The biggest two enemies of the sole-author music blogger are the email in-box and time. Put these two together and the maths add up to potentially exhausted looking creatures once known as human beings staring wide-eyed, crushed and broken at their laptops.
To avoid such situations its necessary to have the weekly equivalent of a wardrobe clear out. We call it The Saturday Surf. It’s a musical jumble sale, where we’ve already creamed off the best of the bargains and hidden them in a bag at the back of the room for you.
These are the best tracks that didn’t quite get their own full posts this week, but probably deserved to. As always we make sure that it takes you no longer than about 15 minutes to listen to everything here.
Fixers - Swimmhaus Johannesburg
Oxford’s Fixers are no strangers to this blog and we thought we had them sussed with their Brain Wilson vibes and playful sack of psychedelic fun. We were wrong. New single Swimmhaus Johannesburg takes a very different route. There’s an italo-house piano, squealing siren-like sounds and proper guitar riffs. It’s utterly bonkers but shows that they’re no one trick pony. This song doesn’t get a formal release till August and we understand that the album isn’t out till January next year. Could they be a BBC Sound of 2012 possibility, or are they just too batty for serious consideration? We’d like to think not.
Another group who we’ve featured before at Breaking More Waves, first in a new waves feature back in March is [ Strangers ]. We’re still not convinced about the brackets around the name, but they’ve caught our ears again with their second EP and this song It Was A Sin. It takes all the best bits of Depeche Mode – dark lyrics, big church like synths and stern vocals and makes us want to don our black leathers and do the side-to-side Dave Gahan arm dance.
More electro-pop comes from blog world favourites Monarchy who are finally about to release their debut album Around The Sun. Monarchy are a strange proposition – a pop band who can really play live, completely look the part, have received extensive blog /media coverage and possess some cracking tunes like Maybe I’m Crazy. Yet at the moment they’ve not crossed over and attained mainstream public love. The debacle of the album leak last year and the subsequent regrouping probably hasn’t helped matters, the window of pop opportunity quickly pulling the shutters. It is, all in all, a shame.
Finally, in a world far away from electro pop, news reached us this week that Peggy Sue are due to release their second album Acrobats on September 12.Produced by PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish the groups sound has evolved significantly from their early wacky lo-fi folky doo-wop days when they were known as Peggy Sue and the Pirates. We featured the band a number of times in 2009 on the blog, and back in the day, when we did interviews Peggy Sue was one of our victims. This new track Cut My Teeth, is darker, edgier, more guttural and not that dissimilar to some of the work Ms Harvey has produced with Parish.
After two days of almost incessant main stage hogging, Sunday takes Breaking More Waves to virtually every other point on the Bestival site.
Peggy Sue's alt. folk harmonies give a lo-fi kiss to a large hungover crowd at the Jim Beam Bar. Conveying hippyish ideals with flower garlands in their hair, lyrics declaring that “Love will save the day,” and strong soulful female vocals the group are just the tonic for sore heads. After they finish with a stomping version of The Sea The Sea they sell out of the CD’s that they’ve brought with them, a good sign.
The shadow of a ferris wheel creates rotating patterns on the arc shaped canopy above the stage as Ohbijou play songs from their album Beacons. With silken strings and lush violins tussling with Casey Mecija’s angelic girlish vocal, their folk rock sound could easily become twee and indistinct, but it never does, always falling into something more substantial. Intro To Season sounds like Arcade Fire snuggling up with Joanna Newsom and barely lasts over two minutes, but is so lovely it wouldn’t be strange to be found wanting to give the band a hug.
Over in the Big Top Hockey demonstrate with a beach ball that yanks can’t do soccer, and neither do these lads seem to be able to score any musical goals. The bands white boy indie funk has a fair amount of groove but lacks capacity for tunes. It’s only when the LCD Soundsystem sound-a-like pop of Too Fake gets an airing that ears stir. When one particular loon of a punter manages to get on his friends shoulders and presses his face close up to the camera filming proceedings, his ugly mug covering the large video screens to the side of the stage, and it is the highlight of the set, you know something is wrong.
Delphic from Manchester are much better, particularly when they drop their guitars and let washes of indie dance synths cascade around the tent on the loopy and Orbital influenced Counterpoint. Then there is the monumental This Momentary with its “Let’s do something real,” chanted vocal call to arms, where building percussion creates space and energy that given a later night appearance would have developed into a transcendental hands in the air moment.It may not be staggeringly original, 'indie dance' is the category here, but if they can create a body of work as good as these two songs they will be onto something.
Back at the Jim Beam bar Polly Scattergood (pictured) is resplendent in silver, pink feathers and neon yellow / green. Polly is an unusual creature, although very young she seems much older, her girlish vocal and dark sometimes sexual lyrics confusing the issue even more. “You can spit on my French knickers sir, you can call me a whore, if you roll in, roll out, roll up to the Bunny Club,” she sings in a destitute vulnerable manner during Bunny Club, her next single. On Other Too Endless she utters “And I gave you my body, and when I said I did I meant it, and you gave me your anger, and for that I’m still trying to vent it.” It’s all pretty disturbing stuff, with themes of suicide, abuse and clinging on to long gone lovers permeating her performance. Yet despite these themes Polly sings with a smile and theatrically poses her way round the stage as if she were auditioning for Yo Gabba Gabba whilst unsettling electronics add to her blend of broken Prozac Nation pop. It’s oddly schizophrenic and enjoyable all at the same time.
Doves represent our first and only trip of the day to the main stage. The band provide a functional greatest hits set which is watched by Guy Garvey of Elbow in the wings. Doves are talented and accomplished musicians (even permitting the false start on the opening song they play) but after four albums their sound and set is becoming predictable. We would have bet our lives on them finishing with There Goes The Fear, and indeed they do. We said it earlier this year and we stand by our statement that we wish that Doves would now go and do something to surprise us. Maybe a rejuvenation of the Sub Sub ideas would be a neat twist to the left ?
The Bandstand area of Bestival is virtually empty as The Cordelier Club play with just a smattering of friends and stragglers watching. The Cordelier Club sound is very much one of adult middle of the road pop from the eighties with a powerful female rock vocal. There are hints of Stevie Nicks, Roxette, The Pretenders and Eurythmics circa Revenge - not particularly hip reference points, but it is exactly that and the quality of their songs that makes the band stand out. The group have hook after hook, sharp enough to gut wrench you in. One listen to Fire In The City with its “Don’t stop, we go far, running from the city in a getaway car,” chorus and our head is spinning dizzily. Stolen Lovers is even better with big Radio 2 styled high catchiness, it could easily sneer with vibrant abandon from the top of the pop mountain. In a festival full of oddness, The Cordelier Clubs mainstream position seems strangely leftfield and staggering brilliant because of it.
And talking of odd, we take a brave (many would say stupid) decision to miss Elbow (who as much as we love we have seen many times before) to sample Squarepusher, who we have never seen and on paper sound like they will tick our box. If ever there was an argument for taking risks then this would be it. Squarepusher would blind us with brilliance and we would go away happy. Unfortunately the whole thing is a massive endurance test. Faceless experimentation can be brilliant at times, but in the Big Top Squarepusher barrage us with dirty noise, erratic beats and utter chaos in their sound. Headache inducing tosh. Sometimes there’s an argument for playing safe as well. Apparently Elbow were brilliant. Damn.
And with that Bestival begins to draw to a close. There is more dancing to be done still, but in terms of live music that’s it. Bestival 2009 was the biggest yet and in places (Kraftwerk particularly) was the best it’s ever been. There is no doubt that Bestival as a festival has changed. The quirky randomness that the original first two events in particular had still exists, but it has been pushed to the side through its sold out 40,000 capacity popularity. There will be some who will say that the festival has lost its vibe or soul, and certainly the respect for the site at the end of the event seems to have disappeared with the camping areas resembling other large festivals in terms of littering (see video below) and some graffiti terrorism spoiling the hand crafted artwork in the main arena areas. However there will be others who say that there is now even more fun to be had and that the organisation of the event gets better every year. Purely in terms of live music (sound issues from the main stage notwithstanding) and bill quality Breaking More Waves is of the opinion that Bestival 2009 was the best yet. God knows how Rob Da Bank and crew are going to top Kraftwerk next year, but we’ll be looking forward to finding out.
With its central glass dome, black interior, wall lampshades, patterned wallpaper, decorative mirrors and flamboyant bar the Hanbury Club has always been one of the most exotically retro venues in Brighton, recalling the 1920’s in its ambience. This lends a sophisticated feel to Communion, the new folk club, direct from London for its opening night in Brighton. Not that everything here fits under the easy label of new folk.
The Agitator is the new project of Derek Meins. Sporting 50’s styled slicked back hair and braces, The Agitator means business; delivering primal, visceral acappella rock and roll with just heavy thudding drumming to back him. His mouth contorts in rubbery shapes as he howls his way through a raw undiluted set, including Mr Wolf, a song about bills you can’t pay.
If Gary Barlow from Take That that was a little younger, had grown a beard and sported a waistcoat he may look a little like the lead singer of Cherbourg (pictured). Their songs fall into two camps. The first are almost medieval folk songs, such as set closer Never Love Again which is full of fiddle and chanted melodies, a song that is as sprightly as a child dancing around the maypole. The second are more straightforward brooding and building guitar rock songs such as Scattered at Sea, which has just a hint of Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol in its vocal delivery. The band gush about the other acts on the bill and are obviously delighted to be playing, and by the end the audience appear equally as delighted with Cherbourg.
Peggy Sue have evolved somewhat since Breaking More Waves last caught them live. Then they were known as Peggy Sue and the Pirates. They are still resolutely lo –fi, mixing elements of blues, soul and alt. folk together in a slightly scrappy detuned style. But now they flesh out their material with accordion, ukulele and a drummer who bashes and clatters heavily, occasionally sounding like the start of a war march. Katy Klaw is dressed in an Eminem T Shirt, a reference and influence which seems about as far away as you can get from the sound they make. There are lyrics concerning sins and forgiveness on Lazarus, stomping changing time signatures, and a cover version of a Missy Elliot number. They remain quirky, odd and charmingly uncommercial despite their big bluesy harmonies doing their best to make them more accessible than their lo-fi leftfield acoustic sound really is.
The late night graveyard shift is left to Beans On Toast. Beans On Toast stands on a chair, elevated for easy viewing. With just an acoustic guitar and a gravel rough voice his performance is a mix of the comedic, personal and political. “You don’t like me in Brighton, because I make jokes about gays,” he gamely grins at the start of his set. Then as everyone begins to clap along to a simple riff, he announces “Let’s all clap hands,” pauses and then adds “F*ckin’ queers”. There’s plenty of laughter. Beans On Toast gets away with what could be conceived as arrogance and homophobia through his cheeky humour. With songs about rich kids in the music business and being old “Just turned 28 and going bald,” he wins virtually everyone over. “I think this is the best Beans On Toast gig ever. I’m gonna crowd surf in a minute,” he jokes. From way up on that chair it’s probably a blessing that he doesn’t as it’s a long way to fall; if he did though you get the feeling that he would be held triumphantly above the crowd in the manner of a rock star.
So the first Brighton Communion is a success. Breaking More Waves will be back for more soon.
Peggy Sue, from Brighton, used to be called Peggy Sue and the Pirates. They consist of Rosa “Rex” Slade and Katy Beth "Klaw" Young, now recently joined by a drummer called Olly. Their sound is stripped down, raw and minimal with just a guitar and drums with guest appearances from other instruments such as the melodica and tambourine. Their music is heavily based on strong soulful vocals and quirky harmonies combined with an odd mix of rockabilly and punkish folk. They have played numerous gigs including some high profile supports with Kate Nash. The group have released several EP’s and singles as well as a monthly demo CD for a period of a year. Let’s meet them.
This article is called ‘Welcome To The Beautiful South’. You guys are from Brighton. What are the good and bad things about being a musician in Brighton ?
We’re actually Londoners but the band was born in Brighton and I think it wouldn’t be the band it is if it hadn’t been. Good things are that the music scene is so diverse and not really cliquey at all and everyone is very supportive of each other. So we’ve played with bands like Blood Red Shoes and the Maccabees which musically doesn’t make perfect sense but shows the sense of community there is. The worst thing is that it can get a bit depressing if you start thinking about how many people and bands there are there and how unlikely it is that everyone will make a career in music.
What is your favourite place to play in Brighton ?
We played a show at the Duke of Yorks cinema that was amazing.
If Breaking More Waves was a tourist visiting Brighton what would you recommend we do for a weekend ?
Go to see a film at the Duke of Yorks it’s the best cinema and the popcorn is really cheap. Play the 2p machines on the pier and walk down the seafront past Hove to Moroco’s for an ice cream even if its cold. On Sunday have a Sunday lunch – Brighton is the best place for Sunday lunch. My favourites are The Constant Service or The Walmer. Go for a drink at the Hand in Hand but don’t take too many friends because it only fits about 20 people.
You used to be called Peggy Sue & The Pirates. Where have the pirates gone ?
We had musical differences.
You’ve recruited a drummer. Tell us more.....
Olly joined the band about 6 months ago. We’d wanted to get a drummer for ages but all the drummers we knew were already in bands. We bumped into Olly in Texas and said we were looking for a drummer. He’d come to watch us a few times back in England and his first reaction was ‘no, don’t get a drummer I like it how it is.’ But he called us when we were back home and said ‘if anyone’s going to be your drummer its going to be me.’ Its definitely changed the sound a lot but not in a bad way – he’s an incredibly creative drummer and also very fun. He’s a good addition for sure.
Your live sound has a raw edge to it that you have managed to keep in your recordings. Is that something that you plan to continue or are you going to ‘gloss up’?
I don’t think we will ever ‘gloss up’ partly because we are still not amazingly skilled musicians so part of the rawness comes from our abilities. Luckily all the music we love the most retains that rawness and we tend to be less interested in artists once it seems like they’ve perfected their art. Still, our song writing skills and our guitar playing abilities are improving all the time and we want to make music that we are proud of and that is long lasting but it would also be quite nice to make a living out of it. That spontaneity of anti-folk music and other music that isn’t overworked is really beautiful but at the time we’ve never been purely an anti-folk band our voices have a huge R’n’B and soul influence and that is music that is all about being perfect and impressive so hopefully we can find a middle ground.
We’ve seen you play a couple of surreal gigs. At Camp Bestival last year you were dressed as animals and the year before that you played in a Toy Museum at the Great Escape. Have you had any other surreal gig experiences ?
We played a show in Austin, Texas last year at a man named Hank Sinatra’s ranch. The stage was made out of old metal and there were hens and a huge bbq. All the English people were just following the shade around the garden in a little group because it was so hot. Then Two Gallants played later on and the drummer had to keep his kick drum in place with a big rock. It was basically the best day ever.
You’ve toured with Kate Nash and have just got back from dates with Mumford and Sons. What was it like ?
Both tours were amazing in different ways. The Kate Nash tour was the first tour we ever did and also the first tour she ever did so everyone was new to it and excited and it was really fun. Plus we got to play Shepherds Bush! The Mumford tour we just did was incredible though, it was much more humble but still the crowds were amazing and attentive and musically it made a lot of sense. We were all travelling in one van and sleeping on friends floors and it really makes you feel like you’ve gone somewhere – more so than when you stay in a travelodge every night that looks identical and stop in a service station that sells the exact same sandwiches. Although you do end up a bit smellier.
You also have something in common with Breaking More Waves...you played Bestival. We appeared there Djing in the Hidden Disco. Do you have plans for more festivals this summer, and if so any clues which ones ?
Yes lots. We want to play as many as possible. The only ones we have confirmed so far are Bestival and Green Man but we’ve got a long list of ones we want to play.
You’ve been putting out a CD a month to your fans. How challenging was that, and why did you do it?
It was challenging because we’re a big shambles and time management is not our strong suit. The actually making and posting of the cd's had a lot of stages and thus lots of moments where we just didn’t get things done it time. The CDs themselves were not a challenge to make - we put on a new song, an old song and a cover – and recorded them in friends bedrooms or on a dictaphone. We did it partly because we had no plans for official releases and we were getting restless and partly because we had a back log of old songs that we knew would never see the light of day. It was also a good way of forcing us to work on new material. It was a great thing to do and I’m really glad we did it and it’s pretty cool that all the months except the last two are already completely sold out.
Thanks very much for answering these questions. But finally, as this article is called Welcome To The Beautiful South, what is your favourite Beautiful South Song ? Perfect 10
Peggy Sue are playing various gigs and festivals this year. Catch them if you can. You can see a video of the girls dressed up at Camp Bestival, shot shakily by Breaking More Waves here.
