Calling London # 8 with Sheena from What's The Ruckus

What's The Ruckus is a worldwide blog run by a bunch of hip young girls and boys who know their music. From New York, L.A, Tampa, London and elsewhere they devour live music, taking pictures and writing about shows, interviewing bands, reviewing albums, standard blog stuff but done very very well. Check this out:

The Ruckus 2010 in under 60 seconds from melanie on Vimeo.

I contacted Sheena, a London based photographer who takes pictures for the blog. As ever with this feature, if you want to know about music in London, these are the people to ask. Sheena was most helpful, here's what she had to say:

- Favourite Venue?

Small venue ...would have been the Flowerpot until they got closed down. I love their new venue The Wheelbarrow too, but it doesn't quite feel like home yet. Also adored the Luminaire in Kilburn, but again that has been sadly closed (rubbish year for small music venues last year). So in terms of actually still open places, I am going to have to go with the Old Queens Head in Islington. Upstairs they often have great music, it's not too pricey, you can fairly easily get a seat if you want or get to the bar, and they do a stonker of a roast dinner.

- Clubs and Clubnights, where to go dancing?

Proper dancing gladrags west end clubbing stuff is something that scares me shitless, so doesn't tend to happen. So if I fancy a dance I head down to Soundtracks at the Monarch in Camden. They play music from movie soundtracks and it is wonderfully cheesy and always a good laugh. The boys who run it are about to start an even more cheesy pop based night at Underworld in Camden, and I am really excited for that.

In other musical genres, the club night I never miss is Communion at the Nottinghill Arts Club

- Best London bands/artists right now?

Oh jesus, what a question... there are just so many. I'll ignore the bigger bands like laura Marling, Mumford and Sons and all that... cause while they are London bands it feels like they are basically owned by everyone now. I love them but they aren't what you mean here I don't think.

So Ahab, Matthew and the Atlas, Andrew Davie, The Dufflefolks, Spark, Morning Parade (technically from Essex but meh), Kyla La Grange, Marcus Foster, Peggy Sue, Mariners Children.

- Best thing about music in London?

There is so much of it.

- Any downsides?

There is so much of it, haha.

- Recommend a record store:

Without a doubt, Rough Trade East (west is good too but much smaller)

- Where's best to find out what's going on?

The Ruckus? Haha. There are some great blogs like My Band's Better Than Your Band and The Camden Store which have good listings sections. Or bigger ones like TLOBF, Gigwise, and rockfeedback are always good.

Here are a few of my favourites from Sheena's selection.

Dark, gritty folk. Beautiful.

The Mariner's Children - It Carved Your Name Into The Ground by brokensoundmusic

I hear he's so hot right now. I'm kinda liking this folky take on sincere American rock.

Marcus Foster - Shadows Of The City by Stayloose

Beats, riddim, synth, indie vocals. It's very now sounding or something.

The Dufflefolks - Two Hands Clapping


Thanks to Sheena and everyone who's contributed so far. I've loads more on the way, but am always open to suggestions. If you'd like to get involved or even suggest a good venue, clubnight, gig, band/artist/DJ, promoter etc. mail me MAILJOSHCLARKE@GMAIL.COM

(Remember to include MAIL at the start of it cos my poor namesake in the U.S keeps getting my mail)

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Calling London # 7 with Real Horrorshow Tunes

Real Horrorshow Tunes is a blog run by Nathan, and written for by Lewi, Rose and Matt. They like their music. They know their music. And they write well about it. Best thing you can do is head straight over there after you read this, I guarantee you'll find something good. 

For example, I've just heard the best British hip-hop I've heard in years. Ghostpoet aka Obaro Ejimiwe is a rapper from Coventry who released his debut E.P last year on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label. The E.P is down below, downloadable for free, and here is a track from his recently released debut album Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jams. 

Ghostpoet - Survive It by Brownswood

Calling London # 6 with Anika In London

Anika In London is a London music blog, run by Anika. It looks nice, is full of interesing things to look at, like interviews, comics & photos and is always a good spot to pick up good new music that you've never heard before. For example, I watched this video and decided that any band who can cover Wuthering Heights this well must be amazing. And I checked them out, they're calledTreelight For Sunlight and they're pretty darn good alright. (I may blog about them later)



It's one of those blogs you don't leave feeling like you've done it all. Here's what Anika had to say about London town.

-Favourite Venue?
It was the Luminaire, but since that shut I guess Union Chapel is my favourite place to hear music. I like the Slaughtered Lamb for small shows and SBE isn't too bad for the bigger shows. It's sort of a shame there aren't more awesome independent venues really.

-Clubs and Clubnights, where to go dancing?
Lots of people really like How Does It Feel? I've not been myself.

-Best London bands/artists right now?
Peggy Sue and David Thomas Broughton

-Best thing about music in London?
That lots of bands from the US/Europe tour here

-Any downsides?
There's a lot of incredibly samey music coming out of London, unfortunately.

-Recommend a record store:
Rough Trade of course

-Where's best to find out what's going on?
I just use Songkick/keep an ear out

This ones a keeper, add to your bookmarks/blogroll/to do list.

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Calling London # 5 with 27 Leggies

An old feature is making a comeback. When I first moved to London I contacted a few bands, shops and writers about the best of London, both for me and anyone who ever wants to come visit this fine city. First off is Ernie from 27 Leggies, a blog that puts my notion of musical diversity to shame. It really is a wonderful education in, for want of a better phrase, World Music. And not in an "Pan Pipes in Ambient Moods" C.D in the Health Food Shop kind of way. For example, listen to this track that was posted yesterday:



Next time I go to watch another Velvet Underground documentary, I'm gonna head this way instead. Mindblowing stuff! So anyway, I asked Ernie a few questions about London.

-Favourite Venue?

I am on the look-out for a new one. Until recently I would have said The Luminaire in Kilburn but that has sadly closed down. The runner-up would have been What's Cookin' in Leytonstone, but they have scaled back and now only have one gig a month. They are still worth checking out though, and the venue - The North Star pub - is worth a visit any time if you in the area.

A handy hint in these hard-up times is to keep an eye out for free gigs in the foyers at The Southbank and The Barbican. They have some surprisingly good acts sometimes.

-Best thing about music in London?

The sheer variety.

-Any downsides?

I'm sure you will have heard this one before, but the idiots that insist on holding loud conversations throughout the entire gig. If they want to chat, why don't they just go to a bar and save themselves some money and everyone else the earache? It may just be me getting old but it definitely seems to be getting worse. I blame Twitter. I'm not sure why, but I do.

-Recommend a record store:

These days I tend to buy most of my music online or an overseas visits. In London I tend to visit second-hand and charity shops, the fun being that you never know what you'll find. A couple of favourites are the Oxfam Shop in Crouch End, which usually has a decent selection of promo CDs going for £1 each, and the basement of the Music & Video Exchange in Berwick Street, which always has some weird and wonderful bargains. Sadly Daddy Cool Records, the reggae specialists that used to be across the road from them, closed a few years ago - now that was a proper record shop.

My local record shop is Rough Trade East - which isn't a bad one to have, although the prices compared to buying things online mean I don't tend to spend a lot when I go in.

-Where's best to find out what's going on?

Songkick has been an absolute blessing. It has greatly reduced the number of times I have only found out a favourite artist is playing in London a week after it has happened. For example, without it I would never have found out that Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band - a personal hero and someone I have wanted to see for years - was playing at the Cafe Oto in Dalston. That was one of my musicall highlights of 2010.

Here's one of my favourite discoveries from the blog.

The Moon People - Hippy, Skippy Moon Strut

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Calling London # 3 with Flashback Records!

In our last Calling London post, Aaron from Civil Civic said Flashback was his favourite London record store. So we got onto the guys in Flashback about the best of London music.

What are your favourite venues for original live music?

- The Lexington on Pentonville Road is pretty cool.

Clubs and Clubnights: Where’s fun to go dancing?

- I don't dance but the DJ nights at the Mucky Pup, Queens Head Street N1 are pretty good.

Favourite London bands/artists?

- Male Bonding (new album out on Sub Pop) are a great post hardcore band. Toehammer have just released their debut single and are amazing live.

Upsides to being a music fan in London

- So much choice

Downsides to being a music fan in London

- Beer is always crap in venues!

Recommend a record store:

- Flashback (like duh!)

Where is best to find out what’s going on?

- Time Out covers most things.

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Calling London # 2 with Civil Civic!

A few days ago I started a feature about moving to London in which I ask Londoners who know things about music in the city what they'd recommend to a stranger to this big new world.

And who better to ask than Aaron from one of my very favourite London bands at the moment, Civil Civic! They make raucous filthy music with some lovely melodies. Here's a taster.

Civil Civic - Fuck Youth Alt

Civil Civic - Run Overdrive Alt

What are your favourite venues for original live music?

- In London, for live music pubs I like The Macbeth. The Luminaire is great. For bigger venues The Forum and Koko. Except the bar at Koko is extortionate.

Clubs and Clubnights: Where’s fun to go dancing?

- I only dance at house parties after I have ransacked the punch bowl.

Favourite London bands/artists?

- I can't keep track of who actually lives here or not. There is a new project called Intergalactic Republic Of Kongo that are doing great stuff.

Upsides to being a music fan in London:

- Almost every band tours here

Downsides to being a music fan in London

- Almost every band tours here

Recommend a record store:

- I like second hand vinyl stores. Vinyl is the only physical music format I feel like handing money over for. It helps that I'm a sucker for old oddities. Flashback on Essex road in Islington is good.

Where is best to find out what’s going on?

- The best nights out are invariably the ones you never plan. I'm sure that's the case in any city. You just need one friend in the know. For everything else there's TimeOut.

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Calling London # 1 w/ My Band Is Better Than Your Band

As some of you may have read I've just moved from little Galway in Ireland to big big London in the UK. I miss a few things, being able to walk everywhere, not being broke and Tayto crisps, apart from that though I'm falling in love my new home. There is so much going on it's hard to take in. But instead of wasting time trying to figure it all out myself I've gotten on to a few people who know their stuff. I hope this will be helpful to anyone in London, planning to move to London or planning to visit at any stage ...which everyone should!

For Calling London # 1 we have Ollie from My Band Is Better Than Your Band, an excellent new music blog based in London. He's launching a new clubnight, Back To The Future, in Centro on West Central Street near the Holborn Tube. I'll be heading along after the Tribes gig in the Flowerpot. London ahoy!

- What are your favourite venues for original live music?

Silver bullet in Finsbury is a great little venue. The Flowerpot in Kentish town is also brilliant. They have 1 band every night and entry is always free. The last couple of weeks have seen A&R buzz bands Brother, Mona and The Vaccines play to rammed crowds!

- Clubs and Clubnights: Where’s fun to go dancing?

Back To The Future at Centro every Thursday is a great night out. Right in the centre of town and super cheap drinks!

- Favourite London bands/artists?

The Vaccines, Talking Pictures, Mystery Jets

- Upsides to being a music fan in London:

Probably in the best city in the world for new music with some of the best venues as well!

- Downsides to being a music fan in London:

There aren't any!

Recommend a record store:

Vinyl Exchange and Music & Video Exchange on Poland Street

Where is best to find out what’s going on?

Ents24.com!

Thanks Ollie, now go check out his blog and go to his clubnight! If you'd like to get involved mail me, mailjoshclarke@gmail.com.

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