In the short time Brighton based illustrator Carlos Garde-Martin has been working as freelance, he has already attracted attention from some very credible clients with his playful mix of colorful nostalgia. 
So it certainly looks like Yuck will be on for a good year in 2011, they've already started building on quite a substantial fanbase with shows supporting Dinosaur Jr and Dum Dum Girls. 
Cast are one of those bands that a 24 year old man like myself remembers from their hits on the arse end of the Britpop era to which I was just a little too young to fully appreciate at the time. In fact I first discovered their music on an indie compilation bought for me when I was about 10, quite possibly the first cd ever bought for me (besides the obligatory stocking fillers with names far too embarrassing to mention) which would prove to be quite influential in shaping my music tastes for the years to come with the likes of the Manics, Pulp, The Smiths etc all gracing my ears for the first time. Cast featured heavily on rotation thanks to this but had already split up and despite moving down in my list of priorities as I discovered more and more music, their music certainly had an affect on me so it was a real pleasure going to see them live.
Stepping into Shepherds Bush tonight was like walking into a timewarp of sorts. It was literally like 1995 all over again, riddled with gruff, angry men wearing Fred Perry’s, parkas, anoraks, bowling around looking ‘ard. The only difference was most of the crowd were going grey or bald, had beer bellys and generally should have known better. The amount of lager consumed alone must have secured the financial safety of the venue for another year at least. I was really out of my comfort zone for this one, I mean a man who runs a moderately popular site is used to discussing Bukowski with tight jeaned, chequered shirt wearing poxy pricks that think they’re kings of the alternative music scene because they served Faris Badwan a tomato juice at some dingy pub on Rivington Street, yet here I am just about avoiding a stabbing from a man with three kids just because I couldn’t name the Luton Town back four but this aside it was a pretty grand show.
Needless to say I was cowering at the back for the best part of this one, especially when a vast majority of the crowd started the ‘We are the mods’ chant but what I saw was exactly what I wanted to see. Their greatest hits set, with the Liverpudlian four piece bounding on stage blaring through hits such as ‘Back of My Mind,’ ‘Fine Time’ and ‘Flying,’ reminding us of just how many great songs these guys had and proving that the dust has well and truly been blown off, they all sounded as fresh as they did back in the nineties and all played with the kind of energy and enthusiasm you would expect from the Cast of the nineties.
Some reunions have been a little ropey at times but these guys looked so comfortable playing on stage again in front of a packed out crowd and the banter was ripe as lead singer John Power declared ‘it’s good to be back on stage with the lads.’ It shocked me just how many hits Cast had, it was just one after another, Sandstorm, Guiding Star, Alright and of course Walkaway with a cover of The Who’s The Seeker thrown in for good measure, this was a real joy to behold, fun times were had and I left feeling great.
Words : Gordon Reid
01 “Intro/Chi Chi”
02 “New Beat”
03 “Go with You”
04 “Divina”
05 “Before I’m Done”
06 “Got Blinded”
07 “How I Know”
08 “Light Black”
09 “Still Sound”
10 “Good Hold”
11 “Elise”
Male Bonding are a trio of incessant noisemakers, concerned with the pulverising rhythms that shake both a skull and a tailbone. On stage, the continually rambling guitars and distortion manifest themselves as a mumbling metal, bogged down in a greater gravity than the rest of us wade through. That’s not to say there isn’t anything spontaneously catchy here, far from it in fact. The likes of ‘Franklin’ have genuinely addictive wanderings ploughed right down the middle, albeit surrounded with a veritable frenzy of fuzz, feedback and force, like a cosy, mountainside cabin caught in a landslide. Everything on display shows that Male Bonding simply love to take a melody and mire it in muck, a tactic that may have discouraged a few of the more melody minded who came to see the headliners roll around in harmony and carefully constructed cacophony, as opposed to these three grungy givers of sonic gravity.
Under God's Heaven - Heinali and Matt Finney Music Video from Freddie Lloyd on Vimeo.
What happened with Flashguns? After the EP launch of "Come And See The Lights" at Old Blue Last show, I was so disappointed in them. Man, where was the excitement of the early years? Where was the tight rhythm of their first recordings? All gone. Instead I saw a band transformed all of a sudden. Like some kind of manager or producer told them to keep in mind a bigger audience. Even before the trio has released their debut Passion Of A Different Kind, it seems like Flashguns is already brainwashed by big success and money.
Samuel Johnston, Giles Robinson and Olly Scanlon could be the new cousins of Kings Of Leon or Coldplay with their massive sound. When the young twentiesomethings played the single "Come And See The Lights", they sounded too much like a cliché stadium band. It became boring and annoying after hearing too many ‘oooh oooh’s’ in Passions Of A Different Kind. Even the soft voice of leader Johnston, that used to taste like sweet chocolate soul, was disappeared. And the older material, such as "Bells At Midnight" and "St George", was restyled in favour of the new sound.
When the lads released the single "I Don’t Not Love You" a year and a half ago, it was already a sign on the wall that the band was taking a new direction with their music. But live they managed to put more energy in it. That song was an exception; as for the rest, everything sounded slower and softer than ever. We missed the fire of "Locarno", "Timehouse Blue" or "Ro Shambo". These are now probably dropped in the trashcan because they don’t fit with the new Flashguns. Everybody’s expecting big things of them next year but I don’t care. Instead I’m going back to the early recordings. At least these showed the real Flashguns.
Words: Kasper - Jan Raeman
Anyone who reads this site regularly will know that Middle Boop's Gordon Reid is involved in an exhibition which opens this Friday 10 December at the Start Gallery / Start the Bus, 7-9 Baldwin Street Bristol BS1, 7pm-late. It features the work of other talented artists such as Colourbox, Darren John, Dave Bain, Lisa Hassell, Matt Saunders, Mister Millerchip, Muxxi, Sarah Dennis, Steve Rack & Toy Factory.
Nobody would have guessed that James Blake could sing. Considering how talented he is at producing post-dubstep beats you’d have thought he took his musical talent in that direction because he didn’t have talent in any of the more traditional areas. However, this cover of Feist’s ‘The Limit To Your Love’ proves that you shouldn’t jump to conclusions. His gorgeously aching voice perfectly coats the sparse and melancholic pianos that make up this ballad. Although he may be singing about someone else, it couldn’t be clearer that this is an internal, solitary, private thought, unshared with the lover in question. The tantalising silences between piano chords are just as important as the music itself, surreptitiously adding weight and emotion to this already histrionic song. The final addition of genius is the addition of the shuddering bass, (something that Blake is more accustomed to) which one may think of as the sound of Blake’s body shuddering under the pressure of this intensely emotional relationship he’s singing about.
From the indie pop-rock ubiquity of Rilo Kiley to the more country influenced ventures with The Watson Twins, there’s always been a soft spot in my big ol’ musical heart for Jenny Lewis. Her voice has a certain charm that doesn’t sound out of place within many genres (ok – the recent upsurge of Witch House may lose it’s dark appeal if paired with Lewis’ sultry vocal talents). So it doesn’t surprise me too much to see her collaborate with fellow singer songwriter, Johnathan Rice on I’m Having Fun Now.
Since being introduced in 2005 by Conor Oberst, the pair have worked on one another’s records, whether it be playing the role of recording artist or producer. It seems merely aiding one another over the years with their respective projects wasn’t enough, and as a result the pair have crafted a record of their own.
Opening with ‘Scissor Runner’, Rice takes the lead with a fairly simple opener to kick start the record. A tale of stolen hearts backed up with harmonies a plenty and a non offensive jangly guitar get the record off to a straightforward start. The beginning of ‘My Pets Snakes’ reminds me slightly of something The Drums might have released, but soon finds it’s place on I’m Having Fun Now’s collection of serenading pop-rock ballads . Despite the upbeat summer soaked sound, it does have some darker moments (“I don’t believe in sucking your way to the top / Fingers crossed you’re flipping me off”).
After numerous plays, ‘Big Wave’ would evidently appear to be the stand out track on the record, covering topical issues such as the economic decline of Lewis’ much loved California, and the free spending, fast living consumer based American lifestyle. With Lewis taking control of the vocals (aside from a brief contribution from Rice at the end of each chorus), this unsurprisingly doesn’t feel too far removed from the Rilo Kiley school of rock which you could mistake from the vault of unreleased material.
This record conjures up mixed emotions for me. The innocently dreamy interlude of ‘While Men Are Dreaming’ was a welcome break from the occasionally monotonous sound of the record which at times feels like it’s plodding along aimlessly – just look at the following track ‘Animal’. I, however, might be slightly biased. The lyrics ‘Show your teeth to everyone / You are an animal” reminds me a little bit too much of the recent remake of I Spit On Your Grave which I happened to see last week. It brings back all kinds of inappropriate connotations. But that’s my hang up, not yours.
The rest of the record honestly left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Which is a great shame, as I have a lot time for Jenny Lewis. One has to question the record’s closing track ‘Commited’ which sounds like Fountains of Wayne covering Billy Ray Cyrus’ ‘Achy Breaky Heart’. I wouldn’t write Jenny & Johnny off entirely, as ‘Big Wave’ showed a lot of promise – in fact I might go see them at ATP’s Bowlie 2 next week. All in all it’s a good effort but it doesn’t quite pull enough punches to make a long lasting impact. At least they got to have some fun in the process.
Words: Neil Phillips
Manic Street Preachers have confirmed they are to perform on Strictly Come Dancing on December the 5th stating via their twitter "Unbelievable – we have got Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday, mass communication indeed. What to wear?"
The girls are upfront with their influences, and why shouldn’t they be? With obvious record collection appearances from X-Ray Spex, Le Tigre, and M.I.A. Georgie Nettell and Sian Dorrer clearly had one hand fingering through ‘Female Fronted’ whilst the other did a good impression of Thing over in Rap/Hip Hop. Not a million miles away from recent releases by and Sleighbells and Trash Kit, their sound is the meeting point of New York synth-rap and London DIY-indie.
Don’t Forget It is the musical equivalent of that slightly embarrassing middle class student fees protest. A bit of naïve moaning about the state of the country made more interesting by some decent beat(ing)s. Fix Up Look Sharp inspired You Keep The Beats, and Poly Styrene vocal impression Body Story are solid tracks with simplistic vocals layered over even simpler drums and ‘check out this amazing keyboard I got in the charity shop’ keys. Dorrer’s true Brit-girl vocals shout at you matter of factly in Man vs. Machine, and feel strongly reminiscent of Elastica’s Justine Frischmann. Real Girl is the track you’ll keep coming back to. It’s a more authentic version of the fashion-rap they try to produce and sits closer to Fannypack than the Uffie shit they veer into at times. At this point I’d like to commend them for their braveness in including Beatles cover Day Tripper. I don’t even really like listening to The Beatles sing songs by The Beatles, but it’s a softer more dreamy side to the band that otherwise is only really seen on final track, Attractive, which is akin to that single soft and sweet Bikini Kill track, Outta Me.
The thing you have to ask yourself when considering whether Plug will be a ‘free download of the single’ or actual ‘bother to drag your lazy arse to Rough Trade’ kind of album is, Do you have any faith in the London DIY scene? This release could easily be filed away under ‘simplistic drums meets spacey keys brought together by fringed hipsters’. Or, as another important step towards creating a fresh wave of fem-fronted bands that aren’t (albeit successfully) ripping off The Shagri La’s. If they can make a full album of the hints toward social commentary and lyrical honesty shown sporadically here, their next release could be great. I might even find myself pulling a disappointed face when I hungrily sit down to review it, only to be greeted by half an hour of Luke Vibert sampling old ladies over some re-hashed drum & bass.
Words : Maya-Rose Boustany
The Publishers Club will be teaming up with the Inkygoodness Live Draw tour to put on a live screen-printing and networking event for illustrators and artists in the Manchester area.
