We have something a little special for you this week in Tracks of my Teens after its recent return. As one half of Summer Camp, Elizabeth Sankey represents 50% of one of our favourite bands around right now. As she and Jeremy Warmsley prepare for the release of their second album next week, Elizabeth took some time out to reminisce about her teenage years and pick three tracks she loved from those days gone by.
Echobelly – “King Of The Kerb”
I haven’t listened to this song in…probably over a decade. It feels so weird to be watching the video on YouTube, I definitely have never seen this video before. As a teenager I didn’t live in a household where music videos were watched. It was so exciting to go to my friends’ houses who had cable or satellite and watch MTV. I would sit there, glued to the screen. I know many facts about Alanis Morissette from one day of watching Pop Up Video constantly. I wasn’t strictly a teenager when this song came out, but it was part of the beginning of my teen mentality, that time in your life when you think things like, “I’ll be the girl who wears the foam zip-up jacket and only listens to Air”. I didn’t own many albums but those I did I knew very, very well. This is a just a great pop song. Miss these guys.
Saves The Day – “At Your Funeral”
I grew up near Kingston, an old market town on the outskirts of London. It’s only now that I realise how lucky I was to spend my teenage years there. Kingston has a unique relationship with bands and music, mainly because of one man, Jon Tolley who now runs Banquet Records and puts on insanely amazing shows at the venues that used to do Kiss FM and cheesy student nights when I was a teen. They always, always, even at the beginning of the night, smelt of vomit and beer. I will never forget those sticky carpets. When I was a teen, Jon was already very involved in the music scene, and he used to DJ at this tiny club called Bacchus (he may even still do it, I’ll have to double check with him next time we play). My best friend Louise and I would blag our way in before we were 18 and spend the whole night dancing to emo and hardcore and also…Mr. Scruff? (Just one song though I promise). We were annoying at the best of times, but when Jon played At Your Funeral we went postal. There’s a dance that can be performed to this song, you know. Anyway, Louise made sure this was the last song played at my wedding, after the DJ was supposed to have stopped. I guess we’re still awful.
The Streets – “Weak Become Heroes”
There’s always a point on tour when I listen to Skinner. This is such an insanely perfect debut. I loved it when it came out, but it wasn’t until I was working in music that I realised how incredibly lo-fi the production was. It’s such a wonderful reminder that good songs cut through, regardless of how much money was spent on the production. His lyrics are amazing, so evocative and truthfully. Totally relatable. And I love his sampling, his loops and breaks are just bloody great. I saw him play at Brixton in my early 20’s and it was amazing, and I’m so glad he’s done well, but I will always love the intensity and loneliness of this album. You can tell how much he wants it, and he has so much to say.
Summer Camp’s eponymous sophomore album is due out 9 September and is available for pre-order from iTunes now.
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