The first day was the hardest, simply because there were so many acts that I wanted to see and therefore, so many clashes. We spent most of the day stage hopping but managed to catch a lot of great sets...

TEI SHI
I'd heard the name Tei Shi floating about for a while now and I'm really glad that I went to check her out. I actually thought she was British, especially because her sound isn't one that you hear coming out of The States much these days. I loved her cover of Beyonce's "No Angel". Catching her live has made me excited to listen to a full body of work. I'll definitely be keeping an ear out for this songstress this year and after chatting to her, it's only made me like her more.


SPECTOR
I've known about Spector for a few years and I've never really thought that there was much unique about them and even watching their live set I didn't see or hear anything that really stuck out to me or hit me in the gut. However, they played an enjoyable summer set - songs that you can move to and shout along to. I'd never pay money to see them myself but I'm glad I caught their set.


FLOATING POINTS
After seeing him DJ with Mr Scruff last year here I knew we were in for some funky jams. I did actually get him confused with Catching Flies at first but the jazzy vibe soon brought me back on the right track. Non stop tunes, everyone was just in the perfect mood.


KINDNESS
Another name that I'd been seeing around for that longest while and I had the completely wrong idea about what he was going to sound like - I was expecting a Kurt Vile type sound. When he stepped on stage with his amazing band I was blown away by how soulful he was. Amazing vibes and beautiful songs! If you don't already know his stuff - get on it.


SHURA
After hearing Warpaint's remix of her song "2Shy" I was totally up for catching a live set of hers especially in a festival setting. Unfortunately, it wasn't the most memorable set of the weekend but she did her thing and I didn't realise how many fans she had! There was a much bigger crowd than I'd expected. Cool set - I'm interested to see her once there's more material in her arsenal.
 

CHET FAKER
I was super excited for this set which made it all the more stressful that it clashed with Django Django. I only managed to catch about 20 minute of the show before heading to the main stage. However, luckily we managed to squeeze our way into the jam packed tent close enough to hear him play "Drop The Game" - what a moment! Would love to see him again live asap.


DJANGO DJANGO
Finally!!! I have wanted to see this band live since hearing their debut record in 2013 here so even though it's two years on and I couldn't even catch the whole set, I'm just glad that I got to see them with my own eyes. It was nice to hear their new singles "Reflections" and "First Light" live, but they couldn't hold a candle to their older tracks. I just wish I could've stayed for the entire set.


FKA TWIGS
FKA Twigs, in the flesh... wow! Her album isn't actually the easiest to listen through beginning to end but live, I could've watched her all night. She really knows how to put on a show! I wanted to close my eyes and just feel the music but I just could not take my eyes off her - she was mesmerising. She had the whole crowd in the palms of her hands. The whole experience seemed surreal, all I can say is - believe the hype.


CARIBOU
The set that I was looking forward to the most and I didn't even get to see half of it. I was so upset. Bittersweet to be honest because I did catch "Odessa", "Your Love Will Set You Free", "Can't Do Without You" and "Sun", which were some of the biggest moments of the set but I just wish I'd been there from start to finish. "Sun" in particular is an encore that I'll remember for a lifetime. Perfect headline set.

September is always a tough month to follow on from for album releases as you can see here, but it seems that October has definitely started off with a bang...

 
 
CARIBOU - OUR LOVE
I am SO excited to get my hands on this album. Ever since hearing the singles "Can't Do Without You" and "Our Love", I've just been waiting for the chance to hear it as a whole and it actually comes out today (the 6th of October)!! The vibes that I'm getting from it, I honestly think that this album could be better than Swim.






JOHNNY MARR - PLAYLAND
It's always nice when a rock legend graces us with a new album, and so soon after his debut The Messenger. I really liked the debut record and being Johnny Marr I find it highly unlikely that he'll disappoint with this follow up. Get your hands on it on the 6th of October.







ICEAGE - PLOWING INTO THE FIELD OF LOVE
There seem to be a lot of sophomore albums out today now that I think about it. Iceage's debut - You're Nothing was a pretty great piece of post punk music. Although I knew it'd I suppose "been done before", it felt quite fresh and new to me. Interested to see what this new album sounds like today.






WEEZER - EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END
Weezer are back with what looks like it's going to be an awesome new record. I've been anticipating this album for quite a while now so I'm just ready to finally listen to it. I haven't listened to any singles from it yet so when I eventually get my hands on it today everything will be a surprise - most likely a pleasant one.







FLYING LOTUS - YOU'RE DEAD!
The name Flying Lotus has been floating around the interwebs for quite sometime now and it wasn't until a recent post from Janelle Monae about "Never Catch Me (feat. Kendrick Lamar)", that I was able to put a sound to the name. Safe to say, I'm impressed. This will be a good listen on the 6th of October.






TINASHE - AQUARIUS
Prepare to hear at least two of these songs played in every club night you go to. Tinashe's recent hit "2 On (feat. Schoolboy Q)" was huge! As well as hearing it played at clubs, on the radio, etc... I did my fair share of listening to it too. I reckon that there will be a few more catchy songs on this new album with features from Dev Hynes and A$AP Rocky, I look forward to hearing it on the 7th of October.

Now that we've just entered the month of June, I thought that it would be appropriate to catch up on all of the music news that we may have missed in the past few days leading up to this month...

DIAMOND YOUTH RELEASE NEW EP "UK OK"
Diamond Youth, whom I wrote about as a new discovery here almost two years ago, have been wanting to cross the pond and come over to the UK for a long time now. It would seem that they finally have the chance as they are set to support Citizen on tour here in the coming months. However, they have to buy their own tickets. So they've released this EP available for a short amount of time to try and raise money towards it. Help them out and buy it for $4 here.


FOO FIGHTERS ANNOUNCE HBO SERIES "SONIC HIGHWAYS"
It's no secret that Foo Fighters are releasing their eight album this year (in November) but now we find out that they're also releasing a HBO documentary series detailing the recording process - as they recorded a song in eight different cities across America. This has never before been done as far as I know, and to have it done by one of my favourite bands ever makes me even more excited for it. Watch the trailer here.


CARIBOU NEW SINGLE "CAN'T DO WITHOUT YOU"
In fairness, I haven't heard much from Caribou since their album - Swim - and so it is very refreshing to hear this new track from them, and just in time for summer too! It's got such a nice light hearted vibe. I'm really looking forward to the new record Our Love out on the 6th of October. Until that release date, here's the latest track.


MALLORY KNOX NEW SINGLE "QODII"
I'd been hearing about Mallory Knox working on their sophomore album a little bit this year but I had no idea that they were already ready to release new singles from it, and ones as good as this at that! I was a little bit unsure about it at first but after a couple of listens, I definitely like it - am looking forward to listening to the entire album soon. Check out the single here.


WAYWARD DAUGHTER NEW MERCH LAUNCH
All you Wayward fans are definitely going to want to get your hands on the new Wayward Daughter merch. It's all pretty minimalist but stylish at the same time. I'm personally most excited about the custom plectrums, however the new "My Bones Are Like Feathers" tee is very nice too. Give it all a look, and maybe even make a purchase here.


DARLIA NEW MUSIC VIDEO "DEAR DIARY"
Since Darlia's last single "Candyman", I've been really excited to hear new stuff from them, and now I have both a song and a video to sample?! Yes. I absolutely love this song and I'm expecting exciting things from their debut album, they're a very interesting new band right now. Hopefully I'll catch them at a festival this summer but until then, here's their new video.


BIPOLAR SUNSHINE NEW VIDEO "DECKCHAIRS ON THE MOON"
After seeing Bipolar Sunshine live a couple of months ago here, I've been keeping an eye on his movements and he actually released this single a few weeks ago but he's finally put out a video for it, and thank goodness he did - it is definitely a worthy single. Such a nice summer chill vibe. This will definitely be getting a lot of play time these next few months. Treat your eardrums and eyeballs here.


FALL OUT BOY WRITING NEW MUSIC
After their last, and very disappointing, album Save Rock And Roll, I'm not entirely sure that this is a good thing. However, seeing as the last few Fall Out Boy albums were so great I feel like there is still hope for an awesome new album - I suppose we'll have to wait and see just what this new writing will bring.


CIRCA WAVES NEW SINGLE "YOUNG CHASERS"
After chatting with the boys (here) during their NME Awards Tour, I've been waiting for news about them, and here they are with their latest single. As expected it's an indie rock festival anthem - it will definitely be a hit for them at their upcoming Glastonbury appearance. Circa Waves are really trailblazing right now, I expect big things from them over the next year. Have a listen to the new one here.


LIMP BIZKIT NEW SINGLE "ENDLESS SLAUGHTER"
Limp Bizkit announced the release of a new single this week and actually stated that they'd be releasing it on cassette. After their single release around this time last year, featuring Lil' Wayne (here), who knows what this new track will sound like?! I suppose I'll have to dig out my old walkman and have a listen.


INTERPOL ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM "EL PINTOR" 
Another band that I've been keeping an ear out for since the NME Awards Tour here and how could I not?! They absolutely smashed their set that night and since doing my research on their back catalogue, I would can now call myself a fan. I'm looking forward to hearing Interpol's new record in the near future.


Find out what you might have missed last month in the music world here...