The Spinto Band, The Sugarmill

The down to earth and gracious Spinto Band seem to have begun Vampire Weekend’s career. Previously dropped from a major label, Virgin “decided not to put out” their second album, “We got mountains of problems”, they sing in Mountains, one of the few bright lights in the first half of the set, and that’s never [...]

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Kids In Glass Houses – The Waterfront

You could easily be mistaken for thinking Kids In Glass Houses are in fact American, what with them singing about Californ-i-a with a definite borrowed American twinge – until they talk that is, they’re straight out of the valleys. Following in the footsteps of fellow Welsh rockers Funeral For A Friend and Lostprophets, Kids In [...]

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Duke Special – The Arts Centre

Looking as though he could well be in the Murderdolls, Peter Wilson, better known as Duke Special, modestly shuffles onto the stage alone. Showcasing, and showcasing is certainly the right word, new songs and old from 2006’s ‘Songs From The Deep Forest’ accompanied by himself, a gramophone and a screen, better known to some as [...]

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The Pigeon Detectives – Emergency

The Pigeon Detectives claim to have album No. 3 written, and they could knock it out in the studio if they really needed to. Good to see they’re taking their time over them then. Emergency is the return, had they actually gone anywhere, of the Pigeons. And that’s exactly it- they haven’t gone anywhere. Whilst [...]

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Johnny Flynn – A Larum

Having already released three songs from debut album, ‘A Larum’, its release was highly anticipated, there’s no Cajun Dance Party skimping either, 14 three minute plus songs. The Box came first both as single and on A Larum and is very much a different being on A Larum to what we encountered a year ago. [...]

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Kids in Glass Houses – S/T

Pop-emo is on the way up again. Whilst MCR are feeling the brunt of the outcries of emo-fan suicides, bands such as Paramore are breeding a new, expanded fan base. Kids in Glass Houses are no different, Give Me What I Want is even on Radio One’s playlist.
Having already supported bands like the Manics, Lostprophets, [...]

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The Holloways, Waterfront

It was a night of chipped teeth and grabbed balls at the Waterfront as a surprisingly sparse crowd greeted the Holloways brand of dancey indie guitar pop. The support came from the impressive and confident local band The Interpreters and the passionate acoustic-punk of ex-Million Dead frontman Frank Turner and the crowd warmed to each [...]

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The Courteeners, Waterfront

When you actually see The Courteeners, you soon realise how much of an impact they are having, how much people have really connected with them. Every song can be related to, it isn’t quite Definitely Maybe, but it’s not a million miles away. Playing to an audience that was filled with more 30-somethings than you’d [...]

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The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement

I’ve heard the phrase “Arctic Monkeys with strings” banded about with reference to this band over the past couple of weeks, and it’s exactly the narrow-minded phrase I’ve come to expect from music fans and journalists alike nowadays.  While it is easy to write off ‘The Age of the Understatement’ as something Alex Turner is [...]

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Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

There’s a definite formula to Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago. Justin Vernon’s dulcet layered tones sweep across his beautiful lo-fi nu-soul acoustica, in torn, raw, emotive fashion somewhere between Scott Matthews and Brett Dennen. The vocals really carry For Emma, Forever Ago as it was in serious danger of being just another singer-songwriter hitching [...]

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