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Music News

Watch: Godspeed You! Black Emperor at ATP

Some footage of Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s first live show in nearly a decade has surfaced online.

The video was shot at the GY!BE curated ATP event The Nightmare Before Christmas in Minehead and is a reassuring reminder for all those going to see the experimental Canadian post-rock collective that they are as powerful and stunning to see perform as ever.  Watch Moya below.

Notorious for its mystic, visceral and awakening effect on all parts of the body and mind, the song has always gone down well live, as regular Crossfire writer, Moose said of his own anticipation of the forthcoming shows last night, “if they play Moya I’d shit.”

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Live Reviews

The National – Live

The National
O2 Academy, Brixton
30.11.10

Words and photography: Caitlin Mogridge

Only The National could have a sell out tour, and fill the Brixton Academy three nights in a row and still remain relatively unknown. This band is like America’s secret export which people are only just discovering, but they already have three incredible albums behind them. I jumped at the chance to see them while they’re here, particularly after hearing the write-ups they got over the summer. It’s fair to say I was a little bit excited about this one.

They began with an incredible ethereal opening, then straight into Anyone’s Ghost. Anyone who knows this band will know the power they have live, and eerie looped visuals made it an incredible show to watch. Mistaken for Strangers got everyone singing adoringly, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the drummer who absolutely made this song live. He made it look effortless.

The set mainly jumped in between Boxer and High Violet but it all fitted perfectly, and ended up sounding like an extended greatest hits. You couldn’t fault a single track. A personal highlight of mine was Green Gloves, which had been powerfully enhanced with a piano and a brass section. I don’t think this song would have worked live without the added punch, but there was an obvious consideration for what would suit the venue and the crowd, and it paid off.

I was expecting quiet appreciation from the crowd but towards the end they couldn’t be contained. In the pit people were in a trance, packed in tight but still moving, and responding to every joke or intro. At the back, it seemed to be a couple affair and generally an older demographic, but that’s cool. We’d be proud if our parents had such good taste.

I couldn’t believe how fast the last hour went, but they came back on with an explosive version of Terrible Love before concluding with something none of us were expecting. The lights went off, the mics went off. The applause died down and they began an acoustic version of Vandalyle Crybaby. Everyone sang along, and anyone who shouted or spoiled the mood was told where to go by everyone around them. Suddenly the show became a group event which everyone was part of. It was the most incredible moment, and the best possible ending to their show.

I urge you to go and see them live if you can, I know I’d do it all over again if I could.

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Live Reviews

Rival Schools – Live

Rival Schools
16th November, 2010
Hoxton Bar and Kitchen

Rival Schools have a bit of a theme going on this evening. Frontman Walter Schreifels is fixated on the introduction of The Beatles’ back catalogue to iTunes. He has a little talk about it, starts a few impromptu singalongs to ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘Hey Jude’ along the way, usually when also tuning guitars or sorting something technical between the band’s *actual* songs. This banter works well in the confined environment of tonight. Barely anyone moves throughout the set as we’re all crammed in like sardines and transfixed by the band’s pure brilliance as a mixture of ‘United By Fate’ classics and new album classics-in-the-making are unraveled by the recently re-united band. Having played a few shows and festivals together over the past couple of years, the band have finally taken the next step towards a whole album of new material which is set to be released early next year. It only took ten years.

United By Fate’ tracks are unsurprisingly received the most rapturously, but the crowd is equally intent on hearing the new material and a couple of the more riffy tracks in particular stand out as potential equals to the material everyone already knows and loves so well. ‘Undercovers On’ and ‘The Switch’ are particular highlights as guitarist Ian Love’s riffwork blasts forth with potency and brilliance and everyone present sings their heart out. However, the evening predictably culminates with Rival Schools’ most-remembered song – ‘Used For Glue’. And it sounds every bit as thrilling now as it did ten years ago. That’s one song that will never get old to anyone.

Winegums

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Live Reviews

Trash Talk – Live

Trash Talk, Cerebral Ballzy
The Barfly
22.11.10

A word from the promoter before the show lets us know that this event is a couple of tickets away from selling out. It seems they completely underestimated something along the way as we get into the upstairs room to find it at possibly the fullest I’ve ever seen. Even for support act Cerebral Ballzy, it’s a bit of a strain to get any sort of view at all. And forgive us, but we don’t fancy being too near the front given both bands’ reputations for hurling objects (and themselves) into the crowd as well as a tendency to puke / spit / generally emit bodily fluids when on stage. Despite being confined to a small square near the back of the venue, it’s still possible to enjoy Cerebral’s exuberant take on old-skool punk rock and hardcore as they barrel through upbeat songs about “drinking til you puke”, “not having enough money to pay for the tube” and “girls”. It’s certainly obvious these guys are basically kids but that’s what makes their reinvention of the genre so potent and fun.

Trash Talk have pretty much lived in the UK this year and it’s clearly a big deal to them that this will be their last show in the UK until summer 2011. Even though that doesn’t seem so far away, I think it’s safe to say that the UK will be a touch more boring without their perpetual presence. Their music is somewhat darker than what has preceded tonight and menacing basslines are coupled with frenetic drumbeats and vocalist Lee Spielman’s shouty/screechy/growly sounds. Throughout the set, the mic is passed to audience members etc as Spielman literally climbs the walls of the venue (seriously, what is he holding on to?!) It’s almost as if the wirey, long-haired singer has been re-incarnated as Spiderman as he flips around, bouncing off the walls. Trash Talk have managed to carve themselves a niche in the live scene in the UK, somehow attracting indie kids and metallers alike to their frenetic live show and it’s safe to say that many will be awaiting their return with baited breath.

Winegums

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Live Reviews

Therapy? – Live

Therapy?
London Forum
19.11.10

“The last time we played here was when we released this single!” declares a grinning Andy Cairns, shortly before the spidery riff of ‘Turn’ incites roars of joy from the sold-out crowd. Indeed, it’s been a good few years since Therapy? have played venues of this size, but tonight many casual fans have been enticed out of hiding by a very tasty carrot; the prospect of the band playing their 1994 breakthrough ‘Troublegum’ album in its entirety. Unsurprisingly, faded t-shirts and beer guts abound, but this crowd certainly compensates in enthusiasm for what it lacks in youth.

Dinosaur Pile-Up aren’t about to spoil the early-90s revival party. Their marriage of breezy melodies with chunky, rough-edged power chords may have more in common with early Foo Fighters than with classic Nirvana, but there are too many good tunes on offer to dismiss these guys as a mere anachronism. They rock out with the kind of carefree simplicity that all too few bands have these days, and although the likes of ‘Love To Hate Me’ sound suitably huge tonight, it’s tempting to imagine the chaos that would ensure in a small, barrier-less club.

Therapy? have always been an unpredictable and forward-thinking bunch, which suggests that maybe tonight’s nostalgia trip is more of a treat for the fans than for the band themselves. Still, as Cairns and co rip into ‘Knives’, they certainly seem happy enough at the sight of the crowd exploding into action.

Therapy? gig veterans know full well that many of the ‘Troublegum’ favourites remain in their set to this day, and although ‘Screamager’ and ‘Nowhere’ sound as potent as ever, the lesser-aired songs are those that impress most tonight. Notably, the seismic rumble of ‘Unbeliever’ is lent extra ferocity in the live setting, and bassist Michael McKeegan leads the crowd in howls of “CHRRRRIST!”  for a suitably unsettling ‘Lunacy Booth’. These guys have the energy of bands half their age, and a brilliantly self-deprecating sense of humour to boot – with McKeegan proclaimed the ‘Evil Priest’ for the evening.

As ‘Brainsaw’ draws to a close, it’s clear that the band could call it a night at this point, and still leave most of the crowd happy. But we’re not getting off that easily, and they soon return to play a grab-bag of other Therapy? gems. The catchy riff of ‘Stories’ wouldn’t have sounded out of place in the main set, but the real treat comes in the form of their industrial-tinged early favourites ‘Meat Abstract’, ‘Innocent X’ and the closing, sample-infused ‘Teethgrinder’; a sweat-soaked crowd bouncing along all the way.

In terms of ‘Therapy: The Glory Days Revisited’, this will take some beating, but tonight has also served as a fine reminder that Cairns’ crew are not yet finished after 20 years of playing by their own rules. Long may they reign in black.

Alex Gosman

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Live Reviews

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone – Live

London, Luminaire
02.11.10

Ah, the Luminaire. This small north-west London venue deserves recognition – not just for its excellent acoustics, good layout and friendly staff, but also for its low tolerance of idiots rabbiting away on their mobiles whilst bands are playing. The day it becomes the O2 Academy Kilburn will be the day I flood the entire city with my tears of anti-corporate rage.

Tonight it’s playing host to Chicago native Owen Ashworth, better known as Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, and blessed with an ability to craft world-weary, lo-fi musical vignettes on little more than a couple of small keyboards. This is his last UK tour after 13 years and 5 albums under that somewhat unwieldy moniker; a pity, as last year’s ‘Vs Children’ record is arguably Ashworth’s best – more sonically expansive and varied than previous efforts, but with his knack for great storytelling very much intact.

Having toured with a couple of friends last year, he’s back to playing solo this time around, and his trusty keyboard/mixer set-up can’t quite compensate for the resulting lack of stage presence. Still, as he kicks off with ‘Harsh The Herald Angels Sing’, the assembled crowd seems happy enough, even though only a few are dancing.

In any case, Ashworth gets by on two things: the quality of his songs, and the sense of intimacy that he manages to create. Between renditions of ‘Killers’ and ‘Young Shields’, he lets his dry humour shine through: telling short anecdotes related to his songs, joking around as he rearranges his keyboard set-up, and fielding song requests good-naturedly. It feels more like the 21st century equivalent of a campfire gathering than any kind of show, and although his songs deserve a far larger audience than tonight’s, Ashworth ensures that his presence will be missed by those in the know.

Alex Gosman

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Music News

Prefuse 73 hits London

Prefuse 73 to play LondonGlitch-hop producer extraordinaire Prefuse 73 is hitting London for an intimate show this month.

The man behind such huge albums as One Word Extinguisher and Surrounded By Silence will play the Queen of Hoxton on November 28th. Ably supported by Anchorsong, it’s a chance to see the great man at a cosy venue. Pick up your tickets from here.

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Live Reviews

LED Festival – Live

August 27th-28th
Victoria Park, London

Though the cultural diversity of those attending the London Electronic Festival over the weekend was considerably wider than the polar-opposite crowds that flocked to the other two festivals taking place this busy bank holiday weekend past, it was evident that those present at the inaugural LED Festival could be split into two spheres like some sort of pretty neon-lit venn diagram. Those that came to have a great time with no intention of acknowledging any festival politics, and those who had come to stand-still and complain with a face that suggested they had more substances up their arse than the early 90s throwbacks who were busy tripping balls to Aphex Twin.

The negative reviews that have surfaced so far seem to be written by those who appeared bemused that they weren’t at London Stand-Still Festival whilst the overwhelming bass insisted otherwise. So rest assured, you can forget about the discussions of the rainy inception and foggy future of annual electronic dance festivals in rainy Hackney,  because this review won’t cover any of that. No politics, no eyebrow raises at the line-up. This review was written by someone who turned up to this festival expecting one thing, to dance like a mad twatter and embrace the sounds that bring humans closer together than any other thing in the world can, electronic dance music.

It should also be noted that certain acts were missed due to re-scheduling and other acts were missed because they’re obviously poops (I’m looking at you, David Guetta…) Here were the weekend’s best acts, interspliced with some wholesome home-made videos uploaded to the internet by fans. ‘Ave it democratic media.

Zombie Nation (Friday)

2010 is THE year to see Zombie Nation, better known as the guy who did that one techno song non-techno fans bought, sadly lesser known as the MPC wizard Florian Senfter, a live phenomenon backed by bizarre visuals and a genuine sense of surprise. This live act sees the already improvised basslines in his free-thinking german electro soundscapes become totally reimagined into whatever context he feels like on the day. And as they waver in and out of meticulously controlled disco beats the crowd are treated to bizarre visuals and a constant supply of pure, bastardized groove. Forza sounded heavier than ever while his Tiga-assisted Lower State Of Consciousness gently flowed in and out when the crowd deemed it necessary. A reconstructed Worth It took Hackney on a lengthy trip through intense oscillation and an early peak before the drinks had a chance to kick in. 2010 is the year for Zombie Nation because not only are his live performances better than ever but just enough time has passed for Kernkraft 4000 to sound not just fucking great, but completely at home in a set of underrated anthems that push electronica further than whatever else is trending on the hype machine right now.

Soulwax (Friday)

A strange rescheduling left Soulwax playing at a slightly more appropriate time than 5:45PM (which was not only too early for the sharply dressed Belgian techno punks but clashed with Zombie Nation, an unacceptable move). As the sky grew darker, and presumably as subtances legal or otherwise began to rise up inside, more people felt urges to dance and so they should for the Daewale brothers and co were on form as ever. Their set pulled in Nite Version classics along with newer remixes that you may not have heard on that CD with the longest name ever, including a stonking live cover of a weekend favourite and undisputable screw-facer from 2008, Raven by Proxy. It came from no where and became a hot topic on message boards before it even finished. Leaping from strength to strength, these guys embody modern techno.

Tiga (Friday)

Canadian DJ/vocalist/producer and the best friend of everyone in Europe, Tiga has been demanding attention lately with his notably more outspoken persona that shined on last year’s Ciao! and is currently adding a post-modern ego-centric irony to Chilly Gonzales’ a-ma-zing ‘Ivory Tower‘. For the increasingly rammed dance tent this bank holiday however he resumes the quiet hat-wearing, heavily concentrated house DJ persona that got him where he is, and this paid off. As the lights got brighter and the bodies got sweatier, Tiga’s exceptional grasp on electro-house and your own mind dimeshaaaan resulted in a glowing, neon-heavy set. Mind Dimension 2 kicked things off early with that shit-the-bed bassline still taking dancers that one step further, but it was the end of the set that saw the most peaks. As You Gonna Want Me saw London sing more loudly than they would to the essentially redundant Goldfrapp main stage flop later that weekend, the crowd were fired for a pulsating finish courtesy of an extended disco blitz in the form of Mr Oizo’s remix of Shoes. It’s not often that Hackney is filled with people screaming ‘SHOES SHOES SHOES SHOES SHOEEEESS SHOEEESSSS’ but it’s a rather pleasant place when it is.

Bloody Beetroots (Friday)

Italy’s Bloody Beetroots are very much a love or hate group, but they deserved that headline slot (in the dance tent, because the main stage really wasn’t proving to be worth anyone’s time) more than anyone else playing today. As a full band (performing as the Death Crew 77) their harsh regenerated rave punk sound is taken to higher dimensions that a few filters on a mixer cannot necessarily obtain. Firstly, they have a live presence and whether you think it is necessary or not, does not stop it from being exciting. As they fluidly Soulwax their way (who else mixes live electronic songs so well) through instantly classic blog and student dorm hits like Dimmakmmunication and Warp, the night reached a peak as a slow keyboard rendition of John Murphy’s In A House In A Heartbeat (the theme to 28 Days Later, and the backbone to a certain incredible BB song) built up a sweaty crowd into the last screw face moment of the day, when Cornelius got dropped. Amazing. Sure, they’re not as cool as people would give them credit, but they’re headline material, and barrels of fun.

Shy FX (Saturday)

Saturday’s line-up was notably more UK-sound oriented, particularly London centric, with some European influence courtesy of Annie Mac’s whateverispopular playlist. The second day highlighted the pioneers of drum and bass, breakbeat, UK techno, acid house, grime and dubstep and to give the organisers credit, was a tremendous line-up, so long as you looked at it from the right angles. Beginning the day with Shy FX was a good start, as the producer who broke from the jungle he created into a more popular take on the amen breaks with T-Power chose today to relive the sounds that were prominent almost two decades ago. Who wants their fingers on the pulse anyway when the sounds of 94’s Original Nuttah are still booming with life? 138 Trek got dropped, The Lighter got dropped, everything a kid growing up with a clubbing family in the 90s wanted to hear got dropped. Sadly there have been no videos uploaded online yet but that’s likely due to everyone vibesing and not playing around with their stupid bloody phones.

Aphex Twin (Saturday)

Forget every other act playing this festival, the entire price of the weekend ticket was worth to see Aphex Twin play for 90 minutes. Having listened to and loved his music since I can remember, seeing him perform a set of acid house everything was exactly what I hoped for. It also marked the first time in my life I unintentionally tried to fuck a dance tent. As you can imagine, dance tents are huge and there are a lot of humans in the way so I was unsuccessful, but, following on from Annie Mac’s dubwub he proved that he could mess around with the LFO settings in the same way everyone in London is trying to do, but simultaneously flip open the heads of everyone around and fill it with inexplicable drum hits and proper, proper acidic euphoria, melting away your head. Even Die Antwoord’s fluffy animal wearing stage-bombs weren’t a problem when the music was this hard. I can’t even write about it further because stuff like this should be left as it is. Aphex Twin is simply someone you have to see at least once in your life if you like dance music. He has otherworldly powers.

Leftfield (Saturday)

As one of Leftfield’s return shows, their headline slot gave many people a reason (and for some, the only reason) to hit up the main stage during LED, with enough hype behind it to result in Aphex Twin closing down the tent early enough for people to see it. While I’m sure everyone would have been happy to hear another 90 minutes of AFX’s light-and-sound drum rush,  the promise of a live performance from the earliest musicians to fuse dub into their techno was acceptable enough. And they were, legit stadium techno heads with early forward-thinking riddims like Release The Pressure and Afro-Left going down a storm with a crowd who obviously came to re-live the 90s this bank holiday. But it was the Rhythm and Stealth numbers that really brought the night to a climax; Afrika Shox is a song that should only be played through stadium sized speakers and the two-note bassline that makes up the equestrian watersport come nostalgic breakbeat anthem Phat Planet was enough to grant at least a couple of stars from the sneering critics. Extremely satisfying and fitting with the 1990s revival, a roster that blended the acts mentioned in this review would be enough to make a near-perfect festival line-up. As with searching for beats online, if you don’t like the blog then you can close the tab, but there is gold to be found if you seek it out. I am eager to see what they can pull next year after learning from this. What I learnt is that everyone should go out and dance more. That’s basically all that matters.

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Live Reviews

Sonisphere Festival – Live

Knebworth House
30th July – 1st August
Photos from P.G. Brunelli

Sonisphere is a young festival. Despite 2010 only being the second year it’s been in existence, organizers Kilimanjaro seem to have crafted a well-organised, enjoyable environment with an abundance of varied yet complementary acts. We certainly saw a rather strange mix of bands and this is probably the only review you’ll read that only takes in one main stage band.

Now extended to two and a half days, the first night involved us checking out new British talent March of The Raptors on the Red Bull Bedroom Jam stage. Their gnarly metal-tinged hardcore went down well with the amassed crowd and, though the sound was slightly scrappy, the weekend was off to a good start! Throw in an intense wave of instrumental madness from 65 Days of Static at the Bohemia Stage and some epic power ballads in the Strongbow Bowtime bar later in the evening and we were definitely feeling like we were onto a winner.

We’ll be honest. We didn’t get off to the earliest of starts on Saturday (or Sunday, but we’ll get to that). However, Little Fish provided a great kickstart with frontwoman JuJu’s Patti Smith-esque demeanour winning the band a whole host of new fans at the Red Bull Bedroom Jam stage. Good Charlotte were next on the agenda. Yes, you may laugh, but even though we knew they were likely to be fun, they actually sounded damn good too. Songs like ‘Girls And Boys’ and ‘The River’ (dedicated to The Rev of Avenged Sevenfold) are undeniable hits and when the band played a cover of Blink 182’s ‘Dammit’, it definitely sounded better than the original. Plus they get props for mentioning that they’ll be watching Gallows later.

Gallows are just standardly brilliant. No matter how many times you think you’ve seen them do it all before, it’s always entertaining. A circle pit round the outside of the tent they’re playing, a crowdsurfing Frank Carter, a crowdsurfing dude in a wheelchair and guest vocals from Eva Rolo Tomassi, Good Charlotte et al. What more could you want? I think I’m going to expect a crowdsurfing horse next time. Later in the evening, Polar Bear Club play to a considerably less-packed tent. But they don’t care, they’re just happy to be there! Lesser bands would struggle to rise to the occasion when faced with a sparse crowd but everyone assembled is loving it and the band are no exception. Ace punk rock played with heart. We tried to get to Therapy? later but we failed. The tent was overflowing with people intent on catching their heroes. Apparently there was a powercut though. Bummer. After that, it all goes a bit hazy…

Sunday starts off with the realization that we’re going to miss Henry Rollins do his thing. 11am? I don’t think so. We’re sad to miss out but sleep is necessary. We walk on site rather later in the day to the sounds of Slayer. Bring Me The Horizon play a frenzied set, rattling off their vicious quasi-anthems to an intent crowd. A barrage of crowdsurfers bring the carnage and guitarist Jona climbs way up to the top of the stage rigging mid-song, making it look easy and coming across like Spidey himself. We have to rush off towards the end but we later discovered that Oli Sykes’ dad even made an appearance. Bizarre. But very awesome. Hopefully they silenced a few haters with that incendiary performance.

Unfortunately, I only get to hear Placebo from a distance but by all accounts they play a stunning set, including an amazing Nirvana cover. Converge is next on our list and due to extreme exhaustion, we take it all in from our seat on a nice patch of grass in the corner of the tent. Still, brutal as fuck. Funeral For A Friend headline the same tent with an emotional set that marks guitarist Darran’s last show with the band. There are also plenty of guest appearances with Charlie Simpson and Oli Sykes (who apparently stepped in for a passed-out Matt once when he was just a fan in the crowd years ago) taking to the mic at various points of the set. It’s singalong central and there are definitely a few eyes welling up. A fitting send-off! Later on we get dragged to Tek-One at the Strongbow bar and really don’t want to be convinced but we kind of are. Woah that dude can drum. Wobwobwob, indeed.

You should probably book your tickets for next year.

Winey G

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Music Events Music News

Dam Funk, Rustie and more to play KOKO

Soundcrash have announced a very special night at London’s KOKO on September 4th to play out one of the last sunsets of an unexpectedly hot and rad UK summer. The line-up is very special indeed…

Stones Throw honcho Dam-Funk brings the modern funk in a full live set with Master Master, exciting new Warp producer Rustie plays an exclusive live set, Tokimonsta represents Fly-Lo’s eclectic beat-dropping Brainfeeder crew and Dimlite is down to bring his packed bag full of electronic soul too. Huge line-up! Get to it London heads.

Scroll past the flyer for a free download from Rustie. Treat yourself!

Rustie – Inside Pikachu’s Cunt by Crossfire Music