Communion Records is probably the most exciting label that London has to offer right now, and here at The Blue Walrus, we’ve been fans from the start. Recent signings To Kill A King just go to prove what a spectacular force this label is establishing itself as.
Boasting comparisons to The National, the Leeds-based five-piece offer beautiful, raw and inventive tunes that are the perfect soundtrack for summertime antics Their debut single ‘Fictional State’ was released on May 30th, and you can listen to it below.
To Kill A King recently joined a phenomenal Communion-curated lineup for London’s Bushstock Festival alongside Peggy Sue, Daughter, Louise and the Pins and more. Keep an eye on The Blue Walrus over the next week for our festival reviews and related features.
Camden, 16 May 2011: Instantly, the most noticeable feature of the packed out London show was the diversity of the crowd. The old, the young, the arty, the mainstream, the male and the female all present, the radio success of Noah And The Whale‘s last single ‘L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.’ was almost tangible in the faces of the band’s enraptured audience. The band began with an instrumental taken from the latest album, opening out into fan-favourite ‘Give A Little Love’ in what was the beginning of a brilliant show.
The performance was impressive as always, particularly the reworking of tracks from the first two records, something that seems to have became habitual during Noah And The Whale’s touring around new releases. Reinvigorated versions of well-loved past singles like ’5 Years Time’ were met by ecstatic cheers, and it was exactly this kind of connection with the music that created such a great atmosphere at The Roundhouse on Monday.
Despite the grand size of the venue, Charlie and co still make you feel as if you’re sitting in their living room when they play. Last Night On Earth live is an altogether less emotional affair when compared with The First Days of Spring, but this relentlessly creative band are still as impressive as always in 2011. It’s refreshing to see an established band bothering to develop creatively at a time when most of the music industry is running scared of change in all its forms.
Noah And The Whale’s new single ‘Tonight’s The Kind Of Night’ was released on 16 May, with this show at The Roundhouse being both the band’s London tour date and the launch of the new single. The video is below.
Beth Jeans Houghton has been circling the ground we call ‘under the radar’ for some time now. She played a tiny Norwich show back in 2009, which was where I first encountered her, and 2010 saw an impressive string of boutique festival appearances with a few notable bigger ones. This month she signed to Mute Records and announced plans for a full-length album debut to be released this autumn.
Her sound is an eclectic blend of folk, folk rock and lofi pop, and both her recordings and live performances are a welcome breath of fresh air for the ‘female’ genre in music. Expect frantic, ballsy fashion decisions with pure sonic loveliness to back it up. Ahead of the album’s release, Miss Houghton is offering the brilliant ‘Dodecahedron’ as a freebie, available via the SoundCloud player below. This gem of a track really speaks for itself, showcasing an important new talent who’ll be going onto gloriously big things this year.
