Santigold is back full-throttle and beyond ready to unleash this album, you can tell by the way she beams onstage when performing the new tracks. It truly is exciting to see and you should all prepare yourselves for what is about to come, it’s going to be MASSIVE. Check out a few more videos I snuck from last night’s set below including Karen O’s cameo! More videos HERE.

Setlist for 1/16 & 1/17:
Go // LES Artistes // Lights Out // God From The Machine // Get it Up // Hold the Line // Starstruck // Anne // Say Aha // Disparate Youth // Creator // Freak Like Me // Unstoppable // Brooklyn Go Hard // Shove It (w/ Spank Rock) // Fame // Big Mouth // B.O.O.T.A.Y. (w/ Spank Rock)

Fame:

Stream: Santigold – Unstoppable by diplo

I was so bummed out when the Afro-Punk Festival was cancelled back in August as a precaution for Hurricane Irene (which was all hype). The stellar line-up included Janelle Monae, Cee-Lo Green, Res, Ninjasonik, Das Racist, Kenna, and Santigold. This was also to serve as my Santi fix for the year in anticipation of the new material, and my first time seeing her live since Lollapalooza ages ago in 2009!

Fast-forwarding to last night, the first of two sold out consecutive last minute warm up shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Santi looked and sounded 100% on top of her game and truly excited to be onstage again. Her dancers, band, costume/prop designer, and the person in the horse costume (?) also deserve just as much attention for their theatrical performances which rounded out the dazzling 17 song set.

The new songs: Go, God From The Machine, Disparate Youth, Freak Like Me, Fame, and Big Mouth were catchy, entrancing, unique and anthemic. I cannot wait to own them, the album needs to drop ASAP! Santigold plays Music Hall of Williamsburg again tonight (I’ll be there with a better camera this time) before joining the west coast leg of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers tour.

Stream: Santigold – Go (Feat. Karen O.)

The absolute pivotal point of the show for me was one of the songs that put them on the map, Gravity’s Rainbow, which propelled the latter part of the set into an all out dance party. Unfortunately for Cory Kennedy, she missed that after being kicked out for underage drinking!

mp3: Klaxons – Atlantis To Interzone (Crystal Castles Remix)

At just 20-years-old Marling’s incredibly mature voice and poetic songwriting captivated the audience, which at times left Laura taken aback. It was truly a magical performance. Check out the footage captured below from the show, including a stunning cover of Jackson C. Frank‘s Blues Run the Game! Laura Marling wraps her US tour before hitting the UK festival circuit this summer, do not make the same mistake I did in waiting so long to see her live!

mp3: Laura Marling – Devil’s Spoke [alt]

mp3: Laura Marling – Roll Away Your Stone (Mumford & Sons Cover) [alt]

Kate played a 13-song set following the excruciating opening act Supercute (I know they’re only 15 but songs about hula hoops and sympathizing with pigeons are just not my thing.) The crowd was predominately teenage girls shouting back Nash’s lyrics, it was actually quite endearing for a Saturday night.

Video footage and pictures are limited from this show as the keyboard (which was emblazoned by the words A Cunt is A Useful Thing) obstructed view along with Ms. Nash’s limited mobility. Regardless Kate’s voice was phenomenal especially in highlights: the hushed rendition of I Hate Seagulls, Mouthwash and the wildly aggressive Mansion Song.

Check out video footage of Mouthwash and Foundations below!

mp3: Kate Nash – Doo Wah Do [alt]

mp3: Kate Nash – Mouthwash (Hot Chip Remix) [alt]

mp3: Kate Nash – Fluorescent Adolescent (Arctic Monkeys Cover) [alt]

Enjoy pictures from our hilarious photoshoot with Gwilym (in which he insisted on wearing a pig nose) and check out pictures from the Blue Flowers CMJ Show including Mumford and Sons and The Temper Trap HERE.

MP3: Golden Silvers – Lily the Lover or zShare
MP3: Golden Silvers – Arrows of Eros (With Hypnotic Brass Ensemble) or zShare

> When did you arrive in New York?
GG: Just since Tuesday night.

>How many shows have you played since arriving?
GG: We’ve played a show every night so far. Tuesday night was the first one but it wasn’t that great though because we lost some of our equipment when it didn’t turn up at the airport. We had to make due but luckily it turned up, last night was really good.

> Did you have any visa troubles getting into The States?
GG: It was alright actually. Luckily someone sorted it out for us although our manager did get pulled aside, but luckily he got through at the end [all laugh]

‘We kind of aim to try and not classify it, we want to keep it a bit open basically. I guess you can say that our aim was to make it unclassifiable.’

> Speech Debelle was supposed to play tonight’s show –
GG: Is that why? Visa issues?

> Yeah unfortunately. How have you been finding the audiences here so far?
GG: It’s the first time we’ve ever been here, first time in America. It’s almost like going back to playing your first gig. Not many people know our stuff but it makes us feel a bit tighter. It’s different.

> Do you feel your reputation precedes you with having won the Glastonbury New Talent Award in 2008? What kind of first impression do you want to make on the US?
GG: I don’t know know, maybe just as something new or different. Nothing that anyone else is doing hopefully.

> How would you begin to classify the sound that you’re hoping to make?
GG: We kind of aim to try and not classify it, we want to keep it a bit open basically. While recording we didn’t have any specific style or anything, we just let every song work it’s own way. I suppose we want to make everything sound fresh or interesting, not sound like anything else around. I guess you can say that our aim was to make it unclassifiable.

> In the UK you started a monthly club night called The Bronze Club at The Macbeth, how did that come about?
GG: We first started on our own, basically we went to [book] some gigs but we thought that the nights were a bit shit so we decided to start our own. It just so happened that at the same time there were a lot of bands in there that we really liked and we were sort of friends with. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Micachu and a band called The Invisible, there were loads and it was a perfect opportunity to start a night. We kind of made it though, it definitely helped that there were a lot of great bands around to help.
[Bandmates' The Xx sing-a-long gets increasingly loud in the background]
GG: Guys, guys. We’re trying to record this.
[All laugh awkwardly]
Bandmate: Sorry! It’s Gwilym’s solo project
GG: Yeah it’s my solo project, that’s why I’m talking so quietly.

‘The weird thing with being in a band is that everything in your life moves sort of faster than the music industry does.’

> What we take away from Golden Silvers apart from other bands are your lyrics and subject matter. Where do you find inspiration when writing?
GG: I suppose I try and just let it come out. My theory with writing is: to take as much as you can from everywhere. Just let it flow out and  hopefully have a bit more than one layer to it.

> Are you going back on tour in the UK after CMJ?
GG: We literally just finished the UK tour so I think next we’re going to work on some new stuff before getting back on the road. We’ll hopefully start finishing another album for next year.

> Have you written any new songs while on the road?
GG: The weird thing with being in a band is that everything in your life moves sort of faster than the music industry does. Right now I’m not really thinking about other songs and other things, we’re still playing songs that we wrote quite a long time ago.

> Do you have a relationship with Blue Flowers?
GG: Kind of vaguely, not massively. I know the guy who runs it called Chris, just know him from around town in London. We’ve never played a Blue Flowers night before.

> Are you going to try to catch any other bands while you’re in town?
GG: Hopefully. we just did  a tour with a band called Local Natives, so hopefully we’ll see them. Another band called The Xx…I’m not really sure who else is playing.

> There’s a lot, just got a headache thinking about it. You guys are DJing tonight at Bowery Electric, do you DJ at the club nights as well?
GG: Recently we’ve actually mainly DJed, we don’t want to play live every single month so it’s more like trying to find loads of new bands to play and do DJ sets.

> What kind of music do you play when DJing?
GG: Usually quite a lot of Hip-Hop, London local stuff to keep it a bit fresh. A bit of soul, you know what I mean.

Calvin Harris at The Music Hall of Williamsburg, 9.10.09

Last month we capped off Fashion’s Night Out in New York with a DJ set by Calvin Harris at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. Yes Giantess kicked off the night before Calvin took over with his headlining DJ set.

The event was 16+ so we took a safe and comfortable spot above the stage taking in the scene and starting our own dance circle away from the chaos that was the dancefloor. Calvin’s nearly 2 hour set unfortunately included only about 2 of his own songs from the spectacular new album Ready For The Weekend but other than that the set was solid (although our ears were ringing the next day, that sound system is harsh!) Can’t wait to see Calvin Harris on a proper tour, wonder what that would consist of…anyone care to provide  some insight? Spotted at the show: Spank Rock.

For all you Calvin Harris fans, I’m not done yet! The music video for Flashback was also just released, a contemplative ravey video that serves as a perfect match for the song. Doesn’t that t-shirt look familiar?

MP3: Calvin Harris – You Used To Hold Me or zShare
MP3: Katy Perry – Waking Up in Vegas (Calvin Harris Remix) or zShare

Mew at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 8.24.09

My first time seeing Mew live was in 2006 when they supported Bloc Party at McCarren Park Pool (R.I.P.). It was a fantastic set that thankfully put the unique Danish band permanently on my radar.

Mew’s 5th album, No More Stories (released on Tuesday in the US) pushes the band into new “art rock” terrain with an upbeat twist to their signature dark buildup musical formula. Mew did just that on Monday night, combining interesting/peculiar images and sounds into a solid hour long set.

The band rounded out their New York stop at Terminal 5 last night opening up for Nine Inch Nail’s Farewell Tour.

Setlist via Brooklyn Vegan Reader:
new terrain// introducing palace players // apocalypso // special // the zookeepers boy // repeater beater // sometimes life isn’t easy // 156 // am i wry? no // hawaii // snow brigade // encore: comforting sounds

MP3: Mew – Introducing Palace Players or zShare

The xx Photographed at The South Street Seaport, 8.14.09 by Anthony Cuellar

The xx are a South London-based quartet comprised of lead singers Oliver Sim (bass) and Romy Madley Croft (lead guitar), Jamie Smith (drum machine, sampler) and Baria Qureshi (guitar and keyboard.)  The xx have described their influences as “everything from Aaliyah to Cocorosie, Rhianna to The Cure, Missy Elliott to The Chromatics and Mariah Carey to The Pixies.”

Thanks to Radio 1 we’ve had The xx on our radar and have been anticipating their stateside debut, beginning on August 7th with a string of 6 gigs throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. We were in Chicago for Lollapalooza but were lucky enough to catch their opening slot for Friendly Fires at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on the 12th and again at the South Street Seaport supporting School of Seven Bells on Friday August 15th.

Reminiscent of some of our favorite ‘serious’ current bands (Glasvegas, White Lies) The xx have left an imprint on the left brain, appealing to my logical, analytical and literal side.

Onstage, The xx stand in a wall-like formation with Romy and Oliver’s harmonized vocals weaving in and out of beats and keys provided by Jamie and Baria. It truly is a team effort with each band member being crucial in creating the intricately worked layers that make their sound so fresh. With their dark post-punk aesthetic, The xx’s unexpected hushed lyrics delivered over minimalistic strums, keys and thumps are a subtle and pleasant surprise listen.

Keep your eyes and ears open for The xx whose self-titled debut album is out now in the UK and will be available in the US on October 20th. You may also hear a stream of the album right now on NME.

MP3: The xx – Hot Like Fire (Aaliyah Cover) or zShare
MP3: The xx – Teardrops (Womack & Womack Cover) or zShare

Music Hall of Williamsburg

South Street Seaport

Friendly Fires at Music Hall of Williamsburg, 8.13.09

Honestly, Friendly Fires’ gig at Le Poisson Rouge last Wednesday is one that I’d like to wipe clean from my memory. There was no air conditioning, the crowd was terrible (see Concertgoer Wall of Shame), the set times were delayed hours, all of which took it’s toll on the band. With this said I will move along to the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Fresh off of their triumphant set on the final day of Lollapalooza on August 9th, Friendly Fires brought the fire back to New York! The polished set complete with a brass section was identical to that of Lollapalooza and Le Poisson Rouge, but the energy was at an all time high fueling the flames that were the audience.

Friendly Fires at Le Poisson Rouge, 8.12.09

Thursday night’s crowd sang and danced along like I’ve never seen, including a crazed fan who literally fought with security to dance onstage and steal a kiss from frontman Ed MacFarlane!

As one of TLC’s favorite live bands we can both attest to being a bit down after the LPR gig, but Friendly Fires went above and beyond the following night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg! We left the venue astonished at the madness we’d just experienced and feel that this is just the beginning of a new chapter for Friendly Fires!

Stay tuned for a special feature on The xx who supported Friendly Fires Music Hall of Williamsburg and played The South Street Seaport this past Friday!

MP3: Friendly Fires – Your Love (Frankie Knuckles Cover) or zShare

Friendly Fires at Music Hall of Williamsburg

Le Poisson Rouge