Guildford’s family friendly festival; choc full of nostalgia and breaking talent.

Friday
Ginger has never been so strangely out of place. A mid-afternoon slot in a festival shrouded with nostalgia should have been the perfect setting for the ex-Wildhearts front-man. Sadly, much to his bemusement Ginger’s good time rock n’ roll garnered little response from the crowd. Adorned in iconic kilt and with his trademark flailing dreadlocks, Ginger remained unfazed, claiming “this is strange and quiet…I like it strange and I like it quiet.” Wherever Motorhead fans mix with picnickers the atmosphere is always likely to be a little odd.

Twin Atlantic had no such problems over in the Rock Sound Cave.  An exuberant and youthful audience were loud if shrill.  In a gloomy tent over in the corner, youngsters up front moshed away to somewhat concerned looks from security and parents camped out at the back.  The band’s brand of metallic yet poppy post-hardcore certainly went down well thanks in part to Sam McTrusty’s warm Glaswegian brogue.

We Are The Ocean played to an even fuller tent.  Their heavy melodic hardcore and preppy good looks were just about the perfect blend for the youth of Surrey.  Indeed the ferocity of their set was also enough to receive grudging admiration from the pre-Motorhead set.  It was just a shame that many of the bigger, uglier bystanders stayed at the rear of tent during vocalist Dan Brown’s unfortunate crowd surfing experience; “You guys dropped me; what’s the deal.”

As Motorhead strode onto the main stage it was obvious that the assembled throng were in for an absolutely textbook experience.  As they have done a million times before Lemmy and the crew ripped through all the classics and somehow arrived at ‘Overkill’ and ‘Ace of Spades’.  Probably not as loud as they have been in other settings, they still had enough brute force to push through technical problems and deliver.  As t-shirt sightings attest, Motorhead were the reason most of the crowd were there in the first place.

Saturday
Local act District 6 hit the Ben Sherman stage in the afternoon possessing maturity that belied their tender ages.  They started as somewhat of a more enthused Interpol and ended up regaling the tent with shimmering pop-rock songs that went someway to making up for the absence of Hundred Reasons.  Undeniably the band are still learning their trade and are some way off a polished life show but they show all the signs of a promising future (as long as they steer clear of Lady Gaga covers).

Over in the Rock Sound Cave Failsafe pitched their punky hardcore against more melodic choruses.  That is until they unleashed ‘Mirror Mirror’.  Led a mammoth sized beast of a riff more befitting of a nu-metal act, the band were caught at their guilty peak.

Devil Sold His Soul took on the mantle of Failsafe’s intensity and delivered a monstrously heavy soundtrack.  Down-tuned guitars blended with shrill yelps and thudding bass to produce a dense fabric of sound, easy to get lost in, equal parts doomy and epic.

As headliner Brian Wilson took to the Main Stage, the heavens opened.  As if Britain would’ve greeted a Beach Boy any other way?  If anything the weather made the 67 year old’s performance that much more triumphant.  His songs could permeate the blackest sky, as seemingly to a man, the festival danced in salute to one of the greats.  They overlooked the “Hello London,” which Wilson perpetually spouted and just revelled in unadulterated glee.  Hearing ‘God Only Knows’ in a dank, drenched field in Surrey was a moment that many will remember forever.

Sunday
By the time the Wailers were on stage the sun flirtatiously peaked through the clouds.  The former Bob Marley backing band ran through a set of old classics like ‘Jammin’’ and ‘I Shot The Sheriff’ to fair aplomb; tight and accomplished they were a big hit with the crowd.  The legacy of Bob Marley quite obviously lives on within the group but they will never have much more than an iota of presence without the main man.

Later in the evening The Ghost of a Thousand came out on a mission to “end this festival once and for all.”  Ripping into a vicious set, vocalist Tom Lacey seemed intent on spending the crowd’s last drops of energy.  As he curated yet another swirling circle pit he made time to reassure the mums and dads at the back that they are available for children’s birthdays and bar mitzvahs!

Despite TGOAT’s best efforts to bring the curtain down, that job was left to The King Blues.  Their acoustic driven ska-infused pop-punk drew one of the tent’s biggest attendances.  As ever Itch proved himself a consummate front-man, engaging the crowd with issues regarding war, the BNP and of course choreographing sing-a-longs.  This is a band that is relating important issues to young people in an accessible way (their songs resplendent with hooks infiltrate all the main sensory glands).  Drawing the family friendly festival to a close under the banner of community and catchy pop songs was certainly most befitting.  Here’s to next year.

All Tomorrow’s Parties announce a special 10th birthday festival.

ATP will commence their birthday celebrations with a second festival in December.  Taking place from the 11th-13th December at Butlins Resort in Minehead, the event features a plethora of ATP favourites as well as past curators.

So far confirmed to play are:

• Explosions in the Sky
• Dirty Three
• Shellac
• Tortoise
• Melvins
• Mudhoney
• The For Carnation
• Papa M
• Deerhoof
• F**k Buttons
• The Drones
• Sleepy Sun
• Bardo Pond

More confirmations will be forthcoming.

Tickets for the event are on sale now; priced at £160 per person for room only accommodation and £170 per person for self-catering.  There are early-bird discounts of £10 off and those attending My Bloody Valentine’s Nightmare Before Christmas get £20 off full price.

Growing concern over revenue streams leads to cull.

It is being widely reported that MySpace are to cut its workforce by 30%.  This could mean in the region of 500 redundancies for the company.

The news comes amidst growing competition from the likes of Facebook and Twitter, the former of which surpassed MySpace in number of unique visits last month.  According to data from comScore Media Matrix, May saw Facebook attract 70.28 million unique US visitors in comparison to MySpace’s 70.26 million.

This is yet more bad news for the site which last week revealed that its owners, News Corp’s Fox Interactive Media, had pulled the plug on a proposed move to new offices in Playa Vista, California.

Concerns are also mounting as their advertising deal with Google (worth a reported $900 million) is set to expire next year.

What do Beth Ditto and Susan Boyle have in common?  Welcome to Gossip’s ‘tricky’ fourth album.

Beth Ditto is fat.  And a lesbian.  When Gossip burst into the mainstream with Soulwax re-mixed ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’ she found herself to be something of a new media-darling.  Journalists delighted in highlighting her obvious and immediate differences and the general public took notice of her bolshy ‘take me as I am’ attitude.

As a consequence many casual observers know of Gossip solely for having a voluptuous homosexual.  Sure ‘…Control’ permeated many a set of speakers, but for a band that garnered so much press, they haven’t sold a startling number of records.  Seemingly to most people the story was more interesting than the music.

It is this common fascination with inverting stereotypes that has recently shot Susan Boyle to fame.  What’s more you’d imagine that when Ms. Boyle is invariably given her release, the hype will succumb to apathy.  After the inevitable hit debut, the story will eventually become second place to people wanting some music to listen to.

Of course Gossip have already proved to be more than a flash in the pan, this being their forth album to date.  However in terms of mainstream success, this record might very well prove make or break (there’s only so long that one can ride the coat-tail of Skins).

Getting Rick Rubin on board certainly wasn’t a bad idea.  The venerable producer has been responsible for classic albums right across the musical spectrum, from Jay-Z to Johnny Cash to Slayer.  Unsurprisingly Music For Men is in general-terms more polished.

But the end result of the media-storm, the celebrity friends and the superstar producer is still the same Beth Ditto, and ultimately the same Gossip.  “If there’s a risk, I’ll take it,” she cries on ‘8th Wonder’, but while she is used to subverting preconceptions in magazine columns, her music has only slightly evolved.

Veering more towards the dance end of previous efforts, Gossip have upped the funky bass-lines but generally stuck with what has worked [see lead single ‘Heavy Cross’].  As ‘2012’ peels into “My heart my never beat again baby, have you got the best of me,” Beth Ditto crowns the album’s most alluring moment.  The track roots itself in a muted riff more suited to an Interpol album but is delivered with an unerring verve well capable of setting a few dance-floors a-light.

Ultimately though, nothing on Music For Men will have the same impact as ‘…Control’.  After-all the first big hit was accompanied by Beth Ditto, second time around we just have the music for company.

Rating:  2.5/5

Guilford’s Without Thought peddles that all-too familiar brand of post-hardcore, the style that’s seemingly serving as the model for contemporary rock.  They feature low, heavy riffage adorned by vocals that swerve from screams into more melodic passages, providing the listener with both metallic brutality and a soaring pop-sensibility.

In essence the group bridges the gap between the broken hearted wallowing and self-examination of My Chemical Romance and the neon glare of newer metallic hardcore bands like Your Demise; a sound inherited from the US but perhaps coined best for UK listeners by Funeral for a Friend.  It’s very much the sound of young men: complicated, loud and overly thought-out.  “What is left forever here in this house of miss-thought truths?” might not scream ‘poetic genius’ but infers that they are at least having a go.

‘Discipline’ does well to characterise the group.  Beginning with an immediate surge of bile and vitriol, the angriest moment of the record gives way into an elongated, yearning, high-pitched singing section.  One might gush over this purportedly earnest emotional paean [borne from a wave of destruction] but while the progression occurs organically, the track still struggles to find its own ground.  Gang vocals occasionally spice up proceedings but in truth serve as smoke and mirrors.

This might be the sound of rock for the youth, but Get Down And Give Me Infinity is typical to the extent of feeling contrived, even middle of the road.  Indeed whilst it’s easy to praise the melody friendly ‘Self Preservation’ and ‘With Any Arms’, they could have been written by any number of groups.  After gaining exposure on Bruce Dickenson’s [Iron Maiden front-man] BBC Radio 6 music show, Without Thought might have the capacity to break-out; you’ll rest assured they’ll be on well trodden ground.

Last weekend’s White Noise Festival at Leicester’s Firebug venue highlighted an overlooked music scene.  In recent years the city has been known for Kasabian and little else.  Perhaps only My Awesome Compilation and Maybeshewill have garnered a small buzz since something like 2003.  Its other bands have generally stayed under the radar of the mainstream.  Indeed the scene as a whole has had a distinct lack of coverage and with the recent closure of The Charlotte, you might be forgiven for thinking that Leicester’s music scene was severely flagging.  White Noise was Leicester’s way of showing to people that it has more and better bands than you might think.  Perhaps equally importantly that it has a network of promoters and fans that are passionate about live music.  With a weekend wristband costing as little as £4, bands performing for free and profits donated to LOROS Hospice, this was every inch a local community event.

The Friday of the festival was kicked off in fine style by Buenos Aires whose shimmied post-hardcore sat on the rockier side of Minus the Bear.  However it was the night’s touring partners that took all of the plaudits.  And So I Watch You From Afar are quite simply the best live band in Britain right now and after a month on the road with them, Maybeshewill seemed in a particularly buoyant mood.  Both bands produced blistering instrumental sets which culminated with end of tour party scenes (think mass-druming and stage-dives).

The Saturday started with an appropriate wave of white noise.  Cunt Rag’s doom laden wrestling masks and phallic imagery erupted into the louder than everything else Diet Pills.  After the rest of a muted afternoon Autohype were next to impress with indie-rock melodies that stood in stark contrast to the opening acts.  Given the task of headlining the evening were Minnaars, a band that split opinion more than any other in Leicester.  They are known to there detractors as ‘Middle Class and Agitated’ and are accused at every turn of aping Foals.  Undeniably there are similarities between the bands but unquestionably the quality of Minnaars’ songs stand on there own, their angular melodies capable of competing with their luminaries.  What’s more the large audience that greeted the set is testament to their enduring popularity.

Sunday found room for some of the region’s more left-field acts.  Peter Wyeth’s penchant for looping sounds did little but mask a fantastic talent for plain acoustic balladry but Theo’s effects pedals were different propositions entirely.  His method of looping guitar sounds before accompanying on drums was a mesmerising live experience, as thick and full as most bands.  All Idols Fall were similarly engrossing and proved that Leicester still has something to offer the punk-rock circle.  This left the always reliable Death of London to bring the curtain down.  Blending the more abrasive elements of Fugazi with the punky hardcore of Trapdoor Fucking Exit, theirs was a fittingly bombastic way to draw things to a close.

The weekend was a real triumph for a tight-knit community and made clear that Leicester has a number of bands that are well worth a mention, indeed I must also namedrop Her Name is Calla after their welcome return to the live arena.  White Noise has set a new marker for the Leicester music scene, long may it continue to grow.

Identikit pop fun from Guilford.

The ice-cream cone melting on the beach that adorns the cover fits neatly with The Toniks’ sun-kissed pop-rock, a sound that sits somewhere between The Feeling and Snow Patrol. Only whilst the group has an admirable sheen and an undeniable knack for melody, the songs lack the panache of their luminaries. By its own admission the group doesn’t strive to craft anything other than melodic pop songs and their untitled EP certainly fits the bill.

Showcasing this penchant for melody, the release is resplendent with hooks but unfortunately possesses little staying-power. The group comes across as inoffensive, middle of the road and is ultimately forgettable. If anything more transparent than accessible, The Toniks have a knack of crafting well organized yet uninteresting tunes.

However, that’s not to say that there is no enjoyment to be taken from the affair. Upbeat closer ‘So Much Better’ sits on the more effervescent side of Smashmouth’s back catalogue and could conceivably raise a few smiles come the festival season, similarly the good vibrations of ‘This Summer’ will no doubt evoke more fun in the sun. The Toniks are akin to a holiday romance; fleeting but none-the-less sweet. It’s a shame that we’ve ‘heard it so much better’.

One of the hardest touring bands in the UK, Sonic Boom Six is back with its unique blend of reggae, punk, ska and hip-hop. The group’s eclectic sound is far removed from fashion or sophistication yet they are undoubtedly one of the most important bands in Britain. With catchy songs, squeaky rapped vocals and left-leaning politics Sonic Boom Six is mobilising the ‘yoof’. Perpetually on the road, like The King Blues they operate on what might be termed a ‘grassroots’ level. However unlike their contemporaries, Sonic Boom Six have garnered little coverage from more mainstream press.

Opener ‘Welcome to the (City of Thieves)’ is typically instant, introducing the album’s concept; the city as a failed model of capitalism. It’s an explosive rush that gives way to ‘Back 2 Skool’, an anthem for teenage individuality [and perhaps a swipe at Bring Me the Horizon] the track is targeted at a very specific age group.

Happily for those outside of the demographic there is still joy to be taken. The band has such an unerring enthusiasm that it’s impossible not to get swept up, impossible not to draw a smile or sheepishly raise a fist.

Fist raising is the major area that SB6 have progressed in. The punk bits are not only as fast as they’ve ever been but are laced with a big rock sound. ‘A Bright Cold Day in April’ best showcases the bands progression, featuring unusually bombastic guitar solos and almost hardcore-style chugging.

However it’s when Sonic Boom Six produce slower paced brass accompanied pieces like ‘Rum little Skallywag’ that they peak. Ironically for a track about a scoundrel going away to prison it is the most upbeat track on the album. Due to the slower ska feel of the song the skallywag’s heinous crimes are indelibly linked to a more likeable rudie.

There is a constant sunny disposition and the finale of ‘Floatin Away’ does nothing to dampen spirits. The band look to the future, pondering ‘what’ll it be like when we get older, we can be far away from here, we’re going to the moon my dear.’ There is such an endearing sense of hope.

This hope coupled with bouncy sugary sweet tunes invites younger listeners to a cause, making them believe that there is still incisive punk rock that can make a difference. For everyone else there is still fun to be had, parts cringe-worthy, parts pure joy.

Rating: 3.5/5

Swedes in skinny jeans created a stunning aural landscape.

There was an element of romance attached to the evening as skinny Swedes headed to a rough part of town to a venue best described as ‘antiqued’.  They were even late on; the whole thing smacked of bohemian cool.

Before that we had the pleasure of meeting Caesura whose emotive brand of progressive rock showed a great deal of potential.  Their gorgeous three-part harmonies filled the back room as thickly as the smoke machine.

After the pleasantries came an unfortunate blip by way of Joymask, their sound a bizarre mix of lounge jazz and r n’ b/pop-style vocals.  I’m sure that they were purporting such unholy and unnecessary experimentation to be very cutting edge, evidently there was good reason the styles had never before merged.

There was a lengthy wait before Jeniferever were ready to begin but eventually fairy lights illuminated the stage, transforming the dingy well-worn platform into something magical.  And from sparse melodic beginnings did ear-splitting noise emerge.

Jeniferever delicately crafted melancholic slow-burners that gravitated into uplifting cacophonies.  Their textured sound had a physical presence, an ambience all too easy to get lost in.  This was a mood laced by Kristofer Jönson’s sporadic hushed vocals and thirteen different guitars.

Admittedly the number of guitars came across as overkill but whilst such post-rock meandering might have carried the stigma of pretence, the performance suggested that the Swedes are anything other than heartfelt.  Indeed ‘Closing In’ was enough to bring tears to eyes already softened by the billowing smoke machine.

‘Ox Eye’ brought about similar if not more epic results; the standout track from their recently released Spring Tides effort excelled in the live environment.  It brought about that glorious wince that only occurs when every single hair is stood on end, its wonderful crescendo invaded the audience’s senses.

Although the band ran close to formulaic ‘quiet, loud, quiet’ dynamics, it was their seamless build-up and progressions that were worthy of most praise.  By turns mournful and exhilarating Jeniferever kept everyone on tenterhooks.

Rating: 4.5/5

Owen Ashworth infused synthetic sounds with rarely found warmth.

Aussie openers Crayon Fields were twee.  With agreeable melodies that doffed a cap to The Beach Boys and The Shins, their hand claps and falsetto vocals were coupled with a feigned shyness [apologies if misconstrued].

Concern on the other hand was an entirely different proposition.  Gordon Wilson Ashworth, brother to the evening’s headliner, utilised four cassette decks and all manner of electronic trickery. The end result was a slow moving mass of noise, a progressive soundtrack that oscillated and gradually built into a thick physical wall.  His set presented an arduous task that yielded scant reward besides a cutting blare.

Casiotone’s Owen Ashworth approached electronica rather differently with his effects used to more melodic ends.  Owen began the set on his lonesome, performing older tracks which were mostly taken as requests from the audience.  This plan was almost scuppered by technical gremlins which knocked his trusty keyboard out of tune but he soldiered on reciting tracks that relied prominently on synth.

Ashworth carried himself through such problems with ease, his soft charm and charisma ably papering over the cracks.  A comfortable entertainer, he told jokes that might’ve induced groans from a less endearing personality. Even taking into account technical hitches Ashworth managed to deliver.  The whole performance had an air of warmth about it, from the jangle of ‘Ice Cream Truck’ through to the tremendous ‘Young Shields’.

This was a set filled with personal anecdotes.  Ashworth did not command the audience, he shared some home truths.  At one point he stopped mid-song to make sure we knew he wasn’t glamorising cocaine.  It felt akin to an intimate chat with a friend, a friend that could recount the time his dad was struck speechless upon meeting Paul Simon as well as produce a fascinating cover of ‘Graceland’.

By the end of the set Ashworth was joined by a full band [which included his brother Gordon].  Together they performed tracks from this years Vs Children album.  ‘Natural Light’ and ‘Harsh The Herald Angels Sing’ stood out amongst tracks that ditched Casiotone’s one-man novelty value but retained Ashworth’s quirky indie-pop sensibility.

Rating:  4/5