CD Review: Chew Lips - Unicorn (released 25/01/10 - Family Records)

Chew Lips were first recommended to me by a couple of well trusted indie-scene chums, and they have subsequently received a lot of support from the likes of radio 1's Huw Stephens, Nick Grimshaw and Rob da Bank. Their current single 'Play Together' has also hit the 6music's daytime playlist hard and has been lapped up furiously by Steve Lamacq . Could this London trio's debut album 'Unicorn' be set for 'BIG THINGS'?

The first thing that struck me about this album was how many of the songs were already recognisable 'hits'. Play Together, Slick and Seven had already found their way into my musical subconscious despite not previously considering myself a fan. What's more, it seems like there are plenty more where that came from. Toro and Gold Key both show promise as tunes fit for the indie mainstream (paradoxical as that phrase sounds!)

Chew Lips offer trendy, sweet female vocals from review-shy front-girl Tigs without the pretentiousness of Florence and the Machine and catchy electro/dance tunes without the gimmickry (or suspect hairstyling) of La Roux. All I'm hoping now is that they somehow avoid this rotten tendency for over hype that seems all the rage right now. If they go the way of Bat For Lashes rather than Little Boots and keep focus on music rather than the limelight then they could really pull off something of interest and longevity.

The album is available for purchase and download here . They've got a plethora of festival gigs booked and a full UK tour is planned for January next year.

Good Shoes + Wild Palms (matinée) - The Stag's Head - 22/01/10

I was fortunate enough to nab myself and Amy - best mate and partner in crime on Wired Radio - a couple of press passes to see Good Shoes celebrate the launch of their new album, No Hope No Future in the third of four evenings at local hackney boozer, The Stag's Head.

They've been a bit quiet after having reached #55 in the UK album charts with the wonderfulThink Before You Speak in 2007. They've had a shuffle in management and, no doubt, the recession is partly to blame somewhere along the line (it nearly always is) but this gig certainly proved that they were still as fresh and fiesty as ever.

The Stag's Head is a venue much underrated. Situated at the back of a cosy public house (complete with fireplace) the place was filled with trendy but down-to-earth punters and the ocassional cheeky local. The room was teeny, but wonderfully intimate rather than cramped or uncomfrotable. Whether this was also true of the night-time performance later that evening is another story. The acoustics of the place were also surprisingly good - very refreshing after last night's prog-metal headache.

Post-punk art-schoolers Wild Palms provided the support for the night, and a mighty fine job they made of it too. They made up for any comparable deficiencies in footwear with their Brick Lane-approved jumpers and dashing good looks. Oh, and their music wasn't bad either. The lead singer had a beautiful set of lungs on him, with the reverb effect adding to the hypnotic feel of their sound. He also managed to simultaneously play the synth/drum machine with great skill to form a jam with the rest of the band who were equally skilled and good looking.



Their debut single release, 'Over...time' was exciting, dark and without a whiff of pretntiousness. It's available for free download here and I highly recommend you do!

With refreshingly little kafuffle, Good Shoes then took to the stage. They looked slightly more frayed at the edges than their 2007 selves, but this was more like a new maturity than being 'past it'. The quality of their shoes certainly did not disappoint me, with the lead guitarist clearly ruling the roost with his impressive hi-top sneakers.



Musically, they were absolutely superb. Their new songs were just as great as their old ones, with Under Control already half way to becoming a major indie hit. The sparkling sounds of the lead guitar bounced off Rhys' strums, the bass and the finely-tuned sounds of the drummer to create a fresh bouncing sound not without a certain level of darkness to keep it interesting.



Full of energy even after their fifth performance in three days, these guys only disappointed in that their set didn't last for long enough!

Good Shoes' new album is available here for the princely sum of £8.99 or at the gig itself. Tickets for tonight's show will be available on the door if you get there early enough!

Mr Ron Jetson & Acquaintances - The Amersham Arms - 21/01/10

The Myspace page of Mr Ron Jetson gives little away. However, the claim that he sounds like 'Chris Martin being fucked up the arse by satan' coupled with rumours that he was a 'hottie' was enough to get me down The Amersham Arms on this chilly evening.

I sadly missed the opportunity to see Mr Ron himself, though those of you familiar with my radio show - Untried and Untested (Tue 7-9pm) - may have managed to catch an earful of him last Tuesday as I played the cheeky ‘Femme Fatale'. It's just the right blend of artschool comedy and actual musical skill.

Arriving just shy of 10pm, the band usually known as Nought had renamed themselves Womblout for the ocassion in order to treat us to an extended experimental jam. The noise they were making certainly demonstrated a certain level of skill, but their amps were up so LOUD. Call me old and past-it if you want,but I really reckon turning down the levels to just below deafening would have allowed me to listen to them properly without feeling like I was self-harming.

As a result, this fairly well-attended room kept well clear of the stage (aside from a few headbanging mad-experimental types round the edges). This might have somewhat explained the band's apparent disregard of their listeners as they entered into an utterly self-indulgent 20-minute act of musical masturbation. Utterly experimental and in all senses ‘free', any music they were producing was sadly covered by a layer of distorted mess.

My fag break signalled a breakpoint, but upon my return DJ Tommy Two Screens had taken to the decks. He provided a refreshing blend of funky ska, mixing classics like The Specials' Ghost Town with some more obscure tunes that nontheless kept the crowd dancing.

Up next was experimental blues/metal duo Dead Days Beyond Help . I feared another headache, but these guys were rather more forgiving. Unlike the previous band, they had the courtesy to make music with a definitive start and end point! I was pretty impressed by how tight they were as they accomplished some great feats of synchronised silence. Alex Ward's guitar riffs somehow managed to groove bluesily through its distorted metal sound, whilst Jem's frantic drumming incorporated ska and even indie-pop elements to create a pretty unique sound. Unfortunately it wasn't quite my scene, but kudos needs to be given to the guys (as well as Tommy Two Screens) for giving the punters a fresh and unusual gig experience.

'Access Denied!' is Dead Days Beyond Help's debut album and is available from Copepod Records, their own indie label

The Broken Family Band say Adieu @ The Portland Arms - 31/10/09

The Broken Family Band have been a staple diet for my gig calender since I first saw them at the Cambridge Arts Picture House in October 2003 alongside Ruby Nichols, who we now all know and love as Captain.

Since then, TBFB have gone from tongue-in-cheek alt-country with the likes of Jesus Songs, The King Will Build A Disco and Cold Water Songs to harder, romantic renaissance post-rock in .



These changes were warmly embraced by fans and (most) critics alike, and Glastonbury, Koko and International tours began to replace their previous tendency to play more intimate pub venues as their fanbase grew. Their stint on Skins with It's All Over and offers to play on Later With Jools Holland looked set to propel them into the bigtime, but they always lurked tantalisingly beneath the surface, never quite 'making it'.



Their last album, Please and Thank You seemed to baffle a lot of the committed BFB-ers. While the music and lyric-writing was still solid, the album seemed to lack the personality so integral to the Broken Family way. Perhaps whatever musical horse they were flogging had begun to die a little. Other sources suggest conflicting interests between the boys. Whatever the reason, it was announced in September that The Broken Family Band would be playing their last ever gig on Hallowe'en at their Cambridge pub of choice, The Portland Arms.

I expected the atmosphere to be somewhat demure or reflective, but with most of the gig-goers dressed up trick-or-treat style, it was quite a hard attitude to maintain. There was an air of excitement - more of a wake than a funeral.



The band came on without a support at around 9pm. I wondered if there would be costumes or adornments but no, they were simply focussed on the task at hand - and boy what a task. They ploughed into a stonking 2 and a half hour set with a repertoire covering all artistic corners. As well as beautiful renditions of At the Back of the Chapel and Dancing on the 4th Floor they surprised us all by cracking out beauties from their ancient archives. (I Don't Have The Time To) Mess Around was hilarious, with Steve's grostesque embellishments about granny spunk in the intro reminding us just exactly what made this band special.



The Cambridge crowd did themselves proud - they sang, they laughed hell - they even danced! About an hour in you could see the sweat dripping off the walls and back onto the faces of the people it came from.



And so it came to the end with John Belushi. The four boys stuck their absolute heart and soul in as if they were pushing in all the work of the last 8 years. Jay cradled his guitar like a baby, Steve looked intensely into the middle distance, Mick leant back mouth open and Gav stood up. The song ended, the people clapped and there were post-coital manhugs all-round. I'm gonna miss these boys dearly, but it was one hell of a ride that saw me through my teen years. As Steve mentioned one fan reckoning, they're probably the sort of band that will reform every 10 years. Not quite a compliment, but here's to hoping! There does seems to be promise of new musical escapades from the boys on the horizon at least - the legacy lives on!

Mr Scruff @ Koko - 24/10/09

I've seen Mr. Scruff various times around the country (from Manchester to Wales, Wiltshire to Cambridge) and his gigs have varied considerably (from awesome to average). His selection of music from the world of funk, hip hop, latin, ska, electro and beyond is always spot on, with the soundsystem and venue (*ahem* The Junction) being the only real reason for an auditory let-down.



This was fortunately not to be at Koko. Reknowned venue it is, the bass came thick and heavy into the ears and got even those up on highest balconies getting their boogie on.
He does great build ups to heavy basslines and knows exactly how to make his audience move, even if what he's doing technically is pretty simple. Sometimes simplicity is exactly what you need for a knees up. He avoided the temptation to play 'the hits' - Get A Move On and Fish spring to mind. Instead he played a lot of new and exciting stuff off Ninja Tuna and Bonus Bait. This barely mattered at all as Scruff's selection will make you dance whether you know the tune or not

I've sometimes found Andy's animations to be irritating and twee, especially in its efforts to be 'oh so random' with pictures of pies and fish. This seemed to have been toned down in comparison to the other gigs and the animations updated a little to incorporate some pretty amusing saxophone-wielding characters, funky spinning records and other music-related visual delights.



Scruff has worked hard to merchandise himself - his tea stand is now something of a legend - but the need to sell felt a lot more toned down than on previous occassions. I was happy to see that they were giving away free online mp3s of the night (you simply have to input a code onto his website) and were selling a lot more actual music (as opposed to badges/bags/tshirts) that I remember.

As far as the crowd itself went, the place was packed. It was great to see such a varied age range dancing together - scruff certainly had a broad appeal. The number of people completely off their heads was pretty impressive, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves an awful lot. His bass and brass-heavy beats kept the place shaking on down so much so that we had to leave the dancefloor for a breather. Andy Scruff truly minced it.

The Fiery Furnaces + Pete Um @ Cargo - 08/10/09

The Fiery Furnaces played their first London gig for two years this evening at Cargo - Shoreditch's prime music hangout.
At 8pm, Cambridge-based electro-poet and all-round decent guy, Pete Um, took to the stage as support.

Having seen the chap perform various times, I expected this tame-looking London crowd to be weirded out by his eccentric and passion-stuffed performance, but they took to him very well! Fortunately this was a crowd that was prepared to listen (and even laugh!) at what Pete had to say, with appreciative head nods during ‘Evil', an old classic, and ‘Understand', one of Pete's new tunes.



The pre-gig nerves wore off quickly and Pete pulled off a great set - a change to previous ‘disaster’ gigs he claimed to have performed at Cargo previously.

The Fiery Furnaces have been kicking around since 2000 and it was quite plain to see that through the battered and crusty-looking male audience they attracted. There certainly were enough of them to completely pack out Cargo, though.



The frontlady, bedecked in double denim and shrouded by a shaggy fringe cut, was quite captivating, with vocals ranging from slow, drawn out phrases to Joni Mitchell-esque speed-speaking. The bass guest-played by Jason Lowenstein (of Sebadoh fame) was growling, slick and eminent of The Stranglers, which was accompanied nicely by the rim-click savvy rhythmic musings of the drummer.

The songs were a far cry from the standard verse-verse-chorus formula we've come to expect, with break-downs, jams, tempo-changes and time-signature explorations commonplace around every corner. Only ocassionally did it seem self-indulgent, as some of their ‘hit’ songs were played with so much that the audience could not follow them.

The sound was intriguing. Their post-punk funky vibe hailed influence from The Banshees, Au Pairs, Joni, Skunk Anansie and The Slits amongst others. However, as they seamlessly rolled their songs into each other I began to find that their music was quite unchanging. Much of their new material sounded very similar, with only ‘Drive to Dallas’ really grabbing my attention.



The band were tight, dynamic and original-sounding, but after about 5 songs I realised their sound proceeded no further. I watched them soldier through 1.5 hours of the same noise, with my nitial excitement at their fresh sound petering steadily into apathy.

Massive Attack - Brixton 02 Academy - 19/09/09

It's been 18 years since the release of Massive Attack's debut LP Blue Lines, and nearly 3 since '100th Window' hit our ears. Now, minus the presence of Andrew 'Mushroom' Vowles, but armed with the promise of a brand new album for 2010, The Wild Bunch performed for the third and final consecutive night at Brixton's 02 Academy.

What struck me first about the venue was how civilised the whole place was. There were a few small and orderly queues for toilets and merchandise, but otherwise the place was uncrowded and completely relaxed. The arena itself offered a unique blend of space and intimacy. The sloped floor leading to Brixton's huge stage meant that a good view could be had from almost any spot in the room, reducing the need for elbow-bargy bitchiness at the barrier (although admittedly that kind of behaviour does have its place in certain gig circles!).

After a few drinks the support act came on. Martina Topley Bird, complete with perm and sparkly outfit, failed to impress me. The songs of this soul-less Goldfrapp, middle-aged La Roux or self-conscious OMD started and stopped without a discernable beginning or end, and no one tune was particuarly distinguishable from the others. The sound engineering for the first couple of songs was pretty awful too, but once this was sorted the band seemed mundane at best. They warm up a little towards the end of the set, with their last two songs taking a rockier, drum-centric edge, but by then they had already lost the interest of the audience. We were simply too eager to see the band we'd paid £30 for.



After a refreshingly short break, Massive Attack finally graced the Academy's titanic stage. There was no repeat of the previous act's sound issues. With two drummers, DJ, synth, bass and cacophony of vocalists amongst the line-up, the band were on top form. Massive Attack got the balance between fresh new sounds and crowd-pleasing classics just right. It was great to see Daddy G back in on the action and engaging in some quality audience interaction - 'This is dedicated to all the starving models in the world' - as well as performing alongside some rather funky guest singers. Disappointingly, Damon Albarn did not make a repeat appearance (he turned up on friday) but the roots-reggae greatness of Horace Andy more than made up for this. I was sceptical of Martina's vocal presence in some of the songs (including the seminal 'Teardrop') but aside from her attention-seeking tottering about the stage she did a pretty good job.



To my delight, the guys played 'Future Proof'. As a 14-year old I used to light incense and meditate to 100th window, and hearing this played granted me a nostalgic epiphany that took me right back to 2004. The absolute climax, however, came during 'Angel', the first track from the phenomenal 'Mezzanine' where I lost myself completely in the shuddering bass and beams of light. MA are undoubtedly still on form, but I doubt if they will ever reach the dizzying musical heights they reached on that album again.

The accompanying lightshow that night was beautiful. Old school stereo-style 'strip' lighting was used on the backdrop, with displays ranging from red and white sparkles to videos of anti-war marches and even live 'trash' news feeds. This was paired with some rather impressive 'beam'-style lighting reminiscent of a sea anemone a la Blue Planet, which granted the songs a visual as well as an aural climax.



The gig was absolutely fantastic, with the boys fiercely defending any suggestion that they're too old for this business. Their new music was exciting and their old classics still held strong. Like 100th Window, new songs from the '5th LP' seem a lot more centred around smooth synth sounds and vocals rather than their previous tendency towards a heavier, more rhythmic approach.

It was a totally inspiring evening. I really wanted to ignore the fact that playing at the 02 Academy was totally hypocritical when set against all the jibing anti-capitalist messages that they spread across their backdrop and more subtly in their tunes. This occurred to me during 'Unfinished Sympathy' and as a result I don't think it will ever have quite the same resonance.