Hello fellow purveyors of fine music! I hope this finds you well. So this week is the week of love n stuff apparently, leaving you with 2 options – noncommittally dry humping your partner to the tune of something halfway between Chris DeBurgh and Boyz II Men. Orrrrr you can go out spend time with a group full of strangers while listening to some top quality tunes, thus forming a bond stronger than any invoked by listening to ‘Freakin You’. I have to say, love is definitely in the air for me and these bands this week, I reckon I’ve played a blinder! Considering sending them flowers and haribo…too much maybe…
Ezra Furman
Ezra Furman is cool. To begin with, that name is cool. Then look at that album cover, with the pink and green clashing and the dishevelled Julian Casablancas look. And that’s not even before we start talking about the music – My Zero sees him singing his guts out in a Dylan-meets-Libertines style over the top of an irresistibly dancey horns and acoustic guitar combo. He’s pretty much all the best bits of all the people I just mentioned, but with a personal style that’s a little sexier, cheekier, just awesome. And it’s not just me that thinks so, the dirty ditty Are You Gonna Break My Heart has been on Steve Lamacq’s playlist for ages. Do it, you’ll like it.
Go get naughty indie cool with Mr Furman and his band in Manchester, Scotland, Birmingham, all over the country this week!
Eagulls
Time to speed things up and throw on a low slung bass. Eagulls layer shouty punk vocals on danceable melodies, perfect for people who loved The Cure but wished Robert Smith would have really lost it. They’re disgruntled, dejected, and play proper music for the disillusioned – no niceties or nonsense, it’s brilliant! A tight group of musicians with an awesome vocalist (who, it must be noted, has the best cheekbones in music), these Leeds boys very recently appeared parka-clad on Letterman in the States – no small feat indeed! Touring as part of their album release, let’s go check them out before start selling out Wembley and have to live in tax havens, like Monaco or Delaware…
Check the next big thing in Brighton on the 14th and 15th, and London on the 16th.
Jake Bugg
Jake Bugg has returned, although he’s pretty much been everywhere since his 2012 debut. This incredibly busy and epically talented (almost) 20 year old has dropped the potentially difficult second album Shangri La with ease. Sounding little older, a little like he got girlfriend and then maybe didn’t have one on tracks like , you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s gone a bit soft. Nah, one listen to dirty ditty and you know he’s still pissed at stuff, still channels the inner Johnny Cash, just in a slightly slicker production style. His song crafting ability has just strengthened, proving he’ll be around for a while. Well worth a look.
Throw on a clean T-Shirt and pay Mr Bugg a visit in Newcastle on the 15th and 16th.
The Ghosts
A surprisingly unspooky ensemble. The Ghosts are synth-pop five piece who (very cooly) met through the late Jon Brookes of The Charlatans. They have apparently gone for a ‘warm’ slant on the often distant and alienating synth sound, and they achieve this perfectly, offering a sunny synth perfect for fans of MGMT and good quality vocals. They got hooks that you’ll be humming for days! A glowing and decadent sound, the disco laced songs will provide a gorgeous backdrop to an awesome party.
Grab your sequins and head on over to The Lucky Pig Cocktail Bar in London on the 12th
Kate Tittley
Latest posts by Kate Tittley (see all)
- ALBUM: PAWS ‘No Grace’ - June 28, 2016
- LIVE: The Fall – o2 Ritz, Manchester 19.04.16 - April 21, 2016
- ALBUM: The Coral ‘Distance Inbetween’ - March 3, 2016
