Introducing: Great White Shark
February 18th, 2012 • Introducing • No comments
The idea of packing your bags and upping sticks to a foreign city is always an appealing one. If the city in question is Berlin, what with its reputation as a haven for the arts and an embracer of hedonistic creativity, it becomes even more so.
Great White Shark are the product of such a shift – three of its members moved over from London a little while back (“to escape their frustrating and repetitive lives”, no less) after dissolving (or putting on hiatus) their previous musical commitments, one of which included the relatively successful indie rock outfit Eight Legs. Whilst there, they met a locally based radio DJ cum drummer, and completed the GWS lineup.
Their music, particularly on their 4-track “Bring Us Back Together” EP (released through Berlin’s Snowhite label back in September) harks back to the mid to late eighties / early nineties, with bands like The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Stone Roses and The Brian Jonestown Massacre coming across as potential founding fathers of their neo-psychedelic based sound.
Of course, they put their own spin on things by adding a current indie-pop sensibility to the songs (see the uplifting EP title track in particular, with its Johnny Marr-esque riff) which make Great White Shark a very interesting prospect for 2012. Below is a new ‘basement demo’ of a track called “Forever Cool”, which didn’t appear on the aforementioned EP. Further new recordings, according to their blog, are imminent.
Introducing: Atlantics
February 14th, 2012 • Introducing • No comments
For those of you who remember singer-songwriter Nat Jenkins – a mainstay on the London indie scene a couple of years back – he’s now fronting a new four piece band called Atlantics, who’ve hit the ground running since their first gig at the end of last summer.
Classic British rock ‘n’ roll songwriting is at the forefront here – on their two online tracks, they display elements of everyone from The Rolling Stones to The Clash to The Libertines to The Kooks – the latter a band who Atlantics have opened for at several continental European dates in late 2011 (Paris and Madrid amongst them), subsequently building themselves a small but devoted fanbase abroad.
“Clean The Sun” is a highly charged, stomping rock ‘n’ roll number which we imagine is probably already a ‘live favourite’, whilst “How High” is a more medium paced affair with some great harmonies – reminding us of bassist Nipsy Fergus Russell’s previous band Smokey Angle Shades, one of the greatest ever groups never to have proceeded beyond the capital’s toilet circuit.
Whilst this is certainly nothing new, Atlantics are clearly (and audibly) an outfit who play with a large degree of conviction, and Jenkins’ rough and ready vocal really portrays a man who means what he’s singing – traits that will stand them in good stead in their quest to become a successful UK guitar act of the ’10s. A full length is already in the can, we read – so keep an eye out for its release this year.
Introducing: Devin
February 8th, 2012 • Introducing • No comments
Brooklyn native Devin Therriault – or simply Devin as he goes by musically – is a new-ish singer rekindling the feral energy of The Buzzcocks, The Undertones and The Hives with his unpolished, in-your-face rock ‘n’ roll.
His current calling card, “You’re Mine” is a high-speed adrenaline rush, and while it might be a little too much for some more sensitive souls, isn’t half short of swagger and self belief. All leather jackets, Brylcreem and Shure 55 microphones, it’s the antithesis of anything resembling a Micro Korg, and essentially, Devin is Chuck Berry for the generation who think The Vaccines, rather than The Strokes, changed rock ‘n’ roll.
Recently signed to US indie Frenchkiss (Local Natives, The Drums), Devin released a 7″ EP (which included “You’re Mine” as the lead track) through the label in November just gone, and is set to release his debut full length, “Romancing”, shortly.
He’ll be playing his first ever UK shows at the end of the month too, in short run that includes a support slot with The Drums at The Roundhouse (27/2), a headline show at The Shacklewell Arms (28/2) and one at Barfly (29/2), with our lot The Static Jacks. For a full list of dates, click here.
MP3: Devin – You’re Mine
Introducing: Maker
February 5th, 2012 • Introducing • No comments
From the ashes of a number of former Brighton bands (amongst them The Agitator and The Perils) comes Maker, a brand new quartet from the seaside town who are turning the clock back to 1977 or so with their revved up MOR power pop (and also their appearance, although we assume the two are intertwined).
Fronted by singer Lana McDonagh, it’s her sweet and melodic vocals which take centre stage on their songs (at least the three they’ve posted online so far). Bearing a striking resemblance to those of Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper or latterly Lissie Maurus, you could quite easily imagine her getting stuck into “Go Your Own Way”, “Time After Time” or “In Sleep”, the standout track from Lissie’s 2010 debut.
Of the tracks they’ve shared with the public, “Missing”, with its upbeat pace, striking hook and three-and-a-half minute duration, is a pre-packaged hit just waiting to soundtrack a million (or more) five o’clock drives home. That’s not to dismiss it as mere Radio 2 fodder, however, we’re simply saying that the potential reach of this group is quite considerable.
Neither of the other two songs, “We Got It (All Worked Out)” and “Secret Heart”, display a dip in their quality control gauge, suggesting a band who already have a keen ear for what makes a viable, concise pop single (or have simply listened to Rumours a few times). No gigs have been announced at the time of writing, although with the interest in the band sure to reach palpable levels in the next month or two, we expect live appearances to be imminent.
Introducing: Redspencer
February 4th, 2012 • Introducing • No comments
Rummaging through the Facebook page of the last band we featured, Woe & Flutter, we came across Redspencer – another Gold Coast group who look likely to be making waves over the the course of 2012.
The band are originally from down the road in Glen Innes, Northern New South Wales – population of 5,944 – and it’s perhaps an isolationist existence here in their formative years that informs their beautiful, sunny and tripped out psychedelia, which references everyone from fellow Aussies Tame Impala to The Beatles to Fleet Foxes.
Certainly, it’s not a brand of music you’d expect to be made by a band in a heaving metropolis, and with their lo-fi production and hazy vocals, you’re really whisked away to a place where the pace of life is significantly slower that what you’re used to (assuming you live in London, like us).
“Sally Forgets Good Times” and “Happy Slow Riverbends” are the two tracks in the public domain – and both, with their real throwback feel, conjure up images of Woodstock, the early Isle Of Wight festivals and Vietnam War movies. The latter isn’t short of mean pop hooks, either, and could well be a major calling card for the band as they bring their laid back and soothing sounds to the world at large – which, on the current evidence, would be most welcome indeed.
Interview with Laissez Faire Club on Killing Moon Limited
February 4th, 2012 • News • No comments
I was recently interviewed by the good people at Killing Moon Limited (a great London based label / blog / club night) about all things Laissez Faire Club – its inception, the live nights and the singles label are amongst the topics discussed. Click on the image above to read the full piece!
The Static Jacks: EU Tour Feb 2012 *UPDATED*
February 4th, 2012 • News • No comments
Following on from our announcement a few weeks back that The Static Jacks would be touring Europe this month, they’ve added several new dates in both the UK and on the continent.
As before, the run includes three dates supporting The Wombats, which will make TSJ the first LFC Records band to play at the O2 Academy in Brixton, and now there are also shows supporting Band Of Skulls (at London’s XOYO), as well as fellow countrymen Grouplove (in Brighton) and Howler (in Paris).
The band are on the road to promote their debut full-length, “If You’re Young”, which is out through Fearless Records on 5 March. The double A-sided 7″ vinyl of “Into The Sun” / “Mercy, Hallelujah” (which we put out late last year) will be on sale on the tour, or you can pick one up before it all kicks off, from our shop.
Check out this video of the band finishing their set at Koko in November with “Into The Sun”:
Introducing: Woe & Flutter
February 1st, 2012 • Introducing • No comments
Over the last few years, Australia has really cemented its reputation as a fertile breeding ground for new and exciting indie bands, particularly in light of the current commercial success of groups like The Temper Trap, Cloud Control and The Jezabels (following on from The Vines, Jet and Wolfmother, of course).
Next in line are quite possibly Woe & Flutter, a youthful quartet from Gold Coast who play an infectious and alluring brand of scuzzy, lo-fi garage rock and have been recently snapped up by the great Sydney based label Ivy League Records (also home to Cloud Control, Alpine and LFC live favourites Deep Sea Arcade).
An immediate comparison would be to their fellow racket-making Aussies Bleeding Knees Club (who they’ve toured with at home), but on “Cities Of The Red Night” – an apparent Triple J favourite – they give off the raw energy of Nirvana, Queens Of The Stone Age or The White Stripes.
It’s not all breathless stuff – on tracks like the beautiful “Can’t Move The Sun” and the three-minute power pop of “Why It’s So” they hint at The Lemonheads circa It’s A Shame About Ray or Blue Album period Weezer. All these songs are taken from their debut EP (out in October last year), which suggest, as well as an already impressive versatility, a frightening level of potential and a very bright road ahead.
Introducing: Dozens
January 30th, 2012 • Introducing • No comments
Back in June, we tipped you lot off about a promising Chicago outfit called Merlin Wall. We’re back in the Windy City with our latest discovery, electro-pop three piece Dozens, who seem to have been doing the rounds in their hometown for just under a year now, and suggest there’s something quite exciting going on in the underground of the USA’s third most populous city.
One of their tracks, “Sounds Of Your Lovers” (which was released on 7″ last summer via US indie DreamBait Recordings) has been on repeat all weekend – on the laptop, in the car, or wherever else we were able to plug the iPod in.
Coming across all Foster The People, Empire Of The Sun, Passion Pit and a little bit Miami Horror, this is an exuberant, arms aloft – and ultimately summery – noise, that wouldn’t have been out of place on the The OC back in the day. In any case, it’ll leave an indelible mark in your consciousness after just one listen, so insistent is its chorus.
We’re in familiar territory, of course, and this certainly won’t have any music theorists scratching their heads in bemusement any time soon. But it will have a lot of fans of the genre, like us, turning our heads and wondering what might come next from the band.
Introducing: Jake Mattison
January 28th, 2012 • Introducing • No comments
Jake Mattison is a Manchester based singer-songwriter with one of those drop-what-you’re-doing kind of voices. Not since the first time we heard the likes of Marcus Mumford, Damien Rice or Ben Howard have we been so startled, and indeed, dropped what we were doing to stare at the device from which the arresting sound was emanating.
Mattison’s vocal does possess the raw beauty of these successful artists, albeit perhaps with a rawer edge, that really suggests he’s got a story to tell.
We assume he’s been penning songs and performing them to people for at least a little while, perhaps mainly in his native North West, but a short run of dates with Emeli Sande in November last year has brought this rather exceptional talent into the public limelight, and has set up 2012 as a potential breakthrough year.
There are a handful of demos online at present, which hint at something much bigger, but in the meantime check out this wonderful cover of Gil Scott Heron’s 1971 classic “Home Is Where The Hatred Is”, where Mattison comes off complementing, rather than aping, the late great.
