The Dawn Chorus + The Melodramas + The Autons + The B Of The Bang @ Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms

“Good music by people who care,” is the strap line for Jellymaid Music; a record label based in Portsmouth, Uk. Jellymaid specialise in supporting local artists, so it is therefore fitting that the labels first ever showcase is held in the most established music venue in their home town.

The B Of The Bang are known for their experimentation, often bringing sombre lo-fi folk and electronica to the stage. For this showcase however the group play to the Wedgewood Rooms strengths, discarding much of their acoustic sound. “I’ve broken my banjo,” announces lead singer Chris Whitear, eliciting “Ahhh’s” from the crowd before the band launch into the metallic commotion of Little Bean. It’s straightforward rock, but characterised by a very English baritone vocal and the bands need to be just a little bit different. The stage front has pieces of the bands artwork on display, there are three drummers forcing the beat along and during Lung, their most anthemic number, detuned guitars can be heard working hard to ensure that the sound never veers too far into the mainstream. There are hints from this performance that the band have the potential to find a place higher than bottom of the bill, from the singers confident but slightly awkward Bono/ Chris Martin moment of leaving the stage to embrace the crowd, to the almost sanguine sounding Delores. Whether such mainstream propriety would sit permanently comfortable with the bands ethos is questionable however.

The Autons bring ties, interesting hair and shouty indie electro punk pop of the variety that can be found in many toilet venues around Camden on a rainy Tuesday night. Be careful with the world electro though. This does not imply that Autons are part of the new rave gang, or even the Brooklyn cool kids. Their form of indie electro consists of dark buzzing guitars and hyperactive keyboard moments that blend together like The Buzzcocks and Carter USM playing British Bulldog in the playground. Nearly every snarling song rushes headlong into a frenetic sweaty refrain designed for the moshpit, although tonight with such a range of guitar based bands on display The Autons sound seems a little misplaced.

The Melodramas arrive with a bucket load of “Woah woah woah’s,” energy, floppy fringes and tambourine bashing skinny jean indie pop with their song The Day You Die. A few years ago we would have given this band a begrudging thumbs up, but right now their sound seems dated and unadventurous. It’s landfill mortgage indie, empty of any real substance or meaning. “We used to be a metal band called Slayer, but those days are behind us,” they announce. Frankly we would prefer to listen to Slayer. If you believe that great art and music is created by progressive development and the attempt to create something new and inspiring then The Melodramas will not appeal to you. If you simply want some 'nice jaunty tunes with guitars' and not an ounce of challenge then The Melodramas will be your cup of tea. Breaking More Waves seem to be in the minority with our opinion of this band though, who are clearly having fun as do most of the audience.

Frank Turners favourite new band are The Dawn Chorus , and it is easy to see why. The band may not have the coolest of looks, fashion or haircuts, but are slowly building an audience that has lead to a UK tour in April and festival slots confirmed at both Bestival and 2000 Trees later this year. The Dawn Chorus are rooted in acoustic sounds, but with songs like A Blast From The Present they add high noon trumpet fanfares and chanted harmonies to produce something that is joyously uplifting and honestly life affirming. It's ambitious, absorbing and well crafted without ever being immediately obvious. The Dawn Chorus carry commodities of good old fashioned quality playing and songs that pack a punch through careful structuring and arrangement. Their songs range from alt. country pop to bigger indie rockier numbers, but without exception every song the band plays fills the Wedgewood Rooms with a sound far removed from that of an English south coast city.

Passion Pit - The Reeling

Here at Breaking More Waves we don't normally post reviews of singles so upfront as this, but right now we are feeling like a desperate lover, unable to constrain our unbridled lust for the new Passion Pit single The Reeling. So review it we must even though the damn song isn't out until the 11th May in the UK.

The Reeling is confirmation that the Chunk Of Change EP wasn't just a fluke and that our tipping of Passion Pit as one of our Ones To Watch For 2009 was entirely justified. The Reeling is dizzy distorted dance pop that rides the wave of hype with a keyboard shaped surfboard and seventies style disco beats. Michael Angelakos banks his trademark falsetto up against a full on children's choir with an infectiously catchy chorus of "Look at me oh look at me, is this the way I'll always be, oh no, oh no." It's a shuddering beast of a pop single that deserves to be heard at every indie dance party in the land.

There's no video at the moment, but if you haven't heard it on the radio yet, this handy little widget will let you hear the song.

The Hot Toddies - Interview

Just a week or so ago we brought you the finest band from San Francisco Bay area, The Hot Toddies. Now before they head on over to the UK for a tour in April, it’s time to sit down with a virtual internet beer and ask the group a few questions.

First of all can you tell us a little bit about The Hot Toddies, where do you come from, who you are, what inspires you and the type of music you play ?

The Hot Toddies is an all-girl indie rock band from Oakland, CA: Heidi Bodeson (bass, guitar, and vocals), Erin Skidmore (guitar, bass, and vocals), Sylvia Hurtado (drums and some vocals) and Jessica Wright (keyboard, guitar, and some vocals).

It’s been a round for a while now. But can tell us a little bit about the album Smell The Mitten ?

Smell the Mitten was recorded in the summer of 2007 with our good friend and sound engineer, Johnny Genius. It was our first full-length album and the songs on it were written over a period of about 2 years around many campfires and backyard parties. We did most of the album, besides drum tracks, in Johnny’s apartment and drank a lot of whiskey and wine while recording. The vocals were recorded in a closet that was converted to a recording booth.

Have you plans for a release this year, and if so what can you tell us about it ?

We have about 6 new songs ready to record and will be heading into the studio with another great engineer friend, Michael Fajen, in April when we get back from the UK. So far the songs are really different from each other – we’ve got a few rocking fast ones, an acoustic ukulele song, a song in French, and a jazzy little song about cooking and sex. We get a lot of song writing inspiration from travelling so we’re hoping to write a few new ones for the next album while on tour in the UK!

Your music is very much based in 60’s pop and doo wop. What bands from this era do you like yourselves and can you recommend any great tunes from that era to readers of Breaking More Waves ?

We do like a lot of 60’s era artists, although not just limited to pop or doo-wop. The Beatles and The Beach Boys are pretty classic influences of course. We also love the soul stuff – Otis Redding, James Brown, and Irma Thomas. The ladies in The Shangri-Las, The Crystals, and The Ronettes, had some great songs as well during that time. But honestly, we never set out to write anything that sounds retro or “60’s” at all. Apparently it just comes out that way. We do love the layered harmonies of that era and there’s also a lot of contemporary bands we admire that use them too like Mates of State, the Ditty Bops and Fleet Foxes.

At Breaking More Waves we have come to the conclusion that there simply cannot be truly original music anymore as there are only so many notes and so many noises...everything is going to sound like something that has gone before. What do you think of this statement ?

We would probably agree with that statement. And add that we think it's great that there are musicians out there trying to revolutionize music and create something amazingly new and unique... but that's never been our shteeze. The Toddies like to keep it real and simple in order to have as much fun as we possibly can. And when we're suddenly hit with a major musical epiphany, we'll just go with it.

If we were putting on a party and getting drunk, The Hot Toddies would be the soundtrack to at least part of that party. What records would form the soundtrack to your party and why ?

Our party soundtrack would definitely be selected for danceability and sing-along potential: The Beatles, James Brown, the Decemberists, Journey, Queen, and the Pogues would be some of the artists on that list.

You’re coming the UK for a tour with Foxes! How did that come about ?

Basically we met Foxes! through Myspace while talking about setting up a show in Brighton, and discovered that they wanted to do a tour around the same time. We really liked their sound so we decided to combine forces! We’re very excited to see them live and make some new friends.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you play. What are you looking forward to when you come to England ?

We’re really looking forward to meeting everyone! So far all the bands, promoters, and fans we’ve talked to have been so nice, we’re looking forward to sharing several beers with you all. And fish and chips. Yum!

What is the ideal night out for The Hot Toddies ?

Sushi dinner with plenty of beer and sake, followed by rollerskating, a beach bonfire and then sneaking into a nearby hot tub.

Breaking More Waves is getting the drinks in, what are you all having ?

Let’s see… if we’re at the bar in England, we’ll take some shots of nice Irish whiskey, 4 snakebites, Absinthe, Stella and 4 shots of Fernet. For more chill evenings, just 4 bottles of wine will do.

Ok no problem, we'll join you in that except for the Absinthe... it doesn't agree with us. And finally, just how hot are the Hot Toddies ?

Well, just to set the record straight, we did name ourselves after a drink – not trying to claim anything on the hotness front – but we think that’s for you to decide.

Thanks Hot Toddies !

So this April, if you are in the UK, get out and see The Hot Toddies and discover if they are hot or not. We’ll be reporting back from their Portsmouth gig which is being promoted by our good friends the The Hong Kong Gardeners. If you are in the Portsmouth area you can get tickets here. We’ll let you know what we think !

Planet Earth - Bergman Movies

Yes folks, it’s more new folk. Planet Earth sound like a lo-fi version of Noah And The Whale. This is not surprising when you consider that Charlie Fink added drums to this song and helped record some of the bands earliest demos. It goes even further, with Planet Earth having been out on tour with the Noah boys and girl in the autumn of 2008. And if there are musical and vocal similarities, then Planet Earth seem to have decided why stop with just that and instead go the whole hog with similar lyrics as well. On Bergman Movies they sing “ In ten years we’ll be having babies, in twenty we’ll be getting divorced, but five years ago we were in love for the first time.” Five Years Time similarities anyone ? Just a little perhaps.

This single is a sweet unpolished tune, with a world weary ‘my cats just drowned’ monotone vocal and slightly scrappy but jaunty acoustic guitar. It sounds like Planet Earth have had the soundtrack to Juno non stop on their stereo for the last six months and before that it was If You’re Feeling Sinister by Belle and Sebastian.

In April the band are out on a UK tour supporting The Wave Pictures before they wind it all up with appearances at The Great Escape and Stag & Dagger Festivals in May.