popwreckoning

While on holiday in England in April 2007, I saw the indie rock group Hot Club de Paris open for Carl Barat and Gary Powell‘s post-Libertines band, Dirty Pretty Things, at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire. I was very confused that the trio was singing harmonies with an English accent and not a French one. Turns out the band is from the Northwest of England, Liverpool to be exact (yes, the home of the Beatles), and is comprised of principal songwriter / lead vocalist / bassist Paul Rafferty and a pair of brothers, Alasdair (drums) and Matthew Smith (guitar). Songs like “Shipwreck” from their 2006 debut album Drop It ’til It Pops turned into singalongs that Sunday night at Shepherds Bush, confirming to me that even though they aren’t massive in Britain like, say, Coldplay, they’ve got a devoted fanbase at home and in Europe. And for a British band, that’s a major thing to have under your belt: it gives you the clout to keep making records.

Hot Club de Paris‘ last two EP releases in the UK, With Days Like This as Cheap as Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want to Work? (released February 2010) and The Rise and Inevitable Fall of the High School Suicide Cluster Band (released May 2010), have now been combined into one album for their North American album debut, the whimsically titled Free the Pterodactyl 3. Their record label, Moshi Moshi, may not be familiar to you, but past acts like Florence and the Machine and Friendly Fires should be, having released their earliest works on the indie London label before moving on to bigger things.

Hot Club de Paris is an interesting amalgamation of punk and pop. They make music under their own terms, putting out what they want (which explains why they put out two EPs in the UK last year instead of one long player) and bowing to no one. The backstory of the title track of the album is described by Moshi Moshi as “a slow and wistful jam about singer Paul Rafferty’s scrape with the law whilst attempting the liberation of a 3-metre fibreglass pterodactyl from a derelict fun fair with a couple of friends.” Sounds like a punk, all right (watch the black marker and drum-centric promo video for the song below). Their sound is at times angry and angular as math rock, but also maintains a pop edge, making them accessible to anyone. I mean, really, what punk band can you name that regularly breaks out into three-part a cappella harmony at a gig? While I haven’t seen the band in four years, I imagine “The White Town Express (Get High, Stay Low)” would be perfect to showcase their gorgeous harmonies live.

My favorite songs from this band are of the winsome, up tempo variety. “I’m Not in Love and Neither Are You” and “Dog Tired at the Spring Dance Marathon” have fun guitar lines running underneath the insistent, shouted vocals. “Dance a Ragged Dance” has feel-good harmonies and the proof that well-read Rafferty is handy with choosing words (“…buildings / booked basement parties, sad times / the moonlight lit a kiss on the stairs…“) without abandoning punk (“we can either dance or die!“). The song also ends with xylophone, more Freelance Whales than punk.

Despite the name, “Biggie Smalls and the Ghetto Slams” is not a rap song at all but instead tells the story of young kids and their ill-fated band. If you haven’t figured this out already, Hot Club de Paris likes to be different, but not for the sake of being different: it’s just not in their nature to operate any other way. And I’m glad, because their sound is all that’s great about the young North. “The Rise and Inevitable Fall of the High School Suicide Cluster Band” and “Fuck You, the Truth” (with the question, “are you guys having a good time?“, and response from the crowd, “noooo!“) are more punk, but there’s something charming about the way the lyrics are shouted at you. You want to root for this band. It’s not hard to imagine fans at a gig shouting the words back at them, fists in the air. Me? I want to be a part of that.

While Free the Pterodactyl 3 is not a cohesive album (and if you’ve read this far, you understand why this is the case), it’s a good introduction to an exciting Liverpool band that deserves success on this side of the Atlantic.

Track Listing:
01. I’m Not in Love and Neither Are You
02. The Rise and Inevitable Fall of the High School Suicide Cluster Band
03. Fuck You, the Truth
04. Biggie Smalls and the Ghetto Slams
05. Free the Pterodactyl 3
06. Dance a Ragged Dance
07. Dog Tired at the Spring Dance Marathon
08. They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
09. The White Town Express (Get High, Stay Low)
10. Three Albums and Still No Ballad
11. Noses Blazing
12. Extra Time, Sudden Death

Free the Pterodactyl 3 is available now from Moshi Moshi.

Hot Club de Paris: website | myspace

Florence and the Machine have announced a tour of America in October and November.

Florence Welch and her band will also make an appearance on the MTV Video Music Awards on September 12 and is scheduled to perform “Dog Days are Over.” The song is currently being used in the theatrical trailer for the film “Eat, Pray, Love” starring Julia Roberts. In October, the band will appear at the Voodoo Music Festival.

Tour Dates
Oct 30 – Voodoo Music Festival / New Orleans
Oct 31 – House of Blues / Boston
Nov 01-02 – Terminal 5 / New York City
Nov 03 – Sound Academy / Toronto
Nov 05 – Fox Theater / Oakland
Nov 06-07 – Wiltern / Los Angeles

Photo: Mary Chang

Florence and the Machine: website | myspace | 2009 Mercury Prize Nominations Announced | @ 9:30 Club

Prior to Thursday night, the last time I caught a show at Merriweather Post Pavilion was back in 1998. I don’t really like the place all that much; after you’ve seen great shows in smaller, intimate clubs where you can have a connection with the band that’s performing, the lack of intimacy in an outdoor amphitheatre like Merriweather is startling. The crowds also tend to be very different than those you encounter at club shows – Columbia is quite a drive from Washington or Baltimore, so you will mostly run into older patrons and their spouses drinking beer or parents with their underage kids in tow. Pulling into the parking area, my friends and I looked at the pretty empty field and were worried that there wouldn’t be a good turnout. Thunderstorms had moved through the area earlier, making the walk around the grounds a soggy adventure. I might not go to Merriweather to see most bands, but I will make the exception for Keane.

The pavilion is pretty empty when the first opening act, Fran Healy, begins his one-man acoustic set. Frontmen are all going solo these days – Brandon Flowers of the Killers, Kele Okereke of Bloc Party, and more recently, Paul Smith of Maximo Park. Healy is better known as the frontman for legendary Scottish alt-rock group Travis. He’s putting out his first solo album, Wreckorder, in October, so touring with Keane is a good way for Healy to preview tracks from his forthcoming release. He is very funny, at one point dedicating the 1999 Travis hit “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?” to the unfortunate souls who have lawn seating, and at another point, saying that bugs were biting him and asking if Columbia had mosquitoes, saying, “back in Scotland, we call them ‘midges.‘” In his Scottish accent, it was adorable to say the least.

He also told the story about how he successfully invited Beatle bassist Paul McCartney to play on his solo song “As It Comes” and trying to come up with an appropriate way to thank the Cute Beatle, decided he and his family would go vegetarian in honor of him. (McCartney later mailed Healy three of his late wife’s vegetarian cookbooks in recognition of the gesture.) The older crowd is appreciative of the Travis numbers sprinkled in the set like “Why Does It…” and “Sing” as they are played alongside new songs like the set-ender, “Buttercup.”

The second opener was bespectacled indie pop/folk singer Ingrid Michaelson, backed by a full band. Most of the time Michaelson, dressed in a frilly, small black dress, sang while strumming a ukulele. I’m not really a fan of her music, but even I cannot escape the radio play of her songs “Maybe” and “The Way I Am.” She is obviously a talented singer/songwriter, so I think I would have been more impressed with her performance if she hadn’t played so many covers. Michaelson’s version of Radiohead‘s “Creep” – just her warbling voice and her playing ukulele – was odd to say the least. Perhaps the strangest moment of the night was her saying goodbye with her version of Britney Spears‘ “Toxic”, including a choreographed dance sequence that ended with Michaelson on the shoulders of her bandmates.

Ingrid Michaelson Set List
Soldier
Poker Face (Lady Gaga acoustic cover fragment)
Die Alone
Parachute
The Hat
Creep (Radiohead cover done as an acoustic solo)
Maybe
Locked Up
The Way I Am
The Chain
Toxic (Britney Spears cover)

Keane‘s incidental music before they came onstage was a winner, including Two Door Cinema Club, Everything Everything (the Manchester quartet who recently opened for them on their sold-out Forest Tour of the UK), and Florence and the Machine. It got me appropriately psyched up for what was a fabulously tight set of songs from the English trio. From their recently released EP Night Train, Keane rather smartly only played the best tracks from the r&b-leaning release, including “Clear Skies,” “Stop for a Minute,” and “Your Love.” The latter is now famous as the only song in Keane‘s pretty substantial back catalogue that pianist / principal songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley sings on, and it is a great showcase of Rice-Oxley’s voice. One can only hope that he will share more lead singing duties with Tom Chaplin in the future.

This is not to say Chaplin did not keep up his end of the bargain. As usual, Chaplin’s beautifully compelling voice soared on the Keane ballads we all know so well, including “Everybody’s Changing” and “Somewhere Only We Know,” while being inexhaustible for the more fun, up tempo numbers, like “You Haven’t Told Me Anything” and “Spiralling.” I am torn between Thursday night’s versions of “This is the Last Time” and “Perfect Symmetry” as to which gets my vote for best song of the show. Both are tear-inducing when you hear them live, just gorgeous pieces of piano-driven pop. Going to see Keane is an event. An event you don’t want to miss.

Keane Set List
House Lights (instrumental)
Again and Again
Bend and Break
Everybody’s Changing
Nothing in My Way
Clear Skies
This is the Last Time
Stop for a Minute
Try Again
You Haven’t Told Me Anything
Spiralling
Bad Dream
Is It Any Wonder?
Your Love
Perfect Symmetry
Somewhere Only We Know
Bedshaped
//
My Shadow
Crystal Ball

Tour Dates
Aug 07 – Mann Center / Philadelphia
Aug 10 – Riverside Theatre / Milwaukee
Aug 11 – 1st Ave. / Minneapolis
Aug 13 – Fox Theatre / Boulder
Aug 14 – Mile High Festival / Denver

Keane Photos by Catherine Sexton

Keane: website | myspace | @ Constitution Hall | Keane to Release Expanded Version of Their Debut Album, Hopes and Fears | Keane announces North American in support of new album, Night Train
Fran Healy: website | myspace
Ingrid Michaelson: website | myspace | Everybody review | “Maybe” video

Florence Welch confounds me. No really, she does. I went and saw Florence and the Machine at the Showbox on Thursday, not knowing at all what to expect. I stood in line with everyone who bought their tickets before the intimate club at Pike’s Place Market sold out. To sell out on a Thursday is pretty impressive. But I guess it’s an attest to the magnificence of Florence and the Machine’s debut album, last year’s Lungs, which topped the British charts, but didn’t get quite the following on this side of the pond.

New York natives Holy Hail opened the show, just slightly after 9 p.m., with a keen and enjoyable set. It was clear that everyone was there to see Florence, so the crowd’s response to Holy Hail wasn’t the most enthusiastic, but they were good warm up. The band, fronted by Cat Hartwell, held their own for the anxious crowd, playing songs off their 2008 album Independent Pleasure Club, and their other various EPs, as well as some new ones. “Riverine” stuck out to me, like a truly New Yorkian indie record, but with a hint of old west swagger. They graciously thanked the crowd for coming out that night, and Florence for taking them on tour, and stepped off stage at about 9:30. But that’s just a guess-timation.

After nearly an hour-long wait of reggae and old jazz playing on the loudspeakers, The Machine took the stage to some intense mood lighting, making way for Florence Welch’s grand entrance, starting off with a wicked version of “Howl.” She swayed around the stage, dressed in a lace afghan and blouse to match. Her blazing red hair glowed beneath the blue and yellow lights of the Showbox, and the crowd sang along right with her.

Why does Florence Welch confound me? Her performance persona is big and loud and powerful and grandiose, but her personality between songs could be described as nothing less than adorable. After a couple songs, she decided to go barefoot. She slipped off her heels and hopped around the stage before stepping back up to the mic. At that point the microphone sat right about at her eye level, and Florence declared, “I’m tiny.” To avoid sounding incredibly cliché, I’ll just let the irony of that statement sink in for now.

After singing her face off with “Between Two Lungs,” she grabbed a red plastic cup and straw and sipped it politely. Then she proceeded to explain that every time she gets one of those plastic cups, she gets, dare I say, a little tipsy. And then she giggled and said a quiet “Thank you, Seattle,” and introduced the next song. All the songs Florence played that night were off of Lungs, but “Hardest of Hearts” was the only one off the deluxe edition of the album. I happen to own the deluxe edition, so I was completely familiar with all the songs played that night. Evidently, everyone else knew the songs as well, because you couldn’t look around at any point and not see someone singing along with Florence

Seeing these songs live deepened my love for them, especially “Drumming Song” and “Cosmic Love,” where Florence beat on her own floor tom along with her band and let out this not-so-tiny (there’s the irony!) voice. Then in a haunting version of “Blinding,” one light backlit Florence while she wrapped herself up in the afghan like a child pretending to be ghost, and just like the song, Florence’s performance escalated into a powerful spectacle of awesome proportions.

Florence’s attitude while singing juxtaposed with her sweet disposition made the show all that more entertaining, because it proves how talented she really is. Her songs are epic and sexy, but she’s not a pretentious diva at all. She repeatedly thanked Seattle in her charming London accent and paused between songs to give her keyboard player a big hug. I couldn’t help but love her. I kind of wanted to be her best friend at that point.

The last song before the encore was – of course – “Dog Days are Over,” where everyone on the club instantly started dancing and singing along. I honestly feared for the life of my camera for a bit there, but it was so much fun. This one guy standing in front of me – who was about 5 inches taller than me – was absolutely nuts about Florence, as he started the clap-along before the encore at just about 11:30. A few minutes of badly timed “Florence! Florence! Florence!” later, Florence and her Machine walked back on stage. Acknowledged the energy of the crowd, she asked us – on this next song – to jump even more than we had been.

As I expected, they went right into “Kiss With a Fist,” which again sent the crowd into frenzy. We calmed down just a little after the short and energetic “Kiss With a Fist,” and Florence made one last request of us for “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up).” “When I do this,” and she shot her fist up in the air, “then you shout ‘raise it up!’” It was kind of magical how well it worked, because just like she asked, everyone not only shouted “raise it up,” but also shot their fists up in the air along with her.

Florence graciously bowed and thanked Seattle one last time before she and her band left the stage, and told everyone, “I’d love to come back if you’d have me.” The guy in front of me shouted, “We’d love to have you back!”

After that show, I was not opposed to the idea.

Set List:
1.   Howl
2.   My Boy Builds Coffins
3.   Hurricane Drunk
4.   Between Two Lungs
5.   Hardest Of Hearts
6.   Drumming Song
7.   Cosmic Love
8.   I’m Not Calling You A Liar
9.   Blinding
10.   You’ve Got the Love
11.   Dog Days Are Over

Encore
12.   Kiss With a Fist
13.   Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

Tuesday night at the 9:30 Club should have been captioned “the Night of Squeals.” Barring the predictable female reaction for Paolo Nutini I witnessed last summer (lots of screaming and near fainting), I have never heard so many superlatives and proclamations of “oh my god” coming from fanboys and fangirls alike. This felt like a surprising response, for this was for a show featuring three acts from three very different backgrounds: Melbourne-based rock band the Temper Trap co-headlined with London pop/soul singer Florence Welch (fronting the collective Florence and the Machine), with support provided by Danish indie rock group the Kissaway Trail. Looking back, it now seems quite appropriate that on the day, D.C. was experiencing completely unusual sweltering temperatures for the beginning of April, because the action on stage was equally as torrid.

The Kissaway Trail is a five-piece rock band from Odense, Denmark, signed to Simon Raymonde‘s Bella Union label in Europe. I first heard of them via their second album Sleep Mountain, to be released in America on April 20. Their songs run the gamut of dream pop (every member providing harmonizing vocals, like in the awe-inspiring “SDP” that closed out their set) to all-out rock jams with wailing guitars. Lead singer Thomas L. Fagerlund, looking most definitely not Danish wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap, alternated between keyboards and guitar while providing powerful vocals. “New Lipstick,” another track from Sleep Mountain, was a set highlight for me. Unexpectedly, what I found funny about their performance was their sixth “member.” I’m not sure if he was a friend, roadie, or tour manager, but he was throwing his body into every shake of his tambourine and maracas, to the point that I thought his suspenders might break off.

Florence Welch, frontwoman for Florence and the Machine, arrived on stage, cocktail in hand, wearing an all black outfit that was topped off with a black hat that did a good job of obscuring her trademark fiery red hair. Almost. During her soulful, less than 1-hour set, she sang to a Washington crowd that appeared to know every single word of every single song from her 2009 Mercury Prize-nominated debut album, Lungs, that she played. Fans behind me swayed as if put in a trance by their pop heroine. This was possible, as during some songs like “Blinding” (where she wrapped herself in a shawl and you could barely see her face) and “Between Two Lungs,” Welch looked possessed by the music. When she tested the audience to jump higher and more vigorously to crowd favorite “Dog Days are Over” than fans the previous night in Philadelphia, everyone enthusiastically took up the challenge, pogo-ing along with the London singer with her bare, very long legs.

“Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” is probably the best Florence and the Machine song in terms of eliciting audience participation, and as a set closer, it was amazing watching everyone’s arms in the air as the song lyrics instruct. The crowd loved it and the whole set, and who could blame them? I would like to note that anyone receiving that level of adulation would have been excused for feeling cocky, soaking up the adoration of the masses. But not Welch, who would smile almost bashfully at the crowd, thanking them in a soft-spoken voice when fans sang along to her songs, cheered for her, and shouted “I love you Florence!” I’m not a huge fan of Welch’s singing style, but I have to admit, she has incredible charisma on stage, and there’s no wonder why this ginger siren sells out large venues in the UK so quickly and easily every time she announces a tour at home.

Florence and the Machine Set List
Howl
Kiss with a Fist
Hurricane Drunk
My Boy Builds Coffins
Between Two Lungs
Drumming Song
Cosmic Love
Blinding
I’m Not Calling You a Liar
Dog Days are Over
You’ve Got the Love (the Source / Candi Staton cover)
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

For a brief moment between the headlining sets, it was possible to stretch and get a breath of fresh air at the barrier, because many Florence fans left the club as soon as her set was over. But their prime spots were quickly snapped up by equally fanatical Temper Trap devotees. I was really interested to see this act because I was not blown away by their debut album Conditions, so I hoped they would sound better live. And boy, I was right. The album is like an attempt to bottle dynamite. The Temper Trap‘s brand of thrilling guitar rock with lead singer’s Dougie Mandagi‘s unusual (for a man in rock) falsetto is just damn exciting in concert. I was expecting their hits “Sweet Disposition” and “Fader” to be amazing (and they were). But equally great or possibly even better were “Soldier On,” with lead guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto trading his guitar temporarily to play keyboards and bassist Jonathan Ahearne‘s sultry bass line, and “Love Lost,” with a lighting backdrop reminiscent of Phoenix‘s “1901.”

The show-stopping moment of the night was when Mandagi drank from a bottle of water, then poured the remaining contents of the bottle on the top of a big drum for the appropriately-titled instrumental “Drum Song.” He then threw the bottle into the crowd and started pounding the drum furiously with two sticks. This provided an unexpected, appreciated, but all too brief cool off for the sweaty crowd. The last song of the night was “Science of Fear,” my favorite from Conditions, had Mandagi’s commanding voice and jangly guitars that got bodies moving. Just perfect. Keep an eye on this band, they could be the next big thing.

Personally, I think the Temper Trap killed it but the large contingent of Flo fans would have no doubt disagreed with me. If you’re interested in seeing any or all of these acts (and you should be!), please visit their MySpace pages for individual band tour info (see links below).

The Temper Trap Set List
instrumental intro
Rest
Fader
Fools
Down River
Love Lost
Soldier On
Sweet Disposition
Resurrection
Drum Song
//
Rabbit Hole (new song)
Science of Fear

The Temper Trap: website | myspace
Florence and the Machine: website | myspace | Mercury Prize Nominations Announced
The Kissaway Trail: website | myspace

Fiery English redhead Florence Welch is bringing her soul pop act Florence and the Machine to North America for a short tour in April. She is also scheduled to appear on Sunday, April 18 at Coachella.

This month Florence was nominated for Best Female, Best Album (for her 2009 Mercury Prize-nominated album Lungs), and Breakthrough Artist at the 2010 BRIT Awards and is set to perform at the ceremony in London on February 16. UK music magazine NME has also nominated her in their Shockwaves NME Awards 2010 in the categories of Best Solo Artist, Best Track (for the song “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up).” Best Dancefloor Filler (for her cover of Candi Staton‘s “You’ve Got The Love”), and Best Dressed.

Tour Dates:
Apr 09 – Terminal 5 / New York City
Apr 10 – Phoenix Theatre / Toronto
Apr 12 – House of Blues / Chicago
Apr 14 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver
Apr 15 – Showbox at the Market / Seattle
Apr 18 – Coachella Music Festival

Florence and the Machine: website | myspace

Photo: Tom Beard

The nominations for the 2009 Barclaycard Mercury Prize – for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland – were announced today, July 21, at a special ceremony in London by BBC 6music radio host Lauren Laverne. Receiving a Mercury Prize nomination (and/or winning it) generally leads to increased album sales and increased celebrity profile for a band. Manchester band Elbow received the honor in 2008.

Here are the 12 nominees for this year’s Mercury Prize:

Florence and the Machine – Lungs

Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Bat for Lashes – Two Suns

La Roux – La Roux

Glasvegas – Glasvegas

Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy

Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires

The Horrors – Primary Colours

Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew

The Invisible – The Invisible

Led Bib – Sensible Shoes

Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Twice Born Men

The 2009 Barclaycard Mercury Prize will be awarded on September 8.