Tag Archive for "Chew Lips" - The Recommender

HOW GOOD IS THIS!!!??? – NUMBER 27

THE GREAT ESCAPE – REVIEW – DAY TWO

It’s just impossible to catch each and every band that’s on the lengthy schedule. Sadly, there are plenty of great acts that have times that clash and even working out the logistics of getting between all the venues is a task in itself. Still, yet another mind-numbingly exciting day was had by us all for day two…

1.) WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS

Experience- And so we begin again at The Honey Club for today and immediately the phrase “start as you mean to go on” comes to mind, but frankly it would be nigh on impossible for us to maintain the standards we witnessed with this band’s performance! This Scottish 4-piece blew away any cobwebs gathered by the previous nights partying. My expectations were high having heard the handful of tracks available from them, but they surpassed them with ease. The raw energy that chimes out from their outstanding power-Indie is exceptional. Particularly impressive was the voice of frontman, Adam Thompson , especially on Ships With Holes Will Sink. Stunning.

BEST TRACK – SHIPS WITH HOLES WILL SINK (ysi)

2.) TEMPER TRAP

Experience- Possibly having travelled the farthest of all the acts on show this weekend, the Melbourne 4-piece were deserving of our attention. Playing straight after the energetic We Were Promised Jetpacks at the same venue, they had a task on their hands, but they burst straight into it. Playing live they had a thunderous beat and a louder sound than expected, particularly from what we’ve previously heard on their Myspace. The trademark sailing, whirlwind of echoing guitars soared high and the confident vocals from frontman Dougy tied up an entertaining set. The clear highlight was their best track to date, Sweet Disposition, as it’s U2-like riffs had us all hypnotized.

BEST TRACK – SWEET DISPOSITION (ysi)

3.) CHEW LIPS

Experience - Having missed them at The Hope the previous evening our appetite for this Camden 3-piece was even greater. We braved the pouring rain and driving coastal winds to race over to the Audio venue to catch them. We were to witness two examples of true star quality in the bands tonight and frontwoman, Tiggs, was the first of these. Climbing the amps, posing for the cameras and bouncing around the stage, in way not seen since Lovefoxxx, she stole the show. Closing on the excellent tune, Solo, this was a performance that left everyone in the venue with a positive, broad smile on their faces. Contagiously brilliant.

BEST TRACK – SOLO (ysi)

4.) MASTER SHORTIE

Experience- Lesson number two in star quality was immediately upon us around the corner as this South London MC launched himself onstage. What a talent this fella proved to be. He’s got the image, the energy, bags of confidence and perhaps most importantly true crossover appeal. Indie kids will love the guitars and hooks and singalong chorus’ and fans of Hip Hop will enjoy the rapid-fire lyrical assault that he spits out so well. His energy and enthusiasm was infectious. There was plenty of engaging the audience between songs, showing us a young man truly at ease on stage. He even got warm up act, RIZ MC, back on stage to improvise some lyrics, providing us with a genuinely special touch. Electric.

BEST TRACK – DEAD END (ysi)

5.) METRONOMY

Experience- We’ve never caught the Brighton adoptees live before. There’s always been something that’s got in the way, so it was with relief and marked delight that we finally had a chance to see their famous show tonight. In the weekend’s biggest venue so far, at the Corn Exchange, we witnessed them blast out their inventive pop to a packed house. Following the recent departure of bassist Gabriel Stebbing to the band Your Twenties, we met with with the new bassist and female drummer. The dance moves they’re famous for were absent, so perhaps they need to rehearse some more before they work new ones out. Otherwise, the songs still stood tall and the crowd’s love affair was still very much in evidence.

BEST TRACK – A THING FOR ME (ysi)

We watched the second half of Metronomy, alongside Neil from the band Club Smith, who explained how he once supported them way back when they were brand new. It brought into perspective how bands can grow from the tiny beginnings we are witnessing all over town this weekend to the heavy hitters that we saw in Metronomy tonight. On our way home we bumped into Tim, lead singer for the Brighton band Maths Class, who informed us that they’re playing a secret gig at The Hope pub at 1pm Saturday and so we depart from tonight in the knowledge that the next day already guarantees more exciting entertainment.
Mike

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Published: May 16th, 2009
Author: The Recommender
Category: ALT.REC.
Tags: A Thing For Me, Chew Lips, Day 2, Dead End, Great Escape, Master Shortie, Metronomy, Ships With Holes Will Sink, Solo, Sweet Disposition, We Were Promised Jetpacks

THE RECOMMENDER – NUMBER 33

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Thanks to all those readers/subscribers from the USA for responding to our requests for a new contributor to this blog. The gates are still open as we review the efforts. No decisions will be made for a few weeks yet, so if you haven’t yet let us know your interest then email us at – therecommenderblog@gmail.com. Good luck…

WAVE MACHINES

Making waves are precisely what this Liverpool 4-piece are currently doing. The vertiable tsunami they travel with swiftly crashed into Brighton’s shoreline recently as they were playing a support slot for the excellent We Have Band. We went along to catch the show and what a shockingly fantastic set it turned out to be! So often the support acts are found playing to an empty room with little atmosphere and are uncomfortably positioned as fluffers to the main act. Well not in this case. They stood tall and had us mesmerised from the very start. Having met up with them afterwards, mainly to thank them and to extol just what an impression they had made on us, we can confirm they are friendly, enjoyable fellas in person too. Their sound is totally addictive. On track ‘Keep The Lights On‘ you will find them switching from verses sung with the hope removed “Leave and lead yourself astray, tell yourself that everythings OK“, to choruses that are sung with a beautiful higher pitch and a shift in optimism “If I get up I’ll hold your hand“. It has the chopping changes that you would locate in a Beck tune, the breezy, under-your-skin cinematic quality of Roxy Music, and a little Lo-Fi Funk that Prince would embrace! This is one wave you definitely have to catch…

Find them here: Myspace

Hear them here : WAVE MACHINES – KEEP THE LIGHTS ON (ysi)

THE BRUTE CHORUS

This London 4-piece come packaged with an awesome energy, but be warned it’s like being lured into a dark alley by Fagan, but should you fall for the spell you will find that you are well rewarded. Described as Alternative-Garage-Folk goes part of the way when explaining their sound, but they really aren’t quite like anything you already know. If you ever wondered what Jack White from The White Stripes would be like if he joined The Pogues then check them out. The real star of the show here is frontman James, who bounces about their live shows like a coiled spring that’s waited one hundred years to be released. He is a talented guitarist and stylish wordsmith, story telling each song in a gypsy dance. It’s a little Gogol Bordello to watch, without the unnecessary madness and terrible clothing. There’s harmonicas, rumbling drums, a chanting rhythmic bass and even a Kazzoo on tracks like ‘The Ransom’. Now that’s brave. It all works though and is a loose and refreshingly wild construction, which perhaps becomes more loveable when seen live. We also list a video of frontman James playing a fun, impromptu song of theirs in a room in their rehearsal flat, with additional vocals from the excellent frontwoman, Tigs, from the band Chew Lips (who we blogged about previously here). Enjoy.

Find them here: Myspace

Here them here: THE BRUTE CHORUS – THE CUCKOO AND THE STOLEN HEART (ft TIGS) (ysi)

MATT & KIM

If you find this Brooklyn pair not to your liking then you simply aren’t in touch with your inner-child anymore. They’re now two albums in, following their second release, ‘Grand‘, back in January 2009. They manage to produce a simple, foot-tapping sound that teens across the globe have subsequently embraced en masse. It’s lively and packed full of fun. Kim Schifino rattles the drums, whilst Matt Johnson leads the vocals and bouncing keyboards. It’s a little wild and untamed, but all the more amicable for it’s loose, catchy goodness that never takes itself too seriously. Originally releasing their debut material through the super-cool Iheartcomix label, owned by none other than Franki Chan, they are now located on the Fader label. Their DIY approach to their music and the wide use of social networking sites, makes them a true band for the Noughties and all the more approachable for it. We are also linking their amazing, but totally shocking video (in more ways than one – you have to watch it right to the very end!) to the tune ‘Lessons Learned‘.

Find them here: Myspace

Hear them here: MATT & KIM – LESSONS LEARNED (ysi)

So that’s it for another edition. A right mix of sounds and tastes as always. Let us know any thoughts, reactions, messages or useful links in the comments section.
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