artists
battles
KOKO
Wednesday 24 October
New York foursome, Battles proved why the hype about them is warranted with a show filled with high cymbal energy in support of Editors.
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watch
Sorry we were only able to keep performance videos online for a week after the festival.
on the bbc
- Radio 1
- Radio 1 hosted Battles at KOKO in support of Editors.
what happened
Minute by minute, via text message, by the BBC's James Cowdery
- 19.12 - Inside! Apparently, KOKO sold out before Battles were even added to the bill. How will these Editors fans take to Battles' abstract groove?
- 19.23 - The stage is set. It's got to be Battles' gear. There's a solitary crash cymbal poking up like a bashful sunflower.
- 19.38 - Radio 1's Nihal introduces the band... No smoking or farting apparently. And smoky farts are right out. Battles wander onstage... They don't seem in a hurry to start. Come on... Let's (math) rock!
- 19.43 - First cymbal action! John Stanier is pounding that baby even though it's in the next room. Go Battles!
also at bbc electric proms
- Performed alongside Battles:
- Editors
line-up
- Mark Ronson with special guests and the BBC Concert Orchestra
- Paul McCartney
- Kaiser Chiefs via David Arnold
- Bloc Party
- Ray Davies and friends
- Agaskodo Teliverek
- Amar
- Amplifier
- Battles
- Ben Westbeech
- Basquiat Strings
- The Beatles: Help!
- Blanche
- Bob Dylan: The Other Side of the Mirror
- Breed 77
- Charlie Louvin
- The Chemical Brothers
- Cold War Kids
- The Coral
- Daft Punk: Electroma
- Duke Special
- Durrty Goodz
- Editors
- Edwyn Collins
- The Enemy
- Estelle
- The Flaming Lips:
UFOs at the Zoo - Ghetto
- Hadouken!
- Justice
- Kano presents London Town
- Kid Harpoon
- Noah and the Whale
- Once in a Blue Moon:
A tribute to Lal Waterson - Maps
- The Metros
- New Cassettes
- Radio Luxembourg
- Reverend and the Makers
- The Riff Raff and Riz MC
- Sam Isaac
- Sigur Rós: Heima
- Siouxsie
- SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS with Jamie Cullum
- Taio Cruz
audience reviews
Richard
Experienced Battles live at Leeds Carling Festival this summer... ha ha ha... danced like a lunatic with my brother... went and bought CD 'Mirrored' a couple of weeks later. Wish people wouldn't use terms like Math and Prog: though '21st Century Yes' isn't that far off the mark. Battles make a glorious, bonkers racket. Dance to it, laugh at it, above all enjoy it, just don't pigeonhole it!
Andy L
Battles. Amazing. Like a 21st century Yes. Better than on vinyl/cd. Some question why they're signed to the Warp label as they're not a typical Warp act. But what other label would have the vision to sign this band. Sadly they're likely to remain on the fringes of popular music, but that's our fault not theirs.
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Keeley Lund
Battles were brilliant. Not at all what I expected but intellignet, funny, ambitious 21st Century Prog Rock (as my hubby called them).In comparison, the Editors were almost boring afterwards...!
Will
Me and my friend really love Battles, and we've been trying to make something that sounds similar, but it's deceptively hard to do. In answer to the drum machine comment, I was using Reason 2.5 and to do what the drummer does live would be incredibly hard. A drum machine just isn't fluid enough to adapt to other people and change pace organically.I giggled like a goddamn child watching this, especially Race Out (I think it was Race Out) at the start, when everything kicks in. It's like watching someone do a trick: you know what's about to happen but you don't expect it to really work, then when it does it just kicks you straight in the stomach and leaves you smiling like an idiot. Atlas was a bit weak in my opinion but Leyendecker was fantastic. Watching him loop up the vocals made me grin. This was probably the best 45 minutes of my day.
Dixon
Battles ceases to amaze me. These guys are awesome. I need to get around to see them soon.
Davros
Utterly appalling noise. Like a bunch of teenagers who had been let loose in an instrument shop. And why does the drummer put so much effort into producing something which sounds just like a drum machine?
Tails
Superb performance! Who'd be a drummer; how much did he sweat!!! Hot under the lights I think!