Shazamers' Blog

This year’s Coachella Festival is rapidly approaching. With around 250,000 festival goers set to enjoy sets from Kanye West, Kings Of Leon, The Strokes and Arcade Fire; all in the gorgeous desert setting of Indio, California. Tickets for the event sold out in a matter of days, so those who weren’t quick off the mark will have to wait till next year. For the people who grabbed tickets in time, Coachella boasts a fantastic line up to rival any festival this year.

To get you in the mood, Brooklyn duo The Kickdrums have compiled a Coachella 2011 Mixtape – that’s free to download from their website.  The pair have remixed a variety of artists from Kanye West to Peter, Bjorn & John and have also worked with 50 Cent, Ben Harper and Good Charlotte. On the mix The Kickdrums mix a variety of genres, Whiz Khalifa and Cee Lo Green feature along with Ariel Pink, Duran Duran and DFA 1979.

For those lucky enough to attend, it will provide the perfect warm up. And for us less fortunate ones? Just enjoy the mix and the fact that you’ll escape the inevitable “Coachella Neck” sunburn.

Kanye WCoachella 2011 Mixtape by The Kickdrums

Jon Davies Gigs/ Events Coachella

James Blake returned last night to the cozy premises of St. Pancras Old Church, the same venue that just a few weeks ago was chosen for the presentation gig of his eagerly awaited debut album. The religious building became the perfect environment to showcase the warmth of his remarkably soulful voice, as well the intimacy and ethereal quality of his tracks. Support came by the hand of two new folk-rock acts from London, Cloud Boat and Catherine Okada, who nicely set the quiet but vibrant tone for the evening.

James Blake hit the stage with a band formed by a drummer and a guitar player, also in charge of some of the samples. The short but impressive set mostly focused in the tracks of his recent album and left behind favourites from the early groundbreaking EPs that helped cement his reputation as one of electronica’s most gifted young artists.

His live performance was an assured display of both technical skill and experimental spirit. A background in the fields of minimal techno and dubstep provided the heavy sampled bass lines that echoed through the church’s acoustics; building up magnificent and quite scary array of wall shattering effects. All in perfect harmony with his voice, which he uses as the main instrument for his compositions, treating it with multiple effects and creating vocal loops that when juxtaposed, form a hypnotically polyphonic impression.

Among the highlights, ‘I Never Learnt To Share’ was close to literally bringing the house down and his breakthrough cover of Feist’s ‘Limit To Your Love’. The track which opened the doors of radio stations and a wider public to the South Londoner - earning him comparisons with former electronica artists turned soulmen, Jamie Lidell. Live it reached new sonic heights; as did the latest single ‘The Wilhelm Scream’, which featured supporting band Cloud Boat back onstage adding some brass.

For the encore, Blake performed another cover, his rendition of Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case Of You’ that has become a fixture in the blogosphere since he first played it during a recent BBC session. Here, we saw the artist’s in full acoustic manner at his most stripped down, just piano and vocals; mind-blowingly simple, yet truly touching. Altogether, one of the best live shows we’ve seen this year; strong enough to convert even the most cynical among those few who still remain unconvinced of James Blake’s unique talents.

Roberto Gonzalez Gigs/ Events james blake

If you’re a music fan, musician, or industry person then you’re bound to have read or heard something about SXSW by now. That being said, we’ll keep this short and sweet.

SXSW is still an exciting event for all things music, but the festival also covers digital and film. Whether you’re an aspiring artist or creative mind – you’ll be sure to learn something in Austin. However, it’s not for the faint hearted. 40K global folks come into town to share their wares, music, gadgets and movies. So if you plan on making a statement down there – best start working on it now!

None the less, cutting through the noise is still very possible. There is still that crazy opportunity to perform in front of industry brass (see Lord Huron) or seeing an already developed group perform a pop-up show (Foo Fighters, Kanye West and Jack White all laid down not-so-secret gigs this year). Heck the only wack moment? Waiting in line to get into the Rachel Ray Party – just to see her introduce Das Racist: the band cancelled their set due to throat issues.

It’s a matter of how long you want to wait in line and have patience with drunken frat boys. Some highlights from this festival attendee’s experience – in no particular order: Puro Instinct, Curren$y, James Blake, The Sandwitches, Other Lives and Sheep Dogs. Links are provided for you to go explore.

And one last tip. For food, Stubbs BBQ is amazin’. And the insider info: go to bar during lunch hours and get served pulled pork sandwich pronto. You did not hear that from me. SXSW is great time to tap into culture discovery with friends. It’s a festival built on building memories patiently waiting for a song.

Charles Around the world, Gigs/ Events Jack White, james blake, KanYe West, SXSW

Nostalgia is a facet that’s probably been slightly overplayed at festivals in recent years. However, when there’s a chance to relive one of the golden moments of hip hop in all it’s funk laden, smoked out glory you can’t help but get a little excited.

London festival Lovebox has pulled out all of the stops by convincing Snoop Dogg to perform his classic debut ‘Doggystyle’ in full at this year’s event: something that has been getting hip hop fans seriously hot under the collar. ‘Doggystyle’ is an undoubted stand out moment from one of hip hop’s most fertile periods. Mixing a young Snoop’s rabidly real lyrics with the G-Funk sound, an electro inspired tribute to bands like Parliament and Zapp, ‘Doggystyle’ remains one of the most important rap albums ever committed to vinyl. With stand out tracks such as ‘Gin And Juice’ (above) and “What’s My Name’, the record remains a sure fire way to get any party started.

The performance of “Doggystyle’ at Lovebox will have the rumour mill wiring that collaborators such as Nate Dogg, Warren G and Kurupt will also be performing at the London show. Whatever the case, Lovebox has managed to assemble a considerable number of exciting acts that will serve a suitable support for the Doggfather. With Scissor Sisters, The Drums, Blondie, Kelis and Lykke Li all in tow, Lovebox is staking a serious claim as London’s most exciting summer event.

Tickets for Lovebox are available here

Stephen Titmus Gigs/ Events, News, Tag Of The Day Blondie, kelis, Lykke Li, Scissor Sisters, Snoop Dogg, the drums

Last week we saw a bill that brought together the San Diego indie duo Crocodiles, Wichita Records signings Cloud Nothings and the experimental French/American quartet Paris Suit Yourself.  The latter opened the bill at the jammed venue, with their ever animated frontman Luvinsky Atche showing off an array of bizarre dance moves. Paris Suit Yourself are the first ‘rock’ band to sign with UK indie label Big Dada, once exclusively a breading ground for quality hip-hop and electronica. It’s easy to see why the offbeat label were so enamored with PSY, their off kilter rhythms and melting pot of influences produce an often unclassifiable, unique sound.

Cloud Nothings are the project of 19 year old teenager Dylan Baldi. Initially producing tracks in his bedroom at home, the zealous frontman has already produced two albums worth of lo-fi pop punk. Fans of Wavves will find plenty to invest in on his self titled album and ‘Turning On’; a collection of early EPs.

Crocodiles are fronted by Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowell, but have expanded their lineup for live shows. Playing a set consisting entirely of their debut album,‘Sleep Forever’, they had an eager crowd hanging off every fuzzy chord. To record their debut, the band enlisted the services of indie uber producer James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons) who seems to have helped them with his midas touch. However, that’s not to deride the power of the band’s output, their update on the feedback drenched rock of The Jesus & Mary Chain and Spacemen 3 has, quite rightly, placed them firmly in the zeitgeist.

Read more…

Jon Davies Gigs/ Events Cloud Nothings, Crocodiles, Paris Suit Yourself

Finding a front-man more worthy of ‘godlike genius’ status than that of Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl has to be pretty hard and after the performance they delivered on Friday night you can see why. After walking away with said title at Shockwaves NME Awards last Wednesday the band headlined NME’s Big Gig at London’s Wembley Arena.

Before the Foo’s took to the stage though, a crowd of over 12,000 eagerly excited fans waited with anticipation through an impressive support set. No Age were up first, the Los Angeles based band rocked out to a short but tight set, following shortly after Band Of Horses graced the stage.

The band were undoubtedly impressive, playing a variety of tracks from their three their studio albums including ‘Is There A Ghost’ and ‘The Great Salt Lake’ and ‘The Funeral’ before the stage was taken over by Radio 1′s Zane Lowe with a DJ set to keep the crowd’s vibe up ahead of Cee Lo Green.

Cee Lo was backed by an all girl leather suited band and gave a solid set of his new material as well as a crowd favourite from his time with Gnarls Barkley ‘Crazy’. His big hit ‘F**k You’ was a slightly rockier version but he didn’t fail to deliver.

The moment finally arrived for Dave Grohl and co to play, for the first time in two years in London, and there wasn’t a still body in the crowd. “There are so many tracks we could play, but let’s face it, we’d be here all night” Grohl told the crowd, “so we’re only gonna play the good ones. I’m just that kinda guy you see, I’m a f**king Godlike Genius!”.

Opening with the new single ‘Rope’ and previewing other songs from their new album ‘Wasting Light’ (out on April 11th), as well as gunning through such hits as ‘All My Life’ and ‘My Hero’ the band delivered an energetic and solid set. Reflecting on their first gig in London at Kings College and being asked to go on at one of the main stages after Bjork at Reading, Grohl gave thanks to the London crowd for allowing them to now be playing such big venues across the other side of the world.

After an eighteen track strong set, and just when you thought they had given it their all, they returned to the stage for an epic encore including a cover of The Who’s ‘Young Man Blues’, the band left the crowd on a high-noted frenzy by closing with ‘Best Of You’.

Foo Fighters can be seen later this year as they prepare to tour ‘Wasting Light’ across the globe. For a full list of dates, head to their website.

Steph Cox Gigs/ Events Band Of Horses, Cee Lo Green, Foo Fighters, no age

Take yourself back 14 years and you might remember brotherly pop/rock trio Hanson.

On Tuesday night the band returned to London to play a one off secret charity gig at the legendary 100 Club. Unfortunately the 100 Club on Oxford Street is under the threat of closure and many musicians have called for the venue to be saved, Sir Paul McCartney himself played a sold out show in the venue’s aid in December.

Although years have passed since the UK has heard much from them, Hanson played to a packed crowd of adoring fans. Many of whom had flown from all across Europe that very morning, waiting patiently all day on Oxford Street in the rain. Unfortunately for some the venue reached its capacity and many fans were turned away.

Playing songs from all five of their studio albums (‘Middle Of Nowhere’, This Time Around’, ‘Underneath’, ‘The Walk’ and ‘Shout It Out’) plus three covers – including a belting version of The Beatles ‘Oh Darling’ – the band didn’t fail to disappoint. Fans sang along and danced to every song enthusiastically, but of course nothing could stir the crowd like a trip back to their worldwide hit singles ‘MMMBop’ and ‘Where’s The Love’. Impressively though, having had no release outside the US, the songs played off their new album ‘Shout It Out’ received an overwhelming response – fans seemingly knowing all the lyrics and excited by the bands maturity and sound.

Steph Cox Gigs/ Events Hanson

This week saw the announcement of the 2011 Coachella line up. The festival, which takes place in Indio California, has steadily risen to become one the biggest music events of the year; with well over 200,000 attendees expected over its three days. With festival goers braving desert temperatures of over 100 ºF, the Coachella team has a battle on their hands to ensure they keep the audience’s attention. Thankfully, they’ve once again assembled a stellar line up of musical delights, pulling in some of the world’s biggest artists. Taking the headline slots this year will be Kings Of Leon, Arcade Fire and Kanye West. 2010 was a huge year for all three – with West and Arcade Fire gaining huge plaudits from critics and fans alike for ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ and ‘The Suburbs’ respectively. While Kings Of Leon’s ‘Radioactive’ divided the opinions of critics, it did nothing to reduce their status as one of the world’s most successful bands.

Coachella will also boast an appearance from New York indie Gods, The Strokes, who will rival Animal Collective as the hipster’s choice at this year’s Coachella.  Another highlight is a rather unexpected set from the reunited Death From Above 1979, who join a parade of Coachella acts on the comeback trail, Bright Eyes, Big Audio Dynamite, Suede, Lauryn Hill and Duran Duran to mention a few.

The presence of Sasha, Magnetic Man, Sven Väth and Axwell all high up on the bill, plus appearances from likes of A-Trak, Green Velvet, Andy C and Trentmøller, also ensures that there’ll be plenty for dance fans to investigate across the board.

This year’s festival takes place between 15^th- 17^th April, for the full line up and ticket info head to the official Coachella site.

Jon Davies Gigs/ Events Arcade Fire, Coachella, KanYe West, Kings Of Leon, The Strokes

Despite the fact that we’re still in January, the festival season is slowly creeping up on us. The first event on our radar this year is Bloc 2011. Taking place on the 11-13^th March in the usually sleepy English beach resort of Minehead, the festival brings together some of the biggest names in electronic music on a staggering bill. While you might be thinking March is far too early to contend with confusing tent instructions and warm beers, have no fear! Bloc is a fully indoors, with festival goers able to swap rolling fields – and their unpredictable weather – for comfortable chalets.  Bloc 2011 marks the event’s fifth anniversary and it’s clear the organisers are aiming that this year is a memorable one with the line up reading like a who’s who of techno, dubstep, electronica and everything that falls between.

Taking the headline slots this year will be Warp icon Aphex Twin, dons of dubstep Magnetic Man and the legendary Laurent Garnier- who will be performing his new live show, LBS – Live. The headline acts are a real coup for Bloc, with all three held in the highest esteem amongst critics. However, as anyone who’s attended previous years will attest, the headline acts are just a small part of the appeal.

Some of the likely highlights will be appearances from dance pioneers LFO, techno experimentalist Matthew Dear and a DJ set from Jamie xx. If his recent mix for Radio 1 is anything to go by, his set could be one of the standouts of the weekend. Bloc attendees should also look out for London dance promoters Mulletover who will be hosting the combined talents of Visionquest: Seth Troxler’s house music super group that’s already one of the most talked about new dance acts of 2011.

Head to the Bloc 2011 website for the full line up and ticket info.

Jon Davies Gigs/ Events Bloc 2011

This week one half of The Last Shadow Puppets, Miles Kane made his live London debut in a cramped back room of a pub. The packed crowd was made up of fans and various music industry types, keen to hear Kane’s latest material after disbanding his previous band The Rascals. Also keeping a watchful eye on proceedings were Arctic Monkeys Matt Helders and Alex Turner – Kane’s Last Shadow Puppet colleague – as well as actor/director Richard Ayoade who directed the videos for the ‘Puppets ‘Standing Next To Me’ and ‘My Mistakes Were Made For You’.

Proving that he’s more than comfortable leading proceedings, Miles and his band confidently tore through a punchy ten song set that included debut single ‘Inhaler’ – which cheekily borrows the riff of a little known 60’s pysch lost classic ‘Mother Nature Father Earth’ by Bonniwell Music Machine. The gig proved a great showcase for his forthcoming solo album, which also features a contribution from Noel Gallagher – who lends his distinctive vocals to ‘My Fantasy’. Sadly the former Oasis guitarist didn’t make a live cameo.

Look out for his debut album early next year.

Jon Davies Gigs/ Events Miles Kane