Tribes. Live at O2 Academy 2, Birmingham. 09/05/2012

Five months after their debut release, ‘Baby’, something has changed. Tribes have seen a significant shift in the demography of their audience; from the artsy festival goers’ thoughtful nods to teenage screams and handmade banners, the band now look out to a increasingly passionate teenage following (lead singer Johnny Lloyd dedicates the encore to two young girls who have attended every show of the tour). Maybe it’s the extensive touring of the album, maybe it’s the beginnings of Lloyds’s evolution into ‘rock front man’, or perhaps, with an increasing absence of guitar music in popular culture, Tribes are now an answer for those who don’t sign up to the general apathy and mass consecration to Cowell and the X-Factor machine.

Album opener, ‘Whenever’, is a particular highlight, and Tribes well rehearsed and tightly refined pop-grunge validates their popularity, showing just why they have been the recipients of high critical acclaim. Aside from a small dip in tempo in the middle, presumably to give the album tracks one last run out; Tribes’ show is excitably received, with main finale and indie ‘hit’, ‘We Were Children’, proving particularly rapturous.

Whilst there are signs of obvious enjoyment from the band, there is a sense that the episode of ‘Baby’ is about to finish, and a new album may be what Tribes need to continue growing up. This inevitably poses questions for both band and fans as to the direction of the next album. Whether a conscious decision to remain critically respected and resist the temptation to resign into a potentially dangerous zone of popular mass appeal, consequently ‘doing a Razorlight’, is as yet unknown, but here, on the last day of their UK tour, Tribes seem happy to roll out the album, and as well they might.

Chiddy Bang - Breakfast

How Chiddy Bang ever got to the stage of releasing an album is beyond me. Mildly famous due to their cover of MGMT’s ‘Kids’ entitled ‘Opposite of Adults’ (see what they did there?) they probably should have faded away by now. But still they hang on.

I wouldn’t worry too much though as their main demographic is probably pre-schoolers if title track ‘Breakfast’ is anything to go by. Helpfully instructing listeners to ‘get your plate, get your fork, get your spoon -Yeah, it's time to have breakfast!’ Fun and informative! It’s actually neither. Furthermore, if that wasn’t enough, we are even enlightened to the fact it ‘goes well with OJ’ – presumably the juice not the American football player.

Overall, this album seems to sort of exist without actually performing any function. Of course there is a place for fun music, not everything has to be groundbreaking, but unfortunately this is neither, to the extent where they sound like they’d rather just be doing something else. And so would I.

Their cry of: ‘I’m Ray Charles’, the lead single, apart from triggering an involuntary ‘no you’re not’ in a similarly repetitive tone, does little to further their cause. Nonetheless, it is undeniably catchy, but so are lots of things, like flu.

‘Does she love me?’ sees one of our little pop princes worried that a girl doesn’t love him because he has leprosy, no matter how many times he cries: ‘I aint got leprosy!’ – or something like that. My advice? Get yourself to a doctor and give her some proof!

This pattern of irritating pop continues, with ‘This Is Happening’ - imagine a Cher Lloyd song which even she rejected - unfortunately reminding me that I genuinely am listening to this.

Generally every song sounds almost exactly the same and follows the same format of: nauseating synth introduction, mildly inoffensive rap, instantly forgettable chorus, some more generally off putting keyboards, another chorus and then if you’re lucky, the end, which overall results in a shallow album that you probably wouldn’t want to listen to more than once.

The Civil Wars - Live at HMV Institute Birmingham 13/03/12

In their first gig of their first headlining tour outside of America, The Civil Wars are visibly struck by the reception they receive: a standing ovation before they even start; but one that is ultimately deserved. Fresh from the release of their excellent debut album, ‘Barton Hollow’, the sheer musicianship of vocalist Joy Williams and guitarist/vocalist John Paul White is genuinely astounding. In a world where a larger emphasis is placed upon the album itself, with touring acting as a sideshow, The Civil Wars really inject something extra special into the album, making it come alive, inviting everyone to enjoy a little taste of southern America.

This is helped extensively by the chemistry between the two performers; Joy, the ever excitable smiling face of the band; and John Paul, interjecting with the occasionally witty observation in a deep southern drawl. The set up of just one guitar and two voices is both fresh and completely successful, leading some audience members to raise their hands or rock as if in some spiritual environment, the emphatic lead single ‘Barton Hollow’ an example of this. There is a distinct delicacy to their music, both a necessity due to the instrumental set up, but also one utilised to maximum effect, resulting in a precision I consider to be unmatched by anything I have seen in a long time.

Thoroughly deserving of the two Grammys they won this year, an event in which they also performed, they remain criminally underrated, especially in this country, where indeed most forms of music influenced by ‘country’ are largely ignored, or left to stagnate in the doldrums of a Radio 2 playlist.

However, this is all set to change. Having recorded the soundtrack to the new film’ The Hunger Games’, featuring the highest earner in pop music for 2011, Taylor Swift, there is going to be a lot more attention given to this band, which may lead to a more deserved recognition. And with this new admiration and appreciation, surely The Civil Wars are on the brink of a musical revolution.

R U Mine - Arctic Monkeys

Fresh from trying to fool the American population into thinking he is in fact John Lennon, bequiffed Alex Turner and co have made their first cowboy boot-step away from 2011’s populist compromise ‘Suck it and See’. Borrowing a Black Keys’ shuffle and a Queen’s of the Stone Age sneer, ‘R U Mine’, is a full on rock and roll tune, bound to tease a ‘yee-ha’ from even the most reserved indie fan. This of course, despite the fact the title wouldn’t be out of place on the back of a Ke$ha album.

The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

Indie is dead they cry! It’s all about Dub-Step, Post-Dub and One Direction – the future!

Thankfully, that’s absolute rubbish, and incidentally, so are One Direction.

Indie is not dead; it has been resting, hibernating, dormant like a musical volcano. But it has been absent. Part of the reason I have not reviewed in a while is that there was only one Really Good album of last year, Foals’ Total Life Forever, and 99% of the rest turgid filler.

It seems you need one of two things in order to be successful at the moment; Simon Cowell, or a keyboard.

The Joy Formidable do not have a keyboard, and Simon Cowell does not feature on the album, although for legal reasons I cannot confirm that they have not met, abused, or generally associated with the man himself at all.

But The Joy Formidable are very good at playing the instruments they do have. One of the few good bands being promoted by NME at the moment – seriously Vaccines? – they finally bring back guitars and a certain sense of ‘rawrrrrrr’ back into Indie.

Opener, The Everchanging Spectrum of A Lie, creates a euphoric intention, stating it’s bold target from the start. Changing awkward rhythms in a not dissimilar way to pre-clarinet Biffy Clyro and delivering ‘rawrrrrrr’ aplenty, The Big Roar is set to be one of the best albums of the year, whether or not it will be widely received, which, as it does not feature Drake, does not seem likely.

Big singles, I Don’t Want To See You Like This, and, Austere, are fantastic songs in their own right with guitar lines that cut through wonderful rhythmic foundations. Bass lines become guitar lines in their own right.

But it is Whirring where the album really comes into its own. I hate to use the word ‘epic’ due to its recent linguistic dive thanks to the chavs, so I won’t, but imagine a word just like that. Its ‘massive’, and made for stadiums.

This is a truly fantastic album once you’ve got your head round the fact you’re hearing a female voice in a rock band - stop thinking The Cardigans, or Paramore, everyone knows they’re not a real band – and one that is surprisingly easy to listen to, considering the ‘rawrrrrrr’ nature of it. And she probably knows the offside rule.

Aqua - Bridges - Live at Snettisham - 16/06/10

I'll be honest, this is shameless self promotion My band, 'Bridges', with me on bass, performing our song, 'Aqua'. Cheeeers x

The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love

It's amazing what a hit single can do for you.

No, it's amazing what Microsoft advertising can do.

There's one positive point to come out of 'The Marketing Argument'. We now know of 'The Big Pink'. 'Dominoes', the lead single, was an instant hit, culminating in an NME Award for 'Best Track' at the recent awards. The single most catchy song of last year paved the way for the album: 'A Brief History of Love'.

Opening with the spectacular 'Crystal Visions', we are instantly hit with what this band are capable of; sweeping synths greet aggressive bass-lines and agitated drums to merge into a wholly encompassing sound. It's this repeating theme that makes this band stand out, with sound that can be compared to an electronic Exit Calm, or an angry Verve.

Follow up single, 'Velvet', is a more sensitive, beautiful turn, but still with the powerful drum beat we've become used to with this band. There is a distance vastness to this album, but still with an emotional edge, a sensitivity that makes this album more warming, more attractive. This album calls out to listeners, it wants you to relate to it, it wants to be consumed. And that's exactly what happens. Every song on this album wants to be loved; like a small, scruffy dog.

It may have not achieved great success, I picked it up off the floor in the HMV sale (other music outlets are available) on an whim. It turned out to be a good move, and restored my faith in 'indie'. I thoroughly look forward to hearing the next album and anticipate a more developed, perhaps restrained sound.

But for now, this album is the talisman for in-perfect pop. It's raw, it's dangerous and even gives off a whiff of invincibility. And, that is why The Big Pink were one of the greatest discoveries of the last year, and, A Brief History of Love, one of the best albums of 2009.

Album Rating: 9/10

3 Top Songs:

1. Crystal Visions

2. Count Backwards From Ten

3. A Brief History of Love