Monday 18 February 2008

Great Escape news


The annual weekend away for Londoners (presumably the reason for the name?) is actually looking pretty good this year. For those of us living around Brighton it's rarely seemed worth it, being held in venues that we visit anyway and with only a handful of decent headliners, resulting in huge queues for bands the majority of ticketholders wanted to see. This year though the line-up's better than ever, and spread across the board. Wombats, Joe Lean et. al and the Teenagers should soak up a lot of the crowds, leaving everyone else time to catch some of these highlights:

Superlative rock sense from Secretly Canadian's reliable roster. January's second album moved them on from acute rock standards to more atmospheric, all engrossing waves of rock essence. Tongue out or tongue in cheek? No matter, make sure not to miss them. They'll be at ATP too, so watch out for some London gigs around that time. Enjoy Tyrants in the meantime:



Too many touch-stones to mention, and at times the all encompassing mush starts to grate but this is one of their finer moments. Should be a breath of fresh air live too, with not a Lyle+Scott jumper in sight! 



Tidy femme fourpiece from London. Don't let the fringes put you off, they're crisp as a well starched collar and having supported The Liars and Siouxsie Sioux, have the pedigree to prove it. Watch their video for Harmonise here:



Both semi-mainstream these days, and both still a big reason to part with some hard-earned. Tunng's third album, though fired off fast, went to prove folking around with new and old can have true longevity when done with such craft and excitement, something the Adem's of this world are now lacking. By contrast, trad-folk and proud, Iron and Wine are still making delectably morose songs, teetering between joy and despair with the composure of old masters. Watch some tour footage on PlayedLastNight for further proof. 

Video Podcast-Tunng Videos and animated joy


It's hard to know what to make of Monobright, most of their information being in Japanese- if I'm going to watch stompy danceable indie joyfaces though, this is exactly the form I want it in. A bit Dungen-y in the vocals, a bit Mustang Sally, a bit wrong.. check their video here, and follow the links to more. See you down the front, poloshirted, pogoing and utterly bemused.. 



From the first bar you know you're in love, or at risk of changing teams.. The less than saccharine nature of the lyrics, impeccable delivery and casually off-kilter back track make you realise just how unattractive faux-Essex Kate Nashery really is. Who wants estuary bitching when you can be beaten down by a viper-tongued Parisian chanteuse? It's insipid, it's daft, and it's superb. 



What a way to finish. Awesomness oozes from this noisy rabble like jam from a donut. No matter how you're feeling they will make forget, forgive, and embrace your uncertain future. Not bad for a Brooklyn fourpiece, who can be caught at the ICA on March 6th for those too impatient to wait. Download this, then go buy the album. 



So ends our personal highlights: check the full line-up here for more information, and buy your tickets in Resident, they deserve the support. If you're there, take photos, write things afterwards, and send them to us. Just, beautiful. 

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