Latest Post: the #Hashtag Boom – Bands should keep their focus
Hi everyone, this is what I think and say about anything/everything/you/me/that episode of Game of Thrones, Red Wedding. Just include a #hashtag on Twitter and yes, the Twitterverse will know. That is, your fans will know.
Now it seems that Facebook is going to be offering an almost identical option. Before many would place a #hashtag category on their Facebook post because it is synced with their Twitter account, allowing for a cross reference. Now, Facebook will soon be allowing for searchable #hashtag categories on a page, allowing access to up-to-date news feed relating to that topic.
So what does this mean in terms of a band’s digital marketing practices? All too often it seems bands will treat Facebook and Twitter as if they are the same marketing tool. A band can easily undermine their marketing strategy by using them thus; they are in fact quite different platforms.
Twitter with it’s 140 characters means followers expect short, sharp, news headline posts with perhaps a link. Whilst Facebook provides a move visual platform, allowing people to share things and connect on a more personal level. It annoys me greatly to see twitter posts which are only half a sentence with the rest made as link. It looks careless and boring.
Bands need to always remember these are social interaction forums, a place to learn more about a band beyond simply when they are playing and when their next single is out. Self-promotion is of course important, but being engaging and interesting is what will keep people in touch and checking back in on you. The #hashtag category on Facebook could help with this closer engagement.
It is still unclear specifically what the #hashtag privacy issues will be. Will the conversations including a hashtag mean that your comment will be public or only seen by your ‘friends’ or those who ‘like’ your page. If it is private, this could be very good for bands. A band making a #hashtag comment in a live news feed will enable them to directly react to and increase engagement with a fan on a personal level. All too often bands just look at the numbers, getting the fans who are newly interested down to the shows is what is important. Hopefully, the limited reach due to privacy will create more rewarding opportunities for future promotion with the ‘fans’ a band has already obtained on Facebook.
As a side thought: Once again I think Facebook is missing an important marketing element unique to them. They should be considering creating a focus on the local. They could provide an option to look at #hashtag categories in your town, suburb or city. They could draw upon the feeling of ‘community’ they believe to be fostering. This is what interests me when looking to Facebook, as opposed to Twitter where I appreciate the ramblings of a random person out there in the world. Facebook is about a more personal engagement with my ‘friends’.
Now it seems that Facebook is going to be offering an almost identical option. Before many would place a #hashtag category on their Facebook post because it is synced with their Twitter account, allowing for a cross reference. Now, Facebook will soon be allowing for searchable #hashtag categories on a page, allowing access to up-to-date news feed relating to that topic.
So what does this mean in terms of a band’s digital marketing practices? All too often it seems bands will treat Facebook and Twitter as if they are the same marketing tool. A band can easily undermine their marketing strategy by using them thus; they are in fact quite different platforms.
Twitter with it’s 140 characters means followers expect short, sharp, news headline posts with perhaps a link. Whilst Facebook provides a move visual platform, allowing people to share things and connect on a more personal level. It annoys me greatly to see twitter posts which are only half a sentence with the rest made as link. It looks careless and boring.
Bands need to always remember these are social interaction forums, a place to learn more about a band beyond simply when they are playing and when their next single is out. Self-promotion is of course important, but being engaging and interesting is what will keep people in touch and checking back in on you. The #hashtag category on Facebook could help with this closer engagement.
It is still unclear specifically what the #hashtag privacy issues will be. Will the conversations including a hashtag mean that your comment will be public or only seen by your ‘friends’ or those who ‘like’ your page. If it is private, this could be very good for bands. A band making a #hashtag comment in a live news feed will enable them to directly react to and increase engagement with a fan on a personal level. All too often bands just look at the numbers, getting the fans who are newly interested down to the shows is what is important. Hopefully, the limited reach due to privacy will create more rewarding opportunities for future promotion with the ‘fans’ a band has already obtained on Facebook.
As a side thought: Once again I think Facebook is missing an important marketing element unique to them. They should be considering creating a focus on the local. They could provide an option to look at #hashtag categories in your town, suburb or city. They could draw upon the feeling of ‘community’ they believe to be fostering. This is what interests me when looking to Facebook, as opposed to Twitter where I appreciate the ramblings of a random person out there in the world. Facebook is about a more personal engagement with my ‘friends’.
Latest post: the 1975, moving with an 80s Sound in The 2013
Gig Date: 29th May 2013
‘God I hope he hasn’t cut his hair.’ No ladies and gents this isn’t in reference to Bastille, nor was it a young Lass to say it. It was a group of boisterous lads standing right behind me, staring adoringly at the stage at Heaven. They were waiting for The 1975 to appear and Matty Healy, the lead singer, with his hair in all it’s coiffed, Mohawk glory. (I do love his hair, special message: never change it Matty).
I saw these guys back at the Borderlinein March and they were very impressive for a band so relatively new to the scene, 4 EPs to date. At that gig, I managed to be at the edge of the stage with no problem, taking some fairly nice photos and feeling personally serenaded by the band. Their fame has definitely grown since then, as you needed to get there early to be any where close to the front.
They come on bang on time in their black t-shirt uniform, which seems to be a little hommage to their Manchurian roots. Matty jumps up on an amp and he tell us we are going to get the full album play. This news makes you feel like the gig has an added element of specialness, a preview of music that others will not get until the album release in September.
The boys bang out ‘The City’ early in the set, which they rereleased only recently. It really is a cracking tune, with drum machines being pushed into overdrive. As the set progresses, the light show really compliments the tone of each of the songs. The album has a very distinctly 80s vibe but with a funky twist thanks to some nicely placed guitar licks.
It’s interesting how their music seems to perch on the fence between the mature and adolescent in terms of feeling, though it should be remembered that the members only in their early 20s. Matty’s voice has such a beautifully brittle, almost pre pubescent quality which works perfectly with a lot of their lyrical content. George Daniel (drums), and Ross MacDonald (bass) work their parts well and they are definitely not lost on the stage, but I can’t help my eye often wondering over to look at Adam Hann. He stands on the left of the stage, and he plays with such a concentrated aura of quiet coolness, you feel he is just focused on the art of their music.
The middle of the set meanders a little at times, as not all the songs are as strong as other singles. But they announce they are going to play a love song, and it is one I do not recognise. It is beautiful. It is a great lead to the crowd surging as Matty tells us we are going to have ‘a bit of fun’ and the familiar rhythmic guitar groove of ‘Chocolate’ gets the room squealing.
The set unexpectedly becomes a little more exciting, as a crush of people get a warning from the singer ‘I’ll fight you, calm yourself down’. It seems ironic that this episode is followed by the full blown eruption of their angst and self-gratification inspired pure pop track ‘Sex’. This tune reminds me of how good this band really can be, the hook is just so catchy ‘She’s got a boyfriend anyway’.
The set finished with ‘You’ which has that great blend of bedroom electronic synth and pop which holds your interest and compliments ‘Sex’ well. The lighting and sound at Heaven really worked for the band and it felt like a great space for them.
I would like to end this piece with another little special message: Put ‘Me’ on the album boys, it is too amazing to be forgotten…
‘God I hope he hasn’t cut his hair.’ No ladies and gents this isn’t in reference to Bastille, nor was it a young Lass to say it. It was a group of boisterous lads standing right behind me, staring adoringly at the stage at Heaven. They were waiting for The 1975 to appear and Matty Healy, the lead singer, with his hair in all it’s coiffed, Mohawk glory. (I do love his hair, special message: never change it Matty).
I saw these guys back at the Borderlinein March and they were very impressive for a band so relatively new to the scene, 4 EPs to date. At that gig, I managed to be at the edge of the stage with no problem, taking some fairly nice photos and feeling personally serenaded by the band. Their fame has definitely grown since then, as you needed to get there early to be any where close to the front.
They come on bang on time in their black t-shirt uniform, which seems to be a little hommage to their Manchurian roots. Matty jumps up on an amp and he tell us we are going to get the full album play. This news makes you feel like the gig has an added element of specialness, a preview of music that others will not get until the album release in September.
The boys bang out ‘The City’ early in the set, which they rereleased only recently. It really is a cracking tune, with drum machines being pushed into overdrive. As the set progresses, the light show really compliments the tone of each of the songs. The album has a very distinctly 80s vibe but with a funky twist thanks to some nicely placed guitar licks.
It’s interesting how their music seems to perch on the fence between the mature and adolescent in terms of feeling, though it should be remembered that the members only in their early 20s. Matty’s voice has such a beautifully brittle, almost pre pubescent quality which works perfectly with a lot of their lyrical content. George Daniel (drums), and Ross MacDonald (bass) work their parts well and they are definitely not lost on the stage, but I can’t help my eye often wondering over to look at Adam Hann. He stands on the left of the stage, and he plays with such a concentrated aura of quiet coolness, you feel he is just focused on the art of their music.
The middle of the set meanders a little at times, as not all the songs are as strong as other singles. But they announce they are going to play a love song, and it is one I do not recognise. It is beautiful. It is a great lead to the crowd surging as Matty tells us we are going to have ‘a bit of fun’ and the familiar rhythmic guitar groove of ‘Chocolate’ gets the room squealing.
The set unexpectedly becomes a little more exciting, as a crush of people get a warning from the singer ‘I’ll fight you, calm yourself down’. It seems ironic that this episode is followed by the full blown eruption of their angst and self-gratification inspired pure pop track ‘Sex’. This tune reminds me of how good this band really can be, the hook is just so catchy ‘She’s got a boyfriend anyway’.
The set finished with ‘You’ which has that great blend of bedroom electronic synth and pop which holds your interest and compliments ‘Sex’ well. The lighting and sound at Heaven really worked for the band and it felt like a great space for them.
I would like to end this piece with another little special message: Put ‘Me’ on the album boys, it is too amazing to be forgotten…
Latest Post: Marketing to the Online Crowd – Digital doesn’t need to be Difficult
So in the new age of the online world, bands need to be up to date! But what does this mean for your marketing on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube etc? Here are some key ideas for your posting that you should think about and implement.
IGNORING IT WILL NOT MAKE IT GO AWAY
Posts:
(1) Personalise
(2) Network
(3) Share
(4) Trends
(5) Incentives
(6) Respond
(1) Personalise – Link to articles/photographs/videos etc. that reflect you as a band and that you find interesting and want to share with people.
Be interactive with your audience. Think about frequent, light, in-style posts designed to engage and encourage people to connect with you. This includes polls, questions and colorful images.
This side of things shouldn’t seem like a chore, although you will have to do some research. Be yourselves, talk about your interests and avoid being overly self-promotional, it is about subtlety.
Remember, people like to do business with people they like. Don’t just tweet about your release dates and upcoming tours, make it interesting for people to follow you not just because of who you are, but what you share as well.
Eg. ‘When I snowboard I like to listen to [link to bandcamp or other site for a track]’
Keep your fans talking and sharing. Peak Twitter time is usually between 10am-4pm. And peak Facebook time is usually between 11am - 8pm peak times being 11am, 3pm and 8pm, weekdays are busiest particularly Wednesdays.
Try and keep it light and personal, try not to push things on them. It's more about increasing their engagement to make the fact they 'like' your page mean something and increase the likelihood that they will remain interested in your progress and new developments
(2) Network – Cross-promoting and connecting with ‘people who matter’ eg. core fans, music bloggers, radio DJs etc.
Focus on your Key Power Tweeters: One of the best ways to really utilize the power of the twitter-verse is to target well respected and widely known figures within your industry through your tweets. Interacting with these people will expose you to their followers and can lead you to developing a relationship with them. Doing this can dramatically increase the exposure of your profile and expand your social network.
Eg. ‘#jls the hardest working band? We have been working on our album and our upcoming April/May tour! Check it out here [link to site for tour dates]’
It would be a good idea to recommend other bands, do this with magazines, channels, blogs and radio stations – particularly student radio shows. Get them to share/retweet these posts to draw attention to you aswell.
Eg. ‘Amazing article in @musicmagazinename about #trendingarticle’
(3) Share
Keep your fans talking and sharing. Continue to post information about what you are doing so that followers can get a taste of 'backstage band life' eg. at the studio recording, writing, backstage, making a music video etc.
Eg. New month, new tracks – keep your eyes and ears peeled for new videos here [link to Youtube page]’
Document being in a band by making a ‘webisode’ or taking photographs to show to fans. Visuals are important, particularly when you are on tour or recording, to whet the appetite of your audience, as they engage and entertain.
(4) Trends – Interaction is of the utmost importance! #hashtags and @tweetpeople
Really utilize the #hashtagcategory as some people search twitter through categories. If others enjoy similar content in which you have posted on, they might follow you for more updates or even a conversation.
Eg. ‘#primaryschoolmemories of listening to AC/DC, we were destined to be in a band!’
An application to consider in order to monitor certain topics and mentions of your band is using TweetBeep. You can use it on a basic level for free, setting up 10 keyword alerts and then receive hourly or daily emails when these keywords are mentioned. It is not perfect and may not pick up every reference to your keywords but it is a good way to help you keep track.
Making a comment on a fan’s interesting tweet/comment using @theirtwittername will lead them to do the same. Track which types of tweets are getting retweeted more than others, and tweet the types of content that tends to be more popular with your target audience. EG. Discuss things such as an interesting article in the @NME and ask their opinions – content like this is 50% percent more likely to be retweeted.
Retweeting: Get those followers to promote your tweets and spread your voice. Your followers then become influencers and by retweeting the information you provide you are seen as a taste-maker and power-player.
Try and give the impression of providing valuable information without expecting anything in return. If they like an answer to a topic they are discussing, they may retweet it.
(Asking people to retweet can be effective, but try and reserve this for when you really need to, as doing it more than once a week, can make it fairly dull for your followers).
(5) Incentives – Use Facebook and Twitter to advertise competitions and prizes
· Take photos with fans and get them to tag you (as a band), alternatively tag your fans in your own photographs. There are always amateur freelance photographers floating around at gigs and in this way you can develop relationships with photographers and ‘fan photographers’.
· Encourage fan art, maybe as part of a limited t-shirt design or single sleeve.
· For upcoming tours you could offer signed prizes eg. set lists, picks etc. for best photograph from the show and advertise this on Facebook and Twitter.
· As we all know everybody loves something for nothing so free tickets for gigs go down well.
(6) Respond
It's important to contact and maintain the following of core fans so network with them, as you would after a show, but on Facebook and Twitter 'Liking' and leaving messages and comments occasionally.
Being personal with fans and followers is important as it makes them feel a valuable part of your audience and will encourage them to invite their friends to like your music as well.
Regularity: Don’t have a social media spasm, inundating your fans and followers with your thoughts, opinions etc. – Only to disappear into the ether for a long period will often prove to be counter-productive.
IGNORING IT WILL NOT MAKE IT GO AWAY
Posts:
(1) Personalise
(2) Network
(3) Share
(4) Trends
(5) Incentives
(6) Respond
(1) Personalise – Link to articles/photographs/videos etc. that reflect you as a band and that you find interesting and want to share with people.
Be interactive with your audience. Think about frequent, light, in-style posts designed to engage and encourage people to connect with you. This includes polls, questions and colorful images.
This side of things shouldn’t seem like a chore, although you will have to do some research. Be yourselves, talk about your interests and avoid being overly self-promotional, it is about subtlety.
Remember, people like to do business with people they like. Don’t just tweet about your release dates and upcoming tours, make it interesting for people to follow you not just because of who you are, but what you share as well.
Eg. ‘When I snowboard I like to listen to [link to bandcamp or other site for a track]’
Keep your fans talking and sharing. Peak Twitter time is usually between 10am-4pm. And peak Facebook time is usually between 11am - 8pm peak times being 11am, 3pm and 8pm, weekdays are busiest particularly Wednesdays.
Try and keep it light and personal, try not to push things on them. It's more about increasing their engagement to make the fact they 'like' your page mean something and increase the likelihood that they will remain interested in your progress and new developments
(2) Network – Cross-promoting and connecting with ‘people who matter’ eg. core fans, music bloggers, radio DJs etc.
Focus on your Key Power Tweeters: One of the best ways to really utilize the power of the twitter-verse is to target well respected and widely known figures within your industry through your tweets. Interacting with these people will expose you to their followers and can lead you to developing a relationship with them. Doing this can dramatically increase the exposure of your profile and expand your social network.
Eg. ‘#jls the hardest working band? We have been working on our album and our upcoming April/May tour! Check it out here [link to site for tour dates]’
It would be a good idea to recommend other bands, do this with magazines, channels, blogs and radio stations – particularly student radio shows. Get them to share/retweet these posts to draw attention to you aswell.
Eg. ‘Amazing article in @musicmagazinename about #trendingarticle’
(3) Share
Keep your fans talking and sharing. Continue to post information about what you are doing so that followers can get a taste of 'backstage band life' eg. at the studio recording, writing, backstage, making a music video etc.
Eg. New month, new tracks – keep your eyes and ears peeled for new videos here [link to Youtube page]’
Document being in a band by making a ‘webisode’ or taking photographs to show to fans. Visuals are important, particularly when you are on tour or recording, to whet the appetite of your audience, as they engage and entertain.
(4) Trends – Interaction is of the utmost importance! #hashtags and @tweetpeople
Really utilize the #hashtagcategory as some people search twitter through categories. If others enjoy similar content in which you have posted on, they might follow you for more updates or even a conversation.
Eg. ‘#primaryschoolmemories of listening to AC/DC, we were destined to be in a band!’
An application to consider in order to monitor certain topics and mentions of your band is using TweetBeep. You can use it on a basic level for free, setting up 10 keyword alerts and then receive hourly or daily emails when these keywords are mentioned. It is not perfect and may not pick up every reference to your keywords but it is a good way to help you keep track.
Making a comment on a fan’s interesting tweet/comment using @theirtwittername will lead them to do the same. Track which types of tweets are getting retweeted more than others, and tweet the types of content that tends to be more popular with your target audience. EG. Discuss things such as an interesting article in the @NME and ask their opinions – content like this is 50% percent more likely to be retweeted.
Retweeting: Get those followers to promote your tweets and spread your voice. Your followers then become influencers and by retweeting the information you provide you are seen as a taste-maker and power-player.
Try and give the impression of providing valuable information without expecting anything in return. If they like an answer to a topic they are discussing, they may retweet it.
(Asking people to retweet can be effective, but try and reserve this for when you really need to, as doing it more than once a week, can make it fairly dull for your followers).
(5) Incentives – Use Facebook and Twitter to advertise competitions and prizes
· Take photos with fans and get them to tag you (as a band), alternatively tag your fans in your own photographs. There are always amateur freelance photographers floating around at gigs and in this way you can develop relationships with photographers and ‘fan photographers’.
· Encourage fan art, maybe as part of a limited t-shirt design or single sleeve.
· For upcoming tours you could offer signed prizes eg. set lists, picks etc. for best photograph from the show and advertise this on Facebook and Twitter.
· As we all know everybody loves something for nothing so free tickets for gigs go down well.
(6) Respond
It's important to contact and maintain the following of core fans so network with them, as you would after a show, but on Facebook and Twitter 'Liking' and leaving messages and comments occasionally.
Being personal with fans and followers is important as it makes them feel a valuable part of your audience and will encourage them to invite their friends to like your music as well.
Regularity: Don’t have a social media spasm, inundating your fans and followers with your thoughts, opinions etc. – Only to disappear into the ether for a long period will often prove to be counter-productive.
Trying to not kill my friends with my randomness....
Latest Post: Little Green Cars, Woah are they going to be big!
‘What’s great about them is they don’t realise how good they actually are’. To quote one of the enthralled audience members from the Little Green Cars gig at The Great Escape. They really have an appeal that is oh so sweet. This stupendous (yep, stupendous!) folk-rock 5-piece from Ireland wander onto the stage looking like they mean business, you can tell they are a band which knows what they are doing. This is their job, and they are here to make you listen.
With the opening note from the singer, as she doesn't really confront the microphone but looks to it as if it is just an extension of herself, you know this is going to be special. She has a pure tone which sweeps the room, and I just can’t help thinking. Um, hello young Stevie Nicks?
Their song order seems perfect, building throughout. Harper Lee comes near the beginning and for those who do not know this band it is astounding the wall of 5 part harmonious sound they project. Stevie has a lovable quality that makes his lyrics seem so true rather than trite. Red Dragon comes through like a call from the stage. With the urgent cries of ‘Oh My God’, you can see people start to nod along to and mumble under their breath.
They seem to understand the mechanics of music that bands of their similar tender years have yet to grasp. They get the rise and fall of a song, the softer moments having the potential for as much intensity as the rip-roaring, breakout elements. It is my judgement really that these guys have the potential to be our generations Fleetwood Mac/The Mamas and The Papas powerhouse. If they are not one to the Dome headliners next year, then there is something wrong with the world.
I would say, the only detracting feature of their live set is in their professional musician aura, they have a tendency to look a little unresponsive on stage. It doesn't take away from their sound by any means, you kind of just smile at them a lot broader hoping maybe they will smile back. But hey, if that works for them right?
Four of them, presenting themselves at the microphone with such strength, spread across the width of the stage, staring into the distance as they erupt into bold and swirling harmonies, leaves you enthralled and a gasp. The lighting set up at The Warren definitely added to the show feeling more like a spectacular, as the golden light timing flash was synchronised to complement the building, crescendo style of harmonies and rolling movement of music.
They have a rockier, more teenage angst driven edge to them than the Lumineers and Mumford and Sons. They finish the show withThe John Wayne and their repetitive cry of ‘it’s easy to fall in love’ gives voice to the youthful dream of the simplicity of knowing when someone just seems so right for you. The harmonies are majestic, fully utilizing the complimentary tones between the singers with the balance surprisingly in sync, considering it is only one little lady belting it out for the girls.
They generally excited me, I can’t wait to see where they are going to go.
http://littlegreencars.co.uk/
Little Green Cars are Stevie Appleby, Faye O'Rourke, Adam O'Regan, Donagh Seaver O'Leary and Dylan Lynch
With the opening note from the singer, as she doesn't really confront the microphone but looks to it as if it is just an extension of herself, you know this is going to be special. She has a pure tone which sweeps the room, and I just can’t help thinking. Um, hello young Stevie Nicks?
Their song order seems perfect, building throughout. Harper Lee comes near the beginning and for those who do not know this band it is astounding the wall of 5 part harmonious sound they project. Stevie has a lovable quality that makes his lyrics seem so true rather than trite. Red Dragon comes through like a call from the stage. With the urgent cries of ‘Oh My God’, you can see people start to nod along to and mumble under their breath.
They seem to understand the mechanics of music that bands of their similar tender years have yet to grasp. They get the rise and fall of a song, the softer moments having the potential for as much intensity as the rip-roaring, breakout elements. It is my judgement really that these guys have the potential to be our generations Fleetwood Mac/The Mamas and The Papas powerhouse. If they are not one to the Dome headliners next year, then there is something wrong with the world.
I would say, the only detracting feature of their live set is in their professional musician aura, they have a tendency to look a little unresponsive on stage. It doesn't take away from their sound by any means, you kind of just smile at them a lot broader hoping maybe they will smile back. But hey, if that works for them right?
Four of them, presenting themselves at the microphone with such strength, spread across the width of the stage, staring into the distance as they erupt into bold and swirling harmonies, leaves you enthralled and a gasp. The lighting set up at The Warren definitely added to the show feeling more like a spectacular, as the golden light timing flash was synchronised to complement the building, crescendo style of harmonies and rolling movement of music.
They have a rockier, more teenage angst driven edge to them than the Lumineers and Mumford and Sons. They finish the show withThe John Wayne and their repetitive cry of ‘it’s easy to fall in love’ gives voice to the youthful dream of the simplicity of knowing when someone just seems so right for you. The harmonies are majestic, fully utilizing the complimentary tones between the singers with the balance surprisingly in sync, considering it is only one little lady belting it out for the girls.
They generally excited me, I can’t wait to see where they are going to go.
http://littlegreencars.co.uk/
Little Green Cars are Stevie Appleby, Faye O'Rourke, Adam O'Regan, Donagh Seaver O'Leary and Dylan Lynch
Latest Post: Melt Yourself Down - Fix My Life, After you Break ME Down
‘Ofcourse you like it, it’s a bit weird’. This is the general consensus my friends have of some of my musical taste. So when I played them this track Fix My Life by Melt Yourself Down, it didn’t really surprise me when they cocked an eyebrow.
A little tribal-pop-jazz-funk, that is one of the only ways to describe this fairly distinctive hybrid sound. The entirety of the song has a feverish, uninhibited power, which seems to draw from the minimalist stylings of the 1920s. It starts simply enough, with the collective playing out a nice rhythmic, melodic pulse but only 6 seconds in when the drums play in an off-beat scattered way you can feel where it is going to go. They are brilliant at using their semi-tonal interplay between the instruments which gives it such a tense aura, and when the sax starts freewheeling half way through, you can just picture what it is going to be like live.
Odd, guttural vocal noises or high pitched squeals thread throughout acting more as an additional brass instrument than melodic piece. The wild ‘whoop whoop whoops’ almost sound carnal and gives a great interlude in anticipation for the great final eruption of frantic, rolling sound to bring us back to where we started, the rhythmic pulse.
It is a song that resembles the recording of a jam session, with people dancing around with tequila in hand making it up as they go along. However, there is also a feeling of an underlying precise talent going on to hold together what could really be a mess, that these people live and breathe their instruments and music. Well you would believe it if I said this is really a supergroup of musical luminaries including Peter Wareham (Acoustic Ladyland), Shabaka Hutchings (Sons of Kemet), Tom Skinner (Sons of Kemet, Mulatu Astatke), Ruth Goller (Acoustic Ladyland), Kushal Gaya (Zun Zun Egui) and Satin Singh (Transglobal Underground).
My God, I need to see this live! Play it a couple of times, you will become addicted.
A little tribal-pop-jazz-funk, that is one of the only ways to describe this fairly distinctive hybrid sound. The entirety of the song has a feverish, uninhibited power, which seems to draw from the minimalist stylings of the 1920s. It starts simply enough, with the collective playing out a nice rhythmic, melodic pulse but only 6 seconds in when the drums play in an off-beat scattered way you can feel where it is going to go. They are brilliant at using their semi-tonal interplay between the instruments which gives it such a tense aura, and when the sax starts freewheeling half way through, you can just picture what it is going to be like live.
Odd, guttural vocal noises or high pitched squeals thread throughout acting more as an additional brass instrument than melodic piece. The wild ‘whoop whoop whoops’ almost sound carnal and gives a great interlude in anticipation for the great final eruption of frantic, rolling sound to bring us back to where we started, the rhythmic pulse.
It is a song that resembles the recording of a jam session, with people dancing around with tequila in hand making it up as they go along. However, there is also a feeling of an underlying precise talent going on to hold together what could really be a mess, that these people live and breathe their instruments and music. Well you would believe it if I said this is really a supergroup of musical luminaries including Peter Wareham (Acoustic Ladyland), Shabaka Hutchings (Sons of Kemet), Tom Skinner (Sons of Kemet, Mulatu Astatke), Ruth Goller (Acoustic Ladyland), Kushal Gaya (Zun Zun Egui) and Satin Singh (Transglobal Underground).
My God, I need to see this live! Play it a couple of times, you will become addicted.
Latest Post: COASTS - THE BAND NOT WILLING TO 'WALLOW', WHY WOULD THEY?
Coasts are really turning into the babies of the UK indie-hipster scene, rushing from success to success. Birmingham may be on everyone’s radar at the moment, but these lovely B-town compatriots from Bristol are certainly pulling at that focus. Their ‘Oceans’ video drew in nearly 80,000 viewers in a month alone.
I came across these guys nearly a year ago, on the backroom stage of a dive pub in London, accompanied by their obviously tenderly loved ‘palm’ tree. They played a decent set, highlighted mainly by their singer who it is pretty hard not to stare at. I have seen them since and they are certainly a tighter unit, almost glowing on stage.
Calypso-Indie-Rock, that is what I would call their musical style. Mainly because every time they play a song you just think of the beach and cry a little for a real summer. You can sense the influence of the Foals without a snort of derision.
Their latest single, Wallow, has a slightly more melancholic edge than their previous offerings. There is an atmospheric build with the tinkling of a subtlety funky guitar line, reminiscent of other quickly developing band The 1975. It draws us in to a great head swinging moment of almost erupting drums, guitar and bass.
The lead singer brings just the right amount urgency to his voice, that you feel what he is saying but don’t want to slap it out of him. The video is simple but effective, giving us a chance to see what the band looks like a little more. Oh and look, there is the ‘palm’ tree.
These boys seem unable to not make a potential indie anthem. I can just imagine kids punching the air at a festival whilst jumping around and screaming ‘Wallow in the middle, Wallow in the mire….
I came across these guys nearly a year ago, on the backroom stage of a dive pub in London, accompanied by their obviously tenderly loved ‘palm’ tree. They played a decent set, highlighted mainly by their singer who it is pretty hard not to stare at. I have seen them since and they are certainly a tighter unit, almost glowing on stage.
Calypso-Indie-Rock, that is what I would call their musical style. Mainly because every time they play a song you just think of the beach and cry a little for a real summer. You can sense the influence of the Foals without a snort of derision.
Their latest single, Wallow, has a slightly more melancholic edge than their previous offerings. There is an atmospheric build with the tinkling of a subtlety funky guitar line, reminiscent of other quickly developing band The 1975. It draws us in to a great head swinging moment of almost erupting drums, guitar and bass.
The lead singer brings just the right amount urgency to his voice, that you feel what he is saying but don’t want to slap it out of him. The video is simple but effective, giving us a chance to see what the band looks like a little more. Oh and look, there is the ‘palm’ tree.
These boys seem unable to not make a potential indie anthem. I can just imagine kids punching the air at a festival whilst jumping around and screaming ‘Wallow in the middle, Wallow in the mire….
Latest Blog: Twitter #Music - huh
So I must premise this by saying I haven't been able to access the Twitter #Music application for my phone yet, so these are just my initial observations.
It seems I don’t follow any artists on Twitter. Not very surprising, I use it for work analysis mainly rather than as a hub of activity. Probably not the best thing to be admitting since I work in digital marketing, but so it goes.
The app is propositioned to be the new answer to the mixtape, I wonder though considering the statistics as to the growth in the amount of listeners who now stream a lot of their music through places such as Spotify and Rdio, whether they are attempting to tap into this . Spotify has only recently released their follow playlist options, which in itself is really an answer to the mixtape.
Perhaps it is because Twitter is happening more in real time, reacting to "the point and click, now now" generations of both Y and Z. Although the glaringly obvious side effect of the Twitter app is the new custom being brought to Spotify and Rdio.
Being part of a closer music community with your friends seems somewhat illusory.with the app. Playlists decided upon and expressed through Spotify seem more personalised and a better reflection of another parties tastes, emotions and perhaps even thoughts.
What is Twitter #Music really going to bring to the table? Vine felt like it had it’s place within the Twitter-verse. Short, to the point videos that are simply repeatable. Much like the 140 character limit of a tweet. They complemented and made sense together. The new twitter app just feels, well, weird as a concept. As my mate said: ‘It’s an odd move’
So really, the debate goes to: What is Twitter trying to do? Time shall tell....
It seems I don’t follow any artists on Twitter. Not very surprising, I use it for work analysis mainly rather than as a hub of activity. Probably not the best thing to be admitting since I work in digital marketing, but so it goes.
The app is propositioned to be the new answer to the mixtape, I wonder though considering the statistics as to the growth in the amount of listeners who now stream a lot of their music through places such as Spotify and Rdio, whether they are attempting to tap into this . Spotify has only recently released their follow playlist options, which in itself is really an answer to the mixtape.
Perhaps it is because Twitter is happening more in real time, reacting to "the point and click, now now" generations of both Y and Z. Although the glaringly obvious side effect of the Twitter app is the new custom being brought to Spotify and Rdio.
Being part of a closer music community with your friends seems somewhat illusory.with the app. Playlists decided upon and expressed through Spotify seem more personalised and a better reflection of another parties tastes, emotions and perhaps even thoughts.
What is Twitter #Music really going to bring to the table? Vine felt like it had it’s place within the Twitter-verse. Short, to the point videos that are simply repeatable. Much like the 140 character limit of a tweet. They complemented and made sense together. The new twitter app just feels, well, weird as a concept. As my mate said: ‘It’s an odd move’
So really, the debate goes to: What is Twitter trying to do? Time shall tell....