Chorus of Birdmen Grow Brutal Fins
Spontaneity rocks. I read a blog post, featuring a shop, featuring a band, went to the shop, watched the band then wasted money on CDs. Damn! It costs too. At least it doesn’t waste my time. The Brute Chorus were worth it. Well worth it. These East London blues punk rockers are on the verge...
Learn your Vwls BLK JKS
“Reminds me of gap year students smacking bongos trying to save the planet” was my friend’s reaction to world music. Sadly, a view echoed by many. But the world is big and music doesn’t only come from the US and the 51st State. Not even rock. BLK JKS are from Johannesburg. They rock. South African...
Revere
August 2007 was a long time ago, but I still have vivid memories watching Revere at the now defunct Spitz. Severely impressed, I departed expecting Revere to make it big in 2008. But, despite being lauded by the Guardian as ‘one of the best bands you’ve never heard of’, they’re still largely unknown. Despite featuring...
Lovely Bowl of Luke
Fear flashes across my face when the often tiresome pair of singer with acoustic guitar walk to the stage. At Insideout in Kingston, I couldn’t have been more scared when the singer introduced himself saying he’s ill and might collapse half way through his set. How I trembled. Then he played. He sang. The world...
One Love
I’ve seen Redvers Bailey perform solo at the Half Moon in Putney a few times now, but his new project, the band One could take him to new heights. If you imagine Jeff Buckley without depression, you might get somewhere near to describing One. You can hear tinges of jazz and funk in their sound,...
Moths hate Camphor. I don’t.
My family use this substance not only as a moth repellent, but also as a way to ward evil spirits. Its powerful stuff. So is the band with the same name, Camphor. I’m becoming a sucker for epic popular music, but is there anything wrong with that? The front man of Camphor, Max Avery Lichtenstein,...
Confederation of Undead Rock
Is it weird that a fresh sound can be back to basics rock? Probably not. We’re all getting bored of electroindie. I certainly am. Well a little bit at least. There are no synths to be seen around Dead Confederate. Just bloody great songs. Dead Confederate recently wowed many at SXSW (South by South West)...
Love, Money and Murder make us Happy
The internet has smashed our attention spans to pieces. We spend less time focusing on one band and instead skim from one MySpace page to the next. I picked up that habit, but still make sure to buy as many albums as Mr Mastercard can afford. They’re the only way for me to get under...
Unicorns give birth to Islands
A record store is reaching for my wallet again. The new album, Arm’s Way by the Islands is out on 19 May. I’m going to have to buy it, along with their first album Return to the Sea. I wish I came across this band from Montreal sooner. Islands are descendants of The Unicorns. I...
