Okay, I am back to checking out new bands, especially with the hope to find a band that fits on Cloudberry, for a 7″ release. This has started to prove a bit difficult with Bandcamp as most bands as soon as they have a new song they post it immediately. As you can imagine I’d like to have the song unveiled with the release, not 6, 8 months before. So what do I look for? I guess for the vibe, for the style, for the influences, that I can imagine that they would record a brilliant single…
The Hannah Barberas: a favourite band from before I went into my vacation. The superb London combo has a bunch of new songs on the “When You Were My Boyfriend EP”. 4 new songs, one of them, the title song, that will be included in the band’s second album that is to be released in the summer on Spinout Nuggets and Subjangle. Highly recommended.
Rémi Parson: another EP that I have to highly recommend is the “Pour un Empire” album by the ex Sunny Street. The album is out on vinyl now and sounds superb. Rémi is definitely one of the most talented people I know and have been honoured to work with him in the past (and I hope in the future too, who wouldn’t want a Sunny Street comeback!?). This record continues what he has been showing us in his previous releases, top-class wave pop. It came out last November, but I am only catching up with these great 12 tracks.
Crabber: the band formed by members of Dr. König Arthus (who I interviewed) and Kristallin (which I’ve tried twice to interview them!) is releasing a 7″ on the Athens label Old Bad Habits. It will include three songs and we can preview the opening one, “Greek Wine”, which is great!! The record is limited to 150 copies and will be out on May 2.
The No-Yeahs: “Romper Room” is a wonderful song! If you remember The Tidy Ups or Funday Mornings this will be up your street! Bedroom-pop at its finest. Ramshackle beauty. The song even has a video which you can check here.
Coming Up Roses: a favourite of the blog too, as all the previous bands. It is refreshing to know bands that we like continue putting music out. The Singapore trio has a new single called “Slingshots” that is good. But I have to say their previous effort called “Glass Stained Eyes” is fantastic. So here are two links in one. Enjoy.
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Back in 2011 or 2012 (I can’t be sure) I was in love with one song, “Easily Led” by the London band Fountains. I thought it was a fantastic single, that it should have been big, a classic in indiepop… but I guess the song flew under the radar for everyone.
I djed it a few times and always people would ask me what song this was. So there was that, people acknowledged that it was good. I just don’t understand how some bands make it and others don’t.
When I approached them to release a 2nd single with me, the band had split out and the member I talked with had a new project that sounded different. Not exactly what I was looking.
Today I was remembering them and wondering what happened to them. I lost track. And to be honest I know very little about them. They weren’t a household name for indiepop lovers. They didn’t play any of the festivals we used to go.
The band was formed by Bex Dean on bass and vocals, Chris Haslam on guitar, Darren Osborne on guitar, Jonathan Head on guitar and vocals and Neil Bourke on drums.
The band released a 7″ and also a tape, both in 2012. Let’s start with the tape which was called “No Sleep EP”. This tape, limited to 50 copies, had three songs, “Sleep”, “Insecure” and “You Are Not Welcome”. The three songs appear on both sides. They were recorded at Lightship95, a studio on a 550-tonne ship moored at Trinity Buoy Wharf in East London. The producer was Rory Attwell from Die! Die! Die! and Test Icicles.
These songs are on the band’s Soundcloud if you want to have a listen of course. There is a Bandcamp with this EP as well.
The 7″ came out on the label Beautiful Strange (BS004). This record was limited to 250 copies, perhaps that’s why it never caught on? Anyhow, the wonderful “Easily Led” appears on the A side and “Repetition” is on the B side. The good thing too is that the band made a promo video for the A side, which is on Youtube.
And just one compilation appearance. It was a digital one called “Something Something Compilation #1” that featured bands from South East London. Fountains appear with “Don’t Cry”. It came out in 2012.
The next stop to find more info is a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated since 2014.
Here we find of a lot of gigs. They played Power Lunches in London on March 6th, 2012 alongside Evans the Death and Playlounge. In Canterbury they played on March 30th, 2012 at Casey’s. Friday April 13, 2012 at the Amersham Arms in New Cross, London.. May 8, 2012, with Delta/Alaska and Dark Bells at The Old Queen’s Head in Islington. On May 12, 2012, they played along Trophys, Es Muss Sein, Magnets and Take a Stand at Rafa Club in Chatham. June 9, 2012, with The Hysterical Injury, Vienna Ditto, Hella Better Dancer, Breathe Out, The Tuts and more at the Kiss the Music Weekender at the Sebright Arms in Bethnal Green. The Buffalo Bar also saw them on May 22, 2012 for Club Fandango. On June 5, 2012, they played the Teen Creeps Luvverly Jubilee Party at Old Blue Last. Then the next day, June 6, at Sub Rosa at Club Surya in Kings Cross. June 21, 2012, at Bands & Books in London.
Their single release party was on July 24, 2012, at The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington. Other bands on the lineup were Fever Dream (are they still going?), Lostleft and Es Muss Sein. On August 14 at Camden Barfly with The Penelopes.
They also played that year, 2012, Lounge on the Farm Festival in Canterbury.
They tried to be part of Indietracks in 2012, wonder why it didn’t happen.
They were interviewed by Matt Barnes for the Indie Show on Roundhouse Radio on March 15, 2012, but the link is not working.
And then we know that Jonathan Charles started a new project called Kid Gloves. I don’t know what happened to the rest of the band members. Did they continue making music? I think this was about 2013-2014. When then did the Fountains called it quits?
And were these all the songs they recorded? Just 5? There must be more, right? Would be great to find out any details about them. Who remembers them?
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Listen
Fountains – Easily Led
