Well, it would be a little odd for us to review our own gig wouldn't it? Well we're going to do it anyway...
So as team ATL nurses a collective sore cranium we thought we would throw a few pics and throwaway commentsÌýfrom our gigÌýon MondayÌýonto the ATL Blog for your perusal and perhaps even comment.
For those of you who have no clue what this babbling is all about, let us explain. The Ö÷²¥´óÐã's Headroom campaign approached us to help spread the word about their project and we were only too happy to get them a serious line up. It was live on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Ulster, live on the ATL homepage and also the Headroom and Ö÷²¥´óÐã NI hompages, plus the red button.
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We like to think of ourselves as part of a metropolis here at ATL Towers, but we're not adverseÌýto mixing it with the yokels. To that end, we asked a Villager a few questions so we could better understand him and his type...
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Hello there Conor, and how the Dickens are you right now?
Hi ATL, I've got a pain in the back my neck. Villagers went punk last night.
Why the heck should we give a stuff about your band then ;) ?
No reason at all. It'd be a real shame if you lived and died without ever hearing us though. A real waste of a life.
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joined us on the ATL Dance show at midnight on Friday, 26th March 2010Ìýwith three nights and three tunes to keep an eye out for...
Nights:
Unit @ The Menagerie, Easter Monday
Jet Project kick off their new monthly night in The Menagerie on Easter Monday and are joined by Space Dimension Controller and Paddy Towe, with their new track out on Get Digital this is set to be a big year for Timmy and John and this looks set to be a great new night.
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Lafaro are another one of those bands we've had in our lives for an age (first seen performing on ATL TV about six years ago) but that are only now getting round to a proper debut album. After being voted ATL's local act of the year twice in a row (2007 and 2008) and having their signature track, Tuppeny Nudger, voted the best Northern Irish song of the decade by AU, this lot are more than ready to be presented to the world. That presentation is in the form of debut album, Lafaro, due on Smalltown America this May.
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2010 seems to be the year for long awaited debut album'sÌýand right fromÌýour very own stock. Magherafelt's General Fiasco released their debutÌý'Buildings' today, Bangor's Two Door Cinema Club released 'Tourist History' a matter of weeks ago, rockers LaFaro are finallyÌýlaunching their first full length next month, while Cashier No.9 are just adding finishing touches to their, as yet untitled, debut album.
So, with no further rambling, we're talking best debut albums this week... The ATL team picks are below so feel free to argue, discuss, agree and most importantly, suggest your own entry forÌý'best debut album'.
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DATELINE: FRIDAY, 19th MARCH
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This morning started great! We headed down to BD Reilly's around 11am to get our free Irish breakfast. I don't know who told Americans how to make an Irish fry, but they were mis-informed. One banger, scrambled egg, beans and toast. We were all very greatful nevertheless. We hung out at the venue for a bit and got a chance to hear some of the other Irish acts who were on before us. At 2.30pm we finally hit the stage and got a chance to rock out. We were joined on stage by our good friend from NY, , who dropped a lyrical bomb on the unsuspecting audience. Our set was fairly short but it was really good fun and everyone seemed to enjoy!
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Three great nights and three great tunes to wet your whistle, as selected by Graham Ginty...
Venue: The Pavilion, Belfast
Date: Saturday 20th March
What's Going Down: Andy Leathem's Funk and Soul-fest returns for another party, not one to miss for those of a wah wah guitar tendency!
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DATELINE: THURSDAY, 18th MARCH
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Late nights and early starts are really catching up on us now, our diet of hot dogs and pizza slices watered down with good old mountain dew is getting a bit old. I need a boost bar. So up we all got this morning and headed into downtown with only one gig and one interview planned! Ian Quinn our lovely host this week has been lifting and laying us everywhere! LEGEND!!
Today we are playing at a pirate themed bar called Treasure Island and the sound guy is caught somewhere between being a pirate and cowboy. During the first song Pando's seat fell apart and I turned around to see him about half a foot off the ground reaching up to hit the kit. Possibly one of thee funniest looking things I've seen so far. We hammered through the set nonetheless with people coming in off the streets and locals buying us drinks during the songs. Sweet!
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DATELINE: WEDNESDAY, 17th MARCH
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Today Dave and I woke up at a ridiculously early time. Our sleep patterns are totally messed up but at least it's cosy, we're sharing the same sofa. Today being St. Paddy's we could have done with more sleep.
Our only show today is the Belfast Rocks showcase at the British Embassy venue, Latitude 30. It's going to be a sweet show whatever happens as ASIWYFA, FWW and General Fiasco are also on the bill. Once we battled through the traffic to the venue it was sweet to catch up with all the familiar faces and discuss howÌýrubbish the flight was and how warm it now is. We finally have sun! Jonny got to break out his calves and we spent half an hour getting sun cream on them.
The venue is sweet, we get our soundcheck all sorted and we're well up for playing to the sizeable crowd that's arrived. I'd decided to use the kick pedal that was already on the kick drum for some reason. It made sense at the time but 20 seconds into our first song the thing falls apart! I'd left mine beside the kit and a handy crew member sorted me out. Apart from that everything goes smooth and we get a good reception, especially when our guest rappers join us for the glorious dead.
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DATELINE: TUESDAY, 16th MARCH
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We had an interview and session today with the people from 2FM. We played our toned down version of Where The Wolf Roam and met some lovely people in the hotel where it was filmed. The first point of buisness done for today. Next up is a gig in Rusty Spurs bar, but not before we sampled some authentic tex mex! It's been raining all night and morning so Jonny hasn't had a chance to weck on some shorts and break out those impressive calf muscles that he possesses. Everyone has been really friendly and for the start of our time here it's still been very smooth sailing, I can feel a "you spoke too soon" comment coming back to haunt me.
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DATELINE: MONDAY, 15th MARCH
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2.58pm
It was early, very early actually. The sun hadn't risen over the horizon yet and me and Jonny were having our last smoke before embarking on an estimated 18 hour journey untill our next smoke break in sunny Austin, Texas. Heading to one of the coolest festivals in the world, smokes should be the last thing on our mind. Nasty things anyway. In saying this I'm sitting on a plane thousands of feet up in the air, looking over a blanket sun stroked cloud and listening to (my own personal opinion here) Nirvana's best record, In Utero. To be honest, I don't think I'll even have time to write massive boring blogs with every detail, plan is to sit down for a couple of minutes here and there and explain how I honestly feel about the SXSW experience. After all it's our first time making the trip.
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After stumbling upon this little gem the other night, I felt compelled to listen to 'Bright Orange Ear' on repeat for the next half hour. The song is by a band called 'Inlets', which is essentially the creation of American multi-instrumentalist Sebastian Krueger. Inlets previously released an EP in 2006, which completely passed me by. Ah well. But they are due to release their debut album in April called 'Inter Arbiter', and so far this track has begun to spread through the interweb like a well-mannered wildfire.
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So last night many of you may have seen Blur's documentary 'No Distance Left to Run' on Ö÷²¥´óÐã 2.ÌýTheÌýprogramme laid bare some ofÌýthe reaonsÌýfor the band'sÌýeventual breakdown to lastÌýsummer's rather emotional reunion. Which got us talking inÌýATL towers about the best comebacks ever... Some return to find all their adorning fans have disappeared, while others earn the title of 'legends' in the interim.
So what's yours? Have you caught a reunion tour that blew you away?
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Last night seen the movie industry's annual pat on the back in the form of the Oscars. So we thought we'd have a look into the world of movie soundtracks.ÌýPick the wrong music for a film, and it disrupts the whole experience. Then there's the like of John Williams terrifying Jaws score. It's hard to imagine anything else would have worked. So after a chat in the ATL Towers, we thought we'd share some of our favourite soundtracks. And it was a hard decision! We've naturally missed some jems, so let us know your picks!
Share via , email or text (81771 once we get on air at 8pm)!
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Danielle Keenan drops some recommendations on us like a particularly heavy bassline. Make of them what you will...
Venue: Nerve Centre
Date: Tuesday 16th March
What's going down: , with & (Live)
Venue:
Date: Monday 5th April
What's Going Down: (A/V live show)
Venue:
Date: Saturday 1st May
What's Going Down:
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As all the lucky music biz people gear up for another SXSW festival in Austin, Texas later this month, bands are once again in search of pre-gig approval and hype to help them get noticed among the sprawling venues and 1800+ bands playing. One group that may well be destined for that sought after stamp of approval are ''. They've barely begun but already word has spread from their LA home via the instant world of music blogs. The project is based around songwriter Mark Foster, who only recruited his band and branded them 'Foster The People' last October - andÌýhaveÌýno official release as yet.
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Ok, so yesterday team ATL had a family outing to the Oh Yeah centre, invited to 'some council thing about music'. Armed with our trusty camera, weÌýtottered along and were, it must be said, pleasantly surprised at how our city fathers seem to be embracing the musicians of Northern Ireland.
Our government representatives, always happy to receive the taxes, ratesÌýetc of the night-time economy, have not always been so forthcoming with praise for the DIY spirit of rock n roll, so to hear a Belfast City Councillor argue the case for putting significant amounts of the public purse into helping bands spread their wings and develop, was obviouslyÌýwelcome.
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You all know the craic with this stuff by now, and we've kind of been over this territoryÌýa little bit if you pay close attention to our twitter feed, but we've invited Bethan Elfyn to help us celebrate St. David's Day. In honour of our Gallic cousins' special feat day, we have assemble the usual crew of ne'erdowells from the ATL office to give their tuppeneth.
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