Showing posts with label the phoenix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the phoenix. Show all posts

Monday, 24 March 2008

Strung Out and a few reviews...



Bring all your friends! It's happening tomorrow night!
Line Up:
Veil Cassini
The Piccadillys
The Gooners
Dempsey and the DC9's

Reviews:

Panic At The Disco
Pretty. Odd.



Panic At The Disco had been the butt of numerous emo jokes. Very few saw the pure musicality behind thier ostentatious costumes and videos. These boys are serious musicians at heart.
Thier first album opened an operatic theme in thier style. They expanded on this for thier second attempt but after realising the tracks would be impossible to play live, the tracks were shelved. The band then wrote an album that wears its influences on its sleeve. Blatantly so.
But this doesn't detract from the fact that this is a great album with catchy hooks and great lyrics. highlights include leading single 'Nine in the Afternoon', 'She's a Handsome Woman', 'Northern Downpour' and 'Mad as Rabbits'.

The Raconteurs
Consolers of the Lonely



The great thing about a Jack White project, whether its The White Stripes or The Raconteurs, you are always guarenteed a pleasant surprise with the first listen to any new tracks.
Unlike its predecessor, Broken Boy Soldier, with its blues undertones, Consolers of the Lonely is a fast paced album, spitting the tracks out at the listener with as much venom as they contain. Kick off with the wham! of the title track 'Consolers of the Lonely'. 'Many Shades of Black' brings the bam! And thank you ma'm! with Carolina Drama.
Now, it might just be me, but I'm sure I hear traces of early Bon Jovi in a track or two.
Long live Jack White and his guitar!


We Are Scientists
Brain Thrust Mastery



A lot of fans of 'In Love and Squalor' (the band's first album) find themselves kind of let down. An anti climax of the foreplay promised, really.
In 'Brain Thrust Mastery', We Are Scientists veer away from the indie disco sound they made thier own and embraced a more mellow, relaxed sound. With a nod to the 80's, 'Lethal Enforcer' wears it's Hawaii 5-0 'tache with pride, while 'Ghouls' and 'Altered Beast' have snuck out of The Magnetic Fields B-side folder and graced our ears with it's self deprecating lyrics. Lead single 'After Hours' is, behind the happy go lucky tune, a sad, sorry song. The video, however is awesome!
The songs, while still very much tongue in cheek, take us to the dark side of indie.
Not as infectious as 'In Love and Squalor', this is still one of the better sophomore albums released so far.

Thursday, 20 September 2007

Clubland

London is by no means a small city, and one is never pressed to find something to do on any given night. But, there is the huge risk of ending up in a dive with a band that needs a lot more practice and paying far too much for beer.
Lucky for everyone out there, I have taken to the dodgy pavements of London and weeded out the best places to be any given weekend.

Friday:

Beneath the World's End pub in Camden, lies another world - UNDERWORLD. A club that hosts live bands from up and coming youngsters to veteran acts. But the fun really starts after the roadies have cleared the stage.
PUMP UP THE VOLUME comes at you full blast, throwing every 80's guilty pleasure you know and then some. I'm not and 80's fan, but I was jumping and dancing and singing along in no time! And I even knew the words to the songs!
The vibe is friendly, the people cool and everyone is there to indulge in thier nostalgia.
The beer isn't too expensive either.
Entrance is £5.

1st Friday of every month:

Who likes a little indie rock? VOTE PEDRO is the club to be. They feature two awesome bands with some electric and electic mixing in between sets. Hosted in the basement bar of The Phoenix in Cavendish Square, this night is seeing a bigger turn out every month. Help it grow...

Entrance is £5.