Simon ParkinCAGE THE ELEPHANTUEA, FridayCage the Elephant hail from Bowling Green, Kentucky, a small best known for manufacturing Chevrolet Corvettes and Fruit of the Loom underwear.Simon Parkin
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
UEA, Friday
Cage the Elephant hail from Bowling Green, Kentucky, a small best known for manufacturing Chevrolet Corvettes and Fruit of the Loom underwear.
They came to prominence industry showcase South By South West and through exciting live shows but they had to come over to the UK to find a record deal.
At the heart of the band are brothers Matt (vocals) and Brad Shultz (guitar), joined by Jared Champion (drums), Daniel Tichenor (bass) and Lincoln Parish (guitar).
After a spell back in their hometown, writing and recording for their hotly-anticipated second album, Cage are back in the UK for 12 dates. Their music has drawn comparisons to Kings Of Leon, Beck, The Stooges and MC5.
Expect the usual chaos, crowd surfing and sing-along anthems, along with a host of new material guaranteed to get the crowds going. Raucous, raw, energetic electro-charged rock'n'roll at its best
Don't expect laidback country-rock.
t Further listening: www.myspace.com/cagetheelephant
BENS BROTHER
Waterfront, Tuesday
Bens Brother's beautiful melodies saw London-born Jamie Hartman achieve a silver-selling debut album with Beta Male Fairytales, play to massive European festival audiences, score top 10 hits in countries as far apart as Brazil and Italy, and scoop a prestigious Ivor Novello nomination.
Since then times have been a changing, not least at his former label EMI. Battling Giants, Jamie's new album, just released via his own imprint, Flat Cap Records, is a personal snapshot of the difficulties he's faced.
'I suppose the theme of this album is about that sense of adversity…being the little guy again, squaring up to the monster,' says Jamie (real-life brother to the titular Ben).
He adds the new album is: 'a lot more optimistic this time around too, and I think you can hear that when you listen. To be honest, I'm just in a better mood this year!'
Support at this date comes from Rhys Morgan and Norwich's Lost Levels.
t Further listening: www.myspace.com/bensbrothermusic
GALLOWS
UEA, Wednesday
Regular visitors to Norwich over the past couple of years, Gallows are back once again with a pocket full of new material from their second album Grey Britain.
Despite being recorded at Abbey Road alongside a 33-piece string section - not bad for a sweaty punk band from Watford - the album is a damning indictment and aural document of a country currently crippled by recession: urgent, energised, angry and utterly nihilistic.
'Since our first album we've been out there and travelled the world,' explains frontman Frank Carter. 'We've seen other cultures and now written a record about everything bad we've seen - but especially here in Britain. The racism, the ignorance, the hopelessness, the lack of ethical understanding.'
They offer no solutions. Instead, with songs such as London Is the Reason, I Dread The Night and Misery they merely want to remind people they are alive and accountable.
Support from Everytime I Die and Rolo Tomassi.
t Further listening: www.gallows.co.uk
WOODPIGEON
Norwich Arts Centre, Wednesday
Canadian nu-folkers Woodpigeon pay a welcome visit as part of Phrased and Confused, a tour that takes words and music and mixes them into a delectable sensation for music lovers and spoken word fans alike.
The musical collective specialise in blissed out orchestral folk-pop. They're also a vehicle for the 'sad words wrapped in pretty pop music' of frontman, guitarist and songwriter Mark Hamilton.
They're a sort of semi-acoustic Arcade Fire or a full-band version of Sufjan Stevens. Their lushly orchestrated folk-pop, featuring wispy boy-girl harmonies, posits them as a cross between Prefab Sprout and Fairport Convention. Some of their songs are simple and unadorned while others are more ornate and complex. Mostly, they specialise in twinkling melodies that feature layered arrangements and build to epic climaxes.
They're joined by the Byronesque Murray Lachlan Young, a stand up poet and satirist who rocketed to fame in the late 1997 after signing a million pound deal with EMI records.
t Further listening: www.myspace.com/woodpigeon
SOUNDS IN THE CITY
May 8
Dirty Tricks (rock/blues) - B2
Coyote Wrecks (blues/rock) - Walnut Tree Shades
No Fixed Abode (folk) - Cider Shed
The Glamtastics (glam rock) - Brickmakers
Beyond Duplication (rock) - King Edward VII
Kunt & The Gang (pop/punk) - Marquee
Monkey Spanner (ska) - Blueberry
Mister Pink (rock) - The Firs
May 9
The Next Stage: feat. Horses Brawl (folk/indie - 8pm) - Arts Centre
Girl In A Thunderbolt/Rory McVicar (indie - 2pm) - Arts Centre
UK Subs (punk) - King Edward VII
Barlights (indie) - B2
The Project (indie/rock) - Blueberry
Keno Kings (blues) - Reindeer
Replica (rock) - Angel Gardens
Soul Agents (soul) - The Stanley
May 10
Bleeding Through (metal) - Waterfront
In The Flesh (Pink Floyd tribute) - UEA
The Dana Wylie Band (jazz/blues) - Cider Shed
Big Black Cadillac (rock'n'roll) - King Edward VII
Lee Vasey Big Band (12pm) - Brickmakers
May 11
Paolo Nutini (soul/pop) - UEA
Woodpigeon (alt folk) - Arts Centre
Jam With Jazz (jazz) - Blueberry
May 12
Mica Paris (soul) - Theatre Royal
School of Seven Bells ( - Arts Centre
Vermillion (rock) - Brickmakers
May 13
Wishbone Ash (rock) - Waterfront
Courtney Pine (jazz) - Theatre Royal
Fertilizer (indie) - Arts Centre
Sucioperro (rock) - Marquee
The Citizens (indie) - Edith Cavell
The Session (Irish) - Cider Shed
May 14
Claire martin & Ian Shaw (jazz) - Playhouse
Access To Music Night (local bands) - B2
Bad Touch (rock) - King Edward VII
Sons of Entropy (blues/rock) - Brickmakers
Buick Mckaine (indie) - Marquee
Murphy's Lore (Irish) - Rumsey Wells
Late Stan Guevara and his Laughing Castroleers (jazz/blues) - Rose Tavern
UB Marley (reggae tribute) - The Stores
Tea (blues-rock) - Walnut Tree Shades
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