Skints / Gecko / Miacca: big fat London show
Posted by jamie on Sep 8, 2011
Look alive, South London. Our diamond geezers at Men With Hats announce this beast.
Yes, that is Miacca, and Will and Gabe from Gecko, and Josh out of the Skints. Oh, and Joe from Scrumptious Biscuit, Def City Collect and the Drop as headline.
Gecko: Safest Bet
Posted by jamie on Aug 31, 2011
Loveable acoustic/samba/hip-hop ragamuffins Gecko release new single Safest Bet on 19th September. We’ve got it already, and will be reviewing for you soon.
The video drops next week. Apparently, little Chips Sanchez has found his way into it. See if you can see him when that comes out.
In the mean time, have a little peek at the single artwork..
Gecko: Cafe 1001
Posted by jamie on Jul 20, 2011
Gecko
Café 1001, Brick Lane (London)
20th July 2011
Jamie
It’s been a while since I had a chance to watch acoustic ska/soul/pop ragamuffins Gecko. For one reason or another, stuff just seemed to keep on happening on the days they’ve performed in London. There are downsides to having friends and relatives who get married and have babies or birthdays, and the lack of Gecko in my life has been one of them.
Their shows with Music Born are always a treat, though: doors are free, and Brick Lane in summer time fairly sizzles with an enjoyably laid back and communal party atmosphere. Everyone comes to have fun and it’s difficult not to make new friends and/or bump in to a few old ones. Add to that the bars, bowling alley and curry restaurants just around the corner and the best bagels and cakes in East London and you’re set pretty fair.
Tonight’s no exception. It’s hot and very, very muggy outside. In between showers, there’s still loads of rain hanging in the air and lots of it on the ground as we sloshed our way down to Café 1001.
Gecko arrived on stage at 22:30, which is standard for headliners here, and quickly turned the place in to a joyous, homely love-in and sing-along at the same time. They always bring a big crowd in London anyway, but make new friends easily with their catchy, uplifting pop melodies, giant smiles and cheeky-chappy stage banter. It’s a winning combination anywhere, but in a place that’s so friendly and open-minded, on a night where everyone’s come to party, it just has to go off, and it did, with a giant bang.
Elephant Road and What You Gonna Do? Are out first, and those of us who knew them were singing along already. Then Will stops to teach any newbies the choruses to the Library. They had to play it one and a half times because of some feedback, but he raises a big laugh by putting that in to his audience-participation spiel as well. Then he’s got his really funny lyrics, which always work well live as well: “because if you turn it over, it isn’t a new leaf, it’s just the same leaf upside down”, is a gem, and by now everyone’s bobbing up and down and swaying a bit. That’s as much as room as you get to move around in here, because you have to stand shoulder to shoulder if you want to actually see the band. We ended up in front of Si’s monitor once, but it was an accident. Promise.
Falling Down is wonderful, and there’s a rare outing for Daylight Done, which goes down a treat as well. It’s just the four lads on stage tonight, so I Got Time and Miss Jackson do sound a little different, but they’re excellent songs and the lads do them well. In case proof were needed of just how happy Gecko can make a room full of people, they’ve managed to make their new cover songs, Cleaning Out My Closet and Paper Planes in to breezy, up-beat acoustic sing alongs, and make everybody in here sing and smile. Thinking about it, it shouldn’t be possible, but in here there’s no other option but to enjoy it. After these, and imminent new single Safest Bet, there’s just time for Camden and most recent single Pigeon round things off. Inevitably, though, they pop back for a cheeky encore: Guanabana was never going to miss out, and Gotta Wait gets an outing too. They’ve been excellent: uplifting, irresistibly danceable and impossibly good fun throughout, but now it’s home time. Still, it’s easy to get some amazing chocolate brownies here til very late at night. Winner.
Gecko: Secret Garden Party
Posted by jamie on Jul 5, 2011
Lovably cheeky acoustic-ska ragammuffins Gecko are going to grace the Secret Garden Party this year. They’ll be playing the wonderfully named “Where the Wild Things Are” stage on the Saturday.
That announcement in full:
Yeah, you heard, Blondie.
Gecko: free London show
Posted by jamie on May 25, 2011
Lovable pigeon-fancying acoustic scally-wags Gecko have announced a London show with free entry . It’s happening on Tuesday 19th July at Brick Lane’s excellent Cafe 1001.
Here’s what they’ve told us..
we wanted to do a free entry show to say thanks to everyone for forking out cash to see us in expensive london venues over the past year or so! Also the show will be a warm up of sorts for an exciting show not announced yet, will keep you posted!
As soon as we know more of the exciting not-announced-yet-Gecko-show I promise we’ll tell you. Still a little bit hush-hush for the moment. But yay, free show!
Gecko: London show MOVED
Posted by jamie on May 3, 2011
Gecko have moved their London show to the Water Rats.
Hey bro you ok?????
If you dont mind could you let the bananas know our London tourdate is now at the Water rats. Hope you’re good mate.
We’ve just been in the studio
Nice one
Will
See the new info on facebook here. Gecko are in the studio. Very excited for that.
Gecko: on tour in May
Posted by jamie on Apr 11, 2011
Gecko get the summer started by hitting the road again in May. They’ll be all over the UK.
Fri 13th MAY @SPANKY VAN DYKES, Nottingham
http://www.spankyvandykes.com/
Support from Liam O’Kane and the Stabilisers
Sat 14th MAY @CARGO, London
http://www.cargo-london.com/
Sun 15th MAY @Cardiff University May Ball
http://www.cardiffuniversityballs.com/
Wed 18th MAY @RETRO BAR, Manchester
http://www.myspace.com/retrobar
Support from Jeramiah Ferrari, Perkie and Tessa Hunt
Thu 19th MAY @MILO, Leeds
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39747875374
Support TBA
Fri 20th MAY @THE CROFT, Bristol
http://www.the-croft.com/
Support from Liam O’Kane, Perkie and Miacca
Sat 21st MAY @BUFFALO, Cardiff
http://www.buffalocardiff.com/
Support TBA
Loving the cutesy artwork by Lauren Avery.
See it on facebook here.
Gecko: London show
Posted by jamie on Feb 26, 2011
Gecko are playing the Water Rats on 9th March, and won’t play a live show for a while after that. See it on facebook here.
Sadly, Tottenham vs. AC Milan is at White Hart Lane the same night. Souls will have to be searched.
Gecko: Pigeon
Posted by jamie on Jan 25, 2011
Gecko
“Pigeon” single: self-released, 2010
25th January 2010
Jamie
A wonderful thing has just appeared in my life. Like so many of the memories I find myself treasuring the most, it was totally unexpected, completely spontaneous and instantly captivating.
For the last 15 minutes I’ve listened to Gecko’s new single Pigeon on repeat. At last, I paused to post it to facebook and download the cover art and start writing this. As soon as I pause, I’ll be reaching for the play button again. Ready..
Pigeon is instantly totally infectious, engaging, uplifting slice of breezy, semi-acoustic, feel good summer pop music. Within seconds, it’s as happy as holding hands with your friends and skipping down Sesame Street. It’s got melodies that actually shimmer, and harmonies that are the lushest of the lush. It’s outrageously, impossibly catchy.
It can’t have been easy to improve on Gecko’s last CD, but this little gem carries on nicely where Stop, Look, Lizard! left off: there’s still that myriad of guest musicians, but these days they’re joining a relatively settled line-up of Will, Si, Gabe (keys) and Ben (drums). Maisie Sanderson-Thwaite appears again on backing vocals and is excellent here.
What’s absolutely brilliant about this, though, is that the very real sense of evolution that’s evident here hasn’t spoiled any of what was so charming about Gecko before: all of that lovably cheeky-chappy cheeriness, those wonderfully sharp and incisive lyrics and uplifting hooks are still definitely in there, but they’ve moved and changed that restless desire for innovation: there’s more percussion, and Will’s playing a vibraphone (I had to look it up, too) which works a treat as it picks out the delicious little chorus. It’s more polished than the earlier recordings, but it’s got all of that charm.
This is a treat, an absolute joy, and a definite must. You’ll be smiling like a lunatic for days. Don’t blame me when they lock you up.
Gecko tour the single Pigeon in February. See it on facebook here.
Pigeon is released 7th February.
Gecko: Pigeon Tour 2011
Posted by jamie on Jan 8, 2011
Cheeky chappies Gecko tour the country from 1st - 13th February in support of first single Pigeon, released asa download on Monday 7th Feb. Liam O’Kane supports on all dates except one. See it on facebook here.
