RECORD OF THE WEEK - MEN, Credit Card Babies

IF ONLY I could work out what this song’s about... But if you can, and if you can get over the slightly crude lyrics, JD Samson (of Le Tigre fame and girlfriend of Sia) and the rest of ultra-cool trio MEN have come up with a non-urgent electro hit that’ll wear out your repeat button. (Single out September 6).

Here's two versions - below, the acoustic one out of the back of a van - here's where you get to pick out the words.

And here's the plugged-in messier version.

YOUTUBE TRAWL - RAINY DANCING AND JAY-Z COMES TO WALES

HERE are two cool YouTube clips I was introduced to today.
Hope it brightens up your day.

And this one's pretty smart - Jay-Z waddya think?

KOKO'S SECRET STASH OF STRIPEY CARDIES, ROBERT PLANT'S GOLD TOUCH + THE RETURN OF MS DYNAMITE

NEXT time you’re racking your brains over where you left your favourite neon stripey cardigan after a night out, check the nearest British Heart Foundation charity shop. Turns out Koko donates all lost property there every two weeks so it’s sure to be a haven of cool-kid garb – just one fact I discovered in the smallprint of a press release about Koko being named London’s most environmentally friendly venue. Even the new roof terrace has been laid with rubber tiles from 6,600 reclaimed truck and car tyres. At least you won’t worry about getting struck by lightning.

• For some, Led Zeppelin can’t be touched and their memory must be preserved intact at all costs and left in peace. For others, anything associated with Led Zep is gilded in gold. If you’re of the latter view then Robert Plant and the latest incarnation of Band of Joy play a rare show at Kentish Town’s HMV Forum on September 2. It precedes the release of Plant’s 10th solo album Band Of Joy, recorded in Tennessee and co-produced by Nashville legend Buddy Miller. Here's a taste of what to expect:

• At The Good Ship, next Saturday (July 31), are Horseman Shakes and the Draymen. I just picked them out for their bemusing name.

• Camden revivalist Ms Dynamite joins Professor Green for the three-day Roundhouse Turning Point Festival, alongside Toddla T, Devlin and many more (September 17-19).

TWEETING ELIZA DOOLITTLE'S JAMAICAN JOLLY

AS SHE relaxes into her seat in a Camden coffee shop’s secret garden, Eliza Doolittle takes out her phone for a vital bit of tweeting.
Camden Square-born singer @eliza1doolittle’s got 4,792 twitter followers but after her album launch on Monday – it was this Selfridges appearance that her chipped multi-coloured nails were tapping out as a tweet – those numbers will no doubt multiply.

Single Pack Up is Top five and her eponymous debut album has won critical praise and numerous recommendations as the summer album of 2010 – and, judging by the happy Jamaica-filmed video for Pack-Up, it’s clear why.
But it’s not all about the smiles insists Eliza, who these days lives in Primrose Hill: “I like to think people will play it when it rains to cheer them up. People say it’s very happy and positive. It is but not happy, happy all the way through. It’s got thoughtful messages and some that are not the happiest topics.”

Just 22, she’s been writing since age 12, is signed to Parlophone and plays MTV presents at Dingwalls tonight (Thursday) and Club NME at Koko (July 23).

She may have gone to posh private school Channing in Highgate, “I didn’t like it very much”, and be the granddaughter of Sylvia Young, daughter of director John Caird and singer Frances Ruffelle but she doesn’t come across with a privileged air.
Eliza left school at 16, knowing all she wanted to do was make music and has been working at it ever since.
She said: “When I was about 12 I said to my mum I want to be a singer. She said start writing because that’s where the money’s at.”

Not yet a teen, Eliza copied Destiny’s Child and listened to UK garage: “I just wanted to fit in with my friends and then I grew up. I just found stuff myself...The first person I was like wow about was Stevie Wonder. It was like seeing a different colour that didn’t exist.”

Eliza celebrated her new album on Wednesday night at Highgate’s Boogaloo with family and friends.
She said on the eve of her album launch: “I was up at 12.54 and I thought Oh My God my album’s out – that was the moment I actually felt it. It feels amazing, like my whole life’s built up for this moment, I’ve been working towards it for so long.”
Eliza’s colourful album cover is a reflection of herself.

She said: “I really wanted it to be me in my world and my world’s London so there’s a lot of landmarks in there and all sorts of other things from my imagination and things I love.”
Her ideas were then interpreted by professional artists.

She was only in Jamaica for three days while shooting Pack Up. 

She said: “I thought it was so cute the idea of me coming out of a suitcase and it wasn’t too like ‘let’s try and make a really cool video with loads of effects’. (Director Paul Minor’s) references felt right, they were all from French movies and stuff. I thought it was quite sweet and romantic. It was in a war veteran bar, and all these kids and everyone came and danced. We tried to create that romantic happy vibe and Jamaica was perfect for it. I was there for three days. I didn’t really get to see everything but what I saw was so beautiful, white sand, turquoise water – like the ideal screen saver.”

Eliza can be spotted hanging out in the most “in” venues in Camden – the Lock Tavern and the Flowerpot but is sad the famous Marathon Kebab House in Chalk Farm Road no longer has a late licence.
She said: ““Sometimes you would find me at the Marathon bar at 2.30am. That was the only reason people went there. I’m on Marathon’s side. I wish it still opened later.”

She only has modest requests of water and beer (for the boys) when she when she plays gigs, mischievously promising: “I’ll wait for my moment to get divaish”, and admits she doesn’t take her wardrobe too seriously, adding: “I just have fun with it. I like lots of different colours. It gets me in the “what were you thinking” pages.”

A tour with Alphabeat appears to have left Eliza disappointed but her experiences touring with Jamie Cullum soon after were inspiring.
She said: “I went from Alphabeat where we didn’t really see them to Jamie Cullum where he was saying guys I really want you to come onstage, (afterwards) his saxophonist was knocking on the door saying come and have a drink with them. Every night I watched him play I learned new things. He was unbelievable.”

And there are big ambitions for her forthcoming Koko show: “I’m trying to make it bigger onstage we’ve got drums but it’s quite sparse. We use double bass, guitar and drums but I’m working on extending the band and bringing in someone who plays the extra, a bit of violin, flute, brass, I don’t know if that kind of person exists but i’ll try and bring him in.”

RECORD OF THE WEEK - SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS, Windstorm

SCHOOL of Seven Bells, who play Scala on Tuesday, originate from New York but specialise in that edgy, ethereal pop that so often emerges from Scandinavia. Single Windstorm (out Monday) has a traditional round melody but avoids sounding too folky. Perhaps it’s that New York vibe that anchors their dreamy vocals to a more concrete instrumental. From the first jarring bars, the trio’s intention that the music is incidental to the lyrics is clear, producing a captivating if not wholly comfortable result.

ELIZA DOOLITTLE'S DRINKS BLAG, BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB'S ACOUSTIC MAGIC + ROCK ART COLLECTORS HEAVEN AT PROUD CAMDEN

POVERTY-stricken singers take note – Eliza Doolitle told me of a trick she stumbled across when playing the Cuban Bar at this year’s Camden Crawl. She mentioned her love of their apple crumble cocktails during her set, jokingly asking if anyone wanted to buy her a drink, and the bar staff promptly made one for her. Now she’s wondering how many other bars she can try it on with. I doubt she’ll need to use it for long, as she’s going to be able to command anything she wants on her rider soon.

• One of the most memorable moments of last year’s Mencap Little Noise Sessions at Islington’s Union Chapel was hearing the vulnerable cracked vocals and stripped-down acoustics of Bombay Bicycle Club. They plugged back in soon after, but I’ve played that acoustic show back in my head over and over since. Now there’s a chance to repeat the experience. Their acoustic album was released on Monday and their tour of cinemas and churches comes to the Union Chapel on July 22 and 23. It will be stunning.
I couldn't find any acoustic footage of Magnet on Youtube so here's Ivy and Gold at the Union Chapel last year.

• The Kenwood concerts are well under way and so far the weather’s been impeccable. But the climes are wavering so let’s hope it holds out for Will Young on Saturday and Jamie Cullum (August 14).

• Rock art collectors head down to Proud Camden on Wednesday for a live and online Teenage Cancer Trust charity live and online auction of prints shot by six of the world’s leading music photographers. Captive subjects Dave Grohl, The Libertines, Muse and many more have signed the work. Live music and the official launch of the gallery’s biggest ever exhibition Six Shooters complete the night.

PINK'S ACROBATICS, MISSY ELLIOTT'S FAILS, SNOOP DOGG'S SUNNY DISPOSITION AND JAY-Z'S CAMERON-LIKE TENDENCIES

PINK dropped from the sky, Missy Elliott's German tracksuit offended, Snoop Dogg wore girly hair bobbles and Jay-Z played the popular card at an eventful Wireless festival last weekend.
By Sunday night, Wireless stragglers looked more like extras from Shipwrecked than holders of the coolest hip-hop tickets in town as arid weather conditions turned Hyde Park into one giant dustbowl and filthy feet, mud-caked fingernails and dirt-streaked faces became the official festival uniform.
Not even the luxury loos, Ugg boots store, makeovers, Superdrug counter, Elemis massages and Bed Head hairdressers could combat the dust.
Pink's headline performance was a spectacle in itself, so carefully stage managed that it even ended with a roll of credits.

And they deserved the praise, Pink dropped onto a walkway from a gift-wrapped box suspended high on a crane, running through hits, many lesser-known tracks and some covers.

She mashed up Lou Reid's Walk on the Wild Side with Green Day's Basket Case, later launching the loudest sing-along of the weekend to 4 Non Blondes' What's Up – a perfect fit for her voice.Pink's songs have rarely been captivating but her performance skills and powerhouse vocals are something to behold.Her set was a fully-functioning carnival, she made full use of the slides, her drummer stood inside a waltzer and Pink's acrobatics matched those of a circus professional.From Cirque du Soleil roof-dangling on drapes, to soaring over the crowd suspended on four-way wires, to literally running over the heads of the audience in a giant inflatable Zorb ball, it was a non-stop feast for the eyes.Earlier Plan B drew hundreds from Gossip's main stage set as crowds caked the outside of the Pepsi Max tent to try to catch a glimpse.Beth Ditto made her usual threat to strip but thankfully failed to deliver.Not even Ditto's lungs could compete with the crowds singing along to Plan B 150m away and her cover of Tina Turner's What's Love Got To Do With It was drowned out.The Ting Tings banged out a bit of a racket but the most euphoric moment of the day was lying in the grass, staring at the clear blue sky listening to The Temper Trap.Day two's headliners LCD Soundsystem seriously disappointed – an odd choice for top billing when the likes of Missy Elliott and Snoop Dogg were in town.

To be fair, Missy's set consisted of a number of big fails. 1 – coming on 20 minutes late, 2 – playing a medley of best-known tracks so fast you almost missed them, 3 – part-miming, badly, 4 – bringing on latest protege after only 10 minutes, who also mimed, 5 – making an ill-judged return to the stage in a Germany tracksuit – her
prerogative I say – but she drew boos from a huge group of miserable bad sports, 6 – overrunning and having her set cut mid-flow.

Still, Get Your Freak on was a popular three minutes, her rapping was fierce and she threw herself into rallying the crowd for the brief time she was on.
A quick dash to Darwin Deez confirmed why he's the Napoleon Dynamite of the moment and a delight to watch – but the pull of legend Snoop Dogg was too strong.
The sunshine loved Snoop, who came on with a knuckle duster-style mic and charted his hip-hop history through a memorable, laid back set.
Still hard to take Gangsta rap seriously when it comes from a man with clear plastic bobbles on his plaits.
Day three was uncomfortable as thousands crammed into the park, may looking for trouble. Huge groups of boys cleared the ground of bottles by flinging them into the crowd, prompting Lily Allen to point out the number of girls she'd seen crying in front of her after being hit.
Earlier, Professor Green on the second stage was a huge, popular draw, Slash played a couple of his own solos which flew above the head of most of the crowd, but woke everyone up with Sweet Child O' Mine and a vastly diminished D12 delighted the many who rushed to see them on the third stage – though twice as many were left out in the cold.
Lily Allen brought on Professor Green for a drum 'n bass remix of Smile before the two launched into their new single Just Be Good To Green, which ended up as a huge rave.

Jay-Z the ever professional, played the popular tracks, some lesser-known older ones and never let the crowd forget he was thinking of every single one of them.

Much like the David Cameron in the leaders debates, he took note of his audience and singled out the ones who most knew his songs, or those who most caught his eye.
When he realised he had 24 minutes left he declared he was not ready to go and promised to run through as many track people asked for as possible, flicking from a bar of Bonnie and Clyde to a chorus of another, he skipped around, prepared to please his devoted followers.
He ended on Encore – the smash hit mash-up with Linkin Park's Numb – a wise and explosive choice that confirmed Jay-Z's generous showmanship.

RECORD OF THE WEEK - DAVID ROTHERAY, The Sparrow, the Thrush & the Nightingale

THIS is the first solo attempt from former - dont cringe - Beautiful South guitarist David Rotheray, who is an acclaimed songwriter in his own right.
Single The Sparrow, the Thrush & the Nightingale (out August 9), featuring folk singer Jim Causley on vocals, has a distinct Divine Comedy quality, witty lyrics and a lighthearted refrain that will make you sing along.
Album The Life of Birds, features Eliza Carthy, Kathryn Williams and many others.

SECURITY ALERT - N-DUBZ ARE PLAYING FOR THEIR MUMS, LOUIS LE PRINCE AND THE PROJECTORS SELL OUT + LAST.FM'S DATING GAME

POLICE lined Chalk Farm Road waving knife wands, search arches were placed inside the Roundhouse doors – was Snoop Dogg paying a special visit to Camden Town? Is 50 Cent on his way? Turns out the heavy security was for...N-Dubz, who were playing to their mums, aunts and friends on their home turf for the iTunes Festival on Monday. The cops must’ve been disappointed – the only battle I saw was the group of young boys beatboxing in the street after the show. 

This is the best video I could find of the night. Critics should see them live before turning up their noses.

• By good fortune, I was present the day the founder members of fairytale-named band Louis le Prince and The Projectors met. There was an old man’s pub, whisky was involved and there was bonding over music.

So it was a privilege to be at The Wilmington Arms for the Hope House records gig last week – amazing feat to be sold out on their first show and they deserved it. In such a short time they’ve put together a professional sound with some addictive tunes. 

• Sydney’s gorgeous dark-pop quintet Teenagers in Tokyo headline The Lexington on July 15.

• Who here uses last.fm? Ever wanted to find your ideal date based on a mutual shared love of music?  www.tastebuds.fm attempts to find matches based on your last.fm list or your list of fave bands. Hmmm, not sure it’ll work.

RECORD OF THE MONTH - PARTISAN AND GAVEL, Spirit of Our Time feat Leonard Cohen

THIS is THE record of the month for me for many reasons.
Not least because it features a sample of my very favourite Leonard Cohen song The Partisan.
If you like it, spread the word, this is a fledgling act with a lot more to offer.



Read more about it here - http://gavelproject.blogspot.com/2010/07/leonard-cohan-partisans-project.html

KASSIDY'S HANDSOME REWARD FOR LOST RECORDINGS

SPARE a thought for Scots band Kassidy who are offering a £1,000 reward after losing three months of footage when their van was broken into in Manchester.
The guys posted on their Myspace: "Our van just got robbed... If anyone in Manchester knows anything about it we are giving a £1,000 reward for our stuff back. We lost a bag with laptops, flip cams, wallets... Also a bag full of clothes... It's a blue Berghaus bag. Mac laptop. Big black bag full of clothes. Sad thing is all our footage is gone. So no new tour videos for a while. Good thing is they dumped Pauls George socks from Asda. Sad times Kassidy X."

Can you help? Here's a link to their Facebook page http://fb.me/DKzyzDvn

In the meantime, here's one of their older videos to tide you over.

WAS MISSY ELLIOTT BOOED OFFSTAGE BECAUSE OF HER GERMAN TRACKSUIT?

SERIOUSLY poor form from some England football supporters today who threw bottles and booed Missy Elliott at Hyde Park's Wireless Festival.
Her set came to an abrupt end, with the big screens suddenly switching off and Missy and her dancers left looking confused onstage.

No explanation was given but it looked like the plug was pulled after she and her dancers came on in white adidas tracksuits bearing the German flag, with Deutschland written on the back.
Perhaps an ill-judged choice of garb given England's crushing at the German team's feet last week but unlikely she meant any malice.
Either the set ended because of the negative reaction from some of the crowd who took exception to her outfit or the plug was pulled mid-track because she overran, but if this was the case surely they'd be professional enough to let her finish the song.
Her costume change came just minutes after Germany beat Argentina so did she have a spare Argentina outfit backstage just in case?
And so what if she just wanted to support Germany for the fun of it? The USA's no longer in and neither is England guys so get over it.
We all need to find new teams to support!

Incidentally Missy came onstage 20 minutes late - was she watching the match or was it a coincidence?
She put on a good show for the short time she was actually onstage, playing medleys of her biggest hits, rapping live but it looked like she was miming during the singing parts.
She then strangely brought on a girl called Shoraya, who she promised was amazing but who mimed her way - badly - through some anonymous track before Missy returned in aforementioned tracky.
And we all know how that ended. Strange scenes all the same.
Snoop Dogg followed with a fantastic set and should have been the headliner.
More on him later.

JARVIS COCKER IS GREYER THAN YOU THINK

IT'S been a lifelong (since I was 14) ambition to meet gangly Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker so my dreams were fulfilled last week when he kindly posed for a photo with me at Proud Camden’s second birthday celebrations. 

I’ll spare you the evidence but must note how attentive he was to troubadour Joseph Strouzer who serenaded him with The Ballad of the Big Beautiful Woman. Jarvis – greyer than I ever imagined – signalled his approval but warned Strouzer was unlikely to get any airtime. Later Amy Winehouse did some backing dancing for Professor Green but looked pretty vacant – I blame the stifling heat.

• I’m not quite sure what happens at a convention for The Who – do people turn up dressed as the Pinball Wizard? Will a row of scooters park outside Dingwalls on October 3, when the gathering rides into Camden Town? I can’t say but I’m sure gonna check.

• Rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures play a benefit gig at on July 5 at Brixton 02 Academy for Eagles of Death Metal bassist Brian O’Connor who has cancer and no medical insurance. No bland statements from O’Connor, thanking supporters he said: 

“I am excited for my full recovery and look forward to getting back to what I love most, melting face with my bass. I’m feeling great, after all, I am half unicorn.” Get down there if you can.

• Even if you find Devendra Banhart’s video for Foolin’ a bit too disturbing, he’ll be captivating live – see him at Koko (July 4).

• You can now stand under Koko’s legendary Hollywood-style illuminations every day as the roof terrace is officially unveiled tomorrow (Friday). It’s actually been open for a while and you may find yourself rubbing shoulders with the acts as they slip out on the terrace for a smoke – or fresh-air Camden style!

POLITE PEARL JAM + STEVIE WONDER'S JEUNESSE ECLIPSE MCCARTNEY

IT'S a sign of the respect grunge hero Eddie Vedder commands that even when playing to a 50,000-strong crowd at Hyde Park, he could inspire a hush when he spoke.
Hard Rock Calling was a weekend of reminiscences – three very different, generous headliners set the tone for memorable days in the scorching sun.



Pearl Jam was looked upon with such reverence that at one point veteran frontman Vedder convinced the huge crowd to take three steps back for safety, just by asking politely. He earnestly promised to replay any songs he would have to stop if there were any crowd management problems.
Yeah, this doesn't sound like the kind of rock icon we've come to expect but it one we've come to love.
From the early evening, with Vedder joining Ben Harper's set for a powerful cover of Under Pressure, the tone was set for a special night.

The duet was not unexpected – Vedder and Harper have been known to team up on occasion and their duet of Indifference is a Youtube favourite.
But it was a treat all the same and one Harper reciprocated during Pearl Jam's set, with an incredible instrumental on encore Red Mosquito.
It was touching to see Vedder in trademark grunge lumberjack shirt of old, running through tracks old and new, classics and a tribute to Joe Strummer with a cover of Arms Aloft in Aberdeen, with the same molasses-quality voice we idolised as teens. Entrancing.
By most standards, Hard Rock Calling was a success – bar a timetabling clash pitting Elvis Costello against World Cup disappointment on Sunday.
We were eager to hear how Gomez had got on more than a decade after soaraway debut album Bring it On but only lovers of sauna-type conditions could bring themselves to step inside the sweltering Pepsi Max tent for the full set and there was a minor exodus after biggest hit Whippin' Picadilly.
For Stevie Wonder's set on Saturday it felt like the numbers had doubled. Kids, grandparents and everyone in-between piled in to see the legend in action and they were not disappointed.
Wonder's success was almost his failing. His set was a bonanza of every hit you would ever wish to hear, his cheeky, cheery disposition kept the mood light, but the sheer numbers made it at times uncomfortable.
As people later eased into their spaces, it was a historic sight to see the mass human carpet become one giant funky dance show of moves through the ages.
Stevie – whose inability to contain his joy was infectious – played an ambitious back catalogue of everything from Sir Duke to Ma Cherie Amour to I Just Called To Say I Love You, and Happy Birthday – a reminder that this man, whose life-work is so extensive and influential, is still only 60.
Paul McCartney on day three took a little time to warm up, but something changed when the sun went down.
As if a spirit had suddenly possessed him, he came alive – helped by electrifying fireworks during Live and Let Die and the second half of the set was stunning.
The sounds of Hey Jude echoed across the park as every single person joined in the mass singalong – na na na nana na naaa – did N-Dubz learn it from these guys?

RECORD OF THE WEEK - KELE, The Boxer

IF THE purpose of Kele Okereke’s debut solo album The Boxer is to show he’s capable of more than Bloc Party, he manages this with the first few tracks. Sadly they just sound like slightly indulgent over-distorted dance remixes. Kele begins to sound more like himself as the album progresses and this is where he excels. The moral of the story? Persist.