I haven't mentioned this nearly enough so here you go, another plug. You shuold really come and check it out, its a fantastic lineup, even if I do say so myself.


Jamie Woon and Rokhsan have now been confirmed as support, if you have a spare few hours and £6 lying around, this should be a fantastic gig. This is me putting my money where my mouth is on a night with bands I think are grand and then hoping that people appreciate them too and turn up to watch.


It's scaring me shitless with every passing day but with a complete lineup at last, here's hoping we draw in the punters and most importantly, some boywithacoin readers.

Anyways, if you want to buy a ticket, the link is here

Currently listening to: Super Extra Bonus Party - Super Extra Bonus Party

There are a hundred curry takeaways in Brixton, in every town in every country. The question is finding one you like among the cheap prices and free delivery options. Similarily, indie electro is no longer a groundbreaking genre. Super Extra Bonus Party however are colourful, have plenty of bite, lots of variety and stand out with their ingenuity and excellent overall package.
A fantastic album with wide instrumentation, brilliantly directed songs and an album that spans a load of genres. High hopes are pinned on the new album.

www.myspace.com/superextrabonusparty

Somehow it's that time of year again, when festival lineups are leaked/announced and you weigh up the pros and cons of each one to decide where best to throw your money away.
After last year, it is safe to say my tipple this year will be Latitude.

Set in a forest by a lake in Suffolk, the coloured sheep, artsy lineup and general fantastic vibe was a stark contrast to Reading 09. Where Latitude has woods, Reading has swamps, Latitude has flags, Reading has flag burnings. They are polar opposites in both ethos and atmosphere and I find myself feeling increasingly older as I opt for the more relaxed festivals.

Latitude, to be fair, has a stellar musical lineup. From superb performances on the main stage by Death Cab For Cutie, Interpol and Sigur Ros to watching Lykke Li perform on a tiny stage in a forest or watching films being scored by a live orchestra, Latitude is the festival for all things cool and different.

Today's announcement of bands is with baited breath, it has been very quiet for a long time but as the first trickles of bands appeared today, Editors, Doves and Bat For Lashes, it seems it has kept its cool and in securing Doves, has almost vindicated its ticket price straight away. It will be a performance I will be very excited about, to accompany said third album.

Either way, I'll be at Latitude as I become increasingly disillusioned with festivals and the general atmopshere that accompanies them.
See you down in the front, in a hemp shirt of course

Also, I've decided to do a little review of the album that Im listening to the day that I post or the album I'm listening to as Im writing. In an attempt to keep the review short and sweet so I dont have to write a massive blog on every album I ever listen to, it is going to be described as a food item. Don't ask me why, just roll with it.

Currently listening: Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights

A sirloin steak with marmite sauce. It has real substance, it is posh and arty but Interpol are a "love them or hate them" band to the extreme, so much that at last years latitude, a triumphant headlining performance was appreciated by next to no-one. Thankfully, I love them, the more Marmite the better.

Finally, for those of you who are interested, I have joined twitter. However, it is only to follow others really, don't expect anything profound from me. anyways, you can follow me here.

It's arty, it's thought provoking and it's really quite clever



Additionally, this is amazing

http://www.najle.com/idaft/

Instrumental music is self-indulgent, overly-dramatic, theatrical and most of all, FUCKING AWESOME.
I love it. I love the images it conjures up, it is food for my imagination, it fills me with emotion like almost no other musical form. From the grandiose nature of Explosions in the Sky to the laid back noodlings of Mogwai, instrumental music is intelligent, thought provoking, technical and breathtaking. Now, I'm no connoisseur, that is for sure. I know don't know my way around the genre particularly well, you can spend an hour listening to three tracks and not know anything new or groundbreaking. Conversely, you can hear 2 minutes of 65daysofstatic's ear-shattering musical catharsis and be blown away but completely exhausted. However, there is middle ground and it is there where I find myself most at home in instrumental musc, music that peaks and troughs whilst maintaining and encouraging a sense of something more.

One such band is If These Trees Could Talk. Leaning on the heavier side of instrumental music, their songs do not last forever, rather seamlessly melt together on their debut EP, creating a short 25 minute journey that shows real progress. Released way back in 2006, the band are still trying to get anywhere within their own territory as the influx of instrumental music has been sudden and crushing. However, with a debut album finally out, it seems that they have been pushing on with songs they've worked hard on and I for one am very excited.

I believe it is available from iTunes in the UK but as I said, for such a small band with such a small circle of influence, it will not be easy to check these cheeky fellows out. However, the usual places exist and it's worth your time. It seems illegal leaking affects even the smallest bands so if you're feeling particularly horrible, it's out there somewhere for free.
In the meantime, I'm going to start my own instrumental post-rock band with these being some of my ideas for names so far...
Making Molehills Out of Mountains
Rain is More Than God Crying
I'm Pretty Sure My Tree Just Talked


Any suggestions for others?

Myspace
last.fm

This song is smothered in psychedelic synths that melt around reverb-laden vocals. It's simplicity purely emphasises just how well it is written, lyrics of aspiration for simple things, to be safe and to look after your girls. The video continues the theme, reminiscent of an iPod commercial on a serious acid trip, the band members litterally dripping into the bottom of the picture.

It is a fantastic song by a band that I knew nothing about, heard and despised. However, refusing to go against the tide of mass appreciation for the album, I went back, listened and fell in love.

They are, Animal Collective, it is My Girls. Breathtaking.

I love DJing. I'm not the best at it in the world. My beat matching skills are average at best and I'm yet to really get how you dont just beatmatch, change the pitch of everything to the same and how it doesn't all just meld into one long track.

So I don't. When I DJ, I pick as many tunes as I can with some slightly more obscure stuff, pace my set right and hope that people recognise enough of the songs to have a little dance. Sometimes it works out better than others. That's the extent of it really.

The weird thing is I DJ at a club where they don't insist on you being the best DJ in the world, simply that you have a good understanding of what people want to hear and that it isn't horribly offensive. I've played their twice now with tonight being set number three. My first two have gone down well, well enough that i'm back there tonight anyway.

It's a nervewracking experience, I've spent a long time working on all three sets and there is a lot of emotional attatchment to each song in each set, not one song is filler or a way of moving from one great song to another, every song has it's place, it's purpose and it's importance. However, it's also bloody brilliant. The adrenaline rush is unbelievable, to hear music you love played on a GREAT soundsystem is awesome and the congratulations on great song choices and the subsequent comments throughout the rest of the night are totally uplifting.

I'll post my setlsits here from now on as I work hard on them and on the off chance that you have all the songs listed, you can put them together and relive the experience. If you want all the tracks listed, drop me a line and I'll see what I can do. It's also an indication of the types of electronic/chillout I love and cannot recommend more.


March 13th

1) Animal Collective - My Girls
2) Radiohead - Everything In It's Right Place
3) Royksopp - Remind Me
4) Interpol - Untitled (Datasette version)
5) Lykke Li - Knocked Up (Rodeo Mash-up)
6)Bran Van 3000 - Drinking In LA
7) Bjork - Play Dead
8) Moby - Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad
9) Esser - Satisfied
10) Easy Star All-Stars - Electioneering
11) Skream - Dutch Flowerz
12) The Cardigans - Erase/Rewind
13) Simian Mobile Disco - I Believe
14) Daft Punk - Face To Face
15) Faithless - Drifting Away
16) Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
17) Union Of Knives - Evil Has Never
18) Cut Copy - Hearts on Fire
19) Bloc Party - Signs (Mmmathias Remix)
20) Nina Simmone - Sinnerman (Felix Da Housecat's Heavenly House Mix)
21) Chicane - Offshore
22) Robert Miles - Fable
23) Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle (Mr. Dan's Magic Wand Mix)
24) Thievery Corporation - Lebanese Blonde
25) Nina Simone - Ain't Got No, I Got Life (Nina Simone V Groovefiner remix)
26) Fatboy Slim - Praise You

Cherbourg - 12th May, Club Shuffle

Stop the mother-f*ckin presses, we have a gig.

For those of you that don't know, I've been trying to put on my own nights at work since the day I started, its part of my job, something I've never done too seriously but always dreamed of. However, as I'm sure you've noticed, I've never actually got around to it.

So, Club Shuffle was created. An in-house clubnight to promote our own gigs. We got a date. 12th May.

And now, we have a band.
It is my pleasure to announce that Cherbourg will be headlining the first ever Club Shuffle at 229 on Tuesday 12th May and I expect every single one of you that read this to come.


Cherbourg are signed to London based label Chess Club, home to Peggy Sue, Alessi's Ark and Mumford & Sons, a label that have really come into their own with the explosion of the london folk scene that has taken place in the last year. I was recommended their fine EP by the smart people at Banquet Records as I bought the new Mumford & Sons EP and it is every bit as good as their labelmates.
Harmonies are the key to a fantastic folk song for me and Cherbourg's are thick and expansive. Their rhythms are superb and understated, their EP perfectly balanced with anthems and sliughtly more experimental songs.

Be prepared to read a lot of plugging for this show but why don't you please just come if possible. It won't be expensive, it will give you the chance to see one of the big tips for 2009 and it's gonna be AWESOME. I'll announce support as soon as I book one.

In the meantime, learn to love these songs
www.myspace.com/cherbourgmusic

Whatever happened to the Rubicks Cube?

From fronting a pioneering UK hardcore band to solo folk-blues singer is far from the obvious career path but Frank Turner has done it and done it well. The legions of loyal Million Dead fans have taken his new music to heart and his fantastic new album has been released with an extra disc featuring demos and old songs that are much more pleasing to my ears than his Million Dead efforts.
Support for his October tour comes from the delightful Beans On Toast, again solo-folk is the backbone but ever since Kid ID performed Sofa Statistics at Reading 08, I've had a secret love for a comedy folk song. Beans on Toast writes witty, simple rhymes with his acoustic guitar to keep him company. The songs are far from deep, there are no lyrical complexities which is what makes Beans on Toast such a joy. Topics range from the beauty of folk-temptress Laura Marling to "you look a lot fitter on your myspace picture", thoughts explored and concluded with charm and simplicity.

Check out the video for You Look a Lot Fitter on Your Myspace Picture, below

Been searching for this song for ages, plenty of suggestions have been thrown around the office including Gnarls Barkley. "I think it's one of the old songs" was one of my less musically-informed colleagues suggestions. However, here it is in its full glory, Madcon's remix of Frankie Vallie with... Beggin'

(a much better video than madcon's im sure you'll agree)