Simian Mobile Disco was born from the remains of Simian, by James Ford and Jas Shaw whilst DJ’ing between gigs. This is around the time that their record company launched a competition for bedroom acts to remix the Simian track, ‘Never Be Alone’. A remix by, a then, unknown French production duo named Justice started to become a party anthem - and is still played now years after its release. Songs like, ‘Hustler’, ‘It’s The Beat’ and ‘I Believe’ have since been released, and the Debut album from the duo, Attack Decay Sustain Release came in at #59 in the UK Album charts despite their underground appeal. James Ford has also been involved in many album productions, including the Mercury Prize-winning Klaxons album, Myths of the Near Future.

So… 6/12/08. Little Johnny Russells. Portsmouth. Simian Mobile Disco DJ set! What were they doing there!? I don’t know but the guys from Sumo did a great job to get them. Of course, representatives of EyeMayListen were there. Me and Matt went along to see this amazing event in the years calendar, and were not disappointed. We arrived to Little Johnny Russells, a pub converted for the carnage that was about to hit the almighty Albert Road. Almost empty at first, the crowds soon started gathering and it was becoming increasingly harder to buy a drink, however service was resumed once the night really started to kick off.

Photos by Josie Curtis

At about 10.30 i think, James Shaw appeared behind the decks and what magic was to follow. Great atmosphere, great tunes and a great name on the ticket. The night was brilliant. His mixing was a very good and everyone in the building loved it. No sign of James Ford, but what the heck - great night anyway! My ears were slightly deafened I think - due to standing next to the speakers but it was worth it. Great night, so if anyone gets the chance to see them - do it!

- Stuart

Hey, matt here! ^_^

Friday night left us wanting more after Hadouken! played at the Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth. We completely boycotted the queue to get in after we saw it was snaking round the block… so we headed straight for the pub, and entered after the queue had gone. We still managed to wriggle our way through the crowd to get pretty good places though!

The first support band, Innercity Pirates put on a good show warming up the crowd (who didn’t really need warming up) but wern’t really memorable. They did chuck a few copies of their CD into the crowd though, so we may listen to that later on

The second support act, Master Shortie were pretty good! They really made the crowd go wild, and we sung along (to different lyrics though). Check them out, they could be big. They are touring around the UK with Hadouken! at the moment.

By the time Hadouken! got on the stage, we were very sweaty and just a little bit annoyed at the elbows digging into us from all sides. However we forgot all about this once the band started playing. And as always, they failed to be anything less than spectacular. After much anticipation, they kicked off, and it went crazy for a while. The atmosphere was amazing, and we were really blown away, so much so that we needed a little breather. Halfway through we managed to escape from the frantic fans to get some photos.

Overall, the gig was amazing, with the band playing tracks from their album, ‘Music for an Accelerated Culture’ as well as some classic tracks. As always with the Wedgewood Rooms, the atmosphere was both hot, sticky, and frantic, but awesome all the same!

- Matt.

I would just like to add to this compact little review by Matt and mention that I also thought it really was an AWESOME gig. Despite being elbowed in the ear two songs in, with such a force that I could only hear with one side of my head for the rest of the gig… the fact I was literally dripping wet with other peoples sweat.. I have to say, it really was an utterly sound gig. I loved both of the support bands, both being so dramatically different. They almost divided the Hadouken! sound.. the first support giving an awesome electronic infused sound.. then the second support providing us with the other end of the spectrum, rapping and jumping around. They forced a sound upon the crowd that managed to turn the venue into a very packed and very sweaty dance floor. Once these guys came on there was no going back… They certianly warmed up the crowd. I completely second Matt’s words. He failed however to mention Hadouken!’s cover, of none other than Prodigy - Breathe. Hells yeah! I was on the side at this point debating whether the numbness on the side of my head was something to be worried about… But it took me seconds, mini-seconds maybe? To forget about it and start jumping up and down and screaming.. There wasn’t a kid in the room that wasn’t moving at some point..
Awesome, awesome night!

- Luu

[GUEST WRITER]

The Zutons – Sherwood Pines 21^st June 2008-06-25

Support: Jonah and the Whale & Mystery Jets

The festival-like event seemed to start off gloomy with unsettled weather. However, this failed to turn away the determined army of Wellie-wearing fans. Thankfully the frowns seemed to turn into smiles when the cheery vibes from ‘Jonah and the Wale’ uplifted the mood, with some toe tapping movements. Their niche sound didn’t go down too well, with some of the fans however, who instantly compared them to ‘Arcade Fire’. Then Mystery Jets finally donned the stage, opening their set with ‘Hideaway’, the crowd got straight down to some real grooving.. The hits just kept on coming, ‘Young Love’ and ‘Two Doors Day’ were played and the crowd were getting ready for the main band…
After much Anticipation the Zuton’s finally kicked things off with a classic hit, ‘Zuton Fever’. They continued to keep with the classics, as the likes of ‘Why wont you Give me your love’ and ‘Tired of hanging around’ were played early on in their set. The Band then slipped into a section of songs from the new album, which were played with pure brilliance..
Things became a little unsettled as a slightly unfortunate accident happened involving a crowd surfer falling onto a fan, after finishing a song McCabe said, “I saw that, this next one is for you..” to the injured fans. Then they slipped seamlessly into ‘Valerie’ and the band seemed to be at war with the crowd, as fan’s were singing their hearts out drowning out the band’s sounds.

The band played a very tight set, often jamming out the ending to the songs. Banta from McCabe and the crowd spiced up the evening, even if seeing Abi wasn’t enough. An explosive encore followed with “Confusion” and ‘You will, You Wont’ finally finishing the night, putting aside the bad weather.
9/10
Joseph Maguire - The Zutons are a must see live band!

The opening night of Hidden Depths last night was pretty spectacular. Hosted in London’s Soho Revue Bar, a smart little venue that despite being hidden in Walkers Court, a somewhat interesting road mainly consisting of strip clubs and adult cinemas, was very swish inside. Upon entering we were donned with fabric wrist bands and gold envelopes and directed to a staircase. Once up the staircase we walked into an intimately cosy room, dressed in shabby chic-esque style Hidden Depths wall paper and funky light installations. There was a small stage on the right and bar on the far left, accessible by a small staircase surrounded by a tier of small tables either side. There were no free tables by the time we arrived but looking back on this now, I am glad that’s how it turned out because standing on the small dance floor in front of the stage was possibly where all the best spots to be were anyway.

The night kicked off with Mpho Skeef, a girl with some serious soul and one amazing voice. She woke the crowd up and didn’t let them go until her last breath.. I hadn’t heard her before, which I now know to have been a serious crime on my part. Her set consisted of just three things; a bass guitar, hand drums and her voice. Despite being a very small set, it was by no means a small sound. I was definitely blown away.

The second memorable sound was to come from A.Human, an electro-rock fueled six piece band with an energetic vibe and addictive beat. There wasn’t an area on the stage the vocalist didn’t cover, he was by all accounts all over the place, even taking the time to jump off the stage at one point and smother his sweaty hands affectionately over my friends face. Who needs makeup removing face wipes, eh?Thirdly, was the unique electro-acoustic vibrations of The Shortwave Set a delightfully twisted echo, that really brought a mood to the room. Throughout the night I was repeatedly recommended to look out for these guys by a certain someone and I was in no way disappointed. They pushed the limit on their set time and delivered some seriously intricate tunes, using instruments I couldn’t even name. Click on their name to visit their myspace and check out the song ‘Harmonia’.

Then… The almighty Infadels. They were everything I expected and more… choosing to do an acoustic set they certainly did the stage justice. We had the opportunity to ask the front man and vocalist Bnann Watts some questions before they went on stage…

Luu: Bimey, where did all the money come from?

Bnann: Our own pockets!

Luu: Really! That’s pretty generous!

Bnann: Yeah, well it was kind of reverse busking.. we played then we gave THEM money. (chuckles)

Luu: Did you film it?

Bnann: Yeah.. If you look it up on Youtube there’s a video, we filmed it all!

Luu: Your single is called ‘Free Things For Poor People’ was it ever going to be something that would be more charitable, for a cause or registered charity?

Bnann: It was never going to be a charity single no.. it was always just about what’s going on at the moment, I mean everyones worried about money and the credit crunch.. it was just highlighting that really as a bit of a piss take.. we are all facing the same problem..

Luu: Yeah.. That makes sense… How do you feel people have reacted to the new album? Has the feedback been positive?
Bnann: Definately positive, yeah. I mean I was really surprised, we have done a few gigs since it’s release and already people know the songs and are singing along, so yeah, a completely positive response really..

Luu: Sounds great! So does this mean you are looking forward to Glastonbury? How do you feel about playing? Excited?

Bnann: Excited definitely but I’m looking forward to it. I am a bit nervous but I am looking forward to it, it should be a great weekend.

Luu: Well we won’t keep you any longer, thank you for your time.. and good luck with tonight and tomorrow.

Bnann: Thanks, thanks very much.

Once on stage they gave it all. I certianly bopped around a bit and I think a lot of others did too. Lots of people sang along and for me it was by far the best set of the night, followed by Mpho and The Shortwave Set.. The night went on with lots more fun including a rather interesting set from Marc Almond and awesome sets from DJ Pierre and Propellerheads. I have only highlighted just a few of the amazing sounds.. Hidden Depths certianly began with a bang and pushed all the right buttons. Congrats goes out to Mark Jones, founder of Wall Of Sound for showcasing some fit sounds and really pushing the night to an amazing level. The rest of the night was a beautiful mix of dancing and free San Miguel.. Oh! and one last and rather special thanks goes out to Rupert Runewitsch and co. at DBM Pulse for a totally brilliant night. ^_^

- Luu xx

It appears we have finally made it! We have safely made the journey into independence.. The blog is now on its own server and has its own domain! We would like to thank everyone involved in re-vamping the blog and give a huge thanks to all of our readers for having the patients while we changed everything over.

We have had a busy couple of months and I won’t babble any longer.. let me get down to business!

Sooooo… we have been a handful of places and met a whole bunch of people! Let me highlight the best of:

The Holloways, The Old Firestation, May 5th
(with support from Frank Turner & Hey Molly)
An absolutely awesome night, by gosh did we share some drinks that night.. then onward to iBar for a chilled after party. Frank Turner certainly had a good turn out with people screaming the lyrics, I was certainly impressed. The Holloways were brilliant, playing some of their top vibrations. They certainly kept the gig-goers motivated and moving, even singing happy birthday to one hawaiian-dressed chap.. The after party was chilled and they were very laid back and only too happy to share drink-infused conversation with strangers and fans alike. All in all, a night well spent. Defiantly a highlight.

Not Advised, iBar Bournemouth, May 22nd
(with Support Lost On Landing & Jaimison)
This was a good night. I must admit to having a few drinks upstairs before making a late appearance downstairs. I was primarily interested in Lost On Landing at this gig and had the chance to share a few words with them about the recording and launch of their new EP and rumors of a record label.. I have a full write up of that brilliant little interview that I will be posting up on friday, so definitely check that out. I also met a guy called Tom Clarke (host of Intricate Industries) so heres a shout out to him for the chit chat and also meeting at the Paige gig a week later!

Paige at iBar Bournemouth, May 29th
(with support from Last Letter Read & others)
This was not a gig I will forget for a while. It was a bit of an unusual one, I’ll give them that. With rumors of certain happenings in the boooys toilets, a rather drunk and excitable merch guy, a misunderstanding followed by a quick forgiving between Paige’s vocalist and his girlfriend, in the middle of a song… and, meeting up with Rob and LLR, all in one night… It was a good one, haha. The music was awesome, the sound quality somehow managed to be better than usual. Paige gave a pretty smart performance and the audience certainly engaged..

Army Of Freshman, The Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth
(with support from Last Letter Read & others)
I hadn’t encountered much from these guys before but they were worth the watch. A really good gig. I hadn’t been to The Wedge in a while and this was a good welcome home. Army Of Freshman did a good job of blowing us wee British away. Check them out. Effing good night thank you very much. Oh… Last Letter Read were good too ^_^ It was good to hear them at a venue that was more equipt to give out a better sound. It was a really good night. If you weren’t there… where were you??

Those are my best of’s for now. Tomorrow will introduce Matt and his beautiful Thursday spot. We hope you like the new-look Eyemaylisten. Feel free to email us and comment.. You know we love the feedback! Thank you for all the recent emails, we have hopefully emailed you all back! Stay tuned for more exclusives, including videos from Temposhark and Drive A!!