Unlike the larger festivals, much of the music-based action at Summer Sundae takes a little longer to get going on the first day, leaving plenty of time for noize makes enemies to soak up the atmosphere and to take in some of the more unusual performances on offer.
Heading into the Village area of the site, we make a beeline for the Phrased & Confused poetry tent. Grabbing a clutch of seats, we are just in time to see full-time English teacher Mark Grist and pal DJ Mixy meld two schools of poetry into one via a mock-classroom debate that melts away the differences between classical and contemporary. The highlight of this was undoubtedly Grist’s Walter Raleigh-penned (ahem) Ode to Amy Winehouse, which should make the alarmists at the Daily Mail feel very silly indeed. We also stick around for Jean Binta Breeze, who sings personal history interspersed by an annoyingly catchy chorus (“music is special/step right in...”). Not wishing to miss out on the rest of the festival, I contribute my favourite word to the word-board (clemency, in case you’re curious), and head off to the Main Stage.

En route, I meet comedian and 6Music DJ Adam Buxton, leaning on a bin and writing in his battered, leather-bound notebook. Gleaning an autograph, I settle down by a tree to watch The Heroes! I also spot veteran DJ Steve Lamacq, who is steadfastly refusing to clap between songs. To be honest, I see his point – while they play well, they sound like Arctic Monkeys-lite, and it’s all a bit flat. This cannot be say for Adam Buxton’s surprise set on the 6Music Hub Stage. Introduced by Joe Cornish, he played a blockbuster two-song set composed of obscure Bowie number She’s Got Medals and his own comedy number The Festival Song. It’s hilarious, but has made me late for Youthmovies, so I take a sprint to the Rising Stage to catch the latter half of their performance. The highlight of the set is the epic Something for the Ghosts, with its heavy marching drumbeat and the almost historical tones of Sam Scott’s trumpet making for a mesmerising experience.

It seems like no time at all before we’re back at the Main Stage for Fight Like Apes, who seem singularly unimpressed with Summer Sundae’s admittedly sedate, middle class audience. Still, the slightly huffy edge to their demeanours does them no favours with the crowd. However, they put together an energetic set, whose highlights include the punk-pop tones of Lend Me Your Face, and the uptempo You Prefer Beverly Hills 90210 to Me. Returning to the Rising Stage, we experience my personal highlight of the day: The Mae Shi. Quite aside from the parachute they gift to the crowd for laughs and japes, their individual brand of crazed pop punk is reminiscent of that scene in Strangers on a Train where the merry-go-round spins wildly and brilliantly out of control. This makes the Main Stage’s Royworld, who bear regrettable similarities to U2 and Keane, seem very boring indeed.

However, the Drowned in Sound-programmed Rising Stage can do no wrong today. Due an unfortunately-timed loo trip, I was prevented from re-entering the area for Noah and the Whale’s packed-out set, but they did not disappoint, even at a distance. Charlie Fink’s slightly gravelly voice is beautifully juxtaposed with the swelling melodies of their impressive set, and when he sings “in my mind I’m having a pretty time with you” during Five Years Time, it is just about the prettiest thing of all time. King Creosote play beautifully too, but seem unsuited to the outdoor performance space, which is a real shame. None of this sits comfortably when F*ck Buttons take to the stage, who essentially spend 40 minutes or so trying to push my brain out through my ears with a shuddering wall of precise distortion and tortured screams. It’s the sort of thing that Megatron would listen to. Brilliantly and creatively constructed, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t enjoy it.

Thank goodness for the relative normalcy of the Coral...you know where you are with the Coral. Steve Lamacq introduces them as “a national treasure,” and he’s proved right as they play a festival crowd-pleasing set – all the hits are trotted out, and the whole area is bouncing by the time they pull out the sublime Dreaming of You. Moving from simple to exotic, we finish the day with the Howling Bells, unable to stomach yet another lacklustre performance by Supergrass. Juanita Stein is everything that a lead singer should be: charismatic, beautiful, with a voice that can hold an entire room in thrall. The band itself is a seamless unit of galloping drums, rich guitars, and dreamily shimmering soundscapes. New song Treasure Hunt (“my favourite,” says Juanita sweetly) is treasure indeed, and old favourite Low Happening are highlights, but this is the sort of set that just cannot be improved upon. An excellent day’s work.

Saturday, 9th August

A bright beginning to the day soon gives way to the sort of rainy gloom that the British festival crowd is all too accustomed to. Still, mustn’t grumble, as Summer Sundae has laid on plenty of indoor treats for us to sample A short walk takes us to the Comedy Tent, where we bump into legendary Kiwi comedian (and today’s compère) Al Pitcher. He casts a worried glance at the audience and mutters “I wish those kids weren’t here…” to me before heading backstage. Evidently, the material he had in mind was less than clean, but judging by the crowd reaction that ensues, it doesn’t seem to be an issue. Furthermore, he manages to confine his swears to the word “shitload.” Nice. We thoroughly enjoy old-school Jewish comedian Sol Bernstein, particularly when he yells “get your fist out of his ass” at no-one in particular.

Over at the Rising Stage it’s time to see some music in the form of indie hopefuls Gary Go, although we probably shouldn’t have bothered. Sweet and talented, yes; interesting no. However, the tent is so depressingly empty that I feel honour-bound to stay for most of the twee, impassioned ballads that they churn out before running away to the Indoor Stage to catch the end of Tired Irie’s synth-laden set, complete with trippy kaleidoscope-esque visualisations. Over on the Main Stage, the rain politely holds off for the country-tinged tones of ‘supergroup’ Danny and the Champions of the World, accompanied today by Romeo Stodart of the Magic Numbers. With their CSN-like vocal harmonies, multiple percussionists, and, erm, man dressed as a water buffalo, they brought a little cheer to an increasingly soggy crowd.

However, the heavens have opened again by the time that Dengue Fever take the stage, but the upbeat delicacy of their exotic pieces made it very easy to imagine one’s self on a beach in Cambodia instead. The voice of lead singer Chhom Nimol is quite extraordinary, and works beautifully in contrast with the Farfisa organ during Seeing Hands. With some regret that it wasn’t sunnier for them, we move into the De Montfort Hall to sample the work of the intriguing-sounding Zombie Zombie. Taking the stage, one of the pair makes a quip about crisps, which seems to go down like a cup of vomit. Whether that’s because the audience aren’t Leicesterians, or are just sick of crisp references is hard to say. However, they prove to be very interesting indeed – using a full drum kit and a mixing desk, they produce intense, absorbing soundscapes inspired by horror movies.

This proves to be an odd contrast with the gentle, organ-led Scottish tones of Peel-favourites Camera Obscura, but I can’t help but feel that that’s what he would have wanted. “This is the first festival I’ve been to where I’ve seen a smurf running around,” declares lead singer Tracyanne Campbell after completing a truly beautiful version of If Looks Could Kill, a perfect summer tune in spite of the dark edge to its lyrics. A seasonal shift takes us back into the De Montfort Hall for Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, a four-piece folk outfit from Northumberland who sound as beautiful as delicate sunshine on a crisp frosty day. Their voices and melodies filled every corner of the room, reminding me more than a little of the ethereal tones of the Medieval Bæbes.

Henry Rollins, on the other hand, is something else entirely. The former lead singer of punk outfit Black Flag has now turned his hand to being professionally angry – his “true north,” if you will. He gets just over an hour to perform, which is nowhere near enough. One moment, he’d have you in stitches over anecdotes about supporting Black Sabbath, before bringing you to the verge of tears in the next by describing the horror of the Killing Fields and the injustice of the Vietnam War (“we bombed farmers”).

It’s difficult to get that out of your head, but Tom Baxter was the next act to take the stage, and the show that he put on demands your full attention. His voice is gentle, but full of power and fire, and set off to perfection by the Spanish influence that pervades the music. “Love is not enough if you don’t love yourself,” he intones passionately, and we’re all putty in his hands. The set ends on a high, and it’s a real shame that the last act we see, The Whitest Boy Alive, are a bit of a disappointment. A fair few of the songs sound like the theme from the Clothes Show, and at some stages it is quite clear that half the band could be replaced with metronomes without too much hassle. Generally though, the acts have been of such a high standard that it is impossible to be too disappointed.

Sunday 10th August

It’s a gorgeous day, and noize makes enemies are going to spend as little as possible of it indoors. Well, line-up permitting. With nothing in particular on the agenda for the early slot, we wait for Rook and the Ravens to take the stage – which, after a leisurely soundcheck, they do. Hailing from north Derbyshire, they were fortunate enough to get on the bill after mailing a demo to the organisers, who loved it. I quite like it too. They are by no means groundbreaking, but there’s something about a combination of bluesy harmonica, thick, stodgy basslines, and Neil Young-esque vocals that seems to set the day off on the right foot. As such, I stick around for Seasick Steve’s favourite band, the Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir. Within the first few banjo-laden bars, I am instantly transported to a porch in North Carolina, listening to some damn fine musical personal history. “I’ve been here for 10,000 years/and I’ll be here for 10,000 more!” yowls Judd Palmer. His vocals are so raw and scratchy that you actually believe him. It’s wonderful fun though, and the whole audience has embraced them like lost uncles. “That was brill!” gushes a small boy near me, and I’m inclined to agree with his succinct review.

No-one really wants to leave the sunshine, but then no-one seems to want to miss one-man band Hamell on Trial inside the De Montfort Hall. A new experience for me, but one that is worth having if you like a good chuckle, for the man is basically musical South Park. “You will have many bosses in your life, and you will want to murder them all,” he announces portentously. “Don’t.” This is followed by a hilarious musical anecdote where he ends up grabbing his teenage boss by the balls and parading him around a pizza restaurant. Between this, the song about performing oral sex, and a supposed Leicester/Sheffield rivalry that he pulls out of thin air, the whole audience is in hysterics. Ironically, we’re calmed down by the soothing tones of Lamacq favourites Wild Beasts, who have just taken the Main Stage. Lead singer Hayden Thorpe sounds more than a little like a roguish, northern version of Jeff Buckley, which is never a bad thing. “I only fumbled that lass!” he pleads, adopting the tone of a saddened troubadour pirate on Please Sir. It’s good stuff, but might have been better indoors: quite a lot of the delicate guitarwork was bourn away on the breeze, which was a bit of a shame.

Back indoors again now, for Jeffrey Lewis, one of the forefathers of the New York anti-folk movement. Adam Green is a better-known scion of that scene, and today, the artists seem to differ but slightly. The whole experience is charming – I shudder to contribute to the overuse of the word quirky – but a little too familiar. Still, Lewis uses his numerous talents well, and odd ditty Creeping Brain is accompanied by some highly entertaining snatches of his comic strips. Speaking of familiar, after Lewis’ set we find our way towards the delightful tones of Swedish/Argentine Sony favourite José González. He pulls nothing surprising out of the bag, but his clear, pure vocals and delicate melodies don’t really need to be anything else. He also throws a couple of covers into the mix: Love Will Tear Us Apart, and Massive Attack’s Teardrop. At the end of the day, he’s just one man and a guitar, and the whole audience are in his thrall.

When Cold War Kids take the stage, their path to adoration isn’t quite so smooth, but they’re one of the highlights to my day. “Every man I fall for drinks his coffee black,” wails Nathan Willet over a swirl of curious, bluesy rhythms, interesting percussion, and thrashing keys. They are a lot more than Hang Me out to Dry, and although Summer Sundae isn’t the biggest festival, it’ll be worth it if bands like this get to enlarge their fanbase. This is also true for of Montreal, who are simultaneously the best and most perplexing band I have ever seen. Like Patrick Wolf gone glam rock, set to twisted disco beats and backed by utterly fantastical mimes, costumes and visualisations, they are the sort of band that you need to be ready for. I wasn’t, but it didn’t make it any less impressive...just more of a headfuck. “Physics makes us all its bitches!” yells Kevin Barnes during Gronlandic Edit – well, I don’t know about the rest of the audience, but I was of Montreal’s bitch by the end of their set. Mercifully, Joan as Policewoman were so soulfully dull that I was able to make a full recovery before Lightspeed Champion ended my festival as only they could. This is a band I have watched grow up, and it wouldn’t be overstatement to say that I was bursting with pride to see them play so very well in such a big venue. New songs The Kids and Marlene sat comfortably beside Galaxy of the Lost and Midnight Surprise – which already seem like classics. It’s as beautiful as ever, but bigger, fuller – and ends a wonderful weekend on a massive, genuine high.

Words by Claire Spencer
Photo by David Wilson Clarke

18/8/08 Bloc Party's third album, 'Intimacy' will be available August 21. It can be pre-ordered now via the band's website. The album will also be available as a CD which will be delivered from October 27 and feature additional songs. Anyone pre-ordering the CD will also receive the digital album from August 21.
Bloc Party alerted fans to 'Intimacy's existence, as well as their ability to purchase the record instantly, when they hosted their first ever web chat on August 18. The album follows on from the release of their hit single 'Mercury' released on 11 August.

The album produced by Paul Epworth (Silent Alarm) and Jacknife Lee (A Weekend in the City) was recorded in Kent and London. Some songs are Bloc Party at their most wildly experimental, while other tracks are simply classic Bloc Party, fitting in seamlessly amongst fan-favourites 'Helicopter', 'Banquet' and 'So Here We Are'.

Bloc Party recently played a run of sold-out American shows and are due to play Reading and Leeds Festival this weekend and headline the Hydroconnect Festival on August 30.

August
23 - Reading Festival, Reading
24 - Leeds Festival, Leeds
30 - Hydroconnect Festival, Scotland

The track listing for Intimacy:
01. Ares
02. Mercury
03. Halo
04. Biko
05. Trojan Horse
06. Signs
07. One Month Off
08. Zephyrus
09. Better Than Heaven
10. Ion Square

http://www.blocparty.com



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18/8/08
Squarepusher will be releasing a new record on Warp records, October 27th entitled 'Just a Souvenir'.
Take the first sneak preview of the track 'Delta V' on the Warp MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/warprecords

Album tracklisting below:

01. Star Time 2
02. The Coathanger
03. Open Society
04. A Real Woman
05. Delta -v
06. Aqueduct
07. Potential Govaner
08. Planet Gear
09. Tensor In Green
10. The Glass Road
11. Fluxgate
12. Duotone Moonbeam
13. Quadrature
14. Yes – Sequitur

Two Squarepusher UK live shows are already planned later this year, ATP and at Manchester's Warehouse Session, full info available here:
http://www.warprecords.com/?news=1435

www.myspace.com/akais5000



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18/8/08 Lovvers debut release with Wichita comes in the form of a 7 song CD/LP entitled ‘THINK’, released on September 29th. Clocking in at just under 13 minutes, it gives you the perfect amount of time you need to piss off your boss, quit your job and throw out those shitty records you keep getting told to buy.
Great bands do not gain popularity, develop musically or give you what you want; based nowhere and residing pretty much everywhere Lovvers is compromised of four ambitious nobodies; that have tellingly appeared at a moment in musical history that can only described as a yawning deluded mess.

Two years in and having trawled the UK time and time again, playing nearly 200 shows and sharing multiple gigs with bands like Butthole Surfers, No Age, Times New Viking, Jay Reatard, Awesome Color, Mika Miko, Fucked Up, Black Lips, Brutal Knights…

Lovvers are a strange mix of music’s forgotten / blank generation, re-calling the spirit of Darby Crashes' Germs, the weirdness of Flipper, Wipers style pop and the careless attitude of The Replacements; at one show a girl was so confused / annoyed that she wrote to KERRANG! describing this music as highly offensive, wanting to erase them from her mind.

Having been written about or featured in most major magazines, it appears the select few have largely missed the point of Lovvers.

Maybe it’s because they have no idea of their context or the idea of this music isn’t anything they’ve experience directly? Instead they continue to focus on the bands stunning good looks and hair colour, for this select group of writers music has to be defined to a style or pigeonholed with a brand.

After the release of four noisy and highly questionable 7inchs (three on the Jonson Family record label and one a 4 way band split release on OIB records) the band are now pursuing a career with the shady folk at Wichita Recordings.

THINK Tracklist:

01. Human Hair
02. No Romantics
03. The Kids (Laugh Out Loud)
04. Teenage Shutdown
05. No Fun
06. Wasted Youth
07. Talk Cheap

See Lovvers live in the UK:

August
18th Brighton Prince Albert * with The Death Set
23rd Reading Festival
24th Leeds Festival

September
26th London Old Blue Last
27th Oxford Port Mahon
28th Reading Kingland Arms
29th Brighton Hobgoblin
30th Portsmouth Nell Gwyne

October
1st Cardiff Buffalo Bar
3rd Dublin Boom Boom Room
4th Belfast The Bunker
6th York The Basement
7th Glasgow Venue tbc
8th Newcastle The End
9th Leeds Packhorse
10th Nottingham Chameleon

www.myspace.com/letscommunicate

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18/8/08 Gallows will be uploading a brand new track onto their MySpace page at 7pm on Monday August 18th for fans to stream and download for free. Gold Dust is a minute-long aural assault showcasing the quintet’s punk stylings as they make their return from dominating stages worldwide for the past year and a half. The track, which debuted on the XFM Rock Show last night, won’t be featured on the band’s upcoming second album but provides a whirlwind of excitement to show fans what to expect on the new record.
Gallows will be heading to the Reading [Saturday] and Leeds [Sunday]festivals to headline the Lock Up Stage this coming weekend.

www.myspace.com/gallows

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18/8/08
Frontman Yannies Philippakis told BBC 6music: "We don't feel like 'Antidotes' was an insurmountable record by any means. To us it sounds flawed. We just wanna make a different record. I think it will be better because we're older and we understand a lot more about music.”
“I think it's gonna have bigger contrasts in it than the first record, and we've been messing around with a lot of ambiance and echoes and I think we wanna make something that's a bit lusher".

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18/8/08
Alan McGee has branded My Bloody Valentine's reunion tour a "nostalgic cabaret" on his MySpace blog, and said that he only signed them to his Creation label in 1991 as "a joke".
He said: "There is a beautiful irony that the nostalgic cabaret that is My Bloody Valentine are throwing at people in 2008 gets critical acclaim in the easily pleased UK press with MBV still playing the exact same set they did 20 years ago and the only trick Kevin Shields has anymore in 2008 is actual volume and double extra PA to numb you and zero new songs. My Bloody Valentine were a joke signing in 1991, maybe they got better..."

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18/8/08 Yeasayer have just announced they will be playing a instore show at Rough Trade East on Saturday 23rd August, as part of Rough Trade East 1st Anniversary celebration.
The instore will follow their sold-out show at KCLSU on 20th August and will work as a warm up to their Reading and Leeds appearances.

www.yeasayer.net
www.myspace.com/yeasayer

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18/8/08 'Hardcore Girls' is the sound of the much hyped Baltimore breaks scene, evolved, displaced and mutated as only The Count and Sinden know how.Fronted by the hottest thing out of B’more since The Wire, 17 year old wild child of the mike, Rye Rye. She has been touring the states with MIA and, now signed to Interscope, she is set to do big things. Her unique and energetic vocal is treated to one of the duo's best bumpy bass grooves and the combined effect is nothing short of devastating.
Another new school talent picked up on by The Count and Sinden is Ny. Bubbling on the UK underground, she fronts the hardcore, jungle inflected soul that is 'Fool In Love'. This is pop music for the now and tomorrow, a classic love song set to a raucous jungle inspired backing track which has become a live favourite over the summer.

Finally we have JME, a legend in the grime scene, known for his tight flows, guest appearances and his 'Boy Better Know' franchise. Industry gives an overview of the pit falls of getting involved in the trickiest of games... The music business.

And who would want to get involved in that shit!?!

The Count & Sinden soundsystem will continue their tour of the best European Festivals with performances at Pukkelpop in Belgium (15th August), The Electric Picnic (30th Aug) and Bestival (6th September) with more dates to be announced soon! Hardcore Girls will be available on 12” and via digital download on 13th October.

Tracklisting is as follows:
1 – Hardcore Girls (featuring Rye Rye)
2 – Fool In Love (featuring Ny)
3 – Industry (featuring JME)



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18/8/08 Kaiser Chiefs have announced details of their first UK tour dates this year. The band, who release the single Never Miss A Beat on October 6th followed by the hotly anticipated third album Off With Their Heads, on October 13th will play a series of shows throughout October, as follows:
8th October - Leeds Academy (08444772000 / ticketweb.co.uk)
13th October - Manchester Academy
15th October - Southampton Guildhall
16th October - Reading Rivermead
17th October - Glasgow Barrowlands (08444999990 / gigsinscotland.com)
19th October - Leicester De Montford Hall
20th October - London Kentish Town Forum
21st October - London Kentish Town Forum

Tickets will be on sale from 9am on August 21st and available as shown in Leeds and Glasgow with tickets available or all other dates from 24hr credit card hotline - 08712200260 / gigsandtours.com
Main support on all dates comes from Late Of The Pier with new Leeds act The Hair opening the proceedings.

Never Miss A Beat (featuring Lily Allen and New Young Pony Club on backing vocals) is released on October 6th and available on CD b/w and 7" vinyl b/w through B-Unique / Polydor.

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Things couldn’t be better for the St. Albans trio Friendly Fires. Whipping up a furore far and wide with their infectious and euphoric electro and punk funk disco grooves, I think you’d agree it’s been quite a journey so far. The percussive uplifting synth sound scape of Paris is sure to liven the spirits of any cold hearted stalwart as is the Paul Epworth produced Photobooth – the only track not produced by themselves. With just three single releases they’ve already installed themselves as one of the most sought after acts.
So it’s no wonder that on the cusp of their imminent debut, set for release in September 1st, we’re expecting nothing less than cult dance floor classics in the making.

Initially making waves on Moshi Moshi, the boys have newly sealed a deal with label of-the-moment XL and join fellow luminaries Radiohead and The White Stripes. And having just played extensive dates on the festival circuit the band is now venturing on a world tour. Phew!

We get the low down from Jack Savidge (drummer) on life on the road, musical sparks and what’s currently on their radar…

noize: You are just about to embark on a world tour - are you excited? Any particular places you're looking forward to playing?

Jack: Japan I'm most excited about. Everyone says its an amazing experience. We're also playing in St Tropez, so hopefully we'll hang out on yachts with tanned, hairy-chested, linen-shirted millionaires and their bored drug-addict ex-supermodel wives.

n: Have you been given any survival tips on life-on-the-road by other bands in preparation?

J: Most people just assure you that you'll go mad from touring. No tips on how to deal with it. They just tell you its inevitable.

n: Within the last 18 months you've clocked some serious mileage playing up and down the country – have you any favourite venues? Memorable moments?

J: The bigger ones are always fun I find. Supporting Kaiser chiefs at Elland Rd was good fun, Oxegen festival last weekend was great, one in this funny warehousey space in Lille. Too many to mention really.

n: What's you favourite festival moment so far?

J: Bestival last year. We were pretty much the last band on at the whole festival. Everyone crammed into our tent, e'd up, desperate for some music. The place went berserk.

n: Any new bands you've seen that are worth watching out for?

J: Nic Nell is great, he's releasing something on an XL offshoot very soon. I really like HEALTH too, their live show is immense.

n: How did you find self-producing the album? It must have been quite a learning curve! When did you know when to stop working on tracks?

J: Its the way we've always done things, so no learning curve really. It is indeed hard to leave alone things that you feel are not quite working, but the best songs always seem come easily and in the shortest time.

n: You've definitely coined your own sound - what equipment do you use? Have you introduced new instruments/ technology and used new techniques whilst recording to emulate particular sounds?

J: Its a pretty simple set-up- a MacBook running Logic, an Apogee interface, one mic, a compressor / limiter,a whole bunch of plug-ins and soft synths, and our instruments. We've been able to buy more stuff since signing the deal, which was a relief. Edd G's got a new Fender Mustang and a Roland amp, like what Metallica and the guy from Limp BIzkit use. Ed's got a Korg MS20 synth like what Herbie Hancock uses. I've got er... a new snare, and a never ending wild goose chase for a new drum kit.

n: Congratulations on signing to XL! How important was it for you to sign to an independent?

J: It wasn't that XL were independent, it was more the deal, the people who work there, and the whole ethos of the label. XL seem to be succeeding while every other label is failing. They're slim-line, efficient, and just have a knack of making great records.

n: St. Albans is steadily gaining kudos for producing some exciting distinctive new bands - Enter Shikari being one of them.

J: Enter Shikari are certainly distinctive. Growing up in St. Albans myself, it was a pretty barren musical landscape till recent years, a place where mainly cover bands and old timers migrated to…!

n: What was it like growing up in the commuter belt? Your music is vibrant and really creative – was this a result of finding a music scene there or did you seek inspiration elsewhere?

J: There never was a great music scene in St Albans, but we had the time and the space there to develop the band I suppose. Everything's so much more rushed in larger cities, a band has barely formed before its playing buzzy high profile gigs. You're not allowed that crucial gestation period.

n: What bands were you immersed in growing up? Do you all share the same musical influences/tastes and swap records?

J: At school when we were 14, Ed was into metal mainly, Edd was more into NOFX style punk, and I liked Super Furry Animals and Oasis. Slowly we converged around things like Mogwai, DJ Shadow, and My Bloody Valentine, and then we got into dance music together.

n: What's the last album/record you're into?

J: Gas Nah Und Fern

n: Apart from the obvious (!) what are your favourite labels of the moment? I hear you're big fans of Kompakt.

J: I'm really liking Circus Company, Cadenza, Wurst Edits, Cecille and Oslo.

n: You covered Frankie Knuckles' Your Love – any more covers in the pipe- line?

J: Yeah a few ideas have been knocking round, we'll probably save them for a special occasion though.

n: With the growing trend of free downloads and such like, would you consider giving any of your music for free?

J: Yeah, we're giving away a free mp3 at www.wearefriendlyfires.com right now... not sure about a whole album though. You've got to be doing pretty well to do that in the first place.

n: Radiohead enabled their fans to remix and upload Nude – would that be something you'd like to do with any of your tracks in the future?

J: Maybe. I'd like to hear some covers of our songs in different styles like an operatic cover, but with really heavy dirge metal instrumentation. I think that would be fly.

Interview by Nazlee Jannoo

The band will tour the UK in September/October this year, and also feature at various festivals throughout the summer

Live dates:

August 22nd Reading Festival (Carling New Band)
August 23rd Leeds Festival (Carling New Band)
August 30th Hydro Connect Festival, Inveraray Castle, Loch Fyre

www.myspace.com/friendlyfires



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15/8/08 Fresh from the success and critical praise that trailed her beautifully fresh self titled album – Santogold looks set to capture our hearts and minds again with the superbly brilliant follow up single 'Lights Out'. From an album as defiantly uncategorisable as the lady in question – 'Lights Out' is a stand out anthem in waiting, perfectly suited for the festivals crowds that await our starlet this summer.
With a heavy bass line that nods to the Pixies under a pure fire pop chorus the track is as irresistible as gravity. Santi's delicate vocals float over the gorgeous lo-fi guitar strumming and smattering drum kicks.

Armed with DJ and dancers (who channel a mesmerizing Grace Jones look on stage) Santogold gets ready to play the UK festivals this year and has just announced her KOKO headline date in London this September. Anyone who managed to catch the sold out UK tour in May will testify Santogold is closer to platinum than the gold hoops she bares her nickname from.

New Santogold UK tour dates
19 Aug Fringe Fest Edinburgh
23 Aug Reading/Leeds Reading
24 Aug Reading/Leeds Leeds
29 Aug Surfstock Cornwall
30 Aug Electric Picnic Stradbally
31 Aug Connect Fest Scotland

3 Sep Koko London
5 Sep Bestival Isle of Wright
6 Sep Becks Fusion Festival MANCHESTER, London and South East

Check out the video for 'Lights Out' here:


And here's ACTH's remix:


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15/8/08
Dig Out Your Soul, OASIS'S seventh studio album, is the first new music from the band since 2006's "Lord Don't Slow Me Down" the single from the Baillie Walsh directed road movie of the same name. Produced by Dave Sardy, who also produced thier 2005 album Don't Believe the Truth, Dig Out Your Soul once again features songwriting contributions by all four band members Liam and Noel Gallagher, guaitarist Gem Archer, and bassist Andy Bell.
The album, which was recorded at Abbey Road and mixed in Los Angeles, marks OASIS' new approach to songwriting. As principle songwriter Noel Gallagher puts it: "I wanted to write music that had a groove, not songs that followed that traditional pattern of verse, chorus, and middle eight. I wanted a sound that was more hypnotic and driving, with songs that would draw you in; songs that you would maybe have to connect to -- to feel."

Diarmuid Quinn, Chief Operating Officer of Warner Bros. Records commented on welcoming the band into to the Warner Bros. Records family: Oasis are a world class band with a remarkable history. Everyone at Warner/Reprise could not be more excited at the prospect of supporting such great artists, and working closely with Big Brother to continue to increase Oasis' profile in North America. P.S. the new music kicks ass!"

Formed by the Gallagher brothers in Manchester, in 1991, OASIS has become not only one of the most commercially successful rock bands in history, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, they are one of the most celebrated UK bands of all-time and arguably the most influential British band for the past 17 years; peerless, timeless and in a class of one. In addition to racking up eight No. 1 singles in the U.K. and a global total of no less than 171 platinum sales awards, the band has also scored big in the U.S. with three platinum albums, 1994's debut Definitely Maybe, 1995's career-making (What's the Story) Morning Glory, which has been certified quadruple-platinum thanks to the smash singles "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova," and 1997's Be Here Now.

hear the new single "Shock of the Lightning" here:



watch the teaser trailer here:


Here are the upcoming UK tour dates:
7 Oct:Liverpool, Echo Arena
8 Oct:Liverpool, Echo Arena
10 Oct:Sheffield, Arena
11 Oct:Sheffield, Arena
13 Oct:Birmingham, NIA
14 Oct:Birmingham, NIA
16 Oct:London, Wembley Arena
17 Oct:London, Wembley Arena
20 Oct:Bournemouth, BIC
21 Oct:Bournemouth, BIC
23 Oct:Cardiff, International Arena
24 Oct:Cardiff, International Arena
29 Oct:Belfast, Odyssey Arena
30 Oct:Belfast, Odyssey Arena

1 Nov:Aberdeen, Exhibition Centre
2 Nov:Aberdeen, Exhibition Centre
4 Nov:Glasgow, SECC
5 Nov:Glasgow, SECC

www.myspace.com/oasis
www.oasisinet.com

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