Category: Instore

The Murder Capital, Resident Brighton, 22nd August 2019

Promoting their debut album When I Have Fears, The Murder Capital are playing a run of record shop instores, last night visiting Brighton’s Resident. There has been much talk of their part in the new Dublin punk scene and comparisons therein but it’s wrong to lump them into a category; this record is a stand-alone piece of work and brings the rawest of tunes to the table. The album title is taken from a Keats’ poem that begins ‘When I have fears that I may cease to be before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain’ – the fears and vulnerability we all have of not achieving what might have been. The tracks are dark and compelling, the drumming phenomenal. A modernised hybrid of Joy Division, Killing Joke and a smattering of Theatre of Hate, this is not by any means background music.

The band’s performance is similarly intense, from the turbulent Green and Blue to the pin-drop poignancy of the beautiful On Twisted Ground, they protract a reaction that I’ve seldom seen at this kind of event. The great thing about instores is that you get to see a band up close in a small, intimate setting; they can feel very personal but it’s not like being at a gig. Usually. This time though it is, and being able to create that kind of emotion-filled atmosphere in a shop on a sunny Thursday evening is really something quite special.

Keats’ sonnet ends with the lines ‘Then on the shore of the wide world I stand alone and think till love and fame to nothingness do sink’. Far from sinking from fame, The Murder Capital are stepping ever closer towards its epicentre; it will be interesting to see what comes next, that’s for sure.

You can buy When I Have Fears and check out more from The Murder Capital here and find all the wonders that Resident has to offer here.

Words and photos by Siobhan

23rd August 2019

Heavy Rapids, Assai Records Edinburgh, 20th July 2019

Fontaines DC, Rough Trade East London, 17th April 2019

The last year has seen Fontaines DC morph into the band that everyone’s talking about. Promoters are selling out live dates months in advance and desperately seeking venue upgrades; the Dublin five piece have already been announced as one of the headliners for Rockaway Beach Festival in 2020 – some achievement this early in their career (by way of comparison, 2019’s headliners were Maxïmo Park, Gary Numan and Echo and the Bunnymen).

Inaugural album Dogrel was released into the world a week ago; a sharp and unrelenting reflection of the times we live in – an upward nod to the poets of the past, an incredulous sneer at the capitalists of the present. Fontaines DC will be a heavy presence on the touring scene throughout 2020 and come into their own in a live setting. If you can find a date that hasn’t sold out yet, grab a ticket while you still can. 

Gallery from their packed instore at London’s Rough Trade East this week below…

Keep up with the latest news from Fontaines DC
Dogrel is available now on Partisan Records – watch the video for Big here

Words and photos by Siobhan

19th April 2019

Crows, Resident Brighton, 24th March 2019

I first saw Crows back in 2015 opening for Slaves; one of a bunch of bands on the circuit with a buzz surrounding them, you had to wonder which ones would stick around and hold people’s interest. Since then, I’ve seen them play tiny venues and huge festivals and there’s never any let up in the intensity of their performance or their propensity to spend half the set in amongst the crowd. Playing in a record shop was never going to be any different and their instore at Brighton’s Resident was as untamed as ever. A very fine way to spend a Sunday evening.

Their newly released album Silver Tongues is a force of nature, bringing to mind strands of Killing Joke, PIL and The Birthday Party. It’s hard to choose a standout track as the quality runs right through but Empyrean and new single Wednesday’s Child would be up there for certain.

Crows will be giving another instore performance tonight at Rough Trade Nottingham before heading out on the road supporting IDLES on a string of sold out shows (Silver Tongues is released on Joe Talbot and Mark Bent’s label Balley Records), followed by headline dates of their own in April and May. If you have any chance of getting along to see them, don’t miss it.

Get the latest news on releases and tour dates from Crows here

Words and photos by Siobhan

25th March 2019

 

 

Drenge, Resident Brighton, 28th February 2019

With the release of their third album, Drenge are well and truly back in business. The Loveless brothers have just completed a string of instore appearances at record shops across the UK, playing electro-pop versions of tracks from Strange Creatures under the banner of Drenge Philharmonic. It’s been an interesting diversion from the usual acoustic instore performances that tend to abound and a chance to see Drenge in a different light. A far cry from the mayhem of their regular shows but it would be great to see Drenge take this version of the band on the road in the future. For now, mayhem is reinstated with live dates booked in March and April which will doubtless be well worth an evening of your time. Strange Creatures is dark, fierce and addictive; it’s been a long wait but some things are worth waiting for.

Gallery below from their final instore stop-off at Brighton’s Resident:

Strange Creatures is available now and you can get the latest news from Drenge here. Upcoming tour dates as follows (with support from The Wytches):

March

27th – Glasgow, King Tut’s
28th – Northumbria, Institute
29th – Manchester, o2 Ritz

April

1st – Cambridge, Junction
2nd – London, Electric Brixton
3rd – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
5th – Bristol – SWX
6th – Birmingham – o2 Institute

Words and photos by Siobhan

1st March 2019

The Twilight Sad, Rough Trade East London, 24th Jan 2019

12 years since their debut Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters, The Twilight Sad sound fresher than ever. Their latest album, It Won/t Be Like This All The Time, released last week is receiving huge acclaim; it feels like maybe this is the time that The Twilight Sad will get the wider recognition they deserve. Filled with tracks that call to mind the drums of Joy Division with a nod to the dramatic melodies of post punk / electro, the album is a masterpiece of haunting songs that it’s easy to be absorbed by – put in on in the car and you’ll want to keep driving. Recent release Videograms sounds a little like Kraftwerk might have if they were born from the Scottish rather than German scene and the gloomy undertones throughout are surprisingly uplifting.

Having recently completed dates supporting label mates Mogwai and before rejoining them alongside The Cure to play at the Glasgow Summer Sessions, the band have a headline tour of their own. During the last week, vocalist James Graham and guitarist Andy MacFarlane have been mesmerising fans with a run of acoustic sets played out in record shops across the UK. Last night brought them to Rough Trade East in London where a packed shop had the privilege of witnessing their stripped back set, kicking off with new track Shooting Dennis Hopper Shooting and including favourites like The Room and The Wrong Car. There is no doubting the power of the songs, even without the power of amplification and a full band – the performance was stunning. It’s clear that the band genuinely appreciate the ongoing support they receive; equally it’s an absolute pleasure to see and hear them play.

Now signed to Rock Action Records, their position at number 5 in the mid-week charts was indeed, as James said, a testament to independent labels and people loving music enough to go out and buy physical copies. Apparently their top 5 space has been scuppered by a band called Fleetwood Mac – I’m sure we wish them all the best in their career!

It’s easy at this stage in proceedings to say that this is one of the best albums released this year but it looks absolutely likely that this will still be the case come December. Stick with The Twilight Sad and it won’t be too long before you’ll be able to celebrate all of those fourteen autumns.

Check their website for the latest from The Twilight Sad

Words and photos by Siobhan

25th January 2019

IDLES 3rd Sep 2018, Pale Waves 20th Sep 2018, Pie & Vinyl, Southsea 

Taking a break from their respective sell out tours, two very different but both hugely popular bands have recently stopped off at Southsea’s Pie & Vinyl to play instore sets to a lucky select few fans.

Technically, IDLES’ set was ‘outstore’ at local pub The Wave Maiden, probably a wise choice given the amount of breakables in the shop! A lunchtime slot saw many of those who managed to get a space gladly taking time off work to hear tracks from the new album Joy As An Act Of Resistance. With much two way interaction, the band were in the crowd and the crowd were in the band, taking over vocals while Joe went to meet the people crammed in at the back. Massively relevant right now, IDLES never disappoint live and this was no exception.

A few weeks later saw a much more chilled solo acoustic performance from Pale Waves’ Heather Baron-Gracie singing tracks from debut album My Mind Makes Noises, joined by the rest of the band for a signing session afterwards. With the shop bursting at the seams and more people watching from outside on the street, there is clearly more than just hype attached to Pale Waves.

For anyone not familiar with the area, Pie & Vinyl sits on Castle Road amidst a plethora of independent shops selling a mixture of items old and new. True to its name, the shop stocks a wide range of music and is home to a cafe serving the most amazing pies around. One to check out if you’re taking a trip to the coast any time soon.

Find out more about IDLES, Pale Waves and Pie & Vinyl

Words and photos by Siobhan

2nd October 2018