Out with the not so old, in with the new!!

So its been a while. Been busy with work, Lost, Saints and more. Anyway what have I been doing and listening to? a lot is the answer!! Don't really know where to start. Will probably do a few posts over the next couple of days to catch up. Lets start with.......Gig reviews/preview. I'll then do some festival previews and a summary of new music I've been listening to.

The second day of the Camden Crawl didn't really happen for me:( I had to leave before all the evening fun started, but not before seeing the Rumble Strips play in the Crescent (by Mornington Crescent tube). The whole place was packed, absolutely no room to breath, let alone move (yet they were still letting people in!!). They were awesome, so despite the disappointment, I still had a brilliant couple of days.

Since then i've only managed to make it to a couple of gigs. The first was a trip to the 100 Club to see the farewell show for Dustins Bar Mitzvah, with their raw, chaotic London punk. They were a band I'd liked for a year or so after getting hold of a few of their tunes: To the Ramones, Jimmy White, BNP, Get your mood on, Lucy. I hadn't managed to see them before and so when I heard a couple of months ago that they were to split, I was mighty disappointed, until I heard about the farewell show. I certainly wasn't disappointed after. The crowd was wild, even though the place wasn't packed, the atmosphere was brilliant!!

My other live pleasure in May was the NME new music tour at Koko in Camden. Arriving to see the last song of the Blood Red Shoes, sounded ok. Then came the Little Ones, whose summery indie-pop tunes didn't blow me away, but made for a good listen. Standout track: Face the Facts. Onto the reason I was there, Pull Tiger Tail. One of my favourite new bands around, there sometimes spiky, sometimes swoony, electro-tinged indie is a winning combination! Standout tracks: Let's Lightning, Animator, Hurricanes, actually all of them. Go Pull Tiger Tail!! Headliners the Rumble Strips had a tough act to follow, but stood up to the challenge well. With bouncy indie-pop tunes like Motorcycle, No Soul and Alarm Clock, they are definitely a band for this summer. The sax and trumpet definitely give them something different over many of they're peers and I expect more from these boys.

Camden Crawl - day 1

My ears are ringing, I feel in a daze, and I'm only halfway there. One day of the Camden crawl down, one to go. Yesterday was awesome, with some memorable moments. The day started with the Fallout records pre-party at the Crescent. Reggae/ska outfit King Blues warmed everyone with a storming 35 minute-set, taking a swipe at the BNP and praising mayday protesters, finishing with a crowd sing-a-long. They were followed by a short set by Select Dance Party.

Then to Koko to see I am Kloot, who overall I thought were ok. But I really love their song Proof, so was delighted when it came round. Then after a quick dinner break it was back to Koko for Hadouken! whose electro/rock/hip-hop stylings really got the crowd going. Playing next single Liquid Lies and finishing with That Boy, That Girl.

Dublin castle was next on the list. After a 10 minute queue to get in, managed to see most of iLikeTrains set. There intense epic set reminded me of Hope of the States, although with a little less character. I'll definitely be getting some of their tunes though.

Next was my personal highlight of the evening (if not the musical year so far) was in the Camden Tup. The quiet backstreet bar was packed to bursting with a huge queue outside, the reason why......Pull Tiger Tail. And they did not disappoint. A blistering set in the tiny venue even had someone crowd surfing in the 2ft between the heads of the crowd and the ceiling. The crowd then went wild as the ended the set with Animator and Lets Lightning.

From the tight surroundings of the Tup to the sticky floor of the Electric Ballroom. Arriving just before Air Traffic took to the stage. I was expecting something pretty good. They came through with a brilliant set including recent single Charlotte. I predict big things for these boys this year.

Then there's ASH. The Irish indie-pop heroes have been going strong for about 10 years now and they have the material to prove it. The 45 minute set had 3 new songs, and the a host of old favourites. Setlist: Burn Baby Burn, Angel Interceptor, You can't have it all, Orpheus, Kung Fu, Polaris, A Life less ordinary, Oh Yeah, Girl From Mars, Twilight of the Innocents. All the old songs rocked as hard as ever, with huge crowd sing-a-longs during Oh Yeah and Girl From Mars. Of the new songs, the new single You Can't Have It All, didn't really impress. But the other two new ones bode well for the next album.

All in all a great night!! Bring on tonight!!!