Be There: New Year's Eve in NYC and London

Are you looking for the best way to ring in 2009? New Year's Eve is too pressure-filled to ever fully enjoy so if none of your friends want to risk losing the deposit on their apartment by having a ridiculous party, check out one of these NYE parties in NYC or London. None of them will break the bank and they all get the TLC stamp of approval!

LONDON:

NYC might have the most famous celebration in the world, but London's no slouch. You can party on the Thames and in Piccadilly Circus for free, but here are some options if you're willing to shell out some sheets:

Bugged Out! New Year's Eve with Erol Alkan, Simian Mobile Disco, Brodinski, Surkin and more @ Fire, Parry St, London,SE3 Cost:£25/ £35
Advance tix here.

Club NME New Year's Eve Ball @ Koko w/
headliners, Reverend and The Makers, and
featuring TLC faves and interviewees,
Pete and The Pirates.
Cost: £27.50/£32.50
Advance tix here.


NEW YORK:
No one in his/her right mind (or any real New Yorker)would brave Times Square on New Year's Eve. When the choice between Ryan Seacrest and Carson Daly becomes unbearable, the below party will give you the most bang for your buck:

SPH Presents: 2009 with Andrew WK, TLC favorite Lissy Trullie, Gang Gang Dance, Lemonade and much more! @ Santos Party House
Cost: $50 adv./$65 drs./$20 after 4am
Advance tix here.

CSS and SSION at Webster Hall

CSS and I have had a string of missed connections over the years, All Points West being the most recent. I finally got to catch the Brazilian Cansei de Ser Sexy ("tired of being sexy") last week at the recently uber-popular Webster Hall.

I arrived at the gig just in time to catch SSION's naughty, smokey burlesque show that even had CSS in shock and awe from the VIP room. I enjoyed SSION's in your face stage antics but apparently a few foreign exchanges at the gig did not (see TLC's Concertgoer Wall of Shame.) In the same vein of Heloise & the Savoir Faire and Ms. Lady Gaga, SSION delivers the beats, the visuals, the giggles and stage presence.

Amidst a surprisingly young crowd, CSS took the stage and blasted through a crowd friendly set consisting of a jarring light set, glitter storms, balloons, and feather masks. CSS put on a show: runway sets, crowd surfing and a massive migration toward the stage. Not since seeing the fan boy cult of Morrissey did I see such an exodus toward the stage. I think even Lovefoxxx was over it after the 10th stage attempt. What can you say though, storming the stage is practically the ultimate form of flattery.

MP3: SSION - Street Jizz or zShare
MP3: CSS - Let's Reggae All Night or zShare

«More Pictures of CSS and SSION at Webster Hall»

SSION

Concertgoer Wall of Shame: CSS and Ssion at Webster Hall

TLC's second edition of the Concertgoer Wall of Shame consists of the two classy broads below. During CSS's opener, SSION they felt the need to exclaim their HATRED toward the up and coming artist and give give the finger throughout the entire set. Once again, this is grounds for the wall of shame (to be put it nicely.) So here you go, if you see these two be prepared.

Cat Power to Play The Apollo Theatre

Cat Power has just announced a return to New York for a 2-night gig at Harlem's Apollo Theatre on February 6th and 7th. Tickets are on sale tomorrow, 12/24 at 10AM.

Cat Power: February 6th & 7th at 8PM at the Apollo Theatre.

MP3: Cat Power - Peking Saint (Rollercoaster Project Remix)

TLC Playlist: Holiday Stress

The holidays are stressful. Especially when the pressures of work, shopping, traveling and unpredictable weather are all involved.

In an attempt to get out those sour feelings and make room for the holiday cheer, I've put together this playlist. Whatever you can't handle now can be dealt with next year.

[photo]

MP3: Santogold - Anne or zShare
MP3: Air - Playground Love or zShare
MP3: Friendly Fires - Strobe or zShare
MP3: Mazzy Star - Be My Angel or zShare
MP3: New Order - Age of Consent or zShare
MP3: Hercules and Love Affair - Iris or zShare
MP3: LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends or zShare
MP3: Gwen Stefani - Cool (Photek Remix) or zShare
MP3: The Pixies - Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf) or zShare
MP3: Scarlett Johannson - Anywhere I Lay My Head or zShare
MP3: Florence & The Machine - Hospital Beds (Live) or zShare

Bloc Party 2009 Tour Dates

Promoting the commercial success of Intimacy, Bloc Party is once again hitting the road at a venue near you. Check out the guys on their tour outing this spring.

March 24 - Terminal 5, New York NY
April 11 - Olympia, London (SOLD OUT)
April 12 - Olympia, London

MP3: Bloc Party - Talons (Acoustic) or zShare

Free Blood at Le Poisson Rouge

Check out Brooklyn's Free Blood next month at the gorgeous Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan. The band will conclude their short West Coast tour on January 16th at Le Poisson Rouge. Click HERE for tickets.

Self Titled Magazine: Oscillations w/ Free Blood, Justin Miller (DJ sets) and Special Guests: Doors at 10, event at 11. $10.

MP3: Free Blood - Quick And Painful (Hot Chip Remix)

TLC 2009 NYC Concert Picks

Check out our picks for the gigs announced and on sale so far in the first quarter of 2009:

Ida Maria: Mercury Lounge, NY

Thu, Jan 15, 2009 07:30 PM
$10

Frightened Rabbit: Bowery Ballroom, NY

Sat, Jan 17, 2009 08:00 PM
$13

The Black Keys: Terminal 5, NY

Fri, Feb 6-7, 2009 07:00 PM
$30

Razorlight: The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, NY

Tue, Feb 10, 2009 08:00 PM
19.50

Noah & the Whale: MHOW, Brooklyn, NY
Sat, 02/21/09
$15

Mystery Jets: Bowery Ballroom, NY

Tue, Feb 24, 2009 07:30 PM
$20

Cold War Kids: Terminal 5, NY

Fri, Apr 3, 2009 07:00 PM
$22

The Presets: Webster Hall, NY

Fri, Apr 3, 2009 07:00 PM
$18

Adele: Roseland Ballroom, NY
Tue, May 5, 2009 08:00 PM
$32.50

MP3: Ida Maria - In The End or zShare
MP3: Cold War Kids - I've Seen Enough or zShare

Flight of the Conchords Season 2 Online Premiere

The wait is over, check out the online season 2 premiere of Flight of the Conchords at Funny or Die. Season 2 Premieres on HBO January 18th, stay tuned! Unfortunately this is US only but I'm sure you can find this on YouTube!

Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos

MP3: Flight of The Conchords - The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room (Live) or zShare

Morrissey will get Intimate with New York in 2009

On my way to CSS last night, I got blasted with texts that Morrissey announced his exhaustive 2009 Tour dates. But shock and excitement truly struck once I realized those shows would be at Bowery Ballroom and Webster Hall!

I must admit that Morrissey got a bit overzealous last year booking a 5-night residency at Hammerstein Ballroom, but it worked out to the advantage of many fans when the ticket prices dropped to $20 after sales slagged. Being my first (two) times seeing Moz live, I was pleased to see that he's still got it all: the voice, the charm and the stage presence.

Morrissey's new album, Years of Refusal is due for release on Feburary 16th in the UK and February 17th in the US via Lost Highway Records. The first single will be I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris, a song he debuted during the 2007 tour.

And once again, those Smith's reunion rumors are thankfully false.

Morrissey's 2009 London and NYC Tour Dates:

March 21 2009 Bowery Ballroom, NY
March 25 2009 Webster Hall, NY
May 26 2009 Mile End Troxy Ballroom, London
May 28 2009 Brixton 02 Academy, London
May 29 2009 Brixton O2 Academy, London
May 30 2009 Brixton O2 Academy, London

MP3: Morrissey - First of the Gang to Die or zShare

Mystery Jets Finally Coming to NYC

US Mystery Jets fans have been waiting for what seems an eternity for the band to tour the States. They have FINALLY announced a show in NYC at Bowery Ballroom on Feb 24.

Personally, I have been waiting over 2 years to see Mystery Jets. I caught them at the Shockwaves NME Awards Show at Brixton Academy in London back in 2006 where they played with We Are Scientists, Arctic Monkeys and Maximo Park. They were supposed to play in NYC a long time ago but ended up canceling last minute.

Their recent album, 21, is one of the musical highlights of 2008 for me and fastly becoming one of my all-time favorite records. Hearing and seeing these songs performed live is going to be truly magical.

ok ok enough gushing. I know it seems far off but DON'T MISS THIS SHOW! Tickets on sale this Friday (Dec 19) at noon.

MP3: Mystery Jets - Hideaway (Switch Remix) or zShare

Portishead Film, New Album & Tour News

Screening for the short film made by the band to accompany their single Magic Doors has begun screening across the UK. The London Curzon in Soho (one of my favorites) is among the thirteen independent cinemas screening the short film until January 2009. Read this article for more information.

And keeping the momentum going, looks like we won't have to wait another 10 years for the next Portishead record! According to this article from NME, the band is currently formulating ideas for album #4! Producer/instrumentalist Geoff Barrow told BBC 6music that the band had finalized the initial direction of the album, and were now looking at recording plans - plus new tour dates.

"When everyone's had a bit of a break, I think we're just going to plough onto it," he explained. "I think we're kind of there now. We've sat down and we've talked about the direction and stuff like that. Everyone seems really positive about it. And I think everybody at some point wants to get back out on the road, because we didn't really do an awful lot of live stuff."

I'm very excited with the news...as long as they add some east coast dates for North America this time!

MP3: Portishead - Threads or zShare

Merry Christmas from The Wombats!

Get ready for a jolt of Scouse holiday cheer...The Wombats have recorded a Christmas single! Is This Christmas is a cute little ditty with an even cuter video that sees the trio celebrating the joys of Christmas with a tinge of obligatory Wombats angst thrown in for good measure.

Watch the video and download the track below.

The Wombats' first release of 2009 will be another one-off single, My Circuitboard City, out Feb 23 in the UK.

MP3: The Wombats - Is This Christmas or zShare

The Official Wolverine Movie Trailer!

Geeks and comic book lovers: the wait is over! Enjoy the trailer for the film below. Hopefully it will be better than the three X-Men films. X-Men Origins: Wolverine opens May 1, 2009, can't wait!

MP3: TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me or zShare

Radiohead Prep Book for March Release

Radiohead's latest project is set to be a book composed of the band's earliest press interactions. Titled Radiohead: Interviews 1991-2000, the book also highlights "the band's many accomplishments in the realm of music and visual culture, the book [and] traces the band's evolution from album to album."


Enjoy the band's rendition of one of my favorite songs ever, Joy Division/New Order's Ceremony below!

MP3: Radiohead - Ceremony (Cover) or zShare

See Lily Allen at BBC Sound!

Heads up to Londoners, or those traveling to London in January. Use the info below to catch Lily Allen at a BBC Sound taping in London and listen to her cover of Britney Spears' Womanizer! Thoughts?

You'll need to be free on Thursday 22nd January, get yourself up to London and be available between 1pm-4:30pm. You also need to be between 16-21 years old. To be in with a chance to win these exclusive tickets email us at switchguestlist@monkeykingdom.com with your name, age and how many tickets you would like. Please put LILY ALLEN in the subject box of your email.

Source

MP3: Lily Allen -Womanizer (Britney Spears Cover) or zShare