Hello, kitten

That there are bands out there as ace as Meow, Meow! - the band named after the drug for young, slightly enthusiastic people who wear loose fitting clothes - which have so far eluded my, admittedly limited, ear makes my heart sing. They're from Liverpool and they remind me loads of early Dressy Bessy, All Girl Summer Fun Band, and The Icicles. Indeed, they take me right back to when I first heard all three bands, which was right around the same time.

But that's irrelevant!

They now have a free download single, 'I Wonder What Went Wrong' available from WIAIWYA, backed with a cover of Go Sailor's 'Ray of Sunshine'.

Imagine your favourite summer band. Then double them. And book them to play in your town.

Filling out for the summer

I come back from a desperately poor night out in Leeds (is there any other kind?) to find that more bands have been announced for Indietracks. The full list so far is:

The Felt Tips
Chariots of Tuna
Winston Echo
Stars Of Aviation
Fanfarlo
The Give It Ups
Betty & The Werewolves
The Cannanes
This Many Boyfriends
Be Like Pablo
Sarandon
Foxes!
Standard Fare
The Smittens
MJ Hibbett & The Validators
Boy Genius
Cineplexx
The Loves
Sunny Street
Allo Darlin
Ballboy
Shrag
White Town
Just Joans

For me, that's already the best line-up in the four years Indietracks has been running, and if Stuart and Emma want to stop booking bands right now, then I'd be happy.

I bumped into Stuart at London Popfest a couple of weeks ago, and he put me in mind of a football scout, trawling the lower leagues for talent. I think I'd had too much to drink, mind...

'Allo Darlin' - 'Allo Darlin' (Fortuna Pop!)

It was exactly this time last year that I first heard Pocketbooks' 'Flight Paths' album, a record so rammed full of potential singles, that it felt like a greatest hit set. One year on, and 'Allo Darlin' have repeated the trick.

This debut album opens up with the double kiss on the lips of 'Dreaming' - a song which should be Fortuna Pop!'s next hit single - and 'The Polaroid Song', which was released late last year and didn't deserve to be lost on the Christmas rush. These two have been stuck in my head for weeks now, and it shows this band's confidence that they can whack out two of their best songs so early in the album.

Wonderfully, 'Heartbeat Chilli' from last year's now sold out 'Henry Rollins Don't Dance' ep is also included, and showcases Elizabeth's sunshines vocals perfectly.
Perhaps the most impressive track here is 'My Heart is a Drummer', which evokes 'We Love the City'-era Hefner and is genuinely SAD, and is perhaps the only time on the album where Elizabeth really lets her voice go on a song which is all about defiance. It's also got this amazing bouncy bassline that makes your legs go all bendy.

And that's followed up by 'What Will Be Will Be', a delightfully downbeat, autumnal love song which finishes this most fun of albums off on a slushy note. And I quite like that they've done that.

This album isn't out until June, but once you get it and the sun's out, you won't need much else. Apart from the Standard Fare record, of course...

Keith Alexander: 1956-2010

Today's news that a proper Grimsby Town legend has died is awful. I've been asked to write a tribute to Keith for Cod Almighty, and I'll post that here when it's up there.

In the meantime, I'll just say that in age when players come and go at Blundell Park and you never know who is going to be in the squad from one game to another, someone like Keith Alexander seems a lifetime away. The fact that he played very much in the modern era, and has now gone is very sad indeed.

So thanks, Keith, for the best two seasons of football anyone could hope for.

The Loves - Sweet Sister Delia EP (Fortuna Pop!)

The title track of the new Loves ep is the best thing they've done since, ooh, probably their debut album all those years ago. It's got sass and makes me want to clap my hands either side of my head in a camp manner. But I don't want the window cleaner seeing me, so I best not.

Apparently, it's all about Delia Sparrow, ex of Mambo Taxi, The Action Time, Baby Birkin and Manic Cough (I don't remember this last lot, but I like the name). It's got a lovely organ part in it that drives it along and makes me want to wake up at work. And that, my friends, is as good a recommendation as any, especially on a sleepy Wednesday afternoon.

On the b-side, somewhat oddly is a track from 2001 called 'Low', which sort of meanders along a bit, and 'God Saves Our Souls', a bit of cod-blues fun which is credited to Simon Love and The Turkeys. No, me neither.

Oh, lovely cover art, too.

Breakfast isn't for wimps

I obviously don't know the power of my own written word, because since I moaned a while back about there not being enough indiepop videos around, there's been loads of ace ones knocking about. I am, I like to feel, all powerful.

The newest of these that have come to my attention is the dreamy and - and dare I say it - somewhat sexy "Graceless" by Crayon Fields.

Crayon Fields - Graceless from Geoff O'Connor on Vimeo.

Looks quite expensive that, doesn't it?

Perhaps the finest pop video I've seen is The Cure's 'Charlotte Sometimes' - purely for comedy value and the dramatic looks into the camera. However, this effort for Allo Darlin''s sublime 'Polaroid' comes a very close second. Better than that, it reminded me that 'Molly Ringwald!' can be substited for "fucking hell!" if you're in the company of a vicar, your mother-in-law, Morrissey, etc...

Pre-Popfest Tales

Getting lost around Green Park the pouring rain in a pair of ill-fitting plimmies doesn't seem to matter so much when you walk through the door of The Blue Posts, just off crappy Oxford Street, and see Ian and Pete from Horowitz in there - Ian manfully drinking through his hangover, and Pete gently sipping a delicate orange juice.

And then more friends and familiar faces turn up and the half hours and the pints slip by, and, after checking into the hotel, we walk to the 100 Club (yeah, we all did)and see Dave stood outside, and London Popfest is GO!

Wonderfully, they have Flowers on tap. Not-so-wonderfully it costs £3.80 a pint, but it doesn't really matter because Plouf! are up next, and toniee is very nervous indeed. Even his elaborate cardigan looks nervous. This is the first time the band have played together in four years (it seems longer than that to me) and, yeah, it shows. But once they get into their stride, Plouf! charm the pants off most of us in the room. They're funny and cute and not many of their songs make the one minute mark, so even those spoilsports who hate them can't really grumble.

Red Shoe Diaries and Standard Fare seem genuinely honoured to be here, and both are as ace as ever. There's a tiny Nottingham dance troupe at the front for RSD, which makes me smile. And although most of us have heard the Standard Fare set at least half a dozen times over the last year, it remains as electric and alive and exciting as ever.

And then Allo Darlin come on and floor me. I'm not sure if I've ever seen them as a full band, but if it works solo, then as a band it's something sublime. The songs ooze out of the PA and, for about half an hour I forget that I'm pissed beyond words on rancid lager (the Flowers having run out ages ago) and just float away. There are only a few times that music does this to me these days, and this is one of them.

By now, i'm properly knackered, having been up since 5.30am, but it'd be rude not to say and see Shrag. Why? Because they're thrilling live. Just watching Helen King stomp her way through their set keeps me awake for another thirty minutes.

We stumble out into the night, and into a Cornish pasty shop. My mate is a Plymouth fan, so he's well versed in all things West Country, and he gives the pasty 4/10. Just for your records.

I got to work this morning a bit disconsolate, only to find out that the first Indietracks bands have been announced. Feast your eyes...

Sarandon
Foxes!
Standard Fare
The Smittens
MJ Hibbett & The Validators
Boy Genius
Cineplexx
The Loves
Sunny Street
Allo Darlin
Ballboy
Shrag
White Town
Just Joans

Roll on July...