[LISTEN] Project Bongo - Keep A Secret

Dutch 5 piece Project Bongo have been enjoying their climb up both the USA and Global Spotify chart with "Keep A Secret", the lead track from their debut EP "Weekends". 

Musically, there's a hint of Two Door Cinema Club, a taste of Phoenix, a small dose of a slightly less mature 1975, and a sprinkling of The Knocks. Great references indeed. 

If you want bright summery hooks and some general good time sing-along vibes, definitely press play below. Take a look at the bands Instagram/artwork and it looks like these guys don't take themselves too seriously, which is mega refreshing, and surely makes for an enthralling and charismatic live show. 

When these guys hit the UK I'll see you there, front row. 

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[GIG REVIEW] Will Joseph Cook @ Barfly, Camden 23rd March 2016

Fresh from three mega-hyped and mega-packed shows at this year's SXSW in Austin Texas, including a prime time slot at Spotify's showcase, Will Joseph Cook and his band returned to London for a sold out headline show at the Barfly in Camden.

An extremely accomplished live performer, and now with an extremely tight band behind him, WJC played a handful of songs from his debut EP "Beach" as well as his new single "Girls Like Me" which received a massive cheer from the crowd and led to a huge singalong. Other highlights included as yet unreleased "Take Me Dancing" and "Water's Gone Cold", the latter an incredible solo acoustic track that silenced the crowd.


Seeing WJC live is a must in order to understand his unique talent, especially vocally, but his skills as a songwriter. As much as Jeff Buckley is an unavoidable but legitimate comparison, there are also hints of Everything Everything, Mystery Jets and Talking Heads. It's also worth checking out the video for "Girls Like Me", which WJC wrote and directed himself (see below). The scariest part is he's only 18... go figure!

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[GIG REVIEW] Saint Raymond @ O2 Academy Bristol 13th November 2015

Saint Raymond (20 year old Callum Burrows) is extensively touring his 17 track debut album "Young Blood" all across the UK through November and December this year, and It's All Indie were lucky enough to catch the opening night at Bristol's O2 Academy.

"Young Blood" has some fantastically catchy songs which, when backed by a full band, become much bigger and beefier than on record. As on the album, Saint Raymond opened with mega-anthem "Letting Go" allowing the crowd to warm their vocal chords too thanks to the momentous backing vocal chants throughout the chorus.

In truth, this was a pretty full on hour and a quarter, with other standout tracks being radio-friendly singles "I Want You" and "Wild Heart", although there was a perfect mid-set chill out to "As We Are Now" where Saint Raymond's band left him to perform solo.

Closing with title track "Young Blood" and a perfect indie-rock cover of Major Lazer's "Lean On", it seemed as if the first night could not have gone better for Saint Raymond, and that anyone else checking out the tour is in for a big treat.

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[GIG REVIEW] Jack Garratt @ Shepherd's Bush Empire, 4th November 2015

"#WTFISAJACKGARRATT"

... so says the slogan adorned onstage by the man himself at his prodigious, breathtaking sold-out Shepherd's Bush Empire show on Wednesday evening in West London.

Well here's my input..... Jack Garratt will become a superstar in 2016. Although clearly in the mind of tonight's audience, Jack Garratt is already a superstar. Jack Garratt is going to win the Sound of 2016 poll (...probably). Jack Garratt is one of the most accomplished, fascinating, yet humble live performers of our generation. Jack Garratt is going to release the best album of 2016. I could go on...

Needless to say this author is a big fan of good old Jacky boy, having first observed my ears melt upon hearing "The Love You're Given" when it was played by Zane Lowe in December last year - around the same time I had been offered the chance to go and see him live, at the Louisiana in Bristol, by my housemate who was promoting the show.

At the time he described 24 year old Jack as "a modern Jeff Buckley" and I admit that at first, that made me cringe a little. Vocally, however, and in terms of intensity of performance, I now see this as a very accurate description.

Here at Shepherd's Bush Empire, the crowd are instantly engaged by opening tracks "Water" and "Chemical" which showcases the technical ability Jack maintains throughout the set. Mixing this with moments where he communicates so openly and personally with the audience, there's never really a point where this venue feels its actual size.

A brave, emotive cover of the Disclosure & Sam Smith song "Latch" demonstrates the heart-wrenching effectiveness of Garratt's vocals, while also being so softly delivered that cries of "shhh!" could be heard all around the crowd. This level of emotion was sustained for Radio 1 favourite "Weathered", as Jack dedicated the song to a family member who had recently passed away, pointing out at the same time that his whole family were up watching the show from the balcony.

It's fair to say he knows how to bring things back up again though, as audience-screech-along "The Love You're Given" and set closer "Worry" prove. These are not only fuller, louder songs but they allow the audience a taste of Garratt's surprisingly sassy dance moves.

Jack Garratt is the very definition of a 21st century one man band. His vocals soar but draw you in. His guitar solos are infectious but have so much respect for the song. His one-armed drum work is frantic but so gracefully linear at the same time. With a headline show at Brixton Academy and a debut album both expected early next year, expect to see a lot more of Jack in 2016.

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[LISTEN] Mìo - Neverland (feat.Le Pie)

Dream-Pop is a particularly apt tag for the latest offering from Australian production duo Mìo, considering its title Neverland. With misty production, hints of tribal drums and sugary guest vocals from fellow Aussie Le Pie, imagine an early M83 demo combined with the melodies of Say Lou Lou's more recent singles.

"Everyone's working out, staying in.... I don't want to grow up now, meet me in Neverland. I'll be here  living life, making out with Peter Pan." 

Perhaps the beauty of Neverland, with its hooky chorus and distinct lyrics, is that it isn't trying to be something it's not. This is especially true when considering the vibe of Mìo's debut song Back To You; a bass-heavy, moodier, Massive Attack-esque track with Swedish vocalist Erik Lindestad that shows their ability to mix light with dark. In any case, it's well worth checking out both tracks below on their soundcloud.

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[GIG REVIEW] Sinead Harnett @ XOYO 14th October 2015

North London born and bred Sinead Harnett is certainly beginning to make a name for herself as a solo artist, following on from her success on feature tracks with the likes of Wiley, Disclosure and Rudimental in the last couple of years. Having not seen her live before, It's All Indie headed to XOYO, excited to see and hear for ourselves what all the fuss is about.

With the band already in full flow, Sinead emerged onto the stage dressed beautifully in all black, and as soon as she broke into opener "Days With You" it was instantly clear to all what a confident live performer she is; it's hardly a large stage at XOYO but she really did own it and you could feel there was an instant connection between her and the crowd. From the very beginning and throughout the set was the sense that this is music that will ultimately and inevitably find its way to a bigger stage in the near future.

Vocally on point, with towering crescendos, beautiful ad libs and soulful expression, this was a well crafted set that threw in highlights like "Boiling" (her track with Disclosure) and new single "Do It Anyway," while also managing to mix in two cleverly placed covers - an absolutely note for note rendition of The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" early on in the set, followed by a 90 second blitz of Drake's "Hotline Bling."

One refreshing aspect of Harnett's personality that shone through is how humbled she is by the support she is receiving, both online and at live shows. Throughout the set she thanked the crowd and OK, a lot of artists do, but by referring to her time spent being a function singer and while working at an American-style diner, there is a real sense that she has earnt this sold out headline show at XOYO, and she knows it too.

After closing with one of her more upbeat and hooky solo tracks "She Ain't Me," it occurred to me that her album, which is due next year, is going to be an interesting listen. Based on the mix between upbeat and downbeat in this set, it's hard to tell exactly where in the spectrum between say, Jessie Ware and Charli XCX it will end up being, production wise. One thing that's for sure, however, is that her mesmerising, heartfelt and energetic vocal is going to make sure it all ties together.

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Jamie Woon shares silky live performance of "Sharpness" from Konk Studios

"Sharpness" caused a bit of a stir in the It's All Indie camp when it was unveiled just over a month ago by Pharrell over on Beats 1. The first song from his long awaited second album, it seems Jamie Woon has perfected a modern twist on funky soul, with deep synth bass and glitchy drums combining beautifully with Marvin Gaye-esque melodies.

The fact that I really can't hear much of a difference between the actual single and this live version surely shows the quality of the musicianship on display. Looking back at when "Sharpness" first dropped, Woon commented "I'm really inspired by... having the band in the room. It's a dying art trying to record live players, so my starting point was that I wanted to hear a funky rhythm section." 

Seeing this video, his comments make even more sense. If this hints at how his album will sound, well then I just got a whole lot more excited!

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[LISTEN] Royce Wood Junior - Honeydripper

London-based producer/songwriter Royce Wood Junior's new offering "Honeydripper" is an absolute certified scorcher. Opening with a super-sensual guitar solo and a lazy, stompy, almost dubby backing beat, you'll probably find yourself on the verge of walking to the exact tempo of the song, and maybe throwing in a few crotch grabs just for good measure, which might well cause a few odd looks...

However, if people could hear this song at the same time, then it would surely make perfect sense! Pulsing, grooving and, dare I say it, shredding through the verses before glitching and skittering into the first chorus, this is actually very sophisticated and splendidly off-kilter electro R&B music that will make you think about the instrumentation and question what it is you're actually hearing, and I happen to like that a lot.

In addition, where RWJ is so clever is in consistently returning to the refrain "It's only unattainable love I can't do without." This is a hook so smooth it caresses you, helping to round off and justify the excess across the rest of the track, especially the various solos! It almost feels like this section is what gives him the licence to go a bit nuts inbetween.

It doesn't surprise me at all that Royce is rumoured to be working with the likes of Kwabs and Jamie Woon right now, and with the support of Annie Mac and Huw Stephens on Radio 1, might we be hearing more of RWJ soon? Something tells me this track live, either in a Radio 1 session at Maida Vale or at a festival next summer, is not only something to look forward to, but inevitable.

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[GIG REVIEW] WET @ The Lexington, Friday 11th September 2015

Brooklyn band WET are over in the UK for the whole of September, and during the month they're scheduled to play three intimate London shows. Last night, It's All Indie caught the first of these at the White Heat night hosted at The Lexington, with support from GIRLI.

WET's performance to this packed out North London venue was nothing short of spectacular. Their bass-fuelled, hypnotic indie RB, that at times enjoys a small dose of country through lead-singer Kelly Zutrau's accented vocal, became much larger and far more in your face than on record. 

Highlights of their 10 song set included "You're the Best", new album track (and purported favourite of the band) "These Days" and the absurdly catchy "Don't Wanna Be Your Girl". Zutrau's effortlessly laid-back melodies are designed to hypnotise and there was certainly evidence of that here, with the crowd often taking a while to begin applauding after songs, almost as if they were completely spellbound by each track and hadn't noticed it had ended! 

Having said that, Zutrau at times seems to shun being in the spotlight, twice asking for the lights to be turned down, which felt odd considering the quality of WET's whole set and her vocals especially. 

I'd strongly urge you to check out the next two WET shows this month and give this band even more support during their short trip over here, firstly at The Old Blue Last (September 18th) and then just around the corner at Ace Hotel (September 25th). 

But first, check out the video for "Deadwater" from their début album below.

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