It is just a little over a week until the Los Campesinos! show at the Neptune Theater on Saturday, February 4, 2012 and I am beside myself with pre-show excitement. Every single LC! show I've seen has left me gleefully ravaged by the frenetic enthusiasm and beguiling live set.  For them, it's a moral imperative to put on an amazing show. 

Their latest album, Hello Sadness, is a further step down the path towards debilitating heartbreak.  It tempers the deep cuts of longing with a glimmer of hope for what's ahead (I can't wait for them to get a room with Conor Oberst already. Oh how my world would be complete). 

Currently, I've been listening to "Songs About Your Girlfriend" (which I bet is David Gedge's favorite song on the album), "Life Is A Long Time" and "By Your Hand" on repeat.  I love it when it hurts so good.

Next Saturday cannot come fast enough!

If you haven't gotten your tickets yet for this all-ages show, you can pick them up online.

Oh, and did you see them perform "By Your Hand" on Letterman? Can I get a hallelujah for the Beautiful South t-shirt? (see the video after the jump)

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{photo by the lovely Victoria VanBruinisse}

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by the Crocodile on Monday!

It was *so so awesome* seeing you and boy oh boy did the double helpings of pizza make my tummy happy. I still have a couple of those wooden tokens for rum drink specials left over; I suppose I've kept them to remind me of the rum vanilla-y goodness for weeks to come.

Word from our interoffice email threads since the event confirms that every member of the DJ crew had an amazing time! Chris Estey, Amie Simon, and Victoria VanBruinisse really outdid themselves putting together their sets.

Some folks who couldn't stay the whole time (or perhaps redeemed one too many of those wooden rum drink tokens) asked for a recap of the set... so here's mine:

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(Doug Martsch covering a Smiths song that isn't "Reel Around The Fountain")

It's been a while since we've heard anything new from a member of the Smiths, so it's perfect timing for a new Smiths covers album... especially one with tracks interpreted by the Wedding Present,  Doug Martsch (Built To Spill), The Rest (one of my favorite new Arcade Fire-ish Canadian bands), Katy Goodman (La Sera, Vivian Girls), and Tanya Donelly.  This latest tribute will be released on American Laundromat Records this Fall and they are still adding folks to the track listing... which currently includes:

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I'm not sure what neat Windows(R) software created this video, but even with the program I couldn't have come up with a funnier indie-pop girl / husband sample conversation.

For the love of Morrissey!!!  You'll never be English, get over it.

What should be the next video in this series?  A barista to boyfriend exchange?

{a rare Popfest sight - an empty 40 Watt, by Rich Guiterrez}

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Athens Popfest is always the best week of the year for indie pop nerds, and this year was no exception. Think five days straight of raging shows, surrounded by so many old and new favorite bands and your "camp buddies" you only see once a year + 100 (or more) degree heat and southern humidity + cheap booze + insane nerdery. All I can really say is that it was epic, for so many reasons. Here are a few highlights.

Top five favorite bands:
1. Go Sailor
There was kind of no way that this wasn't going to be my favorite, as I'm a die hard Go Sailor fan, but their set was amplified by me and about 20 other die hard Go Sailor fans screaming along every word to every song. You just can't buy that kind of camaraderie and sense of community. At that moment, Go Sailor were our Beatles. We spent the whole set singing specific favorite lyrics to each other and jumping up and down and dancing our asses off. I consequently spent the rest of popfest without a voice. It was totally worth it. Their whole set was recorded and is on youtube, but here's my favorite song of the set "A Fine Day For Sailing". (That's us in the background.)

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Today is like Christmas morning for indie pop nerds. Today, I am giddy as hell because THE ATHENS POPFEST LINEUP HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED! I've compared Athens Popfest before to indie pop summer camp, but basically, it's the best week out of the year for anyone who loves indie pop. And this year, I think they've really done it with the lineup:

The Wedding Present, Mission of Burma, Apples In Stereo, Go Sailor, Circulatory System, Oh-OK (early Athens greatness), Joe Jack Talcum (Dead Milkmen), Nana Grizol, BOAT, Cars Can Be Blue, Poison Control Center, Gold-Bears, Dream Diary, Eux Autres, Afternoon Naps, World Atlas, Your Heart Breaks and more. Complete lineup after the jump. Commence freaking out and immediately buying plane tickets now. Check out complete band bios here.

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{all photos by bobby mchugh}

I can't remember the last time my face hurt from smiling so much. And I wasn't the only one, Wednesday night's Crocodile show was packed with adoring fans waiting to hear some of their favorite songs played in sucession from the Wedding Present's brilliant 1989 album Bizarro.

The moment the band took the stage, Gedge and co. had the entire audience's undivided attention. And Mr. Gedge took full advantage of this, opening with a b-side and continuing on to play some newer material (most of which was fantastic, except for the mention of iPhone's and texting in one song, which spawned a discussion with my +1 after the show about how pop music should stick to technology not surpassing the '80's - television mentions are fine, but there's something unsettling about cell phones, the internet, and blogs mentioned in song form, no?). The first half-hour plus was dedicated to non-Bizarro songs, including the excellent "Corduroy". Finally, a manipulated John Peel sample popped up, with the influental disc jock introducing the Wedding Present playing Bizarro, and seemingly instantly the opening chords to "Brassneck" started.

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Tonight {4/21} is the big night! Seattle is finally going to see the Wedding Present perform their landmark album Bizarro in its entirety at the Crocodile!

And I'm not the only one who's excited that the band is working their way around the globe with this special treat. Marty Donald of the Lucksmiths told us why "Brassneck" is one of the most amazing first tracks ever. Derek reminded us of the excitement of first discovering the Leeds band and this album, and Jill shared her story of how helpful Bizarro has been in helping navigate romantic mine fields.

And you! You all have been commenting with some great stories and tales of giddiness as well! It's so good to know that we Weddoes fans are in such good company!

To prepare for the show, here's one final pre-show Bizarro-era video.

In an unlimited-part series, we're going to celebrate and countdown to the upcoming Wedding Present show at the Crocodile. On Wednesday, April 21, our Balladeers for the Brokenhearted will take the stage and play their influential 1989 album,Bizarro, it its entirety from "Brassneck" to "Be Honest" and some (fingers crossed) b-sides. {Enter to win a pair of tickets to the show}

To mark this momentous event, I asked some fellow weddoes fans to share theirBizarro story, explaining what their favorite song from the album is and why.

Want to share your Bizarro story? Email your story to us at tig @ threeimaginarygirls . com with the subject line of Bizarro.

Today's entry is short and to the point.  Thanks to Damian Davies for sharing this pictorial Bizarro story of his first show!

What was your first show... or what do you *wish* it was?

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In an unlimited-part series, we're going to celebrate and countdown to the upcoming Wedding Present show at the Crocodile. On Wednesday, April 21, our Balladeers for the Brokenhearted will take the stage and play their influential 1989 album, Bizarro, it its entirety from "Brassneck" to "Be Honest" and some (fingers crossed) b-sides. {Enter to win a pair of tickets to the show}

To mark this momentous event, I asked some fellow weddoes fans to share their Bizarro story, explaining what their favorite song from the album is and why.

Want to share your Bizarro story? Email your story to us at tig @ threeimaginarygirls . com with the subject line of Bizarro.

My giddiness to post today's entry pretty much matches my excitement to see Bizarro performed in its entirety because it combines two things I love: all things Lucksmiths and all things Wedding Present. It makes perfect transitive sense that one of my favorite song writers, Marty Donald of the Lucksmiths, also adores David Gedge's biting verses and accusative guitars.

Huge hugs and thanks to Marty Donald who sent us his "Brassneck" thoughts all the way from Australia.  I agree with him, there is little that matches the rush of adrenaline from this, the album's first track.  Let's all find and sign the petition to make sure the Bizarro celebration tour heads Australia's way.

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