Islington Boys' Club - we'll all be members soon!

Islington Boys Club, one of Londons most exciting new bands took some time out of their busy recording schedule to answer some questions for WCMandWDC so read on to find out what they have to say, what they have been up to of late and what the future holds for them......


Who are you and where are you from?

We are Andy, Daniel, Ed and Drew and we're from Islington, North London.

Describe Islington Boys Club sound in three words:

Dynamic, Subtle, Heavy

Where does your band name originate from?

It comes from where we rehearse, which is a old church in Islington, after it was deconsecrated in 1958 it became a Boys Club (the Islington Boys' Club to be precise). There's still a plaque on the wall with the name on it!

The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

Well we are something of a strange proposition, we don't really sound like anyone but ourselves, because of that we have gotten some strange comparisons in the past. What is nice is that people see parts of their favourite bands in us, when in reality we haven't really been influenced by them.

The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

That we "are sex", we haven't got a clue what that means, and we’re not really sure that we want to be either!

What’s next for Islington Boys Club?

We've got a busy year shaping up. In March we went on tour with Ulterior round the UK and now we've got the touring bug! So we'll be out on the road again in June, around the release of another single and then out to Europe to tour the album which will be out later on in the year.

So we're working hard on writing too… We've recently been in the studio recording loads of loads of demos, figuring out who we want to work with and then we'll start thrashing out the album over the Summer, which'll be interjected by a couple of festival appearances.

Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of Islington Boys Club for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do.
That is a tough question, cue serious debate amongst band…

We’re going to have to go with Brian Eno, he is an amazing producer, and it seems like he would be quite a lot of fun to work with, however seeing as it is only one night we would probably spend the entire time recording, fuelled by a diet of chocolate digestives and herbal tea. We'd like to think we'd record a hit single, but in all honesty we'd probably get all experimental and do a triple album of experimental drone/feedback.

Catch Islington Boys Club headline show at the Old Blue Last for CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH vs It’s All Indie for their single launch party for new track ‘Misfit Sugar’ on 8th April. You can find out more about Islington Boys Club here and for the latest information on lives shows coming up throughout the summer including festival appearances here.

Check out the awesome track 'Pristine' below!!

Islington Boys' Club - Pristine by islingtonboysclub

WHAM BAMM!!

One of Londons hottest new club nights, WHAM BAMM is back with a 50's Rock 'n' Roll special! on Thursday 24th February at The Macbeth.

WHAM BAMM is every 2 months where the curators pride themselves on only ever putting on the best bands they can possibly find. So if you are in a band and you manage to get yourself on the bill for this night, it means your very good.

This month, the line up consists of:

DAN SMITH 8.30 pm

CHA ET MON AMOUR (Dancers) 10.05 pm

TO KILL A KING 10.15 pm

BORN BLONDE 11.15 pm

DADDY L.L a true Rock 'n' Roll dj is on throughout the night.

Blonde Ambition from 12 - who is fastly becoming Londons favorite dj will be spinning some tunes as well.

followed by.....

S/L/A/T/S our RnB lover from 1-2 am

The hosts are even nice enough to give everyone free POPCORN AND WHAM BARS on entry.

£3 before 9pm and £5 after.

Make sure WHAM BAMM becomes a regular night out in your diaries!!

A week of gigs and a weekend of parties......

So after a pretty full on week of gigs including the likes of Islington Boys' Club who massively impressed me, Mystery Jets, Tribes and Fiction on the same bill was always going to be an incredible show and then Eagulls and Swanton Bombs for the Eagulls single launch party. It's been a brillaint week and now I'm very tired for the weekend but feel that growing up and getting on with it has to be the best way forward......

So here are some tracks to get you in the mood for the weekend whatever you are up to.....

Golden Bug + Rodion feat. Lavinia Claws - Washing Machine (Bottin's Spin Cycle)

Skrillex - Cat Rats

Also go here and listen to this wicked track by XXXY called 'Ordinary Things'.

Have sensational weekends from WCMandWDC!

Com Truise

This might just be one of the most exciting things I have found in quite a while. I can't really decide where I think music is going to go in terms of direction over the next six or so months and I'm guessing SXSW and Great Escape might give some indication with some new bands, producers and artists coming through but for now I am more than happy to settle with this.

Not only does Com Truise offer up some incredible remixes for the likes of Neon Indian and Twin Shadow but also produces self made music. I don't feel the need to define or pigeon hole Com Truises music to a genre so have a listen and make your own mind up. All you need to know is that it's very very good.

Listen to Colorvision below and head over to the Soundcloud page to hear more tracks and remixes. Or you can head over to Com's myspace


Colorvision (WIP) by Com Truise

Letting your Guards down

One of my favourite EP’s of last year came courtesy of ‘guards’(aka Richie Follin). I first heard about them through John Hilcock’s new noise mail out. They gave away their EP through their bandcamp site for free and since then I haven’t looked back. It also contained one of my favourite tracks of the year in the form of ‘Don’t wake the dead’ which I have been playing out in the early parts of sets for the last 6 months. If you don’t own the EP or let alone haven’t heard it, stop what you are doing and go and download it from their bandcamp now! I can’t wait to hear more from the band in the forthcoming year and to see them on 15th February at White Heat in London.

Listen to the 'Don't Wake the Dead' here now.....
GUARDS - Don't Wake The Dead by 3 Syllables Records

I may as well put it off till after the weekend.......

After realising the potential of Spotify premium and bothering to figure out how to use it on my phone I have been obsessed with downloading every piece of music I could think of. It suddenly dawned on me I have been neglecting new music; well mostly bands that I found a while back and never got to write about. So I have decided may as well put it off for a few more days and provide some tracks that I have been playing out and about that are fitting for the weekend ahead.

Yelle - Safari Disco Club

Everything Everything - MY KZ, YR BF (Fenech-Soler Mix)

Gil Scott-Heron - I'll Take Care of You (Jamie XX Remix)
Gil Scott-Heron - I'll Take Care of You (Jamie XX Remix) by dynmk

Memoryhouse - To the Lighthouse (Million Young Remix)

FM Belfast - Synthia

Youthless come of age

After a hugely succesful whistle stop tour of the UK in October including an appearance at Manchesters In the City festival and picking up fans such as Jon Hilcock and John Kennedy, Youthless were kind enough to answer a few questions for wecantmixandwedontcare! about themselves and their take on their garagey-math-rock sound. So here's what they had to say.....

Who are you and where are you from?

We are Sebastiano Ferranti (from UK but raised in Lisbon) and Alex Klimovitsky (from NYC but moved to Lisbon as a teenager). We both currently live in Lisbon, Portugal.


Describe Youthless’s sound in three words:

Barbarian Pop Genius


Where does your band name originate from?

It’s a cross between Big Youth (a Jamaican Reggae artist from the 70s) and Payless Shoes (a cheap shoe store outlet).


The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

Best: Pink Floyd

Worst: Lady Gaga


The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

"Golden Age ...is two minutes and nineteen seconds of pure larks " (Drowned in Sound) ... we really like that write up. it's strange and also the perfect summation of what we thinks songs should be: "Larks" = "carefree or spirited adventures"

What’s next for Youthless?

One more interview question and then we're watching a movie. Music wise: we're also putting out another single with One Bird and an EP hopefully very soon after that.


Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of Youthless for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do?

Animal from the muppets as a guest drummer. He's like Bonham, Moon and Grohl all in one...plus he's got the best unibrow of all time and can outdrink Serge Gainsbourg!


OBR 001: Youthless - 'Golden Age by onebirdrecords

You can hear more from Youthless on their myspace
and keep checking in for some potential UK dates in the new year.

Becoming Real

Becoming Real

Having gone to check out Becoming Real last night at the Old Blue Last I went straight home and listened to it again and my initial thoughts were confirmed that this might just be one of the most exciting things in music at the moment.

I wasn’t overly sure what to expect in terms of set up; a live band, perhaps someone mixing live but the idea of two Macs, numerous samplers and a drum pad hadn’t really ever entered my mind. It was refreshing to see someone so into their own sound and truly enjoying the set. With tracks like ‘The Thing’ and ‘Ghost Step’ showcasing a diverse sound and mix of beats, vocals and bleeps it remains unconventional in the best possible way. It doesn’t come across as contrived or too try hard it just looks and sounds natural which makes it incredibly enjoyable. I can’t emphasise enough how much you need to check this guy out.

Becoming Real also turns his hand to remixing and has worked excellent remixes for the likes of Teeth and Banjo or Freakout.

Having already released a very limited pressing with Tough Love, Becoming Real has now deservedly been signed to Moshi Moshi’s new subsidiary Not Even which is about putting out great music created by anyone, from anywhere by whichever means. Thanks to future releases on Not Even and having one the best radio pluggers in the business, Peer Group Music working on the record more people are going to be exposed to this incredible young artist.

Head over to his myspace http://www.myspace.com/becomingrealmusic to find a host of live dates both in and out of London.

Pure Gold......Blood

So you only have to go check out the bands myspace to see the hype surrounding them coming from everyone including the likes of Vice, Mixmag, Artrocker to Dazed and Confused who have all been very complimentary about the band. It’s a unique blend of synths, punk and noise really makes them stand out for the right reasons and the live show is the perfect complement to this.

Have a little read about what they had to say when I interviewed them......

Who are you and where are you from?

Gold Blood from West London.

Describe Gold Blood sound in three words:

Life hurts love.

Where does your band name originate from?

My imagination. But that word is John Llewelyn’s.

The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

The worst is not a band but people sometimes think we are on some 80’s retro trip. Not. At. All. And as far as best bands, well we aren’t normally compared to one band, reviewers normally list three or four and then say something like: if they all drank turpentine and punched a policeman.

The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

A Dutchman once thought we were really good grime music.

What’s next for Gold Blood?

Got a 7” coming out with ‘Get’s You Laid’ and ‘The Intruder’ on it in November. Then some shows and more releases - check http://www.myspace.com/goldbloodband for more info.

Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of Gold Blood for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do?

I was actually thinking about this today. I’d really like to do something with Amodali from Mother Destruction. Of course she’d do whatever she wanted.

So now you have been introduced to the band you can go and be all social mediary (not sure that’s a word....) and become their biggest fan on myspace where you can also grab some tracks by the band and also pop over to facebook and ‘like’ them. Both pages have some live dates that you should definitely go to in October!!

Let's get dirty at the weekend whether you are at Bestival or not!!

Well it's the weekend and it's also Bestival weekend, probably the best weekend of the year. I'm waiting for all my friends to finish work so we can jump in the car and drive down the A3 at an illegal speed to catch the ferry over to the Island where the fun can begin!

For those who aren't going to Bestival and are either staying in or just going out this weekend here are three amazing tracks to warm you up for a huge weekend of fun!!! they invovle three of my favourite bands around at the moment as well which makes this post even better!

Dog is Dead - Glockenspiel Song (Saulya mix) This remix takes the excellent original from this wicked new band to a much darker deeper place using the original vocals that lend themselves so well to this mix. This is exactly the kind of remix that can bring this band to a new audience.

Look out for the remix soon......

Runners - Starting Line. I know I have blogged about this band before but after they played one of my club nights (Deep South Club) they were kind enough to send me through their newest mastered track. It's a 6 minute epic journey that keeps you engaged through it's use of bouncey sounds (have a listen and you'll understand what I mean) that keep building on top of the driving bass line that will get any dance floor moving then comes the Gerald Casale vocals that just elevate the track to an even better level.

Get it Here - Runners - Starting Line

The final offering comes from one of the more popular bands of the moment Chapel Club whose latest single 'All the Eastern Girls' has been given a d-i-r-t-y makeover courtesy of Breton. This isn't quite the filthy bass lines we are used to from Breton but is still a hot re-work. It is going to be released on 11th October as part of Chapel Clubs EP which will hopefully get Breton some well deserved press. If you like this remix, go and buy Bretons Sharing Notes EP which will blow you away.

Get it here - Chapel Club - All the Eastern Girls (Breton Remix)

Right have good weekends and hopefully I will survive Bestival....whether it's muddy or not and I won't tell you my hot picks as everyone playing Bestival is wicked as always but I will be watching Mount Kimbie and Neon Indian for sure....!!

Interview with Hind Ear

Hind Ear are a very exciting prospect with their jerky beats and calming vocals – I can’t and don’t want to liken them to anyone or place them in a genre as there just simply isn’t any need, you can make your own mind up. Listening to them, especially track ‘Rain Man’ can be placed anywhere between first thing in the morning and last thing at night where it sits very comfortably creating the atmosphere you want whether it’s during a gentle morning stroll or a dance floor moment.

Here is what the band had to say when wecantmixandwedontcare! interviewed them......


Who are you and where are you from?

hind ear. From Brighton and London – although one is basically a suburb of the other at this point.


Describe Hind Ear sound in three words:

Not too dense.


Where does your band name originate from?

From band name discussions that went on so long as to lapse into complete abstraction. None of us can remember the exact train of ideas that led to hind ear – although I feel it might have something to do with Broken Ear Record by Black Dice. It works well for us though – organic but also technical, like a G.M. experiment gone wrong.


The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

The worst are the boring and obvious ones. Best –when it’s something that makes no sense, but in a good way. Someone once said we sounded like the Bhundu Boys. Generally, we like it when people pick up on the deeper traces of the things that influence us – house music, r&b, Fleetwood Mac.


The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

From the Bhundu Boys to Black Dice: as a collective summation that’s pretty strange.


What’s next for Hind Ear?

We just released our first 7” on a new label called Nouns. Another one should be following in the next couple of months, on Maman Records of France. After that – lining up more records and shows. We’ve been working on a bunch of recordings and new songs that we’re pretty excited about. Some sweet shows coming up too. On the whole a fair bit of exciting stuff.


Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of Hind Ear for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do?

David Byrne – dancing. He could do variations of the lamp dance from Stop Making Sense all night long.


You can purchase Hind Ear’s debut double A-side ‘Coconut/Origami’ released on the London label Nouns here and you can catch them playing live throughout September with the likes of Cold Pumas and Future Islands.

Evryone should be listinening to this!

Evryone
When I write and read blogs I’m pretty sure as most people do they express their feelings about a band or a sound by saying ‘this is the next big thing’, ‘this is going to be massive’, ‘catch it before anyone else’....you get what I mean right? Well I’m about to do this as this is just incredible.

This is definitely one of my favourite new things around at the moment. Evryone is quite unique in terms of music on offer at the present where everyday a new scene is being created which usually has some reference to something ending in ‘-Fi’. I’m not a huge fan of comparisons so I suggest you just listen to Evryone and hear the amazing sounding vocals and keys that if you wanted to could be likened to Wild Beasts in terms of the incredible vocal reach and Cold War Kids for the atmospheric and impactful keys. I am so excited about this new find and I literally have it on repeat which is making my week a lot more enjoyable.

Catch Evryone in Reading, London and Bristol in the coming weeks. Head over to their myspace to find exact dates and to hear three beautifully big sounding tracks in the form of ‘Falmingos’, ‘do you understand’ and ‘most of the time, i’.

I’m off to find or create a new night to book this band for.

The cochlea is dedicated to hearing

Labyrinth Ear are a very exciting duo playing synth induced electro with enchanting female vocals perfectly placed on top. The obvious comparison would be say Crystal Castles but this simply wouldn’t be fair, not because it’s an insult but because they are doing their own thing and sounding very good for it. It’s still very early for this band and I am very excited to see them play live in October and to watch them only get better with time.

This is what the band had to say about themselves.......


Who are you and where are you from?

Labyrinth Ear from New Cross. One of us is from West London and the other from South East London.


Describe Labyrinth Ear sound in three words:

Peach, Plum and Damson


Where does your band name originate from?

One of us had a labyrinth ear infection, it makes you dizzy and the whole world starts spinning around you. It’s not very pleasant actually.


The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

Hmm…. No comment.


The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

A website in Portuguese wrote about us saying “stoke the skeleton in a calmer climate”. It probably made sense in Portuguese but google translator added it’s own poetic spin.


What’s next for Labyrinth Ear?

A cup of tea


Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of Labyrinth Ear for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do?

We’d have Vincent Price on stage reading ghost stories over our music. Are we allowed dead people? If not then Quentin Wilson doing the same.


Head over to the bands myspace http://www.myspace.com/labyrinthear to hear six great tracks from them and you can also head over to their soundcloud page and download the tracks for free. Alternatively, get a taste for them here and get the remaining tracks on the soundcloud page.

Labyrinth Ear – Snow White

Labyrinth Ear – Wild Flowers

Oxford, Oxford, Oxford & Oxford

Oxford is notorious for a couple of things known to the common man like me; a University, the Oxford Comma, something to do with Harry Potter (apparently) and this ‘Shark House’ - a house with a 25-foot long headless shark protruding from the roof. Yeah I know but it’s all true. Anyway, after Foals made Oxford something of a place to watch for music there appears to be somewhat of a ‘scene’ rising up. There are four bands that have caught wecantmixandwedontcare!’s attention that hopefully you might enjoy as well. Unsurprisingly, Foals are taking two of these bands on tour with them in on tour throughout October and November and it’s nice to see them doing there bit to nurture these promising new bands and giving them some well deserved exposure.

Trophy Wife play angular mathematical music that is sure to make them stand out and draw unsurprising comparisons to Foals. It’s so much more than though with its delicate chimes, harmonising vocals and beautifully understated guitar riffs. The support slot they have secured on Foals up and coming tour will hopefully give Trophy Wife the perfect launch pad for a successful future. They are a very exciting prospect.


Chad Valley is Hugo Manuel, also a member of the band Jonquil. Chad Valleys sound is gentle yet big, almost verging on the epic scale of noise. Part of me wants to reference New Order for some reason but I’m going to resist. Track ‘Up and Down’ is one that you could imagine hearing whilst watching the sun go down from anywhere in Ibiza to the Isle of Wight. This is truly big sounding but manages to overwhelm you in a minimalist way. Oh and he has also done an awesome remix of Spanish Sahara by Foals.

Chad Valley - Up & Down
Foals - Spanish Sahara Chad Valley remix


Fixers Only one offering from this band at present in the form of ‘Iron Deer Dream’ taking on a more guitar driven sound in comparison to their fellow Oxford counterparts featured on this blog. Don’t underestimate this track though as its chorus is packed full of keys, guitars and drums with an equally commanding vocal that perfectly compliments. Waiting full of anticipation for Fixers next offering....


Pet Moon is the new project from the former Youth Movies frontman. I think this sound is summed up rather nicely by a comment made on their myspace page by the band ‘Friendship’ that reads ‘SICK AS FUCK MATE’. Slo-Fi beat bop with echoing vocals over woozy beats on track ‘Hold the Divide’. Put me in a dark room with lots of flashing lights and I’ll be at home slowly trying to body jerk in time with the stammered beats. This is very different from fellow Oxford blog friends featured here but standing out for the all right reasons. Pet Moon will also be touring with Foals throughout October.


I am genuinely excited by all four of these bands and if I don’t get to see them soon, I think I will just have to be selfish and book them all for one of my club nights.....


Right I’m off too see my distant cousin in Oxford and find these four bands on the same bill...........well I can dream cant I....?!

Still Corners

Still Corners

The latest interview for wecantmixandwedontcare! comes courtesy of London based 'Still Corners’. They play haunting dream-gaze pop that will demand and command your attention from the first note. Track ‘Wish’ may just be one of the most encapsulating and beautiful songs I have ever heard. I can’t emphasise enough how good this band are now and that they will only get better.

Who are you and where are you from?

Still Corners from England, America, and Australia


Describe Still Corners sound in three words:

Reflective, eerie, lush


Where does your band name originate from?

A Robert Frost poem


The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

We’ve been compared to My Bloody Valentine as well as Broadcast and Stereolab which couldn’t be better compliments really. Worst band? We don’t believe in worst bands.


The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

Floating antique lace.


What’s next for Still Corners?

We’re playing out quite a bit which we really like. We’re also working on a new record due for release later this year.


Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of Still Corners for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do?

Most definitely film director Dario Argento. Have you seen Suspiria? I imagine he would switch instruments quite a bit or maybe he could run the projections for us, lots of muted dark colors and some odd Horror scenes. We’d like that. We’d like that very much.



Still Corners are releasing a double-A-side featuring Don't Fall in Love/Wish through Great Pop Supplement later in the year. It's bound to sell out very fast so pre-order it here soon......

You can hear more from the band and find out about their up and coming shows through their myspace here http://www.myspace.com/stillcorners

Something new for Field Day - Runners

If you find yourself at Field Day tomorrow at 12:30 and can’t decide who to go and watch - Is Tropical, Hounds of Hate, Erland and the Carnival well how about giving them all a miss and checking out a new band from Leeds called ‘Runners’ on the Quietus Village Mentality Stage.

Electro bleeps and effects with drumming that wouldn’t be out of place on a Liars track and a psychedelic vocal to top this little gem off.

You can download the excellent new track ‘Stay Frosty’ here

Check out the video produced by Katherine Westley for track Stay Frosty here......

YOU! yes YOU!

You! – To Disappear

Parisian duo YOU! newly-signed to Kuskus/Discograph, consist of Romuald Boivin and José Reis Fontao. New track ‘To Disappear’ opens with an eerily angular guitar with a change in tempo courtesy of the introduction of drums and vocals to match this dark story of lapsing into nothingness.

The accompanying video produced by band member José Reis Fontao tells a dark tale to match that of the lyrics. The character in the video is a victim of clear disintegration of the process of thinking, of contact with reality, and of emotional responsiveness. The video is the perfect visual compliment to the story told in the lyrics.

Putting aside my completely unqualified pop psychology, this is a really strong track and has the potential to become an irresistible break through track.

You! release their eponymously titled debut album on Kuskus / Discograph this summer.

Check out the video http://www.vimeo.com/12945711 with hopefully some UK dates coming soon.........

YOU! " To Disappear" from KUSKUS on Vimeo.

Two Wounded Birds

A refreshing breath of sea air comes in the form of this trio from Margate who go by the name ‘Two Wounded Birds’. The bands blend of delightfully dreamy surf pop with a 50’s rock n roll edge has earned them a support slot on The Drums next UK wide tour throughout November and December.

You are going to be seeing and hearing a lot from this band so catch them here first before anyone else.

You can head over to the excellent Holiday Records to grab two free downloads by the band in the form of ‘My Lonesome’ and ‘Keep Dreaming Baby’.

If you want you can just download the tracks here...
Two Wounded Birds - My Lonesome
Two Wounded Birds - Keep Dreaming Baby


And check out the somewhat psychedelic video for ‘My Lonesome’ here



Head over to the bands myspace here http://www.myspace.com/twowoundedbirdsofficial to hear more from the band and to find out those live dates....

The Proper Ornaments

This band I stumbled across and became drawn in by their bittersweet 60’s west coast influenced sound. The band have been kind enough to provide wecantmixandwedontcare! with an interview. Make sure you catch them at 1234 Festival this weekend playing alongside the likes of Hind Ear, Still Corners and the list goes on of great bands.

Who are you and where are you from?

Maximo Claps and James Henri Hoare, from Buenos Aires and Dartington Hall, Devon. We now both live in north London (and our drummer lives in a disused pub in oval)

Describe The Proper Ornaments sound in three words:

Middle of the road

Where does your band name originate from?

1960's soft psyche band, the free design

The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

We recently got compared to Felt which we were very happy about. One of our friends said we sounded a bit like two princes but then we realised that was a compliment too.

The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

err?

What’s next for The Proper Ornaments?

We’re releasing a 7" on west coast label Make a Mess. We’re also looking at doing a full a length LP with them.

Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of The Proper Ornaments for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do?

Paul McCartney. As we feel he'd be a good member of the team. On bass/synth/backing vocals.

The bands debut single is being released on Make a Mess Records which is the same label as the excellent Brilliant Colors from San Fransisco.

Check out more from the band on their myspace here http://www.myspace.com/theproperornaments and find some songs by them here and here.

Official Prizes often involve monetary rewards as well as the fame that comes with them.

Prizes (formerly known as Treasure) are another band that I have been waiting for what seems like an eternity to see live and wecantmixandwedontcare! have been lucky enough to get an exclusive interview before Prizes embark on a series of debut UK shows supporting the likes of Memoryhouse and Million Young followed by performances at 1234 and Field Day festivals.

Who are you and where are you from?

I am Hari Ashurst and I’m from Devon.


Describe Prizes sound in three words:

Hauntological slow jams.


Where does your band name originate from?

Pop music makes you feel like a winner sometimes. If only for three minutes.


The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

The best is Hall and Oates. Somebody said one of my first songs sounded like a gay barbershop quartet. That was probably the worst.


The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

An Italian blogger wrote that our sound was like the movie ‘300’ but with less people. Make your own sense of that.


What’s next for Prizes?

I’m going to continue writing songs about current affairs, places I haven’t been and foodstuffs that I enjoy to eat.


Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of Prizes for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do?

I want Heston Blumenthal to curate our live show. I want to play a guitar made from egg. I want vodka dry ice to slowly get us drunk as we go on stage. I want my samples to become chocolate.


To hear Prizes excellent slo-fi melodical pop head over to http://www.myspace.com/treasuretheband and enjoy tracks in the form of ‘Teenage Myth’ and ‘Canada’. Hopefully it won’t be long before we hear more from Prizes......

You can also enjoy the video for track 'Canada' below.

PRIZES (formerly known as Treasure) - "Canada" from Jamie Harley on Vimeo.