Long Island Sibling Duo "The Lemon Twigs" Release One of the Strongest Debut Albums of 2016: Review.

Michael and Brian D’Addario have been relatively unknown for some time, especially on this side of the Atlantic, but their vintage sound is starting to earn them quite the reputation the world over (and it couldn’t be more well deserved). They’re only 19 and 17 years old, but they play music as if they’ve had about half a century of experience and practice. Every song on the album wouldn’t sound out of place if it had been released around 40 years ago, yet somehow it feels like a huge breath of fresh air, with some people firmly believing they’re the future of rock and roll. This doesn’t sound too far-fetched when you consider the fact that they haven’t even been releasing music for a year and they’ve already played “The Tonight Show”. The band make no secret of their influences and idols, they’re massive fans of The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson amoungst others, something which immediately puts them in my good books.

“Do Hollywood” is the duo’s debut album, a follow up to a two track EP they released earlier this year. The opening track “I Wanna Prove to You” immediately gives any unsuspecting listener a feel for the band’s quirky style, it has every component required to make a classic rock and roll ballad. This is immediately contrasted by the second track “Those Days Is Coming Soon”, the intro sounds like a something you’d expect to hear at a fairground, but the guitar in the chorus somehow has a garage rock sound to it, before being followed up by a breakdown and outro with drumming that wouldn’t sound out of place on “Sgt Peppers”.

It is worth mentioning that both members are incredibly talented multi-instrumentalists, Brian plays guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, horns and strings but also dabbles with the trumpet and the overdub, Michael is skilled on guitar, drums, keys and bass and all of this genuine talent really shines through. They recorded the album in Foxygen front-man Jonathan Rado’s living room and gave him the reins in regards to the production, giving it an unadulterated and untampered feel. Lyrically their songs follow relatively standard themes of heartbreak and the general feelings and struggles of a teenage boy but musically is it incredibly refined and mature, it very rarely follows regular progression and arrangements. It is so far from the standard angry teen with a guitar music that I find their age both almost implausible and extremely impressive.

In an interview with The Guardian prior to the release of the album Michael was questioned about the clear influence of Burt Bacharach, an orchestral pop composer and singer who was extremely prominent from the 50s through the 80s, Michael said “It’s just what we do, not that we’re trying to be sophisticated for its own sake. Like, Burt Bacharach’s stuff is amazing and has a lot of things going on that make it difficult to figure out. But we didn’t want to do it in a proggy way. We just wanted to make it pretty.”

Other stand out tracks on the album include “These Words”, perhaps the song where The Beach Boys’ influence shines through the most. Starting off with a captivating drum and synth intro it mellows out and drops down to having an almost melancholy feel, but by the end the track has evolved into something much more powerful, with one of the most memorable vocal performances on the album. The drumming throughout this particular track is one of the main things that stuck in my memory after just one listen, and is a performance which Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker would be envious of. The final track on the Album “A Great Snake” is also the longest, at just short of seven minutes long it allows the band to cement their musical ability in the mind of the listener one last time It has a more low-fi sound than the majority of the other tracks, and a guitar segment at around the three-and-a-half-minute mark that wouldn’t sound out of place if it was being played in a stadium. The album doesn’t really have high and low points, the constantly shifting tone of the album is enough to keep any listener interested throughout the whole length of the album and then some.

They’re probably going to divide opinion but you can look at them one of two ways, you could see them as a band that are simply imitating the music of better days, or you could see them for what they are, a couple of insanely talented musicians who have produced one of the strongest debut albums of the last few years.

Words: Liam Navey.

Milburn Release Their First Single In 8 Years "Midnight Control": Listen.

Milburn are a four piece indie/alternative band from Sheffield, they made a name for themselves in the mid 2000's and were at the forefront of the indie scene which saw the rise of bands such as Arctic Monkeys. I wrote an article discussing why "we should all be excited about the possibility of new Milburn material" which you can read here.

The band's new single "Midnight Control" premiered today on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 6 show. It is slightly different to most of their other material, and sounds more like something Joe Carnall's (frontman and bassist) other band "The Book Club" would release. This is by no means a bad thing. It is just more of a "pop" song than most of their older work. The general feel of the song is pretty uplifting, though this could just be because it's their first single in almost a decade and it is most definitely a return to form.

Hopefully this new single means an album is on the way, they know now that there are plenty of people out there that would love to hear a third album and they've always been the kind of band that keep the fans in mind.

Much of their tour is now sold out but you can get tickets for a few dates here.

You can listen to the new single here (But I'd also like to recommend that you pay for it if you like it).

Words: Liam Navey.

In Case You Missed It, A New Trailer For An Oasis Documentary Was Released Yesterday: Watch.

The title of the documentary is "Supersonic" and it will be released on October 2nd.

It is set to follow the story of the band's rise and inevitable fall, spanning their turbulent and chaotic 18 year long career. The trailer shows plenty of early shaky footage of the band and will include plenty of interviews, TV appearances and surely some footage from their Knebworth shows. Even though just about everyone knows the story of the band, a full length documentary such as this has never been released. And with some of the same team that worked on 2015's hit documentary "Amy", I'm sure it'll be a worthwhile watch.

The Gallagher brothers were interviewed separately for the film but it has been rumored that they will reunite and attend the upcoming premiere together. It is worth mentioning though that after seeing the trailer, Liam Gallagher tweeted "Just seen the trailer for oasis film and i must say I come across mighty fine super real unlike some people you see at the premiere", so I wouldn't hold my breath.

The film will be showing at most cinemas nationwide and you can book tickets online now.

You can watch the trailer here.

Words: Liam Navey.

The Wytches Release New Track "Hannover Square": Listen.

The single was released earlier today and is the B-side to their previous single "C-side".

The Wytches are a four-piece band who met in Brighton in 2011,  the newest member, a keyboard/organ player only officially became a member a few weeks ago. Over the past few years they have made themselves known both in the UK and abroad thanks to their harsh and intense live performances and the relatively large amount of success they enjoyed off the back of their 2014 debut album "Annabel Dream Reader".

They're set to bring out their follow up album later this month, "All Your Happy Life" will be released on on September 30th. Earlier this summer they released a new single titled "C-side" which is set to appear on the second album, it moved away from the sound they had become known for just the right amount. Musically, it is heavy, grungy and loud, with clear influences of the surf rock and doom rock genres which is fairly standard for the band. But the vocals that accompanied it were contrasting to the music, and would've suited one of the bands slower tracks. This contrast worked very well and it showed that they have moved on from the sounds of their first album whilst maintaining the sound which allowed them to become one of the best new bands in the country.

This new single "Hannover Square" will not feature on the album. It is a melancholy, dreamy song with lyrics you can actually understand, something that isn't a regular feature in The Wytches back catalogue (this is not a bad thing).

Listen to the new single "Hannover Square" here.

I also wrote a review of their headline show at London's Garage last year which you can read here.

The band head out on tour this November in support of their new album. Check out the tour poster below:

Words: Liam Navey.

Why The World Needs Sleaford Mods: Feature.

Sleaford Mods are a minimalist post-punk duo from Nottingham. They've been causing a bit of a stir over the past few years, and I think because of the general situation we currently find ourselves in as a species, we need them now more than ever.

Sleaford Mods are made up of Jason Williamson (vocals) and Andrew Fern (music), who are both in their 40s. The two met at small Nottingham venue The Chameleon back in 2009, Fern was djing at the club and Williamson was playing a live spoken word gig. The two got talking afterwards and subsequently Sleaford Mods were born. They have released unfalteringly humorous, honest and interesting albums at a steady rate since then, with the last three gaining widespread critical acclaim.

The music they produce isn't really like anything else on the market at the minute, this itself is extremely significant as the amount of rising acts that are essentially souped up recycled versions of 2000's indie bands is stifling. Fern's music is dirty and grimy, with loud, thudding drum machine beats and bass lines as well as contrasting cheap sounding keys and very occasionally a snippet of a guitar riff. The music clearly takes a lot of influence from classic hip-hop and rap music as well as sounds from the more current UK grime scene, something which they speak about regularly. All of this lays underneath a barrage of well founded anger, put forward in a very broad East Midlands accent. In the words of the band themselves they are "electronic munt minimalist punk-hop rants for the working class".

I think it is fair to say that they are one of the only bands (not really sure if "band" is the best word) in the country that actually bother to say anything of substance. Most of the lyrics within their tracks are inspired by Williamson's heavy anti-austerity views and opinions. Whether you agree with his opinions or not, just the fact that they're willing to make a statement is something to admire. Many current bands and artists seem to be afraid of voicing their opinions on important matters in case they offend someone. This attitude does tend to forge very strong opinions on the duo, people seem to either dislike them intensely or think they're the best thing to happen to UK music since the Sex Pistols (the latter may be a little extreme but I actually heard that outside of one of their shows), this in itself is important. What's the point in producing music if it doesn't cause a discussion?

I suppose some people could have a valid argument when they say Sleaford Mods go about certain things the wrong way. Maybe they do sometimes pick one fight too many online and maybe they do say harsh things about up and coming indie bands on occasion. But to be fair, Blossoms are fucking awful.

It isn't only their recorded music that makes them so significant, everything about the duo's live show is compelling. Their stage setup is something that I find extremely refreshing, it is minimalist to the extreme, Fern's laptop sits on a solitary table (or barrel) and a single microphone stands on the stage. No backdrop, no confetti, just a laptop and two middle aged men. This is the case no matter the venue they're playing. I've seen them perform to a few hundred people at Leeds' Brudenell Social Club and I've witnessed them take to the stage of London's o2 area as support for The Libertines. Both times it was exactly the same, but it was more satisfying (and strange) to see them on one of the biggest stages in the country.

They have a total of eight full length albums. The latest album, 2015's "Key Markets" was their most successful yet, gaining them their first ever top ten release and a 7.5 rating from Pitchfork (it was also included on my top five albums of the decade so far list, which you can read here). Their 2014 album "Divide and Exit" is currently my favoutire album of theirs, this is likely to change as each of their albums has many unique and redeeming features. But with tracks such as "Tied Up In Notts" and "Tweet Tweet Tweet", it turned me into a fan of the band about 30 seconds into the album. Despite this, if you haven't had the pleasure of listening to them yet I would recommend giving their 2014 singles collection album "Chubbed Up+" a listen. The group also feature in an underground anti-establishment documentary titled "Invisible Britain", you can watch a snippet here.

If for whatever reason you just can't bring yourself to listen to them, I think it is only fair to acknowledge and understand their importance both musically and socially. Along with The Fat White Family and a small group of other artists, they're actually real, they cannot be replicated and they say what they believe.

Their latest UK tour is their biggest yet, it sees them make the step up from club and pub venues to locations such as Rock City in Nottingham (which they announced a second date for recently due to the large demand for tickets) and London's Roundhouse. You can see the full tour poster below:

Words: Liam Navey.

Ringo Starr's Copy Of "The White Album" Sells For Over £750,000.

The legendary drummer's copy of The Beatles' 1968 album sold for more than twice the previous world record.

As more people than ever are starting to collect vinyl, previous world records concerning the sale of of vinyl records are almost constantly being smashed. Last year a new world record for the most expensive album of all time was awarded to a unknown buyer for paying a cool £790,000 for The White Album.

The previous record was for the sale of Elvis Presley's first single "My Happiness", which sold for £30,000 and was held by none other than Jack White (you can read my article about his upcoming release here).

The most expensive album to ever be sold is technically Wu Tang's "Once Upon a Time In Shaolin", which was purchased by Martin Shrkeli for £2 million back in 2015. But because it was the only copy of the album to be sold Guinness dismissed the claim (albums have to be sold commercially to gain the award).

Ringo chose to sell his own copy of The White Album, issue number 0000001 I might add, in order to donate money to the Lotus Foundation, a charity with whose goal is to advance social welfare in many aspects, including cancer research and substance abuse programs.

You can listen to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", taken from The White Album here.

Words: Liam Navey.

Jack White Shares Track Form Upcoming "Acoustic Recordings" Collection: Listen.

Jack White has unveiled a previously unreleased version of a Raconteurs track titled "Carolina Drama", set to feature on his upcoming solo acoustic album.

It was announced in August that Jack White is set to release a huge double LP later this month. The album will apparently include acoustic versions of tracks by all of his previous bands and side projects. This includes songs by: The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather and of course his solo work, the album will simply be titled "Jack White Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016".

He has already released a track from the upcoming album, a song by The White Stripes: "City Lights", which you can listen to here.

This latest release "Carolina Drama" originally featured on The Raconteurs' 2008 album "Consolers Of The Lonely".

He will be performing his first ever solo show on "The Tonight Show Will Jimmy Fallon", on September 9th, the day his new album is set to be released. Therefore ending his live show hiatus which he announced last year.

It has been revealed that the upcoming album will feature new versions of fan favourite tracks such as "Hotel Yorba", "Blunderbuss" and "Sugar Never Tasted So Good" as well as plenty of other album tracks and B-sides.

You can listen to the new track here.

Words: Liam Navey.

Milburn Update: Can We Expect New Material Next Week?

Earlier this summer I posted an article about why we should all be excited about the possibility of new Milburn material (which you can read here), it now looks like a new track or two could be just around the corner.

Earlier this week frontman and bassist Joe Carnall was set to return home from an Italian holiday, but before he left the country he tweeted "...Some big stuff happening next week". This is all that was needed to kick up a bit of a discussion, as fans of the band already knew that they've been in the studio thanks to a picture they shared on Twitter.

Fellow musician and friend of the band, Bill Ryder Jones also spoke about the prospect of new Milburn material in an interview with Exposed Magazine. He was speaking about a small Sheffield festival called Sensoria, which he will be playing in October this year. When asked about his current work with Milburn in the studio he said: "It’s been great. I love them guys. They’re such miserable bastards, which is nice. The two tunes we did, their fans are going to really like them. We had a lot of conversations about artists who come out and sound like they’re 18. You’ve got to sound like men. I’m very excited for them".

The band have already been featured in several music publications this past week due to them being announced as support on the latest Courteeners tour. They'll be playing with the Manchester band on two dates, including an already sold out show at Leeds' First Direct arena,

Milburn are also on the road later this month on a tour of their own, you can see the tour poster below:

Words: Liam Navey.

The Stanford Prison Experiment: Film Review.

In 1971, a group of students at Stanford University volunteered for an experiment in which they were divided up into prisoners and guards in a mock jail. Things quickly turned sour, events descended into infamous acts of sadism and submission, and director Kyle Patrick Alvarez presents the almost unbelievable events perfectly, with the help of his extremely talented cast.

In August 1971, Stanford psychology professor Philip Zimbardo transformed a small underground corridor and some empty offices into a "jail" . His intention was to conduct an experiment which would monitor the effects of unearned authority, depersonalisation and how institutionalisation can effect people who could be considered "normal". Whether the students would fill the role of prisoner or guard was determined with a coin flip, and just six days into the planned two week experiment, it was cancelled due to the alarming way in which the students (mainly the guards) filled their roles.

The events that took place have long been used as a case study to educate psychology students the world over, and have already inspired at least two other films; German film "Das Experiment" and 2010's "The Experiment," starring Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker. Although neither of these films follow the real life events as closely as Alvarez's vision, it gained largely very positive reviews as well as two Sundance film festival awards.

The cast includes well-known young actor Ezra Miller, who I have to say played his relatively short part the least convincingly. Michael Angarano and Nicholas Braun, stars of 2011's "Red State", (an incredibly claustrophobic, fast paced and intense film which I would also like to highly recommend) also star in the film. It is Angarano's performance as a John Wayne inspired brutal correctional officer which I enjoyed the most, and is the main aspect of the film that I am sure will stick with me. Billy Crudup plays the role of Zimbardo very well, showing the professor's inner turmoil due to the nature of the experiment and the toll it is taking on the characters but also his unwillingness to stop it from progressing due to the fascinating results.

Before the film hits the ten minute mark it has outlined the ideology behind the experiment and introduced the audience to all of the key characters. And for anyone who was familiar with the events that took place during the experiment, no matter how vague the familiarity is, the plot of the film is not going to be too surprising.

Initially, the idea of being a guard and having power over other people is amusing for the characters and the audience alike, seeing the smirks on their faces as they give their peers instructions is understandable and entertaining. But the tension begins to build almost immediately, as the mild amusement becomes something the guards want to enhance, causing things to get out of hand relatively quickly. Alvarez does a faultless job of demonstrating that although the characters know that what is happening is not "real" when things begin to deteriorate it doesn't make their emotions and feelings any less genuine.

As an audience member you start to forget that these characters are not in a real prison and that they can leave at any moment they choose. The fact that they are deprived of any sort of time or date measurement and are kept in a basement with no windows only adds to the distressful vibe of the film.

The use of close ups and long shots in contrast makes the film seem extremely claustrophobic, showing the emotional expressions on the characters faces as well as the confined hallway and windowless rooms they're contained in. This is accompanied by a very strategic use of score, convincing set pieces and acting, as well as exceptional cinematography, particularly in the few scenes that are set outside the confines of the basement. When this is all combined, Alvarez communicates his character's journey from giggling, relatively disinterested teenagers to almost entirely psychologically broken people in a very intriguing and entertaining manner.

You can watch the trailer for the film here.

If you'd like to read more about the real events that are depicted in the film, visit: http://www.prisonexp.org/

Words: Liam Navey.

Die Antwood Release Video For Their New Single "Banana Brain": Watch.

South African rap rave trio Die Antwood have released a new single with accompanying video. "Banana Brain" is taken from the group's upcoming album.

Their new album "Mount Ninji And Da Nice Time Kid" will be released later this year. However, yesterday they blessed the whole world with a completely ridiculous new music video, in which Yolandi can be seen to murder her parents by forcing them to overdose before the music even starts. Ninja dons prosthetic legs later in the video, clearly referencing Paralympic gold medalist and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius as at around the five minute mark he appears to prepare to shoot Yolandi through a bathroom door.

If you're familiar with the group, none of this will be even a little bit surprising. And despite all the ridiculousness and stupidity Die Antwood have delivered yet another audio/visual treat, something that they've become known for worldwide.

The music is everything we've come to expect from them; ridiculously loud thudding bass, harsh synths, almost incomprehensible high pitched vocals and humorous yet incredibly vulgar rap verses.

The group played Reading and Leeds festivals this past bank holiday weekend and were surely a highlight for everyone who went to see them, including me. However, the BBC didn't deem their performance appropriate and have not included it in their iPlayer online library of performances from the festival. This is hardly surprising as the visuals during their performance showed women being eaten by their own vaginas and babies with humongous genitalia. They were also included in my "Who To See At This Year's Reading and Leeds Festival" article, which you can read here if you'd like.

You can check out the new video here.

Words: Liam Navey.

Netflix Release Teaser for Stranger Things Season 2: Watch.

American TV streaming service Netflix released a trailer today for a second season of their hit show "Stranger Things".

The trailer features mysterious phrases such as "The Pumpkin Patch" and "The Pollywog", which are presumably titles of the second season's nine episodes. The trailer also includes Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein's original score, which was a huge talking point for fans of the show (you can listen to the score here). The announcement is not a surprising one, the show became a huge worldwide hit almost immediately due to the convincing acting from the whole cast and the familiar '80s Steven Spielberg/Stephen King stylistic vision put forward by directing duo the Duffer brothers. it has been confirmed that the Duffer brothers will return to direct but no casting choices have been made public yet.

One of the assumed titles revealed in the trailer is "In The Fall Of 1984", implying that the second season will take place the year after the first.  

There is no specific release date revealed in the trailer, it simply states "coming 2017". 

You can watch the trailer for the second season here. 

Words: Liam Navey.

Who Could Play Glastonbury 2017? Headliners and Other Possible Line-up Rumours.

Rumours of who could play next year's Glastonbury festival have been circulating since the gates of Worthy Farm closed this year. According to several different publications and word of mouth, I have put together a list (in no particular order) of the 10 acts that are most likely to be on the lineup of the summer 2017 event.

Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac are a British/American folk rock band who, over the last 50 years, have become one of the biggest selling acts of all time, with over 100 million album sales. The band's name has frequented the Glastonbury rumour mill for several years now. However, festival founder Michael Eavis has said several times that they're just too expensive to book. Could next year finally give them the chance to prove themselves as Glastonbury worthy? After their set at last year's Isle of Wight festival I think it's about time they were booked.

Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses are currently on the road with their "Not In This Lifetime" tour. After many years apart, the group's original lineup decided to put their differences aside and give their fans a string of performances they actually wanted to see. The classic hard rock group played Coachella earlier this year and their set was mostly regarded as a success. They have completely missed out the UK when announcing gigs this past year so a series of large open air or arena shows for next year are looking more than likely. With a backcatalouge as large and well known as theirs, they'd be a sensible (and possibly slightly dull) booking for next year's event.

Radiohead

The Oxford five-piece have been one of the biggest names in alternative rock music over the last 30 years and are a band that are sure to go down well with the Glastonbury audience. Next year's festival will arrive just as the band have finished touring their latest album "A Moon Shaped Pool", and it'll be 20 years since their career defining headline set on the pyramid stage. The group have played a relatively large amount of European and American festivals this summer so some UK festival dates will surely be on the cards next year. However, they've been known to play the occasional secret set, so even if they aren't booked as a headliner I wouldn't completely write them off.

AC/DC

This Australian band are another veteran hard rock group who are currently touring. They've been circulating the rumour threads of UK festival online forums for several years now and if they're going to play any it may as well be the biggest and best festival in the country. The four piece would surely pull a huge crowd at the pyramid stage and have enough material recorded to perform about 12 headline sets so I wouldn't be surpirised if they topped the bill next year.

The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses are a four piece indie rock band from Manchester. They reformed in 2012 after being at the head of the "Madchester" subculture music scene in the late '80s and early '90s, and played several huge outdoor shows. The band then went off the radar for a short while and returned this year with two new singles and a 4 date sold out stint at Manchester's Etihad stadium. With the possibility of a third coming looming, a headline set at Glastonbury 2017 would be an appropriate step up from their show at this year's T in the Park.

Foo Fighters

Formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters have been one of the biggest names in rock music, releasing a seemingly endless stream of albums and headlining just about every festival in the world. They were booked to headline Glastonbury in 2015 but were forced to pull out after Grohl broke his leg. They were rumoured to top the bill at this year's event but were not included, so a set from them next year is looking like a very likely (and uninspired) possibility. 

Diana Ross

Diana Ross is one of the biggest names in Motown and Soul music, and although she isn't quite big enough to headline the festival, the famous Sunday afternoon "legend" slot could quite easily be occupied by her in 2017. This slot has seen the likes of Lionel Richie and Brian Wilson, as well as this year's performance by Jeff Lynne's ELO. She's well known enough to get everyone, young and old alike, to sing along so don't be surprised if you see her name on the lineup poster.

Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham in the late '60s and are regarded across the whole world as one of the pioneering bands of the heavy metal genre. They are currently touring and have stated that this stint of arena shows and festival appearances will be their last, claiming that next year will be when they retire from music. What better way to end a career than to play Glastonbury festival? they've definitely got the material and the fan base.

Kendirck Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is a Compton born hip-hop recording artist and rapper. Since 2010 he has become one of the biggest names in the genre and after the release of his 2014 album "To Pimp a Butterfly" he became an acclaimed artist throughout the world by fans of all genres. The themes the album explores ensure that many people can understand and appreciate it, therefore practically guaranteeing him a place at the top of most festival bills. Although he may not be quite capable of headlining the pyramid stage, a sub-headline slot or a headlining slot on the other stage is seeming very likely. 

 

Gorillaz

Gorillaz are a virtual band, created in 1998 by Blur front-man Damon Albarn. Their music focuses on genre's such as alternative rock, electronica and alternative hip-hop. Their first two albums went platinum several times and the band's previous Glastonbury headline slot in 2010 was a resounding success. With new material on the way in 2017, a Glastonbury comeback could be the perfect opportunity to put the band back at the forefront of the music scene after a six year hiatus.

Words: Liam Navey.

American Football Announce New Album, Release First Single In 17 Years: Listen.

There aren't many bands about that could wait 17 years between releasing albums and still ensure their fan base maintain a keen interest. American Football are definitely one of those bands.

American football are emo/math rock band that originated in Illinois in 1997. The four piece band's debut album "American Football" was released in 1999 and they only toured the album for around a year, reaching a mutual decision to split in 2000. After they had disbanded the album acquired worldwide critical acclaim, and for almost 15 years it's underground status remained prominent. In 2014 the band announced a string of festival shows as well as some headline shows, and since then they have made it clear that their return will be permanent.

The band's second EP, which was announced this week, is also titled "American Football" (you can find the track-listing below) and will be released on October 21 via Wichita Recordings. They will also play a series of album release shows throughout the US.

You can listen to their new track "I've Been So Lost For So Long" here.

The Tracklisting for "American Football":

01 Where Are We Now? 
02 My Instincts Are the Enemy 
03 Home Is Where the Haunt Is 
04 Born to Lose 
05 I've Been So Lost for So Long 
06 Give Me the Gun 
07 I Need a Drink (or Two or Three) 
08 Desire Gets in the Way 
09 Everyone Is Dressed Up

Words: Liam Navey.

Who To See At This Year's Reading and Leeds Festival.

Reading and Leeds festival takes place on August bank holiday weekend each year, and has boasted some of the best line-ups the country has ever seen. This year's line-up was met with some criticism. However, if you really look at it, there are plenty of top notch live acts to experience. So in no real order, here's a selection of acts that I think are worth seeing at this year's festival.

Biffy Clyro

Main stage

Leeds: Fri 21:30-23:00 / Reading: Sun 22:10-23:25

Biffy Clyro are one of the biggest names in UK rock music right now, with seven full length albums and 21 years experience under their belt they certainly know how to put on a great live show. The Scottish three-piece's back catalogue is incredibly diverse, with their earlier material providing them with a somewhat cult following. However, it was their 2010 album "Only Revolutions" which rightfully earned the band their big break. They've played the festival several times before, last headlining in 2013. Some people were concerned the band wouldn't be able to pull of such a large show, but they were soon proved wrong as the band's set was a huge success with fans and critics alike. Their latest album "Ellipsis" dropped just last month and the lead single "Wolves of Winter"" channels some of their older (heavier) material. Their headline set is sure to be a highlight of the weekend for anyone who chooses to see them.

You can listen to "Wolves of Winter", taken from their latest album here.

Eagulls

Festival Republic Stage

Leeds: Fri 17:45-18:20 / Reading: Sun 18:50-19:20

Eagulls are a Leeds based post-punk four piece band that have been creating quite a stir both locally and nationally. The band's self titled debut was released in 2013, and after the release of their first single "Council Flat Blues" it was expected to be one of the best underground albums of the year. It didn't disappoint, the band toured the album worldwide and even performed on David Letterman's talk show to a huge US audience. They released their second album "Ullages" earlier this year and it has a slightly slower, moodier feel. This newer sound combined with the more hectic sounds of the first album will definitely ensure their set at this year's festival will be one to remember.

Have a listen to their 2013 single "Possessed" here.

The Vryll Society

Festival Republic Stage

Leeds: Fri 13:55-14:20 / Reading: Sun 14:50-15:20 

This Liverpool based psychedelic band are slowly but surely making a name for themselves in the UK. To quote the group's Facebook page: "Locked away in their subterranean rehearsal space for more than a year, The Vryll Society have been creating a complex body of work, to stimulate both the soul and mind". For me personally, that description alone is almost enough to make me want to see them live as soon as possible. But aside from describing themselves very well, The Vryll Society have played at several major festivals this summer, including Glastonbury and are on many different music publication's "ones to watch list". With rolling psych drum beats, funkadelic inspired guitar riffs and mellow vocals, their short set at this years Reading and Leeds festival is surely worth attending before the band move on to bigger things in coming years.

You can listen to their track "Beautiful Faces" here.

Die Antwood

Main Stage

Leeds: Sat 15:50-16:25 / Reading: Fri 16:15-17:00

Die Antwood are a rap/rave trio from Cape Town, South Africa, who are known worldwide for their intense and comical live performances. The group base their image on a South African counter-culture movement known as "zef", which begins to explains their eccentric and sometimes quite disturbing stage wardrobe choices. The group have three full length studio albums under their belt and are worldwide festival favourites, although this is their only UK festival date of the year. The band last played the festival two years ago on the NME stage, and with this year's jump to the main stage I'm sure they'll have something special in store. 

One of their biggest hits "I Fink U Freeky" is set to send the main stage crowd at both locations into a frenzy, you can listen to it here.

Pulled Apart By Horses

Festival Republic Stage

 Leeds: Sat 19:40-20:20 / Reading: Fri 21:30-22:05

The second Leeds based band to feature on this list, Pulled Apart By Horses are a massive force to be reckoned with when it comes to live performance. With a speedy and thudding rhythm section and shrieking guitar riffs, the band sound quite impressive on record but it doesn't compare to their live show. The four piece have spent a large segment of their career in and around the city of Leeds, playing their biggest and smallest shows to date in the city over the last seven or so years. The band's most recent Leeds show was in the city's Millennium Square, supporting The Cribs (you can read my review of that gig here), but they're more suited to darker smaller venues such as the Brudenell Social Club. Their set at Reading and Leeds will be played in one of the smaller performance tents at the festival so will suit their smaller club playing style, you'd be a fool to miss them.

Have a listen to one of their earlier (and better) singles "I Punched A Lion In The Throat" here.

Super Hans

Alternative Stage

Leeds only: 00:15-01:00

Everyone's favourite character from most people's favourite comedy TV show has come to life. Otherwise known as Matt King, the "Peep Show" actor decided this year to bring his Super Hans character to the masses through a series of festival performances. I don't really know what to expect from his set, but if his music taste on Channel 4 show is anything to go by, there will be plenty of Chemical Brothers and very little Coldplay being played. You may as well go along to his set, there's nothing else to do at that time really and I'm sure whatever he plays there won't be a better way of killing 45 minutes on that particular night.

You can watch a supercut of his best moments on "Peep Show" here.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Festival Republic Stage
Leeds: Sun 18:10-18:45 / Reading: Sat 19:40-20:10

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are one of the most exciting and innovative bands playing the festival this year. The band formed in Melbourne and are renowned for taking classic sixties style psychedelic sounds and turning them into something that sounds like nothing else about today. With three guitarists and two drummers on stage at all times, the improvised "jams" the band go into when playing live can make you forget that they even have any previously recorded material to play. The band have released seven albums in just four years and are set to release another four (yes four) albums throughout 2017. With previous material spanning from long winding slow psych songs to much harsher garage rock style crowd pleasers, the promise of so much new material next year really is something to be excited about. Their unjustly short set will no doubt be a highlight of the festival for me and anyone else who has the sense to see them.

Listen to their acclaimed transformative track "The River" here.

(I'd also like to recommend that you give "People Vultures" a listen).

Nas

NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage
Leeds: Sun 20:20-21:10 / Reading: Sat 21:05-21:55

Brooklyn born hip hop artist Nasir Jones AKA Nas is one of the biggest and best names on the line-up, despite his unjustifiably low down slot. He was originally added to the lineup as a "special guest" below Haim and Two Door Cinema Club (Haim have since dropped out) but the fact that Nas is playing below Two Door Cinema club is something I cannot wrap my head around. He has had eight consecutive Platinum and Multi-Platinum albums and his debut album "Illmatic", which was released in 1994, is regarded to this day as one of the best hip hop albums of all time. Tracks from this album will surely receive a massive reaction from the crowd. However, you shouldn't just take one album into account when considering Nas as an artist, he has remained relevant and prominent in the music industry for over 20 years. His discography is inspired by timelessly important matters such as race, politics, religion and drugs. It is safe to say that whatever he chooses to play at Reading and Leeds next weekend his set is one that nobody should miss.

Listen to "New York State Of Mind" here.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Main Stage

Leeds: Sun 21:20-23:00 / Reading: Saturday 21:25-23:35

Red Hot Chili Peppers have become a pretty much worldwide household name over the past 33 years. They formed in LA in 1983 and have enjoyed much success and critical acclaim off the back of almost all of their albums. Arguably the biggest name on the line-up, the band will bring their signature funk rock sound to the Reading and Leeds main stage and are pretty much guaranteed to be greeted by a huge crowd of all ages. The band's most recent alum "The Getaway" was released in June this year. However, the crowd will no doubt be gathered to hear classics such as "Under The Bridge", "Can't Stop" and "Californiacation". The band played at Scottish festival T in the Park earlier in the summer and pulled off a lengthy, career spanning set despite the grim weather. Their set next weekend is sure to contain lengthy bass solos and huge sing-alongs.

Listen to "Dark Necessities" taken from their latest album here.

Fat White Family

Alternative Stage

Leeds only: Sun 01:30-02:30

If you've read anything from this blog before or you know me personally, you'll know how I feel about this band. For me, there's no better band around, everything about them, from their scruffy and unkept appearance to their violent and unpredictable live shows appeals to me and plenty of others on many levels. They have released two completely different yet equally incredible albums and despite the fact that founding member and lead guitarist Saul Adamczewski has a tendency to not turn up for shows, the rest of the band continue through any and all circumstances. After unexpectedly releasing a new single titled "Breaking Into Aldi" earlier in the week, a late night show in the smallest performance tent at the festival will ensure that everyone who attends the gig will leave the festival the next morning with an experience they will be talking about for weeks afterwards.

Listen to their new single "Breaking Into Aldi" here.

There are plenty of other great acts playing the festival that didn't quite make this list. The Wytches are playing Leeds festival only on the Thursday night and are sure to get the weekend off to a loud and brutal start with their signature heavy doom rock sound (have a read of my review from the Garage show last here). Savages, Hinds, Foals and The Vaccines (read my review of last year's Brixton academy show here) are also sure to make the weekend one to remember.

Check out this full line-up poster here:

Words: Liam Navey.