dalston – and so she thinks

Land of Kings Festival

admin — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 10:28:00 +0000

Does East London need another wristband festival? Doesn’t every weekend involve hipsters staggering streets as music spills out of the bars that line them? You can never have too much of a good thing though, and to kick off the summer feeling and tease those good vibes out, the brand new Land of Kings festival hits Dalston on Bank Holiday Sunday May 3^rd.

This ‘home-brewed festival’ of music and arts takes place around the Kingsland Road area, introducing punters to great local venues as well as top bands. The cavernous banquet hall at The Castle Stage see electronic Portico and synth pop duo HVOB on the bill, whereas deep in Dalston Yard Space look out for the low fi punk trio Trash Kit, angst fuelled female fighter Deep Throat and the awesome Land Shapes, who have just released their new album on Bella Union.
This is London in 2015, so off course Street Feast will be on hand to fuel party goers. Island Records are taking over Dalston Roof Park for a showcase, and have invited indie-pop troupe Flyte to entertain, whilst collective Huntleys & Palmers curate a line-up of bright futures at The Alibi. If you’re more about djs than guitars Koreless, Tom Vek and The 2 Bears will delight, whilst Berlin disco king Capablanca, grime star Stormzy and disco power courtesy of The Pool Agency all on the bill only adds to the variety.
In this urban playground there’s more than just music. Death Drawing with Art Macabre, outdoor cinema by Lost Picture Show, debates and discussion curated by Dalston Darlings, and a run of late night shorts at the Rio makes for an original and eclectic lineup of entertainment. East London is well known for its quirky bars, and Land of Kings is no different, with a pop up multi-sensory drinking den by Increments and Looking Glass Cocktail making its temporary home in a WWII bunker, a salon of discussion and debates is curated by Dalston Darlings and Let’s Be Brief: and a TV karaoke micro-party has to be found before it can be fathomed. Head down this bank holiday to lose yourself in the Land of Kings. Tickets are just £25, and after party entry only £5.

Visions Festival

admin — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:05:01 +0000

In the year when the successful Camden Crawl folded, the outlook for Visions was mixed. Was the RIP of CC a sign that we are over wristband festivals, or was it just that new blood is needed. After a successful debut last year, the Hackney one-dayer, with 28 bands playing across four venues, complete with a Record Fair, Comic Book convention, Tattoo art exhibition and Netil Food truck market, wasn’t so grand in scale, but succeeded in inspiration, intimacy and diversity.

In the craft beer hub Brewhouse sophisticated electropop from New Zealand quartet Yumi Zouma has elements of rolling melodies, whilst jangle pop was there in all glory at arts studio Oval Space, with guaranteed good time Veronica Falls and Mollie Rankin’s from Toronto’s Alvvays connective clamour.

Eleanor Friedberger persevered through a chatty crowd in the New Empowering Church, and playing with warm heart and soul endeared the crowd, as the delicate vocals of Swedish sweetheart Alice Boman had earlier.

The Laundry is certainly the heavy house, with the Cheetahs early set leaning to loud grunge rather than melodic shoegaze. It gets heavier for Leeds’ Eagulls, and shocktastic for Perfume Pussy. Andrew WK’s audience are there to party hard. Violent dancing, destroyed amplifiers, stage invasions and crowdsurfing, only ending as W.K’s microphone and piano were unplugged. Crazed carnage.

As frustrating as it us, when nearly all day major band clashes are on, it’s a sign of a stellar line-up is a good one. Whilst Perfume Genius played what I heard to be a deep, atmospheric and beautiful set Policia were haunting and slick as usual, there was the feeling that they may have been a bit weary after their string of festival performances.

Visions – I see a good future ahead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgeLb4QAC6M

Weird Menace – Weird Menace

admin — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 20:15:56 +0000

Weird Menace are three girls from Dalston who make moody and sinister sounds. Their 100 run EP was released back in March on cassette (I know, I know, I’m late to the party) and features five feedback heavy, convulsing and fuzzily fragmented tunes. Weird Menace, the song rather than the band, is a song of almost monochrome beauty, layered vocals over slices of churning guitar, like shards through the dense sound. Excellent stuff.

The Tricks – On Trial

admin — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:41:31 +0000

The Tricks have released a montage video to accompany their next single, On Trial. We don’t want to ruin it for you but it includes clips of Tony Blair drumming, classic Jim Carey moments and some sneak peeks of The Tricks in America. If you like fun, remember to get down to their club night, Bop, at the aptly named Hysteria in Dalston. In the meantime, download On Trial now.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dlOSIZSjxc]