Indie rock clássico. Confiram!

Faixas do álbum:

1. Sake

2. Trains to Brazil

3. Made-Up Lovesong #43

4. Over The Stairs

5. Who Left The Lights Off, Baby?

6. Cats Eyes

7. Go Away

8. My Chosen One

LINK – From The Cliffs

Parece com? Doves, Mystery Jets.

Vídeo com a música Trains to Brazil.

Enjoy o/

The time-honored tradition of the All Things Go Mixtape has returned, albeit in a new form. Instead of its themed predecessors, the new ATG mixtape will be released each month and will stay somewhat within a general motif or mood, but will not be constrained by a specific theme.

We kick the new monthly mixtape series off with the November mixtape, which features a cozy combo of memorable bands and warm, fuzzy newcomers. We start off with Little Red, a band I keep thinking I’ve posted about, but really never got around to it. “It’s Alright” sounds like it was birthed out of the early sixties pure, unadulterated soulful pop era. Next up is “Lust For Life” by new indie darlings, Girls, followed by The Dodos “Walking”, which is one of the band’s more perfectly crafted melodies. Justin Vernon delivers the fourth track, “Island, IS” with his new side project, Volcano Choir (which I discussed here). TV on the Radio’s “Crying” clocks in at number five, and was a song that I completely let slip through the cracks until very recently, and the same goes for all of Dear Science,. What a mistake that was.

The second half of the mixtape gets a bit more interesting, starting with Wave Machines’ bouncy “I Go I Go I Go” followed by quite possibly my favorite song on the mixtape, Faded Paper Figures’ “Logos”. I don’t know much about the group (other than that they sound quite a bit like Fujiya & Miyagi, Postal Service, and heaven), but I love what I’ve heard thus far. The National’s “Guest Room” is an absolute classic, and finds its way onto the mixtape as the eighth track. The last two tracks, “Half in Love with Elizabeth (Delorean Remix)” and “Two Weeks (Fred Falke Remix)” are a bit more synth-driven than the rest, but I wanted to share with you two of my favorite remixes in the whole wide internetz. As usual, you can grab the mix as a .zip or download each song individually.

.ZIP: All Things Go November Mixtape [mediafire]

MP3: 01: Little Red  – “It’s Alright”
MP3: 02: Girls – “Lust for Life”
MP3: 03: The Dodos – “Walking”
MP3: 04: Volcano Choir – “Island, IS”
MP3: 05: TV on the Radio – “Crying”
MP3: 06: Wave Machines – “I Go I Go I Go”
MP3: 07: Faded Paper Figures – “Logos”
MP3: 08: The National – “Guest Room”
MP3: 09: Mystery Jets – “Half in Love with Elizabeth (Delorean Remix)”
MP3: 10: Fred Falke – “Two Weeks (Fred Falke Remix)”

The All Things Go mixtape has returned.

Love,
Zack

Banda bastante conhecida e reconhecida na Inglaterra, aqui quase ninguém conhece, mas deveriam!

Faixas do álbum:

1. Hey Scenesters!

2. I’m Alright Me

3. Martell

4. Mirror Kissers

5. We Can No Longer Cheat You

6. It Was Only Love

7. The New Fellas

8. Hello? Oh…

9. The Wrong Way To Be

10. Haunted

11. Things Aren’t Gonna Change

LINK – The New Fellas

Parece com? Mystery Jets, The Fratellis.

Clipe da música Hey Scenesters!

Enjoy o/

A while ago my brother made me listen to some cover song that he promised I would “love” since I was a fan of the original. Yeah, he was wrong.

Covers are tricky business, aren’t they? Bands either cover songs for fun or as a joke (i.e. most of the Live Lounge session tracks) or they seriously commit and take it very seriously. The latter is when things get risky because when the final product sucks there’s really no excuse.

So in the spirit of Halloween and pretending to be someone or something you’re not, here are some cover songs that I personally love and you might enjoy, maybe. I tried to show some self-restraint and only post ten songs. It was tough, there’s probably going to be a part 2:

Florence and the Machine – “Postcards From Italy” (Beirut)
I think it’s impossible for me to talk about Florence and the Machine without mentioning this song. She’s no stranger to covers (from “Girl with One Eye” by Ludes to Lightspeed Champion’s “Galaxy of the Lost Florences” to “Flakes” by Mystery Jets), but her voice is perfectly suited for this song and it absolutely shines. Girl’s got some crazy chords.

Jamie T – “A New England” (Billy Bragg)
Billy Bragg is Billy fucking Bragg, I know. “A New England” is one of his most recognized songs, I know. But Jamie T manages to deliver it beautifully. But maybe I’m just biased since I’ve seen him perform it live and it sends chills down your spine, seriously.

Kid Harpoon – “Keep The Car Running” (Arcade Fire)
I think it’s safe to say that one of Kid Harpoon’s most beloved songs by fans is his version of Leonard Cohen’s “First We Take Manhattan”. Sweet baby jesus, it’s good. But as you can see, it’s not the song I chose to share. Mr. Harpoon (Mr. Hull, if you want to be legit) is kind of a genius in the art of cover songs. So much so, that last year he took requests straight from his fans and recorded five pretty unique covers. Why did he do all this? Because he’s awesome, that’s why. They were all good (search ‘kid harpoon covers week’ on YouTube and listen for yourself), but his take on Arcade Fire’s “Keep the Car Running” is hands down my favorite because he managed to take that other-worldly, majestic sound that’s signature to Arcade Fire, strip it down to nothing but an acoustic guitar IN HIS SHOWER, and somehow keep that beautiful majestic feeling. So great.

Jeremy Warmsley – “Non, Rien de Rien” (Edith Piaf)
Jeremy Warmsley is also very good at choosing just the right songs to cover, therefore making it difficult to narrow down to just one choice. Here he is singing in French with only a xylophone as accompaniment. Did I mention he’s singing in French? Because he is singing in French.

Mystery Jets – “Pioneers” (Bloc Party)
GENERAL RULE OF THUMB: Always be weary of being covered by Mystery Jets because the chances of their version outshining your original is 99.9%. It’s just kind of a fact. Choosing one song was near impossible, but I can’t even find words to describe what I feel when I listen to this song so I knew it was the one that needed sharing. I’ve never been a fan of Bloc Party. It’s not like I hate them, their music just never made me feel anything. While I understand that it might be unfair, maybe even ridiculously biased, to say Mystery Jets’ version is superior to the original because both bands have very different musical styles, I think it’s safe to say one version definitely tugs at your heartstrings in a way the other just can’t. (For comparison purposes, Bloc Party “Pioneers”)

The Maccabees – “Boom Boom Pow” (Black Eyed Peas)
The Black Eyed Peas really hit a new level on the ‘WTF is this shit?’ scale with “Boom Boom Pow.” They truly outdid themselves and proved to us all that yes they could produce something more annoying and idiotic than “My Humps”. Luckily, The Maccabees have a sense of humor and had some fun with the song on Jo Whiley’s Live Lounge. My favorite part of listening to “Boom Boom Pow” is hearing Orlando trying to hold back laughs as he sings lines like “I’m so 3008 you’re so 2000 and late, I got that boom boom boom.” Good times.

The Holloways – “The Sweet Escape” (Gwen Stefani)
This is another Live Lounge gem. As most people know, I love No Doubt. And yeah, I totally love Gwen Stefani. But while I was all over her first solo album, I had to draw the line at solo album #2 after I heard her first single and saw her album cover and almost vomitted. I can proudly sing along to all of Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and thanks to this cover by The Holloways I can sing along to “The Sweet Escape”. Hell, most of the time I forget it’s even a Gwen Stefani song.

Franz Ferdinand – “All My Friends” (LCD Soundsystem)
I was very close to choosing Franz Ferdinand’s cover of Stefani’s “What You Waiting For?” but figured maybe that was too much Stefani and one too many Live Lounge performances, so instead here you have an LCD Soundsystem cover. I love this song because while it remains true to the original, they’ve injected that beautiful Franz Ferdinand quality that just makes you want to get up and dance. Alex Kapranos’ voice doesn’t hurt either. Mmyeah.

The Spinto Band – “Shortnin’ Bread” (Paul Chaplain and a ton of other people)
Oh, Spinto Band. What to choose, what to choose? From ELO to Seal to The Motors, these boys know how to do a damn good cover. It was a toughie, but this is a good one simply for the fact the choice to perform this song during a radio show seems so random yet the song is incredibly recognizable AND it features handclaps. You know I’m a sucker for handclaps. BONUS: Oh Mandy (Throw Some D’s breakdown) – Deep down, this is what I really wanted to share but I don’t think it technically constitutes a “cover” since 99.9999% of the song is a Spinto Band original and only 20 seconds are devoted to a Rich Boy/gangsta breakdown. BUT BUT BUT it is one of the greatest things ever. Seriously, after you’ve heard it this way + seen it live, there’s no going back to the original. Then again, maybe that’s just me. Really, this isn’t even my favorite version but it is the best sound quality version I own, so listen to it!!

Whirlwind Heat – “Another One Bites the Dust” (Queen)
I love Whirlwind Heat. Seriously, I LOVE Whirlwind Heat. You should too if you know what’s up. This cover is fun, a little bit crazy, and a whole lot of hot. Swanson’s vocals are spaztic as ever. Listen for the breathing, people. Gene pool style.

the latest Six Mix…

MP3: IAMX – Kiss And Swallow

MP3: Mystery Jets – Half In Love With Elizabeth

MP3: At The Drive In – Pattern Against User

MP3: The Kills – Fried My Little Brains

MP3: Andrew Weatherall – Liar With WIngs

VIDEO: Frank Turner – I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous

S.I.T Wolf X

THE REMIXES – PART 6 - THE SHOES

So busy are this French double act that we weren’t sure if it was actually possible to complete a comprehensive catalogue of their remixes! There’s millions out there! OK, so perhaps not quite that many, but this is the biggest Remix Special that we’ve ever done, following our previous editions covering The Golden Filter, The Twelves, Bloc Party, DiscoTech and Soulwax.

We think The Shoes are head and shoulders above most when it comes to blending up other people’s tunes. They add a distinctive, but always brilliant, pounding four beat. The kind of beat that dance music was born for. The kind of beat that moves your legs for you. They add their perfect pace, together with a few chopped up synths, but like all the best remixers they respectfully maintain a lot of the orignal track and vocals.

JUST A BAND – WE ARE (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
MARINA & THE DIAMONDS – I AM NOT A ROBOT (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
ESSER – WORK IT OUT (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
33Hz – I FEEL ALIVE (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
THE GOLDEN SILVERS – ARROWS OF EROS (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
TELEPATHE – CHROMES ON IT (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
PRIMARY 1 – HOLD ME DOWN (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
CANDY CLASH – JUST HER KISS (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
THE VIRGINS – TEEN LOVERS (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
THE CHEEK – SLOW KIDS (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
LATE OF THE PIER – FOCKER (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
LADYHAWKE – DUSK TILL DAWN (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
MYSTERY JETS – YOUNG LOVE (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi
GET CAPE WEAR CAPE FLY – WAITING FOR THE MONSTER TO DROWN (THE SHOES REMIX) ysi

OK, as always please dutifully comment about those remixes we missed. We know there’s a couple of remixes floating out there they’ve done for Wiley, Hadouken and something they did with Those Kids, but we have to sleep sometimes.
(MB)

London fidget house-dub step extrodinare, Foamo, will finally begin his Australia tour tomorrow night in Sydney and we thoroughly recommend that you don’t miss this guy. Foamo already made waves his last Australian tour over NYE, but he’s back again to rock clubs down under! In celebration, he’s created a mix for Australia that you can download below.

Foamo Mix For Australia

Tracklist:

1. Crookers – Put Your Hands On Me (Solo Remix)

2.  Fake Blood – Fix Your Accent

3. Brodinski & Noob – Peanut Club

4. Matt Cant & Scatterbish – Hornbo (Sticky k Remix)

5. DJ Gregory & Gregor Salto – Con Alegria (Solo More Cowbell Remix)

6. Bassnectar- Yo (Speakerjunk Remix)

7. Diplo & Laidback Luke – Hey! (Foamo Remix)

8. Major Lazer – Pon Di Floor (Faomo Edit)

9. Dub Pistols – I’m In Love (Foamo Remix)

10. Jack Beats – What (Foamo Remix)

11. Buraka Som Sistema feat. Kano – Skank (Foamo Remix)

12. Primary 1 & Riton – Who’s There (L-Vis 1990 Remix)

13. Future Prophecies – Dreadlock (Foamo Remix)

14. Lazy Rich – Funk Jet (Jay Robinson & Superbeatz Remix)

15. Jack Beats – UFO

16. Buraka Som Sistema – Lisboa Luanda

17. Hadouken – MAD (Detboi Remix)

18. Udachi & Jubilee – Smokerrings Edit

19. Count & Sinden – Mega

20. Caged Baby – Forced ( Foamo Remix)

21. Blake – What I Need (Knuckles Remix)

22. Foamo – Wardance (Disco Of War Remix)

23. Digital Manges – Manges (Sharkslayer Remix)

24. Man Like Me – London Town (Foamo Remix)

25. Calvin Harris – Ready For The Weekend (Fake Blood Remix)

26. La Roux – Bulletproof (Foamo Remix)

27. Tune Brothers – Girlfriend (Blaze Tripp Remix)

28. Miike Snow – Black & Blue (Jaymo and Andy George Remix)

29. Mr. Hudson – White Lies (Rusko Remix)

But he didn’t put on his best remix so I’ve got it here for you guys

Mystery Jets – Half In Love With Elizabeth (Foamo Remix)

Shows:

Oct 3rd @ Scattermish, Epsy, Melbourne

Oct 4th @ Sounds Like…, Soho, Sydney

Oct 6th @ RADIO, Sydney

Oct 8th @ George FM Radio, Auckland

Oct 8th @ Ink & Coherent, Auckland

Oct 9th @ Brand Spank’d, Empire, Brisbane

Oct 10 @ Cameo Disco, Garage, Adelaide

Oct 16th @ Ambar, Perth

De la musique de jeunes mais pas seulement…
… Et aussi parce qu’ils nous ont laissé un commentaire plutôt sympa…
Extraits :






…
Et…
Comme dit toujours un présentateur télé bien connu des bords de plages :
Bon vent !

A few years ago, before I stubbled upon Grizzly Bear, the idea that I would get goosebumps while listening to an indie track was pretty foreign. Indie bands then were either weird like the Flaming Lips, snappy like the Strokes or just generally nice like the Kings of Convenience, all with very little to empathise with.

Then came “Soluble in Air” by Mystery Jets;  the vocals  heavy with dread and desperation while the keyboards tread on a tiny string of faith. It brought out conflict and made me think about the difference between what made me happy and what kept me alive and the fine line that seperates an opportunity from a mystery. It felt very much like youth lost and discovered behind a dusty curtain. It was the track that conquered me and most of all, I have decided that it shall be the requiem to my doomed youth.

Well maybe not, but I’m rather wowed by the idea of doing so.

2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the most legendary British amp ever made: the Vox AC-30. Used by everyone from 60’s bands such as The Beatles and Rolling Stones, to acts such as Queen, U2 and new bands such as Oasis, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian, no other amp has put its mark on British rock music as the Vox AC-30 has.

Vox AC-30: the classic sound of British rock!

The Vox AC30 was created in 1958 as “big brother” for the fifteen watt AC15 model, Vox’s original flagship amplifier. An article from the current issue of Total Guitar magazine describes how Hank Marvin, the guitarist in Cliff Richard’s band The Shadows, asked Vox to create a louder amp, so his guitar could be heard above the deafening noise of Cliff’s screaming, pubescent audience. Thus was born the ultimate British valve amp, launched in 1959 to great acclaim. The AC30 is one of the most recorded guitar amplifiers in rock history, not surprising given its universally acclaimed warmth and three-dimensional tonal character. What is slightly surprising is that it seems to have lost none of popularity over the years, quite the reverse in fact.

With a number of modern enhancements including blendable channels, a true bypass FX loop, spring reverb and master volume, to name just a few, the new AC30 Custom Classic is an evolution of the original that is sure to become a classic in its own right.

Models Available:

	VOX AC30 CC1 (1x 12″ speaker) £759 VOX has taken the best AC30 designs and added a number of useful, very cool features to create the AC30CC1, the most tonally flexible and affordable AC30 to date!
	VOX AC30 CC2 (2x 12″ speakers) £799 The AC30 CC2 updates the legendary amp with new and improved features – a guitarist’s dream amp, no less!
	VOX AC30 CC2X Custom Classic (2x 12″ Celestion Blue Alnico speakers) £1299 The VOX AC30CC2X uses the same circuits as the original VOX AC30 with the Top Boost channel, preserving the authenticity and tone of the original’s circuit. Even the original components were copied when possible
	VOX AC30H2, Heritage Series (Hand-wired) £1399 Your search for the Holy Grail of VOX tone ends here. This amp transports you through the golden age of VOX tone, combining the prized EF86 preamp channel of 1958 with the 1963 Top Boost channel all in one amplifier, and the result is perhaps the finest VOX amplifier in the company’s 50 year history.

Prices still too dear for your budget? You can still get a classic Vox valve tone with the new, all-valve 5w amp Vox AC4 TV for only £169! Also available as a limited-edition Vox AC4 TV with 8″ speaker, only £159! ALSO AVAILABLE: Vox AC4 Head, only £195.

A bit of history:

When the Vox AC-30 was launched, it didn’t take long for it to become the amp of choice for British rock bands, used by everyone from The Beatles (both George and John had AC-30s) to the Rolling Stones – and most other British Invasion bands who followed. Keith Richards said: “The Vox AC-30 is the best all-round British amp of all time, without a doubt.”

The Beatles and their AC-30 amps…

The Rolling Stones (left) and Jeff Beck in the Yardbirds: defining sixties rock with AC-30s…

The AC-30 is an amp suited for most styles of music: Jeff Beck(in The Yardbirds) helped to invent garage and psych-rock with the help of a fuzz pedal and a Vox AC-30; Marc Bolan recorded some of the most enduring Glam Rock songs with it; Rory Gallagher helped to define 70’s Blues Rock with an AC-30; Brian May used AC30s (lots of them!) in Queen; Paul Weller kick-started a mod revival with his punk band The Jam and trusty Vox AC-30s, and The Edge of stadium rockers U2  still swears by his old AC-30.

Brian May and lots of AC30s…

Marc Bolan of T-Rex (left) and U2. The AC30 was essential to their sound

Metal-heads be warned! The Vox AC-30 is not the ideal choice for crunchy, hi-gain tones. But, even so, Kirk Hammet of metal gods Metallica also fell in love with the sound of a Vox AC-30 and used it in the studio for the Load and Reload albums. He said: “I was also impressed with the Vox AC30, I didn’t really know how good that was before.”

Today, despite the popularity of many great amps (by Fender, Marshall, Orange or Hiwatt, for instance) it’s still the Vox AC-30 that is used, live or in the studio, by many of the biggest new British rock acts, crowning the Vox AC-30 as the classic Bristish rock’n'roll amp – as popular now as ever, having helped to shape the sound of some of the finest rock songs of the past 50 years!

Since the 90’s, the Vox AC-30 has been as essential to the new generation of British bands as it was in the 60’s. Bands who use/ have used AC-30 amps include Britpop legends such as Oasis, Suede, The Verve and Radiohead.

All three Radiohead guitarists use AC30s

Noel Gallagher of Oasis (left) and Bernard Butler of Suede

In the 2000’s, after a few years of the UK music scene being dominated by US-acts like the Strokes and White Stripes, The Libertines started a British rock revival with Vox AC-30s and became the most influential new English band of the decade. Since then, acts who have used AC-30s include Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Razorlight,  The Kooks, Babyshambles, Mystery Jets and many, many others…

And on the other side of the Atlantic, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters is perhaps the most famous Vox AC-30 user. He told Total Guitar: “We used an AC30 on pretty much everything. You can go clean, dirty, bright or fat.”

The Libertines, with Vox AC30s

Arctic Monkeys (left) and Kasabian, also using the trustworthy Vox AC30

The Vox AC-30 saga continues, and there’s no question it’ll help to define rock for many years to come. The question is – have you discovered how amazing this amp is yet? If not, check the models we have in stock and step into rock’n'roll history!

Quinteto de Londres que faz um indie rock de qualidade.

Faixas do álbum:

1. Overture

2. You Can’t Fool Me Dennis

3. Purple Prose

4. Soluble in Air

5. The Boy Who Ran Away

6. Summertime Den

7. Horse Drawn Cart

8. Zoo Time

9. Little Bag of Hair

10. Diamonds in the Dark

11. Alas Agnes

12. Making Dens

LINK – Making Dens

Parece com? Cajun Dance Party, We Are Scientists.

Clipe da música Diamonds in the Dark.

Enjoy o/

Banda americana de Indie Rock, uma das promessas da cena indie.

Faixas do álbum:

1. Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt

2. This Scene Is Dead

3. Inaction

4. Can’t Lose

5. Callbacks

6. Cash Cow

7. It’s a Hit

8. The Great Escape

9. Textbook

10. Lousy Reputation

11. Worth the Wait

12. What’s the Word

LINK -  With Love and Squalor

Parece com? Maximo Park, Mystery Jets.

Clipe da música It’s a Hit.

Enjoy o/

Sans aucun contexte, ce troisième opus de ces jeunes britanniques est l’album de la maturité. De part son nom, 21 nous ouvre les portes de la majorité de ce groupe, lachés seul cette fois ci sans la présence de Henry Harrison, malgré sa participation lors du processus.

Des sirènes retentissent, ce n’est que le début  amorcé par le Hideway, l’album est inscrit dans une volonté d’un retour aux années 80: utilisation de batterie digitale, synthétiseurs en folie et chœurs aiguës et dynamiques. Les paroles sont recherchées et délicieuses que le sujet porte sur les premiers amours dans Young Love “Is that you on the bus? / Is that you on the train? / You wrote your number on my hand /And it came off in the rain“  ou la peur de vieillir  dans Umbrellahead “When you come of age it’s not the same  /No umbrella over your head when it rains /And your friends would rather get high than play a game“.

De plus, nos petits londoniers nous auront fait découvrir la talentueuse Laura Marling que l’on retrouve en duo sur Young Love.

Tracks:  Two Doors Down – Young Love – Flakes – Umbrellahead – Half in love with Elizabeth

Free press passes for The Underage festival 2009 you say?

As we forced our way through the smallest gap in the fence and raced towards the festival grounds, along with children of the Indie, dance and grime scenes, I wasn’t all that sure what to expect; after all, an underage festival probably did what it said on the tin, right? But keeping a very open mind can often be advantageous.
We were bang on time and the music had started blaring already. Fuz and I were on a high!

We took out the camera and got to messing around with angles before we finally got our press passes and rolled into the hang-out for such important people as ourselves…

I was itching to grab interviews with the big names in Indie and alternative music and I was ready to be treated like press royalty, ha! It would seem that the life of a journalist isn’t too rosy but it’s one heck of a way to spend a Sunday!

After blagging a free lunch and soaking up the atmosphere, we got to interviewing the ‘Lykz’ of Lady Lykz, and Master Shortie; felt the sweetness of Marina from Marina and the Diamonds and checked our ‘headz, shoulderz, kneez and toez’ with the KIG family. Although not a self-proclaimed fan of the grime scene myself, I enjoyed jumping around to JME in between catching clips of the day.

Although being ‘Number One’ had obviously gone straight to his little head, Tinchy Stryder let nobody down with his set, which climaxed with ‘Never Leave You’. Too bad he was almost three hours for his interview with us, ey?!

To be honest, madness was evidently the order of the day back-stage. We were lucky enough to grab a quick chat with the cooler than ice Mystery Jets and the stunning Jameela Jamil from T4, but it seemed the dressing rooms were a more interesting place to chill for our festival artists. Although we took the mission in our stride, it was slightly daunting interviewing a band whose album I danced to in my bedroom on a regular basis and a presenter who looked like she’d just stepped out of the front cover of Vogue!

After being pushed, yelled at and nabbing a few freebies here and there, we were knackered before the day was over but as that old saying goes about there being no rest for the wicked (and wicked, well cheeky, we were at the very least) we manoeuvred our way to the front row of the day’s ‘Magic’ headlining act, the incredible Ladyhawke. Although it was pretty disappointing not to be able to get an interview before it was time for us to get in the ‘Back of the Van’ (get it?) and leave Victoria Park, it can’t be denied that her quirky, dreamy sounds left me in a great mood.
So…final verdict? Great fun but bloody knackering!

I definitely think that it’s total genius to have a festival for underagers to rave it up in a safe and buzzy environment. Well done to Sam Kilcoyne, the brains behind the whole thing in the first place. To be fair, I had the same idea; he just got there first, ha!

Siana Bangura- Over and out.

This lovely songstress, of whom I’ve blogged before, still continues to amaze me   Not only has she had a successful solo career [performing on Later with Jools Holland, nominated for a Mercury Prize, appearing on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show], but she has also collaborated with several other artists and it seems like I’m finding a new one every day now xD  Most notably, she has worked with Noah and the Whale [her former band], Mumford and Son’s frontman Marcus Mumford, Johnny Flynn and the Mystery Jets.  I’ve found a couple other collaborations, so here’s a list of all the one’s I’ve found so far:

Noah and the Whale – Peaceful the World Lays Me Down (album)

The 4Qs (Charlie Fink & Laura Marling) – “Pieces of a Puzzle“

Mystery Jets (ft. Laura Marling) – “Young Love“

Jeffrey Lewis and Laura Marling – “Brain Damage“

The Rakes – “Suspicious Eyes” [sorry, this is the only not-live version on Youtube]

Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling – “Travel Light“

In addition, Marcus Mumford from Mumford and Sons often performs with her, playing drums, mandolin or lending his voice.  And just as a random note, I am in love with this song – I learned how to play it the other day but I have yet to tab it out.

Ciao,
Hannah.

“I travel light,
and that’s the life for me.”

another great dj who’s coming to stradbally next week (next week!) is duke dumont. he’s been making big noise for a few years now, with two epic releases on great labels (the regality ep on turbo and the dominion dubs ep on dubsided), as well as melting the collective consciousness of the blogosphere with simply mind-blowing remixes. lily allen, bat for lashes, late of the pier and mystery jets have all been transformed at his hands, and his work has made that of many a dj that much easier (the latter even made if onto james lavelle’s recent global underground mix, a seal of approval it hardly needed yet thoroughly deserves). he’s no one trick pony either. as a dj he’s pretty darned impressive too. case in point is this live mix from fabric, which surfaced on bodytonic last year.

BodytonicLive 05 : Duke Dumont

cross training! back at potrero. god i hate that pool, but really, what choice do i have?

25 min stationary bike on random, level 15. wasnt able to get a bike with pedal straps, but still managed to sweat profusely.
60 laps in 30 min: 250m free, 250m free / back, 250m free (stroke drills), 7 x 100m IM variation (fr, bk, br, fly, br, bk, fr), 50m cool down free.

felt great getting back in the water: Mystery Jets – Half in Love with Elizabeth (Delorean remix)

When The Streets and Dananananakroyd pulled out of Friday’s Summer Sundae line-up, the organisers of the Leicester festival must’ve been quaking in their wellies praying it wouldn’t rain on the parade.

They needn’t have worried – the sun still shined on the Sundae and melted many a music fan’s heart.

We were all pre-warned of Dananananakroyd’s none-appearance and once it was announced that Mike Skinner & co were also deleted from the main stage list, there was simply an echoing sigh and a collective shrug of the shoulder. No bottles hurtled through the air at the poor slumped-shouldered announcer as he stood on the pedestal of disappointment.

In fact everyone seemed quite contented to hear that Idlewild would be moved to pole position, with Beardyman replacing their tea-time slot. And it is this acceptance which in part illustrates why Summer Sundae is such a feel good festival. Spanning a small area across De Montfort Hall and part of Victoria Park, big named bands are simply an added bonus to the event. Festival goers are not forced to make many decisions between clashes of must-see acts, so this means people spend a huge chunk of their time lounging around in the sun, often staying at the main stage all day with a Mojito and an organic burger. As it is built on a smaller scale, you don’t have to walk miles to get to each end of the site and this means you find yourself wandering to alternative stages to check out other bands, only to be magnetically pulled back to the main stage within a two minute walk.

On Friday, it was Filthy Dukes who stole the show with their mid-evening indoor stage set. Although the gig begin with a small crowd, by the end the venue was packed full of dancing revellers who had gravitated to the room after glimpsing the party within. Highlights were In Rhythm and Messages, but the Dukes’ set was riddled with tracks to dance to and their enthusiasm and love for what they do got the sea of hands raised to the ceiling.

Filthy Dukes @ Friday's Indoor Stage

Headliners, Idlewild, showed why they always should have been placed further up the bill to begin with, reeling off sing along tracks from 100 Broken Windows to the present, but there is still nothing like hearing, When I Argue I See Shapes, played at maximum volume with maximum heart as the Scottish rockers always do.

Idlewild headline Friday's Main Stage

Earlier, Oi Va Voi had taken to the main stage violins akimbo, with a brand of Jewish and Eastern European inspired pop which was a great backdrop, although not to everyone’s tastes.

London beatboxer, Beardyman, used loops to cleverly mix in his sounds and created a DJ set which induced many of the crowd to a gentle bop. And although the formula ever so slightly tired towards the end of his slot, his best moments were when he broke into freestyle beatbox rap, mainly because people were able to actually see and hear for themselves the range and perfection of sounds he could make with his mouth.

Dan Black graced the indoor stage, drawing an ample crowd of people curious to hear whether after all the hype, his album, Um, really did stand up to the test. And whilst he entertained, it became clear that his two most well known tunes, the Rhianna Umbrella-sampled Symphonies and Wonder were the true gems of the bunch.

The re-hashed line up meant Mystery Jets were thankfully back on the personal bill after previously written off due to clashes. However, as on previous performances, though their tunes have a happy sing along quality, little about their set draws enough excitement for the band to be memorable.

And so to Saturday, where the Main Stage line up boasted Saint Etienne, The Charlatans and Bombay Bicycle Club and The Rising Stage offered heavier choices including Frank Turner and Future of the Left, whose latest album, Travels With Myself And Another, has gained much critical acclaim. Meanwhile, the Indoor Stage occupiers included Mr Hudson and Chipmunk.

During the day there was also time to check out the kids area in the gardens, where a huge mattress had been put up for pillow fighting, a library for storytelling and a huge 3 metre high scarecrow amongst other attractions. Other attention grabbers included the Comedy, Phrased and Confused and Cinema Tents.

It was the Main Stage though which held much of the gaze. Nottingham band Minaars, were a great mid-afternoon inclusion, with a catchy brand of indie saturated with Foals-style guitars and beats.

Then followed The Joy Formidable, a band hotly tipped for next year who have already racked up top notch support tours this autumn with Editors and Passion Pit. The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade and Cradle amongst others from EP, A Balloon Called Moaning, hit the mark perfectly and the goose bump-inducing wall of sound they produced did not go unnoticed by an ever-gathering crowd.

Throughout the afternoon and early evening Bombay Bicycle Club proved their status as one of the most promising bands of 2009 and amidst the humid heady haze at the Rising Stage, James Yuill’s folktronica collected a new music-hungry crowd. The dancing feet and smiling faces said it all, as the unassuming artist performed what can only be described as Jose Gonzalez meets Justice – a highlight of the day.

James Yuill @ the Rising Stage on Saturday afternoon

Perhaps the best accidental surprise of the weekend was Saint Etienne. The band were stumbled upon on a walk back to base camp and kept everyone mesmerised by their hit-filled list of indie dance-pop tunes. They were the perfect sunset band and delighted young and old, as well as the twenty and thirty somethings who were sailing on memories of club nights peppered with the band’s hit like the Neil Young cover of Only Love Can Break Your Heart.

As Saturday drew to a fitting close with former Britpop kids, The Charlatans, the main stage packed itself out and Tim Burgess did just what he does best – simple, Oasis and Stone Roses-tinged indie with sing along choruses.

The Charlatans close Saturday @ the Main Stage

The first two days of Summer Sundae left me on the kind of relaxed high which is rarely experienced with its larger counterparts. There were no aching feet, nor were there any feelings of exhaustion. In fact, the feel good factor of this carefully balanced family friendly yet hip festival had thoroughly won me over.

The organisers do an amazing job at Summer Sundae, cleverly weaving in classic names, buss artists, local bands to champion and music across the genres – all of whom are happy to play this boutique festival on the strength of its reputation.

My only gripe was that I wished I had opted for a weekend ticket.

You would be hard pressed to find a song more blissful than “Seasun”, the first single by Barcelona-based Delorean, who just recently released their debut, Ayrton Senna EP. The sunkissed melody is, pardon the cliche, perfect for a Summer night drive or as an excuse to stay awake to watch the sun rise at six in the morning. “Seasun” strikes all the right chords, and hits you with bass and vocals at just the right time, while all the while staying rather uncomplicated. Be sure to grab “Seasun” below and grab yourself a copy of the EP, which is packed with similarly-themed jams. Also, make sure you check out their flawless remix of Mystery Jets’ underrated “Half in Love with Elizabeth”, which I’ve been pumping solidly for a year or two now, and fits the same mold as “Seasun” in terms of accessibility and lushness.

MP3: Delorean – “Seasun”
MP3: Mystery Jets – “Half in Love with Elizabeth (Delorean Remix)”

Love,
Zack

Je regarde parfois derrière moi. Si je dois en retenir quelque chose des deux dernières années, c’est que l’electro aura animé ce laps de temps, et que c’est terminée pour moi.

Je ne sais pas encore si c’est le vide musical que ce mouvement semble vivre en ce moment (avis personnel), ou la nuit parisienne qui souffre (voir comments de l’interview de Jean Nippon sur Brain Mag). Quoi qu’il en soit, ça me fait plus bander.

Mais il m’arrive encore d’écouter de bons sons, classiques ou pas. J’en ai en tête, ça tombe bien j’ai du temps pour faire un post ici.

Tiens mon jeune.

Klaxons – Gravity’s Rainbow (Van She Remix)

LCD Soundsystem – Get Innocuous (Soulwax Remix)

Joakim – Drumtrax

Cut Copy – Light & Music (Moulinex Remix)

The Teenagers – Love No (Tepr Remix)

South Rakkas Crew – Mad Again (Jokers of the Scene Remix)

Mystery Jets – Elizabeth (Joe & Will Ask? Remix)

C’est tout. Tu crois vraiment que j’allais tout balancer immédiatement ?

2009 brings about the third Field Day Festival in Victoria Park. Previous years have seen the likes of Les Savy Fav, Battles, Bat for Lashes, Foals and Simian Mobile Disco. This years line-up was more diverse than ever including the likes of Mogwai, Santigold, Final Fantasy, Skream and The Horrors lighting up the main stage and smaller dance acts and folk bands compromising the 4 additional tents.

We arrive in time to catch Fanfarlo on the main stage. The crowd is large but mostly sat about soaking up one of the only dry spells of the whole day. As for the band, well their Arcade Fire-lite songs manage to ease us into the Field Day experience and while many of the songs are quite unmemorable they sure get us all in a feel good mood.

The crowed increased significantly for Errors running behind schedule on the main stage. The glasweigan math-rockers got everyone moving and tracks like Salut, France and Pump were met with rapturous applause.

By now the weather had played havoc with stage times all over the site and meant we managed to miss Aeroplane but were instead greeted by Fake Blood who’s club hits worked up the crowd. The often start-stop pace of his set mirrored the hit and miss treatment of his back catalogue but the big remixes and club tracks like Blood Splashing and Mars were more than enough to gain him some new followers. We catch a short amount of The Horrors set on our way to the main stage and I cant say I was impressed. Sheena was a Parasite proves a highlight for the fans but ultimately the band look lost and out of their depth much like their second album and in a fantastical metaphorical turn, their whole career.

In a complete switch of pace it was over to the main stage for Fennesz where the dream like soundscapes clashed with the multiple thumping basslines of the tents. As if battling with this wasnt enough he also had to contend with the continued stage setting for Santigold. However the overall grandeur of it all overcame these small nuances and gave way to the best performance of the day, one that was often met with confusion and bewilderment from the audience. But those who did look further found some of the highlight moments from Endless Summer executed perfectly and more hypnotic than ever. Absolutely breathtaking.

The heavens opened shortly after Fennesz and the mainstage crowd soon dispersed to the multiple tents. Many (ourselves included) sought refuge in the BuggedOut! tent where Erol Alkan was doing his thing and working the crowd into uncontrolable party fits. Unlike Fake Blood and the many others before him, Erol knows exactly when to hit the banger switch and does it consistently and with devastating effect. Essentially a flawless DJ set from a flawless DJ.

The rain cleared and we took a trip back to the main stage where Santigold had managed to prize back many of her fans. Although being a large skeptic there was something undeniably fun about Santi’s set. Big anthems that seem just at home here along with more danceabilty than 90% of the actual dance acts on the bill here and some often fun and tongue in cheek banter make Santigolds performance a very unexpected highlight.

Four Tet brings a slightly more sedate dance vibe to the AIBF tent albeit one that makes everything else look juvenile by comparison. A Joy sounds incredible played live and the on stage dancers do a lot to draw attention away from Kieran Hebdens visually boring knob-twiddling. The set slows down considerably towards the end and the many calls for staff to turn it up go unheard still I think the majority of fans were more than happy with this set.

Finally we snub the almighty brilliance of Mogwai (for reasons including rain, seen before and missing half of it due to timing issues) and head back to the AIBF tent to watch the return of Eel Pie Islands very own Mystery Jets. Acting like somewhat of a greatest hits set the band manage to throw out classics like Two Doors Down, Young Love and “golden oldie” Diamonds in the Dark without breaking a sweat. The mass singalongs contine all the way through the set hindered only by the inclusion of 2 brand new tracks from the jets upcoming third album. The sound gives them a few problems but overall they deal with it fantastically and present us with the most outright fun event all day (including the fair ground rides, of course)

FIELD DAY +’s and -’s

+ Fantastic lineup incorporating folk, rock, dance and pop. Just the right amount of stages and good set times with little to no clashing.

+ Good layout with all amenities in easy to reach places and stages with good volume levels and views.

+ Village Metality. All the extra fun of a fete like fairground rides, brass bands, tombolas and tug of wars. Very fun indeed.

- Weather. Although not something that could be helped by organisers the weather unfortunatley put a dampener (see what I did there!) on some of the main stage sets.

- Police presence. Far too many for a relatively small and sedate affair. I mean, surely they have better things to do than arresting arty folks for small bags of weed hidden in socks?

- Drinks. Drink prices were pretty criminal but more importantly the lack of water fountains/free water and the high price of bottled water are huge oversights that should be addressed for next year.

Overall: A great festival that managed to provide some fantastic performances despite weather issues.

I spent saturday at Field Day in Victoria Park. It was wet and muddy and I got caught out by wearing vans with no socks on. It was also filled to the brim with shoreditch’s finest totty which, albeit a bit pretentious, more than made up for my watery pain.

Me and my mates decided it would be a great idea to be thrifty (cheap) and pre-drink outside. In our heads, we were sticking two fingers up to the festival bars and their £3.70 a can madness.

Our mate MJ was obviously a lot more gutsy.

We’re in! Smiles all round.

Here we are with our bar bought cans. Guess our rebellious stand was no match for the allure of lukewarm pear cider. Goodbye £3.70. Hello Mr Drunk.

Santigold’s set was delayed by 30 minutes. Those 30 minutes also happened to coincide with a torrential downpour of hollywood blockbuster proportions. We were not best pleased. We were even waiting so long that a bit of facial hair action started going on. Burt Reynolds has nothin on us.

She came on eventually and the crowd were pretty hype. The whole apology routine went down and although she did the usual crowd pleasers and a cover of The Cure’s ‘Killing an arab‘, her set didn’t feel worth the soggy jeans and wet feet. Might’ve been because her backup singers were made to be moody as fuck and expressionless the whole way through. But I’m probably just bitter that the delay’s with her set meant that Skream’s set was cut to a miniscule 15 minutes as a consequence.

The rain cleared up considerably after Santigold’s set (typical) and it revealed this magnificent sunset. Spirits were lifted – we’re easily pleased.

Mystery Jets were the surprise number 1 set of the day. They got the set list spot on, launching into ‘Hideaway’ complete with the sirens to build up hype and following it up with compulsory singalongs ‘Half in Love With Elizabeth‘ and ‘Two Doors Down‘. Another added bonus was finding the cheeky bevvy that we managed to smuggle in using all our wit and charm. Needless to say, we had a ball!

This is a photo I took walking home at 6:30am the next morning. We all ended back at my mates flat to afterparty which consisted of watching Charlie Sheen’s finest hour in ‘The Wraith’ and Samuel L Jackson being a straight up gee in ‘Jackie Brown‘. Wild.