Video of the Week - Kap Bambino - 'Dead Lazers'

Previously featured on Insight Music, I thought seeing as Crystal Castles are currently touring, any fans of them should be reminded to check these guys out. Another awesome duo!
Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/kapbambino

Crystal Castles - Leeds Met, October 2010

Unluckily I'll be unable to write a full review on this gig, as after 5-6 tracks I was dragged out and soon after taken to hospital in an ambulance. I was lucky enough to have Alice Glass herself come out to make sure I was okay, even if the first aid people ignored her. I was offered VIP tickets and a drink from her for the next gig, so hopefully then I'll get the chance to write a little more.

Health was the support act, and the original 'Crimewave' Crystal Castles track was by them, although Crystal Castles gave it their own touch. There was an hour wait until the band came on stage and the crowd exploded. Every expectation of their live performance was met, and more on top of that. Alice crawled onto the crowds heads and dangled above me as she sang. The claustrophobic atmosphere and all round roughness of the gig made it hard for anyone to come out without an injury, and unluckily for me I was the only one to be carted off in an ambulance. However, after meeting Alice through this it was completely worth it.

One of the main songs that stood out through my semi-consciousness was 'Baptism'. The crowd moved to the beat as the music seemed to pulse through everyone. Alice's live performance was unique, exciting and memorable, and Ethan held it all together by playing the music to accompany her. (Short video I took of 'Baptism' shown in this post).

I would recommend any Crystal Castles fan to go and see them, although it definitely isn't for the faint hearted.

Ones to Watch - R O M A N C E

R O M A N C E are a rock band based in London consisting of four members including one highly energetic lead singer. The band not only sound good but look good, and have great appeal all round.

After seeing them support I Blame Coco, I was pleasantly surprised by this band. Their live performance was exciting and engrossing and even though the majority of the people surrounding me didn't seem to know who they were, they were all saying how good they were once the band had left the stage (even if we were all a little deaf by that time).

They are supporting Manic Street Preachers on a couple of dates, then will be touring the country with The Cult and are definitely worth checking out. If you're attending any of the gigs make sure you get down early and give them the chance to impress you like they did the Coco crowd.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/isthisromance

(Seeing as this week has practically been Coco week) Video of the Week - Sub Focus ft. Coco - 'Splash'

In return for Sub Focus remixing an I Blame Coco track, Coco was asked to sing on the track 'Splash'. Even though Sub Focus are primarily a drum & bass act, if you aren't a fan of this genre but a fan of Coco you will still love this. Her haunting vocals give it that unique Coco edge that fans crave. In an interview she stated that she usually writes lyrics after writing the music for a song, yet found it difficult writing for someone else's track.

I Blame Coco - Urban Outfitters acoustic session and Leeds University gig, October 2010

After seeing and meeting the band last week I decided to go and see them again in Leeds. The free Urban Outfitters set had an okay turn out and the main gig itself was in a smaller venue than Sheffield, which I liked. I was lucky to catch up with Coco again after both sets as she recognised me in the crowd and came over to say hi (she is also one of the nicest artists you could ever meet). She spoke about her hangover from going out in Glasgow the night before and how she's going to New York to visit family after the final dates of her tour.

The Urban Outfitters set started a little shakey as the bassist had wandered off upstairs, leaving Coco (Eliot Sumner) shouting him and gaining an awkward silence while people waited for his return. She jokingly stated she's better at singing than speaking so after a couple of shakey attempts at talking to the crowd she decided to just run through the short set list. For a model, come actress, come singer, she was surprisingly more shy than anyone else in the room!

As it was only a short set they played their most popular songs and included their new single 'In Spirit Golden', which is released on the 1st of November (live recording featured in the video). Coco's voice, style and persona make up for her timidness in between performances, as when she sings all those possible insecurities seem to go away.

The main gig was just as good, if not better than the Sheffield set. A few of her old school friends were in the audience (which I think gave her a slight confidence boost) and I got the chance to stand and talk to Coco and the group after the gig had finished. We chatted about that fact a few of the songs on the album, such as 'The Constant' (which is the title of the album), weren't performed, and she said the band were not provided with enough funding and couldn't play the full track list, which was a shame. Nevertheless the group definitely didn't disappoint and a buzzing crowd stayed behind for the club night after.

Coco is tipped to be playing big venues next year as her popularity is quickly increasing. I would highly recommend seeing them if you have the chance.

I Blame Coco - Sheffield University, October 2010

As this was my third time seeing the band, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. The only negative thing about the set was the fact the rest of the crowd and I wanted more. The intimate venue for this gig also created a great atmosphere for everyone.

I Blame Coco started the set with 'Self Machine', one of their singles. This received a good response from the crowd and Coco stopped singing at one point to take in the fact that everyone was singing the song back to her. She looked slightly surprised by this and continued soon after with a smile on her face. As the set progressed Coco made her way around the stage, grabbed hands of the audience while singing and did her quirky dancing throughout each track. She also showed off her guitar skills for a couple of slower songs, making it evident that she's an all round performer, not just a distinctive sounding singer.

The entire band work well together and show great enthusiasm throughout every gig and every track, which is a very important factor as this way not all the attention is centred around Stings rebellious daughter.

The band finished with one of their most popular tracks 'Caesar' (which on the single features Robyn). This gained an awesome and lively reaction and the crowd as it was also their last song.

It was a shame that there was no encore from the band, as everyone waited where they were, expecting more. However, this gave me the chance to leave the venue and go round and find the band where I stood talking to the them for a while. They were all really friendly and Coco welcomed me with open arms, even offering me a cigarette. I had heard that she was quite shy, but with a can of Carlsberg in her hand (even after allegedly quitting drinking after a skull fracture) she was really talkative and happy to stand with me for quite a while. As there was also no one else there it gave me the opportunity to ask her a few prominent questions.

I asked her what it was like to be the daughter of a megastar, and if this made people make snap judgements about her. She told Insight Music that everyone is entitled to their own opinion of her, although from getting to know her she isn't like her dad or wanting the fame from being in his shadow. She also stated that she isn't a 'daddy's girl' at all. After previously being a model and actress, she has followed different ladders off her own back, without name dropping her father. A lot of people are actually surprised when they find out that she is Sting's offspring.

I asked her about her favourite gigs so far in the UK. She spoke about Evolution Festival in Newcastle (which was previously reviewed by Insight Music), and said she thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere there. She also joked about the fact someone threw a tennis ball on stage, and when she threw it back into the crowd it hit someone on the forehead and she struggled to continue the song after apologising for it due to embarrassment.

I Blame Coco are continuing their UK tour right now, and Coco is also doing small acoustic sets in Urban Outfitters stores. One of which will be in Leeds and Insight Music will provide a short review for that also. All the Urban Outfitters sets are completely free, so get check the dates and get yourselves down to the stores early to save disappointment!

Rodeo Massacre (Supporting I Blame Coco) - One worth listening to

After not hearing of this band before I was pleasantly surprised by them. Their quirky image teamed with vintage instruments gives them a different feel to quite a few bands out there at the moment.
The trio class themselves as psychedelic rock for the 21st century, and consist of singer Izzy, guitar and drummer (at the same time might I add) Zorba and Pat Dam Smyth or organ and bass (the organ of which had a makeshift stand made out of milk crates).

Even though the venue was only just filling up at the time, the band created a good atmosphere and a few members of the crowd even knew the words to a few of the songs and sang along. For the final song Izzy even handed tambourines to a couple of people in the crowd and had them play along with the song.

Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/rodeomassacre

Video of the Week - Everything Everything - 'My Kz, Ur Bf'

Everything Everything are the group on everyones lips at the moment. With artists such as Ellie Goulding eagerly anticipating their gigs and rating them highly afterwards, even existing artists are wanting a piece of the action.

MY KZ, UR BF (My Keys, Your Boyfriend), which has fans throwing their arms in the air from the first eerie, sustained synth note, widens into an Ibiza-style breakdown, with the chorus prompting a mass singalong. This band are definitely ones to watch in the future as they are quickly on the rise.

Whatever happened to... Test Icicles?

Test Icicles were a short-lived dance punk band that formed in England, primarily influenced by indie rock but containing musical elements from a variety of genres (notably hip-hop, crossover thrash and punk). The band was formed in 2004 by Rory Attwell and Sam Mehran, who were later joined by Devonte Hynes. Hynes and Mehran were both only 18 years old at the time of the band's conception. In February 2006, the band announced they were splitting up. In an interview with NME in March 2006, Hynes claimed that "We were never, ever that keen on the music. I understand that people liked it, but we personally, er, didn't.".

After the band split, the individual members continued to stay active, becoming involved in a number of side projects between them.
Attwell formed RAT:ATT:AGG (later known as 'Wrists'), who had a small number of releases and remixed for bands such as Fake Shark - Real Zombie! and The Kills. The band announced their official split on 30 November 2007 and offered fans free downloads of their songs. Attwell has since gone on to play drums and guitar in KASMs, leaving in April 2010. He now works as a producer under the alias Brattwell Recordings.
Hynes currently records under the name Lightspeed Champion (also signed to Domino Records) and in early 2008 released a successful album entitled 'Falling Off the Lavender Bridge'. Hynes has also collaborated with the band Whirlwind Heat under the name Lightspeed Heat. In 2007 they released a 7" EP. This, however, was another one off side project.
Mehran is believed to have moved back to America after the split and is claimed to have been spotted working in a record store in New York. It is also believed he is no longer in contact with his former bandmates. Mehran now works in several projects under the alias Sam Meringue. Some include - Matrix Metals, Yoga, Explorers, Wingdings, Foxy Baby, Outer Limits Recordings & The Sweethearts.

The XX cover Robin S - 'Show Me Love'

Just a rough video, as I struggled to find the track anywhere else, but this is another perfect remix by The XX. Other remixes that the trio have done also consist of tracks such as You've Got the Love (Candi Station/Florence and the Machine), which gained them a lot of recognition towards the end of 2009.
The band are currently on tour in America and recently won a Mercury Prize for their debut album 'XX'. Band member Jamie Smith's solo single 'far nearer' also hit the airwaves on September 28th.

Video of the Week - The Knife - 'Heartbeats'

I think this video/track deserves video of the week, simply because a lot of people relate this track to the Jose Gonzales cover instead of the original, as the cover was used in a Sony advert. This Swedish electro pop duo, formed in 1999 have inspired many artists from La Roux to Florence and the Machine to Crystal Castles. Andersson also released a solo album under the name Fever Ray in 2009.

White Lies to Release New Album in January

The currently untitled album is set to include 'Holy Ghost', 'The Power And The Glory', 'Bigger Than Us', 'Is Love?', 'Streetlights' and 'Come Down'. Despite hopes of the new album delivering the same kind of appeal enjoyed by their debut, bassist Charles Cave told NME the band were not searching for a mainstream feel while working on the new material. “For a long time I thought we had an album of quite inaccessible music,” he said. “No-one had given us the thumbs up that this was going to be commercially appealing.”

White Lies quickly became one of hottest acts of 2009 after appearing on the BBC’s Sound of 2009 poll, before landing the BRIT Critics’ Choice and the Q Magazine Best New Artist awards not long after. With the release of their debut album in the January of that year the hype was instantly justified, as the band delivered a record of rare maturity and depth for a first release, and enjoyed significant chart success with the singles ‘Death‘, ‘To Lose My Life‘ and ‘Farewell To The Fairground‘.