Anyway, when I got round to listening to their Clean EP, I found The First Fleet’s sound to be very pleasant indeed – jingly jangly upbeat folk perfect for one’s iPod playlist when one might be, say, walking down Broadway Market on a sunny summer Saturday.  My favourite part of the EP is in ‘Whiskey’, where there’s a sudden breakdown of drum bashes and crashes towards the end of the song, which is a sonic reminder of what it’s like to get drunk on whiskey – again, props for the attention to detail.

The First Fleet are that kind of band that you’d expect to fit straight into London’s live music scene, gigging incessantly and not looking out of place playing to a group of people sat on sofas around a log fire at one of this year’s festivals. Now, with a solid selection of really great songs, there’s no reason why their success shouldn’t set sail rather soon (sorry about the pun – couldn’t resist).

Purchase The First Fleet’s recently released Clean EP here, and listen to it in its entirity below.

-Bronya Francis

Coles usually takes what are bland songs and makes them slightly more interesting – perhaps even above average – but the difference with this particular rework is that the original track is actually quite good in itself. ‘She’s On Fire’ was played on Zane Lowe’s show as part of his Next Hype segment just last night and he described Bo as a “lovely slice of vintage soul music”. Which is just about right. He sounds a bit like Plan B. Listen to the ‘She’s On Fire’ single and remix by Maya Jane Coles below.

-Bronya Francis

A veteran criminal (Mel Gibson) is arrested and sent to a tough Mexican prison, where criminals rule the place. With the aid of a 10-year-old boy, he quickly adjusts to the new surroundings and they attempt to help each other survive. Little is definitively known about Gibson’s character (including his name, he’s credited as “Driver”), apart from what the audience sees. Unsurprisingly he plays another charismatic and indifferent guy, who’s stuck in a strange land. The driver narrates the film, so that allows him to share information to whoever is watching, at the same time that he learns it. He’s generally quite likeable, which might’ve been helped by Gibson’s job as co-writer, however it’s not all good for him; during the film he sure does run funny and he does runs frequently.

“El Pueblito” is the film’s prison, though it’s more of a shantytown filled by Mexican stereotypes and familiar criminal character archetypes. At times it almost seems like its own distinct character; it’s busy, has it’s own community and nobody should be trusted. Nearly anything is supposed to be possible there, apart from escape. For Gibson’s driver to adapt to the prison, he is forced to bond with a kid living there, who also has no name. Their relationship worried me in the beginning, but despite the kid being onscreen and talking often, he manages to not annoy too much.

From the little I had seen previously, I assumed the film would have mostly just been packed with action. This idea was helped by the opening car chase; yet I was then surprised, and glad, to see that its chief focus was more on the driver working out the place and making his way up, which holds your interest throughout. It still has aspects of hard-boiled ultra-masculine action, though at times it can seem awkward when the driver’s comical and cynical narration is followed by graphic displays of violence. Overall it’s an enjoyable romp where some old school Mel Gibson shines through and, regardless of how his career has gone recently, that’s a good thing.

- Jon Bartholomew

The complete set must’ve lasted around 20 minutes, but its brief cycle left the mesh of Skrillex’d skulls lining the stage all wobbly in their state of follicle flux. This particular sect of trendy pip-squeak seemed incapable of questioning the method behind their hyped up pudding-headed wonder kid.

They had begun to sound like beaten housewives blaming that fourth black-eye on another misjudged step – like Kathy Burke in Nil by Mouth, but minus the grease. Turning to my side to quiz these auditory dilemmas is where I first encountered the aforementioned Grimes complex. These people (and I must stress they weren’t indicative of the entire audience) were suffering, but not in silence. They were unable to articulate any criticism for the speedy performance but insisted the fault to be entirely their own. Now the night did feel special. I mean the lead-wanker from Wu Lyf doesn’t just show up to watch anyone, but everybody appeared so visibly self-aware of this event being the ‘now’ thing, that the occasion went from “promising” to “massive” to the “best thing evah!111!” in one hyperbolic collection of tweeted brain-farts.

It was as if we were all holding our breath in anticipation of it being this generation’s version of the Sex Pistol’s Free Trade Hall gig. It wasn’t. What it was however, was a preview of the growing potency from an artist equipped with muscular musical ovaries and the pretentious fortitude to don a shit haircut without anxiety or irony. She’s brave and that’s what stands out. The fact it’s taken me 3½ paragraphs to begin an actual review of her performance identifies the condensed mass of so-called hipster hype, commercial interest, substance and sheer arse-kissery that shrouds Miss Claire Boucher, 24 from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The actual performance was notable in its difference from the majority of recent gig reviews regarding Grimes. Fresh reports have detailed loose, scrambled performances, the grabbing of mysterious white sheets during confused moments and complaints from the lady herself regarding newly-bought equipment she hasn’t quite got to grips with. Despite this her performance in Manchester was sharp and structured. ‘Vanessa’, ‘Genesis’, and ‘Oblivion’ gained the biggest reactions whilst she herself remained largely in her own bubble. At times she seemed slightly too fixated on her hood with another nag being that the performance itself consisted of 40% sampling, 10% fiddling, 30% dancing and 20% singing. But again, it proved fascinating and uncompromised if only for its 20 minute duration.

With Grimes now billing herself as a brand, her thoroughly friendly brother was on hand to dispense her new line of vulva-inspired pussy rings (£20-a-go). When asked whether the moulds were authentic representations of Grimes’ dimensions he chirpily replied “oh, I don’t know”. And with that done and dusted, all that’s left to say is that Grimes continues her plot for world-indie-domination, coming to a moderately sized venue near you soon.

-Ben Magill

Seye himself has received support from Huw Stephens of Radio 1 and John Kennedy of XFM, despite having only just recently released his debut single, ‘White Noise‘. Music on this exclusive playlist ranges from more folk tracks to electronic music, to modern Afro pop and RnB – topped off with Seye’s awesome take on ‘Shuffle’ by Bombay Bicycle Club. He seems to have a knack for taking a track and making it sound like his own without it becoming a boring imitation, in a way that is totally unpredictaple but works incredibly well (head over to his Soundcloud page where you can listen to some beautiful covers of ‘Spoons’ by Rudimental and ‘The Bay’ by Metronomy, amongst others, to see what we’re on about). And listen to his mixtape below for something marvellously different to anything else you would have heard this year.

Tracklisting
1. Careful What You Wish For – Written and performed by Seye/Produced by Charleston
2. Seye wants to rule the world(O.M.D) ft Hoost – Written and performed by Seye/Produced by Hoost
3. The Ladies of Isiolo (interlude)
4. Bolga Amodo – by Bolga Amodo
5. Half Moon ft Klifton Manor – Samples by Seye Produced by Klifton Manor
6. Scapegoat by D’banj
7. Never Know ft Klifton Manor – Written and performed by Seye/Produced by Kilfton Manor
8. Shuffle – Written by Bombay Bicycle Club arranged and performed by Seye/Produced by Charleston

-Bronya Francis

Go check out Seye’s Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube and upcoming tour dates for more deets.

We Were Evergreen are Michael, Fabienne and William. They are playing a headline show at Bush Hall on 29th May, and we’re certainly gonna be there. Listen to how good they are and watch a lil session they did in the woods below, then realise that you have to go to their upcoming gig. Purchase a ticket or two for it here.

-Bronya Francis

But, as far as Slugabed is concerned, this is where the obvious ends.

His debut LP, Time Team, which has been heralded as a masterpiece by most people who have heard it, recently came out on Ninja Tune, a label that 22-year old Greg has always quite liked. “I always thought they were pretty good, yeah!”

The album, which is deep rooted within a pea-soup haze of bass, glitches and, at times, eerie atmospherics, builds upon the promise shown on his prior releases on Ramp Recordings and Stuff Records. The tracks lack lyrics, but that’s something that could develop in the future. “I would love to do some more vocal tracks,” he says. “I would like to get Nick Drake on a track, but I suppose that’s unlikely.”

Adding to his cool as ice aura, the Bath-born producer says making his first album was pretty easy and without angst – “I don’t really have any rituals in the studio, but it usually helps if I have a beer next to me” – except when it came to working out the tracklist. Which, considering it includes bar-raising titles like ‘It’s When the Future Falls Plop On Your Head’ and ‘Unicorn Suplex’, isn’t that much of a surprise.

“The most stressful part was probably trying to get the track list right and get something everyone involved was happy with. Writing the music itself is not stressful whatsoevs,” he says. “My favourite track on the album is probably ‘Grandma Paints Nice’ at the moment.”

Ours is ‘Sex’, the lead single from Time Team, and the one with a wicked video. “I wanted something kinda fruity and the director Chris Ullens, embraced that and came up with the fun thing we have now.”

What else do you like apart from making music? What do you read? “I mostly like sci-fi books with a good sense of humour.” And what films are you in to? “I just watched an animated short called ‘The Eagleman Stag’, which I enjoyed a lot.”

What album will you be rinsing this summer? “It’ll probably be Delicate Steve, ‘Wondervisions’. I also really rate Sampha, Deech, Miles Courtney and lots and lots more. There’s a lot of very good music around!” He admits the weirdest stuff he listens to is “Probably Burl Ives or some shit.” It’s a statement that depends on how weird you find the music of an American comedian-slash-singer songwriter who got blacklisted for being a Communist during the 1950s.

The summer is mapped out for Slugabed. “I’ll play lots of shows and write lots of music and try and sit on some grass in between those things.” But before that, he has the show at Fabric to get through. “I’m excited, yes. I’m thinking of doing quite an upbeat set. At least for some of it. I feel like having a dance.”

Tiger Beer’s Hidden Depths show is at Fabric via Ninja Tune / Brainfeeder on 16th May with Thundercat, Slugabed and Floating Points

-Kara Simsek

And so it is thanks to Jack Daniels and their themed JD Roots shows that they take a few bands back to their respective birthplaces for a one-off show, presumably to give something back to their local scene. But seeing as its Southend that might sound a little paradoxical as there’s nowhere else notably indie bar Chinnery’s to speak of. The only real rock to be found is in edible, mint-flavoured form.

The Horrors take to the stage after a seemingly long interval between the main support, Tennessee’s The Black Belles and themselves.  Opener ‘Mirror’s Image’ entails plenty of reverb guitar and even more programmed synth samples, with a hypnotic bass riff.  After which lead man Faris Badwan quips “I would say it’s good to be home, but I’m not from here.” Someone may have missed a memo in the chain of communication about a ‘hometown’ show.

Through their three albums released and air miles clocked in terms of touring, they’ve completely nailed down their stage presence and such taut professionalism of performing efficiently. It’s why they have garnered such a fanbase worldwide, enamoured with their goth/shoegaze/neo-psychedelic/kraut rock stylings.

Their light show and turning the amps up to eleven suggest that they’re used to playing bigger shows in mind, hence a higher capacity venue UK tour slated for the end of the month. But it’s where the professionalism counts: The Horrors tonight were totally faultless and flawless in every known capacity.

Tonight was a special night in many ways. Not because of the band playing an intimate space so much, but to see such a spectacle much more suited to halls and arenas in a relatively confined space in what wasn’t even a sell-out crowd to begin with that was the real winner.

Setlist: 

Mirrors image
Who can say
I can see through you
Scarlet fields
Wild eyed
Endless blue
Sea within a sea
Still life
Changing the rain
3 decades
Moving further away

-Yousif Nur

Holding true to its iconic, style this album fuses all sorts of genres, providing a well-rounded record. Intricate conga beats, tambourine chimes, steel pan drums and catchy phrases kick off this album  in tracks including Nina Simone’s ‘Funkier Than A Mosquitos Tweeter’, Bloodfire’s ‘Gumbai’, and  Baxta’s’ ‘Do Without You’, adding a carnival-esque flare. Yet it’s the body jolting, funky beats in Tickle’s ‘Grinding’, and Youngster’s ‘Formula 2’, which gives it a primitive jungle beat.

What really sets this album apart is its overall journey throughout. With the progression of tracks we move away from the wild beats into more electronic vibes, although they tend to re-emerge regularly throughout. Dismantle’s tracks ‘Warp’ and ‘Displaced’ bring in high energy climaxes blending a bit of trance with the old school bleeps of a Super Mario Brother feel.

It wouldn’t be an authentic Digital Soundboy Soundsystem masterpiece without covering the full spectrum. The end of the album leaves us wanting more in Die & Break’s ‘Tear Down VIP’, and Dizzee’s ‘Just a Rascal’, colliding fast pace electronica with deep drum and bass dubstep beats and rhythmic reggae accents.

The Digital Soundboy Soundsystem edition of  FabricLive illuminates eclectic sounds that will feed a diverse range of your music needs.

-Brittany Moten

A show stopping ‘big’ voice backed by strings and a choir? We’ve been here before (quite a few times, actually), I can already hear you say. Yet London-by-way-of-Canada Spx transcends mere retroism with her own unique brand of gloom-laden gospel.

It’s a record on which the air is thick with emotion. Brittle, sparse instrumentation creates an atmospheric, stark bed of sound. It makes for warmly bleak modern blues, with songs often just featuring a plucked guitar or stately piano, sometimes augmented with sweeping strings and an all male choir. It’s the voice that melts. For, as elegantly restrained and swooning as the music is, it’s merely a backdrop for Spx’s heart-bursting larynx. At once both heavy and hushed, it’s a rich and disarming instrument.  Loaded with soul and spookily evocative it dominates each song. It’s shown off on the stately ‘Winter Solstice’ with its militaristic shuffle and the epic, tender moonlit closer ‘Lay Me Down’, which swells with slow burning intensity. Yet, if there’s a criticism it’s that this focus on her voice makes the album a little one paced as songs merge into each other.

The tracks which work best are the ones which swell and build, unfurling powerfully as drums, choirs and brass kick in to create songs of elegiac beauty. ‘Holland’s’ hymn-like soul suddenly lifts off; propelled by powerful drums and a heavenly choir, an incredible song suddenly becomes magical. The same formula works on ‘Elephant Head’ as she repeats the record’s title over and over to intoxicating effect. And when ‘Steady’ catches fire it’s one of the highlights of the album.

Lyrically the record deals with familiar contrasts: light and shade, beauty and decay, life and death. Yet this fixation on the bleak is lit by a hopefulness and when on ‘Blank Maps’ she sings “I am a God damn believer” the conviction is overwhelming.

This is a brooding, beautiful and haunting album which envelops you in its dark, warm embrace. Yes, it’s retro but this is soulful despair that is sweet, soulful and affecting. A punch that feels like a hug.

-Danny Wright