IN THE PARK
IN WITH THE OLD
Trends come and go, but the unashamed recycling that goes on in music should be celebrated, not scorned. Chew over a few of these familiar flavours.
Richard
Ashcroft A K
is the new Paul . 1 Weller ma
Once upon ‘
a time their bands defined the times while others got the
glory (All Mod Cons and A Northern Soul were
better than Never Mind The Bollocks and
What’s The Story... no?). Then both made their
money and turned into Elton John. WTF?
ll Presidents are the new Proclaimers Universally loved ‘en Ecosse', expect to hear salmon-pink, bare- chested men (and women) singing along lovingly with every word. Visitors from ‘darn sarf’ will shrug and try to hum the tune.
Arctic Monkeys are the new Who Both started out with an eloquently definitive series of anthems to being young in the UK. Expect Alex Turner to sour memory by appearing in piss-poor sequel to Buddy's Song, circa 2030.
Phoenix are the new Strokes Handsome buggers? Check. Rock star-friendly celebrity girlfriends (Misses Coppola and Barrymore, respectively)? Check. Vibrant, sharp-suited. era-displaced guitar excitement. Check.
Lily Allen is the new Goldfrapp When Lily (daughter of Keith) Allen's brilliantly cheerful reggae-pop style finally transmutes into the soundtrack of the summer, expect this precocious and attractive young woman to inspire as many eulogies to her singular stylishness as Alison G. The fact that they sound sod all like each other is an irrelevance.
Optima are the new 2 Many DJs But better. Unafraid to keep punters guessing time after time by tearing up musical genres and using them as arse paper. That's a good thing by the way.
18 THE LIST 22 Jun—6 Jul 2006
mil
The newest arrival in dance music is the bastard son of Daft Punk and Green Velvet. Mark Edmundson witnesses the joyous birth of My Robot Friend.
n a cross-Atlantic conversation with Howard Rohot I am surprised to hear a soltly spoken. rellective. human voice at the other end. This is in complete contrast to his .\ly Rohot l'riend persona unleashed on the Soma dehut. [hill 0. a
suhversive. sexually needy android with an ear l‘or‘
crunchy heats and twitchy electro-rock-pop. 'l generally like mtisic that crosses lmundaries. hands that have one loot in dance and rock and one tool in electronic music. 'Ihat’s where l lind the most inspirationf says the human Howard of an alhurn that combines lewd lyrics with innovative and inimitahle sounds and punchy techno. ‘()riginally the name My Rohot liriend descrihed all the machines I was working with. I had only done music in hands. and when I started doing electronic shift' I l‘ound I could kind of collahorate with these machines. They were my rohot l'riends.‘ says Howard of the persona he happened upon alter a triend's altogether more analogue hand t‘olded. leaving him to tinker with electronics. 'I didn't have a concept or anything. I just wanted to do something that was nutty and interesting. It was only alter three or tour shows that I realised I was the robot. So now. from everyone else's
IX‘I‘spectiyc. I am your roht ll lriend.‘
Bcl'ot'c tliscoy erng a love and talent lor mustc production. lloward's heart lay in the visual artistry of alternative comics. He has lotmtl that the challenges ol perlorming alone onstage proyidc the perl'ect outlet hit his visual art expression. cral'ting his costumes. lights. props and videos himsell} The result is a live show which comhines perl'ormance art with a sell el'l'acing humour and a sense ol tun. allowing lloward to assume his automaton persona in a suit ol' danling neon lairy lights and crotch hased pyrotechnics. 'l'ye seen horing shows and l‘vc seen good shows in any kind ol dimension of electronic music. I think there are certain choices you can make: you can go In a visual direction. you can go in a musical direction; or it. you have enough money and resources you can kind ol‘ do hoth; you can hayc a hand and do \tstlttl shit and go cra/y. You just have to think ahout the lac! that you're perl'orming tor people. and lust sitting there hehind a computer can he kinda horing.‘
My Rohot l‘riend‘s appearance at 'l‘ in the Park will he the lirst time he has perl'ormed this eye-watering techno caharct act on Scottish shores. having supported the likes ol the Scissor Sisters and llcrhett and won the hearts ol' his Pet Shop Boys idols. It promises to he anything hut horing. Indeed. it is a hallsol-lire spectacle not to he missed.
My Robot Friend plays the Slam Tent, Sunday
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.‘Jtlfl Hysteria in a huge- Mam: mtl‘. lllS funk, 'llll‘,l’,£tl excesses