05.23.14
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Ash Mammal – Polyamorous Me

In half an hour or so, I’m heading off to the Off The Tracks festival. It’s going to be my first camping festival of 2014. I don’t think it’s going to be a dry one. My wellies are packed. Wish me luck.

Before I go (I’ll try to blog over the weekend), I thought I’d write about a Leicester based band who are exciting many. Rumours abound of serious record label interest for Ash Mammal – and watching them live at the final of the Original Bands Showcase last Saturday it was easy to see why. These teenagers have something fresh and unique. 

Ash Mammal took to the stage as the second band of six and set a high bar to jump over. This is the sort of band that, when on form, are so captivating you don’t want to blink. They look the part and each member of the band knows their role. If guitarist George was in a stand up comedy duo, he’d be the foil, the straight man. He sings a bit and stands solid. Controlled and contained much like bass player Jeeves . Drummer, Anya, almost steals the show when she leaves her drums behind and takes to the front of the stage to sing. Her drumming is so clinical and so polished, a speeding, blurring, whizzing wind-up toy . You want to watch Anya but to do so would mean not watching lead singer, Cass. An exercise in punkish unpredictability, a voice that won’t be loved by everyone (there are many fools in this world) and a performance so theatrical, so full of outlandish art that it leaves your jaw in a permanent state of drop. Cass has the ability to be one of the greatest front-people this land has seen. Think Bolan, Bowie, Mercury, Rowland (Kevin), Boy George and Cocker (Jarvis) wrapped up with a bow on top and you get a feel for how good this could be. 

I’m not one for rash predictions – but I’ve seen enough about Ash Mammal to realise that the world could well be their oyster. If you’re based around these parts, I recommend seeing them before it’s too late.

Enough – my taxi is calling…

 

05.22.14
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Nick Price – Cabin Built For Two

There’s a moment (just after two minutes and 45 seconds) in this new tune from Nick Price when an unfeasibly dirty, almost grunge-like saxophone jazz solo kicks in. It’s at this point that pure sex penetrates through the soulful, smouldering tone that has gone before. This is the clothe-shedding, carpet burning climax that’s touching the stars. It’s hard not to get carried away.

I’ll set the scene as I see it.There’s this remote cabin that’s built for two. Nick Price is in it singing sweet neo-soul. Early drumbeats sound like nails being hammered in to strengthen the endurance of the wooden shag shack. For tonight, if Nick gets his way, the shed is going to rock n’roll with moans and groans. Stars will provide the light. There’ll be enough electricity even though this place isn’t connected to the grid. Are you getting the picture? I won’t go on.

Nick Price is a Canadian now living in LA. There’s an obvious quality and class about this tune and it’s no surprise to discover that Nick is classically schooled. This is only his second release. His first, Naked Souls, created quite a buzz of interest and I’m sure that interest is only going to multiply as more get to know about his music. 

This isn’t bombastic, in yer face, soul but rather it’s jazz-tinged late night smoochy soul. It’s hard not to be impressed. Feel the love.

 

 

05.21.14
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The Moulettes – Lady Vengeance

It’s a repeat post. I’ve already talked about the Moulettes. Their music does make me happy. 

But I have a few reasons to repeat… 

(1) I’ve just seen their video for new song, ‘Lady Vengeance’. It’s arty animation and I’m pretty sure that I quite like it – only pretty sure because it’s a bit fantastical and I’m not completely clear what it’s telling me about my life. This is a track that’s been described as ‘noir trip hop’. I’ve always found the music of Portishead pretty dark but if this is digging deeper then it ought to garnish respect.

(2) I’ve been listening to their new album, ‘Constellations’ for some time now. It’s getting a full release on June 2nd and it’s definitely a record to watch out for. The press release sums it all up really neatly. 

” ‘Constellations’ crosses varied and expansive musical territory over its ten tracks. As songwriter, cellist and front singer Hannah Miller notes, “People can listen to Moulettes and hear Shostakovich, Miles Davis, Pentangle, Pink Floyd, Bjork and Skrillex. That is where we’ve all come from…everyone shares in over 80 years of recorded music history”.

(3) I’m off to my first camping festival of 2014 this weekend. I’ve heard great things about the spring ‘Off The Tracks’ at Donington Farmhouse but have only been once before. My good friend, Richard Haswell, was celebrating a special birthday. His love of steam trains meant that a fine group of his friends spent a day having a beer ridden picnic whilst travelling up and down the line between Leicester and Loughborough. We ended the day by spending a night at ‘Off The Tracks’. Such was my level of inebriation, I can only recall staggering and swaying whilst the Alabama 3 nailed it on a main stage. Hopefully, I’ll remember more about this weekend. The Moulettes are playing and I intend to be dancing like a whirling dervish when they take to the stage in the afternoon sunshine (or May drizzle). 

Perhaps I’ll see you there? 

 

 

 

 

05.20.14
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The Watanabes – There’s Something Wrong

Anyone casually observing my bookshelves will notice the prevalence of novels by Japanese author, Haruki Murakami. I love the dream-like, otherworldliness of his writing. In his beautifully haunting, romantic novel, Norwegian Wood, Murakami puts himself into the shoes of a lovestruck, reminiscent narrator, Toru Watanabe.

If you are casually observing my bookshelves, would you mind leaving my house please? It’s a little bit weird having you here when we’ve not been introduced.

Apparently, Watanabe is a common surname in the orange laden prefecture of Ehime in Japan. if you were to call your band The Watanabes, it would be like living in England and calling your band The Smiths.

Like Murakami in Norwegian Wood, the Watanabes create a nostalgic, yearning art that tends to centre on dream-like, lovestruck romance. These are tunes that reminisce about times when the grass was greener and the pine cones hadn’t fallen. Some might call this whimsical whilst some might call this twee. Others could call it music with issues of self esteem. For all of these reasons, I’m glad I’ve found the Watanabes.

Duncan and Selwyn Walsh are brothers from Norfolk. It’s not entirely clear how they’ve ended up in Tokyo fronting an indie pop band but I find myself wondering whether there’s much of an ex pat scene amidst TEFL teachers, gap year students and business leaders. With an impressive back catalogue of releases, Duncan and Selwyn are working hard to make The Watanabes work. Their nostalgic laments deserve to be heard.

A new EP, ‘Draw What You Like’, has been released this year. It’s typical of previous releases and perhaps a good place to start before exploring more of what the Watanabes offer. I’m attaching the lead track from that EP for your listening delight as well as an earlier video for a tune, ‘Yuriko Yuriko’.

Norwegian Tree. Japanese Twee. 

 

 

05.18.14
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The Lake District – Framed

Dear Pete,

I received your letter. You really should stop writing to me you know. It does neither of us any good to reflect upon our past times together. I’m sorry that things haven’t worked out for you in the way you hoped. I’m still with Simon. I’m not angered by what you did anymore. 

I listened to the track by Stereoshock and really liked it. I thought it might be appropriate to send you something I’ve heard recently by return. In many ways, this acts as a companion piece to ‘the letter’. It’s got a piano led melody that haunts. It’s cinematic and tells a story through spoken extracts. I hope you like it.

You might think that The Lake District are a band from Cumbria but they’re not. The Lake District is the name used by producer, Trevor Ransom, who’s currently based in Los Angeles. He describes ‘Framed’ like this:

“Framed is best listened to as you think about the last scene in Casablanca.

Though Frank dons a calm face, there is no doubt of the underlying emotion behind his appearance. Framed is about his thoughts as he watches his love walk off into the gray, to get on an airplane and never come back again. It’s about the sweet, now ash tasting memories of times they shared before innocent love was torn apart by the war. It’s about the enveloping emotions of heartache, and hopelessness that threaten to crumple him. And… at the end of it all, it’s about waking up the next day and facing the world, drained of color, but with a belief that one day the color will return.”

That’s surely something that we can both relate to Pete? I can’t begin to express how I felt when you left but I certainly recall the hopelessness and heartache. Simon is a different man to you but the idea that he might one day leave in the way that you did looms large in my head. I have to suppress such thoughts for my own good. 

I wish you well. Please don’t write again. 

Joanne

 

 

05.17.14
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The 10th Original Bands Showcase final

Tonight’s the night of the 10th Original Bands Showcase final in Leicester. This’ll be a night of celebration, sweat, endeavour, smiles and jubilation. It’s become something of an event in the annual music calendar of this fair city and I can’t wait to get on down to the Musician tonight to see what happens.

 

The OBS is the brainchild of the formidable yet fair Val McCoy. Dig beneath the surface (she doesn’t suffer fools gladly) and here you have a woman who is probably even more passionate now about supporting and nurturing local talent than she was 10 years ago when this venture started. For each year, OBS provides a platform for developing and established acts to take to the stage and further hone their craft. Tonight is the culmination of a series of heats, callbacks and semi-finals.

It was seven (or perhaps eight) years ago that I first got involved. A friend of mine, Richard Haswell (the man behind the excellent and now sadly no more Summer Sundae festival) got in touch and asked if I would judge at a final. I didn’t have a clue what to expect but the promise of free beer was enough to convince. That night a band from Hinckley, ‘The Chairmen’, took the plaudits but what struck me was the air of support and friendliness amidst the sweat covered crowd. They might have been there to see one band but they were cheering all.

The OBS mightn’t be a model for everybody. Some are suspicious of the competitive elements involved. Responding to music can be a personal thing so how can individuals say that one band is better than another with any authority? And the truth is that they probably can’t. But the competition is just a part of this showcase. For me, this is much more about the networking opportunities, future gigs and new friendships formed. The best bands see winning as secondary to the experience and opportunities provided.

For the last few years, it’s all taken place in the Musician, a venue I’ve praised previously in this blog. There’s a cast of characters here who all throw themselves behind the OBS. Andy Mann, the soundman, works his bollocks off to ensure that the tight turnarounds look smooth to anybody within the crowd. The bar staff take an active interest with Chris, Chris, Holly and others never being shy on expressing their opinions (in a friendly way). And the contributions of Darren, Nicola and Wayne all contribute to the impression that this is a supportive, positive event.

There’s six bands that’ll take to the stage tonight. One thing you can always guarantee within an OBS final is that they’ll be stretching across a range of genres yet all excelling in their chosen styles. I’ve featured two previously within this blog, Tapestry and Stop That Train. But, in truth, I could have just as easily featured any of the other four and not impacted upon the quality. Ash Mammal, Beneath The Lights, The Della Grants and 8 Miles High make up the sextet on offer.

The OBS final is nothing without the crowd though. It was the friendliness and supportiveness of the crowd that first attracted me to these events. And though people have moved on, the feeling within the audience seems to have stuck. It’ll be a packed out, sweat-laden affair tonight. It’ll be one of the best gigs many in the crowd will have ever been to. We’ll dance, we’ll sing, we’ll drink and laugh. But, above all, we’ll realise that live music is the winner.

I’ve got my special costume ready for tonight… Now, I just need to go and get my hair done…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beneath The Lights do not share any of their music for embedding upon Soundcloud.  

05.16.14
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Sticky Fingers – The Cookie

Australia – I’m 100% convinced that one day when I decide to properly travel you’ll be high on my list.

I knew this before we had the British Invasion. It’s a slow burner of an invasion. Tokes get in the way. But, it’s no coincidence that my first ever blog post on Sonic Breakfast, when I was learning how to do this, was about Jagwar Ma.

And since then, I’ve effused about Courtney Barnett and Australian BBQ’s.

Tonight, I was invited to one venue in Leicester that might convince me to stay here longer than I probably should. Tinny, the venue owner at The Cookie is developing a place that Leicester should love. In the last couple of years, this venue has morphed, expanded and changed. It once specialised in stand up comedy and whilst that’s still a money maker for this enterprise, it now has space and ambition for the jokes to be a supporting actor.

A new 300 capacity venue opens soon next door to the current establishment under the Cookie’s management. This is exciting beyond belief and should further cement Leicester’s growing reputation on the touring map.

It was a free show tonight. I wish people were charged. A free gig hardens people. You know how fucking great the band are but you’re reticent to cheer, dance or unfold your arms because you’ve invested no dosh in it. Sticky Fingers were the band. Hailing from Sydney, they put on a show that was worth a fiver of anybody’s money. I suspect that in Australia, they could charge a whole lot more again.

Sticky Fingers specialise in a sort of laddish rock reggae. It’s a sound that’s probably born out of smoking a bit too much weed whilst listening to Hendrix and Marley. Amidst a stage of guitars (and keys & drums), shaggy hair and moustaches so dated that they’re incredibly cool, Sticky Fingers gave us 45 minutes of laidback, slacker swagger. To call it slacker isn’t to say that there wasn’t energy and effort on display here though because there was in abundance. No, this is a band that could give you three part harmonies without labouring the fact that this is what they were doing. This is a band that could sweat loads on stage but still look chilled. This is a band that should never be confused with the Rolling Stones tribute act that go by the same name. 

Uncomplicated cool. Music with confidence but without arsey, artistic pretense. When should I book my flight to Oz? 

 

 

 

05.15.14
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Stereoshock – The Letter

Dear Joanne, 

It’s been some time since I sent you a letter. But I wanted you to know that I’m doing just fine. It’s a shame that The Wave Machines haven’t toured recently. I hope that things are still going well between yourself and Simon.

I heard a fantastic tune today when I was consuming new music – you remember how I used to lock myself away in a room to listen to new tracks on the radio? I still do that but modern technology makes it much easier now.

Anyway Joanne – this tune I heard reminded me of us. It’s by a 21 year old composer from New York called Josh Cohen who goes by the stage name of Stereoshock. He describes himself as ‘blending indie-alternative music, with heavily inspired orchestral and cinematic elements.‘ Clearly, he’s someone to watch out for and I felt an overwhelming desire to tell you about it. It really is amazing and I’m sure, given your love of story lyrics, it’s right up your street.

 I’m sure you need no reminding of the day when I walked out on us; I could bear the intensity of what we had no more. I know that I left you in the lurch and I know it took you months to understand why I had to leave. But, now I marvel at the strength you’ve found. I guess that having Simon around helps? 

I wish that I could tell you that my life has turned out for the better – but I don’t think the grass has been any greener. I thought I needed to explore the world but perhaps, in reality, I just needed to explore my head.

We had something beautiful Joanne. I hope you’re well.

Pete.

Xx

 

05.14.14
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Young Rising Sons – High

In a few minutes time, it is entirely possible that you’ll hate me.

In a few months time, it is entirely possible that I will hate myself.

For this tune, I am sharing today is so catchy, so cheery, so summery and so much of an earworm that it’s likely to glue itself  into your brain and not get out. 

And we all know how thoroughly frustrating those head wrigglers can become. Even if we love them on first listen, it’s hard to explain away why we’re whistling inappropriately when at supermarkets, urinals and funerals. 

Young Rising Sons, from New Jersey, America, appear to have exploded out of nowhere today with this song ‘High’. There’s a co-ordinated, precise marketing campaign behind this which makes the cynic in me want to hate it. This band’s social media presence doesn’t indicate any strife or struggle to get where they are today. Indeed, it almost looks like, three months ago, this band didn’t exist.  But this can’t be true can it? Because, they have a fan base that suggests graft, toil and touring has played a part.

The lead singer, Andy, suggests that this is a song about letting go and enjoying the good things in life. 

I find myself wondering. Why does it matter so much to me ‘how authentic’ a band are? Why does it matter to me that I’m not being manipulated by marketing? Why can’t I just let go and let myself get ‘high’ alongside the Young Rising Sons. This is a bloody addictive drug after all.

Deal done in my head… Time to sit back, relax and whistle a happy tune.

 

 

05.13.14
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Elder Island – What It’s Worth

According to Wikipedia, ‘Elder Island is an irregularly shaped island located at the eastern opening of the Fury and Hecla Strait. Situated in Nunavut’s Qikiqtaaluk Region within the northern Canadian Arctic, the island is north of the Melville Peninsula and Ormonde Island. It is approximately 1 km (0.62 mi) south of Baffin Island, while the Foxe Basin is to the east.’

I am still none the wiser where it is if I’m honest. But, it sounds cold there and it’s uninhabited by all accounts – apart from polar bears. There are, arguably, better places to go on holiday.

Elder Island are also a soulful, three piece from Bristol. They’ve got an EP coming out in June/July and in advance of that, they’ve elected to release ‘What It’s Worth’ to the world – or at least to Soundcloud.

They’ve played slots at the ace Shambala festival and, I believe, are listed to play this year. For what it’s worth, I’ll look to check them out. I’m sure they put on quite a show.

For the first couple of minutes of this tune, the handclaps and bass drum beats create icy spikes and troughs in the Soundcloud player view that might well replicate the angular, jagged, irregularly shaped landscape of the Canadian Island. But, as the song progresses, a flurry of snowflakes fall and we are drawn to the question of the day, ‘What’s it all worth?’.

No conclusive answer is drawn but the polar bears are moving their feet tonight.