Hard-Fi: they tour. Quite extensively
Well - more extensively than many. They're playing more than one date South of London - now that's commitment!»
Articles
holliy has written the following articles:
100 Bullets Back - Refute Fake Icons
Slick and class electro pop with just enough film-noir seedieness to keep it interesting. Yeah there're flaws, but given the impressive context they're very easy indeed to overlook.»
The Black Tulips - The Black Tulips EP
This is filthy, twisted and out-of-control music whose mere existence probably flaunts every public decency law going, which would therefore be utterly vital even if it didn't have great tunes. Which, by the way, it does.»
O Fracas - Zeroes and Ones
O Fracas are mainly in the business of stretching the punk rock definition till it snaps. This resulting sound is weird, haunting, unpredictable and extremely impressive - in a left-field kinda way. Good work, then.»
Mr Nobody - Sweetings EP
Post-rock white-out howls contain the makings of something good... but this is ultimately too lacking in cohesion to really impress.»
¡Forward Russia! at Cambridge The Soul Tree, Wed 24 Aug
A very short yet extremely sweet set, mic-leap feats of escapology and a postcard with a puffin on it. Wednesday nights never used to be like this...»
The Stereo Morphonium - Five Song EP
A mad scientist air of singed-eybrows up-all-night obsession coupled with a My First Chemistry Set charm makes for an incredibly endearing EP. It's all about the analogue synths and the junk-heap drum machines...»
The Sailplanes - Season of False Dawns
Although this seven track mini-album doesn't quite live up to the promise of the press release (but then, what does?) it does hint at a band who might well develop into something special if they care enough. Fingers crossed, then...»
The Waxing Captors - Fresleven's Remains
'Freslevens Remains' proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that The Waxing Captors are worthy beyond compare, and we pity those who have yet to hear their anarchic trebley shambolic punk scree. If you're one of those who haven't heard them, know this:- your life is incomplete, buy this record.»
Tiger Force - Glass House
Loud punky sampling playful scuzzy pop STUFF with a DIY Fisher Price ethos. We like it. We like it a lot. But we fear it has come for our children.»
The Pistolas at Norwich Arts Centre, Fri 12 Aug
It has been done before, but it's rarely been done better: The Pistolas spiky and skittish garage rock enthuses your humble correspondant.»
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Ain't No Easy Way
Having, they feel, exhausted the potential of rock'n'roll, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club turn to folk music (and, from the sounds of things, Bon Jovi) for inspiration. Does it work? I'll give you one guess - and if you get it wrong, I'll come round and shoot you.»
Patrick Duff - Luxury Problems
Luxury Problems is a flawed album. But when it's not being flawed, it's being brilliant. Those who loved Patrick Duff's previous incarnation shouldn't be disappointed, and those who've never heard of Strangelove should take this opportunity to get into something new and worthy.»
Korova at Newmarket The Palomino, Wed 03 Aug
In which Edinburgh's Korova prove that second guitars are for wusses who don't play loud enough. In the hands of those who truly punish their instruments, guitar-bass-drums make quite enough noise, thank you very much...»
Kirsty Maccoll - The Best Of Kirsty MacColl
Kirsty MacColl - her music was not cool, and neither was it hip. It was, however: droll, bittersweet, sharp, funny and possessed of some simply cracking tunes. And "cool" is a transitory thing and open to debate, but a tune is undeniable.»
Black Wire - Smoke and Mirrors
They talk the talk, they walk the walk and they play evil, rickety and counter-intuitive punk rock music. Your humble correspondent may well be in love, and is definitely in awe.»
Kalev at Cambridge The Soul Tree, Wed 27 Jul
Musically impressive, but so utterly lacking in passion and commitment that the audience's engagement slides right down the surface of Kalev's polished electro-rock assault. Pity.»
The Sequins - Nobody Dreams About Me
It's odd, is it not, how widely songs about love vary? Where Big Black start love songs with the lines "I would like to wrap your hair/Round your neck like a noose", The Sequins choose to sigh in a wistful indie pop way about how nobody dreams about them. Oh well: it'd be a strange world if we were all alike...»
Nick Kelly - Running Dog
Irish solo artist Nick Kelly coninces our correspondent of his worth despite the fact that she'd not normally like that sort of thing. Blimey.»
The Buzz - Two Track Demo
The Buzz live up to expectations based on the genius of their members' ex-band by being very very good indeed. Angry, thoroughly punk rock music which also boasts massive hummable tunes. We like it.»
We Start Fires - Strut
A beautiful, urgent punk-rock-indie-electro single, which is not only simmering over with vitality and life but which boasts some damn fine tunes. Go get it. Now.»
And What Will Be Left Of Them? - Hi Fi Low Life
Not only a fantastically shambolic sice of very promising electro-scuzz pop, but fuel for philosophical debate! What more could you ask for? Well... free cheese, obviously. But that's about it.»
Off The Radar - Seen From Space
A debut album of "passion pop" which has a lot of good moments but which ultimately sounds too derivative to grab the listener's attention. We are, however, hopeful about the quality of future releases...»
The INKLings - Demo EP
Post-rock meanderings which display some novel/interesting/good features, but which ultimately have too little impact to impress DiS. You might like them though - we are somewhat fussy.»
Tuco - The Shrinking Process
Majestic, sweeping walls of post-rock noise mixed with beautiful moments of quiet, contemplative melancholy make for an album which is, if you're in the right frame of mind, really rather impressive. Flaming Lips references cannot be avoided.»
redcarsgofaster at Cambridge The Soul Tree, Wed 13 Jul
Tonight redcarsgofaster play some damn fine fierce, loud, scuzzy, complex electro-grunge-melancholy rock, and everyone cheers. The live showmanship ain't quite honed yet - but DiS don't doubt that it'll come...»
Volunteers - Know Yourself
Sixty second installments of punk-thrash stop-start NOISE which will not fail to make you happy. Want to know more? Then read the review...»
Club Goo is go! New club/gig night launched in Cambridge
This week sees the launch of yet another new clubnight in Cambridge, with local scene veterans Greenmind and The Indie Thing teaming up to bring you Club Goo at The Soul Tree.»
Smokers Die Younger - The Kermit Song
In which we speak of frogs, meths and sorry tales of woe and the mighty being brought low, touching by chance upon a post-indie pop record and how you really ought to buy it.»
Mynx, Alice and the Enemies - Mynx/Alice and the Enemies Split Single
A fine combination of (sometimes slightly too) super-cool USA pop and slightly odd clattering rock-pop-fuzz. All on one slab of brightly coloured 7" vinyl. What's not to like?»