Consisting of Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, First Aid Kit first sprung to our attention after their cover of Fleet Foxes’ ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’ gained a over a million views on YouTube. Last time we saw the band it was in a small crammed pub in Camden. It’s a testament to their growing success that they’re now able to full the considerably larger Union Chapel. The gothic architecture of the venue proved to be the perfect backdrop for the girls’ harmony infused folk. The chapel’s faultless acoustics were also utilised perfectly by the band, performing one song totally unaccompanied by microphones. With their stage set up now bolstered with the inclusion of a live drummer, First Aid Kit gave an assured performance that belies the fact they’re still teenagers.
Their set consisted of tracks from their debut album ‘The Big Black And The Blue’ and was rapturously received by the sold out London crowd. Tracks such as ‘I Met Up With The King’ convey a staggering level of lyrical maturity and hint that this pair will only continue to get better. The performance was concluded with a cover of Gram Parsons ‘Still Feelin’ Blue’. The lush acoustic sounds of the late troubadour have clearly been an influence on the girl’s sound, so it proves a fitting end to a fine set.
In possession of one of the coolest band names around, Cymbals Eat Guitars, hailing from Staten Island, New York, greet tonight’s Hoxton crowd in understated fashion, before entertaining with a tight set drawing heavily from their 2009 album ‘Why There Are Mountains’.
The part shoegaze, part surf rock four piece innovatively weave jangly indie guitar melodies. Front man Joseph D’Agostino howls out his vocals in mesmerizing fashion, backed by subtle keys and taught bass and drum rhythms. It is at the peak of their melodic builds, however, that Cymbals… wield their power as a band equipped with many a intense, distorted guitar solo. Such freakouts inject a raw passion in to tracks like ‘…And the Hazy Sea’ or ‘Indiana’, staying just the right side of overly noise heavy breakdowns.
London’s Lovebox festival has now confirmed several acts for this year’s event, including some stellar headline performers. The announcement will no doubt cause gig goers problems in deciding which festival to pick this summer. The weekend, curated by Groove Armada’s Andy Cato and Tom Findlay, has pulled a real coup in securing Roxy Music’s services on the Saturday. Lead singer Brian Ferry commented “There is a song on my album that I have co-written with my friends Groove Armada. They asked me if Roxy would like to perform at Lovebox. We of course thought it would be cool”. The influential 80’s band join Dizzee Rascal and the irrepressible Grace Jones as the events headliners, with the festival now expanding to three days.
Taking place in Victoria Park on the 16th-18th July, the weekend will also see performances from the likes of Hot Chip, Mark Ronson & The Business and Empire Of The Sun – making their first UK appearance. Other notable acts playing are Canadian synth demons Chromeo, Cut Copy, Wild Beasts and Hercules & Love Affair. However anyone whos been to Lovebox will know it’s not just about the bands, the weekend also boasts a fine array of DJ talent including Crookers, Booka Shade and Joy Orbison. For tickets and full line up info, head to the Lovebox site.
This week Canadian noise punk duo Japandroids continued their mammoth hoping tour in support of 2009’s excellent LP ‘Post Nothing’ with a sold out gig at London’s ICA.
Japandroids took to the stage amid huge measures of sonic distortion and crowd anticipation then tore through their album ‘Post Nothing’ at break neck speed. They thrashed out the life affirming ‘Wet Hair’, ‘The Boys are Leaving Town’, and ‘Rockers East Vancouver’ with the same level of sweaty enthusiasm they receive from the crowd. New material was also aired, notably ‘Body Bag’, a song we are told may be new to us – but is old for the band.
Now in its seventh year, Rob Da Bank’s Bestival continues to stand out among the wealth of festivals that take place over the summer. After 2009’s crowd were wowed by German electro pioneers Kraftwerk, expectations were certainly high for this year. Thankfully the Radio 1 DJ has pulled yet another stroke of organisational genius and has come back with a veritable feast of musical goodness. This year’s event takes place on the Isle Of Wight on the 9th to 12th September. Headlining the opening day will be East London’s own Prince of Grime, Dizzee Rascal. Stepping up to the headline slot will surely be no problem for the rapper and no surprise for anyone who witnessed the reaction ‘Bonkers’ received during his Glastonbury set last summer. Also playing will be psychedelic pop masters The Flaming Lips, whose enchanting stage show will no doubt fit in perfectly with the festivals trippy aesthetics.
Making their fifth festival outing at this year’s event will be Hot Chip, whose appearance comes hot on the heels of fourth album, ‘One Life Stand’. If that wasn’t enough, LCD Soundsystem will also be showcasing tracks from their highly anticipated third – and rumoured to be final – album.
As always with Bestival, the headliners are just a small portion of what you will witness over the weekend; with many other bands and DJ’s equally vying for your attention amongst the masses of fancy dressed revellers and unexpected sideshow attractions. The list of acts is already jaw dropping and as the event isn’t until September – it’s only going to get better. For the full line up and ticket info, head to the Bestival website.
French electro imprint Ed Banger returns to London next month in celebration of its 7th birthday. The label that’s home to the likes of Justice, DJ Mehdi , SebastiAn and Uffie are known for throwing raucous parties and this, on the strength of the lineup, should be no different. Taking to the decks will be label head honcho and former Daft Punk manager Busy P, the aforementioned SebastiAn and So Me – the man behind the labels artwork and videos. Also joining the Ed Banger gang will be Fake Blood and Riton, both known for their addictive command over dance floors across the globe.
The night takes place on Friday 5th March at The Coronet Theatre, London SE1 6TJ, for ticket information head here. Meanwhile to get you in the mood, enjoy this free exclusive download of ‘Oh Super!’ by Riton.
Yesterday saw the eagerly awaited announcement that Muse and Stevie Wonder are set to headline this year’s Glastonbury alongside U2. Speaking at the Olympia 2 venue in London, festival organiser Michael Eavis stated that it was probable that Matt Bellamy’s Muse would headline the Saturday while Stevie Wonder would take the coveted festival closing spot on Sunday evening. Other performers already reportedly playing this year’s event include Hot Chip, Dizzee Rascal, Jack Johnson and Vampire Weekend.
This year’s Glastonbury will be the landmark 40th anniversary of the festival and as such rumours have been wilder than usual surrounding who will headline. Dave Bowie, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin were all mentioned, but with this latest announcement the appearance of such megastar headliners now seems unlikely.
Those wishing to purchase tickets to this year’s festival should click here and join the race to secure some of the very limited return tickets when they go on sale.
Brighton festival The Great Escape has announced the first wave of bands to play this year’s event on May 13-15. Among the headline acts will be Manchester electro-pop trio Delphic, dubstep masters Chase & Status and Canadian indie behemoths Broken Social Scene. The three day event is seen as the opening weekend of the UK festival season and has consistently showcased some of the best rising talent within the industry. The Great Escape is comparable to SXSW in Texas as bands can be found playing a number of venues across the city and ticket holders are given a free reign to choose between them. Since its inception in 2006 the festival has played host to the likes of Kasabian, Gang Of Four, Mystery Jets and The Cribs to name a few. The lineup announced so far is:
Delphic
Chase And Status
Broken Social Scene
Marina And The Diamonds
Ellie Goulding
Crystal Fighters
Slow Club
Cold Cave
Esben And The Witch
Japandroids
Real Estate
Timber Timbre
Darwin Deez
Best Coast
The Cheek
Wild Palms
Ruby Suns
For full ticket information and line up updates, head to The Great Escape site.
San Francisco based band Girls are set to release the fantastic ‘Morning Light’ single from their critically acclaimed debut album. The track is one of the more frantic from the album, recalling the intoxicating, feedback drenched melodies of My Bloody Valentine. It also featured on Rough Trade’s essential ‘Indiepop 09’ compilation, along with the likes of Los Campesinos!, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Love Is All. The song is now available through iTunes here.
The band have also announced a string of European dates across February and March, including their largest UK headline show to date – at London’s Scala. Read on for the full list of dates. Read more…
2010 sees a welcome return for Ohio based lo-fi punk purveyors Times New Viking. After completing a US jaunt with label mates Yo La Tengo, the trio will head out on an extensive European tour. The dates will give fans a chance to hear tracks from their forthcoming album, ‘Born Again Revisted’. For a taste of the new album, check out the lead single and title track below. Follow the link below for the full list of dates.
