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Music News

Frank Carter leaves Gallows & live video from Sonisphere

frankcarter_purelove_gallowsFrank Carter announced that he was leaving Gallows on Saturday during the band’s explosive Sonisphere 2011 Festival set. After 6 years of fronting the UK’s most exciting punk band, Frank is about to move onto pastures new with his new project Pure Love.

After speaking with him in the band’s dressing room on Saturday, Frank admitted that Pure Love was much different to Gallows in musical terms. Fans will realise pretty quickly that shouting and screaming will be replaced by crooning and singing. He told us that Nick Cave and QOTSA, had more in common with the new project with Jim Carroll (whose previous projects have included Suicide File, Clouds, Hope Conspiracy) and that they have been writing tunes over the phone and internet and hooking up whenever in NYC. The pair will be recording their debut album in September and then will hit the road later this year so look out for announcements.

As for Gallows, they will continue to play without Frank, and they are about to announce the identity of their new vocalist, who is said to be Canadian, in the coming weeks. Look out for the last remaining shows with Frank at the helm at the dates below and embrace the changes.

JULY 2011

10th SWANSEA SIN CITY
11th GLOUCESTER GUILDHALL
17th GUILDFORD GUILFEST ROCK CAVE
22nd COCKERMOUTH FESTIVAL
23rd ULU LONDON

Frank has this to say on leaving the band: “It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce my departure from Gallows. It seems that Gallows have hit a crossroads in our writing process and unfortunately myself and the rest of the boys have different ideas regarding the sound of Gallows going forward. Gallows have decided they are going to continue on without me and I wish the boys the best of luck for the future. Gallows will be fulfilling all of our current touring plans until August 1st so please come down to a show and help me make each show a total celebration!”

Watch the beginning and the end of Gallows’ amazing live set from the Sonisphere Festival from the stage here filmed by (we think) Frank’s Mum. We have had the pleasure of being very close to this band for 6 years and wish them all the very best with the 2 new projects. We will bring you fresh news when we get it.

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Live Reviews

DOT-TO-DOT Festival review Bristol

28th May 2011
Bristol

With a line-up of hard hitters such as Trail of Dead, Hurts, The Joy Formidable, We Are Scientists, Dananananaykroyd, Guillemots, Ed Sheeran and a host of local talent, the Bristol leg of Dot-To-Dot seems a scintillating enough prospect even if logistically it would be improbable to catch every act.

With the weather looking a tad dubious, I was pleasantly surprised at the turnout for Allie Moss. The promising singer/songwriter played some impressive folk accompanied by some flawless vocals to a nearly full capacity Thekla.

I headed across to the O2 Academy 2 next to catch some of Bravo Brave Bats. Valiant effort from the alt-rockers but lost in the fact the sound was terrible. Local party-core The Hit-ups open up the larger Academy downstairs to a sparse reception. Synth-laden bass driven post-rap with a mixture of quirky guitar parts energises the ever emerging crowd.

Before Ed Sheeran’s set I managed to bike it up the ridiculously steep hill to The Anson Rooms in time to sample the nu-wave antics of Idles. The racket was tremendous as they weave through a brooding mix of joy division driven melody with an epileptic dash of post-punk. The rest of the festival obviously didn’t get the memo as the band played to an almost empty room.

The bike ride down the hill was definitely easier and was just enough time for Ed Sheeran. After the non- existent turn-out for Idles, I realised the punters were all congregating at the O2 Academy which by this point was rammed. Internet super star and grime aficionado Ed Sheeran is on the brink of consequential success and the turnout showed it. Acoustically in tune with Jack Johnson that intermingles swift rapping and sweeping vocal harmonies, the power is in the delivery, mesmerising the crowd with his finely crafted performance.

It was time again to head back to the Anson Rooms. By this point I was pretty knackered and catching the end of Benjamin Francis Leftwich, who played a humble and subtle folk recital, was quite comforting. In stark comparison Dananananaykroyd explode next onto the stage. The duel assault from the animated front men was a real joy to watch as they arduously execute their brand of indie-punk. It was noisy, fun and cathartic. There was even a moment when the bouncy two broke through the barrier and was amongst the crowd flailing and blaring away with infectious enthusiasm.

I decided to stick around the Anson room for The Joy Formidable whose set annoyingly clashed with We are Scientists. I didn’t regret it as The Joy Formidable were immense. The indie-rock sound was big and bold with leading lady Ritzy Bryan taking the reins and guiding us though the intimately ambitious journey. It was truly hypnotic to absorb Rizty’s presence on stage while an array of songs from their acclaimed debut album ‘Big Roar’ resonated throughout the venue.

If The Joy Formidable was an insightful look at an act destined for potential success …And You Will Know Us by The Trail of Dead are a band that over the years never seemed to meet the commercial expectations put upon them however tonight they demonstrated that 15 years and seven albums worth of experience the still exude a youthfully blistering spectacle. They open with the indulgently epic ‘Will You Smile Again’ and set the tone for a passionately engaging performance. It wasn’t until ‘It Was There (That I Saw You)’ that the density of the sound really engulfs the entire place Within the bands frequent instruments swaps and relentless grandiose noise Trail of Dead blast out some tracks from their most recent release ‘Tao of the Dead’ such as the liberating ‘Summer of All dead souls’ and the fluid and dreamy ‘ebb away’ which seems to have rejuvenated their sound. A dynamic and solid performance from the legendary post-rock veterans and a perfect end to this year’s festival.

Lionel Taplin

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Live Reviews

The Sonics and Wire at Meltdown Festival 2011

Southbank Centre, London
18th June 2011

The now prestigious Meltdown is an annual festival staged at the Southbank Centre in London. In the past, the festival has been curated by the likes of Scott Walker, Ornette Coleman and David Bowie. Jeff Buckley’s final appearance in the UK, before his death, was famously at Meltdown in 1995 but this year’s event was organised by former lead singer of The Kinks, Ray Davies and his line up didn’t disappoint.

Supporting American garage rock legends The Sonics in the Royal Festival Hall are art punk Situationists Wire. Embarking on a set filled with flurries of distortion and clanging drones, Wire’s performance contains several tracks from their latest album. The radical four-piece continue to wind down to punk’s underworld with empowering chimes and jangles. Lead singer Colin Newman’s pessimistic vocals in the title track of new album ‘Red Barked Tree’ is a highlight of the evening for the London band. ‘Outdoor Miner’, from the classic 1978 album ‘Chairs Missing’ is as gloomy and heartfelt as ever.

The London band return to the stage from an encore with their final song ‘Pink Flag’. Despite enthusiastic demands from the crowd for more songs from the band’s earlier albums, Wire are more interested in continuing to experiment and play newer material. Emphasising this new direction bassist Graham Lewis ends the song by telling the Southbank crowd that “that’s about as pink as it gets”.

Introduced by Ray Davies as a group that are a “big part of American history” and “a rock band that were around way before The Kinks even had a car” The Sonics enter the stage. Opening with thunderous renditions of The Brandos’, ‘He’s Waiting’ and Barrett Strong’s ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ it is plain to see why the band’s stripped-down approach has influenced a lot of people in the rock music world, including the likes of Iggy Pop and Kurt Cobain.

Songs like ‘Cinderella’ and Little Richard cover ‘Keep A-Knockin’ (But You Can’t Come In)’ are delightfully raucous and garage rock classic ‘Strychnine’ prompts a large amount of the audience to swarm away from their seats and be able to dance closer to the stage. This is followed by the exhilarating ‘Lucille’ and the gut-wrenching ‘Psycho’. The latter is frantically performed and filled with lead vocalist Gerry Roslie’s signature neurotic screams.

Richard Berry’s warming ‘Louie Louie’, suitably the song that led to Ray Davies conceiving ‘You Really Got Me’, is the first song performed by the band after the encore. The sinister ‘Bad Attitude’ is the best of the bunch of new songs available on the latest EP release ‘8’ which is followed by their flagship tune ‘The Witch’. Raw and penetrative, the performance of this song epitomises what the Tacoma legends were all about. The Sonics were way ahead of their peers and predecessors, and tonight they lit the room. They played hard, they played fast, and it’s good to see them back.

Alex Penge

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music Reviews

Adolescents

“Fastest Kid Alive”
Concrete Jungle

adolescents_Fastest Kid AliveWhen it comes to the essential North American Hardcore Punk recordings, The Adolescents debut album is easily a requisite. Originally released in 1981 (on Frontier Records) these kids from Orange County, California totally nailed the pent up teenage angst of living in a conservative and sterile environment where they felt total alienation. The snotty frustrated message they unleashed in those songs has persisted in connecting with subsequent generations of outsiders, and remains as fresh and relevant sounding 3 decades later.

The bands subsequent history has been a turbulent ride of bust ups, break ups, make ups, line-up changes… and occasional new recordings… the last full length being 2007’s very credible “O.C. Confidential”…. and now the long threatened new album has finally landed. And was it worth the wait? Oh yes!

Original singer and bassist Tony ‘Reflex’ and Steve Soto are still firmly at the helm. Clearly, they are no longer adolescents, and the subject matter of their latter day material is reflective of that; with families of their own, the politics at the forefront of their consciousness are more global than personal. Their Governments war fuelled agenda does not rest well with the modern day Adolescents and forms an overriding theme to a big chunk of the songs (“Wars Aren’t Won, Wars Are Fought”, Peace Don’t Cost a Thing”, Babylon by Bomb”, “One Nation Under Siege”) but there’s a constant theme of hope and belief that this world could be a better place. And California might brand itself as the ‘Golden State’, but the barrelling “Serf City” paints a different picture, of a place that’s politically and socially stagnant…. “stare down the mighty coast, as you dive in to the pills, take another ride… it’s a roller coaster thrill”.

Tony’s pipes sound mighty good for a guy that’s been hollering his lungs out for over 3 decades! And the songs are awash with the bands signature surf laden hooks and loaded with a rush of fancy rocking rifs that will be sure to satisfy dedicated OG’s and groms alike… my wife just called out “this sounds like The Adolescents”… sure does…!!

Pete Craven

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Live Reviews

The Great Escape Festival
 live review

Brighton, UK
12th-14th May 2011
Words and Photo: Alex Penge

YuckBilled as ‘Europe’s leading festival for new music’ The Great Escape aims to recapture the intimacy factor of the Great British festival. This year’s headline coups include indie heavyweight Sufjan Stevens, instrumental hip hop innovator DJ Shadow and tropical punksters Friendly Fires.

The variety of artists on offer is certainly the USP of the Brighton-based event as legendary punk poet John Cooper Clarke opens proceedings. Failing to disappoint, the Factory Records associate delivers his wit filled recollections, including crowd favourite ‘Evidently Chickentown’.

Maintaining the festival’s tagline for new music, Echo Lake provide an onslaught of guitar combined with lead singer Linda’s impulsive harmonies. ‘One to watch’ billing for spoken word artist Ghostpoet is just deserves. ‘Us Against Whatever Ever’ and ‘Cash Carry Me Home’ preach through a vulnerable and sozzled British urban persona that is refreshing and poignant.

Next up are Warpaint and their tribal homage to The Slits is welcomed by the strong Corn Exchange crowd. The crowd is also treated with new single ‘Jupilee Real’ in what looks like a busy year for the band since the release of their acclaimed debut album The Fool last year.

The Radio Dept. supply the shoegazed chimes of the weekend with sheer Chapterhouse-like concentration of their pedal set up throughout. A misty-eyed set from The Antlers is without doubt the best performance of the weekend. Peter Silberman and co’s dream pop is able to spark spiritual imagery. Surely the three-piece are destined for big things in 2011, just like the year their Brooklyn compatriots The National had in 2010.

Nostalgia comes from the globally represented Yuck. Fresh from a tour around the U.S. the youthful band recapture late 80s indie rock of Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth combined with the distorted blares of My Bloody Valentine. The roaring chorus of ‘Get Away’ and the resounding ‘Hoiling Out’ are the highlights of a set filled with slacker pop melody.

Rough Trade’s Frankie & the Heartstrings close the weekend. The Sunderland group bring their own brand of anthemic C86 pop that Josef K would be proud of. Energetically climbing on the Hector House speaker system, lead singer Frankie Francis introduces the next song of the evening ‘Ungrateful’ to the intimate crowd. Blissful and delicate, the Orange Juice roots can be seen through ‘That Postcard’. A new song ‘Berlin Calls’ concludes the set and is almost 2011’s answer to ‘Kennedy’ by 80s indie pop legends The Wedding Present.

The Great Escape is a great alternative to the British festival circuit and certainly one that can no doubt claim to be the cleanest. With over 300+ bands at your disposal playing across 30 venues, the festival is sure to cater for music enthusiasts interested in seeing up-and-coming indie artists. Just be warned, expect to trek!

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Live Reviews

Bring Me The Horizon – live

Bring Me The Horizon
Brixton Academy
30th April, 2011

Yep, Bring Me The Horizon at Brixton Academy. How did such a band from Sheffield get to this point? Well, an exponentially expanding fanbase and the stunning of many a cynic and critic by producing two really-quite-outstanding albums (the last two) have really put the band on the map of Great Modern British Rock Bands. An accolade that is recognized pretty much the world over as the band’s success continues to increase in countries like the US and Australia. Add to all of this the fact that the band’s latest single ‘Blessed With a Curse’ has been added to the BBC Radio 1 daytime Playlist and you have all the ingredients for a kick-ass sell-out Brixton Academy performance. Well actually the band have brought even more to the table tonight with an unbelievable stage show which includes pyro, the signature massive flashing BMTH lettering, banners that fall to the ground at strategic points and some massive black balloons which descend and are bounded around by the crowd during ‘Blessed With A Curse’ creating a surprisingly ethereal and peaceful effect.

But aside from the massive production, BMTH put on a flawless performance, running around the stage as energetic as ever, clambering speaker stacks and generally making the audience not quite know where to look. At least everyone can hear the thunderous sounds which are entrancing all present tonight. The band have only just enlisted Architects’ drummer Dan to fill in for BMTH member Matt who has broken his arm yet you really wouldn’t know that they’ve only been playing together for two days. Everything is tightly wound and precise. Guitarist Jonah also proves his worth yet again providing vocals on ‘Fuck’ in place of Josh from You Me At Six who sings on the track on the album. It’s the new tracks from ‘There Is A Hell…’ that stand out in the live setting, sounding absolutely huge.

An encore which includes a spine-tingling rendition of ‘Crucify Me’ and eternal crowd-pleaser ‘Chelsea Smile’ goes down as well as the rest of the band’s set and this evening ends on a high which you get the feeling was needed by a band who have been plagued with misfortune on this run of dates. But the powercut in Bristol the night before that meant the band were forced to play acoustic and the breaking of drummer Matt’s arm a few nights previous don’t matter one bit tonight. It all comes together in spectacular fashion.

Winegums

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Reviews

Frontier(s)

Frontier(s)
There Will Be No Miracles Here
No Sleep Records

Chris Higdon, who used to front emo pioneers Elliott, is now the voice of Frontier(s), a band with few songs to their name as yet but a band who definitely deserve your time. Those who are familiar with Elliott’s yearning vocals and walls of guitar-driven sound will have some idea of what to expect from Frontier(s)who basically pick up where the band left off. There was definitely an Elliott-shaped whole in the music scene today and Frontier(s) are more than qualified to fill it.

This band’s soaring melodies and inimitable ability to encompass darkness and light with a searing guitar riff followed by an expanse of solid sound makes for an addictive sound quality which makes it hard to take debut LP ‘There Will Be No Miracles’ off the stereo. The record has an almost introverted feel, despite its melodic scope and weighty soundscapes. Its post-rock type of expansiveness sends shivers down your spine and there’s something ever so slightly more sophisticated about Frontier(s)’ approach to crafting music in comparison to Elliott. This certainly has something to do with advances in production since Elliott’s day but there is also a more worldly-wise feeling about Higdon’s lyrical and musical approach. It has been seven years after all!

Winegums

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Skateboarding Product Reviews

Review: Habitat Footwear – Quest

In 2009, Habitat celebrated their ten years of making high quality skate products and pushing a brand image that highlighted some of skateboarding’s more pure ideologies by expanding into the tough market of skateboard footwear. What I’ve always loved about Habitat was how their products are designed to not jump out at you; in a way they try to avoid attention by just doing their thing and knowing, deep down that they’re doing it right. This dynamic has been breathed into their footwear and I know I wasn’t the only one to give this notion a warm welcome; there are enough tacky hi-tops and regurgitated half cabs on the shelves now and we were in need of something reserved, practical and made with skaters in mind.

The Quest is one of the six models that dropped last year and my first pair of Habitat creptillians that have seen first-hand the darkside of the griptape. On first glance, it’s the perfect low-profile shoe: thin tongue, seamless toecap, smart colourways and vulcanised sole. It skates like a dream without the need for the often-redundant technical tomfoolery that’s attached to many a shoe’s description. As a vulc, the incredible board feel goes without saying but what sold this shoe to me was the comfort; there is a subtle inner-padding that’s frequently absent on low-profilers that feels awesome when paired with PU footbed. This was not a rushed business venture by Habitat, this model is a tangible example of how effective being proud and meticulous about your brand can be.

This particular model is one of three collaborative shoes with mid-century artist Charley Harper. The detail on the outside is so intricate that I wore the shoes for three days without even noticing it. But when you do… oh boy is this stuff legit. The outlines of various animals are very lightly engraved into the synthetic/nubuck outer with such precision that it’s an appropriate companion to the shoe’s practical rigor. I look forward to trying out another pair and you should probably have a go too.

Joe Moynihan

Austyn Gillette gives the shoe some loving below.

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Reviews

Kids & Explosions

Kids & Explosions
Shit Computer
Self-Released

First of all, and before you hear the inevitable comparisons from journalists that are somehow lazier than I am, Kids & Explosions does not sound like Girl Talk. The art of making music using the pastiche method of combining elements from existing pieces of music with other elements of existing pieces of music has become such common practice that people tend to confuse regular producers with mash-up artists, or worse, all of the above with Girl Talk. Rather than utilising nostalgic references and ADHD post-ironic pop culture twisters for the benefit of a party (like the Gregg Gillis’ frequently mentioned fraternity project, or 2manydjs), Josh Raskin has sat and watched that Four Loko-fuelled bandwagon roll away while piecing together ADD jams that favour melancholic glitches with expertly placed vocal samples that manage to evoke shoegaze textures and even post-rock build-ups every so often. The end result is a collection of songs that are at once listenable, memorable, bittersweet, quietly arousing and head-nodding.

Whether it’s when the layers of ‘Babies Of The Future‘ collide as RZA ‘brings the motherfucking…’ crescendo that refuses to conclude in a ruckus, or when ‘Swear Words‘ works as a comprehensive guide to exactly what the song title suggests over twee guitars we’re continuously presented with an oxymoron so obvious it would sound terrible if anyone else was making it. But it’s anything but terrible, and when album highlight ‘Use Your Words‘ builds from gentle piano and soft female vocal sampling to Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s ‘oh baby I like it raw’ line, recontextualised into one of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching things you could ever hear, you’ll be hitting the replay button more frequently than Josh has hit ctrl+v making the damn thing.

The album can be downloaded at whatever price you decree at Josh’s website. You can – and should – stream the album in its entirety there too, alongside suitably looped gifs.

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Live Reviews

Live Review: Helmet

London Scala
15.12.10

“We want to make London a regular stop!” declares Helmet vocalist/guitarist/sole founding member Page Hamilton, to obvious delight from the crowd. Indeed, it would be nice; this is Helmet’s first UK show in well over five years, and given that nearly two decades have passed since the release of their definitive ‘Meantime’ album, it’s just as well that their absence has seemingly made their fans’ hearts grow fonder.

Two of Northern Ireland’s finest alt-rock bands are on supporting duties tonight. LaFaro’s raw, visceral post-hardcore thrills deserve a far larger audience than a handful of early birds, but the band themselves don’t seem bothered, punctuating the Jesus Lizard-esque sonic mayhem with typical Irish bonhomie. Fighting With Wire plough a similar (but slightly more melodic) furrow, and win themselves a few more fans with the kind of rough-edged tunes that Dave Grohl used to write so well in the mid 90s.

Helmet have never been the most musically colourful of bands; with album number six dubbed ‘Monochrome’, and melody always in short supply. Heavy, dense, pulsating riffs layered over tight grooves is the order of the day, and as Hamilton and co rip into ‘Unsung’, it’s clear that said riffs and grooves still sound as imposing and gloriously bleak as ever. Appropriately enough, Hamilton still resembles a short-cropped drill sergeant, and the now-packed Scala starts to get increasingly sweaty as he coaxes shards of squalling noise from his instrument.

The band have arguably never quite recaptured their early 90s form, but recent record ‘Seeing Eye Dog’ is a worthy addition to the Helmet family, with highlight ‘Welcome To Algiers’ receiving a surprisingly warm reception. But ultimately, neither band nor crowd have youth on their side; so it is no surprise that the closing ‘In The Meantime’ incites a sea of pumping fists amongst the devoted masses.

Alex Gosman