Angela Lewis on pop music
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Your support makes all the difference.One of the biggest thrills is to chance unexpectedly upon a brilliant band which has popped up seemingly from nowhere. Broadcast is one such outfit, a five-piece from Birmingham whose sound is a melting pot of spooky keyboards, fragrant female vocals and waltz-time early 1960s melodies. "We don't want to be a guitar band, or acid jazz, and we're not exactly post-rock," explains keyboardist Roger Stevens. "We're more into soundtracks. We do listen to easy listening stuff, like Burt Bacharach, but we're not into the cheesy side of it."
Recently, Broadcast (right) played with avant rock monarchs Stereolab, and it's been up to Martin from T'Lab, which manages Broadcast, to deal with the record label hordes waiting to devour them. With good reason, the chase is on for their signatures. They have already remixed a song for St Etienne. Their two singles, February's "We've Got Time" and newie "Living Room" are great slices of peachy pop. Unfortunately, the gracious love drama "We've Got Time" won't be putting in too many appearances live. "We're sick of hearing it ourselves," admits vocalist Trish Keenan. Before the comparisons with other bands drop from my mouth, she's onto me. "Stereolab and Portishead," she groans. "I think we're influenced by their influences more than by them," she reasons. "It's horrible to be compared to bands around now, it makes us sound secondhand."
Forthcoming months hold a tour with Welsh surrealists Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and work on a debut album. As summer kicks in, their sunshine bright tunes will be increasingly difficult to resist.
Broadcast, 9 May Piao! Club, Upstairs at the Garage, London (0171-607 1818)
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