After the success of ‘Thirst For Romance’ back in 2007, Cherry Ghost have a special place in many-a-heart but more importantly on this occasion my own. Now their new album ‘Beneath This Burning Shoreline’ has been greeted with similar adulation. And after years of wanting to get Simon Aldred & co on the Shout4Music sofa albeit for a quick yak, we finally have.

Cherry Ghost, how are you? It’s about time you guys reared your heads again?

We are very well thankyou.
Since the dust settled after the release of the sublime ‘Thirst For Romance’ what have you all being doing musically?

Working on the follow up. We spent most of the time writing, rehearsing, and recording in a Barn on a working dairy farm. Simon went on a few writing trips across Europe. It took a while but we feel it was time worth spent.

Are you happy with how the new album ‘Beneath This Burning Shoreline’ has
been received?

Reviews have been good and seem to have understood what we are about this time. It might not be the buzz sound of 2010, but it’s clearly a very well crafted and well recorded album, almost all critics seem to have recognised that.

You’re supporting The Coral on a few dates, is this just about breaking the
ice again with you guys? Getting back in your stride?

Yes, pretty much. It was a good opportuity for us to road test the new material before doing our own shows later in the year. And The Coral are a great band - it was a real pleasure to watch them each night.

When can we expect a full length tour from Cherry Ghost?

A full UK tour starts in September running through until the middle of October. We’re very pleased with the set and our live sound at the moment, the shows should be really good.

If our readers were to pitch their tents somewhere to see Cherry Ghost this
summer where should it be?

In the back garden with the stereo turned up and a bucket to piss in. We’ve done most of our festivals now. Glastonbury was fun, although Port Elliot in Cornwall would have been the connoisseur’s choice.

Explain to us why Mark Linkous was a hero to you and the fundamentals why his music should be heard by a wider audience…

Well I don’t really have too many musical heroes and to describe him as such overstates it slightly. I discovered him during the Britpop era so I’m ever grateful to him for saving me from the omni-present swagger. His music is very sad and delicate and I admire it’s honesty. I also loved the DIY production of the earlier albums.

The song that will always remind you of Linkous?

Sparklehorse – ‘Hundreds Of Sparrows’

When was the last time you ‘Kissed A Stranger?

We kiss strangers all the time, it’s a very healthy european thing to do, purely platonic of course, we are sworn to another.

The YouTube clip that ever Cherry Ghost fan should see of the band…

Tags: Coil Sea, Darker My Love, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Max Sedgley, Mighty Mouse, Philadelphia Grand Jury, Robert Babicz, Son Of Kick's, The Jolly Boys, Violent Soho

It’s a caludron of free samples for you this week; Dinosaur Pile-Up return to the scene with their debut LP penned,  bearing a free gift in the form of our Download of the Week ‘Headspinner’. Also this week, Aussie grunge unit Violent Soho and Philadelphia Grand Jury (above) exclusively let you get your mits on these freebies. Enjoy…

1. DINOSAUR PILE UP- ‘Headspinner’ (FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK)

Three EPs down the line and their LP is ready…Pile on!

http://www.dinosaurpileup.com/

2. COIL SEA – ‘Lattice of AUM’

Prog rock band with waves of unforgiving guitars.

http://thrilljockey.com/assets/freedownload/Coil_Sea-Lattice_of_AUM.mp3

3. MAX SEDGLEY – Sound Boy (Kraak & Smaak Remix)

Purveyor of everything with a funky pulse.

http://fairtilizer.com/track/131877

4. DARKER MY LOVE – ‘Dear Author’

Murky indie-rock California rock.

http://dangerbirdrecords.com/resources/downloadcodeplayers/download-dmldearauthor/

5. THE JOLLY BOYS – ‘Great Balls Of Fire’ (Cover)

This musical family cover the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis song.

http://www.yousendit.com/download/T1VtNU1HcWZsUjgwTVE9PQ

6. VIOLENT SOHO – ‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend (Dillinger Escape Plan Remix)’

Aussie grunge band remixed by the visceral metal merchants DEP.

http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/reg/reg.pl?id=4973-138497

7. MIGHTY MOUSE – ‘The Beast’

Remix whores turn nasty.

http://fairtilizer.com/track/133784

8. ROBERT BABICZ – ‘Remote Kiss’

Dirty techno all the way from Cologne.

http://www.robertbabicz.de/

9. SON OF KICK’S – Revolution A

Insane psycho-dubstep…

http://www.sendspace.com/file/lgaqk1

10. PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY – ‘The New Neil Young’ (EDITOR’S PICK)

http://soundcloud.com/stayloose/philadelphia-grand-jury-the-new-neil-young

Guilty of enough soul to be sent down by…well, a grand jury!

Tags: Jeffrey Lewis, Mark Van Bommel, Mogwai, Reggie Yates, The Delgados

Summer’s always a disappointment. Remember when you were a kid, and the school holidays went on forever…World Cups were great because you weren’t saturated with 24/7 football from every league on the planet on TV, so seeing players like Hagi or Maradona or Stoichkov or Platini or Gullit was a genuine thrill, watching these exotic masters of a football run rings round the opposition…fuck it, maybe I’m just old…

And being old, the disappointment’s more pointed. Watching Holland spend 120 minutes trying to kick the beautiful game back into the Stone Age sucked. So did T in The Park, with the worst bill in living memory (Kasabian as headliners?! Honestly, stay in the house, dig out some old Primal Scream b-sides and charge yourself a fiver for a can of beer that you put in the airing cupboard rather than the fridge for the same experience…at least you won’t get rained on…) Ditto Glastonbury where U2 cancelled and they missed an opportunity to do anything other than have a Damon All-Bran vanity project replace them….poor Bono and his dicky back…he should remember to lift from the knees when carrying all the world’s problems on His shoulders…cock….and bands don’t put out anything interesting because they’re all at festivals doing greatest hits sets so that a glut of witless goons – Yates, Cotton etc – on BBC3 can tell them that they ripped up the crowd (consisting of 80,000 people completely out of their trees). This situation is changing…keep your eyes on the reviews sections over the next wee while, as there’s some good stuff about to hit…

It is in this spirit that we’ve decided to give the summer the kick up the arse that it needs, and launch the event that’s going to DEFINE the summer. Nay, the year. Nay, this fucking generation. Ladies and gentlemen, Shout4Music.com is proud to launch the inaugural Shout4Music.com In My Pants World Cup.

If you don’t know the ‘In My Pants’ game, it basically runs that any song title can be improved by bolting the phrase ‘In My Pants’ onto the end of it. We want you to look at your record collections and send in the best to either twitter.com/shout4music, or visit the Facebook page, and send us a message containing your favourites to stick up on the newsfeed. By the time you read this, we should have stuck some up to give some inspiration; my personal favourites just now are Repeat Failure (In My Pants), by The Delgados, Jeffrey Lewis’ Bugs And Flowers In My Pants, or Mogwai’s all time classic Glasgow Mega-Snake In My Pants.

 Please send to the Twitter site as either Direct Messages, or as a reply (start the tweet with @shout4music) so we can keep an eye on them. Trend them as #inmypants, and we’ll stick all of it up, with anything that makes us laugh like a drain or physically sick (so death metal fans are in with a big shout) perhaps eligible to win some LPs or singles, or whatever we’ve got knocking round the office. Usual rules apply with employees, girlfriends/boyfriends or family of staff not allowed to enter / attempt to bribe judges / tell us not to be so juvenile.

Good luck, and remember kids, we’re all winners in our own special way!

Tags: Deidre Muro, In The Wooden Forest, Levon Helm, Paul Hammer, Phoenix, Savoir Adore, Tim McCoy, We Talk Like Machines, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Savoir Adore were spawned at NYU back in January 2006. Now creators Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro are about to release their long awaited debut LP ‘In The Wooded Forest’ after single releases ‘Bodies’ (video below) and latest single ‘We Talk Like Machines’. After a quite a while of courting Savoir Adore’s luscious loungy pop soundscapes, we managed to grab a few minutes with the band on the Shout4Music sofa.

Hello Savoir Adore. How are you all today?

We are all equally wonderful!

Each band member accompanied by their instrument and their current hairstyle please…

Deidre Muro – keyboards + lead vocals – Wavy Elf

Paul Hammer – guitar + vocals – Frizzy Puff

Tim McCoy – drums + vocals – Justin Bieber Lego Fop

Describe your bands sound in four words...

Sparkly, Imaginative, Beautiful and Bumpy!

A fact about the band that you feel it’s imperative we know…

Levon Helm is one hell of a drummer.

Tell us a lie about the band that you wish were true…

We only eat fruits and vegetables when on tour.

How was your SXSW experience this year?

Fun. Crazy. Exhausting. This was our first year as a showcasing band so it was very exciting, and our schedule was packed. We also got to see a lot of great bands – The Middle East, Tigercity, Dappled Cities, Body Language and Dawes. The Third Man Records pop-up store was also awesome. Hopefully we’ll get to do it all again next year!

The album that everyone should know about that was released last year?

Phoenix – ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’

Bowery Ballroom or Music Hall of Williamsburg?

Can’t do it, both so good!!!

Pianos or the Cake Shop?

Cake Shop!!!

And finally, what can we expect from Savoir Adore in the coming six months?

We’re currently in the middle of our European Tour. Releasing ‘In The Wooded Forest’ worldwide August 16. New music and more shows in the fall!

Here’s the video for their first single ‘Bodies’;

Tags: AM, Black Mountain, Burns, Downloads of the Week, Efferklang, Free Downloads, Leni Ward, Morcheeba, Philip Selway, Seth Lakemen, The Superhumanoids, The Walkmen, Top Ten Free Downloads

This is our first instalment of the newly launched Free Friday’s feature where we provide you with the Top Ten Free Downloads of the Week. Pay close attention to the Free Download of the Week and the Editor’s Pick. Enjoy…

1. THE WALKMEN – ‘Stranded’ (FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK)

One of New York’s finest return with new album ‘Lisbon’ in September.

http://www.marcata.net/walkmen/home.html

2. PHILIP SELWAY – ‘By Some Miracle’

The beguiling Selway’s miracle freebie…

http://www.philipselway.com/

3. THE SUPERHUMANOIDS – ‘Who Knows, Who Cares’

Sparse pop LA quartet remix Local Natives track.

http://tiny.cc/yenic

4. LENI WARD – ‘Opening All Doors (Warrior One Remix)’

UK based pop purist streams a dreamy amalgam of smattering electro.

http://fairtilizer.com/track/124818

5. BLACK MOUNTAIN – ‘Old Fangs’

http://jagjaguwar.com/blackmountain/

Psych-rock band from British Columbia.

6. MORCHEEBA – ‘Even Though (Surfing Leon’s Afternoon Remix)’

The veterans of trip-hop.

http://www.morcheeba.co.uk/download/

7. AM – ‘Self Preservation’ (EDITOR’S PICK)

http://fairtilizer.com/track/131294

Indie loungers are on the defensive…

8. Efferklang – ‘SlaraffenKLANG EP’

Efferklang join forces with Danish band Slaraffenland for this free EP

http://rumraket.tumblr.com/post/634329465/new-free-slaraffenklang-ep

9. BURNS – ‘So Many Nights’

Disco house merchant bios a night out…or ten.

http://fairtilizer.com/track/108926

10. SETH LAKEMEN – ‘Hard Working’

Laborious folk troubadour is a constant fixture on the circuit at present.

http://sethlakeman.co.uk/freedownload/

Tags: Bill Hicks, Depression, John Cornfield, Nigel Thomas, The Foxes, The Zombies

Following a short set at Sunday afternoon music & comedy showcase, ‘The Electric Sound Cafe’, Marcus Erridge caught up with Foxes’ songsmith Nigel Thomas at The Bedford, Balham, for a quick chat.

The set itself was a tightly formed collection of well polished tunes. From the strong EP ‘Depression, Joy And A Moment Of Fame’  came the first of their work to be produced by John Cornfield; ‘Get Me’, ‘No Reply’ and the cracking indie fizzer ‘Something About You’. The intimate setting of the Bedford saw The Foxes re-jig a couple of  tracks to a more acoustic, stripped back form, which Thomas described as “less punky than our earlier stuff, with a more relaxed feel that helps bring the vocals out”. This worked especially well on the unreleased gem ‘Sweet Little Wonder’.

The Foxes came sharp-toothed from rehearsals at the remote Sawmill Studios in Cornwall, which is set amidst woodlands in an old sawmill, next to a deserted train track and only accessible by boat.  This special setting has clearly had an effect on the band: “It’s extremely secluded” says Thomas “and it really helps you focus on the music”. Having released their own singles on DIY label ‘Room 10 Records’, Thomas added that the band learned a lot in setting up their own record label:  “it acted as a helpful stepping stone”. The Foxes are now looking to work with a bigger label to help with “one big push” for the album.

The earlier, spikier Foxes sound is still alive and Thomas spoke of the story behind their ‘Bill Hicks’ single of 2009. The song was inspired by the classic Hicks skit on music, in which he compared the relative merits of New Kids On The Block to Jimi Hendrix, and extolled with visceral bombast, that bands should “Play from the fucking heart!”. In order to gain permission to use Bill Hicks’ name, the band wrote to his family to ask permission. Little did they expect the response they received. A reply came back from Bill Hicks’ family saying that they enjoyed hearing the song, and thought Bill would have liked it too. In London, for the Movie premiere earlier this year, the band even met up with the Hicks family, who continue to keep in touch. “It was a massive compliment” added Thomas.

After being invited to play a couple of benefit gigs in South Carolina and Hawaii, the Foxes decided to hire a van and equipment and set up their own mini US tour, hitting New York, Dallas and New Orleans along the road, and appealing for a free place to crash at the end of each gig. “Everyone was so warm and friendly…we found somewhere to sleep every night, with one band in Austin even handing us their fee!”

Having worked their socks off for the last couple of years, and meeting Richie Havens, swapping CDs with The Zombies and playing the Isle of Wight festival along the way, the Foxes seem to be riding on a wave of good karma.  Recording the debut album is heading towards an autumn completion, and judging on the strength of their live set and the EP, The Foxes seem to have a bountiful collection of upbeat melodies and purposeful blues-rock riffs to choose from. If it’s negative karma you’re after, then try arranging a fox hunt on the London underground at rush hour. Bad juju.

Tags: Ali Love, Band Of Horses, Bear Driver, Burns, Caitlin Rose, Cee-Lo Green, Chapel Club, Cloud Control, Darker My Love, David E Sugar, DJ Fresh, Everything Everything, Free Downloads, Jim Noir, Kid Adrift, Little Fish, Moby, Orphan Boy, Pacific, Ray Dar Vees, Savoir Adore, Seth Lakeman, Teenagersintokyo, The Drums, The Lines, The Sword

As from next week Shout4Music will be introducing our ‘Free Fridays’ which will give you the top free downloads of the week from an array of artists. So what better way to introduce this than with an extensive give away of free music from the pulse bands of present day. Please let us know your favourites. Here is their free musical offerings for your perusing;

1. CHAPEL CLUB – ‘The Shore’ (FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK)

Indie doom merchants flurry a crest fallen crescendo’s.

http://www.chapelclub.com

2. PACIFIC – ‘Venus Rising’

A healthy smattering of Kraut-disco is apparently the cornerstone to any staple diet.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/1tde8a

3. SAVOIR ADORE – ‘The Cave Of Good Secrets’

Who said B-sides were a thing of the past? Anyone for some verdant pop?

http://www.myspace.com/savoiradore

4. THE SWORD – ‘Tres Brujas’

Fresh from a support slot with Ozzy Osbourne, The Sword are one of the foundation of the revival of metal.

http://www.swordofdoom.com

5. CEE-LO GREEN – ‘ChamPain’

http://www.ceelogreen.co.uk/

Yes it’s the voice behind Gnarls Barkley!

6. RAY DAR VEES – ‘The Fear’ (EDITOR’S PICK)

http://www.myspace.com/raydarvees

Guitar-pop enthusiasts that ARE putting the fear of death up people.

7. THE LINES – ‘Circles’

http://www.wearethelines.com/

Wolverhampton quartet likened to The Rapture with different accents.

8. DJ FRESH – ‘Gold Dust (Flux Pavilion Remix)’

http://fairtilizer.com/track/126676

Fresh as…well gold dust of course.

9. CLOUD CONTROL – ‘Meditation Song’

http://www.myspace.com/cloudcontrol

Controlling the clouds from the Blue Mountains.

10. THE DRUMS – ‘Let’s Go Surfing (Raveonettes Remix)’

http://tiny.cc/ug7lw

Tastemakers darlings The Drums remixed by another sought after rabble.

11. JIM NOIR – ‘Melody Junction’ EP

http://www.jimnoir.com/

Psych-electro pop at a musical junction.

12. DAVID E SUGAR – ‘Renaissance Man Remix’ (RECOMMENDED)

http://fairtilizer.com/track/127043

Spiky pop vocalist and purveyor of everything electro.

13. DARKER MY LOVE – ‘Dear Author’

http://tiny.cc/g3wre

LA pysch-rock darken your heart for free.

14. EVERYTHING EVERYTHING – ‘MY KZ YR BF (Clock Opera Remix)’

http://soundcloud.com/everythingeverything/everything-everything-my-kz-yr-bf-clock-opera-remix

Everything’s brilliant about these electro monsters. And I do mean everything!

15. ALI LOVE – ‘Smoke And Mirrors (Villa Remix)’

http://tiny.cc/fsz2d

Pissing 80s music over you from all angles.

16. ORPHAN BOY – ‘Grand Piano’

http://www.orphan-boy.com/register.php

Sound like they’ve been adopted by the Twang.

17. BEAR DRIVER – ‘A Thousand Samurais’

http://soundcloud.com/stayloose/bear-driver-a-thousand-samurais

They’ve already set the Wolves on us. Now a thousand samurais. It’s Bear Driver.

18. MOBY – ‘Wait For Me (Berg Remix)’

http://drownedinsound.com/news/4139912-listen–download-moby-remix-from-fever-ray-producer

Does this man need an introduction?

19. BAND OF HORSES – ‘Factory’

http://www.bandofhorses.com/

A timely return.

20 – TEENAGERSINTOKYO – ‘End It Tonight (Workshop Remix)’

http://tiny.cc/ufaa1

Art-pop ensemble who make very delectable tunes.

21- KID ADRIFT – ‘Oxytocin’

http://www.myspace.com/kidadrift

Scottish electro-rock scientist

22. LITTLE FISH – ‘Baffled & Beat’

http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/reg/reg.pl?id=4904-126053

Rowdy, visceral post-punk duo.

23. SETH LAKEMAN

http://sethlakeman.co.uk/freedownload/

Laborious Folk troubadour’s always on the road.

24. CAITLIN ROSE – ‘Sinful Wishing’

http://www.namesrecords.com/downloads/sinfulwishingwell/

A thorny country rose with a beautiful voice

25. BURNS – ‘So Many Nights’

http://fairtilizer.com/track/108926

Purveyor of ‘European Sex Music’…

Tags: Beasts, Jeff Buckley, Max Raptor, Max Raptor Interview, Starstruck, Tom Garrett

Hello Max Raptor, what the hell have you been doing today?

Writing songs for the album…a song called ‘Beasts’ and ‘Starstruck’. I am also recovering from a weird dream I had last night I had about a circus prostitute with whom I fell in love with through a hatch in her caravan..You know when a dream is really vivid and you definitely know the person but you can’t quite put your finger on it, well that’s what happened and I’m fairly certain that one of my girl mates has a big secret she’s hiding……I should really say we’ve been doing loads of manly things like drinking whisky and chopping down trees in military uniform draped in a Union Jack but we’re not there yet. That’s what we’ll do when we achieve success.

Each band member accompanied by their instrument and their most annoying habit please…

Matt – Drums – Matt plays drums all the time, on table tops and the backs of cinema seats..it’s not on. Really annoying!

Tom Garrett – Bass – His inability to comprehend vegetables – leaving him a pale, feral looking child. Annoying.

JB – Guitar – He’s just too nice. Bloody annoying.

Wil – Vocals – Wil has a small, stupid routine before a big show which comprises of having to watch our sound engineer Tim shake hands with each member of the band, then he’ll have something to drink, always the same, have a mint, have another drink, sing Jeff Buckley Grace twice and then happy birthday Mr President in screamo…fucking annoying.

A little background for our readers on Max Raptor’s rise to prominence…

Year 1 – we were fat, had long hair and had visions of playing rock/funk music to the masses in bare feet…yea?…no Year 2 – Starting to play gigs outside our area and beginning to see first mosh pits at gigs..we realised we are angry and the funk died and the punk came through.

Year 3 – We started to consider are we gonna go for this? We said, yes, and landed some management and got a tour and some dates with Billy Talent and everything was sweet. We recorded our first tracks with our producer Sam Bell and sent them out into the world…Achieved 2 million plays of our song ‘Cavalier’ in Japan and picked up a skipload of fans.

Year 4 – Had an amazing tour with The Stranglers in March; Hammersmith Apollo, O2 Academy’s and other amazing venues to find our feet. Wrote the songs which are our sound. Picked up booking and landed Download Festival on 13th June and more festivals are coming in now..

Describe your sound in four words…

Urgent, energetic, angry, filthy!

Your earliest festival memory?

A lovely girl pissing on my tent and our first ever show at a Christian BBQ…in the rain..with people holding tarpaulin over us..

Where shall we pitch our tents this summer if we want to catch a glimpse of Max Raptor’s festival stage show?

Take it to the Bridge – Northern Ireland

3rd July YNOT Festival – Derbyshire

July 30th More tbc…big ones too…

The best band you’ve had the honour of supporting to date?

Billy Talent and The Stranglers…

When can we expect a full length LP from Max Raptor?

It will have to be 2010…we don’t want to just stick something out there that has no story behind it…we’re building slowly…and another EP will emerge soon.

The musician that made you change the way you dressed?

Hmmmm..didn’t really happen…we dress how we dress and obviously for a show we’ll stick on our finest clobber but we’re not into wearing costumes and matching t-shirts….actually we do wear matching black teeshirts…well three of us and Wil is always in a bit of colour running through the black….

The Max Raptor youtube clip that everyone should see?

The Max Raptor Promo Vid which can be found at this link

Tags: Cosmology, Download Festival 2010, Eva Spence, Rolo Tomassi

Rolo Tomassi aren’t your archetypal mainstream hugging chart band. Yet, they seem to have breached the divide from underground synth hardcore merchants to featuring in an array of tastemaker magazines. Lead lady Eva Spence svelte frame doesn’t match her apocalyptic roar. And the bands explosive vigour instigates hell bent audiences to do what they do best – go nuts! The band’s new album ‘Cosmology’ is released today (24th May) so we thought we get James Tomassi on the couch to talk about everything that’s happening in the world of Rolo Tomassi right now.

Hey Rolo Tomassi, how’s the UK tour going at the minute?

We aren’t actually on tour right now! We finished a tour with Biffy Clyro just less than two weeks ago and that was great.

Describe your sound in four words for our readers that are unfamiliar with your visceral attacks…

Energetic Passionate Progressive Hardcore

Why should we have Rolo Tomassi in our boring lives, impress us with a pitch…

We’re a fun band that puts on a great show. We make interesting music that will change your perception on life FOREVER.

Tell us a fact about Rolo Tomassi that even the most avid fan probably doesn’t know?

My youngest sister owns EVERY t-shirt we’ve ever had made.

Tell us two lies about the band that you wish were true?

A lot of people seem to think we’re rich from doing our band. We’re not. Someone else also once said that me and Eva were married. Obviously I don’t wish that were true because she’s my sister. Its just a funny lie.

What should we expect from your new album ‘Cosmology’ released May 24th?

A more direct, hard hitting and ultimately better album. The dynamics are better, the songs are better… Its all just far better than anything we’ve done before. Its such a cliche for a band to come back and say that when they have a new record out but thats how we feel!
Where should we pitch our tents this summer if we want to catch Rolo Tomassi’s stage show?

Download, Hevy Fest, Newquay Boardmasters… Theres a bunch of places you should come. We have more to announce too. Stay tuned…

The last ‘Party Wound’ you suffered?

I cut my head open on a microphone at our show in Great Escape.

What makes your bones jealous?

People who’s bones look better than mine.

And finally what are the bands aspirations for the remainder of 2010…

Tour hard, write more music, put out some more releases and keep having enjoying what we’re doing!

Tags: Braces, Charlie, East City, NxNE, Posotivus Festival, Secret Garden Party, Sleepy Sun, Ten Bears, The Drums

The infectious sound of Ten Bears debut single ‘Braces’ has been a Shout4Music house favourite ever since it’s cherry was popped in the depths of our veteran stereo’s underbelly. Their video for the single sees the band as refulgent as ever, painted in a skin of gold. But it’s the music you’re really bothered about isn’t it? Well, let me break it down for you then; Ten Bears purvey pop aesthetics that make your bones dance, emitting a blast of catchy pop hooks with bursts of euphoric synths. Have a read of the interview then!

Hello Ten Bears, what have you been doing today?

We rehearsed, worked on some new ideas, and ate Falafels

Each band member accompanied by their instrument and their preferred tipple

please…

Sam – Vocals – Hot Toddy

Tim - Synths – Malibu/Babycham/White wine spritzer or a lager if Man City are playing.

Luke - Guitar – Whiskey/Old Fashioned

Kris – Drums – Bitter

Dom – Bass – White Lightening/Hooch

A little background for our readers on Ten Bear’s rise to prominence…

The bands started about 16 months ago but we’ve been friends for a while. We we’re lucky to play some cool gigs and festivals in our first year, Glasto, Secret Garden Party and a festival in Georgia. Once we got some recordings of the songs things seem to start moving for us. We now have our first single out on East City. Things are going great with more cool gigs coming up.

How was Ten Bears SXSW experience this year?

Really good. Met a lot of great people, particularly the ones who gave us beds and places to stay. Kris met a lady on arrival in the airport who was leaving on a family holiday for the duration of the festival. She knew we had no hotels so left they keys to her family home under the door mat for us. Very kind and trusting people in Austin, not at all in tune with a lot of pre-conceptions of Texas.

What bands impressed you at the festival?

We all really enjoyed a band called Sleepy Sun from San Fransisco. The Drums were good too.

Your earliest festival memory?

For myself it was Glastonbury. I went straight to the jugular of UK festivals. Nothing could of prepared me for the sheer size. The moment i remember most was walking through the gates for the first time early on the Wednesday and seeing the sprawl of colour across the valley. The numbers of people and the sheer size makes for an incredible atmosphere. I’ve been a few times now, and you start getting used to it, nothing will ever compare to the first time.

Where shall we pitch our tents this summer if we want to catch a glimpse of Ten Bear’s festival stage show?

You’ll have to hop on a plane and get yourself to Latvia for the Posotivus Festival. Or come to Toronto for NxNE.

When can we expect a full length LP from Ten Bears?

Soon.

Ten Bears favourite youtube clip that everyone should see?

Braces, our music video. Or the Ninja Cat.

Your aspirations for the remainder of 2010…

Put on great shows, write, record, party!