doktorblive

Timothy Alexander "16/12/27"

2011-09-18T05:39:00.000-07:00

Timothy Alexander and Diacope Records are swiftly becoming the watch words in exciting and inventive House and Techno. The new release "16/12/27", available to buy from Monday, encapsulates the risks and revolutions taken, enveloped with a distinctly minimalist flavour.

16/12/27 by Timothy Alexander (www.facebook.com/timothyalexandermusic)

The three sides of the techno triptych relate to each other as so many distant relatives in a family gathering - distinctly different with shared traits, a form of storytelling through solely electronic means. "16" is enclosed, attracting the visceral unease towards dark shadows and the noise you hear from the bedroom when you know there's nobody around. "12" is an unsettled wind looking for a current to reverse, breaking out into a vaguely tribal motif. The lighter "27" channels multiple layers of sounds and beats through increasingly tighter curves, not so much blending into each other as assimilating.

Each track is so twisted they might as well be cousins, and married, and really into chains.

You can find out more about Diacope through their Twitter and Timothy Alexander can be sought after at Soundclound

Vaporous Light

2011-08-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

New from Vaporous Light, via Akoustik Anarkhy, "The eyes of a fool/Isn't it a thrill".

Released on 12 September, this double release is a double exposure on the stillness of contemporary acoustic music. The "skipping, surging" first track "The Eyes of a Fool" has a travellers tale character (and for that matter, Deserter's Songs). It's short - under 3 minutes short - resembling an introduction showing its ankle through the stage curtains. The mystery is beguiling - is that a ghostly vocal at its fading conclusion, is it forming words?

"Isn't it a Thrill" (without a question mark, note the intent, it worked for The Strokes), is described by remixer Raymond Ray as "a lost gem from the Gibb brothers albeit in a distinctly lower register." There's certainly a 60s vibe here, somewhere underneath one of those new fangled motorway things given the omnipresent drone in the background. With lost spirit vocals, fading out into the gloom, you could be forgiven for thinking the collective 5 minutes is spent in the absence of light rather than any of the Vaporous variety. The lasting impression, as is so often the case with Akoustik, is one of great promise.

Arctic Monkeys - "Suck It and See"

2011-05-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

Released 6 June 2011

Time is relative, or so we’re told. Personally, time often appears like an elderly relative, one who never takes the hints and polite coughs while rooting around the cupboards for another slice of Mr Kipling.

For Sheffield’s Arctic Monkeys, time has merrily zipped along to such an extent they sound (and not to be cruel, but look) middle aged only 5 years into their steep career ascent. “Suck It and See”, studio album four, is as mature and measured as 2006 debut “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” is furious and eccentric. More precise, and certainly more melodic than its immediate predecessor, the somewhat ill-advised “Humbug” from two years ago, “Suck It and See” captures the lads in fine musical and lyrical confidence.

Working with James Ford has brought a character to these songs that instantly recall his work with the Klaxons for their “Myths of the Near Future”. Very early on in “Brick by Brick” is an echo from “Gravity’s Rainbow” which underlines and emboldens an already nifty garage belter. The sweet “Piledriver Waltz” and wry “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” recall the most humble balladry from the debut, the blokes-do-cry songs richly filled with linguistic charms and surprises. “You look you’ve gone from breakfast in the Heartbreak Hotel / and sat at the back room by the pamphlets and the literature” from “Piledriver Waltz” holds its own against Morrissey at his most resigned. There are countless others – the title track especially ensures Alex Turner retains his reputation as one of the best current songwriters of his generation.

Bands settle at their most comfortable – Gomez, The Coral – and here the Arctic Monkeys have a lot more in common with these bands of depth, breadth and competence than the chancers who drew up to the stage in a battered old van with over-ripe choruses. Here’s to somebody working on a new album sleeve design sometime soon, mind…

Thomas Tantrum - "Hot Hot Summer (Remixed)"

2011-05-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

From Southampton, the hitherto chirpy and Britpop Thomas Tantrum have undergone a make-under (a phrase no doubt coined by geometrically-faced wardrobe botherer Gok Wan) with helf from former Chew Lips soundsmith Will Sanderson. Now using the label GWAIIU, the smart-by-halves Sanderson transfers the sunlight and shine in single "Hot Hot Summer" to somewhere in Sara Lund's coldcase drawer.

Now distinctly more in the area of Shirley Manson with dubstep beats dragging themselves across the place, "Hot Hot Summer" emphasises the character of Thomas Tantrum which was always more Blonde Redhead than Blondie. Where the original brought optimism, so this brings uncertainty, but don't suppose that is a synonym for "bad". Quite the opposite; singer Megan Thomas sounds more like a siren than usual, taking the bloke of her choosing regardless of his opinions of the matter. This is a far cry from the usual relationship with magic and melody associated with them, though what spells are cast send fingers rapidly hurtling towards their website on the hunt for more. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

‘Hot Hot Summer’ is released through Stranger Records on June 5th and their sophomore album, ‘Mad By Moonlight’ which also features the single ‘Sleep’ is out on June 12th.

You can hear it for yourself here and download:

Tall Ships - "Hit the Floor"

2011-05-14T00:40:00.000-07:00

Tall Ships' new single, out in June on Big Scary Monsters/Blood and Biscuits.

Starting their UK tour tomorrow (supporting Three Trapped Tigers), it's evident Tall Ships have caught the wind (sorry), are sailing in the right direction (really sorry) and will carry more passengers with them (just.....sorry) with the enticing new sound of single "Hit the Floor". (at least it's not "Hit the Deck")

This new one has an emphatic speed, divided into three distinct elements, each more like the sound of passing indie clubs in a speeding car than the last. There's 90 seconds of throwaway indie funk with tumble-down drums, followed by an incessant dancefloor magnet groove, concluding with a stubbornly effective cut-off chorus. It's polished as a pensioner's mantelpiece but yet retains joyous and boundless, little wonder the usual suspects are lining up to assure you all that they recommended Tall Ships to you first.

Clearly this blog is a little late to the party, though no less certain that there'll be a welcoming party at the dockside far greater in number than when they left....(Truly, truly sorry...)

Listen to new single "Hit The Floor" at Soundcloud

Tall Ships are on Facebook. Be sure to like them....

Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys!

2011-03-06T10:17:00.001-08:00

From Rochdale via "the man from La Mancha", the new album from Elbow is like every other with one significant difference. People have heard about them now, and from the cover of this month's NME it is Elbow's Guy Garvey, grasping a microphone and looking matter-of-factly, not a garish garbed bright young thing with lenseless specs. Mercury Music Prizes bestow mixed rewards upon recipients; Elbow found themselves playing with the BBC Concert Orchestra and having "One Day Like This" adopted as the television producers bed of choice for stirring images whenever usual choices Sigúr Ros or Coldplay were deemed no longer de rigueur. Not at all bad - or in character - for a band previously content with relative obscurity.

Following up "Seldom Seen Kid" with what must be the equivalent of the next novel after a Booker Prize, Elbow have shrugged their shoulders and brushed off everything they are comfortable playing. It's same-but-different, more rounded, spun with observation and realism, miserable but steadfast.

There are tracks on "Build a Rocket Boys!" that venture into territories both new and familiar. "High Ideals" concludes with a drunken fumble at a Tapas bar, all bar-room pianos and brass; "The Birds" whips up hotel room jazz into an over-bearing schalger. In "Jesus is a Rochdale Girl", the observational postcard from the North is as moving and honest as anything from Cherry Ghost or Richard Hawley, and from here through "Open Arms" and "Lippy Kids" new familiar favourites for fans long-standing and recently recruited.

At their best when enjoying allowing the little things to build into a whammer of a finish, this album revels in the ascending and the simplistic co-operating. "Lippy Kids" is a title which belies its real content, the nostalgia and world-weary, dour and determined. It's the Lancastrian way of expressing hope and if there's the hint of the reverential it is subtle - "angels" are namechecked across the album, the religious and the scientific alluded in the title and choral orchestration.

There was something of the happy accident about the way in which Elbow's trajectory shot upwards, and implied hints of returning to comfortable pastures with this album cannot be denied. It is a strong album, strong in texture and content, and perhaps deliberately there are no obvious repeats of end-credit hugging anthems. Unlike Leeds' Kaiser Chiefs, whose occasional stumbles into chart-bothering struggled to exit the laden guff of their albums, Elbow know better than to surround one sure-fire bet with also-ran material. "Build a Rocket Boys!" acts as reminder and threat, as a thank-you to the Mercury and all it has allowed, but tellingly also a hat-tip to the crowds waiting for more they could recognise. It deserves as much attention and praise, though could do just as well with neither.

The Candle Thieves

2011-03-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Simple yet effective is back, people.

It's the age of austrity, music is rediscovering melody and none more sucessfully than The Candle Thieves. The duo - from Peterborough, never knowingly infamous for musicians unless you know otherwise - have a straight-forward, innocent side, at turns endearing and naive. "Breathing (Just For You)" is a repositining of Owl City to the shires of England and it's all the brighter for its playful charm.

The Candle Thieves spent the best part of 2010 on the road with gigs ranging from colourful toytown instrumentation at fans’ local pubs, living-rooms, kitchens and back-gardens to high-profile US support slots for Scissor Sisters, Lissie and David Gray, in-between releasing acclaimed EP ‘Sunshine And Other Misfortunes.’

With all the talk of cuts and budget constraints, why not enjoy the stripped-down simplicity of a darn-good pop song.

I don't do scores usually, so give the Candle Thieves a luminance rating of "sparkly".

"Breathing (Just For You)" is released on the 21 March.
You can find them - www.myspace.com/thecandlethieves

Robert Miles "Thirteen"

2011-02-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

In the mists of time, hidden amongst layers of subsequently placed concerns about paying the bills, football statistics and favourite recipes, is the memory of “Dreamland”, the shockingly successful (16 platinum discs, 12 gold, across 21 countries) album from Robert Miles. If you don’t remember him for “Children”, try “One and One”, the follow-up single with the female vocalist....Got it? Good. Now forget all of that, because it won’t help you one bit here.

“Thirteen” is essentially Miles’ “where I am now” album, and as his sixth studio release it is distinctly soft-rock and guitar wig-outs. The licks of guitars are everywhere; reverb on “Somnambulism”, jamming on “Black Rubber”, and fuzzy amongst the tin-pot drums throughout “Archives”. This possibly is some kind of midlife crisis (Miles is 41), for amongst the mild sci-fi hints (an obscured vocal sample features across all songs saying the same thing) and loose feel of a concept album, all the songs here sound like is the forced marriage of dance and lift muzak.

In fairness, this is not the dance music of the contemporary club scene, and should not be compared with that kind of output. Putting the guitars to one side, as one expects should have been suggested by his producers, the tinny drums and basic chillout here is simplistic stuff. It would appear obvious to point out how disappointing this album is, though they do say “Thirteen” is unlucky.

Britney Spears "Hold It Against Me"

2011-01-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

So it's out there, and YouTube is full with "0 Views" hastily copied videos of it, Twitter is awashed with RT'd links to naughty download sites, and Facebook seems to have become a de facto fan site....

Yes, Britney Spears - the schoolgirl gone RnB princess via media meltdown - has a new single out (as though any of the contrived publicity has passed out by). Is it any good? Erm...Well....

It's a muddle of a song, to be fair. The title - "Hold It Against Me" - is the tag-line for the world's worst chat-up line (and, it seems, written in more seriousness than The Bellamy Brothers ever did).

There's just the hint of the GaGa about it (the 'in the club playing my favourite tune' vibe of the first verse is clearly hoyked from "Telephone"), with the dubstep beats and multi-layered vocals all combining together with an over familiarity. Remember when Kylie over-used the vocal-effect of 'coming up to air from underwater' ? It's here, right before the Eurovision-style key change for the end. There's even a sudden stop ending, an old throwback if ever I heard one...

All that said....however....it's a comeback single alright, one which shows intent and direction. Faced with Rhianna and Lady Gaga, and witnessing the hapless reinventions of one time rival Christina Aguilera, le Spears has not embarrassed herself much at all. Tap your foot, nod your head, murmur along to the words whilst in the shower; it's at the upper end of 'decent'.

Whole new image? Entirely new direction? Revolutionary reinvention? Not a chance. It's still very identifiable as Britney Spears, unusual mouth-full-of-boiled-vegetables voice an' all; it sure as Heck ain't "Toxic".

Sleeper

2011-01-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

Back when NME used to leave newspaper print on your fingers, and "Melody Maker" wasn't the name of an iPhone app, Britain rocked to the sound of one of the last genuine musical movements.

Jealous of being locked out of the older scene - where a single £15 pill would last all weekend - the kids of the 90s picked up their guitars and generated years of a very British music revolution. Call it 'Britpop' or 'indie', it was the coming together of northern lads borrowing from Merseybeat and southerners taking on the Mod sound, in a gear-shift in cultural attitudes and behaviour. It wasn't without its low points (ahem, cough, Kula Shaker, aichooo), nor did it end when it should have done (go away, Silver Sun), but don't we all want to compartmentalise our youth into little packages? Course we do.

And here's the thing: most retrospectives will stuff their pages chocka with the Union Flag plus Gallagher combo, plastering the memories with posters of blokes and their outgrown fringes. Despite the best efforts of many female-fronted and all female-bands (from Sneaker Pimps through to Lush), the majority male bias to the scene remains the more profitable to recall.

This is a shame, not least because any broadbrush overview ignores the very specific reasons why Britpop was unlike any other modern musical moment. (Why are all contemporary females in pop soloists, whilst men make up the groups? Wasn't always ever thus...)

Louise Wener's Sleeper (as they were always called, especially in Select), did not use femininity as a leitmotiv, though female twists to the narrative did appear throughout their time bothering in the charts. It was Wener, to be fair, who sold the band for what they were. Her voice - with the fragile break of Tracy Thorn about it - and indie-chic look (dividing schoolboys between her and fellow pop Louise Nerding from Eternal) were vital pieces in the Sleeper jigsaw. Yes, they had more radio-friendly melodies than many of the other girl-led bands (Elastica, for example, tended to stay away from mainstream radio stations), but that is by no means a crime. Heck, it got Garbage through two albums before the scene finally ended its final come down.

Sleeper stand up today to much critical scrutiny. This is uncommon - Lush turned out too many middling fillers for my liking, and Echobelly had a firework-like career (though check out "Djinn", if you can, cracking late-late-late-career single). Sleeper have a constituency and maturity which belies the mainstream, readily available nature of their output.

There's plenty of songs I could highlight, but I'll go for the couple to which I return the most. "Inbetweener" - the name living on in cult Channel 4 sitcom-land, though not the same meaning - and "She's a Good Girl". I hope the unitiated enjoy.

Last Lungs

2010-12-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

Lancashire post-rock lovelies Last Lungs agreed to sit around a table for a little chat about their tour, plans for the future, and an unexpected favourite track for the journey home [clue, it's at the bottom of this entry ;)]

The interview can be found right here

A little slice of their stuff is right here :

Oh, and for a treat, as played on their van home...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjLcQMO5SS4

((This interview took place at the New Continental, Preston))

UndeReview - Next Stop Atlanta "Next Stop Atlanta EP"

2010-12-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

Next Stop Atlanta

Truth be told, the pop-punk scene didn’t half trip itself down the steepest of hills just as things appeared to be breaking out into very interesting times. Maybe the need for mainstream foot-tapping melodies over-balanced the logistics necessary in ‘keeping it real’, the fashion equivalent of bringing two north-facing magnets together?

Next Stop Atlanta take to the stage with this history – albeit not personal – putting its hand on their shoulders. For the best part of their EP is reimagining the past, remembering how everything was and could have been. This is the photo album flick-through which doesn’t involve awkwardly skimming past elderly relatives in bikinis or parental units in states of undress. Smiles and relief all round, not least in the familiar surroundings of breakfree choruses lifted above melodic free-for-alls and snappy surf guitars.

To British ears this could seem positively garish, so thankfully the lyrical content has melancholy and regret whisked into the generally over-familiar streetsmart attitude. Unlike the kind of throwaway “songs with no meaning” referenced in the brilliantly catchy “I’ll Catch Fire”, there are substantial, heartfelt moments throughout, strides away from the playground lowlights from recent years.

Opener and typesetting nightmare “fourteennineeightseven” has more bounce than Freejumpers let loose in a multi-storey, all layers of vocal and runaway drums and the much maligned stop/start ending. In short, these are top songs more “Deathcar” than “Ticket Out of Loserville”.

Lesser publications would make issues aplenty with NSA’s female singer, who speaks assuredly from the heart without vocal trickery or (and here’s the thing) an accent from the Emo Stageschool. When asked to soothe worried souls (“When Perfection is Key”) or put the record straight (“You, Me and the Dance Flaw”), her authenticity far outshines any audacity.

That could well be the best summary for the EP; polished production, and tasty little guitar breaks which are superb and conventional in almost equal measure. There is no threat of history sticking out its leg anytime soon, there’s clearly a lot of Next Stop Atlanta to go round only hinted at here. A fine EP and much promised, even if the ambition of the band name may be a while off yet...

Next Stop Atlanta on MySpace, Twitter and Facebook

Interview with Make Me King

2010-12-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

Lancashire’s Make Me King are taking their merry brand of melodic alternative rock on the road to promote “The Whisper is a Hint” (RiotPop Records). As their eponymous song says, “every boy needs a score”, and these guys seem to have done that very highly with a polished and professional debut EP.

“Since we started all this, for like three years, all I’ve wanted to do is live in a van touring,” sighs bassist Lewis Clark, his youthful expectation hidden behind thick facial hair which didn’t need anyone shaking Movember sponsorship forms to get going.

Guitarist Jack Mason, having helped Deep Elm Records’ Last Lungs on their national tour earlier this year, nods his head sagely; “There’s nothing better. You’re partying, you’re drinking, you may or may not be doing drugs, and you’re playing gigs. It does me.”

Formed three years ago at a college in Preston, the path which leads the twenty-somethings to publicising their debut appears to have been not merely direct but lined with travelators. The tangible result is an album brimming with attitude, confidence and youthful zeal, one with a coherence which hides the truth of its disjointed origins.

Guitarist Sean Marshall explains, “The thing is, it didn’t all get recorded in one section. It’s more luck, to be honest, if it all sounds like it works together. We kinda put “Every Truth or Dare” in the middle of our set and worked things out from there.”

“We started out pretty pop punk,” Jack chips in, “and now we’ve preferred to write now we’ve grown up over the years.”

“Growing up” strikes as a bold claim for the lads as they snigger, chuckle and wisecrack through the interview, relishing with broad grins the chances afforded them and their highly strung set of songs. In the pop-punk tradition, though notably broadened out and matured, their take on the ubiquitous genre is particularly sharp.
Particularly dangerous territory is this sort of thing, littered with Lost Prophets and Fightstar comparisons. Credit to them for knowing how often to hat-tip influences whilst making a path of their own, even if enquiring about influences sets off minor squabbles and layers of interrupted over-talking.

“Right, Jack, just choose two albums, like when you started out or something, and I’ll think about mine,” suggests Sean in full diplomacy mode.

“I kinda loved the old Panic! At The Disco sound on the first....”
“Bastard! Bastard, you stole my one...”

Lewis goes for the rare trait of answering the question.
“Yeah, there’s kinda different things, I dunno, Brand New, like, were a massive influence. Me especially, that guy [Jesse Lacey] is a fucking genius”.

The MMK sound – “swingy choruses, like dun-de-dun-de...sorry” tries Sean by way of explanation – eschews the over familiar hand-clap-and-power-chords combo for variety and production quirks. Having suggested that the upbeat songs could make it possible to jive to their songs, a short debate lands on the certainty of waltzing if nothing else;

“You could waltz to us, I want to see that in our first video, fact, Tower Ballroom, it has to be done,” table-thumps Jack, to agreeable nods from Sean.

“Would be sick, make it happen someone”. Lewis demands, feigning a call to the producers of Strictly Come Dancing.

The topic of “growing up these past few years” comes back to mind, but too many tangents have been fired off to suggest returning to topic. Whatever that had been...

Having joined together as friends and grabbed attention the modern way – “MySpace, back in the day, was at its height for bands”- Make Me King have spent most of the formative years recording. This may point to the eagerness to get out beyond the clubs of the north-west, having ventured to London for two weeks to essentially live in the recording studio.

“The eight-minute ballad I’m going to write for the next album will be about my getting lost on the walk across London listening to Ellie Goulding,” Jack confidently asserts.

Irreverent they may be, committed they most certainly are. All digital voice recordings of this interview suggests no actual conclusion was determined, the lads talking and gabbling on musicianship – “We worked in time signatures switches, like, to advance what ideas we had. Well, a bloke told us that’s what we had done, to be honest.” – to the ongoing NUS protests - “I want to get a job full time, like,” nods Sean. “I fancy a riot,” offers Lewis.

It is probably the best way to conclude the little chat, for even the formality of start-middle-end during conversations seems a bit much. They are good lads with focus, albeit without total command on concentration, and the promise to turn whispers into shouts if the EP is any reasonable guide.

With or without the ballroom dancing...

You can find RiotPop records right here

Jealous of Girls : Strawberry Kisses

2010-11-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

Manchester songwriter Matthew Lewis is the antidote to that city’s angrier side, albeit for all the songs other than the opener to his debut album which lampoons the modern gig attendee as ‘bastards’ for talking over acoustic guitarists. Whomever they might be...

It would be untrue to describe the rest of the album as free from such resentment though the mood is noticeably lighter once that particular spleen is vented. “Strawberry Kisses” is robust, direct, a stripped down collection that hints at his indie and alt.rock roots whilst merrily wandering down paths largely of his own furrowing.

The very best moments here are Lewis at his most fragile, “Batter Up” and “She” being clear examples, “Sunny Side Up” deliciously implicit in its barbed romance as it attentive upon pop melodies.

Although largely free-flowing, when the brakes are applied it’s straight into the wall; the attempts at solemnity struggle to convince, consequence of an almost complete absence of other instruments. Given these limitations, the standard is exceptionally high; there’s no flippant diary-writing angst and influences remain bedded down rather than fully grown.

There is an engrossing quality here, one which should quieten the target for abuse in the first song; if it all goes well, he may not have to play it anymore.

Matthew Lewis ("Jealous of Girls") can be found at MySpace and Twitter

"Strawberry Kisses" is out now at jealousofgirls.co.uk

Make Me King - "The Whisper is the Hint"

2010-11-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

Make Me King are a five-piece pop-punk types from Lancashire, whose take on the ubiquitous genre is particularly sharp. Long since a style given up for dead – oh lovely, another hand-clapped chorus – this fresh take should pique the most cynical of interests. It’s the theory of sour milk – everyone loves milk, tea drinkers or not, it’s the threat of the contents being sour which leads us all to give the bottle its surreptitious sniff, however involuntary. These lads are not the bad stuff, they’re fresh from the fridge refreshing.

And so before I hijack any more Rafa Benitez quotes on milk....

....I’ll start with “If You Can’t Be Good, Don’t Get Caught”, zipping and tip-toeing through an interchange between pointed ska and pop-punk, and throughout a variety much more surprising and mature than you’d first expect. The interplay and production quirks sprinkle through “Every Truth or Dare” (with its hint of blues in the vocal melody) and the stripped “Wake The World”.

There is particularly dangerous territory in these parts, because all groups have to do is time-signature-switch once too often and they’re trapped in Lost Prophets Hell; but follow the melody fairies down the lane with too many skips in the step and there’s the Fightstar comparisons hanging off every branch like torn sheep’s wool. Fair play to Make Me King for knowing how much of each influence to hat-tip whilst strutting along with their own confidence. It’s unfortunate that the title track is the weakest here, though with so many reasons to be cheerful it’s likely whispers will become shouts before long.

Make Me King's "The Whisper is the Hint" is available on Riot Pop Records

http://www.myspace.com/makemekinguk
http://www.twitter.com/mmkbaby

Foreign Office - "On Repeat"

2010-10-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

Readers of a certain vintage may know Chikinki, bright young things with the sharpest indie-melody ears for some time. From deepest Hackney come the first band of a similar bias who could give the Bristol outfit a run for their money.

Foreign Office is the least search engine friendly band name since The Music but at least the end product is worth the hassle of going beyond the first page of results; “On Repeat” is as much Razorlight as it is 60s soul and MOR classics and for the dangerous proximity towards trendiness it rises above the merely fashionable.

If post-rock ambitions are travelling anywhere, it is slowed down, influenced by funk and disco, an obvious sidestep away from the corner into which the neon kids painted themselves. It’s as sharp and short as a comprehensive spending review, two curiously abrupt verses bookending the most effective repetition since Hall and Oates.

With more smarts than the smack of a wielded passport, Foreign Office could well be guaranteed an income stream far less uncertain than that of their governmental namesakes.

Released 8 November (Quiet Life)

http://www.myspace.com/foreignofficemusic

Karkwa

2010-09-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

The Polaris Music Prize is the Canadian version of our Mercury Award, celebrating an album for its merit rather than sales (or, you know, that's how the blurb will always have it).

This year, the Quebecois Karkwa beat, amongst others, Caribou and Broken Social Scene for the top prize. Coming across as a folksy French-tongued Radiohead, Karkwa have a solid back-catalogue in subtlety in the manner of both British Sea Power and newcomers Hares.

They can be found at their MySpace page - http://www.myspace.com/karkwa.

Bikini Black Special : The Bikini Method

2010-09-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

Taken from their forthcoming album, "Physioterrorists", this slice of electro goodness from Bikini Black Special is them at their most hypnotic and caustic, how self-help audiobooks might sound in a world in which false advertising is outlawed...

Seek out more of the sharp BBS sound at http://bikiniblackspecial.bandcamp.com

Stephen James Buckley and the Feverdreamers

2010-07-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

Look at that band name. Just look at it; six words. SIX. That's the maximum permitted limit for Registered Political Parties in the UK, and by the Heavens you can imagine these Lancashire miserablists coming around at election time to direct undecided voters to the nearest pub to scape all the silliness.

Well, okay, "miserablists" is not entirely accurate, for SJB&TF have a sly wit undercutting their accented blues. With "Cover of the Rolling Stone", the lightest of the tracks on new EP "...have left the building", nevertheless runs along with a style which presumably must be accompanied by video footage of the band nodding their heads to the barman to order extra drinks during the set. The sleazy "Fabulous Club" has a storyteller's charm, albeit the kind with a parental advisory sticker and its own sleek black carrier bag. "Behind The Moon" is something altogether different - it's not 'haunting' in the sense All Saints' "Pure Shores" was 'haunting', it genuinely does unsettle, a lament that is so honest it hurts. Real foot-on-a-plug-socket hurts.

To be absolutely honest - would you want things any other way? - the EP is one of the strongest little (even 'ickle' for those who prefer such linguistic throwaways) collections you are likely to hear, accompanied or not by swigging red wine straight from the bottle.

Stephen James Buckley and The Feverdreamers' "...have left the building" can be found, listened to, and downloaded here

Liam Rhodes

2010-07-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

Liam Rhodes is a conservative blogger and social media communicator...During a recent spate of discussions and arguments on Twitter about his personal politics and definition of conservatism in the age of the Coalition.

I offered to ask Liam some questions following on from these discussions. This is what came from the questions...

You can find me on Twitter @doktorb, or Liam at @LiamRhodes.

So, Liam, thanks for this, for those who may not have seen you on Twitter before now, it may be best if we just find out a little about you.....

Well, I'm 21. I've been a member of the Conservative Party since 2005. I sought election in a difficult ward as a borough councillor in 2010. I'm also the blogger behind www.onenationtory.com.

...Good, right, on Twitter you have been taking part in a continuing discussion about whether you are a "capital C" Conservative. How would you describe yourself ?

I'm a liberal one nation Conservative. I have always been a liberal, one nation Conservative.

That is, I am a small 'c' Conservative. I believe in Government providing both a ladder and a safety net whilst the State is smaller than it was in the Labour years to make room for private sector, sustainable growth. I also believe that the State should leave people alone and let them get on with their lives. I am an advocate of equal rights - but also free speech.

One recent tweet from you said you had become more progressive over the years, how would you describe this process?

A very painful personal journey for me resulted in the anti-progressivism to begin with. It's a difficult question for me to answer.

Did the Coalition agreement change your opinion specifically? Or was this a process already in motion before the election?

I support the coalition because it is first and foremost in the national interest, and I believe it is where the Conservative Party has an opportunity to further change.

Would defecting away from the Conservative Party ever be an option for you? What are your opinions of people who do defect parties?

Not unless the Conservative Party took a big turn to the right. My opinions of people who defect are not negative; I understand that in some circumstances, people's hearts change.

In terms of specific policies, the Coalition are accused of slashing spending on public services at the least appropriate time. Are you concerned by the cuts to public services?

I put my faith in the Coalition to protect the front-line services and the most vulnerable.

To what degree is the current Council Tax scheme "fair" ?

I believe Council Tax system is fair because it is progressive in the sense that older people pay less and people who live alone get a discount.

At what level should, for example, Child Tax Credits or Child Benefits be cut? Are you afraid the Labour Government spent too much on such benefits, or is "too much" not a problem when dealing with child and family welfare?

I believe Child Tax Credits and benefits should be means-tested further, and I am disheartened by the fact that we didn't act on this when we had the opportunity. I am very concerned that Labour created a means of Statism whereby people felt they were dependent on the State. They favour State dependence because it results in more votes for them - and they believe in a large State.

Instead of handing out these forms of benefits, it makes much more sense to me to cut tax.

Should there be an English Parliament?

No. I simply don't believe we need one. It would cost a heck of a lot and there is no added value to balance that cost.

What is a "living wage" in your opinion?

I would support an increase in the minimum wage to £6 with inflation, but not during the current economic climate. I would never support a 'living wage' because it would result in economic failure. No business will employ some unskilled workers for £7 or more per hour. It's simply unsustainable.

Which former British Prime Minister do you most admire?

Margaret Thatcher. Not because of her social Conservatism - far from it. Because she fought for what she believed in and she saved the British economy from turmoil.

And finally.....What is it about Twitter you like so much?
I like the fact that you can be in contact people who share common interests. I certainly don't like it when things get personal. For example, I've just been called 'arrogant'. Oh well!

((This interview was carried out by email. Questions and responses have been re-ordered and edited for space))

The Empire State - "There Was A Hero"

2009-09-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

Gender testing athletes, pan-Continental legal kerfuffles, banning festival flags, and demonstrations against equality in healthcare; just what on earth is going on in the world these days? Some common sense, that is what we're after, sitting down to observe the world from a sedentary position away from the madcap, the panic of for-the-hell-of-it news print, the rise in unnecessary worries.

And while you're sitting there world-watching, listen to some Empire State, the Lancashire band with a heavy dose of Turin Brakes and unplugged Manics about them. The mood through "There Was A Hero" is essentially contemplative with "Found Me In Your Photographs" a typical example of their mature take on topics so often wrung dry. Your standard indie band the Empire State are not, this EP is sober in all senses of the word. Its title track is a genuine and moving song not too far removed from "Local Boy In The Photograph" for those Stereophonics fans still around to admit such things.

Glasto Ferret

2009-06-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Preston's Mad Ferret is hosting its regular antidote to cramming in a bus down south with another "Glasto Ferret", this year packed with more emerging talent than a fire-drill at the studios for Britain's Next Top Model. From whom, I have picked some tasty names for delight, but this weekend there's the promise of ice-cream from a real-life frozen pudding truck in addition to the bands, beats, and beer. Anymore could you ask in all honesty...?

Mindshock are the definition of intriguing, the unique vocal twang (think Brandon Flowers with hiccups) setting a serious slant to leftfield songs. Their new EP "Dream Story" is on offer a iTunes and should be a vital purchase.

Raucous riff-crazed The Adventures of Loki are all the fun of British Bulldogs in the playground, with more playful boy/girl on-stage action than would be permitted overseas. When they suggest listeners "Dance Like A Maniac" only space disallows doing just that - the punching melodies are just half the story. For a full spec, they must be watched live - nay, witnessed - with anticipation turned higher than the speakers.

No festival, anywhere, can occur without madcap beardy loving, so ensuring all daughters are zipped securely away, The Loungs are one combine harvester away from perfection. With the full brass and cheery harmonies any sane person could ask for, this is the kind of sound you don't know you'll regret missing unless you do.

Underdogs have the sincerity and presence to convince you that they're running through your favourite songs, such is the strength of their infections, intelligent set. Dragging indie through strip-clubs and backstreet bars to toughen it up a little, avoidance of this highly impressive band is probably going to be harder the way things are going.

Swooning and sweeping melodies, the very sound of Kate Bush playing hopscotch in the rain, Sophie's Pigeons are alluring and magnetic, quite the curtain-twitchingly curious. In most cases they are not even trying to be impressive, the piano-led abundance of fun pours out sounding perfectly natural and feeling positively renewing.

Throughout the weekend from 26-28th June, there are over a dozen more outstanding groups from nearabouts, enough to tempt you from Wimbledon, clearing out the cupboards, or spending time with any significant other (they'll understand....)

Bikini Black Special - The Grim Mathematics Of Intercourse

2009-06-12T22:59:00.000-07:00

Sounding like MGMT fronted by a Bond Girl, electronica group Bikini Black Special are menacing and intense, broken glass sharp throughout their debut album "The Grim Mathematics of Intercourse".

In place of abandonment and summer beach anthems, tight rock beats and layered samples roll and crash, the album veritably stuffed with the equivalent of speeding freight-trains of styles and additions following each other. Throbbing bass, trip-hop beats, vocals crunched and wrapped in white noise: this is a paradox of an album, hyperactive but paranoid, serious while celebratory.

While the crafting of each track is clear and potentially restrictive, "Grim Mathematics" will not fail to hook in any listener - be it the evangelical fervour of "Black Hat" or the techno revivalism in "Repo Men". The phrase "Bikini Black Special" refers to one of the highest levels of alert state used by the Ministry of Defense, with no defined target; the tracks here should put the exciting band on the highest state of alert, undoubted better things should follow.

The album "The Grim Mathematics of Intercourse" can be found http://bikiniblackspecial.bandcamp.com/album/the-grim-mathematics-of-intercourse

The band can be found at http://www.bikiniblackspecial.com/

"The Grim Mathematics of Intercourse" is launched at The Mad Ferret in Preston on 20 June

The Cities / The Northwestern

2009-06-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

Appearing live at Mad Ferret
in Preston on Saturday 6th, two bands to keep up the heat of the summer with intense live reputations stacking up behind them

Local lads The Cities cram a novel of heartfelt lyrics into each song, a veritable thick-fruit smoothie of rolling melodies sweet with the bitter aftertaste of life's lessons learned. Stand out tracks "Cold, and "Scar".

The big draw for the night is surely The Northwestern, the uplifting and optimistic band formed from Sam Herilhy and Simon Jones from highly regarded former Sony post-rock outfit Hope of the States. Together with Franseco Menegat, Ian McCullagh, and Jonny Winter, formerly with The Open, the new group maintain the sweeping guitars and orchestration but switch the introspection for sheer celebration. If you didn't pick up the upturn from final Hope of the States album "Left", it may take you by surprise to hear "All The Ones". Beaming and bright, the expression you can see on Herilhy's face is a smile. You should get used to it, he's clearly enjoying himself.

The gig is at Mad Ferret, Fylde Road, Preston, on Saturday 6th June.

Picture of The Cities from Michael Holdsworth
Also appearing on the night are Underdogs and The Fifty 50's

The Nightjars

2009-06-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

"I'm sorry I don't really feel that way..."

With this melancholic tough to single 'Valentine', Manchester's current names-to-drop might suggest the usual indie reflection. Repeated listens to their new eponymous album shows how far they are from anything "usual"; indeed appropriately named track "Logic Has No Part In It" takes their respectful love for REM and Velvet Underground into playful time-switching areas not too far removed from YouthMovies or The Northwestern.

"Machines Gone Down" should be marked now as a future festival fave, sounding quite brilliantly like the Editors fused with the Kinks, sounds which emerge from the folk of "Valentine" or the acoustic musings of "Crash This Car" ("I can't speak for myself", a silly claim in an album full of wistful, wondrous songwriting).

Unlike the 2008 mini-album "Towards Light", this is not instant or immediate, the beautifully realised collection of songs proving there is still life yet in the age-old practice of allowing an album the freedom of tell its own stories. There are few albums suited to the days when the summer heat is as close at night as at high-noon; the Nightjars is a perfectly placed candidate.

(For those who like scoring systems "■■■■□")

"The Nightjars" CD is released 29 June
The Nightjars can be found at www.myspace.com/thenightjars
and also www.thenightjars.com
Online Press alistairbeech@hotmail.com

New Continental Beer Festival [Day 2]

2009-05-02T04:44:00.000-07:00

The fact that the pint of loopy-juice in front of me has not been touched is either because my intake has reached dangerous levels already resulting in a rare moment of brain-sense booze wise, or the indentikit lager is offending the rediscovered love of real ales following another great day at the New Continental Beer Festival. Either snobbery or a skinful - I will take it being the former, for the sake of reputation if nothing else.

At the Continental a brightly dressed Canadian woman is enthusiastically pointing at every barrel with an increasing broad smile. "You guys are so inventive with your beers. You and the Belgians," she laughs, knocking back a few slurps of Bishop's Farewell (Oakham Ales, 4.6%). "Is it 'bishop' as in religion, or chess, you think?" she asks with a self-mocking giggle. "I don't want people to know I can't play chess!". On her recommendation I try the Bishop's, which is a SIBA National Supreme Champion Bronze Award Winner. Impressive stuff, it would seem, and it pleases the Toronto palate. This more robust Lancastrian mouth - with no offence to our colonial cousins - found it bright and friendly but the lasting taste did not match its fragrance.

While I go for the subtle and soft Santium (Pictish, 4.1%) my companion follows my recommendation from yesterday to try the potent Dark Side of the Moon. After a few sips he raises his eyebrows quite highly; "Think I will only have one of these."

With its toffee undertones Farmhouse (Roosters Brewery, 3.9%) is an unsuspecting good find, lightly fizzy and with tangy body. Our favourite bundle of enthusiastic Canadian joy is gleeful in her recommendation of True Grit (Millstone, 5.0%) which really did surprise both my companion and me. The hearty hoppy taste merges into a thoroughly bright and sparkly grapefruit flavour, rounded off with a sour tang not too dissimilar to munching on a slice of lemon.

My companion tries Cartfold Gold (Hart Brewery, 3.6%) while I aim for Cappuchin (Brass Monkey, 4.5%). Both of these lighter pale ales are good for bringing some balance to the onslaught of heavier beers: the former is pretty anonymous but the latter kicks in with a tougher undertone. Despite the good things said by our Canadian friend we both feel disappointed by Bitter and Twisted (Harviestoun, 3.8%) a Scottish ale which is supposed to be one of the beers to try but leaves a rather underwhelming taste. The twist is supposed to be a kick of lemon but nothing seems to come through at all.

The sun is greeted with rushes to the ciders and barbecue, but in the interests of research my companion and I decide to finish with two ales coming with high recommendations - and not just from Canadians. Little Brown Jug (Spire Brewery, 4.4%) is close to Newcastle Brown Ale in colour and taste, albeit with a brown-sugar spice in the aftertaste and a quite stunning smell. "It smells...awful," says my companion, "but if I breathe out before each taste it's really good."

Dark Ruby Mild (Sarah Hughes, 6.0%) was spoken about before hand as the potential winner of the best ale of the festival, so with all the originality of investigative journalism it is the last drink tried. My head throbs a bit, my eyes go a little blurred, and then I take the second slurp for a full-body shock. As a mild it is an intense and angry pint with a sweet punch that calms down in the backnotes which acts like a sparking fire.

The old-guard veterans speak of this being one of the best festivals they can remember. It certainly seems to have gone down very well, even with Canadian women, and what do they know about beer.

New Continental Beer Festival

2009-04-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

To Preston's The New Continental Beer Festival (you can find them here - http://www.newcontinental.net/)

The turnout to the 2nd Beer Festival has surprised those helping serve from the one-hundred ales behind them. They dart to and from eager customers like minor celebs in a children's television show participating in one of the more physical and confusing games. Clumps of people form and separate much like any other normal pub crowds although unless within walking distance there is a former Polytechnic, historic railway line, or financial institution, these crowds are more prone to getting out notepads and pencils.

Mixing a love of proper beer and anorak-tendencies towards ticking off every minor brewery in the country is a particular curiosity attracting the particularly curious. If political party conferences draw the kind of crowd which could be identified as such by an alien beaming down from Mars, so too the Beer Festival faithful. Three men turn up wearing t-shirts from past Festivals in the style of gig goers putting on vintage tour t-shirts. Some guard their notepads like Neighbourhood Watch types surreptitiously gathering information about the woman next-door-but-two with the different cars outside the garden every other night. All of them, certainly the lesser spotted dutiful wife, are starting slowly, ponderously, which surely cannot last for the whole four days. Rumour has it the drinks may not last the weekend...

My first drink of the night is Golden Sands (Southport Brewery, 4.0%). As I wait to be served, an older man near by turns to his friend to sneer at the inclusion of perrys. He uses the same voice a golf club member would use upon spotting someone in the club house wearing jeans. The Golden Sands goes down quite quickly: it is light and mildly fruity. I notice my behaviour - nodding on recognising flavours, arms folded, studying the Tasting Notes - has moved me from mere mortal to a lower level Festival junkie. I over hear a woman assure a friend that after two pints she would pull her husband into town. The air around her clears with cynical reactions from gentle coughs to broad, obvious smiles.

I move onto Amarillo (Crouch Vale Brewery, 5.0%). The taste is smooth but nothing comes through of much distinction. The back notes are not obvious enough, the aroma unusually flat. On either side of me, men more noticeably my age point seemingly at random at first until they too show the anorak, veteran realities. "Has to be Pictish ales next, mate, they were the highlights at Leicester".

Glotts Hop (Howard Town Brewery, 5.0%) is my next choice, and blows all the work stress out of my head. The heavy spice brings with it the slightest suggestion of fizziness. My head begins to swell until another gulp washes over the brain with a hoppy fullness.

At this point I am cornered inbetween the trumpeter on one side and old lads on a session on the other. My main correspondent tells me about other Festivals like a music journalist would namecheck bands and gigs. Goosnargh, I am told, does a good run of ales. Somewhere on the outskirts of Leeds, too. He suggests Farmhouse (Roosters Brewery, 4.3%) which has a deep, unusually sweet taste, with the back note of a Wham bar. Using his table as my base for the evening, I stride over to try Ginger Marble (Marble Beers, 4.5%). It is like drinking a gingerbread man, the reaction to which seems to appear all over my face. Am I in danger of not being accepted as a Festival old-hat if I can't take my ginger ale? I stand firm, cross my arms like my dad would, peer over the other drinkers, nod. A group of younger men have been joined on a round table by two older types sharing notes. I hear someone suggest moving down from the strongest ale to the weakest, someone else thinks the opposite would be better. Tough, serious business this ale festival lark...

To end this opening night I choose Dark Side Of The Moon (Spire Brewery, 4.3%). This seems to be the choice of everyone, with word spreading of its quality. "I used to be into subpop, you know, before Nirvana released that....what was it....blue cover, baby....Anyway, that came along and we all thought, 'Shit, okay, grunge is big, time to move on," so we did. Upstairs attic conversion in Plungy, bit of reefer going on, Floyd. Oh yes, mate, oh yes." My friend approves. He sounds like Steve Coogan's Saxondale, which I guess means I am only a few years from sounding the same. This particular version of Dark Side holds a lot in common with its seminal album namesake, the depth and texture, the ease with which it settles the brain but slightly confuses the palate.

With so many choices - okay, yes, there are ciders and perrys - the first two days of the all-weekend stretch will be the days to go for total satisfaction. Like so many train spotters down the years I leave with a notepad of facts and figures, all set for the next timetabled departure. All set, all aboard...

undeReview - BAFTA Television Awards

2009-04-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Unlike their film award cousins the small-screen championing BAFTA Television awards seem to be carried out with an air of slight embarrassment and knowing cynicism. Television has had something of a bad time of late but the lo-fi treatment given to congratulations suggest the 'lesser relative' is not given much respect even along the corridors of the Academy.

With Graham Norton's many double entendres and jokes seeming to fall very flat - poking fun at a clearly nonchalant Jonathan Ross merely underscored the sense of the BBC being somewhat the old boy's club - the awards themselves needed to carry interest. Curiously for a medium shadowed by the problematic fervour of producers wanting to ignore the actual will of the televoting public, BAFTA allow one award to be given from the telephone and email votes of the general viewing constituency. With great irony the winner of this 'public award' - grandly labelled and sponsored "Phillips Audience Award" - went to the teen sex drama Skins, clearly the result of tech savvy voting teens rather than the will of many millions of viewers who watch such rivals as The X Factor, or Coronation Street.

The Academy could have made safer choices than the unexpected winner of the audience vote but seemed to have been placing themselves in the same spoiler mindset as those ballroom fans who ensured John Sergeant kept clod-hopping around BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing. Given the mood building behind veteran Eastenders actress June Brown for her Talking Heads style maudlin monologue BAFTA chose the lesser known Anna Maxwell Martin for her role in Channel 4's Poppy Shakespeare. As he seemed to admit in his acceptance speech, Harry Hill was the lesser and somewhat bizarre choice for another (third, would anyone credit it) trophy for Best Entertainment Performance. This clumsily all encompassing award is for, shall it not be forgotten, fronting a clip show of television highlights.

There may be only kind of programme to make a person laugh - comedy - but BAFTA manage to split the genre into three. Is it possible to explain how a Situation Comedy (won by The IT Crowd for Channel 4) is justifiably split from sketch shows (disgracefully awarded to the under performing and outdated Harry and Paul on BBC One)? Were BAFTA so willing to give only the best a place in their record books such differences would not be artificially carved. The third fork for celebrating comedy gave David Mitchell - agreeably one half of a comedy duo in The Peep Show - an award greeted with gritted teeth and embarrassment.

Far too often the concept of the award show is questioned but such industry back-slapping maintains at least the justification for those lesser known shows getting continued funding. It should be celebrated whenever Mad Men (tucked away on BBC Four and winner of the whimsically named Best International Show award) or White Girl (for BBC Two) gives necessary praise to lesser known producers and stars. However the overall sensation coming from the programme, which like so many televised award shows carried self-congratulation over the threshold of comfort for an ordinary audience to enjoy. With so few awards going to the expected recipient the British Academy possibly hoped to keep the audience watching through a contrived suspense. Ultimately the whole exercise just seemed somewhat lacklustre and disappointing, and how else has the very worst of television been described over these last twelve months?

The Empire State

2009-04-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

Lancashire-based The Empire State release new EP When You Call full of a new found confidence as a stripped-down band sounding at their most genuine and contemplative. Their MySpace profile includes two songs from this in addition to those tracks which provide some clues to the development - dare we say "journey" - from rabble rousing Britrock to a more delicate, rounded band.

From the EP, "Awake" is looking out for closing film credits to accompany, as six minutes of anguish fall over orchestrated guitars recognisable in most choruses from Hope Of The States' Left. Actually the very first notes gives the impression of a heavier track influenced by Interpol before taking its earnest route. "Awake" does have its issues - the length allows for a neat joining solo and expansion on some lyrical themes but when this is done another return to the chorus means the ending seems overwrought.

The title track is a real smiling assassin, tough lyrics delivered as softly as a love-letter wrapped in barbed wire. One rock'n'roll solo leads into an all out stomp of piano and guitars, working around a simple premise but delivering an intricate and clever song.

By way of further notable mentions, "There Was a Hero", is melodic and sharp from the light-touch guitars to the neatest little chorus this side of church on a Sunday. "I Hear It's Your Birthday" will warm your insides; the bridge "So what if it's raining outside" is so perfectly pitched you will swear blind you've heard its crafted strength before not too far away from a Biffy Clyro acoustic set.

Worryingly it seems people are eager to label as "old fashioned" the concept of a band getting down to the simple pleasures of blues or rock'n'roll guitars, honesty in lyrics, and vocals which don't want to be so irritatingly postmodern. There is more drawn from the lineage than the contemporary but openly and obviously; The Empire State hide nothing, their preference for part-acoustic songs emboldening all that can be made with few ingredients. If it is permitted to indulge in old fashioned puns there seems no chance of the sun setting on this particular Empire.

The Empire State are:

Joe Holden: Vocals, Guitars
Ben Titley: Guitars
Andrew Bamber: Piano & Keyboards
Gareth Woodfield: Percussion and Backing Vocals
Dave Sadler: Bass
Rob Marsden: Drums

Beats of Success

2009-04-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

James Hodgson is one of the creative forces behind Preston's Beats of Rage nights, run at the Coda nightclub. Known for bringing in some of the biggest and brightest names in dance music, Beats of Rage was recently selected by Mixmag magazine as one of the best club nights in the north of England.

Inevitable first question, then; how the devil are you?

I'm good. Just got up, and it's midday. The life of a promoter is pretty sweet if you like lie-ins!

Being mentioned and so highly rated in Mixmag comes after a very long time working with Beats of Rage; just how steep an incline has it been from the start to now?

It's been pretty crazy. I wouldn't say we've been an overnight success, but I think we've been getting better and better as time's passed. Everything's been getting better, from the acts we put on, to the crowd. And now to get a bit of attention of national press for it is brilliant, proves we're doing something right I hope!

What are your memories of the first BoR night; how did the expectations meet the reaility (if indeed you can actually remember the first night...)

It was at my mates house, above a florist, in the town centre. I convinced my mate to have a house party, and my band played. It was busy, actually, and the buzz in the air was incredible, even if my band was shite! We were kind of like the Klaxons/Hadouken!, but back in 2006. It was such a good atmosphere, that I knew I had to carry it on.

This kind of night would not work everywhere, why has Preston seemingly been so good to you?

Maybe because we're the only people doing this kind of thing in Preston?!?! Haha, nah I'm not sure, but I think our transparency and attitude help a lot. It's pretty easy to see that Beats of Rage is run by two chaps, who just want to have fun. I think people see that, and support us a lot more. It couldn't be done without all the people at the front going mental.

The line-ups we're getting are Manchester and London-worthy, in Preston. It's insane.

Dance music, in general, and drug culture are often painted as walking hand-in-hand; is it possible to decouple the two at all? How serious a problem is it if Coda has a group of people bouncing off the walls?

I don't do drugs, never have done, so drugs are a big issue with me. We operate a strict drugs policy at Coda, with searches and the full works. It's not a problem unless you let it become one, and I think we do well to keep it out of our club.

I think the key problem is dealing in clubs, so people are taking all kinds of dodgy shit, and especially people who've never taken any before, but are a bit drunk and fancy it. That's a recipe for disaster. It never happens in Coda, and we work ultra hard to keep it that way.

Did the younger you not just want to be a train driver or builder or something a little more predictable and ordinary?

I wanted to be a journalist! I did it at uni and everything. But I learnt the people are generally snakes who'll kill their own mum to get a good story. Not into that at all.

Also, by the time I was in my 3rd year, I was doing BOR on the regular, and DJing on the radio, so by that time, I was just doing the work I had to, and having as much fun as I could. I fell into what I'm doing now though, just a series of fortunate events, and me being lucky enough to get given chances.

Actually, on that topic, can you put up shelves or fix plugs?

Haha, of course mate! I live with my girlfriend, so I've sorted everything out in our flat. When I put my bed together, I felt like such a man, it was pathetic. The boiler broke the other day too, and I found myself having a poke around the airing cupboard, seeing what was up. It was then I realised I'm basically my dad.

How far could Beats of Rage go; are any long-term plans set outside Preston?

Well we're currently selling out and we're booking some of our favourite acts from around the world, so I guess my hopes are that this continues! We're getting some ridiculous acts on, and because we own the club, we literally spend all the door money on acts, meaning that the club is hosting acts that wouldn't normally play in that size venue. It's such an amazing situation we're in, I think it's incredible.

As for outside Preston, we DJ and stuff outside the city, but we don't have any plans for expansion and stuff. No way man, Preston is my home. One lad couldn't believe that we don't have a night in Lancaster. Lancaster?!?! I'm from there, and it's grim.

You're known for your characteristic wardrobe, who are the names you prefer wearing?

Haha! I just wear what I like! My favourite brands, I reckon, are Bape, Stussy, Mishka, 10 Deep, Crooks & Castles, and most importantly, Kidrobot. I'm a Kidrobot freak mate. Their hoodies are done in batches of 256, so they're a bit rare, but absolutely beautiful. They destroy my bank account though!

I wear hats, too. I love them. I have over 20 hats, so I think it's a bit of an obsession.

Is the concept of a DJ being able to "read the mood" of a room total nonsense?

Not totally. I think it's pretty easy to DJ these days. Loads of software to help, you don't have to buy the latest vinyl and stuff. Everyone can get the records, and everyone can play them. I think the skill of DJ'ing more than ever lies in the tunes you play. I've heard some terrible DJ's, who play the wrong tunes, at the wrong time. But I've heard warm-up sets where I haven't recognised a single tune, but it was perfect for the time of evening.

All that DJ Rockstar stuff is bollocks, though. I play Xbox, and collect Vinyl Figures, and play Jackin' House. I don't come off stage and take some smack off a hooker's eye or whatever. I usually have a bit of a dance, and go to bed.

How many guilty pleasures are there in your CD collection?

Not many, actually. My girlfriend's filled my iPod with all kind of incriminating material though. I'm a sucker for disco, And Soul. But I guess they're kind of 'cool'. But I hate ironic music. I don't listen to my soul and disco records in public, because people start dancing to them ironically, and think I'm joking. I hate that.

Is there a frustrated song writer trapped inside you?

No, but there's a crap producer! I was always rubbish at writing songs, but I like to produce and arrange songs with others. I haven't got time these days, but me and [fellow DJ] Pish are trying to get producing again, make some delicious music.

Which band or DJ in Preston do you rate? Which Preston band should be making it this year?

No-one in Preston comes close to Joe. He plays everything, but last time I saw him he played Chicago House, which I'm a massive fan of. Lots of DJ's are coming up at the moment, and it's a bit easy to get into, so you have to separate the wheat from the naff. Bail, who plays Dubstep, is pretty dope, too.

It's a night out, my round, what am I buying you?

What bar are we in? I hate it when people buy me drinks, because I don't want to order something expensive and cost them a fortune! If we're in Weatherpersons, I'd probably ask for a Magners, or some delicious gin.

If we're in my club though, I'll buy you one, because I'm nice. Sometimes. I'd suggest the Gin and Iron Brew. No doubt.

What be your plans for the next 12 months?

Get my nightclub to the standard and capacity where it's the best club in the city, and carry on building on our nights.

Also, more realistically, witness Beats of Rage going mega, and having to build an extension on the back, to increase the capacity from 400 to 5000. And put on Daft Punk.

It's been a pleasure, or hopefully it has. See you at Coda at some point...

Cheers Liam!

[Questions and editing - Líam Pennington]

Interview conducted by way of emailed questions, edited for clarity and space. James Hodgson can be found at http://www.myspace.com/j2theh.
For up to date details on all nights out in Preston, go to www.prestone.co.uk

Jack Peñate - “Tonight’s Today”

2009-03-28T00:48:00.000-07:00

By way of invention former....what was it, again? New Brit talent, LDN icon...however formerly described, Jack Peñate returns with a modest new sound clearly more in debt to reinvention than absolute honesty.

Something within the Latino beats of “Tonight’s Today” does not communicate with complete clarity the voice of the man behind “Second Minute or Hour”. Repeated plays of the song drills the unfulfilling chorus into the head but only because of its familiarity to the sound of a kid with ADHD poking a parent up the nose with a cone of candyfloss.

The associated video is some bizarre circus act which has taken all the best bits from Madonna’s “Justify My Love” video with the addition of elephant footed abstract imagery. A certain Ms Allen turned a corner with success; Jack sadly has met a wall.

Q&A - House On Fire

2008-09-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

Obvious one first, really. Why did you enter BOTB – what did you hope to get out of the contest, and have you enjoyed your heats?
Yeah, the heats have been wicked. We entered because we needed to play some more gigs as we only became a gigging band as of April this year!

For those in the audience who may not know you that well, how would you describe your band and the music?
The loudest three piece you'll probably (maybe) ever hear. Rocking tunes, sing along choruses and catchy hooks.

How do you tend to practice and write songs – every waking hour or as-and-when?We write and practice when we're together. twice a week usually.

So you’re stuck in a lift for an hour. How do spend the time before help arrives?Russian roulette.

Do you tend to keep your influences close or separate from the music you’re writing at the moment? How have your influences shaped your current set?
Fairly close to some of the songs - Foo Fighters play a big influence in this band, as does Clutch, but we definately try to inject a hint of originality in our tunes.

This contest is one of the many gigs going on in Preston – what are your opinions of the scene we have here? Would you spend more or less time gigging here after your experiences at the BOTB?
The scene at the moment is great - Ed at Hedmag does a top job booking cool out of town bands and I just think it needs a little kick up the arse to get back in gear again. Due to circumstances we won't be gigging as much but we will still be around with an album coming out at the end of the year... hopefully.

Where’s the best place to get a drink round here, anyway?
Rob Clarke's house.

If you had the chance to put on a gig with a local band and one of your favourite all-time groups, who you would choose, and why?
I would get every decent guitar player to pal up and do an acoustic set supporting the Dave Matthews Band. No reason other than that it would be awesome.

Win or lose the BOTB final, where you going to be this time next year?
Outer space.

Q&A - You Will Fail

2008-09-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

Obvious one first, really. Why did you enter BOTB – what did you hope to get out of the contest, and have you enjoyed your heats?
At first we saw the competition as a great opportunity to get our music out to a wider audience within our home city, but it soon dawned on us that we were really just doing it as an excuse to get rendered, like all the other gigs we play! We had a great time and forged some great friendships and we’re sure the final will be no different! We’ve nailed the drummer to his kit, so he’s going nowhere this time…

For those in the audience who may not know you that well, how would you describe your band and the music?
We are four hairy friends who play hard metal, and play it loud! Featuring Welly Grosvenor on vocals and rhythm, Sam Frank on lead, backing vocals and keys, Jonny RAW on bass, and Jay Ward on drums we’re generally up for a laugh, and as long as we try our best to make the audience shake their heads and behinds along to our tunes we’re a happy bunch of 'Failers'!

How you tend to practice and write songs – every waking hour or as-and-when?
Most of the time one of us will have an idea for a song, riff, melody, or theme while going about our lives, and we'll get together at a jam and work on it, all with equal say in every aspect of the song. If one of us doesn't like something, we take it out of our set and work on it until we're all fully behind it. This way we tend to end up gigging material we're all proud of, and often for very different reasons. Saying that, there are other times when we just get on one and busk it!

So you’re stuck in a lift for an hour. How do spend the time before help arrives?
We'd amuse ourselves by making jokes at each others expense, which is what we always do if we get together in the same space for more than five minutes! Then we’d probably re-enact a donkey show, or wrestle naked.

Do you tend to keep your influences close or separate from the music you’re writing at the moment? How have your influences shaped your current set?
Half of our number were dragged up in Scotland on a diet of folk, Irn Bru, and Whiskey, so there are strong Celtic undercurrents running through some of our songs, but we obviously take our main influences from all the varied and tasty flavours of metal we each consume.

This contest is one of the many gigs going on in Preston – what are your opinions of the scene we have here? Would you spend more or less time gigging here after your experiences at the BOTB?
The Preston live music scene (especially for metal bands) has had to ride the waves of some massive shake-ups within some of the main venues this year. Our roots were planted in Preston, so we'll always play here whenever we're wanted, and times when we’re not!

Where’s the best place to get a drink round here, anyway?
Apart from strangers’ tables when they nip to the bogs, the nearest bar tends to be the best place, there's The Old Dog on Church Street that's open after The Venue closes, so that’s probably where we’ll be heading at the end of the night to keep the party going, come what may!

If you had the chance to put on a gig with a local band and one of your favourite all-time groups, who you would choose, and why?
Locally it would have to be the mighty Freakjesus (last year's deserved BOTB winners), and I'm sure both our bands could be tempted to gig with the legends that are Metallica, you know, if the opportunity arose.

Win or lose the BOTB final, where you going to be this time next year?
As soon as we have a professional studio demo under our belts, we’re looking to gig all over, spreading the Fail everywhere, and doing our best to attract more attention to the awesome bands, fans and venues that exist here in Preston! We will make this occur whatever happens on the fifth, one path will just take us longer!

Q&A - Population Four

2008-08-31T02:57:00.001-07:00

In the run up to the final of Battle of the Bands, here's a few Q&A from Population Four

Obvious one first, really. Why did you enter BOTB – what did you hope to get out of the contest, and have you enjoyed your heats?

We entered BOTB because we’re a really new band and it’s a great way to get regular shows and exposure in Preston. We've all been playing in bands for years and have all got to know one another through playing shows together. We’re really pleased to have got through to the final, after all, and we have only been playing together for about 7 or 8 months.

For those in the audience who may not know you that well, how would you describe your band and the music?

Our band sounds like we’re having a great time. That’s the most important thing to us, we write songs that we love and that we can rock out to. We have a pretty contemporary alternative sound, crossing elements of punk with metal, and some catchy riffs and choruses that people can sing along to.

How you tend to practice and write songs – every waking hour or as-and-when?Song writing is a pretty collaborative process for us, we write new songs at practice or when we’re hanging out at someone’s house. Its great to have the facilities to write and record ideas on a day to day basis in one of the members own homes, having a Studio set up has allowed us to experiment with new ideas much more easily.

So you’re stuck in a lift for an hour. How do spend the time before help arrives?

We would play I Spy, Either that or work on some harmonies maybe so that we could form a vocal acapella band.

Do you tend to keep your influences close or separate from the music you’re writing at the moment? How have your influences shaped your current set?

We all have a lot of different influences and favourite styles of music; it’s pretty eclectic, we listen to a lot of different kinds of music; a band favourite is the Jurassic park theme tune by John Williams. We figure any band or group of musicians should have a wide interesting in music in general that extends beyond the style or genres of music they write of perform. We bring all our own influences together in a weird kind of controlled chaos, obviously we know what we want to play and write, but that doesn’t have to be the only kind of music we enjoy.

This contest is one of the many gigs going on in Preston – what are your opinions of the scene we have here? Would you spend more or less time gigging here after your experiences at the BOTB?

Like any band with aspirations we want to break out of Preston, and have already started to do that. But it’s great to have a home town to come back to. We have cut our teeth here in Preston with our other bands, and the experience we have gained playing shows here has obviously contributed to the band we are today when we perform. The scene in Preston waxes and wanes like any scene in any City.

Despite the problems with the Preston scene there are people here who really care about music in this city, people like Des who puts the BOTB together every year. People that have a real passion for live music in this city. Even people like Joe Ivers who are spending there own money putting out independent complication CDS of bands around Preston its great that people have that kind of passion, even though a few people defiantly lack it.

Where’s the best place to get a drink round here, anyway?

Ha-ha, who knows man, we tend to hang out at the guild and have a pint if it’s sunny and we have time to kill before band. We used to go to The Mercury Flux pretty frequently before it shut, we had one or two kick ass nights there. Any night out can be a great one if you are with your friends. Who cares where you go really?

If you had the chance to put on a gig with a local band and one of your favourite all-time groups, who you would choose, and why?

We would love to play with Alexisonfire. Pretty sure that would make for a great time its probably difficult to find any band that rocks out as much as they do. I guess our local band would be Exit State, we had a great time playing with them in our second heat and it would be cool to play with them again.

Win or lose the BOTB final, where you going to be this time next year?

The pub? Come hang out with us! Maybe we will enter again, maybe we won’t, I guess we will decide in about as year’s time. Hopefully we will still be playing some shows to a bunch of people that have taken the time to listen to us.

SF

2008-08-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

For the first semi-final in the LEP supported Battle of the Bands at Preston’s The Venue, it seemed necessary for the judges to agree on how many rounds of paper-scissors-stone would be implemented in case the four excellent bands dared to try that little bit harder.

Without Motive were late-minute replacements without warning, whose set really impressed with a devil-may-care attitude from the start. Gloriously outrageous rock in the best British style, the guitar skills were the very best example from the local brotherhood of metal. Population Four fired up the attitude for a really promising set from a young band whose energy brings a fresh approach to the skater-punk style. They were given the prized ticket for the final with House On Fire, the three piece who sound like the result of a dozen. Although some of their songs go for a wander without ever coming back, the ability is unquestionable, making their place in the final unquestionable.

Like so many post-rock bands, Red Winter Kapital can allow their compositions to flow and weave with no consequence to time signatures or conventional understanding of melody. Their stage presence was somewhat minimal which took a lot from otherwise strong songs.

Quarter Final 3

2008-07-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

The third Quarter Final in the LEP supported Battle of the Bands had just about every ingredient for a top class gig in the hunt for the best local talent.

Three-piece Boy Genius run amok with wicked short-shrift choruses and considered melodies, heavy riffs shining out throughout the set in a highly strong aim for the final. Without any unnecessary gimmicks, their songs remain swirling around the head for some time after they’ve done putting the best of pop back into cut-glass rock. Their closest rivals in the confidence stakes must be House On Fire, whose set may not have the stand-out song needed to tie the set together but there’s enough technical talent to command concentration. Heavy rock guitars and thunderous drums make for some seriously smart choices, with the judges considering these two bands had done enough to make it to the semi finals.

With hints of the grunge amongst the melodic rock, Makers Of Venice belted out a set much heavier in character than their successful first heat. This collection of sharp rock songs reflected back the lights of cynicism and free will, broken up verses buttressing crashing solos in a style at odds with the initially melodic mood. Indie lads Innocents Abroad have a collection of interesting, well-phrased songs, in the wordsmith tradition, but the order of the set list knocks the emotion around a bit, leaving a slight sense of underwhelming confusion. Their obvious confidence suggests better things could well arrive.

Quarter Final 1

2008-07-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

The first of the LEP supported Battle of the Bands Quarter Finals at Preston’s The Venue was a hard rock affair, with angst and attitude turned up to its fullest.

Kicking off by throwing all their weight towards the bright lights of the Semi Finals, Blunt Force Trauma lived up to their name, launching into brutal trash metal with all the subtlety of a thunderstorm. At their best when complex guitar riffs are rolled across the stage in a fest of gruesome vocals and windmill moshing, coming across all the more genuine for it.

Guitar heroes Without Motive improved on their first round show by turning out a highly enjoyable set. A markedly different and rounded number of songs kicked the proverbial ball into touch, their set balancing an archivist’s ear for classic riffs with a youthful vigour for melodies.

Little about nu-rave phenomenon Myth Of Unity surprises, firing up the neon lights and urban groove. A little clumsy at times, they are usually more balanced than tonight, they still create a lasting and exciting impression.

There has not been such a large group of Lancastrians at a Gallows Gate since the Pendle Witch Trails, but the crowd watching the indie rockers got a lot back, the neat little set really firing up an impressive mix of songs with an undercurrent of menace.

They and the rocking rabble from Myth Of Unity got the tickets to the next round.

Hello Bastards // Mad Ferret

2008-07-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

The unassuming would see the Mad Ferret bar in Preston as a mere student haunt given its position nestled amongst the University’s campus. When the Hello Bastards night rolls in to the space, anyone, be they revision dodgers or not, cram in to check the promised radar botherers.

The night begins unassuming enough, with the ambient guitarist Niamh Starky, whose array of peddles and accompanying drummer spoke little but communicated much through a charming and interesting collection of instrumental numbers helped by sparks of samples and looped melodies. Nerves dug in a little too deep, but the quiet girl with big ideas strode nevertheless, check out her “Early Gentle” song for a good indication of her abilities.

Keeping things quiet and simple was not an option for long, given how little breathing space was left now the place was filling up. Caught between the bar and an unfamiliar face was the viewing position for the ultimately compelling and ear-splitting The Sefton Delmer, a colossal force of guitars turned up for the effect of all six Marshall amps stacked behind them. In common with their World War namesake, the message was prominent and encoded, in their modern way behind a flux of feedback and looped vocals. Their lead’s concerted effort to always look perplexed worked in his favour, the downbeat collection of songs pushed back the boundaries of just about every measurement, by virtue of their sheer force and velocity.

Sure, it was impossible to hear quite anything else properly beyond the echo of melodic creation, and their soundcheck alone would have knocked the glasses off someone walking past the next street, but in the spirit of the wartime icon who inspired their name, this was as brave and effective an assault as possible.

Crazy808 are the local lads doing their best for cross-genre harmony, employing rock types and a laptop DJ to work their merry way through excellent BSS-type punk-punches to the deeper soul, whispers of deeper flowing waters in extended instrumentals suggestive of more than the oft-repeated and many times failed groupings of the guitar and computer.

The long night was topped off by the expansive shoegaze heroics of Telekinetic Fortunato, whose ambitious post-rock builds on the obvious influences with a heap of characteristic ingredients – their manic melodies seem constantly changing, animated almost, their beats fluid under the growing guitars. For a night in what could be seen from the outside as a fringe bar on the outskirts of town, the immensely interesting and varied sets promise a mad sackfull yet to come.

Heat 8

2008-07-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

The latest round of the LEP supported Battle of the Bands, at Preston’s The Venue, was a top drawer event with the four bands in the last first round heat not giving an inch as they aimed for the top two places.

Rock band Exit State have a confidence running all the way through, songs drawn from the very best of rhythm and melody, brought together with the kind of strong vocal often not heard in a predominately heavy metal group. Their better songs have no problem with catchy melodies not diluting the guitar action, using the best ingredients from pop to flavour their impressive rock sound. Balancing the rock beats with insatiable appetite for top class choruses seemed an easy task for Boy Genius, the three piece whose post-punk sound shared with Exit State the ability to mix the angriest lyrics with the hottest melodies.

The Boy Genius had confidence in spades, with the songs to match, which reflected not just in the warm appreciation for their set but also in their qualification for the next round.

The youth wing of Preston’s scene was represented by The Renovators, who had a terse anger about them, but the vocals tended to be shouted rather than sung. By under-using synths underneath the guitars any variety was merely hinted at rather than utilised to the full. Vicariux threw together occasionally brilliant mood music with confused additions of vocals and images, working in sporadic fits and starts.

Interview with Dallas Green

2008-07-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

(As featured in High Voltage)

From the outside, the Royal College of Music seems the least expected venue for any artist associated with a hardcore/emo group. Amongst the clutch of students discussing classical compositions are a smattering of youthful types dressed in the whirlwind of Topshop’s finest. They are here as the college’s Haden Freeman Concert Hall is playing host to Alexisonfire’s charismatic and emotional singer Dallas Green, under his moniker City & Colour.

Born in 1980, Green has much success as one part of Canada’s finest emo types, and is now about to release his second solo album, the fragile and introspective Bring Me Your Love. I greet him in a cluttered backstage area, bounded on one side by a refreshingly healthy rider, and on the other side a full size gong for the next door performance of Pirates Of Penzance. Green laughs at the news that he has a double booking with Gilbert and Sullivan: “That would be funny,” he says, “if they came in midway through not knowing what to do.”

It is not unusual for Dallas to find himself facing fans in a seated arena as though he were a tutor. “It makes a change to not have beer thrown at me,” he jokes. “A lot of my Canadian shows are theatre shows, just me with a guitar. Most of the set is just me with a guitar, so it’s good for those who want to pay attention.”

The approach makes people more likely to concentrate, the singer explains, wearing a large pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a lumberjack style coat, something like a rougher Jack Peñate. “Yeah, people who are usually loud are quiet and have to concentrate. I like that it is a change for this kids too.”

He goes on, “It is beneficial to all if I speak to those kids who, you know are
there recording a gig on their phone? They want to remember it but aren’t
watching the gig, just through their monitor or screen.”

The first release as a solo album, “Sometimes”, is an album touched by the chill of lost love. A lot of the songs are personal, admitting the lyrics can be quite introspective. “Whatever is kicking me that day, whatever is on my mind. It is a very personal thing. Whatever takes my eye or my ear. I can’t write any kind of way else.”

“This stuff doesn’t follow some pattern, and if that means most of the
influences aren’t planned, like if I want to play a banjo or something.”

His fans may not be all fresh teens, but they are all more likely to be downloading albums and videos than queuing up at a theatre, a point he is happy to explore. He shakes his head at the very mention of the word “blog”. On the verge of laughing at the thought of it all, he says “It’s funny and weird how before I put my head on my pillow, a gig or a single is already on YouTube.”

He hits his stride, continuing, “I don’t like the idea of knowing everything about a band. I think there has to remain some mystery. It was so much cooler when I was a kid, when I would flick through magazines, see a band I liked, see what band t-shirt they were wearing...”

On the eve of a rare month rest, Green makes for the theatre floor, maybe secretly hoping for members of the Pirates cast to be sitting in the front row.

Heat 7

2008-07-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

The latest round to discover the best local band in the region rolled up for a 4th July LEP supported Battle of the Bands at Preston’s The Venue. This heat saw a distinctly metal flavour, with the big boys of rock aiming for the next round.

The lads from Makers of Venice were an instantly noticeable sensation, their grunge-influenced rock carried off from the first song with a tight confidence, an intense opening riff rolling out through an expansive set. Singer Mark Richards carries a clear vocal, suited to their melodic style whilst using a hint of heavier menace reflecting the balanced set.

Things were not so balanced with Superthrill Temple, whose idiosyncratic manner threw together a subdued psychedelic style with sporadic bursts of heavier, almost thrash metal. What could have grown out of an unusual mix slumped into a wheezing compromise, the uninspiring drums and wayward solos all seemed lazily executed.

Metal troupe 32ft Gauge offered a much better example of a rounded, complete package, almost from the start ripping up the stage and crowd into a messy frenzy with vigour. They too had a touch of the psychedelic about them, growing into a highly competent and confident prospect. Without much restraint at all, Population Four captured the attention with their breathless American-accented onslaught of post-punk emo joyousness, all angst and attitude bundled together in slices of jagged guitars. They were worthy runners up to Makers of Venice

Heat 6

2008-06-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

Convention was kicked off the dancefloor before anyone had time to order a drink at the sixth heat of the LEP supported Battle of the Bands in Preston.

With much controversy, not least through their choice of name, duo 2Girls1Cup jokingly declared their set would prove critics right that they were not a “real band”. Such considerations didn’t really matter in the end, their one-track mini-club night was a revelation, a pounding mix of dub and grime, powered by nu-rave beats and hip-hop grooves. With humour and neon-lights to the fore, the reactions to 2Girls1Cup said it all.

Startling as the dance duo had been, Capeman did not feel the need to tone down their own brand of genre defying stunts. Deconstructing the simple rock formula into a jagged collection of de-tuned chords and scattered drums, their confrontational style was a refreshing take on the rock standard.

Metal to the very maximum in content and style roared onto the stage in the shape of You Will Fail, whose set began with a vocally strong melodic number undercut by sinister, growling guitars. Their onslaught continued with an atagonistic balance of thrash riffs and viscious hooks.

They may have been too much for the young indie band Chasing Bob, whose nervous vocals took a lot away from the otherwise charmingly twee set. A very busy stage seemed to confuse their own concentration, letting the noticeable strength of the first song to unravel with unfortunate rapidity.

Indie band Innocents Abroad brought a good confidence to the stage, with the opening songs of foot-tapping quality. The closing half lacked the crunch needed to keep the attention but in a heat with so many extremes, their slice of normality helped.

Heat 5

2008-06-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

The LEP supported Battle of the Bands at Preston’s The Venue could not have been more unpredictable had the bands been chosen by random lottery half-an-hour before the doors opened. With a festival load of people crammed together for the night’s enjoyment, the five bands on show did their best to lay claim to be Preston’s best top talent.

Metal band Force of Habit caught the eye as well as the ear, their flirtatious lead singer’s strong vocals and doll-pink hair shining out from centre-stage. The Force of Habit set was punchy and melodic, the vocals reverberating with the flickers of electro influences adding depth to an instantly impressive performance.

Youngsters Silicon Talent had a lot to say from behind their face-covering fringes, as they span around in great abandon with a shoegaze set punctuated with art-rock craziness. A highly interesting and tight set, Silicon Talent varied the moodier moments with kicking guitar heroics.

Guitar band The Cities launched into punk-infused rock, vocalist Steve switching from erratic screams and mumbles, which calmed down into a distinctive and arresting collection of moodier songs. A well balanced set had confidence and decently put together songs for a highly regarded stab for the main prize.

Blues and jazz combo Border Patrol had a great technical ability, although nothing they played seemed to attract the crowd despite the best efforts of all their long instrumentals.

For a better example of how best to put songs to such technical wizardry, prog-influenced House On Fire really shone with very impressive vocals in a characteristically ambitious set.

Heat 4

2008-06-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

The Lancashire Evening Post supported search for the region’s best band continued at Preston’s The Venue. The five bands were welcome relief to the grim summer storms, the Prestonian equivalent of Dorothy stepping into Technicolor a long way from Kansas.

Indeed, Peter Simple gave a performance not too dissimilar to a dream sequence, their lead singer bounding with exhaustive glee. Whether his band’s ska/pop hybrid had any redeeming features did not matter, with unsuspecting members of the audience dragged into a celebration of hyperactive exuberance. When the better choruses kicked in, they were at their best, but this happened only fleetingly.

Peter Simple had not come alone in the funk stakes, for the gloriously named What The Funk had also packed the slap-bass for the trip. Their self-titled opener promised much, which sadly collapsed into a bland mix of wig-outs and ballads, culminating in a passable cover-version.

Metal stalwarts Without Motive ended on a cover too, preceded by a jarring and repetitive array of passable heavy rock numbers. The stadium sound was carried off very well but it all seemed quite forced.

Old gents Valvetronics sneaked two notable numbers into an otherwise bland set of rock standards, offering inoffensive songs with pleasing charm.

Telekinetic Fortunato were intense and invigorating, a burst of instrumental brilliance weaving melodies into knots, as thunderous as the weather.

Heat 3

2008-06-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

The search for the area’s best new talent continued apace at The Venue in Preston with the Lancashire Evening Post supported Battle of the Bands now at its third heat. Quality in abundance may not have been reflected in the initially sparse crowd but the four bands filled the gaps in the audience with enough noise to compensate...and maybe even require compensation for temporary loss of hearing.

The techno kids of Myth Of Unity have a knowing confidence, their ambitious set throwing out rap/rock crossovers wrapped in bright neon lights. With apparent ease the dual vocalists played off each other with rave interpretations of the humble mic battle ripped to shreds.

If the “toasting” Unity crowd had it all to lose, the lads from 1.21 Gigawatts fought very hard as a comparatively quieter band. Their inoffensive rock spun interesting lyrics without a melodic hook to attract much attention, the nice character hidden beneath an earnest seriousness.

With their compelling if somewhat meandering set, Goonies Never Die were a complex bunch to decipher, all post-rock guitars layered with woven melodies, the lads were friendly without instant connection.

Their expansive set followed For Your Information, whose mix of rock styles had a particular charm, even though their songs appeared as slightly altered versions of the same generic source.

Totting up the votes, the judges awarded second round places to, acronym fans, GND and MOU.