Posted by Danni Le Toullec on May 18, 2010
Photo by Andrew Meredith
What do Hot Chip, Florence and the Machine, Dizzee Rascal, The XX, Marina and the Diamonds and Charlotte Gainsbourg have in common?
Well, aside from being international music superstars (and in the case of Gainsbourg, music and film), they are all a part of Selfridges new set of window displays, titled 'Sounds of Mind'.
Andrew snapped this shot of Hot Chip's 'I Feel Better' window display at Selfridges on Oxford Street, London. The display was designed by the band and Pete Fowler. It will feature for the next 6 weeks.
hot chip, florence and the machine, dizzee rascal, the xx, marina and the diamonds, charlotte gainsbourg, selfridges
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on April 6, 2010
Upon hearing the seductive, ethereal sounds of The XX, not many people would think of Notorious B.I.G.
Taking The XX debut album, 24-year-old New Yorker, Charlie, has laid Biggie’s lyrical mastery over the beats of the London four-piece. The mash up explores yet another side to the long deceased rapper's vocal styles and creates a new brand of hip hop infused with indie Brit flavour.
Stand out tracks include: 'Islands is the Limit', 'One More Chance For A Heart to Skip a Beat' and 'Everyday Shelter'.
The Notorious XX is available free. We're not too sure what the band think about the pairing... Watch this space for further comment.
notorious b.i.g, the xx, wait what
Posted by kluster on February 5, 2010
For the last few years running St Jeromes Laneway Festival organisers have proven that they know how to successfully curate an independent music festival. Thankfully 2010’s efforts allowed them to maintain their unsoiled reputation. We use the word thankfully because we all know how ugly a festival line-up fall from grace can be. Yes, Big Day Out, we are looking at you.
We managed to squeeze in quite a few bands during the course of the day and not one disappointed. The new venue provided ticket holders with more room to move - in space imparting a rather 20th-century-institutional vibe - and the fact that all stages were completely removed from one another meant that they each ended up developing a vibe of their own.
Speaking of institutions, Whitley, post beginning their set with sounds twinged with musical grandiosity, admitted there could think of no better place to play than somewhere reminiscent of an insane asylum. Over on the Clock Tower stage (Playschool imagery, anyone?) Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit were warming up with a spot of ethereal guitar-driven indie rock. ‘Keep Yourself Warm’ rounded up what proved, for us, a pleasing first-time FR experience.
Wild Beasts win Kluster’s non-existent award for Most Pleasant Surprise of The Day in The Form of a Band. Stepping out onto the stage to the sounds of an extended si-fi-esque voiceover they won over the audience with their delightfully discombobulated sound – encapsulating theatrical vocal lines, pulsating beats and windswept hair served on a bed of singer swapping, with a side of Jamaican undertones.More...
laneway festival, giveaway, florence & the machine, the xx, whitley, frightened rabbit, wild beasts, mumford & sons, daniel johnston, black lips, radioclit, eddie current suppression ring
Posted by kluster on November 23, 2009
Since our good friends at Laneway Festival announced the lineup for next year’s multi-city tour we’ve been gushing like an open hydrant during a Brooklyn summer. Words of affection and admiration, for the job they have done pulling together a stellar selection of bands, spill forth from our open gobs.
In order to warm our Australian readers up for the festivals, and in aid of the Kluster subscriber drive, Laneway have kindly provided us with a five CD pack to bequeath to one lucky new subscriber.
Florence & The Machine - Lungs
The XX - X
Hockey - Mind Chaos
Whitely - Go Forth, Find Mammoth
Dappled Cities - Zounds
To be in the running to win the pack simply follow the instructions below. Already signed up? No problem, just convince a friend to let you subscribe them too (include name their name and email address in the body of the email).
To enter simply email info@kluster.com.au with the subject: Pre-Laneway Listening.
Entries close 15/01/2010
laneway festival, giveaway, florence & the machine, the xx, hockey, whitley, dappled cities
Posted by KB on November 17, 2009
After extended touring and press appearances all over the globe, Romy Madley Croft from The XX takes a few minutes to talk to Kluster’s Jeff Yiu on a warm Saturday morning. After discussing the scenery in New York, Romy recaps on their modest beginnings and their rapid rise to international followership - one catchy hook at a time.
Covered: Creativity blossoms in the dark, the power of R&B, the Laneway Festival, video inspirations and from school yard to international touring and playing in Australia.
Jeff Yiu: How was New York and the CMJ (College Music Journal) Music Marathon and Film Festival?
Romy Madley Croft: New York was really, really cool. Hectic and definitely busy but really, really fun.
JY: Did you get to see any bands while you were in New York?
RMC: I would have loved to, yeah, but being in a band [playing] at the CMJ, you just end up being everywhere. You don’t really get time to stop and check out the other bands. Actually we did go see YACHT play; I had never seen them before. My friends are involved with them. Exciting to see! They were really cool.
JY: The XX is pretty much everywhere right now. Previously, the fan-base build-up was rather subtle; we stumbled across your music via blogs linking to your MySpace about a year ago. What role has the internet played in your popularity growth?
RMC: Primarily MySpace is our tool for testing the reaction from our listeners. When I was 16 I was very intrigued; it was a strange and exciting thing. When we first put our music out there it was great that we could see when people were listening to the songs. They tell you instantly what they think. That was really helpful.
Now I use the internet primarily to keep in contact with my friends. I stopped - quite a long time ago - trying to search too much to find out what the word on the street is about us. The internet is a bit fickle. Even when I go looking for other bands there are so many different comments, even though they [internet users] might not like the band, they will still say something. If I were to read the comments on MySpace every day it would be a bit crazy.
More...
the xx
Posted by KB on October 21, 2009
Festival season is just around the corner, and today we got the first taste of what's to come for the new and improved Laneway Festival.
You'll need to check the festival website for details of dates and places in your city, but we can give you the lowdown on what to expect on the musical front:
Echo & the Bunnymen, Florence & the Machine, Black Lips, The XX, Daniel Johnston, Sarah Blasko, NASA, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Hockey, Dappled Cities, Mumford & Sons, The Very Best, Radioclit, Wild Beasts, Whitley, The Middle East, Kid Sam and Dirty Three.
Phew! To say we are excited would be an understatement of the grandest proportions.
Tickets go on sale Friday October 30 at 9am from GreenTix.
laneway festival, echo & the bunnymen, florence & the machines, black lips, the xx, daniel johnston, sarah blasko, nasa, eddy current suppression ring, hockey, dappled cities, mumford & sons, the very best, radioclit, wild beasts, whitley, the middle east, kid sam, dirty three