Allo Darlin’ with The Wave Pictures and The Wee Bees

Check out the Facebook invite here.
Buy tickets here.

Allo Darlin’ returns to New Haven May 18

February Records is proud to join forces with Manic Productions to bring Allo Darlin’ back to New Haven. Joining them will be The Wave Pictures and opening will be New Haven’s The Wee Bees.

Cafe Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. 9 p.m. $8. 21+

Tickets are on sale now and are available online via etix or for no service charge at Redscroll Records in Wallingford.

Allo Darlin’ is the music of Australian-born, London-based songwriter Elizabeth Morris. Originally from a county town in Queensland, Elizabeth moved to London in 2005 and, inspired to write songs by her purchase of a ukulele from the famous Duke of Uke shop in Brick Lane, began to make music.

Although Elizabeth has been releasing music under various guises since 2007, it wasn’t until 2009 that she hooked up with Paul Rains (guitar), Bill Botting (bass) and Michael Collins (drums) and Allo Darlin’ was properly born. Elizabeth and Bill are from Australia, Mike and Paul are from Kent, and they all play in other bands too – Elizabeth is in Tender Trap, Paul and Michael are in Hexicon, Bill is one half of Moustache of Insanity and also in Darren Hayman and the Secondary Modern.

Early in 2009, augmented by Terry Edwards of Tindersticks / Gallon Drunk fame on trumpet and sax, Allo Darlin’ cut their first single, “Henry Rollins Don’t Dance,” released in 2009 on the cult WeePOP label. Much to their surprise, “Henry Rollins” started getting airplay on BBC Radio 1, 6 Music and XFM and the like, and received glowing reviews in places such as the Metro, The Fly and The Guardian, the latter calling it “the best indiepop song for years”. The band’s single that followed, “The Polaroid Song,” was named as one of Drowned In Sound’s Top 50 singles of 2009, while their latest single “Dreaming” was voted Single Of The Week by Jarvis Cocker, Peter Hook and Huw Stephens on Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6music round table (beating MGMT, The Radio Dept. and Kate Nash in the process!).

The Wave Pictures are a London-based rock trio, consisting of David Tattersall, Franic Rozycki and Johnny ‘Huddersfield’ Helm. The first line-up of the band came together in Wymeswold, Leicestershire, United Kingdom in 1998. They recorded and self-released a string of albums before finally settling in London with the current line-up.

The Wee Bees are a New Haven, CT-based indiepop band who formed in mid-2009 in cramped storage quarters along CT’s Quinnipiac River. The members met under the guise of Craigslist anonymity. The Wee Bees fully embrace the DIY-aesthetic that gave birth to some of our greatest creative inspirations (C86, Sarah, K, Matador, Slumberland) and craft pop songs that span the gamut from jangly verse-chorus-verse structure to tremolo-heavy shoegaze to sweet lullabies to experimental jaunts.

2011 Top 5s


I was asked to do an end-of-year best-of top-5 list by Felipe from the chaotisch and charmant blog. His blog will feature different best-of lists from various guests all this month, so check it out. I decided I might as well post my lists here as well.

There was so much good music this year — and so much I didn’t get a chance to listen to. I can think of at least five albums I didn’t get to hear that would probably have made these lists. From what I was fortunate enough to hear, these are the ones that really stood out. It looks like it was a really good year for female vocals, Slumberland Records and Comet Gain. I purposely left February Records releases off the list.

Top 5 albums
5. Veronica Falls – s/t (Slumberland)
4. Cat Naps – Why Don’t You Whisper? (self-released)
3. Gold Bears – Are You Falling In Love? (Slumberland)
2. Dum Dum Girls – Only In Dreams (Sub Pop)
1. Comet Gain – Howl of the Lonely Crowd (What’s Your Rupture?)

5 runners-up
5. Pocketbooks – Carousel (Oddbox)
4. Fireflies – Autumn Almanac (Happy Prince)
3. Girls Names – Dead To Me (Slumberland)
2. Sea Pony – Go With Me (Hardly Art)
1. Wild Flag – s/t (Merge)

Top 5 EPs
5. Tiny Fireflies – Change (Little Treasure)
4. Kids on a Crime Spree – We Love You So Bad (Slumberland)
3. Burning Hearts – Into The Wilderness (Shelflife)
2. Brave Irene – s/t (Slumberland)
1. Chalk and Numbers – He Knew (self-released)

New video: “Someone’s Always Dying to Break My Heart” by The Cavemen Go

Check out the new video from The Cavemen Go. The video was shot over the summer for this year’s single, “Someone’s Always Dying to Break My Heart.” It was filmed by Maxwell Thomas of Automata Films.

New release: “A Simple Beast” by Ghost of Chance

FEB026: “A Simple Beast” — Ghost of Chance
1. New Carthage [mp3]
2. Howe Howard [mp3]
3. Chipper
4. Trident
5. Lend Me A Dollar
6. Pilot
7. Red Garbs [mp3]
8. Pipe
9. Turbine

Purchase the CD

New Haven, Conn.’s Ghost of Chance channels elements from the past in a way that keeps the music sounding fresh and relevant. The group’s distinctive style is characterized by subtle time signature changes and sonically-open experimentation set to surrealist lyrics.

Ghost of Chance’s sound takes its influence from ’60s psychedelia, ’70s glam, math rock and post punk while maintaining the shimmer of classic pop sensibilities.

All of this adds to the unique yet familiar sound that Ghost of Chance have cleverly cultivated on their sophomore album. Bustling with nervous energy and the desire to communicate, “A Simple Beast” shows growth, both musically and lyrically.

RIYL: Built To Spill, Modest Mouse, The Zombies, The Appleseed Cast, Guided By Voices, Explosions In The Sky

CT Indie blog: “… Jayson Munro does some solid early ’90s guitar work that could be bookended by anything from the Lilys to Teenage Fanclub.”

Hartford Courant SoundCheck blog: “ … the band plays catchy rock ‘n’ roll with some unexpected twists and turns. … the group delivers a bracing blend of well-constructed songs … ”

Shindig!

Bourgeois Heroes’ 7″, “Olé Hola,” has been reviewed in the Shindig! Quarterly No. 3.

Elm City PopFest: full schedule

Elm City PopFest: Final two bands added

Check the Elm City PopFest blog for news and videos about the last two bands added to the bill.

Elm City PopFest Hartford warm-up show

Art by Bob Rock

Elm City PopFest New Haven warm-up show


Poster by Bob Rock