2000 Trees 2011

Okay, so this one's been a long time coming, for reasons that are frankly too dull to bother with, so without further ado... 

So, 2000 Trees. Best festival ever. Let's begin with that, as the rest of this is likely to be rather incoherent due to a) being written at a months' distance, or b) how drunk I was during the festival. 

So, the first band we got to was Vessels in the Cave, who managed to pack out the tent with a crowd that was probably bigger than that garnered by either ASIWYFA or Amplifier, the two Cave headliners of the weekend. After a storming set that peaked early with 'Monoform' and 'The Trap', the bar had well and truly been set for the weekend. 

I'm fuzzy on the order, but at some point we also caught the post-hardcore progressive racket of The James Cleaver Quintet, filing them in the 'check out later' pile before seeing (in some order) Charlie Barnes, Jim Lockey and Mojo Fury. The latter, in fact drew quite a small crowd, and it's still frustrating to me that they aren't growing more rapidly, despite their great songs and seemingly perfect run of choice support slots and press. Oh well. 

Then it was onto Dinosaur Pile-Up on the main stage. By this point, a combination of Badger's Bottom and G & T was rapidly rendering me a Total Fucking Liability (I believe that is the technical term); nevertheless I recall a great rendition of 'Hey Man' (or was it 'Broken Knee'?) and a new tune called something like 'Daydream' that needs some more work. Not as triumphant as their ridiculous homecoming show in Leeds earlier in the year (where I had my head split open by Harry's bass in a moshpit), it was still a rad show. 

I've been told that I saw The King Blues. I've also been told that I was singing along to 'Save the World, Get the Girl', so I'm going to assume that it was a great set. However, personally I can't remember anything at all. My memory creeps back in around ASIWYFA's set, where they were ramping through 'Search:Party:Animal' and 'Gang'. Putting in probably the best set of the weekend, ASIWYFA reminded the crowd that while they may well have released the album of the year in Gangs, they are still the same formidable live band that they always were. Moshpits, crowdsurfing (band and crowd) and high fives before encores, goodnights and bars. Lots more bars. 

Then sunlight, confusion, headache and a beer before Ellen & the Escapades on the mainstage, kicking off the Saturday entertainment. At that point, her warm folk songs were exactly what our ragged band needed, and we almost felt ready when skapunks Chewing on Tinfoil took the stage for what turned out to be a really fun set. I think I napped through Zun Zun Egui, dreaming dreams of motorik beats, before catching a bit of The Cape of Good Hope in the Cave. They were good, but a little complex to form an opinion of while hungover and attempting to stop your mind from physically tearing in two, and I've yet to check them out post-festival (add to the long list). 

After that, we wandered back to the main stage to see what all the fuss was about with Islet. 

Okay, so imagine if all the characters from the 'We're All Dickheads' video got together and formed a band. Now imagine if it was about four times as pretentious as the one you're thinking of, with like three drumkits. That still doesn't quite accurately represent the level of absolute pretentious indie dross we're dealing with here. I mean, I don't much like Egyptian Hip Hop, but Islet are almost a different level of wankers. Phil from Metamusic described EHH as 'pretentious wankers with a flanger'; Islet were grah, I can't even be bothered. If you want a positive review of them, look in the NME. If you want the truth, they bought a fucking Neu! album in some dusty record shop and now make pointless, boring, sub- Sonic Youth experimental cack.

When the opportunity presented itself, we fucked off and caught &U&I, who were pretty interesting; heavy and mathy, shot through with that post-hardcore bite you'd expect from a heavier math band. I wasn't too sure about their live show, but I'll keep an eye out for their album, due out some time in the future. After them, Talons; post-rock in a vein that didn't impress me overly when compared to Vessels or ASIWYFA, but didn't more me either. Then, Hawk Eyes, impressing me more in the late afternoon fug than at any previous time I've seen their thrashy guitar antics. 

I stuck around for Japanese Voyeurs, expecting great things on the evidence of their debut, Yolk, and their fine set at ITC 2010... but to be honest they let me down. Rather than a wall-of-sound grunge roar, it was rather more flat, and I left before their set ended in order to catch Three Trapped Tigers. 

Cards on the table, I think with Route One or Die I've found my album of the year, and Three Trapped Tigers never disappoint live. They are just bloody fantastic in every important way, and if you haven't already, you need to buy their record and go to a show. Not should do but need to. 

For the life of me, I can't actually remember what time Charlie Barnes was on in the Leaf Lounge, but he was fucking awesome. Playing a host of new songs, he's finally grown into the frontman he always threatened to become, and has firmly placed both himself and his band into the vacant space left by the recently-deceased Oceansize. More mathy in feel, progressive in length and heavier in attack, his newer material shows two things; firstly, that his experiences of touring, both with his band and Amplifier have deepened his appreciation for dynamics and instrumental interplay in a way that was not felt on his solo debut, and secondly, that the guitar is once again at the fore of his compositions, a welcome change in direction that breathes fresh interest into an already fascinating young career. If Charlie gets this new material out there into the right places, he could easily find himself on the main stage next year, that's my two cents.  

Anyway, after a bit of Frightened Rabbit it was time for Amplifier, who saw out the weekend in a tidal wave of riffs, moshing and sheer awesome. Enough said, really. 

P.S. O mighty Gods of 2000 Trees, next year let's have Brontide and Wot Gorilla? on the bill though, yeah? Cool. 

2000 Trees

Ahoy hoy there. Yes, there have been sparse updates at best, but that's because I'm interning at Mixcloud. So without any further ado, here's a podcast on the 2000 Trees line-up. Enjoy!

2000 Trees! // SSD Podcast #16 by Superstar Destroyer on Mixcloud

Pangaea...

went a little something like this:

Charlie Barnes - Voice of the Geekks

So looks like I'm getting my 'The End of Music?' article in Student Direct next week. Sweet. In the meantime, here's an interview with the excellent Charlie Barnes. Reminder: Bar 1:22, Huddersfield, Monday 31st May. You can check out the details here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=187702946&ref=ts#!/event.php?eid=407772552673&ref=mf . 

In the meantime, I'll let the man speak for himself.

Charlie Barnes - Voice of the Geekks

1.    I first saw you supporting Amplifier- how did you end up there and was that your 'big break' in any way?

I pestered them on myspace for a while, and the rest is history!  I wouldn’t call it a big break, but I’m not really bothered about any of that stuff.  I got to tour with my heroes, play on their songs, and earn the respect of some of my other biggest heroes along the way.  Fuck ‘big breaks’, I’m happy.  (Though a bit of cash to pay the rent wouldn’t go amiss…)

2.    Have you ever been in any 'full' bands as opposed to playing solo?

Oh aye, loads.  I did have a sort of band briefly to play my stuff before I worked out all of the looping.  But two years down the line of wandering the north-west with only myself to keep me company has rendered me desperate for interaction.  Thus, ‘Charlie Barnes & The Geekks’ has happened.

3.    What are your biggest influences, musical or otherwise?

Oceansize, Radiohead and Pink Floyd all pretty much changed my life.  At the moment I’m listening to loads of Jeff Buckley, avant-garde jazz and David Sylvian’s latest album ‘Manafon’.  I get a lot of inspiration from books too.  They’re my little escape.  George Monbiot’s stuff has always had a big influence on my writing, and Mark Z. Danielewski’s ‘House of Leaves’ has been a huge influence on my newer stuff.  Memory and reality and that sort of thing.  Fucking insane book.

4.    What is your take on downloading? Does it help or hinder a young band/artist?

Dunno.  Musicians definitely don’t get anywhere near enough money for doing their job.  Except the ones who play whatever the big company wants.  My problem with downloading is the way that people (mostly younger) nowadays have instant gratification for EVERYTHING.  Films, music, TV on demand; there’s no waiting around for anything.  I even get angry when my internet takes more than two seconds to load a page up.  But because of this instant gratification thing, no-one can really be arsed to come to gigs.  They don’t have to pay for recorded music anymore, so why should they have to pay for seeing the band live?  And then you just get the handful of GOOD people who come to your gig, buy your CD, and have every knowledge that they’re literally paying for your food.

5.    How do you create your live sound?

200 odd metres of cable, a laptop, a looper, a vocoder, a delay pedal, and my big loud voice.  I never write with the live performance in mind; I’ll only do looping if it suits the tune I’m playing.  I can’t stand watching these noodly buggers layering boring guitar riff upon boring guitar riff.  Get some tunes!

6.    What are you upto at the moment, and what are your plans for the future?

I’m just finishing off my new album ‘Geekk’, and then I’ll be releasing that at a big album launch party in Huddersfield on May 30th with the band.  After that I’ll be living in Leeds and trying not to starve, and hopefully playing some more gigs with the band.  A tour or two wouldn’t go amiss either….they’re fun.  I’ve already got a lot of the next record sketched out, so I’ll pretty much get working on that straight away.  It’ll be a few years ‘til I’m happy with it though.

7.    What tracks will feature on 'Geekk'?

A City Built, Architects, This Boy Blind, Bedroom, Degas Dancer, Bluebell, Oradour, Geekk, Snakes, Ladders & Aeroplanes, Final Call.  10 tunes, 40 odd minutes; that’s how they’re supposed to be, right?  Some of these songs are about 5 years old!  It’s been nice re-recording the ‘No Offenkk’ stuff with real strings and drums etc.  It sounds a whole lot better!

8.    What's your opinion of the contemporary music scene? Any recommendations?

Some of it’s great, some of it’s shite.  I played with a band called Revere last night and they blew my socks off.  Sometimes playing bill after bill with dull indie bands you start to worry that there’s nothing interesting anymore, then a band like Revere reminds you that things are OK.  I hate the way that unsigned bands are all trying to…I dunno…’get noticed’ and do everything the ‘right way’.  Fuck it, have some fun.  I like the unexpected.  The best album of the last year was easily the Blue Roses album.  That’s a PROPER album.  No-one’s going to remember who this that or the other indie band is next year.  It’s a fad.  People like Blue Roses, Revere and Amplifier make the sort of music that you will listen to for the rest of your life; it actually has a bit of substance.  It isn’t the kind of rubbish that people dance around to in nightclubs when they’re off their face and can’t remember in the morning.

9.    Sell me Charlie Barnes in ten seconds.

Charlie Barnes does whatever he wants to do, and has a lot of fun doing it.  Charlie Barnes is not cool.

10.    Where can you see music going from here? (broad, I know)

I hope a lot more independent.  That whole Radiohead thing was obviously a bit of a turning point, and I hope it has a decent impact.  I like the idea of bands just doing it on their own.  You don’t need some big label or any of that shit.  If you can get 500 people to be excited about your new release, buy it, and come to your shows, what more do you really need?  It’ll just keep going in cycles, like it always has done.  Dance will probably be bigger in a year or two and the indie thing will die out, then metal and hard rock will get big again…blahblahblah.  I doubt big, orchestral moody pop music is going to be topping the charts anytime soon though….

11.    Live, or on the record?

Both.  I always think they should be completely different.  There’s no point in trying to fully re-create what you’ve done on an album onstage, because you can’t.  An album’s a fixed thing that you listen to on speakers or headphones and you have to imagine how they made it; a live performance is people playing stuff in front of you.  It’s a wholly different experience.  I love seeing bands play live who do things differently to the album/recorded versions.  Imogen Heap’s a prime example.  And MuteMath too.

12.    Favourite bit of kit?

My big, black Yamaha piano.  You can’t beat a real piano.

13.    Coolest brand/style of guitar?

Yamaha Pacifica 311ms.  It fits me like a glove.

14.    Finally, what do you love about music?

The unexpected. 

The above photo is (c) Simon Bray.