needle in a haystack.

it's always nice when your friends do the hard work for you.

Riot Of The Century are a Manchester band comprised of people with pretty bleak outlooks on life. their cynicism stretches through every corner of their music and is all over their myspace page like a non-threatening rash. they're playing their first gig tomorrow at Star & Garter in Manchester so if you can get down to that i'd recommend you do so. expect fuzzy, analogue-y, JoFo inspired-esque tracks.

Riot Of The Century - You've Given Me Something I Can't Give Back

and then there's Animals Talking. twee indie pop from London that's actually decent. tales of broken hearts and teenage angst are woven into their songs without the slightest hint of melodrama. well worth checking out. they're playing in London in a few weeks time and it's free so you have almost no excuse not to go.

Animals Talking - Letters

ps. stop emailing me for re-uploadssss! it's nothing personal but stuff is available here for 7 days (unless stated otherwise) so just deal with it please and thank you kindly.

neglect.

if this blog was a baby social services would have removed it from my 'care'. sorry for the terrible neglect! life is crazy. you know how it is.

here's the bloody amazing new track from Post War Years. synthy-big beat goodness!

Post War Years - False Starts

the ever wonderful record label Art Goes Pop are due to release a special compilation CD on December 1st. it's titled 'The Glasgow School Of Art Goes Pop' and features a whole host of amamamamamamazing bands from Glasgow including Isosceles and Someyoungpedro. here's a couple of ace tracks from the CD:

Clean George - A Five For You
We Were Promised Jetpacks - Let's Call This A Map

make sure you keep checking the A/G/P myspace for more details on how to get your grubby mitts on the 23 track CD, along with details of a special gig and exclusive artwork!

alsooo i went to see Throats, Pre and Rolo Tomassi last week at White Heat and it was really ace. bands seem to be getting a bit boring at the moment but all three of these really 'tore it up' and my faith is being restored.

Throats - Headclouds
Pre - dudefuk
Rolo Tomassi - Abraxas

not dead.

contrary to popular belief/hope i am not dead/kidnapped/holed up in a Fritzl kinda way. though my new room in London is pretty bloody small. Offset Festival was bloody brilliant, i can't say enough good things about it. clean toilets throughout, teensy proportion of dickheads, no trouble getting between stages or to the front, no crowd surfers!!! (god i hate you people), amaaaazing line up that was well executed with little/no hiccups, dodgems wooo, relatively normal priced cider and a pretty laid back attitude all round.

i did get called a 'wasteman' though. by a boy who managed to pee in his own face. sorry i didn't want to shake your hand, how incredibly rude of me!

anywaaay Gang Of Four were my obvious highlight. followed by an incredible performance by Plastic Passion, and Metronomy were excellent.

i've only just managed to read all my emails so if i haven't gotten back to you please accept an apology, i'm doing my best to work through them. i feel totally out of touch with the music so you'll all have to give me a couple of days to get back into the swing of things!

for now here's a pretty fantastic remix of the latest Van She single.

Van She - Changes (G.L.O.V.E.S Remix)

aaaand the Annie Mac Mix i'm sure you'll all have by now. but if you don't, i highly suggest you get it noooow. from here.

Annie Mac Mix [32.21 minutes long]
tracklisting:

M.I.A - Sunshowa's (S'N'P remix) - (White Label)
Mujava - Township Funk (Sinden remix) (This Is Music)
Roots Manuva - Let The Spirit (Toddla T remix) (Big Dada Recordings)
DJ Technics - Mr Postman - (White Label)
Little Boots - Stuck On Repeat (Fake Blood remix)
Style Of Eye - The Clown (Pickadoll)
Action Man - Under Your Skin (Cheap Thrills records)
Bagraiders - Turbo Love Tough Love remix (Bang Gang Recordings)
Justice - Waters Of Nazereth (Erol Alkan Rework (Edbanger )
Phonat - Learn To Recycle

i heard she broke your heart again.

okay okay between moving boxes, packing up nearly everything in my room (slowly) and praying it doesn't rain this weekend, i have been listening to some music.

i got sent the Modernaire remix of Metronomy's single 'Heartbreaker' and it sounds pretty bloody ace. the single is out Monday and the band are playing Offset Festival this weekend.

Metronomy - Heartbreaker (Modernaire Remix)

i'm all too excited to camp in the forest with (imaginary) bears and whatnot for Offset so i thought, beating Saam @ KHI to it, i'd do a quick round-up of some of the bands i am hoping to fit in! there isn't much point in gushing over GO4 because i'll do that when i get back.

die! die! die! first of all. i have been waiting to see these for bloody aaages. what to expect: abrasive, crunching guitars from the New Zealanders. woop!

die! die! die! - 155

ddd are also on my list to see. what to expect: echoes and feedback and distortion and all kinds of exciting things crammed into short, punchy songs.

ddd - Knives

So So Modern because they are fantastic live. what to expect: disturbed electro fused with screeching guitars.

So So Modern - Piece It Apart

Untitled Musical Project because i still haven't seen them yet. what to expect: short, fast-paced, absofuckinglutely brilliant punk-driven noisy songs.

Untitled Musical Project - A Popular Musical Composition

i also have a crazy idea i can fit JoFo, VEGC, Situationists, PABH, Dead Pixels, S.C.U.M, Metronomy, Future Of The Left, Popular Workshop, Official Secrets Act and several others into the two day extravaganza.

if there's anyone you think i should get round to seeing please do leave recommendations!

just quickly.. on Monday night i did manage to catch Be Your Own Pet's second to last gig ever. it was pretty messy and pretty sweaty. good times had by all! such a shame to see them go.

and that BT voting thingy thingy has opened up again so if you have a spare ten seconds you can vote for my blog to be on a list with other blogs hurraaaaah.
AND (sorry i should really be more coherent etc etc) i'm moving out on Friday and in on Monday so i probably won't get to post again before then. not 100% sure when internet will be up and running in my new abode but hopefully it won't be too long. :)

field day & the breeders & facebook.

so Field Day was pretty naff minus those shorts Tim Harrington wore, The Mae Shi's set and erm that's about it. everyone else i saw was pretty boring or just really awful. i didn't get there til after 3pm so maybe all the fun fizzled out along with the hope of any decent weather. if you enjoyed yourself despite being surrounded by people who were just taking a piss anywhere and everywhere you can get early early earlybird tickets for next year's Field Day here.

i listened to the radio for the first time in bloody ages yesterday and managed to hear the new single from The Breeders. it sounds so goooooood. here's the video:




and they're giving away the mp3:

The Breeders - Bang On [right click save as]

sorry for such a half arsed post after two weeks but i am dying of flu and the news of Elle S'appelle splitting up has put a dampener on things!

also!! there's this facebook thingy where you can join the FUCKING DANCE blog network and other blogs' networks. it's pretty cool once you get going. join the network HERE.

the strangest thing.

'Your search - "clare maguire" - did not match any documents,' Google blogsearch tells me. iiiiiiinteresting.

after seeing that 4Music Channel COMING SOON!!!!112 advert about fifty thousand times the past week or so and hearing 'Kiss With A Fist' by Flo & The Mash an equal number of times i thought i'd do a post about a young female singer/songwriter. how inspired.

Clare Maguire hasn't even done her first live gig yet so that's how new this stuff is.

her voice is pretty incredible and her demos are being produced by Primary 1 so you know it all sounds super smooth (speaking of which.. CLASH AT FIELD DAY! ugh. with Of Montreal - what to dooooo). Clare's music isn't really your typical singer/songwriter poppy fodder. it's darker, more haunting and far more sultry. and from what i gather she's putting some new demos up on myspace over the next few days. so watch out for that.

Clare Maguire - Strangest Thing (Demo)

also i caught Tellison and Tubelord live on Sunday night and they were pretty goooooood!

ps. i definitely got my first fan letter (email.. whatever) today. it was even titled "fan letter" so i'm 98% sure it was one. you guys could always just offload your life savings into an offshore bank account for me instead though.

byop split!!!

be your own pet split.

how shit!! and what exactly am i prepared to do to get to that Liverpool gig! the answer: allsorts!

everybody wants to get with another girl.

Newcastle's answer to Vampire Weekend? there's a sentence i didn't think i'd be writing any time soon. or ever ever.

Little Comets consists of Robert, Mark, Michael and Matt and they make guitar pop music skewered with a melodic exoticness to satisfy your every foot-tapping need. repeat button worthy. catchy. delectable in all senses of the word. just bloody brilliant.

'Friday Don't Need It' screeeeeeeeeams Clap Your Hands Say Yeah meets Born Ruffians. fucking fantastic does not even begin to cover it so just download it and love it.

Little Comets - Friday Don't Need It

they've already racked up quite a few plays on their myspace and they're playing a hole host of town up in t'norf at the moment so i'd recommend you catch them asap!

ps. i'm definitely heading to Offset Festival after the birthday fairy kindly granted me not one but two tickets yesterday! happy days.

right brigade.

for a moment there i thought Santogold was on top, on form, bringing her A-Game.

then the Diplo mix tape comes out and i hear her take on Bad Brains track 'Right Brigade' and i instantly, within one nanosecond of the whole thing ending, love her just a bit more.

why can't everyone be Santogold?

Santogold/Diplo - Right Brigade

ps.



can you tell the weather is getting to me yet? i can't sleep!!!1

the warehouse project 2008.

so most of the line ups for The Warehouse Project 2008 in Manchester have been announced. i've been to a couple of both the 2006 and 2007 events and i have to say that i much prefer the venue beneath Piccadilly train station to the Boddingtons warehouse.

the new line ups look alright but i wouldn't say there are any i'm screaming out to go to. perhaps

Justice [ DJ Set ]
DJ Medhi [ Ed Banger ]
Busy P [ Ed Banger ]
So Me [ Ed Banger ]
Ivan Smagghe Optimo Espacio
The Presets [ Live ]
Fake Blood Yuksek

on November 8th

or

Erol Alkan Hercules & Love Affair [ Live ]
Special Guest TBA
Switch Brodinski Riotous Rockers Beyond The Wizards Sleeve
[ Erol Alkan & Richard Norris ]
Rub N Tug, Micron, Andro
Line-up under construction

on November 29th for only £15.
whatever the weather i better decide pretty quick; events are already selling out!

get the full line up details and purchase tickets here.
anyone planning to go to any?

Soulwax - NY Excuse (Justice Remix)