Live music listings: August 2007

Doors 7.30
£8 via WeGotTickets
£9 door

"Direct, delightful, bizarre and dynamic." [Filter]

Fog is an avant-rock and roll unit comprised of three: Andrew Broder (Guitar), Tim Glenn (Drums) and Mark Erickson (Bass). Since it's self-titled release in 2001, Fog's sound has never stopped moving. Subsequent albums 'Ether Teeth' and '10th Avenue Freakout', along with various EPs, side projects and remixes, have all garnered critical acclaim and solidified Fog's reputation as an act constantly pushing the envelope of song, texture and word.

Fog uses and abuses all types of disparate genres: out rock, classic pop, primitive electronics, pretty folk songs, white noise, drones, metal, "Golden Era' rap references, among other things. But mostly, this is rock and roll music. Dark and engaging, holding a mirror up to the absurdities and discomforts of our time, weaving inner turmoil into the broader fabric of global instability. “American rock at it’s experimental best.” [Q]

Fog's latest, 'Ditherer', is their most focused and powerful work to date. Ditherer is the first Fog record to feature a full-time band, giving Broder's songs new depth, structural integrity and wider resonance. The music has become more immediate and visceral. Ditherer also features guest artists Low, Why?, Andrew Bird, Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie), Pedestrian and Dosh.

"Genius." [Mojo]

Fog has toured extensively in North America and Europe, sharing stages along the way the likes of Deerhoof, Notwist, Yo La Tengo, Wilco, Low, Rhys Chatham, Kid Koala, Christian Marclay, Magnolia Electric Co., Subtle, Why? and many others.

“A group teetering on the precipice of greatness...Imagine cLOUDDEAD jamming with Wilco, with David Lynch producing and you're only halway there." [The Wire]

Main is “one of the most visionary solo artists in the world today.” [Drowned In Sound]

Napoleon IIIrd is a one-man band currently residing in Wakefield. One of a new breed of solitary songsmiths, he forgoes the strummed confessionals of the typical singer-songwriter in favour of summery experimentation and wry observations on modern life.

“The Leeds based king of his own melodious empire… rippling electronic puddles and muddy swirls of flotsam… good people of this realm." [Plan B]

Recorded after several years of regular live performances and two limited, sold-out EPs (released on Leeds based Dance to the Radio and Brainlove Records), ‘In Debt To:’, Napoleon IIIrd’s debut album, displays a meticulously refined sound, both lo-fi and stunningly complex in its production; behind the ragged vocals and strummed acoustic guitar lie swirling layers of brass and humming organs.

"A fine album" [Dazed & Confused]

As a fixture of the north’s live circuit, his performances are noted for their uniqueness. Shows are sometimes conducted in surround sound and he often plays three instruments at once, backed with an imposing reel-to-reel tape player, or sometimes with his infectiously joyful backing band. He also headlined the Unsigned Stage at Leeds Festival 2006, accompanied by a band and brass section.

"Puts so much heart and soul into every verse, chorus and middle eight that you need a defibrillator... this is not merely an excellent record, it's a manifesto." [Artrocker]

Part of a burgeoning scene in Yorkshire, which has recently produced ¡Forward, Russia! and iLiKETRAiNS (both of which he has collaborated with, providing a remix for the b-side of ¡Forward, Russia!’s Top 40 single, Eighteen), he will soon appear on a ‘Sounds of Leeds’ television programme.

"An extraordinarily good record." [Whisperin' & Hollerin' - 9/10]

Napoleon IIIrd however stands somewhat apart from his Leeds-based peers, creating lush pop in the vein of The Beach Boys, The Flaming Lips, Fog and Olivia Tremor Control.

"'In Debt To' has a touch of the post-millennium 'Pet Sounds' about it... the most essential purchase you'll make by a solo artist over the next twelve months." [ContactMusic - 9/10]

Preceded by ‘This Is My Call To Arms’, a digital single, ‘In Debt To’ marks the emergence of an exciting new talent. Napoleon IIIrd will be on tour to support this release throughout the summer.

"A record of unprecedented glory - the most exciting solo effort that 2007 has seen." [Subba-Cultcha]

Brimming with brilliant ideas and held together by consistent songwriting not common of this age... one of the most exciting solo artists in the country." [Drowned in Sound - 8/10]

Opening, my friends, are Team Brick, a powerful and unique musician from Bristol. His performances incorporate all kinds of instruments, equipment and techniques, including clarinet played through a loop pedal, drum abuse, chiming bells, plucked strings and a cappella rants. His vocals are similarly broad in range, encompassing throat singing, speaking in tongues and cathartic off-mic bellowing, activating the acoustic properties of his whole body. Together, these sounds create an evocative, resonant and mysterious body of work that offers a half-glimpse into an intriguing world of its own.

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