A look forward to 2000Trees Festival

So this weekend starts on Thursday and sees the fantastic 2000trees festival take place on the outskirts of Cheltenham. This festival is my personal favorite and highlight of the summer for me every year This year is no exception with the best line up the festival has ever had and some big decisions to make on which stage to watch acts on throughout the weekend.

Thursday is going to be an interesting one with me and a select few able to get to the site early to set up camp and enjoy a quiet evening of entertainment with acoustic acts and comedy. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what goes down as every year there are rumors about headliners taking the stage on Thursday to play acoustically (please be Frank turner). I’m sure beers will be drunk and catching up will be done late into the night.

Hopefully Friday morning won’t see too savage a hangover but I have Mountain Dew ready for this eventuality. Friday sees an awesome line up with a whole day of amazing music by the look of the line up starting with David Goo and ending with Frank Turner, in between there will be visits to see Midnight Mile, Shoes and Socks Off, Men Daimler, Chris TT, Beans On Toast, Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun, The Xcerts, Pulled Apart By Horses and Gold Heart Assembly. That list isn’t even everyone I want to see on Friday but again it’s sure to be another heavy night of drinking and catching up with the people not lucky enough to be there on Thursday night.

So on Saturday the 2 day effect on hangovers will kick in and despite probably spending the whole of Friday night wasted I’ll wake up feeling fresh but looking like I’ve gone two days without a proper wash. Saturday sees another day of incredible music I will definitely be seeing Ruth Bewsey, Joe Summer, Sparrow and The Workshop, Kill It Kid, Three Trapped Tigers, Sonic Boom Six, Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit, 65Daysofstatic and The Subways. Before submitting myself to the always surreal head phone disco which is sure to confuse as I dance around a field to music that only half the people are dancing to (the others will be dancing to the other channel) again I’m sure Saturday will end in a drunken stupor and long chats about music and anything else that seems very important at the time.

By Sunday the whole thing will be over and I’ll wake up after another night of sleep deprivation pack up the tent and head back home dreaming of the same time next year and wondering who will top the bill.

Every year 2000trees has amazing headliners but it’s the bands you were not yet familiar with that stick longest in the memory. Take last year for example I can’t remember anything about Fightstar (apart from we ate pies whilst watching them) but Imperial Leisure and Dannannackroyd are two of my favorite bands. Maybe that’s not the fairest example due to personal tastes as I did very much enjoy the King Blues and almost every other band.

Top 50 Albums of the deacde

With the noughties coming to a close and NME giving us a terrible representation of the records they thought should grace the decades top 50 I decided to put my own list together in no particular order.

Top 50 Records of the Decade



At The Drive-In – Relationship of command

Anti-Flag – Underground network

The Bronx

The Slackers – Self-medication

Adequate 7 – Songs of innocence and experience

Justin Sane – Life, love and the pursuit of justice

The Cribs – The new fellas

White Stripes – White blood cells

Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs – Fever to tell

Flaming Lips – Yoshimi battles the pink robots

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip – Angles

Gogol Bordello – Gypsy punks: underdog world strike

Hell is for heroes – Transmit disrupt

Weezer - Maladroit

Beastie Boys – to the 5 boroughs

Los Copesinos – Hold on now youngster

The Rapture – Echoes

LCD Sound system

Radio 4 – Gotham

Bright eyes – I’ wide awake it’s morning

Ben Folds – Songs for silverman

Ben Folds Five – Whatever and ever amen

Soulwax - Any minute now

Frank Turner – Sleep is for the week

Captain Everything – It’s not rocket science

Alkaline Trio – Crimson

Howards Alias – Beat Heart Beat

Matthew Reynolds – Wreck of the Hesperus

Rival Schools – United by fate

Eels – Electro-shock blues

Rodrigo Y Gabriella

The Go Team – Thunder Lighting Strike

Moby - Play

Moldy Peaches

Capown – Civil disobedients

The Strokes – Is this it

Libertines

The Shins – Chutes too narrow

Rueben – Race car is race car backwards

Hot Club De Paris – Drop it like it pops

Sonic Boom Six – A rough guide to genre terrorism

AFI – Sing the sorrow

Hot Chip – The warning

Bloc Party - Silent alarm

The Macabees – Color it in

Queens Of The Stoneage – Rated R

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Madonna

Badly Drawn Boy – The hour of the bewilderbeast

Distillers – Sing,sing death house

Dandy Warhols – Thirteen tales from urban bohemia

Frank Turner, Fake Problems & Beans on Toast, Wulfrun Centre, Wolverhampton

Bean’s on Toast kicked off the night with an individual blend of lo-fi folk, politics and humour. Frank Turner repeatedly described him as ‘The future of music’ which is high praise from the man you are supporting.

Fake Problems from Florida, were the second support act. They warmed the crowd up ready for Frank Turner with an energetic set, filled with folk-punk and alt-country songs. Most importantly the band looked to be having a great time on stage, this energy soon transferred to the receptive audience.

Once Frank Turner took the stage the temperature within the venue increased as the diverse crowd filled the room. Frank balanced his set perfectly between songs from his early records, which generated his strong and loyal fan base, with songs from the critically acclaimed ‘Love Ire and Song’ and the new album ‘Poetry Of The Deed’ which have attracted newer fans.

Throughout his set the audience sang along to almost every word until the debut of an ‘old but new’ song which had not been played anywhere before, silencing the crowd as everyone looked on in awe.

It is rare to see an artist enjoy playing a show as much as Frank Turner, the pleasure and pride he takes in his work is truly inspiring. I am proud to be part of one of the audience’s that have made ‘his mother proud’. If you ever get the opportunity to see Frank Turner live you should grab it with both hands, if not you should look him up and buy his records

Club NME presents The Mystery Jets and Myriad Creatures > Magnet Club, Berlin > 11th July 2009

It’s always a strange experience seeing a British band playing abroad as you’re never sure how they'll be received by a foreign audience or how their reputation has traveled. I was pleasantly surprised to arrive at Magnet Club practically straight from the plane to find the Mystery Jets taking the stage.

I was even more surprised to hear the new sound that the Mystery Jets have taken on. I had read about the new 80’s inspired sound but had not got round to buying the newest record (Twenty One) and only heard the first single from this album (2 Doors Down). It is very hard to formulate an opinion based on words and a single track but surprise is always a good thing.

The new sound captivated the audience within seconds and did not spit us back out until the introduction to the third song. By which time my worries on the atmosphere had been blown out of the window, the crowd reception would have been welcome at a hometown gig or one of the infamous Eel Island parties that helped to launch the band.

The set list moved effortlessly between tracks from the newest record with only one from ‘Making Dens’ which was a slight disappointment as much like the music press I was very taken by this album. Unfortunately for me the band seem to feel this record was terrible and said when playing the one track from it ‘This one’s from our first album. Does anyone here own it? Poor You!’ The highlight of the set was the single 2 doors down which had the entire crowd dancing and singing along. Overall it was a set from a band that have found the sound that makes them happy, which in turn makes the crowd happy and music and performance sound better.

The night took a slightly strange turn as the Mystery Jets left the stage as the support act then took the stage for their set. Myriad Creatures were a catchy indie five piece playing 3 minute tracks with a chorus you only needed to hear once to sing along to. They played with a great deal of energy and had the crowd onside within seconds. It can’t be too hard to have the crowd onside when the headliner has warmed them up for you.

The night then ended with Club NME’s finest DJ’s playing until 6am, we lasted until about 3am but after a whole day waiting around in the airport bar to fly out it’s not surprising we were drunk and tired. I really enjoyed the Mystery Jets and would recommend finding them in the smallest venue you can.

Treeprog presents > Baddies, Jim Lockey And The Solemn Sun, The Divine Secret and Che

The Baddies are a band currently gathering hype from the music press, I haven’t read a bad word about the Southend four piece. The gig was organised by two of the gentlemen that bring the two thousand trees festival to Cheltenham each summer operating under the banner Treeprog. The idea is that they will bring big acts to this fine town with support from the best local talent.

The night opened with a performance from Che who blended rock with incredibly tight vocals. As they played to the ever filling room the audience were being drawn into the performance. The tight vocal style of Che was followed up by The Divine Secret, who blend a heavier breed of rock with dramatic vocals to a very high standard. Their style is backed up with huge stage presence from all 3 members. Obvious comparisons to early Incubus or Desa come from the vocal style but elements of post hardcore and metal create an individual sound.

The next support act were Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun who are creating waves within music which will put Cheltenham on the Map. The obvious comparison to Frank Turner will always greet any artist/s who make the punk styled folk that Jim has become accustomed to, the band are by no means a one trick pony . The lyrical styling mixing a Bright Eyes styled beauty and a Billy Bragg styled political message is both entertaining and inspiring.

The live sound of Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun is deep and soulful with a mixture between quiet slow songs to make you think, and folk punk to get the audience on their feet. The band has been mentioned in many must see lists and I would certainly agree with this, if you can see them live this summer, or ever, do.

The headline act Baddies entered the stage to a curious crowd; most people seemed to have heard of the band by reputation alone and came down to see what the hype was about. The stage presence presented made it almost impossible not to watch the performance. Within three quarters of the first song of the set the singer had entered the crowd to up the mood.

Throughout the entire set Baddies seemed to increase in intensity and whip themselves, and the crowd into frenzy. Front man Michael Webster locked the crowd in death stare as he delivered lyrics in an aggressive style usually associated with Punk or even Hardcore. To put Baddies into a scene or style would be almost impossible they mix the modern Indie sound with aspects of Stooges and Ramones punk and straight Rock ‘n’ Roll.

The band have a distinctive look and sound which will aid them in their festival performances throughout the summer. I would, as with almost every band I see live, recommend watching them play and formulating your own opinions.

The Slackers

The Slackers stopped at Bristol’s Thekla during their recent European tour and I was fortunate enough to interview Jay from the band and watch them play. Please check out the previous post for the video interview with Jay, I’ll keep you posted on when this has been written up and is ready for our first issue.

Support on the UK leg of the tour was from The Skints, who put a modern twist on the ska genre, taking aspects that make UK Ska and Skacore. The live sound offered by The Skints is tight and their performance was full of energy. I would recommend seeing them live if the opportunity arises and expect big things from them in the next few years as they are slowly catching some media attention.

There was a huge amount of anticipation for The Slackers and they did not disappoint. The band describe their brand of music as Caribbean Rock ‘n’ Roll which perfectly describes the genre twisting style they play. Their sound perfectly fit the description from the deep bass, great brass, bouncy guitars and organ, and the contrasting vocals from Vic and Glen.. They played the perfect mix between tracks from old records, the current album ‘Self Medication’ and even threw a Lulu cover in for good measure.

The performance whipped the crowd into a frenzy which was perfectly finished off with the final song of the set, where they got the entire crowd to kneel as they slowed the mood right down before speeding up for the finale. As you will see from the video below the live performance was a fine example of a band enjoying themselves on stage, making it impossible for the audience not to enjoy the night.

The Specials

I was one of lucky few people who got to enjoy the specials playing live on their reunion tour. It was amazing to see so many people united to see such an important band. Although there were worries at the back of mind that the band would not live up to my expectations.

Seeing such an inspirational band live after many of the audience had waited longer than my lifetime to see them was an honour. The music and political themes although written 30 years ago are still relevant, I know as a country we have come a long way but racism is still an issue for many people. Especially in the current political climate the anti- racist message was at its most inspiring when the entire audience were singing the chorus of ‘It doesn’t make it alright’ to hear thousands of people united in expressing racism is the ‘Worst excuse in the world’ was something I will never forget.

The night was by no means focused on politics and seriousness; the band were having a great time onstage and seemed to be honoured to have the opportunity to play in front of such a big audience again. There is nothing more enjoyable than watching a band who you love enjoying themselves on stage. Although the band are all 30 years older than when they were releasing music they played with more passion and energy than I have seen from many bands half their age play with.

The only aspect of the night which was not perfect was the choice of support act although the Dub Pistols were reasonably good I would have liked to see the Specials give a younger band the opportunity and exposure.

All in all the Specials were fantastic to watch and it was a true honour to whiteness such an important event.

A1 Reccords

A quick note to recommend that you get yourself over to the A1 records website and check out the great records now available to download. I would personally recommend the Gregory Kraj albums and EP’s (there’s loads of them) and the Spades however everything I have downloaded is great.

Those of you who have some money and are feeling generous should also donate to keep the label running. I have a feeling we will be expecting great things from A1 in the future especially with the existing music they are realising.

You can check them out here

SANZARU is born

As mentioned in previous posts I have been working towards releasing an independent music Zine. I finally have good news on that front our website is in progress and as soon as it’s done we will have our first issue available for your reading pleasure. There is also soon to be a video interview with The Slackers and Vic Ruggiero talking about his solo records.

There is also going to be a Sanzaru blog on the way which will be updated regularly by Jamie and myself with special guest blogs appearing as often as possible.

If you want to get involved in any way please do not hesitate in getting in touch.

A Beginner’s Guide To Dance

I am no expert on dance music and only listen to a few artists mainly recommended to me by friends and reviews. I generally listen to relaxed styles mainly with real instruments involved; there have been plenty of artists developing styles incorporating a dance influence in differing styles.

The most documented style recently discussed has been the New Rave scene which started in the USA with the LCD Sound System and The Rapture both influencing the style that emerged in the UK last year with The Klaxons, Hot Chip and Enter Shakiri. The scene has obvious comparisons to the Radio 4 and Cooper Temple Clause but Test Icicles have been credited with starting the style. Recently NME described them as 'the most important influence to music in the last 10 years' (a comment to take with a pinch of salt).

As with any scene there are good artists and bands who ride the hype. The Klaxons were victims of their own success and released a great album but singles being forced into our ears made it hard to respect the creativity of the record. Hot Chip also got tied into the New Rave scene, although released one of the best dance albums of the year with a follow up that made my top albums of the year.

Although I am not an expert there are plenty of ‘dance’ albums I love including Air’s Moon Safari which is an album that never fails to relax me but includes all the elements you expect from French dance music. New Forms by Roni Size and Reprazent is again a stunning record, made with a mixture between live instruments and electronic beats creating an individual sound. Mr Scruff’s Keep It Unreal displays a truly original take jazz inspired dance which is hard not to love.

The genre is far bigger than my knowledge but there are a load of important bands to be considered.

LCD Soundsystem

Radio 4

Mr Scruff

Roni Size

Air

Klaxons

Bloc Party (Particularly most recent record)

Hot Chip

Test Icicles