A week ago today, around 450 performers descended upon 38 venues for the Hertford Music Festival's annual Musical Mystery Tour, and what a great day it was.
The music kicked off at 12pm and my first stop was The White Horse pub to see the singer songwriter Colin Swift. It was a great start to the day with the highlight being Colin's cover version of Nick Drake's 'Road'. The audience were captivated throughout & Colin's face was beaming following his first live performance in a while. I've since heard that he's been asked back for further gigs at the venue and I'm sure he'll now be a regular on the Hertford circuit for some time.
After that great start it was time to head over to Elbert Square, and the car park of the old venue Elbert Wurlings, to see the Legend that is Don Letts DJ'ing. He didn't disappoint and the atmosphere in the crowd was amazing.
I had to cut my time at Elbert Square short, however, to go and catch local heroes The McTells at the Hertford Museum. I'd recently read about The McTells in the Hertford Museum's exhibition 'Beautiful Noise' which is all about Hertford's musical heritage. After hearing them online I just had to go and see them, and I'm so glad I did.
Their song 'Clean' was the highlight for me and when I tweeted about them on the day, one of my followers in America (please step forward @beardedsteven) replied saying how much he loved the band and then showed off his vinyl collection of theirs to me.
After the McTells I rushed to The Old Barge to catch George Ezra's little brother Ethan Barnett. The pub (where Ethan is currently a barman) was packed, and it was standing room only, but I managed to squeeze my head around the door to catch some of his set. Different vocally to his older brother, but equally talented, it's only a matter of time before Ethan steps out of George's shadow to hit the big time himself. After all George himself played The Old Barge at the Musical Mystery Tour only a few years ago - let's hope history repeats itself.
After that set I headed over to The Millstream, and their wonderful beer garden, who were part of the Musical Mystery Tour for the first time. Highlights were Starseedz captivating the crowd with their catchy tunes, including 'Little Bird', & one half of The Twirling Canes playing an impromptu gig as the sun went down. Their Portishead-like vocally distorted tunes, with their guest female singer, were perfect for the atmosphere as night fell on the beer garden.
The last stop of the day was at Sloppy's. I arrived to find out that sadly the excellent Sara Ashley had dropped out, however, this gave the brilliant headliner Becky Phillips a chance to play a longer set. She took it in her stride with the highlight being a great cover version of Hertford's very own George Ezra's 'Budapest'. It was a fitting end to a great day.
A good time was had by all and it wouldn't have been possible without the sponsors and the excellent bands who all played for free. And let's not forget the main organisers, Kev Saunders & Rob Guinn, who gave up loads of their time to make sure everyone else had a good one. A massive shout out to them.
Here's to next year, I'm looking forward to it already...
Thanks to everyone on twitter who commented on my favourite sub-two minute songs at the end of last year. Here's the final list in all its glory, along with some clips for the Top 5 and a Spotify Playlist of all the songs featured (2014 sub 2 mins). Thanks also to @TheAlbumWall for his suggestions :
24. 'Tropical Jinx' - Little Big League
23. 'Loved & Lost' - Pete Fij / Terry Bickers
22. 'The Fracture of Age' - Cymbals
21. 'Two Cherished Understandings' - Avi Buffalo (suggested by @TheAlbumWall)
20. 'Cursing the Sea' - September Girls
19. 'We found it' - The Drums
18. 'Nobody's Business' - Christopher Owens
17. 'Smoking Pixels' - Jungle
16. 'Bullet' - Bird
15. 'Dr. Philip David Collins' - Soft Powers
14. 'Rapt' - Karen O
13. 'Narrated by Paul' - Guided by Voices
12. 'These Plains' - Vertical Scratchers
11. 'Never Gonna Change' - Seeds of Doubt
10. 'Blind man in Amsterdam' - George Ezra
9. 'Small World' - Pujol
8. 'Broader Klang' - Temple Songs (aka 'The Pink Teens')
7. 'Purifying Tone' - The Primitives (suggest by @TheAlbumWall)
6. 'Rumble at the Rainbo' - Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
5. 'Ways to Phrase a Rejection' - Drowners
4. 'The Root' - Kim Deal
3. 'Great minds think alike, all brains taste the same' - Happyness
2. 'Lemoncita' - The Lemons
1. 'I wonder what your mom's thinking' - Teen Runnings
Welcome to my annual blog post. Thanks for coming.
With all the songs of the year lists knocking around at the moment I've decided to do something a bit different.
Last year I enjoyed putting together my sub-2 minute song playlist so much, especially with all the great new bands I discovered, that I've decided to make it the focus of my songs of the year aka 'The Yuletide 24' this year.
The same format as last year will still apply - from Monday, 1st December, I'll be counting down the songs from number 24 to number 1 on twitter (via @HerfordSoul & the hashtag #sub2minYuletide24) daily until Christmas Eve when the winner will be announced in scenes reminiscent of the Mercury Prize, just a million times better...
Just to remind you of of the top 5 beauties from last year, to get you all excited :
5. 'Hollow Body' by Pity Sex
4. 'Some people are born strange' by Big Harp
3. 'SHOOT YOU' by Pins
2. 'Nothing Changes' by Soft Reeds
1. 'Coast to Coast' by Waxahatchee
You can find last year's full playlist here The best 24 sub-two minute songs of 2013 and, once I've revealed the number 1 this year, I'll upload a link to the 2014 playlist for your listening pleasure.
And that's not all, my fellow music blogger +The Album Wall has once again nominated a couple of tracks for the playlist. Thanks again to him for suggesting those corkers.
Anyway, I'm off. It's good to be back, thanks for reading.
I once put together a Spotify playlist of my favourite sub-two minute songs of all time. You can listen to it here if you fancy it - 24 sub-two minute wonders It's a corker if I must say so myself.
One of the things I loved about it, bar the music of course, was that you could listen to loads of songs in a very short space of time - about 40 minutes in fact. Perfect for my daily commute from Old Street to Hertford.
A while back there were rumours going around that the reason Radiohead's 'The King of Limbs' was so short was because no-one had time to listen to albums anymore and that the average daily commute is about 40 minutes long. Noel Gallagher recently slated Arcade Fire's album 'Reflektor' by saying it's too long and no-one has time for albums of that time length anyway.
These comments have inspired me to put together another sub-two minute playlist, containing 24 songs of course, but to bring it more up to date.
With end of year lists in full swing I'd therefore like to welcome you to a blog post about my top 24 sub-two minute songs of 2013. As always there's a Spotify playlist at the end of it for you to check out.
The rules are simple, the songs could have appeared on any release in 2013, be it a single, album, b-side or compilation album. Only one song per band can feature in the top 24. Oh and, of course, the song has to be less than two minutes long.
So, without further ado, here are my top 24, with a cheeky You Tube clip, and a bit of blurb, counting down numbers 5 to 1 :
24. 'Score' by Young Knives (suggested by @TheAlbumWall at the eleventh hour) 23. 'Hit Me' by Savages 22. 'Chubby Cheeks' by Sweet Baboo 21. 'I can't stand you' by Beachniks 20. 'I wanna be that guy' by The Memories 19. 'Fistful of butter' by Happy Jawbone Family Band 18. 'Red Light Green Light' by Dune Rats 17. 'A drink is just the thing' by Future Bible Heroes 16. 'Bites and Scratches' by Bent Shapes 15. 'Rezhand' by The Hussy 14. 'American Love' by Heavy Times 13. 'Keep it Easy' by The Tides 12. 'Testifying Time' by The Amazing Snakeheads 11. 'Young Lion' by Vampire Weekend 10. 'Faithful Heights' by Night Beds 9. 'Are you kissing anyone?' by Saturday night looks good to me 8. 'Okay' by Elvis Depressedly 7. 'Careers in Combat' by Parquet Courts 6. 'Keep Exhaling' by Wire
And now for the Top 5 :
5. 'Hollow Body' by Pity Sex
This is one of the standout tracks on Pity Sex's album 'Feast of Love', a ballad amongst a number of heavier songs. It's a beauty, one of the most spinetingliest songs on the playlist. Have a listen here :
4. 'Some people are born strange' by Big Harp
Great song from an equally great album and they're very cool too. They are actually a married couple with two kids, I've been trying to convince my wife that forming a family band is the best way forward in life but it's not going to happen. Instead I'll continue to listen to songs such as this and think about what could have been. Have a listen for yourself here :
3. 'SHOOT YOU' by PINS
Hailing from Manchester, PINS were one of the bands nominated in the Blog Sound of 2013. Along with some of their peers who were also nominated - they're quite similar sounding to Savages, who also made the playlist and also made the Top 5 of NME's albums of the year - they've gained some critical acclaim this year.
Even though the album they released this year contained a few sub-two minute songs, the song I've chosen wasn't on there. Instead I found it on an Amazing Radio compilation album which is well worth a listen too. Here it is :
2. 'Nothing Changes' by Soft Reeds
I bloody love Soft Reeds. They are very underrated and hardly got a look in this year in terms of album reviews in the British music press, let alone in the album of the year lists. Their album 'Blank City' is fantastic and is definitely in my Top 5 albums of the year.
Imagine an American version of Franz Ferdinand, with a bit of Talking Heads thrown in for good measure and you're nearly there. I discovered 'Nothing Changes' on a Spotify playlist someone else had created and haven't looked back since. I hope this playlist has the same effect on you.
Here it is, have a listen :
1. 'Coast to Coast' by Waxahatchee
This is a brilliant brilliant song. For those of you (are you still here?!) who followed my #Yuletide24 Songs of the Year on Twitter, this song came 19th in that list. It reminds me of The Breeders which is a bloody great thing in my opinion. I guarantee you'll love it and you can listen to it here :
So, what do you think? Have I made any glaring omissions? Would love you to let me know.
Oh, and before I go, here's a link to the Spotify playlist -
The 24 best sub-two minute songs of 2013
Thanks for having me and thanks also to @TheAlbumWall who suggested Young Knives. You can't go wrong following him on Twitter, he's also got a brilliant blog that I highly recommend you read too.
So there we have it, my songs of the year have been revealed. For those of you who have been following my daily tweets on twitter ('hi mum'), you'll already know who made the shortlist. For those who didn't, well this is your lucky day! Without further ado here is the final list from 24 to 1 and, as a bit of added value you even get a bit of commentary, plus a You Tube video, for numbers 5 to 1 - I spoil you sooooo much sometimes, don't I?!
Oh, and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, I've got another little treat for you (please don't get too excited, it is a bit rubbish).
Anyway, here we go :
24. 'Budapest' by George Ezra
23. 'It starts and ends with you' by Suede
22. 'Carnival' by The Family Rain
21. 'High Road' by Cults
20. 'Get Well Soon' by Breton
19. 'Coast to Coast' by Waxahatchee
18. 'Keep in the Dark' by Temples
17. 'Wallow' by Coasts
16. 'Broken' by Jake Bugg
15. 'Pregnant Actress' by Soft Reeds
14. 'Blue Collar Jane' by The Strypes
13. 'Lost Generation' by Rizzle Kicks
12. 'This head I hold' by Electric Guest
11. 'Reflektor' by Arcade Fire
10. 'Where are we now?' by David Bowie
9. 'Get Lucky' by Daft Punk
8.'Late Night' by Foals
7. 'Dissolve Me' by Alt-J
6. 'Bros' by Wolf Alice
5.'Do I wanna know?' by Arctic Monkeys
One of the best songs from one of the albums of the year by one of the best bands. My favourite ever live act pretty much owned 2013, however, they only finished 5th in this list so it's definitely a case of 'must try harder' next year.
I'm sure you've heard the song already but you can never tire of it so here it is again :
4. 'Recover' by Chvrches
A song from another of my favourite albums of the year, Chvrches were a breath of fresh air this year and made me fall in love with electropop all over again. Their other songs 'Gun' and the re-released 'The Mother We Share' would have easily made this list if it hadn't been for my strict limiting of one song per band but 'Recover' won by a nose.
Here it is again for your listening pleasure :
3. 'My God is the Sun' by Queens of the Stone Age
QOTSA'S album didn't blow me away after a couple of listens and I really must go and re-visit it at some point, however, 'My God is the Sun' was instantly a classic in my opinion. Easily their best song since 'No one knows' and probably their best song ever. I will never tire of this one and here it is for you to listen to and get all excited about again as well :
2. 'Oh my Lord' by Steve Mason
The ex-Beta Band frontman's song was an early front runner for my song of the year and it didn't drop out of the Top 2 all year. It is absolutely brilliant and, although his album didn't make it into my Top 5 of the year, I can only see his solo career getting better and better from now on.
Have a listen below and fall in love with this beauty too :
1. 'Come Save Me' by Jagwar Ma
My favourite band of the year, no contest, and this is my favourite song from my favourite album. I saw them live at Xoyo in London earlier on in the year and it was one of my favourite gigs ever, it was like being 17 again in the early 90s. Just brilliant.
To be honest, it was probably a bit of a cop out choosing 'Come Save Me' as it was a re-release from last year but it's just a classic. 'The Throw' could easily have won it as well though.
If you haven't heard them yet, get involved now below, they are amazing :
So, that's it. Agree / disagree? Would love to hear about your favourite tracks too.
Thanks for reading. Before you go, I've put all of the songs into a Spotify playlist for you to listen to here - Yuletide 24 2013 (that's the treat I was talking about above, if you didn't realise. Like I said earlier, it is a bit rubbish).
It's that time of year again where every music magazine, website and blog give their bands to watch tips for the following year.
On Hertford Soul though, it's not just brand new musicians that I like to
shout about, I also like to raise my glass to those who might be one or two
albums in and haven't quite had their lucky break yet. Some of the bands below
have appeared on other music blog / magazine lists this year as, I agree, they are brilliant. But there are a couple of bands below whose time I believe has
come and I'd like to share them with you in case you haven't heard them
before.
So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are 5
Bands for you to fall in love with in 2014 - and even if you don't fall in love
with them, I'd be happy with a 'I've become quite fond of'...
1. By the Sea
By the Sea's self titled debut album was close to being in my top 5 of albums of 2013 until I realised it was released in 2012! If you haven't heard them they are very shoegazey but with a hint of baggy. I think a cross between Pale Saints and Stone Roses would be a good description.
I've heard their second album will be released next year, and hopefully a few more people will get to hear it. In the meantime I would highly recommend you have a listen to 'By the Sea'. Here's the song 'Eveline' from it. It was originally a B-Side and if they keep producing them like this, we could have another compilation album like 'The Masterplan' on our hands one day.
2. Soft Reeds
I discovered Soft Reeds when I was putting a playlist together for the best sub-two minute songs of 2013 and I found the brilliant 'Nothing Changes'. That's a different blog post I'm writing though so I won't go into that now.
What that song did though was make me want to discover more about the band and I found out about 'Blank City' which has become one of my favourite albums of 2013. If you want an idea of who they sound like I would say they're a bit like the American version of Franz Ferdinand with a bit of Talking Heads thrown in for good measure. However, if you don't like either of those bands I'd be doing Soft Reeds an injustice as they are excellent. So why not have a listen for yourself, here's the song 'Pregnant Actress' from their second album 'Blank City'. This song also made it to No. 15 in my #Yuletide24 Songs of the Year.
3. Coasts
If you get a chance to see Coasts live, please do. They are bloody amazing. Every song is epic and they always leave you wanting more, that's why I'm very much looking forward to their debut album being released next year.
I'm going to write something now that might not impress many of you but *takes deep breath* they are featured on the second Made in Chelsea soundtrack that's just been released. To put this into context, 3 other bands that feature on this soundtrack are - Haim, Chvrches and Deap Vally. These bands have been critically acclaimed by music magazines and blogs throughout 2013 and, there's something else - Coasts are still unsigned! I think that's pretty bloody good, isn't it?!!
Coasts also appeared in my #Yuletide24 Songs of the Year with 'Wallow' but instead I'm going to post the song 'Oceans' which appears on the particular soundtrack mentioned above. Please listen before passing judgement.
4. The Family Rain
The Family Rain are 3 brothers from Bath who are, in my opinion, becoming the closest British band to perfecting the sound of The White Stripes / Black Keys from across the pond.
Again their song 'Carnival' appeared in my #Yuletide24 Songs of the Year and I'm really looking forward to hearing their debut album next year. Oh, and before anyone pulls me up on it, The Family Rain appeared on the first 'Made in Chelsea' soundtrack! Look, I promise I am not just recommending bands who have appeared on this! Although I will be recommending By the Sea and Soft Reeds to the Producers for the third CD.
Anyway, again, please have a listen first before making your mind up - here's 'Carnival' :
5. Wolf Alice
Last, but not least, are Wolf Alice who you've all probably heard of as a lot of blogs have already banged on about them over the last few weeks (and they are in the short list of the Blog Sound of 2014 and the BBC equivalent as well I think).
All the acclaim is rightly deserved as they are brilliant and their debut album next year should be a corker. I shall therefore be leaving you with the brilliant 'Bros' which is one of my favourite songs of the year :
So, they're my tips and now it's over to you - which bands do you think you and
other people will fall in love with next year? Would be great to hear your
thoughts.
In my past blogging life I used to collate a list of my favourite 24 songs of the year. It was called The Yuletide 24 in homage to the late, great John Peel's Festive 50.
The reason there are only 24 songs included is because I once wrote a blog post stating that, for various reasons, 24 songs was the optimum number of songs to put on a playlist. I'm not going to bore you with that stuff now though.
Anyway, as of today, seeing as it's the 1st December, I will be counting down this year's Yuletide 24 daily on twitter until on Christmas Eve when my favourite song of the year will be announced. Please follow me on there - @HertfordSoul - if you want to watch the daily drama, the shocks and the triumphs, unfold and also if you want to find out whether Robin T. or Miley C. have made the final cut. Oh, and the hashtag will be #Yuletide24 if you miss a day, which I know you won't.
Just to tickle your tastebuds, the Top 5 in 2012 were :
5. 'That's Alright' by Kindness
4. 'Under the Westway' by Blur
3. 'Forever' by Haim
2. 'Black White & Blue' by Ladyhawke
1. 'Lightning Bolt' by Jake Bugg
The full 2013 list will be uploaded to the blog at the end of December along with a Spotify playlist for your listening pleasure. That will also be the green light for you all to start verbally abusing me for my poor choices. In the meantime, I'd love to hear which songs have floated your boat this year - even if it was Robin or Miley, please don't be shy.
