Come Back To My House.

VIDEO NASTIES.

Bloody hell, day 6 of this thing already! Christmas certainly is creeping up on us very quickly. This means old St. Nicholas will be dusting down his trusty sleigh and all that jazz – yeah like I believe in him. Anyways this post will revolve around a band I am still yet to see despite my love for them growing stronger and stronger as the year has passed.

Video Nasties are probably the best unsigned band around, (along with The Futureheads – however the circumstances are obviously different). I realised the other day I had them tagged on my itunes as ‘The Video Nasties’ when I think it is in fact just ‘Video Nasties’ as seen on the Karl Blau EP (which by the way you should all buy; because it is sheer brilliance). The new EP is my favourite thing they’ve released thus far, and considering how highly I rated the ‘I Wanna’/‘The 3 New Ideas’ single says a lot!

Demos including Riot Gear, Accessory (my favourite Nasties song), Plus One and The Heartaches show us just how potential these boys have! Supporting Kaiser Chiefs the Tuesday just gone at Birmingham NIA definitely says a lot about the confidence of the band! I expect them to get big (I just hope not as big as that though!)

I can imagine live (especially in London) crowds go wild for them (in a similar way Good Shoes blew up in London more than other city). I didn’t want to mention Good Shoes really, because I have read a lot of people compare Video Nasties to Good Shoes; although I think this is a poor comparison as in my opinion they have different sounds. You can make your own mind up on that however. Talking of live, as mentioned previous I am yet to see them live (grrr) despite trying not once, but twice! The first time I was sick in Tottenham Court Road tube station onto a McDonalds bag (I tried so hard to get it into the bag). Despite this I recovered and made it to Astoria 2 as it is now called – however bouncers prevailed yet again (claiming my girlfriend was on drugs so they wouldn’t let her enter) so we didn’t see them. The second time was no fault of anyone really, I’d planned to see them at the Barfly with Jakobinarina but of course they cancelled that tour (which I was gutted about as it had Johnny Foreigner too).

Once upon a time I didn’t like Video Nasties (my god, what an idiot). I am not sure what I was thinking in that period. However, thankfully I saw the errors of my ways and realised that I loved them, lots. The only thing I regret so far from being in London is not seeing them live, but I expect to see them lots in 2008 – and I expect more people to hear more of them in 2008 too!

Video Nasties – Accessory

Video Nasties - Riot Gear

Beef Jerky Has An After Taste!

OPERATOR PLEASE!

Okay, so this post is a little late (well very late, this is due to me watching rubbish programmes on channel 4 about billionaire’s, also football manager distracted me, yet again) so anyway I apologise if this seems rushed or whatever, it probably is.

This blog as you can tell from the title is all about Operator Please, them Australian little gems. If you’ve not heard of them yet I think it is about time you get listening to them. They are definitely for fans of Be Your Own Pet (and of course people who don’t like BYOP too – idiots). At times I’d describe them as more pop than BYOP are, and the albums of the two are very different in vocal and genre really. BYOP is a fast packed album full of snappy pop-punk songs with vocals which scream “GO FUCKING MENTAL” at you. On the other hand the Operator Please album is a lot more poppy and it makes me want to dance around like an idiot (only if I’m drunk).

I got the chance to see them at Reading, I’d never seen them before and in fact I only knew one song (yes that one about Ping Pong). However, every other song sounded just as good as that one and I was fascinated by the Violin player and by the fresh faced of them all. I wanted more from them, for some reason or another I never got another chance until Push last Saturday and they were on top form yet again. I don’t remember much from their set if I’m honest (this is what happens when you drink lots, although I recommend it). However, one thing I do remember is giving the lovely drummer who looks about 12 (he probably is) a peg (I know that sounds odd, but a man was giving pegs out in Astoria 2).

So right yeah, a few basics about the band: they are from Australia, they have an album called Yes Yes Vindictive which is currently out in Oz. However, I am not sure of the release of it here but I am sure most of you have it anyway (illegally or legally). They are a five-piece consisting of vocalist and guitarist Amanda, drummer Tim, Sarah on keyboards, bass player Ashley and finally the great Violinist Taylor. Some of my favourite songs from the album include ‘Leave It Alone’, ‘Cringe’, 'Just For My Seconds' and ‘Ghost’ however the album is packed full of little gems (I like this term for this band). You should definitely make time from your life to get involved with this band some way.

Operator Please – Leave It Alone

Operator Please – Zero Zero

Rocks and Daggers

NOAH AND THE WHALE.

Right, personally I prefer Noah and the Whale however I’ve seen Noah & the Whale and it really bugs me when songs by them are tagged as Noah & the Whale. ANWAY, its day four of my lovely advent calendar of music; this means only three weeks until Christmas! I am so excited about Christmas (probably the most I have been since I was a small child and got the Action Man Scuba Diving Set along with a Lego Castle)!

Right, back to the topic of Noah and the Whale, they are currently impressing music fans across the country on tour, of course not all music fans because some people like shit music and won’t go see Noah and the Whale. However, all the cool people will see Noah and the Whale on tour and they are the people who really matter. I believe there is only two dates left (Oxford and London) so if you are able to get along, I would HIGHLY recommend it. Noah and the Whale have been in my earphones for quite some time now, I first fell in love with them when I heard ‘5 Years Time’ which if you haven’t heard is probably one of the best summer songs I have heard, despite its release after summer (released on the great Young & Lost).

They certainly are no one trick pony though, ‘Rocks and Daggers’, ‘Jocasta’ and ‘Beating’ provide us with absolutely amazing songs. I would describe Noah and the Whale as folk indie music; their songs are soft in sense of vocals and music. Often a female’s voice can be heard in songs (I believe it is the highly talented Laura Marling) she compliments the songs wonderfully especially in ‘Beating’.

Noah and the Whale are tipped for big things in 2008; and any band which includes xylophones in their music deserves success!

Noah and the Whale – Rocks and Daggers

Noah and the Whale - Jocasta

Believe Your Own Hype. Always.

ELLE MILANO.

Elle Milano is (now) three-piece from Brighton and they make music which can be described as art-rock. Heavy guitars and screaming vocals are what Elle Milano is about. Don’t be worried by the screaming vocals, I don’t mean screaming as in Gallows. Just a scream now and again, I’ve heard that horrible genre given to Elle Milano beginning with an E. Emo. Yes. I can’t see the emo in Elle Milano (I can see Help She Can’t Swim, but they aren’t emo) but then again I am not emo so perhaps I don’t know what emo actually is.

Anyway that’s quite enough of emo’s, focus back onto the brilliant Elle Milano. Once upon a time they were four-piece, however they lost guitarist Alex and are now just a three-piece however I understand they are looking for a new guitar player. The Elle Milano catalogue is absolutely massive however live they don’t play certain songs anymore, for reasons only they know. Previous songs such as ‘Ringtone Advertising Director’, ‘Melanie You’re Melting’ and ‘Private Thoughts’ that don’t appear on the live shows showed so much promise from Elle Milano when I first heard of them. They went extremely quiet for so long (due to University) but did release the magnificent ‘Swearing’s For Art Students’ which contained ‘Men Are Bastards’, ‘Believe Your Own Hype. Always’, ‘Amphetamine Skyrocket’ and ‘Swearing’s For Art Students’. This EP showed so much potential and got me so excited about them that I couldn’t contain myself.

18 months later everyone was wondering what was happening, then the announcement of a new single made me enthusiastic once again. ‘My Brother, The Astronaut’ is much like the ‘Swearing’s For Art Students’ EP, it contains that snarl and sarcastic tone of voice and heavy riffs. It made me thrilled about this band (again) and new demos such as ‘Carousels’, ‘Stepkids in Love’ and ‘Curiosity Killed the Pop Star’ provide me with excitement about the future of this band. With an album expected in the New Year (January 2008 has been touted as the date) I think 2008 will be a BIG year for Elle Milano.

Elle Milano – Carousels

Elle Milano – Curiosity Killed the Pop Star

Operator! Get Me The President Of The World! This Is An Emergency!

TOKYO POLICE CLUB.

Right, so it’s the second day of my proverbial advent calendar. I know typically you open your little window in the morning however I was still in bed due to a massive hangover thanks to Push last night.

Okay, what’s better than peeling back the window on your calendar and discovering a chocolate shaped candy cane? I can think of one thing at least: discovering a new band that you fall in love with instantly. This is the feeling I had when I first came across Tokyo Police Club about a year ago, therefore this feature on them comes a bit late I guess. However, the famous old cliché is better late than never.

Tokyo Police Club consists of Dave Monks, Josh Hook, Graham Wright and Greg Alsop. They are described as art-rock, Tokyo Police Club hail from Canada and have been dubbed as the “Canadian Cribs” along with many comparisons with The Strokes. Both comparisons valid however I think Tokyo Police Club differ to both bands and have their own unique style. The use of catchy striking guitar riffs, wonderful keyboard noises added with Dave Monks interesting use of vocals Tokyo Police Club are one of my favourite bands of 2007, and a band I expect to fulfil their potential with an amazing album in 2008. The album is being recorded as I type this blog, after two successful EP’s (A Lesson in Crime and Smith EP) along with a great single ‘Your English Is Good’. I expect big things from the album; I just hope they don’t ruin previous songs which a lot of bands have a tendency to do.

I have yet to see them live after missing their set at Reading; however I’m told the live shows are tight and explosive. Tokyo Police Club are a band I hope will accomplish many great things in the next 12 months.

Tokyo Police Club – Box

Tokyo Police Club – Your English Is Good

Things Sound Better Louder

The above statement is something I truly believe in.

Throughout December I am going to be posting everyday running up to Christmas Day (with obviously no post on Christmas Day, as I’ll be filling my face with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and nut roast, ha). I’ll be promoting bands that I am very much enjoying at the moment. You could say it’s an online advent calendar in the medium of music/bands!

The first instalment of this wonderful idea comes from a band that goes by the name of Damn Shames. They consist of Matthew (Vocals and Guitars), Simon (Vocals and Guitars) and Jacob (Bass) and come from Edinburgh. My first listen of them was only yesterday morning, but they have been on repeat since that very moment.

They have just recently signed to Abeano (Part of the impressive XL), they release new single Fear of Assault on 3rd of December! Apart from what I have mentioned I know very little about them! Not that it matters a great deal, as I’ve heard enough from only three songs to be very excited about. New single Fear of Assault is about being scared of chavs on buses, apparently and it’s a noisy post-punk track that you just can’t help playing over and over and over (you get the picture). However, the b-side Last Things is my preferred track, bursting with brilliant lyrics and catchy guitar riffs. It’s currently my favourite song and most listened to of the past day, so it comes highly recommended from me!

Expect more tomorrow from me (depending on hung over I am from Push tonight)!

Damn Shames – Last Things

Damn Shames - Dancing in the Aisles

Alive. Just About.

I am alive, been a bit disappointed with my lack of action on this here medium of communication this month. However, it has been due to hospital visits (alcohol WILL be the death of me), returning home, essays, lectures, gigs, drinking and you start to get the picture. Probably won't update for a little while either, due to more work and looming deadlines along with group presentations and film exams! Gahhhhhhhh!

I have plans to update in December, so until then, keep well.