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Wednesday, 03 December, 2008

PLANETNOTION TELEVISION!

CAMERA-FOLK AND FILM EDITORS WANTED!

Planet Notion is looking for guys and dolls to film and edit features for its new TV channel, PNTV. Accompanying Notion to artist interviews, gigs, fashion shows, festivals and international events, you will be skilled, passionate and full of ideas about how to produce shit-hot video content. Camera-folk will be experienced and ideally have their own equipment, or at least access to equipment, while editors must be able to turn projects around quickly, and with stylistic flare. If you can both film and edit content, we would especially like to hear from you! These casual, unpaid positions would be ideal for those looking to develop their showreels, and to get the chance to travel, film major artists and top events.

Please email lucy(at)musichqmedia
(dot)com if you’re interested in getting involved, cheers!

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Peaches

Canadian-born, sometime Berlin resident Merril Beth Nisker, aka Peaches, has fans obsessed with her crotch, has had a song featured in 'Lost in Translation', recorded a duet with Iggy Pop and even introduced a new word to the English language. New album 'Impeach my Bush' is here to challenge, educate and encourage. It even features a song that can be played on the radio... The 'Trash Companion Volume One' features a live performance of 'Rock Star' by Peaches at London's "premiere alternative clubnight" in 2001. And I was there. Genuinely I was. Being a fan of Chilly Gonzales at the time I had to check out his compadre and label-mate. It was completely insane. A Jewish lady in her mid-30s thrusting in pink PVC hotpants with, shall we say, a 70s-style bikini line and people fighting to take shots of this momentous occasion. In the words of the lady herself: "It was so goddamn packed that the makeshift stage was the size of a coffee table, bouncers stood in front of the stage at seven feet tall and Mignon and I had to climb on them throughout the show so that we could get up close and personal on the crowd's ass." Her first album, entitled 'The Teaches of Peaches', sounds like it cost about a dollar to produce and is total, utter filth. The opener 'Fuck the Pain Away' was, for obvious reasons, never played on the radio but hear it in a club and it would get people thrusting like their lives depended on it. It was featured in 'Lost in Translation' as the soundtrack to Bill Murray's bemusement at watching a lady pole-dancing inches from his face. "The (audience) doesn't want to have sex with me, necessarily, they just want to have sex ...I see myself more as a conduit for sex. In the middle of one show, my sound guy grabbed his girlfriend and went to the bathroom to fuck." In the words of Miss Hilton, now that's hot. "When I opened for Bjork and played 'Fuck the Pain Away'", she recalls, "there were 17, 000 people there and I couldn't believe how many knew the lyrics and sang along! People have told me, "you'll never get that song on the radio, or TV," but it's amazing how many know it. If people want the music, they're gonna get it." Her second album not only features her bearded visage on the front but is entitled 'Fatherfucker'. That particular title could have scared people away but Peaches isn't in it for the shock factor. "In the "Peaches" way," she explains, "I'm not one to shy away from controversial words, I just turn them around to my liking. It really was the best title; all the machismo versus libido versus femininity ...it just seemed to fit and take it to a new level." And the story behind that particular title? "Why do we call our mothers motherfuckers? Why do we stub our toe and say "Aww, motherfucker?" What is motherfucker? ...We use it in our everyday language and it's such an insanely intense word. I'm not one to shy away from these obscene terms that we actually have in our mainstream. Motherfucker is a very mainstream word. But if we're going to use motherfucker, why don't we use fatherfucker? I'm just trying to be even." Interesting theory, shame it doesn't seem to have been inducted into popular use since the album's release. Single, and standout track 'Kick It' is a collaboration with the snake-hipped one - Iggy Pop. What was it like to work with the man himself? "Iggy and I had just met at one of his surprise performances at the Short List Awards in LA. I played the night before and I just happened to be there and I was like "oh, can I come tomorrow night?" So I did, and then I told him to come and see me play in Miami after his performance was, again, blowing me away like always. He actually did show up at my show and had my album and said it was great and was waiting for the live show and loved the live show. I really, really enjoyed meeting him. Later he called me and told me that he took 'Rock Show' and sang over it and said, "I want to put it on my album," so I said, "OK, then you have to be on mine," and he said, "OK, write us something." So I actually wrote the whole thing. I got to basically direct his parts and say, "hey Iggy, sing it like this." I wanted to debunk the myths that I'm only about sex, which I'm sure most people get already, because it's really about the big blanket of sex in terms of gender and all kinds of things, not just sucking and fucking. In the Iggy track, I wasn't like, "hey Iggy, you got a big one, wanna fuck me?" It was more like going back and forth and really just rock n' roll. I also got to be the guitar player, which was really exciting." And he returned the favour? "Yeah, I was also featured on his album. I have a band with Chilly Gonzales and Taylor Savvy - a backing band. We only do rock riffs. That rock band is older than Peaches, but it still goes on. When we play it's really quite intense and fun. Iggy asked me, "do you have any more songs for my album?" I sent him a few tracks and he used one of those too." Now that you are in the same league with these superstars, do you find yourself at all starstruck? "With Iggy Pop and definitely (director) John Waters. Oh my god, meeting him I was like so nervous. He was so nice. He was just like, "oh get out of your dressing room and come meet my friends." With Matthew Barney, I was pretty starstruck too; he was on the Bjork tour. I was like "rraaooawoa," but he's totally cool. You meet people in the right context and then it’s fine." How did the collaboration with (former Notion cover star) Pink come about? "(After getting an initial offer from Britney) I thought, "what can I write for her that they're not gonna water down?" But when Pink approached her to contribute an intro rap to 'Oh My God', she jumped at the chance. "She said, "this needs you on it!" I was psyched. So I wrote some raps and we did a little thing together and I'm really happy about it. She's not afraid to be sexy and raw; she's not a puppet like some people think." You've opened for possibly the widest variety of singers and bands ever. How do you deal with harsh reactions and heckling from audiences? "It's cool. I mean, I really feel like Lenny Bruce in those situations. You really find out where people are at when you're putting your way out there. I actually feel really good heckling my audiences. It usually doesn't happen in my audiences; it happens when I open for other people. Like when I opened for Queens of the Stone Age, someone shouted, "get off the stage, gay man," or "you suck!" and I'm like, "yeah, and I swallow," and they're like, "oh, she just got you at your own game buddy." I turn them round right there. So, it's important for me to do that. But I must say I didn't get blazingly high or drunk before I opened for them because I really wanted to be able to come back, because I knew it wasn't my audience. I had to be doubly on top of things. When I opened for Bjork, it was because she wanted me to, not because some agency said, "oh, it's good for Peaches' career," or whatever. So I did and then her audiences were really tough, too - they wanted their little angel, and rightly so. She's amazing, you know? I was upsetting them; they were screaming at me, "shut up!" Of course there is always the half that is totally into it, giving signs like "I love you." So, it's not all negative, and that's the point, that it's positive and negative. People are actually having a reaction, that's important." Is the name Peaches taken from the song 'Four Women' by Nina Simone? "I don't think that I'm a black slave or something like that, but it was just because at the end of the song, she sings, "what do they call her, they call her Peaches!" and the way she said it was just so raw and so pure and energetic; I was like sing it to me. So I changed my name so she'd be singing it to me." 'Impeach my Bush' is Ms Nisker's third album. Some of the people who make appearances on this album include Joan Jett, Josh Homme, the Gossip's Beth Ditto, Samantha Maloney (formerly drummer with Hole) and her one-time roommate, Leslie Feist. The title leads you to think Peaches has cleaned up her act and gone all political on our asses but that couldn't be further from the truth. 'Two Guys For Every Girl' is her reaction to hearing approximately a zillion songs about guys and their fantasy of two women. Peaches, aided and abetted by Beth Ditto on chorus vocals, turns that on its head, "I wanna see you do your little nasty brother." 'Boys Wanna Be Her' is an electro AC/DC track about a girl rocker that everyone wants. Samantha Maloney is onboard to play drums as one quarter of Peaches' new live band. The line-up is completed by ex-Courtney Love guitarist Radio Sloan and JD Samson from Le Tigre on keytar and sequencing. This will be the first band she has ever toured with and means the Peaches live experience will be even more of a sheer rock n' roll free for all. The first single to be released from the album is 'Downtown'. Lauren Laverne played it on her breakfast show on XFM and a handful of listeners called into ask why she was playing the kind of pop tripe on her show that belongs on Capital FM. Oh, if only they knew. 'IMPEACH MY BUSH' IS AVAILABLE NOW THROUGH XL RECORDINGS. SEE PEACHES LIVE AT THE CARLING WEEKENDER. WORDS: LYNSEY HOSKINS PHOTOGRAPHY: TYLER SHIELDS

tags: | peaches | canada | berlin | merril beth nisker | lost in translation | iggy pop | more...

Nouvelle Vague

Journeyman producer/composer Marc Collin has worked on various musical projects since the 80s, including underground electronic act Volga Select (with superstar DJ Ivan Smagghe), and various film and television scores. In 2003, he conceived the idea of reworking his favourite new-wave punk hits into lo-fi lounge covers, and his good friend and longtime collaborator, Olivier Libaux, was invited along for the ride. Guest vocalists, including Camille and Sir Alice, were the sweet and seductive cherries on the top, and Nouvelle Vague were ready to conquer the world, peacefully. Paris-based Nouvelle Vague crept up on an unsuspecting public in 2004 with an eponymously titled, kitsch selection of classic post-punk songs remade as down-tempo bossa-nova numbers. Well-known tracks such as 'Just Can't Get Enough' by Depeche Mode, and even 'Teenage Kicks' by The Undertones were stripped of their punk credentials, and reconstructed into lilting and, occasionally, sinister lounge numbers. The two extraordinary guest chanteuses were chosen not only on the basis of their incredible vocal talents, but also with the proviso that they were too young to be familiar with the original versions of the songs. As if the music itself wasn't post-modern enough, the album cover art was also lovingly crafted by hip designer, Giles Deacon as an exercise in lo-fi, noir-ish cool. Even their name was too good to be true, translating as "bossa-nova" in Portuguese, to match their sound, and "new-wave" in English, in line with their inspiration. Before long, it seemed every chi-chi bistro and coffee shop in the land was placating their customers with the soothing pastiches, and album sales soon topped a staggering 200,000 worldwide. Nobody anticipated the overwhelming success of what was essentially a quirky concept album, least of all the band themselves. This left the group with a new challenge. How could they please an adoring public that demanded another piece of the band, while still remaining true to their original concept? Marc Collin: "After the unanticipated worldwide success of Nouvelle Vague's eponymous debut album, it seemed obvious that we had to continue the project. Keeping to the original concept - re-arranging the greatest, but rarely covered early 80s post-punk numbers in an original and personal way - we tried to once again re-evaluate music that was seldom considered in terms of real songs." Named after an esteemed Jean-Luc Godard new-wave movie, forthcoming album, 'Bande à Part' once again draws inspiration from snapshots of an exotic, romanticised past, but draws on a range of new influences and sounds to achieve a different vision. Where the debut album was drenched in 'Girl From Ipanema' era Rio chic, 'Bande à Part' looks to an earlier period, and to different climes, for inspiration. In Marc's words: "I had the idea to set these songs in a very different dimension, namely the Caribbean between 1940 and 1970. Just as on the first album I'd imagined a young Brazilian girl singing 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' on a Rio beach in the 60s, this time I envisaged a young Jamaican with his acoustic guitar singing 'Heart Of Glass' in his Kingston township suburb." While retaining the laidback, summery vibe of the last album, this time elements of reggae, ska, calypso, salsa and even Haitian voodoo can be detected if you listen hard enough. Once again, the group have enlisted the services of several talented guest vocalists including several new voices. Gerald Toto is the first male to enter the fold, although his gender isn't immediately discernible from the sound of his voice, as his beguiling vocals are is inflected with masculine and feminine tinges. A definite highlight of the album, his beautiful rendition of 'Heart Of Glass' recalls 'The Tide Is High', Blondie's own stab at a reggae cover. Villeneuve lead-singer and M83 collaborator, Melanie Pain once again participates in several tracks on the new album, as do Marina Celeste, Silja, and the Australian, Phoebe Killdeer, who recently superceded Camille as tour vocalist. All are accomplished solo recording artists in their own right, and it is the subtlety and range of their vocals that separate Nouvelle Vague from the ten-a-penny competition found in the "chill-out" section of record stores. When it came to track selection, the group were hard pushed to come up with a more intriguing line-up than last time. The formula that worked so well on the last album has not been deviated from, with mouthwatering hits such as New Order's 'Blue Monday' rubbing shoulders with more unlikely numbers, like Billy Idol's shameless ode to masturbation, 'Dancing With Myself'. One of the most fascinating inclusions on the album is the ambitious reworking of Visage's gothic synth-pop standard, 'Fade To Grey'. Marc Collin: "I had a particular scene in my mind: a young blind girl singing 'Fade To Grey' in the corridors of the Parisian Metro, alone with her accordion, ignored by everyone." A real stand-out on the album, the haunting track serves as an effective testament to the craft of Nouvelle Vague, as the original is used as a mere canvas upon which their own vision is painted. Fans of the original artwork won't be disappointed either. The Guardian named 'Nouvelle Vague' as one of their 10 most beautiful album covers of 2004, and the latest installment is sure to garner similar accolades. Renowned fashion illustrator Julie Verhoeven was sought out for her edgy style of illustration that has previously been seen gracing the pages of The Face and Dazed And Confused, as well as the cover of Primal Scream and Kate Moss's 'Some Velvet Morning' single. While in keeping with the lo-fi, cinematic image of the first album she has managed to introduce a hint of the avant-garde this time around, with her hand-painted rendering of a shadowy female figure. Whether you like it or not, Nouvelle Vague are set to be the soundtrack of your summer once again, and you'll be hard pressed to find a more pleasant wave to ride. NOUVELLE VAGUE’S SECOND ALBUM, ‘BANDE À PART’ IS AVAILABLE NOW, ON PEACEFROG RECORDINGS AND PIAS. LIVE DATES INCLUDE: BIG CHILL, SUMMER SUNDAE, JAZZ CAFÉ PICNIC, SECRET GARDEN IN CAMBRIDGE AND THE CARLING WEEKENDER. JAZZ CAFÉ PICNIC FEATURING: ZERO 7, FEMI KUTI & POSITIVE FORCE, NOUVELLE VAGUE, BREAKESTRA, KOOP AND SNOWBOY & THE LATIN SECTION TAKES PLACE AT MARBLE HILL, TWICKENHAM ON SUNDAY AUGUST 13TH. WORDS: CASPER CLARK

tags: | nouvelle vague | marc collin | volga select | dj | music | dance | ivan smagghe | more...

Mr Scruff

Andy Carthy (aka Mr Scruff) has a record shop. And a new compilation. That's just for starters, before you even get on to the mix album and his ongoing work on a fourth artist album for Ninja, the label he's called home for nigh on eight years. This morning as he chats to Notion at his Stockport home, he's characteristically affable, and more than a little relaxed. First up - the shop. Voxpopmusic is something of an institution in Manchester since its inception in 1999, and Scruff clearly enjoys his role as new joint owner. But is there any truth to the rumour that the shop has the old Hacienda kitchen sink for sale? "Er, I'm not sure actually. We're getting loads of memorabilia and stuff, but that does seem a bit over the top. The Hacienda does do that to people though, I heard of a guy who bought the DJ booth even though he had nowhere to put it. Some of those collector types are beyond comprehension really!" With an independent, specialist shop under his wing, how does he see the role of the big boys in relation to his outlet? "Well the big chains have to follow the market trends, and you have to remember the location of these shops is in the high street, so they're catering for a mainstream audience - a lot of the time for people with no particular interest in music, they just hear something on mainstream radio or see something on TV and go and buy it. They're like supermarkets, they have to make a lot of money and shift a large amount of a few titles. I think the vast majority of people buy music as a passing interest rather than an obsession, and when you're into "specialist" music you can't really complain about that. Something like Voxpop is catering for collector's records and specialist music, for people who are after something very specific." When asked about his current projects, Andy modestly refers to "a few bits and bobs. I've got a forthcoming compilation coming out for the Big Chill, an unmixed set of relaxed Sunday morning music. I've got another volume of the Ninjatune Solid Steel mixes, and an artist album for Ninja that I’m halfway through. I've no idea when that’s going to be out, probably some time next year. I'm really enjoying working on that. It means there's a lot of planes to fit in, but hopefully none of them will crash to the ground before they're done." That said there's not a deadline as such on the Scruff solo album. "It's nice to step out of it for a month or so at a time and concentrate on my DJing or work in the shop for a bit or do some radio or whatever. It's good; I'm dealing with the same thing but from a load of different angles. You never lose sight of it because you can always step back and see the bigger picture, then dive straight back in again and get stuck in. Being surrounded by a lot of likeminded people, you can still retain your enthusiasm and focus and enjoy all the different aspects of it as well, it means you're learning all the time." Previously, Scruff albums have featured spectacular vocal talents such as Seaming To, but this time he's keeping his cards close to his chest. "I've been working with a few musicians and stuff like that. I'm kind of not sure yet though. It's not just about the artist but it's about whether those tracks sound good when they're finished. I have a sound in my head but then you wait until you get into the studio. It's great because I do have a lot of control over the music, obviously, but I really enjoy what other people bring to it as well. I really enjoy doing the DJing but it’s nice as well in the studio to kind of relax a bit and I like to say "well I want you to bring a bit of yourself into the studio and see how you interpret my ideas." Other people have stuff that I've never considered - a fresh talent." Domestic bliss seems as much a part of Carthy's life as mixing down a track, however, as he admits that "if I'm not in the mood to go to the studio I'll just stay in and do the washing up or something, or maybe even go away for a few days, you know. It's a bit like rotating your crops, keeping everything fresh." Artwork is a big part of the Mr Scruff package, and completes his seamless incorporation to the Ninja set-up. "It's something where I’m into it but I don’t particularly take it seriously, it’s not like I'd want to make a living out of it. I think people find it adds a bit of light-heartedness to things." On Ninja's pioneering approach to artwork, he comments, "In audio visual stuff I guess they are the world leaders in VJing and stuff. I think often with matching music up to visuals it’s been a half-arsed thing, and Ninja have gone the whole hog and made it into an incredible experience, following through to the sleeve art and the videos. And Ninja of course started off with Coldcut, who I guess are a bit like older versions of me, sideways thinking, record collecting lunatics who like a joke! Having someone like that who's a kind of mentor, who runs the label, it's great because their whole ethos comes from experimenting but having fun at the same time, you know. I think as long as you know what you're doing and you've got some focus and you're not too precious about what you do then that inspires other people to do the same." It's that refreshingly laidback yet clearly passionate approach that has made Mr Scruff many friends. It also means he’s open to new developments in the world of music, one of the newest being MySpace. "It's great for making contacts and hearing what other people have to offer. As far as making conversation goes it's a bit one-dimensional but it's also very liberating. There’s maybe some instances where people should do a little more at home before they post stuff up there, but then no-one's forced to listen to it. Often it's people just doing it for their mates. It's good for young, aspiring musicians. I mean, I grew up in Stockport where I knew two other people at school who were into hip hop. If I'd had something like MySpace I'd have been able to post stuff up there and say to people I admire, "I've just done this demo, you probably think it's rubbish but tell me what you think." It's not a life changing thing, but it's quite liberating." And with that Carthy's off to get on with his Monday, having acquitted himself with an easy charm. It's going to be a busy summer for him - catch him at a festival or club if you can. HAVE A LOOK AT THE SHOP ONLINE: WWW.VOXPOPMUSIC.COM LIVE DATES INCLUDE T IN THE PARK, LOVEBOX WEEKENDER, ACROSS THE TRACKS AND THE BIG CHILL FESTIVAL. WORDS: BEN HOGWOOD

tags: | mr scruff | t in the park | voxpopmusic | lovebox | across the tracks | big chill | dj | more...

Guillemots

Guillemots make cinematic pop that explores synthesizers and orchestras in the style of Scott Walker, with the experimentality of Talking Heads, the craftiness of Phil Spector and the psychedelic swirls of Yo La Tengo. Notion caught up with them on the eve of the release of their debut album. Music is a vast sea and Guillemots are floating, rising and riding right on the cusp of a wave that is just about to crash. We are the witnesses, this new band is going to be phenomenal. It may take another album, or maybe the one after that. But they will be wondrous. It is far too easy, as a reader, to dismiss the rapture of music critics’ applause for a new band. There will always be rave reviews about the latest new band, the next big thing. One of the problems in the music industry is that all bands are genre-bound, the major labels' imperative for everything to be easily identifiable and readily marketed to a certain record buying demographic. But there are some bands that defy categorisation, that break the mould. Guillemots are proud to be one of these. The band can simply be described as post-modern. Post-Modernism by definition allows the freedom to be eclectic, to pick and choose your own style, to dive into a melting pot of culture and style and substance. Classically trained Fyfe Dangerfield met New York jazz-schooled Aristazabel Hawkes as a teenager. The magically named pair were employed by an architect who was "designing a utopian village in Cheltenham" and in need of a soundtrack for a promotional film. "He had all these plans and everything," says enigmatic Dangerfield, "but his utopian village looked exactly like GCHQ!" The two jumped ship after a couple of querulous rehearsals - "I don't think he ever got his utopian village." They started jamming together on the improvisational jazz circuit, parting company when Hawkes left to sail musical oceans on a Caribbean cruise ship. Dangerfield began creating more experimental music, "a guy playing bass clarinet and banging these suitcases full of junk. I learnt a lot through that," he ponders. "I realised that I didn’t enjoy music if it didn't have something melodic going on. I also realised that I couldn't spend the rest of my life carting around three suitcases full of tins." He met Scottish drummer Rican Caol (Grieg Stewart) at a comedy show where his brother sat inside a large cage and told jokes with Stewart's wife. Guitarist MC Lord Magrao was recruited via the small ads. His previous incarnations include a Brazilian noise-core heavy metal band. He sent Dangerfield a message saying he could play the typewriter and the matchbox. These obviously appealed to Dangerfield's eclectic sensibilities - he replied saying that sounded great. "I knew I couldn't be in a band where everybody looks the same and listens to the same music," explains the frontman. "So instead we got together a bunch of misfits and tried to create a travelling circus atmosphere." Dangerfield is an ardent bird-watcher, hence the name. "You're never going to top birdsong as the ultimate pop music. All we can do is try to come close." Hawkes returned to complete the line-up in 2004, on the double-bass. Their early shows were met with mingled responses. "It would be the sort of thing where people would come to see us live and say it was different every time. We opened one gig banging metal and wailing and played three minutes of free jazz before the first song." After a prestigious publisher turned up at one gig, word spread like wildfire amongst the closely-knit music industry. "At the next gig there were 40 people from the music industry on the guest list. The next week there were literally 250 music industry people there, coming backstage going, "Loved that free jazz at the start." The band have the advantages of being accomplished musicians - the impetus, the knowledge and the infrastructure to free-form with quirky abandon. "Basically all we want to do as a band is jam, mess about and...and," stammers Dangerfield. Improvise? "Yes, a terrible word that." The injection of kettle noises, alarm clocks, a mewing cat, squeaky birdsong and schoolyard giggles hints that the band don’t take themselves overtly seriously. Like Kid Carpet, they have been known to dabble with sonic playfulness, messing about with plastic instruments, cowbells and electric drills onstage. MC Lord Magrao was in a group in native Brazil where he used to play a giant clothes peg. The band decided to milk the situation with the pretentious industry elite for all it was worth, convincing a prospective record label to ship Magrao's gigantic clothes peg over from Brazil - at the expense of £1300. "And we didn’t sign with them!" The band eventually signed to indie Fantastic Plastic, negotiating a deal that allows them to preserve their artistic integrity with complete creative control. "This could probably change the legal side of music forever because we've got so much freedom," Fyfe Dangerfield grins. "I'm not afraid of the pop side of things but the improvisation aspect is important too", says Dangerfield. "I really want us to have a dual approach to what we do, like, say, Brian Wilson. 'God Only Knows' is the kind of song that everyone's mum loves but you also get real music heads sitting in the room saying, "That’s amazing, it goes in 7/4 there and there's a clarinet and a triangle playing the same part," or whatever. That's what I want us to do. It's about stretching people without feeling like they're being used." Debut LP 'Through The Window Pane' is capricious and fluid. It has the same mish-mash, eclectic, endearing qualities as Bright Eyes' 'Letting Off the Happiness.' London's Air Studio, where it was recorded, is owned by legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin. It also happens to be the place where Coldplay recorded multi-platinum 'X&Y'. It is refreshing to listen to a band that can actually play their instruments. Not that there is anything wrong with the DIY approach but you feel treated as a listener to be seduced, to be aurally caressed by a variety of instruments, the raspberry ripple swirls of the saxophone, the shadowy piano, the subtle strings. 'Redwings' is sentimental without being cloying - if it was a romantic movie it would be Jean Pierre Jeunot's 'A Very Long Engagement'. A multi-string orchestra groans and sighs and whispers sweet nothings. A xylophone twinkles and sparkles like a fragile star in the background. In places, it seems as if Fyfe Dangerfield is still finding his feet as a lyricist. An occasionally clumsy or lacklustre lyric can be forgiven by the redemptive qualities of the instrumentation and perfect production. At their best the songs have a poignant, storytelling quality - painting a raw and emotive picture of a memory you had forgotten you had. Dreamy 'If The World Ends' soars emotionally and lyrically, "I think we could laugh just enough not to die in vain". Singles 'Trains to Brazil' and 'Made Up Love Song #43' are candy-crafted gems that explore the paradigms of classic pop. Guillemots are still having difficulties coming to terms with the relative success of their past few months. Starstruck Fyfe Dangerfield can't get over finding that Jake Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst had independently come to see the band at their LA gig. "Mr Gyllenhaal even came backstage to say hello and told us he knew all the words to our songs and sang along to them in his car. And seemed like a lovely chap. It's just quite odd when people you admire from films,music or whatever it might be come to see you, or say something about you in interviews... it's nice, obviously, but sort of makes you giggle a bit childishly when you think you should be old enough to deal with it rationally." He ponders, "A strange business." They have some guerilla tricks up their sleeve. A prize for inventiveness should be handed to the band who are running a competition for fans to write a set of lyrics - the band set the winning article to music. An ingenious device for scaling that wall of writer’s block? A cunning marketing ploy? A testament to individuality and an earnest desire to get fans involved in the song-writing process? Their inventiveness has earned them plaudits from Scissor Sisters, Paul Weller, William Orbit and former tour buddy Rufus Wainwright, whose jangling, grown-up pop music has reminiscent qualities. The Streets also love them - so much so that Mike Skinner included their whimsical cover of 'Never Went To Church' as a B-side on the single. The band performed at America's prestigious SXSW festival - the ultimate showcase for aspiring new talent. They are currently on a major tour. Unafraid to get a bit muddy, a bit grimy, they will be appearing at a multitude of festivals in the UK and Europe. Guillemots join the likes of Arcade Fire, CoCoRosie and Antony and the Johnsons in making exciting, exhilarating new music that cannot be simply described in words, darling little songs that cradle you gently. They have to be seen and heard to be fully appreciated. The orchestral lusciousness and sympathetic melody of debut LP 'Through The Window Pane' prophesises an exciting future for the band. Let's hope that they carry on riding this wave and that there’s plenty more where it comes from. THE ALBUM ‘THROUGH THE WINDOWPANE’ IS AVAILABLE NOW THROUGH POLYDOR. THE BAND’S SUMMER LIVE DATES INCLUDE: GUILFEST, LOVEBOX , CARLING WEEKENDER AND GET LOADED IN THE PARK. WORDS: HOLLY JADE

tags: | guillemots | scott walker | talking heads | phil spector | yo la tengo | music | band | more...

Babyshambles

Pete Doherty is a man of paradoxes. Hailed as one of the best songwriters of recent times yet people struggle to think of a single song he has written. Shies away from fame but attracts paparazzi in their droves. After a hiatus of sorts, his second band, Babyshambles, are recording new material for their second album and are making a highly anticipated one-off festival appearance later this summer. Notion caught up with them for an exclusive chat. It's a sunny Friday afternoon in central London. Some would call it a balmy summer's day. People are leaving work early and popping into the pub for a couple of pints before heading home and getting ready for the weekend. It's a nice scene and one that I have been witnessing for about three hours. You see, waiting for an interview with Babyshambles is by all accounts a long and drawn out affair. You have to wait in the pub all alone like some sad, lonely, work-shy excuse for a man because at any moment you might get a call exclaiming, "I've found Pete, he’s on his way!" Unfortunately, on this particular Friday, I never received such a call. All I received was five pints of Carling, a packet of Flamin' Hot Monster Munch and not much change. Still, there are worse ways to spend a Friday afternoon I suppose and I consoled myself with the assurance that I'd get to meet the band over the weekend or early next week. They're holed up in a studio recording new material, with no escape, so it should have been easy to sort out. For all the protestations of Babyshambolic harmony, it was about to kick off once again. Let's recap. Pete Doherty was once in a band called The Libertines. By all accounts they did rather well for themselves. However, Pete enjoyed himself a little too much, got a little too fucked and eventually got himself thrown out. The estranged Doherty had his own band which he called Babyshambles and after a multitude of line-up changes, the band now has the relatively stable line-up of Doherty on vocals, Patrick Walden on guitar, Drew McConnell on bass and Adam Ficek on drums. They made a modestly successful album called 'Down In Albion' in 2005, had a few top 40 singles, including 'Fuck Forever', and are currently recording a few tracks at Turnmills in preparation for a new album. If only it were that simple. If only it was simply about the music. If only they were a normal band who probably don't like turning up for interviews but realise they must because that is the done thing. If only their lead singer wasn’t one of the most famous junkies on the planet, who went out with one of the most famous models of all time, who suffered months of tabloid attention, bad press and was ultimately rejected by his father. If none of this were true I might have met Babyshambles over the weekend. Instead the band nearly split up, and the chances of me getting an interview were diminishing by the day. As the weekend rolled by, getting balmier and balmier, the news eventually filtered through that Doherty had left his bandmates stranded for six hours at Waterloo when in fact they should have been on a train taking them to perform a gig in Paris. According to one tabloid, McConnell and Ficek were left "fuming" and had threatened to quit the band. Only a grovelling apology from Doherty saved Babyshambles and they eventually performed on Sunday night. Under these circumstances, gaining a face-to-face interview was looking increasingly unlikely. By the following week I had resigned myself to the fact that I was never going to interview the band. However, the fickle wheel of fate was on the move once again and it was under these circumstances of self-loathing that I got a call saying the interview was on. Only this time, instead of trying to talk to the band face-to-face I had to e-mail the questions over. "Fair enough," I thought, "how hard could it be?" Harder than I thought. You see, trying to ask a question to Babyshambles is like trying to ask your mum if you can borrow some money to go out on the piss. You can't simply come out and say, "mum, can I borrow £50 to go out with my mates on a mental night out where we'll drink eight pints each, slam a multitude of Tequila slammers, run up and down the road naked and end up in Spearmint Rhino?" She'll say no. You have to be a bit more subtle and stress the need for taxis to get you home safe, leaving out the naked truth of Spearmint Rhino and drunken carnage. The same principle applies to Babyshambles. I can't ask Pete whether he thinks it's an embarrassment to be voted sexiest man by NME readers when he's clearly a struggling addict who needs help and support from experts, not to be elevated to some sort of modern day sex god from people who somehow think being a junkie makes you sexy. In fact, I can't even ask this question. It's like asking your mum if you can have a lap-dancing club in your front room. A more softly-softly approach is thus needed, one that panders to their emotions, without offending and without hitting the nail quite so firmly on the head. This is why I found myself checking my e-mails at 10.40pm on the night before Notion goes to press hoping against hope that Doherty and co had managed to say something interesting and coherent. Unbelievably they had. I had actually completed an interview with Babyshambles. If you didn't know the history and you didn't know the stories you would be forgiven for thinking that Babyshambles were a normal band in the process of recording their second album, albeit without a record label. I ask whether the rumours of a fall out with Rough Trade are true, whether the label refused to renew their contract because Babyshambles had become more hard work than it was worth? "We were never dropped from Rough Trade," comes the predictably defensive reply. "The contract just came to a natural conclusion. We'd love to work with them again." Of course they would. However, being labelless brings along a variety of problems, not least who pays for studio time for the new album. Luckily enough for Babyshambles, the owners of Turnmills have granted the band free studio time in their own shack in return for an exclusive performance from the band at their very own Get Loaded In The Park festival at the end of August. For the band it sounds like a good deal. "We've been bursting to get into the studio because we've got loads of new material we're dead excited about," Drew informs me, "easily enough for three albums." And for many this could be a worry. A common criticism of 'Down In Albion' stemmed from its excessive length and the fact that there were too many mediocre songs to stifle highlights such as the singles 'Killamangiro' and 'Albion'. The last thing a follow up should do is to make the same mistakes again. However, Drew is quick to leap to the defence of their debut stressing that although album sales were relatively disappointing and critical reaction was at best mixed, it does not matter because, "we always wanted to keep our musical integrity." He continues: "the production style and the circumstances under which 'Down in Albion' was recorded played a massive part in the final product. Peter was struggling with implants, Adam's mother passed away and Patrick's father passed away, so there was a lot to deal with. Plus there was the whole drugs scandal with Kate, and Peter was in jail for some time. If we had come through all that with a glistening record then that wouldn't have been real. It was an honest account of what was going on at the time for everyone concerned." Honest it may be, but honesty doesn't necessarily make great music and although Babyshambles are blessed with an adoring fanbase it does not mean they will always be so adored. I ask whether the fans will eventually give up on the band, on their failure to turn up and the mixed performances that have plagued them since the beginning? "You could argue that the fan base is slowly dwindling," comes the surprisingly honest reply. "It's certainly a testing time for our fans and for us, but there's loads of positive things ahead and we're all really excited about what the immediate future holds." And the future could be bright if Babyshambles get it together. They are, after all, blessed with a lead singer of immense songwriting power and belief and just because they have cocked up in the past and buggered their fans around far more than they deserve it doesn't mean they can't begin to set it right in the future. "We make every effort to get to every show and we appreciate all the trouble that our fans go to, to come and see us," stresses Adam. "What's hard to explain to people is that you can't believe what you read in the papers. We never intend to miss any show - but Peter, for example, has the world's weight on his shoulders and sometimes the cracks show. We can only hope that people can see through the fuck ups and the mistakes and be patient, and we'll come out the other side, stronger and more consistent for all the trials and tribulations we've gone through in the past." Perhaps they will, but in the current climate, just staying together with a lead singer in the form of the oft absent without leave Pete Doherty appears to be a struggle. "Sometimes it can be very hard to function as a band," Adam informs me, "It's difficult to get Peter in and out of places sometimes, mostly other countries. He doesn't plan to miss any of the flights and deep down we know that. We get angry and frustrated, but his good intentions are always there. It's not that Peter doesn't give a fuck, he really does give a fuck and that’s why we stick together as friends and as a band." So there’s no chance of cutting Pete lose then? "Anyone who is a Babyshambles fan will know the answer to this question. We'll always stick together, stick by Peter. Anyone who thinks we shouldn't... well we don't care about them. The band believes in what we are doing. We're in it for the long haul and we'll stick by each other come what may." As well they might, for without Pete Doherty, Babyshambles simply would not be. I ask whether the band feel they need to legitimise themselves in the eyes of the music world because of Pete's association with the Libertines? Whether Babyshambles' success largely comes form the fact that Pete used to be in a different band? "As long as you can legitimise it to yourself, then that's good enough," comes the reply, although the band do admit that the Libertines association is a, "legacy Peter is due". Adam continues: "Libertines were a great band, who gave the whole music scene a kick up the arse. Don't forget it's still Pete - the same guy. He is the centre of Babyshambles and as long as we believe in the output of the music, we won’t lose any sleep over it." And there we have it. Pete Doherty is the centre of Babyshambles. Despite his problems he is the creative force through which Babyshambles continues to flow. The next album will decide whether this creative force has been snuffed out or is still burning brightly. Babyshambles want to move away from bad times and all the shit that comes with too many drugs and too many tabloid photographers. They want to remove the "bad influence of drugs and letting down our fans". As Drew rather eloquently puts it: "The music has been buried under a mountain of bullshit and we're trying to get to the top of the mountain and hoist the flag of Albion high in the air and be kings of the world." SEE BABYSHAMBLES LIVE AT THE METRO WEEKENDER – GET LOADED IN THE PARK . THE EVENT TAKES PLACE ON CLAPHAM COMMON ON AUGUST 27TH . WWW.GETLOADEDINTHEPARK.COM WORDS: SIMON COOPER PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY CLIFFORD WWW.DANNYCLIFFORD.COM

tags: | babyshambles | pete doherty | libdertines | kate moss | drugs | heroin | crack | junkie | more...

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