Aiden do an exclusive intimate acoustic set at the brand new FOPP in Camden on Saturday 11th February. Be there from 11:30am and come hang out with Kerrang! Magazine’s newest cover stars!
FOPP
Camden High Street
Camden Town, London, UK
Saturday 11th February
11:30am
www.aiden.org for all the band news.
Camden Underworld
31.01.06
Canadian pop-rock quartet Sloan were still relatively unknown in the UK even at the peak of their media attention when they were signed amid the flurry of major label activity that swallowed up and spat out alternative music in the wake of Nirvana in the early nineties.
They played at this very same venue some fifteen years ago to about the same amount of people as they do tonight, which isn’t exactly what you call progress. But then again, it’s fair to say that Sloan haven’t overly ‘worked’ the UK! This is the first time they’ve been here in five years and prior to that their attention to this island has always been sporadic. But then it would be. Sloan are absolutely huge in Canada and quite deservedly so.
You see, Sloan are officially better than most bands, fact! ‘How can you prove this is an undisputed fact,’ you may ask. Well, the proof is in the chemistry. Sloan contain not one, but four different singers and song-writers amongst their ranks. And each and every one of them is great. Jay Ferguson. Andrew Scott. Chris Murphy. Patrick Pentland. They all swap instruments, the all sing lead, and they all write the songs. And because of the fact (yes, get ready for another fact!) that they’ve been playing and living so tightly together for so many years, every song comes out sounding one hundred per-cent Sloan.
So, tonight is a rare ‘for fans only appearance’ by Sloan. There’s no support bands, the majority of the audience is Canadian and/or hardcore fans and the whole evening belongs to Sloan and Sloan only. They play a fast moving set that takes in old favourites amongst new tracks and rarely played tunes from their past. And they don’t leave us hanging around for two long before wheeling out the hits. Second song in and we’re getting hammered by Underwhelmed, their biggest hit from back in the day when grunge and terms such as ‘alt-rock’ ruled the world. It’s not hard to see why.
They pack the punch, dynamics and glorious pop-sensibilities of Nevermind era-Nirvana combined with the best of seventies pop-rock ‘ala Badfinger, Big Star and later on, Red Kross. The real joy is Sloan play with an enthusiasm and conviction that could almost fool you into thinking it’s the first time they’d ever played their most famous song. In the UK at least. Unsurprisingly, it gets the biggest cheer of the night.
From then on, it’s a blur. Although the band rarely sits still and constantly swaps instruments, the energy levels never dip, the harmonies are never less than spot on and the crowd, a room of singing and smiling faces, are having the time of their lives. You’d have to be a horribly sour human being not to enjoy this. Damn near pop perfection.
James Sherry
The heaviest of heavyweight UK Hip Hoppers, The Blacknificent Seven, release their second single U-Wot on 13th March 2006. Featuring the vocal talents of such hip hop luminaries as Roots Manuva, Est’elle, Rodney P, Skeme, Karl Hinds and Jeff 3, the single is out on Seanie T’s Dark Horizon Rekordz imprint, with an album to follow later this year.
Fresh off Seanie T’s quality hip hop imprint, Dark Horizon Recordz U Wot, the second hotly tipped single from their upcoming debut album, is a massive track that begs for loud, repeated spins. Still reeling from the buzz created by their first single, Ere Comes Da Black, hip hop’s most wanted crew are back in action.
Originally crafted in Texas, this lush NYC three piece going under the name of Calla have some beautifully crafted indie tunes that will melt in your mouth once you get past the dodgy band name and uninspiring artwork. I almost missed playing this as the sleeve said nothing to me personally but as soon as the first riff of flagship tune “It Dawned On Me” kicked in i was somewhat surprised.
This album has laid back steez in the guise of Ambulance LTD (also from NYC) if i could compare the arrangements, even production of the overall sound and vocals, but chuck in some Zwan and even Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin’s mellow solo stuff mixed with some Verve and you are close but left with no cigar. So, if you like to get down to beautifully, laid back indie with depth, then this album Collisions is going to your new best friend. It’s an undiscovered gem and i now have fallen in love with it!
The band are in Europe touring from the dates below:
Feb 13, 2006 Brighton, UK Freebutt
Feb 14, 2006 London, UK Barfly
Feb 15, 2006 Paris, FR Nouveau Casino
Feb 16, 2006 Amsterdam, NL Paridiso
Feb 18, 2006 Berlin, DE Knaack Klub
Feb 19, 2006 Hamburg, DE logo
Feb 21, 2006 Koln, DE Gebaude 9
Feb 22, 2006 Munich, DE Atomic Café
Feb 24, 2006 Bologna, IT Cova
Feb 25, 2006 Rome, IT Circolo Degli Artisti
Feb 26, 2006 Torino, IT Spazio 211
Feb 27, 2006 Milan, IT Transilvania
Mar 1, 2006 Brussels, BE Botanique – Witloofbar
Mar 2, 2006 Bristol, UK Uni AR2
Mar 3, 2006 Manchester, UK Blowout @ The Bierkeller
Mar 4, 2006 Liverpool, UK Acad 3 – club night
Mar 5, 2006 Birmingham, UK Bar Academy
Mar 7, 2006 Glascow, UK King Tut’s
Mar 8, 2006 Leeds, UK Cockpit
Mar 9, 2006 London, UK Islington Bar Acadamy
People just have to rock and this Nashville based quartet are no exception. Let’s Get Sandy is the latest single that will be lifted from Be Your Own Pet‘s debut album scheduled for release in March that was recorded in their home town of Treasure Isle with Steven McDonald (one of the main dudes in Redd Kross) and although this clocks in at just 1 minute long, the debut album is reported to have at least 30 minutes of music on it!
Stream this single if you like a short sharp shock stuffed full of raging punk rock and chaos! The band have just toured the UK but expect them to be back wreaking havoc more this year. Carnage!
Engerica have just been confirmed as the sole support for the upcoming Yellowcard UK tour. The dates are below:
2nd March London Astoria
3rd March London Astoria
4th March Manchester Academy
6th March Newcastle University
9th March Nottingham Rock City
10th March Birmingham Academy
11th March Norwich UEA
13th March Bristol Academy
The 6th March sees the re-release of The Smell with possibly one of the best videos this year and finally the 13th March sees the long awaited debut album There Are No Happy Endings released on Sanctuary Records.
www.engerica.com for all your Engerica interests.
The Dublin Castle
31/01/06
Up until now, the most famous thing to come out of Loughborough were sports stars from the university, but all that might be about to change. Taking to the stage for their first London show, Loughborough based four piece The Voom Blooms seem to exude a quiet confidence that makes you sit up, shut up and take notice.
Visually the easy comparison is The Libertines, but aurally they veer more towards Bloc Party with a healthy dose of produce energetic, melody saturated wonderfully guitar rich tracks that spin off the stage with ease. Brooding frontman George Guildford barely addresses the crowd but looks out with a steady gaze, drawing listeners in as if he has something you really need to hear. Tracks are edgy without being pretentious, rich with catchy hooks and unexpected turns. Every so often there’s a glimpse of vulnerability about the band, which is both engaging and just adds another layer. Politics and Cigarettes (to be released as a single in March) is just one of the tracks layered with edgy guitars, unbound exuberance – the push me pull you between on stage between Guildford and guitarist Craig Monk only adds to the pressure cooker of a set. Thought of Rena, Just Like Spies spin out with raw energy – The Voom Blooms perfectly showcasing their talents which have secured them supports slots for The Paddingtons and Babyshambles.
Whilst same same indie bands are flooding the music scene at the moment, The Voom Blooms have combined a very british sound with some great song writing, a quiet confidence in themselves and spot on live performances. As previously mentioned, this was there first London show – the first of many I’m sure. They can return to Loughborough safe in the knowledge they’ve gained a new batch of fans.
Do yourself a favour and check out their site at www.thevoomblooms.com
The Freelance Hellraiser has been announced as special guest DJ at selected NME Awards shows this month. Kicking off with the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah date at KOKO on February 10th, he will be bringing his party starting (record) box of tricks along to gigs by Arctic Monkeys, The Streets, Editors and Goldie Lookin Chain over the course of February.
Since crashing into the public’s consciousness five years ago when he spliced ‘Hard To Explain‘ by the Strokes with Christina Aguilera’s Genie In A Bottle and christened it A Stroke Of Genius, The Freelance Hellraiser has dedicated himself to soundtracking life’s great party. Through a relentless DJing schedule, and remixes for artists as varied as Ian Brown, Shakira, Editors and Christina Aguilera, he has helped bring songs back to the heart of dance music, and a playful glitterball strut back to rock.
No longer content with sprinkling musical fairy dust on the work of others, he has gathered around him a choice selection of collaborators and is about to claim 2006 as his own, starting with the release of a limited edition single on 27 February; Want You To Know is a heart affirming, Sunday morning anthem in the first degree, which is already receiving fevered support from the likes of Zane Lowe, Jo Whiley, Eddy Temple-Morris and Lauren Laverne.
You can hear The Freelance Hellraiser DJ at the following NME Awards shows:
Fri Feb 10th KOKO Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Sat Feb 11th KOKO The Dead 60s
Sun Feb 12th KOKO The Paddingtons
Tues Feb 14th KOKO The Zutons
Weds Feb 15th Astoria Goldie Lookin Chain
Fri Feb 17th Brixton Academy Arctic Monkeys / Maximo Park
Sat Feb 18th Astoria The Streets
Sun Feb 19th Astoria The Cribs
Mon Feb 20th Astoria The Bravery
Tues Feb 21st Astoria Elbow
Weds Feb 22nd Astoria Editors
Go to www.nme.com for more info.
On April 25th 2006 Burning Heart / Epitaph Records release the DVD Refused Are Fucking Dead. Directed by guitarist Kristofer Steen, it will be the first and last word on this most remarkable of bands.
“Refused are fucking dead…” With these words Swedish quartet Refused hammered the final nail into their own coffin and split in 1998 on the cusp of mainstream success. Their final album The Shape Of Punk To Come (sub-title: A Chimerical Bombination In 12 Bursts) transcended the hardcore tag and mixed jazz, socialism, punk, techno, straight edge, ambient and Situationist rhetoric to create a new form of protest music, their interviews, sleevenotes and communiqués littered with references to influences such as Guy Debord, Charles Mingus and Jacques Derrida.
With breakthrough single New Noise gaining substantial airplay the band split in the middle of a chaotic show during a police raid. Shortly afterwards they announced “We will continue to at every attempt, overthrow the class system, burn museums and to strangle the great lie that we call culture” and demanding that their images be burned “so that we will no longer be tortured with memories of a time gone by and the mythmaking that single-minded and incompetent journalism offers us“.
Refused Are Fucking Dead charts the band’s rise and their glorious explosion amid ethical disagreements, realised dreamsand much heat from the authorities. Musical differences? No. Refused slayed until the very last note.
All but overlooked at the time of release The Shape Of Punk To Come is now regarded as one of the most important punk rock records ever. Both musically and aesthetically, the band’s influence is widespread amongst today’s generation of bands – the likes of Funeral For a Friend, At The Drive-In, The Hives, My Chemical Romance and Muse have all cited the band as particular favourites. Meanwhile former Refused band members continue to make music with The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Text, The Lost Patrol and a variety of non-musical projects.
Check www.burningheart.com/refused for more info.
The Breakspoll Awards Party will once again take place at London’s Fabric on Thursday 23rd February and will be the perfect opportunity for the breakbeat community to celebrate the year that was 2005. Once again Radio 1 will play an active role in supporting the breaks community with Annie Nightingale presenting the awards alongside breakbeat don Danny Mac. Radio 1 will also broadcast live from Fabric as part of Annie Nightingale’s show.
Voting for the 2006 International Breakbeat Awards will commence on January 1st 2006, To register your votes just visit www.breakspoll.com
To continue the Breakspoll Awards celebrations Leyline presents Breaking Ground, The Official Breakspoll Aftershow @ SeOne club on Friday 24th February 2006. The After-Show will be presenting a whole host of award winning Breaks DJs such as Rennie Pilgrem, who has picked up Outstanding Contribution to Breakbeat three years in a row, as well as the Breakfastaz who won Best Breakthrough Act 2004/5 and mixed the first Breakspoll Compilation last October.
And as an extra special treat The Teamplayers Live band will perform which is the finale to an 18 month recording session with the leading lights in modern day breakbeat. The breakbeat rock band features Aquasky, UK Apache, Spyda, The Ragga Twins and Ban Jyang.
Tickets for the after party can be purchased here