Danielle Brigham catches up with new Britrock darlings The Futureheads to discuss their recent gigs in, respectively, a ski resort and the biggest shopping mall in the world, touring with Franz Ferdinand, appearing on The OC soundtrack and their collaboration with Bloc Party.
Their recent appearance in the top ten with a cover of ‘Hounds Of Love’ has provided The Futureheads with the perfect excuse to tart up and re-release last year’s fine but neglected debut L.P. Of course, this is a shameless example of commercial opportunism (the world really could go on spinning without seeing the ropey videos, mumbled interviews and shaky gig footage contained on the bonus DVD), but such is the energy and likeability of said record, only a churl or Stereophonics fan would deny it a further opportunity to invade as many extra collections as it can.
New York and LA are fine, but nobody throws frilly knickers at you quite like they do in Dublin. Futureheads guitarist Ross Millard talks music and underwear with Phil Udell
The MTV Brand Spanking New Tour is a big ask. On a night when temperatures outside are soaring, it requires something pretty special to entice us indoors.
Paul Smith of Geordie punk-pop sensations Maxïmo Park talks to Phil Udell about breaking out of stylistic straight-jackets, the band's affinity with fellow northerners The Futureheads, and why Jose Mourinho's managerial philiosophy is equally as applicable to music as it is to football.
"The newies blend in perfectly to their set, but only because their choppy post-punk sensibilities haven’t really progressed since their debut in 2004."
The Automatic’s third single restores them to the realms of candyfloss indie dross. Previous single ‘Raoul’ may not have been half bad in a Killers-meets-The Futureheads kind of way. But ‘Monster’ suggests The Automatic are just another slice of great white hype. Heaving with synth riffs, hints of ska, teen lunacy and dumb chorus lines, ‘Monster’ is as irritating as it is poor.
The Bravery used to sound like their Big Apple compatriots, Interpol. So in case any intrepid rock scribes point out the similarity, they’ve decided to take some influence from across the pond instead. ‘Unconditional’ is yet another new-wave revivalist number, and it’s near impossible to distinguish it from other thumping anthems provided by The Kaiser Chiefs, Futureheads, and Franz Ferdinand. Good or bad thing? Depends on how highly you value the concept of originality.
A newer name on the domestic scene, this three-tracker is the northside Dubliners’ first attempt to stamp their sound on plastic. It suffers noticeably from poor production, but looking past that, they’re chock-full of ideas and they’re not afraid to use ‘em. Employing electronics liberally but still keeping plenty of organic sounds (‘The A Tune’s guitar in particular sounds good enough to eat), the four-piece come across like a cheery mix between Joy Division, The Futureheads and Boxer Rebellion. Like nothing you’ve ever heard before, basically, which is a good thing. A very good thing.
Over the past six months Delorentos have found themselves in the not entirely enviable position of being tipped as the next big thing before they’d released a single note of music. Thus their debut EP finally arrives with great expectations. Fortunately, it’s a case of happy endings all round as the Dublin four piece pass their first test with flying colours. Indeed, you’d be hard pressed to recognise this as anything but the work of a band at the top of their game. Every aspect exudes pure confidence. The only possible worry, in fact, is that, with its twisted guitar riffs and awkward beats, they could find themselves tied a little too closely to the whole Franz / Bloc / Futureheads thing. Some lead, most follow and Delorentos are heading for the front.
Track after track comes out of the speakers, nipping at your ankles like some overexcited dog that you can’t shake off no matter how hard you try. The production from Bloc Party/Futureheads man Paul Epworth is sparkling and the songs wed pop and punk in perfect manner, all delivered in the deliciously broad Newcastle tones of singer Paul Smith. It reaches a crescendo with the glorious ‘Going Missing’, at which point it seems that Maximo Park can do no wrong. Unfortunately, from then in they start to struggle a tad.
Take one seaside town and a handful of bands which haven’t already played Ireland’s increasingly crowded festival circuit and voila! – you’ve got Cois Fharraige With Sony Ericsson.
Anointed by the blogosphere, Tapes ‘N Tapes are just about the hottest thing in indie rock right now. Despite his rather fraught stage persona, frontman Josh Grier turns out to be a picture of charm. And no, he can’t explain the slightly silly name either.
The Coral, Simon and Oscar of Ocean Colour Scene, Brandi Carlile and The Broken Family Band have all been added to the Sony Ericsson Cois Fharraige bill.
Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley impressed a lot of people here last year with the quirky guitar pop of her debut solo album Grey Will Fade. hotpress catches up with her as she wows the masses at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival.
Roisin Dwyer catches up with electropop duo MGMT to discuss their greatest rock 'n' roll moment, Jools Holland and their growing reputation as popular music's new trouble-makers.
From A to Z, Paul Nolan and Ronan Fitzgerald introduce all the runners and riders for Punchestown – throwing in a baker’s dozen of acts who are not to be missed * along the way
Not content with bringing a slew of top musical acts to County Clare, Cois Fharraige with Sony Ericsson has just revealed details of its curtain-raising Cold Water Clash.
Gorge yourself on a selection of exclusive (and in some cases never-before-seen) hotpress.com video interviews from Witnness past, as well as some of the artists gracing the stage at Witnness 2003
Stunning is only the start of it. To come back from a showcase having seen one great new band is an achievement. To see three is staggering. From the off it seemed destined to be a special night.
In the first installment of Hot Press' Oxegen coverage, Phil Udell, Steve Cummins and John Walshe pick out their personal favourites of the weekend. This Thursday's Hot Press will feature extended coverage from Kim Porcelli & Ed Power as well as more exclusive photos from Liam Sweeney, Graham Keogh & Andrew Duffy - PLUS the Phantom reports from backstage!
Online Gallery Of Live Shots Here
As if it wasn’t already tasty enough, The Coral, Futureheads (pictured) and The Black Velvets have been added to the bill for the August 24 ViTal ’05 show in Belfast’s Botanic Gardens.
Alter Ego, Mylo and Dizzee Rascal had almost as good a year as Annie Mac - who swapped a Queens University English Lit course for a high profile slot on BBC Radio One...
