Features The Neu Bulletin (23rd January 2013)

Every day of the week, Neu gives you a choice show and a selection of new music tips, all in the name of exposing you to something new and exciting.

If there’s a gig that’s worth heading to, we’ll tell you all about it, and if there’s a song you need in your life, we’ll make sure it doesn’t fly under the radar. It’s the Neu Bulletin.

THE GIG
Syron, San Zhi, Brolin, /please/ (Hello 2013) - The Old Blue Last, London


When we announced the line ups for our ‘Hello 2013’ joint venture with the Old Blue Last, our excitability gauge went off the scale with regards to this specific line-up. Headliner Syron is the big draw; her spellbinding nu-garage a surefire success story in itself. The more mysterious, beloved Brolin supports, and /please/ plays her second show (Charlotte Church attended the first, apparently). The bill’s completed by the dramatic, echo-plexed pop of San Zhi. Few bills come better than this, if we say so ourselves. And it’s free. For crying out loud: COME.

THE SONG
SHOPPING - Santa Monica Place


In contrast to the upmarket shopping mall of the same name in California, the track ‘Santa Monica Place’ is a ramshackled introduction to a concept band of much intrigue. Through a tongue-in-cheek running theme of consumerism, Shopping deliver mathy surf grooves in a neat package. Vocal interplay features highly, with contributions from each of the members in the London based three-piece. For those who’re not a fan of the January sales, this will provide some alternative retail therapy. [Ian Paterson]

OTHER NEU BUSINESS
Young Unknowns - Drive


Brooklyn’s Young Unknowns first caught our attention back in 2012 with a debut EP that unleashed blow after blow of exciting potential. ‘Drive’, a cover of The Cars, doesn’t exactly shed more light on the band. More, it helps make ever clearer just how beautifully these guys make understated synth-pop. Free from production gimmicks or showy antics, it’s sentiment in its purest, most delightful form.