Hot Chip

LCD Soundsystem on Hot Chip, Glasgow Barrowland and breaking the cycle - James Murphy interview

'I don’t know what’s going to happen for the first time in five years. It’s exciting to be confused'

3 Nov 2010

‘There’s a right way and a wrong way to play Glasgow,’ says LCD Soundsystem founder and frontman James Murphy. And he should know. His band’s excursions to the Barrowlands (‘my favourite venue in my favourite city in the world’, the New Yorker assures…

LCD Soundsystem and Fever Ray highlights of Electric Picnic 2010

Stradbally, Ireland, 3-5 Sep 2010

15 Sep 2010

The Picnic is one of two major events bookending the Irish festival season, and it feels like all of Ireland has turned out for summer’s last gasp. Which, as it turns out, is a rather wet one. But no matter, for the craic is good, the pies are hearty…

T in the Park 2010: Dirty Projectors, Hot Chip and Kele

T in the Park blog

11 Jul 2010

Sat 10th Jul Hi folks. Your T in the Park blogging correspondent this morning will be Jonny, recovering from an excellent Friday at the festival and ready to recap on the best bands so far. Starting off, it was a storming set from New York’s…

Hot Chip's WWF influence

Music Gossip

19 Apr 2010

Hot Chip formed over a shared interest in WWF wrestling. The British electro-pop band - known for their geeky demeanour and slight stature - was started over ten years ago by founder members Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard, who had previously been…

Singles and downloads - April 14th 2010

15 Apr 2010

The singles pile: always an education. What have we learnt this time? Only that Sandi Thom still lives, breathes and makes singy-like noises, this time aided and abetted by widely-revered American guitar-twiddler Joe Bonamassa on ‘This Ol’ World…

Greco-Roman Soundsystem set for Hinterland 2010

23 Mar 2010

Returning for its second annual installment, the Glasgow-based single ticket festival Hinterland has wisely scaled operations down a little this year. Focused around the Arches, the Sub Club and smaller venues like MacSorley’s and the Admiral, the…

Polymath drummer Charles Hayward plays CCA, Glasgow

10 Mar 2010

He’s a drummer, but, like jazz percussionist Han Bennink, Can’s Jaki Liebezeit and improvisational drummer Chris Corsano, he’s so much more, as this solo show should prove. 2: He was in This Heat In 1976, Hayward, Charles Bullen and Gareth…

Muse, Eminem and Kasabian are T in the Park 2010 headliners

The Prodigy, Jay-Z and Vampire Weekend also on Balado festival bill

23 Feb 2010

Muse, Eminem and Kasabian will headline the main stage at T In The Park 2010. Other major acts on the bill include Black Eyed Peas, The Prodigy and Jay-Z. The festival dates are Friday 9th. Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th July 2010. The campsite is…

Hot Chip

18 Feb 2010

You get the feeling that everyone who’s anyone in Edinburgh was out for this show. It wasn’t just a big gig, it was one by a band whose new album One Life Stand has set the benchmark for crossover electronic pop style in ‘10. Did it live up to its own…

John Digweed, Timo Maas and Hot Chip lined up for Musika third birthday

3 Feb 2010

For Derek Martin, promoter of Edinburgh house and electro clubbing brand Musika, the fire which has temporarily put the city’s Liquid Room venue out of action represents an opportunity more than it does a setback. Musika’s residency there wasn’t even…

Hot Chip’s Top Tips: Five of Their Favourite Tunes

3 Feb 2010

Hot Chip’s Top Tips: Five of their favourite tunes Joe Goddard ‘Set It Off’ by Strafe This is an 80s electro record produced by Walter Gibbons. It has a great minor key chorus which inspired the bassline for ‘Take It In’ on the new album. Al…

Inspiration, stylings and getting bored - Hot Chip interview

1 Feb 2010

Back with an album packed with real instruments, hymns to male friendship and informed by increasingly grown-up personal lives, Hot Chip are maturing into a proper band. Rumour has it that the mighty Hot Chip have gone a bit soft. They’ve never been…

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

27 Jan 2010

(Parlophone) Electro-poppers Hot Chip have gone soft. Their fourth album, aptly released just in time for Valentine’s Day, is all about love and meeting that special someone (hence the punning title). It looks like the boys have grown up and are keen…

How's Your Party?

20 Jan 2010

January, officially the worst month of the calendar, looks set to gain a boost this year with two How’s Your Party? shindigs. First up we have the world famous turntablists, The Scratch Perverts. Having won every trophy in sight, they now successfully…

2010 preview: Great expectations

7 Jan 2010

Favourite things are ending, exciting things are beginning and old things are coming back. 2010 is already shaping up to be a thrilling year and here are the 30 good reasons why we can’t wait

Simian Mobile Disco - Temporary Pleasure

16 Aug 2009

(Wichita) What the world needs now is more Todd Rundgren. Let us give thanks, then, to Manchester’s SMD: an electronic party-pop deuce whose CV name-checks Björk, Muse, Peaches, Arctic Monkeys and CSS. Their second album hosts a trove of cameos…

The xx - xx

10 Aug 2009

How many times have we heard the maxim ‘less is more’ rolled out for someone new just because they resist knocking everything up to 11? Too often, perhaps, but this bewitching debut starts barely there, and doesn’t get much more full on than that. A…

Wickerman Festival 2009 - DJ Danny Rampling interview

23 Jul 2009

It might not be on the same scale as T in the Park or Rock Ness but the Wickerman is happily striding forth into its eighth year as an alternative to the many big buck corporate festivals. Wickerman aims to create a friendly atmosphere and a good time…

Nevereverland

5 Mar 2009

Aussie record label Modular bring their Nevereverland ‘festival’ to Scotland for the first time. And it’s an impressively mixed bill featuring one of hip hop’s founding fathers Afrika Bambaataa, a DJ set from Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, psyche rockers…

Songs of the Year 2008

11 Dec 2008

‘Skinny Love’ Bon Iver One man’s heartbreak becomes our joy from the album of the year. ‘Like the Rest of Us’ Atmosphere The leftfield dwelling purists may sneer but this is beguiling, introspective hip hop brilliance. ‘Run Run’ Those Dancing Days…

Hogmanay 2008 - Clubbing

11 Dec 2008

‘It’s on’ is the simple motto which Glasgow überclub Optimo are using to promote their famous Hogmanay special – it’s at the Fruitmarket again, and will see Twitch and Wilkes joined by Glasgow Italo-punks Den Haan and laptop-wielding Parisian show-offs…

12 Days of Christmas: Festive hitlist

13 Nov 2008

The Low Christmas Concert Malcolm Middleton doesn’t have the monopoly on miserablist Christmas anthems, you know. This lot have been at it since 1999, and are back on the gloomy festive trail to promote new menace-laden single, ‘Santa is Coming Over’.

Ready for the festive floor: Hot Chip interview

13 Nov 2008

What are your favourite Christmas hits? My favourite is the Phil Spector Christmas album, which I think is wonderful and romantic. Of course, there are also the classics, like ‘Little Drummer Boy’ and ‘I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus’, which is about…

Drums of Death

16 Oct 2008

Half grimy techno maverick, half supervillain Drums of Death (aka Colin Bailey) is on the brink of becoming Scotland’s latest electronica superstar. Perhaps too warped to storm the charts like Mylo or Calvin Harris, having growing up on a diet of…

Autumn Music Preview 08 - Tennent’s Mutual

18 Sep 2008

Don’t worry if you’re still scratching your head at the concept of Tennent’s Mutual – the ‘experimental’ new ‘co-creative’ music initiative, which launched its first line-up earlier this month – you’re in good company, and even Tennent’s’ Senior…