Live review of The Joy Formidable headlining the NME Radar Tour at Koko in Camden on 14 October 2010 for Subba-Cultcha.com.
If the ever-expanding number of NME tours tells us one thing, it’s that the demand for seeing bands work their magic in the live arena has never been greater. We’re constantly told that it’s touring, not record sales, that is keeping all but the very highest echelons of the music industry afloat. And who better to cash in than the NME? Their flagship NME Awards tour has long been a bastion of saleable yet credible guitar music and even better value, whilst the NME Radar tour has, since its 2005 inception, proved a perfectly-pitched arbiter of ‘who’s next’ for the indie masses. One need only look at the previous headliners such as La Roux (2009), Crystal Castles(2008) and Maximo Park(2005) to know that get it right more often than not. Now even the Radar tour has a sister-site to boost even lesser known acts, the so-called ‘Autumn Radar Tour’.
However, despite the tour’s track record, there’s a murmur of suspicion amongst tonight’s assembled throng that this year it might not come off for headliners The Joy Formidable. Anyone who has seen the band in pokier surroundings – such as an incendiary show at the Camden Barfly last December – will know that despite their simple guitar-bass-drums ensemble, the trio have always been able to hold their own (and then some) in the noise stakes. But that was in 300 person venues. The cauldron-like Koko, with its rising stories and deep, dingy pit of a central dancefloor could be a much more taxing engagement.
The doubters needn’t have worried, as the Welsh pop-gazers fill every inch of Koko’s cavernous expanse of stairwells and stalls with crescendo after crescendo of beautiful noise. Launching straight into two new songs might seem brave to the point of folly, but with such confident, effusive delivery the audience are instantly charmed – the sheer saturation of sound allowing no time to act upon any misgivings. It’s a third of the way through the set before the band play anything from their 2009 debut, A Balloon Called Moaning. When they do, the one-two punch of ‘The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade’ and ‘Austere’ stir what started as a rebellious gaggle of moshers into a sea of pogoing patrons stretching rows and rows back.
Whilst the band’s main strength surely lies in livewire frontwoman Ritzy – a bundle of wide-eyed energy and sweetly melancholic vocal delivery – her co-conspirators revel in their equal billing, with drummer Matt unconventionally positioned to the right-front of stage. They’re an act who are almost impossible to dislike; wholly lacking in pretension and with a raw passion for their craft too often forgotten by today’s bright young things.
And the songs. Even the superb ‘The Last Drop’ is eclipsed tonight by a swirling, visceral ‘Whirring’, expanded in length and breadth to peak with a thrilling climax of distorted noise after singer Ritzy bustles into the crowd with guitar in hand. It seems like a seminal moment in 2010. If this is the sound of tomorrow, then the future is in safe hands.
Thanks to Roz @ Atlantic Click here to see the band's website
Some words I did on the Placebo show at 02 Brixton Academy on 28 September 2010for Subba-Cultcha.com...
It’s hard to believe that Placebo first surfaced back in 1995, some fifteen years ago. Back then, even as the young whippersnapper that I was, their punky, angst-ridden slant on the alternative-rock scene grabbed me immediately. I should have been 16 and into marijuana and perfectly executed misery; I was 9 and interested only in music which sang in my ears. I remained a committed disciple from Placebo, their striking debut, through the more sombre Without You I’m Nothing and production-heavy (and occasionally awful) Black Market Music. However, just as I approached my supposed years of ‘teenage angst’, shifting musical allegiances and a slightly protracted period of inertia from the band saw my interest wane, singles aside.
Indeed, Placebo had so withdrawn from my radar that I’m immediately taken aback with the sea of baying fans who line the Brixton Academy floor man-for-man awaiting the arrival of their treasured heroes. A band I had always seen as a scratchy, artsy aural pursuit are suddenly transformed into double-dose – the band also played the Monday evening – Brixton headliners, with an authoritative aura of those not crashing a party, but anointed as the guests of honour
For a band who have always flirted with the flamboyant decadence of androgyny and knowing sexual ambiguity, tonight they don’t disappoint. Latest drummer Steve Forrest is an indie-boy’s Tommy Lee, his bare body covered to the inch by an array of tattoos, and assaulting the drums with bone-shaking vigour. Meanwhile, imposing bassist Stefan Olsdal dazzles in an iridescent silver suit, whilst the wafer-thin Brian Molko’s babyface and skin-tight jeans belie 15 years of hard toil on the road. It’s glamorous without being glam; showy without showing too much.
Pleasingly, the music also delivers. Launching straight into early standout single ‘Nancy Boy’, the band rifle through a back catalogue which, whilst weighted with a number of tracks from last year’s Battle For The Sun, plucks hit after hit from each of their records. ‘Ashtray Heart’ and ‘Battle For The Sun’ deserve their warm reception, whilst ‘Every You Every Me’ predictably sends the crowd into raptures. All the while, background visuals maintain the bands air of tongue-in-cheek subversion, depicting everything from a hindu dancer to sand-encrusted lovers. It might seem inane, even deliberately insincere, but it works.
Some might point to this along with a bizarre, gothic-themed mime show which precedes the encore as an example of a band who are complicit in sending up their own style without necessarily allowing their audience to laugh at the joke. However, as the last strains of an extended ‘Taste In Men’ flood the venue, few care for any more than the music which sings in their ears.
April's album releases, including The Futureheads, Laura Marling, MGMT, Black Francis and loads more...
5/4
Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
Indisputably the most vital and most talented amongst her ‘nu-folk’ (yeesh) contemporaries, Marling’s tender years continue not to be a hindrance, either with her husk-augmented register or her intricate grasp of how to weave commercial and credible into hit after hit. That said, the age does betray her sometimes unfathomable life lessons, not to mention neutering their authenticity. Meanwhile, though she’s better at Joni Mitchell (‘Made by Maid’) than she is at Stevie Nicks (Devil’s Spoke), she’s most accomplished at being Laura Marling (‘Darkness Descends’). A triumph. Choice Cuts: ‘Made By Maid’, ‘Darkness Descends’, ‘Goodbye England’ 9/10
Black Francis – NonStopErotik
Get past the recurring mental image of the portly Francis manoeuvring himself around the 24-hour vice den which apparently constitutes his life in NonStopErotik, and you’re left with a startling return to Pixies-esque ingénue. In short: seamless key changes, twisted chords and backhanded melodies, all drenched in a knowing sense of noir – Noir Francis, that is. Choice Cuts: 'Cinema Star', 'Corinna' 8/10
Ted Leo – Brutalist Bricks
After the outright disappointment of 2007’s sprawling misfire Living With The Living, sprightly 30-something social-idealist punk Ted Leo goes back to basics on his Matador debut. Save for hip-shaking soul-rocker ‘One Polaroid a Day’, the tracks here are short, sharp and direct, bustling past in a head-rush of instantly claimable hooks and intricate guitar stabs. As usual, the political moments (‘The Stick’, ‘ Ativan Eyes’), whilst brimming with passion and conscience, are only ever a fist-pump away from a toe-curling lyric; as usual, the personal as political cuts (‘Bottled Up Inwith Cork’, ‘Even Heroes Have to Die’) jumpstart head and heart with cracked-macho displays of vulnerability. Choice Cuts: ‘Bottled Up In Cork’, ‘Gimme The Wire’, ‘Even Heroes Have to Die’ 8/10
Dr Dog – Shame, Shame
Presumably as bored as we were with the agricultural approach to psyche-outs championed hitherto, Fido and chums return with their tails wagging and a pop-sheened charm offensive. Just a pity it’s taken until now to get them house-trained. Choice Cuts – 'Shadow People' 7/10
Harper Simon – Harper Simon
Daddy, daddy cool – and at 37 Harper finally realises it. The only thing that’s missing is Art. Choice Cuts: 'Wishes and Stars', 'Ha Ha' 6.5/10
12/4
MGMT – Congratulations
There’s a lot of Love in this room – Arthur Lee looms largest over this startling re-imagination. For synths, read: guitars; for ecstacy, read: LSD. For electro-pop throwaway, read: surf-psychedelia tour de force. Choice Cuts: ‘Song for Dan Treacy’, ‘Flash Delirium’, ‘It’s Working’. 9/10
Plan B – The Defamation of Strickland Banks
Invoking the spirit of the Winehouse Summer (2007), Plan B heads East not North, hooks up with a Charles and Eddie cover band instead of Mark Ronson, and produces a pleasingly complete soul-pop smash – notwithstanding the reliably superfluous ‘concept’. Note to all the ‘sell-out’ catcallers: alternating between Jamie T and Dizzy Rascal rapping never counted as ‘grit’ in the first place. Choice Cuts: ‘Love Goes Down’, ‘Stay Too Long’ 7.5/10
Darwin Deez – Darwin Deez
Inwhich the moustachioed New Yorker demonstrates he’s fairly good at tackling the Strokes with added noise (‘Lights On’), the Strokes with a serious pop kick (‘Radar Detector’) and the Strokes minus the Ramones (all the others). What he doesn’t establish is if he’s likely to widen his record collection before the next one drops. Still, those sold on a hook certainly won’t begrudge the price of admission. Choice Cuts: ‘Lights On’, ‘DNA’ 7/10
19/4
Caribou – Swim
Plastic-electronic hermit Dan Snaith might be more comfortable at a house party than filling dancefloors, but here he proves he’s just one killer pop loop away from a Billboard breakthrough. Whilst he searches for the right note, the rest of us can enjoy the fact Snaith’s abundance of grey matter hasn’t yet obscured the life (and love) in the wires. Choice Cuts: ‘Kaili’, ‘Odessa’ 7.5/10
Ash – A-Z Volume 1
MOR of the same from the eternally youthful Downpatrick tykes... who are actually old enough to know better these days. Still, as one might expect from what is essentially a singles compilation (comprising the first half of their admirable but inconsequential a-z singles experiment), most of the tracks herein pull you in hook, line and sinker, more than making up for the occasional stinker. Bravo. Choice Cuts: ‘Joy Kicks Darkness’, ‘Command’, ‘Song of Your Desire’ 7.5/10
Kate Nash – My Best Friend is You Lily Allen sings Billy Bragg – this time with more guitars, and less show-tunes. Lacks ‘Foundations’ but the first and second floors have had significant renovation. That said, entertain the full spoken word rant of ‘Mansion House’ at your own peril, and cringe at the gratuitous swearing and “cocaine” plugs. Choice Cuts: ‘Do Wah Do’, ‘Paris’ 6/10
26/4
The Futureheads– The Chaos
I’ve always had a sneaky suspicion that The Futureheads were a power-pop band – the chunky palm-mutes, the quad-tracked harmonies – hiding under a post-punk veneer, and their fourth long player proves it. Here, they tone down the sparser guitar exchanges and 90 degree angles and instead puff their chests out as they strut through their best choruses (‘Heartbeat Song’, ‘I Can Do That’) since ‘Skip to the End’. As usual, they’re sincere enough to carry it off, even if the tricks are cheap.
Choice Cuts: ‘I Can Do That’, ‘The Chaos’, ‘Dart At The Map’ 8/10
Harlem – Hippies
Sticks closely to the garage-rock mantra – “it plays therefore it is” – then adds chorus after chorus, and lyrics about ghosts and people on fire. Choice Cuts: ‘Number One’, ‘Tila and I’, ‘Poolside’ 7/10
Gogol Bordello – Trans-Continental
With some 7 nationalities amongst their 9 full time members, Eugene Hutz’ gypsy-punk jivesters are unlikely to be booked to play a BNP function in the near future – nor, on this evidence, are they likely to disuade Nick Griffin that gypsies should be neither seen orheard. Whilst slow-burning twisted folkies like ‘When Universes Collide’ are pretty enough, the band (and Hutz’ vocal) works best when the eclectic musicianship is twinned with the jolting stop/starts and “hoi hoi hois”, a match-up only infrequently realised here. Time to move to pastures new? Choice Cuts: ‘Immigraniada’, ‘Sun Is On My Side’ 5/10
This week's batch includes Gorillaz, Titus Andronicus and Broken Bells.
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach Plastic Beach perhaps, but this is no plastic pop – the irony of Blur’s demise is that Albarn is now too smart to push his (increasingly forlorn) hooks too far to the front. Duly, he mixes things up with a Mick Jones here and a Bobby Womack (!) there, burying the Gorillaz-as-band continuity, but can’t resist marrying the whole together with an eco-harmonious back story. As always, no-one else would’ve dared, or bothered.
Titus Andronicus –Monitor
Punk concept records (an oxymoron, surely?) are a bit like algebra for toddlers. Even the smarter ones, of which Titus Andronicus must rank – they like history, for chrissakes – struggle with the step-up. Unfortunately, the American Civil War deserves better treatment than “you will always be a loser, man” repeated ad infinitum, and clocking your songs in at 7 minutes doesn’t constitute ‘maturity’. Disappointing.
Choice Cuts: ‘A More Perfect Union’, ‘Theme from Cheers’ 5.5/10
Broken Bells – Broken Bells James Mercer (Shins’ voice/strummer) and Danger Mouse (ubiquitous producer type Brian Burton– see Gnarls Barkley; The Good, The Bad and the Queen) team up for this debut collaboration. Muso matchmakers expect a soaring majesty of cred and class, substance and sheen. Neither materialises –Mercer’s vocal yelp is familiarly adequate, whilst Burton feeds everything through the usual washed-up electronic filter (then tacks on dub bass), but the results are uncharacteristically stilted.
Choice Cuts: 'Vaporize', 'Your Head is on Fire' 5/10
BRMC – Beat the Devil’s Tattoo
Shouty garage rock noise meets blues stomp with the occasional point of interest – namely ‘Bad Blood’ and the meditative ‘The Toll’, which sounds like the Jesus and Mary Chain singin’ the country-blues. As is customary with this vastly over-egged band, however, their couldn’t-care-less disappointment and ability to make two chords sound like such a chore eventually conspire to grind out another failure.
This week's new album releases, including Marina and the Diamonds, The Courteeners and Toro Y Moi.
Marina + the Diamonds – Family Jewels
A fairly typical example of the hype-meets-fame-meets-success paradigm instigated by the BBC’s Sound Of poll, Marina Diamandis has swiftly undergone a makeover from East London indie-boys’ guilty-pleasure to pop chart darling. Unsurprisingly then, this record goes for the dual attack of hooks and sheen, both of which flow with abundance. When done well, as on ‘Are You Satisfied’ and brilliant single ‘Hollywood’, Diamandis is allowed to create perfectly legitimate, enterprising pop songs. However, when it’s not so well – as on ‘Girls’, which sounds like La Roux covering Madness – it can be the musical equivalent of fingernails down a blackboard. In addition, for all the comparisons (Regina Spektor, Bat for Lashes, Kate Bush), listening to Family Jewels I couldn’t help but be reminded of forgotten mockney Kate Nash. Whilst the actual flesh and blood of the music has virtually nothing in common with Nash’s chirpy piano-pop, both have affected voices which can border upon irritating, and whilst Diamandis has her eyes on bigger fry (‘Hollywood’, ‘Shampain’) than Nash’s kitchen-sink observational banality, the results of both are close in terms of lyrical accomplishment. Still, it’s unlikely anyone who actually buys the record will notice such matters, so this one’ll doubtless sell by the bucketloads. Ironic lyric: “feeling like a loser, feeling like a bum, sitting on the outside observing the fun” on ‘The Outsider’– not for long love.
Choice Cuts: ‘Hollywood’, ‘Are You Satisfied’, ‘I Am Not a Robot’
6/10
The Courteeners - Falcon
I’ve not exactly hidden my insatiable disdain for this band, not least for wretched trailing single ‘You Overdid it Doll’, but nonetheless I approached this one with at least a modicum of journalistic impartiality. Just a modicum, mind. The good news is it doesn’t get much worse than the aforementioned single; the bad news is it doesn’t get much better either. And so, a plateau of eye-wateringly tedious ploddery ensues. Bizarre fetishes aside (“I miss your eyelashes” from ‘The Opener’), this one ostensibly treads a more sensitive path than it’s predecessor, but don’t be fooled – no matter how much Liam Fray might wish he was born a fragile Liam Gallagher, unfortunately he’s just as boorish, unimaginative and fond of a witless platitude as his Mancunian counterpart, just with a voice that’s far shitter and entirely devoid of Gallagher’s early menace and enduring husk. Furthermore, this lot are so painfully proud and constantly aware of where they come from that I genuinely pondered whether ‘Falcon’ was a reference to that literary figure of waxwork Northernism, Kes. I’m still undecided. Fingers-crossed moment: “So I’ll cross my heart and hope to fly, and fuck off right into the middle of the sky, where no-one can find me and no-one can see” from ‘Cross My Heart and Hope to Fly’ – we can only hope!
Choice Cuts: -
1.5/10
Strange Boys - Be Brave
Returning with their sophomore effort, these Decidedly Nondescript Boys appear committed to bridging a rather happy gap between fist and foam. And so, this is for the most part lazy brawlin’ music for surfers. Or tide troublin’ tunes for hicks. It all rumbles along with carefully manicured raucousness, but half an hour of howlin’ vocals and scratchin’ chords later, you might be a-wantin’ a rest – regardless of the unexpectedly excellent garage-Dylan drifters which are tacked on as parting shots (‘All You Can Hide Inside’, ‘You Can’t Only Love When You Want To’.)
Choice Cuts: ‘All You Can Hide Inside’, ‘A Walk on the Beach’
5.5/10
Toro Y Moi - Causers of This
This South Carolinian may have come from the school of hard names (he’s really called Chazwick Bundick – ouch!), but despite the hip-hop twinges evident herein, judging by this effort he certainly didn’t come from the school of hard knocks. Indeed, his dreamy, spacious hip-pop has more moments in common with the like of Empire of the Sun and Phoenix, but avoids sounding derivative, even if it lacks thrust. Unfortunately, most of the groundwork of the first few tracks is laid to waste by a middle section (‘Fax Shadow’ on) which employs the kind of relentless in/out glitching that renders it virtually impossible to listen to. Note to Chazwick (and others): stop tripping over the mixing desk!
Recently I have been busy tooling around town and burning the midnight oil alone in my room in an effort to complete the following album reviews and interviews for Spoonfed and Subba-Cultcha. The fruits of my labour are thus:
*** Digestible run-downs of this week’s new releases, including track recommendations from THE POPSCENER***
Laura Veirs - July Flame
At first glance, this record appeared to be more of the kind of twiddly folk music tailor made for Waitrose adverts. At second glance, it still is, but in contrast to the perpetually disappointing ‘nu-folk’ from this side of the Atlantic, Veirs’ Portland residence gives this a more satisfying slant – dryer, less faux-authentic, and far less sorry for itself. Two dazzling tracks (‘Where are you driving’ and ‘Life is Good Blues’) help, whilst the others lope along in a soothingly pleasant, if unremarkable, manner.
Choice Cuts: ‘Where Are You Driving’, ‘Life Is Good Blues’
7/10
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM
Sacre bleu! The brain haemorrhage debacle around which this concept-ish effort is based not only makes IRM a remarkable achievement in itself, but also provides a complimentary sub-plot to the songs, without ever becoming intrusive. Musically, writer/producer/arranger extraordinaire Beck leaves his indelible mark – notably dry beats and squirming sound effects – across tracks such as ‘IRM’, whilst Gainsbourg does her Francoise Hardy bit on couple tracks (‘Le Chat du Cafes des Artistes’), and the slightly unlikely collaborators even manage to enliven honky blues run throughs such as ‘Dandelion’. Bon.
Choice Cuts: ‘Master’s Hands’, ‘Le Chat Du Cafe Des Artistes’, ‘Time of the Assassins’
7.5/10
Beach House – Teen Dream
Objective as ever I am, seeing the ‘dream-pop’ label on Wikipedia made me feel I should like this more, but unfortunately I don’t. Minor problems thus: Legrand’s vocals approach Nico-esque baritone but are drowned in the mix; ‘Zebra’ could have been great but has one wrong chord choice in the chorus. Major problems thus: too pedestrian to convey emotion through energy but also lacks the sonic histrionics to do it via bursts of sound – in short, the whole thing strolls with such sloth that it ends up as the musical equivalent of the tortoise who doesn’t end up winning the race. An unmitigated disappointment.
Choice Cuts: ‘Norway’
3.5/10
Magnetic Fields - Realism
Whilst a healthy portion of the music on offer here makes me yawn with indifference and yearn for creative thrust Stephin Merritt to plug in as with previous efforts, thankfully enough quality exists elsewhere to redeem Realism. For instance, rib-tickling lyrics such as “seduced and abandoned and what can I do, I think I might drink a few” recall Neil Hannon at his most childishly subversive, and Merritt’s voice remains the measure of dry indifference. Sufficient for now.
Choice Cuts: ‘You Must Be Out’, ‘Seduced and Abandoned’
*** Short Cuts Special - as there are a ridiculous amount of new records warranting review, this week's short cuts have been split into two parts. Apart from that, it's business as usual. Enjoy!
Fools Gold – Fools Gold
As unconcerned with geographical legitimacy as Vampire Weekend, but far more faithful to source material, Fools Gold’s energised debut traverses Kingston, Istanbul and Rio before settling somewhere between Fela Kuti’s Africa 70 and the house band on a week’s cruise down the Nile. Despite the scattered approach, the musical voyage seldom hits rocky waters, and the surf-tastic guitar tones provide breezily welcome reminders of home at regular intervals – sublime.
Choice Cuts: ‘Surprise Hotel’, ‘The World Is All There Is’, ‘Nadine’
8/10
Good Shoes - No Hope No Future
Where Think Before You Speak was a study in laissez-faire arrogance and relationship insouciance, No Hope No Future’s humbler themes of longing and relative heartache necessarily require a darker tone. Nonetheless, the hooks, whilst fewer and farther between, still can’t help but jostle their way to the forefront. And so, whilst clumsily politicised rumblers like ‘I Know’ are missteps, tracks like ‘The Way My Heart Beats’ and ‘City by the Sea’ are up there with the best from their excellent debut. Meanwhile, ‘Do You Remember’ shows off hitherto unseen guitar-smarts, with licks wound tight enough to befit obvious musical forebears XTC.
Choice Cuts: ‘The Way My Heart Beats’, ‘City by the Sea’, ‘Do You Remember’
7.5/10
Hadouken - For the Masses
Not as smart as These New Puritans, and not as authentic as ‘proper’ grime acts Wylie and Mr Rascal, this lot are destined to languish in chart and critical purgatory unless they up their game substantially. Nonetheless, the realignment from nu-rave to more overt ‘grindie’ at least shows they’re thinking – now think about writing more than a splattering of listenable songs.
Choice Cuts: ‘Turn the Lights Out’
4/10
Tindersticks - Falling Down A Mountain
If love is a drug, Stuart Staples doesn’t half make it sound like heroin – and I’m not just talking about ‘Black Smoke’. Unfortunately, his seemingly impending descent into comatose arrest is the only thing which threatens to enliven the instantly forgettable lounge-jazz-cum-elevator-music which backs his mumbling inertia for the first half of this record. Having said that, I’m genuinely enthralled by the vocal-less ‘Hubbard Hill’, part of a better second half that goes some way to explaining why these nouvelle vag(ue)abonds still seem to retain the rub of the critical green.
Choice Cuts: ‘Harmony Around My Table’, ‘Hubbard Hill’
5.5/10
Spoon – Transference
Whilst by no means fully conversant with these highly acclaimed indie-rockers’ back catalogue, I’d nonetheless hazard a guess that this effort lies strictly in the middle of their creative road. Whilst Britt Daniel’s vocals are as pleasing whether he’s quietly composed (‘Who Makes You’re Money’) or carefully straining (‘Trouble Comes Running’), only the attendant clatter of the latter song type threatens to raise the excitement bar beyond a solid ‘B’. In short – half a dozen spoonfuls of sugar where one or two would have sufficed.
Choice Cuts: ‘Got Nuffin’, ‘Trouble Comes Running’
