Having signed to Hype Music, a collaboration between Extreme Music Publishing and MTV Networks, indie electro pop wonderkids Arp Attack return with a new EP called Devil’s Drop. Recorded and produced in the bands own attic studio the EP finds the trio exploring the more quirky but still danceable regions of pop music. It’s not as instantly accessible as previous release Follow The Rhythm but give it two or three plays and its charms start to become apparent; it's all jerky and rhythmic and not quite sure what’s coming next, like a death row inmate raving in the electric disco chair, readying themselves for the full voltage. With lyrics about devils on her tongue, being the one you dream of and some sort of silent swimming we really haven’t a clue what lead singer Frankie is singing about, but with all these beats, pulses and hip thrusting grooves Arp Attack aren’t setting out to be the next Springsteen or Dylan. Just shake your booty and put your hands in the air and everything will be OK. OK?
You can purchase the Devil’s Drop limited edition CD from the Arp Attack Bandcamp page here.
Follow The Rhythm by Arp Attack first bobbed its way onto Breaking More Waves last July in a preview of The Good Weekend Festival (here) although the version we featured at the time has subsequently been removed from the internet. However you can’t keep a good song down and on April 30th the straight-to-the-dance-floor southern synth popsters, formerly known as Jazica, release this new version of the song through AWAL. An animated rush of sprightly day-glo electronica, guitars and zestful female vocals, Follow The Rhythm sounds and feels utterly alive. Press play and you’ll soon be swept away, hands in the air, musical diamonds falling on your feet and forcing them to dance uncontrollably, we promise you. OK, the musical diamonds falling on your feet bit may be over exaggeration on our part, but we're a music blog and it's our job to get stupidly excited about new music.
Having recently supported Theme Park and Cast of Cheers, Arp Attack will be out playing shows in Southampton, London, Worcester and Wolverhampton towards the end of April (check here for details) and already have a number of festivals confirmed for the summer.
Have you ever been to a music festival and come away afterwards, so enthralled with the carefree sense of abandon you’ve experienced that you’ve thought “I’d love to run one of those?”
Most of us come back to our real worlds of work, university, school, family, lack of time, money, and experience and soon forget about the idea. However, for the organisers of Good Weekend – a new independent festival based in Woodmancott, Hampshire (on the same site that hosted last weekend’s relocated Blissfields and pictured above) – the idea stuck. So in the summer of 2010 the Good Weekend crew started thinking seriously about running their own festival, bringing their own individual skills and experiences to the table to create this new event.
"We've picked a range of our favourite bands and DJ's to entertain the festival-goers, and we are really looking forward to giving a stage to and exposure to some of the best up and coming local talent. Friday will be a big old rave-up with Hint, Benny Boom and Parker on the Main Stage and some of the best new indie and electro on the outdoor stage. Saturday will start with a folky vibe and will climax with what is sure to be a no nonsense set from Art Brut; Greco-Roman Soundsystem will then take the party into the night,” says James Bacon, Artist Liason and Booking Manager.
The festival line-up hosts a number of acts that have appeared on Breaking More Waves over the last couple of years including Nedry, Worship and Lighthouses plus there are great bands such as Hot Club de Paris, Kurran and the Wolfnotes, Hold Your Horse Is and Lulu And The Lampshades. So if the likes of Glastonbury, Reading and V Festival seem too overwhelming or just too damn expensive, Good Weekend offers an alternative option at a reasonable price for the two day event – just £40 plus a small booking fee.
Attending a first year of any festival can always be a gamble. Anyone who was unlucky enough to go to Zoo 2008 could probably attest to it being the worst festival ever. Yet the few thousand who trooped over to Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight in 2004 remember fondly the very first Bestival, which despite its elements of chaos, very empty campsite and lack of any significant audience for many of the artists was very much a “You just had to be there,” moment. It was clear even then that Bestival was onto a winner and that in years to come this was an event that could only get bigger and even better.
Check back here after the 22-23July when Good Weekend runs and we’ll be bringing you the Breaking More Waves review. In the meantime, we’re streaming songs from three of the bands we recommend that you can catch. If you fancy coming along, grab yourself a ticket here.
