tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34262708622006311852024-03-13T14:44:17.094-07:00Falling and LaughingMusic, Media and FilmUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-26969056242990993992010-02-21T01:47:00.000-08:002010-02-21T13:59:13.510-08:00New blogRunning F&L was great fun but work / life got in the way.Thanks for reading and check out my new blog:http://alistairbeech.posterous.com/Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-50473553198026097052009-07-16T17:02:00.000-07:002009-07-17T04:23:38.513-07:00Video: So Sick - Ne-Yo cries off Manchester gigLos Angeles R&B star Ne-Yo tonight provided drama at Manchester's M.E.N Arena after aborting his near sell-out show half way through a headline set. The self-proclaimed ‘smooth’ pop icon complained of illness after a couple of songs and appeared visibly uncomfortable, at one stage asking for patience from a loyal and fervent Arena audience.The aborted set relied on backing tracks and audience Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-79285437257657868502009-07-13T02:53:00.000-07:002009-07-13T05:06:34.412-07:00Nights Out: Download Tramp! DJs Summer mixFondly remembered for their killer Bierkeller/Club North rave-ups, Tramp! DJs continue to head up some of the best Nights Out in Manchester and beyond. Download the new mixtape from Will Tramp! and taste the summer vibes. TRAMP! SUMMER LOVIN' MIXDJ Kaos 'Love the night away' (Tiedye mix)Phoenix - 'Lisztomania' (Classixx version)Holy Ghost- 'I will come back'Shit Robot- 'Simple Things' (Todd TerjeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-22353466507302257662009-07-10T05:56:00.000-07:002009-07-10T06:09:43.337-07:00Video: Joy Division get Caribbean steel band makeoverVia The Quietus, brilliantly filmed by Nick Abrahams as part of Jeremy Deller's Procession at the so far, so very good Manchester International Festival.Read our NME.com opening report of MIF (featuring our thoughts on Kraftwerk and It Felt Like A Kiss) here.More MIF coverage next week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-35284072052764857062009-07-09T01:08:00.000-07:002009-07-09T03:46:02.685-07:00Competition: Win tickets for St. Vincent live in Manchester next week!Falling and Laughing have teamed up with the fine chaps at Manchester's Night & Day Café to offer TWO tickets to see St. Vincent's show on Monday 13th July.To win, simply email us with a ONE sentence explanation of why you should get to see St. Vincent for gratis. The most entertaining message will be added to the guest list for the show*.St. Vincent's graceful new album Actor is out now on Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-54531035505420573852009-07-05T01:13:00.000-07:002009-07-05T01:14:01.871-07:00New Music Plea: Falling and Laughing needs youLast.Fm is a great listening aggregator which charts your listening habits by 'scrobbling' tracks from a desired media player (it's a breeze with plug-ins for Spotify and Windows Media Player). However, this week's artist chart from Falling and Laughing HQ scared us a tad. Two of the F&L Top 10 disbanded in the '80s, while only four albums from 2009 made it into our Top 20 listening. You could Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-10328820513051850972009-07-01T01:00:00.000-07:002009-07-01T07:00:55.798-07:00Video: Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The MoveHave Dirty Projectors written THE Alternative Pop anthem of the summer?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-48071418443618842332009-06-28T14:42:00.000-07:002009-06-28T15:23:25.994-07:00Chart Attack: Well done Miss Eleanor La Roux Jackson & the bloke who writes the musicFor scoring a #1 with the zeitgeist spitting 'Bulletproof'.It seems like being rubbish live, resembling a mawkish rabbit and acting the most awkward pop star of 2009 is working out just right for Miss Jackson.Nice one. We'd take you over Pixie 'Spotty' Lott any day of the week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-41183042378887950532009-06-26T01:11:00.000-07:002009-06-26T02:48:20.253-07:00New In: Beck covers Velvets' Sunday MorningVia PitchforkAnd hear / download Beck's tantalising take on Bob Dylan's 'Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat' from this year's War Child compilation below:Download Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Beck)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-50185436432015221032009-06-25T01:45:00.000-07:002009-06-25T04:08:10.894-07:00Nights Out: Download Club Clique's Summer MixtapeThose reliable chaps at Clique have built up quite an electro-pop empire, with their current home at Manchester's Mint Lounge fitting extra snugly.Tomorrow night (Friday, 26th June) sees a DJ appearance from indie-pop IT girl Florence and the Machine alongside Clique residents. Their spiffing Summer Mixtape, featuring F&L turns Passion Pit, La Roux, Phoenix and Friendly Fires is currently doing Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-53888288981204714842009-06-25T01:00:00.000-07:002009-06-25T01:00:19.722-07:00Live: Junior Boys at Manchester Club AcademyJunior BoysClub Academy9th June Ontario, Canada duo Junior Boys are tonight greeted by a small but dedicated crowd at Club Academy in support of their excellent third album Begone Dull Care. Singer Jeremy Greenspan complains of being as “sick as a dawg” but still produces a sparkling vocal performance while side kick Johnny Dark gets mean and moody on an army of synths and gadgets.The last time Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-54449541542350880242009-06-24T01:04:00.000-07:002009-06-24T03:36:46.237-07:00Video: Wild Beasts unveil Hooting & HowlingAlright. We admit it. It took us a while to warm to Wild Beasts' odd-ball Cumbrian alt.rock, but we're sure glad we stuck with 'em. Their debut album Limbo Panto fused a curious mix of post-punk, nature boy folk and jumpy rock and the foursome, backed by their encouraging paymasters Domino, look set to enjoy the rewards of a slow build and time to develop their potentially genre-defining songs. 'Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-43157498552498947602009-06-21T01:00:00.000-07:002009-06-21T01:14:58.906-07:00Live: The Horrors at Manchester Ruby LoungeThe HorrorsRuby Lounge Manchester1st JuneInside the Ruby Lounge this evening there’s a curious mix of grungy teens, original shoegazers and inquisitive onlookers to meet The Horrors' feedback drenched stage entrance. Three minutes of noise later, singer Faris Badwin slouches on stage: stick-insect thin but hair and celeb girlfriend tamed, he’s visibly more comfortable with his colleague’s currentUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-13908754707118509182009-06-20T03:18:00.000-07:002009-06-20T04:02:29.832-07:00Live: Black Lips at Manchester Academy 3Black LipsManchester Academy 324th MayAdored around the globe and with enough indie-rock cred to last them into rehab, Black Lips are a chaotically brilliant live band, or so F&L remembered…We left the cities Roadhouse venue two years ago having witnessed a tight, sharp, on-top-of-their-game rock group touring their superb Good Bad Not Evil album to much acclaim. Two years later and they find Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-78079529788312504632009-06-11T01:45:00.000-07:002009-06-11T03:42:24.102-07:00New In: Hurts set to puncture the dance floorHurts are a brand new group based in Manchester and London. Theo (vocals) and Adam (electronics, guitar) formed the songwriting team behind Bureau and Daggers and have now settled on a sleek, minimal pop blueprint.When Theo Facebooked us last week, he linked to an Disco Lento (slow disco) wiki and their stark MySpace page. On the evidence of debut tracks 'Unspoken' and 'Illuminated', their futureUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-71485855034558675642009-06-05T01:30:00.000-07:002009-06-05T03:05:39.889-07:00Video: Run Toto Run doze on Passion Pit's SleepyheadOne of the brightest, most visually striking bands to emerge from Manchester in a good ol' while, Run Toto Run have impressed us with their delicate, dreamy pop for some months.Their take on current It band Passion Pit's 'Sleepyhead' is especially charming and well worth three minutes of your Friday.Run Toto Run launch their new single 'Plastic Gold' on Saturday 13th June upstairs at Manchester'sUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-63757932807049490712009-06-03T01:05:00.000-07:002009-06-02T23:23:16.845-07:00F&L Exclusive: Super Fresh Power Squad get down(load) & dirty with CopycatExciting times! The very first F&L MP3 exclusive has arrived!Super Fresh Power Squad are five shit-hot looking lads from Manchester. They accessorise with more bling than the whole of South London and their Adidas get-up is pristine and box fresh. They arrived to indie kid bemusement last year with a pumped up, full-on live show and gaggles of glitter-eyed groupies. Bopping along to the vocoder Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-75277328775714120172009-06-01T05:00:00.001-07:002009-06-01T05:16:38.731-07:00Video: The Nightjars go summer with ValentinePrepping their self-titled debut album (review here), Manchester's The Nightjars have released a video to accompany lead track 'Valentine'.Perfectly timed with the arrival of the British summer (cloudless skies, burnt noses), Valentine's Boards of Canada-inspired visual montage was put together by curiously named Mr Dreams.The Nightjars is available to buy now via the bands MySpace page.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-88060344346631193392009-05-30T07:58:00.000-07:002009-05-30T09:40:46.226-07:00The Killers play for Jonathan Ross: World swoonsAnd the Best living Pop Rock band award for 2009 goes to:SHED SEVENLast night Vegas wideboys The Killers performed for Jonathan Ross, a suit wearing man whose 'comedic value' recedes with each flick of his mop. Kudos to Wossy's team for pulling in Brandon & Co to replace the AWOL Katie Price: playing four songs in front of a whooping BBC crew audience. If you're stuck for something to do before Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-30069203722466404492009-05-25T00:45:00.000-07:002009-05-25T01:10:50.618-07:00Video: Royksopp - The Girl and the Robot (ft. Robyn)The Girl and the Robot is the second single from Royksopp's lauded new album Junior. The highly stylised video features Swedish diva Robyn frolicking around with a Robot, while Royksopp main men Torbjørn and Svein turn in a brief cameo half way.Robyn's star turn is a lesson in ice-cool, uncluttered electronic pop. Or, to paraphrase Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove: How I Learn To Stop Worrying Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-51862357207629656952009-05-22T06:56:00.000-07:002009-05-22T08:44:04.611-07:00Get your Kraut on: Oasis, Sonic Youth, Foals dig NEU!Krautrock (German rock music primarily made in the late 60s to 70s) has become an increasing influence on popular alternative music: name checked heavily by new artists, while its original bands glaze in the glow of renewed interest in their genre-defining exploits.As Julian Cope of 80s saviours The Teardrop Explodes gushed in his out of print 1995 book Krautrocksampler, German rock and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-50832753561479816432009-05-21T01:38:00.000-07:002009-05-21T08:59:45.136-07:00Video: May 68 in session, unveil new track My WaysFollowing our intro to May 68 last month, we've picked up footage of the Best New Pop Band in Manchester in session for Channel M Music (one of the last ever performers).Listen to 'My Ways', a new demo track streaming below. Tight and sleek, glamourous yet accessible, it's one of their best efforts yet. More please! With industry buzz picking up pace and gigs booked throughout the summer, we Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-81045671302383035432009-05-19T02:11:00.000-07:002009-05-20T09:58:30.900-07:00Festival report: Futuresonic09 (part 2)Following yesterday's intro report on Futuresonic, here's our summary of the musical output of the festival, written originally for NME.A leftfield mix of art, technology, debate and music, Futuresonic is an intelligent, demanding festival. Now in its 14th year, Futuresonic will in 2010 transform into Future Everything. In between tech-focused debates at the cities Contact Theatre, we pinned downUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-4891870913149296682009-05-18T02:10:00.000-07:002009-05-18T16:24:14.758-07:00Festival report : Futuresonic 09Between Thursday and Sunday we sampled the annual Futuresonic festival, based in Manchester. Now in it's 14th year, Futuresonic is a leftfield mix of art, technology, debate and music. We'll be publishing photos, reviews and more video content from tomorrow morning, alongside a link to our report for NME.For now here is video footage from Saturday's show at Urbis featuring Times New Viking, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426270862200631185.post-34420391311408040732009-05-15T01:55:00.000-07:002009-05-15T02:30:26.191-07:00New In: Wilco stream Wilco (the album)This week Wilco took the sensible step of streaming their new album Wilco on their own website following a full leak online. The band had clearly planned ahead and quickly moved to placate fans tempted by downloading the leaked tracks. On first listen the new record is shaped by Krautrock structures, sparkling guitar interplay and as usual, highly accomplished instrumentation. We've yet to take Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0