Prior to Temples’ recent show at the High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI, Bruce Rave interviews Tom and Sam of the buzzing British psyche-rock collective at WSUM-FM studios. Have a listen to their hang below.
Temples 
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After three different visits by The Crookes to SXSW over the past few years, LA fans finally got to lay their eyes and ears on this engaging Sheffield, UK band. While still young, this is a band about to release it’s fourth album, “Soapbox”. They’ve been looking forward to this LA performance debut for a long time and it’s safe to say that virtually everyone at The Echo was more than pleased with the show. This extremely likable ‘lot’ have winning melodies and play airtight with energetic crispness.
The sound couldn’t have been any better that night of March 23rd. The Crookes nailed current single “Play Dumb”, which was a “Rave’s Fave” on this site. Show opener “Don’t Put Your Faith In Me” is a mid-tempo, wise choice for a second single. It could be that with The Crookes’ melodies, lyrics, and George Waite’s beautiful voice, their breakthrough single just might turn out to be a slower charmer. With strong songs from each of their albums, there are no dull moments at a Crookes show. For their encore, the band slipped into the crowd for a mic-less acoustic version of “The Cooler King” from 2013’s “Hold Fast” album. Word is they only do this when they’ve had a great time, and what a dope way to end a show. That bonding provided great vibes, with pictures and videos being shot from every direction. The great Brit bands need to tour… tour, and the tour some more in America. Such is the case with The Crookes, who hope to be back on our shores soon. Plan to see them when you can. Reviewed By Bruce Rave
The Crookes (Facebook)
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I recently had a chance to hang with The Orwells after soundcheck at the Troubadour in LA, before they played live on Saturday, March 22. You can see their highly-buzzed about Letterman appearance below, and the band is blowing up at an even faster rate because of it. We discussed this, as well as some of their songs, touring with Arctic Monkeys and Fidlar, getting banned from the High Noon Saloon in Madison, and what people can expect from their “Disgraceland” album that will drop in June. Have a listen below. Also, worth noting our chat about the Lettterman gig didn’t come through real well, so I begin by summarizing what happened and what they’ve had to say about it. – By Bruce Rave
The Orwells 
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Their World of Joy album drops here in the US on Tuesday. Lead Howler Jordan Gatesmith likes to describe their punk and 60’s/70’s influenced music as “bratty”, and this sophomore collection is somewhat brattier than their America Give Up debut. While he wrote the songs for the first album, this follow-up is more of a collaborative group effort. “Al’s Corral” provides a hot, hard, and hooky album opener. If you recognize traces of Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak”, you’re spot on as Jordan admits to borrowing from that classic. These guys are a major entity in the UK. They will tour the UK and Europe for the next few weeks. After only playing a few US dates last time around, they look to hit a US harder this time around. See them at a venue near you sometime soon. Reviewed by Bruce Rave
Howler – Al’s Corral* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!
Ida Maria is back—in a big way. She’s known for her global hit “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” off of 2008’s Fortress ‘round My Heart. Ida’s 2010 album Katla was superb but under appreciated. During her brief hiatus, Ida overcame an alcohol addiction and has come out blazing on the other side. Her brand new, excellent EP Accidental Happiness is now streaming on SoundCloud and available digitally on iTunes. Ida has always been all about rock and roll, but she’s never hit the hammer harder than she does on this bonus track “Sick of You”. Think melodic retro garage punk at its most wicked. She’s sounds very sick of someone whom she wants to “fuck off”, but the song’s an irresitable fun romp with more hooks in it than a closet. Reviewed By Bruce Rave
Ida Maria: (Official)
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After a string of stellar singles, Temples finally dropped their Sun Structures full-length this week. All the singles are included on the album and the goodness doesn’t stop there. Not surprising considering that this band even comes up with awesome B-sides. Among the deeper gems on the album is “A Question Isn’t Answered”. It fades up with handclapping and a melodic tribal chant over a mid-tempo stomping groove. The song builds into what has been called a rock freight train. Psychedelia is prominent in Temple’s sound, and this tune has a heavy John Lennon/late-Beatles feel. One can even imagine John writing the line “a question isn’t answered if an answer isn’t questioned”. Temples are aiming high, as well they should be. Following an extensive UK and European tour, they will hit Coachella, and then hit a few more US dates before gracing various summer festivals. I saw them last May in England and can vouch for their live chops. Temples should be slotted in the top tier of any list of UK bands with the best chance to break loose in 2014. Reviewed by Bruce Rave
Temples — A Question Isn’t AnsweredTemples (Facebook)
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Nick Thorburn’s band Islands are celebrating their ninth anniversary this month. Bruce Rave enjoyed a chat with Nick at the Troubadour prior to their fine LA show last month. They of course chatted about the new album, band mortality, and Islands’ decision to go DIY. Nick’s actor friend Michael Cera produced a Spinal Tap-flavored Islands rockumentary that you can see below. Bill Hader, formerly of SNL, perfectly plays the role of Island’s ‘fictitious manager’. Enjoy the interview, then check out the video. You’ll probably see characters who remind you of people you know. Side note on the interview: the very beginning of the recording got cut off. Nick has lived in various cities and was in Montreal when Arcade Fire were first coming up. I asked whether that time in Montreal was his most formative musically and he replied that it was actually high school that really set him in motion. That’s where we join the chat.. By Bruce Rave
Islands 
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If you fancy seeing a new band that aces a modern version of early Stones meets The Yardbirds meets soul, you can put this in the bank: You will love The Strypes live. These Irish kids are in their mid-teens, they’ve played hundreds of shows around the UK and Europe, and their “Snapshot” album went top ten in England. The time has finally come for them to invade America. The Strypes will surely have a high profile at SXSW, and they recently flew over for a handful of major market shows in addition to their winning US TV debut on Conan O’Brien.
The Troubadour in LA show was star-studded on January 28. Elton John, whose management company handles The Strypes, was perched in the VIP balcony. Members of Muse, Blondie, and many other bands were on hand to see this band getting some much deserved attention in the States. I’d seen The Strypes and interviewed them last May at The Great Escape in Brighton, England so I knew what I was in for. The young lads more than delivered, playing over an hour. Like their album, there were lots of cover songs and there was only one song that wasn’t blazingly fast. This band is letter tight and, if anything, they might have actually played a bit too fast. Chalk that up to LA adrenaline.
The Strypes even dressed smart with suits with open shirts and they really locked in to a perfect groove with about five songs remaining. They band especially hit their stride during a covers medley of “You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover” into “Si Si Rider”. Their “Blue Collar Jane” EP is out now with the album “Snapshot” dropping stateside in mid-march. Beyond their youthful intensity, this is a supremely talented band. See this band live! Reviewed by Bruce Rave
The Strypes 
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It was 2005 when Hard-Fi released their successful Stars of CCTV album, featuring songs such as “Cash Machine”, “Tied Up Too Hight”, and “Hard to Beat”. The UK band will soon release a new “best of” compilation. One fresh track will be added to the compilation, and it’s their best song since their debut offering. Hard-Fi typically makes music that resonates well for working class people. “Move Over” is almost like a message to the government about income inequality prevailing while white collar crooks avoid penalty. The groove is smooth, dark, jazzy, and retro. Singer Richard Archer sounds a bit like The Clash’s Joe Strummer on the verses, and it’s a song The Clash could have probably come up with themselves. Hard-Fi are currently working on their fourth studio album. Reviewed by Bruce Rave
Hard-Fi – Move OverHard-Fi (Official)
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Bruce Rave recently enjoyed a hang with UK rockers TOY backstage at the famous Echo before their first ever show in Los Angeles. Having been fans of the band since we first saw them live at SXSW 2013, we were stoked to see that TOY’s set at The Echo was an even stronger performance. During Bruce Rave’s interview, the guys talk about how all their live interpretations of songs differ from the album versions, with slower recorded songs being played much faster onstage. They touch on how they love writing and have had a great time hitting major US markets. TOY also spoke about their cool collaboration with Natasha Khan (Bat For Lashes) for “The Bride” and also Tom’s sister Rose who was in The Pipettes. The band will next tour the UK and Europe, then return to US shores in May for Psych Fest in Austin. Have a listen to their interview with Bruce Rave below.
TOY (Official)
Hear Bruce’s “Go Deep With Bruce Rave” weekly new music show on Indie1031/Los Angeles and WSUM-FM/Madison. Details and archived shows can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!
Parquet Courts headlined at the Henry Fonda in Los Angeles on a Friday night last week. Worth noting, The Fonda (as it’s called) has three times the capacity of The Echo — the site of their last LA appearance in January, 2013. Parquet Courts’ buzz has certainly magnified in this last year and the venue upgrade suited them well, the group had no issues covering the larger room.
My personal taste often leans away from ‘jam’ bands, who can sometimes put me to sleep when they stray too far from course. Not the case with Parquet Courts, who really know the right way to stretch out a song. There’s not a whole lot of showbiz at their gigs. The guys basically stand up and play, which is something they do very well. For this set, the band featured a new drummer who played his third show with the band, and he nailed his beats. The crowd devoured Parquet Courts nicely and better-known songs such as “Borrowed Time” and “You’ve Got Me Wondering Now” brought some added energy and enthusiasm to the house. As the band alternated between fast and mid-tempo, there was a bit of a lull about two-thrids of the way in (where a cover song or change of pace might have helped), but the energy returned with a blistering version of “The More It Works”.
The most popular Parquet Courts song to date has to be “Stoned and Starving”. The band were wise enough to play it on David Letterman recently, even though it’s from their Light Up Gold album as opposed to newer Tally All The Things You Broke EP release. Crowd members started calling out for it as early as two songs into the set… yet they did not play the song at all! When Parquet Courts’ hour-long set concluded, it was assumed that an encore was in store, but instead the lights came on right away. The perplexed crowd quizzically looked at their neighbors. Most people hung around and it was a few minutes before the house music began to play, creating abandonment of any hope. Were there technical issues? It’s doubtful that the venue was shutting them down due to time limitations. It’s one thing to leave the audience wanting more, but you never want leave them disappointed. By Bruce Rave
Parquet Courts 
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Many say that UK guitar bands have become less relevant and inventive as the indie pendulum has swung towards softer and more electronic music. Of course it’s only a matter of time before the guitars reclaim the throne. The Crookes consistently deliver refreshing, energetic, catchy songs. Their third album Soapbox comes in April and “Play Dumb” is the lead single. Behind the uptempo tune is a joyous vibe and monster collection of hooks. Frontman George Waite sings about hitting his midlife crisis at age 25 and about not letting a certain relationship get the best of him. The Crookes hail from Sheffield, England — same place the Arctic Monkeys come from. If there are those who feel that UK guitar-based bands fell off in the wake of the Arctics blowing up years ago, it might be the Crookes who help bring the sound back to the forefront. They will be at SXSW this year. Reviewed By Bruce Rave
The Crookes (Facebook)
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