Press
Appropriate Ending single
Here’s an interview and some single reviews…
The Argus UK Tour interview with Tom, click to read in full.
“At the moment the possibilities when you get on a stage to make music are amazing. We said we wanted to make it as unlike any other band playing each week as possible”
That was the idea behind The Electric Soft Parade’s new show, which is unlike anything they have done before. They helped put Brighton’s music scene on the map. They have been a mainstay of the city scene, surfacing in other Brighton bands including Brakes and Restlesslist, who Tom regularly drums for.
But for this tour they decided on a new approach. It features the new album played completely in sequence, against a backdrop of projections put together by Tom.
“I made the projections by taking some old footage and edited it on my laptop to work alongside the album. We replaced the audio with a click track so our drummer Damo Waters is in sync with the screen. The effect is that the band is magically in sync with the visuals” – watch Appropriate Ending
For the final part of the gig they asked fans for favourite tracks from their back catalogue, resulting in an overwhelming demand for early B-side Broadcast – see what people suggested at Myspace and the Forum
The band chose the UK Tour supports: bedroom maestro Paul Steel and Dear Britch, featuring singer Stuart Flynn, who joined them onstage for part of the show (he also supports in Germany)
“I want to feel like we are pushing our audience… Some people into us are into radio-friendly stuff like Keane and Coldplay. We feel it’s our responsibility to introduce people to other stuff”
Organ Magazine Sophisticated pastoral indie-pop and an uplifting lead track from this year’s rather acclaimed No Need To Be Downhearted album. Electric Soft Parade on back on top form. The interest here will focus on the Elliott Smith and Amy Linton covers to be found as b-sides.
Visual Music Webzine (French) Happiness is simple as a b-side… Appropriate Ending is out on 26 November and brings a little happiness in our hearts in these early winter temperatures, listen to the b-sides at Myspace
Rant Magazine Click to read the full review… One new song and two covers, their title track is probably their best on the EP. It sounds reminiscent of when guitar-pop was good. When it felt a wash of enjoyment to listen to.
Their cover of Elliott Smith’s (R.I.P) Happiness was a damn good job. It felt like listening to an Elliott Smith song, not just in chords and the words, but the mood of Elliott Smith was there, but there was something else as well that made you enjoy it on a different level. It wasn’t karaoke, it was the Electric Soft Parade performing an Elliott Smith song, where seemingly both artists were present. Their cover of Amy Linton’s Friends of the Heroes was almost dream-pop in it’s calming tempo and distant guitars.
There’s an air with their music that is very rarely present in modern guitar-pop. Modern guitar-pop is very immediate and punchy and there’s nothing behind the notes you’re hearing, and this record doesn’t fall in to that.
Latest interviews
English: Kruger Magazine – Tenement Blog
French: Sensation Rock – Magic Magazine
German: Spex.de – Motor.de
For rough translations of the non English interviews see the forum.
Read all about ESP at Truck Festival in the news archive.
Misunderstanding single
Audio Video
Haldern 2007: two live songs and an interview. Scroll down at the right and click on Best Of Donnerstag and Freitag at festivalguide.de/player
Video interviews: 99Matters – FAKE DIY
XFM Session Misunderstanding, Have You Ever… Cold World, Everybody Wants.
Motor FM Podcast (no 72) Silent To The Dark acoustic download MP3
The Sun Podcast With Silent To The Dark acoustic.
Times Podcast Live tracks: Misunderstanding & Come Back Inside.
Single Reviews
Teletext: Combining their early power-pop with the ballsy guitars and wild-eyed look of Brakes, it’s free-spirited joy. 8/10.
Alternative Nation
Artrocker
Atomic Duster 7/10
Beat Surrender 3 stars
Comfort Comes score: 9
Control Yourself 83 percent
Culture Deluxe
Digital Spy 5 stars
Glasswerk
God Is In The TV 3.5 stars
icScotland
Indie London Single Of The Week: 4.5 out of 5.
Is This Music 4 stars
Lick Online
Music News 5 stars
MusicOMH love b-side Blue It Is
Stuff.tv download of the week
Subba Cultcha
The Fugitive Motel 5.1 / 6
The Last Broadcast
The Line Of Best Fit
The Sun Hot Tracks: 3.5 stars
Latest interviews
99 Matters
Base Ad
Click Music
Kontrastradio
Music News
Pick Up Magazine
Radio 2
Round Table
Sound Generator
The Line Of Best Fit
The Sun Podcast
The Times Podcast
Tom Robinson
Under The Radar
USA Canada Tour 2007
Read Fan Quotes and Tom’s Blog See the Photos
Recent Interviews: It’s Trendy – American Songwriter (scroll down)
Mercury Lounge 17 June Grand Finale at Pela’s Tour Blog
Photos of all 3 bands onstage by Maryanne Ventrice ESP & Brakes by eatsdirt
Mercury Lounge 16 June Review & photos musicslut.blogspot.com
Photos by Maryanne Ventrice
Maxwell’s 15 June Videos by Punkcast
Cold World – Have You Ever Felt Like It’s Too Late – Everybody Wants
Review & photos musicsnobbery.com Review by Pela’s webmaster here
Lee’s Palace 12 June Review by forgottenramblings
Empty Bottle 10 June Photos by Underground Bee
400 Bar 9 June Review & photos Perfect Porridge Photos by David Wetzel
Hi Dive 7 June Review & photos SPIN.com
Reviews Mystik Spiral – Wayward Panties – Photos by 28 Deep
Chop Suey 4 June Show preview The Stranger
Spaceland 30 May LA Times Critics Choice – NME.com
Review & photos Ground Control
Brakes & ESP Photos by freeloosedirt – brainydomi
Club Pow 28 May Photos by amysnott.com
KCRW Session 25 May Audio & Video Also see: KCRW Blog and Photos
Club Moscow 23 May cleomarie meets Tom (with photos)
Casbah 22 May by sddialedin.com
Live Videos Lose Yr Frown & Misunderstanding Review & pics
Reviews by nkardos.blogspot.com – dandelife.com Photos by kudoskid0511
April Tour 2007
Kings College 30th: The Fly – Blog review
Southampton Joiners 29th: Blog review
Leeds Cockpit 27th: Photos by egigs Review by Leeds Music Scene
Manchester Roadhouse 25th: Manchester Evening News – Manchester Music
Sheffield Plug 24th: NME
Glasgow Oran Mor 23rd: Lick Online
Stoke Sugarmill 18th: If That’s The Case live video by elksie5000
Billy MacKenzie Tribute March 2007
Photos by Peter Ashworth (scroll down)
Blue It Is – cover of the Billy MacKenzie song at Youtube
Live session of Blue It Is on Liquid Generation
They also performed Come Back Inside here
No Need To Be Downhearted album
Interviews: Aversion – Lick Online (scroll down) Sound Check – Music Snobbery – PlugInMusic – BBC Oxford (audio) Sun – Fly – Artist Direct
Also see SXSW section below. Album Preview: Aversion
30music
411mania
All Gigs
Angry Ape
Atomic Duster
Austinist
Aversion
Big Cheese
Broken Dial
Bullz Eye
Campus Circle E Newsletter
Chicago Innerview
Clash Mag
Comfort Comes
Contact Music
Die Shellsuit
Entertainmentwise
Epoch Times
Feminist Review
First Post
Fuzzy Thoughts
Ground Control
Herts 24
Infuze Mag
Is This Music
Kaffeine Buzz
Manchester Evening News
Metro
MOJO Magazine
Neu Magazine
New Noise
NY Daily News
Scans: Part 1 – Part 2
Playmusic
PlugInMusic
Popmatters
Punk News
Q Magazine
Rant Magazine
Revolt Media
Rock City
Rock Sound
Skyline Press
Smother Mag
Stranger Mag
Subba Cultcha
The Fire Note
The Line Of Best Fit
The Sun Also: 70 albums for 07
The Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Times
The Times – Scan
The Fly: Part 1 Part 2
The Tripwire
This Is Nottingham
Thosecritics
Time Out New York
Tiny Mix Tapes
TNT
Twisted Ear
Ultimate Guitar
Uncut Magazine
Yahoo Canada
Yahoo UK
If That's The Case, Then I Don't Know single
Better Looking team up with The Documentary Channel for a promo advert
6 Music: Round Table / Rebel Playlist – Record Of The Weekend
CMU Daily (scroll down)
Crud Magazine
Fingertips MP3 Blog (scroll down)
Idolator (ESP in the Blogs)
MOJO Playlist
New Musical Express
One Week To Live
Sound Generator
The Sun
The Tripwire (video)
What’s On London
USA March 2007
Interviews circa SXSW:
Revolt Media – Herohill – Perfect Porridge (scroll down) Rock Sellout
Buzz Bands at Los Angeles Times
Guero’s 16th: video by SXSW
(Guided By Voices cover: Universal Truths And Cycles)
Guero’s photos by Dons
Cedar Street Courtyard 17th: review at Artrocker
Cedar Street Courtyard photos by chromewaves.net
Cedar Street Courtyard photos by erametta – aversion.com (click next)
Casbah 19th: review with videos (first 2 have ESP) sddialedin.blogspot.com
Casbah photos by kudoskid0511
Spaceland 21st: Misunderstanding video by king_aberdeen
Ten Tune Truck single
LA Times (Life In The Backseat)
SoundsXP – Ian Chambers
Interviews
BBC 6 Music at The Great Escape ’06
Comfort Comes
God Is In The TV Fanzine
Guitarist Magazine
Feb ’07: Brakes interview, Tom talks about ESP’s new album
Knave Magazine
Skinny Mag
Skratch Magazine
Twisted Ear
Unearthed Treasures
York Indie Society – Myspace
Irish Post on the Brighton Music Scene