The Xcerts are set to release a mini live album exclusively through iTunes called Live At King Tut’s.
Having recently returned from tours with My Vitriol and Feeder, The Xcerts will release a live album as they continue to play across the UK this summer.
Live At King Tut’s captures a very special sold out show from the launch of their Crisis In The Slow Lane single released on Xtra Mile / King Tut’s Recordings. The live album was mixed by Dave Eringa (Idlewild, Manic Street Preachers) who produced the band’s debut album.
The Xcerts Live At King Tut’s will be available exclusively through iTunes on 27th July. The energetically charged eight song set includes the previously unreleased track, Beige.
Singer Murray Macleod said of the show “It’s every kids dream to play King Tut’s and to sell it out was a big milestone for us. When our soundman Nelly suggested recording it we were nervous but it came out so well that we wanted our fans to hear it too. It’s a bit rough and ready but it represents the breaking point of 2 years hard touring and we couldn’t be more proud.”
The Xcerts UK Tour Dates:
JUNE
25th Warwick Uni, Warwick
26th Westend Centre, Aldershot
29th Barfly, Cardiff
JULY
1st The Garage, London
2nd The Grapes Cellar, Hereford
3rd Electric Bay Festival, Scotland
4th Electric Bay Festival, Scotland
5th Ice Factory, Perth
24th Wickerman Festival, Scotland
26th Truck Festival, Oxford
AUGUST
1st Hevy Festival, Folkestone
7th Boardmasters Festival, Newquay
9th BBQ Your Life. Brixton Windmill, London (special covers show with Winnebago Deal and 4 or 5 Magicians)
15th Leefest, Kent
22nd GRV - SOS Festival, Edinburgh
31st Beachdown Festival, Brighton
Crying Lightning, the first single from Arctic Monkeys’ new album, Humbug, will receive it’s worldwide, exclusive first radio play on Monday the 6th of July on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show.
Crying Lightning willbe available digitally via iTunes from 7th July. While the CD will be available on the 17th of August, a week before the release of Humbug.
Humbug features 10 brand new Arctic Monkeys’ songs and was produced by Josh Homme in the Mojave Desert and Los Angeles and James Ford in Brooklyn.
Fans can now pre-order the album in bundle form, with a collectible, limited edition poster, from the band’s website: www.arcticmonkeys-store.co.uk
The Arctic Monkeys, who will be headlining the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August and playing the following shows over the summer, have added 4 new shows in the US to their world tour:
Thursday 2nd July Opener Festival, Gydnia, Poland
Saturday 4th July Rock For People, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
Sunday 5th July Vienna Arena, Austria
Tuesday 7th July Prokurative, Split, Croatia
Thursday 9th July Exit Festival, Serbia
Saturday 1st August All Points West, New Jersey, USA
Sunday 2nd August Osheaga Festival, Montreal, Canada
Monday 3rd August Highline, New York, USA
Wednesday 5th August Paradise, Boston, USA
Friday 7th August Metro, Chicago, USA
Saturday 8th August Lollapalooza, Chicago, USA
Thursday 13th August Oya Festival, Oslo, Norway
Friday 14th August Way Out West, Gothenburg, Sweden
Saturday 15th August Beat Day Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
Friday 21st August Highfield Festival, Erfurt, Germany
Saturday 22nd August Pukkelpop Festival, Hasselt, Belgium
Sunday 23rd August Lowlands Festival, Holland
Friday 28th August Leeds Festival, England
Saturday 29th August Reading Festival, England
Monday 19th October Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
Friday 6th November Zenith, Paris, France
Last week I had the chance to check out Moneen at the Camden Barfly, as they headlined one of two UK shows before kicking off their weeklong tour with Brand New.
Despite the fact the show had been organized fairly last minute, with the band having to borrow equipment from opening act Lights. Action!, the Barfly was packed and Moneen delivered a solid performance. Playing predominantly old material with a few new songs off their forth-coming album The World I Want to Leave Behind, they had the whole room singing along from the moment they stepped on stage.
The four piece indie rock group from Ontario, Canada formed in 1999 and have released three albums to date, with their new and highly anticipated follow up to The Red Tree (2006) expected to drop sometime this fall. They have developed quite a reputation over the years for their stunning live performances, and this show was no exception.
They kicked things off by launching into ‘Are We Really Happy with Who We Are Right Now?’ as vocalist and guitarist Kenny Bridges delivered an indefatigable performance, leaping around the stage.
This was followed by a number of old favourites, including ‘Bleed & Blister,’ ‘Tonight I’m gone…’ and ‘The Passing of America’ much to the delight of the crowd. They also took the opportunity to play 2 new songs ‘Hold That Sound’, off the new EP, and ‘Believe.’
The new material seems to be a bit of a departure from the tech rock sounds of their last albums. Regardless of this shift, both new and old fans received the new material enthusiastically only adding to the anticipation surrounding their upcoming release.
As their set came to an end, Moneen finished up on a high with ‘Don’t Ever Tell Locke What He Can’t Do.’ At this point general mayhem broke out as the crowd surged with excitement, fans jumping up onto the stage and all the microphones, with the exception of guitarist/ vocalist Hippy’s, seemingly disappearing into the crowd.
Moneen are an astounding live band that consistently delivers passionate, high-energy rock that continues to impress. It is for this reason that the band has developed such a loyal following with some fans travelling from as far away as Norway just to see them play. Hinting that they may be back in the fall to tour their new album,
I would highly recommend taking advantage of this second chance to go check them out.
Mouthwash - True Stories is out now on Rebel Alliance Recordings
Fusing hard-edged ska and ragga rhythms and melodies with a punk rock sound and enthusiasm, Mouthwash have grown a loyal live following over the past 14 years.
When they supported Rancid at the Astoria it impressed lead singer Tim Armstrong so much he asked the band to join his label Hellcat Records on which they released the debut album 1000 Dreams.
Mouthwash released their latest album True Stories tihs month with a bonus CD featuring live and unreleased tracks.
Their songs are defined by an honest delve into the under belly of London life, with references to rejecting day jobs, bundling on to night buses to getting guns pulled on them in Brixton. All their music is engrained with a gritty realism that tenderly touches on the romantic before heading back to the street corners, signing on and the offy.
Mouthwash themselves are quick to point out that they don’t have a particular message to spread, they just want to make good music, get smashed and enjoy themselves along the way.
With tour stories such as hitchhiking across America and being stuck in a van for days with a mental patient, it seems like they are definitely trying!
These hard working boys are back and better than ever with their new album. To promote this new release the band are headlining a series of UK shows after and have just a UK tour with good friends The King Blues.
You can see how energetic Mouthwash are when they perform at the following venues this summer:
26th July The Retro Bar, Manchester
8th Aug Maze, Nottingham with Voodoo Glow Skulls
9th Aug Secret location (just outside Bristol), Boom Town Fair with Chas n Dave & Sonic Boom Six
Watch the promo video for Dark Was The Night:
True Stories by Mouthwash tracklisting:
1. Ask and it is given
2. A face in the crowd
3. No fear
4. N68
5. The sound
6. That Girl
7. Everyday feelin’
8. What I don’t know
9. Southbound
10. Atlantic Rd.
11. Dark was the night
12. Hazy days
Bonus Disc:
1. N68 (acoustic live)
2. Solid as a rock (live)
3. Sign of the times (unreleased)
4. I don’t wanna hear it (live acoustic)
5. We evolve (live acoustic)
6. Knock on your door (demo)
7. Ask and it is given (live acoustic)
8. Fools Gold (live)
9. One in ten (demo)
Plymouth’s hard-rocking roots-punks, Crazy Arm produce true grit punk rock - 21st century style.
After three false starts, Crazy Arm have eventually released a debut album. Born To Ruin is a well produced, polished debut album that is not that simple to drop into a clearly labelled box.
Born To Ruin is an aural accumulation of years and years of influence and inspiration. Country punk rock and hardcore is clearly audible in both the raw hard rocking guitar-led tunes and vocal angst. But a more commercial sides of rock give Crazy Arm several aspects and layers to their music.
But in the same way that London Calling by The Clash, The Argument by Fugazi and Under The Fog by The King Blues are punk rock records, Born To Ruin by Crazy Arm, though uncomfortably so, is best categorised as a punk rock album.
But unlike three chord thrash of the 1970s, Crazy Arm are much more melodic in their tunes and more restrained with their vocal delivery. All of which makes this type of hard-edged rock music more accessible and radio-friendly in 2009.
For instance, Blind Summit and Broken By The Wheel may be dynamic country-punk anthems – all slide guitars and self-confession, but Christ In Concrete and Asphalt harness the dark brooding tones of 16 Horsepower. Reassure Me may pack a melodic hardcore punch, but International Front – a slight upon imperialist wars – and Henry Fabian Flynn pay tribute to the protest song of Dick Gaughan, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, et al.
Elsewhere, live favourites like the galloping Still To Keep call to mind the sub-pop sensibilities of Ted Leo or The Replacements. All told, Born To Ruin is a good rocking debut album.
Here’s the promotional video for thedebut single taken from Born To Ruin, Broken By The Wheel
Crazy Arm - Born To Ruin is out now on Xtra Mile Recordings.
