Ms Mr live at Electric Ballroom

It's hard to believe that this band didn't know each other two and a half years ago. They owned the stage tonight at Electric Ballroom in Camden.

MS MR, Electric ballroom Camden

The New York duo comprised of Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow have been building momentum over the past few months following the release of their debut album Secondhand Rapture - an electro pop rock hipster sound reminiscent of Florence and the Machine and No Doubt. Recent gigs have included Glastonbury - not too shabby for a relatively new artist.

Opening with Bones, the band launched on to the stage and sang their way through three songs before addressing the crowd. It felt like we were witnessing something special as wide eyed and touchingly they continually thanked everyone for being there at their biggest headline gig to date and when they said how much it meant to them it was totally believable.

Lizzy Plapinger of MS MR

New single Think of You, all about being with someone who doesn't treat you very nicely, was the first opportunity to see the crowd unleashed as they sang along, word perfectly to this break up song. Either that or there were a lot of heartbroken angry gig goers in the room.


The live version of Ash tree lane showed off the bands credentials and their talents as performers as they mixed in LCD soundsystems 'dance yourself clean' towards the end and what a cover that was! It always nice to know a band can do more than just run through their album as it sounds on the cd.

The most touching moment came during the last song, first single Hurricane, when lead singer Lizzy looked choked up and disbelieving that this London audience knew all the words to her song.

The band were genuinely humbled by the sell out crowd

And that was it. No encore. They weren't lying when they said it was their last one and after an hour on stage and to rapturous applause they left with the crowd gagging for more.

They don't need be surprised that their gig sold out or that a packed out ballroom was singing along to their music. If this is what they have to offer after one album then they have a very bright future ahead and they'll be selling out bigger venues than this. For that reason I will treasure tonight and always be grateful I was there.



Check out the video for new single Think of You:

Hammersmith, you little lovely

Just a quick post to alert you to summer in Hammersmith. Rows of deck chairs, a giant screen showing Wimbledon and a cracking way to spend your lunch break. Nice one Hammersmith.

Xbox Live - Music Room

Tonight I found myself in the audience of Music Room - an Xbox live programme exclusively available to Xbox aficionados. I was there as the plus one of a competition winner and purely to see my new favourite band MS MR. I had no idea I was about to be thrown in to a live TV experience - cameras in my face, the chance a microphone might be thrust at me at any point and three pretty famous music acts performing merely feet away from me.

Miles Kane

The line up was MS MR. Tom Odell and Miles Kane - three songs each with some interviews and standard TV links in between songs. It opened with Miles Kane - not my usual choice but live he was brilliant. Dapperly dressed in a skinny suit and with the arrogance and swagger of a Gallagher brother he owned the stage and the audience were beside themselves.

MS MR

However I was only interested in MS MR and conveniently we were stood front and centre of their set. They opened with Fantasy and being stood right in front of the lead singer meant I could hear every perfectly pitched note. The New York based duo are achingly hipster but not in a cringey East London way - they were just as happy dancing along to the other acts as they were singing their own songs. Their second song of the night 'Think of You' is the perfect break up song for anyone who wants to defiantly yell at their ex (but it is a surprisingly upbeat tune). The best moment for me though was their final song 'Hurricane' - the opening track of their debut album 'Secondhand Rapture' and my favourite. Awkwardly stood in front of the singer meant that I had to fight the urge to sing along. I couldn't. My evening was made though when she sang directly at me at the best point of my favourite song. What a brilliant Tuesday night.

Tom Odell

Geeky fandom aside, the other highlight of the evening was the incredible Tom Odell. 22 years of age and so talented. Most of the audience appeared to be there to see him and it's not surprising. The winner of the BBCs sound of 2013 it's clear that he's not going anywhere in a hurry.

The xbox music room show was one of the slickest live TV experiences I have encountered. We were in and out in two hours, there were no mistakes, the set was seamless and the music was brilliant. For an hour at least I was tempted to buy an Xbox, purely just to see myself on TV though, obvs.

Artist of the week 24 June 2013 - MS MR

New York duo MS MR released their debut album 'Secondhand rapture' in May. If you like moody female vocals, ethereal songs and hipster beats then this is the band for you. Personally I love, love, love them and I get to see them live tomorrow night so in honour of that here is 'Hurricane'




Read about them: http://www.msmrsounds.com/

Songs of the week 20/2/2013

This week I have mostly been listening to...

Rihanna - Stay

And still she keeps on churning out song after song. This one is actually quite good:




My favourite band of 2012, Of Monsters and Men, currently getting a lot of air play for this:

Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart



Still loving this from Scotland's Frightened Rabbit:

Frightened Rabbit - The Woodpile




And finally a little gem from Canadian indie band Rah Rah:



ENJOY!!

Artist of the week: Emily and the Woods

I'm not ready to talk about how I had tickets to see this band recently in a teeny tiny venue in Kings Cross. How I spent two hours waiting for them to come on stage, listening to below par support acts outstay their welcome but powering on through waiting for the main act because it would be so worth it to hear this lovely voice in a tiny space. How, when the trio finally came on stage I heard one song before having to admit defeat to illness and go home.  Not bitter, not at all....Still, the one song I did get to hear was magical and Emily Woods and her band fit nicely in to my obsession with the brooding girly genre of music that I do so love. So here she is singing 'Arrows' in a living room. Enjoy...



Find out more: https://soundcloud.com/emilyandthewoods

The Harlots, Two Years On...

The Harlots, debut gig, February 2011

I was flicking through an old diary the other day and discovered that it is very nearly two years to the day since London based band The Harlots played their debut gig at a little pub in Cricklewood, North London. On February 17th 2011 original members Kike and Sherwin played an acoustic set to a privileged few, otherwise known as their mates, in the back of the Crowne Pub.  Most of us had trekked there from the depths of South London and we acted like a bunch of over excited groupies as we wolf whistled the boys through their small set of songs. They did us proud and certainly held their own despite the small audience. However, fast forward two years and I recently found myself standing near the stage at the Mother Bar in Shoreditch, surrounded by people I didn't recognise, dancing along and listening to a polished 4 piece band loudly rock their way through a tight and professional set. Along with a distinct skinny jeans dress style, Kike and Sherwin have found themselves a mysterious heart throb drummer and an easy on the eye talented French bassist to complete the line up and The Harlots have begun to make a real name for themselves on the London music scene. In 2012 they toured Europe, made a music video, filmed a session for Loaded TV, recorded a single, mastered a record at Abbey Road and played over 40 gigs. 2013 looks set to be even bigger with plans for an EP, a gig at the infamous Koko in Camden and maybe even that coveted record deal if they play their cards right. All a far cry from the back of an empty pub in the middle of Cricklewood merely two years ago...

The Harlots, Mother Live February 2013

Back to February 2 2012 and the Mother Bar, or 'The Harlots very own cavern', as band member Kike described it - the boys put on a strong set. They have built up a superb list of songs and new number 'Gimme Love' is definitely a favourite among the female fan base with an element of Coldplay/Keane to it. 'Be Mine', 'The Thief and Me' and new song 'Do I, Do I' are all well written anthemic rock songs reminiscent of early Oasis and the Stone Roses. The band are definitely establishing themselves as a modern rock and roll band and with Radio 1 boss Andy Roberts, recently declaring that guitar music is set for a major comeback they couldn't have chosen a better time to make their mark. The Shoreditch venue is small and intimate and has become a regular haunt of the band since they signed with Feed Your Head management last year. However their brand of guitar driven music needs to be turned up loud and I am very excited to hear them play Koko on 29 March. This will be a gig not to be missed, for sure...!

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Read: www.theharlotsmusic.com 

The Blog is Back

It's definitely time to start blogging again...

Daughter live at Islington Assembly Halls

Daughter are definitely a band to watch. They have been quietly gathering pace over the past year, touted by Lauren Laverne on 6 Music, supporting Ben Howard on tour and producing two beautiful EPs. The haunting vocals of Elena Tonra (joined by Igor on guitar and Remi on drums although they mix up their instruments quite a bit) lit up the Islington Assembly Halls last night as Daughter played their last live show before hitting the festivals this summer and hopefully recording a full album.

The band discreetly arrived on stage and kicked off with their song 'Run'. From the off it was obvious just how strong Elena's voice was and the venue could not have been more accommodating to her beautiful melodies. It is rare at a gig to hear the audience in stunned silence to the point where you could have heard a pin drop but such was the effect when they played 'Love' and 'Landfill' and particularly when Elena went solo on track 'The Woods'.

There was a mutual understanding in the room that we were lucky to be there and the majority of the gig found the audience gazing up in awe at the sheer talent we were witnessing. Igor was an exceptional guitarist and drove the energy on the stage. The crowd livened up on 'Youth' and I definitely saw some audience particpation when they played 'Candles' .

Even when they showcased a new song and stopped after the first verse because the key was slightly out this didn't matter. After a quick chat and a re-tune Elena set off again like a consummate professional. Pitch perfect, unnerved and so wonderful. There is a Florence Welch type innocence about Elena: shy and a tad nervous when interacting with the crowd it is obvious she can't quite believe her luck that something she likes doing so much (writing beautiful songs and singing them with her bandmates) has gathered a following and there seemed to be a sort of amazement that we were all there to see her. However the nerves subsided when the music played and this is when she seemed most at home - lost in her own little world of hauntingly beautiful songs.

If you like your music folky and mesmerising and you want to listen to something really special then check out Daughter at various festivals this summer and buy the EP's. You won't be disappointed.

Watch:




Listen:



Read:
http://www.facebook.com/ohdaughter

New Warpaint Song (sort of)

Warpaint tweeted a video today of band member Emily Kokal singing a new track called Hymn, live at Dilettante. Anyway it's pretty good and very Warpaint esq. Looking forward to a new album this year I hope!

**Debut Music Video by The Harlots for Be Mine**

If you haven't seen this yet then you're missing out. London's finest - The Harlots have released their debut video, filmed at Scar Studios in Camden, for new single "Be Mine" and it's good - REALLY good. Check it out below and catch them at the O2 Academy in Islington on 16th March. See http://www.theharlotsmusic.com/ for more information.

Florence + The Machine live at Alexandra Palace

Last Night was the first of three dates at Ally Pally for Flo, supported by The Horrors, on her first full UK tour since the Cosmic Love Tour in 2010 and what a night it was. I'm not going to lie, I'm a pretty hard core fan so you're unlikely to find much criticism on this blog but that aside it truly was a simply perfect evening.

Florence + The Machine brought latest album Ceremonials to the forefront on an art deco inspired stage. Usual band members were joined by a full string section and a gospel choir. The sound was big. Opening with "Only if for a Night" (my prediction) Florence floated on to the stage, hair elaborately pinned up and wearing a black cat suit covered by a large black cape. A seemingly nervous start didn't last long as she unleashed song after song, playing a good hour and a half's worth of material. She moved seamlessly in to What the Water Gave Me and then ditched the cape for the remainder of the main set. Crowd favourite Dog Days Are Over saw everyone jumping around under Florence's instruction, the live version of Rabbit Heart didn't disappoint and a more classical version of You've got the Love built up into an anthemic arms in the air festival-esq moment that was lacking nothing but some swaying lighters.

Although the new album was the main event, she kindly threw in enough from Lungs to ensure no one was disappointed. With only two albums she already has a pretty hefty repertoire. Her voice was on top form last night, with trademark long high notes held for what seemed an inhuman amount of time and pretty much pitch perfect. New tracks that stood out were Spectrum, All this and Heaven Too and of course Shake it Out. Florence seemed to be in her element twirling around the stage, engaging with her adoring audience and savouring every second of the set.

After the usual "we've finished, oh no we haven't", Florence came back on for a much wanted encore. Donning her cape again and launching in to No Light, No Light followed by final number, Never Let Me Go. A fitting finish on two counts - the new single and exactly the sentiment we all felt as the last note was played. We did not want to let her go. Not at all.






Helpfully some kind fan has made a montage of video clips from last night's gig so here's a taste of what we saw:

Cafe Prov - Herne Hill

Had dinner at a lovely little place in Herne Hill last night - Cafe Prov. A laidback and informal joint that serves delicious food in a nice relaxing atmosphere. We had a lovely two courses for £12 deal: a Moroccan lamb burger served with homemade chips followed by more cheesecake than you can shake a stick at. It definitely had the coolest decor I have seen in a while too, with old LPs and music memorabilia adorning the walls. If you like you music soulful and your food hearty and affordable then this place is definitely worth a visit. Beside the extremely friendly staff, the best thing of all was that there was no rush to leave. I'll definitely be going back.

Definitely the coolest toilet wall's I have seen for a while

Marina and The Diamonds live at Shepherd's Bush Empire

I'll be honest - up until last night I'd only really heard the singles from Marina's first album and as much as I loved "I am not a Robot" I definitely wouldn't have claimed to be her biggest fan. However, yesterday at her NME gig at Shepherd's Bush Empire, I was pleasantly surprised by the voice and song writing talents of the girl from Wales who is due to release her second album in the coming months.

Skipping on to the stage in a lovely white dress and killer heels, Marina opened the show to Radioactive - just her and a piano. Her adoring fans went wild. Bringing on the rest of her band, Marina stormed through a set of songs both old and new, debuting new tracks Homewrecker and the new single Primadonna. Despite showcasing a lot of her new material, fans were not disappointed and when she sang crowd favourites Oh My and I am not a Robot, the audience dutifully sang along and screamed lovingly at her. Her stage presence was strong and her repertoire pretty solid. She can clearly sing and although not all the material was stand out I think there is a lot to get excited about when she releases her new album Electra Heart. 

I left the gig a little bit in love with Marina and her powerful pipes. I also left in admiration that she had danced around the stage in her massive shoes without so much as a wince. What a woman.

Rumble in the Jumble for International Women's Day

Last night the humble jumble sale got a celebrity make over as a host of famous faces brought along their unwanted belongings to St Pancras Old Church for the much anticipated "Rumble in the jumble", all in aid of Oxfam and International Women's Day. Organised by the unstoppable journalist and TV presenter Dawn Porter and her mate and Radio 1 Extra DJ Gemma Cairney.

The queue was snaking out of the gate as I arrived at 6pm. An excited buzz about what awaited everyone inside the church meant this was the most patient queue I'd ever stood in. The deal was simple - £2 entry, bring a bag of jumble that they could sell and then peruse the celebrity stalls in search of a bargain and a bargain it certainly was. With jumble donated by the likes of Kate Nash, Jimmy Carr, Fearne Cotton and Sara Cox plus Caroline Flack popped in with her old X-Factor garments, it was an extremely surreal experience. My friend picked up one of Lauren Laverne's old topshop dresses at a bargain price. I was later informed on Twitter by Lauren that this particular dress is a "lucky frock". At one point Cherry Healey held aloft Gabby Logan's old trousers exclaiming "Gabby Logan's trousers, her bottom has been in these". Dawn Porter's fiancé and Bridesmaid's star Chris O'Dowd took to jumble selling like a pro, at one point clutching someone's tiny dog and offering it for a fiver...

The atmosphere in the sale was wonderful. Celebs and bargain hunters mingling and chatting excitedly, belongings flying off the tables and generosity emanating around the building. There was barely any bartering from what I observed, people were more than happy to part with their cash.

The whole event was coordinated on twitter, proving the power of social media. Dawn Porter and Gemma Cairney have spent the last couple of weeks tirelessly badgering people to donate and attend and it paid off. I hope they are both feeling pretty pleased with themselves right now. Rumours on twitter are that up to £7k was raised. A phenomenal amount for 3 hours selling. The main purpose of the event was to promote the Oxfam get together for International Woman's Day. The idea is that you get together with your friends, do something fun and raise vital funds for Oxfam. Just £46 enables Oxfam to train a midwife and save a mother and child. We can all easily raise £46!

I hope that those who attended will feel inspired to hold their own event and I hope those who didn't are experiencing a bit of FOMO (that's fear of missing out and a likely feeling right now if you weren't in St Pancras last night) and hold their own event too.

Dawn, Gemma and the long list of celebrities and Oxfam employees did a wonderful thing yesterday - they made jumble sales cool again and they raised a lot of money for charity.

The crowds at Rumble in the Jumble

 

Caroline Flack 

Get involved: Oxfam Get Together

New Florence & The Machine video - Lover to Lover

The Harlots at The Monarch

It's been a while but the blog is back for 2012 and where better to start than with my favourite Brit Pop inspired musicians - The Harlots - live at The Monarch last night. This was my first taste of the brand new line up. Still providing their audiences with tight guitar driven tunes - old faithfuls Sherwin and Kike have been joined by two new members Florent and Adam, have decked themselves out in a sharp uniform of white shirts and black ties and honed a strong setlist making them a worthy headline act. My initial impression? This is a band that knows what it wants: more gigs, more recordings and more recognition; and justifiably so.

Last night they headlined the Feed Your Head night in Camden and were a welcome relief after two disappointing support acts. They treated us to classics such as Babel, Red Dress and Ragged Rose as well as playing new tracks including latest single Be Mine. Despite a comedic interruption from an over eager fan - the group worked through their repertoire like consummate professionals - responding to the audiences enthusiasm for certain tracks and eeking out every last note; leaving us wanting more. They seemed much more together, much more engrossed and most importantly they were really enjoying themselves.

Things are certainly moving upwards for the group - a solid new line up, a 2 track demo recorded and ready for release next week, a fancy new website and PR strategy and a signature style both musically and visually emerging - it looks like 2012 is set to be a good year for The Harlots. They've come a long way from their debut acoustic gig in front of a group of friends and a couple of unsuspecting locals at The Crowne pub in Cricklewood a year ago. A year on and with a succession of gigs over the coming months the time has come to put on a skinny black tie, get yourself a front row seat and jump on the juggernaut that is The Harlots bandwagon - before it leaves you behind. This is set to be an epic 12 months for the band. You heard it here first.

Give them a chance if you like: melodic, anthemic guitar driven tunes akin to The Stone Roses, Beatles, Oasis, The Verve

Listen:

  Latest tracks by TheHarlots

Read: www.theharlotsmusic.com/fr_intro.cfm

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Music for Meals gig at Old Queens Head, Islington

I haven't blogged for ages but today I have a very good reason to get back on it. I went to a bloody brilliant night at The Old Queens Head in Islington yesterday, organised in aid of Mary's Meals. The phenomenally talented Tinashe was on the bill so I knew it was going to be good but I was not prepared for the full force of talent that was unleashed on me in this intimate gig on the Essex Road.

First up was singer songwriter Frank Hamilton - a rather cute looking chap with a guitar and a harmonica who sang beautiful songs about lost loves, London and his home town of St Ives and a haunting cover of  Please please, please let me get what I want. Sweet, endearing and easy on the eye and ears!

Next up was the wonderful Tinashe who has been absent from the gig scene most of the year whilst he writes his follow up to debut album saved. I have been patiently waiting for something from him all year and was last night treated to a 5 song stripped back acoustic set. For those of you who have never heard of this man, you have missed out. His music is sweet and uplifting and he is so incredibly talented. His vocals dominated the room we were in, to the point where he probably didn't even need a microphone. My only criticism is that it wasn't long enough, I needed more!

When the organiser of the evening, Bobbie Gordon, took to the stage, I was simply blown away. A backing singer for an endless list of huge artists, Bobbie Gordon is a fresh, unique, soulful and beautiful singer who is definitely one to watch and is clearly wasted anywhere other than centre of the stage. Cheered on by family and friends, entertaining the audience between songs and sounding like the love child of Amy Winehouse, Etta James and Aretha Franklyn, this girl made my night.

The final act was Natty, mesmerising, awesome and a real privilege to listen to him in such an intimate setting. As his set progresed no one spoke and the entire room was hanging off every note and lyric that came out of his mouth, it was hauntingly beautiful in parts, uplifting in others and a brilliant conclusion to an epic line up.

The best £9.40 I ever spent and not only because it was for such a good cause. My final gig of 2011 was probably one of the best...

1.Frank Hamilton:


2. Tinashe


3. Bobbie Gordon:


4. Natty:

Uh Huh Her, Nocturnes - The Review

First impressions are that Uh Huh Her have stepped it up a gear - this is a polished and neatly produced album. Much rockier than the first album 'Common Reaction'. It features tight drumming, crashing guitars and Camilla Grey's sweet vocals. Opener Marstorm is a winner and simply has to be played loud, with it's epic drumming and guitar riffs. . It is an excellent lead in to the next 40 odd minutes of new material. First single Another Case gave a sneak preview of what to expect and my immediate observation is that Leisha and Cam have built upon the positives of their first offering and now have a solid band sound, less synthesized than first time round. I also can't get enough of the drumming on this album, a noticeable addition from last time round. My stand out tracks are 'Marstorm', 'Human Nature', the sweet and slow 'Time Stands Still' and the dreamy 'Wake to Sleep'. 'Debris', is the only track to be solely produced by Leisha and is certainly the darkest track on the album - with guitars in overdrive mode and angry, snarly lyrics.

Uh Huh Her are described as an electro-pop band and in many ways that description still certainly fits but as any good band should, they are trying new things and developing their sound and this second outing is a very good effort. Hardcore Uh Huh Her fans will not be disappointed and it has certainly been worth the wait. Most importantly, with songs like Human Nature, this could be the album that awards them acclaim further afield than the Uh Huh Her faithful. It certainly deserves to, anyway.

Uh Huh Her 'Another Case' video:

Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials album launch

How do you improve on perfection? Ask Florence Welch, who appears to have done just that on her new album Ceremonials which was unveiled to the world last night at the Hackney Empire. From first impressions it blows the magnificent debut Lungs, completely out of the water. Having tried and failed on countless occasions to get tickets to see her perform, luck was finally on my side and last minute I got my hand on a pair of coveted tickets for her final gig of 2011.

Opening with "Only if for a night", Florence arrived on stage with a soaring gem of a song and the crowd went wild. She flitted around the stage, effortlessly belting out her new repertoire with total ease. The best word to describe the hour long set is mesmerising. Particular highlights were "No Light, No Light", "Heartlines", already released "Shake it out" and "What the water gave me", and "Lover to Lover". Florence also rewarded her fans with an epic performance of "Rabbit Heart" and the ever popular "Dog Days".

The real test of last night's gig was that the majority of the material was brand new but this didn't matter as every single number was stirring, epic and instantly exhilarating. For me music is important because of the way it can make you feel and what I heard last night made me feel jubilant. I felt like I was part of something really special, and was honoured even, to see Florence and the Machine live, in this relatively intimate venue, showcasing new material - that from this very first listen is undoubtedly going to be all anyone is listening to next year. This is the album of 2012, in the way that Lungs was the album of 2010. Ceremonials - buy it.

If you can't wait until the 31st then you can stream the album here:
http://eurotrashmusic.co/2011/blog/international/florence-the-machine-ceremonials-full-album-stream/#.Tqe77D_68Ts.twitter

Listen to Shake it Out