Zebrahead: UK tour reminder
Posted by chips on Feb 28, 2010
Zebrahead UK tour dates. Only two weeks to go now..
March 16, 2010 - Southampton - Talking Heads
March 17, 2010 - London, UK - Islington Academy
March 18, 2010 - Yeovil, UK- Orange Box
March 19, 2010 - Peterborough, UK - Club Revolution
March 20, 2010 - Poole, UK - Chords (Shudder Charity Festival)
March 21, 2010 - Swindon, UK - Furnace
March 22, 2010 - Pontypridd, UK - Muni Arts Centre
March 23, 2010 - Birmingham, UK - Academy 2
March 24, 2010 - Norwich, UK - Waterfront
March 25, 2010 - Northampton, UK - Roadmender
March 26, 2010 - Manchester, UK - Academy 3
March 27, 2010 - Newcastle, UK - Academy 2
March 28, 2010 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City (Basement)
March 29, 2010 - Glasgow, UK - *VENUE UPGRADE* to Garage
March 30, 2010 - Leeds, UK - Cockpit
Detached: new “everything”
Posted by chips on Feb 28, 2010
Two weeks before they release their new EP None the Wiser, Detached will release a new myspace layout, new photos, and a new track, Dont Bite the Crust (and Say the Pie Ain’t Tasty) which will be the first on the CD when it comes out.
It all goes live tomorrow (Monday 1st March). Full details are on the band’s blog.
Skints AND Mouthwash dates
Posted by chips on Feb 25, 2010
More Rebel Alliance tour dates. Not like it’s a bad thing, but you do start to wonder when this lot sleep. Hanging upside down from a branch, perhaps.
MOUTHWASH DATES
14 April
Satan’s Hollow
MANCHESTER
15 April
Trillians
NEWCASTLE
16 April
The Underworld
LONDON
25 April
The Fighting Cocks
KINGSTON
THE SKINTS DATES
11 March
Unit
SOUTHAMPTON
13 March
The White Rabbit
PLYMOUTH
14 March
Timepiece
EXETER
18 March
The Star and Garter
MANCHESTER
20 March
The Borderline
LONDON
26 March
Ivy Leaf Bar
SHEERNESS
27 March
The Lounge Bar
ALTON
Sonic Boom Six: new tour dates
Posted by jamie on Feb 24, 2010
I’ve seen the SB6 with Jimmy T Boom in tow and it’s good times.
King Blues on tour
Posted by jamie on Feb 21, 2010
The King Blues tour the UK once the get back from Punkspring in Japan.
It gos on in April and May. See it on facebook here.
Before the Fire
Posted by chips on Feb 21, 2010
Dirty Revolution release ‘Before The Fire’, their first album on Rebel Alliance, in April. Exact date is still TBC.
NEW Skints headline show.
Posted by chips on Feb 21, 2010
The Skints hit with a headline show at the Borderline in Orange Yard, Charing Cross Road on Saturday 20th March.
Support comes from their newest Rebel Alliance collaborators, Dirty Revolution Milton Keynes skacore upstarts Anti Vigilante.
Tickets £7adv. See it on facebook here. Also, here’s a pic of me with Josh from AV.
Other March dates in place right now :
11th SOUTHAMPTON UNIT
13th PLYMOUTH WHITE RABBIT
14th EXETER TIMEPIECE
18th MANCHESTER STAR & GARTER
26th SHEERNESS IVY LEAF BAR
27th ALTON COMMUNITY CENTRE
Gecko: Stop, Look, Lizard!
Posted by jamie on Feb 18, 2010
Gecko
Stop, Look, Lizard EP
14th February 2010
Jamie
Few things spark the buzz that Gecko seem to have. Whispers about these guys have been really exciting, and their name’s popped up in some unusual places. A case in point was last Monday, when, while being hustled off a railing by a bald sound dude in a high-visiblity jacket, I chatted to mate of mine whose opinion I revere like he were Master Splinter.
I mentioned I’d been chatting on facebook to some random, a guy who’d said:
“it’s a shame there aren’t any good ska/punk bands around these days“
Yeah, I loved that so much I had to indent it. Anyways, back on the railing, I told my mate that I’d advised whatsisname to check out Kids Can’t Fly. “And, he says, have you heard of, I mean, you should have said he should listen to..” and then we both just stopped silent, paused, looked at each other, and said: “Gecko”.
Quite what would have made me tell the random to check out Gecko in that context is odd. They’re not a ska/punk band at all, but what’s odder is that Splinter would have recognised it. We’ve never spoken about Gecko before. To have the same thoughts as Master Splinter on this made me proud. It also reaffirmed my belief that everyone will fall in love with Gecko. For Splinter’s taste is both a little different from mine, and from a lot of people’s, and he’s very discerning. He’s aware of Gecko, and he’s very intrigued.
Stop, Look, Lizard is Gecko’s third EP, and the first time I’ve totally cleared my mind and spent serious time with their music. That’s as much down to a bad experience on the victoria line as anything else, but occasional singalongs of “Guanabana” have always brought joy. *heavy sigh*
Anyway, sorry. Carried away. Stop, Look, Lizard pitches up in a cute little yellow sleeve, is four short songs long, and, frankly, is so good it should be on the national curriculum. This is the sort of thing that should be given to everyone. If they do it with Wordsworth, they can do it with this.
For what, at first glance, would appear to be a clear and simple four song acoustic EP, a lot of thought has clearly gone in to the way that the songs have been put together. Six musicians feature on the disc, and, among the many and various different instruments, they all sing as well. It must take some jiggling around to fit them all in, and that, perhaps, would explain the innovative way that the songs have been arranged.
It’s a great example of just how good intelligent song-writing can sound: it’s the way they’re written and arranged that make these songs sound as good as they do. At once refreshingly clear, beautifully simple and yet at the same innovative, and a touch experimental, it’s acoustic pop at its breezy, uplifting, singalong best, and constantly hits just the right spot and yet keeps you guessing by taking its songs in unexpected directions and doing different things with its perfect little pop refrains and choruses.
It’s remarkable what they’ve managed to achieve with what could easily have been such simple songs and still have been just lovely. Instead, they’re developed, honed and almost evolved by the addition and the chopping and changing of different vocal and instrumental parts. It’s remarkable and really, really wonderful.
Laid-back, easy-going, soulful vocals stop and start, intermingle and harmonise across the four tracks, though Will Sanderson-Thwaite usually sings the lead. It shifts from a deep, throaty near-growl in places to a rich, smooth singing voice and occasionally a staccato, near spoken rap vocal that emphasises the wit and the quality of the lyrics. It’s usually only Lily Allen that gets her lyrics quoted in my reviews, but these are witty and incisive in the Lily mould, and as funny and memorable as the likes of the Streets, the Honeyshop Screamers or the Small Faces. That, surely, puts Gecko up there as among the best writers of lyrics that the UK has produced. And if that’s the case, I’m sure I can squeeze in a quote or two:
“I managed to get some patience. I should do, I waited for it for ages”
“The snowman, who packed his bags and headed off to.. the frozen section”
Anything that references fridge magnets is also, surely, a gem.
What You Gonna Do? probably has the biggest chorus on the EP. It opens with an acoustic guitar, joined by percussion and then half-spoken lead vocal that’s highlighted by different backing vocals and finally that whoah-oh-oh that opens the chorus. It’s deliciously happy, and, sitting cross-legged on your bedroom floor, you’ll be bopping. I am. Right now. It’s only done with guitars and percussion, but it’s an absolute gem. Once it’s in full flow it’s pretty powerful, all of those vocals coming to the fore, either together or in turn. It’s glorious, and then, as quickly as it appeared, it’s finished. In those few moments, though, it’s pure perfection.
Woke Up is in a similar vein. Listen closely and you’ll see that the guitar parts are lovely. They’re hidden quite tastefully, though, so they’re only quite subtle. The song opens in that area between rap and speech: it’s a bit like the Libertines playing an acoustic Streets cover. Again, in February, there’s a real summer vibe going on. It’s uplifting, and really positive, and makes you want to be friends with everyone. Basically, I feel like one of those puppies that gets taken somewhere new and goes and sniffs and paws and jumps on every person in the room: all waggy tail and big eyes and curiosity. Gecko do that to you. It’s so enjoyable. Again the interplay of the vocals is a highlight, and the song soars from its gentle beginning, takes your heart and runs away with it. The piano part midway through the song adds to the emotional strength of the song. Lyrically, this track is possibly the most astute, though that’s a big call, and tough on the other tracks. Both of my quotes above, though, came from this song. Inside three minutes, it’s gone again.
Falling Down is actually the only song in the EP to break the three minute-barrier. Will’s vocal becomes more impassioned, throaty, earlier in the track, and is joined earlier by the other vocals. There are more drums too. You can almost imagine them rocking out in places. On the words “should’ve checked if your mind’s right / maybe it wasn’t the right time” Will’s vocal hints at Room For Abuse-era Alex Copeland, but only briefly. The guitars stop and start, the vocals are staccato in places as well, and again the song builds to a chorus that gets the old, from-the-neck-up headbang that happens when you’re really in to an acoustic song and aching to really rock out with it. It’s very exciting.
Stop, Look, Lizard! wraps up with the song I Got Time, a song that sounds like a kind word to a friend that’s been played by a girl. Lyrically, I mean. Typically, though, there’s no angst, it’s a warm, gentle arm around your back, a pat on the shoulder and a softly spoken word. Also typically of the disc, it’s packed with hooks, delightfully picked out in turn by different musicians. The male/female vocal harmonies on this one are particularly lush, smoothly easing their way through the songs refrains. Like the EP itself, it’s a deceptively small thing of great, great beauty, and a striking example of just how little needs to be done to great songwriting. It’s pretty simple, but it’s incredibly good.
This is life-affirming, give-a-stranger-a-hug stuff: simple, honest, perfectly executed acoustic pop that mashes together reggae, hip-hop, folk and vocal music and still manages to sound a little bit indie and a little bit pop at the same time. It’s jam-packed with hooks, it makes you sing and dance, and grin like a fool. It’s lyrically amusing, incisive and true, and it’s loaded with harmonies as smooth and as sweet as honey. It’s wonderful.
Babar Luck: TOMORROW NIGHT CANCELLED
Posted by jamie on Feb 17, 2010
Babar Luck has had to cancel his show at Bolton Soundhouse, which was due to take place tomorrow (Sunday 18th February). No new date has yet been announced.
Once it has, though, we’ll have it.
Lots and lots of new records..
Posted by jamie on Feb 15, 2010
All Ages Records (Camden) have loads of new stock in. See the full list here.
