Cougar Microbes

I do feel that a festival wouldn’t be a festival without these three things; A truly great live act, some nominal nudity and someone gravely (and most of the time deservedly) injuring themselves due to a moment of awe inspiring stupidity . We shall return to this nugget of festival wisdom in a bit.

Beach Break Live festival is nestled in a mass expanse of Welsh sand dune and pinewood forest, where thousands of students and idiotically fashionable, sexually charged young things pitch tents on the rolling hills, sleep the day through and get up underneath the stars to go crazy to reasonably priced booze and all night tuneage.

For those bothered enough to get up during the day, the beach was heaving with water sports and the fields busy with games, early chilled live acts and burlesque / pole dancing lessons. I was there for the music, however as a journalist I deemed it my duty to casually but insistently peek in the burlesque tent.

I’d been looking forward to seeing We Are Scientists for a couple of years and wasn’t disappointed to watch them blow away a strong afternoon crowd with hit after hit, with young Andy Burrows mullering the skins behind two of the stongest song writing teams around.

I hadn’t heard of Beardyman before, and naturally pictured an old man slithering to the stage in a cardie and massive beard, shitting us tales of woe. He was actually awesome. A sort of live producer and sampler, he beat boxes to synths, drum machines and other electronic paraphanalia, but not only this, he can sing; and well, morphing us in and out of his own tightly packed anthems and reworked covers such as MGMT‘s ‘Kids‘ and ATB‘s ‘Til I Come‘ (Even cooler than the XX‘s live version.)

The two musical highlights for me were from very different corners of the festival. The first was an eight piece folk band named Robbie Boyd Band, a truly charming and enthralling live act playing three times over the course of the five days in different forms. Front man Robbie Boyd is as talented as he is self-deprecating, hollering timeless The Birds and Everly Brothers-like tunes and pulling even the early hung over audience to their feet to participate his irresistible chorus’s.

Of course, the truly great live act I was banging on about at the start was a band I hadn’t even sniffed before this weekend. White Lies blew me and the already riled up crowd of mentals away. The punishing bass lines were as harsh as the beautifully haunting melodies. I’ll admit, I was probably slightly dazed at the time as some berk elbowed me in the back of the head and probably sent me into a slight state of euphoria but never the less this is one of the strongest headliners one could ask for even a slight concussion.

So I guess the injury sustained was my own, but the truly great live act was of course White Lies and I won’t bore you with the details, but the burlesque tent really was fantastic.

Cougar Microbes attended Beach Break Live 2011 as part of Lucozade‘s Play Festivals campaign. Make sure to check back as we join Lucozade in bringing you more events through the summer.

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Post by T.R. Wicks

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TRACKS:

When it comes to music, Brooklyn seems to be the land of cool. From The Velvet Underground to Sonic Youth, TV on the Radio through to MGMT (and this list can go on and on), whatever the generation, when you hail from BK you are seemingly ahead of the pack and, somehow, able to generate something new and ‘different’ that will shake the music world. Snowmine look set to follow this blueprint.

This indie psych-pop ensemble is set to release their debut album ‘Laminate Pet Animal‘ on the 3rd May, and something tells me they will not stay unnoticed. Fronted by new-classical music composer Grayson Sanders, the five-pice offers richness and diversity encompassing tribal beats, echo pedals and classical orchestrations.

The album shows a surprising ability to juggle between the pop-rock rhythms on tracks such as ‘Penny‘ to more afrobeat/tropical sounds on the likes of ‘The Hill‘. The strongest aspect is the frontman’s magically soothing voice which is reminiscent of Fleet Floxes‘ singer Robin Pecknold.

Needless to say that they will naturally be compared to the likes of fellow Brooklynites Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear or Dirty Projectors. Furthermore their sound undoubtedly fits that beach surf indie wave that is currently so en vogue. But instead of blindly following the current like countless other acts Snowmine’s intriguing style is representative, to follow the theme, of gloriously riding a wave.

Their inspiration comes from love, lost and found and forest trips, and this clearly transpires through their music. With its vibrant melodies ‘Laminate Pet Animal‘ is definitely a perfect record for this summer.

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Post by Olivia
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TRACKS:

First things first; Return to Mono are anything but monophonic. Their catchy guitar rifts, strong vocals, and solid synths form a fully fledged and fully phonic electro rock sound.

‘Song Of The Beast‘ is the bands largest slice of electro; crunched beats are supported with warps and synths to provide a harder edge to their sound.  Leading lady Tanya Kelleher adds some pop accessibility to the tracks with her vocal style sitting somewhere between Garbage‘s Shirley Manson and the Noisettes‘ Shingai Shoniwa.

The album title track ‘Framebreaker‘ has a dense MGMT style production sound to it combined with military percussion and rustic earthy vocals that add maturity and longevity to the track.  ‘Seeker Cicuit‘ is the most rock infused of all the album tracks, focusing more upon vocals and stripping back the normally saturated synths to expose some serious guitar solos.

Even those who wouldn’t describe yourself as a classic electro pop fan you’ll be surprised to find that this band’s genre spanning  San Francisco sound offers something for everyone.

Return To Mono release their new album ‘Framebreaker’ on Audio Villain Records early next year.

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Post by the villainous Ruby

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TRACKS:

Brooklyn based power-duo of Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro, known as Savoir Adore, certainly knows how to rock in one of the most uniquely indie styles to hit the streets yet.

Organs, electrics, and usually with almost more tambourine than drums; They weave it all together with an unimaginably catchy kitschy vibe. Incredible girl/boy vocals and a solid pop-rock back track really solidify the sound they bring to the table.

After meeting whilst attending NYU, the two discovered they shared a love of music, then on a whim decided to whip up a concept album. Their friends then pushed them to keep bringing the tunes, which is usually a good indicator you’re on the right track, lest you have sham friends.

Now they’ve built up an exceptional musical catalog and come to the forefront of NYC‘s music scene. Though they’re not quite the MGMT of Cantora Records newest acts just yet, but they’re well on their way.

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Post by the icebreaker Kyle
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TRACKS:

Savoir Adore – We Talk Like Machines

After hinting at what they were capable of with their 2008 release ‘Ahead Of The Rain‘ London three-piece The High Wire reappeared earlier this year with the ‘The Sleep Tape‘ LP.

While their luscious pop landscapes bring the likes of My Bloody Valentine, MGMT and Asobi Seksu to mind, there is an underlying dream-like quality to the tracks that will leave you warm and fuzzy.

highly recommended!

TRACKS:

The High Wire – Sleep Tape

When I caught MGMT live last year I commented that “with their sound being so closely associated with the summer of 2008 it would be interesting to see where the band go next“.

The much awaited follow up to ‘Oracular Spectacular‘ is finally landing this week and it will be interesting to see if ‘Congratulations‘ sound will be as closely linked to its release year.

First single ‘Flash Delirium‘ sounds like it has taken some of the eccentricities displayed on the band’s previous effort without losing the pop sensibilities.

The band will be touring across the UK this September including two dates at Brixton Academy.

TRACKS:

MGMT – Flash Delirium

This weekend I sat down to plan my gig calendar for the next few months. I can’t believe its already February and already there are some classic events coming up. Before we even notice it will be festival season again.

Still, this year will have to deliver very highly considering the quality of shows I witnessed in 2009. My highlights were as follows:

Rock En Seine 2009

There is something primordial about watching a crowd of 19’000 go mental watching The Prodigy on the outskirts of Paris. The fact that the festival also offered up classic performances from Birdy Nam Nam, MGMT, Metric, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was an added bonus.

Neil Young/ Bruce Springsteen live at Hyde Park

As far as rock legends go you could do much worse than seeing either Shakey and The Boss live. The fact that I saw them play back to back at Hyde Park this summer was Epic. Both lived up to their legendary status and my I concluded my weekend as a very happy man.

Cursive live at Dingwalls

I have already said several times on these pages that Tim Kusher is a songwriting hero of mine. Back in July I finally saw him live fronting Cursive at the intimate Camden venue. The fact that they picked and mixed  discography and the relative closeness to the stage made this a night to remember and led Kenny to drunkenly label it “a religious experience for the atheist“.

Good luck with living up to that 2010

TRACKS:

The Prodigy – Invaders Must Die ? Liam H Re-amped Version

Several bottles of hospitality champagne and a confiscated all-access pass… and it is already our final day at Rock En Seine. I can’t quite believe how quickly the previous days have gone by nor can I believe that Metric are on so early on the bill. I would have thought that their sound would be ideally suited for this à la mode French audience.

Kicking off  with ‘Help I’m Alive‘, the opening track from their excellent ‘Fantasies‘ album, the band are in emphatic form putting on an assured performance seemingly unconcerned with the early time slot. Frontwoman  Emily Haines’ looks gorgeous dancing and jumping away while her exquisite voice floats over the dreamy backdrop of guitars, keyboards and drum loops laid down by her bandmates.

With the sun shining bright and the band pulling out all the stops these tracks demand to be shouted back. ‘Stadium Love‘ is particularly well received by the dedicated audience and there is even room for “older” tracks ‘Monster Hospital‘ and ‘Grow Up And Blow Away‘. The Toronto 4 piece leave the stage knowing a few more fans have been won.

Next up I catch the Eagles Of Death Metal put in a raunchy set that seems partially designed to distract from the special guest rumours circulating around the festival site. You see Mr Josh Homme has been spotted on site and if he is not here to be on stage at the moment then maybe he is bringing one of his other many projects into town (who am I kidding, I know exactly what he is here for).

Still EODM don’t need the help of their most illustrious member when they have Jesse Hughes upping the ante to put on a great rock ‘n’ roll show at every chance. I am never quite sure if this is a big joke or if he is deadly serious but as he marches up and down the stage gesturing to the audience it I simply resolve to enjoy it.

Beyond the the sex, drugs and rock n roll parody this music designed to be heard and played live and the audience loves it.

I was already suspicious of the unusually crammed press pit when the weekends worst kept secret was revealed with an illustrious drummer doing an extensive stretching routine near the stage.  The band billed as Les Petits Pois is actually the latest supergroup Them Crooked Vultures featuring Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl and I was about to recieve a front row seat for their performance.

Back in the day I had tickets but didn’t got what turned out to be Nirvana’s penultimate live show in Milan and I was beginning to think I would never witness Dave Grohl drumming. Foo Fighters are a fun live band but I have wanted to see a whole set of him pounding on the drums and here I was witnessing 2 other legends at the same time.

Though watching these masters do their thing on stage is great I’m actually quite disappointed to report the music isn’t particularly exciting. It could be that it is just not my thing but most of the tracks sound like Queens Of The Stone Age b-sides. This is monster stoner riffs played loud and proud, just don’t give your day jobs lads.

MGMT seem to be the band every Parisien kid has been waiting to see judging by the size of the massive audience that is flowing under the main stage. Bohemian clothes and fluorescent face paint are very much a must for the next performance.

In the build up to this festival I was thinking their album has such a distinctive studio sound to it that it could potentially sound hollow played live. I shouldn’t have worried, the band let loose on extended jams and instrumental jams and show they can pull all the moves for what is very much a rock n roll show.  With the familiar choruses of ‘Kids‘, ‘Time To Pretend‘ and ‘Electric Feel‘ played loud and proud everything goes a little mental and there isnt a single person in the crowd not singing and clapping.

To be honest I’m a little supirsed by the level of adulation reserved for MGMT. It is not that I dislike them, indeed the album ‘Oracular Spectacular‘ earned a spot on my best of 2008 list, it is just that with very little material under their belts they still have a lot to prove in my eyes.

With their sound is so closely associated with the summer of 2008 that it will be interesting to see where the band go next. This crowd doesn’t seem too concerned with my dilemma opting simply to enjoy the bands psychedelic set.

Which leaves just one band to finish the festival off, or should I say MURDER the night! The Prodigy can be considered veterans having been around since the early 90s but their stage performance is still as fresh as it was when they first exploded on the scene.

With my photo pass permitting me to stand as close to the action as possible explode is an appropriate word to use as I can literally feel my inner organs shake with the opening bass boom that is used in every song.  What follows is close to organised anarchy with Liam Howlett hidden behind his monitors laying down the foundations for their barbaric sonic onslaught whilst Maxim Reality and Keith Flint stalk the stage like 2 rabid tigers.

A fellow blogger turns around incredulous and whispers “they just don’t give a fuck” and almost on cue Keith jumps to his knees and yells “I JUST DONT GIVE A FUCK!!” You could watch a million videos of the band live but nothing recreates the brutal force experienced in the trenches with them. Someone sets off a flair in the middle of the audience and people start dancing around it like some demonic initiation ceremony. There is a fierce quality to this performance that proves to be an excellent and haunting conclusion to Rock En Seine.

TRACKS:

Metric – Help I’m Alive

Eagles Of Death Metal – Wannabe In L.A.

A big thank you to Sarah, Camille and Sandrine from We Are Social for picking the bloggers and making sure we were well fed, suitably intoxicated, out of trouble and still alive by the end of it all.

Thanks to all the other bloggers that came along and made it a memorable weekend, make sure you check out their stuff:

Mark and Paul from Fried My Little Brain

Nikki and Terry from Buzzinmedia

Marcus from Stereokill.net

Joe and Sam from Hush House

Stuart from My Chemical Toilet

Niall from Nialler9

Gareth and Paul from Vice