Video | Teenagers in Tokyo

by Jane Bradley, 16 May 2010...

As every single one of the rave reviews they've received in the last six months or so has nitpickingly pointed out, Teenagers in Tokyo aren't teenagers, and they're not from Tokyo. In actual fact, they're four foxy ladies and one bearded gent, playing new-wave art rock and, since they relocated to London from Australia at the end of last year, getting a lot of attention from the musically-minded.

Beloved by CSS, The Gossip and The Slits, all of whom they've supported on tour, Teenagers in Tokyo release their eagerly-awaited debut album Sacrifice on May 24th, recorded in deepest, darkest Welsh countryside with award-winning Bat for Lashes producer David Kosten. Sounding similar to the latest tunes by fellow Aussies Operator Please, as well as female-fronted British indie acts like The Long Blondes, their infectious new single End it Tonight is released on the same day as Sacrifice, accompanied by this super-chic black-and-white video:

Song of the Week | The Gossip

by Little Miss B, 14th Nov 2009....

Heavy Cross

I just love this song. I just love The Gossip.
It's all about me.

To hear more SOTW selections by Little Miss B, click below:

The Coathangers 
Juliette and the Licks  
The Selecter 
Charlotte Hatherley  
Rainer Maria   
Vivian Girls  
Sahara Hotnights 
Comanechi  
The Breeders  
Betty and the Werewolves

To cover or not to cover, that is the question...

Little Miss B, 27th September 2009...


With recording mere weeks away, The Backlash have been battling with a tough decision: which cover track do we spend time and money laying down? Mulling over the pro’s and con’s of many a chanson, I have gotten to thinking: what makes a good cover song? Many would say there’s no real science to it. A track is either good, or it’s not.

For me however, the ‘science’ boils down to two fundamentals: firstly, the relationship to the original (almost unrecognisably different right the way through to exact copy), and secondly, whether the personality of the band is present on the track. Not wanting to come over all X-Factor judge, but have the band/artist made it their own? If you distil it down further, what appeals to me most in a cover song is if the track sounds like a cover, or in fact sounds like a brilliant song in its own right.

One song that almost made my top 5 was The Pretenders' I go to Sleep. Although The Kinks’ original is great, The Pretenders took that song and OWNED it. It eclipses the original. Another example of this would be Valerie by the Ronson & Winehouse. Crappy and slightly annoying song by the Zutons turned into a right good’un by adding some horns and big ole vox. Both these cover versions sound like brilliant songs in their own right, forget the original.

So, here are my top 5 cover songs by lady music-mongers. This is not a definitive list by any means, merely a taster. Tracks that just missed the cut include Letters to Cleo – I Want You to Want Me, Save Ferris – Come on Eileen, Blondie – I’m Gonna Love You Too, and Dollymixture – Baby, It’s You.


5. No Doubt: It's My Life






4. The Be Good Tanyas: When Doves Cry






3. The Raincoats: Lola






2. The Gossip: Careless Whisper






1. Thee Headcoatees: Ca Plane Pour Moi

To read more Top 5's by Little Miss B, click below:

Guilty Pleasures

Bands I Miss The Most