Issue 4 / September 2010

16
Bido Lito! September 2010
Middle Eight
Vasco Da Gama
Perhaps taking a cue from the explorer they take their
name from, VASCO DA GAMA have travelled a fair way to get
here. Finally forming in 2009 in Liverpool, the band is the
result of friendships forged over the years in Darlington,
Huddersfield and Warrington. Falling under the all-toogeneral
‘math-rock’ category, they have the skewed timesignatures
associated with the genre, but combine it with
soaring melodies and grooves to get audiences dancing
rather than reaching for the calculator.
After a few months of rehearsing, Vasco da Gama
debuted their set early in 2010, garnering high praise. Tracks
Edited by Richard Lewis - middle8@bidolito.co.uk
Best Disguises and Skeleton Girl Killed the Party have been
showcased on the NxNW podcast. The band’s co-hosting of one
of the podcast’s recent editions showcased their informative
tongues, alongside their dexterous musical manoeuvres.
After only a handful of gigs, the band are gaining a
reputation as an exciting live act, and with an EP scheduled
for late summer/early autumn, they are certainly ones to
watch over the summer. Their appearance at the Bluecoat
on 29th August will most definitely be one to catch...set
square, check...protractor, check...nautical atlas, check...
open mind, check.
myspace.com/vascoband
Urchins
2008 may not have produced the Summer of Ska that was
predicted by many but it did give us the birth of URCHINS,
five lads from St Helens who seem determined to rescue the
reputation of the indie/punk/ska sub-genre that took a bashing
when The Dead 60s and Milburn sank to the bottom of the
bargain buckets. And an admirable job they seem to be doing,
having already provided support for Buzzcocks, Echo & The
Bunnymen and The Bees of late, as well as starting recording
work on their debut album. And if their current collection of
catchily disjointed Specials-influenced tracks is anything to go
The Insect Guide
Headed up by Ormskirk-ian exile Stan Howells, and joined
by husky, guttural vocalist Su Sutton and drummer Chris
Cooper - can-crasher of 4AD band of note The Pale Saints - THE
INSECT GUIDE play dark, shoe-gaze, dream pop of a Slowdive,
Galaxie 500 and Ride mould. The band’s debut long player, 6ft
In Love, came in 2007 to what would seem disproportionate
praise for a band who essentially write, record, produce,
design and package everything themselves...down to the
visuals that accompany their scintillating live show.
Uncut named the record their debut of the month and
the LP’s lead track was given the remix treatment by Sonic
I Am Austin
Creating a buzz around them following an appearance
at Sound City and a slot on Radio One’s Introducing Stage
at One Big Weekend, I AM AUSTIN bring their two-piece
garage rock assault to the city on September 11th. Strongly
influenced by the underground sixties motherlode of the
Nuggets series with a hint of the Pixies’ visceral roar, the
groups’ ear boxing volume is offset by clearly discernible
pop interludes.
They throw Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Queens of the
Stone Age, Death From Above 1979 into the mix and level
it out with the poppier elements of The Strokes and Crystal
by, then it will be certainly be an album to look forward to.
Ranging from the Coral-esque gypsy breakdown of Lupine, to
the Babyshambolic rambling of Les Midinettes, Urchins manage to
mash up a whole load of influences to create songs so sharp you
could hang your box-fresh Fred Perry polo on them. Their overall
sound is still typical of the genre though, proving that they
are the natural successors to the crown of Ska Torchbearers,
passed on from Dammers to Strummer, The Dead 60s, and
now themselves. And rightly so: just you try keeping them
shoulders still when you listen to Eyesore.
Urchinmania is coming to a ghost town near you.
myspace.com/urchinsmania
Boom, he of Spacemen 3, Spectrum and, more recently, MGMT
nob-twiddling fame. Steve Lamacq got excited, Drowned in Sound
named it ‘an irresistible pop masterpiece’ and even the NME had
a sniff, almost getting onto something embryonic and extremely
exciting...
Having toured the US, taken a trip to perform in Scandinavia
and played a BBC 6 Music Session for Marc Riley, the group
return this September with a new single, Down From Here,
with all the pop hooks and melodic spectacle we’ve come to
expect. The band’s second album, Dark Days & Nights lands
in October and The Insect Guide play Fell Foot Woods on the
banks of Lake Windermere in September. Not to be missed.
theinsectguide.com
Castles. The duo’s stoner rock leanings are given an edge with
the swirling FX provided by the myriad of pedals at bassist Adam
Hughes’ feet.
Providing the rhythmic backbone, sticksman
and vocalist David Mitchell’s beats switch between crisp and
rumbling, powering the tracks with blistering force.
Touring to promote the recently released Sounds Like Filth
EP the duo have enjoyed the support of Edith Bowman and
Bethan Elfyn who described them as “One fifth of Kings
of Leon crossed with the ghost of Death From Above
(DFA 1979).” With tracks as strong as Stripper, recent 45
Zombietown and forthcoming single LAFS the duo are set
to shake the Student Union of JMU to its foundations.
myspace.com/iamaustinmusic
www.bidolito.co.uk
Words - Vasco Da Gama: David Hendrie // The Urchins: Frankie Muslin // The Insect Guide: Can Brannan // I Am Austin: Richard Lewis