The Barlights play the Norwich Arts Centre on Friday 3rd September to launch their new album “You Cannot Choose The Roads That Take You Home” their follow up to their debut ”If It Wasn’t For The Light, The Dark Would Have Killed Us”. Support comes from last year’s Next Big Thing runners-up Alloy Ark and special guests The Vegas Fame Index.

You can get tickets from the UEA ticket bookings website.

I’ve been keeping an eye on the work of Ipswich-centric gig photographer Jenny O’Neill for a while now. She has an excellent eye for timing at gigs, and been fortunate enough to photograph some great bands from little known Ipswich artists to festival headliners for the BBC, IpArt, EADT and Evening Star amongst others. Her photos never disappoint, go check out her flickr or her website for more treats.

The Olympians (previously Hair Traffic Control) play the Norwich Arts Centre on Monday, with Foreign Office, Tortoise Family Connections and The Neutrinos (acoustic), all for only a fiver. Tickets from the Arts Centre website

We snagged a quick interview with them, ahead of the gig.

So first question, how long have you guys been together as a band now?

About three years in various shapes and forms. Some forms noticeably better than others, most shapes indistinguishable from one another, especially in the dark or after a drink or two. As Olympians, since March.

What caused the decision to change the name from Hair Traffic Control?

I think the real question there is ‘What on earth caused the decision to call ourselves Hair Traffic Control in the first place?’ We got sick of people thinking we were a comedy band basically.

What or who were your influences and inspiration in the beginning for you guys?

Genesis (the event, not the band)

We listened to a lot of mathy technical bands when we started out, and tried to fit as many notes in as possible. Stuff like Don Cab or Faraquet which is very much techy sections stitched together fairly loosely with little regard for ‘songs’, as such.

Have they changed much since then and have you picked more?

It’s much more about Genesis the band now. Seriously. I think what’s very different with the approach now is that we listen to a lot more varied stuff (drone stuff like Emeralds, folksy harmony stuff like CSNY, dancable stuff like Talking Heads and much more arrangement-centric stuff like Adem and Tunng) and try to incorporate ideas like that, as well as the guitar-based stuff, into actual song structures. So I guess it’s still about cramming stuff in, just with a wider variety of ingredients.

What was it like getting through to the Next Big Thing final back when you were Hair Traffic Control?

“It was a wonderful opportunity blah blah blah…”

It was quite fun really, we played a couple of fun gigs and one was in the LCR which was quite nice having grown up going to gigs there. Sounds like a standard losers response, but we tried not to get too wrapped up in the whole thing, so in our own way we won just by taking part.

Taking part and getting brain meltingly drunk.

What’s next for Olympians?

Immediately, we’re on the way to Harlow to rock out hard. On Monday we’re headlining Norwich Arts Centre with the remarkable Foreign Office. After that, we’re putting our song ‘Foreign Language’ out as a single and then releasing an EP we recorded last month with the ever-excellent Dave Pye. We’re also doing some dates across the country with our friends in Our Lost Infantry (excellent band, listen immediately) in October, as well as writing a new EP, which will be a four-song concept record about a group of tiny submarines searching for intelligent life in a bottle of home-brewed cider. Probably.

It’s rare to see a band at the Norwich Arts Centre after seeing them twice at the UEA LCR, however for The Automatic I’ll consider it a treat to get to see them at such an intimate venue. Kick starting the evening with recent single Interstate which the vocal reminds me heavily of James Dean Bradfield. Quickly firing through old favourites such Raoul and Recover, along with a few new tunes. Monster appeared mid set to a rather lacklustre crowd response (shame on you Norwich). However set closer Steve McQueen was met with a much better response, so perhaps the young crowd are recently acquired fans.

Lets see The Automatic return soon to a larger stage and a fuller crowd, in the mean time we’ll enjoy the new album Tear The Signs Down.

View The Automatic photos on flickr here

The Welsh rockers The Automatic are heading to the Norwich Arts Centre on 22nd March to play us some new tunes from their forthcoming third album, Tear The Signs Down. Hopefully also playing some of their older greats like Monster, Steve McQueen and Raoul. I managed to ask the band a few questions ahead of the gig.

Buy tickets to The Automatic at Norwich Arts Centre

You guys have come a long way from the Monster track, is that still in the set or are you sick of playing it?

We still play it. We benefited so much from that song, and even people who don’t know who we are know the song, but it doesn’t have to be the highlight of the set. We’ve played gigs without it and people didn’t notice!

Also do you still have the gold digger track on the set, I loved that when I saw you guys at the UEA a couple of years ago?

Well, Pennie left the band two years ago, and none of us can rap, so no..none of us can screech like he did. Also, my flute’s back in Cardiff!

Did you ever get any feedback on the cover from Kanye West?

No. That would have been cool, though. That was before he embarrassed himself at the VMAs and everyone realised he was an idiot.

The new album sounds pretty good, what were your influences for it?

There’s a theme of picking yourself or somebody else up after something bad has happened to you which runs through the majority of the tracks. I didn’t even notice it creeping in as we were writing it. It must have something to do with being messed around by our old label, on a subconscious level. I’m not Sigmund Freud though, what do I know! Musically, it was the same melting pot of influences we’ve always had, but we swapped instruments and experimented a lot, so they were being expressed in different ways.

How does it feel to be back on the road in the UK, performing the new album?

Amazing. We haven’t done a big tour, in a bus, for over a year. We’re loading all our own gear in and out every night, setting up ourselves and touring for 30 days with only 5 days off, and I’ve never enjoyed it more. Having 3 albums worth of material to choose from is fantastic as well! We’re playing better than ever and I’m so grateful that we still get to do it. We can’t lose.

You guys have played Norwich several times before, how does it feel being back?

We always have a great time in Norwich. I don’t know why, but I’m not complaining! We’ve never had noisier, livelier crowds than Norwich crowds. Keep it up, guys! By the way, what’s good to do on a day off in Norwich?

What’s next once this tour is over, are you guys playing any festivals this summer?

Hopefully! We’ve got one or two small things planned, but we’re trying to get ourselves on to some of the bigger festivals. We’ve had amazing experiences at Reading & Leeds, Glastonbury, T in the park and others, and hopefully we’ll have many more.

Well it’s the start of that time of year where all the summer music festivals announce their line-ups and Latitude announced the headlines this evening. The three main headliners on the Obelisk arena are Florence and the Machine, Belle and Sebastian and Vampire Weekend. Others confirmed include Empire of The Sun, The Maccabees, The Horrors, The National, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Grizzly Bear, The XX and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Some non-music acts to note include the brilliant poet John Cooper Clarke, comedian Rich Hall, the grumpy Arthur Smith is appearing in the Literary Arena and the nabokov theatre group.

Got to go and shoot photos for work the other night at this year’s NME Awards Tour, which featured The Maccabees (above), Bombay Bicycle Club, Big Pink and The Drums. I ended up also having to write a review as my journalist friend forgot that he was away on a training course all week, you can read my review here. it’s rather satisfying seeing your name in a newspaper, even when you have worked for one for nearly seven years.

Photos from the gig can be found on flickr

This is a rather delayed post, no excuse I know. Some of you may remember the Joy Formidable playing at the Norwich Arts Centre as a Christmas style gig, well there were fairy lights and Christmas trees galore. Well Joy Formidable, who I hadn’t heard of prior to the gig were really really good and I recommend giving them a listen as soon as you can.

Photos from the night can be found on flickr

Jason Perry - Holds court to over 150 eager fans

Last night saw ‘A’ return to East Anglia after a 5 year hiatus to play a warm-up gig at The Marquee before their UK tour starts on Saturday in Oxford. The night started with Lowestoft high energy rockabilly band Claw of Panther. Followed by Atlas and I who did well to get the crowd moving even if most were waiting in the bar for ‘A’. Brighton’s This City made the journey to Norwich to play with ‘A’ who they are supporting on the rest of the tour around the UK.

By the time ’A’ took to the stage the back room was absolutely jam packed, easily the fullest I’ve ever seen it. They then proceeded to play all the hits the crowd wanted to hear, despite the terrible PA system of The Marquee cutting and crackling. Would be great to see them back in Norwich again perhaps at the Waterfront or UEA where the sound would be better.

Click here for more photos on Flickr

A trio of bands and one poet graced the stage at the B2 on Sprowston Road tonight. After the poet from Ipswich (who’s name I can’t remember) Faster Than Robots bringing their Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr influence rock to the crowd. Then followed Tommy Twist and the Why Thinkers with a two-part set of acoustic and electric. Followed up by the heavily Von Bondies-esque Camarilla who had some wonderful two girl harmonies going on.

Head to the B2 tomorrow night for We Were Promised Jet Packs supported by The Barlights and The Brownies.

Camarilla

Faster Than Robots

Tommy Twist and the Why Thinkers

More Photos on Flickr