- Festival Reviews
A ten hour trouble free Thursday road trip up the fine British road network. A calm as a millpond sunny late evening ferry to the Isle of Eigg from Arisaig saw the tent pitched by the harbour for 9pm.
A quick wander around to get our bearings, local catering and a beer & malt to watch the stunning sunset by. This is going to be no ordinary festival.
Have you ever been to a festival where the audience is made up of around 400 happy campers? When the camping was not crowded and placed in one of the most idyllic spots (just off) our shores?
Have you ever been to a festival where you could see every performance from every band or artist, where there was no need for security staff, where the vibe was so chilled that punters, musicans, and residents happily co-mingled and all went round happily smiling and striking up conversation with each other for four days and nights?
Welcome to Howlin' Fling 2014 on the Isle of Eigg in the Hebrides. This is actually the third running of this delightful festival but the first time it has been run under the banner of Lost Map (previous versions were Fence Collective ventures) and under the sole curatorship and general hands on effort of Johnny Lynch (The Pictish Trail) and his team of impressive helpers and organisers.
A Beautiful day on Friday saw us hiking up and tumbling down 'An Sgurr'. A very musical mountain on this particular Friday as, we passed Beth Orton & Sam Amidon on the way up and at the top we could hear Steve Mason & band soundchecking a long way below.
Back down a lamb & mustard stew cooked by the crew of 'Where the Monkey Sleeps' hit the spot. Actually catering via Eiggy Bread, Dan at the Hebridean Larder and the Galmisdale café created excellent dishes all weekend long.
The Music kicked off proper at 7.30pm on Friday as bands alternated between the Ceilidh Hall and Marquee which where about 1 minutes' walk apart from each other. The rule of thumb being, that the band following on, did not start until the previous band had finished. At the end of the night that meant (I'm told) that last band on 'Miracle Strip' came on around 04.30 on Saturday morning rather than the 02.30 slot in the programme. Fantastic and who cares, no one was going anywhere!
Sam Amidon kicked off our musical evening. A Very talented singer-songwriter, who did however, lapse into comedy moments, which took away the intensity of a very good set. Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor, played as part of a three piece and delivered some delightful ballads.
Beth Orton entranced as usual but was hindered by a very talkative crowd. Beth in the past who would tell everyone to "Shut the f*ck up" but this time just said to the audience that they "were talking so loud, she could not hear herself sing" It had the desired effect for a while. Tuff Love came across slightly less spectacularly than they do on their debut EP but it was a lively set.
Steve Mason and his band where the night's other A-listers and didn't disappoint with a full length concert set that was full of energy and enthusiasm and had the crowd bouncing from start to finish.
Saturday music lasted well over 12 hours and started at lunchtime with Mark Andrew Hamilton a.k.a. Woodpidgeon backed by Eagleowl (Lost Map's shoegaze specialists). It was vice versa during Eagleowl's own set with Mark joining in as well. Seamus Fogarty was on fine form (hard not to be when on Eigg he later said). Rozi Plain added sound effects, some of which brought smiles as Seamus tried to integrate them into his songs.The low key relaxed nature of the set was something to behold
Jens Lekman was a true star. First half of the set was filled with singer- songwriter, acoustic guitar, and humorous songs about life in Gothenburg. (I also know someone who danced next to Kristen Dunst). Midway through the set Jens passed around small envelopes with sweet smelling lavender inside which, he then told us to crush between our fingers and smell, at which point if launched into a disco driven 20 minutes that had the crowd jumping and the tent swaying.
Homecoming hero The Pictish Trail also had the marquee shaking which was packed out for a career (so far) spanning set. All quite picturesque with a band comprised of a bassist and guitarist with long flowing blonde hair (who both looked more suited to Iron Maiden) and Tuff Love guitarist. It all worked though and sounded suitably celebratory in the middle of such a great festival.
Saturday also had a dynamic headline set, this time from The Phantom Band who had played the Latitude Festival the previous day. They seemed to have been having a nightmare weekend, with stolen guitars, broken down vans and police checks but they had finally made it to Eigg and the magic of the island had begun its work. A fiery anthem driven 90 minutes certainly brought their spirits to a good place and blasted the sing-a-long, arms raised crowd to new heights. By now we had survived 12 hours of rain but our own sprits still remained high as the bands continued through the night.
A few sore Sunday heads although, the rain had stopped and the Island had a misty glow. A few games of 'Bananas' (like scrabble) accompanied breakfast in the cafe before we were all heading up the hill to watch a young chap by the name of Olly Coates who played some divine music on his cello. Prehistoric Friends had a more traditional straight ahead band approach and were excellent. In some ways they had a Leisure Society layer to their songs and were really entertaining. This band should go a long way!
Rachel Dadd was her usual vibrant self and had added assistance from Rozi Plain and husband Ichi (who had played a massively entertaining set in the marquee earlier in the afternoon).
Gabe McVarish and Griogair Labhruaidh went down a storm with some traditional Scottish music in the Ceilidh Hall before festival closers Meursault, turned up the amps so that they could be heard over on the mainland and played an impressively sonic set.
But festival closer's they were not, having missed the ferry, rm Hubbert arrived too late for his afternoon slot but on Eigg, everyone plays, so 'Hubby' got to close the festival stages and, he did so with magnificent style.
"In a good place now" (in his life) he told us, this acoustic guitarist played his instrument as great as ever and with a razor sharp wit, regaled the growing crowd with stories between songs that had us in fits of laughter. Troon, local beverages, tattoos, ex-wife, pet dog oh and God. Banter with the entire tent, his set will be an everlasting memory.
So the party continued throughout the night and as we started packing up the tent at 6am on Monday morning, people were still returning to their tents from the night before. the sheep continued to tuck into the grass, undisturbed.
So a magnificent event, hats off to all the organisers, islanders (who made everyone welcome), bands and fellow festival goers who made it such a memorable weekend. Do we really have to wait two years to do it all again?
Pete
Photos HERE
- Festival Reviews
I'm not sure Hyde Park is the best place to see Neil Young, nor any band other than perhaps the Rolling Stones, it's just so 'bloody big'. One of those British Summer Shows with tiered entry, the extra £££ for "Premium View" certainly did not provide 'what it said on the tin' but, hey ho, the sun was out and an early start was to dive into the Sony Unlimited Music stage (which you could only get into if you gave someone with a clipboard your email address and favourite song, tiresome) to see The Battles of Winter, who are a very decent band indeed. A sort of cross between Boxer Rebellion and Interpol this four piece from London are well worth checking out.
With the sun still beating down we headed into the 'Village Hall' tent, to be greeted with a sauna type temperature through which the divine Webb Sisters excelled. Beautiful songs, a wicked sense of humour and, some very sweet harmonies. Finally off of the Leonard Cohen World Tour bus the ladies are now back on their own and should certainly be staking a claim on the music landscape.
The next obstacle came when trying to get into the 'Barclaycard Theatre' for the likes of Phosphorescent, Caitlin Rose and Midlake, which unless you were in the tent at 2pm and staying there for the afternoon, there was no hope. The queue for the aforementioned Phosphorescent impressively stretched almost across the width of the park! Perhaps a second outdoor stage is required when booking so many A listed bands in future?
Still plenty to see, Half Moon Run, Bruno Major & Tom Odell before The National appeared at 5.55pm precisely. A sparkling set with the benefit of their enlarged video backdrop, the band really did put their all into the next 1 hour and fifteen minutes and went down a storm.
One thing about 'British Summer Time' is that it all runs to schedule with the ever impending early curfew. Neil Young and Crazy Horse (minus Billy Talbot, who has suffered a mild stroke and added Rick Rosas and Mahogany Blue's Dorene Carter and YaDonna West) were blasting through 'Love and Only Love' before 8pm. Inserting the phrase "free the people of Palestine" into the opening song, Neil was in a 'No messing' mood.
I still think the intensity of the Crazy Horse sound is best experienced indoors, but Neil is on good form tonight and (for him) quite chatty. The majority of the crowd seem there for the timeless acoustic classics from the signs of the early heckling and Neil's sardonic sense of humour came to the fore calling the crowd "sad bastards" (and he meant it and not necessarily in a nice way although he was smiling – was he being cutting, because the crowd didn’t fully appreciate ‘the Horse’ perhaps?) mid- way through the show.
As ever the songs most requested came with a twist, an electric 'After the Goldrush' before a sing –a –long, 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' and acoustic (Dylan's) 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'Heart of Gold'. These songs seem to carry the crowd through the remainder of the band's sonic run in to the lengthy closing version on 'Down by the River'
10pm and the day is done and dusted and the band are off to Liverpool for the next night's indoor show at the Echo Arena, with a similar set, it would be interesting to know the comparison of both shows. Try Thrashers Wheat for that.
Pete
Love and Only Love
Goin' Home
Days That Used to Be
After the Gold Rush .
Love to Burn .
Separate Ways
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Blowin' in the Wind
Heart of Gold
Barstool Blues
Psychedelic Pill
Cinnamon Girl
Rockin' in the Free World
- Festival Reviews
As last year we set out on Wednesday from the O2 in London to travel by coach meeting up with our pals in Darble field close to gate A. The evening warm and sunny and we started the festival with pints of the excellent Brothers Pear cider in the West Holts field. They used to print on the bottles “best consumed in a muddy field in Somerset”. That is true although, the mud was to come later.
On Thursday we woke to hot sun turning our tent into a sauna. After cooking up some bacon butties we explored the vast city that is the Glastonbury Festival before the rain came in in the afternoon. We lounged on cushions in the warm dry comfort of a hippy tepee drinking chai and being serenaded by its resident musicians on acoustic guitar and flute. That evening we saw the excellent poet rapper Kate Tempest in the Rum Shack.
Friday
The first band we saw was Blondie at the Other Stage. She looked as cool as ever and the band were as tight as you would expect. The large crowd were clearly ‘touched by her presence’ and sang along to all the classics.
Next it was off to the Pyramid Stage to catch Rodrigo Y Gabriella. They are phenomenal. It is incredible how they can play such fast rhythms whilst using their acoustic guitars as percussion. Gabriella’s fingers are just a blur. Next up was Temples at John Peel Stage. This four piece band has a great retro, west coast trippy mellow guitar sound. Poliça next, hypnotic rhythms with enchanting vocals from Channy Leaneagh.
Manage to shelter from the first enormous downpour but got caught in the second and so arrived at the Pyramid Stage very wet. We got there early for the evening to get to the front for the nights headliners Arcade Fire. They had switched off all the power to the stages because of the storm so when Lilly Allen started she was late and had her set cut. She was her usual sassy self but perhaps a bit mellowed by being a mum which she referred to proudly.
When Elbow came on naturally the sun came out ( it always does for Elbow) and the backdrop to the field was dressed with a rainbow. Guy Garvey is a master at interacting with the crowd and so had everyone waving and even Mexican bobbing to his command. It was all good and finished with the festival favourite classic sing-along One Day Like This.
Arcade Fire were fabulous. A visual and aural delight best appreciated from the front of the Pyramid Stage. (we were about 8 rows back). They are a big band of twelve on stage with stunning graphics on the giant screen behind. The set started out with a firework display then played 'Reflector'. They played a vast selection from the back catalogue. 'Tunnels' from Funeral was just superb!
The rest of the night was spent in Shangri La before the dawn summoned us home. This year I was disappointed with Heaven in Shangri La as it was so much smaller than last year being basically only one large room with cream carpet (you have to take off your boots), DJ but with no Snake pit bar!( a favourite in the past) All the areas outside Heaven and around Shangri Hell were buzzing.
- Festival Reviews
A minor regret of 2013 was that we didn't attend that year’s Dot to Dot festival. Frankly we missed it. It's a great showcase of 'radar' bands, often in our experience, featuring next year’s 'Glasto must see' acts. So we were determined to go to the 2014 event. We had previously attended the Nottingham version of this festival several times so we thought a change of geography would be appropriate this time around so decided to try the Bristol event instead.
It's every bit as well organised as Nottingham but whereas the majority of the Nottingham venues are centred around one location (Rock City, Stealth, Rescue Rooms and the nearby Trent Uni) the Bristol venues are more widespread making timetabling and band selection (or de-selection) a challenge.
But the venues are all individually good, particularly the Thekla, a beached boat, and The Fleece which is under threat of losing it's license if a planned development goes ahead to build flats opposite the venue.
So to the bands....
Cursor Major (Louisiana, downstairs bar)
A good opening set to get the ears tuned. 4-piece guitar band with in-yer- face anthemic songs, the type of tunes that would sit well opening a big festival stage.
Casimir, The Fleece
Fresh-faced 4-piece. Looked less rough round the edges than the previous band but their indie guitar songs had a slightly harder edge. Overtones of Arctic Monkeys in some of their numbers later in the set
MT. Royal (The Fleece)
Canadian 5-piece with female lead singer. Opening song was beset with sound problems such that the last couple of minutes, as the keyboard came in; the song was overtaken by distortion and feedback. I think this was probably the best quality band so far but, for me, the sound never got quite right and in particular the high register vocals lacked the clarity their interesting songs deserved. Their tunes had more than a little nod to Beach House but with a rockier edge.
The Trouble With Templeton (Louisiana)
Hailing from the Bella Union stable, we knew there would be a vein of quality running through this Aussie 5-piece. And so it proved. Excellent lead guitarist, and lead singer sounded like Neil Young on occasions.
Sheppard (Louisiana)
Another Aussie band. 6-piece with female lead singer with striking green hair, and female bass. Solid indie tunes but nothing remarkable to note.
- Festival Reviews
There’s an art to doing the Great Escape – 400 bands, mostly new, in over 30 venues over 3 days, with showcases from all over the world curated by groups in the know. You can’t see them all, many venues fill up quickly and others have awful sound…so move around, aim for those you like but also take a chance…and most importantly, have a good time! I managed 32 bands. This year’s themes for me included political lyrics (and the general lack of...), looped folk, and famous people’s side projects…
Lyrics – one of the highlights was FTSE, playing at the always worthwhile Republic of Sound party. I loved what I had heard of his recorded stuff, especially the terminally catchy ‘Nite Life’, great videos too. Ostensibly a young grime/triphop rapper from somewhere in the Midlands, in the Frank Ocean mode – will he kill it live?......Oh Yes!! It’s much more intense than on record, louder and darker, intelligent words, with lots of nihilistic commentary and profanity. He performs with a woman with a perfect voice, who turns out to be his wife. Next day he plays in a hardcore grunge band, Get Hot, with Jakwob, virtually their first ever set, and it’s blistering. We have some politics in common… interview to follow soon
More conscious lyrics from Dizraeli, in the frankly bizarre surroundings of the Lush cosmetics boutique. Queues round the block for his set as Disraeli and the Young Gods, real live organic hiphop. How will he do alone, amongst the soaps? …..Mostly acapella poems, the first I hear is Thank You...to his brother, his ex-girlfriend, and his 92 year old nan, inspired by her realisation as she held her husband’s hands as he died, that she still had so much she wanted to tell him. We are all totally moved. Do they sell hankies here? Other highlights are We Can Be Children Again and Good God, about the equanimity of spirituality and whatever you may call God. Again very different to the recorded stuff. However I now want all his albums and, to see him with the band.
After a tiring first day full of weird and wonderful things, lets relax by going crazy with an old favourite…The Hold steady, at the Uncut showcase. They don’t disappoint, with 3 guitars and no keyboards, all the old rock favourites like Chips Ahoy and Little Hoodrat Friend, plus some from the new Teeth Dreams album. Craig seems really happy, still mouthing the lyrics between the lines, and doing little Dad dances in between verses. So good I see them again at XFM on Friday.
Q magazine have a lineup in a conference centre featuring the Strokes, Doves and Snow Patrol…or rather people from them. Nathan from SP’s Little Matador is good solid Metallica-type rock, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Reminds me of early SP when they were a punk band… Jimi Goodwin is very serious, and not very happy, having just woken up at 9pm. It’s a bit pretentious for me but Doves fans would probably like it. Best of the lot, rather surprisingly, is Albert Hammond Jr. Very tight, very Strokes-y, but all his own stuff I think, apart from a cover of Buzzcocks Never Fallen…
RM Hubbert is a big sweetie with a guitar, lots about his dog, a song about Joe his dead father-in-law and one called Buckstasy about an Ayrshire cocktail (!). He confesses he performs to help his clinical depression. The Car Song, written with Aidan Moffat, is an absolute classic.
Looped folk – Uncut has the wonderful Lisa Knapp, who plays mostly songs linked to the month of May, with subtle field sounds and added quirks. In the same vein is the exotically dressed You Are Wolf, who does songs about birds from new album Hawk to the Hunting Gone. They are followed by something completely different – Arc Iris, which is a lyca-clad Josie from the Low Anthem, performing a tribute to 70s rock operas with gusto and aplomb.
Other highlights new to me – Lizzo, larger than life hiphop queen from Minneapolis, Salt n Pepa n Shirley Bassey all rolled into one big fun package. Her vid for single Batches&Cookies features her “rubbing butter onto a naked man”, she says with relish.
Girl Band from Dublin, who sound like early Fall or Joy Division if Ian was really drunk and slurring his vocals. Powerful highlights include Lawman, My Daughter Paul and the very short ChaChaCha Song, as released for Record Store Day.
Ezra Furman, bastard son of Buddy Holly, PeeWee Herman and Jonathan Richman, if you can imagine that. Very happy, very eccentric. Local Cambridge legend Chris T-T is in the front row.
Courtney Barnett, who adds lashings of crazy psych guitar to her country songs.
Kate Miller-Heidke, also from Australia but very different, torch songs and comic opera.
Oy, the Berlin-based Swiss-Ghanaian vocalist, who performs songs based on African proverbs with great energy, to an intense Afro/electronic beat.
Goodbye Brighton, and thanks to my wonderful family – see you again next year!
Kevin Hand
@Kevinhand3
- Festival Reviews
Saturday arrives and it rained! Austin on Saturday was cloudy but it doesn't last long enough so that you started to wonder whether it was a day to get soaked at the various showcases.
Fortunately, our new favourite venue (Hotel San Jose) has plenty of cover but because of the rain there is a slight delay so we stumble upon a Avi Buffalo show right across the street. Lovely little band, great sound, solid straight ahead rock with plenty of tempo changes to keep you guessing. . This was a great accidental find in typical SXSW style.
Back to Hotel San Jose and we sit back at our picnic table and settle in for the afternoon. First up is lovely rock outfit Tina & the B sides. Good lead singer that reminds me of Joan Jett doing classic rock songs, they try to dry out the crowd with some solid rock. Districts are up next a brilliant little 4 piece that reminds me of the Cold War Kids or Spoon. Soul/rock that gets loud when needed and with solid musicianship I now regret missing them when they opened for White Denim in Toronto a few weeks ago!
Up next is Syd Arthur again! Now is my chance to see these guys when the sound is working well and it's sunny again so it's perfect. They are a wonderful quartet from Canterbury England who got their record deal after performing in Austin at SXSW2013. Bringing psychedelic rock into 2014 they perform magically beautiful songs in a hypnotic style similar to what you expect from Tame Impala..it's very whimsical at times but always sounding a little more orchestrated. Its a beautiful set of high energy textured songs that quickly remind me of how lucky I am to see them when I can hear the full effect of their complicated sound.
A quick set now by PAPA..a wonderful full rock n roll band who have been around for a while..soul/rock/punk..a good blend of tasty stuff with a bit of a swagger by the whole band they are very confident and sound pretty solid.
Now it's a perfect transition to yet another band that I had to see in Austin. One of my top albums of 2013 was by San Fermin and here they were performing on an outside stage in the sun..it was perfect. The band has grown from its original size to a commanding full sound with 8 members. Trumpet, saxophone, two guitarists, three vocalists one on violin, drummer, it's a wonderful sound. The songs are sung tag team style mixed between female and male vocalists and the harmonies are wonderful. The songs were composed with themes in mind and they were created with almost a classical orchestral feel. They each had a life of their own and even a new song that they had not played before was welcomed by a clearly overwhelmed audience. They really put on a fantastic show and its somewhat heartwarming to see a personal favourite go over so well at this venue considering the talent on this stage over the last few days.
That's it for the afternoon entertainment so we go back to the hotel for a little quiet time and then it's off to our favorite restaurant, Moonshine for some solid IPA’s, a wonderful meal, and Gary Numan and his wife sitting beside us. (didn't say hi, he was too busy eating).
- Festival Reviews
A number of things are in play now. One, is that with age comes the sad truth that it's more difficult to rebound from late nights. Thankfully most showcases do not start until later today so there is still plenty of time to rest. As well…the new essential purchase of a new orthotic insert for my shoes seems to have taken some pressure off my poor old back..it's working well so we rebound quickly. As I said…sad truth of what comes with age….
Another factor that comes into play is that Wednesday's choice to go see Spandau Ballet was up against a Damon Albarn show at Stubbs. Turns out it was a good choice as Damon’s show was delayed considerably because of the horrific accident. And today is the day we can finally see him.
We are off to the Radio Day Stage, the pinnacle of comfort available at SXSW. In the Convention Centre, the auditorium is filling up and with free Wi-Fi, vendors selling food and drinks, and comfortable seats, its a good call!
Having always sided on the Oasis side of this battle, I would like to say Damon was horrible, but alas, it was very beautiful. As many as 15 people hit the stage at one point or another. A full complement of gospel singers, guitarists (all acoustic) violin, cello, piano and ukulele. Damon switched from guitar to piano effortlessly and did a 6 song set all from the new album. Not sure if I can really do justice to how these 6 songs sound in this environment, very intimate and lovely, it is a great way to be introduced to these new songs. Plenty of videos available online of the show. Go take a look.
Now we head out, todays plans are up in the air. A new personal favourite (Chlöe Howl) has announced that her band has finally been allowed into the country so she is doing her first show (should have been her third) at SXSW at the Cedar St Filter magazine party. Having always been one of my favourites, the Cedar St show is always a lot of fun and it's a great venue so I commit to the showcase and get there early to make sure we see Chlöe Howe. It's a Swedish theme today and all the bands on before Chlöe are Swedish, and the free food is Swedish which is a bonus!
- Festival Reviews
Thursday started, as you would expect in a reflective space with news from the previous night’s accident still filtering through. Some of the the shows were moved from the affected areas and we were all answering plenty of questions from friends making sure we were all ok but, the show must go on I suppose and it was another sunny day in Austin and plans are in place for yet another hectic day as we head off to a venue we have never been to before but have heard great things about.
Hotel San Jose is on South Congress. 30 minute walk from our hotel and a good distance away from the madness of 6th street which is the hub of SXSW activity. South by San Jose is a mini music festival open to all …no badges necessary and based in a big parking lot with independent vendors, great food and craft ale and some pretty spectacular music
A good solid crowd of kids and adults, very comfortable and ideal for seeing bands, the person responsible for picking the bands has done a fantastic job
First up is Steelism, a band centred around a fantastic pedal steel guitarist, originally from London England who now lives in Nashville. Upbeat,,fun,playful and without vocals. This band does with their instruments what many try with lyrics. It's a fantastic set of music designed to get you engaged and warmed up for a day of bands.
Next up, Spanish Gold, a super group consisting of members from many bands including My Morning Jacket. Their set is full of influences, and it sounds fantastic. Sweet, smooth, funk, rock, it goes all over the place and sounds quite good at this outdoor venue.
Up next a band from Calgary, Alberta called Reuben and the Dark, a great Canadian rock n roll…with a taste of Neil Young and a great blend of classic rock, it's wonderful to come all this way to see a band that I should have known about living in Toronto. Their drummer who plays standing up comes out front to do a song they had not planned on doing (keyboards were not working) for the last song and it's a stunning song, 5 part harmonies, a beautiful track called Rolling Stone and it will be remembered for some time. I am looking up their tour information here to see if I can catch them again soon.
Now comes a personal favourite, Temples, this young British band were phenomenal at their Horseshoe show and I expect nothing less from them here at this venue. Beautiful Psych Rock on a sunny afternoon is perfect. Perfect blend of harmonies and great rock n roll, their songs draw the entire crowd in and they clearly know how to please an audience. They feature pretty much their entire Sun Structures album in their set and happy to say I am not disappointed. Their 60s influenced sound is fitting for tshirts and shorts weather!
Now comes the most anticipated show of the day, the wonderful St Paul and the Broken Bones. A very big band with horns, great bass player and guitarist and picked as the must see band this year at SXSW and they deliver! The lead singer reminds me of Drew Carey (when he was a little bigger) he comes onto stage after his band play a wicked intro and he kills it! This guy is being possessed by every classic soul singer and dances like a madman. He is like a TV evangelist when he performs and is completely mesmerizing and captivating. He sings doo wop style at times and runs around the stage challenging people not to have fun…it's impossible! Everyone is dancing around and their set comes to a close far too quickly. Like Alabama Shakes times 10 this is a fantastic band that has to be seen live.
Then to cap off the afternoon, the new kid on the block, a spectacular new performer Benjamin Booker, think Black Keys, White Stripes, a two piece with explosive sound and fantastic dynamic between guitarist and drummer. This kid knows how to play and if you watch his videos, he can croon as good as the next guy but this two piece tries to overwhelm you with a full on rock show and they succeed. But sadly, it's almost 5.30, time to get that much needed hour or two of hotel rest time so that we can start our evening off refreshed!
- Festival Reviews
Wednesday in Austin and its sunny…again!
The day's plans are full and a good sleep in has gotten us prepared for the long day ahead.
Of course the choices are tough and in an effort to tick off a lot of boxes today, we try to go with a party that will do just that.
Off to Holy Mountain we go, a venue we had never been to but it has an inside stage and an outside stage and we can go between the two. It is hosting a party celebrating two Australian music festivals (Falls Festival and Splendour in the Grass) and was to feature Chloe Howl but her band has had problems getting into the country so she is a no show. Line-up is solid even without her so off we go!
First band of the day is Dune Rats; lo-fi surf pop played with an edge featuring, ex Vines Bassist so they have some volume to them and pack a great punch for the first band of the day. Aussie band Money for Rope is up next. Straight ahead rock & roll and it wakes you up as it's a 6-piece band with 2 drummers. They are fierce and don't let up until their set is done. Quick, fast, punchy fella’s and it's a solid show.
Now back inside for one band who I really wanted to see. Wolf Alice! Ellie Rowsell leads this bunch with some lovely vocals and the show is a great one. Many in the venue had no idea who they were before they got there but as the band played on; everyone from outside the club came inside to watch. With a mix of indie folk/garage pop/grunge. They blast through a 45 minute set that is very pleasing to listen to and it is difficult to not watch this lead singer performing. Quite enjoyed that set!
Now inside to watch our local lady, Lowell (from Toronto) perform a fun, bouncy, electric little electro pop set that had her dancing in the crowd outside. Quite a nice change of pace and gave us a rest from what was to come inside next. Royal Blood, here is where Sandra and I part ways! As this lovely two piece band from the UK start playing, the volume is so deafening Sandra moves away! Bloody hell these two pack a punch for a two piece. Unrelenting and magnificent noise from a bass guitar and drums and a wicked voice to match. Pick your favourite rock influence. Zeppelin, White Stripes, The Who all sharing a bit part in what is a fantastic 40 minute set. If you love loud intense rock n roll these two are your guys. 40 minutes is about right for a set as the fear is that the ceiling could collapse at any moment from the sheer volume of their show.
Outside the band DeLux have started up and its back to electro pop! Kind of Dance Punk DIY they are a refreshing treat after the assault by Royal Blood, a good solid set of Duran Duran ish pop, these kids will probably be quite popular.
- Festival Reviews
Tuesday 11 March 2014 Austin Texas
After weeks/months of preparation, it was time to leave our -25 degree city of Toronto and hit Austin Texas; it was shorts and t-shirt time!
Flew into Austin, straight to the convention centre for badges and checked into the hotel and then off to a fabulous brew pub “Craft Pride” for some beauty cask ale. Then off to Moonshine Bar and Grill for a meal at our favourite restaurant!
Now it was time for the first night of shows. Just could not skip the showcase at Haven, with being able to check off so many boxes with one show it had to be done. The venue was crowded which was consistent with the rest of the week. The City was packed. First band was Young & Sick (visual artist turned soul singer). Band is pretty slick..electro pop/r&b, very smooth and I can see why the place is packed, very solid set.
Sadly, this venue is perhaps the worst in the city and its getting really crowded and with a good portion of the venue dedicated to “VIP” table service guests (bottle service starts at $400 a table) it's getting messy in here.
The lovely Syd Arthur is up next on my list of must see’s but sadly the sound issue demons start here tonight and they struggle to get the mic’s working. So out of a 8 song set, we probably hear 4 songs by the band and losing much of the vocals, they lose out. What I do hear is very sweet, he does have a lovely sound inspired by 60’s & 70’s psych-rock and I will be sure to try to see them again.
- Festival Reviews
Wonderful to be back at this festival, having been forced to miss last year due to work commitments. Indeed similar work commitments loomed this year but once Sigur Ros were announced as headliners this became a must-attend event.
As ever, we had intended to do a bit of 'other stuff' (ie not just the bands) but this didn’t turn out to be the case. Testament to the strong band line-up.
THURSDAY;
FRIDAY;
Mark Mulcahy - singer songwriter. Some of his songs with drum and guitar accompaniment sounded Lou Reed-y. His best numbers were the ones he did unaccompanied
Filthy Boy - Excellent 40 minute set. Excellent bass player (actually all the band were good). Very young guitar band, good tunes, very rude lyrics!
Braids - we were running late for this set so only heard three songs. There are only
King Khan & The Shrines - precisely why we come to festivals. 9 of em on stage. didn't take themselves too seriously. Mash up of jazz, punk, indie guitar,
Money - superb. great sound. Great songs, Pink Floydy in places
Parquet Courts - What a band! Played a 50 minute set. Downside of this was a couple of very iffy filler tracks in the early part of the set. But good thing was they extended some of their songs off their great album with fantastic guitar jammin’.
David Byrne &
Savages - This band have truly come of age over the last 12 months. From their "girl punk" beginnings 18 months ago they now present a very sophisticated show, leveraging on the superb showwoman skills of lead Jehnny Beth. I think the drummer is still with the band (didn't see her once through the smoke).
- Festival Reviews
There’s a hidden garden in
This is such a lovely small festival, with a big line-up, that I considered not reviewing it at all in case more people came. It’s a Folk Festival but like many such there is a hell of a lot of rock bands. So what is Folk? I heard two great definitions from acts here: from the excellent Efterklang, something like folk came first and therefore must be the root of all music, so all music is effectively just developed folk. And from the equally excellent Be Good Tanyas, great to have them back: its folk if it involves lots of tuning and awkward stage banter. Both sound good to me.
Everyone sounds good in such a nice environment, though there is a temptation to lie down and rest the eyes in the sun to the quieter bands. No worries about that for Sundays’ headliners and perhaps my favourite experience of the weekend (at the festival anyway…) the Dubliners, sorry the
