i wrote a thousand songs for you today: 2007

Wednesday, 11 April 2007

The Major Key

Gig(s…I’m cheating) Of The Week:

Patrick Wolf – London Astoria, April 11
The ever-amazing Patrick Wolf gives London a little exclusive to promote new (and hilarious) album/single ‘The Magic Position’. Expect a lot of sexual rubbings on stage in rains of glitter. Should be mesmerising.

An Evening With Peter Doherty, Hackney Empire, London, April 11/12
Will Carl turn up? Will Carl turn up? WILL CARL TURN UP?!
No.

Recently Leaked Albums:

1990’s – Cookies
Avril Lavigne – The Best Damn Thing
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81
Bright Eyes – Cassadaga
To My Boy – Messages
Hot Chip – DJ Kicks
Mark Ronson – Version
The National – Boxer
Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
The Clientele – God Save The Clientele
The Procession – Musique Magnifique
The Concretes – Hey Trouble
Groove Armada – Soundboy Rock
Marillion – Somewhere Else
Erasure – Light At The End Of The World

Bands You Need In Your Life:

A Woman Of No Importance (Awoni)

Recently disbanded acoustic & strings outfit from Seaham Harbour, North East England. Every single song is a stand out and despite the Belle & Sebastian highjinks last year, I now regard them as the best live band I have any seen. And I’ve seen a fair few. They’re spilt was a horrible day.

Random MP3 Of The Week

Arctic Monkeys – Fluorescent Adolescent
I can’t stand this bloody band. But I know there are people out there who absolutely love them (a large majority, oddly enough), so here’s a song on their new LP.

MP3: Patrick Wolf – On Sussex Downs (Larrikin Love cover)
MP3: Patrick Wolf & Charlotte Church – When Doves Cry (Prince cover)
MP3: Peter Doherty (with Kate Moss) – KP Nuts
MP3: Awoni - Multiply, September, Injuries, Logic & Touch - see myspace.
MP3: Awoni - Quiet Pioneer
MP3: Arctic Monkeys – Fluorescent Adolescent

Sunday, 1 April 2007

The Rakes: The Warning

Brixton Academy, London, England, 31/3/07

The Rakes by Han Quintrell

Due to a PR mix-up me and me mate ended up in the balcony of Brixton Academy halfway through the sickening We Start Fires set, taking the opportunity to literally relax with our feet up and a pint. Nothing could keep us still during the Holloways, mind. A slice of drunkenness and ‘Two Left Feet’ (no pun intended, honest) later we swap our tickets with a couple of dead-looking thirty year olds for standing, and head on into the mosh pit. I’m not even sure if it’s worth recounting the rakes’ performance as despite the new songs and all of that like they’re still the same band I’ve seen seven times over. I’m not sure there’s too much to say on them anymore. They’re suffering a sever case of second album syndrome but if they can battle through it I believe they can be one of the strongest acts we’ve seen in the indie world for a long time. It was fucking brilliant to hear Ausland Mission again - still the best song they've ever written.

I advise any future Brixton Academy goers to take as little with them as possible – crime has been sweeping the beautiful building as of late, at the recent Fratellis gig about 200 people had their phones stolen. The count of reported five-fingering were slightly lower last night but my mate had both her ipod and her purse stolen straight from her closed bag. If you suspect fowl play over a missing phone call Brixton Academy over at 020 7771 3000. If it hasn’t turned up you can at least report it – you never know.

MP3's to follow.

Tuesday, 27 March 2007

Kings Of Leaks

Welcome to Mark II of this blog - all previous posts featured in my previous blog, now defunct. In time you'll come to expect gigs photos, reviews, news and the like. I'll also be giving you the heads up on recently leaked albums as well as artists that deserve your attention.

Gig Of The Week:

Maximo Park - Newcastle-Upon-Tyne HMV

The fake Geordie Kings make a spectacular return home following tomorrow night's gig in The Baltic art gallery (class gallery, by the way) by playing a special midnight instore on the night of April 1st/2nd on Sunday - worth the trip down there if you're in the area, if only to see if it's an April Fool after all.
Tickets free from HMV Newcastle from 11am on the day, doors open at 11.45

Recently leaked albums:
Kings Of Leon - Because Of The Times
Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures
Battle - Break The Banks
The Maccabees - Colour It In
Enter Shikari - Take To The Skies
The Academy Is... - Santi

Go find them yourselves.

Bands you need in your life:

Field Music
Sunderland three-piece containing ex-Futureheads drummer Peter Brewis along with younger brother David and friend Andy Moore. The Brewis Brothers will be one of those immortal names you'll hear in twenty years when people discuss who the best songwriting partnership of all time was.
Albums available:
Field Music
Write Your Own History (bsides/rarities)
Tones Of Town

Kyle Andrews
American small-time solo artist who makes wonderfully every-day music with a warm twist, the sort of music you can only describe as beautiful.
Albums available:
Amos In Ohio

Random MP3 Of The Week
Mcfly - The Top Gear Blues (live of Top Gear Of The Pops)

I am an obsessive Top Gear fan, as every good petrol head should be. Thanks to the Comic Relief episode and this song, I'm now also a Mcfly fan. Damn TG. (NO money will be taken from charity when downloading this audio rip of the live performance. There is no official audio of this about. If one does become available the link will be taken down.)

MP3: Maximo Park - Graffiti (live at Lowlands Festival, 2005)
MP3: Field Music - You're So Pretty
MP3: Field Music - Shorter Shorter
MP3: Kyle Andrews - Sushi
MP3: McFly - The Top Gear Blues (live on Top Gear Of The Pops)

Sunday, 25 March 2007

Live: NME Brats (Rock) Tour

Brixton Academy, London, England, 23.2.07

How the mighty fall. What a giant load of bullshit this was. I craved and begged and pleaded with no luck to go in 2005, attended twice in 2006 and although I'm a die-hard Arctic Monkeys hater they were still amazing. This was just bullshit. Music these days is just...well, where?
Mumm-Ra are nice lads, and their music is ok but it didn't hold up at all in such an enviroment.
The Horrors confused me. I've been listening to Count In Fives a bit since I saw them but I still just don't get it, maybe it's because they seemed like nice lads in person.
The View I originally hated and still don't really like but I danced for once and I've been listening to them a bit, but..it's just not exciting, is it?

Last year we had a line up which was amazing, which - even if I abhor AM - was inspiring, entertaining, meaningful, exciting and above all magical. This year I couldn't even be bothered to stay for the headliner.

Rocklouder review.

MP3's Coming Soon

Saturday, 24 March 2007

Live: Anyone for Rakeage?

Esquires, Bedford, England, 3/2/07

The Rakes, The Social by Han Quintrell

I have a dodgy leg; medical problems, skateboarding accidents and Johnny Borrell all put toward ruining it, and so these days I have barely any muscle matter in the top of my left leg. Rather House-like, I'm in constant pain with it and often have to grip to the barrier at gigs simply so I can stand up - and I followed through this usual play for The Rakes gig the other night. Just before new single 'We Danced Together' it crumbled on me. By the time we reached the fifth song my good leg couldn't take the strain of my body weight and by the time we reached the eighth I had tears leaking out of my eyes, and the only way I was upright was because I was balancing on the barrier with my arms. During '22 Grand Job' I had no rational thought left in me, I was so fucking close to passing out, so I just gave in and made a swipe for a Rake's leg and their roadie saw and came over to sort me out at which point I scream at him to remove me from the crowd.
So there I am, right in the middle of 22 Grand Job, crawling onto the stage with the little strength I have left and then being half-carried off by this roadie in a Devine Comedy t-shirt, least that's what my mate said - by the time my legs came into contact with that stage I completely blacked out, when I came round I was sitting on the floor with the roadie standing in front of me really concerned while Jamie chucked his bottle of water over to me before they did the encore. So a massive thanks to both The Rakes and their roadie - it could've ended much nastier.

MP3 RAR FILE: The Rakes - Remixes. Containing:
1. Open Book (Uncle Buck remix)
2. Binary Love (Loving Hands remix)
3. We Are All Animals (Statik remix)
4. 22 Grand Job (Filthy Dukes Society remix)
5. Work, Work, Work (Weird Science remix)

Live: Welcome To The Hot Club

Barfly, Birmingham, England, 22/1/06

Hot Club de Paris, Dartz!, Slow Club by Han Quintrell - see more here.

DARTZ!
OK, seriously, this is the only band in a long time to excite me about music. They are worth anything.

Hot Club de Paris, meanwhile, are lovely guys whom I have quite a repour with after we tripped around the UK together on the Maximo Park tour. In honour of this, Matt dedicated 'Your Face Looks All Wrong' to me. So...thanks...I think...

Futurefest

Newcastle Academy, England, 20/12/06

Futurefest by Han Quintrell - see more here.

What a fucking night. What a fucking day! What a fucking mid-week weekend! All of this is already blur, I tell you. It was all too loud, there was far too much alcohol, far too many people I knew...before I even start, however, a MASSIVE internet anon thank you to Misters Peter and David Brewis, a certain John Egdell and a band named Miontaurs, as if it wasn't for them replacing my stolen tickets I'd have been left in the freezing fucking cold.

Bands: Catweasles, This Ain't Vegas, Kubichek!, Dartz!, Yourcodenameis:milo, Field Music, The Futureheads.

Review on rocklouder.

2006 Live: Top Ten & More

10. Example, Camden Barfly, London 31 July
9. Jakobinarina, Kings College, London, 12 Sep
8. Maximo Park, Wembley Arena, London, 27 Oct
7. The Futureheads & Field Music (supergroup), The Sage, Gateshead, 18 May
6. Les Cox Sportifs, Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, 26 Aug
5. The Rakes, Wolverhampton Wulfun, 4 Feb
4. Razorlight, Northampton Soundhaus, 30 Jan
3. Field Music, Bardens Boudiour, Dalston, London, 11 Oct
2. A Woman Of No Importance, Independent, Sunderland, 21 Oct
1. Belle & Sebastian, Birmingham Academy, 26 Jan

Honourable Mentions:

Love Is All, Manchester Academy, 1 Oct
Hot Club de Paris, Camden Barfly, London, 27 Sep
Goodbooks, Buffalo Bar, Islington, London 24 Sep
Mystery Jets, HMV Oxford Street, 27 Feb
New Order, Wembley Arena, London, 27 Oct
Minotaurs, The Cluny, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, 5 Aug

Top 5 WORST gigs of 2006:

5. Blood Red Shoes – Glasgow Academy, 30 Sep
4. The Automatic – Swordfish, Birmingham, 9 June
3. Arctic Monkeys – Manchester Academy, 5 Feb
2. Arctic Monkeys – Brixton Academy, 17 Feb
1. Action Plan – Northampton Soundhaus, 30 Jan

Here's to another year!

Sister Ray Records, London, England, 13/11/06

The Maccabees by Han Quintrell - see more here.

The Maccabees are 'that band who wrote a song about their local swimming pool' which makes them cool without needing to hear what the actually sound like. But you should; as they're very very good. I saw them live a couple weeks ago, doing their first instore in the humble arena of London's Sister Ray Records, and while they're not the best band you'll ever see, they don't disappoint.

If you haven't heard them yet, think Futureheads with less vocal-sharing and a tad more punk - not a bad example as they're supporting the Sunderland lads on their current tour.

Tourdates:

3 Dec 2006 - Portsmouth Pyramids w/ The Futureheads
4 Dec 2006 - Cambridge Junction w/ The Futureheads
5 Dec 2006 - London ULU w/ Blood Red Shoes
15 Dec 2006 - Birmingham Barfly

MP3: Colour It In (demo)
MP3: First Love (XFM Session)
MP3: X-Ray (demo)

Live: Maximo Park/New Order

Wembley Arena, London, England, 27/10/06

Maximo Park by Han Quintrell - see more here

Maximo Park owned the stage of Wembley Arena for an entire hour - if that's not something to tell your grandchildren, I don't know what is.
They mixed it up a bit, shoving new, old, and very old (I Want You To Leave, anyone?) songs into their set, which did nothing but illustrate how good this lot really are. That they can afford to do this just shows how they know by now which songs are duff and which ones rock a venue to its foundations - with the exception of new track A Fortnight's Time, which should be banished to Room101 and then killed horribly.
Still, one awful song doesn't make their brilliant ones any worse, and with that exception the second lp is something to definitely look forward to.

MP3: Maximo Park - I Want You To Lea ve
MP3: Maximo Park - Graffiti (Live at Lowlands Festival)

This was the night New Order pulled out all the stops - playing not one, not two, but FIVE Joy Division songs at the start of their set. It was at this point I realised I would never go to a better gig than this; now I can tell my grandchildren I'd moshed to live Joy Division songs!
I can't truthfully comment on their set after this however, as I left to prat around in the foyer and get drunk, but it did sound good, and sneaking in at the end for Blue Monday before legging it to the station was the best way to end the night.

Overseeing the whole thing, I do doubt I'll ever have a better night out. It was all best described by Maximo's iconic frontman Paul Smith - "Bloody hell!"

MP3: Joy Division - Love Will Tare Up Apart (Peel)

i wrote a thousand songs for you today

Wednesday, 11 April 2007

The Major Key

Sunday, 1 April 2007

The Rakes: The Warning

Tuesday, 27 March 2007

Reviews: Live

Reviews: Other

Reviews: Albums

Reviews: Singles