Jake Oldershaw

Anyone who keeps an ear out for new music will have heard a little bit from this multi-instrumental band of late. Their album was nominated for a Mercury and they've been banging out gigs at festivals all summer. I caught them at Summer Sundae, Noorderzon (see the Groningen entry) and Bestival earlier this month and thought they deserve a few words on these pages.

I tend to be quite suspicious of new bands. It started off as a teenage individualism-at-the-expense-of-common-sense thing but like any creative industry these days, when you come across new music it's hard to wade through the media hype and form your own opinion.

Having watched the gig in Holland, Craig bought the 'From the Cliffs' e.p. which turns out to be a good 35 minutes of eclectic and life-affirming pop. Starting your day with 'Made up Lovesong 43' or 'Trains to Brazil' gives you that rare kind of lift that only music can, keeping a spring in your step for the rest of the day.

Another unique gift the band seem to have is to take in an immense amount of musical influences and still sound resolutely individual. It seems every style, era and emotion's ok to throw in the pot as they still come out with their own brand. I can't help wondering if it's defined by the character of frontman Ffye Dangerfield (apparently a good Brummie boy). I'm sure the rest of the band have a great input, it's obvious, but his unselfconciousness in composition, delivery and physicality really outlines a single minded spirit that you can't help liking. He and the band just give it up. You either get into it or get off!

That's not to say that their aren't a few clangers on 'Through The Windowpane'. There's a few tracks that head towards the shoe-gazing teen guitar ubiqiutous dare i mention Coldplay monotony.

So there you go. It's said. I Heart Guillemots every now and then. 32 and i can still do a bit of groupie love, it's embarrasing really!

More City Adventure organisation for Stan this week and then off to Melbourne for a month rice-ing. Can't wait, next post from our man down under.

Posted by Jake at 10:03 AM | Permalink

Just recovering from a weekend of jumping around at Bestival back home on the Island. Lovely! Despite having an awful name as my grandma Judy would say. Spoilt rotten with a line up including Gogol Bordello, Guillemots, Son of Dave, Kid Carpet, The Pipettes, The Fall and all sorts of fantastic stuff topped off by the fact that it's on an adventure park site where you can toboggan, sit in little gullivan houses, walk a sculpture trail...

Anyway, don't go, it's rubbish, not as good as it used to be, go to V or CreamyFields or whatever you kids do. Leave us alone and certainly don't bring any of your media idiots to come and ruin it anymore than they threatened to do this year. Screens on the main stage and cameras blocking your view of the band. Trendy dailies getting on the bandwagon, reporters in the WI tea tent moving around like they own the place, not looking where they're going nearly hitting people with their equipment. I think i'm quite easy going really but the way people with a camera or microphone behave as if the world revolves around them (when surely it should be the other way around) gets my blood boiling. Embarrassing really, 11 on a lovely sunday morning about to get some cheap tea off somebody's gran and I nearly get into a fight with a cameraman.

And one more thing. For all their nouveau conservative talk about recycling being the biggest theme of the festival there was more rubbish than ever. Recycling bins which included ones for glass when clearly no-one had any bottles. No sign of any employed rubbish collectors. Not enough loos so people pissing and crapping in the lovely woods. Recycle my arse. About as empty as most of the recycling promises we seem to be getting from elsewhere in the nation.

So there you go, I'll get off the high horse now and go down the beach. Staying home to enjoy the indian climate change summer. Oh yeah, had a lovely tree climb at the fest as well. Have a look at http://www.goodleaf.co.uk. Lovely folks, amazing what you can do with a few ropes and a bit of friction!

Posted by Jake at 11:55 AM | Permalink