2008: THANKYOU

It's been another great year for us at DON'T DIE JUST YET! 2008 has seen us put on some amazing shows and we'd like to thank everyone who's played...

Late of the Pier, Mystery Jets, The Horrors, Midnight Juggernauts, Metronomy, The Teenagers, Errors, Black Acid, The Joy Formidable, Hatcham Social, Dananananaykroyd, The Death Set, S.C.U.M, Cheeky Cheeky & the Nosebleeds, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, Johnny Foreigner, Cazals, Gallops!, Poppy & the Jezebels, South Central, You Love Her Coz She's Dead, You Animals, Team Waterpolo, My Amiga, Lady Fortune, The Laze, Soft Toy Emergency, Attack + Defend, Look See Proof, Ratty Rat Rat, Esser, A Silent Film, The Ivy Sins, Mother of Six, Exhausts, Polly Mackey, Arnie, Roy Destroy, The Capitals, The Maydays, Little Caesar, Capguns, I Am Austin, Trader, Danblagroyd, Whoops Apocalypse...

We'd also like to thank Ed Richmond, Bethan Elfyn, Jen Long and everyone else at BBC Radio 1 in Wales for allowing us to be their tipsters for a few months as well as helping us out with our June gig

Thanks also to our brilliant photographers Paul Gregory, Llinos Griffiths and Brent Jones; we're extremely lucky to have such talent on our doorstep

We also need to thank Mr Josh Page for being such an ace part of the DDJY! DJ collective; and thanks also to Jimmy Tindle and John Thorp for also helping out on the decks at various gigs this year

A big thankyou as well to everybody who came to one of the shows and made our job worthwhile!

And last but certainly not least we'd like to say a huge THANKYOU to Aled and everyone at Central Station for putting up with us for another year and being incredibly helpful at all our gigs!

Line-ups and plans for 2009 are already falling into place so keep checking the Myspace and Facebook pages for updates

See you at our big Christmas party on Thursday!

IF I MET YOU IN A DIFFERENT HEADSPACE

Similar to:

Portishead, Neu!, My Bloody Valentine

Why are they here?

HTRK (pronounced 'hate rock') have been appearing on numerous London club night posters of late; most recently alongside artists such as S.C.U.M and Ipso Facto. So it only felt right to give them some air time and it was certainly well worth the effort. They make spell-binding dark rock, filled with electric shocks and some of the most haunting vocals I've heard this year. They hail from Australia and have got everyone talking in their short time on our home shores. We'll be keeping an eye on them in 2009 and hopefully they'll be mystifying Wrexham in person in the near future.

Recommended listening:

'Fascinator'
'Synthetic'
'Sweetheart'

Link:

http://myspace.com/htrk

I COULD MAKE IT SO MUCH EASIER ON YOU

Similar to:

The Whitest Boy Alive, Feist, Depeche Mode

Why are they here?

RUBIES are currently finishing off a European tour in support of their debut album 'Explode from the Center'. I was first alerted to their presence through Erol Alkan's Disco 3000 podcast which featured Rubies stunning 'I Feel Electric' (featuring guest vocals from Feist) remixed by Tiedye. I explored their music further and found them to be one of the surprise hits of the year, with barely any spotlight throughout 2008 it looks like they've made one of the best LP's of the last 12 months. This is brilliant warm up music for any party/disco/night-out so get hold of a copy of 'Explode from the Center' and improve your life significantly!

Recommended listening:

'I Feel Electric'
'Stand in a Line'
'Diamonds on Fire'

Link:

http://myspace.com/rubies

THE ART-SCHOOL BROOKLYNITES

This week (yeah, this blog seems to have become a weekly affair now) I've opted to go for a different approach to musical discovery by bringing you a quick-fire 5 acts who I've finally got around to listening to properly this week. They all hail from the hipster hovel that is Brooklyn, New York and they're all damn fine!

# 1: AMAZING BABY


Listen to: 'Head Dress'

Link: http://myspace.com/theamazingbaby

/////

# 2: CHAIRLIFT

Listen to: 'Planet Health'

Link: http://myspace.com/chairlift

/////

# 3: BOY CRISIS

Listen to: 'Dressed to Digress'

Link: http://myspace.com/boycrisis

/////

# 4: CRYSTAL STILTS

Listen to: 'Converging in the Quiet'

Link: http://myspace.com/crystalstilts

/////

# 5: BEAR HANDS

Listen to: 'Vietnam'

Link: http://myspace.com/bearhandsband

/////

Enjoy!

SOMEONE WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER

Similar to:

PJ Harvey, Arcade Fire, Architecture in Helsinki

Why are they here?

FLORENCE & THE MACHINE need no real introduction, or extra coverage from us for that matter! We've been following the progress of Florence and her excellent backing band for the large part of 2008, narrowly missing out on them for a show in October but we're not going to give up just yet. Her single 'Kiss With a Fist' gave her some great publicity as well as some unwanted domestic-violence-condoning nonsense. Her new single 'Dog Days are Over' is a more mature folk rock anthem and they've just been announced as opening act for the NME Awards Tour 2009, which is obviously great news! She is joined by DDJY! blog favourites Glasvegas, White Lies and Friendly Fires so ensure you get tickets and get to the shows early!

Watch:



'Kiss With a Fist'

Recommended listening:

'Dog Days are Over'
'You Got the Love' (original by Candi Staton)
'My Boy Builds Coffins'

Link:

http://myspace.com/florenceandthemachinemusic

THROUGH PADLOCKS AND BARBED WIRE

Similar to:

Ipso Facto, The Long Blondes, The Velvet Underground

Why are they here?

THIS TAWDRY AFFAIR are the latest vessel to be located on the DDJY! radar. Friends of S.C.U.M and part of the darker art-rock scene in the capital they create majestic organ fuelled pop songs which, unlike much of the music of their counterparts, you can have a proper dance to. They're doing the usual rounds of London's smaller indie clubs at the moment and hopefully we can coak them 'up north' in 2009.

Recommended listening:

'Padlocks'
'Applause it Echoes'

Link:

http://myspace.com/thistawdryaffair

I KNOW IT'S SAD BUT DREAMS ARE ALL I HAVE

Similar to:

The Ramones, Oasis, Franz Ferdinand

Why are they here?

Do you ever have one of those days when the first piece of news you hear sets you up for the rest of the day? Well today is one of those days for me! As I was casually browsing the 'net I came across some new VIDEO NASTIES tracks. This may seem like no major surprise but it was only a few weeks ago that their agent had told me they'd split up; they were one of my favourite, if not my outright favourite, small bands and I couldn't believe they were never going to fulfil their potential. But they're back with more gusto and fury than ever before...

VIDEO NASTIES have recently uploaded three tracks onto their myspace; two re-recordings in the form of 'Teenage Celebration' and 'Hearts and Bones', and a new single entitled 'Albatross'. All three are fiery rock tracks unlike anyone else around at the moment, they have managed to capture the epic rock sound of Definitely Maybe-era Oasis and infuse with an art-rock style similar to the likes of Franz Ferdinand and The Maccabees. This return may have happened at just the right time, giving them a few months to build up steam before making 2009 their own!

Video:



'Albatross'

Recommended listening:

'Hearts and Bones'
'Teenage Celebration'
'Gobi'

Link:

http://myspace.com/videonasties

WE SHOULD BE BURIED BY NOW

Similar to:

Late of the Pier, Klaxons, Cap'n Jazz

Why are they here?

DEATH OHH EFF are victims of the dilemma that many young bands face when it comes to university and members going their seperate ways. Thankfully, unlike many promising bands, Death Ohh Eff are staying together and continue to produce hook jammed, all limbs flailing electro-pop songs. They've gained infrequent plays on Steve Lamacq's Radio 1 show but have so far failed to break into the music industry in a significant way. However, the tunes that they're creating keep getting better and better so hopefully it won't be long before they get to where they deserve to be. With one member now residing in London they could be in just the right position to make the breakthrough.

Recommended listening:

'My Treat'
'Claws'
'Squarebird'

Link:

http://myspace.com/deathohheff

BEFORE THE STORM BEGINS

Similar to:

Interpol, Suede, U2

Why are they here (again)?

WHITE LIES, or at least their management, are responsible for getting my previous post (from 12/09/2008) about the band deleted and have my Filden account suspended. Hence the reason there's no longer any mp3's accompanying posts, but I have no resentment of the band at all, the track was unreleased at the time and I was at fault, so...

I want to tell you yet again that this band will pick up 2009 and claim it as their's with staggering ease. Their massive dark rock is powerful and compelling; as is their live show, never before have I come across a band so small putting on such a spectacular display. If I book only one band next year then I want it to be these guys, their previous incarnation Fear of Flying was something special and I regret missing the chance to bring them to Wrexham, but White Lies are on a completely different level. They're going on tour with Glasvegas in December as well as headlining a few shows themselves towards the end of the year; seriously, don't miss them.

Recommended listening:

'Death'
'A Place to Hide'
'From the Stars'

Link:

http://myspace.com/whitelies

IT'S A GOOD TIME TO CONFESS

Similar to:

Modest Mouse, Mystery Jets, Born Ruffians

Why are they here?

LITTLE COMETS is a name I haven't been able to escape from in recent weeks. 'In the City' has just taken place in Manchester and with that prestigious event comes the latest barrage of 'next big thing' tags, most of those tags finding themselves firmly slapped on this chirpy alt-rock quartet from Newcastle. They've clearly been heavily influenced by the top American indie-rock bands of the past decade even to the point where you find yourself not being able to believe that they are from our own shores. The demo's are flying around the internet right now so it shouldn't be too difficult for you to get into these guys pretty soon, hopefully we can bring them to North Wales before they're too big!

Recommended listening:

'Lost Time'
'Joanna'
'Adultery'

Link:

http://myspace.com/littlecometsmusic

LET ME HEAR IT IN THE CANS

Similar to:

LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, New Young Pony Club

Why are they here?

WE HAVE BAND have been long overdue a post on this blog; as it becomes ever more evident which different musical artists are going to be finding themselves in the full glare of the spotlight in 2009 we can safely say that these guys are fully deserving of any success that comes their way. The disco-pop formula is a familiar one but this time glazed in a wonderful freshness that makes you want to revisit this scene and stick one of their soon-to-be-dancefloor-hits on your iPod for one hell of a dance! They're about to embark on a mammoth European tour so go see them before everyone else twigs.

Recommended listening:

'Hear it in the Cans'
'Oh!'
'You've Had Band'

Link:

http://myspace.com/wehaveband

YOU CAN ABSORB ME AND EVERYONE

Similar to:

The Knife, Bjork, Chromeo

Why are they here?

FAN DEATH are one of the latest signings to Erol Alkan's Phantasy label. They make dreamy disco alt-pop with tracks like 'Veronica's Veil' set to be big hits in the future when the wider public hear about them. They're set to announce some UK tour dates very soon so go and see them now before their name is on everyones lips and iPod's in 2009.

Recommended listening:

'Veronica's Veil'
'The Constellations'
'The Best Night'

Link:

http://myspace.com/fandeath

STILL FALLING DOWN

Similar to:

!!!, New Order, These New Puritans

Why are they here?

Considering the current crop of 'up and coming' bands seem to be distinctly average I can't remember having so many 'new favourite bands' in such a short space of time. It seems that when a good band does come along, they're really good.

DETACHMENTS are currently the object of my affection with their intensely dark, futuristic, dance punk. If I were to choose the main support for our Christmas show solely on personal preference then these guys would be the ones attempting to upstage S.C.U.M on December 18th. They've had a criminally low amount of myspace plays but their name is getting banded about in all the right places so there's a lot of hope for them yet. I strongly recommend you check out latest demo 'The Flowers That Fell'; play it loud and fall in deep, dark love.

Recommended listening:

'The Flowers That Fell'
'Fear No Fear'
'The Far'

Link:

http://myspace.com/detachments

I JUST NEED SOME PERMANENCE

Similar to:

Good Shoes, The Strokes, Mystery Jets

Why are they here?

As some of you may know we at DDJY! have just confirmed the mind-bendingly incredible S.C.U.M as the headliners of our Christmas party which takes place at Central Station on Thursday 18th December. So now the headliners are in place we need to find a suitably ace main support, we're currently working our way through a list of some of the best new acts around and over this week we'll be writing about a few of them in this blog.

Pull in Emergency hail from the exciting Underage scene that's still thriving in London. Their latest single 'Follow' received regular play on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show and their latest demo's are their best work yet. They play tight alt-pop akin to their neighbours The More Assured and Bombay Bicycle Club and they're sure to get you singing and dancing if you can catch them live.

Recommended listening:

'Planes'
'Follow'
'In Silence'

Link:

http://myspace.com/pullinemergency

GIVE ME SOMETHING I CAN FEEL

Similar to:

Gang of Four, Hope of the States, The Smiths

Why are they here?

You Animals haven't had the most expansive coverage of late which is surprising as recently surfaced demo's 'All Dressed Up' and 'Promises Promises' are their best yet. They rose from the ashes of the could-have-been-huge Komakino and you would have thought that there would be a keen interest from the music industry about what would come from this dynamic sextet, sadly this isn't the case. So it's up to people like us to prompt you to welcome them into your hearts and music collections, they could well be your new favourite band.

Recommended listening:

'Promises Promises'
'All Dressed Up'
'Theme from You Animals'

Link:

http://myspace.com/youanimals

+

For more excellent shots of the band and other acts:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bibiphotography/

IT'S THE LAST NIGHT OF OUR YOUNG LIVES

Similar to:

My Bloody Valentine, Teenage Fanclub, The Field Mice

Why are they here?

It was only a matter of months ago that we were struggling to think of any promising up and coming acts; but now time's have changed and we have struck on a mine of underground talent (many examples already talked about in this blog) with New York's The Pains of Being Pure at Heart now being one of the front runners for our hopes and dreams in late 2008 and beyond. They make the sort of beautiful shoegaze indie-pop that soundtracked many young lives in the 1980's and early 90's and they're sure to win your hearts in an instant. We'll be going all out to bring them to Wrexham in the near future but in the meantime you should catch them on tour with The Wedding Present towards the end of this year.

Recommended listening:

'Everything with You'
'Young Adult Friction'
'Come Saturday'

Link:

http://www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart

CASIO IT'S OVER!

Similar to:

Metronomy, Pavement, Foals

Why are they here?

Casiokids have managed to work themselves into the UK underground scene with some splendid ditties. Often pulsating, often joyous, always wonderful they're an act well worth keeping track of as they continue to cause a stir in their native Norway and the rest of Europe. They're about to release a single on the excellent Moshi Moshi label so this will not be the last you hear of them!

Recommended listening:

'Fot I Hose'
'Gront Lys I Alle Ledd'
'Togens Hule'

Link:

http://myspace.com/casiokids

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE HIDES

Similar to:

Goldfrapp, Kylie, Hot Chip

Why is she here?

Little Boots is currently using her beats, hooks, beauty and style to full effect in order to take over the globe. She's already caused a stir in the blog world sitting 2nd in the 'Most Blogged' charts on the Hype Machine (29th September) so industry domination shouldn't be too difficult.


We at DDJY! got in touch with a number of you asking for your suggestions for who we should book for our Christmas gig and it's fair to say that Little Boots is a strong contender for that slot from our personal lists!

NOTE: Little Boots (aka Victoria Hesketh) has performed at DDJY! before; she used to be lead singer of the brilliant Dead Disco who headlined our Easter special in April 2007

Recommended listening:

'Meddle'
'Stuck on Repeat'
'Magical'

+

'Meddle' (Designer Drugs 80's Coke Jam remix)
'Stuck on Repeat' (Fake Blood remix)

Link:

http://myspace.com/littlebootsmusic

WE FIGHT FOR A REASON

Similar to:

Friendly Fires, Kings of Leon, Collapsing Cities

Why are they here?

Lion Club are a band who've managed to drop out of two previous DDJY! bookings and still charm us into booking them again. They were due to support Bono Must Die last year, then Johnny Foreigner in July but both times various obstacles came in their way, much to our disappointment! We're now looking forward to their main support slot to Midnight Juggernauts at this Wednesday's DDJY! when they bring their Kings of Leon meets The Rapture style anthems to Central Station.

Recommended listening:

'Age'
'Careless Gods'
'Tang of the Tangerine'

http://myspace.com/lionclub

YOU CAN GO TO SLEEP NOW BABY

Similar to:

Crystal Castles, Digitalism, Soulwax

Why are they here?

You Love Her Coz She's Dead are one of the stand outs of the latest Kitsune compilation and a band who we're very keen to get to DDJY! before the year is up. They take the same formula as acts such as Crystal Castles but broaden the sound making it more accessible and in certain cases a heck of a lot more enjoyable! The name might not get them slots on the Radio 1 playlist but I'm sure they'll be on your iTunes pretty soon

Recommended listening:

'Superheroes'
'Dead End'
'Me Versus You'

http://myspace.com/youlovehercozshesdead

I REALLY LOVE YOU BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO TELL YOU

Similar to:

The Charlatans, Stone Roses, Hatcham Social

Why are they here?

They've been personally recommended to us by numerous Wrexham heads as well as the likes of Tim Burgess and Spider Webb so we pretty much had to give them a listen! We weren't disappointed and I don't think you will be either. The Ruling Class create swaggering, joyous rock 'n' roll more than a little influenced by the Stone Roses and we're looking forward to getting them to DDJY! sometime in the near future

Recommended listening:

'If You Wonder'
'Flowers'
'Sleeping Beauty'

http://myspace.com/therulingclassuk

TOP 10: DDJY! ACTS OF 2008 (thus far)

. . .

1. S.C.U.M

(Wednesday 17th September)

http://myspace.com/scum1968

- - - - -

2. BLACK ACID

(Wednesday August 27th)

http://myspace.com/officialblackacid

- - - - -

3. LATE OF THE PIER

(Wednesday May 21st)

http://myspace.com/lateofthepier

- - - - -

4. HATCHAM SOCIAL

(Thursday January 24th)

http://myspace.com/hatchamsocial

- - - - -

5. THE JOY FORMIDABLE

(Thursday September 11th)

http://myspace.com/thejoyformidable

- - - - -

6. METRONOMY

(Sunday 2nd March)

http://myspace.com/metronomy

- - - - -

7. ERRORS

(Wednesday 19th March)

http://myspace.com/weareerrors

- - - - -

8. MYSTERY JETS

(Tuesday 6th May)

http://myspace.com/mysteryjets

- - - - -

9. GALLOPS!

(Thursday 26th June)

http://myspace.com/thegallopsband

- - - - -

10. POPPY & THE JEZEBELS

(Wednesday August 20th)

http://myspace.com/poppyandthejezebels

- - - - -

Photos courtesy of

http://flickr.com/photos/polar_oid & http://flickr.com/photos/omitdotcomdesign/

IS IT A WAR ZONE? IS IT A FREAK SHOW?

Similar to:

Daft Punk, Bloc Party, The Presets

Why are they here?

Midnight Juggernauts headline our next DDJY! on Wednesday October 1st. We've fallen in love with their mindblowing debut album 'Dystopia' and we can't wait to get them to Wrexham. Their live shows have been one of the main highlights of the festival season so be prepared for an incredible evening when they hit Central Station.

Recommended listening:

'Into the Galaxy'
'Shadows'
'Ending of an Era'

http://myspace.com/midnightjuggernauts

+

For some more amazing pictures of the band & others head here:

http://flickr.com/photos/caesarsebastian

HIT A SNAG...

We've encountered some problems here at the DDJY! blog but hopefully we'll be able to sort them out as soon as possible and get back to bringing you some great new music!

We'll let you know as soon as we get back on track

In the meantime head to this...

I SAW PALMS AND FINGERS GRASPING

The Horrors - Count in Fives
The Horrors - Gloves
The Horrors - Excellent Choice
The Horrors - Thunderclaps

Similar to:

The Cramps, Wire, The Fall

Why are they here?

Representatives from The Horrors will be headlining tomorrow night's DDJY! with what is sure to be a DJ set to remember; you'll dance, you'll shriek and you'll have one of the best nights out you've had in a very long time! We're so excited about this that we've decided to offer up not one but four(!) free tracks that can be found on their classic debut album 'Strange House' to get you in the mood. See you down the front!

Link:

http://myspace.com/thehorrors

MY FEET WON'T TOUCH THE GROUND

Those Dancing Days - Run Run

Similar to:

Camera Obscura, Shangri La's, Joy Zipper

Why are they here?

Today we at DDJY! are working our way through a long list of potential headliners for our annual Christmas gig. Near the top of this list is this enchanting pop 5-piece from Sweden who have released a string of superb singles and an EP in the past 12 months and are set to release their debut album on Wichita Recordings. As well as us wanting to book them for a live performance they've also been one of the most played bands in DDJY! DJ sets in 2008 and that trend looks set to stay the same for the forseeable future

Link:

http://myspace.com/thosedancingdays

ZUT ALORS!

Roy Destroy - Zut Alors

Similar to:

Beck, Queens of the Stone Age, Kings of Leon

Why are they here?

As we've been promoting the Horrors / S.C.U.M gig it's been pretty obvious that it's not only the main bands that people around here are getting excited about. Roy Destroy are a compelling blast of something dark yet fresh and this is why they're setting tongues wagging in the build up to Wednesday's sure-to-be-brilliant show. As locals they'll be on first so get down in time for doors to take in the whole evening, you won't regret it

Link:

http://myspace.com/roydestroyuk

IT MAY BE HARD TO UNDERSTAND

Das Pop - Underground (Van She mix)

Similar to:

Shinichi Osawa, Daft Punk, Cut Copy

Why are they here?

I noticed that my posts have been championing some very dark bands recently, so as soon as I got to the point where I was uploading songs called 'Death' I decided to lighten the mood. This track was part of the soundtrack to my summer and reassures me of the fact that, when it comes to remixing, Van She are pretty much faultless. For further reference check out their amazing rework's of Klaxons (Gravity's Rainbow), New Young Pony Club (Ice Cream) and of course the world famous remix of '1234' by Feist as well as numerous others.

Links:

http://myspace.com/vanshe
http://myspace.com/daspop