The majority of reviews you’ll read about this band will no doubt mention their performance at SXSW this year. But the mark of a band is to build on hype, as hundreds of failed ‘next big things’ will testify. On a cold Sunday evening, Newcastle is a far cry from White Denim’s home of Austin, Texas. Support act, Six Nation State warm the arriving crowd with a mix of punk and coral-like balladry but make little lasting impression. In contrast, White Denim waste little time with a nonstop frantic performance of 3 tracks from their debut album ‘Workout Holiday’. The songs, which blend together seamlessly, show the band to be more then what a garage band pigeonhole would have you believe. Amid their powerful sound it’s easy to forget there are only 3 of them. The energy, rhythm and experimentation highlight that White Denim are at their best live. For forty minutes tonight the crowd were rid of their winter blues as the Texan trio delivered a fiery set to remember.

Christian Allen

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So I got to go interview my current favourite band in the world yesterday, which was nice. None other than White Denim. So I'm going to ruin this blog somewhat by giving you the transcribed interview and review!

White Denim Interview 16/11/2008

I caught up with White Denim at the start of the British leg of their European Tour, at The Cluny!

Christian: So how did you guys first get together?

White Denim: Our old bands, Parque Touch (Josh, James and Lucas) and Peach Train (Steve) played together back in 2005 and Lucas got Steve in on bass. Then Lucas moved to Russia and we changed our name to White Denim.

Christian: Who would you cite as your main influences?

White Denim: We’re all really into Captain Beefheart, Jimi Hendrix Experience, XTC, Stevie Wonder and all that kinda stuff.

Christian: If you could learn a new instrument for the next album what would it be?

White Denim: (James) I’ve always wanted to play tenor sax or maybe a sitar

Christian: When I caught you in Bristol you were so energetic, any secrets on this?

White Denim: Coffee’s a big thing for the band. I think maybe a lack of energy we have throughout the day in our tour contributes though. It’s only really those 40mins while we’re on stage that we really move. So it all kind of builds up throughout the day.

Christian: Any tips or advice for the students of Newcastle and Northumbria University?

White Denim: Just try to finish, because it gets tough. I don’t know I think going to class always helps, 3 years into university I figured that out.

Christian: Any wild stories you want to tell of previous experiences in the U.K?

White Denim: Chicken fights where Steve (bassist) lost his wallet, that was a big one. In Nottingham there was some nonchalant throwing up. In Glasgow actually one of us threw up in a box, only to find it had been taken a few hours later.

Christian: Next time you’re in the U.K are there any bands you aspire to tour with?

White Denim: There are a lot of great bands, a well established band like Stereolab would be good. Or Rob Wyatt would be cool to play with, if he’ll have us.

Christian: Which bands should be checking out at the moment then?

White Denim: Dirty Projectors are a great band. Harlem are another band, they’re from Austin and haven’t had too much exposure yet.

Christian: Complete the sentence, you should be in a band because….

White Denim:

James: You learn a lot about yourself when trying to write music

Josh: It makes you better at Maths

Steve: There’s not enough good bands right now, we need more.

Christian: Thanks alot White Denim, good luck tonight.

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Well this week has been anything but boring. At the end of the last week I must apologise as I was supposed to do a post on the Neon Neon gig I went to at Newcastle Sage. The first gig I've ever been too where I had to sit down and (other than the numb bum half way through) one of the best for that matter. Anyway on to this week, tuesday I managed to win something for the first thing in my life. In fact it was the second but this was on par with the south-west under 13s basketball league! Me and my team only managed to win our university's NME quiz, finally a quiz that only requires knowledge of alternative music. We managed to win ourselves a Blackberry each (the phone as apposed to bramble bush fruit. On top on this we got some free music download cards, or at least what was left after the 2nd placers attempted to swipe them, and only £100 worth of free gig tickets...so thats a good slice of next summer's chosen festival price sorted then!

As if this wasnt enough my pal got free tickets to watch WWE wrestling at the local arena on wednesday, fufilling a childhood wish there!Then come Thursday our band got a glowing review from our local BBC radio station, lovely stuff. Come friday I knew something had to give and it was the realisation that this luck wouldnt go on forever that made me make sure I had a mediocre day!

But then today I got give the day off work, watched some football and got back into Two Gallants last album so here you go.....

Christian!

Two Gallants - The Deader

(Buy)

Two Gallants' Myspace

Neon Neon - Steel Your Girl

(Buy)

Neon Neon's Myspace

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Lazy journalism annoys me. Lazy music journalism annoys me even more.
You know the sort of thing; describing every new two-piece ever as "The White Stripes if they'd listened to more *insert arbitrary avant-garde band from the 70s*."
Using the term "post-rock" to refer to ALL instrumental bands, regardless of whether they're actually aiming to facilitate timbre and texture with their guitars,
or quite simply none of them could sing so it was just easier.

So imagine my full on annoyance every time I read another "journalist's" description of Little My as "Cardiff's answer to Broken Social Scene".
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG.

Once you get over the fact that both bands are comprised of varying members of other bands, then the comparisons pretty much cease right there;
Little My have amongst their 15 or so part-time members, musicians from the creme de la indie creme of Cardiff and Bristol, who are "forced to play 1 - 2 minute songs whilst wearing animal ears in public."

Counting members of Los Campesinos!, Gindrinker, Sweet Baboo, The School, The Hornby Pylons and Silence At Sea amongst their number, Little My use a combination of luscious boy/girl vocals and relentlessly catchy riffs (played on any of their superb collection of instrumentation; most of which you could probably find in any half-decent primary school music lesson), to craft a sound which is delightfully twee.

Stand out track on "Little My's Fifth", "Sellotape My Hands" even features a stylophone introduction AND a brief recorder solo, and "All But The Beeps Meep" from latest offering "Little My's Sixth" builds up from a simple glockenspiel part, before emerging into a slide-guitar drenched verse, via blissfully layered stylophone and violin.

To witness Little My, is to witness twee perfection of the highest order.
So please don't compare them to anyone else.


Little My - Sellotape My Hands

Little My - All But The Beeps Meep

(Buy)

Little My's Myspace

Gareth!

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James Yuill


It seems it isn’t enough just to playing a guitar in today’s busy world of music. Something James Yuill proves only too well. His music defies genres, his remixes threaten to upstage their A-sides and he’s now getting into the business of giving much needed talks to music moguls on how to succeed in this digital age. Yuill is part of a new generation of singer-songwriters, using more than their knowledge of garage band, to combine acoustic guitars with computer technology to great effect. This movement is still waiting for a certain weekly music magazine to christen it with a name, but this hasn’t stopped Yuill from producing some of the most beautiful acoustic/synth tracks imaginable. His ‘laptop folk’ provides the perfect soundtrack to a night under the stars, however for now you may have to settle for seeing him in a club or gig venue in a town near you. Something you won’t regret.



James Yuill - No Pins Allowed

(Buy)

James Yuill's Myspace

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I'm afraid our blog entries have been rather staggered, or infact...non-existant as of late! This is because of Uni no doubt, the busy termtime lives we lead! There isn't a pie without a finger in it when it comes to uni activities! I've actually started a zine' as a way of spreading my thoughts to the world although this seems like what people did before blogs came around I think my first attempt has gone down pretty well. On top of this, having the internet at University usually means extra distractions. Spending to much time on youtube and myspace playing flatmates the latest amusing videos and catchy little songs is all to tempting!

Then there's our internet provider's attractive homepage. Last year MSN’s homepage became the thorn in the side of my uni work. If it wasn’t the top 10 celebrity transformations it was the interactive voting for the best album cover of all time. This year it’s more of the same with Virgin Media offering me the chance to ‘drool over the hottest guys and girls on the box’. Whether these celebrities know about this planned event is another matter. How press shots of various members of TV soaps have such prominence on the website anyway is beyond me but it isn’t half distracting.

So yes here's a couple of songs to keep you happy through the forthcoming week!

Christian :)

Late of the Pier - The Bears Are Coming

(Buy)

Late Of The Pier's Myspace

Miracle Fortress - Maybe Lately

Miracle Fortress' Myspace

Post War Years - False Starts (Demo)

Post War Years' Myspace

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A couple of years ago I remember getting exciting at the chance to see touring Indie bands Roland Shanks and The Paddingtons playing Gloucester Guildhall. Up until that point the only way of catching bands we were really into was getting trains down to Bristol or Cardiff. An excursion which would often end in having to leave the gig early and sprint back to the train station in time for the last train. We'd always make it as the train was pulling in, but to my knowledge never missed one. As we got older people learnt to drive and soon we'd be travelling down in packed cars to these same venues but at the same time our own city was starting to get more gigs for itself.

Although by no means a regular venue for touring Indie bands Gloucester Guildhall now has more going for it. You can still expect to see the same tribute and ageing punk bands but paired with these are more up and coming bands. I suppose Gloucester has alot to thank Fly Magazine who for the last couple of years have put on bands such as The Cribs, Maximo Park, The Subways, Cajun Dance Party and Wild Beasts for Glastonbury warm up shows. Now promoters are seeing the potential in Gloucester and this is set to continue for the rest of 2008 with Rolo Tomassi (now been moved to Frog and Fiddle) The Rifles and The View all set to play.

Christian!

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