hold the phone.

i've been all over the shop the past few days.

went to the NME gig on Thursday and spent lots of time in the company of cider & black. the gig was better than i was expecting it to be. i enjoyed every single band (Blood Red Shoes, Pull Tiger Tail, The Little Ones and The Rumble Strips), Blood Red Shoes especially. i cannot wait to get my hands on their new single, 'It's Getting Boring By The Sea' on wonderful 7" on June 11th (pre-order it here). me and my friend were supposed to be recording an i-dent for the NME reviewer, however he was so wasted he wandered off and left us alone with the photographer. i'm expecting dreadful photos to appear next Wednesday. Pull Tiger Tail were dj-ing at High Voltage afterwards, however we went to see South Central at The Attic instead. i love South Central. i don't think their own tracks are appreciated as much as their remixes are.

Pull Tiger Tail - Animator
The Rumble Strips - My Oh My
South Central - Nothing Can Go Wrong

Friday night i went to Into The Black's label launch party in a warehouse thing. i won't comment on the five bands' performances as i wasn't exactly in a straight thinking type of mindset. (i ended up wrapped in toilet paper, dancing with a mannequin and covered in stars). bands playing were Politburo, The Ending Of.., Air Cav, Sir Yes Sir and iDresden.

Sir Yes Sir - Hit3 Remix

Yesterday (Sunday) i went to Eurocultured festival. i didn't make it out of bed until 4pm due to a heavy session the night before so i missed Modernaire but i was there in time for Disco Drive who were absolute quality. i've seen them before but this time round was just so much better.
smashing cymbals and heavy basslines are the key componants of what makes Disco Drive. i wish they lived in England so i could see them more often.

Disco Drive - A Factory Of Minds

Datarock were on the main stage which was underneath a bridge outside, so the sound was a little dodgy. as was Datarock's performance at the beginning of their set. they were out of time, but their enthusiasm didn't let that bother them. thumbs up for the Norwegian outfit, though i think i'd have been a little disappointed if i had had to pay to see them.

Datarock - I Used To Dance With My Daddy

finally i saw Yelle on the Contort Yourself stage which was in a dingy little place called SubSpace. by this time (about 9pm) everyone everywhere was either pretty drunk or on something, and the crowd was up for anything. as soon as the band launched into their first track the whole room was jumping and dancing underneath the strobes. i just wish there hadn't been any smoke coming from the smoke machine as it plays havoc with my eyes.
Yelle were just fantastic. i'm truly in love with them now. stomping French electro fronted by a woman who sings like she's singing rhymes in the school playground. if only i knew what she was actually saying!

Yelle - Je Veux Te Voir
Yelle - Ce Jeu

apologies for the delay!

PS. am i the only person in the world who doesn't like The Moths??

hot club, goodbooks, etc

before i say anything about the Hot Club De Paris gig last night, i must must must talk about the Simon Bookish cover of Franz Ferdinand's song 'Michael'. oh. my. god. it's absolutely aaaaaaaaaaaamazing. i have no idea how long it's been around but i am really wondering why i haven't heard it before.
Simon is a weird kind of fella. a bit odd looking, and the music he creates is even stranger. you are all probably well aware of his remix of Grizzly Bear's track 'Eavesdropping', and his work with Bishi.
this cover/remix/thing has stripped the song of all things Franz aside from the pounding vibe underneath that makes you want to dance like you've never danced before. 'Michael' is already an amazing song, but when re-worked by Mr. Bookish it takes on a completely new edge, something rougher, sexier and dirtier. electro beats trample on Simon's raw vocals and what's left of the guitar twangs and screeches, in a completely good way.

Simon Bookish - Michael (Franz Ferdinand Cover)
Franz Ferdinand - Michael
Grizzly Bear - Eavesdropping (Simon Bookish Remix)

and now to the gig last night!
because i am a bad music fan (hahaaaa) i didn't watch the first support act, Safetyword. i'd listened to their tracks on myspace before i went, and if i am honest, i didn't really enjoy their sound. sounded like a whole lot of noise about a whole lot of nothing.

next up was GoodBooks, who i've written about before in this blog. as usual, they always deliver. i never find myself disappointed with GoodBooks. shit name, but brilliant band. i think i might have been cunning enough to have managed to get myself a free ticket to see them supporting The Sounds (along with Neils Children), so i am quite excited for that. plus, seeing them in a bigger venue will be quite exciting, even if it is full of The Sounds' fans.
former single 'The Illness' was the stand out track of their seven song set, fresh sounding with cowbells galore and punky guitars. 'Passchendaele' is going to be the next single from the band, and as soon as they finished their support slot they got in their van and drove back to London in order to film the video for it. Leo said something about them having to 'act', so i am looking forward to seeing how that works out.

Hot Club De Paris took to the stage, all full of beer and grapes. literally. they apologised for being rather drunk, but i think that made things a bit more fun. their banter was of course brilliant, and god knows how they managed to play such complicated songs after having been for "a bevvy".
there were a couple of b-sides like 'I Swung For Judas' in the set, and a couple of new ones, one of which was instrumental and sounded absolutely amazing despite the band saying they didn't know how to play it properly yet.
Hot Club are, in my eyes, an extremely underrated band. they have an amazing skill to create these perfect almost 3 minute long songs that aren't really songs at all. they're a mass jumble of nautical sounding guitars, 'woooooo's and lyrics about arson, Ouija boards and jobs, and i love everything about them.

Hot Club De Paris - Shipwreck
Hot Club De Paris - Who Am I

there's going to be a massive post on Saturday about the NME gig (Blood Red Shoes, The Little Ones, The Rumble Strips and Pull Tiger Tail) and the warehouse party i am attending on Friday night (Sir Yes Sir, Air Cav, The Ending Of and iDresden), and then another massive post about Eurocultured Festival (Yelle, Datarock, Modernaire, Disco Drive, and more) probably on Tuesday. woo!

Down Under pt. 2!

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.

7 Day Weekend - Party Monster

you all know about Architecture In Helsinki, or at least you should do. see: indie pop.

Architecture In Helsinki - Do The Whirlwind

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.

everyone needs good ones.

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.

Wolfmother - Woman (MSTRKRFT Remix)

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 Mint Chicks - I Don't Want To Grow Old
The Mint Chicks - Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!

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!

free as a bird.

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.

Land Of Talk - Speak To Me Bones
Land Of Talk - Sea Foam

apparently one of their mothers was the first ever female croccodile wrestler, and they hail from Montreal, Canada.

leaking leaky leak.

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.

sooo.

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.

Crystal Castles - Alice Practice
Crystal Castles - Chess Mess

dancing in topshop.

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.

GOTO80 - Rofon

and here's some of that Justice leak. as much as i think it is very good to buy music, i think this is a leak you all must find and find now.

Justice - Let There Be Light

sorry for the briefness yet again!

666?

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.

NXSB!

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..

Neils Children - Window Shopping

a bit of home loving for you now!

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!

The Answering Machine - Oklahoma

i'm going to see Crystal Castles on Monday so the post after that should be more exciting than this one was, haha. apologies!

now then now then.

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.

Lo Fi Culture Scene - Meet Again

in my fan-girly-ness, i've been collecting the entire Futureheads discography (or trying to). here's a couple of my favourites out of the b-sides and more rare tracks.

The Futureheads - Remote Control
The Futureheads - Appreciate The Effort

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.

M.I.A - Hit That

more briefness to come tomorrow!