Having shifted wearily home from The Crazy Horse at some ungodly hour in the morning, today’s early start is only made bearable by an opening performance from Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan.

The stale smell of beer and hotdogs populates the air in the dimly lit hall as the duo take to the stage. Best known for her time as cellist and vocalist with Belle & Sebastian, Campbell’s crisp and sweet vocals soar above Lanegan’s grunge soaked low, croaking timbre. An unlikely pairing, the partnership between the two was forged early in 2004 and has lasted for three atmospheric, retro-tinged Americana-folk albums.

The perfect antidote to the morning’s hangover, Lanegan’s gruff voice wraps around the gentle, sultry coos of Campbell in the gently rumbling melody of early track ‘Ballad of the Broken Seas.’ Taken from their most recent collaborative effort Hawk, ‘You Won’t Let Me Down Again’ shakes the performance from its lull as the electric guitar’s classic twang rolls out and directs the spotlight on Lanegan’s rough, dusty baritone. Classic romantic indie pop melodies jostle against low bass tremors, the sharp rills of the guitar and the vibrating cello strings. Tambourine zils jingle against the terribly off-kilter mini-clap-along in the crowd. Campbell looks irritated whilst the keyboardist encourages the young man leading the clap-along, who is currently dancing like he’s at an illegal rave. As 2008’s ‘Something to Believe’ rings out, the brooding beauty of their soundscape really does re-call the late 1960s sombre, orchestral pop of the iconic Lee Hazelwood/Nancy Sinatra variety.

As beautiful as the pair’s back catalogue is, Campbell’s performance becomes slightly dry and tedious towards the end, so it is with giddy excitement that I trundle downstairs for Frightened Rabbit. Having released the stunning The Winter of Mixed Drinks this year it is easy to forget that the Selkirk five-piece have been existed in various forms since 2006’s Sing The Greys album on local Glasgow label Hits The Fan. The Midnight Organ Fight is, for me, one of the most consistently epic and emotionally fraught releases of the past few years so needless to say my trundling is actually somewhat urgent.

Stepping out 15 minutes early, Billy Kennedy’s crisp guitar and Grant Hutchinson’s crackling snare drum reverberate around a surreal, empty room. The cold air of the pavilion wakes me up as the opening chords of ‘The Modern Leper’ expose the vulnerability of frontman Scott Hutchinson and the raw honesty of his song writing. As insistent guitar strokes and drums build from a soft shimmer to a thunderous crash the acoustics swell beneath lyrics riddled with a real bitter self-loathing. The percussion thuds with an incredible ferocity, as Scott’s stentorian, husky howls draw out the veins on his forehead as the band play a set that includes ‘Old Old Fashioned’ ‘Keep Yourself Warm’ and ‘Head Rolls Off.’

‘Backwards Walk’ sees Scott’s aching, quivering voice ring out over a muted ambience that genuinely sends a chill down my spine. Investing his emotions so entirely in each song, it is almost harrowing to watch a man seem to fall so completely apart on stage. Left to perform ‘Good Arms vs. Bad Arms’ alone, the Scottish frontman, drenched in sweat underneath he blazing purple lights, gently strums his acoustic guitar, brimming with an aching honesty. Sipping on beer and whisky he struggles with the upper registers but manages to find enough of a voice left to say “This is kind of Frightened Rabbit’s Christmas Party, it is the last leg of our tour so thanks a lot for being here. Also this is our first ATP ever, even as punters so it’s pretty fucking exciting. It’s just an honour to be asked by Belle & Sebastian.” At once inspiring and heart breaking, Frightened Rabbit’s performance this afternoon is quite simply breath taking.

Up next is another Scottish artist, although one of a more legendary ilk, Edwyn Collins. With the “amateur” Teenage Fanclub posing as backing band du-jour, the section of Collins’ set that I catch focuses largely on Orange Juice era songs such as ‘Consolation Prize.’ Having recently re-learned to think, walk and talk before penning this years’ Losing Sleep the fey, jangly pop of Collins’ performance is as shimmering as it could be. His post-punk sensibilities still bubble below the surface with an endearing optimism and when Alex Kapranos joins him for 1994’s ‘A Girl Like You’ it’s a pretty magical moment; one only topped by a Teenage Fanclub announced encore of ‘Blueboy.’

Catching up with Dean Wareham’s tour of Galaxie 500 songs, the singer admits that having played the original Bowlie, he found himself driving to Camber Sands on his way here. Flooded in a blue haze his warped psychedelic guitar and sweeping instrumentals are punctuated by an incredibly moving, ethereal voice before we head downstairs for Wild Beasts.

The Mercury Prize nominated four-piece take to the stage amidst the pounding bass lines, crackling percussion, soaring keys and low murmuring choral vocals of ‘All The King’s Men’ before the high pitched refrain of “Watch me/Watch me” grates against minimal instrumentation. Having “escaped the trauma of Butlins as kids” the band admit that now they’re here they “love it.” Hayden’s falsetto voice rings out against chiming synths as the band playfully make their way through an incredible set that includes ‘Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants’, ‘Hooting & Howling’, ‘The Devil’s Crayon’ and ‘We Still Got The Taste Dancin’ On Our Tongues.’ For all their intellectual posturing and strikingly serious ethereal harmonies Wild Beasts’ output is often flirtatious and genuinely amusing, especially when it comes to the opening “This is a booty call!” cry of ‘The Fun Powder Plot.’

Catching up with Field Music’s David Brewis ahead of his performance this afternoon he admits that he’s never been to an ATP before “partly due to the fact that both of the venues, both Camber Sands and here, are an incredible trek from the North East.” Having been asked to perform this weekend by Richard Colburn, David does say that it is absolutely “lovely to be here, and to have that personal element to the festival.” Responding to questions of what ATP means to him, David explains that “the way ATP do things and the consistent quality of events they put on is really admirable, especially at a time when its easy to make a lot of money out of gigs that aren’t very good. They have resisted the urge to do so and have created something that real music fans really want to go to. The more stuff they do, the better.”

Having released their semi-eponymous third album Field Music (Measure) in February, David and his brother Peter’s intellectual post-punk revivalism is punctuated with a wry humour and subtle sense of despair. Creative and witty, their performance this afternoon is haunting and understated. It doesn’t make for the most accessible, infectious set of pop harmonies but the gentle blues motifs and subtle poetry of songs like ‘In The Kitchen’ and ‘Tones of Towns’ draw a discerning, older crowd with their eccentric, quintessentially British sensibility.

With a confident air Dirty Projector’s David Longstreth soon swaggers on stage. With torn jeans and limp hair hanging down over his face he looks as though he could be part of the recent grunge revival. However, as the intricate guitar lines, and complex vocal harmonies from Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian soar above the sinuous instrumental textures it is quite clear that Dirty Projectors soundscape steers well clear of grunge in it’s art-rock experimentations.  When they play ‘I Will Truck’ from 2005’s The Getty Address, the call and response bass and guitar rumble below gliding saccharine vocals.

Listening to last year’s Bitte Orca on repeat in the car on the journey down here provides some insight into the enchanting, jarring musical juxtapositions and ever-changing time signatures of their performance. Fusing dream-pop synth keys and howling guitars, the band effortless offer up the most interesting and experimental soundscape of the weekend. Marrying the romanticism of Nico-esque vocals with the obscure, affected, haunting layered vocals, muscular drumming and shimmering symbols on tracks such as ‘Stillness Is The Move’, ‘Two Doves’, ‘Knotty Pine’ and ‘Temecula Sunrise’ the Brooklyn based six piece are truly incredible.

The crowd thins out as a large section head to see The New Pornographers before Belle & Sebastian take up their headline slot. I stay put and weave my way to the front amidst an increasingly excited crowd. “I love you Bowlies” Stuart Murdoch cries over the opening percussion crashes of Write About Love’s ‘I Didn’t See It Coming.’ The Glasgow chamber pop group “troll through the ages of Belle & Sebastian” to bring us ‘A Century of Fakers’ from their third EP. My jaw hurts so much from smiling as the guitars jangle underneath Murdoch’s smooth, fey vocals.

The euphoric violin strings of ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’ punctuate the rustic acoustic guitars whilst an orange glow populates the choral crescendo and famous, subtly infectious riff. With uniquely warm voices their performance of ‘The Stars of Track and Field’ is tear jerking: the entire crowd singing along. As Murdoch drags a handful of men and women on stage to dance with the band during what is undoubtedly their most famous number ‘The Boy With The Arab Strap.’ As the flashing lights die down to ‘Judy And The Dream of Horses’ the sense of jubilation in the air is really infectious and just completely spell binding.

It is pretty clear that nothing today has left to offer can top that most mesmerising of performances, a point that could not be more clearly proven by Jenny and Johnny’s tiresome, disappointing selections of songs. The kitsch vocals of Jenny Lewis are as beautiful as ever but the duelling crooning refrains of Johnathan Rice are uninspiring, as is the faux sincerity behind them.

Sticking around for the abrasive, harsh, synthetic and dark brooding electronica of Crystal Castles the night’s line-up picks back up again. Shrouded in a white cloud of smoke, their somewhat obnoxious melodies are embellished with flourishing synthesisers, infectious dance driven rhythms and Le Tigre esque howls from enigmatic front woman Alice Glass, who shortly dives into the crowd. More dynamic than on record, the Toronto duo provide a perfectly contagious, riotous ending to Saturday’s traditional indie line up.


Isobel Campbell

Frightened Rabbit

Edwyn Collins

Field Music

Dirty Projectors

Crystal Castles

February’s semi-eponymous third album Field Music (Measure) saw Field Music’s Brewis brothers down to a duo after the departure of Andrew Moore. Now, following on from a somewhat relentless touring schedule, they are set to headline their biggest show to date.

Gracing the stage at Koko next Tuesday in support of their new single ‘Measures’, out November 22 via Memphis Industries, the band have announced that they will be playing as a five-piece for the first time. In addition to Ian Black and Kev Dosdale, Peter and David have decided to hang up their sticks, add an extra keyboard and borrow the live drumming talents of Damo Waters from The Electric Soft Parade.

We have a pair of tickets to give away for the show. Simply email competition@thelineofbestfit.com with the subject line FIELD MUSIC (remembering to include your name and a contact telephone number) and we’ll draw a name out at random the day before the show. The winner will be notified via email.

Field Music have announced they’re to play their biggest headline show to date, with a show at London’s Koko on 23rd November.

This will be proceeded by the release of the single ‘Measure’ on the 22nd.

Tickets are available now from www.alt-tickets.co.uk 0845 413 4444 and http://www.seetickets.com

The brothers Brewis return once more with a new single from their epic double album Measure. ‘Let’s Write A Book’ is released via Memphis Industries on June 7th. The band will be hitting the Summer festival circuit in fashion with appearances at Glastonbury and Green Man, not to mention a show at the Richard Thompson curated Meltdown Festival on London’s Southbank on June 15th. More details on that particular show can be found here.

31st May sees the release of “Let’s Write A Book” the second single to be taken from the celebrated comeback album Field Music (Measure). David, the younger of the two brothers Brewis takes the lead with an inspired and surprising Northern funk work out, lyrically a call to arms for the perpetually apologetic and surely the most un-Field Music of Field Music songs yet.

The band will be touring around the UK from May onwards and will be making an appearance at a selection of festivals across the summer and beyond, including being selected by Richard Thompson for Meltdown, headlining at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and handpicked by Belle and Sebastian for their Bowlie 2, ATP event this December.

May
20 – Liverpool Sound City, Masque Loft, Liverpool
26 – Concorde 2, Brighton
28 – Exeter Phoenix, Exeter
29 – Dot to Dot Festival, Bristol
30 – Evolution Festival, Newcastle
31 – Dot to Dot Festival, Manchester

June
03 – The Musician, Leicester
04 – Guildhall, Gloucester
05 – Wilde Theatre, Bracknell
15 – Queen Elizabeth Hall, Meltdown, London
26 – Glastonbury Festival, Somersert

July
30 – Eastleigh Music Festival
31 – Camp Bestival, Dorset

August
22 – Green Man Festival, Wales

September
05 – Electic Picnic, Stradbally, Ireland
10 – Open House Festival, Belfast

December
10-12 – Bowlie 2, Butlins, Minehead

Through their many incarnations brothers Peter and David Brewis have been carving their own brand of wonky guitar pop, with influences ranging from Bowie, Bush (Kate, not G.W. Jr), and Zeppelin to the author Paul Auster. After their self-imposed hiatus and a couple of “solo” projects they’re back with a predictably brilliant album, this time under the Field Music moniker. Mathew Parri Thomas managed to steal a rare interview with Peter Brewis to talk about double albums, band identity and the pursuit of commercial success.

Firstly, you’re back! Well, Field Music are back; with you both collaborating on each other’s solo projects it’s like you never left us.
Well, we didn’t really. Or did we? I don’t even know myself anymore.

How do the different projects work if you’re essentially still working together?
It’s all to do with who’s boss. Me and Dave both have strong personalities and we both want to be in charge of our music. I’ve started to think that maybe it’s about the initial conception. Dave had an idea to make a record, so that was School of Language. I had an idea to make one, so that was The Week That Was. We then had an idea to make one together, and because we both liked the idea it’s Field Music. Maybe not quite as simple as that, but it ain’t far from the truth.

Why the decision to record another Field Music album now and not next year, or last year.
We had a gap in our diaries…(a five month one). And, more importantly we were both into the idea of doing something together and we both liked the mantra of…double album…double album….

The double album is a pretty bold move for your “comeback”. Is it a product of having so much material written or were you always intending to release a two CD package?
It was always the intention. Double albums are funny. They seem to signify pretension and over-ambition but in this day and age of multi-formats and the death of the album they can perhaps signal a nostalgia for a time when albums were king. It’s a farewell to the archaic perhaps?

Across all your works the lyrics have always seemed quite personal. What themes did you want to tackle on Measure?
I think Dave’s lyrics are more overtly personal. Mine tend to end up like lists of statements that were intended to be questions to myself. I think when I say “we”, “our”, or “us”, I probably mean “me”, “mine or “I”. Anyway, the things I’ve tended to be concerned with over the past year are “what am I doing/ have I been doing/thinking and why?”, “what should I do to make things better?”. I mustn’t be thinking about this this too deeply ‘cos I’ve not reached many conclusions. But through writing songs at least I ask the questions. Did someone say ‘art solves none of the worlds problems but at least it makes the world a less boring place’? Something like that. I’m incredibly scared of boredom.

When you decided to put Field Music ‘on ice’ Tones Of Town had just been release to rave reviews and you were all set to tour with arena-filling Snow Patrol. Is wider commercial success something you activly avoid? Do you think it would restrict how you operate?
We’ve never intentionally avoided commercial success. It just avoids us. The Snow Patrol thing was down to the fact that we felt at the time that we couldn’t stand in front of all those people and entertain them in the way Gary and the lads could. I’m all up for supporting bands but not if we’re not able to do the job. It’s different now though. We’re more confident with how we come across on stage. Maybe that lack of confidence has restricted how we have operated in the past. Now I’m channelling that lack of confidence into something constructive…ie making the music that I want to make and being incredibly attentive to it.

Many bands make the pilgrimmage to London to ‘make it’, but there’s a vibrant scene in the North East. How does your location affect you as a band?
It’s cheap to rent a room and make a record in Sunderland. Plus without the underlying pressures of a music industry and a cool music scene we can make whatever music we fancy. The musicians in Tyne and Wear are incredibly supportive of each other.

In terms of sound you’ve always carved your own niche. Do you pay much attention to current music trends and are you suprised you can happily share airplay with the raft of identikit indie bands?
I wish we could have a larger share of that airplay! If I’m honest I don’t really listen to much new music unless it’s recommended to me by a friend or if a friend’s made it. I mainly listen to Radio 3 or sometimes Radcliffe and McConie on 2 if I want to see what bands are sounding like these days. If I had digital I’d probably have 6music on a bit.

How does it work writing not only as a duo but also as brothers? Any fisticuffs in the past?
Last time me and Dave exchanged blows was probably playing American football on the parents landing. Even then it was probably by accident. We take our aggression out on the drums. We don’t really write as a duo. I’d say we more produce as a duo. We have a common language in that we don’t have to explain ourselves to each other. A raised eyebrow or smirk can either mean….’try again’ or ‘that’s the best thing I’ve ever heard’.

With two previous Field Music albums, your new double disc and two solo albums in your canon, how are you approaching live shows? Is it strictly Field Music or can we expect “The Brewis Brothers — Live!”?
Certainly not! Well, we’ll not call it that but we’re doing stuff from everything except The Week That Was album. I’m resting that…perhaps permanently.

And finally, in the ever-changing world of the brothers Brewis, what’s next?
God knows. We’ve got lots of ideas and not enough time to get them all done. We need to concentrate on the live shows. Which is sometimes difficult when you’ve got one eye on the next thing… Thanks for the questions!

Sunderland’s Field Music have been dabbling with career suicide for quite a few years now. After 2007s outstanding Tones of Town, the then-3-piece nearly imploded whilst touring the US, calling their hiatus. David and Peter Brewis (co-frontmen and brothers) saw the following year through with records under the monikers of School of Language and The Week That Was respectively – they pretty much never left us.

Having always found their stride in the studio, Field Music had to return with a double album. Quality songwriting or a lack of ideas having never been an issue, Field Music (Measure) sees the band testing just how far they can stretch their abilities. The ‘70s influences are blatant, right down to the title – a homage to Peter Gabriel. Added to those signature vocal harmonies with hints of Bowie, and the guitar-riff-driven first disc gives a large nod to Led Zeppelin – without imitating the chaos of the School of Language LP. ‘In The Mirror’s opening fifteen seconds feel unsettled, before guitar and bass sprawl over a repetitive piano, building something wonderfully nervous around David’s self-deprecating vocal croon – “I wish I could change and make new rules, and love myself better”. The first disc keeps up its pace: ‘Each Time Is A New Time’ is littered with hooks whilst ‘Measure’s jerky string core draws into the band’s signature charm; there’s never a moment spare across three minutes of pouring drum rhythms, melodies and hand-claps. Long lost prog anthem traits sweep over the sublime ‘Lights Up’ and the big riffs keep up (thankfully never straying into the ridiculous) until ‘You and I’s steady-beat lulls the first half to a close.

The second disc bares a sibling resemblance to the first – you’re familiar with the traits, but there’s something more to it. The sparse verses of ‘Curves Of The Needle’ are delicately precise, acoustic guitars and clever percussion are at the core of ‘Choosing Numbers’, with a hint of violin and a short foray into a big moment. ‘Precious Plans’ is the perfect momentarily quieter stand-out track, with two chords draped in stereo across a flourishing acoustic guitar, strings weaving as it grows into it’s brief finale. There are trademark Field Music tunes thrown in, ‘Share The Words’ a particular highlight amid the found-sound cycle of the records final four tracks: lone strings segueing into piano into band-interludes, with that precise use of space and sparsity tying it all together.

So many bands stumble with self-indulgence on doing the double album, but Field Music just pull it off. Considering their first two records clocked barely half-an-hour, they’ve developed the intricacies of their songwriting and sound and created something vibrant that’s prepared to draw you back in when it starts to drag. I am left wondering: where on Earth will they go next?

Buy the album on Amazon | [itunes link="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/clear-water/id342123737?uo=4" title="Field_Music-Field_Music_(Measure)_(Album)" text="iTunes"] | Rhythm Online

OK, so the intro might come across like the soundtrack to some lost John Sullivan penned 70′s sitcom, but when those dulcet vocals kick in, you know it’s great to have Field Music back.

After taking a sabbatical, they’re back, not just with a new album Measure, but a new double album. Not much has changed in the Field Music stable though. Those guitar pop hooks are there aplenty, the vocal harmonies humming around the perfectly delicate percussion. There’s also some steel sneaked in as well. After the sitcom beginning, the guitars kick in with a real menace, that simplistic riff is beefed up to thrust the song into another life.

‘Each Time Is A New Time’ makes you realise what a great addition to the British music scene Field Music actually are. It’s the perfect blend of old and new – retro without being copying. This is the sound of perfect pop music that appeals to your head as well as your heart. Just the thing for a cold and wintery Monday morning.

The snow may be fresh upon the streets of London and Hoxton Square resembles an ice-rink of death, but Lawrence Arabia (AKA New Zealander James Milne) is here to inject a dose of summer into this arctic landscape. The recent Bella Union signing, opening for cult Sunderlanders Field Music, has a fine ear for catchy pop melodies, underpinned with a tropical swing not a million miles away from his former band the Ruby Suns. His band share his infectious enthusiasm, adding lively percussion and a dash of trumpet to the mix to complete an undemanding but enjoyable package.

After a successful couple of years dabbling with side-projects School of Language and The Week That Was, the brothers Brewis have reunited the group that brought them to the world’s attention- or at least the small subsection of the world that enjoys slightly askew indie pop, most of whom seem to be in attendance at a jam-packed Bar & Kitchen tonight. There’s a jaunty bounce to their piano numbers that recalls a more restrained My Life Story or early Noughties nearly-men Clor; the guitar-led material has touches of Steely Dan. It’s enough to have established them a fervent and enthusiastic fanbase and yes, there’s an eclectism to their songwriting and a deftness to their guitarwork that puts them head and shoulders above most of their UK contemporaries. It’s also delivered with a cheerfulness that’s difficult to entirely dislike. But this performance is just too polished to astound, too passionless to stir anything but the mildest emotions. Whilst the music is admittedly not to my tastes, I can appreciate its merits on an objective level, even if the amount of critical acclaim they receive may be symptomatic of a British music scene largely devoid of invention. But as live performers they’re par-for-the course, providing adequate levels of entertainment without lingering in the memory.

Photographs by Anika Mottershaw

Field Music will be playing more shows in support of their new album due out on 15th February 2010.

Having just blown away the cobwebs after a three year hiatus, Field Music have, quite frankly, been utterly astonishing at their recent sold out warm up shows. So, as well as showing off tracks from their ambitious and dazzling double album “Field Music (measure)”, expect them to romp through their splendid back catalogue.

January
7 – London, Hoxton Bar and Grill

February
24 – Glasgow, Nice n Sleazy
25 – Leeds Brudenell Social Club
26 – Manchester, Islington Mill
28 – Sheffield, Fusion Sheffield Union

March
1 – Birmingham, O2 Academy 2
2 – Oxford, O2 Academy 2
5 – Ireland, Dublin, Crawdaddy

Following a self-imposed three year hiatus, Sunderland’s Field Music are all set to return with a new 20 track double album on 15th February 2010 (16th in the US).

By way of apology for having being away so long two new tracks are now available to download from their website www.field-music.co.uk; the startling blues riff attack of “Each Time Is a New Time” and the melody rich impressionist pop of “Measure”. Both tracks are also available to listen to as low quality streams are on their MySpace.

The album is just called Field Music but for practical purposes to distinguish it from the first album its called Field Music (Measure). The tracklisting is as follows:

01 In the Mirror
02 Them That Do Nothing
03 Each Time Is a New Time
04 Measure
05 Effortlessly
06 Clear Water
07 Lights Up
08 All You’d Ever Need to Say
09 Let’s Write a Book
10 You and I
11 The Rest Is Noise
12 Curves of the Needle
13 Choosing Numbers
14 The Wheels Are in Place
15 First Come the Wish
16 Precious Plans
17 See You Later
18 Something Familiar
19 Share the Words
20 It’s About Time

Field Music will be previewing more of the new songs at a handful of shows starting in Liverpool on 13 November and ending up at the Hoxton Bar and Grill in London on 7 Jan as follows:

November
13 – The Bumper, Liverpool
19 – Deaf Institute, Manchester
21 – Captain’s Rest, Glasgow
22 – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
27 – Cluny, Newcastle
28 – Cluny, Newcastle

December
03 – The Bell House, Brooklyn, New York
05 – The Beat Kitchen, Chicago, Illinois

January
07 – Hoxton Bar & Grill, London

The Week That Was is the first solo project from Peter Brewis, the chap that brought us Field Music. A 32 minute epic, aiming to explore the impact the media has upon us as individuals and is said the be a composition of snap shots from stories inspired by novelist Paul Auster, which ultimately creates a puzzle said to fall into place upon listening. Written in just one week the inspiration rests both on Auster’s rapid imagination and also upon a specific incident involving Brewis discarding his TV, which subsequently probes him to question society’s reliance upon the media, and it’s many forms. What would happen if this form of media pacification were eradicated? Sounds slightly ominous methinks.

Opening with the ultimate 80s drum beat is Learn to Learn which, follows on in the same 80s pop noir vein with Gabriel-esque vocals and some disjointed melodies. Despite this all being accompanied by a panging guitar riff and ending with a dramatically abrupt finish it leaves the listener feeling pretty unfulfilled. Sadly this is the case with the majority of the album.

From the synths to drum machines, all of these 80s through-back sounds seem to have been harnessed far better by younger are more “inexperienced” acts like The Mystery Jets and Black Kids. There are elements of splendour though, ‘It’s All Gone Quiet’ has the soothing decadence of Kate Bush, and many of the tracks stray far from the usual indie surroundings which is something to be upheld in itself. Whilst ‘The Good Life’ plies you with images of being beaten to a pulp by advertising with its incessant messages.

When compared with Brewis’s other projects such as Field Music, The Week That Was feels like a pretty muddled and unfinished attempt at a concept album with tired homage’s to 80s greats.
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The Week That Was on Myspace