Florence and Friends @The Tabernacle 27/11/09

For a gig dubbed ‘Florence and Friends it was a strange decision to print the stage times on the door of Notting Hill’s Tabernacle including the names of the mystery guests and their sound checking times. So what started as an exciting round of ‘Guess the mystery guests’ merely became ‘Read the names off a sheet’. The premature nature of the announcement was not without joy however as alongside the expected suspects (Patrick Wolf, Jack Penate) was ‘Jarvis and Steve’. Alongside Britney and Kylie Jarvis Cocker is someone who doesn’t really require a surname however knowing that he was due to perform had the audience buzzing.

It’s easy to forget but a year ago nobody really knew who Florence and The Machine were yet with each month 2009 grows they tick off another milestone of success. To truly understand the intensity and over blown power of debut album ‘Lungs’ though you really have to see the band perform live and enter the world of extravagant exhibitionism. No stranger to showing off is Mr Patrick Wolf who is brought into tonight’s foray to perform ‘Dog Days’ and ‘Cosmic Love’. Wolf himself is similar to Florence in that he has a magnetic charisma and an ability to make you forget all others exist. It’s strange then that in the presence of his red-haired friend that he melts away to almost quiet anonymity. It doesn’t help that there is an almost physical barrier in the shape of his piano in the way but Wolf struggles to exert his powerful stage presence on his two duets.

Similarly Jack Penate is a confident and exciting live act but tonight next to Florence he may as well be in the audience. It’s at this point of the gig you begin to think the title should have been ‘The Machine and Friends’. Florence’s overriding voice and personality seem impeachable and it is because of this talent and power that she is so successful but to ask people to come onstage and try and match that unique ability is a task which eludes many of those on stage this evening.

It’s not surprising then that Jarvis Cocker is the man who comes closest to scaling the heights and grabbing some of the spotlight back. First, the pair duet on the creepy narrative of ‘Girl With One Eye’ which, like many Cocker songs, tells a story through verse and melody. His geography teacher chic look now uniform, Jarvis brings a creepy uncle vibe to the song and gives it a fresh outlook. The evenings defining moment however is when the pair run through the Pulp classic ‘Underwear’. The unexpected sexual tension between the pair was hinted at during their first song but the erotically charged Pulp lyrics bring the pair closer together thus creating a moment that falls somewhere between expectant and triumphant.

Ultimately however Florence is a solo star- she simply can’t share a stage without annihilating her partner. As mentioned this is the reason people love her but it’s the songs sung sans guests tonight that impress the most. Acoustic blasts of ‘Drumming Song’ and ‘Rabbit Heart’ showcase the now famous vocals and overriding feeling that Florence will be around, with or without friends, for a very long time.

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The Remi-XX

Don't think I need to add anything to this. Enjoy the most consistantly fantastic remixes of the year courtesy of The xx.

Florence and The Machine- 'You've Got The Love'
Jack Penate- 'Pull My Heart Away'
Magic Wands- 'Warrior'
The xx- 'Basic Space'
Eliza Doolittle- Moneybox

Plus this remix of the xx from Pariah

Basic Space (Pariah remix)


Florence + The Machine - You've Got The Love

Florence and The Machine|MySpace Music Videos

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Indie Boys Do Remixes

Internet connection is slow as hell tonight so let's keep it brief.

Jamie from The XX has remixed the new Jack Penate single here (MP3)

Whilst Friendly Fires have lent there samba loving, hip shaking thing to the new Phoenix single here (MP3)

There will be proper content tomorrow with stuff from Editors, Brand New and The Cribs.

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Jack Peñate- 'Everything Is New'

Gigwise.com

He emerged amidst a flurry of hype and shaking feet and over a few singles built up a reputation the press were just itching to destroy. So when Jack Peñate released his debut record ‘Matinee’ in 2007 the critics ripped him a new hole to store his peaked hats. That plus the acutely observed pastiche record ‘LDN Is A Victim’ saw the 23 year old Peñate facing a musical no mans land. ‘Matinee’ was far from a failure though both musically and chart wise. Peaking at number 7 it featured fantastic rockabilly pop hits and an achingly gorgeous ballad introducing the world to the Grammy award winning Adele. It’s a shame then that much of the preamble to ‘Everything Is New’ has revolved around distancing Peñate from that debut record. He was 23 when it was released, where people expecting it to be timeless and unique? Still, Everything is New is both record title and mission statement in 2009 and it’s fair to say that the check shirted boy spitting at stars is long forgotten.

Where previously things felt centralised and London-centric now Peñate is like Phileas Fogg, jetting off to Brazil one moment then up to Philadelphia and New Orleans the next. A sense of the tropical and exotic permeates every second of ‘Everything Is New’ to the point you can practically taste the pineapple in your mouth. From the soca drums and trumpets that blast in a celebratory fashion it’s a crisp and bright sound, even if it does at times come across a bit ‘Mambo No.5’. The problem with Peñate writing a debut album so entrenched in its geographical positioning is that moving away on the follow up feels like he is just on holiday. So the attempts and funk and soul on the likes of ‘So Near’ and ‘Be The One’ feel tokenistic and touristy- “Hey, take my photo by the bongo’s- that’ll look great on the fridge.” This is ‘Everything...’s ultimate flaw, it feels a bit fake and a bit cheesy. When Peñate came out in 2007 some catty comments likened his appearance to that of George Michael, well this album is definitely his ‘Club Tropicana’.

Having said that ‘Everything Is New’ is not beyond redemption. Genuinely uplifting in places it will make great friends with the sunshine and festivals and ‘Tonight’s Today is a real contender for single of the year. Elsewhere the rueful abandon of ‘Give Yourself Away’ is infectious and the soulful yearning of ‘Pull My Heart Away’ makes for an effective opening. At just nine tracks long and with the vague whiff over over-production courtesy of Paul Epworth the listener is left feeling none the wiser as to Peñate’s state of mind, his emotions or feelings. He’s starting a party and that’s all well and good but at times it feels like nobody else is invited.

5/10

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For The Record: March

Not a great month for albums really but a few slow burners for your consideration alongside a stack of fine singles.

Albums:

Grammatics- Grammatics
The Rakes- Klang!
Fever Ray- Fever Ray (Album of the month)

Download these

Grammatics- 'D.I.L.E.M.M.A'
The Rakes- 'The Light From Your Mac'
Fever Ray- 'Triangle Walks'

Tracks:

Friendly Fires- Skeleton Boy (Air France remix)
Casio Kids- Fot I Hose
Jack Penate- Tonight's Today (Track of the month)
Cocknbullkid- I'm Not Sorry
Hatcham Social- Murder In The Dark
Metric- Help, I'm Alive
La Roux- In For The Kill
Two Door Cinema Club- Something Good Can Work
Chew Lips- Solo
Dananananaykroyd - Black Wax

Have I missed anything off the lists? I will openly admit to disliking the Micachu, Black Lips and Pete Doherty records right away. PJ Harvey may well be a late addition given a few more spins though.

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Jack Peñate- Tonight's Today

This was actually the first new song I heard in 2009 and I'm slightly ashamed to only write about it in March. Waiting for an official video got the better of me though and so now I can spill all about the most unlikely song of the year so far.

Jack Peñate has always been someone I enjoyed but by the time his album 'Matinee' rolled around in 2007 I felt I had seen and heard so much from him I couldn't even be bothered to listen to it. It, I assume, was a collection of mildly entertaining funky-punk ska tracks and that amazing song with Adele- correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think I am.

Perhaps under estimating the man I assumed his follow up would be more of the same so it was with great pleasure that I fell so hard for 'Tonight's Today'. Produced by Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Friendly Fires) the song sounds like it was recorded in the middle of an intergalactic jungle with afro-beat rhythms, calypso guitars and deep choral backing. Jack's voice has improved immeasurably too, it was always good but now he falsetto's beautifully- especially in the "ringing church bells" middle eight.

Jack Peñate tours from late March into early April and 'Tonight's Today is released via XL on March 30th. Listen to it below.

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