"Drinking in the Fear & the Fluoride!"

TALLY HO!

I’m now writing out my blogs from my University room in the student village, at UCCA Farnham, so now I’m out of the workplace, these blogs should start becoming more regular. From now on I’ll have a midweek blog based on just general songs that I’ve been listening to and an older track that’s touched me over the years that I think needs a special mention. It’s sort of going to be like Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show; where you get some new music, a ‘Hottest Track in the World Today’ section and some recommended oldies by a band (but in this instance the band will just be lil’ old me). Then something which should be coming on either Thursday 31st or Friday 1st, I haven’t decided yet; but it will be about my top ten tracks of the last month, these will generally be songs that have received a lot of radio play or songs that have been released in that month.

Moving onwards and upwards, I’ve added my blog to Topbloglist.com, so if you fancy giving me a vote and think I deserve a bit more exposure in the world, then above there’s a link and then follow the little instruction when you’ve clicked the link, Ich danke Ihnen vielmals. Random, but oh well, if you don’t know what that means, then it’s usually followed by someone saying ‘you’re welcome!’

Crikey! There’s not been much humour in this blog so far, it’s been more like some sort of lecture about health and safety! Oh and another thing, when I got back to my university flat room, I found a nice welcoming letter from the TV Licensing people saying that I haven’t declared whether or not I have a TV in my room. I think it’s amazing! We are given flats by the Student Accommodation Office with phones that aren’t allowed outgoing calls except for the Emergency Services. Then we’re expected to ring the TV Licensing people from our mobiles and spend 2 hours on the phone to a ‘0800’ number! Sod off! Apparently I’ve been given an official warning and that inspecting officers are coming round to inspect my premises. They can search all you bloody well want; they won’t be finding a bloody TV. What a waste of tax payers money and Government time, inspecting Student Residencies, how about the hundreds of thousands of people who commit fraud in this country that don’t pay TV Licensing.

Dead Kids – ‘Modern Day Bums’

Dead Kids are a four piece band from London, who rose from the ashes of Sona Fariq back in 2004. They mix solid lyrics about everyday life, the things everyone knows about, but rarely talks about. Then they add some spicy keyboarding and blast it apart with a beautifully choreographed guitarist and tornado drums. I’ve found a really pointless way of describing their tracks in a single moment of a person’s life, I don’t care if it sounds stupid, but anyone who has experienced it will know exactly what I mean. You know when you’re on the train home from a hard days’ work, or a long day out up town maybe, your very tired and your eyelids keep opening and closing like the ticking of a clock; suddenly as you open your eyes as you gaze through the window, a train hurtles past the window at the speed of light on the opposite rail.
It’s a moment that: a) wakes you up and makes you pay immediate attention, b) rocks the train to the sound of thunder, and c) scares the living daylights out of you. They released ‘Fear & Fluoride’ on 26th Nov last year on limited 7”; it’s a song about the government poisoning the River Thames with Fluoride and everyone becoming zombies. It is supposed to be a joke, but it’s also about questioning everything about everything in daily life; not to get up tight about it, make a protest and sign an internet petition about it, but just to question things every now and again.
Lead singer Mike, was interviewed by contactmusic.com back in the summer last year about the bands upcoming tour and the release of Fear of Fluoride, it was a very typical interview that wouldn’t really be noticed, but still I stuck with it at the end and found the best summary of the current UK scene. He was asked how his band was received in Europe and he said “well”, but it was his comment about the differences between how music is received over here to in mainland Europe that struck me most. “The thing is in Europe people just embrace everything, whereas here people are a bit more like fold your arms and they wanna be told that it's good”.
It amazes me how we go along with what the record labels want us to go along it, but it’s the bands themselves who can see that it’s all about what the industry wants, and not what the punters want.
I first discovered them at a gig back in August last year, they supported Hadouken! at the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts) in London.

I was in a room full of no more than 200 people, and a stage without barriers, already highly influenced by 5 bottles of Tesco’s cheap French beer, and 2 pints of Carling, so you could say I was pretty darn merry. They strolled on stage, full of confidence and got straight into their songs, I obviously can’t remember the order they were played in, or after the night remember any of the words, but I do remember the complete onslaught of a Stage Invasion where around 20-30 people massed the stage (including myself, I’m the one with my hands in the air in the picture below) to join the frenzy. Only once since, have I enjoyed the low key support as much as the headlining act. At first I thought it was, because maybe I was pretty pissed, but after giving their tracks a decent listen the week after the gig, and I shall be seeing them live this Friday along with next weeks’ band that I’ll be talking about; so I shall hopefully have some decent pictures’ and be able to add them next week.

If you’ve stuck with me on this blog and are still reading intensively as if you were Kerry Katona on an Iceland ad, then I seriously recommend ‘Dead Kids’, go and see them, buy their music, download it illegally and put it on your iPod, whatever, just listen you fools.

http://www.myspace.com/wearedeadkids

Track of the Week

This week I’ve gone for the upcoming surprise act of 2008 so far, ‘Lightspeed Champion’, is a UK Indie Folk artist named ‘Devonte Hynes’. He gained popularity over MySpace and his blog site, where he recorded an entire Killers cover album. So far he hasn’t been very commercially successful, with his first single ‘Galaxy from the Lost from his debut album ‘Falling off the Lavender Bridge’ never gained a top 100 UK chart position. A even with his recent exposure in NME this week, where they have cited his album “the best album they’ve heard all year”, it has still not managed to break into the top 40 from its release on 21st January last week. Despite this I feel since discovering Lightspeed Champion, I have found his poetical lyrical talents fused with his unique acoustic guitar rhythm really make him stand out in the crowd amongst some of the best new Indie Folk bands and artists like Noah & The Whale. His most recent single ‘Tell Me What It’s Worth’ is a story about everyday abuse people get whether it is racial, sexual or for their personalities or appearance. The lyrics are powerful and you get the impression he wants to cement them into your soul as he bellows into the chorus; along with the unique sound of Hynes plucking the strings, makes the track all the more poetic. It’s definitely one of the best songs that I’ve heard so far this year, I seriously recommend a listen; it could brighten up anyone’s bad day!

Video of the Week

My video of the week this time around just has to be ‘Diamond Hoo Ha Man’ by Supergrass, the first single from their upcoming album ‘Diamond Hoo Ha’ that was released on 14th January 2008 as a 7” only limited to 1,500 copies. The video is just quality, it has a variety of shots of the band playing live as they attempt to play the role of imaginary band Diamond Hoo Ha Men. The other shots of the video are just so pointless they eclipse to the point of genius, as the band arse about in different locations, and playing up to the warped rounded camera lens, you know, when a camera lens is rounded and it makes your head look 4x bigger than it really is. I think it’s just brilliant.



Anyway I shall speak to you in the week with this whole new bloggish format that I’ll be doing.
Oh and I’ve been lucky enough to get tickets to the new series of The Album Chart Show tonight (28th Jan) at the Koko, which should be aired on Friday and Saturday night this week on Channel 4, so I’m hoping to get on TV for the first time in my life :D. I shall post a link to my Flickr account for you to look at the gig pictures. So far there are still two unconfirmed acts playing, but confirmed are ‘The Feeling’, ‘Scouting for Girls’, and ‘Envy and Other Sins’, they were the band that won the Mobile Unsigned Acts show on T4. Should be a good laugh, speak to you soon!

Disco Punk, Electro Funk!

Howdy, Y'all! Hope everyone, if anyone, who is reading this is not currently sitting at a laptop in their boxers at 3:35am GMT and scratching their arses. Moving on. Week three of most eegerly aticipated block of writing since a 10 year old boy got on a flying lump of wood, to catch some goldon balls!

I've made some changes to the Blog in terms of COLOUR and, and and THINGS; I am now speaking to you in the form of green text, yes that funny colour that seems to resemble everything slightly odd in this world. Jim Carey in spandex, Kermit the Frog, and certain parts of the Welsh National Flag. It's a joke if you hadn't already guessed...
There is now a THING called a poll, its generally this question that could have a universal answer, but I'm a strong believer of 'Representative Democracy' and I thought I'd choose some albums for you. You don't have to vote, but I swear if you click vote it won't take you to another site that encourages you to buy a fancy credit card where one side has a curved edge to be different, or try and tell you your penis is too small by waving massive 12" dongs in your face, then demand you sign up to gain access to a life time supply of enlargement pills that, as a side effect give your left eye a slight twitch.
I've spent the past week eyeing up the competition, other music blogs from the average teenage git, and those ad revenue music company people. You know the ones, the ones where you when it loads up, you enter a whole new world of bullshit in front of your eyes, and you know that any moment a homing pigeon will enter through your window and start singing the Spice Girls in Japanese.
However, enough with the jokes and the showing off, down to some serious HARDCORE MUSIC STUDY, with a library of notes on the pitch of an Alex Turner riff.
I'm quite fond of Amy Winehouse's new haircut would you believe it, at first I thought it was some crazy publicity stunt to secure yet another album in the top 10 for 2008. But I've finally seen the light, shes going to audition for Corrie, as there's now a vacancy for an old cow with a wig. Remember these are just jokes, there no need to phone the RSPCA.

The Tigerpicks... Disco never sounded so Glamorous!

My band of choice this week are 'The Tigerpicks'. They are a three-piece electroeyo, popishy, not so hardcore ravers sort of set up from Manchester, who draw them influences from the Yeah Yeah Yeahhs and Tori Amos. I believe I mentioned them in my last blog when I was talking about The Ting Tings. I wasn't intending to write on them, but last night during my orduous 90minute walk from work home to my bed, I spent maybe 20 minutes with my iPod on full blast in complete extecy to. They chosen to make up stage names for themselves that for me just make them all the more worthwhile; "Ice Cat" (Emma Leatherbarrow) and "Queen of Sheba" (Frankie Ross) are the two female singers, and I particularly like the name they chose for the lad on synths, "Disco Hitler" (Martyn Anderson), I don't need to say anymore, thats just a downright class name.
Last year they were signed to new major record label Deltasonic founded in 2000, which is 49% owned by Sony and based in Liverpool. It's responsible for signing mostly local talent from the Liverpool/Manchester area, that includes The Dead 60s, The Little Flames, The Coral and The Zutons amougst others such as Arctic Monkeys' The Rascals, who are a hot tip for 2008. This sounds all rather quaint and dandy, but were they signed for good reason?
I came across the band by chance when listening to () choice for December, and was hooked within minutes, after playing them rather a bit too much over the new year period, I discounted them as maybe just a phase I was going through, a bit like Panic! At the Disco, one of those things that quickly passes!

However when listening to them on Saturday night for that 20minute period, alone in the world with my earphones planted deep in those holes on the side of my head, I opened up to their razor sharp swagger and fun, but also at times, undismissive professionalism. They have been in the business 5 minutes, but sound like a suprise chart topper. They arn't ahead of the times, they arn't behind the times, I don't think they are even with the times, they seem to be on a completely different planet to the rest of us. The NME regards them to be "Gossip gone electro", but I'd go hammer and tongs to say that even Tahita Bulmer could not add more fun to this band.
The first song I heard was 'Disco Punk Electro Punk', hense the name of the blog people! They released it as a single on 14th May last year, but it went almost unnoticed, and I'd love to know why. As soon as the chorus began about 15 seconds into he song, I started to turn my speakers up, and generally when I find a song I like and there's a free house, i could wake badgers from hibernation. If this song fails to make you smile, then I suggest an overdose of plus tablets or many many hapy pills! I've sat here now for 5 minutes trying to think of words to describe the originality of this song. It embodies the glamour and class of Harvey Nicholls, but also the cheek and simplicity of Primark. Yep, I've just compared a song to Primark, maybe it is a bit late at night. It's just simply a Song you have to listen to, and if you check out the CD Artwork that appears in their MySpace pictures then you'll have some idea of the craziness of the tune.
A certain future single lurks in 'Guerilla', the bass and lyrics mould the song into an unstoppable feet tapper, that I could listen to all day.
I've not heard them live yet, or been to see them because of their album recordings at present, but once they get back on the road, I'll be heading up to London to make a hasty appearance.

Track of the Week

It's taken more than 10 year of solid hard graft and endless performances nationwide to break into the mainstream, but at the fourth album attempt of trying 'Biffy Clyro' last year recieved the attention they've always deserved. 'Who's Got a Match' is a bloody great song! 'Mon The Biffy!

Video of the Week

I've struggled to find a recent video this week, so I thought I'd share a personal favourite from last year. It's not a music video as such, more of a mini documentary. 'Behind The Enemy Lines' is the story of The Enemy from Feb 06 - Feb 07 told by the lads themselves. It's probably one of the best mini band videos I've ever seen, so if anyone is watching then, seriously take a look, really is worth it!

WTF is 'Two Thousand & Gr8'?

Hello to anyone who read my last blog or anyone who has just started reading!

The amazing longness of my work shifts at Pizza Hut this week, has allowed me to post this blog slightly later than planned, but whos fussed cos i wanted it to be posted on a monday anyway! Anyway week two of this blog will be looking at the year of musick ahead, who deserves to be number one and who deserves to be shown the toilet venues. I'm going to place my 'track of the week' and 'video of the week' on each blog from now on aswel so be sure to check them out!

Since the new year has rung in, many times i've heard the term being used 'Two Thousand & Gr8' to describe 2008, including Russell Brand, Chris Moyles and Christian O'Connell, can I ask those why this is so! Seriously though what makes a year ending in the number '8' so special? I mean France won the World Cup in 1998, where exactly is the greatness in that?
Surely 2007 was bloddy good enough in terms of the music. 2007 was possibly the most exciting year in British music since Oasis - Definately Maybe' back in 1994. We saw the re unions of the likes of the Sex Pistols, The Rolling Stones and new released music from The Eagles, Status Quo and new singles from Queen and Oasis. As well as revival of Ska and typical British rock 'n' roll with The Enemy and Pigeon Detectives. Not to mention the so called 'Nu Rave' scene exploding with the Klaxons, Hadouken!, New Youn Pony Club, The Sunshine Underground, Ghost Frequency and many others making a noticeable impact in the charts and on the road.
Its becoming the trend now that new bands come along like new fragrances of purfume, who all play the same kind of musick, but somehow all have different meanings.
As soon as the Klaxons shot to fame early last year, everyone has wanted to shove a keyboard on their set because its the in-thing to do. I think The Wombats tried to make a mockery about the whole situation when they started using a £20 children's keyboard from Toys 'R' Us for acoustic versions of their songs, and it sounds just as effective as a £1000 Roland beast. I mean the singles charts are still full of bullshit this week, so no changes there, and the album chart still tells the full story of UK Music with Radiohead fully deserving their number one for 'Rainbows'.

Basically if '200ngr8' turns out to be a better musical year than 2007, I will eat horse shit thats been runover into the tarmac and dried out over a couple of days and has maggot eggs in it.

The Ting Tings... So cool they named themselves Twice!

Onto topic numero deux... those slightly mad but very intresting former three piece 'Dear Eskimo' reinventing themselves as two-pieces Manchester duo 'The Ting Tings'. Lyrically they could rival the querky anecdotes of Avril Lavigne and musically they could burn holes in gold plated roman body armour with their arms tied behind their backs. And Katie is also the hottest lil' blonde singer to burst out of my speakers, since Christina Agruilera got down and Dirrty.


Their debut single 'That's Not My Name' was released on 28th May 2007 on 7" only to much critical acclaim. "People around, gotta find something to say nowww... but with nothing to consider they forget my name" The people that make things happen in the world, organisers, writers, managers, and artists with something to say, they never get the respect they deserve. "Although i'm dressed up, out and all with/Everything considered they forget my name" It doesn't matter how much people prove themselves critics, the press or anyone else will always find something to moan about, especially with politicians and the authorities, there is always something wrong with the way things are done these days. Well I think that's how things are anyway. The song was named the 6th best track of 2006 in NME and have since been named as one of NME's 'NewNoise 2008' bands of the year to come. It seems likely they will spark a major record deal soon, and a debut album should be on the way later this year. Their second release 'Fruit Machine' was only available to people who attended their recent tour with only 100 CDs per gig, the rarity factor has sparked interest and some are currently selling on ebay for up to £100. Along with The Ting Tings, similar acts such as the Tigerpicks have been reinventing the Manchester scene with many acts threatening to break into the mainstream, I hope electro-pop never fades away!
With Jules on drums/vocals and blonde stunner Katie on guitar and vocals its hard not to get hooked to their reinvented 90s electro beats.
After just seven months of being together and just three gigs played they were asked to play on the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonury last year and performed with the swagger and talent of festival veterans, that raised eyebrows in all directions. They will be on tour for the majority of February with Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jon and The Cribs for the NME Awards Tour 2008 that climaxes at the Brixton Academy on 22nd Feb, and at only £15.60, I wouldn't miss it!
Other songs that appear on their MySpace include 'Great DJ' sounding the work of a four strong thunderbolt, it hits you in the eye with snake venom at 100mph.
They've announced that this will be released as a single to hit shelves on March 3rd, although they also plan to release a new single in conjunction with the NME Tour in February, which could be 'We Walk'. A much slower paced opener that gathers life and soul with every beat. A song that taps your feet to the beat and thumps through your shoddy iPod earphones.
It proves they arn't just out there for a ride, they are your favourite new band with the funtime attitude to your sunday afternoon woes.

http://www.myspace.com/thetingtings

Track of the week

This will be my first track of the week so lets make it a good one. I've chosen The Wombats fourth single 'Moving to New York', just because its my favourite song at the moment, and seeing as it was released today i think its quite fitting.
So check it out, i wouldn't try their myspace though as they only have short versions of all their songs now, but their youtube page has the full song and video.

Video of the week

This will also be my first video of the week and seeing as I went with the wombats for my track of the week, I thought i'd continue the trend. This has been an ongoing tradition at Wombats gigs since early last year when they bought their Toys 'R' Us
Keyboard, it results in Dan the bass guitarist (dressed in a white dress :P) sings the theme tune to Postman Pat in Norwegian which unless your a complete arse, results in much laughter.

Music News

As far as news from the world of music goes... Girls Aloud and The Editors have been nominated for the Best British Group award. Seriously if were meant to be going forward in the British Music Industry how can they showcase some of these people. Leona Lewis for a breakthrough artist... please stab me in the ear with a dildo! She released a debut single Christmas 2006 that went to No. 1 because she was on X-factor and 50 year old women and 5 year olds bought her records. Then she sat on her arse, toured for 9 months then released her second single and album that wasn't even written by her. So where is the talent as a Breakthrough Artist. Brokethrough from where, our TV screens, woop-de-do. The Brit award nominators need to get their finger out of the arse of the Record Companies and get on the road and find some home grown talent from the cities of Britain. The fact that The Enemy are not nominated in the breakthrough category really infuriates me. Fair enough Leona Lewis can have her best single nomination if millions of people like her music enough to buy it, then thats fine. However, how she can be nominated as a breakthrough artist when the music she is singing is written by Jesse McCartney. Also the fact that CSS have not been nominated in the Best International Album category astounds me, just because they talk about sex in their songs and encourage youngsters to drink alcohol means they arn't even considered. Its the culture of their country for people to like the things they sing about, we're not supposed to be showcasing our musical tastes based on what the music industry wants the rest of the world to know about. The Brits are our version of the MTV Music Awards in the United States, we should be showcasing the best talent on offer. We always wonder why British bands go over to America and perform so badly in their charts, but we are telling the world about The Editors and Mika, and band so boring and a man with a voice so high pitched they could be sued for false advertising.
Looking on the Brighter side though, The Klaxons recieved nominations for Best Live Act and Breakthough Act; Kate Nash for Best Female and Best Single; also Jamie T found and unexpected nomination for Best Male, so all is not lost. If 'Foundations' wins Best Single then it will surely make up for the loss of credibility lost to the nomination panel ahead of this years awards.
Paul McCartney has earned a very well deserved and I think slightly late award for his Outstanding Contribution to Music. A look back at his roots with the Beatles will probably make the award ceremony worth watching on the 20th Feb, even if we have to endure Miss. Lewis. Well there's always watching paint dry, if you get bored.

Introduction... One Night Only!

Morning, Afternoon, Evening people of the world!
Sorry this is in English, BUT funnily enough it's the only language that I speak!Anyway now thats over, to the actual blog...

I'm Lee, I'm 18, I'm a Journalism Student studying just outside of Greater London, and this is my weekly music blog for possibly the rest of my professional working life! So anyway whats this bloggy thingy about music, all about?

Once a week I will talk about a new music artist/band or group that I think deserves a bit more publicity/promoting in the world and whose musical talent is genuine. I will also talk about new music of the week for already established acts that everyone wants to know about anyway. For this first post I won't include this as I just want to get the blog out there asap! For January, I will be mainly talking about Bands I think will be making a big impact during 2008 on the UK scene.
Of course my music taste will be strung more along the British side of things, but that doesn't mean that I'll only do British artists. If you live in any other country and you know an artist that deserves to be recognised, then let me know!
Time for the first artist of 2008...

One Night Only - Yorkshire's answer to Wakefield's 'The Cribs'

Originating from Helmsley in North Yorkshire 'One Night Only' are a five peice indie band from Helmsley, North Yorkshire. Their debut album 'Started A Fire' will be released on 4th Feb 2008 on Vertigo Records. They will also release their second single 'Just For Tonight' on 21st January 2008 that coinsides with their second and biggest Headline Tour to date. Last year they toured with the likes of The Pigeon Detectives and The Maccabees.
Joe Wiley coined the song 'Just For Tonight' as her track of the week on her Radio 1 show in early December and many other djs have followed suit in their recognition for the band. So whats the story? How did five lads from the Yorkshire dales end up together and what are their ambitions.


Some of the band members only started to learn playing their intruments when they were 14-15, just bangin out noise in their garages and bedrooms. When they finally found a sound they liked they had no lyrics or singing talent to go with it. The answer to their success was to be found with a shaggy haired George Craig. He joined the band amidst the struggles with sound and direction and pursuaded the band that he should sing and play guitar and kick out the guitarist and drummer and bring in a new keyboardist to make way for his new vision. He's wrote many of the bands songs that will appear on their debut album, including both of their singles.
'Just For Tonight' screams out with all the emotional ambition of the young generation of Britain "No one knows where they take us/but we’ll search till we grow old" However, also like their fellow Stiff Records band 'The Enemy' they exclaim of how everything could be so much better.
"All the paths they lead/To a little standing place", George Craig echos the ambitions of a thousand bands who all want to be the Glastonbury headliners one day. When the Arctic Monkeys were brought upon our lives it brought about a mass change in the way we at how British rock music will be written in the future, more substance, but also much more fun. The classics of The Jam, and the Specials will never be forgotten, but they will always be looked upon as some kind of music industry con. Music lovers these days don't just want to listen to the endless drones of every day life, They want to listen to it with having as much fun and showing their parents what they should have been doing 25 years ago.
Songs likes 'Away From Here', 'I Predict a Riot' and 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor' are pure songs written by individuals with no other goal in their life at that time but to pick up a guitar and have a fucking blast!
One Night Only want to do exactly the same thing, but I feel maybe they've come onto the music scene a tad too late.
2008 will be a testing year for the British Music Industry. The release of Radiohead's seventh studio album 'In Rainbows' for 1p on itunes late last year, has shaken the boots of those men with the buttons and forced them to dig deeper into the relms of Myspace.
Although i feel One Night Only may be a touch late with their sound, their direction is fresh and their tunes sharp.
Just listen to the end of the verses of 'Just For Tonight', "And if you stay for the weekend/We’d leave without a trace". The world of music is not always directed by 4 decade, chart topping superstars like Kylie or Madonna. In 5,000 years time robohomosapiens will still be bangin out MC Hammer, even if he did have the charisma of a pig of the bank balance of a tramp. One Night Only don't care if they last 5 minutes or 5 years, they just care if they make it at all, and for that simple reason, they deserve to.
If a simple, but sophisticated shaggy haired Yorkshire tyke like George Craig is at the head of your band, then be prepared for a hell of a 2008, the year of the underdogs?
Putting aside any criticism, who cares if they lack purpose. If Amy Winehouse can sell millions of records just because she likes a line here or there. If artists can go on to win awards and sell like cake at christmas even though they have to cancel concerts because they are 'un fit' to perform, we need more people like One Night Only on our iPods.

http://www.onenightonlyonline.com
http://www.myspace.com/onenightonlyonline


Picture & Video courtesy of One Night Only