[Listen] Yuck - "Middle Sea"

Yuck are set to return with a new record, Glow & Behold, which is set to arrive later this year. It's surprised quite a few people after lead singer Daniel Blumberg quit the band at the start of the year, but if this new track titled "Middle Sea" is anything to go by, they're going to be just fine. Fuzzy, effects pedal laden guitar tones and a catchy chorus that'll have you singing along on your first play. Wonderful. More of the same please.

[Download] Death Grips - "Birds"

After being signed to major label Epic Records, Death Grips then got dropped for leaking their own album, they've then recently pissed off even more people by not showing up at shows. Numerous times. Forget all that though, 'cause the reason people get so pissed off is that they like their music so much. Without the music there'd be nothing to be pissed off about. The band have now set up their own imprint for a follow-up to their self-leaked due out in 2014. That's 4 months away (at least) but they’ve offered up a track called "Birds" which you can enjoy below. Grab the download here.

[Y Not Festival] Day Two Highlights including The 1975 and "one of the best Cribs shows ever"

I personally think day two at a festival is the hardest. You get over eager on the Friday and inevitably have a few too many. Sunday's easier as you tend to (not always, mind you) have learned your lesson. So with a slightly delicate head on the Saturday, I started my day with a band to shake off the cobwebs after a long and very wet Friday at Y Not Festival 2013. The band I'm talking about are an act who have been hyped beyond belief by BBC radio in recent months.  

Hailing from Sheffield the band consisting of two brothers, Drenge, took to the stage to a swelling crowd as the day was still young. Feedback galore and riffs to shake your insides out they made a hell of a racket for a two piece. Their latest single "Face Like A Skull" got the crowd energised and they went down as easy as the  days third real ale. The only problem with the entire thing was the way the drum kit was Mic'd up. The snare was far too loud. I'm one of this people who blinks with incredibly loud noises and I was on and off like an Xbox controller on its last legs. Still, the set was great.

As the ay progressed I explored the grounds a little more. The festival itself is cosy. You don't have to walk any longer than 10 minutes to get to where you want to be. At one point I was approached to be asked if I wanted a back massage by a lovely lady who took donations if it was decent. I declined at this point but I saw many a person take the pair up on their free back rubs. The general atmosphere of the entire fest is something I wish everyone could experience. It's so relaxed and friendly. You can strike up a conversation with anyone and they'll offer one back. Sure, it could be a drunken rambling about their last pair of wellies but it's fun. 

Back to the music. Up next on the Big Gin Stage were Swim Deep, another band gaining momentum in the past few months. On the surface they look like every other indie and you can imagine. Shaggy hair and floral shirts, but their delivery of their songs was honest. Considering the hectic year they've had they delivered a solid set and for a mid level band on the bill they pulled in a decent crowd. As I went to grab a coat from my tent, I saw the boys walk off stage and have a kick about with a football before some of their interviews. They seemed relaxed and accomplished. They seemed to have enjoyed their outing in Derbyshire.

Another band who've been thrust into the limelight over the past 6 months are a band we've had endless love for from day one here on SKOA; The 1975. I wandered over to The Quarry tent to be greeted by a sea of people surging 15feet from the entrances. Their was no way in to the tent as the band delivered perfect indie pop to the heaving afternoon crowd. Luckily the sun was shining and I could sit and admire how far the Manchester based band had come in such a short time. Their singles "Sex" and "The City" were greeted with raucous applause and cheers from the crowd. I think they'll be not he main stage of many a festival in 2014.  

Back to the main stage now for a throwback of kinds in the form of Ash. A band who Ive personally not listened to in a good 10 years. Which is kind of odd really considering they're probably right at the top of my iTunes collection when it's opened. They opened with "A Life Less Ordinary" before going straight into "A Girl From Mars" which had me bouncing up and down like a teenage boy once more. Not bad for a song that came out when I was 6 years old. The set was stellar and they ended on their biggest hit "Burn Baby Burn" and like that they were gone. Who knows when I'll next listen to them, but they made me happy and that's all you can ask from a live show really. 

To the main event of the evening. The second band of brothers to take to the Big Gin Stage on Friday were Wakefield's finest export The Cribs. As the Jarman family took to the stage the crowd was the largest I've witnessed at my two years attending the festival. Heads as far as the eye could see. It's no Glastonbury Pyramid stage but it felt like something special was about to go down, and it did. "Chi-Town" tour the place apart within the opening seconds and the crowd was bouncing, swaying from side to side as it surged. People fell down, they got picked up. The set was purely the hits. It's easy to forget how much great material these lads have. "I'm A Realist" , "Cheat On Me", "Mirror Kissers", "Hey Scenesters" and "Men's Needs" all made an appearance. It was one of those sets where it felt like it ended too quickly. As it ended, another day did also.

Ryan Jarman would later take to twitter to state: I could try to explain how amazing [Y Not Festival ]was last night, but I just can’t. One of the best Cribs shows ever.” Saturday was a good day.

[Listen] Toro Y Moi - "Slough" (Ricky Gervais Cover)

While many the world over may still be sad that the American version of The Office has sadly come to an end this year, many of us on the other side of the Atlantic have longed for the British version for nearly 10 years. Recently though, Ricky Gervais has brought back to life the idiot that made him so famous, David Brent. He's been doing a series of online guitar tutorials, which is funny enough. One of the tracks he plays in the videos is call "Slough", the place where the British series was set. Toro Y Moi has now taken on the track and made it his own with a reverb drenched cover that you can stream below.

[Watch] The National - "This Is the Last Time" Live on Conan

We've already had the pleasure of seeing The National perform two tracks on late night TV with this week with performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Just in case you'd somehow forgotten about them though, last night they played Conan and gave us another spine tingling rendition of "This Is the Last Time". In case you missed it, hit play above.

[Beacons] Our Most Anticipated Artists of the Festival

As far as straight up awesome festival line-ups go, Beacons Festival has nailed one of the most diverse and ear pleasing rosters I've seen in recent years in 2013. The festival itself is an infant, still finding its feet in the ever growing rough terrain of the small festival wilderness in the UK and in 2011 it had to be cancelled due to the good old UK weather. Last year was a raging success however and this year promises to be bigger and better than that. We'll be heading over to the site in Skipton, Yorkshire, tomorrow morning to take in the gorgeous countryside, and of course some of the top notch line-up while we're there. We may have to try a good sample of the amazing Ales on offer too, but we'll talk about that next week. If you make the jump you can see who we're very eager to see and what we think will make for a very special weekend. 

Who: Local Natives

Why? Their second album showed a growth from the LA band, evolving from Gorilla Manor into a mature, more subtle in places, but every bit as sonically brilliant band. Hummingbird is sure to see their live dynamic grow too. Their live performances are pure brilliance as is and we're sure this will be a highlight of the weekend for many. 

Who: Ghostpoet

Why? His ear pricking style of spoken word and rap are sure to burrow their way into your subconscious, talking to memories you long forgot about. Paired with his multiple styles of backing, he's certainly one to watch during your times in the fields. 

Who: Danny Brown

Why? On the surface when you first see Danny Brown you may just laugh. Don't judge a book by its cover, for Danny is going from strength to strength and if there's an artist who deserves more recognition here in the UK it's this Detroit export. Tongue in cheek, all the while keeping your attention firmly fixed between the ridiculous and the serious. He will not disappoint.

Who: Lulu James

Why? Lulu hails from the north east of the UK and offers up an infusion of throwbacks to the 70's combined with modern tendencies. Her sound is being called "21st Century Soul" and upon hearing her infectious tracks it's easy to see why. Think Donna Summers meets Grace Jones with a brand new twist. Pop to see Lulu and get you glad rags on, 'cause she's bound to be dressed better than you. 

Who: Fucked Up

Why? If you're fancying something a little more brash. Maybe you're feeling a little worse for wear over the weekend and need a pick me up, go see Fucked Up. The Canadian hardcore punks will leave you out of breath and still wanting more. Their live shows pack in more energy than most within the opening 5 minutes. 

Who: Findlay

Why? Findlay hails from Manchester but when you first hear her you'd be forgiven for thinking she comes from Tennessee next door to Jack White for she wears her influences firmly on her sleeves and the results re magnificent. Raw, powerful and in your face blues rock.

Who: Wet Nuns

Why? Wet Nuns hail from Yorkshire, so it's fitting that they should play one of its best festivals this summer. The two piece bring more noise than most bands twice their size in numbers. Think desert rock sounds like Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age with enough guitar noise to warrant two sets of ear plugs. The guys even have their own festival; Detestival. They don't take nonsense, and neither should you. Go watch 'em.

[Y Not Festival] Day One Highlights including Willy Moon, Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip and a very British Summer

Festivals of all sizes are always a blast. Contrary to belief, bigger is not always better. Last weekend I took the trip over to Derbyshire, the county I grew up in from age 4-18, to hit up the fantastic Y Not Festival. A grassroots festival that started in a Quarry with a group of friends. It's now grown to be an award winning small festival with an amazing atmosphere and an ever growing number of big bands topping the line-up. This year was the biggest and best with The Cribs, The Horrors and The Darkness headlining the main stage and a flurry of great bands performing across another 6 stages. 

 Arriving at the festival you notice its small stature, like a little brother you want to look after. It feels friendly and that's what I like about it when I first touched down in the fields. The sun was peeking out from between clouds and the camping areas were filling up with a mix of young and old from all walks of life. After finding a nice spot to camp, and having found out I'd bought a palace rather than your average two man tent, I did what any normal person does when arriving at a festival does; I had a beer. The great thing about Y Not is that it has numerous bars, all holding local ales and ciders, ranging from the normal to the crazy stronger stuff. Wonderful.

With a beer in hand I headed to see where my ears took me from the noises carried not he wind. A favourite trick of mine for festivals early on in the day when you may not know all of the bands playing. Sons and Lovers at the Quarry stage delivered an on point set tracks to a packed out tent. One advantage to playing ear lie run the day on the opening afternoon of a festival. My ears then took me across the field to a noise that sounded more up my street. A heavy, glitchy guitar jolt of electrifying Dillinger Escape Plan-esque math-rock. I walk into the tent to be absolutely blown away by a 4-piece instrumental band by the name of Axes. Playing to a sweltering Giant Squid Stage tent, the relationship the four had was noticeable. TO play the stuff they were playing so seamlessly, it was undeniably breathtaking. A definite highlight of the day, if not the entire weekend.

Next up I finally got to witness Willy Moon in a live situation. Walking out with a Gretsch round his neck and accompanied by an all girl band, I couldn't help but think of Jack White and his recent penchant for an all girl band. Two songs to his high energy set though, Willy is seen just wandering around the stage sipping from a mug, giving nods to people who wave… All sound on the main stage had died. He leaves the stage. It took a good hour until normality resumed and he finished his set in torrential rain. Fair play to him though, he absolutely killed it and the crowd was not disheartened by the British Summer weather. "Yeah Yeah" went down a treat with the umbrella wielding crowd.

The weather from here on on Friday was the stuff of a romantic comedy that might see the two main characters kissing and making up in the rain ala Spiderman. I Managed to catch part of the "surprise set" from Reverend and the Makers who, to be fair to them, did get the crowd well and truly going. Headline sets at festivals are always tricky to choose between but Y Not did everyone a favour and had the tents ending earlier than the main stage. That went out the window. I squeezed into a packed Quarry Stage tent to watch Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, the act I was most looking forward to from the weekend's line-up. Pip was a force to be reckoned with, walking around the stage and completely demanding the attention of the crowd while Dan offered up recognisable beats from their back catalogue. Just as the crowd were really starting to bounce, Scroob states that we "all need to leave, they're evacuating the tent". The storm outside was righteous and for safety, we all had to leave but were told to come back 30 minutes later.

Everyone and more returned and witnessed the duo debut their new single "Stunner" to the crowd. Finishing up the set, Scroob took to the crowd and was carried around, high-riving as he went. Due to this misfortune I missed The Horrors but caught a few tracks as I made my way back through the crowd to the campsite. I finished day one at Y Not 2013 happy, with my ears ringing from a combination of beats and thunder, literally. It was a good day.

[Listen] Frank Ocean Raps on Earl Sweatshirt's New Track "Sunday"

Sunday comes early this week.

Earl Sweatshirt's new album Doris arrives next Tuesday, but lucky for us new music just keeps on coming. "Sunday" drifts along slowly, propelled by the echoing keys of a church organ and a dingy guitar riff, but it really lights up when Frank Ocean's voice takes over. He doesn't sing, as you might expect. Instead, he delivers a solid two-minute rap verse that comes across as very honest, almost conversational. Listen below.