I’ve been on a bit of a music documentary / video buzz recently, rewatching all my favourites, and searching for more.
There are some great documentaries out there:
Flaming Lips – Fearless Freaks
Pixies – loudQUIETloud (which they are playing on pitchfork.tv for a week only). Recommended.
SFA – On tour, not sure of the name.
There’s a fantastic Blondie documentary that I saw last year some time as well, an unreleased Mogwai one that they played in the IFI some time last year but has not actually been released, DCFC/Low on tour. Last year also saw the Sigur Ros DVD on release but this made me want to go to Iceland more than see the band again, despite having great moments.
Foals Suck (as mentioned below somewhere) follows foals on their US tour and the best documentary I’ve seen of recent times.
My favourite recent music video is ‘Caravan’ by Efterklang (below)
It would be great if people can recommend some more of each, especially videos from Irish bands. There seems to be a massive scarcity. Lots of tripe on Channel 6 (who was the band who went around the house in wheelchairs?)
I do quite like the ‘Said Say It’ video by Cap Pas Cap, but only for a minute or two before the itch to move on takes over. The new Robotnik video is great and I really like the video for ‘About my temper’ by Panda Kopanda. I’m sort of stuck there though.
I’m sure I’m missing some real obvious ones so feel free to kick my blog arse. Maybe it’s just not the done thing in Ireland. After all, until recent years, who but Channel 6 would play videos from the Irish unsigned…
Back to watch Alan Sparhawk’s takeaway show…which kicks ass…
Efterklang fully deserve the upper case and the !!’s. As a live band anyway. I went to see them in Whelans last year having been introduced to their music only a few months before (found them on myspace and liked the name) and walked away in a state of shock. No-one’s rantings and ravings about their live show before-hand could have prepared me for how good they were on the night. No-one…
It being my favourite gig of last year (with the exception of ATP vs the Fans) I was dubious as to whether or not I should/would go to the Button Factory performance, lest it completely and utterly ruin my memories of the ‘klang. Oh, how wrong was I. I nearly went to see them in Cork on Sunday but the exhaustion from a weekend of gigs and overtime crept up on me.
Here’s hoping a live DVD is on the way. My new Efterklang vinyl should be arriving here any day to complete my collection but a live DVD would be fantastic.
Anyhoo, I took a few shots. Stuck in one spot, I was pretty limited as to who I could shoot though (especially with a certain tall ‘cellis’ from a certain ‘halves’ band looming in front of me) but these ones turned out alright. There is one more apart from this but I’ll stick it up soon as it’s out of camera limbo. To wrap things up: Go and see these guys next time they play though. You most certainly will not be disappointed.
Go to their myspace at myspace.com/efterklang to download the live version of their new song ‘Mirror Mirror’.
Check out their video for Illuminant as well (slightly freaky) and also the video for their new single ‘Caravan’ from Parades.
Ok, so as a follow up to part one of ‘I saw my future in that horse’, I bring you ‘part deux’…
As many of you know by now, Subplots release their debut single ‘Alarm’ on April 11th. A packed out upstairs Whelans was treated to a special pre-launch gig and an early purchase of the limited pressing. I highly recommend buying it as soon as possible so you can not only own a physical copy of ‘Alarm’ but also of the beautifully addictive 2nd song “In rows of black and white” (which is brilliant enough to shed it’s “B-Side” status) before the single sells out.
Thanks to my two little camera friends, and my skill in not spilling any alcohol on them the whole night, here is a video of ‘Alarm’ for your viewing and listening pleasure (well, as pleasurable as a video can be after going through the quality quashing process of youtube).
And here are a few photies. Spot the ex-drummer and win a copy of the CD for only €3!!!
Do pop along to the bands myspace at myspace.com/subplots so you can hear Alarm and a couple of other tunes including the mighty ‘Poltis’. ***Get the single before it gets you***
(photies of efterklang going up tomorrow hopefully).
It’s been a busy weekend. Little sleep. Lots of live music. A fair amount of shutter clicking. First up are some shots of Kill Krinkle Club from the Subplots Single launch on Friday. Sound was woeful but the band were great. Go to one of their future gigs and buy their stuff from itunes.
Except, no, they don’t. And perhaps a few more Kilkenny heads would know this if they hadn’t refused to pay a MERE FIVER in to see them back in 2006 (before they were hip) when they played their berry berry first Irish gig. This promoter remains bitter…
Anyhoo, ‘Foals suck’ is a short documentary type vidjo following the lads around on their US tour (including the NY gig in the Bowery Ballroom at which I was in attendance, yay…). It’s pretty great and there are 4 parts up on their myspace. I’m not sure that there’ll be a fifth but i live in hope. Do pop over there and check that sh*t out. (AS I WRITE THIS PART 5 HAS BEEN PUT UP! HOPE PAYS OFF)
It is the brain child of Dave Ma who also is one of the brains behind music-zine Plus One Lung and also the creator of one/2/many(?) of the foals music videos (probably the good ones).
Anyway, I’m finishing this post now because I want to be one of the first to watch part 5.
Thanks to everyone who’s sent me en email/myspace/random pigeon mail about my site. It is much appreciated.
It’s been a hell of a long time coming but one of the world’s finest 3-pieces ‘Subplots’ have just made their new single ‘Alarm’ available for streaming on their myspace.
They’ve spent the last few months recording and this shall be the first of many songs to see the inside of disc trays throughout the country and beyond.
Check out their myspace blogs for recording diarys and then pop along to Upstairs Whelans on March 28th (for a measly 7euro) to catch them in action. Support on the night comes from the brilliant ‘The dying seconds’ and ‘The Kill Krinkle Club’. I can’t imagine this not selling out so arrive early!!
Here are two shots of Halves playing in Tripod from the Cathy Davey gig a while back. It has been aaages since I’ve had a chance to stick them up. Halves next play the IMRO showcase in Dundalks’ Spirit Store on March 22nd…
www.ahomeforhalves.com
www.myspace.com/ahomeforhalves
New release ‘Haunt me when I’m drowsy’ due out in May….Yay…
The fantastic Waiting Room are reuniting forces once again for one night only in Cyprus Avenue, Cork on April 13th, to celebrate the launch of their 2nd album ‘Battle Lines are gently drawn’ – (Which is equally fantastic).
From the bands myspace:
“This will probably be (never say never like..) our last gig together so it’s gonna be emo to the max! Kinda like VH1 Bands reunited. Can’t wait.”
For all you non-Corkonions (?) like me, take the Monday off work and head down to the wannabe capital for some good music and Hillybilly’s chicken…
One of the last gigs I was shooting at was Explosions in the Sky at Tripod. I’ve been to London, New York and Bristol before when these guys were playing and missed them every time due to a series of unfortunate mishaps. Not a huge fan of the latest album (though I have been told it is a grower) but I needed to see them live to get over the past. It was a pretty good show but I would have loved to have seen them back in the day they were playing places like The Hub (even though it is The Hub). Fairly happy with the results and I think one of the below is currently residing somewhere on www.foreverpresents.ie
