A free download of the single “State Of Possession”, taken from the debut album Speak Through the White Noise is available on soundcloud or you can listen below:
State Of Possession by The New Regime

Video:

Only 22 years old, Rubin has been involved in the music industry for most of his life, picking up the drums at 8, and in quick succession mastering the guitar, bass and piano. Armed with a veritable musical arsenal, Rubin was content to cut his teeth playing drums in numerous outfits, including stints drumming for Welsh rock act Lostprophets and industrial rock pioneers Nine Inch Nails, which he credits working with a musician, Trent Reznor, whose precision and discipline complemented his own. “When I joined the band, I finally felt like, ‘Yes, this is the kind of organization I want to be a part of.’ A lot of work, and a lot of making everything perfect,” Rubin says of the experience.

Currently on tour in the States with Taking Back Sunday and Thursday, The New Regime is spearheading a new musical revolution, which is heading for UK shores in August 2011.

Catch THE NEW REGIME supporting TAKING BACK SUNDAY on the following dates:

21.08.11 Dublin Academy
23.08.11 Glasgow ABC
24.08.11 Manchester Academy
29.08.11 Bath Pavillion
30.08.11 Norwich UEA
01.09.11 Birmingham Institute
02.09.11 Southampton Guildhall
London date to be announced.

www.thenewregime.com
www.facebook.com/thenewregime

For those of you who haven’t read my first review, or not heard of the band, they are a four piece comprising of Ali Horn – Lead Vocals/Guitar, Louis Bransgrove – Lead Guitar/Backing vocals, Ellis Bo Fellis – Bass/ Backing Vocals and Tom Grant – Drums/ Backing vocals.

My first reaction when I got the venue was ‘Your having a launch party for an Indie band in a tea room?’ I was worried, the venue seemed small, and just not up to the task. I needn’t worry, I went upstairs, to a vast room where the band were rehearsing, the room could easily accommodate a few hundred invited guests and potential fans, which is lucky really, as this basically what we ended up with. There we’re a couple of warm acts, but of no consequence, as we were all there for one reason, the headline act.

They didn’t disappoint on the night, and put on a good show for the meagre £3 entry fee, that also came with a copy of the EP.

The EP itself contains 8 songs, the last 3 being demo tracks, and we’ll start at the top, it opens with ‘Keep Swimming’ a great opening bass line and a sound reminiscent of the Libertines, the chilling style to vocals in the opening track are not going to win any lyrical genius awards, but what they do, is they allow you to focus much more on the guitar, drum and bass work on show, which is very strong on this opening track and help to set the bar.

Next up, is one of the stand out tracks from my first review back in October, ‘Michael’ which at the time I cited, doesn’t sound like the finished article, goes a lot of the way towards becoming it into in this latest offering. Everything just feels more together, I don’t know what attributes this change, whether it’s a change to the way the band play the song, or just that the band have grown into it the more they have played together, but either way, this would go a long way to winning over many many fans.

The next track on the EP is ‘Naivety and Optimism’ which although not to be written off musically, does not showcase the band as well as others, it again has a cracking tune to it, and runs from beginning to end in an absorbing fashion, but fails to build on the ground work set by the opening two tracks and more importantly by ‘Michael’ . This is a bit of a malaise shared with 4th track, ‘Life and death’ which like it’s predecessor, is fine, but just wouldn’t make it to a potential singles list.

This is broken by the fifth and final track on my review list ‘Ready to fall’ a quick change in lead vocals for this track see’s lead guitarist Louis step into the front man slot, and his voice excels, the lyrics are apt, and almost like the soundtrack to modern Britain, dealing with the youth of today and the recession in a jovial yet way yet with a serious undertone. Whilst the song is musically brilliant, managing to keep you interested all the way through.

My overall impression of this band, and of the EP are hardly what I’d call precise, I really like the band, they bring together the best bits of their peers, in a genre filled with big names, like Morrissey and the Libertines, whilst still managing to remain original, they evoke emotion whilst allowing you to take a backwards step from the music. A CD that everyone should listen to at least once, and one I’m going to be actively recommending to people who ask me about my current favourite music.  Links to the side will let you buy this EP from iTunes or Amazon, but failing that, download Spotify and do your best, really, it’s worth your effort.

They have been confirmed for the main stage at Download Festival, but before that they will be joining Bring Me The Horizon/Parkway Drive/Architects on the following dates:

APRIL 2011
Fri 22nd April  Manchester Apollo
Sat 23rd April  Newcastle O2 Academy
Sun 24th April  Glasgow O2 Academy
Tue 26th April  Nottingham Rock City
Wed 27th April  Southampton Guild Hall
Thurs 28th April  Birmingham O2 Academy
Fri 29th April  Bristol O2 Academy
Sat 30th April  Brixton O2 Academy
MAY 2011
Mon 2nd May  Leicester O2 Academy
Wed 4th May  Sheffield O2 Academy

The Devil Wears Prada are: Frontman Mike Hranica  guitarist/vocalist Jeremy DePoyster, guitarist Chris Rubey, bassist Andy Trick, keyboardist James Baney, and drummer Daniel Williams, They’ve appeared on the covers of Outburn, HM, AMP, Revolver and Alternative Press and released albums in  2006  -“Dear Love, A Beautiful Discord” ; 2007 – “Plagues” and 2009 – “With Roots Above and Branches Below” .

“We’re lucky that we’ve had the success that we’ve had sounding the way we do,” DePoyster notes.  It’s sick to be able to keep doing that. I’m just trying to chill and not take it in too much or else I’ll freak out.”

The Young Veins ‘Take a Vacation!’ Debut album to be released in the UK 5th July, 2010

Free album track ‘Change’ below.

Ryan Ross – vocals and guitar | Jon Walker – vocals and guitar | Andy Soukal – bass | Nick White – keyboards | Nick Murray – drums

On The Young Veins’ debut album, Take a Vacation!, you will hear an outfit with both intellect and ambition – a band that knows exactly who they are and where they are going. As 23 year old frontman, Ryan Ross, re-imagines 60′s pop, tropicalia, old New York girl groups and fuzzed-out psychedelia to Nuggets-era garage rock and Stax-inspired soul, you will hear a band that is mature beyond its years and truly excited by the craft of songwriting– uncovering what came before and anxious to see what’s ahead. “We want to be good at our craft, whether it’s writing music or playing it live,” says Ross. “Jon and I just feel like a lot of bands have an either/or sort of feel – either they’re really poppy but don’t have a good vibe, or they have good vibe but the songs aren’t great. And we really wanted to avoid that. We feel like we’re trying to be the band that we’re missing right now.”

Ryan Ross spent his formidable years as the primary songwriter, guitarist and singer in Las Vegas’ wildly popular Panic! at the Disco, a band that rode to the top of the charts on dance-floor synths and impressive rock theatrics. However, over the course of two albums, Ross’s songwriting and musicianship began to evolve, mature and outgrow the stylistic bounds of the band. He and Panic! bassist Jon Walker had discovered their talents as a songwriting duo, and made the decision to step out on their own. Armed with new material, Ross and Walker made their departure, moved to Los Angeles, and formed what is now The Young Veins.

With Take a Vacation!, The Young Veins are that band. Recorded mostly live over the course of two short sessions at Castle Oak Studios and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles and produced by Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet) and Rob Mathes (Panic! at the Disco, Carly Simon, Lou Reed) – and featuring guest vocals/instrumentation by fellow Californians Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley), Danny and Michael Fujikawa (Chief) and Z Berg (The Like), the album is a stunning 29-minutes of deliberate and focused songcraft; concise pop and rock songs that embrace a dreamy California spirit but also epitomize Ross and Walker’s vast sphere of influence, ambition and artistry. “We wanted every song to have a different theme, like a specific subject,” says Ross, who splits songwriting duties with Walker, each helping the other hone and fine-tune initial ideas, finish creative thoughts and explore different stylistic directions. “We wanted them all to be little stories that you can picture in your head.”

From the first chord of album-opener “Change,” the record rocks, careens and rollicks through eleven songs, which grow and thrive amid Greenwald and Mathes’ minimal production. The band’s vital and vibrant in-studio performances, as well as their thoughtful use of impressive vintage gear, like the Wurlitzer, harmonium and Stylophone are lovingly interpreted for contemporary ears. From the breezy, fuzzed out pop of title track “Take a Vacation!” to the Spector-esque swagger of “Cape Town” and the jolting guitar of “Defiance” – to the gauzy, glimmering sheen of “Everyone But You” and the shimmering, “heels-over-head” love of “Lie to the Truth,” The Young Veins are an undeniably distinctive voice in music today, showing a knack for writing a timeless tune with a sweet, effortless delivery.

Take a Vacation! is both rousing and refined, boisterous and sophisticated, hard-hitting and full of heart. The album is a marriage of passion and perfectionism and through all of their songs ribbons a delight in melody. Take a Vacation! illustrates all that is special about Ross and Walker, gathering all their influences to create something truly exceptional.

TRACKLISTING –

1. Change

2. Take A Vacation!

3. Cape Town

4. Maybe I Will, Maybe I Won’t

5. Young Veins (Die Tonight)

6. Everyone But You

7. The Other Girl

8. Dangerous Blues

9. Defiance

10. Lie To The Truth

11. Heart of Mine

**Plus two exclusive UK tracks on the CD format**

| |

celebration of outgoing guitarist Darran Smith’s time with the band.

The welsh quintet intend to play breakthrough album ‘Casually Dressed
And Deep In Conversation’ in it’s entirety – plus a few extra little
surprises to keep the audiences on their toes.

As drummer Ryan Richards explains – ‘As sad as we are to see Darran
leave, these shows will be guaranteed to give him a great sendoff. We

played ‘Casually Dressed..’ in it’s entirety when we toured it back in
2003/4 and never really planned to do that again, but obviously with it

being Darran’s last shows it seems like a perfect opportunity to play

the record for the final time. Don’t miss it!’

And Darran himself chipped in with ‘I’m really excited about these
shows, it’s gonna be great playing the whole of ‘Casually Dressed…’
plus they’re gonna be some of my last shows with Funeral & I’ll be
goin’
out with a bang!’

Darren is leaving the band after this years’s Sonisphere Festival to

concentrate on family life, while FFAF are reshuffling the ranks in
time
for the release of album #5. Current bassist Gavin Burroughs is moving
to guitar, whilst Ex-Hondo Maclean/The Future bassist Richard Boucher
has joined on four string.

The shows in July, along with Darran’s final show at this year’s

Sonisphere Festival, promise to be absolutely spectacular, and a real
treat for fans of these stalwarts of the UK music scene.

Thu 22 Jul: Cardiff, University
Fri 23 Jul: London, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Hot newcomers Young Guns will be supporting Funeral at both these shows
but all other details of the evening are being kept under wraps for
now.

Despite boasting a recorded history stretching over two decades and rather enviably once being labelled ‘conceivably the most important band since The Smiths’ by a British press starved on homegrown originality in the early nineties, ‘No-Man’ frustratingly remain a forgotten footnote on the annals of modern Music. Twenty one years after their first official release ‘Mixtaped/Returning’ hopes to provide a comprehensive career-spanning statement whilst also acting as a fascinating insight into one of British Music’s most understated and idealistic acts.

‘Mixtaped’ presents the duo’s first full live performance in over fifteen years featuring an intimately recorded show at London’s modest Bush Hall. Drawing from a diverse palette of electronica, trip hop and progressive jazz, ‘Mixtaped’ captures ‘No-Man’s’ stark surreality perfectly, drifting from art rock to dream pop with relative ease. The ninety minute film emphatically pinpoints ‘No-Man’s’ strengths treating it’s audience to blissed out soundscapes fusing frontman Tim Bowness’ meandering melancholy with minimalist technic touches. ‘Time travel in Texas’ and ‘Pretty Genius’ exude a confident swagger noticeably absent from earlier works proving ‘No-Man’ truly shine when locking into a filthy funk groove and easing off their all too regularly crowded formulae.

For every ray of light ‘Mixtaped’ affords however, a glaring shard of negativity is unearthed. Highlights such as ‘Days in the Trees’ do not carry enough value to forgive the half dozen tracks that lazily sink into a puddle of pretentious self parody. The unfocused fuzz of ‘Carolina Skeletons’ acts as a blueprint to the severe lack of songwriting credentials and the first of many forays into a shallow sheen of indignant self indulgence that has always lay at the core of their sound. In addition ‘No-Man’ are far from a visual force. With very little between song banter and a non-existent stage presence you can’t help but feel ‘Mixtaped’ would have been better suited strictly to an audio release.

The second disc ‘Returning’ is primarily a documentary underscoring the band’s roots from creating experimental sounds in a teenager’s bedroom to near obscurity following the fallout from a failed stab at a mainstream pop career. The understated production makes for a refreshing twist on the big budget blockbuster template of modern ‘Rockumentaries’ whilst offering original Art prints that accompanied the band’s major releases. What is immediately apparent however is ‘No-Man’ don’t really have a captivating ‘warts and all’ tale to tell. Despite the obligatory inter-band tensions and obvious jealousy at Steven Wilson’s successful side project ‘Porcupine Tree’, ‘No-man’ are really just an act that didn’t fit in with their contemporaries. Very little here will present a revelation for long standing followers nor is it likely to usher in a legion of fresh admirers. ‘Returning’s’ main ambition is to plead ‘No-Man’s’ case as an experimental figurehead, the story of two men kicking against the system and breaking new ground to the dissatisfaction of an under appreciative Music scene. In actuality we are left with the feeling of bitterness from a band that would like to be earmarked as pioneers, paving the way for successful acts such as Massive Attack and Portishead when in reality ‘No-Man’ are little more than a hangover from the New Romantic scene that delved ever so slightly into a hip hop inspired hybrid and oversaturated their sound with far too many ill-fitting elements.

Fans of the band will love it, most everyone else will not.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Before the trilbies and trenchcoats however, the chinrubbers were awash in a sea of burberry, celebrating the simple pleasures of a cup of rosey lee and saucy sexual innuedoes. This unashamedly arrogant attitude would later give birth to Girl Power but in 1995 it was all about the boys, namely a quintessentially Essex quartet known as Blur and a moody mob of Mancunian mouthpieces calling themselves Oasis. The unnecessarily unpleasant ‘battle of the band’s’ that these two figureheads of ‘Britpop’ would wage eventually exterminated this rather indulgent period of pop culture. Blur would live to fight another day, radically reinventing themselves and garnering critical acclaim before their storied existence would climax on a muted note. Oasis however would record far past their peak, morphing into characitures of themselves releasing a series of dull discs before yet another internal implosion that nobody could care less about. ‘No Distance Left To Run’ presents a revealing retrospective of one of the more intriguing acts of the past twenty years whilst also acting as a exclamation mark on the pointless rivalry between two British institutions.

A two disc presentation, ‘No Distance Left To Run’ begins with a compelling film directed by aspiring artists Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace. A sensationally shot piece, the movie follows Blur as they plot their path from grimy rehearsal rooms through to intimate stops at student unions and musky railway museums building up to a triumphant return at Glastonbury 2009. Boasting dazzling cinematography and a soundtrack bolstered by classic cuts from Blur’s seven studio albums the film delivers a stark insight into the delicate relationships that lay at the centre of the band for it’s twelve year inception. Perhaps most intriguing is the differing personalities that form the nucleus of the group being Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon. We are given a glimpse of the tense clashes they have endured since meeting at school going some way to explain the fall out that would see see Coxon’s departure prior to the band’s final lp. It’s easy to forget just how massive Blur were as the film charts their rise from baggy indie darlings to pop megastars. The footage included from their mid-nineties heyday showcases a band consumed by their own success whilst highlighting Coxon’s escalating battles with alcoholism proving their main battles were not with other acts but rather themselves. It makes for emotional viewing made all the more apparent by the image of Albarn slumped over a speaker at Glastonbury, weeping with his head in his hands.

The second disk is an uninterrupted account of the group’s sell out date at Hyde Park in July 2009. The two hour setlist comprises a detailed delve into the bands varied back catalogue and it’s refreshing to see the boys belt through old standards such as ‘Tracy Jacks’ and ‘Sunday Sunday’ without the embarrassment they may have felt following their lauded latter material. ‘Out of Time’ is the only cut provided from the 2003′s Coxon-less collection ‘Think Tank’ and it’s a pleasure to see that geezer from Albert Square acting more Quadrophenia than Eastender as he leads the crowd through an anthemic ‘Parklife’.

‘No Distance Left To Run’ is an apt conclusion to the legacy of a talented troupe of Musicians that may have lost an initial Musical battle but won the fight for their souls.

Four stars

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA’s incredible, critically-acclaimed album ‘Mean Everything To Nothing’ is being fully released in the UK this week and, for those of you who weren’t aware, they have also made a series of music videos to accompany each and every track on the album. These have now been released to buy digitally but can also been viewed below (for free). Directed by Jason Bognacki & Clay Lipsky of Destroy Rock Music. Inc., the videos provide a narrative interpretation of the whole album.

1. The Only One

2. Shake It Out

3. I’ve Got Friends

4. Pride

5. In My Teeth

6. 100 Dollars

7. I Can Feel A Hot One

8. My Friend Marcus

9. Tony The Tiger

10. Everything To Nothing

11. The River

It’s become apparent that our Leeds countdown (as wonderful as it is) is not being seen by as many people as we would like. So to draw a little more attention to it we have penned this featured article bringing all the weekly countdowns into one convenient post…youre welcome =]

WEEk 7: Friendly Fires, Black Lips, The Ghost Of A Thousand

WEEk 6: Placebo, Sonic Boom Six, Manchester Orchestra

WEEk 5: Broadway Calls, 3OH!3, Bouncing Souls

WEEk 4: Brand New, Kids In Glass Houses and In case Of Fire

WEEk 3: The Blackout, Middle Class Rut

WEEk 2 : The Maccabees, Metric and Rise Against

WEEk 1: Enter Shikari, Fightstar

Friendly Fires are an English band from St Albans, Hertfordshire. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008[1] and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelve for the 2009 Mercury Prize on July 21, 2009. [2]

Friendly Fires met at St Albans School. At age 14, the members formed their first band, a post-hardcore outfit called First Day Back which existed until they began university. During this time lead singer Ed Macfarlane released his own music (under his own name) through the electronica label Skam, and Precinct Recordings. Upon leaving university they formed a new band inspired by dance music, “lush shoegaze melodies”, and classic pop songwriting. The name Friendly Fires originates from the opening track of the Section 25 LP Always Now. The band consider German techno label Kompakt, Carl Craig and Prince to be their greatest influences.

In late 2007, they became the first unsigned band to appear on Channel 4′s Transmission programme. Their single Paris achieved ‘Single of The Week’ in The Guardian newspaper, NME magazine, and also on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show. They have toured extensively, with past performances taking place throughout the UK, Europe, Japan, Canada, Mexico and the USA. In May 2008 their song “On Board” was featured in North American television commercials for Nintendo’s Wii Fit. “On Board” is also featured in the trailer for the upcoming PlayStation 3 game Gran Turismo 5. “White Diamonds” is featured in one of the episodes in the second season of the American television series Gossip Girl.

The album was certified silver in the UK; the band was nominated for a Best Breakthrough Award at The South Bank Show Awards and for ‘Best Dancefloor Filler’ at the NME Awards. They were also second on the bill on the NME Awards Tour 2009.

We saw them play with Hockey in Manchester. I took some photos and they look like this

BLACK LIPS

Black Lips is a “flower-punk” band from Atlanta, Georgia.

After the band was kicked out of India in January 2009, they traveled to Berlin, Germany and recorded a 12-song LP of gospel songs with King Khan & BBQ. The album will be released sometime in 2009 under the name The Almighty Defenders.

The group has songs from recording sessions prior to signing with Vice which may eventually be released by In The Red Records.

The band have a featured role in the upcoming documentary We Fun: Atlanta, GA Inside Out. The title was coined by Jared Swilley on the band’s blog The film will make its debut at the Atlanta Film Festival in April 2009.

Volume six of Brendan Canty’s Burn To Shine series includes a performance by the Black Lips. There is no release date set for this DVD.

Phil wrote on their latest release which you can read all about by clicking

The Ghost Of A Thousand

The Ghost Of A Thousand is an English five-piece hardcore punk band from Brighton, UK.

After signing with Undergroove Records in 2007 the band toured extensively, playing alongside Zico Chain, Gallows, Alexisonfire, Saosin, Poison the Well, and Reuben. They have also had a presence on the festival circuit: playing the Lock Up Stage at the 2007 Reading and Leeds Festivals. In October 2008 bassist Gez Walton left the band, citing musical differences. The band’s previous bassist Gaz Spencer returned in his place.

In February 2009, it was announced that the band had signed with Epitaph Records to release their second album New Hopes, New Demonstrations. The album, recorded in Stockholm with experienced producer Pelle Gunnerfeldt (Refused, The Hives), was described by vocalist Tom Lacey as “very heavy, heavier than This Is Where The Fight Begins, but its whole feel is a lot sadder.” The band have also played 3 songs for the BBC Radio 1 Rockshow at the Maida Vale studios. The band were due to play the Saturday headlining slot on the Red Bull stage at 2009′s Download Festival, but pulled out due to family reasons. The Blackout stepped in to replace the band. The band plan to play the Reading and Leeds festivals this summer. They also plan to play the Rocksound Magazine sponsored stage at this years Guilfest.

This band gave Kirks first 10 out of 10 review in the form of their album “New Hopes, New Demonstrations” (read that review )