tom vek – 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.

Five tunes for your long weekend

admin — Fri, 23 May 2014 15:55:11 +0000

A 50% longer weekend, hurrah. Here’s five tracks to make it go with a bang!

Peter Darling – Limehouse

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:44:38 +0000

Peter Darling is a singer songwriter from Kent. So Peter Darling is some bloke strumming his acoustic guitar and singing yearning odes to countryside times gone by, probably with too much facial hair like the rest of them? Ha.

They say that every song has already been written, but that doesn’t stop so many artists just replaying them. On Limehouse the musical canon has been well and truly absorbed, the best of it all being seemingly seamlessly merged into striking song writing, to plug back in again to the ever evolving musical cloud.
Having a seemingly symbiotic relationship with his craft, from the opener Sunland (Intro) that quivers and quakes its way across the strings to final song Never Outstay Your Welcome, a fun and frantic acceptance of the frustrations of teenage life, this is the sound of someone coming of age, and realising that amongst the dichotomies of black and white exist shades of grey and that can be damn good fun. Honest Again is engrossing and energetic whilst Venus sounds like George Michael’s best ballad – in a wonderful way. Changer chugs along with real grit, the strong vocals adding a layer of almost menace to the melody. A rampant and random amalgamation of hooks, fuzzy electronics and striking styles abound, and startle with the conviction and ability with which each is grabbed.
The entire EP (bar a cover of Air’s Venus) was written and produced by Peter himself, and is available to download for free from his bandcamp page. Talented and generous.