Festival Review: Handmade Festival 2018

Handmade Festival (Leicester, 5-6 May '18) // Words: Saam Das

Leicester's Summer Sundae Festival was a notable selection in the UK festival calendar prior to its formal cancellation in 2013, but thankfully in its wake emerged a new music festival in the area - Handmade. An independent festival with a keen eye for new music, Handmade's also had bands of the stature of We Are Scientists and Frightened Rabbit as headliners, and 2018 offered a similar mix of established and new names.

Remixed: Spector - All The Sad Young Men (Fairewell Remix)

Words: Saam Das

Spector's 2013 debut album 'Enjoy It While It Lasts' was reasonably well received - a breezy indie record. Their ambitions have since increased, as demonstrated by the moody 'All The Sad Young Men', the first single from their follow up album. We particularly like the atmospheric Fairewell remix of the single, which you can listen to below alongside the original track.

Listen: Christopher Burman - While You Were Sleeping [Soundtrack]

Words: Saam Das

Before Christopher Burman found relative fame as a member of indie upstarts Spector, he took a break from music to study architecture at University College London. To some extent, he returns to the field with a new brochure entitled 'Vehicle' - a set of photographs and writing inspired by popular car museums in Germany, accompanied by a short CD soundtrack. Listen to 'While You Were Sleeping' below.

Year In Review: Looking Back At 2012 Futuresounds

Words: Saam Das

When it comes to new year tips/ones to watch lists, there are generally three types of onlookers - the ones who eagerly proffer their own tips, ones who just don't care and those that consider such lists as an affront to music. At FADED GLAMOUR, we're very much in the first camp. But before looking forward, we're here to look back at last year's ones to watch.

Playlist: Emily Solan's Top Ten Albums Of 2012

Words: Emily Solan

So many good albums came out in 2012 but here are my top ten from last year, including strong debuts from the likes of TOY and Spector and excellent follow-ups from Richard Hawley and Tame Impala. Read on and watch the video playlist to find out who came out on top.

Year In Review: Top 25 Albums Of 2012

Words: Alison Potter, Emily Solan, Howard Gorman, Rajan Lakhani, Raman K, Saam Das, and Simon Opie

2012. The year that guitar music died. The year that hip hop died. The year that dubstep died. No. None of these things happened. 2012 was as healthy a year for music as any. At FADED GLAMOUR, we picked some of our favourite albums of 2012 and put them together in a list of 25 below. Pop, R&B, hip hop and yes, even guitar music all seem to have thrived according to our top 25 albums of 2012.

Live Review: Spector @ Leeds Uni Stylus

Spector live at Leeds University Stylus (19 Oct, Leeds) // Words: Emily Solan

Tonight part of me really hoped Swim Deep and Splashh were taking notes on how to put on a show. The the other part of me saw them glide over our heads during a pretty incredible rendition of Spector anthem 'Chevy Thunder'. It was definitely that kind of night.

Album Review: Spector - Enjoy It While It Lasts

Spector - 'Enjoy It While It Lasts' (UK Release: 13 Aug '12) // Words: Saam Das

In 2005, I helped put on Les Incompetents' first live appearance at our school's Battle Of The Bands. When that band ended, there was always a sense of unfinished business. And not just because they came second in that Battle Of The Bands. Fast forward a few years and Fred MacPherson and Christopher Burman reunited musically, culminating in a confident but inconsistent major label debut album - 'Enjoy It While It Lasts'.

Listen: Spector - Celestine [New Single]

Words: Saam Das

Unveiling the solemn debut single 'Never Fade Away' just over a year ago, the rise of London quartet Spector has been rather impressive. A single or two later, and the band signed for Fiction, finding themselves in the BBC Sound Of 2012, and even our very own ones to watch for the year. 'Celestine' is arguably the high point of their career, a sparkling anthem worthy of The Killers in their pomp.

Festival Review: Camden Crawl 2012 [Sunday 6 May]

Camden Crawl (4-6 May '12) // Words: Saam Das

Building on a relatively successful day one of the 2012 Camden Crawl, things got off to less of a joyous start on the Sunday as not one but two passenger emergency alarms on a Northern Line tube scuppered my attempts to catch a low-key Charli XCX performance in the Crawl's media hub. But with plenty of other bands to see over the day, that was only a minor setback. For chat about those bands and an overview of the festival, keep reading below.

2012 Ones To Watch / Tips: Spector, The Staves + Team Me

Words: Saam Das (unless otherwise stated)

And so concludes our brief foray into "tastemaking" for the forthcoming months. Will any of the twelve bands/artists we've chosen actually manage to become commercially, or even critically, successful? We're not so sure. But the reason we've chosen them is that we want to support them. The idea is that perhaps you'd like (at least some of) them to do well too.

Singles: December 2011

Words: Saam Das

December is always characterised by the battle for Christmas #1, although the dominance of the Military Wives Choir put paid to any real interest in the 2011 "battle" against whatever the 'X-Factor' song was. It'd be nice to actually have a Christmas #1 that somewhow relates to Christmas at some point though. Anyway, here are the top ten singles of December 2011.

Split Festival: 2011 Review

Split Festival (17-18 Sept '11, Ashbrooke Sports Club, Sunderland) // Words: Emily Solan

Now in its third year, it shames to me admit that this is my first year at Split. But forgiving me for that, the line-up for this year’s Split was possibly the best ever. Combining not only the best local talent with some brilliant artists from far and wide, they’ve also managed to think of everything including the best local food and activities for the kids too.

Listen: Spector - What You Wanted [New Single]

Words: Saam Das

Following up their impressive debut single ('Never Fade Away') comes the new video for single numero two, 'What You Wanted', out in September. Spector once again combine a solemn, romantic nostalgia with early-to-mid-noughties American indie stylings. Watch the video below, filmed in hipster hangout du jour, Efes pool bar in Dalston.

Camden Crawl: Sunday 1 May 2011 [Review]

Words: Saam Das

Day 2 of my 2011 Gaymers Camden Crawl experience. Day 1 went pretty well and I managed to catch eight or so bands that I'd never seen before in amongst some minor japery. I was determined on Day 2 to go one step further and check out even more new bands. I'm pleased to report that I managed that feat.

Surfacing: Spector

Words: Saam Das

Many years ago, during sixth form, me and a bunch of friends ran a fledgling music events company - "hilariously" entitled Permanent Records. We put on a Battle Of The Bands at our school. That was Les Incompetents first gig. (They came second.) Many years on, two of the band are now in Spector, proponents of melodramatic, yearning pop.