LAMB & WOLF at KINGS ARMS
In the past year Lamb & Wolf has brought sellout shows to Manchester and Salford for acts as diverse as Earth, Polysics, Boris, Marnie Stern and Dan Deacon. True to form, our SFTOC lineup is a bit of everything we fancy, with no band sounding too much like the next. Infact, the only thing we'd say that any of these bands have in common is that they're all ruddy great!
PLAYING LIVE
HOWLIN RAIN
A supergroup of sorts, featuring Ethan Miller of Comets on Fire and John Maloney of Sunburned Hand of the Man, Howlin Rain's bluesy rock flits between roaring,
Their second full-length album 'Magnificent Fiend' is due out this Spring, having already been picked up in the US by one Mr Rick Rubin.
In an ideal world, Howlin Rain would be stepping out on stage at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival (probably just before Free) with Ethan Miller's howl been heard all the way back across the water in Blighty. Luckily for us though, the year is 2008 and the setting is the King Arms, Salford. Enjoy!
CATS IN PARIS
In their own words: "We are Cats In Paris, a group of 4 streetwise felines trying to make it in the dog eat dog world of showbiz. There is Ben Summers who is a bit like Top Cat, along with Lorien "Lozbear" Edwards, Sara "Ghoulash" Beard and Michael "What Now" Watson. When not doing music we like to hang out and drink milk and talk about the love/hate relationships we have with mice."
In our words, the past twelve months has seen Cats in Paris become one of the most talked about bands in Manchester with their eccentric brand of indie pop earning them support slots with everyone from Dan Deacon, through to Islands and Gay Against You. They've now been picked up by Aa records and are set to have a new full length album out this Summer. Expect to see them continue to go from strength to strength this year, with their performance at SFTOC almost certainly being your last chance to catch them at an intimate venue before they sellout Wembley Stadium.
PANTHER
Before you've even listened to Panther they already tick all the boxes: They're signed to Kill Rock Stars, they're from Portland, Oregon and sometimes they sound a little bit like Prince.
Panther's infectious hooks and crashing drums leave them with a sound flitting somewhere between Q and Not U, Liars and the aforementioned Purple Warrior. With music which so often defies categorization, Panther have landed up on bills with acts ranging from Peaches through to Wolf Eyes, and now at SFTOC.
GENTLE FRIENDLY
Gentle Friendly's astounding music crashes through the door of that log cabin where you were on holidays reading old school Fantastic Four comic books and listening to 90s tapes trying to put yourself together after your last romantic disaster, suddenly they are in the place like some bear with wise eyes coming out of the shadows of the unexpected stomping with the fierce joy of Parts and Labor, it slumbers mighty into your kitchen and grabs all the sweets in the bowl, turns around, gobbles the sweets and walks away leaving a whiff of the Animal Collective in the air, all of this before you have even time to say 'yo Bear
www.myspace.com/gentlefriendly
HOT BONE
Hot Bone make our hands and the music of heart instance. Perhaps this music engenders the feeling like the feeling where they imagined? Or not - after all bridge ear soul, relevance sleeps. Just our intentions: dismantle relationship to which you never perceived with anything shared! Turn against all which has the stale narrator!
GNOD
Gnod are a collective of musicians based in Manchester. The line-up shrinks and swells as the music rotates & expands to
reach new frontiers and quite possibly other worlds.
Having played alongside the likes of Dead Meadow and Enablers this year, as well as at countless houseparties and DIY gigs, Gnod's ever changing lineup and semi improvised live show has seen them emerge as one the most exciting and interesting live acts on Manchester's live scene. Now, with them set to kick off proceedings down at the Kings Arms this year, we urge you to expect the unexpected!