The Gaslight Anthem will hit the UK as part of their summer tour.
The band, who release new single The ’59 Sound on June 15th, will hit the following dates in the UK:
June:
4th The Forum in London (headline show)
27th Glastonbury Festival, John Peel Stage
28th London – Hard Rock Calling
August:
29th Leeds – Leeds Festival
30th Reading – Reading Festival
A video showing exactly what went down at this year’s Soundset Festival in Minneapolis has gone up online.
Sample the atmosphere, sunshine and fun that was had by all below and then head over to the live review for more details.
Canterbury Park
Shakopee, Minnesota
24.05.09
A parking lot in the middle of the Minnesotan countryside was the unusual setting for the world’s premier independent hip hop festival. Forget Rock The Bells, forget Paid Dues – Soundset is the true king and after the brilliant 2008 event, Minneapolis label Rhymesayers, the event’s organisers, went even better in 2009.
The two stages were both so choc-full of talent it was almost impossible to decide where to go, but whoever was witnessed, they didn’t disappoint. Starting off on the mainstage, with the sun beating down and around 14,000 people milling around, Aceyalone and Ab Rude dropped the feel good and got the smiles firmly planted on the crowd’s faces with their typically upbeat tunes. Next up was the returning duo of Eyedea and Abilities who showcased new material from their upcoming album “By The Throat” which hits stores in July. Eyedea’s blistering vocals and Abilities mind-bending turntables skills were a joy to behold as the showed that 5 years away from the hip hop game hasn’t blunted their talent and the raucus applause they recieved was a measure of how much they’ve been missed.
Moving over to the Fifth Element stage, Doomtree’s Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak, the duo known as Hand Over Fist were rocking the crowd with fellow DTR member Paper Tiger. The local rapper knew exactly how to get the crowd moving and his call was a perfect invitation for the crowd’s response which never faltered throughout the set. The beats were banging, with Lazerbeak throwing the drums out from an MPC and Mictlan’s delivery was spot on, the perfect way to show just how talented the crew and indeed the city of Minneapolis, really is.
As if that wasn’t enough Doomtree awesomeness, the main stage then saw P.O.S bring his ridiculously brilliant show to the fore. Never once looking over-awed by the now huge crowd, he and Plain Ole Bill dropped tracks from his recently released “Never Better” album, with sing-a-longs galore before Stef brought out his guitar, allowing his hardcore roots to get their chance to shine in the sun. Crew-mates Dessa and Sims joined him for “Low Light Low Life” before he made way for the enigmatic Sage Francis, who, along with B. Dolan, provided the perfect segue to El-P.
Before El-P hit the main stage however, we moved back across to the Fifth Element stage to see One Be Lo, formerly One Man Army of Binary Star fame. Binary Star were one of the most underrated independent hip hop groups going so to hear the MC bring out some old BS classics was amazing. As soon as he was finished, we hotfooted it back across for the Def Jux head honcho’s set which was comically interspersed with a drunk couple slow-grinding each other to the most sludgey hip hop known to man – who knows what was going on in their heads! El’s set was as big as anticipated with the unexpected bonus of Blueprint rushing the stage and using Mr Dibbs’ microphone to jack a chorus.
Immortal Technique got many of the crowd hyped but was far too monotonous for my liking, but Freeway and Jake One hit the stage to wipe that memory away, the rapper being the latest signing to Rhymesayers. Whilst that was going on, we moved back again to the smaller stage to see Sims‘ set which once again saw fellow Doomtree members hit the stage as P.O.S and Mictlan rejoined him to continue their supremely impressive showing at the festival.
After Sims was done it was over to the bleachers looking out onto the mainstage for the rest of the evening. Brother Ali hit the stage earlier than expected [as DOOM was late!] but showed no signs of letting that affect him belting out crowd favourites like “Forest Whitaker” and the like. There are very few things more satisfying than listening to the big bad motherfuckin’ Brother Ali with the sun beating down on you. When the albino MC was done, it was time for the Metal Faced villain to take to the stage.
Now, let’s get this clear from the off, just seeing DOOM turn up was a treat, following his well publicised continual pulling-out of shows or sending someone else in his place wearing his mask. He played on this at the start of the set, sending out a DOOMposter but when he finally hit the stage, people were more hyped than ever. What following was one of the biggest anti-climaxes in history – the sound cut twice, his hype man was louder than DOOM himself, continually drowning him out and the crowd lost interest quite quickly. But fuck it, at least we saw him right?
If the atmosphere was dampened after DOOM, The Pharcyde‘s bouncing onto the stage stirred it right back up immediately. With all four original members on stage for the first time in years, they knocked out the classics like “Runnin‘” and “Ya Mama” as well as Booty Brown dropping his guest verse from the last Gorillaz album. But the cake-taker of the set was the cover of Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” complete with dance moves. They may have been a while but they have lost absolutely nothing, brilliant.
The closing set came from the homegrown kings of the underground – Atmosphere. I have honestly never seen a sight like it in my life when “God Loves Ugly” was played and around 14,000 people threw their hands in the air, pumping back and forth, creating a human wave to gee on Slug and Ant. Slug was at his brilliant best with the crowd, sometimes loving them, sometimes jokingly dissing them – “How’d you know the words? Your old brother lend you a cassette?” – but always staying in control, keeping the spectators eating out of the palm of his hand. Hearing my favourite Atmosphere track, “One Of A Kind” was a highlight among what was an incredible set. They played to the packed out crowd as the sun went down before aptly playing “Sunshine” and signing off the single greatest day of hip hop I’ve ever experienced.
For an independent label to be able to organise an event like this, keep the price down to $30 a ticket whilst having a line-up as eye-popping as they did, is nothing short of a miracle. Every last word of praise deserves to go to everyone at Rhymesayers – Keep on doing what you’re doing and let’s get Soundset 2010 coming around soon!
Abjekt.
Shout out to Jake Money for the hook ups.
On a recent trip to Minneapolis to check out the Soundset Festival, Crossfire’s Abjekt got a quick word in with El Producto at the after-party.
The Def Jux head-honcho informed us that he is currently working on a new record and will look to finish that and then head back out to the UK for more shows. If the album is anything like his last record, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, it is going to be pure fire. Watch this space.
Tortoise are back with a new album ‘Beacons Of Ancestorship‘ out June 22nd on Thrill Jockey. Here’s the new video for the first single ‘Prepare Your Coffin‘ directed by Andrew Paynter and filmed & edited by Dan Wolfe who makes skate videos in his spare time. Look out for this soon.
The Ghost Of A Thousand celebrate their album launch on Monday June 1st with a FREE party at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes in London.
The band were interviewed here at Crossfire this week. Click here to read it.
Coming July 2009, Blessed Are The Sick – Dual Disc, reissued in a deluxe Digipack complete with a bonus 1 hour documentary chronicling the making of the classic second album and Morbid Angel‘s impact on the worldwide metal scene. Yay!
Enter The Ghost Of A Thousand. Since their 2007 release, This Is Where The fight Begins, the band have gone from strength to strength, with front man Tom Lacey leading the way in what is possibly one of the best live shows around.
What has followed has been a slow rise to the top of the hardcore tree. 2007/2008 saw the band tour relentlessly with shows alongside bands such as Gallows, Alexisonfire, Saosin and a slot at the Lock Up Stage at Reading & Leeds Festivals. This year, the band has signed to Epitaph and look forward to releasing their brand new second album New Hopes, New Demonstrations and festival dates at Download, Reading & Leeds, Relentless Boardmasters, Guilfest and more. Anthony Giannaccini took time out to find out what makes the Ghost tick with Tom Lacey himself.
What was it like re-locating to a different country for the new record?
I think we really needed to leave the UK to get it right, we get very easily distracted and if
we’d recorded in London or Brighton the non-stop drop-ins would have just wound me up in
the end, it was great to be left alone for 5 weeks to get on with things.
Did your new surroundings have any effect on the sound/feel of the new album?
Not really, obviously Pelle was the key influence and to be honest we very rarely got the chance to go out into Stockholm as we were working so hard. Pelle was amazing though, a very funny man and a very strange man which suited us down to the ground. I think he brought the more deranged edge that the record has out.
What is ‘New Hopes, New Demonstrations’ about? Is there a particular message you’re trying to put across with this new record?
It’s about realising that the things that defined your youth are being taken away from you, and the things you do to try and retain them. I think if it has any message it’s that it’s not always going to turn out how you want, but you can salvage some good things from the wreckage of your life. You know, jolly stuff.
You’ve now picked yourself up a quite a considerable fan base through touring , press exposure and word-of-mouth; what was it like in the earlier days of the band back in Brighton when the crowds maybe weren’t so big?
It was bollocks, but every band has to do it and growing up playing in front of one of the most notoriously indifferent crowds in the country does a lot for toughening you up, making you keen to win people over rather than assuming they think you’re great.
You have a lot of festival dates booked for the summer, how do you approach these shows in comparison to your normal, smaller, indoor venue shows?
The same to be honest, we’re assuming that we’ve got people to win over at both types of shows. Maybe we try and keep the mood a little lighter at festival shows, keep it fun and fast.
Since signing to Epitaph, do you have any plans stateside for the near future?
Not as of yet, its Europe that we’ve got to get out into more at the moment, the US can keep for a while.
We’ve noticed you’re pretty keen on wearing some of the skateboard brands out there; do any of you rate yourselves as skaters?
I’d say a solid 4 out of ten as Gaz and Andy can skate to some degree, where-as the rest of us are fucking useless!
You’re fast becoming a band who is well-known for an intense live show; how do you keep yourselves going throughout a long tour?
Drink lots of water and try and avoid fast food, which sounds very dull but actually works. I don’t drink on tour anymore just because it was turning me into a ginger blimp!
Tom, we know you’re quite a well-established artist and have actually designed your new album artwork; does your work extend from there or do you prefer to dedicate your artistic time solely to your own band?
I love doing both to be honest, I been drawing for a lot longer than being in TGOAT, but they both help each other, people who know the band know I do a lot of our art so it kind of gives it a little brand power…hopefully I’ll get more work after our album comes out, we’ll see.
How do TGOAT approach song writing?
Jag tends to come up with the riffs and will knock them into shape with Andy and Mem, and then we’ll work out the vocal melodies on top of that. Pretty much every song we’ve written has been through several forms; we jam a lot of stuff out and test it live.
What’s been the biggest challenge TGOAT have had to face as a band?
Just getting better and writing the 2nd record was very tough, we find the whole process exhausting and very stressful, and it’s not getting easier!”
What advice do you have to offer bands out there that have just started out?
Fuck the MySpace off and stop worrying about shirt designs and merch, just get good live and get used to sitting in the van and going to practice. And print demos up and flog them, don’t just rely on people finding you online it doesn’t make the impact it used too at all.
Where, ideally, would you like to see TGOAT in a couple of year’s time?
Recording album number 3 in Nashville I think, although I couldn’t tell you with whom or what’ll sound like. It’d be nice to be playing some slightly bigger headline shows I guess, but we’ll see how we do.
Last words?
I like Ike.
The Ghost Of A Thousand release their amazing Epitaph album New Hopes, New Demonstrations on June 1st. Don’t miss it.
The Electric Ballroom
Camden, London
26.05.09
Last year Black Lips came to town and took out the 100 Club with an amazing performance. It was one of the shows of 2008. They then went one better at Heaven where the bouncers couldn’t deal with their psych garage rock and definitely could not handle the crowd, the result was nothing short of complete chaos. In 2009 though the naughty foursome are back in London for their big one, a date with the London massive at the Electric Ballroom, a venue that Trail of Dead filled to the brim last month and blew the roof off.
Tonight, the Lips get the place going with the wonderful singalong tracks from their second album Good Bad Not Evil. The band ploughed through classics such as ‘O Katrina’, ‘Bad Kids’ and ‘Veni Vidi Vici‘, songs you can identify only as theirs from an album that won the hearts of so many in 2007 and the reaction is massive. But things have changed since then. Their new album is not in the same league and the songs tonight show it. Guitarist Ian Saint Pé introduces “Drugs but after reminding the crowd of the title 4 times, the reaction is poor. It’s pretty fair to say that the new songs just don’t have that same punch to them and seem to disappear somewhat. The band seemed to have picked up on this too as they struggle to find momentum until single ‘Short Fuse’ lifts the place, it’s one of the only tracks from the new 200 Million Thousand album that is slightly recognisable. Latest single I’ll Be With You is a good example as the out of tune vocals wash straight through the crowd as they head for the bar, same as the barfly blues of new track ‘Starting Over’.
The band are clearly not happy with something tonight and after a long break, they return for an encore with Cole and Jared arguing over what track to play and a guy called John on drums. Jared left the stage for Cole to deliver the b-side to their debut single ‘Stone Cold‘, which left the audience er…exactly that. It hardly made for a happy ending and left the London crowd heading for an early tube and the band looking like they were going to have a punch up! But at least with this lot you know that something is gonna happen, maybe that’s the attaction as we still love them regardless.
This show was like a game of 2 halves. The good was great, but the new wasn’t even evil. Let’s hope the next time they come to town they have a plan of attack as the ‘drugs’ certainly didn’t work this time round.
Alexander Tate
Two Weeks is the album out by Grizzly Bear that seems to be rampaging through the woods of most publications this week. Check out the teddy bear’s picnic below and decide whether you fancy it or not…