Kit & Con

So I should have blogged about this a long time ago being that I have been back from London for a few weeks now and I saw this band play in London and I didn't really have the time to write about them then so now I am going to talk quickly about that and also review their album, 23 Kilos, that I bought from them after their show.

Kit & Con is a 2-piece band and just cause I saw them in London doesn't make them a brittish band but are transplants for the time and the bassist she is Canadian and the drummer he is Australian and they are rocking and providing the only bass-drum only sound that I know of. I think I fell in love with them from their first song which was added as a request and done with only vocals and drums and I was blown away by Miraka's sulty and amazing singing voice. But moving on from there they just kept playing fun songs that I hadn't heard anything really like it before. In a live setting just bass and drum gets such a cool groove going in every song and I was glad when people started dancing during their song "Bad Bartender" as their music made me want to move my feet even if my dancing skills are very much in question. And during Bad Bartender Simon broke into a badass drum solo which their just isn't enough drum solos going on indie music clubs. It was a really fun fun night I had The Spice of Life and Kit & Con were the definate highlight of the night and what stuck with me.

Kit & Con's sound does not dissapoint on cd. Their isn't a weak track out of the bunch and I just cannot get anough of Miraka's voice. It has such a seductively sultry tone to it that I am in love with. They really get the most of out of their instruments and surprise with the depth of their sound infusing influences of pop, rock, indie and a bit of dance while always staying fun and catchy. If you want to pick up a copy you can grab one directly from them at EOI Productions.

The Henry Clay People - The Fakers (music video)

boom The Henry Clay People have a new music video check it out below.

The Henry Clay People - The Fakers from The Henry Clay People on Vimeo.

Super fun performance music video to go with the song and as you know from my post about it I loved their last album so yeah...

Möngöl Hörde vs The Wheelbarrow

So I got a couple other nights to still blog about in London but I am skipping right to the end, which was my last night there because it was an epic night full of win.

Did you know Frank Turner had a new side project called Möngöl Hörde? Neither did I some 20 hours ago. Then like seven hours later I was at their debut show at The Wheelbarrow. But before I get too far ahead of myself I have to talk about the opening artist, Oxygen Thief.

So when Oxygen Thief started I thought he was going to be just a rehash of Frank's solo sound as he was British and played acoustic with a punk feel, but quickly he made me realize he had his own thing going. I have never heard so much aggression and heavyness coming from someone playing acoustically. And he was tearing it up on the guitar, playing it like it was lead guitar for some post-hardcore punk band. He had fucking breakdowns going on and just was playing with so much ferocity and emotion I couldn't help but get sucked in and be in awe of his music. He has got such a unique sound, he is solo and playing on an acoustic guitar but it is in no way folk music. It is acoustic hardcore something I wouldn't think would be possible but Oxygen Thief not only pulls it off but completely dominates while playing his heart out. Also he did one badass and super fun cover of M.I.A.'s Paper Planes that the crowd got involved in singing along enthusiastically.

Then came the reason this little Pub in England was at capacity or even over because there was no room in the place it seemed. I had some lofty expectations after checking out a couple of Möngöl Hörde's songs they had released on youtube and being blown away by the couple tracks they had put up. This wasn't just Frank going back and doing Million Dead again which is a band I never really got that into. To be fair I only heard of them after the fact because I fell so in love with Frank Turner's music I needed to find and consume everything he had created, but after giving his hardcore punk band roots a listen through I never went back to it. Möngöl Hörde is its own unique powerful beast that is more metal and noise rock than just hardcore.

And Möngöl Hörde and the crowd absolutely fucking nailed it! For being their first ever show you could never tell, as they played flawlessly and tight throughout the whole set. And the craziest part was how relentless every song seemed, just full out aggression that wouldn't let up song after song. I guess their were a couple slow or quiet parts but that was only to show a little contrast and make songs more interesting. But then the aggression would fly back out harder and faster it seemed. And frank could scream for ages it seemed and never lost his power and even had a few different levels to it which helped make the songs more dynamic. Oh and did I mention this was a three-piece band consisting of drums, guitar and vocals only that was making this flawless cacophonous rocking music.

What really completed the night in it's legendary status was the crowd. Frank Turner and old Million Dead faithful made their way last minute hyped and ready to bring it up a notch. And from the get go the notch was brought higher then I knew it could go. Plus while it was extremely crowded super hot and sweaty the mosh pit always stayed friendly. This was a mass of people all there to let go of their inhibitions and give their bodies and souls to rocking out and not about committing violence on others. Not that I didn't take shots from elbows and fists to both the body and head but that is the cost of doing business in the thick of the pit. (That also included a whack to the head from Ben Dawson's drumstick when I go knocked and fell on stage at his feet just missing taking out part of his drum set thankfully) The amount of energy and love and the complete lack of separation between band and crowd made this a special night, one I won't ever forget and will quickly come up when talking about best show ever attended.

And then it was over, it felt like forever and I was ready to keel over and die but apparently it had been less than an hour as it was just before 11 and they went on a little after 10. But just because the music was done didn't mean the night was done. After cooling down for like 20 minutes outside I grabbed an ice cold pint of cider with ice which hit the spot and made some new friends with fellow shell shocked attendees of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Just got to thank Frank again instead of letting me leave when I used the last of the pounds I had on me he bought me a pint and a shot and the night continued. I also guess I need to go buy my ticket to his show at the HoB Anaheim because I told him I would see him there. As well Ben couldn't have been nicer and didn't need to keep apologizing for whacking me on the head with his drum stick when I fell on stage.

You should also go check out the blog post by the lovely Alice I met that night at her blog Town Called Alice. There is also a great slideshow that Dan Griffiths put together that capture the night. I also took a crappy video with my iPhone that I uploaded to YouTube that what it lacks in sound quality, it makes up for capturing the atmosphere and insanity of the room. I would love to see more pics or videos if you were at the show post them in the comments...

The Lock Tavern Thurs. Aug 16th 2012

So a few nights ago I made my way down to Camden around 8:30ish and nothing was oing on at The Wheelbarrow or pubs in the immediate vicinity s o I grabbed a pint at The World's End and enjoyed the metal they played over their sound system. As I got bored there by myself quite quickly and wasn't ready to call it a night so I headed north from Camden Town station to explore. And boy was I glad I did as eventually I came upon The Lock Tavern where I could here the sounds of live rock n' roll coming from the place out on the street.

I made my way up to the venue part of the pub upstairs, this small room with just enough room for a stage and a bar of it's own was jam-packed people rocking out to the band Lovepark. So I instantly fell in step and worked my way into the middle of the crowd. This was a very fun indie rock band with just the right amount pop to their sound. What sticks out the most for me was they had what seemed like their own signature guitar style. Not that every song sounded the same just the way they played their cool little guitar licks had a uniquely Lovepark vibe to them. Such a fun band that I picked up their single on vinyl and made this a worthwhile adventure out in Camden.

Next up were some very young lads going by Cowboy. I wanted to like them more than I did just because I really dug all the electronic atmospherics that the lead singer added with his MacBook live on stage which was quite cool. One thing for that show just wasn't up to par was the guitarist singing voice. I don't know if it was just that nights live performance or just he wasn't consistent enough but I wasn't feeling it when he sang solo. They all were very talented musicians and had some dynamic songwriting that I really enjoyed. Most of all their drummer was just aces, he blew me away with how fracking unbelievable he was, just wow. So while their set had some ups and downs and didn't have the crowd going like the band before them, Cowboy is definitely a band to remember and follow as they are so young and so talented that it would be a mistake to not pay attention to them.

The Wheelbarrow Aug 15th 2012

So I lost track of time and forgot how long it took to get all the way down to Camden from Wimbledon and ended up strolling in late about 9:30 really just in time to catch the of the set by The Widows. They had a fun punk/roackabilly sound to them with some fast, fun and good guitar and bass lines. Also the drumming was spot on in all the songs I heard and they even had a keyboardist who on the last song played electric violin that really added to the depth of their sound. But the real star of their set was their lead singer whose energy was up to legendary levels and it didn't matter that I couldn't understand a word out of his mouth there was so much passion and emotion and rock n' roll pouring out of him that I couldn't help but get into them. I hope they translate in recorded form to sound as great as they did live.

Next up came and quick but powerful set from Kitty Junkbrother whose poweful vocals blew me away. The sad thing was most of the pub seemed more into their own conversations then giving her due respect because she was an artist and musician that you should be listening to. She only played four songs because that was all she could remember to play on the acoustic guitar but that was enough for me to be floored by her talent and especially awesome vocal performance. She apparently plays more often with her keyboard so I think I need to look up some of that stuff because her music is what stuck with me tonight and has me pining for more.

Well that did it for the night I got to remember to head out earlier while in London as I forget how the nights end young here music was down by 10:30 pm...