Always one to support Doomtree, Crossfire had to let everyone know about a new mix by Paper Tiger.
The Minneapolis producer and DJ is starting a series of mixes and has kicked things off with a 28 minute mix of 80s Electro, perfect for all the B-Boys out there. Right click and save the mix HERE and get those Ray Bans on, we’re going back in time!
We can officially announce today that Crossfire has been invited as part of the artist committee to curate at The Camden Crawl 2010.
Each year the Gaymers Camden Crawl evening line up is selected by an esteemed panel of music industry tastemakers comprised of radio DJs, club promoters, journalists, record companies and musicians representing a broad spectrum of genres and we (somehow) have been asked to host a venue for another explosive Crossfire party alongside the likes of Warp Records, 1234, Bella Union, Rough Trade and many more.
Click here for the full line up of hosts for next year’s event that will be happening on the Bank Holiday weekend of May 1st and 2nd 2010. Every venue in Camden will have various established and upcoming bands, DJ’s poets for you to cruise past with your passes that get you into every show. Some venues host huge acts, others host unsigned stuff, but every venue’s line ups are picked by the curators.
So what happens next? Well, we have nominated 50 artists that we would ideally like to play in our venue (to be revealed soon) and these include legends such as the Sex Pistols and Madness to upcoming bands such as Chickenhawk, Drop the Lime, Pulled Apart By Horses and established acts like Torche, Gallows, Mastodon, Les Savy Fav, Black Lips and more. The artists we have requested are then confirmed as being available or not and then all of the artist committee bunfight for the bill they want from the available acts that are pooled into a pot. Much fun!
Get your earlybird tickets if you are keen before they sell out and we will update you on our plans once we have figured out what sort of a night we will be curating. Rest assured though it will be one of the most explosive nights we will ever put on for you, so spread this good word as we are stoked!
Gallows are back in London to play a Vice Presents night on December 18th with Lovvers, Rolo Tomassi and Male Bonding. Check the flyer for all details.
Mexico City Circo Volador,
14/11/09
It’s Saturday night, and the Circo Volador is already comfortably full by the early hour of 8pm. However, there’s a noticeable difference between tonight’s crowd and those of previous shows that we’ve witnessed within these walls; namely, the wider age range. From 10 year old kids in ‘Guitar Hero’ t-shirts to veterans sporting Helloween and Stratovarius patches on their jackets, the cult of Dragonforce seems to have grown no end since the band’s ‘Inhuman Rampage’ album catapulted them to new levels of popularity and acclaim.
In recent times, Dragonforce have often come under fire for allegedly not being able to recreate the fretboard-melting guitar acrobatics of their records in the live setting. And sure, this is occasionally true tonight, but for the majority of their set the London sextet sound as huge and epic as any self-respecting power metal band should. This being their first visit to Mexico, they’re on a mission to make sure that both they and their crowd have as much fun as possible, and the roar that greets the opening ‘Heroes Of Our Time’ certainly bodes well for this.
You see, the Dragonforce live experience is rather like the power metal equivalent of The Benny Hill Show, with bizarre/amusing antics in abundance. Keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov is dressed like some kind of day-glo Mr Motivator, and when he’s not jumping around behind his instrument, he’s soloing away down the front on a keytar. Meanwhile, guitarists Sam Totman and Herman Li can often be found jogging on the spot as they unleash virtuoso heaven on a crowd for whom the language difference is clearly not a problem, and who greet every solo with an impressive display of air guitar action. Throughout the madness, ZP Theart remains an engaging master of ceremonies, leading the masses through ‘Operation Ground And Pound’ and ‘Valley Of The Damned’ with no little enthusiasm and a powerful voice to boot.
Judging by their latest album ‘Ultra Beatdown’, Dragonforce seem content to stick with what they’re good at, and hence possibly risk falling into a Motorhead-esque trap of effectively rewriting the same record over and over again. But tonight, as the grand finale of ‘Through The Fire And Flames’ threatens to bring the house down, it can’t be denied that these guys are a pleasure – no matter how guilty – to witness live.
Words: Alex Gosman
Photo: Smyrna Ochoa
The wonderful Athlete are back on the scene and are playing some shows in November and December. Go check these dates.
21 Nov Southampton University
4 Dec Bristol Anson Rooms
5 Dec Glasgow ABC
6 Dec Manchester Ritz
8 Dec London Shepherds Bush Empire
9 Dec London Shepherds Bush Empire
10 Dec Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
Fake Problems are a band who have recently released their second album “It’s Great to Be Alive,” they’ve toured all over the place extensively, and their latest release was produced by AJ Mogis, not a bad resume for a relatively young band!
They just scoured Europe with Frank Turner and Jonathan Teggart caught up with singer/guitarist Chris Farren to ask him a few questions on why Fakey P’s are becoming a name that is on everyone’s lips in the UK right now.
So Chris, Fake Problems started out as a one man project, what was it like for others to join an already established one man project, and how was it for you to adapt to being in a band?
Well, this is a pretty common misconception the public has about our band. Although I started the band, I never played solo or marketed the band like that. It was just a brief period where I didn’t know anyone I wanted to be in a band with. I had been in bands before, so I was used to working with other people.
So, where does the name come from?
The name Fake Problems is just taken from a quote from the movie “Predator 2”.
Touring’s obviously an important part of your band, why do you feel it’s so important being on tour?
In our experience, and the experience of many of our friends, touring is the only real way to thrive as a young band. We meet countless new friends and other bands, it’s great for networking. And it’s also great to travel the world at such young ages as us. It can get tiring, and isolating to be away from home for so long – but at a certain point the road gives me that sense of familiarity and comfort.
What are the main things that influence you as a band?
I’d say personal relationships, goals, ambition and FUN.
You guys are influenced by Bright Eyes and Cursive, what was it like working with AJ Mogis on your new album?
It was AMAZING! AJ is such a great producer and he was the perfect fit for “It’s Great To Be Alive“. He really captured the sound we wanted to create and has a great creative mind.
Is this the first time you guys have ever played with Frank Turner, does he influence you at all?
Frank Turner is a massive influence on me. He’s been a friend of ours for the past two or three years. I was introduced to his music by my friend Jeremy, from the great Touche Amore. We had the CD for a while, and then Casey Lee, our guitarist, asked Frank if he’d like to be a part of his Good Friends Records. GFR put out “Campfire Punkrock” on 10″, and we toured twice in the states with Frank as support.
What’s it been like coming back to the UK and how has this time around with Frank Turner differed to your other visits? What do you have in store for the UK in the future?
This time around is great! It’s very massive crowds and it’s the most exposure we’ve ever gotten in the UK. It’s a bit alienating at times, as people are specifically here to see Frank and don’t really care about us -but it’s essentially our job to make them care. We’ve had a few successful headline UK tours that have gone over well – and we plan to come back sometime in April 2010 for another headline run.
I see that you’re touring with the Dillinger Escape Plan, there’ll be a wide group of people at them shows, do you think Dillinger fans will be able to get into your music?
It’s a pretty eclectic tour – Thursday, DEP and us. I think each band brings something totally unique to the table, and from my experience, each band has pretty open minded fans. I think we’ll be received well.
Finally what other plans have you got for the future?
We’re currently working on writing our third full length record, which will hopefully be out in Summer 2010. We have about 20 songs written and five that I really like. We’ll see what happens.
Check out their album “It’s Great to be Alive” is currently out on Side One Dummy Records, and it’s awesome so go check it out!
Fresh Legs, La Shark
Southampton Joiners,
06/11/09
Last night I was invited to a smallish gig in the depths of Southampton. One of those gigs where hundreds of people cram into the back room of a pub with a leaky ceiling, drink beer and talk about the way music used to be.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when Fresh Legs, a local Southampton band, opened the show with a lot of noise. Imagine Paramore’s Hayley Williams with Snow White’s dress sense and you have some idea what the bands lead lady is all about, and my god she was loud. If she had been lower in the mix you could have heard the amazing drummer in this band, the guy was a machine.
The next band, La Shark, we almost indescribable but I’ll give it a go. They are kind of a melodic 5 piece boy band with unexplainable outbursts of French… playing an eclectic mix of 80’s beats and samples, laced with karaoke style rapping. I would be the first to admit that that sounds horrific, but strangely it got people going. Their new song ‘Bones’ is worth a listen, but an acquired taste to say the least.
The appearance of Good Shoes pulls the show back for me. Having been around a while now they’re definitely sounding fine-tuned. They haven’t suffered from second album syndrome, and new singles The Way My Heart Beats, and Under Control have got as much punch as any song from their addictive first album Think Before You Speak. I’m eagerly awaiting the rest of the new album at the beginning of next year; it’s been a long time coming.
Good Shoes are one of those bands who throw out good live music effortlessly. Despite the hype, they were as relaxed as if they were performing in someone’s living room, not a packed out pub of barely legal teens. The crowd weren’t so restrained – one girl showed her dedication by jumping on stage, she was quickly picked up by singer Rhys Jones, and then thrown back into the crowd in front. Not how most bands treat their female fans.
It struck me how much this band are changing and I really hope this is a good move for them. They seem to have attracted attention since they supported Mystery Jets a few years ago, and since then they’ve changed direction. I’ll reserve judgement until I hear the rest of the new stuff, but I hope I won’t be disappointed.
A miss-match of bands, dodgy leaks, crowd surfing in a pub and girls on stage. Well done Southampton, you know how to have a good night. I’ll definitely be back for more when Good Shoes return.
Watch their new video here:
Caitlin Mogridge
Good Shoes are back with a new album called ‘No Hope, No Future‘ in January and are currently on tour around the UK. The Morden massive have a new video too for single ‘Under Control‘ out on January 11th, look out for it and click here for a recent live review from Southampton.