The Watermelons

Sometimes I feel things are a little over complicated in music. There's nothing wrong with this. I like to hear a little creative innovation on a regular basis and there's certainly nothing more satisfying than witnessing an act break through certain pre-constructed barriers of impossibility with a mind-boggling blend of forward-thinking, faux-pa crushing flutters and bobbling synth driven splashes. Take 2009 for example. Animal Collective, Amazing Baby, The Horrors, Empire Of The Sun, Passion Pit et al. all pushed blockades and surfaced triumphant.

However. It doesn't always need to be like this. Within the 'indie' world or whatever you want to call it I feel that people sometimes frown upon the simplicity of a guitar based band with fundamentally simple pop songs because it lacks a certain niche or doesn't quite fit into the brackets of some new and undisclosed freshly birthed genre - i don't, bring it on.

The Watermelons may not be your uber trendy East London types driven by a back catalogue of obscure noir post-punk, nor are they your Egyptian Hip Hop types who don charity shop chic attire with little to show for it but a gaggle of image obsessed followers: They are in fact a bunch of youngsters from Chichester who are quite capable to mustering up a delightful collective of effervescent and sprightly racing indie-pop songs that could only be made under the watchful eye young talent yet exude a considerable level of maturity in musical understanding with a clear direction of where they want to get to.

They're also not afraid of listing the obvious influences. Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Kings Of Leon. And again, this is something that is frowned upon because they're the regular choices, and although some may have hit the commercial mainstream and changed their ethical stance on things (for the worse in most cases) it doesn't shy away from the fact that they have influence thousands of bands - and ulitmately these names keep appearing as influences etc. because they're the fucking best. Everyone will own at least one album by the bands listed above so don't pretend to be above the cultural radar of coolness because it's rather unbecoming.

The Watermelons - Garden Path

Danny Connors "Try not to be an arsehole, it's that simple"

I was checking out Danny Connors myspace the other day for a little more information about the dapper young fella living in Northampton. At first I was curious as to how his new outfit, The Ladders, acquired such an authentic 60s pop sound, it seems almost too well constructed and sweet 'n' soulful to be a product of the noughties with its swaying vintage melodies and swaying mod-pop ridges...

Well it turns out that Danny has been doing this for a while...

I remember one of his first outfits, The On Offs. I saw them support The Rifles on a handful of occasions and they were alright, well, it is what it is with bands like that sometime: simply there to pass the time until the next album with two catchy tracks comes along (see twisted wheel et al) but here it's something different. The Ladders sound like a band who have stumbled upon the lost secrets of Motown and Stax conglomerates and swallowed a Kinks discography.

The myspace demos are riddled with pumping Faces beats, mellifluous harmonies and jangling sparkles that conjure images of Rod Steward jiving like Sly And The Family Stone in a Brighton ball room.

I think one aspect of interviews such as these that can change your mind in the demeanor of the individual in question. Sometimes entwined with cliche analogies, sometimes over shadowed by a looming arrogance and sometimes you just end up thinking they're a cock. Not Connors. I like him. He appears to be an approachable music lover who just gets fucking into it - no messing, no faffing.

Check out the video of Connors below and even better, come check him out at Hamptons on February 27th with The Supernovas and New Street Adventure.

SWINGIN' SIXTIES

We've got a few plans to do a few more themed DJ nights at Hamptons. This is something that we are planning to do once a month and we've currently got two set up for you!

The first is going ahead on 28th January. Tom Dyer and Sam Jolly will be bringing you the best of 60s pop with a night of Aretha Franklin, Rolling Stones, The Doors, Dylan, Sam Cooke plus loads more hip shaking, toe tapping pop pioneers.


On the 27th of February we also have the amazing Danny Connors And The Ladders who will be playing a special Mod night alongside The Supernovas and New Street Adventure. Myself, Tom Dyer, Sam Jolly and Nick New Street will be spinning Motown and Northern Soul records all night so pop that in your diary!

So This Is The New Year?

When Death Cab For Cutie sung, 'So this is the new year / And I don't feel any different' they'd obviously had a shitty night. The sun is beaming on this brisk January day and I'm feeling optimistic about the forth coming year. I've got a few plans for Long Live Rock And Roll and I'm viewing this as my commencing year as a music promoter.

I've begun to get to grips with these musicians and it's time for me to pull my socks up and get this show on the road - properly.

With this in mind, I'm in a giving mood. Below are a cluster of songs for you to download by bands who could have a fruitful year ahead of them also...

GENERAL FIASCO


This little Irish indie-punk three piece are going to have no trouble at roping in the female fans with their cherub-like angelic faces and racing group vocals that snap, crackle and pop-punk like a candied jar of jittery guitars and escalating sugar-coated Americana group vocals. 'We Are The Foolish' sounds like a mid-noughties pop-punk revival but with a distinctly U.K indie twist, and although it's not a prevalent feature, the influence and subtlety is there and brewing nicely.

General Fiasco - We Are The Foolish

YEASAYER


This experimental Brooklyn band bought out their first album in 2007 to a mixed response and I think that 'All Hour Cymbals' never really got the adoration it deserved - but the second coming, as was the theme with 2009, is sure to be sweet for this experimental New York outfit.

With the success of bands such as Amazing Baby, MGMT and Empire Of The Sun, it's already becoming clear that Yeasayer's time is fast approaching, and believe it or not, the press are already claiming Yeasayer to have in their possession, one of 2010's best albums prior to its release or even leakage.

After hearing 'Madder Red' on hympem recently I thought it best for me to scour the web for more Yeasayer forthcoming gems, and I found one. The first single from their 2010 sophomore effort ('Odd Blood') will be 'Ambling Alp'. A bubbling smooch of multi-coloured anavnt-garde indie-dance that sounds like 'Walking On A Dream' produced by Animal Collective tripping on a concoction of underground N.Y indie and ecstasy. A big song from a soon to be bigger band.

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

JONSI


From the language-crafting oddity who bought us Sigur Ros comes a new solo project that goes by the name of Jonsi. The frosty twinkles of this minimalist operatic project certainly conjures up images of the Reykjavik outfit who set our souls alight with the fairytale shine of 'Hoppípolla' but there's a disticnt difference, it's in English. And that could give Jonsi that extra kick needed.

There's something bare but utterly romantic about Jonsi's available download, 'Boy Lilikoi'. With delicately innocent child-like vocals and the glowing luster a sharply Sigur-esqe illuminated twinkle, I can see Jonsi going places that perhaps his band couldn't.

Jonsi - Boy Lilikoi

SURFER BLOOD


Surfer Blood are from West Palm Beach, Florida. Sounds a bit nice, right? Sun, sea and sand, what could be nicer? well maybe some lavishly lo-fi surf-rock with well-rounded arrangements and post-punk harmonies that retains an un-polished but carefully crafted edge - enter Surfer Blood.

Surfer Blood - Swim

I hope this enterains you for at least ten minutes, and stayed tuned to our blog (or follow us if you have your own) because updates will be coming in at a daily pace.