As festival season fast approaches the big names are on the tips of everyone's tongues: Glastonbury, Benicassim, Latitude, Bestival, Reading, Leeds, Secret Garden Party, Green Man etc. But there is a small family festival which has caught my eye and got my fingers tips itching to put in my deets and purchase a ticket. It's name? The deer shed festival.
Along with a crafts market, cabaret evening, birds of prey display and a crackin' line-up, this has weekend of fun written all over it and will only get bigger as the years go by. You can purchase a £59 weekend ticket, a Saturday and Sunday £45 or volunteer for two 3 hours shifts in exchange for your ticket. So who have they got playing then?
Matthew and The Atlas - one of the great bands of the folk scene, yet to have their serious breakthrough but are currently supporting Mumford and Sons and are a band whose small gigs will soon be behind them.
I am Kloot - as headliners. I hadn't hear this trio before checking out DSF but they have quickly grown on me. Plus I love the video for this little number...
Caitlin Rose - Nashville babe Caitlin is already one of my firm favourite acoustic ladies and is on my list. Of people to see live. Not hit list. That would be morbid. Check out the video below AND definitely check out this amazing video Gorilla Man
The Go! Team - What's this? Something that isn't folk? Mental. The Go! Team are back (don't forget that exclamation mark) and will be an energetic and refreshing blast to the festival. Here they teach us how to spell Tornado.
Still need more convincing? Take a wee look at this lovely film someone made about the first Deer Shed Festival (July 2010) or check it out here for some more happy festival information.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
song of my day part trois
Yesterday I had a reunion type encounter over facebook with two girls I went to school with but haven't seen since. We randomly exchanged remixes like this Jamie Woon Spirits remix or this awesome James Blake remix but best of all, this song was brought up and I remembered just how much I loved it when it first came out:
Just goes to show how music brings people together. Ahh. Lovely.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
band of my day
Sometimes without you even asking it to, Spotify takes you off somewhere you weren't intending to go, guiding you by the hand before making you stumble across something. You go back and take a second look and realise without that guide, you would have walked right past it. Pocket Satellite were one such near miss.
Currently unsigned and filled with glockenspiel folk-i-ness, they released their first EP Toy Train in December and have just released their second: Paper Aviator. Have a wee look on Spotify or listen here to Toy Train.
Monday, 25 April 2011
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Beautiful Bestival > Glastonbury Gloom.
As previously mentioned, I can no longer attend the greatest festival known to man and as a result spent a good few days moping, trying hard not to keep checking the ever lengthening line-up list. It looks awesome.
Soooo I have decided to try something new. Along with a super duper fancy dress theme the Bestival line-up is looking immense with a list of pretty much every live act I want to see at the moment from Johnny Flynn to James Blake, Benjamin Francis Leftwich to Willy Mason. And so I thought I would make a list of my top ten acts who will be making a Bestival appearance. I can't wait.
1) Brigitte Aphrodite - you could be forgiven for comparing her to Kate Nash but she's got a brilliant comic edge. Add to that a hippy-ish sense of style and a charming vulnerability and bam. You've just met Brigitte.
2) Dry the River - relatively new to me and are rising quickly through the ranks. Check out their 'stripped down version' of Bible Belt here as well as the video below. It's beautifully simple.
3) Ellen & The Escapades - it seems really difficult at the moment to be able to say a voice is really unique but I feel that Ellen & The Escapades really do bring something new. 'Coming back home' was released last year but is still on my top played. Listen to Run or Without You both of which will be great for festival crowds.
4) Esben & The Witch - They were recently in Nottingham but I sadly couldn't make it. Will be front row to make up for it. Below is their debut 'Marching Song', released last year. I can imagine it being amazing live.
5) King Creosote - I have been in love with this man for a long time and have always wanted to see him live. 'Nothing Compares 2 U' is the first song of his I ever heard and he recently performed it on the Rob da Bank show. A cover done to perfection:
6) Marcus Foster - The Voice. This song has been made famous by Robert Pattinson's cover of it but as always, the original is miles better. Apologies for the abrupt ending. It was one of the few videos I could find without girls screaming...
7) Patrick Wolf - he's eccentric, liberal and constantly changing. His new album is out in June and if The City (his first single to be released from Lupercalia) is anything to go by, it will be an interesting one!
Still my favourite Patrick Wolf song has to be Accident and Emergency.
8) Tall Ships are another new find for me and can't wait to hear more from them. This song has got a great mixture of distortion, harmonies and french influence. They are also playing Rescue Rooms in Nottingham on May 2nd.
9) Toots and the Maytals - May seem a little off the beaten track for me but under the influence of my friend Louise, I got really into reggae last summer and Toots are sunshine on a cloudy day.
10) Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain. I got a Ukelele for my birthday last year and though I am not quite the pro I wanted to be by now, these guys certainly are. They are by far the best and biggest surprise for me when checking out Bestival's line-up. Think they'll let me join on stage? Yep. Course they will. This cover is incredible!
Soooo I have decided to try something new. Along with a super duper fancy dress theme the Bestival line-up is looking immense with a list of pretty much every live act I want to see at the moment from Johnny Flynn to James Blake, Benjamin Francis Leftwich to Willy Mason. And so I thought I would make a list of my top ten acts who will be making a Bestival appearance. I can't wait.
1) Brigitte Aphrodite - you could be forgiven for comparing her to Kate Nash but she's got a brilliant comic edge. Add to that a hippy-ish sense of style and a charming vulnerability and bam. You've just met Brigitte.
2) Dry the River - relatively new to me and are rising quickly through the ranks. Check out their 'stripped down version' of Bible Belt here as well as the video below. It's beautifully simple.
3) Ellen & The Escapades - it seems really difficult at the moment to be able to say a voice is really unique but I feel that Ellen & The Escapades really do bring something new. 'Coming back home' was released last year but is still on my top played. Listen to Run or Without You both of which will be great for festival crowds.
4) Esben & The Witch - They were recently in Nottingham but I sadly couldn't make it. Will be front row to make up for it. Below is their debut 'Marching Song', released last year. I can imagine it being amazing live.
5) King Creosote - I have been in love with this man for a long time and have always wanted to see him live. 'Nothing Compares 2 U' is the first song of his I ever heard and he recently performed it on the Rob da Bank show. A cover done to perfection:
6) Marcus Foster - The Voice. This song has been made famous by Robert Pattinson's cover of it but as always, the original is miles better. Apologies for the abrupt ending. It was one of the few videos I could find without girls screaming...
7) Patrick Wolf - he's eccentric, liberal and constantly changing. His new album is out in June and if The City (his first single to be released from Lupercalia) is anything to go by, it will be an interesting one!
Still my favourite Patrick Wolf song has to be Accident and Emergency.
8) Tall Ships are another new find for me and can't wait to hear more from them. This song has got a great mixture of distortion, harmonies and french influence. They are also playing Rescue Rooms in Nottingham on May 2nd.
9) Toots and the Maytals - May seem a little off the beaten track for me but under the influence of my friend Louise, I got really into reggae last summer and Toots are sunshine on a cloudy day.
10) Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain. I got a Ukelele for my birthday last year and though I am not quite the pro I wanted to be by now, these guys certainly are. They are by far the best and biggest surprise for me when checking out Bestival's line-up. Think they'll let me join on stage? Yep. Course they will. This cover is incredible!
TO BESTIVAL!
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Gigging all over the place
Considering Nottingham's size and relatively low-key status as a city, we have a pretty decent music scene. After London and Brighton, I think that little ol' Notts holds its own and is a guaranteed stop on many an artist's tour map. I thought I would take a look at what is coming up in the next few months...
Avi Buffalo - Bodega July 13th.
Out of what I've listened to, this isn't my favourite song but there is just something about the video...
Dan Mangan - Bodega June16th.
Not heard a lot of this man but every time I do, I like him that little bit more. I can imagine him being great in an intimate venue like Bodega.
Some bigger names like Noah and the Whale, The View and even Death Cab for Cutie are also hitting Nottingham's streets soon which is very exciting. In the meantime, here is someone who is pretty much guaranteed to be huge by the end of the year. I listened to what I could when the BBC Sound of 2011 first came out and have recently started listening again as I hear his album is out very soooooon...yes it's Jamie Wooooooon. Rescue Rooms. June 7th.
Avi Buffalo - Bodega July 13th.
Out of what I've listened to, this isn't my favourite song but there is just something about the video...
Dan Mangan - Bodega June16th.
Not heard a lot of this man but every time I do, I like him that little bit more. I can imagine him being great in an intimate venue like Bodega.
Some bigger names like Noah and the Whale, The View and even Death Cab for Cutie are also hitting Nottingham's streets soon which is very exciting. In the meantime, here is someone who is pretty much guaranteed to be huge by the end of the year. I listened to what I could when the BBC Sound of 2011 first came out and have recently started listening again as I hear his album is out very soooooon...yes it's Jamie Wooooooon. Rescue Rooms. June 7th.
Monday, 11 April 2011
Is summer here?
Judging by the pink nose I am currently sporting, it would seem so. So the hunt for easy summer listening begins. Well I can't stay away from my staple diet of Summer = Beirut + Sufjan Stevens.. but there is one song I cannot stop listening to. Devendra Banhart has been on my radar for a while but it's not until recently that I've paid him proper attention.
If you are not already acquainted with the following I strongly suggest you become so...where oh where are their new albums?
Beirut combines my love for alternative male voices, the accordion and the Flugelhorn:
Beirut - Postcards from Italy; Beirut - Nantes; Beirut - The Penalty
Sufjan Stevens combines my love for alternative male voices, the banjo and the English horn:
Sufjan Stevens - For the Widows in Paradise; Sufjan Stevens - Holland
Also on the soundtrack of Little Miss Sunshine (top ten film alert) Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
If you are not already acquainted with the following I strongly suggest you become so...where oh where are their new albums?
Beirut combines my love for alternative male voices, the accordion and the Flugelhorn:
Beirut - Postcards from Italy; Beirut - Nantes; Beirut - The Penalty
Sufjan Stevens combines my love for alternative male voices, the banjo and the English horn:
Sufjan Stevens - For the Widows in Paradise; Sufjan Stevens - Holland
Also on the soundtrack of Little Miss Sunshine (top ten film alert) Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
Friday, 8 April 2011
Revival
After a little time away and a few blog-related chats I am back (with avengeance? tbc) and more focused on new things I'm listening to as opposed to the regular or at least reviving my old listening habits. I'm slightly conscious that my audience might have expanded to include more people than just myself. I will try not to let the pressure get to me.
First up: I'm a big fan of Animal Collective and am pretty excited for Panda Bear (Noah Benjamin Lennox)'s fourth solo album 'Toyboy' which comes out 18th April. Check out the link below to hear a snippet.
The animal theme seems to be common place on my music radar at the moment, some old, some new: Grizzly Bear Knife, Zebra by Beach House, one from Alessi's Ark new album coming out this month Wire and a small band you may have heard of who are mentioned at the end of this post.
Next: Benjamin Francis Leftwich. Reminds me a little of Josh Radin and super nice to listen to on a chilled summers day like today. He's just finished a tour with Noah and the Whale and is starting out again on the 1st June. 'More than Letters' is my favourite but as I can only find that on Spotify I'll play you what Youtube can provide me with.
On the subject of Noah and the Whale - a band which I'm always on the fence about, they have just released their new album. It's a pretty big jump away from their old stuff and as a result has sparked criticism from fans of their first album. As I was on the fence about that too some of this album is really growing on me. I'm enjoying Give it all Back and Life is Life. Title track:
I am still trying to get over the break-up of me and my Glastonbury 2011 ticket. It's still a raw and painful wound which I am hoping will slowly heal. Only to be opened up again when all my friends head to Worthy Farm at the end of June. I am particularly sad as Fleet Foxes are playing and that Mumford and Sons are returning - they were incredible last year. The winners of the Emerging Talent Contest were announced last week and Treetop Flyers were announced as the lucky lads who will get a slot on one of Glastonbury's famous stages. Ah John Peel stage, my summer won't be the same without you.
Finally, I took a small trip down memory lane this morning and came across a song I used to listen to almost obsessively. I can so vividly remember going to a gig of theirs in 2005 before they got really big - I still hold it as one of the best gigs I've ever been to. I think my love for them may be properly revived sometime in the not too distant future when their new album pops up... I present to you, Arctic Monkeys.
First up: I'm a big fan of Animal Collective and am pretty excited for Panda Bear (Noah Benjamin Lennox)'s fourth solo album 'Toyboy' which comes out 18th April. Check out the link below to hear a snippet.
The animal theme seems to be common place on my music radar at the moment, some old, some new: Grizzly Bear Knife, Zebra by Beach House, one from Alessi's Ark new album coming out this month Wire and a small band you may have heard of who are mentioned at the end of this post.
Next: Benjamin Francis Leftwich. Reminds me a little of Josh Radin and super nice to listen to on a chilled summers day like today. He's just finished a tour with Noah and the Whale and is starting out again on the 1st June. 'More than Letters' is my favourite but as I can only find that on Spotify I'll play you what Youtube can provide me with.
On the subject of Noah and the Whale - a band which I'm always on the fence about, they have just released their new album. It's a pretty big jump away from their old stuff and as a result has sparked criticism from fans of their first album. As I was on the fence about that too some of this album is really growing on me. I'm enjoying Give it all Back and Life is Life. Title track:
Finally, I took a small trip down memory lane this morning and came across a song I used to listen to almost obsessively. I can so vividly remember going to a gig of theirs in 2005 before they got really big - I still hold it as one of the best gigs I've ever been to. I think my love for them may be properly revived sometime in the not too distant future when their new album pops up... I present to you, Arctic Monkeys.
ps If you fancy listening to them doing something a little different check out The Lovers - cover or Baby I'm Yours - cover.
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