By Tim Fusciardi

So how many of us in our lifetime have taken a holiday down to Camber Sands? You know the place, about an hour or so up the coast where they somehow have sand in place of the pebbles we seem to have? Well now could be an excellent time for a revisit to the golden sands as the NME Weekender comes to Potins this November! Oh and if you have no idea where Camber Sands is… this is an ideal reason for you to visit it too!

Captain Croc has packed his bags and the park will be taken over by NME for the weekend of Friday 5^th November for 3 days of music, madness and a lot more! Headliners to this event are Babyshambles, British Sea Power, The Whip and The Eighties Match Box B-Line Disaster.  There are plenty more acts as well and many more to be announced from all over the world, hand picked by NME.

But when you’re not enjoying the music, there is also the Underground Rebel Bingo to take part in. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, all I can say is be prepared for one very unusual evening involving body parts and marker pens….

There will also be quizzes, comedy and screenings throughout the weekend – all in the park!

So if you think that by November you may have earned yourself a sneaky weekend away from your studies, then this is definitely the place for you to be.

For your chance to win tickets to the event, check out my blog!

http://timfusciardi.wordpress.com

For more details, go to www.nme.com/weekender

I meet up with the band just before their show at the Basement Venue at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton. I interview the group as lead singer Adam, who the other members of the group describe as the male version of Lady Gaga (he doesn’t argue), applies his make up.

They have had quite a long journey get to where they are now over the past three years. Their advice to those trying to start out in the industry; do not rely on promises from ‘industry types’. I get the impression from talking to the band that there have been many false dawns. Promises of record contracts from people which have never really turned into a reality, forcing the band to do a lot of the work themselves. ‘Focus on online buzz, get your music out there, do it yourself’ says lead singer Adam. Kyle, the band’s electronics guy insists you must know your target audience. All very intelligent people, they begin discussing the market, describing how saturated it is with certain genres and hypothesising over potential gaps in the market.

They also recommend you do as much extra work in the business as you can. Getting contacts is key to starting out. They describe getting to where they are, on the brink of releasing their second single and doing some large sell out shows as a very slow process; “expect a lot of waiting around” Adam says, make up nearly done. But its all worth it. They list their favourite parts of being in the band as being the positive feedback the get from their hard work and playing live. You can tell they enjoy themselves when they are out entertaining the crowds.

As I wait for their live set to start, the venue is packed. The stage is set up with a projector beaming on to the back wall and a pair of mannequin legs up side down as a microphone stand… you do expect Lady Gaga to jump out at any moment. Close, but not quite…

Their electro tech-pop sound, lead vocals with a hint of auto-tune, bright lights, over the top dancing and key lyrics beaming out of a projector, kicks the show off in a big way. Included in their set is the soon to be released, Scissor Sister-esque single White Room as well as a cover version of the Florence and the Machine hit Rabbit Heart, which is well received by the audience, who sing and dance along as Adam rushes into the masses to join in.

This show is certainly the start of something big for the band, finding a gap in the market is exactly what they have done and I’m left feeling that their performance is just crying out for a larger scale venue. So whats next for the group? The finishing the touches to their second single before release and a headline spot on the newcomers stage at the Beach Break Live student festival in Wales.

Check them out at:

http://www.myspace.com/thedirtydiscomusic

Article by Tim Fusciardi (Friday 14th May)

On the opening night of The Great Escape Festival in Brighton I find myself sitting outside Jam with the four boys from Australian indie-pop outfit Hungry Kids of Hungary. The first question I put to the band is, why the name? They’ve told some journalists it was based on an incident where they were stuck in Budapest as well as a claim that  their dads were all in a motor bike group together called Hungry Men of Hungary. The boys laugh, they have just come off stage and are still buzzing. Kane, one of the bands lead vocalists and keyboard player reveals that “one of our friends just came up with it and we found it quite funny”.

The band comprises of completely different personalities, a fact highlighted when asked what jobs they were doing before touring as a band; Kane still works in a centre to help refugees, Dean was a graphic designer, Ben the bands bass player used to sell insurance over the phone and Ryan used to drive fork lift trucks. The band has travelled to many different places throughout this current tour and they assert this is one of the best things about being in the band, however adding that one of the biggest challenges has actually been getting the time off work to go out on tour.

I ask the guys for their advice on how to get into the music business. They emphasise the importance of first impressions. Plan and practice are the key words they use. Ryan, the bands drummer, backing vocalist and the man who made the band happen advises “rehearsing when ever you get the opportunity, especially acoustically”. Lead singer Dean simply adds ‘be nice to people.’

Later on I go to see the bands 2nd live set of the festival on the Saturday as part of the Australian BBQ event at Digital, showcasing some of Australia’s finest musical talent. Hearing their set a you can detect a slight hint of McFly in the music they play. Other similarities can be drawn with Vampire Weekend and the The Beach Boys, with all four of the band members pitching in on vocals and encouraging the audience to sing along with the choruses. They play a mixture of songs from their first two EPs, one titled Hungry Kids of Hungary, the other called Mega Mountain. Songs that prove popular with audience include Scattered Diamonds and their latest single Let You Down with its catchy chorus which has me humming it for the rest of the day.

Check out the bands myspace page for more information on upcoming shows and listen to some of their latest tracks.

http://www.myspace.com/hungrykidsofhungary

They have also recorded a special version of Scattered Diamonds right here on the sunny beach of Brighton Beach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aCgV6MWw6c

Article by Tim Fusciardi

Easter Sunday, the 4th of April

Review by Talia French

Concorde2 has had a new lick of paint, and arriving for the Finley Quaye gig it’s hard to get over how different it is; new paint, new signs, big screen in the bar room, ‘Molton Brown’ hand lotion in the bathrooms, and no more sticky floors!

The bar was already full as beats pulsed through the speakers. At twenty to nine the stage room was full, as the only support band ‘Tin Roots’, began their set, with their brand of ‘feel the bass in your chest’ reggae-ska. Their fans skanked as close to the stage as they could, and the audience got moving to ‘Go Now’ and ‘Animal’ (a Miike Snow and Mark Ronson Cover). Ruby Taylor, lead singer of the band, chatted to the audience, infecting them with her enthusiasm. By the end of their session all the heads in the room were bopping along.

As the crowd waited for Finley, things got a lot friendlier at the front, the idea of personal space became a quaint notion, as fans of all ages tried to squeeze a bit nearer the stage. The band and Finely were greeted with rapturous applause. The audience danced and sang along to ‘Dice’ ‘It’s Great When We’re Together’ and ‘Sunday Shining’, despite not actually being acknowledged by Finley who unfortunately failed to address or face the audience at all.

Towards the end of the performance Quaye suddenly decided to exit the stage leaving the band to finish the song. After a short return to the stage he abruptly disappeared again! After this some disgruntled fans began to boo. However, when the musicians concluded their performance they left to grateful applause from the crowd.

Although Quaye’s music was beautiful, it did not make up for his strange behaviour and the majority of Finley fans that I spoke to were disappointed with the lack of rapport. The new and welcoming décor at Concorde 2 was at odds with a remote and isolated headliner. Tin Roots definitely stole the show, keep an eye out for them on the Festival circuit this year, as they are already showing the big hitters how it should be done.

Its been 5 years since we last heard new material from the Gorillaz with Demon Days. So what should we expect from their new track Stylo which was released earlier this month?

It is always difficult for artists who just seem to disappear of the face of the earth for years and then turn up with a new track out of no where. Should it be more of the same or something more modern? Well the new track could be considered a bit of both. The usual computerised sing along style is there but with a hint of modern from the collaboration with Mos Def, used to subtle advantage. With a catchy beat, the chorus applies itself to your brain and has you humming it for days. The vocals are a little harder to catch onto the first couple of times of listening, but the beat and pace of this track makes you want more and makes the song a pleasure to listen to more than once.

And this is all before we discuss the music video. Gorillaz in 3d, a car chase and Bruce Willis. What else would you want from a music video? Again the Gorillaz follow their faultless blueprint of unusual music videos that has done them well in previous hits such as Feel Good Inc, Clint Eastwood and 19-2000. I am always slightly cautious on new albums after such a great first single release. Some albums tend not to be of the same big impact style of the opening single. The Gorillaz however have gone with the ‘More of the Same’ approach with the new album Plastic Beach and we look forward to hearing much more from the Gorillaz over the next few months.

The new single can be purchased at 7Digital and all good records shops. Article by Tim Fusciardi

Northbrook Exposure presents the freshest talent from Northbrook’s T-block Studios featuring a diverse range of genres and acts including SWIMS, RED MAN RED, What’s the SP? (featured on Fat Boy Slim), FUNKANEASY, PHAT BONES, GOODINJECTIONS, CUE THE HORSES and many more..

Also featuring lauch of new label POWER OUT in the studio bar
Best of all its completely FREE entry all night!!

Wednesday the 31st of March, 7:00 til 11:00