A fierce panda presentation

The Artists: VARIOUS
The Release: THE ZIP IT UP EP
The Formats: SIX(ISH)-TRACK COMPILATION EP ON DOWNLOAD & CD
The Tracklisting:
1.BRILLIANT MIND Leave Your Friends Behind
2.THE CROOKES Yes, Yes, Were Magicians
3.THE HEARTBREAKS Jealous, Dont You Know (demo version)
4.HOODLUMS Not A Love Song
5.IDEALS These Seasons (demo version)
6.THE MOLOTOVS One Up On Me
7.SKETCHES This Sir Is War
The Release Date: FEBRUARY 22ND 2010
The Catalogue Number: NING 229
The Launch Party: WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 24TH @ LONDON 229 (THE MOLOTOVS + HOODLUMS + CROOKES + THE HEARTBREAKS + BRILLIANT MIND)

The Concept: on February 24th 1994 fierce panda launched itself upon a fearsomely unsuspecting public with its first ever release, the Shagging In The Streets EP, which featured six New Wave Of New Wave-ish bands (see These Animal Men, S*M*A*S*H, et al) sprawled across a pair of 7¬ù singles. This inadvertently set the panda agenda for years to come as the drunkenly-titled six track likes of Return To Splendour, Mortal Wombat, Screecher Comforts and ‚ of bloomin course - Otter Than July defied the laws of language whilst showcasing dozens of eager new turns.
But people change. They always do. A decade down the line the panda grew up and starting focussing on proper albums by proper bands like Art Brut, The Raveonettes, Hatcham Social, The Walkmen and Goldheart Assembly. And indie, in its most commercial sense, jolly well went overground. In a world where Pete Doherty was front page news and Arctic Monkeys were bigger than the arctic the kids had no need for the pandas six track peculiarities and so the On The Buzzes EP, which featured Razorlight, The Rakes and The Rocks, quietly put the format to bed in 2004. Until now.
And by now we mean February 22nd 2010 when, very nearly sixteen years to the day since Shagging In The Streets hit the streets, fierce panda will be returning to the classic six-track compilation EP format to celebrate their sixteenth birthday. In the true spirit of these malfunctioning retail times there will be no double 7¬ù vinyl release, just a limited CD run and a download release. And in the true spirit of the musical era, with its XXXX-Factor factories and pop-obsessed airwaves, fierce panda has been lurking underground and putting two and two and three together and coming up with the Zip It Up EP, featuring six(ish) brrrrrrand new bands from the post-post-post Libertines generation with a penchant for the more intellectual things in life.
Number fetishists amongst you may care to note that the Zip It Up EP features seven, not six bands. We got, uh, over-excited. You may also care to observe that the catalogue number of the Zip It Up EP is NING 229. The launch party is taking place at the 229 in Great Portland Street. And the CD version will be limited to 229 numbered copies.
As ever with these fierce panda EPs there is a thread running through the bands. Or in this case, threads. Theres a tidy haircut here, a nicely buttoned down shirt there, a smartly-rolled-up Levi trouser leg in between. Then there are the sparky, chirpy influences ‚ a flutter of Housemartins, a flick of Haircut 100, a splash of The Smiths, a dash of Orange Juice.
Remedial indierock this is not: there is passion, ambition, a desire to strive for more than three grubby chords and five minutes in the limelight from a new generation of romantics who, after years of corporate gluttony and indie greed, are just Getting On With It. In a very sartorial sense several of these people would have made the front cover of Smash Hits in 1984. And yet in another musical sense these are the very bands who messing with the modern wires, putting out the post-indie boom fires and quite possibly raging against Florence & The Machine. Rip it up and start again...

www.fiercepanda.co.uk

THE ZIP IT UP BANDS
(IN APHABETICAL ORDER)

BRILLIANT MIND are five young pups from the North-East who possess some lovely popping bass lines and jaunty, jangular pop moves. These people could have supported Hurrah! in 1985, and it would have been ace. ?ìQuintessentially British indie pop seems to be making a comeback of late, and Brilliant Mind are championing this revival¬¶an exhilarating band to behold.¬ù ‚ Linsey Teggert, Narc Magazine
www.myspace.com/brilliandmindmusic

THE CROOKES are four smart young chaps who base themselves in Sheffield and were born from a mutual love of 60s pop and rag-time indie. ?ìThe Crookes world is a charming one of snuff boxes, broken tea cups and lovers sharing a gasper under gas-lit lamp posts.¬ù ‚ Q magazine
www.myspace.com/thecrookesmusic

HOODLUMS are five dreamers from Southend by the sea who play lovelorn tunes with a raffishly soulful spirit. ?ìEstuary boys Hoodlums are not hoodies. They have quiffs. And twangy, quivery guitar riffs.¬ù - Artrocker
www.myspace.com/hoodlumsband

THE HEARTBREAKS are four finely-attired characters from Manchester via Morecambe by the sea who create epic, passionate soundscapes with a fearsomely jangling attitude. ?ìThis is where lipstick on your collar meets a juggernaut of guitars which veered off the motorway somewhere in the 1980s.¬ù ‚ Steve Lamacq, BBC 6 Music
www.myspace.com/heartbreaksband

IDEALS are four intense youths from Ipswich who bring a darker edge to proceedings by dint of some thunderous journeys into The Big Pop Sound. Up until five minutes ago they were called Its A Trap, about which is was said: ?ìthey reflect a nationwide trend in music. The days of bands formed as a tribute to The Libertines are dying out and these fantastic new acts are taking inspiration from the likes of Foals and Bloc Party.¬ù ‚ BBC Suffolk
www.myspace.com/itstraptheband

THE MOLOTOVS are five debonair young men based in London Town who make extravagant, eloquent British Pop gestures, as evinced by their currently fabulous And The Heads Did Roll mini-album. ?ìThey craft pop songs with sublime melodies and lyrics that twist and turn then pitch a camp in your heart.¬ù ‚ Record Collector
www.myspace.com/themolotovs

SKETCHES are four dapper young souls from Leeds who bring a slightly more stadium-esque element to the New Pop party by virtue of their admirably controlled enormosound. ?ìSome of their stuff is urgent, groovy indie; some of it is rolling, big, tuneful-but-angry music; and some of it is creeping, atmospheric, almost soundscapey emotional indie.¬ù ‚ Marsha Shandur, Xfm
www.myspace.com/sketchesband