B-Lock and the Girl // Tired of the Sick Hype

It's a rare, rare delight, to stumble across a guitar band of both indie sensibilities AND wanton imagination. The Wave Pictures did it for us, and are still doing so, a couple of years back. Now the North-Easterly trio B-Lock and the Girl are doing it too.

Perhaps it's because each song starts with the never less than thrilling sound of a drum-stick countdown. Perhaps it's because they remind us of Dirk Wears White Socks. It may be because each track they've offered is so restlessly pregnant with ideas it makes us overwhelming excited about music. Either way, they'll be at Notting Hill's Cobden Club in September being Tired of the Sick Hype while creating their own.

Thanks to A New Band a Day for brightening our lives.

Play: B-Lock and The Girl // Tired Of The Sick Hype

The Drums // Forever and Ever Amen

Ahead of the release of their debut full length on June 7th, The Drums are steadily maintaining the magnificently high quality of both song and video with Forever and Ever Amen.

Grainy and effete, as if lifted wholly from British 80s new wave, the video sees the band cruising around and climbing on tables looking chiseled while a couple of kids bash stuff up. Great! Plus, their site has a free download of It Will All End in Tears for further listening pleasure.

The Maccabees feat. Edwyn Collins

Something great, courtesy of the NME tour's final bow of 2010, took place at Brixton Academy. Following a hype-fulfilling, tambourine fuelled performance from NYC's The Drums, a feedback drenched set from The Big Pink and a coming of age performance from a visibly gleeful Bombay Bicycle Club, The Maccabees tore through a frenetic hour of new wave hit after hit after hit.

Orlando Weeks' voice and on stage presence has progressed beyond comprehension since the band's early days and, having picked up a guitar himself, the band's sound is noticeably more physical on Young Lions than their debut's spiky punk shudder of X-Ray. It's the combination of the two that keeps the kids dancing, with full time ring-leader and part-time guitarist Felix White leading the Brixton faithful through a soaring Precious Time before the misanthropic noir drama of No Kind Words highlights the flaws in most of this year's 'Best ofs' in their Maccabees related oversights.

While the encore was inevitably going to feature Wall of Arms highlight Love You Better (which it did, along with the equally inevitable yet no less exhilarating or joyous re-appearance of the other bands), no-one could have predicted Mr Weeks' introduction of new-wave icon and one of the most distinctive voices in British music Edwyn Collins. A thrilling Rip It Up was the cover of choice, with Collins taking centre stage and proving that while his body may be letting him down his charisma and vocals remain as sharp as ever they were. Collaborations are one of the many things The Maccabees do right, but this one was more right than most.

While the much, and often rightly, maligned NME may be in something of a decline, the bands on tonight's bill are definitely on their way to even greater triumphs.



Edwyn in his youthful pomp.

Elvis Costello

Reasons for the existence of this blog in the first damn place, part one: Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

I guess as good a starting place for any new music blog is the past. The inspirations and idols that have shaped the present. One of whom, too often overlooked in No Action's humble opinion, is Elvis Costello.

Now this may be because the old man is a grump. But lest we forget (though he probably wouldn't be interested in such a recollection) the same man's first two albums are a match for anything that 1977 and 1978 produced (Ash aside). In honour of the new wave triumph that was 78's This Year's Model, here's Elvis at his spitting, writhing best and in doing so inspiring future generations of New Wavers (and someone from Neighbours).

New posts will be about stuff that's new.