[Listen] The 1975 - "M.O.N.E.Y."

Another day closer to the release of The 1975's self-titled debut album, and we get another track set to feature on it. The good folk at Prefix have just premiered "M.O.N.E.Y", a funky guitar lined track that shows that the band are not all about the pop bangers you've most likely heard all over the radio in recent months. Check out the band showing some different colours below. It's set to feature their album, so be sure to look out for it when it's released next week via the lovely people at Dirty Hit.

[Listen] The 1975 - "The 1975"

With just a week to go until The 1975 release their stunning self-titled debut album, they've offered up the opening track to that LP. Taking it's title from the band's name, the slow building, subtle track is what you might call the perfect introduction to the LP which features everything from pop bangers, disco beats to tracks which would fit right in on the Drive soundtrack. It's like the band created soundtrack to a brilliant movie that only they have seen yet we can hear the scenes unfolding as the record progresses. Anyway, you'll be able to hear the whole thing from September 2nd when it's released via Dirty Hit. For now though enjoy the tease below.

[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.

[Watch] The 1975 - "Sex" (Acoustic Performance)

The 1975 have just offered up a stripped back version of their new single "Sex". Taking it back to the pure black and white visual as an accompaniment we've seen fromt hem so many times before, you can enjoy the video at the top. The band have been building up steam for the past 12 months releasing a stream of highly infectious indie-pop songs, while their EP's contain hip-hop bedroom jams that leave you wanting more. Their self-titled debut is set for release on September the 2nd via Dirty Hit and from what I've heard at numerous live shows it's going to be a mix of everything we've already had and more. Enjoy.

[Watch] The 1975 - "Sex" (Official Video)

We recently got to enjoy the new version of The 1975's single "Sex" and now they've let loose the visual for it. Breaking from their normal black and white aesthetic they opt for a colour narrative, alongside a performance from the band too. It works pretty well and Matt from the band had a lot to say about the idea which you can read after the jump.

The band are set to release their self-titled debut on September 9th via Dirty Hit/Polydor.

The main idea behind the new video for “Sex” was centered around us wanting to incorporate a narrative that acted out the lyrical content of the song. It felt important for the narrative to be the true story of lyrics. So many of our tracks are based on real experiences, it was integral to have an honest portrayal of this. The make up of our music is centered around the juxtaposition of very honest often self deprecating personal stories set against uplifting major chord progressions. It is this dualism and notion of “sound tracking” our own lives which makes us cite John Hughes as such an important influence.  Our love of cinematic music really drives us creatively and we wanted this represented in the video, we wanted to make a trailer to the movie of the song if you like.”

“We really love the dualism in the video between the muted almost black and white performance shots of the band set against the cinematic colour of the narrative. We have used black and white for every other video to date so it seemed like incorporating colour would be a massive step for us to make, in reality the creative decision made itself as we liked the obvious separation that the colour provided for the narrative against the performance parts of the video. Our album and EP’s are totally separate entities, each EP is like a polaroid of a specific time and place, in regards to the visuals of the album, we want to make short films for our videos - like trailers almost, in the same way our songs are the narrative to our formative years the videos are the narrative to those songs. As a video “Sex” feels very un compromised, un predictable and from a artistic viewpoint very honest. That is always our main goal as a band. We are very proud of it. We found a true collaborative spirit with Adam Powell the director it was our desire to work with him and his passion and understanding towards our vision that led us to shooting in LA.

[Watch] The 1975 - "Chocolate" Live on Conan

The 1975 have come a long, long way since this time last year. From humble beginnings and secretive tracks appearing online, to supporting the likes of Muse and The Rolling Stones this year. They've now travelled the world and are currently across the Atlantic over in the States, during which they've made their American TV debut with a visit to Conan O'Brien's late night slot last night. Playing their track "Chocolate" from the EP IV for the masses watching at home, you can see their to be brilliant performance in all its glory below.

Their highly anticipated self-titled debut album is set for release via Dirty Hit/Polydor on September 9th.

[Listen] The 1975 - "Sex"

So The 1975 offer up another slice of re-mastered energy from their forthcoming self-titled debut for fans. Having already previewed the big sounding re-take of "The City" they now give us "Sex" in a crisp, clean and immensely polished new version. Pretty sure the album is going to rocket them further up the festival bills in the coming years, but for now wrap your ears around this. 

Their debut is scheduled for release via Dirty Hit/Polydor on September 2nd.

[Listen] The 1975 - "fallingforyou"

We've spoken highly of The 1975 for about 6 months now and other people seem to be getting the message. They're yet to release a full length album but their new EP, IV, is just days away from release and the hype and fan base surrounding the Manchester band is palpable. A week ago we got to preview the subtle and ambient track "Haunt // Bed", a contrast to their singles but just as beautiful. Today they've premiered another track from the EP titled "fallingforyou" via Interview. Yup, they've got this whole cool aesthetic going and ain't nobody gonna tell them otherwise! Check it out below.

Equally as ambient, it wouldn't look out of place in the Drive soundtrack it's so damn cool. Check it out below and look out for the EP release on May 20th. To pre-order simply head over here.