The music just keeps coming – Here’s this weeks new music round up. When we went to see AK/DK last week, we don’t remember them mentioning that they had a new release out, but it turns out that they do, and according to the release date on iTunes it was out the day of the gig. It’s a track called Lagom and comes backed with a Physics House Band remix:
On Friday night we were lucky enough to be right down the front for two fantastic bands at a sold out gig at the Hope & Ruin. It’s been more than a year since AK/DK played in Brighton, but it’s been less than a year since Fröst have been going (although both members are have been in bands for over ten years). Here’s our pics – as usual, click through to view large:
And if you missed out because it was sold out, or want to relive the experience, here’s a couple of live videos from both bands, courtesy of Small Pond and BMusic:
Another week, another bunch of new tunes to share.Not quite as many as last week, so back to just the one post.
Before they head to Europe this summer to claim festivals across the continent as their own AKDK have shared a video for brand new track Atomic DNA:
With the regular Spectrum events at the Dome being co-sponsored by Resident it was no surprise that they had big things planned for Record Store Day. We were up with the birds queuing up outside Resident, and we had other things planned for the day, so we didn’t get to see TRAAMS, Our Girl, The Academy of Sun, Ellie Ford, Robb Johnson, Merlin Tonto, Aaamouai, Bernholz, The Delta Bell or Elin Ivarsson. We did see Grasshopper, Object Object, Demob Happy , Delta Bell, Faye Houston, AK/DK, The Fiction Aisle and Foreign Skin though, and took along our camera to record things for posterity. Click on the pics to view large:
As Rob has been meticulously drip-feeding his top twenty from 2014 into the blog over the last few weeks, I thought I’d provide an alternative listing just to show the diversity of our blogging tastes. That meant, no duplication with the Rob-o-Sphere, and so out went Curxes, Cate Ferris, Fear of Men, all of which were excellent in my book.
That left me with the following selections capturing ten (well, eleven) of the brilliant sounds and songs that emerged from our fair city over the last year in a shambling semblance/pretence of order:
1 Bentcousin – Dizzy
These terrible twins have been drip-feeding the cosmos with some ace songs, but this was the killer track for me released on a vinyl 7 inch and with some super Brighton-relevant rapping from Rory P.
2 yourgardenday – Something in the Music
A gorgeous plea for tolerance and harmony and a love of music, this had a limited release last year as lead track on Robin Coward’s Flat Stream EP, finally getting a full on-line release this summer.
3 Time for T – Free Hugs
An adorable band writing some adorable songs, this slunk of 70s soul has a great chorus and a charming video in which the band spend the whole song hugging Brighton people. Did I say it was adorable?
4 Sharon Lewis – Boxer’s Glove
Released right at the tail end of last year, this came from the Simple Things EP that accompanied Sharon’s excellent album, a melancholic tale of domestic violence, harsh but beautiful.
5 Fragile Creatures – Fragile Creatures
This band write some classic pop and none better than this – the self-named winner from their first EP which came out this summer.
6 Ellie Ford – Low
Singer-songwriter who had her debut EP re-released by Hidden Trail Records this year, from whence came this song, and also released an excellent covers EP. Ellie Ford is a singer who just gets better and better and her debut album should come out next year.
7 AK/DK – Maxwell’s Waves
This track comes from their album titled ‘Synth + Drums + Noise + Space’ which kind of sums up their sound without the excitement of their stunning live shows.
8 Slum of Legs – Razorblade the tape
This band are manic live, and their initial punky 7″ single on the Tuff Enuff label captures just half of this energy. This was the b-side.
9 Fiona Sally Miller – Lanterns
From one of three EPs released on the same day, this was one of the proper songs rather than the underwater experimental or live tracks, but like so much of Miller’s work it sounded magical.
=10 The Delta Bell – Wasted
Hiawatha Telephone Company – Dave
‘Wasted’ is a classic rambling country song sung by the gorgeous tones of Kate Gerrard and hit all the right notes in my book.
Shamelssly squeezing an eleventh song into my top ten I’ll come clean and admit that I had a hand in ‘Dave’, but it’s a song that ought to resonate in 2015 it being election year. Ripe for a cover, but for now we have this.
It’s been a frustrating week for us – our internet has been playing up and we haven’t been able to make half the posts that we wanted. As time has passed we’ve ended up with more and more to add to our regular new music post, so here we go, with more music than normal:
Fear of Men have spent the past few months supporting Pains of Being Pure at Heart on tour in America. Next week the tour moves to Europe, starting in France, so to celebrate the band have recorded a French version of their single Luna:
It’s not just Fear of Men who are off to Europe on tour next week – Flash Bang Band are too. Here’s a brand new video for Young Rogue from their album Bite Your Tongue that they’ve posted to celebrate, made up of footage from last year’s European tour.
The latest new music from Foreign Skin is a video of a live remix of Draper’s Electricity. You can catch Foreign Skin performing in the flesh at the Green Door Store on 26th June supporting Bernholz:
Sticking with remixes by Brighton acts, here’s IYES remixing 1965 by Zella Day, taking something that Lana Del Ray wouldn’t be ashamed of into electro wonderland:
This Friday we’re off to see Fujiya & Miyagi, supported by AKDK. You don’t have to wait until then to hear them in the same room though. Here’s Flaws from Fujiya & Miyagi’s new album remixed by AKDK:
Fool’s Empire release their debut EP on 16th June and have a launch party at the Green Door Store on the same day. Here’s the title track This Is Not For You:
Faux Flux put out a new single yesterday. You Know follows on from the electro pop of last year’s Come Alive and Week Long War releases:
Last, but by no means least, is the massive new tune from Anushka. Mansions is taken from the band’s upcoming album Broken Circuit. Huge wobbly bass, jittery beats and gorgeous harmonies
April was another great month for Brighton music with some fantastic albums being released as well as some lovely one offs for Record Store Day. May’s already shaping up nicely too but until then, here are our favourite tracks from last month:
1. Eagles for Hands – Handprints
Handprints is the sound of the party starting – lots of cowbell, housey piano and uplifting vocals. Eagles for hands are top of our list of bands to catch at the Great Escape next week – they’re at Coalition on Saturday night at 2.30am, and also at KLDSCP’s party alongside Caveman Genius and Foreign Skin and a whole host of other acts.
2. Fujiya & Miyagi – Flaws
Fujiya & Miyagi’s new album Artificial Sweeteners is out on Monday, although if you get down to Resident today they’re already selling signed copies. Flaws is the first single and is a great indicator of what to expect from the rest of the record – classic Fujiya & Miyagi with more electronics thrown into the mix. There’s still a few tickets left for their gig at the Haunt on 6th June but it will sell out, so I’d get a ticket sooner rather than later.
3. Fear of Men – Luna
Luna is the first single from Fear of Men’s brilliant new album Loom. If we didn’t love the track (which we do), it might have warranted a place in our top ten just on the basis of the utterly beautiful packaging – a fanzine written by the band and a clear flexidisc (along with download codes).
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4. AK/DK – Maxwell’s Waves
AK/DK’s new album Synth + Drums + Noise + Space was one of our highlights this month. The lead track is the bleepy Maxwell’s Waves, and electronic krautrock rush. AK/DK are the support at Fujiya & Miyagi’s gig at The Haunt that we mentioned earlier.
5. Curxes – Jaws
In April, Curxes put out Precurxor – a roundup of of old tracks and demos to keep our interest while they get on with the business of recording their proper debut album. It’s definitely working for us. Our highlight is Jaws, which captures the urgency and power of their live shows.
6. Winston & Goldstein – Ode to a Massive Obsession
When we heard that Jacqueline from Kins had a new project, we didn’t envisage Winston & Goldstein, whose main influence seems to be mid-nineties alternative dance music from what we’ve heard so far. There’s a heavy hint of Leftfield in Ode to a Massive Obsession, which can only be a good thing in our book. Oh, and the video is all kinds of brilliant too.
7. Blood Red Shoes – Speech Coma
Speech Coma is the new Blood Red Shoes single. The the chorus goes “I can’t get the words out / I can’t get the words out / It’s like someone cut out my tongue”. And so does the video. Quite literally. Not for the faint hearted.
8. Cate Ferris – Gotta Do Better
We haven’t got a media link for Gotta Do Better, the latest offering from Cate Ferris. The only way to hear it is to sign up to her page on PledgeMusic, where she’s currently raising money for her new EP.
9. Cleff – Restart
Restart is on Cleff’s new Listen In EP, a lovely blend of electronic and classical music. We posted open the EP’s opening track Big Ideas earlier this month, but it was Restart which got under our skin.
10. Fickle Friends – Play
Fickle Friends have got a real knack for a catchy pop song. We loved Swim earlier this year, and they’ve done it again with Play. Fickle Friends are another band who are on our list for the Great Escape, playing at the Green Door Store on Saturday night, and at the Mesmerist on Saturday afternoon.
On the 19th May AK/DK release their debut album Synths + Drums + Noise + Space. It’s already getting a fantastic reception in the press – both NME and The Line of Best Fit have given it 8/10 reviews. Anyone who’s been to one of their incredible live shows will know what to expect – semi-improvised pulsating analogue synth lines, BIG drums and a cheeky sense of humour, like Stereolab if they’d grown up smoking cigarettes round the back of the bike sheds instead of focussing on their French and Politics lessons. It’s not all big bleeps though – tracks like closer Seq and Ye Shall Find and Morning Dragpipe show a hitherto unseen ambient side to the group.
The album launch is taking place next Friday (18th) at the Green Door Store, with support from Hypnotized, and the band will be joining fellow Brightonians Fujiya & Miyagi on their tour in June where they play The Haunt on the 6th. A limited edition clear vinyl edition of the album will be available at the live dates. Until then, you can whet your appetite by listening to Maxwell’s Waves:
Last year, The Physics House Band put out their six track debut release Horizons / Rapture. Today a remixed version of the mini album was put out on the bands own Kaleidescope records as a free download on Bandcamp. Remixes come from the likes of some of Brighton’s best electronica talent including iTal Tek, AK/DK and Luo as well as Blood and Biscuits labelmates Teej, Three Trapped Tigers.
Last weekend’s gig pick post was all about quality not quantity, and we promised we’d be back this week bigger than ever. We’re still not scrimping on quality but we’re probably featuring more gigs this week than we ever have done.
We’re going to kick things off with a couple of gigs happening tonight. Normally we treat Thursday as the start of the weekend, but when two of favourite bands are playing we’d be fools not to give them a mention. IYES play their first ever headline show at the Prince Albert, which we’re very excited about. We’ve been huge fans since we first heard Lighthouse at the end of the year, and they haven’t disappointed since. Best of all it’s a free gig! Elsewhere, down at the Blind Tiger, Brighton Music Blog favourites The New Union are supporting Let’s Buy Happiness.
Thursday night is where we normally start our weekend gig round up, and the weekend proper is starting strong with Calico headlining Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar. Support comes from 900 Spaces and Blackwell, and it’s four pounds to get in. Meanwhile, Normanton Street are playing at the Mesmerist.
On Friday some more of our favourite bands are supporting at the same gig. Pawws are supported by the fantastic GAPS and Dog in the Snow (as well as Saint Savanna, who are local and new to us). And it’s a free gig – Green Door Store, you do spoil us. There’s also a free gig at the Blind Tiger, headlined by Transformer, with support from Eagles for Hands, whose new EP we love.
Saturday night’s big gig is the Physics House Party taking place at Sticky Mike’s. As well as the awesome Physics House Band, AK/DK, Alphabets Heaven and Suffer Like G Did are also playing. Over at Fitzherberts, Speak Galactic and Soft Arrows are playing at a night called Ruff Stuff, where Owen from Speak Galactic and some of his old bandmates from Cinemascopes are unveiling a new project called Merlin Tonto.
Rounding off the weekend nicely at Sticky Mike’s, Esben & The Witch play the Brighton leg of their national tour promoting Wash The Sins Not Only The Face. At the Green door store, there’s an event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Gram Parsons early death in 1973, aged only 26. There’s loads of local bands getting involved – the list includes The Self Help Group, Dollboy, and Amy Hill plus various members of Laish, The Repeat Prescriptions, Super U, The Standard Lamps, Woodland Blue, The Pooh Sticks, Lolly & the City of Flies, Redlands Palomino Company, Englemann Spruce, and Lost Dog. Get there early enough and you’ll also get to see Pete Wiggs from Saint Etienne DJing before the live acts.
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