Cavan four piece The Strypes have announced that they are to make their debut television performance on the first episode of Later... With Jools Holland's 42nd series. The band will be joining Suede, Cat Power and fellow newcomer Laura Mvula. Apply for tickets here.
23rd March - 11th August 2013. The Victoria and Albert Museum (London).
After gaining prodigious access to Bowie's archive, The V&A have combined photographs, film, hand written lyrics and costumes in an attempt to catalogue the life and career of the revolutionary cultural icon. The exhibition will run for just over four months, however tickets are already selling out rapidly. Remaining dates can be booked here.
The cover of Paul 'Smiler' Anderson's long anticipated Mods - The New Religion has finally been unveiled. This revelation, however, comes hand in hand with the bad news that the expected release date has been pushed back seven months, from February 2013 to October 2013. Despite this, Anderson remains positive, noting that he has "spent several years writing the book and interviewing the crucial people that [he] wanted, another few months isn't that bad". Good things may just come to those who wait.
£4.99. Available at penguin.co.uk, enter "tube" upon checkout for 30% discount.
Penguin Books are celebrating 150 years of the London Underground with a series of twelve books, each associated with a different tube line. Fantastic Man, a venerable bi-annual fashion magazine, take on the East London line; delving into the fashions of young East Londoners with a penchant for buttoning their shirts up to the top. The book showcases archive images, essays and interviews in a pocket size format and at only 112 pages long, it's (aptly enough) an ideal read for the commute to work and back.
It seems that the Palma Violets have been on the tip of every music-savvy tongue for the past month or so and considering I'll be seeing them perform for Teenage Cancer Trust in March, I decided it was about time to give them a listen. Certain expectations sprang to mind knowing that they were supporting Paul Weller, but when it came to the band's image and sound I was quite shocked.
Instead of working class kids clad in boater jackets and bowling shoes, I was confronted with a bunch of rather soggy looking guys frolicking about a field. It was a pleasant surprise, mind. The monotone vocals of Last of the Summer Wine are charmingly reminiscent of Ian Curtis and the music has a rather ethereal feel to it.
However, I don't feel the band are bringing anything all too new to the plate. If I was none the wiser and had to guess I'd probably consider the singles to be new releases from The Horrors,White Lies or maybe even The Vaccines.
Still, not everything has to be completely original and I've actually really enjoyed listening to their other singles Best of Friends and Step Up for the Cool Cats.
The band's debut album 108 is due to be released on the 25th February and will be available on iTunes.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to eat my own words from my review of Jake Buggand confess that sometimes great music coming from a young source can be entirely impressive. The Strypes are an up and coming rhythm and blues band from Cavan (Ireland) aged 14-16; up until now I would've thought it impossible for a group of school boys to exhude such style. Whilst most kids their age are sat at home playing computer games, these guys are out recording original material and undergoing their own UK tour.
If you're in London on the 29th March, I'd highly recommend getting a hold of tickets for their show at 229 - it's part of the Le Beat Bespoke Weekender so should be a good crowd in a nice intimate venue.
Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top 10. BBC 4.
Tonight BBC 4 aired a 90 minute documentary on the evolution of the official singles chart over the past 60 years - from the NME Top 30, through to Top of the Pops and the Radio One Official Chart Show that still runs today.
We are taken on a journey from a time when the consumption of music was relevant to its placement in the charts to the official charts becoming almost entirely irrelevant due to the introduction of illegal downloads and physical sales consequently going through the floor. Some comfort is found in the conclusion, however, as Reggie Yates (Radio 1 DJ) asserts that there has been a revival of the charts. He notes that increasing numbers of people are choosing to legally download through iTunes and though the majority may not be buying hard copies of albums, music is still being consumed in a way that supports both the artists and industry.
The show is still available to view on the BBC iPlayer, here.
