Mixtape 3

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Hadouken!/BoNO MUST DIE/Shut Your Eyes And You'll Burst Into Flames

Well at long last I got to go see Hadouken! and BoNO MUST DIE after listening to them for the past few months. First off, well done to Hadouken! for choosing BMD as the support and of course Tiger Force but one of them had an asthma attack so they had to cancel, bit of a shame.

The venue for this party was originally Canvas, but due to increased demand it was changed to Neighbourhood, officially the most annoying venue to find but definitely one of the coolest I've been to in my short gigging time. From the minute I set eyes on the stage it seemed to be crying out for the fans to dance with the band on it. Also it turns out that mega huge US rap star T.I played there a while back.

Cue band no. 1: Shut Your Eyes and You'll Burst Into Flames. Now these guys are very interesting, when walking into the venue I saw what turned out to be their drummer selling t-shirts in vain. The drummer then took the stage to a crowd who seemed confused as to whether the drummer was in the band or not, I know I was definitely confused. The rest of the band was all very cool as most bands are but this drummer was a bit odd. The first song was introduced like so: "This song is a classic" this opening line set the whole scene for their short set, with the drummer even descending into pantomime-esque, "I can't hear you...” Oh, and he also caused the bouncers to be tougher when he ordered everyone onstage, the result of which was a ten minute delay. However the music wasn't bad, I wouldn't tip them for great success, but they were a good warm up band.

Cue Band no. 2: BoNO MUST DIE. This IS the band I (personally) was there to see. After weeks of reading about gigs that I yearned to go to on myspace I finally got to see them. I even had, the legendary t-shirt. But before the band came on the bouncers went on a huge mission of moving kids back 6 inches from the stage. I did mention to them that as soon as the music started the crowd would just lurch forward, but I'm just a kid right? I think BMD recruited a new drummer, a larger version of Coffin Joe from the Horrors, and I think the keyboard player was different, different colour hair and younger but I'm not too sure. Last to take the stage was front man Tobi, also of Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man. and We Work At Tesco, But We're Still Gangsta, Innit? (Yes that is the name, and yes they do kick ass). Opening with the bluntly titled We're Better Than You, the crowd lurched forward (as predicted) much to the bouncers horror. The crowd went mental, with Tobi commanding the stage. Next came Thespian, once again another great track and a great crowd reaction to go with it. Trafalgar followed with a crazy distortion driven, drum break a la Sonic Youth (which ensued in a stage invasion, in which Tobi's hat was stolen) then a slower version of the final part of the song. For me the definite highlight of the set was Belle Et Rebelle. From the opening bass line to the explosion of "We've got nothing to say!" the song really stirred everything up. Also included in the set were Emily (You're Not My Mother), the penultimate song, which I didn't know the name of, and their showstopper, a cover of Justin Timberlake's Sexy Back. After the crash of the guitars, Tobi stood on top of the drum kit for one final verse. This band is definitely one to watch for next year, they have the songs (I think they kept some of the killer ones locked away for when they have the show to themselves, e.g. Cinnamon), the looks, and the t-shirts. Sorry Hadouken!, good choice of support but for me they stole the show.

Finally, band no. 3: Hadouken!. This, hip-hop/electro quartet seem to be insanely popular for an unsigned band, also like BMD, they have great t-shirts. To get right into it the thick of things, Hadouken! opened with the attack on the scenester, Superstar. Singer James was in great form spitting the lyrics down the mic. The crowd was lively to say the least, nearly knocking the speaker over. Tuuning In saw the bouncers cut off the show and Hadouken! were forced to start again. The set included yet another contemporary song with one about the whole Emo scene. Hadouken! finished off their whirlwind set with their most well known song That Boy That Girl. The song is a great song, but I think the singer may have got too big for his boots when it came to some line, at which he left out and relied on the crowd to chant it. This took away from the song more that the singer had probably intended. In general Hadouken! are still a strong live act, however I'm not too convinced about the lyrics in the songs It seems as they are relying completely on the social divisions in the UK and don't seem to have much else to sing about. Let's hope they have some songs locked up, ready to be unleashed.

Mixtape : 2

Tracklisting

Fat Children – Jarvis
You Could Easily Have Me – Metronomy
Kelly – Van She
Postmodern Stars – The Oxfam Glamour Models
O Valencia! – The Decmeberists
A Pillar of Salt – The Thermals
The Next Untouchable – Cajun Dance Party
Cease Desist – Brakes
This Lamb Sells Condos – Final Fantasy
Emily – Joanna Newsom

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Criminally Overrated...

Well, i decided to write a little bit now and again about bands that I personally think are horribly overrated. My first band and the band that sparked this all off, is The View. I mean, their debut single Wasted Little DJ's was AWFUL. You can't understand a single sentance that comes out of the singers mouth and the direction of the song seems to change every minute! This also seems to be the same problem with most of The View's songs. They sound like a fusion of all the post-Artic Monkeys, post-Libertines bands, which seem to be out there is great numbers. But the worst thing about this is that Wasted Little DJ's and Superstar Tradesman (follow-up single), got to number 15 in the UK singles chart! Outrageous, well decide for yourself!
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Modern Day Robin Hood!

This is quite possibly the coolest thing I have seen in a while. The group leader, indentified as just "Oliver" said "I want people to have a little more common courtesy towards their fellow human beings. We hope this encourages people to give something back."



nice.

BBC News Piece
Official Website

Mixtape: 1

Well, at long last it's here. Hope you enjoy it!

Tracklisting

Animator - Pull Tiger Tail

Wait A Minute - The League of International Super Best Friends

Your Love - Friendly Fires

Elviss (demo) - These New Puritans

Mama Your Boys Will Find A Home - Scissors For Lefty

Ready to Uff - Uffie

In The City - Blah Blah Blase

Made of Codes - Jack Penate

VW - Late of the Pier

That Boy, That Girl - Hadouken!

Hang Me To Dry - Cold War Kids

The Great Escape - Art Brut

Only Lovers Left Alive - The Long Blondes

Trafalgar - BoNO MUST DIE

Count in Fives - The Horrors

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Uffie of Course

Uffie a.k.a Anna-Catherine Hartley is a 19 year old Parisian/Miamian taking Paris by storm. She's signed to the ultra cool Ed Banger record label and performs with the DJ Feadz who's on the same record label. Ready to Uff is my persoal favourite of her tracks with the, shall we say "explicit" lyrics that have seen her being compared to Peaches. But in a recent interview with DUMMY magazine, She said, "I Hate getting compared to her just 'cause I use bad words. I mean, it's flattering, but it bugs me I get pigeonholed." Her debut single Pop The Glock is out now on 12'' vinyl and check out the artwork!

Ready To Uff will feature on the It's The New Thing mix tape. Coming soon.

Myspace

Buy Pop The Glock from Rough Trade

Running With Scissors

Scissors For Lefty are a quartet made up of a pair of brothers. The Garza's and The Krimmel's hail from San Francisco and Mama Your Boys Will Find A Home is the second single of the album Underhnaded Romance which is set for release on January 1st on Rough Trade. But the album has leaked and I have to say that Mama... is the only song on the album that really stands out for me. The song has a very laid back, fun vibe to it which in my books can be a good thing or an awful thing but Scissors For Lefty pull it off, well with this song at least.

Mama Your Boys Will Find A Home will feature on the It's The New Thing mix tape. Coming Soon.



Myspace

Buy Mama... From Puregroove Records

We're Being Watched By Experts

The Horrors Southend Junk club buddies These New Puritans get their name from the song The New Puritan by The Fall (this very blog also got its name from a Fall song, It's the New Thing). Well These New Puritans' songs are laden with powerful guitar and a unique voice provided by Jack Barnett. There Now Pluvial Ep is out on October 30th on Angular.

Elviss (demo) will feature on the It's the New Thing mix tape. Coming soon.




Myspace

Blissfully Burning

Nottingham trio Friendly Fires have been been recieving a lot of attention from A&R recently which led to them having quite a large feature in the NME. But all hype is definately justfied, the seriously limited Photobooth 10'' is sold out and extremely hard to find. Thank god for myspace! Their page feature all 3 tracks on the single. The uber funky Photobooth is incredibly danceable and very Rapture-ish. It's Over Now shows the more mellow side of the group. A build up slightly reminiscent of M83's Don't Save Us From The Flames. The 3 tracks are completed with Your Love. The song kicks off with a electronic loop followed by a stong bass riff which holds up the song all the way through.

Your Love will feature on the It's the New Thing mix tape. Coming soon.

Myspace

BFF

The League of International Super Best Friends a.k.a. Yourcodenameis: Milo's new single is the first from their album of collaborations entitled Print Is Dead : Vol. 1 which is out on the 6th November. The album features collaborations with Letahl Bizzle, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly and Tom Vek to name but a few. However Wait A Minute is the first single featuring Gordon Moakes from Bloc Party on the bass. The opening bass riff is funky shortly followed by distorted guitar and vocals which build up to Bloc Party-esque outro. The 7'' single is limited to 1000 copies but can still be found first hand.

Wait A Minute will feature on the first It's the New Thing mix tape. Coming soon.

Myspace

Buy The 7'' from Record Store

Tiger Baiting

Pull Tiger Tail are a London based trio that have attracted attention with their debut single Animator. The trio toured the country as teenagers in a band called Antihero but since then they have moved from Stratford-upon-Avon and released debut single Animator on Young and Lost Club. The single was released on 7'' single and CD with half of the 7'' singles (500) being hand designed by the band themselves. Animator has to be one of the most catchy singles of the year with its huge chorus and memerable riff that will keep the song in your head all day long. Also for those of you who are bi-lingual, they band have put L'animateur on the CD single. This demo of Animator sees the band performing the song, nearly fully in french! So get your hands on a copy of the single and fast! I have a feeling the 7'' is sold out, but the CD is still available and there is always ebay!




Animator will feature on the first It's The New Thing mix tape. Coming soon.

Myspace

Buy the CD single from Puregroove Records