Gigseen Blog

Album Review: Band Of Skulls

2012-02-22T13:32:00.003Z

sweet sour (electric blues recordings/ pias)

Having first come across Band Of Skulls at the 2010 student festival, Beach Break, where they performed tracks from their 2009 debut album, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, the band have now progressed onto playing in front of huge audiences on their headline international tour.

Slip-streaming the current resurgence in the 1970's heavy blues-rock style and playing on the success of the likes of The Black Keys and The Kills, the Southampton trio are definitely on the right path. However, their new album, Sweet Sour, provides few surprises, playing firmly on the side of caution throughout.

The title track, Sweet Sour opens with a bang; a pounding bass drum instantly followed by some Sabbath-esque guitar hammer-on's - a great first impression of the classic Rock influences and riff-heavy tracks to come. The contrast between distorted, guitar-driven choruses and the quieter, musically minimal verses is one of the album's fortes. The alternating dynamics and arrangements allow the female/male harmonising vocals of Marsden and Richardson to really shine through; a musical feature, which without, would expose a distinctly average quality to the album.

The record hints at the likes of Jack White and his days in The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, particularly with the first single from the album, The Devil Takes Care Of His Own; a deliciously authentic Southern execution from the UK South-Coasters. The second single, Bruises is a more melodic, tender affair with some gentle guitar plucking, and as expected, they dive into the chorus with full-blown guitar riffs and percussion.

Their grizzly sound is proficient and tight with slick production, perfect vocals in unison and catchy hooks, however I feel that the record falls down slightly with regards to the lyrics. Although the duetting vocals are a refreshing lift to the sludgy groove and glorious riffage, the actual lyricism can get lost behind this wall of sound. However, when this vocal focus is centred (in the ballad Pink Floyd style tracks like Lay My Head Down and Hometowns) the urge for something more begins to creep in.

For me, the album has two stand-out tracks; You're Not Pretty But You Got It Goin' On and Wunderluster. The former featuring an a high-octane, fast paced, energetic riff-explosion introduction with darker, more sinister chords. It's unbelievably catchy and will no doubt satisfy even the stuffiest of Rock critics. There's also a great, Zeppelin-esque solo thrown in there too. Wanderluster has a more 90's edge to it with a vintage,jangly guitar intro repeated throughout the song. The lyrics and arrangement are simple, with delicate Prog-Rock embellishments and an unusual 7/8 time signature. Aside from the quirky timings, the track doesn't delve any deeper into the wondrous world of Prog.

Sweet Sour is a great album, if a little safe. There are many opportunities in which certain tracks could have been developed further, fully embracing their subtle hints of past musical eras and genres. Band of Skulls, although extremely accomplished at the music they produce, could perhaps benefit with tweaking their standard blues-rock formula in order to veer off the road of predictability. However, if you want a classic, riff-fuelled record, and that alone, then this will tick all the boxes.

You can listen to a stream of the album, below:

The Beatles Reveal ... Ringtones!

2012-02-22T13:00:00.002Z

For more than a decade The Beatles have held out against allowing the creation of ringtones from their music. Now however, 27 of their top singles have been licensed for purchase as annoying, truncated mobile phone alerts.

The Beatles' 2000 compilation album 1, has been converted in its entirety into 30-second iTunes ringtones, the band announced this week. The set includes classics from Love Me Do to Paperback Writer, and includes Yellow Submarine, Hey Jude and The Ballad of John and Yoko.

The move to ringtones would otherwise not be newsworthy except for the Beatles' extreme reluctance to sell their songs as digital tracks. It wasn't until 2010 that their albums' sale on iTunes was finally approved. Within the following week, they sold more than 450,000 full-lengths and 2m digital tracks.

While the ringtone market is not quite as talked-about as it once was, the industry is still worth almost $2.2bn (£1.45bn). Additionally, most mobiles (and many of their users) are now sophisticated enough to use home-made ringtones, not just those that are purchased from carriers. Long before the Beatles began offering official ringtones, fans who had their songs could convert them for iPhone use. And a Google search for "Beatles ringtones" brings up plenty of free, unofficial options, too.

2m Sales of Adele's '21' Since Grammys

2012-02-22T13:00:00.001Z

Adele's Grammy (and Brits) performances have helped her album 21 surpass 2 million sales mark in the US.

Now in its 21st non-consecutive week at No.1 on The Billboard Top 200 Album Chart (appropriately), 21 is the longest running No.1 LP by a woman in Billboard’s 55-year history. The album has been certified 7x Platinum in the US and has sold over 18 million copies worldwide.

21 has additionally spawned over 16 million singles sold in the US alone, including 7x Platinum certified Rolling in the Deep, 4x Platinum certified Someone Like You, 2x Platinum certified Set Fire to the Rain and Gold certified Rumour Has It.

Reportedly yesterday, the album had sold an astonishing 730,000 copies. In the US market, 'platinum' equates to one million sales.

New Single From Kasabian: 'Narcotic Farm II'

2012-02-22T13:00:00.000Z

Kasabian have posted a demo for a new song online – The track, entitled Narcotic Farm No.II, follows the 44 second long track Table Tennis Boom Box released last month.

Kasabian recently admitted that they think the music charts are dominated by 'pop acts', insisting there is a 'drought' of rock'n'roll' bands around. In an interview with Contact Music, the band said that they think the charts are 'overrun by pop' and that Kasabian are one of the only UK acts taking a risk with songs. Frontman Tom Meighan said:

"There's a rock 'n' roll drought at the moment, so I'm glad we're here. People are frightened of making records that sound good on the radio."

Guitarist Sergio Pizzorno added:

"We've been overrun by pop and I hate that indie attitude. Life's too short to give a f*ck."

Album Review: Perfume Genius

2012-02-22T12:27:00.002Z

put your back n 2 it (matador records)

Perfume Genius is the pseudonym for Seattle-based singer songwriter Mike Hadreas. He began composing music on the piano after moving from New York and by 2008, had set up a MySpace page to showcase his work. He was signed to Turnstile Records and released his debut full length album Learning in mid 2010.

Put Your Back N 2 It is a very sombre album. Let's not kid ourselves here - there is nothing jolly about any of these songs and I reckon that the text-spelling title is possibly the most light hearted it gets. I can't imagine that Mike Hadreas would be the life and soul of many parties. With song subjects ranging from overdosing to gay men with body issues, the music and lyrics are deep, intense and explicitly honest, with a truck-load of Hadreas' emotion exploding from every word sung in every song.

The production is very bare - exposing his haunting vocal lines, which I think is bang on. This music is predominantly about the lyrics, which is what contains the substance. Underneath lies elegant sounds, acoustic guitars, pianos, and strings. Take Normal Song for example, the music itself is very laid back consisting of just a guitar and a piano, neither of which are doing anything fancy, so the listener is directed towards the lyrics which are beautifully engaging. Distant percussion is used to great effect in Take Me Home, Normal Song and Floating Spit, which can only add to the already lugubrious mood of the music.

No Tear and 17 are very similar pieces of music, it took me a while before I realised I was listening to the next track. Both contain lyrics which cut deep, especially 17, which is about body issues, as Mike Hadreas explains:

"Almost every gay man I have met has body image issues. They are all tripping! I think it is an easy place for your brain to dump everything. A lot of times you have no idea why you feel so shitty, so you can pick at your face. I named it 17 because of teenagers, who are always tripping and killing themselves. It is basically a gay suicide letter, so...sorry about that."

My favourite song on the album is Hood. It is suggesting that if somebody knew the real you, then they would get up and walk away. Although the subject is again very sombre, the music is the only upbeat piece on the album. I do like a good beat and this is the only track with a sniff of drums kicking in. I must mention the video that accompanies this song was originally removed from YouTube due to its "mature sexual themes of an adult nature". Uh-oh... Rihanna seems to get away with that every week, but that's another blog post for another time...

So to the title track, which was written for Madreas' partner. This song carries a sweet sentiment in that it was sung by Madreas and his partner before he realised the song was about him. Everybody now... "Aaahhhh", isn't that lovely? No? Sick bucket? GET THE SICK BUCKET.

The album is bursting with honesty, honour and integrity. Madreas' minimalistic songs address complex issues that are close to his heart, and explore deep into his inner most emotion. Whilst I would not advise listening to the album whilst preparing for a big night out, there is definitely a time when listening will motivate, and stir up all sorts of feelings inside you - probably ones you never thought were there. I will be honest and say that, for me, the album is not a personal favourite and won't be going on the iPod, but one cannot ignore it's beauty, honesty and serenity.

8/10.

Album Review: Just Like Honey

2012-02-22T11:45:00.000Z

Just Like Honey is a compilation album released in early February via Bandcamp by photographer/podcaster Bertrand Bosrédon, which brings together 11 bands covering the classic 1985 Jesus and Mary Chain track of that name. All profits are to be donated to Breast Cancer Care.

So, aside from the admirably obvious incentive of supporting a worthwhile cause, why no earth would anyone buy an LP with 11 versions of the same song? Firstly - it's a brilliant song. The J&MC's fourth single, third from the seminal Psychocandy, Just Like Honey is in essence so wonderfully simple that it's a perfect choice for either relaying in the spirit of the original, or alternatively, for making something completely new.

Just Like Honey by charity cover compilation

The covers on this compilation definitely live up to the challenge:

Laki Mera - A completely stripped down version, even more lo-fi than the original.
Oh Minnows - Dreampop / Shoegazey interpretation with icy electronics and swirling guitars.
Keep Shelly in Athens - Reverb-laden minimalism with glorious vocals.
We Are Enfant Terrible - J&MC covered by disco robots (and an android Annie Lennox)?
Kidcity - Darkish Indietronica nestled comfortably in distortion and beats.
The Spruce Campbells - A nice fat mainstreamish rock version.
Glisk - Bleepy bleepy, warble warble, pleasantly restrained swooshyness.
Wanda and Wonder - Ambient feel, smooth bass, a different take on the vocals
Shark? - Highlight. A mechanical Bobby Gillepsie pounding behind delightful fuzz.
Pursesnatchers - Quirky, in a bored sounding kind of way.
Seapony - Cowboy Junkies-esque alt-country stylings that remain fairly close to the original.

All in all, there's admittedly a 'samey' theme running through here, but perhaps not as much as expected as each band generally does a pretty accomplished job of marking their own stamp on the song. And at £8 for a good cause, there's not much room to complain too much.

It remains only to do the decent thing and include the original track from 1985, not that I'm inferring it's head and shoulders above any attempt at cover versions (big fan here), but just as a basis for comparison. It still remains a near-perfect pop track after all these years:

For more information on Mr. Bosrédon's indie podcasts (well worth a few listens) and his photography, head on over to check out http://justlikehoney.co.uk/

Upcoming Bob Marley Documentary Trailer

2012-02-22T11:00:00.003Z

Marley: The Life, Music and Legacy of Bob Marley, directed by Kevin MacDonald will make its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this month followed by its North American premiere at SXSW. Prior to this, a short trailer has been released:

Bob Marley's universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. Marley is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best.

From Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) comes the story of a towering figure of musical history, whose music and message has transcended different cultures, languages and creeds to resonate around the world today as powerfully as when he was alive.

Following its premiere at SXSW, Magnolia Pictures will release the movie theatrically and on VOD on Friday, April 20th.

The Brit Awards 2012 - Results

2012-02-22T11:00:00.002Z

Last night saw the 2012 Brit Awards ceremony held at London's O2 Arena, and perhaps it is no surprise that both Adele and Ed Sheeran left the building happy, after having very successful years recognised.

Adele added to her award collection by nabbing two Brits, including British Female Solo Artist and the night's big prize, Mastercard British Album of the Year, for 21. And on Wednesday, the U.K. singer will celebrate the one-year anniversary of her chart-topping 21.

Ed Sheeran also came away with two awards, for British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act - no mean feat.

There were live performances from Florence and the Machine, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Rihanna and, of course, Adele, who sang Rolling in the Deep just a little over a week since her Grammy performance.

Closing the night were Blur who having recieved the Outstanding Contribution to Music award, 17 years on from their first Brit, went on to perform Girls & Boys, Song 2 and Parklife (with Phil Daniels of course). Time ran short for this however and Adele found herself rather rudely cut off - an incident for which the Brits/ITV have apologised.

Brit Award 2012 Winners:

British Female Solo Artist - Adele
International Male Solo Artist - Bruno Mars
Critic's Choice Award - Emeli Sande
British Single - One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
International Female Solo Artist - Rihanna
British Male Solo Artist - Ed Sheeran
British Group - Coldplay
International Group - Foo Fighters
British Breakthrough Act - Ed Sheeran
International Breakthrough Act - Lana Del Rey
Outstanding Contribution To Music - Blur
Mastercard British Album Of The Year - Adele - 21

Brian May: We Won't Disappoint At Sonisphere

2012-02-22T11:00:00.001Z

Queen guitarist, Brian May, has assured fans that Adam Lambert will not disappointment as the band's new frontman.

It was announced yesterday (Feb 21st) that the singer would be joining May and Roger Taylor at the band's headline slot at this year's Sonisphere Festival. Interviewed last night at The Brit Awards, May said "Adam Lambert is a phenomenal singer and the sound is amazing at Sonisphere".

"We hope to reach the greatness of Freddie's last gig there. It's a challenge but then again that's life''.

However, the band's decision has provoked huge controversy and mixed reactions from fans over the social networking sites, Twitter and Facebook. One fan wrote on Queen's Facebook page, saying:

"Everything would be better for freddie and the fans happier if they just don't call their resurrection as QUEEN. what's wrong with their own well-known names for the band (like Jimmy Page and Robert Plant)?!"

Rufus Wainwright Reveals New Album Teaser

2012-02-22T11:00:00.000Z

Rufus Wainwright has revealed an album teaser of his forthcoming release, produced by Mark Ronson.

Wainright is often described as one of the finest songwriters of our generation, and on the 23rd of April, he'll be releasing his seventh studio album, Out Of The Game. The Canadian singer has described his latest effort as the "most pop album" he's ever made.

His collaboration with Mark Ronson was somewhat unexpected in the music world, but with Ronson's previous work with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Adele, ODB, Kaiser Chiefs and Sean Paul, it'll definitely be an exciting pairing.

In the following video, the two describe the specific 70's style they were aiming for:

The first single, and title track, is set for release on the 16th of April via Decca/Polydor has described the track as being inspired by the YouTube obsessed youth of today:

“For the first two verses I'm complaining, but in the third verse, it's tinged with envy as well. I'd like to be that age again and that silly, that excited about idiotic things. So I'm not being insensitive, just tired.”

The album also features guest performances by Nick Zinner, Nels Cline, Martha Wainwright, Sean Lennon, and many more.

On The Radar 21/02/12

2012-02-21T13:03:00.000Z

Four new tracks comprising this week's 'Staff Picks' from the Gigseen TV office ... New music featuring from Wildlife Control, Trailer Trash Tracys, Van Susans and The Jezabels.

Wildlife Control - Analog or Digital (selected by Neil) - Analog or Digital is the first single from Wildlife Control's upcoming record. It’s actually a series of photos. 3,060 of them (digital 4tw!). "We took a photo every few seconds from sunrise to sunset—about 12 hours straight."

Trailer Trash Tracys - Wish You Were Red (selected by Grim) - Sound familiar? Seen a Renault commercial on TV recently? Listened to The Who's Baba O'Riley lately? Fan of The Jesus and Mary Chain? Blatant plagiarism aside, a cracking tune. Debut album Ester is out now.

Van Susans - Bones (selected by Matt) - The Van Susans are a 6 pice pop/rock band from South London. The track Bones is taken from their debut EP We Could Be Scenery, released last year. Once you stop humming Skinny Love by Birdy over the intro, it's a great track! Keep an eye out for their next single which will be available from March.

The Jezabels - Endless Summer (selected by Kate) - The Jezabels are an Indie quartet hailing from Sydney, Australia. Their music is a beautifully powerful blend of spectacular hooks, swelling melodies and dynamic arrangements. Within the female vocals, there are subtle influences of greats like Kate Bush and the more ethereal gospel entities of Florence Welch/Florence And The Machine. If you like the sound of that, then catch them on tour in the UK now, right through until March, when they head over to Europe.

Endless Summer is taken from their latest LP, Prisoner, released back in September.

Live Review: Skrillex

2012-02-21T11:48:00.000Z

When it comes to Dubstep, there’s always a certain amount of politics attached. Is it half-time Drum & Bass that originated in South London? Or is it Garage with a two-step beat from the US? Whichever way you look at it, there's no questioning the impact it’s having on the Dance scene at the moment...

It's changing the way we dance and, particularly in Skrillex's case, experimenting with the boundaries of musical genres (Metal) - something that has so often been tried, yet failed. But Skrillex seems to be doing a damn good job, his work acknowledged by the three Grammy Awards he received just last week, including Best Dance/Electronic Album.

My opportunity to see Skrillex finally arose, and what better venue than Brixton Academy! Running out of the office late, I found myself waiting on the corner of Stockwell Road for my mates with a can of Red Stripe in hand, arriving just in time to get hyped up by Zane Lowe's supporting set. He played an awesome blend of Dubstep, Breaks, Hip-hop and Metal; most memorably the surprising Dance remix of Rage Against The Machine's Township Rebellion.

The moment Skrillex burst onto the stage, I knew Instantly that we were in for a treat just by the mind-blowing visuals. The DJ Booth acted as a screen for some of the visuals to be projected on to, similar to DJ Shadow’s Shadowsphere (but not quite as good in my opinion). Skrillex kicked off his set with a remix of The Doors. A rather peculiar choice, but well executed. Track after track, Skrillex built the crowd up to extreme anticipation before letting each track drop, emphasising the classic dirty Dubstep bass lines, making the crowd go crazy. His track, First of the Year was a particularly good example of the energy and excitement of his set.

Every so often amazing pyrotechnic displays would set off flames and fireworks, and along with darting lasers, the visuals maintained a high intensity throughout the gig. My only concern with Dance acts, however, is that with so much focus and stimulation on these visuals, I found it hard to establish what was live and what Skrillex had pre-arranged on his Ableton software.

Listen to Skrillex's collaboration with metal band, Korn, below:

With an ever changing tempo (classic Dubstep to a House 4/4 beat, then to Drum & Bass or a Break Beat) and alternating nods to various genres, Skrillex kept the crowd bouncing and guessing with a playful and effortless streak. He put on an incredible show! If you get a chance to see him at a Festival or on Tour this year, then don’t miss out!

Warning: Extreme Flash Imagery! - The first part of Skrillex's set.

Ok Go: "YouTube Not Profitable For Bands"

2012-02-21T11:00:00.000Z

Ok Go have said that making money from YouTube is not a business model for bands.

The band's manager, Jamie Kitman, has apparently said that trying to make revenue from the video site was like "finding change in the street".

Despite receiving widespread praise and acclaim for their creative and original music videos over the years, including their 2010 promo for White Knuckles which featured the band and a collection of well-trained dogs, which racked up a whopping one million YouTube views in the first 24 hours of being online, Kitman insists that it's not a viable way for musicians to earn a living.

"I can speak to an artist who gets a lot of traffic, which is OK Go, and I would say that 'trickle' is the operative word, in terms of revenue we receive from places like YouTube and VEVO. The YouTube revenue is so small based on how many streams we've done that I would say it's not a business model, it's like finding change on the street."

Kitman also said that developing relationships with major advertisers wasn't a viable option for "developing bands" who didn't already have 175 million downloads. He suggested that musicians weren't receiving the financial benefit of some streaming services.

Watch their latest video forNeeding/Getting, below:

Live Review: New Found Glory / The Blackout

2012-02-21T10:49:00.005Z

Camden Roundhouse, London. Friday 17th Feb.

First off, I must admit that seeing New Found Glory at the Camden Roundhouse, London on Friday was not my initial intention.Along with, I suspect, many attending the Kerrang Tour last week, I bought my ticket with the desire to see pop/punk legends Sum41 strut their stuff, some six years after they became one of my teenaged go-to bands.

I can’t have been alone then, in feeling that the news of Sum41 withdrawal from their co-headline tour was a massive disappointment. Frontman Derek Whibley continues to suffer from back problems, and so there was no option but to pull out. The band, now in their third decade of performing, were the sole reason I had bought my ticket back in October.

However as one friend pointed out to me, live music is better than no live music. Certainly a true statement, so with the disappointment pushed to the back of my mind, to Camden we went.

The two supporting bands While She Sleeps and Letlive both performed confident, if raw, sets before Sum41’s billed replacement Welsh post-hardcore act The Blackout came out to the mock-apologetic intro of Elton John's Sorry seems to be the hardest word. Frequent light-hearted references to the absent headline act did little to stir the older pop/punk fans into much of a response, but their second song, an excellent cover of Fatlip (Sum41 - All Killer No Filler, 2001) was certainly enough to lift the mood and quell my own resentments towards the band.

The rest of their set, surprisingly short for a co-headline act, was performed with energy and although not to my taste, they have certainly improved as a live act since I saw them supporting LostProphets five years ago.

New Found Glory’s set was one of experienced, consummate professionals. Despite knowing very little of their material, they were extremely likeable and easy to get behind as they played a mix of their old and recent pop/punk favourites. A cover of the Ramones’ Blitzkreig Bop was a personal highlight, and a direct tribute to Marky Ramone following his guesting appearance with the band at The Bamboozle 2011 festival. The cover of Kiss Me, originally by Six Pence None the Richer was an odd choice but worked really well as a punk rendition, whilst the Green Day classic, Basket Case, capped off an extremely fun evening.

It’s been fifteen years since NFG first started performing live together, and whilst the band themselves have long since grown-up from the teenage pop/punkers of Florida, they are still well accustomed to writing and performing for not only the new pop/punk generation, but the young teenage party animal inside everyone at the Camden Roundhouse. Cheesy ending? You bet.

Coming Up This Week

2012-02-20T11:44:00.002Z

The full run-down of what's happening in the world of upcoming live listings, new CD/DVD releases and the schedule for new additions to Gigseen's video portfolio, including our free-to-view 'Gig of the Week' - Which this week is ALL 10 GIGS!!.

- LIVE LISTINGS 20/02/12 to 26/02/12: (full details)
Look out for upcoming gigs across the UK from Kurt Vile, Kate Rusby, the incredible Joan Baez, Rammstein and many more.

- NEW RELEASES 20/02/12 to 26/02/12: (full details)
Simple Minds' box set X5, The Art Of The 12 Inch Volume 2 from ZTT, plus Lamchop's Mr. M.

- UPLOAD SCHEDULE 20/02/12 to 24/02/12:
Free Gig of the Week = ALL OF THEM!

monday 20th february:
Jeff Beck	Live At Ronnie Scott's
James Last	Gentleman of Music

tuesday 21st february:
The Shadows	Final Tour
The Ventures	Beloved Invaders

wednesday 22nd february:
David Sanborn	Live At Montreux 1984
The Ventures	Live In Japan 93

thursday 23rd february:
The Ventures	45th Anniversary
Return To Forever	Live At Montreux 2008

friday 24th february:
The Ventures	Wild Again 97
The Ventures	Live In Japan 90

Gigs This Week: They're All Free

2012-02-20T10:29:00.003Z

Today: Live At Ronnie Scotts [2007, 1h 40m]
~ watch now ~

This week is rather special.. all our new releases are free, all are instrumental, and all are therefore, our Gigs of the Week!

That’s 10 gigs for the price of none! Where else can you get that kind of value for money? We rock things off with Jeff Beck this morning, and have a smattering of James Last, The Shadows, and a whole bunch of The Ventures, throughout the week.

Today's free concert sees Jeff Beck performing a series of concerts at the renowned Ronnie Scott's club in London back in 2007. They became the must have ticket of the year with a packed audience every night of the famous and the fans.

This video features pieces recorded across the different nights and presents the best version of each track. Jeff is also joined by guests Joss Stone, Imogen Heap and Eric Clapton for some very special performances.

Cambridge Folk Festival 2012

2012-02-18T10:38:00.000Z

The Cambridge Folk Festival, Europe’s most acclaimed folk festival has revealed some of the first artists confirmed for 2012’s eclectic bill. 2012 is the 47th year of the event, this year held from 26th to 29th July at Cherry Hinton Hall.

Performances announced so far include a rare festival appearance by the original line-up of Irish folk royalty and multi-million album sellers Clannad (Sat), leading singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading (Sun), who has enjoyed success in pop, folk, blues, reggae and jazz genres; ever-popular Scottish icons The Proclaimers (Sat), guaranteed to bring the Festival to its feet; a rare Festival appearance by June Tabor & Oysterband (Fri), following their acclaimed 2011 collaboration Ragged Kingdom and recent multiple BBC Radio 2 Folk Award wins.

Internationally acclaimed Canadian singer and composer Loreena McKennitt, is set to play an intoxicating blend of Celtic and Middle Eastern sounds on Sunday; renowned singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg (Thur) celebrates Woody Guthrie’s 100th Birthday, which falls in mid July; and the first full public performance in 30 years by English folk legend Nic Jones (Sun), whose career was cut short by a car accident in 1982. Penguin Eggs by Nic Jones is widely recognised as one of the finest folk albums of all time.

More headline names including emerging and contemporary stars should be announced very soon.

Nik Kershaw - 'Human Racing' Deluxe Release

2012-02-17T11:44:00.000Z

This new 2CD Nik Kershaw package includes the original classic 1984 album Human Racing as it was in its entirety, and comes crammed full of exciting material including original B-sides, alternative mixes, extended versions and edits.

Universal Music Catalogue's new 'Re-presents' label takes well known and loved albums from decades gone and quite literally re-presents them in a fresh, new form. It’s a sure way to whet the appetites of seasoned fans and new discoverers to these classic records.

Human Racing was released in February 1984. The first of four albums recorded for MCA records, it achieved platinum sales and a nomination for 'Best Album' at the 1985 Brit Awards. The album's first single in the UK was I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, which initially peaked at #47 upon its first release.

Second single, Wouldn't It Be Good became Kershaw's first major hit, spending three weeks at the UK #4 spot and logging his longest chart run there. It is also the song Kershaw is best known for in the U.S., where he narrowly missed going Top 40, peaking at #46. Further hits from the album were Dancing Girls and the title track, but the album's first single would become a smash hit upon its second UK release later in the year.

This special 2CD edition, compiled by Nik himself, features the album, digitally re-mastered from the original 1/2” mix tapes and associated 12” mixes and B-sides. It includes a previously unreleased version of Bogart, a special brass mix of Shame on You and a live version of Cloak and Dagger recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon. None of the material on CD2 has ever before been available in a digital format and the booklet contains a brand new sleeve note written by Nik.

CD 1 Human Racing - The Album:

1. Dancing Girls
2. Wouldn't It Be Good
3. Drum Talk
4. Bogart
5. Gone To Pieces
6. Shame On You
7. Cloak And Dagger
8. Faces
9. I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
10. Human Racing

CD2 - The B-Sides and 12" Mixes:

1. Dancing Girls (extended 12" remix)
2. Bogart (extended 12" remix)
3. Monkey Business
4. Shame On You (additional brass mix)
5. Drum Talk (extended 12" remix)
6. Faces (extended 12" remix)
7. Dark Glasses
8. Wouldn't It Be Good (extended 12" remix)
9. Human Racing (extended 12" remix)
10. She Cries
11. I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - (extended 12" remix)
12. Cloak And Dagger (live at Hammersmith Odeon 1984)

The re-issued 2CD Human Racing is set for full release on 27th February and is now available for pre-order via Amazon, iTunes, hmv.com, play.com and Tesco.

Profile: Stealing Sheep

2012-02-16T12:30:00.000Z

A 3-Piece hailing from Liverpool, Stealing Sheep (Becky, Emily & Lucy) have been creating 'psychedelic folktronica' since their formation in 2010. Lo-Fi, DIY pop in the shape of harmony drenched old time vocals, hypnotic beats and sixties style drone synths.

With a number of tunes penned, Stealing Sheep set out touring around the UK, also taking time out to record some tracks in an abandoned school in Liverpool with first time producer Joe Wills, who inspired in them experimental recording techniques in unusual locations. Most of these now appear on Bandcamp. Feburary 2011 saw the release of the band's debut single/EP The Mountain Dogs on the Red Deer Club label, a short, quirky and catchy song that also saw a limited vinyl edition for Valentine's Day.

With the first single drawing in a good deal of attention for the band (coverage from BBC Radio 6, numerous sessions and a thumbs up from a certain Mr. Paul McCartney), Stealing Sheep made a 'midnight pit stop' at Abbey Road Studios to record second single, I Am The Rain, which has been recently accompanied by a really rather fantastic video directed by Jack Whiteley. Additionally, a number of songs have seen some inspired remix treatments, which feature on the band's website, Bandcamp and SoundCloud pages.

A slew of support slots (Emmy The Great, Summer Camp, Slow Club, tUnE-yArDs) and festival appearances have since opened up the band to a wide audience latterly, whilst over the winter Stealing Sheep have been recording their debut album, due for release in Spring 2012. Happily for the impatient, this has been preceded by the taster EP Noah & The Paper Moon on Heavenly Recordings which brings together six select tracks in one handy package, including both singles.

In terms of sound Stealing Sheep absolutely have their own idiosyncratic style, decidedly leftfield with a unique flair that really does make them something special. When today there is just so much new music to listen to (not a complaint by the way), it's a treat to hear something that is so much just 'itself' rather than fading into a background of a well-covered genre. If comparisons have to be made, then let the band's placings as support slots to the above-mentioned groups be a very general guide. Parallels also to Warpaint have been suggested, but beyond a very cursory listen, don't really stand up. Stealing Sheep have by far a more endearingly off-the-wall feel.

To really appreciate the band's material, it's certainly worthwhile to have a browse around their YouTube channel for some great live performances, including a capella versions and some short sessions.

Currently, Stealing Sheep are booked in to play alongside Field Music for the remainder of February (for south-easterners like myself, be warned though, the King's College SU London gig is now sold out as I discovered *grumble*), followed by more dates in April with See of Bees (including London and Brighton *un-grumbles*). When they come with in a 50-mile radius of yours truly - expect a live review up here too ... But I must learn to be patient. I'm told it's character-building ... Allegedly.

Live Dates:

FEB 18: GLASGOW @ STEREO
FEB 19: MANCHESTER @ DEAF INSTITUTE
FEB 20: LEEDS @ BRUDENELL
FEB 22: NOTTINGHAM @ BODEGA
FEB 23: BRISTOL @ THE FLEECE
FEB 24: LONDON @ KINGS COLLEGE

APRIL 10: OXFORD @ THE OLD BOOT FACTORY
APRIL 11: LEEDS @ COCKPIT
APRIL 12: GLASGOW @ KING TUTS
APRIL 13: BELFAST @ AUNTIE ANNIES
APRIL 14: DUBLIN @ ACADEMY 2
APRIL 16: MANCHESTER @ DEAF INSTITUTE
APRIL 17: BIRMINGHAM @ HARE & HOUND
APRIL 18: BRIGHTON @ THE HAUNT
APRIL 19: LONDON @ HOXTON BAR & GRILL

Album Review: Juan Zelada

2012-02-15T10:58:00.000Z

high ceilings and collarbones (decca)

During his early teens, Madrid native, Juan Zelada, spent a few years perfecting his English in a small town outside of Croydon. The flourishing singer/songwriter later returned to England after earning a music scholarship at the Liverpool Institute Of Performing Arts, where he met and studied with Paul McCartney .

The debut full-length album from Juan has already received high praise from the media and critics alike, not to mention his current single, The Blues Remain being selected for the iTunes Free Single Of The Week. Another great acknowledgement for the upcoming singer was to be A-Listed on Radio Two back in June, for his debut single Breakfast In Spitalfields, which was also the station's Record Of The Week for five weeks. An accomplishment not to be sniffed at in my opinion!

High Ceilings & Collarbones was entirely self-penned by Zelada and recorded at some of the most prestigious studios, including Metropolis, Abbey Road and Rockfield Studios in Wales. The record was co-produced by Matt Lawrence, the ex-chief engineer of Metropolis Studios (Ellie Goulding, James Morrison) and mixed by Danton Supple, best known for his work with Coldplay. The result of this collaboration is a slick and shiny production with tracks harking back to a childhood spent listening to his parents' record collection. Juan has cited being hugely influenced by "a lot of Americana music from the Sixties and Seventies", particularly the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Simon, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Billy Joel.

Some have found the act of pigeon-holing Juan a little difficult due to the singer's many musical guises. Names like Paolo Nutini, Ben Folds Five and Jamie Cullum have often been attributed to the singer, but I think these are some of Juan's biggest appeals - the familiarity, versatility and musical comfort that pours out of his songs. High Ceilings.. is essentially a pop record with delicious hints of Blues (Don't You Hold Me Down), Reggae (Barman) and Classic 70's Rock (Baby Be Mine). The track Don't You Hold Me Down is a brilliant, toe-tapping example of his passion for blues, and with piano comping, slides and glissando and a brass section thrown in, it has a Jools Holland good-time vibe about it. (Listen below to a live version)

The aching and longing, The Blues Remain hints at the soulful song-craft of Ray LaMontagne and Norah Jones with perfectly embellished Piano riffs, saxophone runs, drone-like organs and electric guitars tell the story of a gloom-filled, cloudy day with the hook, Ain't got no sunshine, ain't got no rain. Ain't got a worry in the world, but the blues remain. Whereas Breakfast In Spitalfields is a more uplifting, spritely affair with gentle electric guitar licks and a soulful vocal lying delicately on top.

But as well as the growing awareness of his image as an artist, Juan’s song writing ability has been in high demand which has led to co-writes with the likes of The Noisettes and Mumford And Sons collaborator, Josh Weller, new Duran Duran guitarist Dom Brown and pop writers Andy Murray and Lee Mac.

From listening to this album, it's clear that Juan is an extremely talented and versatile artist. However, I feel the album may take time to get under the public's skin. Give it some time, though, and combined with exhilarating live shows and a reputation for high-class song-writing, Juan could soon be the one everyone is talking about.

On The Radar 14/02/12

2012-02-14T12:44:00.002Z

Once more we line up the pick of incoming tunes this week that find themselves doing the rounds on the office gramophone... New music featuring from Ram's Pocket Radio, Disappears, Imperial Teen, Club Smith and VCMG.

Ram's Pocket Radio - Dieter Rams Has Got The Pocket Radios (selected by Kate) - Multitalented Peter McCauley is the brains behind indie/pop outfit, Rams Pocket Radio, responsible for vocals, guitar and piano on his track, Dieter Rams Has Got The Pocket Radio. His music lies along the vein of the arena bands such as Coldplay and Keane with the Northen Irish lad already having toured with the likes of Marina And The Diamonds and is set to embark on a European Tour with Snow Patrol from the end of February.

Disappears - Replicate (selected by Grim) - Disappears is a shoegaze / krautrock / garage rock band from Chicago formed in 2008. Formed by Brian Case (ex-90 Day Men) and Graeme Gibson, fleshed out with guitarist Jonathan Van Herik and bassist Damon Carruesco, Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth joined the band for their second LP in 2011. March 2012 will see the release of their third album - Pre Language.

Imperial Teen - Runaway (selected by Matt) - I discovered San Fransisco's Imperial Teen whilst browsing through the new releases on Spotify yesterday. Determined to listen to something I had never heard of, I gave it a shot. Runaway is a sugar coated, bubbly, colourful, deliciously catchy, power-pop anthem. I was immediately compelled to hum along and tap my foot, which is always a sure sign of approval. A great tune to warm up the day!

Club Smith - Beautiful & Useless (selected by Neil) - Club Smith are a four-piece band based in York and Leeds. Known for their energetic live performances they have toured venues across the UK as well as festivals and a one-off gig in Berlin in 2010. The band were one of the acts featured on the BBC’s 'Introducing' tent at the Reading and Leeds Festival in 2010 and have so far released two EPs in their current guise. Beautiful & Useless comes as the title track from their upcoming debut album.

VCMG - Single Blip (selected by Grim) - Second EP/single from VCMG; Depeche Mode's electro-pioneers Vince Clarke (Yazoo / Erasure) and Martin Gore back working together on some seriously thumping techno. Ssss – the debut album by VCMG – is out on March 13th 2012 and boasts ten tracks of the same Teutonic Motorik turn-ons. Written and produced by Clarke and Gore, the album was mixed by Timothy 'Q' Wiles and recorded and engineered by Sie Medway Smith and Clarke.

EP2 / Single Blip is set for release on 28th February.

Coming Up This Week

2012-02-13T12:41:00.000Z

- LIVE LISTINGS 13/02/12 to 19/02/12: (full details)
Look out for upcoming gigs across the UK from Skrillex, M83, guitar maestro Steve Hackett, the NME Awards and many more.

- NEW RELEASES 13/02/12 to 19/02/12: (full details)
Emeli Sandé debuts with Our Version of Events, Gotye's third LP Making Mirrors out today, plus a 3-disc box set with all this years Brit Awards nominees.

- UPLOAD SCHEDULE 13/02/12 to 17/02/12:
Gig of the Week = Korn : 'Live at Montreux 2004'

monday 13th february:
Korn	Live at Montreux 2004 (GotW)
Radio Soulwax	Part Of The Weekend Never Dies

tuesday 14th february:
The Frank And Walters	Whelans, Dublin
Giacomo Puccini	Tosca

wednesday 15th february:
Yes	Live At Montreux 1997
Snowy White	Introspective

thursday 16th february:
Black Label Society	Doom Troopin'
Dresden Dolls	Live At The Roundhouse

friday 17th february:
Procol Harum	Live At Union Chapel
Paul Weller	Live At Braehead

Live Review: Sonic Boom Six

2012-02-13T11:39:00.001Z

It’s been five years since I happened acrossSonic Boom Six. Ifirst saw them supporting a Less Than Jake gig in 2007 and wasimmediately impressed by their infectiously enthusiastic stage-presence andcatchy blends of ska, punk, dub and hip-hop.

An eclectic combination perhaps,but these guys know what they’re doing. Seeing them on Thursday at The Barfly in Camden didabsolutely nothing to distort my view of the energetic quintet fromManchester.

Touring to promote a forthcoming album andheadlining HMV’s Next Big Thing show, the band dedicatedtwo-thirds of their set to new material. Introducing new songs to a crowd who don’t know the words is never aneasy thing to do, but the band, fronted by Laila K andBarney Boom, take it all in their stride, confidentlyinteracting with the crowd to get them bouncing, skanking and wavingalong.

The set started with brand new opener LikeA Virus followed by The Road To Hell… and livelyrecent single release Kids of The Multiculture (the lattertwo available on iTunes). Aswith much of their material, Multiculture carries obviousbut playful socio-political messages, equally apparent on the band’s last albumrelease City ofThieves.

The Road To Hell Is Paved With GoodIntentions:

It was this album that really announced a newdirection for Sonic Boom Six following its release in 2009, blending theirunique mix of dub, hip-hop and anthemic punk/rock. Branching out from an already eclectic sound,the band brought out new and more experimental dub-infused tracks withBang Bang Bang Bang and the spoof-horror StrangeTransformations both of which translated seamlessly into the liveset.

Bang Bang BangBang:

The Boom are more than used to playing to the smallvenues. Since their conception in 2002they have fronted several tours in the UK and Europe, but are no strangers tothe big stage either. The troupe havepreviously toured with King Prawn, Catch22, Reel Big Fish, LeftoverCrack and the Suicide Machines, to name just asmall percentage of their brushes with the ska greats.

For a band in their tenth year and soon to bereleasing their fourth full-length album, it does seem surprising that the 200capacity Barfly is considered a viable venue for the largest city on thetour. It is clear though, that the bandare just doing what they love to do. Personally I would consider Sonic Boom Six to have surpassed the pointof headlining a ‘Next Big Thing’ show.

Ten years is a long time to have to wait for thatkind of marker however, (not that the Boom pay close attention to such labels)but I genuinely hope it serves them well. For those unfamiliar with theexcitingly diverse array of tracks, albums and genres in the Boom backcatalogue, there is certainly something to accommodate most non-mainstreamtastes and the forthcoming album, whenever it may appear, will hopefully beenough to fire them towards further well deserved recognition.

One thing is for sure, whether you give them a tryfollowing this review or have experienced some Boom tracks already, you’llnever feel the full force, energy or intent of this band until you see themlive.

Links:| Twitter | Facebook | YouTube |

Gig Of The Week: Korn

2012-02-13T10:39:00.001Z

Live At Montreux [2004, 1h 14m]
~ watch now ~

Korn came out of California in the early nineties and went on to become one of the most globally successful metal acts of their generation. They continue to play live to vast crowds and have record sales in the millions.

This concert from Montreux in 2004 is their only performance at the festival to date. It was to be one of the last shows to feature the band’s original line-up with guitarist Brian Welch leaving the group a few months later.

The normally reserved Montreux crowd is transformed by Korn into seething, rocking mass with the largest (& probably the first!) mosh pit ever seen in the famous Stravinski Auditorium.

The Band: Jonathan Davis - Vocals And Bagpipes, Brian Welch - Guitar, James Shaffer - Guitar, Reginald Arvizu - Bass, David Silveria - Drums.

Whitney Houston: A Legend Lost

2012-02-12T14:53:00.002Z

Whitney Houston is inarguably one of the of the biggest female pop stars of all time. Her accomplishments as a hitmaker are extraordinary..

just to scratch the surface, she became the first artist ever to have seven consecutive singles hit number one, and her 1993 Dolly Parton cover, I Will Always Love You became nothing less than the biggest hit single in history.

Whitney was born in Newark, NJ, on August 9, 1963 to gospel/R&B singer, Cissy Houston, with fellow singer, Dionee Warick her cousin. However, in a tragic turn of events, Whitney's life was cut short late last night when she was found dead in the hotel room she had been staying in the run up to the Grammy Awards. The cause of her death is still uncertain, but what we do know, is that although a troubled women in her later life, the world has lost an icon and legend.

I remember listening to I Will Always Love You, as a young girl with my Father, it's a very strong memory for me and is always a reminder of just how powerful music can be. Let's not forget the countless times I've danced along to some of the classic disco hits like I Wanna Dance With Somebody and How Will I Know, in numerous clubs!

But my memories aside. Whitney Houston has influenced millions around the world and that's something we should celebrate. Many will remember the pop star for her most recent questionable performances or her somewhat erratic personal life, but let's remember one thing; her voice. Houston's vocal range, talent and versatility as a singer is what catapulted her to instant superstardom in the Eighties, her power and control building the foundation of RnB ballads for generations to come.

Live Review: Miles Hunt & Erica Nockalls

2012-02-12T12:51:00.000Z

Ever been to The Forum in Tunbridge Wells? It’s a great traditional venue. Not too big, not too small, matt black covered walls that seem cold and sticky to the touch. Funny smelling toilets, and beer only available in three ‘flavours’ and served from a can... and at three times the cost in the local Tescos. It reminds me of the venues I used to frequent during the 90’s when I felt young and out of place. Nowadays I’m old and feel right at home. It all makes sense now. But I can’t put it into words.

Anyway, Saturday night, there was no need to chill the beer. The venue could be best described as cold. However, slowly but surely as the crowd began to build up, it started to feel much … hmm, less cold. It was obviously going to remain a cold night inside the Forum (and an even colder one outside) with people standing in their jackets holding their pre-chilled (read as just come out of a fridge which warmed the beverage to the correct temperature).

Obviously feeling very comfortable with their surroundings, having played the venue together many times and using it as a secret warm-up venue for larger tours with the band The Wonder Stuff, Miles and Erica arrived on stage via the audience and quickly got down to business. I should be obvious and choose the more commercially successful side of the set, describing how they performed acoustic versions of tracks off Never Loved Elvis which has just enjoyed the 20^th anniversary of its release. But what was far more interesting was the other material on offer. As a Wonder Stuff fan we’ve all got numerous versions of each song, Album, Live, Acoustic version, singles on CD single, 7 inch, 12 inch, cassette, etc, and they are all good and tonight it was enjoyable to hear them in the flesh. But again, I’m going to ignore that aspect. It was great. Wonder Stuff acoustic review officially over.

Hunt and his partner, the delightful Erica Nockalls have released a handful of albums and compilations over the last few years which are accomplished if sometimes self indulgent pieces, but at a certain point you’re allowed a level of self indulgence and I think Hunt is in that place and it’s justified. I doubt the crowd, who seemed to know most of these tunes, would disagree. They all want to hear ‘the hits’ but welcome the fact these artists are still writing and performing new material.

The set, split 50/50 between The Stuffies and Miles and Erica’s solo material flowed well and the between song banter shows a much milder and confident Hunt than when I’d be at the front getting squashed during the original Hup and Never Loved Elvis tours. Less aggressive and more secure, he seems to enjoy his craft more and more with experience and age.

Personal favourites such as These Things Remembered and Fill Her Up & Foot Down are great tunes and work well with just acoustic and violin and really show that Miles and Erica can have a separate life away from the Stuffies. With time it wouldn’t be upsetting to hear more of their solo material over the Stuffies, err stuff. It’s good, and long may the marriage of vocals, guitar and violin continue. It’s getting stronger and lyrically feeling more creative and assured than some of Hunt's earlier solo work. Highlights of the evening were also the unexpected cover songs, Immaculate Fools by The Immaculate Fools, is a song I have to admit not hearing before (an admission of guilt that I don’t own the second Shared compilation album), and a great version of the X-Ray Spex classic The Day The World Turned Day-Glo. Proof that with a little thought, some difficult songs can be stripped down and delivered with aplomb.

It’s not until you hear the two instruments together in a live situation you truly understand the clever balance the pair have created. Erica delivers a subtle percussive or melodic tone whilst Miles is smashing his acoustic furiously. It’s easy to enjoy, it’s fantastic to listen to and it’s a joy to experience. A special appearance of a new song written by and about ‘George’, an 80 year-old drinking buddy of the duo showed that the promise of exciting new material is there and ready to come to us in the near future.

Miles and Erica seem to love what they do. They are the epitome of a modern working musical outfit. Graft and more graft to make a living doing what they love. The evening was cold, but it was great. If you liked The Wonder Stuff, then treat yourself to a Miles and Erica acoustic evening. To get to the point, 20 songs, £10 entrance fee, that’s 50p a tune. Whilst Madonna wants to screw people out of £100 to watch her as a spec on the London landscape, artists like Miles and Erica let you get up close and enjoy a great evening for the price of two cans of the Forum's best Fosters and a lemonade. Value for money? No question about it. Possibly one of the best tenners I’ve ever spent on a night out.

As long as they keep coming back to play, they’ll find me hiding in the corner tapping my foot and singing along. One day I might even have the courage to go up and talk to the man whose album Eight Legged Groove Machine, brought home by my dad on vinyl due to it’s cool cover, I care to add (he didn’t know any of the tunes and took a punt on it) played an important part in me wanting to do music. But they say you should never meet your heroes.

Full Playlist:

The Truth At Last
D.W.I.
Mission Drive
Play
Fill Her Up & Foot Down
The Cake
Welcome To The Cheap Seats
New Song (George)
These Things Remembered
Circle Square
Golden Green
Immaculate Fools
Plans In The Sky
Caught In My Shadow
Maybe
The Day The World Turned Day-Glo
Here Comes Everyone
Piece Of Sky
Don’t Let Me Down, Gently
Unbearable

Pop Goes To College

2012-02-11T11:44:00.000Z

There are supergroups, and then there are Producers. Behold, arguably the most successful line up of musicians and producers ever, coming to a university/college near you!

Four hugely successful individuals in the music industry, Lol Crème, Trevor Horn, Stephen Lipson and Ash Soan are putting their years of expertise into play and creating an exciting new collective, ready to embark on a new adventure. The group, who over the past forty years have racked up more than 200 hit singles and albums, are setting out on a series of live performances and interactive sessions across British Universities and colleges this March, ahead of their debut album, Made In Basing Street.

So for those who aren't familiar with these prestigious producers, (shame on you!), you'll more than likely recognise the work they have been responsible for. Lets take a look:

Lol Creme is one of the few musicians whose career straddles the Merseybeat era and the art-techno 21st century. He was in a series of beat combos in the 60s and between 1972 and 1976, he enjoyed a stint with the pioneering 10cc, whose singles included, The Dean And I, Wall Street Shuffle, Life Is A Minestrone, Rubber Bullets and I’m Not In Love, the latter of which scored a UK number one. 10cc's landmark albums (10cc, Sheet Music, The Original Soundtrack, How Dare You!) made them the greatest British art-pop group between The Beatles and Blur thanks to their technological invention and longevity. In 1976 Lol and his main 10cc songwriting partner Kevin Godley left the band to form Godley & Creme, and they enjoyed a run of hits (Wedding Bells, Under Your Thumb, Cry) as well as a parallel career as video directors whose promos for The Police (Every Breath You Take), Duran Duran (Girls on Film), Herbie Hancock (Rockit), Frankie Goes To Hollywood (Two Tribes) and their own single, Cry, were innovative examples of the form that helped define the look of the 80s.

The Police - Every Breath You Take:

Trevor Horn CBE is the greatest British record producer since Sir George Martin. Some of his outstanding credits include Dollar, ABC, Malcom McLaren, Art Of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Propaganda and Grace Jones. If that hadn't earned Horn his place in the history books, his later work as a member of the proto-synth duo, Buggles (Video Killed The Radio Star)and Prog rockers, Yes - co-writing and producing their biggest ever single, Owner Of A Lonely Heart. His roster also includes everyone from Seal and Simple Minds, to tATu, Pet Shop Boys, Boyzone, Charlotte Church, Rod Stewart and Robbie Williams. The list is endless, with his reputation still growing as one of the most prolific producers of his generation.

Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star:

Stephen Lipson, a guitarist, engineer and producer, was Trevor Horn's right-hand-man in the 80s. He worked at Sarm Studios for the ZTT label (for acts including Propaganda, FGTH, Grace Jones and ACT) and helped define the sound of that decade. Since then, Lipson has built a career in his own right, producing acts such as Sandi Thom, Jamie Cullum, Paul McCartney's Flowers in the Dirt, four solo albums by Annie Lennox and engineered the Rolling Stones' Undercover. He has also produced hits for the likes of Geri Halliwell (It’s Raining Men, UK number 1), S Club 7 (three UK number 1s), Will Young (Leave Right Now, UK number 1), Natalie Imbruglia (Shiver) and Rachel Stevens. In 2011 he was nominated for a Grammy Award for his work on the Jeff Beck album, Emotion and Commotion.

Will Young - Leave Right Now:

Ash Soan is one of the UK’s most prolific drummers. Recently, his credits have included work recording with Adele, Cee Lo Green, James Morrison and the last Seal album. He has played on 27 Top 10 albums, eleven of which reached the number one spot, and seven of them were number one singles. As well as collaborating with the likes of Natasha Bedingfield, Siobhan Donaghy and Sandi Thom, he spent most of the 90s drumming with Del Amitri, as well as joining Squeeze until the band split in 1999. Since then he has performed at some of the biggest music events in the world, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, Glastonbury and Party In The Park. Ash has also branched into the dance arena, touring the world with the genre-defining, Faithless.

Squeeze - Domino:

So if that isn't impressive enough, this diverse mix of talent will be undertaking a unique tour of Universities and Colleges across the UK, with the added bonus of Q&A sessions with students from each institution. These multimedia events will take place before the group take to the stage to showcase tracks from their upcoming album, and their greatest hits of course! Every performance is to be produced and promoted in association with the students at the universities and all news and footage will be available via the Producers' YouTube channel. Ash Soan has recently spoken about the scheduled tour:

"I'm looking forward to the Uni gigs personally because I remember when I was studying music and the likes of George Martin visited, it really stayed with me. I hope our shows can do the same".

Dates for Producers’ Spring 2012 UK tour are as follows:

1st March - WEST LONDON Tech Music School
2nd March - GUILDFORD ACM
5th March - SOUTHAMPTON Solent University
6th March - BIRMINGHAM South Birmingham College
7th March - LEEDS College of Music
8th March - HIGH WYCOMBE Buckinghamshire New University

Have a listen to the first track from Made In Basing Street, Freeway:

To find out more, just go to their official website, or visit their Twitter or Facebook Page.

Deluxe Editions - Ronnie James Dio

2012-02-10T10:37:00.000Z

Ronnie James Dio was one of heavy metal's most talented and instantly identifiable vocalists, and to celebrate his life and work, you can now get hold of some exclusive deluxe editions of his legendary Holy Diver, Last In Line, and Sacred Heart releases this March.

It seems like only yesterday that the world of Rock and Metal lost one of its most gifted musicians, but back in May 2010, the death of Ronnie James Dio shocked fans and friends alike. In his career, Dio held some of the highest ranking positions in Heavy Metal, including the lead vocalist for giants like Rainbow, Black Sabbath and of course his own eponymous band for almost three decades! Dio helped to create some of the most genre-defining works, with timeless classics like Holy Diver, representing and setting the standard for the future of Metal music.

Dio's performances were also a spectacle in their own right, paving the way for frontmen to come, and with his incredible vocal range, few equalled him. Millions of fans worldwide witnessed the many memorable shows he was part of, creating a Rock community where fans worshipped his every move.

Holy Diver was Dio's debut release in May 1983 and later became a seminal work for him. It was hailed by critics as some of his best work and was awarded silver certification three years later. The second album, The Last In Line, came out in 1984 and was their first release to reach platinum status, and number four in the UK charts. The album showcased some of their anthemic, hard rock songwriting with tracks such as We Rock, and I Speed At Night and the seven-minute long, Egypt (The Chains Are On).

1985 saw Dio's third release, Sacred Heart, again, reaching number four and went on to achieve Gold status. Some say that this was Dio's most well-known record, featuring classics like Hungry For Heaven and Rock N' Roll Children. Sacred Heart was also the last record to feature guitarist, Vivian Campbell.

Due for release on the 12th of March this year, the re-mastered and reissued CD's will contain bonus CD's with exclusive booklets, endorsed by Ronnie's window, Wendy Dio.

The track-listing for Holy Diver is as follows: (the others are available online)

Disc one:

Stand Up And Shout

Holy Diver
Gypsy
Caught In The Middle

Don't Talk To Strangers

Straight Through The Heart

Invisible

Rainbow In The Dark

Shame On The Night

Disc two:

Evil Eyes
Stand Up And Shout

Straight Through The Heart

Stand Up And Shout
Shame On The Night
Children Of The Sea
Holy Diver
Rainbow In The Dark
Man On The Silver Mountain

Profile: 2:54

2012-02-09T13:10:00.002Z

2:54 are a London-based duo comprised of sisters, Colette and Hannah Thurlow. Although their name is not the most thrilling or memorable, there is a rather endearing story behind it...

2:54 being the exact time of their favourite drum roll in the Melvins song A History Of Bad Men, (listen below).

Originally starting off as a grotty, punk outfit called The Vulgarians, they cite the likes of Kathleen Hanna, Joan Jett, Patti Smith as the role models who encouraged them to start making music. They were also influenced by the "DIY attitude of the riot girl movement. Bands like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney and Huggy Bear were exciting and liberating".

After their punk phase, the pair then moved towards experimenting with atmospheric doom music influenced by bands like Bad Brains, Queens Of The Stone Age and Brody Dalle of The Distillers (a personal favourite of mine). The band first emerged back in May last year with their debut release, Creeping; a swampy, lo-fi, distorted fuzz with soft, melodic vocals. The hype around the track (produced on Garageband), and the duo's popularity began spiralling, with online publications such as Fader and Nylon getting behind them. Since then, they have gone on to tour with Melissa Auf Der Maur, girl rockers, Warpaint, Blood Red Shoes and Yuck.

On A Wire was their next release, a slower, mysterious track with haunting baselines and a sinister hook with the lyrics, "I Will Find You", whilst Cold Front moves into a more upbeat rhythm, but still with a gloomy, slightly chilling atmosphere featuring dramatic cymbal crashes over classic chiming guitars.

Their EP, Scarlet, released in 2011 via Polydor Records, is brimming with post-adolescent moodiness, yearning and pained vocals with a soft vulnerability. The guitars are fuzzy, harking back to the nineties Alt-Rock scene - think PJ Harvey, Lush and The xx, and you've got a pretty good idea of 2:54. Lead singer, Colette explains their current single Scarlet:

"Scarlet seemed to act as a turning point for us. It has quite a specific atmosphere, its own world. It's a nocturnal feeling, a chant … a love song of sorts."

2:54's debut full-length album is set for release in April and is produced by long-time PJ Harvey collaborator, Rob Ellis and will feature a reworked version of 2012's Creeping, but the album is yet to be titled. For me, it's really refreshing to hear these girls doing what they love, not conforming to the bubblegum pop and prettiness that is so easily attributed to females. They are highly accomplished, having only learnt guitar in their twenties, with some seriously cool guitar parts in their tracks. I've even heard that Hannah is a little obsessed with guitar effects pedals. Now that's something I like to hear!

2:54 are currently on Tour with The Big Pink:

09/02/2012 Wedgewood Rooms - Southsea, UK
11/02/2012 Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, UK
12/02/2012 O2 Academy 2 Liverpool - Liverpool, UK
14/02/2012 King Tut's Wah Wah Hut - Glasgow, UK
15/02/2012 Manchester Academy 3 - Manchester, UK
16/02/2012 HMV Institute - The Library - Digbeth, UK
18/02/2012 Digital - Brighton, UK

Links: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Soundcloud

Album Review: Van Halen

2012-02-08T12:10:00.000Z

a different kind of truth (interscope)

Theory proven? In 1984 it appears all members of Van Halen were put into cryogenic stasis, and slightly shoddy clones were wheeled out to continue the careers of the band and DLR. Presumably as they felt their creative peak was on the wane and they desired to make a comeback at some distant future time all fresh and shiny.

Come 2012 and someone, perhaps unintentionally, seems to have hit the defrost button and brought the original line-up (or as near as dammit) back to life. This must be the only reasonable explanation, as this new LP has almost exactly the sound of Van Halen in their heyday. Check the SoundCloud player for minute-and-a-half previews of the album.

28 years may passed since 1984 and David Lee Roth (allegedly) left for a solo career and found himself replaced by Sammy Hagar as frontman, but you'd hardly notice it.

In all honesty it's quite astounding just how much A Different Kind of Truth retains all that was great about those early albums. Not that Van Halen without DLR was terrible by any means - It just wasn't quite the same - Whereas this is! Did Mr. Hagar, and later frontman Gary Cherone, know? Did something go wrong with Michael Anthony's reanimation thus calling for the introduction of Wolfgang Van Halen on bass? Was 5150 a cryptic reference to the originally intended defrost date? Do highly inaccurate 'facts' make for a good yarn? Who knows ...

Whatever the story, here we are in 2012 seeing Van Halen release an album of newly recorded material and plans for a epic tour in the following months. The first single from the album, Tattoo, was released a month ago. An odd choice as leader as it's not the greatest, catchiest or most memorable track from the album by a long chalk.

Looking somewhat deeper into the validity of the 'stasis-hypothesis' it would seem to be the case that in fact there is an alternative explanation. Described by the band as "A sort of collaboration with their past", a number of tracks that appear on A Different Kind of Truth are based upon demos and unused lyrics written by the band in the 1970s. David Lee Roth explained further in a recent Spin interview;

"It's material that Eddie and I generated, literally, in 1975, 1976 and 1977,"

"Usually fellas in our weight division will kind of gamely — or ironically, wink, wink — try to hail back to it [but] keep a safe, mature distance from it. [We] can't be the same people — too much has changed — but there's interesting experimentation in the era-spanning synthesis of self."

Make of that what you will. Musically, 'experimentation' isn't something emanating in great waves from the new material. Perhaps instead referring to the experimentation of successfully pulling off a comeback of sorts, with 'new' tracks that without a doubt owe so much to the classic era of widdly finger-tapping and spandex that made Van Halen one of the true giants of Rock. A Different Kind of Truth comes across as a pretty much timeless example of Van Halen doing what they did (and now do) best. It's something that could have easily gone horribly wrong, but hasn't - which is refreshing in its own way.

Will veteran VH fans love it? - Yes, that's very much more than likely. Will a new generation of fans become enthused and start discovering the band's back catalogue and legacy, firing up a supercool trend of 'Nu-Rawk'? .... Hmmm, probably not, but don't throw away those motheaten tigerprint lycra leggings just yet. As you never know ...

On The Radar 07/02/12

2012-02-07T14:05:00.001Z

Whatever you do, don't go outside. It's cold. Real Cold. Stay inside and stick some tunes on instead ... New music this week from Pond, We Are Augustines, Lucy Rose and Chairlift.

Pond - Moth Wings (selected by Grim) - Moth Wings is the second single from Pond's fourth record Beard Wives Denim. The entire album was recorded over two weeks in a ramshackle farmhouse in Western Australia; Moth Wings is said to have, quite literally, broken the bands 'mid-recording cabin fever', and it's easy to see why.

Mixed by Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) and Rob Grant at Poon's Head Studio in Perth Beard Wives Denim is out March through Modular Recordings March 5th.

We Are Augustines - Chapel Song (selected by Neil) - Singer Billy McCarthy puts his heart on his sleeve in this beautiful song, which is as heart breaking as it is superbly delivered. Following the success of debut Book Of James, Chapel Song is picking up strong playlisting five weeks ahead of release; B-listed on 6Music, Xfm and NME, on the New To Q list, and receiving Radio 2 support from Dermot O'Leary and Jo Whiley.

Chairlift - I Belong In Your Arms (selected by Matt) - How did I come across this tune? Well I liked a. the band name and b. the image that went with it. Mix that together with the fact that I didn't take an instant dislike to the first 10 seconds and I have a soft spot for an elegant female voice and I was onto a winner! The track is beautifully catchy and superbly presented, the only drawback at the moment being I cannot find a "repeat" button on SoundCloud...

Lucy Rose - Red Face (selected by Kate) - Lucy Rose is an English singer/songwriter from Warwickshire. She contributed vocals on the Bombay Bicycle Club albums, Flaws and their most recent, A Different Kind of Fix. She is now embarking on her solo career and is tipped for the top! Listen to her current single, Red Face, which was released yesterday (6th Jan) via Fauna Records.

Live Review: The Next Big Thing

2012-02-06T16:55:00.002Z

Last Friday I went to see three bands that I had never heard of. The evening was entitled 'Next Big Thing', so perhaps in a few years time when one of them is dominating the UK charts I will look back and remember the time when I saw that once never heard of band playing at The Borderline in Soho. Perhaps.

After all, I do love a good “I saw them before they were famous” story to tell my mates round the dinner table - makes me seem knowledgeable and wise - like Dumbledore. I bet he saw the Arctic Monkeys' first gig...

I think, however, that I would have to go to a hell of a lot of these 'Next Big Thing' gigs in order to stumble across a band that might actually fulfill my Dumbledore dinner table story. If it wasn’t for the half an hour break and the customary handing out of home-burned demo CD’s at the end of a set, I’m not sure that I would have been able to distinguish between the bands that I saw. Although to be fair, that may be down to the poor sound quality at the venue.

There were three bands playing; The Scholars, The Chevin (disappointingly not pronounced “Kevin”) , and Last Republic. We got there towards the end of The Scholars set, and made a really awkward walk across the deserted dancefloor towards the bar. It was like a Primary school dance where small groups of people surround the perimeter and dare each other to be the first to start dancing.

The Chevin gave a really passionate, energetic performance. I am still humming Champion, which to me, suggests that it is a good song. It is the only song that I can recall from Friday night so I would be willing to go on record and say that it was the best song of the night. As a band they were tight, and as individuals they were well organised and technically sound.

Headliners The Last Republic went down a storm with a now enthusiastic crowd. Having been tipped as being the best thing since Tom Jones to emerge from Wales, it’s easy to see why. The band have received airplay on Radio 1 from the likes of Zane Lowe and Huw Stevens as well as playing the Main Stage at V Festival so lets be honest - the boys know what they’re doing, and that came across on stage as they delivered a slick set.

So did I actually see the 'Next Big Thing'? I doubt it. But what I did see were three (well, two and a little bit) high quality bands for a low entrance fee amongst a small, enthusiastic music loving crowd, which to me is a gig worth attending.

Coming Up This Week

2012-02-06T12:30:00.001Z

- LIVE LISTINGS 06/02/12 to 12/02/12: (full details)
Look out for upcoming gigs across the UK from James Blunt, Mastodon, the incredible Black Keys, Dream Theater and many more.

- NEW RELEASES 06/02/12 to 12/02/12: (full details)
Paul McCartney back with Kisses on the Bottom, Van Halen return to form with David Lee Roth for the first time since 1984, plus a b-sides compilation from the Pet Shop Boyss.

- UPLOAD SCHEDULE 06/02/12 to 10/02/12:
Gig of the Week = Johnny Cash : 'Live at Montreux 1994'

monday 6th february:
Johnny Cash	Live at Montreux 1994
The Only Ones	Live At Shepherd's Bush

tuesday 7th february:
Jason Aldean	Wide Open Live And More
Ludwig van Beethoven	Symphony No.3

wednesday 8th february:
Marianne Faithfull	Live In Hollywood
Tangerine Dream	Live At The Berlin Tempodrome

thursday 9th february:
Gallon Drunk	One For The Ladies
UB40	Live At Monteux 2002

friday 10th february:
Bill Nelson	Legends: Live At Metropolis Studio
Wu Tang Clan	Live At Montreux 2007

Gig Of The Week: Johnny Cash

2012-02-06T10:32:00.002Z

Live At Montreux [1994, 54m]
~ watch now ~

Johnny Cash was one of the most influential figures in American music in the post war period. He managed to combine elements of folk, rock ‘n’ roll and country, which together with his distinctive voice and guitar style, created an instantly recognisable sound.

1994 was to prove to be Cash’s only appearance at the Montreux Festival. The 'Man In Black' had just released his acclaimed American Recordings album and his European tour took in Montreux on July 5.

This classic concert features a number of tracks from his new album coupled with favourites from across his career including Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk The Line, Ghost Riders In The Sky, Orange Blossom Special and San Quentin. An added bonus is the guest appearance of his wife June Carter Cash on two tracks.

Caught at one of the high points of his distinguished career this is truly Johnny Cash at his best.

The Band: Bob Wootton - Guitar, W.S.Holland - Drums, David Roe - Bass.

A Tale of the Giant Stone Eater

2012-02-04T13:02:00.000Z

Thirty years ago to the day, British rock music lost a legend - Alex Harvey. A veteran of the R&B scene from the mid-fifties, Harvey found greatest success with the formation of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band in the early seventies.

SAHB created a sound that was one part blues, one part prog (Zal Cleminson and the other band members were all drawn from progressive rock group Tear Gas), one part incredible vaudevillian showmanship and a final touch of utterly twisted weirdness.

It only needs a short peruse of a few song titles to emphasise SAHB's slightly bizarre nature: There's No Lights on the Christmas Tree Mother, They're Burning Big Louie Tonight (The only Xmas tune about executing gangsters), The Tale of the Giant Stone Eater (an epic ante-diluvian prog-out that could be a metaphor for virtually anything) and N.E.X.T., which is about, well, see for yourself in this Old Grey Whistle Test clip from 1973:

Honestly, they just don't make them like that anymore - which is a real shame. I can't imagine today ever seeing on TV an enraged Scots 'Everton Mint' and a malevolent harlequin performing a song about the emotional fallout from enforced military brothel-hopping.

Absolutely a one-off, Harvey was something special - adding an intensely dark wit to the prog/glam scene. A scene that took it's silliness sometimes a bit too seriously, whereas SAHB conversely somehow managed to express their seriousness of material with a distinct humour.

Harvey, tragically, died of a heart attack in 1982 and so in tribute to a man of unique genius I'm spending the day with SAHB on the stereo. I expect my mind to be substantially warped after about an hour or so - but that's OK, sometimes I think you need to be reminded that not so long ago (in Stone-Eater timescales) there was a time when creatively you could get away with almost anything, however strange.

30 Years And 14 Albums Later...

2012-02-03T12:06:00.002Z

Formed in Ipswich, England in 1982, the Godfathers of Grindcore, Napalm Death, are back after thirty years with their fourteenth studio album, Utilitarian, and are still as passionate as they ever were.

"What we do is fast, chaotic and off the rails. It's like Motorhead times 10. We work our arses off and we're driven by passion for what we do. We're always ready to eat shit and bullets, know what I mean?"

Yes, we know what you mean, Mark... Mark being Birmingham born, Mark 'Barney' Greenway (formerly of Benediction), who has been the lead singer in Napalm Death since 1989. When the band first emerged, they pushed the envelope of the metal genre to new extremes of ear-splitting intensity, purposefully avoiding any notions of melody to create a blistering attack on the senses. Their music became defined by the incredibly short song lengths (like the two-second You Suffer), demonic vocals and socio-political subject matter.

During the recording and production of their debut album, Scum, in 1987 via Earache, there were a number a of lineup changes which resulted in the two sides of the LP featuring almost entirely different band members. The first half featured guitarist Justin Broadrick and vocalist/bassist Nick Bullen, the flipside presented new vocalist Lee Dorrian, guitarist Bill Steer, and bassist Jim Whitely; only drummer Mick Harris played on every track. After Scum's release, it was largely ignored by the mainstream media, but was hugely successful across the global underground metal scene with one particularly famous advocate; John Peel. Peel regularly featured their track, You Suffer on his BBC Radio One show and later invited the band to record a legendary September 1987 Peel Session, introducing new bassist Shane Embury.

Napalm Death's musical output became more and more extreme over the coming years, with 1988's From Enslavement To Obliteration totalling an impressive 54 tracks, many at just a few seconds in length. Napalm Death were only just pipped to the post in breaking a world record for the world's shortest song, losing out to fellow Britcore peers, the Electro Hippies, with their one-second track, Mega Armageddon Death.

The band's name choice was an anti-war statement, aroused by the country's political leader at the time, Margaret Thatcher and the sham of the Falklands War. Singer, Greenway, is particularly passionate about the importance of what he calls, "a humane and ethical way of looking at the world".

"The paradox of this band is between the brutality of the music and the lyrics, which are humanitarian and pro-pacifist and deeply critical of injustice on any level. I like that contradiction, because life isn't always cut and dried. It's a mixed-up beast and Napalm Death is like that too."

Greenway has also described the few experiences in which they have been able to dip into the mainstream culture. Aside from Radio One, they also made a famous appearance on Chanel 4's TFI Friday, hosted by Chris Evans:

"I get a certain perverse kick out of ambushing the mainstream like that," says Greenway. "There's a great number of people who really get what we do, but at the same time it's great when we go out in front of people who have perhaps heard the name but not the music, and then we start playing and you see their stunned faces. That's some achievement when people are so blase about everything."

So with their fourteenth studio album on it's way, what can we expect from the Grindcore Godfathers? Well apparently, they are once more showcasing their love of experimentation, impenetrable noise and still a very strong desire to push the boundaries of music. Some of the tracks featured on the album include titles such as Protection Racket, Think Tank Trials and Everyday Pox, and are said to owe as much to bands like Sonic Youth, Swans and The Jesus And Mary Chain, as they do to straight-up metal/hardcore bands. Listen to Leper Colony, below:

Utilitarian will be released on the 27th of February via Century Media Records, and the next year will see Napalm Death play over a hundred shows across the world in the coming year, but for now I'll leave you with one thought from the band's singer:

"If your idea of music is something structured around a sensible, restrained, underlying beat, you're probably in the wrong place."

Full track-listing

Circumspect
Errors In The Signals
Everyday Pox
Protection Racket
The Wolf I Feed
Quarantined
Fall On Their Swords
Collision Course
Orders Of Magnitude
Think Tank Trials
Blank Look About Face
Leper Colony
Nom De Guerre
Analysis Paralysis
Opposite Repellent
A Gag Reflex
Aim Without An Aim *BONUS*

Everything In Mono *BONUS*

Profile: The Fauns

2012-02-03T11:57:00.000Z

Formed in the summer of 2007, The Fauns are a six-piece outfit fronted by vocalist Alison Garner. The band reference MBV-era shoegaze with a modern slant, their sound characterized by use of distortion and feedback mixed with delicate vocal harmonies delivered with a pop edge.

Bristol-based band The Fauns take on a brave mission. Judging by the enormous number of 'new-shoegaze' (dream pop, chillwave, nu-gaze) groups out there on the internet today, it seems that the second decade of the new century is awash with a revival of a style of music that was not all that popular even back in the nineties. It's hard to get it right. It's easy enough now with modern technology to create a sound that harks back to the enveloping sounds of MBV, Slowdive, J&MC or Ride, the difficult part is branding your own stamp on it and producing something that stands up on its own merits.

The Fauns succeed. Take Cool Stuff for example (originally from the bands' 2009 eponymous debut), instantly embracing the listener into a world of its own, ethereal vocals blended perfectly into the backdrop of beautifully wrapping soundscapes.

Cool Stuff (Mastermind mix) by The Fauns

Production is spot on, the levels tweaked to perfection as Garner's smoothly velvet tones enthral throughout without either overbearing the atmospherics or fading too far into the overall 'feel' of the harmonies. Fantastic stuff to chill out to and get completely lost in sound.

Since the release of the debut album The Fauns have been out on the road (alongside the likes of The Durutti Column and more recently across Germany, Denmark and Norway with The Telescopes), plus honing their studio-sound further, dropping a few select remixes and videos along the way. The first one featured here, Road Meets The Sky, set to footage from the classic original Tron. Perhaps somewhat bizarrely, it fits!

The Sun Is Cruising also gets a viewing, against a photo-montage backdrop showing exactly what the band have been up to - including numerous shots of studio work which can only bode well for fans who grow impatient for a follow-up release to the 2009 LP. The band themselves luckily seem aware that there's a growing number of followers eagerly awaiting new material and have promised that a sophomore full-length offering should be out early this year, and verify the good news with a short taster of the new material on Bandcamp.

Second Album (taster) by The Fauns

One of the great things about clued-up, savvy bands nowadays is what must be the equivalent of hunting through the stock of dingy record stores looking for hidden gems: scouring the deepest reaches of the 'internetosphere' for obscurities, one-offs and little-known recordings. The Fauns once more do not disappoint on this front, with a host of associated sites and tools (see below) to rummage through and turn up the unexpected. The band's SoundCloud page, by way of example, has four acoustic versions from a BBC Bristol 'Introducing' session from a couple of years ago which are well worth checking out.

The debut LP itself can be previewed in full over at Bandcamp, and downloaded for a only £5 which seems admirably reasonable (Big Cartel also offer both CD and vinyl versions for a little more). It's a more than accomplished release from a band that appears to be doing everything right - and have the consummate sounds to carry that through. 2012 looks to be a good year for The Fauns - and also for Fauns fans (like myself) ardently anticipating the upcoming album and hopefully the opportunity to check some live dates too.

Great Escape Festival Taster

2012-02-02T12:37:00.003Z

As more and more festivals across the world are announcing their line-ups ready for the summer, we thought we'd give you a little taster of some of the acts that are appearing at a festival that has quickly established itself as one of the leading UK events to showcase new talent... The Great Escape Festival. And as it's local to us here at Gigseen, we're obviously a little biased.

The festival was formed in 2006 and takes place in Brighton over three days in May, this year landing on the 10th-12th of the month. It's a great way to kickstart the festival season and with only 15,000 music fans attending, it still has a slight intimate feel to it. NME has described it, saying "Think of it as Glastonbury by the sea.”, and Time Out publication said: “This three day music festival and industry conference is Britain’s answer to Texas’s SXSW.”

Over 300 bands will be performing at the festival, as well as taking part in impromptu street gigs all over Brighton, and along with special industry showcases, club nights and label parties, all the ingredients and quirks of the city make this festival the one to go to this summer! Have a listen to some of the bands that have been confirmed to play, and see what you think.

Friends - Friend Crush:

Sonic Boom Six - For Kids Of The Multiculture:

There's a few for you to get your teeth into. Other acts for you to check out in time for the festival are:

Dry The River
Spector
We Are The Ocean
Django Django
Grimes
DZ Deathrays
The Soft
Young Dreams, And many, many more!

Album review: Leonard Cohen

2012-02-01T13:17:00.002Z

old ideas (sony)

This is the fist release from Leonard Cohen since 2004's Dear Heather, and in true Cohen style, it's songs are emblazoned with poetic cries of love, loss, yearning, struggle, spirituality and lust.

Cohen was an acclaimed and accomplished writer before getting into music, and as ever, his well defined and distinguishable presence is unmistakable on Old Ideas. The first thing to hit you when you listen to this record is Cohen's voice; a deep, gravelly voice rife with sophistication and wisdom that can only come from a man of his age.

The sing-speak style of Cohen's delivery is utterly penetrating. It takes a hold of the listener, delicately compelling and with lyrics of intense resonance. Tracks like Show Me The Place find Cohen adopting the Protestant hymnal in the same stance as his most famous song, Hallelujah, and his stirring lyrics are accompanied beautifully by simple, melodic piano chords and sensibilities.

Cohen is backed by his live band on the track Darkness; a homage to early Rhythm and Blues with classic Hammond organ embellishments and bluesy slide-guitar riffs. His skilful songwriting is showcased perfectly here, with brilliant lines like "I thought the past would last me / but the darkness got there too."

His classic 'hopeless blues' format interspersed with somber, downbeat and doleful but clever subject matter is, as we know, what Cohen is best at. His poetic ability flows with ease and emerges in his lyrics as bittersweet wit that you can't help but warm to. Lines such as: "Have mercy on me baby/After all I did confess/Even though you have to hate me/Could you hate me less?", from the track, Anyhow, are prime examples of the vulnerability, elegance and sometimes cheeky humour that materialises in his songwriting.

Full Tracklist:

Going Home
Amen
Show Me the Place
Darkness
Anyhow
Crazy to Love You
Come Healing
Banjo
Lullaby

Different Sides
Leonard Cohen

On The Radar 31/01/12

2012-01-31T12:17:00.000Z

Once again, we select for your delectation a few upcoming tunes earning a place on the iPods and portable gramophones of the Gigseen staff. Music from One Eyed Wayne, A Stealing Sheep remix by Cineplexx, Django Django and The Big Pink.

One Eyed Wayne - 1-2-3-4 (selected by Grim) - One Eyed Wayne are from Hornsey North London and feature "Cajun, melodica, mandolin, harmonica and acoustic guitars providing a foot tapping soundtrack to dark tales of serial killers, pyromaniacs, losers, boozers and small time bruisers". 1-2-3-4 is a free download from Strummerville's SoundCloud page.

Django Django - Default (selected by Kate) - First saw this psychedelic art-pop quartet when they supported Metronomy at The Royal Albert Hall back in October and put on an incredibly energetic performance. Since then they have gone from strength to strength and their eponymous debut album was released into the world yesterday (Mon 30th Jan). Their first single taken from the album is titled Default, which is a catchy concoction of electronic brilliance, accompanied by a heavy, pulsing blues guitar riff and robotic vocals. This may well be the band's breakthrough!

Stealing Sheep - Noah's Day (Cineplexx Remix) (selected by Grim) - Liverpool based all girl trio Stealing Sheep have had their track Noah s Day from last year's The Mountain Dogs EP, smartly remixed by London's Cineplexx, aka Sebastian Litmanovich. Another free download - Check Stealing Sheep's Bandcamp page for more remixes and EPs.

CINEPLEXX - NOAHS DAYS REMIX by CINEPLEXX

The Big Pink - Stay Gold (selected by Matt) - I first discovered the Big Pink when Dominos was used in an ad for Xbox. Of course I didn't go and buy an Xbox, I went and downloaded the song instead, and loved every second of it. Stay Gold is their latest single and sounds a lot like Dominos, so I like it.

Coming Up This Week

2012-01-30T13:22:00.000Z

- LIVE LISTINGS 30/01/12 to 05/02/12: (full details)
Look out for upcoming gigs across the UK from Kaiser Chiefs, the 'reformed' Thin Lizzy, the incredible Black Keys, Feeder and many more.

- NEW RELEASES 30/01/12 to 05/02/12: (full details)
Lana Del Ray's second LP now out, Leonard Cohen's Old Ideas plus Metallica release an EP with 'the tracks missed off the last album'...

- UPLOAD SCHEDULE 23/01/12 to 27/01/12:
Gig of the Week = Etta James : 'Burnin' Down The House'

monday 30th january:
Etta James	Burnin' Down The House
Dead Kennedys	DMPO's On Broadway

tuesday 31st january:
Dr John	Live At Montreux 1995
Avantasia	The Flying Opera

wednesday 1st february:
Run DMC	Live At Montreux 2001
Tina Turner	One Last Time

thursday 2nd february:
Mozart	Don Giovanni
Joseph Haydn	Symphony No.103

friday 3rd february:
Babyshambles	Up The Shambles
Thompson Twins	Side Kicks

Gig Of The Week: Etta James

2012-01-30T10:26:00.000Z

Burnin' Down The House [2001, 53m]
~ watch now ~

Etta James, and her long time backing band, The Roots Band, showcases her ability to take on any genre and conquer it. Included are tracks such as Born To Be Wild, Sugar On The Floor, and Come To Mama.

The Band: Josh Sklair - Guitar, Bobby Murray - Guitar, Mike Finnigan - Hammond B-3 Organ, Sametto James - Bass, Donto James - Drums, Luis Conte - Percussion, Tom Poole - Trumpet, Ronnie Buttacavoli - Trumpet, Jimmy Zavala - Tenor Sax and Harmonica, Lee Thornburg - Trombone, David Woodford - Baritone Sax, Dave Matthews - Keyboards.

Live Review: Jim Bob and Jesus Jones

2012-01-29T20:01:00.000Z

Jesus Jones were absolutely back on form last night at O2 Islington Academy. Supported by a great set from Carter USM's Jim Bob up first, the gig was a definite crowd-pleaser and gave the two Gigseen attendees cheesy grins all round. So once again a dual-authored review is in order ...

jim bob: (grim)

I may have mentioned before that I'm a bit of a sucker for the 'one bloke + guitar' school of performance. You don't get to muffle or hide your talent (or lack thereof) in such situations and luckily for listeners, the potential for complete engagement is high.

I've been a Carter fan since gawd-knows how long, but last time I saw them live was at Reading in 1991! Since then I may not have pogo-ed like a lunatic ever quite as much as that day - but there's been times I've forced friends (sometimes strangers) to sit down and listen properly to one or more Carter albums to show what truly brilliant lyricism sounds like. At its best; poetry you can headbang to.

Jim Bob's warm-up for Jesus Jones was no disappointment then for me at all. Nothing like it whatsover. Looking respectably sharp nowadays, Mr. Morrison easily carried off a 10-song acoustic set including a good few Carter classics familiar to me (Anytime Anyplace Anywhere, Prince In A Pauper's Grave, Bloodsport for All, Do Re Me, So Far So Good and Only Living Boy in New Cross) plus others such as Glam Rock Cops, The Tesco Riots, Victim and Mrs MacMurphy that I'd not heard before, but are now firmly added to my must-follow-up list.

A few little stories and banter between tunes was appreciated, particularly when it was pointed out that Jim's guitar lead was of that 'iron flex' style popular in Grannys' cupboards during the 1970s. In humiliation, it broke shortly afterwards and was shamed ... and replaced. Such minor glitches aside, I really enjoyed Jim Bob's set, a spot on show from someone I've always thought had a hint of genius. I think, once I've done my homework and chased up the material I've missed out on, I'll be heading out for another decent night out later this year seeing Jim Bob on tour as a top-biller.

jesus jones: (neil)

If I were reviewing the gig on Twitter I’d throw something like this out. "Great gig, had a few beers, met a hot blonde (Hi Toni), GREAT BAND!!! love Jesus Jones, danced and sang a lot, awesome!", and still have a dozen or so characters to throw out a few LOL’s and XOXOXO or whatever the kids do nowadays.

Which brings me to my point. The kids are all out tweeting and talking about Skrillex or some other clever kid who links great pop infused tunes to high-energy danceable pop loveliness, and it’s about time somebody gave them a quick education on the history of these coolest of new sounds. If we plot that said family tree back a few years (OK, 20 odd years), sitting proudly near the roots of this would sit the band we were here to see, Jesus Jones.

The band rattled through a blistering 20 song set that kept those of us at the front bouncing around all night long. Let’s be clear, I’m biased, I like the band, I have all their albums, they aren’t going to get a bad review, it was genuinely great to see them onstage (last time I saw them was at the Kentish Town forum around 1991). Although the band came on with an energetic punch, they did look a tad uncomfortable for the first two songs of the set, maybe it was just them finding their feet, but with the announcement of International Bright Young Thing it dissipated and a much more relaxed band started to appear and got stronger and stronger as the set went on.

This uncomfortable start shouldn’t be considered a negative. Taking into account that it was only the second gig they’ve played in the last few months these guys put on a good performance of a level that would suggest they rehearse regularly and didn’t take a ten plus year sabbatical. The reality is that maybe a handful of rehearsals would have taken place with bassist Al Doughty now being a resident of the Chicago area. Then take into account that these guys (bar baby drummer Tony Arthy) are ‘approaching’ 50 years old – sorry guys! And it was nothing short of amazing to watch the energy and commitment that went into the set. Keys and sample man, Iain Baker losing none of the ‘dancing like a loon’ element that we remembered so well from the 90’s. Sure there was the odd bad note, forgotten lyric and knowing look to say "that wasn’t meant to happen...", but that’s what is so good about live music, it should be chaotic, it should be full of surprises, humour and humility. Tonight did not disappoint.

Guitarist Jerry De Borg (recently announced as the newest guitarist with The Wonder Stuff), Tony Arthy and ‘bouncy’ Al Doughty who didn't stand still at all during the set, hold everything together, letting lead singer, Mike Edwards step away from the limelight and get lost in the music once and a while. Iain Baker seems to gel the whole thing together on stage. Some keyboard players are lucky they have jobs. In most cases a laptop with a basic screensaver would be a more entertaining addition to the band onstage, but not in Jesus Jones, Baker knocks out those noises and hits the keys (normally with the keyboard on its side) with a ton of energy. Whilst in-between what can only be described as keyboard abuse he prowls the stage almost possessed (it’s that or he’s busy practicing for a cameo in the next 'Planet of the Apes' film), either way he makes his presence felt unlike most other keyboard players.

So to come full circle and conclude, many bands of today could show homage to Jesus Jones and their pop/dance contemporaries (they may not know it, but their 'new' sound is part of an 'old' one). But in return, and just as exciting, you can hear the bands Jesus Jones love filtered into their music too, from an AC/DC inspired guitar riff (Mike Edwards seemed to add something extra to his performance when he hit the overdrive on his amp) to a synth sound that wouldn’t be out of place in a classic Neu! track, there are many influences that the band soaked up, which in turn they made their own and flourished with the albums Liquidizer and Doubt.

Move forward to 2012 and they may not be the biggest or best-known band in the world, but they’ve genuinely played their part in music. So whatever the reason for their annual get-togethers and gigs, long may they do it for us, the fans! Mike Edwards summed the night up perfectly when he said;

"We’ll play some songs for our benefit, some songs that are really for your benefit, and the odd one or two that perhaps is mutual appreciation."

(See the full Jesus Jones setlist and a 'bootleg' podcast of dubious recording quality over at Grim's Mixcloud page.)

Live Review: Explosions In The Sky

2012-01-28T17:55:00.001Z

On a freezing cold Friday night, I made my way to The 02 Academy Brixton to see the Texan Post-Rock quartet aptly named, Explosions In The Sky. Known for their blisteringly intense live performances and songs of epic proportions, this was something I was truly curious to see in a live setting.

Supporting Explosions were Blanck Mass and Lanterns On The Lake. We arrived just in time to catch the last of the latter's set; a similarly instrumental, shoe gaze-style female fronted band. They seemed good, but the sound was poor and although the audience responded well, it was clear people were getting impatient.

This was Explosions In The Sky's biggest London show to date and despite being endlessly compared to the likes of Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor!, It's clear that explosions have developed their own unique sound; a constant searching for the beautiful and the meaningful. From their opening song right through to the end, the music flooded the venue, cascading and flowing into every corner. They performed a mixture of tracks from their albums, not just their latest 2001 release, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, but All Of A Sudden I Miss You, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever and The Earth is Not A Cold Dead Place.

The true beauty of Explosions In The Sky's songs is the ability to combine the acute complexity of multi-layered soundscapes and chaos-inducing percussion with ethereal, slow-motion melancholia and gentle guitar plucks. Each song faded into the other seamlessly, leaving echoes and glimmers of the final guitar chords delicately emanating from the stage before the first new sounds of the next song came to life. With a very short introduction as they walked on stage, there was no talking through the rest of their set. This was serious music to get engrossed in - much like a classical symphony with movements, set structures and musical strategies.

The band's hour and a half set (consisting of just 9 songs!) took the audience on a crescendo-filled adventure of cinematic highs and moody lows which saw the band take to the floor sitting crossed-legged while they plucked their guitars, and then to the other extreme as they flung instruments up in the air and slammed them back down on each impulse and accent of the beat. For a Post-Rock instrumental outfit they were surprisingly engaging to watch.

The musicianship and sheer technical ability was absolutely astounding and being able to concentrate on the music instead of the vocals or a lead singer was refreshing. It became clear to me that these guys were more than just performers. They were musicians in every sense of the word. This was something I had not witnessed entirely before and I certainly won't forget it.

The Birth And Death Of The Day, one of the band's most popular and upbeat songs, set the audience into a frenzy. The song is my personal favourite; it's opening can only be described at utterly awe-inspring. Dissonance, suspensions and reverberation exploded into the room like nothing I've heard before like some sort of sonic heaven, before resolving and moving into the next crescendo-building delight. Pounding percussion (technically brilliant when you listen closely) and a guitar line in the upper register that you can't help but hum along to. If you only listen to one song, make sure it's this one.

With a set consumed in brooding, discordant tension, the music found resolve even in the seeming chaos. The quiet lulls were intensified more by the ever-building anticipation of the labyrinth that is Explosions In The Sky's music, and climaxes were reached with intense ecstasy and contented relief.

Set List:

Postcard From 1952

Catastrophe and the Cure

The Only Moment We Were Alone

Be Comfortable, Creature

Greet Death

Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean

Let Me Back In

The Birth and Death of the Day

The Moon Is Down

Video: Jane's Addiction's 'Underground'

2012-01-28T10:59:00.000Z

In their latest video for Underground, the glitzy Los Angeles rockers Jane's Addiction turn the clock back to the 1920s and perform at one incredibly lascivious brothel.

As frontman Perry Farrell recently explained;

"Expect an orgy of musical and visual delights. We like orgies, and hope you do too"

"There are Siamese Gargoyles, séances, card games and a man in a white fedora who was also on the cover of [Led Zeppelin's] In Through the Out Door. People get made love to and murdered in the backrooms while the band plays on."

A version first appeared on YouTube, followed yesterday by the more 'NSFW' director's cut, premiered via playboy.com - which is of course the variant included here.

Is that Jimmy Carr making a brief appearance at 2:00?

Underground is the third single release from last year's The Great Escape Artist which we reviewed back in October. Jane's Addiction kick off their latest tour, dubbed 'Theatre of the Escapists' from February 22nd.

AOR Disco - Something Old, Something New

2012-01-27T11:38:00.000Z

Recipe: Take a classic track that everyone loves from years ago, then mix it up and enhance it for the 21st century. This is the premise upon which compiler blog AOR Disco draws its material, frequently highlighting some real gems.

AOR Disco was started in 2009 by Matthew Hamilton with a mission to rediscover the lost golden age of Adult Orientated Rock. From the beardy acoustic era of late 1960s Laurel Canyon to the white-suited Yacht Rock yuppies of the early 1980s, AOR Disco seeks out the best in vintage Californian drive-time hits, soft-rock disco, psychedelic funk, and the kind of obscure album tracks you might find at the back of your dad's record collection.

Having been misunderstood and marginalised by the music press for decades AOR is finally being given the love it deserves by a new generation of DJs and producers who give the old classics a very modern shine whilst retaining the spirit of the originals.

One very helpful extra aspect of the blog is the submission of podcast-length mixes added from contributors. This makes is so much easier to browse through the enormous catalogue of versions on the site - It's not difficult at all to get completely lost for hours in what can only be described as a very modern form of nostalgia.

And so, without further ado, as the best way to showcase some of this wonderful content, here included is a few of my favourites. Three tasty 'reworkings' of tracks by James Taylor (Fire & Rain), Fleetwood Mac (Dreams) and Queen's Radio Ga Ga.

Fire & Rain (B-Shakes Exclusive AOR Disco Version) - James Taylor

Stevie's Black Van (Toast Soundsystem Edit) - Fleetwood Mac (Dreams)

Radio Ga Ga (Virgin Magnetic Material Remix) - Queen

I came across AOR Disco a few months ago, and since then I quite often find myself loading up the blog and letting my handy browser plugin player (exfm) run through the brilliant reworkings of some classic tracks. It's a brilliant concept for a blog and judging by the fact that the associated Facebook page is maxed out of friends (5000!), that's an opinion I seem to share with a lot of like-minded music-explorers.

A hearty '+1' for the site's tagline:

"AOR is back and you need never say sorry for liking this music ever again."

aor disco links
AOR Disco Blog | SoundCloud | Facebook | Twitter

A Welcome Boost For Live Music

2012-01-26T15:59:00.002Z

Small UK music venues have recently been given a huge boost by the passing of the Live Music Bill, which was cleared by the House Of Commons last Friday 20th January.

The new bill means that any venues with a capacity of under 200 will no longer have to apply for a license to host live music, or pay the cost to acquire one, as they were previously legally required to do from 2003. Now, small pubs and venues have a new lease of life that has to potential to revive the live music arena.

The Live Music Bill comes after a number of smaller, intimate venues across the UK, including Liverpool's Masque Theatre and Sheffield's Boardwalk have recently closed which led to music publisher, NME, launching a campaign in order to help raise awareness about the decline of small venues. According to Jo Dipple, the acting chief executive of UK Music has said that the passing of this bill will:

"definitely be a boost for small venues when the act comes into force. It'll give venues clarity to know that as long as they've got an audience of under 200, that they can put on live music without an additional cost. I think the 2003 Licensing Act created a stigma around live music and this will now take that stigma from live music in this country".

The 2003 Licensing Act was essentially a disaster for music. The long and tedious process of applying for a license put a lot of venues off from hosting live music and, more importantly, made it increasingly difficult for upcoming musicians to find places to play and hone their skills. This new bill will hopefully boost pubs and venues' takings, as well as giving artists and bands more opportunities to perform live.

What you do think? From my point of view this can only be a good thing. Our live music scene is something that the UK is renowned for and can do it very well. Or do you think that this new bill will bring an onslaught of poor pub bands to our watering holes leaving us with nowhere to go? Let us know.

Profile: Melodramas

2012-01-26T11:00:00.000Z

Melodramas are vocalist Matt, guitarist Rob, bassist Greg, and drummer, Sam. I first saw them play at Joiners in Southampton in 2009 and knew they were on the path to bigger things. With their clever sense of wit, hugely energetic and upbeat sounds teamed with a tight, professional attitude, it seems they have the winning combination.

The band have dubbed their music as a pairing of spook-rock and theatrical pop (hence the name!) which breaks conventional genre barriers and is ultimately a "celebration of noise". Hailing from the coastal town of Portsmouth, this four-piece made their breakthrough in 2010 when they were selected by Tiger Beer to represent 'The West In The East'. This was obviously an unbelievably huge deal for the guys and an opportunity they couldn't turn down. Their time in the West saw them touring such exotic territories as China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia and Kuwait while playing to massive audiences and quickly built a cult-like following over there.

While back in good ol' Blighty, Melodramas were lucky enough to embark on a UK tour with none other than American Rockers, The New York Dolls, with David Johansson personally requesting Melodramas to join him on tour. Since then, Melodramas have spent the last year recording their new EP, Kids with multi-platinum producer, Sam Williams (Supergrass, Plan B, Noisettes), with Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes featuring on the track Betelgeuse. They'll be releasing Kids through Jelly Maid Music on the 5th of March and is the band's personal homage to a strong passion of theirs; B-Movies.

Melodramas' influences range from Blur, The Coral, Sparks, Talking Heads, The Strokes, and of course, Supergrass. One of their most popular tracks is titled, Elephant; a fast-paced, offbeat, guitar-centric burst of pure punk-pop delight. Midway through, the track descends into a circus-like riff of scaling guitar patterns which, while gradually picking up speed, are surrounded by quirky background effects, chirps and shrieks providing a slightly unhinged feel - something that makes the band so appealing and unique.

The new track Kids opens with a truly sci-fi, Doctor Who-esque theramin instrumental accompanied by punchy drums, duelling lead guitars and rumbling thunder effects - just what you'd expect from a spook-rock band! (Definitely for fans of Sparks!) Singer, Matt jumps in with the opening line of "This place changes after dark / kids get killed when walking through the park / 'Aven't you heard?", which is just brilliant. The slight 'mockney' accent gives it a real eerie feel, setting the scene perfectly for the ensuing sinister tale of the track.

They'll be continuing their current tour in March, ready for the release of Kids, so take a look at the dates coming up.

5th March - The Bull and Gate (Club Fandango) - London
6th March - The Green Door Store - Brighton
8th March - The Brook - Southampton
9th March - Edge of the Wedge - Portsmouth

Links: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Website | Jelly Maid Music

Coming next week: The Fauns

Album Review: Chris Olley

2012-01-25T14:58:00.000Z

the death of six by seven (bandcamp release)

I'll be the first to admit that up until a couple of years ago I hadn't come across the work of Six By Seven frontman Chris Olley. In retrospect, I wish I had.

Six By Seven were a comparatively underground part of the 'indie' music scene from the mid-nineties through to 2008, releasing an extensive catalogue of acclaimed albums but never quite making a huge breakthrough and becoming a household name as did many of their contemporaries. From about the turn of the millennium, Olley also concentrated on more eclectic side project Twelve, his own solo material, and also production work (notable with Julian Cope).

The Death Of Six By Seven comes as Olley's most recent release and is, in his own words;

"An album [written] on a Tascam 8 Track using only analogue instruments. This album is supposed to be my answer to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, simple, stripped down and stark."

True to his word, the material here is wonderfully simple, decidedly focused around the quality of the songs themselves with only a minimum of accompaniment. It's not quite 'one man and his guitar' but the lo-fi, minimalist production and instrumentation does somehow deceptively give that impression, adding at times a sense of melancholia to the songs.

The Death Of Six By Seven by (The Death Of) Six By Seven

Tracks such as This Time (with the fatalistically cynical lines "I don't wanna be right about this one, I don't wanna be right this time"), Misspronounced and Courage could easily be paralleled in terms of sound by Spacemen 3 or Spiritualized, highly atmospheric and holding an evocative drone throughout, but lifted out of the mundane with Olley's understated vocals.

Others, including There's No Loving Me, Moving and Running, come across as somewhat more upbeat in the manner of 'Ur-Indie' (Yes, I just made that up), drawing comparison say with jangly tunes from a Sonic Flower Groove-era Primal Scream, or maybe Julian Cope in acoustic-mode. Standing In The Light I have to mark as my favourite however. It sounds like it could have quite easily been a Twelve or Six By Seven track, is dark and foreboding and gives the impression that something big, scary and dangerous is on it's way. A tense 'builder' that never makes it to the inferred breakout moment - but is none the worse for that.

The Death Of Six By Seven is one of those albums that ideally needs to be sat down to and listened to actively rather than left on in the background to get the full benefit. The overall impression is bittersweet, sad (but not entirely), mournfully poignant, but tinged with a resigned smile. Quietly personal in voice and timeless in terms of it's approach to quality songwriting, an album that isn't going to pick you up and throw you across the room, but will gladly tell you its life story with a touching calm.

(See also Bandcamp, Cargo Records and Chris Olley's Blog for details of further releases and Six By Seven archives)

On The Radar 24/01/12

2012-01-24T16:16:00.000Z

Here's a selected handful of new tracks currently picked up and doing the rounds on the playlists of the Gigseen staff and writers. Music from Holy Esque, Bon Iver, Charlie 6er and Wise Blood.

Holy Esque - Rose (selected by Kate) - A new Glasgow 4-piece playing an interesting mix of epic pop and post-rock tracks. They recently hooked up with Kevin Burleigh (Glasvegas) to record this track, Rose and their sprawling instrumentation and tremulous vocal delivery ensue to wonderful effect - turn this up loud!

Bon Iver - Towers (selected by Matt) - Unique harmonies over soothing, elegant and uplifting instrumentation. A truly inspirational track that ticks all the boxes!

Charlie 6er - Pull the Lever (selected by Grim) - File under 'Experimental Jamaican Blues Hop', a brilliant dub that wanders all over the place enjoying itself at every stop along the way. Think Beck taking over at The Black Ark...

Wise Blood - Loud Mouths (selected by Kate) - A Pittsburgh bedroom-pop artist named Chris Laufman who makes woozy, inward pop songs - his voice usually being the only original element in his tracks. Laufman's sample manipulation is something quite refreshing.

This Week On Gigseen

2012-01-23T13:07:00.000Z

- LIVE LISTINGS 23/01/12 to 29/01/12: (full details)
Look out for upcoming gigs across the UK from Snow Patrol, the 'reformed' Thin Lizzy, post-rockers Explosions In The Sky, The Maccabees and many more.

- NEW RELEASES 23/01/12 to 29/01/12: (full details)
The Doors' L.A. Woman re-issued, Rodrigo Y Gabriela's new LP, Underworld anthology plus DVD releases fro Radiohead and Ian Hunter/Mick Ronson.

- UPLOAD SCHEDULE 23/01/12 to 27/01/12:
Gig of the Week = Yes : 'Symphonic Live'

monday 23rd january:
10am	Yes	Symphonic Live
2pm	James Last	Live At The Royal Albert Hall

tuesday 24th january:
10am	John McLaughlin	Live At Montreux 1984
2pm	Travis	Live At The Palace

wednesday 25th january:
10am	Isaac Hayes	Live At Montreux 2005
2pm	Violent Femmes	Live At The Hacienda '83

thursday 26th january:
10am	Laurent Garnier	Unreasonable Live
2pm	Quincy Jones	Live At Montreux 1996

friday 27th january:
10am	Frank And Walters	Live At The Spiegeltent
2pm	The Karindula Sessions	The Karindula Sessions

Gig Of The Week: Yes

2012-01-23T10:32:00.000Z

Symphonic Live [2001, 59m]
~ watch now ~

Yes are one of the most innovative and successful rock bands of all time with a career that now spans five decades. In 2001 the band took to the road accompanied by a full orchestra for the first time in their career in support of their symphonic album, Magnification. As well as tracks from that album the band present unique new versions of their classic tracks.

The Band: Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White, Tom Brislin.

Live Review: SPC ECO

2012-01-22T11:03:00.000Z

20/01 jubilee club at the camden barfly

You have to love small venues ... So much better an atmosphere, and so much easier to reach the bar. Which is of course a very important concern. Too often I've missed some fantastic performance when at larger venues by being on 'my round' duty miles away at the back of an auditorium.

Thankfully, no such danger of missing anything on this night. SPC ECO, composed of ex-Curve veteran Dean Garcia (Bass, Programming) plus progeny Rose Berlin (Vocals) and Harry K Garcia (Guitar), pulled a decent sized crowd despite being first up on a billing of three bands - Daniel Land & The Modern Painters and The Domino State followed. The set was as such rather short, but even with just six numbers the sound fell straight away into where it should be - a wonderfully deep, embracing wall of noise.

In tribute to my collection of dodgy bootleg cassettes purchased many years ago round the corner in Camden Market, just as an experiment I hit 'Record' on my phone and surprisingly the result, in retrospect, is not quite as abysmal as I expected (see embedded gadget).

Obviously, the quality is a million miles away from the full-on onslaught of actually being there and I can confirm that SPC ECO were on top form, the volume levels nicely up in the realm where this particular breed of expertly-delivered, bass-driven, driving yet at times angelic 'nu-gaze' permeates not only the ears but washes through the listener in the manner of a hallucinated tsunami. Yep, perhaps you can tell - I quite like SPC ECO.

Four of the six numbers came from recent album You Tell Me (Reviewed HERE), plus opener Telling You from 2010's 3 D. All of which hit the spot but the true highlight for me was by far the new track. Introduced by Rose as "written last week", this new offering was absolutely bloody huge. I'm tempted to use the word 'awesome' in its literal, non-american sense (insert Izzard/Hotdog reference here). A lot of probably involuntary slo-mo headbanging/nodding kicked off right there amongst the assembled crowd - which under the circumstances was completely understandable.

EDIT: - Typically, just as I posted this - I checked Facebook and lo and behold - there's an excellent video up (filmed by Wombbaby) from the night - New track is called Give You Nothing - Quality damn sight better than what I recorded.

Sadly the all-too-short set ended, and after listening to a couple of tracks from Daniel Land & The Modern Painters (which I'm sure normally would be great - but following SPC ECO just made them sound a little too 'generic' for me) I headed out and finished up my evening at The World's End down the road - Utterly appropriate after a half hour in the company of the most beautifully apocalyptic noise I've heard in a long while. An excellent night.

(See SPC ECO on Bandcamp for all their releases.)

Rock And Roll Ain't Dead..

2012-01-20T12:26:00.000Z

As you may have noticed recently, the music press has been full of talk about the demise of Rock music, the painful death of Indie bands and the glowing reign Pop music held over 2011.

Now, lets not scan over the facts here, as the figures speak for themselves:

Pop, in all its shiny, plastic, bubblegum glory, surpassed Rock (in terms of album sales) for the first time in eight years. The numbers show that the Pop genre increased its share of album sales from 30.9% to 33.6%, whereas Rock dipped from 31.2% to 29.4%. Although it may not seem like a lot, when it's a case of the repetitive synth motif blasting out of the airwaves over the classic guitar riff, surely something needs to change?

Despite monotonous artists like Adele, Bruno Mars and Jessie J, Pop still managed to account for 36% of sales in 2011. Making up the numbers were other genres such as Folk with 1.6% and Blues at 0.9%. Rock music shared just 18% (three in every ten albums sold) of the market last year, making it the lowest share since 2004. So what exactly happened eight years ago? I want to pinpoint the exact moment we ditched the guitars.

Below is a list of just some of the Indie/Rock tracks that were dominating the charts back in 2004:

All These Things That I've Done - The Killers

Walk Idiot Walk - The Hives

Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand

Somebody Told Me - The Killers

Burning Photographs - Ryan Adams

Float On - Modest Mouse

Vertigo - U2

First of the Gang To Die - Morrissey

Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeah's

But Julian I'm A Little Older Than You - Coutney Love

I Miss You - Blink 182

Tell Her Tonight - Franz Ferdinand

Indie Rock and Roll - The Killers

The End Has No End - The Strokes

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

You Talk Way Too Much - The Strokes

Personal Jesus - Marilyn Manson

American Idiot - Green Day

Holy Roller Novocaine - Kings Of Leon

Get Your Hands Off My Woman - The Darkness

Two-Timing Touch and Broken Bones - The Hives

Y'all Want A Single - Korn

Leaving New York - R.E.M.

America Is Not the World - Morrissey

Fuck the World - The Vines

The End of the World - The Cure

Word Up - Korn

Reach For the Sky - Social Distortion

Untitled - Interpol

Great High Mountain - Jack White

Deja Vu - John Fogerty

A pretty good list if you ask me. So what went wrong?

Well, I don't think it's a case of something going wrong, per se, more that things came to a natural standstill. We have to remember that in today's all-consuming culture of immediacy and now-now-now demand, people's attention can dwindle. Music fans like to be kept on their toes, and with so much music from the same genre, perhaps the stagnant waters of Indie-Rock that were so prevalent in 2004 ignited a need for change.

The phases and trends of the music industry are inevitable; without them, we wouldn't have seen musical movements like Grunge in the Nineties, the Brip-Pop era, the sweet, bubblegum Pop of the early Noughties and the fresh creations of the Dubstep wave that hit the world last year. The very notion of the word 'trend'- to "change or develop in a general direction", implies that it is already predetermined.

Trends that occur in the music industry are influenced by a number of outside variants, ranging from social and political contexts, as well as one of the most important catalysts in musical development; the advancement of technology. So, I guess what I'm really trying to say is that Rock and Roll isn't dead, it's just been lying dormant for a while taking a well deserved rest, and I'm hoping that 2012 will be the year to catapult it back into the world arena. Long live Rock and Roll!

Profile: ÜBER≡TONE

2012-01-19T14:46:00.000Z

Formed in 2011 with members from London, Brighton, South Africa & West Africa, ÜBER≡TONE specialise in a heady fusion of Deep Funky House and melodic electropop, or "Synth-driven Human House Music."

Definition: über-/ˈo͞obər/
Prefix: Denoting an outstanding or supreme example of a particular kind of person, sound or thing.

Definition: tone/tōn/
Noun: The overall quality of a musical or vocal sound.

ÜBER≡TONE's sonic offerings include a blend of popular covers and superb original songs, and with their non-stop, DJ format live set, vibrant onstage energy, and distinctive lead vocalist, their wide range of musical and international influences heighten the thrill of their music and their awesome live performances.

The band are currently going out as a 3-piece, the excellent vocal skills of Dobi Kwe backed by the superbly driven musicianship of Steve Brandwood and Shaun Lee. ÜBER≡TONE had been up until recently gigging under the name Play Date for a good period of time, but decided to 're-brand' last year, and to dovetail this with a somewhat richer and more dancey sound. The slant here and now is very much that of a band that's all about live performance and bringing it on with a fantastic atmosphere.

That's not to say there's nothing happening in the recording department, their EP 1 is up for preview on SoundCloud and hopefully the near future will see the 4-tracker appear as the band's first official release. I can see it doing well on a vinyl pressing especially.

Personally, I find myself liking the tunes here a lot more than I imagined I would do (as I'm normally something of a wall-of-sound guitar fan). However, it's really not hard to get drawn in to the groove of the tracks. Something About Ü especially does it for me, it's got a lovely absorbing feel to it that makes me think it could easily be pulled out live into and epic dancefloor filler that mysteriously halts the passage of time.

Hit The Floor too certainly has to be praised for a wonderful '808 State' moment mid-way through. I enjoyed an unexpected flashback to a mis-spent youth right there!

There's something about the final two tunes that puts me in mind of some of the best output from what was once called 'Acid Jazz' - but blended perfectly with great funk lines and a marvellous swell of house beats grounding the bottom end of the sound. Absolutely a brilliant combination that, to used a tired but effective cliché, can simply be described as 'ear-candy'. The band's tagline is completely correct - A super-smooth blend of easily danceable electronica that retains a real human feel throughout.

Unfortunately for me, I missed ÜBER≡TONE's last gig (kicking myself for that) which was at Brighton's Komedia Club on New Year's Eve (Electric Cocktail). And judging from reports of the night - it looks like I definitely need to get out there and make it to the next date. Sooner rather than later I sincerely hope.

Album Review: Tribes

2012-01-18T15:14:00.002Z

baby (island)

When Camden four-piece, Tribes, first emerged onto the scene in 2010, they were hailed as one of the bands with the potential to revive guitar music and it's struggling sale figures.

An understandable and hopeful prediction at first, but with their fuzz-soaked debut album, Baby, they're more likely to unearth the Nineties Grunge sound of pioneering bands like The Pixies or Nirvana, instead of a stimulating new direction the genre is so desperate for. But don't get me wrong, this is still a great album!

Baby is an nostalgia-inducing amalgamation of both the Grunge and Brit-Pop eras. The first two tracks, Whenever and We Were Children, are grunge-tinged, swaggering rock tracks brimming with musical relics of days gone by. The first has an opening guitar riff loosely based around the classic flange sound that helped to define Nirvana's Nevermind album, and the second takes elements of The Pixies' melancholic Where Is My Mind? intro. We were Children, particularly, is one of my favourite tracks on the album. The song's hook is the line, "We were children in the Mid-Nineties" and has that hopeless yet completely uplifting, 'It's-ok' sound that built the foundation for so many Grunge records.

The influences detectable on this album are far and wide, from the Lo-Fi sounds a-kin to Blur, the confidence of Noel Gallagher in frontman, Johnny Lloyds's delivery and the indie fringes of Brit group, Suede, with the track, Corner Of An English Field. The rest of the album delves in and out of the indie shoe-gaze style (Sappho), combined with spacey acoustic tracks (Halfway Home) and songs lamenting love, loss and heartbreak (Himalaya). Halfway Home is a beautiful song which slowly builds to the intensely emotional cry of "I'm not in love with you / This time it's plain to see". Baby is full of sharp songwriting. Tribes' have an endearing and dark quality about their writing, which effortlessly cascades into eloquent storytelling, such as the lyric, "How do you tell a son that his daddy left his mum when he fell in love with a girl like you?".

What makes this record so intriguing is their clever hold on juxtapositional content. Baby is awash with contrasts that keep the listener on their toes - the bright melodies against the dark, fuzzy guitars. The filthy/sweet dichotomy that is implied at in the subject matter and the downright noisy grunge balanced with soft acoustic passages. They are the epitome of a diamond in the rough.

Despite the band being young, and barely around during the Grunge movement, their ability to assert a sense of authority and authenticity in their music is impressive. They speak to the public - the disillusioned, disheartened youth who are looking towards a bleak future of hopelessness and pointlessness - in the same way bands were doing two decades ago. Tribes' music invigorates and arouses, whilst translating the familiar, lost relics into something fresh and exciting.

Every new guitar band brings with them a sense of hope and expectation for the future. We cling on, hoping to not let them slip from our grasp. However, Tribes fill me with optimism. Their chance of saving a dying scene is one I'm willing to back, and with a record as big as Baby, they've certainly got more than a fighting chance!

Tribes Vibes by TRIBES

Track listing (Deluxe Version):

Whenever
We Were Children
Corner Of An English Field
Halfway Home
Sappho
Himalaya
Nightdriving
When My Day Comes
Walking In The Street
Alone Or With Friends
Bad Apple
Glass Of Poison
Coming Down On Me
In This Life

Are Festivals Becoming Too Technological?

2012-01-16T15:54:00.000Z

Last weekend, attendees of The Eurosonic festival in The Netherlands were the first to test out a new design set to move away from the classic model of the festival wristband, containing a highly advanced microchip.

By testing out this new technology ahead of the Summer festival season, the designers, a company named Intellitix, are hoping to eliminate increasing ticket fraud and touting, and will also have the capacity to have credit loaded onto it in order to purchase goods on the festival site. The main purpose of the wristbands will be for general admission into festival sites, with the hope of lessening queues as wristbands will be scanned by handheld devices or turnstiles on entry (and exit). Once scanned, the wristbands will allow festival organisers to see and track track data of the festival-goers.

But are these wristbands a good idea?

Well, critics and Glastonbury organiser, Michael Eavis have already deemed them as potentially "too commercial." Eavis especially is worried about the commercial implications of the chip, as well as the ability to gain information about people from the chip in the wristband. However, the chief of Intellitix has denied that the tracking chip technology is invasive of people's privacy, as wearers can choose to be anonymous.

Other concerns with wristband have been about the possible increase in ticket prices in order to pay for this new technology, but again, we have been reassured that the microchips cost "pennies" to produce. So far, more than a million people have used the wristbands, but there is more information to come.

So, as a previous festival-goer, I'm going to give you my opinion on these wristbands. From what I can remember from my festival experiences, the queueing was never a particularly bad part of the day. You're with your friends, you've cracked open the beers and you've turned on the portable speakers proceeding to sing along to the acts your most looking forward to seeing. You also inevitably meet some proper weirdos in the queue, making for a highly entertaining couple of hours which, quite frankly, can often be more memorable than some of the sets you see over the weekend. However, what technology could really improve in terms of queuing and entry, is the standard, bag and luggage spot-check! This is what takes so long (you wouldn't believe what some people bring with them)!

The other thing that comes to mind is whether you can continue wearing the wristband once the festival is over? Because for me, this was one of the most important aspects of being a festival-goer. In musical circles, amongst friends and even on public transport, the glimpse of a colourful (or slightly dirty if it had been worn for a long time) wristband was a specific status symbol. Certain wristbands meant different things, and also the number of wristbands on one wrist was also extremely important! It was a way of making part of your life, your personality, visible to the world - I like music. And I like watching it live at festivals. I also discovered that there is a timespan of two years after the event, give or take, in which you are allowed to keep said wristband on. After that, it was often viewed as a little disgusting (despite it being washed with you everyday, they still got a little grimy). So, with the possibility of this new technological wristband becoming a reality, the potential of wiping out a whole festival sub-culture may well become a sad and harsh truth.

There are many other disadvantages to these festival wristbands, but as long as ticket prices are not compromised, I guess it can't be all that bad. After all, it has to come down to music. But we want to hear from you - what do you think?

This Week On Gigseen

2012-01-16T15:30:00.000Z

So, aside from a new design here on the blog (of which there'll be more coming very soon), what's on offer from us this week?. First up our 'Gig of the Week' - The Pretenders' Loose In L.A. from 2002, Chrissie Hynde and band rocking through a hour and a half set (20 tracks!) from a fantastic performance at the Wilton Theatre. As ever, if you haven't already - simply register on the site to watch this and any other Featured Videos in full.

What else is new? Ten new gigs uploaded to our servers of course:

Monday 16th:
10am Pretenders - Loose In L.A. (Gig of the Week)
2pm Wayne Shorter - Live At Montreux 1996

Tuesday 17th:
10am Willy De Ville - Live In The Lowlands
2pm Edith Piaf - Tribute To Edith Piaf

Wednesday 18th:
10am John McLaughlin - Live At Montreux 1974
2pm The Cheiftains - Live At Montreux 1997

Thursday 19th:
10am Heart - Dreamboat Annie
2pm Caravan - Live At Metropolis Studio

Friday 20th:
10am Soft Cell - Tainted Love: Live In Milan
2pm Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Live At Montreux 1989/2000

And finally we've handily compiled the pick of the week's Live Listings and New Releases into pages here on the blog - Now there's no excuse to miss out on anything ...

Gig Of The Week: The Pretenders

2012-01-16T12:11:00.001Z

Loose In L.A. [2003, 1h 29m]
~ watch now ~

The Pretenders have been consistently making classic albums and hit singles in a career that now spans 25 years. Lead by the charismatic Chrissie Hynde, possessor of one of the most recognisable voices in rock music, they have topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and in many other territories around the world.

Loose In L.A. is the first Pretenders concert to be released. It was recorded at the Wilton Theatre, Los Angeles on the US Tour for their album Loose Screw.

The Band: Chrissie Hynde - Vocals And Guitar, Adam Seymour - Lead Guitar And Backing Vocals, Andy Hobson - Bass Guitar And Backing Vocals, Martin Chambers - Drums And Backing Vocals, Zeben Jameson - Keyboards, Percussion And Backing Vocals.

Profile: Jay James Picton

2012-01-12T15:28:00.001Z

Recently signed to Universal Music Group/Decca Records and U.S. publishers, BUG Music, singer / songwriter , Jay James Picton is making big waves both in the UK and across the pond; and rightly so!

Picton is a man with many strings to his bow - not only a soulful and sincere vocalist and songwriter, but a film-maker too. His desire to branch out into other areas and not be boxed in by one medium is something extremely refreshing. The brand of 'real music' Picton embodies, combined with soulful, bluesy influences is an exciting prospect for 2012. He is taking music back to its roots, stripping it right back, and in the process reveals something raw and organic.

Picton's lyrics are firmly based around his own life experiences with honest and confident reflections of the world that are far beyond his years. His status over in America has been steadily growing, having already collaborated with legends such as Booker T (member of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame) and The Roots for his forthcoming album, critics and tastemakers are beginning latch onto the emerging hype.

Jay's latest venture into the film world is a four-part project titled, Heads Vs. Hearts, detailing his personal experiences and sufferings of living in a one-sided relationship (Watch part 2. below). The project showcases his talents in storyboarding and communication through visual aids. In an interview with online publication, Gigwise, Jay commented on the project:

"When you’re in a one-sided relationship, the emotions you feel are often clouded and mixed up with paranoia and a like attraction, even though you know you'd be better off without that person, the constant battle with them and your own mind to make it work often sets off other emotions. The feelings once lost of preferring all that shit over nothing at all.

Currently working stateside on his new album, Jay's natural blend of old blues influences and new contemporary grooves is one of unique force in the music world. Authentic, instantly likeable and endearing. Be prepared to see more of him this year!

Below you can listen to his track, Boy That Wants To Fly

The January Playlist

2012-01-09T16:34:00.002Z

So, the month of January is already getting a little tiresome, don't ya think? And to tell you the truth, our usual blog posts of Live Listings and Album Releases are lacking, to say the least. But hey, that's not our fault - so we've decided to be extra super-duper productive and make everyone an excellent playlist to listen to.

We reckon it might help you along those tedious days in the office, commutes, or it would also work as a great gym playlist for all those motivated, new years resolution types. So let us know what you think!

The playlist is in no order whatsoever. It has a bit of old, a bit of new and every genre from trance to some alternative indie rock. So get your chops round this little beauty, and enjoy!

P.S. The tracks were lovingly chosen by myself, and fellow Gigseen colleague, Matt. However, we take no responsibility for the possibility/reality of readers not liking any of the selection below.

January Playlist by Kate Fletcher on Grooveshark

This Week On Gigseen

2012-01-09T14:35:00.000Z

Well, here we are. One week down, 51 weeks to go. Don’t know about you, but the first week of 2012 has been a blast, here at Gigseen High Command. We’ve packed away the Christmas kit, got our resolutions up on the whiteboard and figured out where that cheesy smell was coming from. So, none of those January blues for us, unless you count some of our great gigs, of course.

Speaking of great gigs, we’ve got an excellent bunch of new releases this week. We’re kicking off with our Gig of the Week; Elvis Costello, Live in Memphis. Monday also features the enchanting Diane Schuur and the Count Basie Orchestra.

Tuesday has our usual melange of the exotic, with both Engelbert Humperdinck and Van Der Graaf Generator completing our ‘artists with the awesomest names’ day.

Wednesday brings us back to to earth, with some great vocalists. In the morning we bring you Marc Almond and his gig The Willing Sinner followed, in the afternoon, by The Isley Brothers and their greatest hits gig Summer Breeze.

Thursday is pretty special too, though. How often are we going to be able to say this? We have a presidential candidate featured on Gigseen! Youssou N' Dour, currently running for the top job in Senegal, starts the day with his 1989 Montreux concert. Then, in the afternoon, we have, perhaps the president of Divas; Shirley Bassey.

Friday has to be my favourite day of this week. Not only do we have the very scary Mr Shane MacGowan, he of The Pogues and Fairytale in New York fame - you must have heard it at least 47 times in December, but we also have one of my top 10 bands, with America - Live in Central Park, closing off the day.

So, there you have it, more of the best, all for you, only here, on Gigseen.

Live Review: The Million Dollar Quartet

2012-01-09T12:32:00.001Z

I left work early on Friday afternoon (sorry Neil, meant to tell you that) to catch the 5.32 up to London’s West End, one of the most happening places in the world. There was a quick stop in an overly heated Café Rouge for a pre show dinner served by supposedly French people and then it was time to make our way to the Noel Coward Theatre.

I have fond memories of this venue – the last thing I saw here was none other than the funniest show I have ever seen; Avenue Q. If you haven’t seen it, well, you’re too late as it is not on anymore and you missed your chance. Unlucky.

So, for those of you who don’t know what the Million Dollar Quartet is, the show refers to the night that Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis were brought together by Sun Records founder Sam Phillips for an impromptu, legendary music-making session at his Memphis Studio.

The date was the 4th December 1956, Elvis’ recording contract had recently been sold to RCA in order to pay off debts and continue the growth of Sun Records. The newest signing, a young and immature Jerry Lee Lewis was just starting out, and Carl Perkins was desperately searching for a follow up hit after his success with Blue Suede Shoes.

The cast consisted of the quartet, Sam Phillips and Elvis’ then girlfriend Dyanne. There were virtually no moments when everyone was not on stage, due to the small cast size, so the actors had few chances to relax in a dressing room. I suspect the interval was a welcome break.

Let me start by saying that the musicianship of these four guys, together with the house band consisting of double bass and drums on stage was nothing short of fantastic. They were tighter than a nun’s wimple. Considering that everything was absolutely live, the energy coming out of the quartet was electric, especially from young Jerry who spent his two hours on stage smashing his piano to bits every way imaginable, and was displaying well earned plasters across his fingers.

Although I am not in a great position to judge, I am told that the mannerisms of each quartet member was pulled off with great skill; some serious homework has obviously been done. I can only vouch for Jerry Lee Lewis (he is, after all right here on Gigseen), who played with the mic in between his legs, as well as his shall we say, aggressive, playing techniques and mischievous personality.

The show is essentially a 2-hour concert; a jukebox musical if you will. There is little in the way of serious acting and the show seldom explores the individual stories of each character, the longest break in the continuous stream of songs was for Johnny and Carl to tell Sam Phillips that they had already signed a deal with Columbia – a sombre mood which was duly broken by Jerry Lee Lewis breaking out with Great Balls of Fire. It felt like the show was always rushing though the sketchy dialogue to get to the next hit song, and if you were to attend in the hope of learning about the history of Sun Records, it’s founder Sam Phillips and the success of early rock and roll records then you would be hugely disappointed. I would suggest reading the programme at the interval so you didn’t leave completely down hearted.

There are plenty of this type of show around at the moment, which must suggest that a London audience enjoys an overly produced glitzy array of songs-we-all-know, based around a makeshift storyline; We Will Rock You perhaps being the most successful example. I cringe at the news that Shrek the Musical has opened in London, but take solace in the success of Wicked!, one of the last shows of it’s kind and have no problem in telling people I have seen it on five occasions.

The most obvious comparison is to Jersey Boys, telling the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, a show which I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did. The balance between sing-a-long with serious storytelling was perfect. The show had substance, a love interest and background; all of which Million Dollar Quartet lacked.

But please don’t get me wrong - this show was great. It really was. Although its audience is potentially restricted to people of a certain age and a particular music style, anyone could enjoy this. I defy anyone to leave the auditorium not feeling revitalised, and seeing as my ticket was free, (Christmas present) I certainly did.