The Drums Live @ Portsmouth Pyramids 06/12/11

First up were The History Of Apple Pie – cool by name, cool by nature. Cool fringes, cool look, and even cooler songs. Single ‘Mallory’ was a personal highlight; however the rest of the crowd seemed slightly distant and unengaged. I also spotted Connor from The Drums watching from near the bar. Singer Stephanie Min may have been somewhat inaudible at points, but the catchiness of the dreamy noise-pop these guys create made up for it. 

Australia’s Cloud Control drummed up a bigger crowd, with more head-nodding and word-mouthing than expected, with ‘There’s Nothing In The Water’ being the most visibly known amongst the Portsmouth folk. Cloud Control were slow to start, but they connected with the crowd, albeit by asking the cliché support-band question ‘so are we all looking forward to The Drums?!’  The last song was played with passion – pieces of drumstick flew around the stage from the sheer enthusiasm of the drumming. There was a good reaction to Cloud Control but nothing near that of The Drums.

Jonathan Pierce is a true frontman. The dancing, the conversation, the charm, the looks, the voice. He really has it all, and he sure knows how to work an audience. Arriving on stage after the rest of the band started, Jonathan began the show in style, prompting a euphoric reaction from the crowd. The Drums started with ‘What You Were’, an excellent opener, immediately getting everyone moving. They flitted between songs from their self-titled debut and ‘Portamento’, and even included old favourite ‘Best Friend’.  Girls went crazy for Jonathan as he leant in towards the crowd, holding hands and standing to bask in the volume of lyrics being shouted back at him. His trademark moves were reminiscent of Beat Happening’s Calvin Johnson and his dancing, relentless. Recent single ‘Money’ had a tremendous reception, as did ‘Forever and Ever Amen’. Pierce introduced the lesser-known live members of the band – Connor’s brother on guitar, and Drummer Danny ‘all the way from Australia!’ before stating ‘and, well… you know the rest of us’. It’s hard not to know The Drums, but it’s for all the right reasons.

The gig had its upbeat points – ‘Money’/ ‘Me and The Moon’ / ‘Best Friend’, however, during ‘Down By The Water’, there was a spectacularly uniting atmosphere. It was almost haunting, the loud drums contrasting Jonny’s tender vocals. Lighters were waved, lyrics were shouted, and even a couple of cheeky kissed were shared. The encore consisted of an unexpected rendition of ‘Baby, That’s Not the Point’, followed by an equally haunting and modest ‘Searching for Heaven’. Jacob fiddled about with keyboards in the background for a while, before leaving Jonny in the spotlight. He moved with a possessed nature before modestly ending the song by just placing the microphone on the floor and leaving the stage. It was such a stunning ending that no one applauded, everyone just stood, before looking at their friends in disbelief.

I don’t think anyone expected The Drums to be as good as they were. The record does not match up to their live performance at all. The Drums are definite showmen.


By Hannah Bettey

ASAP Rocky - LiveLoveA$ap

Harlem rapper ASAP Rocky aka Rakim Mayers was born into hip hop. Named at birth after legendary New York rapper Rakim and brought up with the likes of the Wu-tang Clan and UGK. On the back of a couple of videos that went viral (‘Purple Swag’ and ‘Peso’) ASAP Rocky bagged himself a $3Million (£1.9 Million) record deal with RCA and a supporting slot on tour with Drake. Not bad for someone who was virtually unheard of outside of Harlem this time last year.

Regardless of what you may think due to the $3 Million price tag, LIVELOVEA$AP is NOT a mainstream hip hop record, blurry and hazy beats galore accompanied by lyrics full of weed references. ASAP’s flow sounds laid back, effortless and likeable, think Lil Wayne but with an actual ability to rap.

Clams Casino’s production is another key aspect to this album featuring in songs such as ‘Palace’ ‘Bass’ and ‘Wassup’ Clams’ shall indubitably be a producer to look out for in the near future, already producing for the likes of Lil B and Main Attrakionz.

LIVELOVEA$AP is the ultimate lazy Sunday album and that in itself speaks volumes about why ASAP Rocky is one of the “sounds of 2012.”

8/10

By Aaron Lewins

BBC Sound of 2012: Is the hype justified?

Yesterday saw the announcement of the longlist for the BBC Sound of 2012 to the general disappointment and/or disinterest of everyone. Fifteen artists have been longlisted for the award which aims to highlight the best up and coming acts of the year ahead. Previous winners have included Adele, Ellie Goulding and Jessie J. So who made it onto the list and also what has been missed out?

The award appears to have abandoned its links to guitar music this year, embracing more wide ranging genres. The obvious artist at whom a lot of disgruntled grumblings has been aimed at is "the most hated man in dubstep", Skrillex. For the balance of fairness I listened to something by him and I can only describe it as the biggest heap of shit in the world. A mix of bastardised wobwobwobs and some screaming; why the BBC decided it was necessary to tip this colossal waste of listening time, who knows. Slightly more happily for dance and rap music in general is the inclusion of Frank Ocean, who is swiftly overtaking Tyler The Creator as the most popular (and maybe even, whisper it, more talented) member of Odd Future. He is certainly more marketable to the masses with singles like ‘Novocane’ already generating considerable chart interest. Azealia Banks stands out as front runner having topped the recent NME Cool List and her status as a female rapper would surely give the Beeb some edgy integrity.

Dry The River have felt like they’ve been tiptoeing around the fringes of success for ages now. The ridiculous popularity of fellow folkies Mumford and Sons and Fleet Foxes would suggest Dry the River are destined for a bigger audience and their brilliant recent EP ‘Weights and Measures’ more than confirms that they deserve it. Neatly coinciding the announcement of their debut album and their biggest headline show at the Electric Ballroom with this list, makes them stand out as a band who deserve it.

Jamie N Commons and Spector are achievements for the LuvLuvLuv label, as well as heading up the more classic side of the list. Jamie N Commons has shown some astounding songwriting ability with his early releases which have been rooted in American blues and rock n roll. Spector on the other hand seem to be attempting to rehash the generic "indie" format which lacks not only in originality but also talent.

Perhaps the most notable exclusions are more UK bands on indie labels. 2011 has seen the emergence of many promising British artists spanning a wide-range of genres. What about brilliantly original artists like dance music’s new hopes Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Stay+? More folky artists like Lucy Rose and Alt-J? Or the countless great bands coming out of Oxford’s blessing force scene? You can’t help but feel it’s a bit of a ploy to draw some more attention to the award. And with a record industry mogul announcing today that the award had practically become irrelevant and journalists nominating artists who they think they are going to talk about over the next year, instead of genuine up and coming talent, does it even matter? Try telling that to the artists on the list that may have just got their first foot on the ladder.

By Jessy Parker

The full longlist:

• A$AP Rocky
• Azealia Banks
• Dot Rotten
• Dry the River
• Flux Pavilion
• Frank Ocean
• Friends
• Jamie N Commons
• Lianne La Havas
• Michael Kiwanku
• Niki and the Dove
• Ren Havrieu
• Skrillex
• Spector
• Stooshe

Factory Floor - Two Different Ways

Factory Floor get lumped with words like industrial and grimy, bleak and difficult, but sexy? Yes, because with this, their debut release through DFA, they’ve taken the pulverising motorik of earlier work and refined into something that no longer sounds like two malfunctioning forklifts rutting violently against each other. An incessant arpeggio hammers throughout and Nik Colk’s ephemeral vocals, once angular and distraught, have grown into something haunting and powerful much like the band themselves, they seem more assured and ready, no longer relying on the features of the genres that spawned them to bolster their sound, here they deploy drum machine claps and overlapping synth lines with terrifying ease. Lying underneath it all is an amorphous wall of multi-layered percussion that recalls both Late of The Pier and 808’s era Kanye. Success still hasn’t found Factory Floor, but on the basis of Two Different Ways, it seems like they’re keen to find it for themselves.

By Ned Powley

Azealia Banks - Grand Scam

Grand Scam is no 212. It’s not even on the same league as 212. Thankfully, very few pop songs have been in 212’s league this year. Grand Scam is a short and sweet (serious, the whole thing clocks up 1:42 in total) showcase of Ms Banks’ verbal dexterity and all round badassery. Spitting her tongue twistery rhymes in a playful but barbed manner over a spluttering, stuttering beat, she seems totally relaxed and assured, a sign that the tidal wave of hype hasn’t washed away any of her creativity or confidence.

By Ned Powley

The Big Pink - Hit The Ground (Superman)

Fucking hell, there’s reinventions and then there’s this. Forget those walls of sound and beat drops, the Big Pink have embraced semi-acoustic strums and an anthemic sound that’s less "pill-fuelled 2AM epiphany" and more Scrubs season finale. And you know what, it’s quite something. I mean, it’s in no way perfect; at heart it’s still very much by-the-numbers laddy anthemia, but it’s been dressed as best it can to disguise those faults. Powered on by clunking piano loop and a sample of Laurie Anderson’s bizarre 1981 hit "O Superman" , it’s telling that the band whose existence has been predicated on creating (and to some degree, maintaining) an air of trendy knowingness that keeps them streets ahead of both the zeitgeist and their contemporaries. But with this they appear to be abandoning all that, casting off their fashionable shackles and embracing their calling as a big proper pop band. It would appear that the claims of "going hip-hop" and the achingly samey comeback sing 'Stay Gold' were just a smokescreen to soften the blow of the big reveal: that the Big Pink do give a fuck about longevity and legacy and that maybe, just maybe, that they’re built to last.

By Ned Powley

The Maccabees - Pelican

“In the end nothing comes easy”. This certainly isn’t true for The Maccabees who manage effortlessly brilliant, and damn nice guys at the same time begging the question, How do they even do it? 'Pelican', the first single from new album ‘Given To The Wild’ is punchy and dazzling – The Maccabees at their best. It has the lyrical tenderness of songs from ‘Wall Of Arms’ and the spiky bursts of guitar similar to those from their debut.  For me, it’s like a matured version of ‘All In Your Rows’. The vocals harmonise beautifully, and 'Pelican' builds and falls at perfect points, creating a roller-coaster of a feel-good song. ‘Pelican’ will without a doubt become a live favourite, and has already been well-received at previous dates. If the rest of the album is as good as ‘Pelican’, success for The Maccabees looks as if it’ll come as easy as 1-2-3.


By Hannah Bettey

Kitty, Daisy and Lewis Live @ Lancaster Library 28/11/11

It’s a wet and windy November night and a large crowd of people are gathering outside Lancaster Library. Despite the library’s popularity two girls shyly approach my friend and I and ask "what’s going on?" As a regular library gig attendee I’m more than happy to tell them who has played over the years and that they should definitely come. They don’t. Their loss! As soon as we get in, our hands are stamped with "Get it Loud in Libraries" and we head to the front of the small stage tucked away amongst the science fiction books.

The Sharp Tongues are the support for tonight. A three piece all dressed in black and fronted by Canadian Julia Muth who possesses an irresistible drawl and impeccable guitar skills. Twin brothers Paul and Stewart Summers play bass and drums and shout in Japanese between songs. They play a set that’s full of fast and rowdy love songs such as "Hex" and "So Old" that would fit perfectly in the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack. Muth’s cute lyrics "I’ve got a crush on you" combined with the energetic music come together to create something that has been done time and time again but The Sharp Tongues embrace that and it works so well.

It’s not long before Kitty, Daisy and Lewis take to the stage. They may be the most musical family ever. Their mum Ingrid, once a drummer in The Raincoats, plays double bass and their dad Graeme, producer and recorder of Kitty Daisy and Lewis’ albums and also owner of The Exchange studio in London, provides backing guitar and ukulele. Having only heard a few snippets of their music I was amazed at just how brilliant Kitty, Daisy and Lewis are live. They are an instrument and vocal swapping frenzy and each sibling is excellent at everything they do. Their passion and energy just isn’t captured on record (some of which are beautifully handmade by Lewis). The turbulent Monday evening weather soon feels like a warm Saturday night with people actually dancing. Not just head bobbing. Actually dancing and jiving! Their lengthy set is a little self-indulgent with the drawn out intros but the energetic atmosphere makes up for it. Their hard to pin down (what with their trumpet solos, harmonica intros, 50s guitars and a double bass playing Mum), infectious, booty shaking songs are worth the long intros. And finally, they put on one of the best library gigs I’ve ever attended and even managed to convert me into a fan.

By Eden Young

Gross Magic - Yesterdays

Gross Magic, aka Sam McGarrigle, has been combining ELO-esque pop sensibilities with nods to a grunge revival via Ariel Pink style production and some falsetto vocals to create a potent mix. Currently touring with Yuck, the Brightonian pleasantly surprised the blogosphere with his ace Teen Jamz EP(which was surely unlucky to miss out on a place in our top EPs of the year list). ‘Yesterdays’ aptly demonstrates that this was no one off. Keeping the spaced out vocals from Teen Jamz, ‘Yesterdays’ heavily turns on the grunge vibe which Gross Magic have become known for. It's the kind of song that sounds ten times better when you’re high, as barely discernible lyrics are mixed in with various ‘na na na’s  but if you’re not careful the song slips past you. The trick of Gross Magic is that you instantaneously want to hear it again. 

By Jessy Parker 

Teeth - U R 1

Teeth’s Whatever has been a vodka shot in amongst the heavily diluted releases of 2011. Quicker than Pacman trying to get away from ghosts and definitely not the kind of racket you’d enjoy your housemates waking you up with in the morning, Teeth use bleep synth loops and shouty vocals that creates music not far off Crystal Castles/Heartsrevolution. ‘U R 1’ starts off with crunching synth lurches and robotic vocoded vocals that sound like a computer slowly breaking down and carries on at the same pace; making it probably the most downbeat song on their debut. Short broken-down lyrics that don’t follow a rhythmic pattern serve to compliment the instrumental; similar to the abrupt nature of the synth loop. ‘U R 1’ is a strangely romantic song from the East London trio that recalls the juxtaposition of electronic beats and love themed lyrics from Daft Punk. 

By Aurora Mitchell