Monday 29 June 2009
Wednesday 24 June 2009
The Troxy
Somewhere in darkest, deepest East London, the streets outside the Troxy spilled-over with Cocker-ites. You could spot the locals in the next-door pub a mile off. And you smiled politely...Inside, the venue - usually home to cage-fighting - we bounced across the plush carpets, through the art-deco room towards the neon 'bar' sign. A bottle of red wine under the arm we headed to the front.
A suited Jarvis Cocker took to the stage with a cane, raised it like a snooker cue and declared, 'He pots the black.' Launching into a small routine before the opening track, the wirey Yorkshireman is funnier that most stand-ups. More compelling than a million frontmen. Eventually, the 'Pilchard', kicks things off, musically. Though an instrumental the crowd were transfixed by the singer: throwing legendary Cocker-shapes all over the stage. Being Iceland's national day, there was a small quiz with prizes after the opening song.
The set was 'Further Complications'-heavy. With Jarvis transforming into a matador for one track, collecting bras thrown to the stage for another. Seriously. And explaining his prejudice towards the saxophone for the Batman inspired 'Homewrecker!'.
I was surprised to find a huge toilet queue and bog dwellers at Troxy. The name of the venue confused Jarvis. 'We're playing the Trocodero?' 'Do you mean the Roxy?' Thinking someone was northerizing the name of the Lime House location. 'We're
playing at t'Roxy'.The second encore included 'Don't Let Him Waste Your Time'. To the local rag reviewer who said he didn't play it, stick around next time, 'gig reviewer.'
The third encore, do you get better VFM?, crowned the night with the wonderful euro-titled 'You're In My Eyes (Discosong)'. A track he introduced, refering to t'Roxy's (doesn't work) glitterball and likening the effect to floater you get in your eyes: they're bits of dead skin, he told us. So I learnt something too.
More Pulp songs wouldn't go a miss. Why do artists insist on being so stuck-up about their back-catalogue? But the performace was, as always, on cue. (Or some other snooker pun, you see...)
Songkick the gig here >
Tuesday 23 June 2009
The Brown Riviera
Summer's arrived in Battersea-by-sea, on the 'Brown Riviera'. No, it has. Actually, it looks like it really has. It's 23 degrees today, according to my new iPhone. (Ahem...) And true to form, the summer tunes have come out in full bloom. Here's a couple of three that are particularly bright and shiney this June.'Something Good Can Work' by Two Door Cinema Club. The more blatant 'Summertime Clothes' by Animal Collective. And Johnny Foreigner's 'Feels Like Summer'. Shades on. Arm out the window. Stereo turned up as your drive through town soaking up the stares. Because you're not playing the regulation RnB.
Wednesday 17 June 2009
Summer In The City
There's little, if not nothing, that I actually know about Moderat. But my dear friend, Richard, who lives at AllHale in the blog-o-drome, wagged his finger in this direction and I'd have been a fool to have not looked that way. He presides over a wonderous musical delicatessen which proffers everything from Plaid to Girls Aloud. (Oh, talking of which.) Moderat is closer to the Plaid end of the counter. It's fresh, monumental dubsteb that will soundtrack the working day perfectly. While dubstep tends to lurk around the shadowy corners of south London at 3am this strolls proudly down Oxford Street on a sunny afternoon. Tipping its hat to the Sinner Winner Man and the Hare Krishna folk. What I do know is that the self-titled album is gold. And 'Rusty Nails' is a good in. So get in.
Monday 15 June 2009
A Forgotten 2005
I know they're weren't blessed with looks but why weren't this lot super-massive? The debut, greatest, self-titled and final album from Clor, 'Clor' would have been high on my list of The Soundtrack To 2005. Except it's an album. And I wasn't doing this then. If you haven't been touched by the Clor, I urge you to do so now. If you were then, try it again now. It stands the test of time. And some. If it were on vinyl rather than 0s and 1s, side one would be the superior, by the way.
Nineteen seventy two thousand and nine
It's sunny. It's noisy. It feels like the 70s. It's Led Zep for the now. It's Amazing Baby's debut, 'Rewild'. If you've not got a whole lotta time, stamp your feet to 'The Narwhal' or 'Headdress'. Then I think you'll find you want to make time.
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Better
'Skanky Skanky' is the soundtrack to those difficult afternoons working on the 'creatively challenging' stuff. Those clients shall remain nameless... This album gets me through to six. It's that or strong coffee. I figure Toddla T is better than a cup of tea (ok, coffee). Confused? No? Let me try harder. The album bumps and grinds its way through your cranium while that track I've chosen to highlight from it is 'Better'. It's indeed 'better' at smoothing out those bumps. Now you are confused, right? Sack it - just go listen.
Thursday 4 June 2009
The Soundtrack to May 2009
The Soundtrack to May 2009 is now up on the inspired sharemyplaylists.com for you to tuck into. May had stuff like Metric, Tiga and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. There's no point in me listing it all here in retrospect. I don't need the typing practice and you don't want to read it all twice. Or even once, do you? Just go listen. And listen good.
Red States
Pure beauty for ears. 'Red States' from Fredo Viola's album 'The Turn' is the perfect way to start off any day. Particularly if the sun is shining. Or you've got a hangover. Or it's a Sunday. Or you're running through a glade.In short, anything.
Treacley harmonies poured over sugar melodies. The sounds this New Yorker creates mirror his geniunely sweet persona.
He also has a smashing little webbysite for the album which is worth at least five minutes of your time instead of doing what you were about to do next.
Tuesday 2 June 2009
Be The One
If you've never listened to John Kennedy on Xfm, shame and blasted double-shame on you. I pitty your ears. The first time I heard'Be The One' was on that show. It's the first time you'll hear most things. That was about six weeks ago. The second single to be taken from Jack Penate's forth-coming ablum. (Yes, I know.) I thought Tonight's Today, Today's Tonight, Tonight tooo.... yeah yeah that, was pretty damn special. But this is equally as aces.
And I tell you what makes it even better, JK dedicated this track, the first time I heard it, to me and my gorgeous wife on our Vegas marriage on t'radio. How about that?
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