The Cold Cut

Coldplay- Death Will Never Conquer (Link 2)

I would love to be Brian Eno. Not for the reputation, nor the money, but purely so I could take a listen to all the off-cuts from Coldplay's latest album, 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' at my own pleasure.

The first of many b-sides and free releases came a few days ago in the form of 'Death Will Never Conquer'. A short track, just over 1 minute long, it's back to basics- just Chris and a piano. Or, live, Will Champion (drummer for Coldplay) and a piano. And here's where it gets interesting- Will has a good voice. An amazing voice, in fact. He might not have Chris quaking in his boots, but I absolutely love it when a band unveils a whole new dimension to their sound. Thing of the possibilities! Harmonies? They've done that. An album sung entirely by Will? Perhaps thats the plan for album number 4?

The song itself isn't exhilarating, but what it represents is. Now if only someone can release the vocal version of 'Life In Technicolour', my life will be complete.

Would you like a deluxe edition of Viva La Vida, including every track they recorded?

Watch this band. If you do anything today, make sure you check out Lightspeed Champion. I can tell you now, without a shadow of a doubt, that Dev Hynes is going to be big. As in, he will be remembered as one of 'the great British songwriters'.

Explain? Well, a few months ago at the Paradiso, they blew me away. I've been a fan since Dev's Test Icicles days, but I still wasn't expecting this quality of performance. At around 8 PM, Dev (complete with fur hat) and his band strolled on stage, with no ostentation. None materialised through the set. He had this aura of 'niceness', and was totally chilled: 'so, what have you guys been up to today?' was the opener. Each song was ended with 'thanks everyone'. Here's a clear example of someone unaffected by fame (reassuring, considering there's much more to come). I hope Dev reads this- not an unreasonable expectation considering he commented on one of my earliest posts about Lightspeed Champion.

Thankfully, his stage presence isn't all I have to rave about. The music itself was brilliant. The band- Dev and his band (drums, bass and violin) swept through a well balanced set, with oodles of character and charm. Oh, and just to clarify something, Dev is really, really, really good at guitar. This doesn't come across in the record, and makes the live performance a lot more exciting. His backing band are much the same. With a trio of drums, violin and bass, and Dev himself switching between guitars and piano, the album is fully fleshed out.

The band previewed 3 new songs: although he's still touring the new album, Dev has already finished the follow-up (an inclination of how much music he writes). The set began with 'Happy Birthday', a song similar in sound to Midnight Suprise, with some nice development: the song starts with frantic picking and then settles into a steady rhythm. These news songs help us to form an idea of how good he will eventually be- over the course of the tour, he has already become much more of a showman, and new musical skills are being picked up every day.

Lightspeed Champion- Happy Birthday (Live At Paradiso) (Link 2)

Dev also reproduced the now famous cover of 'Heart In A Cage', which is all the more impressive live. It arrives half way through the 16 song set. Sat alone on the stage, he cuts a sharp profile, and more than matches Julian Casablancas for pathos.

The second new song was 'Marlene' a 'funky' number that a more upbeat backing and some different lyrical topics: 'stick a spoon into your heart, and eat away all your Deutschmarks. Your money don't mean a damn thing. I'm wearing everything I own... Stop being cool'. The song also features a crazy solo by Dev at the end: no joke, he shreds!

Lightspeed Champion- Marlene (Live At Paradiso) (Link 2)

'Madame Van Damme' is another song likely to find it's way onto his new album. I admit I wasn't as blown away by the lyrics of this song as the other new additions, but it's still likely to be a hit when put through the recording process; that was only the fourth time it had been played live. The guitars are very retro, and the refrain has Dev repeating 'kill me, baby wont you kill me'. I'm not going to post it just yet, and final judgment will have to wait until I get my hands on the album version.

The set is full of character; from their rendition of the Star Wars theme (amazing)- which was joined together with a certain 10 minute opus- to the quips between each song,

Lightspeed Champion- Star Wars Medley (Link 2)

During 'Midnight Surprise', their pre-encore song, the band went a little psycho, and the music suddenly stopped. The band looked around, confused: 'Oops, I think we just blew out the power! That, guys, is the power of rock music'. After a few seconds of repairs, the playing resumed, and the band got right back into their breakdown.

Lightspeed Champion didn't have anything to prove to me at this gig. As I've said and will keep on saying: they're on the cusp of huge things, and are going to make a difference, whether or not the general audience admits it. As a band, Lightspeed Champion have it all: versatility (switching between instruments), depth (in the lyrics), impact (Dev), talent and tunes. Now all they need is an audience big enough to appreciate that fact.

'Falling Off The Lavender Bridge' can be purchased at Amazon. Dev's blog is a great read, and his official Myspace often features free Lightspeed Champion downloads. Photos courtesy of Tonie. Visit Fabchannel to watch the concert!

Another day in London, another dirt cheap gig to go to. Two days ago, for an unbelievably cheap £5, I went to Club NME at the KOKO, a great night. The format is as follows: some great indie bands (ie New Cassettes and Glasvegas) interspersed between some DJ sets. It starts at 10, and will go on into the early hours of the morning; I only stayed for Glasvegas, but it was well worth it.

This was a band possessing a sound much bigger than the venue, using the patented 'wall of sound' technique, I'm confidently informed. For the uninitiated, this involves a simple backing setup, and vocals low in the mix. The 'wall' is the guitar/bass, which were amped up to the max, and altogether it produces quite a distinctive, impressive sound. Lead singer James Allen's voice is arguably as good as in the studio, and the backing band were all energetic. Take drummer Caroline McKay, a force of nature, who refuses to sit down, whacking her simple kit into submission, and *they* jiggle all over the place- the audience was mesmerised.

The set was short due to their unfair positioning as a support band- they played all the favourites: 'Daddy's Gone', 'Go Square Go' and latest single 'Its My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry', and I was wholly impressed by their performance. I expect to see the four piece filling major festival slots this summer.

At this point, I will point you to their new website, which is a fitting companion to the songs released thus far

Glasvegas- It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry

Image courtesy of bibabidi.com