Cougar Microbes

Cougar Microbes has teamed up with Lucozade to bring you exciting coverage of some of the UK’s most interesting summer festivals.

We kick off proceedings this week with Beach Break Live which will feature performances by the likes of Professor Green, Tinnie Tempah, White Lies, We Are Scientists and Magnetic Man.

Keep your eyes peeled for the Lucozade Energy Exchange tent where the official energy drink provider to the festival will be drawing out festival goodies and handing out free bottles of Lucozade Energy to keep everyone looking and feeling fresh and…. energised.

Expect a full report and some crowd photos from our guys at the festival. For more information about our summer line up, as well as competitions and tickets check out the Lucozade Play Festivals website and FB page.

TRACKS:

As part of their NEVER HIDE campaign Ray-Ban have been involved in all sorts of cool events this year including a massive water gun fight at SXSW, a sweet Iphone app as well as continued support for Northern Irish stalwarts Two Door Cinema Club on their current tour.

We are teaming up with the legendary eyewear company to give away some Two Door Cinema Club t-shirts from the band as well as a Ray-Ban NEVER HIDE frame (as shown in the video) to a lucky Cougar Microbes reader.

To enter the competition is answer the following question:

Which item would you NEVER HIDE at a live concert?

Winners will be picked at random on the 1st of June. Submit your question via the comments below, our facebook page or by tweeting directly to @cougarmicrobes.

Good luck!

TRACKS:

I was delighted to see Arcade Fire won the Album Of the Year Grammy last night. Considering they were competing against the likes of Eminem, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga this was a huge achievement but ‘The Suburbs‘ deserves all the plaudits because from start to finish it is flawless.

The band blasted through ‘Month Of May‘ whilst 2 BMX riders raced around stage in what looked like mens sunglasses and video cameras for helmets. I can only imagine these are the same kids riding their bikes that the band sing about in ‘Sprawl I’ (Flatland).

The band went on to perform the brilliant ‘Ready To Start‘ where Régine Chassagne‘s delicate backing vocals proved to be positively spine tingling.

Best moment of the night besides Win Butler‘s bewildered look when accepting the award  has got to be Kanye West, who lest we forget also released an epic album, tweeting his support for the album.

For what it’s worth compared to a Grammy ‘The Suburbs’ was easily my album of the year as well.

I feel like music is in safe hands for a few more years.

TRACKS:

As has become customary here is the annual Valentine’s Day post featuring some of my favourite love themed songs. Whether you have been in a relationship for a long time or have just found a special someone stick these on for 15 minutes or so today.

Bright Eyes’ ‘The First Day Of Our Life‘

Conor Oberst delivers near enough the perfect love song managing to be heartfelt and honest without sounding contrived. My friend described it as ‘one of those songs that if you’d want in the soundtrack to your life if there was one‘. I couldnt put it better myself.

Band Of Horses – ‘No One’s Gonna Love You‘

Back in the summer Cee Lo Green‘s delivered his imperious take of ‘No One’s Gonna Love You‘ but for Valentine’s Day I feel the original is perhaps more appropriate for this day. Band Of Horses‘ wide-eyed declaration of affection shoots unashamedly for the heart and should warm even the biggest cynic.

Beck – ‘Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometimes‘

Having featured not one but two Michel Gondry helmed videos this weekend it is quite fitting that the final selection is a track taken from the soundtrack of his ‘Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind‘ masterpiece. The truth is I have been planning to use this song for a while; Beck‘s splendid interpretation of The Korgis ‘Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometimes‘ is guaranteed to give you goosebumps.

In what has become a bit of a ritual a group of friends and I catch up every year for Super Bowl Sunday as we habitually fall asleep before the game ends at 4am London time.

This year was no different and as we crammed into a South London flat to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Green Bay Packers it became clear that this was to become a bizarre tribute to Americana . Cue Sam Adams beers, Tex-Mex and much posturing.

It is my understanding that jobs in marketing are made on the back of these Super Bowl commercials and some of the ones we caught were pretty special. Which is more than can be said for the Black Eyed Peas whose performance was truly shocking.

Growing up in Italy I was frequently subjected to some dodgy techno version of a popular charting track so that it was not uncommon to hear Joan Osborne’s ‘One Of Us’ augmented by a symphony of tuts-tuts.

However, I was astonished to hear BEP rape and pillage ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. What happened to the vaguely social conscious effort of ‘Where Is The Love?’. I’m not even snobbish so give me the smooth pop of ‘Shut Up’. Fuck it, I’d even rather listen to the upbeat exuberance of ‘Let’s Get Retarded’.

I thought the band succeeded in releasing the worst song ever committed to record back with ‘My Humps’ but my god does ‘The Time’ give it a run for its money…

TRACKS:

With the development of internet – online music education possibilities have increased. Nowadays you can learn how to play guitar using online resources that come incredibly close to that one on one experience.

Guitar Master Class is an online guitar playing community where you can access all the materials you’ll ever need to master guitar. Open to everyone, they offer lessons ranging from absolute beginner to insane level aimed for highly skilled players straight from the best instructors available. With just one click you’ll be able to learn famous songs, scales and different techniques in a multitude of different genres.

Cougar Microbes is offering 3 lucky readers a full access 6 months GMC memberships (usually worth 150$). All you have to do to enter is answer this simple question in the comments section of this post:

Who, in your opinion, is the greatest guitarist ever and why?

There is no right or wrong answer but the most imaginative/personal replies will be rewarded.

Remember that GMC is, above all, truly live music community which offers fun while learning – its a guitarist’s path from “Zero to Hero“. Good luck, time to START ROCKING NOW!

TRACKS:

AC/DC – Big Gun