London Fields # 37
First published Inpress, Melbourne on 21 March 2007
NB: Each column has a name, but these do not appear in print; printed versions may differ slightly to those displayed here
Most of my free time recently has been taken up with flat hunting, as unexpectedly my (rented) home for the past four years has been placed on the market. While the vagaries of the London property market or an examination of the worlds revealed by snooping into other people’s homes, could both make worthy column topics, I really just don’t want to think. So rather bemoan my lot, maybe it’s better to write about some acts I’ve recently seen while not flat hunting?
American bureaucracy forced My Latest Novel down to London to apply in person for their visas for SxSW. Luckily for us, they thought to offset their expenses by playing a one-off show at The Spitz. They are serious but not sombre, and occasionally whimsical. What they play is neither fey, nor twee; Ryan’s drumming and the power of the vocals pack too much of a punch for that. They are masters of the dog-leg song; ones that start off in one direction, then, just when you think you have them sussed, veer off at right angles. Like when Wrongfully I Rested goes to a xylophone, then the violin swoops down and carries the song away. It’s a short-ish set tonight, but the highlights for me are two new songs, I Declare A Ceasefire and If The Accident Will. They clearly show that Wolves was no firework fluke, and that the second album promises to be wonderful rather than difficult.
I caught The Long Blondes twice this month. I thought their debut album was one of the biggest disappointments of 2006; such was the opportunity squandered. Then at their headline NME show, I realised the sad truth – that it was an accurate representation of the homogeneous band they’ve become. Yet as a support to Kaiser Chiefs a mere fortnight later they shine again, it’s roughly the same show without the lowlights. I still think their move towards being Kate Jackson and The Long Blondes is a grave mistake, but hey, it worked for Blondie. Speaking of new wave maestros, am I the only one who thinks that Kaiser Chiefs are today’s equivalent of The Police? Think about it - simplistic songs with singalong choruses that can be learnt on one listen. They put on a mighty fine show too, but sadly over familiarity via saturation airplay may well breed contempt a second time.
Each time I see Apartment, they give me new reasons to continue to rate them as highly as I do. At The Borderline, it was the daring to cover Willie Nelson’s Crazy (as immortalised by Patsy Cline), and to not only get away with it, but to make it entirely their own. There are now many strong tracks that it feels like a greatest hits set, and David’s complete demolition of a guitar during set closer Beyond My Control is the first time I’ve seen it done and not felt it was childish or unnecessary posturing. And they’ve signed Tim Ten Yen to their label Fleet Street Records, and will be releasing his debut single, Run Around (Get Around).
Tim Ten Yen is possibly the most arch creator of pure pop tunes since the heyday of The Reels! Tall, and wearing a suit, there’s a tiny bit of Nick Cave, a huge dollop of Neil Hammond, and even a sprinkling of Pee Wee Herman. It’s camp and vaguely silly, but as it’s done with such panache and humour he gets away with it. The songs are written to be remembered on first listen; his dance moves may take longer to pick up. For what you effectively have is someone who looks like a city worker running round like Bob Downe doing Ian Curtis, singing songs about bears and foxes up in the mountains. But TTY isn’t just limited to pop; his set touches reggae and country & western, even leaving room for a paean to MOR. So, what on one level is a giant karaoke show, with a besuited man running on the spot, adding occasional live Casio accompaniment, becomes one of the most endearingly funny and original things I’ve seen in ages.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are a strange beast. They play to a formula but are in no way formulaic. They have pretensions, yet still seem to be honest and genuine. Theirs is a simple colour palette: white, red and black, with a misting of dry ice. Tonight they get all the big numbers out of the way early, which allows them to get on and just play. And when they get going they’re like some relentless juggernaut. Playing a one-off gig in a beautiful Art Deco ballroom to preview songs from the forthcoming Baby 81, BRMC demonstrate that they have moved on from Howl, but the acoustic guitars that were the backbone of that album are still in place, but now playing rock. It’s hard to really let go at their shows as they don’t – they may be an extremely good live act, but while enthusiastic they never seem impassioned. So when the audience go nuts for Punk Song, they don’t. Nevertheless, I’m still looking forward to seeing them again in a month.
By which time I hope normal service have been resumed, from a new home (if I can find it)…
© James McGalliard 2007
Showing posts with label The Long Blondes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Long Blondes. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Sunday, 22 January 2006
Could Give a Monkeys
London Fields # 22
First published Inpress, Melbourne on 22 January 2006
NB: Each column has a name, but these do not appear in print; printed versions may differ slightly to those displayed here
"If 2005 was the year of the wolf, what will 2006 be?" asked the Inpress Annual Writers’ Poll last month. From where I sit, it will definitely be the Year of the Monkey! Or, to be more precise, Arctic Monkeys…
When The Sun Goes Down has rocketed straight to the top of the UK singles chart, and their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is on its way to becoming the fastest ever selling indie album in UK recording history (the current holder is Oasis with Definitely Maybe). What makes this so important is that it runs contrary to everything that the music industry has been telling us for years. The repeated mantra of "Home Taping Is Killing Music" may have been rewritten to include downloading, but the basic message remains. Yet Arctic Monkeys took the opposite route. They achieved this fantastic position by making their demo material readily and freely available; it allowed them to build up a worldwide following before they had even been signed. And now they’re going to break sales records when the album itself was leaked weeks ago!
Various A&R people are reported to be frantically searching for the next Arctic Monkeys, and Sheffield in particular is under siege. Good luck to ‘em! But you have to feel a little sorry for bands like Bromhead’s Jacket (described by Sheffield’s Sandman as "a cross between The Jam and the bastard northern brother of Blur") and The Harrisons, both whom are going to overcome the stigma of being described as the next AM.
A recurrent theme of the past 18 months has been record companies continuing to re-release singles that failed to make it huge the first time around. Their persistence has finally paid off big time. After successes with this policy with The Killers and Kaiser Chiefs, this week’s UK album chart is topped by Hard-Fi (on the back of the third release of Cash Machine), and Editors (with the re-release of Munich) - The Back Room has finally made the Top 5 a full six months after was first released. Editors easily outshone Franz Ferdinand on their arena tour at the end of 2005. While Franz were still a good live proposition, they were missing the chemistry, that frission, the spark that made their 2004 shows so memorable.
Remarkable in the last year have been acts who may be great live, but failed to capture this in the studio. This is why I’m really excited about some second albums due to be released in 2006. Both The Duke Spirit with Cuts Across The Land and Archie Bronson Outfit with Fur fell into this hole; although superb live performers, their debut releases were somewhat flat and disappointing. I spent twenty minutes the other night bending the ear of Toby from TDS about how they MUST tour Australia, so that people can see how just how good they are. Time will tell if I made any impression.
Sometimes of course, the opposite is true. Which is why the man of the moment for 2005 was Paul Epworth, who dazzled with a Midas touch, both as producer and remixer (often under the moniker ‘Phones’). His special talent was by taking bands who could be less than impressive live (Bloc Party, Rakes) and producing great recordings and singles from them. If he was attached, you knew that they’d be something of merit about the project. He recently worked with Sheffield’s The Long Blondes. Although they are currently unsigned, but expect big things for them once they’ve recorded their debut. Bethnal Green’s Apartment find themselves in a similar position.
Other acts with second albums to look forward to in 2006 are Hope Of The States and The Veils. HotS have been in the studio for ages – the three songs I’ve heard so far are cause for excitement. With The Veils, singer/songwriter Finn Andrews is the only familiar face from The Runaway Found; expect a slower-paced, more melodic outing from a new five-piece line-up.
I wrote previously that 2005 was the year of The Oldie, with star turns from Gang of Four and The Psychedelic Furs, and a rise in the public fortunes of The Fall. 2006 sees the 20th anniversary of NME’s groundbreaking cassette compilation C86. It featured Age of Chance, The Bodines, Close Lobsters, Half Man Half Biscuit, McCarthy, The Pastels, Primal Scream, The Soup Dragons and Fuzzbox to name a few… This was really the birth of indie, and led to life after The Smiths, twee pop, shambling, and shoegaze. It’s rumoured that a series of concerts along the lines of ATP’s Don’t Look Back season is in the process of being arranged, so watch out for blasts from the past. The Wedding Present and Half Man Half Biscuit both had strong new releases in 2005, so expect them to lead the field. It could even help newer bands like Lions and Tigers get a leg up. Watch this space…
First published Inpress, Melbourne on 22 January 2006
NB: Each column has a name, but these do not appear in print; printed versions may differ slightly to those displayed here
"If 2005 was the year of the wolf, what will 2006 be?" asked the Inpress Annual Writers’ Poll last month. From where I sit, it will definitely be the Year of the Monkey! Or, to be more precise, Arctic Monkeys…
When The Sun Goes Down has rocketed straight to the top of the UK singles chart, and their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is on its way to becoming the fastest ever selling indie album in UK recording history (the current holder is Oasis with Definitely Maybe). What makes this so important is that it runs contrary to everything that the music industry has been telling us for years. The repeated mantra of "Home Taping Is Killing Music" may have been rewritten to include downloading, but the basic message remains. Yet Arctic Monkeys took the opposite route. They achieved this fantastic position by making their demo material readily and freely available; it allowed them to build up a worldwide following before they had even been signed. And now they’re going to break sales records when the album itself was leaked weeks ago!
Various A&R people are reported to be frantically searching for the next Arctic Monkeys, and Sheffield in particular is under siege. Good luck to ‘em! But you have to feel a little sorry for bands like Bromhead’s Jacket (described by Sheffield’s Sandman as "a cross between The Jam and the bastard northern brother of Blur") and The Harrisons, both whom are going to overcome the stigma of being described as the next AM.
A recurrent theme of the past 18 months has been record companies continuing to re-release singles that failed to make it huge the first time around. Their persistence has finally paid off big time. After successes with this policy with The Killers and Kaiser Chiefs, this week’s UK album chart is topped by Hard-Fi (on the back of the third release of Cash Machine), and Editors (with the re-release of Munich) - The Back Room has finally made the Top 5 a full six months after was first released. Editors easily outshone Franz Ferdinand on their arena tour at the end of 2005. While Franz were still a good live proposition, they were missing the chemistry, that frission, the spark that made their 2004 shows so memorable.
Remarkable in the last year have been acts who may be great live, but failed to capture this in the studio. This is why I’m really excited about some second albums due to be released in 2006. Both The Duke Spirit with Cuts Across The Land and Archie Bronson Outfit with Fur fell into this hole; although superb live performers, their debut releases were somewhat flat and disappointing. I spent twenty minutes the other night bending the ear of Toby from TDS about how they MUST tour Australia, so that people can see how just how good they are. Time will tell if I made any impression.
Sometimes of course, the opposite is true. Which is why the man of the moment for 2005 was Paul Epworth, who dazzled with a Midas touch, both as producer and remixer (often under the moniker ‘Phones’). His special talent was by taking bands who could be less than impressive live (Bloc Party, Rakes) and producing great recordings and singles from them. If he was attached, you knew that they’d be something of merit about the project. He recently worked with Sheffield’s The Long Blondes. Although they are currently unsigned, but expect big things for them once they’ve recorded their debut. Bethnal Green’s Apartment find themselves in a similar position.
Other acts with second albums to look forward to in 2006 are Hope Of The States and The Veils. HotS have been in the studio for ages – the three songs I’ve heard so far are cause for excitement. With The Veils, singer/songwriter Finn Andrews is the only familiar face from The Runaway Found; expect a slower-paced, more melodic outing from a new five-piece line-up.
I wrote previously that 2005 was the year of The Oldie, with star turns from Gang of Four and The Psychedelic Furs, and a rise in the public fortunes of The Fall. 2006 sees the 20th anniversary of NME’s groundbreaking cassette compilation C86. It featured Age of Chance, The Bodines, Close Lobsters, Half Man Half Biscuit, McCarthy, The Pastels, Primal Scream, The Soup Dragons and Fuzzbox to name a few… This was really the birth of indie, and led to life after The Smiths, twee pop, shambling, and shoegaze. It’s rumoured that a series of concerts along the lines of ATP’s Don’t Look Back season is in the process of being arranged, so watch out for blasts from the past. The Wedding Present and Half Man Half Biscuit both had strong new releases in 2005, so expect them to lead the field. It could even help newer bands like Lions and Tigers get a leg up. Watch this space…
© James McGalliard 2006
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