Errors Interview & Live Review

Left to right, Simon, Steev and James

Thanks to the extraordinary and downright awesome, third album, Have Some Faith in Magic, Errors have already had an incredible start to the New Year, even after a highly strenuous 2011. With the departure of their guitarist, Greg Paterson in October, followed by their studio roof collapsing months before the release date of their new track, it’s easily guessed that tensions ran high for the Scottish threesome.  I meet main-brain, Stephen ‘Steev’ Livingstone, to sit down and find out what it was really like for them behind closed doors.

It’s important to highlight that Have Some Faith in Magic is the start of a new beginning for Errors. The time it took them to get to this point is certainly disheartening, considering they formed an extensive eight years ago. Yet, it is also a great escalation from the viciously unbending comparisons of label bosses; Mogwai. Have Some Faith in Magic wasn’t exactly the album fans were waiting for, more so the album they had hoped would eventually come along. The album that would at last, collapse the boring and indolent shadow that unfairly loomed over the undervalued band. Did this cause frustration or relief? Steev happily explains.

‘To me, I’ve always thought we were different, right from the start. There are elements of Mogwai in our music, but there are also elements of loads of different things. For me, it just seemed like people were being lazy because they’d see the link between Rock Action began by Mogwai and us. The music we make has never seemed like it was a Mogwai album. It is good that people are hopefully starting to forget about that. It has been a slight burden, every review would begin with Mogwai, but they’ve helped us a lot so I don’t want to criticize them.’

The breakthrough of this appears to be the transformation of taking their musical image and talent more proficiently.  It’s Not Something But It’s Like Whatever and Come Down With Me, could be described as the two ‘experimental’ albums - music from a band still in the process of defining their own sound. And now- after developing from ‘post-electro’ to ‘pop-electro’, the birth of a braver, tighter and most significantly, distinguishing album is born.

Of course, along with this charismatic, new sound comes the string of overwhelming, kind words. In fact - it’s almost impossible to find a bad word to describe the album. The question was raised whether or not attention is paid towards these reviews. Are they essential, valued or merely brushed aside?

‘It’s really encouraging. We get sent every single review that ever gets written, even down to little regional things, so I see everything and I choose to read it all. I care about what people think about our music. I think it would be weird to be doing things and being ignorant about it. That would be foolish.’

The most enjoyable part of the album is the use of vocals- not that anyone is likely to sing along. Smartly created as part of the music, the Gregorian style chants and heavily distorted effects are beautifully synced with the floaty keyboards and complex guitar passages. Curiosity overcame of whether this was planned, or naturally generated.

‘We kind of made the decision before.’  Taking a thirsty gulp of his beer and pushing his trademark, oversized, round glasses up his nose, Steev carries on. ‘There are little tiny bits of vocals in the last record but its way in the background, you can barely hear them so we kind of toyed about with that. Until recently we hadn’t found a way of using vocals that we were happy with because we didn’t want to have prominent vocals. I don’t really like the idea of people being able to tell what the lyrics are. So yeah I guess we were waiting for that point where it felt right and it fell in place for this record.’

So can we expect actual lyrics in forthcoming albums or will their lyrics always be a part of the music? In his notable Glaswegian accent, Steev persists. ‘I can’t really say how that’s going to go at the moment because the next record won’t be until the next two years or so. I wouldn’t like to say we’ll never do that because originally, when we first started, I said in an interview we would never use vocals. You should never say never because who knows what’s going to happen. We’re always going to be trying something different...we’re never going to settle with doing one thing and that’s why every record has been different.’

The saddening departure of Greg had a shattering effect on the band as Steev reminisces. ‘He would always be the one on the bus making us laugh and now we’re dealing with him not being around.’ Instead of mopping around and missing a friend, Steev took it upon himself to seize control to ensure their music didn’t lose its quality. This led to Steev juggling between playing the keys and guitars, as well as performing vocals...a daunting prospect for any professional musician. ‘Yeah the touring thing has been difficult but he didn’t necessarily leave. It was more of a case of him having other commitments and not being able to be in a band as well. There are no hard feelings, he’s still a pal but we are slowly adjusting and its getting easier.’

Fortunately, their hard graft, endeavour and commitment in the previous year, has rewarded them massively. Have Some Faith in Magic is a liberating, explosion of organic sounds, blended perfectly together with swallowing vocals and ever-changing tempos, making a delicious cocktail of mind-blowing music that sounds even more captivating live. As they take to the stage, Steev is endlessly thankful towards the audience, maintaining his modesty and gratitude. They are truly fascinating to watch. The audience latch their eyes onto Simon, who is in a world of his own, drowning himself in the music and lapping up the invigorating atmosphere. James’ aggressive, drum playing is striking to say the least as he gives his absolute all with nothing but his bare hands, a pair of wooden drum sticks and whole load of hair whipping. As for Steev’s multi-tasking between a variety of instruments (without misplacing a single beat)- it can only be described as something astonishing.

The whole performance is dazzling and the audience leave mesmerized with more respect than ever before for Errors. From this point on, regardless of whatever else is thrown at them it’s clear to see that Errors, are in complete control and can no longer do any wrong.

Have Some Faith In Magic available now.

Machines on Fire

UK rock band, Yellowire, have done significantly well for themselves regarding they formed in 2010 and have so far, toured America, performed at countless festivals, as well as have their songs played on radio stations as far afield as Dubai. Impressive- as is their album.

Ten track debut album, Machines on Fire is indulgent and passionate that swiftly and effortlessly swirls around you, filling the entire room with nothing but warmth and serenity. It captivates, without overpowering- a technique heard very little in music today.  With the uplifting ability to take you as far away from reality as possible, (think classic, American movie, sunny road trip to the middle of nowhere), it will undoubtedly put you at complete ease, even after the most miserable of days.

Ol Beach’s rich, gravelly, vocals are a faultless match to the rough-pitched, stringy drums and folk- tapping melodies. (Now think dark, handsome, rock star with hair healthier looking than yours, driving you to the middle of nowhere...that’s him.) An album you can quite happily leave on repeat for hours whilst getting on with your daily routine. It prides itself in variety and appealing on a range of different levels. Although the diversity is good, it is however, too generic.

The album includes the happy-go-lucky, pop rock tune, Starlife followed by the fast- tempo and rebellious, Machines on Fire. Set You Free is out-of- date, and predictable, that’s energetic, but lacks depth. Then we have the reggae-like and quite frankly, ‘summery’ track, Where is Summer; a curveball that sounds like it was plucked randomly from another album; but nevertheless, hugely enjoyable. Towards the end it becomes slow and reflective; unfortunately resulting in forgetting you even had it playing in the first place.

Machines On Fire isn’t groundbreaking or one of a kind, but that isn’t always vital in a successful album. Yellowire have managed to produce a gracious, cool and gratifying soundtrack. Whether you want to blast it in the car, pop it on as completing your essay or tune out whilst relaxing at the park with a little glass of something- it’s certainly the perfect album if you merely want to lose yourself in some real, feel-good music.

Born to Die

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to describe Lana Del Rey as a product. New name, new image and new sound, all skilfully constructed and carefully combined to reinvent another primp and perfect, Hollywood clone. Straight away, she sounds like our worst nightmare- yet it was a simple, stand-alone single that made the rich, blank-stared and filthy pouted singer, one of the leading new acts of 2012. The pop-star’s internet viral, Video Games immediately had us gripped. Her hypnotic, seductive vocals became an addiction as we found ourselves hitting the replay button, over and over, until every little detail and note was exceptionally appreciated.

Then the question of whether or not this botoxed beauty is the real deal. How long will she stick around for? Surely there must be further reasoning behind boastfully, self-proclaiming herself as the ‘gangsta Nancy Sinatra’. Her debut album as Lana Del Rey, Born to Die, is where all her talent is unleashed.

Born to Die is lovesick and sad, yet completely sensual and gripping. It should have been a recipe for disaster, considering the endless, clichéd lyrics and repetitive storytelling of her incapability of living without her other half. Instead, the catchy hip-hop beats, mixed with vintage vocals make it utterly irresistible- as her whole persona. Summertime Sadness and Dark Paradise are lingering soundscapes that complement singles, Born to Die and Video Games. Then we have the quirky, head-bopping tune, Off to the Races before the smart and shallow, National Anthem, as she becomes America itself rather than the American, bad-girl-in-love she portrays throughout the album.

Del Rey has produced a rich and wonderfully groomed masterpiece, overflowed with raw emotion, making accusations of false advertising, gossip about surgery and Daddy’s money totally irrelevant. She contains an incredible ability to slip from lazy, deep-toned smugness to high-note heartbreak, all in the same, stunning melody. Oozing with femme fatale and a notable vocal to match, she’s gracefully proved herself to anyone who ever doubted her. Lana Del Rey, is in fact, here to stay.

Cloud Control

Left to right: Heidi Lenffer, Ulrich Lenffer, Jeremy Kelshaw and Alistair Wright.

Regarding the fact that I was about to undertake my first professional interview- there wasn’t a second I felt nervous about chatting to the four piece, alternative rock band Cloud Control. Summing up my research, I quickly realised that they were, very simply, a laidback group of friends who enjoyed making and performing music.

Led into a tiny room with boring white walls and nothing other than a sofa, chair and table squeezed into the middle of it- it reminded me of a school teacher’s staff room, rather than a sex, drugs and rock and roll, dressing room hang out.

Greeted by friendly smiles and handshakes, Heidi, Ulrich and Alistair all introduced themselves with their strong Aussie accents. Heidi, wearing no make-up, untamed hair and dressed in a huge, woolly jumper, (bearing in mind they’d be on stage in less than an hour), Ulrich slouched in a chair, playing with his stereotypical, long, scruffy ‘drummer boy’ hair and Alistair; the band’s front man, minding his own buisiness, fiddling on his Apple Mac. My expectations were exactly as I imagined.

I was determined to find out what differentiated this band from the rest of the thousands out there. Did they have that star quality, or were they missing that extra something that is so important in music today?

Bliss Release, the band’s first and only album, released last year, scooped up the awards; ‘Best Independent Album’ and ‘Breakthrough Independent Artist’.  As bizarre as it may sound, growing up in the Blue Mountains seems to have heavily imprinted their work as you can’t help but feel each melody and lyric was created around a campfire, adding a real sense of honesty to the music, with strange and dark- yet peaceful implications.

The foursome take to the stage and instantly grasp the audience’s attention with Alistair’s playful humour. He tosses a coin into the crowd for ‘good luck’ but then jokes at their expense by saying, ‘look at all of them scrambling for money’, before coolly adding, ‘yeah...moneys alright’.

As soon as they begin, the audience begin to critically assess and analyse them as they listen hard and bob their heads to the fiery beats. Only then did I realise that it is the band’s vocals that set them apart from other pop contemporys. Alistair’s trippy, pitch- bending synths is matched flawlessly and beautifully to Heidi’s gentle, jingly and day-dreamy sounds. They are effortlessly cool as they loose themselves in their own music, feeding off the audience’s subtle yet positive energy.

Needless to say, there is unquestionably something magical about Cloud Control. Their humble and relaxed approach, ironically, makes them exciting. It’s pretty evident this band isn’t even close in showing us what their really made of, and when they do- I’m sure it will blow us all away.

Interview below

How are you and how are you enjoying your tour with The Drums?

All together: Good thanks, yeah it’s been great

How would you say the audience responses in England in comparison to Australia because I can imagine people know your music more in Australia?

Heidi: Yeah they do, I mean they analyse us a lot more. You won’t get a lot of hype but that’s fine because you know their enjoying it when their just listening

Ulrich: The worst a crowd can do is talk over you, so yeah, listening is real good

You formed through a band competition you won and it seems it all went from there. Can you tell me a little more about that? It seems like a massive step winning a small competition to becoming the recording artists you are today.

H: Well it was a five year step, so it took friggin ages. I don’t think we even knew we wanted to be a band for about three of those years, we all had different career interests so it took a long time to evolve into a full time pursue. We’ve been a slow developing band but I think that’s advantaged us in a lot of ways

You were all friends a long time before you became a band. Was it difficult adjusting from being just friends to sitting down together for hours recording music or was it an advantage?

U: Well you know what’s funny, Al had never met Jeremy before

Alistair: They made me just pick him up off the highway and i was like...who is this guy. I had no idea...but he was alright! (All laugh)

H: We definitely weren’t a unit of four friends. We all knew each other in different ways but not everyone was connected. Like Ulrich and Jeremy knew of each other but they weren’t friends. I didn’t really know Al...

U: He was just a little turd from school...

A: A little turd...(All laugh)

H: But yeah it took us a while to develop a friendship

The music on your album, Bliss Release sounds a lot like other Australian bands such as Little Red and The Holidays. It that something you were consciously going for?

A: Yeah totally. It’s just like anything, like if you see something and you really enjoy it and you like what it does to you, you try and re-create that in your own way

H: Mimicry is a great tool for song writing. It was really funny, when we all started writing we were all listening to Interpol and the first songs we wrote were a sounds cape to Interpol at the time. (laughs) but we’ve moved on from there...although Interpol is still a really great band

You’re playing at Field day in January and the NME awards in February. Any more shows or tours in the New Year?

A: Were doing some HMV show in February sometime.

H: In Birmingham!

A: Oh is it?

H: Yeah at the Electric Ballroom

U: Oh that will be awesome

A: Yeah that will be sweet, but other than that we haven’t got any tours planned because we’ll be writing our new album

So there will be a new album next year?

H: Yeah definitely. We’ll be spend the first three months writing and then really kill off the second album. Thats the goal right? Shoot for the stars!

And finally, what are your Christmas plans?

H: Awww, well Ulrich and I are going to Frankford! To spend some time at the Christmas markets with our parents

U: But Al’s leaving just before Christmas to go back to Australia and Jez is as well right.

H: Yeah Jez is leaving straight after this tour

U: Yeah so we’ll all meet up in Australia

Find out more about Cloud Control at http://www.cloudcontrolband.com/

Ceremonials

When Florence + the Machine first graced our ears with their cool and quirky first single; Kiss with a Fist from their mesmerising debut album, Lungs in 2009, it was clear that this band was no one-hit-wonder. Florence Welch’s empowering vocals teamed perfectly with her machines turbulent sounds, has created the most elegant, passionate and raw music to date- hurling them to the front of the race and making them one of the most popular bands in the UK. The excitement of their second album was only natural after a patient two year wait. Not surprisingly, the wait was worthwhile.

Ceremonials, released October 31^st 2011, includes all the deep, fairy-tale dreamscapes we loved in the first album. An explosion of twelve magical, brawny tracks the fiery red head belts out with her huge voice. A gothic romance with anger and beauty twisted all into one, making it truly captivating to listen to. The music touches on gospel sounds such as Lover to Lover and Leave My Body, as well as tracks such as Spectrum and leading album single, What the Water Gave Me, that resembles their older sounds.

Disappointingly, it does seem that Welch lets her ‘machine’ overthrow certain tracks such as Heartlines and No Light, No Light that, simply put- sound too busy; leaving you feeling exhausted and making it impossible to listen to the whole album at once.

Nevertheless, Florence + the Machine’s Ceremonials doesn’t disappoint. A hybrid of indie, jazz, and rock music, creates a story of alluring but sinister romance Welch seems to be obsessed with. It is a talented and mature sound, seasoned off immaculately with the singer’s graceful voice- reminding us just how touching and beautiful music can be.



Diary of a Stoke Student

It’s pretty obvious that everyone knows Stoke-on-Trent isn't exactly the most inspiring and exhilarating place to live your student years, with competing cities such as London and Manchester that scream student lifestyle. Having already a comfortable and satisfying life in Birmingham, to then having to move to a town with pottery factories as its main attraction- I can openly admit I wasn’t feeling hugely optimistic.

It’s now the beginning of my sixth week here at Staffordshire University and if it’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s regardless of who you’re with, what you’re studying, where you are, and how you’re living it; student life is amazing.

What you hear about university is what you get. Freedom to do as you please, the easiness of making friends like you did at nursery, cheap student offers bombarding you everywhere, and most importantly; experiencing the craziest nights out of your whole entire lives. (I will never forgive myself for being in the state I was in at Carnage. Ever). Already I’ve learnt so much about myself, the people around me and how quickly food goes out of date. Funnily enough- the biggest challenge in my life right now is making sure those chicken fillets chilling in my fridge are eaten before their sell-by-date in attempt to avoid more food in the bin and endless takeaways that are now my answer to every failed cooking experience I’ve dealt with.

Realistically it won’t always be all fun and games once the work load kicks in but the entire aspect of university is a persistent learning progress. The experience of growing up fast- mixed with the emotions of never feeling so young and liberated is incomparable. One of the most valued lessons I’ve been taught already, is that having no prejudice is one of the most favourable qualities you can learn to have. Constantly being on nights out surrounded by people whose main concern is what shoes you have on your feet or what music you’re listening to on your iPod- it’s never been so refreshing to get away from it all and associate myself with people I would never usually make the effort with back home.
 
So even without the trendy nights out and immaculate city centre Birmingham has to offer, it seems the ‘two decades behind’ and ‘bleak’ city has proved itself wrong and has established just how fufilling student life truly can be, even without a Nandos here...

RIP Camden's finest

Amy Jade Winehouse

14th September 1983- 23rd July 2011

 

There's always a great sense of loss and sadness when an artist we admire and grow up with passes away- but there was something different about discovering the death of Amy Winehouse that triggered true distress and grief to the public when the news was first announced. Throughout most of her musical days, her talent was mostly swamped by consistent headlines of her drink and drug problem. Continiously being the media's bull's eye for bad press, she never failed to cause a fuss when stumbling out of a bar completley addled...yet above everything and beneath the bad girl image she so often portrayed, Winehouse was no doubt the quirkiest, most soulful and eccentric artist of our time.

Frank; the singer's first debut album was immediatly a great success in the UK, which was then followed up by her second album Back to Black in 2006. The album was the third biggest seller of the 2000s in the United Kingdom, scooping up an impressive six Grammy Award nominations- making her the first British female to achieve five favourable wins. The first single released from the album; Rehab, gained her further attainment in the categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Although her career was souring, it was also an abiding battle when dealing with her drug and alcohol abuse as her violent and self destructive behaviour always seemed out of control, leaving her family, friends and fans all disappointed. Her pernicious relationship with her former husband (Blake Fielder) introduced further complications resulting in him serving prison time in 2008. She was faced with a series of health problems that threatened both her career and life that eventually, but not surprisingly, resulted in her putting down her microphone and taking a step back from the music industry she was so clearly unstable for.

With such promising talent, the public were always left hopeful for a comeback from the instantly recognisable singer, (not forgetting her trademark beehive hairdo) yet her frail and unfit state meant she had to pull out of her return just last month. Instead, she was found dead in her London flat days ago with the case described as 'unexplained'.

Whether it was the drink or drugs, she was undoubtedly a true icon. What made Winehouse so special, was her ability to create music that really spoke to people. In a time where music is so highly competitive, she managed to become the best, proving anything can be achieved. Her unparalled voice and lyrics made it possible for her fans to see past her tribulations and grow only to adore and respect her- despite the numurous occasions in which she couldn't give her everything. She was the voice of a generation with down right raw talent, challenging pop music with her inspiring jazz and blues sounds, as well as becoming the most iconic and exceptional artist of our era. If its anything she's left behind, its knowing that there really won't ever be another quite like Winehouse.

'My justification is that most people my age spend a lot of time thinking about what they’re going to do for the next five or ten years. The time they spend thinking about their life, I just spend drinking.'

'I was expecting it to be cynical because I'm like that myself.
 I wouldn't want it to be all roses because life isn't like that.'

'I only write about stuff that’s happened to me.. stuff I can’t get past personally.
 Luckily, I'm quite self-destructive.'

'It's not important to me to make other people at ease.
I am difficult, but that's because I don’t really give a fuck.'