Help me go through Evolution

[Felicity, I guess so]

Friends who are big fans of Nouvelle Vague have persuaded us to go to the Evolution festival on Newcastle/Gateshead quayside on Bank Holiday Monday.
If I run you through the bill on the two stages, will you give me the 'snog/marry/avoid' on the bands I've never heard of...?

SPILLER'S WHARF
Dizzee Rascal (aye, ken him fine)
The View (Dundee's answer to Arctic Monkeys, aren't they? Why are they called that-not a Celtic reference is it?)
Maccabees (Scousers with lady saxophonist...?)
Little Boots (saw her on Jools Holland)
Nouvelle Vague (perfectly pleasant to have on in the background at a dinner party, but what do you do live, when all there is to eat is a Shumbo Shaushage?)
VV Brown (yep)
Kid British (???)
Little Comets (???)

BALTIC SQUARE -here's where I haven't a scoob:

Mystery Jets sound like they should be a bit Rocket from the Crypt-a-billy. But that might be too much to hope for.
Friendly Fires stupid name anyway
Ladyhawke I've heard of Tony Hawkes
Esser Rot-Weiss or Schwarz-Weiss?
Ebony Bones beginning to think they're making these shit names up
Dead Kids Dead End Street? Now there's a song
Fan Death heavy metal?
Viva City viva voce?

[Carcass]

Help me go through Evolution

Dad,

I've told you before you could just phone me.

To be honest I've not heard of some of them but

Dizzee Rascal is perhaps the most famous proponent of what the youngsters call grime but in reality he's a cross over rap/pop star now.

His early single 'I Luv You' is still a stunning track that sends shivers down my spine and his new single with Armand Van Helden 'Bonkers' is hilarious if not actually any good. Check out his mono-armed DJ.

The View are fucking awful. Landfill indie.

Maccabees are not The Zutons but an also ran indie group who have upped their game recently by becoming the Arcade Fire circa their debut album. You can get their new album from Spotify.

Little Boots isn't very good.

Mystery Jets sound terrible on paper but are really good live. They are mates who live on Eel Pie Island as part of a hippyish community and combine elements of indie, prog and Krautrock. When they shine they're great; check out 'You Can't Fool Me Dennis' and 'Zoo Time'.

Friendly Fires are probably really good if you're on an E, neo rave.

Ladyhawke is ok. Check the Paris Is Burning single to see if you like her or not.

Esser is fucking awful hipster drivel.

Ebony Bones are ok, slightly bonkers punk disco. They had a single called 'Don't Fart On My Heart' which should help you judge whether you like them or not.

Fan Death are not heavy metal.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Help me go through Evolution

Thanks Carcass, mon fiston

I was being serious when I said I kent Dizzee Rascal. I even own some of his recorded music.

Sounds like the Baltic acts are aimed more at yer young folk.

Apparently last year it got impossible to cross the bridge to the other stage anyway.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Help me go through Evolution

With all due respect to the decomposing dolphin, anyone would think Carcass didn't know what he's talking about or something.

Little Boots and Ladyhawke are both BRILLIANT. Both solo female practitioners of 80s-influenced DIY electropop. Little Boots: think Kylie meets Pet Shop Boys meets Robyn meets Donna Summer. Ladyhawke: think an autistic Kiwi recluse doing 80s Stevie Nicks/early Kim Wilde.

Little Boots - "Stuck On Repeat"

Ladyhawke - "Back Of The Van"

I've just seen both of them in Brighton in the last few days, and they'd be the two names at the very top of my list if I was going to Evolution.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Help me go through Evolution

Seems odd they've got one on each stage then, potentially simultaneously

Maccabees are not The Zutons

must've been the 'Macca' that threw me!

[evilC]

Help me go through Evolution

As another fan of electropop (as are both Carcass and SR) my own opinion is that, while both Little Boots and Ladyhawke have some decent tunes, they're not necessarily ones that you'll want to hear repeatedly, I feel. 'Stuck on Repeat' is an almost perfect example of a song that sounds brilliant the first time you hear it, but is subject to very rapidly diminishing returns indeed.

[Nico Rijnders]

Help me go through Evolution

I went to that Ladyhawke gig. She was fine, but the sound, and probably her band, though it could just have been the sound, were rank. The textures of the record completely lost to meat and potatoes live band sludge.

[Nico Rijnders]

Help me go through Evolution

And Little Boots' new single, New in Town is the worst thing she's done by miles. All the b-sides and demos were better than that. I worry for the album as a result.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Help me go through Evolution

Still nobody heard of Kid British?

I'm concerned it might be a stage name for BNP yoof organiser (is it still Mark Collett?), since they seem to be getting invited to everything else at the moment...

[Carcass]

Help me go through Evolution

I'm sick of all these Kid bands. Kid Carpet, Kid Harpoon, Kid Biscuit, Kid Koala.

They're all called Dave and they can all fuck off.

SR's right, I should really love both of those acts but there's something about both of them that leaves me cold.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Help me go through Evolution

I preferred the Little Boots one from SR's two (gratefully-received) links

[Spearmint Rhino]

Help me go through Evolution

The Little Boots album is ace. It's got Phil Oakey on it, so how bad can it be?

She does Mercury/Moroder's "Love Kills" and New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" live, which may swing it for you, I dunno.

And without getting too Nuts about it, she's hellacute.

[Guest]

Help me go through Evolution

Felicity, I guess so wrote:

Still nobody heard of Kid British?

I'm concerned it might be a stage name for BNP yoof organiser (is it still Mark Collett?), since they seem to be getting invited to everything else at the moment...

They're probably not:



(The one track I've heard is pop reggae)

[Felicity, I guess so]

Help me go through Evolution

A UB40 for the 21st century?

[Felicity, I guess so]

Help me go through Evolution

Thought I'd let you know how grandad got on out wit da yoof.

Between hangover and stint on anti-fascist stall, I didn't get to the Spiller's stage til VV Brown-she was gamely trying to get a vibe going, but 3pm in the hot sun isn't really her time. Bit formulaic and 'are you ready to party', to be honest. Decent voice, solid band, but 'meh'.

Nouvelle Vague were really good, even though they asked the 15 year-olds at the front whether they wanted to hear 'God save the Queen' (they said no, so we didn't get it). 'Too Drunk to Fuck' and 'Master and Servant' were perhaps the highlights. Bossa nova versions, if you don't know how the NV concept works.

Little Boots had an impressive sound-some real dalek drones and bleeps that really shook you. I started to feel a bit Eurovision by the end, tho'. Which obviously means it was very catchy stuff.

We took a break in a pizzeria, then it rained so we stayed in the Free Trade pub and watched the light fade over the Tyne while The View were earnestly grinding away (we could vaguely hear a grinding noise anyway).

Dizzee Rascal did his greatest hits in bite-sized chunks, and it was a great atmosphere in such a white city. It pissed down for about half the set, but the mood wasn't dampened. he did a bit of 'toon army' populism, so the gang I was with, containing only one token NUFC diehard, were giving it 'Doon! Doon! Black and white army!'. We were rather drunk by then...

Had to walk all the way to Byker in the rain to get the metro. Amused by the crowds of drunk posho students from Jesmond and Gosforth unable to understand that neither platform took them home. Lots of people in shorts and flip flops too, with mud splashed up their legs. So even in a concrete festival space, the Glasto experience was had. Nice.

[Taylor]

Help me go through Evolution

That post reminded me of two things. Firstly, it reminded me why I miss festivals. Secondly, it reminded me of why I really don't miss festivals.

Anyway, I can't believe how out of touch I am either, these days. I only heard Little Boots two days ago. I heard three songs: one was fantastic (the one SR links to above, in fact), one was slightly less fantastic but still very good ("Every Little Earthquake"), and the other was completely tedious shit of no value ("Meddle"). I might go off to YouTube and find a fourth - I'll give it the casting vote.

EDIT: Listened to another one - "New In Town". It was OK, I suppose. Didn't really alter her average. Frustrating though, as it sounds like she could do better.

I'll tell you what's wrong with modern music in general (taps out pipe). Everyone's on cocaine.

[Carcass]

Help me go through Evolution

The problem is the cocaine is not strong enough. Apart from BrokenCYDE's cocaine.

Their cocaine is strong enough.

[Lucia Lanigan]

Help me go through Evolution

This is the only thread I could find to say: I'm listening to the new Little Boots album for the second time through, right now, and it is fantastic.

[Nico Rijnders]

Help me go through Evolution

Blimey, I'm a bit surprised (and no little pleased) that you lot are so keen.

[Sam]

Help me go through Evolution

I got dragged along to an indie-rock 'festival' at a student pub in Manchester a few hours after meeting Carlos Tevez back in February, and as a result I saw a more or less 50 minute set by Kid British.

It's not normally my bag at all, and I didn't enjoy myself hugely because I didn't have an earplug with me and the speakers throughout the night were turned up ridiculously loud (only having one ear, I try and take care of what I've got) even by young people's standards.

They were rather good though. Reggae pop is about right, I think I know the song that comment is referring to. Some of the others were a little more rocky but by and large it reminded me a lot of ska, with the volume turned up a bit and slightly more rapping.