Week Commencing: 31/1/05
By: Toby L
Hyello,
Release-schedule, welcome back. After the inevitable slump of Xmasing, we're now in new albums overdrive - major new unleashings? Why, there's Bloc Party, ... Trail Of Dead, Bright Eyes, Athlete, The Others, Low, Feeder, Mercury Rev, and myriads more. All either reviewed now or shortly before your very eyes.
And the festival circuit is starting to rear some promising signs. Glastonbury-bound in 2005, June 24th-26th: The Futureheads, Bloc Party, Coldplay, The Who, The White Stripes, New Order, Brian Wilson, Gorillaz, Stereophonics, The Chemical Brothers, Super Furry Animals, The Zutons, The Bravery, Elbow, The Tears, Hope of the States, The Subways, The Coral, Queens of the Stone Age, The Killers, Embrace, Grandaddy, Ian Brown, The Dandy Warhols, Hot Hot Heat, The Concretes, Doves, Outkast, Keane, and many others.
And Cochella-bound in LA, April 30th-31st: Coldplay, Cocteau Twins, Weezer, The Chemical Brothers, Wilco, Cafe Tacuba, Keane, Rilo Kiley, Doves, Armin Van Buuren, The Raveonettes, Bloc Party, Hernan Cattaneo, DJ Peretz, Zap Mama, Amp Fiddler, M83, Ambulance LTD, Fantomas, Four Tet, MF, Doom, Josh Wink, Secret Machines, Tiga, Spoon, The Kills, Sage Francis, Boom Bip, Shout Out Louds, Donavon Frankenreiter, DJ Marky, Immortal Technique, Jean Grae, Razorlight, Swayzak, k-os, Buck 65, Eisley, Sexy Magazines, Nine Inch Nails, New Order, Gang of Four, Bright Eyes, The Prodigy, Black Star, The Faint, Snow Patrol, The Arcade Fire, Roni Size, Roots Manuva, DJ Krush, Junkie XL, M.I.A., British Sea Power, The Dresden Dolls, Miss Kitten, The Fiery Furnaces, The Perceptionists, Jem, Matthew Dear, Sixtoo, Tegan and Sara Diplo, Subtle, Aesop Rock, Stereophonics, Matmos, Beans, The Bravery, The Futureheads, Wolf Eyes, The Blood Brothers, Kasabian , Radio 4, Sloan, Autolux, Gram Rabbit, and Zion I.
... Not bad. And that's not considering the impending All Tomorrow's Parties festivals in the UK in Feb (as curated by Slint) and April (as curated by Vincent 'womanizer' Gallo). Fuller info at the official site here.
While we're talking of live stuff.
Gigs this week, London: The first of two Children of the Tsunami shows - as co-organised between Rhys Ifans, Samantha Morton and Danny Goffey - occurs tonight (Monday 31st; £15:00 on door), featuring Babyshambles, Ed Harcourt and The Rakes at Highbury's Garage, with the second occurring on Tues 1st Feb (£15:00) at the Astoria, and featuring Roots Manuva, Nightmares On Wax and special guest DJs across the board, inclusive of Basement Jaxx, and Andrew Weatherall... go along, show support, have a good night's entertainment; indie oddballs Cake take out the Astoria on Friday (4th; £16:50); Green Day play a pretty intimate date at London's Apollo Hammersmith on Sunday (6th; sold out); Mylo slays a sold-out Scala on Thursday (3rd); My Chemical Romance 'do their thing' at Islington's Academy on Friday (4th; sold out); Notts faves Six By Seven play the Garage on Saturday (5th; £8:50); Rammstein fulfil a three-night residency at Brixton's Academy (Thurs-Sat 3rd-5th Feb); South grace the ULU on Thurs 3rd (£8:50); The Duke Spirit, Dogs and Metro Riots unleash all at the Camden Koko (4th; £8:00); The Dears Camden themselves at the Electric Ballroom (Tues 1st; sold out); and - the same eve - cheese-peddlin' sleaze-rockers The Black Velvets get it on at the Metro on Oxford Street (1st; £7:00).
UK Chart-action, this week: Singles - Chemical Bros and Athlete slip a couple of their initial charting positions from last week, and are now five and seven respectively; Xzibit is 9 with 'Mean Muggin'; Mylo and 'Destroy Rock 'N' Roll' are 15; 21 sees the entrance of Lemon Jelly's 'Shouty Track'; a split between unsigned hopefuls Amsterdam and Ricky makes an impressive 32; Hal and 'What A Lovely Dance' are 36; Breed 77 and The Used fulfil the rock quota at 42 and 44; Editors' debut 'Bullets' goes in like a, er, bullet at 54; while The Chemical Brothers are number-one album entrants; Mercury Rev's 'The Secret Migration' are 16; LCD Soundsystem are 20 with their eponymous; Bright Eyes are 23 with 'I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning', his other LP released the same day - 'Digital Ash In A Digital Urn' - reaching 43; and Low's 'The Great Destroyer' is 72.
Keep the mind busy...