Les Savy Fav performed a riotous warm up gig in Bedford on Saturday.
The New Yorkers played to an audience of just 150, playing a 70 minute set that saw frontman Tim Harrington coming to the stage dressed as a sailor, before changing into a hippy for the encore and explored the ladies toilets with a fan’s camcorder.
The Refectory, Leeds University
30th January 2008
Jared Leto’s background as an actor has certainly given him a taste for the theatrical. As the lead singer of Thirty Seconds To Mars, he conducts a live show which has a cinematic feel and keeps fans enthralled from start to finish.
In comparison, the opening act for the night, LostAlone, were rougher round the edges with crunchy guitar riffs and melodic sing-along choruses. They performed well, with spontaneous youthful energy although their songs could do with some variation to make them stronger.
By the time 30STM took to the stage an hour later, the venue was packed with fans holding their camera phones high in a sea of lights. The suspense built up as the intro music started and flashes of light threw the band member’s shadows onto the sheet covering the front of the stage, teasing anxious fans. As the drums to opener ‘Battle Of One‘ kicked in, the sheet was dropped and cheers erupted from the crowd.
This dramatic introduction made way for a slick, well structured set of songs mostly from their latest album, ‘A Beautiful Lie‘. Recent singles ‘From Yesterday‘ and ‘The Kill’ got the biggest reception and prompted fans to sing and scream the lyrics back to the band. The devotion mirrored that of fans of similarly charismatic bands like My Chemical Romance.
Each band member performed well, providing a musically stunning soundtrack and complimenting the band’s polished image. However, fans of gritty rock ‘n’ roll gigs would probably complain that there was lack of spontaneity, making it feel a bit flat. Occasionally the vocals were drowned by the guitars, but the encore really showed off Leto’s vocal abilities. He performed ‘Oblivion’, ‘Was It A Dream’ and ‘A Modern Myth‘ as a solo, which proved his vocals to be strong and also beautifully pitch-perfect.
For the final song of the evening, ‘The Fantasy’, the audience was commanded by Leto to take two large steps forward so they could all get a little closer. Unfortunately for some, that was a close as they got to him that evening as the after show signing was cancelled due to his illness. By the way he performed, you’d never guess he was ill.
Words and photos by Justine Trinkett
Norweigan songstress Ida Maria will be releasing a new single in March.
The Nesna-native will be releasing Stella on March 10th via RCA/Waterfall to follow on from her breakthrough singles Drive Away My Heart and Oh My God. An album is expected in the summer, so to tide you over, have a look at the video for Drive Away My Heart.
N.E.R.D. will play a one-off gig in London this summer.
Pharrell and his cronies will be hitting the Brixton Academy on June 14th, the day after they play the sold-out Isle Of Wight festival. That’s it.
Gnarls Barkley have announced a release date for their new album.
The Odd Couple will be released on April 14th and features the single Run which made its way online a couple of weeks ago. The record, recorded of course by Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green, will feature more live musicians than their debut St Elsewhere.
Simian Mobile Disco are to release a new EP.
Live From SoHo is an 8-track EP available through iTunes and features a live set they played in New York last October. The tracklisting is:
‘Sleep Deprivation’
‘Hustler’
‘It’s the Beat’
‘Animal House’
‘T**s & Acid’
‘System’
‘Scott’
‘Ladyflash’ (Simian Mobile Disco mix of The Go! Team)
Yes, John Darnielle is back with a brand new Mountain Goats album, the rather splendid Heretic Pride, which everyone in HQ know, I was pissing myself excited to get hold of after waiting for ages.
No return to the old-style, grotty lo-fi Panasonic boombox recordings, which I really wish he would do, but another well polished and beautifully constructed masterpiece. Having just featured on Aesop Rock’s recent track ‘Coffee’ (also incredible), Darnielle has taken a more positive outlook and sound with this album, compared to the slightly more morose and downbeat sounds of previous albums, such as All Hail West Texas, which wallowed in lost longing.
So, a happy album and happy singing from a very distinct voice that blows away the awful warblings and screeches of recent voclaists, ala Nash and Allen. Not many people can make folk music cool, but Mountain Goats do oh so very well, and combined with giving away opening track Sax Rohmer #1 for free and an incredible video filmed by Ace Norton (yes, that’s right, Aes Rock video director), Herectic Pride is one of my top albums for this year so far. A lot seems to suggest that Darnielle might go back to the ‘Hail Satan’ stylings if the latest collaborations and videos are anything to go by, all my fingers are crossed for that one, but for now, this is perfect.
When you think of the Wu Tang Clan, you can’t help but picture the Samurai obsessed rappers bounding around, ripping the hell out of beats in their own individual way. Their debut, 36 Chambers, is one of the all time classics and their has always been weight on their shoulders as people wonder if they can ever reach those heady heights again.
The feedback has been mixed, with some people saying it lacks bangers and others claiming the new laid back style shows another step in the maturity of RZA’s production. I’m firmly esconsed in the latter, as I think this album gives the Wu collective a perfect chance to show they’ve still got it whilst at the same time switching their style so they can move out of their comfort zone.
Don’t get me wrong though, there are some straight up flames on this record, Rushing Elephants being the perfect example of a heavy slamming beat which Raekwon takes apart on the opening verse. But it is the likes of The Heart Gently Weeps which uses a Beatles tune and the brilliant Wolves [which you can hear above], featuring the sublime George Clinton.
The Wu are back and it was well worth the wait.
Abjekt.
DJ Alibi is a Russian-Canadian producer on Tres Records, and when you’re on Tres Records, you’re basically acknowledged as being great. Home to Giant Panda and People Under The Stairs, it’s a label that guarantees smooth beats to get those heads nodding and those feet tapping.
Having heard the brilliant Let’s Ride featuring the initmitable styles of Insight on the vocals on DJ Alibi’s myspace, I knew I had to check out the rest of the album and when I did, I wasn’t disappointed. It’s full of summery hip hop goodness with great percussion and when he ropes in his MC mates Bamboombox, Insight and Giant Panda, it gives it an even greater dimension.
The track you can hear above is Guns Of Kabul, one of the standout tracks on a cracking record, and from the first second the drums come in, you’re hooked. Crank it up!
Abjekt
If you haven’t discovered Black Mountain yet, be prepared because they’re not what you might think. At first the name conjures up visions of Tolkein-esque ravaged peaks, but these Mountains definitely come with added technicolour. Imagine if Wolf Mother got trapped in the telepod from ‘The Fly’ with Deep Purple instead of Jeff Goldblum. That is Black Mountain. They combine psychedelic organ weirdness with heavy guitar chugging, which dives back down into slow droning harmonies – perfect for when you’re a little bit intoxicated.
Not surprising when some members of the band work in a Vancouver rehab centre for heroin addiction. The highs and lows these guys see everyday clearly come across in their music with the record getting progressively more droning and organ-driven. But it’s the beginning of the album that shines here, with the slow chord, string-laden ‘Angels‘ showing that ‘In The Future’ definitely tops their previous releases.
Moose