Introducing... Fanfair

I have to say, I'm intrigued by new girl-band Fanfair. Going to university in Reading, I get a copy of the highly informative Reading Post through my door every Friday and for the past couple of weeks they've been running adverts featuring Fanfair, in association with their partnership with local rugby team London Irish.

What Fanfair represent is a fascinating way of hopefully breaking into the pop scene. By performing at London Irish home games as well as being promoted on the rugby team's website and TV channel, they have instant exposure to thousands of potential fans. Not bad going for Jessica, Roberta, Anara and Aimee; who make up the group.

So, with a ready-made promotional avenue and model-like looks (just check out the photos on their website), what does their music sound like? Their debut track The Vaccine is a throbbing electro number, perfect for the stadium environment they are being launched straight into. Remember Hilary Duff's Depeche Mode-sampling Reach Out? Well Fanfair's The Vaccine is like that but with about ten times more oomph. The whole track is suitably fun and frisky, featuring the rather amazing line 'We're loving daily fixes of your intravenous kisses boy'. There's also a cheery cover of The Boys Are Back In Town on their site too, again, just the sort of thing to get you in the mood for an afternoon of rugby.

There's a nice little interview with the band on Bracknell News and it also serves to remind you that these girls are playing to the likes of 60,000 people per game. If you're looking to get your band out there, then that's certainly one way to do it. Managed by former Syco employee Dan Parker, it sounds like they've got a good pair of hands behind the steering wheel too.

I'm looking forward to hearing more from Fanfair as, let's be honest, the more girl-bands in the world, the better. And as a local, I feel like I owe it to them too.

You can find out more on Fanfair's website here.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong

There are lashings of The Cure’s 80s glory days all over the new album from The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Entitled Belong, it’s a gloriously poppy piece of guitar driven rock. At its best moments tracks like My Terrible Friend and Heart In Your Heartbreak channel shiny a-Ha-esque synths against a frenetic rhythm section. And with the help of legendary producer Flood stamped all over the album too, you’re assured of quality.

And that’s what you get here. For songs that seem drenched in whimsical, day-dreamy vibes, the album is remarkably consistent. Anne With An E twinkles like the first touches of the sun breaking from the clouds. Across the album, there seems to be constant searching for that ever-unobtainable perfection in life. Caught up in hopes and dreams, we’re led on a merry chase through a vivid and colourful landscape of sound and light. This is music to prick up the ears of the casual listener, to suck them away into the magic of the album too.

There’s a sense of two stories running side by side here too. On the most obvious level, the sound itself. A pocketful of sound snatched up from the late 80s and early 90s, it remains thrillingly retro. But equally, dressed up in the best of modern production values and enthused with the energy and vigour that any indie band worth their salt has these days, the album also slides effortlessly alongside their contemporaries. When you hear the likes of The Vaccines on the radio, any of the tracks from Belong could easily be a long-lost cousin. Never the same, but of the same thread.

There’s also a duality in the album as a whole too – for as consistent as it is, there are no obvious singles here. This is an album that needs to be digested as a whole. And in a way it benefits from that; such is the chilled beauty of some of the tracks, that to sample them only in small doses would be a great shame. This is a work that needs your full attention and time to properly breathe. But don’t mistake that for it being dull or not instant enough. Oh no, as an album, Belong grabs you from the outset, and at its best, it represents a shining beacon of inspiration.

Belong is released on the 28^th March.