Picture: VickehPeople, like us, who are really into music all have a favourite band. Not The Beatles or U2. An indie band. A band known only by about 2% of the population but means the world to us. It's the band that we cherish more than any other one. Whenever we go to a record shop, we go to the letter of this band first, even though we already have all their recordings (including that obscure remix on a Japanese 7'', yes, you've got it too and also paid ridiculous shipping costs for it). I know quite a few people who go for the W of Ween, or the B for Kate Bush (at this point I will not reveal which letter Ben goes for as it's too embarrassing). Our favourite band has to be a bit obscure and known only by a few people who instantly become our friends when they name it, or our enemies for life if they dare to say something bad about our band (even ‘I don't really like the artwork but the album is great' → the 'but' came too late love + the artwork is amazing, you just don't get it).
Why does an indie band become our favourite band? Because of the music of course but not only. A band becomes our favourite band because it came into our life at a special time, maybe when we were thinking 'what the hell am I doing with my life?', or at a vulnerable time, basically often before our 20s, and suddenly that band and its music brought the answers to so many questions, the comfort to so many feelings and emotions that we thought we were the only ones to have. This band arrived and told us ‘it's fine, you're not alone', and that's probably why we can become obsessed and listen about a million times to the same songs and albums. Our favourite indie band is about the music, the artwork, the people in the bands but also so much more and a lot of that 'so much more' can hardly be described. And that's why, even in 20 years, we'll still be listening to them.
Personally, I always go for the letter 'E' in record shops. E for Electrelane. I first saw Electrelane when I was 18 (8 years ago ha!), it was at the Spitz in London and I was immediately blown away (even-though I spent a good part of the gig wondering if Verity, the singer, was going to kill someone in the audience → I can make jokes about my favourite band. You can't. = basic rule). The epic songs, the energy, the atmosphere of the show, everything was amazing. I went back to France, bought the album and listened to it for about a billion times and started going to a LOT of their shows. I have so many great memories of driving for hours to go to a show, taking friends to see them for the first time, quite a few very drunken nights too... Like any favourite band, I think Electrelane, as the best band in the world, deserved to be bigger. However, exhausted by the touring and the hard life of many indie artists, they decided to go on a hiatus 4 years ago. Any basic fan would have then thought 'fucking hell, if I had been their manager/label manager, things would have been different' but we all would have probably been rubbish.
No shows during 4 years meant not having that little exciting feeling when new dates are announced, not seeing regular faces at gigs etc, but maybe we also needed that time to grow up.
When I first heard of the summer tour, I didn't want to get too excited in case something went wrong but last night at the Komedia in Brighton, nothing went wrong, the band was there, stronger than ever. This reunion tour has been approached by the band as a celebration of their work and their fans: they only played the hits, had a funny (but fantastic) cover and don't have the pressure to sell a new album: they're doing the tour for fun and you can definitely see it on stage. The 1h10 set went very quickly, and was just great song after great song. It was so exciting to rediscover all the personalities and habits of each of them on stage: the impeccable drumming of Emma Gaze, the chilled bassist Ros Murray, the possessed guitarist Mia Clarke and the epic singer Verity Susman. What I've always loved about Electrelane's shows is how they build up and become more and more intense, and there is always these few seconds when you ‘lose yourself in the songs': that feeling that I get with no other band, when the music takes up your entire body and nothing else matters. It's a very rare feeling and only your favourite band can give it to you (or drugs probably).
Electrelane have always wanted to have minimum lights on stage because they've always put the music first and again last night, it was all about the music. The instrumental tracks from Rock it to the Moon and Axes are complete killers but with songs from the Power Out and a few covers, Electrelane reminded everybody last night that they can also write fucking great pop songs and make you dance like not many bands can.
The band is doing only a few shows over the summer, don't miss them, you'll be my enemy for life if you do.
16th July, ISTANBUL, Rock'n'Coke festival
22nd July, PARIS, La Plage
24th July, Oporto Milhoes de Festa
30th July, STOCKHOLM, Strand
2nd August, BERLIN, Festsaal
5th August: Big Chill Festival
6th August: LONDON, Field Day Festival
12th August, ST MALO, Route du Rock Festival
14th August, VEXEY, Nox Orae
16th August: LONDON, XOYO (with support from Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains - be there early!)
Also, check out the Electrelane week on Drowned in Sound.
Fox of the week.
01 - Electrelane, 'Gone Under Sea' by ThreeThousand
Why does an indie band become our favourite band? Because of the music of course but not only. A band becomes our favourite band because it came into our life at a special time, maybe when we were thinking 'what the hell am I doing with my life?', or at a vulnerable time, basically often before our 20s, and suddenly that band and its music brought the answers to so many questions, the comfort to so many feelings and emotions that we thought we were the only ones to have. This band arrived and told us ‘it's fine, you're not alone', and that's probably why we can become obsessed and listen about a million times to the same songs and albums. Our favourite indie band is about the music, the artwork, the people in the bands but also so much more and a lot of that 'so much more' can hardly be described. And that's why, even in 20 years, we'll still be listening to them.
Personally, I always go for the letter 'E' in record shops. E for Electrelane. I first saw Electrelane when I was 18 (8 years ago ha!), it was at the Spitz in London and I was immediately blown away (even-though I spent a good part of the gig wondering if Verity, the singer, was going to kill someone in the audience → I can make jokes about my favourite band. You can't. = basic rule). The epic songs, the energy, the atmosphere of the show, everything was amazing. I went back to France, bought the album and listened to it for about a billion times and started going to a LOT of their shows. I have so many great memories of driving for hours to go to a show, taking friends to see them for the first time, quite a few very drunken nights too... Like any favourite band, I think Electrelane, as the best band in the world, deserved to be bigger. However, exhausted by the touring and the hard life of many indie artists, they decided to go on a hiatus 4 years ago. Any basic fan would have then thought 'fucking hell, if I had been their manager/label manager, things would have been different' but we all would have probably been rubbish.
No shows during 4 years meant not having that little exciting feeling when new dates are announced, not seeing regular faces at gigs etc, but maybe we also needed that time to grow up.
When I first heard of the summer tour, I didn't want to get too excited in case something went wrong but last night at the Komedia in Brighton, nothing went wrong, the band was there, stronger than ever. This reunion tour has been approached by the band as a celebration of their work and their fans: they only played the hits, had a funny (but fantastic) cover and don't have the pressure to sell a new album: they're doing the tour for fun and you can definitely see it on stage. The 1h10 set went very quickly, and was just great song after great song. It was so exciting to rediscover all the personalities and habits of each of them on stage: the impeccable drumming of Emma Gaze, the chilled bassist Ros Murray, the possessed guitarist Mia Clarke and the epic singer Verity Susman. What I've always loved about Electrelane's shows is how they build up and become more and more intense, and there is always these few seconds when you ‘lose yourself in the songs': that feeling that I get with no other band, when the music takes up your entire body and nothing else matters. It's a very rare feeling and only your favourite band can give it to you (or drugs probably).
Electrelane have always wanted to have minimum lights on stage because they've always put the music first and again last night, it was all about the music. The instrumental tracks from Rock it to the Moon and Axes are complete killers but with songs from the Power Out and a few covers, Electrelane reminded everybody last night that they can also write fucking great pop songs and make you dance like not many bands can.
The band is doing only a few shows over the summer, don't miss them, you'll be my enemy for life if you do.
16th July, ISTANBUL, Rock'n'Coke festival
22nd July, PARIS, La Plage
24th July, Oporto Milhoes de Festa
30th July, STOCKHOLM, Strand
2nd August, BERLIN, Festsaal
5th August: Big Chill Festival
6th August: LONDON, Field Day Festival
12th August, ST MALO, Route du Rock Festival
14th August, VEXEY, Nox Orae
16th August: LONDON, XOYO (with support from Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains - be there early!)
Also, check out the Electrelane week on Drowned in Sound.
Fox of the week.
01 - Electrelane, 'Gone Under Sea' by ThreeThousand
