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Photos: The Ruckus goes to The Great Escape Part 1

Have you ever seen people dancing to folk pop holding cans of beer in a church aisle? Oh hey, Great Escape. 

I really am quite fond of folk-pop lads (think Arcade Fire, Hey Rosetta!) Eliza and the Bear, so much that I popped along to both of their shows at TGE. The first held in the ever so pitch black, Haunt, where I caught Friends last year and Kyla la Grange the year before. Later on in the Saturday evening I headed up towards Kemp Town into the church I saw Jethro Fox at last year, St Mary's. A stunning venue with the perfect light and atmosphere, it is my favourite venue at The Great Escape. Seeing a flash type mob erupt in the church aisles during Eliza and the Bear's set, I felt like I was in an Orange advert, but with really really good music. Check out the stunning, Upon the North, below.

Track: Dune - Oh Innocence

Where do I start....I guess I could by saying that this IS most definitely a love story. A story of Boy goes to a gig. Sees amazing Girl playing equally amazing music and falling madly in love. I first saw Dune at an Aussie Music showcase on a wet and windy Sunday, she was inbetween guitar bands and I hadn't actually heard anything about her previously so I wasn't sure what to expect. As the set on went I realised I was watching a genuine star in Jade MacRae aka Dune, a Melbourne-based multi-instrumentalist. I could just tell you that she makes pop music but it's much more than that. Her music covers the entire pop spectrum. Oh Innocence which you can hear below is more pop a-la Robyn and Lyyke Li with tribal beats and textured synths. And if you're blown away by Oh Innocence, you just wait for her next release Recover Me which sounds like the best parts of Wham! and Culture Club and in my humble opinion is no bad thing, infact, its a very good thing indeed.

Video: Throwing Stuff - Live At No. 3, Southampton

© 2013 Chris Wakefield Photography

Throwing Stuff and Sam Russo embarked on a short UK tour back in April, including a house show at No. 3 in Southampton. The house has had many a band pass through over the years, but I doubt that any set can match the incredible...stupidity of this one.

Known for their totally off the wall sets, Throwing Stuff - joined ocassionally by, the aforementioned, Mr Russo, top them all here and, thankfully, the guys at Soya Milk Zine were able to capture the entirity of the band's sixteen minute set on film. I'm not going to even try and describe what happens, just watch it. 

Ben Marwood (w/The Retrospective Soundtrack Players) at The Monarch, Camden

Ben Marwood released his second album, Back Down, on 13th May 2013 (you can read The Ruckus’ review for the album here) and, to coincide with the album release, Marwood began his tour around the UK with a free show at The Monarch in Camden, London.

A free show is always a bonus, right? And in this case the free show not only included Ben Marwood but, in support, his fellow Xtra Mile Recordings comrades, The Retrospective Soundtrack Players (albeit a stripped back version of the 6 piece).

Tracks: Slow Skies - Close EP

I'm an avid listener of Amazing Radio and if you're not already familiar with them, its a station that is a must for anyone seeking out new music. Every so often a band or an artist will make my ears prick up and take notice and that happened with Slow Skies, who are a Dublin based band featuring beautiful and haunting vocals of Kate Sheridan with Conal Herron and Patrick O'Laoghaire on vocal duties as well as an array of instruments. I tried picking out 1 track for you to listen to but their Close EP deserves to be heard in full. Check it out below and it'll stay with you for a long time (until their next EP release which is very very soon).

Song Premier: Deadbeat Darling - Flowers For Our Graves

Railing against all the hipster indie rockers and precious radio pop stars are a few bands who are bent on ushering in a new era of rock & roll - one that blends classic rock with surf, dub, and just enough swagger to get them noticed. Lyric driven, whiskey-voiced, emotion heavy and allusive, their music takes the listener from breakup worthy ballads to arena filling face melters - there are no rules here. One standout upstart is New York City based Deadbeat Darling, a band whose live show is described as "a sweaty barrage of unrestrained energy and mischievous sway," leaving them a whole lot to live up to.

Luckily, they manage. "Flowers For Our Graves" is a whiskey-laden dream, dive bar perfect and just dark enough for a tipsy-hot summer night. Check it out here, then head over to their website for more:

Deadbeat Darling are Mohit Bhansali, Joseph King, Evan Howard, and Ian Everall. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Track: Jacques Greene - On Your Side ft. How To Dress Well (Radio Edit)

This past weekend, I was gracing the UK seaside town of Brighton for The Great Escape. I spent most of the weekend checking out acts for my dayjob as well as stumbling into the closest venues for a music fix. I did have a shortlist of acts that I was desperate to see and one of those features on this Jacques Greene track. How To Dress Well performed a beautiully haunting and emotionally charged set which warmed my ice cold heart. On this track HTDW joins Montreal producer Jacques Greene for a mix of House and R&B which all the kids are calling future garage. Whatever you want to call it, we can all agree that it's pretty amazing.