This is some of the music I’ve been grabbing at like a chubby fingered kid at the pic ‘n’ mix stand:

I’m late to the Fool’s Gold party, but fuck it; being late, being fashionable- it still means something in this mixed up world right? Anyway, this is a great collective who are really quite impressive purveyors of the sacred art of having slightly intellectualised, but  no less pleasurable, fun.

Fool’s Gold are part of the increasingly popular school of bands who do not create music drawn exclusively from a vacuum of the western world and (for all the success of Vampire Weekend, El Guincho, Beirut et el) they actually manage to make something rather original of their tropical, worldly influences. Fool’s Gold create uplifting, interesting music to stimulate the mind as much as ardent dancing feet, and when Luke Top’s rich, phlegmy Hebrew vocals enters each song, there’s really something worth getting excited about.

Fool’s Gold- ‘Nadine’

http://www.myspace.com/foolsgold

Coming over all light headed and summery at the start, George Fitzgerald’s ‘Don’t You’ builds until it is, eventually overcome with the dark, dull thud of the bassline and the shrouding, reverberating waves of synth. Keeping himself in the good company of Joy Orbison and his label Doldrums, it perhaps isn’t surprising that Fitzgerald is already showing signs of mastering the ways of finely tuned, subtle, loving and soulful dance music which echoes a sort of nostalgia whilst very much pushing things forward.

George Fitzgerald- ‘Don’t You’

http://www.myspace.com/georgefitzgeraldmusic

Being caught in two minds isn’t often a good thing. Missing opportunities, looking like an idiot, breaking down: these things can happen to you when you dilly dally, undecided on the perimeter of some fast approaching important decision. However, when, on ‘Bang Bang Cherry’, Hook and The Twin don’t seem to be able to decide whether to internally implode in a fit of crippling anxiety or just dance like Ian Curtis being tasered, it ends in some unusually fantastic results.

Hook and the Twin- ‘Bang Bang Cherry’

http://www.myspace.com/hookandthetwin

There’s something immensely interesting and magnetic about ‘Fire Dream’ by Patten, especially in the way the song is constructed. The minimal beat is surrounded by hazy streams of fuzz while the blurred, indecipherable vocals wrap themselves perfectly around the wobbly, forlorn bass. The pumping dread of isolation in this song is both produced and defused by its encompassing nature- like being in a room full of hedonistic pleasure seekers and feeling alone yet an integral part of the masses.

Patten- ‘Fire Dream’ (c90 Demo)

http://www.myspace.com/pattensongs

Simian Mobile Disco- Temporary Pleasure

 

 

After releasing their debut album Attack Decay Sustain Release in 2007, Simian Mobile Disco have gone on to become the unlikeliest pair of geeky superstar DJs in the world. While that album might not have quite been ingrained into the minds and dance floors of a generation in the same way as, say, the debut from Justice, it definitely occupied a firm and happy place in many a hardcore clubber and music fan alike.

So, after honing their live show to absolute perfection over the past couple of years, have they managed to do the same with the recorded side of things?

Temporary Pleasure, surprisingly, doesn’t start with some sort of mad, acid house stomper but, instead, opts for something slightly different. ‘Cream Dream’ is a slick slice of electro pop perfection. Featuring the near heavenly guest vocals of Gruff Rhys, the song wobbles with delicate synths before the beat drops neatly into sync to create something of a crossbreed between an 80s power rock song fit to soundtrack The Breakfast Club and the sound of Daft Punk headlining the whole of France…Basically, it’s a right old four minutes.

‘Cream Dream’ is actually a pretty good representative of the album as a whole. Flitting happily between bassy, dirty club stompers to roll your eyes revoltingly around your head to and moments of wonderfully pure pop is something Temporary Pleasures excels at throughout without ever losing continuity. 

It’s hard sometimes to remember you’re not in a club when playing this album. Listening to ‘10000 Horses Can’t be Wrong’, for example, you can positively feel the strobe lights mesmerizing you, the E’d up twat stood next to you bumping you every other beat and the wave of arms going crazy as the song stops prematurely before dropping back in with an almighty pounding of bass.

On the other side of things, Simian Mobile Disco have still got the dance pop on lock down. ‘Turn Up The Dial’ sounds like a drum ‘n’ bass remix of a Flo Rider song and it’s pretty damn hard not to love every disgustingly RnB flecked second of it.

Another of the album’s highlights is the Alexis Taylor (of Hot Chip) appearance on ‘Badblood’. The song fits Taylor’s voice so perfectly, perhaps because of it’s absolutely bonkers nature. From the jumpy synths to what sounds like little snippets of a didgeridoo player on acid, the song fits the singer like a glove. Similarly, the inclusion of Beth Ditto’s sultry vocals on ‘Cruel Intentions’ is, to make a wild understatement, a fine choice. The song bubbles along sexily like a 90s house anthem only spruced up with the relevant sounds of a late nouties dance song.

Overall, Temporary Pleasure is an excellent, fully formed and exciting album. Simian Mobile Disco, once again, prove they are masters in effortlessly genre hopping, providing an album to soundtrack a thousand different occasions and all the time keeping a great sense of ambition and intrigue. It’s a real, real strain to keep away from using a dodgy pun involving the title of this album, but- to put it simply- this is a collection of songs which won’t get old any time soon.

 

Spotted Dick Week 2

 

Like a boomerang, a tramp that you once gave money to and Freddy Flintoff’s injury woes, Spotted Dick keeps coming back for more and will continue to do so. So here’s this week’s playlist of songs; some new, some old and some emo. 

 

http://open.spotify.com/user/g-town/playlist/6tf3lscqc8r0afvGnf3d9O

 

Simian Mobile Disco “Audacity of Huge”

 

Simian Mobile Disco’s second album “Temporary Pleasure” is set to be released soon and should in actual fact turn out to be, at the very least, a reasonably sustained pleasure….

Let’s not dwell on that. Featuring some great vocal collaborations and a healthy mix of thumping, minimal club bangers and smooth pop sheen, it’s certainly one to look forward to. This, their new single, somehow mixes both the face chewing basic club stuff and the shimmying pop.

 

Thom Yorke, “Analyse”

 

Thom Yorke/Radiohead this week recorded and released a song in tribute to Harry Patch, the WW1 veteran who died recently. Though this is not it, the song in question (“Harry Patch (In Memory Of)”) is a beautiful, haunting affair which Sigur Ros would be proud of. Download the song here: http://download.waste.uk.com/Store/did.html and donate to the Royal British Legion at the same time.

“Analyse”, meanwhile, is a right old treat from The Eraser.

 

Wild Beasts, “The Fun Powder Plot”

 

This is the opener of new album Two Dancers and instantly sets the bar ridiculously high for what turns out to be a fantastic album. If Wild Beasts’ first album, Limbo, Panto perhaps saw some of their great ideas slightly flawed by over the top flamboyance and, well, that voice, Two Dancers is a much more complete album.

 

All American Rejects, “Swing Swing”

 This is for anyone who ever listened to this song while gazing grimly out the window onto a miserably rainy day, trucker cap firmly positioned to the left, and thought of different ways for American emo bands to be relevant to our British lives. More importantly though, this is for anyone who, on Monday at the Bodega Social in Nottingham, jumped up and down, slammed into a sea of bodies or simply face planted the floor with a full pint in hand as their 15 year old self ran rampant through the night….

 

No Age, “Eraser”

This week, the two piece shoegaze meets punk outfit No Age have announced a European tour which includes a date at London Scala on October the 19^th. Exciting times if you’re a fan of the lowest of lo-fi.

 

The Maccabees, “Young Lions”

 

In here for no other reason than that they’re great. This song kinda sounds like Interpol fighting out a battle of melancholy with Arcade Fire while never losing The Maccabees identity.

 

The Antlers, “Shiva”

Hospice, by Brooklyn based band The Antlers, is an album of starry, mirror ball ambience and crashing, sky scraping atmospherics- it is both intimate and universally powerful. Spotify that shit up.

 

 

Bob Dylan, “Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again”

 Rumours are rife this week that the man christened Robert Zimmerman has already gone back into the studio to write an album to be released at Christmas time. The old workhorse. Dylan Christmas album though? Yes please.   

 

Lovvers, “OCD Go Go Girls”

New Lovvers single! The fuzzy Nottingham scamps are touring from now until around October so see them if you can. This song is a right old bluesy, chaotic mess, but you have to love it.

 

Animal Collective, “Water Curses”

“The Collective” have just been named the top of NME’s future 50 thing. Whatever that is. I’m not really sure what this means, but if anyone was pondering backlash due to shit rag association, they can fuck right off. “Water Curses”- a fantastic slice of jumbled, trippy, addled dream pop.

 

Fanfarlo, “Drowning Men”

This band’s catchy but yearning pop is still yet to get old. I don’t think it will either.

 

 

Queens of the Stone Age, “Sick Sick Sick”

There’s been something about a “supergroup” involving QOTSA, Led Zeppelin and Foo Fighters floating about recently. This has the very real potential to be anything but “super”.  But, really, any excuse for this song is a good enough one. It does exactly what it says on the tin. Not content with just being sick, it is impressively sick x3.

 

Weezer, “Hash Pipe”

I get slightly aroused by an ageing geek grunting into a microphone at exactly the same time as he releases his dirty guitar riff from palm muted to ripping distortion for a split second. What of it….?

 

Grizzly Bear, “Knife”

A band I’ve come to pretty late in the day, but being late could be my special move by now. This is a rambling, spooky build up of a song which is both disgustingly lo-fi and, strangely, nearly a prog wig out…I like.

 

Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic”

Beastie Boy Adam Yauch was recently diagnosed with throat cancer but has since emailed fans saying the operation to remove the tumour was successful and he is making a recovery. MCA 1, Cancer 0, biatch. Seriously though, I hope he is OK and makes a speedy and healthy recovery. Here’s some classic Beastie Boys.

 

The White Stripes, “Dead Leaves on The Dirty Ground”

Jack White is apparently releasing a solo album/a solo song or something. The details are hazy right now. Let’s just hope it’ll be more like his Stripes stuff rather than one of his many tedious collaborations/side projects. There’s something pretty fucking brilliant about Jack’s out of this world blues guitar noodling bumping uglies with Meg White’s more-basic-than-a-prison-cell style drumming which is just not the same when he’s playing with actual competent musicians…

 

Dirty Projectors, “The Bride”

Wow. This song is a masterful, messy psyche jam which never even comes close to becoming too abstract or confusing. From gentle acoustic guitar picking to dizzying, fuzzy chords by the way of beautiful vocals and a soulful choir of soaring voices, this song sweeps you off your feet and drops you back off gently at the end without ever disorientating you too much.

 

Fever Ray, “If I Had A Heart” (Fuck Buttons remix)

What a dark, grand and pulsating beast this is. It’s long and, at times, features a shit load of what can only be described as noise. Therefore, it has Fuck Buttons written all over it and is amazing.

 

Arcade Fire, “No Cars Go”

It’s been too long Arcade, I miss you. I’d like to think of Win Butler sat somewhere in the world’s further reaches creating an epic, soaring, 11 minute long masterpiece using only the instruments of Djibouti or something but, in reality, he’s probably still in a mardy after some twat threw a shoe at him in Nottingham Arena.

Bob Dylan- “Blonde on Blonde”

After causing something of a stir by what is now infamously know as his “going electric”, Dylan released two albums (“Bringing it All Back Home” and “Highway 61 Revisited”) in 1965, but it is this album of 1966- with its increasingly surreal lyrics and often woozy mixture of blues, rock and melody- that is considered by many to be one of his finest pieces of work.

“Blonde on Blonde” starts with hilariously nonchalant “Rainy Day Women # 12 and 35”. The song is a lazy sounding little ditty which is filled with a giddy combination of harmonicas, trumpets, tinkling pianos, the sound of raucous laughter and, on top of it all, Dylan’s voice croaking out “Everyone must get stoned”.

However, for a lot of it, the rest of the album is much more downbeat and wistful. After suffering major backlash from both the press and his fans, “Blonde on Blonde” is a haunting, introspective glance in the mirror by a man trying to cope with massive burdens and expectations. In one of the albums highlights, “Visions of Johanna”, Dylan sings “Little boy lost/ He takes himself so seriously/ He brags of his misery”, revealing exactly the kind of fragile, yet creative, mind displayed laying itself out on the record.

Besides this, it’s the ragged and disjointed musical patchwork of storming rock ‘n’ roll, blues revival and near perfectly kitsch pop harmonies, all of which provide the backdrop for the lyrics, that stand out on the album. “I Want You”- with its wistful chord changes, jangly guitar lines and chirpy drums- could not be improved to make more of a brilliant pop song if it were reworked over a hundred years. “Leopard-skin Pill-box Hat”, meanwhile, is the heart, soul and the aching liver of decade upon decade of the blues. With the rhythm guitar strumming out a raw set of chords, the organ thrusting its shine over the top and the lead guitar screaming the unhinged, unrehearsed lines over the top- not to mention Dylan’s smoky, 190 year old voice spitting out literally the most bizarre lyrics in the world- this is the sound of Bob Dylan and his band venting their collective anger and misery through the time honoured method of raw blues.

“Blonde on Blonde” has a fragmented tone, full of bitterness, regret, joy, playfulness and sarcasm. This is most likely to do with the fact the Dylan was romantically involved with three different women at the time just as much as it has to do with his struggle to cope with the status forced upon him. Despite this, the album was a huge success- commercially and critically- and has gone down in history as one of the greatest albums ever. Maybe it was his bruised and exhausted mind that gave him creative licence to pour out his heart and spray it all over this album. Maybe it was an attempt at a cathartic activity for a man in the midst of a breakdown. Either way, “Blonde on Blonde” is an album which words like “classic”, “masterpiece” and “genius” don’t even get close to doing justice.

Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat

Stuck Indside of Mobile with The Memphis Blues Again

Franz Ferdinand- “Tonight: Franz Ferdinand”

It’s been a long time coming, this here third Franz Ferdinand album. They may have stormed British popular culture with two highly successful albums in two years but after four years in relative oblivion, does anyone still care about four guys who were already the “wrong” side of 30?

Yes, of course they do. Silly question.

“Tonight: Franz Ferdinand” begins with the leading single, “Ulysses”. The song begins life creeping around like a sexy little beast on the prowl in Soho before spiralling into a synth led stomper built on tension and anticipation. By the time the chorus kicks in, you can practically hear Alex Kapranos stamping his shoe heel on an old theatre stage, sense his lip curl mischievously and see him shaking his hips and doing the can-can. This really is a brilliant all singing, all dancing electro pop song revelling in all its own glory.

Much of the album continues in this vein- camp pop splattered with dark, scuzzy basslines and blasts of electro synths. At first, this may seem like something of a departure, however it’s with the classic Franz formula that the likes of “Take Me Out” and “Do You Want To?” were made from that this heady, gloriously intoxicating disco sound is built upon.

“Tonight: Franz Ferdinand” is the sound of a one band cabaret which takes the listener through the history of great pop music. From the sound of Ian Dury moving his body in a seedy London bar (“No You Girls”) to the Beatles experimenting with pop during the White Album (“Bite Hard”) by the way of Donna Summer’s ecstatic groans (“Live Alone”), this is a time spanning album.

Each and every guitar line, vocal hook, bass part, drum fill and synth riff is carefully constructed and placed within a song to create something that cannot be bettered, by addition or subtraction, in terms of making up one of the catchiest, danciest and popiest packages of fun right now. Franz could almost have become clinical and calculating with their orderly pop structures, as it is though, the album bounces from groove to groove with style, sophistication and elegance.

“Tonight: Franz Ferdinand” drips with horny, seedy riffs and oozes blasé confidence. Those who compare it to past outings by the band are really missing the point. This is an album which stands on its own feet- it is a swirling, flirtatious collection of songs to drink and dance to and one very much worth the wait.

No You Girls

http://www.myspace.com/franzferdinand

]]> http://www.itsnotforthecock.co.uk/2009/01/22/its-not-for-the-cock-its-for-the-night/feed/ 1 http://www.itsnotforthecock.co.uk/2009/01/18/its-not-for-the-cock-its-for-not-forgetting/ http://www.itsnotforthecock.co.uk/2009/01/18/its-not-for-the-cock-its-for-not-forgetting/#comments Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:19:22 +0000 Gavin Williams http://itsnotforthecock.dlpwd.co.uk/?p=796

Radiohead- “Amnesiac”

Recorded mostly during the same sessions for “Kid A”, Radiohead described these two albums, released in 2000 and 2001, as “twins separated at birth”. Considering that “Kid A” is on fairly good terms with bleakness, it shouldn’t be taken lightly that “Amnesiac” is the creepy, fucked up sibling of the two.

The album opens with the sinister “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box” which now sounds like classic Radiohead, combining light but glitchy computerised beats, weirdly timed keyboard sounds and gargling lyrics such as “I’m a reasonable man, get off my case”. The song threatens to break out into a swooping chorus or a thrilling climax, but the fact that it never quite makes it only adds to its intensity.

During “Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors”, some of Radiohead’s most fascinating qualities really hit full stride. Starting with an intermittent beat, the odd blast a shit scary discordant piano and the sound of far away wind chimes, the song goes on to flit between genuinely eery to the genuinely uplifting. With most other bands, this would probably be the sound of the lead singer’s head disappearing completely up in his own arse, but with Radiohead, it’s the sound of a band with full creative freedom.

“You And Whose Army?” is, possibly, the most conventional song on the album. It’s deceptively simple, for the most part just combining some simple, progressive chords and Thom Yorke’s soothingly falsetto voice, but when the bass leads into the final climax where the drums, piano and guitars flow together, it’s one of the most relaxing things in the world.

The next song, “I Might Be Wrong”, destroys any bliss we may have and restores us, nicely, to the feeling of uneasiness. “Knives Out” continues much in the same way. The elegant guitar of Johnny Greenwood creates a reflective backdrop for Thom Yorke’s bleak, sad wailing in what is a truly brilliant song.

“Morning Bell”, of which another version features on ”Kid A”, really highlights the difference of these two albums. Where the “Kid A” version is oddly uplifting and progresses into what is almost an anthem, the “Amnesiac” version creeps around like a serial killer picking his next victim. Although it has the same lyrics, it is a million times more desolate and nasty.

The album finishes with the bizarre “Life in a Glass House” which is almost the classic downbeat, piano led formula of Radiohead (as if Radiohead have a “formula”) only with numerous jazz instruments purring, pirouetting and shrieking to create an odd, but glorious, groovy funeral march.

Although it may be overshadowed by it’s “twin”, “Amnesiac” is a fantastic album. It’s a truly experimental and haunting record, even by the ridiculously high standards set by Radiohead themselves. What is always clear, whether you’re listening to it for the first time or the 200th, is that “Amnesiac” is a really fucked up, nasty piece of work. It’s dark and it’s scary, bleak and depressing. It’s a masterpiece.

You And Whose Army

I Might Be Wrong

Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box

TV on The Radio @ Shepherds Bush Empire 19/11/2008

TV on The Radio’s most recent long player, “Dear Science”, seems to have disappointed a number of fans equally as much as it has been, or will be, featured in end of year best of lists, yet, judging by the hysteria of an excited buzz mixed with furiously busy touts, tonight the stage is really set for them to prove their worth.

Entering the grandiose setting of the Empire, TVOTR are instantly captivating and charismatic. The two guitarists, Dave Sitek and Kyp Malone, sit nonchalantly sprawled on the stage floor, almost as if jamming in their bedroom. Frontman, Tunde Adebimpe, meanwhile, is a bundle of energy from the off. Dressed in a tight fitting shirt and wearing a pair of think rimmed glasses, he is a striking image of cool as he shuffles excitedly around the stage and rips into his vocal parts enthusiastically.

What’s instantly apparent is that this band are, despite- or maybe because of- their obvious creativity, ridiculously tight. With the majority of the songs that they play from “Dear Science”, the band replace string and brass instruments with guitar and keyboard parts. Surprisingly, this works to great effect- creating a pleasing alternative to the recorded versions, sounding raw and off the cuff. Singer/guitarist Malone, often spits out his rap like vocals whilst his hands spider around the guitar neck, giving him the appearance of a slightly deranged, furiously intelligent musical wizard.

Watching TV on The Radio tonight, separating them from their surroundings and the audience, their performance is wild yet controlled- filled with buckets of passion yet seemingly carefully calculated. It is exciting to watch. Once you take the crowd into the equation, though, it suddenly becomes a little less thrilling. At best, the majority of the audience look lifeless and bored. It is almost like looking at two totally separate gigs, the forceful, powerful performance of the Brooklyn band does not match up with the stiff, seemingly uninterested crowd. To their credit, TVOTR refuse to become despondent or withdrawn and, in actual fact, throw themselves in to the gig with even more ferociousness.

More recent songs, such as “Golden Age” and “Dancing Choose”, persist with an almost aggressive groove while songs from “Return To Cookie Mountain”, i.e “Wolf Like Me”, quake the venue with an earnest and urgent velocity. It is this mix that really displays this band as a cut above the majority- imaginative and experimental to the end.

The set tonight spans all three albums from the band, delicately tightroping between rock and fuck, carefully avoiding clichés and always remaining interesting. TV on The Radio might just be the modern thinking person’s rock band of choice and, despite the fact that half the audience were clearly recommended to come and see this hip band by the Guardian, they pull off an exciting, captivating and imaginative set of songs with no regards of audience reaction.

Crying

http://www.myspace.com/tvotr

Fucked Up/Rolo Tomassi @ Camden Barfly 6/11/2008

Anyone smart enough to brave it to Camden tonight not to see a Pete Doherty solo set is in for a treat with this XFM showcase at the perfectly scummy Barfly. Although advertised as a “secret headliner”, it seems everyone is pretty confident that it’s Canadian hardcore punk outfit Fucked Up that will be taking to the stage by the end of the night.

First comes first, though, and tonight that means Sheffield based five piece Rolo Tomassi. With the media coverage refusing to either relent or turn sour upon this band (singer Eva Spence very recently being inducted to the outer regions of the NME cool list), the band take to the stage with confidence and pride in what they do. With their mad, complex and ultimately thrilling sound, Rolo Tomassi are quite a head fuckingly joy to watch live. Attention flits between Joe Niholson’s frankly outrageously good skills on guitar to Eva’s misleadingly innocent look of sweetness (of course shattered when she stretches her vocal chords and shatters your skull), but the main impact of watching this band live is the way they entwine and bounce off one another in a series of exhilarating noises. After running through their set, siblings James and Eva exchanging a quick glance as a midget fails spectacularly at stage diving and a polite thank you at the end, Rolo Tomassi leave the night for Fucked Up.

Finally, Toronto hardcore band, Fucked Up, clamber onstage looking every inch the anti-hero punks. Also boasting an inclusion in the list of cool people, the band ooze a confidence that suggests they know exactly how they are received and also that they needn’t pander to anyone.

Singer Pink Eyes quickly becomes up to his nuts in flailing bodies and literally forces the gig to take the course he wishes. Ripping his top off to reveal that huge, rotund beast he jumps into the crowd and rarely makes it back onto the stage for the rest of the gig.

The drums are tight and unflashy, the power chords keep on punching us in the stomach like a bulldozer and the band collectively shout rabble rousing slogans together over the top. Whatever your poison, it’s hard not to be caught up in the storm. Fucked Up are a thrilling prospect- more good, old fashioned American punk rock than anything else- the band get their heads down and rock for the most part whilst letting Pink Eyes get on with stealing the show.

The figure of the deranged, screaming fat man with danger in his eyes and blood on his head is instantly extinguished between songs when he becomes the friendly, amiable frontman. “In case you were wondering”, he quips, smiling “this isn’t the Pete Doherty show”. Fans and innocent bystanders alike can’t seem to get enough of him. A little later, the midget returns to steal the microphone and sincerely thank the band, a sentiment which is met with much encouragement and whole hearted agreement. Whether you’re a fully blown punk or anything but, it really is hard not to enjoy Fuck Up live and the chaotic friendliness that they bring.

http://www.myspace.com/rolotomassi

http://www.myspace.com/epicsinminutes

Days of Last

Vampire Weekend/Wild Beasts/El Guincho @ The Kentish Town Forum, London 25 October

The rise and rise of Vampire Weekend has been a thing of wonder: last year they were swimming about in the peripheries of the music press and then, suddenly, BAM!- it’s customary for radio DJs to play at least one of their songs each hour and they’re on every British festival this summer inciting chirpy sing alongs all the way from a rainy Pyramid Stage performance to a triumphant, sweaty Leeds festival set. Whereas some bands (a certain multi-racial five piece from Florida spring to mind) received a hell of a roar in the hype department of the NME office but eventually only delivered a whimper, Vampire Weekend have consistently come up with the goods. After the festival season undoubtedly won them numerous fans, tonight the question is whether Vampire Weekend can cope in the spotlight in their own right headlining three sold out nights in a row at the Forum.

First on though is El Guincho who, despite the early hour of his slot, transports this lavish venue to the streets of Barcelona for a fully formed sound of celebration and carnival. As he wails out his joyful Spanish over the colourful keys, a smile is brought to the face of all those lucky enough to catch the set. El Guincho’s tropical rhythms and simplistic, sun kissed beats are the perfect supplement to Vampire Weekend and get everyone in just the right mood.

Next on are the Leeds based quartet Wild Beasts who’s recent debut album Limbo Panto received a fair amount of positive press. Unfortunately, they do not live up to previous expectations. The sound quality sounds, in all honesty, completely guff, which means all we can hear is a dull thud where the guitar/piano should be and a shrill yell of what, on record, is Hayden Thorpe’s interesting falsetto. Disappointing at best.

Finally the time has come for the headliners to take the stage. New Yorkers, Vampire Weekend stroll on in their usual attire suggesting wealth and sophistication and receive an almighty response from the crowd. Without dilly dallying around, they rip straight into “Mansard Roof” which, needless to say, gets everyone in the mood instantly.

One early highlight is the fantastic “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” which, during the chorus, the lights go up to reveal the sea of heads smiling and shouting the words back at the band. Similarly, a great occasion of call and response takes place during “One” with the band, and then the audience, happily shouting the lyric “Blake’s got a new face!”- a simple yet effective game learnt and honed in during Vampire Weekend’s many festival appearances this year.

Their Soweto, worldly and African influences may be a constant talking point, but it really displays their talent as a band with real unique qualities. Half way through the set, a string quartet come on to play a handful of songs with the band and, even though this sort of pompous behaviour can often make you want to stab yourself in the eye, it actually work magnificently here. Nothing compliments songs like “M79” like the short blasts of classical instruments.

Throughout the set, singer Ezra Koenig is everything we’ve come to love and expect of him. Charming, faux shy and yet charismatic; In many ways, he carries the band single handedly- whether he’s doing his jerky, awkward dancing or flitting between singing softly and belting out his lyrics in an unusually forceful manner, he is almost always the main point of attention on stage.

After the encore, the band come on and end with a storming rendition of “Walcott” which, strangely, is the perfect song to end with. Like their set as a whole, it is triumphant and glorious and is met with a big room full of silly grins. Despite the fact that they only have one fairly short album to their name- the set is neither overstretched with filler or far too short for a headline slot but is just the perfect length to make the most perfect pop gig. No matter what your opinion on Vampire Weekend, you really must agree (however begrudgingly) that they are completely, utterly charming and have proven their worth tonight as one of the biggest bands to emerge this year. 

Cape Cod Kwassi Kwassi

Oxford Comma (Daytrotter Session)

http://www.myspace.com/vampireweekend

El Guincho- Plamitos Park

http://www.myspace.com/elguincho

Wild Beasts- Devils Crayon

http://www.myspace.com/wildbeasts

Shred Your Face at Camden Electric Ballroom, London 20 October

It’s a rainy Monday night and the self styled “Shred Your Face” tour rolls into Camden town for what is surely the biggest gig of the jaunt.

First on to an already pretty packed venue is Times New Viking who impress those who made the effort to come early. The band seem to take a particular perverse joy in creating glorious pop songs almost of the Belle and Sebastian variety and then smothering them with walls of feedback, splashy cymbals and fuzzed out vocals so that the listener has to almost decipher those gorgeous melodies.

This size of venue is clearly not the ideal place to see Times New Viking, who should be seen up close and personal in some flea infested sweat pit, but they pull off a pretty raucous and rousing set anyway.

After a short wait, two unassuming Americans shuffle onstage and begin their set. No Age, it could be said, are a major draw for many tonight but, unfortunately, they fail to live up to expectations. Their lacklustre performance and almost sloppy sound would probably be great in a smaller venue but, again, they are just not the right band to be playing to such a big crowd. “Eraser” provides a slight slither of respite but the general feeling as they live the stage seems to be of quiet disappointment more than anything else.

Eventually it’s time for the headline band of this Shred Your Face malarkey, Los Campesinos!, to take the stage. As the band themselves testify, this is the biggest indoors gig they’ve ever played but they actually benefit from the large stage space and manage to step up their performance to the bigger crowd.

The band begin with latest album opener “Make It Through The Wall” which instantly gets the crowd bouncing with it’s choppy rhythms which eventually give way to a glorious chorus. After this, the set is divided almost equally between the bands two albums, although songs from their debut “Hold on Now, Youngster” undoubtedly get the bigger, more wildly enthusiastic response. Songs such as “Don’t Tell Me To Do The Math(s)”, “You! Me! Dancing!” and “Death to Los Campesinos!” already sound like classics and are matched word for word by the sweating, joyous crowd.

“This is How You Spell..” is, perhaps, one of the highlights of the set. With it’s slow build up of eerie keys and rumbling bass which eventually mingle with the heart soaring violin, it provides the perfect canvas for singer Gareth’s emotional and enthusiastic performance. The band, as usual, end with “Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks” which is as captivating and brilliant as ever- Gareth making his way into the dancing crowd before finishing on top of a speaker to give the final delivery.

With that, the Shred Your Face gig is over. Three very different bands, ranging from the minimalist to the perfected pop, yet there was unfortunately something lacking slightly in the whole affair. Maybe it was the venue or maybe it was hyped up too much, but Shred Your Face wasn’t quite the triumph it could, and should, have been.

http://www.myspace.com/loscampesinos

Death to Los Campesinos! (live)

We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed

http://www.myspace.com/nonoage

http://www.myspace.com/timesnewviking

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