It hardly takes a musical savant to recognise that The Strokes debut Is This It marked 2001 as Year Zero for opening group, Young Hearts Society. The fingerprints of New York’s finest are all over their set like a cheap suit, but when you’re as startlingly young as Young Hearts Society, imitation is the best place to start and besides, rock and roll has always looked its sharpest when dressed off the rack from the second hand shop. Suspiciously tight - they claim that tonight is their first gig - bass and drums hold the set, and the energetic interplay between the rhythm guitars, together. There’s no lead guitar and vocals are shared, but the groups high-cheek boned, real front-man rightfully stands centre stage, whirling his foppish hair around in the required fashion. Strokes copyists they may be, but they’re every inch as good as numerous more successful bands essentially doing the same thing.

Up next are Rupert and the Robbers; a routine ska/indie pop group from Hereford with shit haircuts but decent tunes. Their impressive, intricate guitar interplay faintly recalls The Futureheads, but they’re far more pop than punk and the young audience lap it up.

Roxy’s Wardrobe don’t go much for style - they’re a straight rock group a little out of place in front of an army of sixteen year old indie scenesters impatient for the headline act. They’re well practiced and gamely rip through their set, all heavy guitar and pounding drums, occasionally threatening to get down and dirty, but too often failing to reach beyond the rather tepid levels of a band like Feeder on the rock-o-metre. Not their audience.

Headliners, Bombay Bicycle Club come on like a tank - albeit one piloted by sixteen year olds. Their frenetic guitar songs invite lazy comparisons to The Strokes, but they’re far more interesting than simply New York copyists; owing just as much to The Cure or British Seapower’s instinctive angular pop. Lead singer Jack Steadman - whose wiry physique and distinctive trembling vocals recall a young Tom Verlaine - threatens to take-off as he tears through the set, using a delay pedal to make his guitar sound huge. “This is a song about being sixteen,” he proudly announces to the collective cheer of an audience out celebrating having survived their GCSEs. Once this guy’s twenty-one and just as bitter as the rest of the world, he’s surely gonna write some truly amazing songs.

For now though, the groups blistering energy and pop instincts will carry them wherever they wanna go. Halfway through the set, Steadman, scruffy blonde hair curtaining his face, dives into the audience, who carry him on his back as he continues to play in a scene right out of a Nirvana gig - minus all the self loathing of course. It’s quite a spectacle. The kids go mental, and you know you’re watching a star in the making.

www.bombaybicycleclubmusic.com

James Davey

www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk

www.ianbradleyphotography.com

A sold out gig at The Fleece means only one thing; an uncomfortably hot and sweaty night is ahead of us. However just behind Shirley Manson and Franz Ferdinand, tonight’s band are one of Scotland’s finest indie/rock exports – Idlewild, so worth the extreme conditions.

With no support act it seemed like quite a long wait until the band would take the stage. With the heat rapidly rising, it felt as if someone were to spill a drink steam would begin to fizzle and rise and we would be buying shots of wheat grass instead of Sambuca, but I digress.

Idlewild finally take to the stage and tell us that they will be treating us to a bit of a different gig. They will be performing two sets one acoustic then the other electric with a short break in between. This was a very pleasant surprise to the crowd obviously filled with some die hard fans.

The acoustic set turned into a slight sing along session with such anthems as American English and You Held the World in Your Arms given an unplugged makeover. This actually worked extremely well at getting the crowd going, it also meant getting the slower songs out of the way ready for us all to rock out to the second half of the night.

A twenty minute break ensued and a chance for the band to find some oxygen and a room with a slightly lower temperature (maybe one nearer the earths crust?). Idlewild then burst onto the stage again with incredible gusto. Leaping off monitors and spinning their guitars they seemed to be truly at home with their faster material.

They had planned a very fan-centric set playing many b-sides and old album tracks. Nobody seemed to mind as all the songs were of a pretty high standard. The whole Idlewild set was nearly two hours long and reminded me just how many classic tracks these guys had released. A personal highlight was Little Discourage which was the most celebrated song of the night for all too.

It was obvious that the body of work from this band has easily stood the test of time for over a decade due to their commitment to their live gigs which has left us all more than satisfied but still wanting more which is always the sign of a great gig.

www.idlewild.co.uk

Stu Freeman

Framed like a grainy pound-shop disposable camera, Somertown is another example of director Shane Meadow’s talent.

Tomo and Marek’s unlikely friendship is the engine for the plot. They are the epitome of chalk and cheese, Marek representing more of a romantic and Tomo that of the ‘Lad’. Despite their differences they have one thing in common, Maria, a beautiful French lady who waitress’ at their local café, where the boys first meet over Tomo’s bacon butty and Marek’s newly developed photos. Maria is but a subplot against the dominating notion of brotherly love. Stolen wash bags and abandoned wheelchairs alongside sneaky cash in hand jobs for their overweight neighbour, are but some of the swashbuckling adventures these bored teenagers push for.

Using best friend Paul Frasers script, Meadows doesn’t fairy dance over detail. Despite being shorter in length, this film encompasses all the ingredients for a simple indie/arthouse film. Beautiful camera shots, which shift to colour for the finale, subtle but convincing acting and a typical British sense of humour, nice and dry.

Funny and bleak, black and white, charming and simple, Meadows and Fraser. This film seems dedicated to a sense of partnership, and the love hate relationship, which comes with all good friendships. Tomo and Marek have the perfect Rock ‘n’ Roll relationship.

www.watershed.co.uk

Kayleigh Cassidy

www.ianbradleyphotography.com

Since that incredible year the event has grown significantly in size and pull, drawing people of all ages to the splendid Ashton Court Estate over the course of the 4 day event, starting with my personal favourite, the Night Glow on Thursday.

This night always draws me up on the promise of a great spectacle of balloons lighting up to great music, a fabulous fireworks display and a wondrous evening spent drinking champagne with friends and eating a picnic; well that’s the way I like to do things! The event this year as always was fantastic, I do however have a few questions to pose:

1. Why has the classical music stopped during the Night Glow? Now pop music is played, not even a damn busters escaped this year.

2. Why did the night glow only last for 15 minutes? The Fireworks were great as always, I love fireworks, but they seemed to be equally as short and ended abruptly.

3. What ever happened to the free concerts for the kids during the day…. I saw Girls Aloud a few years ago……….. I know Girls Aloud!!!!

I imagine that the answer I will be given is that progress takes over! There is a Night Glow on Saturdays now too so they spread the experience over two nights, but quantity is NEVER better than quality in my opinion! That the concert is too expensive/too busy/too much fun to continue and that the pop music brings the kids to the Night Glow as they now no longer have the free concert.

I have no idea, but I, like a great many million people, don’t like change, well that’s a lie, I love chance but only if it’s for the better……………………………I still enjoyed it though!!!

www.bristolfiesta.co.uk

Faye Westrop

Flick through the pages online now

This issue we sail up into the skies with a preview of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. 07-10th August 2008. We also visit ‘Ujima’ radio. Bristol’s newest community radio station. Music featured - ‘String Theory’ by Dub From Atlantis.

There will be a winner for each city who will receive £1000, a case of Alizé and a VIP night out for 43 friends on their Remixed debut. Best of all though is they will get to hit the turntables alongside the likes of legendary DJs including Jazzy Jeff and Grandmaster Flash, plus the competition Ambassadors Steve Sutherland and Shortee Blitz.

Steve Sutherland commented; “Alizé Remixed is an opportunity for great up-and-coming DJs to experience something amazing - to show off their skills and star alongside legendary names like Jazzy Jeff. No egos allowed and good vibes are essential, so if you’ve got the tracks, we’ve got the stage.”

Steve offers his top tips on creating the best banging party mix:
1. Vary up your tracks; don’t have all hip-hop or all 80s groove. Keep it interesting!
2. Be creative. You don’t need to play the whole track, maybe just the best 16 bars or the big hook.
3. Don’t overuse scratching - we want to hear your selections, not your tricks.
4. Choose your playlist carefully. You may love an obscure album track, but if the crowd doesn’t know it, you’ll kill the vibe.
5. Don’t be scared to throw in a surprise to keep everyone on their toes!

Once selected, the Alizé Remixed winners will play at one gig each on the tour which will be hitting 5 cities across the UK including Bristol’s Panache.

www.alizeremixed.com

www.thebristolfestival.org