Avenue61 is a leading indie music site that specialises in album and gig reviews, breaking new bands, publicising events, and exclusive interviews with the leading cutting edge acts in the alternative music scene. Avenue61 covers a wide range of artists – some you would have heard of, some you won’t. Artists the site has reviewed recently include the Fleet Foxes, MGMT, Noisettes and Ladyhawke. The site is updated regularly so come back to catch up the latest news and reviews from the bleeding edge of the alternative music scene.

Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

“Who’s this chick? What’s with the sleeveless Nirvana tee?”

“Hello, I’m Ladyhawke” comes an innocent voice from the middle of the stage. She’s the latest electro-pop female artist to introduce herself to our ever-maturing ears here in the UK. Fighting alongside the wave of electro-pop artists with swords out and snarls on their faces, waiting in the background until the time is right when she can spring forward effortlessly; brandishing an arsenal of music she

always knew was going to overshadow the rest of these electro warriors.

You may have heard her name being thrown about in magazines or on the radio, usually accompanied with words such as “exciting” and “up-and-coming”. And by the looks of things, so has the majority of the crowd here at the o2 Academy, Glasgow. After her brief self-introduction, Ladyhawke dives into her tunes with nonchalance, and with a rather beat-tastic light show going on behind her. Mixing simple, electronic, synthesised tunes with her low, sultry voice is her tried and tested method of practice.

Her song “Magic” is one that appears on her humble Myspace playlist, along with others such as ‘My Delirium’ and ‘Paris is Burning’. At first it sounds like a pretty average song; no striking tunes, melodies or unique tempo. Verse kicks in: still nothing startling. But then, all of a sudden, you realise that you don’t want the song to end. You re-think how much you’ve enjoyed listening and realise you do actually really like ‘Magic’. It’s hidden catchy-ness and hypnotic melodies only become evident after a few listens, but once it’s embedded in the brain then it’s not getting out. The innate clapping sound that appears after every few lines and concludes the verses becomes the beats you replicate yourself when listening.

Played live, ‘Magic’ is hypnotic. People sway in a synchronised fashion - with the exception of the knowledgeable current fans who perform a more noticeable dance routine. Ladyhawke seems so lost and timid on stage. The backdrop and wide range of quite large instruments cluttering the stage floor look overpowering: it’s like watching a kid walk around a Landrover showroom. General visual impressions aside, she performs with ease and with a presumed feeling of comfort in knowing her music is good. At one point there is a possible breaking point in this illusion as the drummer starts performing a different song to the others. Ladyhawke and her backing guitarists turn around to try and create a beat which can be used to flow into the right song, and succeed. An inevitable “Sorry” comes from her modest mouth during the next thirty seconds.

She treats her fans as equals. She keeps her feet on the ground despite her escalating popularity. She could quite easily be the girl who lived next door to you in high school (that is if you grew up in Australia). With numerous headlining tour dates and as support slot with The Ting Tings, I’d bet my hat that her name will be as well-known as MGMT’s by this time next year.

Her self-titled debut album is available now.