London thoroughbred brother and sister duo Joe Gideon & The Shark are a sight and sound to behold.

Joe Gideon pounds bass and guitar whilst narrating his autobiographical tales of misadventure, and little sister Viva (The Shark) drives the whole thing along with glorious drums and piano and 8-track (often, incomprehensibly, all at the same time).

Meandering through soundscapes that take in beat-fuelled rifforama, voodoo-injected grooves and melodious beauty, their sound is both comfortably spacious and foot-stompingly intense. And highly original.

Viva’s artistry is gracious and almost gymnastic, evidently a trait learned from her days as a ribbon-twirling athlete (a rhythmic gymnast to be precise) who represented the UK in the Barcelona Olympics. (Incidentally, Viva got the ribbons out once more when starring in the video for Archie Bronson Outfit’s Dead Funny). Gideon was not around to witness his sister’s glory, instead he was on the opposite side of the globe on the jury panel judging Miss Bolivia.

In a roundabout way, this microcosmically befits the picture painted by the band.

Formerly to be seen in the ‘dread-fuelled’ Bikini Atoll (Bella Union, and produced by Steve Albini), Joe Gideon and the Shark have discarded the darkness and have walked into the light. This light is in part provided by Gideon’s humorous and fantastical monologues which hook you in to their world. A Joe Gideon and the Shark record thus provides and indie rock classic and a talking book all for the price of one.

Barely a year old, this band has already gained the respect of their contemporaries by being invited to play with the like of The Duke Spirit, John & Jehn, Archie Bronson Outfit, Scout Niblett and Sons & Daughters.

Their “DOL” single is set for UK release 1st December 2008.

Joe Gideon & The Shark have now been asked by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds to provide main support on their UK November 2008 tour dates:

Nov 25th: Manchester Apollo w/ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nov 26th: Edinburgh Corn Exchange w/ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nov 27th: Sheffield Academy w/ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nov 29th: London Troxy w/ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

“One of the best live acts we’ve seen all year” – Time Out

“It’s rough, ragged, blues in its veins. It’s dark, atmospheric, oddball and surreal; it’s on your doorstep and in your airspace, alien yet talking the same language about the same ol’ trials and tribulations of a life lived” – Drowned in Sound

Joe Gideon & The Shark MySpace

Somewhere between Dan the Automater, Ennio Morricone, and Leonard Cohen, lies Barry Adamson. Over a wide-ranging career as a film composer, a founding member of both Magazine and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and a solo artist, his music has continuously looked to the future. However, ‘Back to the Cat’, Adamson’s 7th record, finds him looking to the past, gaining inspiration from some of his favorite artists from the past 50 years. ‘Back to the Cat’ out on Central Control, is set for release April 22, 2008.

Not that Adamson is copying anyone on this record; you can hear strains of Elvis or Jacques Brel, but it remains unmistakably Barry Adamson. Just one track, “Shadow Of Death Hotel,” manages to seamlessly stitch together the sounds of a guitar and flute from a ’70s funk song, Jackie Mittoo’s keyboards, the horn section from the Mike Hammer theme, and some Butch-Vig-ish fuzzed out guitars. By the next track, he’s on to channeling Al Green. Other touchstones include Curtis Mayfield, Leonard Cohen, Serge Gainsbourg, and more.

Barry premiered this album in full at the recent London Jazz Festival (the least “jazz” thing there, by far), headlining two sold-out nights at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. The album went over amazingly.

Barry Adamson 2008 tour dates:

Dates could be added or changed! Go to Barry Adamson’s Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

31 March 2008 Academy, Oxford
1 April 2008 Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Scotland
2 April 2008 Oran Mor, Glasgow, Scotland
4 April 2008 Lowry Theatre, Manchester
5 April 2008 Thekla, Bristol
6 April 2008 Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
9 April 2008 Pigalle Club, London
10 April 2008 Komedia, Brighton
12 April 2008 Nouveau Casino, Paris
17 June 2008 Zoo, Brisbane
18 June 2008 Corner Hotel, Melbourne
19 June 2008 The Factory, Sydney
21 June 2008 The Bakery Artrage Complex, Perth

“Delivered with a bravura that makes it work a treat” – The Independent

“A chaotic jazz-funk shuffle … brass-backed, sixties-style soul … breezy country-and-western … swampy Southern States blues – [Adamson's] new songs shone brightest” – The Times of London

Barry Adamson on Myspace
Barry Adamson Official Website

For some reason I’ve had the song, “Where The Wild Roses Grow” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue going around my head today. It’s such a beautiful and haunting song.

I hadn’t heard “Where The Wild Roses Grow” until I moved to England and a friend turned me on to the song via the video a couple years ago. I never knew Kylie could sound so good. I’m not a huge Kylie fan, but since I heard this song, I’ve continued to keep an open mind and hope that one day she’ll record something with a similar feel. Of course, Nick Cave sounds good and their voices work well together on the track, which he wrote and was originally released in 1995.

Watch Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – “Where The Wild Roses Grow” video:

Kylie is set to release her tenth studio album, ‘X’ on November 26, 2007. “Sensitized”, one of the tracks expected to be on the album and apparently written by Guy Chambers, Cathy Dennis and Serge Gainsbourg, sounds pretty good – though I’m hoping that before it’s released “they’ll” remove the woo sounds in the background and “clean up” the muddy bass – but most likely doubtful at this point.

Either way, something tells me that ‘X’ is going to be a BIG album for Kylie.

“Where The Wild Roses Grow” YouTube video link

Kylie Official Website

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs