Panda

Fierce Panda Summer Showcase- Longfellow & Masakichi

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Last night Fierce Panda hosted their Summer Showcase in The Oak Room at Covent Gardens 'The Hospital Club; comprising of two of their signings, 'LONGFELLOW' and new signing, ''MASAKICHI'.

 

Having heard their new single, 'Spring' on Soundcloud I was eager to see 'Masakichi' live, to see if they were able to recreate the dynamic range from their released tracks, and put simply- I was not disappointed. The five piece from London played a flawless set from start to finish, combining soft droning verses with shatteringly heavy choruses, laced with tonnes of groove and subtle uses of compound time signatures, the harmonies between Hannah Cartwright and Hattie Williams really polishing off what was a tight, and solid performance.

 

If you are like me, and you can't really listen to vast amounts of Post-Rock instrumental bands without yearning for vocal melodies and harmonies, I would recommend checking out Masakichi. Their instrumental arrangements have all the epicness and dynamism of atmospheric Post-Rock, while filling the void often left by other bands through their use of melodic vocal lines, and harmonies.

 

Their Album is out September 18th, and can be pre-ordered from Fierce Panda Here.

 

Check out MASAKICHI HERE.

 

LONGFELLOW, an established Fierce Panda act took to the stage shortly after, and cracked straight into a set full of incredibly well written, upbeat pop songs from their latest release. Having been blown away by Masakichi's set, I had high expectations for Longfellow. Although I wasn't disappointed by their performance, I felt that there was a lack of emotion and passion during the first half of their set, their cover of 'Elastic Heart' by Sia not managing to capture the raw emotion of the original and falling into the back of the room, Owen Lloyd's vocals unfortunately getting lost in the arrangement.

 

New single 'Choose' introduced a welcomed melancholy and emotional track into their set which really stood out and addressed my prior issues, the downbeat song really conveying the pain of emotional stalemate and cyclical relationship routines in a raw pop song. Ending their encore with 'Medic', Longfellow managed to prove themselves as a versatile act, thoroughly dismissing my prior reservations, and providing me with songs stuck in my head while on the train home.

 

Longfellow's New EP is available to pre-order from Fierce Panda Here.

 

Check out LONGFELLOW HERE.

 

 

We Are FSTVL add Masters at Work, Heidi and more to lineup

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Following the huge announcement that revealed over 100 names from We Are FSTVL’s 2015 edition, the twice award winning music event has kicked off the year with even more names added to the line-up. Returning to the ‘Field of Dreams’ in Upminster, Essex on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May 2015, We Are FSTVL welcomesMasters at Work, Heidi, Route 94, Dusky and many more – who will join the likes of Carl Cox, Loco Dice, Sven Väth, Jamie Jones, Hannah Wants, Seth Troxler and Jackmaster – plus two further stage hosts from legendary house music promoters Paravana and Clockwork Orange.

Headlining Defected’s ‘Very Big Top’ on Saturday 30th May is the house-garage production and remix duo "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, who together as Masters of Work perfectly join the dots between the latest and greatest innovators of the underground scene. Jackathon’s leading lady Heidi is also set to bring her signature brand of fiery house and techno to Sunday’s Main Stage, joined by house chart-topper Route 94, whose soulful take on house for ‘My Love’ quickly became a surefire festival anthem of 2014.

Also announced are London based duo Dusky, who will be on hand to deliver their very own selection of genre-bending productions at MK’s Area 10 stage on Sunday 31st May, with DJ S.K.T also representing the bass-ier side of the house spectrum alongside Beckwith and Disciples –the London-based trio behind killer single ‘They Don’t Know’. 

Returning to We Are FSTVL for the third year running are promoters Paravana. With their unique imagination drawing upon the tranquil surroundings of the Cambodian island of Bamboo. Famed for a series of bass-flavoured releases, the Bristol based collective will provide the latest in emerging, club-centric sounds, and welcome Max Chapman, Senzala, and garage-producer trio Panda – providing an idyllic soundtrack for Sunday’sField of Dreams.

In a UK festival exclusive, legendary promoters Clockwork Orange will also host their very own arena at We Are FSTVL on Saturday 30th May. Having launched in London back in 1993, Clockwork Orange will celebrate their 25thanniversary with a line-up that fully explores the origins of UK house, kicking things off with a b2b set between head promoter Danny Clockwork and Keith Mack. Co-creator Andy Manston will also feature, with 90s key player Tall Paul topping the bill alongside Brandon Block, Alex P, Trevor Fung, Tristan Ingram, 2 Good Souls and Tony Grimley.