Vona Vella - "You Can Be So Ugly"

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"You Can Be So Ugly" is the kind of song you're going to fall in love with within the first seven seconds. Vona Vella have done something truly special here. The Nottingham based band have created this sound that is partly early The Strokes and partly dream pop. A lot of the guitars and vocals are reminiscent of the first Strokes album, but everything is a little more jangly and coated in a thing layer of haze. Not to mention that "You Can Be So Ugly" is almost too catchy, possibly due to a little bit of 60's doo wop hiding just under the surface. We were first won over by Vona Vella back in September, and "You Can Be So Ugly" has us even more enamored.

Co-founders Izzy Davis and Dan Cunningham say of their new single:

"It's about accepting the ugly side of friendships or relationships. Even your favourite people have that side to them but you learn to live with it if you want to be around them. It's saying 'you can be a right idiot sometimes', then finding forgiveness."

You can watch the video for "You Can Be So Ugly" below. Carnival is due out February 27 on Strap Originals, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Vona Vella, check out the band Instagram and Facebook. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.


January
31st Edinburgh, Cowgate Block Party
February
26th Vilnius (LT), Kablys (Murmurs showcase festival)
28th Nantwich, Applestump (Instore show)
March
1st Bury, Wax and Beans (Instore show)
2nd Liverpool, Jacaranda  (Instore show)
3rd Leeds, Crash (Instore show)
4th Coventry, Just Dropped In (Instore show)
5th Oxford, Truck (Instore show)
6th London, Dash The Henge (Instore show)

7th Leeds, Book Club

11th Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge

13th Derby, Fuse

14th Blackpool, Bootleg Social

17th Bristol, Exchange

23rd Liverpool, Jacaranda

26th Manchester, Gullivers

April

4th Stockton calling, Stockton

28th Nottingham, Bodega

On Repeat...

Monday Mix: Newport Folk Festival 2014 Must See Bands

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With this weekend's upcoming Newport Folk Festival, we thought we'd highlight some of this year's can't miss acts. We're focusing on the bands playing smaller stages and earlier in the day. I mean, you're obviously going to see Ryan Adams and Jack White. Instead, these are the acts worth getting there early for, and seeking out the smaller stages. Phox Friday, 1:50, Quad Stage Phox hails from Baraboo, WI, the winter home of the Ringling Brothers' Circus. I'm not sure if that is connected to their music or not, but Phox has an otherworldly charm and a magical feel. They come across as a more grounded St. Vincent or a less intense version of early Tori Amos. Their music is simply beautiful and uplifting.  Reignwolf Friday, 2:55, Quad Stage Truly pushing the boundaries of what can be considered "folk" are Reignwolf. Reignwolf is Jordan Cook, who sounds like a mixture of The Black Keys and Queens of the Stone Age, mixed with just a lit...
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Minibeast - "High Sea"

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Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
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The Cairo Gang - "Be What You Are"

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Photo by Rachel Cassels The Cairo Gang is mostly Emmett Kelly, who recorded most of their upcoming album, Goes Missing,  on his own while travelling. "Be What You Are" is pure pop gold, reminiscent of British invasion bands like The Kinks and The Zombies. It features jangly guitars and some of the most infectious layered vocals you've heard in years. Luckily the beauty of this style of music is that it never quite sounds dated. It might sound like it's from a certain era that happened 50 years ago, but everything you've ever listened to since then borrows so heavily from it that it always sounds current. It's the kind of music you wish you hadn't missed, only now you haven't. Goes Missing  is due out June 23rd on God? Records. You can pre-order the album now, and be sure to check out The Cairo Gang's Facebook . Listen to "Be What You Are" below, and below that are tour dates, many opening for Mikal Cronin. Sat. Sept. 5 - Portlan...
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