Saturday 24 July 2010

An A to Z of 123...4


Paul alluded to promises unfulfilled when in his Bitches post he stated thatit was the first in a series of 1234 Shoreditch Festival preview posts. Nothing else has cropped up. So as I prepare for the festival (which you can still get tickets too - chase em down and get out there!) I thought Id live up to the SM bargain, and give you a full alphabetical taste of whats going down in Shoreditch town...

A - Action Beat. The self-proclaimed 'Noise Band From Bletchley' will be on at 1.30pm, ready to take apart all comers in a blitzkrieg of flailing arms and building kicks (thank you Terry Crewes) that will decimate the countryside...just in time for a trip to the bar.

B - Bitches/Bo Ningen. Bitches has already been previewed, so Im heading with Bo Ningen, Japanese prog punk banshees complete with long hair, wild actions and deafening sounds. They supported Pulled Apart By Horses and morethan held their own, so this will be impressive...

C - Civil Civic. The Aussie-via Barca and London duo will serve a hot noise palette that is going to titillate as much as it tortures, seduce as much as it serrates, that you will feel dirty, abused - and that you will never get it better.

D - Dark Horses. These guys are an anomaly, but have an undeniable hook - Lisa Elle. She has an amazing, amazing voice, that can call across the chasm and draw forth such beauty and such darkness in equal measures. With current social touchstones including The Kills, this may be a special part of the day that you will neck yourself over if you pass it up.

E - El Paso/Electricity Showrooms. Two of the venues that are holding afterparties, these two host disparate and yet very cool activities - El Paso with the likes of Not Cool and Bitches will rock the wee hours, while ES has DJs spinning all kinds of hard, ferocious, thrashy rock that you can think of. And all for the 1234 crowd and nobody else...

F - Fucked Up. Obvious one. Headliners of the festival. Aftershow party at Hoxton Bar and Grill. Fucking awesome hardcore act. Been hanging with the ever so hot n amazing Zola Jesus. Just see them, ok?

G - fuck, I knew Id hit a snag, and Im sure Ill hit more. So for now Ill say...Grolsch/Gaymers. Because alcohol is almost a bigger necessity than music today...

H - Human Hair. With members of Lovvers in the mix, fighting hard to offer discordant beats with Fall-esque banter, these guys should be a sight to behold. I haven't heard a single thing - so they might be shit. But we'll see. Vice are behind them. Which means they are good, are so tragically hip that half way through the set they'll disappear up their own arseholes. Yes, we will see...

I - Invasion. Saw these guys once. Thought it was funny. Heavy metal with Dio elements (their idea, not mine), Im still not sure how serious it all is. And after a few brews, I wont care.

J - Jagermeister. As one of the official sponsors of the Festival it was an easy choice. As one of the unofficial sponsors of Sonic Masala, it was a no brainer.

K - Kill The Dandies! These Czech garage rockers promise to be very loud, giving us Cramps before we float on down into a Velvet Underground. They claim to be nihilists and yet have a sickly sweet toxicity to them that is hard to resist. Definitely ones to keep an eye out for.

L - LA Shark. Not sure if Im happy adding these - this New Cross band comes across a little try-hardy. But they may be fun for a Saturday afternoon...and I didnt want to give props to Lee Denim, another sponsor. Oh shit, I just kinda did...Free jeans then, ok? (NB - just listened to Le Volume Courbe - I wish Id done that before the previous comments - she is pretty amazing...)

M - I think Ill go with Mazes. Being very cryptic, they offer that they are meant to be a duo, are often a three piece, and sometimes a singular entity. Their music on Myspace has my interest piqued.

N - No Cars/Not Cool. Ive seen both acts, and they're both fun. nuff said.

O - O is for... optical brilliance? I don't know...

P - Peter Hook. Joy Division's (and later, New Order) bassist, Hook is revisiting Joy Division's seminal 1979 album Unknown Pleasures. Im not sure what will happen here, but unbridled excitement is the key...

Q - the Q I had for this was Queens of Noize - but they kinda suck, as in they are too interested in their own smugness for their own good. So Q is for Quick - get a goddamn ticket and get there! You have 2 and a bit hours...

R - I guess Rolo Tomassi? They are getting a lot of exposure at the present minute. Im not sure about these guys, but they give it their all, so it might prove to be a festival impression.

S - Spectrals/Still Corners. Spectrals are pretty cool; Still Corners are nice fuzzy popsters that had a single on Pitchfork...and are friends of friends. Gotta give props when they're due...

T - too many to mention! These New Puritans, The Silver Machine (a ridiculous super group including members of Primal Scream, Sex Pistols, and the Who doing covers), The Eyes In The Heat... All worthy.

U - Ulpa, hailing from Iceland, create experimental rock that looks to be a hell of a lot of fun...

V - Vivian Girls/Veronica Falls. Both massively hyped bands, both I am yet to see. Im wary of VG - as I do not like Dum Dum Girls anymore (hence no entry at D...), although they may impress. Veronica Falls have been putting in the hard yards, as they play everywhere and are touted by Upset The Rhythm. Worth checking out.

W - Wavves. This is a no brainer. Paul and I have tried to see them since about May last year, or even earlier. Old Blue Last was sold out - ended up at 93 Feet East watching The Vivians, thinking we were going to see the Vivian Girls - The Vivians are the worst band Ive seen in two years, hands down. SO Nathan Williams has a lot to make up for...and Im pretty sure he'll do the job.

XYZ - stands for the end of the night. Who knows what will happen. All i know is that it will be a rad day - and its all in the city! And all for a 20 note (or cheaper if you were on the money...) So hopefully you are convinced - so get there!

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