Living Live | Music, Video and Events

It’s been a busy year for me so I haven’t had as much time as I’d like to get behind the camera a make stuff. But when something interesting comes along I make sure I get it on camera.

Here is a hot new drummer we found in Exeter. He’s only 21 but he has already played in more venues in Devon than most. He dresses in clothes his parents bought him, can occasionally be spotted in a purple suit and has ludicrous amounts of ginger hair, but never the less he has got some talent. He tells us his favorite drummer is Bonham and its almost impossible to not draw similarities between the two. We hail him Whitey – The Ginger Bonham.

We invited him down to the Living Live Studio to record a solo and here is what he gave us:

It’s been rumored for a while, to be honest I actually found out about a month ago, but Muse have confirmed two huge gigs in their hometown of Teignmouth.

Rumor first got out when an application for an events licence of up to 15,000 people went in to Teignmouth council earlier this month, and it has now been approved. Muse will be playing at The Den next to the seafront on the 4th and 5th of September to an expected sell out croud of 10,000 per night.  MORE

A short teaser up and coming super-group Them Crooked Vultures has gone live. Here is a part from the track “Nobody Loves Me and Neither do I”

All signs point to Them Crooked Vultures braking the trend of piss poor super-groups, and are shaping up to be one of the best new bands of the year (or maybe decade). Stay tuned for more news.

It’s Official. Quite Possibly the greatest super-group of all time has been announced. After months, even years of rumors it has been confirmed that an album is nearly complete.

Here is the Line Up for Them Crooked Vultures

Josh Homme, Pioneer of Epic Rock band Queens of the Stone Age, as well as Eagles of Death Metal, Desert Sessions and Kyuss will be on guitar. Dave Grohl, Pioneer of the Foo Fighters, and drummer from the now legendary Nirvana will be returning to the drum kit. And None Other than John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin on the bass. And Breathe…

Homme and Grohl have previously worked together, collaborating on “Songs For The Deaf”, Queens of the Stone Age’s 3rd album which guested Dave Grohl on the drums in what was one of the best collaborations of the last decade. Jones has also previously collaborated with Grohl on the Foo Fighters album “In Your Honor” in which Homme also appeared.

The Band will be called “Them Crooked Vultures” and rumor has it that an album is nearly complete. The band will perform for the first time in Chicago on Sunday. The Only review so far comes from Homme’s wife and Spinnerette singer Brody Dalle. “I’m not at liberty to talk about it… but I think [the project] is pretty fucking amazing. Just beats and sounds like you’ve never heard before.”

Expect to be annihilated by the awesomeness soon.

The Arctic Monkeys are to sell a limited edition seven inch vinyl of their latest single “Crying Lightning” at Oxfam 700 charity shops. It’s the first track from their latest album “Humbug” and all proceeds will go to help Oxfam’s charity work around the world.

Charities have been struggling during the recession, as donations have fallen and demand for their help grows all around the world. Many charities now rely on revenue from shops and charity gifts to help those in need. The release of Crying Lightning marks the first time Oxfam shops have sold a new release single for 25 years.

Crying lightning is a really dirty rock gem. It was produced by Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal)  and you can sure hear the filthy rock influence on this track, but its not too intrusive. In all its a perfect mix of English indie and American style hard rock.

Spotify users take note, here is an album you must listen to. Count To Fire – Songs that Remind Me of You. Count to Fire are based in our home town of Exeter. A Young Folk band, with fresh and thoughtful songwriting they are quickly attracting the attention of music fans everywhere. Next month they head to Canada to record their second album.

Their first album “Songs that remind me of you” is a flawless piece of work. Capturing their uniquely styled alternative folk, there is not a single second that feels compromised. The stand out track for me is “Rain Coat” which is maturely written yet still conveys the urgency of a young band. If you are a fan of the Doves, Arcade Fire and Friendly Fires that these guys will definitely float your boat.

Here is the Spotify URI: spotify:album:2JwkfcVmophWLmpwo7kbRG

Well I watched Bruno last night. I don’t really know what to think about it. It certainly made me laugh, a lot, but at what cost. It made me feel uncomfortable, more than anything else, for the unsuspecting people involved. Sure a lot of them say things that are unforgivable, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

A racist or homophobic crosses the line when he acts on his views and encroaches on the rights of another person. If they are not doing this they essentially are just another person with their opinion that they are entitled to. It is these people that I kind of feel are exploited in this film. Sure they have bad opinions, but they were not crossing the line before Cohen forced them into a situation that made them uncomfortable. And by doing this to these people I believe that Cohen actually became the type of person he was supposedly shaming. Borat was funny because it put people in a funny situation (most of the time) and it wasn’t used to exploit certain types of people (most of the time).

If you want to see possibly the most contraversial film of our time, this is for you. But if you just want a laugh, its probably best to avoid.

Music videos have long been an inspiration to us here at Living Live. Partnering Music and Video together has always been something that just connects with me. Its been a while since I have been really inspired by any music video production, as pop music has become more and more viral, there has been little room for Indie video makers to make their mark. Its been a while since the glory days of Chris Cunningham and Jonathan Glazer have moved us with their amazing work.

Thankfully yesterday I was captivated by a music video for the first time in years. The video was for Jack White’s latest band “The Dead Weather” for the track “Treat Me Like Your Mother”. It’s a fantastic piece of work, and I was not surprised to hear it was directed by my favourite Director Jonathan Glazer. Here it is.

The Dead Weather – Treat Me Like Your Mother

In more exiting news we recently met up with rising filmmaker Carl Shanahan. We hope to soon be collaborating on some music videos so watch this space.