There Goes the Fear, a UK/US Music Web site | Live UK gigs, news, and events

Single Review: Editors – A Ton of Love

Last week, Birmingham-based rockers Editors released their new single, ‘A Ton of Love’, just over a year after announcing guitarist Chris Urbanowicz’s split from the band.  Judging from the sound of this first single, Urbanowicz’s departure has cemented Editors’ digression from fundamentally guitar-based indie rock.  New band members Justin Lockey and Elliott Williams have not only filled the gap left by Urbanowicz, but have allowed Editors to expand the dimensions of their sound.  While the obvious U2 similarity can’t be ignored—this track hinges on an anthemic chorus of “Desire”—it’s a flattering comparison for Editors, and one that is certain to inspire some discussion among fans and casual listeners alike. 
 
The entire song consists of a series of tersely poignant phrases only vaguely linked together by the irresistibly singable chorus, ‘Taken by force / Twisted fate / Well, what weighs more / down on your plate? / A Ton of Love  / A Ton of Hate…’.  While not exactly unique, the lyrics are full of emotional angst, especially in combination with Tom Smith’s sultry vocal delivery.  His singing is bolstered by an intense bass groove and a stinging guitar line.  If the song lacks in lyrical interest, it makes up for that in music that lifts the heart and moves the hips.  It could prove to be an immense favorite on Editors’ summer festival run (dates here– http://www.editorsofficial.com/tour/ )
 
8/10
 
Editors’ new album, ‘The Weight of Your Love’, will be released on 1 July via Play It Again Sam.  ‘A Ton of Love’ is available now via iTunes.
 

Video of the Moment #1206: Little Boots

Little Boots has just released her second album, ‘Nocturnes’, and here is a video for ‘Broken Record’, a cut from the album. It’s kind of reminiscent of Donna Summer or disco era Debbie Harry, yes? Watch it below.

Liverpool Sound City 2013: Mary’s Day 2 Roundup

Sound City 2013, day 2, began with me waking up to the strains of a Reverend and the Makers‘ YouTube playlist blaring out of John’s iPad. Mission accomplished from the previous night, I’d say. We headed into the convention portion of the festival and my first stop was a radio pluggers’ panel with heavyweights of the radio industry, including 6music’s Chris Hawkins, Radio2′s Janice Long, and 6music producer Julie Cullen. As a regular BBC Radio music listener, it was really interesting to hear the presenters and producers’ takes on why radio is still so strong in Britain.

Janice Long said, “people love the intimacy of radio…[the fact that] they’re being offered something”, and I agree. Getting to know your presenters, I find, is especially important on whether or not I trust or would listen to that person’s recommendations. While by no means do I enjoy every single band that Lammo has trotted out on his New Favourite Band weekly feature, or in the same respect Huw Stephens on his specialist show, there are so many bands I never would have of heard of if either hadn’t played them on their shows. It was also heartening to hear that the panelists all welcome hearing demos from bands, just asking that the CDRs be labelled clearly and properly with the band name and song title, or even better, be provided a Soundcloud downloadable link that can be shared and spread between colleagues, should the song take their fancy and they want to actually play it on radio. I also had a chat with Chris Hawkins and that feature on TGTF is forthcoming soon.

After having some food and drink at a very cool, nonalcoholic cafe called the Brink, it was time to split up again, and then I was off to see Vasco da Gama, named after the Portuguese explorer who circumnavigated around the tip of Africa, not to be confused with the strange typo on the programme of Vasco da Gamma, as if they had some Greek relations. They play a wonky, punky, art rock kind of style that is not all unlike their fellow DIY Liverpudlians Hot Club de Paris, who’ve gone quiet. Vasco benefitted from the delay of the start of Taiwanese band Echo, who were having trouble with their soundcheck just across the way at the Garage. Watch a bit of their performance below.

The singer of Taiwan’s Echo certainly wins, hands down, the longest note held during this year’s Sound City. Check out the video below. When you’re an unknown band to the city you’re in, you’ve got to really bring it, and Echo’s singer jumped onto the barrier and into the sparse crowd and just let loose this amazing scream. Even if you don’t understand Chinese, there is no denying that the band sound great instrumentally and have a good command of melody, as you will see in the video. Now if they could just record one song in English language…

Funnily enough, next John and I ended up at the same place, with John not even knowing I was in the same room. In a true example of regional representation, a selection of Norwich bands appeared at Sound Food and Drink, a cafe that oddly did not vacate its tables and move them in time for the evening’s performances. Bad form. Or maybe they just wanted to discourage people from cramming themselves in there. The premise of Wooden Arms was promising: a band made of mostly classical string instrument-playing members, singing in multi-part harmony. Unfortunately, live they translated to something far more boring than I would have guessed.

So I was off again and to the east to the East Village Arts Club, where the bouncer inconveniently directed me to the wrong place for Manchester’s NO CEREMONY///. Like fellow Mancunians WU LYF, NO CEREMONY/// have tried to maintain a mysterious vibe about themselves, with overly dark, goth-y videos that show no hint of what the band actually look like. So I just assumed the band must be two blokes with oodles of synthesisers. Not exactly. The band live is fronted by a bass-toting woman and while there are two men with synths in front of them, one of them does play guitar. As I did suspect, there isn’t a

It was a bit of a hike from where I was to the Black-E, with 3 nights being curated by local Liverpool-centric football, music and culture Web site the Anfield Wrap and featuring only Merseyside-based bands. But being an Liverpool FC fan, I knew I just had to be there at some point in the weekend. I was not disappointed with the Thespians, with a lead singer that looks eerily like Carl Barat. The band even wear black leather jackets and sound at times very Libertines-esque, including abruptly ending some of their songs in that sort of punky, ‘up yours’ kind of way. They explained that their album had already been put out in Japan and all physical copies had been snapped by the record-buying public over there. If that is truly the case, then we should all probably get on this bandwagon now before it turns into a steamroller.

Then it was back west and into the centre of the clubbing life for the Chapman Family at Leaf Cafe. I have a couple friends who are massive fans of theirs, so colour me curious, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. They can be depressing topic-wise, but the sheer power of their live performance, not to mention the incredible magnetism of their frontman Kingsley Chapman, make their live set a sight to behold. A hipster couple who quickly took their places right in front of the stage threw their band tote bags under the stage and proceeded to mosh (is that the right word?) to every Chapman Family song, arms and legs flailing in every which way. At some point I was sure one of them would slip and fall but it didn’t happen, they were just so excited to be there.

And then it was back to Wolstenholme Square, where I thought I had arrived just in time for Marple’s Dutch Uncles. Cripes. I am very careful about making sure I don’t have clashes in schedule, so I am positive they must have moved up the Duncles’ set by an hour because when I arrived, Unknown Mortal Orchestra was setting up. To say I was upset by the turn of events, especially after loving the new album ‘Out of Touch in the Wild’, is putting it mildly. I was on the verge of tears. But, when in Liverpool, you carry on. I didn’t feel like running to another venue, so I just hung tight at the Arts Academy for the one major band I definitely wanted to see there, Dutch Uncles’ mates Everything Everything.

When you’re thousands of miles away from home, I don’t care who you are, it is an important and touching moment when a band you have supported and followed for a long time acknowledges your presence. Everything Everything’s bassist Jeremy Pritchard, who has always been extremely kind and nice to me every time I have had the pleasure to meet him, only waved to me down in the pit, but it truly meant the world to me. Prior to this, I had only seen them live once, and in an acoustic setting for a charity show 2 days after my birthday in 2011, so I was raring to go to see them play with their full setup. While I still think new album ‘Arc’ is not as strong as ‘Man Alive’, there were plenty of punters willing to disagree with me at the Arts Academy. I thought it was quite strange that they didn’t play ‘MY KZ, UR BF’, but perhaps they are trying to wean themselves away from their past? Possibly. With singles like ‘Kemosabe’ and ‘Cough Cough’, they can afford to do that.

The TGTF crew ended up, rather accidentally, together at Screenadelica at the end of the night, and you can read John’s descriptions of Arcane Roots and Future of the Left in his day 2 roundup. While we were waiting between sets, Duologue, who I recognised from seeing them in a beer garden at this year’s SXSW, bounded out from backstage at the Arts Academy and into Screendelica, the venue directly in the back of it. This Twitter exchange ensued. And yes, Tim, I will touch your face the next time I’m in your proximity!

Album Review: The Computers – Love Triangles Hate Squares

When you say a band has burst onto the scene, it’s usually the digging up of a worn-out old cliché. But for The Computers, there is seldom other ways to describe the Exeter-based five-piece. They arrived with a 24-minute debut album of punk rowdiness that was extremely raw and reminiscent of Pulled Apart by Horses debut record ‘Meat Balloon’.

So what did I expect from The Computers’ new album, ‘Love Triangles Hate Squares’? A bluesy, ’50s inspired quasi-homage to jazz was not the first place I was going to. In fact, it was pretty far down on my list of avenues the band would go down. It’s always worrying when a band tries to dramatically U-turn on their style, but The Computers I can confirm have done it with class, elegance and seamlessly have kerplunked themselves as a much more radio-friendly outfit altogether.

They’ve still got a raw kind of edge, and that’s blatantly obvious on the honky-tonkery of ‘Selina Chinese’. The gruff roars of ‘Group Identity’ and ‘Cinco De Mayo’ are replaced by piano grooves and a toe-tappingly catchy drum beat provided by the bands effective as ever engine room. Almost from start to finish, ‘Love Triangle Hate Squares’ is a thoroughly pleasant trip down memory lane, transporting you back to the dance halls of the ’50s, but spicing them up with a bit of 21st Century brashness. It’s an odd mix and at times, like on lovelorn lament ‘Cruel’ it all gets a bit too much.

But if you’re looking for some unashamed giggles and something which you will most definitely not bump into with any other band, then ‘Love Triangles Hate Squares’ is a solid bet, as with mainstream music at the moment, you won’t find something this original and uplifting anywhere else.

The record was mixed and recorded with producer Mark Neill, who has worked on The Black Keys‘ music, in Valdosta, Georgia, and the producer’s impact is underlying in the entire album. Whether that’s too much, could be an issue, but with the band’s new sound it seems like the band have met with Neill at the right time to produce a funky new sound for The Computers.

7/10

The Computers’ latest album ‘Love Triangles Hate Squares’ is out now on One Little Indian.

Video of the Moment #1205: Girls Names

Girls Names from Belfast will be appearing at the Great Escape on Thursday, gracing the Fly’s stage at Coalition. Don’t miss them! The band have a new video for ‘Hypnotic Regression’, from their current album ‘The New Life’ out now. It’s sonically so perfect, you’ll just have to listen to below to understand what I mean.

If you recall, I caught three of their band for a chat at this year’s SXSW (listen here) and their first appearance in Austin was at the NI@SXSW showcase on the Monday.

Liverpool Sound City 2013: John’s Day 2 Roundup

Header photo by TGTF Head Photographer Martin Sharman

Home-grown boys Alpha Male Tea Party’s set started abruptly, causing the amassed gaggle of hipsters to spill their cans of Tuborg. The three-piece. who could only be described as being dressed like male ejaculate, ripped into their set with a wave of screeching guitars passing over the crowd in Screenadelica, a venue which did its best to remind you of a scene from any poor horror film, but with more attractive artwork.

They busted out the hits, including that well-known tune ‘Bill Paxton is a Fucking Clogger’, which saw the band’s bassist pull an assortment of serial-killerish faces which the arrayed photographers ate up glutinously. The instrumental heaviness seemed to translate well on the audience that had gathered and for a band with obviously very little touring experience; they acquitted themselves well with some well-crafted riffs from their diminutive Alex Pettyfer-lookalike frontman. Their live set is similar to the frantic chaos of a Pulled Apart by Horses set, but the tunes unlike PABH aren’t there yet. Ones for the future, perhaps? (7/10)

Struggling to follow up to the lunacy of Alpha Male Tea Party were Luxembourg’s (supposed) finest Mutiny on the Bounty whose opener can only be described as an overegged tribute to the original Power Rangers theme tune. Normally from me that would be a compliment, especially if the band were looking for that kind of nostalgic comedy. Alas, MOTB were not aiming for that level of self-depreciating comedy and instead embarked upon an almost entirely instrumental set of wonky riffs and constant panning to the crowd.

At one point the band’s lead guitarist who was sporting the look of the day, a well-coiffed boutique moustache, pled for the crowd to come closer. A few obliged, but it was an indicator of how little the band’s peculiar metal-math-rock stylings were endearing them to the Sound City punters. (5/10)

A change of scenery then to Liverpool Sound and Vision, where alongside watching the acts, you can get a freshly made stone-baked pizza, as if the music wasn’t enough! This was to see The Pukes who are an 11-piece band, fronted by eight female ukulele players who played a hilarious assortment of punk covers and their own material.

They freely admitted that the gaggle of people standing between tables and by the bar were in fact the youngest crowd they had played to ever. The lasses fronting the unique outlet emitted a very ‘70s punk revival feel, whilst the crowd really got on board with what they were trying to do. The band didn’t exactly cover any untouched ground, no boundaries were broken and the time signatures were as ordinary as Jeff down the pub on a Saturday. But it was good fun, nothing sordid, seedy or particularly rude. Just a ruddy good time and some punk rock. (8/10)

To close the stage at Sound and Vision were a personal favourite of mine, Dingus Khan from Essex, whose music was first billed to me as “the missing link between Blur and Slipknot”. With a billing like that, it was obvious that their live show was something to behold. And with three bassists and three drummers in such a small space, the sound they made was nothing short of catastrophic. For one I was surprised that the building held up under the aural assault it was being pelted with.

Sound problems dogged them at the start, but instead of going all diva on the soundman the affable chaps of Dingus took it in their stride and powered on through a half hour set of immense bass chugs and oddly relatable songs. From the start lead singer Ben Brown relays to the crowd, “if this sounds abrasive and weird, we’ll have done it just right”. Weird, it does sound and abrasive, well, it’s not the kindest on the ear I suppose, but the songs and the pure rock ‘n’ roll attitude of the boys combines for a show of unknown excitement. Songs like ‘Knifey Spooney’ from their new record ‘Support Mistley Swan’ were barrels of fun, whilst frontman Brown continued to accentuate their eccentricity by climbing tables and singing without a microphone. To finish the gig of a bout of coordinated dance moves from the Khan boys was a classy end to a genuinely fun, over-the-top gig, with the best bit of whistling since Peter, Bjorn and John’s ‘Young Folks’, which whilst not being tunefully spectacular, left everyone with a firm grin affixed to their chops. (9/10)

The less said about Unknown Mortal Orchestra (pictured at top) at the Garage really is the better. For a band so hotly tipped to fall so flat, really is a surprise. What’s likeable about them is a mysterious factor to me and it seemed anybody in the half-filled Garage as when each song ended their seemed to be a pause to look around to see if anybody else was going to gratify them with applause. To me that is not right, but further investigation may be necessary to discover to what extent this band blows. (4/10)

As the night entered the wee hours and the 3rd turned to the 4th, attentions turned to Screenadelica again for Arcane Roots, whose new album ‘Blood & Chemistry’ is pulling up trees for their brilliant take on alternative rock. Arguably, they are the first band who properly gets the crowd into what you would expect from a rock band, which is of course a swaying mass of flailing limbs, windmills and the occasional mosh pit.

Frontman Andrew Groves is resplendent in an elegant suit jacket and his almost soprano tones are close to a screech as he channels all his energy into a wild riff ridden set, intermittent with screams from hairless bassist Daryl Atkins. Their frenetic set features big hits like ‘You Are’ and caters for the casual audience well enough for them to have earned a good few new supporters as they leave the stage to be replaced by the behemoth that are Future of the Left. (8/10)

Future of the Left are outstanding from start to finish, with ‘Small Bones, Small Bodies’ apparent as one of the biggest tunes of the entire festival, even in one of the smaller venues that the festival is being hosted at. The fans throughout go utterly ballistic, even to the point that one of the members of Dingus Khan who shall remain unnamed gets a little too excited, crowdsurfed then almost pulled a light fitting off, before being restrained by security and knocking one of them over.

As the hordes in front of the stage get within touching distance of ‘the talent’ on the pedestal, lead singer and post-hardcore hero of banter Andy “Falco” Falkous diffuses the crowd with his indescribable wit and guile. The set overall was a triumph, with the band’s stock as diehards of the scene truly nailed down in front of the swirling mosh pit. (9/10)