everybody's talking about..

White Rabbits.

i feel like a proper bandwagon jump-er on-er!

they come from the Mid West but have settled in NYC, and it looks like they are tearing it upppp. there's 6 of them, they sound less like Vampire Weekend than people are making out, and their album 'Fort Nightly' is dead dead good.

i know everyone is bumming 'The Plot' but i think 'Navy Wives' is the best track on the album. it's the shakers that really win it.

the band describe their sound as "honky-tonk calypso" which is possibly one of the best self descriptions ever. pianos, shakers, cowbells, shouty choruses. what more could a girl want! check it ooooout.

White Rabbits - Navy Wives
White Rabbits - I Used To Complain Now I Don't

BUY THE ALBUM HERE.

ps. sorry this was so short, i'm rubbish and am buried under lecture confusion.

Late Of The Pier - live at Fabric, 21/09/07

this review should have come to you earlier and regarding Late Of The Pier's performance in Hoxton. however, due to some twats (i.e. the promoter and the bouncers) me and my friends were "removed" from the property (several times, including after being let in through the fire escape by LOTP). and all because my friend vomited. in the toilet. but don't get me started or i'll just get worked up about it. we had all of LOTP as well as Erol the one and only Alkan fighting our corner and trying to get us back inside the venue. if only it had worked, psh.

we rolled into Fabric, slightly bemused by all the stairs and shapes that slightly resembled swastikas (lol at that bag from Zara). then we got the shock of our lives when the barman asked me for £4 when i ordered a vodka and coke. single measure! expensive doesn't even begin to cover it..

Late Of The Pier took to the stage and almost immediately everyone started going mad. it's not the best i've seen them but they certainly put on a hell of a performance. 'Random Firl' sounds more than immense with added lyrics and 'The Bears Are Coming' is a complete stroke of genius. obvious set closer was Bathroom Gurgle which sounds good no matter where or when you hear it, i think it's possibly my favourite song of this entire year. well worth the trek to east London!

alsooooo. LA Priest (singer Sam's other project) is getting quite a bit of attention lately and so it should. with Erol Alkan managing him, LA Priest won't have to work very hard to get people's attention.

Late Of The Pier - Random Firl (with lyrics)
LA Priest - Engine

ps. as you can probably tell, i'm having a fantastic time in London. apologies for the sporadic updates that will be coming your way until i'm 100% settled.

everything's okay everything's alright.

it has been a crazy few days ahead of my move to the big smoke so i apologise for the lack of substantial posting (which will probably continue for a good week or so).

i've been making a CD for the car journey on Sunday to London and it has the unoriginal theme of "songs about London, moving to London, leaving London, hating London, loving London, .. songs with the word London in the title or just general songs about leaving or moving, new eras and more leaving".

so i thought i'd post up a couple for my fellow university freshers, and especially for Josh and Shaun who also happen to be taking up residence in our wonderful capital.

The Bridge Gang - London Sky Tonight
The Clash - Guns Of Brixton
David E. Sugar - Oi New York This Is London
LR Rockets - London Girls (a bit of a dodgy copy, but a fantastic song nonetheless)

also, here's a song that describes everything i won't miss when i'm gone.

Modernaire - Rain

hahaha.
anyway anyway. i went to see Elle S'Appelle and they were fantastic. i cannot wait to see them again which will probably be at the Moshi Moshi night at Hoxton Square Bar, October 25th. i can get drunk again and tell them how massive their band will be (again) and to remember me when they're hanging around with Britney and Madonna (again). cringe cringe cringe!

in my last post i thought i'd posted an exclusive but i hadn't. gutted. except, here's a REAL one. an exclusive that is:

Late Of The Pier - Space And The Woods (Jack And The Free Trees Remix)

it's brilllllllllllliant! it's very Jack And The Free Trees and not much Late Of The Pier. a mellower remix that still packs a punch. please check it out, and do check out Jack And The Free Trees. they were on XFM Manchester last night and i'm super proud (even if it was the Clint Boon show). Their drummer, Tom, also happens to be moving to university in London soon so good luck to him and everyone else!

Jack And The Free Trees - All Is Permafrost

(don't forget you can right click save as all songs now!)

nothing can go wrong.

you know when a CD comes through your letterbox that is so good, it makes you want to strap a giant speaker to your body and play it for the rest of your life? well that's how i feel about this CD i recieved in the post.

South Central are pretty fantastic. crazy live shows, dark and brooding electro singles that seem to go completely underrated, and the most amazing remixes that have put them on the map.

they've remixed everyone from Shy Child to The Maccabees to Van She to Metronomy. and now, the latest.. Late Of The Pier.

it's titled: Late Of The Pier - Space And The Woods - South Central Bootleg. and according to the biog that came with it, South Central would be going to prison for 12+ years if they were American for actually creating this bootleg. a bit harsh for making such a fantastic track.

Late Of The Pier - Space And The Woods - South Central Bootleg (right click, save as).

Saam from Keep Hope Inside has and is doing a brilliant feature on some of the new blogs cropping up so go check it out if you want to freshen up your reading material.

tomorrow i'm off to see Elle S'Appelle (who i blogged about ages ago - click, everyone seems to be loving them at the minute and rightly so!) and i shall report their amazingness back here.

BAT FOR LASHES WOZ ROBBED.

credit: amazing photoshop skillz by me.

the bitch is back?

whilst waiting for my jeans to finish in the tumble dryer, yesterday i fiiiiinally got round to listening to that new Britney track, 'Gimme More'. everyone seems to like it, and fair dos. it's not a good song, but it definitely belongs in your collection. probably alongside your secret stash of Rihanna and Girls Aloud. i'm waiting for some hot shit remixes!

find 'Gimme More' here. it's also streaming on Perez here, as if you didn't know.

speaking of remixes. check out Pixxxels (Dan from Sir Yes Sir's blog) for all your guilty pleasures made completely unguilty.

also! can someone pleeeeease dispel the rumour that it is Phil Collins inside the suit in this advert? i'm scared if it's actually him.

extra extra, read all about it

Headlines are a five piece from Manchester. i first came across them at D Percussion and was instantly hooked on their infectious brand of spiky guitar pop. think Assembly Now, Video Nasties and Awful Sparks and you kind of have an idea.

they got together three years ago after parting ways from two other bands. they came together under the name 'The Headlines' and just recently changed that to 'Headlines' when "it was written on a ticket by mistake once and we thought it looked shit hot!"

their next single, 'Takeover', is literally one of the most addictive songs i've heard all year. it's brilliant, and i can't get enough of it. they played yesterday as part of the New Islington Festival, however, due to some bad timing by moi, i managed to miss their set completely and was a bit gutted.

they really are fantastic, and well worth a listen. expect big things!

their inspiration?
"In terms of lyrics i [Duncan Wallis] just try to be as neurotic as possible so in that sense i'd say having a shit repetitve job for two years in an empty rural pub has brought alot of character to the songs so far."

their ambitions?
"At the moment i'd say we're all craving for a van (3 cars just isn't very Green of us!). But there's always that "lets write the next 'pet sounds' or 'marquee moon' for our generation" kind of bollocks swimming through our heads on the album side of things. But another ambition would be trying to hold off university as well, cos we cant be arsed."

what we can expect over the next 12 months?
"Definately more singles. We released our first single very early on and it took about a year for us to be happy with a second one. So this time i'd say alot more singles, with whacky b-sides! like adapting the a-side into 3/4 so its got more swing! And also, proper touring."



'Takeover' video, the forthcoming single, out September 17th.

the band are playing at 5th Avenue with Orphan Boy on September 18th and The Social in London on September 24th, as well as The Enterprise in London on the 26th.
hopefully i will be dancing away at both the London dates!

Headlines Myspace, where you can download 'A Long Process' for free.

LEEDS FEST 07. pt 2

SATURDAY

first i went to see Tim Minchin the comedian who wasn't that comedic. his jokes about Israel and Palestine kind of put a dampener on the lovely weather.

Blood Red Shoes - an amazing set from an amazing band. i love these guys so much. bring on a full album please please please!

i wanted to be at the front and nowhere else for Patrick Wolf (who, by the way, is NOT quitting music - yaaaaay) so i went down to the Carling Stage and hung around there for a good few hours.

1990s - i was quite impressed by the Scottish rockers. i wasn't expecting great things but they did well to deliver. definitely want to try and see them again some time.

Reverend And The Makers - what. is. this. band. even. about. absolute shite. i thought my ears were bleeding from all the yorkshire accent singing/talking at one point. band with a message? please fuck off. just because you can get lairy louts in awful shirts to jeer along with you doesn't make you 'man of the people'. do one (preferably off a hilltop).

Cajun Dance Party - a lovely set from the young'uns. topped off with balloons everywhere, CDP put on an energetic performance. the crowd wasn't as lively as i would have expected, despite me being possibly one of the oldest ones there.

Jack Penate - was suffering from a sore throat but still gave a valiant effort. it went down very well.

Patrick Wolf - now, i know absolutely everyone has been saying that he was the highlight of the weekend. it's pretty much because it's 100% true. minus him not playing 'Bloodbeat'. i was screaming like a fangirl and waving my arms outstretched for most of the set. but so was everyone else. the atmosphere was electric, and Patrick was witty and pretty and just completely brilliant. i loved him lots already but that performance has pushed me over the edge.

after this i walked past Razorshite with my fingers in my ears, skipped back to my tent and didn't go to sleep until 7pm on Sunday. nothing like a Wolf buzz to keep you up at night, haha.

SUNDAY

the first band i saw was Eagles Of Death Metal lolololol. there was no Josh Homme and that made things very disappointing as i really needed to fill my "sexy man who shouldn't be sexy but still is" quota for the day. i got bored and headed over to see Good Shoes.

Good Shoes - were on form, however i'd liked to have heard some new material or something to make their performance to stick out.

Metronomy - enjoyable for a Sunday morning. i can't help feeling they would have been better suited to a nighttime slot so i could have danced in the dark drunkenly. their music is music to be listened to in the dark.

Foals - not as impressive as i would have hoped!

then i went to bed.

and came back to see Battles who were rockinggggg. i loved every second of their performance and they turned what happened to be quite a dreary Sunday into something much better.

yaaay no more leeds fest blogs.

Battles - Tij (right click, save as!)
Patrick Wolf - A Boy Like Me (ditto)
Blood Red Shoes - Try Harder (ditto again)

if anyone's having any problems or got any complaints about me switching to hotlinkfiles, please let me know. because of this move i'm going to have to start deleting files after 7 days, so get them while they're hot! (if you want anything re-upped, or put on sendspace just drop me an email).

LEEDS FEST 07. pt 1

leeds festival 2007. in summary: more disappointing than 2006's fest, but a top weekend nonetheless.

i managed to avoid numerous bands i had really really wanted to see due to several reasons such as time clashes, the carling tent being moved FIFTY MILES AWAY (move it the fuck back!), not sleeping for 48 hours, and huge queues for the toilet/to get into the arena.
some of the bands i missed but wanted to see were: Interpol (i know, i know), Maximo Park, Arcade Fire, Sky Larkin (on both days!), Bombay Bicycle Club and Crystal Castles. bit rubbish when you think about it.

i am a walking disaster and managed to lose my ticket after i'd set my tent up but before i'd exchanged it for a wrist band. going out of my mind, i was distraught at missing the 'warm up' performances by several bands on Thursday put on by Dance To The Radio. luckily enough for me, one of my friends found a ticket a few hours later (not my ticket, so some other poor bastard went without) and i managed to catch the last song by Shut Your Eyes.. and the entire ¡Forward, Russia! set, which was, even though i have now seen them live 12 times, very impressive.

FRIDAY:

Late Of The Pier - kicking things off properly were the boys from Doninngton. they managed to blow away the cobwebs and slightly hungover feeling from the night before with their excellent electro pop. i've always heard mixed reports of LOTP's performances, however, having now seen them all of three times, i have not yet been disappointed.

Pull Tiger Tail - last time i saw them i wasn't impressed. this time i was killing time and still not that impressed.

I Was A Cub Scout - delectable! i loved this set.

Operator Please - absolute QUALITY. how they manage to be so good at such a young age is beyond me. it actually makes me feel really old. i am looking forward to seeing them again loads and loads and loads.

The Maccabees - good, but not any better. i'd have liked to hear new material perhaps.

Cold War Kids - one of my favourite performances of the entire weekend. gave me shivers up my spine with their haunting voices. massively enjoyed it. i've been wanting to see them for just over 18 months and that was not disappointing at all.


Gallows - i had to go and check out the madness that is Gallows. it was very mad. but enjoyable. maybe not if you don't know the songs but singing "MY NAME IS CASANOVA AND I'M BASICALLY A MAN" along with the other insane people in the tent was intense. if i could guarantee safety, i'd go and see them again in a smaller venue although they look set to get pretty big. although us northerners missed the onstage tattooing, we were treated to lead singer, Frank Carter deciding to climb the rigging holding the tent up and jump onto the crowd from a ridiculous height. ouch!

LCD Soundsystem - good, very good, BUT. not as good as Leeds 2005 (not even close), and the crowd was full to bursting with complete idiots going "OOH OOH" when it didn't even match the rhythm of the song.

Smashing Pumpkins - not really my thing to begin with, and it seemed like they weren't anyone's thing. there was a constant stream of people coming away from the stage, and at one point i could have managed to get along the barrier at the front. very disappointing as i expected to be blown away by such legends.

my friend's verdict on Smashing Pumpkins was: "i was born to see that performance, and it was shit! 18 years of anticipation and all for nothing". gutteddddd.

Late Of The Pier - Random Firl
Operator Please - Get What You Want
Gallows - Orchestra Of Wolves

pt. 2 coming!

i said oh oh leave us alone.

i can't believe in my M.I.A. post yesterday i forgot to mention my argument with a shitty DJ in Manchester's "legendary" 42 Second Street "indie" nightclub. first of all, i am rather argumentative with the average joe public when it comes to music. pour a few (okay, a lot of) vodka redbulls down me and i'm worse.

i asked the DJ, "do you have any M.I.A.?" and he replied by screwing up his annoying mainstream loving face and said "ugh, she's not indie". i think my jaw hit the floor at this point. i could have said 'you are a TWAT' or various other rude things but i didn't. instead i started rambling on about XL and how they are an independent label and therefore an 'indie' label and that M.I.A. is on XL and that therefore makes her an "indie" artist. does it not?
he just replied by saying "that's not what indie is. anyway i'll put some Pigeon Detectives on".

it made me so angry. plus, they didn't even know who Foals were. not going back there unless i'm completely skint. haha.

Blah Blah Blah - Death To The Indie Disco

it seems as if there's tons and tons of albums floating around right this minute that i haven't listened to. i have just had a copy of Harrisons' debut, 'No Fighting In The War Room' land on my computer desktop.

it starts off catchy, which is always a good thing. but there's a little something missing. although the two are different styles of bands, i am kind of hoping that Harrisons can fill the now empty Dead 60s shaped hole in my musical life. it's fast paced, it's northern, it's 'boys in bands', it's catchy, it's complete with 'gruff' vocals.

'Man Of The Hour' could be The Pigeon Detectives, but it isn't. so i won't make too many more lazy journalist statements.

i remember hearing 'Wishing Well' on the radio and literally falling over myself to go and buy it. even though it came out some two years ago (two years tomorrow to be exact), it's still as catchy and brilliant as ever. good move keeping that song on the album.

overall: hmm. worth a listen. it's a grower.

Harrisons - Man Of The Hour
Harrisons - Monday's Arms

also: OH MY GOSH. you know that Robyn song? yeah, the one that is eeeeeverywhere allllllll the time? well. i did amazingly to avoid listening to the thing the whole way through. that is until yesterday! i was minding my p's and q's (what does that even mean?) on myspace with the TV on in the background. and that song came on. now i am addicted to the last 1 minute and 33 seconds. ugh, i hope there's a cure.

Robyn - With Every Heartbeat

god this was long.