7 Day Weekend, yeah keep dreaming. unless you win the lottery or a secret rich auntie dies and leaves everything to you, you aren't going to be experiencing any seven day weekends. unlucky! "art school rap" is how Big Stereo describe 7 Day Weekend. they're just strange. it's electro pop with talking girls over the top.
there's also Cut Copy but i've never really been a fan...
apologies for the dreadful follow-up but life is getting a bit HECKTIK at the moment. i have a five day alcohol soaked daze to be started on thursday as i finish college foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrr on that same day. then exams start, oh the joy.
i'm off to see Hot Club De Paris tomorrow night so Wednesday's post should be a little more enthusiastic.
so a massive part of my daily routine has been axed from the BBC. obviously i'm referring to Neighbours, the long time running Australian soap with more cheese than you can shake a cow's leg at. the show is due to be moved to channel Five (boo hiss!) at the start of 2008, therefore becoming a two-part programme, split with one ad break in the middle. there is suspicion that Five are going to promote this as an 'Australian Hour', putting Neighbours back to back with not-worth-a-minute-of-your-time show Home & Away.
in light of this sad news i have been inspired to write a post with an Aussie/Down Under feel to it. (it's sad because i can't get chanel Five when it rains and i live in Manchester, ergo, i will never have channel Five).
DAAAHN UNDAH. it has brought us the likes of AC/DC (lord why oh why), Kylie Minogue (ditto), Jason Donovan (ditto), Olivia Newton-John (.. do you see a pattern yet?), erm Jet, Wolfmother and countless other bands not worth even a molecule of, well, of shit.
but it's not all bad! we've also been blessed with bands like Architecture In Helsinki and erm.. yeah. well they have Christmas on the beach, what do you expect?
The Mint Chicks are probably the best band to come out of New Zealand this decade. punk that isn't made for your dad who has already been there and had the shitty Mohawk and safety pin denim jacket (ew). The Mint Chicks make NOISE but you better believe it's noise that you will want to listen to over and over again. it crashes and beats its way into your head. they make "spazzy, heavy, poppy music" according to their website. certain tracks remind me of Hot Hot Heat, just to confuse things even more! their track 'I Don't Want To Grow Old' has so far featured on just about every mixtape I have made this year, and will be doing so for a long long time. it's just brilliant. enjoy it most by screaming "bury me alive" after you've had an argument with your parents/spouse/friends/enemies whilst dancing on your bed with the sun glaring in your eyes.
The Presets are from Sydney, Australia. their stomping electro sounds a little too scary to be from the same place as kangaroos and koala bears. i first heard them when i bought 'Digital Penetration', the compilation album that made my summer of '06. i was terrified and delighted all at the same time. 'Are You The One?' has clap-claps and is amazing when it's being played loudly in a club and you are shouting "aaaaaaaare aaaare yoooou the oooooooooooooneeee?" along with a hundred or so other sweaty dancing people. The Presets - Are You The One? The Presets - Girl & The Sea (Cut Copy -another Aussie band!- Remix)
i've already mentioned Operator Please in here and they are definitely worth having a listen to.
aaaand, just so i have something to do tomorrow night (staying in on the weekend does not agree with me), i shall continue with part deux tomorrow!
hitting up the blogosphere has brought me bands from across the globe that i'd never have bothered to listen to if it hadn't been for the ferverent recommendations of other music bloggers. you can discover a new band every single day without having even bothered to get dressed or eat breakfast. it's as easy as one two three. i discovered Land Of Talk through Off The Record who said: "Land Of Talk will explode into something so huge it will knock everyone over. Bringing back the old grunge sound of the late 80's and early 90's and mixing with the influential indie sounds of the 00's, this band is a force to be reckoned with."
I have since then downloaded several tracks and found myself falling very quickly in love with the band's music. they remind me of Giant Drag, The Duke Spirit and Metric all at the same and all for very different reasons. their crashing cymbals go brilliantly with the slightly Interpol-esque guitar and Elizabeth Powell's (singer/guitarist) vocals are like raspberry ripple sauce drizzled onto a vanilla ice cream in the baking heat of the summer. Land Of Talk create an amazing mash of sounds that make me think of lazy holidays.
there are albums leaking here and there and everywhere. i've just got my hands on the Art Brut album leak of yet-to-be-released 'It's A Bit Complicated'. i'm not an avid fan of Art Brut, in fact i'd say i'm not exactly a fan of any sorts of their music. or i wasn't until now. the album is much more accessible than their previous work. the Eddie Argos style is still in there but it's masked much more beneath punchy guitar riffs and choppy rhythms. Art Brut - St. Pauli Art Brut - Direct Hit
there's more dance-ability than on 'Bang Bang Rock & Roll', their debut album which was released in May 2005. the band haven't gone completely away from their sound, they've just refined it and made it a little more and a little less at the same time. definitely an album i'll be playing this summer (if the sun ever appears). 'Late Sunday Evening' is currently the running favourite, with 'Direct Hit' (the next single from the album) following closely behind. you can hear 'Direct Hit' on Steve Lamacq's Rebel Playlist if you vote for it here.
sooooooo. i went to see Crystal Castles last night. as you can expect the venue was pretty full, and i was pretty wasted (cider & black forever!!) and pre-occupied with all things boy-related. there have been mixed opinions about Crystal Castles' performance. some say it was shocking (in a bad way) and others say it was brilliant. i'd have to say i'm leaning towards the brilliant side. it wasn't brilliant, but it was definitely good from where i was standing/swaying. on the whole the performance was energetic and amazingly loud. 'Air War' was obviously the standout track of the set. worth seven quid? yeah, i guess so. we did also get 5 hours worth of djing and dancing from the chaps who put Crystal Castles on, the Up The Racket team. a clubnight well worth checking out if you're ever in Manchester.
Justice album leak! i haven't been online all day (strange isn't it, the things you miss in just under 24 hours!), so i haven't listened to the album yet. it's downloading as i type.
i've been to see This Is England and wasn't that impressed. it was alright, but the hype it's been surrounded by is a little too genorous i feel. worth seeing but not one to put on a pedastool.
my brother's been logged into my last.fm all day messing up my play counts. he's been listening to The Subways and allsorts. how annoying!
i've been listening to some 8-bit over the past couple of days and wondering how the hell you are supposed to dance to it. drunkenly i suppose. here's some anyway.
yesterday i had the DAY FROM HELL. no lie, by mid afternoon i was near to throwing myself out of a window in a diva-style fit. and by near i mean not close at all.
i managed to drop my ipod in the bath. i've not been coping well at alllll. i've been ipod-less for about 24 hours and i'm getting the shakes. i found out how much tickets for Devo were.. and thus can't go anymore. then i had to cancel my holiday to London in August for complicated reasons. i was absolutely gutted and spent most of my time moping around. there were other things like not being able to go out this weekend due to a serious lack of money that also contributed to my day of 666.
but then! a guardian angel gave my dark dark cloud it's silver lining.
i have known about it for a couple of weeks now, however, i couldn't afford to pay for a ticket as well as train fare to Leeds. someone magically donated me a ticket! kindness like this really doesn't go unnoticed. it's probably the nicest thing someone has done for me all year.
i've just seen that Neils Children are supporting The Sounds in Manchester in June, as well as GoodBooks. i've loved Neils Children since their debut album was released in 2004 but i still haven't seen them live. i'd go, but i hate The Sounds with a passion. if i can get in for free i will, but aside from that..
The Answering Machine are a three piece (plus drum machine called Mustafa) from Manchester. they've been dubbed as "the British Strokes" but i don't really think that's accurate. they're far less gritty, and much more of a sunshine band. they're really worth checking out and keeping an eye on over the next twelve months. i predict big big things!
so the Transgressive Tour got cancelled because of the Larrikin split. i can't say i'm too unhappy about that because i was due to go to the one in Liverpool, but i have no money! so i've been lucky.
i have also planned my holiday to London dates. August 5th-10th, so if you know of any really good things going on then please hollaaaa. i am gutted we can't be there for A Field Day which looks set to be absolutely brilliant.
i'm currently waiting to fail my exams, and cheering myself up by going to lots of gigs, so be expecting more gig posts over the next couple of months. i'm on gig number 20 of the year so far! only 32 left to goooo. i really hope i can make 52 before 2008 is upon us (i.e. an average of one a week).
onto the music!
i've found a lovely little band by the name of Lo Fi Culture Scene. they're only 12 and 13 years old, and talented beyond their years. lucky them! i can't work out whether bands are getting younger and younger or i'm just getting old. they make cute indie. think Cajun Dance Party fronted by a kid with the vocals of Lil Chris, hahah. well worth checking out before the A&R hounds get their ears on them.
i am also heavily feeling the new M.I.A track. it's completely her. it's nice when artists and bands try to change their sound, but not when it could be a whole different band. M.I.A's obviously found something that works for her. there's zoom-zooms, dings, chings, ohh oh ohh's, tap taps and a furoe of other sounds that make her music amazing to listen to.
is it a good idea to get drunk (not too drunk mind) at gigs? yes, you wake up in the morning with your mouth tasting like foot, but if you've had an amazing time that shouldn't really matter, right? but then again it often causes slight delusion that the bands were all completely brilliant. hmm.
on Sunday i went to see The Maccabees. i interviewed them first and managed to make a tit out of myself due to nervousness. anywaaaay. Jack Penate had to pull out of his support slot due to illness, and in stepped friend of The Maccabees, Derek Meins. "a poet who basically screams at the audience" said Felix when i asked about him. and scream at us he did. it was more amusing than properly entertaining. perhaps it was the sex noises he made onstage that put me off.
up next were Fear Of Flying. i have to say that listening to their new demos hadn't convinced me too much, but seeing them played live was a million times better. especially 'Shadows'. it makes me want to make love to cowbells. (not really). but it is amazing, and that was the track i was singing all the way home. if this is a taste of things to come then we should all be keeping a very close eye on Fear Of Flying over the next 12 months. i can't wait to see them again.
then obviously came The Maccabees. i haven't been to a 'gig' gig in ages. you know the ones i mean. with crowd surfers and kids pushing this way and that way, and security repeatedly putting their crotches in your face. i almost got crushed to death, and then almost drowned in my own sweat. it was a bit of a revelation to me; this was the reason i had stopped going down the front, and maybe even stopped going to bigger gigs completely.
near death aside, The Maccabees were on top form, close to bursting with enthusiasm. you could really see that playing to the sold out crowd meant everything to them. i'd only seen them once before but this time round was miles miles better. i might even say that if Penate had played, this would have been the gig of the year for me.
then last night i went to see Letters & Colours at Bring On The Dancing Horses. first up was Pictures Of You who is apprently related somehow to someone in Late Of The Pier or something. i always find one man bands incredibly brave (or stupid depending on how good/bad they are). Pictures Of You did look slightly nervous, but was nevertheless good. reminded me a little of Sir Yes Sir, but more on the pop side. indie electro pop is a fine summary. Pictures Of You - Sunny Days
Letters & Colours took to the stage, complete in black attire to fit with their sombre undertones. they've been compared with the likes of Interpol, Editors, Bloc Party, and Joy Division. and i have to agree with the Joy Division comparison (and somewhat the Interpol one too). with their delicious moody new wave, Letters & Colours would fit perfectly in amongst the post-punk scene of yesteryear. think The Cure fronted by a wide eyed young thing who likes to dance and has a voice deeper than is sensible.
'Plan A' video.
i have been downloading tons and tons of new music, so expect a good few posts to be arising over the next week or so!
before i continue with my ramblings about the North East, i must mention a few things (some non-musical). firstly! Spiderman 3. it's utterly shite. don't bother unless you're having a hard time getting to sleep. secondly! the local council elections. shit shit shit shit. STOP VOTING TORY. thirdly! Larrikin Love have split. oooh. drama. they were good but i'm not sure how a second album from them would have sounded. i'm not crying or anything. fourth! New Order have split up!! i bet it was induced by that GOD AWFUL cover of Joy Division's 'Shadow Play' by The Killers. they are underserving of a link. and finally, where'd the sunshine go??
THE NORTH EAST PT. 2
Dartz! have been around for aaaaages, but they haven't really gotten the attention of too many people, which is a shame as they are worth a listen. i'm lazy so this is going to be very short.
Kubichek! seem to be another victim of the exclamation mark sporting bands. i remember hearing 'Night Joy' and thinking "wooo i actually have silver shoes!" (some lovely ones from Topshop). similar sounding to Dartz! i guess.
Oxfam Glamour Models are from Middlesbrough, the land of zombies. they have created a kind of dirty dirty indie that harks of the post-punk movement. there's something timeless, yet satisfying about their sound.
Das Wanderlust are also from the land of zombies. "amazing amazing". is how i'd describe what i thought the first time i heard them. it was 'Apples' and i knew straight away that they were brilliant. in the same vein as pre-second album Help! She Can't Swim but they're more fierce and danceable. Das Wanderlust - Apples
aside from that, there's a million north easterners hiding in bands you probably know. for example, Alex Kapranos in Franz Ferdinand and Joel Stone in Shitdisco.
so there we go. not everything up north is a complete waste of space. (i'm saying nothing about Sunderland AFC.. cough.)
aaaaand that's a wrap! obviously if there's bands i didn't feature please get in touch and tell me who they are!
7 Day Weekend, yeah keep dreaming. unless you win the lottery or a secret rich auntie dies and leaves everything to you, you aren't going to be experiencing any seven day weekends. unlucky! "art school rap" is how Big Stereo describe 7 Day Weekend. they're just strange. it's electro pop with talking girls over the top.
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