Wednesday 24 November 2010

The Naked and Famous



A bit like a streaker running across Wimbledon centre court, a band called Naked and Famous are bound to grab your attention. Especially when they make the kind of music MGMT should have followed 'Time To Pretend' with instead of the dirgey, please take us seriously tripe they phoned in from an all night dwarves and cocaine party.

So, here's what we know. They're named after a line from a Tricky song. They're record breakers in their home country of New Zealand after their single 'Young Blood' became the first debut song by a Kiwi band to reach No 1 in 16 years. Girl singer Alisa Xayalith has one of the coolest names we've ever heard. And they're literally a cat's whisker away from signing a major label deal which will propel them into bloated super stardom faster than you can say “Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives”

Their sound, which you could slot happily between Passion Pit and the aforementioned, is a mix of the fizzy stadium rock, shoegaze and boy-girl harmony electro indie. Imagine gazing incredulously at your feet after you'd got over excited and spilt lemonade on your new trainers and you'd be somewhere near approaching tunes like 'Punching In A Dream' and 'All Of This'. The truth is, it isn't quite ready for consumption yet. It's music for festivals. Listening to it now in the bowels of winter will just make you feel resentful as you trudge through the cold streets of Dalston, but file it away and as soon as summer comes whip it out “Have you heard The Naked and Famous?” You can ask your envious friends. “They're going to be all over this year's John Peel Stage”

www.myspace.com/thenakedandfamous

More hear....

Ch-ch-check out 'Young Blood' on youtube

Friday 19 November 2010

CAVE



Our current favourite drone-pysch-nu jazz collective are CAVE who are signed to Drag City- "they're the best, duh!"- and have been making busy since 2006 creating music to make the kids stroke their chins and move their feet. Just don't ask them how they make their sound. "We play music and it just comes out a certain way, we're not really sure how exactly... "

Hmm, so far so cryptic. Perhaps that's why they didn't get the props they deserved when they visited London a few weeks back. It seems us Londoners aren't that friendly to a band in need: "It was all going fine until our van broke down and people dont really seem to be super nice when you're homeless. No one offered us anywhere to stay" they moaned, perhaps unaware that they were talking to people who avoid eye contact on the tube at all costs. They didnt let that get them down though. They are pretty mellow sort of dudes and they vowed that when they return next week they are going to have "a really good time". Lock up your daughters now.

Where they are from, Columbia in Missouri, seems like a much friendlier kind of place. The kind of place that would not only offer up a floor to some hairy kraut rockers, but invite them in for a game of beer pong with some of those awsome red cups they have at american house parties. Everyone yammers on about LA and the whole Smell scene but for our money Columbia sounds just as cool. Known as college town USA its liberal and progressive. While the band admit that enthusiasm for Obama ("who?") has waned somewhat the majority of the population support the legalisation of cannabis, and the city has a great track record of making same sex couples feel welcome. Perhaps this is why it has such a vibrant hipster and psych music scene, spawning not only CAVE but their buddies Mahjongg, Lazer Crystal and the now defunct Warhammmer 48K. Together the bands are known as the Columbia Diaspora which is basically a fancy way of saying that they share studio space, play on eachother's records and ocassionally engage in a bit of inter band spooning (probably) Anyway, CAVE reckon there are all sorts of exciting things going down musically in ol' Missouri and urge you to check out HEATER and Jerusalem and the Starbaskets as soon as you can. They really are rather good.

After their "seemingly never ending European tour" is over the band have all sorts of projects in the pipeline including the release of a full length album in December (so far they've been more EP kinda guys) And what about 2011? " On New Years Eve we're playing a special show at the Hideout in Chicago. Then this March we're heading to New Orleans to play at our friends Mr Quintron and Miss Pussycat's house during Mardi Gras"

Let's hope they make them feel more welcome than we did. Oh, and in case you were wondering, their favourite caves are the Mark Twain complex (so called because the writer mentioned them in 5 of his books) They're in Missouri and they were discovered in either 1819 or 1820 by a dog who was chasing a panther (yep, you heard) and unearthed himself a geological treasure. Tours are one hour and 20 minutes ("A light jacket or sweater is recommended") and they also have a fudge shop. What's not to love?

http://www.myspace.com/realreelpro

http://www.marktwaincave.com/

Esben and the Witch @ Electrowerkz



In shadowy crannies journalists and industry types are circling, tweeting into Blackberries and, if they're more old school, scribbling into notebooks. T-shirts and tote bags are being flogged. Red Stripes are being downed and Jägerbombs shot down the hatch. Suddenly there's a chill, a kind of unearthly presence has taken hold. All eyes are focused front and centre. There's a hush. The stage flashes crimson and then icy blue, lighting up a skull and a tiny stuffed owl on one of the amps. A whirl of smoke puffs across the front row, obscuring everything in sight. And then, to perplexed cheers and a sound that's a bit like a Gregorian chant in a sandstorm, Esben and the Witch enter. Only their shadows are visible.

The buzz band of the moment couldn't have chosen a better venue for tonight's gig. Electrowerkz fits their reverb and spook-heavy shoegaze perfectly. Despite being huge and cavernous, it's strangely claustrophobic, perhaps due to the fact it used to be an old metalworks and may well be haunted by the ghosts of those who died in industrial accidents. On top of this, the décor is a hangover from the weekend's goth club night, Slimeworks, which has the lights as low as possible, the dayglo spotlights up as high as can be, and gives the impression that torture porn cages and cobwebs are not just for Halloween. It smells of bonfires (or is it burning flesh?). The overall feeling is one of being trapped inside the set of Saw 3D.

The band's performance ups the goth factor even more significantly. A bit like that old adage about rubbernecking at car accidents, you can't drag your eyes away, despite the music being so intense that it begins to bring you out in goosebumps. Singer Rachel's vocals are mournfully glacial, but can build to a bluesy howl when needed. The rumble of the bass, the crash of the cymbals and the pounding of the drums seem to control your heartbeat, slowing it one minute and then raising it to the point where you think you might have a panic attack the next. The whole ambience is strangely beautiful, while at the same time making you feel tense and twitchy. It's a bit like staring into the eyes of a deer and then watching it get mercilessly slaughtered.

Everything about the performance is cool and controlled, a masterclass in sustaining an audience's attention. But this is not necessarily through stage presence: besides a few mumbled expressions of thanks, there's very little interaction. Instead, the band retain complete autonomy because they make the kind of music you need to pay attention to. Not just because they're doing something 'important' (although there is a sense in the air that this is a band you 'should' like, a band that are breaking ground, that's not entirely the case. There's a bit of Siouxsie Sioux in there, some Birthday Party, some Jesus and Mary Chain, a little pinch of Joy Division.)

No, the reason you need to listen is because Esben and The Witch don't make throwaway music. They make long-player music, the kind of tunes that need a repeat listen before you can take them in. They're not for you trigger-happy iPod shufflers. They reward those people who feel they have the time and patience to perch cross-legged on their beds in silence (maybe by candlelight) and stare at the ceiling, not moving until they've ingested every bewitching morsel. They need to be savoured slowly, like a fine merlot. Or as one audience member put it as we shuffled out into the bitter November night: “They're the kind of band you want to have a sit down and a think about”. There's always the tube ride home.

DD/MM/YYYY Interview



Squeezing us in between touring, sightseeing (“Hull? It can't be as bad as Fargo, North Dakota”) and coping with the loss of WOMEN, we caught up with DD/MM/YYYY – the busiest and non-mushiest dudes out there...



Welcome to England, how are you guys enjoying the tour experience so far?


We're in good spirits and we love playing live but there's been a bit of an obstacle with our good buddies WOMEN breaking up. It was hard to have them cancel their dates with us and we really hope we don’t get shafted and lose some shows. Being in a band can be trying sometimes but we always find some optimism to persuade us to forge ahead.

How come it's taken you guys so long to release over here?

We don't know. I guess we had to meet Geoff Barrow (producer) when we did. It was quite the feat for us to escape the factory life waiting for us in Toronto, so the fact that we've made it here after tons of hard work is really something we do not take for granted.

Is it annoying constantly fielding questions about why you have such an odd name?

Well if you had a weird name would you be super happy to have to explain it all the time? Of course you would! Attention is nice to receive and we are happy to converse about whatever your heart desires.

So, why do you have such an odd name?

Have you ever filled out a cheque and it says dd/mm/yyyy? Ever look at a package of milk or yoghurt to check the expiry date? The name is not odd at all in our opinion. It’s everywhere and it makes sense. Also DD/MM/YYYY looks cool in capital letters.

The DD/MM/YYYY sound is a bit ADHD. How would you describe it?

We like to think that our music is more simple than people see it; we don't like appearing complicated for the sake of being complicated. But we do have strong ideas that stem from being complex people. We cannot write love songs in traditional form 'cos we don't experience love in that way. We are much too busy and sarcastic to be mushy love types, so we write songs about being busy non-mushy dudes. We call it exploring dynamics, but that's music talk.

If your sound is simple, your stage show is pretty hectic. How do you decide who's doing/playing what? Is it just a free for all?

Nothing is free. If it sounds good we do it, but when it comes to the on-stage variables we can't control them. At times we just want to see the audience loosen up so we try to be more casual by taking our pants off or rolling up our sleeves. At times we get the urge to be really stoopid. We have a rule: if you look sexy doing it then it must be right.

Ready for some tenuous questions about dates? If you could set the DeLorean to any DD/MM/YYYY what would it be?

We wouldn't go too far in time, just far enough to open for Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, Suicide, Sid Barret’s Pink Floyd, Pere UBU, This Heat. That would rule!

What's the best month?

June is pretty sweet every year. Sunshine and Lollipops. Bikini Rainbows. Tanning lotion and Beers. Sand and Sandwiches. Butts and Bikers. June Bugs.

OK, enough of that... Your videos are always really trippy, a bit like being on shrooms and getting lost inside a comic book. Do you design them yourselves? (We know you guys are pretty arty.)

Most times we look for cool film/video people to help us put our ideas into a visual aesthetic that brings out the nature of the songs. Some of them we design ourselves. I made the 98 Pound Weakling animation as a quick way into my subconscious without censorship. So I made boobs sing and faces melt – wouldn't you do the same? I guess we are arty, but mostly just alive and reacting to how crazy fucked up the world is.

Finally: who would you back in a fight between a bear and a dragon?

How about this.... why even fight? It's sad when things fight. Just give it up already. Stop fighting.

!!! @ KOKO



It’s a cliché, but it’s one for a reason. !!! Chk-chk-chk (or even Bam-Bam-Bam or Boff-Boff-Boff – it’s up to you) are best seen live. It’s not that we don’t love their albums. And they’ve produced some cracking singles in their 14-year run. Their videos are also consistently brilliant (we especially loved the one they shot for Jamie, 'My Intentions are Bass'). It’s just that on record you can’t see lead singer Nic Offer’s dance moves.

As he slides and thrusts his way across the stage, windmill arms flailing, twirling like a kid at a birthday party and sweating like a motherbitch, you can just tell that this is where he belongs. One minute he’s bumping 'n’grinding like R Kelly, the next he’s prowling like Jagger and thrusting like Prince. Even though he looks like the nerdiest of indie kids (think Michael Cera’s older bro) you definitely would. It only takes him two songs before he’s in the crowd, bouncing along the front row, sticking his mic in his mouth and, indeed, into anyone who happens to have theirs open. Arms around his fans, singing along and spreading the love, he definitely has the X factor.

Not that the rest of the band are any different. They are the real stars of the night, keeping up the jazz funk oomph, never dropping a beat, and making the whole event look like an effortless jam session without ever making the crowd feel excluded. Singer Shannon Funchess (who comes across somewhere between Grace Jones and Skunk Anansie) has as much energy as a sugar-fuelled infant and looks like even if you offered her a billion pounds she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.

She also has an amazing style, working a canary yellow t-shirt, bright red jeans and a matching pillar-box hat that means you can’t take your peepers off her. This is no mean feat considering how crowded the stage is. Between them the band are rocking triangles, tambourines, synths, guitars, two drum kits, trumpets, sexy saxophones and bongos (the international symbol for 'party') but trying to define the sound they’re making with them is harder than anything. My notes for ‘Steady as the Sidewalk Cracks’ read “Blissed out? Punk? Samba? Jazz? Style Council? Roxy Music? 'Young Americans'-era Bowie? What the fuck is it?!”

The truth is no one much cares. Everybody is too busy dancing. The momentum never lets up once, with the transitions between tracks so seamless that you barely notice the songs have changed. And as one song rolls in to the other, like waves of sound, the old adage that indie kids don’t dance is thoroughly disproved. More shapes are being thrown than a discus champion in a rhombus factory. As the encore rolls round (a 15-minute swirling jazz-funk-out that never grates for a moment) the crowd are practically on their knees begging for more and the whole group are feeding off the vibes. “Why leave the stage when we’re having so much fun?” asks Nic, and curfew aside, you’ve got to agree. They may be best known as a live act but when their show is this explosive, is that a bad thing?

!!! Interview



“Everything you'd think we have on tour we do – beer, apple juice, Sprite, ginger beer...” Doing his best MTV Cribs impersonation, Nic !!! is showing us the contents of the band's fridge. As well as the aforementioned beverages there's also a lot of cured meat. We're talking parma ham, salami and even prosciutto. Fancy. Wanting to keep a clear interview head we settle for a glass of Copella (This is some really good stuff, right?) and cosy up on the sofa to talk partying, creative control and kung fu with the extremely bendy lead singer...


Your gigs are pretty physically intense. How do you prepare for them?

When we were living in Nashville together we used to start the morning with a kung fu workout but we don’t do that so much anymore. I guess just plenty of stretching – I notice when you stretch out you can do more out there.

You’re generally considered a live act. Is the live show more important than the records?

It’s not more important but it’s definitely something that we recognise we’re better at. It’s something of a thorn in our side because being a live act is not something we necessarily need to consider or work that hard on anymore. I feel like we’ve got it together now with that. In contrast we work very hard on the albums and we enjoy recording.

I guess it’s flattering in a way that the live shows translate so well. Better to have an awesome live show than be a damp squib when people come to see you.

Yeah I think so. Having said that, I would hope that our records would stand up on their own merits. Two of my favourite bands are The Stooges and Sonic Youth and I’m sure that at their peak their live shows totally eclipsed what they did on record, but their recordings absolutely stand up on their own. I hope ours do the same.

Why did you choose to do a remix album?

Fucked if I know. They asked if we wanted to put it together and we thought, why not?

So it was a management decision?

Yeah, pretty much.

Did you guys get to choose the people who did the remixing?

Yeah we did. The idea of the remix to me is that you throw something out there and hope that it inspires someone to turn something exciting in, and I think we got that.

Did you not worry that their versions would eclipse the original songs?

No, that’s what you would hope. Our worst fear was that someone would try and earn a couple of thousand bucks in a weekend but thankfully that didn’t happen. Ideally, it’s great if someone produces something better than the original and does something unexpected with it.

Do you still feel that !!! is a name that represents you as a band?

I feel that it’s absolutely who we are. On this trip I’ve been looking at the bills of the other bands playing in the venues we’ve performed at and I’ve thought to myself “I’m glad we’re us and not any of these other band names”.

Like who?

I’m not going to slag anyone off, but let’s just say I have a hard time coming up with band names that I like. Our name sets us apart and I’m very proud of it. I’m proud of who we are.

It’s a name that makes you look very excited.

When we started in the '90s we felt that the scene was defined by being a ‘slacker’ or a ‘loser’ or ‘creep’ and we wanted to be positive. We didn’t want to hate ourselves. Nowadays it seems to be the trend, with everyone swinging from Animal Collective's nuts and it’s become refreshing for a band like The XX to come out and dress in black and be very sombre, but I think at the time we felt that it was important for the pendulum to swing both ways. For us it was excitement for life.

And is that still the case? Is it still exciting?

Of course. That’s the guiding light of the band – when it stops being exciting that’s when we have to quit.

Where’s the world’s best party destination?

[Without hesitation] Spain. They go fucking nuts.

What’s a killer house party tune?

If you have Michael Jackson’s ‘Off The Wall’, you’re pretty much set.

How much creative input do you have on your videos, the 'Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass' one for example?

It varies, but generally not a lot. Often you have to let go and say “this is not our song anymore”, but it can be frustrating. I definitely understand why writers don’t like the movies that people make of their books because someone is telling a completely different story to the one that you’ve written. In terms of 'Jamie' we liked the simple ideas that the director came up with and he seemed like he’d make something exciting so we went with him. We were very pleased with the end result.

The flower motif is pretty awesome

As soon as we spoke to Saman (the director) I said “Let’s get down to business – when is it going to rain flowers?” It was something I was very excited about.

How To Save The 100 Club...



Music fans were shocked at the announcement last month that the legendary 100 Club could close before Christmas if financial backers aren't found. The basement venue which has hosted live music since 1942 has seen rent raised by 45% in the last year and also faces crippling overheads of over £4,000 per month. Whilst it remains as popular as ever, the club is being forced to sacrifice 80% of its monthly revenue in an attempt to keep away creditors. Rather then being celebrated as one of most famous venues in London, it seems that the club is being punished for its success.

The site is one of a number of so called 'toilet venues' which have been forced to close in the past few years including London's Astoria and LA2, Manchester's The Music and the Cardiff Barfly. Brighton's Freebutt is also under threat after noise complaints from one local resident.

The main reason people are getting their knickers in a twist about the demise of these venues is that every closure means waving goodbye to a slice of musical history. Of course, that's not without its merits. The 100 Club has played host to more rock and roll legends than you've had hot dinners including Glenn Miller, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, Suede, B.B King, The Who, The Jam, Roxy Music and Metallica. The venue also became the unofficial home of punk after hosting the first ever festival dedicated to the genre in 1976. Over two days in the September of that year, the club opened its stage (and heart) to The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, The Buzzcocks, The Vibrators and Siouxsie and The Banshees. Pretty blimmin' impressive I think we can agree.

However, music is not a museum. Every true fan knows that it exists in hearts and minds as much as it does in bricks and mortar. Ask anyone who can sing along to every single word of a band's output (including unreleased B-sides) and they'll tell you that music is a personal experience that is not tied in with something as concrete as a building.

Rather than getting misty-eyed about the past, perhaps we should be opposing these closures on the grounds that they damage the future of live music in London and across the UK. The fact that these venues are threatened with closure is far sadder for the bands that are forming in bedrooms across the land right this moment than it is for a bloated former punk like Glen Matlock who wants to relive his glory days.

Getting rid of these smaller venues displaces a music scene which works from the bottom up. Every live band has to start somewhere, and that somewhere is a toilet venue. For bands, it's a rite of passage to play on a freezing cold night in a 20 capacity flea pit that's only half-full. It's how they bond, it's how people hear about them and it makes a great story for their autobiographies when they do eventually make it big. If smaller venues disappear, how are new bands supposed to get their break into the scene? Either they stay away entirely until they're big enough to play stadia, or they dissapear without a trace. Bad news either way for live music fans.

Perhaps we should look to LA for inspiration. America in general has been far better at protecting sites that form part of the nation's musical heritage, but the dudes at The Smell though have got it well and truly sorted. The venue, famous for launching the careers of No Age and Abe Vigoda, is run in the best DIY style possible. It's not for profit and the bands that play help with everything from lugging the amps to restocking the vegan café. A bit radical perhaps, but something needs to be done before toilet venues are flushed for good.

Kisses @ XOYO



I don't know about you, but every time I hear 'Groovejet' I'm instantly transported back to summer. The second that plane takes off and Sophie Ellis Bextor's Sloaney voice comes in, I'm on a beach, my skin is sun-kissed and my toes are encrusted with sand. Aaaaaah. Kisses have got a similar kind of vibe tonight. Sure, it's Hackney, not Honduras, and it's so cold outside that I've had to check a shirt, cardigan and duffel coat into the cloak room, but there's something about their Italo-disco pop that makes you want to drink cocktails and buy ugly souvenirs you'll regret when you get home. Hell, squint hard enough and tonight's audience almost become the kind of Balearic beauties that you'd want so share a holiday romance with. The problem is, I seem to be the only one who feels like this.

Admittedly, the set is dogged with problems. Even in such a small venue, the poor sound quality means that the chatter of the audience is the same volume as the band. One of the amps breaks down just after the second song, meaning an awkward transition while it's being fixed, and as the group first come on stage there's a nails-down-blackboard screech of accidental feedback which has everyone grimacing in pain. As annoying as all these problems are though, none of them hold a candle to the main one – the audience just don't seem to give a flying one. The whole event is strangely lacking in atmosphere. One guy reads a newspaper. Everyone is pretending to be too cool to notice that Matthew Horne (him from Gavin and Stacey) and the chubby one from the Klaxons have entered. This should be a riot, especially as the band's album 'The Heart of Nightlife' is released today. It's not.

This isn't for lack of trying. For all of their awkward indie outsider act, the band are good company. Their sound is dreamy and gorgeous. Comparisons to 'Summer Camp' are lazy, but then so am I. Both bands are boyfriend and girlfriend teams and lo- fi to the point you can practically hear the cat jumping on their bed and dislodging their synths. What sets Kisses apart as a live act though is that they mix an LA coolness with their clean European style. They're just as much into Sade and Duran Duran as The Smiths. While tonight's performance puts more emphasis on the traditional indie rock elements of their oeuvre, they still have a thumping disco back beat and squishy synths that fizz up in all sorts of unexpected places, making a sound like having your head submerged in a swimming pool of lemonade. Even though a bit of ironic nodding is as raucous as the crowd is going to get, the music is extremely danceable in a kind of Yeasayer meets Ministry of Sound chill-out album way.

Not quite the party the band had hoped for then. The truth is, they deserve far better than this. The biggest reaction of the night comes when Jesse admits that they are going to have to finish their set because they've run out of songs. As laughter erupts from the crowd and the band, it's almost with a sense of relief. Let's hope the rest of Europe welcome them with the open arms they deserve.

Sparrow and the Workshop @ Borderline



“Everyone looking forward to Sparrow and the Workshop? They told us some really weird stories last night about eyeballs and the possibility of them being impregnated”

So begins one of the least folky folk gigs in history. Faux-lk if you like. Not since Dylan went electric has there been such a rude awakening for fans of cable knit jumpers. There's not a banjo in sight and, shock horror, most of the people on the bill don't even have beards.Admittedly, support act Sketches are not billing themselves as mandolin-wielding troubadours. With the soaring operatic vocals of Matt Bellamy and the brooding guitar of Radiohead they’re far more post-rock than that (and wearing harem pants). But, in a move that should have the Trade Descriptions Act all over them, S&TW's MySpace describes them as “dark folk” It's a little more complicated than that, as those in the know at The Borderline can testify. Folk-punk doesn't quite cut it. Sparrow and The Workshop are nothing like The Pogues. Alt country doesn't suit them either.

No, a better description would be post-country. Throughout the night Jill O'Sullivan's voice sits somewhere between June Carter and Dolly Parton (even though she's from the Mid-West) but sounds like them throwing all their toys out of the pram. Put it this way, if Dolly Parton had grown up listening to Television and throwing temper tantrums, it might have gone a little like tonight's gig. Chugging, menacing guitars end the songs in feedback and the drums are so fierce that they ricochet off the already claustrophobic walls. Pete Seeger it ain't.

As each song starts out, the band seem to have the purest of intentions – all three-part harmonies and softness – but that’s just the calm before the storm, and it's not long before it all degenerates into a gloriously snarling whirlwind. ‘I Will Break You’ sounds like 'Scarborough Fair' twisted into a chamber of horrors, whilst songs like 'Against The Grain' are like a satanic flamenco with the feel of an Ennio Morricone score. If there did have to be a shoot-out on the pavements of W1 after, then this could be its theme tune.

Overall the mood is similar to the film Deliverance. You think it's going to be all fun and frolics in fields of corn with a friendly yokel, but suddenly you find yourself locked in a hoedown in hell. “I'd like to chase you through the woods / But I know I'm far too slow”, growls Jill like the crazy, leather-faced guy from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. When it comes time to showcase their new single 'Black to Red', the band are rocking so hard that guitarist Nick manages to lose a string. “That was pretty rock and roll there,” he says as the song grinds to a halt. Can you imagine Steeleye Span ever busting enough of a gut to destroy their instruments? Of course not, and that's why S&TW are such an energising live prospect. Even Mumford and Sons, for their entire banjo thrashing ways, look like Cliff Richard compared to this lot. Despite this, for all their darkness, there's a lot of sweetness and light being directed towards the audience, who are constantly being thanked for their presence. The band even admits that when they get off stage they'll probably have a little cry about how well it all went.

Before they go though, there's just time for some more fruity on-stage banter “Have you seen the new film called Masturbation?” asks Jill. “That's because it hasn't come out yet”. Boom, boom!

Apologies

Sorry it's all been so quiet this end. I've been very busy with an internship on the live music desk of www.spoonfed.co.uk. Not to rub it in or anything but other than the fact that I'm only being paid £25 a week, it's basically my dream job. I am going to post all my articles up here but if you fancy checking out the website (and you should because it's bloody good) then you can also have a read of them there and, while you're at it, read the other excellent examples of journalism my very friendly co-workers have written and uploaded. They all know their stuff.