Stop, Drop, Rock n Roll

RIP TV on the Radio's Gerard Smith

2011-04-21T02:23:00.005+02:00

It comes as sad news that TV on the Radio's Gerard Smith lost his battle with lung cancer over night. At just 34 Smith had been with the band since 2005. He had recorded on Return to Cookie Mountain, Dear Science and the recently released Nine Types of Light.

I have only seen TV on the Radio once, in 2006 at Sydney's Gaelic Club and have been eager to see them ever since. A fantastic band who prove themselves worthy of the huge praise time and time again. Nine Types of Light finds the band tread lighter than before, with the same groove but with a mellower vibe, but I chose Family Tree, a song from Dear Science.

Bart Constant's Do Better, video by Kimmo Films

2011-04-14T01:25:00.005+02:00

Bart Constant's passport does not read Bart Constant, it reads Rutger Hoedemaekers. The Dutch producer has begun to release his own music and, I guess for good reason, thought the pseudonym would be catchier.

It's no wonder Hoedemaekers' contribution to Mixed-tape sees the London Symphony Orchestra, Múm, Pet Shop Boys and Ella Fitzgerald. All of these can be heard on his single "Do Better" under the Constant guise.

"Do Better" builds from small moments to large baroque-pop epicness as Constant's mournful vocals and rich violins are joined by Dustin O'Halloran (formerly of Devics, signed to Bella Union) and his mesmerising piano to feel very Death Cab for Cutie. Sweeping and cinematic; it's a headphone symphony. It'll be interesting to hear what he does next.

Suitably, the accompanying video is both humble and majestic. Kimmo Films' Mirka Duijn & Nina Spiering keep the audio of their footage rolling under Constant's song as we're taken into a small film about a disciplined 80s-era trapeze artist torn between her craft and a boy. You know that age-old conundrum.

Stylised beautifully, the film is set around grim and grey Rotterdam, rendering a bleak outlook through grainy super8 (and some Canon 5D). Kimmo captures the female athlete's body in the way Darren Aronofsky did in Black Swan - the star must have been a trapeze artist first, actor second (no slight on her skill for the latter).
Watch to the end to be given a selection of Kimmo's other work. One is a video, 'Call Up To Heaven' by Dutch disco-funk outfit Kraak n Smaak where the super8 gives a fantastic '70s blaxploitation feel. Also check out an excerpt from their short film Manitoba (music by Hoedemaekers), which screened at Cannes and Rotterdam International Film Festival. I'm not sure where you can watch the whole film, if anyone knows, please leave a comment below.

Brisbane flood relief benefit gigs

2011-01-25T02:12:00.004+01:00

The Brisbane music scene has always been strong with Brisbane bands sharing a unique pop sensibility with sweet hooks and indie charm, there is an obvious lineage of the days of yore with The Saints and The Go Betweens and today.

In the wake of the Brisbane flood disaster a slew of Brissy bands as well as international acts have got together to raise money, with concerts popping up all over the place.

The most prominent show (at least to me) is Float On, the headliners are the newly reformed Custard. They've already played some reunion shows but the gig at West End's HiFi on Sunday 6 February will be electric for band and home crowd alike. In support is Regurgitator, Screamfeeder and Fortitude Valley mainstayers Gentle Ben and his Sensitive Side. Joining them will be Hungry Kids from Hungary, Kate Miller-Heidke and Little Scout. All money raised goes directly to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal - tickets $35 through Moshtix, kick off is 4pm.

The Raggamuffin Festival has been re-dubbed (pardon the rasta pun) Reggae for Recovery and brings international clout to the rescue with Mary J Blige, Jimmy Cliff, Maxi Priest, Sean Paul, The Original Wailers, The Black Seeds and the Red Eyes plus more. The Riverstage, Sunday 30 January - tickets start from $89.

Flood Bank: A Brisbane Music Benefit Concert for 2011 Queensland Flood Victims takes place on Wednesday 3 February with Violent Soho, Evil Eddie, Ball Park Music, Inland Sea, The Medics, Bang Bang Boss Kelly, The Baby Seal Club, Blonde On Blonde, Grand Atlantic, and Texas Tea at the Old Museum Building in Fortitude Valley - tickets $30 from Oztix.

Guy Sebastian will headline an Australia Day festival (Wednesday 26 January - natch) at South Bank, with support from Ball Park Music and Charlie Mayfair. Tickets are free but booking through Ticketek is essential with opportunities to donate to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal.

The Big Dry Out featuring Ball Park Music, Bobby Flynn, The Videomatics and Tape/Off play the Lightspace in Fortitude Valley on Friday 28 January - tickets are $30 (or $20 concession) through Oztix, doors open 6pm.

Meanwhile Queensland MP, Rob Messenger is attempting to guilt the retired Powderfinger into a show at Suncorp Stadium. "I think it's a good idea, I've written to the premier asking for her support," he told ABC Radio on Friday 7. We'll see.

If you're in another part of the country and can't make it to any of these shows, you can still donate.
Photo: Ben Loveridge

Christmas rock n roll mixtape

2010-12-21T23:35:00.004+01:00

Last year I made a couple of Christmas mixtapes. Rock and indie bands love the irony of writing a Christmas tune, except for Sufjan Stevens who writes them sans-irony. Somehow only one of the mixtapes still exist on the internets and my external hard drive is somewhere between Amsterdam and Sydney, no doubt caught in the massive European blizzard so I can retrieve the other one. Nevertheless follow the link to Slay Bells Not Reindeer.

Consider it my little gift to you. Ho Ho Ho and have a great Christmas.

Gig review: Ava Luna at Storing

2010-12-20T07:28:00.008+01:00

My friend Grant said we had to go, he was putting on the show. We were happy to support our friend but it was the night after his birthday so we were holding a hung over grudge as we all caught the train from Amsterdam to Haarlem. But Grant found a great venue in Storing, that provided some good pub grub before the show. Another plus, the venue with its roots in the squat movement make it a rule not to charge for gigs.
Unfortunately, it wasn't just my liver that was disgruntled. Not only did the band's name conjure Paramore-ish connotations but I had been initially put off by the Brooklyn band, Ava Luna, by the shitty car stereo on which Liz and I sampled their demo in preparation for the gig while we drove around Europe. There weren't many ticks in the boxes, only Xs.
On arrival to Grant and Amanda’s house after our euro-sojourn their home stereo unit and a more polished EP redeemed the band’s sound, where soul meets post punk and you can hear elements of fellow New Yorkers TV on The Radio in their early days.
Bringing the crunching post punk edge to the music are keyboards, bass and drums with equal amounts of thickness and negative space as lead singer, Carlos Hernandez croons in a falsetto recalling TVOTR's singer Tunde while a trio of female backing singers swoon with delicate harmony that when combined, compliment each other brilliantly.

In fact the term 'backing' is doing the girls an injustice. On the small Storing stage with little room for the seven members to move, the gals, Anna, Felicia and Becca are the main attraction, keeping a sweet and swaying chorus line bringing a uniqueness to an indie stage. Carlos wails about in a suit and maintains between-song banter as a leader should while bassist Ethan, drummer Julian and synth player Nathan keep the engine turning over like a dirty metronome.
Along with my last bowl of bitterballen, I had to eat my words - they were very entertaining with a fresh sound.

It was the band’s first trip to Europe and first show in the Netherlands. They seemed chuffed to be here and received a decent crowd for a Sunday night show in a city that wasn’t Amsterdam. Grant, ever the one to please had also offered his house as accommodation. Supposedly they were all stoked but as Liz and I were sleeping on their floor just a few days prior after returning from our roadtrip, I can’t imagine how all eight (tour manager included) fitted on the living room floor. I believe Grant took them to sample some Dutch delicacies so maybe that wiped them out. Ah to be a young band on the road.

For those in the Holiday spirit and love a good indie Christmas song, take a listen and if you like it, buy it, all proceeds go to the NYC Food Bank.

The Mohawk Lodge

2010-12-08T19:38:00.007+01:00

Inspired by John Cage's 4'33" I've been silent for a long time due mainly to roadtripping around Europe for the last three months in Bumblebee with my girlfriend, Liz.

However I'm back in Amsterdam for a few days before I move home to Sydney indefinitely.

Apart from my friends and the beautiful city of Amsterdam, the thing I'll miss most is the fantastic gig-going to be had from small international bands.

Tonight is no different with Canada's The Mohawk Lodge playing for free at little known venue on Zeedijk named Skek.

I dunno what genre the band call put themselves in but I'm dubbing them Logger Rock. Signed to White Whale records (founded by ML lead singer Ryder Havdale so drr), it's Bruce Springsteen-inspired blue collared workin' man's music. Burly and rough but honest, you can hear alignment with fellow Boss worshipers Gaslight Anthem and The Hold Steady. Any decent Canadian expat worth their rock salt will bear the snow covered cobblestones, lumberjack flannels on to enjoy the sounds. No doubt they'll play tunes from new album, 'Crimes' which Havdale says is partially about "the feeling of punching out a friend for f**king your girlfriend".

Labelmate Eamon McGrath, who makes a similar sound, played last night and may just join in.

Review: Eurockeennes 2010 - Fashions in the field

2010-07-28T13:24:00.013+02:00

This blog entry is for all those people who think that the French are the most stylish, most elegant and most refined in the world and pay twice as much for dijon as they do for squeezable dijonaise, just to taste the culture. Or for those people in English-speaking parts of the world jealous of a country able to instill classy words like 'chic', 'vogue', 'avant garde' and 'champange' into a vocabulary responsible rhyming slang and 'spaakling woite woiné' (note the inflection - go up at the end).

Well guess what? It's not all hot girls with nice eyebrows and seemingly happenstance styling. Without further ado I give you Eurockeennes' Fashions in the field.
Airborne were just the band to get Jacques and Luc pumped for a brisk, sunny jog in scoops and velcroed sandals.

Suitor #2 is Cliché Guevara: As a mature-age Arts student/first year militant, Chomsky reciter and avid pot smoker, Cliche loves Radio Radio and long walks on le Plage scene.

Big Foot was cool with being papped in his daisy dukes. He assured us they weren't never nudes, stating 'I've worked out hard to shake my ape-ish appearance. The homo-erectus body is beautiful - why not flaunt what you've got.'

Though the rest of the Empire of the Sun crowd dissipated, passed out Amelie here remained walking on a dream.

In mullét (pronounced 'Moolay'), chain-mail shirt and blue fishnet stalkings and a comfortable banana-hammock, Jean Luc was psyched for Mika.

A few photo creds go out to Amanda and Liz for this. Nice stealthness ladies.

Related topics
Review: Eurockeennes 2010 Day Three
Review: Eurockeennes 2010 Day Two
Review: Eurockeennes 2010 Day One

Review: Eurockeennes Day Three

2010-07-26T12:53:00.013+02:00

How we're running late after sitting around the campground all day is beyond me, but we find ourselves missing most of Townsville Australia's The Middle East who, it seems, inspired enough other festival goers to reasonably fill the Big Top with their folky and graceful forest rock.
Martina Topley Bird, maybe best known as Tricky's female voice on Maxinquaye, has a much sunnier side. On the Loggia scene, tucked among the trees, her trip hop influence shines through on cute art-pop ditties. With a ninja backing her on drums, both kit and djembe as well as, err, whirling vacuum hoses (remember those plastic tubes you'd play with as kids) she builds tracks from vocal loops, Casio strings and echoing wood blocks. She sparkles with a red bandit-mask styled make up, flowing red dress and sunny demeanour. Sadly no 'Black Steel' though. She'll appear later with the impacting Massive Attack.

On the main stage The Drums and their feelgood hit of the summer 'Let's Go Surfing' keeps me watching only for a short while. Their songs are boring bits of regurgitated pop done better by others far less retarded. And watching singer Jonathon Pearce strut like a really camp Morrissey meets Ian Curtis (again, nothing new here) sends me off to Ethiopiques.

An east African version of the Buena Vista Social Club, Ethiopiques draws on a historic line of artists who released music through the '60s and '70s and are now re-releasing compilations through a Parisian label dedicated to the era. Out first, like the African Elvis, Alemayehu Eshete opens the set. Crooning by the beach, he's all smiles, all lounge. Alternatively, Mahmoud Ahmned's sound and stage presence is more traditional and organic. Upbeat in the summer heat, we're on a trip to Ethiopia and Eritrea and my tastebuds salivate for last night's delicious dish from the Ethiopian stand.
We move from organic roots music to raw punk power. It's the running of Gallows, more dangerous than the running of the bulls. Plumes of dust flies from a stampede of fans in 'the largest circle pit France has ever seen' as demanded by singer Frank Carter. Aggressive yet humble, they thank their fans as well as those who've come to see what all the commotion is about. It's vicious punk rock cut from the same stone as the dissidence and agitated energy that spawned the British scene in the 70s. And at that, Carter explains, 'You may not know our music and that's fine, but if you don’t know this next song you have no fucking right being at a rock festival.' The drums roll into a raucous rendition of The Clash's 'I Fought The Law'. It's 2:39 seconds of gut-wrenchingly basic rock n roll rebellion, a mix of quintessential anti-establish-mentality, and dropped-out loser-dom. Goosebumps run up my spine, across my shoulders and to my fingertips manifesting into fist pumps and loud shouts. It's basic and you clap and sing along to its sentiments. Frank couldn't be more right - if you don't see the raw beauty in this song, you shouldn't be at a rock festival.
The Stroke's Julian Casablancas in hi-tops, red jeans and puffy red leather jacket, not to mention his pasty, spotted face looks like Michael Jackson in Thriller. His band are a ragtag posse of musos rather than the other stylish Strokes, an indie-styled mutli-instrumentalist girl, an old rocker on guitar, and the leather bikie from Village People. Nevertheless Julian is indie cool with his Sunday afternoon attitude, chatting between songs, the girls are eager for his flippant slacker charm. For those that had hoped for a stroking were instantly delighted when he opens with 'Automatic Stop' from the band's second record 'Room On Fire'. Of course he's here for his solo album, performing the electro pop single '11th Dimension' is a treat while the soulful '4 Chords of the Apocolypse' and cheery 'I Wish It Was Christmas Today' are also highlights. Nevertheless another Stokes tune 'Hard to Explain' is the standout as the spunky pop gives us enthusiasm for a return of the band.

One of the festival's big draw cards, that had us drive through four countries to get here is LCD Soundsystem and 'the time has come' as they open with 'Us V Them'. James Murphy and friends coerce out a tribal rhythm of hard grooves and repetitive intensity from indie-dance that other bands in your playlist can't quite grasp. On the strong rhythmic backbone and almost paganist trance, 'over and over and over again' as 'Us v Them' goes, they weave an indie woolly sweater, a mosaic of fuzzy sounds, of cowbells and handclaps to fill out and dress up the groove in hip rags that we kids will recognise as our own. Mix this with Murphy's idiosyncratic lyricism that finds poignancy in the life of a shallow hipster and you've got one of the finest festival acts around. Likewise This Is Happening's lead single 'Drunk Girls' does all this in spades, building on their hard groove; the festival atmosphere and hipster motif - it's a great call 'n' response for the audience as we shout the chorus. 'Tribulations' is a massive tune, an all out rave, and the four-to-the-floor punk beat of 'The Movement' doesn't quite garner the moshpit of a couple of months ago when we saw the band in Amsterdam but it's urgency is no less. This is Happening's 'I Can Change' shifts gears into mellower melancholy and shows Murphy can hit all those recorded high notes live. It's gripping and beautiful - I catch myself swaying. Meanwhile, 'All My Friends' brings fake piano hands and group hugs as we wail 'where are your friends tonight'. Worth the drive.

A friend recommended I catch singer/songwriter Woven Hand, and teamed here with Hungarian folk act Muszikas, it could be something interesting so Rhys and I check it out as others move on. On the plage scene, a blondie-gray haired man topped with a ten-gallon hat holds solemn vocals recalling Nick Cave or Jim Morrison and it's immediately an improvement on what I was expecting. Together with the eastern bloc collective, they create brooding country soundscapes like the score to a Balkan cowboy film not yet made. It’s stories of hard luck and misfortune that are tense, gothic and expansive courtesy of both Mr Hand and the trembling and warbling Ottoman Empire era instruments Muszikas play. It is perfect dusk music.

Over on the Laggia stage is an intensity of another kind about to take hold with a one-two-three punch of Health, Action Beat and Fuck Buttons (BYO ear plugs or let them bleed). Firstly, four-piece Health make caustic industrial noise coursing below melodic and ethereal vocals that feel like the bad comedown of a night spent on glo-fi. A decent crowd are rattling free their cobwebs via the thundering drumming, tense and warping guitar and epic synths (the young chap kneels on the ground to play) of tracks like ‘Die Slow’ and ‘USA Boys’. We're all pretty impressed.

Immediately as Health finishes on stage, no wave band Action Beat turn the crowd’s attention around to below the sound tower. Equally intense, the instrumental Action Beat’s army of guitars pump through jagged riffings. There may have been two drum kits in there as well but I couldn’t see for the lack of stage and swarming crowd.

They fill the sound and drown out Mika who is prancing about in the distance on the main stage until Fuck Buttons replace Health on stage, ready to test mine and Matthew's IBS with their gut-rumbling search for the brown note. It began as noise, thick fucking white noise, filtering out the weak. Eurockeennes put emphasis on being a festival who accommodate for the disabled with great wheelchair access and even aiding the deaf. Well this is where the deaf should be – front and centre for Fuck Buttons – my chest feels like it’s being rucked by the All Blacks. This music has it’s own force field. The two knob twiddlers who face each other on stage slowly cut the fat, parring the noise back to varying pitches that begin to resemble a melody. It’s possibly the most challenging music I experience all weekend. And it's good to be challenged. However, without earplugs there’s only so much I can take. Plus, Massive Attack are about to start.
I regroup with Grant, Liz and Rhys with the amphitheatre almost already full. Soon the lights go up and Massive Attack's eight-piece band take the stage including 3D and Daddy G orchestrating the electronic symphony. In the background, from long thin lights, flashing political statements and images scroll; life in numbers (Countries’ GDPs, poverty and human rights stats and gallons spilled from the BP oil well); France’s daily headlines; the logos of multinational companies (ending on again BP, the audience responding appropriately with loud boos).
3D and Daddy G sing and rap their way through a few lesser songs (but also ‘Inertia Creeps’) before Martina Topley Bird takes the stage to sing ‘Teardrops’. Hers is a cuter version to original Elizabeth Fraser’s – not quite as piercing, a little more delicate. Reggae star Horace Andy brings his stirring vocals to the fore on ‘Angel’. There’s a pleasant wisdom to his voice but it's quickly swamped as the song rises to monstrous proportions. It’s vocalist Deborah Miller however who escalates the show to another level taking the entire festival with it. The lungs on this woman are breathtaking for all around - I guess because she needs all the air.
She brings an extra gravity to ‘Safe From Harm’ as the music builds and builds like a blockade of riot police forcing their way towards me. Likewise ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ is bigger than on record as Miller raises it to be spine-tinglingly operatic – it is indeed a massive attack.

With a long drive ahead tomorrow we wander home to call it a night, weary from three days of an amazing array of music, from Arabic disco to Bulgarian folk, New York hip hop and English punk rock – if only we could have swum.

Read Day Two
Read Day One

Review: Eurockeennes 2010 - Day Two

2010-07-21T09:24:00.009+02:00

After a long day at the campsite avoiding the mid-30s sun with the odd beer but the campervan fridge is broken, the gates open on Day Two and Broken Social Scene kick things off. 'How was Jay Z?' asks Kevin Drew and the small crowd cheers. 'How was Missy Elliott?' 'Booooo.' He's taken back. Songs from new and old mingle through the collective's set like 'Texaco Bitches' (new) and the brilliant '7/4 Shoreline' (old) that leaves me hanging for those punchy horns through swooning vocals over riffing indie guitars.
Mixed in with the hip hop, rock and dance is almost equal amounts of world music and experimental to check out. Omar Souleyman is Arabic electro, with a young guy on keyboards and what might be his dad, in the full sheik style: headdress, aviator shades and Tom Selleck 'tache. The tunes are cool, if not cheesy, with enough pop and bass to make you wanna try partying in Syria for a night.

Airbourne are loved in Europe. I feel there's a tongue firmly in cheek with their AC/DC-lite schtick that they themselves may not be aware of it. Marshall stacks, at ten by two, cover the main stage. In their scuzzy white NB trainers, black jeans and no shirts, they lap the stage with their cordless guitars as the French audience lap them up like Angus Young never existed and after every song he screeches a loud, high pitched 'Merci'! like Bon Scot screeched 'THANK YOU!'. Liz is fairly certain she hears singer Joel O'Keeffe rhyme the lines 'Chewin' the fat' with 'Havin' a chat'. Matt and I try to get involved; devil signs, head bangs - Matt even rips off his press-stud shirt whipping it to the ground in a frenzy but it's all a bit too contrived - then again so is the music. Down on the beach Radio Radio mix English and French for frivolous uptempo party hip hop. It's the perfect stage and time for them. They get their crowd going but it's not too riveting.

Having recently seen (and enjoyed) Memory Tapes, foremost exponents of blog-genre-of-the-month 'glo-fi' (though some blogs are calling it 'chill-wave'), I opt for the always entertaining Specials with Rhys. Thirty years of ska (give or take) draws a large afternoon crowd ready for a sunny summer skank. Classics like 'Message to You Rudy', 'Ghost Town' and 'Too Much Too Young' are obvious hits with the crowd, all delivered by a deadpan Terry Hall.

It's during The Specials a political movement takes hold. Sponge Bob Square Pants helium-filled balloons had already been released from their strings which prompts a revolution over the festival. Chants circulate through the festival to Libere Bob l'éponge ('Liberate Sponge Bob Square Pants') when someone is caught with a Bob on a string. Sporadic releases saw Bob, Patrick and sometimes even Dora, explore the world beyond Eurockeennes. During The Specials numerous balloons rise and spin with a mesmerising rotation. Patrick particularly, off kilter with his wide bum and arm out waving, he danced into the stratosphere serenely. It was real life American Beauty shit. Vive l'éponge!From the UK, The XX's brooding, down-tempo trip hop has been well received over the last 18 months through rigorous European touring. It's paid off, they've got the word out with a large crowd amassing under the Big Top. Opening with favourite 'Islands', they move through 'Shelter' 'VCR' and 'Crystalised'. Never too jovial or hyperactive on stage, their music is reflected their solemn live personas. As a result Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim come off kind of humble but also kind of pretentious - Sim shows his appreciation through Gere-esque, hand-clasped Buddhist bows.

Though I'd been expecting to see The Hives who are headlining the main stage we all decide to take up Liz's suggestion and see new R n B artist Jonelle Monae. On the beach stage with a storm brewing overhead, lightning in the clouds are putting on a threatening show. But Monae won't be upstaged. A protégé of Outkast's Andre 3000, she's crazy, sexy, cool. Elements of all the best who've come before her are incorporated into the Monae package. With costume changes and art-diva sensibility of Grace Jones, she rampages the stage with river deep soul like Tina Turner and when she slows it, she hits every note, elevating to the next, all the while keeping it in the bounds of a singular artist.

Two dancers, hooded and masked like an Eyes Wide Shut scene accompany Monae, as does a top-hatted ringleader. 'Cold War' is upbeat like Gnarls Barkley's 'Run (I'm a natural disaster)' as she shadow boxes through the dry ice while the loungy other-timely 'Locked Inside' provokes an impromptu finger clicking and backing singer styled shimmy from us. 'Tightrope' (which on record features Big Boi), brings that Motown jive via Andre 3000's production filter and the wet sand dance floor is stirred up and churned over. The raw punkabilly strut of 'Come Alive (War of the Roses)' summons the lightning and thunder cracking overhead and the sky opens up on us as the voice from the diminutive body creeps from whispers to boisterous rock wails that could rival Airbourne's squeels. Her quiff comes undone as she shakes loose, all the while her band are tight time keepers.

The guitarist's hair, like a black Johnny Ramone hangs down in his face and his swagger and swing, it seems familiar. I don’t know how much of the audience caught on, but certainly once we clue in that that is Andre himself, he holds our attention almost as well as the beautiful and captivating Monae. He's electrifying on guitar, somewhere between Chuck Berry and Prince.

Nevertheless Monae is the star and shines she does, through smoke and lasers, on the beach under a storm about to break, she summons the lightning and the thunder with this high energy soul. We're blown away - the kids didn't stand a chance. Though Afrodizz and Vitalic are still ahead we call it a night ending on a great note - weary from another hot, thirsty day of beers and great music.
Read Day One

Review: Eurockeennes 2010 - Day One

2010-07-19T12:36:00.012+02:00

Day errr Zero?
The four of us, Amanda, Grant, Liz and myself, arrive at the Eurockeennes campgrounds before most campervans. Five minutes later through the gates walks Rhys. Thirty minutes later we've caught up with Matt and Jenny who've arrived by bike… the gang's all here.

We fire up the BBQ and a pop champagne bottle sized Leffe Blondes we picked up on our way through Belgium's Ardennes. Musically, the long weekend opens with the pre-festival skittish rumblings of dubstep's Gaslamp Killer. Warped by name and record label the Killer jilts and jolts behind the decks. He's followed by some tropical group not as impressive.

Day One

The first act on stage, under the big top, was the aging thrash-punk godfathers Suicidal Tendencies with Pyscho Mike-O out front. Catching only their last song, the entire stage was full of die-hard fans in blue bandanas and Suicidal shirts chanting 'S.T' over and over again. Most would avoid Jay Z later that night for the band's hard funk alter-egos, Infectious Grooves a show that reportedly carried high energy jams.

A friend had suggested we see Baroness who are on the small but powerful Laggia Scene. Powerful yes, but I honestly can't remember them now… other than they were pretty bad.

The jagged and off-kilter rock of The Dead Weather holds the agitated tension of RATM and the scorched soul of the blues wrapped up in greasy garage rock. Allison stalks the stage in her leopard print shirt, slick black jeans and a mane of hair like a predatory cat. Cigarette and tamborine shake through her hand. She occasionally slinks on to an amp allowing Jack pride and place off the kit and on the mic - they're a savage pairing. The best cuts come from 'Treat Me Like Your Mother', 'Cut Like A Buffalo', and 'So Far From Your Weapon' and 'Gasoline'.

In the big top the Black Keys duo, Dan and Patrick fail to disappoint and keep me engaged even after seeing them just three days before at Amsterdam's Paradiso. Heavy soul and swaggering blues builds the audience into a hot fever.

On the Plage or beach stage, with sand under our feet yet sadly the lake cordoned off from swimming despite the heat, Two Door Cinema Club have their fellow Frenchmen and women enjoying the indie-pop. It's not particularly challenging or innovative, in fact it's all pretty derivative but offers harmless fun in the sun with crowd participation.

Kasabian, I thought might hold my interest but their ballsy Brit rock can't do it like it has in the past. Nevertheless them shouting 'Merci-Fucken-Beaucoup!' as English as possible is worth the visit anyway.

Afterwards we head for Foals back at the Plage as they fling into their set. Standouts for me come more from the mathiness of Antidotes rather than this year's mellower Total Life Forever. Sand flies from my thongs (flip flops, people) for 'Cassius' and 'Balloons' but the heat is heavy and I've gotta re-hydrate for Jigga, so I take a seat on the cooling sand.

To use Jay Z's quote from 'Izzo (H.O.V.A)' back at the man himself, 'You could have been anywhere in the world tonight and you're are here with me - I appreciate that.' A filled amphitheatre in front of the main stage and a sea of Diamonds (terribly confusing if that's your sign in a crowd to find your friends like it is ours') shows appreciation for the 'greatest rapper alive'. His 'Naïve' (Evian) T shirt nods to his French audience with a playfulness. He seems genuine, having a great time and appreciating us too without a sense of egotism. With a big band and fellow MC Memphis Bleek behind him he swings through modern classics 'Hard Knock Life', '99 Problems,' 'Izzo,' 'Numb/Encore', 'Dirt off Your Shoulder' as well as the recent Blueprint 3 'Death of Autotune' and 'New York State of Mind.' Hell, the whole thing is amazing. The Roc is most definitely in the building tonight and conscious of how to work a crowd.

Hot Chip are the first real dance act for the festival and is our leap from hip hop to electro… Crowd favourite 'Over and Over' along with 'One Pure Thought' and the epic rave of new track 'I Feel Better' gets the big top firing on all lazers. Love that kettle-drum too. Similarly to the Black Keys, I've see Hot Chip recently but it only heightens the fun, knowing how great these new songs are live.

Missy Elliott, unlike Jay Z, is not in the building - or so it seems. Delays of some sort hamper her appearance on stage for a 2am timeslot, making a tired audience grow further weary. When she appears with black light dancers there's definite promise however a quick medley skims over a couple of her best songs including 'Gossip Folks'. Will she return to them in full? She's wanting everything turned up but the speakers are crackling. She sings a song, but fuck me, is she miming? She spends nearly ten minutes without music trying to hype a crowd who want hip hop to energise them rather than forced 'wassup' diatribe and a barrage of diva posturing. Then she walks off stage leaving the DJ to play Black Eyed Peas' 'I Got A Feeling'. Seriously. However, the young audience eager for MTV are stoked - finally some music at least. That's it for Liz and I though. We turn and walk. BEP is mixed into Nelly or something which gives way for a Missy track eventually, but she's not on stage. Her dude MC is rapping her parts. Where is she? Fuck knows. From a distance, leaving for bed, we note she's returned. Meh.

Read Day Two

Surfer Blood interview by my mate Olly

2010-07-17T17:59:00.005+02:00

Miami band Surfer Blood conjure those great slacker moments of the 90s, the likes of Weezer, The Pixies and Pavement.
Astro Coast is a joyous trip back to my youth with distorted three-chord pop, carrying echoey, dreamy vocal harmonies of The Beach Boys.

I recently saw them play directly across the road from my house at Bitterzoet and they were every bit brilliant. If you're reading this in Australia catch them at Splendour in the Grass along side The Pixies, the Strokes and LCD Soundsystem to name but a few. They'll also play a side show at Sydney's Manning Bar for those not heading north.

I used to have a radio show way back when on Byron Bay's Bay FM with Al Crombie and Olly McElligott. Olly is still on Bay FM and he interviewed Thomas from Surfer Blood. The interview goes for about 15 minutes so boil the jug, sit back and listen to both Olly and Surfer Blood's dulcet radio tones.

Surfer Blood Interview For Bay FM by Oliver McElligott by Olylama

Review: The Black Keys at Amsterdam's Paradiso

2010-07-07T10:00:00.007+02:00

The hottest day of the year so far, a Dutch win against Slovakia in the World Cup and five hours of celebratory drinking bred a thirsty, sweaty fever for The Black Keys' heavy blues, that thickfreakness if you will, the Akron Ohio duo are known for.

And sure enough, Dan and Patrick appease the masses opening with just that, 'Thickfreakness'. The brick-house riffing and hard drumming of the early single stirs the sold out old church and the crowd heaves. Hot.

Patrick drives down on the simple kit, his face twitching and coursing through a range of expressions; slightly rock, slightly mental. Dan's rolling guitar picking, while technical, carries more flow and when he jams out, bent over the guitar he seems to have this headbang-on-slo-mo style where his hair defies gravity and his back curls hard.

It's sexy voodoo blues, writhing with the burdened spirit of Robert Johnson, tales of wrong doings and love gone foul. From Attack Release, 'Strange Times' creeps with a lurk, sprawling the Keys' music beyond their original sound to something more multidimensional, aided initially on record by producer Danger Mouse.

Rolling down the line, as if the sound they punch out isn't enough, the two are accompanied on stage by a bass player and keyboardist. The bass rumbles past Auerbach's guitar - which wouldn't normally need support - and throughout the overflowing hall. Likewise the organ grinds out a psychedelic path of its own, adding to that wall of voodoo. If it wasn't before, it's scorching now.

New tunes play equal favourites to old, with a succession from Brothers. Opener, 'Everlasting Night' chugs along with Auerbach's falsetto before the personal redemption and kiss off of 'Next Girl' and the glam stomp of the Dr Who-esque 'Howling For You' as we all sing 'dada-da-da-da, dada-da-da-da'.

With more axes then an angry dwarf convention, Dan chops and changes with every song, all immaculate with new tones and a whole lotta richness, continuing through the soul of Brothers' 'I'm Not The One' and Magic Potion's 'Your Touch' and finishing the set with raw, creeping roll of 'I Got Mine' from Attack Release.

An uproarious crowd laid it on thick for an encore, from the stage front to the third tier rungs. 'So She Won't Break' burns to a slow heat. The Black Keys are an amazing live band who harness unbridled rock, while keeping it wild - no more evident than on 'Set You Free', their closer for the night, where wrangling guitar licks and whipping drum rolls are cut through by Dan's soulful voice and heavy groove.

We spill out of the old church and onto the street to an unfamiliar yet comforting warm night in Holland that feels more like a steamy evening in the deep south after midnight mass. Thank heavens for the Black Keys.

Warm Heart of Africa: the alternative World Cup podcast

2010-06-22T23:33:00.012+02:00

To write 'Recently I've been digging music from Mali' feels so pretentious and old... 'Watch out, he's exploring world music.' Dude must be getting deep into his 30s and frustrated with his diet of white-guy indie rock like Wilco, The Hold Steady and TV on the Radio.

But what with everyone else cashing in on the World Cup, why can't I? If a Colombian can make a theme for Africa then I will too. So to get Shakira's kaka cover of a Fozzy Bear tune (get it - 'waka waka') out of your head and stop the swarming hum of the Vuvuzela, listen to my Warm Heart of Africa podcast.

Warm heart of africa by colinrdelaney

Track listing
1. The jagged Sahara desert blues of Tinariwen is heady psychedelia. I caught the nomads at the Paradiso last year and it was worth skipping out of a Yo La Tengo show and crossing town for. More recently they appeared at the World Cup opening ceremony. Wikipedia has it that leader Ibrahim Ag Alhabib made his own guitar out of a tin can, a stick and a bicycle brake wire not long after seeing his father killed in the 1963 Mali uprising. This tune is 'Ahimana' from 2007's Aman Iman.

2. From Damon Albarn's 2002 Mali Music project that featured Afel Bocoum, Toumani Diabaté & their mates, 'Le Hogon' is a more chilled affair, a laissez faire jam session in the dusty sunset of numerous towns throughout Mali that Albarn and friends visited.

3. If there were a God and he had a voice it would be Ladysmith Black Mambazo belting out the South African style of a cappella, called Isicathamiya, across the clouds. They're teamed here famously with Paul Simon from his album Graceland. 'Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes', an African expression similar to 'filthy rich', opens with Ladysmith's mesmerising harmonies, followed by Simon's idiosyncratic lyricism to weave a beautiful two-worlds tale like a global version of Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl'. And when the horns kick and the bass pops to make you move, man, it's magic.

4. Vampire Weekend seemed like an obvious choice to mix with Simon, having appropriated and modernised from him generously. 'Horchata' has only grown on me since adding this song - the heavy drums coupled with the unflappable glockenspiel (possibly xylophone?) feels like the two sides of Africa, the hard and the playful.

5. On their opening track 'Suprise Hotel' of the self-titled album, Los Angeles' Fool's Gold play a similar jangly indie mixed with twangy guitar and Afrobeat but couple it with gutteral Hebrew lyrics over top - a delicious melting pot of rock. (Followed on their album by 'Nadine' which brings elements of Tinawiren's staccato desert groove - the whole album is great value. They're touring Europe this summer).

6. 'Tonight's Today' hand claps, chants and choir feels like Jack Penate has matured since rambunctious 'Torn on the Platform'. I'm surprised I haven't heard the vibrant live-in-the-moment, party song in the BBC's wrap-up package from Match of the Day, but then maybe they're waiting for England to actually win. ZING!

7. On The Clash's 1980 record Sandanista they tried pretty much every genre, for the most part succeeding. 'Let's Go Crazy' keeps Penate's London party thriving with the Afro-cuban rhythms, kettle drums, the whistles and Joe's dare - 'So you wanna go crazy'. The guy at the beginning I imagine is at the Notting Hill Carnival but could well be speaking about the World Cup Carnival. He gets his chance at the end of the podcast too.

8. Possibly the hardest band name to search for online, The Very Best from London/Sweden/Africa, lend their song to the podcast name 'Warm Heart of Africa'. Ezra of Vampire Weekend collabs here on vocals for what could be the coach's song of the World Cup - 'When the boys move fast, you should take it slow, We all need someone to tell us when to go.' The choir harmonies and infectious rhythm definitely sum up the warm heart of African music, feel good hit of the summer.

9. I first saw Mali's Amaduo and Mariam supporting Blur in Hyde Park last year. They are an amazing married blind couple (in music and life) who blew the crowd away with up tempo Afrobeat syncopation, funk rhythms and shredding surf/garage guitar, shredding since the 80s too. As 'the original east coast/west coast collaboration' they're joined by Senegalese rapper K'naan on 'Africa', a simple love song to the continent.

10. From the Australian radio station, Triple J's Unearthed initiative is Jinja Safari out of Sydney. 'Peter Pan', with an Indian zitar up front and a Afro-back-beat is an ethereal trip, like Ravi Shankar and the Beta Band on an African savannah safari. I look forward to hearing more from them.

11. Underneath Jinja Safari, and playing out the podcast is again, Ladysmith Black Mambazo again with the a cappella 'Music Knows No Boundaries'. Haunting and emotive, their collective voice is so affecting.

12. I let our preacher man-come-record & clothes salesman from The Clash's 'Let's Go Crazy' say a few words at the end: 'We don't want no war at the carnival today - all we want is peace, love and happiness.'

It's a shame there are still so many boundaries today. I'm not sure if the World Cup accentuates boundaries and borders or helps to bring them down. Nevertheless it was a thrill to see an unexpected North Korea give Brazil a real run for the football poster-boys' money (let's ignore Portugal and that amazing Ronaldo goal).

Anyway, some analogy about music, sport and the 'level playing field of life'. Enjoy the podcast.

Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders

2010-06-01T21:42:00.000+02:00

Failed drummer Colin Delaney spoke to one of the most exciting drummers today, Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters, about singing in his new band, playing with Dave and wearing Britney Spears mics.

From: TNT Downunder

The name Taylor Hawkins may not jump at you straight away but if I say the Foo Fighters’ drummer you should be picturing a blonde-haired, wild-limbed drummer that’s always pinching the microphone from Dave Grohl in interviews. Now, he’s grabbed the mic for good with his side project Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders.

You recorded this album quite quickly. Does that make it more fun?
 I think a lot of the best music comes quickly. Sometimes if it's been too laboured over it sounds like it’s been laboured over. That’s not always the case. I think there have been a lot of great recordings that took a long time to do, 'cos they were real studio-type things. You know ‘Good Vibrations’ took a real long time to do. Because this is my first album with my own songs I think it’s important to get the quick energy. No point trying to do Sergeant Pepper’s the first time around.

You obviously played drums and sang on the album. I’m a drummer, a poor one, but I am. What is it with drummers wanting all the limelight?
 I don’t know if I want the limelight necessarily. I like to write songs to hear what they sound like after they’ve been recorded and played live. I don’t go out front and sing these songs, I’m behind the drum kit whenever we do play live. I’m not looking for more fame, I just like to play and do something creative. I don’t think this album is gunna make me more famous.

You mean we’re not about to see you become the next Tommy Lee and have your ego become bigger than your rock?
 No. I think Tommy Lee is a really great rock ‘n’ roll drummer and I think people forget that, because he’s in the media for everything else other than his drumming. There’s no reality shows or sex tapes. I don’t see that in the future.

Did you have to change your aggressive drumming style to accommodate your singing?
Yeah, it changes a bit, otherwise I could never get my head next to a microphone. I tend to flail around a lot. I didn’t know until I saw it when I was a kid. I wasn’t conscious of it, I just love Keith Moon, Tommy Lee and those kind of drummers. Your body does it naturally to get the job done. I enjoy it. I play a little more controlled actually. I think I keep better time when I sing. I don’t know why. You’d know - you’re a drummer.

A drummer who tried to sing and failed.
 Give it another shot. I thought I’d have to have one of those awful Britney Spears-type headset mics. I tried a couple but they just felt so stupid and they never worked so I said fuck it and used a mic stand.

Was it intimidating when you first started with the Foo Fighters to have Dave Grohl looking over your shoulder?
He's actually been very much ‘do your thing’, especially live, as long as I’m staying true to the thing. They’re pretty crafted drum-lines, so I always stuck to a programme to a certain degree. I feel like I got more intimidated from what other people would say. Well, he’s really nice, he’s really cool and we’re not that competitive. I think Dave is one of the best drummers ever in rock ‘n’ roll. I can’t be Dave. There’s no way, and I don’t try to be, I just try to be myself. There are definitely elements you pick up from just hanging around, trading licks, maybe he shows me a thing or two here and I show him a thing or two there. Dave was always pretty damn cool and wanted to make sure I felt okay about it. The only pressure was what I put on myself, for the most part. When we get in the studio he pretty much knows what he wants to hear from the get-go. He’s the songwriter and even if you’re not a drummer you’ve got an idea of how it should go. I think John Lennon had an idea in his head when he went to Ringo with ‘Come Together’. You’re a fucken drummer, you know. You’re basically there to support the songwriter.

And what would it take to get you to tour Australia? 
Not much, we’re working on it man. We’ll sleep on people’s floors and play the bad bars.  

Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders is out now through Inertia.
August 16th, 2007

Phosphorescent in Amsterdam

2010-05-23T11:52:00.015+02:00

Matthew Houck and friends, better known as Phosphorescent, are an alt-country/indie-folk/whathaveyou outfit originally from Athens Georgia, a town of great rock pedigree, now residing in Brooklyn. Prolific recording under the Phosphorescent moniker, Houck has cut five records since 2003 including the Willie Nelson tribute album, To Willie that brings to light just how dark the country star could be.

In his own right, Houck's latest, Here's To Taking It Easy is far more upbeat than 2007's equally brilliant, yet more melancholy Pride. Opener 'It's Hard To Be Humble' sets the tone with horns and honky tonk while 'I don't care if there's cursing' carries on that copacetic attitude of the album title - Phosphorescent are here for a good time, not a long time so if the beer runs out, well it ain't worth sticking 'round. 'The Mermaid Parade' is a dreamy slow roll 'n' sway named after the Coney Island festival while 'Heaven, Sittin Down' feels cut from the Willie writing book about a tiring but content life on the road.

However, 'Hej, Me I'm Light' shifts gear as a hypnotic, eerie and atmospheric track with a gospel sound and simple chorus that builds in intensity with mesmerising effect. Meanwhile final track 'Los Angeles' sprawls like the city in sluggish heat with slow heavy steps and slide guitar for a full eight minutes and feels like a modern-day western soundtrack.

In Amsterdam on a press day before returning again for show at Bitterzoet on 6 June, a few cowboy boots converged on scuzzy converse as Matthew and band stopped into the Subbacultcha headquarters. With cocktails in hand and a sun who came to the party occasionally, a small and lucky audience, a few which were cameramen, gathered on the building's rooftop, privy to a performance by Houck. While the rest of the band knocked back mojitos and strawberry dacquiris and chimed in occasional harmonies, Matthew played new tracks 'We'll Be Here Soon', 'The Mermaid Parade' and 'Heaven, Sittin Down' to the city - to the church steeples, canal houses and noisy trams. See 'Mermaid Parade' below (you might even spot my ugly mug) and check out the new album and his great back catalogue.

Subbacultcha! Rooftop Session Phosphorescent from Subbacultcha! on Vimeo.

Phoenix Interview

2010-03-27T13:44:00.001+01:00

Last night's Phoenix show at Amsterdam's Paradiso was so incredible there is very little reason to review it. If you are a fan just go see them - their upbeat, hook-laden indie is irresistibly cool yet wholly accessible, even your Dad would dig em. So rather than review the show I've posted an interview from the TNT archives.'Versailles is really boring so I wouldn’t advise anyone to live there,’ says Laurent “Branco” Brancowitz, guitarist for French band Phoenix. The band began in the affluent Paris suburb, but while singer Thomas Mars’ partner Sofia Coppola made it look exciting in Marie Antoinette, Branco disagrees: “Maybe it was exciting 300 years ago but not anymore. Paris is cool, I love Paris, my home town,” he says.

So what’s the music scene like in France?
France is a special territory in music where there is a long tradition of very bad musicians. But right now we have a new generation of kids that are doing garage rock. It’s the first time we have had a big crowd of cool kids in Paris.

Who are some of the cool bands we should be checking out?  
One is Naast. They sing in French but they are cool.

You sing in English, was that to reach a wider audience? 
Yes. I think the prospect of having only a French life and a French career and not having the excitement of discovering the world would be so boring. We couldn’t imagine something like that.

Were you looked down upon at first for not singing in French? 
Yeah actually. That kind of happened. We knew it would be hard for a French band to be taken seriously by the world. That was our concern, we didn’t worry about France. They kind of viewed us as traitors in the beginning but now it’s cool. They don’t care anymore. They are happy we are at the centre of French culture.   

When you came onto the music scene there was great stuff coming out of France - yourselves, Cassius, Daft Punk, Air... What was that like at the time?
It was really good because the scene was natural. We knew each other. It was cool to see that every band was having success while doing their own thing. The first ones were Daft Punk. It was really exciting.  

Has Thomas ever been pulled up or corrected on his English? 
I think it’s okay, but when we started we were afraid to make mistakes. Now we know we make a lot of mistakes. Broken English is more touching for you guys anyway. Now it’s our strength. So we don’t try to correct it anymore.  

Were you nervous about changing styles from the synth-pop to the indie-garage sound? 
No. From the beginning we would not stick to one particular style and we would try to evolve so we think our fans got it. We weren’t afraid in any way. All the artists I love, they try to lose their fans at some point. We cannot control it so there is no point in being afraid.  

What can we expect from the next album?
I would like it to sound like the last one, but I think there will be more harpsichord. I have a harpsichord vibe right now.  

We’re a magazine for travellers. You cover long distances. How do you overcome the boredom? 
The main thing is to have a good crew - a good friendship is important. Another tip I would give is photography. When you are a photographer there is always something to do.   

Are you a hobby photographer?
I want to be one of the greatest photographers, but I need more time. In 12 months I will hope to be really good.  

You’re coming here for the V Festival. Who are you most excited about seeing? 
The Pixies, I am a big fan. And Soulwax, they’ll be cool.

December 12th, 2007

Jamie T at Amsterdam's Melkweg

2010-02-17T11:41:00.004+01:00

The first time I saw Jamie T was in Sydney's Kings Cross, at Candy's Apartment – a low ceiling basement, jam-packed with up-to-speed Brit backpackers and in-the-know locals not a month after his first album had been released. Jamie took the small stage with only a borrowed acoustic bass guitar. It didn't stop the kids from moshing and crowd surfing - The upstart's urgent, thrashy style transcends instruments, it could have been a ukulele and we'd have still got those scuzzy Pommy pumas in our faces.

The next time was at the Gaelic Club. Word had got round and Jamie had got a band, The Pacemakers. The show this time was a raucous punk show, loose and youthful. T's brash accent spat rhymes like the beer he sprayed on the crowd and everyone was up for it. Panic Prevention was filled with chant-a-longs and a chance for everyone, travellers and locals alike, to become unashamed geezers, from our "screams calling 'London!'" to his cover of Billy Bragg's 'A New England'. He's visited more recent - read these Sydney reviews: Metro & Gaelic Club

For me, three years on and Jamie T and the Pacemakers play Melkweg's Oude Zaal, sold out. Seemingly the support act didn't turn up, giving much time for the packed crowd to get beers under belts before a rowdy night. Jamie, however, starts mellow with 'Emily's Heart' (see the very sweet video below), an acoustic cut from new album 'Kings and Queens' (reviewed here by Bobby Six).

'Atlantic City', a Bruce Springsteen cover follows that may have gone over the heads of kids down the front but hit the balcony of elders (we had a great view). Out to prove his worth and longevity on the second go-round, 'Kings and Queens' brings a more mature side to this Wimbledon youf. Whether he's covering them or just acknowledging them, you can hear the Troubadours before him: Dylan, The Boss, Strummer, Billy Bragg, and Skinner. And when the band kicks you've got the Clash, Beastie Boys and Rancid on up-rocked ska and grinding organs.

Highlights through the set include the 'oh ohs' of 'Chaka Demus', the Balkan ska of 'Dance of the Young Professionals', the back-chat of 'If You Got The Money' and of course 'Shelia'. The Encore, as well as The Clash's '1977', saw Jamie play a double time thrash version of 'Salvador' and cleared the dancefloor for an old school circle pit for the guys. Not to be outdone, two handbag-embracing girls hopped the stage for a skank as Jamie sang 'the ladies dance'. They crowd surfed off without sight of security. Well - that only added fuel to a fire. Closing with the ska-punk of 'Sticks and Stones' turned the circle pit into a frothing mosh until that girl again jumped on stage. Then a girl from the left side. Then a dude in the middle. The three more on the right. Before long the stage was invaded by drunken teenagers as surely Jamie's did in his youth. The star steps aside and lets chaos reign and the kids taste the limelight as more and more clear the pit for momentary fame: front and centre, at the guitarist's mic, on the drum and keyboard risers. Forty people maybe.

It's this energy, frustrated and angsty, rough and tumble, raw and rebel-rousing that Jamie brings to an indie scene too often filled with acts polished and packaged before the ink has even dried on a contract.

An Interview with Jamie T

Jamie T Interview from the archives

2010-02-17T08:24:00.012+01:00

From TNT Magazine
Jamie T is one of the UK’s most exciting musicians of the last year. He talks moshing at acoustic shows, blowing £5000 and sucking at the didgeridoo. It’s 9am in Sydney and around midnight in London, and Jamie T, the affable lad, feels bad that I’ve only just woken up and he’s in full swing.

Full swing?
Well maybe a bit past full swing, but still okay. I just got home an hour ago. I went and saw a friend play an acoustic show. So I’ve had a good night.

Anyone we’d know?  
Nah, but he’s acoustic, folk kinda stuff.  

I was on your myspace yesterday.  
Well he’s in my top eight friends. His name is The Turncoat.  

I was listening to him last night.
 He’s got a great tune called “Port Arthur” about Tasmania. I don’t know exactly what Australian Folk is but he’s right into it. It’s kinda upbeat folk.  

Well I was listening to a song of his with didgeridoo on it.
 That’s on my new mixed tape. It’s called “Messerschmitt”. He has a mate called Grant who plays didgeridoo really well so he got him in to do that.

Is Grant able to get up with him and play live?  
Yeah, they played with us at the Hammersmith Palais, which is this really cool venue and we played a gig there and he got up and played it. Someone gave me one while I was in Australia but I don’t know how to play it, it’s crazy man.

I was at your Sydney show and you mentioned your didgeridoo. How’s it going?  
There’s no point man. I can play anything that is like a keyboard, guitar, bass – I can’t play anything properly but anything that is wind, I can’t get a thing out of them.

Your small shows were great...  
It was great. I had a really good time and met so many cool people. We ate some great food which helps when you’ve had a party the night before. This time I’m bringing my friends with me and it should be great.  

How do the two shows differ – your solo shows and an evening with the Pacemakers?  
Oh man, immensely. When you play acoustically the best possible outcome for the audience is quite quiet and listening to you, whereas playing in a band the best thing is to get people screaming. We’ve always tried to have a party and fuck shit up.  

Well your acoustic set down here wasn’t too quiet.
That’s the thing that’s weird. When I started if I could shut a crowd up it was good ‘cos it meant they were listening to me. But it’s strange ‘cos I’m playing acoustically and people were dancing about. That’s almost better than people shutting up. I had a good laugh.

You were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, but Klaxons eventually won. As a result you had to postpone your Australian shows until October. Does the Mercury Prize mean a lot to you?  
These things are complicated. It was lovely to be running against the bands that are involved cos they are all fucking wicked bands but as awards go, you speak to those bands and they don’t give a fuck – music isn’t a competition. Getting nominated was a fucking nightmare though ‘cos it meant cancelling shows in Australia. I had a dilemma cos I didn’t wanna fuck these people off. So we came up with a compromise, move it back so I could get this thing over and done with and get to Australia. I’d rather be playing shows than going to some fucking awards show. No disrespect, all my friends are saying that’s quite an accolade but it’s a nightmare when you’re trying to play shows to people and someone is telling you you have to go and do this whole malarky.  

Although the £20,000 would have been nice.
 I was thinking about it the other day, chatting to a friend of mine and when we were about 15 she got five grand of inheritance and we literally spent it all. She was like you wanna spend my money with me and I was like “Cool let’s do it” and we fucking rinsed it. And I said I tell ya what, if I do win 20 grand we’ll go out with five grand and blow it. It’ll be a right laugh.  

Are you the type of musician that needs to be always recording, always creating?
 I think so. It’s one of the things I enjoy doing. When you record something you enjoy listening to it back and I find it frustrating to be away from it for too long.  

Is it a type of venting?
 It’s everything – from writing lyrics that you believe in, and writing music behind it. It’s on many different levels.

Musically who’s influenced you?  
Let me look at my computer ‘cos I got loads of music on here. Finlay Quay, you got Finlay Quay over there? Beastie Boys, Massive Attack, Paul Weller. Joey Thunder and the Heartbreakers – a massive band. And you better stick Tom Waits in there. There’s a band called DFL that were on Grand Royal, and another called Bran Van 3000 that I really like.

  I love Bran Van 3000.
 Yeah man. Both albums are sick. No one gives a shit about them but I love ‘em.  

And they just disappeared.
 Yeah, but I know someone that knows someone that knows someone and they are trying to get it back on track.   

Who passed these bands down to you? Do you have an older brother?
 I have an older brother but he was a musical thicko until a few years ago. I think he introduced me to Guns N Roses and the Beastie Boys but I had friends that were down with good shit. So I think it was my friends. When they find a band they’re like, “You’ve gotta listen to this, you’ll shit yourself when you hear this.”  

How have you been received in the US?  
We’ve only played five or so shows there to be honest. I treat everywhere the same way. It doesn’t matter about the country, it matters about the gig you’re paying. The people inside the venue. Whether a country is getting you, is just too big-scheme-of-things to worry about. I had one guy tell me America didn’t need me ‘cos they already had the Beastie Boys. I was like, ‘Yeah that’s cool, dickhead.’ I’m a big fan of the Beastie Boys. I can’t complain.  

Will you get to see much of Australia?  
We’re only there for a week and I’ve seen the schedule, it’s like gig, promotion, gig, promotion. But I’ve always thought to get to know a city you’ve got to drink in the bars and clubs and fortunately that’s where I play, so we get to see enough.

Live review from Amsterdam's Melkweg (15/02/10).

Midlake at Amsterdam's Paradiso

2010-02-11T13:11:00.008+01:00

Last night Texan classic rock revivalists Midlake (interview below) rolled into town. With the band running late, a few of us lucky early ones snuck in and caught their sound-check just before the doors actually opened. It was interesting to watch with the lights on - kinda like sex, there's definitely something missing - and I'm pretty sure they hadn't applied their onstage-beards yet.

A sold out show at the Paradiso promised an enthusiastic crowd while an album just released, The Courage of Others suggested there'd be a mix of new and old songs, for better or for worse.

Midlake came to prominence with 2006's The Trials of Van Occupanther (was he Dutch?) an instant indie classic for both you and yer old man, conjuring the spirits of Crosby Stills & Nash, Neil Young's Harvest-era, Fleetwood Mac and a touch, dare I say, of the Eagles - 'forrest rock' as my girlfriend, Liz calls it.

Last night, the shows' standouts came from said first album, the likes of 'Young Bride', 'Head Home' and the gem 'Roscoe' were all crowd favourites with a rocking end to 'Head Home' courtesy of drummer McKenzie Smith. Likewise, their encore 'Branches' was from Van Occupanther, and a mellow closure to the evening.
At the end of the show the band were openly blown away when the house lights went on to reveal three tiers of fans in rapturous applause.

Maybe that's because the band knew what I knew; where the old songs rocked, the new songs felt awash in sameness. Since Van Occupanther we've seen a swag of fellow vintage rockers lathered with smooth folk vocals and harmonies, check shirts and beards. None derivative, all bring something new to the table (or take away) - the likes of Fleet Foxes, Bon Ivor and Local Natives.
Understandably, in an attempt to distance themselves from the sound, or more appropriately, three more years of touring the same style of songs, Midlake have moved from forrest rock to druid-folk, especially if we're going off their album covers; American woodland the former, robes and celtic symbolism the latter.

The move to British folk territory on The Courage of Others seems to have payed off as well as Michael Jordan's to baseball. Instead of my Dad's Neil Young records I hear my mum's Steeleye Span records. Fair play, they give it ago and have mastered the sound but at what point might one think 'maybe four guitars are too many?' There's also more flute than you can chuck an Enya at. Plus, on the night, Tim's voice was too low in the mix, his mellow tones too easily washed away.

With the best seats in the house (for those in the know, front and centre on the balcony, that almost box-seat part) we were hoping to be blown away, and for the songs from the first album we were by their weaving tapestry and texture. Songs from the second instead blanketed us in druid drone with not enough melodies or rich harmonies. Shame really.

An Interview with Midlake

2010-02-11T12:38:00.006+01:00

With their 70s folk-rock, Midlake will swoon you back to simpler times. Colin Delaney chats to the band’s drummer, McKenzie Smith, about life in Texas, their new record and Jason Lee.   While the UK and US indie music scenes have been wallowing in the stagnant waters of an 80s revival, drowning in Morrissey and Gang Of Four wannabes, a little-known band from Texas has been diving deeper into the rock ‘n’ roll gene pool. Midlake’s second record, The Trials Of Van Occupanther, evokes the 70s spirit of artists like Fleetwood Mac, America, and Crosby Stills Nash and Young. Drummer McKenzie Smith has just got himself a haircut and is driving back to the band’s hometown of Denton,TX.   

Has Texas and its great outdoors influenced your sound?
 Yes, but not like you might expect. People might assume that because you’re from Texas you must be into country music - that’s the majority of the music here and obviously there is a large fanbase for that kinda music, but we’re not exactly influenced by it. Texas is an interesting place to live. There’s lots of cool things about Texas, and not so cool, and I’d say we’re affected by that. But I wouldn’t say that we’re affected by country music. The places we live, the people in Texas and our backgrounds, they all play a part in our development as a band. I’ve heard it’s very similar to Australia. Texas is huge, with everything from dense forest with huge pine trees to the tropics down south and desert, and up north it gets cold. Our singer Tim got influenced by nature in general. I guess you could say it’s Texas but it’s also anything with a pastoral setting.  

Your album is a breath of fresh air. It seems very sincere, a throwback to the great folk rock artists of the 70s.  
We worked really hard on that album so I’m glad you liked it. The first album has lots of influences, from The Flaming Lips and Granddaddy to the Beatles psychedelic kinda stuff. And then after we made that album we started checking out the 70s stuff like Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac, America and Bread, Joni Mitchell, Jethro Tull. One thing leads to another and before you know it, Tim, our singer became so engulfed with this and it really affected him and he loved it so much that it started coming out of him naturally. And we just said, ‘We really like what you’re working on and the direction you’re taking.’ It was a long process to eventually evolve into that but I think we’re ready for that. Everyone compares this album to a 70s album and I think they’re right. It hopefully hasn’t come across as contrived, it was just a very natural thing. We just said these albums are timeless and classic and how good would it be to make a record that feels the same kind of way.  

There’s no sense of irony to what you’re doing... 
That was the plan, we didn’t want to make something that seemed like we were just ripping them off, like it was a throwback, kinda ‘look what they’re doing’ thing. I think you could put on Neil Young’s Harvest right now and it would sound like a great record. You’re not going to put this on in 10 years and go ‘Oh, I can’t believe I was ever into that.’

  So who is Van Occupanther? 
Well, Van Occupanther is actually only in one song but everyone thinks he’s a recurring character, that he’s the guy in every story. There’s a lot of ideas about going back to a simpler time when things weren’t so complicated - you have your wife, and your land and your job and you make an honest living without all the complications.

  Jason Lee (of My Name Is Earl, Almost Famous and Chasing Amy) has been championing your work, and spreading the word. How did that come about?
 Jason knew Simon Raymonde (of Cocteau Twins), who runs our label. He was a huge Cocteau Twins fan and had written Simon years ago and Simon wrote him back and they became friends. Simon started sending Jason records and he sent him our first album and Jason flipped out. He did a top 10 records in Entertainment Weekly and we were number two on his list. When we met him in Austin at South by South West we thought we were the ones that were supposed to be bowing down to him and he was like, ‘Let me buy you a drink, I can’t believe I’m talking to you guys, I love you guys.’ Since then he came to Denton and filmed a video for us. He’s just a really great guy to have on your team. We’re very thankful for his friendship.  

*Midlake’s The Trial of Van Occupanther is out through Speak n Spell.

Brown Bird at Amsterdam's Paradiso

2010-02-03T11:05:00.008+01:00

Dear Brown Bird

Sometimes when you go to a gig and you know nothing of the support act and the support act sucks it's no great loss other than wondering why the main act selected them. But other times, those glorious and precious times, you catch the support act and it feels like you've struck gold, not always as polished as the main act but all the more satisfying for digging that bit deeper - or at least arrived when the doors opened.

I was taken away by your music, simple and earnest. David's voice, so clear through that beard, what should have muffled actually filtered, Morgan's aching strings and Joan Baez vocal style plus Mike's classic dobro filled the magestic Paradiso's hall with a rustic stomp that bands with more plugs, pedals and pomp have failed to do.

After the show I'd hoped to congratulate you on a fine set. If only I had stopped at the merch desk mid-Low Anthem as I smuggled myself out for a quick piss. Alas, at the end of a spectacular set by your fellow Rhode Islanders it was their turn to meet and greet.

Nevertheless I bought The Devil Dancing on CD - I owed you that much - and added my name to your mailing list (about three quarts the way down on the first page). I popped the disc in my girlfriend's bag and went home to bed.

This morning I woke irrationally early so I hopped up and tackled a mountain of dishes and what better way to help me get through the slog than with some gentle morning music.

I sliced open the plastic seal of my new CD and opened the cardboard sleeve, fired up the computer and tried to pop out the disc from its casing. Like a reluctant virgin the disc wouldn't pop from its centre. It just bent, bowed with a creaking sound, before finally, snap! To quote Dylan, the Brown Bird disc 'breaks, just like a little girl.'

Was it my eagerness and heavy man-handling that broken the CD rather than easing it gently and wooing it from it's casing? Most probably.

Or was it in this day and age, as CD sales drop in the face of downloads, manufacturers cut corners and construction gets flimsy… I don't blame you Brown Bird, I blame the system.

Feeling jilted, I jumped straight online to find your torrent. Alas as a small act, your discovery by a prospecting punter is real gold* and the price of gold is high for its rare and exclusive qualities, not for its ubiquitous torrent. I did dig up a file called 'Brown Bird at the Nave' but the progress bar didn't move beyond infinity. And that's fools gold.

Sadly I've lost my nugget of Brown Bird but I can say I discovered you before the inevitable gold rush. In the interim I'm not so much panning for gold, but washing the pans... in silence.

Kind regards,

Colin.

*I'm dropping the 'virgin' thing and reclaiming the gold analogy 'cos when you start talking about the price of virgins on the internet the FBI start knockin' – or so I've heard.

Still Flyin' at Amsterdam's Paradiso

2010-02-02T12:39:00.006+01:00

Tonight at the Paradiso there's two great shows. At 7.30 get along and see the brilliant twang of Low Anthem. These Rhode Island natives have just about made Amsterdam their second home with numerous shows and recording here. At 10 see Still Flyin' - a delightfully fun outfit from San Francisco I first saw at 2008's Sydney Laneway Festival (a festival we sadly missed this past Sunday when Liz and I had to fly back to Amsterdam - from all accounts, a brilliant day with great bands) where body boards helped the crowd surfers. Tonight's performance is now half price at the Last Minute Ticket Shop, so get buying.

From iamsterdam.com

Still Flyin', a San Francisco collective bring nothing but fun and good times to their shambolic shows with a revolving door of artists and honourary members. Depending on their location in the world you might find more people on stage than in the crowd.

Take your shoes off
With sugary doses of indie-pop, the up-rocked skank of reggae plus the sunshine of Jimmy Buffet and the avant garde of Talking Heads, a genre they've dubbed Hamm Jamm, Still Flyin will hold themselves accountable if your dancing shoes wear out in one night. But then again, with a band website titled www.takeyourshoesoffyoudontneedtheminthesky.com, they've already suggested you remove them. Expect tunes like 'Lucky It's A Ghost Town Around Here' (see vid), 'Aerosmith Take Me To The Otherside' and 'Forever Dudes'

Flyin Facts
They've played alongside the likes of Architecture in Helsinki finding a musical kinship with the oddball Melbournites, as well as Jens Lekman and Spiral Stairs who curated and hosted them at the 2008 Sled Island Festival in Calgary. Last year they released their debut album Never Gunna Touch The Ground after a succession of singles and EPs. Hamm Jamm, more fun for your feet than toe jam.

SDRNR Radio: Christmas Mixtape - Slay bells not reindeer

2009-12-23T20:52:00.008+01:00

Last year I compiled a Christmas mixtape article for Time Out Amsterdam. Sadly we never actually made the mixtape - just the list. So I got on the old Sound Studio and made a shonky 33 minute podcast/mixtape thing full of great rock n roll and indie Xmas classics.

All killer no stocking filler
Christmas 09: Slay Bells Not Reindeer by colinrdelaney
Download it by clicking on the arrow below 'info'.
Tracklist
1. Happy Christmas (The War Is Over) - Polyphonic Spree
2. Bizarre Christmas Incident - Ben Folds
3. Christmas Is Going To The Dogs - The Eels
4. Is This Christmas - The Wombats
5. I Wish It Was Christmas Today - Julian Casablancas
6. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) - The Ramones
7. Christmas In Hollis - Run DMC
8. Christmas With The Devil - Spinal Tap
9. Fairytale In New York - The Pogues and Kirsty McCall
10. That Was The Worst Christmas Ever! - Sufjan Stevens

Top 30 albums of the decade

2009-12-22T22:27:00.017+01:00

December has hit and for music journalists and bedroom critics alike we start thinking of top albums of the year. I began thinking about some favourites but before I could even form a list for 2009 I noticed the Guardian had put out its top 50 albums of the decade. I gave up at 30. Counting down (I pondered whether to number and I opted for decisiveness) here goes. Do feel free to leave me your list below.

30. Joe Strummer - Streetcore (2003): The final bow for Strummer hears his influences refined: reggae on 'Get Down Moses' and Marley's 'Redemption Song' while the fireside strums of 'Long Shadow' was actually written for Johnny Cash and 'Silver and Gold' a message to the youth not to take life for granted.

29. Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance (2006): A Grand dance indeed, the Sydney band's second record was a joyful, sweeping epic, full of harmonies, melodies and swooning arty guitar pop. Reminds me of good times.

28. Kev Carmody - Cannot Buy My Soul (2007): Granted CD 1 of the double album is his best of, but the covers by artists like Tex Perkins, Dan Sultan, Paul Kelly and Bernard Fanning on CD 2 hopefully opened younger listeners to the brilliance of one of Australia's finest songwriters.

27. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006): Punchy tales of the UK's boozy youth prickly with sarcasm and wacky wordplay, Alex and co were a breath of fresh air.

26. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday (2005): Punching and poetic, Separation Sunday read like a Catholic sermon on a retalin come-down, a guilt trip about fallen suburban youth (Craig, Holly, Charlemagne and Gideon) and their hedonistic ways, all to the sound of New Jersey inspired punk-infused rock n roll.

25. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (2004): I doubt I'd have listened to this if Jack White weren't involved, but I'm thankful I did. It's full of busted-up, appalachian (not the no-hair disease) charm straight from the cliches of country music, which is what makes it so perfect - it's by one of the originators.

24. Gorillaz - Demon Days (2005): Those four crazy kids conjured up a sophomore record full of electro hip hop starring fantastic collabs with De La Soul, Shaun Ryder, Bootsy Brown and even Dennis Hopper.

23. Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For the Deaf (2002): Desert rock driven on hard grooves, a shit load of fuzz, a cocktail of drugs Hommes' macho sleaze and Dave Grohl behind the kit.

22. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007): A great party record baring a relatively negative attitude Sound of Silver is dance music with angst. Real people shake the shit out of their week in a sweaty club, so why gloss it over. Fuck you feel-good Ibiza and fuck you Bob Sinclar.

21. Gomez - In Our Gun (2002): Mixing country, dub, rock and folk Gomez create enough catchy hooks and riffs here to toss them in and out where they please where other artists would've milk them dry, coupled with the three vocalists and you've got a record that keeps you on your ears, so to speak.

20. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (2008): Infectious indie-pop from Melbourne's trio who nod to new wave, cheesy house and noise-pop all the while making it a sound of their own ready for the dance floor.

19. Fever Ray - Self titled (2009): A brooding and oozing record that turns electronics into an organic undergrowth, rotting and dank Fever Ray is a slower, more sombre record for Karin Andersson, one part of brother-sister duo, The Knife.

18. TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (2006): From the heralding horns of electronic elephants on opener 'I Was A Lover' to the fevered hi-speed hunt of 'Wolf Like Me' and slow chugg of 'Dirtywhirl' this record was class.

17. Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid (2009): More dynamic than a Black Keys record, Auerbach's solo record Keep It Hid ironically allowed him to bring in more musos. Porch-front blues to Louisiana Voodoo and rolling CCR rock n roll, it gets me a bit closer to his record collection.

16. Postal Service - Give Up (2003): This lo-fi indie-dance record served as the thinking hipster's emo there for a while and remains one of the best records ever recorded for riding a city trains to.

15. The Dears - Gang Of Losers (2006): Bypassing 'Synthro', 'Ticket to Immortality' begins the album with an uplifting charm as the lyrics radiate a certain optimism. The optimism doesn't last long for this gang of losers though, with melancholic yet soulful indie tunes.

14. The National - Boxer (2007): Wandering tinges of rock, indie and country Boxer meanders through lush and spacious instrumentation that finds common ground between Interpol and the Boss, all under cryptic lyrics that even quote Napoleon Dynamite.

13. Calexico - Garden Ruins (2006): The Tex-Mex horns, the el mariachi guitar, Joey Burns' smooth front porch vocals and John Convertino's dusty brush strokes create a sound so geographically precise I can smell the tortillas toasting and taste the cerveca. I miss that country.

12. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002): Tweedy's writing is detailed, idiosyncratic charm, from opener 'I Am Trying To Break Your Heart' to the upbeat 'Heavy Metal Drummer' blending country twang with Steely Dan prog-pop and the melancholic closer 'Reservations' that looms out.

11. White Stripes - Elephant (2003):Opening with Jack's drop D (E maybe?) and Meg's thundering bass drum, the chunky repetition of 'Seven Nation Army' charged this album from the opener. Momentum kept it pushing on with 'Black Math' or 'Hardest Button To Button' with delicately interspersed sweetness from 'You've Got Her In Your Pocket' and 'Little Acorns'.

10. Outkast - Speakerboxx & The Love Below (2003): The double album let the ATL duo stretch their characters and while may have been catalyst for their drifting demise it stands alone as a stunning example of where hip hop can go.

09. MIA - Kala (2007): A banging second record blended electrified world music that punched from every favela and ghetto in the world of Sri Lanka, Africa, outback Australia, Brazil, England, and even Timbaland.

08. Kings of Leon - Because of the Times (2007): Stepping beyond their slack-jawed, spittoon drawl and cow-punk indie (by no means inferior), this layered southern opus let the lads build on their backbone and become a little bit CCR a little bit Pearl Jam.

07. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005): Brit hedonism and 'modern love', Silent Alarm cut jagged shapes through the UK music scene and onto messy indie-club dancefloors so we could both moan and shake it.

06. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007): Some will argue Funeral is better, but to me the Baroque pop meets Jersey shore rock of Neon Bible felt so much more rounded and bold.

05. The Strokes - Is This It (2001): With a touch of snotty slacker Holden Caufield this record re-invigorated indie New York cool at the turn of the century and led the rock revival - thank fuck.

04. Danger Mouse - The Grey Album (2004): An album of the times that optimised the concept of hip hop, Jay Z's Black Album vs The Beatles White Album. It took Brian Burton from the bedroom to Damon and Beck's house, and led the way for others to try it and fail miserably.

03. Kanye West - Late Registration (2005): An upbeat party album full of obvious samples and hollerback lines, it's only downside was that it's success led to the misguided ego of this once genuine genius.

02. Avalanches - Since I Left You (2000): Australian pastiche took elements of hip hop and vintage samples for a mix that would shit on any chill out album that came before or after. This might be controversial but on top of it's 'objective' brilliance, this has much sentimental value and that, friends, proves the noughties just got old.

01. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007): From the off-kilter timing of '15 Step' and ethereal 'Weird Fishes' to the closure, the haunting 'Videotape' this downloadable pay-what-you-like album was far from a throw away record.

Synopsis in five: 1. That took a lot of about 3 weeks to finalise. 2. I listen to a lot of alt-country and tangents of. 3. Dance music didn't quite grab me as much as I thought. 4. I also listen to a lot of indie. 5. My twenties was soundtracked to some great fucking music.

The Raveonettes in Amsterdam (now with interview)

2009-12-09T22:47:00.016+01:00

Tonight the Melkweg's Oude Zaal is not sold out, not even the balcony is open - a surprise to myself and friends. After enough time to nurse a beer, get a good spot and wall of fuzz from the stage lasting as long as the 'Chicken v Peter Griffin fight', Sune Rose and Sharin of The Raveonettes take the stage and wash the crowd over with distorted white noise and harmonies they've become known for.

Their's is a package that has evolved from a restricted, highly self-aware duo aiming for purity in kitsch with their first two albums (recorded in B-minor and B-major), into a multi-faceted, unrestrained act on more recent records Lust Lust Lust and In And Out Of Control.

Sonically they're star-crossed lovers. A '60s Spector-pop chick coupled with the '50s rock n roller with Rebel Without A Cause disaffection nodding to '80s shoegaze ala Jesus & Mary Chain.

Sune Rose's loose guitar whines and chimes spaciously as the platinum Foo cuts a seductive visage through billows of smoke, the bass rumbles and the floor tom thunders - it's a very Lynchian affair on the slower, moodier songs. None more so than on song of the night 'Aly Walk With Me' (maybe it's just the title reminds me of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me) from Lust Lust Lust, churning out a chugging and hypnotising rhythm until it explodes into wall of noise and the strobes refresh faster than Sonic the Hedgehog, threatening all that don't look away a possible fit. Elsewhere there's the punchy 'Break Up Girls' from fresh album of October,In And Out Of Control.

Electro-rock 'n' roll of 'Love in A Trashcan' from Pretty in Black kicks with surfy, hippy shake and the fuzzed-out twang on 'Dead Sound' from Lust Lust Lust echoes out.

I thought I'd dig up an old (and not so ground-breaking) interview from the archives of travel magazine TNT with Sharin from last year, while she was promoting Lust Lust Lust.

  Sharin Foo is in a van on her way to Canada for “work, work, work”. You’d think she had a gruelling job by the tone in her voice but the stunning blonde Dane of The Raveonettes is on her way to Toronto and Montreal to play shows off the back of new record Lust Lust Lust, she’s passing the time watching Twin Peaks.

So who killed Laura Palmer?
“It was her dad, but he was inhabited by an evil spirit,” she says.

The Raveonettes are kinda like the town of Twin Peaks, where clean and innocent 50s rock 'n' roll and 60s pop merges with the darker side of 80s shoegaze sinister. Previous records Whip It On, Chain Gang Of Love and Pretty in Black were influenced by Buddy Holly and The Ronettes with tales of teen rebellion. But on Lust Lust Lust the sinister rises to the surface. “Lust Lust Lust is probably our darkest album to date. It’s intimate yet noisy and intense.”

Pretty In Black was a homage to ‘50s and ‘60s artists and American, nostalgia. Did you have a theme for this album? 
No, not really. I think its theme is more personal, more reflection. I would say it’s a documentary rather than fiction. Even Pretty In Black wasn’t meant to be a homage to the past, it embraced technology which we always do. I guess our inspiration came from people who collaborated with us: Ronnie Spector, Maureen Tucker and Martin Rev (of Velvet Underground), so we were paying tribute to our inspiration.

Your first two albums were recorded entirely in B flat. You broadened your range on Pretty In Black. Do you feel Lust Lust Lust is even more open?
 It’s not a conscious decision to do something a specific way. I mean, not for this album, and it wasn’t for Pretty in Black either. I guess Whip It On and Chain Gang of Love had guidelines which were the one key, three chords, stuff like that. For this album there was no specific guidelines but there was a very minimal approach and that’s the very natural approach. That’s just the way it’s turned out.

You have moved from Denmark to the USA. What is it about living in America that fascinates you? 
There’s something fascinating about living in a country that is so big, when coming from Denmark. There’s a feeling of space and something spectacular which is unusual when you’re from a small country of five million people in Scandinavia.

You’ve been to Australia before. Did you get to experience the large landmass that is Australia? 
The only experience was flying for a long time to Perth, like flying across the US. We were working so hard we didn’t get to embrace the whole travel feeling.

Where was the first place you travelled to without your parents?
 I went to China, but with my grandparents when I was 12 years old. My grandfather is Chinese. We went to visit the family.

Any culture shock?
 I was still a little girl but I don’t know if I had any culture to get a culture shock. It was very chaotic, but I’ve been to China six or seven times now so I’m used to it.

How do you get a feel for a particular city when you’re travelling?
 It depends on what city it is. I like to be able to walk around and get a vibe. Ask people you meet and the people at the hotel where their favourite place to go is.

The Flying Dutchmen

2009-10-01T22:50:00.004+02:00

Sitting back in Sydney from Holland with some serious jetlag (thought I had dodged that) at 6:00am, I am excited by the prospect of surfing Ballina and Lennox over the next week. So to wait for the rest of the city to wake I figured I may as well finally post this article I wrote some time ago about the Den Haag surfing community.
From: Huck Magazine

Expecting a 'you shoulda seen it yesterday,' on my arrival from Amsterdam, Hans is instead straightforward in true Dutch style. "On average we get three to four days of rideable surf per week".

Den Haag's surf beach Scheveningen looks like a lake. Picture perfect for spring tourists walking the promenade at the north end. Beach bars line the sand, carousels carry children and jumpers plunge from the long pier's bungy tower, making it feel decidedly like San Diego.
At the south end, large fishing trawlers are given clear passage by on-guard lighthouses through the hard grey concrete groynes and on the horizon endless ocean liners await access to Rotterdam's harbour, it's the Industrial North Sea, alright. And this is where sandbanks and surfers collect.

With no swell to share a few waves, Hans and I swill a coffee in his mate, Henk's surf shop-come-café, Sublime. Hans, 30, has surfed Scheveningen since he was 12, travelling from inland Holland before moving here when he was of age, to now, raising a young family. He mainly rides longboards, the heavier the better for ploughing through common Dutch slop.

Dedicated to the development of surfing in the Netherlands, he's director of the Holland Surfing Association and pushing the local government for better lifesaver training. He also owns a surf school, not only for beginners but running grom and nose-riding master-classes as well. But when school's out or there's no swell, he hobbies away, rejuvenating old Vespas.

Above him, a mounted poster advertising a local clothing line/surf flick hangs. The main photo is of a set of huge right-handers peeling perfectly. I ask where it is. Possibly to protect it, Hans says it's gone. It was only temporary, caused by pumping sand to reinforce the ever-threatened Dutch coastline. A smaller image within that poster is of Hans. Another image is of a bloke missing an eye. Moments later, in walks that guy. He and his friend have just bought and driven two old VW campers, classic surfmobiles, from Denmark to fix them up. Outside groms clatter about on skateboards – seems every Dutch surfer needs a hobby during the long flat spells.

The following weekend, my third visit to Scheveningen and again Huey is mellow. Not to sound like a bumper sticker, but I'd rather be surfing. It is however a chance for a coffee with Henk.

Surfing for five years, he admits being a committed Dutch surfer means travelling. Two months after a friend introduced him to surfing, he was in Bali. "It's like eating stale bread and then being served a fresh loaf. When guys go away for a month they come back a different surfer."

Hans and about 350 others have taken the Nederlands Kampioenschap Surf Tour to Moliets, France for its second round. Those left behind fill the void of another waveless weekend by popping in for a coffee and a laugh.

In such disparate conditions it must be hard to stay motivated. He shrugs it off. "As a surfer, you always want to surf," then offers the alternative. "It could be worse, you could be a German surfer with no coastline," before flashing a grin of great satisfaction.
He points to a picture hanging on the surf shop wall to reassure me they get waves. It's a nice little cover-up taken at De Zuid, Holland's best break. A perfect glassy A-frame with the rock wall in the background, it could be D'Bah on the Gold Coast. The biggest he's seen is smooth two-metre faces though it only happens about ten times a year.

Hans had told me earlier that the HSA and locals had to protest to save De Zuid from being banned as a surf spot after a swimmer died there recently. They Paddled from De Zuid via river and canal systems to march dripping wet, steamer-clad and board under arm into City Hall's foyer. It worked. He said "The national news covered our story. It was great, surfers in Holland are still so unique."

Back in Amsterdam without a wave to my name, visiting Scheveningen's webcam I'm surprised to see a score of riders chasing just-surfable chop. Chop this snobby Byron-bred surfer would pay no mind to.
However Scheveningen's surf community seems bound by an enthusiasm that eclipses their waves, and a stoke that rides out the shit for those ten annual days of glassy A-frames. Between the wind chop and road trips, these are the ephemeral moments the locals live for – to down the tools of their hobbies and pick up the tools of a lifestyle.

Tender is the Night - Blur at Hyde Park

2009-08-09T12:05:00.007+02:00

This was my review of Blur's brilliant show at Hyde Park just over a month or so ago for Sydney's the Brag.

On a 24-hour stop over in London you could take in the Tate, ride the Eye and hope to the highlight is singing a Beatles song in Trafalgar Square for a mobile phone ad, That would be pretty British. Alternatively, you could time it perfectly and in one sunny London day drink Pimms at Wimbledon with Andy Murray in the semi-final before hitting Hyde Park to experience motherfucking Blur live with 60,000 other frothing revellers.

Tickets to Summer’s most hotly anticipated concert, acquired via a Facebook plea and purchased at retail price, boasted a mini festival line-up that included Deerhoof, Florence & the Machine, Amadou and Mariam and Vampire Weekend to boot – a line-up that felt like the many facets of Blur from the manic indie-guitar to moments of folk and Afro-beat.
Missing Deerhoof and Florence and the Machine I arrive for Amadou and Mariam, grab two beers and work my way to 20 metres from the barrier. From Mali, the duo are backed by a band and dancers that blend afro-beat rhythms with more modern dance beats and salt of the earth soul with surf guitar. The couple, both blind are cool and subdued, so much so I can’t help but feel they’d be more lively if they could witness the 60 thousand pasty-white bodies burning in the sun, trying to get their African booty-shake on.

Vampire Weekend’s Graceland-inspired Afro-beat feels diluted in comparison but the frat boy infused indie-cool makes up for it. Beginning to get suitably drunk, the crowd relish in their rollicking sing-a-long. It’s a right knees-up, wailing ‘Blake’s Got A New Face’ in call and response, air-punching to ‘A-Punk’s’ ‘hey, hey hey heys!’ and no one in the crowd ‘gives a fuck about an Oxford comma’. A riotous bottle fight breaks out with green plastic-to-look-like-glass bottles pinball-bounce across the mosh, striking multiple skulls and splattering punters in stray Tuborg, but it’s all in good fun. ‘Let’s get rowdy!’ shouts singer Ezra Koenig as he feels the audience’s focus slip away. However it returns quickly to the band and they’re brilliant, even managing a few exciting new tracks to prove they aren’t one trick ponies.
As speakers are stacked and mics set up anticipation grows and my dance space becomes cramped, everyone wants in.

Alex then Graham, Dave then Damon take the stage as a massive surge pushes me forward and a cheer rings out across ol’ London Town. They begin how it all did, with first single ‘She’s So High’. ‘Girls and Boys’ next heralds a chorus of confused lyrics. What was the order again, ‘Girls/Boys/Boys/Girls/Girls’? And as we all sing ‘Love in the 90s’ it’s no longer with live-in-the-moment sexual hedonism but rather nostalgia for our youth as we mosh out to regain a little bit of it. ‘There’s No Other Way’ is shouty fun too while ‘Beetlebum’ brings another, yet slower, chorus line. The Coxon-sung ‘Coffee and TV’ that shed light on his future solo direction, while also making an entire country’s youth re-think their hot beverage choice, remains the perfect slacker anthem.

Whether it’s a football chant or a Britpop chorus, England loves a good drunken choral session and while previous songs state it, it’s no more evident than midway through the night for ‘Tender’. To the warm glow of sunset it is the first moment I get a chill up my spine. It begins with Damon on acoustic guitar and builds to all of us, 60 thousand people strong singing ‘C’mon, C’mon, C’mon get through it, C’mon, C’mon, C’mon love’s the greatest thing’. The band drop away and watch their city take over before – we thrive on it. Joining us again, together we build it even higher than before, simple yet epic.

Having already played the night before here and the weekend prior at Glastonbury plus countless practice sessions, they are tight, consummate professionals while still letting loose. Damon is jumping all over the stage and leaning into the crowd, gold tooth grinning in the sun. Graham is lick-focused over his guitar, rocking out. Dave, now a lawyer is slightly more subdued as Alex looks out smiling over his cheese-makers’ gut.

Classic ‘Country House’ is wheeled out to the fans’ joy even though it had fallen off the band’s setlist by 2002 and to the band, an example that time heals wounds. A few songs later the band is joined by Phil Daniels, he of the raucous diatribe from ‘Parklife’. The crowd kick off before a note is struck. They know what’s coming. To experience a song so familiar to my generation in the park it was written about is amazing. As Damon told London’s Time Out, ‘You don’t get a chance to do that very often in life.’ We all pogo and throw our shit around, chanting like dickheads.
There are obvious holes when they leave the stage at the end of the set with ‘This is a Low’. In these days of compulsory encores no one is fooled. The crowd fill the quiet by singing ‘Tender’ before the band come back out for ‘Popscene’, ‘Advert’ and of course the punk rock of ‘Song 2’, an obvious choice to end on for pseudo-fans but the die-hards know there is at least one or two more still.

Again ‘Tender’ erupts over the warm evening air and the song will never be the same to me again. Damon returns and says a few touching words about the park, the city, the fact this show was the first they announced and it sold out in minutes, and about us. Their second and final encore comes with a message in ‘Death of a Party’, ‘For Tomorrow’ and the sentimentally wonderful ‘The Universal’ as we all sing good-bye, ‘If the days they seem to fall through you, well just let them go’.

Blur have given no hint if they will return with an album, just enjoying these days together. But as the crowd dissipates everyone is still singing ‘Tender’, out the Hyde Park gates, on the Underground, all the way to Liverpool Station and hoping for an album, ‘waiting for the feeling, waiting for that feeling to come’.

Interview: Hoofin' it with Deerhoof

2009-07-20T08:47:00.008+02:00

I love the correlation between music and travel. The two have gone hand in hand since Pan skipped around Arcadia with his flute. The idea of going on tour is one of the most romantic elements of being in a rock band; where scuzzy kids from a garage get thrown into luxury hotels with exotic fruit platters in the brightest lights of the biggest cities. Of course for a lot of bands it never gets there. Four kids in a mini-van tearing across the country, arriving with only enough time to check in, rock out drink up and move on. I interviewed Deerhoof who've been doing that for 15 years now, for this month's issue of indie music mag Subbacultcha all about their travels to distant lands. I also added my video for SPINearth, when they played at the Melkweg in December 08.

With downloading rampant, a proper indie band their money on the road, living from hotel room to mini-van to backstage, but generally wouldn't have it any other way. Deerhoof are that band. Constantly surprised by the amount of Deerhoof fans around the globe, drummer Greg Saunier talks to Subbacultcha about playing in communist countries, bootlegged t-shirts and a peppercorn banned in all 50 states of the US.

Deerhoof seem to be on the road a lot. Is being in a band your reason for traveling or is traveling your reason for being in a band?
I never had the travel bug personally. I know Satomi always has. But either way traveling in a band is not really the same thing as traveling for pleasure. We don't usually have time for sightseeing etc. The part of a city that we always see is the inside of some rock club, and actually these places are not especially different from one another across the globe. But then again we have an excuse to meet people that the average sightseer doesn't have. People come to our concert and they like to talk to us. So in a way our travel experience is much richer.

What is always in your carry-on luggage?
We always try to carry on guitars but we get dirty looks from the attendants a lot. They aren't really carry-on size.

What's the band's favoured mode of transport; mini-van, tour bus, Hitchhiking, personalised Jet, Trans Am?
Well, there is our favoured mode and then there is our usual mode. Favoured mode would be either train, or maybe driving, but taking all side roads and small roads. The rare times we can do this are such beautiful scenic experiences. We are able to take the train some in Japan. And driving from Poland one time we had no choice because the only road was a small road. It was snowing and the countryside and little towns we passed through were stunning.
But usually we are in a rented minivan, and we need to take the main motorways in order to arrive on time.

You recently played Strawberry Festival in China and you found a girl advertising "Bootleg Deerhoof T-shirts" Did you introduce yourselves?
Of course. She was very nice actually. She was a big fan of the band so that was quite a surprise - We didn't know if anyone knew our music there. At the same time, she didn't actually apologize for the shirts. But she did give us some. One design was of "Milk Man", one of our albums, so we got one of those for the original artist who made that image - We knew he would think it was funny,

At the festival you said the Chinese audience seemed new to rock music and they had not yet found their niche as fans - was such naïve openness refreshing?
I think actually it would be condescending to put it that way. I'm not sure that there is any advantage to finding one's niche. That just means that there is more that you don't like. More potential for unhappiness, don't you think? Maybe us over-specialized over-hip subgenre defenders are actually the naive ones.

Tell me about how Chinese food is different to 'Chinese Food' in America?
In the US, Chinese food I've had all tastes pretty similar. Like, if each person in the band orders a different item from the menu, we could still get away with combining them all together. You'd hardly notice. Because basically you either get the "brown sauce" or the "white sauce". For all I know those sauces exist in some region of the enormous of China. But I didn't find anything like that in Beijing. We were treated to a lot of dishes and there is no way you would combine any of them, they tasted so utterly different from each other. And wow, some seriously spicy food. There was this particular peppercorn that apparently has been banned from being imported into the US until recently. I don't remember ever having anything like it. It sort of makes your tongue feel like it is disintegrating.
See full report...
Will you eat anything on tour? Are you confident to immerse yourself and eat what the locals eat?
Well we're impossible because we've got one vegan, two vegetarians and one omnivore. But I always love coming to Europe. (I am writing to you from France). Here, the venue feeds you at every show. Here in France we are treated to the most amazing multi-course meals. All the staff and bands eat all together and everyone says "Bon appetit". We even set up tours to Italy just so we can eat the food. We don't actually have any fans there.

You also just played Moscow and St Petersburg. You mention on your blog you wanted to go via the Trans Siberian Railway, will you return to that some time?
Oh, that would be an adventure. Trouble was it only left twice a week from St Petersburg to Beijing, and the trip was a week long. It didn't leave on the right day for us to be able to make it.

What surprised you about Russia?
That it was real. I always feel that way going to new place that I've always heard about.

How were the crowds there - any different from a normal Deerhoof crowd?
No such thing as a normal Deerhoof crowd! In Russia I would say that people had an emotionless exterior on the train or walking down the street, but man, once the concert was happening they were about as demonstrative as you could imagine. And for every band, all kinds of music, no matter how strange. Lots of interpretive dancing, shouting, smiles.

Do you find it odd to visit these countries that, while growing up in America you had so ingrained into you were bad or Anti-American, poor or dangerous and yet be so welcomed as an American rock n roll band?
Well growing up in America you're brought up to think that EVERY country is anti-American, or at least inferior. I don't find it odd to travel the world, I find it beautiful to have my preconceptions destroyed over and over. It is possible for people to live and organize themselves in all kinds of ways that the American media doesn't want you to know about. In some countries they actually don't want any impoverished class. Or they give themselves health care. Or they don't allow themselves to carry guns.
The fact that we are welcomed is of course a shock, partly because I never expect anyone so far away to know anything about our obscure band. I'm so thankful for the welcome that we get. But I can never figure out if it's a sign of some great universality of our music or just the Americanization of the entire globe.

What does 'home' mean to you?
I was going to say hotel room but actually the place that feels like home to me the most is the stage.

Can you record on the road or get much time to write?
I suppose you could record while touring but we usually take our time and record ourselves, so it's not practical to do that during the rushing around of touring. As for writing, I would guess that every member of the band would give you a different answer. We all write our music in totally different ways. Like John writes on guitar a lot and I hear him noodling around backstage all the time so he might be writing. For me, I often feel like my songs write me rather than the other way around. Ideas just come to me, and they can come whether I'm on tour or not. I just keep my pencil and paper within reach. I have to say though that I don't tend to get as many good ideas on tour. I think it is because the music floating around in my head is just a lot of Deerhoof songs that we are playing every day. They sort of cancel out something new.

I just bought my ticket for Blur in Hyde Park, July 3, and you guys are supporting. Are you guys big Blur fans?
This concert will be my introduction to their music.

Have you played to such a massive crowd as this one will be, and is it daunting knowing they're there for Blur?
Not at all, we love playing to audiences who don't know us. It's a great challenge but kind of free in a way, because no one has any expectations of you. It's when we play a small room of people who really like Deerhoof, now that is really daunting!

Have you got any Paulo Ceolho-styled or Paul Theroux travel inspired words of wisdom?
Who's that?

Review: Jamie Lidell at Melkweg

2009-07-16T01:50:00.009+02:00

Still holding that new theatre smell, Melkweg's Rabo Zaal kick started 5DaysOff this evening with British born Berliner and nu-soul/electro man, Jamie Lidell.

Anyone that knows Jamie only via latest album Jim, or track 'Multiply', that made it onto the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack may have been shocked by the night that followed. Gone was the more evident elements of his soul sound, instead enveloping his electronic and experimental funk sides with a vibrant, hectic and eclectic attitude to his songs. The usual smoothness of 'Figured Me Out' gave way to spazzed-out jazz-funk with baritone sax and 'Little Bit Of Feel Good' turned into a fucked up (compliment) off centre rhythm with bone shaking, clunky percussion. It was around 'Green Light' that Jamie explained himself. The 5DaysOff crew had asked for something special, something unique. With just a couple of days to throw that 'something' together he and his band developed a set to keep people guessing, riding on spontaneity and the odd bit of improvisation. Jamie, not set behind a keyboard as such, but more an entire sound desk or work station manipulating keys, laptop, sampler and live overdubs. However through the changes one constant remained - Jamie's soulful voice, clean and crisp in sweet falsetto, gruff and stylistically strained in the rock. It was both the backbone and the centre piece to the show.

Giving the band a break midway through the set he used that voice instead for beat-boxing. What started as a simple boom-bap beat grew as he manipulated more layered vocal patterns; a bass here, a high note there, a sound-bite from a lyric of his, Once the beat was right he came to the front of the stage and began 'When I Come Back Around' before bringing it back to a two-step deal - hard and sharp.

These days phones can so often ruin a show - if not for a poorly timed ring than for constant shitty video capturing that ends up on youtube. Jamie instead decided to embrace the technology. 'Take out your phones', tell me you're not making us use them instead of lighters for a ballad, Jamie? Nope. 'Play your ringtone'. A couple of hundred people hold their phones in the air playing their ringtone. Embarrassed by my stock standard Nokia fare I scrolled quickly through my playlist. How the fuck did Guru Josh get on my phone? As Jamie collected a few phones from the front row and recorded them into his mic I played 'Infinity 2008' even receiving an agreeable nod from a fellow 'fan'. Liz, beside me is playing Kanye's 'Touch The Sky', of course. What came about were chirping crickets under the delicate 'All I Wanna Do'.'Wait For Me' was dedicated to Dolly Parton as a rocked up gospel number that rose and fell like a revival tent going town to town. Jamie's dance moves came into their own here. Missing the rhythm of a James Brown good foot but with the enthusiasm of a Muppet and possession of a fat southern preacher the lanky lad jittered and jaunted around the stage.

'Multiply' showed the crowd new his older stuff. The 'My Girl'esque bassline was replaced by a deep doo-wop a capella before Jamie and band lead us all through the glorious chorus, 'I'm so tired of repeating myself, beating myself up, wanna take a trip and multiply, least go under with a smile'.

And if we couldn't be uplifted anymore he played 'Another Day' straight, admittedly with some relief. Such a perfectly crafted song altered could have left the crowd on less of a high note. But the relatively direct version sent a warm glow throughout the crowd. The Motown swing somehow reminds me of watching New York through Sesame Street, of a carefree summer day in Central Park, kids running through sprinklers. As with Multiply, the band dropped out, leaving it to the fans, there may have even been some swaying from the audience. The band lined up and took as couple of bows as a few determined punters tried to build it up one last time but to no avail. As we left the hall and moved down the stairs it seemed everyone was hooked on the hook, singing loud, singing proud; 'Another day, another way, for me to, open up to you' before trying to perfect Jim's wail… One guy hit it. The rest of us were shit.

Article: Amsterdamned - is the party over?

2009-07-15T08:54:00.009+02:00

Tell your mates you’re off to Amsterdam, and it’ll no doubt set off a bout of high-fives and pantomime joint-toking (depending on how stupid your mates are). But new laws and regulations are putting the city’s famous tolerance levels under the spotlight. So is the party really over?From JMAG

The idea of tolerance has been at the heart of the Dutch well before philosopher Baruch Spinoza preached about it in 17th century Amsterdam. Now in the 21st century, inquisitive travellers and pilgrims of vice seek out the old city's infamous Red Light District of De Wallen (The Walls), synonymous with legal weed and pot-smoking coffeeshops, shroom-tripping and prostitution to experience pragmatism in practice first hand. Whether they indulge or not, tourists can't deny the Dutch line of thinking has built a society that allows a few more freedoms than most other countries, while still maintaining the safety of its peoples.

However, concurrently Amsterdam and The Netherlands are going through periods of change and many fear the nation's unique characteristics are getting bent and stripped towards conservatism, with some brothels and coffeeshops forced to close and the magic mushroom trade outlawed entirely. "Tolerance and freedom do not imply indifference," says Bas Bruijn, press officer for the City of Amsterdam.

At a municipal level, Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen and City Hall believe over the last few years "an imbalance has evolved between the various activities" within the Red Light District. Says Bruijn "low-level economic activities and crime-sensitive sectors have become over-represented. The concentration has attracted criminal elements, and had an adverse effect on the city's living conditions and economic climate."

In response the municipality created Project 1012 in an effort to wipe out the crime and re-establish a balance in the neighbourhood to a mix of "shady and chic"; inviting for businesses, residents and tourists alike, with upmarket bars and boutiques, culture and cuisine alongside brothels and coffee shops.

"By reducing the number of coffee shops and prostitution windows the City takes a firmer control over the sector in order to put an end to unacceptable practices, such as money laundering and women-trafficking," says Bruijn.

The Project documents state "prostitution will be reduced and zoned to two well-organised areas. As such, half of the supply will continue to exist. Approximately 243 of the original 482 windows will remain. One quarter have already been sold to housing corporations over the last year."
But won't the ladies start working the streets, where prostitution is illegal? "We will closely monitor the consequences of the current plans. A couple of years ago the City closed an extended prostitution area," say Bruijn. "At that time the same question came up. We managed to close this prostitution area without an increase in underground activities."

Mariska Majoor, an ex-prostitute who runs the Prostitute Information Centre in the Red Light District for 15 years disagrees. She says the most recent closures did push a small group to the streets. "When it gets busier in the summertime we can see the effects better". So does she agree the district needs a clean up? "For a part. We see the problems on the street with drugs and girls with pimps behind some of the windows as well. But the government makes it sound worse than it really is. I think that they simply don’t like the Red Light District at all and they use trafficking as an excuse."

The other avenue to cut out the criminal stronghold on the Red Light District is a reduction of up to 50% of its coffee shops to leave 26 in total, that translates to a 17% reduction across all of Amsterdam.

To quote Pulp Fiction's Vincent Vega, "it's legal, but it ain't a hundred percent legal…It breaks down like this." The Dutch Government's drug policy guide cites the USA's Institute of Medicine findings that "there is no persuasive evidence that the pharmacological properties of cannabis can provoke the switch to hard drugs," and thus cannabis is only a 'gateway drug' via its sociological properties. So the aim of the coffeeshop according to the guide is to "keep cannabis separate from hard drugs in order to protect cannabis users from exposure to hard drugs and the criminal elements who traffic in them." Ironically, while the retail is legal, the backdoor wholesale of marijuana to coffeeshops is illegal and is run by organised crime, the same 'criminal elements' controlling the hard drugs.However, some within the government want to dam up the illegal revenue streams by flowing the weed via their own channels, much like their canals. During last year's 'cannabis summit', involving 33 Mayors from across the nation discussing issues of drug tourism and smuggling on border towns and the strong link to organised crime, Eindhoven mayor Rob de Gizjel told Dutch newspaper Volkskrant of the need to develop a government-sponsored grow-op.

"Authorities must get a grip on the supply of drugs to coffeeshops. It's time that we experiment with a system of regulated plantations so we can have strict guidelines and controls on the quality and price." Mayor de Gizjel said.

It's not only municipalities that are eager to pass the Dutch laws. The federal government last year made news around the world by snuffing out tobacco-spun joints in coffeeshops, leaving smokers to toke only pure weed indoors or buy mixed pre-rolled joints to take-away. They also decided that "municipalities should develop and implement additional rules regarding the distance (250 meters) of coffeeshops to secondary schools," states Saskia Hommes, spokesperson for the ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The regulation would mean closure of another 43 coffee shops within Amsterdam by 2011.

And it's not only reefer madness for drug lovers. The most recent national law change saw the sale of magic mushrooms outlawed as of December 1, 2008. Known locally as 'paddos', magic mushies were available for sale at so called 'Smartshops' to customers 18 years and over, on the proviso that the fungi was accompanied by adequate information about use and abuse of the drug, what not to take in conjunction with the shrooms (alcohol), and how to have a safe and enjoyable high. From the government's point of view it kept that buffer between hard drug dealer and user. However, Hommes says that the message wasn't getting to some users.

"Looking at recent incidents concerning the misuse of mushrooms by certain individuals, the Dutch Minister of Health felt he had to ban the sale of mushrooms because the control and information were not preventing foresaid incidents." One such high profile incident was the 2007 death of a French tourist who jumped from a prominent building rooftop while tripping on shrooms, falling to the traffic below. The 17-year-old's parents blamed the Dutch state even though the sale was to her of-age friend and not to the minor herself.

The stores do sell weaker highs like Ayahuasca, similar to a low dose of psilocybin – the alkaloid in shrooms that makes one trip – but the tourists want the real deal. This pushes the market to the streets where dealers don't have the time or responsibility to give tourists the spiel, and closes the gap between soft and hard drugs. Hommes says, however "there are no signals that the trade has gone underground, that people are dealing mushrooms on the streets." It has however left smartshop proprietors to rely on the sale of weaker highs, and worse, paraphernalia of aliens saying 'take me to your dealer'.
Nevertheless, while changes take place tolerance remains the keystone to Dutch society and Amsterdam's bright red beacon of De Wallen. The pragmatic lawmakers and politicians believe the system is working. Bruijn urges, "This is not a 'crackdown' on the Red Light District and coffeeshops. It is a realistic approach towards prostitution and soft drugs." So foreign travellers, you needn't worry you'll miss out on the novelty of girls in the windows or puffing legal weed, there might just be fewer but a lot more than you're used to. On top of that, they only last year outlawed bestiality, but the Dutch national animal is the lion so it's probably for the best.

Review: The Temper Trap at Melkweg

2009-06-26T17:19:00.006+02:00

Meeting at 8.30 I thought would give us plenty of time to see the start of Silversun Pickup's Australian support The Temper Trap however when we got there they'd already started.
A great band who've made their mark on the Australian indie scene already and are now sifting through the shit of cracking the UK and Europe, The Temper Trap can create a rather large sonic boom given the chance. However being the support act I couldn't help but feel Silversun Pickup's sound guy had turned them down a wee bit, especially once Brian Aubert's guitars began to wail… But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Thankfully, as it turned out, we still caught the majority of their set, a set that was filled with lots of new material and slight directional change since we last saw them.

Conditions
The essence of their original sound still remains, from Dougy's falcetto to Lorenzo's guitar noodling, the chugging bass and jagged dancing of Toby and Jonathon's solid drumming backbone but an additional keyboardist/guitarist adds the expansive sonic breadth that no doubt came from time in the studio with Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, UNKLE). That time produced debut album Conditions, released this week in Australia but won't be out in Europe or the UK until August.
Beyond the jagged post punk indie they began at, their journey has taken them into a much more layered territory, when experimental cues of Tv on The Radio or Mogwai, when commercial - Bloc Party or early U2 - but you get the picture. They're aiming for a big sound, but let's not call it 'stadium' just yet. Speaking to Lorenzo after the show he said it was moving 'maybe a bit dancy'. Not a rock guitarist's favourite realisation. However, on lead single, 'Sweet Disposition' you hear Lorenzo invoking hook-God, Edge's echoing guitar work that brings about that big sound. 'Down River' sounds like a Dappled Cities tune while 'Fader', that live draws a sing-a-long and handclap over heads, is pure pop.
Possibly playing their album right through, celebrating the fact it went on sale in Australia early that day, both show and record build moment towards the end. 'Resurrection' rises from Dougy's ethereal falsetto into a balls-out wall of sound, all instruments forming the barricade while 'Science of Fear' comes out with the melodic live dance of New Order. Last track of the album (unless you score bonus track 'Hearts') is Instrumental 'Drum Song'. It's one of the few I recall from their early live shows. Beginning aptly with a concussive percussion by Jonathon and Dougy on an extra floor tom, echoey Gang Of Four-like guitar chimes in before long it's a thundering maelstrom.
The crowd, here to see Silversun Pickups seem suitably blown away. After the show, Girlfriend Liz overhears a local say to his friend that Brian Aubert (Green?) and co. better watch out or they'll be opening for Temper Trap next time 'round. My friend Aris thought they were, as usual 'bloody amazing'.

Temper Trap mySpace

Review: Dan Deacon live at Paradiso

2009-06-10T10:44:00.008+02:00

And what a master stroke it was to let the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart lead off, lulling the crowd into a false sense of security, in harmonies and melodies before Dan Deacon takes the helm and tears everyone new eardrums.
DIY in his set up (pink gaffer tape, a green skull-strobe, an epileptic traffic light and some keyboards on a table) and hilarious in his introduction, Dan Deacon is all about crowd participation. Set off the stage and on the floor in an inclusive manner, he makes requests of his audience, not demands. Before the music gets going he sets the mood with a lesson in crowd participation that sees almost all the audience squat on the floor before, with a raised arm and pointed finger embarrassing those too cool to do as he asks. And then he begins. Like a schizophonic ringtone version of Ministry's "Jesus Built My Hotrod", Deacon's music is intense yet playful, serious yet pisstake, ear piercing and bowel trembling - if there is a funky smell in the hall, it's 'cos he found people's brown notes. He wails into the microphone as effects distorts his voice so he's speaking in tongues. His arm raised to the skies, he is a man possessed like, if you'll pardon it, a fallen deacon. Crowd surfers and moshers rage in the old church, almost falling on his desk as he nearly loses the skull-strobe.

Intermittently, when the crowd needs a break from the intensity, he plays games. Whether it's everyone with their hands on their neighbours heads, or dance offs with the lights on, Deacon keeps it interesting. The most amazing however comes when he pushes everyone to one side of the hall. To an infectious yet repetitive beat, like a sped-up version of the congo-line song he takes two 'volunteers' to form an arc with their arms before another couple move through the arc to form the beginnings of a tunnel. Nearly the entire audience play along and the tunnel worms from his DJ desk out the doors of the main hall, into the foyer, on to the street, around the building, up the wheelchair ramp and back into the hall finishing at the DJ desk. Ridiculous yet amazing.

So amazing is it, we bother not to risk being disappointed by seeing Hatchem Social play in the small hall, and call it a night 'cos Dan Fuckin' Deacon throws parties harder than Kenny Fuckin' Powers throws a fastball.

Review: Pains of Being Pure At Heart live at Paradiso

2009-06-10T10:09:00.006+02:00

A little treasure is The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's debut album. They're indie-pop New Yorkers who sway from moments of My Bloody Valentine to the early upbeat riffing of Ash or Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins. Both catchy and naively sexy - kinda like mono - it makes you pine for your youth, especially if you grew up listening to Siamese Dream or Brisbane's Screamfeeder boy-girl harmonies. And if they didn't spell it out with their name, tracks like "Young Adult Friction", "A Teenager in Love" and "This Love is Fucking Right" make it pretty obvious this young band are wearing their indie-hearts on their sleeves, captured it in three-chord pop and harmonies.

But if you grew up listening to Screamfeeder you'll recall both Tim and Kelly had decent voices. These days you can do a lot in the studio with vocal layering but live you're on your own. And with the Internet sweeping kids too quickly from the garage to the main hall of Amsterdam's Paradiso, they haven't a lot of time to refine their chops - let alone let them stew. Accepting success before maturity is just one of the Pains of Being Pure At Heart. Singer Kip Berman (aka Jason Biggs) lacks the vocal umph on stage, crackling on notes as if his 'taco fell in the fryer'. Likewise keyboardist/singer Peggy Wang's voice can't seem to sing through with her Joey Ramone bangs. It's almost charming in that shy teen thing they go for, but a bum note stinks.
Musically though I really enjoy it. I can't stop my left leg from doing that cool, one legged wobble while right leg stays strong. And if my arm isn't around my baby, then as I've seen the kids do, my right hand is on left elbow in front of torso, lost in the moment, head slightly tilted with a sympathetic nod to their pains... and voices.

Review: Gringo Star

2009-06-05T12:39:00.006+02:00

Gringo Star "All Y'all" from analogmonkey.tv on Vimeo.

But for their terrible name (and to think they were formerly called A Fir-Ju Well) I knew very little of Gringo Star.
Live, their first song is not promising, to my virgin ears it hints of dull Oasis three chord ballads. I lean over to Steven and say 'don't hang around on my account - if you need to catch your train to Almere that's fine.'

But he sticks it out for a few more songs and I'm thankful I stick around with him. A quick shuffle of instruments introduce organs that give a distinct wandering garage-blues feel like the Animals or to the younger kids, fellow Atlanta locals The Black Lips. Jangly and loose they swaggered through retro-infused rock. At times jaunty and upbeat as on 'All Y'all' with hand claps and staggered riffing or 'Don't Go', a piano-ladden knees-up. At other times slow and contemplative with tinges of lonesome cowboy on 'Transmission' and 'All Day Long'. The constant re-shuffle of instruments sees plenty of rattling tamborines, and reverberating kazoo enter the routine and vocal turn-taking by all four members keeps the live set-list interesting.

Prompted by a darn fun, leg shaking gig and the fact I didn't pay to get into the Paradiso I feel obliged to pick up the album. Helmed by Ben H. Allen who has produced for the likes of Animal Collective, MGMT and Gnarls Barkley and released on their own label, All Y'all resurrects that crackling vintage sound perfectly. If you can't buy it off the merchdesk from chaps themselves at a gig near you, All Y'all is on iTunes and I recommend buying it.

Preview: Yo La Tengo

2009-06-05T10:05:00.013+02:00

Fuckbook
In March of 2009 covers band Condo Fucks released the record Fuckbook - a collection of skuzzy, stonkin' garage tunes from the likes of The Troggs, The Kinks, Slade and Richard Hell. They executed it with pin-point accuracy for sound and atmosphere of the era. Yo La Tengo fans, will know the Condo Fucks are just a wise-ass side project thingy for the Hoboken, New Jersey trio that have been around for 25 years or so. Fuckbook has been the fans only respite since 06's I Am Not Afraid And I Will Beat Your Ass, an exceptional album that made numerous music media's top albums list. They did however record the score to Adventureland... I guess that counts.

Popular Songs
However good news folks. A leaked song "Periodically Double or Triple", a slinky little ditty that sounds like a Meters or Booker T tune, precedes the just announced new album, Popular Songs to be expected September 8. By all accounts it's quite diverse, as you'd expect from YLT – more at Matador Records HQ.

Bimhuis and fine wine
If all goes to plan I will be interviewing them (daunting? Yes. Awesome? Also) when they stop in to Amsterdam to play the Bimhuis. An odd destination for an indie band but obviously Yo La Tengo aren't just an indie band. Improv is a great part in the performance of bassplayer/organ player James McNew, guitar player Ira Kaplan and drummer (and Kaplan's wife) Georgia Hubley. Their show at the Bimhuis will see an intimate, mostly acoustic reworking of original songs from their 25-year history and maybe a few cheeky samples from Popular Songs. As music website Pitchforkmedia said. 'Fine wines wish they could age as well as Yo La Tengo'.

Review: Bad Wives meaning Good Wives

2009-06-04T11:47:00.014+02:00

The Ladies of Bad Wives have been hard at it like Kathleen Turner in War of the Roses. They're DJing all over the shop.
In fact they are probably knocking back straight fingers of gin as I type in preparation for their set supporting the much hyped N.A.S.A at Sydney's Oxford Arts Factory. What other gigs do they have coming up? Shit man, tomorrow it's Kit n Kaboodle, then on Thursday 11 June it's Go Font Yourself at the Peer Gallery, followed later in the night back at the Oxford Arts Factory before playing FBi's all important fundraiser at Luna Park - will Richard Branson be there? You'll have to go and find out.

In the interim you should really down load Bad Wives mega amazing mixtape two. Mixtape 1 was good but to quote the kids, mixtape two is ill. And at the news that a third 'slow jamz' mix is in the works – Ladies, if you're reading this - do a fanboy a favour and drop Janet and Missy's 'Son of a Gun'. Tune.

Review: Bell Orchestre at the Paradiso

2009-06-04T11:01:00.007+02:00

I went to see the lovely Bell Orchestre at Paradiso last night - below the video to 'throw it in the fire' is my review.

'We make art music, we're instrumental,' double bass player for Bell Orchestre, Richard Parry announces on their last song of the night with quotation fingers and mock-denial to the crowd who opt for a rock song over a love song, a choice put forward by violinist Sarah Neufeld.

For Parry and Neufeld, Bell Orchestre plays second fiddle to their busier, bigger band, Arcade Fire. However with Bell Orchestre, signed to Canada's flagship indie label Arts & Crafts, accompanied by fellow members Pietro Amato (French horn), Kaveh Nabatian (trumpet), Stefan Schneider (drums) and Mike Feuerstack (lap steel guitar) they incorporate the chamber pop elements of Arcade Fire while going beyond. Avant garde folk and jazz, moments of dub, el mariachi horns and yes, rock all get a look in to As Seen Through Windows their album released in march.

Live, admittedly at first I thought it would to be rough going. Their first song, a scattered collection of horns and strings. But as they settle in, or as I do, the experimentation with off-timings and shrill notes feel more cohesive, as grooves slide their way in and a momentum builds.
Possibly an 'art' outlet or a breeding ground for ideas, they swing from sweeping strings delicate, to the elephant-triumphant blows of the french horn and bass saxophone, onwards to shaking staccato rhythms. Parry's pulsing double bass pulls sounds from his quiver beyond his bow with drumsticks on strings, hand-drumming on the body, effects pedals building on Schneider's flexible percussive backbone. On top of the violins and brass, once they get going melodicas, keyboards and tricky overdubs all lend themselves to the cacophonic brink of the indie-orchestra before bringing it back down to simple 'oohs and aahs' of a distant choral group. It's the closest we got to actual singing - but it isn't missed.

The band themselves are upbeat. Not only were they on the last gig of their European tour but also extremely relieved to see more than one person in the Paradiso's kliene zaal – as was the case last time they played here. Instead it was 3/4 full and all very appreciative – and no doubt more next time.

Lucky Dragons at Subbacultcha

2009-06-03T12:56:00.006+02:00

Lucky Dragons at Subbacultcha
More recently we've had ol' Rhys Jones and his brother Gareth stay with us. We went to the Subbacultcha magazine party at De Nieuwe Anita to see LA-based Lucky Dragons supported by locals The Wolf, Death and the Acorn who carried a hypnotising, reverberating rhythm, from folky elements to build a sound, at times, similar to Animal Collective and will definitely be worth keeping an eye out for in the future around town.
At first duo Lucky Dragons, crouched over a computer, some bongos and a mess of cords were a shitty noise of loops and self indulgence that didn't know the crap they were making in their bedroom would not actually translate to a live audience.
That's until they began getting the audience involved. On one side punters were invited to wave rocks over geiger counter-looking device while on the other side kneeling audience members were given various rods covered in material that emitted and/or prevented noise outputs to hold hands, covered hands, waved finger tips, all varying pitch and tone. All of a sudden Lucky Dragons weren't making self-indulgent art wank, but community-based soundscaping, literally bridging the gap between musician and audience to build one mass, sonic orgy experiment that Benjamin Franklin, Aphex Twin and Alfred Kinsey could appreciate, okay not so much Kinsey. The video above will explain more.

Update: A little bit country.

2009-05-09T11:47:00.004+02:00

Interview Andrew Bird from Editor I Amsterdam on Vimeo.

It's always a shame to get paid to work and realise you don't have any time to write for fun - but 'Say La V' as the Italians would say. This past week was a great week for music at Paradiso, not that I took in all of it but it's a sure sign that bands are wanting to tour this part of the world as the weather improves. This week we had Great Lake Swimmers, Shearwater and Easy Star Allstars all in one night, Andrew Bird, Phosphorescent and Laura Marling another.

Great Lake Swimmers were fantastic - the Canadians dressed in national costume of plaid shirts, beards and easy temperament. I don't know their latest album but have Ongaria and it was a delight to hear those songs - bred on Neil Young - played live not to mention "Concrete Heart" about 1950s-60s architecture in Toronto and its line - "like the tallest self-supporting tower - at least for a little while anyway" Oh the woes of a City's proud monument becoming eclipsed by something more impressive.

Shearwater I had heard about but nothing of. I had high hopes knowing the Okkervil River lineage. Nevertheless that dude is annoying, wailing about. We left halfway through - like Nick Hornby said 'never be afraid to walk out of a gig'. The music was interesting and the drummer, who looked like one of the film crew metal heads from Wayne's World - Terry I believe it was, was 80s awesome. But the rest didn't strike me none.

We lost our tickets to Beirut which was a complete shit considering it was sold out so we couldn't buy more. Mixed reviews from those that went from 'really great' to 'meh'. Later upstairs I got wind from Steven that Health were amazing. He couldn't stop going on about them. He also said Metric split the crowd.

Thursday night saw Andrew Bird and support. I had no idea who the supports were to be but was pleasantly surprised to discover it was Laura Marling and Phosphorescent.

Phosphorescent main man Matthew Houck looks something like the Spin Doctors guy but with a lonesome country glum. With recent album To Willy dedicated to Mr Nelson, there's tinges of folk, bluegrass and gospel not to mention some good ol' fashion honky tonk music. A delight. I'll be Glasgow later this month, sadly I miss them by 5 days, May 31 - Check them out at Captain's Rest.

Laura Marling, blessed with a maturity beyond her years, opened with debut single "ghosts" which is a little different from the rest of her songs, in a deeper melancholy drenched with English folk. Sterling stuff, 'cept for it being so delicate the Paradiso kind of overwhelmed her voice.

Andrew Bird is a scientist. Truly. He can predict the future via his multi-layered looping, putting down a guitar and picking up a violin, then a guitar sounds strums from nowhere. An invention behind him is some sort of pedal activated, double barrel grammaphone, whirly-gig. Dosh his drummer is equally brilliant.
He wanders in and out through improvised meanderings but I was thankful that he stuck to the script for "Plasticities". He had the sold out audience wrapped up and far more self-assured on stage than when I interviewed him.

Feature: Fever Ray from Huck

2009-04-22T08:40:00.009+02:00

The new issue of Huck (with Ben Harper on the cover) is out now. If you don't know Huck, it's done by a lot of the guys that contributed to Adrenalin (R.I.P) like Vince Medeiros, Jamie Brisick, Phil Hebblethwaite, Michael Fordham, Jay Riggio and Zoe Oksanen – all top writers in their fields of surfing, skating, snowboarding and music. So it's a pleasure to get my words in this issue with a few more stories to come on Surfing in Holland and OT301: Amsterdam's former squat turned arts centre. Anyway, here is my story with Karin of Fever Ray.

Fever Ray Tour 2009 from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

"I started from where I ended with The Knife." States Karin Dreijer Andersson, vocalist and one half of the Swedish brother/sister electro outfit The Knife, whose record Silent Shout was named the best album of 2006 by indie-elitists Pitchforkmedia.

"We were very definite about us having a break. We had been sitting in each other's laps for seven years so we both needed the time off."
So while brother Olof was on a field-recording trek to the Amazon, documenting the sounds of the jungle for the soundtrack to an opera about Charles Darwin The Knife had been commissioned to produce, Karin found herself back in the studio.

"I didn't know it was going to be an album," she says of solo project, Fever Ray. "I just wanted to work with some ideas I had been collecting. I did not have an overall sound in mind but I did have an overall idea of the tempo; slower, thicker."

Through the collected ideas and the minutiae, Fever Ray took shape, contemplative in its direction and certain of its evocation. Where The Knife bubbles with popping techno, Fever Ray stews like a primordial ooze, brooding through thick, droning, almost trip-hop tempos. And while The Knife stabs with sharp beats, Fever Ray weeps through unique timbres, building from trembling and fragile into strong, vengeful haunts. Karin's distinctive voice, like a siren, enchants the listener into an unknown world full of mossy darkness and decay.

"I have my own studio just south of Stockholm where I have mostly keyboard, computer and guitar and I've also got a new voice machine. I have been listening to a lot of Tomahawk and their Anonymous album inspired by Native Americans. It's very primal, making beats out of vocals."
Immediately you can hear that influence, via her new voice machine, on opening track and first single "If I Had A Heart" as well as "Concrete Walls", her voice alters and drop to looming chants over slow, prowling trance, creating an ominous tension.

She admits the album is intense, and that even she'd need a break from its heavy themes. However, "in [my] melodies you can find a lot more romantic aspects from the '80s like Alphaville which I listened to a lot a long time ago." She says with a guilty, kiddish grin. Certainly there's more than a touch of the new wave, synth-pop from "Forever Young" and "A Victory of Love" in songs like "Seven" and "Dry and Dusty".

Recorded after giving birth to her second child, inspiration inconveniently struck in those child-rearing, sleepless hours where the conscious and subconscious, the REM and restlessness, all dance.
"I think it's interesting to capture the moment while in that state of mind. It's not like you have an alternative - it's what's there. I don't sit and wait for inspiration. I definitely think you can write out of that perspective or state.
"Half of what the songs are about is the subconscious," she states in her bio. "Ideas of things happening. A lot of it is like daydreaming, dreaming when you’re awake, but tired; a lot of stories come from that world." As a result her lyrics are often cryptic, walking a thin line between mixed metaphors and just-decipherable details. It's no surprise she finds stimulus in the dream-like films of David Lynch.

Helping to bring a surreal cinematic feel to the Fever Ray project is Andreas Nilsson, who has collaborated with The Knife over the years on videos, live performances and DVDs. The video to "If I Had a Heart" is a voodoo trip down a bayou, spot lit with horror creeping in from the darkness.
"I've known Andreas for a very long time, even before The Knife," says Karin. "We have quite similar musical references but he also has his own interpretations of what we are doing, which I think is great."
The two have also collaborated on the visuals for Fever Ray's live shows, to be "five people on stage including myself playing different things," says Karin. "I think what makes sense to do live is percussion and some more noise elements. At first I was thinking about playing to a standing audience but now I'm thinking maybe it would be good to sit down and listen to it."

Whether live or recorded, immersing yourself into the muck and the mire of Fever Ray, seduced by Karin's vocals, pure or layered, mixed with the thick primordial tempo and foggy darkness you'll find there's a lot to unearth.

Fever Ray
Fever Ray myspace

Fact: Janet is better than Michael

2009-04-19T14:55:00.009+02:00

Okay, maybe a stretch but indeed Janet is prolific from the 80s through to the nows where as MJ was only decent in the in the 80s. Thanks to Clare's Facebook status about being thrilled by "All For You" I spent this morning getting down to Janet slow jams like this

And this with J.Lo
And with Missy
And with Luther Vandross

Other great things I've been curing my hangover today.
this guy
Pharcyde's "Drop"
Diss tunes

Tune: Like a Boss

2009-04-19T14:12:00.002+02:00

"Shit on Debra's desk"

also by The Lonely Island.

Review: Slim Cessna, Cameo, Legendary Tiger Man

2009-04-18T09:47:00.007+02:00

Jello Biafra described Slim Cessna's Auto Club as "the country band that plays the bar at the end of the world." On Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label, the Denver boys sound like The Dead Kennedy's bumpkin brothers blending rockabilly, gospel, bluegrass yodeling and straight out rock n roll into the best dang knees-up since the last Appalachian Father-Daughter Hay Roll Championships.
As suggested the band is fronted by Slim Cessna – a sort of fallen Baptist turned truck-enthusiast cowboy and his sidekick Munly Munly, the skeletal, slack jawed yokel and backed by a rockabilly band of bastards that mix double bass, banjo, lapsteel, organs and rolling drums.
Possessing the old Church hall that is Paradiso's kliene zaal it felt like Beelzebub's Revival Sermon. They rumble through tunes like "Jesus Let Me Down", "Red Pirate of the Prairie", "Children of the Lord" and "This is How We Do Things in the Country". Theirs are stories of murderers, divorcees, heathens and penniless souls that engaged the audience with sadness and black comedy - if there was ever a time for depression-era melodrama its heading into another depression and entertaining the beer-swilling masses.

Sadly not enough people were watching Slim Cessna. They were all too busy in the main hall waiting for Cameo to play "Word Up" who assumedly have seen better times themselves. The great thing about the Paradiso is once you pay for one show you can move around between the halls. Their posters boasted "Word Up" to jog people's memories and no prizes for guessing it wouldn't appear until the final bow. The singer was bedazzled in a shimmering shirt, the hype-man dressed like a Funkadelic-Parliament backbencher, a guitarist wore Kiss-styled boots and rocked a hub-cap guitar, the Keyboardist smart in a blazer while the drummer was a man mountain - similar to Ice-T's drummer, Body Count era. I couldn't bring myself to stay for "Word Up", especially as something seemed a brewing back in the small hall.

Slim Cessna had made way for The Legendary Tiger Man, a one-man rhythm and blues machine with a heavy bass drum and kick snare walking through every song as he played stripped back blues on a couple of elegant old guitars. Portuguese, sunglasses still wrapped across his eyes 'cos the light was shining hard in his face (admitedly he set the lighting himself), he crunched throw mourning blues. He played originals as well as a Cramps cover and "(Get your kicks on) Route 66". Visuals were clips of old 8 and 16 mm film, most produced especially for each song - the Route 66 one especially beautiful, driving the course of the famous American road. When needed, his backing band was an old record player, helping to build an atmosphere of authentic roots rock, sparse, cool and dirty.

A good night all round.

Podcast: SDRNRfm #2 - The Clash

2009-04-15T20:03:00.008+02:00

SDRNRfm is back on your wireless. Last time I put together a mixtape it was a Bo Diddley beat kinda deal This time it's The Clash - songs by either The Clash themselves, acts that have sampled them or songs you can hear a direct influence. Don't expect balls-out guitar though, This is The Clash doing dub, gospel, and funk. It's annoyingly short as Garageband doesn't like songs over 34mins, Obviously Phish don't use this program. So I think this is just part 1 of a 2 part special courtesy of Zshare records. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

SDRNRfm - The Clash
1. Intro to Lightning Strikes (not once but twice) - The Clash (Sandanista)
2. Straight to Hell – The Clash (Combat Rock)
3. Paperplanes - MIA (KALA)
4. History Song - The Good, The Bad, The Queen (Self-titled)
5. Dub Be Good To Me - Beats International
6. Guns of Brixton - The Clash (London Calling)
7. Dirty Harry – The Clash (Golden Bullets)
8. Welcome to the Third World - Dandy Warhols (Earth to Dandy Warhols)
9. You Were The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve - Johnnyboy (self-titled)
10. Hitsville UK – The Clash (Sandanista)
11. The Sound of Sinners - The Clash (Sandanista)

And don't forget, you can still download SDRNRfm #1

Video: Talking shop with Girl Talk Part 2

2009-04-14T12:23:00.003+02:00

Did I say tomorrow... I meant next week - but better late than never for Part 2 of my Girl Talk interview.
See full report...
Live, Girl Talk invites mayhem. Those who have been to a Girl Talk show know the drill and first up are those with the most Dutch courage, in Amsterdam there's many. Before the first few riffs were out Gregg was joined by his band mates on stage, the thrashing, sweaty masses – booty shakin' girls, dudes clammering for podium placement in front of the crowd on the floor, someone even brought balloons.
And on the floor it was just as crazy, a packed house for usual the club night Noodlanding, the special guest kept people dancing til four in the morn.

Video: Talkin' with Girl Talk Part 1

2009-04-07T09:27:00.005+02:00

Recently I spoke with Gregg Gillis, better known as Girl Talk for SPIN Earth before his show at Paradiso. We spoke about everything from how he samples music legally to onstage near vomiting, playing live and bio-medicine's role in Hollywood. This is part 1, stay tuned tomorrow for part 2.
SPIN earth Amsterdam
Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, holds firm to the grounds of fair use copyright law when legitimizing his brand of music—a sound once considered "illegal" by traditional copyright standards. His reconfigured party jams where Kelly Clarkson vocals go over AC/DC riffs, Weezer under Lil Wayne, Biggie and Elton together at last are more than just mash-ups. Surprisingly the record companies haven't tried to tackle Gillis's "mix 'em and cook 'em in a pot like gumbo" approach. As he explains, it wouldn't be a good publicity move for a major label to go after him. After all, it certainly doesn't take anything away from the original work. It's more a form of flattery.

But Gillis didn't get into the business to push legal boundaries. In the current climate where direct piracy is of far greater concern, what's the point? Girltalk is just here to rock the party.

Girl Talk's myspace

Feature: U can't Dutch this

2009-04-06T11:39:00.007+02:00

For this month's Time Out I wrote a piece on Dutch hip hop. Though I can't understand much of what their saying I've been really getting into it - good beats, intriguing flow and a down-to-earth vibe make it a little more tangible than T-Pain. Sorry T. Check out the video by The Fringe too with a little tribute to fellow Dutch artist Mondriaan - Or if you're Australian, Silverchair.

From: Time Out
U can't Dutch this... Or can you? Colin Delaney finds out Nederhop is keeping it 'realer' than ever.
In English language hip hop, the North American accent sets the standard, the British come with a ‘grimey’ edge, the Kiwis carry a Polynesian ease while the Australians boast a broad ‘ocker’ twang. On the international stage the French rap smooth, the Germans sharply, and Brazilians do it upbeat and playfully. But for the Dutch scene it wasn’t until the mid-90s that MCs began to rap in the local tongue – they mostly wanted to sound as American as possible.
Perhaps surprisingly, flow, style and rhythm roll effortlessly through the thickets of this nation’s guttural language. Dutch rap, or ‘Nederhop’ as it’s most affectionately known is getting more comfortable in its own skin, too, reflecting the way people live here, rather than trying to mimic the American style.
‘There’s a real Dutch culture in local hip hop now – that’s the most important change,’ says Lars Kelpin, project manager of the hip hop organisation, GRAP. ‘People are talking about all aspects of growing up, about family, difficulties, street life and politics and fun. There’s a Dutch proverb, “act normal, you're crazy enough”. We don't like our heroes driving around in Jeeps in 21inch tyres. We like it when they act normal. It’s part of Dutch culture, and that’s part of Dutch hip hop culture
GRAP coordinates the Dutch R&B and hip hop competition, Wanted, which ran through MARCH? And has its final showcase at Melkweg on 3 April. Now in its 13th year, Wanted has been an important launching pad for many current chart toppers, such as The Partysquad, Ali-B and Baas B. They may not be exactly busting across the borders, but at least they’re getting plenty of airplay nationally. Watching MTV or TMF, Nederhop is better represented than the current crop of Nederpop stars.
What accounts for its success? Get ready to cringe – ‘keeping it real’ – say the local experts.
‘People are really down to earth. That’s what I like about hip hop in Holland,’ says Kees De Koning, the head of The Netherlands’ premier hip hop label, Top Notch. ‘Dutch MCs are being very honest.’
As an example, he sites the current cross-over hit by Dio, ‘Tijd Machine.’ The rapper, says De Koning, is ‘talking about all the times he’s fucked up in life – he should have listened to mom; he should have called his girlfriend more; put out the garbage once and a while… This is one of the top hip hop songs at the moment. That says a lot about keeping it real, just being honest and not being a bigger-than-life comic book character.’ Radio DJ Vincent Patty AKA rapper Jiggy Dje agrees. ‘In America, a lot of rap is about money and jewels,’ he says. ‘We don't have a lot of that in Holland because it’s Holland. As soon as someone starts rapping about a lot of money everyone is like, “We know you don't have a lot of money.” It’s like, “Dude, if you've got so much money, why are you on a tram?”’
Local hip hop artists are also ‘keeping it real’ by rapping about struggle and overcoming racial prejudice or socio-economic adversity. The Opposites, an Amsterdam-based duo (so called for the duo’s appearance: one is tall and Anglo, the other short and Antillean) started out rapping in English but switched to their native Dutch. A recent hit track, ‘Sjonnie & Anita’ by describes two delinquents in an inter-racial love affair. It refers to the pair as ‘The Dutch Bonnie and Clyde’. ‘Mami is a lady from the hood,’ the lyrics read. ‘Loyal mentality; dangerous when necessary. Dad comes from the polder; he’s half from Curaçao, half Spanish.’
Salah Edin, who also started out rapping in English has made a name for himself in the Middle East and the west by rapping in Darija Arabic., His rhymes question Dutch politics and society, and he’s not afraid of controversy. The cover art of his 2007 album ‘Nederland’s Grootste Nachtmerrie’ (‘The Netherlands’ Worst Nightmare’) featured Edin on the cover, looking a whole lot like the mugshot of Theo van Gogh’s killer, Mohammed Bouyeri. The rapper said it was meant to reflect, ‘the way the average white Dutch citizen sees me, as a young Moroccan Muslim radical.’
Of course, politically-charged or conscious hip hop has never been the most profitable side of the music business. Patty says that’s not really the point of Nederhop, anyway. ‘I talk to a lot of young rappers and the most important thing is not to get caught in a pipedream,’ says the DJ and rapper. ‘There’s not a lot of money in it so make sure you have fun while doing it. That’s where our hip hop origins are from – having fun with the little you have.’

Party: Subbacultcha

2009-04-02T08:43:00.005+02:00

If you're in Amsterdam get along to support your favourite indie magazine/label Subbacultcha! April 4 sees the launch of a new issue which means a new party at De Nieuwe Anita. You know De Nieuwe Anita, the one that looks like you're Gran set up a bar in her basement (compliment). Cover is 6euros and you'll get a free magazine.
Line up:
Blues Brother Castro
Major B (DJ Set)
DJs Hotlpizz & Jane

However if you don't go to parties because people tend to freak you out or you hate tangibility in a magazine then just check it out online.

Video Interview: Line after line with Dels

2009-03-31T13:32:00.005+02:00

I recently interviewed British MC Dels for Spinearth.tv but the sound didn't work with them so I'm posting it here. Can't have all that genius be for nothing.

From: Spinearth.tv
Up n coming British MC, Dels arrives on stage with a bouncing enthusiasm to a hard hitting live drummer and DJ. Supporting Yo Majesty around Europe it's probably the smallest crowd he's played to on the tour and is quick to call the audience to the front. Opener "Eating Clouds" sets the tone, it's upbeat but obstract. Having caught the ears of Hot Chip, the hip electro outfit are now producing his tracks, giving him a unique palette for him to paint his rhymes, the likes of "Eating Clouds", "Shapeshifter", "Myself Malfunction", and "Line After Line". As he notes, it's cliché but he's trying to "push the boundaries". With a design background – from toys to installations – it's all about creating for Dels.
Performing alongside the charismatic ladies of Yo Majesty, they were quick to support his live show, but also give him tips. As a result both he and his tour manager admit his performance has improved ten-fold and he's already thinking about how to improve the next tour. He and Yo Majesty will be back on the continent in the summer for a few shows and festivals so be sure to catch them then.
Dels' myspace
Dels' Blogspot

Video: Holly Throsby for Shoot The Player

2009-03-30T08:53:00.007+02:00

Shoot The Player do just that, shoot musicians. Intimate moments with the artist, filmed live in one take, on one camera, outside of their normal stage - it's simple but elegant. See Lightspeed Champion playing in a sex shop, or Andrew Bird at Macquarie's Chair with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the background.

Holly Throsby: A Shoot The Player Film from shoottheplayer.com on Vimeo.
The one I've selected however is of Holly Throsby playing "To Begin With" during January's Sydney Festival, filmed not far from my old house in Centennial Park. It makes me homesick. Holly's hinted ocker twang helps set the scene amongst paperbarks, as summer's magnum opus at 44 degrees with a storm brewing is about to upstage the local singer songwriter. Under thunder and large cracks and creaks in the sky to warn you it's about to collapse every Sydneysider knows this feeling, waiting for that moment where pre-storm calm turns to torrential downpour cooling the afternoon - the tension to shoot and beat the rain is palpable.
Meanwhile "On Longing" is worth a look as Holly plays on one of the upright pianos scattered about the city for the Sydney Festival - I also love the dogs, Jones who looks like my ol' pal Elvis and a shaggy lab who drinks from a dripping tap in the distance like a Triffids song.

Trailer: Where the Wild Things Are

2009-03-25T22:47:00.004+01:00

Karen O is doing the soundtrack but Arcade Fire lend a tune to what will easily be the first movie I've cried in since Boyz in Da Hood.

Amazing.

Podcast: SDRNRfm #1

2009-03-24T00:40:00.007+01:00

I dabbled in radio a while back, even won an award thank you very much CBAA (Community Broadcasters Association of Australia). I wish I had a cool voice to warrant an intro or back-announce like I was Joe Strummer on Radio Free Europe, or Henry Rollins on KRCW or Wolfman Jack.
Instead, it's a twenty minute sampler of some tunes, some old, some even older, that I've been enjoying and wanted to hear all together. The tracks aren't exactly mixed (though I did try my hand - you be the judge) so it's not a mixtape in what the kids consider them these days. The track choices just works off a simple similar beat that works its way into a Bo-Diddley rhythm.
I will probably try another based on a band theme next for some cohesion. Until then, I hope you hear something new (or old).

Download SDRNRfm #1
1. Intro from "Calvin" - John Spencer Blues Explosion
2. "Cheap and Cheerful" - The Kills
3. "Rocks" - Primal Scream
4. "Kick It" - Peaches & Iggy Pop
5. "Don't Speak (I came to Bang)" - Eagles of Death Metal
6. "Heard It on the X" - ZZ Top
7. "Mumblin' Guitar" - Bo Diddley
8. "Cannonball" - Duane Eddy
9. "Rudie Can't Fail" - The Clash

Feature: 24hrs in Amsterdam Part 2, 4pm-6am

2009-03-16T19:07:00.008+01:00

From Australian Get Lost travel mag this is part two of my 24 hrs in Amsterdam feature. Part one below.

4.00pm: Get Up (I feel like being a) Sex Machine – James Brown
Amsterdam’s main drag Damrak is dirty and grungy but not in a cool, Seattle way. There are plenty of lame tourist traps not worth your time. One that is, is the Sex Museum. Not quite as highbrow as the Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum, at the Sex Museum you’ll find filthy flashers, horny heathens, Marilyn Monroe, Bettie Page and Cockzilla. There are also a few of Indiana’s dirtier finds like ancient dildos, kama sutra art and sex machines. With a childish sense of humour and school-girl giggle I’m a kid in an eye candy store. And for a mere €3 worth, you’ll also learn about Amsterdam’s long sex trade history.

5.00pm: Roxanne – The Police
Like the tolerated attitude towards soft drugs, The Netherlands has long held a pragmatic view by political and religious groups in controlling the sex trade. As a busy port even in the Middle Ages, the law recognised that brothels serviced sailors and travelling businessmen and protected women from rape and defilement. When completely legalised in 2000, with an estimated 20-25,000 prostitutes working in The Netherlands, the ladies secured a union, health benefits and could pay superannuation. These days the big issue surrounding the industry is human trafficking, while a recent study showed STIs amongst prostitutes were lower than the Dutch public.
The red light district is a little more alive at this hour. Girls in red doorways, scantily dressed to impress aim to catch my eye. Like aisles at a supermarket, down this lane are the Polish girls, down that lane the Asians, and another, the big girls. Be discreet with your photos, the pimps do not approve. I see a guy step inside the door and the red curtain close after he negotiates the quick deal. Time is money – it’s a business doing pleasure with you.
Mayor Job Cohen and the City of Amsterdam, just as they’ve cracked down on soft drugs have recently bought then closed dozens of brothels in a controversial effort to curb associated crime and clean up De Wallen. With a questionable effect on tourism, in place of the girls, the windows now display Amsterdam’s strong creative scene; clothing designers, artists, sculptors and jewellers. One jeweller, Ted Noten designed red plastic rings, placed them in a FEBO-like vending machine and charged €2.50-a-pop for men to buy for their lady of the night.

6.00pm: Warm Beer & Cold Women – Tom Waits
I’m thirsty. I cross back over Damrak and past the Royal Palace, one of three Queen Beatrix can call home to Spuistraat. The massive Roy Lichtenstein copy that covers an entire building and graffitied walls gives the street a hip-hop edge that’s at odds with the rest of the old city. Gollem, situated just off Spuistraat on Raamsteeg, is a small dank bar that punches above its weight with a worldly array of beer. If you’re homesick you can order a Coopers, but I’m getting Belgian beer Duvel. Like a lot of small pubs, Gollem has a house cat curled up on a stool. This one must love retro rock because there’s always Black Sabbath or Creedence on the stereo. I nurse a couple of beers and order the kaasplank (cheese plate). Raamsteeg is a local favourite with the extensive bottle shop and divine chocolate cake store across the lane.

8.00pm Paradise City – Guns N Roses
Paradiso, an old church born again in the late 60s as Amsterdam’s counterculture epicentre, has been hosting bands and dance parties ever since. On May 26-27, 1995, The Rolling Stones played two semi-acoustic concerts here. Keith Richards has said those shows were up there with their best. Tonight the Constantines start with a lot of hair and distortion and tour pals Ladyhawk make it a solid show all-round. British indie upstarts The Wombats have sold out the grand hall. It’s a major step for any young band and the lucky three whose dream has become a reality, along with their fans, enjoy every second.
Amsterdam’s close proximity to London draws the strong, young London acts across the English Channel to experience life on the road relatively inexpensively while allowing the Dutch to witness great new acts before they get too famous. London Calling is an annual festival held at Paradiso that in the past has invited then-burgeoning British bands like Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party to the three-night affair.
Locally, organisation Subba Cultcha spearheads the indie scene, putting on gigs, producing a music magazine and releasing CDs. Hip-hop acts like De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig, The Partysquad and The Opposites demonstrate a strong, recognised scene and show that as a language, Dutch flows surprisingly well in rap. For a taste of English-speaking hip-hop try Pete Philly & Perquisite.
The superstars however are techno and trance DJs like Armin Van Buuren, DJ Tiesto and Ferry Corsten, who perform in front of hundreds of thousands at raves and dance parties all around the globe. The successful lineage and importance of the Dutch scene on the world has culminated in the internationally renowned Amsterdam Dance Event every October; by day an industry conference, by night a massive party taking over every club in town.

11.00pm: Girls Girls Girls – Motley Crue
The famous live sex shows are notoriously un-sexy, so a far more intriguing option is burlesque. Risen from the days of yore into modern times with revealing tattoos, piercings, a rock ‘n’ roll edge and a feminist mindset, its kink meets culture, with nipple tassels to boot. Names like Lady Marmalade, the Bombshellys and Natsumi Scarlet are dressed to thrill on the Amsterdam circuit and take to the Burlesque Glamour Night stage at the Nes Comedy Theatre with gusto. Costumes, comedy and magic all accompany the striptease for a retro swing but the co-ed crowd make the loudest noise when the tops come off.

1.00am: Under the Milky Way – The Church
Steve Kilbey, singer for Aussie band The Church, actually wrote “Under the Milky Way” about Amsterdam’s Melkweg, which means Milky Way, as a tribute to the venue. With its two halls, a café, cinema, gallery and media room it’s as old, influential and supportive as the Paradiso on Amsterdam’s cultural youth. Set behind the Leidseplein, club night Gemengd Zwemmen has already been going for an hour. In the main room it’s classic ‘80s and ‘90s hits but with my new tattoo I’m too cool for that, so I swagger into the old hall where it’s a mix of everything current in the indie world.
The Rembrantplein, in the city’s south-east is another busy club district with popular nightspots like Studio 80, Escape and Café de Duivel, the city’s premier hip-hop bar. To the west of the city in De Baarsjes, along Fredrick Hendrikstraat is retro-fitted De Nieuwe Anita, with a bar full of recycled furniture and a back room supporting jazz, rock and even cinema nights. While in De Baarsjes, check out Club 8 open Thursdays to Saturdays on Jan Evertsenstraat hosting local rock ‘n’ roll, indie, electro and party DJs.

6.00am: All Night Long – Lionel Richie
So I’ve stepped into the ‘80s room. To quote Mr Richie, ‘Once you get started you can’t sit down’ and what can I say, I want to fiesta, forever… until fatigue hits and I’m ready to retire from my big day out.
Ever since sailors found Amsterdam, a port that offered drunken respite and womanly relief from their hands on deck, travellers have enjoyed the city’s liberal attitude and lust for life. And while the city’s liberalism dissipates, hopefully it will still heed the immortal words of KISS – to “rock ‘n’ roll all night and party every day”.
For my encore I swig the last of my drink too hastily, spilling beer down my front. Amsterdam, you’ve been a great audience. Good night!

Feature: 24hrs in Amsterdam Part 1, 9am- 3.30pm

2009-03-16T17:55:00.015+01:00

Out on the shelves in all decent Australian newsagensies is the current issue of Get Lost travel mag. I wrote their "24hrs in..." feature, all about Amsterdam.

From: Get Lost
With stars in his eyes and rock in his head Colin Delaney goes on tour to live the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle for 24-hours in Amsterdam. It’s gigs, musical memorials, tattoo parlours, burlesque shows, sex museums, cannabis and beer, all to the tune of his very own mixtape.
9am: Bicycle Race - Queen
Nothing clears the hangover of a Heineken session like a fresh breeze against your face, crisp air hitting your lungs, and the exercise of a morning bike ride. The Dutch must arrive to work with a relatively cheerier disposition than the rest of the commuting world, cramped on trains and grubby buses. Still somewhat rocking from last night but most definitely rolling, I head out into streets tighter than my jeans to enjoy the city, and like Pearl Jam’s tour, I’m carbon neutral. There are a number of bike rentals in town, but try Mac Bikes beside famous music venue Paradiso for its proximity to Vondelpark, Amsterdam’s small version of Central Park.

9.15am: Park Life - Blur
Vondelpark offers a leisurely ride that doesn’t require novices to negotiate the manic traffic collected by the city’s narrow streets. Tourists on rentals cruise at their own pace, out-manoeuvred by local commuters as mums push prams and dogs take their owners for walks. The paved paths take me past lush grassy lawns, spinneys of trees, duck-filled ponds, a café and amphitheatre – I ride through the park daily and there’s always something new to catch my eye. An early football game is under way on a green patch by a cross-roads where buskers belt out gypsy jigs that sound like the bar scene from Star Wars. I stop to soak up some sounds and soccer, giving the sun a chance to re-energise me for my big day out.

10am: Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
I ride to Hotel Prins Hendrik near Centraal Station, the site that saw Jazz trumpeting great, Chet Baker, fall from his room’s window at about 3am on May 13, 1988. No points for guessing what the coroner found traces of in the heroin and cocaine addict’s body. He may be jazz, but that’s a rock ‘n’ roll way to die. Jazz junkies can book his room. I instead pay my respects at the nearby memorial.
Even more rock history comes from the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel, room 702, made famous by John and Yoko’s bed-in from March 25-31 1969. The suite is now named after them, with peaceful white sheets and walls (BYO bed hair), but unless you really want to slip between the sheets for a hefty price, it’s not worth the visit.

10.30am: Dirty Jeans – Magic Dirt
I wind my way through the red light district of De Wallen as hookers take in their beauty sleep. Some of them really need it. Just beyond De Wallen is the Waterlooplein markets, always worth a wander for great vintage clothes as well as junk dressed up as bric-a-brac. An early arrival can generally guarantee good finds; worn in leather jackets, books, cd’s, gas masks, you name it. I purchase a pair of vintage Levi 501s for €10.

11.30am: One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) – Bob Dylan
Breakfast isn’t a greasy affair in The Netherlands, generally a simple coffee and toast. Bagels & Beans within the markets is an ideal stop. It’s a Dutch chain that is a bit Starbucksy in its décor but its saving grace is it’s not Starbucks. A large black coffee and sun-dried tomato cream cheese on a sesame seed bagel hit the spot. I pick up a copy of Amsterdam Weekly, the free expat newspaper that lists all the gigs each week to see what’s on tonight. Last night saw Aussie artists Gotye and Clare Bowditch play at the famous music venue Paradiso. Tonight it’s the four-to-the-floor rock of Canadian acts The Constantines and Ladyhawk. Perfect. Also worth checking is the Uitboro, available in bar precinct the Leidseplein, for information on upcoming live entertainment and cheap tickets.

12.00pm: Paper Planes – MIA
Tattoos and rock ‘n’ roll go hand in hand like Slash and Jack Daniels, and Hanky Panky Tattooing is a world-renowned parlour, having left their mark on members of The Prodigy, Korn, Spice Girls, Maroon 5 and Kate Moss. When in the red light district it’s worth checking out their gallery. However, I’m after something more abstract. Igor at Classic Ink & Mods wears his designs on his sleeve, his calves and a moustache on the inset of his finger. He’s the right man for the job.
The sewing machine sound is disturbing but the pain is like an ant bite that moves on as soon as needle does. Igor shares a far more painful travel story about his car crash in New Zealand that nearly left him paralysed, so I man-up. The finished product turns out better than imagined. What says “rock ‘n’ roll on tour” like a paper plane tattoo?

2.15pm: Pass the Dutch – Missy Elliott
Even the most hardened pot smoker will find it surreal to buy pot over the counter and to a novice it can be daunting, but like any good waiter, a coffee shop clerk can tell you what to expect from each type; mild, medium or say good night.
Most Dutch buy their weed from their neighbourhood shop just as we do with our local bottle shop. For travellers, when selecting a coffee shop in the city avoid the heavily souvenired chains like the Bulldogs or Grasshoppers.
While famously de Dampkring featured in Oceans 12, rumour has it Quentin Tarantino wrote the majority of Pulp Fiction spliff-in-mouth at the Betty Boop Coffeeshop on Nieuwezijds Kolk. Betty’s paved plaza is also home to a few decent bars and restaurants. On the Leidseplein, follow the lane between Burger King and Bulldog Palace to Rookies, for its large smoking room, decent tunes and mellow vibe. Likewise, towards Spui on the little laneway Jonge Roelensteeg is Abraxas with a friendly atmosphere, but if you like pot without the hippy connotations try the slick Kadinsky on Rosemarijnsteeg.
Since July 2008’s tobacco ban it’s illegal to smoke tobacco-spun joints indoors unless in specified smoking rooms. So either roll a pure one or smoke with tobacco al fresco.
Also worth noting, as of December 2008 magic mushrooms, once legal, have been outlawed by Dutch government.
If you do enjoy a spliff it’s definitely worth the experience to spark up legally, but if you don’t smoke at home don’t feel pressured just because you’re in Amsterdam – on a whole, pot is stronger here and you can enjoy the city just fine without being stoned.

3.30pm: Mayonnaise – Smashing Pumpkins
A strange yet popular Dutch take away chain, FEBO is famous for its little self-serve windows. Pop your change in, open the window and pull out your bland, cardboardy burger or croquette, the Dutch version of a chiko roll. The milkshakes are a must though and the hot chips with mayonnaise instead of ketchup which, following my visit to Tarantino’s favourite coffee shop, allows me to replay Travolta’s famous line about ‘frites met mayo’: “I seen ‘em do it. They fuckin’ drown em in that shit”. Also at the top of the Kalverstraat try Amsterdam’s famous Vlaamse Friteshuis, a chip institution.

Video: Yeezy's Steez on AI

2009-03-13T13:52:00.009+01:00

I don't like to hate on Yeezy. I like Yeezy. But Yeezy can't sing, and that is fo sho. However auto-tune grants Yeezy the luxury of song. It's granted T-Pain straight up luxury - where would he be without it. But for Yeezy, it means Yeezy can sing. Is it fair for him to be held up as a role model on American Idol where the kids are doing it for reals, doing it tough, if he can't sing without the Auto-tune. Yes. You know why. Cos he rocks the Canadian tuxedo like nobody's biz. That may even be chambre underneath which makes it a triple-double-denim-layer-cake-bonanza-The-Boss-ain't-got-nothing-on-Yeezy's-steez night at American Idol. Who got booted? Who cares.

Gossip: RA and MM 4eva...

2009-03-12T10:44:00.005+01:00

Perez reports Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore got married on tuesday and I'm not too sure how I feel about it. As far as respectable musicians dating pretty popstars go this is I guess the most acceptable, I was about to compare the situation to Katy Perry dating that douche with his hands in the cookie jar but then it occurred she's not a respectable musician and he's not that pretty a popstar. ZING!
Here's Ry-guy on David singing "Two"... and watch out for Andy Dick on the lapsteel. Great to see he's bounced back.

Video: Eagles of Death Metal rock Amsterdam

2009-03-10T09:12:00.013+01:00

I filmed the Eagles of Death Metal show at Paradiso for SPINearth.tv last week. It was a great show but little did I know that I had friends at the gig... turns out they got backstage and partied with Joey 'Sexy Mexy' Costello and Big Hands O'Connor... and drank their rider. Ho-hum, here's my report.
Click here for video
The Eagles of Death Metal are fucking rad: sweaty-sexy-truck-stop-rock-n-roll-fucking-rad. Tongue firmly in cheek while still paying respect to the Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Lynard Skynard, Foghat and all the great swampy southern skids that ever pickled their livers in sour mash, a EoDM is the best dang knees-up since the Devil went down to Georgia.
And so Jesse 'the Devil' Hughes, Darlin' Dave, Big Hands O'Connor and Joey Castillo the Sexy Mexy took the stage – albeit ironically to "Straight Outta Compton" – and it wasn't long before they let us know what they came to do – Bang. Other standouts throughout the set included "Cherry Cola", "I Want You So Hard" and "High Voltage".
But that wasn't enough. All three levels of the sold out Paradiso crowd were spilling over each other cheering and near done blew the roof off the old church as the Devil took the stage for the encore. He was visibly taken back, pacing the stage, soaking it up and that only made the cheer louder. So he mellowed them down with an old country ballad before covering The Ramones' "Beat on The Brat" and the Stones' "Brown Sugar" to which the rest of the band joined him before closing with "Wannabe in LA".
The Devil's revival rolled into Amsterdam that night and possessed the normally placid Dutch crowd, leaving them baptised in beer and rock n roll and exorcised of all the boring and straight in their life… at least until the next day.

Eagles of Death Metal website
Eagles of Death metal mySpace

News: Fred Durst is Josh Shwartz

2009-03-09T10:58:00.009+01:00

To say Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst's true indie debut "Me, Fred Durst banging this faceless Abercrombie model from the back" was a runaway success would be an understatement. So I approach new film The Education of Charlie Banks, starring Jessie Eisenberg from The Squid & The Whale with no trepidation at all, especially considering it was finished in 2007 and only getting a release now. That and after The Longshots featuring Ice Cube did so well...
Charlie Banks looks like it might be the Talented Mr Ripley on the set of Gossip Girl when they all went to the Hamptons for the summer. But if I'm wrong that's cos the trailer and website doesn't tell you much other than emotional teens in New York - one of which looks like 80s Matt Dillon. The film is out in the US March 27.

In other news the sport-rocker has another two albums in the works. Coolio has been done for crack - so not really news. Rihanna will testify against Chris Brown if subpoenaed (that's a funny looking word), tickets for Pinkpop went on sale saturday - 140 euros for three days with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Elbow, Depeche Mode, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and more. And Pitchfork Music Festival have announced their line-up that includes Yo la Tengo, Built to Spill, Jesus Lizard and Tortoise playing the songs you choose as well as The Walkmen, The National, Grizzly Bear and more. Lucky if you're in Chicago. Tix on sale March 13.

News: Daft Punk to score Tron 2

2009-03-05T17:55:00.004+01:00

80s computer nerds, internet phenom Tron Guy, frisbee fans and to a lesser extent Jeff Bridges are all frothing at the mouth about the new Tron 2 film destined for screens in 2010. Me, I was more of a Weird Science guy, what can I say, I love robo-boobs.
Anyway, Daft Punk will be scoring the film. Not since MIA was featured in Slumdog Millionaire all those days ago has a musical act been so destined to be featured in a film. Of course le Frenchies had dabbled in scoring their own films with the G-Forcely brilliant Interstella 5555 and Electroma but here they've got the nod and recognition by Walt himself.

He's actually in a computer... ON A MOTORBIKE NO-FUCKING-LESS!
Give me Max Headroom any day.

Video: Run DMC endorses Crude and Dorkmeister

2009-03-02T13:39:00.004+01:00

Crude and Dorkmeister called in some favours by a couple of their mates. DMC from Run DMC was happy to oblige.

Night: Crude and Dorkmeister present LAST NIGHT

2009-02-28T12:23:00.004+01:00

My good friends Crude and Dorkmeister are a couple of DJs whose mega-sick and eclectic mixes are matched only by their brilliant song choice. CCRs "Fortunate Son" into The Lonely Island's "Jizz in My Pants"? Why not. After rocking underground house parties from West Surry Hills to East Redfern in Australia they've decided to take their Daft-Punk-esque live show to the Northern Hemisphere - Amsterdam to be exact. Last Night is the gig, Cafe Batavia the venue, Saturday the 7th March the date. Watch out for the promotional tour where a bronzed statue of Dorkmeister will float down every canal in the city centre, it's HIStory in the making.

Video: Dananananaykroyd live in Amsterdam

2009-02-22T13:22:00.012+01:00

So SPINearth has finally launched and the wait was well worth it. It looks great with a big screen that can go Theatre-sized should you desire. Joining cities and their music scenes from all over the world you can jump from Toronto to Bogota and over to Paris with Hercules & the Love Affair, Gogol Bordello and Emiliana Torrini. Of course you can always stop into Amsterdam and see what I've been up to - like seeing Glaswegian lunatics Dananananaykroyd. Get involved.

As ridicululululous as their name, Dananananaykroyd play indie punk with a stutter; quick, hyperactive and erratic. If it were a math rock test they'd have got a C- because it's not quite sharp and calculated enough. They take something from the genre for sure, but only about as much as you or I took from math class.
The Glaswegians have an angular inclination but their geometry doesn't always line up, so they move into straight up and down indie thrash with one singer also lending himself to be a second drummer in case it wasn't frenetic enough.
Through shouts, hollers and wails they careened about the stage with a lot of effeminate posturing as if to offset the balls in their music.
A young band, you could tell Dananananaykroyd, all six, were stoked to be playing to a full Heineken Music Hall, even if just in support.
Their sound holds a kinetic energy but probably not the cleanest, most efficient resource, with waste in feedback and shambolic riffage. Alas it's this chaos that makes them all the more fun. A complete surprise – definitely worth catching live.

Dananananaykroyd mySpace
Dananananaykroyd blog

Video: "I'm on a Boat"

2009-02-20T10:21:00.002+01:00

The Lonely Island are three dudes from SNL who have got together and dropped a comedy album called Incredibad. This here delight entitled "I'm on a Boat" features T-Pain being, well T-Pain.

Thanks to Benjamin Radley for the link.

Video: Kaiser Chiefs Rock Amsterdam

2009-02-19T08:59:00.010+01:00

The SPIN Earth website has launched at long last and you should all go and check it out. It's a pretty slick operation, a must for all music-loving travelers or travel-loving musos alike. You can watch the best gigs from New York, Paris, London and Sydney but also dive into the music scene of Lagos, Singapore, Bogata, Adelaide and shitloads more. Also, if you are planning to travel, scope out who's playing in your destinations in the coming months with the gig guide. Nothing sucks more than getting to Berlin to find out Kraftwerk has sold out. Anyway, Monday night I hit up the Kaiser Chiefs show at Heineken Music Hall, here's my report.

View video

"We are the Kaiser Chiefs and we demand perfection," announced Ricky Wilson to the sold out Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam.
A boisterous frontman, a 'raise the roof' sound, an electric light show, and simple lyrics the fans love to shout en masse all make for a fun gig.
And whether you loved them when they first came out and still love them today, or feel they've lost that initial punch that had them giving relief from moppy Britpop while predicting riots back in 2005, there's no denying the Kaiser Chiefs are meant for the stadium.
Sure enough the Leeds lads brought with them their infectious yell-a-longs and it's hard to deny them, even for the most subdued Dutchie or cool kid that thought the Kaisers were 'so 2005'.
Opening with "Spanish Metal" and "Everyday I love You Less and Less" with new songs "You Want History" and "Good Days Bad Days" rounding out the middle, it gave space for crowd favourites "Ruby" and "I Predict A Riot" to close the first part of the show – fans going suitably nuts, reminding us of the urgency and freshness that rode on this post punk, new wave revival four years ago.
The encore was reserved for the likes of Kaiser classics "Modern Way" and finale "Oh My God". What is a bit of a nothing song on record in my opinion turned into a rollicking blaspheme-fest live. As Ricky sang the crowd replied, to quote the song's own line, "coming back stronger than a powered-up Pac-Man". Amidst the climax, the back wall bleachers were finally on their feet having seemed reluctant the majority of the show, while on the floor the less-reserved flung near empty beer cups, the last drops of a good session tossed in celebration, piercing the light show. The Kaiser Chiefs' last show in Europe for this tour went out with a bang, leaving a smiling, sweaty crowd.

Kaiser Chiefs website
Kaiser Chiefs mySpace

Video: When I Grow Up - Fever Ray

2009-02-18T16:06:00.005+01:00

When I Grow Up from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

In the midst of watching all things Fever Ray over the past week the video for second single "When I Grow Up" has gone live. Pretty stunning work by Martin de Thurah and keeps a similar haunting mood to the Andreas Nilsson-directed video to "If I Had A Heart", just a little more suburban. The model looks like she's coming down off an MGMT concert - which is probably a good way of describing Fever Ray.

Review: Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid

2009-02-16T10:12:00.003+01:00

From: Time Out
Last year’s Attack Release by The Black Keys saw the duo break into multi-dimensional roots music beyond the stripped-back electric blues of previous records.
Now, singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach’s first solo album Keep It Hid continues the exploration. Opening is ‘Trouble Weighs A Ton,’ a solemn chain-gang gospel before the devilish ‘I Want Some More’ thunders in. ‘Whispered Words’ blends a slow motown swing with Auerbach’s mournful blues voice. ‘Mean Monsoon’ has a voodoo haunt that spills into the dark and dangerous psychedelia of ‘The Prowl’ while ‘My Last Mistake’ feels like freewheeling CCR. Final tune ‘Goin’ Home’ is a little ditty that ends with front porch wind chimes and a sense of ease that re-instils a desire to sit on Auerbach’s veranda, a case of beer between us and get educated by his record collection, track by track til the rains roll in.

Mixtape: The Dudez - Mixtape Madness pt 2

2009-02-13T08:50:00.011+01:00

Being a gentleman I let the ladies go first yesterday. Today here are three mixes by the brutes, the lads, the dudes. Whether I find a hermaphrodite mixtape tomorrow to round out the sexes, well you'll just have to come back and check. For now we've got three of the best, but very different mixes.
Lords of the Synth mixtape -
Bachelor #1 – Lords of the Synth love electronic beats, snowboarding, long walks on the beach and intergalactic civil war.

Captain Franco mixtape -
Bachelor #2 - Captain Franco loves music that crackles, sailing, Red Stripe and Rhonda back in one piece (you prick whoever you are).

Radge mixtape -
Bachelor #3 - Radge enjoys the sunsets of chill out albums, singlets, long necks, beards and classic rock from the 60s, 70s 80s and today.

Mixtape: The ladiez - Mixtape Madness pt 1

2009-02-12T10:13:00.025+01:00

My wallet is more barren the Sahara, Antarctica and Nicole Kidman all put together which sucks but as a result I love free music.
So if you, like me, are barren and like free music here are two great mixtapes. And what's more they are all mixed by the finer sex. Dudes mixtapes tomorrow.
Bad Wives mixtape -
They're evil enough by themselves but when DJ Crane and Vivienne Kingswood formed Bad Wives the duo's cuts were deadlier than Lorena Bobbit with a kitchen knife.

DJ Crane mixtape -
During her teen years she was always in the nurse's office at school... cus she was fully sick!

Fever Ray - I'm scared shitless

2009-02-11T13:47:00.011+01:00

If you don't know Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson, she forms one half of Swedish outfit The Knife and is about to release her debut solo project Fever Ray.
I'm interviewing Karin in just a couple of hours for top shelf lifestyle magazine Huck, and her infamous reluctancy for the media has me shitting my breeches. I've interviewed many an artist but it's been a long time since I was nervous about the encounter. As for the album...

Dark, mossy, cold and disorientating, yet still beautiful and enchanting Fever Ray is kinda like a really sexy ghost. Karin's voice ranges from trembling and fragile to a stronger haunt. Where The Knife stabs, Fever Ray weeps - but under the weep is a tense, vengeful sound. "Seven" has more than a touch of Royksopp in its beat while the beat for "Triangle Walks" is like Enya on a bad trip. Karen O needs to borrow "When I Grow Up" for the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack. So too could first single and album opener "If I Had A Heart", a prowling slow trance with a deep looming chant running throughout. The film clip is by The Knife's live visual artist Andreas Nilsson and is like voodoo on the bayous, and at just 4 minutes is far scarier than an entire sitting of Twilight.

Fever Ray is out March 18 but is digitally available via Amazon or Klicktrack.

Anyway, wish me luck with the interview.

UPDATE: she was lovely.

Arbeit Nervt - mentos and coke sex party

2009-02-10T15:40:00.003+01:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while but not got round to it.
If you like electro by German men painted in black light paint getting buck wild with the old "mentos in a coke can" trick then you'll probably enjoy this video.

Review: Ugly Duckling at Paradiso

2009-02-10T11:51:00.005+01:00

Ugly Duckling: song - "I won't Let It Die" from Audacity

I don't want to be all like "remember the ol' skool', but, remember the old skool? Shit moves so fast that when I say "old skool" I'm really just referring to four years ago, back when DJs used records rather than CDs, laptops or serato. I mean proper turntablism, and where a rap show was simply two turntables and a microphone.

These days Ugly Duckling are not the coolest thing in hiphop, no autotune or krunk beats, no T-Pain. Andy C looks like your IT guy on casual friday in white sneakers, blue jeans and a white button-up shirt while Young Einstein, with his baggy cargo pants and goatie beard could be your mechanic. It's really only the tattooed and heavy Dizzy Dustin that still looks part of the 2009's hiphop culture.

But the boys from Longbeach maintain that conscious/backpacker hiphop sound of the 90s for fans of J5, Kool Keith, Beastie Boys and the Native Tongues groups like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Jungle Brothers. Live, most cuts came from 2001 debut Journey to Anywhere and 2003's Taste the Secret, knowing full well that's what the crowd came to hear, but a few newbies were peppered throughout from upcoming Audacity. It was the bigger tunes where horns blazed, the breaks cracked and their upbeat raps that really got the crowd moving, yet occasionally they slowed their flow for the stoners. They brought up a female fan on stage for "Pick Up Lines" and invited one confident local MC to rap in Dutch, he did a decent job too. And if that wasn't enough, Dizzy shared the Jack Daniels from his rider, along with a whole bunch of cooties, with the entire front row before leaving. A fun show for sure... old skool, you know four years ago.

I am no one

2009-02-07T13:52:00.005+01:00

I've been told that my blog is not really bloggy enough. I guess that means I don't rant about random everyday stuff with wack english that I express off the top of my dome. I also lack slightly obtuse, maybe cool and probably ironic titles to blog entries. And when I blog I don't blog about other blogs enough, which is what most blogs blog about (to that I say, I have my selected music sources and that's all I need). The other problem is I blog about well known artists like Bruce Springsteen and Kaiser Chiefs, so my indie cred is questionable at best. I will try to rectify these matters.

The other day I went to see Ladyhawke at Melkweg through sleet/rain/snow at 11 o'clock at night on my bike, super syked to see a home-town girl (via Wellington) done good. I checked for a VIP entrance or at least VIP line cos my name was on the door but eventually had to stand in line like all the paying customers. Then as I approached the ticket booth to say I was on the guesty and request my media pass I looked over to my left and OMG, who's at the other counter asking for their media pass but Cobrasnake and Steve Aoki. I'm sweatin' cos the chick at the counter seems to be totes struggling to find my name, WTF. She asked my name again, I said it and told her what I did and then she checked another list, and then she asked a dude, and then she asked my name again, and then she asked 'was that with a C' and then she told me I wasn't on the list, WWF! A music hack's worse nightmare - might I actually have to pay for something? I bet this never happens to the guys at Stereogum or Gorilla vs Bear or even Bobby of Bobbysix fame. And never to Cobrabags and Aoki who coolly cruised on through in their ironic matching sweaters. Wasn't my as cool as coolly, my iron as irony and my douche as douchey? "But I'm the Stopdroprocknroll guy." I put my feet up on her desk and yelled down her phone like my profile pic (right, obvy) but she still didn't recognise me. "Recognise, Bitch!" She couldn't. Wow, what a wake up call. Maybe I wasn't a blogstar... But I didn't pay to go in ('sif!?) Instead I went right back home and checked my Google Analytics for reassurance I was important.
thanks for reading.

The boss is coming

2009-02-06T17:20:00.008+01:00

Did you get the memo

Watch Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Pinkpop

Are the Kaiser Chiefs getting better?

2009-02-06T14:09:00.009+01:00

A while back I had a lovely ol' chin wag with Mr Ricky Wilson of Kaiser Chiefs about "Off With Their Heads". I like their music. Not love, but they're good festival fodder with shouty, often spiteful, beer soaked anthems.
They play the Heineken Music Hall on Monday 16 Feb (for those reading in Australia, you'll be jealous to find out you're also missing out on the Australian Pink Floyd Show in the same arena on Monday 1 March) so get along if you're interested. There is a shorter interview about Ricky's love life in this month's Time Out, but whatevs. The charming Ricky Wilson...

Have you been to Amsterdam before?
Yes, yes, many times. It’s one of the places in the world we’re strangely popular. And we like going to places were we can play to lot’s of people

Did you ever come over here pre-fame, possibly a hedonistic pilgrammage?
Yes, we came over for a college trip but there was like four of us that didn’t smoke so we hung around together, supposed to be looking at art galleries but everyone was sitting around in coffeeshops. So we decided to get as drunk as humanly possible and we did and one night one of our tutors took us out to some very strange places and we lost him for three days. We all got back to our beds but he had a lost weekend. It’s nice to get to a point with a city where you can walk around it and know where things are.

Well congrats on Off With Their Heads.
Thank you, we are very pleased and we’re very proud.

It came out as expected?
We never expected to make an album this year at all, we were just going to take it easy. But yeah, we wouldn’t have released it if we didn’t like it. You can’t really plan an album. People say they wanted this or that but you just have to do what comes naturally and that’s what we did. It sounds like we were enjoying ourselves. Some of my favourite music is miserable, but we find it a bit difficult to be miserable.

A friend of mine recently interviewed Simon for an Australian magazine. Simon said for Yours Truly, Angry Mob is more musical than this one. How is this less musical?
I don’t know. That’s his answer. You’ve got five people in the band with five different opinions. I don’t know anything about the music, I just write the words, know what I mean. I love when people ask me what my musical influences are and I can just say “I write words”. Then they ask what are your lyrical influences? “Dunno, things ya see.”

Pretty stuff, colours...
Yes, exactly. What he probably means is we really tried to nail it on the last one and we tried to make the songs very songy songs. This was more just messing about. And not to detract from the last one but I think it’s great not to worry about how many songs are on an album and just do something you really like. Not everything has to be a single. Having that attitude you end up writing more singles.

Mark Ronson produced. Did you seek him out intentionally?
Not really. We kept bumping into him cos he’s a fan of the band. He came to a gig at Earls Court and said hello to us then Nick and I had a meeting with him. It was all a bit strange because he is the only producer who has actively contacted us about wanting to produce us. Normally producers sit in their office waiting for bands to contact them and then they pass bands on to their agent who says how much it will be and it’s all a bit about money. But this was more about the fact he really wanted to do it. We met him. We like him, that’s about 80 per cent. He’s the only one asking, he’s winning grammies so there must be something in it. And he’s in our age group. We’ve worked with people before who are brilliant but it’s always felt like we’ve had a fatherly figure in the studio. This time we were all messing about in a room and we were allowed to use everything.

And while he’s considered a current super-producer it was all kept pretty conventional?
We’re an indie band. That’s what we are. We were just messing about but there was some weird stuff we did. We did experiment more than ever on this record but you have to draw the line between experimenting and having brilliant songs and experimenting and having noise. It’s all well and good experimenting but we like really good tunes and we still want it based in melody… I feel Like I got bogies hangin out my nose… (reassured he didn't, he presses on). Experimentation is great and we enjoy it but we don’t want it to be the thing they’re listening to, we want them to be listening to the song.

Did he bring Sway or David Arnold (legendary James Bond composer) in?
No, he didn’t bring Sway in at all. Sway just came into the studio, he was passing by. Mark wasn’t there, I wasn’t even there. I was being a best man. And David Arnold, he’s friends with us because we worked together in '07 for the BBC. He came in to talk to Mark about the Bond theme that never happened. We asked if we could play him some stuff, we did and he rang back a couple of days later and said ‘is there anything you want me to do?’ It was more through us. Mark was good at bringing people into the studio that were famous for us to look at. Mark brought New Young Pony Club and Lily Allen into the studio. We wanted a Bananarama type thing so we thought let’s get Bananarama, but we were so impatient, we were moving so fast we wanted to do it now. So we said Mark, who have you got in your phone book? And we thought, 'perfect'.

Could you ever see the Kaiser Chiefs doing a Bond theme?
I’d love to do a theme, it’d be brilliant to do.

Is it in the Kaiser Chiefs canon?
Well all I’d have to do is write some words, that can’t be that hard. You just need to sing about guns and women.

You said you were already friends with Lily Allen?
Yeah, I met her for the first time ages and ages ago. I hadn’t heard of her, people were only just beginning to talk about her. I knew of her dad, Keith Allen. But I met her at this gentlemen’s club. I don’t know if she was in there with someone from her label and I remember someone saying she’s done a cover of "Oh My God" with Mark Ronson, who I hadn’t heard of at the time. I asked her if it’s any good. She’s very cute and smart and she said ‘It’s better than yours!”

You said you were writing an album that was fun and…
I don’t want it to sound like we were writing an album that was throw-away. It was fun to make but it’s not like we were writing Barney The Dinosaur.

But it’s fun and feels effortless. Is it hard to make is seem effortless?
No. But I don’t want to sound big headed because we do work very hard and there were long days that were stressful, but you can’t complain, it’s still sitting in a studio with your mates. It’s not really that much hard work. If we don’t really like a song it won’t get past the first ten minutes to get on the record. In that way it’s effortless. We’d be doing it anyway even if we weren’t successful. We wanted time off but after a couple of weeks it’s like, ‘well I don’t have any hobbies”.

As a PS, here's a video showing how lucky the Pro-tools generation are compared to the likes of the Beatles, as the band cover "Getting Better" on the original 4-track from the St Peppers recording.

As a PPS, the Press Associated reported this just a couple of days ago.

Andrew Bird flies into Amsterdam

2009-02-03T11:28:00.008+01:00

Andrew Bird's new album Noble Beast is a beauty and on the shelves as of yesterday in Europe. Following on from 2007's Armchair Apocrypha, Noble Beast loops and builds, intertwining melodies into pop-crescendos like an indie-symphony.
In Amsterdam for a show at De Duif and a press day, I caught up with the Chicagian about the record, riding bikes in Amsterdam and even get political, chatting about O-bomb taking the White House.
From: SPINearth.tv

For Amsterdammers wanting more on Andrew Bird, you can read my story on him in this month's Time Out, along with my interview with Kaiser Chiefs' Ricky Wilson and a CD review of Black Key's singer Dan Auerbach's solo record Keep It Hid. Or visit back here in a week or so and I will have posted them.

Hottest 100 2008

2009-01-27T11:52:00.006+01:00

As the largest music poll in the world Triple J's Hottest 100 is a listener-voted roll call of the previous year's stand out players, and this year garnered over 800,000 votes.
Now deeply entrenched in Australia Day celebrations on January 26, parties and BBQs happen all around the country and even overseas, tuned into the nation-wide radio station.
The countdown begins early and so too do the beers as flags are hoisted, singlets welcome a typical summer day and thongs are donned, not too mention bad Australia Day rub-on tattoos and far too many real Southern Cross tats.
Here in Amsterdam I didn't strip down so far.
I shall save you a list of 100 names, but here's the top ten. Can't say I completely agree but it's not bad and as I wasn't one of the 800,000 I shan't complain.
"Sex on Fire" is most definitely a massive tune. That said, The Ting Tings are a piece of shit. Good to see a few Aussie bands got in there, the likes of The Presets, Empire of the Sun, Drapht and Pez. That said, nice also to see that the Australian public have returned to voting for tunes they actually love, rather than the trend of voting for Australian songs just because it's Australia Day.

10. Jimmy Recard - Drapht
9. That's Not My Name - The Tings Tings
8. This Boy's In Love - The Presets
7. The Festival Song - Pez
6. Talk Like That - The Presets
5. Kids - MGMT
4. Walking on a Dream - Empire of the Sun
3. Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
2. Electric Feel - MGMT
1. Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon

of Montreal review

2009-01-22T11:47:00.005+01:00

From: Amsterdam Weekly Blog
Despite of Montreal's support act, Casiokids filling Paradiso's small hall back in December, the Norwegians began playing to a relatively empty room, but soon punters poured in. In the large hall their sound seemed more dense than in the smaller space upstairs and what started a little shaky built into a set with casios pumping out rave riffs, cowbells echoing The Rapture and indecipherable falsettos in their native tongue. They may not have won over the entire crowd but by the end, the hall was near full and moving as the band enjoyed every minute. As of Montreal's support all around Europe throughout January, 2009 could be a great year for Casiokids.

Having not seen of Montreal before, I expected a show not only full of campy flamboyance and grandeur but pomposity and perfectionism that artists like Kevin Barnes can sometimes carry as baggage. Perfectionism where ill-measured tempos are the cause of mid-song stoppages, where fans take too many camera-photos for his liking and "can I have more Guitar Three in Fold-back Four?" can ruin the show. Well to the first two; of flamboyance and grandeur, I say "and then some". But to pedantic on-stage tantrums over trivial shit the average punter won't hear, an apology is in order.

On the contrary, Barnes seemed humble with his stage presence, allowing a chaotic indie-arena spectacular to ensue around him. Admittedly, he's no wallflower, dressed to impress with costume changes and all the while displaying both vocal talents and persona, but the show was indeed bigger than him. With tripped-out animation on the projector screen, Guitarist Bryan Poole carrying the singed wings of the Angel of Death on his back and some pretty sweet white Raybans, a lion for a sound man and the most half-arsed interpretive dance troupe dressed as pigs, ninja mimes and gold Buddhas falling and swaying with piss-take and naff charm, in and out of the band members, there was plenty to look at.

As for rock n roll, the upbeat songs rolled into each other with only the slightest nod between the band, fuzzed out poptastic tunes one after another, most of which came from Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer and latest Skeletal Lamping. There was the indie-disco of "Id Engager" and "Suffer for Fashion" as stand outs that got the crowd moving, and the delightful "Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider" with its wonderful line 'To me you're just some faggy girl and I need a lover with soul power, you ain't got no soul power'.

In closing, modesty shone through again as, rather than doing their biggest hit, they opted for the biggest hit – a chaotically loud, balls to the wall version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit". While electronic beats took the place of the drum kit for half the show, on "Teen Spirit" the skins thundered down, Poole shredded and even keyboardist Dottie Alexander picked up the axe for a wall of fuzz – four guitars blazing. The audience were sent back to '91, crowd surfing and moshing with teen-abandon to embrace what probably 99% of us never witnessed in real life. While I've heard my unfair share of pub acts crucifying the classic it was the best damn cover band I could imagine, all the way to the final feedback and guitar throwing & catching schtick displayed by both Barnes and Poole (remember when Novoselic forgot to catch at 92s VMAs and it knocked him out, re-lived here by Novoselic himself.)
We’re only 22 days in so I might be counting my chickens'n all that but of Montreal are definitely in the front running for gig of the year.

If you missed the show catch them at the Tivoli at Utrecht tomorrow night or last night's show on the Fabchannel soon.

And to Matthew, apologies for ruining the surprise ending of the night but you asked for a review. Maybe in Glasgow they'll do "Lithium" or "the Degrassi theme".

of Montreal mySpace
Casiokids mySpace

of Montreal preview

2009-01-20T10:26:00.003+01:00

From: Amsterdam Weekly Blog
Slinky and camp indie-pop with a schizo-bent and a splash of glam, like Phoenix meets Beck circa Midnight Vultures and Ziggy Stardust, of Montreal are upbeat swingers who treat genres like a game of hopscotch, jumping here, jumping there. From whiney indie, Kevin Barnes and co including his alter-ego Georgie Fruit, will raise you up to chin-stroking baroque pop and dizzy disco before dropping you down to street-level with white-boy funk.

"Id Engager" from 2008's Skeletal Lamping

That said, they have an annoying name. Like you can't say "Have you heard of of Montreal" because your friend replies "Yeah, a city in Canada. PS you're stuttering". It doesn't help that they, like silverchair, mess with their typeset so that "of" is with a lower case "O" and doesn't even look like part of their name when you write it. Even more confusingly, of Montreal are not of Montreal, they are of Athens Georgia, home of R.E.M, of course.

of Montreal play Amsterdam's Paradiso tomorrow, 21 January and Utrecht's Tivoli on Friday 23 January. Support is by Norway's Casiokids so get there for 19.30. Entry is €12.50 + membership.

Sixer gets all the gigs

2009-01-16T13:26:00.005+01:00

My friend Bobby Six is a journo down in Australia, and while Amsterdam seems to be going through a winter dry spell (excluding the up'coming Of Montreal/Casiokids show), Sydney is awash with gigs, with more rock stars than you can poke a drumstick at.
Between all the New Years Eve parties, the Sydney Festival, Public Enemy and the Days Like This festival, the massive Big Day Out about to kick off, the Nick Cave curated ATP this weekend, it's a musical feast Down Under.

Over at bobbysix.com the Sixer has reviewed the recent Franz Ferdinand show with support by Red Riders and The Temper Trap, a Melbourne band with hype worth it's while. It seems too, that the Glaswegians are back on track.
And he makes me incredibly jealous with a review of the Dr Dog, Ash Grunwald, Gomez and Black Keys show at Luna Park... That's right, Gomez and Black Keys on the one stage – I'd give the Def Leppard drummer's right arm to see that gig. Anyway... have a read. I'll be praying the Pinkpop line up improves – can't say I'm beside myself for Depeche Mode, Placebo or The Kooks, well maybe for Depeche Mode – while hoping the Lowlands line up will be something to rub in those Aussie drongos' collective noses.

Stand Up (bass) and be counted

2009-01-13T09:21:00.004+01:00

There's only so long a music critic can sit around in his dressing gown and clog-slippers critiquing other people's work without feeling guilty for not contributing to the world himself... He begins to feel like a hypocrite. So as part of Time Out's January issue – "New Year A New You" theme, I learnt a new instrument – the double bass. I've wanted to have a crack at it for years. From a combined love of rockabilly like Stray Cats and The Living End to hiphop like The Roots and the genre-bending weirdness of Soul Coughing, the double bass has always sparked my interest. I think I should stick to critiquing... I wasn't as cool as Lee Rocker here, that's for sure.

From: Time Out
It’s a guilty pleasure, my love for the cartoonish subculture of rockabilly, typified by the Stray Cats with their high hair and brothel creepers and of course the double bass. Undeniably cool, the double bass is at home within soulful hip-hop, smooth jazz, trembling orchestra and, of course, thumping rockabilly. After years of sitting behind a drum kit, it’s time for me to stand up and swing with the object of my affection.
Koen Nutters, Conservatorium van Amsterdam graduate has been exploring the outer limits of the double bass for some 12 years now but, for my benefit, he goes back to the start. A demonstration sees his hand run up and down the neck, his four fingers moving so quickly they blur into eight. The sound is smooth and pure, with an organic resonance that's absent in the more common electric bass.
Alas, what was a noble beast in Koen’s hands is a cumbersome monster in mine. His hundred-year-old instrument stands a foot taller than me; holding it I’m immediately little and lost. My strumming fingers pluck feebly while my left hand has dexterity issues. Koen dispenses tips to rein it in; thumb here, digits wide, ring finger aids the pinky. If I continue with the lessons I can to expect calluses and painful fingertips, especially with the heavy finger-plucking necessary for rockabilly.
Eventually the scales tip in my favour and I find my groove – not the rumbling roll or jazzy cool that my specially selected hat suggests, more like a tightrope walker rushing to complete every step on the wire – but a groove nonetheless.
Mainly it’s bum notes, hissing and whining punctuated with occasional purrs and growls. A Stray Cat I may not yet be, but maybe one day I’ll rock this town, rock it inside out.

Speak n Spell

2009-01-12T10:52:00.008+01:00

I stopped using myspace for all the old pedophiles requesting pictures of me nude – "more back hair" they demanded, but nah-huh I wouldn't give it to them. Well I signed in today and something caught my eye, something that turned me on more than old men. A Speak n Spell mix on imeem. What's one more profile/account/presence/thingy after signing up all over the place, so I got me an imeem account. Still don't know what I can do with it but I get to listen to these songs which is nice.
Anyway, Speak n Spell are a label from Australia who's A&R peeps have the best taste in the biz when it comes to indie. I'm talking Midlake, The Walkmen, The Horrors (before some major stole 'em), Dandy Warhols, The Mystery jets, The Datsuns, The Black Lips, The Dears, Lo-Fi Fink, My Latest Novel, The Duke Spirit and the Great Lake Swimmers plus Antipodean acts like Dappled Cities, Cut Off Your Hands, Die Die Die and plenty more. Logging into myspace I discovered they'd put together this little mix. Good for them. I hope you enjoy.

Speak n Spell

What's Diplo up to in '09

2009-01-09T15:56:00.002+01:00

I recently got the chance to speak with Diplo backstage at Amsterdam's Paradiso for Spin's new online portal, Spinearth.tv. We chatted about all matter of things; his new project Major Laser, Netherlands ghetto music and 'philanthroperising' among other fascinating topics.

From: Spinearth.tv
Philadelphia party maestro, Diplo’s show at the Paradiso on Friday 5 December was one for the books with support by local Genesis crew the Beesmunt Soundsystem, Roger 72 and The Walk. Occupying the venue’s Grote Zaal when I looked around the hall it felt like an old school rave, a scene the Paradiso was intrinsic in back in the late 80s. But at the same time I got an insight into what Diplo’s infamous Philly Hollertronix parties were all about earlier this century – an eclectic mix of party jams where anything goes with the whole crowd waiting on the edge of their dancing shoes for the next tune – would it make complete sense in the mix or hit you from left field? Teamed with Casiokids and Yacht in the small room earlier and it was the best night out I've had in ages.

Ticketmaster & Slave

2009-01-08T15:49:00.001+01:00

From: Amsterdam Weekly
Recently trip-hop pioneer Tricky played at Paradiso. His recently released album had reinvigorated my interest, so I rushed to an outlet and bought two tickets. Somehow I'd spent $64.90 (without beer or T-shirt) before he took the stage. How's that? Well, two times tickets ($52), two times service costs ($6.90), two times Paradiso monthly memberships ($6). Simply gig-going is getting more expensive, and it's not due to egotistical rock stars or diminishing record sales. The add-on costs are spiralling out of control.
The quickest add-on to excuse is the membership both Paradiso and Melkweg require; either $3 monthly or $18 annually (which allows discounts and deals that a monthly member doesn't get). Melkweg's Marketing Manager Jon Heemsbergen explains, 'It's a multi-disciplinary, cultural centre. Melkweg theatre, cinema, gallery and media room are small-sized rooms. It's not possible to gain profit here. A small part of our income, nine per cent, is subsidised by the municipality of Amsterdam. Because of the membership regulation, Melkweg is able to do what we do for all our customers.'
Service charges are more complicated. 'If you buy a ticket on the night of the show we don't charge any service costs,' says Heemsbergen. 'In advance at Melkweg box office, we charge $1.50-$2.50 per ticket. If you buy a ticket [through Ticket Service] it will cost you a little more, but you actually pay for the guarantee to get in.' But shouldn't the purchase of a ticket be guarantee enough? Is it a chargeable privilege to buy your ticket in advance?
Event companies and venues like Paradiso and Melkweg pay leading ticketing distributor Ticket Service (Ticketmaster internationally) to sell their tickets. Ticket Service also takes a fee from the customer on a sliding scale based on the purchase amount, rather than its processing cost, because, as Peter van Ruijven, General Manager of Ticket Service Netherlands says, 'You can't put our standard fee on low prices, so we invented the relation with the ticket price.'
Had I bought my $26 ticket online I'd have paid a $4.15 service charge instead of $3.45 from the outlet. I'd also have paid $1.06 to receive my ticket as a PDF document in my inbox, or in the post. However, a ticket to the delightfully named Fuck Buttons this week for $12.50 will have a $3.55 online service charge and $0.56 delivery fee. This sliding rate in delivery fee, Van Ruijven says, is due to 'dealing with software licensing costs'.
Why do I pay two service charges by Ticket Service when I buy the two tickets as one service? 'All our costs are related to one sold ticket.' And why can't I buy tickets to more than one event in one purchase, thus reducing charges? Van Ruijven says they're working on it. 'Perhaps in time.'
'When we chose Ticket Service they were the biggest and best distribution network physically and that was important to us,' says Jeanine Albronda, Head of Publicity and Marketing at Paradiso. 'Both Melkweg and Paradiso are experimenting with online companies that are cheaper than Ticket Service for e-ticketing. They offer different ways of charging the customers. The fee systems are very important because that affects our customers, and that's who we work for.' So should Ticket Service be worried? 'They didn't have competition and now they do. It's easy to see that they should be worried. We're watching what they'll do and how they'll respond.'
A relatively new avenue for event companies and venues such as Sugar Factory is Paylogic. Commercial Director Jan Willen van der Meer says, 'We charge a fee of $1.95 per transaction to the event company, not the consumer. This is our sole income. It's up to the event company what they want to do with that fee. They might include it in the ticket price, add it as a service charge or even inflate that service charge.' The big difference to consumers is only one booking fee whether you buy one or multiple tickets, and there's no charge for sending a PDF. Should you fear the internet, you can buy tickets from Primera, with a $3 booking fee.
So should we boycott Ticketmaster over service charges like Pearl Jam did in 1994? The effort by the band was appreciated but resulted in few gigs in the US over the next three years, and we'd like to see a show before 2011.
There are no great alternatives-- at least while online companies fight for position in the market. To see a band whose ticket is available through Ticket Service, van Ruijven says the best way is via an outlet store, paying cash. Otherwise you could pin your hopes on lastminuteticketshop.nl for half-price tickets on the day, or hope it doesn't sell out and buy your tickets on the door. But that's risky, and you may face a scalper's wrath. It's a tricky business.

Backstage with Casiokids

2009-01-07T11:19:00.003+01:00

A few weeks ago I chatted with Norway's fun-lovin' Casiokids backstage at the Paradiso for SPIN Magazine's new online community, Spin Earth – check it out, with correspondents all over the world, it's a global network of exclusive music videos, interviews, performances and general band shenanigans. Fully sick.
Casiokids return to the Paradiso on January 21 and Utrecht’s Tivoli on January 23 supporting Of Montreal.

If superman dug electro-pop he’d probably chill at his icey pad, the Fortress of Solitude to Norway’s Casiokids. The chiming, synth-soaked tunes, sparse and echoed, would sound great amongst his acoustics of ice and crystal. The ethereal vocals, all in Norwegian, would shimmer and dance on every icicle.
At Amsterdam’s Paradiso, these five boys from Bergen entertained a dancing crowd in the kleine zaal with plenty of instrument-swapping and DIY abandon, a fun mix of electro-pop and afro-beat, like Royksopp meets Vampire Weekend, Cut Copy and Liquid Liquid, all with a Scandinavian charm and a touch of innocence through tunes like “Gront lys i alle ledd”, "Fot i hose” and “Verdens storste land”.
Chatting to the band afterwards their charm isn’t just in their music, happy to share stories, laughs and beers as we move through the maze of Paradiso’s backstage corridors.

The Sounds of Science

2009-01-05T10:43:00.005+01:00

In this month's issue of Time Out Amsterdam I wrote a piece on the city's experimental music scene and the international artists it attracts. Below is a video from concert series DNK Amsterdam featuring Paul Hubweber and DJ Sniff.

From: Time Out
Amsterdam’s musical underbelly is full of sonic surprises, but can Colin Delaney decipher the sounds from the silence?

There’s an old episode of The Muppet Show where guest Whoopi Goldberg plays pitch-perfect music by striking glass water bottles filled to different levels, explaining to Kermit she was taught by experimental musician Philip Glass—or ‘Fill up Glass’, as she pronounced it. Experimental music, like the joke, makes sense in performance, but it’s kind of lost in translation.
So for the new year I decided to push myself past the hook-laden melodies that soundtrack my everyday life and venture into Amsterdam’s experimental music world.
Compared to other music scenes in town, to say the experimental scene is bustling might be a stretch but Seamus Cater, co-founder of DNK Amsterdam, a weekly experimental concert series held Monday nights at the SMART Project Space, says the scene compares well on the world experimental stage while DNK is the city’s main live platform for artists to perform their work.
My visit to the SMART sees Dutch flutist/composer Antoine Beuger perform his classical minimalist piece ‘Meinong nonets, 2005’ comprising of quiet, intermittent drones from various instruments. Tonight they are Beuger’s flute and members from the DNK Ensemble on double bass, trombone, harmonica, cello, a second flute and a clarinet.
After 45 minutes of the musical equivalent of a staring competition and a solo from an inconsiderate audience-member’s polyphonic ringtone the only word I can muster is ‘intense’. So I ask for emotional guidance from Cater, harmonica player in the DNK Ensemble.
‘It depends how you’re feeling on the night,’ he says. ‘It could be anything from profoundly moving and relaxing to a prison sentence of extreme discomfort, both of which would have been a lift from the everyday. I haven’t played music where I was so conscious of my breath before. It was a very meditative work.’
The late John Cage coined the term ‘experimental music’ in 1955, defining it as music with an unforseen outcome. His famous piece, 4’33”, which consists of three movements of silence, is often held up as the quintessential example of the genre: not a single note is played by any instrument, but the time allotted for the piece, four minutes and 33 seconds, is filled by chance sounds from outside the performance area… likely to include someone yelling ‘get on with it’.
To continue down Cage’s silent path 54 years on wouldn’t be too experimental. DNK aims to demonstrate the limitless nature of music while nurturing the local scene through artists-in-residence at Amsterdam’s STEIM (Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music) and students of the Den Haag Royal Conservatory of Music’s Sonology Institute; both of which explore techniques and tools of electronic and art music.
DNK also host sound installations, international performers and open nights for locals who’ve been twiddling away in bedrooms.
‘Often we have performers who play found or self-made objects,’ says Cater.
Building home-made instruments to create leftfield music in studios they call ‘labs’, sonology students and the experimental scene may be deemed impenetrably nerdy by mainstream pop, the musical control that’s equally scientific: studied, calculated yet cultured in a petri dish.
However, as Cater says, ‘while the experimental often feeds the mainstream’ – scenes like DNK and artists like Cage, Glass, Yoko Ono and Velvet Underground’s John Cale feeding Kraftwerk, The Avalanches and Radiohead, in turn influencing chart toppers like Timbaland and Coldplay – ‘it doesn’t have to lose its original integrity or intention.’
Still, you wonder if they’ve ever let it all go to simply, ‘Blame It On The Boogie’. Whatever the answer, experimental music doesn’t translate on paper but makes sense with a beer in hand and equally inquisitive music fans eager to talk shop. Best to experience it yourself.

Flamenco Metal: Rodrigo Y Gabriela

2008-12-29T16:20:00.008+01:00

From: Amsterdam Weekly
Rising from the ashes of small-time Mexican metal band Tierra Acida, Rodrigo Y Gabriela are an acoustic guitar duo that may just make your parents interested in the finer works of Slayer and Cannibal Corpse.
Their unique style developed from time as modern day mariachi, busking on the streets of Mexico and Ireland, combine elements of metal, tradition flamenco and elegant classical guitar. In Ireland, with busking peers like Damien Rice, the duo soon went from the streets to cafes and galleries and onwards to the international stages of London’s Hammersmith Apollo and the WOMAD festival circuit.
On stage, the workload between the two is divided equally. Rodrigo noodles through high-speed solos and ethereal yet technical finger picking while Gabriela’s heavily percussive rhythmic style pays as much respect to Latin guitar as to metal’s finest rhythm sections (think of Lars Urlich and Cliff Burton as you listen Rod and Gab’s interpretation of Metallica’s “Orion”).
The composition of originals like “Vikingman” and “Juan Loco” switch from Latin grooves to “Flight Of The Bumblebee” ferocity, while “Tamacun” is like the soundtrack to a Columbian drug lord car chase, but the real crowd-pleasers come from the inventiveness of their covers.
Live, the duo are seated and spotlighted while the crowd, black-clad metal heads with their hair pony-tailed for the occasion, world music hippies and all guitar lovers in between assist in sing-a-longs to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven”.
Whether fans knew the duo through their eponymous studio album Rodrigo Y Gabriela or via live recordings, they could rest assured that on the night the meticulous compositions aren’t ruined by ego-ridden improvisation. “Our solos are exactly what’s on the record” the duo insists. “As a metal fan and guitarist you always want to hear the same fucking solo!”