VICTOR TALKING MACHINE

If you were to do a quick Google image search for the phrase “Victor Talking Machine”, you’d find a lot of the first results to be early adverts for struggling music chain HMV. Though while His Master’s Voice are in somewhat of a downward spiral, mixed into the results are Victor Talking Machine the band; a quartet of indie rockers looking to take themselves in the opposite direction.

As the first notes of ‘Had Enough’ tiptoe in, the four-piece are reminiscent of jangly indie pop beauties and previous band of the day Hares, and like their fellow Londoners, Victor Talking Machine have wasted no time in nailing down a very solid sound that has perked up the ears of NME, Clash Music and Stereoboard, among heaps of others. The track itself is the leading effort on the band’s EP of the same name, and it’s a catchy little gateway drug to a highly addictive band. ‘Muggy June’ carries over a similar, summery sound to ‘Had Enough’, and it’s not difficult to see the band fitting in nicely amongst the indie bands gracing festivals across the UK. The group’s vocals have a dreamy swing to them, fading in and out hypnotically throughout each track on the EP. The calls of “you’ve got it easy” that grace the piece towards the end sound almost otherworldly, drifting ethereally between jangling guitars and keyboard backing.

A live rendition of the band’s track ‘Penny Arcade’ is the third inclusion on Had Enough, a slower track to prove that the quartet aren’t just a one-trick pony. It also serves as a preview of the band’s spaced out live sound, transitioning between distortion and clean guitar accompaniment to the ever-alluring vocals that glide over them. ‘Penny Arcade’ is the longest track out of the four provided on the record, but it’s also arguably the most enjoyable to listen back to, stepping away from the indie pop sound to a degree, and towards more of an alternative, grungy sound, a la Smashing Pumpkins. It’s somewhat of a shame that to follow this, instead of seeing a fourth unique track on the EP, Victor Talking Machine have instead opted to include a remix of the piece that opened it. It’s a nice little reworking, but one that could have perhaps been saved for the bonus track on an eventual full-length album release. The band have also been responsible for the tracks ‘Tuscany’ and ‘Sarah Laughs’, however, which are both superb bursts of energy that will both hopefully surface on a future debut album.

There is a lot to love about Victor Talking Machine, and despite the small amount of music the band have unveiled so far, the attention they’ve received from major outlets is promising. It may take a little while for the band to be able to truly show that they have the musical range needed to go head to head with big indie names, but there are many a festival stage waiting for the band if momentum can continue, and many a listener that will soon embrace the band’s colourful sound.
- 7 BIT ARCADE

As Sebadoh once sang, Gimme Indie Rock.

The capital's guitar scene is enjoying a resurgence of late. A flood of new groups are emerging, each with a tattered, hazy take on what the early 90s should have sounded like. Now Victor Talking Machine have made their presence felt, with the London four piece supporting the likes of Echo Lake and Fanzine, amongst others.

New EP 'Had Enough' should see them make a sizeable impression. Out on November 12th, the four track EP finds Victor Talking Machine gaining confidence in the studio - all noisy riffs and looming harmonies, guitar effects and dub exploration.

ClashMusic have been handed the video for the title cut. A psychedelia-infused clip directed by Ellen Twinem, you can watch the video now. - CLASH

London-based noise-pop outfit Victor Talking Machine have announced that their brand new EP ‘Had Enough’ will hit shelves on November 12th.

The EP begins with the title track ‘Had Enough’, a pop gem with all the emphasis on the chorus, glorious fuzz and melody. Next up, live set opener ‘Muggy June’ sees the band showing off their love of west coast vocal harmony aficionados Big Star, while ‘Penny Arcade’ takes the band into psychedelic rock territory with a rolling rhythm section underpinning searing guitars and spaced out vocals.

Finally, on ‘Had Enough (Always Dub)’ the band take the title track and twist it into a blissed out exploration, reminiscent of 'Lazer Guided Melodies'-era Spiritualized. Collaborating with producer Marc Waterman (Elastica, Ride, Ash) meant the band could share a vision and create a distinctly British angle on guitar music with their own influences and twists laid over the top like an insistent snare drum. Recorded live with very few overdubs, the ‘Had Enough’ EP shows a band moving forward through their very own musical landscape.

The 4 piece have already received rave reviews for their debut single ‘Tuscany’ (releasedback in May), with NME Radar describing a band with a “fresh and honest approach to their style of British guitar pop.” Gaining a reputation on the London live scene, Victor Talking Machine have been sharing stages with Sissy and the Blisters, Comanechi, Echo Lake and Fanzine amongst others, consistently delivering roller-coaster live performances.

- STEREOBOARD

Simple arithmetic, this one: goth + shoegaze = gothgaze. Galvanised by the Horrors' eager adoption of My Bloody Valentine dynamics, east London's trenchcoat glitterati have been carving out their own niche of dreamy, krautrock-inflected gloom. SCUM are already familiar to readers of Hello! while Toy recently signed to Heavenly, and Advert, Novella and Victor Talking Machine lurk in the shadows.
Key track Toy – Left Myself Behind - THE GUARDIAN

A very welcome blast from the past visited our permenantly-seiged inbox here at Killing Moon’s massive fuck-off ivory tower; which was doubly useful as they used our brand-spanking new demo-alert door knocker, with which we’ve had to replace our beloved demo-alert gong owing to financial difficulties related to the current economic climate and that certain moneys owed our way seem to have gotten lost in an iPad the post. So rather than making the ye oldie resonant sounds along the “bwwwwoooonnng” variety, we’re dealing with a more-blunt-yet-still-as-satisfying clunking sensation whenever we hear anything good these days. Anyway – Victor Talking Machine first graced our earholes when we were little more than an over-glorified Facebook spy just over/under two years ago (let’s say, for the sake of saving a potential arguement, that it was more a social media jobby than a, well, real jobby, hence why we now do this for a living) and, if memory serves correctly, we dug them because they reminded us of one of our favourite bands of all time called Little Death. Two years later, are we dealing with the same band? Kinda, but not really. For the most part, forthcoming single and Track Of The Day Tuscany could easily be mistaken for a Bleach or Incesticide-era Nirvana track, or indeed could find a comfortable home on the tracklisting of Foo Fighters‘ eponymous debut. For nostalgic purposes, and hot damn are we feeling nostalgic these days, we’re hearing more than a bit of Llama Farmers in this tune. Tuscany gets a release proper on 28th May, and generally all we’re saying (other than the above of course) is that it’s good and y’all better watch out for it, cos it’s coming for you. - KILLING MOON

Shell Zenner stepped up for us last year & wrote what was generally regarded as a “very long list” of “100 new bands 2012?. Throughout the year it proved to be one of our most well read articles so we’re thrilled that Shell’s returned for us & come up with another list of new bands, this time for 2013. Shell’s actually done one better this year however & has come up with 150 (!!!) new bands which she thinks you should be looking out for during 2013.

Shell Zenner lives and breathes Manchester, Salford and the North West, she gets her kicks from obscure instruments, flea markets, festivals, gigs and digging around at the back of venues for embryonic new talent that she can showcase nationally on her Amazing Radio show.

Shell is on air 1-3pm every Friday and Wednesdays at 8-10pm on Amazing Radio, the home of new and emerging music and has previously broadcast for Beatwolf Radio, Seeks Music, This Is Fake DIY Radio and more, where she has consistently championed new music.

SO, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER HERE GOES …

1. Victor Talking Machine

The NME said that Victor Talking Machineâ??s songs recall the grubbier, sunnier side of pre-britpop indie…

http://soundcloud.com/victortalkingmachine - LOUDER THAN WAR

They only formed at the start of the year, but London four-piece Victor Talking Machine haven't done too badly yet, with a load of endorsements from the like of Fanzine and Echo Lake, thanks to a handful of songs (check out 'Sarah Laughs') that recall the grubbier, sunnier side of pre-brit pop indie - NME