Cougar Microbes

Last May‘s Camden Crawl was one of my gigs of the year featuring some fine Cougar approved talent all playing just a few minutes away from my doorstep. In preparation for next year’s event the promoters have also been throwing CC 2011 Tips Series featuring fresh emerging talent.

The 15th of December at the Bull & Gate will represent the 3rd instalment and is doubling up as the Camden Crawl Christmas party. Bands featuring will be Wild Palms, Bear Driver, The Slow Revolt and Heart Kill Giant.

We have a pair of tickets to giveaway for the event: To enter join our Facebook page and comment on the CC 2001 post or comment below saying “I want in!”

Winner will be contacted on Sunday 12th of December.

TRACKS:

If you were anywhere near London today you may have noticed the sun deserting us. In what has become a bit of a Cougar Microbes tradition here is our “end of summer” post.

Again, we strongly recommend you:

1. Grab an atlas
2. Pick somewhere warm
3. Book your flights

TRACKS:

Death Cab For Cutie – Summer Skin

I enter Highbury’s tiny Buffalo Bar on a freezing night expecting the venue to be crammed to the rafters with internet kids in the know, after all just a few weeks after this tiny debut London show was announced an additional night at the Borderline in central London was hastily added. I was sure that  our Capital’s scene stalwarts and savvy donwloaders would be swarming by the hundreds and that this additional date was to cope with extra demand.

As I descend the few steps into the cold little venue I find myself bemused by the lack of bodies present… a couple of support bands, an idiotic gaggle of braindead teenage girls, some industry bods propping up the bar and that’s pretty much it. Sparse.

So Many Dynamos take to the stage rather late for a Tuesday night and I’m starting to suspect that whoever is “promoting” this show is a bit of a clown, all the better for me as I stand, view unimpaired by punter’s heads and take in the fine fine show. The band are relaxed and appear happy enough as they get down to business banging out tune after tune from their impressive ‘Loud Wars‘ début album.

As the final bars ring out I leg it for the last tube, disheartened with the state of the live music scene in this fine city, it’s a shame visiting bands are faced with such a venue/promoter lottery when making their first steps this side of the Atlantic and I really worry about the damage it could cause.

I’ve heard recently of some bands starting to skip the UK all together when heading into Europe for just this reason, an ailing industry having it’s faltering breaths clubbed out of it by clueless douchebags good for nothing but ripping off naive local bands night after night to make their cash.

With that in mind I sincerely hope for my sake if nobody else’s that So Many Dynamos are good enough to make the trip at least one more time.

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First guest post by King Kong Bundy

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TRACKS:

So Many Dynamos – The Novelty Of Haunting

The first time I saw Hundred Reasons was years and years ago in a small venue in for one of their early London shows. Most of the crowd were disinterested at first, not giving the band too much time or respect, with the exception of a group of hard core fans at the front who knew every word by heart and cherished every riff. By the end of the show the every last person had been won over and the room became one big ball of sweat and energy.

I was naturally delighted for With the Surrey lads when they signed for Columbia and bought their debut album along with many of my friends, doing my little part to propel Ideas ‘Above Our Station‘ to number 6 in the UK charts. For a while we all believed the illusion that a hard working British band could play the major label game and succeed simply on the basis of a passionate following and a kick ass live set.

The next time I saw them was just a few months after the album release at Brixton Academy. In comparison to the previous show this venue was humongous, Hundred Reasons had arrived. To be completely honest I did not have the greatest time at that show.  I was convinced half of this crowd were only in attendance to see “the next big thing”. Looking back I appreciate that this was an elitist view but, in contrast with the genuine excitement I had seen a few months before, this bunch seemed mechanical in their devotion. Yes they knew all the songs but more in the way you memorise a mathematics equation; out of need, not necessity.

The massive stage seemed to hinder the bands performance and disrupt the bond they formed with their following. They almost seemed lethargic and rarely interacting with each other (or the crowd) in what I remember as a distinctly cagey performance. Coming back to a huge show in London after having “made it” was probably a stressful scenario and, despite a few highlights, I felt the band didn’t fully deliver. At the time I didn’t know it but this would be the last time I would see them for a while…

Fast Forward to early 09 and on a whim I bought tickets for Hundred Reasons live at the Islington Academy. In a fit of nostalgia I wanted to see what the band could produce a few years after their meteoric rise to major label success and subsequent publicised drop once the “emo” cash cow had been bled dry. Cougar Microbes called me up a few days before the show asking if I wanted to review it, my reply:

“you bastard I have already bought tickets!“

The crowd is a mix of the old guard, who probably witnessed HR‘s’ first coming, and a new generation of kids who seem to have learnt each and every word by heart. The cynic in me has disappeared and I’m delighted Hundred Reasons are serenading a new generation who were probably too young when the band initially hit the headlines. Remaining “relevant” is tough and HR could have been washed away in a boat with the many other early 00s emo upstarts. Instead they have regenerated their audience and breathed new life into their career.

Tonight I am convinced this is the perfect scenario for Hundred Reasons. Take away the unrealistic expectations from their shoulders and what you get is a band playing their hearts out without a worry in the world, going out of their way to draw a connection with each and every person attending and crucially turning on the magic factor. The band dip into all 4 of their releases in a relentless attack that hits you wave after wave, anthem after anthem.

Inevitably, the highlights for me are hair raising performances of ‘Silver’ and ‘If I Could’ which see every person in the crowd (I’m convinced the bar staff were chanting too) join the band in a mass sing along which comes close to being a religious experience. As I step out of the venue their is evident excitement in the air and a few people can’t take the grins off their faces. This 5-headed monster is here to stay and judging by the crowd tonight have a guaranteed fan base for years to come.

Hundred Reasons new album ‘Quick The Word, Sharp The Action‘ is out now.

MP3′s:
Hundred Reasons – Silver

Hundred Reasons – If I Could

Buy it on Amazon

Since its launch last summer Cougar Microbes are marching in like army ants… has been growing in new and exciting directions.  advice from friends, readers and anyone willing to share an opinion has been taken on board when planning the first site upgrade. Thanks to them (and far more sleepless nights than I had bargained for) Cougar is now a self sufficient beast.

“The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope. Because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too” - Sarah Connor

When I started this site I had no idea who, if anyone, would be reading and how they would react. There have now been 7 guest writers covering a range of artists and genres and more scheduled for the near future. This natural evolution means the blog has now outgrown its initial home at WordPress. I’m glad to be unveiling a new look website that will allow Cougar Microbes to grow in scale and reach out beyond its initial ambition.

The aim remains to feature an array of tracks (both past and present) with the goal of promoting amazing releases and raise the artists profile and I hope to deliver with deliver an entertaining, informative and passionate music blog . So update your browsers to COUGARMICROBES.com and subscribe to the new RSS FEED.

Thank you for your support and thank you for reading so far,

Boaz.

MP3′s:

James Brown – Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag

The Postal Service – Brand New Colony

I have a confession to make; for a while now I have been staying up late desperately trying to stream videos filmed live and broadcasted from someone’s dark Arizona basement. Before you start worrying I should clarify: the videos I have been watching don’t star a peroxide blonde girl doing her best pretzel impersonation but rather one of my favourite bands finding new and exciting ways to interact with their fans.

I first saw Jimmy Eat World supporting Weezer at the Shepherds Bush Empire in 2001 and they completely blew me away. I had heard bits of their repertoire before but didn’t expect to fall head over heals for them. Since then they have become the one band I have seen the most times live gradually observing their career go from an intimate gig at the smallish Scala, through performances at Reading Festival on to glorious shows at Brixton Academy which literally left me speechless.

This year JEW set out on a tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their seminal 1999 album ‘Clarity‘.  At first I was expecting to be in The States for the New York leg of the tour but sadly had to postpone my trip. My disappointment was slightly offset by the fact that the band had begun streaming highlights from their rehearsals for the tour on their ustream site. In addition, once the tour started the band posted photos from shows regularly allowing those of us who couldn’t make it on the night to take a little bit of the magic from these shows.

Just to prove I’m not a complete fanboy, I got home from a night out a couple of nights ago and stumbled across a live stream of the band playing their live Clarity set in its entirety. Though I was aware they were planning to release a live album following the tour I didn’t know when or in what format yet here I was in sat in the comfort of my living room watching the band tear through some of my favourite tracks. Needless to say I loved the experience and when the performance was over I got a copy of the ‘Clarity Live‘ album as my own personal memento.

Increasingly bands are embracing new technology to promote themselves and their music and yet I have seen few “established” artists interact quite so innovatively and enthusiastically. Despite being hugely successful Jimmy Eat World still look out for their fans, both new and old, and that is why they will always hold a special place in my heart.

Buy the new album ‘Clarity Live’ over at jimmyeatworld.com

Buy the classic ‘Clarity‘ on Amazon

I include one of my favourite tracks from ‘Clarity‘ as well as a live track recorded at the aforementioned London Scala show

MP3′s:

Jimmy Eat World – Blister

Jimmy Eat World – Praise Chorus (live)

What the hell is The Tupolev Ghost? I hear you ask…beats me, but if you were to ask who the hell are The Tupolev Ghost (TTG)?…well that’s where I can assist!

TTG are a Post-Hardcore band from Cambridge (Yes, British Talent!), drawing many influences from bands which rank highly within my CD collection so of course I instantly relate to their sound. That’s not to say they are predictable or some kind of copycat band, their uniqueness is prevalent throughout their self titled EP.

Vocals in any band are vital and what I like about this gang’s vocals is that they are not afraid to sound English. Far too many bands pollute the airways with generic American vocals despite hailing from these shores; I have nothing against American vocals, I just prefer they come from American bands. The excellently delivered speak/sing/shout blueprint of TTG forms a tight and natural bond with the music.

Straight from the imaginatively titled intro ‘Untitled‘ into ‘Zeroes and Noughts” you can tell this band means business with their stampeding rhythm section and intricately layered guitars akin to early At the Drive-In and in some instances Minus the Bear. In my opinion ‘Diagrams‘ is the standout track, rhythmically cutting yet hypnotic all the same drawing you in with its staccato riffs and melodic breakdowns. You can’t help but walk away singing the line “…put pen to paper, spell it out for me…” and when you walk away with a line in your head you know you’ve succumbed to a cool vocal hook.

The next track on this mini-album is the truly epic “Giant Fucking Haystacks”, colossal by name – colossal by nature. It marauds through Fugazi-esque riffs with early At the Drive-In style arpeggios for company and melody; I cannot wait to hear this live! The band then show a darker side on ‘The Night‘ where again a Fugazi influence is evident on this angular slice of post-hardcore bliss. The middle 8 breakdown is simple, effective and sublime all at once as the track crescendos and picks up momentum before exiting to the soundtrack of an arpeggio duel and a brief riff-tastic flourish.

The final instalment ‘Our Great Destroyer‘ reminds me of the intelligent UK post-hardcore that The Copperpot Journals used spoil us with not so long ago, this can only be deemed a compliment.

The Tupolev Ghost are notorious for turning the volume up as high as they can for their shows and destroying all in their path, upon listening to this I say…BRING IT ON!!…yes even you Mr Haystacks!!!

MP3:

The Tupolev Ghost- Diagrams

‘The Tupolev Ghost‘ self-titled EP is out now on Big Scary Monsters

Buy it now on Amazon

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This is the first guest post on Cougar Microbes by the legendary Surge and hopefully there will be alot more coming from him in the coming months.

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Following in the footsteps of The Libertines, Klaxons and the almighty Blur here come South East London’s latest exciting protégées, Kick Up The Fire. The Deptford quartet has not looked back since adding new guitarist Alan and changing name from Raid on the Arcade early this year.

This Friday (3rd of April) sees them showcase their ‘groove-based melodic rock’ in support of a Dirty Pretty Things DJ set at Lewisham’s famous Dirty South venue. This track is a taste of why a lot of people are getting excited about Kick Up The Fire at the moment. Get on your dancing shoes!

MP3:

Kick Up The Fire – I Heart Disco Beats