Brainlove Festival: Andrew Paul Regan
Yesterday we brought you the first interview from the ever-impressive line-up at this year’s Brainlove Festival, and today we bring you another. Oh, we are kind.
You may recognise the fellow in the picture above as Pagan Wanderer Lu. But after unscrambling his moniker back to his birth name of Andrew Paul Regan, he’ll play what’s technically his first appearance at the event (ahem, under his given nom). That’s right, a BRNLV PREMIERE. So don’t miss out and get tickets now!
Here’s what Mr Regan had to say about the event.
Could you introduce a little about yourself first and foremost?
I’m Andrew Paul Regan and due to a typo I was previously known as Pagan Wanderer Lu.
For people who haven’t seen you live before, what can they expect?
They can expect songs about spy conspiracies, cargo cults, checker playing robots, and mankind’s search for meaning in the universe played a man with a beard who may or may not be wearing a hat.
Have you played or even been to the Brainlove Festival prior to this year?
I’ve played every year except once when I went on holiday by mistake.
How was it on these previous occasions?
It’s always been brilliant. From Tracey is Hot and the Clap’s legendary festival opener in year one which led the Windmill soundguy to comment ‘that was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen’, to other actually good stuff like Fuck Buttons, Agoskodo Teliverek’s crazy surf rock, David Thomas Broughton deconstructing everything and putting a massive smile on everyone’s face in the beer garden last year, to downright odd stuff like that band who just dressed as insects and acted like they’d never seen instruments before.
What do you think makes it unique?
It’s different, I’ll say that.
Looking at the line-up, who are you excited about seeing live?
This year probably Dad Rocks! whose album I’ve been enjoying. Been a while since I’ve seen a Mat Riviere show and I’m excited to hear his new album live.
How do you find festivals in general? Do you prefer smaller venue shows?
I think what I do suits small venues where I can get a bit of rapport going with the crowd. Plus it gets a bit stuffy onstage sometimes so it’s nice to be able to have a wander round. Can’t do that when there’s a big metal barrier between you and the crowd.
Do you enjoy the prospect of people that necessarily aren’t that familiar with your music getting the chance to stumble upon you?
Yeah, that’d be great. I think Brainlove festival regulars will know me, but anyone coming for the first time will definitely be pretty open minded and that’s good for what I do.
Could you tell us a little bit about the track you chose to give away as a free download?
It’s called ‘John Frum Will Return’. It’s the first track on the new record. It’s about the cargo cults – native tribes of islands that were used as bases during the second world war. They form superstitions around the idea that someday the western people will come back and bring back all the technology they had before. It becomes like a religion. No one knows who John Frum actually was. One of the tribes worships Prince Philip – even though some of them have met him.
What do you have going on at the moment?
My new album ‘The Signal and the Noise’ is released immediately after the festival, so I’ll be doing lots of gigs and stuff around that. People can pre-order it at my Bandcamp now though and probs get it the week before it comes out – we’ve made a really special handcut-sleeve edition with three possible covers. I’ve actually got quite a few brand new songs that I might start unveiling as well.
Tickets & Lineup Info at: www.brainloverecords.com/festival.
08 May 2012
Brainlove Festival: Dad Rocks!
Brainlove Festival is fast approaching, so we thought we’d have a bit of a natter with each artist on the fest’s jam-packed bill, to give a bit of background on everyone of them and to see what they’re looking forward to most about this year’s event. First up is Dad Rocks!, who will be playing their first UK show as a full live band at the festival, this May 26th.
Band leader Snævar Albertsson spoke to us on not giving a damn about music piracy and why his music should be endorsed by Burger King. Have a read below:
Could you introduce a little about yourself first and foremost?
My name is Snævar Njáll Albertsson. I have two kids. I love the internet. And of course, music. Some say I play folk-pop. I say I play guitar.
For people who haven’t seen you live before, what can they expect?
Almost all UK shows so far have been me performing solo, but this time I’m assembling a band based in London, so we can perform the music in full format. This includes trings, brass, piano, drums and more.
Have you played or even been to the Brainlove Festival prior to this year?
Never, ever, ever, ever.
What are you looking forward to most about it?
Probably the performing bit, if I’m to be honest.
Looking at the line-up, who are you excited about seeing live of all the other bands billed?
I’m a big fan of Napoleon IIIrd, Mat Riviere and Tall Stories. Some awesome bands.
How do you find festivals in general? Do you prefer smaller venue shows?
I do like the small venue show formats better for more intimate bands, but I love being able to learn about a lot of new bands during just one day.
Do you enjoy the prospect of people that necessarily aren’t that familiar with your music getting the chance to stumble upon you?
That’s what it’s all about. That’s also one of the many reasons why we encourage sharing. Music piracy doesn’t exist for Dad Rocks!. We have no lost sales, only gained fans.
Could you tell us a little bit about the track you chose to give away as a free download?
It’s about getting most of your time while unemployed, instead of hanging around in front of the TV hating the world. We’re not endorsed by Burger King. Yet.
Other than this fest coming up, what else do you have going on at the moment?
We’re playing a couple of festivals, including No Direction Home. Starting to write new material in May, and hopefully record in August. Mount Modern will be re-released in the UK soon, and we’re doing released in France, Spain and Germany too. In September I’ll head out on tour and will be visiting Germany, France, Spain and UK.
Awesome. Thanks for speaking to us.
Brainlove Festival 2012 takes place on May 26th at Brixton’s Windmill. You can find out the full line-up and more about the event here. and buy tickets for this year’s festivities here.
07 May 2012
Poliça - Lay Your Cards Out
Poliça (promounced po-lisa) is a moody live-electronica crossover with elements of dubstep, trip-hop and the Squarepusher-ish end of jazz. Fronted by ex-Gayngs member Channy Casselle (pictured), their sound could also be compared in part to Portishead, Lamb, The XX, and Bon Iver’s more experimental moments, but their upbeat, uptempo songs have found a niche of their own. This track has swept around the global online music community like wildfire; it’s a fantastic taster of the album “Give You The Ghost”, out this week on Memphis Industries.
24 Apr 2012
Sin Fang - Only Eyes
Sing Fang is something of an Icelandic Bradford Cox, and he’s back with another sunny, sinuous track that hovers like a lazy dragonfly between echoey retro-pop and dewy-eyed indie-pop. In Icelandic, summer is starting, and Sin Fang is serenading it. An EP, “Half Dreams”, is out on Morr Music soon.
23 Apr 2012
Trouble Books - Concatenating Fields
2012 sees another album of beautiful, intimate, ambient folk-pop from this sublime and criminally underexposed American duo. “Concatenating Fields” is their third long player, out soon on MIE Music, and it sound every bit as absorbing as their work to date.
23 Apr 2012
Octagon Court - Bring Her In
Octagon Court have released a video for the brilliant “Bring Her In”, an arch piece of distinctly British art-pop. See vocalist Charlie Audsley rotating as a giant mouth sings from the clouds and guitarist Stephen Draycott cavorts in the surf. Octagon Court could be equally at home on Pitchfork or at the Tate. One to watch: closely.
22 Apr 2012
Brainlove DIY Radio Show
If you’d like something to listen to this Saturday morning, here’s the monthly radio show hosted by Snipe’s music editor John “BRNLV” Rogers, with tracks by Internet Forever, Magnetic Fields and Enjoyed and the latest underground sounds from Iceland, Denmark and Estonia.
21 Apr 2012
Connan Mockasin - Forever Dolphin Love
This came out over a year ago but we just found it so we’re posting it anyway. Creepy art-pop so demented it makes of Montreal sound like Dire Straits.
21 Apr 2012
Zulu WInter - (No Ceremony Remix)
Here’s a nice echoey reworking of Zulu WInter’s “Silver Tongue” by No Ceremony. It mixes trilling electronics and heavy reverb that makes for a dense fog of sound that leans more towards the gravitas of TV On The Radio than the lighter-than-air insubstance of, say, High Places.
17 Apr 2012
Three Awesome Things To Do In Dalston Tonight
From south to north…
Firstly, Alexander’s Festival Hall presents his beautiful new single “Upturned” at Power Lunches on Kingsland Rd…
The, emerging art-pop duo Octagon Court present their new video with a special audio-visual performance tonight named “Esthar” at Visions Video Bar.
And emerging producer Enjoyed plays at The Nest.
Dalston funtimes!
12 Apr 2012
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- Could red kites be London's next big nature success story?
- The five best places in London to have an epiphany
- London has chosen its mayor, but why can’t it choose its own media?
- Summer Camp: Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days
- A unique collection of photos of Edwardian Londoners
- Number of people using Thames cable car plunges
- Peter Bayley has worked for 50 years as a cinema projectionist in East Finchley
- Diary of the shy Londoner
- Margaret Thatcher statue rejected by public
- Random Interview: Eileen Conn, co-ordinator of Peckham Vision
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