Tonight’s line up includes:
TRIPWIRES
http://www.tripwires.co.uk

ROYAL TREATMENT PLANT
http://www.facebook.com/RoyalTreatmentPlant

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
http://publicservicebroadcasting.net/

SKELETONS ON HOLIDAY
http://skeletonsonholiday.bandcamp.com/

£4/ single event tickets: https://popularcompany.ticketabc.com/events/tripwires/

The experimental pop outfit from London, who are set to release their long awaited first album this month, have been very busy boys for the past year with the Artrocker New Blood festival being their first gig of 2012. In addition, the band members also host a festival –‘In The Woods’, held yearly at a secret remote forest location!

We launched head first into an intense game of Chatterbox with the guys. The first question Original Penguin had for the boys was what is their cure for a blinding hangover?

Mark: There are a few stages you need to take; caffeine, sugar, shower, orange juice and then maybe a walk. With every stage, you feel a bit better. It takes the same amount of time the hangover would last. Then you start drinking again!

Bob: More booze!

Olly: Raw egg with chilli sauce and raw garlic! They use that in Chile.

Original Penguin Chatterbox: If you were an instrument, what would you be?

Charlie: It has to be a rusty trombone – actually drums seeing as I’m a drummer! I like to hit things and be hit!!

Martin: I would be an oboe. I like the sound of it.

Mark: A zither! It’s a piece of wood with metal strings on it.

Bob: A casiotone keyboard because you would get valued and loved.

Original Penguin Chatterbox: Boxers or pants?

Laurel Collective: Um….

Olly: We actually have a funny anecdote about this. Our female housemate was involved in a clothes swap with her friends and we asked her if she swapped pants but she didn’t. So before she left, we sneaked some of our pants in her clothes swap bag and when she and her friends found them, they were like what?! Funnily enough, no one swapped anything for our pants.

Original Penguin Chatterbox: There’s a fire – who or what would you grab?

Olly: You and the cat, Spatz!

Mark: Maybe we would save the firemen.

Original Penguin Chatterbox: Digital download or vinyl?

Martin: I would have to say digital download because it’s the future. One day, we will be able to download songs to our brain and just play them in our heads. But nothing beats the sound of vinyls.

Once we had finished our hilarious Chatterbox game with the boys, they brought us up to speed with their plans for the year. They are set to play at different festivals around the UK, such as Secret Garden Party as well as their very own one. They also told us that we should look out for Washed Out; a new band that they’re listening to at the moment. With the fun and games over, we headed inside to watch the Laurel Collectives energetic set that had the crowd in a frenzy and dancing like crazy. The boys also wore a cheeky bit of Original Penguin too to cement our mutual love a little further. Items worn by Bob, Martin and Mark can be found over at www.originalpenguin.co.uk

A great night was certainly had by all. Remember to keep an eye out for the release of Laurel Collective’s first album this month.

Bob wears the Heritage Fit Shirt in Baker Blue by Original Penguin.

Martin wears shirt by Original Penguin.

Mark wears hoodie by Original Penguin.

A special mention to our photographer Lucy Arup and big shout out to our friends at Artrocker for putting on such a fantastic run of shows this month. Be sure to catch the last instalment of the festival tonight at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, with sets from Trip Wires, Royal Treatment Plant, Public Service Broadcasting and Skeletons on Holiday.

Citizens!, a five piece band from London formed of lead singer Tom, keyboardist Lawrence, guitarist Martyn, drummer Mike and bassist Thom, played to a packed out room last night. Their impressive performance went down well with the crowd who were dancing along like crazy to the band’s set. When we met the boys, they were as excited as us when we pulled out our Chatterbox for the second time that night.

Original Penguin: What is your cure for a blinding hangover?

Lawrence: A Greggs’ sausage roll! I thought you were going to ask my cure for blindness – Greggs too; it’s usually the answer to most questions.

Original Penguin: What’s your middle name?

Thom: William Payne. My full name is Thomas William Payne Rose – it’s a very English name. I used to think of it as a burden but not so much anymore.

Original Penguin: There’s a fire, what or who would you grab?

Martyn: My cat! It’s not my cat though; it’s the house’s cat.

Lawrence: If you didn’t grab my bass I lent you, I’d kill you!

Martyn: Ok, the cat and the bass.

Original Penguin: Are your socks matching?

Mike: No, definitely not! I just grab the nearest two socks.

Original Penguin: Guilty pleasure; Hollyoaks or Big Brother?

Tom: Big Brother because you can claim you’re watching it as a sociological experiment.

Lawrence: I think Hollyoaks is a sociological experiment as well.

After finishing the Chatterbox game, we were keen to find out what the boys had planned for 2012, seeing as they’ve been named as a band to watch out for this year. They didn’t have much time to waste as they were flying to Berlin 5 hours after they had played at the Artrocker New Blood festival but we did find out a few things. In a couple of months, they will be releasing their new single, Reptile as well as touring the UK in February. The boys will also be playing various festivals across Europe which are yet to be announced. They tell us that Citizens! will be everywhere in 2012.

Tonight’s line up includes:
COLD IN BERLIN
http://www.coldinberlin.com

PURSON
http://www.facebook.com/pursontheband

FEVER FEVER
http://www.feverfever.co.uk

CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH. DJS
http://www.clubthemammoth.com

£4/ single event tickets: https://popularcompany.ticketabc.com/events/newbloodfestival8/

We also brought down our Original Penguin Chatterbox (remember those from your schooldays?) to keep the bands on their toes with a few surprise questions!

We caught up with Foreign Office after their set, where they had some avid supporters pulling some serious shapes on the dance floor especially for the boys (they later told us it is amazing what some people would do for 20 quid!). Foreign Office, made up of members Paul, George, Duncan and James who recently released their EP Alaska, play music best described as a mixture of funk, indie post punk soul. In essence, they are a cracking good band to have a dance to!

We got straight down to business by whipping out our Chatterbox and asking guitarist George the first surprise question of the night : There’s a fire- what or who  would you grab?

George: I would probably have to….

Paul: Please do not say your guitar!

George: I’d probably have to say the other members of the band. I’m not sure in which order though, that’s another question! I’d leave it up to fate and let fate roll the dice. I don’t want to be out of a job, slightly selfish with that one.

Original Penguin Chatterbox: If you were an instrument, what would you be?

Paul: A Sitar! It is mysterious and hard to play!

George: I thought you were going to say a double bass. A nightmare to carry around! I would be a flute, light and flexible.

Lots of laughs and instrument jokes later Foreign Office decided it was Original Penguins turn for a round of Chatterbox.

Paul: What is your cure for a blinding hangover?

Original Penguin: A crispy crème doughnut and a very sugary cup of tea!

George: I’m more of a neurofen man myself.

A few more rounds of Chatterbox later, it was time to run in and watch Citizens play but not before asking Foreign Office to let us in on what they are up to next. They tell us an album will be released later this year and possible festival dates; we cannot wait to see the boys again. And with that, we wished Paul and George farewell.

Check out our blog tomorrow for our chat with Citizens and a sneek peek of the gig!

Tonight’s line up includes:
LAUREL COLLECTIVE
http://www.laurelcollective.com/

CITIZENS!
http://www.facebook.com/gocitizens

FOREIGN OFFICE
http://www.foreignofficemusic.co.uk

MONTAGE POPULAIRE
http://www.facebook.com/monpop

LOVELESS DJS
http://www.facebook.com/lovelessclub

£4/ single event tickets: https://popularcompany.ticketabc.com/events/laurelcollective/

First on stage last night was Ivory Seas. They got the crowd going and it certainly went unnoticed that this was their first ever live show! We luckily managed to battle through the crowds to grab the band for a quick chat after their set.

Ivory seas who have been playing together as a band for 3 years, chose tonight’s event to play their debut show. With their recently released video for the single Boundary gaining them a fast new fan-base, we felt very lucky to have been one of the first to see them play live. Telling us that apart from tonight’s triumphant show, they are soon to head to the studio with legendary producer Richard Formby. As a new band themselves, we asked the guys what new music they had been listening to of late: they tell us Warpaint and the new Metronomy album have been firm favourites. We also asked the band if they could cover any song what would it be – Adam, Ivory Sea’s front man, told us it would have to be something completely out of the Ivory seas comfort zone. His suggestion of a 50 cent Ivory seas collaboration would be something that we would be more than interested to hear!

On next were Younghusbands who played to a completely packed out room to many die hard fans! After a storming set leaving the crowd buzzing, we caught a quiet moment to take a breather and catch up with the band!

Younghusband is made up of members Euan, Joe, Adam and Peter, who are recording an album in April, and a tour coming up this year and if the crowd reaction from their performance is anything to go by, we should be hearing a lot more from this band in 2012.

Talking about what festival’s they’re looking forward to this summer, the band told us that after playing GreenMan last year they would love to play again this year preferring the smaller festivals such as End of The Road. The band also let us in on their cracking idea for a club night, we wont say too much but watch this space for a drone -pop club night –  think If Thousands mixed with N’Sync and you’ll get the idea!

With the The History of Apple Pie, playing another exciting set we particularly enjoyed their performance of their next single Mallory.

Last but not least, The Tamborines who played an absolute stormer of a show. Our highlight was their cover of The Ramones; Sheena is a Punk Rocker ended the night and we already wanted them to play all over again.

A big thank you, to our friends at Artrocker and Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen for a fantastic night, with some truly great bands! and a huge high five to our photographer Lucy Arup.

The Artrocker New Blood Festival continues Thursday 19th January with the performances from the likes of  Laurel Collective, Citizens!, Foreign Office, Montage Populaire. For tickets head on over t0: https://popularcompany.ticketabc.com/events/tripwires/

See you there!

So in the spirit of new music we would like to know from all our Original Penguin followers who your favourite new bands are AND as a little treat for sharing, we will pick one lucky person to win a pair of tickets to tonight’s New Blood Festival at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen! Just head on over to the Official Original Penguin Facebook page and leave your comment on this post!

In addition, just so you know what you could be missing out on if you are not coming down to the event tonight, here is the awesome line-up:

THE TAMBORINES (Single Launch)
http://www.thetamborines.com

THE HISTORY OF APPLE PIE
http://www.thehistoryofapplepie.com

YOUNGHUSBAND
http://soundcloud.com/o-younghusband-o

IVORY SEAS
http://soundcloud.com/ivoryseas

£4/ single event tickets: https://popularcompany.ticketabc.com/events/poprox-festival-day6/

Here’s tonight’s cracking line-up:

MANFLU
http://www.facebook.com/manflu

VUVUVULTURES
http://www.facebook.com/vuvuvultures

SEVERIN
http://soundcloud.com/severin666

THE CAULFIELD BEATS
http://www.facebook.com/thecaulfieldbeats

TIP TOP RECORDINGS DJS
http://www.tiptoprecordings.com

NO FICTION DJS
http://www.facebook.com/nofictionclub

Doors open at 8pm
Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
Tickets: £4/ single event tickets:https://popularcompany.ticketabc.com/events/poprox-festival-day4/

As a special thank you to all our loyal fans and followers we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away for every night. Head over to the Official Original Penguin Facebook page for more info on how to win.

Here’s a look at tonight’s stellar line-up:

VISIONS OF TREES
http://soundcloud.com/visionsoftrees

HOOK & THE TWIN
http://www.hookandthetwin.com

PLANT PLANTS
http://www.facebook.com/plantplants

MOSCOW YOUTH CULT
http://www.facebook.com/MoscowYouthCult

SECRET DIARIES [DJ]
http://soundcloud.com/secretdiaries

Doors open at 8pm
Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
Tickets: £4/ single event tickets: https://popularcompany.ticketabc.com/events/poprox-festival-day4/