Posted by Danni Le Toullec on October 2, 2010
Kicking things off with a little ‘Chaos’, New Young Pony Club returned to The Forum on Friday night for their side show from the Australian Parklife festival circuit.
The last time NYPC graced the stage of The Forum was in 2006 for a Modular showcase alongside Van She, Klaxons and the Bumblebeez. This time, they are in the headliner spot with a new album ‘The Optimist’ to promote. After chatting with Andy Spence (guitarist & producer) last week, I couldn’t wait to hear their new material live.
Picking up the microphone stand and wrapping herself around it, it's clear that lead singer, Tahita Bulmer, is one of those performers that are simply a pleasure to watch. Mentioning their early relationship with Australian music label Modular, she told the audience that Australia understands them better than audiences in the UK, “We are sort of yours now, if you’ll have us”.
The band give off that sexy femme vibe with Sarah Jones drumming in a black silk playsuit and cute side fringe, Lou Hayter working the keyboard in a little black dress, heels and red lipstick and Tahita leading the troupe in short shorts, grey lace tights and a one sleeve grey chiffon top. Andy and Lee (bassist) didn’t look too bad either!More...
new young pony club, the forum, parklife, tahita bulmer, andy spence, the optimist, fantastic playroom
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on September 24, 2010
New Young Pony Club fans have been waiting patiently for the follow up to the much loved, highly underrated Fantastic Playroom, which was released in 2007 through Modular. Influenced by break ups, the ups and downs of the music industry, and life in general, The Optimist exposes a more vulnerable side to the band and sees them exploring a more challenging lyrical terrain. Comparing the two, their debut was akin to a fun, kinky and quickly satisfying one night stand with tracks like ‘Ice Cream’, ‘The Bomb’ and ‘The Get Go’. The Optimist is more like a tempestuous love affair that takes you through the intimacy, heartbreak and happier times with that classic NYPC beat and hypnotic vocals. ‘Lost a Girl’, ‘Oh Cherie’ and ‘Stone’ transport you to the tear-soaked pillow, to the core of love’s calamities. Self-produced and released, this album shows that sometimes the harder you fall, the higher you bounce.
Covered: Break ups, the rewards of self-producing, Australian food cravings and the new light/dark NYPC.
Danielle Le Toullec: So you arrived in Australia last night for the Parklife circuit as well as some side shows, where did you fly in from?
Andy Spence: We’re in Brisbane now, just come from London, we finished our festival circuit the weekend before last. We had about a week and a half off and that’s about the most time we’ve had off all summer so it was nice… As we’ve been doing festivals rather than concerts, we’ve been away for a weekend, back home for a couple of days and that.
DL: New Young Pony Club has undergone a bit of a makeover for The Optimist. What inspired the shift? More...
new young pony club, andy spence, ty bulmer, parklife