Klaxons

It came, It went, It conquered as per. Leeds Festival 2014 was a real pinnacle for this year's UK live music, cramming it's masses into the colossus fields of Bramham Park, this year's Leeds Festival was a true menace of a machine. From strolling the sights and stalls of the relatively tame arena, to hiking through the foothills of Red camp and afar, the beast of Leeds Festival was out in full glamour this year. Not only for the sheer size and scale of the glorified playground, nor for the big bad names it captured upon its stages, but purely the immense and sometimes overwhelming atmosphere of Leeds Festival is what attracts the crowds in their droves - (Each and EVERY year).

This year's line-up, though transparent in parts, boasted an array of big names and must sees. From Gerrard Way's premier solo show, right the way through to Macklemore's fur coat - teenage girl-screaming onstage antics. All considered, It is fair to say Leeds festival caters to the masses, though in doing so, often leaving the fringes of those masses at somewhat of a loose-end. Fear no-more, as this year with 10 arena stages and a dozen campsite venues, attendants waved farewell to mud-mooching moments of waiting around and embarked on the northern event of the year. With Oxfam blazers, slush puppy pleasantries and a number of near 24-hour rave spots all been thrown around, It was hard to find even a moment for the annual carbon monoxide poisoning - plastic bag burning ritual  around the camp fire. 

Without further ado, we present to you this year's top live sets and why they really made this year what it was.

Continue reading: Leeds Festival 2014 - Live Review

The Klaxon's long awaited follow-up Surfing The Void finally sees the light of day following reports in the tabloids and the music press that they were forced to re-record large parts of it by executives at Polydor.. Never has the term 'difficult 2nd album' been deemed more appropriate.

With this in mind it is difficult to know where the blame lies. 'Surfing the Void' is not an easy record to listen to, in fact I would even go as far as to say it's unlistenable. The band themselves declared the original incarnation of the album as being psychedelic and experimental when their record company wanted them to make a 'pop' record. I would certainly not describe it as any of these. However I would be interested in hearing the original, to see if record company interference has had an impact either way. If this is the popper version of the 2 recorded albums, one can only imagine how dense the first one is.

The album comes across like an electronic version of Blur, but not Blur in a good way. More like Blur when they're in danger of disappearing up their own arse. The Klaxons seems to be lacking songs and the tracks themselves are really trying to be too clever for their own good which means that either (1) they're operating on a higher plane or (2) it really is just unlistenable shite. I would opt for the latter. This is by far the worst album I've heard this year.

Continue reading: The Klaxons, Surfing the Void Album Review

Klaxons

Gravity's Rainbow
Single Review

You may have noticed this ‘new rave’ genre springing from the pages of NME recently. It’s a chance for a non-drug induced wide-eyed generation of ‘Vody’ drinking Skins watchers to call things ‘MDMA-zing’ and get into dance music without being labelled a ‘chav’. Some of the bands are proper top though. Shit Disco, The Sunshine Underground and also Klaxons for example.

This is a bit more of a mediocre affair by the London pioneers of cyber rock (I invented that pigeon hole myself). It doesn’t have the hands in the air quality of Atlantis to Interzone, the disco thump of The Bouncer, or the melody of classic rave re-working It’s not Over Yet. What is perhaps even more distressing, particularly if you happen to be a bearded snobby muso, is that this is a re-release. But every cloud has a silver lining apparently, and the accompanying b-side to this re-release, another rather splendid remix by Soulwax, may just get you high enough to witness said proverb first hand.

Stephen Vigors