“I play drums in Babyshambles but don’t let that put you off.” Good thing it didn’t, because whilst I adore Marmite, I’m not a fan of Babyshambles.
Adam Ficek, performing under the monicker Roses Kings Castles, is a DJing songwriting multi-instrumentalist whose talents would leave any baby in a shambles.
Adam says Bletchley, Milton Keynes, where he was born is an, “odd satellite suburban juxtaposition of a place, it doesn’t quite know whether it’s farmland or city“. This perpetually British suburban conundrum has clearly impacted Roses Kings Castleseponymous debut album.
I admire music that connects with the context in which it is created. Take for example the superb The Imagined Village or Jim Moray - both acts successfully unite British folk and urban music.
Roses Kings Castles initially started as a filler during Babyshamble’s break (see The Sun, The Mirror or the Daily Star for more details). It soon spiralled into much more, and Ficek’s home made Lo-Fi has been received with much deserved praise.
Major labels should know sounds that sell - with rosters full of great artists or at least great assets. So why was I so surprised at a gig featuring two singers signed to Universal and Warner?
Because the two unsigned acts also playing put the big boys to shame.
I don’t care if artists are signed to a major, an independent or are unsigned. Its the music that counts. What does irk me are major labels wasting money on generic muck when there is spectacular talent on their doorstep.
Life In Film
Unsigned Life In Film were one of the bands that deserves the rewards of being signed. Their infectious and unique indie pop could sell many records. Festival crowds will love their sing along choruses, whilst mud dancing to the funky rhythms. Life In Film’s live set did lose some subtlety from their recordings - but add a glockenspiel and problem solved.
Actually nothing was subtle in the Water Rats - you’d have been lucky to hear a 747 if it sat on your face - its stupid and dangerous. I’d still like my hearing when I reach 30.
I’m Sorry, You Don’t Know What You’re Doing
I was instantly put off Doug Walker (Warner) and Gary Go (Universal) - they’ve been manicured into such characterless manifestations of mediocrity that if they chanted their own names in every chorus you still wouldn’t know who they were. A Life In Film track on the other hand could play on the radio and you’d know who it belongs to. We can only hope they get more radio play, especially if they keep on writing songs like I’m Sorry, I Didn’t Know What To Do. If I did tune of the month this exclusive from Life In Film would be October’s flavour:
Apparently I’m of “Generation Y”. This means I’m a geeky yuppie born after 1979. Yeah - can’t complain with that.
It also means I lived through the 80s, but being brought up in Hong Kong I missed out on all the psychedelic British kids TV. Rod Thomas clearly got a fair dose as his video for Same Old Lines shows:
This folkster from Wales played at a few summer festivals, including Glastonbury and Latitude. His music is accessible yet distinctive - I guess what being “Generation Y” is all about - standing out from a crowd of many talented people.
My parents fed me a diet of Tears for Fears, David Bowie and Roxy Music with their cheesy synthetic beats as a side, and you can hear them garnish Rod Thomas‘ songs - although James Taylor is definitely a main ingredient.
Interpretations of music are often revealing, and James Yuill picked out the 80’s from the Rod Thomas sound palette when he remixed Same Old Lines. Oh, and here’s the mp3:
Is anyone else becoming addicted to Born Survivor with Bear Grylls? He eats caterpillars and cuts the heads off skunks. Double hard.
I’ll never be that adventurous, but I’m always up forNew Adventures. Especially ones destined to fill arenas around the world.
The four men of New Adventures began playing together at university, but a piece of the jigsaw was missing until vintage jeans brought Helen into the fold. Jez and Steve were selling vintage clothing - Helen bought some, and the rest is history.
The main obstacle New Adventures face is being lumped with Coldplay and Keane - but once you get over that you can enjoy some delicious stadium rock.
New Adventures will be releasing a second EP, Accidents, later this year featuring the stunning and drumless Never Get Caught, which can be heard on their MySpace. But I have fallen in love with this post’s MP3, try not to sing along:
My colleagues think I lie. They don’t believe I was in Casino Royale. Maybe it shows I have a problem - that despite my recent 25th I’m still just a kid. I’d hope so anyway.
Kids Love Lies - and these kids also love to fuzzy guitar your ears to heaven.
Praise the lord for perseverance - Ellen Murphy answered a band’s final plea for a lead singer and in her they found their messiah. And although this only happened last year, Kids Love Lies‘ raging pixie sounds have been winning plaudits amongst those who know, including Radio 1.
Expect more material early 2009, followed up by a UK tour. As I’m sure you can’t wait that long, here’s an excellent exclusive courtesy of Kids Love Lies for your pleasure:
They have quite a few gigs coming up which you can see on their MySpace, but I’ll see then at the Notting Hill Arts Club on Wednesday 3 December. With my camcorder. Sad, I know.
“Why don’t you post about female artists?” my friend asks. Well I have actually, when I rung about the glorious Bell. Gender, two genders or no gender - I don’t care so long as their music rings true.
So, the fact that holeytonal features more male artists, or bands with male leads, is not the reason for posting about CHEW LiPS. I’m posting about CHEW LiPS because I look like a tit when I groove to their tunes on the tube.
Only 8 gigs old, CHEW LiPS’s 8-bit drone disco and indie fusion has already been featured by Steve Lamacq on Radio 1. Its especially refreshing after Pendulums’ shit but commercially successful dance-rock crossover - I’d even prefer Alphabeat.
Try your hardest not to tap your feet to this excellent tune courtesy of CHEW LiPS - only available to download at holeyontal:
Tour dates include 93 Feet East on Friday 12 September. But I can’t be bothered to go to the far east this week, so I’ll wait until Saturday 27 September and see them at the St. Moritz Club in the West End.
Isn’t it awful asking to hear someone’s music, only to feel like you’re bleaching your ears? To my great relief James Marple’s music was more like a gentle clean.
Under the pseudonymJames and The Jewellery Store, Marples weaves burlesque lined tracks with lyrics encompassing “the courtly-love of the Romantic poets to the dust bowls of 20th Century American Social Realism.”
I met the self exiled Ozzy before I went on holiday, and swung to his tunes whilst sun bathing in a typhoon. There are more songs available for free at his MySpace and you can expect a music video form James and The Jewellery Store at holeytonal soon. For now though, enjoy these gems:
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 on the Hotly Tipped for 2008 iTunes compilation, they’re still largely unknown. Despite being finalists in Q’s Glastonbury New Talent competition (they didn’t win it, which is probably a good thing), they’re still largely unknown.
You get the picture, but I’m going to paint a new one. The arty and epic Revere deserve to be known and, dare I say it, revered.
Fronted by Liverpudlian Stephen Ellis, the 9 piece from north London boast instrumental forces including violin, cello, harp and trumpet. They sight influences such as Bjork and Buckley, but I’d say if you cross-bred Muse and Sufjan Stevens, Revere would come out the mongrel. Its best though not to expect anything from Revere, they are quite unpredictable.
I’m looking forward to Revere’sdebut album, which is currently in the works and will be released on their own imprint, Albino Records.
This title track from their 2006 EP Learning to Breath is simply sublime:
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 rejoiced. Well, maybe not the world, but 30 people in a church west of London did. Luke Sital Singh stole the show.
Despite having a bad case of man flu, his voice and lyrics were mesmerising. His melodies and harmonies catchy and clever. His performance wiped the fear from my face. Only to be replaced by a glare reading something like ‘ok, so this guy is good, bloody good’.
Luke Sital Singh is being modest when he compares himself to ‘a lovely bowl of soup’. Then again my favourite dish is a Vietnamese soup called Pho. So maybe he’s not so modest after all. Soup or no soup, he’s certainly not soupy, proven in the demo he kindly agreed to share. Its a fantastic song on tape. Even better live.
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, but darker rock creeps in giving the music a grittier edge.
Considering they first performed in December 2007, I’m impressed with their current demos. Listen to these two contrasting tracks showing off One’s musical diversity:
My name is Rylan and I’ve been a homeopath for the past 24 years. Great. But how many songs are there about homeopathy? As far as I can tell, only one. It’s by Bell.
Olga Bell, born in Russia, raised in Alaska and now living in Brooklyn, has vocal and musical qualities that instantly remind you of Björk. Theres even an interesting cover of Its Oh So Queit on Bell’s MySpace.
At first I reacted against what I thought was a blatant rip off of the Ice Queen, but I kept coming back for more. Throwing IDM into the mix did it for me.
So, homeopathy? Bell’s Echinacea is the IDM infused Björkathon, with a great trippy beat, and clapping. Its a bit of a shame Bell didn’t make more use of the cheering at the opening of the track, otherwise its quite the tune:
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, is already known as a film music composer. More recently he decided to step back from his incidental musings, and instead made an album inspired by Wabi Sabi. Thats epic in my book.
Listening to Camphor reminds me of the great Eels, with their American folk influences alongside Lichtenstein’s gravelly vocals. There are also Moriccone style gun slinging lead guitars. Epic orchestration features too.
Camphor’s debut LP, Drawn to Dust, has been receiving plaudits from the likes of Obscure Sound. The record is only available on import to the UK, but you can still buy it for under a fiver. My copy is in the post. Eight days, grrr.
Whilst you wait for yours to arrive, here’s a snippet; look out for the string’s uber harmonies at the end:
@TartyTart ah, i don't play online - i know i will never stop. I play with a few friends around London and also in some clubs. Always Fun! 20 hours ago
@stephenfry don't rub it in, its a rainy cold day in London! 2008/12/02
Editing your own copy is a nightmare! grr. 2008/12/02
It may be cold, but at least its not as sweaty on the tube. 2008/12/02
@TartyTart you play poker? cool... welcome to Twitter, and thanks for the follow! 2008/12/02
, has been receiving plaudits from the likes of 
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