A Pound a Sip

Christ, I completely forgot i had tickets for The Pixies tonight…. so i’d better knock out a quick report on last weekend’s TDK Cross Central, or i’m gonna forget about it!

We had to get there early since the Magic Numbers were on at 8:45, but were met with an immediate shock when discovering that beers cost an extortionate £4 (or £4.50 in The Cross & The Key) a bottle…. how on earth can they justify that? I can’t think of anywhere outside Scandinavia i’ve had to pay that much for a beer.

It wasn’t even cold.

We had a great night despite this trauma… the best thing being the comparative lack of crowds. I was astonished the event hadn’t sold out, what with Goldfrapp just missing out on the number one album slot this week, and The Magic Numbers having been camped in the top ten for the last couple of months. Five minutes before the Magic Numbers set we were free to wander straight to the front, and although it packed out when the band came on stage it was a great spot to watch them from.

I was surprised when the band were nominated for the Mercury Prize, and I was even more surprised when Romeo opened his mouth to reveal a London accent… I mean look at them… are they Septics or what? I’ve never seen anyone looking like that in England!

But Brits they are, coming from the rock ‘n’ roll hotbed that is… err… Hanwell.

They lost a lot of respect from me for their much publicised sulk on Top of The Pops… I mean they are fat! What’s the problem? But hey, before I end up with my name scribbled in blood alongside Richard Bacon in their bad books, I have to point out that I bloody well love ‘em. And live they were glorious. They ran through the majority of their amazing debut album, implanting beaming smiles onto any face in range (that’s my little sister below by the way!).

Top song… ‘Love Me Like You’ - another one you heard here first! - but the whole set was stunning. It was a slight shame that the crowd weren’t singing along as I have heard is customary at MN gigs… the atmosphere was slightly lacking, probably due to the early start time (and expensive booze?).

After the Magic Numbers I shuffled off to see a band called Keith. I’d heard they’re supposed to be good, but unfortunately all I could hear during their set was the banging house coming from The Cross behind us… so I’m none the wiser as to what they’re like.

Next up were The Earlies, who were 3 songs short of incredible, but hugely enjoyable all the same, no doubt assisted by once again being able to get right up to the stage & look up their noses (when not obstructed by facial hair). In particular the 10 minute finale of ‘Morning Wonder’ was fantastic. I’ll stick some pictures up later…

THE EARLIES - MORNING WONDER

Goldfrapp were the day’s big draw, riding high on the massive success of both the ‘Ooh La La’ single and new album. I’ve seen them live quite a few times, and watching Alison perform is one of the great sights in music. Fortunately, once again, we were able to get really close to the stage. Unfortunately Alison wasn’t too well and they were only able to play 7 songs… about half their allotted time. She had a bad throat, which meant that her voice was merely magnificent, rather than having the usual effect of knocking you off your feet! There was no sign on stage of the other half of the band, Will.. his place being taken by a gang of futuristic glam rockers, and the usual fantastic dancers. They unveiled some stunning costumes, the best of which being the glowing horses heads you can see in the pictures….

I think they played ‘Strict Machine’, ‘Ooh La La’, ‘Ride a White Horse’, ‘Satin Chic’ and ‘Train’… I don’t think they played anything off Felt Mountain. Fuck knows what the other two songs were. You’ll have to forgive my sketchy memory, it was a very late night…! I also spent part of the beginning excitably texting Amsterdam, as the DJ played the David Gilmour Girls’ ‘Heavy Metal Music Machines’ as the penultimate song before the band.. WOO!

It sounded fantastic.

The night went on a long while after Goldfrapp finished (Four Tet, Mr Scruff, Kano…). I’ll try & post up some more photos in the next day or so.

In the meantime here’s a track from the new Goldfrapp album.

Although not the massive leap forward as ‘Black Cherry’ was from ‘Felt Mountain’, this is still an essential album, and without doubt one of the best of the year so far. It’s packed with invention, nostalgia, pop hooks, electro riffs, sensational vocals and hit singles. You really have to see Goldfrapp live for them to make sense though.. if you get the opportunity please make sure you do.

GOLDFRAPP - SATIN CHIC

Combat Rock

There are few places in the world better than London on a warm and sunny bank holiday weekend… particularly when coupled with an abundance of the kind of quality music only the capital can provide. I’ll come back to Saturday evening’s superb Crosscentral ‘festival’, but while it’s relatively fresh in my mind I have to rave about Hard-Fi’s secret(ish) carnival gig on Sunday.

The stage took some finding, and turned out to be an unassuming covered platform at the base of a towerblock - pretty far out from heaving masses lining the main carnival route. Being carnival the music was at ear-drum rupturing levels, particularly from the DJs playing bloc(k) party hip-hop tracks when we first arrived.. to what was at the billed starting time of 5pm a pretty sparse crowd… but by 5:45 when the band appeared there was a large exciteable throng bubbling in the heat.

In the shadow of the Westway, and with reggae (and skunk) floating through the air I was immediately put in mind of The Clash… and Hard-Fi pay them a huge debt with their sound as well. Deafening Dub effects ring out, and guitarist Ross plays a lot of skanking chords. The focus of the band is clearly singer Richard though. His piercing dark eyes make him a presence on stage you can’t keep your eyes off, and vast majority of the audience were in thrall.

I can’t remember the order they played all too well. I think they started with ‘Middle Eastern Holiday’, then ‘Tied Up Too Tight’, ‘Gotta Reason’ and an early appearance of their big hit ‘Hard to Beat’. ‘Hard to Beat’ was clearly the highlight, but the rest of their material is well up to scratch. ‘Cash Machine’ i’ve posted here before, and remains one of my favourite tracks… the only thing I didn’t really enjoy was a rather pointless cover of ‘7 Nation Army’, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it, so what do I know!

As if the gig couldn’t get any better, my phone beeped just before the last song to let me know that England had won the Fourth Test. Cue : Mayhem. And forthcoming single ‘Living for The Weekend’.

I’m prone to saying this rather too often, but that was one of the best gigs i’ve ever seen.


HARD-FI - MIDDLE EASTERN HOLIDAY

More carnival photos….

Please let me know if this causes browser meltdown…. hopefully i’ve reduced the picture sizes enough.

Everything is Temporary These Days

Sorry for the lack of posts.. there’s been a problem in blogger that has stopped me editing my posts. Well to be honest it’s been 10% that and 90% idleness. Hopefully I can make up for it with some good Friday night selections for ya….

The Rakes are the latest hotly tipped, much hyped punky British guitar band. Their new album ‘Capture/Release‘ came out last week, but despite the midas-like production touch of Paul ‘Phones’ Epworth i’m not feeling this nearly as much as Maximo Park or Bloc Party…. it’s missing that certain something to lift it up out of the crowd.

Having said that, Paul Epworth clearly kept a few tricks back for himself, because this ‘Phones’ remix of ‘Repeat’ is absolutely shit hot.

The track celebrates (if that’s the word) the sort of rut I find myself in at times. Lots of going out & having fun, but little of it really meaningful. After a while so many gigs, clubs, bars etc can become as monotonous as spending every night in front of the TV.

THE RAKES - REPEAT (PHONES REMIX)

Despite not loving the album at the moment, they’re apparently excellent live, so i’ve grabbed a couple of tickets to see them in Oxford in September… maybe i’ll be re-assessing them after that.

The song immediately reminded me of this track by Manhead (Otherwise known as Headman) - who somehow finds time to run the Gomma and Relish labels as well as putting out plenty of his own material.

This track was from a 12″ on Trevor Jackson’s Output label, and also appeared on the label’s ‘Channel 3′ compilation. Its a depressing message for a tune so squarely aimed at the dancefloor… and as such is right up my street. Nightclub Fatalism.

MANHEAD - BIRTH, SCHOOL, WORK, DEATH

Relish is also the home of future heroes ‘David Gilmour Girls‘ - whose epic ‘Heavy Metal Music Magazines’ (which I posted back in April) should FINALLY be getting a release in the next few weeks. If you want a taste of DGG, you can download the Rub ‘n’ Tug remix of their debut single ‘Crack House Warming Party‘ from their website..

Listen out for HMMM though…. It’s great.

I’ve got a busy bank holiday weekend ahead - with Goldfrapp & The Magic Numbers (along with many others) at Cross Central tomorrow, Norman Jay and Hard-Fi at Carnival on Sunday… and best of all I have tickets for the (hopefully) final day of the test match on Monday. (WOOOO!!!!!!).

I found myself in the strange position of cheering on Australia this afternoon, as if they carry on collapsing at their current rate i’ve got no chance of play on Monday. Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!! Come on boys, you can avoid the follow on…

It’s been said again and again, but this Ashes series has truly been one of the greatest sporting encounters of all time. Utterly captivating.

Your eyes are big when they’re so close

On my weekly trawl through the racks of Record & Tape Exchange yesterday I spotted a few BPitch Control promos in the 50p section. The Ellen Allien record was well below par by her standards, and the Sylvie Marks & HAL 9000 was nothing special, but I have got totally hooked on this track by Paul Kalkbrenner.

The ‘Right Here, Right Now’ vocal might remind you of Fatboy Slim, but instead of rudely demanding that you dance like Norman, this asks you so nicely that you can’t refuse. I’m finding the subtle Kompakt-style groove irresistible & It’s been glued to my turntable for 24 hours now.

The man clearly has good taste in vintage Adidas as well.. so deserves your respect.

PAUL KALKBRENNER - DOCKYARD

One out of three wouldn’t have been bad for the 50p’ers.. but they also had a really rare twelve in there by Arpanet (AKA Dopplereffekt), so I was well pleased. (And that’s without counting their usual quality bargains - Clor & Arcade Fire CDs for a fiver each; The ‘Electronic Warfare’ double pack by Underground Resistance (well rare); a Clatterbox CD on Clear Records, Audio Bullys mixes of The Prodigy… and a few things that’ll probably get ripped & sold on ebay).

I also got some cracking new stuff from Rough Trade - so you may be in for some treats this week (If I get round to ripping the vinyl).

Dirty Dancefloors and Dreams of Naughtiness

I’ve now realised that I shouldn’t ever promise anything here.. I invariably fail to deliver! So i’m a couple of days late, but I’ll try & cast my mind back to Thursday’s Arctic Monkeys gig. Well I tell ya it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. I was leaping up and down like a teenager, and left the venue soaked in sweat with a spring in my step and a big grin on my face.

The band already have a fanatical following, and I’m sure many people had come from far afield… with some following the entire tour. I heard a fair few Sheffield accents, and got the impression that a lot of people had seen the band before. The front half of the cramped venue erupted in raptures at the very first chord.. arms stretched out towards the stage, plumes of steam rising to the ceiling, legs and fists in the air, singing along to every word.

Opening track ‘Fake Tales of San Francisco’ seemed even more pertinent after a support band of Nirvana wannabees (notable only for the first ever sighting of a cricket shirt on stage… The Ashes really have gripped the country!). Singer Alex apologised for the state of his voice a couple of times, and he looked like he’d been overdoing it a bit.. It didn’t seem to affect the songs but the banter was a bit croaky. Very funny all the same though. Lots of shouts out to ‘Seattle’ (see above) and baiting of the few people in the room not going Chicken Jalfrezi. Yeah, he’s a funny man.

All the tracks off the ‘Beneath The Boardwalk’ demo were stunning, but the highlight had to be the crowd singing unaccompanied the first verse of ‘Scummy’.. which is no mean feat considering the track hasn’t been released - and that the first verse consists of 12 lines. The power of t’interweb eh! Forthcoming single ‘Bet You Look Good on The Dancefloor’ also rocked, as indeed did every track bar one or two I didn’t recognise. They finished with the chav-baiting ‘A Certain Romance’ before the bassist carried Alex off the stage and the stunned audience filtered out.

ARCTIC MONKEYS - A CERTAIN ROMANCE

I’ll be seeing them again in London in a couple of months… I can’t wait. Hopefully they’ll play ‘Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts’.

Here is an embarassing recording of Chris Martin getting overexcited about the band on the radio…

CHRIS MARTIN ON ARCTIC MONKEYS

If you’re also overexcited about the band (and you should be)… head over to their message board where you can download a large file containing all their demos. (Check the ‘demos‘ thread.)

The upcoming UK dates I mentioned last week sold out in a day.. your best bet for news of any other dates is to sign up to the mailing list. I think they’re heading over to the States at the end of the year… so keep an eye out if you’re from that part of the world.

I’m pretty pleased with how a couple of my pictures came out (i.e. the first two!), but in general it seems to be a bit of a lottery how my photos turn out. Does anyone reading have any great tips for gig photography? I generally try & set the ISO to 400, and the shutter speed at 1/60. I guess there’s not a lot else you can do with a compact. I’m curious really as to how a professional would set their camera up. Would you use flash at all? Or if you have the ability to set the ISO to 1600 does that generally give you enough exposure to not need it?

I’m thinking of getting a digital SLR as soon as I have any cash (if that ever happens)… and might try & blag my way in to photograph some bands… any tips from anyone who knows how would be much appreciated!

The Discotheque is Where I Go To Dance

This is one of those records you’ll have been hearing all summer but whose identity you wouldn’t necessarily know. ‘Washing Up’ by dapper Swede Tomas Andersson has been caned all year by every self respecting DJ, causing all kinds of mayhem. It’s now been given a remix by Canadian electro commandant Tiga… who has turned it into even more of a lethal weapon. The US military should be keeping tabs on this shit! This is Tomas’ fifth release on Berlin’s BPitch Control - the label run by Ellen Allien. I’m currently on a mission to track down the others!

It’s impossible not to compare this to ‘Rocker’ - since it features a similarly devastating riff… and expect this, like ‘Rocker’, to be released and remixed about 10 times in the coming year in a vain effort to crash the charts. You’ve probably got about 6 weeks of enjoyment left before it’s all over radio 1… so make the most of it while you can!

TOMAS ANDERSSON - WASHING UP (TIGA MIX)

And for a bit of fun, how about this dirty little ditty from Carlos Adolfo Dominguez.. which is about as serious as you’d expect from a song called B.O.O.B.I.E.S., and is all the better for it. Carlos clearly fancies himself as the fifth member of the Cuban Brothers:

It is compulsory to dance to this by squeezing boobies… real or imaginary.

CARLOS ADOLFO DOMINGUEZ - B.O.O.B.I.E.S.

I’m finally getting to see Arctic Monkeys tonight after spending a ridiculous £40 for a ticket to their Oxford gig… hopefully they’ll live up to my towering expectations!

Come back tomorrow for my thoughts on that, and hopefully a track from the new Goldfrapp album…

Boogie Wonderland

Phew! Finally back in business after a looong weekend…. not only with the partying but with getting stuck oop North with work for a couple of days. Friday & Saturday night seem a long time ago now, but it was a truly funked up weekend. SouthSideSoul rocked Brixton on Friday night, after which I headed up to Leeds (via Oxford United vs Wycombe Wanderers) for a BIG drinking session ending in some Norman Jay disco magic at Mint.

Sir Norm was in fantastic form, laying down philly soul, disco monsters, sweet swinging funk music & the odd house classic. I was loving it.. despite managing to slightly embarass myself by kissing the great man’s hand. It’s always great going out in Leeds, where you meet more nice folks in a night than in a month in London. There seems to be a bit of a fake tan problem though… blimey, the future really has turned out to be Orange. There were too many fantastic records over the two nights to mention, however one tune that rocked both was this disco smash by Cheryl Lynn.

The first time I heard it was watching Brian De Palma’s excellent ‘Carlito’s Way‘… it’s the track playing during the strip club scene. In those pre-internet days it was a bit tough to find out what the track was, however it always stuck in my head & eventually I managed to hunt it down. Apparently though it should never have been in the film…. which was set in 1975 while the track wasn’t released until ‘79!

I always get a buzz when I hear this out...

CHERYL LYNN - GOT TO BE REAL

Since I mention Lord Normski, the fifth volume of his ESSENTIAL ‘Good Times’ series is out this week, roughly co-inciding as usual with carnival. The track listing looks as on the mark as ever - the only disappointment (as with the last couple of volumes) is that the vinyl version misses out too many essential tracks. I fuckin’ love carnival, and you’ll find me for sure round the ‘Good Times’ bus in a fortnight….

It looks like Hard-Fi are playing a gig there as well, which should be a laugh.

Since it’s been a while since my last post, here’s a bonus track to get you in the mood for carnival. It’s from a 7″ on Ajang Records I picked up a few years back & features two tracks making use of the ubiquitous Missy Elliot ‘riddim’ (as they say). Both are brilliant but I think this wins by a short head.

DOLAMITE - MOVE UR WAIST

I know there have been about ten thousand records based on ‘Get Yr Freak On’, but for my money this is the best. See what you think…

Drum ‘n’ Bass is such a waste

No time for the usual drivel today, however i’d like to give y’all a quick birthday present.

This is Drum’n'Bass, Brazillian style (that’s to say they’re actually from Brazil, rather than any reference to waxing).

If you listen to d’n'b at all you’ll know this as it was a massive hit. If you don’t, well listen up.

I like it. I like it. You’ll like it too.

DJ MARKY & XRS (Feat. MC STAMINA) - LK

Here We Go Again

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cricket/overbyover/story/0,16077,1546899,00.html