Gig! Tonight!

TONIGHT (October 2nd) - Los Campesinos!

Cardiff based, but entirely non-Welsh, Los Campesinos! managed to secure a support slot to their heroes Broken Social Scene after just 6 gigs and 2 months. Their debut EP, 'Sticking Fingers Into Sockets', made them famous amongst bloggers and got a good review off Pitchfork. Of course, if PF was a band, it would be LC!.

Having just finished recording their new album in Canada, to be released in February 08, gig goers can expect to hear new material tonight.

Here's the best song off the EP, You! Me! Dancing!

Concerto For Constantine

After a support slot to Simple Kid on his UK tour, and a few demos on his myspace, Mark Greaney has abandoned his solo project and teamed up with Gavin Fox, best known for his work with Idlewild, and Paul 'Binzer' Brennan of The Frames and Bell X1 face. The band is called Concerto For Constantine and is playing on the 2fm 2moro 2our with Ham Sandwich and David Geraghty. David aside, lots of dodgy names right there.

C for C are promising recorded material by the end of the year, and will hopefully be a return to form for Greaney after the rather poor and melodramatic solo demos.


Oh yeah, I'm back posting on this here information superhighway XD

http://www.myspace.com/concertoforconstantineofficial

Joseph Arthur albums to be released in the Uk/Ireland

What's this? Two posts in the same day? Oh em jee like

Nuclear Daydream and Let's Just Be are finally getting UK & Irish releases in August. The former was released in September 2006. I hope and presume that a tour to promote these albums will coincide with their release.

I actually managed to get my hands on a copy of Nuclear Daydream just two days ago. My father who was in America for work picked it up for me. While most UCD-ers get their parents to buy selected items from the latest Abercrombie and Fitch range I request obscure indie records.

Black Lexus (off Nuclear Daydream) performed for KEXP.


What's with the CD taped to his guitar. I noticed it when he was on Jools a couple of years back.

Simple Kid 23rd of May, The Village Venue

Mark Greaney is NOT playing support to Simple Kid. Pinky is. Mark never intended to, and made this clear several months ago.

More Leccy Picnic acts announced

A day after the event sold out, Aiken have announced the latest additions to the line-up

ERASURE / MIA / MANIC STREET PREACHERS / SPIRITUALIZED-ACOUSTIC MAINLINES / UNKLE / EASY STAR ALL-STARS / FIONN REGAN / SONS AND DAUGHTERS

An exciting mix of new acts have just been announced. From Reggae to Rock, Electronica to Indie, there is something to suit all tastes.

First addition to line up announcement is worldwide synth-pop duo ERASURE, one of the most successful bands of the late 80s and early 90s with over 25million album sales under their belt. Still as popular as ever, their eagerly awaited dance-orientated album 'Light at the End of the World' is due for release in May.

Finally, MIA will make her long and eagerly awaited Irish debut at this year's Electric Picnic. Fresh from the recent success of her 'Bird Flu' single the Sri Lankan-English rapper will perform tracks from her brand new album 'KALA'.

A first time at the Picnic for the MANIC STREET PREACHERS, as they enter another musical era, with their 8th album 'Send Away the Tigers' already receiving rave reviews. Off the road for the last two years, this date will be the start of Manic Street Preachers new tour, and Nicky Wire promises, "Springsteenesque long sets, working class rage, make-up and dumb punk fun".

Following the huge success of their UK tour last autumn, the newly-billed SPIRITUALIZED-ACOUSTIC MAINLINES show will grace the lawns of Stradbally Hall and showcae some of the songs from the forthcoming Spiritualized album as well as tracks from Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized back catalogues. The soulful voice of Jason Pierce AKA Spaceman will make for an out of this world show.

UNKLE will perform their full live band show for the first time EVER in Ireland. Having amassed some of the best production credits in the music industry, UNKLE has worked with a wealth of artists, and Picnikcers will be indulged with a high octane performance featuring tracks from their new album 'War Stories' due out in autumn.

Modern Reggae at its best, the 10 piece New York based EASY STAR ALL-STARS are a collective family of some of the best reggae artists around. The quirky crew are responsible for last year's 'Radiodread' album, a complete reggae version of Radiohead's 'OK Computer'. With a rotating cast of talented members, each gig is guaranteed to have its own personality, and they are certain to give a memorable performance at this years' picnic.

Singer songwriters always a hit at the Electric Picnic, this year sees 'Irish troubadour' FIONN REGAN on the bill.The popular singer-songwriter hailing from Bray is sure to delight with one of his awesome but intimate live shows showcasing the many tracks from his recent critically album 'The End of History' .

Conceived while on tour with Arab Strap in 2001 by Aedele Bethel, SONS AND DAUGHTERS went on to massive worldwide success. Known for their energy and sassy onstage personality, Glasgow Folk-Rock outfit Sons and Daughters new material will be a much anticipated treat.

Electric Picnic line-up already includes The Beastie Boys doing their first Irish show in over a decade; the recently reformed Iggy And The Stooges, a rare live outing by the wonderful Bjork with new material to shock & awe us; ex-Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker; a hark back to 1980s punk-pop with The Jesus And Mary Chain; cutting edge dance-rock from LCD Soundsystem (who have just released one of the Albums of the Year); the newly resurgent Primal Scream; the first ever Irish show by the Damon Albarn-led The Good, The Bad and The Queen; Modest Mouse, the dramatic Polyphonic Spree and the eminently adaptable Craig Armstrong; Soul II Soul - who are arriving over with a 12 piece band and string section in tow! Plus Paul Hartnoll's The Ideal Condition and the return of the Dublin Gospel Choir who will be there to redeem your souls on Sunday morning.

The Electric Picnic Ireland's only Boutique Music Festival returns on 31st, August 1st and 2nd September 2007 at Stradbally Hall, Co. Laois - and if you haven't already heard, is now SOLD OUT!

The Pigeon Detectives cancel Irish tour!

After digging out the Dance To The Radio sampler CD I remembered that I had read something of a date in Whelans for Pigeon Detectives. The record company site had them down as playing the lovely Whelan's on the 10th of May. But are Suburban Kids With Biblical Names not playing that very venue on that very date? Yes, yes they are. And I believe that that may the the reason behind this blog entry. They've pulled the tour, but are looking to reschedule for late summer. As I previously blogged about, they are playing on the Saturday of Oxegen

In case you were not aware, the debut album is out in May, and earlier this month Dance To The Radio released another compilation album.

Check out Pigeon Detectives on their myspace.

The National play Oxegen

The National have confirmed, in their newsletter, that they are to play the Latitude Festival in the UK and Oxegen here. They are also supporting Arcade Fire on their US tour. This is all great news as The National are a fantastic band. I've yet to give the new album, Boxer, which is out on Beggars Banquent on May 22nd, a proper listen, but so far it's sounding good, real good.

The National have previously mentioned that there will be a proper tour of the Uk and Ireland in the Autumn period.

A post about everything, and about nothing

You may have noticed that I have not posted in a week and a half. You were probably sitting in front of your PC for the last 10 days frantically hammering the F5 key in the hope that a new post would appear. Well, I apologise for the inactivity, but I "misplaced" my laptop charger.

So what's happened since last Wednesday? Well the Manic Street Preachers were announced for Electric Picnic, and they also confirmed that they will be begining their autumn/winter tour in Dublin. Seeing as they are playing Leccy Picnic it is safe to assume that they will be performing at either Tripod or Vicar St..

The Police also confirmed their gig in Croke Park for October 6th. That surprised me because I was pretty sure that was announced last month!? A quick check shows that tickets are still available.

Also I was reminded the other day that Maximo Park are playing a free gig in the Temple Bar Music Centre. It's a Budrising gig, which is unfortunate seeing that they'll only serve that piss alcoholic beverage. I've been informed they serve Guinness and possibly wine as well as Budweiser at these gigs. Enter the draw here: http://www.budrising.ie/register.php

I think that is all for now as regards 'news', but expect lots more postings over the next few days.



P.S. I design the look for the blog. What do you think?

Joanna Newsom tickets back on sale

Tickets for the previously sold out show at the Olympia are back on sale at www.ticketmaster.ie and at the WAV ticket box. If they are gone on the site, check out the WAV box office, because its tickets are not available to buy online.

My battery is about to go :|

Message From Sam

Sam Herlihy, formerly of Hope Of The States, posted this message on the HOTS message board just a few hours ago.

A little blurb on present topics.
Though ridiculous and in manymany ways utterly ungrateful, the recent sudden interest in new band nonsenses shoved me a little sideways. It's been writing recording destroying rebuilding since last september and all of it under any radar anyone cares to keep an eye on. Suddenly a quiet (an let me in no way kid myself of my importance in anyone's schemes, grand or otherwise) wave of questions/queries/statements etc threw a little loop of me. Then after my couple of moments of self important sulking I am struck by a notion:
Though I do and have worried regular for the last few years about whether or not the lack of distance between myself and those interested in the music I scrabble my way through is an entirely healthy endevour, it in so many ways is something to be sinfully proud of. All I know is that any band I have ever truly cared about always gave me the sense that they gave more than two hoots about a) my interest in them and b) what being a complete fanboy/girl of a band feels like.
It's not always pleasant to be on the end of barbs aimed as if the assassin knows you and yr motives personally but conversely I'm not convinced that I could ever enjoy being in a band without a feeling of genuine connection with the odd but often amusingly skewed takes on these messes I make.
I have no idea why I spout this tonight but ta for still caring those who do. And to those who do not, yr all going to miss out on a fuckoff blinder of a record when it's done, because it's going to be better than everything else....maths fact.............so speaketh the rod for my back....

s
x

Lazy? Well I can take the work out of it for you.
He loves his fans, has been recording and the new album is fantastic.

Presumably this recording has been done with the band mentioned in an earlier blog.