England is a beautiful place when drenched in sunlight under a blanket of blue. It is just a shame that, so much of the time, we are shrouded in greyness. It's not often one gets the chance to bust out the sunnies.
Monday, July 30, 2007
And if it rains, we'll just sink into the mud....
England has been hit by some pretty severe weather recently. Much of the country has been flooded, and people are even going so far as to say that it is our worst summer on record. Therefore, when the sun shone this Sunday afternoon, I couldn't resist walking on the South Downs and breathing in the warmth.
England is a beautiful place when drenched in sunlight under a blanket of blue. It is just a shame that, so much of the time, we are shrouded in greyness. It's not often one gets the chance to bust out the sunnies.
England is a beautiful place when drenched in sunlight under a blanket of blue. It is just a shame that, so much of the time, we are shrouded in greyness. It's not often one gets the chance to bust out the sunnies.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Klaxons and Jamie T nominated for a Mercury
I've just heard the nominees for this September's Mercury Music Prize and I'm very impressed. For those of you not in the know, the Mercury is the most well-respected award in the biz for the year's best album (previous winning albums came from Arctic Monkeys in 2006, Antony and The Johnsons in 2005, Franz Ferdinand in 2004 and Dizzy Rascal in 2003). Well, this year sees Arctic Monkeys and Dizzy nominated again, as well as the marvelous Amy Winehouse and NYPC. Most pleasingly though are the inclusion of the brilliant Klaxons album and the equally awesome Jamie T. I'd love Klaxons to win as I adore them, but, if you fancy a flutter, I reckon the clever money is on London rapscallion Jamie T or Winehouse for victory.
I'm so delighted that Klaxons are being recognised that I thought I'd revisit my review from a few months back.
KLAXONS
Myths Of The Near Future
When I spoke to Klaxons a couple of months back, they claimed the New Rave tag that they had been lumbered with was nothing more than a media construct, and one listen to their debut long-player confirms this. While Klaxons are certainly offering something new, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of rave within the 11 tracks on offer here.
Anyone who thinks the band are nothing more than style-over-content, fluoro-clad scenesters will be surprised to learn that, in spite of the false pigeonholing, Myths Of The Near Future is genuinely exciting and visionary, and manages to experimentally fuse dark pop with elements of punk and dance. The album is filled with space-age themes, but rather than having a pessimistic vision of an apocalyptic world in the vein of Muse, Klaxons face the future armed with an Acid House smile and a pocketful of pills, making this 35-mintues of dancey, mashed-up fun of the highest order.
Current radio favourite Golden Skans harks back to the best of 80s pop, while previous singles Atlantis to Interzone and Gravity’s Rainbow are high-speed, amphetamine-fuelled dance-punk car crashes. Meanwhile, hidden away at the back of the album is a cover of Grace’s classic It’s Not Over Yet, which is a delicious piece of gurning, synth-drenched karaoke.
With Myths Of The Near Future, Klaxons have defiantly transcended the hype and created a truly dazzling album.
Rave? Hardly. Apocalyptic pop? Possibly. Bloody brilliant? Absolutely.
(My latest interview with Klaxons will be a Drum Media cover story soon...)
I'm so delighted that Klaxons are being recognised that I thought I'd revisit my review from a few months back.
KLAXONSMyths Of The Near Future
When I spoke to Klaxons a couple of months back, they claimed the New Rave tag that they had been lumbered with was nothing more than a media construct, and one listen to their debut long-player confirms this. While Klaxons are certainly offering something new, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of rave within the 11 tracks on offer here.
Anyone who thinks the band are nothing more than style-over-content, fluoro-clad scenesters will be surprised to learn that, in spite of the false pigeonholing, Myths Of The Near Future is genuinely exciting and visionary, and manages to experimentally fuse dark pop with elements of punk and dance. The album is filled with space-age themes, but rather than having a pessimistic vision of an apocalyptic world in the vein of Muse, Klaxons face the future armed with an Acid House smile and a pocketful of pills, making this 35-mintues of dancey, mashed-up fun of the highest order.
Current radio favourite Golden Skans harks back to the best of 80s pop, while previous singles Atlantis to Interzone and Gravity’s Rainbow are high-speed, amphetamine-fuelled dance-punk car crashes. Meanwhile, hidden away at the back of the album is a cover of Grace’s classic It’s Not Over Yet, which is a delicious piece of gurning, synth-drenched karaoke.
With Myths Of The Near Future, Klaxons have defiantly transcended the hype and created a truly dazzling album.
Rave? Hardly. Apocalyptic pop? Possibly. Bloody brilliant? Absolutely.
(My latest interview with Klaxons will be a Drum Media cover story soon...)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The Latitude Festival 2007, UK
Even though I'm back in Blighty, I'm still writing for Drum Media. Here is my review of England's Latitude festival, which included a great set by New Young Pony Club (below):
Blazing sunshine at a festival in England? Surely not? Well, in contrast to the mud-bath that was Glastonbury, The Latitude Festival was played out to gorgeous blue skies in the most picturesque setting imaginable, on the banks of a lake in the Suffolk countryside.
As well as being the most aesthetically-pleasing festival in England, the relatively new three-day event also boasted an outstanding line-up, which included a couple of Sydney bands. Tucked away on a stage in the woods, Howling Bells offered a suitably atmospheric set as the sun went down behind pink skies.
Meanwhile, in front of a large crowd, folk siblings Angus and Julia Stone (below) told beautiful tales of love and pain plucked from their upcoming debut album, before raising the roof with a delicious rendition of Chumbawumba’s Tubthumping. The rapturous reception and yelled proclamations of love that they received suggests that England is falling for their unquestionable charm in the same way that Australia is. Theirs is a star which continues to ascend at pace.
On the main stage, which frustratingly suffered from sound problems all weekend, the legendary Jarvis Cocker played a cover version that rivalled Angus and Julia’s. His rendition of Eye Of The Tiger ended a stunning display which was punctuated by him casually chatting to the crowd about everything from cloud formations to politics. It was a performance which cemented Cocker’s place as one of the most charismatic frontmen of all-time.
While the muddy sound emanating from the PA was usually nothing more than a minor annoyance throughout the weekend, it was woeful to the point of being offensive during Midlake’s short set. Soldiering on, the Americans were joined onstage for Roscoe by the busiest band of the festival, The Magic Numbers, who also turned up to help Damien Rice end his epic performance with a bang. The brother/sister quartet had earlier played their own set, which once again proved they are the perfect festival band. Singing along to their harmonies under a clear blue sky certainly beat getting soaked to the skin while watching them in the torrential rain at The Great Escape earlier this year too.
Brazilian indietronica/dance sextet CSS (above) brought the party to Latitude with their infectiously poppy tunes. On a stage bedecked in helium balloons, vocalist Lovefoxxx danced with abandon in glittery cat-suits so wonderfully garish that even Karen O might have thought twice about wearing them. By the time the mesmeric frontwoman belted out crowd-favourite Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above, Latitude had turned from being a quaint part of the English countryside into the best disco ever. Similarly, on the same tiny stage that Howling Bells played, New Young Pony Club (below) went off. Literally. The crowd went so nuts to the Londoners’ dancey tunes that the plug had to be pulled on their show due to safety concerns.
Elsewhere, Albert Hammond Junior (below) proved himself to be more than just the guitarist with big hair from The Strokes by playing an outstanding, pop-tinged set with the backing of a ridiculously tight band. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah put in a performance that split the crowd in two, with fans loving it while the uninitiated struggled to overcome the abrasive vocals. Having previously made a guest appearance on stage during New York folk singer Elvis Perkins’ appealing set, Cold War Kids ended their own energetic and well-received show with the storming Hang Me Up To Dry. Herman Dune played kooky guitar tracks, Joan As Policewoman combined the magical elements of Cat Power, Kate Bush and Regina Spektor and Au Revoir Simone’s dreamy synth tunes were perfect for a sunny afternoon.
On Sunday night, the festival was brought to a majestic close by art-rockers Arcade Fire. Theirs was an utterly thrilling performance, and it was an indication of their awesome songwriting that, even though they only have two albums under their belt, their show played like a greatest hits set. As thousands of sunburnt Brits danced and sang along to No Cars Go and Neighbourhood #3, it became clear that Latitude can seriously rival Glastonbury as the best British festival, with its beautiful setting, chilled out vibe and no end of art, poetry, theatre and great bands to enjoy. Now all they need to do is sort out those sound problems on the main stage.
Blazing sunshine at a festival in England? Surely not? Well, in contrast to the mud-bath that was Glastonbury, The Latitude Festival was played out to gorgeous blue skies in the most picturesque setting imaginable, on the banks of a lake in the Suffolk countryside.As well as being the most aesthetically-pleasing festival in England, the relatively new three-day event also boasted an outstanding line-up, which included a couple of Sydney bands. Tucked away on a stage in the woods, Howling Bells offered a suitably atmospheric set as the sun went down behind pink skies.
Meanwhile, in front of a large crowd, folk siblings Angus and Julia Stone (below) told beautiful tales of love and pain plucked from their upcoming debut album, before raising the roof with a delicious rendition of Chumbawumba’s Tubthumping. The rapturous reception and yelled proclamations of love that they received suggests that England is falling for their unquestionable charm in the same way that Australia is. Theirs is a star which continues to ascend at pace.
On the main stage, which frustratingly suffered from sound problems all weekend, the legendary Jarvis Cocker played a cover version that rivalled Angus and Julia’s. His rendition of Eye Of The Tiger ended a stunning display which was punctuated by him casually chatting to the crowd about everything from cloud formations to politics. It was a performance which cemented Cocker’s place as one of the most charismatic frontmen of all-time. While the muddy sound emanating from the PA was usually nothing more than a minor annoyance throughout the weekend, it was woeful to the point of being offensive during Midlake’s short set. Soldiering on, the Americans were joined onstage for Roscoe by the busiest band of the festival, The Magic Numbers, who also turned up to help Damien Rice end his epic performance with a bang. The brother/sister quartet had earlier played their own set, which once again proved they are the perfect festival band. Singing along to their harmonies under a clear blue sky certainly beat getting soaked to the skin while watching them in the torrential rain at The Great Escape earlier this year too.
Brazilian indietronica/dance sextet CSS (above) brought the party to Latitude with their infectiously poppy tunes. On a stage bedecked in helium balloons, vocalist Lovefoxxx danced with abandon in glittery cat-suits so wonderfully garish that even Karen O might have thought twice about wearing them. By the time the mesmeric frontwoman belted out crowd-favourite Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above, Latitude had turned from being a quaint part of the English countryside into the best disco ever. Similarly, on the same tiny stage that Howling Bells played, New Young Pony Club (below) went off. Literally. The crowd went so nuts to the Londoners’ dancey tunes that the plug had to be pulled on their show due to safety concerns.
Elsewhere, Albert Hammond Junior (below) proved himself to be more than just the guitarist with big hair from The Strokes by playing an outstanding, pop-tinged set with the backing of a ridiculously tight band. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah put in a performance that split the crowd in two, with fans loving it while the uninitiated struggled to overcome the abrasive vocals. Having previously made a guest appearance on stage during New York folk singer Elvis Perkins’ appealing set, Cold War Kids ended their own energetic and well-received show with the storming Hang Me Up To Dry. Herman Dune played kooky guitar tracks, Joan As Policewoman combined the magical elements of Cat Power, Kate Bush and Regina Spektor and Au Revoir Simone’s dreamy synth tunes were perfect for a sunny afternoon.
On Sunday night, the festival was brought to a majestic close by art-rockers Arcade Fire. Theirs was an utterly thrilling performance, and it was an indication of their awesome songwriting that, even though they only have two albums under their belt, their show played like a greatest hits set. As thousands of sunburnt Brits danced and sang along to No Cars Go and Neighbourhood #3, it became clear that Latitude can seriously rival Glastonbury as the best British festival, with its beautiful setting, chilled out vibe and no end of art, poetry, theatre and great bands to enjoy. Now all they need to do is sort out those sound problems on the main stage.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Erin Marshall on Australian Television
Singer/songwriter Erin Marshall performed live on The Morning Show on Wednesday. Here is the clip:As well as being a talented lady with a faultless voice, she is a humble person with a wonderful spirit, and I have high hopes for her career. If you rummage through my blog you will find a couple of gushing reviews of her previous gigs. Keep an eye out for her in the future...
Performing at The Cornbury Festival
I put down my pen for long enough to head to the Cornbury Music Festival to perform as part of David Ford's band (that's me, far left): 
The weather was as fine as our spirits were until we arrived to find that the people who were running the festival were either officious, clueless or, as was often the case, both. Therefore we found ourselves with nowhere to camp, no-where to leave our gear, and with no-one from the festival seeming to give half a shit. If we had said we were going home, they would barely have cared. Indeed, it was a festival where the artists seemed to be little more than an inconvenience to those who were running it. It was truly a woefully-organised event. Still, we eventually managed to get someone to make the effort to find us some space to camp amongst the great unwashed, and we had a great time in spite of the fact that absolutely everything was made difficult for us (even the act of travelling from one place to the next was made harder by the fact that we were stopped at every turn by a steward who had no idea what he was doing. It was farcical).
Ford’s gig was a triumph though and my la la la-ing was note-perfect. Or maybe it was not perfect. Whatevs, I had fun. Afterwards we helped ourselves to the free grub and proceeded to avoid almost every other band’s shows (except The Proclaimers and Echo and The Bunnymen), in favour of drinking grog and dancing like twats to bad music. We decided not to stay for the Sunday and instead got the fuck out of there. It was a horrible festival, filled with middle-class 30-somethings and their spoilt kids who believe The Lighthouse Family to be the height of musical genius. It was a festival where the music was almost incidental and there was no-one who wasn’t white to be seen. Awful. Still, at least Ford got a great reception, even if it was from Middle-England.
The weather was as fine as our spirits were until we arrived to find that the people who were running the festival were either officious, clueless or, as was often the case, both. Therefore we found ourselves with nowhere to camp, no-where to leave our gear, and with no-one from the festival seeming to give half a shit. If we had said we were going home, they would barely have cared. Indeed, it was a festival where the artists seemed to be little more than an inconvenience to those who were running it. It was truly a woefully-organised event. Still, we eventually managed to get someone to make the effort to find us some space to camp amongst the great unwashed, and we had a great time in spite of the fact that absolutely everything was made difficult for us (even the act of travelling from one place to the next was made harder by the fact that we were stopped at every turn by a steward who had no idea what he was doing. It was farcical).Ford’s gig was a triumph though and my la la la-ing was note-perfect. Or maybe it was not perfect. Whatevs, I had fun. Afterwards we helped ourselves to the free grub and proceeded to avoid almost every other band’s shows (except The Proclaimers and Echo and The Bunnymen), in favour of drinking grog and dancing like twats to bad music. We decided not to stay for the Sunday and instead got the fuck out of there. It was a horrible festival, filled with middle-class 30-somethings and their spoilt kids who believe The Lighthouse Family to be the height of musical genius. It was a festival where the music was almost incidental and there was no-one who wasn’t white to be seen. Awful. Still, at least Ford got a great reception, even if it was from Middle-England.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Farewell Australia
It has been a busy few weeks, which accounts for the lack of posts. I have moved home, and country, said goodbye to some loved ones and said hello to some loved ones. I am attending two music festivals over the next week, so there will be more updates soon. In the meantime, here is a video to entertain you:
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