kingston

Record Store Day 2013 @ Banquet Records

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Kingston’s Musical March

Let’s just ignore my three-month hiatus shall we.

KINGSTON! You spoil us.
Has anyone noticed how earth-shatteringly great 2013 is turning out to be for music lovers? I think you’ll be hard pressed to tell me there isn’t an album, tour, or glorious reunion (cough Fall Out Boy cough) that you’re not looking forward to this year. If you’re lacking, keep a close eye on this town. Here’s an easy and in no way totally comprehensive list, simply including this blog’s highlights of Kingston’s music scene in March:

• Palma Violets
  Can you feel the ground rumble with their invasion?! Well, maybe not, but at least the floors in Kingston’s McClusky’s (New Slang) were being delightfully stomped on in tune to Palma Violet’s album release show this Thursday (28 February). The band have now got the NME award for best new band under their belt and new release ‘180’ to show off – see them in London tomorrow (4 March) before household-name status blows them out of our reach.

• Yellowcard
  ‘Ocean Avenue’ may not be the most appropriate song for the dismal, grey month we’re having but newest album ‘Southern Air’ (read my review here) from Florida pop-punk legends Yellowcard is bright all on its own. Not only that, but the band are playing Kingston’s intimate venue The Peel tonight (3 March) AND today – strange as that sounds, what I mean is that there’s a matinee at 4pm and another show at 8pm, because they’re just too damn awesome for one. Look out for The River Newspaper‘s gig review and upcoming interview!

• Bastille
  Debut album ‘Bad Blood’ out tomorrow (4 March), this South London band has some brand new baubles to flaunt at their Kingston Banquet Records acoustic instore on 6 March. Fun fact: Bastille leader Dan Smith shares a name with Kingston’s own Radio Nipper host and music student Dan who brings you chart-topping hits every Thursday from 4-6PM!

• Man Like Me
  The Ktown veterans are back to play for Banquet Records again; best to let them tell you about it: “Yeah! Man Like Me instore! One of our favourite bands of recent times are back with a new album Pillow Talk. They return to play in the shop ahead of their New Slang show that same night. We guarantee this will be fun, they’re never not!”

• Jack Grace
  Kingston uni is churning out competitors to the above – read my first interview with Jack Grace here and read The River’s article on his participation in the University Music League. On 12 March his UML journey continues at London’s Borderline and his new EP ‘Home’ drops on the 14th. Fellow student support is a must.

Happy Musical March!

Jackal: Elite EP release

“When you’re sick of the day and are laying on your bed in the dark”

Christmas is coming!
Here’s your first gift, a fresh new EP from our favourite mau5head Jackal.

The ‘Elite’ EP consists of 5 tracks, with a substantial stretch of this year given to their perfection process. ‘Slide’ was written in April and the first to be completed, and the record’s most recent addition was born just three weeks ago, dubbed ‘Open Your Eyes’. To update his arsenal, Jackal’s latest also features soulful vocals from Meg Ella (featured on previous release ‘Say Yes’).

“It’s good to finally get it out, because it’s been a long time coming. Part of me has been scared to release it, after Punt EP got over 200 downloads within the first few days. I didn’t think it could ever do as well as that – then where would that leave me?” says Jackal of the release.

“Glide is my favourite. I think it’s produced the best. And I really like how the whole thing built from that original guitar riff heard at the beginning, and I’m a sucker for 6/8 house tracks, always has some kind of extra drive.

I think a theme for at least 3 of the tracks (the 3 most recently composed) is the feeling of quiet self-reflection. The kind you do when you’re sick of the day and are laying on your bed in the dark.”

‘Elite’ is available for free download, as Jackal plans to reap his rewards differently: “I have bigger goals that making a bit of spare cash from a few downloads. As always it’s more important to me that people hear it, than anything else.

My hope for this EP is to build on what the first one achieved, in terms of shows, fans, listens, downloads, everything. Every day I feel like I need confirmation that this is what I’m supposed to be doing, and that I’m good enough for it. This EP is another attempt to find out if I am and to drive me on to the next thing.”

Help push the ignition by downloading the ‘Elite’ EP on this page now!

More Than Just Mistakes

Admittedly this blog has taken a bit of a break from the online scene, but the students of Kingston have definitely not taken a break from the music one.

Though previously unrecorded, [the voice behind] Untrained Ears has been immersed in quite a journey when it comes to rock-stardom. By now you should be familiar with the six-piece powerhouse Think Like Valencia, a regular feature and arguably the pride of Kingston’s music department (and if you’re not – to shame).

The band has recently taken their self-proclaimed telescopic rock on a tour of London’s esteemed venues, including Dingwalls in Camden, Kensington’s Archangel (AAA) and Arch 635, headlining the Hard Times Festival and booking more shows in Norwich, Cambridge, Manchester and more well into this new term.

Dedicated musicians they may be, but students they are still. Writing, touring, and recording for their first major record whilst attending lectures, finishing those godawful assignments and maintaining part-time jobs proves to be one impressive juggling act.

Sometimes a baton is dropped and time lost, in TLV‘s case the road to excellence led to a (very) late-night CD sleeve workshop, which involved hand-making over 50 EP covers from scratch, which I can tell you isn’t as merry as it can be when you have the smell of foul glue forever in your nostrils and spray paint embedded in your fingernails. Not only this, but the group was confronted with literal last-minute mixing before their release show at the Kingston Peel this past Wednesday (26th September).

The guys would probably agree that the pressure of university, funding, perfectionism, time management and the bare challenge of six creative people forwarding a career together will inevitably loom large and sometimes seem insurpassable, but so far the Think Like Valencia team are prevailing.

Find out more as lead guitarist Dan Smith tells The River Online about the EP, its release show and the advice he would give to those of you aspiring to similar dreams.

To buy a copy of their new EP ‘More Than Just Mistakes’ for only £4, message the band on Facebook.

And look here fellow bloggers, if you’re a Tumblr techie or simply want to follow the band’s antics (there are bound to be many while they’re on tour), do so at their site thinklikevalencia.tumblr.com.

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