Gig Preview: Pick for the Picnic 2011 - Listen to each of the finalists

This year's Pick for the Picnic showcase will again see 16 emerging Irish bands battle it out across four heats for a spot at Electric Picnic. Each heat will see an eclectic mix of talented acts playing for FREE in Crawdaddy on Wednesday 10th, Thursday 11th, Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th of August. One act from each heat will then go into the final on Thursday 1st of September, the eve of the Electric Picnic festival. Doors open for each gig at 7.30 pm.

Last year's winners Cloud Castle Lake have been on a steady ascent ever since and making it to the heats is a general indication that you're doing something right! There's some seriously strong competition this year and I could pick half a dozen bands who could easily romp home. I'm looking forward to seeing some personal favourites like Spies, Come On Live Long, Tandem Felix, Leaders Of Men and The Casanova Wave perform, as well as checking out the bands I'm less familiar with. Be sure to pop along to at least one of the gigs though - it's free and is the perfect opportunity to sample the country's finest emerging bands. 

Wednesday August 10th

Tandem Felix



Spies



Come On Live Long



The Razor Ball

Thursday August 11th

 The Casanova Wave



Eatenbybears

Women's Murder Club




Cfit

Wednesday 17th August 

Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters

 

The Midnight Phil Eoin Callers 

The Depravations

 

Fred and Bob

 

Thursday 18th August

Zombie Computer

 

Leaders Of Men

  Happy Here by damaged_audio  

Cheap Freaks

 

Ghostnote

  Offshore by GHOSTNOTEMUSIC

Gig Preview: Bell X1 in Vicar Street

As per today's Metro Herald, a snappy preview of Bell X1's upcoming Dublin gigs. 

A lot has changed since 2005. With the Celtic Tiger still roaring and house prices soaring, Kildare natives Bell X1 released Flock, a radio-friendly gem of an album which catapulted the band into the mainstream’s psyche. Having already featured on hit TV show The OC, all signs pointed to a career based on the insatiable pop-power of ‘Flame’ or the lush emotion-laden balladry of ‘Eve, The Apple Of My Eye’. Fast forward to 2011 however, and we find an altogether different prospect before our eyes. Rather than milk their past success, the band have pushed themselves in bold, new directions, veering off their expected path and reaping interesting results in the process. 

New release ‘Bloodless Coup’ is their most far flung yet - detailed, mature and atmospheric by the truck load. Its ingenuity is encapsulated by stirring opener ‘Hey Anna Lena’, where minimal, morphed beats are placed either side of a surging swell of a chorus, sounding like an embrace from a long lost friend. That’s not to say they’ve shunned their pop responsibilities for good though - ‘Sugar High’ is an instant hit of electro-funk goodness, while lead surging single ‘Velcro’ is an undisputed anthem at its core. As ever, Paul Noonan’s warm vocals dominate proceedings and the crystal clear acoustics of Vicar Street will serve as the perfect venue to showcase their commendable progression. Far from TV soundtracks it may be but having taken the road-less-travelled, Noonan and Co. should be applauded for keeping the flame lit in their own peculiar way.

Bell X1 play Vicar Street Tonight and Tomorrow (Sold Out). Tickets are priced €37.80. Check out the rather gorgeous 'Hey Anna Lena' below.

Gig Preview: James Blake

I previewed James Blake in today's Metro Herald, in anticipation of his gig in Whelan's tonight. The character who usually does them, Eamonn De Paor, is a genuinely outstanding writer to whom I could never compare but it was a nice challenge regardless...

It’s fair to say James Blake is this year’s golden boy. Fuelled by an appearance on the BBC’s Sound of 2011 shortlist, the 23-year-old’s eponymous debut album has been met with a wave of critical acclaim since it landed in February. After two diverse EPs, this was the album that saw the producer cum singer-songwriter finally make the shift from the murky confines of the dubstep genre, to the mainstream. But that’s not to say young James has sold out in the process. Devoid of the delightful indie rambunctiousness of The Vaccines or the pop sensibility of Jesse J, Blake has instead forged a path with a sound that’s all of his own and boy, is it a strange one.

A stuttering theme of frailty and desolation prevails throughout, with an off-kilter amalgamation of minimal, glitchy beats tempered only by consistently warped vocals.  You won’t find a two-minute, three-chord wonder here that’s for sure. With its distinctive piano-led opening, Blake’s cover of Feist’s ‘Limit To Your Love’ is undoubtedly the most direct route into his repertoire, while the muted desolation on ‘Wilhelms Scream’ is similarly alluring, particular once the soulful honey-dipped vocals kick in. It’s a challenging creation, and one which says plenty by saying nothing at all; with Blake’s pauses and drops creating a brooding, cavernous effect and turning the atmospherics up to 11.

It takes time for the full effect to seep into one’s pores and for many there’s no doubt that it simply won’t. Regardless, the masses have been lapping it up, with tonight’s Whelan’s show selling out in double quick time and Blake becoming the darling of the music press in the process. Make of it what you will but there’s no denying that Blake has transcended the normally stringent boundary between violent originality and mass popularity. Longevity is another issue but for now, there really is no limit to the love.