Tuesday, 24 July 2012

Video of the Day - Bat For Lashes

Lovely song and video from Natasha Khan written about me ;)



You can catch her at The Forum on 29th October - I would love to go but it's just a bit steep for me.

Saturday, 14 July 2012

Video of the day: Jessie Ware

Best Black Cab Sessions in a while...



You can still get tickets to see Jessie in November, go for it, innit.

Monday, 9 July 2012

Haim at Dingwalls

About three weeks ago I went to see Haim at Dingwalls in Camden.

I had FOMO after not making it to see them at Shacklewell Arms a few weeks earlier and high expectations, heightened by my tiredness - "better be good but not last too long and I better not be stuck behind any tall people".

Dingwalls filled up to the brim but luckily I had a really good, not too getting crushed spot on the second level up +8. Haim came onto the stage and immediately impressed playing tracks from their EP and a few others in between. They endeared themselves to the crowd - the gig was a big deal to them and they were humble despite the hype, obviously totally into what they do and appreciative of the break. +5

I must have got semi-bored however as I found myself analysing whether the sisters fit prototype personality types - there seemed to be the joker youngest sister, slightly awkward, nice middle child and more serious, older sister lead singer.

I was starting to think "yeah this is good but not sure they are as good as the buzz" -2 but it picked up again when their mum and dad came on stage and performed "Mustang Sally" - a feel good moment though slightly on the cheese fest side. +1

Overall it was an enjoyable gig in a good venue with some decent chat and clearly a nice, talented bunch of sisters a bit cooler than Hanson.

B+

Gig Preview: Peggy Sue in Dalston

This sounds goooooood:

To celebrate the release of their new Album, Peggy Sue will perform two very special half hour performances of Peggy Sue Play the Songs of Scorpio Rising.

Playing the album in its entirety with projected visual accompaniment, the performance will take place in the suitably industrial setting of a surviving WW2 underground bunker – untouched for over 60 years.


Tickets n more deets here

Sunday, 1 July 2012

New Little Dragon - Sunshine

New track from one of my faves, Little Dragon:



As you'll see it's in partnership with Absolut which at first seems a bit weird n full on in the thumbnail/title card, but there aren't many refs to Absolut throughout. At least it's a cool vodka brand and I'm sure Little Dragon got paid handsomely :)

Friday, 29 June 2012

MNDR Interactive Video

Fun new interactive music video from MDNR which integrates with your Facebook account to tell you a story of sacking off work and going to your friend's gig.

The track's pretty listenable too.
















Via The Creators Project

Thursday, 28 June 2012

Worst Track of the Day

Via Popbitch:

South 4 are a new boyband out of the Brit School. The poor lads have been landed with excruciating nicknames, the type that even Atomic Kitten would have baulked at (Preppy South, Moody South, Classy South, Party South) and a less than tasteful debut single, called Cougar Town, about yes, you've guessed it, MILF shagging.

Tuesday, 26 June 2012

Polica at CAMP

Almost three weeks ago I went to see Polica at CAMP.

The night started with dinner at Meter upstairs - dam good pizza sold by the half meter, nom nom nom +18.

In a slight rush, we went downstairs to the basement and were pleased to be able to get a good spot near the front +6. There weren't too many tall people around either +8 however, there was a potential 'Shoreditch dickhead' sporting specs on a chain in front of us - could she be problematic we wondered? -1

Polica came onto stage and immediately impressed with strong vocals and instrument, the two drummers not overpowering but adding to the intensity. I am a sucker for two drummers anyway but this was very very good +6. 

Channy Leaneagh (the lead singer) started chatting to the crowd and I was worried she might be a bit lame but she was actually pretty endearing, making a little joke about the Queen's jubilee 'I don't know what the Jubilee is about but I know it's not her birthday' and how she liked London, which always goes down well +2.

Back to the music and most of the Give You The Ghost album was played, including the immense Lay Your Cards Out and latest single (I think?) Amongster. It was the sort of performance you could close your eyes to (if you thought noone was looking and thought you were a dweeb) and really appreciate.

It got sweatier in there and the hipster in front starting shaking some questionable moves interwoven with attempting arty photos but this didn't even annoy me much so I knew I was having a great time +1. At the end I was even tempted to buy a tshirt however in the end not even Channy could persuade me!    

I was semi pissed off prior to the gig as I had bought tickets to the first date announced thinking I'd be well ahead of the times and then another date was announced the night before -5.5. However, it's water under the bridge now CAMP, what a bloody good venue - intimate, nice lighting and good sound all adding to the ambience and buzz of the night +11.

Apparently Jay Z is a fan and I don't blame the guy. Bloomin' good band and nice lead singer too. Go see Polica at Heaven in November, if you don't like them I'll maybe give you your money back*

A





















*Terms and Conditions apply.

Converse: Represent

Since Converse rescued the 100 Club early last year their sponsorship has been pretty low key with a few bigger names like Gorillaz, The Vaccines and Kindness.

However, today Converse announced a series of Represent gigs over the summer which sound pretty special.

























I have my fingers crossed for the Santigold date with Django Django, Friends, Best Coast and Citizens!

Monday, 25 June 2012

London Gig Guide - H2

Well we're coming into the second half of the year and there are some exciting gigs coming up in the next few months.

Here's my pick of the bunch:

Real Estate at Electric Ballroom - 27th June - Still tickets here, quick!

Get People at Camden Barfly - 23rd July - Tickets here

Savages at 1,2,3,4 festival - 1st September - Tickets here

Grimes at Heaven - 5th-6th September - Sold out (please let me know if you can get any spare tickets!) Heard Grimes at Field day (tent too crowded to see) and sounded reaaallly good.

Yeasayer at Shepherd's Bush Empire - 27th September - Tickets here

Hot Chip with Django Django at Brixton Academy - 19th October - Tickets here

Francois and the Atlas Mountains at Village Underground - 25th October - Tickets here

Alt-J at Electric Ballroom - 5th November - Tickets on sale this Friday 29th June

Jessie Ware at Brixton Electric - 13th November - Tickets on sale this Friday 29th June

Jake Bugg at Koko - 14th November - Tickets here - one to watch

Alabama Shakes at Forum - 17th November - Tickets on sale Friday 29th June

Polica at Heaven - 20th November - Tickets here (can't believe it's not sold out, highly recommend after seeing Polica at CAMP at couple of weeks ago)

Ben Howard at Brixton Academy - 28th-30th November - Sold out - try n get a ticket if you can, he was brilliant at Hackney Weekend.

Sunday, 10 June 2012

New music of the day: Coco Morier

Listening to Ingrid, Volym 1 finally (didn't realise it was on Spotify yet duh!) and came across Coco Morier aka Nicole Morier. Afterlife (below) is my fave, but there's also a load more nice tracks on her Soundcloud page and info about Coco:

Now Morier debuts her solo EP, an infectious and playful five song collection exhibiting a cross pollination of dirty synthesized disco jams, sleek synth pop and lo-fi garage rock suffused with mesmerizing sugary melodies.

One to watch peut-etre.

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Michael Kiwanuka at Shepherd's Bush Empire

I've been a terrible gig reviewer of late, not posting write ups for Grouplove (they were a bit annoying and I felt too cool to be at the gig), The Do (nowt special) or Of Montreal (pretty fun with lots of random stage invasions from costumed creatures), so let's get this Michael Kiwanuka at Shepherd's Bush Empire review started, yeah!

The evening started with an erm delightful quick Pret a Manger dinner and unfortunately missing Jake Bugg open the show who sounds very promising and has been getting some good hype after his performance on Later with Jools Holland -3.

After an expensive lager purchase we made our way towards the front so as to hopefully avoid as much whinging from me as possible that I couldn't see. We managed to get a half decent spot and Mikey came one stage +2.

His voice carried well in the venue and the performance was earnest and charismatic +6. The main problemos were the material itself and the venue - with one album there was a limited range of songs to choose from and some of the slower, more low key tracks got lost in the crowd who rudely chatted over the top -3. Some of the tracks probably would've been more suited to a smaller, more intimate venue (or a more polite crowd - I'm talking about a couple of talle douchebags in particular who wouldn't stop chatting - I think one had stupid hair as well) -1.5.

Other gripes were too many snogging, PDA couples -6 get a room please, and it getting really really hot there as usual - my fringe was not in good shape -12.

The band seemed to be really gelled (not jel) and the more upbeat, 'funky' tracks were more successful such as "I'll Get Along" and obviously the big one "Home Again". Other highlights from the album were probably "Bones" and "Always Waiting". The acoustic songs were also lovely and showcased Kiwanuka's talent to the max.

Overall I thought Mike was a really good performer, his vocal was breathtaking at times +7 and I enjoyed his anecdote about Secret Garden Party and other chit chat - he seems like a genuine guy +6.6666666.

B

ps some nice photos here

Friday, 1 June 2012

New music of the day - Igor Volk

Listen to this new track from the brilliant Igor Volk:



I've seen a preview of the video and can tell you it's an absolute corker. (And I'm not just saying that as I was a bit tipsy after a couple of beers!)

The song's out on 18 June and is already getting great reviews, check this out from The Guardian.

Thursday, 24 May 2012

Field Day Clashfinder

Field Day have read my mind and created a clashfinder website.

Looks like I will be spending most of my time at the Laneway and Shacklewell Arms stages.

Dam the Grimes vs Jessie Ware vs When Saints Go Machine clash :*(

Check it out here

Monday, 21 May 2012

Video of the day: Hot Chip

Hot Chip have yet again produced an unusual and entertainining video, directed By Peter Serafinowicz "Many animals were harmed during the making of this video. Regrettably, none of them made the final edit." P. Serafinowicz 

Check out the vid for Night and Day:



There's also a nice live version from Later with Jools Holland here:



Looking forward to seeing them again at Lovebox in a few weeks.

Sunday, 20 May 2012

Topman Ctrl

Quite a cool new concept from Topman Ctrl to take back artists to their roots n that.

All bands start somewhere, finding their sound and writing their first tunes in anonymous spaces like bedrooms and garages. We thought, what would it be like to send a few bands back to these once familiar spaces and challenges them to perform in the most basic of environments with minimal kit and limited power. What you hear is what you get.

First up is one of my fave up n coming bands Citizens! who I saw in Hoxton a few months back. Check it out:



Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Mostexclusivevideoever.com

Belgian band Absynthe Minded had a unique idea to promote the video for their latest single "Space", helping them to gain radio airplay and encourage fan loyalty.

Their site mostexclusivevideoever.com only broadcasted the video whilst the song was being played on the radio.

Here comes the science bit, concentrate:

The track was created with a detectable audio watermark which allowed the program, which operates similarly to song recognition technology, to identify the Absynthe Minded song among the constant stream of radio play. At times when the song was not being played by radio DJs, visitors to mostexclusivevideoever.com could instead access a short film detailing the making of the video. (source: Springwise)















The video and song aren't that interesting but still, the idea is a bit different! Reminds me of Adam Tensta’s Pass It On app which I wrote about here, check it.

Hello to Palma Violets

Two live videos from hotly tipped band Palma Violets.





Hard to tell tooooo much from these videos, quite The Smiths esque perhaps but they've toured with Alabama Shakes which is a very good sign.

Watch this space...

Wednesday, 2 May 2012

New Band of the Day: Pale Seas

Some chilled tunes that are rather nice from Pale Seas:





You just missed them at CAMP but they are playing Bushstock which looks kinda fun and Power Lunches in London, plus more dates around the country on their site.

Track of the Day: Caan 'Into the Night'

Former Ou Est Le Swimming Pool bassist Caan's track is a nice downbeat electro number.



Check out his Facebook page for a free track download and also this beauty of a track 'Every Little Thing' on Spotify.

He's playing Dingwalls on 31st May too for less than a tenner, score! Get tickets here

Ghostpoet Acoustic Session

Nice acoustic session from Mercury Music Prize nominee Ghostpoet performing 'Survive It'



Just down the road from me in Angel, I await to hear when the next event is...

Tuesday, 1 May 2012

Tom Vek returns (woop)

Loving this new track from Tom Vek



I'm not sure if it's actually that good yet or if I'm a bit brainwashed after his amaaaaazing performance at Bestival last year.

He's a talented fella, as well as his own stuff he has been busy doing remixes for the likes of Alt-J, Slow Club and Man Like Me.

If you get a chance to go see him live then DO IT. So far this summer it looks like he is only playing the Hop Farm and Parklife festivals.

Alt-J are also definitely worth a look - they supported Toro Y Moi last year and were pretty swell!

Monday, 23 April 2012

Santigold - Master of my make believe

Super quick whizz review of Santigold's new album Master of my make believe...

1. Go! featuring Karen O - what a track, listen now
2. Disparate Youth - really rather good, gets better and better more you listen
3. God from the machine - ok
4. Fame - ok
5. Freak Like Me - good but kinda weird and chanty
6. This isn't our parade & bit more low key
7. The Riot's Gone - nice
8. Pirate in the water - bit rubs
9 The Keepers - kinda good, Kids in America, Blondie esque in parts
10 Look at these hoes thumbs down - great song title, bit heavy for me
11. Big Mouth - Still not loving it

Overall I'm giving it 3.5 / 5 and that's maybe generous as I'm hoping it grows on me as I loved her debut so much.

For a couple of good grown up reviews check here and here

Saturday, 21 April 2012

The Do at The Garage

Last Wednesday I went to see The Do at The Garage.

After nearly missing the start due to some misestimation on how long it takes to cook Louisiana chicken (-2 me) we arrived and the place was pretty heaving.

We had to settle quite near the back and as usual I was on my tiptoes -1. This would have been semi-ok if I didn't have to avoid to the over excited swinging ponytail of the girl in front of me channeling Willow Smith 'whip my hair' -3. It did get quite funny though when she started stripping (ok trying to remove a layer).

The band were pretty good and I knew more tunes than I thought +4. Most memorable track was 'Gonna be sick'.

There was a bit of a lull though and people started nattering quite loudly, rude! -3

They pulled it back together and started banging some drums. It was pretty dope +2 but didn't seem to fit with their usual stuff. Confused?

Overall the gig was good but I was tired and it was a bit forgetful.

B-

Thursday, 19 April 2012

New band of the day: Mafia Lights

Only two tracks on their Soundcloud but I like what I hear!

West (7'' Version)

Spiriting (7" Version)

Somewhere in between Empire of the Sun, Passion Pit and Django Django?

Monday, 16 April 2012

Lauryn Hill - The Comeback?

I've long been a fan of Lauryn Hill, Miseducation is easily one of my Top 5 albums of all time, but I was sceptical about Lauryn's comeback gig at Indigo due to reports over the years of disappointing gigs and erratic behaviour and decided not to get tickets.

Now I'm feeling like a right jerk as apparently she was amazing and some of the videos I've seen indicate she is back to form (with bad dress sense admittedly) and actually performed most of Miseducation.

Here are a couple of good uns:





I'm a douchebag, hopefully she will be back soon.

Bowie Print

Want.

Monday, 9 April 2012

Video of the Day: The Yesmen

Great new video from The Yesmen directed by Drew Brown.



I've yet to see them play live but hope to finally check them out at The Good Ship on 25th May.

Check out more of their tunes here

Definitely one to watch...

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

When Saints Go Machine - 'Bittersweet Symphony' (The Verve cover)

I'm usually very sceptical of messing with the classics but quite enjoyed this unusual cover from When Saints Go Machine of The Verve classic.



The band are playing The Hoxton Bar & Kitchen on 2nd April and chances are it'll be a good'un. For a full list of upcoming dates, check out their Facebook page.

Saturday, 24 March 2012

Track of the day - Mozart's Sister

Nice bit of electro pop from Mozart's Sister:



Apparently one to watch, after a great performance at SXSW.

Free download of three tracks here

Little Dragon at The Forum

Back in Feb I went to see Little Dragon at The Forum.

This review is embarrassingly late and won't be a full one but this is no reflection of the band's performance by any means!

Little Dragon exceeded expectations with an amazingly energetic and flawless performance, heavier than anticipated with the percussion adding another dimension to it. The beats reminded me of the drum-off every year at the end of Soulwaxmas ie awesome.

Lead singer Yukimi Nagano is now on equal hero level with Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard.

I danced the night away and was knackered but very happy at the end. The venue was very good too.

Looking ahead, Little Dragon are playing the Saturday at Lovebox so go buy your ticket NOW!

























A

Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Bit of Goss...

Gossip have just announced a one-off show at XOYO in May, could be well worth a purchase.

I have a bit of a soft spot for them after Beth Ditto was a brilliant performer and absolute legend at Lovebox last summer and their new single 'Perfect World' is sounding great.

Adam Tentsa - Pass it on app

Swedish rapper Adam Tentsa has released only one copy of his new single ‘Pass It On'- only one person at a time can listen to it through an app on his Facebook page.

As Springwise reports:

With just over 100 listens at the time of writing, the single is destined to be a slow burner. However, the unique experience the app offers the listener, and the increased press the approach will bring to Adam Tensta, could reap rewards of it’s own.

I think it's certainly an interesting idea but a bit too exclusive when you're making your break.

Monday, 12 March 2012

Video of the Day - The Shoes

The Shoes new video features Jake Gyllenhaal as a disturbed killing machine who chases his victims up fire escapes, into back alleys, and through strip clubs before he violently slays them.

Bit violent eek but Jake is wonderful as ever :)



Check out a biog of The Shoes here and more tracks on Spotify

Track of the Day - Poliça

Dreamy track by Polica featuring Mike Noyce of Bon Iver

Sunday, 11 March 2012

Make your own band

Just had a play with Incredibox, a funny little site which lets you create a band and put a tune together with a variety of melodies, beats and effects. A good Sunday timewaster.

My effort is here!

Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Dry The River - Listening Posters

Cool idea from Dry The River to launch their debut album "Shallow Bed"

Dry the River created a unique series of string art posters to allow fans to hear the album in full for the first time.

Twelve string art posters are placed around London, each one representing a track from the album and depicting an animal. At the end of the string, the band used old fashioned Tin Can telephones to allow passers-by to listen to a song.

The band created the posters in collaboration with FOAM in-house craft-technologist Sophie Yeoman. This film shows the posters being put together and hung around London's streets.

Sophie hand built each poster and fitted them with an Arduino / Wave Shield combo wired through the string to a speaker concealed in the bottom of a tin-can.

Each poster took around 20 hours to complete.




The Shoreditch crowd look to be loving it!

Tuesday, 28 February 2012

Festival Watch

There are two festivals that have caught my eye over the last few days:

The Great Escape in Brighton and Melt Festival in Berlin.

The Great Escape announced a bunch of new acts today, most excitingly Lianna La Havas, Alabama Shakes and Natty. From the new lot, I would also be keen to check out Willy Mason, Duologue, Mystery Jets and Chew Lips, then from the full list there are some interesting prospects including, AlunaGeorge, Deaf Club, Friends, Jamie N Commons, Perfume Genius, Toy, When Saints Go Machine and Alt-J.

They've created a very cool interactive line up where you can watch videos from all the acts here.

Melt is a completely different kettle of fish, with more dance orientated acts including Justice, Richie Hawtin, Caribou, Gossip, The Bloody Beetroots and then a few more chilled ones like M83 and The Whitest Boy Alive.

There's the option to sleep in a train on bunk beds with 5 of your pals and the trailer looks a bit mental, but in an exciting way.



Let me know if you've been to either and any other recommendations.

Sunday, 26 February 2012

Track of the Day - Elliphant

More awesomeness form Sweden, check out this track by Elliphant, 'In The Jungle'



One to watch for shizzle.

Tennis at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen

The Monday before last I went to see Tennis at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen.

The night started well with a tasty if overpriced meal at Cay Tre on Old Street. We even tried a suspicious jasmine flower dish, a risky yet rewarding move, and felt suitably fed and ready for the gig +2.

We popped around the corner to the venue and were fairly prompt so managed to get a seat along the side which was pleasing +3. It was a Monday night after all and Mondays are not the new Tuesdays.

The support act Filthy Boy came on stage and were a very pleasant surprise +4 and not very dirty at all -1. We were impolite and didn't get up from our seats but this was laziness rather than lack of enjoyment. They are playing at Cargo tomorrow night with Zulu Winter and Oberhofer so you should go check 'em out.

Filthy Boy left and after a while Tennis came on stage. They were very pleasant and also easy on the eye, especially the drummer +5, but I didn't like the lead singer's dress and the guitarist/keyboards guy looked a bit like Francis off Made in Chelsea -1. There was also quite a hot guy next to us in the crowd, so I tried to decide if he was with his girlfriend or not. They didn't seem to be talking much so it probably was -2. Anyway, Tennis are luckier in love, with two of the married members +1.75.

The band ran through a good mix of tracks, from newly released album Young and Old and their previous album Cape Dory +3. Marathon was a predictable highlight +2.5.

It was getting very hot in the venue -6 and an annoying tall girl with a dodgy ponytail arrived in front of me taking loads of videos -5 so it was a bit of relief to be honest when the band exited the stage and came back for a totally surprise encore (nah was really obvious!).

They asked the crowd what track they wanted (nice move), and "Long Boat Pass" was chosen +4. It was a good end to the show and I left with the song stuck in my head.

Overall the whole show was most agreeable, especially the good looking drummer and I do like the venue but it just got too hot. Also some of the songs do sound the same.

B

Saturday, 25 February 2012

New Band of the Day: Lo-Fi-Fnk

Today I happily came across Swedish band Lo-Fi-Fnk and the video for their new single Kissing Taste, which is out on Monday:

Lo-Fi-Fnk - "Kissing Taste" from stereogum on Vimeo.


Their album The Last Summer is well worth a listen too, nice electronicy upbeatness.

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Alabama Shakes at The Boston Arms

Tonight I went to see Alabama Shakes at The Boston Arms.

It was without a doubt the best gig I have seen for a long long time and is arguably going to be one of the gigs of the year, which is quite a statement considering it's only February!

Lead singer Brittany Howard is my new hero, with a voice unique and powerful, awe-inspiring stage presence and a sincerity that made your heart melt (wow that sounds cheesy but I loved her!)

"I Found You" and "Hold On" were predictably highlights, but some of the album tracks are sounding really exciting and their cover of "20th Century Boy" went down a treat.

Although we were somehow front/second row behind superfan dancing guy and photogaphers, my photos are a bit fuzzy (dam iphone) but managed to get a couple of vids too. They aren't full songs as I wanted to rock out but I hope you enjoy.

On the way out we saw Jarvis Cocker, I'm not sure if it's a good sign but he looked like he had a great time too!

In summary, the whole thing was EPIC! 

A






Sunday, 19 February 2012

Remix of the Day - Summer Camp

If you're looking for cool tune to bop to in a relaxed manner, then I've found it!

St. Etienne have remixed Summer Camp's track 'Losing My Mind' and it makes singer Elizabeth Sankey's vocal sound more hipster than and sombre than the original.

Check it out here:



The track is released in a month's time exactly and you can catch them touring around the same time. I was lucky enough to see them perform a small, intimate acoustic set for Saint lager last year at The Sun & 13 Cantons and think you should go, defo.

Thursday, 16 February 2012

The Black Keys at Ally Pally

Last Friday I went to see The Black Keys at Ally Pally.

We arrived in good spirits after a beer and a prosecco +4 and hoped to be in time to see some of Band of Skull's set. Unfortunately we only saw two songs -5 but at least I knew them both and they were great +5.

After a manic mission to the loos -6 and food purchase of cold cheeseburger (not even melted cheese) for £6.50 -11 it was time to return to the auditorium for The Black Keys.

We tactically made our way to the far side and walked towards the front. We thought we had a decent position until the band came on stage and we realised we couldn't really see a thing -8. It got worse when a lame couple in front of us started smooching -5.

They opened with tracks from Brothers , including Howlin' For You, before moving onto El Camino's "Dead and Gone" and current single and my latest addiction "Gold on the Ceiling". The band were brilliant performers from what we could hear +12 and vaguely see (on tip toes) -7.

The crowd seemed to be really enjoying it too, with one fellow behind us screaming "Yazer" at regular intervals. We overheard that it's "a bastardised version of yay" - I'm sure it will catch on.

The Black Keys have a LOT of good songs and they made sure they represented most of their albums, much to the delight of the hardcore fans +4. However, the crowd was quite a random mix, with quite a few oldies and also idiots shouting "Woof Woof" -3.

They reached the end (apart from the mandatory encore) and played Lonely Boy of course which was faaaantastic. Nate was dancing like a crazy fool! +11

As they came back for the encore, the crowd started to thin, which was surprising considering they played Everlasting Light and had some snazzy lights. It was good news for us though, especially as we could see a bit more! +9

The night came to a close and we headed for the train, which we missed by 10 seconds and the following train was delayed, by which point hundreds of people had descended upon the station -14. I won't bore you with the gory details of the torrid journey home but to sum up, the venue and its location let this gig down badly. Lame food, lame toilets, lame transport -19.

The Black Keys rocked but the venue sucked.

A- for The Black Keys, D for Ally Pally

New Band of the Day: Savages

Just came across this live performance from Savages - pretty raw and powerful, I like what I see.



For more info, check out this interview on The Quietus

If I wasn't already seeing Alabama Shakes next Thursday I would totally check 'em out at the Queen of Hoxton.

Howler at The Lexington

Last Monday I went to see Howler at The Lexington.

The night started off well with some Kill Your Darlings ale at The Exmouth Arms +1.5 however soon went downhill with some cold fish pie at the usually delightful pub The Easton -3.

We strolled down the road and arrived at The Lexington amidst the Rough Trade pub quiz, so we went straight upstairs after receiving our wristbands to prove we were over 14 and could buy alcohol. My wristband was put on too tight and it hurt -2.

We grabbed a drink and watched support act Man Made. He was a bit creepy and had a scary tshirt of an eye which stared at us eek -4.

We took a seat +5 and waited for Howler to emerge. They came onto stage and after the first song decided to introduce us to their tour manager Wayne. "Wayyyyyyyne you're the worst tour manager ever!" they proclaimed before telling us about Wayne's sexual frustration and asking somebody to go down on him tonight because he was taking out his bad mood on them. "Just flick it, touch the end," they urged. It was a bit crude at such an early stage of the gig and they weren't very likeable -6

They played through the America Give Up album and every song was performed pretty well, particularly Beach Sluts, Told You Once and the highlight, Back of Your Neck +7.

However, the on stage antics were perhaps more memorable than the songs. The lead singer didn't endear himself by telling us he had the sleeps and might puke, before spitting beer at the drummer -9.

The band saved "Back of your Neck" until the end and it is a corker of a tune. It's just a shame that the band are twats.

C

Thursday, 9 February 2012

The Black Keys - Pre-gig excitement

Fired up to see The Black Keys at Ally Pally especially after seeing their new video for "Gold on the Ceiling"



Also really liking the tour posters that the band commissioned from arty people like illustrators, tattoo artists and graphic artists. These are two of my faves:


























Click here to view more.

Monday, 6 February 2012

Video of the Day: Ok Go

Impressive new video from Ok Go for Needing/Getting.

OK Go set up over 1000 instruments over two miles of desert outside Los Angeles. A Chevy Sonic was outfitted with retractable pneumatic arms designed to play the instruments, and the band recorded this version of Needing/Getting, singing as they played the instrument array with the car. The video took 4 months of preparation and 4 days of shooting and recording.

Monday, 30 January 2012

Citizens! at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

The Thursday before last I went to see Citizens! at the Hoxton Square bar & kitchen.

The night started well with yummy cocktails at Happiness Forgets "Great cocktails, no wallies" and a low GI burrito at the kitchen +7

We arrived at the gig room and grabbed a Modelo +3 before moving towards the front area. Citizens arrived on stage and got started.

This is quite rare but I think I enjoyed the whole gig, there were only 1 or 2 songs that were a bit 'meh' but the lead singer had great charisma and presence to pull it off and the band seemed happy to be there +7.

They waited until towards the end to play True Romance (which has a brilliant video btw), the only song most of the audience would have heard, but nobody seemed bored, which was a good sign! +5 They even had some super fans who were doing crazy dancing at the front +12.

Shame the headline act Laurel Collective weren't so great (random n rubbish) and we decided to leave, bye bye -6

Citizens! are playing a few gigs more gigs so go check 'em out, full list here

Overall, twas a well good gig and left me wanting more. Shame there wasn't more.

A-

The Return of D'Angelo

I've been reading recently that D'Angelo is making a comeback and this cover of Bowie's "Space Oddity" from his gig in Paris is hopefully a sign of good things.



In case you don't remember D'Angelo (or want a quick reminder) here's the "breathtaking" video for Untitled (how does it feel)

Wednesday, 18 January 2012

New Santigold Track

First off, I'd like to say that I'm a massive Santigold fan and have been waiting aaaaaaaaages for her new material, but unfortunately new track "Big Mouth" is not an instant hit with me.

Maybe it's the bizarre video that's putting me off a bit?



Anyway Santi, I hope it's a grower and not a shower.

You can download the track for free here

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Track of the Day - Lion

Really loving this track from Eugene Mcguinness, it's quite addictive.

If I was to update my track on This is My Jam right now, I would pick this!

The video's quite fun too.

Tuesday fun with Lionel

Lionel Ritchie's classic track Hello in movie clips:

Hello from ant1mat3rie on Vimeo.

Monday, 16 January 2012

Video of the Day: Two Against One

Bit late to this one but liking this track and video by Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi featuing Jack White.



Will be checking out the rest of the album tomorrow here

15 TV Theme Songs in 2 minutes

Great vid by Koren Ensemble - how many can you get?

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Remix

You gotta love a bit of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, with Will Smith when he was cool, the legendary Carlton Banks and Uncle Phil.

Pogo, who you may have seen remix Pixar's 'Up' in the past, has put together this tribute which isn't quite as good as the theme tune, but still pretty dam good!

Check it out here:

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

Clipart Covers

Discovered a site which reinterprets classic album covers as Clipart - they make me smile!

Here are my faves:




























via Ben again, what a great source

Monday, 9 January 2012

When I was born...

I just found out this BEAUTIFUL track by Reo was number 1 when I was born!



Visit this site to find out yours!

Via Ben, Via Drownedinsound

Sunday, 1 January 2012

Video of the Day - DJ Shadow

Nice chilled tune from DJ Shadow featuring Little Dragon - 'Scale it back'

Amusingly bizarre and entertaining video



Check out his latest album 'The Less You Know, The Better' which also includes collaborations with Tali Kweli and one of my fave artists of 2011, Tom Vek.