heres sum nice pics featuring the alt bros.
Thursday 24 September 2009
FROSHERS
hey so its my first week living in the leeds! its a pretty cool place and freshers is pretty mint. Before i left nottingham i had two great gigs (dead swans and shield your eyes/crash of rhinos) both were mint but i won't really have time to properly write about them.
heres sum nice pics featuring the alt bros.
heres sum nice pics featuring the alt bros.
Tuesday 15 September 2009
SHottingham with hindsight
I'm getting ready to leave my home town: nottingham,uk (yeah robin hoods' hood). Despite the bad press (hence the "shot" in shottingham) it is a nice place with lots of lovely people:
here they are frolicking (more nostalgic nottingham pictures to follow)
As i prepare to leave this fair town for pastures greener (FUCK YEAH LEEDS!) i think back... 2 years ago, as a 16 year old, i would have sat here and said how shit nottingham is for live music, and how the rows of cringeworthy Rn'B and Dance clubs dominated the night life.
However now days i'm 18, i can legally drink and drive (not at the same time). I've become an optimist, so heres a bit about how good nottingham is... also heres a picture of me failing at packing
First off I ll talk about all the great club nights and promoters putting on ace bands. promoters are the guys behind every show, behind every leaflet stack near the bar, and every artsy poster plastered on a shop window. THere are a few of these guys around doing great things for the live scene and I'll start with the big name, Liars Club which is run by Ricky Haley. It has lots of cool bands and puts on some good events, and despite some troubles with dhp theyre still putting on lots of great gigs with some of the bigger up and coming bands(and dot to dot festival which is ace)
My favourite promoter is a little irish chap called Martin who runs Buttonpusher nights, he's put on basically every small but brilliant mathy/punk band thats come through nottingham since its launch in may and puts them on at the chameleon which is even better. He's good friends with derby based promoters Sexy, no? SEXY (made up of bands i ll talk about later) who but on similar gigs and have really cool posters which they sell.
Two other promoters that really caught my eye this year are Joel (Saurus), who put on a couple of gigs and was really good at getting a ace crowd to come along (he knows all the cool kids). Last is Leeds promotions company I'm Not From London who put on lots of gigs here. They are similaly ace but have died down a bit since buttonpusher came about.
we dont like clowns...
Anyway onto venues. This year I have basically made one my haunt, the Chameleon has all the best bands because all my favourite promoters love it, its cheap, the drinks are cheap and the venue looks and sounds great. Its a really rustic little pub/cafe above clinton cards in the square. Nearly impossible to find, you have to go through a narrow back alley and up some nondescrpt stairs to gain access. Well worth the trouble, its a lovely little place with eccentric staff who only serve about 4 types of drink, nice tables and a view of the centre. Then upstairs is the converted dining area. No stage just a big room with lots of sofas and big amps dotted about. Its awesome. In the summer it gets boiling, but thats almost part of the fun. I love it and recommend you to go see bands there ASAP.
Ok so next is the Bodega social which is run by the soul sucking big boys dhp group, who basically shit on the little dude and try to dominate nottinghams live venues. But that doesnt stop this being a great modern little venue with some great djs and a good sound. THe venue is upstairs, its very dark and the set up is quite weird (long room with a tiny stage and a bar taking up lots of the area) buts its got some charm. it has a nice smoking area too. O and 3 happy hours a day. Yay.
Seven (formerly Junktion 7) is the place to go if you're into metal and more edgy bands. Its big, its a bit grim, its cheap and theres a lot of metal heads who hangout there. Its splattered with years worth of posters so you cant see the walls. THe upstairs is very dark, a windowless room with a bar on the left and a small stage, it always seems to big and certainly too long for the bands it books. Has some great nights my friends Dj on aswell, notably tuesday has 2-4-1 drinks.
Rescue Rooms is one of the bigger venues in nottingham, and for that reason has a lot of big bands, bit its well suited for that. Its actually quite a light airy venue, with a high ceiling and a balcony circling the wall above. THe stage is nice and wide and it still feels intimate despite the venues size.
The Maze is a nice little pub a bit further out that the other venues, about 20 minutes walk from the centre towards mapperly. THe back room is small and a bit cramped almost with a decent sized stage, but has a really good sound and a nice feel to it. Good beers in here too, nice selection.
THe Running Horse is near Seven in canning circus, also quite a trek from the square. Its another pub, with some really nice eccentric owners and a really eclectic variety of bands. Jazz, rock, folk, singer/songwriter, blues ... old and young they bring them all. Its nice and intimate without being as crowded as the maze, Lots of seating too which is good. THe sound isn't great but its still a nice little venue.
mr hood looking cool
Last but not least where would the music scene be without its local bands... nowhere is the answer, so here is a celebration of some of my favourites. Most of them are mathsy punk bands. I missed out lovvers because they havent played here in like 2 years btw
Dead spex are pretty cool, they're the chameleons' house band (not a bad position to be in) and play what they call SPAZZ POP, which is basically lots of frenetic riffs and gang shouting while jumping about like At the Drive In. I guess they sound quite similar to blakfish but with more of a 90s hardcore feel to them, delightful chaps too and intense live. rock and/or roll!
Swizerland are really from derbyshire, but i ll look past that as they're fucking ace and involved with aforementioned sexy? NO! sexy promos. THey rip off cap n' jazz a treat but put some weird uk indie twist on it with the vocals (which at times are weak) and stuff. It sounds really raw and well layered, maybe not as complex as their midwestern idols but great. Not very nice guys though, bit unsociable (probably cos they're from derby).
These Waves are ace people too and also involved with sexy? NO! sexy promo. Heres a copypasta of what i ve said about them before: Really good post hardcore, mathrocky stuff with piercing shouty vocals and intricate walls of sound making for "banging tunes". Disjointed and edgy they sound like bands before them but with new vigour. They've really impressed me with real stage presence and an obvious fun attitude. Similaritys can be drawn with bands like Secondsmile and Meet Me In St. Louis
Why not, wonderland? "frickely" emo/twinkly guitar punk with some 80s hardcore and indie thrown in. They are frankly amazing, playing a wall of fast and complex guitar lines that almost jump away from the rhythm at times and shouty vocals to boot. Its great. theyve been compared to a lot of stuff but i think they sound like a lot of the bromo music coming out in america (future posts will explain)
Guilty Parents pretty new three piece creating "punk slime". THe band "feature the two best works of facial hair since ZZ Top". A very diy band who rip out snarling garage punk with a hardcore edge. Really dense sound, thrashy without being ridiculous, and some really well suited kinda shouty vocals.
Nephu Huzzbandkind of a grim band, they used to be a bit like slow dark math/artrock (kind of like ...ANd you will know us by the trail of dead) but recently went more noise-y, it suits them better though. THe vocals sound distant and the songs kind of have a sad ring to them, i cant explain it. Its really good though but the lyrics are a bit weak. THeyre doing something a bit different and its great. New song "no not ever" with a more punk approach is pretty promising.
THe petty thief is tim from brontide's s acoustic and folky singer/songwriter project. His guitar work and vocals are simple but really beautiful. It has elements of math which remind me of thing town needs guns or cats and cats and cats. Its brilliant and tim doesnt have the greatest voice in the world but it really suits the rustic and authentic sound of this music.
Buenos Aires (really from leicster) are another meet me in st louis inspired post punk band with math rock tendencys. THey sound a bit more pop than other bands like them though, which means they get compared to glassjaw and early biffy alot when really they are more intune with the 90s emo like cap 'n jazz. Recently they have taken things in a heavier direction though with more post hardcore elements. Complex and frantic they are a good band.
Union state massacre THese guys have been around for 5 years and just got back together after hiatus. Beautiful 6 piece instrumental (lots of them too) post rock. Best use of a glockenspeil i've ever seen. They make epic build ups and breakdowns with beautiful melodies, subtle bass, frantic drums and epic guitars. In the wall of sound everything feels so purposeful and planned. Its a bit like Godspeed or Mogwai but less experimental. ANyway its amazing and beautiful and moving.
heres a picture of the park near my house
here they are frolicking (more nostalgic nottingham pictures to follow)
As i prepare to leave this fair town for pastures greener (FUCK YEAH LEEDS!) i think back... 2 years ago, as a 16 year old, i would have sat here and said how shit nottingham is for live music, and how the rows of cringeworthy Rn'B and Dance clubs dominated the night life.
However now days i'm 18, i can legally drink and drive (not at the same time). I've become an optimist, so heres a bit about how good nottingham is... also heres a picture of me failing at packing
First off I ll talk about all the great club nights and promoters putting on ace bands. promoters are the guys behind every show, behind every leaflet stack near the bar, and every artsy poster plastered on a shop window. THere are a few of these guys around doing great things for the live scene and I'll start with the big name, Liars Club which is run by Ricky Haley. It has lots of cool bands and puts on some good events, and despite some troubles with dhp theyre still putting on lots of great gigs with some of the bigger up and coming bands(and dot to dot festival which is ace)
My favourite promoter is a little irish chap called Martin who runs Buttonpusher nights, he's put on basically every small but brilliant mathy/punk band thats come through nottingham since its launch in may and puts them on at the chameleon which is even better. He's good friends with derby based promoters Sexy, no? SEXY (made up of bands i ll talk about later) who but on similar gigs and have really cool posters which they sell.
Two other promoters that really caught my eye this year are Joel (Saurus), who put on a couple of gigs and was really good at getting a ace crowd to come along (he knows all the cool kids). Last is Leeds promotions company I'm Not From London who put on lots of gigs here. They are similaly ace but have died down a bit since buttonpusher came about.
we dont like clowns...
Anyway onto venues. This year I have basically made one my haunt, the Chameleon has all the best bands because all my favourite promoters love it, its cheap, the drinks are cheap and the venue looks and sounds great. Its a really rustic little pub/cafe above clinton cards in the square. Nearly impossible to find, you have to go through a narrow back alley and up some nondescrpt stairs to gain access. Well worth the trouble, its a lovely little place with eccentric staff who only serve about 4 types of drink, nice tables and a view of the centre. Then upstairs is the converted dining area. No stage just a big room with lots of sofas and big amps dotted about. Its awesome. In the summer it gets boiling, but thats almost part of the fun. I love it and recommend you to go see bands there ASAP.
Ok so next is the Bodega social which is run by the soul sucking big boys dhp group, who basically shit on the little dude and try to dominate nottinghams live venues. But that doesnt stop this being a great modern little venue with some great djs and a good sound. THe venue is upstairs, its very dark and the set up is quite weird (long room with a tiny stage and a bar taking up lots of the area) buts its got some charm. it has a nice smoking area too. O and 3 happy hours a day. Yay.
Seven (formerly Junktion 7) is the place to go if you're into metal and more edgy bands. Its big, its a bit grim, its cheap and theres a lot of metal heads who hangout there. Its splattered with years worth of posters so you cant see the walls. THe upstairs is very dark, a windowless room with a bar on the left and a small stage, it always seems to big and certainly too long for the bands it books. Has some great nights my friends Dj on aswell, notably tuesday has 2-4-1 drinks.
Rescue Rooms is one of the bigger venues in nottingham, and for that reason has a lot of big bands, bit its well suited for that. Its actually quite a light airy venue, with a high ceiling and a balcony circling the wall above. THe stage is nice and wide and it still feels intimate despite the venues size.
The Maze is a nice little pub a bit further out that the other venues, about 20 minutes walk from the centre towards mapperly. THe back room is small and a bit cramped almost with a decent sized stage, but has a really good sound and a nice feel to it. Good beers in here too, nice selection.
THe Running Horse is near Seven in canning circus, also quite a trek from the square. Its another pub, with some really nice eccentric owners and a really eclectic variety of bands. Jazz, rock, folk, singer/songwriter, blues ... old and young they bring them all. Its nice and intimate without being as crowded as the maze, Lots of seating too which is good. THe sound isn't great but its still a nice little venue.
mr hood looking cool
Last but not least where would the music scene be without its local bands... nowhere is the answer, so here is a celebration of some of my favourites. Most of them are mathsy punk bands. I missed out lovvers because they havent played here in like 2 years btw
Dead spex are pretty cool, they're the chameleons' house band (not a bad position to be in) and play what they call SPAZZ POP, which is basically lots of frenetic riffs and gang shouting while jumping about like At the Drive In. I guess they sound quite similar to blakfish but with more of a 90s hardcore feel to them, delightful chaps too and intense live. rock and/or roll!
Swizerland are really from derbyshire, but i ll look past that as they're fucking ace and involved with aforementioned sexy? NO! sexy promos. THey rip off cap n' jazz a treat but put some weird uk indie twist on it with the vocals (which at times are weak) and stuff. It sounds really raw and well layered, maybe not as complex as their midwestern idols but great. Not very nice guys though, bit unsociable (probably cos they're from derby).
These Waves are ace people too and also involved with sexy? NO! sexy promo. Heres a copypasta of what i ve said about them before: Really good post hardcore, mathrocky stuff with piercing shouty vocals and intricate walls of sound making for "banging tunes". Disjointed and edgy they sound like bands before them but with new vigour. They've really impressed me with real stage presence and an obvious fun attitude. Similaritys can be drawn with bands like Secondsmile and Meet Me In St. Louis
Why not, wonderland? "frickely" emo/twinkly guitar punk with some 80s hardcore and indie thrown in. They are frankly amazing, playing a wall of fast and complex guitar lines that almost jump away from the rhythm at times and shouty vocals to boot. Its great. theyve been compared to a lot of stuff but i think they sound like a lot of the bromo music coming out in america (future posts will explain)
Guilty Parents pretty new three piece creating "punk slime". THe band "feature the two best works of facial hair since ZZ Top". A very diy band who rip out snarling garage punk with a hardcore edge. Really dense sound, thrashy without being ridiculous, and some really well suited kinda shouty vocals.
Nephu Huzzbandkind of a grim band, they used to be a bit like slow dark math/artrock (kind of like ...ANd you will know us by the trail of dead) but recently went more noise-y, it suits them better though. THe vocals sound distant and the songs kind of have a sad ring to them, i cant explain it. Its really good though but the lyrics are a bit weak. THeyre doing something a bit different and its great. New song "no not ever" with a more punk approach is pretty promising.
THe petty thief is tim from brontide's s acoustic and folky singer/songwriter project. His guitar work and vocals are simple but really beautiful. It has elements of math which remind me of thing town needs guns or cats and cats and cats. Its brilliant and tim doesnt have the greatest voice in the world but it really suits the rustic and authentic sound of this music.
Buenos Aires (really from leicster) are another meet me in st louis inspired post punk band with math rock tendencys. THey sound a bit more pop than other bands like them though, which means they get compared to glassjaw and early biffy alot when really they are more intune with the 90s emo like cap 'n jazz. Recently they have taken things in a heavier direction though with more post hardcore elements. Complex and frantic they are a good band.
Union state massacre THese guys have been around for 5 years and just got back together after hiatus. Beautiful 6 piece instrumental (lots of them too) post rock. Best use of a glockenspeil i've ever seen. They make epic build ups and breakdowns with beautiful melodies, subtle bass, frantic drums and epic guitars. In the wall of sound everything feels so purposeful and planned. Its a bit like Godspeed or Mogwai but less experimental. ANyway its amazing and beautiful and moving.
heres a picture of the park near my house
Monday 14 September 2009
very sooooooooon
i will be posting some posts about scenes in the musical sense. Im trying to do something a bit unconventional and expose all my favourite bands quickly without having to bore you with 80435 posts... it probably wont work BUT THAT WONT STOP BE TRYING
heres a nice picture i drew to keep you interested... its hiptastic
heres a nice picture i drew to keep you interested... its hiptastic
Monday 7 September 2009
Hair Traffic Control
this post will be very factual so get out your notepad
hair traffic control are a pretty cool 4 piece (when you get past the silly name) who've had attention from some pretty cool labels (big scary monsters stuck them on their "to let" unsigned compilation a few months back). i told them i d write some stuff a while back but becuase im dumb i forgot.
on their new ep (let's do lunch) they make cool music like (i love doing this nme style band referencing to inadequately describe a band) the frentic fuzzy sounds of lightning bolt crossed with the more refined aspects of giraffe? girrafe!.
instrumentally this music is really sophisticated. The guitars arent as clean as their math pop contemparies, and i m sure neither are the band memebers. Not a bad thing though and when combined with fuzzy bass lines and solid yet fraught drums combining for a few awesome wall of sound moments.
honesty is my middle name (that was a white lie though, sorry) so i will say at times the vocals seem out of place and at times detract from the brilliance of their instrumental work (particulaly on the opening song "hobo gauntlet"). But i'm just picking holes in what is really good and inivetive music. Check 'em out: MYSPACE HERE AND BUY THE EP HERE
hair traffic control are a pretty cool 4 piece (when you get past the silly name) who've had attention from some pretty cool labels (big scary monsters stuck them on their "to let" unsigned compilation a few months back). i told them i d write some stuff a while back but becuase im dumb i forgot.
on their new ep (let's do lunch) they make cool music like (i love doing this nme style band referencing to inadequately describe a band) the frentic fuzzy sounds of lightning bolt crossed with the more refined aspects of giraffe? girrafe!.
instrumentally this music is really sophisticated. The guitars arent as clean as their math pop contemparies, and i m sure neither are the band memebers. Not a bad thing though and when combined with fuzzy bass lines and solid yet fraught drums combining for a few awesome wall of sound moments.
honesty is my middle name (that was a white lie though, sorry) so i will say at times the vocals seem out of place and at times detract from the brilliance of their instrumental work (particulaly on the opening song "hobo gauntlet"). But i'm just picking holes in what is really good and inivetive music. Check 'em out: MYSPACE HERE AND BUY THE EP HERE
Sunday 6 September 2009
Leeds Festival 27-30/8/09
HEYA, so it was Leeds (festival) time again and yes i'm a sell out and a gimp going to leeds... how uncool of me.
Anyway leeds obviously meant more coke fueled sex parties and skanking out to the one and only DJ OD (he's from holand) than i do on a normal weekend.
Somewhere inbetween these things i saw some bands which i vaguely remember, so i m filling in fuzzy details with lies and quotes.
THurseday evening was DTTR's lineup (a leeds label started by wiskas from forward russia) on the BBC intro stage. It was pretty cool but the crowd seemed bored and just going becuase it was something to do and making trouble.
Holy State: Amazing live, they brought a really rocking set. Edgy riffs and banging tunes... shame the crowd was a bit tame for these when they were the only band of the night deserving it.
Airship: Pretty good guitar pop with a bit of dirt and some good angsty tunes. by this point the crowd was ridiculous "moshing" for the sake of it. i kicked a few in the shins but on the grand scheme of things didnt help.
Bear Hands: Not the best band of the night but they were alright, some good poppy guitar songs again with a bit of an mgmt vibe. my friends hooked them up with pills later. Seemed like nice guys with pretty good Brooklyn accents but couldnt get us backstage (and their manager was full of shit and a tit)... A for effort, C for achievement.
Wild Beasts: brilliant folky and big sounding songs but the volume was too low and the gathering bored idiots thursday night brings combined with the idiots who think everything is rage against the machine when they get drunk kind of wrecked the atmosphere. Still a good set and it was nice seeing them.
I think i spent this night out of my tent (cramped up in the corner of someone elses) because my friends are sluts WHO STEAL MY CLOTHES AND GET JIZZ ON THEM... you know who you are...
"are you touching yourself"..."no its just warm down there"
Freeday:
The Computers: I think they have to be taken with a pinch of salt, the all white band uniforms, over the top vocals and art student look is an odd mix. Still i love them, awesome screamo punk with hillarity thrown in, some good riffs and banging rythm. I dont think the steward lady we talked to before really got it though.
Polar Bear Club: one of the best bands of the day, the main guy looked like he was on coke, punching the air and kicking the ground like he was being attacked by the world around him. SOmething about their performance screams AMERICAN HARDCORE BAND... amazing songs though and an amazing live energy despite a static crowd.
A Wilhelm Scream: Amazing hardcore band with a bit of a cult status. THey played a great set with as many head tearing anthems as you could want. ROCK AND ROLL.
Municipal Waste: These guys fucked me up, with their brand of sarcastic metal. Lines like "rip your face off and throw it on stage", high fiving in the crowd, and twin circle pits (or circle tits). Hillarious and baffelingly brilliant.( swore i saw male bonding rocking out to them)
"the moshotorium"..."so metal they piss jaeger and jizz vodka"
The Rakes: me and my friends were big fans of the first album (awwww bless our little indie hearts) and we noticed (watching from the back) just how much the vocal styles have changed and how its ruining both old and new songs. THey need to go back to their post punk routes and rethink things.
Hockey: Was really good and interesting to watch. By no means the most exciting band but they played a nice set with a few folky parts and a lot of harmonious soulful vocals and jangly guitars. Good times.
The Maccabees: NME tent was packed, sound was shit... was all around a bit of a loss really, but still glad i stayed to see xray and stuff. I think orlando needs to losen up a bit and look happier... i think the hypes gone to their heads and theyve betrayed their indie pop aesthetic.
65daysofstatic: I love 65dos live and this was no exception, although because of relatively long songs they didnt get through much material. Also it was very apparent the volume was too low for their sound. I went a little mental for radio protector as a last song, was intense.
At this point there was consumption of illicit substances ("pillz for the win") which is why i inexplicably liked the following bands-
Atreyu: i remember nothing but i m pretty sure it was good....
The Blackout: Ok actually they're alright (maybe its the annoying scene deep down talking) the guy who looks like patrick wolf dressing for a MCR concert can't scream or sing though, KICK HIM OUT, the other one can't scream but atleast he looks vaguely hardcore. Yeah pretty funny pop punk or emo or whatever you call it.
Bring Me the Horizon: Hand on my heart... one of the best bands of the day. It was mental and my face hurt after and I think i hated everyone there for a while BUT IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME... if the guitarist had jumped off the big pole thing and not climbed down it would have been insane... alas no. Anyway it was pretty br00tal and with a hint of sattired i thought it was amazing.
Pills kind of fucked us up at this point... I hit myself and tried to get people to break my nose (i believed karma wanted it broken..."PUT THE SPADE DOWN STEVE") after offending a small person (if you read this i m really sorry). Hollie lost the ability to understand the silent disco... every 2 minutes after explaining it: "OMG THERES A MAN IN MY HEAD TALKING... CAN YOU HEAR THE SAME THING AS ME... HOW DOES IT WORK". Pat fell over and explained his bearded women festish... chris lost the ability to move anything but his wrists and Joe thought he was having a heart attack... o us crazy kids.
Pat "your the most beautiful girl holl"
Joe "no i am"
Me "not with a beard like that"
Pat "i have a thing for bearded girls"
Then I sobered people up like a good little bunny i am... united everyone with pats help and helped chris find the floor... GOOD TIMES
Saturdon't:
Lethal Bizzle: would have been hillarious if i wasnt feeling sick and my feet didnt feel like lead weights... holding out for a gallows appearance wasnt promising. Yeah as you'd expect half arsed grime with shout along lyrics, jumping up and down and reminding him what his name is "WHATS MA NAME" (he shouldnt forget... its on his frickin t shirt).
Metronomy: I wasn't thrilled with the drumming but they sounded good all the same and the 3 pieces old vibe may be slightly lost in translation but they still play dancable, lovable yet quite dark pop music. Cool stuff.
Passion Pit: I really like some songs on record, but i think the producer on their work needs a medal. Live the vocals are weak and dreary, the drums and bass over powering and all the original psychopop feel lost. I cant even blame the NME stages crap sound... they were just bad.
Crystal Castles: Actually pretty good, disappointed with the sound quality and the stupid crowd at the nmecretion tent but it was cool and the jerky 8 bit tunes were so good. After getting crushed we went outside; watching on the monitors was pretty cool too (i think they went wrong... it was all messed up in black and white) I still think they should get rid of the drummer... maybe i just love drum machines too much.
Yeah so I only saw 4 bands and only one i really enjoyed saturday (whoops) and missed deadmau5 and MSTRKRFT due to excessive napping and a harsh come down from the day before. O WELL... onwards and upwards (i.e. more silent disc). It was rather a sober affair and soph did some suggestive air dancing... i kissed a boy and liked it (for £3... i'm a rent boy) then i had a good sleep so i was ready forrrr...
Sundaaaaaance:
Dananananaykroyd: Class as ever, every song was immense and they played as any self respecting band would, drunk and until they get turned off. Wall of cuddles mad me so happy and the sing along tunes were unbelievably amazing. The one band i saw with great sound on the crock of shit/radio 1 stage.
The Ghost of a Thousand: bit early in the day for some br00tal punk community head bashing but was still good, the crowd was pretty mental and despite one kid rocking out on his own in a lost prophets t shirt... pretty sound. They had a good sound and rocked it as would be expected. Stage antics and lots of jumping in the crowd.
KASMs: Best looking band of the weekend, the lead lady, blonde bassist and rawry are damn fine... damn fine. The music was pretty good as far as art rock female vocal lead stuff with scartchy guitars and shouting. Was really interesting to watch though, they are clearly really good musicians and stuff.
Minnaars: Absolutely ace, they managed (unlike some other bands) to make the bbc intro stage their own and playing a festival friendly set, ditching their normal technical setup for 6 and a half electronified songs (complete with backing tracks and a remix) was pretty awesome. THey jumped into the crowd and put on a mint show
"his guitars so high", "if it got any higher i think only cats would enjoy it", "i meant the strap was high...".
Bombay Bicycle Club: The sound wasn't great for them on the festival republic song and i feel their song choices werent great (the new stuff lacks the awkward sound of their old songs) but was still great and songs like the hill were really good. Also some guy in a mouse suit on stage rocking out was pretty cool.
Lovvers: Were clearly wasted and completely amazing, their noise punk anthems were mind blowing, their theatrics hillarious and ummmmm... well thats about it. At the end the guitarist fell over an amp and kept playing while squirming about... coooooool.
Two Door Cinema Club: T'was time for the transgressive stage which last year was amazing... I'd kind of written these guys off as another indie pop band that would have one good single and fade out but seeing as nothing was happeneing i went to saw them. First thing i noticed was that they had a drum machine (which is pretty damn cool) and then they played a set of really quality indie pop with brilliant clean hooks and tuneful vocals, occasional electronic elements and a tight sound. Somewhere between the xcerts, good shoes and late of the pier.
Saw will at this point... surreal moment (i thought he was at reading). He looked goooood.
Pulled Apart By Horses: the greatest cats in the world (despite what you heard) BLOOD, ROCK AND ROLL, THRASHY VOCALS, JUMPING UP AND DOWN and all my favourite songs. But seriously Tom funked his leg up big time and it was impressive he kept going. Fucking carnage man.
We then stayed for a bit of The Invisible who kind of sucked but had some cool fat girl fronting though (and a guitarist who looks like wiskas) DJs before were awesome though and we danced around a passed out guy with his duvet (affectionally dubbed buckaroo man as we stacked shit on him till he through it off) he had a plate on his head with the words "I MIGHT BE DEAD :)". 5 people couldnt rip the duvet away from him. When he got up there was a big cheer.
Future of the Left: I don't remember too much of fotl, other than the bassist was amazing, they rocked and it was all very funny... Ok so i remember a bit. Good shit if you like rocking riffs and hillarious vocals. RADICAL
SO then i got wasted on substances again and ruined everyones night (and missed DJ OD), woke up freezing and panicking about getting home... but i did so lifes good (thanks Joe's mum).
In conclusion: I MISS LEEDS, i miss the floor and jizz stains and fighting over last slice of pizza and smoking too much and DJ OD and all my friends.
HOLLIES BEST QUOTES OF THE WEEK: "omygod im hating on it so bad", "yes its like the ebst thing ever" "can you all be my favourite thing" "o no o no" "omg its so wet between my legs"
Comments
Anyway leeds obviously meant more coke fueled sex parties and skanking out to the one and only DJ OD (he's from holand) than i do on a normal weekend.
Somewhere inbetween these things i saw some bands which i vaguely remember, so i m filling in fuzzy details with lies and quotes.
THurseday evening was DTTR's lineup (a leeds label started by wiskas from forward russia) on the BBC intro stage. It was pretty cool but the crowd seemed bored and just going becuase it was something to do and making trouble.
Holy State: Amazing live, they brought a really rocking set. Edgy riffs and banging tunes... shame the crowd was a bit tame for these when they were the only band of the night deserving it.
Airship: Pretty good guitar pop with a bit of dirt and some good angsty tunes. by this point the crowd was ridiculous "moshing" for the sake of it. i kicked a few in the shins but on the grand scheme of things didnt help.
Bear Hands: Not the best band of the night but they were alright, some good poppy guitar songs again with a bit of an mgmt vibe. my friends hooked them up with pills later. Seemed like nice guys with pretty good Brooklyn accents but couldnt get us backstage (and their manager was full of shit and a tit)... A for effort, C for achievement.
Wild Beasts: brilliant folky and big sounding songs but the volume was too low and the gathering bored idiots thursday night brings combined with the idiots who think everything is rage against the machine when they get drunk kind of wrecked the atmosphere. Still a good set and it was nice seeing them.
I think i spent this night out of my tent (cramped up in the corner of someone elses) because my friends are sluts WHO STEAL MY CLOTHES AND GET JIZZ ON THEM... you know who you are...
"are you touching yourself"..."no its just warm down there"
Freeday:
The Computers: I think they have to be taken with a pinch of salt, the all white band uniforms, over the top vocals and art student look is an odd mix. Still i love them, awesome screamo punk with hillarity thrown in, some good riffs and banging rythm. I dont think the steward lady we talked to before really got it though.
Polar Bear Club: one of the best bands of the day, the main guy looked like he was on coke, punching the air and kicking the ground like he was being attacked by the world around him. SOmething about their performance screams AMERICAN HARDCORE BAND... amazing songs though and an amazing live energy despite a static crowd.
A Wilhelm Scream: Amazing hardcore band with a bit of a cult status. THey played a great set with as many head tearing anthems as you could want. ROCK AND ROLL.
Municipal Waste: These guys fucked me up, with their brand of sarcastic metal. Lines like "rip your face off and throw it on stage", high fiving in the crowd, and twin circle pits (or circle tits). Hillarious and baffelingly brilliant.( swore i saw male bonding rocking out to them)
"the moshotorium"..."so metal they piss jaeger and jizz vodka"
The Rakes: me and my friends were big fans of the first album (awwww bless our little indie hearts) and we noticed (watching from the back) just how much the vocal styles have changed and how its ruining both old and new songs. THey need to go back to their post punk routes and rethink things.
Hockey: Was really good and interesting to watch. By no means the most exciting band but they played a nice set with a few folky parts and a lot of harmonious soulful vocals and jangly guitars. Good times.
The Maccabees: NME tent was packed, sound was shit... was all around a bit of a loss really, but still glad i stayed to see xray and stuff. I think orlando needs to losen up a bit and look happier... i think the hypes gone to their heads and theyve betrayed their indie pop aesthetic.
65daysofstatic: I love 65dos live and this was no exception, although because of relatively long songs they didnt get through much material. Also it was very apparent the volume was too low for their sound. I went a little mental for radio protector as a last song, was intense.
At this point there was consumption of illicit substances ("pillz for the win") which is why i inexplicably liked the following bands-
Atreyu: i remember nothing but i m pretty sure it was good....
The Blackout: Ok actually they're alright (maybe its the annoying scene deep down talking) the guy who looks like patrick wolf dressing for a MCR concert can't scream or sing though, KICK HIM OUT, the other one can't scream but atleast he looks vaguely hardcore. Yeah pretty funny pop punk or emo or whatever you call it.
Bring Me the Horizon: Hand on my heart... one of the best bands of the day. It was mental and my face hurt after and I think i hated everyone there for a while BUT IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME... if the guitarist had jumped off the big pole thing and not climbed down it would have been insane... alas no. Anyway it was pretty br00tal and with a hint of sattired i thought it was amazing.
Pills kind of fucked us up at this point... I hit myself and tried to get people to break my nose (i believed karma wanted it broken..."PUT THE SPADE DOWN STEVE") after offending a small person (if you read this i m really sorry). Hollie lost the ability to understand the silent disco... every 2 minutes after explaining it: "OMG THERES A MAN IN MY HEAD TALKING... CAN YOU HEAR THE SAME THING AS ME... HOW DOES IT WORK". Pat fell over and explained his bearded women festish... chris lost the ability to move anything but his wrists and Joe thought he was having a heart attack... o us crazy kids.
Pat "your the most beautiful girl holl"
Joe "no i am"
Me "not with a beard like that"
Pat "i have a thing for bearded girls"
Then I sobered people up like a good little bunny i am... united everyone with pats help and helped chris find the floor... GOOD TIMES
Saturdon't:
Lethal Bizzle: would have been hillarious if i wasnt feeling sick and my feet didnt feel like lead weights... holding out for a gallows appearance wasnt promising. Yeah as you'd expect half arsed grime with shout along lyrics, jumping up and down and reminding him what his name is "WHATS MA NAME" (he shouldnt forget... its on his frickin t shirt).
Metronomy: I wasn't thrilled with the drumming but they sounded good all the same and the 3 pieces old vibe may be slightly lost in translation but they still play dancable, lovable yet quite dark pop music. Cool stuff.
Passion Pit: I really like some songs on record, but i think the producer on their work needs a medal. Live the vocals are weak and dreary, the drums and bass over powering and all the original psychopop feel lost. I cant even blame the NME stages crap sound... they were just bad.
Crystal Castles: Actually pretty good, disappointed with the sound quality and the stupid crowd at the nmecretion tent but it was cool and the jerky 8 bit tunes were so good. After getting crushed we went outside; watching on the monitors was pretty cool too (i think they went wrong... it was all messed up in black and white) I still think they should get rid of the drummer... maybe i just love drum machines too much.
Yeah so I only saw 4 bands and only one i really enjoyed saturday (whoops) and missed deadmau5 and MSTRKRFT due to excessive napping and a harsh come down from the day before. O WELL... onwards and upwards (i.e. more silent disc). It was rather a sober affair and soph did some suggestive air dancing... i kissed a boy and liked it (for £3... i'm a rent boy) then i had a good sleep so i was ready forrrr...
Sundaaaaaance:
Dananananaykroyd: Class as ever, every song was immense and they played as any self respecting band would, drunk and until they get turned off. Wall of cuddles mad me so happy and the sing along tunes were unbelievably amazing. The one band i saw with great sound on the crock of shit/radio 1 stage.
The Ghost of a Thousand: bit early in the day for some br00tal punk community head bashing but was still good, the crowd was pretty mental and despite one kid rocking out on his own in a lost prophets t shirt... pretty sound. They had a good sound and rocked it as would be expected. Stage antics and lots of jumping in the crowd.
KASMs: Best looking band of the weekend, the lead lady, blonde bassist and rawry are damn fine... damn fine. The music was pretty good as far as art rock female vocal lead stuff with scartchy guitars and shouting. Was really interesting to watch though, they are clearly really good musicians and stuff.
Minnaars: Absolutely ace, they managed (unlike some other bands) to make the bbc intro stage their own and playing a festival friendly set, ditching their normal technical setup for 6 and a half electronified songs (complete with backing tracks and a remix) was pretty awesome. THey jumped into the crowd and put on a mint show
"his guitars so high", "if it got any higher i think only cats would enjoy it", "i meant the strap was high...".
Bombay Bicycle Club: The sound wasn't great for them on the festival republic song and i feel their song choices werent great (the new stuff lacks the awkward sound of their old songs) but was still great and songs like the hill were really good. Also some guy in a mouse suit on stage rocking out was pretty cool.
Lovvers: Were clearly wasted and completely amazing, their noise punk anthems were mind blowing, their theatrics hillarious and ummmmm... well thats about it. At the end the guitarist fell over an amp and kept playing while squirming about... coooooool.
Two Door Cinema Club: T'was time for the transgressive stage which last year was amazing... I'd kind of written these guys off as another indie pop band that would have one good single and fade out but seeing as nothing was happeneing i went to saw them. First thing i noticed was that they had a drum machine (which is pretty damn cool) and then they played a set of really quality indie pop with brilliant clean hooks and tuneful vocals, occasional electronic elements and a tight sound. Somewhere between the xcerts, good shoes and late of the pier.
Saw will at this point... surreal moment (i thought he was at reading). He looked goooood.
Pulled Apart By Horses: the greatest cats in the world (despite what you heard) BLOOD, ROCK AND ROLL, THRASHY VOCALS, JUMPING UP AND DOWN and all my favourite songs. But seriously Tom funked his leg up big time and it was impressive he kept going. Fucking carnage man.
We then stayed for a bit of The Invisible who kind of sucked but had some cool fat girl fronting though (and a guitarist who looks like wiskas) DJs before were awesome though and we danced around a passed out guy with his duvet (affectionally dubbed buckaroo man as we stacked shit on him till he through it off) he had a plate on his head with the words "I MIGHT BE DEAD :)". 5 people couldnt rip the duvet away from him. When he got up there was a big cheer.
Future of the Left: I don't remember too much of fotl, other than the bassist was amazing, they rocked and it was all very funny... Ok so i remember a bit. Good shit if you like rocking riffs and hillarious vocals. RADICAL
SO then i got wasted on substances again and ruined everyones night (and missed DJ OD), woke up freezing and panicking about getting home... but i did so lifes good (thanks Joe's mum).
In conclusion: I MISS LEEDS, i miss the floor and jizz stains and fighting over last slice of pizza and smoking too much and DJ OD and all my friends.
HOLLIES BEST QUOTES OF THE WEEK: "omygod im hating on it so bad", "yes its like the ebst thing ever" "can you all be my favourite thing" "o no o no" "omg its so wet between my legs"
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