A boy that loves ... shoes?!!?

Raise your hand if you've been to Birmingham, England.

NO?!

Alright, so neither have I ... BUT, I do rather fancy the accent for some reason. Admit it, ladies - a girl can never get enough of a nice looking English boy. Last night, I had the opportunity to listen to a couple nice looking English boys (from Birmingham) making great music - they are called The Editors.


The Editors caught my attention in the Fall of 2006 when they were nominated for The Mercury Prize (which is an annual music award given to the best album from the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland). The elected list of nominees for The Mercury Prize was pretty radical that year and, if I remember right, included some of my favorites such as Hot Chip, Muse, Thom Yorke, and the Arctic Monkeys. Although, The Editors did not win (the prize went to the Arctic Monkeys), the buzz on this band grew to new heights and I was hooked the moment I heard a few clips from "The Back Room". Furthermore, I greatly anticipated the June 2007 release of their newest album "An End Has A Start". The album title IS a little generic but, I assure you, the music is not!


Sometimes I get nervous right before I see a band I admire play live for the first time. Such feelings came over me as the guys were walking onto the stage at the Fineline Music Cafe in Minneapolis but, from the moment lead guitarist and synth player Chris Urbanowicz started jamming on his Rickenbacker 620, I was in love. Now, word on the streets is that Chris used to work in a shoe store with drummer Edward Lay for about 3-4 years. Judging from the trendy pair he was sporting onstage, I would say this babe has some knowledge of his shoes (and good style, as well). Personally, I didn't get a chance to ask him but, maybe next time he's in town - I'll kidnap him for a shopping adventure.


Lead singer Tom Smith is extremely captivating live .. he has a very quirky style about him that sort of reminds me of my neighbor's hyperactive kid on rollarskates. Edward packs quite a punch live, as well! The show exceeded my expectations (which was hard to do) and I highly recommend seeing them - even if only for Chris' perfectly messed up hair - you will enjoy it. The only thing I will say on a sad note is that the bass player, Russell Leetch was kind of stuck behind Tom's piano and I didn't get a decent view of his performance.


For those of you interested, I snapped a shot of the set-list for your enjoyment.


Lastly, keeping on our theme of overseas music ... I have run across an alternative indie pop band out of Denmark that I'd like to quickly share with you. The Kissaway Trail. I'm excited about their song "Tracy" and, although their song titles aren't the strongest or most interesting, the music still catches my attention. Plus, Tracy Maurice did their album artwork (you may be familiar with her stuff from the 'Funeral' album by Arcade Fire).


* by Jen Panczenko, who wants to borrow Tom Smith's black hollow body guitar someday!