Life in the Music Biz

When I think about the glorious summer that was 2008, I'm met with many hazy yet perfect memories: my virginal Glastonbury experience, the end of compulsory education and a whole lot of alcohol (funnily enough I don't remember all that much after that..). Ah yes, 2008 was a good year. Long summer days spent drinking far too much with friends in a park or house somewhere, acting like idiots and going to gigs like they were going out of fashion. Quite the way to live I think you'll agree.

One of the gigs that will always stick with me though is that of electro troupe Robots in Disguise. 3 hours of hard, electro carnage, resulting in having half a pint of what I hope was lager on my new dress. Crowd surfing, people being thrown out and a verbal attack on security staff also made it one hell of an evening and definitely gave me the now ever present thirst for gigs. Now I know a lot of you still haven no idea who I'm talking about, so to give you a taste of what these guys are about, watch this:

Now, needless to say the gig was everything I'd come to expect from such an adventure: swathes of hot and sweaty teenagers jumping around spilling all manner of beverages over all within a 3 metre radius. To some it may seem like hell, but when it's the backdrop to songs like that who really cares?

I've written about RID before so I don't want to completely regurgitate my declaration of love for these guys (though you should know that in a time where female fronted alternative bands are still on the periphery, what these two are doing is pretty damn awesome), but I'm writing with a sense of urgency and pleading this time around. If you hadn't heard of Robots in Disguise before placing your eyes upon this hallowed page that's probably because although in the midst of recording their fourth studio album they are still operating very much under the radar, away from the glaring eyes of the mainstream. Whether this is a good thing is still up for debate, but the fact remains that due to this and the thwack of the tail end of the recession still being felt by musicians everywhere, RID are struggling to come up with funding for their new album.

Although they have a strong fanbase (including the likes of Noel Fielding and electro superstar Peaches), there is always more to be done and any new listeners will be welcomed with sexy robot arms.

I love Robots in Disguise, they remind me of my youth (comparatively anyway, at 17 I'm hardly waiting for my Giro) and they're a fine example of what indie music actually is. With your help we can make sure that more people can hear just how awesome this band is and say a resounding 'fuck you' to the big record companies that don't have to face this kind of crisis everytime they want to put out an album. If it's £1 or even £5, every little penny counts and Robots in Disguise only receive the money if they reach their total of£15,000, with 10% of all money made going towards a charity dealing with improving the lives of those suffering with Alzheimer's. so really what is there to lose??

Support the talent. Pledge!

Robots in Disguise are also playing a series shows across the UK this month, to find out details on venues and ticket prices, click here.

Peaches and Cream

In my next Pre-Glasto post I will be focusing on my Sunday night headliner choice, and boy was it a tough decision: Blur and The Prodigy are both playing at the same time as this electroclash vixen, it was like Sophie's Choice I'm telling you, only without the Nazis.

I LOVE Peaches.



Now, if you're a newcomer into the realm of Peaches or Electro in itself, you should know that Peaches is one of the staples of the Electroclash genre, admired by many for making sexy, danceable songs with lyrics suggesting she really doesn't give a fuck. Peaches just seems to ooze that charm that is lacking in most of today's electropop twaddle (see Lady Ga Ga) : she is cool. She's also different to the sea of synthpop about at the minute, a refreshing respite from all the saccharine coated music coming from bands who just want their music to be on the next series of Skins. Think a slightly more rough and ready version of Little Boots and you'll start to get a glimpse of what Peaches' music is like.



Peaches is the matriarch in the electro dynasty , and at the grand age of 42 she shows no signs of abdicating any time soon. New album I Feel Cream is just as edgy as one would come to expect from an artist whose previous tracks include Fuck the Pain Away (one of the best tracks she's ever done in my opinion). But it's not just about the innuendo; there are a few epic chooons in there too. Trick or Treat is one of the less explicit tracks and has an intensely catchy riff or two, designed to make for a great club track, whilst More is very 80's and reminds me of many a retro video game, which can only be a good thing.




She may be a Marmite artist, but I for one will definitely be as close as I can get to the front next Sunday, I think she's bloody brilliant.




N.B This video is a bit odd, but then so is the song so I guess it makes some sort of sense.