Belfast Calling

Not Quite the End

2010-05-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

So, it may have become a little obvious that Belfast Calling hasn't been on my mind too much recently. Second semester became pretty much crazy busy with studying and socialising. For the first half of it I found myself leaving Stirling almost every weekend and therefore having to study my bum off during the week to keep up, and the second half was full of exam preperation. I also had to sort out a visa for the summer because I'm working at a camp in up-state New York for nine weeks. Basically, I'd like to apologise for my lack of updates, and to inform everyone that in just over two weeks I'll be jetting off to the States, to a camp with only one computer, and updating this blog won't be on my mind at all. Next semester is already looking busy but I think I'd like to upload something atleast once or twice a week. I loved Belfast Calling but I've recently realised that journalism maybe isn't what I want to do with my life. My passion for this blog has died a bit and studying it has made me realise even further that it probably isn't the career for me. However, I don't want to make any big decisions yet, as I still have two years of university left.

But for now, until September, I shall bid you adieu!

'Remember Me' Review

2010-04-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Twi-hards and Robert Pattinson fangirls: this film isn’t for you.

When I planned to go and see 'Remember Me' I thought it would be some sort of cutesy romance between Pattinson and another Bella Swan, but I was proven wrong. Based in New York City and directed by Allen Coulter, 'Remember Me' will give you a lot more than you bargained for. Within the first fifteen minutes it’s clear to see that Pattinson’s character, Tyler, is more of a brooding writer who spends his time in a cafe in Brooklyn, but not a in a cliched “tortured artist” way. A lot of the scenes are shot in handheld camera and you’re never sure what exactly is about to happen; the grainy lens and blue tint making things seem quite dark. The film takes many twists and turns, including Tyler’s new girlfriend, Ally (Emilie de Ravin) his relationships with his Dad (played by Pierce Brosnan, who takes on a horrendous Brooklyn accent) and his little sister, and his flatmate who seems to come in to make a joke to lighten the mood a little every so often.

While there are a good few cliches, including Ally admitting she eats dessert first because, “I just don’t see the point in waiting. I mean, what if I die while eating my entree?” there are also some inspiring, quotable lines - “Gandhi said that whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it’s very important that you do it because nobody else will.” Without giving anything away, this film may not make sense to people until the last ten minutes, but the twist is shocking and, to some, unexpected. If you want to see this film for Robert Pattinson, don’t bother. You won’t get some romantic drama with a happy ending. Pattinson really digs his teeth into this role and makes for a gritty performance. But if you’re wanting to see something new and different, a low-ish budget film, something unexpected, then it’s definitely worth the cost.

The Candle Thieves Release Debut Single

2010-03-03T10:07:00.000-08:00

On March 29th, eclectic, indie-pop duo, The Candle Thieves, are releasing their debut single, 'We're All Gonna Die (Have Fun)'. The boys have just finished the video for it, which was directed by Richard Cullen of Pixelfing and you can view it right here:

You can find out more about The Candle Thieves at www.myspace.com/thecandlethieves

The Candle Thieves

2010-02-08T05:19:00.001-08:00

“The Candle Thieves keep the flame burning for sweetly emotive pop” – The Metro

"The Candle Thieves are wonderful" - The Independent
Their songs would melt the hardest hearts...How could you resist?" - The Guardian

Back in October I did an interview with Scott McEwan and Glockenshiels of Peterborough based band, The Candle Thieves, after the release of their 'Sunshine EP'. They had spent the summer touring up and down the country playing gigs in peoples gardens and had started work on their debut album.

The guys have recently signed to Downtown Records in America (Justice, Miike Snow, Gnarls Barkley) and are definitely a band to look out for in 2010. On March 22nd they release their debut single, 'We're All Going to Die (Have Fun)' and then on April 5th their debut album, 'Sunshine and Other Misfortunes'.

The 'Sunshine EP' is available to listen to on Spotify and you can find out more about The Candle Thieves at www.myspace.com/

Voicebox Comedy

2010-02-06T05:02:00.000-08:00

With music seemingly taking over the Belfast entertainment scene comedy nights are few and far between in Northern Ireland, but Marcus Keeley, organiser of Voicebox Comedy, is trying to change that. After trying out stand-up at university he returned to Belfast hoping to continue honing his skills. The only comedy clubs at the time, The Empire and The Laughter Lounge at The Odyssey, didn't interest him as an audience member, nevermind a performer, and this was when he decided to try and organise his own night. "I endeavoured to create an accessible amateur comedy night, with a slight lean towards the alternative style of humour. I also wanted to make it extremely welcoming to first-timers; something which a lot of comedy clubs tend to overlook. After an admittedly ramshackled short series of nights, Voicebox Comedy Club came back regularly during the summer of 2009, and has been packed every month!"

With a sheer lack of comedy clubs in Belfast you'd think comedians would have been coming out of the woodwork when Voicebox started up, but it had a bit of a slow start: "Originally when I started Voicebox, I sent out e-mails, ads and so on to find out if there were any comics in a similar position as me. Around four or five of us met up and I asked them to do the night. Since then, some have went on to start their own comedy clubs and others have disappeared from the scene. Generally speaking, once the amateur nights got a bit of momentum going, eventually people thought 'oh, I'll have a go next week'. Of course, there's people who only do it once then vanish, which is a shame, but within the scene the majority of people are very supportive with new comics." Since then comedy clubs have sprung up all over Belfast and there's plenty more to be found throughout the rest of Northern Ireland and Dublin.

As stated before, Marcus was inspired to start the night after trying out a bit of stand-up at university, so what delights can we expect from him? "I prefer the alternative style of humour, being a big fan of Vic Reeves & Bob Mortimer, Rik Mayall & Adrian Edmonson, Dylan Moran, Charlie Brooker, Tim Minchin, these would probably be the comics/writers who give me the most influence. People see my stand-up as being rather dark, exaggerating the negative aspects of how people interact with each other and my own personal failings to surreal degrees." But it's not all doom and gloom: "I also do character skits/videos with a bit more focus on satire or the ridiculous. Of course, not everyone enjoys the above, but I don't see any fun in doing comedy that everyone gets or appreciates. There's enough local humour based comedians around for that."

With 2010 comes a new start, so what's on the cards for Marcus and Voicebox Comedy? "Voicebox is always growing, which is largely in part to the fantastic audience following we have, the comics who enjoy the night and get on board, and of course Safehouse Arts Space where it's held. It's a very open comedy night; I understand that not everyone shares my point of view on humour, so I'll try anything once or twice - I don't want to speak on behalf of the audience." So why not become part of that audience?

You can find out more about Voicebox Comedy at www.nicomedy.com and http://www.safehousearts.org.uk/

"I think if you say your band is a punk band or any other kind of band you instantly place a restriction on yourself."

2010-02-05T16:25:00.001-08:00

Comply or Die formed in spring of 2008 and within in a year were gigging regularly, gaining a reputation for putting on an “explosive live show.” The members (Matt on drums, Michael on guitar/vocals and Ian on bass/vocals) are made of ex-members of bands including Coda, The Kiss Kills and Snake Charmers and are currently working on a new record. “We’re playing around with a concept for it at the minute that will tie it all together and help make it pretty cohesive. The last record was really just a collection of songs, really good songs, but there wasn’t really a central theme to it so I thought it would be cool to try something like this with the next record,” Michael tells me. “Musically it’s more diverse, there’s more depth to it. Not all the songs are full on heads down assault like the last record, there are songs like that on here, and those kinds of songs are always fun to play, but we don’t really want to keep going over old ground.”

Before I continue I should probably tell you now that Comply or Die are not, I repeat NOT, a punk band. “People ask us what our band sound like and we’re like, ‘oh, well it’s like, post punk hardcore,’ and then they hear us and it’s like ‘that’s not hardcore...you’re not punk’. I think if you say your band is a punk band or any other kind of band really you instantly place a restriction on yourself and the sound.” Michael tells me. It’s all too easy to try and put everyone and everything in a box these days, but Comply or Die simply won’t accept it: “We're too heavy for the punks and a lot of people don't really get us or what we do. I think we adhere to the DIY ethics that are the back bone of what real punk, in my eyes, is but that’s probably where the similarities start and end. We're our own band and don't really pay too much attention to scenes, genres or what’s hip, fashionable or cool.” Matt adds. A long time ago people seemed to forget that punk was more than a music genre, which is probably what brought about the downfall of anyone’s understanding of the real punk lifestyle. And these guys definitely aren’t big fans of the current Northern Irish indie scene. Matt tells me, “there’s too many [indie bands] in Belfast and very few of them have any balls; it’s all fashion. It'll shift round again and rock or something else will be big in a few years. All these things are cyclical. Fits and starts.”

So except for the record and some upcoming gigs, what’s on the cards for Comply or Die for the rest of 2010? “Just get tighter as a band, write more songs, and get some more varied gigs I guess.” Ian tells me, before Michael adds, “hopefully well get to play a festival or something during the summer. Last year was a pretty successful year for us so hopefully this year will top that.” Fingers crossed it definitely will.

Comply or Die recently released a FREE downloadable single! It features two tracks - Baptism of Fire and Like A Snake - from their debut album and a previously unreleased live track, I'm Sick(of This), that will feature on their second record due out later this year! Follow the link for the FREE single and if you like that you can get the record for a mere £5.
Http://complyordie.bandcamp.com
You can also check out their new music video for Love Under Will. Check it out at Http://diecomply.posterous.com
You can also find out more about the band and hear their music at www.myspace.com/diecomply.
Photo by Victoria Carson.

Indigo Fury - EP Review

2010-01-31T07:59:00.000-08:00

This EP makes me feel as if Indigo Fury don't actually want to gain new fans. In the current musical climate most bands want to do something to get recognised, but with this mish-mash of classic rock and brit pop, I can't see these guys gaining any new listeners. First track, Something Happened, may have a couple of catchy riffs but it does nothing to pull the audience in and sounds just like so many bands that died with the 90s. Next two tracks, Drive and Mine Now, nevermind sounding incredibly similar, also resemble what you might hear at a band practise in the beginnings of a band's formation. Avoiding instrumental pieces might be an idea Indigo Fury should really consider. By the time I reach final track, Not Today, I'm really hoping they can surprise me, but unfortunately I'm let down. With a bit of a rock 'n' roll vibe, this song has been done before, countless times. Indigo Fury show clear potential with this EP, and I can't wait to see them actually using the talents they obviously have. But until then, this release just doesn't cut it.

You can find out more about Indigo Fury at www.myspace.com/indigofury

"I guess it's a case of, 'well, they're doing that already, let's try something different'."

2010-01-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

“Screaming Maldini are me (singing, producing, and that), Tom (refusing to sing and drumming), Andy (singing and trumpeting), Gina (more singing and percussioning), Annie (even more singing and bassing) and Chris (yet more of the singing and also keyboarding). Six all told, and with room to spare.” Nick of Screaming Maldini tells me. The band began as his “bedroom project” in 2008. “It was mainly as an outlet for my ever-increasing obsession with music production and recording. At the time, I lived with Andy and I fancied recording some trumpet (having never done so before) so I did.” Before the band knew it they were being played on 6Music by Tom Robinson. This inspired them to get some more musicians together and within six months they had a band and were signed to Alcopop! Records.

Screaming Maldini play an eclectic mix of pop, indie and something a little bit retro. Their use of horns, keys and percussion create a whole new genre that I’m sure no one has ever heard before. “With Maldini,there's always been this constant underlying feeling of not wanting to follow what other people are doing. There are a lot of purely guitar bands out there at the moment, equally there are lot of synth-driven bands out there too, most of whom are phenomenally good at what they do. I guess it's a case of, ‘well, they're already doing that, let's try something different’.”

The Extraordinary, the second track on the band’s MySpace page, has a quite retro, 60s feel to it. Due to Nick’s lack of planning this was completely unintentional but appears to have worked out brilliantly: “it was quite an organic experience writing and recording the song (it grew over about four months) and it wasn't in the least bit planned (I'm not very good at thinking ahead!). We had put down some guitar and drums and the thought occurred to me that the main riff might sound cool on the trumpet, so I called Andy upstairs to play it and everything just spiralled from there really.” But that wasn’t the end of it: “all of a sudden I found myself in Sheffield Cathedral's song school recording the girl choristers soaring up to top Bbs and thinking, 'crikey, this is different!'. I guess it was a case of letting what happens happen.”

So what’s on the cards for Screaming Maldini in 2010? “We release our Debut EP through the magnificent Alcopop! Records on February 22nd, which we're very excited about! We'll be playing a few dates in support of that and then we plan to keep plugging away, keep writing, keep playing, keep building and working hard. The summer should hopefully bring some festival performances and then, with a touch of luck and some focus, there'll be a full length record ready by the second half of the year!”

That definitely sounds like something we can look forward to.

You can find out more about Screaming Maldini and listen to their music at www.myspace.com/screamingmaldini

Sister Marko - 'Just Let Go' single review

2010-01-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

Sister Marko are inspired by bands like The Foo Fighters, Creed and Muse, and you can definitely hear in this in their new single, 'Just Let Go'. These guys make new age grunge rock and do it well. It's a catchy track and has a good beat that will get your foot tapping. But maybe second track on the single, 'Train to New York' would have been a better song to release? With a faster tempo and stronger riffs this song seems like a more interesting listen.The final track, 'Behind Bars' is an acoustic version and reminds me of early Foo Fighters. In the current day and age of music, where indie and folk are gaining rapid success, bands like Sister Marko could definitely bring rock back.

To check out Sister Marko and the single head to www.myspace.com/sistermarkouk

Kiss in Cities - "UR My Girl" single review

2009-12-24T08:08:00.000-08:00

Kiss in Cities are a Manchester based duo made up of Laura Marden and Joe Cross who make "synth drenched power-pop". "UR My Girl" sounds as if it fell straight out of the 80s and in the current musical climate, this isn't a bad thing. It's a happy pop song that will take you back to your childhood whilst being a memorable song for the end of 2009. Good pop music is something music is missing these days, but Kiss in Cities could bring it all back.

To order the single click here.
You can check out Kiss in Cities at www.myspace.com/kissincities , and also their other band, Performance, at www.myspace.com/weareperformance

"We tried planting astro turf and gazebos into venues but they just weren't having any of it."

2009-10-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Candle Thieves are two lovely chaps from Peterborough and I was pretty happy when I found out I had the opportunity to interview them. Their 'Sunshine EP' was released in early September and I had a chat with members Scott McEwan and Glockenshiels who aren't into your generic interview answers. On asking them to tell me a little bit about themselves, Glock told me this: "Hi! We both find our jokes worryingly too funny and we both love Domino's Pizza. Scott's even made up a name for his favourite selection of toppings." An interview that starts off like that is definitely going to be interesting!

Scott and Glock are the only members in the band and they play an amazing range of instruments, from the simple acoustic guitar, to the lesser known melodica, these guys are extremely talented but haven't completely ignored the idea of adding more members: "We kind of like it as we are right now, but definitely wouldn't rule out mixing it up a bit. Would love to do a show with a string quartet or doing a full on rock thing. There are no rules really." Scott tells me, with Glock adding, "Yeah, first rule in Glock club is, there are no rules!!!" Good to know!

This summer, instead of spending their time playing gigs in stuffy venues up and down the country, The Candle Thieves decided it would be a better idea to gig in their friends and fans gardens. Glock tells me, "We tried planting astro turf and gazebos into venues but they just weren't having any of it." To be honest, that's fair enough. "Ahhhh, of course we didn't!" Oh, well, then that's a bit more understandable. So what exactly did happen? "We did a 'Live in Your Living Room' tour last year which was so much fun that we wanted to do it all again but with a bit of a different spin on it. With 'The Sunshine EP' coming out too it felt pretty nice to be outside."

For those of you who've already heard 'The Sunshine EP' and are desperately wanting more, don't fret, because debut album, 'Sunshine and Other Misfortunes' is just around the corner: "It was recorded by Andy Dawkins and Cameron Jenkins is mixing it. It's nice to have a full length to get a few more of our sides across." Scott tells me. Glock also decided to let me in on an interesting fact about the recording of the album: "If you look back into the figures, for those couple of months we were recording, there was a soar in sales of Ginger Beer and Monster Munch in the Leeds/Headingly area." And those two items are definitely good ingredients for the making of an epic first album.

You can find out more about The Candle Thieves at www.myspace.com/thecandlethieves

Nic Dawson Kelly - 'Old Valentine' album review

2009-10-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

The first time I heard Nic Dawson Kelly the first thing that came to mind was Tom Jones, and now I have no idea why because the more I listen to him the more unique and brilliant he sounds. From working with musicians like Jim Barr (Portishead) and Marco Nelson (Primal Scream, Young Disciples), 'Old Valentine' has taken on a country/folk/generally quite alternative sound and each song leaves you wanting more. Songs like (first single off the album) The Musician, Marilyn and All The Pretty Bullfighters show a slow, peaceful side to Nic, with use of harmonicas and his unique shaky voice putting images of campfire songs and cowboys in our heads. But Old Valentine, Ex-Lovers and Old Friends, and Thursday 3-23 are alive and upbeat, with even a bit of a 60's/70's feel to them. Nic sounds nothing like any of the predictable folk artists who are doing oh so well in the charts at the minute, and it appears that his love of country has made 'Old Valentine' something completely new and exciting for the skinny-jean-and-tight-t-shirt-wearing youth of today. But I'm pretty sure that everyone should give it a listen; you won't regret it.

You can find out more about Nic Dawson Kelly at www.myspace.com/nicdawsonkelly

Stagecoach - 'We Got Tazers' EP review

2009-10-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

Stagecoach formed in Surrey as a two-piece and "opted to add a new member every year until they felt they could comfortably rock a stadium." Now with just the right number of members (five, to be exact), Stagecoach released the "We Got Tazers" EP on October 5th and it's proving to be pretty damn good. All six tracks are as intriguing as each other and pull you in to listen more - First track, We Got Tazers portrays their happy nature, Break shows us their slower side and Ice Age is a bit of a indie cliche. You even get a remix of We Got Tazers thrown in there which adds to all the fun that this band clearly embody. If you like a bit of indie, a bit of electronica and a bit of confusion then this band are definitely for you. If not, you should still make sure to give it a listen.

You can purchase a copy of We Got Tazers at the Alcopop Records store (www.ilovealcopop.com) and you can find out more about Stagecoach at www.myspace.com/stagecoachuk

The Candle Thieves - 'The Sunshine EP' review

2009-10-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

Peterborough band, The Candle Thieves, are just coming to the end of their 'Garden Party Tour' where they "played up and down the country, ransacking the gardens of their fans for an evening and putting on shows consisting of great music, inflatable sharks, teddy bears and chocolate". Their music is described as "a warm blend of sunshine drenched melody, punctuated with sometimes melancholic but always astute song writing made with instruments straight out of Toy town and thrown into a melting pot to produce mini pop symphonies." First track on the EP, The Sunshine Song, is full of happy little melodies, the use of synths to keep your feet tapping and with lyrics that are enough to make the heart of any conscious female melt. Second track, My Love Will Clap it's Hands for You, starts off simple before building up and becoming even more intriguing. Final two tracks, The State that I'm in and Lonely, Lonely, Lonely show us a more down beat, slightly darker side to the band but they still keep up the simple melodies and heartfelt lyrics that make their music so appealing.

The Sunshine EP is available from today on Alcopop Records (www.ilovealcopop.com) and you can find out more about The Candle Thieves at www.myspace.com/thecandlethieves

Paramore - 'Brand New Eyes' album review

2009-10-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

This album is amazing. Paramore's talents get ten times better with every record that they make and they've come a long way since the days of 'All We Know is Falling'. 'Brand New Eyes' is full of big, punchy songs like opening track, Careful, and Brick by Boring Brick, but it also has a few quieter tracks, such as Misguided Ghosts, that prove to us that these guys are definitely not a one trick pony. First single, Ignorance, is pretty much on the same level as Misery Business and is bound to be a crowd pleaser on their UK tour later this year. The album has a bit more of a religious feel to it in parts, with Hayley clearly feeling comfortable enough to make it clear to their fans that they're Christians. Decode, the official Twilight soundtrack, is also featured on the album, but maybe should have been put somewere in the middle than right after the song that displays Paramore's full potential. However, I don't have any complaints other than that. Even if you aren't a fan of Paramore, you should definitely check this album out. I promise you won't be dissappointed.

You can check out Paramore's music and what they're getting up to at www.myspace.com/paramore

Bethany Dillon - 'Stop & Listen' album review

2009-10-03T05:02:00.000-07:00

Within Christian music it can sometimes be hard to find artists who sell music because they are good at what they do, rather than the fact that they are just Christian, but Bethany Dillon is one of few who are actually amazing at making music. As expected, the album is full of hope (something Bethany does brilliantly) and opening track, Get Up and Walk, is full of major keys and perfectly sung notes. First single, Everyone to Know, brings back memories of The Kingdom and Dreamer and shows us how in love with Jesus Bethany really is; and it's not cheesy or cliched like a lot of Christian music can be. The album is full of honesty and beauty in songs like I Am Yours and Deliver Me and shows how this wonderful artist has matured and gained so much wisdom since the days of Beautiful when she was fifteen years old. Her wonderful acoustic pop music is enough to make you smile, even if you don't agree with what she's singing, so I suggest that everyone makes sure to give this album a listen.

You can find out more about Bethany Dillon at www.myspace.com/bethanydillonmusic

The boys are back in town

2009-10-03T04:43:00.001-07:00

So you probably noticed the lack of updates on Belfast Calling over the summer, but this is all about to change! We'll be going back to the normal schedule of reviews, interviews and news updates as soon as I get my act together and contact people and sort out the myspace page! The inbox really has filled up... so, first, you can expect a few album and EP reviews including Paramore, Bethany Dillon and an EP by a brilliant band from Peterborough called The Candle Thieves. So chums, keep your eyes and ears open for many new updates! AND if you would like you're a band, filmmaker, photographer, writer, artist, or do anything creative send me an e-mail at belfastcalling@hotmail.co.uk telling me what you do, what you'd like to see featured, and I'll make sure to get back to you!

"It's like, I paid good money to be here tonight...amp me up! Make me feel alive!"

2009-07-23T05:42:00.001-07:00

For as long as I can remember indie, punk and anything alternative has been the main favourite in the Northern Irish music scene, so what do a band like Team Fresh do when they come into the scene with hip hop and want to make a name for themselves?

“I think when word started spreading about us and people who'd seen us live tried to describe us, it turned a lot of people off.” Slaine Browne tells me, “The problem is that whole nu-metal era which we never paid attention to. We all just grew up skateboarding together and listening to the music on skate videos, which was mainly underground, bouncy hip hop and positive punk tunes, and it seemed natural to us to put those two together.” While the indie scene is currently prominent in Northern Ireland, there was a time before that when all everyone wanted to do was skate and listen to music that had a good beat. Since then it’s as if people take music too seriously and all they want to do is be successful. But it’s easy to see, with bands like Team Fresh, that if you write what you love then you’ll have just as much success.“Another thing was we were bored of going to gigs and watching 'clichéd indie' bands. People who were scared to look at the crowd or would stare at their shoes while saying, "uh, hi... we have a record for sale at the door... buy it, or don't. Your choice... this next one’s about my ex-girlfriend”. We wanted to start a band that made people have a good time; that made them go home feeling fired up. You know? It's like, I paid good money to be here tonight, don't make me feel depressed, amp me up! Make me feel alive!”

However, once Team Fresh got started it didn’t take long before they were getting gig offers all over Belfast: “We set up our MySpace and people seemed to find us quite quickly. We played Rathlin Island around 6 months after starting the band and when we got home and checked our e-mails we had offers for gigs in The Empire and Queens in Belfast. I think a lot of folk from the Belfast music scene were there and liked us, liked what they'd seen. I guess we were just extremely lucky.”

So while you could go and see the next big thing in indie, why not do something a bit different and check out Team Fresh? Here’s to Northern Irish hip hop! Because I, for one, am sick of clichés.

You can check out Team Fresh at www.myspace.com/teamfreshforever

"It definitely still sounds like The Almost"

2009-07-21T05:43:00.001-07:00

For a while we didn’t hear much from The Almost but now they have signs plastered all over their MySpace page about a new album later this summer and Belfast Calling is pretty excited about the prospect of a second album from this alternative southern band. “Everything is done on our end. We actually just got a couple of mixes back.” Dusty Redmon (guitar) tells me, “We've got two different guys working on the mixes, and so far we're stoked on what we've gotten back!” And what about the sound? Will it be that typical “complicated second album” that sounds nothing like the first, or is it a progression of something amazing? “Looking back on the writing process with Dusty, I remember the both of us making the conscious effort to write what we liked without worrying what the final product would be.” Jay (guitar) tells me, “When the new record finally took shape, we were stoked to hear that The Almost had taken a big step forward.” It’s good to know that we won’t be handing over our money for another copy of Southern Weather. “It definitely still sounds like the Almost,” Dusty adds, “As a fan of the last album before joining the band, I think I can say that what we've got is a pretty cool, natural step forward. Jay and I murdered the guitars. I CAN say that.”

I asked Dusty if the album had a name yet, and got this unfortunate reply: “We DO have a title for it. I'm just not sure if I'm allowed to say yet or not!” So we’ll be waiting a little longer to discover what the guys have decided to call the album. And I’m sure you’re also wondering if The Almost will be in the UK any time soon, right? “We've been hoping to make it over to the UK for a while now. I guess the last album didn't get a proper release over there, so we're working hard to figure out a way to have this one come out. If that all works, I'm sure we'll get over there!” Dusty tells me. “We talk about touring the UK often, so our fingers are crossed in hopes that the response to the new record is positive! If not, Dusty and I will just come as tourists!” Jay adds. We’ll make sure to give them a warm welcome, whatever way they get here.

You can check out The Almost and get updates on the new album at www.myspace.com/thealmost

Owl City - 'Fireflies' single review

2009-07-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Since the summer of 2008, Adam Young of Owl City has certainly been making a name for himself. He's currently touring with Kate Havnevik and Unicorn Kid and has just had Fireflies available for free download on iTunes, as well as making an accompanying video. Fireflies definitely has the electronic Owl City sound to it, but there's something much larger about it. With synths and melodies, Mr Adam Young is certainly outdoing himself. The lyrics speak of hopes and dreams but settle straight back to reality and things everyone can relate to. This is definitely a song that everyone needs to listen to.

With new album, Ocean Eyes, soon to be available in the UK will Adam gain himself more fans or will he lose some? If Fireflies is anything to go by he'll be making it to number one before you can say "Hello Seattle".

You can check out Owl City and listen to Fireflies at www.myspace.com/owlcity
Photo by Pamela Littky.

"We wanted a big sound with big songs, catchy hooks and lyrics everyone can relate to."

2009-07-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

"Recently we've been keeping ourselves pretty busy booking a tour for the end of June and we are just out of the studio last week finishing off the final touches to the debut EP" Adam Carroll of Under Stars & Gutters tells me. The boys have come a long way since they started, and now with three music videos under their belt and plenty of gigs played around Northern Ireland, including the great AU sponsored St. Patrick's Day gig in Portrush, they have now almost completed their first EP.

"the EP is called 'Soundtrack To this City' and basically tells the story of the last 3 years in the bands life. I definately tried to make all the lyrics as personal as possible. We recorded all 5 tracks with Patrick trolan in broken studios in Portstewart in 2 different sessions. all along the aim of the cd was to make it sound HUGE, we wanted a big sound with big songs,catchy hooks and lyrics everyone can relate to."

So if you like the sound of that make sure to give Under Stars & Gutters a listen. I can assure you, you won't regret it.

You can check out Under Stars & Gutters at www.myspace.com/understarsandgutters
Photo by Mark Douglas at www.myspace.com/markdouglasphotography

We're on Twitter!

2009-04-10T05:58:00.000-07:00

Yep, just head on over to www.twitter.com/belfastcalling and click follow!
:)

"I think I got into photography on a bit of a fluke."

2009-04-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

Everyone seems to see themselves as a bit of a wannabe photographer these days. Whether it be the “emo” kids on MySpace who take a million photos of themselves and their friends in mirrors, or people who have Facebook albums full of photos of beautiful landscapes. But it takes a lot more than that to take a good photo, and Colette McHugh is one of few gifted people who can take good photos. “I think I got into photography on a bit of a fluke but am very grateful that I did. I started taking pictures when I was about 15 as a hobby but never really thought I could take it anywhere professional. As much as I wanted to be I was never any good at fine art so by the time I got to university I found myself in a course with nothing to do with art, that I had no interest in. I had it set in my mind that I was going to leave when I found the University of Ulster was starting a photography course. Unlike others who went up for the course I didn’t come from a foundation art background so was extremely happy when I was given the chance and got accepted into the course. From there I really developed my love of art photography.”

It was the work of photographer Annie Leibowitz that really stood out the Colette when she was 15 and helped her realise her passion for taking photos: “I was amazed by the beautiful constructed images she created of glamorous people but also how she could use photography to document her own life. It seemed like the perfect vocation for me as it could include all my interests in one career that I could be passionate about.” And photography is just that; no matter what you’re interested in it’s always possible to include it. From fashion to art, there’s always some way to put it in a photo, and Colette’s inspirations are proof of this: “Every project I take on has different inspirations, from music and other art forms to everyday experiences, but I’m most influenced by the past. I’ve always loved the look of old movies from the styles of film noir to the musical production of the 1940s. This plays a big role in my current project which is mostly influenced by director George Melies and musical choreographer Busby Berkeley.”

Colette is currently working on fashion photography for Belfast hair and artist designer ‘Vintage Rocks’ and is hoping to start a website and create a book of work this summer, so make sure to watch this space and look out for her photos.

You can check out more of Colette's work at www.myspace.com/colette_rose

All photos used with permission.

Kuhn

2009-04-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

Kuhn formed after drummer, Sandra Kuhn, moved to Northern Ireland from Hamburg after a move to Birmingham not working out and only planned to stay for a year, but has now been here for seven. Kuhn didn’t form till spring 2008 and have been a cover band until now, as they have decided to work on their own material. They have a large list of influences including The Beatles, AC/DC, The Fratellis and Black Sabbath and have quite a rock ‘n’ roll feel. And the band name? Sandra tells me, “We cannot agree on a proper band name, we’re constantly juggling names!” as I’m sure you can see the connection. Kuhn are currently not gigging but focusing on writing their own material and have just started recording some of their songs.

You can check out Kuhn at www.myspace.com/kuhnband

"There is only so much a band can do."

2009-04-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Randals formed in October 2007 “after realising each others unhealthy interest in music” and were originally called ‘The Deadbeats’ and just played covers of songs by bands ranging from The Arctic Monkeys to The Pixies, but after gigging in Omagh for a while they decided it would be best to take a break and write their own material. This led to a change in the bands name and they became The Randals.

“With so many bands in the Northern Irish music scene it is hard to find a place to fit in and get noticed,” Stephen (guitar) tells me, “People say that to get something done right you have to do it yourself, but there is only so much a band can do, they need that extra help from promoters, and I’m glad to say that we’ve been promoted well in our town, and from it have been told that we have great live talent.” With confidence like that it won’t be hard for these boys to go far with their music. In any music scene it’s hard to get heard, and bands give up too quickly, but due to success in their home town (and there’s no place like home) The Randals have a belief in themselves that doesn’t show arrogance.

While these boys continue to work their way to the top, they aren’t just focusing on themselves, as they have a true belief that the Northern Irish scene has got something important to say: “We just think something more should be done about the talent in the North, because god knows good things don't last forever.” Amen to that.

You can check out The Randals at www.myspace.com/therandalsni
Photo by Kirk Gilmore - www.kirkgilmore.com

"It was a woman who bore me"

2009-04-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

You might think that acoustic music can sometimes get a bit dull, but if you give Kitty and the Can Openers a listen your opinion could very easily change. It’s not often that you hear full acoustic bands but these guys pull it off really well. “We don’t try to sound like anyone else; we make songs that reflect who we are. We have a DIY ethos so we like to keep it acoustic as possible and prefer glockenspiels, melodicas and any other weird and wacky instrument that give unusual flavours. We do our own thing.” Ronan tells me. If you listen to Kitty and the Can Openers it won’t be easy to think of another band in the Northern Irish music scene who sounds like them right now. They’re one of few who aren’t afraid to break away from the indie cliché and make the music that they want to make. And what about that name? “Well we initially found it in an arts catalogue (like a cat out of a garbage can) and we thought it was quite playful and unpretentious. I had this surreal image of a very happy cat surrounded by giant tin openers holding musical instruments, which made me laugh. It is also a reflection of the old-fashioned tastes that we were enamoured to at the time. I think those fifties style names are underused, like Buddy Holly and the Crickets- ‘somebody and the somethings’, you know?”

Kitty and the Can Openers have been going for about two years and have only recently experienced a bit of attention from the Northern Irish press: “We're very grateful for that. It's important to be patient and persistent and to hone your craft and allow your sound to develop because sooner or later, if you're good and you work hard and you're honest in your writing, someone will take notice.” In Northern Ireland bands are either noticed very soon after forming or after a long run of gigging and getting publicity, and it seems even harder for acoustic acts who can’t instantly play the well known venues, so Kitty and the Can Openers definitely deserve the attention they’re finally getting. “There’s a long road ahead with ups and downs aplenty, I'm sure, but we're loving it and are so excited about all these songs we've got that are just dying to be heard.”

If you’ve paid attention to Kitty and the Can Opener’s lyrics you might have noticed that they’ve been written from a male perspective (I assume Ciara’s hairline isn’t receding, but you know what they say about those who assume...), so who is writing them and why isn’t he singing? “The song writing [is] Ronan's job,” Ciara tells me, “He has a way with words and all the songs have little characters and stories attached to them. He also has a great knack for one-liners. Some are written from a male perspective, some aren't, but we’re telling a story so it's immaterial whether a particular lyric is sung by a female.” I can’t really imagine a man singing for Kitty and the Can Openers. Even though artists like Dallas Green and Damien Rice make amazing music, there’s something about acoustic music that sometimes needs a softer voice.

“There’s always going to be a style that’s more popular than others at any given time but we’re still seeing musicians taking risks and displaying that independent streak, which is a local characteristic I think.” Ronan tells me his opinion on the current Northern Irish music scene, “One thing that the local DJs, [journalists] and promoters and bloggers have in common is that they are all genuinely passionate about the music, and there's still a sense of camaraderie there too, ego isn't really an issue here, thank God.” From listening to Kitty and the Can Openers it’s clear that Belfast life has a big affect on their music. They all have stories to them and feature people who songwriter Ronan has clearly encountered in his day to day life, if not known for years. “The other day a dishevelled looking fellow stopped us on the street and said “I have seven words that will change your life” he counted them out on his fingers-‘it was a woman who bore me’ then he walked away looking dead pleased with himself. He'll probably find his way into one of our songs someday.”

While Kitty and the Can Openers have some new songs planned for the website, what else will be happening with them over the next few months? “[We’ll be making] our first attempt at a DIY music video which hopefully won’t be an embarrassment. Actually scratch that- it'll be awesome. Over and out.”

You can check out Kitty and the Can Openers at www.myspace.com/kittyandthecanopeners
Photo by Phil O'kane.

New Found Glory - 'Not without a Fight' Review

2009-03-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

After ‘Coming Home’ and ‘Catalyst’, two pretty mediocre albums, New Found Glory fans were expecting something a little bit more exciting and they seem to have got it on ‘Not without a Fight’. First single, Listen to your Friends, takes us back to the days of ‘Sticks and Stones’ and is reminiscent of fan-favourite, My Friends Over You, while Truck Stop Blues has a great punk rock beat with melodies that catch your attention and Don’t Let Her Pull You Down and 47 remind us of teenage relationships and growing up. After all, New Found Glory were the band that got us into punk rock, with Jordan’s well known whiney voice being the narrator in our lives. Reasons is a bit different to what we’re used to but still has that New Found Glory sound with its foot-tapping rhythm and traditional punk rock melodies. Such a Mess has a strong intro that pulls you into the song and Heartless at Best is the song that everyone will learn to sing along to because of its catchy chord progression, while final track, This isn’t You, seems like a bit of a slow starter but picks up in the chorus and really does New Found Glory justice. So if you were worried that this would be another let down, there’s really no need. Jordan and the boys are finally back on track and they seem to be reminiscing as much as we are.

You can check out New Found Glory and some tracks from 'Not without a Fight' at www.myspace.com/newfoundglory

Three bands to check out this month!

2009-03-22T12:46:00.001-07:00

Ram's Pocket Radio

Pete McCauley used to drum for Ego, and if you ever heard them then you won't expect him to be making music like this. 'Boats' (which is available for free download at http://www.nichart.com/) is something that Northern Irish music has been lacking for a long time and 'Dieter Rams has got the Pocket Radios' is almost slightly Dresden Dolls-esque. This is one band that you will kick yourself for not hearing sooner.

You can check out Ram's Pocket Radio at www.myspace.com/ramspocketradio

Photo by Neil Kerr - www.myspace.com/neilkerr

Glare of Rockets

These guys have already been plugged by the lovely people at To Write Love on Her Arms so they probably don't need much more publicity, but they really deserve it. Lead singer, Mariah, is only 16 but has a voice beyond her years that perfectly expresses the passion that these guys portray through their lyrics. Songs 'She Screams' and untitled 'track 8' on their myspace are two songs you should definitely give a listen.

You can check out Glare of Rockets at www.myspace.com/glareofrockets

Photo by Jared Scott.

This Will Destroy You

What's funny about this band is that their name in no way reflects the music they make. They create beautiful instrumental pieces that will leave you feeling pretty amazing by the time the three or four minutes that they last is up. If you listen to anything by this band I would suggest that you check out 'Freedom Blade'.

You can check out This Will Destroy You at www.myspace.com/thiswilldestroyyou

Photo by Mike Simpson.

Now on Twitter!

2009-03-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yep, Belfast Calling is now on Twitter, so head on over to www.twitter.com/belfastcalling and follow me!

Doing Something Right

2009-03-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

From personal experience, I can tell you that it’s hard to get recognised as a writer. While people seem to be more interested in music, film and TV than books or poetry, writing suffers and doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. While Gerard McKeown is a writer, he takes part in what is called ‘performance poetry’ and a lot of the time this is mocked and not taken seriously, so how does he feel on the matter? “I feel performance poetry can get unfairly looked down upon by people who want to judge it according to what they think poetry should be, but then when writers like John Cooper Clarke or Stewart Home come to Belfast and you get asked to support them you feel you're doing something right.”

While music may be taking over these days, Gerard has had many opportunities to incorporate it into his work: “The Lowly Knights invited me to support them at their EP launch. That all stemmed from meeting Michael from the band at a gig and finding out we liked each other’s stuff, which is always the best sort of recognition.” If you listen to Gerard’s work on his MySpace you’ll notice that he has put some of his work to music, portraying the fact that sounds are just as important to him as words: “One of the most important factors in choosing the words for my poetry is the way they sound. A poem has to work aurally before I'll consider it finished. I was originally attracted to poetry through music, for example, Bob Dylan referencing Rimbaud. So for me there's a strong link between the two. Poetry is music set to words, as the saying goes.” It’s not very often that music and poetry are mixed – a lot of people would say poetry is just words that are lost without music but when a band and a poet come together like this it’s easy to see how the two can work so well alongside each other, and how songs would be non-existent without poetry.

But it’s not all about the serious side of things. While it’s easy enough to sit down and read a sombre poem, you might not want to listen to the same thing when you’re out at the pub with your mates and Gerard takes this into account with his use of comedy: “as much as I will draw from music I will draw from comedy. Comedy works well for performance poetry because you can often perform to people who've been drinking. They like to laugh and it more often than not fits the mood of most pub gigs.” But it’s not all jokes, the things Gerard makes comical are topics that he feels need to be discussed, Humour is a good way of introducing these topics, without coming across like you're talking down to people or telling them how to think (which for a lot of people is boring).” It’s true; no one likes to be preached at, no matter what the topic, and so disguising opinions with humour seems like something that should be done more often.

So next time you see a poster advertising a performance poetry night, maybe think about checking it out before you judge it.

You can check out Gerard's work at www.myspace.com/gerardmckeown

Under Stars & Gutters - MySpace Songs Review

2009-03-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Under Stars & Gutters have a great pop punk mentality about them. First song, 3167, is energetic, fun, passionate and has the some of the typical gang vocals that a lot of punk likes to include, but it's not predictable or cliched - music-wise. Lyrics-wise you can't really expect much more than either a long song or a bitter song of revenge about a girl who broke a heart. However, it's not overly obvious and this song is definitely worth listening to. Second song, If You Met Drama, again has the passion and the energy that you expect from pop punk, and as we think back over Adam Carroll's musical past it's good to see how the bands he has been in have really progressed and matured.

"All we can do is work hard and be patient."

2009-03-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

Jumping Orbit are an alternative indie rock band based in Mid-Ulster/Belfast who formed one night when Ciaran (lead guitar) drunkenly asked Matthew (lead vocals/rhythm guitar) if he wanted to form a band. You don’t hear of a lot of bands based in Mid-Ulster so Matthew agreed: “I had been playing guitar for a short time at that stage but the thought of being in a band and doing something different to everyone where we live really excited me, so of course I had to be in the band.” The guys had their ups and downs before finding Francis (drums) and Anthony (bass) and have since recorded their first demo and gigged as much as they can.

Jumping Orbit aren’t your typical indie band, because as you listen to them you’ll hear a heavier side come out. “I think the heavier side comes from me as my favourite band is Biffy Clyro, but this combined with The Strokes, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Kiss provides a strange mix. All four of us are largely influenced by Derry’s fighting with wire. Everything they have done to date has been a big inspiration for everyone involved in music here.” Fighting With Wire are one of few heavier Northern Irish bands and clearly a big influence on the growing heavier music scene here so it’s understandable that Jumping Orbit would be inspired by them.

“We have high hopes for 2009. Although we are only new to the scene we have turned a few heads so far,” Matthew tells me, “We really want to play the big bars in Belfast i.e. the limelight, the speakeasy, stiff kitten or even the empire. At present we are writing and rehearsing new songs which we wish to record in the coming months, so hopefully we will have an EP on the way. We have already spoken to paddy Glasgow about playing at the festival (Glasgowbury ‘09) in the summer but all we can do is work hard and be patient.”

You can check out Jumping Orbit at www.myspace.com/jumpingorbit

"I think only in imagery."

2009-03-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

In Northern Ireland being a cinematographer /director/photographer/writer must be a tough occupation, right? Not for the man in question, Matthew Alexander Patton. “[My work is] all visual, even the writing. I think only in imagery, so whilst I'm trying to express ideas and feelings using different mediums - to me, it's the same.” While music is still a growing phenomenon for a lot of people, the other arts tend to be ignored, but not by the few who are skilled enough to actually use them to create something. “A lot of what I'm doing I've fallen into. I was actually an IT consultant for a few years after I left school, and I have always loved storytelling...an interest in film making came first, then writing and finally (by complete accident) photography.” For Matthew it was as much an accident, discovering what he was good at, as it was for any musician to discover how good they are at their chosen instrument.

As I’ve already mentioned, this sort of work might seem tougher than most jobs in a country as small as Northern Ireland, but is this really the case? “I don't think Northern Ireland is small at all, I think the general mentality is small, we've grown up with that mindset. I've been constantly told by friends in the film industry that I should be based in London, and eventually move stateside - but I have no interest in that. My enthusiasm for film making in particular is directed into raising the game here at home. The talent is there, but a lot of people are unaware of just how much they can accomplish without having to jump ship.” It couldn’t be more true. Once again turning to music, we’re constantly seeing bands feeling the need to tour in England to gain success. Northern Ireland may be geographically small but there’s so many opportunities that people refuse to see because they want to be part of something obvious, something they refuse to look for here because it might take a little longer to find.

Matthew currently has three unpublished books but doesn’t want to try publishing until he’s really happy with it: “I completed my first book back in 2005, then drafted it over and over, and I'm still not happy with it. It had a little interest from a publisher in England, but breaking out as a novelist is possibly one of the hardest creative paths to follow - and so it never came to anything. I've continued to write but have decided to sit on it until I know I'm holding something really worthwhile.” But it isn’t writing that would Matthew’s choice if he had to pick just one of his interests to do for the rest of his life – “Film is the best of both worlds really, it's a descriptive medium that immerses the audience, and can be insanely powerful. It has had the greatest impact on my life, and I have learned so much emotionally from cinema that I couldn't pick up from day to day situations.”

Matthew is currently working on a low budget feature film, and trying to secure funding for four music videos with various local acts, so make sure to watch out for some of his work throughout the year.

You can view more of Matthew's work at www.pavelware.com

The Avalanche Effect - 'Do You Think They Can Hear Us?' EP review

2009-02-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

First track, 'Pistols at Dawn, Sir' is a brilliant opening track as it's passionate, muscially and vocally, and is quite heavy but at the same time, if you listen carefully, you can hear snyths in the background which calm it down a little bit.There are some vocals which are verging on screamo near the end of the song, and this adds to the passion. Second track, 'Mentalied Matics' starts off slower but builds up and then dies down again at the end, reminding me of old school Lost Prophets. Next track, 'History Is Made At Night', reminds me of the alternative rock bands I would go to see play when I was fifteen and loved because they really cared about the music they were playing, and because all the riffs and rhythms fitted together perfectly,. Final track, 'The Beys' is again quite a strong track, with the addition of more vocals that are verging on screamo that grab your attention. There also seems to be some sort of hidden track at the end which has gorgeous melodies and soft vocals that don't take over the peaceful music. Overall, this is an epic EP, so you should definitely make sure to purchase a copy and check out The Avalanche Effect.

Medison - EP Review

2009-02-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

At the minute there's a lot of alternative rock bands forming in the UK, and rather than being a bit dull they're actually making music that makes you want to listen; Medison are one of these bands. First track on their EP, 'Break the Glass' has a more alternative feel to it and reminds me of bands like Fighting With Wire (funnily enough, they recently played a few gigs with these guys) and is a good song to start off with, because it really grabs your attention. Second track,'Tell Them' again has a very alternative rock feel but is a bit slower than 'Break the Glass'. Next track, 'Lava Lamps', isn't as strong as you might expect after the first two songs but is still worth a listen. Final track, 'Through and Through' has a catchy opening melody and this is carried throughout the rest of the song, along with strong vocals and an attention-grabbing chorus. Oddly, it sounds slightly more like You Me At Six than any alternative rock band, but this adds to the sound and only makes it better. If you're a fan of alternative rock, pop punk, or any genres that go along with those, you should definitely check Medison out and make sure to buy a copy of this EP.

You can check Medison out at www.myspace.com/medison

Joey Terrifying - Demo review

2009-01-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

These days ska is becoming quite unheard of. Any time it's mentioned the majority of the people in the room always say "what's ska?" with a bemused look on their faces. However, for the past five years I have been a fan of ska and I know, from listening to Joey Terrifying's demo, that this won't be changing any time soon. 'National Insecurites' is a good first song for the demo, as it's upbeat and catchy and has a good ska punk feel about it. It makes me feel that a great deal of skanking is in order! Second track, 'A Girl Called Mary' is a slower song and reminds me of ska's roots in reggae. It picks up a little bit more and shows the obvious punk side of this band. Final track 'Troubled Times' is also a slow starter but when it picks up, once again, we can hear the obvious ska and punk sides of this band, and it gets a little heavier throughout the chorus. It has an epic ending and is a great end to a brilliant demo.

You can find out more about Joey Terrifying at www.myspace.com/wearejoeyterrifying

Guilded Youth - Myspace Songs Review

2009-01-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

This band reminds me of The Beatles. Not to say they’re as good as The Beatles, but no one really could be. First song, ‘Late Yesterday’, has a melancholic feeling about it, with twangy guitars and a classic sound making it seem very 50s-esque. However, it doesn’t really have very much that would make you want to keep it playing, as the vocals seem a bit dreary at times. But second track, ‘Lazy Girl’, definitely makes up for this. This is where you can really see Guilded Youth’s influences (The Beatles, The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Monkees etc. etc.) coming through. It’s fun, something your parents might have danced along to back in the day, and that classic sound comes through again, with those twangy guitars and the fun bass lines. Guilded Youth are good at what they do and if you’re into any of the bands they’re influenced by you should definitely give them a listen, but they’re not really doing anything new.

You can listen to these songs and find out more about Guilded Youth at www.myspace.com/weareguildedyouth

"We just want to keep outdoing ourselves."

2009-01-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

we all met around November 2007 and [discovered] we had a lot in common and shortly after formed a band,” Alex Hewett of Copycat tells me, “[We] wrote our first bunch of songs in 2007 and started playing some shows in 2008, and since then we've just been writing and recording as much as we can as well as playing gigs.” Copycat is a band based in Manchester and Stockport who are all no older than sixteen, but this won’t stop them making great music. “We write pop songs heavily influenced by 80's pop, post punk, new wave, kraut rock, circuit bending etcetera, etcetera.”

Electronic music is currently becoming very popular with many bands as it makes more sounds a lot more easily available, and Alex couldn’t agree more: “the possibilities of electronic music go so far beyond the standard guitar, vocals, bass and drums, I think there will always be an electronic element to our songs no matter how much we move on musically - mostly because none of us can actually play drums [laughs].” With a severe lack of drummers, generally, this seems like a good plan, but the fact that these guys don’t even need a drummer to sound good makes that plan even better.

So have these fresh-faced teens got any plans for the next twelve months? “This year i guess we ideally want to get something released. That was our plan for last year but it didn’t quite happen [laughs]. it’s not going to be our main priority right now though, we're happy just playing as many shows as we can and writing new material. We just want to keep outdoing ourselves.” Those sound like some pretty good plans to me.

You can find out more about Copycats at www.myspace.com/wearecopycats

"I couldn't think of a better way of expressing your art than printing it onto t-shirts."

2009-01-20T11:37:00.000-08:00

Plenty of celebrities and famous people start up clothing lines all the time, but what happens when one boy decides he wants to start a clothing line – Castration Clothing? “I decided to start the company in the summer because I had so much free time and I needed something productive to do.” Nathan tells me, “I also wanted to create something that was just mine and it would be down to me to make it succeed. I also thought that if I started a company I wouldn’t have to get a job, how wrong I was [laughs].” Aaah, the age old problem of being young and trying to get out of actually getting off your bum and finding a job (I have also fallen victim to this...). However, Castration Clothing isn’t a completely solo project: “We come up with the designs ourselves working together with Josh Baker and other free lance illustrators.” It’s good to see Nathan giving free lance artists some were to exhibit their work but also that he works on the designs himself. But what about the bands that wear Castration Clothing? Right now Nathan isn’t working with bands but it might happen someday: “Collaborating with bands is something we will definitely be considering in the future.”

“Most of my friends are in bands so they were happy to help us out by wearing our stuff at shows and in promo shoots,” Nathan continues, “I have also been lucky enough to meet and hang out with some big named international bands such as New Found Glory, Hit The Lights and Four Year Strong who were cool enough to take some tees off our hands.” It’s always good to see bigger bands supporting the “little guy”. While it can be hard, as a clothing line, to catch the attention of the public and make them realise that the t-shirt their friend wore to that party wasn’t just picked out of a high street store it’s good to see that bands are supporting them, as we all know how much people are influenced, not just by the music they listen to, but also by the people who make that music.

So what’s Castration Clothing all about? Is it just art for art's sake? “For me, personally, this clothing label was not started as an expression of art or to send out a message, but just for fun. However, if it was I couldn’t think of a better way of expressing your art than printing it onto t-shirts.”

You can read more about Castration Clothing and find out about new ranges at www.myspace.com/castrationclothing
You can also order their products at www.castrationclothing.bigcartel.com

"We just ended up getting really good at playing table tennis on a 6' by 4' table."

2009-01-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

Previously published in Take in the Scene

“After lengthy debate we decided to call the album ‘This Hope Will Kill Us’ and it will be released on Furious Tradesmen on January 19th,” Davey of Panda Kopanda tells me, “Basically it’s our whole lifetime’s work, and we’re quite proud of it.” Panda Kopanda’s last release was in 2006 so it’s been a long wait for this album, but we’re all hoping, and believing, it will be worth it. If you’re a fan of The Pixies, Nick Cave, Pavement, Arcade Fire or (according to the band) Cliff Richard, this album may be of interest to you.

If you’re hoping for another ‘Ocean of Fire’ you definitely won’t be getting that: “The album is definitely BIGGER sounding: more airiness, more feedback, more cowbell!” But what about the band themselves; what does it say about them and their music? “‘This Hope Will Kill Us’ gives a fair reflection of what we are, it’s challenging and serious but there‘s a sense of humour in there too. We’ve still maintained our pop sensibilities from our previous works, there’s still a lot of catchy tunes and hooks in there, but we’ve smothered it in all kinds of challenging goodness, we’re like Jelly Babies dipped in Marmite!” We all know about the cliché of the “difficult second album”, but after two EPs is it possible that Panda Kopanda may have just created a new cliché – the “challenging first album”?

Currently, the band are living together, which could go one of two ways – living in perfect peace and harmony or they might be doing it Big Brother style and getting angry because someone ate the last egg: “[It’s working out] great! We’re quite unflappable really, we’ve had 80mph car crashes together and Gavin’s dad threatened Jonny with a shotgun so domestic arguments always seem fairly insignificant. Initially our thought was that living together would make us really productive, but in the end we just ended up getting really good at playing table tennis on a 6’ by 4’ kitchen table.” Nothing to worry about there then...

Since the band are releasing the album so early in the year do they have any hopes for possible outcomes in 2009? “The album is the main priority, if we can get as many people to hear that as we can then we’ll be happy. For us that means gigging as much as we can across Ireland (North and South) and generally whoring ourselves around!” And what about outside of the UK and Ireland altogether? “We’ve had a few enquiries from mainland Europe so we may end up going further afield as well. In conclusion for 2009 we want to: a) sell albums, b) tour and c) ultimately get more puntang.”

If you’re a fan of Panda Kopanda you have a lot to look forward to, and if you’re not a fan yet you’ll have plenty of gigs to attend, a new album to purchase and some banter along the way. Make sure to head to the album launch on Thursday 15th January at Two Step at the Limelight, with support from the fabulous Cutaways and Three Tales. “Needless to say we’ll be selling copies of the album at the show and our performance should feature some ’special guests’… although now that Coolio has joined the Big Brother House we need to organise his replacement.” Damnit, and that’s just who I wanted to see!

You can check out Panda Kopanda at www.myspace.com/pandakopanda
You can find out more about Take in the Scene fanzine at www.myspace.com/takeinthescene

Three bands to check out this month!

2009-01-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

BLACKHOLE
If you're into hardcore then Blackhole are definitely a band you should listen to. Having recently supported the epic Johnny Truant on their farewell tour, these boys are breaking through the British hardcore scene and quickly making a name for themselves. These guys stand out from the rest and bring a more rock-ish sound to the music they make with immense riffs and a clear passion for what they do.
(www.myspace.com/blackhole)

For fans of: Johnny Truant, Gallows, The Ghost of a Thousand

ME VS HERO
Me Vs Hero are an amazing band who mix pop punk in with a bit of hardcore. With a clear "oi!
oi!" punk influence added in these guys should appeal to many different types of music fan so
make sure you give them a listen before you judge them. With amazing breakdowns and melodies,
If you don't give these guys a listen you will definitely regret it.
(www.myspace.com/mevshero)

For fans of: You Me At Six, New Found Glory, Set Your Goals

UNDER STARS & GUTTERS
Under Stars & Gutters are the third and final band of the month that you NEED to listen to. with a bit of an Angels and Airwaves style wait until anyone finally heard their music, the final reveal of the band didn't go quite as badly. These guys are punk with a slightly heavier side and are a band you need to listen to this month, if not for longer.

For fans of: Set Your Goals, Blink 182, Hundred Reasons

Photos by Tom Barnes (www.tombarnesphoto.com), Jodie Guest and Graham Smith (www.grahamsmithphotography.com)

Mafafi - 'Why Pay to Exist When you can be Dead for Free' EP review

2009-01-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

‘Why pay to exist...’ isn’t your generic hardcore EP. It’s not your generic EP full stop. Mafafi clearly don’t want to do things the conventional way and they show this clearly through the five tracks they put on this record. The fact that the intro is a lot longer than second track, ‘I musta had me ‘bout 15 Dr. Peppers’ makes the whole EP stand out three minutes in. Mafafi call themselves punk as well as hardcore and the punk influence comes out on the intro, while the second track is more like an interlude, with a sample from a film that lasts most of the track, before starting a twenty second piece of music, clearly influenced by both punk and hardcore, with an obvious love for thrash coming through. Third track ‘Ed Burns’ is again short but clearly shows the passion that Mafafi have for the music they make and the styles of music that they love, with aggressive vocals standing out over the equally aggressive music. Fourth track ‘I Thought So, he was Trying to Steal my Brick’ is slower in parts and gives more time to take in the challenging aspects of ‘Why Pay to Exist...’ while final track, ‘I Still don’t Believe...’ starts with a slightly horrifying sample from a film before an epic drum beat begins and this song gets into full swing. ‘Why Pay to Exist...’ is challenging and at times you feel like you have to work to understand it and what exactly Mafafi are trying to say, but I definitely think it’s an EP every hardcore fan should make sure they get to listen to.

You can check out Mafafi at www.myspace.com/mafafi

In The Long Run - 'These Years' EP Review

2009-01-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

For a first EP these guys have definitely put a lot of work into it. From the professional album sleeve and CD design to the brilliant production you can tell that In The Long Run wanted to make an impression with this EP, and they certainly have. It's pop punk with an edge as the first two tracks have an alternative rock sound. ‘This One’s for You’ pulls you in with a catchy upbeat intro while ‘The Lights are off’ has a slightly weaker tone but the vocals stand out and stop this song being boring – even pop punk bands need a song that’s a little calmer! Title track ‘These Years’ is probably the song that makes this EP what it is – a catchy pop punk record full of melodies and memories. With its reminiscent feel, looking back on growing up and remembering the one person who made a certain time completely perfect, it grabs your attention and will be the song that you reminisce to. Final track ‘Picture This’ once again has a feel of moving on and growing up and is a brilliant final track. It has a catchy beat and lyrics that everyone will relate to at some point in their life. ‘These Years’ isn’t your conventional pop punk EP, and In the Long Run aren’t your conventional pop punk band, so you should definitely make sure to check them out – you won’t regret it.

You can check out In the Long Run at www.myspace.com/inthelongrunuk
Photo by Tom Barnes - www.tombarnesphoto.com

"I don't want this ever to be a typical job."

2009-01-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

When looking at a photo of your favourite band it’s easy to forget that there’s someone behind the camera who’s captured that moment – letting us see each of the band members and who they really are. “I have never wanted to actually be a musician but I have always wanted to be involved in music in some way.” Graham Smith, Northern Irish music photographer, tells me, “My path into photography came from trying my hand at music journalism, something I neither particularly enjoyed or was very good at. One of the small magazines I was writing for asked me to take some pictures to go along with my live reviews and that is how it all began.” Looking at Graham’s work you wouldn’t think his skill at rock photography had just been discovered accidentally – it looks like the work of someone who has always known this was what they wanted to do. Someone, who from the day they could put two thoughts together, knew they wanted to capture the lives of our favourite musicians in images.

“I prefer to work it as a collaboration, but this is not absolutely essential.” Graham tells me, “Every single shoot is approached in a different way, but usually I like to keep it all relatively relaxed and spontaneous. I am not very keen on making definite plans and coming up with "witty" concepts before shoots. I find this produces very stale and forced results.” It’s true. We’ve all seen photos of bands where they all look bored, angry and just like someone has told them to stand in the same pose for ten different photos. From looking at even one or two of Graham’s photos you can tell that this type of photo is of no interest to him.

Graham Smith is a very well known photographer within Northern Ireland, but is this were all his work is based? “My work with NI musicians only makes up about 30 or 40% of my output. I am determined to stay based in Northern Ireland, mainly because of the undeniably huge pool of talent we currently have, but I am equally determined to not just be an NI photographer. So I currently spend a lot of time working with bands and musicians outside Northern Ireland and this is something which will be increasing even more during 2009 with trips already planned in America and Europe.”

“I don't want this ever to be a typical job so these days I am very selective about who I work with and the type of jobs I take on.” Graham tells me, “At times this can make life difficult and awkward, but overall I am much happier now and I feel it is a very fair way to work as a band knows that if I take them on for a shoot it will be because I like their music and will be passionate about working with them.” And that’s exactly the way it should be. While it makes sense to work as much as possible to make a decent living, in a job like photography if you lose your passion for it there’s not really any point in continuing.

For those of you who are hoping to do photography as job some day, Graham has some advice: “Firstly and most importantly, only shoot what you truly love and are passionate about. If it is music photography you want to do, don't pick it because you think it is "cool" or because of some (usually false) impressions of what the music world is like. A pure and almost child-like love of music must come first. My other piece of advice is to learn how to actually shoot photographs (this does not have to mean take a course or read a book) rather than learning how to fix photographs in Photoshop!” Basically, photography isn’t easy, but the subconscious complexity of Graham Smith’s photos makes it seem that way.

You can check out more of Graham's work at www.grahamsmithphotography.com
All photos by Graham Smith and used with permission.

Blackhole - Breaking Through the British Hardcore Scene

2009-01-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

“It’s a good place to be right now,” Nick, guitarist in Blackhole, says of the British hardcore scene, “it seems that there are a lot of bands who are out there making music and playing shows, and that kind of productive environment can only be a good thing for everyone involved, whether that is the bands themselves or the kids who go out to the shows to have fun.” While the British hardcore scene continues to grow and get more recognition, Blackhole are definitely making a name for themselves.

Having just finished a tour supporting the amazing Johnny Truant (“It was a bit of an honour for us to be the main support on their final tour, and we're really grateful to them for that. It was good for us to see the hard work and commitment that they put in over the years to build up a good reputation and maintain it.”) and about to embark on a tour supporting Outcry Collective these guys are working their butts off, and it’s all going pretty well: “We're really looking forward to doing some dates with [Outcry Collective], it's something we've talked about doing together for a while now so it's cool that it got sorted out.”

As well as being busy with touring the guys have also recorded their first album: “We just finished recording the album with Jeff and Ginge at Nott-In-Pill studios in Newport. It's sounding great, and Colin Richardson (As I Lay Dying, Cannibal Corpse, SikTH, Slipknot) is going to be mixing the album which we are really stoked about as he has worked on some amazing records.” Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the album which should be in stores in early 2009.

With more people giving respect to hardcore music, it’s a good time for bands like Blackhole. Here’s hoping they’re the band that get you into the genre, because let’s be honest, they’re damn good.

You can check out Blackhole at www.myspace.com/blackhole

Photo by Tom Barnes - www.tombarnesphoto.com

New Found Glory - 'Listen to Your Friend' single review

2008-12-23T11:43:00.000-08:00

New Found Glory's more recent material (mainly Catalyst and Coming Home) hasn't been bad, but it's been different and has turned a lot of fans away from them. However, 'Listen to Your Friends' could easily bring those fans back. Even though these guys have been together for ten years now and are definitely no longer the youngsters they once were, this song is full of all the teenage-angst that made us love their early material, especially fan-favourite, 'My Friends Over You'. While it is less punk rock than New Found Glory used to be, their pop punk side shines through and makes this one of the most catchy tunes of 2008. 'Listen to Your Friends' gives great hope for their new album, 'Without a Fight', to be released in March 2009 on Epitaph Records, and will hopefully bring back the old fans as well as gaining the band many new ones.

You can check out New Found Glory at www.myspace.com/newfoundglory

"I consider myself to be a dance orientated act."

2008-12-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

It's not often that young musicians are taken seriously, but 17-year-old Oli Sabin of Unicorn Kid fame is definitely someone you should check out. Making amazing electronic dance music that instantly catches your attention he's not something to be missed. "I consider myself to be a dance orientated act. When composing I take a lot of influence from house and hardcore dance styles, I try to create those sounds whilst still maintaining the chiptune aspect of my music." According to Wikipedia, chiptune is "music written in sound formats where all the sounds are synthesized in realtime by a computer or video game console sound chip,
instead of using sample-based synthesis." Taking many other styles into account Unicorn Kid is full of blips and bleeps that probably shouldn't work, but that make something completely out of this world.

As good as Oli's music is, does coming from Scotland make it harder for him to get heard? After all, when you think of Scottish music the first bands that come to mind are probably something more like Biffy Clyro and Glasvegas than any dance artists: "Scotland actually has been home to several other chiptune artists before me,most notably Sabrepulse and Firebrand Boy, who I played with in Summer 2008 on the Chiptune Alliance Tour." If Unicorn Kid's version of chiptune is anything to go by, these guys are probably worth checking out aswell;
chiptune seems to be one of the happiest styles (if you can call it that) of music and something worth keeping an eye out for.

Oli has a double B-side single coming out in January called 'Lion Hat': "[It's] my first release through a record label... with 'Lion Hat' and two B sides 'Goodbye' and '8 Bytes'. The tracks were produced entirely at home by myself." A lot of artists are into self-production these days as it means having an extra skill and also making a little more money on the side, so it's always nice to know when someone who makes such good music can do this as well. It is slightly more predictable for electronic artists to do this but it never ceases to amaze, with the amount of time and effort actually put in."The digital release is due out January 8th and the physical CD will be out February 2nd." You can also look forward to a video being released along with the single: "I shot the music video for 'Lion Hat' in East Kilbride at Popmorphic Studios. It was filmed using
polymorphic technology, a groundbreaking new method of filming. It allows the user to edit variables such as the angle you view the video at, which band member you look at, and the graphics shown. You can see examples of this at www.popmorphic.com" Unfortunately, Oli can't tell me any more about the actual video so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for it in January.

Dance music seems to get a bad reputation sometimes, but Unicorn Kid might just be able to change your mind.

You can check out Unicorn Kid at www.myspace.com/unicornkid

You, Me and Everyone We Know - 'So Young, So Insane' EP review

2008-12-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

You, Me and Everyone We Know seem to like giving away free stuff, which isn't something that a lot of bands do very much, but this is the second time they've done it so there's no way I was going to turn it down. In traditional You, Me and... style, 'So Young, So Insane' starts with a brilliant opening track that makes you want to get up and dance. "I Can Get Back Up Now" is a
fun-loving track that pulls you into the EP, making sure you won't give up on it any time soon. Second track 'Could It Be Sunstroke?' has almost the same effect, with a great rhythm to ensure your feet start tapping. However, the key change at the end of this song makes me cringe a little - it can only remind me of awful mainstream pop music. Third track, 'A Symptom' is less
up-beat and it's tone seems to bring a negativity to the album and reminds you of a slow night in a metaphorical diner - not really something you want to hear after two very upbeat songs. But the vocals on this are brilliant,very 1950s-esque. Next two tracks, 'Colourful Language' and 'Sometimes We Have Too Much Fun'bring back the fun side of You, Me and... and we see their obvious passion about making great melodies and positive tunes to make you smile. Final track, 'Happy Birthday' starts off slow but, soon enough, we hear those brilliant You, Me and... vocals, amazing melodies and foot-tapping rhythms that we know and love. This EP is brilliant. I would suggest that You, Me and Everyone We Know start selling their EPs, as they could probably make a lot of money out of them, but then we wouldn't be getting epic music for free, would we?

You can check out You, Me and Everyone We Know and download the EP for free at www.myspace.com/youmeandeveryoneweknow

Pop punk at it's best

2008-12-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

Paige are a 5-piece pop punk band from Hertfordshire who've been together for about two years. "It started off with just Lewis and Alex as an acoustic band but then they got more members so the band could play shows. So far we've played all over the UK." Paige are definitely a band you should listen to. With influences like Relient K, Jacks Mannequin and Hit the Lights, they make happy pop punk that has great rhythms and awesome melodies.

"[The fact that pop punk is getting a lot bigger] is good. [we've] always loved it and it's never got the respect [we] think it deserves, but people are slowly starting to listen up, which [we] think is amazing." the band tells me. With bands like Paramore and You Me At Six getting more coverage these days it's no wonder pop punk is getting more respect. The bands who play good music are getting heard so, finally, the lesser known ones get a foot in the door. Paige are a good example of these lesser known, epic pop punk bands as the passion they radiate is obvious in all of their songs.

Paige are currently focusing on writing their debut album and will hopefully be
touring the UK in February.

You can check Paige out at www.myspace.com/paigeuk
Photo by James Ellis - www.jamesellisimaging.co.uk

Get yo' butt to this:

2008-12-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

Finally on Facebook!

2008-12-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

Just search for Belfast Calling and you'll find me at the top of the list!
:)

Merry Christmas!!!

This Years Confession - 'Meant to Be' single review

2008-12-14T15:09:00.000-08:00

'Meant to Be' reminds me of many bands - Fighting with Wire, Funeral for a Friend, maybe a little bit of Biffy Clyro somewere in there as well - but this song doesn't sound like a copy of any thing these bands have done before. It lures you in and then grabs you by the neck and pulls you right into the centre of thrashing guitars and passionate vocals. To be fair, the lyrics don't stand out as anything shockingly new or different, with broken relationships beinga popular topic for the majority of songs, but the music itself is enough to make you forget the cliche of a broken heart and see the sheer talent This Years Confession obviously have. Second song on the single, 'My Habit', isn't the traditional second-song-on-the-single song - basically,you don't regret buying the single because of this song. It catches your attention just as much as 'Meant to Be' and has epic lyrics to go along with the music. 'Meant to Be' is definitly worth the money, and This Years Confession are definitly a band you should keep an eye on over the next year.

You can check out This Years Confession at www.myspace.com/thisyearsconfessionofficial

New Found Glory, Glasgow Barrowlands, November 23rd

2008-11-30T13:35:00.000-08:00

Support: Crime in Stereo, Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals

Due to having to wait for someone, I unfortunately missed the first two support bands, but this was compensated by the fact that Set Your Goals were epic. Not knowing this band I thought it would be a dull half hour, as it can be when you hear new bands for the first time at gigs. However, they proved me wrong in the best way possible. They created a brilliant atmosphere, the crowd going crazy for the whole set. They had so much energy for a support band – maybe someone told them that a lot of people were more into them than the actual headline act. Their set ended all too quickly before there was a short wait until New Found Glory came on. They started off with well known ‘Sticks and Stones’ track, ‘Understatement’ and then moved on to one of few good tracks on ‘Catalyst’, ‘Truth of My Youth’. For a gig that didn’t sell out they performed like there had been high demand for extra tickets, with more energy than most bands can muster on the first night of a tour. They played all their best songs, ranging from their self-titled first album to a couple off new EP, ‘Tip of the Iceberg’. Unexpectedly, they played ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ and of course had to throw in crowd favourite ‘Kiss Me’. As expected, and hoped, they ended with ‘My Friends Over You’, Jordan’s infamous “whiney” voice still sounding exactly the same as it did all those years ago when everyone was thirteen and hearing pop punk for the first time. Unfortunately the whole night went in far too quick and seemed to end too soon. It was like going back five years and remembering the first time you heard an epic pop punk guitar riff with heavy bass lines – something you’ll never forget, just like seeing New Found Glory play. I honestly don't understand why people have gone off this band since pretty much every album after 'Sticks and Stones'. They've grown and made a more matured sound and are singing about things that affect them now, not when they were young and falling in and out of love for the first time. So here's to one of the most epic pop punk bands who filled my teenage years with great music - I can't wait to see what they decide to do next.

You can check out New Found Glory and find further tour dates at www.myspace.com/newfoundglory

Cutaways - 'START STOP! START STOP!' EP review

2008-11-27T03:48:00.000-08:00

previously published

Before I listened to Cutaways I thought they would be thoroughly predictable but before the end of the first listen of ‘START STOP! START STOP!’ they had proved me wrong. ‘START STOP...’ could very easily be described as indie, but it also proves itself as great pop music with a little bit of electronica. First track, ‘Lovers are Lunatics’ catches your ear the second it starts with a catchy beat and melodic vocals, before moving into a more regular song style. Second track, ‘Weapon of Choice’ has a fast-paced intro before calming down during the verse and then picking up again – it’s pure foot tapping goodness. The chorus has a great melody and really catches the ear. Penultimate song, ‘I spilled your drink so you broke my heart’ may (oddly) seem to have a Fall Out Boy-esque title (in length, anyway) but it’s what makes this EP what it is – pure indie-pop brilliance. The vocals are intriguing, and then the catchy beats that keep popping up all throughout the song make you want to dance while the lyrics fit in well with the beat, the mix of “tick tock” and “start stop” being very interesting. Final track, ‘I Don’t Understand What You Don’t Say’ has exactly the same intriguing pop sound as the rest of the EP and is a perfect ending, with its good use of catchy riffs and strange electronic sounds. The only problem I seemed to find with ‘START STOP! START STOP!’ was that all the songs seemed to go in too quickly – but maybe that just shows how good it really is.

You can check out Cutaways at www.myspace.com/cutaways

A Little Solidarity

2008-11-25T12:06:00.000-08:00

A Little Solidarity will most certainly be remembered by most music lovers in Northern Ireland for a very long time. This mega-event organized by the ASIWYFA bunch truly was a celebration of unity and solidarity in the music scene of this country; a showcase of the best bands these shores have to offer and the success locally and nationwide most of these bands have managed to achieve in the past year, and let me tell you, whoever wasn’t there missed quite something! The line-up was perhaps the most ambitious possible, but in the end it was the strong point of the whole experience offering to everyone a different mix of styles and bands. There were many occasions for people involved in music making to get talking with promoters and record labels, with the chance of a demo drop-in. The atmosphere was positive throughout with a great aura of friendship surrounding the event.

All the bands delivered first class performances giving 110% on stage. The memorable performances are many: like hip hop machine Team Fresh setting the crowd in a part mode at only 4pm, LaFaro setting the Speakeasy on fire and relentlessly demolishing it with their energetic performance, Tony Wright called on vocal duties by Axis Of for their Fugazi cover and Fighting With Wire with their Nirvana cover, indie rockers General Fiasco showing why they are one of the most talked about Northern Irish acts in Britain of the moment and masters of ceremony ASIWYFA themselves delivering perhaps the best performance of the week-end that truly was a nearly spiritual experience and sending the clear message that they are the best live band in Northern Ireland. But all bands in different degrees left their mark on this big music feast.

The objective ASIWYFA set out to achieve was to put on an event that would show the strength, harmony and cohesion in the Northern Irish music scene stressing how despite there may not be particular interest from the big players in music in mainland Britain, the scene here is as healthy as it has ever been and is on a constant growth. It feels like this event cold be in the long term a turning point for the music scene here, perhaps giving energy to this tide of excellent bands in order to put Northern Ireland back on the map of big players with a bang.

By Bob Biondo

Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns review

2008-10-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

If there was one word to describe this album it would be ‘epic’. A Hundred Million Suns shows us how Snow Patrol are just getting better as they go with more immense songs that almost jump up and down in your stereo and that bring tears to your ears. Opening track, ‘If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It’ grabs your attention with the slow start and then the build up that Lightbody and co. always do so well. Debut single ‘Take Back the City’ fits in well with the rest of the album and slower tracks such as ‘Lifeboats’ and ‘The Golden Floor’ remind us of the older Snow Patrol days of ‘When It’s Over We Still Have to Clear Up’ but also add something a lot more new and fresh to the mix. ‘Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands’ kills any opinions that these guys are just another generic indie/rock band, with a punchy chorus and the excitement felt while Lightbody sings his heart out and the guitar riffs clearly drive this song. If you’re looking for another ‘Chasing Cars’, you definitely won’t find it on this album; but in its place you will find ‘The Planets Bend Between Us’. This song is what really makes this album so ‘epic’ – heartfelt lyrics filled with imagery and a slow but moving melody show how important music really is to this band. Sixteen minute long final track ‘The Lightning Strike’ is certainly something new and interesting for Snow Patrol but they pull it off well and make it the perfect ending to a brilliant album. The Snow Patrol boys have clearly put a lot of work into this album and they’re going to have a tough job when the time finally comes to start working on the next one - but we know they can do it.

You can check out Snow Patrol at www.myspace.com/snowpatrol
'A Hundred Million Suns' is now available on Polydor.

"It's simple music."

2008-10-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember the song ‘Goodbye (I’m sorry)’ by And Then I turned Seven. It was a song written to try and get inside the mind of a suicidal person and then letting people know they didn’t need to suffer alone. Do you remember it now? If so you might be surprised to know that lead singer, Dane Schmidt, now has a solo project, Jamestown Story. “That whole suicide thing on the bridge was put in because we didn't want people to hear the song and think it was ok to use suicide as a way to fix something, ‘cause it’s not. If that wasn't in there, some people would interpret it like that. Though I feel it was a weird thing to put in at that time, I'm glad we did ‘cause I've gotten a lot of responses from people who were on the verge and called that number and it made a difference. It's really amazing."

Nowadays, Dane’s music is taking a different path. With influences such as Blink 182, Dashboard Confessional and John Mayer the music he makes is simply described as acoustic pop: “it's simple music, most of it at least. It’s supposed to be more lyrically driven, making the lyrics stand out over the music I guess. Not that I'm an amazing writer, I've just always written that way.” Songs like ‘Don’t Say Goodbye’ and ‘I Miss You’ have beautiful melodies and heartfelt lyrics that will knock you off your feet and send you to a place that gives you butterflies in your stomach and shivers up your spine, while ‘Don’t Say No’ is easy listening pop music that brings a smile to the face.

With new EP, ‘Love vs. Life’, out on November 11th, where does Dane hope the future will take him? “I’d love to be doing what I’m doing in a few years, making a living off of doing what I love to do! Fortunately, that’s what I'm doing now, so I'm working my ass off to keep it that way!”

'Love vs. Life' is released on November 11th.
You can check Jamestown Story out at www.myspace.com/jamestownstory

"We're just here to hang out and eat pizza, and maybe drink a beer or two and talk about rock music."

2008-10-01T02:02:00.000-07:00

“The Almost is a band that Aaron didn’t even think would become a band,” Dusty Redmon (guitarist) tells me, “He recorded the record and put a band of awesome dudes together.” The Almost, as you may already know, are Aaron Gillespie’s side project, and so far they’ve been pretty successful. You might think that the fact that Aaron is already in UnderOath would mean that the rest of the band get ignored, but this isn’t the case at all: “Aaron is definitely the most recognizable face in our band,” Dusty tells me, emphasising that it’s actually been beneficial to them, “I think UnderOath has given us a lot, with them being open to helping us out and letting us tour when we need to, and giving us a pretty established fan base from the get-go.”

By now, if you are a fan of The Almost, you will probably have heard their debut album, ‘Southern Weather’, so you might be trying to figure out who this band sound like, right? You’ll be hard pushed to find something, because even the band themselves can’t put their finger on any specific musical influences on this record: “I think the main influence on "Southern Weather" wasn't really any certain bands, but more so about a lifestyle and an upbringing in the southeast part of America. It's a killer summer-time record that makes you [want to] drive around with your windows rolled down. As far as the new songs go, we're just trying to write the biggest, baddest rock songs that Led Zeppelin and ACDC didn't.”

From listening to The Almost’s album it’s clear, on songs such as ‘Amazing, Because it is’ and ‘Dirty and Left Out’, that they’re Christians, but do people completely ignore their music because of this? “I don't think our beliefs really turn away TOO many people. I'm sure there are stubborn people out there, but that's ok. We're cool with people who believe different things than us. We're just here to hang out and eat pizza, and maybe drink a beer or two and talk about rock music.” In a day and age when people very seldomly show the normal side of a religion and focus on extremes, it’s always good to see the people who don’t take part in end of the world cults or suicide bombing.

So what’s next for The Almost; a line-up change? “Kenny is getting married, and has decided to leave the band. He's just not into touring at all, which is understandable. We've all dealt with these types of situations for a while now, so we sort of saw it coming. Kenny's a cool dude, and we wish good things for him in the future.” But will this cause problems for the band at all? “We're lucky to have an amazing drummer as a singer in our band, so the song writing and recording process won't be hindered. For the live setting, we've got a few friends ready to help us out and get behind the kit... We're really excited about what's coming up, for sure.” And so are we.

You can check The Almost out at www.myspace.com/thealmost
Their debut album, 'Southern Weather' is now available on Tooth and Nail Records.

"I want to impact the world but I can't do it alone"

2008-09-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

I just watched The Rocket Summer’s new video for ‘Do You Feel’. If you haven’t seen it you can find it here but for now, please feel free to read this article. In 2005 To Write Love on Her Arms was established. TWLOHA is a non-profit organisation working to fight against depression, suicide, addiction and self harm; it has gotten a lot of bad press about it being for “emo kids” (even though they have helped people of all ages), and people generally not taking the problem seriously; but the world is slowly breaking apart, and there’s only a few people left who are trying to keep it together. While TWLOHA are doing an amazing job, they wouldn’t be reaching half the people they get through to every day if it wasn’t for the bands who support them – Paramore, Anberlin, The Rocket Summer, Between the Trees, Switchfoot, Copeland, Underoath and Hawthorne Heights (who greatly appreciated the help that TWLOHA gave them when their guitarist, Casey Calvert, sadly passed away earlier this year), to name a few.

If you know anything about TWLOHA, you’ll know it all started with one girl called Renee (her story can be found here ) - Between the Trees wrote a song about her story called ‘The Way She Feels’ and have also made a video for it. The impact of this song has been crazy – it’s honest and doesn’t try to hide what she went through. Because of TWLOHA people are becoming less afraid to talk about things like self harm, depression and suicide and this song makes it clear it’s something that happens daily.

But back to the start of the article – The Rocket Summer’s new video. Just like ‘The Way She Feels’ this song is true and honest with lyrics like, “I can’t help it, I got too many issues I own, so I cannot help I’m afraid. But keep on preachin’, preachin’ and healing the world, lip service makes us look great.” Bryce Avery admits to the selfishness that he is a part of while being blunt to the rest of the world, reminding us no one is perfect and that we’re “all talk and no action”. The video includes many people from different bands such as Paramore, Jack’s Mannequin and All Time Low, and also a few people you won’t recognise – these are the people with the stories – a girl who grew up with an alcoholic, a man who has lived in a van for 97 days, a young man who is the first in his whole family to go to college and a woman who beat cancer eight years ago – her smile brings a tear to the eye.

At the end of the video six hands are held up separately and they read, “I want to impact the world but I can’t do it alone.” Right now something is telling me this article is important, this music is important, this song and it’s video are important. This isn’t your average Belfast Calling blog entry and I’m not afraid to write these things. If you want to impact the world it’s easy to do – support TWLOHA, buy a t-shirt, tell your friends about them, add them to your friends on myspace. Don’t be afraid to talk about things, share The Rocket Summer’s video with your friends. There’s plenty of organisations such as Invisible Children and Keep a Breast who are working to make the world a happier place, to give hope in the dark times. Just listen to Paramore’s song, ‘We Are Broken’, share it with your friends as well.

The world is a broken, dark place, but music can change that – everyday, songs change people’s lives. This ‘every man for himself’ attitude that so many people have these days has got to stop. It’s true, we can’t impact the world alone – but you’re not alone anymore.

You can check out The Rocket Summer at www.myspace.com/therocketsummer
And you can find out more about To Write Love on Her Arms and get in contact with them at www.myspace.com/towriteloveonherarms

"We're more into writing the best songs we can than fitting into any certain genre"

2008-08-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Are you a fan of pop, electronica, or anything alternative? If you answered yes to any of these genres then The Fold are definitely a band you should check out. While lead singer and guitarist Daniel Castady describes there sound as “Somewhere along the lines of Foo Fighters or Jimmy Eat World to the new listener” he also adds, “but we hope that we are something brand new for people once they dig a little deeper.” And that is definitely clear when you listen to their new EP ‘Stargazer’ – a mix of pop, acoustic, electronica and alternative all create something you will never have heard before.

“We've all been playing in different local bands our whole life, at least since high school,” Daniel tells me, “when we all tried our hand at college, we realized we had more music left to write, so we started a rock band!” It all sounds a little cliché – bands forming at university – but these guys don’t make the typical “party rock” that people like to get drunk to and four years down the line, all the members have beer bellies and spend their days at a boring desk job; The Fold stayed together and have released EP’s and full length albums.

So why the mix of genres; why not stick with just one? “It's not something we do on purpose - and I realize it may be to our detriment. I think it's just that we're more into writing the best songs we can than fitting into any certain genre. If you look back to the songs that lasted through the generations you're not really paying attention to the genres, you're just seeing what people connected with - that's what gave it the staying power. I'm not saying we've perfected it yet, but that's what we're after.” And he’s right – listen to The Beatles, Queen, The Clash, Joy Division – who really focuses on the genre of those bands anymore? They’re legendary and they made brilliant music, but people don’t appreciate them for fitting into a genre, they appreciate the music they made.

The Fold have already been to Europe with The Plain White T’s: “it was amazing and it wet our appetite to really explore outside of the US more and more. We hope to get our music out in Europe as soon as possible (it's currently only available as import through EMI), and Japan and Australia as well.” While The Fold may be hoping to travel the whole way across the world, maybe they’ll make a stop in Belfast on their way.

You can check out The Fold at www.myspace.com/thefold

'Stargazer' EP review

The first song on this EP, ‘Spark Match Crush’ seems to have some weird mix of Santana style guitars mixed with The Spill Canvas’s lyrics and possibly some crazy Spanish instruments, but it somehow make’s something brilliant that is great for relaxing to. Track number two, ‘Good Goodnight’ is completely different – it’s more electronic with emotional melodies and clear pop influences. Next song up, ‘I Know You Well’ is again quite electronic, almost like a Shiny Toy Guns track, and the chorus sounds like something you would hear on mainstream radio but get strangely addicted to. Final track, ‘Little Girl’, is completely different to the rest of the EP, with an acoustic guitar and vocals leading the song. Their lyrical talent very clearly shows through here, while also emphasising the emotion that this band can so brilliantly convey.

The 'Stargazer' EP is currently available through iTunes, Amazon and many other download websites.

"This whole thing started just with me leading worship for a few people in a living room."

2008-08-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

These days, Christian music usually sells just because it’s Christian music. The majority of people who buy worship CDs aren’t buying them for the amazing musicianship or beautiful lyricism. However, when music is pretty much almost everything you do and you’re looking for some decent Christian music, it can be tough to be content with someone who can play four chords on guitar or a few notes on piano and only ever cover other people’s songs. But never fear, because this is where The Glorious Unseen comes in and saves the day. I had a chat with lead singer, guitarist and pianist, Ben Crist, on what these guys are all about.

“I have led worship at our church in Nashville, TN for about six years now. This whole thing started just with me leading worship for a few people in a living room,” Ben tells me, “As the group grew, we began to meet in larger areas – a local coffee shop allowed us to use their space on Sunday nights for worship. So at that point, I began to incorporate band members. Soon, I began to write my own worship songs. I had no intention of starting a band or getting signed, but eventually my self-produced album found its way into the hands of Chad Johnson, A&R at Tooth and Nail records.” While Ben is inspired by Christian bands such as Delirious, Switchfoot and Underoath, he also cites bands such as Keane, Modest Mouse and Coldplay as influences, and once you put these bands together, old and new material all accounted for, you can definitely hear their influence in The Glorious Unseen’s music: the beautiful piano melodies of Coldplay and Keane, the references to faith and a love for Jesus Christ of Delirious, and the emotional lyricism and enthusiasm of Switchfoot are all here, and they’re a perfect match.

‘The Glorious Unseen’ seems to be quite a mysterious name – so what exactly does it mean? “God is the glorious unseen. I wanted to name the band something that communicated the mystery of God – He is so much bigger than our minds can understand. He is glorious – I felt that the word ‘glorious’ communicated that majesty.” While these guys are clearly a Christian band, they’re definitely not just making music for Christians: “[We’re making music for] anyone [who’s] desperate to see the Lord work in their own life and in the world. This music has connected to people who have found themselves in desperate places – where they only have God to turn to.”

If you watch the video for The Glorious Unseen’s song ‘Close To Your Heart’, this whole song in no way sounds overly Christian. This is a love song – something pure and beautiful that fits with so many situations that many people will experience, while the video definitely isn’t something that you would expect from a Christian band. But was this done on purpose? “[‘Close to Your Heart’] is very much a worship song, it wasn’t written with any intention to try to be less Christian. It just so happened that lyrically, it doesn’t mention God as much.”

“The option to cover someone else’s worship songs didn’t even come up till’ the very end of the recording process,” Ben tells me when I ask why the band only has one cover on their album, “We felt that we should record a couple of cover songs just to see how they came out, and that one came out really well, so we put it on the record. We also felt that it could help us to connect to a wider audience if we included that one.” While it’s always good to hear the songs you know, it shows an amazing gift when a band can write worship songs like The Glorious Unseen can, and still manage to have such an effect on their listeners.

Even if you’re not a Christian these guys are definitely worth checking out. The music they make is different, beautiful and moving and will definitely speak to you in some way. Right now, the band is busy touring in America, but do they want to reach the rest of the world? “I would love to do so. At this point, we haven’t planned anything outside the states. Hopefully that will happen soon.” We hope so too.

You can find out more about The Glorious Unseen and listen to their music at www.myspace.com/thegloriousunseen
Their second album, 'Tonight the Stars Speak', is currently out on BEC Recordings.

Not just "another generic pop punk band"

2008-08-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

British pop punk is finally on the up, with American bands such as Paramore gaining more listeners in the UK and further afield, bands like Youmeatsix and Kids in Glass Houses are getting more and more exposure on radio and TV – turn on any music channel and you’re bound to see their pretty little faces at some point. A new addition to the British pop punk scene are Tell it to the Marines: “[Having formed] in November 2007 we've been incredibly lucky with everything that’s happened to us, being able to play with some amazing bands and in some amazing places.” If you visit the band’s myspace page you’ll see they label their music as ‘pop punk/indie’ – where does the indie come from? “Timi brings a lot of it into the group. I think his vocals move us away from becoming just another generic pop punk band.” We’re all used to predictable American-tinged pop punk, even from some of the British bands, so if you like your music to sound a bit different you should definitely check these guys out; they’re bound to make something that you’ve never heard before, with influences ranging from I Am the Avalanche to Blink 182 to the Foo Fighters.

But don’t get too attached to the current line up; their bassist, Thomas Kerr is leaving in September to follow his own dreams and go to university. However, Tell it to the Marines aren’t giving up just yet: “Our good friend Jamie Roberts is joining the band. He's an amazing musician so I'm pretty certain it can only lead to good things.” So while Tell it to the Marines could easily get swallowed up in the great mouth of the new pop punk craze, what do they think about the exposure it’s getting? “It's [really] great that pop punk is becoming more widely enjoyed. There was a time a year or so ago when things were looking bleak and everyone was listening to metal, but things have worked out. Let’s hope it stays this way for a long time.”

You can listen to Tell it to the Marines at www.myspace.com/tellittothemarines

Colour System Failure

2008-08-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Right now, pop punk seems to be the “flavour of the month” down in Dublin, and when I heard about Colour System Failure I was pretty excited to find out a little bit more about them, so I had a chat with their lead singer, Alan. “We got together in February 2007 and since then we've had a number of line-up changes, but me, Adam and David have been ever presents. We gigged consistently all over Ireland, writing all the while.”

At the minute there seems to be a slight stigma surrounding heavier music that involves screaming so why did the band decide to make this sort of music? “I don't think we ever really made a conscious decision to make any sort of music. I'm not even sure ‘screamo’ is the right term for us; there’s bits of it in there, but some of our stuff would be a bit too heavy for that, and then we've songs where there'd be no screaming at all. We've always just written whatever music we thought sounded best.” It’s good to see that Colour System Failure never set out to follow any sort of trend or make a certain sound. There are too many bands these days, especially within genres like indie, that started out with a certain mind-set and don’t feel they can venture into anything else.

The pop punk scene down south is currently doing really well with bands such as Homestar Runner and Steer Clear, who are both signed up to Blastspace Records, being very successful. This could easily cause problems for other genres, as there may be few people left who believe anything else could work. But is it a problem for Colour System Failure? “Thankfully, no, we've few problems, but you're definitely right in the idea that pop punk is flavour of the month down here. We've always done well with gigs through both the independent and professional promoters but I can see how a band just starting out would find it a bit harder.”

So what are the band doing now? “We started recording our album in March 2008 with Neil Calderwood in Manor Park Studios, finished it last month and it is due for release on October 24th through Grouphug Records.” The new album is very strangely entitled, ‘The Tony Blair Witch Project’ – weird, eh? “Phil our guitarist came up with it and we thought it was hilarious so we stuck with it.” So no political undertones there then.

The rest of the year seems to be pretty busy for the guys in Colour System Failure: “We're going to be promoting loads up until the album comes out, then it'll be a matter of touring as much as we can, and doing whatever we can to get the music out there. We plan to start writing again pretty soon anyway. If we're together constantly gigging, we'll probably have more time to do so anyway.”

Here’s hoping Colour System Failure continue to bring something a little different to the Irish music scene.

You can find out more about the band and check out tour dates at www.myspace.com/coloursystemfailure

A Plastic Rose

2008-08-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

If you live in Northern Ireland and you’re a Nirvana fan you’ll probably have heard about the ‘Nevermind’ tribute gig in the Oh Yeah centre in Belfast. Local band A Plastic Rose err more towards the heavier side of things, but one has to wonder if Nirvana were ever a big influence on their music? “I don't think we've ever consciously looked to Nirvana as an influence but having grown up as 'grungers' the whole ethic and attitude of grunge are definitely a big part of who we are musically and otherwise.”

Emerging in 2001, A Plastic Rose have put their stamp upon the local music scene over the course of a number of well received shows and demos. And what a heavy stamp it is as well, with their guitar crunch and pounding drums bursting more than a few heads at local gigs. Ahead of their new EP release, I had a chat with Ian McHugh, guitarist in the band, about what they’re currently up to. “We're just finishing up the mixing and mastering at the moment on what will be our third EP. It's provisionally titled 'Photographs in Black and White', taken from a line in new song 'Fade and Disappear',” he tells me. “It was recorded at Start Together Studios in the Oh Yeah Centre with Ben McAuley from Three Tales in June, between some hectic gigging on our first Irish mini-tour, and we're delighted with how he really helped us to get our own ideas across, to do the tracks exactly how we wanted. It’s quite a departure sonically from the previous two CDs. It's much sparser, live sounding and energetic.”

This is something that definitely comes through in their music – it’s different and unique and doesn’t care if it doesn’t fit in with what’s “cool” right now. “It's interesting covering someone else's song, especially one you have so much respect for, and it's really got us thinking about structure, arrangement and texture. I've always been fascinated by their chord progressions and sludgy guitar tone; how they crafted that dry nihilism into their sound.”

Wearing their grunge roots on their sleeve, A Plastic Rose clearly can’t be confused with a generic, laptop wielding indie band, their heavy sound and grunge aesthetic marking them out from their contemporaries. However, despite their outsider status, they have been well accepted among bands like Kowalski and Panama Kings. “In a way with so much talent around any difference you have will play into your hands. Coming from the south and moving the band up here has been a unique way of doing things, and I think that comes across in the music. Timing helped us too: I think ourselves and the likes of Kowalski would cite a couple of Saddle Creek bands in our influences, and there’s a healthy scene for that kind of thing in these parts at the moment.” It seems strange to put two such bands with such a disparate sound together, but somehow it works.

When asked on what he thinks about the Northern Irish music scene compared to the scene down south Ian tells me, “We've found that the presence of a tight scene in Belfast means that other bands have been really supportive rather than competitive, and people are always looking out for new bands to see.” So despite the current musical climate being absorbed by jagged guitars and dance beats, today’s indie fan seems to be more accommodating than first appearances would suggest,

“But what will A Plastic Rose be doing over the next year?” I hear you cry! Calm it. I’m about to tell you: “We're off on another mini tour starting in Whelan's in Dublin on August 11th, taking in Cork, Limerick and Galway with the Panama Kings and finishing up at 'VibeFest' in Enniskillen on the 16th. The EP launch will be in the Stiff Kitten in September and we're putting together some seriously exciting bands for the night. I can say no more, as they say, but we'll be confirming the line up in the next week or two on the website at www. aplasticrose. com .”

And don’t fret of you live further afield…they could be coming your way soon: “Over the rest of the year we'll be doing some dates in England and Scotland and hopefully a showcase or two in London.”

So, in a world where the right haircut, the right clothes, and the right stance seem to count for so much, it’s refreshing to see a band that are simply ‘all about the music’. Taking to the stage at the Nevermind Revisited event in the Oh Yeah building, we can only imagine that Kurt Cobain would approve.

"A garden party in the stars"

2008-07-29T05:29:00.000-07:00

“Owl City was an idea I had in late July of 2007. I don't remember what initially sparked my interest and inspired me to start the project; it was out of boredom more than anything,” Adam Young of Owl City tells me. “I've always been interested in electronic music. Synth, samples, loops, programming... it's all pretty intriguing.”

Whilst there is a proliferation of generic guitar bands grasping for our attention, electronica is swiftly moving closer towards the mainstream and getting more exposure than ever before. Every so often you’ll hear of a band who uses a laptop for their drums getting insults thrown at them – so why create music that has none of the typical instruments at all? “As a genre, electronica is pretty limitless. You can go a lot farther into a specific sound and really shape it into something personal and concrete.”

Adam’s inspiration for Owl City is just as unusual as his musical setup: “It sounds terribly corny but there's a video game called Wave Race 64 where you ride jet skis alongside dolphins in beautiful, ocean environments. Something about the mood of that game stuck with me and I wanted to translate that same optimistic, ‘idealist’ imagery into music.” So by now you must be wondering what Owl City actually sounds like? “It's like a garden party in the stars.” Make of that what you will, but make sure you listen before judging. Owl City doesn’t make your predictable teeny-bopper music; there’s a maturity to his style of electronica, with thought-provoking lyrics filled with imagery and metaphors.

Whilst electronica is gaining greater exposure in the UK, with more and more people seduced by it’s beguiling textures, what about in Adam’s hometown of Owatonna, Minnesota? “It's become a bit more accessible over the last several years. Electronic music is certainly not what the Midwest is known for and that makes it all the more interesting to me.”

Adam is the only member of Owl City and the whole idea of an alias may seem a little strange to a lot of people, but he has a good reason for it: “Owl City holds a lot more imagination and emotion than a person's name ever could. I would definitely rather listen to a band called Owl City than Adam Young. (laughs) Adam Young sounds like some horrible smooth jazz musician from the 80's or something.” Adam definitely isn’t a ‘horrible smooth jazz musician from the 80s.’ We hope. So what does the future hold? “I'm really more concerned with the present than the future in terms of the band itself. As long as I'm having fun with it, I'll keep making it regardless of where it takes me.” Here’s hoping it takes him far.

You can check out Adam's music at www.myspace.com/owlcity

Myspace update

2008-07-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, we now have a myspace!
You can check it out at www.myspace.com/belfastcalling
Feel free to contact me there or at belfastcalling@hotmail.co.uk

No More Bruises

2008-07-25T06:13:00.000-07:00

I bet you remember The Mascara Story. I bet you remember when they won the Kerrang! competition. And I bet you remember their front man – Daveit Ferris. Not to say we’ve all forgotten Sean and Jay, but they don’t seem to have carried on with music like Daveit. “Five years ago I would never have guessed that I'd be doing a 'solo' angle full time, because back then I was all about the 'rock, man'.” Daveit has gone solo – and it’s looking (and sounding) very good.

Daveit seems to be working harder than a lot of artists these days. While it’s easy to get some money together and get someone else to produce your own music, he’s done it all himself, and total creative control is one of the main goals on the agenda. Acoustic sounds mingle with overlapping vocals, creating a sweet, but moving power-pop sound. “When I’ve been producing my own stuff in my own studio, I’ve had no one to answer to, and no one to reinforce and reaffirm my ideas. Whatever I decide is what happens. It's an angle I’ve always wanted to work from.”

“I haven’t done a single live show to promote 'Daveit Ferris',” he continues, “Despite the fact that I’m just about to release my 3rd, 4th, and 5th solo albums next month. That's proof of my love for making music above anything else.” And he’s right. These days it seems there are so many bands that are just in it for the fame and the money, but to have released five albums and never really promoted what you’re doing seems crazy, but also completely understandable. Not enough people shy away from fame anymore, and it’s nice to finally see some real modesty.

When asked where he thinks he’ll be in five years, he remains quietly confident. “I'll still definitely be doing music. I'll be somewhere in America, still writing/recording/releasing music, and will probably have started producing bands. I would strongly doubt I will ever want to be signed by a major, as I’m a complete control freak and it'd just never work. My vision for projects is too strong to be pushed into doing things I didn’t want to do.”

It’s difficult to imagine Daveit being played on Radio1 – he deserves to be one of the rare gems you stumble upon and eventually fall in love with while searching through the ether. “Music is my only true passion in this world. And without song writing I honestly don’t know if I'd have a point being here. It's the blood that runs through my veins.” You might remember The Mascara Story, the day they won the competition and the hype that surrounded them. But I guarantee you’ll remember Daveit Ferris.

You can have a listen to Daveit's music and buy his EPs at www.myspace.com/daveitferris

Day One

2008-07-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Belfast Calling - a music blog based in Northern Ireland, but not just about Northern Irish bands. I'm basically starting this to hopefully give some more exposure to the music that doesn't seem to be getting a fair amount of publicity these days - a lot of pop punk, ska, metalcore and all the alternative genres that fit in here.

First up we have an interview with Adam Carroll of the eagerly anticipated Under Stars and Gutters. He discusses his bands - old and new - and what he thinks of the music scene that he has been a part of for so many years.

Tell me a bit about how you got into music and about your first band, Reluctant.
I started writing music with Jake Woods back in 2000. I originally was going to take up drums, my brother Matthew would play bass and Jake would play guitar but that all somehow changed and I ended up getting my first bass. And what do you do when you get an instrument? Start a band. So here we were, three kids not knowing anything about music, starting to write songs with [our] drummer Phillip Braithwaite who also was only picking up his instrument [for the first time]. We were really into Epitaph bands, then amazed by the Southern California punk and stuff, such as Blink 182 and Green Day, and we also had a little grunge influence at the very beginning too. Reluctant was fun; it was like jumping into the deep end. Not one of us knew how to write a catchy hook or how to book a show but we picked it up as we went along. We only played twelve shows and recorded two EP's. A lot of fun times were had in Reluctant and a lot of near death experiences too.

Near death experiences?

Yeah, well there was a time in Ballymena when I was accused of being in a paramilitary organisation and was chased by two guys. Or there was the time when our friend Shay had joined the band and all five of us were travelling back from Newtonards along the motorway in a Ford Ka. Five of us with all our equipment is a pretty tight squeeze! The roads were icy and we were driving pretty fast and we nearly smashed into this big lorry. We thought we were dead and for like four minutes after it happened the car was in silence. It was scary because we were being sandwiched through this tiny gap between a massive lorry and a car at the time.

How come Reluctant ended?

There were arguments within the band, kind of a power struggle to see who would write songs and everything. Jake and I had enough one day before a show and started walking home from our practice room in the middle of the countryside. But it all officially ended after the Anchor gig in Portstewart where Jake and Shay quit on the same night.

So was everyone just kind of glad to get out of it? Do you have any regrets?

Well Jake and I went on to form Gunther. I wouldn't say I have any regrets, I had learnt a lot from that band. We were all growing up and things change when you grow up. I have no regrets at all. It was a hell of a lot of fun.

Tell me a wee bit about Gunther.

We were a band.

Hah. Really?

Nah, Gunther was more than a band for me. It was my teenage years. It was me and my best friends playing music we believed in and using it as an escape or a way of fuelling emotions. Every show was high energy; every moment in the band was a good time!

Did you grow out of it, or grow from it?

Well with Gunther, Jake and I grew musically in different directions. He's now in a great band called Mornings. Have you heard them? Tom is still with me in Under Stars & Gutters. Gunther was the start of a learning curve for me with promoting bands and shows and putting on your own gigs and really understanding how hard a band has to work.

I have heard Mornings! I saw them play once, and I was like, "is that Jake?!"

Yeah, it's Jake. I don't think there will ever be a day when he stops writing great songs!

So next up was Hovercraft Pirates, right?

Yeah. Hovercraft Pirates... God, I've been in a good few bands haha.

Are you annoyed that you missed out on playing at the Warped Tour? Or do you feel that leaving was the right decision to make? Why did you leave?

Well Paul and I were the ones who applied for the Warped Tour, never thinking we were going to get it of course, but in the end we did. I was annoyed at the start obviously, 'cause Warped Tour has always been a dream of mine to play, but I'm proud of the boys. They're doing very well for themselves at the minute. I left for a lot of reasons, I felt it was just my time to go.

Your new project, Under Stars and Gutters, no one's really heard anything yet and it all seems a bit secretive - maybe a little bit angels and airwaves-esque? Hmm?

Well I'm not God or Jesus or whoever else Tom Delonge also claimed to be. It is quite secretive though, we've been locking ourselves into a rehearsal room and battering out some songs that I truly believe in. We are definitely the most honest band I have ever been in. The songs are great. I don't think anyone will expect what is going to come from us. It's different to anything I've ever done. We are going to start thinking of studio dates soon though after we play a few shows.

What do you think about the Northern Irish music scene right now? Does the music you're trying to make have a place in it?

I believe a lot of the scene is thriving; I've a lot of faith in a lot of bands round here recently. Fighting With Wire, And So I Watch You from Afar, Daveit Ferris,Axis Of,mornings and Steer Clear and all are doing very well. I'm going to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the whole 'indie' NI scene. I believe anything that stands out will always have a place in the scene and I think that we are different enough to have a place. We will also be playing throughout other scenes in the UK & Ireland too so we'll find our place.

What about the scene down south? Do you think they're open to more variety?

The scene down south is a great scene, [there's] some incredibly good bands there too, such as Little Nightmare, The Upgrades, Home star Runner and The Shower Scene. It seems to be more punk related though with a lot of pop punk, "emo" and ska bands. I think that down in Dublin especially there is a great scene.

Any last words?

Spaghetti. Horse. Goldfinger. Sega Megadrive. Gameboy ...No actually, I take Gameboy back!

You can find out more about Under Stars and Gutters at www.myspace.com/understarsandgutters