Calvin Harris has decided to quit performing live saying in the Herald Sun that, "I'm not a singer, I'm not trained. Taking it onto the stage in front of people was terrifying...I never lost the terror". So it got us thinking about thos acts you absolutely love on record, but they just look awkward or don't cut it live.

Let us know your pick by shouting us here, on the ATL facebook or ATL twitter and we will give y'all a shout on the show tonight...

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Hot Chip - Summer Festivals (2010)

Rigsy - ATL Presenters

As a fan of spectacle, of bright lights, gimics and shiny things, I like to see my favourite dance acts make a little effort. Whether they're climbing inside an enormous pyramid like Daft Punk or being dwarfed by mind mangling visuals like The Chemical Brothers - it doesn't matter - as long as they're making an effort to cover up the fact they're just geeks hitting the occasional button and waving their arms about a bit. With dance music, a little spectacle is an obligation.



Disappointing then that for Oxegen and Electric Picnic, the otherwise excellent Hot Chip just...turned up. Yes they're playing live and that's great and everything, but other than a few vocals it's still just five blokes who look like vaguely whacky geography teachers all in a row behind a load of keyboard stands. Needless to say I got bored very, very quickly.

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Seven Summits are back and in spectacular style. New single 'Burning Heart has been lighting up the ATL playlist for the past few weeks and with a lovely video and a forthcoming album to boot 2011 is going to be a busy year for lads. Rigsy caught up with Rory to talk sequels, hot chocolate and other tomfoolery.

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Rory Says: hi there



Rigsy Says:yes who am i talking to



Rory says: rory



Rigsy Says: ha ha, good whats the advantages of being interviewed like this then?

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Catching a band before they break can be equal parts skill and luck. Everyone has a friend or knows somebody who is forever rollicking on about the next ‘big thing’ and then never lets you forget it when said band blows up into a huge world conquering beast. On the other hand you may have been dragged to a gig or are patiently suffering through the support act and BANG it happens you have fallen in love with the next big thing.

It’s not discovering the acts that we are talking about tonight. It is the missing out of the gig. What gig have you missed out on that you have completely kicked yourself for missing? What gig have you missed that your friends have not let you live down.

Let us know your thoughts and opinions by tapping us up here, on the ATL Facebook or the

ATL Twitter and we will give you a shout out on tonight’s show.

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The Strokes - Belfast 2001

Rigsy - ATL Presenter

Suffering as I do from FOMO* syndrome, I've been lucky enough to catch a load of now massive bands on their first, pre-debut album tour. Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand (supporting Interpol) and The Libertines (supporting Supergrass), for example - and thats just gigs at the Limelight. But, when The Stokes played that venue in June 2001, I couldn't be bothered. I actually had a ticket and a load of mates were going, but for some ridiculous reason I stayed at home - I think it was a Sunday night and I was feeling a little fragile after one too many milkshakes the previous evening. I'm literally kicking myself as I type....



*Fear of missing out.

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The Beat Poets are back. With a sparkly new video and a work ethic that would put most to shame. Normally seen as merely a blur between gigs and recordings, we managed to eventually track them down and connect to Rigsy's dodgy dial-up for our weekly webchat. Here's what went down.

(Please note, as always, grammar and spelling errors are author's own, this is a direct transcript from an online chat!)

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Rigsy says: John

John says: Rigsy. Finally sorted sorry again about yesterday

Rigsy says: no worries man

given that the interview has started - make up an incredible excuse why you were late yesterday. and i'll cut out the 'make up an incredible excuse' bit

John says: partial blame I take for being late the rest I attribute to my poor judgement in laptop choice

Rigsy says: NO, make up an excuse, something good! what kind of rockstar would be late because of a laptop?! come on, this is going in the interview

John says: ah nah that wasn't rock n roll, what I meant to say was that I had been necking whiskey and coke all afternoon and struggled to type at 4pm so had to abort the interview

Rigsy says: hmm not great

i wanted a hollywood blockbuster style excuse, that would require a LOT of special effects if recreated in the film of your life

John says: and a green screen

Rigsy says: ha. where are you now?

John says: Actually at home for a change drinking lol its a friday...

Rigsy says: fair enough! The video for gravity - it's great, but no doubt you've seen it a few times - are you sick of it?

John says: Yeah we're delighted with it and haven't watched it as much as people think, have to say Scattered images did an immense job. Freezed our ***** off making it though

Rigsy says: no pain no gain. sure yr man leonardo de capiccino had to sit in freezing cold water to get that scene in teh titanic which is pretty much the exact same in terms of what you went through..

John says: Ah when he's standing on Blackstaff mill up the falls in minus conditions, nose running and trying to look rock n roll I'll consider him on a parr lol

Rigsy says: he couldn't handle that TBF

was an ambitious video always part of the plan with this release? you strike us a band who like to do things right.

John says: Yeah the version that went out was draft 5 I think and the single we had numerous versions of it, were not as picky as Steely Dan but we do like to get it as right as possible I think we need a video to really show people what were about plus were constantly plugging in America and Asia at the min and all they want is visuals

Rigsy says: how come youz have had that interest in plugging the likes of the states from the very start? Like pretty much literally from the start you guys had an interest in america as much as home.

John says: Just were realistic that our sound might be more welcome in these territories than in the UK While we have still to land the deal in the US were making good grounds with sonicbids, MTV etc backing and on the strength of Gravity we have just confirmed an endorsement with TASCAM this week who are sending us some nice gear.

Rigsy says: see using terms like plugging and territories you're a businessman!!

John says: I think ya need to be these days...no money around so need to be a bit of a delboy

Rigsy says: do ya sometimes have to seperate the two big time though....I mean you can't walk on a stage to perform with yr business head on or walk into a board meeting or whatever with yr rockstar head on!! Or can you?!

John says: Ah yeah u see when you self manage a band and label you have to develop a dual personality...business like to fund your band and rock star when the music starts. I think bands from over here that are doing well have great business brains and use the same approach Trust me I do my fair share of partying

Rigsy says: ha ha, i don't doubt it. Lets talk about the actual track then. new levels of epicness, sounded great on t'radio. did it take a long time for it to come together in the studio? big sound!

John says: Yeah we have been developing for years a sound that were happy with and it took longer than I thought, we used to try and be balls to the wall rock but looking back it wasn't us Now we're hitting a sound that best suits us more melody, more refinement and I think far better songwriting

Rigsy says: Well for what it's worth it's my favourite thing you've done, but i have terrible taste ;-)

John says: The studio has been great I can't speak highly enough of Neal Calderwood too

Rigsy says: oh hes a legend.

RIGHT

our time is up

but before we go

you're from newry, right? or just outside?

John says: Warrenpoint and Keith the guitarist is from Newry

Rigsy says: near enough

i want you to rate the following newry people in order of awesoness. Susan Mccann, Pat Jennings, Rose-marie, Rigsy, Keith your guitarist and....the band 'luv bug'

GO

starting with least awesome

John says: sus bo, rose-marie, rigsy, keith, pat jennings and the might Luv Bug lol...see we both have bad taste must have been in the water down there lol!

mighty

Rigsy says: so what, i'm fourth? just above rose-marie?

THIS INTERVIEW IS OVER. BYE

John says: LOL, nah just before Pat Jennings...even you can't deny the great man!

Rigsy says: certainly not. he has a park named after him. i don't have anything named after me apart from a toy lizard i was given for my birthday in 2008. and i think i named that myself :-( way to bum me out man

John says: LOL!

Rigsy says: laterz

John says: Cheers man appreciated!!

****

'Gravity' is out now. The band play The Limelight, Belfast, on December 15th.

Sophomore slumps have probably killed off more bands than the debauched lifestyle that they live on tour. The Stone Roses never recovered from the ‘Second Coming’ and if MGMT recover from ‘Congratulations’ I will eat my own hipster head band.

However we are not gathered here today on this blog to discuss failure, instead we are here to talk about success! We want to know what second album is your favourite? What band’s have done the unthinkable and actually released a better album than their debut? Maybe it was only the second album that got your juices running and made you stand up and take notice of the band.

Let us know your thoughts and opinions by tapping us up here, on the ATL Facebook or the ATL Twitter and we will give you a shout out on tonight’s show.

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The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole

Rigsy – ATL Presenter

A big one for me, anyway. Having dabbled in rave with their first album and having had a passing interest in big beat around the same time (it had been nowt but Brit-pop up until then) 'Dig Your Own Hole' finally realed me and made for a love of dance music that will last a lifetime. It opens with a blinding bassline ('Block Rockin' Beats') and ends with gloriously trippy spangles ('The Private Psychedlic Reel') via contributions from Noel Gallagher and Beth Orton and a breakbeat masterpiece called 'Electrobank'. What a treat. 'Dig Your Own Hole' doesn’t rank as their best album and some of it sounds a tiny bit dated, but for me, that record has a lot to answer for. Then I bought 'Homework' and never turned back.

Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak

Paul McClean – ATL Producer

Not saying that Youth and Young Manhood is in any way poor, it’s a great, great debut record. That said, Aha Shake Heartbreak is where the band started to flex some muscle. The Bucket, Pistol of Fire and Four Kicks are still very much live setlist favourites but retaining some of the spike and spit of the initial hit. Not quite yet appealing to the singalong stadium masses that would come on recent efforts, there is talk of cockfights and roosters and rodeos and much romance borne of Oklahoma and Tennessee. Its not all manners and drawl though when the girls have motel faces and you can smell their tears. There is more depth to their south.

The Beastie Boys - Pauls Boutique

Joe Lindsay – ATL Buddy.

After the intensive and controversial tabloid-baiting tour for License to Ill the Beasties Upped sticks from New York and moved in together in the christianed 'G' house in Los Angeles and made what would become (In my opinion anyway) one of the most important and influential Hip-hop albums of all time. Pauls Boutique saw a change in direction from Frat House humour and minimal sampling to wigged-out rhymes, dizzying pop-cultural references and an absolute myriad of samples courtesy of production team the Dust Brothers. The record lost the Bud-swilling fanbase but gained an audience who would take the introduction to Johnny Ryall and the Eggman then Check their Heads all the way to the Five Boroughs. The Beasties had graduated high school….

Meat Puppets - II

Steven Rainey – ATL Buddy

When the Meat Puppets released their second album in 1984, it's probably safe to say that the world wasn't quite ready for it yet. Their first record had been a howling, atonal collection of psychedelic hardcore, which was not for the faint-hearted. In total contrast, II is lightyears ahead of its predecessor, and lightyears ahead of everything else at the time (and everything since).



Punk fights for the soul of country music, whilst a psychedelic guitar solo played by an idiot-savant peels off notes that pave the way to infinity. All in under half an hour. Not only of the best second albums ever recorded, but one of the best albums ever made by anyone, ever. FACT.

The Libertines – The Libertines

Phily Taggart – ATL Content Assistant

The Libertine’s second album was a frayed and tense affair to say the least. The erstwhile likely lads Pete and Carl’s relationship had reached breaking point. This tumultuous relationship ended up scratching its way onto vinyl in the form of probably the best track the Libertines produced, ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’.

Their debut album ‘Up the Bracket’ is held by many as their magnus opus, however I reckon that their second outing, ‘The Libertines’ (Self Titled), is a better track for track pop album. Tracks such as ‘Music When the Light’s Go Out’ and secret track ‘France’ are honest, emotional and heartbreaking where as ‘What Became of the Likely Lads’ and ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ see the lads take the British kitchen sink drama of The Kinks and give it a ramshackle punk makeover. Its biographical, its candid and most importantly the tunes are great.

The Rupture Dogs have been rumbling along nicely and an occasional feature on the ATL playlist. With a new EP and tour planned, the band are now preparing to step it up a notch.

Before any of that, however, we subjected Allan McGreevy from the band to an online chat with our Rigsy. After discussing their favourite tourist attractions in Newcastle, they finally got round to talking about that EP...

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Rigsy says: Rigsy says: HELLO. sorry caplocks

Rigsy says:Allan says: Hello there young fellow

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Hooded Fang have been bubbling under the indie pop surface since releasing their first EP in 2008. But the Canadians only just grabbed my attention with their debut album, 'Hooded Fang Album'. It came out last month and it's part of that shambolic, loose guitar pop that has become so popular in the last couple years, but it has subtle layers bringing fairly simple song structures to more atmospheric places.

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Two Door Cinema Club will be gacing our telly screens tomorrow night, as they continue their rise with a performance on BBC 2's Later with Jools Holland. The Bangor lads will feature alongside Bryan Ferry, Midlake and Jessie J on BBC 2 at 10pm, tomorrow.

But what has been your musical TV highlight? Perhaps that moment a band caught you by surprise as you ate your dinner? Or a tape you had that you watch one repeat? What live performance by a band has stuck with you?

Let us know your pick by shouting us here, on the ATL facebook or ATL twitter and we will give y'all a shout on the show tonight...

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Nirvana - Smells like Teen Spirit (Top of the Pops, 1991)

It can sometmies be a bit childish or cringe-tastic when a band rebel on a TV show (see Ian Brown losing his mind - 'amateurs!!') but Nirvana did it brilliantly on several occasions. The promised Jonathon Ross 'Lithium' (which he subsequently introduced) instead performing something much ruder and noiseier. On 'The Word' Kurt Cobain informed the entire room about a recent conquest ('Courtney Love of the sensational pop group Hole') but, best of all was the band on Top of the Pops. Forced to mime what they were playing, Dave, Kurt and Krist made ludicrous, unrelated gesures while Kurt sang the whole thing like a drunk opera star, making 'Smells like Teen Spirit' sound as daft as possible. Career suicide? Hardly. The world lapped it right up.

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Indie pop New Yorker, Darwin Deez announced his arrival earlier this year with his debut album, 'Lucky Number’. Single 'Radar Detector' seemed to be on constant rotation on every radio across the land and his reputation for fun filled live shows was cemented at the summer’s festivals, including Oxegen in July.

But before he lands in Belfast for a show at the Limelight on Wednesday, ATL thought we'd find out a little more background on our musical guest. So like the gentleman he is, Darwin let the guard down and had a bit of a heart to heart with ATL.

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Wheres your head at?

Please answer the questions below honestly and we will attempt to cure you.

What is your earliest memory?

Running down the big grassy hill outside my parents' student housing apartment in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with a paper cup filled with frozen water in my hand. Why? to board the bookmobile--a bus filled with library books.

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Since forming a 'proper' band, John D'Arcy has had quite the time of it, releasing his debut single on Terri Hooley's 'Good Vibrations' label and playing some high profile supports. But nothing else happens until the man himself puts himself through an online chat with our Rigsy. Queue discussions about the appeal of red shirts and the ultimate great bunch of lads.....

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RIGSY SAYS: INTERVIEW! how are ya?

JOHN SAYS: hi rigsy. i'm awesome how does this work?

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On tonights ATL we have Niall from the Panama Kings in studio, discussing the bands final days. But what will he be doing next? Surely there'll be some other project? While John, Shelly & The Creatures have announced they'll be changing their name and starting a new phase for their band. So in honour of both, we're talking the best re-inventions on tonights show.

Let us know your pick by shouting us here, on the ATL facebook or ATL twitter and we will give y'all a shout on the show tonight...

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Neon Neon (Gryff Rhys from Super Furry Animals)

Rigsy - ATL presenter

Gruff Rhys was always musically contrary, hard to predict and beyond mere genre-holing. So talking about this guy 'reinventing' himself is similar to talking about you or me…breathing. That said, the debut (and probably only) record from Neon Neon was more than a bit special. The lazy amongst us referenced the eighties, but for me it was full of nods to the future - taking influence from bands yet to form and music yet to be written. Oh, and those pop hooks were good enough for Gaga.

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