You know a gig must be a pretty hot number when the smoking area is as rammed as the actual main room. And although you could say that the high number head count tonight was due to it being a free event, it’s more than likely that the reputation of the two live acts was the order of the day.
With the acclaim greeting the January release of their ‘Something’ album, it was hardly surprising that Brooklyn’s electronic pop duo Chairlift had sold out their only London show on their present European tour within weeks of announcement. Feeling the love, record label Young Turks then decided to throw a little warm-up party the night before, hosting a collection of DJs and live performances from both Chairlift and on-the-rise artist, Kwes.
Sonic and visual experimentalists Breton will release their second single Interference on March 19 on FatCat Records.
Taken from the band’s hugely anticipated debut album Other People’s Problems - due for release on March 26 - and lyrically touches on compulsive, destructive relationships, their internal compromises and justifications.
It’s a bold, epic production oozing in attitude thanks to the brass and strings courtesy of German composer and Breton hero Hauschka. He conducted and recorded an orchestra in Berlin, some parts of which were then re-sampled by Breton and worked into the song alongside the classical arrangement. The sounds heard at the end of the track are the string section putting down their bows when the recording session finished.
B-side ‘Plastic Boxes’ is a new and exclusive song about people who go back to their hometown and pretend they’re doing really well to old mates when they’re not - reinventing themselves for a brief period of time before heading back to the humdrum of reality.
Both songs were written and recorded at Breton’s creative HQ The Lab, a disused bank in Kennington.
Breton will also be playing three selected dates in the Uk at the of the month:
We've mentioned the outstanding Citizens! here quite a few times and how blown away we've been by their live shows. And now comes further exciting news.
The 11-track album was recorded in Scotland in the autumn of 2011 and produced by Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand.
The tracklisting of the album is as follows:
1. True Romance
2. Reptile
3. Caroline
4. Love You More
5. Let’s Go All the Way
6. (I’m In Love With Your) Girlfriend
7. Nobody’s Fool
8. Monster
9. She Said
10. I Wouldn’t Want To
11. Know Yourself
Having recently finished their first U.K. headline tour, they head out for further dates in in May and June, including a number of European shows. The full list of dates is as follows:
7 Paris Point Ephemere
12 London Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
14 Glasgow King Tuts
15 Manchester Deaf Institute
16 Southampton Joiners
17 Birmingham Yardbirds Jazz Club
18 Sheffield SOYO
Citizens! are: Tom Burke (vocals), Thom Rhoades (guitar), Martyn Richmond (bass), Lawrence Diamond (keyboards / guitar) & Mike Evans (drums)
New independent label Best Fit Recordings was founded in 2012 by Richard Thane, editor of online music magazine The Line Of Best Fit. A longtime champion of new and innovative pop music, Best Fit aims to bring to the fore some of the most exciting and forward thinking acts around.
And first up on the list comes Rollo Smallcombe and Kevin Emre - together known as I Ching. After meeting at art college andjoining forces to write and make music together, they started to play live as a four piece, adding Andrew Ford (keys) and Tom Jones (drums) to the line up. They currently write from a home studio in Finsbury Park.
I Ching release their debut 7" single It's Me (b/w Drive) on April 23 on Best Fit Recordings. Influenced by pop, the avant-garde, 60s psych and Turkish garage, as well as early 80s synthesiser music, it vibes an immediately catchy sound.
Take a listen below.
I Ching have recently supported the likes of Miracle Fortress, Tycho, Foster The People, and Craft Spells. Their upcoming shows include:
March 10 Power Lunches (w/ Crushed Beaks)
March 14 Paper Dress Vintage, London
Best Fit Recordings launch party w/ Being There + Pins + I Ching. (no advance tickets, £3 on the door, doors at 8pm, arrive early to avoid disappointment)
After a fine January, it all went a bit chilly willy with February opening on layers of white stuff falling from the skies. Also a bummer of a month in the main for me too, most of it I spent in my sickbed lamenting on all the fab gigs I was missing (I gave up counting when the tally reached 7 in that 3-week period!)
It was a little colder too for Chapel Club, losing out on the Xfm New Music Award for Best Debut Album of 2011 to The Vaccines. Still they DID make the shortlist of ten, so well done them - and I succeeded in my job as 'Campaigns Officer' as well!
Back at the start of the month, I caught up with the rather blissful Portlanders Blouse at The Shacklewell Arms. But the artist that rather left an impression with me from the night was oFF Love. Venturing into the The Shacky, this guy was already in mid-flow. And that is about all one knows of this mystery figure. Bedecked in baseball cap and his entire face entirely covered (see vid below for glimpse of apparel), nothing was being given away - and you'll find little elsewhere either. But, he was rather intriguing, and not just by appearance, so much so that I spent half the night listening further. He has been opening for Chairlift across Europe over February and hits the London Borderline on March 6 with them. I shall be there! (Ills permitting!)
Loads of interesting - and many excellent - tracks have passed my way over the month. Since I was tasked with reviewing (this last week of February) for Shout 4 Music http://shout4music.com/ a batch of singles. Some of the best I have been hearing:
Born Blonde - I Just Wanna Be: their forthcoming single and totally fab. Instant love on first 60 seconds (see previous link below)- and it so impressed me that I rushed down to their Tuesday night gig at the Notting Hill Arts Club just to hear it live. This is a band, given the right exposure, who have an immense amount of potential. Remember the name. http://littleindieblogs.blogspot.com/2012/02/one-to-watch-born-blonde.htm
Trust - Sulk: another I fell in love with on first hearing. Side project of Austra drummer Maya Postepski. What's not to love about electro?!
Ideals - Altar: A London indie band with a kind of Sixties influence and some great brooding pop-ness from Andrew Major to boot!
Also liking this a lot, from Theatre Royal - Katherine's Sleeping
It was fantastic to see Zulu Winter headlining their first show on Monday (Feb 27) night at Cargo in London. I saw them on their first gig proper last September and earmarked them straight away for big things. One of just a handful of bands that I return to time after time, simply because they are THAT good a band and a always put on an excellent live show. Their new single We Should Be Swimming also now out. Watch and hear below. Caught up to have a brief chat with the lovely Will Daunt, their vox, before the start. At least this time he didn't have to sneak me into the gig through the back door, as was the case at a previous show!
