Thursday 29 April 2010

Indietracks interview #6: Internet Forever



Internet Forever are Craig Heartbeeps, Christopher Alcxxk and Laura Wolf, three Web 2.0 obsessives who bonded over a shared love of The Unicorns, Why? and the DrownedinSound message board. Their debut single 'Cover the Walls' was a delicious slice of fuzzy lo-fi indiepop which earned 'Single of the Week' merits from both NME Radio and Artrocker Magazine and a 9/10 review from This is Fake DIY.

"Internet Forever live in a beautiful place full of lo-fi strums and energetic pop melodies, mixing each other up until you want to sweat. A joy to behold.” (Huw Stephens, BBC Radio)

Hi Laura, tell us a little bit about Internet Forever

We are Internet Forever - a noisy pop band from London and Cambridge. There are three of us: me, Christopher and Craig. Me and Craig met on the internet a few years ago and started making music together about a year and a half ago. Since then we've done rad things, like: played lots of gigs around the country; toured with Johnny Foreigner; released a tape; released a seven inch single called 'Cover The Walls'; met loads of lovely people; and played two Radio One Sessions!

What music are you enjoying at the moment?

We all have pretty diverse tastes so I speak only for myself here, but I am currently really enjoying a load of London bands, especially Fair Ohs and T33th. I keep listening to Black Tambourine, Sleeping States and Metallic Falcons alllll the time as well - it's getting a bit creepy. My last.fm tells me that I am also pretty obsessed with Best Coast, Microphones and Gowns too. The reasons why I like this music is probably pretty obvious so I won't bore you with the reasons why these artists are awesome.

Tell us about an unusual place you've played a gig in the past

We played our first ever gig in someone's house - but that's not particularly unusual, just fun. I don't think we've played anywhere particularly weird... which is a real shame. I would happily swap one or two of the seven or so times we've played at the Old Blue Last for somewhere unusual. I have nothing against the place really, it'd just be nice for some variety.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

This year we are going to record an album! None of us have ever done that before so we're pretty excited. We're currently deciding how to make this work - it's possible that it's going to be pretty different to what we're doing at the moment. We're also going to go on another tour and release our second single in the UK. In the USA we are releasing a song called Break Bones through a label called Art Fag (which is home of Dum Dum Girls and Crocodiles etc.)

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

Craig is a really amazing photographer. You can check out his stuff at hrtbps.com.

What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?

We tend to listen to singalong anthems that we all know in the van. We listen to stuff like Weezer and scream all the words.

What attracted you to play Indietracks?

I went to Indietracks a few years ago when Los Campesinos! were headlining and had an absolutely amazing time. I played solo in the Open Mic tent with my friends Joe Mahon and Gareth from LC! as my backing singers. It was really fun, but I was maybe also kind of a bit bad. I loved the place so much that weekend and I've wanted to return with Internet Forever ever since. We are really excited to play with bands we love like Pains of Being Pure At Heart and Veronica Falls, and also to hang out with our friends The Middle Ones, This Many Boyfriends, Jam On Bread and Winston Echo.

Thanks!
xxx

Tuesday 27 April 2010

Fancy getting a coach back from Indietracks?

A badly-drawn mock-up of an Indietracks coach, yesterday

We're thinking of making tentative enquires to see if a coach company might be interested in running a shuttle service back to Nottingham, Derby or somewhere else each night after the festival finishes. We know some of you are staying in these cities during the festival and there's lots of cheap accommodation in each city if you don't fancy camping.

Of course, sadly you'd have to pay to get the shuttle bus and it would probably only run after the festival finishes - it's quite easy to get to the festival by public transport during the day.

No promises, we can't be sure that this idea is possible at the moment. However, if anyone is vaguely interested in this idea, please email us on indietrackstravel@gmail.com by Friday 7 May and let us know:

a) where you'd like a shuttle bus to take you home to (e.g. Nottingham, Derby)
b) how many nights you might catch it (e.g. Friday, Saturday and Sunday)

There's no commitment on your part, we're just seeing whether anyone's interested. Please let us know and if enough people are interested, we'll see if it's possible!

EDIT: for updates on this, please visit this Anorak forum thread.

In other news, as leaked on the internet in recent days, we're pleased to say that Sarah records legends The Orchids will be returning to the Indietracks festival this year!

And...  here's Indietracks founder Stuart Mackay being interviewed on the Neonfiller website. Enjoy!

xxx

Sunday 25 April 2010

Indietracks interview #5: Standard Fare



Planes are back in the sky, we’ve just announced The Primitives, the sun has started shining again and over at Indietracks HQ we’re in a pretty fine mood, and keeping everything crossed that this good weather hangs on til July. After such a long and gloomy winter, it finally feels as though summer is properly here, which of course means it’s also officially time to start planning our Indietracks wardrobes – woo!

We’re also in an especially good mood because today we’re featuring an interview with the fantastic Standard Fare, the Sheffield band who have been making our hearts beat that little bit faster for ooh…..the last year or so now. Comprising Emma Cooper (bass, vocals), Danny How (guitar, vocals) and Andy Beswick (drums), they released their debut album The Noyelle Beat on Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation last month, garnering a whole bunch of glowing reviews and radio appearances, as well as effortlessly stealing the hearts of indiepop fans across the country. We spoke to the band, fresh from an appearance at South by South West (SXSW) and a tour of North America, about their tour stories, tips for surviving festivals and just how personal some of their songs really are…

Hello you three! The Noyelle Beat has deservedly been getting lots of positive reviews and radio plays. How does it feel to be receiving so much positive attention, and do you have a set long-term plan for the future of the band?

Emma: It's great that the album has been received so well. It's a little odd for us as we've been playing these songs for a while now we forget how it is to hear them for the first time.

Dan: I don't think we have a plan really; we were quite surprised so many people were interested in the album! But that's just given us more enthusiasm to write new things and challenge ourselves a bit

Emma, you said in a previous interview that your mum (former member of anarcho-punk band Poison Girls) had a strong influence on you as a developing musician. Does she listen to Standard Fare/come to gigs? And would you ever consider a musical collaboration?!

Emma: Yeah, she loves the band's music and comes to gigs when she can. I'd love to collaborate with her. Probably not bass duels (!) but maybe trying to figure out the cross of indiepop and klezmer - the kind of music she plays. (Ed: We had to look this one up on Wikipedia. Klezmer is the musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe, and you can read more about it here on Wikipedia, fact fans)

You recently played SXSW festival and toured the North East of America too - what was the experience like, and how did it compare with other gigs that you've played? Did you have any interesting experiences while on tour?

Emma: It was such an adventure to go to the US and each gig was so different but thankfully all positive and everyone was very friendly!

Andy: There were a lot of crazy experiences. One was when we were driving to New Haven from Philidelphia to perform. There was torrential rain, it was dark and there were loads of enormous trees fallen in the road that we had to keep swerving around, and the Americans just seemed fine about it. You don't get that in the UK.

Sounds scary! A lot of your songs are about very specific, and sometimes intensely personal situations. Are your songs mainly autobiographical? How does your songwriting process work?

Emma: I don't really have much of an imagination - I just write about experiences. Dan's songs are a little less like therapy, and instead a little more craft.

Indietracks always divides everyone into campers and non-campers. Are Standard Fare campers or Travelodgers? And do you have any handy festival tips for our readers?

Emma: I'll definitely be camping!

Andy: Definitely camping. Baby wipes? And lots of chocolate :)

Dan: I don't live all that far away, so I can't decide whether to rough it or commute, but the thought of being able to stop up drinking might just sway it for me.

And finally....what other bands are you looking forward to seeing at Indietracks?

Emma: Allo Darlin' are a big fave of ours at the moment, but also The Smittens and of the course The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, who headlined our SXSW showcase gig.

Andy: Everyone and everything.

Us too - look forward to seeing you there! If you can't wait to see Standard Fare at Indietracks, why not watch this video of them performing Philadelphia at SXSW?

Friday 23 April 2010

The Primitives join the Indietracks bill


We’re excited to announce that The Primitives have now been added to the Indietracks 2010 line-up.

They will join New York headliners the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Love Is All, Ballboy, The Pooh Sticks, White Town, Allo Darlin’, Veronica Falls and dozens more indiepop bands at this year’s event. The festival takes place on 23-25 July 2010 on a steam railway in Derbyshire.

The Primitives emerged from the independent scene of the mid-80s, alongside The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine. With the distinctive singing and blonde bombshell looks of singer Tracy Tracy, they combine 60s melodies, the buzzsaw guitars of the Ramones and the pop sensibilities of Orange Juice. The band became household names across the world for their hit single ‘Crash’, which made the top five in the UK charts.

The band reunited at the end of 2009 and have played some ace UK shows recently. We can’t wait to see them at the festival! 

There are just two weeks left to pick up tickets at early bird discount prices. Weekend tickets are currently available at an early bird discount price of £55, and day tickets are available for £30. These prices are available until Friday 7 May.

Early bird tickets are available by visiting: www.indietracks.co.uk/tickets.html

xxx

Thursday 22 April 2010

Indietracks interview #4: La La Love You


At last year’s Indietracks we were delighted to link up with Elefant records and bring you some excellent Spanish pop groups, culminating in La Casa Azul’s fantastic slot on the Saturday night. To keep this spirit alive in 2010, we’ve invited Spanish punk-popsters La La Love You to join the bill this year.

La La Love You are David, Roberto, Jorge, Rafa and Miguel from Madrid. The group was formed in the summer of 2005 and home-recorded their first record ‘Princesitas’ (Little Princess), which became a critical and commercial success in Spain. Several months later the group released their first album ‘Umm… que rico!’, (‘Umm ... that rich!’), which included the single ‘Sabes que te quiero’ (‘You know I love you’). This song appeared on the soundtrack to the film ‘Carlitos y el campo de los sueƱos’ (‘Carlos and the field of dreams’), which is a heartwarming tale about an orphan with a talent for football whose headmaster hates the game and tries to sabotage his career!

In 2009, the band were candidates for Spain’s Eurovision entry and are well known across Spain for their fun and very different concerts. We spoke to David from the band to find out a bit more about the band.


Hi David, tell us a little bit about La La Love You

La La Love You is a pop band (obviously, this is a pop festival, right?). It’s kind of fast distorted pop, sometimes close to punk, so we like to call it punki-pop, or punk for kids.

The band members are four Spanish young boys, handsome and responsible. Our favourite colour is pink.

Who are you influenced by and what music are you enjoying at the moment?

It’s not easy to think of another band that sounds just like us. Maybe the Ramones. Yes, there’s them and us, but it’s hard to decide which is better :-)

Anyway, we’re four members and each one has their own musical taste. Some only listen to pop, others rock, and our drummer has decided to never listen to music again to concentrate on his things.

I’d like to recommend some Spanish bands. You already know that there is an excellent indie pop scene: La Casa Azul, Cooper, Zipper and other bands that played at Indietracks previously. But there are also some great punk pop bands with a Ramones vibe such as Fanta, Airbag and Arny Division (check out their myspaces!)

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

Most of all, we wanted to be in this festival cause of envy. Zipper told us how much fun they had last year and we wanted to be part of it.

Also, it’s the first time we’ll play outside our country. We’ve played in every corner of Spain, but it’s the first time we’ll play in England! We’re reviewing our English notes, because we happen to be the four worst English speakers ever together in a band. (This interview wouldn’t have been possible without Google Translate!).

We are very excited about playing in a train station too, even though we have to admit it’s not gonna be our first time! In Burgos (Spain) there is a pub called ‘The Wagon’, and the stage is an old wagon. It’s starting to be a regular part of our career.

Do you have any surprises planned for the Indietracks festival?

We’ve always tried to make our shows different (and when we haven’t tried, it still happens). I guess it’s because we try to compensate our lack of playing skills with fun and crazyness. For anybody who doesn’t know us yet, we invite them to check us out on youtube, and see some of the strange things we’ve done. Of course, for this event we promise to plan something spectacular.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

We’re working on our second album that will probably be recorded in NY in August (after performing we’ll take a train from the Midland Railway Centre). It will be our last gig before the new album comes out so that makes it even more special. We’ll play the best songs from our first album, and the best of what we’re planning. We’ll unveil a new show, some new songs and a new image too!

Besitos and hope to see you all there! Here’s our last video, dedicated to our favourite Spanish actress. (I’m the cool blonde one, the one that sings!)



Ace - thanks David!
xxx

Monday 19 April 2010

Indietracks - fun for all the family!


Young Ted Metcalf prepares for this year's Indietracks...

Sam Metcalf, author of our fave indiepop read  A Layer of Chips fanzine and long-time Indietracks fan, explains why he'll be bringing along his son Ted to the festival this year......

(Us? Jealous of a seven-month-old? Never...)

****************************************************
Last year, in my gushing, over-dramatic review of Indietracks, I wrote that the festival is the sort of place you could take your grandparent, and s/he'd end up chatting someone if you had to go to the bar/loo/llama farm. This is of course true. But what is also true, is that you can take your kids to Indietracks without the being subjected to a three-hour windchime workshop, or have their senses dulled by a million jugglers called Tristan or Balthazar or Moonpip.

Last year my wife attended Indietracks heavily pregnant. But that was fine, because just about everyone you meet at the festival is hardly going to run around with their elbows out, screaming: "Last one to see the Just Joans is a Los Campesinos! fan!". That's partly because if half the audience broke into a canter their arms would fall off in shock, but mainly because everyone at Indietracks seems to be there to have fun with people they know or half-know. They don't want to cart around pretending to be cool or looking for something or someone to hate. Nah, if you want to do that you can "do" Glastonbury, or any one of the number of obnoxious, dull corporate-sponsored festivals that blight the summer these days.

Going to Indietracks is a bit like going into your local pub; you can go and sit on your own and eventually, someone you sort of know will come and sit down with you and have a yarn about how amazing the Hi-Life Companion's impromptu acoustic set was on the platform just now, and whether you saw it or not. Then this person will give you a bag or pork scratchings and a pint of Harvest Pale and ask you for £3.50. Well, maybe not that last bit.

But all this is why I'm so looking forward to taking my little boy to Indietracks this year. Not only will we have a bountiful supply of babysitters that will look after him when we want to go and see The Specific Heats, but because he'll be doused in a friendly atmosphere that will surely mean he'll have a good day, and not scream all the way through Standard Fare. Plus, he will be introduced to the gentle pleasures of indiepop llamas.

So, if anyone prospective parents want to get in some all-terrain nappy-changing practice, just make like a Bisto Kid and follow your nose. We'll be waiting.

Erm....thanks Sam! We (might) see you in the nappy field!

**********************************************************
If you'd like to bring your children along to Indietracks, under 2's are free and  2-13 year olds have free admission to the festival but a railway ticket must be purchased. These can be bought on arrival at the railway, costing £6 day / £10 weekend. For children 14 years and above, a full price ticket is required.

Thursday 15 April 2010

Indietracks interview #3: White Town

Photo: Ian Watson

Jyoti Mishra has been releasing records as White Town for over twenty years, starting with the self-financed White Town EP in 1990. At the time, White Town was a full band and even played gigs with Primal Scream, before becoming a one-man project. White Town released three EPs and an album on the Parasol record label in the early 90s before achieving worldwide fame – and a UK number one hit – for the home-recorded single ‘Your Woman’.

After brief flirtation with the world of major labels, Jyoti returned to self-releasing records, including the 2000 album ‘Peek and Poke’ and the 2006 album ‘Don’t Mention The War’. Fiercely independent, often political and a regular Indietracks attendee(!), we’re delighted to be able to ask Jyoti some questions.


Hi Jyoti, you've been releasing music as White Town for twenty years now. What do you have planned in the near future and will you carry on forever?

Twenty-one: our first gigs (back when it was a band and not just me) were in 1989! The first single was in 1990, though.

As for plans, I'm just going to keep making music. I've been a songwriter for the last 28 years so it's kind of a habit for me. It's also a refuge and an escape tunnel. I want to keep pushing myself as a writer, there's always a gap between the Platonic song in your head and the idea made flesh. Reducing that gap is something you do over the years but it only ever approaches zero, never reaches it.

I love music. It's the best thing ever.

We've seen you described as techno-rock, folk, electronica, bedroom pop... how would you describe your music and how has it changed over the years?

I make pop music. Most of what I write is song form, short, with lyrics, choruses and is about my everyday life. I don't make challenging music, I don't care what fucking time signature or tuning something is in, that's irrelevant for me. A three chord trick and some deviant lyrics and I'm happy.

Admittedly, only one of the hundreds of songs I've written has ever become an actually *popular* pop song. The rest are unpopular pop songs. :-)

If you look at my tags on Last.fm, you'll see that some people think I'm pretty much everything. The only one I really take issue with is Britpop. Yuk!

You're fiercely independent musically, recording everything yourself. Why is that? Are you ever tempted to collaborate with other musicians?

I will always record White Town totally by myself because I couldn't hand my song over to someone else to engineer / produce. I've been recording for so long that I know what I want and I know how to achieve it. Why put someone else between me and that, even if she/he is a great producer, they're not me. I could maybe work with a telepath?

On the other hand, I often get other people in to play shit that I can't. On the last album, I was in a weird place in that I wanted no-one else on it at all. Just me. I took this to such an extent that I gender-bent myself into a girl for the backing vocals on 'I Was Trotsky's Nun.'

But this coming album, who knows? It's all over the shop stylistically, from synthpop to shoegaze to pop-punk so maybe I'll get some better musicians than me in. Which won't be difficult because I'm very average on all the instruments I play.

As for collaborations, as I'm such a humourless hard lefty, it's a politico-philosophical minefield. Unless the would-be collaborator agrees that China is a deformed workers' state rather than state capitalism or some other nonsense, how can we write love songs together? And what about sex? Can they build their own orgone accumulator? Cloudbuster?

So you see, unless they embrace both 'In Defence Of Marxism' and 'The Function Of The Orgasm,' collaboration would end in a ruin of doctrinal squabbling, tears and improperly ejaculated bodily fluids.

Again.

You don't play many gigs - what would tempt you to play live more often?

The right people. I agreed to play a gig for Mattias Cosy Den when he asked me in 2005, after more than a decade of not playing because he was and is a good egg. His email moved me. Anarchist, passionate, loving, real. He's uncool in the same way as I'm uncool - we're both massive geeks. As much as it sounds like I'm being facetious in my political rambling in the previous answer, I don't want to work with Tories or apolitical fucks. Life is way too short. I want to connect with people live, to be able to see people's faces and enter into some kind of dialogue. When the wrong people put on gigs, that connection gets lost. When the right people put on gigs, it becomes the heart of the experience. The gigs I've played for Mattias are still the best I've ever played in my life. Really. If it wasn't for his email to me in 2005, I wouldn't be playing Indietracks this year. He re-affirmed my faith in the possibilities of live performance.

I would rather play in someone's front room than a "proper" venue, I'd rather play to five people into what I'm doing than 200 people who aren't that bothered, I would rather be told secrets than sell records.

A few years ago you played in Sweden and loved the welcoming indie scene there. Is the UK getting any better and what can we learn from Scandinavia?

As I've said before, there are good people everywhere and in the last couple of years, I've met some lovely UK peeps. But, from my experience, the scene in Sweden does *generally* seem less cliquey and far more welcoming. I realise there are probably Swedes reading that last sentence and getting irate but that's what I found. And to bring up the 'P' word again, it's a political scene. After the first Cosy Den gig, the kids I was talking to were arguing with me about straight edge, Dworkin, pop song narrative structures - all the stuff that fascinates me. A gig should be a provocation, it should open up both the performer and the audience to new perspectives. That's what's happened at every gig I've played in Sweden and Finland.

Ummm... asking what the UK needs to learn from Scandinavia implies that there is in fact something *objectively* lacking with the UK indie scene. I can't say that's true. Could it not be that I'm just a better fit over there than over here? Believe me, I'm quite used to being the weirdest person in the room, metaphorically and literally. I don't expect that everyone else should put themselves out to make room for that strange.

Do you think it's easier or harder for new bands to be independent and get themselves heard today?

It's a question of mindset. If I'd discovered a way to make my own CDR in 1990, I would have been amazed. If I'd had access to programs that could design album sleeves, master music, put together a pop video, I would have fainted. But the ubiquity of such tech often makes people think its products are therefore worthless. I'm always surprised there aren't more CDR labels. Or fanzines. Or indiepop videos. Maybe it's a version of Adorno's dour take on Benjamin's loss of aura: the ease of reproduction has led to lassitude, a lack of the actual urge to produce? Or the revolutionary potential therein?

The tools are there if you want to pick them up. It's never been easier, from the production side. You don't need a label to actually make music and get it onto iTunes.

But getting it heard... that's another story.

You had a UK number one - do you think the pop charts mean as much as they used to?

Nope. Objectively, they can't do if you look at the sales figures. That being said, I was insanely happy when Tinie Tempah and Rihanna had the number one and two spot recently. Best top two in years!

What do you think of Wiley's version of Your Woman, which made the top 10 earlier this year?

I really like it. I like his lyrics and I've liked Wiley as a rapper for a while now, from his grimier days. I listen to more UK hip hop than I do UK indiepop, to be honest. I was gutted when Braintax buggered-off to Australia. :-(

You've promised some surprises for your Indietracks performance. Can you reveal anything for us? Will you be playing with a band on this occasion?

I'm keeping Mum for two reasons: first, that I might not be able to get it to work. Second, that certain personnel might be unavailable. That's all you'll get from me, copper!

You've been to a couple of Indietracks before, including the first festival in 2007. What have your highlights been from the festivals?

The best thing about Indietracks is the possibility of surprise. I'll freely admit that I had heard but hadn't loved Butcher Boy before seeing their set last year. Didn't hate them or anything but nothing had connected. Then they played and I was converted. They were so true and real and dark and just breathtaking. I found myself grinning through their set like a pillhead.

And then Cats On Fire came on and took it all even higher. I love the way the mainstream shit music press doesn't understand them at all, they spew lazy Smiths comparisons (they're ripping off Felt and The Monochrome Set, motherfuckers, at least get it right!) and then they take to the stage and get the whole Indietracks crowd dancing and whooping. That was a beautiful thing to see.

The first year, I have great memories of gigs in the Church: Arthur & Martha were ace and it was the first time I'd ever seen Horowitz. Warm, glowing synthpop and beltsander guitarpop, they were fabulous. I've also got a huge soft-spot for Teenage Fanclub so seeing them play last year was special.

And that's just the bands! Dancing at the indiepop discos, meeting international indiekids, celeb-spotting, the model railway layouts, sitting in the cafe having a chip cob, falling in love with random passing girls... ahhhh!

Ahhhh indeed! Thanks very much Jyoti, see you at the festival!

Tuesday 13 April 2010

Love Is All and The Pooh Sticks added to the line-up!



Acclaimed Swedish punk-pop group Love Is All and legendary pop mavericks The Pooh Sticks have just been added to the Indietracks 2010 line-up.

Love Is All have picked up plaudits for their blend of art punk and indie rock since they formed from the ashes of indiepop group Girlfriendo in 2005, and their new album ‘Two Thousand and Ten Injuries’ is an unconstrained and celebratory affair, combining punk guitars, saxophones, disco beats and melodic harmonies.

The Pooh Sticks have reformed exclusively for the Indietracks festival. Forming in the late 80s, the Swansea band started out by using ramshackle pop charm to lighten up the indie scene. They then released a series of well-received albums with a more expansive power pop direction.

Over 40 indiepop bands from across the globe have already been announced for the festival, including Ballboy, White Town, Standard Fare, Allo Darlin’, Shrag, The Smittens and Veronica Falls.

There’s now less than four weeks left to pick up weekend and day tickets at early bird discount prices. These cheaper prices are available until Friday 7 May (the day after the UK general election!).

Tickets are available by visiting www.indietracks.co.uk/tickets.html

xxx

Friday 9 April 2010

Indietracks interview #2: David Tattersall



We're expecting to announce a couple more bands for the festival next week! In the meantime, here's the second in our series of interviews with this year's Indietracks artists.

David Tattersall is the lead vocalist/guitarist of The Wave Pictures, who you'll hopefully remember from their fantastic set in the sunshine on the outdoor stage at Indietracks in 2008. At that point, The Wave Pictures had just set everyone's world's alight with their poetic indie-pop-folk-rock masterpiece 'Instant Coffee Baby', which still remains a firm favourite here at Indietracks Towers, along with its follow-up 'If You Leave It Alone'.

David's debut solo album 'Happy For A While', was written and recorded in Berlin during the spring of 2009 with the assistance of Clemence Freschard and Stanley Brinks. It's due for release in April 2010 on Where It’s At Is Where You Are Records, with eleven brand new songs, not available anywhere else. The label released a free, digital download single of the album’s title track on 1 January 2010, which is still available.


Hi David, what music are you enjoying at the moment?

I have been enjoying the songs of Allen Ginsberg. There is a double cd avaliable of his songs, called ''First Blues''. It isn't all good but the best bits are so great, that's been my favourite discovery in ages. There's three he did at a session in the 60s I guess, with Bob Dylan in the backing band that are fantastic, particularly one called ''Vomit Express'' which is about travelling to Puerto Rico. I have also recently been enjoying Otis Redding. A great compilation I picked up on vinyl called ''Dock of the Bay'', which contains that amazing song. Little known Chuck Berry albums from the 1970s, ''San Francisco Dues'' and ''Bio'' have also been on my turntable a lot lately. No one ever mentions these but they are great, if you ever see one, pick up a copy. And I just discovered Jimmie Rodgers, the 1930s country singer, and I know I'm going to be listening to that a lot.

Tell us about an unusual place you've played a gig in the past

I just played a very unusual gig with my band The Wave Pictures in a country and western bar in Orlando, Florida. We played our songs for fifteen or so guys in cowboy hats, who seemed completely indifferent. The next act was a Hank Williams covers band, who kind of shouted. Now, I love Hank Williams, but these guys were not so hot. Anyway, we bombed, and we didn't get paid. It was pretty dispiriting. But funny. Everyone was very friendly, but it did remind me somewhat of that scene in The Blues Brothers movie where they try to play a country and western bar and end up having to play ''Stand By Your Man'' to not get bottled off. People were pretty kind to us in contrast, but I think they felt a bit sorry for us or thought we were weird or something.

What exciting plans do you have for the rest of this year?

Exciting plans... I am excited that my solo album ''Happy For A While'' is going to be released on vinyl. Getting anything on vinyl makes me happy (for a while) and I'm particularly pleased with this album and glad it is coming out.

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

Well, I'll be coming to Indietracks on my own, and my closest brush with real superstardom was when I met Timmy Mallet as a child. He hit me with his mallet. My main hobby, without wishing to sound like I'm writing a lonely hearts column, is probably reading, or listening to records. I am generally lazy when it comes to hobbies.

What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?

I have some tapes to listen to with some friends on them. Something really great, if you can ever get to hear it, is Adam Cotton and Howard Hughes. They just made an album called ''The English Are Leaving'' that I like a lot. They don't have a label, but maybe people can still find that music on the internet. I don't know. But I made a tape of those guys. I also listen to a lot of old rock and roll, blues and country. I like making tapes of vinyls. I made a good tape of The Rolling Stones the other day, I guess I could take that to Indietracks.

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

Well, I played before and I really liked the atmosphere, the small size of it and the location. I liked a lot how peaceful it was. I don't like festivals generally, the queues and the crowds and the noise, I find it pretty stressful, but not Indietracks, that's a nice one.

Do you have any surprises planned for Indietracks?

Well, I'm playing on my own for the very first time. Completely solo, no band. And I really don't know how to do that. So, it will be a surprise for me. I have no idea whether it will be boring and I imagine I might be very nervous. For me, it's quite an exciting thing to try to do. We'll see what happens. But at least the people who come to my show will see someone have a go at something new.

Thanks David!

If you'd like to see David play solo before the festival, he's playing a Club Fandango / Fortuna Pop! night with Allo Darlin' (stars of year's Indietracks!) and Darren Hayman (star of Indietracks 2007 and 2008!) at the Borderline in London on Thursday 15 April.

xxx

Sunday 4 April 2010

MJ Hibbett covers Allo Darlin' for Indietracks!

We hope you're enjoying the Easter break! We spent part of the weekend travelling through the countryside (via Derbyshire, but sadly not past the Midland Railway) in the sunshine listening to the fantastic new Allo Darlin' album on repeat. It really is beyond brilliant, and we really can't wait to see them at the festival in July! 

And, of course, we're equally looking forward to MJ Hibbett and the Validators returning to the festival. We think 2010 might be Mark's fifth appearance at the festival, which is impressive as this is only the fourth time we've held it! Anyone who's chatted to Mark recently (or read his blog, or stood anywhere within earshot of him at any given point over the last fortnight) will probably have heard him raving about the Allo Darlin' album too.

We jumped at the chance when Mark offered to record something special for the blog, and we're delighted to share with you his version of Allo Darlin''s (is it correct to add a possessive apostrophe to a name that already ends in an apostrophe?) new single Dreaming. Thanks very much Mark - we love this cover and we're really impressed with the seeing-double illusion in the video!




xxx