Gringo Star: touring until the cows come home

I love me some Gringo Star. Undoubtedly my favorite discovery of 2008, this band is just plain fun. Their debut album, All Y'all, showcases their perfected mix of garage rock and psych pop. But to get a real sense of how great this band is, you need to see them live. Luckily for everyone, these guys tour just as often as their fellow Atlantans, The Black Lips. After performing at what seemed like 20 different places during SXSW in March, they headed to the UK and Europe for six weeks to wow that continent. Now they're back in the States and are heading out once again to blow yer minds. Catch them live and you will not be disappointed.

LIVE DATES:
Jul 1 || The Basement || Columbus, OH
Jul 2 || Schuba's || Chicago, IL
Jul 3 || Summerfest || Milwaukee, WI
Jul 4 || The Firebird || St. Louis, MO
Jul 10 || Sticky Fingerz || Little Rock, AR
Jul 11 || Downtown Street Festival || Huntsville, AL
Jul 12 || Forecastle Festival || Louisville, KY
Jul 18 || Backyard Bash Music Festival || John's Creek, GA
Jul 23 || Workplay Theater || Birmingham, AL
Jul 25 || D-Fest || Tulsa, OK
Jul 30 || Live Wire Music Hall || Savannah, GA
Jul 31 || Backbooth || Orlando, FL
Aug 1 || Skipper's || Orlando, FL w/ Cracker
Aug 2 || Jack Rabbit's || Jacksonville, FL w/ Cracker
Aug 7 || Lollapalooza || Chicago, IL
Aug 8 || 88 Nine Radio Festival || Milwaukee, WI

Myspace
Official site

The Maccabees - MHOW - June 20, 2009

*photo by Leia Jospe via BV

It's been nearly two years since I last saw The Maccabees while I was living in Glasgow and they played the QMU, and in that time, they released their sophomore effort, Wall of Arms. This album, much like their debut, has songs for every emotion: some that are fast past and pogo-ready, whereas others are sentimental, sweet, and slow.

The show at Music Hall (or Brooklyn's Bowery) was a late night, with the Maccabees not hitting the stage 'til after midnight. While I didn't roll up to Music Hall 'til 11:30 out of sheer laziness, the night really started off early with a happy hour and DJs Chess Club and Tom Frog. If you're a proper anglophile, you'll recognize Tom Frog as being one of the DJs from London's Frog at the Mean Fiddler. Which leads me to memories of Dan Sartain throwing a glass bottle into the audience when I was last at Frog. Oh, those were the days. Anyway, from what I could tell, the DJs were playing great music throughout the night and played the likes of Jamie T, Foals, and Friendly Fires prior to the Maccabees hitting the stage!

The first true openers were Hatcham Social who I regrettably missed, although had intentions to see at Monday's Mercury Lounge show but unfortunately that didn't happen! I looked forward to hearing their Breakfast Club style music. Thankfully, they'll be back in the US in September to open for the Charlatans!

Up next was Miike Snow who had to delay their US debut due to visa issues. They have a bunch of hype around them, which explains why Mercury Lounge's show on Monday was sold out.

Finally, it was time for the Maccabees! Granted, I was only there for thirty minutes by the time they went on, but I was antsy! Anyway, the set list was a perfect mix of new and old, although noticeably missing was "Latchmere," amongst other singles! The rest of the songs and the crowd's moshing/pogo-ing made up for the lack of "Latchmere." When "Toothpaste Kisses" was played, the crowd turned into a bunch of couples slow dancing, and the rest of us awkwardly standing around, much like high school dances! Their final song, "Love You Better," even resulted in a fairly decent attempt at crowd surfing! I'm quite sad to have missed the Maccabees' smaller show at Mercury Lounge, but I'm hoping they will come back to the US to do a full tour!

Setlist:
No Kind Words
X-Ray
Tissue Shoulders
Can You Give It
Kiss and Resolve
Toothpaste Kisses
Precious Time
Accordion
Young Lions
Lego
William Powers
First Love
Dinosaurs
Mary
Love You Better

The Heavy's new single

The Heavy are back and they're better than ever. Their newest single, 'Oh No! Not You Again' off their sophomore effort, The House That Dirt Built, was released this Tuesday with a horror-film inspired music video to go along with it. Below, for your listening and viewing pleasure is the video and mp3 of their newest single. There are two more singles to come before the release of their second album, out this October along with a North American tour kicking off at the end of June!



The Heavy - Oh No! Not You Again mp3

TOUR DATES:
June 26 || The Supermarket || Toronto, ON
June 28 || The Biltmore Cabaret|| Vancouver, BC
June 29 || Element || Victoria, BC
July 1 || Lydia's Pub|| Saskatoon, SK
July 2 || Lydia's Pub || Saskatoon, SK
July 3 || The Exchange || Regina, SK
July 4 || Old Market Square || Winnipeg, MB
July 6 || Fine Line Music Cafe || Minneapolois, MN
July 7 || Double Door || Chicago, IL
July 8 || Casbah || Hamilton, ON
July 9 || Festival Plaza || Ottawa, ON
July 10 || Festival International de Jazz de Montreal || Montreal, QC
July 11 || Quebec City Int'l Summer Festival || Quebec City, QC
July 13 + 14 || NYC Promo || New York, NY

Shows actually worth going to

I'd like to say that this economic recession is the reason why there have been, well, no good shows lately but I really have to think it's because there are FEW new bands out there worth seeing. Those worth seeing are most likely from the UK and not heading to our shores anytime soon! But summer's looking up with some seasoned Brits coming here to do what they do best... drink.

First are my darlings The Maccabees playing the Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 20th and Mercury Lounge on June 22nd. It's been nearly two years since they were last in NY, and not only do we get two shows which will undoubtedly be incredible, but they also have a new album coming out! WIN!

Then Mr. Jarvis fucking Cocker is playing uptown's Terminal 5 on July 30th. He too has a new album coming out. Win again!

Finally, we have Maximo Park playing a not-so-summer show at Webster Hall on September 21st. And would you look at that, they too have a new album coming out!

Now if only we could keep this trend going...

The Rakes - Bowery Ballroom - April 6, 2009

Not only is “Work, Work, Work, Pub, Club Sleep” one of The Rakes' greatest songs, it is also a lifestyle that many of us abide by. That is because The Rakes are, in every sense of the phrase, a working class band. Hailing from London, England, the foursome (and one unofficial new member) made a triumphant return to New York City earlier this week at the 650 capacity Bowery Ballroom. Now touring their junior effort Klang!, the last time they were in the States was nearly two years ago when they were promoting their second album, Ten New Messages.

After opening bands Sean Bones and The Dig finished their sets, the crowd waited anxiously with baited breath to see their heroes return to the stage. As the clock struck ten, The Rakes hit the stage and the British packed crowd, including lead singer of The Strokes, Julian Casablancas, were dancing as if no time had passed since they were last here.

Lead singer Alan Donohoe led the crowd as only he could--with his awkward speeches and angular dance moves. When one looks at him, his resemblance to the late Ian Curtis of Joy Division is immediately apparent. Not only does he look like him, but he also has similar seizure-like dance moves and vocals to boot. His energy was contagious and the audience fed off it, which led to pogo-ing and eventually a mosh pit!

The Rakes' hour long set was filled with a healthy mix of songs from their first album, Capture/Release, and their third record Klang! Noticeably missing from the set list were songs off their second effort, Ten New Messages, which was a little upsetting, but understandable considering their catalogue has grown considerably!

The crowd was aching for more when The Rakes left the stage for good after their explosive encore. Thankfully, for those who did not get their Rakes fill, the band had another show the next night at Brooklyn’s tiny Union Hall! Let’s hope we do not have to wait another two more years for another Rakes show, because as the crowd demonstrated, The Rakes are both loved and missed!

Setlist: You're In It, Retreat, We Danced Together, Terror!, Light From Your Mac, Open Book, Woes Of The Working Woman, 22 Grand Job, That's The Reason, Violent, Binary Love, We Are All Animals, 1989, The Loneliness Of The Outdoor Smoker, The World Was A Mess But His hair Was Perfect, Strasbourg.



**All photos courtesy of Olga Bas**

The Whip - Bowery Ballroom - April 1, 2009

Last week we saw The Whip at Bowery Ballroom and, as expected, they killed it. From the moment they hit the stage, the crowd was amped and loving every minute of it (my posse of dancing maniacs helped create the awesome vibe, no doubt!) What's incredible about The Whip's live performance is that you don't need time to warm up or get in the groove to their music. Instead, they hit you like a ton of dancing bricks the second the first note is played and immediately your feet are moving, your head is bopping, and you're having the time of your life!

As the openers, they played a lengthy 50 minute set which included fan favorites "Blackout" and "Trash" as well as new songs, which were incredible. The new songs fit in seamlessly with the older stuff and though the new material doesn't sound any different from the music on their first album, when your debut is as perfect and kick ass as "X Marks Destination" is, it's not necessarily a bad idea to try to recreate the sounds on there.

Also, I must mention the fist pumping that occurs at a Whip show. It actually occurs onstage by the band members themselves. They do it so frequently and with so many variations (up and down, side to side, from the waist, etc) that you would think they invented the move (and practiced it during soundcheck). I wish I had some video or photos to show the awesomeness, but you'll just have to see them yourself to witness the action! Luckily, my friend Olga Bas was there and she took some great shots--some even feature the band members mid-fist pump! The Whip showed us how Manchester parties--and we like it!

Check out more of Olga's photos here.

Elemeno P (cue are S)

Okay, I admit that sometimes (okay, a lot of times) we here at NYC2LON are a little slow with finding awesome bands. Sometimes the gems slip between our fingers and it takes us a wee while to scoop them back up again. And to be fair, this blog is called NYC2LON not, NYC2NZ (although, I'm considering a name change as of late...) Anyway, onto the point. On Thursday, I was introduced to New Zealand's Elemeno P (I added the cue are S) and while they have three albums under their belts I still feel that this blog should show some love to our new favorite country for music. (We recently discovered fellow New Zealander's Bang! Bang! Eche! at this year's SXSW)! Their nearly year old junior self-titled effort includes their single "Louder Louder" which is ridiculously infectious and just makes you want to hear more! Lead singer Dave Gibson's vocals are somewhat raspy, as if he just got over a cold, but it's fitting for their somewhat twee rock 'n' roll. My other favorite song off this album is "Beverly Laurel" which has a call to arms feel to it. Their songs are jangly but rock inspired (think The Hold Steady) and ultimately are just plain fun. If only we had discovered them sooner! Here's hoping for some tour dates in New York, London, and New Zealand sometime soon!

I Love the 90s

I'm pretty sure everybody loves the 90s, and really, why shouldn't you? That was a decade full of pop gems and guilty pleasures, and, not to mention, hammer pants! While the 90s may be remembered for the fluff (I'm looking at you, Spice Girls) it was also when Brit Pop flourished, and thank God for that! So, while you can expect to hear the cheesy pop of the 90s, you can also expect to hear the likes of Blur, Happy Mondays, The Las, New Order, Oasis, Primal Scream, Pulp, Radiohead, The Stone Roses, and so on! So, as the flyer states, I love the 90s takes place every Friday at the O2 Academy Islington (that's London, people) where you can relive the glory days with unabashed enthusiasm for your favorite decade for over four hours every week!

The Final Adventure of Illinois' Kid Catastrophe

Illinois, the band behind probably the greatest marketing/distribution plan of the digital age, have finally completed their 'Adventures of Kid Catastrophe' series. As of yesterday, the latest installment, or Chapter 6, is exclusively available for your viewing pleasure over at Black Book Mag.com. Also, if that wasn't enough for you (you greedy sons of bitches), The Music Slut has an MP3 of 'Kid Catastrophe' just for you! To tie this all up neatly, Illinois will be releasing 'The Adventures of Kid Castrophe' Deluxe Edition on May 5th. The bundle will include all 18 songs and 6 film chapters of the six-month undertaking, plus 2 bonus songs and 2 bonus video chapters. So, in all, that's 20 songs and 8 video chapters in digital form. It will also include a digi-booklet of the artwork that has accompanied each chapter of the campaign. A physical release will follow on June 9th.

The deluxe edition release fiesta (Spanish pun intended) is falling on Cinco de Mayo (as if you needed another reason to party) at New York's Mercury Lounge with Holly Miranda and Kenan Bell. But not to worry, Illinois have several remaining tour dates supporting 'The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe' in the following cities:

Mar 31 - Sunset Tavern (w/Kenan Bell) - Seattle, WA
Apr 3 - 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN
Apr 4 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL
Apr 5 - Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
Apr 7 - Lulu's (w/Dinosaur Jr.) - State College, PA
May 5 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
May 6 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA
May 7 - DC 9 - Washington, DC
May 12 - Great Scott - Boston, MA
May 16 - Sarah Lawrence College - Bronxville, NY

The Whip Whip It Across the USA

Pardon the pun. We here at NYC2LON enjoy double entendres very much and like to make use of them whenever we can. I'm also pretty sure The Whip have never heard that one before, so kudos to me for being oh so original. Anyway...The Whip kick ass. I discovered them in 2007 in London when they opened for The Sunshine Underground at the Scala (RIP) and now see them whenever they come to New York. Lucky for me, they're playing our fair city this week with Late of the Pier: April 1 at Bowery Ballroom and April 3 (for those who hate April Fools' Day) at Studio B. They're also doing a special afternoon DJ set on April 3 at the brand new Topshop USA New York flagship store in Soho--all the more reason to take the day off and go shopping! Make sure you check them out if you like having fun, dancing to awesome music, and/or cute ginger bassists.

More live dates in April:
4 Philadelphia, PA @ TLA*
7 Washington, DC @ 930 Club*
8 Boston, MA @ Paradise*
9 Montreal, Canada @ Les Saintes**
10 Toronto, Canada @ Kool Haus*
11 Chicago, IL @ Congress*
14 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey**
15 Portland, OR @ Dantes**
16 San Francisco, CA @ Pop Scene**
19 Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock
20 Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland**
21 Los Angeles, CA @ Cinespace **

*with DeadMau5 and Late of the Pier
**with Late of the Pier