tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87604575092086053202024-03-18T21:10:30.336-07:00CLOSE TO THE BEDGE"Don't pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches." Andy WarholUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger541125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-47309492466459740952015-03-24T09:00:00.000-07:002015-04-06T09:29:00.675-07:00George Rose, Dept. of Liquor & Social Affairs, Northampton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>He's released the perfect soundtrack for those 3am Skype calls.</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,<br />
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Confetti cannons, bubble machines and a pinata - now that's how you do a single launch. Oh and amazing music, of course. Despite the venue's substandard acoustics, George Rose pulled off one hell of a gig last Friday (that's 20th March) and, having supported some of his previous bands before, I couldn't resist heading down to check out his latest project.<br />
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With the title 'Awake', the single itself is (ironically) deliciously dreamy. Don't worry about dropping off though, George's glittering guitar work and multi-instrumental flair carries the track effortlessly, and that breakdown at the end is well worth the wait. So many of his songs encapsulate the highs and lows of teenage romance, and with the chorus of "don't fall fall fall fall asleep" 'Awake' is the perfect soundtrack for those 3am Skype calls.<br />
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I didn't manage to catch any of the opening set from The Naked Spoons however, having rocked out to them numerous times before, I'm almost certain they set the place alight (bloody arsonists!)<br />
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Second to perform it was indie rockers We Animals, a band who I'd last seen just a couple of weeks ago at <a href="http://bedgemusic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/we-animals-ep-launch-jordan-mackampa.html#more">the launch party for their EP 'The Fall'</a>. Once again the four piece brought such cheerful vibes to my Friday evening playing the sort of carefree, infectious guitar music that you might associate with Catfish & The Bottlemen or maybe The Kooks. Bursting with energy, but ultimately nondescript.<br />
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The third act I first discovered around a year ago judging a charity Battle of the Bands. All three of us on the panel unanimously agreed that they had the potential to flourish into something brilliant and, following Friday's performance, suffice to say we were not wrong there. Aside from being immaculately dressed, Fox Chapel played a blinder with their confident fusion of resounding guitar riffs, rapid-fire drumming & nifty bass lines. Plus there's an EP coming soon y'know.<br />
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"Go away, I don't give a fuck what you say to me any more" roared George Rose like an angsty Rhett Butler. Relax - he wasn't having a temper tantrum - it's a line from 'I Hate You', a raging giant of a song that, judging from the crowd's reaction, has become something of a cult classic over at Northampton College.<br />
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Audience hooked, George and his band Alex Taylor (drums) & Tom Moulard (bass) then proceeded to perform some of their newer material. The trio's lively, clean-cut indie tunes were varied to say the least, featuring more jaunty indie guitar riffs than you can shake a stick (or a faulty confetti cannon) at. Rumour has it there's a tour coming this summer, so if you're searching for something to rattle your wristbands and tap your DMs to then George Rose is the man for you.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeRoseMusic">George Rose</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Naked-Spoons/1426425784256053">The Naked Spoons</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/WeAnimalsMusic">We Animals</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/foxchapelmusic">Fox Chapel</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-80336455134055872332015-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:002015-03-17T12:51:02.180-07:00BLKMGK - You Don't Deserve Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Swedish dance scene is dominated by Eurotrash like SHM & Avicii, but closer to the underground cutting-edge collective BLKMGK make anthems packed with attitude. Featuring the sassy vocals of Amina Mine & Jayy Starr, 'You Don't Deserve Me' is a musical pick 'n mix of hip hop, urban, electro & reggae, with a bassline that slices through the track like a slap in the face.<br />
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It's nothing you won't have heard done before, but if I was cool enough to be a club DJ I'd have BLKMGK in my record box for definite.<br />
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<i>'You Don't Deserve Me' is out now via singles-only label 100 SONGS</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/blkmgkofficial">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/blkmgkofficial">Twitter</a><br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/blkmgkofficial">Soundcloud</a><br />
<a href="https://instagram.com/blkmgkofficial/">Instagram</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-16972068965046978362015-03-15T09:00:00.000-07:002015-04-06T09:05:27.647-07:00Legendary Label In The Limelight: XL Recordings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Extra Loud. Extra Lauded. Extra Legendary.</b><br />
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Hey good looking,
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"<i>Pay close attention, I'll take your brain to another dimension</i>" spat Ultramagnetic MC Kool Keith on the classic hip-hop track 'Critical Beatdown', a lyric that Liam Howlett of The Prodigy sampled, reversed and spliced together with Max Romeo's 'Chase The Devil' and a cheeky little boing effect on the band's 1992 single 'Out Of Space'. That was how XL operated originally - looping up old funk & hip hop breaks, playing 33⅓ records at 45 rpm, and sticking a shed load of synths into the mix to create some of the most energetic, original rave music of the jilted generation.<br />
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Over two decades later and, unlike 'Firestarter' at a warehouse party, this eclectic indie has never once gone off (see what I did there). Today it remains every bit as fresh and groundbreaking as before, if not more. For me XL has always been an outlet for uncovering new favourite bands. Whether it's Radiohead, The White Stripes, early Dizzee, M.I.A., Vampire Weekend, The Horrors, Sigur Ros, The xx or some other irritatingly talented musician, Richard Russell & co. are experts at spotting up-and-coming artists with both the potential and the longevity to blow people's minds album after incredible album.<br />
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You might think any label with such massive mainstream acts must have the most gigantic dollar signs in its eyes (and, let's be honest, most of the big 'uns do) but that's what makes XL so brilliant - they're actually genuine music lovers. Screw being a business. There's no specific style or genre either, instead it's about releasing fascinating music, setting trends never following them and constantly trying to push the boundaries as far out as possible. Furthermore they allow their roster to take the reins on their own creative output without being forced to sacrifice exposure. Best label on the planet if you ask me.<br />
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To document 25 years of exceptional music the label released a whopper of a birthday boxset - four vinyl LPs and a DVD - back in August 2014 with the title/demand 'Pay Close Attention'. The first two 12-inches celebrate XL's passion for dance music. Starting at their underground breakbeat roots, we're taken on a whistle stop tour (glow sticks at the ready) through garage, house and grime, arriving circa-now with the future electro of Jamie xx.<br />
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The second half focuses on some of the unique, forward-thinking bands & artists who, thanks to XL, have provided the soundtrack to numerous people's lives all over the globe. It's a bizarre collection of songs; the fact that Tyler, The Creator rubs shoulders with Adele is testament to what brilliantly diverse and adventurous tastes the label has. I'm not going to lie, I was secretly hoping they might use this opportunity to release a new Jai Paul single, but how could I ever call 'BTSTU' a disappointment? It's pop perfection.<br />
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Most independent record labels would give their right arm for just one of the acts that I've mentioned so far in this article, and yet XL are able to spot these potentially classic musicians sometimes from as little as a handful of songs. So what's their secret? "Looking for people who have that strength of personality," head honcho Richard Russell <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/benjib/xl-records-label-focus-with-richard-russell/">told the unofficial king of Radio 1 Benji B</a>, "Strength of character. Where you've thought there is that spark and that they were going to do their own thing. A vision."<br />
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And it's those strong personalities that are going to make the next twenty five years sound possibly even more amazing than the last. Just listen to the latest additions to the XL roster. There's SBTRKT making brilliantly bonkers dancefloor anthems, King Krule with his deep, dark, disenchanted drawl, there's Sampha, FKA Twigs, Lapsley, Ibeyi and so many more besides.<br />
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True, it won't all be to everyone's taste (I don't know if you've had the misfortune of watching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lni-Vbz1S0">QT's Boiler Room session</a> but it's so gimmicky it makes me physically squirm) but there's such a diverse range of acts on the list that you're bound to discover at least one great one. If there's only one thing to be gained from all this it's to be more adventurous. Who knows what'll happen.<br />
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<i>'Pay Close Attention' is out now as a deluxe vinyl boxset, double CD or download.</i><br />
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<b>Founders:</b> Richard Russell, Tim Palmer, Nick Halkes</div>
<b>Established:</b> 1989<br />
<b>Roster:</b> Adele, Atoms For Peace, Bobby Womack, East India Youth, Empress Of, Eyedress, FKA Twigs, Friendly Fires, Giggs, The Horrors, Ibeyi, Jack Penate, Jack White, Jai Paul, Jamie xx, Jungle, Kaytranada, King Krule, Koreless, Lapsley, Le1f, Novelist x Mumdance, QT, Radiohead, RATKING, Sampha, SBTRKT, Shamir, Single Mothers, Sigur Ros, Thom Yorke, Vampire Weekend, The xx<br />
<b>Did You Know:</b> The White Stripes originally planned to sign to Bobsled Records in Chicago but changed their mind because the label's green logo clashed with their red, white and black colour scheme.
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<a href="http://www.xlrecordings.com/">Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/xlrecordings">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/xlrecordings">Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://xlrecordings.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a><br />
<a href="http://pay-close-attention.com/">Pay Close Attention</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-19923633119598385512015-03-11T09:00:00.000-07:002015-03-12T12:37:15.942-07:00We Animals EP Launch & Jordan Mackampa Interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Jordan Mackampa, Knees, The Supersonics & We Animals play The Charles Bradlaugh in Northampton</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,
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Northampton-based four piece We Animals list their influences as Oasis, Arctic Monkeys & The Vaccines, and if I was in a particularly lazy mood I'd end my review right there. It basically tells you everything you need to know, doesn't it? If you're searching for something brimming with originality that's gonna blow your mind for sounding like nothing else out there then you're wasting your time on these fellas. If, however, you're in the mood to shake it like a Polaroid picture (kinda like me on Friday night, only I was more like a spasmodic penguin) then grab your dancing shoes and get down to the nearest We Animals gig, pronto.<br />
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Yep, I was present at their EP launch gig on Friday 6th March, and first to take to the stage was the charming Jordan Mackampa. With a voice that could melt butter, Jordan draws on his accomplished lyrical skills and love of a high note or two to write songs that "tell real experiences". When executed well there's something so natural about a solo singer/guitarist, and for me tracks like 'Dark, Twisted, Dirty Little Secret' are ticking all the right boxes.<br />
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Afterwards I managed to grab Jordan for an impromptu interview. Here's what he had to say:<br />
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<b>What's the story of you? Who are you for people who don't know?</b><br />
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I'm Jordan Mackampa, twenty years old, currently in third year at Northampton University studying popular music performance. I've just played my set here at the Charles Bradlaugh in Northampton opening up for the amazing We Animals for their EP Launch. It was a really good gig. There weren't that many people but I feel like the people that were there left feeling like they knew more about me through my music. It's not always about how many people are in the room, it's about how many people are in the room listening. Really nice gig. Really nice venue too.<br />
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Quality not quantity. You could play to two thousand people and not connect with any or play to a room of twenty and connect with all of them.<br />
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If you have someone in the room tapping their feet or nodding their head or even standing up coming towards you or saying how great your show was afterwards then you've done a really good set.<br />
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<b>So what sort of thing are you trying to do with your music? Where's it going? What's the aim?</b><br />
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Currently the aim is to graduate first. I'm currently doing my dissertation whilst also gigging in and around London. My next gig will be on the 11th March at The Strongroom in London. In August the plan is to release a four track EP and then just do a very small tour to try and push my name and my music more. I feel like my music can tell you more about me than I can in an interview or a magazine.<br />
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<b>I think that's a really cool thing to say. What sort of music would you say you make?</b><br />
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I feel like I make music about real experiences that people go through. To put it into a genre I'd probably say it's acoustic, indie and blues. Those seem to be the three that I come up with the most when I'm describing what sort of music I like or the sort of music I make. But the sort of music I like isn't generally reflected in the music I make. I can go from listening to Knees who are playing upstairs now to listening to Alphabeat. I don't have a type when I listen to music. If I like it I'll listen to it, if I don't I won't.<br />
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<b>Yeah most people I meet who really like music take that sort of approach. What inspired you to become a musician?</b><br />
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According to my mum I was singing before I could actually talk. Music was one of those things that came very very naturally to me. Every time she brought me an instrument I'd just get it like that.<br />
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<b>You're one of those guys.</b><br />
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Yeah I'm one of those people. My step-dad he pretends to play guitar. My mum was a singer in church for a while. So there was constantly music in the house. I get my tastes from them, and as I grew up I developed my own. I just wanted to tell real experiences about things that people go through in an honest way without making propaganda about it. Strait to the point about what it is, what people go through, how they overcome it and where they can go from there.<br />
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<b>I like that idea. What sort of people would you say inspire you? Musical and non-musical.</b><br />
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Non-musical would be my parents, my friends, my teachers and my lecturers. Musically I've got three bands and three artists: Young the Giant, Coldplay & Bombay Bicycle Club and then Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder & Matt Corby.<br />
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<b>Do you have any advice for other musicians?</b><br />
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Be nice to your sound guy. As much of a prick he can be, be nice to him. Honestly because he can make or break how good your gig is or how incredibly bad your gig is. As soon as you walk in say hello to the sound guy. And have a spare of everything - guitar, capo, strings, plectrum everything. You never know. It's better to be safe than sorry.<br />
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<b>Question from Stephen Mone: What was your first kiss?</b><br />
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My first kiss was with a girl who was my best friend when I was like eight or nine years old. Her name was Danielle. Her mum and my mum were really close friends so we'd always meet together. We were in my room playing doctors and nurses, as you do. She leaned in for a kiss. We kissed. And then that was it.<br />
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Up next it was Knees' turn to rock the joint (the <i>joint</i>, get it, cos they're called Knees). I remember watching this band's first ever gig and since then, despite now having fewer members, their sound has evolved into something miles weightier. Unfortunately I only caught the tail end of their set but what I heard were frenzied, raucous post-hardcore tracks that contained a multitude of wild dynamics.<br />
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Thirdly we were treated to the super sonics of The Supersonics - a band who couldn't have exuded any more Britishness if they'd been wearing matching Union Jack suits constantly complaining about the weather. Yes they're a run-of-the-mill Brit rock band, but the quartet performed lively, delay-soaked guitar music with true proficiency, entertaining the crowd with that classic sound we all know so well. So very very well.<br />
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By this point in the evening I was reflecting on what an excellent job all the young people organising this gig had done, but after We Animals played their set I have only one thing to say: "uni students, shame on you." Whilst the four piece's breezy, melodic indie tracks reverberated all round the Bradlaugh, you lot were out-partied by punters old enough to be your parents.<br />
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As infectious as anything, We Animals are such enjoyable performers especially live but also on record. People couldn't resist moving their bodies to those guitar riffs, and the music was made even more cheerful thanks to Maxx Riley's softly sung storytelling and a nifty bit of drum work. Personally though I'd love to hear them ramp up the aggression; at the moment they're slightly more intense than a chicken korma, and I love a vindaloo.<br />
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<i>We Animals' 'The Fall' EP is available to buy on CD or download from <a href="https://www.musicglue.com/weanimals/">MusicGlue</a></i><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/WeAnimalsMusic">We Animals</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JordanMackampaMusic">Jordan Mackampa</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/WeAreKnees">Knees</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/uksupersonics">The Supersonics</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-77527543691764959482015-02-18T09:00:00.000-08:002015-02-18T19:48:03.703-08:00The FactorY Fest 2015, Roadmender, Northampton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Northampton's number one showcase for budding new bands returns</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,<br />
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A few weekends back a dedicated group of local organisations teamed up to put on a whopping 21 acts in one evening as part of their annual celebration of up-and-coming young talent The FactorY Fest. I headed down and discovered some absolutely brilliant new bands to keep an eye (and ear) out for, but just in case you missed it here are my recommendations from the night.<br />
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<b>Ground Floor</b><br />
Blasting out some excellent ska-punk tunes that I couldn't resist partying along to, if Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars have left you with a hunger for groovy, high-octane bass riffs and a brass section pumped full of energy then this is the band for you. Sparkling and full-bodied are words you probably only expect to see on a wine menu, but the description fits Ground Floor as snugly as a sweater.<br />
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<b>Curtain Mafia</b><br />
Musically these lads are by no means the greatest band out there (yet) but what makes them a cut above the rest is the enormous amount of enjoyment that they inject into their set. Curtain Mafia are a seriously entertaining band, and that ladies and gents is the most important ingredient of all. Honestly I'd rather watch a six year old play the recorder with pizzazz than a world class pianist who has the personality of Andy Murray.<br />
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<b>Solar Roads</b><br />
I can definitely imagine myself discovering this band at some indie festival and then sticking their album on repeat all summer in the car that I don't have. With a smorgasbord of crisp, dreamy, melodic tunes and an edginess that you only find in up-and-coming bands, the bushy haired four piece give off such blissful vibes. It's impossible not to feel relaxed.<br />
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<b>The Naked Spoons</b><br />
Best named band of the festival by far. And one of the most entertaining too. Not only do they cook up an intense mix of rock, punk & funk but The Naked Spoons are experts at whipping audiences into a frenzy. Their set was bedlam! Whilst his bandmates pounded out one hell of a ruckus frontman Jacob had the crowd wound right around his finger. As you'll see below, these guys certainly know how to party.<br />
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<b>Lake Acacia</b><br />
Yes their soundcloud demos are pretty shoddy but don't let that put you off. Live this band a force to be reckoned with. Richie, Adam & Joe make up the formidable alt-rock trio who blew the roof off with their thunderous rhythm section and shit hot guitar riffs. Already they've been booked to support Lonely The Brave in Bicester next month, and the rock fan inside me can't wait to hear what comes next.<br />
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I always aim to come away from a gig with something physical. Whatever they are - stickers, CDs, t-shirts - those tangible mementos are a million times better than videos on your phone. Fact. Y-FI's bassist dropped me a copy of their woozy new track 'Again', which features a gorgeously chilled intro and a drawled chant of "again, again, again & again" (imagine the Tellytubbies' post-punk older brother). It's a shame more of the acts weren't flogging merch really.<br />
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<br />
But the excitement doesn't stop there FactorY fans. You see this wasn't only a festival, it was a battle of the bands as well, and on Saturday 21st March seven of the acts including Ground Floor and Lake Acacia will return to the Roadmender to compete for the title of champion. I'll see you there.<br />
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<b><u>Links</u></b><br />
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Bands:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/GroundFloorUK">Ground Floor</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curtain-Mafia/1431838913764196">Curtain Mafia</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SolarHoes">Solar Roads</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Naked-Spoons/1426425784256053">The Naked Spoons</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/lakeacaciaband">Lake Acacia</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/YFIBAND">Y-FI</a><br />
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The Y Factor:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheYFactor">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/the_y_factor">Twitter</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-76497606354191320852015-02-01T09:00:00.000-08:002015-02-01T09:00:02.788-08:00The Vaccines - Handsome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! This is actually brilliant.</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,<br />
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Ahead of their brunch-inspired third album that will "sound terrible in ten years" 'English Graffiti', the four beloved London lads have marked their return to indie stardom with a short, sharp and snappy (but by no means throwaway) new single called 'Handsome'. It feels like the first time The Vaccines have ever really had something to say. Clocking in at around two minutes, Justin Young has reminded us all that you don't need to be Pink Floyd or Arcade Fire just to make a point.
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And, best of all, the song is written about me. Cos I'm soooo handsome.<br />
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<b><u>Tour Dates</u></b><br />
Monday 16th February 2015 - London, Dublin Castle for War Child<br />
Friday 27 March 2015 - Nottingham, Rock City<br />
Saturday 28 March 2015 - Hartlepool, Borough Hall<br />
Sunday 29 March 2015 - Glasgow, Old Fruitmarket<br />
Tuesday 31 March 2015 - Scunthorpe, Baths Hall<br />
Wednesday 1 April 2015 - Manchester, Albert Hall<br />
Friday 3 April 2015 - Portsmouth, Pyramid<br />
Saturday 4 April 2015 - Bath, Pavilion<br />
Sunday 5 April 2015 - Folkestone, The Leas Cliff Hall<br />
Wednesday 8 April 2015 - Brixton, Brixton Electric<br />
Friday 22nd May 2015 - Liverpool Sound City<br />
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<a href="http://www.thevaccines.co.uk/">Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/thevaccines">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/thevaccines">Twitter</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-23679589363940770822014-12-13T09:00:00.000-08:002014-12-24T07:46:25.692-08:00Legendary Label In The Limelight: Hyperdub Records<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Kode9's indie dares to different in the British electro scene.</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,<br />
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After <a href="http://bedgemusic.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/legendary-label-in-limelight.html" style="text-align: justify;">Trangressive</a> last week, the second record label that I'm both doffing my cap and wishing a happy tenth birthday to is the groundbreaking Hyperdub Records - an indie that makes most people's idea of eclectic look about as interesting as a celery museum. Home to the likes of Burial, <a href="http://ikonika.tumblr.com/" style="text-align: justify;">Ikonika</a>, <a href="http://www.laurelhalo.com/" style="text-align: justify;">Laurel Halo</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OFFICIAL.COOLY.G" style="text-align: justify;">Cooly G</a> and the late <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-Rashad/152577002604" style="text-align: justify;">DJ Rashad</a>, Hyperdub has earned itself an impressive reputation for championing some of the most exciting, forward-thinking artists in modern electronica.<br />
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Formerly a webzine, the label was founded a decade ago by producer/DJ <a href="http://www.kode9.com/">Kode9</a> from his flat above a South London hair salon to delve into the obscure depths of British dance music. As Hyperdub expanded it diverged from its proto-dubstep roots to push the boundaries of grime, dub, UK funky and footwork, and nowadays their roster is so ridiculously creative that categorising them is pretty much impossible.<br />
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So what better way to celebrate an extraordinary ten years shaping dance culture than with not one but four compilations? The albums cover four different areas of Hyperdub's musical output: '10.1' is a dancefloor-centred record, '10.2' focuses more on actual songs, '10.3' takes us to the minimalist end of the Hyperdub spectrum, and last but not least '10.4' (no prizes for guessing that name) aims to please the house and techno lovers out there.<br />
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That said, 2014 hasn't all been a cause for celebration for the label. In April this year footwork pioneer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-Rashad/152577002604">DJ Rashad</a> sadly passed, followed by the death of long-term Kode 9 collaborator <a href="http://www.thespaceape.co.uk/">The Spaceape</a> in October. Two of the label's finest, their influences will continue to be heard in underground club music for many years to come.<br />
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It's at this point that I'd usually write about future plans and upcoming releases however Hyperdub doesn't really have any. With artists as experimental as their's how can anyone possibly know what's coming next? Sure HDBCD30 could be a heap of rubbish but you know the old saying: "it is better to have attempted to create original dance music and failed than just put out the same old safe, boring records." Something like that anyway.<br />
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<a href="http://www.hyperdub.net/">Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hyperdub.Records">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/hyperdub">Soundcloud</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/hyperdub">Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://wearehyperdub.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-58185135409339481842014-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:002014-12-09T17:18:07.217-08:00Legendary Label In The Limelight: Transgressive Records<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Doing it for the love since 2004, Transgressive we salute you.</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,</div>
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Over the next three weeks I'm going to be rambling on at you about three independent record labels that I absolutely love, all of which are celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2014, culminating in quite possibly my favourite label of all time. But before we arrive at that pinnacle it's time to look back over ten years of fantastic music from one of the UK's finest - Transgressive Records.<br />
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Toby L and Tim Dellow started the label back in 2004 so that bands they loved had the opportunity to release records, a decade on they're running one of the highest regarded indies out there. Just look at the back catalogue. Foals, Bloc Party, Mystery Jets, Two Door Cinema Club, The Shins, The Subways, Young Knives, Johnny Flynn, Pulled Apart By Horses - the list of killer bands they've helped to break is staggering.<br />
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Never being ones to stagnate, Transgressive have recently expanded to a publishing and management company as well as launching two imprints - <a href="http://paradyse.co.uk/">paradYse Records</a> and Jen Long's cassette-based <a href="http://kissability.co.uk/">Kissability</a>. Additionally they've snuck out a few established artists too: At The Drive-In, Regina Spektor and (thanks to Toby's quick wit and cheek) music legend Graham Coxon.<br />
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My personal favourite act on the roster however is the ever intriguing <a href="http://www.africaexpress.co.uk/">Africa Express</a> project. In 2012 Islamist and Tuareg rebels seized much of Northern Mali and effectively banned music. The following year, after foreign intervention, a whole host of immensely talented western artists including Damon Albarn, Brian Eno and Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner visited the Malian capital Bamako to record a compilation of vibrant, culture-fusing collaborations with some of the best budding musicians that the country has to offer.<br />
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Since day one Tim and Toby have had a passion for supporting promising new bands. So who's next? Their latest stock features, amongst others, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gengahrband">Gengahr</a>, <a href="http://alvvays.com/">Alvvays</a> and the beguiling <a href="http://marikahackman.com/">Marika Hackman</a>. Inevitably some of those will bugger off to be ruined by the money-pinching majors but more fool them; Transgressive is the label that nurtures their musicians whilst still allowing them to work on their own terms so that one day, potentially, they might develop into something truly incredible. Only time will tell.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-3426953684991716152014-11-28T09:00:00.001-08:002014-11-30T09:27:09.534-08:00Single Review: Blonde Bunny - While We're Sleeping<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>It's psych, Jim, but not as we know it.</b></div>
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Hey good looking,<br />
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If you think prog musicians are all outdated, pretentious and obsessed with Lord of the Rings then let me introduce you to Blonde Bunny. Actually to call these guys simply prog is an insult, they also take influences from pop, experimental, psychedelic and God knows what else to create some of the most original sounding music around right now.<br />
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Something deliciously menacing seems to underpin their latest track 'While We're Sleeping', it's a swirling, dreamy piece but there's intensity behind it as well. And is it me or does Toby Wardle's falsetto sound almost clinical? All I know is I love it; the songs are really intelligently written, you can never have too many synths, and the b-side 'Termite' proves that they do know how to make something under eighteen hours long after all.</div>
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<i>A few of the 150 limited edition cassette copies of While We're Sleeping are still available to order via the band's <a href="http://blondebunny.bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp</a>.</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/blondebunnyband">Facebook</a></div>
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<a href="http://blondebunny.bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp</a></div>
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<a href="https://soundcloud.com/blondebunny">Soundcloud</a><br />
<a href="http://instagram.com/blondebunnyband">Instagram</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-3155660637474060942014-11-14T09:00:00.000-08:002014-11-16T09:21:12.193-08:00EP Review: OhBoy! - EP#2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>God look after this raucous rabble</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,<br />
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Song so scratchy they could give you eczema, OhBoy! ought to issue a free pogo stick with each copy of their latest 7" it makes me want to jump around that much. House Of Pain should file a lawsuit. The noisy rockers pack one hell of a punch, harking back to the 90s with those distorted, lo-fi guitar riffs and lyrics about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY91hVZqhHY">being a bit part in your own movie</a>. That middle eight on 'Fashion Reaction'. Oh boy!<br />
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Weird story: OhBoy! actually invited me to star on the cover 'EP#1' because they reckoned I'd be able to look awkward on a bus.<br />
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<i>'EP#2' is out now on 7" vinyl, CD and download through Lock & Key Records</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ohboytheband.com/">Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/OhBoyTheBand">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/ohboytheband">Twitter</a></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-24298144648191568512014-10-10T09:00:00.000-07:002014-10-19T15:48:36.155-07:00Single Review: Greg Coulson - Squat That Rabbit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Evoking the blues clubs of a fifties teenage America, this Taj Mahal cover is dazzlingly feel-good</b></div>
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Hey good looking,<br />
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Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, 23 year old Greg Coulson has played for 2 Tone pioneers <a href="http://www.theselecter.net/">The Selecter</a> since he was nineteen. Now also hard at work fronting his own band, 'Squat That Rabbit' is a cover of and tribute to the blues badass <a href="http://www.tajblues.com/">Taj Mahal</a> from a forthcoming debut album and, in keeping with the rabbit theme, we're getting all carrot no stick from the cracking Mr Coulson. A blast of raucous, high-octane fun; something to really let your hare down to.<br />
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I could keep rabbiting on (okay I'll stop now) but just give the song a spin and I hope you'll agree with me that Greg is a hugely refreshing new musician from the world of R&B - and that's something that definitely warren-ts (last one I swear) you checking him out live should the opportunity arise. You'd be hopping mad not to.<br />
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<a href="http://www.gregcoulson.co.uk/">Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/gregcoulsonmusic">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/gregcoulsonband">Soundcloud</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-75917765577484934662014-09-27T09:00:00.000-07:002014-12-06T17:33:56.077-08:00Label In The Limelight: Speedy Wunderground<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Dan Carey sets the challenge of recording and mastering a song in just forty-eight hours. What could possibly go wrong?</b></div>
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,<br />
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Speedy Wunderground is all about that spark. It's about finding that magical moment in a song's inception when everyone's just about figured out how it should be performed and the neurons are in overdrive firing off at a million a second but before the track starts to stagnate and the excitement wanes, and then recording at that point and capturing it on vinyl.<br />
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Spearheaded by Dan Carey, a man whose production credits range from Franz Ferdinand to Willy Mason, the label uses a range of bohemian and alternative methods for achieving that rawness. Smoke and lasers in the studio, parties during recording and not even giving the artists a break to grab a couple of donuts from the shop round the corner are just three outlined in Speedy Wunderground's unique ten-point plan.</div>
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The manifesto goes as follows:<br />
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<li>Speedy Wunderground is a new label which begins on February 25th with the release of I Go Out by Steve Mason & Emiliana Torrini.</li>
<li>Speedy Wunderground is the idea of producer Dan Carey. Dan will produce all releases. All records will be recorded at Dan’s South London studio. Dan has previously produced Franz Ferdinand, Bat For Lashes, TOY, Willy Mason, Django Django, Emiliana Torrini, The Kills, Chairlift and Steve Mason.</li>
<li>Recording of all records will be done in one day and finish before midnight. The recordings will be a snapshot of the day. Mixing will be done the day following the recording, also in one day only. This will prevent over-cooking and ‘faff’.</li>
<li>There will be no lunch break during recording and mixing days.</li>
<li>Overdubs will be kept to a minimum allowing the recordings to be free of clutter.</li>
<li>The recordings will appear in limited runs of two hundred and fifty 7”s, which will be in the shops as soon as humanly possible following their completion.</li>
<li>The core of each song will be a live take recorded in the dark with smoke and lasers and somewhere on each record the Swarmatron will make an appearance.</li>
<li>Speedy Wunderground work quickly. There will be as a little delay as possible between recording and release. Speedy Wunderground records will not sit on the shelf gathering dust waiting to be released.</li>
<li>Speedy Wunderground will release each year’s recordings as a compilation at the end of the year.</li>
<li>Speedy Wunderground Records will not be slow.</li>
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It appears that Carey's studio is some sort of insane experimental realm - a "spaceship" <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jucelovemusic">Juce</a> describe it as - loaded full of gadgetry and gizmos, with sleeping bags draped over drum kits, metal coil hanging from the ceiling for reverb, smoke machines and lasers to evoke the atmosphere of a live performance, and of course that mysterious green box of awesomeness that is the Swarmatron.<br />
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Ah yes the Swarmatron. And if you're anything like me you'll currently be thinking "what the hell is one of those?" before watching the video below and immediately wanting one like crazy.<br />
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Handmade by the <a href="http://www.dewanatron.com/">Dewanatron</a> cousins, it's an amazing, extra-terrestrial sounding analogue synthesiser that uses eight oscillators played with one single ribbon controller instead of a keyboard to determine the pitch (that's all basically techy jargon for 'ultra cool toy'). The noise it produces is something like a swarm of harsh digital wasps, and by making it a mandatory feature Dan Carey has created the absolutely thrilling new game 'Spot the Swarmatron' when listening through the label's back catalogue.<br />
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Only seven singles in after eighteen months, their back catalogue might not be all that expansive however fear not, the quality of the releases excuses that and then some. <span style="text-align: left;">And they're unpredictable too. To date Carey has released </span><a href="http://toy-band.com/" style="text-align: left;">TOY</a><span style="text-align: left;"> twice - the five-piece blowing my socks off once with their relentless wall of psychedelia as backing band for </span><a href="http://stevemasontheartist.com/" style="text-align: left;">Steve Mason</a><span style="text-align: left;"> and </span><a href="http://emilianatorrini.com/" style="text-align: left;">Emiliana Torrini</a><span style="text-align: left;"> and then again on the epic Natasha Khan (</span><a href="http://www.batforlashes.com/" style="text-align: left;">Bat For Lashes</a><span style="text-align: left;">) collaboration 'The Bride' - as well as blues rockers </span><a href="http://www.archiebronsonoutfit.com/" style="text-align: left;">Archie Bronson Outfit</a><span style="text-align: left;">, a pulsating fuzz-filled tune from </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/childhoodband" style="text-align: left;">Childhood</a><span style="text-align: left;"> and probably my favourite new artist in the world currently </span><a href="http://katetempest.co.uk/" style="text-align: left;">Kate Tempest</a><span style="text-align: left;">.</span><br />
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I reckon Dan Carey might be ever so slightly bonkers, but then aren't all the best people? Wunderful stuff.<br />
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<b>Founder:</b> Dan Carey<br />
<b>Established:</b> 2013<br />
<b>Location:</b> Streatham, London<br />
<b>Roster:</b> None<br />
<b style="text-align: left;">Did You Know:</b> The Swarmatron, a key element of Speedy Wunderground, was one of the primary instruments used by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross when making the multi-award winning soundtrack for The Social Network.<br />
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<a href="http://speedywunderground.com/">Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Speedy-Wunderground/407259169361271">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/speedywunderground">Soundcloud</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-2301857789276663842014-09-26T09:00:00.000-07:002014-10-17T16:14:19.197-07:00Single Review: An Army Of Lights - We Don't Wanna Go<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>They don't wanna go. And I seriously hope they never do.</b><br />
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"With the lights out we can see" sings Chris Serbyn on An Army Of Lights' latest indie colossus. Its always reassuring to know one of your favourite local bands are eating enough carrots. As well as taking their Vitamin A levels seriously, the Northampton lads make soaring, addictive guitar music that has earnt them numerous support slots - including Miles Kane and Dog Is Dead - along with an impressive live following here in their home town. And you can hear why.<br />
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It's not that the band's songs aren't usually huge enough, it's just that this one's so big it could use Michael Jordan as a toothpick. Seriously, this thing's close to encroaching on Maxïmo Park territory. First and foremost the dynamics are excellent: it might start melodically but that chorus can't be contained for long and as the bass drum kicks in the four-piece launch into blistering guitar riffs, a cascade of drums and an anthemic, almost boozy chant of "we don't wanna go". The part that really does it for me though is that urgent "wait on the other side" build. Just epic.<br />
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<i>'We Don't Wanna Go' will be available to download from Monday 6th October.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.anarmyoflights.co.uk/">Website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/anarmyoflights">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/anarmyoflights">Twitter</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-12587718510605555222014-09-19T09:00:00.001-07:002014-10-02T15:34:45.324-07:00Kosee The Great returns with a killer ImpactTV session<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>Gives out sound advice, an update on where he's currently at and reps about half the town in the space of two and a half minutes</strong></div>
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,<br />
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You might have formerly known him as Dosy Kosi or Yong Kosee (I reckon he's trying to outdo Snoop Dogg on the name change front), however the man currently working under the moniker Kosee The Great is back. And he's back with one hell of a bang.<br />
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Wearing a sweatshirt from his awesome new brand Shift Gang Clothing, Kosee took to one of the hottest rap channels in the Midlands, ImpactTV, to deliver this mammoth comeback session. It's clear to me just how much he's honed in his craft as a rapper, developing a controlled, unfaltering flow that's gone down a storm with ImpactTV's numerous followers and places him once again amongst the top young artists in local hip-hop.<br />
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He's also treating us to some free tunes, enlisting some of the other brilliant Northampton MCs like J Kaz and Izzie Gibbs for a series of short 'BlacKanvas' releases.<br />
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He'll probably have changed his name again by the time you get round to reading this but really who cares what he's called if the music keeps on sounding as good as that?<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/KoseeTheGreat">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/KoseeGreat">Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://koseethegreat.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a><br />
<a href="http://shiftgangclothing.bigcartel.com/">Shift Gang Clothing</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-19926837592495505322014-09-19T09:00:00.000-07:002014-10-02T15:33:03.228-07:00EP Review: Charlotte Carpenter - Whole<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>A 'Whole' new record from one of Northamptonshire's finest (plus the return of your's truly)</strong><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,<br />
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I'm back! Have you missed me? What do you mean no? It feels like forever since I last clawed together one of these garbled articles, and what better way to mark my return to Internet-bothering than with an old local favourite.<br />
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Well I say old. At twenty three Charlotte Carpenter has melted the hearts of gig- and festival-goers throughout the UK including Glastonbury, hosted some certified ones to watch at her monthly Tea Party do's, and - in the past six months - charted a top ten EP in the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart (and considering just how amazing that category is in music currently, that's a pretty remarkable feat).<br />
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But I haven't made my online comeback merely to comment on the quality of an artist's feet (<a href="http://www.wikifeet.com/">someone else</a> took that niche long before I had the chance); it's Charlotte's larynx and fingertips that have got me dazzled.<br />
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Having played acoustic guitar on her past three records, Kettering's rustic beauty makes the transition to electric virtually flawlessly, utilising the raw and emotive sound of the instrument to great effect. Take the title track, for example: the strumming is absolutely captivating. And as for the slide guitar on country number 'Sinking', inspired by an obsession for the TV show Nashville, it'll have you donning a Stetson and making a grab for the nearest harmonica in next to no time.<br />
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Folk music of this ilk has a tendency to sound a bit mediocre, too bland and Radio 2-ish, and although there are definitely a few dull points instrumentally it's Charlotte's lyrical honesty that prevents the EP from fully plummeting into the abyss that is a Chris Evans record of the week. All four songs are deeply personal, exploring a shared theme of self-discovery, and laced with genuine heartfelt emotion.<br />
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I was fortunate enough to see Charlotte Carpenter perform at one of Lea Stonhill's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/640203846023810">Inspiration FM Showcases</a> last year - a brilliant, intimate gig, I had such a good time - and it was there that I realised just how versatile an artist she is, switching between guitars, playing with and without accompaniment from her bassist and drummer, such a naturally talented musician with a flare for songwriting and a powerful set of lungs on her too. Nothing worthwhile in Northampton? I wouldn't be so sure.<br />
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<em>Limited edition physical copies of 'Whole' are currently available from </em><a href="http://charlottecarpentermusic.bigcartel.com/product/whole-ep-physical"><em>Big Cartel</em></a><em>. Charlotte's next EP, 'Take It All', is scheduled for release on 6th October 2014.</em><br />
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<strong>Tour Dates</strong><br />
October<br />
6 - Gaslight Club, Leeds<br />
7 - The Castle, Manchester<br />
10 - Four Bars, Cardiff<br />
12 - NN Cafe, Northampton<br />
16 - Latest Music Bar, Brighton<br />
20 - The Bicycle Club, Norwich<br />
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November<br />
21 - Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh<br />
22 - Cellar 35, Aberdeen<br />
23 - Rocking Chair, Sheffield<br />
24 - The Basement, York<br />
27 - Hare & Hounds, Birmingham<br />
28 - Bishop Street Church, Leicester<br />
29 - The Nest, London<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-1733864442781537762014-03-21T06:00:00.000-07:002015-03-26T18:20:59.575-07:00Gig Review: Tomorrow at NN Cafe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>What inspired you to become a musician?</strong></div>
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I can pinpoint it to an exact song - 'Life On Mars' by David Bowie. I grew up with my family listening to very religious music which I never really got into, and all my friends listened to Westlife.</div>
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And then I heard David Bowie and I was like "wow this is my thing." It was the way he was telling stories and stuff in the song which, obviously being a kid your imagination just goes on fire, seemed amazing.</div>
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<strong>What have you achieved so far?</strong></div>
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Most of my musical performance was actually when I travelled around Europe working as a professional busker which was pretty cool. I played 21 different countries in so many cities and towns, and that was a really good experience.</div>
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Since I've come to uni I've organised a gig (tonight), I've performed at The Picturedrome, The Roadmender and I've done a lot of gigs in London.</div>
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Keep performing. Keep recording. I do visual art stuff as well as audio so I'm interested in working with some audio-visual art collectives. Generally creating things that express the way that I feel and I see the world.</div>
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<strong>What do you write about in your songs?</strong></div>
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I don't really like it but when I'm really pissed off I have nothing else that I'd rather do than write a song about it. So a lot of my music ends up being quite angry because I'd rather get a song out of someone than have a go at them.</div>
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Being a bit reflective, thinking about my childhood, some of the happier ones are about when I was a busker and looking back at that - all the inspiring times I had out there and the people that I met. A lot about people, definitely, they're probably the biggest influence on my work.<br />
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<strong>Have you got a guilty pleasure?</strong><br />
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When was the last time I listened to something guilty? I used to feel very guilty about listening to ABBA but now I just embrace that.<br />
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I remember there was a Britney Spears song that I used to really like, which is a bit embarrassing. And an even more embarrassing reason; it's because I saw my dance teacher perform it and I thought she was as fit as hell so I liked the song.<br />
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<i>At this point Charlie Trotman (he of the awesome camera skills and Warhol obsession) stated taking massively zoomed in pictures of our faces.</i><br />
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<strong>Question from Alan Lynn: What are your thoughts on mods?</strong><br />
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I think I would be more of a rocker had I been in the whole rivalry. I'm good with the mods though. I like them. I like Quadrophenia, great film, kinda wish I was there it looks like a lot of fun, maybe not getting arrested but the general excitement. I have nothing against the mods, I think they're a nice bunch. And I like their jackets.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-57717491979738248682014-02-28T06:00:00.000-08:002014-03-06T18:58:45.050-08:00Billy Lockett's "Pathway" To Success<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>From Northampton to international, a brief look at Billy Lockett's rise so far</strong><br />
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Hey good looking,</div>
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I know an artist's "journey" is something only reserved for the very cheesiest of TV talent shows, however using the professional and extremely well arranged (ahem) diagram above hopefully you can trace the progression of Northampton's superstar-in-the-making Billy Lockett.</div>
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From playing bars with his best friends to breaking the Top 20 iTunes Album Chart with no record label backing whatsoever, Billy's success is down almost entirely to word of mouth sharing from his incredibly loyal fanbase and anyone else who's been seriously impressed enough to recommend this talented, addictive, breathtaking songwriter. Insane or what?!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-83906559910528089372014-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:002014-03-03T15:34:25.676-08:00Gig Review: The Wytches at The Labour Club<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>Double, double, toil and trouble, Wytches turn The Lab to rubble</strong></div>
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Hey good looking,<br />
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It's not often that a band on the verge of making something truly incredible and receiving so much media attention for it pay Northampton a visit. So when fast-rising trio <a href="http://www.thewytches.com/">The Wytches</a>, newly signed to Heavenly Recordings, announced a fourteen date UK tour that commenced practically on my doorstep (two and a half miles away still counts!) - followed by local music legend Andy Skank revealing this would be his final ever gig for The Labour Club (cue drunken chants in appreciation) - the overall combination sent not only me but virtually half the town to fever pitch with excitement.</div>
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Performing an electrifying set full of breakdowns so warped and distorted they could turn your brain inside out within a matter of moments, ex-Northamptonians now living in the hipster haven of Brighton <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Broadbayband">Broadbay</a> were the first to take to the stage and really set our anticipation soaring.</div>
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Then was the turn of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/KagouleUK">Kagoule</a>. Adjust The Way', the trio's latest single, had a gloriously scuzzy sound to it - like someone repeatedly bludgeoning you over the head with a coarse slab of concrete (<a href="http://www.hatehatehaterecords.com/">Hate Hate Hate Records</a> certainly know their stuff when it comes to aggressive guitar riffs, right?) - however in comparison the rest felt fairly hit and miss.<br />
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And finally... the headline performance. Any good? ANY GOOD?!?!?! The Wytches were phenomenal: powering through menacing, dissonant surf-psych with the unrefined volatility that only a band as fresh and recently formed as these can truly achieve.<br />
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There was no end to the incredible torrents of fury unleashed by Kristian Bell, the frontman shrieking against coarse, savage guitar riffs and clamorous drums whilst lurching savagely towards the audience.<br />
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Songs such as 'Robe For Juda' were buzzing with mosh pit-inducing raucousness, whereas others crept out of darker, more sinister recesses, and sporadically the trio leapt between and blasted out the both of them.<br />
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Quite possibly the most suffocating, exhilarating band I've ever seen at The Lab. I'm bewytched.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-72946763484424951902014-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:002014-06-14T03:37:38.685-07:00Gig Review: The FactorY Festival 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>The youngest, loveliest, craziest event in Northampton's calendar - it's The Y Factor</strong><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Hey good looking,<br />
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I'd like to begin by apologising for my slight tardiness with this article. But isn't that one of the many beautiful things about music: it has no expiry date. Still, as a celebration of young local musicians aged 25 and under, it'd be preferable to have this up <em>before</em> the acts reach their mid-sixties.<br />
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Speaking of not getting any younger, I should probably get cracking with this 'ere write up. Twas the eve of Saturday 18th January, the fantastic folk of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheYFactor">The Y Factor</a> had organised a whopping twenty-one talented young acts to perform and compete over three different stages, and in the words of The Four Seasons' mid-70s classic: oh what a night!<br />
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The Y Factor festival is without a doubt one of my favourite events of the year. I love it!<br />
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Where else can you wander out of one room - your mind brimming with the heartfelt poetry of a stunning singer-songwriter - and end up accidentally meandering slap bang into the centre of a raging heavy metal mosh pit? And having battled through the crowds of frenzied gyrators where else can you suddenly arrive in a dank, seedy backroom listening to a Gothic country singer?<br />
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Both us in the crowd and them on stage had an amazing time enjoying ourselves (trust me it's so much more fun than being snide and judgemental, you should try it some time) and, even with the competitive edge, I doubt anyone could have been any friendlier if they'd tried.<br />
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However if you thought The FactorY was merely a showcase of talent then I'm afraid to say you're very wrong indeed. The Y Factor is, first and foremost, a competition. And this was their semi-final.<br />
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Worry not, there's no sabotaging of sets or yanking out opponents' hair (or at least if there is it's all very much behind the scenes) but, with previous winners including globe-trotter <a href="https://www.facebook.com/billylockettmusic">Billy Lockett</a> and the mesmerising <a href="http://www.scottboothofficial.com/">Scott Booth</a>, merely being selected for the final from a such brilliant bunch of "rivals" is a real achievement to be proud of.<br />
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22nd March is the date for your diary, and despite having seen all eight of the acts before I would still absolutely hate to have to call it.<br />
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Nevertheless it's going to be a spectacular evening. Bring on the final!<br />
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<em><a href="http://www.thinglink.com/scene/487042238677778432">Click here</a> to find out what all the acts that I managed to talk to had to say about themselves in thirty seconds. Or don't, I'm not really all that fussed.</em></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-71499096420861168312014-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:002014-01-18T06:00:01.410-08:00The N Awards 2013 - The Results<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have to say I'm genuinely flattered (and a little bit flabbergasted) by the reception that these N Awards have received by the lovely folk of Northampton - especially considering that they mean, well, absolutely nothing whatsoever. Aren't I selling this well?<br />
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Anyhow 2013 has been an absolutely incredible year for Northamptonshire music (the best of the past three years I've been doing these awards if you ask me) and all the following bands and artists that both yourselves and I have found worthy of receiving the prestigious honour of an OBE (Order of Bedge's Excellence) truly are the best of the best of the best.<br />
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You'll just have to imagine the red carpet and over-indulgent speeches.<br />
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<strong>The Face Of Northampton: Dave Neurotic</strong><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Who wouldn't want to see that face at the very most forefront of this fine town we call Northampton? Something of a local legend, Dave's tracks range from the motivational to the hilarious - he even dedicated a entire song to his barmy hometown. On the regs!<br /></div>
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<strong>2nd Place: Lea Stonhill</strong><br />
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Presenter of the second best local music radio show that has the word Review in the title - The Band Review Show on Inspiration FM. Always worth a listen.<br />
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<strong>3rd Place: Stephan Stanton</strong><br />
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<iframe seamless="" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3836898172/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0px currentColor; height: 142px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://kneesuk.bandcamp.com/album/learning-to-swim">Learning To Swim by Knees</a></iframe>
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Head of Skin & Bones Records, keyboardist for Knees, Post Cat Core promoter and general local music lover. Take your pick, he's awesome at them all.</div>
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<strong>Band Of The Year: Cousin Avi</strong><br />
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"A flaming funk band loaded full of high-octane ardour and with the
sizzling levels cranked up all the way to chargrilled." <a href="http://bedgemusic.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/single-review-cousin-avi-polly.html">Click here to read full single review</a><br />
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<strong>New Band Of The Year: Adolphus Tips</strong><br />
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"Adolphus Tips play with such ferocity that I'm almost tempted to take bets on which are going to shatter
first: their instruments or their wrist bones." <a href="http://bedgemusic.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/gig-review-adolphus-tips-at-labour-club.html">Click here to read full gig review</a></div>
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<strong>Solo Artist Of The Year: Jay Brown</strong></div>
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"If the Northampton-born genre-fuser was expanding any quicker we'd need an airfield just to contain her pinky toe." <a href="http://bedgemusic.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/single-review-jay-brown-keep-talking.html">Click here to read full single review</a><br />
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<strong>Album Of The Year: ACODA - 'Yours To Defend'</strong><br />
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"The type of record that sends a surge of malevolence pounding through your circulatory
system and fills your body with the sudden desire to obliterate anything and
everything within a five meter radius." <a href="http://bedgemusic.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/album-review-acoda-yours-to-defend.html">Click here to read full album review</a></div>
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<strong>Festival Of The Year: Northampton Music Festival</strong></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-65931635414450385702014-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:002014-08-06T04:38:05.364-07:00Label In The Limelight: MTA Records<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"Dedicated to releasing exceptional music across all genres" brag UK-based independent <a href="http://www.mtarecords.co.uk/">MTA Records</a>, a statement that would make the label appear to be owned by the world's most conceited egotists if it wasn't so unarguably true.</div>
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Founded in 2009 by electronic producers Status and Chase (better known, believe it or not, as <a href="http://chaseandstatus.co.uk/">Chase & Status</a>), MTA have spent the past four years uncovering and championing some of the most exciting, creative and original artists from across the musical spectrum.</div>
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Their assortment of excellence ranges from the bold, brazen beasts of British electronica - such as <a href="http://www.thisisnero.com/">Nero</a>, <a href="http://www.redlightmusic.co.uk/">Redlight</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/benpearcemusic">Ben Pearce</a>, not forgetting the CEOs themselves - to soulful gemstones like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thismoko">Moko</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LouisMattrs">Louis M^ttrs</a>. Joining these are the fresh, unprecedented future stars of UK hip hop, some seriously addictive deep house DJs and much more besides.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>With the mounting success of Chase & Status' 2008 album 'More Than Alot' it was obvious from the label's conception that MTA's releases were going to make some sort of waves, however did anyone really foresee just how much impact those undulations would have?<br />
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Some of the very earliest releases included breakthrough records from Nero and Redlight; remixes from Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Knife Party and Wilkinson; and one of the most belligerent dubstep tracks I think I've ever heard: 'FRZR9000' by Björk-supported duo 16bit, who've since disbanded and now exist as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/long-clothing/the-13-long-clothing-mixtape">The 13</a> and the astoundingly sinister <a href="https://www.facebook.com/moodygoodofficial">Moody Good</a>.</div>
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Another of the artists on MTA's seventeen-strong roster that I've found particularly impressive is the breathtaking <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AbigailWylesMusic">Abigail Wyles</a> - richly textured and really rather unique. Others include a spellbinding songwriter fusing soul, jazz and hip hop <span id="goog_1578777345"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Elli Ingram<span id="goog_1578777346"></span></a>, unique rapper <a href="http://www.thisisknytro.com/">Knytro</a>, Massive Attack-inspired <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thismoko">Moko</a> and rapidly-successful producer <a href="https://soundcloud.com/kove">Kove</a>.</div>
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Chase & Status are, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest acts in current pop music and it's fantastic that they're willing to use this phenomenal position to introduce an entire new wave of guest vocalists, remixers and incredible signees.</div>
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I'm not saying for a second that you're definitely going to bowled over by absolutely everything, but with such a varied array of musicians there's well and truly something for everybody. Top work.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-8420952940305534572013-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:002013-12-23T06:00:04.600-08:00The Hell's 'Stay Another Day' Cover Is Either Completely Atrocious Or Utter Genius - Maybe Even Both<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>An absolutely absurd hardcore(ish) version of the East 17 karaoke classic. I love these guys.</strong></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-62060074430374971412013-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:002013-12-21T18:50:07.877-08:00Bah Humbug! Our Anti-Christmas Playlist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Christmas shopping the most tedious thing in the world? Are all those decorations and fairy lights looking to you like tinder for one massive bonfire? Don't be a Grinch and ruin it for everyone else, just give these thirteen anti-Christmas tracks listen and unleash your inner Scrooge to the reassuring reminder that at least you're only made to endure the celebrations once each year.<br />
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<strong>Corey Taylor - 'X-MaS'</strong><br />
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The Slipknot vocalist trades his usual mask for a bright green mankini - I'm not sure which is more terrifying - taking a pop at Hanukkah and Kwanzaa too. You know where to stick those jingle bells.</div>
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<strong>Fear - 'Fuck Christmas'</strong></div>
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A forty-four second stocking filler from the LA punk band. But I'd say it conveys their message pretty much perfectly.</div>
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<strong>The Vandals - 'I Don't Believe In Santa Clause'</strong></div>
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The sort of song that takes Greg Lake hostage, forces him to down a bottle of Jack, shoves him into a particularly violent pub brawl and abandons him in a wheelie bin at half three in the morning.</div>
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<strong>Pearl Jam - 'Let Me Sleep'</strong></div>
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Eddie Vedder has convinced me there's only one possible way to escape the neverending torrent of overbearing; I'm going into hibernation until the horror subsides. Wake me up when December ends.</div>
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<strong>Miles Davis - 'Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern)'</strong></div>
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Jazz fan or not, I'm sure all our inner Ebeneezers can relate to this one. The cynical finale to Columbia's 1962 'Jingle Bell Jazz' compilation criticises greed and cheapness of the whole debacle.</div>
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<strong>The Sonics - 'Don't Believe In Christmas'</strong></div>
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There's a reason these 60s garage pioneers won't be joining the festivities. Not because they're Jehova's Witnesses, because last year they didn't get a single gift. Nudder. Diddly squat. What sort of celebration of consumerism is that?</div>
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<strong>The Showcase Showdown - 'Merry Christmas I Fucked Your Snowman'</strong></div>
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Those charming Boston boys out spreading the festive cheer by stamping on presents, setting fire to decorations and defiling snowmen. Just imagine how cold that would be.</div>
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<strong>Tankard - 'Fuck Christmas'</strong></div>
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The second of three songs in this list to have that particular name (any ideas who the third one's by?). Forget rocking, I'm head banging around my Christmas tree</div>
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<strong>Weezer - 'Christmas Celebration'</strong></div>
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Ah yes Weezer: We won't drink eggnog like YOU. We won't buy presents like YOU. We won't do anything like YOU because we're individuals, just like the other million or so pop punks around.</div>
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<strong>Tom Lehrer - 'A Christmas Carol'</strong></div>
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From Tom Lehrer now a more appropriate carol than 'Oh Come All Ye Faithful' or 'Good King Wenceslas'. One dedicated to the true meaning of Christmas... money.</div>
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<strong>Joss Stone - 'The Anti-Christmas Carol'</strong></div>
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Be honest, if you saw Joss Stone had done a Christmas song would you not assume it was some sort of soulful 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' cover? Not so. It would appear that Little Miss Stoker is also Little Miss Scrooge, writing the complete antithesis to Wizzard's mass shit, I mean smash hit.</div>
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<strong>Ren & Stimpy - 'I Hate Christmas'</strong></div>
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It's not just us humans who can be a humbug, everybody's favourite Central European cartoon chihuahua - Ren - can be a right old miser when it comes to carols, lights and cheer too.</div>
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<strong>Eric Idle - 'Fuck Christmas'</strong></div>
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Once again the Monty Python genius has struck the nail exactly bang on the head. This is precisely the sort of dismal Christmas gloom I've been searching for - mean-spirited and loaded full of expletives. We're British, we moan. Justification is hardly necessary.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>The Anti-Anti-Christmas Playlist</strong></span><br />
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<strong>CRUDBUMP - 'Fuck You If You Don't Like Christmas'</strong><br />
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<strong>Half Man Half Biscuit - 'It's Clichéd To Be Cynical At Christmas'</strong><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-89882722613280591502013-12-07T06:00:00.001-08:002013-12-07T08:27:29.954-08:00The N Awards 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>Rewarding Northamptonshire's brilliance</strong></div>
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<a name='more'></a>Listen up people. It's time to dust off that lovely little black number and glamorise yourselves for the local music award "ceremony" that literally tens of people have been talking about. That's right, it's The N Awards 2013!!!<br /></div>
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As always the majority of the awards will be decided by our exclusive panel of judges (aka just me) however there is one category decided purely by public votes alone; the winner of The Face Of Northampton lies once again in your hands. You can vote using the poll to the right hand side of the page.<br />
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So prepare to go mild with excitement as the nominees are unveiled:</div>
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<strong>The Face Of Northampton</strong></div>
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Alan Lynn & Tamsyn Payne (NN Cafe)</div>
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Alan Moore (Writer)<br />
Alex Novak (Spiral Archive)</div>
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Andy Skank (Labour Club)<br />
Dave Neurotic (Rapper)</div>
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Jo Burns & co. (Northampton Music Festival)</div>
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Joe Payne (UnSeeNN Radio)</div>
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Lea Stonhill (Inspiration FM)</div>
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Northampton Clown (Clown)</div>
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Stephan Stanton (Skin & Bones / Post Cat Core)<br />
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Previous winners and nominees of The Face Of Northampton include Anguish Sandwich, Ashley & Pudsey and Faye from Steps so don't take this voting decision lightly x<br />
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<strong>Band Of The Year</strong><br />
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An Army Of Lights</div>
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Citadel</div>
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Code 500</div>
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Cousin Avi<br />
Silver Arm</div>
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Temples</div>
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TANAOU</div>
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<strong>New Band Of The Year</strong></div>
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Adolphus Tips</div>
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Dirty Fair</div>
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Leila Jane</div>
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Rubber Band</div>
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<strong>Solo Artist Of The Year</strong></div>
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Charlotte Carpenter</div>
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Jay Brown</div>
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Joel Harries</div>
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Peter Marchant</div>
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<strong>Album Of The Year</strong></div>
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ACODA - 'Yours To Defend'</div>
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My First Tooth - 'Love Makes Monsters'</div>
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Party In Paris - 'Desolate'</div>
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Sacred Mother Tongue - 'Out Of The Darkness'</div>
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The Mobbs - 'Stiff Upper Lip & Trousers To Match'</div>
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<strong>Festival Of The Year</strong></div>
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NNestival</div>
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Northampton Music Festival</div>
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Shambala Festival</div>
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Umbrella Fair<br />
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The winners will be announced whenever I can be bothered in the new year.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760457509208605320.post-5968762466099094382013-11-29T06:00:00.001-08:002013-12-03T15:32:43.146-08:00Single Review: Temples - Mesmerise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>Having confirmed a debut album for February 2014, 'Mesmerise' does exactly that.</strong></div>
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<a name='more'></a>It's official! The psych-rock Kettering quartet that's been reigniting everybody's love of LSD and kaleidoscopes along with Heavenly Recordings label mates Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs and Toy - <a href="http://templestheband.com/">Temples</a> - will be releasing their debut LP 'Sun Structures' on 10th February 2014 (the perfect Valentine's Day gift?)<br />
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'Mesmerise' then is the fourth single to be taken from the album, the grandeur of which alone is absolutely spellbinding. Temples strike an equilibrium between the addictive hooks of the pop world and the intrigue of the alternative impeccably well, imaginatively reinterpreting that so often replicated sound of the late 60s.<br />
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10th Feb 2014. I can't wait.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0