Single of the Week! Everything Everything - ‘Cough Cough’ (Columbia) Forced to choose a concept whose importance supercedes all others when it comes to the creation of pop music, I would definitely settle upon 'effort'. I mean, I could care»
Having seen nearly one thousand bands throughout 2011, whittling this list down to just ten performances proved a nigh-on impossible task. However, after much deliberation and soul searching discussions with friends and acquaintances, here in no particular order (bar the first one, natch) are what I consider to be the finest ten performances these tired and weary eyes and ears have witnessed this year. »
This week's Spotify playlist, formed from the week's content on the website. Warning: it leans heavily towards the end of year content. Still, we're trying to drum some of the bands and songs into you, so here's another attempt.»
Having been on the road almost constantly for the past six months, DiS caught up with Wild Beasts songwriter, vocalist, bass player and occasional keyboard tinkler Tom Fleming and drummer Chris Talbot prior to their recent sold out show at Nottingham's Rescue Rooms. »
This week, we'll be counting down DiS' favourite 75 albums of 2011, with our top 5 revealed on Thursday. Before we do so, we thought you might find it interesting to see what each of our staff members named their number one record of the year.»
Walking into Grande Halle de la Villette - past a gigantic neon Pitchfork Music Festival sign which over-looks a courtyard with a big impressive fountain - first impressions are over-awing. Pitchfork haven’t got some tiny theatre turned into a music venue but a huge enormo-barn, purpose-built for music... or possibly for housing a family of blue whales. As the lights dim, what looks like 5,000 people are gazing at the stage...»
Festival season is generally fraught with tales of calamity or serious incidents (these usually include Field Day and on rare occasion, an actual Zoo Thousand) and sad postponements or cancellations – as in Offset, Beacons and Truck this year. Festivals»
Since its inception in 2007, the Field Day festival has been beset by hitches. Consecutive years have been marred by problems with inaudible sound, extraordinary toilet queues, comic band cancellations (Dan Deacon losing his passport anyone?) combining with moronic last minute mass schedule alterations, or simply by being idiotically put on at the height of the English summer when the organisers should know it will piss it down. What promoters Eat Your Own Ears have got consistently right is the bill, with 2011 no exception.»
It's 2011... it's Field Day... it's Field Day 2011! »
With a weekend of Glastonbury's sheer magnitude, it's nigh on impossible to try and capture everything within a single review - although we've made a fair attempt with our Glastonbury Diary. Here we offer DiS writers' musical highlights of the festival, from the audiovisual showdown that was Beyonce's Sunday night headline set to Radiohead's 'secret' set and psychedelic dance-pop from Caribou.»
DiS' Rory Gibb pilgrimaged to Pilton, and here's his diary.... "There are so many stages, bars, themed areas and tiny oddities to discover across the course of five days that it’s no longer necessary to worry about being at a certain place for a certain band at a certain time. That’s something the BBC’s TV coverage only ever touches upon, and even commentary from news outlets like the Guardian often downplays its importance, beyond spouting vague pronouncements about the ‘Glasto spirit’."»
In lieu of trying to provide a blanket overview of such a huge line-up, here we offer DiS’ top ten picks for the weekend, bringing together some of the biggest and smallest acts worth your time and addled attention...»
This week's hand-picked Spotifriday playlist, featuring Idiot Glee, Wild Beasts, FaltyDL, Murcof, Mazes, Jeffrey Lewis and many more. »
This week we are talking about bands who have a sense of music's inherent ridiculosity, pop from one of The Beautiful People, scary music by Louche Types, washes of noise about life as a vacuum AND a not very convincing three minute manifesto about not really being in love.»
Tom Fleming from DiS-favourites Wild Beasts walks us through their forthcoming album...»
This week's Spotifriday playlist, created from the week's content and featuring tracks from Efterklang, Howlin' Rain, Wild Beasts, Neon Trees and a few more.»
For me, 2010 has been one of the most exciting years in music since the turn of the century. As well as being memorable for literally dozens of amazing records being released this year, there have also been just as many, if not more, unforgettable live performances to revel in... »
No Leeds day would be complete without a mixtape or two, and who better to share the highlights of the past 10 years than Whiskas. He's the man who in has been at the heart of the Leeds scene for most of the past 10 years, promoting gigs, playing guitar in Forward Russia, setting up the Dance to the Radio label and so much more»
As part of artwork day we got some of DiS' favourites to contribute some words on their favourite record sleeves. Keeps 'em out of trouble, doesn't it? They were only too happy to help, their selections are below, and run the gamut from psychedelia to soul to performance art. Going by the age of the records, it either says something about the death of good artwork by the rise of 50 pixel squares on an iPod screen, or something about album artwork having less of an impact on our psyches once we're no longer in our formative years. There's nothing more important than the posters that grace the walls of our teenage bedrooms. Either way, below are the choices of bands including Liars, Slow Club, of Montreal and Wild Beasts. Look:»
It's time for another one! This time featuring the likes of Weezer, Gold Panda, Simon Joyner, Bright Eyes, Swans, Lykke Li AND Owen Pallett. »
DiS's Wendy Roby and Andrzej Lukowski went to Latitude this year. AND HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM.»
The latest instalment in our weekly Spotifriday playlists. This one features none other than Standard Fare, Tom Jones, Women, R.E.M., HEALTH, The Wave Pictures, Broken Social Scene and more. Click here to listen to this week's playlist.»
Glastonbury Part 3: Saturday Much like Gorillaz', my Friday night was a bit of a squib, passed out as I was by 2am, feet poking out my tent. The weather’s playing hardball today and some acts are preferred by dint of them playing in the shade - look re»
Now in its sixth year, the Dot To Dot Festival has outstayed many of its rivals purely on the basis of its unerring frequency at discovering many an up-and-coming artist not to mention its location in two largely ignored cities on the festival circuit in Nottingham and Bristol. This year saw a third city added in the shape of Manchester, and despite ticket sales not being as quick off the mark as with previous years, no lesser time was had by DiS' man in Nottingham, Dom Gourlay. »
The forty-third instalment of 'This Week On DiS as a playlist' through the medium of Spotify. As you can see, this week features Hot Chip, Mystery Jets, Kate Nash, Harvey Milk, worriedaboutsatan, We Have Band and plenty more»
For Wild Beasts, their gradual elevation to venues of this size is testament to the fantastic twelve months they've encountered. »
So, that was 2009? Was it a great year for music? A high watermark? Only time will tell but there have been some triumphant, innovative and bold records released and cherished in 2009 and we hope our list of the top 50 of the year reflects this.»
Whilst our top 5 albums of the year list offers somes glimpse into what our staff have been listening to these past twelve months, the annual mixtapes give a real insight as to what has been pleasing the ears, minds and heart strings of those wot write for DiS. These 'mixtapes' or, er, DiStapes, are fairly self-explanatory, they have a-postcard-from-'09 intros followed by 9 songs, so intro blurbage ends abruptly... »
This week's content on DiS in the form of a Spotify playlist. Featuring Hefner, The Mountain Goats, Vampire Weekend, Pavement, Idlewild and about 13 more.»
After being unable to pick a favourite last week, this week I have five. Which are variously Yeti Lane, First Aid Kit, Drums of Death, Toro Y Moi and my new favourite favourites, Everything Everything. You will have to excuse the superlatives, but I honestly cannot help myself.»
This year's Offset took place, as always, in Hainault Forest and it would have been rude to turn down the opportunity to see the likes of Let's Wrestle, Damo Suzuki, The Horrors, Future of the Left, Pulled Apart By Horses, Wild Beasts, The xx and about a hundred or so others.»
This week on DiS as a Spotify playlist featuring Michael Jackson, Efterklang, Richmond Fontaine, Daniel Johnston, Paramore and Cougar.»
We take a look at the very best of releases during the month of August. And boy, were there a lot of them!»
Last weekend (14-16 August), DiS made its now traditional annual visit to Leicester's Summer Sundae Weekender, curated the Rising Stage on the Friday and even had founder Sean Adams and former editor Mike Diver spin a few tunes along the way»
With their second album hitting shelves today, DiS thought it about time we caught up with Wild Beasts.»
DiS likes to end the week with Spotifriday. It's a weekly Spotify playlist which linkedly runs down the best bits from this week on DiS. This is the 11th time we've done it and you simply download the free Spotify software and then click here to listen whilst reading the below stuff or doing whatever you please. »
To paraphrase Billy Piper, Latitude is pretty much honey to the b for the middle class legions of the DiS writing team, and thus it was in considerable numbers that we fell upon this year's edition of the idyllic Suffolk festival. Here are our reviewers' highlights.»
This week I have been clearing out my parents’ house, involving days of shoebox rifling and the finding of various teen-pash accoutrements - not least a gigantic wall poster of Jan Michael Vincent. All this looking back is neatly relevant though, as some bright spark is attempting to squeeze pennies out of those still not in possession of The Stone Roses back catalogue. AND we have a brand new band who wish to resurrect Baggy. Dust off your Kickers, everyone. »
Hearing Wild Beasts for the first time is an odd and sometimes challenging experience for most. The oddity that oozes forth is abundant, yet theirs is a style and form which doesn't stray anywhere close to purposely 'wacky'.»
From the archive... DiS did the Camden Crawl 2008 the weekend just gone, chasing NW1’s cracked pavements in pursuit of hawt young t’ings. And the Fratellis. Here's an In Photos gallery of many Crawl acts, including those on the DiS stage»
From the archive... Amazing scenes on the south coast as DiS descends upon the annual beachside fest that is The Great Escape, catching the cream of its crop»
From the archive... The rain fell all day, but spirits at Field Day 2008, held in London's Victoria Park, couldn't completely be dampened. Here are our highlights»
DiScover Sheffield played host to Wild Beasts, Napoleon IIIrd and Cats:For:Peru on Wednesday, and without doubt it was one of our most enjoyable evenings yet.»
Thank God for the Nords. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Iceland’s Airwaves festival (five days of music amongst the boiling geysers and cascading waterfalls of Reykjavík) they decided to stage one night of music, with over 20 acts across seven hip East London venues»
Here's a double-whammy of democracy for you. This is your last chance to take part in the voting for the Pluto Prize (DiS' alternative to the Mercury music prize) and we're also asking you to vote for us in the BT DMA's»
Foals' 2008 has been a hectic one, and the end isn't quite in sight yet. As they prepare to tour the UK again, DiS catches up with the Oxford outfit»
Held on August 15-17, the Green Man Festival features one of the best bills of any of the summertime weekenders. Founder Jo Bartlett speaks to DiS»
Voting for the first-ever Pluto Prize, celebrating the British acts whose albums missed the Mercury Prize cut, is open now. So get voting»
The shortlist for 2008's Mercury Prize is announced next week. DiS asks: just who does deserve to win this year's award after Klaxons' success in 2007»
An impressive crop this month, as Flying Lotus and Wild Beasts tussle for supremacy on the DiS stereo, both just about distracting us from the kicking»
Our greatest rapper returns with a song about attracting girls with ice cream and silly wigs... Roots Manuva's 'Buff Nuff' is our Single of the Week»
Day three of DiS's Norwegian fest of choice finds White Denim and Foals getting the party started but Beck failing to finish it with a flourish»
Six of DiS's featured twelve responsible for our Essential Dozen albums of 2008 to date give us their favourite acts and records of the year so far»
Part three of three finds us diving deep to dredge for treasures from 2008 to date that your average chain store employee probably hasn't heard of»
2008 is shaping up to be a great year for album releases, and as we reach halfway DiS is taking a look its shoulder, and asking for your suggestions»
Outsiders splitting opinions, Wild Beasts are obtuse pop profanities that should be celebrated as they release their astounding debut LP»
It’s Thursday! It's time for The Great Escape! Here we present our top ten must-see acts at the seaside festival, including DiS's own awesome line-up»
The annual Camden Crawl kicks off its two-day stranglehold on NW1 tomorrow, rocking out through ‘til the early hours of Sunday morning. DiS will be there, hosting a venue - details TBA - but for now here are our line-up picks»
Despite January's hype, one of DiS's most popular artists of the month was Radiohead. They enjoy not only an incredible influence over many up-and-coming acts, but also retain a formidable fanbase. DiS asks: who could follow in their footsteps from the current clutch of indie-rockers? DiScuss away»
DiS is pleased to present no fewer than three gigs for your consideration this week, starting with TONIGHT'S Winter Warmer show headlined by The Mae Shi (pictured), rolling on to Thursday's Wild Beasts-topped bill, and ending with Johnny Foreigner at our once-monthly DiScover Club. Good times, for sure»
One thing that DiS has proven itself very good at over the past couple of years is predicting what bands are going to matter a year ahead of schedule. With this in mind we’ve divided our 'Bands For 2008' into three articles, Early Doors representing the newest kids on our check-'em-out block»
Sick to the back teeth of rock’s eternally recurring leitmotifs? Looking for a way out that doesn’t involve pretending to dig freeform jazz? If your answer to both the above is “yes, but not as bored as I am with your rambling intro”, chances are you’ll need the heads-up on Domino’s latest signings, Wild Beasts...»
“I did an Irish Car Bomb once,” starts up pencil-‘tached balladeering lead Hayden Thorpe. “You have to down the Guinness before the Baileys curdles.” Comparing Jägerbomb experiences isn’t quite what you’d expect walking in to meet t»
Click here to listen to this week's Spotifriday playlist. 1. Big Star - 'Thirteen' The world of music this week mourns another outstanding talent taken from us far too soon. R.I.P Alex Chilton. 2. Will Oldham - 'Can't Take That Away' On a much light»
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