Channel M does their predicting on top 5 Manchester bands of 2009 (historical)

I thought this was really interesting. Manchester is such fertile ground for music and they've got a tv station ready and willing to promote the local scene.

this show features Airship (one of the bands on Love and Disaster's first 'album'), Twisted Wheel, Everything Everything (who I think are gonna be huge), Dutch Uncles, and Delphic. with the exception of Twisted Wheel, I agree with all the other bands. for 2010 I mean.

bloody hell. I've just had a peek at James Cook's finger work on 'Halcyon'. don't think I'll be sussing this one out anytime soon.

Roskilde Festival vids

here are some videos of Delphic at Roskilde. I took the first one, though it's kind of frustrating b/c I couldn't see Matt thanks to an annoying tent pole in Pavilion.



the second is a nice pastiche - a best-of if you will - of their set. I'm amused b/c I'm actually IN the video!



and the third I surmise was taken by a v. tall man b/c he got a good overall view of the stage during 'Remain', which is awesome b/c although I could hear him playing, I couldn't for the life of me see Richard on piano.



I'd like to say to those people I used to call friends - hey, easy come, easy go. you don't want to talk to me anymore? whatevs. don't come crying to me later.

HAPPY FRIDAY ALL and have a good weekend!

this week's Roundtable (26/08)

Chris Hawkins, Ben Holland (boffin in the chatroom!), and Ciaran Leonard (Ciaran something...I forget now but he was one of us devoted the first year we did the Wear Your Old Band T-Shirt to Work day in 2008 :)

1. Carl Barat - 'Run with the Boys' - really do not know what's going on here. it sounds weirdly cabaret? I expressed my confoundment on TGTF (read here)

wait wait he's working with Neil Hannon? no wonder this sounds kind of Divine Comedy-ish...

2. Zola Jesus - 'Sea Talk' - the winner - I could have sworn we've already reviewed this...?
ah but according to Lammo's staff, @theprintedword - It was Night last time (different track same vibe) #roundtable

crap, everyone loves this. I bet it wins :P

3. the Wombats - 'Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)' - like this. I could see this as a grower. woohoo, synths done properly. don't know why everyone listening hates it so much.

4. Ben Folds and Nick Hornby – 'From Above' - more upbeat than usual Ben Folds. interesting premise as well (Ben Folds taking Hornby's words and putting them to song)

5. the Crookes - 'Backstreet Lovers' - just loveliness from Sheffield. need them over here!

6. Rokysopp - 'The Drug' - reviewed it for TGTF. good but not mindblowing.

7. Rose Elinor MacDougal's (former Pipette) debut album - er, no. not my thing. at all. ugh.

RIP Charles Haddon, you will be missed.

I wish I was writing this under more happier circumstances, but I think it should be said.

again. and many times over.

RIP Charles "Charlie" Haddon.

he was the singer of the v. promising electro act Ou Est Le Swimming Pool. I didn't know him personally nor did not have the opportunity to see the band play and now I never will, because Haddon committed suicide on Friday at Pukkelpop. but his untimely death leaves a sad, gaping hole in the English music scene.

not just for what he and his band might have become. but b/c he was only 22. he had his whole life ahead of him. there have been some speculation that when his keyboardist bandmate dove into the crowd and fell on a girl, injuring her, he felt much sympathy and sadness for what had happened.

whatever caused him to leap to his death, we'll never know. but one thing's for sure. be thankful what time you do have on this earth and make of it what you will, because you never know if it'll end tomorrow. for yourself or someone you love.

Two Door Cinema Club - the documentary

I realise that not all of you are card-carrying Delphans (the cutesy nickname for fans of Delphic) and for those of you who are more into the high-paced, frenetic rock of Two Door Cinema Club, I have the video teaser / trailer for their documentary, to be released on 20th of September in the UK with the expanded, deluxe version of 'Tourist History'.

judging from this short, less-than-3-minute clip, the documentary is going to be AMAZEBALLS. I'm praying I get a review copy. I've asked everyone!

this week's Roundtable (19/08)

no Roundtable report last week as there was no power at the house or at work.

this week, it's Felix White from the Maccabees, Andy from Goldheart Assembly and 6music's own Nemone.

1. the Ting Tings - 'Hands' - so '70s. ? it's ok. is her voice autotuned?

2. Clinic - 'I'm Aware' - the winner - oh god, what is this?? ::snore:: it sounds like drugged out hippies trying to make a dance record.

3. Kurran and the Wolfnotes - 'Your Four Limbs' - I like the vibe of this. somewhat Fleet Foxes but in a good way.

4. Friendly Fires with Azari & III - 'Stay Here' - ok, I'm not a fan. I'm like, WTF happened to the guitars? they aren't there! defo not a fan. never thought I'd say this for anything associated with FFires but it's pretty awful. maybe I never really understood house.

5. the Cribs - 'Housewife' - not their usually balls to the wall sound. ok but could be better.

6. Local Natives - 'Wide Eyes' - TBH, I really did not think they were that great live. and not a fan of them on record either. too bad.

7. new Klaxons - it's so garage-y. not really liking this. it's so rough. how they are compared to Delphic and FFires, I'll never know.

Roskilde - what it was, and what it wasn't

I haven't written much about my personal experience at Roskilde b/c for a while it seemed like I was writing and writing about the festival and then I got burned out. you can read all my writings in the Roskilde section of my gigs page.

it was a lot of what I expected. I expected the huge crowds, lots of walking around, long lines for the toilet and to buy food and drink.

however some of it was highly unexpected, good and bad.

the good:

1. meeting 2/3 of Delphic. it's true what they say, Northern boys are terribly polite. so polite that the 1/3 of Delphic I didn't meet recently apologised for not meeting me in Denmark, so hopefully we will meet up next month.

2. the incredible variety of acts at Roskilde. I had an idea just looking over the schedule but running around Festivalplads and catching 28 bands in 5 days - wow.

the bad:

1. a man who I have nicknamed 'Big Bloke' fell on me in his overzealous dancing/moshing to Biffy Clyro, I fell to the floor of Arena and had to be lifted to safety by festival staff. embarrassing in its own way but I pissed off at the guy.

I still have no idea how security found my glasses b/c they went flying when I got pushed.

I am tempted to see Biffy next month when they are here and interview them just so I can tell them what happened and they can feel sorry for me (ha).

2. the only time we were offered any sort of tour of the grounds was 5 PM Friday 2 July. the exact time Delphic were due at the Pavilion Stage, a far walk from where the tour was. I didn't want to miss Delphic's set, not to mention I thought it would be terribly impolite to ask for an interview and then not even see them play. so I skipped the tour.

3. it was disappointing us bloggers never did anything together. it wasn't from lack of trying on my part. oh well.

songs I'm working on

no, sorry, this isn't a list of songs I've actually written, it's the songs I'm trying to master on bass.

Delphic
'Doubt' - it's hard for me to suss the rhythm on this, but I think I have it now.

'Submission' - I've got this pretty down pat. the first hurdle was getting the right rhythm, which I think I have, I just have to move my left hand quicker. now the quick progression from D-E on the D (third) string to F# on the E (first string) is driving me nuts!

'Counterpoint' - much easier than I thought. basically two notes (A# and F#) throughout the whole song except for the bridge.

'This Momentary' - this is really hard! until I started playing bass I hadn't realised it was the bass line that was the main groove underneath the track.

'Red Lights' - I was able to figure this out on my own quite easily - it's the same repeated 4 notes on the E (first) string all throughout the song. try it.

Friendly Fires
'On Board' - it's mostly one note. y'know, those thumps at the start.

'In the Hospital' - rough b/c it's fast but working on it.

the Temper Trap
'Fader' - difficult b/c I want to follow Lorenzo Silletto's screaming guitar solo

Two Door Cinema Club
Something Good Can Work (I've learned a way too simple version, will have to speak with Kev Baird about this b/c I don't think I have the bridge right)

songs I want to figure out on my own, b/c I can't find the tabs / the tabs are messed up
Delphic - 'Halcyon' - I *will* master the chorus, I will! have got to stop humming Matt Cocksedge's guitar solo first though...

Led Zeppelin - 'Whole Lotta Love' - this will be a work in progress for a long time, I bet. I remember years ago saying I'd learn guitar so I could play 'No Quarter', that never happened.

Queen - 'Another One Bites the Dust' - I mean, you have to learn this one if you play bass, right? it's like the 'Stairway to Heaven' for bass players.

Two Door Cinema Club - 'Come Back Home', 'I Can Talk', 'What You Know'

Delphic sans guitars

even though I would like to point out that it took this Fordham Uni radio station about 8 weeks to post an interview they did with Delphic versus my 11 days to transcribe mine with Rick Boardman, this one is pretty funny b/c they play off one another, something that could not have happened with mine, since I only got to talk to one Delphic chap and not all three of them.

maybe I can get all three of them in a room in Philly or Boston when I see them in a couple weeks' time and we'll have some hilarious discussions.

I also surmise based on this interview, Matt is probably the joker of the band. just two examples:

Kara: You’re often compared to New Order since you’re from Manchester, you’ve got that rock/dance element. Every single review on earth about you seems to mention New Order.

Matt: It’s funny, isn’t it?

Rick: Matt doesn’t even like New Order.

Matt: I like the singles! But I never found New Order to be much of an album band.

Kara: But you told me that you guys even interviewed Bernard Sumner.

Matt: We did! And for that occasion, I loved New Order.

::LOL::

Kara: You’re also all music teachers ... or you were?

James: This is the odd quirk of the band. Rick, who plays keyboads [sic], was a drum tutor. I was a guitar tutor and Matt’s mum is a music teacher.

Matt: But I didn’t teach music. I just read existentialist novels.

in this version of 'Doubt', Rick isn't battering a drum pad for the quick fire vowels, it's all coming out of the Macbook. and humourously, James looks like the rhythm has taken him over, his head bopping all over the place. (remind you of anyone? a dad-dancer perhaps?) and good heavens, the way he is holding the microphone? WOOF.



this version of 'Counterpoint' was so, so freaking adorable. James's little ballerina twirl, and then at 1.57, who knows what James and Rick are laughing about but they are having such a good time, and Rick looks like he's going to bust a gut. Matt however looks pretty stony. maybe he never laughs during shows. and you know what else I've noticed? Rick has a LOT of hair. I think he has more hair on his head than I have ever had in my entire life. I'm rather jealous, b/c with all the chemo I've had done, I'll never really have a full head of hair. some people are born lucky I guess! :)

definitely not a fashionista. or can afford to be one.

I think Delphic and Two Door Cinema Club look great in their Kitsune Maison issue clothes. sure beats the grungy t-shirt / jeans look that American bands have perfected.

as I was perusing some of my TDCC pics, trying to figure out what 'emblem' is on the shirts they wear, I decided what the hey, let's see what the Kitsune women's clothes look like.

holy ferk, a striped cardi - and a slinky and pretty skimpy one as that - is $155. a 't-shirt dress' is $140. let me emphasise those are the prices for PREVIOUS years' collections.

their fall 2010 collection for women apparently goes back to what they call the 'Ivy League' look. interesting, as I tend to like dressing preppy as it is. (it's my natural inclination, so to speak. blazers? I adore them.) the other day I was looking at a blonde trenchcoat at Banana Republic, gawked at the price tag, and realised the money was better spent on a bass amp.





I'd never buy/wear a red blazer, but I have to say this looks pretty sharp!



nautical pretzel. v-neck, mmmm yes. v-necks on guys and girls are win-win.

just like Christmas...

I wake up this morning to check my Facebook updates and look what I see! (from Delphic's Facebook - visit and 'like' them over on Facebook)

my two favourite bands in the world and all their important people. I haven't rotated it b/c it's like this on their Facebook, haha (they took it on someone's iPhone) and the gorgeous Hong Kong skyline is behind them. they and Two Door Cinema Club played a gig in Kowloon Bay last night. what I would have given to be a fly on the wall for that gig...

::happy ♥::

BROS 4 LYFE, you dig?

Dangerbird Records live session 17/06/2010 (Silverlake, CA)

so Delphic signed to Dangerbird Records, which is also home to another band I dig, Bad Veins. check out these vids when they played at their American label's 'home' out west.

This Momentary (instrumental parts)



Counterpoint



Halcyon

this week's Roundtable (05/08)

Steve Lamacq is joined by Romeo from the Magic Numbers, Katie Sutherland of Pearl and the Puppets and Sam Duckworth (Get Cape Wear Cape Fly).

1. Grinderman - 'Heathen Child' - not really my thing but probably on the same wavelength as the Black Keys?

2. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - 'Beverly Kills' - how weird, it's kind of discoey, but also psychedelic. like MGMT if they went dance.

3. the Vaselines - 'Sex with an X' - Kurt Cobain liked this band???

4. Phosphorescent - 'the Mermaid Parade' - can I say I am sick of this American-made country sounding, Eagles / Beach Boys hybrid crap? it's a snooze. the '60s and '70s are over. get a life people!

5. Warpaint - 'Ashes to Ashes' (David Bowie cover) - a mate of mine saw them here in DC and thought they weren't so great. how disappointing. this has a throwback '60s psychedelic vibe which, again, seems v. stale to me at the moment.

6. Tricky - 'Murder Weapon' - it's ok. a bit boring, but not as boring and stale as the two previous.

7. Arcade Fire's new album - I like 'We Had to Wait'. I still don't get why everyone is so into them though. it's like the Fall. don't get it.