by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Hatcham Social - So So Happy Making (MP3)

London's Hatcham Social are direct musical descendants of Orange Juice, Echo & the Bunnymen or, more recently, Clearlake: scratchy but melodic, with an occasional flair for the melodramatic, and very, very British. In the UK, they're signed to Fierce Panda, the label that first gave us Art Brut and, um, Coldplay; in the U.S they're with TBD Records, home of White Rabbits and Radiohead. Hatcham Social's long-time-coming debut, You Dig The Tunnel, I'll Hide The Soil, was co-produced by Tim Burgess of the Charlatans with whom they'll be touring this fall.

Before that, they'll be playing a handful of choice NYC shows over the next week or so, including Thursday's (6/18) Twee As Fuck party at Cake Shop that also features most of Slumberland's current roster: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Crystal Stilts, and Cause Co-Motion. Tickets ($10) to that show, by the way, can be bought in advance at either Cake Shop or Bruar Falls daily from noon to 10PM. Please note: "ONLY 200 TIX AVAILABLE!" Um... 200 people can fit in Cake Shop? UPDATE: Sold out, but tickets will be available at the door. Go early if you don't already have a ticket and want to get in.

Additionally, Hatcham Social are playing Mondo @ Don Hill's this Friday (6/19), and two dates with The Maccabees and Miike Snow: Saturday (6/20) at Music Hall of Williamsburg and Monday (6/22) at Mercury Lounge.

Check out the MP3 of "So So Happy Making" above, and there are videos, flyers and tour dates after the jump.

Continue reading "Hatcham Social - MP3 & 4 NYC shows including Cake Shop w/ Crystal Stilts & TPOBPAH, Merc/MHOW w/ Maccabees"

by Bill Pearis

week one. week two. week three....

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (TPOBPAH)

Was last summer this crammed with stuff to do? It seems like there have been very few nights of easy living, what with all these worthy shows. And Summer may have official started last weekend, but it's this one that feels like it, with the return of the Sunday McCarren Pool parties, and Celebrate Brooklyn shows in Prospect Park and the Seaport. Too many shows to all throw, willy-nilly, into one post so here are a few things I'm excited about.

If you didn't get enough jangly guitars and winsome melodies at the NYC Popfest two weeks ago (or you missed it and wished you hadn't), tonight at Cake Shop finds monthly UK party Twee as F**k coming to NYC for the first time. Headlining the show are The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, who were really great at Popfest, and should be right at home tonight (June 26) at what the band told L Magazine was their favorite New York venue.

Also on the Twee as F**k bill are two bands from Cleveland, Bears and Afternoon Naps. I'm particularly looking forward to Bears, who I would put somewhere between The Strawberry Alarm Clock and The Boy Least Likely To. Their 2006 debut is really good and they've got a song on the two volume, download-only Summer's Here compilation that Norwegian blog Eardrums offered up earlier this week.

They are also promising free cupcakes. Fun starts at 9PM. Bears are also playing Death by Audio on Friday with Pwrfl Power and Tickley Feather. All Bears dates below.

continued....

Continue reading "Warlocks & Blacklist & Bears Oh!My! - also Twee as F**k, TPOBPAH, APTBS & more in this week in indie"