I'm delighted to announce that Laissez Faire Club has been asked to host the official London single launch party for one of the most exciting bands around at the moment, Brighton's Ice Black Birds (who recently tore things up at LFC's RoTa takeover last Saturday afternoon).
They're self releasing their debut single 'Ears To The Ground' on Monday 29 March, and LFC is throwing a party in celebration at The Old Queen's Head in Islington that very night.
The support bill is pretty mouth-watering, too. Babe Shadow, who support Florence & The Machine on her nationwide tour in May, are coming along to perform their summery indie-folk songs and Beaty Heart, a mysterious New Cross collective, will be kicking things off for the evening.
The decks, as always, will be manned by myself, and we have Club. The. Mammoth. (the guys behing the brilliant Free Fridays at The Hobby Horse in Dalston) doing a special guest DJ set as well.
Oh, and it's 2-4-1 on all cocktails on Monday night at the venue. It's going to be one hell of an evening. Diaries out now.
Our friends at NYC's RethinkPopMusic have produced this great video documenting their week in London last October, when two of their bands, The Vanguard and Ambassadors, came over for a week of shows and interviews (all arranged by Laissez Faire Club). A lot of fun was had!
The song on the video is 'Pop Singer' by the Ohio based Eat Sugar, a new addition to the RPM family.
On Saturday 30 January, Laissez Faire Club will once again be showcasing its favourite acts at Rough Trade Shops' RoTa at Notting Hill Arts Club. This weekly free afternoon event has been running for seven years now, and each time invites a label / fanzine / club night down to book the talent.
LFC has been invited back after a handful of well-received soirees over the last couple of years, and gracing the stage on this occasion are Tooting based indie pop maestros and LFC favourites Right Turn Left, Brighton's fiercest blues revivalists Ice Black Birds and newcomers The Jacquerie - who impressed so much at the LFC vs On The Bus show at Power's Bar in Kilburn last month I felt obliged to ask them back to do it all again.
I'll be flying the LFC flag from the decks, and Sam from Ice Black Birds will be putting the P into Party after the bands with his current electro set...
Here's what the folks at RoTa had to say about the bill - they know their shit so best not to argue:
"Super-savvy London and occasionally New York club night Laissez Faire brings their flavour of classic guitar pop songcraft with ultra-catchy angular jangling from hotly-tipped RTL, blues-dance mashers IBB and huge choruses and soaring Buckley-esque vocals from The Jacquerie. Laissez Faire's regular club nights have seen many future stars take the stage - don't miss tomorrow's big names today!"
The event runs from 4-8pm, and is completely free of charge. Happy hour drinks deals too, and sofas to sit on (in between the bands of course). Come along and make it the start of a big Saturday night out.
Last October Laissez Faire Club teamed up with NYC's RethinkPopMusic to bring two of their premier bands, The Vanguard and Ambassadors, over to London for a week of shows. The trip was a great success - notable gigs were Communion at Audio (Brighton) and Notting Hill Arts Club, our very own showcase at The Legion and On The Bus at Power's Bar. In all cases the turnouts were good and crowds enthusiastic, boding well for any future trips and potential single releases here in the UK.
Over the last few weeks I've been booking London shows for another RPM associated act, Brooklyn-based duo Hank & Cupcakes. I first saw them in New York last September when I had to pleasure of DJ'ing at the RPM launch party at Crash Mansion on the Lower East Side, where they were playing alongside The Vanguard, Ambassadors and The Aviation Orange.
What struck me instantly was the rawness and immediacy of their songs - frontwoman Cupcakes sings with a wide-ranging, piercing voice and smacks the drums in a primal manner, backed up by some virtuoso bass playing from Hank.
They look great on stage and the hooks are ever present, never once allowing the listener to lose interest. And their Joy Division cover (She's Lost Control) is pretty spectacular, doing what many covers often fail to do - breathe new life into the original. This is what The Ting Tings would love to sound like.
File next to: YYYs, The Kills, DFA 1979
They'll be over in late March and appearing at the following venues:
Merry Christmas from all at Laissez Faire Club! It's been a great 2008 for us, with a whole host of exciting new bands gracing our stage throughout the last 12 months.
Memorable performances include Golden Silvers at The Old Blue Last in Feb (there was a sense that something big was brewing), Post War Years at the same venue in March and Micachu & The Shapes at our Bestival warm-up show at the start of September. Anna Calvi in November was pretty special as well, she's certainly one to watch out for in 2009, for those of you who like their music dark, cinematic and Tarantino-esque anyway.
Micachu performing 'Golden Phone' (released on Accidental earlier this year) at LFC:
However - looking forward, 2009 promises to be even better with our just confirmed residency at Paradise in Kensal Green in West London. From January onwards, LFC will be appearing on the last Thursday of every month at the venue, with a late licence till 1am. This means more bands, DJs and general good times (We'll of course still be putting on special one-off events elsewhere, so keep checking the MySpace or Facebook group for all the latest news).
We've booked a corker of a lineup to kick things off on Thursday 29 Jan, too. We're absolutely delighted to announce that We Have Band will be appearing live, with support from LFC regulars The Collectable Few and electronic experimentalist Phantom.
Unless you've been subsistence farming in Mongolia in the last six months, WHB are sure to have come under your radar - their track 'Hear It In The Cans' features on Kitsune's latest compilation (alongside the likes of La Roux and Heartsrevolution) and their debut single proper 'Oh' has been recently put out by the uber-hip 50 Bones (The Virgins, Little Boots).
They've played all the top London nights since their first gig in May (Durrr, YoYo, White Heat, dollop), already toured Europe and have been booked to appear at SXSW in March. And what's more, there's mention of them on just about every music blog this side of Beijing, mostly offering up remixes of their tracks by equally cool artists.
This is what's getting people excited:
In simpler terms perhaps, they are going to be massive. In a Hot Chip or Metronomy sort of way, appealing to the electro and indie kids alike. This is one of the last times they'll play a 130-capacity pub, we'd wager, so if you like what you hear, grab yourself a ticket from www.wegottickets.com and we'll see you by the bar.
Five O'Clock Heroes are our favourite NYC rock band. They headlined the first ever LFC at The Brixton Windmill back in November 2006, and anyone that was there will remember how electrifying it was, what with 150 people crammed into the shed that is The Windmill singing along on a boozy Friday night.
Only problem was that not enough people heard the tunes, which was a damn shame. Elvis Costello meets The Police tinged pop-rock, with more hooks than a fisherman's box, or something like that. Their debut album had around 10 potential singles on it.
Anyway, that was then. Now, they're back with a new album, out in July and entitled 'Speak Your Language'. Its first cut, 'Who', features everyone's favourite ubiquitous supermodel Agyness Deyn on guest vocals. It's a lovely little, radio-friendly pop song that'll undoubtebly turn a whole host of new people onto their MySpace page and subsequent live shows (Look out for the LP's title track too, another sure fire hit).
Indeed, it's got the feeling of a song that usually propels a struggling rock band into the public limelight. It'll be nothing more than they deserve.
Laissez Faire Club puts on occasional one-off events in intimate venues across London. In September 2009 we hosted our first Stateside event at New York's Webster Hall Studio in conjunction with RethinkPopMusic. Over the last few years we've staged the likes of The Wombats, Mumford & Sons, Golden Silvers, Micachu and We Have Band well before their careers had taken off. Keep an eye on the listings section to avoid missing out.
DJs
We DJ too, after a fashion. Venues that we have spun at: Notting Hill Arts Club, The Troubadour, The Lexington, The George Tavern, Old Blue Last, 333, Proud Galleries, The Luminaire, The Fly, Le Showcase (Paris), Crash Mansion (NYC), Webster Hall (NYC) plus many more. Do book us.
BOOKING
UK booking for:
The Vanguard (NYC)
Ambassadors (NYC)
Hank & Cupcakes (NYC)
