This year’s LG Action Sports Tour went off in Paris.
Etnies rider Tobias Albert smacked it to secure first place in street, whilst fellow Etnies rider Juergen Horwarth went straight to pole position in vert.
UK hotshots, Chris Oliver and Ross McGouran both scored heavily in the street comp placing second and fourth respectively.
The Works skatepark in Leeds is like the Las Vegas Caesar’s Palace when it come to raking the celebs in.
In true Sinatra style for one show only, the Nike SB US team will be strutting their stuff around the wooden playground on Sunday October 8th.
Confirmed riders so far are Paul Rodriguez, Brian Anderson, Wieger Wan Wangeningen, Daniel Shimizu, Stefan Janowski and the UK contingent too.
Whilst the skaters in Crewe get first dibs at a new skate plaza, the Manchurian locals get no love from security and undercover cops at the premier street spot, Urbis (The one with the round three blocks and long ledges).
Will Joe Gavin have to take his brand new pro model on The Harmony elsewhere..? Hopefully not.
Internet geeks can log onto Note Skateshop’s new website here.
Ween‘s tour with Bobby Ogdin and the Shit Creek Boys in 1996 has been captured, with the October 26th show in Toronto being made into a record.
The record will come out on a double white 180 gram vinyl LP and the first pressing will also feature a Boognish “Cowboy” glow in the dark sticker. The album won’t be out on CD or as a download, so make sure you pick up a copy soon!
Californian metallers Machine Head have posted an update on their website stating that they are currently in the studio working on their new album The Blackening.
For more info check out their site here.
Beruit have signed to label 4AD to release their album The Gulag Orkestar.
The album, performed by Zach Condon, is inspired by European folk music and has been said to be the “best indie rock record of the 19th Century”. The album will be released in October, when the group will be in the UK supporting Calexico.
Texas’ sextet Sound Team are to release their debut single Born To Please on September 18th. The single comes from the group’s album Movie Monster which is due out a week later on September 25th and has been produced with Mike McCarthy. To support the releases, they will be the guests of The Walkmen’s upcoming tour, the dates of which are:
September:
18th Liverpool Barfly
19th Sheffield Plug
20th Edinburgh Liquid Rooms
21st Leeds Cockpit
22nd Nottingham Rescue Rooms
24th Manchester University
25th Cardiff Point
27th London Koko
Visit www.soundteam.net for all the news.
Dirty Pretty Things and Metro Riots are to play a show in London to highlight the need for heightened road safety. Road crashes claim many lives and most recently occurred on the M25 after the V festival last month and there has been a spate of fatal accidents involving teens and people in their early twenties travelling late at night.
The two bands will play the gig in London on September 13th to draw attention to this and to point out that worldwide, someone is killed in a road crash every 30 seconds. The gig, for the Make Roads Safe campaign, was inspired by the deaths of 3 teenagers, following a gig that Dirty Pretty Things had played.
Anthony Rossomando, the guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things, said:
“We need to do more to highlight the fact that 1.2 million people are needlessly killed on the roads around the world each year. This is why Dirty Pretty Things are supporting the Make Roads Safe campaign.”
And Edmund King, spokesman for the Make Roads Safe campaign, said:
“The deaths of so many of our young people in such a short time should be a cause for national concern. We need to make young drivers aware of the dangers they face, particularly when driving at night, and that is why we have teamed up with Dirty Pretty Things to raise awareness about the scale of road deaths both here in the UK and across the world’.
The concert has now sold out but make sure you do your bit to support the Make Roads Safe campaign, it needs as much support as possible.
Brixton Academy
09.09.06
It was over two and a half years ago that Long Island emo-upstarts Brand New played a subdued show at The Astoria. Non-stop recording and touring seemed to have taken its toll, and tracks in the second album ‘Deja Entendu’ showed their discontent with touring. ‘My secrets for a buck. Watch me as I cut myself wide open on this stage. Yes, I am paid to spill my guts. I won’t see home till spring. Oh, I would kill for the Atlantic, but I am paid to make girls panic while I sing’ were just some of the tired lyrics written by Lacey.
Fast forward to Brixton Academy, September 2006. The venue sold out in days, the queue winding back on itself around the outside of the venue, skaters at Brixton Beach watching the trashed emo kids with bemusement. The long queue mean the kids have all the time in the world to get off their tits on White Lightning before being frisked at the door, meaning a few of them miss the show altogether, instead spending their night spewing in the gutter. Due to ‘planned engineering works’ on the northern line, we’re too late for the much hyped Say Anything, but from the moment Jesse Lacey and Co slide onto the stage to the intro of “Tautou‘, all disappointment is forgotten.
From the off set it’s clear, Brand New have reclaimed the passion and energy that seemed to elude them last time, but it’s a darker more intense sound. Lacey keeps his hood up for the opening tracks, silhouetted against the blood red backdrop, a sinister figure bereft of smiles for now.’Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don’t’ spits with arrogant lyrics ‘ I am heaven sent, don’t you dare forget’; Jesse Lacey’s deadpan vocals so hard and unbreakable, that juxtaposed next to the fragile ‘The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot’, it seems like he truly is ‘spilling his guts’ on the stage.
‘Guernica’, ‘ Me Vs Madonna Vs Elvis’ and ‘ I Will Play My Game Beneath The Spin Light’ are all sublime, the latter two’s lyrics again highlighting their malcontent with touring. Vinnie Accardi is like a wind up toy, going demented on bass, swirling and swirling on the side of the stage as Lacey finally breaks into a smile, and waves to the upper circles .’ How are you guys doing up there in the Highlands? You look fantastic’ he smiles coyly.
The new tracks debuted tonight are heavier, more progressive than the previous album, which was in itself a huge step forward from their debut ‘ Your Favourite Weapon’. Lacey has in the passed made efforts to distance the band from their old sound, and tonight they disappoint some by playing only three tracks from that album. ‘Seventy Times Seven’ retells how they fell out with Adam Lazarro of Taking Back Sunday, the line ‘ Is that what you call tact? You’re as subtle as a brick in the small of my brick’ is lyrically echoed in the TBS track ‘There’s No I In Team’.
‘Sic Transit Gloria’s thumping bassline rings out and the rest of the band leave Lacey churning out feedback and effects on stage, the red light catching his guitar, making it appear a red hot ember in his hands. It’s clear who the star of this act is. Two encores follow with Lacey alone on the stage at first for a rare outing for ‘ Soco Amaretto Lime’ is followed by stunning acoustic rendition of ‘ Jude Law And The Semester Abroad and finally ‘ Play Crack The Sky’, a somewhat depressing choice to end their triumphant night with, but then, Brand New are anything but run of the mill.
With their third album due out on Interscope on November 21st, it will be interesting to see where Brand New take us next. The show tonight reinforces our belief that Jesse Lacey and his band are supremely talented, and even if they alienate some fans by stepping away from their emo roots, they are sure to be winning over many more with their intensive, darker sounding new material. It’s good to have them back in the fold, here’s hoping they don’t leave it so long next time.
The internet seems to be the most powerful tool in securing a record deal nowdays, and Cute Is What We Aim For hit the nail on the head, with Pure Volume and My Space hype leading to their deal with Fueled By Ramen. Ramen have built up a formidable reputation for unearthing some hidden gems in the US indie pop punk scene, and with the irrepressible ‘Cute is What We Aim For’ they’ve struck gold.
The New York based four piece came together only 2 years ago, but with over 2 million plays on Pure Volume and over 100,000 friends on My Space falling for their boyish charm, they’ve been fast tracked to their first album. Their debut ‘ Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch’ is a tight, exciting little bundle of well written, intelligent power pop. Maintaining that familiar pop punk twinges, the Matt Squire produced album is bright and slick – the first single ‘There’s a Class For This’, has echoes of Panic! At The Disco (another Squire production) but has more attitude, delivered with panache and swagger, as it meanders from aggressive guitars to catchy chorus lines, ‘Risque’ and ‘Sweat The Battle Before The Battle’ are stand out tracks on the album – the biting lyrics sugar coated by the upbeat guitars in ‘Risque‘ “grammatically speaking you’re adorable and from what I hear you’re quite affordable.”
‘Teasing to Please’ jumps from a full layered guitar wave to stripped down bare vocals. Some of the lyrics and melodies aren’t hugely mature(“This is a seasonal affair, so be there or be square”) but then – the oldest guy in the band is only 19, and bearing that in mind, this debut is miles ahead of so many of their contemporaries. ‘The Fourth Drink Instinct’ brings together the best of the band, borderline acoustic, with poignant lyrics, it reinforces just how talented these guys are. Cute is What We Aim For’s debut is a slice of well written power pop, unbelievably catchy hooks and slick production, give it a listen and watch this space, these guys are going to fly.