Stag & Dagger // London

The impossible dilemma of any city festival, particularly one that lasts but a day, is reaching that point of acceptance. The understanding that no matter what you do or how fast you think you can walk, you're resigned to the fact that you just can't see it all and, if you try, you'll spend more time outside venues than in.

London's leg of Stag & Dagger on Friday 21st, with its 21 Shoreditch venues, promises just such warring frustrations and pleasures. While on the one hand Wild Palms and We Have Band will be pleasuring the attendees at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, those very people may only speculate on Django Django's genre shuffling at Queen of Hoxton or Spectrals' enchanting lo-fi loveliness at Jaguar Shoes.

Much to ponder. Here's a Spectrals related tempter to enjoy in the meantime.

Villagers // Becoming a Jackal

Here's a review of the excellent Becoming a Jackal single from Villagers for The Fugitive Motel.

Villagers // Becoming a Jackal
Domino Records // 24th May 2010

Villagers is not a bunch of slightly rotund, red cheeked gentlemen in tweed and dirty fingernails lambasting the local Tesco’s. Neither is Villagers a gaggle of haunted housewives decked in Laura Ashley regaling the pursuits of their darlings in the school hall coffee morning. Villagers is, however, folk. Pure folk. Not alt or nu or anything, but folk in its truest sense.

Becoming a Jackal, the title track from Villagers’ debut album, is Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in a single, one Irish man package. Yes, the lyrics are a touch yearning at times: “I was a dreamer / staring at windows”, for example, could easily be misconstrued as clumsily airy, but the uneasy delivery and sinister accompaniment make them entirely believable. When he sings despairingly of selling his fears as the track closes, his demons almost visible on his shoulders, it feels like hearing Bright Eyes again for the first time. Not only that, his name’s Conor J O’Brien. Spooky.

Local favourites // Male Bonding

Dalston's Male Bonding (be careful when you Google) are preparing to release their long awaited debut album Nothing Hurts on May 10th, followed by a launch party at Camp Basement, Old Street on May 27th alongside other London greats Pens and Veronica Falls. This and, most importantly, the fact the trio produce some outstanding shoe-gaze inspired grunge, thrillingly towing the line between noise and melody, makes them more than a little deserving of being current local favourites.

Having released various split 7" alongside Fair Ohs, Pens and Cold Pumas, Sub Pop were suitably impressed to invest their time and cash in the band, who are now on their way to shake the foundations of a village hall near you. Here's a taste from the band's BBC session. Great huh?

Mystery Jets // Flash a Hungry Smile

Long, long gone are the days when Mystery Jets were proggy oddities, recording whisks and dripping taps on Eel Pie Island with their Dad. Of late, however, they've done a pretty fine line in unnervingly excellent retro pop, and they're at it again on Flash a Hungry Smile, the lead single from their forthcoming third album Serotonin.

Perky riffs, synths and whistles are all present and correct, as the track remains sweet without becoming too sickly, while lyrics about STDs and girls on their knees suggest the Jets' minds are firmly below the belt. Soundtracking the summer near you soon, the track is free from the band's site.

1234 Shoreditch Festival preview // Pure Groove

In order to tempt us into parting with 15 quid and coax us into spending a day among the East End's pouting classes, 1234 Shoreditch Festival put on a preview at Pure Groove last night.

An odd preview it was too. Hampered by the no-show of a couple of London's up and comers (Turbogeist and Thrush Metal) thanks to the all conquering ash cloud, a courageous band of teen-somethings thrashing out what seemed to be an instrumental Hendrix cover, a half-naked female, her Mac and some beats, and a few complimentary ciders, stepped in to save the night.

The absence of both bands last night will be compensated by appearances at the festival proper on 24th July. Yet again the full line-up promises much, with We Have Band, Dum Dum Girls, Best Coast, Vivian Girls, Wavves, Bo Ningen and Not Cool among many others comprising a stellar cast for 2010. Here's a lovely song from LA's Best Coast to ready your mind for the summer.

The Smith Westerns // Tonight

No Action's been meaning to post this vid from Chicago's fabulous glam-gazers The Smith Westerns for a while. Partly for the greatness that is the track, bottling Bolan's knowing glamour and mixing a thoroughly modern nonchalance that has had the hype-makers cooing and making come-hither eyes in the band's direction. But equally to point out what British broadcasting is missing in a show as seemingly ridiculous as Chic-a-go-go. Like Roland Rat presenting Later at a Butlins end of season disco. Yes!

Tokyo Police Club // Breakneck Speed

Hailed as the future of indie following the pick up of their debut EP A Lesson in Crime in 2007, the Canadians are currently tuning guitars and picking outfits to tour their second full length album Champ, out "in the Spring", whenever that was or is.

They'll be playing London's Scala on June 8th and, to tempt you into parting with your precious Sterling, lead single Breakneck Speed is on stream from their site and available to download for your very own.

The track marks a slight change of tack, sounding positively stadium friendly and not a little like recent Kings of Leon epics, while singer Dave Monk's vocal is as believably earnest as ever, not more so than when he declares it's "Good to be back, good to be back, super fun!".

Jonsi // Go Do

Possessor of a supernaturally divine voice (and apparently a penchant for peacocks) the Sigur Ros frontman recorded acoustic versions of select cuts from his solo debut Go a few months back at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club.

Go Do is the lead track off said record, a quite hypnotic piece of alt-folk, bringing a touch of majesty to the East End.

The full session recordings, alongside the album proper, can be bought from his site.

'go do' from Jónsi on Vimeo.

Local favourites // Babeshadow

Having bagged a lugubrious tour support slot with the increasingly omnipresent Florence and gigging alongside fellow London success stories Golden Silvers and The Maccabees, Babeshadow are pretty successfully crafting a first class career for themselves.

Having formed mere months ago this marks progress indeed and, while early demos Sea Serpent and Darling are pleasantly lilting three minute vignettes of city loving, the 60s song-writing and hooks promise plenty. One hopes the Babes choose the more scenic, challenging route to success for longevity's sake but, for now at least, there's enough to love to make the days seem brighter and the summer seem closer. Plus, they'll be appearing alongside the incredible Summer Camp on April 8th at London's Lexington. Reason enough to raise the Babeshadow alarm in No Action's view.

Darwin Deez // Radar Detector

Darwin Deez of NYC is pretty much the curly-hariest man in pop since Devendra and, wielding the pop nous of Phoenix and the effortlessly cool vocals of a certain Swiss schooled Casablancas, promises to make 2010 full of perky playfulness.

Alongside the fantastic and probably superior Constellations, Radar Detector is a prime cut from Deez's indie-pop self-titled debut out on April 12th. While the official video is indisputably excellent, the version below echos the impossibly likeable quality of the music completely. No Action salutes the 4th graders and teachers of P.S. 217.

Darwin will be live at London's Pure Groove for the album launch on the 12th. See you there.

Harlem // Hippies

Things that make No Action purr, of late, include this from Austin's Harlem. Following the thrash n' roll path trod most recently by the likes of The Soft Pack and Black Lips, Harlem take bedroom garage to new depths of simplicity. No bad thing that, as Friendly Ghost is by a stretch the most heart thumpingly exhilirating thing I've heard this year.

After infinitessimal listens it still hasn't got old and makes each day a little bit better. New album Hippies is out on Matador on April 6th, containing the equally superb Gay Human Bones and Spray Paint. With the band touring the US until mid-May a cross-Atlantic summer jaunt must surely be on the cards.

Local favourites // La Shark

From this week forth No Action will be highlighting the fine work of some of London's primest cuts, in a series sensibly titled 'Local favourites'.

First up, New Cross's La Shark. Harnessing Beefheart's experimental spirit and a distinctly London DIY-punk ethic, the product is deliciously offbeat synth-pop with prog leanings. Perhaps a cross-breed of XX Teens' darkly surreal delivery and Micachu and The Shapes' genre defiance. Bones and recent single A Weapon could well see them propelled into brighter limelights, while 1958 is currently free to download from their site. Catch it while it's hot.