London City Love Affair tomorrow!

Yeah!  London City Love Affair returns to the Lexington on Pentonville Road tomorrow night for more band and club shenanigans.  We have music from the splendid:

EZRA BANG & HOT MACHINE
Insane electro/hip-hop crossover antics from one of London's best live acts. If you haven't caught the Hot Machine show yet, don't miss out!
"If Public Enemy had swamped their raps with buzzing synths, they'd sound like Ezra Bang & Hot Machine" (Loud and Quiet)

THEM:YOUTH
MGMT-esque beats and glossy electro from one of London’s hottest new bands. They're really new on the live circuit, but they make absolutely INCREDIBLE music, and they're getting everyone across the industry very excited indeed.  This is only their second gig, so we've got them whilst they're still fresh!

SILHOUETTE 
Delicate, swirling soundscapes from NME-championed Silhouette, who combine art with music to create a quite incredible show.
"Silhouette...bowled us over with her powerfully rich and soulful voice backed by dark blues and dirty riffs." (Artrocker)

Not only that, but we've got some awesome guests DJs lined up for the night, including LR ROCKETS, the SIEGFRIED SASSOON SOUNDSYSTEM, Wes Simpson and Bryn and I playing our usual brand of indie and alternative nonsense.

It's from 8-4am, with the bands on until 11, and is normally £6 on the door.  Because I am lovely, however, if you print off this blog entry (along with the flyer below), you can get a big fat £2 off the door price!

See you there!

First blog of '09

...and it's in February.  Shocking, I grant you, but there it is.  To paraphrase Wilde, 'I have nothing to declare but my laziness'...that, and a large wodge of work coming in during January which, let's face it, no-one ever expects!

Still, I'm still standing, and still just about blogging.  More will undoubtedly follow.  For the time being, I'm beefing up my Web 2.0 credentials with the likes of:

Twitter

Facebook Group - for the night I run, London City Love Affair

London City Love Affair myspace

London City Love Affair last.fm

Follow, join, visit, listen.

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Live music review - Pull up the Roots @ The Old Queen's Head 24.09.08

Once again, Broccoli Music took over the upstairs room at The Old Queen's Head for their successful 'Pull up the Roots' night.  The concept is to break new bands in the capital in slightly more comfortable surroundings than is the norm (naming no names Camden Barfly...).  Entry is free, and punters more often than not find themselves lounging in one of the venue's comfy chairs veiwing the stage, adding a certain living room vibe to the whole affair.  On Wednesday, music came courtesy of The Black Lies, Carlotti, Rock City Sixteen and De Shamonix, with the gaps plugged ably by the excellent Coathanger DJs who entertained with dancefloor indie a-go-go.

Indie-punk foursome Black Lies swaggered onto the stage to the strains of their track 'My House is Your House'.  So far, so Arctic Monkeys, and it was this sound that they stuck to resolutely throughout their set, assisted by a small cabal of hardcore fans leaping about at the front of the room.  It's being done plenty elsewhere, but these boys give it a sense of fun at the very least.

Carlotti offered something a little more fulsome - there was even a mandolin at one point!  Melodic rock with a fine country/blues edge, they were my pick of the crop for the night.  Grabbing debut single 'Your Guess Ain't as Good as Mine' on iTunes is a highly-recommended move.

Of all the acts performing, it was Rock City Sixteen that wore their references the most proudly on their chests.  Their myspace is the epitome of self-conscious 50s cool, and their music owes much to the work of Blondie and, though they don't admit to it in their list of influences, The Strokes.  Their set was all angular guitars, overdrive, and some very very large shades indeed.  The crowd lapped it up.

Last but by no means least were De Shamonix, who blasted through an excellent set to the appreciation of a sizeable audience.  I had been told beforehand that they knew how to own a stage, and own it they did - stagecraft is often the big differentiator between a band making it or not, and De Shamonix offered it up in spadefuls to round out a fine night's entertainment.  

Verdict: You may not be a fan of broccoli as a vegetable, but you can't fault it as a clubnight...

Where next:

Black Lies: @ Monto Water Rats, Fri. 31st October

Carlotti:  @ the Hope & Anchor Fri. 3rd October

Rock City Sixteen: @ the Ryhthm Factory Tues. 7th October

De Shamonix: @ Monto Water Rats, Sat. 29th November

Pull up the Roots Thurs. 20th October @ The Old Queen's Head