ITC09: Welcome to day 2 with Tim & Sam @ Night + Day

Phew. We made it through day 1 - just about anyway. So still bleary-eyed it's really rather nice to be able to wander into Night + Day to catch Tim & Sam's Tim and the Sam Band with Tim and Sam - especially on their third birthday.

Having been touring with a fairly permanent band set-up for a while has done Tim & Sam a world of good, getting them back to that place where everything is well honed and very together; it barely takes two bars before I'm smiling and getting that slight shiver down the spine. The electric guitars which sounded slightly out of place at ITC07 have really found their place, helping to build each song to a glorious crescendo, and, well, they just have that seemingly innate knack of making you very, very happy. After all, who can resist it when most of the band start drumming with only a glock for company?

ITC09: other bands. more news to follow

PYT's bedtime. We'll write more in the morning...

NIght night ITC.

ITC09: Cate Le Bon @ Cellar Vie

It appears that a lot of the ITC crowd have got wind of another 'must see' elsewhere in the city, which is a damn shame as it means that Cate Le Bon is playing to a sparsely filled bar. For some reason her set feels a bit more direct than last time we saw her properly at Green Man, though this makes her Nico-esque tones come even more into focus. When she isn't having to put Mr Sweet Baboo in his place, Cate is really quite chatty, which makes for a lovely set. There a definite allusions to sounds of the wonderful Welsh Sain label, which we really like. Warm vintage keyboards, beautiful vocals and a lovely nature - ace.

ITC09: Gallops @ Electric Boogaloo

My ears. I can't hear anything. I blame Gallops.

Following on from what was apparently a great set earlier in the night, Gallops played like men possessed. Their drummer is actually an animal, no man should have that much power. Gallops have a similar sound to Battles, yet they are somehow a bit more intense at times. Catching three songs tonight confirms that they are one of the best new bands around at the moment.

ITC09: Islet @ Cellar Vie

WOAH NOW! Why has nobody made us aware that members of two of our favourite bands from Cardiff now have another band [nb - we mean Attack + Defend and Frederick Stanley Star]? As we arrive in the venue three members of the band are standing around the drum kit playing along, whilst the man sat at the kit is playing keyboards and singing along. This pretty much sums up what this band are about - nothing that you expect from a normal band. Islet are something truly remarkable - you can't take your eyes off the four of them as they switch drum kits/guitars/vocals, run around the crowd, jump up the stairs to make a drum beat... They're this year's Witch and the Robot purely due to the fact that they can terrify you, either by screeching when you least expect it or by darting towards you with bells and tambourines.

ITC09: MAY68 @ Studio

The issue I've generally had with MAY68 is that they are far far cooler than I will ever be, and they make music that is far far cooler than anything I listen too. Arriving about three quarters way through their set, what we saw was enough to throw all preconceptions out of the window.

MAY68 are really really good. They sound like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs before they wanted to sound like The Rapture, crossed with The Rapture. This is accessible pop music, in the best way. With cow bell. On a purely selfish note, wouldn't they work brilliantly on a bill with The Longcut...

ITC09: Sophie Madeline @ Bar 38

On paper Sophie Madeline sounds very twee, and indeed from the songs we had heard in advance too. Live she is even better, gentle yet soulful vocals, endearing lyrics backed with soulful 60s harmonies. She has a very easy stage presence, which makes you feel as if you are sat in her front room listening to her play songs for her own pleasure. Quite reminiscent of Feist, but aided by nice 'ooohs' and 'boohwaps' from her band.

She's also very pretty.

ITC09: The Tatianas @ Studio

The Tatianas don't do what they say on the tin. We read hailing from Paris, recorded in Stockholm but we said...

Dan - Is this The Libertines?

Hannah - Is this Razorlight?

One of those been there, done thats. Cheerio.

ITC09: Kids Love Lies @ Walkabout

Walkabout is one of the stranger venues in use by ITC, and certainly one of the hardest to pull off. For starters, it looks like nobody's here, which isn't true. Add the fact that it's overwhelmingly obvious this is usually a sports bar and you've got a pretty strange feel.

This is rather a shame, because Kids Love Lies deserve better. Ellen Murphy's a compelling front-woman with a gorgeous, powerful voice - presumably why Cherryade Records jumped on board and have released two of the band's singles this year. Their cover of Sam Sparro's Black and Gold is a surprising highlight: punchier, dirtier and one hell of a lot sexier than the original. It isn't just the fact that their front woman is star of the show that makes them seem like Sleeper, they have the same pop yet more interesting sensibilities. Great stuff.

ITC09: Midimidis @ Electric Boogaloo

This is very silly. Two guys who look like they have just walked out of the Mighty Boosh trying to fit into the smallest space possible on stage. They are mixing 70s New York scuzz guitars with and 8bit backing track, whilst the vocalist attempts to throttle himself with the mike cable. Team PYT don't agree on Midimidis. Hannah thinks they are ridiculous and shit. Dan thinks they are ridiculous and shit and good fun. Either way the combination of Horrors hair (first album era), monochrome clothes and a tendency to sound a little too much like The Strokes with a drum machine is plain odd.

ITC09: Wonderswan @ TV21

Wow. We didn't expect things to be running on time... Well done ITC!

Wonderswan are a fabulous way to start our ITC09, and remain one of our favourite new bands of the year. These four guys make what can be best described as a bloody wonderful racket - think Pavement but more scuzzy, Idlewild-esque riffs - but mainly very LOUD and very FAST.

Technical issues shortened an otherwise fantastic set, which was made even more fun by seeing how the band dealt with the sci-fi basement-cum-venue of TV21. The bassist didn't even attempt to get on stage, loping around off to the side instead. Wonderswan pulled it back from their pedal issues to leave a not too shabby crowd well pleased.

In which Pull Yourself Together interrogate... Los Campesinos!

If you've picked up the latest issue of PYT whilst you've been out and about you will have seen that we've been chatting to Gareth Campesinos! about what's been going on in his world. Well, there were far too many words to fit onto two pages, so here's the interview in full!

Los Campesinos! have come a long way in the past three years (and are incidentally the reason PYT met in the first place), and it’s been a delight to chart their progress towards proper indie stardom. We caught up with Gareth Campesinos! to discuss new band developments and album number 3.

Hi Gareth! We haven’t seen you in a while, where the devil have you been?

To put it simply: America. Pretty much this whole year has been spent playing shows in the United States, with occasional movement into Canada/South America.

You’ve spent so much time across the pond in the USA now that it must be starting to feel like home. Why is it that Los Camp! have ended up being creatively based there recently?

I guess there are a few reasons. A lot of the band enjoy spending time in the US, so that's an incentive, just that it's enjoyable and different to home. Perhaps two more important factors would be 1) we're more popular in America than we are over here, so there's more demand for us to play shows. It's pretty difficult to 'complete' America, and anywhere new that we go seems an adventure, with it being so far from home. And secondly, recording-wise it's made sense for us to be over there, as it's where John Goodmanson's based, and it's him we've been enjoying working with on these last two records. So long as we're recording in the US, he knows studios that he likes to record in, and we have easy access to all his awesome gear.

Since last you were playing shows in the UK a lot has happened. Obviously the big news is Aleks’ departure to the world of further study. How are you all coping?

Well, thank you. Obviously to lose a member of Aleks' talents and, more importantly, such a close friend is not a good thing, but we always knew this to be Aleks' intention and I'm really happy that she's going back to university to do something she loves. I have untold amounts of respect for her for that. We've yet to play any shows without her, and obviously that's something that's gonna take some getting used to, but I think this change has given us all a huge boost of excitement and desire to be better than ever. Which we will be.

So the latest ‘big news’ is brand spanking new Campesinos! #8. What can you tell us about Kim?

Well...Kim's an amazing musician and an incredible girl. She's played music all her life and her primary instrument is the flute, but she can take her hand to pretty much anything. She's one of THOSE annoying sorts. She's a really positive, fun, laid back person, with great taste in music. Myself and her go way, way back. Our friendship couldn't be stronger, we're practically like brother and sister, and I know she's going to be great for the band.

You filmed Kim’s arrival at Cardiff City’s new stadium; how did the 'transfer' go?

It was a dream come true in many ways. Football's always been my first love and to stand in that empty stadium (and a very good looking new stadium it is too) and imagine playing in such grandiose surroundings was an experience we lads relished. I was amazed at how good the final video looks and to have BBC News' Sean Fletcher anchor the piece handed it a needed air of professionalism. He got really into it and I think we produced something amusing and uniquely 'Campesinos!' in the end.

What can you tell us about new single There Are Listed Buildings?

Well, it's remarkable for being our first experimentation with horns on an LC! song. Jherek of the Dead Science and some amazing musicians that he knows came to the studio in Seattle to help out, and I think the results are amazing. Lyrically, it's a pretty bleak and bittersweet tale of love and lust and destruction. Though I'd dare not use the word "concept" the songs on the new record can all link to tell one big story, and this song kind of represents the tipping point in the relationship between the two protagonists. Also, the artwork for the 7" looks amazing.

It’s getting close to record number 3 (or is that 2?) coming out now. How excited are you about getting a new batch of songs out in the open? It must have been strange keeping them quiet for so long.

Very excited. With this record, it kind of feels like we know who we are as a band. Though I'm still fond of Hold On Now, Youngster..., I don't feel it represents me, or us, anymore, whereas these new songs find us where we want to be at. I'm excited of the challenge of selecting a set list when we have 30+ songs to choose from, and being able to mix things around every night, or take requests. Y'know, like a PROPER BAND.

Does the new LP follow on from WABWAD, or are you going off on a tangent?

Lyrically, there are a lot of the same themes. Obsessions with death and sex, destruction and decline of the human body, eating disorders, failed love affairs. Perhaps notably on this new record I allow myself to sing about football a lot more. I think I know "who I am" now, and am writing in a way I'm happy with, and think I will be for a while. Musically, Tom's written some incredible stuff. All full of a lot more patience and ambience and subtleties that we've not necessarily had in songs before. It's a complete honour to be able to write songs with Tom, and this album is head and shoulders above anything we've made before.

How has the songwriting process for the band changed over time?

Marginally. I think the only change is the way that Harriet has come into her own as a composer, and the way that she's now capable of writing string arrangements. Whereas initially she perhaps didn't have the confidence to work on things on her own, now she'll come to the recording studio with beautiful arrangements for us to swoon over.

Who would you say are the current major influences on Los Camp!?

Musically, it's always difficult to say. I think Stuart Murdoch once said something along the lines of "Do you think Eric Cantona thinks of George Best whilst he's scoring a goal?". Generally I think I don't notice the influence in what I've written until it's too late. I want to be Kevin Rowland though, so maybe I'll just go with: "Dexys"

Tell us more about your Record Box Project. Is this something that you are going to do on the UK tour too?

Y'know, I'm not sure if we could. I know that Manchester still has some decent record shops, as do a lot of big UK cities, but one of the best things about the US is that wherever we play there's a sound guy who can give us directions to a great independent record store just a couple of blocks away. You just can't do that in the UK, sadly. Not even Bristol has a decent record shop any more. I'm stranded here in deepest Somerset.

Surely you are doing the tours in the wrong order? Escaping the UK in August when there could well be a ‘summer’ to enjoy, then returning for Autumn. What’s your favourite season?

FOOTBALL SEASON!!

We see that you have got the ace Copy Haho coming with you on tour. How do you know those guys? Can you tell anyone who hasn’t heard them what they be like?

I was a fan of theirs for a while, and then at the end of the SYF tour last year we had a show in Edinburgh. I asked if they could support and they could and they were rad. Afterwards we didn't get to speak for long as we had to head back to Cardiff overnight (and I had a football match at 10am the next morning) but what little chat we did have, it was clear we were going to get along. We've kept in touch on various internet networking sites since, and I'm excited to get to hang out with them properly come October. Actually, come to think of it, I spoke to one of CH aaaaages ago 'cause they were in the band Hooker's Green No. 1, and when they added LC! on myspace I was really chuffed.

Another Manchester show, another venue. If we stop opening new venues you are literally going to have played everywhere in the city. Do you enjoy your trips this way?

I was speaking to a friend about this the other day. Have we ever played the same venue twice? This is probably the time to mention that members of PYT gave us our first ever Manchester gig, and that was a riot. Since then we've experienced such exotic locales as the Klondyke Club...but I'm really looking forward to the Deaf Institute. I ended up there in a drunken stupour after our last Academy show, and from what I can remember, it looked beautiful. Manchester is always a pleasure to play, or visit.

You must have been finding some really good new bands on your travels. Please can you recommend us some people to be checking out?

I think the band that I'm most excited about at the moment is Former Ghosts. They're a project between my friend Freddy Ruppert (formerly of This Song Is A Mess But So Am I) and Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu. It's this really emotional, industrial synth pop music that drives me crazy. Their album Fleurs is easily my favourite record of the year.

Football Manager – 442 or 4312?

4-2-3-1 Two proper old school wingers with incredible crossing ability. Lautaro Acosta has to be my favourite for that.

We’re getting pretty close to the ominous date when Planet Sound ceases to exist as Teletext stop doing interesting things in favour of selling holidays to people who don’t have the internet. Have you any words to offer on the end of a national institution?

Well, I'm not going to say it's a massive shame, as it's a fair few years since I've been an avid reader, but I will always have fond memories of watching the football scores change, slowly, on p.303. And I used to be a fairly regular name on The Void and Megazine, checking it religiously every day straight after school, so I feel a little sad that future generations won't have the same experience. I do think the "internet" might catch on and offer them a similar experience, though.

Los Campesinos! play the Deaf Institute on 26^th October. There Are Listed Buildings is released on Wichita Records and will be available on their UK tour.

Manchester International Festival 09

In 2007 Manchester made a bid to join the elite of cultural cities by commissioning new works for the inaugural Manchester International Festival. The biggest hit of this season of premieres was Damon Albarn’s Monkey: Journey To The West which went on to be a success on the West End and introduce a summer of sporting triumphs as the BBC used it for Olympic coverage.

Skip on two years to this year’s MIF and it has grown. This year Manchester’s brief of commissioned work has seen some of the most exciting events I have ever seen. Fact. Throughout two weeks I was continually inspired by every event I went to, be it seeing pioneers who did their fair bit in inventing most pop music, through to seeing local music students given a chance to showcase their talent on a big stage. MIF made me proud to call this city home, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

The Festival opened with Kraftwerk and Steve Reich playing at the Veledrome, which to my eyes and ears was a stunning way to kick things off. Steve Reich is easily one of my favourite composers, and the chance to see a new piece doesn’t come along all that often. 2x5 performed by the excellent Bang On A Can was excellent. Seeing the man himself signing autographs afterwards was as exciting as seeing a pop star, and this was just the ‘support.’

Kraftwerk have been one of my favourite acts for years. I have hated myself a little bit for missing their show at the Apollo a few years back, but this was well worth the wait. They opened with The Man Machine. Opened with it! Amazing. What came next was a set of hits, including Home Computer. Autobahn, The Model and Trans-Europe Express. However, most people’s highlight of the first half came as Tour De France moved into Tour De France 2003 and Team GB moved out from behind the stage to circle the track. Saying the atmosphere was electric doesn’t even come close, though I would like to point out that whilst the cycling was all well and good – I was still more bothered about the fact Kraftwerk were on a stage just over there, playing Tour De France.

Following a brief interlude of the robots playing The Robots, the much lauded 3D show started – for those who has got hold of the glasses on the way in. I didn’t, but a lovely chap stood in front of me felt that it was too good to miss so kept offering a glimpse to me. That guy was a hero, as the visuals were just as stunning as the music. The highlights of this second set were definitely Computer World, Aerodynamik and the big finish of Musique Non Stop. Utterly incredible and inspiring, and this was just day one of the Festival.

My next MIF stop was for a lunchtime recital in the Zaha Hadid Architects designed Concert Hall in the Manchester Art Gallery. I went to this with my sister, who is a classically trained musician, and could express just how good the space is far better than me. She told me that the flow and curves of the hall were a perfect visual representation of Bach’s music, and I’m not going to argue with that judgement. Across the Festival I managed to see Peter Moore’s trombone and Stephanie Oade’s cello recitals, both of which were awe-inspiring performances by great musicians.

Jeremy Deller’s Procession probably summed MIF up best in retrospect. Taking the traditional idea of a procession to bring the local community, Deller brought together Rose Queen’s and a chip shop, mobile libraries and marching bands. This was a great representation of what Greater Manchester is about, which was seen best by the organic way that the crowd joined the back of the procession once it finished and followed it down Deansgate. This was a city brought together, proud of itself. Only the self-confident nature of Manchester’s communal attitude could pull something like this off.

However, the highlight of MIF was the performance which left me in tears of joy for the best part of two hours. Elbow have always been a band that mean the world to me, but this was something special. Elbow and The Hallé was always going to special, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted just how perfectly Joe Duddell would put together the orchestration for this show. Elbow are a band well suited to working with an expanded sound, given the deep complexities to their music. This couldn’t have prepared me for just how perfectly this collaboration would be. Station Approach is always a great opening, but this time it wasn’t just five men who were coming back to Manchester – they had possibly the most famous cultural icon of the city playing alongside them.

Which is what this was – Elbow AND the Hallé; not Elbow with. This wasn’t a band playing songs with an orchestral support; here we had the two working together to achieve something truly beautiful. Mirrorball still stands up as one of the strongest tracks on Seldom Seen Kid, and was deeper than ever before. Switching Off elicited my first water works of the evening, with Guy’s love story becoming something special with such soaring harmonies interplaying around it. Though it wasn’t just in the Bridgewater Hall that Elbow were pulling on the heartstrings, as Manchester came together once again over MIF – this time at Castlefield for a big screen relay of the concert. Again, this grand public sharing of cultural events will be an enduring memory of the Festival.

Into the second half of the concert and the ante was well and truly upped. The Hallé Youth Choir begin with a reworked Grace Under Pressure before the Orchestra move into Starlings. From here on in the building of emotion became more than a bit too much for me as the mood shifted for Red into Scattered Black and Whites into Newborn into Great Expectations. Four songs that break and rebuild my heart on record, but left me weeping as a newborn such was the sheer beauty of the music being made. Fittingly the evening closed with ‘the hit’ and the band, orchestra, choir and Duddell himself all fully deserved the 10 minute standing ovation they received. I have never been as lost for words as at the end of this concert.

In fact, being lost for words is exactly hoe MIF left me after each experience. Be it eating an amazing platter at the Festival Pavilion or any of the events above, I continually couldn’t express what I was feeling afterwards. That is why it has taken two weeks to even get close to putting something together, which still doesn’t fully explain just how much the Festival achieved. Manchester International Festival left me so so proud of this city, and for that everyone involved should be bloody proud of themselves. Here’s to 2011.

Manchester International Festival

Procession Online

Spread Yr Wings: Doves at Manchester Academy, 26th April

So here it is. A night I’ve been waiting four years for. And yet it takes some time to realise it. On the bus: yep, quite excited, looking forward to this. Queuing to get into the Academy: uh huh, should be good. Then we step inside. It’s heaving, yet still we manage to get down towards the front with ease (why everyone neglects the left hand side of this venue I’ll never know), and the air all around is buzzing. This is huge, and already it feels quite overwhelming.

It’s now almost a decade since the release of Doves’ debut album, Lost Souls, and the third of April 2000 marked the point I first bought an album on the strength of one song – unfortunately I can’t remember which one, nor can I remember whether it was Lamacq or Peel who turned me onto it. This has become one of the most rewarding albums I’ve ever purchased, and a real love for Doves prevailed, only getting stronger upon moving to Manchester in 2004. It’s four years on from their last Manchester performance (a staggeringly beautiful set at the Apollo), and for this capacity crowd the excitement is about to reach breaking point.


Although I’ve only managed to fit in a few listens of new album Kingdom of Rust thus far, it has been perfectly clear that Jetstream would make a stunning set opener. It does, and if anything it exceeds expectations as it soars and pounds, quickening the pace of your heart. This is a track which shows how Doves have come full circle in a way, combining the raw energy of Sub Sub and the majestic, heart-wrenching beauty they’ve often employed as Doves. However, as the set progresses it becomes clear that they never left their past behind in the first place. What sounds quietly melancholic on record bristles with energy live, even on quieter tracks such as Ambition. Although the main set does not for one moment disappoint (both Pounding and Black and White Town are euphoric, new tracks like Winter Hill nestle happily against the old and already seem firm favourites), it is the encore where the band really shine.

Following reviews of earlier 2009 shows, it’s fair to say we’re likely to hear Northenden and sure enough, Jimi strides out for a semi-acoustic performance of the lovelorn, loyal paean to fucked up suburbia. Hairs on necks stand on end, the crowd is quietened. Jimi goes on to explain how he’s not happy that they’ve been referred to as a Cheshire band in the press purely because of where they recorded Kingdom of Rust: “I was born in Manchester,” he calls. “I’ll probably die in Manchester. Doves were shaped by Manchester; and the chances are you were too”. The call to arms is made complete by a powerful, triumphant rendition of Here It Comes, and not a soul is unmoved as bodies shake as one to Doves’ beat. There Goes the Fear escalates our emotions until that breaking point is finally reached. “We’ve not played here for four years. We couldn’t not do it.” That’s it. We have Space Face and in four songs Doves have proved why they are still Manchester’s most relevant band.

The photograph was taken by excellent local snapper Shirlaine Forrest. Check out here work here

Come Saturday - 2009, a list of sorts

I had a realisation earlier today, mainly due to my thoughts turning to the fact that very soon it is my birthday, which means that we are almost a third way through the year. I can still remember the mixture of pain and excitement of New Years Day, and to be fair 2009 has not disappointed. I have been to see some amazing gigs, and there have been some excellent records released this year. So, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about my three favourite LPs of the year thus far.

 

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Fortuna Pop)

Without a doubt this is the best album I have bought this year. I am so so happy that there is a band around making music that realises exactly how I feel at the moment. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart  write upbeat popsongs about awkward sexuality. This record sounds like it should have been released in 1991, as a companion to My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. Is it shoegaze for pop kids, or pop for shoegaze kids?

 

When I first heard about this band I spent hours watching rough videos of them playing shows, and I felt utterly inspired. This band were always going to mean the world to me, and they fucking do. This record feels like it has everything, the construction of the songs is amazing, from the little Korg organ underpinning the majority of it to the simple yet unashamed poetry in the lyrics. To anyone who listens to the band and thinks ‘oh yeah, it’s all very nice and stuff’ I would compel you to actually listen properly to the lyrics next time. This Love Is Fucking Right! could well be the best popsong ever written about incest, hardly lemonade and cupcakes territory.

It is also such a well crafted record in that both Contender and Stay Alive / Everything With You ease you into each side, in a similar way to a pretty girl smiling at you across the table in the library before you tear off into a gin soaked binge during Come Saturday and A Teenager In Love.  Speaking of Come Saturday, make sure you request it next time you are at a popdisco, it will not disappoint. That song somehow captures all the visceral releases that a twentysomething year old really needs on a Saturday night, and at once captures and dispenses with all yr hang-ups.

 

Sky Larkin – The Golden Spike (Wichita)

Sky Larkin are a band who I have been in love with for a number of years now, they were one of a clutch of bands including Los Campesinos! and The Answering Machine who I became aware of in the summer of 2006 and I am glad to say that all three bands inspire the same amount of excitement in me now as they did back then. To see Sky Larkin not only release this record, but to release it on a label as important as Wichita made me massively happy. Then of course there is the fact that it is a brilliant LP, full of the pop songs which are always in danger of boiling over a little bit that charmed me in the first place.

 

If anything, this record is pitched somewhere between the rawcous cacophony of Los Camp and the artpop of TAM, which is a great thing. Opening with Fossil, I the band lay down a statement of intent – this is a record which is going to make you listen. It also tells you all that you need to know about the band, they write glorious songs which sound a little like what Sugarcubes may have if they had been informed by Pavement when they were growing up.

Somersault stands out as a track which only Sky Larkin could write, which is a very impressive thing in an age when most ‘popular’ music appears to be based around borrowing all that you can from anyone you can see and repackaging it as your own. The visceral drumming, humming bass, slightly uneasy waltzer-esque keys and unmistakable layering of vocals produce a song which gets better with each listen. Similarly, I am quite happy to declare Matador as one of, if not my number one song of 2009 thus far. The slowly winding guitar which underpins the whole song draws you right in, as the rest of the elements slowly fuse into your head. Then it all kind of disappears, just, for the chorus which pangs as much of indie triumphalism as it does Death In The Afternoon.

 

Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances (XL)

Before I start, yes I do know that this was released last year in the States. To anyone who bought it on import first time round, I really do envy you. I can remember the feeling of listening to the first Clap Your Hands Say Yeah record before most people over here had cottoned onto it, and feeling like I was privileged to be listening to it, and you must feel the same with this.

 

For quite a while Titus Andronicus had been one of those bands who I had meant to listen to, as I knew full well that they would be amazing, but it took me about three months to actually do it. Then I bought their single version of Albert Camus, and realised that I need to listen to more of this band. Imagine a combination of The Pouges, iLiKETRAiNS, Conor Oburst and Arcade Fire. Got it? Well you are still probably about a mile away from realising the amount of pure energy which pulses through this record.

 

I love the fact that opening track Fear and Loathing inMahwah, NJ will have people turning it up through the opening section as they can’t hear the lyrics, and then just as they have the level right and almighty ‘FUCK YOU’ rings out as the band launch into the kind of break neck noise which punctuates this record. There are quotes from Shakespeare and Camus, rawkous noise and shredded vocal chords. This album actually does that rare thing of capturing the feeling of a band’s live show perfectly on vinyl, which is an even more impressive feat given  the nature of Titus Andronicus’ heartstopping performances.

For me though, this LP comes into life properly on Side B. Don’t get me wrong, I think the first 5 songs are brilliant, but as with the Bard’s best plays, the real action comes in the later acts. Titus Andronicus is a call to arms, a damning assault on the music industry which has spat out/at bands like this countless times. Here is a band inspiring you, by passing on the words ‘your life is over. I insist you cease to exist. Die. Your Life Is Over.’ It is almost as if they have accepted all that is wrong with the world, and decided that the only way to make the world passable is make a fuckload of noise, because there is nothing else to do. Probably a fair mantra.

If you feel inspired to buy these records then head here

The Importance of Being Indie

If you've picked up the April/May issue of the zine you will have found some words of wisdom from Gary Anderson, Cardiff promoter, dj, and the man behind Twisted by Design. Gary gave us such ace answers to our oft clumsy questions it seemed cruel not to print them in full, so here they are!

-Hi Gary! Could you tell our lovely readers a little bit about who you are and what you do?

I’m generally known as Gary Twisted (despite years of trying to avoid pseudonyms) and I primarily run and DJ at an indie disco in Cardiff called Twisted by Design. It’s been running now for nearly 9 years, always upstairs at Dempsey’s, and was voted second in the Ultimate Indie Disco of All Time by listeners to 6Music. In addition to this I DJ a couple of nights a week at Clwb Ifor Bach and have a second Twisted night every Thursday, again at Dempsey’s.

So what kinda started out as a hobby has pretty much ended up as a full time job, which is cool. I’m also a promoter and sound engineer and general supporter of the local scene.

-So. How did you get started with this? Were there any particular inspirations?

Before ATP took over Camber Sands, there was a festival organised by Belle and Sebastian called the Bowlie Weekender. This literally changed my life by introducing me to a whole world of new music and bands I’d never heard of before. Not only the bands who played but also from the numerous new friends I made that weekend. I spent pretty much every other weekend for the following two years travelling to London and staying with people I’d met at Bowlie, and seeing loads of new bands and discovering the delights of London’s indie pop scene.

One night in particular was the very first Track and Field indie disco upstairs at the Betsy Trotwood, which I loved so much. It made me think why Cardiff didn’t have any nights like this and whether it might work there.You have to remember that at that time there really wasn’t much going on in Cardiff. The indie nights there were full of Charlatans, Stone Roses and Stereophonics. Certainly stuff like Belle and Sebastian and Stereolab would never be played anywhere. So I found a pub with an upstairs room and decided to have a go myself, fully expecting it to last no more than a couple of months. I’m blown away that it’s still going strong nine years later.

-Do you think people appreciate a more independent approach to creativity?

I hope so, I know I do

-Has it been difficult to maintain this approach? Sometimes you must feel like you're putting yourself on the line a lot.

Absolutely. Twisted is completely run by myself. I have a lot of help from friends along the way but at the end of the day I am Twisted by Design. It’s me up there all on my own. Anything I do reflects on the night and everything that happens at Twisted reflects on me. For someone who is actually quite shy and not exactly a natural extrovert it can be quite stressful and scary. It can also be a lot of fun of course.

-There seem to be a lot of like-minded individuals in Cardiff, and it's certainly been a positive influence on us. How much does this kind of camaraderie keep you going?

Without help and support from friends and like minded people there would be no Twisted. Cardiff is a small city and the indie scene is obviously even smaller. There can sometimes be a little bit of complacency because Cardiff has had it so good for so long and people naturally think it will always be like this.

Twisted has been under threat ever since it started from breweries or venue managers not understanding what you are trying to achieve and how much of a niche market you are catering for. Without the fantastic support I get nights like mine would either die or have to become something totally different to appeal to a larger audience. Personally I’d rather DJ to a hundred Kenickie fans than a thousand Oasis fans any day!

There’s a definite trend recently for people to go out to clubs later and later. This is a problem when the venue is concerned with bar takings (they are a business after all). A solution came from a couple of local promoters (who are also in bands I absolutely love), Graf from Gindrinker and Adam from Last Partisan. They both run a monthly band night under the banner Freakshow. They suggested that maybe they could do an extra Freakshow a month at Twisted by Design. This has been a huge success and resulted in people coming out much earlier to the gigs and staying for Twisted afterwards.

-How did you make the jump from club/gig nights to releasing This Town Ain't Big Enough? Are there any plans to follow it up?

Ah, the Twisted compilation CD. Well, a few years ago Cardiff seemed to have far more than its fair share of amazing artists. It’s always been an ambition of mine to release a compilation CD of local artists and this seemed like just the right time. Harri (from local band Little My) had a similar idea and it seemed a good plan to combine forces and together I feel we produced a seriously great CD. We were very lucky to catch Los Campesinos! just as they were on the rise and their track on the CD was, strictly speaking, their first release. As for a follow up, maybe when the time feels right again. Although twisted is ten years old next year so maybe it might be nice to do something to commemorate this.

-How does it make you feel to see bands like LC! really moving into 'stardom'?

It’s always nice when friends’ bands do well, particularly when they’re as great as Los Campesinos! It’s also a little strange to see your mates up there on stage playing to thousands of people at festivals and their videos on MTV2. I count Neil Campesinos! as one of my closest friends and miss him loads at the moment with them spending half a year in America, but obviously I’m really pleased for them.

To have a band of that quality write a song about your night is the most flattering thing ever I think. You! Me! Dancing! will always be very special to me.

-What advice would you give someone wanting to start their own night?

All I can say is that if you are passionate about starting a night then just do it. You’ll never know until you try. But just be prepared for a lot of hard work as well as a lot of fun.

-What, to you, is the real importance of being indie?

This probably sounds patronising but I really believe that in an industry increasingly dominated by corporations and chains, independence is so important. Whenever the indie scene goes through a peak you always get the big players moving in trying to get their piece of the pie. However, major labels no longer seem to want to invest in new talent and it’s up to independent labels and promoters who genuinely believe in these artists to support them.

Indie is all about the people who love the music scene and are passionate about it, and continue to promote and support music regardless of whether it is currently trendy or not. In return people should support the indie labels, shops, venues and promoters as much as possible in order for them to continue.

For more information about Twisted By Design nights visit twistedbydesign.co.uk

Just because I'm on your side...

As you are probably aware, we at Pull Yourself Together are big fans of The Answering Machine. We were there when they played their first few gigs, and even back then we kind of knew that things were going to happen for them. They were in that great wave of Manchester bands a few years back, alongside Modernaire, The Search Map, Former Bullies and Julian Donkey Boy, and are now getting the attention which they deserve.

Signing to ace new label Heist or Hit Records last year meant that they had the backing to go on and record a shithot debut LP, and this week sees the release of first single Cliffer.  

The single has already won BBC 6Music's Rebel Playlist, and rightly so. It also has a great music video (just up there ^) directed by Dan Parrott, who also made the somewhat disturbing promo for Dutch Uncles' Face In. NB - If you are of a nervous disposition then you might want to watch the video in the company of friends, as Cliffer the dummy is terrifying. One half of PYT spent an afternoon in the company of it, and can vouch for the fact that those eyes follow you everywhere. 

The band have just finished touring with Casiokids and Flashguns, and have recently been on both the radio and telly boxes, so there is a good chance that this one is going to fly out. Head down to your local recorded music emporium or log onto the Heist or Hit shop to get yrself a copy.

Absent Friends

Hello and welcome to 2009! Ok, we admit you’ve had a while to become acquainted. It is March after all. But here at PYT we’ve been successfully playing out our resolution to see more bands, buy more records, and generally make ’09 a good’un. Here’s how we’ve gone about it.

January
Barely a week of the new year had gone by when we poked our noses out into the cold to sniff out what ’09 had to offer. This initial offering was The Miserable Rich at Dulcimer, courtesy of the Red Deer Club (who don’t put gigs on anymore apparently…ahem). I hadn’t really listened to the band since they played in Fuel last year, but they’re instantly recognisable and the warmth of the vocals was enough to thaw out those January blues. In fact, I bought their debut album the very next day, lest I forgot.

Other highlights of the month included Animal Collective playing an amazing set at Club Academy which included a twenty minute version of Fireworks (incredible scenes especially with the visuals), the first outing for Asparagus Next Left (which happened to be the most fun we’d had at a club night for an age. It was like the first time you go to Smile, only better) and a set from Sky Larkin at Night n Day which cemented their place in our hearts and minds.

February

Warming up with a night involving Kissing Just for Practice, Air Cav, Underachievers Please Try Harder and a Holga camera with a film which turned out to be blank, February was all set to be a busy one. Sadly the Valgeir Sigurdson show at the Cross Street Chapel fell foul of the inclement weather, the irony of Icelandic Valgeir being stuck in London due to snow being lost on no-one.

Snow didn’t stop Manchester though (why would it? It’s just rain but a bit thicker), and PYT spent a lovely evening at West Didsbury’s The Art of Tea. It’s criminal we don’t spend more time there, so when it was announced that there’d be a bit of a do to celebrate new evening opening hours complete with wine and artwork there was no way we’d refuse. The place was packed, and yet the relaxed atmosphere prevailed, especially as we wandered towards the back and lost ourselves in the adjoined Didsbury Bookshop. Both halves of PYT have vowed to return in order to buy books a-plenty, and sit there reading them for the rest of the day.



Sadly we had to leave the folk at Art of Tea to it, as we headed to Retro Bar for our first Wot God Forgot of the year. Ciaran paid the usual attention to detail in the line-up which meant a chance to finally catch local noisesters A Middle Sex (who at times sounded like they were playing underwater, in a good way) and Glissando who were beautiful. They’ve really evolved as a band, and despite the usual technical hitches associated with this venue they seem to have the crowd dumbstruck.

As we’re hopeless romantics (or not as the case may be), Valentine’s night was spent in the company of both Underachievers and Panda Panda; these two actually are a match made in heaven, and it’s great to hear that they’ll be teaming up more regularly from now on. The Answering Machine may not have exorcised their Night n Day demons supporting Ra Ra Riot (how the guitars stopped working we’ll maybe never know), but that didn’t stop the crowd from enjoying every moment, particularly the man behind us who commented on their fantastic energy approximately every two minutes for the duration of the set. Ra Ra Riot themselves were massively impressive; The Rhumb Line is an album which struck a chord with us so quickly and directly, and they’re even better live.



As a slight break from our usual music-related activities we spent a night in the company of Josie Long at XS Malarkey, and she made us quite ridiculously happy. We gave her fanzines, she seemed worried that she only had one to offer us. She knocked Dan’s drink over and felt so guilty she got a friend to come over and offer him another one. She is just that nice. Not to mention bloody hilarious and excited by dinosaurs, museums and space. Three of Dan’s favourite things.


Back to the music the following night over at the Deaf Institute, with the confusing sight of the band we knew as Radio Luxembourg telling the crowd (fairly unconvincingly) “We are Racehorses”. Having been threatened with legal action they had to change their name quick-smart, but this hasn’t changed their take on oddball psych-pop. Napoleon IIIrd offered us his new efforts – less pop but he has gained an extra reel-to-reel, and Wild Beasts who achieved that very impressive feat of making you want more and more new material. If these new songs are anything to go off then the follow up to Limbo, Panto will be even better!


There wasn’t long before we were back at the Deaf Institute, this time for Woodpigeon and The Miserable Rich (I smell a Red Deer again, along with Humble Soul). The crowd, obviously much larger than at Dulcimer, was equally if not more receptive, and you really got the feeling they’ve got a special place in their hearts for our fair city. After giving us their version of Hot Chip’s Over and Over last time round there were more covers, not that Dan was there to see that part of the set. Four tracks into Miserable Rich’s set he upped sticks to go and have his head completely blown away by Titus Andronicus at the Night n Day. The band obviously got into the Manchester spirit, opening with a really scuzzy cover of Champagne Supernova. The end of that TA gig meant jump in the car, blast out a Times New Viking tape at full volume, and back to the Deaf Institute in time for the headline there! Woodpigeon rounded of a very pleasant evening with their delicate folk (they sit at the quieter end of Sufjan), and PYT became increasingly irritated with the large numbers of people talking over them.


February’s PYT at Common, despite not being a fanzine launch, turned out to be the best yet. Thanks go out as always to the friends and strangers who turned up to listen to good records played either smoothly or appallingly depending on how distracted Hannah was.

We won’t desert you for so long next time.

Over and out!

Team PYT xx