Wolf Alice, Live

The hot and sweaty Boileroom in Guildford was filled to the brim with teens all excited out of their minds not just for Wolf Alice but also the excellent support act Superfood. A personal favourite mine, Superfood are bringing back Britpop in a big way. The entire venue were really digging the Birmingham band and so was frontman Dom. Highlights of their set was the unmitigated banger Bubbles and the insomniac anthem TV, both from their new EP Bubbles

Wolf Alice hesitantly climbed onto the cramped stage. With no grace or niceties Ellie jumped into new single Moaning Lisa Smile, easily the most violent and abrasive Wolf Alice tune to date. Throughout the wild night the band played almost every song under their hat with hardly any faltering moments. The band played excellently showing why we all love them so much. And with a seamless cover of Chris Isaak's Wicked Games after Blush stopped the hectic moshing for a heartbeat.

There is a reason why Wolf Alice are the trendiest band this year. Not only do they have the image (Joff and Theo look like the coolest extras from Trainspotting). They also have kickass songs and fans to boot. What Ellie lacks in actual stage presence she makes up in unassuming brilliance which shows itself live. Great night spent with a great crowd and even grabbed a couple awkward selfies with Wolf Alice. Great.

(3 days till new EP Creature Songs btw)

Jamie xx, Girl Review

While the full band are touring America, the brains behind the outfit Jamie xx has released some new music. Jamie Smith was critically acclaimed for his work with late spoken word artist Gil Scott-Heron back in 2011 and he is now back on his own.

The two songs, Sleep Sound and Girl are two easy going electronic dance tunes. Jamie xx uses his talent and experience to make spacious sound sexy on Girl with a sample of 'Freeeze'. As always the production is seamless, which carries right on into Sleep Sound. The use of disjointed xylophone type sounds warms up the song. These songs are excellent for the Summer and Jamie's festival sets will surely be ones to look forward to.

Here Comes The Sun

The sun has reefed it's sweltering head another year round. And in England that means a few things; unattractive blurry tattoos on old topless dudes; a scary amount of misfitting denim shorts on teenage girls and obviously people complaining about how hot it is. But how can you escape the terrifying monotony of English summer and the terror of Nigel Farage? The first thought should be the essential Summer playlist. Here is the old and the new, the cheesy and the classics for the ultimate summer playlist.

Stevie Wonder
Stevie is the boss. Every song that has come from him is perfect, his melodies are funky and drenched in sunshine. A must have staple for your playlist, try Too High and Superstition.

Zero 7
If you do not have any Zero 7 on your iPod you are most likely a fool. The early noughies chill group are perfect for a warm evening on the beach or late night on holiday. Their singer Sia is softer than butter and that's how they make you feel. Best bets are Warm Sound and This World.

A Tribe Called Quest
The NY rap group bring an excellent 90s summer feeling with their smooth flows and even smoother beats. For me, Hip-Hop is great for parties and Tribe bring the afro-centric nostalgia with them. Listening to songs like Bonita Applebum and Can I Kick It should be daily in the summer.

Wavves
Skuzzy smokers Wavves are great for a summer of teenage rebellion. This is the soundtrack to start fires with. Skate along to the gritty riffs and feel hard as hell, but it is also great for the sun. There isn't much to say about the San Diego band apart from King Of The Beach belongs in the ultimate Summer playlist.

Tame Impala
The Aussie band brought back Psychedelia in a big way. Not only do they make excellent albums (see Lonerism), they also have the perfect sunny feel. This is music to do absolutely nothing to, sit back and catch some rays. Trip out if you must but listening to Kevin Parker and co. should take place Summer 2014

Pharrel
Despite climbing to worldwide notoriety last year for featuring on the biggest songs (Get Lucky and the rapey Blurred Lines), Pharrel Williams has always made the best summer tunes. His production with the Neptunes brought us the beautiful Frontin' and work with Hov created the sleek Excuse Me Miss. His new album G I R L is filled with Summer bangers including Lost Queen and Hunter.

Toro Y Moi
The best artist for the summer. each album is beautiful from him. If you are caught listening to Toro in the summer expect to be the coolest kid in the room. It's chill and funky, drenched in Chillwave excellence. Key songs are Talamak and Cola.


All these artists mentioned and some more are on the Spotify playlist below...

Damon Albarn, Everyday Robots, Review

Damon Albarn is a bit of a musical chameleon. Pioneer of the britpop movement with Blur, defining a generation one brilliant album after another. Then what, an anime group named Gorillaz who changed the way we thought about music all together. But the questions on everyone's tongues are 'who is Damon?', 'what does Albarn actually sound like?'. On Everyday Robots, we may have an answer.

The title track sits right in the centre of 2014. And what does a 46 year old think of today, we are everyday robots on our phones. It is lonely, it is sparse and it's frightening. Not like Terminator frightening but sitting on a tube and everyone is head down in an Instagram feed frightening. The chameleon delivers every second of this song as it should, faultless everyday robots just touch thumbs. Not often does an artist provide social commentary as good as this.

The album feels rainy, and I think Damon stills feels a huge cloud over him. Lonely Press Play, looks at being alone in the digital age, and the electronic heartbeat throughout it pulls at your heart strings until it morphs into a bit of an enigma. Mr Tembo. Does it fit into this album? No. Does it sound really good? Yes. I'm not sure what to say, it is upbeat as The Universal but feels more Barlow than Albarn. Stick to the sad Damon.

Everyday Robots is excellent. The personal portrait of on of the UK's finest, as an album it's uplifting but at the expense of the musical chameleon. You & Me, is the definition of this beautiful sadness. Tin foil and a lighter- referencing Albarn's past addictions is fleeting but scarring. All over it is just the definition of a good record, fluid and emotional, past and present- all are here.

FAVOURITE SONG:  HOSTILES
FAVOURITE LINE: EVRYDAY ROBOTS JUST TOUCH THUMBS
RATING: 9/10
BEST PLACE TO LISTEN: RAINY SUNDAY IN TRAFFIC