Interview with King Eider!

Hello People,

So the other day I was listening to a band doing a 

session for BBC London, I was captivated by their

combination of folk and rock as well as their

brilliant use of the violin and horn.

King eider are a five piece 'Edinburgh-based folk-blues band'

who use three part harmonies to create haunting and 

atmospheric music. They have been compared to the soulful

acoustics of Ben Howard and the foot stomping wildness of Arcade Fire. This is one of their latest songs 'Drink Me Dry'

And so I did what I do with bands that I listen to and love;

I got an interview with them!

Without further ado here is my interview with...

King Eider

1. Could you introduce yourselves and your instruments?

Reuben Tighe - Vocals,Guitar, Harmonica

Sam Chapman - Vocals, Drums,

Lucy Frankel - Vocals, Violin

Josh Casali-Bell Linemann - Vocals, Keys, Horn

Sam Palmer - Bass Guitar

2.Who are you influenced by and how did you discover 

your "sound"?

Our influences span a spectrum of genres and decades. 

Lucy listens to a lot of traditional country and bluegrass. 

Reuben takes influences from his mothers CD collection of 60's blues and rock and roll. Sam brings in more modern influences 

such as Arcade Fire and The Wild Beasts. We share our music

taste so that all of them influence our music 

to some degree.

3.When did you form as King Eider - what made you choose 

the name?!

We formed Early 2012, and were originally named "Zopa and the Shakes" (after Reuben's middle name). After deciding a name change was in order, we decided on King Eider. We were in an ale pub drinking a beer named "YellowHammer", (also the name for a bird native to the UK) and decided we liked the name. Since this was already a popular band name, we decided to research all other UK bird names. It transpires that the King Eider duck is a bird which migrates to the lake district every year, which is home to Reuben, Sam Chapman, and Josh, so the name seemed a good fit!

4. Describe your music in five words.

Hmmm....

5. What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to

you before/after a gig?

Some one from the front row recently took his top off and 

attempted to lactate onto Lucy's shoes. That was pretty weird,

and somewhat aggressive...

6. State a fact that people don't know about you.

Two of us have Science PHD's

7. What are the top 4 songs on your playlist right now?

Wild Beasts - this is our lot

The Whitest Boy Alive - Islands

Supertramp - Bloody Well Right

Grizzly Bear - Ready,Able

8. What is the first album you remember buying?

 The first album which really had a musical impact on me was Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, self titled album. Peter Green still remains a big influence on me, the man is a genius.

9. Modern or Vintage Clothing? 

 No clothing is best.

10. What are you plans for the future?

After making the most of our album release, we intend to 

record a 4 track EP. We have been working on some new material

which we are excited to record, and intend to release it

some point early next year. Stay Tuned!

If you like the sound of King Eider then you can head to their

website here and check them out.

So long for now,

Poppy xx

Win a Pixies Screen Print!

Hey Everyone,

So, I was recently given a screen print of 

The Pixies' Doolittle album and thought that I 

would make a competition out of it! 

I have created the competition through 'Rafflecopter'
so there's no spam or dodgy stuff (:

Here is a picture of the poster:

The background is an olive-blue colour and

has been printed with matte gold paint.

A brilliant poster that will look good in any office or

home - if you don't like it your parents might? 

About Doolittle

Doolittle was The Pixies' second album and was released in

1989 on 4AD. It went on to chart at #8 in the UK album 

charts and received brilliant reviews from 

critics and magazines. 'Debaser', 'Here Comes Your

Man' and 'Mokey Gone to Heaven' were all released as singles-

 it was The Pixies' first album that had a major impact 

on the charts and the music industry. 

The competition will start at 6pm tomorrow so if you'd 

like to enter follow this link to my facebook page 

where you can enter:

Click here to enter!

Good Luck,

Poppy x

Part II of Interview with The Majority Says

Hey All,

I hope you had a nice weekend.

I wanted you all to hear this song that I

recently discovered (although it is

from a few years back):

"Wake Up" by Arcade Fire

From the album 'Funeral'

It's this really beautiful song that reminds me

of camping in the summertime (idk why!), it was 

also used on the trailer for Where The Wild

Things Are which might help you to understand the

style of the song if you haven't heard it before.

It starts off as this strong rock sound but with soft, angelic melodies. And just when you think it's

going to do one thing it changes into a joyful, 

upbeat rhythm.

It's totally crazy but amazing!!

Next, is Part II of my interview with Swedish 

band The Majority Says! 

6. In 5 words describe your music.

 I’ll write six words here, since we’re 6 ;) (Whoops!)

Youthful, Playful, Mixed, Melancholy, Ploj, Epic.

7. What is the weirdest thing that has happened whilst performing or before/after a gig? 

Emil locked himself in the tour bus once by accident, we looked for him everywhere and he had 

no cell phone so we could not call him, he showed up just a minute before we should enter 

the stage, that was kinda weird actually. 

8. Have any of you got any strange hobbies or habits?I think we’re all kinda normal, myself (Axel), I’m into computers and programming and such, 

don’t know if that’s so strange though. We all try to do things we like, you know, it may 

vary from day to day.

9. Cinnamon Rolls or Princess Cake? 

Princess cake ofc.

10. Lastly, what are your plans for the future? Are you playing any gigs in Europe soon? 

 We’re releasing a new album in June, we hope to play the songs off it as much as possible of course. 

We’re going to Europe this summer to play, we’ll be doing shows from late May to November (both in 

Sweden and Europe), we hope to meet as many new people as possible and have as 

much fun as possible!

If you would like to see a sneak-peek of their album

material, follow this link to hear some of their new

song "Calling Your Name" 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCavTgNsp7U

This weekend, I'm going to Brixham with my

two friends so I won't be able to post but

I'll try and schedule one in for you ;)

Song recommendations, reviews and interviews

coming soon! 

Love,

Poppy x

Top Summer Festivals (UK) 2014

Hey Everyone,

So I thought that since summer is coming up soon

you might be looking at some music 

festivals to go to...

Therefore, I have put together a small collection
 of the top UK festivals to see this summer
(although I am basing this on the blog's music
taste)!

Field Day
Date: 7th-8th June 2014
Location: Victoria Park, London
It may be over 18s only, which is probably
quite a bonus for you adults, but this festival
has a brilliant line-up! The Pixies, Drenge,
Metronomy and Temples are all to bless the
stage and in previous years Beirut and The Vaccines
have headlined too! So, if you enjoy the rock/indie 
music scene then this one is for you.

Bestival

Date: 4th-7th September 2014

Location: Robin Hill, Isle of Wight

Bestival; a festival of music, food and the arts.

Every year this festival comes back with a stronger 

line-up than ever before. Foals, Paloma Faith,

Chvrches and Laura Mvula are set to perform as well

as Public Service Broadcasting (for the more

alternative/electronic musician inside you).

This perky festival is a celebration of all things

fresh and "out-there".

Latitude

Date: 17th-20th July 2014

Location: Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk

Having been to this festival a few times I can honestly

say that it is wonderful! Music, Poetry, Film and Comedy

create a lively, atmospheric vibe. People of all ages

flock to Suffolk annually for entertainment, amazing food 

and beautiful scenery. Named 2nd best festival of 2013,

Latitude gets all the best acts; this year Damon Albarn,

Crystal Fighters, Bombay Bicycle Club and George Ezra

have been announced! 

T in the Park
Date: 11th-13th July 2014
Location: Kinross-Shire, Scotland
Yes, it may be in Scotland but don't let this killer
festival put you off. The fantastic line-up includes:
The Pixies, Imagine dragons, Haim, The Arctic Monkeys,
Bastille and dozens more!! If you want a festival
with a broad music scene then this is perfect! 
A smaller-than-average no-nonsense festival
for the music lover in you, get the tickets
soon or they'll go!

The Garden Party

Date: 24th-27th July 2014

Location: Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

The Garden Party is a lovely festival with the

best new artists including MO, Wolf Alice,

Big Deal and Foxes. Set in a dreamy indie/hipster

forest setting this festival is artistic and 

magical. A must-see!

I'm hoping this may come into some use for

you festival-scavengers! 

Of course I am aware that I didn't include

Glastonbury or the Isle of Wight festival

but I wanted to give some smaller festivals a 

chance.

Have a magical Friday :D

Poppy Valentine x 

If I Could Pick Any Song...

It would be....

She's Got You High by Mumm-Ra

(also featured in the film 500 Days of Summer)

I love his soft, raw voice and the repeating harmonies

that soar throughout the track. The lyrics are 

genius. Sounds a lot like The Beatles (at the

end) in terms of harmonies and tune, but also has a 

underlying hint of The Kooks. Perfect.

I'm very excited to tell you that within the next

few posts I will have an interview with Great Caesar 

for you (I uploaded their song on the last "If 

I Could Pick Any Song..." post)!

If you don't know them already check out 

their song "Don't Ask Me Why" - it's one to watch. 

Love always, 

Poppy Valentine x

The BRIT awards :D

Yay!!

Poppy x

If I could pick any song......

It would be......

"Don't ask me why" by Great Caesar

This song will make you feel amazing by the end. 

It's uplifting, moving and powerful.

So please click Play (please!).

Poppy Valentine x

A Song for the Weekend...

Hey Everyone,

I'm so glad it's finally the weekend! I'm

very excited because on Sunday I will be going to 

The Breakfast Club cafe with a few of my friends.

I've never been before but I have heard that 

their breakfasts are legendary!!

So hopefully you'll be seeing some photos 

of that soon enough.

But for now, I'd like to tell you about a 

song I have been listening to for the past week 

or so, it's extremely delicate and precious to

me. It tells the story of three generation of men.

Each single for a different purpose based on the 

society they are growing up in. 

And without

further ado, this is "Blood" by The Middle East.

I really hope you like it! 

Until tomorrow, 

Poppy Valentine x

New and Upcoming Artists #FourFavourites

                                               

NEW UPCOMING ARTISTS:

These are my top artist discoveries of the year (so far), 

take a look:

Banks

This singer has a soft, R&B inspired voice, 

if you enjoy Lorde and Lana Del Ray, then this 

is definitely one for you. As well as having a 

stunning voice, she has also featured on many 

magazine front pages for her dark, mystical 

beauty. This is her new song "Waiting Game".

Amber Run

This band are relatively new and unheard 

of, I found them a few months back with their 

song "Noah". Their music is filled with harmonies, 

soaring choruses and preppy beats. For the lovers

of Mumford & Sons,I guarantee you'll love them! 

This is their new single "Heaven".

Warpaint

Warpaint are an emerging band that are

lined up to play all the big festivals this

year (including Coachella!). This all girl

Indie Rock band are releasing their self-titled 

second album this year. So, here is their latest 

single "Love is to Die".

Luke Sital-Singh

He is an absolute star; Luke Sital-Singh 

has been compared to the likes of Ben Howard

and Jeff Buckley. His songs are filled with

slow melodies, beautiful lyrics and delicate 

notes. He is one to watch in the new year! 

Please take a look at all these amazing artists, 

you might find one you like? 

Have a lovely weekend!

Until the next post, 

Poppy Valentine x