2000trees Festival: The Lowdown

The fields of Upcote Farm, near Cheltenham, have now been left to recover as the campers, bands, vendors and organisers finally left this year’s 2000trees festival yesterday to go home and recover too. Music was played, drink was drunk, but most importantly, discoveries were made:

1. I am rubbish at erecting tents. A big thank you to nearby campers that helped a collapsed mess of rods and flowery material into a decent place to sleep.
2. The director of the next big comic book film adaptation needs to listen to Vessels. The epic and dramatic nature of their brand of instrumental post-rock is expertly executed and is something to really get lost in. They were definitely one of the highlights of the weekend.
   

   Zun Zun Egui. Photo courtesy of Craig Boney.

3. Zun Zun Egui. I have no idea how to pronounce their name, but it is what this Bristol-based four piece band go by, producing what they call ‘free range rock music’ made from a pretty big collection of instruments. It is energetic, quirky and was the perfect soundtrack to a Saturday afternoon in the sun.
4. Kong are one of the most disturbing bands I have ever seen. Skulking on stage with shiny, grotesque masks that still let you see their mouths and eyes moving – as much as you want to look away, you are compelled to stay. The same goes for their music, it’s rough, aggressive, and dark, but undoubtedly good.
5. Robbie Williams has a place at music festivals. In this case, at the end of Tall Ships set list when they broke out of their art-rock mould into a surprise rendition of Angels, when everyone showed that they unashamedly knew all the words. It wasn’t just Robbie that had the crowd singing – the packed out Leaf Lounge stage was filled with fans who knew the words to all of the Tall Ships tracks, demonstrating that the band really are on their way up.
6. Pieminister Pies. Ok, so I’m a little slow off the mark as Pieminister are a well-known brand, but as I was expecting to be surviving off of limp, soggy burgers for the weekend, the discovery that a hearty pie, with mash and gravy, all packed into a cute little box of tastiness was on offer was AMAZING!
   

   Frightened Rabbit. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Olarte.

7. Frightened Rabbit should headline more often. It was down to Frightened Rabbit to round-up the festival as they headlined the Main Stage on Saturday night; their first time headlining a festival. And what a great job they made of it. A band that could be described as a Scottish Elbow, or a mellow Biffy Clyro, they have a charm all of their own. Their performance was polished, passionate, and they just seemed to be genuinely grateful to be there. A lot more of their tracks have made it into my collection as a result.

Judging by the haggard state of everyone as they dragged their sodden belongings back out of the field, a ruddy good time was had by all. Well done 2000trees.

Preview: 2000trees Festival

2000trees Festival in 2009. Photo courtesy of Tortipede.

The usually sleepy Upcote Farm in Gloucestershire will be the home, for the fifth time, of 2000trees Festival this weekend. Dedicated to providing a platform to new and underground British music, other main draws are the cheap tickets, green agenda, and the fact that it is in possession of the ’2nd Best Toilets at a UK Festival’. I shit you not.

There are four stages to choose from, all featuring acts for your aural amusement; the Main Stage – with the likes of Dan Le Sac v Scroobius Pip, Los Campesinos!, Three Trapped Tigers, and Islet, The Cave – with ASIWYFA, Talons and Vessels, The Leaf Lounge – with Tellison, Tall Ships and Stagecoach, and finally, The Greenhouse – featuring DJ Primer, Esse B and Midnight Mile. I’ve only cherry-picked a couple of examples, but here is the full line up.

There is also a handful of extra-musical activities going on too; a fancy dress competition under the theme Cowboys! vs Robots! vs Ninjas!, the opportunity to watch sheep dog trials, a nature walk, and a massive bonfire.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, not only because it’s an awesome festival that deserves more awareness, but also, I’M GOING! Reviews and festival tales to follow…

Live Music – Effort, Tall Ships, Three Trapped Tigers – Buffalo Bar, 19/3/11

Shiny new record label, Pink Mist, which combines indie labels Big Scary Monsters, Blood and Biscuits and Holy Roar Records is responsible for this latest exciting UK tour.

First on in Cardiff’s Buffalo Bar is Effort, a newly hatched arrangement consisting of BBC Wales’ DJ Jen Long and James Frost of The Automatic. Informing the crowd it was only their fifth gig ever, I was pleasantly surprised that, while still fairly raw, their catchy indie rock brand was a pleasure to listen to.

From Jen’s point of view, it’s a brave move for anyone to step out from being the critic to the critiqued, but Effort seems to have the potential to do so very successfully.

Tall Ships. Photo courtesy of Jay Springett

Next on were Falmouth trio, Tall Ships (who have appeared on this blog many a time.) Rick, Matt and Jamie lean towards the art-rock side of things, with an emphasis on instrumentals and subverting the usual song formula.

As well as playing crowd favourites like Plate Tectonics and Books, they also mixed it up a bit by playing Ode to Ancestors off of the last EP, There is Nothing But Chemistry Here. Or, they tried at least. A succession of technical difficulties meant that some of the songs couldn’t be finished.

The guys dealt with it  as professionally and quickly as possible, but did still leave the audience waiting around for a while. There wasn’t any bad feeling, I think everyone just felt sorry for them as they were so good when the instruments were working! A finale of their newest single, Hit the Floor, which cranks it up a notch on the energy scale, definitely finished the shaky set with a high.

Three Trapped Tigers. Photo courtesy of Vince Kmeron

Finally, Three Trapped Tigers took to the stage. Promoting their new record Route One or Die, released on Blood and Biscuits Records, the guys gave a consuming performance that veered between sounds of dance, dubstep, post rock and a little bit of hardcore.

Such a mixture sounds like it shouldn’t work, especially not within the same record, but it combines together to make something new and unpredictable. It’s refreshing to see a band who are trying to consistently come up with something different, rather than just something that will sell. Each track takes you on a journey of cleverly executed peaks and troughs in tension, through flavours of different genres, and all with an unfathomable ability to get inside your head to the point where you’re no longer really aware of what is going on around you.

An innovative and compulsive performance to finish on, and a tour well worth seeing if you’re after something a bit different.

Live Music: Pink Mist launch party, 16/4/11

Notting Hill, on a weekend during the Easter holidays, and on Record Store Day, when you’re trying to pinpoint an unassuming door that leads to Notting Hill Arts Club is a logistical nightmare. But well worth it, once you’ve descended the stairs and got yourself a well deserved beer.

Some Record Store Day bargains. Courtesy of Mike Fabio

The event was a celebration of many things; the triumph of ‘keeping it old school’ for Record Store Day, which saw droves of music fans queueing at record stores to take advantage of special offers and ensure that the humble record store stays alive in its fight against the MP3. It was a celebration of the newly formed Pink Mist record label; an amalgamation of existing labels Big Scary Monsters, Holy Roar and Blood and Biscuits. And it was a celebration of the exciting collection of bands they have signed, namely Teej, Rosa Valle, Hymns and Tall Ships. Finally, it was a celebration for my purse, because it was all FREE!

The dimly lit Notting Hill Arts Club, a delightful underground hole, made it easy to forget that it was still daylight outside, as everything kicked off early in the afternoon. With short, snappy sets there was also no fear of missing a song when necessity called for toilet runs.

Teej made for an energetic opener, with a mix of synthy electronica that has a hint of post rock that really lets you get lost in it. Finishing on a huge applause from an unusually enthusiastic audience so early into the gig, the guys looked a little embarrassed at the gusto. They shouldn’t, when you’re lucky enough to get it, accolade is to be lapped up.

Rosa Valle followed with their mix of progressive rock with a hardcore edge. They describe themselves as a ‘four piece math-mosh band’, which sums it up pretty well. They owned the stage and their loud confidence made it impossible to look away.

Hymns, fronted by Jason Willcock, whose vocals you might recognise from past project Blakfish, the two-piece maintain a dark, serious edge, and are fiercely passionate in their performance. So fierce that, at times, it made you wonder if they would make it to the end of the set or they were all screamed and sweated out.

Matt and Jamie of Tall Ships. Courtesy of Kasper Vogelzang

And finally, Tall Ships. I’ve already banged on about how awesome these guys are, both their performance at Swn Festival last October, and the release of their EP There is Nothing But Chemistry Here. They’re still awesome, and tried a few new things during this performance, with a bit of climbing and backing into the crowd, as well as showcasing a new single that had only been recorded the week before. It was full of energy and suggests promising things for their new releases.

Great bands, great music, great day. Long live Pink Mist.

Live Music: Elbow, CIA, 23/3/11

Guy Garvey from Elbow. Photo courtesy of Guus Krol

For anyone who hates Elbow and is hoping to read a blog post where I’ll describe Guy Garvey & co as pretentious, talentless twats, you might want to go elsewhere. You’re not going to want to hear that these guys put on the best show I’ve seen in ages which has left me listening to them obsessively ever since. Sorry.

I’ll admit, despite the fact that they have been in existence for nearly 20 years, Elbow have remained on the peripheries of my music collection, apart from their obvious commercial hits, but I unexpectedly found myself with a ticket for their big performance in Cardiff’s expansive CIA and wanted to find out what all the fuss was about.

First on though was Irish band Villagers, who caused quite a stir last year with the release of their debut album Becoming a Jackal. They put in a strong, dark performance, but as my gig buddy pointed out, seemed a little bit like they hadn’t managed to outgrow their state of being moody teenagers. This is particularly in reference to the mumbled comment to the crowd, explaining “This song is about losing your sense of self”…lighten up guys.

As for Elbow, they delivered a simply flawless performance – but without being too obviously staged and polished. After a pretty cool visual Harry Potter-esque backdrop of the band members in photo frames, fidgeting every now and again, the band appeared on stage and the time just sped by.

Elbow playing trumpets to track 'Starlings' from The Seldom Seen Kid album. Photo courtesy of Guus Krol

It was a fairly even mix between material from the recently released album Build A Rocket Boys and older songs, particularly from the career changing The Seldom Seen Kid record. The track Lippy Kids from the new album, the title comes from a line in the song, is the first that has been released. It’s hard to imagine how a song that is essentially about a group of chavs hanging about on a street corner could sound so heartbreakingly nostalgic…such is the awe of Mr Garvey’s voice, which was astonishing all night. All I can think to compare it to is a warm bowl of porridge with syrup; it has gravelly bits whilst being sweet, comforting, and it belongs to a bear.

Obvious highlights have to be the energy generated by the performance of Grounds for Divorce and the finale One Day Like This, but it was the little extras that made it really memorable. One of these applies most to a Mr Adrian Jones, who got a personal mention, a moment in the spotlight, and a song made up with his name in – all because he was officially the member of the audience who was officially furthest from the stage. I think that’d definitely make up for having crap tickets.

As I left with the crowds of people, climbing over piles of plastic beer bottles, I was happy in the knowledge that I had just witnessed a group of people at the peak of their profession that have so far avoided becoming nonchalant or big-headed about their success, like so many do. And they don’t wear sunglasses indoors, Bono.

Live Music: Daedelus, Cardiff Arts Institute, 11/03/11

It’s a Friday night and I’m stood in Cardiff Arts Institute, with an expensive camera (that isn’t mine) hanging round my neck, nearing the end of my second, and last, pint.  As it reaches 1am, the crowd of people around me begin to sway, cracking out increasingly crazy dance moves, their dilated pupils darting about the place. It’s the kind of scene you might expect at a club night.

 

Daedelus performing at Cardiff Arts Institute, organised by Swn

Any form of expectation and normality promptly went out the window when the main man, Daedelus, took to the stage. Clad in tails, high-waisted, tight trousers, and some highly impressive mutton-chops, he looked more like a character let loose from a Jane Austen novel than an experimental DJ, and  juxtaposed fantastically with the state of the art technology set out in front of him.

 

This included a laptop, and a magic box that looked like it had been stolen from Spock; a monome. It is a highly sophisticated instrument Daedelus is reportedly responsible for pioneering. After giving up on trying to understand how it works, it was just quite fun watching the pretty orange lights move across the grid, while Daedelus thrust himself back and forth in time to the tracks.

The set was heavier than Daedelus’s previous work, with a strong bass that has an affiliation with classic dubstep and hip-hop. This kind of sound was unexpected, but then what can you expect from a Victoriana DJ? For so many reasons, on the surface, it shouldn’t have worked, but it did.  Flawless mixing of a heavy, dirty sound, whilst maintaining a softer edge every now and again made for an absorbing set that you could really lose yourself in. And that’s from being sober…

Live Music: Cut Ribbons at Y Tair Pluen, 19/2/11

 

Cut Ribbons playing at Y Tair Pluen, Cardiff

Of all the incredible music venues Cardiff has to offer, the Y Tair Pluen pub, next to the Owain Glyndwr would probably not be the first on my list to visit. I didn’t even know it staged bands, to be honest. However, after first encountering their name on the list of many promising bands at last year’s Swn Festival, I noticed Cut Ribbons name, and had also been asked to interview them for The Whiteboard Project.

 

Luckily I was right. Hailing from Llanelli, Cut Ribbons have been together since 2009. Members include Aled Rees, Anna Griffiths, Chris James, Shane Lee, and Caio Griffiths. Despite being talent spotted by the musical genius of Huw Stephens and John Rostron who organise Swn Fest, the band are still yet to be signed and are still working on getting the band off the ground doing mostly local gigs, such as the one I found them at.

This is difficult to understand for two reasons, 1. You would be hard pushed to find a friendlier, more deserving group of people when all the arrogant try-hards seem to get recording deals with no problem…Not mentioning any names, Razorlight. 2. When they start playing, it is all too easy to imagine hearing their songs in big, packed venues, or blasting out of your earphones. Their music is amazing.

The venue, a usually sleepy host to old Welsh men drinking Brains, was suddenly filled with a promising large number of people, and an all-encompassing noise that draws you in in such a way that only a few bands are capable of doing. The juxtaposition between heavy instrumental reverberations and the delicate harmony of Aled and Anna’s voices is something quite special, leaving you unsure of whether to mosh or sigh.

Although their repertoire would not manage to fill an album yet, my particular track favourites would have to be When Will The Water and Knock Me Down, the latter of which was included as one of Big Scary Monsters‘ 2010 Collection.

They are a band worth looking out for – a message I would stress to potential fans and record labels.

Live Music: NME Awards Tour, Cardiff S.U – 13/02/11

Walking into the underbelly of the Cardiff Students’ Union, the host of Wales’ instalment of the NME Awards tour, it took a while to get used to the moisture and aroma that hits you, the kind that only a room of excitable music enthusiasts can muster.

The Vaccines were already a couple of songs in, and despite the fact that this band have been hyped up to be ‘the next big thing’, I can’t say the crowd were exactly going mad for it. Rather than the edgy, stripped down sound that gets blasted out on the likes of Radio 6 music, the live Vaccines seem to be much less definitive.

The simple set-up gave the music all the focus during Everything Everything's set

Everything Everything were bloody good. Their 2010 album, Man Alive, sits on the good side of weird, and though I was a little worried about how the high vocals would translate in a high setting, I needn’t have been – the performance was confident, polished, and really fun. While singing along isn’t really an option when the quirky lyrics are so high and fast paced, I defy anyone that resists a foot-tap – at the very least – to the likes of Schoolin’ and Suffragette Suffragette.

As Magnetic Man, a DJ combination of Benga, Skream and Artwork, took to the stage it seemed like every member of the audience had shed a few years, and exchanged their checked shirts for a wife beater…and then proceeded to mosh each other into a pulp. It was an onslaught of a performance; I didn’t know that a bass-line could make even your eyelashes vibrate. Although I did feel old, the set made for an electric atmosphere, although I did wish they would stop reminding the audience that we were in Cardiff; I already knew that.

Alice, Crystal Castles, looms over the crowd against an equally eery backdrop

Last up were Crystal Castles; the scariest act to come out of Canada since Alanis Morissette. Alice Glass loomed over the crowd with her disjointed dancing, that was made even more dramatic due to the fact that one of her feet was wrapped in a cast and she was balancing on a crutch. She was nothing short of impressive.

In terms of performance, the vocals were drowned out a little at times, but credit has to be given to them for being able to conjure such a foreboding, consuming atmosphere. When you’re on a high as you leave a gig and wander home, you know it’s been a goodun…but it was dampened a little by the sweat that had rubbed off of the various 16 year olds as they brushed passed during the night…

Live Music – Walter Schreifels – Clwb Ifor Bach – 27/01/11

Walter Schreifels, rocking an army jacket

You could perhaps be forgiven if the name Walter Schreifels does not instantly strike a chord of recognition; he made his name in the late 80s/ early 90s in a number of New York hardcore bands – Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand and Rival Schools are naming just a few.

Walter’s sound has mellowed with his lifestyle; after getting married and settling down, he returned to the music scene as a solo artist in May 2010 with an acoustic folky album, Open Letter to the Scene, which was released through independent, Oxford-based label Big Scary Monsters.

Walter graced the UK shores with a tour to promote this album last year, and for a handful of dates he came back to do it again. Except this time, he had a full band.

Before all that though, let’s not forget the support acts. First on was The Doublecross, a Welsh act comprised of disarmingly friendly Welshman Jon Greenwood and his friends, who help him out with extra vocals and instrumental accompaniments. Jon’s gravely voice, which, as many Welsh men seem to have this quality, I’d like to think has been enabled by a steady appreciation of Brains beer, gives power to his folk-rock songs, and is effectively offset when accompanied with female vocals. His ‘faux-country’ sound, as he calls it, was pleasure to listen to.

After a refreshingly quick turnaround, Felix Gebhard took to the stage. Rather than playing an acoustic piece of music with his guitar, it looked as though Felix was planning on landing a plane with the amount of controls and gadgets around his feet. It became a little clearer when he announced he was going to play a track that lasted half an hour…I guess that’s how long it takes to go through and use all of the newfangled, sound-makers. I was a little sceptical that the audience’s attention could be held for such a length of time without a break, but there were some really compelling points of building of atmosphere. The sound of chatting began to reverberate around the room after about 20 minutes though, suggesting that, really, you shouldn’t try to get any more epic than Stairway to Heaven, people just don’t have the concentration capacity.

Walter Schreifels and band. And quite a lot of smoke.

Finally, Walter Schreifels and his merry band of men were on stage. These were made up of former Gorilla Biscuits band-mate Arthur Smilios, Drew Thomas (drummer for Into Another and Crippled Youth), John Hergurth (from Atlantic/Pacific), and stand-up comedian Dave Hill. Apart from their mastery of instruments, what made the performance so enjoyable was that there was an obvious chemistry and genuine enjoyment oozing from everyone on stage, and they weren’t taking themselves too seriously.

Much of the material came from last year’s album, namely tracks like Open Letter to the Scene, Save the Saveables, She Is To Me and Society Sucker. New songs like Street Fighting Woman gave an interesting taster of what is to come, and then a sigh of nostalgia filled the room as they bashed out some covers like Quicksand’s Thorn In My Side and a pretty exciting Smiths/ Sick of It All medley. Having a full band behind him definitely suits Walter, and the heavier sound to his solo tracks works just as well as the stripped down version on the album.

For me, what came out of this gig was just what an interesting, cool guy Walter Schreifels is, and how enjoyable it is to come across someone who is just fuelled by a sheer love of music. He also effortlessly built up a great rapport with the crowd by berating his bandmates, the Welsh language, and being generally a bit random.

The amusement went on beyond the gig, after he directed everyone to a YouTube video…

“So, has anyone seen any good YouTube clips lately?”

“You dancing!”

“Oh yeah, that’s a good one. I’m dancing on YouTube, you should all go and check me out.”

Walter Schreifels, Dance Assassin. Legend.

Live Music: Johnny Foreigner and Stagecoach. Buffalo Bar, Cardiff. 22.11.10



Luke and Tom from Stagecoach, Buffalo Bar

Newly united label mates, on trendy independent label Alcopop!, Johnny Foreigner and Stagecoach have embarked on their pretty extensive UK tour. I was fortunate enough to see the bands at Cardiff’s Buffalo Bar, where they rocked out amongst the deep red walls plastered with iconic musicians. Maybe it won’t be long before their pictures join them.

As a unique tour selling point, both bands have come together and released a new split 7” single called Big Love In. It’s truly a group effort, as the record features a new track from each band, plus them doing covers of each other’s past hits; JoFo do a great rendition of Stagecoach’s 45, while Luke and Matt from Stagecoach cover Salt, Pepper and Spinderella. It’s well worth a listen, and the combined bands’ artwork looks awesome too.

Luke, Stagecoach, indulging in some speaker-climbing

Stagecoach kicked off in a lively fashion, as always, despite informing us that two of the band members had only made it to the venue five minutes before! Bashing through the best of their musical collection, which has been described as ‘quirky trash-pop’ in Kerrang, my personal highlights were Not Even Giles (Would Say We’ll Be Ok), which can be found on their new split EP, past hit We Got Tazers, and Hieroglyphics. The harmonies were really tight and it was just a really fun performance.

The guys have some pretty self-deprecating audience banter, before playing Map To The Freezer, Luke said “This is a record the radio picked up on. I don’t really like it, but I’m glad they do.”

Nick replied, “Nice to hear you’ve got so much faith in our work.”

“Well, I do quite like it, but it’s only a 6 out of 10. Anyway, shall we play it?”

I don’t know guys, it’s pretty damn catchy; I’d give it at least a 7.5!

JoFo's Kelly mans the Stagecoach drums

For their set finale, Stagecoach didn’t disappoint, and indulged in some good old audience participation. Tom delved into the crowd with his mandolin, there was climbing on speakers, and Matt abandoned his drum kit altogether as Johnny Foreigner’s Kelly promptly took over. That’s team work!

After an quick kit-swap, JoFo were up. It was my first time seeing them play live, I’m not sure how because they are touring fiends having played with the likes of Dananananaykroyd, Los Campesinos!, The Futureheads, and The Subways, I guess I’m a bit slow. My anticipation was definitely rewarded; they are effortlessly flawless. The vocals, the instrumentals, the energy; it’s all there. And it was so good to see Kelly doing it for the girls; there aren’t many who manage to earn respect in the man filled indie-rock world, but at points she arguably stole the show. And that’s not to say that band-mates Alexi and Junior weren’t great too…I particularly enjoyed their discussion about the use of a sweaty towel…

Alexi, Johnny Foreigner, dripping with, er, energy

As for the set list, there was a nice mix of old and new, though the band seemed a little reluctant to play some of their new work, with Alexi promising “Just one more new song and then we’ll play what you paid for”. I personally really enjoy hearing new material that bands are working on; it’s good to have a taster of what’s coming next.  Feels Like Summer and Eyes Wide Terrified were particular favourites; you know it’s a winner when the live performance enhances what you have on your iPod.

And so I left Buffalo Bar with a huge smile on my face, a Johnny Foreigner T-shirt (I can’t resist their iconic monsters), and a sighting of Matt Horne of Gavin and Stacey fame. Hopefully he enjoyed the gig too.