The final day of the festival and, too be honest, energy levels are running a teensy bit low. After a leisurely start we decide to make the long trek up the high street to the "It came from Japan" showcase. After a delayed start we hear three delightfully manic performances. Vola and the Oriental machine was probably the stand-out on the day, although Bo-Peep were also pretty good. Can't remember the name of the third band (the free beer and sushi had nothing to do with it) but here is some footage of Vola (the bits with the BBC introducing banner are from Brighton)
VOLA & THE ORIENTAL MACHINE Live at UK May,2008
After that we head off to the Old Market for one of the MOJO gigs. We somehow got there early (despite getting lost and stopping in a pub on the way) so get a good spot... apparently there were long queues outside, so we were pretty lucky.
Anyway first on is School of Language - the new band from the man behind Field Music. Now field music were one of the stand-outs from Latitude '06 for me so I had high hopes, but the new band (supposedly more "experimental") don't really do it for me. Neither does Lightspeed Champion, but then he never did. The hat is very nice, but I still don't get what the fuss is about. (on getting home I find out that he did a second gig that evening which was much better so perhaps I'm being harsh.)
Next up is one of my favourite bands, Fujiya and Miyagi who are playing something of a homecoming gig. Unsurprisingly practically everything is from the recent album (transparent things) and they get the large crowd grooving along to their Kraftwerk-influenced tunes.
Last on is Black Mountain and they are by some margin the loudest band of the weekend. From the first thud of the bass drum they produce a powerful performance with Amber Webber singing superbly over the stoner rock they play. Album-standout, Tyrant, goes down a storm as would be expected, as do all the songs from recent album In the Future which I definitely recommend.
Thursday 22 May 2008
Wednesday 21 May 2008
Great Escape Friday
*****Written some time after the event as I'm a lazy so-and-so. Apologies for any errors******
After the outstanding performances from Sunset Rubdown and Okkervil River the previous night, Friday got off to something of a slow start at the Artrocker gig at The Water Margin. Teasing Lulu, Le Tetsuo and The Race were on, but none really caught my ears. The Prince Albert suffered a power-cut so our trip to see Slow Club at the Republic of Music Distribution Showcase was aborted meaning we were back off to the End of the Pier show at Horatios. After all you've got to love a bar at the end of a pier! Mod revivalists My Federation were the first band we caught and were enjoyable, if unremarkable. Much more energy from the last band of the afternoon, Parka, who produced a good show despite the lethargic crowd.
In the absence of a standout show anywhere in the evening, we returned to Horatios. Slow Club appeared undeterred by their problems at the Prince Albert and mustered an enjoyable set, including percussion played on a chair and a bin.
Both members of Slow Club appeared with the next band of the day, the Mae Shi. One of the few bands we saw to make an effort with their performance, they proved to be one of the stand-outs of the whole festival. Opening their set by covering as much of the crowd as possible in a white sheet, the tunes, and the fun, kept the crowd literally hanging off the Horatios' furniture.
Hot Club de Paris, whom followed, could never hope to top that performance, and as the crowd drifted away it was the Mae Shi that they were talking about.
After the outstanding performances from Sunset Rubdown and Okkervil River the previous night, Friday got off to something of a slow start at the Artrocker gig at The Water Margin. Teasing Lulu, Le Tetsuo and The Race were on, but none really caught my ears. The Prince Albert suffered a power-cut so our trip to see Slow Club at the Republic of Music Distribution Showcase was aborted meaning we were back off to the End of the Pier show at Horatios. After all you've got to love a bar at the end of a pier! Mod revivalists My Federation were the first band we caught and were enjoyable, if unremarkable. Much more energy from the last band of the afternoon, Parka, who produced a good show despite the lethargic crowd.
In the absence of a standout show anywhere in the evening, we returned to Horatios. Slow Club appeared undeterred by their problems at the Prince Albert and mustered an enjoyable set, including percussion played on a chair and a bin.
Both members of Slow Club appeared with the next band of the day, the Mae Shi. One of the few bands we saw to make an effort with their performance, they proved to be one of the stand-outs of the whole festival. Opening their set by covering as much of the crowd as possible in a white sheet, the tunes, and the fun, kept the crowd literally hanging off the Horatios' furniture.
Hot Club de Paris, whom followed, could never hope to top that performance, and as the crowd drifted away it was the Mae Shi that they were talking about.
Tuesday 20 May 2008
Great Escape Thursday
Thursday
Mercifully the rain encountered on the way out of Essex had cleared away by the time we got to Brighton... After a brief detour round Brighton we found the campsite and got the tent up before heading off to the ticket exchange. Wristbanded up we wondered along the sea-front for the first gig of the fest, a "secret" show by Chris TT at Arc. It was a pretty good start to the weekend, some good songs in their short set. It was then a short walk to the pier where we caught Hot Rocket at Horatios and had a saveloy and chips. Very English seaside resort!
The main business of the evening started at Digital with Eugene McGuinness and Broken Records. Eugene McGuinness was OK, but in a crowded market of acoustic singer/songwriters there was little to mark him out from the crowd. Broken Records, however, were excellent. They played an intense set with all 6 members playing fast but tight. Due to play on all three days of the fest, and with a string of summer dates lined up, they will certainly prove to be one of the festival bands of the year.
The evening ended at the Pavilion Theatre where there was still space to sit on the floor to enjoy the Americana of AA Bondy. Another acoustic singer/songwriter, AA Bondy gave more than a nod to "Tom Joad" era Bruce Springsteen and was all the better for doing so. Sunset Rubdown drew a bigger crowd for their set, and all present were treated to one of the standouts of the fest as Spencer Krug and co were on top form. The manic indie pop of their two albums to date transferred well to the Brighton stage. The highlight for me was Winged/Wicked Things.
Closing the night were the excellent Okkervil River. Finally beginning to get the credit they deserve on this side of the pond, they blasted through a set that drew heavily from the last couple of albums as might be expected. The President's Dead was a definite stand-out, but with the band clearly in good form they had the, by now packed, crowd enjoying every song.
Mercifully the rain encountered on the way out of Essex had cleared away by the time we got to Brighton... After a brief detour round Brighton we found the campsite and got the tent up before heading off to the ticket exchange. Wristbanded up we wondered along the sea-front for the first gig of the fest, a "secret" show by Chris TT at Arc. It was a pretty good start to the weekend, some good songs in their short set. It was then a short walk to the pier where we caught Hot Rocket at Horatios and had a saveloy and chips. Very English seaside resort!
The main business of the evening started at Digital with Eugene McGuinness and Broken Records. Eugene McGuinness was OK, but in a crowded market of acoustic singer/songwriters there was little to mark him out from the crowd. Broken Records, however, were excellent. They played an intense set with all 6 members playing fast but tight. Due to play on all three days of the fest, and with a string of summer dates lined up, they will certainly prove to be one of the festival bands of the year.
The evening ended at the Pavilion Theatre where there was still space to sit on the floor to enjoy the Americana of AA Bondy. Another acoustic singer/songwriter, AA Bondy gave more than a nod to "Tom Joad" era Bruce Springsteen and was all the better for doing so. Sunset Rubdown drew a bigger crowd for their set, and all present were treated to one of the standouts of the fest as Spencer Krug and co were on top form. The manic indie pop of their two albums to date transferred well to the Brighton stage. The highlight for me was Winged/Wicked Things.
Closing the night were the excellent Okkervil River. Finally beginning to get the credit they deserve on this side of the pond, they blasted through a set that drew heavily from the last couple of albums as might be expected. The President's Dead was a definite stand-out, but with the band clearly in good form they had the, by now packed, crowd enjoying every song.
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