My Toys Like Me

Finally saw this band live for the first time last Thursday, at their Début Album launch party at Phonica.

The vocalist (Frances Noon - see pic), who has been a friend of mine forever, told me about this a while ago, but being the weed infused slacker I am, I totally spaced on it. I also saw GFK at the Scala the night before and had just come off my work shift, so I was feeling pretty rugged and was gonna pass on the whole thing.

Like an idiot.

Lucky I called Frances before to say I wasn't coming and she made me feel so friggin guilty in the space of 30 seconds, that I caved and came down anyway.

Good thing too, cause My Toys Like Me totally smashed it. In the space of a half hour set, they became my favourite band this decade. I even paid for the Album, which is called Where We Are, and, I think is out right now.

In fact here's a link to buy the album at Play.com

Now, I gotta warn you, they are pretty weird. MTLM have managed successfully to interweave a whole heap of contrasting, and even contradictory genres of music. Props due to producer-in-chief Lazlo Legeezer, who has crafted a very distinct sound for the outfit. Drawing heavily from dance and electronic pop music from the last 20 years, the album captures the current musical zeitgeist seemingly without trying.

All of the various influences at play means, they dont readily fit into any of the presribed boxes genre-wise, which can be a handicap, but this case it also means they have the real potential transend the various scenes.

Hopefully you'll see what I mean.

Here's the vid of their new Single Barnaby


See? Not easy to define, is it?


The album is 11 tracks of inexplicably accessible weirdness. Stand out tracks are going to vary depending on where your musical allegiances lie. Right now I'm hooked on Sick Couple which is a stark, almost Gothic, violin-laced excursion, and All Over My Face which is, at its heart, a seriously heavy hip hop track with Spanish acoustic guitar and a sick, sick melancholy trumpet. The name may make you think of other things though...

For your listening pleasure, a snippet of Track 1 from the Album, titled Superpowers. Its catchy as hell.

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As far as I can tell, the PR ball has started has well and truly started rolling and the press has been snooping around, like they do.
Here's what the people who are paid to do this have to say:

"Are you ready for the most playful, inventive, life affirming British debut of the decade?" Uncut

"Great band, Great album" The Sunday Times

"The electronic avant-garde" Q

"You can't help but be transfixed" Clash

"Anarchy in the UK...only coated in candy and rammed full of E numbers. Don't let it near your kids" The Guardian

I know. I know. They all sound like c*nts, but they're not wrong, trust me.

Oh yeah and there's this article in the Guardian too.

So, if you're feeling it, these are their next 2 London shows:

21 May 2009 23:00	Stag & Dagger @ Queen of Hoxton	London
23 May 2009 13:00	TATE Modern Long Weekend Festival	London

or hit up their Myspace page for more details.

Peace Bitches
(Don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out)