Looking for something to do over the June Bank Holiday weekend?  Then look no further than The Pod Complex on Harcourt Street where Soundtrack 08 kicks off, showcasing past, present and future soundtracks to the venue.  Tripod and Crawdaddy in particular have been favourite venues of Key Notes since their re-development and so this blog has no trouble recommending Soundtrack 08 as the perfect way to kick off Ireland's festival season, and best of all it's indoors, so you don't need your wellies!

Taking place over 9 nights, all tastes and orientations are catered for.  While there are lots of interesting acts performing; the following three bands are without a doubt the highlights for Key Notes. 

Tapes & Tapes
There are stupid reasons to like bands - for example Key Notes has a fondness for bands with long titles - but Tapes & Tapes are a favourite for this blog because of one of those 'hillarious' mis-hearing of lyrics episodes that we are all prone to.  Being the militant vegetarian that he is, Key Notes once ranted and raved about the Tapes and Tapes song 'Hang the Bulls' for fifteen minutes saying how it was a terrible attitude to have to animal rights etc.  It was only later, and more sober, that this blog went on to discover the song was actually called 'Hang Them All.'  Since then Key Notes has quite enjoyed what he's heard, especially 'Le Ruse', taken from the bands 'Walk it Off' album.

You can check out the video for 'Hang the Bulls Them All' here:

Midnight Juggernauts
When people like Justice and Pedro Winters start calling you their favourite band of the year, you know you must be doing something right.  It's not really hard to see why they are so popular either.  Mixing a blend of cosmic disco and synth-rock, every review seems to describe them as a meeting between two relatively different artists.  Not being one to buck a trend Key Notes would like you to imagine Air jamming with T-Rex whilst experimenting with various illegal substances.  Beat that Pitchfork!

See for yourself with 'Shadows' taken from the recently released 'Dystopia' album.

Public Enemy
Not only is this Public Enemy, but this is Public Enemy performing 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back' - in Key Notes humble opinion the defining moment in Hip Hop's history - in its entirety!  Often mentioned in various 'Greatest Album' lists, it's influence is huge, most likely because of the way it showcased other artists talents by using a huge range of samples (approx. 75) over the albums 16 tracks.  Time magazine famously described this album as 'Loud, obnoxious, funky, avant-garde, political, uncompromising, hilarious.'  It's all of those things and it's a lot more besides.

Don't believe the hype?  Okay, well here's 'Don't Believe the Hype.'

Tickets for Soundtrack 08 are available from all good ticket retailers.   More information on the festival can be found on the POD website.