Issue 13 by Soundcheck Magazine

Issue 13 | SUMMER 2012

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FEATURING:

Chazzstock Festival / Gary Stringer / Snow Patrol / Band of Skulls / Lights / The Enemy / Bombay Bicycle Club / Alt-J / Live Listings & more

INDEX Issue 13 | Summer 2012

Editor: Glenn Rossington glenn@wlv-soundcheck.com Sales: Glenn Rossington glenn@wlv-soundcheck.com Front Cover: SNOW PATROL @ LG ARENA by GR Designer & Webmaster: Kate Farrell kate@wlv-soundcheck.com Photography: Glenn Rossington Writers: Glenn Rossington Andy Gillard & Kate Farrell Soundcheck Magazine Flat 5 3 Park Avenue Wolverhampton West Midlands WV1 4AH Tel: 07599 475 111 info@wlv-soundcheck.com www.wlv-soundcheck.com

Index:

P 5-10 News Thank You’s Sincerest thanks go out to Jonn Penney, Press Officer at the Civic Halls Wolverhampton for his assistance in obtaining the various permission in order to cover live events.

Interviews P 14-18 Gary Stringer

Features P 12-13 The Puritan/Under The Westway Lyrics

Contributions: Article and photo contributions are welcome. Prints and transparencies are sent at the owner’s risk and although every care is taken, Soundcheck accepts no responsibility for loss or damage. Please email photos to: glenn@wlv-soundcheck.com.co.uk (all images must be at least 300dpi) or post them to us.

P 20-27 Chazzstock

Legal Bit: Copyright ©2011 Soundcheck. All rights reserved. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission from Soundcheck. Information on events, products, reviews and anything else does not nessicarily imply recommendations by Soundcheck. We have done our utmost to make sure all the content in this magazine is correct and accurate, but would emphasise the we, Soundcheck, accept no responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. All opinions expressed in this magazine are that of the individual contributor and are not nessicarily shared by Soundcheck Magazine

P 34-35 Band of Skulls

P 28-31 CD Reviews

Live Music

P 32-33 Snow Patrol P 36-37 Lights P 38-39 The Enemy P 40-41 Bombay Bicycle Club P 42-43 Alt-J(∆) P 48-49 Live Listings

NEWS

Blur Are Back With A Double ‘A’ Side… Blur have managed to silence all speculation by both returning to the charts with a new ‘double a sided single’, and by creating history by being the first act to debut brand new material with a live performance via Twitter on Monday 2nd July. Filmed and streamed completely live from a secret UK location, the two new songs - which the band have never publicly performed - were ‘Under The Westway’ and ‘The Puritan’, written for the upcoming sold-out Hyde Park concert. Damon said - “I wrote these songs for Hyde Park and I’m really excited about getting out there and playing them for people.” Following the live stream, both tracks were immediately made available for download from all good online retailers. In addition, the band are releasing a limited 7-inch vinyl single containing both singles. Blur will also play four UK warm up dates ahead of their highly anticipated sold out return to London’s Hyde Park later this summer. The warm up dates include two sold out nights at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. They will play: August 1st Margate Winter Gardens 5th Wolverhampton Civic Hall 6th Wolverhampton Civic Hall 7th Plymouth Pavillions 12th London Hyde Park Tickets are £35 each for the warm up dates and sold out within minutes of going on sale. For more information, please visit the band’s website at: www.blur.co.uk Lyric posters for the new songs are on pages12 & 13.

Got Some News To Share? If you have an item of news that you wish to share with us, whether you are in a band and have a gig or a new e.p out, let us know! If you know of a band who needs some exposure, wants their live act reviewed and photographed, if you are a solo artist with the same aspirations from your local online music magazine, get in touch!

NEWS Alice Cooper’s Date With Wolverhampton

The Burning Crows Hot Date With Slade

Alice Cooper returns to the UK once again for his third Halloween Night of Fear tour, a now annual institution of the macabre, celebration of gore and all out rock n roll fright fest. And this year, he calls on the army of Alice Cooper fans to continue their support of the supernatural holiday and, as in the past 2 years, make every effort to turn up in the most outrageous costumes and rock out to the king of shock rock! Taking the show to the UK once again, Alice will bring terror to the UK, visiting Cardiff, Wolverhampton, Bournemouth, London, Nottingham, Edinburgh and finishing off in Sheffield.

After spending innumerable hours on the road and playing countless shows to master their craft, the band recently took some time out to record at the world famous Rockfield Studios.

Each night turns into a giant costume party, as thousands of fans bid to outdo each other for the most ghoulish outfit and outrageous Halloween outfit, with cash prizes for the winners. Alice’s incredible band lead the party – featuring the three guitar attack of Orianthi, Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henricksen, along with the rhythm section of bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel - one of the great bands working in rock n roll, tearing into Alice’s classics and tracks from latest album Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Joining Alice at the party will be Duff McKagan’s Loaded* and recently reunited Californian rockers Ugly Kid Joe. So, dig out your top hat and tails, your mascara and monster gear and join Alice Cooper his ghostly gang as they take to the road this Halloween.

With the EP being Produced and Mixed by Nick Brine (The Darkness/Bruce Springsteen/Oasis) and with Keith Weir (The Quireboys/Def Leppard) making a guest appearance on keys, it seems that some of Rock’s biggest players are starting to join the ever growing queue to get behind the band. Following the release of their critically acclaimed studio efforts, the hotly tipped rockers set out on their first headline tour of the UK. They will play Wolverhampton’s Slade Rooms on Sunday 2nd September 2012. Showcasing a sound that lands Britrock firmly back in the contemporary mainstream, the band bring a style and swagger to the stage that has earned them the reputation of being one of the very best live bands on the scene today. Your presence is requested... See you at the front! Tickets priced £5.00 are available now from Midland Box Office.

Silhouettes Seven Bells Wolverhampton’s own Silhouettes have been confirmed as support for the hotly tipped School of Seven Bells later this month. The hotly-tipped 4 piece unsigned indie/electronica band from Wolverhampton in the UK. Drawing on influences from the likes of Arcade Fire, DJ Shadow, M83 and Nick Cave, Silhouettes have melded a sound together that can be at one point heavy and aggressive then at another point sombre and brittle. Silhouettes had a successful year in 2011. They released their debut EP to critical acclaim, reached the top 5 of the national Rock the House competition and completed a tour of the UK. After releasing their 2nd EP ‘Himself Unknown Too Late’ , Silhouettes intend to follow up their success with another tour, plus a first release on an independent record label. Tickets priced £10.00 are available now.

Stiff Little Fingers Play

Punk legends Stiff Little Fingers return to Wolverhampton to help celebrate 35 years of punk. They will play The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton: Sunday 11th November 2012 as part of a national tour. Often described as the “Irish Clash”, Stiff Little Fingers were Northern Ireland’s answer to the punk scene of the late 1970’s, they incorporated a raw and cutting edge form of punk. Tickets priced £17.00 will be available from the Midland Box Office

Showaddywaddy…!

Billed as “The Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World’ is a bold statement but Showaddywaddy has lived up to the title for the best part of 40 years… Their live show is dynamic and uplifting featuring all of their biggest hits, many of which reached number one in the pop charts of Europe. ‘Under The Moon of Love’, ‘Three Steps to Heaven’, ‘Hey Rock & Roll’, ‘When’, ‘Blue Moon’, ‘Pretty Little Angel Eyes’ and many, many more. So come and join the ‘Dancing Party’… ‘You’ve Got What It Takes’! Showaddywaddy play Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall on Wednesday 14th November 2012. Tickets priced £17.50 are available from Midland Box Office now.

Souled Seal Is Coming Award-winning vocalist and songwriter Seal has announced a brand new UK tour for November and December this year, his first in three years. He will play the Civic Hall on Saturday 8th December 2012. The tour will support the release of Seal’s new album, SOUL 2, out now on Warner Bros. The first SOUL album has sold more than 3 million albums worldwide. Tickets priced £45.00 & £35.00 are on sale now.

NEWS Everything Everything To Rock The Kasbah Indie gunners Everything Everything have announced a gig at Coventry’s Kasbah Club on Thursday 13th September with tickets available now. Playing ahead of their untitled new album, this is one of a small handful of intimate venues where new material will be debuted. The band formed in 2007 and are based in Manchester. Their debut album ‘Man Alive’ was released in 2010. It saw singles ‘Photoshop Handsome’, ‘MY KZ, UR BF’ and ‘Schoolin” launch them into the mainstream, picking up award nominations for Q Awards’ ‘Best New Act’, XFM’s ‘New Music Award’ as well as being shortlisted for the Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize. In January and February this year the band supported Snow Patrol on their UK tour featuring a date at Birmingham’s LG Arena. With a whole host of new songs bound to be played, this will be one gig you will not want to miss. Get your tickets priced £12.50 now

Pure Love’s Glee Club

Pure Love, the new band featuring former Gallows frontman Frank Carter, have announced details of their first UK tour. The tour, which consists of six shows in total, is to coincide with the release of the band’s second single ‘Handsome Devils’ Club’ Club’ on 22nd July. The tour begins at Birmingham’s Glee Club on 18th July and runs until 25th July, when the band headline York’s Duchess venue. ‘Handsome Devils’ Club’ is the second track to be revealed from the band’s as yet untitled debut album, which they are currently working on with Foo Fighters and Pixies producer Gil Norton. It follows the release of ‘Bury My Bones’ as a free download earlier this year. Pure Love, who also feature former Hope Conspiracy guitarist Jim Carroll in their line-up, are set to release their debut record later this summer and have recorded the album in Brooklyn, New York. Tickets are on sale now via the Glee Website.

Bloc Party 4 Tracklisting Bloc Party have revealed the tracklisting for their new album ‘Four’. The album, which is the follow up to their 2008 LP ‘Intimacy’, will be released on 20th August and has been produced by Death Cab For Cutie/The Mars Volta knob twiddler Alex Newport.

The record will contain a total of 12 tracks, with a single ‘Octopus’ preceding the record on 3rd July. The quartet have also released a video trailer for ‘Four’, which you can see by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking. The band have previewed a number of songs from ‘Four’ during a recent intimate UK tour. Bloc Party will tour the UK again in October, playing a total of eight shows. The dates kick off at Newcastle’s O2 Academy on 12th October and run until 20th October, when the band headline Cambridge Corn Exchange. The run also includes gigs in Leeds, Glasgow, Southampton, Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester. The tracklisting for ‘Four’ is as follows: So He Begins To Lie / 3X3 / Octopus / Real Talk / Kettling / Day 4 / Coliseum / V.A.L.I.S. / Team A / Truth / The Healing / We’re Not Good People Bloc Party play Birmingham Academy on Monday 15th October. Tickets priced £23.50 are on sale now via various ticket sellers.

Rita Ora UK ‘Twin Tour’ After touring with Coldplay around Europe and sensational performances at the Capital Summertime Ball, Lovebox and Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend, Rita will be returning to the UK in August for two very special headline shows where fans will be able to see Rita perform live No.1 singles ‘Hot Right Now’, ‘R.I.P’ and her new single ‘How We Do (Party)’.

Rita will play: Wednesday 29th August - Manchester Sound Control Thursday 30th August - London Scala Tickets are on sale now priced at £11.50 for Manchester and £13.50 for London (subject to booking fee) available from Ticketmaster and Livenation.

Marina’s New Dates

Marina And The Diamonds has announced two new UK dates for later this year. The singer, who released her second album ‘Electra Heart’ in April, will play new shows in London and Manchester. She first headlines Manchester Academy on 6th October, before playing London’s HMV Forum five days later on 11th October. The singer had to reschedul her recent UK tour originally sheduled for May because of vocal problems. The tour was played last month and included a date at Birmingham’s HMV Institute on Friday 29th June. Tickets for the new dates are on sale now.

NEWS Paloma Faith Announces UK Tour Which Includes A Wolverhampton Date

Paloma Faith has announced a series of UK tour dates for 2013. Paloma’s incredible second album ‘Fall To Grace’ reached number 2 in the UK albums chart when it was released in May. The album was beaten to the number 1 spot by Gary Barlow’s Diamond Jubilee record, by only 5000 copies! The 2013 dates will be the first full tour of ‘Fall To Grace’, however Paloma is appearing at a series of live events over the summer, including two headline dates at London’s Somerset House on 17th and 18th July. Paloma will play: January 21st Dublin Vicar St 23rd Manchester Manchester O2 Apollo 25th Nottingham Royal Concert Hall 27th Leeds O2 Academy 28th Glasgow O2 Academy 31st Newcastle O2 Academy February 1st York Barbican 2nd Wolverhampton Wolves Civic Hall 4th Brighton Brighton Centre 5th Portsmouth Portsmouth Guildhall 7th London Hammersmith Apollo Tickets priced £19.50 are now available from Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or at www.wolvescivic.co.uk

Rocktoberfest…

It’s been twenty (mental) years since Terrorvision unleashed their debut album ‘Fomaldehyde’ and instant classics like ‘My House’ and ‘American TV” on an unsuspecting world back in 1992… To celebrate this anniversary, and the release of their first album in 10 years – ‘Super Delux’, the band will be heading out on their only UK tour of 2012 in October. October’s dates will see 20 years of chaos, 6 hit albums and countless more hit singles crammed into a veritable one-night, one-band festival of tunes that get everyone thinking...’jeez, is this one by them as well!’. Tickets priced £15.00 are available now

INTERVIEW

GARY STRINGER Not content with fronting one of the UK’s most loved 90’s rock ensembles as the singer in Reef, or a spin off West Country rock based group as Them Is Me, Gary Stringer has teemed up once again with Reef & Them Is Me’s principal bassist Jack Bessant to perform an entirely acoustic album under the pseudonym of StringerBessant. Having released the critically acclaimed album ‘Yard’ in 2010 on XtraMile Recordings and in 2011 released a fan assisted ep titled ‘Wild Day’, the future is looking bright for Mr Stringer and Bessant across all musical outlets. We caught up with Gary Stringer backstage at the Wolverhampton Slade Rooms last September having just played a capacity crowd to promote the StringerBessant ‘Wild Day EP’ to discuss all manner of goings on… Thank you for taking the time to speak to us, so how do you think the gig went? I really enjoyed it. Without a doubt, from the first song we played, the reception we got... It’s going to sound very Cliché but I love Wolverhampton. Whenever I’ve played here, we’ve always had a very warm reception. Just like that tonight. You were here, you heard it. I mean what was it? 150 people? Something like that, and it sounded like so many more. So it just, makes you feel great.

Especially when we made a record on a tiny independent label, with no radio playing no major press coverage or anything, and have that reaction tonight, it really gives you a spring in your stuff. It makes you feel good. With playing in Wolverhampton, you’ve got the love for Wolves FC and their fans respect that as well, do you think that might help with the atmosphere and support? Maybe, maybe. I mean I grew up in the West Country there’s no doubt about that. But I’ll always remember when I was born up here, and I’ll always remember even when I left when I was five or six years old, so young, I always remember coming back, I always remember Christmases with my gran and hanging out with my family and just knowing that this is where my family came from. So it’s got a connection in that way. But, that aside, that said, all of that and if you turn up and it’s a fickle or cold reaction, it’s nothing special. But it always has been special coming here. I don’t give a toss if it sounds cliché, because it’s the truth. We’ve always been well supported, and I’m really stoked about it. So was that the reason behind tonight’s gig in the Slade Rooms? Well absolutely! We’ve been touring for eighteen months, so we’re coming to the end of our cycle now, and I said to Jack, ‘We’ve got to go and play in Wolverhampton’.

So luckily we done the Reef show at the Civic and the guys, the same fellas put us on to do this show. It worked out really good so yeah, I’m stoked we’ve come. Actually amazed from the reaction, not because we’ve not got a good reaction before, but just how warm it is for something so polar to Reef, so different, a total opposite end of the spectrum. I guess when you’ve got that desire to play somewhere you want it to live up to that expectation. Exactly, exactly. Well we played a rock show last night in Devon at the Ivy Live festival, a few thousand there. It was blinding there but you do a Reef show before you do a StringerBessant show, it’s a different part of your voice. You’re rockin’ out, a few beers, and you wana make sure you can sing the next day. Especially when I knew it was in Wolves, I knew I wanted to be able to sing. Take Adele for example, the poor girl was meant to do two shows here and had to cancel as she had a bloody cold didn’t she? I know how that feels so I know what it’s like to be a singer and want to sing. Well obviously you released your new EP recently via the Pledge Music site. What seems to be becoming a a bit of a trend is the number of acts wanting to get the fans involved by doing something like this. What made you decide to choose this route too? Well it was our label actually, ‘Extra mile’ who made the album with us (‘Yard’). They suggested going through pledge. See they haven’t got a massive bank balance. You know, I said on the mic tonight, 3.2 million units of music were lost in the Sony DADC Fire, that’s a real deal! That is independent music, you know, it could go down the pan. These guys don’t have massive bank balances to go out and re order stock. They’re insured so they’ll get their money back, but they won’t get it back tomorrow, they’ll get it back in three four months

time. So you imagine having all your stock wiped out. It’s not just us, it’s other labels as well. But yeah the pledge thing. Our guy at the label, he basically suggested the idea to us to basically fund a new release. I mean we wanted to record ‘Cross The Valley’, we wanted to rerecord the Reef song ‘Mellow’. He told us the deal, we did it and it worked, and it’s great to have a record that’s had involvement from the fans because they genuinely want to hear it. So you know, from that business, it’s a good model. I suppose it gives you more of an intimate relationship with your fans as well. Knowing that they’ve given something. I hope so; I hope that’s the case. There’s no doubt with the campaign we’ve done, the scrap books, the photos and the video messages, none of that would have happened without the pledge thing. So that’s a good thing that’s come out of it and of course, the EP itself! We did a show at The Barn in Somerset, where we recorded ‘Yard’ and ‘Melow’ and we did a show there to maybe sixty people may be less, fifty people, tiny little thing. That was really special, because people could come and actually see where we record and where we make the music, and the stuff they listen to. So that side of it, hats off to the pledge. I’m glad you’ve come out of it feeling positive. Yeah, absolutely! We’ll try anything once. So you mentioned on stage tonight, that you want to record another StringerBessant album. Absolutely Is that the priority now? Or is there something else in the way of that? No not at all. We’ve got more than enough songs already. Really we should start, in fact we’ve got all of these

gigs till the end of October, and possibly we’re going to go to New York. End there, and then we should start demoing, recording, no time frames, just go and start on a new record. I mean, I’ve got six, seven songs, Jack’s got eight, nine songs. You know, we’ve got more than enough already, because we’ve been working on this for eight months, and we’re always carrying on. The beauty of having the acoustic thing is it’s so easy. Take an acoustic with you, if you go on holiday, if you do a rock gig it doesn’t matter. You can always have an acoustic and write and express yourself. That’s all we’re doing, it’s a weird thing, because you don’t care if no one wants to listen to you in a way, but when they do and they connect, it makes you feel great. So it’s that kind of a relationship, it’s not about chance or success, it’s not about that, if that makes sense? We’re in a van here, we’ve got one fellow driver, and that’s it. That’s us. We go to Reef, we’ve got a seven tonne truck, tour bus you know, six or seven permanent crew. I saw you and Jack in Them Is Me at the Flapper in Birmingham a couple of years ago now, you did ‘Cross The Valley’ there. Is that always going to remain a Them Is Me track or does it now belong to StringerBessant as you’ve officially recorded it? Well, it’s a song that Jack wrote, and it works really well with Them Is Me. I’d like to record it with Them Is Me on record, but there’s only seven days in a week, there’s only four weeks in a month, you know, I think it’ll happen but it’s not anyone’s priority at the moment. Todd’s doing something different, Jonas is out doing something different, but we’ve got you know, seven or eight songs Them Is Me that we can record given a couple of weeks rehearsal. So I think, might not be next year, but the year after we’ll record a second record, I want to. I want to make it happen. You’re a workaholic then? Urm, no! No I’m not actually. I think me and Jack… well,

we’re not lazy, lazy is not the right word but we work hard to a degree but we like to relax. We want to take it easy you know. When Reef originally went on hiatus, you guys just disappeared off the radar and then it took a number of years for Them Is Me and then we’re blessed with two awesome records, one from Them and one from you two. It seems like you’ve had a well deserved break, now you’re just getting back into a stride? Yeah, I had a young family, had some children, and hung out with them. You know, took my boy to school on his first day, you know with Reef we were going out anything from two, six weeks to three months away from home and it just naturally stopped, just naturally finished. That’s cool. I love Reef and we’ve got a box set coming out with metropolis music. We’ve got a meeting in London on Tuesday about it, we’ll go out and I’ve been going through the archives. We’ll pull out the unreleased material, demo’s for the fifth record that never materialised. You know, we’ll do something decent, to rap that period up. That’s not saying we’ll never make a Reef record, maybe we will, but it’s nice to have all of your body work in one place from that period. There’s always that notion from fans that hopefully I’ll get back together. You guys came back with a reunion last year and how do you feel that went down? Fantastic! Yeah we did great. The first six shows, they all sold. Birmingham sold out first, and the other five were all sold out, and it was great. Then we did some festivals, Glastonbury, I don’t know if you were there? That was fucking huge. You know we played at mid-day, and we had as many if not more people than Florence and The Machine, who were fantastic the night before. I mean I went just to check her out and I love Florence anyway. I thought this is good, we turned up, bloody midday, second band on where ever we were. That thing, that

over whelming feeling, that people actually give a shit about what you do, and it’s not controlled by anyone else, it’s just people talking to people. Remembering their past maybe and I hope there’s more of that and I hope it’s relevant now with Reef. Seems to be it was last night. You can’t play old songs and keep playing them if that spark isn’t there from the crowd as well as yourself. I’m sure the rest of the fans will be mega happy to hear that. As we’ve said you’ve got a massive following with Reef and they just love you. And I think the thing with reunion shows is it happened with The Verve and Shed Seven and it happened with plenty of other bands who reformed. But people who remember that music the first time round, take their kids or friends the second time around and say, ‘yeah, I remember that, this is fucking brilliant!’ It must be good to stand on that stage and feel the vibe, knowing that you’ve got old fans, and new fans there too. It is! Hearing that wall of people singing your lyrics back, and thinking yeah, this mattered to these guys as well as me, you know as well as us, that’s a cool feeling. Of course that transpires into people finding out about you guys and coming to shows like this... Yeah man, it’s fucking incredible the power that music can have at times and the way it starts a chain reaction! So, you love Cornwall… Yeah! …You love surfing… Yeah …Where for you, is the best place in Cornwall to go surfing? That’s kind of like, letting the cat out of the bag a little

bit. I mean I can think of a place straight away, but I’m loathed to say it. Because they’ll all come looking for you and thus hijacking your secret spot? No, no it’s not that, I mean we did some demo’s with Reef at a place called Medam, which is fifteen minutes from the sea, and around there there’s some great breaks. They’re all fantastic surf breaks, and I love it round there. We play at the ‘Fish Fry’ next Saturday, at a convention, piss up, a surf session. I love that, you know I don’t surf every week. Haven’t surfed in two weeks, you know, I’m a musician first and fore most. But I do love surfing it’s fucking brilliant. Something about getting on the board and getting away from everything. Yeah, absolutely. You getting out in the sea is good fun even if you can’t surf. They say it’s good fun you know. I love it mate, I love it. The final question is a bit of a jokey question. Again, going back to Cornwall, you like your drink as well. Which of the Ales from the West Country do you prefer? Well I’m going to fly the Wolverhampton flag and say Marstons all the way. I like a Betty Stoggs too. It’s good, it’s a nice drink. But I’m genuine about mild, is a fucking cracking drink. And thing about the mild is it takes your thirst away the same way a pint of lager can when you feel really thirsty. So I like that about it. I like Guinness as well. Gary, once again, Thank You for taking the time out after the show tonight to have a chat with us! It’s been a pleasure! Get the Reef Boxset: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/reef

Words & Photographs by Glenn Rossington Editorial Design by Kate Farrell

A CHAZZ TRIBUTE E

very once is a while, you get a band who deserve fantastic things or are on the verge of this when tragedy strikes. It happened to the Manics when Richey disappeared after releasing their masterpiece ‘The Holy Bible’. Jeff Buckley took his life just as ‘Grace’ was being heralded as a masterpiece, and Matthew Jay fell from a window during the recording process of his second album following a highly acclaimed debut record. Fast forward to 2010, Camden synth-pop band Ou Est La Swimming Pool were gaining momentum following the release of their debut album ‘The Golden Year’. Having played a gig in Wolverhampton at Alchemy Bar, supporting La Roux on tour and a string of singles, they were heading to Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium. Following a triumphant set, singer Charlie Haddon was rumoured to be distraught following what he feared to be a fatal injury to a female fan following a stage dive he had made during the performance. In the artist’s parking lot after the show he took his own life.

In honour of their friend’s memory, the rest of his band and Charlie’s family decided that in tribute to him, they would organise a charity concert titled’ Chazzstock’ held at the Koko in Camden. Playing that bill were The Kooks, Mr Hudson and Tony Hadley amongst others. This year, Chazzstock was originally to be held at Stanford Hall in Lutterworth over two days with both The Horrors and The Vaccines headlining a day each. The event was subsequently moved to the Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton and all bands crammed into one spectacular day with early doors at 3.30. What a coup for the city, amazing bands attracting fans from all over the UK to witness this intimate event. Kicking off proceedings was the rather cheeky Jen Armstrong. Having just released her debut e.p: ‘Cyber Girl’, the singer dressed in Pink entertained a warm crowd already massing at the foot of the stage. Tracks like ‘Chemistry’, “You Still Turn Me On’ and ‘Heart of Stone’ show potential for the young starlet. The

downside to playing the opening slot at a ‘festival’ is that it can be hit and miss what kind of a crowd you get. Jen was lucky in that as people walked into the venue, most decided to check her out first before heading to the bar. By the end of her short set, the round of applause was warm and also showed the respect of the appreciative audience. Next up were the rather good I Dream In Colour. Led by singer Richard Judge, the band have an arsenal of great tunes ready to unleash upon the world. ‘London’ and ‘Wide Awake’ being standouts. They certainly managed to interact with the crowd which at this point was still growing. IdiC have had support from BBC Introducing amongst others and I am sure will be back. The multi talents of the band showed the diversity of their music. Panning from acoustic piano ballads through to punchy rock n’ roll will certainly appeal to the masses. There was even a small arms of fans at the front bouncing around during their set, some new fans won over already.

The feisty Lois & The Love were up next. They came across as something like ‘The City’ era PJ Harvey and early ‘Florence & The Machine’. They whipped the crowd up and really got the party going. ‘Rabbit Hole’ was certainly a favourite from the crowd tonight. The performance saw front-woman Lois covering all areas of the stage and often reaching towards the crowd which caused mini surges towards the barrier. I think it’s fair to say that the crop of ‘smaller’ acts so far were all received and enjoyed with open arms. Safari took to the stage quite sharply after Lois had finished. Their blend of Pop-rock was again something the audience seemed to enjoy. By this point, the heat was affecting a few of the die hards on the front row and water was being handed out by the Wulfrun’s staff. Led by Ian Larter the band powered through as many songs in 15 minutes as is possible. Even finding time to take a photo of the audience and some cheeky chatter too. Their brand of music isn’t far from a ton of bands already on the scene, but these guys have been working for their craft and the following here tonight was applaudable. Certainly one of the mid evening highlights so far. The Ghosts were up next. They were probably my favourite act of the smaller bands, there is something about Alex Starlings’ vocals that make you sit up and pay attention to them. Kicking off with the excellent ‘Ghosts’, it seemed that the rest of the Wulfrun Hall wanted in on this moment. I took a second to look around from the pit and the majority of people were dancing away or using their camera phones pointing at the stage. They managed to instill a new lease of life into those at the front who were die hards for the Vaccines and waining a bit. ‘Enough Time’, ‘Scared’ and ‘Eyes on Another One’ kept the party going right up to the last note of their set. It was fair to say they pulled this one out of the bag and surprised a lot of people in the room. This was essentially the midway point of the day. Five acts, all of a smaller status and had fired up the crowd ready for the gradual climb towards the big bands. The security in the pit swapped over just as the lights dimmed. Frankie and The Heartstrings took to the stage, marking the start of the ‘medium’ sized acts. Kicking off with ‘She Will Get There’, singer Michael McKnight was in jubilant form. Standing on the monitors at the front of the stage, he was eating up the love from the audience. Their set was pampered with tracks from debut album ‘Hunger’ and also showcased what appeared to be a couple of newer songs too. Highlights were certainly ‘That Postcard’, ‘Photograph’, ‘First Boy’ and ‘Hunger’. The audience were loving this jump to the bigger bands and as they left after closing track ‘Scratching’ the crowd were certainly whipped up. Next up were the indie darlings of the moment, Spector. From the word ‘go’ they launched straight into ‘What You Wanted’ and flowed straight into ‘Grey Shirt & Tie’. It is easy to see why they are being hyped at the moment. The performance was faultless. High energy anthems in under 3 minutes, frontman Frederick Macpherson knows his game. His look is like a 50’s

male geek complete with iconic glasses. Thrashing around the stage elegantly in a suit would send any normal man into a sweat, he can hide it well and then comes back to the mic to give it more. ‘Celestine’ and ‘Chevy Thunder’ were brilliant highlights, the later causing certain member of the crowd to punch the air on the chorus. Completing the set with ‘Never Fade Away’ left the packed out Wulfrun begging for more. The mood changed slightly as legendary Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess strode on stage. Armed with a harmonica and two friends on a guitar and drums he kicked off with a country-rock version of ‘Impossible’. Giving it enough distance from the Charlies’ ‘Warm Sounds’ EP to make it his own, but still retaining the flow of the original, it was a refreshing take. Next up was a brand new Burgess track called ‘Doors of Then’ which is off his forthcoming new solo record. The short set included another solo track from his debut called ‘Years Ago’. The audience remained attentive throughout but seemed a bit solem until the closing duo of ‘North Country Boy’ played at breakneck speed and sounding fantastic, then the closing mass singalong enjoyment of ‘One To Another’. Tim had gone from being the calm before the storm to a rowsing crescendo sending the entire room dizzy with excitement. With a brief thank you and dedication to Charlie, he was gone. The final act of the ‘mid-status’ acts was Camden’s Tribes. This also dived into the most poignant and emotional performance of the day. Opening with the trilogy of ‘Whenever’, ‘Girlfriend’ and ‘Sappho’, frontman Johnny Lloyd was in an energetic bubble. There was a brief silence before playing ‘Corner of An English Field’, no explanation was needed. You only need to listen to the opening verse to understand the poignancy. “Took a walk yesterday, to the places we would play, then Charlie passed away, and it hasn’t been the same”. I’m sure the entire room choked when 2+2 were put together… a great testament indeed to have so many people singing that line back, today of all days. ‘Nightdriving’ was another song written for Charlie and again, to have an entire hall honouring the memory at the same time in the same way; enjoyment, is a great testament to his legacy. Tribes tipped their metaphorical hats off to the Wulfrun crowd before ending their emotional set on the epic singalong ‘We Were Children’. We had a slightly longer break now between the bands and the two ‘main acts’. Anticipation in the room for both of these coming acts was tremendous, especially as both o them would be playing Wolverhampton for the first time. First up as sub-headliners were The Horrors. Faris Badwan and his merry men, high on the success of recent album ‘Skying’ know how to make an impact. Moody back-lighting, causing nothing but silhouettes to be seen by the audience add dimension to the music. Heavy fuzzy guitars and bass driven tracks rocked the core of the Wulfrun Hall. Starting off with ‘Mirror’s Image’ the audience found the groove and moshed out with them. Their set dipped in and out of the first two albums, but relied heavily on the newer material. A dedication was made to Charlie’s Dad who was one of the main event organisers, resulting in a great cheer from the crowd. Single ‘Sea Within A Sea’ followed and

gave way to perfect set closer ‘Still Life’. They sounded glorious tonight and promised to see ‘Us’ (Chazzstock) again in 2013. Let’s hope they keep that promise. 10.10pm signalled the arrival of The Vaccines. Kicking off proceedings with new single ‘No Hope’ and segueing straight into live favourite ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’ it is fair to say they arrived in style. The reaction of the audience blew the roof off the intimate setting of the Wulfrun. Showcasing most of the debut record ‘What Did You Expect From…’ along with a couple of new songs from the new album, ‘Tiger Blood’, ‘Bad Mood’ and ‘Teenage Icon’ sat perfectly alongside old favourites ‘Blow It Up’, ‘Post Break-up Sex’ and ‘Wetsuit’. The Wulfrunians first Vaccines show was breathtaking. Cramming 14 songs into 45 minutes was immense. Following the closing track ‘Nørgaard’, frontman Justin Young welcomed Charlie Haddon’s friends and family onto the stage to thank them for organising the event. The appreciation shown by the audience hopefully

alerted them to how thankful we are for Charlie and the dedication everyone involved. As the lights came on and signalled the end of the show, Ou Est La Swimming Pool’s track ‘Dance The Way I Feel’ played out for people to sing along to. The night was a fitting tribute to a talented young man who was taken from the world at such a criminally young age. The testamanet that the venue was sold out, each and every artist who played was highly appreciated by the audience should prove that a lot of love and respect is given to newer acts on the scene alongside the more established artists. On a selfish note, I hope that we have proven that Wolverhampton is capable of putting on an event like this and that we could be considered for a repeat performance next year. That is of course down to the organising committee, but I cross my fingers. For more information on the festival, please visit: www.chazzstock.org

REVIEWS

Linkin Park

Slash

Linkin Park have been on the music scene now for over a decade. Emerging as fresh talent and sounding Nu, then onto a collaborative album with Jay-Z. We now find them a bit lost in the wildnerness.

Fresh off his induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his former band Guns N’ Roses, guitar great Slash returns with his second solo disc, ‘Apocalyptic Love.’

Living Things

Living Things feels more like consolidation than advancement, perhaps in an attempt to pacify fans alienated by the new direction, while keeping new converts interested, too. Thus, the scream-heavy, anguished guitar anthems of their first two albums nestle alongside Victimised’s more brutal rap-metal, dewy electro and Kasabian-like stomp. Living Things is more personal than A Thousand Suns, with underlying themes of recovery from traumatic experiences. The exception, Burn It Down, delivers an antiwar sentiment via Depeche Mode-y electrobounce, while the similarly standout Roads Untraveled is an eerie confessional ballad. Living Things would have benefited from more of such adventure, but they still sound like a band enjoying an unexpected second life.

6/10

Apocalyptic Love

While the album title ‘Apocalyptic Love’ may conjure up images of the amorous undead, this disc is chock full of life. The title track kicks off with a funkified guitar intro and proves to be a true love story as Kennedy’s vocals wail over the top in unison. By the end of the song you realize what a perfect pairing Kennedy and Slash truly are. Kennedy has the chops to keep up with Slash note for note, regardless of where he takes the song – and let’s face it, with Slash that could be anywhere. What makes this disc so appealing is the sheer diversity of it. Proving his true jack-of-all-trades abilities, the songs range from straight-up rockers to bluesy infused tunes to even the softer side of Slash with classical and cinematic elements – all in all, a well-rounded offering proving that he’s no one-trick pony.

8/10

Cheryl

The Smashing Pumpkins

As she releases her third solo album, it’s worth remembering that Cheryl came to the fore as a pop star. Amidst the personal dramas and being chewed up by the X Factor machine, A Million Lights would do well to serve as a reminder of the singer at the heart of the ceaseless interest.

There are few groups in modern music that testify to the power that is the name of a band to quite the degree of The Smashing Pumpkins. The group’s legion of devoted and attentive fans know that Oceania is really the work of one man: they know that Billy Corgan writes all the songs, in the studio he plays many of the instruments, he’s responsible for the hiring and the firing of those with whom he chooses to share a stage.

A Million Lights

In practice, it gets halfway there. Lead single Call My Name is Calvin Harris by numbers, every beat foreseeable a mile off. The title track, an epic trance ballad which displays a genuine sensitivity, goes some way to depicting unfeigned individuality, something replicated on the stripped-down All Is Fair. And even the hip hop truisms that fill Ghetto Baby only heighten its lingering, brassy character. It’s certainly not a ballad/up-tempo divide, though. The bleating synths and gritty squelch of Love Killer are commanding when twinned with a frank vocal, while the casual, high-spirited Under the Sun boasts a playful, summery, arguably alternative trait. A Million Lights works well, and it works now – it treads a fine line between noticeable passion and pop for pop’s sake

7/10

Oceana

Corgan himself is unusually candid when he says, “I know I wrote more great songs by the pound in the years 1992 to 1997 than I have in the past five years,” but he is also correct when he observes that “that doesn’t mean that I still can’t write a great song.” Give it time, though, and the bald truth becomes evident: you just can’t keep a good song down. In a just world, this album’s titletrack and compositions such as My Love Is Winter will be seen as the work of a man still equipped with a sense of direction. F or the first time in quite a while Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins sound energised and alive.

7/10

REVIEWS

Maximo Park

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

If you don’t like Maxïmo Park by now you probably never will, but on the strength of this fizzing hit-filled record you’d also be a mug to write them off.

Since the 2009 release of his debut EP on Hot Chip member Joe Goddard’s Greco-Roman label, his initial homemade green pyjamas/ all-in-one dinosaur outfit has blossomed into an over sized chieftains headdress and subsequently a resplendent glitter-covered frill of a Triceratops.

The National Health

As ever their bouncy, big-hearted indie-pop doesn’t fit anywhere but in the beating chests of Maxïmo Park fans, and that remains its charm. the sombre piano and string-swept opener When I Was Wild and the gentle Unfamiliar Places encapsulate his delivery as beautifully subtle and uncharacteristically subdued. He veers from dark mania on the dizzying title-track and Waves of Fear’s wideeyed panic at the modern age “apathetics we’ve become” to the yearning, adore me pleas of Reluctant Love and Write This Down’s choppy tales of “cooled” passion. Maxïmo Park don’t hold back here. The National Health is a relentless whirr of huge melodies, frantic deliveries, all-over-the-place emotion and tales so tightly packed that it’s a wonder they’re able to pull it together at all. But they serve these songs up like the highly skilled pop pros they’ve become. It’s potent stuff.

9/10

Trouble

Long-term fans might be disappointed with the inclusion of previously released tracks Garden and Household Goods, but they serve as reminders that his slick take on smart pop could rival that of Simian Mobile Disco or LCD Soundsystem, and that he shouldn’t be marginalised as simply a dance act. The album has been a long time in the making, he had a fixation with crafting an electronic album that would stand the test of time. In an age when albums can get lost within folders of mp3s, it’s tough to predict the future. An unexpected twist of his own fragile, imperfect vocals – which has already separated him from the throng. Add his costumes and desire to stir the muddy waters of electronic music and he’s not just a 21st century entertainer, but also a bit of a radical.

7/10

Public Image Limited

The Cast of Cheers

Fittingly, it begins with a long, unrepentant burp. A dubby rumble of bass and icy chimes of guitar follow closely behind, and already we’re back inside a sonic blueprint that helped define the post-punk era.

“Where do we go from here?” must have been the question constantly swimming around the heads of The Cast of Cheers’ four members in late 2010. Earlier that year, their debut album Chariot had taken off in ways that they never could have imagined, thanks to an ingenious marketing plan (i.e. giving it away as a free download).

This Is PiL

“I am John!” he shouts to introduce One Drop, “And I was born in London!” Whether he might like some spare change for his tube fare home is slightly less clear, but he’s got our attention. the sheer charisma of that wailing, hectoring delivery has managed to convince you of sentiments that logic tells you are highly questionable. So far so Rotten then, and the urgent, uptight melancholia of Deeper Water also preserves that sense of waving and drowning. But it’s Human that really grabs your attention most as he informs us, “Your leaders are not good enough for you,” as a pleasingly moreish guitar motif recycles itself. By the time he sings, “All the days were long…when football was not a yawn” you can’t help wondering if the last of the eternal radicals has finally embraced conservatism. Full of humour and elements of a long-lost spark in Mr Lydon.

7/10

Family

The Dubliners have a new sense of selfconfidence; it’s audible all the way through these 10 tracks, in the strident riffs, the powerhouse beats and the side-steps, twists and grooves that the foursome take over 35 thrilling minutes. There’s not a second wasted here; from frantic opener ‘Family’ – with its memorable riff sounding oddly like something Horslips would conjure up in their heyday – to the snappy, angular ‘Goose’ and beyond, every beat, riff or lyric counts towards sustaining the listener’s interest throughout. Yes, comparisons with bands like Bloc Party and Foals are somewhat inevitable, although not completely accurate; in any case, they matter little as this is already one of the Irish albums of the year.

9/10

LIVE MUSIC

Snow Patrol LG Arena, Birmingham Snow Patrol have morphed into one of those ‘marmite’ bands over the last few years. It really has become a case of you either love them or hate them. Their live sound has always been far superior to the record, and the interaction with the crowd is always joyous. Tonight as the lights fade down and the crowd roars, I get that sudden rush all over again. As the remixed version of ‘Berlin‘ pounds out and the video screen sees the word ‘Birmingham‘ fly around a giant sphere in a similar style to the beginning of the old cartoon ‘Bananaman‘, you get the impression something special is about to happen. The band saunter on stage casually awaiting the arrival of their leader, Gary Lightbody. He walks on with his trademark massive grin and within seconds, we see the lights change and he is in ‘the zone’. The strains of latest album opener ‘I’ll Never Let Go‘ wind up and we are off. The track is emotional, recalling almost a lost ‘Madchester‘ feel to it, confirmed by the additional vocals of songstress Miriam Kaufmann giving it that

edge. This segue’s into ‘Take Back The City‘ which is louder than ever. Lightbody is on the electric guitar and starts to lose himself like the old days. It’s great to see someone of his stature still so relaxed and at one with the music. Continuing the loud theme ‘Hands Open‘ strides up after a few welcoming words from Lightbody. The track sees him prowling around the stage recalling moments from early Verve performances. As the set grows with a few newer tracks, the first singa-long comes early. Fifty in is the seminal ‘Run‘ which has the whole 13,000 fans singing the words back to them. This is where you start to see the appreciation in the band’s eyes and realise just how magical they’ve become. ‘Crack The Shutters‘ and ‘In The End‘ fire up next, again ensuing mass sing-a-longs. The musicianship between the band is evolving right before us, we see them on the stage becoming closer, the little smiles and winks at each other show that they are no longer just a band, but a ‘family’. They have grown a lot since I last saw them properly in 2004.

We get a very tender moment next as Miriam Kaufmann is welcomed back on to the stage but this time to join Gary on the lead mic. Her vocals on ‘Set Fire To The Third Bar‘ to my ears anyway, actually sound stronger and more suited to him than Martha Wainwright’s ever did. Up next is a gorgeous track off the rather excellent last album called ‘The Garden Rules‘. Towards the end of the set we get a trilogy of: ‘Chasing Cars‘, ‘Chocolate‘ and ‘Called Out In The Dark‘. The first of which causes an epic sing-a-long. I take this moment to look around the entire venue and the enormity compared to those early gigs is outstanding. ‘Chocolate‘ is performed expertly, one of the oldest songs in the setlist tonight, which is probably my only gripe. Tracks like ‘Starfighter Pilot‘, ‘Ask Me How I Am‘, ‘Balsamic Vinegar…‘ and ‘An Olive Grove Facing The Sea‘ have so much power and potential they could easily be slipped into a set somewhere. The main set ends on a pretty spectacular performance of ‘You’re All I Have‘ which sees the front rows jumping around like loons and making me

wish I was there too. With a bit of feedback and screams the band leave the stage with the audience pining for more. A few moments later and the band return. Gary returns and dedicates the track ‘Life-ning‘ to the audience tonight. It is a tender moment and the lyrics to the track are incredibly reflective. It becomes an insight to his way of thinking, the things that mean the most to him, so to make the audience part of that if just for a few minutes is something incredibly special. The rest of the band return for an inspired performance of ‘Open Your Eyes‘ which sounds huge. They end rather bizarrely on a rendition of ‘Just Say Yes‘. An odd choice but something that works very well. The band thank the audience, take a bow and disappear to a soundtrack of applauding, screams, whistles and well just a room full of adoration. Overall tonight I was blown away, still as dramatic and intense as I remember them and I will certainly be getting back into them again. Thank you Snow Patrol.

LIVE MUSIC

Band of Skulls Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton So tonight we are in a packed out Wulfrun Hall which is rather hot and sweaty, and the doors have only just opened! The support act tonight are the rather tight and bluesy ‘Broken Hands’ who seem to encapsulate the audience’s mind and by the end of the set have won over most of them. They open up the show with the rather slick title track from the new record and already it sounds like an old firm favourite. Lyrics being sang back at them from the front rows with the added bonus of pointy fingers thrown into the mix. Completing the couplet of newbies opening the show, the majestic ‘Lies’ is up next and gets a similar reaction. I guess the first criticism of the night is the fact that the setlist is heavily reflective of the debut album and only a handful of tracks from the new album are aired tonight. It is fair to suggest that the band are not quite comfortable with their seemingly new found ‘fandom’. A few months ago they were putting the finishing touches to ‘Sweet Sour’ and had been away from the live music scene for just over

three years. Suddenly they are playing support slots in stadiums and have sold a very good amount of tickets for their UK tour. However, it is the older tracks tonight that gain the most reactions from the crowd. following the opening couplet of new tracks, we get a succession of older tracks. ‘Patterns’ and ‘Fires’ arrive in succession and entice the crowd to get a bit livelier… a small ‘moshpit’ appears amongst the centre of the front rows and from the far side of the room there is even a stray beer that is thrown from a rather excited audience member. One strength Band of Skulls possess is the dual talent of lead vocals and guitar they have in Russell Marsden. His guitar playing is faultless and shows he could be a contender for a blues player of his generation within a few years. The thunderous drumming of Matt Hayward combined with the slinky basslines and second vocalist of Emma Richardson complete the line up and prove evermore that Band of Skulls are brilliant musicians.

Probably more of a musician/studio band than a live act as their presence is a bit subdued, but I have no doubt in saying that over the next 12 months, particularly with the festival season coming up, they will improve their game tenfold. But when a band has tracks such as ‘The Devil Takes Care Of His Own’, ‘Bomb’, ‘Blood’ and ‘Light of The Morning’ to pad out the main set, you do begin to wonder why the masses have not yet discovered them. Don’t get me wrong, it is great to see a band in a small, hot and sweaty venue, in fact, I prefer it, but these guys are so talented it does strike you as weird especially when the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club and The Maccabees all appeared on the scene around the same time. The dual vocals of Russell and Emma work so well together, but sound even better when the whole room are getting into the groove and joining in. Tonight’s gig has a very vocal crowd attached which is what helps to make it on another level. The between song banter is kept to a minimum, but at least they do acknowledge the crowd!

The main set draws to a close on their biggest ‘hit’ to date, the über blues infestation of ‘Death By Diamonds & Pearls’. Tonight it sounds epic and huge in this tiny venue, made extra special by the crowd singing various guitar licks (where I am situated anyway). As the tracks grinds to a small feedback induced halt, the hall erupts with elation and cheering, it could almost be the closing number. The band saunter off stage for a brief moment and then return in that bearable ‘we walked off stage, you wanted more, we all know there’ll be an encore so we came back’ kind of way. The majestic ‘Hometowns’ opens the encore swiftly followed with some sincerities and a brief goodbye and thank you for coming before launching into the closing number, a thunderous ‘Impossible’. Tonight has left me very satisfied. I have seen a band on the cusp of something great. They were fab live and put on a great show. As their confidence grows I expect their shows to become more interactive with the crowd. If you get the chance, go and see them soon!

LIVE MUSIC

Lights o2 Academy 3, Birmingham I will be the first to admit that until about a week before this gig, I had never listened to anything by Lights, tonight will be a revelation! As the lights dip and her band walk on stage. They kick into the intro of ‘Banner’ a track off her soon to be released in the UK album ‘Siberia’. She walks on stage and instantly runs to the mic and starts singing amidst squeals of excitement from the young fans on the barrier. Credit where credit is due, the girl can sing. There are no signs of autotune, and the band are playing live. ‘Banner’ sounds like a full ‘call to arms’ kinda tune, quiet and hushed verses then a euphoric sounding chorus, a perfect opening to be honest. ‘Fourth Dimension’ and ‘Ice’ follow and are intersected with the biggest grins from Lights Poxleitner (her full name) showing that she can feel the appreciation in the room. She finally greets us and says how ‘wonderful’ it is to be back in the UK after a period of writing and recording in her native Toronto. As the gig gets into a full swing, it becomes apparent just how serious

Lights takes her ‘job’. She is incredibly professional and everything is done with the most minimal of movements. Her centre stage position is surrounded on either side by synth-keyboards which she flicks between whist she isn’t singing. ‘Flux And Flow’ and ‘Everybody Breaks A Glass’ are perfect slices of ‘pop’, there are young girls on the barrier completely lost in the music, others idolising her, not taking an eye off her every move. The next track, for me, is a nice deviation in the set so far. Her band walk off stage and she heads to the stage right and sits down at a keyboard. She interacts with the crowd slightly and even wishes ‘Happy Birthday’ to a devoted young fan in the front row, reaching over the small pit to shake her hand which is resulted in squeals of delight from the birthday girl. So the next track is called ‘Pretend’ and is off her debut record ‘The Listening’. I always admire people who can take a single instrument, a guitar, a piano/keyboard etc… and who need nothing else but that instrument and their voice. I am not familiar with the track, but he performance was faultless. The

vocal silenced the room as everyone listened intently. It was a very moving moment and something a bit lighter than a full set of ‘pop music’ for my ears. The band return and kick off the next number. We are given a rendition of the title track from the new record ‘Siberia’. It has such a familiar sound to it that I still cannot place it. One of those records that get your feet tapping and has a bit of a background groove to it, quite a good track all in all. After a few more tracks, the set closes on the duo of ‘Saviour’ and ‘Toes’. The first of the two being a single from the first record and familiar to the masses in this tiny room. Full of sing-a-longs and arms in the air, cushioned by ‘Toes’ a single in America which has been heard over here thanks to the YouTube. An instant romp of a track, sounding similar to ‘Banner’ at the start, it has a feel of euphoria about it. It’s clear that touring is a natural forte for Lights as she certainly knows how to put on a show and leave a beying crowd wanting more. We are treated to an encore tonight, opening it up is

another single from the first record called ‘Second Go’. The song is played with so much gusto that you can see Lights and her band are putting everything into the performance. The final track of the encore gives the impression that it was more spontaneous and maybe a ‘reward’ to tonight’s crowd for being so accommodating. ‘Cactus In The Valley’ again from the forthcoming album, is given an acoustic performance. The room again falls silent as Lights’ vocals really shine out. It may have been planned in the break of the encore (N.B – The actual stage setlist said ‘TBC’ confirming the addition of ‘Second Go’ and then ‘Cactus…’) but it slotted in with the rest of the set by being slick, polished and sounded great. As the final note is strung out, the room literally goes wild. Hands in the air, continuous clapping and a handful of whistling serenade Lights as she smiles broadly and bids us ‘Goodnight’ and ‘Farewell’. I think it is fairly safe to assume that this girl will be getting a bit bigger this year. If Radio 1 get hold of this, you won’t be seeing her in intimagte venues again.

LIVE MUSIC

The Enemy The Kasbah, Coventry Tonight is the second of two homecoming shows in Coventry which are launching the band’s third album, the rather excellent ‘Streets In The Sky’. Twitter has been alight all day with comments of how great last night’s show was. As the lights dim Oasis’ ‘Fuckin’ In The Bushes’ tears out over the PA and sends the crowd into a frenzy. The band casually stroll on stage, arms aloft signalling a call to arms and that they are ready for this. Tom picks up his guitar and the band kick off with a fraught and energetic version of recent single ‘Gimme The Sign’. Within seconds there are a few pints flying around and crowd surfers. One thing to be said for these boys is that they know how to put on a show. They are full of energy and whip the crowd up into a controlled frenzy. As they blast out old favourites ‘Aggro’ and ‘Had Enough’ there are elements of their debut shows coming back. Something I feel they lost with their

second album, this is raw and just powered rock n’ roll. Newer material such as single ‘Saturday’, ‘Bigger Cages (Longer Chains)’ and ’1-2-3-4 Ready To Go’ sound glorious and sit perfectly with the older material. As a launch show for the new record there is a perfect blend of tracks, but for me it is the newer material which stands out. The audience tonight are great to watch, singing along perfectly word for word the new songs with the band, finger pointing and cheering at every opportunity. It is clear their fans adore them, and in return The Enemy have never been shy about the love they have for their fans either. As Tom points out tonight, “If it wasn’t for you guys who buy the records and the tickets and just support us, we wouldn’t enjoy this half as much as we do”. Although the main focus is on frontman Clarke, the driving force of the band is the rhythmic duo of bass player Andy Hopkins and drummer Liam Watts.

During each track Andy backs Tom up on vocals and approaches the front of the stage screaming into the audience with elation and holding his bass aloft, even reaching forward to shake the hands of the occasional crowd surfer. Liam is tucked away at the back of the stage but his drumming thunders around the room. His playing on ‘No Time For Tears’ is stunning. Where the power comes from in this lad is unknown, but we are very thankful for it. We get a very touching rendition of ‘Happy Birthday Jane’ which sees the room swaying slightly and singing along in unison. Next comes possibly the best track The Enemy have recorded to date and my personal highlight of the night ‘This Is Real’. The set closes on ‘This Song’. As the song fades out the audience are singing. Tom tells the audience to keep singing and they’ll be back soon, to which they willingly obey. It does morph into Coventry City Football chants as the band return.

The encore is made up of an acoustic led ‘We’ll Live & Die In These Towns’ which is dedicated to Coventry. I have not heard a crowd sing along like this for years, it is something very special indeed. The night finishes on a high energy version of ‘You’re Not Alone’ which is dedicated to everyone here tonight. The band thank various people and launch into the song. As the track finishes they applaud the audience and disappear. I said at the start that they fall into two categories, tonight they prove why they should be the voice of their generation. The reaction of the crowd and the dedication of the fans is unprecedented. These guys deserve to be bigger and will get bigger, but one thing is for sure, they will always do it for us, the fans, the music lovers and above all, for Coventry. Top class night all round.

LIVE MUSIC

Bombay Bicycle Club The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton I have always had a soft spot for Bombay Bicycle Club, last time I saw them was just after their debut album ‘I Had The Blues But Shook Them Loose’ came out back in 2009. Since then they have release the rather excellent ‘Flaws’ and recent album ‘A Different Kind of Fix’. Tonight they were bringing a whole host of friends with them, first we have Warwickshire & Birmingham based singer-songwriter Lucy Rose who is exceptional. She is rapidly rising to fame having gained support from Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman as well as standing up on her own with singles “Scar”, “Middle of The Bed” and “Red Face”. ‘Bikes’ is a highlight of her albeit very short set with the whole crowd singing back at her when she sings the line “Scream out loud”. Next up is a remarkable young talent I had not come across before, the divine vocals of Lianne La Havas. Unfortunately I didn’t catch any song titles, but the first two tracks performed purely on her own were

captivating. She held the majority of the audience’s attention from the off. So onto the main act. A huge netted curtain covers the whole of the stage, as the lights drop, Jack Steadman and his merry men appear behind it fully lit and launch into opening track “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep”. As they reach the chorus, the curtain drops and the band are fully exposed to us. From the offset, the remarkable thing to witness is the sheer quality of the musicianship of the group. They have grown up fast, from being the ‘new indie band it is cool to like’ through to acoustic troubadours and now an indie Goliath. On the skin tonight, it appears that the Civic is sold out, but as I move around the venue from photographing to the rear, I would say it was roughly 85% full, if you wanted you could have arrived late and still walked in to near the front. This is not a bad thing, but tonight, those of us who are present are witnessing one of the best gigs I have seen for a while. As Bombay Bicycle Club tear their way through their set, I pick up on there being more emphasis

in the mix on the rhythm section than purely vocals and guitar. The bass is incredible, Ed Nash knows his way around the four strings and at times I can see glimpses of Joy Division and New Order from his riffs. Suren de Saram’s drumming is perfect but the under-appreciated key is Jamie McColl’s guitar licks, a seriously underrated guitarist of his generation. The set includes a healthy mix of tracks from all albums, the likes of “Dust On The Ground”, “Lights Out, Words Gone”, “Rinse Me Down” and “Always Like This” ensure the fans are treated well. The light show accompanying the performance always adds a sense of drama to a performance, tonight a combination of bright backlit showers and flashing lights add more drama than usual. It would also be unfair to mention the regularity of Lucy Rose joining the band on stage throughout the set. From the off she was on backing vocals, on occasion stepping forward to join Steadman on lead duties. Their voices separately are wondrous, but together is just something a bit special. Not content with just vocal duties, she also picks up an

electric guitar for “Beggars”. Crowd interaction is kept to a minimum, I am not familiar with the personalities of BBClub, but I have always assumed they are a bit shy and just prefer to let the music speak for itself. This is evident in the way they keep coming forwards to the edge of the stage to play their instruments with passion and vigour. The main set closes with the combination of “The Giantess” segued with “Emergency Contraception Blues” which is just a perfect way to close the set. The encore is made up of “Shuffle” and closes with ‘What If”. What else can really be said? They put on an absolutely brilliant performance tonight. I am won over and a converted fuller fan now. I have no doubt in saying that they will no doubt excel and be one of the highlights at various festivals this summer. As to whether we see them in the Civic Hall again, I sincerely hope so! I don’t think we are ready to loose them to the arenas just yet. They certainly deserve to play the bigger venues, but maybe I’m just being selfish in wanting to keep them intimate.

LIVE MUSIC

Alt-J (∆) Hare & Hounds, Birmingham Every once in a while you get the sense that you are about to witness something quite magical and then get proven correct. This gig should have happened a week previous, but was postponed at the last minute when Air France managed to leave the band’s instruments off the flight over. The anticipation was growing, especially considering that between the original date and this one, their album had been released and gone Top 20 in the national charts. Tonight it is hot and sweaty in the venue which slowly builds up to it’s sold out capacity. As the band arrive on stage you can almost hear a collective sigh of relief as everyone realises they can finally watch the ‘band of the moment’. They launch straight into the rather majestic ‘Intro’ from the debut record ‘An Awesome Wave’. The room is falling for their acoustic groove, a power that not a lot of bands have been able to encapsulate on the scene for a while. ‘She She She’ follows and leads into the great ‘Tessellate’.

The album is showcased perfectly with tracks like ‘Something Good’, ‘Ms’ and ‘Blood Flood’ working great live. The musicianship of the band is fabulous too. Seeing all members switch instruments occasionally is something most modern bands ignore. I see it as a sign of a band ‘experimenting’, being able to know each other’s strengths. One of the biggest cheers of the night comes from recent single (and the track that broke them onto the cusp of the mainstream) ‘Breezeblocks’. One guy in the front row attempts to try some banter with the band by asking “what actually happens at the end of the video?”. The answer is not given, but singer Joe Hamilton responds with a simple smile before starting up the song. Debut single ‘Matilda’ is also a highlight and greeted in a similar fashion to ‘Breezeblocks’. The guitar and bass skills of Gwil Sainsbury are unfathomable. A highly underrated guitarist and most likely one to watch in the future as the guitar lines become more technical and experimental. There are shades of a very early Jonny Greenwood in his style. Gus Unger-Hamilton

on Keyboards and Thom Green complete Alt-J(∆)’s lineup and provide the majority of the rhythm to the act. The sound is unique to them and so are the vocals of Hamilton, but it works so well in this live environment. ‘Fitzpleasure’ in the seminal track tonight and allows the band to hand a slightly more epic sound compared to previous songs. The final track of the night goes to the beautiful ‘Taro’. As the song finishes, the audience erupt in pleasure at what they have just witnessed. The band thank us for our attendance and patience with having the gig rearranged. Joe Hamilton declares that although it is their first time in Birmingham, they certainly hope to be back soon. I do not doubt this one bit. This band are something to treasure, and with the momentum they are gathering already, I feel following a string of summer festivals and the next single, they will be back at the o2 Academy before too long. If you get the chance, do yourself a favour and go to witness something truly special. Debut album ‘An Awesome Wave’ is out now.

Setlist Intro She She She Tessellate Something Good Breezeblocks MS Bloodflood Matilda Hand-Made Fitzpleasure Taro

LIVE LISTINGS

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On In

Wolverhampton? July 6th Birmingham HMV Temple 6th Birmingham Hare & Hounds 6th Coventry Kasbah 7th Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall 7th Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 7th Birmingham Hare & Hounds 8th Birmingham Hare & Hounds 9th Bilston Robin 2 9th Coventry Kasbah 11th Bilston Robin 2 12th Bilston Robin 2 12th Birmingham Hare & Hounds 13th Wolverhampton Civic Hall 13th Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 14th Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall 14th Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 14th Birmingham o2 Academy 3 14th Birmingham Hare & Hounds 16th Birmingham Hare & Hounds 16th Coventry Kasbah 20th Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 21st Wolverhampton Civic Hall 21st Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 21st Birmingham o2 Academy 3

Futures French Fries Sum 41 Blast Off w/Barry (Fratellis)

The Regulars Yeah Yeah Noh Arrows of Love Martin Stephenson Arrows of Love The Formula Steve Gibbons Band Mistyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Adventure DABS Disco Eyes of The Raven

Blast Off w/Phil (The Twang)

Tyler J Pallas Whiskey Syndicate Goodnight Lenin Toyah The Estates School of Seven Bells Blast Off w/The Lines My Own Agenda Khalliq

22nd Bilston Robin 2 22nd Birmingham o2 Academy 3 Ghosts 23rd Coventry Kasbah 24th Birmingham HMV Institute 24th Birmingham HMV Temple 25th Birmingham o2 Academy 3 26th Bilston Robin 2 26th Birmingham Hare & Hounds 27th Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 27th Birmingham o2 Academy 3 28th Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 28th Birmingham o2 Academy 3 31st Bilston Robin 2 31st Birmingham Hare & Hounds

Stolen Earth Shadows Chasing Sam Gray Chip & Lethal Bizzle Lera Lynn Frankie Rose Gunnrunner Viper Central Soley Mourning Cold Stone UTAH Jazz Underground Heroes Getaway Club Jenny O

August 1st 3rd 3rd 4th 5th

Birmingham Hare & Hounds Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall Birmingham Hare & Hounds Coventry Kasbah Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Bardo Pond Public Image Limited XXXY The Ripps Blur

CONTACT DETAILS: The Civic/Wulfrun/Slade Rooms:

w: www.wolvescivic.co.uk t: 0870 320 7000 e: boxoffice@wolvescivic.co.uk

The Robin 2:

Birmingham HMV Institute:

w: http://venues.meanfiddler.com/hmv-institute/home t: 0843 221 0100

Birmingham Hare & Hounds:

w: www.therobin.co.uk t: 01902 401 211

w: www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk t: 0121 444 2081 e: info@hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

Birmingham o2 Academy:

Coventry Kasbah:

w: www.o2academybirmingham.co.uk t: 0844 477 2000 e: mail@o2academybirmingham.co.uk

w: www.kasbahnightclub.com t: 024 7655 4473 e: info@kasbahnightclub.com

5th Bilston Robin 2 6th Wolverhampton Civic Hall 8th Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 8th Birmingham o2 Academy 3 10th Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 10th Birmingham o2 Academy 3 16th Coventry Kasbah 17th Birmingham o2 Academy 3 18th Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 18th Birmingham o2 Academy 3 22nd Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall 23rd Birmingham Hare & Hounds 24th Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 24th Birmingham o2 Academy 3 26th Birmingham o2 Academy 2 27th Bilston Robin 2 28th Birmingham o2 Academy 3 29th Coventry Kasbah 30th Birmingham Hare & Hounds 31st Birmingham o2 Academy 3

Quill Blur Synopsis Call Atlantis Exodus Calling Room 904 Reel Big Fish The Mills Crash Jaws Mark Lanegan Band Old Man Ludecke CityLightz Fustercluck A Wilhelm Scream Booker T The Flatliners Saves The Day The Outside Track Dive Bella Dive

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