expect smudges...

i called to say i'm on the way...

...i love this city! Last night...The Roundhouse in Camden hosted not only Phoenix but already-rated, Two Door Cinema Club. The boys from TDCC put on an amazing show, the sound was flawless and despite having a smaller following than i expected the crowd seemed to love what they heard. I was heckling for Cigarettes In The Theatre which they didn't play, and oddly missing was Undercover Martyn, but I Can Talk more than made up for it...and hey, i get to see them again soon anyway when they'll hopefully be given a bigger set time...

...but Phoenix. Ah, beginning the set with Lisztomania...the first half of the song was played from behind a white curtain which dropped to reveal my future husband (ahem) and the crowd went mad. The Roundhouse is one of the best venues to see a band in London in my opinion, even a short-arse like me can always see the stage and get quite close in...even from the sidelines the sound is amazing. Phoenix basically provided a party for the fans, great stage presence....and non-stage presence..when lead singer, Thomas Mars, jumped into the crowd for the encore and crowd-surfed his way back on stage. Highlight for me was Rome but the band made a good move in finishing the set with 1901 which just had the crowd going mad right until the end...

Rome - Phoenix

you're mean and i'm stupid...

who's the boy you like the most?

tomorrow night....meeeep

they're gonna eat me alive...

i've recently rediscovered Metric and i'd forgotten how much I love Emily Haines' voice. I absolutely love this song and it got a play at Modern Romance on Sunday....can't wait to see these guys in May...

Help! I'm Alive - Metric

these are hard times for dreamers...

"one day you'll be someone's everything instead of everyone's something"

-my best friend

it takes an ocean not to break..

...last week The National performed Terrible Love from their upcoming album High Violet which is released on 11 May 2010...i cannot wait. and will sob into a cocktail in Morocco at missing their London shows...

Terrible Love (Live) - The National

when the morning comes...

...an unbelievable remix of a really cool song. I can't stop smiling when i listen to this...

This Too Shall Pass (Passion Pit remix) - OK GO

cool kids...they belong together..

...since i left Sheffield and my beloved Fuzz Club, which nurtured my love of indie music, i've longed for a replacement...somewhere that i can pretend i'm some cool front woman whilst shouting the lyrics of every song in the faces of my friends. After many a disappointed night i've decided to start my own night....and here it is...

Two kids born on the sticky floors of Sheffield indie clubs are reviving their lost anthems in East London. Amongst the abundance of disco and dubstep we shall revel in the bellowed choruses of such bands as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Futureheads and The Smiths – taking us back to the early 2000s when our only worries were broken Converse and affording the cab fare home.

Modern Romance: your Auntie's 7" collection,your favourite old college mixtape, and the noise from your kid brother's bedroom. Frock up and dance to forgotten favourites,hidden treasures and future playlists. An indie-disco for you to fall in love with.

...making our first appearance at The Old Blue Last this Sunday and again at The Ink Rooms on Easter Friday....i better go, i have some work to do!

Modern Romance - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

coming up only to hold you under..

graaaaaaaatis tickets for Band Of Horses at Koko on April 12th make me very happy indeed...

The Funeral - Band Of Horses

the girl loves tickets...

..the happiest girl alive. Proud owner of tickets to see Broken Social Scene at HMV Forum in Kentish Town in July. I think my heart might explode.

...music gold...

7/4 (Shoreline) - Broken Social Scene

i did not want to let you go...

..boys in blue Vans make my heart skip...

Submarine - The Drums

and everyday...on the top of your car...

bought tickets today to see The Drums at Heaven in June...very exciting since their new single, Best Friend, is awesome!

a band for dreamers:

"We only write about two feelings: one is the first day of summer when you and all of your friends are standing on the edge of a cliff watching the sun set and being overcome with all of your hopes and dreams at once. The other is when you're walking alone in the rain and realize you will be alone forever."

we should always know that we can do anything..

a really beautiful song from Jónsi - frontman from Sigur Rós...i heard this whilst in Sheffield and could only just share now...the torment of it!

Go Do - Jónsi

Gig: Frightened Rabbit

...well this was always going to have automatic brownie points for taking me back to The Leadmill for the first time since my uni days...oh how i have missed those sticky floors. I was quite surprised to see that the main room was sectioned off and the band were playing in the small second room (the home of my love affair with weekly requests for Laid by James and 60p vodkas)...no wonder it was a sell out with a capacity of about 150...

..but, it meant a better gig...the band were bantering with the audience and for once i could actually see the band rather than some sweaty guy's neck..

the sound wasn't great on opening but was soon recovered, and i can honestly say i've never seen a band work as hard as they did...all really talented musicians that made for a really impressive show...but star of the night was newest member to the band Gordon Skene who played so many instruments i lost count...

hightlights were the latest single, Nothing Like You and an acoustic solo piece by Scott in the encore..

oh, do woe me with your winter of mixed drinks and your sexy scottish accent...

Skip The Youth - Frightened Rabbit

the future is here: i give you...the internet...

...raaah..i went on a holiday to see my parents on Wednesday only to be faced with a broken harddrive and NO INTERNET CONNECTION....yes, that's right....lost for days i've been. but i'm back now...back with my beloved technology in London where things work...

tell me your favourite things...

..still shocked but majorly excited that we get to see these guys support Phoenix in a few weeks, Two Door Cinema Club already seem too much of a big band in their own right to be supporting..but i am not complaining..
the trio met whilst studying in Bangor and i just love the album (already released last week) because it's 'proper indie'...but lucky for us, the band are signed to Kitsuné which means playlists full of remixes...
...their single, Undercover Martyn, was one of my 7" purchases today but i kind of like album opener...

Cigarettes In The Theatre - Two Door Cinema Club

i don't care for fancy things...

...oh but i do. Tabby and I hosted a little ladies tea party this Sunday with special guests - my old friend, Swifty, who runs a supper club (The Shed) from her sweet summerhouse in her back garden, and Katey, who is an amazingly talented illustrator I recently got to know in London through friends (watch this space...Katey has been kind enough to design something for one of my new projects...more to follow).
I just feel really lucky to have such creative, inspirational people who i can invite to tea...even if my heart almost exploded with the caffeine and sugar intake...

(artwork from katey jean illustration)

...and here, a song i like, that's it. and we did not talk about boys at all today....not at all. Hmm.

My Boys (Animal Collective cover 'My Girls') - Taken By Trees

Gig Review: The XX

..strangely i'm a little stuck for words after this gig, the venue - Shepherd's Bush Empire - possibly ruined what The XX could have done tonight. Maybe i'm a snob...and bigger, packed-out venues just don't please me...but a band like this deserve a less commercial space. The lo-fi emptiness was lost (and covered with chatter unfortunately) which for me is the beauty of The XX. But...i was still massively impressed with Romy's vocals in such a large venue with sparse backing and...wait for it, i finally appreciate the bass guitar...what Oliver does is mighty impressive. And definitely worth applause was the opening...the stage and lighting crew did something special with a huge white sheet covering the entire stage which then projected the band's silhouettes during Intro...visual genius, unfortunately...one of the most impressive parts of the night. i really still rate this band but i think i missed their smaller and better suited smaller venue gigs...

...eagerly awaiting Islands i was only disappointed to see it somewhat skirted over early on with speed and no grandeur...the set did build from that point however, with highlights being their cover of Womack & Womack's Teardrops and a very emoted version of Night Time...a song i have hardly registered on the album but now a new favourite..

Night Time - The XX

right now i could believe in anything...

...as always a complete inspiration, Liz from the Blisslist gave me this today. Coincidentally, my friend had introduced me to Harlem Shakes this weekend, but this song got me running to the record store this lunchtime for the album..
..after a fairytale evening this song will not leave my head...

Shitty Little Disco - Arms