R.I.P Crystal Castles

This week the news that Alice Glass has left Crystal Castles, breaking up the duo broke. Ending it with a tweet, Glass wrote: "For a multitude of reasons both professional and personal I no longer feel that this is possible within CC"

And so within 140 characters, it came to pass that one of the boldest and most exciting music projects of the late noughties ceased to exist. Whilst it's important not to get too bogged down in hyperbolic "I CAN'T LIVE ANYMORE" stuff , one should take a moment to reflect on the life of Crystal Castles and appreciate what they brought to the table.

To the outsider, Crystal Castles were basically that band who sounded like a video game with some girl screaming. To the initiated, Crystal Castles were a relentless electrical typhoon of excitement. Ethan Kath commanding the storm from his synths with Alice Glass surfing it on her sadistic-punk screams and eyeliner. Crystal Castles created a sound so original that it was hard not to get involved. The music produced across all three albums is utterly captivating.

A short amount of time on Youtube and you'll realise just how upsetting it is that in the foreseeable future, there will be no more Crystal Castles shows. Alice Glass is so full of energy, commanding the stage and your attention by making it impossible to ignore her. Whilst she's still going to be around, it's a shame that we won't see her in the Crystal Castles context again. I would've loved to have seen them whilst they were still around and it's quite sad that the chance to do so has gone. Just look at their Glastonbury 2008 set and feel sorry for yourself because you weren't there...

In their time as Crystal Castles, Alice Glass and Ethan Kath released songs that should now be regarded as anthems for this generation. Tunes like Baptism and Untrust Us are firmly cemented as modern classics. I, II and III contain some of the most innovative, interesting and excellent All good things have to end at some point but it's always sad when they do. Especially when that thing is as twisted, violent but strangely beautiful as Crystal Castles.

The Rock n Roll Saviour Complex

Total Wanker

If you were to judge the current state of music just by reading any issue of NME from the last two years, you'd have a couple of deep rooted and strong misconceptions: the Arctic Monkeys are the only band in the world; Oasis should headline every festival and Alex Turner is not a wanker.

However, the most important mistaken principle that NME and others rely on these days is the idea that rock music is dead and constantly needs to be saved. This crazy, over-exaggerated hype has reached a climax recently with Royal Blood's debut LP getting to number one in the UK charts. The most recent issue of NME has Royal Blood on the cover, being described as being the band "giving British music a kick up the arse". Throughout their feature NME hype them up, calling them a "genuine rock phenomenon", mentioning "amazing results for rock in recent weeks" at Radio 1 and implying that Royal Blood are going to kick off a huge new wave of guitar music.

Slightly Moronic

It all sounds very familiar. Just take a look at Alex Turner's douchey speech at the Brit awards. The whole premise of that stunt was based on creating an image that the Arctic Monkeys are the saviours of the genre. Just read this stupid as fuck article by Sergio Pizzorno from Kasabian: http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/kasabians-sergio-pizzorno-british-rock-n-roll-needs-to-up-its-game. What's happening here is a capitalisation of the apparent lack of any "rock band" leading the music scene and using it to sell records. This is what I like to call the Rock n Roll Saviour Complex.

This is a confusing ploy used by the likes of NME to sell their magazines to an increasingly middle-aged readership. The reason NME constantly declares rock to be dead is partly because their definition of it is stuck in 1996. In 1996, Britpop arguably turned the clocks back for the rock n roll guitar group in quite a detrimental way. A focus shifted entirely away from creating something new and fresh and straight onto creating something that harked back to a bygone era. This was cool whilst it lasted but when a generation of guitarists grow up thinking that Noel Gallagher is the best role-model they have, the future begins to look bleak...

The truth is though that despite Britpop, decent guitar music never died and has always been around. It's just that it's changed and looks different now. The same rock n roll spirit of punkish rebellion with a youthful focus is alive and has never been better. This is the same spirit that was once owned by bands like the Rolling Stones and the Who. Punk came along and the Sex Pistols and the Clash took it. The Smiths had it, the Stone Roses had it, Nirvana had it, even Oasis and the Arctic Monkeys once had it. The counter-cultural rock n roll spirit never went away, it just changed shape. Saying it did is just lazy.

Fat White Family are awesome

So which guitar acts have this kind of spirit today? Like everything else good, they're in the process of breaking out of the underground as we speak. Until you see Fat White Family live, it's impossible for you to fully understand just how good a state rock n roll is in today. Their pure punk spirit, dressed in scuzzy fuzzy guitars and their sleep deprived appearance means that this Peckham collective are probably the best young band on the planet. Unlike almost every other band today, Fat White Family's music has a point to it. Everything from the cynical band name to frontman Lias Saoudi's frequent comments about how shit something is, Fat White Family scream rebellion. They play by their own rules and abide by no-one else's. Their shows are filled to the brim with raucous energy (and even nudity). They are the embodiment of the rock n roll spirit in 2014.

Mac Demarco with bros

On the other end of the spectrum, but still in the same category is Mac Demarco. Some of the best guitar work of the last few years has come from this Canadian singer. He's written some of the twangiest riffs in recent memory but it's his attitude and personality that separates him from the crowd. Utterly unpretentious and genuine, Mac is a totally unique package. Like the Fat Whites, he is best when live. He's got a reputation for being wild and drunk live but more recently he's toned it down slightly, being able to rely more on the strength of his songwriting. His carefree, footloose aura that doesn't give a crap is much more aligned with the spirit of rock n roll than anything that's declared itself to be this year. Like all good music, Mac speaks for a generation. A generation who really can't be bothered with the bullshit and would rather just wear ironic baseball caps and chill their own way. Judging by the growing cult of Mac Demarco around the world, it's clearly resonating with plenty of people.

Sleaford Mods probably embodies the spirit far better than any guitar group today. They're a rap/shouted word act but there's a ton of rebellion in Jason Williamson's lyrics. They've captured the voice of pissed off, austerity Britain and deserve every bit of praise they get. Divide and Exit has to be a contender for best British album of the year.

This is perhaps the greatest flaw with the Rock n Roll Saviour Complex: it distracts from the acts that embody this timeless, youthful spirit in modern times. The same spirit that bursted out of the hacked off and frustrated solo of You Really Got Me by the Kinks. The spirit that still exists in the screams of Lias Saoudi and Mario Cuomo of The Orwells. In its place, the commercial, soulless "indie" stands in the limelight. Bands who are rock only in name.

Royal Blood's new album is decent, don't get me wrong. Those songs are well crafted with some really good riffs. The sound Mike Kerr gets from his bass guitar is incredible as well. It's decent music, but there's no way it's giving anything a kick up the arse. It's basically really high-quality pub rock, which is good but it just doesn't capture the right vibe. Definitely Maybe caused such a riot when it first came out because Oasis wrote songs about escaping the shit and making it. Liam Gallagher's voice encapsulated that rock n roll spirit perfectly. That's what it's meant to be like. Constantly declaring it dead in order to resurrect it isn't going to do anything other than appeal to stupid people.

Everyone will work it out in time. No-one will be talking about AM or Royal Blood in a few years, but there might be a few decent discussions about Salad Days and Champagne Holocaust. The smoke and mirrors don't last...

I mean, they're pretty good for what they are

Who should win the Mercury Prize?

Well it's this time of year again when 12 more British albums from the last year get picked out and a group of people choose which one is the best. Of course, they aren't the big albums you'd expect, they're more "left-field" choices that you wouldn't have thought of. Previous winners such as Primal Scream and the Arctic Monkeys went on to achieve greater things after winning. Others like Speech Debelle and Gomez have...well...not. It's questionable what exactly winning this prize offers...but nevertheless it still inspires some decent thought and discussion.

So who's going to win?

Damon Albarn is the biggest name in the shortlist. The Blur and Gorrilaz man put out his first solo album this year in what was a decent offering with a couple of niceish moments. However, personally speaking I think this album should never have received a nomination. Whilst it's quite nice, it's far from Damon's best or most interesting music. To justify such a big name for this prize, the music has to be even better, simply due to reputation. In this case it isn't justified. Sorry Damon, I really like your stuff but I don't think this is your year...anyway don't
you object to the Mercury prize? The word albatross springs to mind...can't remember why...

Bombay Bicycle Club are the second biggest name in the shortlist and their album So Long, See You Tomorrow essentially just sounds like classic Bombay Bicycle Club: kinda nice, kinda boring middle of the road music that fails to interest or excite...but nice enough to hear on the radio. Like Damon Albarn, I don't think this should have ever been nominated but this time it's because it's not actually that great an album...I don't think it has any real chance of winning anyway.

I don't particularly think that much of Nick Mulvey either. Similarly to BBC, his music is perfectly pleasant but doesn't particularly excite or move me in any way. I personally wouldn't have nominated him but his presence doesn't really irk me too much.

Two jazz albums have been nominated for the prize, which don't have any chance of winning but it's important to have them in the list for diversity's sake. Gogo Penguin's album v2.0 is a very relaxing, chilled out listen with some really nice rhythms and grooves. Polar Bear's In Each and Every One contains plenty of space within, and is well arranged. Both albums should be given a chance by everyone and hopefully the exposure that comes with being nominated will help both groups. There's no way they'll win though...

Young Fathers put out a pretty alternative hip-hop record out with some really good production on it. The lo-fi R&B sound that they have going on is well worth a listen. A pretty solid nomination that should hopefully get this group more exposure.

Anna Calvi is no stranger to the Mercury shortlist, having been nominated in 2011. Her album One Breath is one of the stronger nominations, with it being a deeply personal affair, filled with interesting arrangements. Sound-wise, Calvi is one the more stand-out nominations. Image-wise, Calvi is easily one of the coolest on this list. A lot of passion and feeling comes across in One Breath, making this album a deserved candidate for the prize. This isn't my personal choice to win it but if it did, I certainly wouldn't object.

East India Youth put out one of the buzziest albums of the last year, causing a bit of a storm amongst the indie music internet community. Total Strife Forever makes an unsurprising appearance in this list and is bound to appear on more "best of year" lists. This is some of the more exciting electronic music from 2014, catching the attention of the likes of Brian Eno. This album contains one of the most exciting listens from Britain, being experimental and with each track sounding new and fresh. This album should be receiving serious consideration for the prize, though William Doyle finds himself amongst fierce competition...

This is who will win

If FKA Twigs doesn't win this I will be very very surprised. Her album LP1 has received rave review upon rave review upon rave review, and frankly, it deserves all of them. LP1 has an incredibly unique sound, resembling no-one else but FKA Twigs. Filled with intricate, layered production, perfectly complimenting her hushed voice, creating a remarkably complete vision. LP1 is eTwo Weeks create their own worlds which you get lost in. Weird, sexy and undeniably futuristic, FKA Twigs is who I predict to win the Mercury prize 2014.
asily the sexiest record on the list. Songs such as

That being said, it isn't impossible that the panel will instead opt for Jungle's self-titled debut. Most of the music press seemed to focus on the whole "mystery" aspect of Jungle when this album came out, failing to fully address just how fresh it sounds. Jungle is a cracking album, jam-packed with grooves. Like FKA Twigs, Jungle have carved out quite a unique sound. Unlike FKA Twigs, Jungle's stuff is really fun to dance to. For this reason, Jungle have become one of the best live bands in Britain today. I thoroughly recommend witnessing their 7-piece live band in the flesh. Any album which can produce a song like Drops should always be regarded as notable.

Royal Blood are probably the most commercially successful group on this list this year, selling 66,000 albums in the first week of its release. It's one of two albums on the shortlist to get to number one (Bombay Bicycle Club being the other). Their year has been very big for the heavy rock duo from Brighton, with their Reading set being one of the most exciting of the weekend. What was intriguing from that set was how large the crowd was and how into their songs everyone got. Considering they had only released three singles at the time, this kind of pulling power is worth noting. Sound-wise, it's pretty trad. heavy rock. One of them bangs the drums really loud whilst the other plays big riffs and sings lyrics that don't really mean anything. There are some really tight songs on this album and considering Mike Kerr gets that sound from a bass guitar, it's definitely worth a mention on any "best of 2014" list. That being said, due to the lack of innovation or freshness, Royal Blood shouldn't win.

This is who should win

My personal favourite on the list has to be Kate Tempest. Everyone Down has the best lyrics on the shortlist by a country mile. Tempest is a really impressive poet and Dan Carey's excellent production compliments perfectly. The contrast between her Reading set and Royal Blood's was huge. Royal Blood filled the NME/Radio One tent, the second biggest stage. Tempest played to a half-empty Alternative stage. Despite this, there was no doubt in mind whose music was the most appropriate for Britain in 2014. It is key to remember that this award is for the best British music, especially when considering someone like Kate Tempest. She isn't someone who plays up her nationality but her record is distinctly British. On the shortlist, nothing is as relevant or as thought-provoking as Everyone Down. I don't think it'll win but in my mind it should.

The best British album this year

One notable omission from the shortlist this year has to be Sleaford Mods and their album Divide and Exit. To quote one YouTube comment, Sleaford Mods have "blown a new arsehole in British music". Divide and Exit is the essential soundtrack to Coalition Britain. The brilliant rant-raps really tell it as it is. This album has a definite conscience and soul. Nothing is a relevant as Sleaford Mods are today. That being said, there is a sense that they're better off without the pressure of winning this award. The duo have expressed on Facebook and Twitter that they feel like they've dodged a bullet too so I'm not too upset at their omission. That being said, if this award is supposed to be for the best British album of the year, they've messed it up by not nominating the best British album of the year.

This year's shortlist is a strong one as Mercury Prize shortlists go. I'm fairly certain FKA Twigs will win but I would love it to be Kate Tempest. If LP1 does win though, it'll be thoroughly deserved.

Your new favourite band: Tonstartssbandht

In a musical world full of pretenders and imitators, true mavericks are hard to come by. However all this really means is that when you find a couple, they stand out from the crowd like no others. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you: Tonstartssbandht.

To some people these guys may be familiar as the fellas who live and sometimes play with Mac Demarco. Guitarist and singer Andy White has even plays in Mac's band occasionally. Always showing great personality in their Mac-related moments (like this brilliant q&a) , it's often far too easy to forget their own music...and what a crime that would be...

Originally hailing from Orlando, Florida, these two brothers (Andy and Edwin) play a kind of music that can frankly only be described as Tonstartssbandht "boogie rock". There's no real other way to do it. Their 2009 album contains a fair amount of lo-fi synth work with highlights being 5ft7 and the incredible Black Country.

However more recently the instrumentation has tended to be Andy on a 12-string guitar with Ed on drums, both singing vocals soaking in reverb. It is with this set-up in a live setting where Tonstartssbandht are best. This year's release Overseas (available for whatever you want on their bandcamp page http://tonstartssbandht.bandcamp.com/album/overseas) is an album that shows this to be the case. Made up entirely of various live recordings from gigs (you guessed it) overseas. In some sense this is a live album but rather than being one concert, it's more of a collage. The opening Alright Medley showcases Andy and Edwin's brilliant musicianship to great effect but also their ability to create such a large expansive sound with just two instruments and voices.

This song has a glorious jig to it. This song is also a great exploration of sound, making it one of the most interesting songs to be released this year. Other tracks show other sides to Tonstartssbandht, for example First Taape, a fantastically gritty lo-fi guitar anthem. Black Country also makes a welcome appearance.

Tonstartssbandht's sound is an exciting melding together of a number of different sounds without sounding like any of them. At times they're atmospheric, at times they shred. They're metal, they're country, they're synth-pop, they're lo-fi garage rock, psychedelic rock and definitely blues but all they really are is boogie rock.

Rather like their contemporary Mac Demarco, Tonstartssbandht have a sound that is difficult to define. Like Mac has "jizz jazz", these guys have whatever they want to call it. Unlike Mac, their music is for creation of new sounds rather the personality and fun. The plethora of styles and variations on show in an album like Overseas is fantastic and makes them even harder to pin down, thus making them more of a maverick group.

For all the experimentation and awesome sounds, Tonstartssbandht are in essence two excellent and unbelievably admirable musicians who work together in a truly exciting way. This is the reason their live recordings are the best. The chemistry in their performances is breathtaking. For any aspiring guitar/drum duos, the video below is a must-watch. Watching musicians creating sparks in such a way is one of the most captivating sights in the world. For some reason there isn't that much of it in today's music, making Tonstartssbandht even more exciting.

Hello Operator @ The Spread Eagle, York, 09/08/14

Whilst garish northern hens and loudmouth stags infiltrate the pubs and clubs of York in swarms, local lads and potential hometown heroes Hello Operator take to the stage at The Spread Eagle. What they're offering is also loud but very, very different. This pub-cum-music venue is today the home of the Oxjam music festival and whilst admittedly small, the crowd is in a festive and excitable mood. One punter leans over and tells me that this band are being sent to Reading and Leeds by BBC York and are reportedly being looked at by CBS after a very buzzy EP came out earlier this year. This would explain the knowing anticipation that was beginning to fill the room.

They played a classic desert rock, sleek-yet-heavy power set, shaking the veins of the crowd. The band utilised all of their biggest riffs (which are very big indeed), swaggering through around half an hour leaning on their EP Blood Stained Bill. Whilst starting slightly quiet and almost nervous looking, frontman Max Dalton gradually began to find his voice as the set went on, beginning to really ooze cool by the end. Musically, Hello Operator are a standard Josh Homme-influenced desert rock quartet. If you think Humbug is the best Arctic Monkeys album or you think Royal Blood are the best band around today, you may enjoy these guys.

This was by all means a very warmly received hometown gig, playing to friendly ears. Halfway through one number, Dalton paused a song to rouse the pub to sing happy birthday for his friend before returning to playing an earth-shattering riff. This gesture was a high point in a set otherwise filled with huge guitar lines and and excellent rhythm section. Despite appearing to be an unassuming lanky white guy with as much rhythm as a coffee table, Robin Elliot is an extremely promising bass player and is one of the group's greatest assets.  

The set highlight had to be their rendition of Wiser Than a Fool from the aforementioned EP. The "oosh...sha-la-la-la" had Kasabian-esque swagger and it's not had to imagine a tune this big occupying a much bigger stage in the near future. I definitely have hopes of one day being able to proudly brag that "I was there in 2014 at The Spread Eagle". With the likes of Royal Blood getting a lot of attention these days, Hello Operator may find things moving quite fast for them if their BBC Introducing stage set goes down well.

 

British Summer Time Festival, Hyde Park, 5th July- Libertines etc

Yeah I know it was a week and a half ago but...


I was there for the Libertines primarily but got there early to make a day of it. After all, there were some other decent bands on and it cost £55...

The Last Internationale 7/10
This was the band that I knew least about before the gig. In fact, I knew nothing about them so it was quite fun to have them introduced to me like this. It was 1.30pm and the Libertines weren't on until 8.45pm so understandably, there was quite a thin crowd for this fairly unheard of band.

Musically, The Last Internationale are a pretty no-nonsense basic rock and roll band. Donning leather, the New York four-piece injected a classic rock into the ears of the small crowd that had gathered. Singer Delila Paz had bags of energy and charisma, oozing passion onto the otherwise fairly apathetic and already drunk audience. I suspect that they would've gotten a much better reception in a smaller, indoor venue full of people who weren't only interested in getting really smashed for the Libertines (more on that later).

Walking off after shouting "free Leonard Peltier", it became clear that The Last Internationale have a clear political message, unlike so many others among their contemporaries. I liked what I heard and I'm looking out for more.

The Enemy 8/10
After a break, we came to the main stage band of the day that I had heard of. It was pretty appropriate to have The Enemy play today, frankly due to how indebted they are to the Libertines. Quite a big crowd gathered for their performance showing that really, scheduling them this early was frankly a bit stupid. Their 45 minute set impressed and demonstrated how they're a band that can touch many people. The first flares of the day were seen during Away From Here and Tom Clarke's chat was good (although he might have said "fair play" a bit too much). The highlight of the set was unsurprisingly the best thing they've ever written: We'll Live And Die In These Towns. The crowd, full of people from towns like Coventry, where The Enemy hail from, to whom the song clearly meant a lot. It was a solid set that really should've gone just before the Libertines. I think they proved themselves to be the perfect warm-up act for the Libs.

Maximo Park 4/10
These guys were shit.

Before their 4pm set I only knew them in name so I was fairly prepared to be open-minded. They drew a sizeable crowd, slightly smaller than The Enemy but respectable. The tunes were fairly middle of the road, not really moving me to feel anything but indifference, the marker of average music. I might've been more sympathetic but frontman Paul Smith just really pissed me off. His hat was stupid. His singing was average. His chat was awful. He had the charisma of a Cbeebies presenter and he really annoyed me. Mind you, plenty of middle-aged white people around me were getting really into it so maybe I have the problem...but it's a problem I can live with.

Spiritualized 8.5/10
By 5.25pm, the crowd were well on their way to getting properly shit-faced for the Libertines. This was reflected by the relatively thing gathering for minimalist, psychedelic drone collective Spiritualized, with everyone opting to join the outrageous queues for beer. The queues at this point were so long that people were actually buying a pint, rejoining the queue, finishing it by the time they reach the front and buying a new one.

It was their loss because Spiritualized were awesome. Mammoth tunes like Come Together and Hey Jane showered down from the sound-system, bathing Hyde Park in glorious psychedelic spiritual goodness. I was personally mesmerised but it struck me as a strange booking for the day. This crowd was donning t-shirts of Arctic Monkeys, Stone Roses and Oasis, not Spacemen 3, Slowdive and MBV. I spotted several parka jackets, many moddish haircuts and even a few Oasis tattoos. No-one here was really in a mood for some actual, good music. This was shown when large portions of the audience started singing along to Aka...What A Life! when it came on over the PA straight after the set.

I bloody loved it though.

The Pogues 7/10
Unsurprisingly, there was a big draw for the celtic-punk legends and everyone was clearly really into it. The Pogues showed up and did their thing and it was great. They were pretty solid and they met expectations, playing all the classics like The Irish Rover and set highlight Dirty Old Town.

The main thing that most people gathered from this performance was just how unhealthy Shane MacGowan looked. He was a one-man anti-drinking advertising, hobbling up to the microphone and pottering off after a few songs to have a little rest. Luckily, his style has always been a sort of drunken mumbling so he still sounded pretty fine. However, he remains a bona fide legend and was greeted with great affection throughout the set, thought it's now affection for an old uncle rather than a punk hero.

The set was briefly halted by someone suffering from cardiac arrest near the front. This was only to be the one of several problems throughout the day for the organisers...

The Libertines 8/10
And finally, the main act!

Ok my opinion of this reunion has changed quite a lot. I've gone from

To "wait...this happened four years ago...haven't they got enough money? The last reunion provided closure and was super emotional. They made a film and everything! Plus they haven't put out any new songs since then and they're being flanked by massive "Barclaycard" logos, they're definitely just doing it for drug money...isn't it totally against the spirit of the Libertines to do a big 60,000 people park show the night before McBusted do one? What the fuck is this? The Libertines weren't built for "legendary veteran" status like the Rolling Stones were...this is going to be shite..."

And then when I got my tickets I went straight back to

All cynicism left when they walked on though and I remembered what was happening: the Libs were back and about to play my favourite songs to me! Opening with a shambolic rendition of Vertigo, the magic began again and it was all going to be ok...

But then halfway through Boys In The Band, the crowd troubles started. In a bizarre turn of events, Peter fucking Doherty became the health and safety officer, getting people to move back. Things started getting really squashed where I was as people started moving about crazily trying to get out. Some people were genuinely distressed and it was a bit shocking to see. This constant stream of people moving about meant I missed The Delaney trying to stay on my feet and not die. They had to stop again soon after and a lot of speculation over whether they would be able to continues arised.

Frankly, it was a total shambles. By this point there was a mad mixture of distressed girls trying to get out, butch men being nobs and really really drunk people who just weren't helping the situation at all. Massive fights were seconds away from breaking out at times and tensions were high. At times there were whiffs of Hillsborough and it was not comfortable. It was hard to breathe and hard to move at all. Staying upright became the primary occupation of the mind and it was a real struggle.

In 2014, this sort of thing should not be happening. 

I 100% do not buy the argument that these things are caused by the crowd. The BST festival organisers should hang their heads in shame at just how much they fucked this up and be really grateful that it didn't go worse as it was really fucking close to being a total catastrophe. It could have been far more than 38 injuries and 8 hospitalisations. 

In 2014, this should not be happening. 

Mind you, the Libertines played a blinder.

As a band on that stage, the Libertines reminded everyone why they had paid £55 to come and see them on an overcast/drizzly afternoon. Once the initial crowd troubles finished, they relaxed and played all the favourites, including a rendition of the Babyshambles song Albion, with Carl symbolically singing along. After a third interruption caused by naked people climbing the delay tower and a raucous I Get Along (a true anthem), Peter and Carl closed by reciting Suicide In The Trenches by Siegried Sassoon. It's long been a Libertines staple but in the centenary year of WWI, it was a really nice touch. Really nice.

All in all it was a great gig. Shame about how badly it was organised though...a real shame. Especially as that's the only thing the media ended up reporting. Hardly anything was said about how great they played. I didn't really learn much new but I had fun.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Roundhouse, London 01/07/14

For a band who once seemed to be forever doomed to just being in the "interesting story" category for hipsters and pitchfork, selling out the Roundhouse in London was always going to be a big deal. At the very least, it should be noted just how far Anton Newcombe and psychedelic circus have come. They are no longer playing at small bars to a handful of people, but playing for crowds well into quadruple figures. And they aren't just playing for them, they are truly mesmerising them.

Ok I was always going to love it. As you can see from my previous post about the BJM (over here http://tinyurl.com/p2ew56u) as well as the fact that this blog is named after one of their songs, I'm a dedicated follower. I had been waiting for this gig for a long, long time. Frankly I would wait twice a long just to see them play like that again. Greeted with a hero's welcome from a capacity crowd, the band launched straight into the showering Whoever You Are and the awesome Who? setting a mighty precedent for the rest of the night. The setlist was a healthy mix of old and new with the BJM unafraid to drop What You Isn't into the show early. In general, all the new songs from Revelation got really good reactions, a good indicator of how well the album has been received. Everyone already knew every word to Goodbye (Butterfly) and Food For Clouds, showing that they're not just here for retro value.

In fact, my personal highlight of the set came from Revelation. Frontman of Les Big Bird and featured vocalist in the album Joakim Åhlund was welcomed onto the stage for Vad Hände Med Dem. Anton informed the crowd that this could've been the final performance of this song in Swedish. I really hope for future audiences that it wasn't because it was an absolute belter of a live tune. Joakim sings it so well, commanding the stage with a mean swagger, plus it's got an incredible driving groove. For me it's this song that proves the BJM still keep on putting out incredible music to this day. It was ready-made for the 21st century psychedelic mosh pit, and what a mosh it was.

The crowd at the Roundhouse on this Tuesday night key to the occasion. It was an eclectic mix of young hipster types donning peruvian ponchos and a few middle-aged folks who'd been with Anton since the beginning. All of them had one thing in common: they were members of the greatest musical cult of all time. There were some real characters from the wide-eyed, crowd-surfing crazy girl waving glo-sticks to the prick with the feather in his fedora who stood in front of me for portions of the gig. This made for one of the craziest and coolest mosh pits to grace the Roundhouse in a while. For someone like me who had become obsessed with the music without seeing them live, it was hard for me to imagine just how mental the crowd could get. It turns out that Not If You Were The Last Dandy On Earth is the greatest lose-your-shit song ever composed. It was at that point that my friend and I were swamped in and separated, also making it the point that I lost all my inhibitions and temporarily reached nirvana.

For me, this gig was monumental. It was a total shifting of the goalposts. Until Tuesday night I honestly thought that I was the only person in the world who was properly into them. After all, I don't really know many other BJM fans personally. To be there in a room of 1,700 people, all singing every single word of The Devil May Care (Mom & Dad Don't), all of them having gone on a similar journey as me, discovering the band one day and becoming properly obsessed. To be surrounded by people demanded songs like BSA and Miss June 75 was incredible. I never knew that anyone else knew about them! Personally, it was a breath-taking experience. No-one would ever be able to achieve the same feeling with a mainstream, commercially successful band, there's nothing as special about it.

Frankly, they destroyed it. They absolutely tore down the Roundhouse with their huge sound and unbelievable back-catalogue. They commanded the crowd, even without playing arguably their biggest song Straight Up And Straight Down, known for Boardwalk Empire fame. If you ever get the chance to see this band, grab it with both hands and never let go because it was just awesome.