Right up my Sunny Street

I don't think I've mentioned our weekender in a few weeks time for, ooh, at least four hours, so I thought I would. The Middle Ones, Norwich's very own indiepop Peters & Lee (but without a blind man, of course) have been added as headliners for the Sunday. Ain't life grand?

Also playing the weekender are The Sunny Street, the multinational pop sensation currently residing in that London who feature members of Pocketbooks and Electrophonvintage and probably hundreds of other bands too (I don't know - I'm not hep enough to keep up, and there's always some washing needs doing).

Any road 'round, Roque from Cloudberry Records has gone and put together a video for a track called 'Insull', one of the tracks off the band's new album. It's pretty neat.



Today's top tip: Iceland own-brand cornettos are bloody lovely. You won't notice the difference, honest.

I'm very tired.

Warning: contains mild tweeness

Now, the last thing I'd like to labelled is twee, but since having a kid I've been a regular viewer of CBeebies. There's not a lot you can't tell me there days about Third and Bird, Zoo Lane, The Summer Song and Tommy Zoom. These programmes usually go on in times of extreme weakness like when I need a fag or am about to go mental from being forced to dance junior Metcalf's toy keybaord.

However, giving my son square eyes has it advantages, because these people writing the theme tunes for CBeebies programmes should really be the next indiepop heroes.

Take, for example, the Spanish pop of Charlie and Lola (itself a pretty ace band name):



Or perhaps, like me, you can just hear A Smile and a Ribbon covering the 3rd & Bird theme:



But my favourite at the moment is 64 Zoo Lane, the tune to could easily be an early Belle and Sebastian or Pines song.



Before anyone calls me twee, I'd like to remind you that I have been, more than once, involved in manual labour for a living and have owned a dog bigger than a lady's handbag. I do, however, like cats.

I'll leave you with the masterpiece: 'Summer Song'.



Normal service will resume when I've come into contact with Real Life at work this week.

"That's Mike. Oh, hi!"

I woke up this morning with the kind of hangover only a mixture of Harvest Pale and red wine can give you feeling pretty crappy. The internet has, however, perked me up no end.

And why, dear reader? Well, because Sourpatch have a new single out soon called 'Deli Dream', and I think it's possibly my favourite Sourpatch song in the world. It's out on HHBTM Records, and it's a song so flippin' uplifting that it makes you wonder how you get through the day without listening to it at least fifteen times. Which is what I did do today.

'Deli Dream' is a short, (bitter)sweet nugget pop spectacle. Happy and sad at the same time, it teases you into thinking that it' all going to fall apart at any second before lifting off for the stars all over again. In a year of great, great singles, I think this might be my favourite so far.

Mike from HHBTM was saying earlier that he wants to do some kind of big pop tour of the UK with Sweater Girls, Sourpatch, Afternoon Naps, Cars Can be Blue, Fishboy, Smittens, Keith John Adams, Lovely Eggs, Hotpants Romance, Tunabunny, Casper & the Cookies, and Titans. Comrades, if we don't make this happen, I'll have your guts for garters. Think on.

Tears Run Rings

Ah, now this takes me back to the summer of '92, when I was barely seen without either a Lush or Boo Radleys t-shirt out and about on the mean streets of Grimsby. Back then, if Tears Run Rings had made t-shirts, I'd have owned one.

The band, made of up ex-Autocollants, Laura Watling, and Evening Lights members are streaming their new album on facebook, and it ticks every one of my shoegaze boxes. Hazy, mysterious vocals, layers of fluffy (and sometimes cutely harsh) guitar, and a female voice in the background that is barely audible, but just has to be there. Oh, and some pretty pop sensibilities. This might just be the finest shoegaze record to emerge since Slowdive's 'Just For a Day'. You could say I like it a lot.

You can pre-order 'Reunion' from the ever-wonderful Tone Vendor. It's pay day next Tuesday, and that's first on my list of 'things to do' for the day.

Here's 'Forgotten', which comes from the band's previous album, 'Distance' that was released only a couple of weeks ago, apparently. I'm way behind...

Summer Library interview

One of the things that happens when you start reviewing records on your blog is that you're inundated with loads of PR agencies sending you links to THE NEXT BIG THING. Most of these are shite of the first water, so it's always quite nice when someone who actually wrote the songs contacts you, without using every superlative under the sun, and asks whether you'd mind listening to their stuff. This is what happened a couple of weeks ago with a band called Summer Library.

Summer Library is Patrick Kelly, an New Yorker with a passion for Sarah band Brighter. Being a fellow Brighter devotee, I listened to his songs with more of an interest than normal, and loved them, so I thought I'd ask him a few questions. Here's what he said:

Tell me a bit about your background. Have you been in bands before?

I played guitar and sang in a band in high school called the BrokenDials. We played a lot of Pavement covers; we were really into that 90s US. indie sound. After graduating, we'd still play occasionallybut it was difficult because we go to different colleges.

Do you make music alone?

I used to write songs for the Broken Dials but we'd work on themtogether after I wrote the guitar part and lyrics. With Summer Library, I write and record my music alone.

How would you describe your music?

So far I've only recorded two songs, so it's hard to say. But overall, I would describe it as simple pop music, in the vein of SarahRecords. I like my songs to have catchy melodies sung over janglyguitar parts. I'm also trying to work on synth parts to add more to the music, like the organs in Rocketship's songs.

Your music reminds me of Brighter, Harper Lee, Lovejoy - that kind of stuff. Are you a big fan of these bands, and who are you other influences?

I really love Brighter, but I've never listened to Harper Lee or Lovejoy. I'm sure I'd like Harper Lee though because they are affiliated with Brighter. I'm very influenced by Sarah Records ingeneral - especially the Field Mice and Brighter but also St Christopher, Heavenly, and Another Sunny Day. The Pastels, Rocketship, and Galaxie 500 are also huge influences because they make simple songs that sound beautiful, which is something I aim to do.

What sort of reception does your music get locally?

I only started recording music under Summer Library about a monthago, so I've only gotten reception from my friends, many of whom are also musicians and music lovers and are very supportive.

Do you play live?

I haven't played my songs live yet. I may play some acoustic sets when I return to school, but it wouldn't sound as full without the bass, lead guitar, etc. This is definitely a downside of being in aone-man band.

What's the next step for your music? Are you looking for a kindly person to release it?

I'd like to continue writing and recording songs, but I know itwon't be easy to do when I go back to school. I won't be able to record, but I'll still have some time to write songs I'm sure. I would love it if more and more people began listening to my music, but I know I'll have to work harder and record more songs for that to happen. I've sent my music to a few blogs that were linked on yourblog, so hopefully they will have a listen. And yes, I'm looking for a wonderful person to release my music, but I'm sure I'll need more promotion, blog coverage, etc for that to happen, so we'll see. That would be a dream come true.

Who are your other favourite bands at the moment?

I've been listening to the bands I mentioned as my influences; just lots of indie-pop/anorak. I'll have to check out Lovejoy and Harper Lee soon. I'm sure they are lovely. Earlier this summer I saw the Pains of Being Pure at Heart play, and I'm in love with them, so that was great. I'm also a big fan of Surfer Blood and the Drums. I would like to get into more contemporary indie-pop, like Allo Darlin. If you have any recommendations, please tell me!

Listen to Summer Library at their bandcamp page.

Time to take sides

Whilst the Tories go about their despicable business of dismantling what's left of Britain's public sector, it's worth casting our minds back to the General Election of 1987, which Labour managed to lose so spectacularly after Kinnock and co thought it would be a great idea to shift to the right. The brutal recession that followed a couple of years later laid waste to hundreds of thousands of jobs (mine included), and showed the one true way to Tony Blair, as Thatcher took steps to wipe out more working class jobs

With the Tories at the helm once again, history looks set to repeat itself hundreds of thousands more jobs will go from a demoralised public sector - probably with a pathetic whimper from the weak and compliant unions - after the spending review in October.

Today, the Tories announced that the billionaire Sir Phillip Green, who owns a fashion empire in the UK, will head up a Whitehall spending review. He'll be tasked with telling Cameron how many thousands of people he can make redundant without losing any sleep at night. Apparently, the BBC today tried to get an interview with Green, but apparently he was away in the tax exile that is Monaco. If that isn't a vile joke, I don't know what is.

Which all leads me round to a new Pete Wylie song. Now I'm no fan of Wylie, nor am I an advocate of celebrating too much when Thatcher does pop her gold-lined clogs (cos let's face it - the damage has been done), but if this doesn't stir you up and make you want to fight back, then you're probably not on my side.

Wish I'd Kept a Scrapbook - a Tribute to Tullycraft (Unchikin Records)

You might remember the mooted Tullycraft tribute album from a while ago that was asking for donations to help get itself released. Well, it'll finally see the light on 14 September on Unchikin Records.

I'll admit to knowing next to nothing about Tullycraft, which I feel particularly terrible about. However, the line-up on this album was enough to get me interested. It's particularly thrilling to hear a posthumous Besties track - they contribute a thrashy garage version of 'Our Days in Kansas', which is ACE.

The rest of the album is made up of a Who's Who of international pop: Math and Physics Club, The Medusa Snare, The Smittens, Gold Bears, Moustache of Insanity, and a fucking stunning Darren Hanlon and Rose Melberg duet covering 'Our Days in Kansas', which reminds you that there's more to pop than trashy guitars and 'oh-ohs'. I must get that new Darren Hanlon record - his voice gives me the shivers.

Lastly, a mention for The Awesomelies, who really should be bigger than they are. Their version of Godspeed sounds like something from another planet. They better make it over here next year, or else there'll be trouble.

Download 'Every Little Thing' by The Medusa Snare here.