Top 10 GIGS OF 2012

In 2012 I managed to average seeing over a gig a week, so have seen a lot of live music throughout the year - here are my top 10 picks of 2012 - did you make it to any of these:

#10:  Graham Coxon - 19th April @ Sound Control
#09:  Toy - 10th April @ Soup Kitchen
#08:  A Place to Bury Strangers - 16th September @ Ruby Lounge
#07:  Amon Tobin - 19th May @ Academy 1
#06:  The Barr Borthers - 3rd May @ Soup Kitchen
#05:  Savages - 24th July @ Deaf Institute
#04:  Alabama Shakes - 12th November @ Academy 1
#03:  The Stone Roses - 29th June @ Heaton Park
#02:  We Are Augustines - 4th March - Night & Day Cafe
#01:  The Beach Boys - 28th September - Wembley Arena

I couldnt find any good quality clips of the Wembley show, but here is a trailer for the DVD from the same 50th Anniversary tour to give you an idea of how good these old men from California were - it was a true delight to see the Beach Boys still nailing those harmonies and delivering some FUN FUN FUN - which is why has to be my gig of the year!!!

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2012: WE ARE AUGUSTINES - RISE YE SUNKEN SHIPS

 

#03: WE ARE AUGUSTINES - RISE YE SUNKEN SHIPS

 

I was all ready to go with my top ten several weeks ago. However, I was thrown into complete disarray when it was pointed out to me that although this album was released in the States in June 2011, it only gots its UK release in March this year. Its meant a re-think but as you can tell by its high placing, its one that I couldn’t comprehend leaving out. We Are Augustines are a three piece band from Brooklyn, New York. There sound is somewhere between early Kings Of Leon and The National with singer and lyricist Billy McCarthey’s distinctive vocal as their defining feature. McCarthey has a voice that instantly sticks with you and his deeply personal lyrics give each song real weight. Songs like Book Of James and Philadelphia (City Of Brotherly Love) reference the suicide of his brother James directly but its understandably a recurring theme of the album with many other songs touching on similar ideas of loss and heartache. Barrel of Leaves and East Los Angeles slow the tempo down. The latter is one of the stand out tracks of the first half of the album and lead straight into Juarez, the slow building tale of a road trip to fulfil a vendetta that culminates in a huge chorus. There are many highlights to be found here and your favourite track will change the more you play the record. We Are Augustines also deliver a fantastic live set and I’d urge you to check them out if you get the chance.

Favourite Track: Juarez



DOWNLOAD: WE ARE AUGUSTINES iTUNES SESSION

Review by Jon Birch

Following We Are Augustine’s barn-storming set at the Ritz (see Listen Up Manchesters writeup:  http://listenupmanchester.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/gig-we-are-augustines.html), it almost felt like there was something missing on my next listen to their (none the less excellent) studio album, Rise Ye Sunken Ships.

This led me to the web to see if any live recordings of the band were available. After a quick search I was excited to find that the band had recorded an Itunes Session set released in May 2012. Though not recorded in front of a live audience, this reasonably sized EP of 7 tracks does give you a feel for the chemistry of the band and the atmosphere they can create. Billy McCarthy’s voice can be both haunting and powerful, none more so than on the anthemic, Juarez (a song that’s begging for a wider audience). A massive track on the album, this bursts into life on this live set. As a life long Boss fan, it was also great to have the EP finish with a tender cover of Springsteen’s Tougher Than The Rest.

In summary, this is a great introduction to a band very much in the ascendency(at a very reasonable £3.99!) and hearing the songs live gives them an extra edge.

GIG: WE ARE AUGUSTINES

We Are Augustines live at the HMV Ritz - 03.10.2012

One of our favourite live bands We Are Augustines - back in Manchester (3rd time I'd seen them this year) and played at the Ritz. It was very different from the first time I'd seen them back at the Night & Day cafe on Oldham Street earlier on in the year - a very exciting gig in a small venue, they'd gone from that to playing the Ritz in about 6 months (with a stop off at the Academy 3 inbetween) - they had grown, but their live set had also grown - with the addition of an extra member (and a 3 man horn section also!). They were still great up there, I did feel it maybe took them a few songs to fully find thier stride, but none the less they were pretty amazing - they really seemed to be enjoying themselves and were very humble to be playing there. A fun night at the Ritz - We Are Augustines..... you are awesome!