Single// Tall Poppies, Antony.

The first single from the band’s second album - “All The Rave.” A group comprising twin sisters; Susan and Catherine Hay, German drummer; Milena and Irish Violinist Dairmuid.

Opening with a dulcet acoustic guitar and eventual warm violin, before the gentle vocals are introduced, sounding slightly similar to Kate Bush, embarking on quirky, heartbreaking lyrics about devotion of love to an uninterested friend. Accompanied by dual vocal harmonies aplenty, making for a wonderful, solemn love song.

An extremely moving track from the up and coming Tall Poppies, having already appeared alongside acts such as Boy George and Stornoway. The future looks great for the band, set to play a single release gig on 15th July at Wardour Street’s; St Moritz.

Jonathan Hatchman.

Festival// The Shoreditch 1234, 9/7/11.

Today Shoreditch Park witnessed the annual turn out of the very best new talent on the alternative music scene with a couple of additional icons, alongside a crowd of hipsters and bowl-cuts aplenty on this fine midsummer’s day.

The “Noisey” Main Stage kicked off with a satisfactory set from Chapter Sweetheart, although it wasn’t until the thrashy, punk shoegaze  of London’s; Advert was ferociously unleashed, that there was any sign of life from the crowd. Followed by the subtle psychedelia of Rainbow Arabia. Yet, shockingly, Electricity In Our Homes sadly, somewhat, failed to ignite. Their set was however, reasonably promising apart from the apparent rush, with their epic; “Apple Tree” being significantly sped up and thrashier than the original, cramming ten minutes worth of song into less than four.

Also, the “Artrocker” New Band’s Stage comprised a great sound apart from the distinctly inaudible lead microphone through each band’s set. Notably; Clout! Whom sounded similar to Madness if they had dabbled in hardcore drug consumption, alongside Toy, off the back of supporting The Horrors, bringing their brand of gloomy, next level shoegaze with increased fuzz. Also Forms took to the stage for their first ever gig, each member seemingly dressed up (or down as it were) as Iggy Pop, conveying fierce punk instrumentation, warming the stage for Two Wounded Birds’ second festival performance of the day, though cut short due to front man Johnny Danger only being released from hospital on the previous evening. Though still managing to struggle through great tracks such as “Summer Dream” and “Midnight Wave.”

However, each performance was marred incredibly by the poor sound and inaudibility of lead vocals. Yet one band- Peepholes- proved that vocals were, in fact, unnecessary and their electronic euphoria alone was enough to rile and maintain a vast crowd within the packed out tent on this sunny Saturday evening.

Still the fantastic sound quality from the “Rough Trade and Beat Magazine” Stage was more than enough make up for the previous technical issues. Standouts being; Sex Beet’s stomping surf-punk riffs, lo-fi sound and carefree vibe and attitude. But the definite highlight had to be, when the vast majority had remained at the main stage for headliners; Black Lips, The King Blues, however managed to draw in an astonishing sized crowd for their second stage headline set. After recently gaining frequent positive media coverage. Incorporating a set of old and new songs, including punk neo-classics- “The Future’s Not What It Used To Be,” “Headbutt,” “Set The World On Fire” and latest single “I Want You” introduced with a rant about Robson and Jerome. Teamed with superb crowd participation and the poetic “5 Bottles of Shampoo” followed by the anthemic “Save The World, Get The Girl.” Bringing their triumphant set to a close.

All-in-all, The 1234 is a fantastic small music festival, introducing so many great new bands into the wide public eye, as well as showcasing a selection of past and present extremely influential bands, set right in the heart of East London.
Jonathan Hatchman.

Album// The Horrors, Skying.

The Horrors have come a long way since forming in Southend-on-Sea in 2005. From the garage-rock roots of their debut; “Strange House,” containing fierce, noir undertones, to the Mercury Prize nominated, follow up-“Primary Colours.” Marking phenomenal progression in sound, right through to their latest effort: “Skying.” Categorically cataloguing a lifetime of influences.

From the opening, jungle sounding, drumming of “Changing the Rain” with it’s Simple Minds style 80’s anthemia, right through to closer-“Oceans Burning,” a beautiful psychedelic love song, with a build up to a final burst of fist pumping energy.

Highlights of the album, however, include lead single; “Still Life,” with a distinct orchestration and eventual introduction of haunting keyboards. Demonstrating a typical melange melancholia of a modern masterpiece from the band. Also the upbeat number “I Can See Through You,” purveys a powerful, euphoric infectiousness, “Monica Gems” withholds punchy power chords and trippy vocals. Alongside the magnificent; “Endless Blue” incorporating psychedelic shoegaze with an element of garage-rock fuzz, a perfect balance between “Strange House” and “Primary Colours.” A distinct baggy element is also evident on the album, notably, the opening drumbeat of “Changing the Rain” and throughout the acidic “Dive In.”

Thus, overall “Skying” is a fantastic album, although there aren’t any instant standout classics alike “Sea Within A Sea,” “Who Can Say?” or even “Gloves,” after a couple of listens through they become evident and it can be seen that “Skying” is perhaps as good, if not better, than both of their previous efforts.

Jonathan Hatchman.

Single// Battles, My Machines (Ft. Gary Numan)

Taken from their latest album -‘Gloss Drop’- ‘My Machines’ takes 80’s electro legend Gary Numan on board to manage vocal duties.
Aptly named, encompassing a heavily electric vibe, with the opening drum beat resembling a remote control helicopter, until the stomping parralel guitar and bass lines are introduced. Aswell as Numan’s unique, unmissable whimsical vocals and the eventual addition of an early 80’s sounding, almost robotic, keyboard fill.

Single// Born Blonde, Solar.

‘Solar’ is the upcoming debut single from West London’s Born Blonde. Their sound comprises elements of psychedelia, space age style britpop and somewhat shoegaze.
As shown in ‘Solar,’ opening with a shimmering acoustic guitar, but building into a full blown musical haze, as hallucogenic guitars and baggy drum beats accentuate Arthur Delaney’s trippy vocals. Yet the track’s true highpoint is the atmospheric breakdown and build up to the climax and fade out.
A very nice debut single from a band that alongside Viva Brother and up and coming Sulk, look set to be a great addition to the current britpop/baggy music scene.

Jonathan Hatchman

Single// Crystal Fighters, Plage.

“Plage” is the sixth single from English/Spanish electronic band; Crystal Fighters’ debut album “Star Of Love,” since forming in Navarro in 2007.
From the flamenco style acoustic guitar intro to Sebastian Pringle’s sombre, inviting vocals to the layered chorus, especially the last, incorporating new-age style drumming and bringing itself to a sudden, complete halt.
Thus, Crystal Fighters’ new single has it all, and the band’s sound is an extraordinarily pleasant breath of fresh air into the current indie music scene.
Jonathan Hatchman.

Single// The Twilight Singers, Blackbird & the Fox.

“Blackbird & the Fox” was released as a free download in September 2010, in the build up to the band’s sixth album; “Dynamite Steps.” Now set for official release, five months prior to the release of the album.
Opening with an acoustic melody inciting a warm, dulcet tone, typical of a great folk song, yet maintaining an air of bohemian flamboyance. Teaming up with folk singer; Ani DiFranco for dual vocal duties, harmonising astoundingly with Greg Dulli’s voice, which is similar to a matured Tom Meighan, alongside the mellow backing track. Which builds up to a climax of a soaring guitar solo, suggestive of an infusion of T-Rex and The Eagles, as well as the powerful vocal harmonies, then fading out and seeming like a miraculous distant memory.
All of these features make “Blackbird & the Fox” a very promising single from The Twilight Singers’ critically acclaimed “Dynamite Steps.”
Jonathan Hatchman.

Single// The Coathangers, Hurricane.

The latest single from all girl, Georgia based punk band- The Coathangers, forming solely for an excuse to “hang out and play parties.” Their sound since then has, however, undergone a vast improvement.
As shown through their latest single; “Hurricane” with it’s casual, pulsating punk rock guitar riff and breezy psychedelic undertones, creating a full blown mosh-athon . Yet still maintaining infectious hooks regardless of the band’s devil-may-care attitude.
Therefore “Hurricane” is quite a promising, yet non-conforming, track from The Coathangers after storming onto the US underground art-punk scene. Purveying an energetic, rowdy vibe, even if the vocals are slightly intimidating to be coming from a girl band.
Jonathan Hatchman.

Single// Wilco, I Might.

Chicago based alternative band Wilco are almost two decades into their career, with seven studio albums to their name and another set for release in this coming September, containing their new single; “I Might.”
Purveying a razor-sharp guitar line alongside Jeff Tweedy’s croaky, trademark vocals. The track sounds as though taken from the recording sessions of their 1999 album “Summerteeth,” but with a 21st Century, up to date freshness.
Therefore, there’s nothing new here, but if Wilco are still writing records that are as exciting as their previous material, they must be doing something right.
Jonathan Hatchman.

Single// Fixers, Swimmhaus Johannesburg.

With the current rising trend of Oxford based indie bands, most notably the success of Foals, Fixers have arisen onto the scene and started to receive a great amount of attention.

Single// Big Deal, Chair.

Big Deal are a reasonably new addition to the indie music scene. An outfit formed between Alice Costelloe and KC Underwood in East London, off the back of a bond formed through Costelloe’s guitar lessons from Underwood.

Their upcoming single; “Chair” boasts a layered vocal arrangement of the two members and intertwining guitars, purveying bittersweet lyrics about love and romance with an immense simplicity.

It’s astounding how a song without percussion or a bass-line can avoid a lack of substance, but Big Deal have shown that it can, indeed, be done. Expect great things from Big Deal in the current climate of the trend of boy/girl indie duo’s.
Jonathan Hatchman.