SUMMER FESTIVALS
Friendly Fires: ‘taking a ride to another clime’
SOUNDS OF THE SUMMER List critics pick their must-listen songs for the warm weather. All the tracks are available either on our Spotify playlist (list.co.uk/ summerplaylists) or at the web addresses mentioned below
METRONOMY: ‘THE BAY’ This wee gem from The English Riviera is pure pleasure seeker escapism, building slowly and layering minor key lurches over an irresistible slap bass disco beat, before erupting giddily into a euphoric chorus of ‘it feels so gooooood’. And by heck, it does. (Laura Ennor) DONOVAN: ‘SUNSHINE SUPERMAN’ The 65-year-old’s faded, psychedelic star is back in the ascendant, with a gig at the Royal Albert Hall in June. This song – the title track from his 1966 album – suggests he’s going to ‘pick up your hand, and blow your little mind’. So, watch out there . . . (Jonny Ensall)
THE JAPANESE WAR EFFORT: ‘SUMMER, SUN, SKATEBOARD’ A trip through lo-fi indie rock and shimmering electronica, this hazy masterpiece from Jamie Scott, alias JWE and half of Conquering Animal Sound, is from July’s ‘Surrender to Summer’ EP. (Nicola Meighan) bit.ly/japanesewareffort
WEEZER: ‘ISLAND IN THE SUN’ In this anthem for lazy daydreamers everywhere, Rivers Cuomo extols the joys of beachside life with a groove so laidback it’s practically horizontal. Luckily, though, he doesn’t forget to rock out in the second half of the song. See them at T in the Park this year. (LE)
A SUNNY DAY IN GLASGOW: ‘THE BEST SUMMER EVER’ By far the most appropriate band name/song title combination we could think to include in this list – though that is not ASDiG’s only merit. Off-kilter dream pop of the kind that’s well suited to a post- Solero sugar high. (JE)
FRIENDLY FIRES: ‘HAWAIIAN AIR’ The blissful disco of Friendly Fires’ new album Pala is going to be the sound of the warm season; ‘Hawaiian Air’ finds Ed Macfarlane in holiday mood, dreaming of ‘skipping the meal for a G&T’ aboard a flight to Honolulu. See interview, left. (Malcolm Jack)
FAKE BLOOD: ‘I THINK I LIKE IT’ Theo Keating was the man behind The Wiseguys’ ‘Ooh La La’. Now, as Fake Blood, he makes jump-up- and-down-and-say-’woo’ house of the right tone for an out-of-control barbecue. He plays at RockNess this June. (JE)
DISCOPOLIS: ‘COLD SUMMERS’ Discopolis’ blend of astral electro and choral melancholy is gorgeous. The promising Edinburgh dream-pop trio, who summon sunsets, sunrises and general swooning, play the T-Break stage at TitP in July. (NM) bit.ly/discopolis WASHED OUT: ‘EYES BE CLOSED’ A welcome new single from the Georgia, USA chillwave-er, whose second album is out in July. Listen carefully – you can almost hear the sound of hipsters clicking their Holga cameras in appreciation. (JE) bit.ly/eyesbeclosed
BILL WELLS AND AIDAN MOFFAT: ‘CRUEL SUMMER’ (BBC RADIO SCOTLAND SESSION) bit.ly/cruelsummer Taking the sweltering dejection of Bananarama’s finest moment and restoring it as a smouldering avant- jazz lament, this is an inspired companion track to Moffat and Wells’ long-player, Everything’s Getting Older. (NM)
they go along. The choruses are all epic. We fall into that – that’s just how we like to write music I suppose. I could see it working on a big stage.’ They’ll get a chance to prove it this summer, as they dive headlong into the festivals circuit for what could be a string of defining performances. As punters, Macfarlane and Gibson had their formative music festival experiences at All Tomorrow’s Parties in their late teens. ‘I’ve got loads of fond memories of taking mushrooms for the first time and watching Russell Haswell,’ says Macfarlane. ‘All these warped, bizarre, scary sounds, and people with masks on.’ They’d love to curate their own ATP, but Macfarlane concedes it’ll ‘never happen’. ‘We’re far too pop,’ he admits, quite contently.
Friendly Fires will perform at all the major UK al fresco music weekenders this summer, from Glastonbury to T in the Park, mention of which prompts Macfarlane to crack a smile. ‘I remember last time we went to T in the Park,’ he says. ‘Our bus arrived at the site and there were loads of Scots just giving us the finger and swearing at us as we went by. I was like, “Yes – it’s going to be a good one”.’
Friendly Fires play T in the Park, Sat 9 Jul.
,
k r a P n o t g n n n o D
i
L A V I T S E F D A O L N W O D
2 1 n u S – 0 1 i r F
, s d n a d M i
l
t s a E
. k u o c
. l
a v i t s e f d a o n w o d l
, n u J
f
e D ,
d o o g o s l a v i t s e f k c o r e h T
i n a m s ’ y a d i r F e n
i l d a e h o t n r u t e r
o s d n a y a w a y a t s t ’ n d u o c d r a p p e L l
n i e c n a m r o f r e p t s a l r i e h t e c n s e g a t s i
i
, e b m o Z b o R
i , e s n a n A k n u k S
. 9 0 0 2
n w o D a f o m e t s y S d n a k r a P n k n L
i
i
E L O H T I B B A R E H T E N U O D
. s e c n a r a e p p a e k a m o t t e s o s a e r a l
2 1 n u S – 0 1
i r F
,
l e n a b n u D
, e n u o D
l
.
. k u o c e o h t i b b a r e h t e n u o d
, n u J
l e b t ’ n d u o h s e m e h t ’ y t r a p a e t
s r e t t a h - d a m
‘ e h t , e m a n e h t n e v G i
, s e n i l
e s a V e h T s r e n
i l d a e H
.
i g n s i r p r u s
l l i b a p o t r a e B
l
r a o P d n a n o r e H e k M
i
M R
, s t i d n a B X M B s e d u c n i t a h t
l
l
i
a m n A g n i r e u q n o C d n a t r e b b u H
y d e m o c , c g a m s a l l i
e w s a ,
d n u o S
. s e i t i v i t c a r e h t o s u o i r a v d n a
L A V I T S E F T H G W F O E L S I I
, n u J 2 1 n u S – 0 1 i r F
, t r o p w e N ,
k r a P e s o c a e S
l
m o c . l
a v i t s e f t h g w f o e s l
i
i
L A V I T S E F H T I E L
. s r e h t o g n o m a , e y E y d a e B d n a
, u o y t n u a t o t t s u J . t u o d o s y d a e r l a l
t e k c i t a e v a h t ’ n o d u o y f i e r a s e c n a h C
s a h t i s a k c u l f o t u o e r ’ u o y n e h t s h t r o i
f
o o F , n o e L f o s g n K g n s s m e b i
i
i
l l i
w u o y
, e v e t S k c s a e S i
, s f e h C i
r e s a K i
, s r e t h g F i
i , s t s i t n e c S e r A e W
, s e s r o H
f
o d n a B
,
h t i e L , s e u n e v s u o i r a V
i
i
s ’ r a e y s h t , e z s n i g n w o r g - r e v E i
m o c . l
a v i t s e f h t i e
l ,
n u J 9 1 n u S – 0 1 i r F
s t n e v e 0 5 1 n a t n o c l l i i
w l a v i t s e F h t i e L
i
. s r u o t g n k a w d n a
l
l
. t n e a t s t o o r s s a r g d n a l a n o s s e o r p f
i
e h t d n a , e e r f e r a s t n e v e y n a M
, y d e m o c s r e v o c e m m a r g o r p d e i r a v
i h t o b g n s a c w o h s , s e u n e v 0 5 s s o r c a
s t r a l a u s v , c s u m i
i
, e r t a e h t , e c n a d
L A N O I T A N R E T N I
H G R U B N D E I
,
i n a p S
,
l a n o e c r a B
. k u g r o . t s e f m
l i f d e
, n u J 6 2 n u S – 5 1 d e W
L A V I T S E F M L I F
,
h g r u b n d E i
, s e u n e v s u o i r a V
l l i
I w F F E h t 5 6 e h t , 1 1 0 2 r o
f d e g g
i j e R
i
e k M d n a l l
e s n a M
t n
i l C
, r e n r a W
R A N O S
. 2 4 e g a p
, e r u t a e f r u o e e S
. r e n n k S i
t s e u g m o r f s n o i t c e e s e r u t a e l
f
i
, h c s u m r a J m J g n d u c n i s r o t a r u c l
i
n a A l
, i n i l l
e s o R a l l
e b a s I , t n a S n a V s u G
s e . r a n o s . 1 1 0 2 ,
n u J 8 1 t a S – 6 1 u h T
,
d l r o w r e d n U s a h c u s s t s i t r a h t i w
i
. 1 o d a R d n a e n u T a n N
i
j
d n a s e b a l l
m o r f s e s a c w o h s s u p l
, s r e b m u N s a h c u s s n o i t a s n a g r o i
, n a M c i t e n g a M d n a l a c s a R e e z z D
i
f
o l a v i t s e f l a n o i t a n r e t n i s ’ n a p S i
g n o a , l
m r o f r e p e u g a e L n a m u H e h T
. t r a a d e m i
i
i t l u m d n a c s u m d e c n a v d a
26 May–23 June 2011 THE LIST 17