iLikeTrains @ Barfly

iLikeTrains have the worst name in music and are from Leeds. They are 5 blokes who sound like they've listened to too much Nick Cave but never had the balls to do heroin and become interesting. They play atmospheric, miserable indie that is reverbed up to the eyeballs and slur pretentious lyrics over the top. I actually quite enjoyed it. Songs like "Victress", "Rook House for Bobby" and whatever the last song was had their "goosebump moments" so credit where credits due i guess. Theres something about them that i really want to hate and even though they're pretencious as fuck, have a terrible name and sound like listening to Editors whilst in a k-hole, i cant help but admit it was a great gig. wankers.

Alphabeat @ Audio

Id just like to say that my love for pop music is not ironic or tongue in cheek. I firmly believe theres space for pop music in everyones record collection, be it Stevie Wonder or Take That. So with that out the way, id just like to say that Alphabeat were amazing. You've most likely heard their disgustingly catchy single "Fascination" and that was all id heard before going to see them. So while there were some fillers, i was pleasantly surprised to hear numerous other great pop songs, such as "Boyfriend" and "10,000 nights of thunder". Its kitsch as fuck danish pop fronted by some bloke who danced/sweated like Bez and some little wine drinking scandinavian minx. While i'll probably get really pissed off by them in a few months and will look back on this post and cringe, right now i think they're brilliant. Hindsight is a dangerous thing sometimes.

Mariah Carey - Touch My Body

Touch my body
Put me on the floor
Wrestle me around
Play with me some more
Touch my body
Throw me on the bed
I just wanna make you feel
Like you never did.
Touch my body
Let me wrap my thighs
All around your waist
Just a little taste
Touch my body
Know you love my curves
Come on and give me what I deserve
And touch my body.

The Chameleons

The Chameleons are one of those "seminal 80's indie groups" that loads of bands name check in an attempt to appear underground and interesting. So i thought id do the same. thankfully, they're actually quite good. Formed in Manchester in the early 80's, they have haunting vocals a la Joy Division but with an instrumentation that is really ahead of its time. Apparently its to do with using dual guitar melodies instead of a lead and a rhythm or something, but thats not very interesting. They influenced groups like U2 and The Smiths, and then bands such as Interpol and Editors pretty much completely ripped them off. check these cunts out, you'll receive 250 scene points.

www.myspace.com/thechameleons

The Shortwave Set

The shortwave set have been knockin about for a few years now. I remember seeing them support Goldfrapp at the astoria a while back, but have no recollection of what they were like. They're just about to release their second album, "Replica Sun Machine" which is out on Wall of Sound on the 28th April. Its been produced by that king of hype at the moment, Dangermouse, so expect a certain amount of excitement when this album comes out. They keep their slightly psychedelic sound from the first record but its been toned down into more of a commercial album, with that 60's sound thats pretty big in pop music at the moment. If new single, No Social and the other songs on the myspace are anything to go by, it should be a pretty nang album i reckon.

www.myspace.com/theshortwaveset
www.shortwaveset.com