42 INDIE//ROCK//ALTERNATIVE STEVE HARRIS
We caught up with Xfm DJ Steve Harris before their prestigious Winter Wonderland last month. Here’s what he had to say...
Are you looking forward to tonight? Absolutely, we work hard every year to get 6 bands on each bill (one in Manchester a week before). It’s hard to get 12 really good bands every year. We start working on it literally Spring time. It’s kind of like a festival bill in one night. The thing I like about it is each band has got 20 minutes to shine. They kind of have that level of competiveness to it; they also try to out do each other. They have 6 songs, 20 minutes, bang bang bang. When we did the gig in Manchester last week, it was The View then Mystery Jets then The Futureheads, and The Futureheads said they would love to make this a tour. Punk Rock have their own tour, rappers do it, it would be great if 6 Indie artists go on tour together and do a night like this, 20 minute sets, it would be great.
It’s great that XFM are doing some- thing like this. We’ve done it for more than seven years, we got Manchester a few years ago so we do two now. It’s the biggest gig of the year for us and we put a lot of work into it.
What was a highlight of your last year? Doing the radio show from Benicassim festival, I have to big up that festival. It’s the one in Spain next to the beach at 35/400
What’s going to be hot in 2011? There’s a band called The Valentines that I want to big up. I saw them about three times in 2010, they are just unbeliev- able. I’m just so excited about them. They haven’t even released anything yet. They have an EP coming out on Valentines Day called We Are The Band EP and they are just an amazing band. That’s my tip of the year, and there are bands like Chapel Club and Funeral Party who have been getting played on Xfm but will make a step up in 2011 for sure.
Tune in to the O2 Evening Show with Steve Harris on Xfm every weekday from 7-10pm on 104.9 FM in London and across the country on digital radio & TV and online at
www.xfm.co.uk
CHAPEL CLUB PALACE
C and the music is on all night. It’s
not like our festivals that finish at 9 o’clock in the evening; this finishes at 6 o’clock in the morning. You’re by the beach, music all night. The bill was great, I think it’s one of my new favourite festivals actually.
XFM have done a countdown fol- lowing the recent book the 1000 greatest songs of all time. Did you agree with the final countdown? A thousand is so hard to put in order because there is so many. There are always those anomalies where you have a Klaxons song, I’m not dissing the Klaxons in anyway, but it might be above a John Lennon song. But it is a thousand, not like a hundred but a thousand. We’ve had a lot of fun playing them on the radio because there are so many great songs and so many great songs don’t get played on the radio often enough so we get the chance to play them. It’s a good book.
Who chose the songs to be put in the book? A mixture of reader’s feedback and us. We had a whole panel together from XFM and a panel of artists.
Were there songs that you person- ally wanted in the book? I’m a Morrissey man, I’m a Libertines man, I’m a Clash man and I’m a Strokes man. I went for a lot of that and I put my foot down on a lot of that. I’m also a Mike Skin- ner/Streets man and I wanted some of his songs in the book but some didn’t make it. All the DJs were fighting their corner for their bands and favorite songs.
You have the same name as one of the founders of Iron Maiden, how cool is that? I know, it’s alright isn’t it. Some people even hear me on the radio and every now and then, maybe once or twice a year, people text in and say ‘are you Steve Harris from Iron Maiden’. I don’t know what they are listening to or what they’re on.
MILES KANE
Formally with The Rascals and Alex Turner’s The Last Age Shadow Puppets, Miles Kane has gone it alone and will be bringing his experience to Hoxton Bar and Grill on the 17th of January. Preparing the release of his debut solo album in April this year, Miles will be playing a selec- tion of his solo tracks including ‘Inhaler’ and new single ‘Come Closer’. Having already supported The Couteen- ers at the end of last year, Miles Kane is hot property and this is backed up by Beady Eye asking him to support them on their Spring tour. We all know Miles must be pretty good if Liam Gallagher wants him to support his eagerly awaited return to live shows. Also, the up and coming album has special guest Noel Gallagher singing on one of his tracks. Could we see the former Oasis man at the show, I doubt it but it would be a welcomed surprise. So for a sneak peak for a highly respected artist and one of 2011 hot tips, go and see the young man perform.
Breaking the mainstream last year, Chapel Club are ready to release their debut album. Out on the 31st of January, their first record entitled ‘Palace’ will show the new sound of Indie today. The London based band have already made a name for themselves on the Zane Lowe and Steve Harris shows as their previous singles O Maybe I and Five Trees being named as their records of the week when they were first released, respectively. Now, releasing ‘Palace’ with their new single surfacing, heads will be spinning and people will be asking; ‘who is this band and where can I see them?’ Similar to post/ punk revivalists White Lies, a cross junction of success is steadily building with many festivals calling to require the services of the fab five in the summer. Embarking on a UK tour later this month, and obvious influences from New Order and The Smiths, we are expecting big things from Chapel Club and this album.
THE GUESTLIST NETWORK | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2011 Dean Woodhouse OF THE MONTH ALBUM
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