Blink-182

Blink-182 have been confirmed to headline an Eden Session on Sunday July 8.

The Californian three-piece come to Eden following the release of their acclaimed sixth studio album Neighborhoods last September, their first record since the band split in 2005.

Blink-182, otherwise known as Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker, are probably best known for 1999’s seminal Enema of the State, which went on to sell 15m copies and spawned perhaps the band’s most well-known singles All the Small Things, What’s My Age Again and Adam’s Song.

Enema of the State was Blink-182’s third studio album, following 1994’s Cheshire Cat and 1996’s Dude Ranch. It preceded 2001’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and their self-titled fifth studio album, released in 2003 and heralding a more mature sound for the trio.

The band split in 2005 but reformed in 2009. New album Neighborhoods continues the band’s progression into more mature themes.

Blink-182 has sold more than 27 million albums in total and has won multiple awards, including Best New Act at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards and Best Rock Act at the same ceremony in 2001.

Martin Williams, Eden’s Marketing Director, said:

“Blink-182 are a great coup for the Eden Sessions. The band defined the pop-punk sound of the late nineties and early noughties, mixing catchy guitar hooks with lyrics that tackle serious issues in a humorous way. We’re really excited to be part of Blink’s return to the top and can’t wait to hear them perform songs from their long-awaited new album at Eden.”

Blink-182 are the second announcement for the 2012 Eden Sessions. UK soul and hip-hop star Plan B will headline a show on Friday July 6. More acts will be announced soon.

The Eden Sessions enter their eleventh year in 2012, following an acclaimed series of gigs in 2011, featuring Brandon Flowers and Pendulum among others. Previous years have seen performances from acts including Oasis, Kasabian, Mumford & Sons, Florence and the Machine and Muse.

Eden’s Inside Track scheme returns for the 2012 Eden Sessions. Members get a guaranteed pair of tickets to each show, with seven days to decide whether to buy them before they go on general sale. As well as priority booking and the latest Sessions news, Inside Track also gives members the chance to win exclusive Eden Sessions prizes.

Tickets to the Blink-182 Eden Session cost £35 plus booking fee and go on sale to Inside Track members today (Tuesday January 24) and on general sale at 6pm on Tuesday January 31. To book, contact the Eden Box Office on 01726 811972 or visit www.edensessions.com.

Field Music

It seems nobody is ever indifferent to Field Music. Fans of their distinctive albums and joyful yet precise live shows love their intricate melodies and unusual time signatures, but to others they are just pretentious pseuds. The way the brothers Brewis grin at each other as they roam a stage swapping instruments can be mistaken for them being too pleased with themselves – I think they just love what they do. Dismissing them, and leaving before the end, my friend quipped that they might write a musical next…..

Perhaps with Plumb they have:

From the opening bars of “Start the day right” there is a whiff of musical theatre about this album. Close your eyes and you can see the Brewis boys arms outstretched West End musical style. But this is not a big departure, if  you didnt like the 3 albums released since they formed in 2004, you wont  like this. It is unmistakeably, brilliantly Field Music.

2nd track “Its OK to change”(of course they havent) has a signature nagging baseline and fades to an eerie sound of running water at the end which bleeds into “Sorry again mate”, mournful tuba and the usual close harmonies. Church bells on “A new town” add to the  eerie mood but this track is just an interlude really. Such slivers of music are a feature of the record creating atmoosphere(and explaining why an album shy of 40 minutes has 15 tracks.

The middle stretches of the album are characterised by more prominent guitars, bigger chords and piano such as on “Choosing sides”

“Who’ll pay the bills” is classic Field Music reminiscent of XTC, an easy comparison but they are no mere copyists, lush strings and orchestration on “So long then” is inimitably them. as is the beautiful mournful vocal interlude of “How many more times” in which they enquire solemnly, how many more times will you see the moon?

This is expansive ambitious music which repays repeated listening, there are fewer obvious pop singles than on earlier albums but “A new thing”, available pre release as a free download on the website is a contender, closing the Album on an upbeat note. My favourite though is ” Just like everyone else”(one thing you cant say about Field Music who are  quite unique) a trademark nagging bassline and insistent drumbeat which put me in mind of Secret Machines masterpiece “What used to be French”

This is a wonderful record- Classic Field Music, the same but different to what they have done before. If you like it look out for Brewis solo efforts; David released “Sea from shore” under the name School of Language in 2008 and Peter released an album under the name “The week that was“  the same year

This year, a new Peter Brewis solo work “One copy” can only be heard at The Lauriston Gallery in Sale(until January 17th), because there is only one copy…………now maybe that is a little bit pretentious?

Field Music release new album ‘Plumb‘ on the 13th of February on Memphis Industries.

The Eleventh Hour by The Birthday Suit

The Birthday Suit is the solo project of Idlewilde guitarist Rod Jones, while the Scottish indie-rock music band is on hiatus. This instantly sets alarm bells ringing, as a ‘band on the side’ can often mean the passion and energy necessary are missing.

The Eleventh Hour by The Birthday Suit is released on Sing It Alone Records.

However, these fears are instantly allayed as the album plays. Yes, it does have a lot in common with the Idlewilde sound, but that’s to be expected – and yet The Birthday Suit still has its own identity while lacking none of the intensity.

The Eleventh Hour was released in November and is the The Birthday Suit’s debut album. It’s a mix of upbeat and melancholy, with strong guitar riffs and melodic harmonies throughout.

The first track, Do You Ever? is one of the rockier pieces of the album, which often strays into a more of a folky sound before heading straight back again. It’s fun, it’s interesting, and it draws you to listen to the rest of the album.

Their track On My Own is the type of song you just can’t help but find yourself nodding your head to. With the lyrics ‘And I don’t care if you don’t care for me no more’, it tells of the end of a relationship and the struggles with moving on alone. You’ll find yourself agreeing with the sentiment within the first chorus.

This upbeat track is directly followed by Sell it All, which is a shock to the system with its almost gloomy intro. It soon picks up a little though, and the poetic nature of the piece works well with the sincere empathy of the record.

Overall, the album is honest and appealing. Through Rob, it’s retained many of the elements that made Idlewilde so popular in the first place, while showing off a whole new side – especially in the form of female vocalist Jacqueline Irvine. This is definitely not just a side project to stay entertained – the heart and soul in obvious throughout.

The Eleventh Hour is available to buy now for £7.99 via The Birthday Suit’s website.

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Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon

I first stumbled across Kings Of Leon in 2003 with the release of their debut album, Youth and Young Manhood.  The album was as raw as a rare-cooked slab of meat with edges rougher than a stubble-chinned kiss. The band received critical-acclaim in the UK and the album peaked at #3 though fared less well in their homeland.

The second album,  Aha Shake Heartbreak was released a year later.  Musically it was much the same as the first, though I sense a slight turn away from rough, garage-ready sound towards a more studio produced sound that in time would become more commercial and veer away from alternative indie rock to become a mainstream stadium-filling and festival headlining pop rock that would see the Followill brothers & cousins become one of the most successful rock bands on the planet.

Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon is a very candid documentary based on interviews with the group and their families.  Explaining how the boys were brought up in a strict and religious environment citing how Caleb Followill was going to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a preacher man before escaping the poor, country small town existence to front one of the biggest rock groups in the world.

Caleb explains how one day he and brother Nathan was home alone and decided to rig a home-made aerial to the only television set which was only used to play computer games.  They were excited to watch Sesame Street.  Tongue-in-cheek he jokes how he will surely go to hell for that escapade. But there is a darker side to the documentary.  The band is shown arguing amongst themselves.  Insults are thrown as they appear fractious and at times without the brotherly love their external persona suggests. Caleb admits openly having had problems with alcohol and other drugs, though suggests he is over that part of his life.

Talihina Sky charts their lives from their humble beginnings in the deep South, through personal troubles and ultimately their love of music that would make them superstars, to signing a record deal and selling out stadiums worldwide.

Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon features interviews with the full band – Caleb, Nathan, Jared, and Matthew Followill  plus exclusive footage of other family members and influential figures in the band’s lives and career, this is the first time their tremendous journey has been documented. Talihina Sky is the definitive story of the Kings of Leon, told in their own words.

“10 years ago I witnessed the creation of this family band in their mother’s Tennessee garage. Even then, I was fascinated by their strict Pentecostal upbringing and the eccentric and colourful characters that make up their family. There was no doubt in my mind that they would become one of the biggest rock bands in the world. My goal with this film was to document the roots of their music and how rock-n-roll transformed their lives. I am proud and honoured to share the story of Kings of Leon.” – Stephen Mitchell, Director

Talihina Sky: The Story of the Kings Of Leon is released by Revolver Entertainment on DVD & Blu-ray.

Win a copy of Talihina Sky: The Story of the Kings Of Leon.

The Forum was packed for the return of Young Knives to the tiny idiosyncratic venue in this insular, twee Kent Spa town. With a Town Council slightly to the right of Attila The Hun, it is testimony to the enthusiasm of the people who run this place that it exists at all. They have an ear for bands on the way up – The Vaccines played here earlier this year- and punch well above their weight when it comes to attracting more established acts.

A combination of Southeastern trains and lingering too long in The Duke of York meant the first of the  support bands were missed….so apologies to Broken Hands. I was emboldened to linger longer than usual because Young Knives were at the next table, so no worries about missing the start!

Second up,Intraverse played a raucous and energetic set – tight/competent/dull, not my cup of tea but went down well enough….

and, finally, Young Knives:

After what seemed like endless fiddling about with mikes and guitars (especially since Guitarist Henry Dartnell used only a single instrument for the entire gig!) the band shambled on and started playing. The sound was fantastic, so all that fiddling was worth it. Looking around, half the audience seemed to be mouthing the words to every song, as the band quickly got into their stride.

Material from the third and most recent Album Ornaments from the Silver Arcade predominated; their sound has evolved a bit from the relentless, edgy effortlessly catchy pop of Voices of Animals and Men and Superabundance with the addition of a keyboard element, provided live by their enigmatic bassist “House of Lords”

They play with all the attack and verve of a band touring for the first time, and enthusiasm untempered by three albums not having garnered a much deserved breakthrough.

Well chosen older songs “She’s Attracted to” “Turn Tail” and “Terra Firma” were particular highlights of a scorching set, enlivened by enthusiastic dad dancing from the band and a few of the younger punters too – an invitation to take shirts off by Henry Dartnell was heeded by only one member of the audience (This is Royal Tunbridge Wells after all) but undaunted he removed his and performed half the set bare-chested – there was a touching moment at the end where he thanked the shirtless youngster for his support!

Rapturous applause soon tempted the band back for an encore. Kraftwerk’s “The Model” struck a rare bum note for me, but the last song, “Terra Firma” the first single from Superabundance was a blistering finale.

Great band.great gig.

The Unkindness of Ravens

Underground electro band The Unkindness of Ravens new double A-side, Virus/Viper is a preview to their debut album, due out sometime in 2012. The Unkindness of Ravens is Nina Wagner and Ben Raine, the single has elements of The White Stripes with a darker, sexier side to it.

The first track Virus uses Nina’s sultry tones over Ben’s simple hooks, mixed with a beat to make you unable to do anything but get up and move. The repetition of the line “you have to be the cure” creates an almost out-of-body experience, and you find yourself nodding along and agreeing within seconds.

The slightly more melodic track Viper is just as haunting. It’s a confident, in-your-face piece, with Ben’s vocals complementing Nina’s at crucial moments.

Having spent early 2011 writing, recording and touring Germany, the duo then returned to the UK in order to produce this razor-sharp double A-side. Since releasing singles including Dead Air and White Road, the band have received excellent reviews, and have been covered by magazines such as Rock Sound and Artrocker.

This is no clean, simple electro pop sound. It’s dark, it’s dirty, and it’s downright captivating. After just one listen, it’s easy to see why they’ve been described as ‘The Kills on acid”! With such a soulful yet futuristic taster of what’s to come, it’ll leave you on tenterhooks for the albums release.

The Unkindness of Ravens return with a brand new double A-side single Virus | Viper was released on 3rd October 2011 via Sonic Fire Records.

Indie Club Propaganda Australia Competition

Entrants asked, can you spread the Propaganda for the chance of a lifetime?

For those who love music, love clubbing and love socialising, the UK’s biggest indie club night are offering the chance to win a dream job – a 12 month paid role as the face and promoter of Propaganda at its home down under, The World Bar in Sydney starting on October 1st this year! Only professional partiers and those dedicated to filling dancefloors should apply.

This dream professional socialite and front-line party soldier job will not only give one lucky winner the chance to work with the fantastic team at Propaganda and The World Bar, they’ll also get to circumnavigate the globe courtesy of round-the-world flights, party at Australia’s best festivals and enjoy holiday packages to take in the sun, surf and snow of Australia and New Zealand.

Competition Prize package includes:

• Round the world flights (London-Bangkok-Sydney-Auckland-LA-New York)
• Full-time, 12 month position as a Propaganda Promoter at The World Bar Sydney
• First two months accommodation in Sydney
• $250 weekly hospitality schmoozing allowance at The World Bar Sydney
• Surf trip to Byron Bay courtesy of Mojo Surf
• Festival tickets for Future Music and Summadayze
• Kiwi Experience trip around New Zealand
• Queenstown holiday package courtesy of Mojo Snow

What a prize! This is a REAL full-time job offer and an amazing career opportunity at Propaganda Sydney for someone able to devise and execute clever, imaginative and sometimes elaborate promotional campaigns designed to entice clubbers through the door. To make sure they pick the right candidate for this dream job and chance of a lifetime, Propaganda is asking entrants aged between 18 and 30 to prove themselves and battle it out in four rounds:

Round 1: Who are yer?
Entrants are asked to film a video telling the judges about themself, where they’re from and why they love Propaganda. Video quality isn’t important, it can be filmed it on a mobile, what the Propaganda team cares about is the passion! Entries to be submitted via the Propaganda website by August 15th.

Round 2: The Big Free Promo
The lucky entrants through to Round 2 must film themselves promoting Propaganda in the most novel free way they can think of. Judges want to see creativity here and are looking for the most innovative ideas.

Round 3: Prove It
Entrants who’ve made it to Round 3 must demonstrate their promotional ability by getting the most people possible to their local Propaganda club night. It’s all about networking those contacts here!

Round 4: Face The Panel
The select candidates who have won over the Propaganda team so far by their party spirit, promotional flair and networking skills will be grilled by the Propaganda team on why they should be the winner of this dream job.

With British summertime passing by in a blur of wet weekends and an ailing economy casting shadows over most people’s career plans, Propaganda is offering one lucky individual the chance of a lifetime whether they’re fresh out of college or university, taking a gap year or just looking for a complete change in life. And it will be Australian summertime when they arrive! The opportunity also exists for ongoing sponsorship in Australia after a year for the right candidate.

For more information and entry submission visit the Propaganda website.

Online the buzz was also audible from noteworthy blogs and with the music industry focused the band have been busy touring, playing festivals and getting back into the studio to work on their forthcoming album. New single and current live show opener Capital showcases a darker dimension to the Films of Colour palette whilst retaining their commerciality with its Ride-esque guitar and more alternative art-rock edge.

‘Capital is about your everyday, a comment on the back and forth of metropolitan living and how we come out the better for it’ – Andy Clutterbuck (vocals).

On the b-side of the single, Persinette’s sinister opening and angst ridden guitar crunch embodies the band’s experimentalism and is a powerhouse of aggressive rhythms smashed into a wall of electronic soundscapes.

Both songs incorporate layers of synths and emotive guitars with impressive density drawing comparisons with the likes of Foals, Arcade Fire and Bloc Party as well as shades of Miike Snow and Muse exemplifying the band’s increasingly confident swagger and stadium filling potential that’s been fast growing their fanbase from live shows.

Films of Colour are: Andy Clutterbuck (vocals), James Hatcher (guitar), Jack Allinson (bass/synths) and James Rees-Flynn (drums)

Films Of Colour new single, Capital & Persinette is due for release on 8th August 2011 & distributed by Believe Digital.

For more information visit www.filmsofcolour.com.

Let’s Wrestle - Nursing Home

A few months ago, I’d never heard of Let’s Wrestle. Then a chance encounter with them, performing under the pseudonym of ‘The Apartment Ponies’ at the Lexington, changed all that. They knocked me out that night with a performance of real confidence and power.

Their new album carries on in the same manner, especially on the ‘power’ aspect, which is apparent after the first few seconds of the opening ‘In my dreams II’ (so called to distinguish it from the ‘In my dreams’ on their previous album, presumably.) If you are already familiar with the considerable charms of Let’s Wrestle’s work then you’ll already be aware of how they marry songs about the ordinariness of life and human ineptitude/failings will possibly the grungiest of fuzz-guitar sounds, adding more than a dash of self-deprecating humour at the same time.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is most definitely the order of the day here as ‘Nursing Home’ ploughs on in the same direction. The major change is that this CD is recorded by Steve Albini – yep, the big noisy guitar sound gets bigger and noisier here.

Nowhere is this better demonstrated than on “In the suburbs” which has a great riff/hook while Wesley sings about playing computer games, having dinner and being safe – his only worry is when his life might change and he might have to move out of his comfort zone. Not quite the image of bored and disaffected youth desperate to get to the big city lights for a bit of the action – a depressing summing-up of the apathetic nature of our modern pampered youth or am I reading too much into a pop song? Almost certainly the latter.

Perhaps there is a basis for a thesis for someone waiting to happen here: compare and contrast the worries and aspirations of modern youth with that of thirty years ago – no, maybe not. Still a stand-out track for me, though.

“Bad mammaries” is an ode to a woman of a certain age wearing clothing that might be considered as not befitting her accumulated years and her associated inappropriate behaviour. It also rocks along like a pogo stick on a cobbled street and is possibly the most-Albinified track on the album. To such an extent that I can’t help thinking that he’d made chunks of this track sound exactly like The Wedding Present. Intentional or accidental, it sounds great.

“I forgot” is another favourite. A tale of one man’s unreliability including the wonderful line “You know I’ll always be there for you. But I may be a few hours late.” I imagine many of us can relate to those words at some level.

Not every track here is top-notch, but there’s more than enough of the good stuff to be able to commend it to you for consideration of adding it to your summer playlist. And if you get the chance, try to catch them live. Being in the same room as that huge guitar sound is an experience worth seeking out.

Let’s Wrestle – Nursing Home tracklist:

In Dreams (part 2)
If I Keep On Loving You
In the Suburbs
Bad Mamories
Dear John
For My Mother
You’re So Lazy
There’s a Rockstar in My Room
I Forgot
I Am Useful
I Will Not Give In
Getting Rest

The Vertigos are a young indie rock band from St. Albans, Hertfordshire. The band started in 2008 and comprises of Matt Taylor (lead vocals and synthesizers), George Aldridge (lead guitar and bass), Matt Protz (bass, lead guitar and backing vocals), James Hull (rhythm guitar and backing vocals) and Chester Carr (drums and backing vocals).

The release of The Vertigos’ previous EP The Chariot followed the band’s first 5-track self-titled EP which attracted interest from Universal Records. Last Month The Vertigos performed tracks from their latest EP on BBC’s ‘Introducing’ show in a live session, giving them even more support and exposure.

Being influenced by the likes of The Libertines, Bloc Party, Friendly Fires and The Cribs, the strength of their prolific song writing is obvious in the melodies and chord structures. All band members contribute to the song writing which gives them a unique style. The use of synthesizers in their music showcases their ability to write songs which are essentially guitar driven but injected with dance undertones.

‘Rubix‘ has a catchy melody and is well-suited for Matt Taylor’s warm voice. With the subject matter discussing the volatile politics of relationships this is an up-tempo track, with swathes of rapturous bouncy synth octaves that keep the electro vibe at full speed. The second track ‘Saint’ is a reflection of nostalgic memories and belonging in home/younger years and ‘Halcyon Days‘. This is a chilled out choral work, with a nice-sounding melody and smooth guitars that build up to a very strong climax. ‘Rubix EP’ will be released on the 5th of September 2011 via Extinguish Records.

The Vertigos  UK Dates:

July 7th -                  Barfly London. London, United Kingdom – 21:00
Aug 13th -                Batemans Brewery Music Event 2011. Wainfleet, Boston, UK – 15:00
Sept 7th -                 Upstairs at The Garage London. London, UK – 21:00
Nov 5th -                 The Shed. Leicester, UK – 21:00

For more information on The Vertigos visit www.thevertigos.co.uk.

The Vertigos are set to release Rubix EP on Extinguish Records on 5th September 2011.