Indie
A Buyers Guide to The Shins
Initially an offshoot of Flake Music, The Shins were a solo side project for bandleader James Mercer to dabble with during the downtime of his main band. At some point in the mid 90s, Flake Music basically morphed into The Shins, and initially consisted of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mercer backed up by Flake Music’s Jesse …
Track: The Editors – Sugar
I seem to remember Editors arose in the slipstream of Interpol when there was a sudden burst of pseudo-Joy Division/Goth-lite bands (whose alumni also included White Lies). In my view, despite Interpol’s stunning debit (Turn on the Bright Lights), Editors have proven themselves to be a far more consistently creative band in the intervening time, …
See: Augustines announce UK tour dates, plus album news
Formed out of the ashes of Pela, and named after the month where the bands main protagonists Billy McCarthy and Eric Sanderson were born, Augustines have returned. Their first, brilliant, album Rise Ye Sunken Ships was coloured with the experience of the tragic death of McCarthy’s brother James. Things were made more difficult by a …
See: Beacons Festival 7-10 August 2014
I guess it’s time to start thinking which summer festival to attend and I’m really excited about the first acts announced by Beacons Festival. This independent festival is only in its third year (after the 2011 event was forced to close due to flooding) and it seems to be giving the bigger festivals a definate …
Track: Blood Red Shoes release ‘Blood Red Shoes’ + Tour, with UK dates.
“You might not even wake up tomorrow, so you might as well experience everything right f##king now.” Apparently this is the new dictum that Blood Red Shoes are living to. By their own admission they have spent far too much time focusing on negative elements and are adopting a more gung-ho approach to life. Not …
Meet: We speak with Italian indie band Sweet Jane and Claire
At the risk of seeming obsessive, I have already reviewed the brilliant new album by Italian band Sweet Jane and Claire and their video to accompany the single “I’m Afraid When Guilio Whistles”. Their new album, “Stick Caramel Mind” is on constant rotation: it is an intriguing indie debut from a band that deserves a …
Album Review: Papir – IIII
Not too long ago I found this little slice of musical heaven located in Denmark. It’s a little record label that goes bythe name of El Paraiso Records. It was started by some guys in a band called Causa Sui in order to release their records to the listening public. As well as releasing Causa …
See: The Crookes release new video for Holy Innocents
Recently named as “Sheffield heroes”, The Crookes have once again proved their status and released a music video to Holy Innocents, the fifth track on the much anticipated Soapbox, the boys’ third studio album. The video was exclusively released yesterday to impatient fans as it was sent directly to their email inboxes. The rest of the …
Live Review: Little Comets at Leadmill, Sheffield 12.02.2014
Marking the midpoint in a 14-date tour, the Little Comets came to Sheffield to show the locals how to party. Catfish and the Bottlemen proved to be a great supporting act, working the crowd until everyone could feel the music in their hearts and in their breath. Wednesday nights are difficult to work with in …
Album Review: Mogwai – Rave Tapes
It was July of 2004 and my best friend and I headed to Chicago to the Curiosa Festival. We were psyched, man. The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture, and a bunch of other bands. Who cares who else was there? The Cure and Interpol, that’s all we needed to know. So we arrived in the early …