Wednesday 13 February 2013

Dan In The Front Row Awards

Awards ceremonies always spark a lot of debate, as i watched The Grammys the other night i found myself getting really annoyed at all the awful music winning again and again. The musical taste of mass America is terrible; tame indie by numbers (Fun, Black Keys) boring, samey R n B and hip hop (Rihanna, Jay Z) and pop music so bad it could be used to counter terrorism (Taylor Swift). Our own Brit Awards always leave me despairing at the sort of music these ceremonies champion, Jessie J and Ed sheeran, Take That, JLS! Oh please fuck off. I think the only thing that is going to help the state of awards ceremonies is if i start my own ones. so here it is;

The Dan In The Front Row Awards

Best British Band: The Maccabees

Best British Male: Blood Orange

Best British Female: Anna Calvi

Best British Newcomer: Palma Violets

Best British Album: The Maccabess, Given To The Wild

Best British Single: Palma Violets, Best Of Friends

Best Video: Crystal Castles, Plague

Best International Band: Crystal Castles

Best  International Male: Jack White

Best International Female: Grimes

Best International Newcomer: Fidlar

Best Live Band: The Cribs

Moment of the year: Stone Roses at Heaton Park
 
Best British Festival: Great Escape Festival

Best One Day Festival: Field day

Best Foreign Festival: Benicassim

Music Icon: Iggy Pop

Best Film: Django Unchained

Best TV Show: Girls

Best Music Film: LCD Soundsystem, Shut Up And Play The Hits

Hero Of The Year: Frank Ocean

Villain Of The Year: Rihanna

I'm sure this will have you shouting at the screen so please feel free to contact me and give me your picks.

dannywoodlands@yahoo.co.uk
twitter: @DannyWoodlands






Monday 4 February 2013

The View @ Brixton Jamm 31/1/13


You have to give it to The View, they're still going, steadily knocking out decent albums year after year, ok, so maybe they haven't reached the heights of some of the other bands that broke around the same time, in terms of headlining festivals etc but what they have done is continually release good solid rock n roll and they still have a more than dedicated fan base as was proved by the number of people at tonight's acoustic set.
Brixton Jamm is a great place to see The View. It's a small, tight, rough round the edges rascal of a place absolutely brimming with character, you could pretty much describe the boys like this too, band and venue go together like cheese on a burger and it was this combination that actually got me out tonight, anyone that knows me will tell you i'm not a fan of acoustic, i find a lot of acoustic sets all very meh! If it aint plugged in i aint interested but tonight was very different.


We wisely made this a 'lads night' and since we had all been on the crazy numbers (1664s) since 6pm, by the time The View came on at 10.30pm we were all three parts pissed and ready for a sing song. Thinking about it, is there a better night than being with all your pals, few lagers all arms round shoulders singing your heads off to classics like 'Wasted Little Djs' and 'Superstar Tradesman' then losing your shit to 'Skag Trendy' and finally having a little swaying, lighters up moment to tear jerkers like 'Face For The Radio'? I doubt there is. The boys played a blinding set with these plus great songs like 'Nan's For Tea' and newer tracks including 'The Clock' with it's Fleetwood Mac vibes which i'm still loving.
Apparently they are finally off to have a crack at America and if i'm honest i don't know if the Yanks will get them, let face it, i've seen The View about 9 times and i still cant understand a word they say so God knows what the Americans will think but hey, if it doesn't work out me and the lads will always welcome them back here for a good old knees up.


NITTY GRITTY

Venue: The Jamm is perfect for me, a glorious little dive. The room the band plays in is nice and compact and even at the back you feel close to the stage, massive outside bit out the front for smokers and good quick bar staff
Drinks: Loads of decent beers on tap including Star and Kronenburg, fairly priced. Pleased.
Crowd: Great crowd, all long time fans ready to have a good time, really really good.
Are The View cool or what?: Yeah The View are cool lads, Kieran and Pete always look the business and while Kyle looks like a chimney sweep he gets points from me for staying true to his look which hasn't changed for years.


ACE FACE

Neil Henderson, 30, builder from Bexley heath


What did you reckon of tonight Hendo?
Yeah they gig was blinding, i didn't know what to expect but i was pleasantly surprised, the Squeeze cover was a gem. Great crowd at The Jamm as always, can't beat a night in sunny South London.

What you got coming up this summer?
Hoping to get to The Isle Of White Festival, that's always a good one, gigwise, i can't wait for Alt-J at Brixton Academy, that should be a highlight.

What new bands are you into? Got any tips for me?
New acts i'm loving right now are Palma Violets, Parquet Courts and Virgin Marys.

Finally, what was the last tune you played on your Ipod?
The last song i played... i'm proud to say it was Shakermaker by Oasis.

Great tune! cheers Hendo.


Contact me at dannywoodlands@yahoo.co.uk




Wednesday 30 January 2013

New Singles We Love



San Cisco: Wild Things

Foals: My Number

The Strokes: One Way Trigger

Little Green Cars: Harper Lee

The Cribs: Leather Jacket Love Song

Palma Violets: Step Up For The Cool Cats

Chvrches: The Mother We Share

Peace: Follow Baby

Saturday 12 January 2013

Palma Violets @ The Boston Arms, Tufnell Park, 10/01/2013


At this time of year the music press like to run their 'ones to watch' features and 2013 in particular is very exciting with an unusual amount of top new talent emerging, Bands like Peace, Haim, Fidlar, Savages, Swim Deep and Deep Valley will all be dropping their debut albums this year but the band topping all these polls and my personal faves before i had even seen them due to them operating out of Lambeth, my home borough are Palma Violets. The NME have recently named their debut single 'Best of friends' as the number one song of 2012 and their house parties at South London's 180 studios have already become the stuff of legend, we thought we better go and see what all the fuss was about.


I must admit i'd only heard about four tracks from the band before tonight's gig but after maybe half of their opener i turned to my missus and said "this is it, these are the real deal aint they?" she just looked at me with a massive grin on her face, sometimes you just know don't you, every now and then a band will just grab you, you can't explain it, you just feel it, instantly they've got you, it happened to me with The Libs, The Horrors, The Maccabees and now it's happened with Palma violets.
This was very, very special, i loved the Libs style dual frontmen thingy they do with Bassist Chilli and Guitarist Sam sharing vocal duties, you could see the chemistry between the two and the crowd buzzed off it, new Pete and Carl anyone? Drummer Will looks and plays like animal from The Muppets which is surely what we all dream of in a drummer and Pete's keys back most tracks with organ vibes that give them an instant old school classic feel. For the most part they are very tight and when they aren't it just adds to their ramshackle charm. It all just feels very natural and very real and this matters, i mean look at a band like Splashh, great tunes, great sound for sure but not a band to believe in, how many faux East London, 'look at me i wear the zaniest clothes and live in a bin in Dalston' bands do we really need? At tonight's gig The Palmas showed me that they mean it, for them it's about connecting with the fans, all in it together, They're a gang but a gang that wants you all to join in. They have got it all, the tunes, the look, yep, but they have that little bit of gold that most bands don't. That thing that tonight made a young lady get on her mate's shoulders and whip her bangers out, that thing that made the kids down the front storm the stage three, maybe four times. I mean, you dont get that with Alt-J now do you?


Setlist


Nitty Gritty

Venue: blinding, small, it's attached to The Boston Arms pub, just a big square room, good sound, hard to get to the bar but that's to be expected, next door to the tube, touch.
Crowd: mix of very young crowd surfing 'super fans' down the front and older curious types at the back.
Drinks: normal, nothing out of the ordinary to report.
Hair: Palmas look like they cut their own hair which is what i do, they look quality.

Ace face
Amie Lister,
Press/Booking agent administrator at Finger Lickin Management, 24, from Essex



What did you think of tonight?
Palma's were wicked, i hadn't heard that many of their songs but loved their sound so bought my ticket months ago. You could tell they attracted quite a young audience, probably due to their 'Best of friends' tune topping NME's poll which i agree is an absolute banger.
There were a few stage invasions, a few failed crowd surfs, girls getting their baps out, overall a decent night out and i'd defo go see them again.

What gigs and festivals are you looking forward to this year?
Festivals, i want to go to Meadows in the mountains in Bulgaria, Boomtown, Glastonbury and Secret garden party. Gigs i want to see include Jake Bugg, Cheetahs, Hey Sholay and i'd love to see The Black Keys again. 

What was the last track that played on your Ipod?
Oasis 'Don't look back in anger'. I've been listening to the 'what's the story morning glory' album recently which is easily one of my fave albums after 'The Score' by The Fugees!

Nice one, cheers Amie!

If anyone wants to get involved in Dan In The Front Row get me on dannywoodlands@yahoo.co.uk.






Thursday 3 January 2013

Gigs not to be missed this week.

Friday January 4th:
David Rodigan
Fabric 0207 336 8898


Friday January 4th
Mike Skinner DJ Set
Nest 0207 354 9993



Tuesday January 8th
Dutch Uncles
Memphis Industries (free party)
Shacklewell Arms 0207 249 0810


Wednesday January 9th
Jay Brown
Bright Lights Acoustic Sessions
Amersham Arms 0208 469 1499



Thursday January 10th
Palma Violets
Boston Arms 0207 272 8153






Wednesday 14 November 2012

Playlist


CRYSTAL CASTLES plague

PALMA VIOLETS best of friends

FIDLAR wake bake skate

PEACE california daze

THE VACCINES i always knew


Wednesday 29 August 2012

One In The Eye For My American Pie

My lovely missus is from across the pond and we like nothing better than affectionately trying to teach each other about each countries best music, i go on to her about all my beloved ska bands from the 80s and tell her why Blur and Oasis, The Clash and The Pistols are so important etc and as she smiles sweetly at me i just know she has completely glazed over and is really thinking about the next pair of Alexander Wang boots she is going to get. On the other hand i'll pretend i'm listening as she intelligently goes about explaining the ins and outs of Bay Area Hip Hop or American Folk music or A Tribe Called Quest when really i'm thinking 'i wonder if The Fox will be showing the Chelsea game'
In other words our musical tastes can be somewhat different at times but the other day i thought i'd cracked it, as i waited in the van to pick her up from work i thought about a band that i have been obsessed with since day one, a band inspired by all her favourite artists and a band that are so American that they should have carried the Stars and Stripes and lead out the American athletes at the Olympics. The band is of course the brilliant Gaslight Anthem. I stuck on their latest album and we pretty much listened to it all on our journey home, as we pulled up to the flat i eagerly asked her what she thought hoping that finally we could agree on a band, her response: 'nah, i don't love 'em, they sound like mainstream American radio music'!!!
GRRRRRRRRRRR, back to the drawing board, we'll get there in the end doll! x
In the mean time i bloody love them so here are some belters for me and everyone else that actually has ears.  
Oh and just so you know i like to describe them as the love child of Springsteen and The Clash which i'm sure would please them more than 'mainstream American radio music' ha!

"45"

Handwritten

The 59 sound

Old White Lincoln