DON'T MOVE!

DON'T MOVE! represent the ultimate in shaggy-haired, woolly-jumpered, accordion-playing, decently wholesome pop bands. They are fun-loving, colourful, catchy, and most importantly- an incredibly talented bunch of lads pouring their souls out into qualitative tunes.

Think Love. The Beatles. The Byrds. The 60s! So delightfully retro, without an ounce of contrived pretention. Matt, Joe, Mason, and Cedrick Confuegos simply are.

Having come from parents who played their sort of hippy-ish, folksy – to rocky, guitar driven music, the boys found their inspiration very early on... They just had to find each other.

“Part of being a teenager is you discover your little secrets and the things that make you feel better than everyone else. We each had our musical loves that did that for us, and we shared it together and wrote songs we were kind of influenced by” reveals Mason Le Long the band’s front man.

They came together through mutual friends on a night out, when a mate of Joe’s decided to ditch him in place for couples’ capers, and Joe was left stuck with Mason. The two, living in Leamington at the time, went back to Mason’s house for a joint and a jam- where it was that Joe decided “oh man, you play like Jimi Hendrix man”. And the seeds were officially sown for DON'T MOVE!’s potential. Matt Rheeston and Mr Confuegos were then poached earnestly along the way.

The duo that is Mason and Joe, are akin to American disco band Chic. “The song writing duo of Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards were at the core of the band Chic” reveals Joe. “Mason is really into Nile Rogers’ guitar playing, I’m really into the bass playing and we both like their songs and their band- so they’re like our heroes I suppose”. Lyrics are then often crafted out of bitterness and resentment, capitalized on by the band’s first album The New Pop Sound Of. Mason jokes blithely how the “first record is pretty much a bitterness concept album”.

And with such breezy sweet acrimony officially on sale at Tin Angel Records, surprisingly it takes a fair while to construct these potent emotions to the stage of completion. “I come up with a bass line, and three years later it might be a song” Joe adds with whimsical finesse.

“We spent about two years writing songs and practising them, and just sitting on our little secret. Getting stoned together and writing and not even playing our first gig until a year and a half after we started” comments Mason.

The Tin Angel is not only Coventry’s coolest cafe bar, record shop and label; but it’s also a sanctuary for DON'T MOVE! “I don’t think we’d still be around, or even alive if it weren’t for the Tin”, Mason discloses. The band came over from Leamington one night to do an open mic, and found themselves immediately ‘discovered’ by their manager Rich Guy.

“A couple years later we were working here, four years later we were living here, now we just use this place to practise and work as well” Joe muses of his home-from-home, come feeding ground. Mason too shudders at an existence independent from the Tin.

Up next for the band, is a single released early next year featuring jazz angel of the Tin Devon Sproule- with arrangements and production courtesy of fellow label-resident Mantler. But to immerse yourself in the blissfully melodic DON'T MOVE! for the meantime; the boys are doing a small UK tour in December, and their current album is available online and at Tin Angel Records. Wise investment.

Detroit Social Club

Newcastle’s answer to Motor City.

What do you know about Detroit Social Club? Other than that they’re an NME favourite band, they also happen to be one of the most prolific and unpretentious of contemporary music.

Emerging from Tyneside, their debut album Existence was released earlier this year containing singles Kiss the Sun and Northern Man. The band are currently touring the UK (occasionally dropping a date with Ian Brown), and it was in Birmingham pre-gig at the Rainbow on Digbeth Road that I caught up with singer David Burn.

They are an exceptional band for live shows. Their style may remind you of mid-seventies Manchester when alternative music turned to post-punk, and bands such as Joy Division and then later the Happy Mondays piped with industrial strength from behind keyboards and striking tinny drums. Very atmospheric indeed. Imagine a room full of pilled-up ravers thumping and jerking, very much in unison with their god-like singer-come-divinity afore the stage.

Front man David admits that it’s actually the decade of free love and revolution by which he’s most inspired; "I like more music from the 60s than any other decade, I think that’s the time that music became culturally relevant".

The band’s myspace states that they are ‘in no way inspired by Kate Nash’, which effectively leaves an entire sea of music remaining to shape in ebbs and flows the notes of their fancy. But there are certainly a few prominent comparisons within Detroit Social Club’s indie alternative genre; The Verve, Kasabian, The Doves, and Super Furry Animals to name a few.

But being fundamentally a guitar-driven band, David is concerned that there’s less and less of a place for organic rock bands at the moment. "Radio is getting a lot more picky, so therefore there are less guitar bands coming out. But that might be more of a result of a Britpop hangover, because we had the Libertines movement- then 2005 was about the Arctic Monkeys. So perhaps it’s time to take a backseat."

This would surely be a sad reality, and sadly it’s mostly true. The market seems essentially driven by synth-thetic electronica, disposable waste paper pop, and the bands of substance have a harder time making headway. "Record labels have become scared to put anything a little bit more avant-garde out and they have to go for that big hook, the pop song. New bands don’t have any platforms to exhibit their talent". A statement so observantly put by Detroit’s singer.

Fortunately for the sake of his, and every other aspiring mover and shaker’s mental state; David’s admirable attitude has ironed out the folds of fame before the big-time has become truly unavoidable. "A lot of bands think that being cool or having integrity is mutually exclusive to having commercial success, when I don’t think it is" he says. "As long as you know that you’re writing genuine music, then whether it sells records or not doesn’t matter".

Presenting Duncan Sheik...

Having recently dropped in a date at Leamington’s Assembly with Howard Jones, Duncan Sheik reveals how music and Buddhism have been his navigation through life.

To this date Duncan has composed music for many Broadway and West End shows, including Spring Awakening for which he won two Tony Awards. He wrote the original music for a New York Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night. Some of his work has been used for the musical adaptation of American Psycho. Music is something Duncan found very early on in life, with the encouragement of one individual in particular.

Born in New Jersey and then quickly uprooted to his grandparents’ house in South Carolina when his parents separated, Duncan’s early musical inclination gained praise and approval from his doting grandmother, a graduate of Julliard.

"There was always a piano in the house" explains Duncan, "and my Grandma would play Rachmaninoff. She was really encouraging to me".

With his mum dating the odd musician from time to time, there always seemed to be appropriate guides around who would teach Duncan more about his gift, from all about "Gibson hollow body guitars" to "what a delay pedal does".

As he grew up, music became his catharsis and his safety line when facing the "emotional turmoil everyone goes through when growing up". Modestly put, but not every raging adolescent has the ability to formulate their anxiety into song form the way that Duncan has done.

Now closer to 40, the singer songwriter has a new reason to write music. "The most important thing is that music moves me, as the person who’s made it- and therefore you have the hope that it might also reach somebody else".

Yet since finding Buddhism, Duncan believes that there’s more to life than selfish motives- even in song writing. On Buddhism, he agrees that it’s "largely about overcoming obstacles and understanding that the reason why we are here is to create value for everyone".

"When you really do have compassion for other people, then it really does affect your work- therefore your work becomes something that other people can respond to".

Duncan is currently touring the UK with Howard Jones through to the beginning of October.

Charles Dexter Ward and the Imagineers

Tales chattered through shattered teeth of witchcraft and necrophilia from the depths of Arkham Asylum- depicted for the first time from the last breaths of singer Aaron Malin.


On a murky murderous moor passed a poor forsaken band called Living With the Bear, crossing the haunted forest under a full moon to make their midnight appointment at the practise rooms. Determined, yet untalented they strived to learn their instruments as best they could in the hopes of only, if possible making an impression amongst their peers within the crypts of Coventry City.


Whilst crossing the forest, lain there before their pokey dilated eyes appeared a rusted tin dappled with silver fingerprints, and they opened it. In the swift flurry and a frosted haze appeared the ghost of Charles Dexter Ward himself! He consumed the members where they stood (regurgitating a fresh new member entirely), wrote all of their songs and taught them how to use their instruments so to strike discords of orchestrated brilliance into the hearts of the masses.


"I’m fed up of all these songs about being in a dole queue, eating a bag of chips bla bla bla. And all that telling you how it is on the street, I don’t want to know about that. So I started writing gothic songs, and I wrote one about the witch-hunt" explains singer Az Malin.


Charles Dexter Ward and the Imagineers have undeniable identity, and surely enough a following to go with it. The name comes from a dark story by H.P Lovecraft- a certified influence imprinted on the band’s facebook page. Their sound is decidedly blues rock psychedelia with twinges of Victoriana suave- in their music and their dress. Embellished dapperly in waistcoats, pocket watches and top hats; Az, Leigh, Chris and Ben spur furies of psychedelic memorials from the amps like possessed banshees. The likes of Tom Waits, John Lee Hooker, Kings of Leon and Kyuss drip from their sleeves as they shake rattle and groan through the microphone.


"That’s why I like recording, because the way I’m singing them no one knows what the fuck I’m saying" comments Aaron. "Image is massively important. We made up this mad story and everyone’s taken to it!"


Laughs aside, the band take themselves as seriously as any other group of musicians securing a local stance and trying to push their appeal as far as it‘ll go. But it’s about having fun with it too. Aaron admits that creation lies in "something that’s got a tune, and that’s got a groove. That’s the way we want to write songs. There’s an art in writing a good song, and having all the influences in there, but mostly having the basis of a good song".


In regards to getting signed, Az is often annoyed at people’s surprise to hear that they’re not a signed band. He laughingly demands to know just "how do you do it?!", though reassuringly admits: "we’re just trying to do something different on our own terms". Yet his tone turns understandingly a little resentful over the fact that "there are no rock bands at the minute, listen to the radio- it’s all pro tools synthetic shit. Even the rock music."


CDWATI would like nothing more than to yield depraved lunacy over the sound waves from the wrenches of their guts- and just how many bands can you name that sing about debauched gothic horror and Eskimo Escape? For instance "The Ballad of the Necrophiliac is about an ex-lover" Az explains, "and the point of the story is she’s dead and I’m going to dig her up and have my wicked way with her". And Witch Hunt is an equally delightful tale about spooning the eyes out of villagers suspected of witchcraft. Nothing you wouldn’t read about in Mary Shelley really.

Now the band plan to drag their shackles and chains through the forest of Charles Dexter Ward and onto pastures old, grey and quite possibly dilapidated- perhaps Dickensian London. "We’re waiting for the winter to come again. It’s been too sunny, and we’re not a summer band" states our host of scriptures. He leaves with one last statement to chew on; "Now with Halloween coming, we’re ready to emerge again".


Ensure to embrace the wrath of Charles Dexter Ward.

Black Carrot, For a Change

The king of obscure instruments Olly Betts, reveals the near-miss themes that the Carrot don’t quite have along with the rest of all that jazz…

The alternative art rockers are somewhat like a refresher course, whimsically feeding anyone who dares gamble a taste on the Carrot. Using a variety of unheard instruments including fender rhodes, a basshum recorder and a rhino sax- Black Carrot have become part of the jazz fusion genre, paying homage to Impulse! Records legends like John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders. They’re different, to say the least.

Different yes, but not so obscure that the only appeal is a pretentious cry for help, heard only by the upper class art school elite above extended silences in some jazz impromptu playing on their European sound system, as they saunter in their Italian loafers.

Not quite a blow-off-your-head-if-you-stand-to-near-to-the-speakers band, it is in fact the sound, or the mood that is most prominent about the Carrot. Stewart Brackley’s vocals are a gibbering warble woven through an avant-garde tapestry- never quite coherent, yet always an impression. And in terms of theme, it’s fair to summate that preconceived notions are never really an important constituent for the band. "They’re not particularly about anything, there’s a bit of a war theme going on. We’ve got a single out in October, and that’s got a bit of a theme about it. But no, they’re not really about anything in particular" Olly Betts, Carrot mastermind assures me.

The first misconception about Black Carrot, is that they have Eastern European roots. Olly justly announces, "People were saying "you sound like Faust or Neu! or like all these German things of which I’ve never owned a record, before we started doing it".

In actual fact they’re signed to Coventry-based label Tin Angel Records, and have gained a mostly bohemian following within the city and across Midlands; despite dwelling mostly in home town Market Harborough. The UK may have been the feeding ground for Black Carrot- and a tour around the country is not unlikely- but they have previously stepped outside of the UK to measure the acceptance in Eastern Europe. Two trips to Poland can be sighted on their résumé- if not purely to see how a jazz fusion band might go down in the country famed for ‘disco polo’.

"We’ve got a mate over there, who organised this little thing- a tour sounds a bit grand- we just played down his local. It sounds a lot grander than it was… It was fun. The first night we played we had cleared the place, bar from one, which is quite an achievement", states Olly unassumingly. He continues on to say "The second time we toured there, we took our storyteller with us, and we even more bad press".

The fact is that the band don’t really care if you like them of not. They're respectfully of a more mature set these days, never needing to actively seek approval. They are instead applying themselves to an experiment, of a kind. Now after working away for round about 10 years, the general temperament can be summarised by; "We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing. No one’s going to get us anyway, so it doesn’t really matter!"

Rousing words from the Carrot’s musical ‘let’s pick it up and see what happens’ frontrunner, who reveals no ostentatious background in sight when it comes to instrumental competence. "I’ve played woodwinds forever really, and I think keys is just something I fell in to. We haven’t been trained, Stew knows what he’s doing musically, but the rest of us- we don’t- we just sort of find it and play it". He continues to disclose that "We started off trying to be a bit of a, not a jazz band, but an out-there Sun Ra sort of jazz thing. And it gelled into what we’re doing now".

So when there is a theme? Well so far they have composed a soundtrack to works on Edgar Allan Poe, and Franz Kafka amidst others, which they recorded with temporal bard Nigel Parkin. But that’s old news, and presently fans can look forward to a new record on the horizon... "They’ll be a new album next year, possibly" Olly just barely prophesises. "Hopefully be a double one- out in the Tin Angel, at some point. We’re sort of just thinking about it at the moment".

So if you maybe, sort of, might quite like to give Black Carrot a listen, then previous albums are available at the Tin Angel or on the band’s website.

Primeline Artist to Launch EP

Up-and-coming dubstep star on first release…

Primeline: Coventry’s non-profit youth organization currently promoting hip hop, dubstep, and grime in the community. It is a record label with Coventry roots, looking to help unrepresented young artists from all walks of life.

Amec: not an American share-holding company as perhaps you first thought, but rather the next artist eagerly awaiting his launch date. But given his plan, there may be a day when you can actually invest shares in the enterprise that becomes Amec.

Within the next couple of months Amec releases his debut EP- a few tracks which represent the time and training he has received through Primeline. The artist learnt his trade at a youth centre known as the ‘Venny’, in the Henley Green area of Coventry. From this base, the organization focus their energy honing the talents of unrepresented youths looking to express themselves.

Amec began on the dubstep path out of a social inclination. He explains "I used to go out to my mate’s car and listen to drum and bass in the back". After that it wasn’t long before the team at the Venny got him into recording.

"Really it was just trial and error- just stick me on it, tell me what would break it so I know then what not to do. I got advice from my mentors there, listened to different types of music and just found my own sound from that".

Amec’s sound itself is not strictly dubstep and he ensures to involve a variety of genres into his work. "I’ll always try different things. My love will always be dubstep, drum and bass but I’ll always try to make other stuff." He adds that "I do like the Arabic sound, I like the whole snake charmer thing", and he so far he has an existing track which make use of Chinese Zen sounds.

Dubstep really emerged as a genre within the last decade but has mostly been treated as a trend on the outside of mainstream awareness. Amec recognizes that it gains most recognition in the Midlands, Shropshire, Bristol, and London music scenes, and believes strongly that "it needs to be more commercial. If they give it a chance on radio, then a lot more people will buzz in to it".

The genre becomes increasingly attractive as we plunge further into the electronic age. Traditionally music takes timely and costly means to produce to a commercial standard, yet dubstep is the bass-heavy alternative reflecting the work of good computer skills.

On his tracks, Amec says that theoretically he "can get one done in two or three hours", although he admits that "another time it can take two or three months. It’s just translating what’s in your head, to what’s on the computer".

So with all the right tools and enthusiasm provided by the producers at the Venny- who strongly emphasize passion and a love of music over the money-making machines of industry; Amec prepares to make his impression and take his art as far as he can.

"I’d love to make it some sort of full-time career, whether it’s engineering, or making music for other artists under an assumed name. Kind of like Timberland, I‘d love to be doing something like that".

Listen out for his name in the coming months.

Primeline Built on Passion

Coventry youth organization determined to succeed against all odds.

Primeline Music is a is a newly founded recorded label helping young artists to follow a passion, removed from the reins often seized by the wider music industry.

It is comprised of a team of people willing to help promote local talent- without the funding that major labels can so readily supply. The label is instead run on the belief and passion of it’s contributors, leaving monetary ambition far from priority.

Based in a youth centre known as ‘The Venny’ in the Henley Green area of Coventry, the non-profit organization boosts the productivity of youths who may not have otherwise had the chance. Removing the capital from the project leaves an enterprise solely focussed on talent, music, and education.

Carl Farquharson Primeline Coordinator, feels that "Primeline is a record label that’s about putting out great music that is new and edgy from talented young artists that would not normally get the chance to showcase their music".

Though not only focussed on helping young musicians, the label also provides the scope and voluntary employment opportunity for young up-and-coming journalists, PAs, promoters, technicians and many other roles required to produce the music and put it out onto the market.

The project is not strictly local either, and Michael Bailey (Primeline Director) can reveal that "Primeline works with talented people from all walks of life including inner city communities, some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country to develop and create new opportunities for young people to harness their music and enterprise skills".

They are currently promoting acts focussed on grime, hip hop and dubstep; but are looking for, and would encourage artists of all genres. Think of them as a local unfunded version of Island Records- bearing the same unbiased agenda as their enterprising foregoer.

The current tracks can be considered a product of technology, and Primeline provide the tools and the guidance for the youths involved to use to become competent artists.

From this point in time, Primeline look forward to nothing more than to recruit the artists that stand-out and make people react- whatever style of music that may encompass.

HotBeds Debut EP Release

If isolation and alienation are the products of living in London, then London has been the factory for HotBeds’ debut EP.

IntenseCity carries the notion of seclusion over a synthy wave, and across dance floor rhythms; sounding almost like a product of the ‘80s. It reflects the intense disaffection that can be generated when living in a big city- literally as it says on the tin. The songs are extremely lyrically focussed, and so the storytelling element confirms a genuine truth that can easily touch upon empathy and also make for sing-along material. Tracks such as Stop Forgiving and Frantic particularly epitomise life in London, and the latter could surely prove to be a club hit.

The band’s influences have often been cited as Gary Numan, Joy Division, and the Pet Shop Boys. I would add The Killers and present-day Madonna to the list, but having such a marble jar of influences will sadly always strip individuality away from composition.

The album is also tediously repetitive, and the lack of texture and refusal to alter from an incredibly monotone formula prevents HotBeds from striking out with any particular audible impact. The last official album track Christmas Started in October seems to provide the first break from continuity, but the most soul is revealed in the bonus unplugged tracks at the end.

London electro-rock duo HotBeds stand on the verge of releasing their debut album IntenseCity on September 6th, when their hybrid genre will be available on CD and download.

Resurrection Men

The local band including singer-guitarist Brendan Casey who have spent years achieving a perfect balance, though reluctantly totalitarianism has been lost somewhere along the way...

It’s almost as though Resurrection Men float on the dirtiest side of the river Styx- or at least of Coventry canal. They’re the city’s filthiest rock band who, with one EP under their belts released by the band themselves earlier this year, have much more to prove.

It all started about seven or eight years ago when musician Brendan Casey, and ‘Brother’ Parge formed a band called Tawt. This outfit ran for about three years but was all becoming a bit too much of a democracy (it seems that a fascist regime is a far better system for running a band), and so Brendan and Parge set out to start something new.

“Resurrection Men” was a name devised by the parent of an ex-girlfriend; a title which comes from a book by Ian Rankin. But the band, it seems, has little connection with the literature and instead just liked the idea behind the name. “I thought it sounded like a Christian band at first. But I’ve got over that” voices Brendan.

So then with a variety of ‘bitches’ all pinched from other bands- Brendan also being the first drummer in the Sequins, and now bassist in photographer Steve Gullick’s brainchild Tenebrous Liar- the line-up was set to thump and grind. Andy Whitehead, the band’s third guitarist, was playing mainly with local musician Wes Finch in the Dirty Band; as well as working with Tin Angel artist Devon Sproule prior to Resurrection Men- and now he gets on with all three. Then drummer Peej Treehorn is of the Treehorns and bassist ‘Majik’ Alex Miles also plays in Invitation to Love- an alternative, slightly psychedelic congregation which also features: Brendan Casey. Keeping up with the cov-cest?

Much to the Casey-Parge dictatorship’s outrage; Resurrection Men turned into yet another democracy, and they were forced to accept ideas from other members of the band which developed a somewhat avant-garde style. “Alex is young so he’s got lots of ambition. Whereas I’m a bit jaded now, a bit tired” admits Brendan.

With the settled and current line-up, the band’s sound is most noticeably akin to a fusion of Beefheart, the Meat Puppets and The Damned- but there are many many more influences coming into play the more you listen, and the longer you listen. A song called ‘Still Remains’ is glaringly Nirvana-esque, but it is ‘Hole in the Road’ and ‘Fits’ which strike out most prominently, and these two tracks admittedly touch upon the band’s identity.

Currently you can catch them almost on a weekly basis playing in and around Coventry, using the city as a sort of training ground until they release their next CD toward the end of the year. But despite feeling fairly content with sticking around to build up a local following at the moment; Brendan believes that “bands can get a bit stuck in their comfort zone”, and also that “it would do a lot of Coventry bands good by playing out more”. The Resurrection Men are taking their time to branch out in reach for their potential, and to develop their structure into something of a more diverse nature. It is Brendan’s not-so-distant dream that “after a little while longer it would be nice to challenge the people we play to a bit. Once we’ve got people that come and see us, then we can start pissing them off” – the fascist undertones remain practically undeniable...

But seriously, Brendan and the other Men love the tightness of the Coventry music scene and feel that it’s a sad state of affairs that the London media paint a negative picture of it. It’s all ‘destitute working class’ and ‘lines at the job centre’ since The Enemy broke out and told them that’s how it is here in Coventry; and Brendan personally resents the fact that the city is often labelled as “everyone being so poor they can’t afford to do anything. And everyone loves Oasis”.

Resurrection Men however, land on the other side of the horizon to Oasis. You can instead imagine a troop of marching zombies in the desert, rising out of the Wild West like alternative gypsies- riffing and licking blues-rock in the dirt. It’s far closer to the ideal.

Godiva Rocks!

So you spent your Glasto savings getting through the recession... Or perhaps they rejected your photograph because it looked like a prison mug shot. What choice does this leave? Well it may not have showcased the hottest acts you wanted to see, but at least Coventry’s Godiva Festival was a free local event. And it has proven once again to be the perfect opportunity to unite hoards of people in the name of bands in the sun- and otherwise in sweaty tents.

Taking place in the War Memorial Park from the 2nd to the 4th of July, this years’ Festival spread its appeal across Leicester and Birmingham with an array of talent from all over the Midlands.

With entry at the price of a bag and body search, it was instead the beverages which drained your bank account for a few sips of pimms out of what can best be described as a shot glass stuffed with fruit. The cider seemed to be the best option to get into the festival spirit, lowest in price and strong enough to keep the approval ratings up for the variety of performances between the tents and main stage.

Combating the uproar this year regarding the lack of Coventry bands allowed to play on the main stage; it was the Whatever Stage of the Rhythm Tent which housed most of the local talent. With thanks to Inspire Cafe Bar, bands such as The Pockets as well as local favourites the Shackletons were awarded a place in the spotlight. And then the highlight of Saturday came from experimental band Black Carrot; broadcasting from the Whatever Stage with a rhino sax and basshum recorder amongst other unheard of instruments- and vocals almost as aboriginal as a didgeridoo.

The very same tent hosted the comedy stage on Friday night, and also became a platform for folk on the Sunday afternoon. The main stage took us back to the 1980s on Friday with performances from Hazel O’Connor as well as The Christians, and then became the rock stage on Saturday for headliners including Detroit Soul Club, Badly Drawn Boy (featured on the About a Boy soundtrack), and Ash at the top of the bill. Though it was perhaps earlier bands such as The Primitives and Senser which gave the most enjoyable performances- largely due to better crowd control and lower hostility.

Then Sunday was by far the most relaxed day... A time to wind down, peruse through the stalls at ease, and sample the various cuisines on offer with less chance of a hyperactive kid trampling your selection into the field. It was a day well spent at the Millsy’s stage watching singer-songwriters such as Scott Parkes and Matt Fisher (of local prog/rock enthusiasts Haunted by Humans) along with a wider list of acoustics artists.

With so many performances to pick and choose from, a circus tent, a fair ground and a row of stalls selling hippy clothing and jewellery etc; Godiva Festival 2010 was well worth a visit. Next to look forward to in the Coventry War Memorial Park, is the Caribbean Festival on the 31st of July. So prepare for a buffet of jerk-this-and-that, goat curry, stacks of fried plantain, and outlets for West Indian inspired music and attire. Keep the culture coming I say...

Breaking Glass with Hazel O'Connor

Returning from whence she came, Hazel O’Connor has returned to the Midlands for the 30th anniversary of Breaking Glass for a date at The Assembly in Leamington Spa.

Performing songs she wrote 30 years ago from her debut record Breaking Glass; Hazel is reviving the album later turned to film by bringing in local Coventry musicians The Subterraneans.

She reveals she was “enthralled by such a tight, strong band”, and from working with them before, she feels “honored to work with such brilliant lads”.

The film, about lucky breaks and rock stardom, was originally inspired by Hazel’s first album of the same title. Amongst the stars of the film were Phil Daniels (famed for Quadrophenia), and Mark Wingett (perhaps better known as PC Jim Carver in ITV’s The Bill).

Originally born in Coventry, the days from hanging around in The Dive (now Rosie Malone’s) and the Golden Cross; have long been exchanged for spending most of her time living in Ireland.

Yet she has fond memories of going to venues come-and-gone such as The Lanch, where she claims she “saw all the best bands of that era, and even before that era”. In particular she remembers a young Marc Bolan “when he hadn’t made T-Rex, and he was still doing Tyrannosaurus Rex- just sat on the front of the stage singing ‘Debora’ with bongos”.

Having attended the Leamington Spa Art College, ironically Hazel has “never done a gig in Leamington in [her] life”. But now on the anniversary of Breaking Glass, there seemed no better time to do it.

So what’s next for Hazel? Well look out for more collaborations with The Subterraneans, dates with her jazz outfit the Bluja Project, and work with harpist Cormac De Barra. She’s a woman who believes in having a plan; and even “if the direction changes, you’ve just got to change with it”.

Long Road to Success?

Coventry four-piece Long Road Ghosts bring about the Return of the Underdogs…

There are probably many impressions, thoughts, or memories which come to mind about the historic city of Coventry. Though long gone are the days of plucky women riding naked on horseback, or wartime bombings and Cathedral ruins- or that curious ring road running through the centre. Actually the last part remains there still and rarely fails to anger a large number of out-of-towners. Yet Coventry itself has been standing peacefully for many years without disruption. So now during a serge and uprising of musical talent, can it all be rumbled again?

From the grey skies overhead, disturbed only by the three spires impaling from below; the Long Road Ghosts drop like tiny grunge bombs bearing nothing but an LP and a single promise.

It is in fact their debut album Return of the Underdogs that they not-so-modestly bear; and indeed a promise to smash to the forefront of all Coventry talent in a year that is set for the "Shackletons, Echo Empire and Long Road Ghosts to blast it" informs guitarist Peter Dowsett. And when is an underdog ever wrong? However, in this case it may all be a little less than accurate…

The album starts with a very Pistols-esque guitar riff over marching drums on Everything Good Goes Bad in the End, and although fairly striking; the track mainly sets the wheels rolling for the in-your-face monotony that you can expect to follow. Then Book of Matches as well as Workin’ 4 Nothin’ feel a bit as though they’re riding on that ‘indie band’ sound wagon which has long been worn out and stamped ‘generic’. Though the songs don’t deserve to be tarred with the same tired brush as perceivably ‘generic indie’; as they’re actually have a bit deeper than that. You can hear the tints of Oasis, Kasabian and 80s thrash metal bands such as Anthrax and Megadeth all woven- at times quite intricately- into the quick-fire pace.

And unfortunately, quick-fire pace is mostly what the band have to offer; a lot of the structure seems overly contrived and perhaps in places a little bit too over-thought. The emotion that the ‘Ghosts convey feels incredibly linear; and heart and soul is too often exchanged for anger and bitterness. For this reason it’s hard to feel connected with the songs, so until For the Million Times (You Say That You‘re Sorry) pipes in at track eight; you’d be hard-pushed to find any warmth. Yet this track is one of the most passionate of the entire album, and ska undercurrents do their best to force out the soft emotion beneath vocals which fail to shift from angry bursts. Actually a lot of the vocals, provided by singer Andy Kennel sound incredibly Cribs-like, especially in tracks 2 Steps and Collaborator; where it becomes quite imaginable that a Jarman was roped into production at some point.

Taking aboard all the grunge acts to precede them, the title track Return of the Underdogs is quite early-on My Chemical Romance- who also crafted their sound from the punk and grunge movements to come before. Plastic Gun is one of the more immediately stronger tracks of the album; and perhaps it’s prominence relates to how emotionally in-tune it seems after an amalgamation of mostly harsh thrashing. Then final track Couldn’t Sleep For the First Time is arguably the best, most catchy, vocally softer, and the baseline’s time to shine with a bouncy riff. The line "Another reason for a drink, or maybe 6. Been hanging over for years" stands out nicely as one of the most prominent and well-put lines to be found on Return of the Underdogs.

The Long Road Ghosts never falter to prove themselves as talented musicians; it’s just that they’re been thrown into a can of 80’s thrash metal and shaken about to disorientation; having had their souls ejected at some point along the way. They’ve emerged riled and ruffled, willing to overcompensate for the loss of natural direction by tweaking and primping each song to an almost prescribed format. They are still very much worth a listen- especially if your volume’s not turned up too high.

We Are the Dead

The lively band with that bit of dark...

Given the name, We Are The Dead seem to be ironically one of Coventry’s most energetic and enthralling contenders on the music scene. With a colourful and interesting array of musical influences, they have a small and proud catalogue that wouldn’t seem out of place in a Ziggy Stardust make-believe record collection. Aside from a Bowie-driven stream of influence behind the band, Iggy and the Stooges can’t pass by without venting wind under the sails of the good ship Dead. First impressions of We Are The Dead presents a mysteriously dark and intriguing persona; yet somehow with that small and delicate pinch of sparkle. Singer Tom Simkins feels that the band should "present more than just music", and that "art and visuals should be a big part of live performance in particular".

Songs like ‘She Put My Heart in a Cage’ can best be described as getting thrown through the motions back and forth on some volatile fairground ride… but none-the-less a comfortable one. Whereas the steadier ‘Slow Burn’ remains vivid, yet creeps into your imagination with clear-cut lyrics and moderate drums lain under the temperate guitar. We Are The Dead songs don’t go without a touch of Suede, and ‘So Damn Pretty’ replenishes the kind of 90’s tunes missed from when bands like Pulp and Blur were in their heyday. Then their grungier number ‘I’ll Be Your World’ starts with a thrash reminiscent of a dingy CBGB’s stage featuring Iggy Pop (the former version of today’s sinewy figure we can’t avoid on daytime TV insurance adverts), before becoming increasingly synthy.

As for the live shows; jumping and crawling are not qualities to be unexpected, and singer Tom Simkins makes sure to keep his showmanship interesting. He certainly looks the part wearing trilby hats, waistcoats, and a splash of purple involved somewhere. Want to know where you can catch them next? Find them at www.myspace.com/wearethedeadspace and make sure to give them a listen.

The Sequins: The Risky Woods Review

By Joanne Ostrowska

Proving that there’s still a heart in a genre thought to be selling its soul; The Sequins bring a sweet pinch of sentimental dazzle to indie pop. With their EP entitled The Risky Woods, it seems more likely you would encounter Lorraine Kelly rather than any goblins or trolls out in rural fantasia; despite what the front cover may convey.

They "make pop songs with guitars" admittedly; and the result is somewhat like combining Roy Orbison with the Maccabees on the edge of Dr. Parnassus’s Imaginarium. Yet in a land far far away from fairytale make-believe; The Sequins can currently be found gigging around the venues of Coventry- the city of three spires and almost no obvious woodland. They play in a sea of gritty rock n’ roll and blues; combating the most dominant themes piping from their hometown with an enchanting quality- which is at times, haunting. Perhaps it is best to describe their songs as downright jaunty, yet coming from a contrastingly sorrowful place. Vocalist Hywel Roberts sings with dainty charm; almost as though a voice could walk over eggshells. And guitar provided by Justin Hui is succinctly plucked and fired up alternately; a good concentration of the bands outright energy. The band’s EP sounds a bit like stop-motion animation.

All That We Know is wistfully vibrant; the instrumentals thoroughly rev up momentum where it’s needed in a Queen-esque fashion, and the vocals pepper the down-time with a blissfully melancholic warble. Space Travel in Your Blood has the makings of a jazz number with salsa undertones, and delicate psychedelic touches. Then The Chiming Bells contains shades of both light and dark; it takes you from the yellow brick road to the backstreets of Oz faster than a Munchkin. Angeline is almost like a journey; perhaps on an aeroplane, maybe as part of an escape adventure- but most likely because Freddie Mercury wants his riffs back. Finally Offside & Beautiful finishes the EP off on a classical, more romantic note; imaginably like dancing a waltz under the glare of frosty pale moonlight. The song naturally leads to a peppier crescendo, but otherwise the vocals in particular are floating down like feathers.

If The Sequins was a place, it would surely be a land of magical enterprises; a spell-binding flurry of sparkle- located somewhere near to Narnia. A trip to The Risky Woods for some indie tunes or turkish delight anyone? Find out more at www.myspace.com/thesequinsspace

Shackletons: Album Review

Shackletons
Life’s Losing Love

By Joanne Ostrowska

Monopolizing Coventry’s rising and thriving musical serge, the Shackletons have finally released their long-awaited debut album. Life’s losing Love is the homegrown and tenderly nurtured product years in the making, as the band took time to carefully craft their catalogue and alter their line-up. It’s just as well too, as latest addition and bassist Paul Hartry finally sent the album through production in his home studio. The result is a fresh sounding pop record with nostalgic qualities drawn from influences including Neil Young, Frank Zappa and The Faces.

Firing off with the short and snappy ‘Deal or New Deal’, the Midlands five-piece spend only one and a half minutes to sing of job centre queues and the perks of unemployment; all held together with a few rounds of sha la la la la las. The next track ‘Nobody Cares if You’re Dead’ exemplifies perfectly some of the best use of harmonica and slide guitar which continues throughout the next 10 tracks. Some of the more softer and mellow numbers such as ‘Too grown up’ sound like the possible product of an angsty teenager; but the lyrics go beyond petty adolescent insecurities. And so burns the soft and smouldering embers which crackle beneath the subsequent fire and ardency fuelling the band’s objectives.

Written in homage to singer Reid Currie’s dad, ‘Hold On’ opens with beautiful vocal harmonies from guitarist Ryan Every; and the entirety wastes no spillages in oozing sweet sentiment. However, the line "all you need is a hat to tip and a hole to take a shit" seems to emerge uncomfortably in an otherwise placidly-flowing tune. Working their bluegrass side, the revved up ‘Train Keeps Rollin’’ shows the band’s country western roots before feeding into the breezy ‘No Expectations’. Then songs don’t come more heartfelt than ‘Love Lets You Down’; the eighth track on the album is one of those spine-tingling numbers which you solely repeat for the first few plays of the album. The vocal harmonies, almost ska-like rhythm, and slide guitar solos flow directly through your ear drums and pull on your heart strings.

As a front-man, Reid aptly switches between a Dylan-esque enthusiast and Faces’ style Rod Stewart; yet not without a strong sense of individuality, and never failing to nail personal expression and emotion. Toward the end of the album comes a Zappa moment when the introduction of ‘When the Rain Comes’ pays tribute to one of the bands’ shared influences… "This is a message…" is therefore voiced over Ryan and Paul harmonizing the word "rain" repeatedly. Then ‘Time Goes By’ is another good example of slide guitar; played behind a set of contemplative lyrics, before the harmonica flares back up again in the final song of the record. ‘Wait Until the Morning Comes’ is almost like a mellowed down version of the first Faces’ hit ‘Stay With Me’, and a perfect way to round off the unruffled temperament of the entire album.

Life’s Losing Love is a 12 track search for meaning, and the bigger implications of life. If slow and steady wins the race, then the Shackletons should be careful not to sacrifice their prize for a potentially botched follow-up; as apparently their next album is already in the pipe-line. However, I get the feeling they’ll be no rushed catastrophes from this group of ardent devotees, and you’ll be doing nothing but holding on for another cracker!