Razorlight
Brixton Academy, London
November 13th, 2008

Brixton Academy is ambitious in design but dirty in reality, vast  but inti mite in the same breath. A truly decent performance effortlessly fills this 5,000 capacity space with adrenaline. Despite his best efforts, the Detroit Social Club front man just doesn’t pull it off. His band is boring and lacking in charisma.

As the band take their weapons, it’s the distinctive “B ,  C#m,A” chords that, to any Razorlight fan, can only mean one thing - Golden Touch! Suddenly the crowd awakes, possessed. Johnny lets the crowd do the work providing vocals that fill the venue, in perfect tone. Tonight, Brixton Academy will be owned by Razorlight.

Then, probably the best track from Up All Night, Dalston. The whole band are on top form. Dalmeo strolls through his bass line with ease and Agren’s rhythm guitar has never sounded better. Burrows resembles a 4 year old with some new drums at Christmas.

We’re left buzzing, floating almost,  from these two classics, and are then refreshed with some Burberry Blue Eyes and the In The Morning. Agren stays, takes the spot light, as the band waltz off stage, leaving men in overcoats to sweep the stage and move stuff around.

The curtain gets thrown off revealing Razorlight’s full set complete with a dozen lights panels.

Many people here tonight are new fans, the kind no real fan likes. This site is about new music and introducing it to new fans but we can’t help but want to keep them, just for us. I keep thinking “I watched this band

Closing with Somewhere Else the crowd are left feeling excited and warm and awake and refreshed. This is a band that have come along way, their progression is stunning. The band, Johnny in particular, and their sound is new and feels more mature.

Johnny is called arrogant by many, including me in the past, but he carries it on stage. He is a showman, a performing genius.

Read our ‘Slipway Fires’ review here. Thanks to Watching Dreams Float By for posting the set list.

The Mighty Boosh - Brixton Academy
October 24th 2008

I found myself fortunate enough to be one of those able to get a ticket to the sell out Mighty Boosh Tour 2008. The fact that I ordered this ticket in December last year meant that I’ve been eagerly awaiting this gig for 10 months and then before you know it, BAM! its Friday 24th October and I’m on my way to Brixton.

After having seen the material from the live show in 2006 i did wonder how on earth they were going to beat it and if they had maybe got a little ahead of themselves due to their massive increase in popularity over the past 12 months.

Three words to sum it up. BEST SHOW EVER.

Boosh Live was completely original using characters from their latest series and a few old favourites as well as using some new material.

Part one saw the audience being involved in a dance taught by Bob Fossill in which they had to ”Feed the fucking chickens!” The Crack Fox also made an appearance, playing his banjo and harassing members of the audience as they left their seats in a disturbing manner.

”Where ya goin?, get back in your seat, IM GONNA FOLLOW YOU HOME AND MAKE YOU DRINK PISS”.

Fielding & Barratt still lose themselves amongst this, admitting that they’ve actually forgotten what they’re doing and involve themselves in playful banter however the audience just don’t care. F & B could devise a whole show based around this banter with props falling apart and it would still be as funny and still sell out 6 nights at Brixton Academy.

Part one is closed by an old favourite ‘The Hitcher’, walking amongst the audience and performing ‘Eeels Up Inside Ya’ with the Boosh Band. Part Two is opened by Barratt trying to perform a serious play and in no time at all Fielding turns it into a glam rock show.

During the performance there are many jokes aimed at the ‘Sugar Puffs Honey Monster Crimp’ which eventually climax’s to the Honey Monster coming onstage and Vince decapitating him with the Jean Claude Jacquete hairdryer. Tony Harrisson then rapes the head shouting

“Take it, take it! Take it like you take other peoples ideas you plagerising bastard!”

The night concludes with the monumentous punk number ‘I Did A Shit’
. What especially stands out tonight is the musical prowess gifted to the whole cast. F & B excerpt so much talent when it comes to writing and performing music. The Boosh Band is simply electric, leading every musical number with a thudding beat and a bass that rumbles through the whole of Brixton.

The Boosh follow up their darker series 3 with a lighter live show that captivates and thrills the entire audience.

Make a date with Radio One tonight at 9pm (UK) and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Tonight is the night that we will finally hear the Maida Vale session recorded by Tom Williams And The Boat last month. This comes on the same day that the band release new single ‘Doing My Best’ as a free download.

This band NEVER fail to impress me, ‘Doing My Best’ is yet another brilliant song and shows further progression from them. It comes from their forthcoming ‘concept’ EP due out in January 09. According to Tom ‘this song is the climax of the narrative, where everything kicks off’.

We’ll have more on the EP in the coming months.

You can listen to ‘Doing My Best’ as well as ‘Train Station Car Park’, ‘Wouldn’t Women Be Sweet’ and ‘Got Fuel’ tonight on Huw Stephens show at 9pm on Radio One.

If you’ve miss it, you can get it for up to seven days on the iPlayer.

Get More: myspace.com/williamstommusic

Wirral 3-piece The Rascals have cancelled the remaining dates on their UK tour. The cancellation follows a string of cancelled gigs culminating in yesterdays announcement that all further gigs are to be re-scheduled.

The brief statement reads:

We regret to announce that the remaining shows of the U.K tour have been cancelled. All of the shows are being rescheduled for December and we will announce the new dates on Monday. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. We promise to more than make up for it in December! Thanks and see you soon, The Rascals

A bit of digging around revealed, via the support band Twisted Wheel, that singer/guitarist Miles Kane has laryngitis. I was due to see the band play at London’s Scala this month, but that particular gig is now set for December.

Miles Kane’s other band, The Last Shadow Puppets are supposed to kick off their tour on October11th in Wolverhampton, UK. These dates still stand which is a relief as I’m seeing them too, in London, on October 26th.

Listen to: The Rascals - People Watching
[audio:http://www.likesounds.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/the-rascals-people-watching.mp3]

I’m always eager to hear new material from bands be it covers or their own stuff.

This month I was lucky enough to come across one of each from one of my favourite bands Vampire Weekend, Fleetwood Mac cover ‘Everywhere’ & new track ‘Ottoman’.

Ottoman features the same line from latest single ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’ “Feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel too” although this is rumoured to of been a line from Ottoman before CCKK…

Not being a big Fleetwood Mac fan myself I had nothing to compare this version to the original with; however whilst on a roadtrip to Portsmouth ‘Everywhere’ came onto the playlist, my friend (a BIG Fleetwood Mac fan) told me that Vampire Weekend’s cover definately did the song justice, so smiles all round!

Listen To:
Vampire Weekend - Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac Cover).mp3
Vampire Weekend - Ottoman.mp3

Vampire Weekend On: Myspace // last.fm

JLP

2 albums in one year and after not having much to say about their debut ‘Hold On Now, Youngster’ i wasn’t holding out much hope for their second release. However, it’s catchy, it’s full of energy, it’s witty and i really like it!The sound is easier on the ears and feels like they’ve taken their time on producing the final copy.

‘We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed’ shows definite progression from Los Campesinos! and if this is the way the band are heading then i’l definately be on the look out for future releases.

Los Campesinos! kick off their latest tour in Brighton on the 14th October hitting Liverpool, Leeds, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Bristol & Manchester along the way.If you weren’t a fan of ‘Hold On Now, Youngster’ then don’t let that be enough to put you off these guys, download ‘We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed’ from October 13th 2008.

Listen To:
Los Campesinos! - All Your Keyfabe Friends.mp3
Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.mp3

Los Campesinos! on:Myspace // last.fm

Pre-Order Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed at Amazon for £9.99

JLP

Tom Williams & The Boat are a much loved band amongst the writers here at likesounds.com

Got Fuel is the third EP from the band this year which in total gives us 21 songs that the band have written, recorded & mastered in the past 12 months which in itself is a huge triumph!

I don’t know too many bands that can come up with that much (good) material in that amount of time!

The band are also gigging this Thursday (14th August) at the Tunbridge Wells Forum with Canadian band Tokyo Police Club.

Tickets are £8.00, contact Tom directly via tomwilliamsmusic at hotmail dot co dot uk for yours.

Myspacers:
myspace.com/williamstommusic
myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub

Venue:
www.twforum.co.uk

Songs:
Tom Williams & The Boat - Wouldn’t Women Be Sweet.mp3 (from the Got Fuel EP)
Tokyo Police Club - Your English Is Good.mp3
Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave.mp3

“Trendy without being pretentious”. One ticketing website on tonight’s venue. Tonight we are at Proud Camden to watch indie scousers The Rascals play a small late night set for the monthly Vice Kills gig.

The band are here already, playing around outside, sound checking and generally mulling around waiting for their 11.35 stage time. Being quite a relaxed on-stage band, they pull off two gigs in one day (Underage Festival & this) with ease.

In the busy gallery watching tonight are Alex Turner, Matt Helders & Alexa Chung. Set opener People Watching was met with polite applause but things got moving with Out Of Dreams and I’ll Give You Sympathy.

myspace.com/rascalsmusic
www.atproud.co.uk (venue)

The Rascals - The Freakbeat Phantom (Acoustic).mp3

The Horrors cancelled their slot at London’s Underage Festival this week. The band revealed via their myspace that they are busy recording their second album and their studio dates clash with the festival. Underage is exclusively put on for 14-18 year old’s in Victoria Park, London E9.

The Horrors departure doesn’t exactly damage the still strong lineup including Bombay Bicycle Club, The Maccabees, Dizzee Rascal, Florence & The Machine, Rascals & Foals plus a tonne of up and coming artists playing across 7 stages.

There are still tickets so if you are 14-18 then head on over to www.underagefestivals.com or Ticket Web www.ticketweb.co.uk / 0844 477 2000. I’m too old so I’ll probably head west and spend the afternoon sunning my self in Holland Park.

It’s easy when going to a festival to get covered in the commercial whitewash that makes these huge events possible. Or to get lost in the sheer size of the festival. If you can do without all the crap that comes with a huge festival then The Last Days Of Summer festival is for you.

The lineup is strong comprising of up and coming and established artists.

It all takes place on Bank Holiday Monday, 24th August 2008 @ Stowe House, Buckingham.
Call 0870 2 2002 60 or visit to www.thelastdaysofsummer.com for tickets.