head in the clouds and a mouthful of pie

Rabbiting On...

2011-12-23T21:59:00.006Z

I wrote this for the office newsletter because a few work friends said they wanted to hear more about the band and they didn't understand why we were named after deceased bunnies. Well, here you go. This is a sanitised version because it went out to colleagues and company directors so sex, drugs, rock and roll, swearing, flirting, bitching, bad moods, payment-related rage, driving offences, audiences comprised of goons, rude comments about other bands etc etc had to be glossed over. But maybe they will appear here some other time...

(c) Suzy Sims
December 2012

“Thank you. We are the Dead Rabbits from Southampton.” It’s not the nicest name for a band. We’re named after Dead Rabbits, the gang from New York, as portrayed in the film, er, Gangs Of New York. I’m not sure why because I couldn’t think of a group of people less likely to start gang warfare, although maybe I will get a bit punchy if they keep saying “We’re from Southampton.” Some of us are from Portsmouth, thank you very much.

So we are Dead Rabbits, and we play angsty downbeat rock, shoegazey dreampop, and lots of other made up genres. (Basically we sound a bit loud but slightly melancholic). At present there are three of us – I play the drums, tall thin Tom is the vocalist / guitarist, and arty man-in-black Neil is on guitar. We did have a lovely bassist called Chloe but she left to go to university. This was probably for the best, as she used to date Tom and they split up recently, which made band practice a little awkward.

My first gig was at Proud in Camden. It’s a very well known indie club where everyone plays in a massive room lit with swirling neon colours and an awesome sound system. All the cool bands play at Proud, it’s a brilliant place to show how cool you are. Except, we weren’t strictly at Proud. We were in the little room opposite the main club, and it was more of a restaurant. We rocked up, stuck guitars onto maximum feedback, and a good ten people upped and left. I then dropped one of the drumsticks but scrabbled around on the floor and managed to retrieve it in time for the chorus. Then when it was time to pack up, I managed to knock over most of the cymbals with my enormous backside.

Most of our shows are in Southampton, as the band is from here (and Portsmouth) but we have been asked to play some a little further afield – plenty in London, Winchester, Huddersfield, and Blackpool. Huddersfield involved a pleasant five hour drive with three people, two amps, four guitars and a few random drum parts all crammed into my Ford Ka. It also involved Tom and Chloe having an onstage quarrel about a song that someone couldn’t remember, and our set culminated in a guitar being thrown on the floor and a bit of swearing. We then spent the night on someone’s floor and someone stole a blanket off me while I was dozing.

Blackpool was less painless, as we travelled in a minibus so had plenty of leg room, and I didn’t have to drive either. We saw the Illuminations and even had a fan travel up from Somewhere Else, Lancashire, just to see us. Sadly it’s not easy to sleep in a minibus in November, especially when it’s Fireworks Night, and you’re parked opposite a nightclub, so once we realized no-one could feel their toes, we went for a walk at 5.30am because McDonald’s was open, serving coffee and free central heating. On the plus side we were paid £20 for the gig. On the minus side, it cost £150 in petrol and van hire.

We’ve been offered an album deal from an Italian label and so we’re in the process of recording (after 2 and a half months, we have one song that is almost mixed correctly, so don’t save your pennies for it just yet), and there is regular talk of gigs in Sweden and France, although I will only do these if a) I don’t have to drive and b) we get paid and have a bed to sleep in, which is APPARENTLY too much to ask.

Come and visit us at http://www.facebook.com/deadrabbitsuk or try searching Dead Rabbits Southampton on YouTube or Google or whatever (we are not to be confused with the identically named Pogues tribute. And I’m not from Southampton).

New Year Resolutions

2011-12-23T21:45:00.002Z

I read a great quote from Jarvis Cocker before where he said every New Year, instead of giving something up, he aims to have a new experience or hobby. I love this. I've been trying to do this the last few years. However, I'm sure Jarvis wasn't scraping by on £15,000 at the time. There are limits to what a girl can do this year, unfortunately...

1. Get out of my SODDING OVERDRAFT
Why? It's not your money. Stop pretending that it is and stop spending. That way, next time your car tax is due or you need new tyres, you don't freak out, go wildly above the limit and steal money from your rapidly diminishing savings accounts. (LOL at me trying to do 'saving')
How? I am not going to buy any alcohol, any books, any magazines, any shoes, any clothes, any gig tickets until at least May. This should help.

2. Get a cheaper phone
Why? So you use it for Facebook? You can do that at home, and it won't cost you £30 a month line rental. Plus you never phone anyone as you have no friends.

3. HOLIDAY IN ICELAND
Why? Ten years ago I was talking about travelling to Australia. I never did it. I was brave enough to arrange a trip to Budapest by myself six years ago, but dad died the evening before and I didn't go. I want to travel. I NEED to travel. I WILL TRAVEL. BUT I need the money to do so (see above)

4. Get a tattoo
Why? To express myself, because I am awesome.

For everything else, see below in my things to do before I am 30. Only six months to go :(

Before I'm 30...

2011-06-08T20:36:00.013+01:00

I don't mean to sound a bit morbid, or a bit worn out, a bit 'oh no, not another one' but there seem to be a lot of bucket lists out at the moment. I have a list of things I want to do before I'm 30. I did generally assume I'd be dead before then - and let's face it, there is still time - but as 29 is about to punch me squarely in the face, then clearly I need to sort myself out.

So in no particular order, here is my List Of Things I Want To Do Before I'm 30 (Although I'm Sure I Can Do Some Once I Am 30, Unless There Is Some Kind Of 'Logan's Run' Age Limit. Ageist Bastards).

1 - Start a business.

2 - Go to Scandinavia. Pref. Iceland or Norway, but I'm not overly fussed.

3 - Get a tattoo.

4 - Finish writing my BLOODY BOOK.

5 - Get a BLOODY AGENT (related to the above).

6 - Join a band, one that actually plays. I'm a drummer. Come play with me.
DONE: Search for Dead Rabbits Southampton. I play with them. Huzzah!

7 - Have some sort of beauty treatment. Facial? Nails??
DONE: I joined the gym and got a free back massage. It was awesome, though a bit painful because I'm a sensitive little sausage

8 - Visit more of the places where I recently moved to (Southsea) - I'm talking restaurants, charity shops, the little vintage clothes shops and antiquey furnitures - rather than going to Tesco or Ikea. Though I am fond of Tesco and Ikea. And Waitrose. Ahh, Waitrose.

9 - Put all my bills and statements in little folders, more importantly in date order.
DONE...ish

10 - Learn to swim.
Er... I asked at the gym, and a swimming lesson is the same amount as I pay for drums. Cannot afford to do both :(

11 - CBT (as in riding a bike, not as in psychotherapy).

12 - See my favourite band in concert.
DONE: I bought my first Pulp cassette the day after my 13th birthday. I was in the fan club and used to write little questionnaires and ask them to sign things. However I was either too young or not independent enough to see them. After over 15 years, I finally saw them at Wireless in July 2011, and it was beautiful. I love the songs, I love the live show, I am immensely fond of them all. Sorted...

13 - I started a sitcom and a screenplay (former five years ago, latter one year ago). Should probably revisit these.
DOING: On it!

So if I'm not out much over the next 12 months, this will be why...

RIP Kaiser Chiefs Forum...

2011-06-06T22:01:00.005+01:00

The Kaiser Chiefs forum has closed! I haven't been there for a couple of years, but when I first started looking for a chatty message board, this is where I ended up. It started feeling like everyone was talking over your head, but after you have posted for a while you get people laughing at your jokes, sending PMs, exchanging MySpace addresses and arranging to meet at gigs and festivals. After a while my browsing became infrequent and I felt I was no longer part of the community and the 'glory days'. I had moved on, and by the looks of it so has everyone else.

Here is a story I wrote for the Kaiser Chiefs forum some time ago... I'm guessing 2007 ish? It contains many forum injokes, some that I can't remember. Anyway, I won a competition and a signed setlist for my efforts. Yaaay. Here's to sitting up at 3am, pressing F5 repeatedly, fighting off trolls from The Kooks forum (yes really), and downloading lengthy live bootlegs.

Reading it back reminds me that I really should stick to writing non-fiction.

Words (c) Suzy Sims
Originally published as a three-parter on the Kaiser Chiefs forum

Holidays, Yes

Yes, it was a good holiday, thought Whitey to himself as he stretched out on the sand and wiggled his toes. His traditional beanie had been swapped for a rather fetching straw hat and there was a warm can of beer half buried next to his sun towel. The sky was grey, the air was humid (well, they were in England after all) and there were seagulls swooping down to pick at the leftovers of chips at various points along the beach wall.

Nick was sunbathing comfortably nearby, although being British he was still wearing trousers and several jumpers. Simon was wearing a bathing cap and was splashing about in the rock pools looking for crabs to taunt.

Ricky had been buried in the sand up to his neck and had a bucket over his head, which was frankly necessary to stop the fan girls seeing him and wrecking the band's holiday.

Whitey still couldn't understand why when he had requested an ice cream, Simon had skipped off giggling at him.

But there was someone missing, and Whitey couldn't work out who.

"I think I need a pee," said a muffled voice from under the bucket.

"There's sunburn on your nut, mate," said Nick as he threw over the Ambre Solaire (only £8 for Factor 15, available in all good shops).

Simon was walking around with a small bag in his hand. "Who wants a peanut?" he shouted.

That was it! Whitey sat up. He looked around.

"Where the f**k is Dave Grohl?" he said. "He said he was bringing a barbeque."

"I'll go and look for him," said Nick and the bucket simultaneously.

So off they went, padding across the sand dunes with their bare hobbit feet. Ricky kept the bucket on his head, and Nick thought it would be funny to balance things on the top without him noticing. It started with a handful of sand, then a shell, a bottle of Ambre Solaire, a pair of flip-flops, a small child and a deckchair.

Nick was struggling to lift a lifebuoy onto the top when Ricky pulled the bucket off, saying: "What the blooming 'eck are you doing?" (For that is how people from Leeds talk).

As soon as the bucket was taken off, hundreds of bikini-clad babes (and one or two heifers) made a beeline for Ricky. He looked scared and put it back on his head, and the girls became disinterested and drifted away.

"Phew, that was close," he said quietly.

And up popped Dave Grohl, who'd been hiding underneath a small dinghy.

"Hello boys, what are you up to?"

"We're looking for a plot," said Ricky-Bucket. Nick hit him over the head with a drumstick until he reverberated and wobbled into the sea.

"We were looking for you," he said. "Where's this barbeque then?"

"I was bringing it over to you. I was walking along here next to Peanut, who was carrying the food. And then it happened...

"Peanut was kidnapped by a seagull."

Meanwhile a few feet away, Simon had discovered a message floating in a glass bottle. By 'discovered', he actually trod on it and was undergoing immediate surgery to sew his foot back on.

Whitey unravelled the small square of paper. It read:

'I AM BEING HELD CAPTIVE ON BIRD ISLAND. PLEASE HELP'.

"Oh, bugger," he said.

More to follow...

Peanut was lying on the shore. He was staring out across the murky brown waters, which were hiding all sorts of horrors, but not the various condoms and shopping trolleys which would occasionally bob in his line of vision.

He was on Bird Island, home to the enormous seagull which had mistaken him for a large chip and had swooped down, grabbed him by the pants and flown him off. The mainland was a fair distance away and poor Peanut had no idea how to get back. Currently he was lying in a star-shape, his reasoning being that seagulls don't eat starfish because you can't nibble on one leg while the other four are punching you in the beak.

Luckily for the 'nut, Whitey had recognised the handwriting on the note. He'd also reasoned that Peanut wasn't in any immediate danger or he wouldn't have been able to sign it 'Love and hugs, your mate P. Hope to see you soon xx'. Whitey adjusted his straw hat and stood up as Nick, Dave and a damp bucket approached.

"We need to find some way of getting over there," Nick said, flinging himself down onto the sand and taking off one of his jumpers. There was a small piece of seaweed caught in his hair which he flicked onto the towel.

"Could we not just ask the bird to bring him home?" suggested Dave, not very helpfully.

"I think this situation calls for a bit of a sacrifice from Mr Wilson," said Whitey quietly.

"What do you mean exactly?" said the bucket apprehensively, hands on hips.

Whitey paced up and down on his towel, which didn't take long as it wasn't really that big. "There aren't many of us and we need some help. Nick can't row the dinghy because he insists on using his drumsticks for oars." Nick nodded and smiled. "Dave isn't in the band, and his ideas are frankly rubbish."

"OK," said Dave brightly. "I'll try and light the barbeque. I forgot the firelighters so I'm going to eat a pack of chillis and breathe on the coals really hard."

"I want to help," said Simon bravely.

"Your foot is still loose and you're in danger of leaving it behind by accident. Can you help Dave instead?" said Nick.

Simon grumbled into his bathing cap and followed Dave along the beach, but returned a second later.

"Forgot my foot," he said sheepishly.

"Didn't someone say my name?" the Ricky Bucket asked. Whitey put his arm across Ricky's sandy shoulders.

"I think," he said, "it's about time you took that thing off."

Ricky's face paled so much it could be seen glowing white under the plastic cover.

"But... the fan girls!" he stammered.

"We want them to follow you. If enough of them do that, you could swim over to Bird Island, pick up Peanut and get him to walk across the ladies. He'd get back without getting his feet wet," said Whitey.

Ricky wasn't happy with this, but Nick tickled him with a Pro-Mark stick until he started rolling on the floor spluttering: "Stop! I'll do your stupid idea!"

Peanut squinted across the water to try and see if the other Chiefs had received his SOS. He thought he could see his friends rolling on the floor and giggling, with the occasional clash of drumstick on bucket. "Take your time, boys," he thought.

Then suddenly there was a terrifying squawk which echoed around the cliff tops. Peanut froze and slowly turned his head to see an enormous seagull with roaring wings and beady eyes looking at him menacingly. Uh oh...

More to follow...

Ricky was stood at the water's edge nervously. He lifted the bucket off his head slightly to see Whitey and Simon grinning and giving him the thumbs-up sign.

"Come on mate. You can do it!"

"Kaiser! Chiefs! Kaiser! Chiefs!"

Looking to the left, he saw Nick had both drumsticks up his nose and was pulling a silly face and doing a little dance.

He looked down and flexed his furry little toes, then did an enormous jump into the surprisingly chilly water.

"Ouch!"

"Tide's out," called Simon. "You might have to go a bit further out than that."

Ricky rubbed his hands together and took another step into the water. A few paces later and it was swishing around his ankles pleasantly. A couple of minutes more and the waves were buffeting against his knees.

"Bit further," said a voice next to the bucket. "We'll tell you when, don't you worry."

Ricky took a deep breath and kept inching out until the water was lapping around his waist.

"Ready?" yelled Whitey.

"I think so," said Ricky, gripping the bucket firmly.

"1... 2... 3... NOW!"

And the bucket was off and drifting away. Ricky blinked in the sudden sunlight. He shook his head and stared around blearily to get his bearings. Behind him was the shore, with Simon clapping and whooping at the water's edge. Whitey was holding his straw hat and beer can aloft. Straight in front was an island in the distance, which had something enormous moving on it - wait, was that a seagull? Bloody hell. Poor Peanut. And to the right of him - oh dear God.

Ricky could see a line of girls advancing through the water like some aquatic zombie flick. They all had their hands outstretched and wild stares. On the breeze he could hear a demented call of "Rickeeeee!"

After saying several rude words in a variety of languages, the Kaiser Chiefs frontman ducked under the waves and began splashing his way to the island.

Meanwhile, Peanut wasn't having a particularly good day. He was feeling a bit ill after eating much of the food intended for the barbeque. He had been mistaken for a giant chip by a seagull the size of a house, which had just torn the hat from his head and was tussling with it. He was currently edging behind a large rock for safety. The water looked a bit scary to swim in and he didn't dare to venture further along the island because his mum had always told him to stay still if he was lost. And he was lost.

Ricky also wasn't finding the water much fun to swim through. Several times he'd spectacularly collided with shopping trolleys. He also had a carrier bag wrapped around his left leg and a surprised limpet clinging to his stomach. But it wouldn't be long until he reached the island. He could now see Peanut hiding behind a rock and staring at him all puzzled-like.

After a few more minutes, Ricky realised the water was shallow enough to stand in and he waded onto the pebbles and hissed at Peanut.

"Oi! You all right?"

"I think so," Peanut whispered. "But it's got my hat!"

"Don't worry about that. We're getting out of here."

Ricky looked back towards the shore - and his heart skipped a beat. There was a break in the chain of people. Someone had distracted his girls and there weren't enough! They had no way of getting back across the water... and that seagull looked hungry.

Back on the mainland, Nick had chosen an inopportune moment to rip off his jumpers and was parading his torso around, striking manly poses and saying 'Heeeey'. Several girls had stopped following Ricky and were instead gazing this way and dribbling ever so slightly

"I'm not sure this is a good time," Whitey muttered.

"Oh, very well," said Nick. He was about to get dressed when there was a thundering explosion. Dave Grohl had set light to the barbeque, a nearby beach hut, his eyebrows and Simon's stray foot. The fearful noise made Nick's fan girls jump into the sea in shock, and Ricky seized the chance.

"Let's go Peanut!"

The two jumped along, from fan girl to fan girl. It was a very wobbly bridge and in places it screamed and grabbed at Peanut and Ricky, who was now starting to weep openly as well as wave his arms melodramatically. The two reached the other side and fled along the beach, yelling as the massive weight of fan girls started to sweep closer towards them.

Suddenly Whitey, cool as a cornet of Premium Soft ice cream, grabbed a bucket from a sandcastle-making child and rammed it onto Ricky's head. The fan girls blinked. They looked around aimlessly, glanced once or twice at a jumper clad Nick, then headed off. Whitey then put his straw hat back on and settled down onto his beach towel, stretching out and finding another warm can of beer.

Nick followed his lead and lay flat out on the sand, making sure to put on another jumper to avoid sunburn. Peanut felt his head - so this is what it feels like without a hat! Sort of soft and a bit hairy. He decided not to bother wearing his spare hat, but every time someone make a squawking noise he flinched and dived under the nearest rock. Simon sat in a rock pool, tossing his foot from hand to hand and occasionally making bird noises at Peanut.

"Could someone please bury me in the sand?" asked Ricky politely. Nick obliged and soon the two were playing in a big happy sandcastle, both with drumsticks up their nose.

Yes, thought Whitey as he put his hat over his face and sighed. It was a good holiday.

In the distance, a seagull swooped down and took off with a man who looked remarkably like Dave Grohl.

Live Review - Southsea Fest 2010

2010-11-22T22:11:00.007Z

Bit of a delay in posting; sorry about me. I've just taken over control of the work's newsletter (woo) and have also decided to start a rom-com screenplay (unfinished) even though I also have a book (unfinished) and a sitcom (unfinished). Anyway, this was originally posted on mINtSOUTH.com in September. Unfortunately the site got hacked into and everything was lost shortly after. I'm not sure if they've put this one back up yet.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

SOUTHSEA FEST - 2010

We’re padding the streets of Southsea in well-worn Converse; head down, looking at maps, fiddling with camera lenses and wondering if the band we’ve just seen is the same as given on the running order. Southsea Fest venues don’t need signs or markers to show where they are. The entrances are illuminated by the shining beacons from a dozen cigarettes being puffed outside the doorway. An excitable friend runs up to us with open arms in Wine Vaults, where we’ve come to check out Brothers. With music in the background, she leads us to the Sailor Jerry stand for tattoos and cocktails – an excellent choice of sponsor, because everyone loves a good rum. mINtSOUTH’s team leave with an anchor for the matelot, and a swallow for the classy bird.

It’s been said many times before, and I’ll say it again – Portsmouth is not known for its music scene. The name most people are excited to see on the list is Pulled Apart By Horses (Leeds), who’s not-so-secret-secret-gig was recently announced. It is however good that people are getting off their arse and doing something to showcase the best local acts through Southsea Fest. Originally set up as a charitable event to help a young artist with lymphoma record an album (and indeed charity is still at the heart of the day, with a healthy donation to The Ellen MacArthur Trust), it’s now a highlight in the festival calendar for the people who are too cool or too broke for the bigger name events across the Solent.

It’s early in the day, yet the Edge of the Wedge is still filling up nicely for The Attika State, as part of the BSM and Alcopop stage. It’s hot in here already, just a little temperature taster of what the Pulled Apart By Horses gig will be like. The music is warm and spicy with some cheering melodies.

Over in Little Johnny Russells, Zoo In The Sky is fronted by the ever present Huw Olesker. His Mohawk brings him punk power and ska beats. Without it, he would be helpless. Summer is extended in the pub during the band’s set.

The day passes in a blur, helped along by an unfortunate habit of arriving at a venue to catch the last minute of a band, and then a half an hour break before the next. We caught the end of punky rockers The Exposed who are deafening the Deco with some loud drums, and spot the next troupe of insanely paisley and animal printed shirts, which we take to be Bad For Lazarus, who are having lengthy technical difficulties. In the end we give up and head to the Kings Theatre, managing to sneak upstairs and catch a sweet balcony spot for The B Of The Bang. I haven’t seen them before and found their jaunty lo-fi slightly downbeat but quite pleasant, but thought they struggled to make an impact.

Most people were heading to the Kings, partly because it had soft seating (the venues are so rammed, sometimes it’s nice to pause and actually see the bands you’re listening to) and partly because The Strange Death Of Liberal England are local darlings at present, with positive album reviews across the land. This is no scruffy pub gig. The Show, for that is what it is, opens with two scarlet-coated military drummers marching to the stage before the band arrive, all mock serious poses, air raid sirens and beautifully sweeping songs. There’s something about the sheer majesty of an orchestra that can help magnify the dramatic elements of a melody. TSDOLE are a theatrical highlight of the day.

After a near miss, when mINtSOUTH try to leave the venue the same time as the band and almost end up at the back of their victory parade behind their soldier drummers, it’s time for a break at the Balti House and another perusal of the timetable.

mINtSOUTH breaks ranks and The One With The Dead Camera Battery ends up at the fast and fun Stagecoach and Tall Ships, who he was particularly taken with, claiming the hypnotic tunes left him enthralled. Meanwhile, The One With The Notepad drifts aimlessly around the Wine Vaults and Porters, again eyeing up the rum cocktails, then heads up Albert Road. I’m not sure where I am or what is playing. I feel lost. There are snatches of rocky chords and fuzzing bass, brief glimpses of bands above people’s heads. Blasts of pounding indie rock echo down the street, as someone – possibly Lucifers Gold? - play at The Festing. The gig venue is separated from the normal Saturday crowd. Downstairs, a tall man in a Scooby Doo outfit and his other costumed friends talk by the jukebox while elsewhere the band play on.

On heading back to the Wedgewood Rooms, we bump into a friend again, who had to escape Pulled Apart By Horses due to heat exhaustion, and is currently winding down. A random taps mINtSOUTH’s reviewer on the shoulder: “Excuse me, my friend says you just pinched my bottom.” No. “It’s quite a good bottom, though.” Again, no.

We flash our wristbands shyly at the doorman on the Edge, who shakes his head and indicates that there is a queue of at least half a dozen people. No PABH for us tonight. We’re also gutted to miss Islet, as by all accounts they were fantastic.

Instead we turn our attention Wedge-wards. I was impressed with Bleech. Singer Jennifer peers out from beneath her mane, rocking away without care, surrounded by cloudy grungy and Nineties Britpop influences.

NME wrote something of a ridiculously poor review of the Little Fish album, possibly because they didn’t realise the group are first and foremost a Live Act. Tonight they are a Live Act surrounded by balloons as it’s the drummer’s birthday. Juju never disappoints and like the girls of Bleech, is a rocking alpha female who is obviously enjoying her time onstage but isn’t too precious to scream or pull crazy faces. Top notch.

The Xcerts are full of furious stop-starts and plenty of punkish pop energy, just right for a Saturday night. They also have a number of fans singing away, hands aloft; always a cheery sight. It would be nice to catch Goldheart Assembly, but there’s been a delay in going onstage and South West Trains wait for no man, so it’s time to step into the shockingly chilly air and trudge back to the station.

Our Southsea Fest 2010 Experience is over – but for many of you, the partying carried into the early part of Sunday morning. Good on ya.

BANDS YOU WOULD TOTALLY SEE BASED ON THEIR NAME ALONE

Head Full of Yoko, Dr Skrivenski’s Pandorium, Smokey Bastard, &U&I, Skibunny, Klezma Villanova, Tricorn, Itchy Teeth, Attack! Vipers!

OVERHEARD RECOMMENDATIONS – EAVESDROPPING ON THE STREETS OF SOUTHSEA

“The best band that I’ve heard today is that 12 Dirty Bullets.”

“I can only see two or three names I recognise, I don’t know who anyone is!”

“I’m really hoping to catch King Charles."

“Islet were well exciting.”

“What did you think of Pulled Apart By Horses? They were immense.”

http://www.southseafest.com/

Interview - The Momeraths @ Great Escape 2010

2010-07-03T15:04:00.004+01:00

Submitted to mINtSOUTH.com in June 2010 but currently unpublished
Interview and words - Suzy Sims
(c) Suzy Sims

INTERVIEW - THE MOMERATHS @ THE GREAT ESCAPE 2010

Paolo and Claire

mINtSOUTH: The Great Escape – we’re here now. Do you get a pass to see any other bands?
Claire: “Not that I’ve heard. We’ll see what we can wangle out of it. We did when we went to the Camden Crawl. We managed to get passes so we spent the rest of the day queuing, but hey.”

mINtSOUTH: How did it go today, did you enjoy it?
Claire: “I did enjoy it yeah. Despite being blamed for a mistake on stage which wasn’t my fault.”
mINtSOUTH: It’s on record now. It wasn’t your fault.
Claire: “It was Paolo actually.”
Paolo: “Sounds like a politician...”
mINtSOUTH: It was David Cameron’s fault it all went wrong today. Isn’t it quite hard doing the earlier ones in the day?
Claire: “Really hard to get people out of bed from the night before. And it’s a nice day too.”

mINtSOUTH: What do you associate with lovely Brighton?
Claire: “Seaside. I like the seaside. We know a couple of really good little bands from here.”
Paolo: “The Bobby McGees and The Half Sisters. When I think of Brighton, I always think of them.”
Claire: “Sunshine and the beach and Brighton rock.”
Paolo: “Oh, and that programme that was about that girl from Brighton. Sugar Rush.”

mINtSOUTH: What can people expect to see from The Momeraths’ live experience?
Claire: “A lot of red and white. We’re very well co-ordinated.”
Paolo: “Bar stools, ironing boards, banners.”
Claire: “Anything else beginning with b? Not bums. No bums on stage.”

mINtSOUTH: Did it take you ages to put your banner together? [The band has a series of little flags spelling out their name across the stage]
Paolo: “It took Claire years.”
Claire: “Literally, per letter was about 3 hours, maybe a bit more. It is worth it. Slave labour.”
mINtSOUTH: What if you got to the end and found you missed out one of the letters?
Paolo: “Or did it on the wrong colour, like it’s red / white / red / white - done two reds.”
Claire: “They’re good old ASDA pillowcases.”

mINtSOUTH: Have you got any releases out?
Paolo: “Yes we had an EP out this month, last month? Called A Single Cup of Tea. It’s got five songs on. We’re doing another EP in the summer and hopefully be doing an album next year, with loads of new songs.
Claire: “We’re getting there.”
Paolo: “Gradually. Slow movers.”
Claire: “Slow and steady wins the race, Paolo.”

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a fact about each other.
Claire: “A fact about Paolo... I don’t want to say any facts about you that I know! We’ve known each other for a long time, we live together so we know the deepest darkest secrets.”
mINtSOUTH: It’s not a Jeremy Kyle scandal type of question...
Claire: “But we will, by accident!”
Paolo: “I‘m not going to say something which I’m going to later regret.”
Claire: “Paolo is three-quarters Italian and a quarter Welsh.”

Paolo: “Claire is going to receive an NVQ at John Lewis for working there for three years, two days a week.”
Claire: "Four years, thank you very much!”
mINtSOUTH: I did five years at Somerfield and all I got was a badge. NVQs are much better.
Paolo: “Everyone’s got NVQs.”

mINtSOUTH: Plans for 2010?
Paolo: “We’ve got festivals in the summer. We’ve got Secret Garden Party and Lounge On The Farm.”
Claire: “They’re all the smaller nicer ones. We did Glastonbury last year, it’s great but it’s so big. I always wanted to go to Secret Garden Party, can’t wait.”
Paolo: “Couple of EPs and write an album I think. Enjoy the sunshine, for the next three weeks that we have of it. It’s always sunny down here.”
Claire: “ We live in Kingston, Surrey. I wish we had a beach. We’ve only got a massive river – the Thames. ‘That massive river’. Idiot!”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla vs bear – who would win in a fight?
Claire: “Is that about me and Paolo? (laughs) I think I would! He’s the gorilla. Look at the hair.”
Paolo: “I think bears win in fights to be honest.”
Claire: “Oh I dunno. A gorilla’s got the arms. I think the gorilla could take it out with one quick swing. The bear would just go meehhh and fall over. (giggles) That was a really terrible impression of a bear.”

Paolo: “Now can we read these out to you? Tell me about that bag.”
mINtSOUTH: My friend gave it to me as a present. It’s from Primark.
Claire: “Are you releasing an album this year?”
mINtSOUTH: No.
Paolo: “Why not? Everyone’s releasing an album this year.”
Claire: “What do you associate with Brighton?”
mINtSOUTH: Deckchairs and beach.
Paolo: “How long have you lived in Brighton?”
mINtSOUTH: I don’t!
Claire: “Portsmouth? We’ve been there before. Live?”
mINtSOUTH: Yes I am.
Claire: “What can we expect live from you?”
mINtSOUTH: Probably a bit of talking and muttering.
Claire: “Plans for 2010?”
mINtSOUTH: To get a new job...
Paolo: “How much do you make a year?”
Claire: “Let’s get out the personal questions! Great Escape. I see you’ve got a pass.”
Paolo: “Is that a delegates pass? Have you got any spare ones?”
mINtSOUTH: “Yes, and unfortunately not.”
Claire: “I’m going to have to take that one then! Gorilla or bear?”
mINtSOUTH: Bear. I have a friend who calls himself The Bear and he seems to think he would win any fight.

[Tour manager walks over looking confused.] Claire: “We span it round, we’re messing things up a bit. [Start firing questions at tour manager]. Go on, answer them all at once!”
Tour Manager: “...No!”

The Momeraths

Interview - Detroit Social Club @ Great Escape 2010

2010-07-03T14:58:00.005+01:00

Submitted to mINtSOUTH.com in June 2010 but unpublished
Interview and words - Suzy Sims
(c) Suzy Sims

INTERVIEW - DETROIT SOCIAL CLUB @ THE GREAT ESCAPE 2010

Dale Knight and Johnny Bond

mINtSOUTH: The Great Escape. Did you only get here today?
Johnny: “Yeah.”
Dale: “We saw a bit of Rachelle Van Zanten who was on before us, the slide guitarist from Canada. Her band were quite rootsy.”
Johnny: “We played earlier today at the Queens Hotel.”
mINtSOUTH: What about later tonight?
Johnny: “I want to see Band Of Skulls. They’re on after us, so that’s convenient.”

mINtSOUTH: What do you associate with Brighton?
Dale: “Quadrophenia. Has anyone said rock?”
Johnny: “I don’t really know much about it, I only came here when I was 10. Brighton rock and Quadrophenia, there you go.”

mINtSOUTH: What can people expect to see from you on stage?
Johnny: “We are very loud.”
mINtSOUTH: I figured that when your tour manager gave me earplugs to wear during your soundcheck.
Dale: “Some people say we’re too loud, but I don’t agree.”
Johnny: “The thing about playing live is you’re trying to get across a different side that’s not on the recordings. If you saw us but you listened to the album first, you wouldn’t expect what it sounds like live. If you saw us live first, you’d probably think the album was quite tame and sort of reserved.”
Dale: “It’s a shame when you see a band and it’s as good as the album and there’s nothing more. We try and add stuff.”
Johnny: “It makes it more interesting than just hearing it back as you do on the record.”

mINtSOUTH: Have you got any albums or releases out?
Johnny: “Our first album is out on May 31st and there’s a single, Sunshine People, before that. The album’s called Existence.”

mINtSOUTH: Looking forward to it? Has it been a long time in the making?
Johnny: “It has been a long time. We recorded it last summer, and that’s after spending a year and a half trying to find the right producer to do it. And it was put back another year. It’s been a long time coming. I think it’s good timing though, because people can hear it ready in time for the festivals over the summer. People who have got the album can go and listen and will hopefully learn the words.”
Dale: “We’re looking forward to playing gigs once it’s been released because at the minute you can see people trying to get into it live, but they can’t get involved because they don’t know the album.”
Johnny: “We’re very excited!”

mINtSOUTH: How would you describe your music?
Johnny: “That’s hard to answer because the album’s got a lot of different sounds on it. There are some bits like Silver which is like a hip hop song. It’s got its rocky moments and where it possibly sounds unintentionally mainstream – I think every band’s got songs that just naturally seem more radio friendly. There are quite a lot of experimental songs on the album which probably won’t be in the singles, so if you get the album it’s a good method of getting that side of things.”

mINtSOUTH: Bonus hidden track?
Dale: “There is a hidden track on there. It’s not hard to find, because it’s at the end.”
mINtSOUTH: In my car I’ve got a cassette player, so if I copy the CD then there’s a 20 minute gap.
Johnny: “You need to get with the times. Gramophone in your boot.”

mINtSOUTH: Can you tell me a fact about yourselves?
Johnny: “Dale’s a great spooner. We have to share a room when we go on tour. If it’s a quiet night or a cold evening, just turn to Dale.”
Dale: “Bondy is a budding saxophonist.”
Johnny: “I got given two of them, an alto sax and a tenor sax, about a month ago? Getting there.”

mINtSOUTH: What are your plans for 2010?
Johnny: “Got the festivals coming up. Two gigs at Glastonbury on the John Peel stage and then playing the Queens Head. We’ve got T In The Park and Isle of Wight, should be good.”
Dale: “We’re doing Fuji Rock as well.”
Johnny: “Very excited about that.”
Dale: “It’s going to be a 10 hour flight straight there, play the gig, and straight back.”
Johnny: “We should be doing a tour for the album at some point as well. We’re on this Q Magazine tour at the minute [with Tiffany Page and Goldhawks] which will end in a week and then we’ve got the album coming out so people are going to expect us to tour again. It’s going to be a busy year.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla v Bear – who would win?
Dale: “I think a bear would win. But the gorilla’s cleverer.”
Johnny: “I imagine the bear to be like the bad guy in Rocky IV, he’s all brawn and he’d just go raging in.”
Dale: “The gorilla’s got massive claws and massive teeth so I think it’s got a chance.”
Johnny: “I’m going with gorilla.”
Dale: “Deadlock!”
mINtSOUTH: I’ll give you some time to think about it...
Dale: “I want to see some CGI version of this battle now.”

Detroit Social Club

Interview - Pulled Apart By Horses @ Great Escape 2010

2010-07-03T14:53:00.005+01:00

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in June 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

INTERVIEW - PULLED APART BY HORSES @THE GREAT ESCAPE 2010

We first spot Pulled Apart By Horses – Tom (vocals / guitar), Robert (bass), James (guitar), minus Lee (drums) who’s on paternity leave - as they’re sneaking around Brighton Dome, attempting to catch The Cribs in mid-soundcheck. When this fails, we lead them to sit in the park, surrounded by happy toddlers and a man playing the bongos in the near distance. It’s perfectly summery, outdoor beer weather. Let the interview begin:

mINtSOUTH: This is probably going to be the least professional interview you’ve had all day.
PABH: “We’ll we’re the least professional band in the world, so it’ll be fine!”

mINtSOUTH: Can you tell us a fact about yourselves?
Tom: “Robert John Lee - his original name is Robot John Lee, and he’s actually a robot that was made in the mid Nineties. And he runs on oil.”
Rob: “And I was not a body double, but the actual actor that played Robocop.”
James: “You can see the jaw structure there, look. If you shaved Rob’s hair, he’s got a metal helmet.”

mINtSOUTH: The Great Escape... Are you going to have time to stick around and see many bands?
Tom: “It’s really hard because we’re playing at 9 and there’s a few bands we want to see that are all around that sort of time. It’s really annoying.”
James: “We’re really good friends with Blood Red Shoes. They go on at half nine and we go on at quarter past. But we’re going to run over and say hi.”
Rob: “I really want to watch the Cribs. We can get away with it now because normally if Lee was here, our drummer, he’d probably hit us.”
James: “There’s Chickenhawk, they’re playing today. Try and catch them.”

Tom: “The Great Escape’s awesome. Although last time we played it was such a blur. We played at the Sallis Benney at 7pm, and then played the Pav Tav at 12am to a load of drunk people whilst being drunk ourselves, and then the next day played The Hope at 12pm still drunk. By that point we were just on the edge, we had just completely lost it but that added to it.”
James: “Because it was the first time we’d done Great Escape and been down here for it, i think we were having a little bit too much fun as well. There wasn’t much sleep had last year, but a lot of drinking, staying up.”

mINtSOUTH: What can people expect to see from the Pulled Apart By Hoses live experience?
Rob: “There’s the obvious bits which is sweat, sometimes blood. Sick doesn’t happen anymore.”
Tom “Well it does occasionally rear its head.”
Rob: “If you eat an hour before you go on. James usually adds to his collection of knee injuries [James shows off a horrifying bruised scab]

Tom: “That started off with seven stitches. And then we played a couple of gigs at the Camden Crawl.”
James: “There’s only 3 left now. This occurs regularly.”
Tom: “He’s got the knees of a cheap prostitute, from the amount of times he’s landed on them. We are a live band like, since day one we’ve just toured relentlessly and played about 400 gigs in the space of about two years.”

mINtSOUTH: I saw you a couple of times last year, when you were at Southampton Joiners and there was a lot of jumping into the crowd.
Tom: “It’s kind of like unplanned chaos, and that’s the fun of it, Just wait to see what happens and go with the flow. One thing is about Brighton, for a few of the first gigs we played here we realised the crowd are a bit too cool for school sometimes, like everyone just stands there at the back. But last year it was a lot better. It’s probably because people didn’t know us then.”

mINtSOUTH: I think Portsmouth can be worse, you get people stood there arms folded not clapping.
James: “I think it was the Wedgewood Rooms - that was a strange one.”
Tom: “Everyone’s just standing there and you’re like ‘Oh god, this is awful, everyone hates it,’ and then people come up to you after and they’re like ‘Oh that was amazing, we really loved it.’ And you’re like. shake a leg then, go on!”

Rob: “Like Tom said before it’s a case of how the crowd interaction and getting in the crowd is because we consider the crowd to be as much part of the band as we are. A lot of people know the end riff we generally finish on so we’ve had a lot of different people just get onstage. Sometimes if we’re on tour with a band or we’ve got a tech we haven’t used before, we’re like ‘Right, you’re playing.’ We did it in Europe with Blood Red Shoes. Laura-Mary and Steven got up to play at the end of ‘I Punched A Lion’... and Laura said she was more nervous to do that than to actually play the gig herself. I jumped over with my bass like ‘LET’S ROCK OUT! WOOO!’ And she was like ‘Aaargh!’ The other thing we were going to say, we hate that whole idea of there being a barrier between the crowd and the band.”
Tom: “I fucking hate barriers.”

mINtSOUTH: The thing is, the more famous you get, the bigger the gap.
Tom: “I remember we played at Audio with Sky Larkin and it was just a crappy barrier that was set up. I opened it up and then this guy came and shut it, so we ended up pushing it on the floor.”
James: “He was furious, that guy.”
mINtSOUTH snapper Rob: "From a photographer’s point of view, I do like the barriers."
Tom: “That makes sense. Well it’s not going to keep you safe with us lot. We’ll just climb all over it.”

mINtSOUTH: What are your plans for 2010?
Tom: “We’ve got some big plans actually. The first single is coming out on June 14th and we filmed an Evil Dead style rip-off music video for it, and the album comes out a little bit after that.”
Rob: “We’re doing PukkelPop in Belgium so that’s going to be ace.”
PABH: “What else is there – Glastonbury, Truck, Heavy Fest.”
Rob: “{Offset} is pencilled in.”
James: “It was really good though last year.”
Tom: “Although between the main stage and where the crowd were, it felt like it was about a mile. When we were playing I jumped off the stage and I was going to try and get to the crowd and it took me like forever. I was just like, yeah I’m getting there! I’m getting there! And by the time I got there, I couldn’t even sing.”

James: “I think after the summer there’s talk of us doing another tour but maybe a bit bigger than this one we’re doing in June.”
Rob: “And working on album number two. We can’t wait to get another album out.”

mINtSOUTH: Album.
Rob: “I misread that as All Bum first.”
Tom: “It’s self-titled. We were thinking of things to call it and we looked at the song title list and it was like no, our songs are too ridiculously titled.”
Rob: “When we sometimes write out the setlist and we can’t be bothered to write out the full length of the songs, it’ll just say stuff like Fuck, Crap, Meat, Hammer, High Five...”
James: “You get people picking the setlist up off the stage and being like ‘What?’”

Tom: “We [recorded the album] just after Leeds Fest. We had a tiny slot to just bang it out really, but that was the best way for it because we weren’t too precious about it, we just wanted to capture it. We did it in eight days in James Kenosha’s recording studios in Bridlington. Lived off microwave lasagnes from Tesco, and went nuts basically."
James: “I keep on saying it’s like a document of the past two years of being on the road.”
Rob: “And with it being our introduction to the record buying public – all two of them – we want to make it an honest account of what we sound like live and as a band and it’s really kind of stripped back.”

mINtSOUTH Have you gone for any special vinyl editions?
James: “I was adamant it’s got to be on heavyweight vinyl.”
Tom: “We got 11 different artists, some are our friends and some are artists we just really loved, and got them to illustrate each song from the album with the lyrics. Should be a nice little package to hopefully persuade people into buying the album.”
Rob: “It’s a nice thing to own. They’re probably going to download it anyway.”

mINtSOUTH: But they shouldn’t?
Tom: “Depends what you do with it. I download stuff then if I really like it I’ll get it on vinyl anyway, just to have the artwork at the correct size.”
James: “If you download all their stuff, you should go and watch them live. Or buy a t shirt, or a single if you’re skint.”

Tom: “I hope that’s the way that people do it now. I think you get a lot of kids, it’s really good that they’re getting into music that they wouldn’t normally just because it’s available for them, but at the same time I think that the new generation of kids just take it for granted now. They’ll just download the crap out of anything.”
Rob: “You’ve got to look for the positives of it. I guess it puts a lot of emphasis on live bands now which has done us a lot of favours. I should probably go and reintroduce myself to my friends and family at some point.”
Tom: “Say sorry to our girlfriends.”

mINtSOUTH: What do you associate with Brighton?
Rob: “Music, playing gigs, getting very drunk and not being able to remember most of it, but knowing that I should go back because I did really enjoy it... but not being able to quite remember what I enjoyed.”

mINtSOUTH: The more tattoos the better the drummer? Discuss. This was more one for Lee who’s not here.
Tom: “Lee’s like the fastest drummer in the world.”
Rob: “I would say that tattoos and drummers go hand in hand, but our drummer’s only got one hand.”
James: “He was born with a kind of disfigured hand. He’s got missing fingers and half a thumb. He’s got this tattoo and it’s amazing.”
Rob: “One says LOVE on his fingers, and the other says NO ROOM FOR HATE. What it should say is, PENTHOUSE SUITE FOR HATE WITH CHOCOLATES ON THE PILLOWS. He’s an angry motherfucker. But we love him.”

Tom: “I think it gives us a bit more credibility. Like the only thing I’ve got on my body is hair and moles. It looks a bit more interesting when you see some colourful ink on someone’s skin.”
James: “And it’s cool because his tattoos are a document of his life. He doesn’t get them for fashion reasons or anything like that.”

mINtSOUTH: Final one. Gorilla Vs Bear – who would win in a fight?
Rob: “That’s what we’re talking about!”
James: “I think it might be the bear. The bear’s going to be a lot taller.”
Tom: “Maybe a bear that hasn’t eaten for a little bit. Angry dudes, aren’t they.”
Rob: “It depends what context you’re in, because if you’re talking like Yogi Bear versus King Kong, he’s got no chance. King Kong’s got him. I think bear, hands down.”
James: “Bear wins. Gorilla dead.”

Pulled Apart By Horses

Inteview - Tim McIver - Tim & Sam's Tim & The Sam Band With Tim & Sam @ Great Escape 2010

2010-07-03T14:48:00.005+01:00

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in June 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

INTERVIEW - TIM MCIVER - TIM AND SAM'S TIM AND THE SAM BAND WITH TIM AND SAM

We cornered blue shirted Tim McIver, he of the equally blue shirted Tim And Sam’s Tim And The Sam Band With Tim And Sam, upstairs in the Latest Music Bar for a chat.

mINtSOUTH: What do you associate with Brighton?
Tim: “Mini golf. We’ve played here about four times, and every time we go and play mini golf down at the beach. We’re going to go in a minute I think.”

mINtSOUTH: Do you always go on the pier and play games?
Tim: “No not really, we’re a bit poor so we stick to the mini golf.”

mINtSOUTH: I think most of them are for 2p coins, you should be all right there. Do you come down to Brighton much?
Tim: “We played the Great Escape two years ago as well. It’s good, it’s nice. I like The Lanes as well.”

mINtSOUTH: The Great Escape – obviously we’re here now. Are you staying on afterwards to catch any bands?
Tim : “Because we’re only doing a fringe event, we haven’t got passes or anything. If there’s any other fringe stuff we’ll go to that but we’ll probably just go back. We’re playing in Northampton tomorrow.”

mINtSOUTH: That’s a shame. I think if you pretend you’re working, if you manage steal one of those red STAFF t-shirts then you might be all right.
Tim: “Yeah but there’s five of us, so...”
mINtSOUTH: Just take it in turns with the mugging.

mINtSOUTH: So what can people expect to see from the Tim And Sam live experience?
Tim: [smiling] “The best songs ever? My amazing wit? We just started doing vocals for the first time, we’ve done three or four gigs like that, so that’s new if you have seen us before.”

mINtSOUTH: Is that quite nerve-wracking?
Tim: “I don’t like it at all. I feel like I have to do it! What else – a lot of loops, a lot of drumming and swapping instruments and all that kind of thing. We always wear blue. Well, recently.”

mINtSOUTH: What have you got planned for the rest of the year?
Tim : “We’ve just released our album and we’re doing a tour for that at the moment. Single in June and then a couple of festivals - we’re playing Bestival - and then doing some more recording at the end of the year. Probably touring the album again in about October time.”

mINtSOUTH: Hoping to go abroad?
Tim: “Love to. We’re kind of hoping to license the album out to people and we’re talking about France at the moment, it would be nice to go over there.”

mINtSOUTH: Can you tell us a bit about your second album?
Tim: “It came out on May 3rd. It’s called Life Stream and it took us two years to record. We had band member changes, the vocals, and just general faffing really. We ended up re-recording a lot of it and remixing a lot of it, so yeah it took a long time, but hopefully it’s worth it.”

mINtSOUTH: Any standout tracks on there?
Tim: “To be honest I’m sick of them all after two years! A lot of people like All Tucked Up and Finders Keepers is the new single, so that’s the catchy one.”
mINtSOUTH: If that took two years, are you currently working on the next one?
Tim: “We’ve got quite a lot of songs written already.”

mINtSOUTH: Final question. Gorilla v Bear – who would win in a fight?
Tim: “Probably a bear I reckon.”
mINtSOUTH: Is that because of the claws?
Tim: “Yeah.”

Life Stream is out now through Full Of Joy Records

Tim & Sam etc etc etc

Diary - The Great Escape, Brighton 2010 - Part 3

2010-07-03T14:40:00.005+01:00

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in May 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

DIARY - THE GREAT ESCAPE, BRIGHTON 2010 - PART 3

Ah, Saturdays in Brighton. The busiest day of the festival, plus a herd of confused shoppers trampling you underfoot. Bliss.

The day starts in a confused fashion, with everyone piling downstairs into the Queens Hotel to see the Chapman Family. There’s been a change in the programme however, and we’re about an hour early. Instead mINtSOUTH finds space by a pillar to watch Rachelle Van Zanten’s brazen blues. She’s a Canadian star with plenty of easy confidence and a few stories to tell, including about one song written when she was deported to Sweden after being caught without the correct visas in Swindon. Wiltshire’s loss, clearly.

It was then time to zip along the seafront to Digital, where the Aussie BBQ was taking place. We arrived just when BlueJuice were coming to an end – a shame, as they were energetically sweaty with some sexy bass. Teenagersintokyo were full of deliciously dark disco pop and each band member has their own super magnetism, particularly singer Samantha Lim and icy guitarist Sophie McGinn. I found them captivating. This band was another of my high points of the festival.

They were followed by the spectacular Bridezilla, a band worth checking out for the name alone. I like them even more now that I know their lead singer is called Holiday Sidewinder, a name of total awesomeness. The rest of the band look a little nervous at times, but Sidewinder completely disappears into a romantic, theatrical performance where nothing and no-one can distract her. Bridezilla are a beautiful yet slightly crazy cacophony of sounds.

Being born at St Mary’s Hospital in the heart of Portsmouth gave me the birthright to seek out the FA Cup Final. I end up at the Honey Club, site of many a great gig last year, but oddly left off the location list this time round. I’m briefly joined at my table by a middle-aged man called Patrick, keen to have a drunken chat before continuing his pub crawl. “Where are you from? Why are you here? The Great Escape, what’s that?” I explain as best as I can and he offers his condolences for my choice of football team (and Chelsea hadn’t even scored yet). Anyway, we know how that match ended – not as bad as it could have been. God bless the woodwork, eh.

mINtSOUTH then scooted to Hector’s House for an interview with Detroit Social Club before their gig this evening. They’re running a little late so we arrive just in time to see the soundcheck. Their manager hands us a pair of foam earplugs. It’s going to be a loud night.

The night starts at Pony Pony Run Run downstairs in the Freebutt. There’s something so damn attractive about French electro pop, especially when there’s flashing lights and everyone’s dancing. The band are clearly enjoying themselves, which is always a good sign.

Then it’s onto the fiery furnace that is Hectors House on a Saturday night. It’s boiling and absolutely heaving. We have to squeeze our way to the back where there is some standing space. Detroit Social Club come onstage and as promised, they’re loud, bluesy and hard rocking, with suggestions of a darker, psychedelic side. The band have been highly tipped in recent times from the likes of NME and you can see why; they’re easy on the ear – in a tough kind of way.

The crowd are mainly here to see Band Of Skulls, who are already making serious strides this year. There’s something vey moreish about their garage rock. The band promise to play as many songs as they can from their album, then point out this shouldn’t be too hard; Baby Darling Doll Face Honey is their only one, after all. There are crowdsurfers tumbling all over the place and the waves of heat pulse across the venue as the guitar solos ooze coolness. I Know What I Am, recently lauded by Fearne Cotton of all people, and Death By Diamonds And Pearls go down particularly well. The crowd clamour for more, but unfortunately there’s a curfew so we don’t get it.

Saturday night is party night and so we head for Concorde 2. There’s no queue and it’s surprisingly empty. French electronic act Chateau Marmont are onstage being bleakly atmospheric and quite chilling, and it’s fascinating to listen to. Check out Solar Apex to lose yourself.

Sleigh Bells approach as figures in the mist, then a buzzing bass roars in so loud the glasses rattle off the tables and the floor vibrates so wildly it tickles the soles of your feet. mINtSOUTH gives thanks for the foam earplugs we received earlier. The band are slightly frightening, with an urgent, distorted, highly aggressive and completely in-your-face sound. The sheer power of this band can actually slay small animals within a two mile radius.

After picking up eardrums and smoothing down wind tunnel hair caused by Sleigh Bells’ drums, mINtSOUTH leave the Great Escape. But never fear, we’ll be back next year.

HYPE-O-METER

-The crowd for Delphic was packed – with delegates, critics, and other industry types. The other queue for normal gig-goers was much, much smaller. Overhyped much?
-Fenech-Soler – never heard of them before this weekend, but they made a name for themselves by playing a number of shows

BANDS YOU WOULD TOTALLY SEE BASED ON THEIR NAME ALONE

Bridezilla, Wax Fang, Curry & Coco, Katzenjammer, Is Tropical, Fenech-Soler, Tim and Sam’s Tim and the Sam Band with Tim and Sam, Felix Fables, Ling tosite sigure, Gringo Star, Ghost Bees

NOT SO GREAT ESCAPE

-BBQ at Digital. Huzzah! Unfortunately, before the end of the bands they had run out of everything bar three spoonfuls of potato salad. mINtSOUTH’s stomach was not impressed
-This year there were three levels of entry – normal wristbanders; delegates, who can queue jump but who still have to wait outside if the venue’s busy; and a new guestlist option which guarantees instant entry. Guestlisters are still allowed in if the venue has been one-in-one-out for a few hours. They are still allowed in if various industry experts and music lovers have been stood outside for some time. mINtSOUTH spoke to one peeved delegate whose friends with normal wristbands had been unable to get into at least two venues. When she went into one to assess the situation and see if it was worth everyone sticking around, she noticed a large group of people playing pool and not watching the bands who everyone else was desperate to see. Bastards.

TGE OVERHEARD

“Marina and The Diamonds – all I’m hearing is blah, blah, blah.” Unimpressed punter
“Band Of Skulls, someone told me they’re from New York. Oh, they’re from Southampton? That’s a bit of a difference.” Detroit Social Club during the Skulls’ set

CELEBRITY SPOTTINGS

-Mercury Music Award-winning Jamie Reynolds (Klaxons) hanging around Horatio’s in his role as manager of Cabin Fever
-Chiselled hunk Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) strolling through The Lanes
-Radio 1’s all-mighty Huw Stephens tweeting and chatting with friends during Warpaint and Egyptian Hip Hop at Horatio’s
-Ross Jarman of The Cribs looking slightly lost in the delegates’ area at The Dome
-The drummer from teenagersintokyo walking past Las Iguanas
-Slow Club dining out at Las Iguanas
-The drummer from Fallout Boy wandering about
-Guy at Pony Pony Run Run who looked just like Alan Rickman as The Sheriff Of Nottingham
-Guy at Band Of Skulls who looked just like the Austin Powers baddie who says: “They’re always after me lucky charms”

Diary - The Great Escape, Brighton 2010 - Part 2

2010-07-03T14:38:00.005+01:00

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in May 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

DIARY - THE GREAT ESCAPE, BIGHTON 2010 - PART 2

FRI 13th MAY

Good morning, Day Two. We ease ourselves into the day with some Coco Pops and a bit of Alternative Escape at The Latest Music Bar. Tim and Sam’s Tim and the Sam Band With Tim and Sam are first onstage, looking nervous beneath the lights in their matching blue shirts. It’s a gentle start to the day with delicately crafted, looping tunes.

Next on are The Momeraths, a band created from tea and gingham and possibly knitted by someone’s aunt. They’re jaunty and poppy and have some charming flags across the stage announcing who they are. The Momeraths are definitely one of the most cheerful-sounding bands of the weekend.

mINtSOUTH stops off for a quick chat with the two bands before legging it upstairs to the Fortune of War, where Everything Everything are playing a stripped down, three song surprise set. It’s not really a surprise judging from the number of people crammed upstairs, casting resentful looks at each other as the simmering tunes play on. I’m a fan of Everything Everything’s unexpected key changes, and everything has a nice beachy sound to it.

The evening starts with a few beers and a march along the pier, past the sweet smell of doughnuts and waffles hanging in the air, past the seagulls and the tarot readers, to join everyone piling into Horatio’s for the hotly anticipated NME night. Best Coast kick off first. My friend told me they are amazing. Tim and Sam’s tour manager told me they were rubbish. I kind of sided with him. The general sound was good but there wasn’t much variation in the songs they played – it could have been the same one over and over; sort of garage, surf rock. Best Coast are a little afraid of playing a show out on the end of the pier. “It’s pretty scary. It fucking moves!”

Meanwhile the young ‘uns in the crowd are obviously busy trying to be hip in case they end up with a vox pop in NME. “iPhone knows what’s up. I trust iPhone,” blathered someone as I passed.

Warpaint are cool, mysterious, memorable, with many instrumental breaks, with an arty, psychedelic swagger to boot. Although their recorded stuff sounds effortless, they are more strident live and create some sort of a sonic labyrinth. I also very much enjoyed the revitalising Egyptian Hip Hop, with their hot punchy basslines and plinky synths. On coming back from the toilet I suddenly realised I was in the Eighties, in a very stylish way, but in the Eighties nevertheless.

It’s then time to trek across the city with aching feet, but it’s worth it for a nice sit down and a bottled lemonade at the Duke of York’s Picturehouse. We time this well enough to catch Alessi’s Ark and Peggy Sue without having to cram into the aisles, like most of the watchers. Young Alessi has a beautifully rounded and quirky voice full of kindness but she looks absolutely petrified of being up on stage. Everyone loves Peggy Sue, though I think they’ve been hyped up a bit too much. Rose and Katy are cooler than cool, with their lipstick and tousled hair and funky hat. Both acts bring out the alt-folk love; delicately constructed tunes with real heart.

And so ends Day Two of the Great Escape for mINtSOUTH. The danger with putting on late night gigs in a cinema is that those people who didn’t go to sleep until 5am (us) tend to start nodding off in the chairs, so alas we had to leave slightly early. Plenty of time to refresh for Day Three...

Diary - The Great Escape, Brighton 2010 - Part 1

2010-07-03T14:34:00.010+01:00

Originally published on mINtSOUTH.com in May 2010
Words: Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

DIARY - THE GREAT ESCAPE, BRIGHTON 2010 - PART 1

THURS 12th MAY

BRIGHTON. Beautiful, seasidey, hip and trendy Brighton. Once again the Great Escape is upon us. Three days of much music and not enough sleep lie straight ahead.

We arrive in the city just in time to sit down in the sun for a chat with a very buoyant Pulled Apart By Horses. Then follows some time spent doing Media Things, such as checking out the available space in the press area, working out who’s covering what on the extensive schedule, and wondering if there is any free lager hidden in one of the side rooms (There was. And even better, there was cake too).

“We are Funeral Party. And you are the audience,” announce the band performing in front of the Doughnut, one of the Relentless Street Gig venues for the weekend. The sun is shining and as it’s early, many wristbanders opt to stay on the beach to listen to the perfectly fiddly synths. One girl nips over to take a photograph. She has a £3.49 bottle of cider poking out of her satchel. The band finishes by hurling their tambourine into the waves behind. The music is pretty good though, and promised more top times for the rest of the weekend.

It’s then time to locate Jam in time for Hungry Kids Of Hungary, whose melodies are sundrenched and juicy, with a definite Sixties vibe. They provide a bright and refreshing start to the night. Someone in the crowd is trying to impersonate an Irish accent – which was a little bit out, seeing as the band are actually from Australia. (Insert Family Fortunes incorrect buzzer here).

HKoH is followed by the carefree and optimistic sounds of Pearl & The Puppets, whose music seems poised to soundtrack something indie hip like The Inbetweeners. Unfortunately mINtSOUTH’s reviewer is unable to see either band due to the anti-paparazzi fug emanating from the smoke machine, and the fact that we are a good two foot shorter than everyone else. However both bands sound very enjoyable and easy to warm to.

Skipping along the seafront, we eventually come to Concorde 2. The bar staff are gawping at a screen showing something unusual taking place in the main hall. In neon headdresses and flowing robes, female choir Gaggle are doing their best to hypnotise the crowd by singing in rounds... singing in rounds... singing in rounds, about nasty men and the like. The rockers in the crowd look confused and slightly disorientated, apart from one man in leather trousers who is doing some bizarre dance with his gloved hands, like he’s trying to roll a pea deftly along his arm and fingers without dropping it. Gaggle are entertaining if you like fancy dress and musical theatre. I don’t.

Thankfully a few minutes later, Pulled Apart By Horses stride onto the stage to let launch some shouting and heavy rock. There’s sweat, swearing and a distinct lack of shirts. The crowd are bobbing their heads and enjoying the banter. We have a stand in drummer tonight as the usual tattooed one is at home for family reasons, however he does a fine job of keeping up with their mighty pace.

Then it’s onto The Walkmen... oh no, it’s not. Stranded somewhere that’s not Brighton due to the volcanic ash, the band are instead replaced by Little Comets, who turn out to be one of the highlights of my festival weekend. I heard Adultery on MySpace a couple of years ago and found it slightly annoying. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Little Comets are oozing summer elements and plenty of singalong opportunities. Their instruments / stage gear also includes a saucepan, and a very strange shaped thing that some guy keeps hilariously yelling “ARMADILLO!” while pointing at it. “From up here, it sounds like you’re saying ‘I’m a dildo’,” the band counter drily. They sound like indie pop with a bit of ska and it’s all very splendid and danceable.

The evening takes a downward turn as I head to Fionn Regan’s show at the Terraces. He’s really good, so people keep saying. I hadn’t really paid much attention to the programme and thought I was listening out for a Fiona, so my bad. His set was wholesome folk fun, spoilt somewhat by the noise in the venue, as people couldn’t see anything more than six rows back so weren’t bothering to listen either. Regan tried saying “Shhh,” but that was never really going to work. It was too crowded to hear any banter or nuances in the music. The final track really picked up speed, but by this point it was too little too late to get my attention.

The evening finished as all good evenings do – by befriending a tramp. Shaun likes to stand outside music bars and listen to bands play songs by The Libertines. He especially likes it if they wave at him. If you see Shaun, say hi.

Single Review - The Little Philistines 'Head On Fire'

2010-05-08T17:02:00.008+01:00

Words - Suzy Sims, April 2010

THE LITTLE PHILISTINES - HEAD ON FIRE

“To my surprise and wonder, my life is on the up.”

London types The Little Philistines don’t ever have dark days, misery or humdrum times. There’s no moodiness, no bad rock attitude, no complicated time signatures. They are possibly the most cheerful sounding band I’ve heard in some time, equally at home in a mucky scruffy indie venue as they could be dressed as clowns entertaining at a children’s party, juggling with cakes and balloon animals and the like. Possibly.

It therefore gives me pleasure to announce that Head On Fire is another chipper single to get your toes skipping excitedly and your head spinning. “My body is a holy temple / I fill it up with smoke,” they announce before launching into the catchy heads on fire and beds on fire line. Gosh, they’re just so darn jolly. I particularly liked the lyric “Even death has a drink at the weekend.” This is a spritely and relentlessly cheerful tune.

Head On Fire is a double A side released alongside Stick Together which has a hint of the Sixties in the jangling guitar. This one is a bit more subdued and subtle, yet warming. The comfortable softness provides a rest from the band’s usual exhaustingly happy pace.

Be sure to check out the cartoon artwork, which is drawn by the Little Philistines’ John Riordan.

The Little Philistines are a pick me up band for those who like their indie pop to be friendly and their tunes bright. As appealing as they are, I imagine some people would be turned off by their permanent smile. However if you’re an easy-going sort and like to keep your mood buoyant, then give them a whirl.

The Little Philistines

Live Review - Stereophonics @ Portsmouth Guildhall

2010-05-07T00:27:00.006+01:00

What I really like is when someone calls me up mid-afternoon and says "I've got a ticket for a gig tionight but I can't go - do you want it?" Yes please matey, yes please.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in February 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

STEREOPHONICS + TAPE THE RADIO @ PORTSMOUTH GUILDHALL 25/01/2010

I did a little bit of internet research to find out what other people think about Stereophonics, because for a lot who are frankly quite middle-of-the-road, they can be quite polarising. They rock. They are freakin’ awesome. They are the best band ever. They are dull. Predictable. Better than Snow Patrol (is this good or bad?). Their fans can’t spell ‘Wembly’.

It’s the first date of Stereophonics’ tour; a cosy warm up gig. They’ve sold out the SECC, the NIA, the O2, the MEN. Therefore it’s strange to find a handful of tickets still available on the door for a few lucky and hopeful fans who had been told this show was also sold out. The seat next to me was empty all night. It cost a whopping £30-odd squid to get into the Guildhall. Those on the guestlist have to pay at least a small sum for charity, which was a jolly decent thing to do.

First up come Tape The Radio. They warmed up the crowd almost as much as an ice cube shoved hastily down the pants. This band wear leather trousers – always a dubious sign of being rawk and roll. Their music is averagely plodding. They were aiming for dark, sultry and controlled, but it just came across as a dull roar; like a hefty helping of tinnitus, you’d shake your head slightly, but they were still there. It’s the kind of commercial rock which angers tutting trendy types. They were okay really, with harmless background music. Single Save A Life was a glimmer of interest in the murk, but you wouldn’t make a special trip to catch them play. I hoped the headliners had someone a bit more special in mind for their arena support.

Tape The Radio are what I feared Stereophonics would be like.

Tonight is a bit of a tasty treat for Stereophonics fans – the chance to get a lot closer than when the band play the O2, little specks upon the stage, while half the crowd struggle with vertigo and the rest queue 45 minutes for a drink. The queue’s not quite as big tonight, though Portsmouth Guildhall isn’t exactly known for its speedy bar service.

The band announced that they’re playing around with the setlist just before the start of the arena tour. They seem comfortable and are enjoying themselves. It’s good value as they cram a lot in, playing for well over an hour and a half.

It’s obvious that Stereophonics have truly earned their reputation as a fierce live band. With various releases watered down guitar-wise, it’s easy to lose track of the fact they are first and foremost, a rock band. Kelly Jones’ voice is impressively husky and he can really hold a tune while looking completely at ease onstage, surrounded by spotlights.

The crowd listened patiently for the first half but perk up slightly for the oldies and goodies – a charming Help Me, Pedal Pusher, Mr Writer, A Thousand Trees, She’s Alright, Innocent, Local Boy In The Photograph. I felt disappointed that a band as massive as Stereophonics couldn’t galvanise the crowd into moving. Everyone was so damn static. From upstairs, I was looking down into a sea of cameraphone lights. I wanted the band to do well. I wanted everyone to be having a great time. But atmosphere-wise, it was a little flat, and music-wise, I just don’t know enough of the band’s catalogue to fully throw myself into it. Some of it was a bit samey, but the band’s musicianship carried them though and I found myself impressed by their professionalism and enjoying the set.

The best moment was the end. No, I don’t mean it like that. The volume of applause and stamping for an encore showed the crowd were having a fantastic time. Then Dakota came on and the place burst open. People on the balcony finally got to their feet and danced. The number of hands waving in the standing area increased and a small moshpit formed to the right. There was even one crowdsurfer, and my, did he look pleased with himself. Everyone filed out chattering – they had a blistering time, and Stereophonics got to practise before their arena concerts. I found them to be much better than expected. Everyone’s a winner.

Stereophonics

Tape The Radio

Live Review - Shed Seven and The Holloways

2010-05-07T00:16:00.009+01:00

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in January 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

SHED SEVEN + THE HOLLOWAYS @ PORTSMOUTH PYRAMIDS 17/12/2009

I’m showing my age now. In 1996 I was a young teen and an avid Top Of The Pops viewer, as were all my school pals. Back in the playground on the following day, you’d discuss the things you’d spotted, such as the Gallaghers swapping places on Roll With It and sticking their tongues out instead of miming, the cheeky scamps. We all witnessed Shed Seven’s appearance in sparkly suits to perform Going For Gold. I don’t remember if we discussed this – after all, it was just Shed Seven, and they weren’t the key movers and shakers. If you’d told me that I’d be seeing them live, 13 years in the future, I would have told you to jog on (or whatever the mid-Nineties equivalent dismissal was).

Shed Seven were on the whole, a thoroughly decent sounding, if slightly average, Britpop rock band. If you want to find their fans, try yelling ‘SHE LEFT ME ON FRIDAY!’ to see who correctly responds with ‘IT RUINED MY WEEKEND!’ “Yes, they’re still going,” I found myself answering to everyone, and was curious to see what the experience would be like.

Opening the night were The Holloways, the perfect example of what Shed Seven were like a decade ago. They are a cheerful band with uplifting music, who toured with the likes of the Pigeon Detectives. Highly tipped and great fun live, with little sweaty moshpits and cheerful fiddles and singalong choruses, they always leave you in a good mood.

Then something changed. Generator received a bit of Radio 1 play, and was subsequently re-released approximately 400 times. Then fiddle player Rob Skipper left. Now they’re opening for larger acts but instead of a fond fanbase waiting for them at the front of the Pyramids, they find a crowd of mature indie kids, arms crossed, waiting for the headliners. One man dances over to his friends, beer aloft, and the band regard him hungrily. They appear desperate for more people to be enjoying the show. “This is one you should recognise,” says red hatted singer Alfie Jackson as they start Generator and the crowd wakes up. I’m not sure if I‘m just imagining a bitter note in his voice.

The band open with Dancefloor, play Two Left Feet and a couple of newbies off recent album No Smoke, No Mirrors, but the crowd is quiet and the band try to rise above it but seem slightly disappointed in the reception.

Then we’re back in 1996 as Shed Seven stride out to bursts of light and cracking shots of noise. The crowd parts and men with curtains and sports jackets take prime positions in the audience.

Singer Rick Witter has turned into a wiry chap and is sharp witted and charismatic in a slightly waspish way. Some girls at the front start whooping and ask him to do a shout out to one of their friends. “This isn’t a fucking meet and greet. We’ll be here until midnight if I say hello to everyone...“ he responds, and spends a good portion of the night making lewd comments about someone else’s mother, who may or may not have been waiting in their tour bus.

I found myself recognising little snippets (‘It’s like I’ve never been born’ – On Standby, ‘Shame on you...’ - Dolphin) from songs which otherwise I would have been hard-pressed to recall. It’s amazing how little melodies suddenly bring back memories and whole lines of songs you used to sing to. Most of the crowd were in their early 30s; obviously 16-odd when the Shed were at their peak, now reliving the moments when they had few responsibilities and were about to step into the world as fresh-faced adults.

In bad moments it all gets a bit pub rock, sounding like Oasis b-sides when they weren’t really trying. However the songs are warm and familiar friends to most of the crowd, rocking along fuzzily with the odd psychedelic loop. The Heroes is a quirky epic, Getting Better and She Left Me On Friday still make you roar along, Disco Down sees a moshpit kicking off and a pint of what we all hoped was lager descending on our little group, but everyone is waiting for the sweet tune of Chasing Rainbows, a touching song that can still bring a tear to the eye, and is performed with some fantastic colourful lighting.

Shed Seven do (and did) get knocked for not being quite up there with the Britpop elite – Blur, Oasis, Pulp etc – but it’s evident they made an impact on their fans. Rick Witter shakes hands with a guy in the front row who has seen the band 25 times. And I bet he’s not the only fan who keeps coming back.

Shed Seven

The Holloways

Live Review - Haunted Stereo Curates At Hamptons

2010-05-06T23:52:00.008+01:00

Apologies for the lack of band links at the end... Blogspot decided it was going to have one or two issues...

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in January 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH

HAUNTED STEREO CURATES @ HAMPTONS 16/01/2010 - MONEYTREE, THE MOPES, SO SAY SO, THE LITTLE PHILISTINES, NOT MADE IN CHINA

Haunted Stereo are looking nervous. It’s Saturday night in Southampton. They’ve put together a splendid gig line up, but now the sky is emptying bucketloads. It’s not the sort of weather you really want to go out in, unless perhaps your shower is broken. “I’m hoping all our friends turn up and the weather won’t have put people off,” frets Haunted Stereo’s Andy Harris, shortly before the first band take the stage.

The opening act of the night is Not Made In China. This name sounds a little more exotic than Made In Bournemouth, where the band have kindly travelled all the way from tonight. It wasn’t too much trouble to come all this way. Nothing seems too much trouble for them and they look eager to please. The band themselves don’t sound very exotic, just terribly, terribly nice, or “about as edgy as a muffin,” as mINtSOUTH’s snapper remarks. Not Made In China are full of goodness and jangly Rickenbacker rhythms. They’re very chirpy and keen and keep grinning. Charming as it is to begin, the flat pleasantries are a little wearing.

Things perk up a bit as The Little Philistines cram onto the stage with guitars, drums, violin and trumpet. They’re louder and brisker with tales of ‘complications when communicating in relationships’ and muggings, with some warmly amusing banter and onstage personality shining through. Love Explodes is a highlight of the set, bursting out with brash guitars and a lovely melody. What I particularly enjoy about the band is that they haven’t forgotten that a memorable tune is a fairly important thing, and they do their best to pop it up but without taking themselves too seriously. A joy to catch.

Trendy types So Say So also feature a girl with a violin. I feel a bit left out, as I failed to bring one with me tonight. The mood gets a bit darker as they flood Hamptons with the cool sound of electronic angst, tipped with a dash of optimism and hidden beneath some very Eighties t shirts. The male keyboardist plays with a twisted and focused expression, like he is trapped in his very own glass case of emotion. “Please buy a t shirt – we need to cover the petrol back to London!” they beg. (I almost do, but there’s only so many white-band-t-shirts-with-black-writing that a person can have. If there had been a tipping bowl, I would have left enough money for them to have a service station Ginsters between them). So Say So were something a bit different, and my favourite band of the night.

I was slightly disappointed by The Mopes. They’re a motley crew but they impressed everyone with their lively set, although my ‘scary instrument radar’ started bleeping when some miniature maracas and an accordion were pulled out. I was half fearing some bagpipes would be foisted on us as well, but luckily the band play a lot of blues and foot-stamping country folk, which doesn’t often call for the pipes. It looks like most of the crowd have seen them before and are pleased to welcome them back – there’s a handful at the front dancing. The band can sense the love in the air. “Can anyone buy seven people a drink?” they ask hopefully. The Mopes seemed very experienced and professional, but struggled to capture and hold my full attention.

Moneytree look familiar, probably because half the band had been stood next to me, energetically throwing shapes to the electro music that was pounding out the speaker between acts. “This band are so good, they literally shit music!” enthuse an over-excited Haunted Stereo as the headliners take to the stage and cheerfully power out a set including singles, b-sides and a ‘three-quarters finished draft’, where they appear to repeat a large chunk because everyone is enjoying it so much. Moneytree are currently one of the top acts in Southampton, mainly owing to likeable frontman Campbell Austin, who is in fine voice tonight. I don’t quite agree with the curators’ opinion – Moneytree are a good band, but not life-changing - but their polished indie rock is a big step above the quality of your average local music scene. It doesn’t matter that they get everyone’s names wrong when trying to thank them (“The Small Philisteens! Sorry, the Little Philistines... Say So Say! Oh wait, no, So Say So...”) because tonight they are amongst friends.

Moneytree
The Mopes
So Say So
The Little Philistines
Not Made In China

CD Review - The Little Philistines - Bus Pass

2010-01-19T21:53:00.001Z

Lovely little band. Very friendly, cheerful and they play uplifting stuff. Go see nao.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in December 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH

THE LITTLE PHILISTINES
BUS PASS / JUDITH CUT MY HEAD OFF

The Little Philistines are pop fans. That’s nice to see - or rather, hear. Pop is a dirty word for many nowadays. But there’s nothing dirty about the pop confection of Bus Pass, a fast and sparky tune of lust on public transport. It’s impossible not to be swept along in its warm charm and sweet energy. And it only lasts for two minutes, so you find yourself playing it over and over. The lyrics are quite amusing - “This must be love – or my name’s Margaret Thatcher,” being my particular favourite. Bus Pass is short, sharp and leaves you wanting more. A delightful gem.

Judith Cut My Head Off (then she put it on again) is a bit spikier and not as immediate, though again once it gets going has a sweet warmth to the melody. “Come on fathead,” isn’t my favourite insult of all time, though it gets better with “No-one likes to hang around / with someone whose head is upside down,” - a story to make Raggy Dolls fans bow theirs in sympathy. Judith... includes a slightly tortuous, strangulated cry, but it soon continues with a more innocent sounding tune. The Little Philistines’ cheerfulness will not be kept down for long.

Both songs are available now through iTunes.

The Little Philistines

Interview - Band Of Skulls

2010-01-19T21:44:00.003Z

Band Of Skulls have a wicked bluesy rock sounds - go and check them out now, dammit.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in October 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH

BAND OF SKULLS - SOUTHSEA FEST 2009

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
Matt: “Me and Russell, when we were little children we were playing music. Same beards - we didn’t really look too much different - beards, sunglasses, hangover. We’ve been playing in various different bands and we met Emma a couple of years ago when Russell went to art college. We had a load of different line ups and this is the final one which we’ve stuck with.”

mINtSOUTH: Can you describe your music?
Band Of Skulls: “Bluesy rock and roll…Garage soul funk.”
Emma: “I suppose the easiest way would be to say that we are a loud rock and roll band, but then everyone thinks different things about what we do.”
Matt: “I think we’re committed. Commited to a mental institution.”
Russell: “In my mind we’re like this Sixties soul girl group.”

mINtSOUTH: How did you choose the name of your band?
Matt: “Our home venue is the Talking Heads in Southampton. We used to run a club night there and we also needed to name our band. Because Talking Heads had already been taken, apparently, by some band in America, we chose Band of Skulls.”
Russell: “That didn’t really explain anything!”
Matt: “There’s a Hamlet-esque painting on the flappy board outside with a skull on it.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – have you played yet today?
Matt: “We did an acoustic set, but our show is later on tonight. We’re very excited to play. We’ve just come off a two month tour in the US and this is our first UK gig for a long, long time.”
Russell: “It’s the beginning of our UK tour. It’s just trying to stay off the beers until ten past ten…”
Matt: “Which we’ve already failed at.”

mINtSOUTH: Which band member would you eat first on a desert island?
Russell: “Depending what you wanted, a healthy option would be me.”
Emma: “Matt is a nightclub inside.”
Matt: “If you wanted to get drunk, you’d eat me. You’d have more fun eating me. Russell you’d survive longer and Emma there’s nothing to her so you’d be wasting time.”

mINtSOUTH: Do you support any charities?
Emma: “My uncle once for my birthday present paid for an elephant to be fed and watered for one year. I got a little picture, and I felt good about it.”
Matt: “I understand today is a charitable affair. I guess the main stuff we do is where people ask us to play. When the charity people come up to you in the street, you’re like why are you coming to me man, do I look like I have any cash?”
Russell: “They look at me now - and they look down and walk away.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Russell: “That’s a tough one, I don’t know man. Bears would probably get their arms around the back and then snap the neck.”
Matt: “Gorillas are fierce and they’re agile.”
Russell: “And more intelligent – but bears are about three times bigger.”
Emma: “I reckon a bear. Have you seen the size of their claws?”
Russell: “Anyway, it’ll never happen, unless there was a terrible security lapse at a zoo. ‘Oh no, the fence is down!’”
Matt: “It’ll be like Jurassic Park all over again.”
Russell: “We’re going with bear.”

mINtSOUTH: Any onstage antics to get everyone going at the gig tonight?
Russell: “Yes, there’s going to be a fight between a bear and a gorilla.”

Shoutbox – Band of Skulls: “Our album ‘Baby Darling Doll Face Honey’ comes out 21st September in England and we are touring the entire county to support it. Then we’re back to the US after that.”

Band Of Skulls

Interview - Fresh Legs

2010-01-19T21:31:00.001Z

They're a good band, are Fresh Legs. We got them to sign a postcard proclaiming their love for Tom. It's currently on display in my car, alongside a random piece of sparkly jewellery and a Pigeon Detectives keyring. My car is indie as.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in October 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

FRESH LEGS - SOUTHSEA FEST 2009

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
Carl: “We’ve been going for about three years. Myself, Thom and Karlos were in a band in school called Gravy Boat, it was good fun.”
Thom: “It was very awful.”
Carl: “We went to South Downs College. There was an enrichment course called Rock Band just to play music, and eventually form a band to play a showcase at the Wedge. Me and Thom wanted to start playing together in this Rock Band group and then we invited Karlos to come along and drum because the drummers were rubbish. Karlos knew Ella from PE class so he invited her to come to sing, and then we started practising in rehearsal rooms, started making our own songs, and then gradually got a gig, and we’ve been doing it ever since. Just having fun, making music with your friends.”

mINtSOUTH: Can you describe your music?
Thom: “We try to write pop songs because they’re what we enjoy to listen to and enjoy to play. There’s no need to stray from pop, if that’s what you like doing and it sounds good.”
Carl: “It’s pop but with some quirks in the song to make it a bit different.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – discuss.
Thom: “We’re playing at the Wedgewood Rooms.”
Carl: “We played last year and the first year as well. It was supposed to be a mini music festival, you know, a couple of venues along the street. We played at Havana Bar. And then the following year it was absolutely brilliant, absolutely loved it. It was nice to see Albert Road filled with people here to get drunk and listen to music, it just was a unity, we really liked it and we’re glad to be back.”

mINtSOUTH: Any onstage antics to get everyone going?
Carl: “We just played Bestival last weekend, and we all had gold suits on, like all-in-one suits.”
Thom: “Spandex. It looked all right on him but I looked horrible. I looked like a saggy elephant.”
Carl: “Our friend Gary made these pink legs with Fresh Legs written up them, so we’ve got them with us as well which is nice.”

mINtSOUTH: Which band member would you eat first on a desert island?
Carl: “Our drummer Karlos. He has pain au chocolat for breakfast every day.”
Thom: “Definitely Karlos. He’d be lovely. We could all each eat a little bit of ourselves, like cut off our toes.”
Carl: “I would really like to eat my thigh.”
Thom: “I always think that. If you had your leg amputated, would you be allowed to keep it afterwards? And cook it up?”

mINtSOUTH: Do you support any charities?
Carl: “I work for charity. I’m the really annoying person that comes to your door – ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ – stupidly enthusiastic, may I add. I’ve done the Medical Foundation, which is for victims of torture, I’ve also done Scope, which is for disabled peoples, and I’m now doing CARE, which is the world’s largest development charity, working all over the world, in places of conflict, natural disasters and third world countries. Shall I do a pitch?”

mINtSOUTH: How did you choose the name of your band?
Thom: “We didn’t know what to call our band and then me and Carl were sat in a car outside a school and then some girls walked past. You could tell they were going to grow into very attractive women and Carl just went, ‘Fresh legs!’ and we thought we could use that for a while. We didn’t realise it was a sporting term, like ‘Fresh legs on at half time’.”
Carl: “We were going to be called Wellington, which I still really like. But Fresh Legs sort of stuck - it’s a bit embarrassing.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Thom: [very excitedly] “I’ve been asking myself this for years! I was watching this video and it was basically gorilla versus bear and the bear was winning, but then the gorilla picked up a stick and just battered him with it. I think the gorilla would win because of its intellect. The bear would just lash out, whereas the gorilla would think ‘Wait, I can see its weak points…’”
Carl: “I agree with that. I think the gorilla would win hands-down.”

Shoutbox – Fresh Legs: “We have an EP – Julian - coming out October 4th. It’s a four track EP, all new songs. We’ve sent a copy to Rob da Bank who’s like a fan of ours. Every track we’ve sent him he’s played on his radio show on Radio 1 which is well nice, so hopefully he can do the same with some tracks from our EP.”

Fresh Legs - MySpace

Interview - Max Raptor

2010-01-19T21:16:00.002Z

I think this was one of the last interviews I did at Southsea Fest, so by that time I'd spent five hours indoors repeating the same questions. I kind of stopped paying attention to everyone and went a bit stir crazy. Max Raptor were jolly good fun to speak with though.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in October 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

MAX RAPTOR - SOUTHSEA FEST 2009

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
Max Raptor: “We’ve been playing about three, four years. Two years seriously of gig gig gig and just getting it out there.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – have you played yet today?
Matt: “We’re playing Southsea Social Club later. It’s got a horrible amount of alliteration in the title, but I’m very much looking forward to it. It’s quite a small stage so I don’t know how crazy we can be.”
Tom: “We normally do the mile run, from one side of the stage to the other, but with it being 40 cm we’re just going to jump up and down.”
Matt: ”We cause a bit of chaos wherever we go anyway.”

mINtSOUTH: Any bands you’re looking forward to seeing?
Max Raptor: “Jumping Ships. Would like to see Blakfish actually. The Black & Reds. Anyone from Birmingham. Neighbours to us.”
Wil: “We’re from the Midlands. Birmingham and Derby, we’re sort of in the middle - the middle of nowhere.”
Max Raptor: “We play Brighton quite a bit, Portsmouth a few times, Southampton a few times, Winchester…”
Tom: “They’re all quite similar. You like your takeaway places, don’t you? There’s loads of that, kebabs and antiques. I’m going to get myself a kebab and a Louis XIV chair.”

mINtSOUTH: How did you choose the name of your band?
Max Raptor: “It’s a character, and all the songs are pretty much based around that character. Max Raptor sounds nice and it looks good written down. It’s a strong word ‘raptor’. It’s quite fierce and stealthy and it kind of jumps up on you. Like our music. In a dark alley!”

mINtSOUTH: How would you describe your music?
Max Raptor: “Energetic, fast, punky, rocky, Buzzcocks, / Clash style with a bit of a modern twist.”
Matt: “It’s like a small hurricane put into a satin bag in your back pocket.”
Wil: “Vietnamese boxing rock.”
Matt: “Are you going to come down later?”

mINtSOUTH: Where are you playing?
Matt: “Ah, I did answer that earlier! Southsea Social Club. I don’t know what time.”
JB: “Before the bingo, probably.”
Matt: “Meat raffle! I passed the most dodgy butchers on the way here. I think it had a barber’s in the front as well. A bit like Sweeney Todd.”
Wil: “But it wasn’t a pie shop…”
[mINtSOUTH was in attendance at the gig, and thoroughly enjoyed it].

mINtSOUTH: Which band member would you eat first on a desert island?
Wil: “We’d have a roast of Matt. There’s loads of him.”
Matt: “There’s a lot of good quality meat on me. I think JB would be able to run away the quickest. He’s free-range.”
Tom: “There’s quite a lot of him so we’ll probably have to chop him into two.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Matt: “Neither because a raptor would come down and kill them all.”
Max Raptor: “What type of bear? Grizzly? And if it’s Silverback, Silverback versus grizzly – god only knows.”
JB: “Gorilla, definitely. It’s all about the guns with a gorilla.”
Matt: “But a Silverback is quite placid unless he’s in mating season.”
Tom: “Yeah but still if a bear wandered into his house…”
Matt: “Monkeys have got houses? Good.”

Shoutbox –
Max Raptor: “There is a tour being organised at the end of October, and so we’ll be no doubt here for that. But if that doesn’t happen, I’m sorry for lying. See you there. One two three – bye!”

Max Raptor on MySpace

Interview - Jazica

2010-01-19T21:04:00.003Z

Thats Jazz-Ikka. Not Jazz-Eeker as I keep calling them. Sorry kids.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in October 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH

JAZICA - SOUTHSEA FEST 2009

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
Chris: “We’re Jazica, we’ve been together about three years. We started off sounding all seasidey but now we’ve started going a bit darker and poppier.”
Frankie: “And dancier, and more fun onstage. Our aim is to finish a show with sweat from head to toe.”
Nick: “And we don’t even care whose sweat it is.”

mINtSOUTH: The Road To V competition – has that helped in any way?
Frankie: “For that we had to cram a set into 15 minutes, so we had to jump around, we had to get to that sweaty point in 15 minutes.”
Nick: “It’s opened a lot of doors actually, hasn’t it? Having the name out there now.”
Chris: “Our drummer was recognised in a cinema the other day. That’s quite exciting. Exciting this fame thing isn’t it?”
Nick: “I want to be recognised in Waitrose in Sheffield. Then I’ll know I’ve made it. That’s the goal.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – discuss.
Frankie: “Really looking forward to [playing at Southsea Social Club]. It’s right next to the VIP lounge, so free booze all round. It’s a really cute little venue as well, it’s got a lost of space but it’s quite cosy still. The rest of the festival has been pretty good so far, seen a couple of random bands – the showcase winner (Ribbon) who was interesting, very theatrical. I can’t believe the weather, it’s amazing isn’t it?”
Chris: “To quote the guy we saw onstage earlier on, he said ‘The weather has come out.’ That was quote of the day so far.”

mINtSOUTH: Any bands you’re looking forward to seeing?
Jazica: “Blakfish and Tubelord. Joy Formidable. Thomas Tantrum, James Yuill, Band of Skulls, and Official Secrets Act, who are amazing.”
Frankie: “Fresh Legs I’d like to see, but I have seen them twice in the last week!”

mINtSOUTH: Which band member would you eat first on a desert island?
Chris: “We could eat Kev and still do gigs, because we’ve got an electric drum machine.”
Frankie: “That’s a really a disturbing question!”
Nick: “I’m seriously thinking about which bit I’d eat first, which is really worrying me.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Nick: “I thought it said Godzilla versus bear! I thought that was a bit one-sided.”
Chris: “I recently saw a film called ‘Mega Shark versus Giant Octopus’. Not that you’ve asked me that question, but I’m going to tell you anyway. Really bad special effects, brilliant acting. A shark bites a plane from mid-flight. It’s definitely worth a watch… A gorilla would win I reckon.”
Nick: “It depends what sort of bear it is. Polar bears are quite tough.”
Chris: “I don’t know where we’re going with this.”
Frankie: “I think you should just say that sharks will win.”
Chris: “The shark was better. The octopus they hardly showed because you have to do more special effects with an octopus.”
Frankie: “Anyway…”

mINtSOUTH: How did you choose the name of your band?
Frankie: “I went to India and played a gig in a beach bar, and the guys there called me Jessica. They put it on the poster but they spelt it wrong and I kept the stage name.”
Chris: “We need to make up a new story don’t we?”
Frankie: “There was this massive shark, and it tried to bite this plane, and they called it Jaws but that had already been done before so they called it Jaz, and the plane was called Atlantica…”
Chris: “…It had Jaz tattooed on the side of its head, so when it bit the plane, put together it said Jazica.”
Nick: “Music with a bite.”

Shoutbox –
Jazica: “We’re supporting Delphic at the Joiners at the end of October – they’re amazing, a sea of sounds and hypnotic beats that just get you moving. Keep checking our MySpace, we’ve got a lot of new songs that we’re recording at the moment and there are some good ‘uns.”

Jazica - MySpace

Interview - Haunted Stereo

2010-01-11T21:18:00.002Z

Always a pleasant surprise to bump into a vague acquaintance (or to question them) - young Andy from Haunted Stereo was in my history class at college many moons ago.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in October 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

HAUNTED STEREO - SOUTHSEA FEST 2009

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
Lewis: “I think we have been going about a year and a half. Me and Andy got together musically but it was all slow, we met at his stag do and then didn’t talk for about two months.”
Andy: “And then we said we were going to get together but we didn’t actually do it for three months.”
Ben: “It was a really long drawn out and boring affair!”
Andy: “Lewis had been in a couple of rock bands up to that point, I had been in more arty bands up in London before I met Anja. It just took a while to find exactly what we wanted to do. We pestered Anja for ages to be part of it – after our last band she was like ‘Oh, I don’t want to do a band again’ but then she started listening in and going ‘Oh, actually you know I’ll play a couple of songs,’ and before we knew it she took over! It’s a very typical phrase, but it was ‘an organic process’ of how it came together.”
Ben: “We keep losing members.”
Andy: “We’re like The Fall with our previous members list.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – have you played yet today?
Anja: “We have actually, yeah.”
Ben: “It was really early and really short but people turned up, I don’t know where from, but they came. They seemed to quite enjoy it. It was our violinist Joanna’s last gig today so it was quite nice that everyone came to watch.”
Anja: “I did a solo set at the Magic Bean Café. I got distracted.”
Ben: “…by The Little Philistines. They’re better than we are.”

mINtSOUTH: Any bands you’re looking forward to seeing?
Haunted Stereo: “We’ve been running around doing bits and bobs and we got a tiny bite to eat so we haven’t actually got to see a lot, but we’re going to go and see Hold Fast, the Strange Death of Liberal England, definitely going to go and see Thomas Tantrum, and Peggy Sue.”

mINtSOUTH: Which band member would you eat first on a desert island?
Haunted Stereo: “Three of us are vegetarians… Dave! Dave’s not here. He eats the most beef and chicken. He looks rugged. I’m sure he’ll be a great burger.”

mINtSOUTH: How did you choose the name of your band?
Andy: “It was a birthday a few years ago and I wanted the music I had on my stereo to be in the kitchen as well, so bought one of those things where you plug in and then you just tune in on the radio. I was listening to records and tuning it through to the right frequency and someone said ‘Wow, it’s a bit like a haunted stereo.’”
Ben: “’Your stereo’s haunted.’ Get it right.”
Andy: “All right! Someone came running in and said ‘You can call yourselves Haunted Stereo!’ and I was like [slightly worried] yeah, ok then…”
Ben: “We were a bit drunk at the time. It seemed like a great idea at the time.”

mINtSOUTH: Do you support any charities?
Anja: “We did a gig last month at the Amnesty bookshop in Brighton which went really well. They’ve started a new site called Tracks for Amnesty, http://amnestybrighton.bandcamp.com/ they upload tracks for bands and sell them and all proceeds go to Amnesty International. We released our EP ‘In Bars’ on Tracks for Amnesty just a few weeks ago. You can go there and download our track, it’s called ‘Across The Sea’.”
Ben: “There’s loads of other bands in there as well, I think there’s 10 songs to choice from. Any anyone who gets a chance to play the bookshop, should. Really good fun. There’s an off licence opposite so you can have a beer outside. And if you’re not into the bands, you can have a look at the bookshelves.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Andy: “I think bears have probably got slightly sharper teeth and generally a little bit more raw animal power.”
Ben: “I thought that bears, if you act like a bear at them, they get a bit scared and timid.”
Andy: “Would a gorilla know that though?”
Ben: “Gorillas are probably more intelligent than the bear.”
Andy: “Yeah, but I don’t think they would have read any National Geographic!”
Ben: “My vote is gorilla.”
Lewis: “I say bear. Bears are pretty cool.”

Shoutbox –
Haunted Stereo: “In November we’re releasing our new EP - we’re doing a big launch at the Joiners. We’ve got Thomas Tantrum supporting us, and the Moulettes. It’s going to be our first release on Sotones as well. Should be a riot!”

Haunted Stereo

Live Review - Neko Case + Black Gold

2010-01-11T21:10:00.001Z

Neko Case isn't really my sort of music - it's a bit earthy and rootsy, but I gamely tried to get into the spirit by er, standing at the back and trying not to fall asleep. Damn gigs on a school night...

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

NEKO CASE + BLACK GOLD @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS 16/09/09

Is it the credit crunch? Is it the day of the week? For whatever reason, when we arrive at the Wedgewood Rooms for Neko Case's gig, by half past eight it's only playing host to 40 people and half a seagull, judging by the feathers lying on the floor.

Brooklyn’s Black Gold are a nice band; there’s no doubt about that. They're pleasant, they're sweet and radio-friendly. They would be no different from your Keanes and your Gary Go's if it wasn't for their bassist. Swathed in scarves and a cap, he oozes coolness. He's like The Cat off Red Dwarf, only less flamboyant and far, far cooler, in an understated way.

Luckily by the time Black Gold is ready to come onstage, the crowd has picked up a bit, though they're all lurking in the shadows or the bar. “Come closer! We won't bite,” pleads singer Eric Ronick. “...Unless you ask nicely.”

Along with The Cat, the band's guitarist looks like one of The Cribs, so it's all minor lookalikes in here tonight. Black Gold's music is played in earnest, aiming for a powerful sound with an honest spring in everyone's step. The band is unashamedly pop, which is sadly often seen as a dirty word amongst scenesters, and they’re clearly having a good time onstage. Songs tonight include The Comedown and Shine, taken from album Rush which is due out over here in early October.

The drums are played with power ballad type breaks and the band are forthcoming with their praise for everyone. We're incredible, Pompey is incredible, Neko Case are incredible. Black Gold aren't incredible, but they are an enjoyably toe-tapping way to spend a half hour.

Neko Case has a supergroup, as we were informed by a keen fan in the front row. Perhaps he just meant a collection of experienced professionals. The band aren’t exactly a supergroup along the lines of Them Crooked Vultures, and unless you’re familiar with American folk or The New Pornographers, you may be unsure what to expect tonight. Yes, it’s that genre so derided by many: country. No, come back! It's not the sort of pop-lite country made sadly popular over here by Shania Twain et al but proper, neat and mature country music.

The music is very American folk, rootsy and with strong elements of bluegrass and sweet charm. They’ve got a double bass; beards and hats. They tell stories in between songs about running outside in their pyjamas to pet dogs. Everyone is nice and friendly. Neko Case has a strong, smooth voice. Her burnt copper hair is all over the place and she keeps trying to tie it out the way, but the band are less bothered about their appearance than they are about their music. Still, mINtSOUTH’s snapper is strictly forbidden from taking any pictures of the headlining act. Meanies.

Neko Case and pals have a dedicated fanbase, judging from the excitable man standing at the barrier who has travelled some way to be here and who keeps pointing out to us which other band members have recording deals. It didn’t seem like anyone was singing along but rather were quietly appreciating the music – though with six studio albums, including Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and latest long player Middle Cyclone, it would take some listening to learn all the lyrics. “I love your voice. You’re beautiful and I love your voice,” one woman shouts. Neko Case is a little embarrassed by this.

If you don’t know the songs, it can all blend slightly into one jangling, whimsical tangle of notes. It was just a slower pace of life than I’m used to and hard for me to relate to. Perched at the back of the Wedgewood Rooms, sitting on a ledge in the dark, Neko Case seemed a very long way off and the relaxing notes flowed over my head, sweeping past gently, and my mind drifted off into its own little world of calm. It was wholesome and warming, and made one a little sleepy by the end.

Black Gold

Neko Case

Interview - Tricorn - Southsea Fest 09

2010-01-11T20:50:00.001Z

Tricorn seemed something special. Despite being a small band, they've recorded professionally (abroad), and were working extremely hard at gigging and spreading the word about their album. Maybe a bit too much - a large amount had to be edited out after 'What other bands are you looking forward to seeing? was answered with a ten minute spiel about their album...

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

INTERVIEW - TRICORN - SOUTHSEA FEST 2009

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
Constantine: “I came to the UK to study 11 years ago. I’ve always been into bands but as a student I was busy with uni so I kept it as a hobby. I decided to give it a shot with music and see where it’s going.”
Simon: “We met randomly, we started talking about music and thought let’s have a jam together and it just worked out from there.”
Constantine: “We always had a thing about changing bassists until we got the right one. When we had to record the album our bassist quit a week before we were going to Greece to record it, he had booked his flight and he just quit! We had to play gigs there that were booked and we had to get our guitarist Billy to play the bass, but now we’re sorted.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – are you looking forward to your gig?
Simon: "We’re really looking forward to playing Southsea Fest, especially now that we’re headlining as well, we’re going to be playing the Deco. It’s good as well that Southsea is doing something for the city. There wasn’t much going on before, and over the years it’s changed; they’re doing more festivals, more events, more bands playing, which is great.”
Constantine: “This year we saw the names of all the bands, and how many people are going and how well organised... it is really, really good.”
Simon: “Yeah it’s brilliant. We’re absolutely loving it.”

mINtSOUTH: Any bands you’re looking forward to seeing?
Constantine: “Dragon Eye Morrison are an amazing band, and Belligerence, they’re playing the Deco with us. We’re all into rock and bands from the early Nineties, so we would like even more when we meet cool people from bands that they also play cool music that we like.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Constantine: “The thing is both of them could chase you. They can climb trees so you can’t get away.”
Simon: “Gorillas are quicker though, and stronger.”
Constantine: “I would say bear.”

mINtSOUTH: How did you choose the name of your band?
Constantine: “We chose a name that means Portsmouth but in a different way, and we chose Tricorn, the concrete building which was in the way of the Brutalist movement. I still disagree that they brought it down. They could have done so much stuff with it.”
Simon: “It would have been good to record a clip in there… the Tricorn in the Tricorn.”
Constantine: “So many people have fond memories about it. They really enjoyed it while it was still up there.”

Shoutbox –
Simon: “We have just released our debut album. It’s a self titled album, we are really looking forward for people to have a listen to it. Hopefully we will try to book some dates for touring in February to go round Europe again and play a few dates in Greece, maybe Spain, Germany and a few other places as well, but we’re working out on that at the moment.”

Tricorn

Interview - The Deads - Southsea Fest 09

2010-01-11T20:22:00.001Z

With this interview, I was just sitting in the bar of the Kings Theatre, minding my own business and quite possibly surreptitiously picking my nose behind the laptop, when a random man came and sat down next to me. "Suzy?" he said. "I've been sent to see you." And a minute later a handful of noisy bandmates turned up. mINtSOUTH's photographers were telling every band they saw that mINtSOUTH were carrying out interviews so we had quite a queue. Well, I think everyone was actually trying to get to the bar - !free beer!

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH

THE DEADS - SOUTHSEA FEST 2009

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
The Deads: “We’ve been going six years? Longer than that? I can’t remember. It’s got to be quite a while.”
Rich: “We split up for a while, a couple of years. We signed a record deal, done an album and that all fell through, and we’ve just recently got back together. It’s a couple of months at the moment.”

mINtSOUTH: Back and better than before?
Andy: “We’re enjoying it a lot more. We’re doing it for different reasons now.”
Rich: “I think we’re going to be better than before but it’s just going to take longer to get to that point, because it’s not as serious. It’s more for fun.”
Andy: “If anything happens it’s a bonus but at the moment it’s just doing it for the enjoyment of playing.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – have you played yet today?
Luke: “We have already played, we really enjoyed it. It’s good to watch all the other bands.”
Andy: “There’s a lot of bands playing in 12 venues, all putting bands on now. It’s impressive really, seems like a lot of work and organisation.”
Luke: “There’s really a scene down here at the moment.”

mINtSOUTH: Any bands you’re looking forward to seeing?
The Deads: “The Ramblings, The Black & Reds. We’ve played with quite a few of the bands so it’s quite good to go to their slot when they’re playing and then they’ll come over to ours. It’s bands all supporting each other.”

mINtSOUTH: Which band member would you eat first on a desert island?
Andy: (laughs evilly) “It’d have to be Clym because to be fair he’s the biggest out of the lot of us. He’s the one with the most amount of meat on him.”

mINtSOUTH: How did you choose the name of your band?
Gary: “Clym had a song called Dead Stars. Then we kind of got together, got a couple of songs, I think we did one or two gigs called the Dead Stars. Then we saw a couple of other bands called that and we thought ‘oh, let’s change it’.”
Andy: “But we didn’t want to give it a whole new name because we’d started to get a bit of a following. To be fair the name doesn’t really go with us because we’re this Seventies kind of influenced rock band, and The Deads sounds a bit like a metal band.”
Gary: “We were going to have Johnny Valentine and the Stabbed To Deaths but when you narrow it down it’ll be Johnny Valentine and the STDs. We don’t want to get disease involved!”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
The Deads: “Never really thought of that question before. It depends what bear it is. Rupert Bear? Grizzly bear? Gorilla, definitely.”

Shoutbox –
The Deads: “4th December we’re headlining down at the Cellars, and 19th November we’re playing at Hamptons. And we’re getting Clym to sort out our MySpace because it’s annoying, we’ve only got one song and we’ve got about fifty recordings!”

The Deads

Interview - Ribbon - Southsea Fest

2010-01-11T20:02:00.003Z

If I'd done any research before this interview (not that I'm highly unprofessional; there were 150 + artists performing, and I didn't know who I would be interviewing), I'd have known well in advance that Ribbon won a competition to open the whole festival, so I wouldn't have been surprised halfway though when they mentioned it. Well done to them.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.cm in September 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

INTERVIEW - RIBBON @ SOUTHSEA FEST 09 - MICHAELA CORINNE AND LUKE ALEXANDER

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
Michaela: “We met towards the end of last year.”
Luke: “I saw her onstage playing a few songs down a local mic night and I just thought ‘She's quite good’. I went up to her at the end and said: ‘Got to do something with you. Got no idea what it is.’”
Michaela: “I was thinking at this point ‘Not really sure what you mean!’ We've both been in bands before doing various things, and just sort of came together and gelled together.”
Luke: “We were coming from the same angle so it didn't take long to get things started. We were just on the same wavelength right from the beginning.”

mINtSOUTH: Can you describe your music?
Michaela: “It's a little bit like this theatre [Kings] - chandelier-y, and mirrory.”
Luke: “Yes, it's exactly like this theatre. I think a lot of our inspiration comes from theatre pieces and I've got a background in doing stage production. It is fairly dramatic, I suppose.”
Michaela: “I'm loving listening to soundtracks at the moment, I've got the Oliver! soundtrack, it's brilliant. But we really like the Dresden Dolls, it's got a similar sort of set up to us.”
Luke: “A big inspiration. Amanda Palmer - she's crazy, we love her.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – have you played yet today?
Luke: “Yes we have, at the Wedgewood Rooms. It went pretty well. We had a bit of a different set and were starting off the whole festival, so yeah it was a pretty good feeling really. Just before we came on there was literally no-one in the room at all, and then halfway through the first song suddenly a cluster of people came in and it went well from there.”

Ribbon: “We won the Showcase 09 competition this week at the Wedgewood Rooms [the prize package included a slot at Southsea Fest] which was quite nice.”
Michaela: “I didn't think we were going to win the final but quite pleased that we did. There were the Watermelons in the final as well, I really liked them.”
Luke: “We were a bit annoyed that we missed The Downing Street Years. I'm a big fan so it's a shame that we didn't actually get to meet them in the competition.”
Michaela: “There's a band called Puresist as well, they were brilliant. They were clearly just enjoying what they're doing.”

mINtSOUTH: Any bands you’re looking forward to seeing at Southsea Fest?
Luke: “It’s going to be good, especially at the Wedge. That's probably where we'll be hanging out.”

mINtSOUTH: Which band member would you eat first on a desert island?
Luke: “I would eat Michaela first on a desert island. I haven't really got much choice, and I don't really like hot, cold or pain, so I wouldn't eat myself.”
mINtSOUTH: A lot of people go for the drummer.
Michaela: “I'd go for the drummer as well actually.”
Luke: “That's a bad idea, because I'm the drummer!”
Michaela: “The options are kind of limited.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Michaela: “I reckon gorilla.”
Luke: “I don't know, a bear's just made to rip things apart. It's a really difficult one. I've had shark discussions, crocodiles, but gorilla vs bear - I mean, that's gonna take some thought.”
Michaela: “I'm pretty sure we'll be discussing this this evening.”
Luke: “We'll answer in song form at some point.”

Shoutbox -
Ribbon: “We've got a few gigs coming up. Other than that, we're just focused on recording at the moment, we're going to hopefully go in and do a nice single recording so it's all ready for radio play. That's our immediate plan really, just sorting things out and getting it all up what we want to do. Showcase 09 has given us a lot of confidence, and we want to be bigger and bolder.”

Ribbon on Facebook

Interview - Sam McCarthy - Southsea Fest

2009-11-22T21:41:00.004Z

Can't say this was the chattiest interview I've ever done, and it didn't help that most of my questions were tailored towards bands so I had to discard half of them. I gave all my interviewees a pack of Smarties to liven their day up - Sam was the only person to leave his behind.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

INTERVIEW - SAM MCCARTHY @ SOUTHSEA FEST 2009

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourself.
Sam: “I used to be in a band – Gilkicker - for a few years, started off in Portsmouth then moved to London, then it sort of split up so I’ve been on my own for nearly a year. Released my first single 'Cherrytree' a few months back and it did really well, and I’m doing my album.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – discuss.
Sam: “I think it’s great. It’s like Camden Crawl, but I’m glad that it’s down here. Last year I played. I got added late to the bill this time - I didn’t think I was going to be playing live anywhere, but then I asked Ally Wolf at the Fat Fox if I could play, so now I’m here. I think Southsea Fest is amazing.”

mINtSOUTH: Any exciting onstage antics planned?
Sam: “No not really, just playing acoustic on my own. Got some new songs, see how they go. Fingers crossed they go well.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Sam: (decisively) “Gorilla. Another question?"

mINtSOUTH: Do you support any charities?
Sam: “I do like to support Teenage Cancer Trust. I’ve done a few gigs for them in London, and things that are associated with it. I’ve actually had a member of my family had cancer when they were a teenager and they were told they wouldn’t ever have kids or anything like that – I think she’s got about four now. So yeah, it can be done.”

mINtSOUTH: Which band member would you eat first on a desert island
Sam: “I’ve got a new violin player called Helen Green, she looks the tastiest. I’d rather eat her than any of the boys.”

Shoutbox –
Sam: “I’ve just spent all summer recording my album so that’s nearly done. We’ll be launching it around Christmas or early next year. So watch out 2010, yeah? Gonna get the album finished, then get a live band ready - and then come back with a bang.”

http://www.myspace.com/sammccarthy

Interview - Gloria Jones

2009-10-26T21:48:00.019Z

So today my train of thought ran a little like this: The Pigeon Detectives have covered 'Tainted Love' for charity. Soft Cell also covered 'Tainted Love'. It was originally a Northern Soul tune made pretty famous by Gloria Jones. I interviewed her once. I think it's somewhere - aaargh! Where is it?

After a bit of delving through CDs I found the little bugger, so here it is. I remember the interview went on for a good 50 minutes, so warm and delightful she was to talk to. And it looks like we rang her in Los Angeles - good grief, that must have cost a few pence. Hopefully that's not related to the publishing company going under the following year. Whoops.

Originally published on Native.tv in 2007
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) Niche News and Publishing

INTERVIEW - GLORIA JONES

Gloria Jones. As many pub quiz teams will know, she’s the Northern Soul singer who first made famous ‘Tainted Love’ in 1964, which later on was made even more famous by Soft Cell. Singing in a gospel group in her hometown of Longview in Texas, Jones worked her way up from doing backing vocals for the likes of Bob Dylan and her own singing career to playing instruments in T.Rex, where she met Marc Bolan and together they had a child, Rolan. Marc was killed in 1977 when their purple Mini came off the road and swerved into a tree. Gloria survived, escaping with several painful injuries, and returned to America with Rolan.

Now Marc has become an icon, a rock legend. Passing away has elevated him to the status almost of a myth who could do no wrong; gone too soon, much like Elvis, Lennon and Holly. Gloria Jones can tell us more about the man.

When we ring Gloria, she’s in Los Angeles where the family have been visiting for Rolan’s birthday. “It’s a very British looking day,” laughs the 69-year-old in her honeyed voice. 2007 is a significant year for fans of T.Rex. It’s 30 years since Bolan died. It would also have been his 60th birthday this September. There have been services to mark the occasion.

“There was the memorial service at the crematorium and there were fans - I call the fans ‘friends’ - and there were Marc’s friends that came all the way from Germany, Switzerland, Rome, I mean people from all over the world.” Gloria speaks slowly and pauses between each place for emphasis. “And friends from Germany brought their children. It’s not about the past, it’s about the future and about the positiveness that the children are now bringing in.”

The anniversary means special reissues, which means a whole new audience exposed to T.Rex's songs. Glam rockers T.Rex operated from around 1967 to 1977, bringing sweet rock and wild clothes to the masses. Gloria played keyboards and sang backing vocals in the band's later years.

“In this rebirth of Marc’s music we’re looking at in America children six, seven years old wearing their T.Rex t shirts, stars under glitter on their little cheekbones, and so that’s really exciting.

“Our family are becoming aware that we have to protect Marc’s image as much as we can. And this is one of the reasons that next year we will be honouring Marc’s brother Harry with a musical tribute from the family. I really want you to mention this for me, I really need this!” Gloria laughs.

Is it quite odd walking around and hearing all those songs you had such a part in? “Yes, yes. People are beginning to hear the real truth. All of Marc’s private collection of records, his poetry, his life, all of that just got out into the street. And so now people are realising ‘Oh we don’t have everything, we really don’t know the story about how this song was created’.”

Such as 'Why Must I Be A Teenager In Love?' which has seen the light of day as a b-side to the reissued ‘20th Century Boy.’ “We were staying in a flat in St John’s Wood and in the apartment we had the jukebox. We never had a lot of furniture, but the jukebox was the centrepiece there. And then we had the music room and that was where we recorded ‘Why Must I Be A Teenager In Love?’ At that time I had just conceived Rolan and we were just taking it easy before flying out to Monte Carlo.

”Marc was playing the guitar and he was singing. He was inspired, he didn’t have to have elaborate things, he could just sit in the room cross-legged and play his guitar. I remember he called me and said “Glo, come here, come here. I want you to sing harmony to this.” And because our life was centred about music you never knew what Marc was thinking, you didn’t know if he was already in production, if he had recorded the song! When I first started singing it he said: “Now I want you to give me that Chaka Khan feel.” So that’s why when you first hear my entrance there’s like this very high strange note in there [laughs].”

What do you think he would have been doing now if he was still alive? “I believe he would have been doing films because he was already involved in video and music. And I believe he would have been enjoying his family, which he did. He had the prize of life that so many people didn’t understand. He was always a child at heart, and he enjoyed his family. When we would come to the United States we would stay with my family so he would have a chance to taste Southern cooking which he was very polite about!”

Grits? “Fried catfish! And you know Marc was very classy and very clever and he would politely sit and take a bite and that was it, and then order something else.”

How do you think he would have got on nowadays, because there’s a whole cult of celebrity and there’s so much media attention? “But you see Marc would have milked it, because that was his love,” Gloria says instantly. “He had the Marc TV Show before the one in 1977 and he had Telly Savalas on the show. He had never heard of Marc. When he came out there on the show Marc says: “Telly baby,” and Telly says: “Well Marc baby.” You might say he understood his work, and he was clever about sending any situation up but he had respect, you know there was always respect, and always love."

And you’re not fed up of talking about Marc? Because you must get asked about him so often. “Listen, sweet, you have to understand something. We were not only partners, we were also musical partners so we had a lot in common. It wasn’t strange because we were basically musicians, and so our life was in the studio, travelling, and that’s why when Rolan was born it brought in a new balance.

“Now the actresses are having their babies, taking pictures with the pregnancy, but in those years they disgraced me because Marc took a picture of me with my belly. He said “What do you want to do about it?” and I said “Oh it’s nothing,” because I knew Rolan had a future and so you don’t want to have problems because life moves on, the world moves on, and look at the world today! Look at the press and the music, how wonderful! But Marc was doing that years ago. He was always friends with the media. How old were you, you were young right?”

I’m 25. I wasn’t born! “That’s what I’m talking about! So when I’m saying to you, everything happening now is what Marc did some years ago.”

It all comes back round again? “It all comes back round and what happens is now the artists, the actresses, they have more freedom. In those days Marc took risks, and he took risks because he knew that there was a future. He knew that the industry would not stay the same. And so what he did he approached the media and television and his music as if he was a 1930s movie star. That’s how he approached his career; you know the boas, the mascara.”

He was very flamboyant, wasn’t he? “Yes. And in those days you had Errol Flynn who was absolutely beautiful, then you have to remember Marc was very beautiful. So he had all of the qualities of becoming a star in the Seventies. Like you said, you weren’t born, and we had the hippie era, [laughs] we had the disco era, we had the rock and roll era, but now you have a chance to relive that but also it’s not any different. Except now you have hip hop. But then in the Fifties, you had beatniks who would rap poetry to jazz music. So that is why we have to stop the separation. It’s one big pie.”

Gloria and Marc’s musical talent has passed on to Rolan. I read somewhere he has an album coming out? “Yes, he’s working on his career and he will let everyone know when that’s ready. Rolan actually wanted to be a baseball player. How he got into performing was by accident. He had a fractured ankle and so then his friends asked him to perform in theatre at the university so there he was in Hair - which his mom also thirty plus years ago was in the original cast of Hair in Los Angeles.

"The main thing was Marc always wanted Rolan to have an education and that was more important than anything. Now if you find the music and theatre and things after that, fine.

“We’re very happy for Rolan because can you imagine coming into the world, stepping in your father’s shoes - who was one of the largest stars - and really just wanting your own individuality, which he deserves. And I think that’s more important and I think he’s learning that the audience will accept him as an individual and I admire him. I admire any other star’s children that are presenting their own talent and not using a parent’s name.”

Now remarried, Gloria herself isn’t so much involved in music anymore – though she recently duetted on ‘Tainted Love’ with Marc Almond at Shepherd’s Bush – but she is heavily involved in charity work in Sierra Leone, running Youth Net Children Under the Sun. “We are at this time planning on building the Marc Bolan School of Music and Film, and the reason is that we feel that if the orphans can learn an instrument and learn to write a song, they have a chance, you know?

"People will always love music, people will always be creative, and the work we try to do to help these orphans to have a purpose for life. Oh and also mention Gibson for me, Gibson guitars - oh girl, these people have been so supportive - on behalf of our family, Rolan, and the School of Music. So our children are going to be learning guitar.”

Why Sierra Leone? “The children there are very, very lovely and very open and they’re just so genuine with appreciation, and after just coming out of the civil war their little eyes are shining, they still have life. And Marc loved children. Marc did not see colour. Marc’s life was a mixture, so this school, any orphans that want to attend, even from all over the world, they’re welcome; it’s the love of music and to help these children to get on their way.”

Gloria says they would like to show Bolan’s humanitarian side. “[Marc] was about youth. We both were. We were your age, but we were about young people helping young people. Like I said, people knew of his poetry and his music but they didn’t know the man. Marc loved sitting at home strumming his guitar, playing his record collection, watching TV, occasionally pop in a few movies. He was always playing his guitar and reading, he loved to read science fiction and getting new ideas and constantly trying new approaches to making the record business interesting.

“The up-and-coming bands, they all say they were influenced by Marc. The stars that have already had hits, they say they were influenced by Marc. Look at the wonderful Boy George. He used to stand at the front of Marc’s office on Bond Street and he was such a nice guy, such a sensitive guy. And he never bothered Marc, you know. And I used to always watch him because he was tall and he would wear a real short haircut, nice to watch this guy. One time I was looking out of Marc’s office window and there was Marvin Gaye across the road! Window-shopping. And I wanted to run down but you know I was so cautious, and you just couldn’t be that open, and so many times I thought why didn’t I go, why didn’t I grab Boy George, bring him to Marc, why didn’t I go grab Marvin!

“But you didn’t have the freedom like now, the stars are able to walk around. It was very difficult because whenever they saw Marc they would just go crazy. They were so excited. He used to go to the museum and there would be a group of schoolgirls and we would have about thirty minutes alone – but before we can get out of there those kids would be ‘Marc Bolan’s here!’ and there’s running and there’s screaming! Sometimes you do need a break.”

And back to 'helping people on their way', Gloria has a story she wants to share: “There were some gentlemen at Rolan’s first introduction into the industry and they were speaking amongst themselves. One guy told the other guy, oh I can remember when I was around 15 or 16 years old, and my tyre blew out. And all of a sudden Marc Bolan appeared. And he took care and he helped them out, they patched the tyre up and came back, put the tyre on and after that Marc said ‘OK gents you’re on your way.’ And he said, I can remember how Marc got us on our way. Isn’t it beautiful? I hope you can print that,” she adds.

So we have.

Official Marc Bolan Fan Club http://www.marc-bolan.com
Gloria’s charity Youth Net Children Under The Sun http://www.yncuts.net

Interview - The Little Philistines - Southsea Fest

2009-10-16T23:12:00.002+01:00

Another of the interviews I carried out in the Kings Theatre's bar during Southsea Fest. Very cheery and charming band.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

INTERVIEW - THE LITTLE PHILISTINES @ SOUTHSEA FEST 2009

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
Emily: “We all live in London. I’m from Southend which is a seaside town so I kind of have a kindred feeling with Southsea. John and Rob decided to have a new band. John said let’s have Adam, and I wanted to be in the band but they would only let me sing and play violin if I also agreed to play keyboards.”
John: “…And if she brought biscuits.”
Emily: “Then after that had all been sorted we didn’t have a drummer, then at my birthday party one year we did a little gig and Matt begged us to let him play.”

mINtSOUTH: Can you describe your music?
The Little Philistines: “Poppy, indie, guitary, violiny, quirky, banging drumming, harmonies, intelligent lyrics, a bit political. Music to have fun to basically - but also to make you think.”

mINtSOUTH: What do you like your listeners to be doing while they’re listening to you?
Emily: “Hopefully our listeners will be singing along with our music, or dancing, or both. We did an acoustic set for Recharged Radio and it was nice to get instant feedback in the chatroom.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – have you played yet today?
The Little Philistines: “We played at the Kings upstairs. It was great. Everyone’s just been really really friendly.” John: “But then I don’t imagine many people are drunk yet, so maybe later it will turn dark…”
Adam: “It’s a great set up having all these venues on the same road. It’s really cool.”

mINtSOUTH: Any bands you’re looking forward to seeing? The Little Philistines: “Tubelord, Anja McCloskey who’s from Haunted Stereo, Strange Death of Liberal England, Beans On Toast.”

mINtSOUTH: What are your plans for the rest of the weekend?
Rob: “That’s very forward of you.”
Matt: “I’ve got to drive to Sheffield tomorrow for my mum’s birthday, so I’m missing all the bands I want to see today. This Town Needs Guns, I wish I were seeing. This City I wish I were seeing, The Xcerts I wish I were seeing.”
John: “Emily, can you go and get the violins?”
Adam: “I’m going to find out where the free drink is. The rest of the weekend may do as it will.”

mINtSOUTH: How did you choose the name of your band?
Emily: "There was a bit of a band name war, it went on for several decades. We ended up with a shortlist and The Little Philistines was on the shortlist because that’s what my dad used to call me and my sister when we were little and we didn’t appreciate culture. It kind of won by default because it was the least unpopular. But actually we’ve quite grown into it now. My dad’s reaction has been fairly non-committal - he just raised his eyebrows.”

mINtSOUTH: Which band member would you eat first on a desert island?
Matt: “I’m the meatiest.”
John: “I think I would go for Emily because I suspect that Emily eats the best out of all of us. We should get the nutrients from what she’s eating.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Matt: “Bear. I’ve seen Grizzly Man.”
John: “A Gorilla could knock your head off with one swipe.”
Adam: “If we’re talking a polar bear, they’re huge.”
Matt: “How many bands split up over this question?”

Shoutbox – Single ‘Bus Pass / Judith Cut My Head Off’ is out now on iTunes.

http://www.myspace.com/thelittlephilistines

Interview - The Ramblings - Southsea Fest 2009

2009-10-16T22:54:00.000+01:00

One of the 13 interviews I carried out during Southsea Fest 2009.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

THE RAMBLINGS @ SOUTHSEA FEST 2009

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
Robin: “We’ve been going about two-and-a-half years now. We all went to uni together in Southampton and me and Kooksy just used to get drunk and mess around, he had a little electronic drum-kit, I had my guitar and we were just jamming. Then Johnny got involved, started doing a bit of singing, and then slowly but surely building up to getting everybody in the band. We were together for about a month and we played our first gig, and we’ve just been going ever since really.”

mINtSOUTH: Can you describe your music?
Robin: “I’d say it was like progressive indie. It’s got lots of hidden melodies and lots of structure to it, very floaty vocals over some really harsh vocals, nice piano. Bits and pieces all jammed together.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – looking forward to your gig this evening?
Robin: “Yeah, big time. It’s going to be really good.
mINtSOUTH: Have you got any onstage antics to get everyone going?
Robin: “Johnny, our singer, is pretty animated, he always gets the crowd going. Lots of feet stomping, lots of hand clapping, lots of audience participation. We’ve played [in Albert Road] quite a lot. As a street, with all the pubs and everything like that, to put something on like this is great. Proper carnival atmosphere. You couldn’t pull it off in Southampton basically.”

mINtSOUTH: How did you choose the name of your band?
Robin: “That was down to Kooksy. He had to come up with a name and he just said The Ramblings because it gives us the license to say pretty much what we like, to ramble on!”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Robin: “I reckon a bear’s going to do it. Bears have got big paws and they’re very tall. It would be very close.”

Shoutbox – “We’re launching our single at the Dublin Castle on the 17th October. Everybody’s invited!”

http://www.myspace.com/theramblingslive

Interview - Hold Fast @ Southsea Fest 2009

2009-10-16T22:45:00.000+01:00

Right, here we go... Southsea Fest is a wristbanded event which lets you into multiple gigs all round Albert Road. I missed the majority of it because I was sat in the Kings Theatre interviewing bands. 13 bands in under five hours... I never want to do that much transcription ever again! Anyway, Hold Fast are a top band.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

HOLD FAST

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a bit about yourselves.
Hold Fast: “We’ve been going a couple of years. Had a few change arounds and Adam is the newest member, came in just about a year ago. Used to play reggae fusion, kind of reggae-dance… actually, that wasn’t entirely serious.”

mINtSOUTH: Can you describe your music?
Hold Fast: “It’s post-punk really. Lots of influences thrown in - too long to list. Atmospheric, quite driven, synths, female vocals; call it death pop.”

mINtSOUTH: Southsea Fest – have you played yet today?
Hold Fast: “Yep, we literally just came off stage.”
Mintsouth: How did that go?
Hold Fast: “Really great atmosphere generally today in there, it’s great. Hot and sticky, the way it should be – Little Johnny Sauna!”
Ben Hold Fast: “Amazing. Massive crowd and everyone went nuts.”
Roberta Hold Fast: “A massive thank you to any one who came in and just packed that place out for twenty minutes. It was insane.”

mINtSOUTH: Any onstage antics to get everyone going?
Hold Fast: “We played a bit of Scrabble to warm up. We’re a granddad band.” “We’ve laid off the drinking so far, but now we’re going to get on it.”

mINtSOUTH: Any bands you’re looking forward to seeing?
Hold Fast: “Munroe Effect, we played with them yesterday. Strange Death Of Liberal England are playing in a minute. Fresh Legs, Official Secrets Act, Love Like Fire, B Of The Bang in a sec as well, Kill Em Dead Cowboy. It’s an amazing line up this year. It’s just frustrating having to choose between two bands who are on at the same time. Just run around trying to catch whoever you can.”

mINtSOUTH: Which band member would you eat first on a desert island?
Hold Fast: “Well it’s always got to be the biggest person hasn’t it? Toby, you’ve got the most muscles so you’re it mate. All that drumming… You know Bowling For Soup? They’ve got quite a big guy on guitar. He would be the first. We’d get Bowling For Soup’s guitarist shipped in on a plane.”

mINtSOUTH: What do you like your listeners to be doing while they’re listening to you?
Hold Fast: “Having sex. Ironing – not hoovering, because you can’t hear the music properly. Dancing about, just enjoying it and getting involved.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla versus bear – who would win in a fight?
Hold Fast: “Gorillas are probably good at punching but the bear has those big claws and big gnashers. Bear definitely, it would tear your face off. It depends what sort of bear really. If it’s a teddy bear…The panda on the advert, the Knorr Panda might [win], but that’s not real.”

Shoutbox - Hold Fast: “We are playing in 93 Feet East on 26th September. That’s going to be cool, it’s got burlesque, loads of bands, DJs, VJs, trapeze artists, so it’s a crazy event.”

http://www.myspace.com/holdfast

Album Review - You’re Smiling Now But We’ll All Turn Into Demons – Contact High

2009-10-16T22:41:00.000+01:00

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

You’re Smiling Now But We’ll All Turn Into Demons – Contact High

So I was walking in the forest one day, as one does. Then a magical pixie offered me a mysterious CD full of demons. “This will blow your mind,” she said. “I’ll be the judge of that,” I thought to myself.

This was a true story. Except perhaps it was more of an office than a forest. And the pixie is actually the girl who sits behind me. I’m not sure if she is magical.

Recorded in the creative musical hive that is Nursling, ‘Contact High’ is the third full length release by Portsmouth’s You’re Smiling Now But We’ll All Turn Into Demons. They’ve been releasing music for around six years and describe their sound as ‘psych / drone’ which is pretty correct – there’s an otherworldly, hallucinogenic feel to it and the band love to jam and crash away to themselves.

Starting with a good thirty seconds of feedback, ‘Contact High’ stamps its menacing authority repeatedly into your head. Controlled ferocity bubbles about my ears snarling and whining. My first opinion was that the guitarist should not have been given control of the mixing desk because every other sound is muffled below the fuzzy orgasms of the electric guitar and the crash of the ride. However as it goes on your ears begin to attune to the other sounds and melodies present.

‘Nervous / Alive’ has a surprisingly catchy melody before it descends into clouds and echoes. ‘Out Of Focus’ starts mournfully and is basically two minutes of the band jamming to themselves, the sort of thing it’s fun to do but which can signal a break for the audience to nip off the to bar; luckily here it blends well to become part of ‘Jammin’ On The 13th Floor’, one of the quieter points on the album. ’Calmer’ isn’t the right word at all – it’s not a relaxed tune as there is still a lot of underlying tension to the music.

They’ve all gone a bit wordy with a few song titles (‘The Recidivist’ and ‘Prismatic Reflections’) which makes me fear a Scrabble contest with the band because I would lose quite badly, by approximately seven million points.

The heavy fuzz of Demons suggests they’d be quite a powerful live force although the CD doesn’t quite get that across and I struggled to connect to the sanitised, recorded version. The vocals actually remind me of the Stone Roses and that ‘don’t care’ attitude of the Madchester scene. Despite the frustrated anger in the music it sounds like the songs have been tamed, although they could still snap at your fingers and need to be kept on a leash. Highlights for me are ‘Nervous/Alive’ and ‘The Recidivist’.

‘Prismatic Reflections’ is the band’s magnum opus; their ‘Paranoid Android’, their ‘Revolution 9’. It’s eighteen minutes worth of Last Chance Saloon harmonica, dusty stamping and sexy wah guitar, then the next section is a menacing buzz, leading into disturbing feedback and a whirlwind of noise before eventually braking to a finish. When it came to an end, I was suddenly aware that the real world sounded strangely quiet.

If you like your music with swaggering stoner qualities and a fuzzy snarl of classic metal, then check out the Demons. It’s a bit heavier than the music I usually choose to listen to, but I enjoyed the ride nevertheless.

http://www.myspace.com/thedemons

Live Review - Athlete @ Soul Cellar

2009-10-16T22:11:00.000+01:00

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2009
Words: Suzy Sims
Editor: Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

LIVE REVIEW - ATHLETE, LOZ BRIDGE, GARY MUNDAY, IDOL RICH, THE L.C.D. + BRYONY MARIE FRY @ THE SOUL CELLAR, SOUTHAMPTON 26/08/09

It’s like musical Tetris, trying to fit Athlete onstage; band members, roadies and Wave 105 presenters are carefully being dropped into place between keyboards and amps and guitars and drums and more guitars and more people.

Wave 105 are there because it’s Their Night at the Soul Cellar. Athlete are there because they have been picked to play Wave 105’s Up, Close and Personal series of gigs which have previously hosted the likes of Frankmusik and Sharleen Spiteri. The roadies are there, because that’s what they do. Never underestimate the power of a good roadie.

It takes roughly an hour for people to filter upstairs until everyone is crammed up close. There is no warm up act, though temperature-wise it couldn’t get much hotter without the fans and competition winners starting to wilt a bit.

Standing front left, just underneath the speaker, I struggle to see most of Athlete hiding behind their equipment. There’s singer Joel Pott in a red checked shirt. Serious-faced keyboardist Tim Wanstall is shielding his eyes as he motions to the soundman to adjust a few settings. Drummer Stephen Roberts is completely out of sight, and I can’t work out how many other guitarists they have onstage.

The setlist takes a few tracks from the band’s latest album, Black Swan, including the beautiful title track which Joel dedicates to his granddad, and the fantastic singalong of The Getaway. Longer-term fans aren’t disappointed either, with Vehicles & Animals’ Beautiful and radio-friendly You Got The Style, and a couple of tracks from Tourist including Half Light thrown into the mix. Throughout the night, the band are friendly and relaxed, though leaving their frontman to do most of the banter with the audience. They’re often criticised for not having much of an edge, but Athlete are always a welcome pleasure to listen to.

The band have always been one for mature epics, and the set closes with a stripped down version of powerful tearjerker Wires, with the rest of the band leaving Joel alone to face the crowd chanting “I see it in your eyes / You’ll be all right.”

The set is sadly over after what seems like a short time. It’s no rest for the wicked though, as mintsouth then hotfoot it across the stage and disappear behind the scenes to interview the band.
http://www.mintsouth.com/2009/09/minterview-athlete/

Afterwards we take a short trip downstairs to see what mintsouth have to offer in the way of acoustic acts. Loz Bridge is just finishing his set as we descend; he’s very intense and the sounds seems to completely fill the small room. Up next are the multiple personas of Gary Munday which keep switching back and forth– Gary#1 is a slightly muffled deep voice, while Gary#2 has a belting voice which wakes everyone up. The acoustic is nicely sparse, but the voice is too shouty. Idol Rich is incredibly understated, so understated in fact he’s almost lost beneath the chattering post-Athlete crowd. He’s very bluesy and beautifully mellow, covering a few songs including ‘Walking The Dog’ and ‘I Just Wanna Make Love To You.’

Next up is The L.C.D. and his incredibly quick tongue. The guitar is almost incidental to this street / beat poet who performs a curious cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. The final act we manage to catch before sloping away is the lovely Bryony Marie Fry whose voice is sweet and spot on; easily the best singer of the night.

Often a little mournful musically but always heartwarming, it’s been a successful night for Athlete. And the drinks were cheap. Hurrah.

Athlete
Wave 105
Loz Bridge
Gary Munday
The L.C.D.
Bryony Marie Fry

Interview - Athlete

2009-10-16T21:22:00.000+01:00

Such nice guys are Athlete. They were clearly thrilled to be releasing a new album and I admire their spirit. After parting ways with their major record label they had gone it alone despite the obvious lack of financial backing they'd had in the past - luckily they still pull in the fans. This was the second time I'd interviewed keyboardist Tim - did it once before at Parlophone headquarters. Guessing I'll be back in another couple of years to haunt him with the same question cards. Credit to Tom Cope for the 'gorilla vs bear' question, one which is now a regular addition to the question pack.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2009
Words: Suzy Sims
Editor: Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

INTERVIEW - ATHLETE

Up, Close & Personal is certainly the correct term for Athlete’s show in Southampton. More used to playing venues for a thousand-plus people, the band are playing as part of Wave 105’s series of intimate concerts at the Soul Cellar – and it was certainly a tight squeeze to fit crowd and band into the venue.

Upstairs after the show, Joel Pott (lead vocals, guitar) and Tim Wanstall (keyboards) relax on a sofa as the rest of the band make a quick escape. Switch on the dictaphone, hand out the question cards, and here we go.

“Oh, coloured cards,” notes Joel. Yes, I’ve got a GCSE in Art. Tim is giving me a strange look. He’s suffering minor déjà vu but hasn’t realised this yet....

How are you enjoying Southampton? Joel: “We turned out and we soundchecked and went out for dinner. I went to Buffalo Bill’s and that was really good, was it not?” Tim: “I love coming here. Last time we were here we were at the Guildhall which was memorable because it is such a beautiful venue.” They must enjoy their time here, as they’ll be back in November for a gig at the university student union.

Last CD you bought? “No-one buys CDs anymore!” laughs Joel. “Last CD I bought was Moderat which is a combo of an artist called Apparat and a guy called Modeselektor. I do recommend it if you like electronica.”

Tim: “I think the last CD I bought was the best of Yazoo.” Joel laughs wickedly. “Love it!” Do you want me to edit that out, Tim? “No way, go for it! I’m working through Depeche Mode and I just thought this is part of the story so I checked it out, but I don’t like it as much as Depeche Mode.”

Athlete are lucky to have their own studio. Mintsouth’s wordsmith interviewed Tim a few years back in which he was explaining about the band’s newly built studio. Tim vaguely remembers us from his hazy past. “In Parlophone’s offices? Did we do this?” he keeps asking. Yes we did do this, we’ve practically recycled the same question cards. How has the recent recording gone?

Joel: “We recorded most of the record out in LA but then we came back to London. We also did some where we were in our studio in London and our producer Tom was in LA - but we had some weird voodoo thing going through the computer to link us up real-time so he could be recording us in LA.”

Tim: “As in he would press space bar, and then our computer would start playing.” Joel nods in affirmation. “It is weird.”

Has it been helpful having your own studio? Tim: “It is great, so whenever we fancy doing anything we can just go. I think it’s the way it’s going now; there’s not the money around that there used to be. Loads of studios are shutting down because people can’t afford to go into them so I think every band will have their own studio in the future.” You haven’t been renting yours out to people? “To mates at mates’ rates,” says Joel.

Didn’t you play V Festival this year? “We did.” How was it? “It was amazing,” says Tim. A little bit bigger than the Soul Cellar, one would presume. “It’s so much bigger than the last time we went as well. We had a nice little slot at about 5’o’clock in the afternoon, and it was just like everything aligned and it was perfect. There was a massive crowd and the sun was out.”

Joel agrees. “We were on top of Alisha Dixon and underneath Katy Perry. A good place to be…!” Did you do both or just one of them? asks mintsouth, before realising what we’ve said. We meant the festivals. Athlete knew what we meant but still explode in snorts of laughter, “We did do both of them, yeah,” said Joel after he’s calmed down slightly. “But one was better than the other.”

Tim considers the situation. “At festivals you play slightly shorter sets. It’s great playing festivals on four records because it’s beginning to feel like how Chelsea have to leave a substitute on the bench who’s a little bit too good to be a substitute, and it’s quite nice choosing songs.”

Joel is impressed. “That’s a really nice analogy, I like that.” “It’s like we can’t even play all our singles any more in one go,” says Tim.

Fiction Records is their “new home” since Athlete parted with their previous record label, Parlophone. Joel: “To give you the story, we released our record about two weeks after the stockmarket crash, and then two weeks after that EMI froze all their budgets.” After a bit of consideration, the band and the label went separate ways “so we just got on with making a new record and it was brilliant.”

“Fiction’s great, to be honest I can’t believe we ended up being on a label like that at this moment in time. It’s hard for bands to get signed and a label like Fiction, you’ve got Snow Patrol, Elbow and White Lies, so a really good roster and a really good history as well, like the Cure.”

Tim: ”One of the things I like is that at the point of arriving at Fiction, some of those bands like Snow Patrol and Elbow were a bit like us really, they’d had a few records under their belt. It feels like it’s the kind of label where it’s not about what’s trendy right now, it’s about believing that a good artist can make good records for a long period of time and I think in some ways because money’s tight that’s rarer and rarer these days, so we were really fortunate to find a home like that.”

Athlete has a European tour on the near horizon and will be travelling to all the exciting places like Vienna, Cologne, and… Southampton. Joel: “Copenhagen as well. There’s something really nice about touring Europe at that time of the year, you can still sit outside a bar or a café and have a beer and maybe have some good weather. Nice cities to wander around and sample good alcohol!”

Tim “It always feels like we go to Germany during Christmas time which is always quite magical – they do it a lot better than we do – and this year it’s October, so it’s going to be Oktoberfest – slap your thighs, do all of the German Morris dancing and all that. And then the beer.”

Athlete – make up your own question, we order. Joel puzzles for about two seconds before settling on what is your favourite beer? “It’s getting a bit boring now, but for about a year Sierra Nevada’s been top of the list,” says Tim. “Mine would be a pale ale as well but it would be Farmer’s,” says Joel.

The band have recently put their support behind Save The Children’s Make Your Mark campaign. Joel explains. “There’s just millions and millions of kids who don’t get clean water, something we take for granted, so it’s raising awareness about that and about other things that children around the world have to deal with and the poverty that they live in, and getting people to go ‘I want to voice my concerns about that’. There’s petitions to the government to get them to stick to stuff that they’d promised to do, by putting your thumbprint as part of the petition.”

The band’s latest press release gives a few reasons why such a charity would mean a lot to them. Both Joel and Tim’s partners miscarried around the time of the Wires release (2005) and such major shocks mean they’ve had a rollercoaster few years.

Black Swan moments are the significant lows – and highs - which can quite literally alter your life. Black Swan is also the title of the band’s fourth album. Tim visibly brightens when we ask him about it. “It came out a couple of days ago. It’s really, really exciting because you know, it might not have happened. It’s the fourth record and we made it without a record deal, and you can’t take these things for granted. I’m as excited as I was about putting our first record out.”

“And I read a good article about [a music journalist] where he was saying that melody isn’t really important to the rock critic, which I found quite disappointing because I really like melody in my music! So yeah it’s a record full of melody and it’s got the most amazing artwork ever. I don’t think there’s any way if you went into a record shop right now you would find a cover that looked as good as ours. There’s a special version with a fold out poster, and it’ll be worth buying the vinyl because then the poster is six times bigger.”

We heard it was Ken Bruce’s album of the week on Radio 2 recently. “What a lovely man,” twinkles Joel.

Are there any particular tracks which are standout ones for yourselves? “Black Swan Song. It’s a song about my granddad and his various battles throughout life and triumphs, and I think that is a special song,” says Joel.“ ‘The Getaway’ which is going to be a single, that’s going down really well live which is great. I think one of my favourite little moments is an acoustic song called Love Come Rescue, because it’s just me on my own.” He laughs loudly. Don’t take it personally Tim, but… “Only joking!”

Inspired by all the one-liners floating around the media after the Edinburgh Festival, we ask Joel and Tim to tell us a joke. Joel is not a fan of this question, and Tim picks the first ever joke he learnt: “There are two bowls of sick and they’re leaving a town, off to somewhere else. One of the bowls of sick is crying and the other one says, ‘Why are you crying?’ And he goes ‘I’m really upset.’ ‘Why is that?’ ‘Because we’ve left that town. That’s where I was brought up.’” Groans. “That was terrible!” “But if I was five, you would think it’s quite funny,” says Tim defensively.

“My daughter‘s six now, but when she was about five she went through a stage of Knock Knock jokes but she was just getting the grasp of it. She learnt one which was: Knock Knock - Who’s there? - Big Ish - Big Is-who? and then you go ‘No it’s all right mate, I’ve already got one’.” Tim: “Did she know why it was funny?” “I don’t know,” says Joel. “Because the one after that was: Knock Knock - Who’s there? - Knock Knock – Who’s there?” It’s a classic. It’s the joke that never ends.

Mintsouth tells its only clean joke: Why does Snoop Dogg carry an umbrella? Fo’ drizzle. There is a tumbleweed moment, and we hurriedly move on.

The final question is that perennial puzzler - gorilla versus bear. Who would win in a fight? “Bear every time! Because Steve is our drummer and we refer to him as the bear because he’s a big, cuddly bear,” says Joel instantly.

“What if it was gorilla vs grizzly bear? Then you might go gorilla,” muses Tim. Joel: “Probably. But it depends on my mood. But I’m going for bear because of our bear. Sweet.”

http://www.athlete.mu

Live Reviews - Openroom and pals, Flamboyant Bella and chums

2009-10-16T20:57:00.000+01:00

A couple of live reviews here from Southampton Joiners, one of my favourite little venues.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in August 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

OPENROOM, A STRANGER IN MOSCOW, FOREVER WEDNESDAY + SELECT YOUR DISGUISE @ SOUTHAMPTON JOINERS 31/07/2009

It’s not often a review starts with a thank you. Big up to the staff at the Joiners who discovered my mobile on the floor after the Openroom gig and who kindly kept it until I could pick it up. I’m very grateful. All my review notes were on there. It would have been no big loss to the world of music journalism had they been lost, but sans phone I wouldn’t have been able to sneakily check Facebook while at work. That would have been terrible. So thank you, Joiners.

The Friday night partygoers were out in force, glowsticks in hand, ready for a night of running around in circles and pushing each other in front of the stage. First on were Select Your Disguise. I’m convinced they only actually played a couple of songs as their tunes lasted about four years apiece. Like all good epics, they were passionate and full of variety, switching between pop punk and some metal. The singer was clad in a yellow t shirt advising KETAMINE – JUST SAY NEIGH. SYD were full of vitality and energy and the crowd demonstrated their approval with a Can-Can.

Next up came Farnham's Forever Wednesday, a band who appeared to have forgotten to lend the drummer their hair straighteners before going onstage. No matter; he was kept at the back. The Wed had a fuller sound that was played relentlessly, all full of galloping charges and dramatic echoes. There’s a bit of light entertainment with a cover of the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air theme and everyone is invited onstage at the end.

The tones became darker again as A Stranger In Moscow appeared. Sound-wise, they were far bleaker than the previous two acts. There is a sense of urgency about them, in the dark instrumental breaks and whistling wind noises. The music plays on and on and on, almost bringing you into a trance. It's not all doom and gloom however, as A Stranger In Moscow wished happy birthday to a lucky gel in the front row; just like the bands before did, and just like the headliners would. The crowd continues to jump and mintsouth's snapper almost loses his lens to a stray elbow. It's that sort of night.

After the darkness and the brash punk pop, it was something of a light surprise to hear the warm indie dance of Openroom. The violence in the mosh pit is briefly forgotten as everyone bounces happily, encouraged by the frantic beats and keys. There are a few technical problems but all keep on singing. Big tunes and delicious hooks make Openroom a popular choice for headliner. They’re certainly one of the best acts in Southampton at present. At the end, one by one, the crowd start clambering onto the stage while a lone security guard waves ineffectually for them to get off. Stage invasions to Openroom – an ideal way to start your weekend.

Select Your Disguise
Forever Wednesday -
A Stranger In Moscow -
Openroom

-----

FLAMBOYANT BELLA, FRESH LEGS, 10P SHORT, + ECHO CHAMBER @ SOUTHAMPTON JOINERS 23/08/2009

There was a very young crowd at the Joiners for Flamboyant Bella. VERY young. When I walked in, the average age shot up to around 20, and I’m sadly way older than that. I was a bit worried I’d be kicked out for not having student ID, or a mother patiently waiting in the car to give me a lift home.

First onstage were Southampton pop makers Echo Chamber, recognisable to anyone who caught the Rumble Strips set at the Joiners earlier this year. I like Echo Chamber. They’re just so damn pleasant. Their bouncy melodies are just right for the close of the season; warm and fun but with enough bite to avoid that hazy sappiness you often get with ‘summer’ songs.

The vocals were a bit muffled, the white shirted drummer looked like he had just come from a job interview at a bank and the harmonica goes missing at one point, but they are thoroughly enjoyable and the hook to ‘The Hounded’ really scampers round your head and it impossible to shake.

The next support were Short of 10p. Short of ten pence, they were also short of style, songs and a decent name. The band members look like they’d been plucked at random from shoppers at the Tesco Express and they keep gurning and bobbing their heads which makes me want to throw something. I won’t deny they can play their instruments well and tunefully and have a much fuller, stronger sound than Echo Chamber, but their boy band harmonies are a bit naff, they start plugging their merchandise after the second song (£5 for a CD is a tad optimistic – people were paying less than that for ‘In Rainbows’ for christs sake) and getting the audience to join in on a singalong takes some balls when no-one knows who you are.

The final song would not have been out of place on an American teen movie soundtrack. You know, on the bit where there’s some sort of party at a mansion and the girl is driving there in the rain to fall into the arms of some hunk. Or that’s the image it evoked. There’s also a weedy ballad and another reminder to buy some merch. I’m sorry boys, I just wasn’t feeling it.

Also with a bit of a crap name are Fresh Legs, but the band let the music speak for themselves instead. They’re quite similar to Johnny Foreigner or Hot Club de Paris in the jerky and yelping department but with a more rewarding sound overall, and the songs are as fresh to the ears as the name promises. Front-woman Ella has a voice which alternates between cute and belting and the perfect detached stare you need to own the stage. Tonight she’s rocking the Fifties glamour swimwear look, while the lads are in checked shirts, arms aloft and shouting at various intervals.

They admit to being nervous in the presence of Flamboyant Bella (whose members are dancing in the crowd) but it doesn’t come across and the Legs sound very self-assured and powerful. ‘Chess’, ‘Castle’ and ‘House’ get outings, and it’s a captivating set.

Flamboyant Bella are very proud of themselves, and they have every right to be. “This is our last unsigned gig,”announces belle Flo Kirton to applause. The band are visibly thrilled to be signing their record deal on Tuesday – “Bloody brilliant!” exclaims Flo throughout the night, whenever she’s referring to the step up in their career, the crowd, the Joiners, the support acts, and pretty much everything else.

“Innocent flirtation never hurt nobody,” they sing, and this sums up the band well. Pretty, cheerful and enthusiastic, Flambo, -as everyone calls them - are near impossible to dislike. Flo is in a shimmering black top which catches the light, while other vocalist and synth magician James McBreen has gone for the polka dot Hot Chip look.

The set gets rowdier and rowdier as it goes on, including ‘Touch’, next single ‘Get A Reaction’, and closing with ‘Absolutely Wankered.’ Not many people in the crowd are that inebriated due to not being the right age to buy their own drinks, but the sentiment is appreciated. Flambo put on a good show and I’d like to see more of them. I’m sure I will.

http://www.flamboyantbella.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thosefreshlegs
http://www.myspace.com/echochambertheband

EP Review - Jazica 'Illusions'

2009-10-16T20:42:00.000+01:00

The first few lines were written by Tom Cope, my long-term male companion (six months is a long time, right?) and partner-in-crime in what we jokingly refer to as 'The South Coast's Premier Review Team' (I do words, he does pictures). He was meant to be writing the whole review but put so much effort into the opener he wore himself out and I had to finish the rest.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in June 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

EP REVIEW - JAZICA 'ILLUSIONS'

The year: 1982. Across a smoky, sweaty bar, an electric guitar and a synthesizer lock eyes...

Fast forward to the present day. The product of that unholy union is Jazica, a confusingly named pop quartet based in Southampton. Jazica display good timing. Not only has their profile been raised with their entry into the Road To V competition, but my copy of the 'Illusions' demo mini-album arrived on my doormat on my birthday. Thanks guys.

There are two sides to the Jazica coin – the soft acoustic thoughts of the singer/songwriter, and the frenetic electro pop charging headlong synth-first into things.

The title track is a surprisingly downbeat electro with Frankie sounding quite angry in places. 'Come, come, come, stay over'. It’s very frothy in the chorus, with wailing synth sirens and unexpectedly raw rock guitar. The band might be labeled as ‘pop’, but that doesn’t mean they’re wet, and this guitar line stamps its feet and demands attention.

I’m a big fan of the delightful rainbow electronics present on 'Arp Attack' with softly sauntering vocals. However I wasn't too big on the Rhys-mix version for a couple of reasons, a) I don't really like remixes. Sorry, and b) there wasn't any major difference to the original. Also 'Keep Up' doesn’t quite hit the same mark. It’s a bit all over the place, with rushed sounds and densely huddled keyboards which sound slightly out of step. 'Flash Flash' has a very Eighties power ballad start and dark overtones countering the colourful hyperactivity.

The gentler sounds include the looped vocals over and over in ‘Boy’, with its soft percussion and childishly naive keyboard hoops. 'Never Never Never' is a sort of personal note, almost like the band aren’t expecting anyone to be listening in to their inner musical thoughts. 'Dreamer' is relaxed summer pop, fluffy clouds held down by the gravitational pull of the deep bass; the sort of tune you listen to while slumped in the garden not doing very much, watching the fluffy clouds overhead.

‘Illusions’ is primarily charming and innocent electro pop, with some raucous anger and a bittersweet slice of melancholy pie. The ‘Illusions’ mini album isn’t an official release, but it can be purchased at gigs. With their entry in The Road To V competition the band is pretty much jumping up and down waving while trying to bring attention to the South Coast music scene, and may they get everyone’s attention doing so.

http://www.myspace.com/jazicamusic

Review - The Rebs, Jazica, Andy Hunt, Samuel Tingman and Rachel Guyer

2009-10-14T22:55:00.000+01:00

I'm quite used to going to gigs by myself, but this was one of those times where everyone seemed to know everyone else, and I felt a teensy bit out of place.

First published on mINtSOUTH.com in June 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

THE REBS, JAZICA, ANDY HUNT, SAMUEL TINGMAN & RACHEL GUYER @ TALKING HEADS, SOUTHAMPTON 09/06/2009

I didn’t break my chair. Honest, I didn’t. At the Talking Heads, the one seat I chose to rest myself on was particularly creaky and if I shifted, it juddered like it was made of Twiglets which had been stapled together.

The chair occasionally distracted me from the music. A Max’s Records night, it was also a bit of a South Coast Road To V meeting, with one previous winner and one current finalist onboard tonight.

The first act onstage were Samuel Tingman and Rachel Guyer. I didn’t catch all of their set owing to a late-running dinner date with Colonel Sanders, which was finger-lickin’ good. When I arrived the guy/guitar and girl/piano team were struggling along painfully. The vocals are earnest but there are too many stop-starts and a slight inability to play in time with each other. Bands are supposed to gel not compete with each onstage, which is what it sounded like.

Next up is Andy Hunt, clothed like he has just breezed in from a US Civil War battlefield stopping off to borrow some hair from the mid-Eighties. Alternative rock is certainly the description. It’s strangely compelling. He’s a true one man troubadour, singing songs about politics, war, armageddon, Creation and the Book of Revelations – yes, there is a very strong religious theme present - in a classic rock/metal style, a bass guitar lying to one side adding some extra clout and notes of doom. Many of the young ‘uns in the crowd aren’t entirely sure how to react to this dramatic force and back away nervously. Lyrically and musically heavy in nature, it may not be to everyone’s taste, but kudos to Andy who is a talented musician and clearly believes strongly and passionately about the messages in his songs.

Hoping to open this year’s V Festival are Jazica, one of the six finalists in the competition. Their set was hit by a few technical difficulties which rendered the vocals completely silent at some points, but the band shrug this off and play on. Singer Frankie tosses handfuls of glittery confetti into the air adding to the party atmosphere of their fun juicy electro pop. Guitarist Chris is blundering about in front of the stage where there would have been a mosh pit had everyone not been hiding at the back of the room, and Frankie’s looping vocals are mesmerising and innocently attractive. The band are sunny with a mix of gentle floaty songs and full-on blastings of sound. They also nervously showcase some newer material, and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable set.

And back to the wonky chair. I was sitting down to deliberately annoy headliners The Rebs. I’m not always out to wind people up, but my feet hurt from standing up all night and the band kept exhorting people to stay on their feet, so I decided to rest mine. They seemed quite cocky so I figured they’d be secretly pleased with this minor act of rebellion. With a traditionally British rock and roll sound dusted in Sixties organ notes, the band are very confident onstage, personalities clustering together and almost bundling each other off. The bassist has some impressive twitchy dance skills. The Rebs opened V Festival last year after winning plenty of votes from the public. Sadly it doesn’t look like they have any equally big gigs so far this year but give them time; give them time.

The Rebs - http://www.myspace.com/therebsmusic
Jazica - http://www.myspace.com/jazicamusic
Andy Hunt - http://www.overwatermusic.com

Interview - Jazica

2009-10-14T22:43:00.000+01:00

Not my finest interview really. Think my mind was elsewhere. I do remember turning up very early and wandering up and down Portswood High Street aimlessly, then eating junk food. The band were very sweet and sent me a CD later on. I particularly like their fizzy electro pop bits, like Illusions and Arp Attack.

First appeared on mINtSOUTH.com in June 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

JAZICA @ TALKING HEADS, SOUTHAMPTON

mINtSOUTH recently caught up with Jazica – aka Frankie (vocals, synth, guitar), Chris (guitar, synth), Nick (bass) and Kev (drums) –in the beer garden of the Talking Heads.

Can you tell me a fact about the person to your left?
Jazica look fleetingly panicked. “No, not that one!” says Chris. “Not that, it’s quite rude!”
Kev: “Why is this becoming difficult?”
Frankie: “You’re thinking too much!”
Nick: “What was the question?!”

Let’s forget that and start with something less likely to end in spilled secrets and tears. How did Jazica start?
Frankie: “I sat next to Chris in Soul Cellar. We just got talking and I was like ‘oh, I want to start a band, I need a lead guitarist’ and he was like ‘Oh, well I need a vocalist.’ And then I rang him up the next day and we made some music.”

The band have been going since late 2006, Chris explains. “Me and Frankie did a load of acoustic things and then Kev came in - he was on my course at uni - and then we got Rob on the bass. Now Nick’s on the bass. Nick filled in for us last summer when Rob was away.”
Kev: “He’s like our summer bassist.”
Chris: “But now he’s back for good, as Gary Barlow would say.”

Are you still studying at the moment or are you working full time?
Kev: “We’re all finished now and sort of deciding what to do jobswise.”
Chris “I’m currently unemployed and very poor. So this is my fulltime job.” mINtSOUTH expresses sorrow at this. “It’s good, I enjoy it. I’m getting fed tonight!”
Frankie: “I do temping and casual work. I don’t know, we’ll soon see. Ask me next week!”

What influences does Jazica have? “Many and varied,” says Kev.
Frankie: “The most influential thing for me is just my surroundings. I think the thing that influences my music the most is people.”
Chris: “We’ve all got kind of different tastes in music. Frankie likes drum and bass and a bit of acoustic, I like a bit of prog rock, and Kev likes a bit of prog rock, and Nick likes…”
Nick: “I like indie and heavy prog rock actually.”
Chris: “We’re a prog rock band…”
Frankie: “…with an electro twist.”

Jazica has made it to the final of the Road To V competition. Two of the six bands left will be given the opportunity to open the V Festival this year if they pick up enough support. How did Jazica get involved?
Frankie: “Just fill in one of those forms on the Internet. A bit like a job application.”
Chris: “I set up a little profile on the website and then forgot about it for a few months, and then I woke up one morning with a guy saying ‘You’re in the semi finals of the Road To V’ and I was like…”
Nick: “He wasn’t in his house, he was ringing him!”
Chris: “He didn’t wake me up, on the side of the bed tapping! So that was how we found out. And we went down to Brighton and did a gig at Coalition as part of the Great Escape, and that was the semi final.”

How did that go?
Kev: “A surreal day...”
Frankie: “It was fun. Really hectic when you’ve got loads of production crew running round. Needed a lot of energy but I think we just about made it.”
Chris: “We had to kind of sell ourselves as well, which was a bit rubbish. We only got a 15 minute set.”
Frankie: “But it went well. It did go so quickly, like as soon as we got onstage we were off again. A lot of adrenaline. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much adrenaline in my body.”
Nick: “The people running it made you really nervous as well because they kept coming up to you going ‘Are you all right? Are you all right?” [panicky voice] “I’m only playing a 15 minute set, leave me alone!”
Kev :“The shoving a camera in our face literally before we walked onstage wasn’t particularly nice either.”
Frankie disagrees with this. “I quite liked it, it kind of hyped me up.”
Chris: “They did loads of filming and then the programmes they’re putting out are five minutes long. And the last thing we were on it was like – there we are!”
Nick: “With someone else’s music over the top. Not that we’re complaining mind, we’re very fortunate to be involved in the competition!”

Do you know much about the other bands involved in it?
Frankie: “Yeah I’ve been getting quite into it, seeing what the competition’s like. It’s all so different, each band’s got its own little thing. If a lot of people watch it and a lot of people judge the bands, it’ll be a fair judge because everything’s so different it’ll be the path where everything’s going. Hopefully that’s our way, which is kind of electro progressive rock apparently!”
Chris: “There’s a couple of good bands in the competition. One of the best ones, Dimbleby and Capper, didn’t get through for some reason. But there was this one band that weren’t all too great but did get through. I won’t say any names. And then there’s another band who was good and did get through.”
Nick: “And us!”
Kev: “There’s no actual final gig, everything’s all on the Internet."
Chris: “We’re doing a nice photoshoot for NME so that should be good.”
Kev: “You can’t see how many votes you’re getting but you can see how many fans are registered to you, so you can kind of get an idea how you’re doing.”

Have you ever been to V before just to watch?
Frankie has: “I went ages and ages ago, it had an amazing line up – Placebo, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Foo Fighters.”
Chris: “I’ve been most years for the last six or seven years. It’s always good.”

A random man walking past in need of a light asks if anyone in the band smokes. The answer is a resounding no. “What sort of rock and roll band are you?” the man jokes. “That’s Grant from Toupe,” explains Nick. Kev nods: “Very funny man.”

What other plans have Jazica got for this year? “We just started a little stint recording, so probably try and get some songs written and recorded, keep things moving, keep gigging,” says Frankie. “To get a single out would be brilliant.”
Chris: “We’re hoping to get some kind of management deal out of Road To V. Any little things, just to get our foot in the door.”
Nick: “I think we’d all quite like to do a tour but they’re so hard to organise.”
Kev: “It would be nice to have an agent that could go out and do it.”
Frankie: “When we all get jobs and money then things will get easier.”

Back to the band fact question, and this time Jazica are ready.
Frankie: “Kev has always got a beard.”
Kev sounds puzzled. “Apart from the times when I don’t. I didn’t have one at all for Brighton.”
Frankie: “For one day! Chris wears tiny, tiny t shirts.”
Chris: “This is from the H&M kids section.” It reads ‘Siberian tigers can eat as much as 45 kilograms of meat in one night, enough to make 400 hamburgers.’
“Education. And t shirts,” nods Chris. Edutainment, is that the plan? You’re having fun but teaching a serious message as well.
“This is what Jazica is all about, I can’t believe you have worked it out!” laughs Frankie.

http://www.myspace.com/jazicamusic

Dan Black @ The Great Escape, Brighton 2009

2009-10-14T22:29:00.000+01:00

Oh Lord, I was so not up for this. Got up in the morning, carried out two interviews, watched countless bands, and now I was going to be interviewing poor Dan Black after midnight. Brighton was bitterly cold, there was a strong wind... I felt marginally better after a cosy nap but managing to get up on time again was a close run thing. Dan Black was probably equally confused by the working late thing, but then again he was due onstage at 2am so would be getting even less sleep than me. Pleasant chap though.

First appeared on mINtSOUTH in May 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

DAN BLACK @ THE GREAT ESCAPE, BRIGHTON 2009

Dan Black is a tired man. “I’ve kind of gone through a barrier about an hour ago. If we’d met up an hour ago, I was a husk of a man,” he admits.

I was meant to be interviewing the electro-popper in the Coalition a few hours before his set as part of the Lovebox late nighter. We hadn’t counted on the fact there was insanely loud dance music and no backstage area in which to hide. Instead the tour manager grants me permission for a quick outing so we brave the bitter wind and speckly rain, cross four lanes of traffic and dash into the lobby of the Thistle Hotel. This is where the delegates tend to hangout in daylight hours, and the security man who inspects Black’s artist wristband smiles at him and says “Welcome home.”

Previously the front-man in The Servant, Black has recently been gaining attention on his own as a full fledged, quirkily dancing pop star.

Can you describe yourself in five words for people who haven’t heard your music before?
“’Cause you’re a journalist, and I’m a musician, that’s like me saying to you, ask me a question in five musical notes. But I’m going to play the game anyway. My music is… really good? I insist you put the dotdotdots in it. Convey the hesitation and the searchingness. Or, ‘my music is, er, good.’ That’s five words. I’m proud of that.”

He hasn’t been able to take see much of the Great Escape Festival as he only arrived in Brighton at 11pm. It’s now heading for half past midnight.

“I’ve seen 80Kidz, from behind the stage. I weirdly knew them, had MySpace chats with them. They got in contact with me and it’s just total coincidence that we’re on the same stage. It’s their first ever UK show so they seemed at first a bit nervous, but by the time I had to come out they were still playing and they were jumping about and did really good.”

Are you sticking around tomorrow to catch any more bands?“No. We’re on at 2am and then I’m supposed to go straight back to London and get on the Eurostar. Not sure where my sleep’s supposed to happen in that scheme. I’m trying not to think about it but I’ve got a feeling that about 7am I’m going to be in a dark, unpleasant place in my head!”

What are Black’s plans for the rest of the year?
“Try and stay alive. Try not to work myself into a cinder.” How are you getting on with that so far? “It’s touch and go, if I’m honest.”

You’ve been in Europe recently haven’t you?
“I was in Milan recently, and I live in Paris, I live in Europe. Having said that, Great Britain is technically in Europe. We’re still in Europe now.”

In between all the travelling, Black is looking forward to the release of his debut album Un. “It’s out on July 6th. So not long to go yet. Six of your Earth weeks.” Have you got any messages for people to make them buy your album? He laughs. “If you don’t, I know that horrible secret that you don’t want anyone to know I know. And if you don’t want anyone else to know, buy my album. And that’s true for everyone who reads this interview.”

Un is quite obviously a French word, and all the press releases talk about Dan Black from Paris. “I’m 100% Anglais. I grew up in a little village in Bucks, then I lived in London for quite a long time, and then I moved to Paris.”

Are you looking forward to the album coming out? “God, yeah. It’s been very fast but very, very intense. I made it all on my own, which may be a stupid idea healthwise, but I’ve made albums before and other things and I decided I wanted to fail on my own terms or succeed on my own terms. I just can’t wait to see what people think really, to know it’s out there.”

There are a lot of newer bands around the Great Escape trying to make it big and get everyone to their shows. We ask Black if he has any tips. “I guess my advice would be if nobody comes, but you really think you’ve got something good, and if it’s your passion in life, then persist. I’m living proof that persistence can maybe slightly pay off.”

How long have you been persisting for? “12 years? Maybe 14 years? Life is long, stick it out for the long haul, and try to find out what gives you the most pleasure. If you like making music and you enjoy the process of all of it and the slog of it is actually fun, then do it. But if it’s a route to something else, the odds are pretty small that it’ll get to that place, and if you got to that place you probably wouldn’t like it anyway. Look yourself in the mirror and go ‘I love making music, I like sitting in Transit vans going up and down the M1’ - if that’s a pleasure in itself then you’re in the right job.”

To finish, we have a quick chat about Brighton. “I like Brighton a lot. I have a lot of memories here. I came here when I was young, when I had friends here who were studying. One of my favourite books is Brighton Rock by Graham Greene and I like the sense of Everyday is like Sunday - ‘trudging slowly over wet sand’. Coming to English seaside towns when it’s cold and wet, there’s something really beguiling and moving. No-one goes on holiday to UK coastal towns any more so there’s something kind of sad and beautiful about it."

“Brighton’s one of the bigger ones but something innocent has gone now. I mean there’s a pier, who genuinely now goes ‘Wow, a pier!’ whereas I remember when I was a kid I did genuinely go ‘Wow, a pier!’ But now we want lasers and flipping Pepsi pouring out and Buzz Lightyear on everything. I like the fact that there’s something a bit dilapidated and quaint. I’d like to live by the coast one day. “

Ah, one day perhaps. But before that we cross over four lanes of traffic and return Black to the capable hands of his tour manager. It’s almost 1am and there’s a gig to prepare for.

Intervew - Thomas Tantrum @ The Great Escape

2009-10-05T21:46:00.000+01:00

I do enjoy a bit of Thomas Tantrum... very colourful sounding music. The first time I saw them play they looked oddly familiar but I couldn't place them... got very confused until I realised I'd been in A Level Communication Studies (yes, it's a real qualification) with the bassist. I got a C. He joined a fantastic band. I think we all know who won that one.

First published on mintsouth.com in May 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth.com

THOMAS TANTRUM @ BRIGHTON'S GREAT ESCAPE 2009

The skies are grey above Brighton. We’ve rounded up a few of Southampton art-punk-poppers Thomas Tantrum and herded them outside. David Miatt (guitar), Jim Shivers (bass) and new recruit Dave Wade Brown (drums) are stood round the back of the Thistle Hotel underneath the canopy. The Great Escape is in full swing and there are various delegates and musicians sat on the hotel steps smoking or taking in the fresh (damp) air.

Dave M: “The worst thing about the rain is you wear stupid footwear and your socks just get soaked, it’s really uncomfortable.”
Jim: “Someone’s got to be doing promotional umbrellas or something…”

Dave, how are you fitting into the band?
Dave W: “Yeah, really well. At first it was kind of like ‘What do I do?’ a little bit. But I think now we’ve been playing for about a month and a half together and a lot of writing and rehearsing and stuff and it’s really coming together.”

Have you played The Great Escape before?
Jim: “Yes. Played last year in the Waterfront, but it’s gone now. I think they have renamed it.”
They should get rid of Concorde 2, that’s ten miles away.
Jim: “Or they should just move it, just drag it in.”
Dave M: “We were considering doing a guerrilla gig but our singer’s not getting here ‘til tomorrow, so we could maybe have a jam on the street under a different name. It’s probably a bit too late now. Could do a bit of busking because we’re quite broke.”

Have you been to see many bands already so far?
Jim: “Last night, who did we collectively see... Pulled Apart By Horses, and Dave went to see Evan Dando and was not disappointed.”
Dave M: ”Well I was a bit disappointed, he didn’t say anything and he was just going through the motions. It’s because he’s teetotal and he’s married and he doesn’t give a shit. He could have at least made some funny quips. He just looks really bored.”
Jim: “So I’ve classed him now as the new Ryan Adams.”
Dave W: “Sorry Evan. You’re cool really.”

Who are you off to see tonight?
Jim: “We’ve got a bit of a dilemma at 10’o’clock between Screaming Tea Party, Holy Fuck and Times New Viking.”
Isn’t Holy Fuck a DJ set?
Jim: “They’re playing as well, after Metronomy. I’ve seen Metronomy before and they’re pretty good.”

Are there any local-ish bands you’re looking to catch?
Dave M: “The only band I’ve noticed who are from Southampton is called Jazica but I’ve never had the chance to really check them out before. I didn’t realise that Fresh Legs were playing actually. Oh shit they played already.”
Dave W: “They’re getting better, every time I’ve seen them they’re just getting better.”

What festivals are you playing this summer?
Dave M: “We’re doing Summerfield, Blissfields, Sellindge.”
Jim: “A new festival in Belfast. The name is unknown, should be quite fun.”

Are you doing Bestival again?
Jim: “Not yet, hopefully we’ll get a spot.”
Dave M: “As soon as we release something, we’ll probably get more offers coming in.”

What else have Thomas Tantrum got planned over the next couple of months?
Dave M: “Hopefully releasing a single soon but before we come back and tour again we want to build up even more songs, maybe even an album’s worth. We’ve already started recording, we’ve got a new song called Sleep which is a candidate for the new single, but it’s early days yet.”

Talk about sleep, are you getting much this weekend? Jim: “Oh no, no.” How are you feeling today? “OK now actually.”
Dave M: “I went to the shop and I got these guarana seeds. They put the active ingredient in Red Bull and stuff, but these are actually from the rain-forest. Do you fancy one? You have to crack it open, put it in your mouth and suck it for about ten minutes, until it goes soft, then chew it for a bit. No no, you have to crack it out of its shell! I did say that!” [mintsouth are incapable of following simple instructions].

Are these a legal high?
Dave M: “We don’t get high. We’re anti-drugs, apart from a good scrumpy.”
Jim: “Life is the high we need. So yeah we drink a lot of scrumpy. And health seeds.”

Have you got much planned for your stage show? (Thomas Tantrum closed the weekend at Hector’s House on Saturday night)
Jim: “We’re thinking about props. It’s a dangerous game I know.”
Dave M: “We’ve got a new song called All The Bees. I was thinking of having tennis ball-sized bees hanging from bits of cotton, but I don’t know where we’d get these from.”

For a second I thought you were going to say you’d let bees loose on the crowd.
Dave W: “Take the sting out and let them fly around.”
Dave M: “In Japan they get a wasp drunk and then they tie a bit of cotton around it, and then they actually take it around like a pet. My friend told me that.”
How many people do they know who have got one?
Dave M: “None.”

It’s almost time to go back inside…
Jim: “Give me a provocative question.”

MP expenses – what’s your opinion?
Jim: “Bloody awful! Do you know what? If I was an MP and it was offered to me, I’d take a second home. It’s the system that needs correcting. MPs are just, you know, if you’re going to be offered it, you’re going to take it.”

http://www.myspace.com/thomastantrum

Interview - The Maccabees at The Great Escape

2009-10-05T21:29:00.000+01:00

I was getting really angsty before this one, due to the fact the photographer was running 20 minutes late and there wasn't much time available...

Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
First published on mintsouth.com in May 2009
(c) mintsouth

ORLANDO WEEKS (THE MACCABEES) @ THE GREAT ESCAPE

Five minutes and counting. Team mINtSOUTH are sat in a Brighton café facing The Maccabees’ lead singer Orlando Weeks. He’s recovering after a late night and is wearing a patterned cap and a sleepy yet friendly smile. The interview cards are at the ready. Time to see if we can do this before we’re interrupted by the soundcheck. Go!

Quirky indie poppers The Maccabees played last night in the Corn Exchange, and in a few hours time are set to play in the Pavilion Theatre, a matinee show for competition winners. Recent single ‘Love You Better’ has been all over the airwaves and the band has been touring the UK over the past few weeks, so Orlando is probably welcoming the chance for a quick sit down.

How’s the Great Escape Festival going so far?
“I saw The Week That Was yesterday and that was really good, and I really enjoyed The Agitator as well. I’ve got to head home after we’ve played this afternoon. We played [The Great Escape] maybe two years ago and I came last year. It always seems to do that thing where it doesn’t rain properly, it just makes everything damp and so the whole time you feel slightly sticky. It’s a sticky festival.”

Do you get much time to watch bands at festivals?
“Yeah, that’s kind of the massive privilege of it all is that you go and see bands free and you see bands that you haven’t seen for ages because everyone’s touring or everyone’s been writing records and you all meet up at festivals.”

Have you got any plans for the rest of the year?
“Just going to be playing loads and loads and loads. At the end of this tour we’ve got like seven days or something, and then go to Europe for a bit, go to America, come back and do the festivals, and do another tour in autumn around England again and Europe. There is rest, it’s just like at unusual times.

“I’m quite excited to see Fleet Foxes at Glastonbury and we’re playing Haldern Pop Festival in Germany with Grizzly Bear. Their new record comes out Monday so I’ll have enough time to get my head round that and then I’ll be able to see them for real. I can’t wait.”

If you could have a great escape, where would you escape to? “Right now?” He has a think. “I’d go to Cornwall.”

As we’re currently not in Cornwall, we mention Brighton. “I’m from London, I’m from Clapham but I lived here for four years whilst I was doing a degree. Illustration.”

Do you know many bands in the area? “Yeah I think that part of the charm of Brighton is that because it’s so close knit, you kind of end up knowing everyone, so it’s nice.”

And from the city itself on to funfair rides: "I used to really like the one that’s on the end of the pier, where you’re on the end of an arm that goes like that (does swinging motion) and I can’t go on it anymore because I read that someone was on one once and a seagull went in their head and killed them. If you want to get made up so it looks like you’ve been shot or have an arrow through your head, my father would say that it wasn’t a good idea because it would be tempting fate. So in general anything that risks life and limb unnecessarily, I think I’ve inherited that from him, I don’t see the point. Seagulls are evil birds,” he adds, quite rightly.

The Maccabees’ second album ‘Wall Of Arms’ came out earlier this month on Polydor. Has Orlando got any messages for people who haven’t bought it yet but who really should? “I wouldn’t say buy it. Just borrow someone’s, see what you think.”

How’s it going down, are you getting quite good feedback?“Yeah, so far so good. The people that have borrowed it have liked it,” he says with a smile.

Finally we see if Orlando has any advice for the new bands all trying to make it big at this year’s festival.“I’m not really one for giving advice really, I don’t really feel like I’ve earned that privilege,” he says modestly. “All we did was just play as much as possible and rehearse as much as we could and be really self-critical. I don’t think that’s advice, I just think that’s how we went about it.”

Time to let Orlando whizz off and get soundcheck out the way. There’s just enough time to grab a quick photograph where Team mINtSOUTH pretend to be his bandmates. “You have to look moodily into the distance,” Orlando advises. Instead we grin like berks. The Maccabees’ singer may not like giving advice, but it’s for everyone’s benefit.

http://www.themaccabees.co.uk

The Great Escape 2009

2009-06-24T01:00:00.000+01:00

My third year of coming to this festival. The first year, I was a normal punter. Second year, I was an unemployed journo with a delegate pass. This year I was with the press. So presumably next year, I'll either be playing it or selling tickets. PS - much love for Cocoon, Dananananaykroyd and Fight Like Apes.

Previously published on mintsouth.com in May 09
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

GREAT ESCAPE FESTIVAL DIARY 2009

THURS 14th MAY

There’s a brisk wind blowing across Brighton seafront, whipping my hair and bashing my bags on my legs as we march towards the Thistle Hotel, home of the delegate check in. After standing in line to have some quite ridiculous photographs of our mintsouth mugs copied onto press passes, we’re away… straight into the bar of the neighbouring Queen’s Hotel. Good work, team.

The Great Escape text service is already in full swing, with reminders popping up about forthcoming street gigs as we find our way to Arc on the front. Up a flight of stairs, round a corner and into a dark, stone-walled room, and we’re not the only people to be starting the festival here. It’s Thursday lunchtime and William Fitzsimmons is onstage. I’m unable to see anything due to the mass of people crowding into the gloom, but there is something comforting about the oak-matured vocals warming the room. When Fitzsimmons emerges, his beard enters the room a good minute before the rest of him. “Set of the festival!” proclaims excited mintsouth editor Rob. Calm down love, we’ve only been here for half an hour…
http://www.myspace.com/williamfitzsimmons

After a bit of time poring gig schedules, changing plans and helping ourselves to several cans of Red Stripe, it’s time to split and head for our evenings of madness. First for me is a wait in the rain outside the gated Audio, a venue which appears to be an underground prison from the outside, but with marginally better décor once you’re down there. I step up the barrier and await Act One, Video Nasties. They appear onstage in the same shirts they wore at their Southampton gig the night before (don’t think I didn’t notice). Opening with an enjoyable waltz, the Nasties are noisy and melodious but not particularly nasty, unless you’re not a fan of the bassist’s extraordinary fringeness. The keyboardist dances like he’s starting an outboard motor. It’s all rather good.
http://www.myspace.com/videonasties

Next up are Mika Miko whose songs are sharp blasts of punk, very short and spicy. From where I’m stood the vocals are being drowned out. The band are made up of fuzzy guitar, high-waisted jeans, telephone mics and saxophone, with a spot of instrument swapping.
http://www.myspace.com/mikamiko

The crowd soon warms up when Dananananaykroyd’s chief screamer Calum Gunn flings himself into the crowd for a dance and a rasping shout. He’s shortly joined by the rest of the band, for they do not shy away from interaction and enjoy an opportunity to show off their dance moves. Drummer/vocalist John Baillie Jr is standing on the barrier when he’s not using the sticks, guitarist Duncan Robertson rubs his guitar across the top of my head, and there are some amused cameramen filming the whole crazy shebang. The lads next to me are going nuts and there’s plenty of shouting, dancing and raucous fun. God, my arms hurt from that barrier.
http://www.myspace.com/dananananaykroyd

Sadly I miss Black Lips as I’m tasked with crossing the rain-filled city to find Komedia. Everything Everything are onstage when I arrive, playing some angular beats mixed with angel voices with very Delays-style harmonies. It’s all very sweet sounding underneath. Meanwhile, I’m busy updating my Twitter feed with ‘I am waiting to see the Rumble Strips’ and am rather surprised to receive a message from the band saying ‘And we’re waiting to play. See you in 20!’
http://www.myspace.com/everythingeverythinguk

The Rumble Strips are the ultimate feelgood party band. The first 15 rows of the crowd are bouncing gleefully and joining in with brassy and cheerful album tracks such as ‘Alarm Clock’, ‘Clouds’ and ‘No Soul’. We also get a handful of newbies including ‘Daniel’ and ‘London.’ A stage invader pops up to cheerfully clap the backs of every band member and yell into the mics while security make a half-assed effort to drag him off. I leave with high spirits. You cannot fail to please with a good Rumble Strips track.
http://www.myspace.com/rumblestripsuk

The Maccabees are on at the Corn Exchange tonight, but the queue is four miles long and I have no patience. My good mood starts to disappear as I splash across Brighton in the search for the Duke Of York Picturehouse. I came here last year yet still managed to stand outside without recognising it before tramping halfway round the block in a sulk. I was in time to see Teitur (pronounced ‘Tayter’) from the Faroe Islands, replete with toy keyboard, striking bass and lullaby melodies. The songs don’t really fit together, like random jigsaw pieces oddly crammed into place, and the vocals tend to flap weakly at times, but when all goes well, it’s not bad.
http://www.myspace.com/teitur

It’s a shame this gig was in a cinema as due to the lateness of the hour, people started drifting off shortly before Cocoon came onstage. French duo Mark and Morgane are sweet, friendly and not entirely professional, breaking into giggles at the slightest thing. They play today minus their band; beautiful, heartfelt charm present in their tunes. Despite the fact I was almost dozing in the chilly seating, Cocoon were one of my festival highlights.
http://www.myspace.com/listentococoon

FRI 15th MAY

After rolling out of bed and arriving at the nearest pub for a decent cooked breakfast, I'm feeling seriously impressed at the number of bruises on my arms from the previous night's barrier activity. At 11.55 I'm stood outside the Pavilion Theatre, watching minor indie bands walk past and impatiently waiting for the rest of mintsouth to leg it across the city. They arrive, panting slightly, and we head off for our first proper celeb greeting of the festival: an interview with Orlando Weeks, lead singer of The Maccabees. Sitting in the cafe next door, it's obvious he also had a late one, but on the whole is bearing up well.

Back at The Thistle Hotel, where I spy The Futureheads' Ross Millard mingling with the pretty people. The celeb spotting doesn't end there. We have a quick chat with Thomas Tantrum to see how they're enjoying their time. At the conference with Spotify head honcho Daniel Ek, I look round to see Radio 1's Huw Stephens sat three rows behind me. If this wasn't excitement enough, a man in front of me puts his hand up and introduces himself to the room as “Jake Shillingford, artist.” Jake Shillingford? The Jake Shillingford of Britpop heydayers My Life Story? Could this day get any better?

No, it actually couldn't. Po Na Na was one-in-one-out so I was unable to enjoy Slow Club and Casiokids. Tramping through the wind and general street gudge, I instead make my way to the Unitarian Church to see what was afoot. First up is Kurran and The Wolfnotes, fronted by what appears to be a pirate and a Pipette. They play plinky and heartfelt folk, sitting down and concentrating hard on the notes. They're closely followed by the gentle tones of New York folktress Leona Naess, though she does betray her calm exterior with some annoyance that the spelling of her name was completely cacked up in the official programme.
http://www.myspace.com/kurranandthewolfnotes
http://www.myspace.com/leonanaess

One of the stars of the night was undoubtedly the harassed caretaker, who appeared onstage halfway through the night to remind us we are very lucky to be drinking beer in a church, but could we please chuck our cans in the bins instead of leaving lager spittled cups rolling around the sacred space. He is given whoops for his trouble.

It was a hard act to follow, but Ex Lovers just about managed with their blend of non-offensive, easy-going rock, the sort which didn't feel out of place in such sensible surroundings. Almost melancholy at times, the band have a worn familiarity to them, like an old friend who you're immensely fond of, but not entirely sure why. Headlining the Unitarian Church was modern poet Johnny Flynn, tonight without his Sussex Wit troubadours. The music is strong and compelling folk, nicely trussed up with some steel guitar. The crowd has a mighty singalong. http://www.myspace.com/weareexlovers
http://www.myspace.com/johnnyflynn

After a brief nap, brought on by a combination of poor sleep and old age, I braved the wind and the drunken party-goers down by The Arches along the seafront, where I rescued Dan Black from deafening music at Coalition and we nipped across the road to the Thistle Hotel for an interview in the warmth. Neither of us are used to working quite this late. By the time we are done, it is almost 1am.

Back at the Coalition, Huw Stephens is wandering around with a poker face. Ou Est Le Swimming Pool are hopping around onstage through cascades of 80s synth, swapping between dance and rap. They're enjoyable, though sadly their name is the best thing about them. In between acts, the Lovebox Allstars DJs some poundingly optimistic house with a taste of trance. Meanwhile, I'm trying to avoid date-rape by turning down a sip from an open can (“Oh go on, you can finish it, I'm off in a minute,” says the guy with a full pint in his other hand) and avoiding the clubbing nobheads who turn up in every city on a Friday night. Dan Black seems a slightly odd choice to follow the DJs for enjoyable as he is, the crowd are dancing and in the mood for more house, therefore the cool electro Mika pop has a slightly subduing effect. Luckily the crowd enjoys his stylised dancing and black leather-clad shape-throwing.
http://www.myspace.com/ouestleswimmingpool
http://www.myspace.com/danblacksound

SAT 16th MAY

The festival is starting to take its toll. I look a state, partly because the showers at my hostel are not designed for anyone to spend a minute in without feeling severely depressed and unpleasantly infectious.

First gig today comes after a 20 minute queue up the flock wallpapered stairs of The Prince Albert along with everyone else who wants to see Fight Like Apes. The band seem to be living up to their name at the moment, with a few sporting black eyes and cut foreheads, then opening with a plastic crate dual. The stage set-up is taking far longer than anticipated. “What do you call a woman with one leg? Eileen!” offers the bassist by way of entertainment, then he looks embarrassed and walks off. The room is packed and hot, with the band adding some heat with the buzzsaw synth and hair flailing. An excellent wake up call for a Saturday afternoon.
http://www.myspace.com/fightlikeapesmusic

The main plan for the evening was to camp out at the Honey Club on the Arches, where we managed to get a spot on the balcony. The special guests opening are the enjoyable commercial pop rock beat combo You Animals and their shambolic frontman clambering around the pillars, followed by charmingly tuneful Sky Larkin. Katie Harkin’s method of playing the guitar above her head fails miserably as three guitars break in succession, resulting in her singing the melodies and apologising profusely. At the end their drummer Animal - sorry, Nestor - bodily rolls over the kit and gives Katie a piggyback offstage.
http://www.myspace.com/youanimals
http://www.myspace.com/skylarkinskylarkin

Johnny Foreigner are up next, and they’re not expecting a massive reception. “Shout ‘eee’ if you know who we are, and ‘ooo’ if you’re waiting for Idlewild,” says singer Alexei, shaking his head jokingly at the response. They’re loud and they’re cool, though the vocals aren’t carrying well to the back at all. Another guitarist appears near the end – I believe he’s from Calories, who recently toured with JoFo – to add some raucous power. The band go down a lot better than they thought they would.
http://www.myspace.com/johnnyforeigner

Next come the band everyone has been waiting for, Idlewild. I say ‘everyone’. Frankly I’m a bit disappointed. They’re kicking ass with some grunge punk rock, but to my ears it’s all a bit formulaic and plain. My feet were aching and I was a little annoyed they came back for an encore when I’d have preferred to be in bed with some hot chocolate. The set does absolutely nothing for me until ‘Love Steals Us From Loneliness’ comes on, and then suddenly I feel quite emotional. I’d like to point out I’m in the minority on this one. Everyone in the crowd, particularly the guy in the yellow t shirt who keeps accidentally headbutting the frightened people stood behind him, seems to be having a wonderful time and the front few rows mosh and josh as best they can on the small step at the front. (I loved it, the new stuff is amazing... plus some old punky stuff. Ed)
http://www.myspace.com/idlewild

After Idlewild, I quick march up to Hector’s House, where there’s a queue of people trying to sneak in. I enter the venue and my mood changes significantly. From slightly gloomy and rocky to flashing disco lights and bright colours, my ears perk up. Thanks to Futurecop! for vastly improving my mood with their sexxxy dance music which combines all the (good) chirpy sounds and neon sights of 1987. They were ace and I wish I’d arrived in time to hear more.
http://www.myspace.com/thefuturecop

The last gig of my festival was Thomas Tantrum, Southampton’s premier mischief-making art-pop band. With wonky indie pop tunes and tuneful hiccups zinging out of every speaker (“Please can we have more vocals?” Megan Thomas keeps pleading to a soundman who is presumably either asleep, or deaf after three days of feedback). With bubbly songs full of flavour, it’s a frenetic finish to a fantastic few days. So, who’s coming next year?
http://www.myspace.com/thomastantrum

Live Review - Little Fish + LoLo

2009-06-24T00:53:00.000+01:00

I quite enjoyed this gig. I was out by myself but managed to bump into a bunch of lovely people from the Hong Kong Gardeners' Club and new DJs with old Native.tv shipmates Express FM. Also my sister made me a cup of tea beforehand. Decent evening. Juju? Superb.

Previously published on mintsouth.com in May 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

LITTLE FISH + LOLO @ LITTLE JOHNNY RUSSELL'S 30/04/2009

Tonight is one of the warm up events for Southsea Fest. We’re a band down tonight as Fresh Legs were sadly forced to pull out over illness. Little Johnny Russell’s is still chocka with music lovers, and Little Fish are about to unleash their power on the unsuspecting South.

The opening act is LoLo, aka petite singer Lora Kirk on guitar with another band member lurking on the floor out of sight. Lora has a gentle, haunting voice which weaves its magic over the noisy crowd. Looking everywhere around the venue but at her audience, the acoustic pixie plays pleasant laidback music.

Unfortunately the full effect is lost as the tracks are delicate and not ideally suited to a pub crowd, and LoLo don’t look entirely at home in their surroundings. The songs are charming but the tempo is the same and the tunes blend into one, although it is still thoughtful and sweet to listen to.

Oxford rockers Little Fish headlined the event. They recently signed to Custard/Universal, and there are already people in the crowd tonight who have seen them several times and are very much looking forward to this performance.

Vocalist Juju gleefully fixes various crowd members with a wild-eyed stare and asks plenty of questions about the local area, wondering what the traditional Pompey greeting for ‘Hello and thanks’ is, and how one gets about offshore. “What happens if you want to put a piano on your boat?” she muses at one point, prompting the answer “You don’t.”

Little Fish have a more classic punk rock sound with drums and guitar only; reminding me slightly of The Kills but with elements of the Rolling Stones to their loops and hooks. Juju is a fantastic frontwoman with a pure rock voice, occasionally launching into a fiendish scream. She’s very animated, energetic and grinning. No offence to drummer Nez who is doing a sterling job, but it’s all about Juju and all eyes are focusing on her kohl-rimmed ones.

Little Fish won’t be playing small venues for long – this isn’t speculation, it’s definitely the case as they will soon be warming up the crowds for Placebo. They might be called Little Fish, but they’re bigger than they make out.

http://www.myspace.com/littlefishmusic
http://www.myspace.com/lolosouthsea

Live Review - Dan Black, Installation, Overreact

2009-06-24T00:48:00.001+01:00

Previously published on mintsouth.com in May 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

DAN BLACK, INSTALLATION + OVERREACT @ SOUTHAMPTON JOINERS 05/05/09

“I was dreaming when I saw you,” Dan Black sings on ‘Alone’. Similarly I really enjoyed this gig, despite daydreaming through the bright lush sounds which surrounded me throughout.

First onstage is some pop punk in primary colours courtesy of Overreact - a name which makes you think of the media’s reaction to swine flu, in a roundabout way. With the jerky melodies and excessive fringe, they really are similar to a young Johnny Foreigner and there’s also a touch of The Rakes to their music. With badges stretching down their guitar straps, the band puzzle onstage over how they made it onto this line up. The music might be a tad different the headliner but it’s enjoyably scrappy and the band show a lot of promise, particularly during the indie dance tracks.

Next onstage, Installation are greeted by their friends with cheers of “Oi oi!” Opening with a hooping synth, the band have a fascinating mix of songs, samples and drum and bass, with possible reactions alternating between dancing like an ape or lying on the floor looking at the stars. You know at music festivals when it’s 3am, everyone’s in bed and everything is closed apart from that one tent pumping out trippy grooves? Their set was like this.

Singer Gav Brook was in a camouflage jacket so I kept losing him amongst the foliage on stage (/sarcasm). There is heaps of energetic bass, funky samples, strong rapping and beautiful female vocals (courtesy of Laura Wolfe) gliding across the top, giving a strange, otherworldly feeling. Something a bit different, and very atmospheric.

The headliner tonight is Dan Black, a crisply suited man whose stiff dancing is given a warm glow by the cerise and lemon neon ‘DB’ panels behind. Previously known as the singer and guitarist in The Servant, Black has now stepped out on his own to bring his electro to the country. He’s a fascinating frontman.

It’s glorious dirty pop with a powerful kick, absolutely bursting with life. Songs we get tonight include ‘Alone’, ‘U + Me’, ‘Ecstatsy’ and as well as plenty of others from debut album ’Un’. The lads in the crowd demand an encore. “We haven’t got any more songs!” Black laughs. They’re not all pumping, psyching synth beats either; unexpectedly there are some quite sweet and laidback tunes in there.

One of the band is playing a mini keyboard, and a bloke in the crowd makes a grab for the tambourine but splatters his drink across the floor. “You fucked your beer up,” notes Black with a smile. “But you got a tambourine out of it. It’s kind of a trade off.” He deals with the crowd very easily. At the end he thanks all of us, “especially the dancing men.”

It might be more suited to a Saturday night, but Dan Black’s neon pop can still get the crowd dancing any day of the week.

http://www.myspace.com/overreact
http://www.myspace.com/installationband
http://www.danblacksound.com

Live Review - Rolo Tomassi, Grammatics, Pulled Apart By Horses

2009-06-24T00:41:00.000+01:00

What. A. Line. Up. I begged for this gig because I really wanted to see PABH. I'd even bought one of their t shirts, though I didn't wear it on the night because it would have comfortably accommodated me and about three other people. Damn crazy t shirt sizes.

Previously published on mintsouth.com in May 09
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

ROLO TOMASSI, GRAMMATICS + PULLED APART BY HORSES @ SOUTHAMPTON JOINERS 02/05/2009

You have to expect the unexpected with Rolo Tomassi, that’s all I can say. The nice sounding name reminds me of sweets and treacle, though the band is actually named after a character from LA Confidential. However if you come to one of their gigs expecting sweet confectionary, you’re certainly in for a rude awakening.

First onstage were Pulled Apart By Horses, the band I was most looking forward to tonight. I have something of a soft spot for the Leeds scene, and PABH’s singles promised raw and brash tunage. The very first note set the whole floor quivering and the band emerged from beneath their hair to provide incendiary rock. Singer Tom Hudson, clad in a bright yellow shirt, takes the mic and calmly plants it in the middle of the venue, splitting the crowd in two. Guitarist James Brown does a musical Spiderman onto the ledge in the corner and later mouths ‘I love you’ at one of Rolo Tomassi, who come to the rescue when the bass suffers technical difficulties.

Songs tonight include ‘Meat Balloon’, ‘The Crapsons’, ‘I Punched A Lion In The Throat’ and ‘High Five Swan Dive Nose Dive’. If that’s sounding a bit heavy, the band also throw in a smattering of high fives for everyone and offer their favourite Sonic The Hedgehog cheats.

The final song sees the lads in the crowd swarm straight for Hudson, smothering him and his guitar in a bear hug. As the band say tongue-in-cheek in ‘Meat Balloon’, it was awesome, radical, and totally bodacious. Dude.

It was something of a nice breather to have Grammatics back at the Joiners and sandwiched between the two loudest acts. Also from Leeds, singer Owen Brinley, wearing a necklace made from shells, announced the band had “missed like five hours of Come Dine With Me tonight, so count yourselves fucking lucky” they’re here. Emilia Ergin’s powerful cello can leave an audience spellbound and silent and the band’s quirky, jump nature is an enjoyable break from the ear-bashing.

The band was here recently supporting Red Light Company and judging from the number in the crowd singing along to their album tracks, they were definitely worth coming back for. Grammatics have a cool and melodramatic touch to them, but they certainly punked up the last few minutes of their set. Songs tonight included ‘The Vague Archive’, ‘D.I.L.E.M.M.A’ and ‘Shadow Committee’.

After a short break for the onstage changeover, Rolo Tomassi introduced themselves with expectant stares and some feedback that was at exactly the right frequency to melt the wax from your ears. Formed in Sheffield in 2005, Rolo Tomassi have gone on to develop a reputation for powerful live shows, which won them a spot at last year’s Download. They also stopped off at SXSW a few months ago.

The band is fronted by the attractive demon that is Eva Spence, a wide-eyed and charming love who looks peaceful but is quite clearly possessed by something evil. When she opens her mouth you are never quite sure if you will be greeting by sweet and soft tones, or a throaty roar of fire, a la Arch Enemy’s Angela Gossow.

The tunes are unpredictable in places, switching between what sound slightly like jazz lullabies and thrash synth metal. The setlist tonight included ‘Film Noir’, ‘Seagull’, ‘Abraxus’, ‘Oh, Hello Ghost’ and ‘I Love Turbulence’. At the end of ‘Curby’ the bassist is crowdsurfing, the guys in the mosh pit look knackered and there is a sharp odour of sweat in the air. “What a band!” yells one bloke. “What. A. Fucking. Band.” The devil certainly has the best tunes; and the loudest.

http://www.pulledapartbyhorses.com
http://www.grammatics.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/rolotomassi

Live Review - The Enemy @ Southampton Guildhall

2009-06-24T00:32:00.000+01:00

Previously published on mintsouth.com in Apr 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

THE ENEMY @ SOUTHAMPTON GUILDHALL 09/04/09

Are gigs getting earlier these days, or am I just turning up later? Arriving around 8.45pm we realised we’d missed both support acts, Kid British and Twisted Wheel. My friend returned from the bar crestfallen and empty-handed shortly before ten to ten. Lights were on and the gig was over by 10pm. We couldn’t help feeling a little short changed.

Having seen The Enemy in December 2006 supporting The Futureheads, I was keen to see if there had been a change in their live show. At that time I dismissed them as a miniature Oasis and pronounced them as good at the time, but ultimately forgettable. The Enemy then went on to win statuettes for being ‘The Best’ as voted for by NME, XFM and Q. I missed these ceremonies as I was too busy eating my words. Mmm, words.

The first obvious difference was that everyone was here to see The Enemy tonight instead of politely waiting for another band. The second difference was the massive screen strip along the top of the stage onto which was projected every town/city on this tour, before pausing on SOUTHAMPTON to raucous cheers. They’re in a bigger league now.

The pre-gig warm up CD pumped out Pulp and The Verve, reinforcing the feeling that tonight would be full of mainstream indie entertainment. Though as expected there are a lot of lads in the crowd and the front got a bit messy at times, the average age is actually much older than first assumed.

Lad rock is too simplistic a term for The Enemy’s output. They have a powerful sound which easily fills the room and lead singer Tom Clarke spits a trembling anger from underneath his mop of hair. A red headed female steps up to join them on one song – she doesn’t seem to be introduced, just appears and disappears again. Meanwhile bandmates Liam Watts on drums and Andy Hopkins on bass aren’t flashy, they just get on with their job.

While I’m not their biggest fan, I do feel like standing up to defend them. As fairly standard popular rock, The Enemy get something of a bashing from more artistic music types who think an electric guitar and a leather jacket is the height of naffness, but why mess with a winning formula? Can’t have just one band in a genre after all. They have some damn good songs which are enjoyable to listen to.

However The Enemy aren’t one for conversation between songs, with the most we get being told to make some noise and several thumbs up for being “FUCKING AMAZING!”

The video at the top mainly switched between close ups of Clarke, the fond fanbase in the front row having it and split-screens of the band, slightly Arctic Monkeys – Live At The Apollo in nature.

‘Had Enough’ is thrown in near the start, with other tracks including new single ‘No Time For Tears’, ‘Aggro’ and ever-popular ‘Away From Here’. The anthemic ‘We’ll Live And Die In These Towns’ sees a lot of people suddenly appearing on their friend’s shoulders, arms outstretched. For the encore we get ‘Happy Birthday Jane’ and ‘You’re Not Alone’, accompanied by a rainbow of beer bottles arcing their way across the room and spattering the crowd.

While I’m not the biggest fan of the band, they do get unfairly slated. Late Of The Pier may not be strictly correct when they sing ‘The Enemy Are The Future’, but the band are certainly increasing their fanbase as they arm themselves with album two and continue their march on the airwaves.

http://www.theenemy.com
http://www.thetwistedwheel.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/kidbritishmusic

CD Review - Loz Bridge And The Box Social - Witches

2009-04-27T22:17:00.000+01:00

Words - Suzy Sims
(c) Suzy Sims, April 2009

LOZ BRIDGE AND THE BOX SOCIAL 'WITCHES' EP

Sometimes it’s nice to find some compelling music that you can just swim around in with scant regard to your surroundings. The curiously-named Loz Bridge and The Box Social can help you do just that. Described by pretty much everyone who’s read their press release as ‘dark Americana’, Loz is originally from Preston but decided the South Coast was more deserving of his musical output.

Opening track ‘Witches’ is the story of being trapped on the wrong career path and left chewed up and spat out by office politics; let’s face it, we’ve all been there. “I hate my job,” everyone sings along, and you can’t help but wonder if the any of the band’s bosses have caught them play and moronically didn’t pick up on this. This song is heavy with a downbeat swagger but there is surprisingly some life and optimism – they aren’t giving up just yet - and pent up anger.

‘November’ is a melancholic yet warm old friend with some delightfully clear vocals, while there are some powerful key change hooks in ‘Sarah And The Wolves’. The music seems to have a dual-purpose, fitting both the Sunday morning feeling of being lost in your own thoughts, and feeling equally at home in a dark pub.

If you held serious pre-conceptions about music featuring banjos, please shove them well to one side. Angry banjo and bluesy vocals strike on throughout ‘China’ while closing track ‘By The River’ delicately plucks along. It’s the place.

The blues is a trustworthy genre. With pop and dance you can give or take what you enjoy, but blues and folk are made to be savoured slowly and appreciated. There’s a wisdom to Loz Bridge and The Box Social, a sense of understanding. This CD finishes on a haunting echo of “I might have known.” Intelligently written and mellow, ‘Witches’ makes for compelling listening.

http://www.myspace.com/lozbridge

Live Review - The Rakes, Sky Larkin, Official Secrets Act (Wedgewood Rooms)

2009-04-27T22:00:00.000+01:00

One of my favourite gigs so far this year, all cracking bands.

Previously published on mintsouth.com in Apr 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

THE RAKES, SKY LARKIN, OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS 22/04/2009

For a midweek gig, The Rakes ‘Work Work Work (Pub Club Sleep)’ is well named. The band is DJing after this show and there are likely to be a few bleary faces in offices around Portsmouth the next day. Having dashed to the Wedgewood Rooms from work work work, I’m wearing a t shirt for The Rifles, mainly because a) it was clean and b), well, it was clean. I spend the night slightly embarrassed in case someone thinks I misread the listings and am expecting some jaunty Jam-alikes instead of some art punk mischief.

Arriving shortly after Official Secrets Act took to the stage, faces daubed with Adam Ant go-faster stripes, I was very impressed by the epic, slightly wistful charm and energy in their songs and couldn’t believe I hadn’t caught up with them sooner. There’s not a dull moment in the set. Final track ‘The Girl From The BBC’ surprises everyone when the onstage electrics cut out and it turns into an impromptu singalong, but the band look completely unfazed by the technical malfunction. Other songs we get include ‘Victoria’, ‘So Tomorrow’ and ‘Mainstream’.

There’s a guy in the front row singing along to Official Secrets Act. “I want to have your babies!” yells another over-excited gig-goer at the close of the set. Though I wouldn’t say gigs should be used for picking future life partners in this fashion, one should definitely check this band out. For their music, of course.

“I do like to be beside the seaside,” announces singer Katie Harkin from ever-pleasant Leeds band Sky Larkin. It was satisfying to catch a full set – I’ve caught them a couple of times before, but only ever the final ten minutes, so it was good to hear more material. Sadly their sounds are gentler and don’t carry as well to the back of the venue, so I plunge further crowd-wards to get the full effect. The bass is surprisingly heavy and the crashing percussion overwhelms Katie’s quirky, jumpy voice at times.

Their songs have a real charm though on record they do sometimes come across too cutesy; however live they break into enjoyable dance-punk. Katie is a picture of understated coolness, guitar aloft for ‘Summit’, cleverly avoiding the male hecklers and bounding around under her pigtails. Other tracks tonight include ‘Beeline’ and ‘Molten’, fresh from their debut album ‘The Golden Spike’. Sky Larkin are frothy, sweet and nice. They just are. Frankly I don’t see how it’s possible to dislike them.

And someone else it’s not possible to dislike – The Rakes front-man Alan Donohoe. Arriving on stage, all wild eyeballs and red gloves, it’s impossible to tear your eyes from his dancing. It appears to be based around self defence moves, should you ever need to protect yourself from a boxing kangaroo that is. “Are you ready for some sexy shit?” The Rakes ask in between their relentlessly explosive art-punk and banshee wails. Yes, yes we are. Bring it.

The Rakes first crashed into everyone’s radar in 2005 with the snappy ‘Capture/Release’ and they’re now out and about promoting their third album.

The band’s opening track tonight ‘You’re In It’ is accompanied by crazed strobe light as everyone jumps about in what feels like slow motion. We get plenty of new tracks off latest album ‘Klang’, such as ‘Shackleton’ and ‘The Light From Your Mac’, though favourites ’22 Grand Job’, ‘We Danced Together’ and ‘The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect’ get the best crowd reaction. There’s even a crowd-surfer (just the one; but give him credit, he does have several attempts). There’s only one track in the encore (‘Strasbourg’) but the strobe lights come out to again destroy anyone who was left twitching on the floor by the earlier lot.

The Rakes have a brilliant streak of quirky fun and a real bite to their songs. The red glove fashion may not catch on as quickly as they’re hoping, but their indie punk aggression should be around a while longer. Thank goodness for that.

http://www.therakes.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/skylarkinskylarkin
http://www.myspace.com/officialsecretsact

Live Review - Club Smith, The Maybes, Colonel Mustard, Cozy Flashback (Cellars at Eastney)

2009-04-27T21:52:00.000+01:00

Previously published on mintsouth.com in Apr 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

CLUB SMITH, THE MAYBES, COLONEL MUSTARD, COZY FLASHBAK @ THE CELLARS AT EASTNEY 04/04/2009

Norwich Union became Aviva, Marathon became Snickers. Prince became something which was generally pronounced as a swearword by confused people. The Hair have opted for a more sensible route and have chosen to be called Club Smith - but more on them in a moment.

First onstage were the very lively Cozy Flashbak, heavily influenced by both Mod and Madchester and with guitar riffs lolloping along. There’s also a fair amount of psychedelic swagger to their cheeky set.

Second on were Colonel Mustard. In the venue… with the drumsticks. My eye was caught by the exceptionally talented bassist and his nimble playing skills, but generally the band spend longer staring at the floor than making eye contact with the audience. A cover of ‘Come Together’ is enjoyable but adds nothing to the original apart from an increased number of people who have played it. Still, they have a number of good, almost Eighties guitar twirls, an enjoyably mischievous slant and the vocalist has a belting voice.

Next onstage are The Maybes, acting as a fantastic beacon for their local scene. Like many bands from Liverpool-way, they play intense psychedelic anthems with vocal harmonies swirling above the pounding music. Their final track, Promises, is a belter; an epic dance instrumental which echoes dramatically around the Cellars, bringing the doorman in to gape at what’s taking place. It’s the sort of track which is a perfectly indulgent one-off experience, but accidentally put it on a car cassette and a few spools later you will be clawing at the tape, lost in an experimental jam void. Sounding experienced, professional and with many a dark dance track, The Maybes appear ideally placed to perform some sort of indie soundtrack.

Club Smith are headlining tonight’s show. They were here a few months ago in their former guise of The Hair, a premier indie-dance band from Leeds in the Sunshine Underground mold. The name change is so new even their equipment still features the old logos. As something of a fan I was worried the name change would equal a major change of direction but happily not. Old songs mixed with new in a frenetic set which culminated in everyone playing the drums. The band are bright and sparky with a colourfully dizzy turn to their songs. Don’t let the name Club Smith fool you into thinking they’re plain, because they certainly aren’t.

http://www.myspace.com/cozyflashbakuk http://www.myspace.com/thelastlaughtheband
http://www.myspace.com/themaybesliverpool
http://www.myspace.com/joinclubsmith

Live Review - Gary Go / VV Brown (Wedgewood Rooms)

2009-04-27T21:41:00.000+01:00

I do like going to gigs, I do x

First published on mintsouth.com in Mar 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

GARY GO / V.V. BROWN @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS 22/03/2009

It’s a little quiet in the Wedgewood Rooms tonight. There’s plenty of room to stand wherever you darn well like, no queue at the bar. Although it’s pleasantly airy, it also makes the atmosphere empty. Most people are standing in small groups a fair way back from the stage. It can’t be easy interacting with an audience some distance away.

Unless you’re with VV Brown and her crew, that is, who come breezing onto the stage, all casual smiles. The bassist is enthusiastically urging everyone to clap and no-one wants to disappoint. Their cheerful, glitter Motown pop gets the crowd not exactly dancing, as everyone’s a bit self-conscious and sober for that, but quietly enjoying themselves. With the retro pop and spot-on voice, VV Brown is like a fresh Amy Winehouse, only much, much less scary.

Every song they play is a little iced gem of pop and they all sound like potentially massive singles. “Do you want some fun?” VV laughs after one particularly intense track about her ex boyfriend, “who was a complete arsehole.” Southsea does want some fun indeed, and everyone makes appreciative whoops and feels that little bit brighter.

It can’t be easy following an act of that quality, and Gary Go certainly does not have it easy. A few ladies walk past me, loudly discussing how they were only here for VV Brown but they might stay a bit longer, and a few people disappear during the early part of the set when it becomes apparent he’s not a disco monster.

This is a real shame, because those with musical blinkers were missing some enjoyable pop rock. It’s mature (a friend described it as Radio 2’s acceptable sound of British singer-songwriting) and also gives a wonderfully pleasant feeling that everything’s going to be ok.

The tracks don’t make as immediate impressions as the previous act’s but they are intensely played and full of beautiful melodies which leave you uplifted and slightly exhausted, along the epic pop melodrama lines of Athlete et al. Gary’s a confident front man but his vulnerability comes out in his songs which is quite endearing, and the people who stayed seemed really captivated by the music.

It must be hard being a reasonably little-known act starting a new tour on a Sunday night when very few people know your songs. However I’m pretty sure that in a few months time, people will regret not seeing VV Brown and Gary Go in small venues when they had the chance.

www.myspace.com/vvbrown
www.myspace.com/garygo

Interview - Gary Go

2009-04-27T21:30:00.000+01:00

Aaaargh, first interview in about a year. I get very nervous before interviews anyway, though once you've been in the room for two minutes everything's usually all right. I forwarded this onto Mr Go once it was written up. He apologised again for touching the dictaphone. I'm calm...

First published on mintsouth.com in Mar 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

GARY GO INTERVIEW @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, SOUTHSEA

It’s a lovely breezy Sunday in Southsea. Many people are today hurrying to petrol stations all across the UK, fighting each other for the last bunch of flowers and considering taking the ‘rents for a special meal at the nearest Harvester. Most people that is; apart from the handful of hardcore Gary Go fans stamping their feet outside the Wedgewood Rooms, a slightly hassled-looking tour manager, and Gary Go himself. How does your mother feel about you missing Mothers’ Day, Gary? “Not happy,” he admits.

London-based Gary Go is a snappily-dressed writer of dramatic pop-rock tunes. You may have caught him supporting the likes of Amy Macdonald and The Feeling, putting heart, soul and everything else into his singing and performance. He was cherry-picked by comeback champions Take That to support on their tour. He also wears glasses. But more of that later.

Slender, neatly suited and bespectacled, Gary politely offers to fetch me a drink before settling down to the interview in the dressing room. He’s friendly and eager to chat. It’s the first night of his joint headline tour with VV Brown, and he appears quietly confident.

How did you feel when you woke up this morning and thought, I’m going to Portsmouth tonight? “I felt good, last time I was in Portsmouth I had a really, really good time playing with The Script. The audience were amazing and I’ve wanted to come back here for a while. I’m excited about the tour. VV’s cool, I just met her now for the first time, it should be fun. I feel a bit under-prepared but it should be good.”

Is this your first headline tour? “Yeah. That is very exciting. Especially because I’ve been doing a lot of supports for the last year or so with bigger acts, so it’s nice.”

Nice to have your face on those posters? “Yeah! Definitely,” he laughs.
You could steal them and have them all round your room. “Exactly, frame them, put them up in the studio.”

Give them out to your friends at Christmas. “That would be a pretty cheap Christmas. It’s the thought that counts, right?”

The posters advertising tonight’s gig show Gary’s logo, a Gok-Wan-a-like image, though the man actually has a slight resemblance to Elijah Wood. Let’s talk glasses. “I assume you’re not talking about drinking glasses,” says Gary, quite correctly. I was reading an article on the BBC and one of the first things they seemed to point out is that you wear glasses, like it’s some kind of strange thing.

“I think it’s very odd. I think they’re like ‘wow, you’re making glasses cool’ and I’m like, I think it’s kinda cool to see! It’s become a thing for people, I don’t know. But it gives me an excuse to buy loads of different pairs of glasses now and spoil myself.”

It may surprise you to know that Mr Go was originally christened Mr Baker. Does he get fed up with people asking where his name came from? “No, not at all. There are a few different genuine answers to the same question, but I recall it being given to me by a family friend at a party, and then it kind of took on new meaning and new life as it went on. I got really into Go the game at one point, which is a Japanese board game, it’s about strategy and balancing the mind. I was working in the mail-room of a studio: ‘Gary, go get this, go get that’. So it took on new meaning at different times.”

Gary started out working in a record company “making tea and franking mail and scraping graffiti off walls,” which was how he got into the music industry. “The day after I left school, I just wanted to work in music so I got a job. It’s a good place to start… I started working for Dave Stewart from the Eurhythmics and then I had an interview with Peter Gabriel, I was going to start working at his studio. He was the one who said ‘You should just go and work on your own music’ but I loved working in a record company.”

Gary Go is a solo artist but he’s always seen his music project as a “kind of collective. I mean it’s my songs and I produce the album but there’s loads of musicians and different people I love playing with and recording with.” On tour this time round, the band includes Andreas on guitar, Pete on drums, and Tim on horn and keyboards.

From making tea to the Wedgewood Rooms and onto Wembley, Gary Go will be opening for Take That on their summer tour. “Jason Orange phoned me up personally – no he didn’t. my manager phoned me up and told me about it, it’s great. I get to play Wembley Stadium which is right by where I grew up so that’s pretty cool. It’s a weird gig that to be honest, you’re opening such a huge event, I don’t know how it’s going to be.”

Do you feel like you have to do something special? Gary starts to look a little nervous. “It will be light out which I don’t like, I like it when it’s dark. It will be like playing a festival in some way, there will be a lot of people talking and it’s their day out, I don’t know how it goes down playing a show of that size when people haven’t come to see you. Step up to the challenge, that’s the plan.”

Gary Go’s first proper single release was the pleasantly epic drama-pop ‘Wonderful’, which we’ll make clear is not some sort of ego trip. “It’s so funny, people think that I’m saying that I am wonderful. I really don’t have any pity for people who misinterpret the song, it’s just they’re not listening properly.

“I was feeling pretty down and insecure, I was living on my own in New Jersey, making a start on the album. I didn’t have a big record deal or anything or a big producer, I was just doing it on my own. I had no guidance, and started dipping a bit in my self esteem. I guess I wrote that song to bring me back on track and people have been finding the message in how it was written.

“I got a long message from someone yesterday, this girl she was really nervous and she really wanted this job, She was going through her iPod as she was waiting to be called and ‘Wonderful’ just came on random shuffle, and that perked her up and made her feel good about everything. She got the job and she’s coming to one of the gigs on tour and wants to buy me a drink!”

“Songs which boost me up, there are lots from artists I love: ‘Heroes’, ‘Under Pressure’ which was the first record I ever bought, ‘Sledgehammer’, ‘Black and Gold’, ‘Walking On A Dream’.”

I can recommend The Hours ‘Ali In The Jungle.’ “That’s cool, I should check that out. I don’t know much of their music but they’re cool. Art scene, Damien Hirst, right?”

As well as helping people pass job interviews, Gary has been working on a special project, a track called ‘Heart Shaped Balloon’. “I was in my kitchen making tea and I looked out the window and there was this heart shaped balloon caught in the tree. I was like, that’s a beautiful image. So I posted it on Twitter trying to get people’s lyrical ideas for this song and loads of people have posted ideas in. Now I’m going to put the song together and it will be the first Twitter co-write. Equal royalties for everyone… I was thinking maybe it will go to charity, or a charity who retrieve heart shaped balloons. And I want to get everyone that messaged in to come and sing on it as well.”

The next proper release will be ‘Open Arms’, and the video was only filmed last week. “I went to Mars for the video. There and back in a day. That’s very impressive. I was an astronaut.”

“I ran into an old school friend I hadn’t seen in years, he was like ‘oh whatever happened to Joe, the guy in maths class, and whatever happened to…’ and I just wrote a list of whatever happened to’s and then that became the basis for the song. And it’s another self esteem track in a weird kind of way, and that’s a thread that runs through the album about trying to see the good side of dark situations.”

Ah yes, the album. It’s been made in the Catskill mountains, Prague, London, and ‘all sorts of places.’ We’re trying to discuss it but the dressing room is echoing to the sound of drums onstage. “I’m picking up the Dictaphone now because the band are playing. The album is out May 18th. Is that bad that I picked up your Dictaphone?” says Gary, looking at me sideways. “Did I cross the line?”

Well, I’m not going to come onstage tonight and pick up your keyboard. “Oh no! You’re getting really upset with me. [The album] has been made with passion, an independently made record, with a lot of love and a load of great musicians were playing and singing on there. And heartfelt songs, organic instruments and I don’t know what more I can say, When it’s your first album it feels like it’s your whole life that you’ve been doing it. I look forward to you hearing it. Then you can slate it,” he jokes.

And with that Gary Go shakes my hand, thanks me several times, adjusts his black-rimmed spectacles and steps outside to cheerfully greet his fans. The tour is about to begin…

http://www.myspace.com/garygo

Live Review - Tremain, Vagabond, The Elizans (Cellars at Eastney)

2009-04-27T21:21:00.000+01:00

First pubslihed on www.mintsouth.com in Mar 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

TREMAIN, VAGABOND, THE ELIZANS @ THE CELLARS AT EASTNEY 14/03/2009

The Cellars is a lovely little venue, but could be improved if that massive pillar wasn’t blocking everyone’s view. Well I say ‘everyone’; the man in front of me could see fine, due to the fact he was seven feet tall. I spent half the gig only able to watch onstage antics courtesy of a reflection in a nearby picture – fail safe I thought, until Tall Man toppled sideways and blocked this too. Thanks mate.

First onstage were jazz gangsters The Elizans, who win extra points for their Prohibition era-style hats and suits. I’m not sure if their guitar cases held some Mafiosa weaponry or just instruments, but decided not to insult their mothers just in case. They play smooth melodies aided with some warm brass tones and although it is comfortable to listen to it doesn’t look easy to play, with the band displaying some quick and nifty finger-work. Their set started out with jazz then moved onto upbeat Sixties pop. It was strangely relaxing for a Saturday night out, but certainly enjoyable.

Second band Vagabond should have been headlining tonight. They really should. Singer Alex Vargos stepped out and immediately stunned the crowd with his spectacular singing voice. Kudos to the rest of the band for turning up to support him, but the music burbled along in the background and was really only there to showcase the vocals. Every note was spot on, every curl and tremble of the voice was well practised and dead correct. Hiding shyly under his mop of hair, concentrated expression and 80s t shirt, Alex really is the ideal front-man; perhaps purchased in flat-pack form from the new IKEA.

The bassline led a merry dance in the background with the odd soulful blast of brass. The band are signed to Geffen (single ‘Sweat (Until The Morning)’ was given an airing tonight) and it’s easy to see why: their radio-friendly sounds combined with the perfect voice, non-offensive sound and easy on the eye appearance would make any record label executive give thanks upon receiving their demo. With such a big sound in such a small room, they would do well at an open-air gig or as a stadium support act – and maybe one day will be headlining there themselves.

The final band tonight were retro disco funk party act Tremain who did a wonderful job of making the man opposite me dance like he was on a rowing machine. Rich and feminine harmonies combined with the brass to create a feelgood set, made even more impressive by the fact there were seven band members crammed on a tiny stage.

Lead singer Leonie Tremain danced happily all the while in her roses-and-black dress, a massive grin on her face, encouraging the audience to clap along, but the band don’t need an audience to feed off as they are more than capable of starting their own joyful party which everyone is more than welcome to join. At the end I was worried they were about to announce a split, such was the heartfelt thanks they gave to the other bands and relief at their long-awaited live CD, but it was genuine happiness at being up there on stage entertaining their friends in the crowd. While the night wasn’t entirely groundbreaking music-wise, it definitely left a pleasantly uplifted feeling in your soul.

http://www.theelizans.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/vagabond
http://www.tremain.biz/

Live Review - The Gaslight Anthem, Frank Turner (Wedgewood Rooms)

2009-04-27T21:07:00.000+01:00

Hurrah! I have returned from the writing wilderness, and am spamming the good readers of ever-lovely South scene site mintsouth with reviews etc.

First published on mintsouth.com in Feb 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM / FRANK TURNER @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, 07/02/2009

The weather has been playing havoc with gigs across the UK, with many snowed off. This one was delayed because The Gaslight Anthem were forced to halt their transatlantic flight in Glasgow when they should have been several hundred miles further south, playing to a sold out Wedgewood Rooms. The band has forgiven everyone though because apparently we don’t know how to handle snow: “I wouldn’t know what to do if it was something that had never happened before,” the singer announces. “Like if I got a fire on my face. I wouldn’t know how to put it out. But I wouldn’t close an airport.”

Polar Bear Club were due to play tonight but have double-booked themselves, meaning we get an hour-long Frank Turner set to open. It looks like most of the crowd here is more than familiar with his songs, judging from the number who join in with lines such as “The only thing left to do is get another round in at the bar” and “We’re definitely going to hell, but we’ll have all the best stories to tell.” Not to mention the latecomers shuffling in, loudly whispering what an unexpected surprise it is to see him play.

The way he connects with the audience and their warmth towards him reminds me of Morrissey, but in a less scary way. For while Morrissey deals with self-pity and the feeling that you’re on the brink - alone – Frank Turner has a much more typically British sense of optimism and real life self-deprecation. It’s not ‘No-one has ever loved me’, it’s the whole ‘Mustn’t grumble’ aspect. As in, ‘We wished we loved each other enough, but we didn’t, so we accepted it and got on with life, same as you did… now is anyone for a pint?’ It’s refreshing and cheerful, but not forced.

Songs tonight include a rousing chorus of ‘Who The F**king Hell Are Slipknot?’, ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The One Of Me’, ‘Substitute’, ‘The Real Damage’ and ‘The Ballad Of Me And My Friends.’ To be honest, Frank Turner is probably worth the ticket price alone.

In 2008, Kerrang! labelled the Gaslight Anthem as the best new band you’d hear in 2008. Without sounding rude, that was last year. The band, whilst playing enjoyable rock, don’t seem to have any special stand out qualities that make the mosh-pit rise as one, or make your spine shiver, or make you instantly Twitter them to all and sundry.

The Gaslight Anthem have a harsher rock sound, yet convey a strangely familiar sense of comfort in the darkness. It all sounds slightly much of a muchness, but the band is hard to dislike because of singer Brian Fallon’s charisma and easy-going charm, dismissing hecklers with “If you’ve got a better story to tell, let’s all hear it,” and promising to shovel the snow next time we suffer any. “We’re a working class band. We know how to work.”

Normally in circumstances such as this, when the music is background to my daydreams instead of taking my full attention, I begin commenting in a very mature way about what onstage garb the bands have inexplicably chosen to wear. Sadly this plan was also thwarted. The singer had a sort of golfing flat cap on. I know this because I could see the top of his head behind the tall people who had sprung up out of nowhere into my line of vision. The rest of the band were hidden from my sight; the view of a small person.

Songs tonight include ‘Blue Jeans And White T Shirts,’ ‘Old White Lincoln’ and ‘I’da Called You Woody, Joe.’ The guy next to me absolutely loves their controlled, professional punk passion, and is singing away as loudly as he can. There’s a lot of band chat about Bruce Springsteen, about Rod Stewart’s hair, and the occasional lapse into Bon Jovi songs, but I’m just not feeling it. Perhaps you need to have heard the album to fully appreciate the live show.

To summarise, Frank Turner is a diamond and the Gaslight Anthem are All Right. The moral of that story is that different music speaks to different people. And I know what speaks to me.

http://www.myspace.com/frankturner
http://www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem

Interview - The Pigeon Detectives (Portsmouth Guildhall)

2008-06-16T23:14:00.001+01:00

Third time unlucky. After mentioning that I'd interviewed the Pigeon Detectives a couple of times, I was asked to get them again for Sheffield/Yorkshire music website Square Indie. I felt so bad going back; like they don't see enough of me in their audiences already. However all went well and they seemed fairly relaxed.

I had to edit this heavily because the word count was considerably shorter than I'm used to, which was a bit annoying because I wanted to keep in all their banter and jokey quarrels with each other. Ah well, but I think it reads more intelligently as a result. This interview scared me a bit because it was the first I'd done since early December, almost six months previously.

Dave said he was pleased I left in the bit about his domestic skills because it would impress his girlfriend. I haven't quite worked out if he was being sarcastic.

Words - Suzy Sims
Previously published on Square Indie http://www.squareindie.co.uk in June 2008
(c) Square Indie

THE PIGEON DETECTIVES
@ Portsmouth Guldhall, 27th May 2008

I’m backstage with four-fifths of the Pigeon Detectives, in a small room decorated with scattered songsheets. They’re due onstage in just over three hours. Singer Matt Bowman is absent; probably receiving the physiotherapy he’s needed after badly injuring the ligaments in his leg, ironically during a performance which included This Is An Emergency. Guitarist Ryan Wilson is sitting by the window softly strumming an acoustic. Drummer Jimmi Naylor is confusingly also on guitar, while bassist Dave Best is on the iron because guitarist Oli Main can’t quite work out how to un-crease his shirt.

The Pigeon Detectives are currently touring to promote their second album, Emergency. Everyone keeps asking why it’s been released just a year after their debut. “Because we wanted to,” says Oli.

“It’s just because the last God-knows-how-many years, it’s become the norm to have the two year break but we just thought sod it, we can write the songs, let’s do another album,” says Ryan.

The recording studio was in the Welsh valleys and the band relaxed by quad-biking and clay pigeon shooting. “We just didn’t want the distractions of any major city so we just went away,” says Ryan. “And it’s a really reputable studio. Oasis have recorded there, Stereophonics, Black Sabbath. The View are recording their second album right now in there. It had a really good history and good equipment, so we thought, why not?”

Oli has been labelled as the band’s chief songwriter. “Apparently. No, I am.” Are there any themes running through Emergency? “Not particularly. I don’t know what half the songs are about anyway. It’s not like a happy album or owt like that.”

I think it’s a bit more bitter than the last one. “I wouldn’t say bitter, I’d say maybe cynical or something like that.” Is that because you’re a cynical person? “No, I just had a really bad mood for them three weeks we were doing it.”

If you listen to the album’s close, you’ll hear Jimmi get insulted. “I thought we’d finished recording. I was on the phone for about an hour to my bird and come downstairs and I was like, what the fuck’s going on? I went in and started singing when everyone started to whistle, and then I just thought I’d carry on and Matt went ‘Oh, you bell-end!’”

Although their lively, punchy indie rock has won the band masses of airplay and plenty of excitable fans, some critics haven’t received Emergency as warmly as Wait For Me, with the Guardian dismissing its appeal as ‘Granada Men and Motors indie.’ Are the band aware of this slating? “I don’t think I should read it,” says Dave. “I tend to get a bit angry.”

Jimmi’s seen it: “I stayed in a hotel and ordered paper for next morning, fucking opened it up and it absolutely tore into [Emergency]!” he laughs. “I wouldn’t take that to heart.”

“Have you heard the album? Do you like it?” Ryan asks sternly. “That isn’t friendly is it Ryan!” chides Dave.

Oli’s reading what it says about him in the aforementioned review. “Apparently I ‘feel obliged to take someone down a peg or two, which he does using his reliably devastating oh-so technique, ‘you think you’re oh-so clever’ or ‘oh-so petty and so pretentious.’’ None of them were my lines.” We suggest he sues, but he ain’t fussed. “It’s a funny read.”

The Pigeon Detectives won’t be taking it easy this year. “I guess one of the big aims is just to do well outside of the UK,” says Oli. In the pipeline are various festivals, shows in Europe, a month in America around September time, and then another UK tour towards the backend of the year.

How’s the current tour going? “It’s going pretty good actually. I hear every night’s sold out, bar one,” says Ryan. “Crowds have been good so can’t complain really.”

Did you think it would be cancelled when Matt hurt his leg? “We thought it might be delayed. We had to cancel Ireland, we had a couple of gigs up there. We’ll be back again at some point,” says Ryan.

What songs are getting the best audience reaction on tour at the moment? “Take Her Back and I’m Not Sorry.” Out of the Emergency tracks, I’m Not Gonna Take This and You Don’t Need It are going down well, though it always takes people a while to get used to new songs. “There’s a clear difference between the songs they know and the songs they’re kind of listening to,” says Jimmi. “But they’re still giving good cheers after.”

“I think we knacker our crowd out quite early on, like we proper hammer out some big songs,” says Ryan.

The Pigeon Detectives’ walk on song for the Emergency tour is The Who’s Baba O’Riley. The band find it harder to choose their intro music than to pick their setlist.

“You can’t have it build too early, it’s got to kick in as the band walk out,” says Ryan. “And a lot of songs that you find don’t kick in strong enough. We had us last intro music [Telstar, originally by The Tornadoes]. It was quite cool, with all helicopter type things going on at the beginning.”

There’s a sharp intake of breath. “I burnt me finger,” says Dave, who’s still ironing Oli’s shirt. “I feel like singing I Want To Break Free by Queen.” You’re not wearing girly clothes under that coat, are you? “Wouldn’t you like to know…”

“Suspenders,” suggests Oli.

“You need to look after Oli because he comes very scruffy on tour so you need to iron his clothes and hang up his underwear,” retorts Dave.

“I’ve been wearing these same clothes since Cambridge I think,” says Oli. He then realises some items may have stayed on since Manchester, five days previously. He inspects his white t shirt. It looks fairly clean. “It’s not!”

What’s the best and worst thing about being a Pigeon Detective?

“David Best is the worst,” says Oli. David Best looks unimpressed.

“The best is playing big gigs, playing festivals and making albums. The worst is travelling, getting on very early plane journeys,” says Jimmi.

”I think the best can also be travelling as well,” pipes up Dave. “Seeing all different places.” Including every service station in Britain, according to Oli.

“When we used to be in our Transit van, that’s all we used to be doing, going to service stations,” says Jimmi. Occasionally shoplifting from them, because they had no money. “I’ve nicked pasties before, Ginster’s pasties.”

“It’s like Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to feed us, the poor,” Ryan confirms.

“We’d paid for that many pasties that we deserved some free ones,” says Dave. Fair enough.

The band is widely and commercially successful now, but do they still see themselves as part of the Yorkshire scene?

“[The New Yorkshire scene] were just a bit before us,” says Ryan. “Black Wire, The Cribs, Forward Russia and stuff were all part of that but we just missed that boat and so we’ve never really classed ourselves as in that New Yorkshire thing. We got tagged a little bit about it, like “it’s another band from Yorkshire,” like Arctic Monkeys and Milburn.”

“It’s not a scene though, it’s not like we’re all friends or anything,” says Oli. “We hardly know any of them bands. The only bands we know from Yorkshire - we only know them a little bit - are Sunshine Underground, Kaiser Chiefs and Forward Russia. It’s not like we all go out to Joseph’s Well for drinks and stuff.”

Are there any local bands they can recommend? “The Wallbirds, they’re from Doncaster. Although we don’t like Doncaster,” says Ryan, remembering a recent play-off result that saddened Leeds United fans. “They’re pretty good. Grammatics, but I’ve not seen them properly.”

One of the highlights from the West Yorks gigging calendar this year has to be the two sold-out nights the Pigeon Detectives played at Millennium Square in their home city of Leeds. “It were good, weren’t it,” says Ryan. His bandmates consider this a slight understatement.

“First night, it felt like a moment, when we looked at crowd,” remembers Jimmi.

“Summat happened with the PA. So it cut the intro music,” says Ryan. “The crowd started booing, and then we kind of walked on to boos. Not aimed at us!” The first night’s supports proved popular, but the Pigeon Detectives think the second night was a better gig, performance-wise for them.

“We’d not really played that many gigs leading up to that, like now we’re in the middle of a tour and you kind of get used to it. So I got quite anxious and nervous,” continues Ryan. “I think Matt gets nervous.”

Moving on, and lucky Jimmi gets the special Mystery Prize question card which wins him a bottle of Jack Daniels. He’s very pleased. “Thank you very much. I’ll drink that tonight. We’ve had Corona for a while and we’re getting a bit sick of that. We’re moving to Peroni.”

“A lot of bands have weird stuff, but we’re just beer and cider and vodka and red bull,” says Ryan.

Weird stuff? “A lot of bands have a different spirit for each band member, like Kaisers have. Peanut likes rum so they get him a big bottle of rum every gig,” explains Dave, who is now tapping away with a pair of drumsticks.

Do you have any pre-gig superstitions? “We generally stick our iPod on and listen to a load of music before we go on,” says Ryan. “Some bands do huddles and high fives. We’re not like that.”

“I always walk out first,” says Jimmi. “It feels weird if I don’t.” Troublemaker Oli decides he’s going to walk out first at that night’s gig, like he did in Manchester “because [Jimmi] took his time… You can’t stop me.” The drummer makes it clear he won’t let this happen.

“I’m not going to start walking on too early! But it were weird when you walked on, I don’t know why. It didn’t ruin my gig. No-one can ruin my gig.”

Eagle-eyed gig goers may have noticed that night, as Baba O’Riley started, Jimmi suddenly lurched in front of the curtain before scurrying back behind it. It was almost as if one of his bandmates had pushed him on early for a laugh…

The Pigeon Detectives released Emergency on 26th May.

Gig Review - The Pigeon Detectives @ Astoria

2008-06-16T23:08:00.000+01:00

I was going to this gig anyway, so was asked to do some work instead of just enjoying myself. I believed the published version was edited down a bit, but this is the full length blah.

Words - Suzy Sims
Previously published on Square Indie http://www.squareindie.co.uk in March 2008
(c) Square Indie

The Pigeon Detectives / Black Kids / The Rascals / Grammatics
@ Astoria, London 7th Feb

When you’re sandwiched against the barrier and the call of ‘Let’s go fucking mental!’ goes up behind you, either it’s going to be a good night or an unscheduled trip to A&E is just around the corner.

The NME/Shockwaves gig at London’s Astoria, headlined by the Pigeon Detectives, was the first of the Awards shows to sell out and the band’s first gig since mid-December.

First support came courtesy of Grammatics, whose jerky indie pop is given a strong backbone through the imposing cello. Opening with previous single ‘Shadow Committee’, they also played ‘Broken Wing’ (introduced as their version of a power ballad). Owen Brinley’s high voice seems to float above the rest of the band and they were an interestingly quirky start for the people who had bothered to turn up early.

Next up were The Rascals, whose echoing and pounding lad rock has real potential to get a crowd hurling beer cans all over the place. It’s too early for that tonight however. Their deafening tunes contain psychedelic echoes and swirls similar to labelmates the Dead 60s. They have cracking songs although some have a feeling of ‘did I hear this one already?’ At the moment it’s impossible to mention The Rascals without also namedropping their similar-sounding mates, the Arctic Monkeys. But if you hadn’t considered them in the same breath before, the sight of Alex Turner stepping onto the stage, guitar in hand to join in music and vocal duties on ‘Is It Too Late?’ will change that. The Astoria erupted, but it won’t be the music The Rascals are remembered for tonight.

Black Kids were the scenesters’ band of the night (bright clothes – check. Korgs – check. Topshop/Vice Tour – check). They’ve travelled over from Florida for a handful of key shows to whip up UK interest before embarking on Sons & Daughters and Kate Nash support slots. They were on a mission to get everyone dancing with their optimistic, poppy tracks whose melodies pleasingly reminded me of Operator Please. Sadly the girls’ voices were almost inaudible above the music so that extra dimension was lost, but it was still entertaining.

Last year was an immense one for the Pigeon Detectives and saw them described by hosts NME as ‘band of the summer’ and ‘undisputed dons of the festival circuit’ (and ‘sexist’, but presumably they forgot to mention that when booking for tonight). Joking that The Rascals might have had Alex Turner but they had Bono hidden backstage, they played songs including ‘I Found Out’, ‘Romantic Type’, ‘Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye’ and ‘Stop Or Go’. Singer Matt Bowman pointed out this was their first gig for a few months and promptly forgot the lyrics to ‘Take Her Back’.

After spending some weeks recording their new album, the Pigeon Detectives tried out a handful of new tracks - ‘I’m A Liar’, ‘Say It Like You Mean It’ and ‘I’m Not Gonna Take This’, angrily-named songs full of a darker energy and the band’s trademark singalong choruses.

The band were high-spirited throughout, with Bowman laughing as he untangled the mic lead from guitarist Oli Main and occasionally throwing water at drummer Jimmi Naylor. The audience was equally up for it, with plenty of sweaty crowdsurfing. I got clipped on the head with a stray beer can. It hurt.

The show closed with ‘I’m Not Sorry’, though I missed half of that one because Bowman and a couple of randoms were crowdsurfing on my head. The crowd was bouncing along, I didn’t go to A&E, and it was a good night. May we see more of all four bands this year.

Track Review - Subliminal Girls

2008-06-16T23:02:00.000+01:00

This originally appeared on Native.tv but were also reproduced on 21st Century Music, thanks to the lovely Ray.

Words - Suzy Sims
Previously published on Native.tv http://www.native.tv in January 2008
(c) Niche News & Publishing Ltd

Subliminal Girls - Hungry Like The Wolf / Self Obsession Is An Art Form

We’ve been told off for not putting Subliminal Girls in our recent Ones To Watch In 2008 section at Native.tv, so sorry about that. They’re on the hunt, they’re after you, so be on the lookout. If you also know the words to “Hungry Like The Wolf” you have either a) been subjecting your friends and neighbours to SingStar Party far too much, or b) you’re a major Duran Duran fan.

I’m not sure what the reasons are for covering this track, but never mind. It’s been turned from a slightly clumsy electropop track into a thoroughly enjoyable, fast paced, fizzy glam Britpop anthem – think Pulp’s “Disco 2000″ (the single version if you’re being fussy) for the general joyful feel. It’s played by some energetic Girls (boys) dosed up on sugary orangeade with a dash of vodka in there.

The vocals occasionally get lost in the hearty cheerfulness, but apart from that it’s three-and-a-half minutes of colourful bouncy pop. It’s a double A-side to “Self Obsession Is An Art Form”, a song which made me think of “Everyday Is Like Sunday”. This track shows a more vulnerable and relaxed-sounding side: “You are going to eat me alive” is set to a warm grey cloud of music. ‘Tis very nice, but ‘Hungry…’ is the most enjoyable of the two.