Their singing like the suns shining!!

Here's another bumper post for you!!! What could it be?! It's only another bloomin interview!!

This time around, I got to meet the lovely chaps and chappette that form Noah and the Whale, one of the most promising and exciting anti-folk bands around at the moment.

What's so great about these down to earth guys is just how natural they are, in a world with Libertines- wannabes its refreshing to find a band that really just want to play good, honest music.

So here it is, listen to the interview, enjoy the interview, hell, even make love to the interview! I don't care! We're here on the world wide web; there's no limitations!

wooooooooooooo!

The French Duke

xo

We are all going home in an ambulance!!!

Ok, here it is, after weeks of vacancy here is the first of many new  interviews!

And who may the interviewee be I hear you ask? None other than perhaps the best underground rock band of the 21st century, it's only bloody Reuben, that's who!

Meetin these guys was a privilege, being a fan of them for years I knew they were gonna be bloody nice chaps and I wasn't let down; even though halfway through the interview my recorder stopped due to the lack of efficiency and general doltishness in my general being; and lack of charge in batteries.

Below is the little technological play of the interview. It's like the BBC'S iPlayer but only a hundred times bloomin' better!

What better way of finishing the post other than saying this, go see this band and support them by buying their albums! They're rather stupendous. 

The French Duke

xo

Anyone for Pork and Beans?

As I frenzied away trying to finish one of my course essays last night, I was literally forced to stop by a distant sound on my radio which blurted four consecutive words "THE NEW WEEZER SONG".

Having listened to it's first official UK play on Radio 1, I went straight online to hear it again, and again, and again...you catch my drift.

For the uninitiated, Weezer were perhaps the coolest geeks of the alternative rock stratosphere of the nineties and noughties. Mixing grungy, blazingly loud riffs with the pleasantry voice of Mr Rivers Cuomo. If you haven't heard of them well quite frankly you don't deserve to have fully working limbs.

Now, to the song. It's brilliant! After what some people described as a grey period surrounding their last album "Make Believe", which received mixed reviews, and not to mention the whole "we are never gonna make another record" rumours, the song proves that the next release is really something to look out for.

What's most impressive about the song is that Rivers and the gang really illustrate a "don't give a shit" attitude to the current flagging music industry. With wry lyrics such as "Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts, maybe if i work with him i can perfect the art", Weezer prove that, in such a vastly competitive media, the fastest horse in the race isn't always the best on the track. Is that a common metaphor? If not, it should be!

Weezer's sixth album - currently being labelled as The Red Album - is due for release on June 28th.

Check out a sample of the new single here and turn it up to eleven, will ya!

The French Duke

xo

The IT Crowd...

This weekend I had the pleasure of being able to go to the Red Stripe Camden Crawl. I know what you’re thinking, don’t worry, I’m fine, they got rid of all traces of fire weeks ago!

Hmmm…is that ok to joke about now or is that still a sore subject? Let’s move on!

Although the crawl was messily planned with 50+ bands playing in 19 venues over the space of only FOUR HOURS, they really got it right with the line up this year, well, at least for the general population of audience-goers.

Fitting in with the “Topman nu-rave hoodie crowd” of the year just past and also, to some degree, the year before, it was expected to see headlining bands such as doesitoffendyouyeah? and Metronomy receiving rather large crowds. Sure there’s nothing wrong with it, but is it fitting with what we can expect from 2008? I think not!

Talking to my friend who joined me for the second day of the crawl, we at least hoped to see a true antifolk revival to come this year.  With so many acts such as Noah and the Whale, The Wave Pictures and Emmy The Great receiving bigger and bigger herds of fans at every corner, one can only be left happy with the tuneful tunes they crank out. But hey, I am not here to name drop, check it out for yourself my little droogies! Hopefully we can beat the scene and, in return, create a new one! Oh, hang on. Is this a vicious cycle?!

Anyway, apart from the A.F.R, (ANTI FOLK REVIVIAL…yes, it deserves an abbreviation!) at least we have the new Slipknot album to look forward to! Hey, perhaps we can blend the nu-metal and antifolk realms? Corey Taylor with a violin in hand? We can expect to see it for 2009!

Interviews with Jeremy Warmsley and Reuben from the crawl to be posted up soon!

The French Duke Luke
xo

woah its all happening now!!!! Kid Harpoon Interview

Ok so I wonder if there is anyone out there? If so please just give me a little comment on how I am doing. Please? Good. Exciting. Let's move on.

Here he is on the right, playing it cool. 

And then there's me...well, not SO cool.

Here is another interview post that I did with one of the biggest underground artists just about to make it big and in the public eye - the lovely gent - Kid Harpoon.

 

You can currently find Kid Harpoon and his band The Powers That Be supporting the Kooks on their UK Tour so most probably gonna be hitting your eardrums with a little soft melodic poke anytime soon.

Here it is -

The French Duke
xo

Rockin' it up like they just don't bloody care!

Here's an interview I did a while back on March 12th with Black Kids for my college show Swan Fondu with my co-host Luc Benyon. Bon Appetit!

Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, the buzz around Black Kids over the last few months has been phenomenal. After releasing a free download of their EP Wizard of Ahhhs, everyone who’s anyone has wanted to be back in black. Sitting in a café at the ICA (where they later will be headlining tonight) we kick back with frontman Reggie Youngblood and bassist Owen Holmes to do the talkie.

LR: So guys, thanks for meeting up with us, I’m sure you’ve had lots of interviews today so we decided to relieve your stress and angst by buying you some gifts. Two cans of a traditional English drink, Olde English cider!

RY: Wow! I feel privileged! Thanks so much guys!

OH: Yeah, it’s an honour to drink your beverages!

LR: No worries, it can be found in all bad off-licences for £1.29! So – right – interview, let’s start this one more light-heartedly, what’s your favourite colour M&M?

RY: Red. Definitely. No question.

OH: Green. I don’t know if you guys have it here but in the states, apparently, it’s an aphrodisiac.

LR: I am so glad I asked you such a trivial question; you learn something new everyday. You’ve been here in the UK for a while now, what do you think of the buzzing music scene that seems to be going on and especially being such an important part of it – even if your from stateside?

RY: Well, it might sound conceited, but definitely, we’re psyched. I was listening to Hot Chip on repeat all morning today! It’s certainly better than the Eskimo music scene of the moment. That hasn’t really took off.

LB: Do you guys have any pre-gig rituals before you go on stage?

OH: Not really, I do 10 push-ups…

RY: We have a group prayer, it’s pretty deep.

LR: I’m glad you brought that up, on your MySpace, you have your music listed as religious. Is this really the case or were you just being ironic?

OH: Well, erm, you’ve opened up a can of worms there!

RY: (Reggie mumbles) We kinda got extradited from church so, yeah, it’s kind of an awkward subject…

LR: Well, let’s move on then, shall we? If you were a fish what would you be?

RY: Oh, it’s a mammal, but definitely a dolphin! They are the only animal that has sex for pleasure – except for monkeys – I think!

LB: I’m so glad this interview is telling our audience about you and your music! And now it’s time for a more serious music-related question, have you guys recorded any material for your debut album?

OH: Yeah, its awesome, we’re recording with Bernard Butler (of Suede fame) who is also going to be the producer of the entire album, that’s pretty exciting.

RY: Yeah it’s great, but he bosses us around and sometimes can be a bit touchy feeling… I’m joking, of course…

LR: Your debut single I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You, (out on April 7th on Almost Gold Recordings) is about being good dancers but never getting the girl at the end of the party, are you guys good dancers and, if so, is it a career path could have gone into if the music didn’t take off?

RY: I’d like to think that out of everyone in the band, Owen has got it going on on the dancefloor! He’s well into ballet!

OH: Well… yeah… I guess I am. Its strange, I am a straight guy but really have a thing for ballet… Is that camp? (Looks to Reggie)

RY: Na man, go for it, it’s your “thing”.

LB: Time for another trivial one, if your band and sound was a foodstuff what would it be and why?

RY: SPAM!

OH: Definitely, I was about to say that! ‘Cos it’s cheap and artificial.

RY: Synthetic! Ha! That’s the word.

LR: I’m glad you guys think of yourselves so highly! Well one last question, where do you see yourself in a year’s time? Perhaps, doing four sold out dates at the ICA?

RY: Probably doing what we always do – nothing. Just slaving away occasionally!

OH: Yeah, that and just working on the second record I hope!

LR: Thanks so much for your time guys and best of luck with the gig.

Black Kids can now be found hitting up venues all around the country, to find out more go to http://www.myspace.com/blackkidsrock and get your free EP download!

Best,

the.french.duke.luke

bon bini one and all! no? not all? ok, maybe just one then...

Its 6.25am, wednesday 16th of april 2008. After a reckless night of no sleep and little to nothing on the telebox, I am here, suprisingly awake, typing away my first blog.

Filter back a few years, when the internet wasn't the monopoly of future media that it has become, I slated blogs. Who cares about what someone else thinks? But over recent weeks I've realised that the media broadcasting is just that in it's output - a story, an opinion of something of substance. Now I sit here, typing frantically at the keys finally discovering that "hey, why not voice my pointless and unimportant opinions of thing's that actually count?"

And the point of this blog? Nothing. It has no purpose other than appealing to the material things of life - the media, the music, the industry - hey, now if that's not organic I don't know what is these days!!

That's right, this site promises to bring you infotainment. That's all I can promise right now. Keep your eye blogged here though, it may actually be quite exciting and leave you feeling all tingly in your little tender hearts.

The next blog will actually be of some worth, my first proper band interview with Black Kids, check it out here swashbucklers.

ciao

The French Duke, Luke

xo