The Crypt Sessions

This summer we packed up shop and left for the seaside for this years Great Escape festival. The streets were filled with many a bearded folk, guitar laden groupies and the walking dead, with the background hum of over 400+ bands from noon till dawn. Alongside the live music, we set up camp at the wonderful Brighton Electric and invited some special acts to come play for us.

Michael Kiwanuka performs 'I'm Getting Ready', 'I Don't Know' and 'Tell Me A Tale' for The Crypt Sessions.

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With Michael Kiwanuka, it's all about the voice. A voice that he describes as "hitting straight through to the core" with direct, emotional songs about love, yearning, comfort and belonging. It's a voice that built him a following via MySpace and small London gigs, and led Paul Butler from The Bees to invite him to the band's Isle of Wight studio to lay down these introductory tracks. Which makes it all the more strange, really, that what Kiwanuka originally set out to be was a session guitarist who maybe wrote the odd song for other people.

Now 23, growing up in North London Michael struggled at times to see where he fitted in. An avid England and Spurs fan, he found it hard to imagine a day when a name like Kiwanuka could sit comfortably on the back of a football shirt here. Nonetheless, when his parents took him and his brother back to the Uganda to visit family, he and his brother were immediately recognised as English tourists. Like most of his schoolmates, he liked bands like Nirvana and Blur, but it was only when he discovered that Jimi Hendrix was black that he was able to imagine himself picking up a guitar.

In his teens, two other icons helped him find his voice. A friend gave him a Bob Dylan box set, and Michael was bowled over by the power of a well-crafted song, delivered with just urgent vocals and an acoustic guitar. Later, he was playing the free CD that came with a music magazine and heard an out-take of 'Sitting on the Dock of the Bay' in which Otis Redding was talking to the studio engineer. It made the soul icon seem more human, more accessible, and though there were later to be other influences from Bill Withers and Terry Callier to John Martyn and Laura Marling, it was Dylan and Redding who laid the foundations for Michael's own rootsy, folk-inflected modern soul.

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The Crypt Sessions

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Michael Kiwanuka
http://michaelkiwanuka.com/

Tegan and Sara perform acoustic versions of Closer, I Was A Fool and Back In Your Head for The Crypt Sessions.

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We could barely contain our excitement when Canadian alt-pop duo, Tegan & Sara dropped into the studio recently whilst touring the UK. Performing three tracks - including the final instalment, 'Back In Your Head' - their bold, catchy pop choruses charmed us here at The Crypt and we're delighted to share with you.

Following the independent release of their debut album 'Under Feet Like Ours' (1999), Tegan & Sara caught the attention of Neil Young's manager Elliot Roberts. Subsequently signed to Roberts' Vapor Records label, the duo's major breakthrough came with their 2004 album, 'So Jealous'. Having toured with the likes of Neil Young, Paramore, The Black Keys and The Killers, the duo have also collaborated with superstar DJs David Guetta and Tiesto.

Their new single, 'Goodbye Goodbye' is out now via. Vapor/Warner Bros. Records.

Enjoy.

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The Crypt Sessions

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Tegan and Sara
http://www.teganandsara.com/

Lucy Rose performs 'Shiver', 'Place', and 'Middle Of The Bed' for The Crypt Sessions

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What can we say about Lucy Rose? Still only 21 and with a voice to melt glaciers she is quickly gathering an army of admirers from Edith Bowman to the Mumford's. Having spent the last couple of years honing her songs live, Lucy came to the attention of Bombay Bicycle Club's Jack Steadman and was quickly drafted in to sing backing vocals on their second and third albums. Now having scored the support slot for Ben Howard's upcoming October tour, Lucy's debut single was released this month with the blogosphere fizzing with platitudes.

Lucy and guitarist Bjorn met the Crypt session crew in the Railway Tavern around the corner from the studio and joined us for a sly summer pint. Having charmed everyone with stories of Lucy's recent Glastonbury guest spot (again with the Bombay's) we set off to record. They then proceeded to deliver what we think was an amazing three song set, each song recorded in a single take. We were back down the pub within the hour! Its easy being this good isn't it? Enjoy.

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The Crypt Sessions

Website: http://bit.ly/cryptsessions
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Lucy Rose
http://www.lucyrosemusic.com/

Keaton Henson performs 'To Your Health', 'You Don't Know How Lucky You Are' and a cover of Elvis Presley's 'Always On My Mind' for The Crypt Sessions.

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"Henson's music will change your life if you let it" is a pretty strong quote but its one of many that try and describe Keaton Henson's beguiling music. "One of the most compelling singer-songwriters we've heard in ages...'Dear...(album)' is remarkable" Sunday Times, "Beautiful and uncompromising" Q and the picture gets a little clearer but as Keaton himself never does interviews and rarely even performs live he is a difficult artist to get to know.

Originally an illustrator and visual artist, Keaton's move into well known musician was not intended, that was until radio's tastemakers decided he was the real deal and Fearne Cotton, Zane Lowe, Jo Whiley, and Lauren Laverne have been spinning Keaton's recent singles regularly. Its not hard to understand why either as one listen to his Crypt Session and you will be falling for his brittle charms. All this mystery has created a feverish following as fans of the elusive Keaton strive to find out more and Facebook groups and Tumblr sites have sprung up, all either pretending to be him or for fans to obsess.

We think he is amazing and have filmed three intimate sessions to share with you and for you to share with your friends. We have a feeling that pretty soon Keaton's obscurity will be a mystery in itself.

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The Crypt Sessions

Website: http://bit.ly/cryptsessions
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Keaton Henson
www.keatonhenson.com

Katzenjammer perform 'Land Of Confusion', 'Rock Paper Scissors', and 'I Will Dance (When I Walk Away)' for The Crypt Sessions

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Katzenjammer are set to release their second album, 'A Kiss Before You Go' on May 7th through Propeller Records. The album is their first UK release and follows the incredible commercial and critical success of their debut album 'Le Pop', not to mention their relentless touring across Europe, Scandinavia and the US.

The band are a four-piece, all-girl outfit of multi-instrumentalists that perform swinging, singing, cowboy-inspired fairground burlesque with all-out riotous, folk, pop & gypsy punk -- not forgoing the occasional ballad. The feisty femmes descended upon the UK festival circuit in 2011, leaving audiences enthralled at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival and Bestival and counting Steve Lamacq in an ever increasing UK fanbase, leading to a string of sold-out UK gig dates.

Katzenjammer are Anne Marit, Marianne, Solveig and Turid, 'A Kiss Before You Go' was produced by Mike Hartung (Maelstrom, Jaga Jazzist, A-Ha) in Oslo. The album is a vibrant hotchpotch of Balkan flavours, cabaret clubs, comic strips and straight up Pop. They rip up the rule book good and proper with this boundary defying LP; twelve songs which are as eclectic as they are identifiably Katzenjammer.

Serving up an overflowing stein of Germanic cheer with their eponymous opener, the tone effortlessly moves from melancholic waltz -'Lady Marlene' - to vaudevillian, honky-tonk knees-up 'I Will Dance (When I Walk Away)' the band's first single, released on March 12th.

Then there's 'Soviet Trumpeter' and 'Gypsy Flee' -- songs which by their very namesake capture the group's Balkan essence -- and 'Rock-Paper-Scissors' - a gusty, below deck fiddle jig which gives the banjo and the mandolin a good airing.

'Cocktails and Ruby Slippers' dances along like a not too distant cousin of art-pop movers The Fiery Furnaces or Beirut and 'Cherry Pie' is an exercise in Andrew Sisters' perkiness. 'Land Of Confusion', is, rather wonderfully, the Genesis hit re-imagined on tack piano, marimba and sousaphone. But did they plan it like this, you wonder?

"We never plan anything!" laughs Marianne. "That's why we change instruments; it reminds you that you're doing something alive and new. We wouldn't want to play the same sort of songs all the time just like we wouldn't want to play the same instrument all night every night."

The journey ends on a quiet yet understatedly epic note with 'God's Great Dust Storm'; a spacious, polyphonic gospel number which sees the band strip back the theatrics and go a cappella, rendering the listener in awe of their unified vocal prowess.

"We are interested in new things and new emotions all the time," offers Solveig. "We like the sweet and harsh. If you like anything in between that then you'll like Katzenjammer..."

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The Crypt Sessions

Website: http://bit.ly/cryptsessions
Twitter: http://bit.ly/cryptsessionstwitter
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Katzenjammer
http://www.katznjamr.co.uk/