Matt & Kim, The Whip, The Breeders and Top Shop!

I attended my first Pool Party at McCarren Park Pool of the season this past Sunday. We walked in as The Whip was on stage, whose music I hadn't heard before. Their sound is electro-indie rock [is there an official name for this genre yet?] with very simple lyrics that mostly consist of getting trashed and things of the sort---I enjoyed it!

Next up was Matt & Kim. They brought on a school band for a rendition of Beyonce's "Crazy In Love," and "Yea Yeah" which I think lacked the dancey punch that the recorded version has. Matt's banter in between songs got kind of irritating at times, nonetheless they put on a good show...but I wouldn't pay to see them live.

Last and not least, the Deal sisters took the stage in all their legendary glory with The Breeders. They [like Matt & Kim], seemed genuinely happy and appreciative for the outpour of support from the fans. They played an array of old and new material that seemed to make the crowd very happy. I personally would have loved to have heard a cover of "Gigantic" but knew it was 100% doubtful from the start.

Also kicking off their upcoming domination of the American retail market was Top Shop/Top Man! I was so excited last year upon hearing the news of the UK-based company's new Soho residence and the time has finally come. Photobooths were set up along the deck of McCarren Park Pool and free gifts were given to people patient enough to wait on the line [Men got free Towels/bags and the ladies got a free tank top.]

The Breeders:





The Whip:


Matt & Kim:




«More Pictures From The Pool Party 7/13»

Mid-Summer Outdoor Party at the Yard

This past Saturday The Yard hosted the Mid-Summer Outdoor Party, an all day event in the super-residential neighborhood of Caroll Gardens.

We set up shop, laid out on the picnic tables with our smuggled-in six packs [shh] and enjoyed sun, sounds and sights. There were two stages on either side of the yard, Ponytail took the main stage earlier in the day but High Places was the only band to play the raised stage with the cool graffiti backdrop...high places.

Ninjasonik also played an impromptu 10 minute set to fill in the a gap while High Places set up, I even spotted John Norris beside me giggling at their naughty lyrics. The rest of the line-up included:
ONEIDA, HIGH PLACES, TITUS ANDRONICUS, Shy Child, Chinese Stars, Ponytail, Telepathe, Vivian Girls, Abe Vigoda, Knyfe Hyts, Soft Circle, Soiled Mattress and the Springs, Chairlift, Ninjasonik.

High Places.

Ninjasonik.

The Yard at sundown.

Some crazy dude who just got stage and started performing after closedown.

«More Pictures From The Yard»

Gordon Moakes Will Not Join Bloc Party on Tour

An email was sent to Bloc Party fans this morning with disappointing but understandable news from Gordon:

Hello dear friends and comrades

A little bit of news for you ahead of the US tour, our first tour in some eight months. To have been away from the winding road of touring so long is a pretty big deal for us, considering we've spent most of the last four years playing our skewed R'n'B meltdown with barely so much as a pause for a cup of tea between shows. But the time has come to stretch the gig legs and break out the spandex once more.

Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to join the boys during the next month or so of touring. The reason for this is that my wife is expecting our first baby in a few weeks and after some long hard thinking we all decided, band included, that it was a bit silly for me to be flying round the world at such a critical time in the pregnancy. No one wants me to wind up in the wrong continent should there be any complications or should the little one decide to put in an early appearance. So while the other chaps are jetting around the Pacific Rim I will be buying the groceries, attending ante-natal classes and generally preparing myself for the cloud of unknown that is becoming a Dad.

In my stead we've been schooling a friend of ours, Daniel Lindegren (aka Tommy Sparks), in the ways of the Bloc. For the next few weeks Daniel will be doing his best to cover my portfolio of bass, keys, buttons, knobs and things that go 'clonk'. He is more than proficient at many of these things so I can't see it marring anyone's enjoyment of the Bloc Party experience while I'm away. All being well, I will return to reclaim my mantle around the end of August, possibly bringing with me some profound wisdom as a new father, if not a complete lack of sleep.

Keep on rockin' young 'uns

Gordy. x

Last Shadow Puppets NYC ticket update!

Tickets for The Last Shadow Puppets at Grand Ballroom NYC (pictured left) on October 30 go on sale TOMORROW AT 12PM!

See this page for details.

My Drive Thru Music Video

YAY or NAY

Go over to Converse's official site for more info on this campaign.

Cold War Kids at Prospect Park

On Friday June 27th, I attended the Cold War Kids' free concert on the Bandshell field of Prospect Park in Brooklyn. A few friends of mine arrived early, sprawled out on prime lawn real estate of the stage, an impromptu picnic (I brought the wine of course.)

Sam Champion opened the show setting the overall mood for a pleasant evening in the park. The Cold War Kids took the stage at about 8PM bringing everyone to their feet. Lead singer Nathan Willet's gut-wrenching voice transferred from mp3 to the stage beautifully. My favorite performance was Hospital Beds since it is my favorite track off of Robbers and Cowards. I enjoyed the show and would definitely see them once they come around again for LP #2.

«More Pictures: The Cold War Kids»

MP3: The Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up To Dry (Ingo Star Cruiser Mix)

Death Cab For Cutie debut "Cath..." video

Read my review of their June 10th show at McCarren Park Pool here.

New Bloc Party Track!

After several ambiguous emails and bulletins from the band telling fans to tune into Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show today, the viral countdown is clear. Bloc Party has unleashed some new material from their upcoming release in the form of Mercury! THOUGHTS?

The Cure at Madison Square Garden

After the much-delayed 2007 tour, legendary act The Cure finally hit the stage of Madison Square Garden on June 20th [and Radio City Music Hall the following night.]

The show opened with "electronic-rock" band, 65daysofstatic at 8PM and The Cure promptly began their set at 9PM to a jam packed hard-sell venue. Concert-goers ranged from early fans now in their mid-adult years to teenagers decked out in gothic gear a la Robert Smith.

The setlist ranged from all of your old school favorites, b-sides and new material from their upcoming release. At 11PM, the band teased the crowd with their first of three finales until finally wrapping up just before Midnight. Robert Smith's voice was impeccable throughout their
3 hour, 35-song, 3-encore set. I've excitedly checked them off my list of bands to see before I die.

«More Pictures: The Cure at MSG»

Who would steal Ian Curtis' gravestone?

Today was one of those days when an act so utterly stupid and disrespectful makes me wonder what's wrong with people?
The memorial stone on Ian Curtis' grave (left) was stolen from Macclesfield Cemetery late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

It seems that some people think just because someone is or was a public figure or famous person, their homes, belongings and even graves become public domain.

The BBC article mentions the fact that there's been a renewed interest in Joy Division and it is indisputable that over the past year the band has been the focus of the most attention since their demise almost 30 years ago what with album reissues, Anton Corbijn's Control and Grant Gee's Joy Division. This attention renders both good and bad effects apparently. The good being that more people, like myself admittedly, are turning from being peripheral appreciators of Joy Division's music to actual fans by learning what they were all about and recognizing their importance, and not seeing them as just a means to the New Wave phenomenon that was New Order. The bad being that horrendous acts like grave robbery happen. Is this the ultimate collector's item?

There's no CCTV in the cemetery so let's hope it doesn't take too long to restore the site.

A Morning with Modest Mouse

The morning of June 19th I received an email from Live Nation and Oh My Rockness listing a Secret impromptu Modest Mouse concert in Williamsburg following their opening gig with R.E.M. at Madison Square Garden. Alas, the show sold out before the emails were even sent in 5 minutes! Luckily, a friend of mine got her hands on a pair and we were off to The Music Hall of Williamsburg at midnight.

It was strange seeing people lined up from midnight until almost 1:30AM when the doors finally opened, passerbys begging for extra tickets every few minutes. The stage hands took a long time to set up, an obvious sign that the band isn't used to playing small venues anymore, and the show began one hour late at 2:30AM.

We had a perfect spot against the stage RIGHT in front of Johnny Marr!

My absolute highlight of the show was Tiny Cities Made of Ashes...the band rocked out without apology. Issac ran up to us, licked his guitar, shouted in our faces, jumped into the crowd with mic in hand and began pushing people around while Johnny Marr's on stage solo put us in a trance. Isaac's live voice and on stage antics, along with Johnny Marr's undeniable talent made my lack of sleep for the next workday [and the Cure concert that same night] worth it! It was great to see a band of their stature play a spontaneous show until the wee hours of the morning and only charging $20 a ticket AND waiving Ticketbastard charges.

«More Pictures: A Morning with Modest Mouse»
Johnny Marr Solo I shot [not the best quality]

Quentin's Blogspot (The Teenagers)

The Teenagers just posted a bulletin on Myspace with a link to Quentin's blog page featuring candid pictures of the band on tour and being fun. The answers are here...

http://quentintheteenagers.blogspot.com/

Last Shadow Puppets to Play NYC in October

Alex and Miles will travel Stateside this fall to play one show in LA and one show in NYC on Oct. 30 at The Grand Ballroom. Ticketmaster hasn't put up any information on the NYC show yet, but the LA show goes onsale this Wed. Will be checking back often. Also, is The Grand Ballroom a seated venue? This worries me. The boys will be touring w/ their string section I presume and it makes sense to have a seated venue but ughhh the stress of getting a "good" seat. If anyone's been to this place, let me know what the deal is.

I do feel bad for the fans in the rest of the States but I think these are just warm up shows on the tail end of their UK/European tour and we should expect to see more of them very soon. Unless they are touring as a novelty act and don't intend to give the project the time and funds that would be needed for a full US tour.