04.18.14
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Eurovision – Part one

I love the Eurovision Song Contest. I realise that such amour sets me apart from a bulk of my friends. But I can’t help myself. Bucks Fizz made my mind up on this and then Bardo pushed me one step further into what has been a lifelong appreciation of the quirks, the drama, the politics and the utter spectacle.

In recent years, I have hosted Eurovision food parties (complete with bags of Maltesers for the entry from Malta). I have insisted that birthday parties and camping trips have had a healthy gap in their schedules so that I can enjoy the contest. If this is hopeless and sad then I am guilty as charged. Diggi Loo Diggi Ley. 

Imagine my delighted squeal, when this week i was sent an advance copy of this year’s Eurovision double CD. This years contest is coming from Copenhagen. Across two semi finals and a final in May, 37 countries are taking part in the extravaganza. And over the next four days of this Easter break, I’m going to give you my views on their entries. Clearly, a considerable part of the Eurovision charm derives from the stage performances and I won’t be seeing this but each day I’ll post videos to two of the more extreme visions of Euro unity – just to whet appetites for next month. 

So, without further ado, “let’s get this show on the road… ”

 

1. Albania – Hersi – One Night’s Anger

A pleasant enough start to proceedings here. A folky start with a sweet female vocal from Hersi gives way to a faux rock climax. I can almost forgive the naff guitar solo plonked in the middle. ‘Keep calm and think twice‘, sings Hersi and I wonder if I might actually be a bit mad. 

 

2. Armenia – Aram – Not Alone

An excrutiatingly dull piano led ballad from the Armenians in which a little bird is encouraged not to cry. It almost goes into a dubstep rock thing towards the end. This isn’t a winner in my book – which probably means it stands a great chance.

 

3. Austria – Conchita Wurst – Rise Like A Phoenix

This is epic, but that doesn’t mean it’s any good. It’s straight out of a Sean Connery era James Bond soundtrack. I’m not sure if Conchita is male or female based upon this vocal performance. Shirley Bassey will no doubt be envious she wasn’t born in Vienna.

 

4. Azerbaijan – Dilara Kazimova – Start A Fire

Four tunes in and already I’m losing the will to live. What is it with all of these piano led ballads? Where’s the quirkiness and the bizarre? This tune would struggle to even make an album of Coldplay B sides. Again, this probably gives it a chance of winning.

 

5. Belgium – Axel Hirsoux – Mother

More piano. Axel’s ‘coming home‘ because he’s ‘broken hearted’ and now he’s singing a frankly eerie love song to his Mum. Think Norman Bates humming a tune from The Phantom Of The Opera in a shower and you probably get the picture. Hilariously creepy.

 

6. Belarus – Teo – Cheesecake

Here we go. This is more like it. From an initial ‘Yeah Baby‘ through to mention of Patrick Swayze, this grooves along to a chorus that states, ‘I’m trying to be your sweet cheesecake‘. Pure nonsense. It also has an annoying duck like Kazoo sound. Fun but appalling.

 

7. Switzerland – Sebalter – Hunter Of Stars

Whistling over the top of banjo’s. Upbeat fiddles and handclaps. What we have here is a sub-standard Mumford & Sons – and I think Mumford & Sons are shit. ‘I am the hunter, you are the prey. Tonight I’m going to eat you up‘, sings Sebalter and I’m almost won over by the songs cannibalistic urges.

 

8. Germany – Elaiza – Is It Right? 

A poppy oompah tune. It is very much not right. But, it’s a completely inoffensive three minutes and thus will probably do quite well. Enough said. 

 

9. Denmark – Basim – Cliche Love Song

Clearly, Denmark aren’t keen to host the Eurovision again next year. Basim proceeds to spew cliches in an upbeat pop number that references ‘Katy Perry‘ and ‘putting your hands up‘. They’ll be dancing in the aisles of the sanitorium to this one.

 

 And already, we’re a quarter of the way there. Tomorrow, I’ll give my comments on Ruth Lorenzo’s Spanish entry and tell all about my brief meeting with her in a Leicester car park. And I’ll also be looking at the UK entry from Leicestershire based, Molly. People from Leicestershire always do well in Eurovision (just ask old Engelbert) so I’m expecting great things. 

The two videos for today very much pick themselves. Be astounded by the sinister entry from Belgium and giggle at Belarus’ cheesy cake. 

 

 

04.18.14
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Oxford Drama – Asleep/Awake

It is night. I’m lying in the dark. Tired, wide awake and cursing that extra evening coffee, a tune quietly disturbs from my music player. “Half asleep and half awake, nothing replaces you“, sings a saintly voice over the top of a hymnal keyboard hum. I’m hooked and pick up my pad to find out more, just as a chilled, shuddering beat kicks in.

Somewhat surprisingly, Oxford Drama are not from Oxford but a duo from Wroclaw, Poland. This wonderful tune is the lead track on an EP that’s been added to soundcloud this week. As the song progresses, we learn more about what is keeping Malgorzata up. She’s got choices to make; she might be waiting for a lover to return from a night out; perhaps that lover is never coming back. 

Oxford Drama say that they’re heavily influenced by Madchester sounds. They quote Morrisey as an influence. But, I’m not getting The Smiths or The Stone Roses from this. No, this is the song that Morcheeba often threatened to write but never quite did. 

My eyes close and I drift into dreamland, calmed by something beautiful but ambiguous.

 

04.17.14
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Movie. – Ads

Let’s play a google game? In this game, you have to come up with a band name that it’s nigh on impossible to find via an internet search. If Tom Verlaine hadn’t got in there first ‘Television’ would be a great candidate. Calling your band ‘The BBC’ might be similarly wilful. Perhaps you could call yourselves ‘porn’, ‘dating site’ or ‘classical? Would it be too arrogant to simply call your band ‘music’?

I find myself wondering if ‘Movie.’, a new band from London, were playing this very game when they came up with their name. And then decided to add to the search complexities by calling their first single, ‘Ads’. Just because they can.

Fortunately for Movie., they appear to be well connected. Friends in high places appear to have taken them under their wings and so this tune doesn’t look like it’s going to get lost amidst the IMDB. The first release on Skelly Records, an offshoot of the blog, Skeletory, this is no rotten tomato.

Indeed, Ads is one of those tunes that gets under your skin. It’s bouncy, happy, shiny pop that could make you look great on the dance floor. “If you really love me, why do I feel so lousy?” asks the singer in a studied concession to self-pity. Neon lights and mosquito bites simply compound his problems. This is disco glam pink punk with a Britpop shot that demands to be played at barbecues beneath billboards. 

 I have a winner in the ‘google game’. Tomorrow, I am forming a band called ‘Google’. Our first single ‘Yahoo’ is a surefire hit. 

04.16.14
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Abandon Her

Tonight’s been another showcase night. 

A new venue for this blog but not a new venue for me because it was back to the shed. 

The shed is an earthy grunge of a venue. Every city should have one. 

 The shed is a legendary Leicester venue. It’s the venue where Kasabian developed their craft (apparently). It hosted the Arctic Monkeys the only time they’ve played in this city (to my knowledge). I walked in and was met by Kevin, the owner. He has always been a charming man. He still is. It was like I’ve never been away. 
 

Five bands on tonight but I’d like to feature Abandon Her. I’ve seen them before and even though that was more of an acoustic affair, the talent dripped through and I resolved to see them again. Abandon her are a band of hers and a drummer called Giles. You’re not going to get rock posturing from them but instead it’s polite, clever, AOR harmonies over guitar and piano pop. They have a tendency to slip a few too many covers into their set for my liking. On the evidence of tonight, they don’t need to for their own songwriting stands up to critique. It’s infectious, singalong pop which probably bypasses Radio 1 and heads straight for Radio 2 territory. This is no bad thing.

 

And that perhaps means it’s not for everyone. 

But, when the city is populated by boys with guitars singing in Sheffield snarls in an effort to impersonate Alex Turner, I say good on Abandon Her for ploughing a different field. 

 

04.15.14
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Meadowlark – Family Tree

‘Male Western Meadowlarks have a complex, two-phrase “primary” song that begins with 1–6 pure whistles and descends to a series of 1–5 gurgling warbles.’ – Allaboutbirds.org

Outside, the birds are singing a beautiful song. But, I put my headphones on so that I can mute out their sound and listen to music by a band named after a bird.

Meadowlark have just announced that their first EP, ‘Three Six Five’, is going to have a release date in May and that it’s available for pre-release now. They’ve also just uploaded a new version of ‘Family Tree’, their track that went viral last year, to Soundcloud. 

Going viral is all well and good but I’d not heard of Meadowlark until last night. Hailing from Plymouth, this trio appear to have formed out of the remnants of singer, Kate McGill’s, previous Youtube career. She was able to generate much traffic by providing interesting cover versions of hits. If there was a television programme on Channel 5 listing the top 50 youtube artists you’ve never heard of based on clicks they’d had, Kate would be straight in at number 19. Josh Widdecombe would probably be the celebrity endorser. 

But I’m digressing. Kate McGill is no Sandi Thom (thankfully) and this release of ‘Family Tree’ isn’t half bad. I’d love to say that it begins with 1-6 pure whistles and descends to 1-5 gurgling warbles but in truth it’s better than that. Startling gently and with Kate’s voice to the fore, this song seems to be about getting stuff done and taking your chances in your twenties rather than having a mid-life crisis. It’s also about the chance,serendipity and complexities of family life. It’s Kate’s own version of ‘Sliding Doors’ told in song. As the song develops it gets busier and more cluttered. Strings come to the fore as ‘Family Tree’ builds to a climax. 

It’s a good, strong popular song. 

I notice that Meadowlark are playing a special one-off show this Friday in Leicester at the lovely Cookie Jar venue. I have to say that on the evidence of this song I’m keen to go to see what the warble is about, if only to ask how Kate got all of those Youtube hits. A longer flight follows in a May.

 

04.14.14
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Huskies – Sober

Monday morning and another working week beckons. Very shortly, I’ll be jumping in my car and heading up the A46 to the Nottingham office. Summer’s definitely shown signs of joining us this past weekend. I need a sunny driving track for the car.. 

Enter Huskies. I might be heading north on a road trip but they’re already there. Their brand of summery, coastal pop suggests California (or at least Skegness) rather than the metropolitan sprawl of Nottingham though.

The very best pop gets inside your head so that you find yourself whistling the tune throughout the day. I suspect that ‘Sober’, the B side to the extremely well received single ‘Whatever together’ will do just that. This is a jaunty sea breeze rather than a coastal hurricane. It’s a stroll along the esplanade rather than a hike in the cliffs. It’s exactly what I want this morning. 

It’s only on a later listen that you’ll realise there’s also wisdom in the words. “I know that this ain’t the end, you’ll hit me once or twice again“, sings vocalist Antonio Panzera. He’s singing about the end of an abusive relationship where the hit will come not from another person but from alcohol. As somebody who’s been largely sober for a month now, I relate to the sentiment – especially when those summer songs and festival fields are just around the corner. 

And, as a B side is never complete without an A side..

04.13.14
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Sean Grant & The WolfGang

Another showcase night at the Musician in Leicester tonight and seven bands took to the stage for twenty minute slots. Hard work for the compere (me) who earned his lime and sodas tonight. 

Sean Grant & The WolfGang made the short trip up the M1 from Northampton for this gig. They’re becoming regulars at the Musician (this is their third performance here in 2014 and Sean has played an acoustic set in addition). They’ve already been confirmed on the line up of Simon Says, Leicester’s local summer festival, with a line up pulled together by key venues. It’s fair to say that they’re getting noticed in these parts.

And it’s entirely right that they’re getting noticed. A cool image without tunes is worth nothing in my book but thankfully this is a band that has both. You suspect that they spend hours grooming their facial hair before a show but the rewards are fine and the moustaches sharp. Tattoos and designer Dr Marten boots with white laces complete the image. 

It’s energetic folk music channelled through a Britpop filter. Sean sings stories about prize fighters and working class heroes. He references the industry and drinking culture of Birmingham and Kilburn. There’s political and social history in these tunes, a dash of romance and a pint of pain. 

Sean announces tonight that an EP is coming out sometime in May. But, the exciting label on which it’s going to be released have yet to give him a date. Videos have been made to accompany each track on the EP and one of those has already seen the light of day. It showcases well the excitement that this band are generating. 

04.12.14
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Elliot Moss – Slip

When you give it some real thought, you realise that the word ‘slip’ is one of the best in the English language. Many words mean more than one thing but a ‘slip’ could be a mistake, a piece of paper or a fall. If I was in danger I might abscond to a dock (or slip away to a slip). You don’t need to think about cricket fielding positions or female undergarments to know that this is a versatile word.

And on the evidence contained within this track, New Yorker, Elliot Moss, is a versatile musician. Last year, he released his album, Highspeeds, to a degree of critical acclaim. It’s this track, Slip, recently added to Soundcloud, that has grabbed my attention though.

A vocodered voice spills out of multiple lips. There’s a mighty contrast at play here. The idea that letting things slip can be both positive and negative never seems far from the surface of the song. In one simple verse, Elliot asks where the pain, hurt and light he once knew have gone. This is a tune that’s both dark and light, sinister and joyful, laidback and layered.

Elliot is just 20 years old. His press release suggests that his versatility derives from his upbringing.

“His mother, an artist, rearranged the living room furniture into an assembly line of sorts, blanketed in drying mosaic tiles and soldered-together trinkets. A young Elliot surveyed piles of abandoned gear entombed in the basement of his dad’s recording studio. He would rescue and repair lost treasures to put to use in his own music; among them his first guitar – a worn Silvertone 1448 which he still plays.”

This week slips away. The weekend begins. Born slippy. 

 

 

 

04.11.14
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Ward Thomas – Footnotes (Happy Ending)

 

Yee-haw.

I’d had a hard day in London. I probably should have headed straight home on the train. But there was an ‘industry’ showcase to go to, wine to drink and nibbles to munch on. There might even be some music to enjoy but that would simply be a bonus. 

This was a showcase for Ward Thomas, 19 year old, Country singing, twin sisters from Hampshire. I was ushered down into a cosy basement of an Italian restaurant. I realised that I’m not really a fan of these showcases. But it was buzzing, the red wine was flowing and the pizza was good. 

You couldn’t get away from the fact that there was money at play here. Catherine and Lizzie are probably out of the public school system and you sense that there’s dosh behind them. But, it’s not as if their opportunity is based upon zilch talent so who am I to begrudge them their privilege?

The twins took to the stage. They had a small band with them. This showcase was a short set but, aided by more wine, my enjoyment heightened. This was firmly in Radio 2 territory but the close harmonies, vocal flexes and charming delivery just about converted me. Smiles go a long way and Catherine and Lizzie are full of them.

I picked up an advanced copy of their ‘Footnotes’ EP. It mightn’t be cool to confess to a love of country but I find it’s good driving music for the car. 

On getting back to Leicester, I spied Ian Magic Teapot having a beer in the Criterion. Ian Magic Teapot is quite possibly the best promoter of live music in Leicester. For years now, he’s bought a range of quality acts to this city. He deserves a medal. It was good to see Ian because he’d recently had a nasty bike accident. Still buzzing from the wine, I spoke about the charms of Ward Thomas. Ian took my CD. I have others in my car.

I note that Ward Thomas are now listed as support for The Webb Sisters at a Teapot gig on July 10th. That’s shaping up to be quite a show.

Anyway, since that evening in London, the ‘Footnotes’ EP has had a physical release. Ward Thomas seem to be doing lots of radio interviews in the US. And this week, one of the tunes from the EP, The good and the right, was Radio 2’s track of the day. Here’s the title track from their EP.

And here’s the video, released this week, for The good and the right.

04.10.14
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New Walk – Ganja Tent

New Walk is a pedestrianised Victorian promenade in Leicester. It connects Victoria Park with the town centre. On warmer, summer days, people chill, sunbathe and throw frisbees on this park. Some even share funny cigarettes. 

New Walk is also the moniker used by dubstep producer, Taylor Burton. There’s nothing pedestrian about him though. 16 year old Taylor has all the potential to put Leicester and Leicestershire on the map. Already played by DJs on Radio 1 Xtra and with mixes widely circulated by well connected magazine editors and PR gurus, there’s a buzz about this lad.

Taylor also plays in Tapestry, the band that I raved about here less than two weeks ago. One of their live highlights is the tune, Ganja Tent. Ganja Tent began its life as a New Walk production and today, Taylor has dropped a new version of the track onto Soundcloud. 

The sun was doing the best it could to shine brightly today. Listening to this track, I couldn’t help but think of blissful Summer days that are on their way. Chilled out to a horizontal, hypnotic degree, you can lie down and allow the relaxing gloss of this tune to take you away to picnics, frisbees and sunbathing. 

New Walk – connecting with Victoria Park in more ways than one.