DIY

TV News: First Clip Of Tom Hiddleston As King Henry

2012-05-16T19:09:59+00:00

The BBC's summer of Shakespeare - starting with Richard II - ends with the fourth part of the playwright's celebrated tetralogy (with Henry IV part 1 and part 2 as the filling in this historical sandwich) and the beeb have released a rather stunning clip from the final film.

Tom Hiddleston, an actor on something of a high right now with The Avengers breaking box office records, plays King Henry V.

The clip takes place just before the fighting begins at Agincourt with the French Herald Montjoy delivering a message from the French Constable. Give up or face obliteration. The King tells the Herald that there will be no surrender.

With the highly accomplished theatre director Thea Sharrock at the helm and a cast including John Hurt, Julie Walters and Richard Wilson, expectations are high for this adaptation.

Henry V will air on BBC Two later in the year and scroll down to see the rather brilliant clip.

Games Reviews: Sniper Elite V2

2012-05-16T17:02:10+00:00

Sniper Elite V2 is like playing through a fairly serious identity crisis. As a reboot/remake/sequel to the 2005 original, Rebellion and 505’s development collaboration is set in the same location (Berlin, 1945) with the same placeholder character (a lone U.S. sniper, in this game called, umm, we can’t actually remember because he’s dull as balls) but with a different storyline; the first game’s hunt for nuclear weaponry schematics supplanted by a series of assassinations of rocket technology experts (geddit? Version 2. V-2. WHICH IS IT? Hur hur pun). In fact, it’s a wonder we remember that much because the story, such as it is, is simply used as the adhesive for a campaign mode that jams together a set of blandly blitzed, mostly linear arenas with the dexterity and forethought of an angry Nazi baby playing with broken bricks.

The story might be a confused attempt to rehash the past in new way, but it’s that campaign where the real heart of the identity crisis lies. On the one hand, you have what the game makes you play. This comprises dubious stealth sections - which consist mostly of chucking an infinite number of rocks to distract guards and then being shot – and action sequences, where you simply run. These sections are terrible, almost to a fault, especially when both are coupled with some distinctly spotty enemy AI, as guards alternately identify you from a mile away and then give up the chase when they were close enough to read your dogtags only seconds ago.

Perhaps that was simply to make up for the frankly insane behaviour of the player-character though. By the game’s logic, training a sniper requires such an intense mental strain that he loses control over most basic motor functions, and shoots any gun other than a sniper rifle (you always carry a sub-machine gun and a pistol with you) with the precision of a raccoon holding a fire hose. This can result in some incredibly infuriating circumstances. For instance, you’re sneaking out of cover and a rooftop sniper spots you. Luckily, your character’s incredible senses indicate this through a directional arrow at your feet (white means you’ve been detected, yellow means seen, red means they are literally shooting at your face right now). So you stand up and run. Obviously. Unluckily for you, your short run is so directionless that you miss the cover you were aiming for, ending up beyond it, being shot at and out of breath, which has a serious effect on your sniping capabilities. It’s rubbish.

That, however, brings us on to the second half of the game. The sniping. The glorious, glorious sniping. This part is brilliant. A quick suggestion - do not play this game without realistic bullet physics turned on, or you will have no fun at all. One neat little function is the ability to not only pick difficulty levels, but to customise them, meaning you can play a game where enemies are thick as pig shit and just as impervious to high-calibre ordnance, but where said ordnance is affected by wind direction, distance and breathing.

This is an excellent thing, because when Sniper Elite deigns to lead you to a vantage point where you can lie down and just shoot some baddies, it almost begins to make up for its faults. Whereas most of the game is a third-person cover shooter, all sniping takes place in first person. A quick pull on the left trigger moves you up to an adjustable zoom lens, at which point you can hear your breathing, your heartbeat pulses away and it all becomes rather more immersive. Even some of the third-person stuff becomes a bit more entertaining at these points. Entering an enclosed location requires a thorough scouting of exits, at which you can place land or trip mines. Even the terrible close-range weaponry makes some sense here, as watching an enemy slip through your sights to enter an unprotected door quickly becomes a terrifying prospect.

Those moments before taking a shot, especially during a firefight, can be amongst the most exhilarating you’ll have playing games, especially when it all pays off. A small meter on the left of the screen indicates your heartbeat level, a factor that, if you’re calm enough, will let you enter “focus mode”, a sub-bullet time feature that strips away the (frankly terrible) music, slows the action down and adds a slowly-shrinking red crosshair to indicate where your shot will actually land. Hit it just right, and the game’s most-touted feature comes into play. After a particularly well fired shot, you camera will focus on your character’s gurning face as he fires, before following the bullet with wonderfully over-dramatic sound effects to its target, before displaying a quick X-Ray of exactly what damage you’re inflicting.

This is occasionally jaw-slackeningly horrible and, consequently, filled us with a wondrous glee from start to finish. Tales will be told for years of the shots fired in this game. Just a few of our highlights included: popping a prone sniper’s eye before watching the bullet travelling the length of his spinal column and ejecting out of his right buttock, missing an enemy on a mounted turret, hitting the gun itself and watching the bullet ricochet wildly to bury itself in his stupid Nazi face and bursting the lung of one guard before seeing the tumbling bullet hit another man’s still-holstered grenade, killing two others. Wonderful stuff.

The problem is that, all too soon, you’ll be back into the game proper, running about like a loon and feeling stupid for missing enemies at two paces when you just hit another at two hundred. It’s a problem that extends all over the game, including the multiplayer. With four modes included, it’s a fairly sizeable addition to what could have been a completely single player game, and we applaud the developers for that at least. Co-op campaigning, a wave-based mode called Kill Tally, Overwatch missions involving a sniper watching over a spotter and Bombing Run, a mode that sees you and your partner having to collect various vehicle parts from enemy territory in order to escape are all good ideas, but the same problems plague them as the single player fare. The AI remains awful, and extends further to enemies choosing to wantonly fire at a paralysed, dying colleague en masse as you blast them from only yards away, whilst choosing to be a spotter – who has no rifle and has to run through the bulk of the enemy force – is borderline masochistic because of the sheer disadvantage close combat puts you at. It’s just another case of something good being marred by EVERYTHING ELSE.

Sniper Elite V2 is not a bad game, but that’s just because most of what you do could hardly be classed as a game. With just a few tweaks, it could make for some kind of incredible action-strategy-puzzle hybrid with a brutally satisfying payoff. They could keep the terrible story if they’d wanted to – it’d make just as much sense. The issue is that what’s on the disc actually makes you work to play the real game inside. The sniping is all that matters here, and it’s great, but everything else is completely unnecessary – what this game wants to be just isn’t what it is.

Sniper Elite V2 is available now for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Rating: 5/10

News: Listen: The xx Debut New Track At London Show

2012-05-16T16:56:24+00:00

The xx have debuted the above track at their recent live show at Chats Palace.

The band opened with the brand new track when they played one of three intimate shows at Chats Palace in Clapton, having already played at Electrowerkz in Islington.

They are set to play in Battersea on Friday.

MAY
18 Battersea Arts Centre

To ensure everyone had an equal chance of attending these special shows, tickets will be available through a lottery system.

The xx will also be performing at this year's Bestival, on the Isle of Wight, alongside a set at this year's Primavera Festivals, and Heineken Open'er Festival.

News: Listen: JEFF The Brotherhood - ‘Sixpack’

2012-05-16T16:31:04+00:00

JEFF The Brotherhood have unveiled a brand new track entitled 'Sixpack'.

The track is taken from their forthcoming EP, 'Hypnotic Knights', and follows on from their last release 'Upstairs At United, Vol. 3.', which came out for Record Store Day.

JEFF The Brotherhood will head out on a US tour the month after next, kicking off on 15th May in Norman, OK. The run includes a string of dates with Best Coast, and won't finish until mid-July.

Catch the band at:

MAY
17 Phoenix, AZ @ The Rhythm Room
18 Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern (w/ Best Coast)
19 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater (w/ Best Coast)
21 Portland, OR @ The Alladin Theater (w/ Best Coast)
22 Seattle, WA @ Neptune (w/ Best Coast)
23 Boise, ID @ Neurolux (w/ Best Coast)
24 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
25 Aspen, CO @ Belly Up, Aspen (w/ Best Coast)
26 Boulder, CO @ The Fox Theatre (w/ Best Coast)
27 Lawrence, KS @ The Granada Theater (w/ Best Coast)
29 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown (w/ Best Coast)
30 St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird (w/ Best Coast)

JUNE
01 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater (w/ Best Coast)
02 Houston, TX @ Free Press Summer Fest
13 Raleigh, NC @ The Berkeley Cafe
14 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
15 Washington, DC @ Red Palace
16 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
17 New York, NY @ The Bowery Ballroom
18 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
20 New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
21 Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bear’s Place Inc
22 Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
23 Toronto, ON @ Wrongbar
24 Detroit, MI @ Small’s
25 Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio

JULY
13 Louisville, KY @ The Forecastle Festival

News: Surfer Blood To Record New Album With Gil Norton

2012-05-16T16:24:39+00:00

Surfer Blood have revealed that they will be working on their next album with Gil Norton.

The band will work on their second album - the follow up to 2010's 'Astro Coast' - with the producer, who is renowned for his work with Pixies and Foo Fighters, according to a post on their Twitter.

"Moving to California on May 12th for two months to record our second record with Gil Norton. Stoked."

The last release to come from the band was a four-tracl EP, released back in October. It was originally billed as a "teaser of things to come," entitled 'Tarot Classics'.

The tracklisting was as follows:

1. 'I’m Not Ready'
2. 'Miranda' [listen below]
3. 'Voyager Reprise'
4. 'Drinking Problem'

Blogs: On The Couch With Tom Watts: The Neighbourhood

2012-05-16T16:02:24+00:00

Having set music blogs around the world on fire since January, charming Zane Lowe into proclaiming their first three singles as successive ‘biggest track[s] in the world’, and having maintained their anonymity to an incredible degree, I finally managed to coerce Jesse Rutherford, lead singer of Californian band The Neighbourhood, into joining me on the couch for a chat about his band’s new EP ('I’m Sorry'), sweaters and The Cardigans.

Read the full interview online later this week.

Features: Win Tickets For Golden Down Festival, Feat Four Tet & More

2012-05-16T16:02:19+00:00

The newcomer to the festival scene, Golden Down (goldendownfestival.co.uk) has put together an amazing, eclectic line up for its inaugural year, including Four Tet, Roots Manuva, Lee Scratch Perry, Kerri Chandler and Gilles Peterson.

Just an hour away from London, Golden Down provides the perfect reason to leave the urban chaos behind for a weekend. Set on the Matterley Estate, Winchester, with plush woodland and beautiful hills, the festival promises revelers of 18 and over a magical three days.

Created by like-minded festival lovers, Golden Down takes festivals back to their glorious roots, with an impressive line-up, an intimate, magical setting for just 5000 people, and all produced to the highest standard.

We’ve got a pair of weekend tickets to give away thanks to Golden Down Festival. To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question:

Q. What is the name of the valley Golden Down Festival sits in?
a. White Bush Valley
b. Black Bush Valley
c. Green Bush Valley

Golden Down will take place from 15th - 17th June. For more information, visit goldendownfestival.co.uk.

News: Watch: Futures Showcase New Video For ‘Karma Satellite’

2012-05-16T15:49:38+00:00

Futures have unveiled their brand new video for 'Karma Satellite'.

The band recently announced their plans to release their debut album of the same name on the 17th June.

The four-piece, who recently left major label Mercury Records, will now release their debut full-length through their own independent label Indigo.

The album was produced by Gil Norton, and is twelve tracks long.

1. Start A Fire
2. Islands in the Sea
3. Karma Satellite
4. Get Out
5. Indigo
6. Million Lights
7. Say My Name
8. The Boy Who Cried Wolf
9. Aeroplanes
10. The Rescue
11. We Had It All
12. Today We Had Love

The band will also head out on their UK tour, in support of the album release, in July.

JULY
02 Newcastle O2 Academy 2
03 Glasgow ABC2
05 Norwich Arts Centre
06 Birmingham HMV Institute – Temple
07 Leeds Cockpit
08 Manchester Club Academy
10 London XOYO
11 Brighton The Haunt
12 Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
13 Oxford Academy 2

News: Premiere: Coves Reveal New Track ‘Run With Me’

2012-05-16T15:37:00+00:00

Leamington Spa duo Coves are set to release a new EP later this month, and DIY have the premiere of one of its tracks.

The 'Cast A Shadow' EP will be issued via Cross Keys Records on 28th May, and you can now hear 'Run With Me' below.

The four-track release follows on from their debut five-track effort, which was released last August, and comprises of:

1. Cast A Shadow
2. No Ladder
3. Run With Me
4. Fall Out Of Love

News: Paper Crows To Release EP And Innovative Video Series

2012-05-16T15:23:15+00:00

Paper Crows have released their brand new EP 'Build' today, on the 16th May.

'Build' features four brand new offerings, co-produced by the band themselves and Pete ‘Boxsta’ Martin, including a cover of Smashing Pumpkins’ track ‘Disarm’ and a couple of remixes by the likes of Kidnap Kid, Rudimental and GRUM.

Alongside this, the duo have revealed that each track will come complete with a video - created by Powster - which will debut on the band’s official site on the same day as release (16th May).

The videos themselves are all linked using both slow motion photography and green screen technology. Confused? Why don't you just check it out instead?

The band will also play a one off show at The Social next month.

JUNE
12 The Social, London

News: Lady Gaga Show Banned In Indonesia

2012-05-16T15:20:50+00:00

Lady Gaga has always attracted attention for her somewhat eccentric, and sometimes controversial costume choices, what with her infamous dress made out of raw meat, and the giant egg -along with half naked attendees - the singer used as transport to the Grammys.

Currently touring Asia, Gaga has not toned down her live show, despite some protests. So far there has been only minor opposition, but now Lady Gaga's sold out Born This Way Ball tour show in Jakarta, Indonesia has been cancelled by national police after they refused her a permit for what they call 'safety reasons.'

"Her outfits are too sexy, indulgent and erotic." said a Jakarta police spokesman. The move to refuse Gaga's permit is thought to be in response to protests by National Ulema Council, the top Islamic body in Indonesia. The official line is that the force has ""no problem with Lady Gaga", but other responses have been slightly less restrained. The Islamic Defenders Front, a political organisation previously claimed her suggestive dance moves and "vulgar" outfits would corrupt young people, and threatened to deploy 30,000 members to physically prevent Lady Gaga from getting off the plane.

Although much of Indonesia is politically moderate, the Islamic Defender’s Front has become increasingly vocal, and thanked the police for banning Lady Gaga's 'pornographic' show, saying "she will destroy the morals and culture of Indonesia"

Indonesian fans are far from delighted having bought 52,000 tickets between them - making Gaga's Jakarta show her biggest on the Asian tour. Human Rights groups, who see the move as a dangerous step back for Indonesia, have also expressed concern, and the show's promoter expressed sadness that the country was not "mature enough to be able to separate our own moral values from arts and culture."

First On: Unknown

2012-05-16T15:00:45+00:00

Name: Unknown
Based: Unknown
Listen at: Youtube.com/unknownmusic9
Similar to: Burial

“People listen to the music more openly when they don’t know anything about the person.”

We’ve heard all kinds of spiel about anonymity and its effects, about how we’re all such dreadful, shallow people who shouldn’t give a damn who Burial is, who’d spend our time much better if we listened to all music in a dark room with no sideshows. It’s probably true, but anonymous acts have become a thing of marketing regularity, rather than a genuine attempt to let the music speak for itself. We’ve been fooled every so often in these past 12 months, watching from a distance as “anonymous” artists sign major record deals and perform on French chat shows. Some of us feel cheated.

Unknown’s above statement, then, can either be taken with a pinch of salt or - and this is the recommended route - you can see it as the ideal introduction for some of the most immersive electronic music around, the kind that requires no SBTRKT-mask or thin veil, the kind that is pure and unrelentingly beautiful.

Three tracks have been unveiled to date. As time progresses, we’re unlikely to find anything out about the artist, bar which record deal he/she is affiliated with when the time comes to release a debut 12” (we’re talking days, not weeks). ‘Untitled #001’ and ‘Untitled #003’ are each fairly standard fare, enough to whet the appetite. ‘Untitled #002’ is stunning, however; a hair-raising depth-seeking excavation into the darkest corners of Earth, with gorgeous female vocal samples lending further sadness to the slumber the song sinks itself into. The very epitome of anonymity needn’t show his/her face - and we’ve got enough to enjoy, here, before the bellowing demands for a revealing of identity begin to arrive.

TV Trailers: Trailer For Anger Management

2012-05-16T14:23:55+00:00

FX have released a teaser trailer for Anger Mangement, the forthcoming comedy series starring Charlie Sheen.

Anger Management is Sheen's comeback after his public meltdown and subsequent departure from hit comedy Two and a Half Men.

Sheen will star as an anger management therapist with anger issues of his own.

FX are set to air the show in the US from June 28th.

Live Reviews: Jakwob, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London

2012-05-16T14:04:19+00:00

Producer of the moment Jakwob has had his name increasingly pushed to the forefront of the British music scene; his remixes of Ellie Goulding’s ‘Starry Eyed’ and Lana Del Rey’s ‘Video Games’ have earned him a thumbs up from some formidable heavyweights, including Zane Lowe, MistaJam and Annie Mac. His style is a tricky one to pin down, as this 22-year-old snatches elements from a plethora of genres, which just demonstrates how wide his musical palette stretches.

This makes his live show at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire a mixed bag, with the crowd unsure which way the music will go. ‘Right Beside You’ combines a soft dubstep beat with rapping and pop vocal sensibilities to create a track that sounds like what the first formation of the Sugababes could have produced if they’d been a tad edgier and formed just a few years later. There’s just a hint of his Indian heritage here; just a few strands of popping out from the vocal edges, but these come to the forefront when the opening bars of ‘Electrify’ kick in, although this is soon smothered by a Caribbean-tinged drum n bass beat, which gets the crowd decidedly more mobile.

‘Let It Fall’ is one notch dirtier on the dubstep-o-meter, with its grinding bass contrasting beautifully with laidback vocals and background synths. There’s no denying that Jakwob can mix and match styles, effortlessly sewing them together in the same song like a musical patchwork quilt. Seamless, if you pardon the pun. However, there’s just something that’s not quite right about tonight’s show; perhaps it’s the overly bright studio lights that adorn the sides of the stage, or perhaps it’s the Empire’s acoustics that don’t do Jakwob’s sound justice. There’s just something amiss; the bass isn’t deep enough, the vocals not clear enough to discern the words in their entirety. Regardless, the young producer’s talent shines through these glitches and we’re sure that, given the right venue, he would bring the house down.

TV News: The BBC Greenlight Ladies’ Paradise

2012-05-16T14:02:57+00:00

The BBC are set to make The Ladies' Paradise according to Deadline.

The eight episode series is loosely based on the novel Au Bonheur Des Dames by Emile Zola and tells the story of Denise Lovett and her journey from rags to riches.

Joanna Vanderham (The Runaway) is set to play Denise, a young girl who works in England's first department store.

Larkrise to Candleford's Bill Gallagher will write with Marc Jobst (Upstairs Downstairs) set to direct.

News: Premiere: Dinowalrus Reveal New Video For ‘Beth Steel’

2012-05-16T13:49:39+00:00

Dinowalrus are getting ready to release their brand new single 'Beth Steel' on the 21st May, and DIY have the premiere of their brand new video.

The track comes from their debut album 'Best Behavior', which the Brooklyn band are set for release on the 13th July.

You can check out the clip below!

Comprised of visual artist - and the sometimes member of Titus Andronicus Pete Feigenhaum - and Max Tucker and Liam Andrew, the band also gave us the following insight into the visuals:

"Unlike our other highly-scripted, concept-driven videos for BEST BEHAVIOR, with Beth Steel, we pretty much just took the imagery of the record (The Domino Sugar Factory) and used that as a visual centerpiece. We just improvised without any overlying narrative--a throwback to our BEAD video perhaps. It was all shot on location around Williamsburg and Greenpoint. However, we had a strict rule that the Domino Sugar Factory would be the only discernible landmark in the shots. So it's basically a video of us frolicking around interesting yet non-specific sites around our neighborhood, like this basement filled with 50,000 crappy records, or the Williamsburg bridge walkway.

Robert, the director, is really good editor so we just left most of it up to him! He's from Argentina, but was in town working on a video project for work. After he saw us do a gig with Fujiya and Miyagi, he got in touch and we jumped in immediately with filming."

Film Reviews: She Monkeys

2012-05-16T13:32:37+00:00

Released in cinemas 18th May 2012.

This debut feature from Swedish writer-director Lisa Aschan has been dubbed "complex", "subversive" and "taboo-busting". While it's certainly an interesting and confident piece, it doesn't amount to more than an intriguing take on the traditional coming-of-age film.

Mathilda Paradeiser is shy teenager Emma, who tries out for an equestrian vaulting team. Breaking into the clique of competitive girls, she befriends the striking and confident Cassandra (Linda Molin), and the pair begin a close, almost overbearing friendship. Cassandra is the daredevil, tricking infatuated older boys and pushing Emma into uncomfortable situations, but Emma soon reveals a steely determination.

For all the potential tense, unsettling moments of Aschan's film, the director quite often falls back on the oft-seen rites of passage - the nervous kisses, the squabbling and the sulking. What happens elsewhere in Emma's home makes for a far more interesting story, one that earns the film's plaudits. Her little sister Sara (Isabella Lindquist) is more blatantly going through the trials of womanhood, despite being about seven years old. A daddy's girl, she crushes on her babysitting older cousin, with her precocious, misunderstood sexuality making for gently amusing and borderline disturbing viewing. The cherubic Lindquist steals her first film with prodigious comic timing and empathy, which several scenes revolving around her self-consciously needing a bikini.

Aschan's film is full of unlikely characteristics that make it hard to relate to, not helped by long periods without structured dialogue. A study on fledgling female manipulation and sexuality in the eyes of the world, it's too sensitive, ponderous and underdeveloped to make an impact. However, it looks beautiful, and boasts understated, natural and slightly unsettling performances from a young and inexperienced cast. Ashcan wants to make a statement - it will be interesting to see her work beyond what is essentially an experimental, arthouse thriller given meatier narrative and characters, as she has a keen, clinical eye that could be devastating.

Rating: 6/10

TV News: William Shatner Joins Have I Got News For You

2012-05-16T13:19:57+00:00

William Shatner will be guest host on the May 25th episode of Have I Got News For You the BBC have announced.

Captain James Tiberius Kirk will host alongside team captains (not USS Enterprise captains) Ian Hislop and Paul Merton with guest panellists Andy Hamilton and Charlie Brooker.

The 81 year old Shatner said, "English sense of humour is different from American sense of humour. Luckily I'm Canadian."

Along with Shatner the BBC confirmed the hosts and guests for the remaining shows in the current series which ends on June 9th. The hosts are: Alexander Armstrong - which makes his 20th and record breaking time as host - Kathy Burke, Alastair Campbell and Kirsty Young. Guests are: Reginal D Hunter, Tory MP Nadine Dorries, Joe Wilkinson, Ken Livingstone, Nick Hewer, Ross Noble, Victoria Coren and Greg Davies.

Have I Got News For You is on BBC 1 Fridays at 9pm.

Features: Listen: Shoes And Socks Off – Miles Of Mad Water

2012-05-16T13:19:32+00:00

Shoes And Socks Off was dead excited to get new album 'Miles of Mad Water' out there and we thought, well, who are we to stand in his way? So here you have it, a handy track by track guide to the latest LP along with an exclusive stream below, well ahead of its release via Big Scary Monsters at the end of the month. Magic.

1. And No One's Seen Him Since
Subject matter for Shoes And Socks Off has been pretty rigid from the start. Almost every song is about the same thing. It's only the angle that varies. This song is about the irrational, extreme and dangerously selfless compulsions that you get when you fall in love.

2. Made
Almost as a follow on from the above, intense situations, based on feelings, result in brain tangents. Sometimes entirely misguided. The lyrics to this song are the result of such a tangent, which was brought on from watching a particular episode of This Is England '86. The music was written in Paris, backstage at the last date of the five-week tour I did in 2011.

3. Lockjaw
Lyrically, this is another angle on the same theme. Blind faith, total stubborn arsehole behaviour. Never letting go, no matter what chaos ensues all around you. This is the first song I have ever written entirely on a computer. I probably had the most fun making this song than any other track on the record.

4. Numb Nums
Deviating from the theme, but not the first time I have written about anti-depressants and the swift, dumb and slap-dash process of prescribing them. Switching people off is not the answer, if you ask me. My favourite thing about this song is that Liz Hysen from Picastro is singing on it. If you haven't heard her music, I thoroughly recommend you listen to their album 'Whore Luck'.

5. All Mouth
This is a dumbass song about being on tour and opening up for bands. Shoes And Socks Off has always been a pretty serious project, in terms of self expression and subject matter. I guess it's pretty self indulgent music and doesn't really have much to offer in terms of a good time for the average gig-goer. This was a reaction to repeatedly bumming out crowds. Hopefully, in the new full-band set up, gigs should be a lot more fun. The strings were written and performed by Eloisa-Fleur Thom. I believe she recorded them using the microphone from a camcorder, or something along those lines. I suggest you google her, she is mint.

6. The Doppler Effect
This is about first setting eyes on the person you want to grow old with. Totally simple. One minute, you were going about your business, the next, you're locked onto them, and your whole body explodes.

7. Tork Sport
Lyrically this is too personal to go into, but really it's no different to the above. I'm particularly pleased with how this song came out. When I wrote it, it was just acoustic guitar and vocals. I really wanted to pull this album as far away from the acoustic-singer-song-writer turf as possible, and this song was my first effort with that in mind. The snare rolls at the end were performed by Alex Polakowski of Nitkowski, and recorded on an H2 portable recorder. It's a rad little device I use to record rehearsals. It's become an integral part of the writing process, so I really wanted to get it onto the album.

8. Quitely's Batman
It's about re-living the summer holidays, back in the day, but altering them slightly. I would go for 1997. Do it all again, but with someone I didn't even know back then. The main piano part is something I wrote years back, but I don't really play piano, so it didn't get developed. I recorded the riff on the H2 up in Birmingham when I was living there, (you can hear it at the very end of 'Tork Sport') and sent it to a good pianist called Tom Dolby, along with the demo of the track, performed on guitar. I just asked him to put the two together, and this is what he came back with. The drums were recorded on the H2 in London and performed by Alex, the same day as the rolls for 'Tork Sport'.

9. But, No
Last summer I was writing with an old buddy, NickyB, and he introduced me to a rad pianist called Sean. Together they came up with this stunning piece based on a song off my first album called 'Yeah, But'. It was so beautiful I had to use it on the record. It just needed mashing up a bit so it would fit in. The slab of techno in the middle was made by Dan Jones of Nitkowski. Right good.

10. Incommunicado
I wrote that main riff about half my life ago. Worrying. This song is about letting everything slide, and letting the past, pass. Sacking it all off and getting on with stuff. Shaking it up. That’s Trood on drums, the ever-so talented dude from Tangled Hair and AlunaGeorge, and Dolby again on piano. The intro was written and performed by Ed, the third and final member of Nitkowski, completing the set. I recorded him playing in his warehouse, using the H2 and my phone for a room mic. It came out rad. Playing this song with the full band is a lot of fun. NOISE.

Shoes And Socks Off's new album 'Miles Of Mad Water' will be released on 28th May via Big Scary Monsters.

News: Gaslight Anthem Unveil ‘Handwritten’ Tracklisting & Artwork

2012-05-16T12:58:56+00:00

Gaslight Anthem have unveiled the tracklisting and artwork for their forthcoming album 'Handwritten'.

The band's fourth album gets released in July, with the artwork above and the tracklisting going something like this:

1. 45
2. Handwritten
3. Here Comes My Man
4. Mulholland Drive
5. Keepsake
6. Too Much Blood
7. Howl
8. Biloxi Parish
9. Desire
10. Mae
11. National Anthem

Want a taste of what's to come from the album? Listen to their new single '45' here.

The lead single comes from their fourth studio effort, which has been confirmed for release on the 23rd July through Mercury Records. The record was produced in Nashville, Tennesee, with esteemed producer Brendan O'Brien, who has previously worked with the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young.

Gaslight Anthem will be making several UK appearances this summer, with scheduled slots for Reading & Leeds festival, as well as a special headline show at London's KOKO on the 11th June.

Wondering what to expect from 'Handwritten'? DIY caught up frontman Brian Fallon to have a chat about their studio experience.

"The whole experience was amazing. It's a trip to be able to make a record with a guy who's done some of your favourites. Brendan taught us a ton about songwriting and recording as a band. It was really pretty amazing. The label's been very supportive and let us do our thing, it's been one of the most enjoyable times I've had making a record."

'Handwritten' is released on the 23rd July.

Features: Cargo Collective May 2012

2012-05-16T12:32:53+00:00

The chaps over at Cargo Records are streaming a twelve-song mixtape featuring a bunch of acts from May's Cargo Collective, including Cymbals, Allo Darlin', It Hugs Back and many more. Download it using the player above, and find out more about each release below.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Aufheben
a Records CD / 2LP
Brings the traditional Brian Jonestown Massacre sound mixed with eastern influences & bringing it up to date with the benefit of all the additional weirdness that's been discovered in the past 40 years.

Allo Darlin’ – Europe
Fortuna POP! LP / CD
Gloriously catchy, brilliantly uplifting and charmingly intelligent, Europe is full of perfect, sophisticated pop gems and promises to be one of the most exciting albums of the year.

It Hugs Back – Laughing Party
Safe And Sound
Freewheeling interstellar jams, sonic guitar clatter, mellow grooves and pure pop joy... sounds like the second album from England’s hidden treasures, It Hugs Back.

Black Moth - The Killing Jar
New Heavy Sounds LP / CD
Hotly anticipated debut by Leeds heavy rockers. Mighty stoner riffs wrapped around a truly distinctive female voice, produced by Jim 'Grinderman' Sclavunos. A doomadelic classic.

Various - A Rainer Ptacek Tribute “The Inner Flame”
Fire Records 2LP / CD
This tribute to Rainer Ptacek – phenomenal guitarist from Giant Sand who died of brain cancer – features Calexico, Robert Plant, Grandaddy, PJ Harvey and Lucinda Williams.

Josephine Foster And The Victor Herrero Band – Perlas
Fire Records LP / CD
Perlas is a collection of Spanish songs and poems gathered from dusty old scores and brought vividly to the present with warm, emotional performances.

Geoff Barrow / Ben Salisbury – Drokk
Invada CD/ Ltd edition CD/LP
Soundtrack style collaboration from Portishead’s Geoff Barrow and emmy award winner composer Ben Salisbury inspired by AD 2000 Judge Dredd comic Strip

Thee Vicars - I Wanna Be Your Vicar
Dirty Water Club LP / CD
Now a trio, these garage-beat inspired rabble-rousers have only got better, opening for the Horrors and Black Lips, and making a fuzzed-out racket.

World Party – Arkeology (Box Set)
Seaview 5 CD Set & Diary
A 5 CD /70 song collection featuring over 12 new songs, rare studio gems, concert recordings, covers and more packaged in the 142 page Any Year Diary

Marriages – Kitsune
Sargent House LP / CD
“Marriages is a dark, heavy-but-melodic experimental offshoot for 3/5 of Red Sparowes. The most stark contrast to their other band is the addition of Emma’s stunning, otherworldly vocals.”

CYMBALS - Sideways, Sometimes
Tough Love LP / CD
Recorded over five days on Lightship 95, Sideways, Sometimes is the new mini-album by CYMBALS, with a cleaner, more coherent feel than their debut, referencing both New Order and Yo La Tengo.

Fay Hallam & The Bongolian
Blow Up LP / CD
Fay Hallam (ex-Makin Time/Prime Movers) & The Bongolian team up for an outstanding album that fully realises their passion for 60’s Hammond Beat and Soul. Get ready to get Lost In Sound…

News: Fun. And Hayley Williams Cover Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’

2012-05-16T12:31:38+00:00

fun. appeared on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge earlier today (16th May) and collaborated with Paramore's Hayley Williams.

The band covered Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used To Know', and were joined by the front woman in the sessions' first ever UK/US collaboration, which took place thanks to the wonders of technology.

Williams is currently in Los Angeles recording the brand new Paramore record, whilst fun. are visiting the UK for the first of three trips scheduled for this year.

JULY
07 London's Heaven

OCTOBER
02 O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
04 The Library at HMV Institute, Birmingham
06 The Academy, Dublin
07 Academy 2, Manchester
08 O2 ABC Glasgow

fun. release their new album, 'Some Nights' on 21st May, with the (already really) massive single 'We Are Young' featuring a guest appearance from Janelle Monáe which was released yesterday, on 7th May.

'Some Nights' charted at #3 in the US Billboard charts, and was produced by Jeff Bhasker.

News: Niki & The Dove Postpone XOYO Show Tonight

2012-05-16T11:59:10+00:00

Niki & The Dove have been forced to cancel their show tonight at London's XOYO.

The duo were scheduled to play their headline show this evening - following appearances at Camden Crawl and The Great Escape - but have been forced to reschedule due to illness.

More information on ticket refunds and a rescheduled date will be coming soon.

The band's current run of tour dates is as follows. It in unclear as to whether or not their remaining dates will be affected.

16 London - XOYO
18 Liverpool Sound City – Static Gallery
21 Newcastle Cluny
22 Birmingham Institute Temple
23 Cardiff The Full Moon
30 Manchester Ritz w/ Miike Snow
31 London Brixton Academy w/ Miike Snow

TV Reviews: Richard II

2012-05-16T11:56:02+00:00

To celebrate the Olympics in London this year the BBC have adapted all four of Shakespeare's tetralogy - Richard II, Henry IV Parts I & II and Henry V - the most celebrated of his historical plays.

The first film of the series is Richard II, with Ben Whishaw in the title role and Rory Kinnear as his cousin and challenger Bolingbroke.

We begin with the King's cousin Henry Bolingbroke accusing Thomas Mowbray (James Purefoy) of squandering the money Richard gave him for the King's soldiers and of the murder of his and Richard's uncle, The Duke of Gloucester. Bolingbroke's father, John of Gaunt (Patrick Stewart) believes the King himself to be responsible of the murder. Richard agrees to allow the two men to settle the dispute by way of a duel but interrupts at the last moment and banishes both men, Bolingbroke for six years and Mowbray forever.

Following the death of his uncle John of Gaunt, the King seizes all his land and money to fund his war against Ireland instead of allowing Bolingbroke to inherit what is rightfully his.This act angers the nobility of England who encourage Bolingbroke to challenge the King for the throne and so we have the struggle for power between the two cousins and those loyal to each party.

What strikes one immediately is the sheer scale of the film. It looks lush and beautiful, filmed with a feature film quality. There's nothing stagey about director Rupert Goold's version of Richard II with it shot entirely on location and in traditional - and rather exquisite - dress.

Whishaw plays his Richard with a distracted, ethereal air. He seems almost touched in his manner, skating close to madness while keeping the histrionics to a minimum. He also has a pet monkey so we have a Michael Jackson reference should we choose to interpret it that way. The Christian imagery is layered on thickly with Richard fashioning himself into a Christ-like figure, painting Bolingbroke as his Judas.

Performance wise it is the Whishaw and Kinnear show, both former Hamlet's display considerable acting chops, making it hard not to sympathise with both Richard and Henry. As Bolingbroke, Kinnear looks tortured throughout, is he manipulated by others or is his cause a just one? Whishaw is a vulnerable Richard, forever in denial and his downfall is painful to watch.

Whishaw and Kinnear are ably supported by a flawless cast. Patrick Stewart is predictably glorious in the small but significant role of John of Gaunt, his "this England" speech is spine tingling. With classy turns from David's Morrissey and Suchet as the Earl of Northumberland and Duke of York respectively and Tom Hughes ably depicting a conflicted and naive Duke of Aumerle.

Goold has created a cinematic Richard II for television, it's accessible to the masses being condensed as much as one would dare and has frankly made us extraordinarily excited for the battle scenes to come in the three "Henries" to follow.

Amongst all the javelin throwing and rhythmic gymnastics get some culture in your life and give the BBC's Shakespeare Season a chance, if Richard II is anything to go by we are in for a cinematic treat on the small screen.

News: Watch: Jonquil Unveil New Video For ‘Run’

2012-05-16T11:45:56+00:00

Jonquil have unveiled a brand new video for 'Run', after having previously announced plans to play an seven-date UK tour throughout May.

The band, who recently released their third album 'Point Of Go' earlier this year, will also be performing as part of this year's Sound City and Stag & Dagger festivals.

The date are as follows.

MAY
18 Liverpool - Sound City, Static Gallery
19 Glasgow - Stag & Dagger
20 Edinburgh - Electric Circus
22 York - The Duchess
23 London Cargo
25 Oxford O2 Academy2
26 Manchester Kraak Gallery