Music: One to Watch - First Aid Kit

Photo by Josefin Klavus

This spotlight feature on upcoming band, First Aid Kit, was published in my university newspaper, Exeposé, on Monday.

ARMED with only an acoustic guitar, their own exquisite voices and a handheld camera, sister duo First Aid Kit recorded their cover of Fleet Foxes’ ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’ surrounded by pine trees in the summer of 2008.

Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna have mature and soulful voices, as well as an ability to harmonise perfectly with one another. These would be qualities celebrated regardless of age but First Aid Kit become something remarkable when you consider they recorded their cover version of the Fleet Foxes’ song when Johanna was 18 and Klara only 15.

It was not until early 2009 with the UK release of the folk duo’s first EP, Drunken Trees, that the folk duo gained any recognition in Britain. The EP is a strange mix of unoriginal and insipid lyrics, such as ‘Pervigilo’’s “I lie awake at night/Picturing me and you,” and mature themes of adultery, mundane domestic life, and tired marriages in ‘Tangerine’ and ‘You’re Not Coming Home Tonight’. Despite the EP’s inconsistency, Klara and Johanna’s hauntingly beautiful harmonies more than make up for the uneven tone of Drunken Trees.

A more sophisticated and focused offering arrived in the form of their 2010 debut album, The Big Black and the Blue. The 11-track disc opens with a cappella harmonies that are so carefully synchronised the cliché of sending shivers down your spine becomes a reality. The duo’s vocals are never overshadowed by instrumentation and remain centre stage for the entirety of the album. The strength of First Aid Kit’s vocal lines is best exemplified by standout track, ‘Ghost Town’, which was released as a single in September 2010.

Despite releasing an internationally acclaimed album, First Aid Kit are still relatively unknown to mainstream UK audiences, although they have gained a large following in folk circles. After admiring First Aid Kit’s music for over a year, I was lucky enough to see them play at Latitude festival in the summer of 2010. Live, the duo often improvised which added a light-hearted touch that was missing from the album. The harmonies were flawless and as the band made its way through song after song, the sisters didn’t compromise on quality and gave a stunning live performance.

Critics predict the Swedish duo will become future stars of the folk-pop scene. If the band can fine-tune their song writing skills, First Aid Kit will no doubt match the successes of Fleet Foxes, Mumford and Sons and Band of Horses a few years down the line. After all, folk is trendy at the moment.

First Aid Kit’s cover versions of ‘Universal Soldier’ and ‘It Hurts Me Too’, recorded as part of Third Man Records’ Blues Series, are now available on 7” vinyl.

Photo by Angel Ceballos

IB

The Friday Round-Up, Week 5... Posted on Saturday

Hello, and welcome to this week's edition of The Friday Round-Up.

Firstly, apologies for the fact that it is now Saturday. It was a very hectic Friday! I also apologise because this edition will be rather brief - university life is very busy at the moment!

In the news this week:

World

NATO allies are split over armed intervention in Libya. David Cameron proposed a no-fly zone over the country but met strong opposition from a senior NATO official and Defense Secretary, Robert Gates. President Obama accepted that a no-fly zone was an option, but warned against invasion.

He said: "One of the reasons we did not see any anti-American protests was because they didn't see that we tried to engineer an outcome."

COLONEL Gaddafi spoke out against the West at a conference in Tripoli on Wednesday. His speech threatened that the West would be met with "hell and a bloodbath" if foreign forces invaded Libya. The 68 year-old leader also offered amnesty to rebels who laid down arms. The dictator arrived at the conference in a golf buggy and spoke for almost three hours to a room of 1,000 supporters of Gaddafi's regime.

UK

JOHN GALLIANO was suspended from his position as head designer for Christian Dior after making a series of racist and anti-Semitic slurs in a French bar last week. Although Galliano denied making the alleged remarks, The Sun published a video showing an incident in December in which Galliano declared he loved Hitler. He then proceeded to verbally assault a group of people sitting at the table beside him. The insults carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a £19,000 fine.

DIRECTOR of the London School of Economics, Sir Howard Davies, has resigned after the university demanded an independent inquiry into its financial ties with Libya. Earlier this week, Sir Howard apologised for accepting £1.5 million from Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, after he was awarded his PHD. The thesis is currently being investigated for plagiarism.

INSURANCE companies can no longer quote different prices for men and women, the European Court of Justice has ruled.

On A Lighter Note

THE KING'S SPEECH came away with four Oscars at the 83rd annual Academy Awards on Sunday evening, including Best Picture, Best Director for Tom Hooper and Best Actor for Colin Firth.

Thanks for reading this week's edition of The Friday Round-Up on Saturday! Remember to check the blog throughout the week for upcoming updates and next Friday for the (on-time) Round-Up.

IB

The Friday Round-Up, Week 4

Hello, and welcome to a rather late edition of the Friday Round-Up.

In this week's news:

World:

COLONEL GADAFFI is under increasing international pressure to step down as leader of Libya. President Obama, Prime Minister David Cameron and President Sarkozy discussed ways to bring an end to the Libyan dictatorship. The White House stated a no-fly zone was also proposed to stop air strikes against rebels.

The International Federation of Human Rights reported that over 400 people have died since the uprising began. Colonel Gadaffi's regime continues to use violence against the insurgents in an attempt to crush the rebellion. An anti-government protest was attacked with fighter jets and firearms and there were plans to bomb Benghazi before it was captured last weekend. The amount of violence in Libya has provoked calls for Colonel Gadaffi to step down imminently. The dictator has so far refused to resign voluntarily from his post.

NEW ZEALAND was hit by a large earthquake on Tuesday which killed at least 75 people and left hundreds injured. Around 300 people are still missing. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake devastated Christchurch and its surrounding area, causing a national state of emergency. An international rescue operation was soon under way to find survivors under the rubble of toppled buildings but four days on, hope has now faded of finding anyone else alive under the wreckage.

National:

MEN often hold the top jobs in Britain's biggest companies but this could become a thing of the past after businesses were advised this week to smash their glass ceilings and admit more female staff into the boardroom.

SOLDIERS have been trained to run prisons amid rumours of officer strikes over funding cuts and changes to pensions.

Also in the news:

IN a shocking turn of events, it was revealed this week that Justin Bieber has cut off his fringe for charity.

Thanks for reading this week's edition of The Friday Round-Up. Apologies for the post's brief coverage of this week's events - I've been away on a mini-break for most of this week and am therefore not as up to date with current affairs as I'd like! Don't be alarmed however, because next week the blog will be up and running as normal with full reports on the latest news in one easily digestible bite for your convenience.

IB

The Friday Round-Up, Week 3

Hello, and welcome to this week's edition of The Friday Round-Up.

THE National Union of Students (NUS) have advised their campus representatives in a private memo not to campaign against the rise in tuition fees.
The memo labels the loan repayments system as "progressive" and suggests the NUS exaggerated the scale of the cuts made to the teaching budgets. It contradicts the NUS's public opposition of any increase in tuition fees.
James Brown, a second-year student at the University of Exeter, forwarded the memo to national newspaper, The Times, which revealed the news on Thursday of this week.
Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College, London have announced they will charge the maximum tuition fee of £9,000 in 2012.

POLICE fired buckshot, rubber bullets and teargas at a peaceful pro-democracy protest in Bahrain, killing four and injuring 200. Around 2,000 anti-government demonstrators were mobilised on Pearl Square in Manama, inspired by recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
The attack has provoked international condemnation.

SEX OFFENDERS can now appeal to have their names removed from the sex offenders register, the Supreme Court has ruled.
The ruling stated it was a breach of human rights for an offender's name to appear on the list for life without chance for appeal.
Prime Minister David Cameron has condemned the decision. A spokesman has announced the government would do the "minimum necessary" in order to adhere to the ruling.

PRIME Minister David Cameron has given in to public pressure over plans to sell-off forests.
Over half a million people signed an online petition against the proposal to sell more than 250,000 hectares of public forest.

THE King's Speech won seven BAFTAs this week, outperforming The Social Network, True Grit and Inception.

OBAMA is to make a state visit to Great Britain in May.

That's all from this week's Friday Round-Up. Keep checking the blog for more updates and, of course, for Friday's Round-Up.

IB

The Friday Round-Up, Week 2

Hello, and welcome to this week's edition of The Friday Round-Up.

BREAKING NEWS: President Mubarak has resigned as leader of Egypt and has handed over power to the military. The news comes on the 18th day of protest from anti-Mubarak campaigners. On Thursday, protesters were frustrated after it was revealed Mubarak would not step down from his post until presidential elections due in September. Today however the Egyptian leader has given in to increasing public demand for his resignation and handed over power to the high command of the armed forces. Newly-appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman announced Mubarak's departure in a televised broadcast earlier today.

An overwhelming majority voted for independence in South Sudan after results were announced on Monday. Election statistics revealed 98.83% of voters had backed independence. The newly created nation will officially declare independence from Northern Sudan on 9 July.

MPs have voted to keep the ban on prisoner voting after the European Court of Human Rights ruled such a ban was illegal. In defiance of the European Court of Human Rights, the motion was carried in the House of Commons by a majority of 212. Ministers will adhere to the ruling enforced by the European Court of Human Rights but MPs have asserted only the "minimum necessary" will be carried out. Currently only untried prisoners are able to vote.

A government decision to axe a school building program has been deemed "unlawful." Six county councils pushed for a judicial review after the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme was cut earlier this year. A judge has ordered Education secretary, Michael Gove, to reconsider his decision.

That's all from The Friday Round-Up this week but keep checking the blog for more updates.

IB

Review: Russell Kane Lights Up Exeter Phoenix With Latest Tour

This article was published on my university media website, Xmedia Online.

Russell Kane: Smokescreens and Castles @ LOL (Laugh Out Loud) Festival, Exeter Phoenix

Sunday 23 January

Striding onto stage in tight skinny jeans and an equally close-fitting T-shirt, Russell Kane was the very picture of middle class ‘indie chic’ at ‘Smokescreens and Castles’, his stand up tour which hit the Phoenix as part of Exeter’s Laugh out Loud comedy festival.

Early on in his set, the 30 year-old comedian explained his routine would be loosely based on each room in his family’s ‘castle,’ a reference to Kane’s childhood home on an Enfield council estate. This structure was not strictly kept to for the full hour owing to Kane’s ready ability to get sidetracked. Nonetheless, this arrangement did provide for some of the funniest observational comedy currently on the circuit, and for a moving depiction of working-class family life in the 80s and 90s.

Kane’s self-conscious style of comedy, “self-heckling; so postmodern”, contrasted strangely with his confident appearance, but the comedian was able to tread that thin line between whining self-pity and irritating over-confidence. This vulnerability may have been exacerbated by his break up with long-term girlfriend and comedy partner, Sadie Hasler, but regardless, Kane’s intimacy with the audience perfectly suited his stream of anecdotal comic stories centred on his family life - specifically his relationship with his father.

It’s rare to see a comedy set that makes you cry with laughter on more than one occasion, and ‘Smokescreens and Castles’ did just that. Russell Kane is a rising star on the comedy scene and his latest tour comes highly recommended.

The Laugh Out Loud comedy festival is running in Exeter until 10 February.

For more information or to book tickets:

www.exeterphoenix.org.uk or 01392 667 080

The Friday Round-Up, Week 1

Hello, and welcome to this week's edition of The Friday Round-Up: your bite size news update.

The crisis in Egypt has dominated this week's news with daily reports on the tens of thousands of protesters who have descended on Tahrir Square, the majority demonstrating against President Hosni Mubarak's dictatorship. Today has been coined the 'day of departure' in response to demands from anti-government protesters that Mubarak must leave, but the president remains adamant he will not step down.

The largest number of anti-Mubarak demonstrators since Tuesday have filled Tahrir Square today. Pro-government protesters are being kept away from the square by soldiers after clashes between the two groups earlier this week led to the 1,500 injured and three killed in central Cairo in some of the most significant scenes of violence since demonstrations began.

In other news, the House of Commons have passed plans to overhaul the NHS with their Health and Social Care Bill, which will disband all "primary care trusts and strategic health authorities," according to the BBC. The Prime Minister insists privitisation is not taking place and that the changes will cut "bureaucracy and waste."

Australia was hit by category five cyclone Yasi on Wednesday. The storm with winds of up to 170 mph (280 kph) ripped into the Queensland coastline, cutting off power to more than 10,000 homes. One man has died.

The three Pakistan cricket team members accused of 'spot-fixing' are faced with corruption charges, the Crown Prosecution Service has ruled.

That's all from this week's edition of The Friday Round-up, your brief run through the latest week's news.

Be sure to check the blog next week for another news update.

IB