These are the gigs I attended in February 2014:
13 Warm Widow / Salford Media City / Groves @ Kraak Gallery
14 Hotpants Romance one minute past midnight Valentines day gatecrash @ Kraak
15 Carefully Planned All Dayer @ Gullivers
Bilge Pump / Papayer / Gurgles / Elk / Faitala / Paddy Steer / Yarbo / Silent Front
18 Sly and the Family Drone / Silent Front / Workin' Man Noise Unit / Groves @ Wahlbar
26 Trash Kit / Sex Hands / Ill @ Gullivers
27 Father Murphy / Locean / Ten Mouth Electron / Leda and the Swan @ Eagle Inn
Best performances: Bilge Pump and Warm Widow (Leeds 6, Manchester 6)
Best Band I'd never heard before: Silent Front
Best riff: "Childless" by Warm Widow
Audience participation: Sly and the Family Drone had nearly everyone in Wahlbar basement playing drums along with their evil tribal Melvins go noise racket, even me.
Strangest Instruments: Paddy Steer's home made space jazz contraptions, including an old telephone channeling the voice of Saturn and a unique noise box called a Vomit Cat played by a man in a red Stooges T-shirt in Workin' Man Noise Unit.
Two bands twice: Groves and Silent Front
Busiest musician: Sadie of Ill and Salford Media City and Ten Mouth Electron and Ding.
Best Venue: Kraak Gallery
Best Drinks: Wildwood organic cider at Kraak and Old Rosie strong cider at Eagle Inn.
Best costume: Paddy Steer in full home made Sun Ra style garb.
Best heckle: When Matt BG was interviewing Paddy he asked what all his machines were. Paddy said no one really wanted to know but the heckles proved otherwise and he had to reveal his secrets.
Best drummer: Neil Turpin of Bilge Pump.
Worst drummer: me
Nicest moment: a hug from a lady young enough to be my daughter whilst Hotpants Romance played "Heatwave."
Nastiest Moment: A fellow collapsed whilst Trash Kit were playing but they stopped until everyone knew he was OK.
Worst smell: The vile stench of the gents toilet in the Eagle Inn.
Most annoying person: the vocalist of a band whose name I forgot (not a band playing that night) whose pathetic attempts to sexually harrass me at the Warm Widow gig were even more laughable than how pleased he is with himself he seems for being able to put two words together. Here are two for him: grow up.
Friday, 28 February 2014
Six Silent Childless Groves
This month has been dominated by the excellence of the new albums by Thalia Zedek and Warm Widow and I wouldn't have really needed anththing else new to listen to at all, however it was great to discover the Fugazi fan friendly Silent Front who have been kicking up a racket for years, and get hold of the similarly inclined Groves CDR. Buy it from them at a gig for a mere two quid.
New albums I enjoyed:
Thalia Zedek - Six CD (6 songs)
http://www.thrilljockey.com/thrill/Thalia-Zedek/#.Uw-K8PRdWT4
Warm Widow - Childless LP (8 songs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU1oRGG3uNM&list=PL02736E1C25086212
Silent Front - Trust LP (8 songs)
www.silentfront.co.uk
Groves CDR (7 songs)
www.grovestheband.bandcamp.com
Oldies from a Silent Front gig, King Bee Records and a charity shop for African capitalist casualties:
Silent Front - Dead Lake LP 2010
Fuzz Against Junk CD 2003
Ministry - Greatest Fits 2001 CD (bargain of the month at 30p)
Sonic Youth - Live at the Continental 1986 CD
The Damned - Thanks for the night / Nasty / Do the Blitz 12" EP
Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970, 2010 CD remaster)
New albums I enjoyed:
Thalia Zedek - Six CD (6 songs)
http://www.thrilljockey.com/thrill/Thalia-Zedek/#.Uw-K8PRdWT4
Warm Widow - Childless LP (8 songs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU1oRGG3uNM&list=PL02736E1C25086212
Silent Front - Trust LP (8 songs)
www.silentfront.co.uk
Groves CDR (7 songs)
www.grovestheband.bandcamp.com
Oldies from a Silent Front gig, King Bee Records and a charity shop for African capitalist casualties:
Silent Front - Dead Lake LP 2010
Fuzz Against Junk CD 2003
Ministry - Greatest Fits 2001 CD (bargain of the month at 30p)
Sonic Youth - Live at the Continental 1986 CD
The Damned - Thanks for the night / Nasty / Do the Blitz 12" EP
Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970, 2010 CD remaster)
Thursday, 30 January 2014
January Gigs
Gig of the month: Mogwai / Mugstar @ Bridgewater Hall
Loudest perfromance: Mogwai
Quietest perfromance: Poormouth
Best Venue: Bridgewater Hall
Nicest crowd: St Margarets Church for Roger Turner and Urs Leimgruber
Funniest Heckle: Someone shouted something at Stephen Malkmus who replied, "Get my cock out? That's so declasse!" The heckler heckled again that he'd actually been heckling about beer, causing Malkmus to refer to himself as the heckler's deaf uncle. It doesn't matter what you shout, your deaf uncle is funnier than you.
Most annoying person at a gig: The man in the row of seats behind me who was speaking too loud in Spanish during one of Mogwai's quieter tunes. I turned and hissed "Shut up!" at him and happily he did. Mogwai were thankfully mostly way too loud to hear the inane chatter behind and to either side of me although I did catch the gist of its importance between tunes when one of the band picked up a violin and the man to my right commented to his friend, "Look that's a violin!" Shut up and listen.
Worst drink: one can of overpriced Gay cider at Gorilla for the Malkmus gig. If some venues sold better quality drinks, they'd sell more of them.
Best drink; A whole lot more much better quality cider at Dulcimer for Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura and Castrato Attack Group.
10 Roger Turner and Urs Leimgruber / Richard Scott / Seth Bennet, Dave Birchall, Andrew Cheetham, Julie Kjaer @ St Margarets Church
15 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks / Joanna Gruesome @ Gorilla
17 Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura / Castrato Attack Group @ Dulcimer
23 Mines / Poormouth / Nick Ainsworth @ Oklahoma
27 Mogwai / Mugstar @ Bridgewater Hall
Loudest perfromance: Mogwai
Quietest perfromance: Poormouth
Best Venue: Bridgewater Hall
Nicest crowd: St Margarets Church for Roger Turner and Urs Leimgruber
Funniest Heckle: Someone shouted something at Stephen Malkmus who replied, "Get my cock out? That's so declasse!" The heckler heckled again that he'd actually been heckling about beer, causing Malkmus to refer to himself as the heckler's deaf uncle. It doesn't matter what you shout, your deaf uncle is funnier than you.
Most annoying person at a gig: The man in the row of seats behind me who was speaking too loud in Spanish during one of Mogwai's quieter tunes. I turned and hissed "Shut up!" at him and happily he did. Mogwai were thankfully mostly way too loud to hear the inane chatter behind and to either side of me although I did catch the gist of its importance between tunes when one of the band picked up a violin and the man to my right commented to his friend, "Look that's a violin!" Shut up and listen.
Worst drink: one can of overpriced Gay cider at Gorilla for the Malkmus gig. If some venues sold better quality drinks, they'd sell more of them.
Best drink; A whole lot more much better quality cider at Dulcimer for Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura and Castrato Attack Group.
10 Roger Turner and Urs Leimgruber / Richard Scott / Seth Bennet, Dave Birchall, Andrew Cheetham, Julie Kjaer @ St Margarets Church
15 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks / Joanna Gruesome @ Gorilla
17 Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura / Castrato Attack Group @ Dulcimer
23 Mines / Poormouth / Nick Ainsworth @ Oklahoma
27 Mogwai / Mugstar @ Bridgewater Hall
Friday, 24 January 2014
Six Dimensional Interpenetrating Wigouts
This is what I've been listening to in January 2014:
Thalia Zedek - Six (Thrill Jockey)
This is out in February but I've been listening to an advance stream courtesy of Thrill Jockey records PR and can confirm that the six tracks are up to Thalia's usual intensely excellent standard. My current favourite song is "Julie Said" but I haven't had enough time online listening to it to write much... maybe "Afloat" is best.
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags (Domino)
With a possible Dagnasty semi-tribute in the title Malkmus delivers a reliably enjoyable album, although I prefer the previous one. I'm pretty sure he neglected to play my favourite track "Shibboleth" at their Gorilla gig on the fifteenth but it was fine nonetheless and ended with a rendition of Pavement's "Harness Your Hopes." Out now on Domino records.
Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura - Interpenetrating Dimensional Express (Golden Lab)
A great double album which makes a bid for album cover of the year and is more melodic than their debut assault, but I'm sure lynchpin Nick Mitchell would tell you, "It's a doozy." They were the best I've heard them at Dulcimer on the seventeenth and Castrato Attack Group kicked up a similar free-rock racket in support.
Mogwai - Rave Tapes (Rock Action)
After their great gig in December in was certain this would be a dead cert. Buy the vinyl from a cooler shop such as Piccadilly records and you get a bonus one sided seven inch single. At the end of the month this is the new release I've listened to the most.
Tara Jane O'Neil - Where Shine New Lights (Kranky)
Alan Silva and Roger Turner - Plug In (Multikulti, 2013)
Bought from improvising drummer Roge Turner himself after he played St Margarets Church with Swiss saxophonist Urs Leimgruber at my first gig of the year, this is a nice reminder of the Silva & Turner Night and Day gig
Urs Leimgruber and Evan Parker - Twine (2010)
Would it surprise you to find out I bought this at the same concert?
Mogwai - Les Revenants (2013)
I had some catching up to do, but Mogwai records are never hard to find!
Bailter Space - Trinine (Fire, 2013)
Just as good as the previous album.
David Grubbs - Borough of Broken Umbrellas 10" (Blue Chopsticks / Drag City)
Some older releases:
Six Finger Staellite - Half Control (Load, 2009)
The Wipers - The Power in One (Zeno, 1999)
Will Oldham - Black/Rich Music (1996)
The Damned - Damned Damned Damned 3CD (1976-7/2007)
Mogwai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbwIFzxD1-w
Thalia Zedek - Six (Thrill Jockey)
This is out in February but I've been listening to an advance stream courtesy of Thrill Jockey records PR and can confirm that the six tracks are up to Thalia's usual intensely excellent standard. My current favourite song is "Julie Said" but I haven't had enough time online listening to it to write much... maybe "Afloat" is best.
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags (Domino)
With a possible Dagnasty semi-tribute in the title Malkmus delivers a reliably enjoyable album, although I prefer the previous one. I'm pretty sure he neglected to play my favourite track "Shibboleth" at their Gorilla gig on the fifteenth but it was fine nonetheless and ended with a rendition of Pavement's "Harness Your Hopes." Out now on Domino records.
Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura - Interpenetrating Dimensional Express (Golden Lab)
A great double album which makes a bid for album cover of the year and is more melodic than their debut assault, but I'm sure lynchpin Nick Mitchell would tell you, "It's a doozy." They were the best I've heard them at Dulcimer on the seventeenth and Castrato Attack Group kicked up a similar free-rock racket in support.
Mogwai - Rave Tapes (Rock Action)
After their great gig in December in was certain this would be a dead cert. Buy the vinyl from a cooler shop such as Piccadilly records and you get a bonus one sided seven inch single. At the end of the month this is the new release I've listened to the most.
Tara Jane O'Neil - Where Shine New Lights (Kranky)
Alan Silva and Roger Turner - Plug In (Multikulti, 2013)
Bought from improvising drummer Roge Turner himself after he played St Margarets Church with Swiss saxophonist Urs Leimgruber at my first gig of the year, this is a nice reminder of the Silva & Turner Night and Day gig
Urs Leimgruber and Evan Parker - Twine (2010)
Would it surprise you to find out I bought this at the same concert?
Mogwai - Les Revenants (2013)
I had some catching up to do, but Mogwai records are never hard to find!
Bailter Space - Trinine (Fire, 2013)
Just as good as the previous album.
David Grubbs - Borough of Broken Umbrellas 10" (Blue Chopsticks / Drag City)
Some older releases:
Six Finger Staellite - Half Control (Load, 2009)
The Wipers - The Power in One (Zeno, 1999)
Will Oldham - Black/Rich Music (1996)
The Damned - Damned Damned Damned 3CD (1976-7/2007)
Mogwai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbwIFzxD1-w
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Albums of 2013
As usual Jason at perfectsoundforever.com has asked for everyone's twenty favourite albums of the year so here are mine. Thalia Zedek goes first due to more emotional content than other music of similar excellence. Also honourable mention for two five song CD EPs "Last Days of Butterfly" by Stranger Son and "The Ghost List" by Girls Against Boys and the 6 track "Stories" by Chris Brokaw. I could almost be living in the 1990s.
Thalia Zedek Band - Via
Bardo Pond - Peace On Venus
Wire - Change Becomes Us
Melt Banana - Fetch
Califone - Stitches
White Hills - So You Are... So You'll Be
Rodan - Fifteen Quiet Years (compilation / Peel session)
Arbouretum - Coming Out of the Fog
Carlton Melton - Always Even
Low - The Invisible Way
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away
Yo La Tengo - Fade
Polvo - Siberia
My Bloody Valentine - MBV
King Champion Sounds - Different Drummer
The Ex and Brass Unbound -Enormous Door
Mick Turner - Don't Tell the Driver
Pelican - Forever Becoming
Mainliner - Revelation Space
Kandodo - K2O
Plus a few more...
Acid Mother Temple and the Melting Paraiso UFO - In Search of the lost Divine Arc
Grant Hart - The Argument
Bailter Spae - Trinine
Mogwai - Les Revenants
Dead C vs Rangda
Lee Ranaldo - Last Night on Earth
Glenn Jones - My Garden State
Sebadoh - Defend Yourself
Fennesz - 17.02.12 Live at the Museum
Brokeback and the Black Rock
Mountains - Centralia
Mark Lanegan - Imitations
Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood - Black Pudding
Cowtown - Dudes vs Bad Dudes
Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura
DBH - Time Flies
Jon Collin - High Peak Selections
Big Naturals
Guantanamo School of Medecine - White People and the Damage Done
Flaming Lips - The Terror
Iggy and the Stooges -Reday to Die
Chelsea Light Moving
The Fall - Remit
And some CDRs
Mugstar - Centralia
Cleft - Whale Bone
White Hills - Oddity IV Black Valleys
Thalia Zedek Band - Via
Bardo Pond - Peace On Venus
Wire - Change Becomes Us
Melt Banana - Fetch
Califone - Stitches
White Hills - So You Are... So You'll Be
Rodan - Fifteen Quiet Years (compilation / Peel session)
Arbouretum - Coming Out of the Fog
Carlton Melton - Always Even
Low - The Invisible Way
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away
Yo La Tengo - Fade
Polvo - Siberia
My Bloody Valentine - MBV
King Champion Sounds - Different Drummer
The Ex and Brass Unbound -Enormous Door
Mick Turner - Don't Tell the Driver
Pelican - Forever Becoming
Mainliner - Revelation Space
Kandodo - K2O
Plus a few more...
Acid Mother Temple and the Melting Paraiso UFO - In Search of the lost Divine Arc
Grant Hart - The Argument
Bailter Spae - Trinine
Mogwai - Les Revenants
Dead C vs Rangda
Lee Ranaldo - Last Night on Earth
Glenn Jones - My Garden State
Sebadoh - Defend Yourself
Fennesz - 17.02.12 Live at the Museum
Brokeback and the Black Rock
Mountains - Centralia
Mark Lanegan - Imitations
Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood - Black Pudding
Cowtown - Dudes vs Bad Dudes
Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura
DBH - Time Flies
Jon Collin - High Peak Selections
Big Naturals
Guantanamo School of Medecine - White People and the Damage Done
Flaming Lips - The Terror
Iggy and the Stooges -Reday to Die
Chelsea Light Moving
The Fall - Remit
And some CDRs
Mugstar - Centralia
Cleft - Whale Bone
White Hills - Oddity IV Black Valleys
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Shellac Birmingham 25/11
The set for Shellac's gig at the Rainbow Warehouse was something like this, at least as I recall it:
Canada
You Came in Me
My Black Ass
Steady As She Goes
The song that starts with Steve Albini singing, "Shoulda buried you in the desert"
I asked Bob the title of this relatively new song after the gig and he told me but I had drunk enough rum to forget what he said. They played it at last years ATP festival and there is a poor quality version bootleg on the net.
Bob answered some questions. I asked what his favourite Wire album was and he replied "Ideal Copy, er I dunno." Someone asked when a new Shellac album would be out and he said within 6 months. After the gig he told me it's be out in 2-3 months and would be called 'Dude Incredible' making it the first Shellac album with a title track.
A Minute
Squirrel Song
Riding Bikes
Copper
More questions for Bob. I asked what the new songs were called which is how I know that Riding Bikes is Riding Bikes and the next song was
Compliant
Killers
Fight Song
The Peoples' Microphone ( a new instrumental)
Prayer to God
Wingwalker
Boycott
Dude Incredible
Spoke
The new songs sounded more energetic than previously which bodes well for the new album.
Canada
You Came in Me
My Black Ass
Steady As She Goes
The song that starts with Steve Albini singing, "Shoulda buried you in the desert"
I asked Bob the title of this relatively new song after the gig and he told me but I had drunk enough rum to forget what he said. They played it at last years ATP festival and there is a poor quality version bootleg on the net.
Bob answered some questions. I asked what his favourite Wire album was and he replied "Ideal Copy, er I dunno." Someone asked when a new Shellac album would be out and he said within 6 months. After the gig he told me it's be out in 2-3 months and would be called 'Dude Incredible' making it the first Shellac album with a title track.
A Minute
Squirrel Song
Riding Bikes
Copper
More questions for Bob. I asked what the new songs were called which is how I know that Riding Bikes is Riding Bikes and the next song was
Compliant
Killers
Fight Song
The Peoples' Microphone ( a new instrumental)
Prayer to God
Wingwalker
Boycott
Dude Incredible
Spoke
The new songs sounded more energetic than previously which bodes well for the new album.
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Carefully Planned Festival Top Ten
My top ten bands from Carefully Planned Festival 3 (19, 20 October 2013),
out of 43 bands, 16 complete sets witnessed.
1. Big Joan
2 .That F*&king Tank
3. The Unit Ama
4. Plank!
5. McWatt
6. dbh.
7. Irma Vep
8. Super Luxury
9. Honey Ride me a Goat
10. Shield Patterns
out of 43 bands, 16 complete sets witnessed.
1. Big Joan
2 .That F*&king Tank
3. The Unit Ama
4. Plank!
5. McWatt
6. dbh.
7. Irma Vep
8. Super Luxury
9. Honey Ride me a Goat
10. Shield Patterns
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