No one likes to see someone blow their own trumpet… unless it’s Prince of course, but we thought we’d bring you some photos from our very first TLOBF Gig night. Held in the wonderful premises of The Portland Arms in Cambridge, a sell-out crowd were wooed by the the line-up of The Last Dinosaur, Victoria & Jacob and Vessels. Thanks to all the bands and everyone who came - it wouldn’t have been such a success without you! Continue Reading

Ok, so this is a bit of self-publicity I guess. We’ve got our very first TLOBF Gig evening TOMORROW and none other than Vessels are headlining. We loved their debut album so much, we HAD to get them to play live for us. Anyways, as a little taster before the main event, we got Martin from the band to answer our 20 Questions, just to get to know them a bit better…

1. Describe your sound in 3 words.
Delay, Distortion, Reverb

2. What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it?
I can’t exactly remember, but glancing through my tape collection it was probably a Nirvana bootleg, probably from Streetwise Music in Cambridge.

3. What’s the best cure for a hangover?
A massive greasy mofo of a fry up, followed by a pint.

4. What’s on your rider?
Beer and dinner. We can’t get away with asking for any more than that.

5. How do you get ready for a live show?
Stretch our arms and wrists to avoid early-onset-arthritis / repetitive-strain-injury / carpel-tunnel-syndrome.

6. What’s your favourite song to play live?
Right now its ‘Wave Those Arms, Airmen’, simply because we’ve only managed it three times, so it’s kinda exciting to see what will go wrong with the equipment each time.

7. What’s your guilty pleasure?
I’m partial to the occasional bit of A-Ha - Take On Me

8. Who would win in a fight, a stoat or a goat and why?
A stoat, clearly. Predator vs herbivore=no contest.

9. Who’s your favourite new band at the moment? Tell us a bit about them.
The Pattern Theory. 3 graduates from Leeds College of Music. About to migrate to Germany. The most rewarding live band I’ve seen in yonks. Ridiculously tasteful.
http://www.myspace.com/thepatterntheory

10. Who would play you in a film based upon your life?
I’d like to think it would be Burt Reynolds, but it would probably be Tom Selleck. As long as they’re sporting a ‘tash, I don’t mind.

11. Dead or alive, what 5 acts would you have play with you at a festival?
I’m gonna go for the dead ones, as there’s still an opportunity to see the living ones, yeah?
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Otis Redding
3. The Beach Boys
4. Nirvana
5. Miles Davis

12. If push comes to shove, what is your all-time favourite album?
Portishead Live in NYC……………… or Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream

13. What’s your most memorable on the road story?
Probably the time when we left a guitar, not even in it’s case, on the floor of a car park in Doncaster and drove off. Managed to get it back the next day, though. Score.

14. If your life flashed before your eyes, what would be the highlights?
I crashed my car on the A1 a few years ago, and all I saw flashing in front of my eyes was the A1. So I guess that’s my answer - the A1.

15. What’s the best piece of advice someone has ever given you and did you take notice?
The best bit of advice was probably - “Don’t listen to anyone’s advice”.

16. If you had to leave a body part to science, what would it be?
My knees. Man, I’ve got some great knees.

17. What’s the best book you’ve read and film you’ve seen in the last 6 months?
Book - ‘Musicophilia’ by Oliver Sacks, a Neurologist’s account of the psychology of music. Fascinating stuff.
Film - ‘Heima’ Sigur Ros. Sweet.

18. What three things could you not live without?
1 - A mouth
2 - An arse
3 - The bit between the mouth and the arse

19. Tell us a fact about yourself we probably don’t already know.
I’m short sighted, both in my eyes and my actions.

20. And finally, we’d like you to make us a mix-tape. Pick five tracks with a theme of your choice.
Theme = Songs containing references to Horses
1. PJ Harvey - Horses in My Dreams
2. Tori Amos - Horses
3. Belle and Sebastien - Judy and the Dream of Horses
4. Portishead - The Rip
5. The Rolling Stones - Wild Horses

Vessels on Myspace

Well, we’re getting very excited at TLOBF Towers… We’ve only gone and booked our own gig night! Oh yes!

Occurring in the resplendent surroundings of Cambridge’s Portland Arms on Friday 10th October, we’re going to be showcasing the very best up and coming talent.

The triumvirate of Vessels, Victoria & Jacob and The Last Dinosaur will be performing for your aural pleasure.

Vessels are one of the most promising post-rock bands of recent times. Their latest album, White Fields and Open Devices has been one of the most played albums of the year so far. It’s epic, swirling soundscapes fill me with emotions ranging from love to sadness. Think Sigur Ros if they stopped sounding like Elves and made some music with more grit.

Victoria & Jacob have become a mainstay on the Cambridge gig circuit in recent times. Do you know why? Because their fucking good. It’s like listening to Bjork front a thrift-shop pop group, full of delicate bells and random percussion interspersed with periods of outrageous cries and noise.

And last, but definitely not least, is The Last Dinosaur. We’ve already told you we love them, so there’s nothing more to say. Other than come down and see what all the fuss is about.

So, in a more condensed format:

Our first TLOBF gig night, in association with our friends at Green Mind promotions:

10/10/08 @ Portland Arms, Cambridge
Featuring The Last Dinosaur / Victoria & Jacob / Vessels

Myspace links:
Vessels: http://www.myspace.com/vesselsband
Victoria & Jacob: http://www.myspace.com/victoriaandjacob
The Last Dinosaur: http://www.myspace.com/thelastdinosauruk

£5 adv / £6 on the door. Tickets available from We Got Tickets

We hope to see you there.

Don’t worry if you’re going to miss out on this one though, we’ve got a few more surprises up our sleeves in the coming months…

Quite a buzz has been surrounding Leeds based “post rock” outfit Vessels. With their first record about to be released this month, musical circles have been spinning with aplomb and excitement. And that excitement is well warranted. Their record White Things and Open Devices is one of those that, from the moment you begin listening, creates waves; the sort of waves you’ll most definitely want to ride.
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