fierce panda – and so she thinks

Whistlejacket – Duck Soup

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 12:06:42 +0000

Whistlejacket have announced that they’ll be giving away a free download of Duck Soup another track from their upcoming What I Ate On Sunday EP, released on Feb 5th via Fierce Panda Records. Starting off like a shimmering Supersonic, it soon breaks out in urgent squealing guitars and clean drumming that merges psychedelic shoehaze and punchy rock. Early reception of Stay-N was pretty awesome, and I expect the same to be of this snarling, swirling piece of bristling and immediate superfuzz.

Desperate Journalist – Control

admin — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 14:15:00 +0000

Their brand of urgent and tumultuous pop that London quartet Desperate Journalist have made their own is highlighted beautifully on their mesmerising new track, Control. Shadowy and chaotic, the leathery tune precedess the release of their self titled album in January, on Fierce Panda records.

Felt Tip – Simple Things

admin — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 14:31:57 +0000

Three guys a one girl from London, Felt Tip make sort of stealthy indie that brims with low-key vitality (listen to those gentle whoops and the subtle twangs in Simple Things) in both their sound and presence, revealing very little for a band who have been making such massive waves. Quirky and direct, they are ones to watch.

A chat with Desperate Journalist

admin — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 11:54:30 +0000

A London four piece, Desperate Journalist make beautiful vibrant punk and intelligent dramatic pop. Formed one Sunday afternoon in a pub near Finsbury Park, their home stomping ground, they are Jo on vocals, Rob on guitar, Simon playing bass and Caz on drums. Of course there has been speculation as to whether the name is a less than shielded criticism of the often aggravating and antagonistic relationship between the press and musicians. It is, but only from a secondary perspective: as Rob points out, ‘ When we decided on the name, we had no experience with the press. It’s taken from a track by The Cure in which Robert Smith bemoans a Paul Morley review.’ Gothic and dramatic new single Organ is released on November 11th on Fandango and Fierce Panda, both great names to have behind any new band, especially one who only played their first gig in February this year.

‘It’s early days so far.’ Rob says .’We’re just arranging the fine details of the release. Simon Williams (label boss) has bought us a few beers and even offered us a bite of his scotch egg. We did everything for the Cristina EP ourselves so it’s good to have some backing for Organ.’ In fact he jokes that the main reason they make music is ‘In the hope that more people will buy us beer. ‘ Clearly this isn’t the case, and they love music and being in a band – in fact Caz learned drums specifically for the band, offering her services on that Sunday afternoon.

Fans of all music, their influences are evident and revealed by the bands that, if pressed to have only one, they would choose to listen to for their lives.
For Simon its The Clash, whereas Caz loves The Cure. The angsty element of their sound is no doubt stemmed from The Smiths, Rob’s choice, and Jo’s love of new wave XTC. ‘The Smiths and the Cure are probably the obvious influences.’ says Rob. ‘Between us there are a number of different influences ranging from post punk like Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Wire to Nirvana to the Manics and Radiohead. There is a kind of intentional tension for us between jangly 80’s indie, noisy alt rock and stripped back post punk all of which exerts a pull on the stuff we play.’

The sound is very much 80s, melodramatic and shimmering, gravelly and fierce but vibrant. What of the lyrics, do they matter? ‘This is something we talk about in the pub. Lyrics are very important to us and should be more important in music than they seem to be at the moment. Lyrics have the ability to make good music great, important even. A lot of bands seem to take a lyrical approach of trying not to embarrass or distract from the music (bland/boring) or aiming for a vague idea of Importance and Earnestness without actually having anything to say. Even worse, a lot of bands don’t seem to give it a huge amount of thought which is a real shame. That’s not to say that lyrics should always be deep and profound or anything – it depends on the musical context but it doesn’t feel like many bands use lyrics to say much about anything at the moment.’

Their first EP, Cristina, had received great reviews across the indie press, and there are plans for a follow up. However, they don’t want to rush it. ‘Albums are important and you can only release a debut once.’

Until then, the powerful and potent Organ is the focus. The launch night takes place on November 5th at The Shacklewell Arms, and if you sign up to the mailing list there’s a free download of the b-side Distance for you. Great and generous. This journalist rather likes.

Dingus Khan – Support Mistley Swans

admin — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:25:55 +0000

Released Monday 22nd October on Fierce Panda

Three drummers, three bass players, a singer complete with a guitar, and ‘an electric ukulele wizard.’ On paper it practically pulsates with energy, and the music of Dingus Khan follows suit. Slightly messy and chaotic in the way of early Art Brut or Johnny Foreigner, they play fast and furious, toe tapping beats and heart grabbing riffs.
As you would expect from a band with of this name they are slightly off kilter, their sense of humour and raised eyebrow able to be heard throughout. A little bit punk, rock, pop, they play with thrills and spills and deliver those to the listener.
To really get an idea of what the band are like, head to the Urban Dictionary, which defines Dinghus Khan as ‘Someone that is the king of craziness, and liked in doing so. Derived from the dude Genghis Khan.’ That pretty much sums them up. Excess, rampant, rocking out. Enjoy their new single, Support Mistley Swans, out on Monday 22nd October on the wonderful Fierce Panda.

The Great Escape 2012 – Festival Special!

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:40:40 +0000

It’s that time of year again, when It’s All Happening, along with thousands of music fans, hundreds of bands and a good percentage of the music industry head down to sunny Brighton, for The Great Escape. I could wax lyrical about it, but I will just let our special edition zine do the talking…
In it you’ll find our opinion on the following 57 bands, as well as where and when they are playing, to help you plan your weekend around maximum musical pleasure …Cut Ribbons, Deaf Club, Among Brothers, Alabama Shakes, Dry The River, Common Tongues, Mujeres, Me And The Bees, Ninette & The Goldfish, Seward, Amics del Bos, Oso Leone, The Suicide of Western C ulture, Furguson, The Robbie Boyd Band, Wet Nuns, Sonic Boom Six, Swim Deep, Yukon Blonde, Bos Angeles, Toy, Alt J, Maximo Park, Mystery Jets, Chew Lips, Dakota Beats, The Front Bottoms, Shabazz Palaces, Pikachunes, Tripple Nipples, BOY, Emily & The Woods, Rae Morris, Slow Down Molasses, Tall Ships, Fanzine, The Switch, Worship, Concrete Knives, Mammal Club, Saint Saviour, Spring Offensive, Gunning For Tamar, Clock Opera, Hymns, Dems, Munich, Escaoists, Team Me, The Joy Formidable, Warpaint, Katzenjammer, Rachel Sermanni, The Manic Shine, Hatcham Social, The Temper Trap & Jack Savoretti.
As well as the IAH team (Dan, John, Greta, Caroline, Michael, Katie and Francesca) the lovely Jen Long (BBC Radio 1), Chris Foster (Pop Noodle), Jordan Thomas (Recharged Radio), Ellie Coden – (Fierce Panda), and Steven Boniface (Labelled Independent) have all written guest articles – thanks guys!

Open publication – Free publishing – More bands

The Kabeedies – Soap

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:04:35 +0000

Released January 23rd 2012, on Fierce Panda.

Reviewed by Francesca Baker

Ah, the exuberance of indie pop. Can’t keep a lid on it. Soap, the second album from The Kabeedies is a record of fizzing fun which twitches and convulses with giddiness. From opener Hangs Up Of The West with its chanting call and response, the Latin sway of Santiago to the Little Comets esque The Boy With The Bad Mouth, this is an album full of flourishes. Drowning Doll will become an instantly recognisable live classic, trumpets and undulating twiddles relentlessly finding their way into the ear, and the almost rock riff on Bones and disco beats of lead single Eyes show that there is more to The Kabeedies than twee. They claim that this is their grown up record, having progressed from 2009 debut Rumpus, and whilst this certainly isn’t pipe and slippers stuff, there is an extra sophistication demonstrated by morose strings, galloping drums and introspective. Ultimately though, it’s still all laced with the trademark light and breezy melodies that The Kabeedies are known for, and if you fancy immersing yourself in some sugary sweetness, make sure you see them on their forthcoming tour.
If you’re London based, plan a Valentine treat and take your loved and hated ones to see them at the Camden Barfly on 15^th February.
Directed by Spindle Films, this is the amazing video for Eyes, released on January 30th,
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1d6DdmFAn0]