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SoundsXP Presents

Friday 6th April 2012
All Day BBQ Festival

Sparrow and the Workshop
6 Day Riot
The Nuns
Singing Adams
Y Niwl
Colours
Dignan Porch
+more tbc

The Windmill
Brixton
Price tbc

On Our iPod

Golden Grrrls - New Pop 7”

Chris Devotion & The Expectations - Amalgamation & Capital (album)

Trailer Trash Tracys - Ester (album)

Throwing Up - Mother Knows Best 7”

Howling Wolf - Complete Chess Masters 1951-60

The Ketamines - A Rotten Bond/1 Yr (from Oddbox Singles Club Pt 2)

Cardinal - Hymns (album)

Proper Ornaments - Taking the Gamble Out of Buying 12”

Darren Hayman - January Songs (album)

Various: Marshall Teller EP 12”

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Gig Review

1-2-3-4 Festival Part 1 - Comanechi / Dum Dum Girls / Pre-New / Von Haze / S.C.U.M / Vic Godard / La Shark / Prizes
Shoreditch

Article written by Peter W - Aug 26, 2010

1-2-3-4 Festival

Hardly a cloud in the sky; it’s the perfect day for the park, albeit a park NOT filled with Shoreditch trendies. Thankfully there appears to be a sizeable number of normal folk here too, along with some ageing punks, so the twattery will hopefully be kept to a minimum.

Once the gates open at the gimmicky time of 12.34, within the five minutes it takes to wander around the site some things are already clear – the food stalls are semi-decent and reasonably priced; the bar is the exact opposite (in both quality and cost), and the proximity of the stages could well create some uncomfortable audio fug.

Kicking things off is Prizes, and if the first act was supposed to be some statement of intent we’re in for an incredibly dull festival. There are no discernible tunes on offer, just lots of attempted “atmosphere” with synths and samplers. Frontman Hari Ashurst doesn’t help proceedings either with his sluggish vocals. An odd choice to open the Main Stage. Sadly there’s no improvement to be found on the Rough Trade Stage although the word dull isn’t best suited to La Shark, unless you’re describing the instrument with which to bludgeon the singer; an arrogant, sneering ponce of a boy whose antics haven’t improved since Sounds XP last endured his musique. Avoid.

A bit later there are some likeable guitars chiming away in the Artrocker tent but there’s not a hope in hell of squeezing into this tiny, sweat-soaked canvas, so the band responsible shall remain a mystery. There’s no point in referring to the programme either as there’s clearly been some last minute adjustments on most stages, judging by the felt-tipped scribblings on the pinned-up schedules. Luckily it’s time for Vic Godard on the Main Stage and it only takes a few Subway Sect numbers along with a couple of humorous Post Office references and the punk legend (and postman) has drawn the day’s biggest crowd so far; and deservedly so. The songs shift from thrashy to bluesy, from angry to wistful, and are always filled with wit and sincerity. Undoubtedly the early afternoon highlight.

The American duo Von Haze sound exactly as you’d imagine a mere nanosecond after reading their name. Noisy drones and the occasional psychedelic wig out is the order of the next half hour, and they deliver said racket with aplomb - good to see the bar is now also being raised on the Rough Trade Stage. Staying with a dark, droning theme we now have S.C.U.M with their singer’s comically baggy trousers almost ruining the band’s otherwise serious demeanour. The set is brilliant however, and their music would seamlessly fit onto The Horrors’ Primary Colours LP; the lush keyboard lines and fuzzy guitars create intense but instantly accessible tunes. They’re apparently recording their debut album in Berlin (where else?); if it’s half as good as their live show, Krautrockers of the world rejoice!

There’s just enough time (and room) to see the final moments of the gloriously strident Earl Brutus and his Pre-New outfit. The Artrocker tent simply isn’t big enough for this sharp-suited ranter and it’s a real shame the organisers couldn’t have found a slot on a bigger stage. A swift exit and it’s time for Dum Dum Girls whose set is marred somewhat by sound problems; fortunately the LA four piece manage to soldier on and ensure the pop charms of the likes of “Bhang Bhang” still shine through along with the odd cracking harmony. However the earlier fear of a sound clash has now materialised with the emergence of Comanechi – pity – for two reasons; firstly the Dum Dum Girls seem to have put their technical issues behind them, and secondly Comanechi’s performance is deserving of a bigger audience and a much better set up. The drummer / vocalist / all round nutcase Akiko is in particularly fine form and the musicianship is fantastic, surely even for those who aren’t fans of the genre (somewhere between math-rock and punk). Just over halfway through the Festival now and after a bumpy start, the £15 ticket is looking very much like money well spent.

Links:
http://www.the1234shoreditch.com/
http://www.myspace.com/comanechi