What's going on with Cut Copy and their live show? I went to see them last night, only to find that there wasn't much of a "playing live" element. It can only be assumed that their sound has been sculpted to such an nth degree by a producer in the studio (in this case, Tim Goldsworthy) that they struggle to reproduce it live. Last night saw plenty of miming, with a guitar at one point so obviously not being played during a solo that it was almost insulting. The crowd didn't care as it all sounded rather impressive, but the performance really left the band exposed. If they're to pull off playing live in the future, they might need to actually play something to make it convincing.

MP3 Ladyhawke - Paris is Burning (Cut Copy Remix)

I got a text from my mate Gav at 6pm yesterday, who on a whim decided to purchase some tickets for yesterdays Radiohead gig at Lancashire Cricket Ground. He'd asked around, and it turned out that touts were selling tickets at £10 each - a 76% discount on the asking price of £42.50. "Hmmm" I thought, and then decided to reach out by the power of the interwebs to see who would be up for an impromptu trip to see Thom Yorke et al.

James from Yer Mam! responded, and within 10 minutes a small group had been put together. We got there, paying £15 each to get in (still a massive bargain) and were entertained by a Radiohead greatest hits set. The crowd were up for it, though like us many decided to hit the bar when "Bangers and Mash" came on. It's a good tune, but it's not 'the Bends', is it? Still, they were ace, and while I'm not the worlds biggest Radiohead fan, I woke up this morning a little closer to becoming one.

MP3 Radiohead - Bangers and Mash

It's with great sadness to report that Michael Turner, who has worked on comics such as Superman/Batman and Witchblade, lost his battle against cancer on Friday. He was 37. He was one of my favourite illustrators of recent years, and had a great future in front of him. Rest in peace.

Bit of a treat here. It's no secret that I've got some major love for Drop the Lime/Curses!, so those lovely folk at Fabric have let me have an exclusive Drop the Lime DJ Set from when he last span there. Be warned, it's a bit good. He returns to Fabric next Friday along with Switch, Sinden, Toddla T and the Scratch Perverts. Should be a good do.

I might have posted this before, if not I certainly meant to. It's a classic, and thanks to the recent Balearic revival seems to be cropping up in DJ sets all over the place. Take it in and enjoy, it's Blur at their best.

MP3 Blur - Music is my Radar

It's my 600th post! I can't think of anything that'll fit with this, so I'll make a bigger deal for post 666 instead.

I found this Smiths cover on the Hype Machine this morning, and then remembered they did a Stone Roses cover that was out there weeks ago. If they've done a New Order cover, let me know and I'll splice all three together, and chuck it to an Manchester DJ for them to play in their set. They'll love it.

MP3 Death Cab for Cutie - I wanna be adored

MP3 Death Cab for Cutie - There is a light that will never go out

A few weeks ago, a night out to Homoelectric in the Village saw a special guest appearance from the Ugly Black Kids on the dancefloor, where frontman Reggie was so happy gurning his face off that he tried to pull my friend. She was sober, so his attempts at seduction-on-drugs were thwarted. I do however rather regret not taking the opportunity to ask his expert advice on precisely how I should move in a rhythmic fashion while in the vicinity of my girlfriend. Ho-hum.

Homoelectric is back at Legends on 1st August, where you'll find Londoners Horse Meat Disco and DFAs Tim Sweeney on the decks. Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly will also be manning the ones and twos at some point, proof that the band "DJ set" is still a lucrative little earner for when your heroes can't be bothered to play their instruments. Hopefully, we'll get a Black Kids DJ set very very soon.

MP3 Dizzee Rascal - Dance Wiv Me (Featuring Calvin Harris)

The radio emmitted further pleasures today. Upon my return from lunch, 'Big Me' by Foo Fighters was playing, and I fucking loved it. And tonight, my usual browse around has led me to a quite wonderful rework of 'Everlong' by the Revenge. Check it out here. Go and tell the guys at Ooft how ace it is.

MP3 Foo Fighters - Big Me

If you've not already, you should dive straight in to the new Lil Wayne album, 'Tha Carter 3', which features Weezy getting down with an all star list of producers and guests, and sounding pretty damn good at it too. I always found Babyface to be a little too sickly for my liking, but he adds a real nice extra dimension to Carter's rhyming and a great Kanye beat. Check it out.

MP3 Lil' Wayne - Comfortable (Feat Babyface and produced by Kanye West)

Simian Mobile Disco have contributed to the successful Fabriclive series, with their effort due to hit the shelves on 11th August. We caught up with them to find out how they feel about the mix, who their favourite member of Take That is, and their future plans.

In your opinion, is this the best Fabriclive ever?

James: That’s a big question
Jas: I thought you were gonna keep it light
James: I’ve only really heard the Villalobos one, and that’s pretty good
Jas: And I’ve heard the James Murphy one; That was really good. Have a good look through - there are probably loads better than ours.
James: I think we’re pretty please with it to be fair, we’ve managed to sneak on some older, weirder tracks in between all that “bang bang” music.

Yeah, this mix is a bit more techno than some might expect, how do you feel about being included in the whole electro sound? Are you saying with this mix that you do not want to be lumped in with all the “durr durr” stuff that’s going around?

James: I suppose in a way, yeah. We’ve never really played any of that stuff, maybe a little bit in the beginning, but as it got increasingly noisy, we’ve sort of steered away from it. This Fabric set is a clear snapshot of the DJ sets we do at the minute.

What's your favourite track off your remix record (Sample and Hold)?

Jas: I really like the Simon Baker mix of ‘Sleep Deprivation’. We’ve been playing that out a lot.
James: My favourite is the Chrome Hoof one. They took the ball and run with it. Y’know it’s pretty far away from the original. I really like the band too. They’re top.

I really like the Shit Robot mix of ‘It’s the Beat’.

James: We like Shit Robot. We put one of his tracks (Chasm) on the Fabric mix.

I’ve been playing that out quite a bit. It fits well with “Never be Alone”

James: Jesus.
Jas: I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
James: We’ve heard that song WAYYY too many times, you’ve gotta excuse us. Let’s just put it to bed.

What can I have for an evening snack? Sweet but not sickly.

Jas: Toast.
James: Yeah, toast. With some nice jam on it.
Jas: The thing is, you can’t mess with toast, it’s the best thing in the entire world. It can be sweet, it can be savoury. It’s your choice.
James: It’s true. Weirdly, my landlord’s Mum made us some nice Damasin jam which I’ve not had before. It hits the spot.

Who is your favourite member of Take That?

James: I had the honour of meeting Take That once. Contrary to popular belief, Gary Barlow is a really nice man.
Jas: I’ve never met any of them and I’m not really knowledgeable about Take That. Robbie was in them right?
James: Yeah. I really love how Robbie’s getting into aliens, I think that’s brilliant.

Who would win in a fight between Girls Aloud and CSS?

Jas: CSS.
James: Yeah, that’s easy
Jas: They’re Brazilian, they’d tear them to pieces.
James: Girls Aloud may go for the eyes…
Jas: I think we should approach them and see if they’ll do it.

Is Simian Mobile Disco the only concern for you both as a duo, or is there potential for you both to work on a different project under a different name?

James: I think that’s a definite possibility. As Simian Mobile Disco, we’ve got a rep for a certain type of music, be that good or bad. Me and Jas have definitely got some other kind of wiggy ambitions, so whether that fits in to Simian Mobile Disco or another project then we might.

My friend Bec wants to know if you'll play her Birthday party. There'll be a bouncy castle and she’s gonna give you cake and everything.

James: Mmm... Cake.
Jas: James is really interested in that. He’s dribbling.


So there you go. FabricLive 41 is out on 11th August, and the boys will be having a launch party thing at Fabric on 1st August, with live sets from Egyptian Lovers and Sisters of Transistors. Check Fabric's site for more info.

MP3 Smith n' Hack - Space Warrior

MP3 Metro Area - Miura

MP3 Simian Mobile Disco - It's the beat (Shit Robot Mix)

I like waking up on Sundays and having a listen to a record I know others wouldn't approve of, but while they're in bed sleeping off the previous evenings booze I can listen to all the hairy rock music and techno I like. This morning, I've dug out a record from when I was 16 (something I've been doing a bit of recently). Over the years, I've been made to feel that still liking Pearl Jam should remain a guilty little pleasure. I'm over that now. "No Code" (their 4th album) is full of nice mellow jams, and I reckon is often overlooked, as the band sometimes are by people that should really know better.

MP3 Pearl Jam - Off he goes

BCG has been a little quiet over the last week as I've been studying for and sitting exams with work. I know that with my procrastitative qualities that's no excuse, however any time wasted was spent foolishly on Facebook or by preparing tunes for DJ Sexxxlaws' second ever appearance at fellow Shoplifter Jon Claude's Birthday party on Friday night. Here's some stuff that you might have already, or indeed, might not. Enjoy.

MP3 The Black Ghosts - Repetition Kills You (Diplo Remix)

MP3 Little Boots - Stuck on Repeat (Fake Blood Remix)

PS - The above image was taken from here.

PPS - For a cool video of Little Boots fooling around with a Tenori-on, click here.

I saw the Dirtbombs at Ruby Lounge last Saturday. As readers of this blog will know, Dirtbombs frontman Mick Collins has been writing about his favourite Detroit tracks on here for a little while now, and has many more planned once the band have finished their hectic tour. I managed to grab a few minutes with Mick, where he told me all about how he found BCG (which is an interesting story I'll share with you all another time) and the Dirtbombs recent unexpected Australian chart success. It was a really good show, and made extra special as "Underdog" was dedicated to me. Thanks guys (and gal), it was a really good night.

MP3 The Dirtbombs - Underdog

I've found myself confronted with a couple of callous comparisons over the last few days. Firstly, on Thursday night, I discovered that Ladyhawke is actually being compared to "Tango in the Night" era Fleetwood Mac (which I strongly disagree with BTW) and is being touted as the new Stevie Nicks. I don't know which PR thought that one up, but it's complete bullshit. Dangerous bullshit though: People that don't know better will actually believe it. Wrong. I understand it's a thing called marketing, but those Fleetwood Mac fans that buy a Ladyhawke record in the belief that it's similar will end up rather disappointed.

And then yesterday, the know-it-alls at NME.com described Mogwai as being "Prog Rock". Wha??? Am I missing something here? Since when did Mogwai sound like King Crimson? Or Yes? Or Genesis? Sorry, but lazy comparisons like that just piss me off. Yeah, maybe this it's an age thing, but at least I can still tell my Math from my Post from my Prog Rock.

MP3 Ladyhawke - Paris is Burning

MP3 Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere

MP3 Mogwai - Folk Death 95

I never realised that the version Sophie Ellis Bextor did was a cover, and it never occurred to me that Cher had a disco phase. Ace stuff.

MP3 Cher - Take me home

PS - While I'm feeling a bit disco, head over to RCRDLBL to hear Holy Ghost! take on Moby.

I was supposed to interview the quite wonderful Those Dancing Days on Thursday, but due to a session they were doing for 6music overrunning we missed the window. I then went home and missed their gig. I'm a retard. My mate Ben went, and to quote him they "absolutely blew his trousers off". Whether he's got them back off the band is another story entirely.

MP3 Those Dancing Days - Run, Run

Damn, this is too good not to share. N*E*R*D have their third album, 'Seeing Sounds', dropping in the next week or so, following on from the excitement generated by 'Everybody Noze' and 'Spaz'. Despite declaring that they would not be returning to the studio following 'Fly or Die', this is a real return to form, and showcases a sound we're starting to hear more of which is taking the swing back to Hip-Hop. And in using the term 'swing', I don't mean Rat Pack. Oh no no no. File this along Busta's most recent track, and you've got a party.

MP3 N*E*R*D - Time for some action

YES.

MP3 Neil Young - Rockin' in the Free World

PS

Lykke Li puzzles me. Her dress sense has a nod to chav-chique, her voice is little and cute, and her tunes range from the tender to the danceable. She's not the kind of artist I would usually like, yet, following on from her perfomance at the Roadhouse in April, I couldn't pass up the chance to see her again last night at Night and Day. She's got bucketloads of charisma, and pulls off dancemoves not seen since a night at the local disco. If you haven't seen her yet, tracks like 'Breaking it up', 'Little Bit' and new single 'I'm Good I'm Gone' all sound like potential top 5 singles, so make sure you catch her on this tour as she's such a star-in-waiting she'll be gracing theatre sized venues before you know it. She also closed the evening with a cover of "Can I kick it", which is my favourite live moment of the year. Go see her.

03-Jun-08, Hi-Fi Club w/ El Perro del Mar, Leeds
04-Jun-08, Pure Groove - INSTORE SHOW, London
04-Jun-08, Cargo w/ Shout Out Loads - SOLD OUT, London
06-Jun-08, Albert w/ El Perro del Mar - SOLD OUT, Brighton
07-Jun-08, Stealth w/ El Perro del Mar, Nottingham
08-Jun-08, King Tuts w/ El Perro del Mar, Glasgow
10-Jun-08, Jericho Tavern w/ El Perro del Mar, Oxford
11-Jun-08, ICA w/ El Perro del Mar - SOLD OUT, London
12-Jun-08, Sugar Club, Dublin

MP3 Lykke Li - Little Bit (Matas Berlin Remix)

Thanks to Rachael at Music Provocateur for the above pic. Check out more in her galleries.

At work, we listen to 6Music. It's pretty much the best station on the UK airwaves, though some older listeners will say it's got a bit too talky over the last 12 months. I'm a huge fan though, and it introduces me to loads of new stuff, and reminds me of loads of old stuff. I sometimes grab a track that's just been on with a view to uploading here, though I inevitably get distracted and the files just sit on my desktop. Here's a bunch of stuff I've grabbed over the last week or so, but not got around to posting. Enjoy.

MP3 Florence and the Machine - Kiss with a Fist

MP3 Beck - Chemtrails

MP3 Gossip - Are U that somebody?

MP3 Mudhoney - I'm Now

MP3 Red Light Company - With lights out

I've whinged about the lack of a remix of 'Electric Feel' by MGMT for ages, and then whaddaya know, a Justice remix drops in my lap. Say whatever you like about the French durr-durr champions, but you can't deny that they've been behind some of the biggest reworks of the last few years, so this team-up should get the hipsters convulsing on dancefloors the world over.

MP3 MGMT - Electric Feel (Justice Remix)