Bloc Party to headline NME Awards Tour 2016

Bloc Party have been announced as the headliners for the NME Awards Tour in late January and February of 2016. Also on the bill is Drenge, Rat Boy and Bugzy Malone.

You can check out the dates below.

The new Bloc Party line-up

Festival Review... Gathering 2013

To put it simply, Gathering Festival is a take on the Camden Crawl. Take this concept, apply it to Oxford’s Cowley Road, schedule in over 40 bands in 7 different venues all within a stone’s throw from the last and you’ve pretty much summed up the day.

Being a relatively new event on the music calendar – only in its second year – the festival introduces a variety of up-and-coming British bands mixed in with an ever-growing international line-up worthy of a major festival. This year saw the likes of London Grammar and Local Natives headline with other acts including Temples, Cheatahs, Waxahatcheeand Chloe Howl (to name but a few).

The day itself did not get off to a planned start after hiking out of the city centre to Cowley Rd in the pouring rain. The growing frustration of being very wet was not helped by the increasing queue outside the East Oxford Community Centre (wristband exchange). You couldn’t help but think that it should have been split between two centres or at a larger venue to accommodate such a large number of punters. Another downside being the intensity of the planned schedule with 44 bands to check out in only 10 hours – never an easy day (with most of the acts played within a 5 hour gap!).

Negatives aside, the music started on a good note as I took in an acoustic set from Fyfe – aka Paul Dixon. The short experimental acoustic set at the Truck Store brought glimpses of glitch-age crooning, a mix of folk-electronica and a hint of likeness to Patrick Wolf. The, now 24, Londoner was not short of fans as the intimate venue’s windows fogged with sweaty condensation – unsurprisingly with his back catalogue as David’s Lyre from 2010-2012. ‘Conversations’ and ‘Lies’ are delicate renditions which build with moody vocals to a spectacular climax, leaving the crowd wishing for more.

Another spectacular acoustic set followed at Cowley Road Methodist Church – this was thanks to songstress Denai Moore. The soulful musician played to a pin-drop silent crowd in the top attic which was weirdly a sublime setting allocation. The young Moore relayed tales of heartbreak and uncertainty in a raw, folk manner from her four released EP’s. Haunting opener ‘Wolves’ and equally poignant ‘Gone’ were serenely complemented by the intimacy that the venue fostered, with the best of all being ending the show - the stunning ‘Flaws’ which thumps bass echoes to hearty vocals. If you haven’t come across her before, I’d some her material up as a lovechild of the unpredictable pairing of Bon Iver and Lauryn Hill.

As queues stretched the length of two football pitches, I decided not to waste any time and had to skip headliners London Grammar. But with this I was lucky enough to encounter Dancing Years at the Bullingdon for the fourth time in their short existence (who started off as duo simply Joseph & David). Now they’ve recruited to become a six headed folk-pop outfit equipped with emotionally charged anthems that make you reminisce of times when Mumford & Sons weren’t commercial. The performance of one of my favourite tracks of the year, ‘Here’s To My Old Friends’, was the moment of the festival (personal opinion). Being larger and more hard-hitting live, the song has all the trappings of a glorious indie anthem but is richly layered with folk instrumentation, fragile lyrics and clear modesty.

LA’s finest Local Natives kicked off the later proceedings (post-nine o’clock) at the O2 Academy. The set burst into form from the offset with thunderous, throbbing drums for the excellent ‘Breakers’. The moustachioed Californian four-piece worked their way through a dynamic set with their characteristic harmonies synced to perfection (as is with ‘Warning Signs’). With two critically acclaimed albums to choose from, it was this year’s ‘Hummingbird’ LP which brought the highlights through easy slipping between tones – from the slow-burn touches of ‘You & I’ and the nostalgic ‘Columbia’, to the pacier temp of ‘Ceilings’ and ‘Three Months’. ‘Wide Eyes’ stood out owing to the most distinctive guitar riff intro mixed with rhythmic bass notes and tantalising percussion. Just like the former, ‘Black Balloons’ carried the addictive guitar into the live performance but this time with an extra intensity and mystery. As all four members sang lovelorn harmonies, drummer Matt Frazier shows his skills through predictable fan favourite ‘Camera Talk’, which sounded better than the original by bringing a summer reggae feel.

After I worked my way back to the Bullingdon backroom via a stop at the local kebab shop, I caught the last song of Cheatahsand what a raucous end it was. With a full room, the IAI favourites turned any uninterested crowd members into fan girls/boys with nothing more than pure talent, energy and showmanship. Drenge followed suit a while later (after a lengthy fix-up after technical problems) in the same venue. The Loveless brothers delivered a typical set of gutsy blues-punk with a side order of extreme sport like enthusiasm. To say the crowd weren’t up for it would have been an understatement – crammed in like sardines, it seemed all were alike sharks with a taste for blood. Months of touring self-titled LP has brought an edge to the live show and made them a formidable force exuding even more confidence and experience. Wave after wave of violent noise were spewed out from the wheel greasing of ‘Gun Crazy’ to the implosion ‘I Wanna Break You In Half’, resulting in a formation of a circle pit that engulfs almost half of the venue. Singles ‘Bloodsports’ and ‘Backwaters’ are a rabid, raucous scrap as always, which reach such high intensities that despite the non-existent security and barrier, many fans crowd surf through the mayhem (maybe to just get some fresher air). The demonic howls of ‘Face Like A Skull’ capped off a truly interesting trawl through Eoin and Rory’s primitive arsenal and untamed chaos.

My evening ended with Wolf Alice at the East Oxford Community Centre which boasted a small primary school-like hall as its vessel. Drawing a crowd too large for the venue, again I found myself in a room of unhealthy temperatures. The broad appeal of the band’s fusion of folk and grunge brought an array of interested fans, some hoping to hear the door-slamming frustrations (like that of ‘She’) and others the tenderness of ‘Bros’. Luckily for all, renditions of all songs pleased all audience members with new EP ‘Blush’ being played in full (not continuously in order, spread out over the set). A rapturous response is sustained throughout the 35 minute show as the London band played the sonically easy part of rock ‘n’ roll with soaring comfort. Frontwoman, Ellie Rowsell, oozed a feline cool that put her more than centre stage. However, Wolf Alice did not support the common misconception of female fronted bands which is that the lads at the back are often shuffling in the shadows – Joel, Joff and Theo were and are a unit that radiate a collective enticing sound and big stage presence. Storming angsty-rock prevailed with a tendency to send you back to (or continue) your bashful adolescence. The short but sweet set was brought to a close with the pop grunge racket of ‘Fluffy’ and with that the band, accompanied with Austin Williams (Swim Deep) and Drenge, head off to the clubs of Oxford to continue the party leaving behind a benchmark that only themselves will surpass in the future.

It was disappointing not being able to get to see Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs or Troumaca, but overall all Gathering left me feeling satisfied and eager to return. At around £20, a ticket offers value for money and with guarantees highlights and exhibitions from bands you may never have come across before.

Written by - Richard Maver

Drenge cover Arcade Fire's "Ready To Start"

Drenge performing Ready to Start by Arcade Fire on BBC Radio 1 with Zane Lowe. You can check out the cover by the duo just below!

Follow / [FACEBOOK]
Live / Autumn Tour 2013

Festival Review... Beacons Festival 2013

Lying in the North Yorkshire countryside, Beacons Festival is a hipster dream and common pilgrimage from many locals (from Leeds, Kendal, Bradford etc.). With many alterations and additions to this year’s festival, it was better than ever. The increased number of toilets, the increased amount of delicious food stalls, and the increased attention to detail makes this a strong contender for ‘Small Festival of the Year’. With the weather being sunny and pristine on Friday ad Sunday, the Koppaberg tent came into its own and the Urban Outfitters tent was flooded with music, fashion and art fans all weekend. The wind and rain on Saturday put a literal dampener on the festival, but this aside here are my favourite moments.

Top 5 Performances from Recognised Top Guns:

Django Django – Closing the festival and closing their 18 month non-stop touring, Django Django studiously perfected a headline slot. Bringing a psychedelic stage show along with their psychedelic pop craft showed why they had been granted this honour – running through their Mercury Prize nominated debut album, they had the audience swaying, swooning and leaving with a bit of swagger. The colourful show joint forces with the kaleidoscope songs exceeding any expectations. Highlights included fan favourites ‘Waveforms’ and ‘Default’ as well as ‘Skies Over Cairo’ which was announced as a tribute to all the people in the predicament in Egypt.

Bonobo – The Leeds legend ‘bossed’ a 2 hour plus set to end the first day with his stitched up samples and beats. His electronic wizardry carried through the air and had everyone dancing even to new songs from recent album ‘The North Borders’. As Simon Green (aka Bonobo) was placed back of centre stage on a pedestal, he was accompanied by a 6 or 7 piece band which added lustrous reverb and wholesome sounds. With aid from a female vocalist on many songs, the elaborate instrumentation showed why he is one of the north’s great modern dance acts. The only downside of the long set was the inevitable lack of variety and change in sound, the set lagged a bit at the end with a ‘samesy’ feeling.

Ghostpoet – In my opinion, the best performance of the whole festival (but I change my mind every day). With a much-admired Mercury Prize nominated album and new record ‘Some Say I So I Say Light’ under his belt, the softly spoken, gentle rapper was not short of classics. The laid back beats and hip hops rhythms echoed around the mainstage with fans in ultimate adoration. ‘Cash And Carry Me Home’ notably bringing the biggest reaction, and despite a microphone fault Obaro Ejimiwe finished his set alongside his band in dramatic fashion.

SBTRKT – Due to Solange dropping out, SBTRKT was given the opportunity to sub-headline with a DJ set. Although not his textbook live show, he filled the time exceptionally remixing songs off his album as well as up-to-the-minute hip hop and rap favourites from Kendrick Lamar. There’s not much to really say apart from you have to see this guy (live show or DJ set) before it’s too late.

Local Natives – Amongst all the dance acts and playing after the pleasing Gold Panda, it seemed Local Natives were a bit out of place at the top of the Beacons bill. Tugging at heartstrings, the band delivered a euphoric folk-rock set full of songs from both albums. ‘Airplanes’ and ‘Breakers’ being mainstream preferences. With such success from fellow sounding acts Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear (both themselves headlining bigger festivals), the LA quartet have big ambition and showed that they are made of the strong stuff.

Top 5 Performances from Up and Coming Bands:

Savages – After returning for a second year in a row, Savages delivered another undoubted highlight of the festival. With a packed out ‘You Need To Hear This’ Stage, the ladies delivered a powerful and passionate show, delving into their gothic post-punk late ‘70s sound with a steely Joy Division like edge. The cult heroes ran through their 45 minute set with no trouble; exuding confidence and emotion, they played faultless versions of tracks from their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Silence Yourself’. Vocalist Jehn heightening the liberating thrashing of the band with a thousand yard stare that catches each and every member of the audience. All the raucous bashing is calmed at the end of the set by ‘Fuckers’ which is a distant composed rhythm despite the name making you think otherwise.

Savages played:

City’s Full

Shut Up

Strife

I Am Here

No Face

She Will

Hit Me

Husbands

Fuckers

Childhood – With a high billing on their respective stage, it is obvious that this band mean business and with a few ‘indie classics’ under their belt they did not disappoint. With woozy innocence and a surprisingly big stage presence, the band pleased all crowd members with their shoegaze rich and dreamy melodies shown in ‘Blue Velvet’ and ‘Solemn Skies’. Briefly meeting the band out and about the arena the next day, they seemed very “honoured with the turnout” which grew with every beat they played despite the pouring rain.

Dan Croll – Just like the above artists, Dan Croll played a perfect set and potentially one of the best of the Friday. With catchy singles ‘Compliment Your Soul’, opener ‘From Nowhere’ and new favourite ‘In / Out’, Dan and his full band nonchalantly cruised through audience satisfaction and radiated a cool, likeable aura. The indie pop suiting the first day in the sun.

Drenge – There is only so much you can say about Eoin and Rory Loveless and their effortless yet massive bluesy rock. The combination of the simple set up of guitar and drums, and the natural chemistry blows all minds. ‘Bloodsports’ bringing the biggest reaction of the night as the noise echoes through the small festival.

Wolf Alice – Personal bias aside - fast growing London guitar outfit Wolf Alice + main stage tent = certain highlight of any festival. With this sum true, Ellie and her joyous companions blew away all punters with a taste of old and new by transferring what is on record into something completely new. A new beast. A raucous, untamed beast. The set included ‘Bros’, ‘Leaving You’ and ‘Fluffy’ with new tracks most likely being from recently announced EP ‘Blush’, and with what I heard it is unquestionably a record worth buying.

3 Bands To Look Out For:

The Wytches – Dark psychedelia, appropriately named ‘surf doom’. Expect howling guitars, drum wails and crashes, and an image that alike trying to get out of a bad trip.

Best Friends – Sheffield youngsters who parade purposefully sloppy garage rock accompanied with catchy choruses and fuzzed up vocals. Think a recreated Ramones who perform surf rock. Check out 7” ‘Surf Bitches / Grow Old’.

Ofei – Purveyor of innovative soul music, who turns a head to press and shuns modern media. With little to his name, he allows the stories do the talking and they do this quite loudly. A unique voice that you’ll learn to love due to talent alone.

 

Top 3 DJ Performances:

John Talabot – Enigmatic Spanish DJ and producer known for sun soaked, blissful, house music. Legend of the game and rightly so headlined the Resident Advisor stage.

Bondax – Genre drifting bliss that can’t be tamed. Watch out for these guys, I predict a rise in fame akin to Disclosure, but slower, steadier and more powerful due to relatively little pressure.

Floating Points – Gentle, jazz, house, melodic dubstep. Historic vinyl only affairs.

3 Performances Missed that maybe I should have seen:

Eagulls – Talks around the press tent, made it known that the Leeds punk band had the most raucous set of the weekend, with a crazy reaction of crowd surfers, mosh pits and an attempted invasion.

Ben UFO – One of the most influential DJs and producers in the north. From Leeds, he’s already racked up a discography including names such as James Blake and Pearson Sound.

Danny Brown – Raised on a diet of Dr. Seuss books, the 32 year old rapper is very rarely seen over on these shores. 2013 brings his third album which is known very little about, rumours to have feature from A$AP Rocky, Purity Ring and Charli XCX.

Top 3 Performances from Local (Leeds) Bands:

Sky Larkin – Loud, space fillers. Check out ‘Motto’.

Hookworms – Echo heavy rock ‘n roll. Check out ‘What We Talk About’.

Glassbody – Dramatic, heart-breaking, epic yet intimate songs from a school outfit. Nailed a funky cover of ‘Ignition’ by R Kelly.

Written by - Richard Maver

Top 10 bands to watch at Beacons Festival 2013

10 Bands To Look Out For At Beacons Festival 2013

Beacons Festival takes place over the weekend starting 16th August near the town of Skipton in North Yorkshire, and is a well respected local pilgrimage for northerners. The beauty of the festival is that it showcases lesser known acts, at a much cheaper price, but acts that have a lot of potential that usually go on to bigger and better things. Some say it’s hipster, some say it’s indie. Look at it as you wish, but you can’t deny the facts of the incredible line-up and fantastic atmosphere.

This year headliners include established acts such as Bonobo, Local Natives and Django Django; along with special guests including SBTRKT, John Talabot and ‘one of the most unique figures in rap’ - Danny Brown. Beside acts like this include up-and-coming and fast rising bands and performers like Gabriel Bruce, Dutch Uncles, Ben UFO, Temples, Eats Everything and infamous cult heroines Savages.

However, here is my list of the 10 (probably even lesser known) bands to check out at this year’s festival – having only seen two of them myself; it’s bound to be a cracking weekend.

1. Drenge 

Eoin and Rory Loveless hail from the White Stripes school of bluesy punk rock music: orchestrating noise from the simplicity of a drum kit, guitar and mic. This time making it angrier which is demonstrated by song titles such as ‘I Wanna Break You In Half’ and ‘People In Love Make Me Feel Yuck’. Debut single ‘Bloodsports’ was released in March 2013; and shows how these guys look set to give the likes of the Black Keys a fierce run for their money.





2. Wolf Alice

The new quartet (formerly only a trio), lead by Ellie Rowsell, are one of London’s hottest new guitar acts and have a swelling fan base. With only a few officially recorded songs available including personal favourite ‘Bros’, their popularity is undoubtedly down to their live show and it is not to be missed this summer. Expect blinding guitars, changing genres (from grunge to mellow rock) and a kind of intimacy from Rowsell’s sweet, understated vocals.





3. Childhood

Childhood comprise of four fresh-faced young lads who master the art of shoegaze summer rock. After stowing themselves away for a while to relieve pressure of a self-induced cloud of hype, the mysterious band have emerged with a sell-out single ‘Blue Velvet’ (released on House Anxiety) and a near perfect, rich and dreamy live show full of melodies and woozy innocence akin to The Stone Roses but with less swagger. Again like Wolf Alice, being advertised as one of the hottest guitar bands around and with little to give on the internet, they have a lot to give at their live shows and it’s not to be missed.





4. JAWS

These ‘surf-poppers’ from Birmingham have quite the following and buzz despite being relatively new – with a number of sell out shows under their belt. Being described as ‘the ultimate chill-out band’ and with tunes such as ‘Surround You’, they are a must see band this summer and will without a doubt bring some of that summer vibe we are all loving at the minute.





5. Bondax

Bondax’s evocative music seems to glide between urban sonic landscapes, avoiding classification. It has tinges of Disclosure but without the easy Radio 1 likeness; while incorporating elements of Post-Dubstep, R&B, and garage. The duo from Lancaster have crafted an intimate, electronic and blissful live show that reveals something new with each play. Despite the fact that Adam and George are still enjoying their teens, their music shimmers with a maturity and sophistication that belies their age; and with a fast selling headline tour for later on in the year, it is imperative you don’t miss this ate night slot.





6. Menace Beach

You know you’ve stumbled upon something worth paying attention to when you’re in love with a band before they’ve even managed to play a dozen shows. There’s been no time to dwell on things for Menace Beach; after a brief but enjoyable debut, they’ve now released the double A-side ‘Drop Outs’ and ‘Bad Medicine’ - it’s proof enough that Ryan, Liza and their band of merry cohorts (members of Hookworms and Sky Larkin have recently bolstered the line-up – both separately ones to watch out for themselves at the festival) have the elixir of dirty pop intellect radiating from every pore.





7. Department M

After pulling together after the fall of Grammatics, Owen Brinley has returned with the mysterious and captivating Department M. Maintaining the melodic ambition and creativity, the Leeds magician this time brings an undeniably worthwhile show (that’s hard to pin down and directly describe) that will surely flourish under festival conditions.





8. Thumpers

Being named as future support to Chvrches on their tour later this year, Thumpers are gaining momentum through this summer period with their kaleidoscope sound. Bringing memories in alt-pop form, the band prosper in catchy, buoyant and layered drums and synth. All this merged with androgynous vocals and shimmering guitars makes a dynamic that is perfect for a keen crowd.





9. Dan Croll

At the tender age of 22, Dan Croll has already attended the Paul McCartney-founded LIPA, won the Musicians Benevolent Fund’s Songwriter of the Year award and got a helpful leg-up from Communion Records pretty early on in his career. But don’t hate him because he’s gifted, the guy’s got something about him. Sounding a little like a more modernized, sophisticated Tom Vek, he merges folk templates with electronic instrumentation, always an alluring melody at its core – represented by lead song ‘Compliment Your Soul’.





10. Vondelpark
R&S Records signings Vondelpark fall somewhere between the forceful soulfulness of Twin Shadow and the introspective gloom of The XX. The band have released their debut album ‘Seabed’ this year in a world where instant indulgence reigns supreme. The albm provides some musical down-time; a holiday from the rat race. Slick and sultry downbeat electro pop that’s not afraid to get serious.
Make sure to check out the Soundcloud playlist below, featuring majority of the acts playing at this year’s Beacons.




Written by - Richard Maver