Interview: Audiogold

17 May

Audiogold are a London-bred fivesome, dedicated to diligently blending alt-rock with a generous dash of folk, composed and arranged with strong classical sensibilities. Their sound is fresh but well-honed, rooted in strong song-writing abilities and developed by their relentless passion for gigging. Of course, relentless gigging means a packed schedule; they’ve been pounding the shit out of their instruments on the London live circuit since the release of their sparkling debut back in October 2011. Embers and Theories was a hit with the critics, prompting a flush of thumbs-up reviews all over the web – a nice addition to the abundance of glowing live reviews clocked up over the last year.

It’s a busy time for Audiogold, with a new addition to their line-up and a Pledge campaign in full swing, not to mention a quest to discover the identity of the anonymous tightrope walker featured on their album cover. DrunkenWerewolf’s Alice Slater managed to grab half an hour with the band before their most recent gig to get the low-down on the world according to Audiogold. Between applying questionable eyeliner, jocular tom-foolery and the gentle but continuous ribbing of the drummer, questions were asked and sensible answers were, eventually, received in the cacophonous atmosphere of Camden’s Proud Galleries.

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Exclusive look at new Big Wave video

16 May

The Torquay band may be busy gearing up for DrunkenWerewolf’s Ladyfest fundraiser this Sunday May 20th at Start the Bus, but Big Wave have found the time to release a new video too, and we’ve got the first look!

“Circumstance” is an excellent example of the band’s lo-fi sunshine twee, complete with Camera Obscura-esque female vocals and rich melodies. The song is taken from Big Wave’s forthcoming The Roots of Love EP, due for release on Soft Power Records through limited edition cassette tape on June 11th.

Big Wave will play alongside The Jelas, Poppy Perezz, Morbison, Jemima Surrender and Stevie Parker this Sunday. For more details head over here.

DrunkenWerewolf does the Great Escape

16 May

Armed with a Blackberry, disposable coffee cup and stupid press pass thing, Tiffany Daniels took to Brighton’s roads for this year’s Great Escape festival. And here’s what she has to say about it.

Thursday 10th May

This is my first trip into the bucket strewn, brown paper bag madness most people refer to as Brighton during the festival season. As soon as my feet hit the ground, local promoters vie for my attention from all directions. Brighton Fringe! Brighton Food Fest! Brighton Arts Festival! Brighton Festival Week! Brighton Record Store Day Castoffs! Brighton by the Sea!

On top of that, independent promoters wander the streets and the vast fields of social networking sites to invite punters to see their clients at the Great Escape. Of all the many flyers that hit my face on my speedy departure out of the central train station, these are the kind to slow my spritely feet. Fortunately a relatively simple trek takes me to a delegate bag with a well organised gig-schedule, map and a disposable coffee cup. The usability of these items is put to the test over the next four days.

Silently ordained the Mecca of new music in Britain and the coming together of media types from all four corners of the UK, this year the Great Escape organisers have gone and invited Catalan to the party to make things even more complicated. There are more venues than seagulls. Nothing here is easy to find. Someone with a basic understanding of Brighton’s landscape might find comfort in the delegate map, but as my main sense of direction relies on the smell of sea salt, frankly it does twat all good for me. I’m quickly reduced to standing on street corners to look at my smartphone like a particularly high tech hooker.

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Cancer Bats’ Pentagram Tour @ Various, 21/04/2012

15 May

It’s 11.30am! Release The Bats! As near as dammit to this incredibly un-rock’n’roll time, Cancer Bats hit the stage with minimum fuss and maximum momentum.

So, what’s it all about? They may have a new album to flog –Dead Set on Living, their forth – but to get me to a pre-lunch gig after a heavy night out requires more than a hot band and a killer set. This, my hard rocking friends, is the Pentagram Tour: five London venues and six gigs which, when linked on a map, form a pentagram. This was what I had to say I’d seen – hardcore/metal raised straight for the entertainment of The Dark One, The Prince of Lies. Most of my fellow travellers look like amiable if scruffy 20-somethings, with a few grizzled old soldiers of rock like me to make up the numbers, but make no mistake: kittens were killed to get this event off the ground.

However there is only so much help from Satan a righteously straightedge band can accept – they hump in and set up themselves. And once they get on – with the rev counter in the red from the off – it’s obvious they are really nice guys. Really nice guys who look no further than the demons Iommi and Rollins for their strength.

With sunlight streaming in they kick off with “R.A.T.S.” from the punk side and “Roadsick” from the metal side. A quick “how do you do and thanks for coming” and we get early track “Shillaghli”. Then the “what we called in the 70s” boogie of “Bricks & Mortar” gets heads bobbing.

A couple more follow but, understandably with five more shows to play, we’re cut short at 30 minutes. It’s a powerful kidney punch to set us up for a day I would have liked to have seen more of. Still, I was there, mofos!

- Martin Briscombe

Interview: Beaux Saunders

14 May

In case you haven’t heard, Beaux Saunders is the latest hip young gun-slinger to crack through the masses of Instagram-able vintage-wearing singer-songwriters to make a mark on the Brit music scene. Rising up from the babble armed with just a piano and a handful of songs about the trials and tribulations of being twenty, the bright eyed blonde has whipped up a healthy measure of hype following her first baby-steps into the limelight.

Saunders is carving a name for herself with snazzy, jazzy, bluesy pop injected with an infectious beat, rolling piano and honey-sweet vocals spiked with sassy yet sincere lyrics. Something like a young Regina Spektor blended with swing-style vocal harmonies to keep things topically post-war kitsch. Rather than keeping calm and carrying on, however, Beaux is kicking up a storm. Rumours of grabbing the attention of high profilers Kings of Leon made us turn our heads, but it was a well-timed cover of Bruce Springsteen‘s “Dancing in the Dark” that cinched the deal, securing Beaux Saunders as one of 2012′s ticking time bombs of success. The lyrical Londoner is set to release her first single, titled “Aint It Beautiful”, at the end of May.

DrunkenWerewolf’s Alice Slater had a somewhat short but incredibly sweet chat with Beaux to get the low-down on what’s what, who’s who and why her name has been linked to one of 2008′s biggest bands…

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First Aid Kit tickets on sale

11 May

Tickets are now on sale for First Aid Kit’s largest UK tour to date.

The Soderberg sisters visited Britain at the beginning of the year to celebrate their new album The Lion’s Roar, and November’s tour will follow a similar pattern: this time in delayed promotion of “Blue”, their next single due out on June 18th through Wichita Records.

Aside from their two dates in support of Jack White, which are unsurprisingly already sold out, here’s where you can catch them post-festival season:

20 Nov – London Shepherds Bush Empire www.livenation.co.uk
22 Nov – Manchester Ritz www.ticketline.co.uk
24 Nov – Glasgow QMU www.gigsinscotland.com
27 Nov – Bristol Academy www.gigsandtours.com

Great Escape performers Boy Friend have Alex DeGroot remix their song

10 May

As Britain buries its head in The Great Escape, Texan glitter-psych duo Boy Friend are fresh eyed and ready to go, having already delved head first into the midst of their first UK tour.  

Signed to the Hell Yes! label; Christa Palazzolo and Sarah Brown released their debut album Egyptian Wrinkle last month to nowhere near enough applause. It’s still a strong contender for DrunkenWerewolf’s Top Ten at the end of the year – we loved it that much.

What Boy Friend lack in audience numbers they make up for with famous friends – and to prove their point, they’ve had Zola Jesus’s Alex DeGroot remix their song “The Liar”. Listen to it below while the rest of us enjoy their performance at The Warren, Brighton tonight.

Big Wave announce details of debut EP

10 May

Torquay band Big Wave – who will play our Bristol Ladyfest fundraiser on Sunday May 20th at Start the Bus – have announced details of their debut EP.

Called The Roots of Love (Come Tumbling Down), the five-piece are responsible for the best lo-fi pop DrunkenWerewolf has heard this side of 2010, smothered in salty-sweet twee vocals and tinny percussion.

The EP will be released through Soft Power Records on June 11th.

The xx return with London shows

10 May

The other morning I inexplicably woke up with “Stars” very clearly in my head, and I wondered what on earth The xx have been up to lately. I didn’t have to wait long for an answer, because the trio soon announced a string of London dates showcasing new material.

Ignoring the fact that the large majority of us will have to pay £££ just to get to the capital at short notice (thanks for that), the band are giving tickets away through a lottery system. It’s not too late to enter – head over here to try your luck.

The dates, listed below, act as a warm up for a larger European tour later on this summer.

14th May Electrowerkz, Islington, London
15th May Chats Palace, Hackney, London
18th May Battersea Arts Centre, Battersea, London

Introducing: Only Real

9 May

Niall Galvin from the band Only Real takes DIY to the extreme, producing, arranging and recording all of his material in his West London bedroom. Factor rap into the equation and you get your expected comparisons to Jamie T, but Only Real actually sound more like Beach Boys falling over themselves at a Beck concert, inebriated on Cheerios.

Recently featured in Vice and in possession of a fan base to be envious of despite a (very) small online presence, Galvin’s sure to be a name you’ll hear in the not too distant future. Check out his lead demo “Cadillac Girl” below.

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