Fold ft. Mr Gee - Salvation E.P

The last time this blog covered live trip-hop group Fold, we commented that the band had taken a similar approach to the sound that brought Public Service Broadcasting so many admirers, by taking vocal samples from old recordings and using them as a springboard for their own compositions. Over a year on, it seems as if that comparison was well founded, as since then the group have recorded a well-regarded remix of "Theme From PSB", as well as supporting them in their hometown of Leeds.

For their latest release, the "Salvation" E.P,  Fold have eschewed the use of vocals samples in their music, instead relying on a collaborator to add a common voice to the proceedings, performance poet Mr Gee. Across the E.Ps four tracks, meaty topics such as the behavior of politicians and the treatment of immigrants are covered, backed exquisitely by the group's wonderfully constructed tunes. The highlights of the E.P are the title track, which has echoes of the harsher sounds of Lemon Jelly, and closing track "Passing Strangers", which would not sound out of place on DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing" album.

The problem that can arise with releases with a distinctive political message is that it can detract from the universal appeal that music can, and should have. It is a credit to both Fold and Mr Gee that they have managed to create an E.P that sticks firmly to their principles, yet still should appeal to a wide audience, all while sounding incredibly brilliant.

"Salvation" will be released on October 28th.

Ed Zealous - Thanks A Million

Earlier this year, Belfast electro-rockers Ed Zealous released "Medicines", a cracking scuzzy monster of a tune. That song received quite a bit of airplay of Radio 1, including being used as bed music of Phalice's late night midweek show, and is surely a contender not just for the best song from NI of the year, but the best song of the year.

Six months down the road, and the band have announced the release of their latest single, "Thanks A Million". Once again produced by Eliot James (Bloc Party/Two Door Cinema Club among others), the track is a smidgen more pop orientated that its predecessor, whilst still holding on to its harsh in-your-face electronic production. The chorus sounds like it could have easily have been lifted from The Killers' back catalogue, albeit a slightly more chaotic one.

With two great singles under the belt this year, Ed Zealous are real contenders to be the next break-out artist from these shores. Let's hope that their debut album, scheduled for release some time next year, delivers on their promise.

"Thanks a Million" will be released on October 21st.

Caught Live: Superfood/Wonder Villains

Venue: Voodoo Bar, Belfast

Date: 5th October 2013

To say that the turnout to see well-regarded Birmingham band Superfood in Voodoo this evening is disappointing would be something of an understatement. Excluding the support band, sound technicians and bar staff, there couldn't have been any more than nine people in attendance, oneself included. This is a great pity, as both bands playing are rather decent indeed.

Firstly, Wonder Villains. Having seen them many times over the past few years in many different venues, the group are as tight musically and stage-wise as they have ever been, performing their trademark brand of excitement-pop. All the songs that they have honed over the years as present and correct, from latest single "33", the Heroes referencing "Oh Peter", the Len influenced "Blonde", through to the Pokémon quoting "Ferrari". There is something new this evening however, with Cheylene switching from keyboards to her newly acquired keytar for the last few songs. It's a great performance from the Wonder Villains. Why they still haven't become uber massive yet remains a mystery.

Having supported Peace in Belfast over the summer, it is now time for Superfood to take to the stage for their first headline gig in the city. Despite the low turnout, the 4-piece put on a great performance with their set of Britpop revivalist tunes. The highlights of the set were latest single "Bubbles", whose Blur-aping energy was amped up to the nth degree at Voodoo, and their closing tune, the self-titled "Superfood", an infectious, slightly psychedelic single with an irresistible vocal hook. It was a great 1st headlining set for the group. It's just a pity there weren't more people to witness it.

So why was there so few people there? Here are a few possible reasons:

1. The gig's location
Since the closure of Auntie Annies a few months ago, the main venues for new/upcoming touring artists to play in Belfast has shifted away from the Queen's University area into Belfast city centre, in places like Voodoo and The Oh Yeah Centre. For artists whose main audiences are likely to be at university, this makes it slightly less convenient a venue to get to, meaning there's less chance of people checking out the gig on an impulse.

2. Confusion about the venue.
A few people arrived after the gig finished having mistakenly thought the gig was in The Limelight, as there appeared to have been some confusion on Twitter about the venue.

3. Perhaps it was too early to be playing in Belfast.

To date, Superfood have three songs recorded on their Soundcloud page, and whilst they have received a lot of hits and attention to date, it might not have been extensive enough to excite music fans in Belfast, many of whom are reluctant to even see local bands who have that amount of songs recorded. Perhaps when the band have an album to their name people in Belfast may be more willing to check them out.

But for whatever reason the turnout was so low, I sincerely hope it doesn't put them off playing in Belfast again in the future. After all, I think they are a great band with heaps of potential and a few killer tracks. With their great Britpop inspired sound, they have the potential to be the new Inspiral Carpets or Dodgy. I sincerely hope they don't end up being the next Catch or Viva Brother instead.

If it's any consolation, here's something that hopefully will bring some solace to Superfood. When The 1975 first played in Belfast in December last year, there was no more than thirty people in attendance, if even that. (I should know. I was there). This week, merely 10 months later, the same band played at the Mandela Hall in the same city, and sold out the 900 capacity venue weeks in advance. In Belfast, a touring band can go from 'also playing' to the hottest gig in town in a short period of time. Let's hope that's what Superfood will enjoy the next time they play here.

Go Swim - Spontaneous/Silver Tung

One great thing about following Northern Irish music is that if your favourite band on the local scene splits up, the chances are within a few months members of those collectives will be back with a vengeance within a few months, gigging and recording under a different guise.

Go Swim is the latest project from Belfast musicians who have been involved elsewhere in the past. Guitarist/vocalist Julianne Shaw had been involved with electro duo Nakatomi Towers, who supported Little Boots whilst she was still massive before calling it a day in 2010, and a few members of the band were involved with Parachutes Over Paris, who released a rather fine E.P before fizzling out. Having debuted at the start of the summer with the bouncy "Halo", Go Swim have released two new tracks, which should win them a few more admirers.

Of the two new songs, the best of them is "Spontaneous". At first, the song seems to be your usual Two Door Cinema Club inspired indie-rock tune, which of course is no bad thing indeed. However, any expectations are confounded when the drums come in, a driving rhythm that plays at twice the speed one might expect from the song's guitar riff. Their other new song, "Silver Tung", is a more introspective tune, albeit one which builds up to a powerful climax.

Both "Spontaneous" and "Silver Tung" follow on from the work laid down by their debut single by adding different perspectives to their indie pop-rock framework. Let's hope that Go Swim can progress that little bit further than their predecessor bands did.

"Spontaneous" and "Silver Tung" are both available to download for free. Go Swim will be playing Radar in The Speakeasy, Belfast on Thursday 10th October alongside Hurdles & Affleck.





Photo of Go Swim is © Carrie Davenport.

Sea Pinks - An Exploded View

In July this year, Neil Brogan, the drummer for Belfast post-punk revivalists Girls Names (Belfast's biggest band on the blogosphere), announced that he would be leaving the group to concentrate on his other musical project, Sea Pinks (Belfast's second biggest band on the blogosphere).

It is no surprise then that the latest song under the name, "An Exploded View", is the best and most confident song they have released to date. In the past, their songs have have tread a similar fuzzy music path to Girls Names, which makes their new song sound very fresh indeed. It is a lovely jangly guitar pop number, a song with a jaunty energy reminiscent of some of the best work of The Coral. Even with three albums already behind them, "An Exploded View" offers us the reassurance that Sea Pinks' still have lots of good work in store for us.

"An Exploded View" will be released on October 5th as a limited edition 7" vinyl, alongside "Magpies Eyes."