Live Review: Renegades, Hoxton Bar and Grill

Comprised mainly of the die hard Feeder faithful, with the exception perhaps of a few girlfriends/boyfriends dragged along for the ride, the 200 strong crowd poured in to the tiny back room at the Hoxton Bar and Grill for what was to be the last of a six date mini tour under the moniker 'Renegades'. Cue cries of 'I knew we should have got here earlier' from those sandwiched against the bar. 'I recognise a few faces from the other gigs so thanks for spending some money', Grant quipped later in recognition of the loyalty shown by sections of the crowd.

I didn't see much of the support band, Man or Mouse, but they utilised a saxophone to great effect. More bands should use saxophones.

And so to the main event. Renegades took to the stage and wasted no time in launching in to 'Barking Dogs', the heaviest of the four offerings on the 'Renegades EP'. Two out of the three remaining EP tracks were also wheeled out, 'Sentimental' and 'Renegades', with the biggest cheer saved for the eponymous track. The raw and stripped back sound really suited a smaller venue and you could tell that the band loved going back to their three piece routes. In between the EP tracks we were given brand new material like the epic 'Down To The River', and the storming 'Home', all of which would sit comfortably on Feeder's first two albums 'Swim' and 'Polythene'. The biggest cheers of the night however were, understandably reserved for the trio of 'covers'...'Tangerine', 'Sweet 16' and 'Descend'. 'Tangerine' was particularly well accepted as it has been a running joke between the band and their fans, with fans calling for it at every gig, whilst 'Sweet 16' was touchingly dedicated to their original drummer, Jon Lee. Undeniably though the high point was the almighty 'Descend', once again gracing the stage in its extended, eight minute form. It was an ending that left fans almost rediscovering the band that they had fallen in love with over a decade ago.

If you want to see what you missed out on or want to relive the gig then there's a video of 'Sweet 16' below. You can also find an interview with the band here.

New Band: Operator Please

I always like finding new bands and in recent months I've become very receptive to Australian bands. I don't know if it's because I see them in a sentimental light after falling in love with Powderfinger but there are loads of talented young Australian bands coming through at the moment in the UK market. Bands like Sneaky Sound System last year and teenagersintokyo this year have slowly been capturing our imaginations and now it looks like it could be the turn of Operator Please.

The band, still all in their early twenties, have already won an ARIA award in Australia and have announced the first single from their sophomore album 'Gloves'. 'Logic' keeps things simple with a dirty, garage band feel, constructed of a fuzzy bassline and drum combination for the verses and then a few well placed chords are all that are added to produce a catchy, sing-along chorus. They've very kindly given us the option of having the track as a free download, which can be found here.

And more information about the band can be found at their myspace.

Review: Owen Pallett, Lewis Takes His Shirt Off

Owen Pallett's latest release is a very mixed bag, stylistically at least. The intro is threatening to take us in to sonic territory before a whirl of strings and a gentle drum beat combine to create a driving rhythm over the gently bubbling electronic. Add to this Pallett's soft vocals and we are left with an absorbing starter to the main course towards the end of the song. A subtle change in drum beat and a slow re-introduction of strings, along with Pallett's increasingly strong vocal refrain, create a suitably 'epic' finale to a song that will only serve to enhance Pallett's already rapidly increasing reputation.

Crazy Horses

New Young Pony Club are back with their first new material since late 2007 and......it's good. The new single, 'Chaos' is a lot more radio friendly than their previous material, which is causing some divide amongst the fans of the band, but one single can't truly represent the sound of a whole album so their anxiety is perhaps a little premature.

The change doesn't seem to have done them any harm though. From the unwavering bassline through to the funky drumming and the understated vocals, 'Chaos' is a track that sucks you in and refuses to let go until the end. To be honest I don't know what some fans are complaining about! As well as exciting fans with this new single they've also let a remix by Rory Phillips become available for free download here.

Eugene Scales Up

After the success of his eponymous debut album in 2008 Eugene McGuinness has been a busy boy, recruiting his brother amongst others, to form a new band, The Lizards. Performing under the name Eugene and the Lizards the band released their debut 'Glue EP' late last year and we're now being offered the first singles from the EP in the form of a double A-Sid.

The single, scheduled for release on March 1st, will include the tracks 'Bugjuice' and 'I Want Action'. If you want a taste of what's in store then you can watch the video for 'Bugjuice' below or head to Eugene's website for a free download of the same track. If you like what you hear then Eugene will be playing a couple of solo shows in London over the coming month. You can catch him here:

February 5th: Hobby Horse in Dalston, London.
February 16th: Lock Tavern in Camden, London.

Introducing: Alan Pownall

Alan Pownall is apparently one of the year's most hypable artists according to the people at Hypem.com. If, however, you find yourself staring at the name blankly, like I did, then here's the skinny... Pownall first picked up a guitar in 2004 when he was still at art school and, two years later, with only a handful of songs to his name he was personally invited to tour with Adele. After a disastrous outing, which knocked his confidence, he picked himself back up, determined to improve his songwriting and guitar playing and soon found himself playing gigs with numerous rising stars including Florence and the Machine, Jack Penate, Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale. His music is very easy going and simplistic in style, which isn't a criticism (much of The Beatles' catalogue could be classed as simplistic), and allows for more scope for his voice to dominate the record. Check out the video for 'Take Me' at the bottom of the page to get more of an idea.A

Now with work on his debut album pretty much wrapped up he's set to hit the road throughout February in order to take his music across the UK. You can catch him at the following venues:

7 Feb - Louisiana, Bristol
8 Feb - Camden Barfly, London
10 Feb - Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, London
11 Feb - Lee Rosy’s Tea, Nottingham
12 Feb - Liquid Ship, Glasgow
13 Feb - Nexus Art Café, Manchester
14 Feb - Adelphi, Leeds
16 Feb - Glee Club, Birmingham

http://www.myspace.com/alanpownall

More She Than Him

I feel sorry for Matt Ward. It must be hard being in a band where 99% of the focus seems to be on your band mate. Then again, it's not everyone who shares a band with a major Hollywood star in Zooey Deschanel, most recently seen in the wonderful (500) Days of Summer. Zooey has always had an interest in music and had recorded many self penned home demos before her movie career took off but, ever since, it seems she's used her films as a vehicle for her voice. I can remember her singing prominently in Elf, Yes Man, and there was a karaoke scene in (500) Days of Summer as well, but fair play to her.

Now She and Him are back with the first song to be taken from their sophomore album, 'Volume Two'. 'In The Sun' is a summery, feel good tune with a catchy piano hook and a fun chorus with guest vocals from Tilly and the Wall. I can't quite make my mind up about Zooey's vocals though. They're perfect for this kind of music, sugary and sweet but I don't see any real power to it, which I suppose is a moot point if they keep on putting out sunny pop like this.

'In The Sun' is released on March the 15th and you can listen to it below.