Be There: Franz Ferdinand + Fan Death at DURRR

This Monday, Dec. 1st Franz Ferdinand and NYC disco up-and-comers, Fan Death will perform live sets at London’s DURRR club night at the soon to be dead, The End, venue. Soak up the DURRRness while you can!

MP3: Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses (Live)

Metro Club in London to Close.

Yet another casualty because of plans to build a new cross rail – Metro club is closing. I’m sure my fellow New Yorkers will testify that we’ve had many great times there and it will be a real shame for it to go. First Astoria, now this – where will it all end!

Official Press Release

On Tues 20th Jan 2009 The Metro Club, 19-23 Oxford Street, London will close.This is due to the proposed Tottenham Court Road Station extension. We have been notified by Transport For London that the venue is to be acquired by a compulsory purchase order, under the Crossrail Act. Although the rumblings of Crossrail have been going on for many years it has come up far quicker than any of us could have expected. At present we are looking for new premises to relocate the venue to but have yet to find one suitable. Ultimately it is another nail in the coffin for Central London’s live music and club scene.

And when you are about to be served 28 days notice just before Christmas you have to ask why not give people more time to relocate? Why destroy successful businesses when in a recession? Why the hurry? Where is the West-end heading? The final club night of The Metro Club will be Sat 17th January 2009, which will be the Blow Up Club night, currently in it’s 15th year.

Blow Up took over the running of The Metro Club as a separate venture to our club night and record label on November 5th 2001, just as the new new wave of bands were about to really start making their moves, many of them at the venue. From debut UK appearances from The Killers, Kings of Leon, to early shows from Bloc Party, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kaiser Chiefs, to hundreds of other new and breaking acts as well as a few legendary characters making an appearances such as Dion’s first and only UK show in 18 years in 2007 and madcap krautrockers Faust. And to name a few from the pop world: MIKA (first ever show), Scissor Sisters and Robyn. A totally independent venue – not corporate – which is rare, and soon to be even more so in central London.

Today we have launched a photo gallery on blowupmetro.com, featuring just some of the photos from our archives taken at the club over the last 7 years, with more to be added soon. If you would like to leave any comments on our closure, you can visit the venue’s official FaceBook by searching Blow Up at Metro Thank you to everyone who has supported the club. Please stay tuned and lets go out with a bang!

http://www.blowupmetro.com/

No Doubt to Headline East Coast Festival!

Exciting news! No Doubt returns after a 5 Year Hiatus to headline East Rutherford, NJ’s Bamboozle Festival on Sunday May 3rd, 2009 (Fall Out Boy headlines May 2nd, boo.)

Read more about their return at MTV, and at the band’s WEBSITE. Tickets are available this Friday November 28th at 10AM although the full line up has not yet been announced.

MP3: No Doubt – New or zShare
MP3: No Doubt – It’s My Life (Jacques Lu Cont Remix) or zShare

Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack

Check out the tracklisting for the Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack our December 23rd. Looking forward to seeing this film (the trailer also features the Ting Tings) and hearing the soundtrack which is chock full of M.I.A.

1. “O… Saya” Performed by A R Rahman & M.I.A.
2. “Riots” by A R Rahman
3. “Mausam & Escape” by A R Rahman
4. “Paper Planes” Performed by M.I.A.
5. “Paper Planes” DFA REMIX Performed by M.I.A.
6. “”Ringa Ringa” by A R Rahman featuring Alka Yagnik & Ila Arun
7. “Liquid Dance” by A R Rahman featuring Palakkad Sriram & Madhumitha
8. “Latika’s Theme” by A R Rahman featuring Suzanne
9. “Aaj Ki Raat” Performed by Sonu Nigam, Mahalaxmi Lyer & Alisha Chinoi
10. “Millionaire” by A R Rahman featuring Madhumitha
11. “Gangsta Blues” by A R Rahman featuring BlaaZe & Tanvi Shah
12. “Dreams on Fire” by A R Rahman featuring Suzzanne
13. “Jai Ho” by A R Rahman featuring Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah & Mahalaxmi Iyer

MP3: M.I.A. – Shells or zShare

New Beck Video: Youthless

Check out Beck’s new video below, and read my review of his show at United Palace Theatre with MGMT HERE.

MP3: Beck – E-Pro or zShare

No Doubt: New Album and Tour in 2009!

Tom Dumont: “I have cabin fever. Maybe we should play some shows or something.”

Gwen Stefani: “I think we should go out now. I don’t think we should wait. Pack up the babies and get a bunch of nannies. So fun! Would be so inspiring to get out there and play all those songs again.”

This is part of the instant message conversation posted on Billboard.com and No Doubt’s official website. We’ll take this as an official confirmation that the band will release their first studio record in 7 years since 2001’s Rock Steady and tour as a band since 2004’s co-headlining tour with blink-182! What exciting news, stay tuned for details.

MP3: No Doubt – It’s My Life (Jacques Lu Cont Thin White Duke Mix) or zShare

Win Friendly Fires Debut CD!

I’m excited for this week’s CD give away as they are one of my favorite bands of 2008, Friendly Fires! I saw their awesome CMJ gig with Lykke Li at Bowery and am looking forward to checking them out again on December 9th when they hit The Annex!

E-mail us now for a chance to win this gem of a record. Winners will be notified Monday morning, good luck!

MP3: Friendly Fires – On Board or zShare

Santogold Interviewed for XLR8R TV

TLC favorite Santogold talked with XLR8R about fame and the long road to recording her first record. Watch the interview below!

MP3: Santogold – Guns of Brixton or zShare

TLC vs. Eagles of Death Metal: Exclusive Interview

Eagles of Death Metal rolled into Brooklyn this Sunday 16th and stormed the Music Hall in Williamsburg in the first of two nights in New York City.

Accompanied by London band The Duke Spirit – EoDM showed that they were superstars in their own right. Even though the band still consider Joshua Homme, producer and lead singer of Queens of The Stone Age, a prominent member of the group – he clearly was not missed as Jesse more than happily stepped up with a slick moustache in tow.

It was certainly a family affair for the group in the musical sense – Brian O’Connor who has contributed to Queen’s Dessert Sessions stepped up on bass and Queen’s Joey Castillo’s mission was to tear up the drums. Playing for over two hours, it was a great mix of new, old and very old Duke Sprit’s Leila Moss helped Jesse not to ‘fuck up’ Wannabe In LA and after 2 hours of non stop rocking, Eagles finally bowed out to an over-enthusiastic crowd who clearly felt Death by Sexy

I caught up exclusively with Jesse Hughes aka Boots Electric/The Devil and talked about the new album, Old Dirty Bastard, being a devout Catholic and sheep’s hearts :

> So, tell us about the new album, Heart On
JH: It’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever done, it’s the third album from our band, but it’s the first album where really, Joshua [Homme] and I were making equally, Eagles of Death Metal.

> Do you feel this is your best album?
JH: This is the closest thing we’ve ever done to a concept album if there is one, there’s an underlying theme to album. I mean, first of all the cover is a picture of a beautiful female hand clutching a heart, a sheep’s heart by the way. The joke is that the hearts of all men are really just sheep and are in the clutches of women everywhere – especially rock n rollers.

> How did you come up with the title?
JH: We were in the middle of America, talking shit and making jokes about hard ons and pretty soon it was hard on, then heart on. It’s an innuendo…

> Do you feel you’ve done Little Richard proud with this record?
JH: Ha-ha – I think I would never be so presumptuous to ever make a statement like that, I would like to think so. I really do love little Richard and I hope he knows we still love him.

> Have you ever met him?
JH: I’ve seen him a couple of times; I wish I could meet him I really do – maybe one day.

> We all have our idols, I mean we all have that one person we’ve always wanted to meet right?
JH: Yes, and I think there’s idols on different levels for us rockers, there’s philosophical idols and some idols take it all in and go from being idols to Gods and Little Richard, he really did something man, he really did.

He did something when it wasn’t cool, imagine – MTV didn’t exist back then, so imagine when TV was just starting and you came out as a rocker and there were no MTV’s and the CNN’s of the world and Walter Kantite is breaking your record, I mean it was evil and it scared the world and he didn’t care – now that’s balls. And he was a gay man in a pink suit singing about chicks; even that man didn’t forget about ladies, I mean come on.

> So the last record you were influenced by artists such as Captain Beefheart, who or what was your inspiration when making the record?
JH: Music wise, weird stuff like The Outfield because I was going to bars a lot and I loved it when ‘Your Love’ played and every girl started singing along and I was like ‘what the fuck have these guys got’ I listened to a lot of Classic Rock radio, I know it sounds almost cliqued and corny, I’m still mining the fields of the classic rock era there’s still a lot of nuggets to be found.

> I’m into my classic rock at the moment; I’m re-listening to Zeppelin and Floyd on repeat now. I met David Gilmour once and he was really disappointing and now I never want to meet any of my idols, it put me off.
JH: See you hit the nail on the head, baby. But I think instead of being disappointed those people can somehow make you become them, hatred is a poison and anytime you get attacked psychologically by someone – it’s a nightmare and I think it’s a great example to see how wrong you can be, like you haven’t done right to be a dick or appreciate everything we do – we [as rockstars] have had a magic life.

I have not lived anywhere near the decadence that someone like Gilmour has lived to – but come on, it’s a fucking great job, no ones entitled to anything, we’re merely an ingredient in a conspiracy of circumstances and that’s it. It’s a great honour and privilege to get to be the dancing dick-shaking monkey, I mean, fuck I’ll take it – you mean I get to eat sweet fruits all the time and lounge around all day – come on give me a break.

> And how has the new record been perceived live?
JH: Well, that was very nerve racking at first and it’s the most deliberate album we’ve ever put out – but I just shake my dick harder.

> When are you are playing the UK again?
JH: Soon, I mean I fucking love England, I was raised in the part of the South that was very traditionally English and my mother’s house in Georgia, we still have the Kings Highway and it’s still called that – it’s stuff you don’t hear in England about America. The South probably wanted to stay more England than any other part of the world. That being said I fucking love English girls and getting crammy in a hot, dark strip club with nothing but England’s finest – it was a hot night for old boots lets just say that.

> Tell us a random fact about yourself that no-one knows.
JH: I got to church every Sunday, you gotta know the rules if you wanna break them, but also you have to honour God. I think everything is right about being a Christian, I mean everyone is screwed. I’m always pretty happy, you’ll have to be damn pressed to find me upset and angry, I have a wonderful son, a great mother and amazing friends – I really am happy.

> And how do you like Williamsburg Music Hall?
JH: It’s great I love this place; we’re in the middle of fucking Brooklyn, girl. I almost want to come out with some Old Dirty Bastard, some Dirt Dog.

> So, there’s been talk of a solo record…
JH: Its happening, Fabulous Weapon

> And are you working with anyone we might know?
JH: Yes…

> Ha! Ok, I’ll leave it at that! You’ve often said you have the best job in the world, if you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
JH: I’d be a delta force agent somewhere in Afghanistan right now, fighting for freedom, real freedom!

> Well, thank you for this short but sweet interview.
JH: It was really beautiful darling.

For more information on Eagles of Death Metal check out their website

MP3: Eagles of Death Metal – Cheap Thrills or zShare
MP3: Eagles of Death Metal – How Can a Man With So Many Friends Feel So All Alone or zShare

New Gui Boratto Record in 2009

Brazilian DJ and producer Gui Boratto will release his second record, a follow-up to the stellar debut Chromophobia in January/February of 2009. Admittedly, I’m not 100% in tune with the house/techno genre anymore but I heard Chromophobia playing at Virgin Megastore in Union Square last year and fell in love with it.

Gui has previously remixed the likes of Goldfrapp and Pet Shop Boys. Check him out and enjoy one of my favorite tracks below, Beautiful Life.

MP3: Gui Boratto – Beautiful Life or zShare