Cougar Microbes

Bleech looked slightly out of place supporting Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros the last time I saw them at Koko. Though both bands deal in revivals of sort Bleech’s influence stem from late 80s and early 90s angular rock. It has become clear that the format for these Friday Club NME nights, picking and matching two or three up and coming acts, can create great contrast and tonight is no different.

First up are the bizarrely named all girl Finnish band Le Corps Mince De Francois. The trio ooze Nordic cool delivering shouty sound bytes over a dose of pulsating electro-pop. Quirky ‘Bitch Of The Bitches’ is a highlight coming across like Peaches’ ‘Fuck The Pain Away’ for the Facebook/ Twitter/ Youtube generation.

They end they set in boisterous fashion hitting their instruments , limbs flailing and the house lights flashing with the audience roaring their appreciation. With an album release presumably due soon I will be keeping my eyes on these ladies.

The less I say about The Drums the better it will be for me. I listened to some of their music before heading down but couldn’t hear anything recognizable during their set. Familiarity is not necessary to enjoy a performance but something to grips you surely is…. this was sadly lacking tonight.

Instead the band look like a rock reinterpretation of early Backstreet Boys and their tracks are lost on me. They probably deserve a second opportunity and certainly didn’t lack energy but tonight they failed to make a mark on me.

Bleech hit the stage just as the dance floor looks at its most busy and are greeted by some loutish chants. Having 2 attractive women at the front of the stage suggests they are probably used to this yet, at the risk of sounding prudish, I was quite angered. To their credit the band use it to their advantage, first mocking the poor-man’s football terrace chants and then launching into their first track with gusto.

Musically the band hasn’t changed drastically since I last saw them coming through like a cross between Elastica’s pop sensibilities and Nirvana’s abrasive sound. There are plenty of melodies to get hooked on and the band play their instruments skilfully. Frontwoman Jennifer O’Neill throws every inch of her small frame around, twists her guitar and seeks an interaction with the audience. She reminds me of a younger Courtney Love, albeit with better conditioner.

Her sister, and the bands bassist, Katherine O’Neill is a different proposition altogether. Standing barefoot to the right,  she alternates between sudden bursts of whiplash inducing headbanging action and a confident statuesque stance.  Meanwhile behind drummer Matt Brick beats the hell out of his kit and, together with Katherine, provides a thunderous foundation for the tracks.

With the band having planned a seemingly infinite tour schedule, including stops in some of Britain’s most notorious venues, it is a slight surprise to find out they are still unsigned. Having watched their performance tonight it is clear that the band are confident in both performing and playing. What they are missing now is that elusive 5% extra that will push them from being the band that “sounds like…” to a recognised force in their own right. The foundations are present and the band are youthful, I’m sure their craft will have benefited from these months on the road.

Photos by honorary cougar Stefan, check out his Flickr page

TRACKS:

Bleech – I Know What I Am

Mark from Fried My Little Brain has launched a new section on his personal website dedicated to sharing inspiring links “ranging from design, art, products, videos, and anything else in between“. He has already included a host of great finds and I am delighted he featured Cougar Microbes Photography in one of the first posts.

Check it out here and tell him I sent you.

The clocks moved back one hour this weekend and pretty soon it will be pitch black all the bloody time. What better than some Wake Up! remixes to cheer me up.

Peter High, AKA Wake Up!, relocated from Brooklyn to California and brings a dreamy quality to the tracks he reinterprets.

TRACKS available on myspace

Lucky Elephant release second single ‘Reverend Tisley & His Magic Lantern‘ from their Sunday Best debut album ‘Starsign Trampoline’. Apparently it is the tale of 19th Century East London character Reverend Tisley including references to his excessive drinking, fortune telling and his mythic magic lantern.

Sound weird? Don’t worry, frontman Manu‘s rural life vs city life imagery works a treat in his prominent French accent and make for a great listen. Check out the rest of the album and its melodic spark.

‘Starsign Trampoline‘ and the single ‘Reverend Tisley & His Magic Lantern‘ are out now on Sunday Best

TRACKS:

Lucky Elephant – Reverend Tisley & His Magic Lantern

A couple of weeks ago I lost my notebook with all my pre-written reviews, notes and ideas for Cougar Microbes. I’m slowly re-writing the lot but it has meant updates have been less frequent than I was planning.

Easing back into the scheme of things here are The Wallpapers and their track ‘Waiting In A Coma‘. The Parisian upstarts are aged between 15 and 17 but have already caught the interest of  US label Revel Music Group who snapped them up earlier this year and set them in a New York recording studio.

The band will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of other succesful French imports and conquer our airwaves.

TRACK:

The Wallpapers – Waiting In A Coma

It’s been four years since the music world was graced with the news it’s ok to be a cowboy. Negatory, no mountains with spinal injuries here but something as genre-defining as that as Mr. Pascal Arbez aka Vitalic dropped his album, “OK Cowboy“, on us.

Time’s trickled on, BPMs have been raised and lowered as everyman and his gramophone-adoring dog has jumped on the electro bandwagon, most making fly-vs.-windshield impacts few keeping the wheels greased while holding the course.

Vitalic‘s second album, “Flashmob“, explodes with the honed industrial funk that is infused in his style.  ‘See the Sea (Red)‘ is an organized squeak of beats, beeps and drive with his ‘custom made’ baselines you immediately recognize the stamp. If this track is the elegantly bullish brother, then ‘See The Sea (Blue)‘ is the tempered sister.  The counterpiece is a sleeker fairytale rinse of the opening track laced with the robotic filtered vocal he loves to use.

The dark synth and littered vocals are what fans have come to love, heard on yesteryear’s ‘Repair Machines’, ‘LA Rock’ (his signature track and major contributor to his pension fund) and on the Bells EP we had ‘Bells’ and ‘Warm Leatherette’. Now on Flashmob, the track, it manages to work at club, tube and house-party level saying it’s name proudly as the beat and tempo rises like an impatient thermometer eager to hit the  drop.

The album appears to be more innovative than it really is and it’s not a flawless album, (what is there days?) but even the initially erratic and maverick ‘Chicken Lady’ soon settles into its place on the record as a dark bass flare that remixers will be clawing to get their button pushing mitts on. Note well people, it is a much-needed record that warrants all-the-way-through listening.

However, do not attempt this while operating heavy machinery or babysitting – this album is on a deadline but despite the pacier and more aggressive parts each track has it’s structure, reaffirming Vitalic as one of the world’s best techno/electro producers firmly placing his attitude and meticulous production betwixt Justice and Daft Punk, also fellow Gallic pioneers of a genre that’s been invaded but resistant to futile try-hards.

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This is the first guest post from Chi “Bauer”.

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TRACKS:

Vitalic – See The Sea (Red)

Vitalic – Poison Lips

Hot on the heels of playing the festival circuit, The Dub Pistols crew descended on Dingwalls, in Camden on a wet and windy Tuesday night. Neither the mid week slot nor the weather did anything to dampen the mood however and the band lived up to their now legendary reputation for live performance and delivered a set which had the crowd roaring and jumping!

The band, famous for their collaborations with the good and the great of the music scene, Rodney P, Terry Hall, Gregory Issacs and Lindy Layton, have been touring with their new album ‘Rum ‘n’ Coke’ in recent months showcasing their unique brand of skank. Drawing on influences of punk, ska and reggae, The Dub Pistols are a dub, dance, reggae, hip hop, outfit who are rightly regarded as genre-defying.

They played a set which took in tracks from both old and new albums including, the sun-soaked delights of “Ganja“, the seminal “Westway” and atmospheric “You’ll never find“, as well as current new single “I’m In Love” with sublime vocal pairing from Rodney P and Lindy Layton set against a big beat. Bruising baselines mixed with horns and guitar to create a mashed up sound personified at one point by front man Barry Ashworth, colliding with the floor during a particularly energetic dance move!

The Dub Pistols never fail to deliver and this gig lived up to all expectations. A band that are recognised for their spectacular live events, the energy and excitement they incite was in evidence on Tuesday.

Mine’s a Rum and Coke!

TRACK:

The Dub Pistols – I’m In Love (Foamo Remix)

At the end of August Eurostar and We Are Social sent me over to Paris to review Rock En Seine. Now they are offering a pair of tickets to Paris, Brussels or Lille to one lucky Cougar Microbes reader as part of their Little Break Big Difference campaign.

All you have to do is submit a review of your favourite band, album or concert experience, through the comments section of this post, using no more than 150 words.

Deadline for submission is the 10th of October, the best entries will be featured on the main site and the top one will win a pair of tickets.

The final selection is picked independently so though I will happily accept bribes they won’t help you.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?