New EP from Sennen

Long-awaited new recordings from Norwich band Sennen appeared this week in the form their new EP "Destroy Us".


Released as a 6-track CD through Hungry Audio, it's also available for download from emusic and other sites.

The two best songs are probably the title track and their rather good version of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" (which is conveniently offered as a free download from last.fm).


A new album is promised from the boys in March 2010.

Future Of The Left finally make it back to Norwich

Cardiff three-piece Future Of The Left almost made it to Norwich in October, when they should have headlined one of TweeOFF's "Hell Yeah" music fest gigs, but they decided that touring in the US as support to ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead would suit them better.

Despite that, TweeOFF have stuck with FOTL and secured them to play Norwich as the first date of their UK winter tour this coming Saturday (November 28th) at Norwich Arts Centre.

Tour support comes from Tubelord, from Kingston, with wonderful Norwich band The Brownies completing the line-up.


Tickets are still available at £8 in advance from Norwich Arts Centre or £9 on the door.

Le Tetsuo are The Guardian's 'New band of the day'

Le Tetsuo, a band with Norwich roots but now based in London, receive nationwide publicity today as The Guardian's "New band of the day".


Of course, in Norwich we already know how good they are, but if you want to see what all the fuss is about, they will be headlining a gig in the crypt at Take 5 café bar, on Tombland, Norwich, this Friday (13th) from around 8pm, prior to release of their new single on November 23rd.

"Sometimes I'm walking around I feel like I'm going to open up and crack", backed with "Queare", is released by Parlour Records (PLR08) and will be available as a limited edition 7inch and also via download.

It has already had airplay on BBC 6 Music courtesy of the lovely Lauren Laverne.

If you can't wait for the new single, there's also currently a free download of another new track "Way Before You Die" available on the band's MySpace page.

UH OHs are no more!

One of my favourite Norwich bands, UH OHs, have split up – after two years of making some excellent music.

To quote their MySpace blog: "We've decided to call it a day and UH OHs is no more! Ooh, the drama! I'm sure you're wondering why oh why would we decide such a thing, well it's for lots of reasons but we're all happy this is the right thing to do. I'm sure we'll all continue to make music in various guises in the future.

The last 2 years have been a ball and we all have lots of happy memories to take with us into pastures new."

They had only just launched their third single, "Cash Rich, Imagination Poor", at Take 5 in Norwich on October 16th, making the split just that bit harder to understand.

Oh well, at least I have some CDs/MP3s of their songs and memories of several excellent gigs.

Almost too many gigs!

Well, October's nearly here and there's an enormous selection of gigs lined up for Norwich during the month (a city full of uni freshers helps there, I suppose).

I've already got tickets for seven gigs during the month plus I'll be going to another two that I don't yet have tickets for and may even fit in another one or two (if I can persuade myself that £15 for Idlewild isn't just a bit too steep).

For me, it kicks off at the Arts Centre this Saturday (3rd) for the first Hell Yes! fest night, with HEALTH headlining, and finishes on the 31st with the Wilde Club, featuring The Threatmantics.

And there's also Norwich Beer Festival during the last week of the month!

So, farewell then Lidi Berlins...

Young local trio The Lidi Berlins will be headlining this Friday's WombatWombat night (Sept. 11th) at Norwich Arts Centre, in what will be their farewell performance.


Singer/guitarist Lucy Elliott (in the centre of the picture above) and drummer Becky are heading off to their first year at university, so the band are splitting – leaving bassist Alex behind at school in Norfolk.

Interviewed by BBC Norfolk Introducing on September 4th, the band promised a few variations on their usual performance style for this final gig, so expect a few surprises.

Lucy, who also has a solo career to her credit, was interviewed on Future Radio by Bernie Dollery in June this year, to coincide with the release of her 4-track CD. You can download that interview here.

The WombatWombat gig also features F*ck Dress (from Norwich), We Be Naked (Amsterdam) and Alloy Ark (Bury St. Edmunds) – all for only £6 (£5 in advance).

More info on the WombatWombat MySpace page.

The Most Powerful E.P In The Universe

.... well, that's the title of the rather good 5-track EP from Leeds based Dinosaur Pile-up, released this week on their own Big Brain Records in the UK.

Stacks of grungey guitar and tight drumming make for 17½ very listenable minutes, with first track "Summer Hit Single" being the most obviously commercial.

You can download track 3, "Cat Attack!", for nothing if you go here, although all the tracks are downloadable from emusic or itunes.





Dinosaur Pile-up will be supporting Dananananakroyd at Norwich Arts Centre on October 23rd – more info here.

• Some Dinosaur Pile-Up background info courtesy of BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat.
 
 

TweeOFF!s four-gig fest lined-up for October

October looks like being a busy month music-wise in Norwich (well, for me anyway).

As well as Wilde Club and WombatWombat nights plus several interesting Waterfront gigs, the most interesting series of gigs looks like being TweeOFF!s "Hell Yes! Fest" at Norwich Arts Centre.

The fest consists of four gigs with potentially very interesting headliners – HEALTH on Saturday 3rd, Future Of The Left on Sunday 11th*, Micachu & The Shapes on Tuesday 13th and Dananananakroyd on Friday 23rd.

I suspect that at least a couple of those dates will sell out, so get in quick. And I believe there's also a money off drinks voucher if you buy tickets for three of the four gigs. Sounds good to me!

* The Future Of The Left gig is cancelled, as the band decided to tour in America instead!

Vanilla Kick's new EP

Norwich's Waterfont was the venue for the launch of local band Vanilla Kick's new CD EP "The Escape".

The band headlined the gig, which also saw performances from the interesting sounding It's A Trap, Felix Riley and his band, plus the rather wonderful UH OHs.

The CD features four tracks: Luna, Rational Thinking, Cocoon and The Escape – but that last track also continues for around another three minutes with a fifth acoustic "hidden track". Why do bands bother doing that?

Cocoon can currently be listened to on their MySpace page, along with several other older songs. If you listen to any of those tracks you'll get a good idea of Vanilla Kick's sound, which they manage to reproduce very well on stage.

The CD is available for £3 at the band's gigs and from their merchandise website.

The Wilde Club returns

Following the Wilde Club's 20th anniversary gig in January, Barry Newman has decided to run regular gigs again after a long gap – although just once a month, rather than every Monday night.

The first gig is this coming Wednesday (July 22nd), when David Cronenberg's Wife, Fuck Dress, Tell Me How and The Milgram Experiment take to the Norwich Arts Centre stage.

Tickets are £4 in advance (£5 on the door) from Norwich Arts Centre. The evening kicks off at 8pm.

Indie Overload

My last Hot City Sounds gig of the week was at The Brickmakers/B2, featuring eight bands on two stages.

I missed Cineclub (B2 stage) and Aeroplane (Brickmakers), so the first band I saw were Platform One, on the B2 stage. They were OK but I didn't find them particularly interesting.

Next up, on the Brickmakers stage, were Cold Hands, who played an energetic, edgy and somewhat chaotic set. A band to see again, I think.

Back to the B2 stage and Tin Man. Although a lot of people really like them, I find it difficult to build up much enthusiasm about their performances and tonight's show didn't change my opinion.

So, back to the other stage, and Fever Fever. Their performances can sometimes seem a bit disorganised but they produce some very exciting music. Tonight's set was excellent and appreciated by the packed audience.

Violet Violet started up soon after on the B2 stage. Bass player Kylie left them recently, so Cherie and Fliss now have Rory Hill (of Kabeedies fame) in her place. This performance seemed a bit subdued compared to recent shows but it's not easy when following a band like Fever Fever.

Finally, The Brownies took to the Brickmakers stage. They've developed a particularly tight sound in recent months and used it to good advantage, getting a rousing reception from the audience.

Despite a great performance from The Brownies, I think Fever Fever played my favourite set of the evening. Go and see them soon.

Tilting Sky night

Thursday night was The Tilting Sky night at the Waterfront, presenting four acts – two of them signed to Milkbar Records.

First on were Lunaire, who describe themselves as Industrial/Shoe Gaze/Big Beat. This young four-piece group produced a noisy, rhythmic sound, which boded well for the rest of the evening.

Unfortunately, second act Centaurs were a good example of style over ability/experience, as they played some rather ordinary songs. The blue Rickenbacker bass guitar was probably the most interesting thing about them!

Hasikara Smile were next on – two guys playing bass/guitar over backing tracks. That doesn't sound very promising, but I thought they were pretty good and it's a shame that hardly anyone bothered to listen to them.

Headlining band of the night were Tawny Owl & The Birds Of Prey. Alex Carson was making his second appearance of the week (I think) as part of a six-piece that played a very eclectic mix of songs. It's a pity that they didn't play for a bit longer as they were quite enjoyable and were appreciated by the not particularly large audience.

Tawny Owl Milkbar Exclusive #9 - 'Casablanca'

Back to the music

After a night off, my Hot City Sounds week continued at Norwich Arts Centre with a gig headlined by The Neutrinos.

First up were The Vegas Fame Index. I'd never seen them before and was reasonably impressed with them – a tight guitar/bass/drums trio with an enthusiastic vocalist. They are also appearing in Chapelfield Gardens this coming Saturday afternoon.

I was a bit disappointed with My Visor. I downloaded their free album last year and have played it quite a bit since but the live versions didn't quite cut it, although Keith's guitar was certainly the highlight of their set.

Main support came from the UH OHs, who played an excellent set – they are getting more dynamic with every performance. Their download double single, I Can't Wait/I Am Underdog, was released on June 29th through Little Power Records.


Headliners The Neutrinos started their performance in the foyer before moving on to the stage. They have a considerable following locally, so there was a big crowd for them, but I've never been a great fan of their music – but you can download a few MP3s from their website if you want to make up your own mind.

That free CD

Despite there being gigs at the Arts Centre, the Brickmakers and B2 tonight, I'm having a quiet night at home (watching back-to-back Torchwood episodes).

So, rather than a gig review, here are scans of the front and back of the sleeve for the Hot City Sounds FREE CD -- 24 tracks, just over 75 minutes of music -- FOR NOTHING. Can't be bad, can it?

If you haven't yet been to a HCS gig, pop along to one, enjoy a few locals bands and pick up that CD.

[Click on either image for a larger version]

It's oh so....... QUIET

....well, compared with Sunday's gig, anyway.

Monday at the NAC was the "Electric Busker" night of Hot City Sounds. Looking at the line-up, I wondered how they would fit in 6 acts between 8 and 11pm.

They couldn't, of course, which is why headliner Rory McVicar didn't take to the stage until around 11, so I missed him as I went home then.

Main support were Lowery, who I found to be rather uninspiring and lethargic – quite surprisingly, as some of the band also played with Lost Levels the night before (and I thought they were excellent!).

Alex Carson (& The Electric Bison) explained that they hadn't really rehearsed much together as a band – and it showed! But they were quite entertaining anyway.

Jess Morgan has an excellent singing voice but I'm not sure if I really like her mid-Atlantic folk style, particularly with most of the songs sounding quite similar in style. I think she's also appearing at three other Hot City Sounds shows this week, so you can see if I'm wrong in my opinions!

Girl In A Thunderbolt was refreshingly different, with electric guitar, looped to produce interesting sounds, and soulful vocals.

My highlight of the evening was opening act Lucy Elliott (who also plays in electric trio The Lidi Berlins). Her set was full of vocal and acoustic guitar variation and innovation.

She also had a new 5-track CD EP on sale, which will also be available at future gigs. You can listen to three of the tracks on her my MySpace page (currently the first three in the list).

My faith in Sennen is restored!

A great Sunday night at Norwich Arts Centre with Vanilla Kick, The Lost Levels and Sennen - three bands that aren't easily pigeon-holed (always good as far as I'm concerned).

Vanilla Kick were first on. Lead singer/guitarist Calum had a sore throat, so his vocals were not as good as usual. However, the band were still very good. Look out for their EP launch/headlining performance at the Waterfront on July 29th (with the wonderful Uh Ohs supporting).

The Lost Levels always manage to produce lots of melodic/electronic/noisy guitar music. They did not disappoint tonight. Why have they never released an album?

Sennen have been a favourite band for ages but the last time they played at the Arts Centre I felt that they were just FAR TOO LOUD!

Thankfully, this time the sound guy kept the volume down to just "very loud", they played several new tracks, the cover of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" was in the set (yes!) and the whole set was excellent.

As all three bands were excellent tonight, I think this has to be my gig of the week so far (but there's another six days to go, of course!).

Glory Glory

I popped along to the Marquee, on Cattlemarket Street, last night for my second Hot City Sounds gig.

I quite enjoyed Beeba (a young guy from Suffolk) and Ten City Nation (a trio from Bury St. Edmunds), but I was mainly there to see Glory Glory, a boy/girl duo (Panos on guitar and Shannon on drums) and they didn't disappoint me.

I've been impressed with Shannon's drumming since first seeing her play with Comic Book Heroes and she's pretty good on vocals as well. Go see them soon!

Not too many people turned out to see these bands, which was a shame, and I left before headliners Kunk came on (too much beer!), so I don't know if it filled up later.

Here's a rather rubbish photo of Glory Glory at the Marquee...

Best band of the week - ALREADY?

Although headliners The Kabeedies were up to their usual high standard last night at Norwich Arts Centre for the Hot City Sounds launch night, stand-out band for me were Le Tetsuo.

I've seen them several times before and have always enjoyed them but last night they were stunningly good. Can any of this coming week's other bands surpass them?

I've got a wristband and I'm gonna use it

Hot City Sounds

Tonight sees the start of 9 days of gigs featuring local bands and performers at half a dozen venues around Norwich.

Hot City Sounds, co-ordinated by Kingsley Harris (of NROne Records) kicks off at Norwich Arts Centre with headliners The Kabeedies, ably supported by Le Tetsuo, myboy/mygirl, Dan and Georgia (until recently performing as Ducky Vodka) and Alex Hill.

BBC Introducing are also involved and will be broadcasting from the Arts Centre plus presenting live performances by this evening's bands in their studio at The Forum.

You can purchase an "all-gigs" ticket/wristband for £20 at the NAC, which will give you access to all but one of the week's events. I've got mine, so expect to see me about during the week!