As I hark on about regularly, I am totally out of the loop, being as how I took a couple of years off to spawn me a kid and all that, and somehow in that time managed to find myself in Dewsbury for a year. During that year, the closest I heard to an exciting gig listing in my locale was Coolio at a bingo hall, though I can't say I was tempted. Anyway, this means that I'm a little behind the times, and though Sounds is, for me, a day where I'm generally happy to go where the wind takes me, it's always good to have a little prior knowledge. So today is going to be spent updating myself with a smattering of the bands on offer, so that if one group of friends swings left, and the other swings right, I'll have an idea which way I want to go.
Anyway, I'm not going to post realms and realms about each band below, though I'm thinking I may run through them properly at a later date. And these are entirely snap decisions, so I reserve the right to subsequently like something I've dismissed/insulted below. I'll write them up properly another day, maybe...
I'm going to attack this by line up listings. Yeah. Let's get this done.(I got nine of eleven done. I might update later, I might just wing it. Print off stage times here)
Underachievers Please Try Harder @ The Crescent
Parenthetical Girls - Jaunty, fast pop, little bit like Brett Anderson riding on a happy pill electropop Pulp-Suede mash up Waltzer horsey. Quite fun.
September Girls - Riot Girl meets the Beach Boys in 5th Avenue for dancing after 14 bottles of £1 Becks
Haiku Salut - Piano accordion glockenspiel neoclassical funk ambient weirdness with the odd tappy rappy sound. Interesting, but no Fez. I think there will be better contenders.
Post War Glamour Girls - Depression meets we're about to find out the murderer is his mother. Interesting use of samples, nice vocals against nicely creepy music. Worth a look
Swimming Lessons - Meh. On a first listen (only one song, so I could well be wrong) this is a poor attempt of failure where others have succeeded previously. Bit dull.
Songs for Walter - Dreamyish chirpy steady pop. Very steady. Look at the sound lines on Soundcloud. Straight lines all the way. Happy enough to please, but one song is much the same as the others. I'd sit through it unoffended. But on a night where more is offered, I'll take more, ta very much.
Letters to Fiesta - Interesting vocals, some go for the dark jaunty pop approach, some electropop, others a little folk Kate Bush (okay, that was lazy, but for speed, you know?). Not sure, but I'd be interested in seeing them. I don't think it'll be Sunday.
Faktion vs Wet Play @ The Old Pint Pot
There is a lot of good stuff on this set list, but I have to go and watch kids tv presenters at a theatre near you shortly. I might update it if I have time this evening, but… Needless to say, you know to expect fun times here.
Faktion present an “Unknown to the Unknown” Label Showcase
DJ Q presents ‘CLASSIFIED’
Robert Gordon (Forgemasters)
Walter Ego
Mista Men
DJ Haus
Samrai & Platt (Swing Ting)
DJ Al
Jah Bricks
Faktion DJ
Wet Play
Gramme (live)
Ruf Dug (Live)
Jason Boardman
James Holroyd
++ many more
Now Wave at St Phillips Church
Stealing Sheep - Psych-folk lo-fi drone synth pop. Twinkly. Pretty.
Still Corners - Ethereal vocals and multi instrumental guff, quite pretty, bit samey when one track played next to another. Good in one song at a time isolation
Deptford Goth - I see the theme in this stage. Quiet, pretty, lo-fi, male vocals, all ambient and sensitive and shit. Music that you see on teen dramas when they're about to do the making love as opposed to just the sex.
Ofei - Looked up, variety of disparate genres, no clue which this one is, but to hazard a guess, some kind of passable lo fi dream pop ambient stuff
Greatwaves - Pretty. And interests me a bit.
BiPolar Sunshine - Sounds like he's listened to Suburban Kids and mixed it with Christian R&B. I think I actually quite like it.
+ more
Trash-O-Rama at The Angel Centre
DIVORCE - Noisy noisy noisy. Dark and noisy. Soundcloud, quietly through a laptop to avoid waking the child likely doesn't do this justice. I think live would be good.
Queer’d Science - In your face punk synth with some screaming. I like this a bit.
Die Hexen - Oooh, I just put Die Hexen on, then released that I heard it the other day on the SFTOC download mixtape thingy. Basically, they're awesome. Probably. Based on what I heard then, and what I'm hearing now.
Laser Dream Eyes - No idea, can't find them. Laser Dream Eyes surprise, that's what they sound like.
Ill - There are too many artists with Ill in the name, and I can't be bothered to trawl through them all. No doubt they sound sick. Sorry, that was a really bad pun.
Stroke Cat - I love Stroke Cat for song titles such as Getting through the day (Without picking my nose) and Oh no, the bees will get me (I don't want to die like Macaulay Culkin). Also they're quite fun. There's a slight element that could almost be called White Stripesy, but I'm going to forgive them that, because they're good, and they sing about socially relevant topics, like nose picking.
+ Red Laser Records DJs (Ste Spandex & il Bosco), TOR DJs & guests
+ secret guests tba on the day via Twitter @trash0ramadjs
Hey! Manchester @ Islington Mill
Daedelus - just awesome. But you know this already.
Rozi Plain - is brilliant. Again, you know this.
Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo - Based on the 2 and a half minutes I gave this while I located the charger for the baby monitor, it's really really pretty.
Treetop Flyers - Sitting in a field on a sunny Sunday morning, with a festival hangover (you know the nice fuzzy almost pleasant ones?), with a low key opener on a stage. That's what I wanted for this, not hunched over my keyboard, in my dressing gown and spotty PJs.
Adrian Crowley - Pretty, melancholy, lovely. It's making me think of something that's eluding me right now, but it's nice. Very nice indeed.
Slip Discs @ The Deli Lama
Goves – Inoffensive bleepy tapey chewy drone
Ian Vine – Droney drone. I’m guessing this is a drone stage. Is this the Manchester Ian Vine? Sounds interesting.
Tom Rose – Too many Tom Rose listings, not enough life left. Drone, no doubt.
Aaron Parker – gave up.
Chaines - ditto
+more
Buried Bones @ The New Oxford
HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER – Whole Americana vibe, with cheesy dadrock Joe Cocker esque female warbling backing singers, though this doesn’t feel offensive or overdone. Cattenberg Battenberg says it’s a bit like when Britpop try to go heavy, like Primal Scream when they try to do Led Zep. Kittencat likes it. She’s dancing.
William Tyler – Experimental guitar pretty. This guy’s played with Silver Jews. We like.
Astral Social Club – Lots of mad sounds screaming me into being awake. I like this.
Bridget Hayden – Still erring towards Americana, but with lots and lots of chewed up heavy. Drone rock.
Chalaque – Can’t find. Oh well.
Bing Satellites – Tags on Soundcloud say ambient and ambient shoegaze. Yeah. Probably. Cattenberg says he’s got some on a hard drive, I’ll give them a proper listen another day. It’s slow and mellow, and doesn’t seem equipped to deal with the current speed dating musicathon. I think I like it, but I need time to listen properly. Probably a good chill out from the madness of the day.
A Belied Guaniko – Can’t find. Overall this stage seems like a nice blend of sounds, so be interesting to hear.
Mind on Fire vs This City is Ours at The Kings Arms
I haven’t got time to go through this one this morning. I might give it a go later, or I might just swing by and see what’s going down.
FINGATHING – BAREBONES SOUND SYSTEM(Grand Central / Ninja Tune)
Deft ((Rwina Records / Space Hardware)
Blaksmif(Blah Blah Blah / Synchronicity)
Szare(Horizontal Ground / Idle Hands)
Rain Dog(Project: Mooncircle)
Real (WotNot / XVI Records / Sounds Of Sumo)
Frameworks (live band)(My First Moth / First Word)
Origamibiro
Cogi(Broken Bubble)
Ka/Van
PYC Sessions DJs
This City is Ours DJs
Mind on Fire DJs
OneFiveEight DJs
Ghosting Season DJs
Fat Out til You Pass Out vs Bad Uncle at Salford Arms
I want to see everything on this line up. EVERYTHING.
GNOD present a ‘TESLA TAPES’ SHOWCASE – Want.
The Peter J Taylor Guitar Orchestra – I WANT TO SEE THIS SO BADLY IT HURTS
Cosmic Dead & Karl Astbury – I like that. I like it a lot. It’s heavy. Yep.
Irma Vep & Douga – Irma Vep! I think that speaks for itself. Do it.
Borland & Champion Lover – Only heard a bit, could be interesting. Seems quite cool.
Keith Floyd performing ‘Live at Pompeii’ – Keith Floyd’s dead! Oh wait, different Floyd. Sorry. Ahem. Always going to be worth a look, I’d say.
Quimby, McLean, Nichols
Comfortable on a Tightrope @ United Reformed Church
Volunteers Park - mad as a box of boxes playing an electronica set on a casio keyboard, with occasional drone in Dogger, Humber and German Bight. Madly varied output, so probably worth a look.
Sea Pinks - Sound notably derivative of the sixties generally, but without me being able to lay an immediate specific reference. Does not sound like the Beatles, as many of this ilk are wont to do. I'm not finding them terribly exciting, but they are quite nice.
La La Vasquez - Girls, singing predictably off key, generic rock instruments behind. S'okay I guess. Won't be going to see.
Edible Arrangements - I want to like this because of the name. Hip hip hippity hop synthesiser lift music.
Sacred Paws - Girl vocals, aim seems to be to produce something like riot girl meets Fleetfoxes? I was inclined to err on the side of interest, but all three songs I played sound exactly the same. Exactly the same.
Waiters – Drone rock pop. Played a couple of tracks, pretty samey samey samey samey samey samey samey.
Occult Hand - Chewed up droney electronica - feels like it's about to do something else, but never quite does. The track I heard was neither challenging or engulfing. Background to a submarine thriller maybe.
The Swamps - aiming for fairly dense punk, lack lustre on recording, maybe better live?
————————————————————————————————————–
+ Manchester Scenewipe present Manchester SceneSkype at Islington Mill Gallery, a day of live link-ups with acts from all corners of the globe.
++ ‘Red Deer Club Secret Sessions’ conjure up a series of undisclosed shows in secret spaces.
+++ the Volkov Commanders create a performance bazaar.
++++ Baptists and Bootleggers host a stage of live ambient improvisation featuring an array of musicians from the around the festival.
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