So, the curtain has near closed on 2009. It’s snowing, Rage Against the Machine are number one and Simon Cowell is left weeping in a corner – alas, all is generally well this December. Now time to look back over the past year and pick out some of our favourite albums of 2009.

Arctic Monkeys – Humbug

Arctic Monkeys returned this 2009 with a whole new sound to their name. Produced by the demigod that is Josh Homme, Humbug showcased a darker, more sinister side to the previously happy-chappy Sheffield quartet. Still brimming with Turner’s brilliant lyricism, the music is a whole lot more creepy, a lot more obscure in nature, and alas a lot more challenging to listeners.

Graham Coxon (pictured top)– The Spinning Top

Not content with merely reuniting with fellow Blur band mates this 2009, lo fi punk Graham Coxon also released his seventh solo album titled The Spinning Top this year. The 15-tracked record narrates the life and death of a man, all via a dreamy acoustic soundscape. Switching his typical power chords to finger picking folk pleased and amazed certain fans, but undoubtedly scared many others off.

La Roux – La Roux

The Jedward-haired electro pop starlet, complete without a smile, had a fantastic success of a year with her digital 80s beats tainted with heartbreak and pain. She put synths and oversized cameos back on the map, gaining hoards of fans with her gameboy hits such as ‘Bulletproof’ and ‘In for the Kill’. Undoubtedly one of the girls of the year.

The Boxer Rebellion – Union

The Boxer Rebellion scored themselves a number one hit over the pond on America’s iTunes alternative chart with second album Union, beating the likes of Kings of Leon and Coldplay while they were at it. Not bad for a band whos drummer used to give me music lessons. The album is truly immense, exploding with beautifully crafted, hypnotically gracious indie tunes.

Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

An exotic dalliance with 60s inspired psychedelia rightfully earned Kasabian a Mercury Music Prize nomination this 2009. From the stomping hit of ‘Fire’ to the trance-esque ‘Where Did All the Love Go?’, Kasabian at last confirmed themselves to be one of Britain’s biggest guitar bands this year.

The Horrors – Primary Colours

The Horrors lost the Elnett and gained immense critical acclaim in replace of it this 2009 with their brilliant second album Primary Colours. The Southend goth-punks drove their new record in a whole lot more serious of a direction, dropping the Dracula garage rock and instead reaching out for moody yet mature post-punk come new wave sound.

Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More

Mumford and Sons recently showed wannabe folk artists how it’s really done this October with their rich, homely bluegrass. Warming banjos, dobros and double basses have thrown this hearty thud of a folk album into best of lists across the board.

The Dead Weather – Horehound

The greatest super group to spawn from 2009 (prior to Them Crooked Vultures), The Dead Weather, as led by Jack White and Alison Mosshart, caused a stomping furore this year. Their debut album, Horehound, is a sticky 45 minutes of dirty fingernail rock and roll at it’s absolute attitude-filled best.

White Lies – To Lose My Life

White Lies are a thrilling little trio who take tips from the throbbing darkness of Echo and the Bunneymen and Talking Heads to name but a few. The epic debut from the London-based band featured immense, stadium-worthy hits ala ‘Death’ and ‘Farewell to the Fareground’ and was certainly one of my personal highlights of 2009.

The sweet electro sounds of La Roux will soon reverberate across sold-out venues in the UK next month. If you missed out on getting tickets for Elly Jackson’s shows next month, we have good news. These dates for La Roux were just announced for April and May 2010, with the tour ending at London’s 02 Academy Brixton.

Monday 26th April 2010 – Reading Hexagon
Wednesday 28th April 2010 – Brighton Concert Hall
Thursday 29th April 2010 – Cambridge Corn Exchange
Friday 30th April 2010 – Bournemouth 02 Academy
Sunday 2nd May 2010 – Glasgow O2 Academy
Monday 3rd May 2010 – Sheffield 02 Academy
Tuesday 4th May 2010 – Manchester Academy
Thursday 6th May 2010 – Cardiff University
Friday 7th May 2010 – London O2 Academy Brixton

La Roux, aka London electro singer Elly Jackson, has just released a video for ‘I’m Not Your Toy’, the third single from her Mercury Prize-nominated, eponymous debut album.

This time, she’s ditched the ’80s atmosphere and gone even further back, to a Victorian-era conservatory filled with the uptight, martini-drinking set. In quick order, La Roux, with her sweet, sweet voice and and animated backup dancers, gets everyone grooving to the music. Enjoy.

La Roux’s single for ‘I’m Not Your Toy’ will be released in the UK on 28 September by Polydor Records.

Following their domination of the charts of late, La Roux have announced their biggest tour to date, playing a number of shows around the UK in November.

Tickets apparently go on sale on Friday (10th July) at 10am. Catch La Roux at:

Friday 13th November 2009 – Leeds University Stylus
Saturday 14th November 2009 – Newcastle University
Monday 16th November 2009 – Glasgow ABC
Tuesday 17th November 2009 – Nottingham Rock City
Wednesday 18th November 2009 – Birmingham O2 Academy
Friday 20th November 2009 – Bristol O2 Academy
Saturday 21st November 2009 – Manchester Warehouse Project
Sunday 22nd November 2009 – Norwich UEA
Tuesday 24th November 2009 – Southampton Guildhall
Wednesday 25th November 2009 – London O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

It seems that this 2009 has brought along with it a stylish new wave of British female singers. Following on from our Lilys, Amys and Adeles, we have our Florences, Marinas and, er, Little Boots-es. Elly Jackson, aka, most prominent half of electro-duo La Roux, perhaps shares the most in common with the latter lady. Both Jackson and Little Boots are the current female forerunners in the 80s-revival, electro-pop revolution. However, while Miss. Boots prefers to go for the sunnier side of the synth, La Roux’s edgier debut is proof that these two artists are in fact miles apart. Released Monday (29th June), La Roux’s self-titled album has so far been dividing fans and critics alike. Unsurprisingly, TGTF were eager to have a listen after we were passed the record earlier this week.

Kicking off with ‘In For the Kill’, the success of this song chart-wise is sufficient proof of it’s instant likeability factor. Bopping, retro-synths and a drum beat spikier than Elly’s hair style, this song is stupidly addictive. Similarly catchy tunes include the ping-pong synths of current single, ‘Bulletproof’. “Been there, done that, messed around. I’m having fun, don’t put me down. I’ll never let you sweep me off my feet!”, Jackson spits with a tinny attitude before leading us into the addictive chorus-hook of “This time baby, I’ll be, bulletproof.”. Elly’s vocals, meanwhile, are robotically velvet amid ‘Quicksand’ – a dry, sticky number with an awesome bubbly-synth pop chorus.

The transition from spat, aggressive verses to smooth vocals amid uber-frantic ‘Tigerlily’ is awesome – yet the song is perhaps too overwhelmed by crazy electro beats and harsh drum machines. Meanwhile, the Gameboy synths and miss mashed, shrill vocals of ‘Fascination’ are not exactly easy on the ears. If anything, the song ultimately becomes rather irritable to listen to. ‘I’m Not Your Toy’ is similarly over-synthed and over-shrilled, and is one of the least memorable tracks on the record.

‘Armour Love’, ‘As if by Magic’ and ‘Cover My Eyes’, however, are proof that when the tempo and simplicity of the record is brought down a little – Jackson can become a genuine pleasure to listen to. ‘Armour Love’ sees Elly calmly coat the trippy synths and slowly pulsating drumbeat with her velvety vocals, while the electro-psychedelic ‘As if by Magic’s’ only flaw is the “oooh oh oh oh” screeches Miss. Roux is noticeably fond of using throughout the record. Meanwhile, tear-jerker, ‘Cover My Eyes’, is perhaps one of the album highlights. Considering the track’s touching lyrics(“So would you hold me please? I’m trying hard to breath. Stop me from crying.”), it’s unsurprising to learn Jackson broke down in tears amid recording. Add to that the warming harmonies as provided by London Community Gospel Choir, and this particular track really becomes quite outstandingly heart-warming amid the overly-robotic material of the rest of the album.

So, judging by their opinion-splitting debut, it’s not unsurprising that La Roux continue to recieve such a mixed-bag reception. Some love the duo’s revival of edgy synth-pop, while others find the band’s super-cool electro, well, just plain annoying. Still, either way, there has been an undeniable amount of buzz surrounding Miss. Jackson these past few weeks, and I’m glad to say that ‘La Roux’ just about justifies the hype.

Okay, okay, so I have a huge love for La Roux. Her current single, In For The Kill is doing great things in both the charts and the clubs, and now my favourite song off of her album sampler, Bulletproof is going to be the next single.  Watch it below, and let us know what you think in the comments below.

It seems you can’t go anywhere these days without La Roux being played or someone proclaiming their love for the duo, or better known to many as simply 21 year old frontwoman Elly Jackson. Catchy, 80’s synth laden mega hits abound – but live can she hack it? She’s currently touring the UK with The Chapman Family, Magistrates and Heartbreak as part of the NME Radar tour.

Sadly we missed the hotly tipped Chapman Family after not getting our heads around the idea of doors at 6:30 and finishing work at 5… Still, the half filled Oxford Academy 2 were well up for Magistrates who ambled on a few minutes after we arrived.

Like Klaxons but fronted by a guy who looked suspiciously like Dr Chase of ‘House’ fame, only the singer really seemed into it – the bassist, drummer and guitarist either need to losen up or get off of whatever fabulous substance they’re on. Producing a brand of perfectly acceptable first album electro pop but nothing amazing, in the long run they may possibly be 2009’s Palladium – some good songs but on balance really rather rubbish.

Next up was European duo Heartbreaks – Freddie Mercury and Mick Hucknell lookalikes, we immediately hated the look of this trio, however they quickly had us coming round with their thumping drums, and amazingly crazy frontman, the Freddie styled, romanian vampire esque Sebastian Muravchix. Struggling at first to get everyone going with their lack of hooks, everyone came around their Justice-lite european charms, resulting in more arms in the air than Magistrates managed. Things are looking good for La Roux if this is what the support bands can do.

She ambled on at 9:20 and did not disappoint. Plunging straight into quicksand it was easy to see that she isn’t jaded yet – still relishing every moment on stage. When someone throws underwear on stage (“and not a boy’s!” she gasped), Elly turns it into a recurring theme of the night, showing that she’s able to hold the crowd in the palm of her hand after so few shows. We were treated to a number of new songs from her forthcoming self titled album, with plenty of between song banter from Elly.

Quite honestly, her hair was amazing. Something that Shockwaves would be in awe at, it fitted in perfectly with Elly’s “budget trousers made for me by a friend”, which were pretty amazing. Asking for the lighters out for “As if by Magic” (“don’t worry, I’ll only take major offence if you don’t have a lighter!), by the halfway mark of the show everyone was in love with La Roux’ anthems. Closing out with the amazing Bulletproof, there was never any question of there being an encore – leaving out “In for the Kill” was just not going to be possible, such was the noise.

There’s no denying that La Roux is going to be a huge star this year, but if you have some spare time definately check out Magistrates and Heartbreak.

After the jump: La Roux’s setlist and photos.
Read the rest of this entry »

Bestival is a three-day, action-packed music festival held every year at Robin Hill Country Park on the beautiful Isle of Wight. The bash is well-known for being one of the final music festivals to be squeezed out of the last of the summer months, and this year Bestival will be taking place appropriately late – between Friday 11th to Sunday 13th September.

The festival initially started out 5 years ago and has grown in both size and popularity since then. The brainchild of Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank, Bestival is renowned for both it’s diverse line ups as well as it’s super fun atmosphere.

Headliners confirmed for this year’s event include Elbow, Massive Attack and Kraftwerk. Other quite simply amazing acts taking to the stage this 2009 include (and we stress, include!) MGMT, Fleet Foxes, Doves, Seasick Steve, Klaxons, Lily Allen, Friendly Fires, Florence and the Machine, Little Boots, Esser, Passion Pit, Chew Lips, La Roux and Jack Penate.

Meanwhile, DJs who’ll be spinning the decks at the Isle of Wight bash this year include Annie Mac, Huw Stephens, Zane Lowe and the boss himself, Rob da Bank.

Yet this is only a minuscule look into the massive selection of artists and DJs confirmed for this year’s event. You can grab the complete line-up over at Bestival’s website by hitting this link.

But music, no matter how impressive the line up may be, isn’t completely what this festival is about. Bestival is also a celebration of fun, and this year looks set to be one hell of a party.

Every year, for example, the festival has a fancy dress theme, and this 2009 the theme is ‘outer space’! So why not visit ‘The Dressing Up Area’, complete with a ‘Pimp My Outfit Booth’ to adorn yourself in such clothing wonderment while at the festival?

If fancy dress isn’t your thing, how about you check out ‘Heavenly Healing’ or ‘The Pamper Lounge’, two beautifully relaxing retreats providing festival-goers with a range of therapeutic treatments between their sweaty head banging sessions.

Other delights you can experience while at this dreamy festival include the tasty treats of ‘Buttercupcakes Afternoon Tea Hut’, the dizzying heights of the ‘The Big Wheel’, the jam-packed ‘The Village’ (complete with a farmers market and sushi stall!), ‘The Kids Garden’ for wee festival goers, and the famous ‘Inflatable Church’ should you fancy getting married along the way!

Wow! So, to learn more about this rollercoster of a festival, check out Bestival’s website. An adult weekend ticket for the event costs £140, and this includes camping. Tickets are still available for the fest and can be purchased from most ticket outlets. Check out the site for more information on where to purchase yours. Have fun!

Top photo is taken from alex_lee2001’s flickr stream under the Creative Commons License.

Two of the bands that we first previewed here at TGTF, La Roux and The Chapman Family, have announced that they’ll be going off on the NME Radar tour in late April and early May. They’ll be joined by Magistrates and Heartbreak.

La Roux, who we first introduced here, is headlining the annual NME hunt for new talent, whilst The Chapman Family, who we introduced here, look set to be second on.

Tickets go on sale at 9am tomorrow morning, Wednesday 4th March.

Catch the bands at:

Wednesday 29th April 2009 – Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Thursday 30th April 2009 – Bristol Thekla
Friday 1st May 2009 – Wrexham Central Station
Saturday 2nd May 2009 – Oxford O2 Academy
Wednesday 6th May 2009 – Manchester Academy 3
Thursday 7th May 2009 – Leeds Cockpit
Friday 8th May 2009 – Preston 53 Degrees
Sunday 10th May 2009 – Glasgow King Tuts
Wednesday 13th May 2009 – Birmingham Academy 2
Thursday 14th May 2009 – Portsmouth Wedgwood Rooms
Sunday 17th May 2009 – Stoke Sugarmill
Monday 18th May 2009 – Norwich Waterfront
Tuesday 19th May 2009 – London KOKO

To find tickets, we suggest you try using Needtickets. Needtickets.com offers you the most comprehensive ticket service in the UK. With one click you can search every nationwide online ticket agent and as a result you can find tickets for any live music event that can be booked online. Every ticket is 100% guaranteed as Needtickets.com only offers links to official agents.

Months with no daily roundup, then two in the same week – whatever next? It seems with this economic crisis and general gloom and doom people are turning to bloggers more and more to get free publicity – great for us, however it does mean my inbox fills up more and more quickly. Here’s the best of my inbox (and some other bits I love) so far this week…

Luke Hess is coming to London next year, and I quite like what I’m hearing at the moment – kind of chilled out, kind of funky, very chilled out, great for me to have on whilst starting my Final Year Project. Find out a bit more about the fascinating man over at Don’t Panic Magazine.

Lots of press this week around the Blur reunion – great news, but I won’t be going along. They were great in the 90’s, but I think I’ll keep the memories on CD rather than in the flesh.

My new favourite electro fun girl-band? Dead Pixels (pictured at top of post). I’ve had “So You Say” (below for free download) on repeat for a while – frantic, pulsing, height-of-the-party feel just calls out to be featured on Skins or such like in a drug fuelled montage. If you like this, bear in mind that it’s only the B side to their current single, “Words Are Poison”. Download, listen, love below:

MP3: Dead Pixels – So You Say

I’ve mentioned my love for La Roux (pictured right) before, and now that she’s on the BBC Sound of 2009 Longlist, she’s released a brand new video Quicksand to co-incide with the single which came out last Monday. Watch and feel all summery below:

Apologies if things are a bit slow for the next few days – I’m off to catch Delays on their World Tour of Southampton on Friday and Saturday evenings when they play the Orange Rooms and then the Joiners.