Happy birthday Man Alive (and EvEvEv)!

Oh my mothers and fathers. Due to the obscene and unrelenting passage of time, it has been 365 days since the release of Everything Everything's debut album, Man Alive (you might have heard it, it's pretty good).

Now, this also means that it has been 365 days since we first launched this site. Admittedly things have been a little slow here for a few months, but that doesn't mean we have been sitting on our big bums doing nothing. Well it sort of does, but never fear, because THINGS are AFOOT, the results of which you should hopefully see in the next couple of months.

In the meantime, we're going to vacate the kingdom for a couple of weeks, so if everything goes on fire, do let us know.

Hugs and kisses,

Frankie + Gareth xx

Competition: win tickets to the Barclaycard Mercury Prize Awards 2011

COMPETITION CLOSED. Thank you for your entries!

We've got an exciting competition for you today: exclusive access to the Barclaycard Mercury Prize awards for one Everything Everything fan and a friend! The awards will be held at the Grosvenor Hotel, London on the night of September 6th, 2011. Check out the info below for how to enter.

Barclaycard is offering fans insider access to watch Everything Everything's rehearsal before Barclaycard Mercury Prize and exclusive red carpet access at the night of the awards. You and a friend will get an exclusive behind the scenes look at of one of music's biggest nights of the year. To be in with a chance of seeing Everything Everything at the Barclaycard Mercury Prize all you have to do is answer this question:

Who was the last winner of the Barclaycard Mercury Prize?

To enter just email your answer to [competition closed] by August 28th. The winner will be picked at random on the 29th. Transport and accommodation are not included and tickets are not exchangeable for cash value.

Good luck!

Japan to get limited edition EP

Sugoi! Vinyl Junkie Recordings will be releasing a Japan-exclusive, limited edition EP in April.

The "commemorative edition" MY KZ, UR BF will go on sale on 13 April for ¥1575, with bilingual lyrics. The tracklist is as follows:

1. MY KZ, UR BF (Original)
2. MY KZ, UR BF (Clock Opera Remix)
3. Schoolin' (Live Orchestra Track)
4. Suffragette Suffragette (Live Orchestra Track)
5. Tin (The Manhole) (Live at Tokyo)
6. Photoshop Handsome (Live at Tokyo)
7. Weights (Live at Tokyo)
8. Final Form (Everything Everything Remix)

The live orchestra tracks are taken from the amazing Man Alive ensemble that took place at the Union Chapel last December. The live Tokyo tracks were recorded during the band's visit there earlier last year. The EE remix of Final Form is new, and I bet it will rock all of our collective socks.

Big thanks to the lovely rabbie from Japan for letting us know!

NME Awards Tour + last chance to vote

Sup friends?

As briefly mentioned in my last post, Everything Everything are up for Best New Band in the NME Awards 2011. Voting closes tomorrow (Friday 18th) at midday, so I suggest we vote the dilly out of it, here is the link go go go. Now, I'm not sure if you have to vote in every category for it to count in the end, but I have done anyway to make sure. You can also go here and click on them and hope for the best.

The NME tour is drawing to a close in London this weekend. Here are some things. I will update if I find anything new.

Photos:
You can check out the five million brilliant photos that I've faved on Flickr here
A couple of sets from mandapen at Birmingham and Bristol
MAB Vision
Safe Concerts at Bristol
Don't forget you can also add your own to our Group. I also noticed this great set from The Hospital Club.

Interviews:
Manchester Confidential
Journalisimo
Scotsman
Staffordshire University SU
 

In other news, EE will be back in Japan in April, and the second festival of the year to announce their attendance is Melt! in Germany. Keep an eye on our gigs page for whatever is new. We hope that wherever you are you'll get a chance to see them live this year!

South Bank Breakthrough Award

Lovely to see Everything Everything win the public vote for the South Bank Breakthrough Award last night. Good job everyone who voted! Here is a hastily chopped out piece of today's paper to prove it. (I had permission to butcher this copy, promise. (Sort of)) 

If you're looking to help lavish the band with yet more awards you can vote for them now in the NME Awards (Best New Band) and Xfm New Music Award for best debut of 2010. Get to it!

Report – Union Chapel

It's December 15th and we make our way to a frosty London on the train. By the time we get there it's dark and wet and within minutes someone has slipped down the steps to the tube. Still, somehow London in the wintertime is a bit special. A wander past the Christmas lights of Oxford and Carnaby Street leads us to our first stop; tasty dinner with very lovely fellow fans Laura and Sean, and then a hurry off to Union Chapel.

Unsurprisingly late, we find Porcelain Raft half way through his set and the middle column of pews totally full, so after a visit to the merchandise stall to pick up programmes we claim a row down on the right next to an enormous glowing Christmas tree. The Chapel itself is cosy and rimmed by candles, warmly lit and thrumming with excitement up to the balconies. Having dressed for a cold stone room we soon find ourselves gently roasting under heat lamps as people continued to file in and fill up the reserved seats behind us. Unintrusive cameras hover near the stage to remind us what we're watching is going to be watched by other hitherto unknown beings around the world.

Porcelain Raft is shortly followed by the much-hyped James Blake with what I understand is his second ever live show after the RNCM. Being totally unfamiliar with his work, his slow, eerie beats and delicate vocals feel appropriate and unexpectedly experimental and sparse. An impressive performance if a little unsure and unstructured (never having heard him before I couldn't tell how much of that was on purpose).

Having quickly given up on the packed bar and loaded up with water bottles, we sit and wait for the main act and study our programmes – 26-page fully glossy lovelies filled with rehearsal photos and info about the show and support acts, with an enormous double-sided A1 poster inside (album art/lyrics sheet – pics to follow). Laura and I wonder if the album will be played in order while Gareth watches Beyblade on the iPad of a boy in front of us. The audience is the usual EE mix of eight to ninety eight year olds. Special mention goes to the row of senior gentlemen near the front who were downright headbanging whenever we looked over.

Soon enough the orchestra make their appearance along with Everything Everything themselves, beaming and looking well snappy in suits, audience cheering. The excitement is palpable. The first notes of Schoolin' answer our question – what follows is a shuffled setlist that adds an enjoyable air of unpredictability. Ingrained and familiar songs seem to transfer effortlessly to the ensemble where they're stirred up into a new mixture of brassy noise and strings, elements jostling to be heard and sometimes so raucously loud the music is almost lost underneath. The best and most memorable moments come when the orchestra takes precedent and the balance is struck – Suffragette Suffragette stripped down to its harmonious bones, Final Form at its sweeping string-led best, immediately followed by the ridiculously enjoyable Photoshop Handsome bolstered by some entirely appropriate brass and an additional chorus of yelps from the string section. Quieter tracks are given appropriate levity by the environment; Jonathan retreats to a piano at one point for an affecting rendition of NASA Is on Your Side.

Simple, bold colours atmospherically light the stage throughout, throwing contrast over the intricate stone arches and beauty of the setting. Unfettered by keyboards the band give a fantastic performance and the audience receive it with thunderous applause and eventually, following the booming finality of Weights, a standing ovation, wrapping up the show with a feeling like it's All Come Together. Special. Should a DVD of the show emerge no doubt I'll be first in line along with everyone else in the audience.
 

Setlist
Schoolin'
QWERTY Finger
Come Alive Diana
Leave the Engine Room
Suffragette Suffragette
Two for Nero
MY KZ, UR BF
Final Form
Photoshop Handsome
NASA Is on Your Side
Tin (the Manhole)
Weights

Other reviews
Glasswerk
The Times
NME
Gigs and Stuff

RNCM reviews
Manchester Music

Photos
acejace on flickr

I Like Music indie takeover

Everything Everything take over I Like Music's indie section this week with an interview, recommendations and streaming playlist. Check it out!

Happy New Year!

Just a little post from us to say happy new year to everyone who's visited our little site, taken the time to email us, followed us or otherwise. Thank you so much. Talking to people who love the band as much as we do makes all the time spent worthwhile.

We've got a couple of additions in mind for the site that should hopefully be done in the (relatively) near future, and maybe even a few nice surprises over the coming year. Stay tuned, or subscribed, or whatever foul sorcery it is you use to keep up with things.

Finally, we'd like to say a huge thank-you to the band, the members of said band (Alex, Jeremy, Jon, Mike), Alison, Anna, Sema, Duncan and all the other people who have been so kind. May you come together in 2011 with your giant, collective (Power Rangers-style) musical foot and kick a fantastic new music-shaped hole in the Earth's bottom.

Much love,

Frankie + Gareth

Photoshop Handsome remixes roundup

We've had a good batch of Photoshop Handsome remixes turn up in the last few weeks in anticipation of the single release next month. Here's what there is so far. Got a favourite?

Eskimo Twins

Disclosure Edit

II Figures Remix by EverythingEverything

Soil In The Synth Remix by EverythingEverything

Entrepreneurs Socratic-Suplex Remix by EverythingEverything

Sunday Girl Mix by Sunday Girl

Future Funk Squad RMX by Future Funk Squad

Attention Last.fm users!

Thanks to group owner vanvic68 I've been made a co-leader of the Everything Everything group on last.fm. Come join us and fill up our shoutbox with EE love so I can spy on your music taste like a creeper!