KONTAKTE
If you are a fan of a 'wall of noise' type music [not to be confused with Phil Spector's 'wall of sound' type of music] i.e. extremely loud guitars, minimal or no vocals and occasional electronic twiddling, then Kontakte - a very German sounding name, no? - are your kind of band. Always come equipped with ear-plugs, stand far back from the stage and prepare for disorientation at one of their gigs; like their recent one at the Legion in Old Street with Tim Holmes of Death in Vegas on DJ duties. In the vein of bands like prog experimental rockers of old Can and the more modern Nought their guitar solos go on forever (they describe their music as 'post-drone-space-kraut'); their flickering TV screens on stage never go off and band members Ian Griffiths (bass, piano, programming), Neil Rudd (guitars, percussion, programming) and Ben Worth (guitars) look perennially bored. Memorable songs include 'Motorik', 'Pacific Coast Highway', 'Monotone Arrhythmia' and 'Wie komme ich am besten zum bahnhof, bitte?'. Granted, I made the last one up, but it's been a while since I used my GCSE German.
Upcoming gigs:
· 26/5/07 - FOPP Records Store Bar, London
THE JUBILEES
The Jubilees are from Sleaford, Lincolnshire - but enough of the glamour. Named after the Jubilee Rooms in Lincolnshire itself, Dan (guitar/vocals), Gaz (bass), Chris (drums) and Mark (keyboards/vocals) formed the band in 2004. They have had a bit of exposure on BBC Lincolnshire and played a recent 'Road to V' festival showcase (see above) at the Islington Academy, a gig which was filmed for Channel 4. The Jubilees sound is very much The Music meets the 22-20s, i.e. one that involves quite a bit of dirty/blues guitar rock but still remains on the pop side of the fence. Songs like 'Insomniac' are particularly infectious in a 'Boy Kill Boy' kind of way; whilst another of their many stand out numbers 'One in a Million' rocks admirably despite its National Lottery slogan style title.
Upcoming gigs:
· 23/6/07 - The Cavern, Liverpool
