The Killers

Benicassim

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The Killers

The Killers might hail from one of the USA's most quintessentially American cities (Las Vegas), but their debut album Hot Fuss displays an Anglophilic streak that is an ocean wide. Steeped in the back-catalogue of The Smiths and Pulp, with broad 80s synth sweeps cloaking each tale of fraught metrosexual romance, this band clearly rate the swoon over the swagger. Still, this is almost entirely an upbeat record, one made for the packed club than the smoky VIP room; in particular "On Top", "Somebody Told Me" and "Mr Brightside" are tremendous examples of breathless indie-pop that gallop along like a lovestuck heartbeat with frontman Brandon Flowers gasping for breath on the claustrophobic disco floor. This is, inarguably, what the Killers do best. Even when they deviate from form they’ve got a few neat ideas - see the gospel choir that echoes back Flowers' repeated exclamation "I've got soul/ But I'm not a soldier" on "All These Things I've Done", or the self-consciously epic "Indie Rock'n'Roll", delivered by the Killers with all the fireworks and gusto of a curtain-closing Broadway showtune.»

Oasis

• Liam Gallagher - vocals
• Noel Gallagher - vocals, guitar
• Gem Archer - guitar
• Andy Bell - bass
• Alan White - drums (left 2004)
• Paul McGuigan - bass (left 1999)
• Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs - guitar (left 1999)
• Tony McCarroll - drums (left 1995)

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away (Sheffield or somewhere, wasn't it?) an evil empire ruled the land. Its name was American Pop, and it was a cruel master, bending all to its will, flooding the charts with substandard drive time drivel and torturing small kittens just because it felt like it. The people of this green and once pleasant land wandered about as if in a daze, despising the leaden shackles which tied them to their radios, but afraid to raise their voices in protest, lest they be smoten in a withering blaze of Jon Bon Jovi.

Then, when all seemed lost, two saviours stepped forward from the crowd, clutching guitars and said verily, I'm not fookin' 'aving this. With naught but an overwrought love of the Beatles and the Stone Roses, these two brothers gathered a ramshackle yet determined gang of like-minded individuals, and took the empire on, their fearless rebellion winning a string of melodic victories in 1994, most notably Columbia, Cigarettes & Alcohol, and the Whatever EP. The empire buckled as Definitely Maybe swept to number one-hood, and then crumbled as kids from all corners of the land, inspired by the two brothers' heroic tale, armed themselves with guitars and stormed the ramparts of the music industry. Grunge was dead. Long live Britpop.

And so it came to pass that the brothers were instated as the new kings of the land. The imperial remnant was ordered to leave and never return to these shores, and to take their silly accents with them. When (What's the Story) Morning Glory was released in 1995, everything seemed at last right with the world. And so what if they were telling erstwhile comrades-in-arms to go die of AIDS? So what if they had nicked a lot of their riffs? So what if the new army of talent which surrounded them were mostly untalented and very boring? So what if they spent a lot of time acting like, y'know, coked up louts? This was a bold new age we were moving into, as any pissed up reveller at Knebworth in August 1996 would have told you. This bold new republic now led the world in music, and it was going to live forever. Forever forever.

The first rumblings of unease came in 1997, when the hugely anticipated Be Here Now was released. Essentially a very long guitar solo, it sounded like a group straining for immortality and just coming off as, whisper it between yourselves, a bit tired. People began to wonder about the brothers, who had begun to act oddly in public, when they did indeed appear beyond their moats of alcohol and castles of cocaine. They seemed lost, for all their braggidoccio; muttering into their scarves, calling off American tours. No matter, said the fans; are they not our saviours? Did they not cast down our false gods, and lead us into this bright dawn? Is not Wonderwall still a cracking tune?

This half-hearted support faltered and then sputtered out as, on a fateful day in late 1997, a nation watched dumbstruck, unbelieving, as one of the brothers shuffled up a set of stairs, knelt in front of a throne, and kissed the ring of the One True Enemy. The One True Enemy gave him a hearty smile, a clap on the shoulder and is rumoured to have said the following: "Now, my young apprentice, now you have tasted my poisonous chalice, you are within my thrall, and you will do my dark bidding. You shall release a half-baked album of Lennon covers, and say it is your experimental album. You will sack a bunch of the founding members and replace them with a bloke who looks exactly like your brother and that prat from Ride. You will form your own label and spawn clone bands through which you will spread your dread influence. Only then, my child, will you grasp the immortality which is at my beck and call."

And so it came to pass; the band which had inspired kids everywhere to pick up guitars and get their 90s teenage kicks became part of the establishment to grind them down, to issue them with ASBOs and to freeze-pack them into identikit, parentally acceptable bands. And the brothers achieved their immortality, although they discovered that the powers that the One True Enemy gifted them with were the same that kept the beast itself alive, and thus a terrible curse; fated, they were, to shovel out Radio 1 dull-fare, to be loved by dads and blind fools, to be despised by those who once loved them, to croak moronic statements about everybody else's musical talents and to assure people that this time, this time, they have got it right, that this album is as good as Definitely Maybe, that this time they have seen the light and have returned to guide their followers once more, just so long as they buy this album, just so long as they keep getting number ones, the glory days will return.

And thus it was that the evil empire returned to these shores; more insidious this time yet ten times more hateful, led by earnest young men with pianos, bleaching the land with their grey, acceptable Q-approved MOR. The brothers muttered their protests, but so lost were they in their vast, rose-tinted cage, they could do nothing to stop the nightmare unfurling.

Yet word has spread of another band that has stepped forward; another young, northern, mouthy group of teenagers which have taken on the mantle of the brothers, and speak of banishing the empire once again. One can only hope this time lessons have been learnt; that the sad tale of the band who were and now aren't has been told to these rosy cheeked, acne ridden youngsters, and that the dread cycle will not be once again set in motion. One can only hope. »

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Fact #1: Both Alex and Paul were once members of The Yummy Fur, although Alex does not feature on any of their recorded material.
Franz Fact #2: Alex once worked in the 13th Note in Glasgow.
Franz Fact #3: He was also in a band called The Karelia, who were "the only band in the world to sound like the Monochrome Set (sometimes)". Check out the photo in an old Jockrock review (tip: he's the one on the left on the top-right pic).

Official Biog:

Some time around the end of 2001, Bob was sitting in Alex's kitchen. Alex had just been given a bass by his friend Mick, on the condition that he did 'something useful' with it.

"Do you want to learn to play the bass then, Bob?"
"No, I'm an artist, not a musician."
"It's the same thing."
"OK then."

So Bob learned the bass and they planned a band. It had to be something big. Bob wanted it to be on the level of Field Marshall Haig's tears that fell as he counted the statistics of the men he had sent over the top. Alex wanted to make music that girls could dance to.

Alex met Nick in Jo and Celias' kitchen. Nick was dressed like a young Adam Ant and was stealing Alex's Vodka. They were about to batter each others brains in when Alex asked if he could play drums. Nick lied and said that he could. They agreed to meet up in Nick's South Side mansion.

Nick could hit the drums, but not in any particularly coherent order. He was a classical pianist and double bassist and had come to Glasgow because a friend in Munich had said it was a laugh. Although he couldn't drum, he liked the idea of music for girls to dance to, and they found that they could write songs together.

Paul was the best drummer in Glasgow, but nobody wanted to hear drums, now that 808s had been discovered. Paul had pawned his kit, but liked the idea of playing the guitar, so started coming down to Nick's South Side mansion. One day he and Nick swapped over, on the condition that Paul still got to sing and didn't have to use rack toms, as they stopped the audience getting a decent view of him.

Girl Art was an exhibition organised by a group of students at GSA. They heard the plan for music that girls could dance to, so asked the boys to play their first gig. It was in Celia's bedroom which was lit by neon. At least 80 people watched and most of them danced.

Nick and Alex decided that they needed somewhere bigger than Nick's South Side mansion to play music in. Hunting for property, they went for a walk along the disused railway line that crosses over Paddy's market and the Clyde. They discovered two things: that the line wasn't disused after all and a huge abandoned art-deco warehouse overlooking the Clyde. They tracked down the landlord, persuaded him to give them the keys to the 6th floor, christened it the Chateau and made it their home.

The Chateau was a wonderful home. After evicting the pigeons and fixing the windows, they found a sympathetic electrician who managed to wire the building in a way that left the electricity board innocent of the knowledge that they were supplying the power. At one point in its long history, the warehouse had stored sports equipment. Franz Ferdinand held a Sports and Leisure night: rowing machines strapped to trolleys were raced, vibra-belts wobbled, weights were lifted and rifles were shot from the saddle of a rocking horse.

The Chateau is in a part of Glasgow that used to be called the Gorbals. At one point it was associated with violence, vermin and poverty. None of these exist in Glasgow today. The second Chateau event was a little grander. On the Fifth floor, Robb Mitchell and Switchspace gathered together a collection of artists to put on an exhibition. On the sixth floor, Ferdinand brought together some of the best music Glasgow has produced: Uncle John and Whitelock, Park Attack and Scatter. Lighting was in the form of banks of sunbeds that had been found on one of the other floors. They were wired to flicker on and off randomly as the bands played. Early evening, people started to arrive. Then more people. Then more people. The bands played and the lights flickered. Wine flowed and everyone danced. It felt liberating. Then the police arrived. They seemed terrified. There were only a few of them and they were panicking. Very soon another couple of vanloads arrived. It was like a scene from a speakeasy in prohibition-era Chicago. As the cops were racing up one staircase, crates of booze were flying down the other. Somehow, Al Kapranos took the brunt of the wrath. Possibly because of the phonetics of the name, possibly because he was the only one who didn't run away. He was arrested, but the charges of running an illegal bar and contravening various health and safety, fire hazard and noise abatement legislation were dropped. When he was chatting to the cops over a cup of tea down at the cells, everyone friends again, they said that they had been looking for the place for a month. They had been driving round the block, trying to find a way in to where the noise was coming from. It seemed that they were just happy to be confused no longer.

The Chateau was now marked territory and could no longer be used as a centre of noise. Franz Ferdinand played shows in other places. Lucy McKenzie, a Glasgow artist, held nights in her Flourish Studios. These were similar to the Chateau, but a little quieter. Stereo, a bar with a rare and supportive attitude was also a haunt. The Chateau was never abandoned, but another place, equally as magnificent was found.

On Tobago Street there is a Victorian courtroom and gaol. When McCarthy discovered it, it had been abandoned for over 30 years. It was ideal. The perversity of breaking the law in what was a bastion of the legal system appealed greatly. It has that air of brooding opulence and inarguable authority that 19th century West of Scotland municipal buildings command. The ceilings are higher than church and are mounted in omnipotent plasterwork. They were entered in awe and fear. After thirty years of Glasgow elements, some of the harshness had been softened, however. The plaster had cracked. Rain ran down some of the internal walls. The cell doors swung open. It was perfect.

It was decided that the gaol and courtroom was also the Chateau. Anything can be the Chateau, if it seems right. It is even suspected that there are parts of the Capithole that could be the Chateau too. For the next night, the building was split. Robb Mitchell filled the cells with artists. Franz Ferdinand presided over the courtroom. They booked train tickets and brought the Country Teasers North. They built a stage from scaffolding and borrowed bits of sound system from anyone vaguely sympathetic across the city. On the night, it was colder in the building than outside, but people arrived. Then more people. Then more people. Braziers burned in the courtyard and the bands burned in the courtroom. Wine flowed and everyone danced. Eventually the police arrived.

Tobago street is one of the city's rougher streets. It is populated mainly by scrapped cars and hookers. This time, the police were much friendlier. They didn't want to arrest anyone and gave four warnings before shutting the power down.

By this point it had been noticed that there were faces in the audience that definitely belonged South of the border. Somehow London had seeped in to Glasgow. This wasn't a bad thing and Franz Ferdinand decided to visit the Capithole. They played a few shows and decided that they liked it. As a city, London is bigger than Glasgow and has more people that want to put out records. Franz Ferdinand spoke to several of these people. Some of them were truly astonishing mavericks who have changed the world with their work. Some were wankers, shoving too much coke up their noses, while letting shite fall from their mouths. Eventually, they met Laurence Bell, firmly in the former category. He runs the Domino Record Company. A last great independent. When he asked them to sign, they were so touched they could say nothing but yes.

Franz Ferdinand currently live in the courtroom of the Chateau, where they write and record.»

Kings of Leon

Jared Followill - bass
Matthew Followill - lead guitar
Nathan Followill - drums/vocals
Caleb Followill - guitar/vocals

This is not some weird Duran Duran-style coincidence - yes, they are related. Three brothers and one cousin from Tennessee.»

Lily Allen

Singing and songwriting daughter of actor Keith Allen, Lily Allen hit the headlines in the summer of 2006 when her debut single, 'Smile', raced to number one. Her first long-player, Alright, Still, reached number two in the album chart.

Regularly outspoken and often amusing, Allen's remarks regarding celebrity culture and her alleged pop peers are always worthy of attentions.

Website
MySpace

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TV On The Radio

TV On The Radio are erstwhile Brooklyn boys David Sitek, Tunde Adebimpe, Kyp Malone, Gerard Smith and Jaleel Bunton.

Founding member Sitek - who has produced albums for US cool set names the Liars and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs - met singer and lyricist Adebimpe in 2000 when the two became neighbours in a Brooklyn apartment building and they were soon performing as an improvisational two-piece.

Their ranks were swelled by the arrival of guitarist Malone (also sweet falsetto harmony vocals), bassist Smith and drummer Bunton.

Their debut EP, 'Young Liars' was released on cult indie label Touch & Go, in summer 2003, which has been followed by first album, 'Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes', which is released via 4AD in the UK, and T&G again in the US.»

Maximo Park

Northeastern indie-rockers with a dash of artiness, poetry and synth in their wired, poppy sound.

Paul Smith (vocals)
Duncan Lloyd (guitar)
Archis Tiku (bass guitar)
Lukas Wooller (keyboards)
Tom English (drums)

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Elbow

• Guy Garvey - vocals
• Mark Potter - guitar
• Craig Potter - keyboards
• Peter Turner - bass
• Richard Jupp - drums

Elbow met ten years ago at sixth-form college in Bury, a little north of Manchester. Outsiders in a run-down, narrow-minded town, they bonded over U2, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and Red Hot Chili Peppers, eventually forming a band called Soft. For a while they played what Pete calls "chilled funk" and were, it's generally agreed, "shit". Relocating to Manchester itself - most of the band getting work at local underground venue The Roadhouse - they changed their name to Elbow ("the most sensuous word in the world," according to a nurse in Dennis Potter's television-series, The Singing Detective) and began to evolve a new sound, wherein driving organ, star-kissed guitars, Guy Garvey's fallen-angel vocals and tough grooves were merged into (sometimes eight-minute long!) songs. After a patient battle with the industry- they were inexplicably dropped by Universal in 1997, before being re-signed to indie label Uglyman- they released their debut album Asleep in the Back in 2001, which earned them a Mercury Prize nomination. Since then there has been 2002's Cast of Thousands and 2005's Leaders of the Free World, both seminal records which have sealed their reputation has the thinking man's Coldplay. They remain highly involved in Manchester's music scene, producing songs for I Am Kloot and (Brummie Manc wannabes) Editors.

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Peaches

Peaches is the best. As a master Entertainer, she rides her Roland 505 as brutal as possible. Her main issue is SEX ! Her colour is PINK ! her beats are kickin !»

The Walkmen

Biography from walkmen.com:

The Walkmen are five friendly New Yorkers who have played rock music diligently since the 5th grade. Now they span the ages 23 and 28, and have been playing together for a little over a year. All five are originally from Washington, D.C. where they attended the same high school and played loud music in several bands.

In the spring of 2000, Walter, Matt, and Paul (whose band had recently broken up) rounded up enough investors to rent a Harlem industrial space, and convert it into a 24-track analogue recording studio. Dubbed "Marcata Recording", the new space became the birthplace and home of the Walkmen. Joining with Walter’s cousin Hamilton and his friend Peter (who had for years been slaving away in the East Village as the Recoys), the lineup was complete by the summer of 2000. Over the course of the next year the band sedulously wrote and recorded late in the evenings after work. It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

During this time, a few of the most helpful influences included: Bruce Springsteen, Randy Newman, the Pogues, the Cure, Bjork, the Smiths, Joy Division, Neil Young, and John Lennon.

The first show took place at Joe’s Pub in the East Village in September of 2000. Onto the tiny stage the band had lugged an upright piano, a bass cabinet that was taller than the bass player, three amplifiers, an organ, a lap steel, two tape machines, three guitars, and a set of drums. The show was a great success, so they decided to stick together. Since then the boys have remained dedicated to their instrumentation, and even got their hands on an over-sized, rotting upright in London which nearly ruined trip (one show was on the third floor).

In the summer of 2001 the band released its first single (which somehow grew into an "EP")–a somewhat hasty collection of four early songs–and, simultaneously, an 8-song vinyl as a slightly more thorough representation of the group’s music. Since then the five have been recording steadily and now are scheduled for a bunch of new releases. The culmination of this past year’s efforts will be Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone, which will be available in March on Startime International. But even before that, a companion to the original 8-song vinyl will be released on Troubleman Unlimited this winter. Featuring 8 new songs, it will include a few tracks from the forthcoming album and several others. »

Calexico

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Gang Of Four

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Foals

MySpace

Combining poly-rhythmic Casio guitars, pulsing analogue synth, aching vocal melodies and chopping drum-lines, Foals create organic agitated dance-pop with a tangible air of achieving the impossible. This is accessible techno for kids who hate techno but love guitars.

The band is:

Yannis Philippakis
Jack Bevan
Jimmy Smith
Edwin Congreave
Walter Gervers

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Late Of The Pier

MySpace

Late Of The Pier is:
Earl Samuel Dust (sings, strums, scribbles)
Francis Dudley Dance (plucks, wobbles shelves)
Red Dog Consuela (batterie soundscape)
Jack Paradise (electronic battle tapping)

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Mystery Jets

• Blaine Harrison - vocals, percussion, keys
• Will Rees - guitar, keys, backing vocals
• Henry Harrison - guitar, keys, mellotron, backing vocals
• Kai Fish - bass, backing vocals
• Kapil Trivedi - drums

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Lykke Li

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Boys Noize

Born Alex Ridha in 1982, Boys Noize is DJing since 1996, producing since 1998 and directing BoysNoize records since 205.

A famous remixer ( Depeche Mode, Tiga, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs ), he has released numerous singles and his first album will be released in spring 2007.

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The Psychedelic Furs

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Paul Weller

Born in May 1958, Paul Weller (born John William Weller) has been frontman of both The Jam and The Style Council.

Since 1992 Weller has released a series of celebrated solo LPs. Much of his songwriting is rooted in English culture.

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Friendly Fries

MySpace

Friendly Fires are comprised of Ed Mac, Jack Savidge and Edd Gibson.

Formed out of the ashes of ‘First Day Back’, the St Albans hardcore band, they formed while still at school. Friendly Fires make razor-sharp post-punk that burns through the memories of all the dismal, skinny jeaned ‘80s revivalists you’ve been hearing these past few years. Sounding brittle, knotty and urgent, Friendly Fires are the real deal. With no fat or padding on them at all, their songs possess an elegant sparseness.

As guitarist Edd Gibson notes: “The hardest thing I think is to know what to leave out, to know when something is enough.” But amongst all the stripped-back twists, there are also moments full of deep, blessed-out melodies. “I love lush, massive, tingly chords; the My Bloody Valentine sound,” says bassist and singer Ed MacFarlane.

Biog from Last FM

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White Lies

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Glasvegas

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The Horrors

The Horrors are Southend-spawned but London-based goth-y-punks: a little Eighties Matchbox, a little Cramps. You get the deal, aye.

They are known as:

FARIS BADWAN - VOCALS
TOMETHY FURSE - DANELECTRO LONGHORN BASS
JOSHUA VON GRIMM - FENDER JAGUAR
COFFIN JOE - BANGS THE DRUMS
SPIDER WEBB - VOX CONTINENTAL ORGAN

Those aren't names!

MySpace

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Laurent Garnier

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Gui Boratto

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Bell X1

Bell X1 are:

• Paul Noonan - vocals, drums, guitar
• Brian Crosby - guitar, keyboards
• David Geraghty - guitar, keyboards
• Dominic Phillips - bass

Formed from the remains of Juniper after Damien Rice jumped ship to go solo.

The band take their name from the first aircraft to break the sound barrier, piloted by Chuck Yeager - as documented in Tom Wolfe's famous book The Right Stuff, and the movie that ensued. The band have had numerous support slots including Elliot Smith and Bon Jovi (in the same week)!

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Magazine

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Glass Candy

Stateside-based Italo-disco duo Glass Candy is:

I/D/A/N/O - SINGER
J/O/H/N/N/Y/J/E/W/E/L - PRODUCER

MySpace

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The Juan Maclean

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Flow

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2 Many DJ's

The Soulwax side project which is the king of the bootlegs!»

James Holden

Devon-born, Leicester-bred, Oxford-educated electronic composer of ambient techno genius.»

Birdy Nam Nam

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Television Personalities

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Yuksek

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Peter Doherty

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Justus Köhncke

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Giant Sand

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Nacho Vegas

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Telepathe

MySpace

Telepathe are fucking great.

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Fangoria

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Rinocerose

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Russian Red

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The Bishops

Coming from London, The Bishops have been together since 2002. The band is fronted by twins Mike Bishop (vocals, guitar) and Pete Bishop (vocals, bass) and completed by Scotsman Chris McConville (drums).

In April 2007, they released their debut, self-titled album on 1234 Records.

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Steve Aoki

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David Kitt

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Christina Rosenvinge

Website

Christina Rosenvinge was born in Madrid to Danish parents. After playing in the group Christina y Los Subterráneos, her solo career was kick-started with a little help from Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo.

Rosenvinge has lived in New York since 1999.

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CatPeople

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Delorean

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Popof

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The Wave Pictures

The Wave Pictures are David Tattersall, Franic Rozycki and Jonny ''Huddersfield'' Helm. In 1998 Franic and David lived in a village called Wymeswold where they started playing music together, with Hugh J. Noble on drums. The band was called Blind Summit. When Hugh decided he didn't want to play drums he went to Exeter to study Philosophy instead. The band changed it's name to The Wave Pictures. Hugh was replaced by several drummers, until Jonny "Huddersfield" Helm became the permanent replacement.

For a few years The Wave Pictures have played sporadically in the UK, France and New York. During this time highlights have included playing at the Mofo Festival in Paris at the invitation of friends Herman Dune, and playing shows with Herman Dune and The Jeffrey Lewis Band. David also sang The Wave Pictures song "Dust Off Your Heart" with Herman Dune on a radio session for the great John Peel. The Wave Pictures have also served as backing band and co-songwriters for John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, the results featuring on a seven-inch single released by 4AD records.

Not only did I appreciate his take-no-prisoners musical stylings but also the imaginative lyrical ideas I found mighty refreshing. This is a man who clearly harbours no ambition to be seen hobnobbing with Dido at the Met Bar and has opted instead to plough a righteous but lonely furrow.

- Nick Lowe [taken from their official biog]

http://www.thewavepictures.com»

Fight Like Apes

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The Unfinished Sympathy

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Kevin Saunderson

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Hell

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Cooper

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Aeroplane

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Naive New Beaters

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Josele Santiago

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Tadeo

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We Are Standard

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Joe Crepúsculo

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NudoZurdo

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Christian Smith

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La Bien Querida

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Klaus & Kinski

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No Reply

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The Coronas

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Oblique

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L.A.

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Javier Corcobado

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Anni B Sweet

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The Mighty Stef

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Aldo Linares

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Ratolines

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Infadels DJ's

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Dorian DJ

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Miqui Puig DJ

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