2007 - The Young Mod Year in Music

It's frightening how clueless America's music critics and bloggers are. Forget about Panda Bear and the rest of their so-called "best" records of the year. Here are the 50 songs that made 2007 a decent but not exceptional year in music...

1. 23 - Blonde Redhead
2. All My Friends - Franz Ferdinand
3. Your Love Alone Is Not Enough - Manic Street Preachers
4. Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo - Jens Lekman
5. We Get On - Kate Nash
6. Men's Needs - The Cribs
7. Tears Dry on Their Own - Amy Winehouse
8. Amylase - Cajun Dance Party
9. Delivery - Babyshambles
10. Thursday - Asobi Seksu
11. TV - Headlights
12. Doves Circle the Sky - Bodies of Water
13. Lazy Eye - Silversun Pickups
14. These Grey Days - Eight Legs
15. You Talk - Babyshambles
16. Selfish Jean - Travis
17. Valerie - Mark Ronson (feat. Amy Winehouse)
18. Easter Parade - Emmy the Great
19. Silently - Blonde Redhead
20. Foundations - Kate Nash
21. Won't You Come Around? - Polytechnic
22. Love's Not a Competition (But I'm Winning) - Kaiser Chiefs
23. Let's Dance to Joy Division - The Wombats
24. She's Got You High - Mumm-Ra
25. The Angry Mob - Kaiser Chiefs
26. Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
27. For the Actor - Mates of State
28. Christobel - Joan as Police Woman
29. Heretics - Andrew Bird
30. Folding Stars - Biffy Clyro
31. Lucio Starts Fires - Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong
32. Take Your Medicine - Cloud Cult
33. I Found Out - The Pigeon Detectives
34. Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys
35. The Underdog - Spoon
36. It's Not Over Yet - Klaxons
37. John, Let Me Go - Sondre Lerche
38. Hometown Glory - Adele
39. My Rights Versus Yours - The New Pornographers
40. Dead Sound - The Raveonettes
41. Daddy's Gone - Glasvegas
42. Lost and Found - Taken by Trees
43. I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You - Black Kids
44. I'll Kill Her - Soko
45. What's a Girl to Do - Bat for Lashes
46. Pull Shapes - The Pipettes
47. All the Night Without Love - Elvis Perkins
48. Silent Hotels - The Answering Machine
49. Acrylic - The Courteeners
50. Rockferry - Duffy

2006 - The Young Mod Year in Music

It was another great year for songs and another terrible year for albums, and, as usual, the indie intelligentsia (NME, Pitchfork, Drowned By Sound, etc.) got it (almost) all wrong. Here's how we see it..

The 50 Best Songs of 2006

1. The View - Wasted Little DJ's
2. Arctic Monkeys - Leave Before the Lights Come On
3. Divine Comedy - A Lady of a Certain Age
4. Dirty Pretty Things - Bang Bang You're Dead
5. Franz Ferdinand - The Fallen (acoustic)
6. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken
7. Peter Bjorn & John feat. Victoria Bergsman - Young Folks
8. Chris Thile - Heart in a Cage
9. Mojave 3 - Breaking the Ice
10. The View - Superstar Tradesman
11. Arctic Monkeys - When the Sun Goes Down
12. Ben Kweller - Sundress
13. Arthur Baker feat. Tim Wheeler - Glow
14. Duels - The Slow Build
15. Magic Numbers - Take a Chance
16. Midlake - Roscoe
17. Les Incompetents - How It All Went Wrong
18. Joan as Police Woman - Christobel
19. Charlotte Gainsbourg - The Songs That We Sing
20. Lily Allen - Littlest Things
21. The Decemberists - Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
22. The View - The Don
23. Tapes 'n Tapes - Insistor
24. The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy
25. The Little Ones - Cha Cha Cha
26. Arctic Monkeys - Mardy Bum
27. Razorlight - In the Morning
28. The Kooks - Ooh La
29. The Indelicates - New Art for the People
30. Nouvelle Vague - Killing Moon
31. Beirut - Postcards from Italy
32. Fiery Furnaces - Benton Harbor Blues
33. Larrikin Love - Edwould
34. The Automatic - Raoul
35. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cheated Hearts
36. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
37. The Concretes - Song for the Songs
38. The Little Ones - Lovers Who Uncover
39. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - Alone Again Or
40. Mates of State - Like U Crazy
41. The Strokes - Razorblade
42. The Kooks - Sofa Song
43. Sleepy Jackson - I Understand What You Want but I Just Don't Agree
44. Lady & Bird - Suicide Is Painless
45. Oh No! Oh My! - Walk in the Park
46. Grant Lee Phillips - Boys Don't Cry
47. Fiery Furnaces - Waiting to Know You
48. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 1 and 2
49. The Concretes - On the Radio
50. Mareva Galanter - Pourquoi Pas Moi

Artist of the Year

Arctic Monkeys

New Artist of the Year

The View

Artist to Watch in 2007

Emmy the Great

Carson Ellis Mini-Documentary

Apologies for the long hiatus. Please stay tuned for ATYMS's famous year-end lists and holiday gift-buying guide. In the meantime, check out this really nice mini-documentary on our favourite artist (and Colin Meloy muse) Carson Ellis:

Banksy Does Paris Hilton

As you may have heard, guerrilla artist Banksy sprinkled 500 doctored versions of Paris Hilton's debut CD throughout record stores in the UK, and they have become highly sought-after collectables, selling for over $1,000 each on eBay. Here is the behind-the-scenes video of how he did it (including a sample of the music track by Danger Mouse):

Preston Marries Chantelle!!!!!!!!!!!

You may recall that at the start of this year we closely followed (i.e., religiously watched the 24 hour live feeds) the goings-on in the UK Celebrity Big Brother house. You may also recall our fascination with the burgeoning relationship between Preston of the Ordinary Boys and fake celebrity Chantelle (now one of the most famous people in England). Today, that story line reached the ultimate fairy tale ending. According to several reports, Preston and Chantelle were wed at Dartmouth House in London's Mayfair district at 4pm. It is understood that the ceremony was attended by 45 guests, including Preston's bandmate, and that Chantelle walked down the aisle in a dress made by designer Elizabeth Emanuel, who created the wedding gown for Chantelle's idol, Princess Diana. Prior to the wedding, Chantelle said: "I want to be Mrs Preston and have that ring on my finger." As for Preston, he insists: "I could never be bored with her and that's what you look for in a wife."

Meanwhile, in the US Big Brother house, an equally exciting romance is developing between evil Dr. Will and America's sweetheart Janelle. Seriously, these two should be on the front of US magazine every week. What is wrong with this country? If you haven't been watching (poor fool), go here to catch up.

Pete Doherty Test Drives The New Jaguar

Incredible new video from Sky TV show Vroom Vroom of Pete Doherty test-driving the new Jaguar and discussing his Jaguar-collecting habit.

Lyrics Of The Year?

The View -- Wasted Little DJ's

They told me if I write this song for them,
That they would cut my hair for free,
But that's not me no liberties.

They're into all the coolest bands,
And knowing that they're coming to the gigs as fans,
Entitles me to some decency.

Asted-way ittle-lay eejays-day
They're the cleverest blondes we ken.
Asted-way ittle-lay eejays-day
I wish everybody danced like them.

Split visions of a talkative therapy
It makes me bend away it gives me E,
Seems hard to say, its insanity.

Same record for the 16th time
Exact same set you did the last time round
Doesn't bother me we're in harmony.

Asted-way ittle-lay eejays-day
They're the cleverest blondes we ken.
Asted-way ittle-lay eejays-day
I wish everybody danced like them.

No low emotions rolling tonight
Young heavy hopefuls staying the night
So stick around and wait for the day.
Craziness kills lazyness and happiness takes bad bets,
No one gives a fuck you see we're all out of our little heads.

Craziness kills lazyness and happiness
Takes bad bets no one gives a fuck
You see we're all out of our,
All out of our,
All out of our little fucking heads

Doo doo doo doo...

Asted-way ittle-lay eejays-day
They're the cleverest blonde weekend.
Asted-way ittle-lay eejays-day
I wish everybody danced like them.

Can anybody dance like them
Can u tell me (Asted-way ittle-lay eejays-day)
Does anybody dance like them
Can u tell me (Asted-way ittle-lay eejays-day)
Does anybody dance like them
Can u tell me
Asted-way ittle-lay eejays-day
Asted-way ittle-lay eejays-day

See video below. You can find the MP3 here.

Pop Songs Of The Summer, Part II

Very few bands in history have released a couple of great singles and a classic debut album, only to follow that up a mere few months later with a song that is even better than anything they have released before. The Stone Roses did it with Fool's Gold, and The Libertines did it with Don't look Back into the Sun, and now the Arctic Monkeys have done it with their incredible new single, Leave Before the Lights Come On. Unfortunately, it appears there is not yet a video of this song to post, but if you have not heard it, proceed immediately to the incomparable Untouched By Work Or Duty. UPDATE: Domino just posted the video here.

In the meantime, check out videos for three more phenomenal new releases currently in heavy rotation at Casa Hugo. I personally guarantee that at least one of these videos will make you very happy. Make sure to watch them all repeatedly for maximum effect.

Peter, Bjorn & John -- Young Folks


Mareva Galanter -- Pourquoi Pas Moi


The View -- Wasted Little DJs

A Boy Called Pete

I love bizarre children's books. "Pretty Pretty Peggy Moffitt," the 1968 picture book starring the real-life mod model (and muse to designer Rudi Gernreich), is on the same level as Hamlet in my house. But what could be better than an illustrated story book about that lovable street urchin Pete Doherty? If you answered "nothing," then start counting the days, because on September 1, "A Boy Called Pete" will be released in the UK, again proving that country's superiority to our own. "A Boy Called Pete" tells the story of a young man named Pete Doherty who plays guitar, dates a model named Kate, and suffers occasional mishaps. It is the latest in a series of child-friendly illustrated pop biographies created by PopJustice.com, a UK music/celebrity website that I must admit has never crossed my radar until now. Other books in the series include the less-enticing "A Boy Called Elton" and "A Girl Called Madonna." I think I will stick with "A Boy Called Pete," at least until they come out with "A Boy Called Sid." You can pre-order "A Boy Called Pete" now at Amazon UK.

Pete Doherty On Jonathan Ross

This weekend Pete Doherty sat down for an extended interview on Jonathan Ross. The interview touches on pretty much everything you would want to know (drugs, Carl, Kate, etc.), and concludes with a great acoustic performance of "Beg, Steal or Borrow." Must viewing for all.

Part 1 of 2:


Part 2 of 2:


By the way, what's up with the Harry Potter scar next to Pete's eye? Is that new?

Les Incompetents' Billy Bell In Critical Condition

Billy Bell, frontman for the wonderful Les Incompetents, is in critical condition from an attack by a stranger on the way home from the band's most recent show in London. Bandmate Stan just posted the following update on Billy's condition:

Today Billy underwent a 5 hour operation, a piece of his skull was removed to relieve pressure on his brain, this was done successfully. However his brain is now very inflamed, this inflamation has spread to the rest of his body.
The next 48 hours are crucial, there are three possibilites. The first is that the inflammation causes him to pass away in the next 48 hours, the second is that he makes it through, in which case he will be in a coma for a considerable time, he may wake up and no longer function properly, he may however also wake up and be ok.
Bill has damage to his brain, the next 48 hours are crucial. Things are touch and go. Essentially billy could pass away.
The doctors say the brain is so complicated that they cannot tell us how likely any of the possibilites are, we just have to wait and see.
Please try to think positively for bill, however irrationally this may sound I cant see this being the end, its just not bill.
We can only hope and pray.
We will keep you updated, and please, respectfully do not come to visit the hospital.
Thank you again for all your messages of support, Im sorry I havent responded to many.
Your kindness is touching at this trying time.

Stan xx

If you still have not heard Les Incompetents' great single "How It All Went Wrong," you can check out the joyous video here.

Pop Songs Of The Summer

Mojave 3 "Breaking the Ice"




Camera Obscura "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken"

Mew at Hiro Ballroom

The New York concert event of the year is now on sale. Look for me front and center (I'll be the one with the whiskers).

New Factory Records Design Book

Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album, the definitive catalogue of the Factory Records world of design, has just been published in the UK, and will be out in the US soon. It comes not only with the obligatory intro by Tony Wilson, but also with its own FAC # (FAC 461). You can get it here. (As of right now it is one of the best-selling books on all of Amazon UK! I've done my part, you should do yours.)

Peter Saville Video/Sneakers

Adidas has made a very nice, high-quality video of Peter Saville discussing his inspirations and techniques, as well as why he no longer designs record sleeves. This video was created for the Adidas Adicolor campaign.


You can buy a pair of the Peter Saville-designed sneakers here,

and the matching jacket here.

Dirty Pretty Things NY Tickets On Sale

Tickets for two Dirty Pretty Things shows at Bowery Ballroom (August 14 and 15) just went on sale, and are available at Ticketweb. I can't help but think back to The Libertines minus Pete at Bowery, which was only okay, and wonder how these shows could possibly be any better.

What The Bloody Hell?

When I first learned that dear old Pete Doherty was busy painting pictures with his own blood, and that Kate Moss was encouraging him to sell them in one of London's finest galleries, I must admit I was intrigued. In fact, I began to get a bit obsessive (a la Veruca Salt) about how I could get my hands on one. Now that a few of the images have leaked, however, I'm not sure. Not to be too critical, but at a rumoured one thousand pounds each, is this really the best Pete can do...?

Did You Hear The One About Pete Doherty And The Girl From Big Brother?

Every week it seems dear old Pete hits a new low. The latest bombshell is news that Pete cheated on Kate Moss with Nikki Grahame, a "model/dancer" from Middlesex who is part of the current cast of Big Brother UK. Ms. Grahame, who entered the Big Brother house in a revealing pink bunny suit, apparently spent a “night of passion” with the Babyshambles singer back in March.

Doherty met the ridiculous blonde, who describes herself as "funny, ruthless and attractive," in London nightclub Boujis. According to Nikki's ex-flatmate, Pete took Nikki back to his “needle-strewn” flat for a night of love-making and crack-smoking. Nikki’s ex-flatmate says:

“Nikki's a very hygienic person, I'm surprised she stayed there with all the needles and other stuff lying about. She doesn't go into explicit details when she sleeps with someone, but she did tell me she spent the night with him. Afterwards he begged her not to tell anyone because he was still with Kate. She said she didn't know how Kate Moss coped with him. She went with him because he's famous, that's the reason, 100 per cent. Also the fact he was seeing Kate Moss. It was a power trip for her. She knows men think with their willies.”

Wolfgang -- Your New Favourite Robot Pop Star

How often have you wished robots made pop music? Not just pre-programmed, by-the-numbers crap, but real pop music, with feeling and longing and regret and everything that makes music great. I never really thought about it until I came across a new single called Not in Love (Not True) by an artist named Wolfgang, who, from what I can tell, is an actual robot. I really love this song. Wolfgang makes beautiful electropop with just a perfect tinge of robot melancholy. Imagine The Buggles, who were huge, crossed with The Pulsars, who should have been huge. Wolfgang could be bigger than both, especially once Pitchfork starts championing this song and gives it the inevitable four-star review it deserves. At the very least it will be big in Japan. And in Germany. And in Detroit. That's how cool it is. You can hear the song here. Yes, MySpace pages have become so ubiquitous that even even a robot has one now.

Homage To Jose Gonzalez "Heartbeats" Commercial

Fruit drink Tango has come out with a very faithful homage to the Sony Bravia "bouncing ball" commercial. This one also features Jose Gonzalez's Heartbeats.

Have We Got A Video Nasty?

Pete Doherty having some bloody fun with the boys from MTV...

The Man With The Golden Arse

At this point you have probably heard that dear Pete Doherty has been arrested yet again, this time in connection with a photo in The Sun that appears to show him injecting heroin into a young woman lying comatose on the floor. Good to know he's recovering. Meanwhile, the actual photo in question is reproduced below (strictly for the kids).


UPDATE: Pete has come forward to set the story straight: "Just a note to note the unjust Sun's disturbing and ridiculously offensive 'story'. Firstly the photos are stolen from my flat so...upsetting and personally catastrophic...how rude, secondly it's a staged shot and what a f***ing liberty to suggest I'd bang up a sleeping lass. Darkness."

The female fan in the picture has given a slightly different explanation, saying that the needle was empty, and that Pete was drawing blood from her to use in one of his paintings (blood being Pete's medium of choice).

As for former best mate and Libertine Carl Barat, he has responded to the photos by saying: "It's a bad situation. It's a lot to take in. It's a sad situation."

Kate & Pete As Myra & Ian

For those who live in London (or otherwise will be there next week), you should check out what is being billed as the world's first exhibition dedicated to viral emails, which is taking place at the Institute of Contemporary Art for one week only, from May 1st to 8th. Entitled Outrageous and Contagious, the exhibit includes this amazing pair of doctored photos of Kate Moss and Pete Doherty, who have been made to look like notorious British couple Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, who were responsible for the infamous Moors Murders in Manchester in the mid-1960s, the subject of The Smiths' classic Suffer Little Children. (The couple were further immortalized by Goldie Lookin' Chain in On The Radio, in which Maggot and co. claim "Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, those two have got nothing on my old lady.") Compare with the original photos of Hindley and Brady below.

Trio Of New Videos: Pete Doherty, Arctic Monkeys & Ali G

There is a new video circulating that offers an incredibly intimate look at Pete Doherty hanging out in his flat, talking on the phone, joking around, and generally just being Pete. Included is footage of Pete walking around and strumming his guitar while singing Hired Gun. It's a must-view for any fan of Pete:


Another must-view is the new video for the Arctic Monkeys' latest single, The View from the Afternoon:


Finally, Ali G interviews Posh Spice and David Beckham:

Free Secret Machines Show

Secret Machines will be playing a free in-store performance at Virgin Megastore Union Square on April 27 at 6pm. You will need to purchase a copy of their new album, Ten Silver Drops, beginning at 9am on April 25th to get a wristband to reserve your space in line.

Les Incompetents, The Automatic & Dirty Little Faces -- Your New Favourite Bands

I don't know about you, but every few weeks (sometimes every few days) I need some new bands to get excited about. So, without further delay, I present you with three of the brightest hopes for 2006...

Les Incompetents

London-based six-piece Les Incompetents strike me as Pulp crossed with the Libertines, a delicious cocktail of hooks, energy and humour. You can listen to their majestic new single, How It All Went Wrong, here, or watch the video below:




The Automatic

The Automatic are from Wales, but have recently toured all corners of the UK with The Kooks and The Ordinary Boys. Their first single, Recover, was produced by the legendary Ian Broudie, but was simply good, not great. However, their just-released second single, Raoul, is an instant classic. Listen to Recover here, or watch the video for Raoul below...




Dirty Little Faces

Dirty Little Faces are another London-based band who count The Libertines among their key influences (along with The Jam, The Strokes, Oasis, The Kinks, The Small Faces and Supergrass). They also cite Ben Folds, but that just seems silly (though I've recently been enjoying Ben's cover of The Cure's In-Between Days). The band just released its first official single, Finding It Hard, this week. You can find additional tracks, including the excellent Picadilly, here.

Serge Gainsbourg Videos

It's truly incredible how many great music videos Serge made two decades before the advent of MTV. Four of the best...

Bonnie & Clyde (feat. Brigitte Bardot)


Une Petite Tasse d'Anxiete (feat. Gillian Hills)


Comic Strip (feat. Brigitte Bardot)


Pauvre Lola (feat. France Gall)

Help the Aged

Wherein Jarvis Cocker and painter John Currin combined to create one of the greatest music videos ever...

1963 Rolling Stones Rice Krispies Commercial

In October 1963, with only one single ("Come On") to their name, Brian, Mick and Keith recorded a very young mod jingle for Rice Krispies. The result is too good to be true, but it is...

You're A Big Boy Now

Today All the Young Mod Soldiers turns one. My deepest thanks to everyone who has ever visited and (hopefully) enjoyed the site. Please do not be shy in letting me know how it might be improved (aside from posting more often, which is obvious).

In the interest of complete transparency, here's where we stand after one year:

43,911 unique visitors

38,759 first time visitors

5,152 returning visitors

The site now consistently draws approximately 200-400 unique vistors a day.

More good stuff to come. I promise.

For Those Who Have The Means

Yes. Yes. Finally some new shows to get excited about.

First, we have The Kooks at Northsix on 6/01. Hard to believe this is the only venue they will be playing in New York, but so far this is all that has been announced. Needless to say, selected tracks from their debut album are in heavy rotation at Casa Hugo.

Second, we have The Concretes at Bowery Ballroom on 5/08. Same venue they played a year and a half ago. That was a great show, and this one undoubtedly will be no less fantastic. I love the new single, and can't wait to listen to the whole album, hopefully this weekend.

Also note that Aberfeldy has been added to the White Rose Movement show at Mercury Lounge on 3/27.

Other good things to consider...

3/17-18 Stereolab at Town Hall
3/18 Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think) instore at Sound Fix
3/20 Annie at Mercury Lounge
3/20 The Go! Team at Bowery Ballroom
3/21 The Zutons at Mercury Lounge
3/21 The Rakes at Bowery Ballroom
3/21 The Brakes instore at Virgin Megastore Union Square (2pm)
3/21 The Brakes at Sin-e
3/21 Mates of State instore at Virgin Megastore Union Square (7pm)
3/21 Magnet at Living Room
3/22 Camera Obscura at Knitting Factory
3/22 Jose Gonzalez at Joe's Pub
3/22 The Go! Team at Northsix
3/23 Richard Hawley at Sin-e
3/23 Amusement Parks on Fire at Mercury Lounge
3/24 Billy Bragg at Society for Ethical Culture
3/24 The Books & Jose Gonzalez at Bowery Ballroom
3/24-25 Mystery Jets at Mercury Lounge
3/24-26 Ray Davies at Irving Plaza
3/25 Kelley Stoltz instore performance at Sound Fix (4pm)
3/25 The Arctic Monkeys at Webster Hall
3/26 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists at Knitting Factory
3/26-27 Stellastarr* at Bowery Ballroom
3/27 Jose Gonzalez instore at Other Music (8pm)
3/27 Aberfeldy & White Rose Movement at Mercury Lounge
3/27 Th' Faith Healers at Northsix
3/28 New York Dolls at CBGB
3/28 Snow Patrol at Bowery Ballroom
3/28 The Magic Numbers at Webster Hall
3/28 The Editors & Stellastarr* at Warsaw
3/28 (members of) Gomez at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
3/29 Richard Ashcroft at Webster Hall
3/30 dEUS at Bowery Ballroom
3/30 The Editors at Webster Hall
3/30 I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness at Mercury Lounge
3/31 I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness at Northsix
3/31 Nine Black Alps at Bowery Ballroom
3/31-4/01 Flaming Lips at Webster Hall
4/01 Pretenders at Irving Plaza
4/01 Hard-Fi at Warsaw
4/01 South at Southpaw
4/01 The Orb at Avalon
4/02-06 Gorillaz at Apollo Theater
4/04-05 Art Brut at Bowery Ballroom
4/04-05 The Stills at Mercury Lounge
4/06 Sondre Lerche at Bowery Ballroom
4/07 South instore at Virgin Megastore Union Square
4/07 South at Bowery Ballroom
4/07 Arab Strap at Southpaw
4/09-10 Voxtrot at Mercury Lounge
4/11 Wolfmother at Bowery Ballroom
4/12 Art Brut at Southpaw
4/12 Mates of State at Bowery Ballroom
4/13-14 Franz Ferdinand & Death Cab for Cutie at Hammerstein
4/14-15 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at Bowery Ballroom
4/17 Cloud Cult at Knitting Factory
4/18 Calexico instore at Virgin Megastore Union Square
4/22 Dresden Dolls instore at Virgin Megastore Union Square
4/20 Robert Pollard & Richard Davies at Irving Plaza
4/21 Nouvelle Vague at Irving Plaza
4/27 Adam Green at Bowery Ballroom
5/03-05 Built to Spill & Camper Van Beethoven at Irving Plaza
5/05 Evan Dando at Southpaw
5/08 The Concretes at Bowery Ballroom
5/19 Erasure (acoustic) at Society for Ethical Culture
6/01 The Kooks at Northsix
6/25 Feist at Central Park Summerstage
7/02 Jose Gonzalez & Seu Jorge at Central Park Summerstage
7/21 Jens Lekman at (tba)

Still waiting for: Babyshambles, Duels, and Dirty Pretty Things. Where art thou, oh great booking god in the sky?

DJ Shandi

Anyone else watch the season debut of America's Next Top Model last night? Is it just me, or do the girls get uglier every season? At least they did not kick off the Brigitte Bardot clone in the first episode, though I'm sure that's coming next week. Tyra hates pretty blonde girls.

Much more interesting than the ANTM debut is the news that former cast member Shandi Sullivan, the "services clerk" from Kansas City, is now the resident Monday night DJ at New York's Pianos, spinning "80's tunes." The party gets started every Monday at 8pm, and is free.

Before you get too excited, keep in mind this is the same Shandi whose profile lists her "Favorite Music" as "No Favorite."

Pete: "I Love Kate 4 Eva"

On Wednesday, Pete Doherty was told at Thames Magistrates Court that he was making "positive progress" in his fight against drug addiction.

This morning, a mere 24 hours later, Doherty was back at Thames Magistrates Court facing seven new counts of possessing controlled drugs, including heroin and crack cocaine.

Fashionably late as always, Pete arrived (in a gold Jaguar, no less) two hours after the hearing was set to begin. On the window of the car, Pete scrawled (backwards; so talented!) "I love Kate 4 eva," beneath which he added "QPR," in tribute to his favourite football team, Queens Park Rangers (retro QPR shirts available here).

Inside the courthouse, dressed in a blue military jacket and his trademark trilby, Pete was silent other than to confirm that his address is at Laburnum Street in east London (stalkers take note).

The case was adjourned until March 23, and Pete was released on unconditional bail.

As a tribute to Pete's never dying love for Kate, below is the very touching For Lovers video:

Seen Your Video

For your viewing pleasure...

Babyshambles performing Albion at the NME Awards:




Babyshambles music video for Albion:




Dirty Pretty Things performing Deadwood at the NME Awards:




Dirty Pretty Things music video for Bang Bang You're Dead:




Arctic Monkeys music video for When the Sun Goes Down:

Free Shows Aplenty

Sick of paying money from your hard-earned dole cheques to see bands play live? Me too. That's why I love in-stores. They really are the best of all worlds: they start early, involve no crappy opening bands, take place in intimate spaces, and cost nothing.

In New York, there are three primary record stores that host quality in-store performances: Virgin Megastore Union Square, Other Music and Sound Fix. Other Music seems to have become a little lazy when it comes to in-store bookings, but Virgin and Sound Fix are more than making up the difference. Here's what's scheduled at both:

Virgin Megastore Union Square

3/10 - Grand National (6pm)
3/21 - The Brakes (2pm)
3/21 - Mates of State (7pm)
4/07 - South (tba)
4/18 - Calexico (tba)
4/22 - Dresden Dolls (tba)

(By the way, does anyone have a good quality MP3 of Dresden Dolls' version of Two-Headed Boy? If so, I would be grateful if you would email it to me. Many thanks.)

Sound Fix

3/12 - Mi and L'au (2pm)
3/12 - Film School (4pm)
3/26 - Kelly Stoltz (4pm)

Another great place to see shows, though rarely for free, is the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe. They have two big shows coming up this month:

3/10 - Sondre Lerche (7:30pm) ($25)
3/28 - Ben, Ian and Tom from Gomez (8pm) ($25)

Does This Man Look "Punk Rock" To You?

There are a lot of phrases I might use to describe Preston from the Ordinary Boys ("Pretty Boy", "Unable to Play More Than Two Chords of Any Song When Given a Guitar on Celebrity Big Brother", "That Poor Idiot Who Broke Up With His Fiancee to Date Chantelle, One of the Least Attractive Women I Have Ever Seen"), but "Punk Rock" is not one of them. Yet, despite his shenanigans in the Celebrity Big Brother house and his now regular appearances in the glossy tabloids, Preston still sees himself as a punk rocker at heart. Indeed, so much so that he has felt the need to repeatedly make the point in practically every interview he has given since finishing fourth on the programme.

Consider the following selection of recent Preston quips:

"We've always had this punk rock attitude and going on Big Brother was me thinking let's do something outrageous and take a big risk."

"We're always going to be a punk rock band."

"When we plug in and turn up to 11, it's still going to be punk rock."

Bit sensitive on this point, eh Preston?

To further prove he's still down with the kids, Preston is also said to be making a guest appearance in an upcoming new video from The Streets. Apparently he and Mike Skinner recently met and hit it off like the proverbial house on fire.

Finally, Preston is looking ahead to the next Ordinary Boys album. Given his insistence that the band will always be "punk rock", you might be expecting something along the lines of Never Mind the Bollocks or Sandinista!, but alas you would be mistaken. Instead, says Preston, the band's main inspiration for album three will be The Kinks country/folk classic Muswell Hillbillies.

Now that's what I call turning it up to 11.

For Those Who Have The Means

3/03 Belle & Sebastian instore signing at Virgin Megastore Union Square (5:30pm)
3/04 Man Man instore performance at Sound Fix (8pm)
3/06 Serena Maneesh at Bowery Ballroom
3/07 The Subways at Bowery Ballroom
3/08 The Wedding Present at Bowery Ballroom
3/09 Eagle*Seagull at Pianos
3/10 BATTLE at Mercury Lounge
3/11 Eagle*Seagull at The Hook
3/11 Cloud Room at Mercury Lounge
3/13 Isobel Campbell at Joe's Pub
3/13 BATTLE at Rothko
3/13 Guillemots at Mercury Lounge
3/14 Gemma Hayes at Mercury Lounge (7pm)
3/15 Isobel Campbell at Southpaw
3/17-18 Stereolab at Town Hall
3/20 Annie at Mercury Lounge
3/20 The Go! Team at Bowery Ballroom
3/21 The Zutons at Mercury Lounge
3/21 The Rakes at Bowery Ballroom
3/21 Magnet at Living Room
3/22 Camera Obscura at Knitting Factory
3/23 Richard Hawley at Sin-e
3/23 Amusement Parks on Fire at Mercury Lounge
3/24 Billy Bragg at Society for Ethical Culture
3/24 The Books & Jose Gonzalez at Bowery Ballroom
3/24-25 Mystery Jets at Mercury Lounge
3/24-26 Ray Davies at Irving Plaza
3/25 Kelley Stoltz instore performance at Sound Fix (4pm)
3/25 The Arctic Monkeys at Webster Hall
3/26 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists at Knitting Factory
3/26-27 Stellastarr* at Bowery Ballroom
3/27 White Rose Movement at Mercury Lounge
3/27 Th' Faith Healers at Northsix
3/28 Snow Patrol at Bowery Ballroom
3/28 The Magic Numbers at Webster Hall
3/28 The Editors & Stellastarr* at Warsaw
3/29 Richard Ashcroft at Webster Hall
3/30 dEUS at Bowery Ballroom
3/30 The Editors at Webster Hall
3/30 I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness at Mercury Lounge
3/31 I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness at Northsix
3/31 Nine Black Alps at Bowery Ballroom
3/31-4/01 Flaming Lips at Webster Hall
4/01 Pretenders at Irving Plaza
4/01 Hard-Fi at Warsaw
4/01 South at Southpaw
4/01 The Orb at Avalon
4/02-06 Gorillaz at Apollo Theater
4/04-05 Art Brut at Bowery Ballroom
4/04-05 The Stills at Mercury Lounge
4/06 Sondre Lerche at Bowery Ballroom
4/07 South at Bowery Ballroom
4/07 Arab Strap at Southpaw
4/09-10 Voxtrot at Mercury Lounge
4/11 Wolfmother at Bowery Ballroom
4/12 Art Brut at Southpaw
4/12 Mates of State at Bowery Ballroom
4/13-14 Franz Ferdinand & Death Cab for Cutie at Hammerstein
4/14-15 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at Bowery Ballroom
4/17 Cloud Cult at Knitting Factory
4/20 Robert Pollard & Richard Davies at Irving Plaza
4/21 Nouvelle Vague at Irving Plaza
5/03-05 Built to Spill & Camper Van Beethoven at Irving Plaza
5/19 Erasure (acoustic) at Society for Ethical Culture
7/2 Seu Jorge at Central Park Summerstage

That's a lot of great shows. Is no one else excited about that Richard Hawley show? I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.

The bad news is, despite all three bands playing at SXSW, it appears that Duels, the Kooks and the Harrisons will not be playing in New York as part of their trip to the States. Criminal.

Ted Leo At The Hook

Last night was my first taste of The Hook, Brooklyn's latest foray into the world of indie rock venues. The event was the first show anywhere this year by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. I've been a big fan of Ted's since the release of the first Chisel album, but somehow this show was the first time I've been able to see him live. I was not disappointed, either with Ted or the venue.

For those who have not been, The Hook is sort of a cross between Mercury Lounge and Northsix in terms of size and layout. To its credit, the space felt both spacious and intimate despite the fact that the show was sold out and packed.

As for Ted, my first impression was how utterly unpretentious he is. I can't remember the last time the front person of a well-known band came out on the stage 20 minutes before the show starts to set up his own equipment. No roadie, no guitar tech, just Ted.


Another nice touch were the handwritten setlists for each of the band members, which Ted had personally written out on the back of the band's Rider for the show. It amazes me how many young bands have someone type up and photocopy their setlists for them, eliminating all the spontaneity and creativity that comes with a last-minute scribbled list of songs on whatever scrap of paper happens to be handy. Such setlists are very sadly becoming a dying art form.

The show itself was beset with sound problems, but Ted was in top form, sweating profusely and dancing around with his guitar like a teenager rocking out to the first Clash album in front of his bedroom mirror.


A mere four songs into the set, during Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?, Ted's guitar hero antics resulted in a huge gash in his pants running from his thigh to his crotch, which left little to the imagination.


That led to a short break and some judicious application of duct tape, but the show was quickly back in full swing with a rousing rendition of Me & Mia. There were a couple of new songs sprinkled in, but the set was mostly filled with the hits, including an extended set of impromptu encores. No fun covers, unfortunately. (Speaking of which, if anyone has a good quality version of Ted doing Dancing in the Dark, would you mind sending it to me? I would be extremely grateful.)