The Hotrats at The Troubadour

Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey gave their energetic and entertaining take on some of their influences at The Troubadour last night. From psychedelia to glam, from punk to post-punk, they worked through a set of inventive covers. Highlights were great versions of 'Love is the drug' (Roxy Music), Bowie's 'Queen Bitch' and The Kinks 'Big Sky'... The only song that didn't work for me was The Sex Pistols 'EMI', where Steve Jones chunky layered guitars were replaced by an ineffective acoustic that was lost behind Goffey's (Keith) Moon-like assault on the drums... They finished with a little ditty called 'Caught by the fuzz' - now that did sound like the original!

Année érotique

Trailer for the Serge Gainsbourg biopic, now titled Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque)... The release has been overshadowed by the death of actress Lucy Gordon which I wrote about here...

Toy Robot and The Fresas at Mr T's Bowl...

The Antiques were pleasant enough alt-country, however they were neither 'alt' or 'country' enough be memorable... They want to be The Band but doesn't everyone these says? Everest do it better...

I haven't seen The Fresas for a while and I was a little disappointed compared to previous shows - kind of ragged and unrehearsed... However, even on a bad night they have a certain charm and one new song in particular (Veronica) was excellent. The Fresas still have the potential to be an East LA version of The Bangles but do they want it enough? Judging by last night I'm not so sure...

The Fresas

Toy Robot were very good. I didn't get past the first song on their MySpace page which is a limp MGMT facsimile but live they were an altogether more interesting proposition. Some glam guitar - shared boy/girl vocals and tight harmonies presented an enjoyable, if somewhat poppy, set...

Toy Robot

RIP Teddy Pendergrass

The singer, who found fame as singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes before launching a successful solo career, was 59...

RIP Jay Reatard

The garage punk musician from Memphis (born Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr) was 29...

The Happy Hollows at The Mint

I enjoyed support band One Trick Pony, who sounds like what The Dears would sound like if they were into Dexys rather than The Smiths. I like their image - trendy geek (which is a refreshing change from hipsterdom) and singer Randolph Williams III was accordingly dressed as an airline pilot. He has a pleasant chilled demeanor and sounds a little like Sondre Lerche...

The Happy Hollows are currently enjoying 15 call minutes of fame as poster children for Samsung, but proved they weren't stuck inside of mobile with the memphis blues with a storming set. Highlights were TV favorite 'High Wire' and an incendiary closing couplet of 'Lieutenant' and 'Tambourine'. After handing out some vinyl to the kids (oh to be young...) they came back on for the driving 'Delorean'. Great show...

One Trick Pony
















The Happy Hollows

The Rhone Occupation at Spaceland

I think I'm getting to grips with the new camera - I even got a couple of shots of The Rhone Occupation facing the audience which is no mean feat. Apart from a shyness that is criminally vulgar, the pacing of their set left a little to be desired - after a spritely opener things came to a brief stop with the slow Radiohead-esque 'Would It Kill You To Talk This Out' coming far too early in the set... Anyways, TRO picked up the pace and finished strongly. Kevin Bronson seems to like them, but then he likes everyone doesn't he?

Before TRO were the garage rock chics Wet and Reckless, who I didn't hate as much as I was expecting. Their sixties pebbles sound owes a little to the Velvets, but apart from that had few redeeming features. I have to say the drummer is appalling but that's probably the point isn't it? Whatever, at least I have a new pickup line - "are you wet and reckless?"

JUJU cover

I just finished the artwork for the new JUJU compilation cd... The project spec was 'something with Saturn and a disco-ball'...

Exquisite Corpses...

Warpaint's 'Elephants'. In other news, Warpaint will be covering 'Ashes to Ashes' for Manimal Vinyl's David Bowie tribute featuring artists such as, ahem, Duran Duran...