ISSUE THIRTYFOUR FEB/MAR
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THE MACCABEES TO THE BONES THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND ERRORS
NORTHERN CATS YOUNG BRITISH ARTISTS SPOKES HELP STAMP OUT LONELINESS JESSIE ROSE TRIP CHEW LIPS
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4 manchester news introducing - SPOKES / HELPSTAMPOUTLONELINESS YOUNG BRITISHARTISTS 6 introducing - JESSIE ROSE TRIP/ CHEW LIPS 7 8 NORTHERN CATS 9 ERRORS THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND 10 TO THE BONES 11 12 THE MACCABEES single reviews 15 16 album reviews live reviews 18 listings 20 new Noise 22
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EDITOR - Richard Cheetham - richard@highvoltage.org.uk DESIGN - Andy Cake | Soap | www.soapforall.co.uk LISTINGS EDITOR - Mike Caulfield - listings@highvoltage.org.uk CONTRIBUTORS - Simon Wright, Stuart Holmes, Benjamin Thomas, Fraser McFadyen, Neil Condron, Sophie Armour, Denise Tench, Alex Lynham, Anne-Marie Pattenden, Harry Garne, Andy Best, Gemma Louise Harris, DJ, Stephen Eddie, Mke Caulfield, Michael Perry, Liam Pennington & Gareth Roberts
Want to join the award winning HighVoltage team? We’re looking for talented writers & designers, volunteers and all round music fans to help out. Get in touch with richard@highvoltage.org.uk
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manchester INT R O DUC ING _news EASTER WAREHOUSE LINE-UPS ANNOUNCED
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Hitting the HV inbox like a hammer is news of 4
Thurs 1st April will be hosted by Annie Mac, Friday
WHP events over the Easter weekend. As ever
2nd by Hospitality (featuring Roni Size, Shy FX,
each night is packed with star names, with the wide
Joker and loads more), Saturday 3rd sees a WHP
range of Manchester clubbers set to be catered for.
debut from Carl Cox and the closing night on
Full line-ups are available on
Sunday 4th is hosted by Coocon. Big. Tickets are on
www.highvoltage.org.uk. But we can reveal that
sale from 5th February.
SPOKES
HELP STAMP OUT LONELINESS
CLOSE UP - KEVIN ROWLAND & MARK E SMITH
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Taking place at the Green Room in Manchester, and
Dexy's frontman Kevin Rowland (11th March) and
hosted by the marvelous Dave Haslam, Close Up
The Fall's Mark E Smith (20th March) with more
aims to get personal with erstwhile figures by
guests to be announced soon. Tickets are a measly
discussing their life and work. Already signed up are
£9 adv.
ANOTHER NEW VENUE
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If you think Manchester needs another new venue –
Criticisms of the project have been strong.
as if Band on the Wall, Deaf Institute, Sound
Particularly now that the city is witnessing the rise of
Control, Moho and Ruby Lounge all opening their
a multitude of forward thinking new acts. No more
doors within the past 18 months wasn’t enough -
so on http://fuc51.blogspot.com. The initial line-ups
then fear not! Your problems are over! Well, kind
provide a mixed message. With Peter Hook's side-
of... In what some people are calling the return of a
projects and friends set to feature alongside The
clubbing colossus, and others the last attempt to
Whip, White Lies and Twisted Wheel. HV will
milk the Factory legacy, FAC251 is now open for
reserve judgement until the club decides whether its
business. Peter Hook fronts the development of the
customers want to relive Manchester’s past or look
old Factory HQ, which was more recently brought
to the future.
back to life as the Paradise Factory.
FESTIVALS
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The summer's festival season is taking shape with
decide which two. Closer to home Dot To Dot,
Bestival's line-up of Dizzee, Flaming Lips, Hot Chip
Hungry Pigeon and Eurocultured will both take place
and LCD standing out from the crowd. The bill is
over the late May Bank Holiday. Whilst Live At
made more interesting by the fact I saw two of these
Leeds and MAPS will cover the holiday weekend
play in succession on a tiny stage at ATP 5 years
earlier in the month.
ago... before Har Mar Superstar... I'll leave you to
BIG ALBUMS
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The next few months see the release of hotly
Marling and Two Door Cinema Club amongst
anticipated LPs from Frightened Rabbit, Prins
others.
Thomas, Hidden Cameras, Joanna Newsom, Laura
Something of an enigma on the local scene are Spokes. Only spotted playing the fierce angular rock music. Usually owls of the night. Yet responsible for frightening innocent fans of live music with bone-shreding sophistication.
What? Next you’ll be coming up with more violin arrangements!?
“We've been able to do more violin arrangements as well which has been a lot of fun.” Oh. “The album's going to be out in a few months so after that who knows, we're looking forward to touring Tell us Spokes, just a little bit about again and hopefully playing a few how such sonically testing music more festivals. Recording has came to be: “We've been playing kept us away from doing shows together for about three years now, for a while and we've really we moved to Manchester two years missed it, we're just one of those ago and since then we've been bands that just love to play live.” gigging pretty heavily but the last Well there you have it kids. few months have been spent Hopefully by reading this you’ll be recording our first full length 59% more knowledgeable about album.” who, what and why Spokes are. Album talk eh, can we expect more To be 72% more knowledgeable of the same soothing see the band play Deaf Institute experimentalism? ”It was never a on 15th Feb supporting Hot Club conscious decision to be De Paris. experimental actually, I wouldn't really choose to describe ourselves Words by Richard Cheetham in that way. We rehearse in this old Victorian school building that's near Johnny's parents house and it's got a nice natural reverb and a really peaceful vibe. It just seemed natural to let the music speak for itself and not sing over the top for the sake of it. Recently though a lot of the songs have been written through recording and a handful of them just made more sense with vocals. We still don't have a full time front-person, just lots of group vocals and harmonies.“
With half the bands in Manchester seemingly being tipped for enormity at the moment, it’s good to know there’s still a gang who the more romantic among us can call our own. I’m talking of course about Help Stamp Out Loneliness, leaders of the one-band krautpop/loungegaze (copyright HSOL) movement that seeks only to conquer your heart. Beneath the three-girl harmonies, vintage synths and chugging rhythmic engine, however, lies a darker intent to HSOL’s advances, as guitarist/songwriter Bentley Cooke explains to me over a pint and Sambuca chaser. “’Take Record Shop’ (last year’s double AA side with ‘Torvill and Dean’) – it starts off like a love song. You think two parties are involved, but the female character turns out to be more like Sandra Bernhard’s character in King of Comedy.” Movies are a big influence on Ben, who describes his writing as an attempt to create “a little piece of cinema in two minutes and 25 seconds”. “All my songs are basically rip-offs,” he smiles. “Musically, I nick all the melodies I think are amazing from the 80s; lyrically, I nick plotlines from the films I loved as a kid.” Fortunately for those too impatient to play ‘guess the influences’, HSOL are as generous in their accessibility as they are clever in their references. Not least among first impressions is the striking
figure of vocalist D. Lucille Campbell, who heads the sixstrong stage set-up and lends shade to the HSOL palette, adding “an extra 25 percent to the songs”, according to an appreciative Ben. “Because Colm (McCrory, bassist) and I used to be in Language of Flowers, we get associated with people like Belle and Sebastian. I never listen to them. I know D doesn’t either. She’s into The Passions, 80s vanilla goth stuff.” Early indications suggest their debut album will make HSOL even trickier to classify. While ‘17,’ the most likely candidate for their next single, sparkles with vintage jewellery glimmer (and is probably the only ode to a beer garden I’ve ever heard), other new tracks feature a fuzzier Dinosaur Jr guitar fog. Not that Ben expects the formula to propel them on to T4 with Delphic et al. “We’ve never given a fuck about being in theicharts,” says our newest indie hero. “We just want to go on tour with our mates, make a record that we can hold in our hands, maybe play New York. And if we have to pay for all of that ourselves, that’s fine!” www.myspace.com/helpstampouto neliness Words by Neil Condron
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in brief >> live February 15th Deaf Institute HOT CLUB DE PARIS with SPOKES and TROJAN HORSE Tickets £7 adv, doors 7.30pm
February 26th Deaf Institute PERFORMANCE with FUTURECOP, I AM BLACKBIRD and NOWHERE AGAIN plus DJ sets from POGO, HV and S'IL VOUS PLAIT. Tickets £5adv, open 8pm-3am
April 22nd The Roadhouse THE FEATURES with special guests Tickets £6 adv, doors 7.30pm
Young British Artists To the outsider looking in, 2009 seemed something of a whirlwind year for Young British Artists. The Chorltonbased four-piece leapt from the platform of a busy late 2008 to play on some of the year’s most interesting bills – not least with Health, Banjo or Freakout and BLK JKS at the Deaf Institute – and even brought out their debut release, the Small Waves EP, in August. To the band though, the ascent felt at times to be more like an uphill struggle. “Things moved really quickly at the start, then they seemed to slow down. That EP took ages to come out – it was really hard work,” winces vocalist and bass player Leo Scott, as I meet the group in Manchester’s Sand Bar ahead of their support slot with Real Estate. But those painful hours trying to convert the shoegaze-tinged alt-rock of their live shows into a record has now paid off with a much more
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easeful birth for their next release, Million Miles/Lived in Skin, scheduled for April 12th. “The recording went really quickly, more smoothly,” beams Sebastian Mariner, guitarist and Young Bearded Artist. “We’re happier – it sounds more like us.” The single sees the band continue their working relationship with Mancunian indie label Red Deer Club Recordings. The imprint may sometimes be seen as a folkfocussed institution, and has even admitted that YBAs were not a typical RDC signing. But Leo believes that both parties have benefited from the collaboration. “It seems to work well – they do what we want, we do what they want,” he smiles. “It may have helped them to shake off that folk association, which some people have given them,” agrees Ben Phillips, drummer. “Even stuff like the Sophie’s Pigeons single they’re putting out is a lot more pop than folk.” Around the time of the release, there’ll be the small matter of YBAs’ first national tour. A session on Marc Riley’s 6 Music show is pencilled in, and a launch party in Manchester is also lined up, though the band insist it will be much more “low-key” than the EP event at Islington Mill last year. 2009 may have been a rollercoaster for YBAs, but you just feel the real fun – and work – is only just beginning. Million Miles/Lived in Skin is released on Red Deer Club Recordings on 12 April. www.myspace.com/youngbritishartists Words by Neil Condron
chew lips The only thing the BBC could find wrong with it was that ‘all too quickly it’s over and you’ll want to go right back to the start again.’
Having already been championed by Steve Lamacq, Chew Lips have got off to a flying start, in an industry that affords no time for emerging bands to flourish - it’s a conveyor belt. But Tigs, head honcho of London eletropopsters, Chew Lips defends their rise to notoriety. “You got have a product to promote,” she says. Exactly, and having been quick to promote early versions of the product way back in 2008, clearly Mr Lamacq’s finger was right on the pulse. Tigs lends some kinds words about her biggest advocate, “Steve’s
been brilliant you know. He’s not one of these DJs who just plays your record then forgets about you. He came down to our ninth show or something and we were like, ‘this is ridiculous’. Then he asked us to play the electric proms, which was great, but yeah, he’s been really good to us.” Chews Lips currently stand on the cusp of a UK tour to promote debut album, Unicorn, which was very well received by critics. “I’ve always seen us as a live band over a recording act but I think this album proved that we can do both,” says Tigs. Just a bit!
The bands first gig took place in the humble setting of a friend’s kitchen. “That was mental,” says Tigs. “I pretty much forced my friend to have a party so we could play!” But humble settings might not be a regular haunt for Chew Lips in the future. This tour will no doubt do wonders for their reputation as a spiky and zealous live act and most importantly, raise awareness of their superb debut LP. This would suit Tigs too by the sounds of it: “I’m not going to lie, I love playing small venues but I’d much prefer to be playing the bigger settings.” Chew Lips drag themselves above the plethora of an ever-increasing electro scene with distinct vocals, which firmly nod in the direction of Blondie and Karen O. “I love women with big voices,” admits Tigs. It must be said, much of Chew Lips’ appeal comes though Tigs; she dynamic, infinitely charismatic and endlessly captivating. She’s quick to include her wingmen
though: “James is like the business side of the band. I’m not really in to the PR and stuff. If I’m ever not doing as much as I should be, he’ll be the one to say ‘you should probably write a song, Tigs’. I wish I had some of his drive!” It’s an alluring approach to the situation she finds herself in – brave enough to admit that she’s relatively nonchalant with regards to publicity and PR, yet unaware perhaps that, like the Karen O’s and Debbie Harry’s before her, she’s got that infectious bounce that refuses to be shrugged off. After this UK tour, Chew Lips will be bouncing over the pond to SXSW. And in true un-business like fashion Tigs claims that the thing she looking forward to most is not seeing all the other bands, playing to a new audience or even the prospect of industry people being there. No, Tigs is “looking forward to eating steaks that are bigger than my head!” Chew Lips debut LP Unicorn is out on 1st Feb
The Jesse Rose Trip she’s wearing her staple vintage get up and isn’t easy to ignore. Clearly, this isn’t just stage attire. “No, I dress up to go to the corner shop,” admits Jessie. “The rest of the guys have started getting into the dressing up a bit more now too. I think it’s important to make an effort when you’re onstage, otherwise it’s just like a rehearsal. You’ve got to put on a show and I like to think people have got their monies worth.”
Photo - Rebecca Lupton
Jessie Rose first caught the attention of Manchester at the 2008 In The City festival, where plaudits described her as ‘an absolute star’. Quite an accolade considering she’d only created The Jessie Rose Trip a few months before. By her own admittance, “We were thrown in the deep end a little with the 2008 In The City gig. I wasn’t really confident with my song writing then.”
Since then, Jessie has gradually lived up to the high praise of those eager ITC journalists, appropriating herself as one of Manchester’s most talented homegrown musicians and yes, an absolute star. We meet in Night & Day because, “they do a good cup of tea in there” according to Jessie. I somehow manage to miss her as she walks in;
Aside from the captivating theatrical stage show (complete with vibrant retro threads), The Jessie Rose Trip harbour something that is seldom seen in the world of music; a frontwoman who hands out some of the best guitar licks your likely to see on Manchester stage, any stage for that matter. “I want to do more guitar solos,” she says. “I actually want lessons too.” God knows what’ll happen if she gets hold of a decent tutor. We could have some sort of backwards Jimi Hendrix Experience on our hands, it’d be unprecedented. When she delves into her past, it’s clear to see why she’s become this musical glitch: “I want to play more gigs that allow under-18s in. I used to be in to Deftones and Nirvana when I was 13 or 14 and you
know, sogoing to a gig was part of what I did when I was younger. I’m a big fan of bands like Cream and Led Zep.” This coupled with a voice powerful enough to fell an ox and far beyond her young age makes for a truly enigmatic performer. The Jessie Rose Trip recorded for a couple of days at LA’s infamous The Village Studios after winning an XFM competition. “I was singing in the same place people like Anthony Kiedis had; that was an amazing experience,” says Jessie. The session culminated in their next single, the superbly infectious and strident boogie-beat ‘You Won’t Forget Me Boy’, which is due for release on March 2nd through Garden Records. It’ll be accompanied by a video to which Jessie wants “to be quirky.” “The label’s quite quirky though so I think it’ll be cool.” Expect them to be touring the single when it arrives in March and if you fancy a trip to see ‘The Trip’ in mainland Europe, they’re playing a few dates in France too. Well worth the ferry crossing. Words by Simon S Wright
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Spare a thought for the guys in the background. Those making the dreams of young musicians come true. In the first of a series of profiles on individuals who’ve dedicated themselves to helping emerging talent I meet Northern Cats in the newly re-furbished Teacup, owned by Manchester’s own Mr Scruff, to unearth the plans for their new enterprise. Northern Cats is Dan Broad and Andy Fletcher. They’re both well placed to offer useful advice; Broad currently works as Moulah Rouge’s studio engineer, where he’s worked with
and a band night Rebel Rebel at Jabez Clegg too. But we wont work with just anyone. We take a lot of pride in our work and what we put our name to. If we see a band that we think has potential, we’ll approach them. Overall the aim is to work with artists and bands to help them develop, and keep control of their music.” It’s clear that Broad and Fletcher are aware of the work involved in breaking new acts. Their aim appears to open a band’s eyes to the wider business aspects, which is goodnatured. Though they’re also aware of
NORTHERN _CATS everyone from Badly Drawn Boy to Johnny Marr to I am Kloot. He’s also performed with the Happy Mondays at festivals and club shows across the world. Fletcher’s expertise was formulated from studying music at University. Upon graduating he has worked on large touring events, such as curating the Hungry Pigeon festival. He has also promoted shows by The Kooks, Arctic Monkeys and Pete Doherty, amongst others, With this kind of knowledge, how, I ask the pair, will they aim to develop new talent? “We are constantly scouting for new artists at gigs and acoustic nights. We host a jam night every Monday at the Thirsty Scholar,
the close relationship required to get the most out an artists talents; “As every artist’s needs are different, the personal part of our service is very important. No two artists will be or should be treated the same.” Fletcher explains. Broad and Fletcher can draw upon a wide knowledge of the music industry and seem genuinely protective of their acts. We discuss the need to enlist the help of professionals skilled in a certain role. Such as agents and PR. Do Northern Cats aim to act as a bands only representative, or assemble a team of people? “Each project we get involved with is different, but for the majority Northern
Cats will assemble a team of people in order to complete the tasks to the highest possible standard.” Says Fletcher, who seems to see the benefit from relinquishing some control in favor of achieving success. How does your approach differ from other management companies? “Our aim is to break the traditional role of management in order to fit in with a rapidly changing music business. We feel that bands don't need major labels because the Internet has given everyone access to worldwide distribution. However, bands still do need project management, funding, promotion, production and general guidance. Our aim is provide all or a combination of these services tailored to our clients needs. We feel by doing this we can help bands avoid the many pitfalls of the music business and help them develop and take charge of their music careers.” With all this experience and planning in place talk turns to Northern Cats roster. The first act Northern Cats are working with are local indie-rockers A Foreign Town. The four-piece have built up a decent reputation over the past 12 months and seem very committed. Fletcher outlines how things are coming together for them. “Well we recorded, mixed and mastered a five track EP at Moulah Rouge which will be out on our own label. Then we produced a website and commissioned some artwork. We also sourced outside help from a radio plugger to oversee the radio campaign. We are currently organizing their single launch party and will confirm the release date of a double A-side release soon. The single will be distributed both physically and digitally.” What other acts do you have lined up? “We are about to start a project with Silver Magic Ships and continue to develop our other acts. All will be
revealed over the coming months!! We will also be continuing our promotion to help spread the word about Northern Cats in the local media.” Broad explains. If you can’t tell us about your new acts, then who are your tips for 2010? “Regionally and unsigned, a friend of ours is producing The Vanguards. They have some really cool tunes. I really like Eskimo Cowboy, and I’m really excited about the prospect of the Travelling Band’s second album. Nationally and signed, Detroit Social Club, Delphic, and I still hope Twisted Wheel manage to brake through properly.” Says Fletcher. “I engineered parts of the recording for The Travelling Band album and from what I have heard so far its gonna be amazing.” Adds Broad. What about the current scene? ”I think that the local scene is long over due a explosion of excitement. Since The Courteeners and Twisted Wheel the scene has gone quiet. I think bands have got a bit sick of the same old gigs and the same old promoters. There has been some great investment in the form of new venues, and there are definitely some exciting bands on the radar waiting for the right moment. I think it’s an exciting time to be involved in Manchester's music scene. Were hopefully starting to come out of this recession, so things can only get better from here.” For more details check www.northerncats.com Picture by John Surdevan – www.surdevancreative.com Words by Richard Cheetham
errors Glaswegian electro noiseniks Errors have spent their short career under the wing of label owners and touring partners Mogwai. 2010 sees the band return with their self produced album, a UK tour, and fulfilled optimism to branch out on their own. High Voltage caught up with James Hamilton from the band to talk touring, recording techniques and Tunbridge Wells… Unlike your debut you chose to record and produce Come Down With Me yourselves in your own purpose built studio, why did you favour this approach? “Well you spend so much money on rehearsal studios, and secondly having to arrange when the band can all get together was a problem, so to battle against our own disorganisation we thought it better to get our space. Then once we had our own space and all the equipment was in, it made sense to just record the album on our own
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as well. It was a big learning curve as we hadn’t recorded on our own before. It was uncomfortable a lot of the time as we managed to get the most freezing cold building in Glasgow.” So did this production approach affect the sound on the record? “Yeah, It seemed like everything was more intricate on this record compared to the last one, because we had so much access being in the studio all the time, so we were more meticulous as we spent more time working on this then previous records, and it allowed us to make this more dense.” Being on Mogwai’s Rock Action Label, have you found this allows you to expand and express yourself more than if you were on one of the majors? “We definitely have more freedom than if we were on a major. Basically we have a very long leash creatively; they basically let us do what we want. Mogwai have enough faith in us as a band to just make an album and give it to them, even the length of time it takes us to record.” You seem to have been constantly touring over the last few years, would you say you prefer the live element to recording? “The last few years is the first time we have had the opportunity to fully go out more and get the feel of
ourselves as a live band and get to tour, even a couple of years ago before the first album came out we weren’t touring much, then once the album was out we thought we best buck up our ideas, and tour the album and now we think its the most fun thing you can do to go out and travel the country.” Come Down With Me carries on from your debut with its experimental sound. What are the main influences behind it? “Collectively we have so many different influences, so the sound is often a mish-mash of what comes out. There’s a pretty broad spectrum of what we all listen to, that comes from liking electronic and math rock and post rock sounds. There is also a lot of Latin and Jazz that we listen to, but I would say electro and math rock influence the sound the most.” Your Glaswegian club night Black Tent is still going strong, how would you assess the current Glasgow music scene?
“It’s always been consistently frenetic, with so much going on. It’s a healthy scene as there is always tons of stuff on, whatever you are into, like dance
clubs to art houses, having said that I would rather stay in and watch my new Battlestar Galactica box set, because I am incredibly lazy and antisocial.” You embark on a UK tour in the coming months, is there any where in particular you are looking forward to playing? “Yeah Cardiff is one city, as we have a lot of friends down there that we don’t get to see that often, and London, but we are most looking forward to playing Tunbridge Wells on this tour.” Really? “I know it sounds bad, but we have never been there and that’s the only place on this tour we’ve never played. It could be Britain’s secret Berlin, like an insane party town.” Errors release their new album Come down with Me on 15th Feb, Followed by a UK Tour calling at, amongst others, The Forum in Tunbridge Wells on 3rd March and Manchester Deaf Institute on 10th March Words by Andy Best
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TO _THE _BONES
Remember in 2006 and 2007 when NME went decidedly mental over this thing called ‘NuRave’? Remember how most of the bands that were dubbed “Nu-Rave” went decidedly mental about classed as such? Remember in 2008 when NME claimed, ‘New Rave is over’? Remember that band, The Sunshine Underground, who were caught up in the ketamine-dusted, glow-stick scrum? Well, it’s been a few years since they were last seen on the UK’s mainstream radar so one could be forgiven for not instantly recollecting. Fast-forward to 2010 and having hibernated for the best part of two years, The Sunshine Underground are re-emerging and hitting the road again armed with a fantastic new album. “I think I always saw us as a live band,” says guitarist and singer, Craig, “but we’ve become a lot less frantic; we’ve actually learned how to play properly!” Perhaps they never got the chance to develop their sound during the time of their debut LP, Raise The Alarm? “We pretty much toured the album for two years,” explains guitarist, Stu. “I think if we recorded Raise The Alarm now it would sound completely different.” Disappearing for two years in such a fickle industry is risky by anyone’s book. Yet Craig and Stu seem relatively relaxed about their second round of musical fisticuffs. “We treat this album like we’d never made an album before,” says Craig. “That’s
what’s kept us in the practice room for so long. We knew we couldn’t just come back after being gone for so long so we released an EP [‘Everything Right Now’] to raise awareness a bit. We did a mini tour in May and the new stuff went down really well. And there was a lot less pressure when we were writing this album. We’ve slowed it down a bit in places.” But what about the old stuff? The singles? ‘Borders’, ‘Put You In Your Place’? Are we never to see them played live again? Well, perhaps not as we remember them: “Yeah we’re still playing some of the old stuff, but we’ve revamped the old songs and given them new arrangements,” explains Stu. Craig chips in, “I actually had to look some of the lyrics up on google!” “Yeah, and I’ve been looking at old videos to try and work out what chords I’m playing,” says Stu. The Sunshine Underground have been anything but idle over the past two years. They haven’t been shying away from expectation. What they’ve been doing is concocting music completely removed from ‘Raise The Alarm’ and genuinely developing their sound. This is why they’ve forgotten songs they played daily – they are forward thinking and almost siphoning themselves off from everything and everyone in order to create new material that presents itself as earnest and far denser in both sound and atmosphere than anything they’ve done before. “The album’s got some really pulsing beats in there. It’s like dance music with guitars over the top of it. I’m actually really enjoying messing around on the computers at the moment,” says Stu. He continues, “If you look, there’s not a lot of guitar
bands out there anymore.” Trendseeking perhaps? No, certainly not. “We’ve always tried to do our own things,” explains Craig. “I don’t think we’ve ever really fit in anywhere. When Raise The Alarm came out, our audience was made up of all sorts; indie kids, nu-ravers, lad-rock hooligans. We’ve got a really wide fan base actually. We’ve sold as many records in Japan as the UK. It’s strange going over there because they’re so courteous. You finish a song and they go mental for about three seconds then it’s deadly silent. We got asked to do a gig in Moscow not so long back too. That turned into a two-day vodka bender!” This assured demeanour is not unwarranted. The fan base is clearly still there, despite having hibernated for a couple of winters. In fact, several dates for the up-coming tour have sold out. And having listened to the new album, Nobody’s Coming To Save You, rest assured, The Sunshine Underground have developed a sound that draws on several genres placed firmly on a foundation of big dance beats; a total transformation from their earlier frenetic, indie-pop, yet equally as energetic. “There are four songwriters in the band,” explains Craig, “and we’re all into different stuff,” which is exemplified throughout the genrespanning LP. It withholds a maturity and depth that perhaps their debut was missing and will only serve to reignite the zeal of old fans while inevitably picking up a truckload of newbies along the way. And expect phrases like, “back on top,” “better than ever” and “glorious return” from the critics.
load of different venues; one night we’re playing to 3000-odd people and the next night we’ll be playing to a couple of hundred.” And what about after the tour? “Well, we’re just going to tour the fuck out of the album,” says Stu. “We’ve really got to do some festivals too. We got asked to do them last year but we didn’t have anything to promote. Europe could happen too…” Even more exciting is the prospect of further releases, which Craig divulges information on: “We’ve got enough material for a third album and that one’s going to sound completely different to Nobody’s Coming To Save You.” When we can expect to hear material post album two is anyone’s guess but Stu makes his intentions clear, “I don’t want to wait another two of three years to bring another album out.” Neither do we Stu, neither do we.
Festering in its glory days, Manchester’s ancient indie scene is viewed by many as a distant memory, perpetuated by those all to keen to reminisce. Forward-looking musicians are slowly snuffing out the last remaining flames of this bygone era, and in the void left behind several bands are in the running to spearhead the imminent revolution. Having laid in wait for the best part of five years, Bolton’s To The Bones now find themselves as main players. They’re on the cusp of what promises to be the most exciting era the Manchester music scene has seen for decades.
Let’s not be too hasty though. The immediate future looks very exciting for the band and fans alike. On the horizon is a tour, which will encompass that legendary Sunshine live show and by the sounds of it, they’re intent on touring for a while. And a record that may well win The Sunshine Underground a few friends and awards and more importantly, establish them as one of Britain’s best bands.
In between bites of a chicken burger, Rhys shares his thoughts on the current musical landscape: “It’s a shame about the Manchester scene. There’s been a big rock scene in Manchester before and it can happen again.” His optimism is far from gratuitous - several bands have been lingering patiently on the periphery and are now gathering in a brutish pride. Kong are in tow, and with the return of Manchester’s rockfathers Amplifier on the cards for 2010 the noise ascends as the militia amass. Joining Rhys for his pub grub delight is drummer Tommy, bassist Wayne and guitarist Matt. They all quaff cheap cocktails in the bustle of The Font Bar and engage in a banter that only comes with years of shared experience and friendship. As Rhys explains, they are old school friends, “who got together, jammed, liked the energy, like the songs,” - the foundation of a great band. And still today, they seem to hold dear, the importance of these basic elements. Bassist, Wayne gives a crash course on To The Bones’ history: “To be honest, I can’t remember doing the first three years of the band; we just used to get pissed every time we went on stage. I look back at some of the photos and I just can’t remember it. I think there came a point were we thought, ‘We could actually be quite good at this’. I think that’s when we started taking it more seriously.”
These confessions of alcohol induced amnesia and reckless unprofessionalism are far from elaborate storytelling. You don’t have to look hard to uncover some incriminating evidence of Wayne’s onstage testicular mayhem. This nudity and pre-gig boozing have been quelled somewhat, making way for a more orchestrated approach. At the root of it all however, is the inescapable raw power and destructive energy, which shrouds every live performance.
“When we’re on stage, we’re running on pure adrenalin,” explains Rhys. They run off each other’s adrenalin too. Tommy explains, “If I’m not feeling it at a gig, I just look at Wayne, Rhys or Matt, and they’ll be like, “ARRRRGH” and I’ll yell back and it just escalates.” For onlookers, this collective zeal is infectious. But the burden of any good energetic live act, is translating this on to records. To The Bones’ debut album, Duke Type A (Medici) was released in September 2008 to wide critical acclaim. Tommy confesses that, “the album was done pretty quickly. We’d love to see what would happen if we gave a producer a lot of money and spent loads of time on a record...” Arguably though, the hasty approach to Duke Type A seems to have incorporated the staple fervour of To The Bones. ‘Rex’ is a particular highlight on the
album and was recorded in all of 24 hours by Dave Eringa (previously at the helm for Ash, the Manics and Idlewild). With influences ranging from Motorhead to Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club, Idlewild to Iggy, Queen (check out the tattoo on Wayne’s arm…) to Queens Of The Stone Age, there’s a plethora of classic rock, riff rock, pop rock, punk rock, sludge rock and hard rock to sample. But they get bristly when previous ‘metal’ labelling is mentioned. Rightly so. “We’re just hard rock I would say. We never really got the ‘metal’ references,” Rhys explains, with Matt, Tommy and Wayne nodding in the background. They have spent that last year being championed by the BBC, playing Leeds and Reading festival (and screaming like girls when Dave Grohl wandered past them), supporting Eagles of Death Metal, 80’s Matchbox and touring Britain extensively to receptive crowds. What does the future hold for these four rock compadres then? Maybe a European tour? Festivals? One thing is made explicit by Tommy, “We’re going to be doing this for a long time; we’re not going to fuck off. We’ll be doing gigs in your front room before we stop doing this!” Great news! Those who are sceptical about this pending boom in Mancunia-rock would do well to get down to a TTB show; here, things will start to make sense and you could well be witnessing history in the making.
To The Bones play Sound Control on 2nd April with Kong. Tickets available from www.ticketline.co.uk Words: Simon Wright
The tour kicks off on on 1st February, the day that Nobody’s Coming To Save You is released, and calls by The Ritz in Manchester on 5th Feb, and 53 Degrees in Preston on 8th Feb. Words by Simon S Wright Helmsmen of the Manc-rock machine
“We’re really looking forward to the tour,” says Craig. “We’re playing a
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THE MACCABEES
For The Maccabees, Manchester was a breakthrough city – the first place where a following was formed outside of the southeast. It was a performance at In The City that saw a buzz surround them, and in 2006 the hype spread with the release of their first hit single (complete with a colourful stopmotion video), ‘Latchmere’. Since then things have only got better. Their debut album, Colour It In, with its youthful charms and sweet melodies won The Maccabees a strong fan base; and in 2009 its follow-up, Wall Of Arms, received a four-out-of-five rating from High Voltage and was generally loved by just about everyone who got their ears around it. And with a great album come great
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rewards. The band spent much of 2009 playing sold-out gigs to crowds all over the UK and Europe, as well as sets at Glastonbury, T In The Park and Reading and Leeds festivals. On top of that they found time to release and promote two singles and a free download. Unsurprisingly, they are now well and truly worn out – but seemingly incapable of resting. Speaking to guitarist, Hugo White, it sounds like the hard work is taking its toll on the band, and his health. Hugo is full of cold today and bracing himself for a month of rehearsals ahead of February’s Shockwaves NME Awards Tour, which sees The Maccabees headlining a line-up which boasts The Drums, The Big Pink and Bombay Bicycle Club as opening acts. The bands don’t know each other yet, but these tours are known for creating strong friendships – not least the famous Klaxons/CSS union that sprang from 2007’s dates. Hugo is looking forward to getting back on the road again and making new friends, but it seems that rehearsing is not his favourite part of being in a band: “Rehearsing old songs is really frustrating and it can get really annoying playing ‘Latchmere’ or something, but as
soon as you play them live it’s alright”. With this year marking the fourth anniversary of ‘Latchmere’s’ release, it is no surprise that The Maccabees are growing tired of playing the swimming pool-themed crowd pleaser.
to that many people. We get to do the whole light show and have lighting engineers. I like that on big tours you have like sixteen people working for you,” says Hugo. It sounds like he might enjoy the luxuries of a stadium tour.
The rehearsal room is apparently a place where The Maccabees “Have to argue out,” how the shows will go and what songs will be played – hard to believe of a band that, two years ago, released the soothing romantic lullaby that is ‘Toothpaste Kisses’.
But for now The Maccabees are making the best of what will be one of their biggest tours to date. It might not have been long since they were last on the road, but Hugo assures HV that fans won’t be seeing the same old set again.
But as for the tour itself, Hugo is optimistic. It’s a chance for a group of lads who once stood in the audience to follow in the footsteps of previous NME Tour headliners like The Killers, who have since gone on to fill stadiums. “I went to a couple of them, when it was The Killers and The Futureheads, so it’s pretty cool that we’re headlining it. [But] you can’t really think about it like that. If you remember when you were in the crowd it makes it more scary”. But the boys are far from nervous. After their last UK tour in October included dates at many of the venues they’ll be returning to in February, The Maccabees can’t wait to get back onstage to play for massive crowds. “It’s great to be able to play
The band spent November and December touring Europe with Editors, so with the pressure of headlining off, there was freedom to experiment. “We were learning covers and playing them to try and keep our minds interested in working, rather than just doing the same thing every night, so we might do a few of them [in February],” says a jadedsounding Hugo. “We’re doing an I Am Kloot cover; we do our own little take of it”. There is a sense that they
might be dabbling in other bands’ back catalogues to avoid having to face their own. A real effort seems to be being made on this tour to break away from the standard Maccabees sound. It’s as if they are so fed up with playing the same old songs that they feel the need to resort to desperate measures to hold it together – like a couple on the verge of divorce who take up swinging. “We get to bring a brass section, so there’s more to do and expand on, and even [with] some of the old songs we can change them round a bit and make it more fun”. It’s all about rekindling the creative fires.
Post-tour the plan for The Maccabees in 2010 is to start writing a third album. And if the experimental tour and next single, ‘Empty Vessels’, are anything to go by, it should be full of surprises. The single is a remake of album track, ‘No Kind Words’, which features new lyrics by Roots Manuva.
This sort of collaboration is a first for The Maccabees, and was inspired by ‘No Kind Words’ “Kind of hip hop drum beat,” as well as the fact that “Fe [Felix White, guitar/vocals] loves Roots Manuva”. It took a while for Felix to get hold of him, but by 2009’s Glastonbury festival Roots had decided to defy the wishes of his label and get on board. It started out as a Calvin and Dizzee style collaboration – long distance recording done by sending tracks back and forth via email. But when Roots came down to The Maccabees’ rehearsal room, the magic really happened. “We did it live, which was cool,” Hugo explains, “He’s pretty amazing, it’s just a constant flow of these amazing lyrics and he makes it seem so easy”. Happy with how ‘Empty Vessels’ turned out, the band has been given a new line of experimentation to pursue. Hugo hints that more collaborations are on the horizon for their next album: “There are some plans but I’m not sure if I’m supposed to say anything. But definitely, I think it’s the way forward”. Nothing is being revealed for the moment, but Hugo sounds positive when he says “We will be doing quite a bit more of that,” in a move to try their hand at different genres. Watch this space.
The writing itself is a different matter. Album three looks to be a daunting task for The Maccabees, especially after the two-year haul that was Wall Of Arms. “This next record is make or break,” says Hugo, his tone more serious now.
The lads’ approach to writing is intense, and it is already getting underway. The magic of being able to email each other snatches of demos and snippets of lyrics seems to create a sort of separate togetherness that makes for more music, and fewer rows. “We’re wanting to get the bulk of stuff done individually and then put it together at a later date and spend time together then, rather than all go and argue straight away”.
But something suggests that spending time apart is about more than allowing themselves to get their heads down and produce a quality album. Perhaps his cold is dragging him down, but the more Hugo talks, the less optimistic he appears to be about his band’s future. “At least if we argue a bit later on then we might last a bit longer,” he shrugs. Perhaps the success of Wall Of Arms has overwhelmed The Maccabees. Hugo says they used to hope that they would one day have the chance to headline an NME Awards Tour, but there is a sense that they are unsure of where to go from here. If their second album is anything to go by, working hard makes for a brilliant record. Let’s just hope all this experimentation keeps them interested in playing together, and inspires them to keep writing. Words by Sophie Armour
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singles SINGLE OF THE MONTH V/A - Dance To The Radio Vol. 4 (Dance_to_the_radio) The latest and final of Dance to the Radio’s 4 x 12” vinyl compilation series features local, and international acts, from the roster of the Leeds label. Drink Up Buttercup are a band that won’t be bound to conventions. ‘Even Think’ bundles up a surf-rock song in a thick blanket of prog-rock keyboards and overdrive. It’s all over in two minutes and twentyfour intoxicating seconds, but it will stay with you long after. The surreal musings of Leeds’
own Milk White White Teeth bring some brass to the party, crossing marching band with indie guitars and folky male-female harmonies. What ‘The Calendar Will Crawl’ lacks in lyrical inspiration, it almost makes up for in pop quirkiness. Enigmatic Dubliners, Super Extra Bonus Party are, for me, the pick of the bunch, melding Joy Division gravity (hollow, lo-fi vocals and simple but powerful two-chord jamming) with fun and funky synthesizer lines, subtle stabs of brass and dance-floor friendly production on this exclusive R.S.A.G. mix of ‘Who Are You And What Do You Want?’ This is music equally
suited to shoe-gazing or robot dancing, a rare and special thing. Paul Thomas Saunders is a great choice to finish the collection. There’s a classic feel to the melody and the rhythm of ‘Getting Loose With The Obtuse’ that recalls Joan Armatrading or James Taylor. At first it comes across mellow, even ethereal, with spaced-out backing vocals, tambourine crashes and cymbal rolls, but the passion in Saunders’ voice cuts through, giving the song a welcome edginess.
Fraser McFadyen
Frightened Rabbit - Nothing Like You (Fatcat)
Chapel Club - O Maybe I (East City/Polydor)
Dum Dum Girls - Jail La La (Sub Pop)
As an early Christmas present, Frightened Rabbit released ‘Swim Until You Can’t See Land’, a midtempo, relatively inoffensive number that received mediocre reviews. The second teaser from their March 2010 album, ‘The Winter Of Mixed Drinks’ is a stunning change in pace, direction and quality.
With the Worst Year In Living Memory (TM) over and a shiny new decade on our hands, now is the time for some upbeat jollity yes? Not if you’re East London’s much-hyped doom merchants Chapel Club, who have struck moody gold with their brand of workmanlike downer rock. ‘O Maybe I’ is that rare thing; a song that sounds like The Smiths but not just because it’s, like, a bit sad and that. The guitars chime like Marr in his prime, building to a swirling windswept finale, while Lewis Bowman’s vocals swoop like the lament of a Sonic Cathedralfrequenting funeral director. It’s understandably caught the ear of the tipsters as it’s bloody ace; cinematic, melancholy and fully formed, rarely has love, loss and missed opportunity sounded so serenely kaleidoscopic. Just don’t invite them to your birthday party – they wouldn’t enjoy it and would only ruin it for everybody else.
Voted Number #1 best band at CMJ 2009, and with Blondie producer Richard Gottehrer twiddling the knobs on debut LP‘I Will Be, it’s hard not to get carried away with the idea of LA’s Dum Dum Girls before hearing a note. Consisting of leader Dee Dee and three Girls (one of whom is Crystal Stilts/Vivian Girls drummer Frankie Rose) you’d be right in thinking Gottehrer has his hands on a time machine; ‘Jail La La’ is vintage Blondie channelling Jim and William Reid and given a totally blissed-out Ronettes singalong chorus. In the same way The Strokes located CBGBs with ‘Hard To Explain’ this revisits the 70s scuzz associated with all things Debbie Harry, yet manages to sound both out of time and completely relevant. Dee Dee isn’t going to win many prizes for originality, but she may for releasing the first huge single of the decade.
‘Nothing Like You’ explodes out of the speakers at a blistering pace and continues this momentum throughout. Lyrically, the track touches on a familiar topic; a new girl who’s not as good as an old girl. However, the thumping backbeat, frenetic guitarwork and pining vocals mimic the haste of a broken heart beating and a fragmented, muddled mind. ‘Nothing Like You’ compels unwanted emotions to come flooding back. Yet on top of this melancholic foundation is an alluring musical abode that is far too comfortable to vacate. B-side, ‘Learned Your Name’ becomes immeasurable against the might of its A-side, and exists only to make ‘Nothing Like You’ even more pertinent. As a stand-alone song though, Frightened Rabbit’s new single is well worth spending money on.
Harry Garne Harry Garne
Simon S Wright
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albums ALBUM OF THE MONTH Twenty song double albums are usually reserved for established bands, who give them the ‘greatest hits’ moniker and sell shed loads to lifelong fans. Field Music attempt to buck this trend with their 3rd album Field Music (Measure) which clocks in at an epic 71 minutes and spread over 2 CDs we see them make the kind of album they have always threatened to.
Field Music Field Music (Measure) (Memphis Industries)
Previous albums show the band are anything but conventional in their approach to recording, and always choose to experiment on the verge of pop. The new album continues in this vain, with each track offering something slightly different for the listener, all served on Field Music’s Smorgasbord of influences. From
the Prog-rock inspired ‘The reset of Noise’ to the Psychedelic nod to Pink Floyd on ‘You and I’, the album saunters along with both a dated yet fresh sound throughout. ‘Let’s write book’s infectious electro funk played thorough xylophone & synth’s is a match made in Heaven, as is standout track and future single ‘Measure’s exquisite string arrangements matched with steel guitaring that is by far their defining moment to date.
The Sitek inspired creepy, dark swelling synth sounds add a fantastic drone inspired gothic darkness to the proceedings and musically this is a really interesting album. Unfortunately, Holly Miranda’s husky vocal lacks the kooky mystique of a Cat Power or the lazy seductiveness of a Hope Sandoval and her songs lack the instant hooks of a Feist. Don’t get me wrong we’re still light years ahead of the Scarlett Johansson album (also produced by Sitek) but the songs here seem to wander quite aimlessly and are eventually drowned out by the ambitious production. Siteks brilliance behind the mixing console needs to be matched by strong songs and stronger performances and here the production is just too over powering for this collection of songs. It leaves you wondering what could have been had the production suited the songs more, perhaps Sitek needs to take responsibility and perhaps tone it down for the artists he works with who lack the solar magnetism of Karen O and company.
Alex Lynham
Andy Best
It would be at this point where you’d expect me to mention how the albums girth means that several of the tracks sound languorous and amount to nothing more than filler, but this doesn’t materialise. Yes, the second half of the album is quieter
Holly Miranda - The Magicians Private Library (XL Recordings) Produced by TV On The Radios Dave Sitek this album is lavished with the same skilful production that elevated It’s Blitz (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Dear Science (TVOTR) into two of the stand out albums of the past few years. Unfortunately the rest of, Jealous Girlfriend front woman, Holly Miranda’s debut solo album fails to match these high standards.
and contains more acoustic experimentation, but this only highlights the genius of such a band that they can make an album that perfectly flows throughout whilst changing styles so often. Quite simply Field Music have managed to create an album that is both fun and absorbing throughout, and already one of the best of 2010.
First Aid Kit - The Big Black and The Blue (Wichita) As you get older and shuffle closer to your inevitable death there’s nothing quite like the kick in the chops that is very young people with masses of talent. Sweedish teenagers Klara and Johanna Soderberg, 16 and 19 respectively, are First Aid Kit a folksy two piece whose debut album The Big Black and The Blue is a rapturous collection of close knit melodies lashed together with plenty of gospel spirituality. There’s certainly great originality here, but for the sake of reference think of the brilliant Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins album along with choice selections from Michelle Shocked’s back catalogue and you won’t be far off track.
Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago (Matador)
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Certainly, album opener 'Meridian' with its chugging cello backdrop and casual
It’s been some time since Leeds quartet, The Sunshine Underground released an album and as such, press, fans and music connoisseurs alike will be very interested to see what this prolonged gestation period has given birth to. For those expecting a bog standard indie-pop LP harking back to the Raise The Alarm, prepare to be massively disappointed.
The Sunshine Underground Nobody’s Coming To Save You (City Rockers)
Nobody’s Coming To Save You is a gargantuan effort and completely removed from the frailties of their debut release. The opener, also called ‘Nobody’s Coming To Save You’ combines a hideously dirty bass line with a euphoric chorus to create something unprecedented in the Sunshine Underground back
Come Down With Me, the second album by Glaswegian punks-withpootahs Errors, reminds me of Lego Technic. It’s a lot cleverer than its predecessor, the parts are more intricate and the possibilities more boundless. Ultimately though, it’s Lego with a few more bits.
Backing to the girls’ beautiful vocals spans a comprehensive range of country stylings, simple plucked guitar lines complimented by the throb of a double bass, the heartbreaking sweep of a dulcimer over the top of the gentle hum of a church organ; the perfect accompaniment. ‘Heavy Storm’ and ‘Hard Believer’ are particular standouts and great examples of how the sisters’ voices intertwine perfectly raising the hairs on the back your neck whilst painting sepia toned pictures of a more rural, simpler time. That such a mature and wonderful record has been made by someone so young is quite a frightening prospect. Check them out when they tour later in February.
Shearwater's main man Jonathan Meiburg has certainly put the effort into researching the themes of loneliness and fragile beauty that occur throughout his band Shearwaters new album. Seeking out the far off corners and islands of this world; Tierra Del Fuego, the Galapagos and Madagascar to name a few he’s used his experiences to create a wonderful portrait of human interaction with nature and environment that isn’t fanciful or preachy.
Errors - Come Down With Me (Rock Action)
Whether that’s enough for the kids in 2010 remains to be seen, but there’s no doubting that these colourful blocks of mathy guitars, eight-bit synthetic rushes and awkward funk still retain much of the charm of their first full outing, It’s Not Something But It Is Like Whatever. Indeed, Jolomo and the Sorry About The Mess sound like they could have been lifted from the same sessions. It’s no coincidence, however, that
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mallet percussion depicts a man thrown casually off the map. The song opens with what could easily be mistaken for the chanting of the nearby villagers whilst Meiburgs vocal croon imitates a terror struck Antony (presumably without his johnsons!). ‘Landscape at speed’ brings forth images of forests and small towns whisking by; the choppy snap of the percussion the train along the tracks. Even busier numbers like ‘God Made me’ and ‘Runners Of The Sun’ have a cliché free anthemic quality. There’s a fraught and anxious feel to many of the songs requiring the listener to partake
in this act of self discovery. Recommended for any long train trips or if you feel like a stranger in your own skin and fancy a journey to the heart of your own darkness.
catalogue. Having been given a taste of their new direction, the knee jerk reaction is to skip and see how the rest of the record unfolds. But you get stuck in the mesmerising pulse of track one.
sing-along chorus.
From this point on, it’s an eclectic journey into a sublime concoction of bulky dance beats, minimal guitar, electro glitches and beeps and earthy bass runs which leaves you wondering if the Raise The Alarm members still exist. True, electro seems to be the new fad at the moment, but this seems incomparable to anything else in its category. There are nods in the way fellow Leeds dance-rockers, The Music and even a little bit of Muse in track two, ‘Spell It Out’, which has an almighty anthemic
these two tracks fall into the album’s deepest lull, midway through the second half. They’re not bad pieces of music exactly, their just the sort of moody binary rock that Errors gave birth to, brought up and sent off to conquer the blogosphere in 2008. Nah, we’re looking to uncover signs of development, and it’s in such moments that Come Down With Me becomes worthwhile. New single A Rumour in Africa is the first to strain at the leash, an italo-disco bitch wrestling to get away from her tired master, with the same heartswelling warmth apparent a few tracks later on Germany. Supertribe is all looped haziness and hushed French tones, like DJ Koze re-editing some early Etienne de Crecy 12”, while the softer duo of Antipode and The
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To further confuse and elate the hardcore Sunshine fan, there are a couple of slower numbers on the LP too. ‘Any Minute Now’ is a sombre Arcade Fire-esque number and will rival any song its influencers have created. And for those who miss dance music from that bygone era, ‘One By One’ is a tangible trip down memory lane. Collectively, the 10-track LP marks a triumphant return for The Sunshine Underground and on the back of this, they should take their rightful place as one of Britain’s best bands.
Simon S Wright
Erskine Bridge invoke the gentler sides of These Monsters and The Twilight Sad respectively. I’ve suspected for a while that Errors’ preference for a simple electronic palette, backed with an almost minimal rhythmic pulse, makes them a far more immediate proposition live or on vinyl than, ironically, via the computer. It may well be the case that Come Down With Me will spread malware-like through my system to over-write my playlist forever, but it’s more likely that this is an album that I’ll be rummaging through, looking for the pieces that best augment the other blocks in the box.
Neil Condron
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live Vivian Girls set the Blogosphere alight with their 2008 self titled debut. The Brooklyn all female trio’s Lo-fi punk received warm acclaim on these shores due to its sharp garage rock mixed with members Cassie Ramone, Kickball Katy & Frankie Rose sweet harmonies. Theirs are stories of love and life played over hazy guitar pop, but don’t let that fool you, as these girls take no prisoners in tonight’s aggressive, if at times flat, performance.
GIG OF THE MONTH
Memory Tapes The Corner
A former solicitor's office transformed into a cramped and sweaty live music venue in a south Manchester suburb is an unusual venue for a world premier. Yet, bizarre as it may seem, outstanding local promoters Pineapple Folk have tonight invited Memory Tapes (alter-ego of multi-instrumental experimenter Dayve Hawk) to perform in public for the first time ever. And those crammed into The Corner, like the punch line to that old joke (how many music fans can you fit into a..?), are set to witness something truly special. Opening with 'Green Knight' from the recent debut long-player Seek Magic, he instantly sets about pioneering a genre with no name, ludicrous attempts at categorization having so
far ranged from 'chill wave' to 'glo-fi'. Whatever it may be called, this music is electronica with a human heartbeat without parallel since New Order, evoking bipolar sensations of melancholy and euphoria. Support act Teeth are similarly characterized by sonic contradictions, drawing upon elements of melodic pop at its most authentically uncomplicated (The Beatles' early hits) and obtuse (Pavement), with astounding atmospheric effect.
Or so I heard. We had a little trouble getting there, so I missed the first song, and that’s the story I managed to piece together given a bit of investigation. The rest of the gig however, was fantastic. It was originally meant to have happened in October, but due to laryngitis (or whatevs) Jamie T and the Pacemakers’ UK tour was postponed. Not a dick move, I’m glad we waited for this. In the high renaissance the Italian Baldassare Castiglione coined the term sprezzatura - best translated as a kind of cool nonchalance. Pretty much sums up Jamie T onstage. Making my way through the crowd it was like I’d busted in on some awesome south London house party, I even felt a bit homesick. Except this was the Manchester Academy - it was one of those gigs that you really felt you were a part of, rather than just a passive observer, the crowd was brilliant. Even a couple of mouldy old skinheads were making shapes, and then there was Alice Dellal tripping the heavy fantastic to Ace of Spades in Big Hands afterwards. Perhaps you could call this a successful experiment in gonzo journalism. So it was more like party than a gig really, oh yeah and the music was rad too.
Benjamin Thomas
Vivian Girls - Deaf Institute
Meanwhile, the headline performance is very much a work in progress, like throwing the doors to the rehearsal room wide open. Concentric laptop melodies, narcoleptic vocals, and scattered fragments of guitar and
Wolfmother - Academy 1
There are plenty of guitar players around who like to digitally loop a bit of percussion on stage or maybe layer-up a couple of vocal harmonies. Denis Jones takes it a wee bit further. With more gear on stage than some artists would have in their studio setup, he uses looping and sampling techniques that you might think you’ve seen before, but with real expertise he crafts unique grooves from an inspired range of sound sources. His mastery of knob twiddling and fader pushing is matched only by his intuition and ear for a great sound.
After the first few songs he introduces the band. With the backing of electric guitar, bass and drums, there’s a shift from infectious toe tapping or bootstomping to something that spreads through your whole body. After one song, Jones asks if we could feel our bones shake. The answer is unanimous. ‘Clap Hands’ works well performed as a four-piece band, slow and heavy and a bit Queens of the Stone Age, but the night’s highlight is crowd-pleaser ‘Beginning’, a distillation of all Jones’ talents which invokes pure admiration from the room. He’s off around Europe throughout February but there’ll be more chances to see him closer to home in March.
Opening with the blistering chromatic riffing of ‘Dimension’ the crowd quickly polarises. Old dudes who actually saw Zeppelin live in the 70s try to maintain their personal space while the mini-moshers in their Zep and Sabbath t-shirts push towards the front and start pogo-ing frantically. It’s not long- sometime between ‘New
Back in town on the back of heaps of enthusiastic praise that’s still being thrown at recently released follow up, The Blue Album, which managed to nuzzle it’s way into a fair few critics‘ best of ’09 lists, Baroness bring the riffs to Salford’s former saw mill.
The way the textures build and crescendo can be a bit of an assault on your senses, but he’s not afraid to give the electronics a break and do a quiet acoustic number, offering an opportunity to fully appreciate the ever-so-slightlygruff richness of his voice.
Tom Sherriff
Touching largely on material from their latest LP Everything Goes wrong, the band cant hide the enjoyment they get from the live shows, as each member laughs and jokes throughout, showing a tight
In the film Back to the Future, Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) ends up playing classic rock n roll to a packed room after he goes back to the year 1955 in a modified DeLorean sports car. Andrew Stockdale on the other hand faces the packed Academy having gone back only as far as 1973, but without the help of a time-travelling supercar.
Denis Jones - Band on the Wall
Jamie T - Academy 1 A blaze of lights, a flash of smoke - Jamie T arrives on stage from over the crowd, riding a silver tiger, dressed in a glittering spandex cat-suit and covered in rhinestones. On landing, he stands back and fires rockets into the crowd, Lady-GaGa style, from his crotch. The stage is awash with roses and lingerie thrown in by a throng of hysterical women - their self-consciousness has long since capitulated to their bursting libidos.
percussion threaten to disintegrate at any moment, but beauty lies within their imperfections. As 'Bicycle' fades away into a cacophonous bass throb the biggest criticism is that it’s all over far too soon.
Baroness - Islington Mill
Doing away with casual on stage chit-chat the Savannah, Georgia quartet lay straight into their arsenal of sludgy, chest-thumping down tuned chords and dual solos as the venues foundations are tested to its limits. During the unrelenting monolithic riffs and front man John Braizley’s guttural bark recent hits such as ‘The Sweetest Curse’, ‘A Horse
bond and genuine inner band banter throughout. ‘Survivals’ rapid guitaring on record creates a sense of urgency to their sound, however when played live the mesh of guitars drown over the girls dulcet tones, that are subsequently lost, and the tune is in indiscernible. At barely 2 mins in length ‘I Have No Fun’ sees the band noticeably animated as they take it up a gear, following on from the darker gloom of ‘The End’. Unfortunately the band has 2 excellent albums but very few hits, leading to a lot of Everything Goes Wrong’s melodic charm being lost under a blanket of feedback and poor sound.
Crowd highlights ‘Tell The World’ & ‘Walking Alone At Night’ are met with rapturous applause, and each word hollered back at the now sweaty and dizzy threesome. Phil Spector is often mentioned in the Vivian Girls music, due to their similarity with the girl acts he produced through his Wall Of Sound production techniques. Unfortunately the wall of sound tonight presents itself as a hindrance to the Vivian Girls sound, and often harmonies and the bands twee melodies fall flat over the feedback.
Andy Best
Moon Rising’, ‘Woman’ and ‘White Unicorn’- that I become swept away by the sheer exuberance of the crowd and energy of the band. By ‘Colossal’, I’ve kind of lost the plot, and when the lighters go up in the air (seriously!) for ‘Far Away’, I couldn’t care less that this is 2010 and not the mid-seventies. I love this band. They, for their part, are thriving on every minute of the attention- whilst Stockdale’s guitar hero poses are to be expected, bassist Chris Ross is possibly the most energetic bass player I’ve ever seen in concert- even when at the keyboard he plays with unbelievable violence and flair. Crowd surfers are passing overhead and pints are being thrown before suddenly we’re at the end of the main
set- with a huge rendition of ‘Violence of the Sun’, the band nonchalantly stroll offstage.
Called Golgotha‘, and ‘Ogeechee Hymnal‘ are rolled out, there’s even some snippets of Hendrix’s ‘Machine Gun‘ jammed on by the group.
before they step up to the bigger venues like fellow Georgia progressive metallers Mastodon, but for now we should savour seeming them in such close proximity.
If the night feels a little unfamiliar, especially given the intimate venue, their flawless musicianship and force really is something to behold.
For their encore, they play ‘Vagabond’, the closer from their debut album, and, as everyone knew they would, close on ‘Joker & the Thief’; I’ll leave you to imagine how the audience reacted to that one. As soon as I leave the venue, I discover that the smell of urine was not from the venue, but me. Oh well, I guess any gig where getting splatter from a pint of piss is a small price to pay has to be a good one, right?
Alex Lynham
Mike Caulfield
The classic guitar interplay between Braizley and Peter Adams is magnetizing throughout, both seemly with telepathic synchronization, whilst the forceful thump of drummer Allen Blickle and bassy rumble of Summer Welch provide a devastating back up. With performances like this and the tunes to match it won’t be long
Fraser McFadyen
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listings Feb February
Twisted Wheel @ Academy 2 MV&EE @ Islington Mill
Monday 1st Adam Green @ Club Academy Hamel @ Deaf Institute
Tuesday 2nd Good Idea Machine @ Night and Cafe Oceansize @ Academy 3 Thao with The Get Down Stay Down @ Deaf Institute Johnny Foreigner @ The Ruby Lounge Twenty Twenty @ The Roadhouse
Wednesday 3rd Twin Atlantic @ Night and Café Miike Snow @ Academy 3 These New Puritans @ Deaf Institute
Saturday 13th Dire Wolfe @ Night and Café Musiq Soulchild @ Academy 1 Whiskey Cats @ Academy 2 Tune-Yards @ The Ruby Lounge
Sunday 14th I Am Kloot @ Academy 3
Monday 15th High Voltage presents: Hot Club De Paris @ Deaf Institute SPOON @ Academy 3 Polar Bear Club @ Moho Live Everybody Was In The French Resistance... Now @ The Ruby Lounge
Thursday 4th The Pablos @ Night and Café Kerrang! Relentless Tour 2010 @ Academy 1 The Ex & Brass Unbound @ Deaf Institute
Tuesday 16th Fear Factory @ Academy 2 Iglu & Hartly @ Moho Live Le Magum @ Pure
The Tamalas @ Night and Café The Quangos @ Academy 3 The Loaded Dice @ Club Academy The Sunshine Underground @ The Ritz
The Brothers Movement @ Night and Café Hadouken! @ Academy 2 Shearwater @ The Ruby Lounge
Thursday 25th
Manel @ Night and Café Bizarre @ Academy 1 Midlake @ Academy 2 Fionn Regan @ Academy 3 Erland & The Carnival @ Deaf Institute
Thursday 18th
NME Awards Tour 2010 @ Academy 1 Cobra Starship @ Academy 2 Green Vigo @ Academy 3 Mamma Freedom @ Club Academy JLS @ Apollo Alan McGee’s Greasy Lips Club @ The Ruby Lounge
Holy Coves @ Night and Café Jessica Hoop @ Deaf Institute Boys Like Girls @ The Roadhouse
High Voltage presents… Performance @ Deaf Institute The Sticks @ Night and Café Europe @ Academy 2 Chantel McGregor @ Academy 3 Mugison @ Club Academy Field Music @ Islington Mill Machine Head @ Apollo
Syd Bozko @ Academy 2 Tom McRae @ Club Academy Mentallica @ The Ruby Lounge Eight Legs @ The Roadhouse
Sunday 28th
Sunday 7th Imogen Heap @ Academy 1 Kelly Clarkson @ Apollo Marduk + Anaal Nathrakh @ Moho Live
Saturday 20th
Wednesday 3rd
Brett Anderson @ Academy 3 Vampire Weekend @ Apollo
Tuesday 9th
Sunday 21st
The Low Anthem @ Academy 3 InMe @ Moho Live Band Of Skulls @ The Ruby Lounge
Yeasayer @ Academy 3 Marina And The Diamond @ Deaf Institute
Wednesday 10th
Monday 22nd
Doll and The Kicks @ The Ruby Lounge
Owl City @ Academy 1 The Rumble Strips @ Academy 3 JLS @ Apollo Futures @ Moho Live Kassidy @ The Ruby Lounge
Thursday 11th Jess Klein @ Night and Café Tinchy Heap @ Academy 1 Xavier Rudd @ Academy 2 Beach House @ Islington Mill Liam Frost @ Moho Live Sian Alice Group/ Esben & The Witch @ Deaf Institute Cybercide @ The Roadhouse
Friday 12th Lamb Of God @ Academy 1
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Monday 1st
Hot Chip @ Academy 1 Mika @ Apollo Internet Forever @ Kro Bar The Soft Pack @ The Ruby Lounge
The Celadors @ Night and Café Mastodon @ Academy 1 Lowline @ Academy 3 Nick Kershaw @ Club Academy Rent A Crowd @ The Ruby Lounge
Monday 8th
March DD/MM/YYYY @ The Ruby Lounge Tuesday 2nd Noisettes @ Academy 1 Groove Armada @ The Ritz Girls @ Deaf Institute James McCartney @ The Ruby Lounge
Friday 19th
Freedom Of The City @ Night and Café Angie Stone @ Academy 1 Curtis Eller’s American Circus @ The Ruby Lounge Thursday 4th Mumford & Sons @ Academy 1 Brendan Benson @ Academy 2 Local Natives @ Club Academy Nick Harper @ Moho Live The Heartbreaks @ The Ruby Lounge
Friday 5th
Bigelf/ Preistless @ Academy 3 Xiu Xiu @ Islington Mill Reamon @ Club Academy The Federals @ Moho Live First Aid Kit @ Deaf Institute The Heavy @ The Ruby Lounge Giggs @ The Roadhouse
Monday 8th
Sunday 21st
Lynyrd Skynyrd @ Apollo Joe Cape Vs Tony Sly Vs Jon Snodgrass @ Moho Live The Green Man Tour @ Deaf Institute
A Silver Mount Zion @ Academy 3 Hidden Cameras @ Deaf Institute Babybird @ The Ruby Lounge The Computers & Outcry Collective @ The Roadhouse
Lisa Mitchell @ Night and Café 69 Eyes @ Academy 3 Shai Hulud @ Moho Live Now Wave presents: Errors @ Deaf Institute
Thursday 11th A Day To Remember @ Academy 1 Emilie Autumn @ Academy 3 Four Tet @ Club Academy Autchre Tour 2010 @ Pure Audio Bullys @ Moho Live The Invisibles @ Deaf Institute Retribution Gospel Choir @ The Ruby Lounge Kamivool @ The Roadhouse
Alberta Cross @ Night and Café Underoath @ Academy 2 Ian Siegal @ Academy 3 You Me At Six @ Apollo Imperial Leisure @ The Roadhouse
Little Fish @ Night and Café Trivium @ Academy 1 Stiff Little Fingers @ Academy 2 AC/DC Livewire @ Academy 3 Turin Brakes @ Club Academy Sunday 14th HIM @ Academy 1 Spectrum @ Moho Live The Joy Formidable @ The Ruby Lounge Monday 15th Newton Faulkner @ Apollo
Tuesday 16th Editors @ Apollo Wednesday 17th Frank Turner @ Academy 1 Edguy @ Club Academy For Fallen Dreams @ Moho Live
Frightened Rabbit @ Club Academy Eighth Wave @ The Roadhouse
Friday 19th
Sunday 7th Kaki King @ Academy 3 Dave Matthews Band @ Apollo
Emma Pollock + Josh Pyke @ Academy 3 Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip @ Club Academy The Album Leaf @ Deaf Institute
Tuesday 23rd Jethro Tull @ Apollo Nachtmystium @ Moho Live Islands @ Deaf Institute
Wednesday 24th Winger @ Academy 3 North Atlantic Oscillation @ The Ruby Lounge
Thursday 25th The Screening @ Night and Café Josh Rouse @ Academy 2 Diana Vickers @ Deaf Institute The Twilight Sad @ The Ruby Lounge
Friday 26th Zebrahead @ Academy 3 Emery @ The Roadhouse
Saturday 13th
Thursday 18th
Fun Loving Criminals @ Academy 1 The XX @ Academy 2 It Bites + Aynsley Lister @ Academy 3 The Woodentops @ Deaf Institute
Monday 22nd
Friday 12th
Passion Pit @ Academy 1 The Stocks @ Academy 3
Saturday 6th Tuesday 23rd
New Young Pony Club @ Moho Live Two Door Cinema Club @ Deaf Institute
Wednesday 10th Friday 26th
Kong @ The Ruby Lounge
Saturday 6th
The Miserable Rich @ Deaf Institute White Hills + Pontiak @ The Ruby Lounge
The Kartell @ Night and Café Hockey @ Academy 2 Tuesday 9th Glenn Tilbrook @ Club Academy KATATONIA @ Academy 3 Lostprophets @ Apollo The Complete Stone Roses @ Moho Live (Hed) Pe @ Moho Live Japandroids @ Deaf Institute
Saturday 27th Wednesday 17th
Friday 5th
Wednesday 24th
Mar
Saturday 27th Motion City Soundtrack @ Academy 2 Letz Zep @ Academy 3 Where’s Strutter @ Club Academy Diversity @ Apollo Guns 2 Roses @ The Ruby Lounge David R Black @ The Roadhouse
Sunday 28th Archie Bronson Outfit @ Academy 3 Chris Rea @ Apollo The Lambrettas @ Moho Live Monday 29th The Members @ Moho Live Tuesday 30th Madina Lake @ Academy 2 Flyleaf @ Academy 3 Ellie Goulding @ Club Academy Strung Out @ Moho Live
Deviant UK @ The Roadhouse
Kraak Gallery funraiser feat. Nine Black Alps + The Longcut + The Witches @ Night and Café Paloma Faith @ Academy 1 The Automatic @ Academy 3 Why? @ Deaf Institute
Saturday 20th
ADVERTISE IN HIGHVOLTAGE Want to showcase details of your event, gigs, record release, clothing label, photography exhibition, launch party to the hippest music fans in the North-West, Yorkshire and London? Message richard@highvoltage.org.uk for more details
Of The True Class @ Night and Café The Stranglers @ Academy 1 Wild Beasts @ Academy 2 The Tides @ Academy 3
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NEW NOISE SEND YOUR NEW BAND TIPS TO RICHARD@HIGHVOLTAGE.ORG.UK TO APPEAR IN THE NEXT NEW NOISE ROUND-UP… Timothy Cook
Minimal sound, maximum effect, that’s the Timothy Alexander experience in a soundbite. Not that “bite” is accurate, with the young Lancastrian taking great chunks out of every opportunity he can get to make collective associations of people jump around to beats of his creation. One part of the Heroic Lunge DJing team and once of Mixmag approved residency nights, his latest incarnation takes the minimal and making it sensuous and defined, giving a Lancastrian accent to New York House, progressive and persistent like a particularly sparky student teacher with overflowing enthusiasm. Being trained and honed through a career behind as many laptops as decks, the result is as intense as tribal techo can possibly be – which, in all honesty, can be about as intense as floating around a chill-out room holding onto a chilled glass for dear life. But you get the idea…Tribal and with a bias for the bass at a time when samples rule the dance world, Cook is one of the rebels worth putting a bet on.
Milk Maid
Martin Cohen is a very busy man. Not only is he bassist in local alt-rock band Nine Black Alps, and a fine photographer, Cohen has recently set-up an intriguing side project.After being in a band for so long Cohen is enthusiastic about his new project Milk Maid: “I'm into writing by myself right now and making all the decisions on the basic stuff. Some things can take so long to decide in a band, so when I record at home I can work really fast and instinctively, and after working one way for 6 years, or so, its freeing to work in another. There's this band called Sic Alps who've really inspired me, their record sounds amazing. They have this really live and open sound, which is really fucked up at the same time.”Cohen is organizing a show at Night & Day on 19th March featuring Nine Black Alps, Former Bullies and The Witches to raise money for a Steve Gullick photo exhibition set to take place at Kraak. It would seem the perfect opportunity to debut his work, but Cohen isn’t so sure; “we'll http://www.myspace.com/sbmn see if there's a set together.” ml Recommended Track – “Rood www.myspace.com/milkmai Oog” dmilkmaid Recommended Track – ‘Sad Song’
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Trojan Horse
FEZ
Standard Fare
Trojan Horse confess to writing music with a “combination of ‘visions’”, which (insert big underline) is a massive understatement. Take ‘Mr Engles Says’, or Exhibit A; a bombastic rock n roll tune which flicks between time signatures trying to explore as many ideas as possible. Or, Exhibit B; ‘Disciplining The Reserve Army’, which builds from a spooky intro and gloomy synth sound into a manic mash of hazy riffs. “The initial idea for my writing was to attack it like, say Endtroducing... by DJ Shadow; layers of sounds all pieced together from different sources to make something totally different from what you started out with. As time has gone on we've incorporated a lot more influences, flavours, writing styles and mixed up the original songs we wrote into something wholly different. If you'd heard us 5 years ago...hahaha, well, lets just say we were a lot more rough round the edges.” Nick, attempts to explain. Confused? See them at the Deaf Institute supporting Hot Club De Paris on 15th Feb.
New Noise ventures South for the first time this issue and the aural expedition is well worth it. Londoners Fez received a glowing 5/5 demo review in 2008, and their follow-up is even sharper. You could say the guitar sounds are a bit retro sounding, but their music ticks along with dreamlike fluency. Creating snappy and intelligent guitar-pop. A David Byrne flavoured vocal influence is a great extra touch. ‘Chemicals’, described in the demo review as an “upbeat, and infectious number that instantly has you in its hold” neatly sums up the band’s approach. Thoughts of Pigeon Detectives and The Wombats would probably spring to mind, but there’s something of a Maccabees first LP influence in the mix to give the track extra spark.
By the time you read this Standard’s Fare appearance at the Friends of Manchester Festival will have been and gone. Which is a shame, because I bet you’d have bloody loved them. Recently the single ‘Fifteen’ was released via Sheffield’s uber-indie imprint Thee SPC. With radio support from Lamacq, and lots of positive reviews following. Their debut LP is a joint release between Thee SPC and Manchester’s own Melodic and is scheduled to hit the shops on 29th March. If you’re a fan of The Long Blondes or Sky Larkin then you’ll bloody love them. Maybe that’s what some would call ‘lazy journalism’. But it’s hard to ignore that all three bands share similar features, cute female singer, brittle drumbeats and a delicate pop sensibility. Which isn’t a bad thing is it? Well I’m not a lazy journalist so instead I’ll tell you they sound more like Stephen Malkmus’ solo stuff, jamming with Graham Coxon and Belle & Sebastian. Oh, did I say you’ll bloody love them?
Recommended Track – ‘Discipling The Reserve Army’ – download the MP3 from http://soundcloud.com/highvolt agemusic www.myspace.com/trojanhors eband
Recommended Track – ‘Chemicals’ www.myspace.com/wearefez
Recommended Track – Philadelphia www.myspace.com/standardf are
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