Clement Marfo & The Frontline
Behold, the future of music is upon us – check out a few tips that I think could come good in 2010. Starting with the magnificent Clement Marfo & The Frontline. This 7 piece act is the product of a collaboration between Hip-Hop artist Clement Marfo and the Indie / Electronic band The Frontline, and the resulting fusion of music and ideas is fucking ace. Champion for instance layers Electronic glitch & beep samples, Ska-infused prominent brass melodies, guttural driving basslines, subtle bluesy guitar licks and intricate kick / snare patterns to provide the platform over which Marfo spits his venemous rhymes, while Kojo Vihram provides catchy pop-hook choruses. Anthemic pop-sensibility meets grime vocal prowess and a whole host of other cultural and musical influences for good measure – amazing! Lights Out meanwhile takes the bass driven, indie dance-beat and euphoric electronic vibe of bands like The Killers and The Bravery, and throws in some grimey vocals a la Marfo, who puts some of the current Grime-Pop acts of today’s charts to shame with his impressive display of lyricism. These guys and girls are playing a few London shows on the run up to Christmas so be sure to check ‘em out while it’s still hot off the press.
Jenners Field are a really young London-based band who take the bleak death-Pop stylings of White Lies, the vocal pomposity of Tom Smith, and the experimental Electronic Indie feel of Me My Head, and stir it all up in a lo-fi, endearingly under-produced and raw blender. These boys also happen to have written one of the most stirring, atmospheric and infectious tracks I’ve come across in a while in Brave: an experimental rock track which transcends cultural barriers, combining middle-eastern guitar melodies with western popular traditions, and not to mention one hell of a chorus. And they use a theremin.. ’nuff said.
Jeuce is a musical force as yet unrecognised by the masses. However they are steadily building a fanbase for themselves, and are gaining the respect of the electronic music community; up-and-coming labels and producers alike, and for me, 2010 could be their year. They are entrepreneurs unhindered by futile dreams of immediate pop success, and as such there are many strings to the Jeuce bow. Not only are they a phenomenal live dance act, they are also well-reputed DJs, producers, opinion leaders, and have even dabbled in running their own label. It’s their live performance that is most exciting though, and you should definitely check out their grimey brand of dub-infused, bleep & bass indie dance immediately. 2010 could well be the year that the Jeuce brand drops.
Sketches are an emotional, dual-vocal Indie band. Epic and powerful sweeping soundscapes characterise their more soul-wrenching tracks, Dear Heart and Bleed Victoria (due for release on Fandango next week). Simple, brilliantly produced with lush delay and reverb guitars reminiscent of The Edge, and effortlessly endearing, Sketches have a few big-name followers, so fingers crossed 2010 will be their year.
Also in 2010, listen out for these guys: electronic Pop sensations Nite Visions; emo /alt rockers This Familiar Smile whose debut album Ribbons, Regards & the More Machine drops 2010; Pop-Punks Monte Carlo; Rap / Electro group F*Street, who have definitely got what it takes to ride the JLS riptide.
Yeeeaah Rock on 2010!
30 Seconds To Mars
Oh my.. It’s been a long time since posting! So! To start off a kinda informal trend on this blog for the following few months, I’m gonna keep it to an end of the decade vibe for a while, starting with this, perhaps topsy-turvily and clumsily titled post – Stuff I’m looking forward to for 2010… yeh!
1. 30 Seconds to Mars building on the epic success of Beautiful Lie. New album This is War is out early December, with single Kings & Queens, due to be released January, already making a big stir. Keep an eye out for these boys, they’re only getting bigger.
2. Similarly Biffy Clyro are finally really hitting the mainstream. Yes, Puzzle had some buzz, some airplay, some tv coverage, and Mountains, originally intended as a non-album track, was huge, but Only Revolutions looks set to be the album that really propels these Celtic rockmonsters into the open arms of the mainstream. Singles Captain and That Golden Rule have been chart successes, and the album is really strong. ‘Mon the Biff.
3. The as yet untitled Kings Of Leon remix album, with covers from the likes of Linkin Park, Mark Ronson and Lykke Li. Also, however the hell they follow up on the ridiculous success of Only By The Night.. I can’t wait for it.
4. A year for Rock. 2009 has gradually become a year for Rock, and 2010 looks set to be the same. Obviously, the very definition of the charts and the mainstream require anything alternative to be watered down, but the meteoric rise of bands like White Lies, The Big Pink, The Temper Trap, Mumford & Sons, and the ongoing success of The Foo Fighters, Muse, the Biff and Kings of Leon among others suggests that 2010 is going to a big year for mainstream Rock.
5. A year for Grime. Similarly, the charts have become slowly more and more dominated by Grime this year. Tinchy, N-Dubz, Chipmunk and to a lesser extent artists like Wiley, Tinie Tempah, Bashy and so on, have been in the charts or receiving air play. The end of the 2009 has been particularly exciting for Chipmunk, who will no doubt continue to climb the Pop ladder, and with a new album imminent from N-Dubz, and Master Shortie being my one to watch, 2010 is gon’ be all about the Grime.
6. The fall of the quirky girl Pop-star? Pixie Lott, Florence & The Machine, La Roux, Little Boots… Surely the dominance of the quirky chicks in the Pop charts can’t continue into 2010. The female race will be pinning their hopes on Mini Viva who have exploded into the Pop charts in the latter part of this year, and to a lesser extent the eccentric and sexy Marina & The Diamonds and another hot tip for you – Daisy Dares You, to carry the baton. However when it comes to squelchy electro-pop, 2010 could be a year for the boys – Mr. Hudson, one of the most exciting acts for me this year, will continue to thrill, and to go out on a limb Frankmusik will be back, bigger and better in 2010 with Follow The Leader. To further stick my neck out, Metronomy are another act to watch out for, and Nite Visions will almost certainly be in the charts in the latter part of 2010.
7. X Factor taking over the world – no detail needed as everyone knows this.
8. Brand New’s return to the UK. January baby! Daisy, released a few months back, is frankly epic, and they’ll be touring off the back of it early 2010. Scroll down a few for more info on this. These boys put on one hell of a live show, and I can’t wait for the London leg of their UK tour.
So there it is folks, just a few things I’m looking forward to. What are y’all looking forward to?
So the first 4 artists have been confirmed for the Orange RockCorps concert at the Royal Albert Hall on the 25th of September!!
Razorlight
Indie kings Razorlight will be joined by:
David Guetta
Demon on the decks David Guetta feat. Pop diva Kelly Rowland..
Daniel Merriweather
..bastion of Australian soul Daniel Merriweather..
Chase & Status
Pony Pony Run Run
I fucking love these guys. Synth and sample-tastic, quirky Electronic Pop somewhere between Shiny Toy Guns, Mika, Frankmusik, and The Mission District… Pony Pony Run Run write irregular Wonky Pop tracks with jagged syncopated beats, off-beat guitar work, catchy singalong choruses and phat driving bass lines. Feel good summer music at its very best – album You Need Pony Pony Run Run isn’t in the shops here yet, but you can pick it up on iTunes, and I highly recommend that you do (if you haven’t already)!
If you are already all over Pony Pony Run Run and you’re wondering where you can listen to a grimey, dub-infused, bass and bleep remix of their ace track Hey You, then look no further than Leeds boys Jeuce. Their rehash, which you can check out on their Myspace along with all their other massive official remixes, is a monster mashup with floorfilling potential. I can’t reiterate this enough people.. Dance to Jeuce!
The Dø (Click image to follow me on Twitter)
In the last few weeks I’ve noticed an increasing number of obscure acts being featured on television adverts and campaigns. Finnish / French Folk-Pop act The Dø, Alt/Stadium Rock band The Temper Trap from Australia, and Fight Pop act The Mae Shi from Cali, all bands that I’ve written about in the past few months, have all been featured on the telebox recently.. I guess I’m just going to have to up my game to keep ahead of the pace.. ‘Cos I suppose at the moment I’m a little.. Commercial.. if you’ll excuse the pun.
Eddie Vedder
Seattle-Grunge demi-Gods Pearl Jam are back with a rip-roaring, powerchord frenzy in the form of the Fixer from new album Backspacer. This is a real poppy effort from the Grunge forefathers, displaying upbeat pop-rock 2/4 drum beats, chugging basslines, and a syncopated blues-infused recurring riff. The only real nod to their Grunge routes comes in the form of Vedder’s signature growl, which is still as gravelly and throat-destroying as ever.
The Fixer is by no means their best work, and certainly doesn’t recapture the genius of albums such as Ten, Vs. andVitalogy, but it is a fun and lively little track which will give UK Grunge-revival bands such as Dinosaur Pile-Up and Japanese Voyeurs a run for their money. Here’s hoping that the next single from Backspacer is a bit more reminiscent of earlier works – with rawer production, heavier distortion, whirlwind blues solos, fags, JD and plaid shirts. Rawk on!
Toot Toot
July 23, 2009
Master Shortie
I don’t like to blow my horn.. or ring my own bell for that matter. But in this case… toot toots and ding dongs are in order. On the 22nd of April I wrote a lil’ somefing-somefing about up-and-coming Urban acts, including a short and sweet blurb about this dude Master Shortie – rapper and entrepreneur extraordinaire whose brand of cock-sure Indie-Rap is really starting to turn heads, shake hips and tap toes. So much so in fact that he has been getting a lot of heat on national radio; is currently Myspace’s featured artist; and will be playing at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. You heard it here first people… Toot!
Pixie Lott
Ok it’d be bold of me to claim that I spotted this one. On the 10th of June I talked Pixie up big style and about a week later she was the hottest thing in the charts, with Mama Do reaching the dizzy heights of number 1, and my little site was raking in around 300 people a day looking for info on all things Pixie.. presumably because there weren’t many other sites picking up on this talented and stunning Pop-Soulstress.. Cheers Pixie!
Enough of all this bragging and boasting though.. I really began this little article to point you in the direction of two more effortlessly talented songstresses who just happened to remind me of the Pixie Lott success story.
Felicity Kaya
18 year old Felicity Kaya blends Jazz, Pop, Rock and Lounge in her arrangements, over which her soulful, rich and versatile vocals reminisce of the likes of Amy Winehouse, Gabriella Cilmi and of course everyone’s favourite current Soul diva Pixie Lott. Kaya offers more to the intelligent Pop fan than most of today’s quirky-girl-Popstars though: the moody and meandering Time To Hold displays an impressive vocal prowess; diverse ‘Kurdish meets western popular culture’ influences; and complex and irregular time signatures. Apollo meanwhile is a delightful Lounge track that smacks of sipping screwdrivers at 3am in a smokey Jazz Bar. Prominent walking basslines, drum lines heavy on the crash, and subtle, delicately positioned key and brass licks make this a beautifully crafted track. Perverted Eyes, my personal favourite, is a more driven Rock-Pop track, displaying Edge from U2-Esque guitar work and production, and what sounds a bit like a bluesy Deep Purple-era Hammond Organ. Catchy, poppy and quirky-cool, this track will appeal to all the Amy fans out there, and is easily chart-worthy.
In short boys and girls, Kaya has the talent, the look and the tracks to make some serious progress, and now under management and signed to Out Of Bound Records, who knows what might happen. I just hope that whoever’s in charge gets the ball rolling on a Myspace page and starts realising the vast potential for online advertising, marketing and most importantly social networking! Until that happens though, check out some samples by clicking the image and heading over to her label homepage.
Daisy Dares You
I’m convinced that in the not too distant future I will be saying a big ‘I told you so’ about this girl. At just 15, Daisy Dares You already displays an incredible ear for a catchy Pop track, as Number One Enemy clearly demonstrates. The track opens up like a Tetris theme tune and breaks into a sparse bass ‘n’ bleep verse which really allows Daisy’s vocal talent and quintessential cockney Nash-esque charm shine through. The chorus is a straight 4/4, lightly distorted guitar driven, simple but anthemic Pop-hook, and I can already hear hordes of teeny bopper fans chanting back the words. And if it ain’t broke… the same formula is used for Talk About The Weather, an equally catchy and endearing soft-Rock track reminiscent of some kind of London-answer to Kelly Clarkson. Daisy Dares You, the self-titled track, and Next Few Minutes are slightly quirkier electronics-infused tracks which nod to Synth-Pop monsters Hello Goodbye and Shiny Toy Guns. Unashamedly Poppy; at times anthemic; always catchy; and undoubtedly endearing – Daisy Dares You definitely has all the ingredients to be a smash… Watch this space!
Orange RockCorps – Manchester Apollo
July 22, 2009
Apologies, I’ve not been a good blogger. I’ve had a change of scenery for a few months and for the most part have had limited internet access and even more limited time.
I’ve been working for Orange RockCorps for the last few months up in Manchester, as a Project Leader organising charity events, and on the night of our concert I was artist liaison to the delightful VV Brown. This has kept me extremely busy and I’ve been a bit crap at keeping the old writing going.
Incidentally, for those of you who don’t know – Orange RockCorps is a production company that put on huge concerts with only the biggest and best artists, and the only way to get in is to earn your ticket by completing 4 hours of volunteer work with us. Give Get Given!
Here are just a few pics of the event:
The Orange RockCorps DJ
Lady Gaga Performing an Acoustic Intro to 'Poker Face'
N-Dubz - Taken from the Circle Seats
Crowd Shot
OK so by now you’re probably feeling a little left out and a little silly that you didn’t get involved, especially if you are Manchester-based. Not to worry though, we’re back in London following our ridiculously successful 2008 Royal Albert Hall show featuring Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Feeder and John Legend to name a few. So click one of the images to head on down to the website and get yourself signed up to a project and I will see you at the concert!
The weekend just gone saw the Enemy supporting one of the biggest bands in the world, Oasis, for three sell out shows on the homecoming leg of their world tour. So it’s exciting times for the Indie three-piece from Coventry, and it’s just got more exciting: the Enemy have just been confirmed for the Orange RockCorps show at the Manchester Apollo on the 13th of July, where they will share the stage with N-Dubz and Lady Gaga, with more acts to be announced, in front of 3,000 RockCorps volunteers. Exciting indeed!
Lady Gaga Live In San Diego
So it’s been ages since my last post. I apologise. I’ve been extremely busy. I finished my stint with The Great Escape Festival, which was phenomenal; rejoined my previous employer Orange RockCorps; and relocated to Manchester in the space of 4 days.
I guess this means the focus of my blogging is going to change slightly. Obviously, as an employee of an American production company I will be subjected to very different music in comparison to the tunes I was listening to while working for a festival in Blighty. Also, living in Manchester I will be delving into a totally different scene. But that’s cool, change is good, and I’m already realising that Manchester, with its indie scene Northern Quarter, has an ace music culture to rival even London, and with trusted Mancunian friends to show me the way, I hope to be able to bring you the best bands gracing this amazing city.
N-Dubz Promo Shot
So a little about RockCorps.. This is a production company boshing out massive gigs with celestial line ups, in venues brimming with history and culture. Last year, at the Royal Albert Hall we boasted a line up including Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Feeder, The Automatic, John Legend, Lethal Bizzle and hosted by Alex Zane. This year, at the Manchester Apollo we’ll be rocking out to N-Dubz and Lady Gaga, with more acts to be announced shortly.. (I can safely say there’ll be a strong indie presence, but at this point I cannot divulge anymore.. you’ll be first to know though!) Later in the Summer we’ll be hosting a second show at RAH with the line up TBC, and if last years show is anything to go by, and with the old rumour mill turning as to who will be playing, I know the London show will be immense.
Busta Rhymes at the Orange RockCorps Royal Albert Hall show 2008
So here’s the twist: you can’t buy a ticket. You have to earn your ticket by volunteering four hours of your time at one of our many volunteer projects. You might spend an afternoon painting a school, or clearing a park of litter, or making inspirational murals for an adult education or rehabilitation centre, and at the end of it all we’ll give you a ticket to one of our shows! Sound good? Head down to our website and get yourself signed on.
N-Dubz getting their hands dirty at the London Media Launch
Anyhoo enough about that: I will keep you posted as we confirm more artists to RockCorps shows, and I’ll no doubt be reviewing some shows up here soon too. So keep checking in ya hear!
ORC Volunteers building compost heaps
