I generally get a little nervous before gigs. Excitement, anticipation and of course freshly laundered underpants all play a part in the pre gig ritual but prior to tonight’s gig I was extra jittery. I’ve been in the thrall of Marina and the Diamonds for the last 18 months or so and now finally I had the chance to catch her live, at a free gig as part of Liverpool music week. The anxiety I felt could probably be equated to the emotions a football fan must experience prior to a big game whereby you hope that your team puts in the performance you know they are capable thus affirming the faith you have in their talent. In retrospect there was absolutely no need to worry. Simply put, Marina produced the sort of life affirming set that merely served to confirm the buzz about this girl is 100% correct. I’ll say it again but if she doesn’t make it big in 2010 then I will eat my proverbial hat, dress up as Lady Ga-Ga and question the nation’s sanity.

Reviewing gigs can sometimes be a solitary affair, especially when half the city seemed to have transported itself over to the other side of town to Morrissey’s favourite venue, the Liverpool Arena in order to pay homage to popular George Formby tribute act, the Arctic Monkeys. I actually had a ticket but as soon as I heard Marina and the Diamonds were playing on the same night it was a case of “forget the arena; I’m going to see Marina.” Funnily enough I met a couple of other fans who were at the gig solo, rendered friendless for the night by Mr Turner and his band of ragamuffins, but once you’re a “Diamond” (the term Marina uses for her fans and isn’t actually the name of her band) you’re not really alone as there is a very real shared bond and a sense of camaraderie amongst her fans. There’s a definite vibe amongst hard core “Diamonds” that you are all in this musical adventure together, that this is your girl on stage, the one you’ve seen blossom from myspace bedroom demo singer to fully fledged pop goddess … (or maybe that was the pre-gig double Jack Daniels kicking in?) Marina has often said how much her fans mean to her and some may be inclined to dismiss this as PR bullshit, full of the kind of empty sound bites we often hear from countless pop singers. However maybe the doubters would be given pause for thought had they witnessed Marina begging bouncers to allow one of her biggest fans into tonight’s venue over concerns about his age, she eventually secured his entrance by convincing said doormen with a major whopper that the young lad in question was her long lost Scouse cousin called Onslow! (His real name is Jack) Now, how many singers would go that far for one of their fans? You do get the feeling that Marina is very much the real deal.

Without wishing to cast myself in the role of Benny Hill it must be said that Marina is stunningly beautiful in the flesh and as she prowled the stage wearing killer heels and a figure hugging leather outfit the sound of young men’s knees buckling was almost palpable, whilst gentlemen of a certain vintage seemed to experience the onset of a full-on mid-life crisis!! Marina and her band had just played a sell out 1,000 capacity show in Dublin the night before so if playing a free gig in Liverpool on a wet and windy Friday night was a bit of a comedown it certainly didn’t show in terms of the effort and energy expended. Liverpool can be a strange city when it comes to gigs, it’s almost impossible to gauge which bands will draw a crowd and what sort of reception a performer will get. Tonight’s assembled crowd greeted Marina with the kind of cautious enthusiasm that says “well you’re not a Beatles tribute band so we’ll just have to just see how we get along, won’t we?” However by the time the acid tongued bouncing brilliance of the opening song “Girls” (think a literate version of a punked up Britney whose drink’s been spiked with vitriol) had finished she’d thawed even the frostiest of hearts and proceeded to produce one of the most entertaining, engaging and compelling performances I’ve seen for quite some time. Marina’s charisma, easy charm and ability to completely connect with the audience seemed so effortless and natural that you really did feel part of the show; it’s hard to believe that at one time she was petrified of performing in public.

Tonight’s set included a tune strongly rumoured to be the next single, ‘Hollywood Infected Your Brain,’ a stellar pop tune which could be the song that enables Marina to break through into the mainstream, whilst somewhat ironically it appears to be a critique of the very culture of celebrity she is on the cusp of. In many ways it encapsulates the paradox that is “Marina.” She may well tweet with the likes of salacious Hollywood rumour monger extraordinaire, Perez Hilton, on twitter, she is undoubtedly “obsessed with the mess that’s America” but “Hollywood” shows she’s also aware of the dark side of fame. She’s conscious of the fact that the limelight is also the firing line and you get a sense that should she achieve a certain level of prominence that she is acutely aware of it’s ugly destructive flip-side. Like many of us she seems fascinated and appalled by it in equal measure. But unlike many of us she has the ability to write a killer pop song on the subject!

An obvious highlight of Marina’s set is her tale of dysfunctional relationships and post-coital angst, the quite wonderful ‘Obsessions’ is a song designed to make ones heart simultaneously burst with both joy and sadness, such is the raw emotion, honesty and bitter-tinged sense of regret contained within. Further spine tingling moments included a slowed down keyboard only version of her current single ‘Mowgli’s Road,’ turning a tumultuous slice of “cuckoo-pop” into a rather sad yet beautiful lament whilst showcasing the uniqueness of her vocal style. When firm fan favourite and one of the songs of 2009, ‘I am Not A Robot’ is performed with such passion you can’t help but agree with the fan who said “this woman deserves to succeed,” because she really does. She has something new and innovative and dynamic to offer the pop world, something that she exudes herself and, unlike many pop wannabes she isn’t just going through the motions to attain success for its own sake.

“My true dream is to become successful for what I do naturally proving to people that you do not have to replicate other people’s popular qualities in order to become popular”

The set finishes with a triumphant second version of ‘Mowgli’s Road,’ this one the full on version ….and then….. she’s gone. A ten song set which was over way too quickly, but she proved beyond a doubt she was born to do this, is a unique talent and next year will surely see her make the breakthrough she richly deserves. She gave a staggering performance, as did I, as I weaved my home into the wet Liverpudlian night, quite intoxicated in every possible sense of the word! Balls out brilliant!

“The Way It Works” By Polly MacKey And The Pleasure Principle

Polly MacKey’s first public performance came when she was just shy of her sixteenth birthday, at a family party. As chance would have it a local promoter was amongst the guests and he was so impressed with her performance he signed her up for a number of local gigs. Polly’s acoustic shows were extremely received but she felt that she needed to expand her sound. She reasoned that her songs would benefit from being performed by a full band and that such a move would also enable her to remain true to her musical influences. To that end she hand-picked some of the finest local musicians and Polly Mackey & The Pleasure Principle was born in 2008. The addition of a full band immediately added the extra sonic dimension to Polly’s work that she’d been looking for and before long the band soon attracted interest from producer Paul Grady. Paul had previously worked with bands such as Howling Bells and a number of sessions were recorded at the renowned Real World Studios which served to demonstrate  the phenomenal potential this band have

The industry buzz surrounding Polly and the boys continued apace, aided in no small part by playing at the SXSW music festival in Texas which received rave reviews. They also secured a slot at the Benicassim music festival, beating off competition from 1,700 other bands to take their place on stage  alongside the likes of Oasis, The Kings Of Leon and Franz Ferdinand.  It certainly looks  like now’s the time catch the band at an intimate venue before they take the music world by storm and 2010 should see them continue to win plaudits from fans and industry insiders alike. There’s no doubt that Polly has exactly what it takes to become a major star, her literate thought provoking songs are brought to life by her incredible voice which has that rare quality in that it can effortlessly convey joy and despair, light and shade, without seeming to skip a beat, and of course The Pleasure Principle produce a sound that could be described as  tighter than Dawn French’s trousers after a midnight feast.

Comparisons are bound to be made, the style and attitude of a young Chrissie Hynde, the cool edginess of PJ Harvey and the pop sensibility of Blondie,  all underpinned with the sort of quality song writing that can’t be manufactured or bought, it’s a natural gift and one that should ensure the band are destined for even bigger things over the next year or so. Keep your ears peeled….we spoke to Polly about what she’d been up to over the last years or so.

VP:  You’ve been described as a “precocious talent”, when did you first take up the guitar and start song writing?

POLLY: I first took up the guitar when I was about 10, I had a little set of drums for my birthday so for Christmas I got a bright red Stratocaster from Argos. I played on and off for a while but really got my passion for music and playing when I was about 14 or 15.

VP: Can you remember the first song you ever wrote?

POLLY: I was 15, the song was called ‘18 Hours’.

VP: You’ve won song writing awards and played SXSW, what have been your highlights since becoming involved in music?

POLLY: Yeah SXSW was an experience to say the least! We had 9 gigs in 5 days so it was one big blur. The FIB Heineken Festival we played at this summer was great, though forest fires and high winds started an hour after we played and Kings Of Leon pulled out and the place was shut down for the night, so we were pretty lucky we got to play!

VP: Where and when can people get your music, is a debut album in the pipeline?

POLLY: This is something we’re being asked all the time. I’ve been writing new material all year and we’ve spent the summer rehearsing and refining it. We are gigging extensively for the next few months to see how it comes across live; that will then determine the tracks that we go into the studio and record.

VP:  Which musicians do you most admire and why?

POLLY: I love bands like Radiohead, Arcade Fire, The Kills, PJHarvey - they just seem so completely in control of everything surrounding their music and artistic direction.

VP: What made you came up with the name for your band “The Pleasure Principle” are you  a fan of Sigmund Freud , Janet Jackson, Gary Numan or René Magritte? Which is it ?

POLLY: I’ve always liked band names with abit of relevance to the people in it. I was due to study a degree in Philosophy and English but decided to make something out of my music instead, so thats the Sigmund Freud link. I also have Gary Numan’s album and always thought it would be a good band name – plus alliteration goes a long way.

VP: What’s it like being the only female with an all male band. Does the battle of the sexes rear its head on tour ….

POLLY: I never think about it much. I was a tom-boy when I was little and most of my friends throughout life have been male so it’s no big deal. There is a noticeable difference in cleanliness and smell though, once you spend a while in a hotel room!

VP: What do you make of the trend over the last few years for band “reunions” , do you think this appetite for nostalgia can move the focus away from younger, upcoming bands?

POLLY: I think some of the reunions are great, as it gives people of my generation the chance to go and see bands that they thought they’d only ever be able to hear on CD. Though I think most of the more commercial pop reunions are slightly wearing.

VP:  What part of being a musician do you enjoy best, recording, touring song writing?

POLLY: It’s always enjoyable to write a song when it sounds good, but I always find myself getting excited to see how it’ll sound in a live environment - that’s where the real reward is.

VP:   Five songs you wish you had of written are?

POLLY: Monkey 23 – The Kills

All My Friends – LCD Soundsystem

Dying On The Vine – John Cale

Ashes To Ashes – David Bowie

Sound of The Underground – Girls Aloud.

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“Seriously” Live By Polly MacKey & The Pleasure Principle

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Russ Chimes Remix

We’ve got obsessions / All you ever think about are sick ideas involving me, involving you’ sang Marina and the Diamonds, and ironically in doing so, kick started my own mini obsession with her music! Not, you understand, in the scary ‘I’m going to kidnap you and keep you in my room until you write me a song,’ Kathy Bates/James Caan type sense. No, no, more of a ‘by god, this is everything pop music should be’ kind of reaction, an aesthetic appreciation, if you will, for the fabulous music Marina has been producing and an admiration for her refreshing honesty about, well, …everything really. So if like me, you’re becoming rather jaded by the dreary over-hyped production line procession of insipid, anodyne pop princesses, then I’d advise you to look no further than the rather wonderful Marina and The Diamonds. Unlike Blondie, Marina isn’t actually a band as such but a solo artist, she explains the choice of name thus “I like fantasy and I hate loneliness so the idea of Marina & the Diamonds instantly felt cute and warming and not as egocentric as Marina Diamond.” Her brilliant debut ‘Obsessions’ was issued as a limited release by those hip and happening dudes over at Neon Gold and was lauded with justified praise from every quarter. The follow up the equally stunning ‘Crown Jewels EP’ cemented Marina’s reputation as one of the brightest talent’s resident within these here shores.

Now at last her first official single hits the shelves on 16th November which will hopefully establish her as the nations sweetheart and see statues erected in her honour the length and breath of the country. (Ok I’ll admit that’s my best case scenario, but you get my drift) The song is actually a re-recording of ‘Mowgli’s Road’ which first appeared alongside ‘Obsessions’ earlier in the year and is a track which quickly established itself as a firm fan favourite and crowd pleaser at this year’s summer festivals. Of course there’s always a concern when a much loved song gets a make-over, but thankfully ‘Mowgli’s Road’ retains the driving, relentless energy and purity of the original with the addition of some rather nice keyboard flourishes which aren’t over done and serve to further polish this already glittering musical diamond. ‘Mowgli’s Road,’ all pounding beats and “cuckoo” shrieks, is the perfect introduction to Marina’s kaleidoscopic pop world which has been described as part Kate Bush and part Lene Lovich. It positively throbs with energy and life and is unlike anything else being produced in the pop sphere at the moment. It’s catchy enough for the chart kids to get hooked but it also has a wild, dangerous, and let’s face it, slightly demented edge that will appeal to the indie crowd too.

Off stage Marina shoots from the lip and takes no prisoners, for example when she was lazily compared to Kate Nash she retorted “I’m sooo like Kate Nash because OOPS! I have a vagina and a keyboard.” Marina’s songs should be judged on their own merits, they are distinctive, unique, intelligent, literate, powerful and at times rather moving. To dismiss Marina as merely “kooky” or “quirky” would be doing her a huge disservice as she produces music that is as diverse as it is wonderful and unique. She certainly is a ‘one off’ as regular readers of her blogs and twitter updates will doubtless testify, whether she is tweeting from a train warning that if the drunken bloke opposite her kicks her leg one more time she will rip his f**king head off, to ruminating on the pros and cons of life in Sweden “Everyone is beautiful and tanned, so self-esteem may suffer / could end up contributing to high suicide rate in Scandinavia” she comes across as far more real than the likes of Lily Allen ever could.

‘Mowgli’s Road’ deserves to set Marina on the road to stardom, she’s just the sort of talented, vivacious character the pop arena is crying out for at the moment. Full of life, bursting with ideas and striving to make music of value on her own terms. She manages to appear esoteric, yet honest and open, fiesty, yet vulnerable. And it is these kind of contradictions that make her such a compelling individual…. I make no apologies for the unrelenting enthusiastic tone of this review (you should have seen the first draft) but I haven’t been this excited about a new artist for quite some time.

Acquaint yourself with Marina and make her a star! This Diamond is a rare and precious gem.

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Originally written for Altsounds.com here a review which caused a little bit of controversy too , which was nice !

AWARDS FOR MUSIC JOURNALISM AND PR 2009

We (ie me),  are up for  Best Blog prize!  Not bad eh? For what is essentially a one man blog.  All awards are voted for by the public  but hopefully not  the same public who watch the X-Factor.  So if you fancy voting for the ‘little guy’ and help him mix with the great and  the good and  maybe even get on that GMTV sofa of inanity, or hang out with those crazy gals on “Loose Women” then  go to the website  HERE and vote in the best blog category for The Von Pip Musical Express….because every time you vote for another blog, a kitten dies….probably…x

Thanks everyone!

http://www.recordoftheday.com/www/awards/index.php

Saying you  don’t particularly ‘ get’ The White Stripes usually elicits the same  sort of incredulity and anger normally reserved for somebody who decides to drop their  trousers and shout “Hallelujah!” whilst receiving Holy Communion at church on Sunday.  But the truth is I never really had much time for The White Stripes, Ok so “Hotel Yorba” had a certain rough-hewn rustic knock about charm, but for some reason they reminded me of  Timbuk 3 (anyone remember them! ) and I never quite managed to sever that ludicrous mental connection. As the popular music press salivated over each new White Stripes release I would offer the same indifferent shrug I normally reserved for the latest Foo Fighters tune. After hearing Mr White’s rather woefully misjudged James Bond /Alicia Keys rock-warble hybrid I felt a shameful sense of schadenfreude “not quite the godhead you’re often made out to be eh Jacky boy ?” I thought. However despite my resistance to all things JW I could appreciate that he is an amazing, innovative guitarist but I believed that the premature anointing of Mr W as some sort of musical deity was somewhat over the top, but hey, ho, I didn’t lose much sleep over it and I’m damn sure Jack didn’t, – I didn’t dislike The White Stripes they just kinda washed over me and I concluded that some bands you just don’t ‘get’. And so The White Stripes existed -I didn’t bother them, they didn’t bother me, everybody was happy. Then along came The Raconteurs, and I admit I was initially seduced by ‘Steady As She Goes’ and we briefly held hands but when I listened to the full album I realised we were never likely to consummate our musical relationship and so it seemed that another Jack White project was  to pass me by … I must admit I did feel I was missing out, but couldn’t quite work out how or in what sense??…..

But now Jacks really gone and upset my apple cart …he’s only gone and produced a sleazy slice of rock n’ roll that even I could not fail to be moved by.  His latest single  “I  Cut Like a Buffalo” from yet another of his ever expanding side projects, The Dead Weather, is the song that really changed everything for me,  it became a musical jemmy that opened a mind that was seemingly forever hermetically sealed to  all things Jack White… after  listening to this track everything slowly started  fall in to place, suddenly I started to “get” the Dead Weather and it proved “I don’t know Jack!”

Alongside Jack, The Dead Weather’s dirge rock is the product of Dean Fertita (Queens Of The Stone Age),  “Little” Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, The Greenhornes) and Alison Mosshart (The Kills)  “I Cut Like  Buaffalo” is their latest musical calling card from  their debut album  ‘Horehound’. It’s a track which perfectly captures their gritty rock & dirty blues sound. It’s a dark, organ grinding number containing a Stranglers inspired intro which fuses “Peaches” with “Hanging Around” before  crossing over into Clash territory whilst managing to  retain that whiskey sodden blues quality that sounds utterly authentic, natural  and completely uncontrived. Apparently The Dead Weather formed as the result of a Raconteurs jam session and it kind of has that rough and ready vibe, a raw untreated feel, like it was recorded in a New Orleans crack house on Halloween.  Visceral guitars and juddering beats circle Jack and Alison’s vocals like a pack of hungry wolves as he snarls “Is that you chokin’?/ Or are you just jokin’? I’ve no idea what “Cuts Like A Buffalo” actually means, some say it’s a euphemism for death, others that it’s a slightly unpleasant term for bleeding during sexual congress(nice), but I prefer to think of it as somebody who is thick-skinned -difficult to upset, hurt, or insult-tough, a bit like Mr T.  It’s a tune that has been playing around in my head for weeks, and is a song destined to one day join the canonised classics. It may well also be the catalyst which inspires me to revisit the White Stripes in the hope that the penny will finally drop …..8/10

Graffiti Graphics- Patrick Von Pip

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Danish duo Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner, The Raveonettes to you and I, return with a bang, both in the literal and the figurative sense! ‘Bang’ is the first single from the bands 4th studio album “In And Out Of Control” and is a track that once again demonstrates the bands effortless ability to produce stellar pop songs of shimmering brilliance.

Released as a double A-side alongside ‘The Last Dance,’ ‘Bang’ finds The Raveonettes swapping their effects pedals in favour of surfboards to compose a glistening melodious sound which owes more to Beach Boys harmonies than to the Mary Chain guitar thrash of old. On this track at least, it appears the Raveonettes aren’t fixing to ‘Kill Surf City’ just yet, although beneath the veil of ice cream sweetness there lurks menace, “barbed wire kisses” and darkness at the core. Despite the sometimes disturbing lyrical ambiguity of lines such as “Bang! / You’re so vicious baby / Bang! / You sure know how to control me” and “When I scream out baby / Bang! You know I love it all the time” the Raveonettes still manage to leave an overall impression that you’ve just been listening to the perfect upbeat end of summer tune. Yet again they provide a shining example of how to produce pristine pop that is timeless, yet modern.

Whilst ‘Bang’ may be the more commercial, radio friendly number, it’s ‘The Last Dance’ that is the stronger of the two tunes on offer here. Initially it appears to be an innocent song laced with melancholia dealing with traditional Spector-esque prom night gone wrong style heartbreak, but closer scrutiny reveals there are darker themes at play. This isn’t just any old last dance this is the final dance in the true “God putting Patrick Swayze in the corner” sense. Thematically it’s almost like a Ronettes influenced relative of “Girlfriend In A Coma” as Wagner and Foo sing “And every time you overdose I rush to intensive care / Another sad eye stare before you disappear / If this is the last dance, if this is the last dance / Then save it for me baby.” It’s classic Raveonettes, hauntingly dark lyrics drenched in a gorgeous melody infused with a sense of bruised nobility and doomed grandeur.

The Raveonettes thankfully have not tried to reinvent the wheel here, they are doing what they do best, producing effortlessly brilliant fifties and sixties influenced rock n’roll which puts many of the jejune bandwagon jumping revivalists in the shade. Long may they continue to “Rave On”.

Buy The Raveonettes – Bang! / The Last Dance [Single]

This was originally written for Altsounds.com which you can read in full here

Tour Rider (def) -The  rider is a list of requests for the comfort of the artist on the day of the show. Sometimes this document is provided along with the technical rider; other times, it is provided much closer to the performance date.

“Absolut” Power Corrupts Absolutely ! And those  nice people at Absolut vodka are on a mission to find out if you can match some of the craziest riders in Rock n’ Roll history.  It’s simple,  just provide details of  your dream rider, and you could win it ! Simply click HERE and let your inner diva go cloud cuckoo stark raving crazy.  Remember they can only provide things, not experiences ….shame really cos mine involved a rather fetching domina…..actually lets not go there .

To inspire  you here are some of the more  outlandish riders of recent times

Van Halen’s now legendary  demands for  large bowls of M&M’s with all the brown ones removed seemed more Spinal Tap than Spinal Tap.  Their riders were also notorious for the sheer volume of alcohol stipulated. One rider specified that their dressing room was to contain a case of beer, a pint of Jack Daniel’s, a pint of Absolut, a 750 ml bottle of Bacardi Añejo rum, three bottles of wine, small bottles of Cointreau and Grand Marnier, and a 750 ml bottle of one of five specific premium tequilla. Oh and six limes, margarita salt, shot glasses, ingredients for Bloody Marys, and a blender. Plus a goat called Alan.

Britney Spears rider demands a private phone line in her dressing trailer –fair enough but she’ll also fine the promoter a  mere $5,000 if the number  leaks and anyone calls her. Pity I can’t do the same to Indian call centres  who invariably ring when I’m eating my tea . Otherwise, the Britster’s tastes are rather, like the lady herself, quite simple: Froot Loops, and Pop Tarts (You are what you eat.)

This is my favourite from good old Uncle Iggy Pop who made a bizarre request for seven dwarves. He also demanded American Spirit cigarettes (which he doesn’t smoke) and broccoli (which he hates). Questioned about this bizarre request, his response was that he wanted the broccoli in order to throw it in the bin –a visual representation of his utter contempt for the  green hued relative of the cauliflower family one would imagine …Mind you, we  dare not contemplate what he wanted the dwarves for…

Mariah “doesn’t do stairs” Carey is known as queen of the Divas and some of her demands have included bunny rabbits, puppies, and kittens to keep her company backstage, Cristal champagne, and obviously a box of bendy straws to sip it with, and the requirement of a special attendant to take care of all her needs, including insuring her favourite colour of  toilet paper was in stock,  lovely.

Read my interview with Charlotte, exclusive to Altsounds.com HERE

The thing that’s always impressed me about Charlotte Hatherley is she’s just so bloody good at what she does. She’s a great guitarist, an innovative songwriter, runs her own record label, is beautiful, has been a member of Ash, Client, Bat For Lashes and I’m quite sure she could bring about world peace if she put her mind to it.

In a world where people are being happily manipulated into believing the “X-Factor” really is the definitive bench mark of true musical talent it’s difficult to know if Charlotte’s third album “New Worlds” will shift any more units than her previous releases. Should such a scenario transpire then it really would be criminal as it certainly deserves to be heard by a wider audience and result in her fanbase expanding at the same rate as Jamie Oliver’s waistline. It’s definitely her strongest and most accomplished work to date.

“New Worlds” demonstrates not only Charlottes’ gifts as a great lyricist and guitarist but it also showcases her ability to effortlessly merge and slip into various musical genres and styles whilst still producing an album that works as a cohesive whole. Album opener ‘White,’ is all angular, with jagged guitar riffs that are underpinned by driving rhythms that could quite easily be Elastica if they’d managed to produce better tunes. Latest single ‘Alexander’ starts off innocently enough with a melodic, slightly twee acoustic intro but the song really explodes into life when the chorus kicks in, whilst ‘Straight Lines’ is pure melodious jump up and down new wave/punk. Thematically the album appears to be centred on a quest for veracity, a desire to slowly peel away layers and reveal some kind of inner truth whilst colours are deftly employed as an important descriptive tool, used to highlight moods, emotions and personality traits.

Hatherley isn’t afraid to experiment either, for example the slightly kooky ‘Firebird’ is the sort of quintessential eccentric English pop song that recalls Ray Davies with his modus operandi setting cranked up to “whimsical.” It shouldn’t really work, yet Hatherley pulls it off with great charm and skill. The albums title track ‘New Worlds’ is part XTC, part Chrissie Hynde yet remains unmistakably Charlotte, and it’s when Charlotte “rocks” that her unique guitar playing style can really be appreciated. There’s not a bad track on the album and songs like ‘Full Circle’ and ‘Little Sahara’ merely serve to confirm the view that we should really bestow the title of ‘national treasure’ on Ms Hatherley and give thanks that the music world is still home to innovation and genuine talent. The albums final track ‘Wrong Notes’ make you want to grab Cowell by his aesthetically ignorant lug holes and roar “Damn it man, THIS is real music, not Robson and f***ing Jerome!”

“X-Factor” may be the drug of choice for many people and as Oscar Wilde wisely deduced “Public opinion exists only where there are no ideas” but there are alternatives, there are fresh new ideas. We really should count our blessings that despite not having massive budgets or huge PR campaigns we still have artists like Charlotte Hatherley who are brimming with ideas, talent and passion and who make music that really does matter. This is a ‘New World’ that should not be left undiscovered, go play in the fresh snow kid. 

This review was originally written for Altsounds.com which you can read here

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“Alexander” Single Review

“Alexander” ( (BLAcK N RED-Remix)

‘Alexander’ starts off with a whimsical, almost folksy acoustic intro, which for some reason conjures up Britt Ekland’s body double prancing about the bedroom in the ‘Wicker Man’ as a bulging eyed Edward Woodward almost gives himself a hernia trying to subdue the beast within (sadly this probably says more about the reviewer than it does about the song). The track sees Charlotte trying to elicit a sense of openness from the chap around whom the song centres, it would seem he is unwilling or unable to provide our Charlotte with the reassurances she is seeking and his reticence to give himself totally to the relationship seems to be something that deeply troubles Ms H. One can’t help but feel that Alexander’s attempts to keep things to himself have somewhat backfired and must rank up there with Rod Hull’s “I’ll just pop up on the roof to adjust the TV aerial” as a “bad idea” in the “Bad Idea Hall of Fame!” You see unfortunately for Alex, Charlotte’s gone and written a song about it now and it’s been on the radio and everything…and it’s not only Ms Hatherley wondering- ‘what kind of dreaming you do behind your innocent eyes’ -it’s the nation!! That’ll teach you eh ?

The song essentially deals with honesty and emotional depth within relationships. We never find out exactly what Alexander is hiding but Charlotte definitely senses there’s another side to his character which he is keeping hidden. Can she trust him? Just what is he holding back? Does he disappear come the full moon and return somewhat disheveled with a craving for raw steak? Or worse, is he a young conservative?! Of course it’s perfectly plausible that Alexander, resplendent might I add, in his suit of royal blue, has nothing sinister to hide at all, he might be an avid trainspotter, attend the odd Star Trek convention (is there any other type?) or simply enjoy the unrivaled adrenaline rush provided by secretly collecting horse brasses. Who knows?

‘Alexander’ is the sort of song that slowly draws you in before it hooks you with a fantastic chorus but the real surprise is just how good the accompanying ‘Black N Red’ remix is. I don’t normally enjoy remixes but this I’m afraid is absurdly good, it might not quite do for Charlotte what Weatherall did for Primal Scream with ‘Loaded’ but it’s one of the best remixes you’re likely to hear this year. If you’re planning to buy the album but have maybe decided to skip the single, rest assured it really is worth a couple of quid for this version alone….. and here’s an idea….. how about a remix album?

This review was originally written for Altsounds.com which you can read here

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“Rose Tint” By Lulu And The Lampshades

Free download “Clown Tit Fun” By Lulu And The Lamshades  here

A girl called Lulu and her friends the dancing lampshades?? Good grief! It sounds like something that might have been commissioned for kids TV during the 60’s and early 70’s , a time when the counter-culture and consumerism collided and bizarrely kids TV seemed to be laced with none too subtle drug references  There was the visual equivalent of the ‘Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test ‘in the disturbing somewhat freaky form of ‘HR Pufnstuff’. We had ‘The Magic Roundabout’ , replete with hallucinogenic imagery and moral corruption ,which introduced a generation of youngsters to some rather dubious characters including a tripped out rabbit called Dylan who, one suspects, was germinating something rather more powerful than carrots in his “vegetable patch !” And what of ‘Ludwig’? , This terrifying cartoon had “bad acid” writ large throughout and led to many children needing psychiatric help . I kid you not….

However I digress, Lulu And The Lampshades, aside from their name, have little in common with any of the above. They are in point of fact a musical collective best described as quirky folk rockers with a whimsical sense of playfulness and an ear for a great tune.  A word of caution however, their live shows really do contain scenes of dancing lampshades which some people may find disturbing .  Hallucinogenic drugs are not recommended!

The free spirited ethos of Lulu And The Lampshades is apparent on their debut single “Feet To the Sky” a beautiful ode to escapism “For too long emotional extremities have been uncharted territories” sings Luisa as she seeks to shake herself from “the things I think that make me whole” It’s a call to arms, challenging people to look at things from a different perspective, to shake things up, to do something out of the ordinary and to put as little trust as possible in tomorrow and seize the moment.  “Feet To the Sky” is a fabulous introduction to the bands clever word play and sense of fun and will no doubt delight fans of Emmy the Great, Peggy Sue, Laura Marling et all, they are a band who quite literally, get the furniture dancing!!

Lulu And The Lampshades also share a deep love for their namesake, the humble lampshade, they nurse a deeply held belief that it is a vastly unappreciated item of furniture and should be celebrated. Thus intrigued I decided to have a chat with Luisa about the moral implications of fusing music with soft furnishings and attempted to shed some light on what made the band tick…The results were somewhat illuminating

VP: Hello there, how did the band come about? Who is Lulu and how did she meet her Lampshades??

Lulu:  Hi hey hello.  Lampshade past? Well I wanted to be in a band for ages, but I didn’t know anyone to be in a band with, so I made one up, and called it Helouisa (mine and Heloise’s names combined, clever no?).  We went to school together and it was the name we gave to all our entrepreneurial failures: t-shirts, cakes, hoodies with cushions inside the hood (another good idea I think) …  After a while it occurred to us to try singing together, but everyone said the name was rubbish and they were right.  Jemma agreed to play with us one night and we convinced her to stay and Dan we found at a furniture convention where we bonded over our love for lampshades and decided we would strive to see their appreciation in modern day society … more or less.

VP:  I know it’s difficult to describe your own music, but who said this was going to be an easy interview …

Lulu:  Well I really like harmonies and I really like percussion, so, erm, harcussion music?  Or Parmony music?

VP:  You’re about to release a single “Feet to the Sky”, which was written apparently whilst cycling to Paris on a whim.  At 4am.  On New Year’s Eve. As you do

Lulu:  Kiiiind of, a few details to be remedied.  It was whimsical in as much as we decided to do it the day of departure, a few days earlier so that we’d get there in time for New Years Eve.  We left at four because we thought we’d miss our ferry, but that was the dumbest thing ever because it doesn’t get light for ages and we were suddenly on a dual carriageway in the pitch black with lorries whizzing by, very scary, we had to sit in a bush on the hard shoulder and wait for sunrise, we played ping to stay warm.  Aside from that it was completely magical, a perfect bit of escapism in cold winter.

VP: What are you doing to celebrate its release?

Lulu:  We’re having party! 26^th of October at Passing Clouds just off Kingsland Road.  Details coming, Melodica, Melody and Me are playing, who I love so I’m very happy about that, and some others confirming … come, it’ll be grand.

VP: Aside from recording your debut single what have you been up to musically in 2009?

Lulu:  Forming a band.  This time last year it was still just me, garage band, and any boy I could get to strum a guitar with me on open mic’s.  Now there are permanent members, new songs, lots more gigs and the like. We spent the last few days making a video which we’re very excited about, Dan is dressed as a Duracell Bunny, Heloise is Little Bo Peep, and Jemma is Marie from the Sound of Music.  I wish they could dress like that all the time.

VP: What has been your most memorable gig so far?

Lulu:  Maybe one of our first for first times sakes… The Lock Tavern earlier this year, it was the first one with Dan and the first one where two of my friends agreed to dress as lampshades and dance for us.  We were so nervous and excited and we inevitably messed up loads, but it was so much fun.  When we got an encore we just had to sing Elastic Limbs again because we didn’t have any more songs.

VP: Who are your musical heroes and why?

Lulu:  It’s mostly just been a series of female solo singers, starting with Billie Holiday who I was massively obsessed with when I should have been into much cooler music.  The other biggest one I reckon is Lauryn Hill.  Apparently I’ve never been so excitable as when I saw her play at Exit (which was otherwise horrible).  I made sure I was at the front and was reduced to the screaming fan I never thought I’d be.  She came on an hour and a half late, and shouted her songs over a ska beat, rubbish, but I didn’t care in the slightest.

VP: What’s your poison, Facebook, Myspace? Twitter? Or do you get out occasionally?

Lulu:  If we’re referring to interspace vices then I’ll be specific and say Facebook threads.  When I was writing my dissertation we started a Facebook message to plan summer whilst we were stuck in libraries, but then everyone got a bit hooked and it became my salvation, it was literally my life for about two months… so dependable, somebody was always there!  We started referring to it as a real person and christened him Malcolm, Dear Malcolm, today I … and so on.  Now he is embodied in a little red caravan.   Malcolm is my poison.

VP: If the government could appoint a minister for cool, who’d get your vote?

Lulu:  As a testament to how cool Brazilians are, they’re minister of culture is world-renowned musician Gilberto Gil, basically a minister of cool if ever one did exist. We compare thinly.

VP: What are the five most important words in Lulu And The Lampshades dictionary

Lulu: I’ve*drawn*a*blank*sorry

‘Feet To The Sky’

7” Released 26^th October 2009 (Voga Parochia)

Digital Release 18^th October 2009 (Voga Parochia)

Links

On Myspace

Wallpaper

Video

“You’re Gonna Miss Me” Lulu And The Lampshades

This article was written for Altsounds and can be read in full here.

Phew, it’s been a busy old time at VP Towers, what with promoting a new music night (as above) band management, photo shoots, interviews, secret deals, and clandestine assignations, highs lows and everything in between.  All in all it’s been a giddy whirl !!

Normal service will be resumed shortly but as ever it’s music that fuels our imagination, adds the grist to our musical mill and provides the lead for our pencil!! So here’s what we’ve been getting our groove on to lately.

“Elemantary Of Youth” Sound Of Guns

“You Forget So Easily” Exlovers

“Papillon” Editors

“Alexander” Charlotte Hatherley

“The Hangmen”-Dirtblonde

“Baptized by Fire” Spinnerette

“Edward Is Deadward” Emmy The Great

“I Think I Need It Too” Echo And The Bunnymen

“Mowglis Road” Marina And The Diamonds

“I Cut Like A Buffalo” The Dead Weather

And a blast from the past, possibly even more relavant today in the sense that we have more musical “puppets” than ever before. Maybe Milo could update it ?

“Astley In The Noose” The Wonderstuff