A year after its release, poor Ladyhawke continues to flog her self-titled debut album. Yes, it probably is one of the finest pop albums of the past five years and, yes, it's a crying shame that it hasn't propelled Pip to megastardom but, at this stage, it's probably time to set it aside and move on to album #2.
That said, it's nice to see that 'Magic', the best song on the album after 'My Delirium'. I kinda love the accompanying video for it's theatrics and deliberately rough-around-the-edges effects.
Well done Ladyhawke. Now get cracking on some new tunes, love.
It's looking increasingly likely that I'll be heading to Punchestown next weekend for Oxegen. Yes, I'm poorer than a pauper but, the way I see it, the fact that the festival coincides with the deadline for my thesis is fate and, hey, who am I to screw with destiny?
Since its humble beginnings as 'Witnness' nine years ago, the festival has become something of an Irish institution. There are those that will insist that Electric Picnic has 'better vibes' but, even if this is so, Oxegen is unrivalled in terms of the calibre of its line-up and this year is no exception. From Gaga to Glasvegas, Bloc Party to Blur, Nine Inch Nails to Nick Cave, Florence and the Machine to Fun Lovin' Criminals, the 2009 roster is nothing short of stellar.
If you'd like to see the full line-up and stage times for Oxegen '09, the lovely folk at Heineken Music have provided one here. Heineken are running the Green Spheres stage for the first time this year, with some fairly brilliant acts like 2 Many DJ's, Fight Like Apes and TV On The Radio set to perform.
The 5 sets at which your most likely to see me up the front, shaking what God gave me:
I was a bit late to the party in terms of discovering English three-piece Friendly Fires and only came across their self-titled debut earlier this year, several months after its release. However, the album has already had enough rotation on my Itunes to make up for any lost time. Combining rock, pop and electro influences, the band have built a reputation as a fantastic live act and are definitely worth pencilling into your schedule.
Alt-pop singer Patrick Wolf has been a hero of mine for many moons and yet, circumstances have always prevented me from seeing him when he's played here. Wolf's music is hard to describe, not only because he draws on a diverse range of musical influences, but also because he constantly hops from one genre to the next, alternating between pulsing electro, jaunty bubblegum pop and the odd heart-wrenching ballad thrown in for good measure. Wolf's latest album 'Battle' may have divided critics but, from what I gather, his live sets have drawn fairly unanimous positive responses.
Back in the summer of 2007, when Lyndsay announced 'I Love Foals' on her Bebo skin, I genuinely thought the statement was borne out of some sort of equine obsession. Flash forward eight months later to me and Lyndsay in The Academy jumping up and down like our lives depended on it as the Oxford-based band played songs from their excellent debut album, 'Antidotes', to a decidedly receptive crowd. If the band can emulate the quality of that gig next weekend, it's definitely a set you don't want to miss.
Ladyhawke's self-titled album was one of my favourites of 2008 and, despite having listened to 'My Delirium' and 'Dusk to Dawn' kabillions of times, I never tire of their electro-infused guitar pop brilliance. I saw Pip and her band play at the launch of Arnotts' Project earlier this year and, as much as I enjoyed the set on that occasion, I have a feeling that it would be even better suited to a festival atmosphere.
Anti-folk scene queen turned platinum selling chanteuse Spektor returns to Ireland for the first time since 2007 and her sing-a-long piano pop should make for a refreshing alternative to the thrashing guitars and outrageous pop vixens running amok on some of the bigger stages. Spektor will be sure to play a selection of tracks from her recent album 'Far' but I'm hoping her set will be peppered with some older songs like 'Braille', 'Oedipus' and 'Poor Little Rich Boy'.
I was a bit dubious about seeing the New Zealand singer play live because anybody I know that had seen her Dublin gig in February said she was very disappointing. Thankfully, Pip seemed to be on form this time around and, other than a technical glitch during 'Dusk Till Dawn', delivered a flawless set.
Dublin band Dirty Epics provided support on the night and succeeded in warming up the snazzily dressed crowd ahead of Ms. Hawke's arrival on stage.
Full credit to Arnotts for putting on a great night that involved staging a mini Fashion Show and providing free booze and Kit Kat bars for everyone in the audience.
The store itself was pretty impressive; very spacious and modern. Neon mannequins and designs by Irish graffiti artist Maser add splashes of colour and the clothes themselves seem quirky and hipster-friendly. The store is obviously intended as Arnotts' equivalent to BT2, catering to a younger demographic than the flagship store.
If I ever find myself with a disposable income, I might even consider shopping there.
Anyone who's come within a ten-metre radius of me during the past couple of weeks has probably had the music of Ladyhawke forced upon them. I do apologise for my excessive zeal but I genuinely believe that people's lives stand to be enhanced by the inclusion of this Antipodean beauty's eponymous début album in their CD collection (or Itunes library, if you must.)
Pastiche of 80's synth-pop is very 'in' at the moment but I think few can pull it off quite as convincingly as Ms. Hawke (real name Pip Brown.) Originally from New Zealand, Brown is a sufferer of Asperger's Disorder and was previously in a band with one of the member's of electro outfit Pnau, with whom she recently collaberated.
Included below in youtubular form are:
1.) Biggest hit to date 'Paris is Burning'.
2.) The aforementioned collaboration with Pnau
3.) Forthcoming single 'My Delirium', which I believe could be the track to convert the masses to the cult of Ladyhawke.
A year after its release, poor Ladyhawke continues to flog her self-titled debut album. Yes, it probably is one of the finest pop albums of the past five years and, yes, it's a crying shame that it hasn't propelled Pip to megastardom but, at this stage, it's probably time to set it aside and move on to album #2.
