TAYLOR MOMSEN'S UK TRIP, SMALL FACES AND THE WHO IN SENTIMENTAL MOD SEASON, AIR ROADIES ARE REAL, FOALS FOR THE YOUNG, TWEETING LIBERTINES + SCARY ALICE COOPER

I KNOW Taylor Momsen’s moody teenage act fronting The Pretty Reckless is a bit much for some, but I’m hoping to judge for myself when she plays 02 Academy Islington next week (August 19). I like what I’ve heard so far. Plus, she’s the only person I know who wears more eyeshadow than me.

• Congratulations Eddie Six Strings, the first-ever female winner of the UK Air Guitar World Championships at Islington Academy on Friday. A close inspection of the rules reveals air roadies are allowed. Are there air amps to carry?

• Is it the season for Mod sentimentality? We already know about The Who’s convention at Dingwalls (October 3) but it seems the scooter brigade will be stopping off at Relentless Garage (August 15) for the Small Faces convention – billed as seven hours of 100 per cent Small Faces “Mod paradise”. As well as the usual collectable merchandise, there are six bands, some very special guests and screenings of rare footage.

• Here’s a nice touch. Foals are playing a special MTV Presents show for 14 to 18-year-olds at Dingwalls (August 25) – shame I’m a teenage lifetime away from being let in.

• I wonder how many twitter followers Carl Barat had before promising to announce a reunion date “for a little London four-piece” (hint – The Libertines) at HMV Forum on August 25 on his account this week. When I last checked, he had 2,637.

• On Tuesday, Alice Cooper hosted the scariest talent contest at London Dungeon, where he selected the great est sideshows and freaks. But why? So he can scare the hell out of ticketholders heading to his Halloween Night of Fear at Camden Roundhouse (October 31, November 1).

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.”

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!

A LONG WEEK IN MUSIC, RIB-CRACKING AT RAGE, SCRAMBLE FOR THE STROKES AND MORE

IT feels like the longest week in music ever. From being conflicted listening to the beautiful tones of Hasidic reggae artist Matisyahu (but not so sure about his politics) at Dean Street Studios on Wednesday, to the politics-free zone at the front row for Usher’s special show at Koko (he was all about the ladies and the poses) on Friday, to feeling every rib in my body on the verge of cracking in the manic moshpit at Rage Against the Machine at Finsbury Park on Sunday, to the (failed) battle for tickets for The Strokes’ secret gig as Venison at Dingwalls last night. This is the place to be if you love music. And it’s not over yet. New Young Pony Club and fave band Hurts are at Dingwalls tonight (Thursday).

• There’s a timely appearance from Big Brother’s tantrum princess Nikki on Friday at The Monarch. We’re hearing it’s gonna be like Phoebe from Friends. Disaster/Car crash entertainment? Can't imagine you'll be able to tear your eyes away.

• Thousands crashed Dingwalls’ website in a desperate scramble for Strokes tickets. We tweeted this early – before most music press had got their acts together thanks to trusty local contacts – follow me @roisingadelrab

• This Teenage Cancer Trust Topshop Summer Bandstand picnic at Regent’s College (June 12) could be a winner. Charlotte Hatherley (ex-Ash), Chew Lips, Goldheart Assembly and Stricken City + DJ sets from New Young Pony Club, and Girlcore are on the bill. Bring a picnic as the whole area is transformed into one big picnic ground with games, rollerskating, egg and spoon races and sports day games.

• I confess I used to love this guy’s curly mop-top (remember Sandstorm, Walk Away and Alright?) – former Cast frontman and ex-bassist for The La’s John Power will be singing Cast hits at the Luminaire (June 17). 

INFADELS DO THE HUMAN LEAGUE

SOMETHING unique is about to happen in Camden.
After locking themselves away in a studio in a secret location for a week, Shy Child, Infadels, Zoot Woman, The Shortwave Set and Kids on Bridges will emerge with a reworking of The Human League’s defining album Dare.
And the intriguing results – the latest in the Jack Daniel’s JD Set series of historic musical collaborations – can be seen live at Dingwalls on May 5.


It’s a prospect Infadels’ Matt Gooderson can’t wait for. He said: “We’re going to one of my favourite venues. I saw a great band there in the 90s and wanted to play it ever since. We’re doing covers from one of the greatest electronic albums ever made.”

Coincidentally, well before JD stepped in, the band decided to emulate the sounds of The Human League when they moved away from indie and work on a much more electronic sound for their third album, out later this year.

Matt refused to pick up a guitar this time, instead playing keyboards.

He said: “I’ve a little folder on iTunes called, ‘what I want our music to sound like’, and in that there’s three Human League songs. It’s strange how it’s all fallen into place.

“I’m the most excited I’ve ever been covering a band. For the first time ever we’re covering songs in the way we put them together, because we write electronically. Something like Supergrass is more blues inspired. When you try to put blues and electronica together it doesn’t work very well. Moby just managed to pull it off with Play. It’s going to be a dream to cover something with that same sense of the band.”

The groups won’t be battling over songs, he said, adding: “We’ve already had the fight and I’m really happy because we got The Things That Dreams Are Made Of, one of my favourite. I really didn’t want Don’t You Want Me Baby. I thought we’d sound dangerously like a wedding band. Although it’s an absolutely cracking pop song I don’t associate it with The Human League in the way that they were a lot more avant garde. We went for quite obscure ones and won. It’s going to be certainly the most alternative and dangerous thing we’ve ever done.”

Matt has recently returned from Australia, where he went to recover from “creative burnout”.

“I’d been working on the album intensively for a long time and I just felt I couldn’t continue with anything anymore so I disappeared for a while on my own,” he said.

“I kind of wigged out. I decided in the jungle there was no way I was going to carry a mobile phone anymore so I cancelled it and was planning on never having it again only to return to London and find life incredibly difficult without one. I lasted about a month.

“I spent a lot of time admiring how different the plants and trees are and how dangerous everything is – basically everything in Australia bites you. It did me really good. Everyone in England should go on a national holiday for six weeks in mid-winter when it’s boiling hot in Australia – it means you can absolutely survive the intolerable cold here.”

Matt confessed that although he’s officially the band’s guitarist, he couldn’t play guitar before they formed: “I’m actually a keyboard player by trade – the guitar was actually a venture into the unknown when we started the band. I couldn’t play the guitar when we started.”

Looking back on the band’s inception in 2003, he said: “It sounds funny now because a lot of people have gone in the same direction, but at the time we really wanted to do something different, reinvent what people thought of the band. It came about because we felt people needed live music back in clubs. We were dominated by Coldplay, Travis and Stereophonics, so we got the Infadels together so people could dance – as well as every other band on the planet it seems, but music’s the better for it.

“When we first arrived as an electro-indie band we were laughed at and a source of much amusement. People asked, ‘why would you want to reinvent dance rock?’ I have to safely say we were right and everyone who said that was completely wrong because it has been the most interesting and progressive musical genre of the last decade.

“Now it’s completely common to see a band with no drummers, two singers banging away on tom toms and a keyboard player, and guitarist and that’s the norm and that’s fantastic.”