Interview: IS TROPICAL

IS TROPICAL are a trio from London who have been cited as one of the bands to look out for in 2011. After having toured successfully with bands such as Mystery Jets, The Big Pink and Klaxons, they were one of the many highlights of the Dot To Dot 2011 line-up. Hooting And Howling met with the band on the windy Monday evening of Dot To Dot Manchester and talked about their new single, their upcoming album and their time over the weekend...

How has your Dot To Dot experience been so far in Bristol and Nottingham?

Gary: It's been wicked. We haven't played yet today but yesterday at Nottingham was a really good show. The day before in Bristol as well, lots of people came to see us; it wasn't the greatest show but a lot of people seemed to like it.

Your new single 'The Greeks' is out today (30th May), can you tell us a bit about it?

Simon: The song's had a music video done by a collective from France called Megaforce; it's really good, they've made an amazing video and it's doing really well - it's got half a million views on YouTube at the moment which is a bit crazy. The song is about a younger brother trying to act like his older brother but he kind of gets it wrong.

The video for 'The Greeks' has been described as "funny and outrageous"; is this what you aimed for? Is there a story behind the video?

Dom: There's no story particularly, it's just an idea that we came up with and developed that we thought was going to be really good and we put it up on Thursday. I wouldn't say that we tried to be funny or outrageous or anything; it's not political. There are things in there that you could construe as political but they were only little kids so I don't think they knew what they were doing. It's just harmless fun.

Your album is coming out on 13th June, can you give us any hints about what to expect from it?

Gary: I'd say, primarily, it's kind of like a pop album - it's got quite standard, feelgood songs...

(At this point there was a lot of disagreement between the band as to whether it was a pop album or not)

No, okay, scrap that...it is good and we're really proud of it and we spent a lot of time making sure it came across how we wanted it to come across and all the songs sound how we pictured in our heads. Again, we're not trying to make a statement and we're not trying to change the world or anything, it's about just making straight-up, good songs that people can appreciate.

How was the writing and recording process for the album? Was there any specific way you went about it?

Simon: Everything was written in different ways; one of us would come up with an idea or a riff or a lyric or a melody and we take it to the band and all work on it, and when we take it to the studio, the guy that working with us ended up producing it with us and they added some really good ideas to it. It's all kind of natural.

For anyone who hasn't seen you live before, can you tell us what to expect from one of your live shows?

Dom: Hoey's really good at strobe lights, we love strobe lights. We don't really like it when people can see us or when we can see each other because we see too much of each other, so we try and make it really dark and atmospheric...and loud. We like playing late at night because I think the songs come across differently live  - we get a little bit more into it and it gets a bit heavier so I think if someone has only heard the records then they should watch us live. 

Have you seen any exciting bands on the bill this weekend?

Gary: We've been hanging out with DOM. They're from Massachusetts and they're supercool guys, their songs are wicked as well. Cults, as well; we've played a few shows with those guys.

Dom: They're not disappointed that we don't make good music or that we're not good at our instruments - they don't mind because they're not those kind of people...

Gary: Get People, obviously, they're a great band, shame we're clashing with them tonight though. We met them from partying and realised that they made music as well.

Can you name any of your favourite new bands that are around at the moment?

Dom: It's hard to know what bands are new, but Teeth are relatively new...our second tour was with them. They make really abrasive dance punk sort of music. 

Gary: Publicly, Crystal Fighters could be considered quite new...

Dom: Yeah, their album has come out which is one of the ones we've had on rotation in the tour van...we really like Seams as well, and Beach Fossils. They've only had one album out but they're really cool.

Gary: We like a lot of American sounds, you'll figure it out.

IS TROPICAL Facebook

live review: Liar Liar, Club Smith, City Reign, Secret Pilot, Grounds @ Manchester Roadhouse, 7th May 2011

The Roadhouse is a tiny basement venue in Manchester which has previously hosted such legends as Muse, Coldplay and Blink 182 onto their stage. Tonight the venue welcomes five bands; Grounds, Secret Pilot, City Reign, Club Smith and headliners Liar Liar.

First to take to the stage tonight were Grounds, a four piece band from Manchester, delivering an amalgamation of a 90's grunge-crossed-with-Britpop inspired music. Showing a clear influence from bands such as Oasis and James, they went down well with the crowd who seemed altogether impressed with their sound.

Another Manchester band called Secret Pilot were on next. A set full of infectious guitars and strong vocals from frontman Ali Harrison, they played songs from their EP 'Punching Underwater', beginning with 'The Tide' - a song which holds sounds incredibly similar to early Kings Of Leon. They continued with 'Fight For Me' and followed this with stand-out track 'The Institute'. They then finished their set by asking the crowd to take part in the filming of their new video for the song 'Punching Underwater'; a three-minute anthem brimming with striking lyrics as well as a livelier sound. After they thanked the audience for helping with their video, they left the stage leaving everybody wanting more.

The third out of five bands to play tonight were City Reign, a foursome based in Manchester. Opening the set with 'See What It's Worth' they then followed this 'Out In The Cold'; their second single which was released in January. Vocally they could be compared to Idlewild or Oasis which really showed as they played 'Making Plans', and throughout their set it was obvious as to why Steve Lamacq named them as one of his favourite new bands as part of In The City festival 2010. They closed the set with their third single 'Daybreak' - a four minute song filled with emotional vocals and memorable lyrics - and and finally a heartfelt rendition of 'The Line'. Tonight City Reign have made it clear that everybody should keep an eye on them as they are surely set to do well.

Club Smith have only recently returned from a tour alongside The Pigeon Detectives and tonight they show the reasons behind the hype they have received over the past few months. The electro-indie four piece opened with 'Institution' and then played 'Young Defeatists'; one half of their double A-side single set to be released on the 6th June. There seemed to be more energy during Club Smith's set compared to previous bands and this was clear as they played various tracks from EP's - 'The Loss' and 'The Process' - such as 'Connected' and the energetic 'Lament'. The Yorkshire boys finished their set with the other half of their debut single,  the stand out 'No Friend Of Mine'; a perfect pop song which is most definitely to be huge after its release.

Finally the headliners, Morecambe based Liar Liar took to the stage. As the lights went out and the only thing to illuminate the stage was a set of fairy lights draped onto singer David Murdoch's microphone stand, the band went straight into 'It's Only Love' and continued with 'Unwanted'. After highlight song 'A Little Romance' they played a new track, which involved guitarist Charlie Kondras playing keyboard for what he said was "the second time I've ever done that". 'Sorry' was filled with impassioned vocals and 'Why Don't You Love Me Anymore?' confirmed that they have the potential to become one of the next big bands around at the moment. Their set ended with 'Seaside Girl' - their next single set to be released in September - a song with a memorable drum beat provided by Liam Maxwell and a dancey bassline from Charlotte Bell. Watch out for Liar Liar - they are sure to find all kinds of success in the future. 

The Heartbreaks, The Deaf Institute, 9th April 2011

Lancastrian duo The Lovely Eggs kicked off tonight's gig at Manchester's Deaf Institute, with the not so lovely named but fantastically fun song 'People Are Twats', followed up by 'I Like Birds But I Like Other Animals Too', a two minute shoutfest filled with crashing cymbals and scratchy guitars. Drawing attention from the crowd with their surreal lyrics and a Vaselines inspired sound, singer and guitarist Holly and drummer David continued with their single 'Don't Look At Me, I Don't Like It', instructing people to "look at him with his sausage roll thumb!". Finishing the set with 'Digital Accordion' they left the stage, leaving smiles on the faces of the crowd.

As the venue began to fill to it's maximum capacity, the second support act Mabel Love took to the stage. Opening with 'Ha Ha People' and following with 'Hardened Face', the Sheffield four-piece impressed the crowd with the combination of Dave Mitchell's fast-paced drumming, George Moran's hard hitting bass along with Dan Whitehouse's sweet-sounding guitar and Richard Rice's euphonious vocals. The song 'Socks' seemed to be the most favoured song tonight - one which is available to download for free from their website - followed up by 'Breaking It All' a "slightly political", slightly heavier song compared to their others. After playing a new song entitled 'Bootstraps' they finished up with 'Gardenstown' they left an extremely good impression on the Manchester audience in preparation for their Arctic Monkeys support slot in the summer.

Finally, complete with a projection filled with shots of their hometown Morecambe in the background and an avid atmosphere charging The Deaf Institute, The Heartbreaks graced the stage and introduced new material going by the name of 'Winter Gardens' - a song which delivered the classic repetitive lyrics and crisp sound which the four are so loved for. Speeding their way through the set they played 'Delay', as well as 'Save Your Souls' with singer Matthew questioning "what are you doing so intoxicated?" as guitarist Ryan and bassist Deaks span around the small stage. As well as playing their debut single 'Liar, My Dear' they showcased yet more new material; 'Man Overboard' and 'Gorgeous', leaving the audience eager to hear more and in high anticipation for their upcoming debut album. As they played their final songs for the night - their newest single, 'Jealous, Don't You Know' and the equally wordy titled 'I Didn't Think It Would Hurt To Think Of You' - it was clear that The Heartbreaks aren't just another generic "Manchester indie band" as the crowd sang along to drummer Joseph Kondras' poetically genius lyrics, but a band who are destined for all kinds of success.

Carl Barat, Manchester Academy 2, 6th April 2011

photograph by Amanda J Window

The opening band tonight were Foreign Office, a four-piece band from Hackney. Starting with 'Shame', they raced through their 6 song set of quirky "Franz Ferdinand meets Hot Chip" tunes, including 'On Repeat' - their infectious debut single which delivers funky guitar and bass lines along with repetitive, catchy lyrics. With traces of an influence by bands such as Talking Heads and Orange Juice, they continued with the paranoia-inspired 'Leaving The House', and finished with 'Losing The Plot'. Clearly leaving a lasting impression on the crowd, could Foreign Office be ones to watch in 2011?


Accompanied by his backing band, Carl Barat took to the stage soon afterwards, going straight into The Magus and following this up with a high energy performance of Run With The Boys. It was clear a number of people were only there to hear Libertines material so Barat added to the set a number of Libs classics, such as Man Who Would Be King and Up The Bracket, along with his solo material - in particular Je Regrette, Je Regrette, inspiring an impromptu sing along. He finished with the Dirty Pretty Things hit, Bang Bang You're Dead, before returning with his acoustic guitar to do an encore half the length of the main set, and after many a heckle for more Libertines material, he joined in with the crowd's yells of an a capella version of What Katie Did. Although the inclusion of yet more Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things tracks pleased tonight's gathering at the Academy no end, Carl should perhaps try to realise his solo work is strong enough to be performed without the large number of back catalogue hits he played this evening. Barat ended tonight with Don't Look Back Into The Sun to the obvious delight of all.

Foreign Office on MySpace
Carl Barat official

The Chapman Family/O. Children, The Ruby Lounge, 15th March 2011

Tonight's gig was opened by The Tunics, a band from Croydon who seemed to leave a good impression on the crowd tonight by showcasing a selection of anthemic indie tunes that had the rhythmic guitar of a typical Arcade Fire song, Bluetones-esque vocals and the memorable lyrics that would be expected from a band who lists The Libertines as one of their main influences. Although they refer to being described as "the most forgettable band ever", this is clearly not the case tonight as they exit the stage after receiving a great amount of cheers and applause.

As it was a co-headline tour, O. Children were on next, with Tobias towering over the rest of the band, with the microphone drawn up to it's fullest height, as they started with a full-of-energy rendition of 'Malo'. They then went straight into a new track - which oozed the typical O. Children sound - and went down extremely well with the crowd. 'Dead Disco Dancer', possibly their most well known song perked up the audience fully with it's memorable riff and catchy lyrics and following this was the dark yet emotive sounds of 'Heels' which slowed down the mood of the audience, who were quickly electrified again as Tobi and co. burst into 'Radio Waves' - the highlight song of their set. Their relatively short set ended with 'Ruins', as the band showed enormous gratitude to the crowd before leaving.

The Chapman Family headlined tonight, and with a different, heavier sound than O. Children, they opened with 'All That's Left To Break'. An unrelenting bassline and thrashing guitars are overlaid by Kingsley's passionate vocals that range from a doleful croon to a vicious roar as they race through their set. They played the majority of their album, 'Burn Your Town', and as the night drew to a close and the energy peaked, bassist Pop dived into the crowd during 'A Million Dollars', much to the bemusement of the crowd. Dripping with sweat, Kingsley screamed vocals, threw himself around the low-ceilinged stage and at one point thrust the microphone into his mouth as the set reached its climax, and as the final notes died away Pop acknowledged the crowd with arms outstretched before disappearing. After the chaos of the last 45 minutes the sudden silence seems slightly unnerving.

The Tunics on Myspace

O. Children on Myspace

The Chapman Family on Myspace