Music Mashup
Story Highlights
- Grammatics
- Fleet Foxes
- The Officers
- Seth Lakeman
- Portico Quartet
Grammatics - London Bush Hall, Tuesday November 11, 2008
I imagine very few people will have heard of this band, but take note of the name. Grammatics are a group of Leeds based, Indie art rockers who share a label with current Indie favourites and fellow Yorkshire men - The Pigeon Detectives. However that's where the similarities end as it would seem Grammatics take as much time to write a single as the Pigeon Detectives do an album. This is based not only on the fact that the Pigeon Detectives cashed in with a hastily released and appalling second album but also because Grammatics write ambitious and complex arrangements, resulting in some of the most intelligent and epic Pop music in recent memory.
From Owen Brinley's spellbinding and soaring vocals to pounding drums combined with cello and guitar, this band can write the most powerful of ballads (Broken Wing, Polar Swelling) or move into a more upbeat mode with D.I.L.E.M.M.A and upcoming single The Vague Archive, which is released on November 17, 2008.
As a live act the harmonies are astounding and they expertly mix every single part of their epic production. They've recently played with acts such as The Futureheads, Forward Russia and Cage The Elephant. The band describe their music as complicated pop music, drunken macabre gypsy cabaret, beautiful dissonance, car-sickness, arthritic fingers, rheumatics and more, but whatever you want to describe them as – it's definitely something not to be missed.
Fleet Foxes – Shepherd's Bush Empire, November 5 and November 10, 2008
Fleet Foxes are also playing in the Shepherd's Bush area but at the Empire. The two shows are already sold out - emphasising the popularity of these young Seattle song-writers. If you're lucky enough to have tickets it will be a night of catchy, Indie Folk from one of the best bands to come out of America this year. For those who couldn't get tickets, they have announced a one off show at the Camden Roundhouse on February 22, 2009.
The Officers
The Officers are another band who hail from Leeds and they're gaining a great reputation in the industry after supporting acts like Placebo, The Cooper Temple Clause and The Music. Their sound is for people who like their music a little heavier and with a big dose of attitude. Imagine a combination of Marilyn Manson guitars and vocals, with dirty Electro, Industrial beats. Having played at Camden Barfly at the end of last month, they now have record labels sniffing around them so the next time they're in the capital - it could very well be the start of something big.
- Matt Beal
Seth Lakeman
West Country born Seth Lakeman has long been a Folk favourite. He writes and performs haunting, intense lyrical songs in the best Folk tradition and boasts some chiselled good looks that many a boy-band member would envy. He's touring for much of November with his latest album, Poor Man's Heaven, which includes current favourite - Solomon Browne. This is a touching song telling the story of the Penlee lifeboat, which tragically sank killing all crew members in 1981. Several of the crew were Lakeman's schoolmates.
As thoughtful as his subject-matter may be, Lakeman continues to thrill with his fast-paced fiddling, now backed up by a small band which adds extra power to his well-crafted melodies. I'll be seeing Seth at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on November 6, 2008. I've only ever seen him play in the relaxed la-la land of festivals so it's going to be interesting to see how his style transfers to the spotlighted, touring venues.
Portico Quartet
Portico Quartet are four nice young men from South London who you could take home to meet your granny. They also make jazz that will stop you in your tracks - quite literally in fact. I first came across this unassuming four-piece when I was wandering aimlessly around the stone circle field at Glastonbury 2007. They were playing quietly in the corner and had attracted quite a crowd who sat around them, spellbound by the very different and rather lovely music they were making.
Similarly drawn in, I joined the dreamy listeners to watch them play sax, double bass and hang (a UFO-shaped ethereal-sounding sort of steel drum) in seamless unity. It's impossible to listen to them without impersonating a nodding dog or spasm-ing some other muscle in sympathy with the rhythms. Then when they pause mid-track, as they do in the sublimely beautiful Knee Deep in the North Sea, your breath pauses with them and only resumes when they start to play again.
They were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize this year and Knee Deep in the North Sea (the album) has received glowing reviews from both the Jazz press and mainstream journos. And guess what? They're touring in November! I'll be popping along to see them at the London Jazz Festival on November 19, 2008. After this they'll be visiting a decent spread of UK cities so be sure to hunt them down on MySpace and see if you can get yourself along to a gig.
- Catherine Fish
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