So its time for the return of the big guns to the indie pop world.

With the imminent return of The Maccabees, Jack Penate and Jamie T we have to ask the question...has the indie world changed too much for these bands and singer song writers to slip back into the stream.

With band such as Kings of Leon and White Lies scoring number ones and trying world domination it seems that the bands that were big favourites a couple of years ago may of just faded into the background for far too long.

I personally cannot wait for the return of these 3 great talents to shake things up and show us the real talent that comes from the homeland rather than having to put up with the below average bands such as Glasvegas and The Ting Tings. I think it will be interesting to see whether or not these bands will be able to progress from their stunning debuts as they have all had quite a bit of time to find their feet rather than just throwing out a second album straight away.

This week I will also be seeing Wild Beasts who will be showcasing some of their new material at their show on Wed 11th at Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. I am really really excited about this because their first album was such a mix of diverse talent and one of the most obscure but exciting albums to date. We will have to see how diverse their material is in comparison to their debut but I think they will pull out of something special.

The last couple of weeks have also been a big eye opener in terms of dub step and minimal. With Max and the boys upstairs giving me more music I have found out the talents of Rusko, Skream, Tiga and Proxy. Massive Massive tunes are now being dropped in my bedroom before we go out. It took me a while to get into dubstep but now I really can’t get enough of it and Wax On at New Year was when I really started to appreciate it. So I feel good that I have branched out into a completely different area of music and am getting really and truly on it.

Over and Out

x

Rusko Myspace

The Maccabees Myspace

Jamie T Myspace

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26/2/2009

I caught up with Wild Beasts half way through their U.K tour at the End Bar, Newcastle!

Christian: How has the tour been for you so far, do you sense people are enjoying the new songs?

Wild Beasts: It’s gone better then we could have dreamt of, people have been really open minded. It’s important for us to tour, realistically the album may not be out till September but when you’re in a band and you make new music you want people to hear it straight away.

Christian: So you’ve finished recording the new album, that’s a pretty quick turnaround from last year’s ‘Limbo Panto’, pretty prolific.

Wild Beasts: Well that’s our job; it’s easy to get embroiled in other things. But being in the studio recording new music is where we want to be.

Christian: For people who haven’t heard you before can you try and sum up your sound?

Wild Beasts: Fundamentally it’s pop music, 4 minute long songs with verses and choruses. But at the same time we want to think outside the box, and surprise people. We ourselves are very bored of what we’re being force fed.

Christian: What can we expect from the new album then?

Wild Beasts: Musically I think it’s more ‘groovy’ and danceable. More accessible and less of an intense listen from the last album.

Christian: What new releases are you most looking forward to in 2009?

Wild Beasts: One of the most underrated bands around are Junior Boys, they’re on Domino Records and have a new album coming out this year. If it’s anything like the last it will be worth a listen.

Christian: The first time I saw you was a couple of years ago supporting Maximo Park at Gloucester Guildhall and the crowd wasn’t really sure how to take you, is this becoming less the case now?

Wild Beasts: I remember that being a particularly difficult gig but that’s part of what we want, to confront people.

Christian: Any advice for Newcastle Students?

Wild Beasts: Make the most of it. Just keep on having a good time because you won’t get the chance to again.

Christian!

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I would put some mp3's up with this post but they keep getting taken down.shucks.

1)White Lies-Fully establishing themselves as the next big thing for 2009.Dark,brooding and epic live.

2)Friendly Fires-Go back 16 months or so and I would of predicted them to of just been another metronomy cast of but they have changed their sound to something more concrete and established.Its obvious to see they have grown up musically.Still brilliant to get down to on the floor.

3)Golden Silvers-My Favourite find of 2008.I dont know what it is about them but they still get me exicted everytime I listen to them.Brilliant at Latitude in the summer and even better at Birmingham Bar Academy in September. As for Gwillym Gold-style icon of the year.

4)Laura Marling-Praised by nearly everybody in 2008 and no compliants there.The album is heartbreakingly good and is the one person I was gutted to of missed live this year.

5)Bon Iver-A late late late find for this year,before I had come to university I had never heard of them/him but it is in the top 3 of my albums of the year.The best album to of been recorded in a remote cabin to date.Fact.

6)Johnny Flynn-Another highlight of Latitude this year as well as producing the most under prasied album of the year.When he played in Leeds Holy Trinity Church you could not of found a better venue or artist.Not only was it my favourite/special gig of the year it was one of my favourites of all time.A talented,talented artist who deserves more press coverage.

7)The Black Keys-This band make me wish I was born in the 70's.Sounding as raw and as funky as Hendrix they have open my eyes to a genre I thought I would never take an interest in.

8)Metronomy-Unique.Brilliant and just downright catchy.Nights out has the best the best dance record released this year.Joseph Mount has done Britain Proud.

9)Eugene Mcguiness-Another underated singer song writer this year.He sounds like nothing I have ever heard before but his voice feels like I have been listening to him for years on end.Brilliant

10)Interpol-Although not releasing an album in 2008 it was the year in which I had first seen them live and it was absolutley intense.On a sunday night in the rain it was the perfect setting for them and it made me go and get every single song I could get my hands on thereafter.

11)Lightspeed Champion-Way back in January Dev released Falling of the Lavender Bridge and it blew me away.To come from the brilliance of Test-Icicles to something so delicate and thoughtful as this album was a nice suprise and seeing him live with the Semi Finalists in Newcastle was heartwarming.

12)Wild Beasts-If you can show me a band that sound anything like this then I will place £5 into your hand.After seeing them support Maximo Park in Gloucester in the summer of 2007 they caught my attention so when Limbo Panto was released I was excited to get hold of it.It didnt dissapoint.Right from the opening of Vigil For A Fuddy Duddy you know you are in for something special.3 times missed live in 2008 thanks to seeing White Lies instead twice and then not realising they were playing my University Libary! they will be a dead cert on my to see list of 2009.

N.D

Wild Beasts - Devil's Crayon

(Buy)
Wild Beasts' Myspace

Lightspeed Champion - No Surprise (For Wendella)

(Buy)

Lightspeed Champion's Myspace

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Oh well done Gareth, you've gone and taken so long to write your stupid Field Day review, that loads of stuff has happened since, including the WHOLE of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
So rather than leaving this post in blogging limbo (A.K.A. the "drafts" folder), I'll finally get on with posting it. So, ladies and gentlemen, I finally present to you in all of it's entirety:

GARETH HARPER'S FIELD DAY 2008 REVIEW.

I've got to be completely honest:
I thought Field Day was distinctly average.
There, I said it. Not content with either falling in to the "Boohoo, queuing for toilets at festivals sucks, as such Field Day sucks, waaaah" group, nor the minority group that is the "YEAAAAAAH FIELD DAY WAS AWESOME" clan, I simply left Field Day with a great feeling of indifference.

Whilst it was definetely worth £28.50 to see The Mae-Shi, Les Savy Fav and Foals alone, that was exactly the problem; I would have gladly paid £28.50 to see The Mae-Shi, Les Savy Fav and Foals alone, and then gone home.

To be fair, Field Day was evidently designed to be a day festival where the sun was the main event, but seeing as the sun had to cancel...and let's be honest it is the Amy Winehouse/Pete Doherty of the meteorological world, in that even if you think it's going to turn up, it will probably pull out at the last moment...it does beg the question "Why, oh why, would you design a festival in England based on the concept that the sun is actually going to turn up?"

So whilst this whole "village fete" theme seemed to completely pass me by, I harmlessly ambled on through the rain accompanied by friends and girlfriend, to see the following bands:

Magistrates - I don't want to like you, but you're just sooooooooo catchy. Stop it. Stop it now, otherwise I'll have to change my views.

Filthy Dukes - Stick to the DJing (stands for "Day Job"ing). You were just a bit cack, regardless of the fact that you know a rapper.

Laura Marling - Your keyboard player may have been stuck on the M25, and you may have been stuck on the most inappropriately sized stage for your overwhelmingly beautiful, charmingly delicate vocals to float across, but you still managed to make me feel incredibly glad that I stood between some ridiculously tall girls with umbrellas and some ridiculously angry men who hate ridiculously tall girls with umbrellas to watch you.

Lightspeed Champion - Dev, what the hell is wrong with you? I love you, but today you sounded like a bad tribute act of your own songs. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, because when I saw you in Exeter, it was mindblowingly ace, but today you were just a tad rubbish.

The Mae Shi - Most Valuable Players.

Wild Beasts - Most Improved Players.

Les Savy Fav - All I ever imagined them to be, and more, but I would love to see them in the dry. Minus umbrellas getting in my way.

Foals - A tad self indulgent, but they're allowed to be self indulgent; they're Foals. Brilliant though. Absolutely ace. Mathletics for an encore was the really amazingly tasty cherry on top of the distinctly average cake.

I probably saw some other bands as well, but I've forgotten about them now, because it all happened SO LONG AGO.

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