A band that ever since releasing their début album ‘Baby‘ have been on an extreme journey, Tribes are now renowned for supporting some of the indie culture’s most prestigious acts and now they are making their own history. Accompanied with a  huge stamp across Britain’s, and now America’s music scene. Taking pride in their music and letting others take part in their experience, most notably since Leeds Festival in 2010, they took the time to share their thoughts and feelings upon their recent actions…

So you’ve recorded your latest album in Sound City, LA, who’s idea was it to record there?

We just kinda’ fell into it. The opportunity came up and it’s obviously a place with a lot of history and it’s a great studio so we jumped on it y’know? We couldn’t think of a better place to record and make a record and we had a great time doing it.

So how did the opportunity arise to record there?

We met a man at a club in New York, he was a friend of the manager so it went from there and he ended up being the owner of Sound City. We then took it from there, we went and done some demos last August, then came back and did the record.

Were you aware of the history of Sound City? Do you take any inspirations from there?

Of course, you can’t help but be inspired by them, some of those bands we grew up listening to!

Obviously apart from the weather, what was it like recording there as opposed to the first album here in Liverpool?

The main difference is the impression the building has on you more than anything. You walk into the Live Room and it hasn’t changed in thirty-odd years, the same room The Doors and Fleetwood Mac and even Nirvana have walked in there and you feel part of that history and feel that you have to step up your game because you’re going to continue that legacy. It’s and impressive place and it really does leave an impression upon you.

So in the recording of the new album, were all the songs you wrote written with the intention of playing live? Or were there any you just wanted to put on there?

It was probably, kinda 75%/25%. I mean we’ve always got an ear to what we think is going to work live and we really pushed ourselves. Songs like ‘Wrapped Up in Carpet’ and ‘It Never Ends’ are definitely the songs that have taken us to our limits in the studio.

Do any of the new songs particularly go down well with the crowds?

Yeah, actually, they all seem to. That’s always been our first point of reference as to how our beloved fans respond to our new song. First of all it’s in rehearsal to see if it works amongst us, if it does, we’ll take it to the next step.

Were there many influences behind the writing of the new songs?

Yeah, it was generally a happier time, it all came from a much happier experience. We were touring the world and it was just a whole lot of fun. We wrote them while we were away. Yeah, for me it was much for the sense of sending out a message of positivity.

The album cover for the new album seems pretty exotic, where was it taken?

The actual photograph was taken next to where we were staying in California just down the road from the studio by the beach. But then a good friend of ours, a designer and artist from London, he took the photo and tried to re-contextualize and make it a lot more interesting than just a straight shot. We didn’t want it to just be a holiday snap from America.

So you’re playing Liverpool tonight, how do the audiences compare across the country?

Northern crowds are always a bit, I don’t know, less cynical? Yeah, I mean London’s great, I always love playing down in London. It always seems to be a more welcoming undercurrent to the gigs up North.

Do you have any preferences regarding cities?

Well we stayed in Liverpool for quite a long time during our first album so it’s sort of like a second home to us. We recorded our album which was based down on Lark Lane.

You’re renowned for supporting some big named bands, have any of them helped you out on the way, or made an influence to you?

Yeah, for instance Mystery Jets gave us a leg-up at the start as they have done with many other bands, but you can’t help but be influenced by people you respect in the industry. I don’t know if they’ve had direct influences on the music but definitely as people. The thing is, bands like the Jets [Mystery Jets] and The Kooks, they wanted to give us a leg-up and that’s something we’ve tried to carry forward with our own support bands. We’ve met lots of great young bands and we’ve tried to drop their names in interviews and give them as many support slots as we can.

Apart from the upcoming tour, have you got any plans for the rest of the year?

Yeah, we’ve got all the festivals coming up and we have a pretty solid festival line-up. We always like Reading and Leeds, it’s been like a staple for us and I always feel like the band really broke in at the 2010 festival, it was the first time we had the crowd singing back to us. I remember when we were doing Glastonbury for the first time and Wilderness and Longitude and its going to be a good summer. We’re looking forward to supporting The Stones [Rolling Stones] at Hyde Park, so that’s all going to be good.

Obviously throughout the UK, there are hundreds and hundreds of bands trying to make it to even the stage that you’re at, do you have any advice for them?

No. I always say that everybody’s journey is different. We get asked and a lot of people give us demos and I don’t know, you can’t really give anybody advice, you can just write the best songs you can and build it up in your local area.

So lastly, do you have any superstitions or nerves before each gig?

Excited I think. Erm, yeah, I don’t think we ever get nervous, there’s a different kind of apprehension when you know that a gig is important, but some are just, I don’t know, we just love playing live.

Well that concludes the interview, thanks for your time and looking forward to tonight!

No, thank you! Nice to meet you, hope you enjoy it!

Tribes were talking to thegigreview.co.uk at Bar Fly in Liverpool ahead of headlining for Beck’s Live.  Kate Nash headlines next month at BarFly in Camden.  For tickets follow go to facebook.com/becksvier

Last night, as part of the ‘Becks Live showcase of emerging talent’, Tribes shown Liverpool why, although once classed as emerging, are taking the indie scene by storm. The chosen venue, once and old decaying theatre, was now recently refurbished and revamped in order to sport the joys of live music. With the house music blurring out rock classics all night long, the crowd were getting rowdy, and who can blame them?

With a solid London based back-up, there would never have been a doubt in allocating the support slots to the two chosen support bands. Firstly, 12 Dirty Bullets opened the night, and from the off, their haunting melodies and powerful vocals created a wall of sound that left the crowd only demanding more. The gig progressed and the band even seemed  pleasantly surprised upon hearing their own songs chanted back at them, as a result of the hardcore fans thrown within the mix. As more fans were creeping through the doors, it was inevitable that the night could only await what was to come.

Before Tribes had a chance to take to the stage, the up-and-coming band themselves Life in Film took over the stage. Favouring the softer side of the indie culture, the drones of the guitars and the flawless vocal performance managed to calm the restless crowds and instead mesmerise them into their own little atmospheric world. Their more easy-listening aspects kept the hands swaying and feet tapping without fault until the last note.

The lights dimmed, the crowds gathered, and the faint scream of one fan turned into a huge uproar as Tribes finally showed their faces in the city that was home to their first album. From the instant the drum roll that signals ‘When My Day Comes‘ stunned the crowd, not one person remained still. Jumping, pushing, moshing and screaming, all wanted a chance to see everybody’s new favourite band. Not one word was left unsung as even the new songs had been thoroughly learnt and relayed back to them at ten times the volume. Even the more acoustic-based songs of the set didn’t dim the adrenaline rush that seemed to be bouncing off the walls of the room. Despite being a warm-up gig in the sense of the upcoming tour for their new album, the atmosphere resembled nothing less than that of  a painfully loud festival audience. As the floor was cloaked in the sweat of the fans and the drinks that were most probably bought in order to launch them across the room, the band left no doubt in anybody’s minds as to why they are on of the most highly regarded band on the indie scene. They were a up-and-coming band, but they’ve now arrived, Tribes are here to stay and will be coming to a venue near you!

Tribes were talking to thegigreview.co.uk at Bar Fly in Liverpool ahead of headlining for Beck’s Live.  Kate Nash headlines next month at BarFly in Camden.  For tickets follow go to facebook.com/becksvier

As the latter stages of Liverpool SoundCity were approaching an end, and after a long band-filled marathon was coming to a close, the crowds began to reside into Liverpool’s iconic O2 Academy. Little did they know this was to be the home of  the festival’s most intense and action packed night to date.

To open the show, Wrexham’s own Neck Deep took to the stage and within minutes had the already eager crowd up and off their feet. The first band to style the backwards cap and escape unquestioned since Fred Durst revealed the true roots of the American pop-punk influence. Their up-tempo rhythms and tell-tale lyrics were a success with the night’s crowd and had them mosh-pitting and screaming all set long.

Next up, and it was the turn of Hacktivist, the rap-metal powerhouses from Milton Keynes. Opening the set with a bang their unusual mixture of their quick-fire lyrics accompanying the already established  metal-core backdrop was an astounding success to the fans, encapsulating the crowd in their own unique way.

The last of the support acts dawned and also being  the youngest of the 4 bands, it was  Marmozets turn to thrill the audience. Without doubt performing the most blistering array of sweeps and riffs which inevitably are no strangers to attention grabbing. They  kicked, stomped, jumped, swung and powered around the stage, strutting their stuff and showcasing their multi-genre appearance.

As the last song was played and the lights dimmed upon the stage, the crowds poured in and anxiously awaited the turn of the night’s main event. Just as the crowd were expecting their arrival, a backing track presenting a countdown to the show was played and as the announcement hit “1 minute”, the ever familiar opening track ‘System’ to the latest album ‘A Flash Flood of Colour’ began to play…

Post-hardcore pioneers Enter Shikari took the venue by storm, as Rou Reynolds opened his mouth to begin the first line, he was joined by a chorus of 1,200 rowdy fans. Four songs in, the band and crowd both sweating and panting within the now humid atmosphere of the Academy, Shikari deciding to mix the set up a bit, incorporating more techno and dub-step aspects into the classic anthems. With the contrast of songs from the brand new playing ‘The Paddington Frisk” in conjunction with older songs like ‘The Feast” the crowd were running riot.

With the crowd pumped up and the band even more so, Shikari decided to pull out their showman antics, ranging from playing in shopping trolleys, to clambering on the scaffolding above the stage, all during their pulsing bass drops and breakdowns. This show was like no other. With an outstanding light show backing up the night, Enter Shikari took over the festival by storm and imprinted their name in SoundCity history.

Liverpool Sound City is now the largest city centre music & arts festival in Europe playing host over 360 artists in 25 venues in Liverpool city centre. Based on the popular South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Sound City aims to be a platform for the up and coming bands/artists whilst also showcasing more well known performers.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make the Thursday due to other commitments but below I’ve provided a breakdown of my movements for the Friday and Saturday.

Friday

Alexandra Burgos – The Attic

Argentinian born singer songwriter Alexandra Burgos is a blues/rock artist with clear influences from the likes of Wanda Jackson, Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Accompanied by her Dad on lead guitar and her Sister on bass the Burgos family must be one of the coolest families I’ve ever encountered (her mum sells the CD’s incase you were wondering). Alexandra’s bluesy tones set my Sound City 2013 experience off to a great start.

The Ruen Brothers – East Village Arts Club (Theatre)

The Ruen Brothers sound sits somewhere between The Black Keys and the 1960’s, (yes I did just use a compare a band to a decade). You only have to listen to their most popular track “Aces” to understand why I’m making that last comparison. The band played a solid, energy infused set, unfortunately the energy didn’t transmit to the crowd who we’re largely seated a fair distance from the stage. I can only imagine how well their gigs go down in their Hometown of Scunthorpe, where I am sure they have a decent following.

Raevannan Husbandes – Sound Food & Drink

Winner of the Next Big Thing 2012, the award that helped launch the career of Ed Sheeran. Raevannan (Rae) is at the start of what promises to be a big career in the music industry. Rae’s songs are heartfelt and beautiful and it only takes a quick Google search to find out why a young girl can write/sing songs with so much depth. Ad-libbing between songs Rae shows real humility despite the amount of high profile support she has received in recent months. I look forward to hearing more from this girl in the future.

The Chapman Family – Leaf

Don’t really know what to say about this one, wandered over to Leaf as I had no other bands planned at this time and I like the venue, BIG MISTAKE!!

London Grammar – East Village Arts Club (Loft)

***HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY*** London Grammar are a fantastic live band. As much as I don’t want to, I have to draw comparisons to Florence and the Machine (pre-selling out). Take a singer with gorgeous vocals that are chilling and unique, add a couple of incredibly talented musicians, throw in some impressive lyrics and fantastic arrangement’s and you would come close to the stunning sound that is London Grammar. These guys (and girl) absolutely blew me away, and I can’t wait to see them again.

Fire Beneath the Sea – Brooklyn Mixer

One of my favorite live bands in Liverpool, I first saw these guys at “Speakeasy” and couldn’t wait to see them again. The Brooklyn Mixer was packed with people waiting to see them too. After a couple of sound issues, to be expected when you are seeing a 15-piece band, they kicked things off with “Hips Go Wild” and got the party started. If you haven’t heard/seen Fire Beneath the Sea before it’s incredibly difficult to pigeonhole their sound but the band give it a good go in their own description:

“Our sound is centred around Hip-Hop but from there we go into Jazz/Ska/Gypsy territory, with funk as our backbone.”

When you get past trying to figure out what you’re actually witnessing, you can then start to focus on what’s more important, having a good time. This seems to be something that this band does to impressive levels. Awesome Live Band!

Saturday

Goonam @ Korea Rocks – Kazimier Gardens

I kicked Saturday off at Korea Rocks, one of the many themed events held during SoundCity.  It couldn’t have been a better start, We we’re outside, the sun was shining, there was complementary Korean food and refreshments, a top venue and a bizarre Korean four piece rock band having a great time onstage.

Fist City – Heebie Jeebies

I decided it was too nice of a day to spend too much time inside and so headed to Heebie Jeebies to make use of the courtyard. Canadian four piece Fist City were playing and what an experience that turned out to be. The lead singer was quite the eccentric and spent a considerable amount of time on the floor, dry-humping beer barrels and trying to get members of the crowd to sing along to songs they’ve never heard before. For sheer energy alone I enjoyed Fist City’s set.

PIT STOP – Maguires Pizza Bar

Quick stop off at Maguires Pizza Bar for a pizza dog, some garlic knots and a refreshing bottle of Kopperberg. For anyone who doesn’t know what a pizza dog is, it’s a hot dog wrapped in a pizza, GENIUS!! Also for anyone who hasn’t been to Maguires Pizza Bar before, GO! The food’s superb, the drinks are cold and they regularly project classic wrestling onto a wall. What’s not to like.

Ian Prowse & Amsterdam – Cathedral

Ian Prowse is a constant presence on the Liverpool Music Scene and I’m a massive supporter/fan of his Monday Club at The Cavern Pub, It’s a fantastic showcase for original music. Having said that, I’d never seen him perform live with Amsterdam so I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

Firstly lets consider the venue, The Liverpool Anglican Cathedral is the Largest of its kind in the UK, and the fifth largest in the world. Why wouldn’t you want to go to a gig here? Secondly, the band are all phenomenal musicians and Ian Prowse is a fantastic writer/vocalist/front man. Thirdly, playing the song “maybe there is a god after all” in a cathedral is comedic genius.  With ad-libs saluting the death of Maggie Thatcher and a rousing cover of the Clash’s London Calling, Ian Prowse confirms his status as an original folk/rock outlaw! Frank Turner who??

Ady Suleiman – Zanzibar

***NEXT BIG THING*** I’m introducing my own award for this one. Ady Suleiman is a Nottingham born future Superstar. Currently learning his craft studying at LIPA, He’s been doing regular gigs with support from another LIPA student Ed Black. On top of this Ady has had some serious industry backing from BBC radio 1 and BBC introducing. Quite deservingly the Zanzibar was packed with people wanting to see him and he didn’t disappoint. His vocals are in another league to any RnB singer in the UK at the minute and his song writing skills are second to none. I managed to catch up with Ady at the Black-E later on and was massively impressed with his attitude towards his art and towards the support he’s been receiving. ADY SULEIMAN – remember the name, if this lad doesn’t have a long and successful career in the music industry then there is something seriously wrong.

Dexys – Cathedral

I was having a great day until I witnessed this shambles of a gig. I went because Dexys are relatively iconic, largely due to the song “come on Eileen”, but I couldn’t bare to stay any longer than 2-3 songs. I can’t believe I missed Jacob Banks for this.

The Hummingbirds – The Black-E

I, along with a group of mates chose to end the day at the Black-E where two of my favorite bands where closing the Anfield Wrap event. I’ve been a big fan of the Hummingbirds for a good while now and have seen them live on countless occasions. These lads never disappoint, their music is a fresh take on the MerseyBeat sound. The now 6 piece band has honed their sound over the past 12 months with the introduction of a permanent keys player and an upgrade from a box to a full drum kit (for this gig anyway) providing them with a fuller sound.

The band took to the stage kitted out in Adidas Originals jackets, a banterous stab at the Tea Street Band, with whom they have been involved in a twitter war of words prior to the Anfield Wrap event. The jackets came off after their first number and the Hummingbirds got into full swing (even if the sound tech guy was asleep). Once again, a top gig from The Hummingbirds.

Tea Street Band – The Black-E

It’s safe to say I was a little bit worse for wear by the time the Tea Street Band took to the stage (I’d been drinking all day) but having seen this band before I knew their music would carry me through. If you’re from Liverpool then you will more than likely know who the Tea Street Band are. You will also know that their music somehow heightens your senses. If you don’t know who the Tea Street Band are then get a grip, and check them out. The average song is about 5/6 minutes long and still feels like it’s too short. As a Live band they are superb and I can’t wait for them to start announcing festival dates.

Noah and the whale are renowned for their feel good vibes, heartfelt lyrics and bright and breezy riffs, so what better time to see them live than when we are all full of the joys of spring and Mr Sunshine is ready and waiting to come out of hibernation. Enjoying some success since 2007, Noah and the Whale have plugged away and continued to stay true to their musical roots. They must be a high up the list on the pick of artists for a summer festival, as their tunes scream “lay back and relax”.

Tonight’s gig at is at the Palace Theatre, London and kicks off ‘A Month of Sundays’. It has a strange order to proceedings. Two sets sandwich a short film by the band. Give A Little Love, the fabulous Blue Skies and Tonight’s’ the Kind of night all feature in the first half. The crowd seem to be taking an age to warm up and after the film, the appearance of L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N kicks them into life.

Some new songs show promise, especially title track the new album “Heart of Nowhere“.

Finks’ unique and almost slumber-some vocals struggle to shine on the more upbeat numbers, but on the tracks like ‘Five Years’ Time‘ which, in fact, gets the greatest cheer of the night and brings the most animation from the crowd, they soar!

The band gift-wrap all their hits in this well-rehearsed and professional set, however, drop the film idea! Although it is set to music from the band, Noah and the Whale have enough substance in their music to let it be the sole entertainment tonight.

It’s not every day that you’re blessed with the good fortune of finding out that a band you’ve been wanting to see for a while is supporting a band you already have tickets for. I was already really pleased to discover that Everything Everything were supporting Two Door Cinema Club at Saturday’s gig at the Ally Pally, but when I found out on Saturday morning that Chvrches were also supporting I was over the moon. I’ve been trying to see Chvurches for a while but diary clashes had conspired against me. And so I found myself in the crowd, with 17 friends, on Saturday night, eagerly awaiting their arrival on stage.

Kicking off their set with a slowed down version of the intro to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” was a promising start and Chvrches soon got into their stride, playing a selection of their electro-infused tracks, and swapping vocal and synth duties between the threesome. By the time they struck into their latest EP, “Recover”, a large number of people in the crowd were bobbing and singing with them.

All too soon they disappeared backstage, leaving the scene set for Everything Everything, who drew whoops and whistles from the crowd with their opener, “Cough Cough”. Speeding through their more popular tracks, including old favourite “My Kz Yr Bf” and new track “Duet”, the audience were enthusiastic and eagerly clapped and uttered more whoops of encouragement. Both support acts received a great reception, which was well deserved as they really set up the party atmosphere that was ignited as soon as Two Door Cinema Club took to the stage.

With a huge roar from the waiting crowd Two Door started as they meant to go on, building on the electric atmosphere by playing their first four glee-inducing tracks almost back to back, with minimal crowd interaction in between (“Sleeps Alone”, “Undercover Martyn”, “Do You Want It All” and “This Is The Life”). At this point lead singer, Alex Trimble, addressed the crowd for the first time, humbly thanking the crowd for coming to their biggest UK show to date (which, incidentally, had sold out weeks in advance), and stating that while they were “super-excited to be here” they were also “shitting themselves”.

Next up was “Wake Up” from the latest album (“Beacon”), followed by “You Are Not Stubborn” and “Come Back Home” from the first album (“Tourist History”), and the crowd was partying so hard it began to feel like we were part of a big carnival (and actually, a huge conga procession would not have been out of place at all!). The lighting and laser show only served to heighten the carnival feel whilst the band ploughed through more material from the new album in the shape of “Beacon” and “Sun”. As the kick drum and spangly guitars of the intro to “Pyramid” began the lasers came into their own, trapping the smoke from the stage into a mesmerising, laser-lined pyramid. Then came “Ah! Oh! Ah! Ah! Oh!”, signalling the start of “I Can Talk”, and sending the crowd into a whooping frenzy.

I noticed that there was a slight dip in the dancing activities during “Costume Party”, although this could be because it was released as the B side to “I Can Talk” and it does not appear on their albums, so it’s possibly less well known. Nevertheless it’s a great track that continues their knack of producing jangly, grin inducing tunes. In any event, a singalong was next on the agenda, with Trimble asking the audience to fill in for one-time vocalist Valentina on “The World Is Watching”, and the crowd continuing this theme into “Next Year”, “Something Good Can Work” and “Handshake”.

After thanking the crowd again, the band launched into their final two tracks of the set (“Eat That Up It’s Good For You” and “It’s Too Late”) releasing a net full of large white balloons onto the dancing crowd below. The atmosphere was almost indescribable. The band disappeared offstage but the crowd continued to cheer, chase the balloons and party. Within moments they were back, and launched into “Someday” in a maze of lasers and balloons, followed by “Cigarettes In The Theatre”. The band then addressed the crowd once again, thanking them for a “truly life-changing, unforgettable experience”. And then, amid a plethora of showering streamers, they played the final track of the night, “What You Know”, to the elated party goers in front of them.

If I could give the entire gig 6 out of 5, I would. The support acts were great and really set the crowd up for the main event, Two Door Cinema Club completely outplayed themselves with an absolute sack load of party friendly tracks, and the atmosphere was electric and akin to being amid a carnival (helped by the balloons, lasers and streamers of course). The only thing missing was that conga procession.

My voice was shredded, my feet were throbbing, and I had that hangover feeling the next day even though I hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol. That is the sign of an exceptional gig!

Reading and Leeds festivals which take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend have released a whole list of latest acts to be confirmed. A mix of more established acts, such as Kate Nash, British Sea Power, The Family Rain and Tim Burgess compliment newer artists such as Frightened Rabbit, Chapel Club, Crystal Fighters and Spector.

They’ll be joining the earlier announced lineup which includes some massive Headliners in Green Day, Biffy Clyro and Eminem.

Frank Turner also promises to put in a trademark crowd pleasing performance as he returns to play the Festivals which “hold a special place in his heart” for the seventh year running.

Lots more acts are to be announced across the NME/Radio 1, BBC Radio 1 Dance, Lock Up/Rock, Festival Republic, BBC Radio 1Xtra Alternative and BBC Introducing Stages, the line-up just keeps getting bigger and better for 2013!

Weekend tickets are priced at £202.50 or single day tickets at £90.

For a second, there wasn’t going to be any Frank Turner at the Forum review tonight. Due to a bit of a ‘your name’s not on the list, you’re not coming in’ fiasco, there was a real possibility that I would have been reminiscing about previous Frank Turner performances that I’ve been to and talking about the ominously named ‘Murder Barn’ playing at the Bull & Gate pub just down the road.

After my initial run in with the door staff, I explored the local area of Kentish Town sought out the nearest free cashpoint (Sainsbury’s Local) and found the aforementioned pub to be very accommodating, housing many FT fans, serving Grolsch at £3,60 a pint and showing the prestigious Europa League semi-finals. Although it was previously thought that it was scientifically impossible to play football on a Thursday night, Chelsea led Basle 1-0 at half time through a bundled Victor Moses goal in a half low on quality and abundant in misplaced passes.  Anyway, I digress…

Eventually, my charm/dogged persistence allowed me in to the venue just in time for the start. I have no idea who or what the support acts were like. They could have been a BeeGees tribute act and the answer to the hole solely left by JLS for all I know, but there was a good buzz of expectation amongst the crowd for this (very hi-tech) YouTube televised gig.

Now, I’ve been a fan of Frank Turner from the start, ever since me and my fellow university radio DJ (Mike Abraham – hello, congratulations on the engagement) interviewed him in 2007 and asked Frank to sign a toilet roll for Mikey’s girlfriend. From that pivotal moment, Frank Turner has gone on to conquer the folk/punk genre, releasing five albums, the latest of which – ‘Tape Deck Heart’ – is currently embroiled in an album chart battle with crooner Michael Buble and talentless clown Will.I.Am. He’s played Wembley and even the Olympic Opening Ceremony, yet still seems relatively non-mainstream and still treasured by fans young and old, churning out good old fashioned, meaningful  rock’n’roll.

Kicking off with the relatively new song ‘Four Simple Words’, where he expresses his despise of “lacklustre scenesters from Shoreditch”, Frank Turner and his Oxford based backing band The Sleeping Souls launch into frantic opening which also includes fan favourites such as ‘The Road’ and ‘Reasons Not To Be An Idiot’. As is accustom by now, the crowd sing every word back to Frank throughout and a mosh pit is soon established, prominently by a 20 stone topless lad wearing heavy green eye shadow. Each to their own…

‘Plain Sailing Weather’ and ‘Polaroid Picture’ are the main tracks taken from the new album, which may give an indication of future single releases, while ‘A Decent Cup of Tea’ and ‘Ballad of Me and My Friends’ sort the old fans from the Johnny Come Lately’s in terms of the solo acoustic sing-alongs.

The fan base for Frank Turner is not particularly ‘cool’ or trendy, but enthusiastic and  devoted, as demonstrated by the collective effort to take a flag with the new album’s artwork all across the country (starting in Glasgow and finishing tonight London) through co-operation of fans on Twitter and various forums.

Arguably his most well-known hit ‘Long Live The Queen’ is still belted out with the passion it was originally written with, and the expected mass sit down for the breakdown of ‘Photosynthesis’ brings in the encore of ‘I Knew Prufrock’ and ‘I Still Believe’ to finish the evening.

Thereby, Frank Turner continues to march onwards to cult status, and in my humble opinion, I don’t think it’s too much to put him on a pedestal as the ‘English Bob Dylan’. His songs are instantly catchy and reflect a wide range of scenarios and emotions. This was gig number 1378 since 2005 (running total can be found on his website) and you will rarely find such a hard-working artist that unites people in a room so comprehensively.

He’s come a long way since signing bog rolls for Portsmouth University DJ’s, and if you haven’t seen him yet, you’d do no worse than to see him next time he’s in your town. A brilliant evening’s entertainment.

Tribes release their next album ‘Wish To Scream‘ on May 20th which is preceded by their new single ‘Dancehall‘, produced by Kevin Augunas and recorded at the famed Sound City Studio in LA, where Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ were brought to life. Tribes reveal the video which has been directed by previous collaborator Tom Beard.

Dubbed as North West’s finest festival, Kendal Calling announces additional acts

The popular festival returns for another three day spectacular at Lowether Deer Park in the idyllic Lake District from Friday 26^th – Sunday 28^th July.

But let’s forget about its idyllic surroundings for a minute, there’s music to discuss. The festival boasts 12 stages and 85 new acts during the three-day event and the headline acts are none other than US hip-hop act Public Enemy, Jonny Marr of The Smiths fame and Seasick Steve who will cross the pond with his guitar to bring us his bluesy vibe. Other headline acts include Basement Jaxx, The Charlatans and Scottish Indie band Primal Scream. Also to feature at the Cumbrian festival includes The D.O.T, (a collaboration between Mike Skinner of The Streets and Rob Harvey from The Music), as well as Mike Skinner’s DJ set, The Lightening Seeds Acoustic and British Sea Power.

The Woodland area is set to return after it’s successful stint last year and will feature the regions’ rising stars and promises to uncover some hidden gems. Not only does the festival celebrate it’s local artists but it includes the Real Ale festival, comedy, spoken word & arts and well as the Ladybird children’s area making it a family friendly event.

If a pint of Real Ale tickles your fancy while watching some top notch bands or some laugh out loud comedy then head to www.kendalcalling.com for further information on the line up.

Weekend tickets: £115

Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye and ex Smiths Guitarist Johnny Marr head up a list of a further 19 artists that have been added to the Bencassim 2013 line-up. The newly announced acts will join fellow Mancuniuns Primal Scream on Friday.

Also to be added to the Spanish beach festival are new additions Knife Party, Skream, Zane Lowe, Wretch 32 and Telepathe.The festival takes place between 18-21 July.

It’s shaping up to be one fo the best Festival lineups this year as already down to headline are The Killers, Arctic Monkeys and Queens Of The Stone Age.

For full information on tickets and lineup for Benicassim 2013 head over to the official website.

Disclosure are extremely excited to announce their debut album, ‘Settle’, out June 3rd on PMR Records. It will be preceded by new single ‘You & Me’, which will be available to buy from iTunes from April 28th and physically from June 3rd.

The first taste of new material from the album, ‘You & Me’ features Eliza Doolittle and, as you’d expect, yet again proves Disclosure’s ability in bringing the best out of their vocal collaborators, with Eliza’s lustrous vocal immersed among Disclosure’s trademark 2-step garage rhythms, once again showing beyond doubt their capacity in delivering yet another anthem alongside previous singles ‘Latch’ and ‘White Noise’.

Take a look at the Video for the latest Strype’s singe Blue Collar Jane

The setting for a very intimate performance from one of UKs biggest and hardest working bands was the New Brighton Floral Pavillion. This venue is most common for theatre productions and conferences but tonight the conference room welcomed its first post hardcore rock concert.

Support came from Nottingham based speed metal band Baby Godzilla who unleashed havoc during there set and with the last song “three legged race” the guitarist walked around the crowd with his wireless electric guitar and the lead vocalist took his mic stand into the crowd to perform with the fans. Incredible start to an evening full of energy . Following this was Milton Keynes rap metal outfit “Hacktivist“. Imagine UK hip hop artist Devlin performing with a heavy metal band and you have got Hacktivist treating the crowd to their own rendition of Jay Z and Kanye Wests “N***s in Paris”  and performing their new free download Elevate.

Both support acts gave an incredible performance and fans still managed to find the energy to keep going. 10 minutes before they entered the stage a tannoy announcement was made counting down the minutes with a great backdrop of old trance and some dub-step music. The time had came  for St Albans  post hardcore band with an infusion of dub-step combined with Mike Skinner esq vocals. Opening their set with “Ssssssnakepit” and followed by a selection of tracks from there new album, the usual conference setting was  now the setting of crowd surfing, mosh pits, standing on speakers and some serious energy.

As well as new songs they performed tracks from there older albums explaining “weve been abusing music since 2003”  treating the older fans to tracks including The Feist and Enter Shikari. Crowd were chanting lead singers name, Matty P and the band had a brief meeting on the stage which followed by Matty P making his way into the crowd to make a very special announcement in which  he began to sing the words to track “Mothership” and encouraged all fans to make there way to the nearest microphone and shout “Unite“. The time had come for the last song but as expected the crowd wanted more and the band returned to perform two more songs including “A flash flood of colour“.

The overall atmosphere was absolutely incredible and to see a band of this magnitude take over a 500 capacity venue, will be talked about for years to come!

The band have support in high places

Since the well respected and champion of new music DJ Zane Lowe played ‘Blue Collar Jane’ as the ‘Hottest Record In the World’ recently, the Irish band have announced it to be their first single from their 2012’s EP ‘Young, Gifted & Blue’.

Picked up by Mercury Records, the Irish four piece is Singer Ross Farrelly, bassist Pete O’Hanlon, drummer Evan Walsh and guitarist Josh McClorey, who had been plying their trade over the years gigging around Ireland in a van must seem a distant memory now. Their passion and influences of the Blues couldn’t be more obvious in their EP and their debut single is said to have been taken from a 50s dance hall. Not only can they sing the rhythm and blues with conviction but they can also write their songs too.

A debut album is on the cards and a special (limited) 7” vinyl, which features ‘Blue Collar Jane’ is due to be released to celebrate Record Store Day on 20^th April.

Tracklisting across the two discs includes:

A1. Blue Collar Jane

A2. What The People Don’t See

A2. I Wish You Would

B1. You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover

B1. 29 Ways

B2. Leavin’ Here

B2. Got Love If You Want It

The band not only has the support from Zane Lowe but they also have it in the shape of Jools Holland. The Strypes graced our screens with their appearance on legendary show ‘Later with Jools Holland’ which kicked off the first show of the series. (Ed: Catch up on the BBC iplayer – first shown 9^th April).

As well as their TV appearance they have announced they will be playing many of the summer festivals. Look out for the line-ups at the following festivals: Glastonbury, T in the Park, Reading and Leeds, The Great Escape, Evolution, Bestival and Secret Garden festivals. However if you aren’t lucky enough to be heading to any of the above festivals this year they are also playing gigs in Bournemouth, Leeds, Glasgow, London and Wolverhampton.

The band aren’t it seems four guys who will let the industry excitement that surrounds them affect them. Guitarist Josh says, ‘we don’t care if we’re not famous – we just want to play rhythm and blues’. With level headed attitudes like that the band will go far. If you haven’t heard of The Strypes just yet it sure won’t be long before you do!

The festival which has previously hosted such names as The Eagles, Prince and Bob Dylan has had to announce cuts, reducing the capacity that had been previously been as high as 50,000 to 10,000 ,after going into administration. The festival struggled last year due to the London Olympics and poor weather alongside the continuing economic crisis.

Despite a rumoured 4.8 million loss the festival has returned with a cracking, albeit slimmed down, line-up with this year’s event being headlined by American folk legend Rodríguez and Alt-Rock veterans My Bloody Valentine (playing an exclusive festival slot for the UK).

The festival which pioneered a ‘branding and sponsorship free’ ethos also announced a genre/age spanning line-up that includes: The Cribs, The Horrors , Dinosaur Jr, Jimmy Cliff, Dry the River, The Staves and Toy to name but a few- across 3 main stages over 2 days through the weekend of the  5th and 6th of July.

Set in the lovely Kent countryside, roughly an hour from the centre of London, the festival will also showcase ‘The Shindig stage’ in the Campsite alongside the ‘Buskers Boulevard’ with new features The Campsite Choir, Marching Bands, Fun Fair and a Childrens’ Area all being added to the event.

See Hop Farm Lineup 2013

Prices

Weekend Tickets:

Weekend Camping: £135

Weekend Camping Family: £340

Weekend Camping Teenager: £95

Weekend No Camping: £110

Weekend No Camping Family: £280

Weekend No Camping Teenager: £70

Day Tickets:

Friday Day or Saturday Day: £65

Family Day: £195

Teenager Day: £35

With children under 13 getting in free with a paid adult.

Having been elevated to headline status for Reading and Leeds Festivals this August, Biffy Clyro are working hard to prove that they are ready and worthy of their coveted headline spot, starting the year with a 24 date European tour (11 of those in the UK), then jetting off to the US and Canada for another 11 dates, and finally playing 6 European festivals before taking to the Main Stage at Reading and Leeds. Given their usual style of being quite insular when they play (in that they are so into what they are playing that they go into a “band huddle” and they forget they have an audience) and the fact that, despite having six studio albums under their belt, they are fairly new to the UK’s mainstream music chart (although they have been on the rock circuit for years), it is perhaps understandable why there is scepticism as to whether they will be capable of being a memorable Reading and Leeds headliner.

Taking to the stage at the LG Arena in Birmingham for their second UK date, amid the crowd’s cries of “Mon the Biff!” (being the fans’ usual affectionate chant for the band), the band burst onto the stage in their usual topless state to open with ‘Different People’, the first track of their latest album, Opposites. They the thrashed their way through ‘That Golden Rule’ and ‘Sounds Like Balloons’ to the obvious joy of the crowd, who went into a moshing frenzy. It wasn’t until the start of ‘Black Chandelier’ that lead singer Simon Neil said a rather sheepish “hello” to the crowd before leading the first of a number of calmer mass sing-alongs, which befitted the arena setting perfectly.

As the gig progressed, the band emulated the sentiment of Opposites perfectly by expertly steering the crowd through instants of ferocious moshing and “lighter in the air” moments, with the set list veering from one extreme to the other in a dizzying, but gratifying, haze. A frantic ‘Modern Magic Formula’ was followed by a beautiful rendition of ‘Opposite’, before bassist James Johnston cheekily tried to stoke up a fight between the fans of the previous opening night (in Newcastle) with the Birmingham fans with the usual baiting of “they were good but I think you’ll be better”. After playing ‘Justboy’ from their first album, Blackened Sky, the band launched into ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’ from Puzzle, at which point a massive circle pit opened up in front of the stage and the fans went ballistic. The stops and starts of this track were played by the band so tightly that you wouldn’t have even got a gnat’s whisker in between them. It was absolutely breathtaking.

On a roll, and obviously warming to the task of bringing the audience into the band, Neil declared that he wanted to see the whole arena bounce for ‘Bubbles’, and the audience duly obliged, jumping and singing this popular track as if their lives depended on it. After calming the pace down with ‘Victory Over The Sun’, the band jokingly berated the fans in the seated area of the arena (most of which had been alternating between sitting and standing, but who were almost all seated for the last track) by stating, “You in the seats! You need to get up! This is a f*****g rock concert!” And to the opening bars of ‘A Day Of…’ from the album The Vertigo Of Bliss, the seated fans leapt up and went for it!

Following another mass sing-along for their newest single release, ‘Biblical’, and ‘Spanish Radio’, the band launched into ‘There’s Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake’ from Infinity Land, at the end of which Neil scrawled the number 26 on a backboard and showed it to the crowd before the band perfectly executed 26 chops to close the song. The band, including the backing musicians but excluding Neil, all exited the stage while Neil walked out onto a runway and into the crowd to play an acoustic version of ‘God and Satan’. His performance was so captivating that it was almost as if he was playing to just me in a room. He was then joined by bassist Johnston for ‘The Thaw’ and ‘Machines’, with both band members providing an equally entrancing acoustic performance.

This didn’t last long, however, due to the sudden frenzy of dance-style lazers, bass and beats that introduced ‘Glitter and Trauma’, which led the audience into a 3-track mini-mosh including the brilliant ‘Who’s Got A Match’ and ‘The Joke’s On Us’. And then it happened: the “Coldplay moment”. The band struck up for ‘Many Of Horror’ and the crowd blew the roof off of the arena as they joined in with the band, singing at the tops of their lungs. Finishing the set with ‘Picture a Knife Fight’ and an absolutely outstanding rendition of ‘The Captain’ the band retreated backstage to more shouts of “Mon the Biff!”

After some frantic rearrangements of the stage area by the band’s techies, Neil reappeared for the encore at the top of a set of stairs, to a spot which appeared to be at the base of a spine. The band then played ‘Skylight’ and the more upbeat ‘Stingin’ Belle’ before saving ‘Mountains’ for their last track of the night, which elicited more singing and bouncing from the crowd.

Playing a wide range of tracks from all six of their studio albums, and performing a perfectly balanced set list ranging from heavy rock to sing-along ballads, the band were fantastically tight and threw themselves completely into the gig. They have obviously worked on the “insular effect”, and whilst they still have these moments (which have obviously benefitted the band’s tightness, and which are necessary to maintain that tightness) they are now more mindful of the fact they have an audience too, and are more comfortable and adept at bringing the audience into this world. This, coupled with the interesting nature of many of their tracks due to their trademark of mixing unusual time signatures, can only lead to one conclusion…

Are they worthy of a headline spot at Reading and Leeds, and will they be memorable?

Absolutely, especially if they perform as fantastically as they did at this gig, mixing moshing with sing-along material, and providing a tight performance whilst making the audience feel that they are part of the band. If they do, their slot is sure to be a hit with their fans and should also bring many new fans into the fold.

They say life begins at 40…sure feels like life is being repeated – in the last few months, I’ve seen My Bloody Valentine, The Wedding Present, The Stone Roses, and now, The Wonder Stuff – all bands I saw in my teens. But back then, things were so much different, all those bands were pretty much in their prime – what does it really mean to be seeing them again now, amongst many others in their middle ages?

Back then, it was a surge of bodies crammed together with wide eyes, and with sweat pouring off the ceiling, getting drunk on snakebite. Now it’s a case of shuffling about on a carpeted dancefloor, texting the babysitter, sipping on Pepsi.

The Wonder Stuff were the first band I ever saw, so it’s them I can blame for enticing me into the world of gig-going. Miles Hunt’s grin is as enigmatic as ever. It’s a different band now. Two of the original members are sadly no longer with us. It’s now an eclectic mix, with the colourful Erica Nockalls on violin, looking like a slightly less shocking My Bad Sister, and new guitarist Stevie Wyatt, a homecoming of sorts for him, hailing from nearby Bridgend, and in fact, a former pupil of my old school. He’s living the dream – The Wonder Stuff were one of his favourite bands from childhood, although he had more the look of someone going through the motions – perhaps it was nerves.

The Wonder Stuff were the alternative band even the most staid of office workers could get, “Size of A Cow” and “Dizzy” being staples of any pub disco. They were from just before Britpop, but tonight, they open with two songs that have riffs reminiscent of “Disco 2000” by Pulp, the epitome of that era. They have a good go at the new stuff. They have 3 albums after all for 40-something indie kids to catch up on. Of the new songs, “Friendly Company”, introduced as a song for fans of “Come Dine With Me”, stood out. At least 10 of the first few songs feature new fiddly, Erica.

For me, The Wonder Stuff lost it once they ditched the punk edge of The Eight Legged Groove Machine – an unrecognised classic album. However, these days, in the unexpected era of alt-folk, the fiddle is a regular feature for some of the biggest acts (fortunately, The Wonder Stuff stop short of bringing out the ukulele). And so perhaps unexpectedly, The Wonder Stuff in their folkier guise transform themselves into very much a contemporary band. Many of these songs, the likes of “Circlesquare” and “Caught in My Shadow” for example, have aged well, perhaps like the wine Miles Hunt drinks straight from a bottle.

Our lead singer is still able to inject fun into the equation – he jokes about whether Port Talbot, a town he confesses never to have played at before in his 25 years on the circuit, has yet to cotton on to the cult of facebook. I’m pretty sure that there are interviews where he regrets having given up on the punkiness of the early sound, and about 2 thirds of the way through the gig, he ushers the love of his life, Erica, with her fiddle, off the stage so that the remaining 4 members of the band can get down to some more serious rock’n’roll.

For the next few songs, things get a bit more chaotic with the likes of the classics, “A Wish Away” and “Unbearable”. “Poison”, inevitably closes the set.

But all is forgiven come the closing encore, which has a mix of the old and new. The line-up may have changed, but as a musical force, somehow The Wonder Stuff have scraped through unscathed. They’re still a band to warm the cockles. Particularly, the old cockles.

He’s been labeled as Essex’s answer to Robbie Williams, a title I’m sure Ollie wont mind adorning, but with great titles comes great responsibility and if he’s to live up to it, nights like tonight are all the more important. It’s quite an achievement to think that despite finishing X Factor runner up in 2009, Olly Murs can sell out 2 nights at Londons O2 arena. Maybe it’s because he escaped the evil clutches of pop’s chief manufacturer  Mr Cowell, that the Essex Entertainer’s career has gone from strength to strength.

Tonight he’s in fine form and owning the O2 stage as he glides across it effortlessly, a grin from ear to ear, pulling out the trademark ‘Murs moves’ and working the room in every corner determined nobody feels left out. He starts proceedings with single Army Of  Two and continues the strong intro by following up with Dance with me Tonight. A set, jammed pack full of crowd pleasers including an acoustic collection from the steps of a pretty impressive stage set. Although an extreme stench of cheese sometimes fill the arena, you can’t deny that Olly is the perfect professional and boasts some of the most catchiest tunes around. One of which is Busy, in which Olly debuts his recently obtained  strumming skills, thanking the crowd for letting him indulge himself . He pulls pulls it off.

Attempts to cross musical boundaries fail with covers of The Clash’s Should I stay or should I go and The Jams Town Called Malice lost on the audience. It doesn’t stop kids and mothers dancing though and to be fair, there’s a 2 hour show to fill. He picks up the pace again with the bright and bubbly Please Don’t Let Me Go And sprints to a strong finish with the best received song of the night Heart Skips A Beat.

An encore finished with Troublemaker brings the show to a close. For any doubters that Olly Murs could cut it at a venue of this size, it’s clear he’s more than comfortable.

This is a secret we don’t want you to keep- The UKs most unique music arts festival, Secret Garden Party is back and better than ever. Music is just the cherry on top at this crazy 4 day party, where everyone can join in and contribute their ideas and creativity.

But seeing as there is another stellar line up it would be mad of us to not reveal it. Headlining this year are Belgian brothers Soulwax with support from the Mercury prize shortlisted Django Django and Regina Spektor in her exclusive UK festival performance. Also on the bill are former Oasis guitarist Bonehead’s new group Parlour Flames, Hadouken!, soon to be huge rhythm and blue band The Strypes and the amazing Shout Out Louds.

This summer’s theme ‘superstition’ brings all kinds of strange and bizarre action camps into the Garden, each one lovingly programmed by fellow gardeners and promising to captivate, charm, hypnotise, enchant and enthrall you. a few of the many, many camps you’ll find at the party this summer include The Bohemian Artists’ Studio, No.13 Club, a very superstitious 80’s neon micro disco and Supernatural Hospital Camp to Enhance your spiritual deficits resulting in sense of alleviation. Sound bizarre? Good because this isn’t a festival for all those average Joes and plain Janes.

Find out more about the secret garden party

Will it be a case of first time nerves for the seasoned rockers?

Glastonbury organisers have this week announced the much-anticipated festival’s line up for 2013 and on the bill for Saturday’s headline slot is none other than legendary act: The Rolling Stones. This will be the first time in their 51 years of making music that they are set to play at Worthy Farm in Somerset.

Mick Jagger went straight to his Twitter account to express his delight in headlining at the renowned festival. He told his fans: “can’t wait to play Glastonbury. I have my Wellies and my yurt!”

Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis believes that this year’s line up is quite possibly the best yet and when asked about The Rolling Stones, she says it is ‘as big a coup as we ever thought would be possible.’ She goes on to say that it ‘is such an honour to have them. I get the real sense they are excited too … it has been a dream booking.’

Other headline acts include the Artic Monkeys who play on the Pyramid Stage on the Friday, and Mumford & Sons on the Sunday. The full line up for the three-day event, which takes place on the last weekend of June, also includes the likes of Primal Scream, Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Vampire Weekend, Ben Howard, Billy Bragg and The Vaccines. On the Other Stage you can expect to see Portishead, Example, The Smashing Pumpkins, Two Door Cinema Club, The Lumineers and The Hives.

The event is already a sell out seeing tickets disappear in minutes when they were released back in October.  But one thing’s for sure, whether you are lucky enough to be going to the iconic festival or consoling yourself by watching it on the box, it is sure to be an unmissable event this summer!

Manchester Academy’s touts are out in full force at this sold-out gig: “I’ll sell you this for £90,” one says. Ninety English pounds for a ticket that at face value cost only £26.50, and, with my own eyes, I watch a man buy it!

Once inside, support act letlive. are as entertaining as ever. Lauded by many as the new faces of hardcore, they put on an insane show, complete with front flips, dismantled drum-kits and vocalist Jason Aalon Butler running through the crowd to the back of the venue during Casino Columbus. Their raucous, raw set is a force to be reckoned with, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if letlive. were in the same position as Deftones are now after twenty years in the business. The (actual!) ticket price was worth seeing them alone.

Once the letlive. set is over, the venue is buzzing with anticipation and expectation. The 2,500 strong crowd starts to really fill out the venue just in time for Deftones’ entrance – one of dubstep and strobe lighting that sets the scene for the rest of the show. Each member comes on stage to a slightly louder cheer than the last and by the time front man Chino Moreno hits the stage to perform first song Diamond Eyes, the crowd are roaring with excitement.

Putting fan-favourites Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) and My Own Summer (Shove It) third and forth in the set-list respectively seems like a risk at first, but as the show carries on, it’s clear that Deftones have more than enough great material to allow for a show that never falters. Every silence and guitar changeover is filled with chants from the crowd, usually a steady “Chino, Chino, Chino…” that just shows how much the fans – who are an almost even mix of younger, newer fans and those that have been around since 1993 – admire and adore the leading man.

A stand-out moment is when Chino, on the raised platform set up at the front of the stage over the monitors, stands holding a guitar, bathed in white light, performing Change (In the House of Flies). The song prompts a mass singalong before the band ends with Bloody Cape and leaves the stage for the encore.

After what seems like hours, Deftones take to the stage for their final three songs, all from debut album Adrenaline – a work that is almost 20 years old, but you’d never guess. The songs are timeless and the performance is polished, but still manages to retain that rawness that was caught on that first album. Their energy doesn’t let up for the 15 minutes they’re back on stage, and there’s not a moment when the crowd are standing still.

Set-closer 7 Words takes the atmosphere to a whole new level, and Deftones leave the stage as if they just invented the phrase “ending on a high”.

As the crowd shuffle out, Deftones’ praises are being sung by everyone in ear-shot, and outside the group of people where the steam coming from their heads in the freezing February night is a testament to just how much people got into the show tonight.

And come to think of it, if I had spent £90 on a ticket like that man buying from a tout, the show still would have been worth every penny.

Following their popular gig at Birmingham’s O2 Academy in January Birmingham band, Among The Echoes, have been busy recording a new four track EP, “Freak”. The addition of producer and guitarist Sam Wale to the band’s line up has added both a new dimension and sparkle to their already polished sound, which skilfully manages to fuse 80s electronica akin to Fiction Factory, Talk Talk and Depeche Mode with a more contemporary sound such as that from indietronica band M83.

The lead track, “Freak”, is an absolute earworm that swirls its way into your head with captivating ethereal synths, heavy bass, and dark vocals before stomping into the chorus with an uplifting 80s synth riff and vocals akin to Siouxsie Sioux and David Bowie, courtesy of Rachael O’Hara and Ian Wall respectively. The following song, “Talk Talk”, continues this powerful theme teaming Phil Lockhart’s brilliantly fuzzy bassline with escalating vocals which become fantastically needy by the end of the track. Steve Turrell’s soaring synth in the chorus intensifies the great drop that follows, with the band’s trademark dark edge being present throughout.

Whilst still firmly in the same vein, “Pure”, manages to bring a slightly more rock feel to the table courtesy of a gritty guitar backdrop in the chorus. The vocals are softer than the previous two tracks but this provides a great contrast, and serves to create a fantastic build up to the final track, “Feels Like Heaven”. This track covers Fiction Factory’s popular electronic hit of the 80s in a new, unexpected way, resulting in nostalgic electronica with a new twist. With a slow, moody beat overlaid by an otherworldly synth and gravelly rock guitar, the vocals weave in and out of the verses and chorus to an escalating interlude, before bringing the EP to a shuddering close. Fiction Factory’s Eddie Jordan gives a ringing endorsement of Among The Echoes’ new version of “Feels Like Heaven” calling it “amazing”, and he is not wrong.

With fantastic production by Sam Wale, fans of dark wave, 80s electronica and indie synth pop will not be disappointed with this EP. “Freak” is released for digital download on 1^st April and is available on Amazon, i-Tunes, CDBaby and the usual digital outlets.

Bill Ryder-Jones, formerly the lead guitarist for the coral, released his first solo album “If…” in 2011 and was received positively by the music community. Tonight’s gig comes ahead of the release of his forthcoming second album “A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart” due for release early April 2013.

The venue is Camp and Furnace, the flagship of Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle development, and the atmosphere is chilled. The large warehouse space is lined with campervans, caravans and tree effect backdrops creating a festival feel. The eclectic audience grows steadily up to near capacity as the night’s support act Delta Maid takes the stage.

For anyone new to Delta Maid you should know that she is one of the best singer-songwriters around. Testament to her skills she has previously supported the likes of Ray LaMontagne and Ellie Goulding on tour. She was also personally selected to open Gary Barlow’s birthday gig at the Royal Albert Hall by the man himself.

I’d been a fan of Delta Maid for a while but had never seen her live, so when I saw the Facebook status “Back in the saddle riding Delta Maid vibes this week, supporting Bill Ryder-Jones” there was no way I was going to pass up on this opportunity. I had high expectations having been a massive fan of her first album “Outside Looking In” and she didn’t disappoint.

The opening track “Tornado” (co-penned by Delta Maid and Natalie Hemby) recently topped the US Country Charts performed by the country four piece Little Big Town. I personally preferred Delta’s acoustic version.

The sweet toned songstress went on to work through her set list of new and old acoustic blues numbers, stopping only to demonstrate real humility in performing to a home crowd.  Delta Maid’s final song “spend a little time” was a real highlight of the set, if not the night and Delta left the stage to chants for more.

The stage was now set for Bill Ryder-Jones as he entered with his band to great applause. Nerves seemed noticeably present in the new solo artist as he went into his first song “A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart” exclaiming it was only the bands second gig together.

Ryder-Jones is an incredibly highly regarded guitarist, previously collaborating with the Last of The Shadow Puppets, Alex Turner, Graham Coxon, Paloma Faith and of course The Coral. So it took me by surprise that he seemed most comfortable at his old upright piano where he truly excelled. Casting nerves aside, the performance of “Took you in his arms” was enchanting and was the highlight of the set.

Unfortunately, the night seemed reach a bit of an anti-climax when the band finished their set quite abruptly and left the stage with out playing one remotely up-beat number. I stood for a while expecting an encore, but it didn’t come, and as swarms of people turned and left I had no option but to join them.

The old saying goes “always leave them wanting more”. Unfortunately in this case I was left wanting too much and left Camp and Furnace with an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. That being said, positives can be taken from Delta Maid”s fantastic performance. If Bill Ryder-Jones develops the skills of a front man with a bit more confidence and stage presence then there is no doubt that his impressive musicality and songwriting will eventually translate into successful gigs.

Three albums into their career, Foals can now firmly stake a claim to being the nation’s current stalwarts of the indie scene. Those in attendance tonight clearly agree; revelling despite the stringent security at tonight’s venue and the very fact that it is Wednesday. It is clear from an early stage tonight that proceedings will be sweaty.

It doesn’t take long before we see some floppy hair-styled heads flapping, as Prelude greets its audience with an escalating swirl of atmospheric guitar. Jimmy Smith has been given the role of getting the crowd moving, and he stands, a la Noel Gallagher (shades and all), alone with his guitar astride the lip of the stage. Things are warming up.

This introduction is relatively temperate in comparison to what follows, with Miami and My Number bringing tropical rhythms to the freezing south coast. Harmonies abound as Yannis prowls the stage, while audience members try and perfect the difficult art that is looking cool while dancing. It’s testament to Foals’ ear for an unashamedly catchy pop song that a song which was released only a matter of months ago is greeted with as much warmth as songs years its senior, and plenty more dancing.

Despite this, Milk and Black Spiders’ presents a relatively unknown quantity to vast majority, and despite the evident quality in the swooning sounds emitting from stage it is largely unsuccessful in withdrawing anything more than a murmur from tonight’s audience. Before things have time to cool down, however, fan favourite Balloons emerges from the considerable song canon available tonight. Bonus drumming on behalf of the frontman is clearly required, and so it is used. There is now no chance of remaining cool, as the infectious and circulating rhythms of the past single echo around the angular room. Limbs fly around as freely as pints, particularly when the scattergun moments of heavy rock enter into events.

Latest single Late Night receives an airing, and appears to be fast rivalling the ever epic Spanish Sahara in terms of sheer tender beauty. Ethereal synths cascade alongside Yannis’ faithful accompaniment, and are rewarded by a screaming singalong from all quarters.

It’s been known for a while that Foals are fond of dropping some hard rock elements into their live shows, but Inhaler was a watershed moment for the band. The moment that the sunny nature in their music was taken roughly by a gang of black-metal fans and beaten savagely with a pole. The massive response that the sacheting opening to the song receives only serves to reinforce this, with what follows bordering on the downright outrageous. Tortured vocals and screaming guitars combine to create a sound that wouldn’t be out of place in Seattle circa 1992, and the beefed up sound encourages the more beefed up amongst us to literally begin stampeding.

Two Steps, Twice finishes the set, with an extended breakdown bringing the sweltering moshers to a rabid state before releasing them under the esteem of a thrashing guitar and drum hammering. Spent, the band says their thanks. Judging by the glazed appreciation across the sweaty faces in Portsmouth this evening, the thank-yous are reciprocated ten-fold.

After the hype surrounding the release of the new My Bloody Valentine album, there was not quite so much clamor to see the band live – this gig was not a sell-out – although I did see one unhealthy looking youngster in a Sonic Youth t-shirt being led out before the band had even taken to the stage, the excitement apparently too much for him.

And we could indeed have been transported into a scene depicted in a particular Sonic Youth song, with Marshall stacks filling just about every inch of the stage that was not taken up by the band itself. My Bloody Valentine are known for being loud, but ear-plugs were not needed on this occasion, and in fact there were even one or two ironic cries of “louder” and “turn it up”!

The band came on dressed all in black, the waifish, spectral appearance of the front two, Bilinda Butcher and Kevin Shields, in opposition to the spectrum of colours depicted behind them, and belying the abrasive cacophony produced by their instruments. Debbie Googe, positioned slightly further upstage, was a little more animated, and for the most part in profile; immediately behind her was drummer, Colm Ó Cíosóig.

As it turned out, slightly disappointingly, just 3 songs from the new album were played. Loveless was the most favoured album, with the distinctive samples from this record that sound like some kind of fairground flute. There were also at least 5 songs that I was unfamiliar with – they could have been their own reworkings of Carpenters songs for all I knew, although casting an eye through the already online setlist from the night, these included 3 songs from the Made Me Realise EP, which I don’t own, but which I’m sure pleased MBV aficionados.

It was an odd crowd, a lot of straggly hair as you might imagine, but a few mystified looks from the less well initiated, and mostly fairly static. Knowing the words did not seem to be expected. As the scene which this band was a part of was associated with Oxford’s spires, I expect the average IQ of this audience was substantially higher than that of, say, an Oasis concert, but as this was an extremely sensory experience, intellect was no guarantee of being able to better comprehend or gain enjoyment from the event.

High points for me included To Here Knows When, where Bilinda’s incessant “oohs” almost had me welling up. Despite now being in her 50s, she is still quite dishy, it has to be said. Soon, the band’s token “indie dance” effort got a few more people moving, although it sticks out a little, in the way that Fool’s Gold does in a Stone Roses set. Of course, no MBV gig would be complete without the “white out” section of You Made Me Realise. At Cardiff Ice Rink in 1992, during this section, I puffed on a joint while swaying my head throughout (it was also rumoured that a couple in the crowd had sex at this gig); in London in 2008, I crowd-surfed. Tonight, I felt no more urge than to just jump up and down a bit, and also, quite ostentatiously time the sequence. Tonight it clocked in at a little over 8 and a half minutes – pretty good going, and quite long enough to have a quick shag, I suppose. Just as I have wondered if it would be possible to sing one chant at a football match for a full 90 minutes, I wonder if the band have ever considered keeping the noise section of this song going for, I don’t know, an hour maybe?

They finished with what is also the closing track of the new album, Wonder 2. If indie music has, to some extent, become a bit mainstream – you hardly even hear the term indie used any more, the rather insipid term “guitar band” being preferred – here is a band still defiantly wide of the corporate mark. With no drums on the closing track, just something like a sampled jet engine as “percussion”, drummer Colm comes down to play guitar on this one. All sorts of bands are cropping up on soundtracks and adverts these days, but here is one band that still sticks its fingers up to commercialism – use that for your cheese spread ad, they might say.

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Support: Old Men, The Joy Formidable

Having already completed 20 dates in the US, Japan and Europe this year, this was the final date of the European leg of the tour before Bloc Party embark on a 14 date tour of Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific. The gig was their largest UK performance to date (aside from any festivals), playing at the 19,000 capacity Earl’s Court One venue. Support for the gig was provided by Old Men and The Joy Formidable.

Kicking off to a backdrop of lasers and a huge halogen logo from their latest album, Four, the band threw themselves into the first 13 track first set with a frantic version of ‘And So He Begins To Lie’, immediately followed by the ever popular ‘Hunting For Witches’. Frontman Kele Okereke was on top form, bantering with the attentive audience and introducing each track by relaying the sentiment behind it, including ‘Waiting for the 7.18’ which he described as being “about public transport”, prompting a huge cheer from the crowd. This was followed up by a fantastically tight performance of both ‘Song For Clay (Disappear Here)’ and ‘Banquet’, to the obvious glee of the crowd who sang and jumped around like their lives depended on it.

The band performed an impressive array of tracks from all four of their studio albums, with selected songs being performed in a frenzy of lazers and strobes. The end of the first set was marked with “something different” in the shape of ‘One More Chance’, and ‘Octopus’. The band then disappeared without a word, to the bemusement of the audience, before reappearing a few minutes later to open the 4 track “Round Two” with ‘Kreuzberg’, which Okereke dedicated to his parents. Finishing the set with an absolutely blistering version of ‘Flux’ (preceded by the intro to Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’), the band once again disappeared.

The first track of the encore was a new one, ‘Ratchet’, which Okereke confirmed had not even yet been recorded, and had only been aired live for the first time in Missouri on the US leg of January 2013’s tour dates. The track itself has the unmistakeable Bloc Party sound, and features an interesting pitch-bending guitar riff, which the crowd eagerly embraced. The following track, ‘Truth’, had been the subject of an email to their mailing list a few days beforehand, where the band encouraged the crowd to download an app to their iPhones and film footage of the track being performed, and this footage would be collected via the app and a video made from the best bits. Okereke seemed a bit uncertain about this concept, but nevertheless asked the crowd to record the track as it was being performed. The final track of the night, ‘Helicopter’, was performed amid an array of lasers to the partying crowd, before the band took their final bows and left the stage.

Although the venue was not sold out it did not deter the band, who performed a great mix of old favourites and new material, and at least this gave the crowd more room to dance. The gig did perhaps suffer slightly at times in terms of atmosphere due to the size of the venue, but overall the band and crowd had a good rapport. Once again the band showed off their great musicianship, and the tightness of the band really shone through.

They are here! The Electronic pioneers who have influenced many musically.Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Visage, Gary Numan, OMD, Human League, New Order and their influences on black American dance music. 8os Hip Hop DJ & producer Afrika Bambaataa used the keyboard hook on ‘Trans Europe Express’ on his 80s track ‘Planet Rock’.

It is an honour to be in the presence of such a historical legendary group who have touched the lives of so many people across the globe. The intense loyalty for Kraftwerk is amazing, and one reason being they are the masters who taught masters and their incredible longevity spanning back to the early 70s. There is one original member here tonight as part of the four piece, Ralf Hutter, but that has not stopped the one week UK dates at Tate being a sell out on the first day tickets went on sale.

The show begins with ‘Trans Europe Express’ a slightly dark and mysterious track with a backdrop of trains and railway tracks, it empowers transportation and a love of travel. ‘Autobahn’ the 1974 classic is warmly welcomed with a backdrop of cars on the motorway, this track expresses the love and fun of driving , admiring the views and scenery around you as you drive, it brings a sense of comfort, a lovely melody. Kraftwerk are very good at visual stimulation, really taking your imagination to a higher place, yet it is done simply with four men standing very still in front of a moving backdrop, simple but effective.

‘The Model’  ‘Man Machine’ ‘Numbers’  ’Showroom Dummies’ ‘Tour De France’ a song about cycling all make an appearance so everybody gets a fix of their favourite Kraftwerk piece of music and style. I had noticed some people were dancing like they were at a Rave, also a fair bit of yelling, not quite what I anticipated at a Kraftwerk gig. The night ends with ‘Music Non Stop’ a gentle yet effective track. Each member departs individually each giving a bow, Ralf  leaving last “Thank you-Auf wiedersehen” and touches his heart.

A wonderful night of Electronica perfection.

Love or Disaster?

These two words are often attributed to the lead singer of homecoming threesome, I Am Kloot’s, songs. Johnny Harold Arnold Bramwell, is well known for his ironic lyrics and has been known to conjure up musical poetry based on love and disaster, empathy and jealousy or loss and new findings. However, perhaps it’s that I Am Kloot have all of a sudden found their feet in this dog-eat-dog world that is the music industry. Maybe they really are enjoying life. But more likely, it’s just that tonight is Valentine’s night and there really is a sense of romanticism or, at the very least, a warmth in the air that surrounds the band.

During the show JHAB speaks of the new found love of his once wandering relationship with his daughter. “Shoeless” – the second of the new tracks performed tonight taken from their newly released album, Let Them All In – is, in John’s own words, “Brilliant, that’s brilliant, that”, and he states how it was written about his daughter and the recently found affiliation between them. The beautifully caressing vocals cite “something lost came and found you/like the sea would surround you”. Emotions I doubt the talented Mancunian would have admitted in albums gone by.

For me, I would suggest that he is still maturing as a writer and a performer, and that there are still many steps yet to be taken during the, so far, brisk stroll of this positively enduring band. On stage they look, forgive me for saying this but, cooler than ever. Stylish, focussed, motivated and ever so assured. And so they should. They are playing in front of a-packed-to-the-rafters HMV Ritz in Manchester – 1,500 people tonight and another 1,500 at the same venue the following night. So it’s easy to reflect on how far this band have come and how they have transmogrified their performances thoroughly following 14 years of playing live together. From the heights and heady publicity of their first two highly acclaimed LPs (‘Natural History’ (2001) and their self-titled follow-up (2003)), it would have been easy to have let go when the going got tough. For instance, 2007’s ‘Moolah Rouge’ (studio album number four) almost didn’t happen until they managed to conjure up opening track “One Man Brawl”. Five years on it’s clear that riding the storm has enabled them to jump on the proverbial waves that have followed and that they have surely hit their commercial peak to date.

From I Am Kloot’s debut album through to this year’s new release, tonight they play tracks from their full repertoire – starting with “From Your Favourite Sky”, an old classic, some might say. The trio – the aforementioned lead singer and guitarist, with Andy Hargreaves on drums and Pete Jobson on bass – are accompanied on stage by another trio of musicians playing a variety of instruments – which John points out, makes their sound more “elaborate”. This point is proven following edgy performances of “Morning Rain” and “Northern Skies”. We hear five more new tracks alongside “Shoeless” that impress the crowd, broken up only by minor-eerie rocker “Lately” – another track from Mercury-nominated ‘Sky At Night’. With these new songs fitting in nicely with their current flock of acoustic standards, I wondered how the first single release from ‘Let Them All In’ would stand up to the billing. With the orchestra in the studio version of “Hold Back The Night” used to such epic standards – which, it is fair to say “makes” the track what it is – it is hard for the live performance of the song to truly reach the same proportions. Nonetheless, the energy from the band along with the lead guitar part paralleled with a single violin does do the song justice.

The rest of the band exit the stage at this point and John does a couple of solo tracks. He is of course used to playing alone, having toured solo in between previous albums to ensure that Kloot remain, though it may be in the distance, in the public eye. After a few playful slating’s at the crowd, in which he suggests that “only weird people come to gigs”, the band re-join him to play out to the encore.

As they all return to the natural raptures of applause, John’s predictable, yet still humorous words, “this… is a song about love……… and disaster” is his introduction to “Twist”, I Am Kloot’s unassailable song of cynicism and irony and is the penultimate song of the night. “Twist” was their first CD single release, back in 2000. So to finish the very impressive gig and to accompany this very early track (as part of the encore) is their newest single to date. “These Days Are Mine” sounds like an anthem made for a stadium. And indeed it looked, with the energy and drive that I Am Kloot were playing with, like they dearly wanted this mature but lively crowd to adhere to what it seemed to me was the aim of the band when they wrote it… for them to sing along! Sadly however on this occasion, the stubborn 1,500 Mancunians were not quite up to the part. Given time though and a few more listens to new LP maybe it could yet become a future festival classic.

Did I mention the word ‘disaster’? This was far from it. With a new LP in the bag, a tour that will reach out through to the end of spring, Isle of Wight festival on the horizon, I think there is only one way this band are going and based on this Valentine’s night performance, the love for I Am Kloot should continue to grow.

Standon Calling festival ramps up the big name acts each year and 2013 is proving no differnt! Whilst maintaing it’s quirky and less commercial vibe, this feel-good summer bash taking place in Hertfordhsire over 2nd-4th August goes from strength to strength.

Blues-rock trio, Band of Skulls have been announced as the second headliners along side De La Soul. The southampton rockers will entertain the standon crowds with their gritty, harmony-heavy tracks that have won them international acclaim.

Also announced for the 3 day festival are ‘band of the moment’ elctro-poppers Bastille. They’re no strangers to the festival, having appeared in 2011, albeit in a much smaller tent. They are enjoying extensive radio plays of singles including “Bad Blood” and “Flaws/Icarus”, which featured on the soundtrack to TV hit, Made In Chelsea.

See our review of  Standon Calling festival 2011

Coming second in the BBC’s Sound of 2013 poll and with a BRIT Award Critics Choice shortlist place under their belts, AlunaGeorge may well prove to be one of this summer’s highlights. The next addition comes in the form of the dandy-esque King Charles. The solo artist who has toured and recorded with none other than Mumford & Sons will be adding a touch of psychedelic infused folk and glam pop to the proceedings.

Swing/hip-hop, reggae fusion, rock n’ roll, electronic and ska sounds are all covered elsewhere in the kaleidoscopic additions to Standon Calling in the form of The Correspondents, Gentlemen’s Dub Club, Revere, Belakiss, Bibelots, New Groove Formation and Stills. Local singer-songwriter Annie Dale is also confirmed in the first of a number of Hertfordshire acts to play Standon Calling this year.

Early bird tickets are now sold out. However, tier one weekend tickets can be purchased at a very affordable £99 each. In the pipeline are more exciting announcements for Standon Calling which will unveil further live acts and DJs, details of art, theatre and fringe entertainment, family-friendly activities, this year’s theme, micro-venues and a plethora of other attractions.

Valentines night Rocks out!

The venue is heaving, a huge valentine turn out. It would appear London has ditched roses and dinner for two and opted for a night of rocking out. It’s a special night for rock band Pure Love because it is the anniversary of their first gig a year ago today.

Heavily tattood Frontman Frank Carter enters the stage with a cocky but not arrogant persona and you can tell he can’t wait another minute to get rocking.

“Beach of Diamonds” a no nonsense pure rock track, makes you want to sing along. Frank Carter is a cross between Jimmy Pursey (Sham 69) and Mike Patton (Faith no more) Jimmy for his rebellion and I have something to say attitude, a la “If the kids are united then we’ll never be divided” and Mike for his wacky humor and wit. Slightly Grunge rock meets punk aggressive, loud, in yer face punchy and anthem like. American Guitarist Jim Carroll swings his long hair while knocking out some brilliant riffs.

“Anthem” really has the crowd singing along in a very loyal kind of fashion, “down down down we go” Frank encourages the crowd with great enthusiasm and loves the interaction. One the one hand he is thanking everybody for coming and how much it means to him, the next he makes the crack “get off the stage, just because you paid to be here don’t mean I am gonna be polite” which got the crowd giggling, a cheeky lad but it’s all in good humor  Frank likes to tease and get a reaction.

During “March of the Pilgrims” Frank gets right in with the crowd, literally in amongst them and they gather round him in awe, again it’s anthem like sing along “we’ll be saved” no standing quietly on stage here, he is right in there like a dirty shirt, and he loves it.

“Bury my bones” has positive energy, good quality rock. Then comes a cover of  Undertones “Teenage Kicks” and that goes down very well indeed. Always a good move to throw in some classics.

Loud, gritty, sweaty with a take no nonsense attitude. This band are all about old school punk attitude mixed with rock, something many miss.If you want a dose of this, go see Pure Love, Frank will do his best to keep you entertained.

Their debut album Anthems is out now.

“True love is being able to still be in love with them when they’re urinating in front of you” proclaims Darwin Smith to the crowd of buttoned up shirts and skinny jeans crammed into Academy 2 on a cold pre-Valentines night .Urban outfitters don’t do gigs but if they did you get the feeling this wouldn’t be far off.

Darwin has a strong record of quality support bands. Last year they were supported by Rams Pocket Radio and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs! And they choose wisely again with Los Angeles based Electric Guest. They’ve got soul, some funky bass lines and a lead singer (brother of Jorma from The Lonely Island) pulling some magnificent so-in-the-music-I-don’t-care-that-I’m-dancing-like-a-drunk-50’s-jellyfish moves but most important it’s catchy- so very catchy.

The highlight of their set is a certain twinkling piano led track entitled ‘This Head I Hold’ .Falsetto vocals meet a fun toe tapping 60’s grove which wouldn’t sound out of place at the height of Motown but all encased in an indie pop wrapping  -  no wonder it’s already got over a million YouTube views. It’s not a song you can listen to just once -or twice- for that matter.

Those expecting the catchy pop-rock tunes to continue may have been in for a bit of a shock though, as Darwin’s set starts more like something from Frank Zappa or even The Hendricks Experience (He’s already got the silly head gear and moustache combo nailed!) The acid dripping solo on Moonlit lasts the majority of the first 15 minutes of the set.

Soon enough the gig starts to take traditional format of a Darwin concert – Quirky pop hits interspersed by synchronized dance routines. The aforementioned has become a specialism of Darwin’s live performances. Pumped up by a glorious Bollywood meets S-club 7 routine set to the sound of Toto (yes you heard that right), they storm through DNA, Suicide Song , Up In The Clouds and a surprisingly haunting rendition of brake up tune, Bedspace, and soon enough the room is dancing too.

Free (The Editorial Me) , the single from their latest record , gets by far the strongest reception of the new tracks  and wouldn’t sound out of place in a In-rainbows era Radiohead record with its ‘reject society’ lyrics and garage rock-esque  chorus.

Early single, Radar Detector, keeps up the dance-y atmosphere but, unfortunately, new tracks continue to be met by rather subdued receptions.  Although this is rather inevitable only 2 days after the release of Songs For Imaginative People, it does tend to kill the mood somewhat.

This is no more evident than on the encore. Constellations and sing along anthem, Bad Day, get the room screaming “Everyday ought to be bad day for youuuu” through massive grins, but soon these grins turn to polite smiles as album opener, 800 Human, drifts over collective heads – Maybe there just isn’t a abundance of ‘Imaginative People’ out on a Birmingham Wednesday night?

With their second album release, “Arc”, having recently peaked in the chart at number 5, Manchester-based indie pop band Everything Everything are currently on a 21 date tour of the UK and Europe. Having already sold out all of the UK dates, the tour will conclude with them jetting off for two shows in LA and New York before finally returning to the UK to support Two Door Cinema Club at the Alexandra Palace on 27th April.

Everything Everything’s support, Outfit, kicked off the evening by bringing their brand of art rock to the Oxford Academy. Their style was relaxed and slightly reminiscent of Delphic, with synth and guitar combinations galore. The lead singer chatted to the crowd before the band brought their short set to a close with an excellent upbeat track.

During the changeover, and looking around the crowd, it struck me how diverse the audience was. Usually the O2 Academy Oxford is almost exclusively filled with students and those within the 18-25 age bracket, but Everything Everything’s sold out gig had attracted a sizeable number of people over 25, which is great to see. As a result there was no frantic moshing and throwing of beer, but rather an audience who was captivated by the performance of the band, and who sang and clapped along just as enthusiastically as the usual moshing crowd does. It made a very refreshing change.

As the lights dimmed Everything Everything finally broke onto the stage to start their set. Starting with “_Arc_” from the new album, the band sauntered through a packed track list that spanned both of their albums, filled with moody and melodic synths, jaunty beats, staccato guitars and strings, and the unmistakeable falsetto vocals of lead singer, Jonathan Higgs. By the time the band got to their latest single, “Kemosabe”, the crowd was singing and clapping with great enthusiasm. The set really shone for the excellent vocals and harmonies, particularly in the band’s upcoming new single, Duet, but it was the rendition of slightly rocked-up “Suffragette Suffragette” that really showed how tight the band has become.

Higgs talked to the crowd frequently, and I marvelled at the contrast between his speaking voice, which is quite low and gruff, and his singing voice. This perhaps explains the great range of his vocals, which skip around as much as they produce soaring, pitch perfect legato phrases.

Playing crowd pleasers including “Schoolin’” from first album, “Man Alive”, the band treated the audience to tracks from both albums, including “Armourland” and “Choice Mountain” before finishing the set with the brilliant “Cough Cough”. After much baying for more, the band appeared for their four track encore that started with the ever popular “My Kz Ur Bf” and ended with “Don’t Try”.

Even with a couple of strange set list choices (such as choosing the downbeat “The House Is Dust” for the penultimate track of the encore, which prompted those who wanted to beat the crowd to make an early exit), Everything Everything executed a great performance that contrasted beautiful vocals with their trademark quirky synths and beats. The crowd’s response to “Cough Cough” might have made that track a better choice for their final track of the encore, but overall the band have shown that they mean business, and are serious contenders for the indie pop crown.

Noel Gallagher has the High Flying Birds, Liam Gallagher has beardy Eye and now for Oasis rhythm guitarist Bonehead has Parlour Flames. Accompanied by Manchester Alt Pop Troubador Vinny Peculiar who is no stranger to working with Top artists from legwndary bands as he has already worked with Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce from The Smiths.

The newly refurbised Epstein Theatre was the setting with support coming from Rob Vincent and Sensorites.
Firts to the stage was local folk country singer songwriter Rob Vincent.accompanied by his Acoustic guitar and an Electric Guitarist he commenced and the only word you could use would be WOW.He has been hailed the next big thing and has had his new single added to the BBC Radio 2 playlist and treated the audience to sounds from his new album Life In Easy Steps. After playing a fantastic set including Riots Cry,Demons,Life in Easy Steps and Lights and the Stars you could sense that the crowd were in oare of this incredible talent and began chanting “More”.If you ever get a chance to see Rob Vincent live i would seriously suggest going.

Next up to the stage was local Indide band Sensorites treating the crowd to a more upbeat sound and seemed a lot more comical and could in someway be compared to 90s pop/indie band Space.There stage presence was fantastic having playful banter on the stage and playing a selection of tracks including Just Because You Can and Spaceman.As great as Sensorites were however Rob Vincent was a hard act to follow.

The moment that everybody had been waiting for had arrived.Parlour Flames had graced the stage.Despite the band not releasing any songs as of yet it meant nothing as you could feel the level of excitement in the crowd.The fact that the Epstein Theatre is small in conparison to other venues it made it much more personal and with the auditorium being all seated made it feel more like a private listening party and allowed the audience to listen and take in the music rather than standing and not knowing any ofthe songs which can sometimes make people restless.

The comical elements of tracks like “Sunday Afternoon” which Vinny explains that every artist wants to write a song about a day of the week so othey decided on  the name Sunday Afternoon.Each song had a story behind it, “Im In A Band” was about the Invinsibilty of Musicians and featured Bassist switching to a Double Bass making the sound more eary to “Never Heard If You” about people in a nightclub with dillusions of former glory.After each song you could see that Vinny and the Band were generally astounded by the level of support they were getting thanking everyone after each and every song.

The evening came to an end with the crowd screaming and stomping on the floor demanding “we want more”.Despite there not being an encore there should only be one band on peoples wish list and that is Parlour Flames

Ocean Colour Scene may now be on their 10th album with Painting (released 11 February) but this new album shows that the band are still masters of writing and performing well crafted rock tracks in the tradion of UK greats like the Kinks, The Small Faces and even Manfred Mann.

The opening track, We Don’t Look In The Mirror shows the band looking at the advancing years as Simon Fowler sings “We Don’t Looked in the mirror now as the face that is looking back is looked rather cracked”. The track is one of the best on the album and whilst it might be a somber way to start off the album, it will become one of the group’s standout tracks over the years.

The first half of the album is quite upbeat, title track Painting is classic Ocean Colour Scene and shows the band in an uplifting mood. Goodbye Old Town too has a melody that even the milkman could whistle!

Doodle Book recalls the bands earlier work and has a sublime guitar riff. In reality the album is full of timeless British rock and whilst the album may make references to the 60’s acts mentioned before, the band is still a force to be reckoned with. This album will keep their existing fans happy and introduce many new fans to the band. Well crafted songs in a classic tradition. Worth hearing.

The band are on tour throughout February. See tickets below.

We caught up with Front man of The Moons, Andy Crofts, to see how the band were getting on and asked him about collaborating with Paul Weller, Shaking off the ‘Mod’ tag and their approach to playing live. Crofts shoots straight from the hip and his passion for what he and The Moons stand for is laid open for all to see, in this honest and frank interview. Enjoy!

Q: Firstly Andy, good to catch up with you! Can you start by filling us in on what The Moons are up to right now / most recently?

Hello there. Well, The Moons album Fables of History only came out at the end of 2012 so we now have to take it on the road etc. We have a European tour lined up for April, which we can’t wait for and then we will look into a UK tour in the summer time or something like that. I’ve been writing and writing. I’m trying to prepare towards album 3 and also writing my own solo album which will be on the side of The Moons. I have lately enjoyed just hiding away with a guitar and piano. I think that’s the best thing for me now and again….I haven’t been going out or drinking.

Q: Let’s talk the latest single “Something Soon”. You play keys for Paul Weller and he features on the track and video. Most bands would kill for the chance to collaborate with The Mod-Father, Paul must be a fan or did you call in an old favour?

We recorded half of the album at Paul’s studio so obviously he is sometimes around. Whenever something is happening in the studio he likes to check it out or even get involved. When I was speaking with him he said he would come down and play something and I just said how about singing something instead as I had a duel harmony which was perfect.

Q: That’s interesting, as that stood out for us when listening to the track, just how well your voices complement each other. Did you work on the track/arrangement together or was it a Moons song?

I had already arranged the song before Paul had even sung on it. His voice gave it the low rootsy edge I think it needed. I actually wrote the song a few years before hand and had to put it on the shelf for another day. It’s a pretty good song and it’s an honour to have my good friend Paul on there. In fact it’s a massive honour. Some people have said that The Moons use the Weller thing. I disagree though. He has become a close friend of mine and I play in his band. Everything I do is related and I can’t help it. The Moons use no one. I was and am a massive fan of Weller and if anything, it was a dream to record with him and the video was a bonus.

Q: Fables of history came out in Sept 2012. Were you happy with the final cut and how do you think it differs from your previous albums.

I am happy with it yeah. I think it has a great collection of songs on there that should be a lot bigger than they are. There are lots of singles on there but to break through in the industry these days you have to be shit. In that case I’d rather stay exactly where we are ha! I think the production on the new album is a little finer in detail than the first album as Life on earth was rushed to get it out. Both albums have strong song writing and that’s the most important thing to me. Too many bands these days have a good riff wrapped around a poor riff.

Q: What do you consider are the most important ingredients to a ‘Moons’ live gig?

Sing it like you mean it. Let yourself flow with the music with no thought, look at your crowd and add 5 table spoons of sugar

Q: It seems you guys embrace and draw influences from the mod era, is that fair to say? Some are saying 2013 is the year of the mod-revival (Bradley Wiggins etc) would you see yourself included in this?

The Moons are not a mod band. People like to say we are which is fine. Don’t get me wrong, my individual influences are that completely but my music is not. Our music is open and free of any traps. I wouldn’t want to be tagged in with some bad Weller tribute mod band as I think that’s not positive. As I said though, people can think of us how they like and whatever they feel. Let the music speak. Our sound leans towards a certain thing so it’s natural for people to put us in there. If we are included into what people are calling a new 2013 mod scene, with acts such as Miles Kane and The Strypes etc. then all that’s cool. For kids to be into a subculture and looking sharp then that’s positive!

Q: What’s been the highlight gig or tour for The Moons so far and why?

My favourite tour I have ever done was the last Moons UK tour. We just had the best laugh and all really enjoyed it for the right reasons. I loved the challenge of everywhere we played and watching the crowd grow is exciting. Our Moons fans are fantastic and I love them all. They are loyal and it makes me want to give them a better show and try and meet them all. It’s really hard at the moment for bands like us to break though as the industry has collapsed and shrunken. So I am always grateful of all our fans coming to our shows and buying our record. My belief makes them believe and their belief makes me believe.. I look forward to the next one

Q: Lastly, we’ve been asking artists to recall the first gig they remember going to, or that stands out. Could you enlighten us?

As a kid I never got to see live music as money was tough but I will say that a recent gig I went to was fantastic and that was a Stone Roses show in London. It was a secret gig with no one knowing until close to the time via text message. I was invited by my photographer Scott Mitchell and Bradley Wiggins. Weller was there and Miles Kane was also there so we had a good little gang that night. In fact I knew many people there and there were lots of cool faces wondering around. I was over the moon when Mick Jones of The Clash/BAD came over and said hello to me. Made my day!! It was an exciting vibe in the room like some sort of 60′s happening that you just had to be at. The Stone Roses played a fantastic set and it was my first time I had seen them so it ticked a lot of boxes that night. Great show great vibe. My head wasn’t good the next day though.

Nice!

The Moons Album “Fables of History” is available now to buy here.

Find out more about The Moons at their Official Facebook Page.

‘Miracle’ is the first official video from Hurts’ second album ‘Exile’ and was revealed to the world through the bands social networks early this morning with Theo tweeting “Ladies & Gentlemen… #MIRACLE”.

In keeping with Hurts’ dark video style, ‘Miracle’ alternates between warehouse scenes and shopping malls filled with apocalyptic chaos and culminating in a rooftop illuminated by the new Hurts logo in flames.

‘Miracle’ received its first worldwide radio play on Huw Stephens show when he covered the Radio 1 breakfast show on Friday 4th January 2013 calling Hurts “one of the most stunning bands around”. Zane Lowe also played the track on his Radio 1 show last week and said “We like this, this is called ‘Miracle’. Quality songwriting, brilliant production, really confident”.

‘Exile’, the bands follow-up to their 2010 debut ‘Happiness’, can now be pre-ordered from iTunes, Amazon, Play and HMV.com, with ‘The Road’ available as an instant free track for any orders through iTunes.

From the moment I saw Delphic at Reading Festival in 2009 I was smitten with their style of guitar electro. They were my little gem of the Festival and I couldn’t wait to see them again. I went to the first Delphic gig I could, which happened to be at the Oxford’s O2 Academy the following January. The gig was small but perfect, and it coincided with the release of their first album, “Acolyte”. And since that gig I have played that album to death.

So you could say that I was rather impatient to get my hands on their next album. I knew it would have a lot to live up to, given the brilliance of “Acolyte”, and finally, some three years after that first album was released, today sees the release of their second album, “Collections” (although the band has been streaming it online for the last couple of weeks).

Starting with the first track, “Of The Young”, I first had to check that the cones in my speakers hadn’t blown because there was a bit of distortion and a strangeness in balance which seemed out of place. After testing other stuff I soon realised that this is a feature of this song, but for me it was very distracting. For the first song of the album it didn’t stand out for me like the first track of their previous album (the fantastic “Clarion Call” which is my favourite track on the entire album, mostly because it’s one of those tracks that blows stress away at full volume when main part of the song kicks in). I was a little disappointed because the impact just wasn’t there.

Moving onto “Baiya”, the lead single of the album which was previewed at the end of 2012, this does sound a lot more like the old Delphic. It has more electronic elements and a driving beat throughout, and a nice acoustic break. This is followed by “Changes” which opens with vocals and a simple piano riff, and becomes more electronic than the previous two tracks. However it is slow paced and laboured, and the influence of the 80s R&B and hip hop that the band admitted they had listened to while writing the album is evident. This track is followed by another slow paced song, “Freedom Found”, which again really reflects the same influences.

The next track, “Atlas”, is the best track so far. It reminds me, for some reason, of Fleetwood Mac, perhaps because of the plodding kick drum. It has a pleasing balance of ethereal vocals, good guitar riff and a nice bridge section, and they have even tried to shoehorn a bit of dubstep in there. “Tears Before Bedtime” follows, starting with a one-sided phone conversation and some haunting piano with some really stunning drifting vocals. The track is beautifully executed….until the muted trumpet chimes in. Sadly, for me, this detracts from the song completely, making it sound like 80s TV music, which is a crying shame because otherwise the track is great.

“The Sun Also Rises” starts more promisingly, with more pace and a good bassline, and is more memorable than the tracks at the start of the album. After that, “Memeo”, for me, is the best track on the album. The hip hop influence is clear (there’s even a Justin Timberlake-esque “Oh” on a loop in the background), but it is also reminiscent of Everything Everything, and is more like the old Delphic.

“Don’t Let The Dreamers Take You Away”, is a strange mix of their old style (in the verses) and hip hop (in the chorus). It doesn’t work for me at all, and the result is that it just goes on a bit. The penultimate track, “Exotic”, starts with a bit of beatboxing, and is another slow-paced track which sits firmly in the hip hop genre, complete with rapping. Personally I don’t think that style suits Delphic whatsoever.

Finally, the re-edit of “Good Life” is a more uplifting end to the album, harking back to the more electronic roots of the band’s previous album.

Overall I have to say that, as an ardent fan of Delphic’s electro guitar style of “Acolyte”, I was a tad disappointed by “Collections”. Gone are the memorable guitar riffs, the electronic wall of sound and the sheer energy of their previous tracks, and they have been replaced by a collection of slow paced tracks in a mish mash of styles, some of which work (just) and others which do not. Perhaps I will change my mind when I see the tracks being performed live in a couple of weeks (it has been known to happen), but for now I will pin my hopes on them quickly releasing a third album which goes back to their former brilliance.

The number of people claiming to have been at this gig will doubtless continue to grow alongside the years since it occurred, in a way reminiscent of the Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in ’76. This time though, it’s not about the band, it’s about the venue. The Joiners is the hub of activity for any band trying to earn its trade on the live circuit on the south coast, whilst providing an outing for people whose average gig budget is £20, including drinks and bus fare home. It’s fair to say there’s not many of the £20 gang here tonight, but those in attendance are united in stepping on each others’ toes in an attempt to pay tribute to this vital venue in its time of financial need, accompanied by the brash pop rock of The Vaccines.

The cramped crowd begin to move like a full box of matches being shaken vigorously to the sound of the shuddering opening volley that is ‘No Hope’ and ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’. For the majority of bands that grace this room, that would be it, encore material. Not The Vaccines. These two tracks act only as an entree for the delightful main course of ‘Wetsuit’ and ‘Teenage Icon’; the former bringing the biggest singalong moment here since, urm, Frank Turner last month, and the latter which loses its radio friendly sheen in the spit and sawdust surroundings drawing a rapturous response from faithful fans at the distorted riffs cascading from Freddie Cowan’s guitar.

‘Post Break Up Sex’ continues the endless barrage of hits, also adopting a meaner appearance than it takes on daytime radio, as a bearded Justin Young does his best crazed rocker look at this audience. It’s laughable, but in these frenzied moments, in a place where the crowd have to settle for swaying over moshing because it is simply too busy, it works. This is a band that has developed into an accomplished live act in recent times, as fans that have since seen them at their countless festival shows will testify.

Taking a break after a windswept ‘If You Wanna’ (someone had opened the fire escape by this point, possibly in search of some air lower than 35˚C), Justin takes a moment to remind us of why we’re all here. The importance of these small venues in the UK music scene resonates throughout the venue as he surmises, ‘without The Joiners, there would be no Vaccines’, before launching into a blistering rendition of ‘Nørgaard’.

As the ninety second anthem’s jackhammer rhythm threatens to bring down the house amongst the mist from the fire escapes, the drama and history that would disappear if we were to lose this venue appears in physical form. At this moment in time however, it seems far from ill – unlike the fans, who will catch their death outside – it seems in very rude health indeed.

photo from http://fuckyeahjustinhaywardyoung.tumblr.com

Please welcome back your pure-bred guitar rock band.

Pure Love’s founders, Frank Carter and Jim Carroll, set out to create the perfect rock band last year with both of them coming from hardcore music backgrounds, a risky move but they found their song writing skills complemented each other – piecing together Carroll’s riffs and tracks to Carter’s lyrics.

The product of this labour is ‘Anthems’ – 11 tracks lovingly whittled down from an estimated 40 that the band have churned out in their ‘Rock Factory’. So the big question is: Have these hardcore converts actually delivered on a decent album or is it a translational disaster?

The album kicks off with a hard hitting track ‘She’ with its simple open chord riff, heavy bass and vocals that hit hard with the bass drum. There is no doubt that you’ve bought a classic rock album with this opener and they’ve added in all those words you want to hear like ‘fuckin’ and ‘devil’, setting the tone nicely. This is followed up by ‘Bury my Bones’ which has an air of the mid-2000’s echoing the elements of ‘The Darkness’ and ‘Sum 41’ but with a little more rawness in vocals and guitar. Although Carter and Carroll are tattoo sleeved, black t-shirt metal heads – the guitar solo has leotards and groinal guitar rubbing all over it.

These are just two examples of what Pure Love are really good at – short, sweet, big sounding rock tunes. A couple of my favourites include: ‘Handsome Devils Club’ which is like a pumped up ‘Instant Karma’ and ‘Scared to Death’ which has an epic overdriven bass riff with overlying guitar solos and a stomping chorus, it’s a hundred miles an hour and I bet it’s great live.

A couple of tracks show a different side to Pure Love. ‘The Hits’ showcases elements of the band’s metal past with muffled heavy power chords in the verses which wouldn’t sound out of place with a bit of slipknot over the top. ‘Anthem’ and ‘Heavy Kind of Chain’ are tracks that I feel shows Pure Love’s naivety in writing slower rock songs. Both these tracks are a little tiresome with repetitive lyrics and chord patterns that we’ve heard a thousand times – ‘Heavy Kind of Chain’ sounds a bit like hallelujah; stay away from t it boys, you might be sucked into X Factor! However I can’t fault the dark, reverb tones in ‘Anthem’, but the lyrics are repetitive and the song doesn’t go anywhere.

Overall, this is a good album. It made me feel 15 again, with that fresh excitement of wanting to strap a guitar on, scream out singing and stick my finger up to the world. It is what they are selling it as: A proper rock album.

It’s that time of year again when an important question needs answering yet again. Who will set the music world alight in the next twelve months? Which icons will emerge from the vast pool of hopeful musicians out there honing their skills and mastering their trade in preparation for a stab at the big time this year? One thing’s for sure – the tide is turning back to real musicians and real bands. Those in the know will tell you – proper band music is making a comeback and exciting times are ahead. Of course there are some ‘safe’ names here that will appear on drooling lists across the board this month, but the following list is, we think, a more accurate cross-section of those deserving of mention than many others out there will venture. Decide for yourself. We can’t promise they’ll all be household names come 2014, but these bands deserve every success in future, that is for certain.

YOUNG KATO
Youthful exuberance coupled with an accomplished and mature sound is a tantalising combination that sums up Young Kato perfectly. With echoes of R.E.M. and Bloc Party, this band knows exactly how to do intelligent indie/dance pop and frontman, Tommy Young, is a fearless performer…

COVES
Stoned and fractured but effortlessly stylish and relentlessly inventive – Coves do psychedelic garage rock with a unique majesty, packed with blistering hooks and mesmeric moments. Already getting plays and rave reviews from Zane Lowe and 6 Music in 2012, Coves are well set for 2013.

THE SUNDOWNERS
Flower-powered up to the max and dripping with retro cool, Liverpool’s The Sundowners might just follow Haim to the top this year. Instantly addictive melodies (check out excellent debut single ‘Hummingbird’) and, in singers Fiona and Niamh, they’ve got the flair, the hair and two phenomenal voices to match. If that’s not enough for you, Paul Weller, The Coral and Noel Gallagher are fans.

FILTHY BOY
Spooky, kooky but oh-so-charming, these London lads embody the very definition of that ‘English’ sound. Check out debut single ‘Naughty Corner’ for a lesson in infectious, razor-sharp Brit wit.

JOHN WEAN
Currently recording their debut album after a collection of explosive gigs with The Happy Mondays, Glasgow indie four-piece John Wean is much more than just an Arctic Monkeys clone. Check out recent release ‘M.A.P’ – turbo-charged riffs, incisive rhythms and stacks of energy.

THE DIRTY RIVERS
Already there’s a fervour surrounding this quintet in their native Liverpool and it’s easy to understand why. Think down and dirty garage rock, like BRMC crossed with early Oasis. Expect a fair amount of fuss about these boys very soon.

OK SOCIAL CLUB
One of the hottest bands to emerge from Edinburgh in ages, this foursome have only been playing together just over a year and already the feeling is that great things lie in wait. Producer and friend Owen Morris (‘Definitely Maybe’) sums it up best – ‘They just fucking belt it out!’. One of the most exciting new Scottish bands around, no doubt.

Adv tickets, info and exclusive free downloads from all 7 bands at www.thisfeeling.co.uk

David Bowie has today celebrated his 66^th birthday by announcing details of his first album in 10 years. Titled ‘The Next Day’ the album has been produced, in secret ,with Bowie’s long term collaborator  Tone Visconti –responsible for producing, and occasionally performing on, much of Bowie’s back catalogue. The album will be release in the UK on the 12^th of March.

Along with this announcement came the release of the first single ‘Where Are We Now?’ – A slow haunting ballad seeming about his time spent in Berlin which has risen straight to the top of the UK ITunes chart.

Since pulling out of his 2004 tour after suffering from a heart attack on stage in Germany Bowie has completely avoided all forms of media seeming lulling in a state of ‘semi-retirement’ and the news of a new record has come as a huge surprise even to those associated with him.

His website states: “In recent years radio silence has been broken only by endless speculation, rumour and wishful thinking. A new record. Who would have ever thought it, who’d have ever dreamed it!

“After all David is the kind of artist who writes and performs what he wants when he wants, when he has something to say as opposed to something to sell.

“Today he definitely has something to say.”

Rumours of a tour and/or Glastonbury performance have of course already started circulating, with The Bookmakers Paddy Powers placing odds of 2/1 on a world tour, but as of now nothing has come out about any live performances.

Listen to Single – “Where Are We Now?” below

The 2,000 strong crowd in the beautiful venue that is the 109 year old Shepherds Bush Empire were buzzing with excitement for a rock show that i’m sure every single person in that grand room had been looking forward to for months. The lights went down, and the music started…

Florida four-piece There For Tomorrow kicked off the show with a triumphant set. The only non British band of the night in such a quintessentially British venue, but they sure didnt dissapoint! The first support are sometimes expected to be lacking in something compared to the other acts but that was not the case tonight. They were showered with huge amounts of love from gig-goers who were obviously big fans before the night, singing along with every word of most songs, creating the beautiful atmosphere which would carry on throughout the night. Finishing song A Little Faster was probably the song that got the crowd the most excited, as soon as singer Maika Maile uttered the song name long-term fans and new found fans alike went crazy and you could sense how much the crowd didn’t want them to leave the stage. They put on an awesome show and as a first timer myself, i would love to see them again!

Canterbury were the next band to bound onstage, and the crowd were almost as excited for them as they were for the headliners themselves! Luke and Mark’s joint vocals have always made this indie rock band interesting, and tonight they were as great as usual. Better even. They always seem to win over the crowd with both their boyish good looks- which is certainly something the excitable teenage girls appreciate- and their brilliant musical talents. They had the whole crowd moving almost as soon as they set foot on the stage. Current single Gloria got the crowds vocal chords warmed up for the grand finale which would be Deaf Havana!

The thousands of young rock fans in the room were just getting more and more excited as the minutes went by, and as the crew set the stage up for the headliners-including drummer Tom Ogden’s Ricky Gervais drum skin- emotions were running high and when the guys come onto the stage the building practically erupted with the adoration of the crowd.

The sentence that summed up the gig for singer James Veck-Gilodi was ‘this has been the best night of my life’, which just puts across to us exactly how much of a milestone the band feel they have reached on this tour. James explained the disgusting venues they had played in their early days, even literally a toilet… This is the biggest venue they’ve played in their 8 years of being together, and it’s by far the cleanest! Following a bout of illness from James a few days prior to this gig- which James battled through and played every show planned- there was a bit of worry perhaps for some fans, but he was back to his fine self and put on a brilliant rock show! The band seemed tight and professional throughout the entire set. The noise the crowd made following James’ ‘thankyou’ speech just showed how much his feelings towards his fans are reflected back to the band.

Certain songs had a new spin on them tonight, The Past Six Years being the standout one, but there was no doubt that the majority of fans adored these changes! Some old favourites such as Smiles All Round and You Are Beautiful came out of the bag too, making everyone all the more pumped for the remainder of the night! The boys left the stage, which called for screaming and chanting from the crowd, only to return for an encore of 3 extra songs joined by a very surprising group of people. It was the first time i’d ever witnessed a rock band performing with a gospel choir, the London Youth Gospel choir were an unexpected, but pleasant factor of the show and it gave the band a new element that not many other bands of their style could pull off. They really did make an awesome gig even better.

Every band tonight owned the show in their own unique way, although there was nobody who could quite steal the limelight from the men themselves; Deaf Havana.

To celebrate fifteen years since the release of their third album, “The Fat Of The Land”, The Prodigy generously treated their fans to a re-release of the album (with additional “Added Fat” remixes) and three (almost) all night raves at London’s Brixton Academy. They lined up a whole host of support acts, with Caspa playing all three nights, and Jaguar Skills, Araab Muzik, Shy FX, South Central, Gedo Mega Bitch, Devious D and I.R.O.K. sharing deputy support responsibility at various points over the three dates.

Kicking off on the first night, the first support act up was Gedo Mega Bitch, who happens to be the wife of The Prodigy’s Keith Flint. The show started tentatively, swinging from trance to dubstep and drum & bass, with opportunities for epic drops being sadly wasted as she, almost timidly, played through her set. The audience didn’t seem particularly excited except at one point when the set crashed into an unplanned silence.

The following set from South Central started with more promise, particularly as you could see on the projected screen that they were doing more than just cueing tracks up. They glitched and mashed their way through their set, playing Pendulum riffs over the top of the tracks and making the most of drop opportunities. The crowd cautiously left any reticence behind and started to warm up, and by the time the third support act (Jaguar Skills) emerged, things were starting to go off in the audience.

Jaguar Skills presided over his impressively genius set from what looked like the side of an ice cream van. Mindful of the audience before him, he mashed metal classics from Motorhead and Metallica (much to the glee of an avid metal fan behind me) with old school jungle and rave classics like “Original Nuttah” and “Sweet Harmony”, and even finished, slightly bizarrely, with Madness’ “One Step Beyond”.  By the final throes of the set the crowd was fizzing and eagerly anticipating the main event of the night.

And so, just after midnight, The Prodigy finally took to the stage and launched straight into “Voodoo People”. The crowd went nuts. What followed was a set that infused classics such as “Breathe”, “Omen”, “Poison” and “Firestarter” with a fresh dubstep-style undertone. With production genius Liam Howlett at the helm of The Prodigy’s control centre, wild-eyed Maxim and scary-haired Flint roamed the stage barking and snarling lyrics, much to the obvious elation of the audience.

While they were on a roll, the band sporadically threw in new tracks “Jet Fighter” and “AWOL” from the new, eagerly anticipated album, “How To Steal A Jet Fighter”, the former of which had been previously aired at Download Festival in the summer. These were well received, as was brand new track “The Day”, with the crowd moshing and throwing themselves about as enthusiastically as when other favourites like “Thunder”, “Run With The Wolves”, “World’s On Fire” and “Spitfire” were played. During “Invaders Must Die” Flint disappeared (or at least that seemed to be the case to those of us trapped in the Circle seats), and Maxim distracted the crowd by encouraging everyone to do the classic hand movements to Queen’s “We Will Rock You”.

Suddenly, as “Diesel Power” struck up, Flint appeared in the gangway about 10 feet away from me, at the front of the Circle. How he got there I have no idea, and at this point I’m not sure how the Circle didn’t collapse due to the excited hopping and grabbing that ensued! Far from being the scary mentalist he seems to be onstage, Flint obliged by stopping for pictures and clasping the hands of his adoring fans and then, as swiftly as he appeared, he vanished through the exit and reappeared back onstage in time for the final epic track of the set, “Smack My Bitch Up”.

After opening the encore with “Take Me To The Hospital” and another new track, “Dogbite”, those of us who have loved the band from the beginning were treated to “Hyperspeed” and (my personal all-time favourite) “Out Of Space” from their first album, “Experience”. Whilst I would have preferred that they had played “Fire” from that album instead of “Hyperspeed” it was still a perfect journey back to the old school rave classics that started off the band’s 22 year career. And with that, the band disappeared into the murkiness at the back of the stage and left the audience, exhausted but happy, in the hands of their last support act, Caspa.

My only other slight disappointment with the set was that they didn’t play “Warrior’s Dance”, which is puzzling since it was such a huge hit for them. But whatever their reasons for omitting that track, the rest of the set was a shining triumph, and they certainly put their Brixton Warriors through their paces!

It’s been a big year for This Feeling Club nights and they plan to see 2012 out in style. This New Years Eve they host a party with a line-up most indie kids would trade their grannies in for.

Miles Kane on the Decks and The Rifles play a live performance. Chucked in with that, two hot new bands tipped for a big 2013, NME Buzz stars ‘Dexters‘ and Swanton Bombs who are currently enjoying studio time with Blur Legend Graham Coxon. All this is going on at the home of This Feeling club nights, Brick Lane’s hip and trendy, Vibe bar.

This Feeling launched its online TV series from the very same venue early this year, fronted by The Sun’s Bizarre man, Gordon Smart. The club nights have hit a note with many big names on the circuit including Kasabian’s Serge, who compares it to “…a mad 60′s carnival” and Noel Gallagher who simply describes it as “..A colossal club night“.

Information:

London Vibe Bar Dec 31st (8pm – 4am)
Early Bird tickets £20 / Standard Adv tickets £25 / £30 on the door
Adv tickets, info & exclusive free downloads at http://www.thisfeeling.co.uk

With the festive season upon us, with it comes XFMs annual event Winter Wonderland at Brixton’s O2 Academy. While a mish-mash of newcomers and established bands is to be expected at such gatherings , if the line up was intended to reflect the best and most played of 2012, some of the acts may have seemed like a strange choice, not least headliner Editors who’s last album was as far back as 2009.

Presented by XFM DJ Danny Wallace, the night kicked off with up and coming acts, pleasant and jaunty indie kids Theme Park, followed by singer-songwriter Lucy Rose, who showed off her mellow Laura Marling alike vocals and provided a nice break from the male orientated line up.

Australian five piece Temper Trap then took to the stage with an enthusiastic performance. The acoustics of the academy complimented front man Dougi Mandangy’s powerful, choir boy vocals perfectly, however their set, a mixture of tracks from their two albums, felt overly long and a little drawn out. They managed to bring it back home though, rounding off their set with their sing along anthem Sweet Disposition.

Next up were an XFM favourite, Manchunian based Indie lads The Courteeners. Outspoken Liam Fray and his mates seemed to have much of the pulling power of the event, they definitely had the support of most of the audience. Because of this, they didn’t need to try very hard, and that they didn’t; breezing through their set of new tracks and crowd pleasing hits, showing that slightly mediocre jangly guitar-based indie rock still has a very firm place on the airwaves.

Putting their questionable ‘current-ness’ aside, headliners Editors proved their relevance on the music scene and certainly didn’t disappoint. Their brand of dark, synthy indie rock and Tom Smith’s dramatic vocals lent themselves perfectly to the stage and they delivered an energetic and polished performance to end the evening, without a doubt the highlight of the night.

A few things you can come to rely on each December – Crap weather, a massive hole in your bank account, annoying Christmas TV adverts and The Rifles annual Boogaloo Acoustic gigs. Whilst most of these things are not welcome, it’s safe to say, the last definitely is! Every year The Rifles strip back their tracks and play an acoustic set of all their crowd-pleasers with a few festive ditty’s chucked in for good measure.

Luke, Joel and “Deeeeeeanooo” look so relaxed and at home in this setting, that they should have donned dressing gowns, pipes and slippers. Lets face it, why should there be any need for nerves, they are among friends and are armed with an arsenal of catchy, tried and tested tunes that have led the faithful fans along tonight and for the last five years.  The nights are normally always sell outs – so something special keeps the band and fans returning and why should tonight be any different? Luckily, it’s not any different and the band take to the stage (well, pub floor) in good spirits. The atmosphere has a feeling of a private exclusive party, as the band bounce off each other and the crowd alike. Chuck a log fire in the mix and I reckon most people were hoping to be snowed in!

A rowdy crowd in high spirits as well as voices, constantly heckle during quite periods, but it’s all good banter. The band don’t mind it and it seems, almost thrive off it. They snow-plough through the hits with The Great Escape getting the biggest sing-a-long so far tonight.

“Stay up get drunk with all your best friends..” seems like a challenge tonight! Chants of  ”Deano, Deano…” are bellowed out early on as the crafty cockney pianist swaps the ivory’s for his trademark Melodica (mouth operated keyboard) to blow his way through the fabulously heartfelt “Spend A lifetime” – tracks like this were made for intimate nights like this! In-fact  it’s hard to pick out one song tonight in which the band were not accompanied by the jam packed crowd.

History, The General and Local Boy are highlights and show that these songs work on so many levels. Be it in a large theater gig or a small back street pub, The Rifles need not worry as good songs, are exactly that, no matter where they are heard. The very apt Winter Calls gets a good reaction from the crowd, as this is maybe one of the less guaranteed set numbers. The band play some newer material as Luke takes the lead vocals on Sweetest Thing. Penultimate track Sleigh Ride, as you can imagine, probably steals the show tonight. It’s become the annual Boogaloo theme song and the lads seem to enjoy playing it. “This is the last tune of 2012” The band announce and with that Romeo and Julie gets the usual crowd participation which continues on long after the boys leave the stage

The Rfiles seem to really connect with their fans. Whether it’s the honest working class lyrics or the way the band tirelessly keep on going despite an underrated reputation, the fans seem as enthusiastic now as they were all those years ago when the band first burst onto the scene. It’s a compliment in itself to The Rifles, that they are gearing up to record their 4th studio album with the funds raised from Pledge Music. Fans donated in their numbers to keep their favorite band going and in the mean time snap up some exclusive band merchandise. Hand written lyric sheets and signed albums were traded – now how many bands can you say that happens with?

Ramsbottom is wet. It’s very wet. So wet in fact that I’m not sure why the “hook-a-duck” game on the fairground section has not just put all his plastic ducks on the various lakes that have formed on the cricket ground. A five minute walk to the festival ground leaves our jeans soaking and me with the distinct feeling that my waterproof is not quite living up to its promise. Entering the festival it looks empty but it soon becomes apparent that despite a hardy handful of people clustered around the main stage in varying stages of sodden the majority of the adult festival goers are huddled in the tents. Beer tents to be precise. Well, this is real ale country. I say adult festival goers as the children are content to splash in puddles and this is a very family friendly festival with fairground rides and the inevitable candyfloss in evidence. Spread over three days today is the final day and is dubbed “Folk Sunday” at the festival which promises a line up of all that is upcoming and good in the world of folk music.

Arriving on stage for the biggest downpour of the day Tristan Mackay valiantly remain on the stage with a Donovan via New Orleans blues style of melodic folk rock pausing only to belt out Travis’ “Why Does It Always Rain On Me” in an ironic homage to the on-going deluge. A slight decrease in rainfall rate and it’s time for Kan who are a revelation. Traditionally inspired folk music heavy on the fiddle but with a synthesiser this group perform a tour of the world through folk music engaging the crowd with a playlist that harks back to traditional Irish folk with a nod to the emerging Middle Eastern folk tradition. They go down an absolute storm drawing a huge and enthusiastic crowd to stand in the increasing drizzle and dimming light as well and encouraging the security guard to launch into an impromptu jig

Next up is Thea Gilmore, ethereal folk songstress with the sublime “Coffee and Roses” surely destined to become a folk standard, with her version of “Sweet Child of Mine” and the collaboration with Sandy Denny “London” following. Joined on stage by both her husband and 5-year-old son on fledgling fiddle she rattles through an assured set of melodic heartfelt folk/country cross over so loved by romantic films to the delight of a crowd who are fast filling up and obviously contain a number of fans. It is easy to see the influences here; Elvis Costello for the lyrical component as well as the omnipresent influence of the late Sandy Denny and the impact the posthumous collaboration between the two has left.

Leaving the stage Thea introduces Seth Lakeman, described by The Levellers as the future of British folk it’s easy to see why. Combining the energy of Billy Bragg with the stylish smoothness of many of the American country singers, Mercury nominated Seth Lakeman draws on his decade of recording music to perform an energetic and polished set ranging from the soulful to more rocky and which seems to make the assembled growing crowd forget the continuing rain.

Then running late it is time for the headliner; Scotland’s song writing diamond, Roddy Frame. Having been performing for over three decades this is literally a set where you are spoiled for choice. The hits are all here; opening with “Small World” the theme to BBC comedy Early Doors. Unfortunately direct interaction with the crowd although good is limited which as Roddy explains is due to his starting late. It’s obvious that Mr Frame would prefer to let his music do the talking and invites his fans – of which the crowd is heavily populated – to “tweet me later”. “Oblivious”, “Bigger Brighter Better” fall on the ears in a torrent like the earlier rain, the well known along with a sprinkling of lesser known songs to delight the hard-core fans and casual observer alike. Finishing with the iconic “Somewhere in my Heart” Roddy Frame gives the audience a master class in intelligent and heartfelt song writing whilst seeming genuinely touched that the crowd know the songs. This performance is truly a class act and he even indulges in a spot of Elvis hip wiggling…

So wet it might have been, cold even during the Roddy Frame set when the cloud cover disappeared so we could see the stars above to match that on stage but mere folk music? No, this was a tour de force of British folk music and the fact we had to stand in the rain to listen to it just made it seem a bit more British.

Words: Gillian Potter-Merrigan
Photos: Brian Merrigan