Gig Review... Enter Shikari @ The Hippodrome, Kingston, 17th January 2012

Enter Shikari have had an official number 4 album in the UK, if that's not something, i don't know what is. A band signed to an independent label, anything but mainstream, singing about real things with the killer force of hugely powerful music behind it (yes- a real band!) beating the likes of Adele and Bruno Mars in the UK charts.
And to top that all off, I saw them live last week, and it was hands down the best gig I have ever been to in my life.

Then came Shikari, fresh from the release of the album just a day prior, they were up for a party, and so were the crowd. The album played a huge part of the set, they started off with the euphoric System... just to keep the anticipation to full level then thundered straight into the massive Meltdown, literally a face melter, following it all up with Gandhi, Mate Gandhi, politically anthemic with a "open their minds" bass worthy of destroying any speaker stack sending the crowd into one huge moving mess. After this they returning to the ancient, crowd pleaser Sorry You're Not A Winner, ventured in to single Destabilise including the tasty Rout VIP mix ending causing a stir, following up with Motherstep/Mothership that is the most stepfilled dance screamo version of a song in existence. Second single Quelle Surprise, well it was hardly surprising with the chant "if you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything", turned the crowd into a unity of screaming voices against the system Rou Reynolds seems so lyrically keen on fighting.



Next came a breather straight from the new album in the form of Stalemate, as close to pop as Enter Shikari are going to get, complete with "Woooooaaaahs" worthy of a power ballad over a reserved synth backing before transcending in to the latest Adieu, Constellations,with glockenspiel and a guitar riff worthy of a lullaby while the lyrics sound something like that of Mike Skinner and a chorus and breakdown with longing whines of "we can explore space together forever/ I am lost, so lost/ you are the constellations/that guide me"

They then blasted out Juggernauts, causing madness, and returned to their might with Arguing With Thermometers, the latest single filled with the perfect mixture of Faithless-esque breakdowns and heavy guitars before uniting the crowd once again with Fanfare For The Concious Man, yet another political rant. Next they briefly fled the stage with a lack of conviction before returning amidst the chants to the incredible and aptly named

Hello Tyrannasaurus, Meet Tyrannicide and closing the set with a dubbed up version of most recent single Sssnakepit before spiralling into the real thing causing the crowd to descend into a pit of shoving and screaming people having the best time in the world.
Ending the concert on the words "Just push right back" seemed appropriate and fitting to end a crazy live experience filled with outrage at the world.
Enter Shikari are back, and this time, they've got even more to say.

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Written by - Daisy Edwards

Track of the week... Dive Bella Dive - Spend The Night Living (And I'll Ne'er Return)

Having blogged about them since September of 2011 it's safe to say that we've been with them since the beginning. This song has been with me for a while now and the band have finally made it free to download from their site. Dive Bella Dive are a Punk-Dance band based in and around the London area.



They've recorded their album in Paris and we've even got a treat install for you... it's called 'Jack The Ripper', it's a demo from the album, and they've even made a video for it too, just click at the bottom of the page. This is set to be an amazing year for this highly talented rockers. Yes they may not directly be 'Indie', but the gear they use on stage such as a GameBoy is something we are very fond of, weird and wonderful instruments. And to the way they play on stage, this band has such a glow around them, 2012 is going to be a good year for them, if not, I'll eat my own hair! But with 'Island Records' backing them, it definitely will be!

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Dive Bella Dive - Jack The Ripper (Demo)
Dive Bella Dive - Spend The Night Living (And I'll Ne'er Return)

Gig Review... Dive Bella Dive @ The Guildhall, Gloucester, 24th Septemnber 2011

A band I am very proud to know is Dive Bella Dive, we first 'Introduced' you guys to them back in August, and their first ever show was this one I am reviewing, and my gosh, did they rock! Dive Bella Dive combine their powerful vocals with great guitar riffs and hooks. They have just put up their very first track - A home demo so don't judge it - called 'Spend The Night Living (And I'll Ne'er Return)' and it's a rush of Punk combined with Dance and Rock elements. If I were you I'd keep an eye on them, with the record label Island backing them they will be big in 2012!



This was their first ever show under the name as 'Dive Bella Dive' and from the performance you would've thought that they have been playing as a four piece for ages! With a great front-man in the form of Barnaby, great past paced drumming from Benjamin, amazing Bass/Synth skills from Dan absolutely blew the crowd away! One thing I will take away from this gig is the truly astounding gear the band used, not forgetting to mention the Nintendo Game-boy that guitarist Sam used, which was a stroke of genius as it got the young crowd moving, dancing and moshing, really got the place bouncing, loved every second of their set!

Dive Bella Dive played:
Jack The Ripper
Son,I'm Alive
I AM NAKED
The Pokéjam
Here's To The Enemy
Alright
Spend The Night.

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Dive Bella Dive - Spend The Night Living (And I'll Ne'er Return) (Home Demo)

Introducing... Dive Bella Dive

Dive Bella Dive are a new Punk/Dance band from London signed to Island Records - the label that introduced U2, Amy Winehouse, Pulp and Bombay Bicycle Club, and their influences range from bands such as The Cure, The Clash and The Strokes. Coming together with backgrounds from Peterborough and Worcester to Seattle in the USA, they are also known for innovative for example home built synth guitars. So this may well just be a super-group in hiding... Imagine the children of The Cure and The Clash!



Dive Bella Dive combine their powerful vocals with great guitar riffs and hooks. They have just put up their very first track - A home demo so don't judge it - called 'Spend The Night Living (And I'll Ne'er Return)' and it's a rush of Punk combined with Dance and Rock elements. If I were you I'd keep an eye on them, with the record label Island backing them they will be big in 2012!

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Dive Bella Dive - Spend The Night Living (And I'll Ne'er Return) (Home Demo)

Album Review... Ima Robot - Another Mans Treasure

Here is a track by track Album Review of Ima Robot - Another Mans Treasure, the actual album on consists of an initial eight tracks, but the digital copy which can be ordered online has a bonus four tracks, which will also be reviewed here



Intro:

The beginning track, truly sets the tone for the rest of the album

Out of 10: 7/10



Ruthless:

The first single off the new album, it shows just how different the band has become. With Alex Ebert mumbling out words that could only make sense to him, it still has that sense of an Ima Robot song, but with four years of growing up, it's much darker touch gives it a truly eery feeling as you listen to it.

Out of 10: 8/10



Rough Night:

Ruthless perfectly medleys into this track, and the initial tone still remains. Starting the song off with the words "Sitting like an Indian...to see my friend again" (:52), the slow, direful beat coupled with his low voice truly hits home.

Out of 10: 6/10



Life is Short:

The album takes a slight turn for the happy here, with a tune that could adorn an ice cream truck and not be out of place at all, reminding us that life truly is short and all we need is love, whether it is right or wrong.

Out of 10: 7/10







Sail With Me:

More synth heavy, this song has a fairly simple beat, mixed in with morbid lyrics that has Alex Ebert questioning his own mortality.

Out of 10: 8/10



Pass It On:

Slightly repetitive, but truly heart warming, focusing mainly on the phrase "Pass it on and multiply your love" in a way only Ima Robot can do, it doesn't get boring at all, making it a really fun song.

Out of 10: 6/10



Shine Shine:

An all acoustic song, it's a fairly personal song, centring once again on the concept of love, and how it will always lead us home. With Alex Ebert singing with a much softer voice, its a very smooth song.

Out of 10: 9/10



Swell:

Maxing out at nine minutes two second, this completely instrumental song is not all that, there's something very pleasing about this song, a song that can be played in the background for hours on end and not really get tiresome, it doesn't force you to pay attention to it, and in its modesty lies its beauty, making a really relaxing song.

Out of 10: 7/10





Greenback Boogie:

A really fun song, more upbeat than the rest of the song. It is a bit more of a mature dance song, not exactly your little brothers idea of a dance song but something you can still get down and move around to.

Out of 10: 9/10



Victory:

A much more nostalgic song, this song resembles more what they were doing around the end of the last album, very anthemic and very personal, but still upbeat as hell.

Out of 10: 9/10.



Peru:

Another full instrumental, It is a really simple beat but very beautiful the whole way through, it easily enters your mind and gets you thinking, even though it says nothing. It really reminds you just how powerful the beat of a song can be in contrast to the typical lyricist.

Out of 10: 10/10



Ima Robot - Another Mans Treasure

Out of 10: 7.8/10



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With special thanks to Christian Zubia for reviewing this album.