloc party are back! Many thought they would never see the day that Kele reformed with other band mates after his solo jaunt, but the band have announced that after 2 years they will be performing three intimate shows ahead of a hectic summer of festival spots. The band will be showcasing new material to give fans a chance to see what the new material is like as well as dipping into the more familiar arsenal they have from their 10 year history.

The London four piece recently announced their singing to Frenchkiss Records while they’re work in the studio on their new album.

The three shows will kick off at The Garage, Islington on 19th June moving onto The Ritz, Manchester on the 20th june and finishing at Koko, Camden on the 21st June.

Kele announced this morning to fans – “Hello internet, I know it’s been a long two and half years since bloc party last performed in the UK. Well it seems that wait is over, we are happy to announce a short run of intimate shows for our friends in the UK and our friends in the US. We will be playing choice cuts from our new record as well as some more familiar jams. We hope to see you soon.”

Tickets are on sale now at live.blocparty.com

Bloc Party gig dates:

June
19 – Garage – Glasgow
20 – The Ritz – Manchester
21 – Koko – London

July
04 – Heineken Opener Festival, Gdynia PO
08 – Ruisrock Festival, Turku FI
12 – BBK Live, Bilbao ES
13-15 – Melt Festival, Ferropolis DE
30 – The Republik, Honolulu HI USA

August
03 – Hard Festival, LA USA
03-05 – Osheaga Festival, Montreal CA
08 – Terminal 5, New York NY USA
11– The Pool @ The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas NV USA
16-18–Frequency, St Polten AT

September
04 – Mallorca Rocks, Mallorca ES
05 – Ibiza Rocks, Ibiza ES

The Coventry Trio will be performing at this years FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday 5th May.  The performance will be broadcast live around the world by ESPN.

The band will be performing 2 songs in the roof of the stadium from their new album Streets in the Sky ahead of it’s release on 21st May. This part of ESPN’s full day FA Cup final coverage.

It’s not the first time the band have leant their services to the FA Cup, with hit single ‘Be Somebody’ used as the theme tune for ITV’s FA Cup coverage.

The band will be headlining Live At Leeds Festival the very same night! Watch the video for new single Saturday here.

Whatever Happened to…… The Stranglers?

Ah the mid 1970s.  Recession, unemployment, riots, Royal celebrations…. Fast forward 35 years to 2012 taking in 24 Top 20 singles and 18 Top 40 Albums.  A lot of acts today will be lucky if they get half-a-dozen never mind that many but at Manchester Academy on 24 March it was easy to see why The Stranglers have continued past the sell by date of many of their contemporaries to remain as fresh and new as they ever were.  Touring ostensibly to promote their first album in six years, Giants, the band played Manchester as the last date of their UK tour before departing to Belgium for the start of their European leg, The Stranglers showed what makes them one of the most influential bands  to come out of the punk era of the 1970s and why as long as they can keep touring they will be selling tickets.

The fun started before they even took the stage (officially) with Irish Folk rockers The Popes and their eclectic mix of electric mandolin (two of), fiddle, top hat, crystal skull kissing, cow bells, high kicking, arse kicking rabble rousing ditties.  Formed originally by Shane McGowan they have long outgrown their creator to become their own monster and one that takes no prisoners giving the audience a polished and bravura performance of old favourites such as Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down along with material from their new album, New Church.  Whipping the crowd into a frenzy they were joined on stage at the dying dervish moments of their final track by Baz and JJ wearing green mankinis (I kid you not) and Guinness hats.  I’m sure I speak for many when I say that’s an image I will not be forgetting in a hurry.

By the time JJ and Baz appeared back on stage (fortunately now fully clothed) Stranglers fervour was well in advance and not even Jet Black’s absence due to a recent chest infection could dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd as the band took to the stage to the eerie opening chords of the Hammond organ and launched into Burning Up Time hitting the ground running.

Considering this track dates from 1977 arguably when some of the crowd were either not born or were infants the fact that everyone immediately recognised it speaks volumes for the reach and influence of the group.  Backed up by Ian Barnard  as Jet Black’s apprentice and Dave Greenfield behind his bank of keyboards, track after track followed in a torrent each one being met with the same shouts of approval and if anyone wanted any confirmation just how much this band have written here it was; Hanging Around followed seamlessly on from Rise of the Robots and then we had the latest single Time Was Once On Our Side from the new album; a bass line lead pure slice of Stranglers class which led into what could have been dubbed “nostalgia corner” of a grouping of the majority of the Cornwell fronted singles from nearly two decades ago; Golden Brown, Strange Little Girl and Peaches to name but three of the group.  However if you didn’t know these had been originally performed by another singer well you wouldn’t have guessed it as Baz whilst not having the same laconic delivery as Cornwell arguably commands these lyrics as his own and I heard no dissenters. I’ve Lost Control and Shut Up took us to No More Heroes and the place was now pogo-ing by itself.

Fortunately there were no repeats of previous gig drink throwing over JJ which was just as well as by now both the crowd and the band were on a roll and by the final track of the main set, Something Better Change, all you could see was a sea of hands and heads as long term fans and first comers alike sang along with the lyrics.  At this point the band left the stage only to return moments later after the obligatory chants to play Time to Die and Duchess.  That was it.  Or so we thought.  A second encore – All Day And All of the Night at which point it was quite possible that the roof would be lifting off and an explosive finale of Tank.  Then that was your lot.

Listening to all the tracks you become aware just how much The Stranglers have achieved,  the standard of their music and above all the diehard loyalty of their fans.  Yes there were bits where only the diehards will have been happy- I’ve never been too keen on guitar breaks mid song – but when the guitarists are JJ and Baz you can rather forgive the indulgence of somebody with their obvious quality doing what they enjoy; a fact which was evident throughout the gig as the band laughed and joked their way through a polished and incredibly tight set.  The fact is this band have an amazingly deep well of back catalogue on which to draw and it is a constant testament to their ability as a band that of the 23 tracks played only 4 were from the new album, one more than from their debut album,  illustrating the fact that had you been asked to put the songs in their various decades with one of two exceptions it would have been difficult to execute the task with any certainty.  Only one thing would be certain, that these were tracks by The Stranglers, always influential, always fresh and never, ever out of style.

Set list

Burning Up Time
Sometimes
Lowlands
(Hey) Rise Of The Robots
Hanging Around
Unbroken
Time Was On Our Side
Golden brown
Strange Little Girl
Walk On By
Giants
Peaches
Mercury Rising
VHF
I’ve Lost Control
Shut up
No More Heroes
Relentless
Something Better Change

Time To Die
Duchess

All of the Day And All Of The Night
Tank

The Popes new album – New Church (Shake The Tree Records) is out now and a headlining tour will take place in the Autumn

The Stranglers: Giants (Coursegood Records) – available now

Words:  Gillian Potter-Merrigan

Photos: Brian Merrigan

Dim lighting, an open-mind, and The Spirit EP is enough to cast any believer or non-believer into a deep ambient reflection. Brimming with potential, The Mojo Fins deliver nothing short of an ethereal odyssey on their most recent release.

The Brighton based contemporary rock quartet emerged from their debut album The Sound That I Still Hear released in 2009 to join the UK pop-rock swimming pool. Since, The Mojo Fins have joined forces with producer Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers) to assemble The Spirit EP – a refined collection of atmosphere rock embedded in a spiritual quest for self-identity.

For those familiar to the contemporary-rock sound of The Mojo Fins, The Spirit EP may – for about 55 seconds – turn fans into skeptics. However, when the swelling croon emerges into the ‘Sweet Spirit’ refrain – the unforgettable ingenuity of The Mojo Fins is remembered. Drifting through the reverbed guitar leads and pulsing percussion kicks, the ambient curtain raiser surges through the body in a growing desire.

Traces of Bon Iver prevail at the launch of ‘Palace of Memory’, but quickly dissolve into the atmospheric vocalese of front man Stephen Brett’s harmony. Meanwhile, the acoustic fingerings on ‘K2’ serve as architecture to the abstract synth decor and accented piano chords in the background. At times, the fourth track ‘When I Go’ recalls American rock-band Switchfoot purely in it’s vocal similarity, but for the most part it falls fittingly into the distinctive ambient rock collection of The Spirit EP.

As the record wanders over and over again it becomes clear The Mojo Fins have captured their elusive sound on this record. With the assistance of Dave Eringa, Rockfield Studios, and experimental songwriting, The Mojo Fins illuminate their sonorous new sound on The Spirit EP.

I had a very enjoyable evening out last night at The Hipsta Bar in SE1..Nestled in the shadow of Tower Bridge with all it’s weighty architecture and history, it’s a modern bar, with a clean, simple look which offers a great platform for some of London’s best jazz musicians.

It was my third ‘Prison Break’ gig since buying their debut album ‘Doing Time’ last year, an attendance record which I think speaks volumes in itself ! Having enjoyed the album tremendously, I was already a confirmed fan of Terence Collie’s compositions and very distinctive piano playing before seeing the band live.

A talent hitherto little known outside the music cogniscenti of his peers, he is now beginning to gain wider recognition.
The fact that several of my non-musician friends have bought the album since accompanying me to gigs says a lot about it’s accessibility, but the fact that it can be enjoyed by everyone bears no cost in terms of its content, there’s plenty to interest knowledgeable listeners too.

The core members of the band are John and Joe Sam on drums and bass respectively and of course Terence Collie himself on piano. I have seen three different tenor players with the band so far, each one bringing a new approach to the front of the stage and each one flavouring the music slightly differently with his own particular style of playing.

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Terence often ventures onto the less trodden paths of unusual time signatures which he overlays with seemingly simpler lines which can then have the interesting effect of teasing us into thinking they might be something else. Watch out, there’s a surprise every seven beats ! Joe’s playing gives the impression of an imminent musical escape which is foxed at the last moment as he returns relentlessly to the driving centre of the groove, which itself is nailed uncompromisingly to the floor by John’s ultra dry, hard edged style. The overall impression is music with an intention, rolling urgently forward, transforming the constraints of its less easy divisions into the extra dimensions that they were always meant to be. The Sam Brothers are without doubt a huge part of what makes the music of ‘Prison Break’ hang together so brilliantly and render the more difficult aspects of it’s nature available to a wider audience.

There were some lovely solos…Joe’s bass solo was surprisingly guitaristic although quite short..I think his ideas could have stood quite a bit more exploration..he had me listening and wanting more..

I’m not normally that keen on drum solos because I find that the listener is often asked to take on responsibility for the groove while the drummer goes off and does his thing in less populated pastures..only to find that we’re then expected to pick it all up again from scratch when he’s back from his holidays…far too much effort for me when I’m supposed to be enjoying myself…not so in John’s case though, there was never a question mark over the groove as he built his solo around it, intensifying the energy and creating enough dry tension (not a splashy cymbol in sight) that the re entry of the band was a moment prepared by him to be savoured by us rather than the other way round. At bloody last ! Thank you John.

Terence, who has always had an unusual edge to his playing as well as his writing is moving yet further into his unique style which may yet prove to be located somewhat left of left field!
An unselfish, generous spirited player, his solos are never behind closed doors..he is a great listener and every musician is warmly invited to share the journey with him, the resulting music last night was a seamless creation which greeted us with one voice. I can’t wait to see where he will go next.

I thought guest tenor player Michael Newman who is visiting us from New York brought a very melodic interpretation to the whole gig which fully honoured the music of his hosts and I will certainly be looking forward to more contribution from him in the future.

Over the course of several performances, I’ve seen the band develop and I’ve had the fascinating experience of watching something begin to emerge.
Is it the familiarity with their own music that’s allowing greater freedom in terms of personal expression and musicianship ?
It seems almost like they are fully dressed in this music now and are ready to start building the thing it was written for…and I feel like I might be sensing the very beginnings of whatever this might prove to be right now.

They are already working on their second album between being very much in demand as freelance players and fielding the ever growing interest in their music.
‘Prison Break’ are a band to watch and I advise you to check them out at a gig near you as soon as you can.

The 1970s was one of the richest periods of the British music scene – glam, disco, reggae, heavy rock and punk all made a significant impact on the decade.

Progressive rock (now truncated to prog) disappeared off the map when the Sex Pistols and co blew it all away with their explosive three-minute pieces of dynamite, sticking two fingers up to a bombastic style of music that was overblown, self-indulgent and irrelevant to the majority of people living in modern multi-cultural Britain.

Bands like Yes spoke to the white middle class of mythical landscapes in an incomprehensible language that satisfied the taste for escapism from the harsh real reality of extreme politics, national strikes and global uneasiness over the threat of nuclear war.

The death knell for prog came as Johnny Rotten’s T-shirt displayed the words I Love Hate  Pink Floyd,  but more recently Elbow frontman Guy Garvey has frequently been playing 70s Genesis tracks on his Finest Hour programme on Six Music and the Gabriel era has long been championed by Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Macone, although on the flipside I have to confess Jeremy Clarkson is a fan. Please don’t stop reading.

Many may not know that before Genesis metamorphosised into a bland but successful 80s pop trio they were at the forefront of prog under the stewardship of the eccentric Peter Gabriel, who had formed the band with Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks at public school Charterhouse in the late 1960s. Several changes of line-up followed until the band settled on lead guitarist Steve Hackett and drummer/part-time actor Phil Collins – the classic five piece recreated tonight by The Musical Box, a French-Canadian band named after one of Genesis’ best loved songs from the early years on the album Nursery Cryme.

The band were reprising the same tour from six years ago, the wonderfully melodic double concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, a theatrical and surreal tale of a violent, sexually charged New York-living Puerto Rican teenager named Rael who encounters weird creatures on his travels through a bizarre underworld populated by snake women, lamia and slippermen. At one point he is castrated by Dr Dyper and his severed dick is later snaffled up by a raven. You get the picture. The album also turned out to be the swansong for Gabriel, who quit the band after the world tour of 1975.

Although The Musical Box are a tribute band their performance borders on technical obsession. Using the original slide show from the 1975 tour, the band also recreates the costumes, haircuts and mannerisms of the band members. Even the angle of the microphone used by Marc Laflamme, playing the part of Collins, is nerdily spot on.

It’s a performance that has to be seen to be believed: mesmerising, preposterous and wildly imaginative, all lapped up by a near sold-out Hammersmith crowd many of whom must have seen Genesis perform the album live over 35 years ago. I wasn’t one of those but the quality is breathtaking at times, particularly in the stronger first half of the album in which the intro to Fly on a Windshield had me choking up!

Lead singer Denis Gagne may not have the vocal range or the charisma of Gabriel but he and the whole band produce fantastic versions of the beautiful Carpet Crawlers, the twitchy In the Cage and the anti-consumerist Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging, while Francis Gagnon (Hackett) delivers a hauntingly perfect rendition of Hairless Heart.

In the background the slide show flashes up images of New York drop outs, civil rights campaigners and anti sexual revolution protesters. 1970s soft porn pics mix with images of Dali’s Premonition of a Civil War and Waterhouse’s Hylas and The Nymphs – all a bit dated compared to today’s pyrotechnics, but probably revolutionary at the time.

The evening runs out of steam towards the end but that’s probably more to do with the album than the performance which borders on the brilliant and grotesque. During the Colony of Slippermen Gagne emerges wearing a green costume plagued by enormous carbuncles and two flaccid balloons for testicles which are inflated by a tube during the song! Laflamme deflates one of them at the climax which goes down well with a crowd that has toilet breaks on their minds for much of the set.

The dash for the loo during the proggiest track, the Brian Eno-produced Waiting Room, was an ominous sign of things to come as men in their 50s and 60s hurdled over the backs of seats and scarpered down the aisles as if the Olympics had already started.

I mention this only because of a schoolboy error I made in placing my man bag under the seat. You can probably guess the rest.

Whether someone could not be bothered to make the bolt for the bogs or simply lost all self-control and self worth, having to wash a piss-drenched strap on a Saturday morning was not my idea of fun.

That was the only blot on a great evening as the final song ‘It’ is greeted with a standing ovation from most of the audience, some of whom may well be confusing the band with the real thing.

The band returns on stage for the same two encores from 2006 – a fantastic version of The Musical Box – which brings everyone to their feet at the climax of one of the best endings in rock – and Watcher of The Skies from the album Foxtrot. Both songs give Gagne the chance to dress up in outlandish outfits, the first as a hunched up, pervy old man and the second as something akin to Norse god meets Batman.

The song is nowhere near as good as The Musical Box but the crowd isn’t too bothered as Gagne promises to see us again “some time”. For some this has been about revisiting the past, for others the realisation of an old drama brought to life and for others (I’m thinking of my bag here) the occasion was all a bit too much.

For some, the clocks going forward marks the end of hibernation from the harsh UK winter climate and the start of the British spring time but for the discerned UK gig goer, it has to be The Camden Crawl.  Renowned for being bang on trend (c’mon it’s in Camden for Pete’s sake) and hosting an extremely rich vein of artists that have gone on to bigger things, the 2012 Easter weekend line-up does anything but disappoint.

Amongst hundreds of artists enticing fans to squeeze in to small trendy Camden venues this year, are the likes of more well known acts Futureheads, Death in Vegas and Alabama 3. The Camden Crawl prides itself on giving it’s artists a level playing field however so some of the best talent will be the bands you have not heard of yet. It’s not all about the music though, if comedy & spoken word, short films, pop quizzes, workshops, karaoke and exhibitions and more your thing then you’re in luck. The festival grows each year and from its early days as a 5 venue setup it now encompasses over 50 venues and 250 artists. Try and get that elsewhere?

How much money I hear you cry? Well value for money has never been better as one ticket gets you a wristband which allows entry to all venues, outdoor arena, after show parties and daytime activities. A weekend pass is £67.50.

If you’re thinking there will be nothing at The Camden Crawl for you, just listen to some of the acts that have played over the years. Kasabian, The XX, Temper Trap, Lost Prophets, Razorlight, Simian Mobile Disco, Yeah Yeah Yeahs…need I go on? Other artists we think you should watch out for this year include Bastille, Kids in Glass Houses and Three Trapped Tigers.

Find out more info at www.thecamdencrawl.com

The Temper Trap have announced a ten date UK tour ahead of their new self titled album release. 12 New songs recorded in LA, make up The Temper Trap, released on the Infectious Music label on 21 May. Joseph Greer (keyboards) has been added to the band lineup to extended it to a five piece. You can get a taster of the album as the band have released album track Rabbit Hole to stream from their website. First single will be Need Your Love expected to be released 7th May,  just ahead of the album on .

The Temper Trap burst onto the scene in 2009 with an amazing six months in the UK singles charts with Sweet Disposition. The new album is a follow up to Conditions, that went Gold twice in the UK! As well as playing T In The Park in the UK and the SXSW festival in the states, the band will do 2 large gigs at Camden’s KOKO (21st & 22nd May).

Buy tickets for The Temper Trap

More info on the band at Temper Trap Website.

Hailing from Vancouver, Canada – Yukon Blonde expertly fuse together a 60′s pop/rock feel with a modern a day indie vibe. The four piece, who on first appearance look like they could have been understudies for spinal tap, are signed to Dine Alone records who’s books also boasts some of Americas hottest indie acts including Tokyo Police Club and City & Colour. They’re about to release latest album Tiger Talk (9th April) and have a couple of planned appearances in the UK at The Great Escape in Brighton and Liverpool’s annual Sound City festivals.

Tiger Talk is being released bang on time for the summer and we couldn’t think of a better time. Bright Jangly guitars, uplifting beats and a feel good 60′s vibe almost transport you back to summers of old when everything was Free love and festivals. Opening track My Girl probably encompasses this the most, along with Oregon Shores which includes harmonies the Beach Boys would be proud of and crazy electric guitar riffs. An almost Elvis Costello ‘esque number appears in the form of track Radio. The album flows nicely with something for everyone. Band appearance can be deceiving here, as this is just as much an Indie record as the rock one you’d more than likely expect from seeing the band. Electro is giving an outing on Iron Fist as they change direction incredibly subtly.

The band were named as one of the “10 Canadian bands destined to break in 2010″ and it may be 2 years late but I think with Tiger Talk, this might just come true for UK punters.

More info on Yukon Blonde:

Do you enjoy going to gigs? Do you want the chance to see some of your favourite acts for free? Do you have a passion for all things music and can get that accross in your writing? Are you a budding music Journalist and want to wet your ears a bit more and dive in amongst where it all happens? If the answer is yes to any/all of these questions, then WE NEED YOU!

We are looking for people to attend a whole variety of UK gigs and festivals to provide a review for us. You don’t have to be the best wordsmith around, just good honest fan reviews is all we are after. In return for attending these free gigs (duh, no brainer) we will send you to more of the same.

But it’s not just gigs! We get sent lots of pre-releases here at TGR towers and also need single and album reviews

All we ask is that you provide us with a paragraph or two on a gig, album, artist or festival that you have been to recently or in the past. We will then get straight back to you if we like what we read and feel you could be part of our team.

So do not delay, music writers, music reviewers, music bloggers wanted! Contact us

In the industrial looking basement of east London that is XOYO, Life in Film entertain a flattering and attentive packed-full audience. The Venue sprawls out over 2 floors offering a cosy getaway for the “cool & trendy” clientele upstairs and a basement where the real magic happens! On descent underground you are met with a boiler room interior and tonight, the support act, The Book Club. James Carnall (of Milburn fame) now fronts this 4 piece Sheffield indie outfit who’s music bears more than a passing resemblance to the Arctic’s

The ever increasing flow of “good looking students” fill XOYO as the opening set progresses but the landscape looks still. Is it because the crowd are captivated or just not into it? Front man Carnall tries in vain to inject some life into the shoe gazers, trying to engage the crowd in some banter ‘You lot are quiet, which means you’re listening I suppose..‘ and I think that’s exactly what’s happening. The Book Club have some good material and the kind of songs that you do find yourself getting lost in, but not in a bad way. At the finale they introduce a special guest which happens to be a grime artist and after his freestyle verse on the song the crowd let out the biggest cheer of the night are we finally seeing some life? A great group effort but Carnall is the star of the show.

Life in Film kick off their set with Idiot. A brave choice to top-load the set with what is, in my opinion, one of their best tracks. It’s paid off though as there is a real buzz around the place now and the sound their producing is clear and very polished…authority officially stamped! It’s hard to see how this band have not achieved greater things to date. The uniqueness and effortless force that is Samuel Fry’s voice, shines through on each track twinned with the intelligent and mega catchy lead guitar riffs makes for a appetising musical package. Sam is no great talker, he simply introduces the tracks and plays. There is no false front man bravado or banter. It’s like he knows the bands tunes will do the talking tonight. It’s apparent the crowd favour the chance to join in the sing-a-long on numbers like Sorry and Anna please don’t go. There’s a strong loyal contingent around centre stage that are championing the tracks with air punches and the slightest of pogo movement. Another stand out track appears in the encore in the form of new single Carla a love song that is believably delivered with earnest vocals and subtle melodies.

Life in Film have loads to offer the current music scene. In a current time where we seem obsessed at looking overseas for this kind of band, we forget it’s right here on our doorstep. Who’d of thought KOL meets the Smiths could be so good?

Carla is released next month find out more about the band at www.lifeinfilm.co.uk

Laura marling kicked off her latest tour with a gig at The Cambridge Corn Exchange. It was a great turn out for a solo artist, who it’s fair to say, shys away from the mainstream media limelight. Her voice bellowed out as harrowing as ever across the prestigious and historic venue. Her understated confidence and shyness is endearing as she played songs from her laatest album A Creature I Don’t Know. She also included some of the more ‘known’ tunes from debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim. Newer material Salinas and The Muse showed a shift towards a more intense and grown up song writing direction.

She struggled slightly playing a gig of this size. I think she is more suited to the smaller venues but nonetheless it was a well crafted performance. Ghosts got a good response but perhaps a few more upbeat or ‘recognised’ numbers was what this gig was missing. Then again this is a fresh tour and new material was what was on the agenda it was plain to see.

After a very well received set by his supporting artist Daughter and a short break with a suspected “Ben” play list which included the likes of Bon Iver a noted musical influence of his, Ben, India (Cellist, Drums and vocalist) Chris (Guitar Double Bass and drums) and Chris’ brother Bear (joining them on Bass hinting towards Ben being joined by a full band on his next tour), arrive on stage to greet their excitable audience the anticipation evident in the faces around .. The room falls still as Ben takes his seat and begins with Depth over Distance, A beautiful haunting song which showcases his unique guitar style perfectly, Strumming, Plucking and tapping as percussion, Glimpsing the faces of those around eyes closed, This one really hit the spot .. Up next was Bens new single “Oats in the water” It definitely packs a punch swapping his acoustic guitar for a more grittier sounding electric with more prominent Bass and drums, It leave’s us pondering on what the next Album has in store for us !!

Then came some more familiar tracks from his Debut album Every Kingdom, Only Love, Diamonds and the Incredible Old Pine .. “We stood steady as the stars in the woods, So happy Hearted and the warmth rang true inside these bones” With the beautiful India on vocals .. “Everything” followed, Then “Black Flies” It was becoming apparent that there were some sort of technical difficulties going on when Black Flies came to a rather abrupt end with the second loss of sound for the night, Although some could be forgiven as to thinking it was intended, It was quickly sorted and with a sly smile and some words from Ben he launched effortlessly back into “Black Flies” much to the delight of his audience.. “The Wolves” went down a storm as did one of his biggest hits to date “Keep your head up” which concluded the set .. Walking off stage the crowd were already shouting for more clapping and feet stamping the place was on fire, The energy palpable ..

Walking back on stage for their encore everyone knew what was coming .. “The Fear” and it certainly didn’t disappoint, The opening line “Mama cold hearted child, Tell me how you feel” Had Everybody jumping and singing in euphoric tones it was electric the song drew to an end with Ben taking to the Mic and announcing it was Chris’ Birthday , “Happy Birthday to you” .. Rang out from the enthralled and satisfied crowd much to the delight of the Band .. Their closing track was the Up beat “Move like you want” and what a perfect way to end, this was THE track of the evening people dancing “Like there’s no’ one else around” Fantastic !!

Seeing him for the second time I conclude that this boy is destined for superstar status and yet he always manages to “Keep it real” His biggest U.K and Ireland tour to date kicks off in November, To purchase tickets go to benhowardmusic.co.uk

Ben Howard started out studying Journalism at Falmouth University, He dropped out 6 months before graduation realising he could make a living as a full time musician !!

Ben Howard ( “A lot of people said I was crazy leaving that close to the end of the course, But a friend of mine said” “The most beautiful lives are the one’s that take risks”)

I wholeheartedly concur

Love Love Love

Last Monday saw the launch of a brand new weekly student night –Tins on Toast – at the Purple Turtle in Camden. To soften the multiple blows of crippling debt, no job prospects and the promise that after three years spent poring over Heidegger’s exploration of hermeneutical phenomenology, sustained solely by a diet of Tesco Value vodka and Kick, and things on toast – presumably things that come in tins – they will be rewarded with the opportunity to move back into their mum’s house for at least another decade, where they will advance from canned goods to crack cocaine, members of the lost generation were mollified by an intimate (read: low budget) gig by indie rockers Tribes.

Having thoroughly enjoyed their energetic performance at Secret Garden Party last summer, I was keen to see how they had progressed over the last few months, so embarked upon a covert undercover operation, successfully infiltrating the local student community by retaking all my A-Levels, signing up to a course in Acturial Science and having a meaningful J.D. Salinger quote inked onto my wrist, thus securing my ticket to the event.

Usually a four-piece comprising of Johnny Lloyd (lead vocals, guitar), Dan White (guitar, backing vocals), Jim Cratchley (bass, backing vocals) and Miguel Demelo, (drums), it appeared that Demelo’s invitation had regrettably fallen prey to the perils of the notoriously unreliable British postal system, as he was notably absent for this pared-down acoustic set. Shame.

Best known for their anthemic hit of the summer “We Were Children”, which was hailed by Zane Lowe as the “Hottest Record in the World”, the band have just released their first album, “Baby” and, after performing at the NME Awards Tour with Two Door Cinema Club, Azealia Banks and Metronomy, are due to commence their own UK and Ireland tour.

I expected their Tins on Toast gig to reflect this excitement but was surprised to find the whole affair distinctly laidback, to the point of being sadly lacklustre, and was left wondering if perhaps Tribes were conserving their energy for the bigger and better shows they have lined up.  It wasn’t a bad performance per se – Lloyd’s powerful, gravelly voice was superb, and White and Cratchley’s backing vocals showcased impressive talent too – but they lacked the animation, enthusiasm and energy that could have made this a great gig.

The band’s trademark song was, of course, received very well, as was their follow-up track, “Sappho”, along with newer material, and the acoustic set demonstrated their versatility, allowing their voices to take centre stage. The relaxed atmosphere was verging on lethargic though: possibly a clever – albeit unlikely – strategy to match the student vibe. The band seemed fatigued and nonchalant, and the performance was manifestly lazy. There was minimal interaction with the audience too which was quite a let down, as the small space could have lent itself well to a bit of banter.

Also disappointing was the noticeable shortness of the set: after about twenty minutes the band trudged tiredly off stage, mumbling a simple “thanks”, and, with no sign of an encore, XFM’s Steve Harris had his work cut out taking to the decks to enliven an audience which looked ready to doze off.

All in all, it felt remarkably like the early hours of the morning following a tremendous house party when things are winding down, with the Tribes boys indulging in a sleepy sing-song in front of the various waifs and strays still packed into their living room, waiting for the tubes to start running again to transport them home to their halls of residence.

Keane have announced their first UK tour for three years kicking off in May. Keane Tickets go on sale Friday 24th February.

On finishing the recording of the new album in February Keane announced two special shows at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, a location close to their hearts as it was both their teenage haunt and near to where the album was recorded. They announced the dates in the local paper only and within 5 minutes they were sold out. This will be the first time fans will hear new material.

Keane describe their new material as their most personal record yet and they finished recording in Februaury, four years since the last album ‘Perfect Symmetry‘. Now a four piece, new member Jesse Quin, who collaborated with Rice-Oxley on Mt. Desolation, plays bass and has been playing live with the band since the release of ‘Perfect Symmetry’.

Tickets are priced at £25, £28.50 for London. Keane will also be playing at this year’s South By South West Festival.

The band have released a video trailer for the UK tour dates and this is now available on their official website.

Tour Dates:

Wednesday 23 – Newcastle O2 Academy – 0844 477 2000
Thursday 24 – Glasgow O2 Academy – 0844 4999 990
Friday 25 – Birmingham O2 Academy – 0844 477 2000
Tuesday 29 – Leeds O2 Academy – 0844 477 2000
Wednesday 30 – Manchester O2 Apollo – 0844 477 7677
June 2012
Monday 04 – Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall – 0844 847 1776
Tuesday 05 – Bristol O2 Academy – 0844 477 2000
Wednesday 06 – Leicester De Montfort Hall – 0116 233 3111
Friday 08 – London O2 Academy Brixton – 0844 477 2000

Jack White has had an illustrious career – for 14 years the eccentric Detroit rocker was one half of the White Stripes with his sister/ex-wife/best friend? He was a founding member of The Raconteurs, before joining The Dead Weather. He’s written a jingle for Coca-Cola, provided the theme song, alongside Alicia Keys, for a James Bond movie – and now Jack White feels the time is right to showcase his solo efforts to the world.

White will put out his long awaited, much anticipated solo album, Blunderbuss on April 24^th. Ahead of the album’s release, White says: “It’s an album I couldn’t have released until now. I’ve put off making records under my own name for a long time but these songs feel like they could only be presented under my name. These songs were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colours on my own canvas.”

The intro to “Love Interruption” smacks of Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man”, but the similarities end there as White gives us a love song that only he could write. A love song with a twist – It’s the polar opposite of all the mushy, gushy love songs that we hear bleating on our radios day in day out. “I want love to roll me over slowly, stick a knife inside me and twist it all around” aren’t your generic love song lyrics but, somehow, White coupled with the soft harmonies of Ruby Amanfu, manages to make us feel all warm and tingly inside… (No, wait. It could just be a knife).

If you’re a fan of any of Jack White’s previous work, you’ll not be disappointed with “Love Interrupter”, and if this first offering from Blunderbuss is anything to go by, you will love the album too.

Festivals have become a huge part of the British Summer. OK, so some would say they always have been from back in the day when thousands of freewheeling hippies would ascend upon Isle of Whight and Glastonbury to soak up the sounds of Hendrix and The Stones. Traditional Festivals hit a rocky spot as pop well and truly took over in the late 80-90′s period as muddy outdoor climates were swapped for stadiums and large Charity events. It’s fair to say that with the early to mid nineties grunge era and bands like Nirvana and Oasis making guitar music cool again, Festivals started to once again blossom. Large corporate brands (Virgin, Carling) saw a niche and fat cats lined up to put their names against the ‘UK teenage mini holidays’ that festivals were becoming.

So we are now faced with the Modern Day Festival! Is it really a festival at all anymore? Well, in my opinion, not as we know it. V festival, once renowned for serving us the cream of the crop from the UK live music scene in its early years, has snowballed into a corporate branded mess of eclectic nonsense in terms of a line-up. Walk around Hylands on a Saturday afternoon and you might think you’ve walked in on a gut wrenching episode of TOWIE or Hollyoaks. These perma-tan, chavs are the same people that are more at home at Party in the Park (Capital FM) bashes but now that ‘indie’ is cool and ‘...that band off the telly are playing the only one song I know…‘, impose themselves on other true music festival fans. I’m not saying there’s no place for these type of festivals, but for the love of god, keep them separate!

OK so I’m picking on V Festival (although, in my eyes it is the main culprit) but the same can also be said for Glastonbury. Not so much the corporate side, as we all know where Eavis stands on that, but the way it has introduced acts such as Dizzie Rascal, Jay-z and Beyonce. We hear how they are ‘Keeping the festival current‘ and ‘moving with the times’ etc. If I go to a music festival I want to see musicians that have sweat blood and tears working their way up to earn a place on the coveted stage. I don’t want to hear an ‘overpaid and over here’ rapper rambling along to a backing band and throwing V signs, nor do I want to hear a POP girl group who have basically taken songs written for them and mimed them to backing tracks for the best part of their career, before finally dipping their toes in a live performance which sounds like a hindered alley cats being strangled. I want to hear what has been steeped in British festival tradition. Real artists playing real music for real music lovers.

I’d like to see a return to the days before festivals were ‘cool’, who’s with me?

South West Four returns to London’s scenic Clapham Common this August, firmly established as one of the UK’s most important and influential electronic music festivals. After recently being awarded DJ Magazine’s coveted ‘Best British Festival’ at the Best of British Awards, this year’s offering will close what will be a truly monumental summer for the Capital.

For the first time in our nine year history, the Clapham carnage will cease at 10pm. That’s an extra hour to indulge in the scintillating sights and sounds of the UK’s premier inner city music event. So with an extra sixty minutes to play with, this year’s line-up will be our biggest ever, showcasing an array of prime international artists on a scale never before experienced at SW4. Inspirational talent synonymous with South West Four’s success, are joined by a host of DJ debuts and manic live acts. Furthermore with improved sound levels, a freeze on 2011 ticket prices and numerous other enhancements, SW4 2012 will bring to the English summer an even greater festival experience.

For Saturday’s coveted headline slot we’re privileged to welcome the world’s most exciting live electronic act, the enigmatic Chase & Status. For this emotional homecoming, expect an intense immersive ethos incorporating raging riffs and high octane breakdowns. This frenetic formula earned their acclaimed album ‘No More Idols’ double platinum status and a ‘Best British Group’ nomination at The Brit Awards 2012.

Their baffling, on-the-fly manipulation of dirty, ferocious beats, has also attracted a devoted global fan base, who live and breathe that tumultuous bass driven sound. It’s no wonder, Mixmag nominated Chase & Status for their ‘Greatest Dance Act Of All Time.’ But let’s cut to the chase! With a status as one of the most innovative producers of their generation, this homecoming is preceded by a host of monumental global gigs.

Before shaking Clapham to the core, Chase & Status will headline Miami’s ‘Ultra Music Festival’ and Australia’s flagship ‘Future Music Festival.’ The ten thousand mile distance symbolic of their present standing. Iconic postcode SW4 falls nicely in the centre, a subliminal message maybe as this will be the focal point for Chase & Status’ shining summer activities. A must attend gig for fans of the band and electronic music lovers alike, we look forward to welcoming you all to SW4 2012.

EVENT:  SW4 – Day One
LINE-UP:  Chase & Status, More TBC – please find artwork and Chase & Status pic attached
DATE:  Saturday 25th August 2012
VENUE:  Clapham Common
TICKETS:  On general sale Fri 17th February, 9am. Buy Here!

Tonight is the Kerrang! Tour 2012, an annual package tour put together by the people at Kerrang. Originally booked to feature co-headliners, Sum 41 and New Found Glory. Booking this two headliners obviously would attract a crowd of people in pop punk from the early 2000′s, when both Sum 41 and New Found Glory had major mainstream success. I’d already caught Sum 41 (twice) and New Found Glory at this venue on their own headline tours in the past. So the chance to catch both together couldn’t be missed, however it was Sum 41 who really sold me the ticket.

That’s why I was dissapointed to hear the news that due to frontman, Deryck Whibley, suffering an injury, Sum 41 had pulled out of the tour. Their replacement, although somewhat controversial, was The Blackout. This was only controversial due to the crowd attracted by Sum 41 and New Found Glory, not generally being the crowd which would go and watch The Blackout.

For me, I wasn’t too dissapointed, because I’ve recently got into The Blackout and had wanted to see them live, after all we could have got somebody I didn’t particularly like, and given I’m not too fussed about New Found Glory, it could have been a wasted night. Now according to my live list of bands I’ve seen live, I’ve already seen The Blackout three times. I had to check my records however to find out when. I did remember them supporting lostprophets in this venue a number of years ago, but it had slipped my mind, that I’d seen them twice at Download Festivals gone by, obviously not that taken by them.

But, like I said, I’ve recently gotten into them, so unlike a number of people in the crowd, I was happy to see them. They did have to fight through some hate from the crowd, but did take the challenge on and you must respect them for that. They even through in a cover of Sum 41 hit ‘Fat Lip’ in good humour. They ended their set with four hit singles ‘The Storm’, ‘Children Of The Night’, ‘Save Our Selves (The Warning)’ and ‘Higher & Higher’, and left me wanting to see them again, in home territory as it were, at there own gig.

The two bands that preceeded The Blackout, really did nothing for me, so I will leave it there as far the letlive and While She Sleeps are concerned. I move on then to tonights headliner, New Found Glory. I think the most telling thing I can say about them is that, other than massive hit ‘My Friends Over You’, my three favourite songs of the set, were covers. New Found Glory giving their twist to Green Day’s ‘Basket Case’, The Ramones’ ‘ Blitzkreig Bop’ and Sixpence None The Richer’s smash hit ‘Kiss Me’.

This surely doesn’t say too much for the New Found Glory back catalogue. Although ‘Hit Or Miss’ and ‘Head On Collison’ are noteworthy, the rest of the set again just doesn’t do it for me. Would I see them again, not unless they were billed with a Sum 41 of the world!

V Festival 2007 and Snow Patrol surprise me with just how good they are. I leave vowing that I must see them again soon. For some reason it takes me five years to do this, and I spend most of my seven hour journey home, wondering why it took so long. The journey home took that long because, ironically it snowed like crazy!

Snow Patrol are halfway through a large arena tour of the UK, and tonight they bring their fantastic show to the LG Arena in Birmingham. Support act Everything Everything kick the night off. I can’t say that they impressed me very much, coming across to me simply as average. Luckily there isn’t too long to wait until indie heroes Snow Patrol stroll onto the stage. An impressive stage show welcoming them to the stage. Singer, Gary Lightbody walks onto stage tonight with a huge smile on his face, a smile that remains intact the whole evening.

It’s clear that the band are enjoying the opportunity to play in front of their fans on this tour and Lightbody takes every opportunity to interact with the crowd. Even highlighting to the crowd the presence of a Dave Grohl look-a-like in the front row, having his image put up on the huge video screen, accompanying the band tonight.

The setlist tonight is taken mainly from brand new album ‘Fallen Empires‘ and the 2006 multi-platinum selling ‘Eyes Open‘. Only two songs appear tonight from breakthrough album ‘Final Straw‘, these being the massive ‘Run‘ and ‘Chocolate‘. ‘Run‘ instigates one of a number of mass sing-a-longs that breakout tonight, with ‘Chasing Cars‘ another highlight.

Snow Patrol further their reputation as a top live act considerably tonight. They bring with them a stunning stage set, a setlist of hit singles and Gary Lightbodys abilty to make everyone feel a part of the show. My personal highlights tonight include ‘Set The Fire To The Third Bar‘ and the new singles ‘Called Out In The Dark‘ and ‘This Isn’t Everything You Are‘. If they can continue to produce singles and live shows of this quality then Snow Patrol will go down in history as one of the best.

Mulberry is celebrating the sound of love this Valentine’s Day as part of the Mix Tape Tour. Five up and coming duos or bands have covered their favourite British love songs exclusively for Mulberry, captured on film at The Roost, an atmospheric house in London’s Hackney that’s all hard-wood floors, fireplaces and squashy sofas – perfect for our musical love-in.

Head to the Mulberry blog between now and Valentine’s Day to see performances from French-Finnish duo Olivia Merilahti and Dan Levy of The Dø , Summercamp couple Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey, Kacey Underwood and Alice Costelloe of Big Deal, BBC 2012 Sound Poll nominee Jamie n Commons,  London-based indie-pop group Citizen!, and Camden-based NME darlings Tribes perform songs such as Love In Vain made famous by the Rolling Stones, Wish you Were Here by Pink Floyd and Sometimes Always by The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Also on the blog you can also find exclusive videos, photos and mix tapes from the likes of Kasabian, Hurts, Sunday Girl, Little Dragon and our new girl crush Lana Del Rey, who all performed as part of the Mix Tape Tour. Visit www.music.mulberry.com for all the latest.

Tribes are currently on the NME Awards Tour with Two Door Cinema Club, Metronomy and Azealia Banks, the band will head out on their headline tour of the UK in April, dates below.

Tribes UK Headline Tour

21/04 - The Haunt – Brighton
22/04 - Arts Centre – Norwich
24/04 - Wedgewood Rooms – Portsmouth
25/04 - Thekla – Bristol
27/04 - Shepherds Bush Empire – London
29/04 - Cockpit – Leeds
30/04 - Oran Mor – Glasgow
01/05 - Academy 3 – Manchester
03/05 - Academy 2 – Liverpool
04/05 - Academy 2 – Dublin
05/05 - Stiff Kitten – Belfast
07/05 - Leadmil – Sheffield
08/05 - Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
09/05 - Academy 2 – Birmingham

Members of the Kaiser Chiefs have been very outspoken as of late about the dire lack of guitar music currently in the charts. Drummer Nick Hodgson stating that guitar music is at an all time low and guitarist Andrew White telling us that they still crave mainstream success. Frontman Ricky Wilson offered his opinion recently and said that what bands need is for record labels to pay for tour vans so bands can get out and see people.

Perhaps this explains the bands decision to head out on this mammoth 21 date trek of the UK, unlike other bands that came out at the same time such as Snow Patrol who I recently caught at the Birmingham date of their UK arena tour. It’s been a while since Kaiser Chiefs have played venues this small and that makes tonight somewhat of a treat for me. Having caught Kaiser Chiefs previously at Meadowbank Stadium, O2 Arena and Rock Werchter festival, tonight the 1500 capacity UEA LCR is considered an intimate setting.

I did find the choice of setlist very interesting tonight, considering the bands recent comments about the lack of guitar music in the charts. Only three tracks from latest effort ‘The Future is Medievel’ feature in the set tonight, ‘Little Shocks‘, ‘Kinda Girl You Are‘ and ‘Starts With Nothing‘. There are other newish songs in the set, however these appear as filler to a setlist taken predominately from their hit albums ‘Yours Truly, Angry Mob‘ and breakthrough ‘Employment‘.

If you compare this to Snow Patrol just two nights ago in Birmingham, it’s baffling. Snow Patrols set is taken largely from new effort ‘Fallen Empires‘. Yet tonight Kaiser Chiefs air just three tracks from ‘The Future Is Medievel‘. For a band that still “crave” mainstream success, surely you would want to plug your latest release. I for one however should not complain as that gives tonight’s set a greatest hits feel to it.

Support tonight feature two bands that play a fair amount of guitar. Both All The Young and Native Tongue do a good job of warming up the expectant crowd. Both young guitar bands are worth follow up inspection. Coming to the stage to Dire Straits hit ‘Money For Nothing‘ however, Kaiser Chiefs are what we have been waiting for. Having seen them before I fully expect an energy filled set from the band, however that energy is somewhat lacking tonight.

This isn’t a ‘phoned in’ performance by the band, however they, and Ricky Wilson in particular don’t come across as enthusiastic as on the previous three occasions i’ve seen them. Tonight is a very good gig however and the highlights are the obvious numbers, such as ‘Oh My God‘, ‘I Predict A Riot‘, ‘ The Angry Mob‘ and opening number ‘Everyday I Love You Less And Less’. Compared to these anthems however the new music just doesn’t live up.

I do hope that Kaiser Chiefs don’t become a nostalgia act, and can regain the mainstream success that they crave, but if they are to do it, they will need to raise their game above ‘The Future is Medievel‘!

There’s no doubt, this lady has a spectacular voice, and her recent debut album entitled ‘Our Version of Events’ embodies this right through to the 14th track , leaving you with a sense of empowerment and an urge to press ‘play’ once more.

The diverse soulful Scottish songbird has sang along side with the likes of Professor Green and even worked along side Susan Boyle! She has previously written for a number of artists, including Cher Lloyd, Cheryl Cole and Tinie Tempah, and had recognition from the one guy who ought to know a few things: Simon Cowell. Now she turns the writing to her own album, and I must say, there is a track for everyone.

‘Heaven’, Sande’s first single immediately reminded me of an early 90s track by Massive Attack, some compliment indeed, with a stunning moment of souring strings and a tripping, funky drum and bass beat, ahh a breath of fresh air! Reaching the right ear of the public, the track made it to number 2 on the UK Charts.

The whole album exudes a mixture of modern and old soulful sounds, which can be somewhat rare in todays’ charts. If you’re a fan of the more upbeat tempo tracks, look out for ‘Lifetime’, and a more grittier sound: ‘Next To Me’, with catchy lyrics are supported by a fearsome drum beat. For beautiful acoustic intros, ‘Breaking The Law’ and a personal favorite ‘Suitcase’ should not be ignored.

It’s made up of brilliant songwriting and epic songs, ‘Heaven’ and ‘Daddy’ being some. All different styles musically, for example ‘Where I Sleep’, with a sense of honesty and with lyrics many people could relate to. What she has clearly set out to do is create tracks on her album that will be songs that will last, and be classic through our generation, rather than sit and be transient in the charts.

It’s refreshing to have her around and I’ll be filing her somewhere near the front next to Katy B and DJ Fresh in my MP3 cabinet.

Life in Film could have written the book on ‘how to be indie’. Since they were first brought to our attention at TGR, it has to be said, we’ve been hooked and they have been picked up loud and clear on our ‘Tips for 2012′ radar! Combining the darkness of Joy Division with the Uplifting guitar riffs of Marr, The four-piece certainly look the part and have the quality of tunes to back it up. By no means newcomers to the scene, the band first emerged back in 2009 and since have been quietly bubbling under. Their alarmingly catchy tunes, such as last single ‘The Idiot‘ and the ability to hold their own on stage all makes for an exciting 2012 prospect . We caught up with Samuel Fry (Lead Singer) and Dominic Sennett (Bass) to talk about the new album, working with Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur), the upcoming gig at XOYO and Rolf Harris… Yep, Rolf Harris…

Let’s start with the album. Tell us a bit about it and how’s it coming along. What’s it been like working with Stephen Street? (The Smiths, Blur)

Its been going great, there’s a few older tracks that we’ve been looking to lay down for a while so its nice to get those finished. And its always really excited laying down the new ones and hearing them back for the first time! It was brilliant working with Stephen, he made us all feel very calm and relaxed and that definitely got the best out of us in terms of performances. We seemed to really connect in terms of the sound we were trying to achieve and so it was a very excited process.

Last year, amongst other gigs, you supported The Rifles on their Freedom Run tour how did the that go?

It was fantastic, we had only met The Rifles once before so didn’t know what they would be like but they are some of the nicest lads we’ve ever met, we got on instantly and had a real laugh. Plus we got to play loads of sold out shows which is an amazing thing to do night after night.

Your heading to XOYO London in March, any plans to add further dates?

There will definitely be a lot of UK dates announced soon which will go up on our website as soon as they are confirmed www.lifeinfilm.co.uk

It’s a cliché question I know, but who would you say the band draws from influence wise? Do you all have similar tastes or is it a fusion of different genres?

Its a big mix really ….. Steps (particularly H), NDubz, Rolf Harris

Next single ‘Carla’ is released in early April and having listened to this, there’s definitely a love story in their somewhere?? Can you tell us a bit about the track.

Yes, it’s a sentimental song about dealing with the many difficult aspects of life and love.

The gig review is all about giving fans a voice to share their gig reviews with the world. Is there anyone that you’ve seen live recently/or past that have struck a chord (metaphorically speaking of course)?

We would like to say The Book Club, they toured with us on The Rifles tour. The music is very catchy, fresh and interesting. To top it off they are all wicked guys! they will be supporting us at our XOYO show on the 8th March so come down and check them out.

Finally on a lighter note, if the bands ‘life’ were to be put ‘in film’ which actors would be cast? And more importantly, who’s doing the soundtrack?

Dominic would be played by Jack Nicholson, Edward by Arnold Schwarzenegger , Sam by Bobby D and Micky by Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie style) it would be great to see those old boys on stage together. Soundtrack by Cream and Simon & Garfunkel

Are you off to see Life In Film? Why not review it for us here.

After huge success state side in which The Black Keys sold out Madison Square Gardens in less than 20 minutes the Detroit band hit the UK. The Black Keys are by no means new to the circuit having been knocking around for over 10 years but it’s new album El Camino that seems to have caught the attention of the great British public, going gold already! Their current UK tour including 3 nights at Alexandra Palace has also sold out!

Their exciting mix of old skool blues with catchy crowd pleasing riffs and chorus’s is on display tonight at Manchester’s Apollo. Well know tracks, such as, Lonely Boy and Gold on the Ceiling attract rapturous reaction as to be expected. The band are not afraid of playing some of their more heavier stuff either Money Maker for example. Thickfreakness had a certain magic between Gus and John.

The band emit a live buzz which is in the air in abundance tonight. With their truly awesome pumped up guitar riffs and their pure coolness and ability to ooze rock and roll from every pore, this is one show not to be missed.

I was lucky enough to get in tonight to a intimate acoustic Pete Doherty gig at London’s Nambucca. Announced on Saturday, it was a very last minute gig that we’ve come to expect from Doherty. The Libertines front man donned the usual acoustic guitar complete with sweaty hair and gold chain to play to a packed Nambucca crowd.

He played some new material, some which have not even been given a title as of yet. Of course thought these were mixed with trademark hits. Kicking off he night with Sheepskin Tearaway, he was later joined on stage by a number of old faces including Suzi Martin who joined in on songs such as F**k Forever and Bird Cage. Pete was also joined by Wolfman for Siberian Fur, Wolfman and of course the 2004 top ten hit For Lovers.

Old libertines hits were not left out as the crowd soaked up What a Waster and Can’t Stand Me Now - Unfortunately no Carl in sight! Doherty though, seems much more at home in the smaller venues where he learnt his trade, that the large festivals and theatres. He thrives on the intimacy of his fans and that really comes across tonight. Don’t stop!!

Kaiser chiefs showed critics they can still whip a crowd up in to a frenzy tonight at the rather chilly O2 Acdemy, Birmingham. The packed crowd were treated to a vintage Ricky Wilson performance as the front man,with his usual unshakable confidence, rattled through all the favourites. The band stormed straight into some oldies kicking off with Everyday I Love you Less and Less followed by Never Miss A Beat. The usual stage antics from Ricky as one point he climbs up towards the expensive seats which is appreciated by the strong crowd. Modern Way, Ruby and I Predict a Riot receive the greatest reception of the night, but this is no real surprise!

New tracks included On the Run and Listen to Your Head which will no doubt feature on the forthcoming next album. Take My Temperature is the penultimate song in the set (before the encore) and it’s safe to say the mercury inside the O2 Academy has pretty much reached maximum tonight. An encore that included a somewhat surprising Love’s Not a Competition (But I’m Winning) and the less supprising Oh My God.

Over the weekend of 10-12th May, The Great Escape festival takes over 30 Brighton venues hosting over 300 artists. The Festival Champions new music and offers a truly eclectic line-up with something for every dedicated gig goer.

Already, TGE’s first line up announcement has been made and it doesn’t disappoint! From Catalan garage to Australian Electro-chant, UK Surf to Canadian Blues, a staggering host of remarkable sounds have already been secured.

DRY THE RIVER, Danish electro-poppers WHEN SAINTS GO MACHINE, Afrotronic super group AFRICA EXPRESS SOUND SYSTEM, hard-core Aussie duo DZ DEATHRAYS, Dalston outfit SPECTOR and so many more.

Europe’s leading festival for new music is also bringing new Catalan Sounds to the British seaside like MUJERES, ME AND THE BEES, SEWARD and FURGUSON, as part of the lead International partnership with the Institut Ramon Llull.

You should brace yourselves music lovers because this will be a year to remember!

The line up so far is as it follows:

Africa Express Sound System*/ Dry The River / Spector / We Are the Ocean / Friends / Howler / Zulu Winter / Grimes /Alt-J / DZ Deathrays / Nils Frahm /A Winged Victory For The Sullen / Jamie N Commons / Django Django / Eagulls / Perfume Genius / Com Truise / When Saints Go Machine /Sonic Boom Six / François And The Atlas Mountains / Bos Angeles / Young Dreams / Doldrums / Weird Dreams / Young Magic / The British Expeditionary Force / Max Cooper / Jinja Safari / College, Graphics / Slow Down, Molasses / Mojo Fury / Mallory Knox / Hawk Eyes / Peace / Yukon Blonde / Emma Louise / Juveniles / Binary / Sing Tank / The Soft / Karlmarx / Inland Sea / Half Moon Run / Owlle / Princess Chelsea / Mesparrow / Stranded Horse / Avalanche City / Trust / The Darcys / Jordan Cook, and many more to be announced soon…

More information on the The Great Escape Festival.

The Maccabees kick off their new UK tour after scoring a number 1 album with ‘Given to the wild‘ just weeks ago. The Leadmill, Sheffield is the place chosen to kick things off and it seems a wise choice as tickets sold out in under a week. No surprise though as The Maccabees have the kind of dedicated followers needed for a long stint in this business.

They don’t seem to buckle under the pressure tonight. Front man Orlando Weeks displays his usual understated and almost awkward performance but the crowd love it. The new tracks give the set an extra dimension. Out of which, latest single Pelican receives the best crowd response already bedding itself in as a new fan favourite.

The older albums still have lots to offer live. This is apparent with Can You Give It and Love You Better  showing the band have made use of their many years on the scene. It’s safe to say Given to the wild is not a huge change in direction for the band. Although it does offer the freshness injection needed to crawl onwards and upwards. This is clear tonight. It’s the start of the tour so it’s a little rough around the edges. Somehow, I don’t see a problem filling out the remaining shows and you won’t be disappointed if you partake!

If you’ve experienced The Subways live, then you’ll know, they need no introduction. Billy, Charlotte and Josh make up the energetic combination that have been tearing up live venues all over the world since the huge success of their debut album Young For Eternity. Having just released Money and Celebrity, their 3rd album, The Subways are about to embark on yet another tour taking in dates in Europe and the UK. Blonde bombshell Bassist and all round hip rock chick, Charlotte Cooper, took the time out to talk to TGR and tells us how the summer should be huge for the band, what influenced the sound of the new album and the first time a live show was set to fireworks…

Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. Firstly, how was the last tour for ‘Money and Celebrity’ and please tell us more about the Celebrity Demolition Derby gig ?

The last tour we did was amazing, the best tour we’ve ever done! We went to some places we’ve never been to before like Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Italy and went back to places we love like Germany and Czech Republic. The Demolition Derby was crazy! First time we’ve ever played with fireworks! It was such an exciting experience and we got to watch a lot of the races too.

You will hit the UK in May, finishing up in London. What venues are you looking forward to playing the most? Any that have always held a little place in your heart?

It’s going to be awesome to play Shepherd’s Bush again. We have some brilliant memories from playing there on our first album. Billy jumped off the balcony – possibly his most daring ever stage antic! It’s been a while since we’ve been to Edinburgh too and I love it there.

The Gig Review is all about giving the fans a chance to share their gig reviews with the world. Is there anyone that’s blown you away live recently?

Our two support bands on the last tour were amazing – The Dancers and The Computers. I watched them every night and was always excited to see them. The Dancers play quite pop indie music and The Computers sound like punk if it was played in the 50s!

You have a rich history of playing festivals, obviously starting with your big break at Glastonbury as part of their new bands competition back in 2005. Can we look forward to seeing you at any festivals this summer?

Yes and we can’t wait! The summer schedule is being pieced together at the moment and its going to be huge!

You’re quite a seasoned band now having released 3 albums and been on the circuit around 8 years or so. Most bands disappear after a couple of years. What do you think has been the key to your longevity? Do you think playing live regularly helps?

We just love what we do. We love being on tour and will keep playing as long as people will have us!

Tell us a little bit about the new album ‘Money and Celebrity’ and the sound.

We think Money and Celebrity sounds like a mix between the pop melodies of the first album and the heavier more energetic sound of the second album. Lyrically, Billy was very influenced by things he observed occurring in our society. The financial crisis, which we experienced firsthand with friends losing their jobs and it seemed like every time we turned the TV on something else insane had happened. The theme of celebrity relates to the rise of the obsession with celebrity culture, reality TV shows and how ridiculous we think it is.

Like The Subways, TGR are also from Hertfordshire. How proud are you of the area in which it all started for you and was it a big inspiration for your songs?

Even though Josh and I have moved on to different places, we still feel a strong connection to Hertfordshire and Essex. The band is still based there and we rehearse at the same studio, Graphic Nature.

Thanks for taking the time to speak to us, we appreciate it. Good luck with the tour and see you in London in May!

Thank you! see you there!

For more information on The Subways including their upcoming UK tour and the new album ‘Money and Celebrity’ visit http://www.thesubways.net.

Are you going to see The Subways on their tour? Why not submit a review and let the world know what you thought!

Benicassim 2012 is hotting up to be ‘the’ festival of the summer. With Galsto taking a year off, many more Brits are expected to make the trip over to Spain to see what will be one of the best line-ups of the year. The festival have announced that Noel Gallagher, Miles Kane and Bombay Bicycle Club will be added to the bill. They’ll join the likes of Florence and the machine, The Vaccines and of course The Stone Roses. The festival runs from July 12-15. 165 Euros will bag you a 4 day ticket and are available from the Benicassim 2012 website.

The festival has a rich history in pulling in the big bands, set in an idyllic beach town north of Valencia, it runs throughout the night to give festival goers respite from the 30 degree heat. TGR will be there to bring you the full stories, news, interviews and photo’s.

A new Libertines film by Roger Sargent ‘There Are No Innocent Bystanders‘ will be available to pre-buy from tomorrow.

Alongside the film, there are limited edition DVDs available with tracks from the rehearsals, extended interviews with Doherty and Barat, the Forum live show, Roger Sargent photos, signed film poster prints and backstage access throughout the whole tour. You have to be quick though!

To find out as soon as the pre-order goes live and other exciting news on the rest of the release, Sign up at the Libertines website or see below links for more info.

http://www.facebook.com/thelibertinesfilm

Following the announcement of his new single ‘The Wolves’, Ben Howard is preparing for his largest UK tour yet – which kicks off in early February and includes two sold-out dates at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Following this tour Ben heads to the US where his debut album ‘Every Kingdom’ (which charted at #7 in the UK) will be released via Communion Records and he’ll perform his debut US tour and play shows across SXSW.

See below Little Dragon’s remix of ‘The Wolves’, which premiered on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show.

Part-time Libertine and part time jail bird, Pete Docherty played two blistering sets at Brixton’s Jamm tonight. The first of his solo shows for 2012 included the kind of crowd invasion you’d expect from such a gig. The sets comprised of mostly old stuff with a peppering of new material. Debut live outings for Down For The Outing and Farmers Daughter seem to go down well with the crowd. Doherty was on fine form and at one point in the gig, threw himself to the baying fans in the form of a stage dive.

Set was full of the favourites including the Libertines Time For Heroes, Babyshambles Albion and the epic trademark Doherty tune Music when the lights go out.

It was the invitation extended to a fan to join Doherty on stage which sparked a mini stage invasion. Security guards flapped around as the crowd revelled in the spectacle. Some things just don’t change with Docherty and I think that’s how we like it.

Today MP’s will be presented with The Live Music Bill. This Bill is requesting that smaller live music venues can put on gigs without having hold an entertainment licence. At present, smaller venues have to adhere to numerous red-tape rules which include form filling and paying high fees just to host live music.

The Bill has been 3 years in the making, but hopes could be dashed if less than 100 MP’s turn up today, as it would mean the Bill will not be debated. If passed, it could see a huge rise in the number of venues deciding to put on shows. That can only mean good news for the UK gigger!

Fingers crossed…You can find out more on the UK Music website.

Baby is an impressive first pursuit of album accolades for Tribes. The Camden 4-Piece seem to craft catchy songs but at the same time not lose the rock/indie edge which can make some rock outfits sound melodramatic. It’s always a good sign when you find it hard to juxtapose an album to any other on the scene and with Baby, I do struggle. If we were to regress a few years we could say the likes of Razorlight and maybe even The Strokes strike up a likeness. Certainly on songs like Halfway Home, front man Johnny Lloyd brings anguished and emotional yelps that Borrell would be proud of. The song has a Razorlight feel with heartfelt vocals sitting on top of subtle guitar picking and disjointed snares and high hats. It’s expertly done.

All the songs have a certain romance and charm creating an exciting musical atmosphere. Camden has a big influence on the songs, you can tell this in the way in which the songs are written. You feel like the stories are straight out of a Saturday night Camden drinking hole. This only adds to the rock and roll mixed with Indie vibe the album holds in abundance.

When I first heard single Sappho on the radio it was one of those stand up and take note moments. This felt like a fresh new sound made up of many old sounds flooding the market at that time. The lyric writing is not neglected either, the band have a knack of getting pictures through in their music. You only have to listen to Sappho and it’s twisting tale of meeting a mesmorising girl, including lines like ‘how do you tell a son that his daddy left his mum when she fell in love with a girl like you‘… I urge you to play this song loud and not feel good!

Nightdriving and Himalaya offer the more mellow and understated songs on the album. Whereas, in contrast, When My Day Comes and We Were Children  offer the ‘turn the radio up and play air guitar’ feeling. Himalaya in particular would fit it with the New Arctic’s or Band of Skulls sound.

Corner Of An English Field withholds a more ‘pop’ vibe but even that is using the term loosely. Although with lines like ‘in the corner of an English field, with the devil trying to cut a deal..’ it more than holds its own against the faster numbers on this album.

All in all this album is bang on for the buck. Almost every track could be a single in its own right. Let’s hope Tribes stick to what they are good at – as this band have the potential to acheive great things and inject a well needed bit of ‘balls’ back into the current UK indie scene.

All the Young have to steal the ‘ones to watch’ title for 2012. Already appearing in XFM’s 2012 list, the band have now released am innovative web app album of the recent homecoming gig at Stoke’s 1000+ capacity King’s Hall.

The Album named ‘Live At The King’s Hall, Stoke-on-Trent‘ is available to access for free at http://app.alltheyoung.co.uk/kingshall. It comprises the band’s full ten-song set, two live videos from the show, official videos for their introductory singles ‘Welcome Home‘, ‘Quiet Night In’ and ‘The First Time’, a photo gallery and liner notes written by the band. Fans can also download the app’s full audio content by signing up for the band’s e-mail list and can also share it with friends.

Recently seen on stage as guests to Morrissey, The Courteneers, The Wombats, Hard-Fi and The Pigeon Detectives, All The Young can now confirm details of their upcoming UK headline tour which will follow a run of eleven dates with the Kaiser Chiefs which commences at the end of the month:

March – headline shows

21st – Newcastle, Cluny
22nd – Glasgow, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
23rd – Manchester, Academy 3
24th – Keele, University
25th – Birmingham, O2 Academy 3
26th – Nottingham, Bodega
28th – Bristol, The Fleece
29th – Brighton, Green Door Store

All The Young’s next single ‘The Horizon‘ will be released on February 27th and sees the band confounding expectations with a different sound to the tracks that have preceded it. As with the rest of their eagerly anticipated debut album which will follow later in the year, ‘The Horizon’ was produced by GGGarth Richardson (Biffy Clyro, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and mixed by Rich Costey (Muse, My Chemical Romance).