What a crazy few weeks it’s been, what with the city being painted with that rose coloured tint only the Olympics can provide. Everything went well, Brazil proving itself a superb country to host an event of this magnitude; the streets felt safe, the city well organised and there was an atmosphere of peace and love as a heady mix of nationalities mingled harmoniously at the various sporting and cultural venues. There was palpable disappointment as the IOC’s Thomas Bach declared the games closed.
Musically speaking Brazil showed its chops in diverse style in the opening ceremony, featuring tropicalia stalwarts Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil alongside pop sensation Anitta, besides showcasing contemporary funk, samba, pagode and rap. It was however a classic which reigned supreme as Tom Jobim’s grandson sat at the piano and played a beautifully delicate rendition of ‘A Garota de Ipanema’ as Gisele cat walked across the Maracanã. What with family days out, work commitments and being glued to the TV in between – did you see the Andy Murray gold medal match?! – it’s been a stranger month than usual music wise, yet I have somehow found the time to fill my headspace with another winning selection of classy bangers, check em out.
For a while now I’ve been trying to put together a piece on classic thrash albums, but can’t seem to find the right angle, so have been listening to a lot of old school moshers. So what with the surprise release of new music from Metallica (reviewed here: https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/metallica-hardwired-review/) it seemed only fitting to pay ‘Master of Puppets’ another visit to remind myself why it’s still considered the greatest thing Metallica have ever committed to vinyl. Basically, it’s fucking awesome from beginning to end; it’s about as close as you can get to the perfect (thrash) metal album, Hetfield and co took the genre to a whole new level with the complexity of the compositions, yet despite its intricacies and the length of some of the tracks it remains highly listenable. Genius. Still a classic.
I had the privilege of reviewing the new Dinosaur Jr record for http://www.alreadyheard.com a couple of weeks ago and it was a pleasure to hear that J Mascis et al have still got it. ‘Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not’ is the sound of a band that has been honed to perfection. There are a host of tracks that neatly encapsulate their alternative rock formula of hard edged riffs, drawled indie pop melodies and shredding solos, besides a few left field numbers where they stretch their creative muscle out of their comfort zone in fine style. Top album, well worth repeated listens.
On a more relaxed vibe, I’ve also been giving a fair few plays to the lovely record from Slow Club, ‘One Day All of This Won’t Matter Anymore’. The English duo of Rebecca Taylor and Charles Watson have come up with a rich slice of laid back folk tinged indie bliss with more than a hint of darkness lurking beneath the surface. It makes for perfect journey home listening to smooth away the rough edges with barbed wire kisses – this one’s a keeper.
Since the release of The Cult‘s largely awesome ‘Hidden City’ I have been streaming the shit out of it, the album having become my default option for pretty much any and every time of day. Even so, there has still been plenty of room for other aural delights, what with the stack of awesome new music http://www.alreadyheard.com have been making me review; twisting my arm until I give in and put fingers to keyboard. Then there’s all the interesting new releases outside of AH’s remit; 2016 shaping up to be a damn fine year for new music. However, given the subject matter of some of my recent posts I’ve also been doing more than a little memory lane, so check out the diverse selection of listening pleasures that have been riding my personal air waves of late….
The Mission
The Mish are a band I tend to listen to fairly regularly anyway, but one of the most recent things that I have written is a look at their 30 year career with a definitive top 10. As such, in the name of research I went trawling through their catalogue, agonising over what to include, so there’s been days when they were the only band ringing in my ears. Here’s a classic performance on British TV:
Aztec Camera
I always had a bit of a soft spot for Roddy Frame when I was a kid, he came up with a handful of really good tunes, which have actually stood the test of time. I was reminded of AC while reading the tome that is ‘How Soon Is Now’, on the mavericks behind 80s indie, and was thus inspired to write about the vibrant Scottish scene which spawned so much of the music that sound tracked the UK during the 1980s, including Aztec Camera. Anyway, I tracked the greatest hits down on Deezer and was pleasantly surprised by the enduring quality of the songs, ‘Working in a Goldmine’ being a personal favourite as its a lesson to any budding songwriter in how to nail a good hook.
Noise – Heck and So Pitted
The DIY ethic around the music business right now and the whole indie punk vibe afforded by the internet is leading to some really exciting new music. Seattle’s So Pitted are a recent discovery, their sound being really quite horribly awesome. They have an air of disquiet about their heavy bruising brand of alternative rock, soaked in flurries of feedback, and their debut album, ‘Neo’, makes for a brilliant but disconcerting listen. https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/so-pitted-neo-review/
On the opposite side of the Atlantic, but equally noisy, are the chaotic Heck. There is something refreshingly free about the wrecking ball sound of debut album ‘Instructions’ and I’ve had it on heavy rotation since giving it a 5/5 over at AH. http://alreadyheard.com/post/140796180606/album-review-heck-instructions
The Cult
Which brings me back to The Cult. I make no secret of the fact that this is my favourite band and have written about them a lot. Most recently I did a retrospective review of their supremely underrated self-titled album, as I believe that there are a number of seriously good tunes getting seriously overlooked. Check out ‘Gone’ here:
It’s kind of weird at this time of year because I’m half on holiday following the Christmas period and as such have much more free time than usual – I have actually been reading books and even watching a little television! Paradoxically though, I am listening to less music than usual and have had the occasional headphone free day, which makes my ears itch uncontrollably. Nevertheless, I have been working a little with private classes and have been putting my bus time to valuable use; here are the aural delights that have been spinning on my wheels of steel.
Patti Smith – Horses
This is one of those albums that basically left me on the island, (to be honest I always found Patti a little scary, can’t think why), so I just never listened to it – it was just one of those records people talked about as being classic – so yeah, ok, whatever. Anyway, whilst reading the fabulous Viv Albertine book, ‘Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys.’, in which the ex The Slits guitarist gives her perspective on punk etc, she waxes lyrical about ‘Horses’ and gives me the push I needed to give it a go. Have to say that I’m pleased I did. A few weak tracks aside, like ‘Redondo Beach’, it pretty much lives up to the hype, considering the context in which it was made, ‘Gloria’ and the monumental ‘Land’ being particularly impressive. I now look forward to reading Patti’s own book ‘Just Kids’, reflecting on her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe – a kindle snip at 99p!
Megadeth
In anticipation of the release of the new Megadeth album, I was the first to shoot my hand up when my editor at Already Heard offered up assignments on upcoming releases. I then had the (un) enviable task of wading my way through their entire back catalogue, so as to be able to produce a bio and comments on three albums; finding someone that cites them as an influence has proved far more difficult however! There were days when I listened exclusively to balls to the wall speed metal ballistics, and although some of the newer material was a little hard to digest, especially ‘Super Collider’, it was a pleasure to dissect earlier work like ‘Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying’ and ‘Rust in Peace’. I wandered down memory lane and was transported back to longer haired days when fast was synonymous with good and was pleased to find that, in thrash metal terms, these albums were labelled classics with good reason. The new album has also proved to be a surprisingly good listen, but nothing they could do today will ever reach the dizzying heights of ‘Holy Wars..The Punishment Due’. Classic.
Conrad Keely – Original Machines
My first review of the new year for AH, (link here:http://alreadyheard.com/post/137154188770/album-review-conrad-keely-original-machines#_=_) was such a pleasant surprise that I can’t stop playing the damn thing. IMHO this will go on to be one of the albums of 2016, I may well be totally wrong but I can always put this down to a series of stupendously good releases to come later in the year that I have no idea about right now. But if I am right, I will appear sage and all knowing with gifted insight into what makes a record good, besides one’s own opinion. Either way, check it out, Conrad is enormously talented with fingers in many musical pies and he has made a wonderfully imperfect record that may well encourage a little pause for thought.
David Bowie – Blackstar
What an achingly tragic week it has been with the loss of such an icon, quickly followed by the death of another much loved Brit, actor Alan Rickman, under frighteningly similar circumstances. The only good thing is that David was gracious enough to release the sublime ‘Blackstar’ as a parting gift to us mere mortals; donating another slice of his remarkable talent, which, along with his enviable back catalogue, we must content ourselves with to fill the Bowie shaped hole in the fabric of modern culture. Had it on repeat most of the week.
I’ve already done a top ten albums of 2015 over at http://www.alreadyheard.com and, to be honest, was not entirely happy with it. I felt like I should include stuff that I had rated highly under review, whilst also excluding some things that weren’t really A.H material. Anyway, the entire music media has gone all end of year, ranking and rating their favourite records, and I can’t help but feel that more often than not it’s an exercise in “I’ve got better taste than you” and they put what is critically acclaimed and what is cool to like, rather than what they actually enjoy. So, what I’ve decided to do is put together a bunch of stuff that I’ve really enjoyed this past year, in no particular order, by way of shout out to the artists who have made my listening life so cool this year. Here goes part one:
Public Enemy – Live from Metropolis
For any band, whatever the genre, this is a lesson in live performance. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, DJ Lord etc quite simply kill it from beginning to end.
The Echo and The Always – And After That The Dark…
Reviewed this for Already Heard and fell in love with it on first listen. It’s jam packed with surprises and there is not a duff tune on the record – sublime vocals, textured layers and killer hooks. This band will be everywhere in 2016.
Placebo – Unplugged
I love Placebo. I love this record, it shows another dimension to the band, every version is sublime and the special guests are just that, special.
D’Angelo – Black Messiah
Technically from 2014 but only because the release date was anticipated to coincide with Ferguson, due to the politically charged nature to some of the songs, like ‘The Charade’. Damn, this is one fine record, multiple listens revealed more and more depth to the beautifully constructed songs – basically its a ‘What’s Going On?’ for the 21st Century.
Dave Gahan & Soulsavers – Angels and Ghosts
Another album of gorgeous depth and texture that has a definite soundtrack feel to it, whilst also being hauntingly dark and moody.
Blur – The Magic Whip
Could’ve been awful, but in true Blur fashion it was well thought out and everything about it feels right. ‘Terracotta Heart’ is, quite frankly, one of the most beautiful things they’ve ever done.
My earphones have been as busy as ever with the likes of Haybaby and Wolf Alice, but there’s been plenty of other stuff filling my personal airwaves. I’ve reviewed some great stuff for Already Heard, like Saint (the) Sinner, Aurora and This City Limits (See below for reviews), as well as the new Nitin Sawhney and Jeff Lynne’s ELO releases right here. It’s all great stuff but there’s a few other things topping my personal charts right now.
Dave Gahan & Soulsavers
It’s quite natural for stuff that I’m reviewing to get a fair few plays, but Dave’s latest has been on super heavy rotation ever since. The almost cinematic quality of this sweeping soundtrack to life is extremely impressive and its depth and texture nothing short of sublime. Gahan puts in a strong vocal performance throughout; the rough edge to his voice carrying an emotional weight that combines beautifully with the epically dark gospel feel. Killer.
The Cult
I’m not ashamed to admit that The Cult is my all time favourite band and tend to get played pretty much every week as it is. So when I decided to do my 10 reasons The Cult are awesome piece (https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/10-reasons-the-cult-are-awesome/) it was the perfect excuse to delve into their back catalogue even more. Electric/Peace got a fair few listens as did Love. They are such a unique band, despite wearing their influences on their sleeves; nobody else sounds like them and they defy classification. Billy Duffy’s guitar playing is always superb, conjuring up varied riffs and smoking solos, while Ian Astbury’s baritone is the most distinctive voice in rock. Here is something a little newer though, from the soundtrack to Gone In 60 Seconds, ‘Painted on my Heart’. Love ’em.
Of Allies
I’ve reviewed them, I’ve interviewed them, I’ve featured them in not one but two other pieces and yet I can’t stop listening to them. Both the first EP, ‘Tempers’, as well as its follow up, ‘Fragments’, are regular listens that I just never get tired of hearing. On Tempers we get the earworm that is ‘Ghosts’, the brooding ‘Our Decay’, the bombastic ‘In Screens’ with its guitar interplay and hook filled chorus, the ebb and flow of the atmospheric ‘In Stasis’ with its epic finale and the massive ‘Play Dead’. Fragments is equally triumphant with its slightly more radio friendly, but no less hard edge sound. The title track is pure quality, ‘One 19’ is a hook filled belter, ‘Old Bones’ is full of twists and turns, while ‘Tempers’ rocks seriously hard before the accomplished ‘Call It Home’. Basically, I cannot get enough of this band and am stoked that work on their debut LP has begun – look out for them in 2016.
Since staring to write for http://www.alreadyheard.com and subsequently on my own blog I have become more and more involved with bands at the hard end of the music industry.
Earlier in the year I wrote a piece on some upcoming British bands and went on to interview three of them about the difficulties of the industry. (https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/08/06/five-british-rock-bands-that-could-use-a-break/) The picture they painted was, to be quite frank, fucking depressing and totally awesome in equal measure. Depressing because it is just so damn hard to get anywhere when so little money filters down to this level of the industry, especially given that major labels are now far less likely to take a risk, indie labels live eternally cash strapped and a large amount of so-called music lovers seem to believe that music should be free. Throw in the fact that every five minutes another venue closes and you’ve gotta feel for the bands; not much chance of giving up the day jobs just yet, all the more so when you consider the competitiveness of the scene. Which brings me to the awesome part; the music scene is bubbling with superb new bands! The internet has made life so much easier in many respects; they are able to market themselves, get financing and even sell their product more easily – bandcamp is a veritable hotbed of vibrant new material.
Nevertheless, there is still this disconnection between industry savvy professionals and the pool of talent, so not only do bands have to finance themselves and juggle rehearsals, shows and writing around their day jobs, they then lack top draw professional input in terms of production and or A&R advice, even if they are lucky enough to have a deal, as with one or two of the bands here. Moreover, studio time itself is also expensive, before you throw in a producer, and even if the band have a manager it is rare to find one that really knows about artistic development. So the odds are stacked against new bands, but they keep appearing and here are a handful that I have come across recently that could all use a break, whether in terms of a record deal, quality A&R input or just expanding their fan bases; check them out.
False Advertising
Manchester based trio False Advertising are “twisted power grunge” indie rockers with a serious weight to their riffs and some interestingly quirky touches to their songwriting. They have just the right amount of pop sensibility to write a decent hook and are particularly good vocally, whether it’s Jen Hingley or Chris Warr taking the lead. They are such a DIY band that they also share guitar and drum duties, while Chris does production and Jen takes responsibility for artwork and videos. The addition of Josh Sellars on bass added depth to their songwriting/sound and their totally DIY debut album is pretty damn good. With a bit of polish to their rough edges they could really go places.
(Full review: http://alreadyheard.com/post/128182956195/album-review-false-advertising-false (not my words))
The Endeavour
Peterborough based five piece are on the radio friendly side of alternative rock and certainly know how to write a hook. They showed plenty of potential on their debut EP released earlier this year and have been working hard on the live circuit to build a following. They are strong instrumentally and flirt a little with a number of styles, though they’re at their best when exploring their guitar interplay. They have definite hit-making potential and with a steadying hand could well sail onto bigger things.
(Full review:http://alreadyheard.com/post/124570358619/album-review-the-endeavour-voyage-ep)
Deepshade
Hailing from Wigan, this three piece band have a distinctly seventies feel to their straight ahead hard rocking sound. They do have a slight touch of the psychedelics coming through now and again though, and IMHO their sound has more depth when they mix it up a little and include a few twists and turns. However, lyrically speaking they are socially aware, especially on the highly critical “Out of Hand”, and instrumentally they are seriously talented – there are plenty of top draw riffs and musical interludes that really nail it; throw in the occasional smoking solo and it’s hot rocking heaven. As I said in my review, if they leave their comfort zone a little more when composing they could be set for bigger things.
(Full review: http://alreadyheard.com/post/130061922814/album-review-deepshade-everything-popular-is)
Aurora
Maybe it’s down to the fact that life for a certain section of society always gets a bit shitter under a Conservative government or that the youth of today really are the “Lost Generation”, who knows? But either way the UK metalcore scene is boiling over with top quality bands expressing their disquiet in emphatic style and close to the top of that pile is the hard as nails sound of Aurora. They are a bit less screamy than some bands, which helps add even more weight to their sound, and they are not afraid to mix things up, putting plenty of stops and tempo changes into their songs. When they go on the attack they are badass heavy but when they slow it down they also know how to work a melody to good effect, it’s a good example of where metal is at right now.
(Full review: http://alreadyheard.com/post/132473530378/album-review-aurora-faithbreaker)
Saint (the) Sinner
Spectacular blend of melodic hardcore and alternative rock, Saint (the) Sinner have a theatrical quality á la Panic! At the Disco combined with a seriously hard edge that is really something special. They employ two different vocal styles, one a guttural scream, the other more melodic, which combine to good effect on their catchy as hell songs. The new EP, ‘Masquerades’, was released to coincide with Halloween in a stroke of marketing genius and these guys really look set for bigger things. Their post hardcore side may limit their appeal in the long run but right now they are an interesting proposition – ones to watch.
(Full review: http://alreadyheard.com/post/131955145513/album-review-saint-the-sinner-masquerades-ep)
There’s a strong indie flavour to my listening right now, with Wolf Alice still more than pertinent, but as ever, I’ve been getting through a lot of music and there’s certainly been some cool new discoveries, like Haybaby, mentioned below. However, as I have given a fair amount of space to some of the bands that are on heavy rotation before, and don’t want to risk sounding repetitive, I’m only including the most relevant things this month, just in greater depth. Enjoy!
Haybaby – Sleepy Kids
Reviewed this the other week for Already Heard and have been playing it to death ever since. There are rough edges aplenty and some seriously sloppy guitars; throw in the lazy croon of Leslie Hong and some histrionics, and you’ve got a superb mix for their songs about life and lust. I’m finding more and more that I like with every listen; from the “I don’t give a fuck” attitude of ‘Old Friends’ and the breezy bass of ‘Her’, through to the insistent melody of ‘Elevator Song’ and the awkward geekiness of ‘Shy’. It’s a sublime record well worth repeated listens, whether it’s to revel in the emotional outpouring of the monumental ‘Edelweiss’, for the vaguely sinister ‘Doored’ or the superb ‘Pizza Party’, there’s never a dull moment and ‘Sleepy Kids’ is fast becoming one of my favourite records of the year. Full review here:http://alreadyheard.com/post/131624144363/album-review-haybaby-sleepy-kids)
Girl Band – Holding Hands With Jamie
Similarly sublime, significantly more sinister but no less enjoyable is the wholehearted festival of noise that is Girl Band. There is something strangely compelling about ‘Holding hands with Jamie’, making it a challenging but rewarding listen that will have you rethink how music should be. There’s no bullshit here, it’s music as art that reaches deep inside – go on, dive in. (Full review here:https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/girl-band-holding-hands-with-jamie-review/)
The Libertines – Anthems for Doomed Youth
I kinda missed out on the whole Libertines furore the first time round, so I didn’t have the same level of anticipation/expectation about this album as many people did. I’d got into Pete and Co recently though, so for me it just picked up from where they left off, the band members’ individual histories having no bearing on my enjoyment of the record. As such, I’ve been racking up the streams and loving Doherty’s poetic, semi music hall, Artful Dodger take on the world. Anthems is lyrically sharp, especially on the superb ‘Gunga Din’, surely the Libertines at their very best. Other high points are the rousing ‘Barbarians’, the quintessentially British ‘Iceman’ and the boisterous ‘Heart of the Matter’. All in all, the whole album is thoroughly enjoyable, highlighting everything that makes the Libertines the most important British act since Britpop.
This series of interviews began life as an investigation into the difficulties faced by young bands on the UK music scene. The intention was to produce an in depth article with some sound bites from the groups included in the Five British Rock Bands that Could Use a Break piece (https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/08/06/five-british-rock-bands-that-could-use-a-break/), but the interviews have proved so damn interesting that it seems only fair to publish them in full. Each band has a slightly different perspective, so although the questions are repeated each group’s responses are equally revelatory.
The third band interviewed was Of Allies, who were formed from the ashes of Lavellion and In:audium and immediately gelled into a slick unit with a highly accessible heavyweight sound, overflowing with memorable hooks; when you wake up with a band’s songs replaying in your head they must be doing something right! Instrumentally they are very strong, with pounding riffs aplenty, tight rhythms and interesting arrangements, and in vocalist Rich Nichols they have a talented front man, in spite of his reliance on Halls and Lockets! (Watch the making of ‘Fragments’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oym9N_t–Qk and you’ll get it!).
There’s not a duff track over their two EPs and the material is such high quality that this band deserve to be massive. There’s just enough radio friendliness to demand airplay but more than enough intensity to give them a very hard edge; they seem to understand the role of a bass player better than a lot of bands! Despite inhabiting similar territory to other alternative rock acts that know how to write a hook, they have managed to develop a signature sound which sets them apart, giving them a freshness and an air of excitement.
Like the other interviewees, they all have full time jobs; Rich, Tom and Dan all working in education, while Nick runs a marketing company with his brother. Even though they face similar problems to Blind Wives and Romans, Of Allies seem to be a few steps ahead and should their next release build on the obvious talent on display in their first EPs they could well be ready to start breaking through. Here’s what they had to say:
What is making the music scene so difficult for new bands?
I think this is a combination of factors to do with the amount of bands emerging and a downturn in physical music sales. It’s not like in the old days when a band would be spotted by an A&R guy in a small club and be signed to a major label on the back of their talent alone. Labels in particular want to see physical evidence of projective success to reduce the risk of losing money and the scene is jam packed with bands trying to inch out ahead of the pack. This, combined with the cost associated with being in a band nowadays, can often mess with a band’s morale. It’s important to have someone, like a manager, who can ensure the band’s best interests are always at heart to avoid the pitfalls associated with the modern music industry.
How competitive is the current scene?
Short answer, very. There are a lot of really good bands emerging within the British rock scene at the moment and obviously everyone’s trying to achieve similar goals. Fortunately, the vibrancy of the scene has made it into somewhat of a community and I’ve found that bands these days are more eager to help each other out than ever before.
Do you see the internet as a positive aspect to life in a band/the scene?
Yes and no. Yes because it gives bands more control over the ability to market themselves and put themselves out there to a much wider audience than would have previously been possible. It also enables you to find out about and get in touch with other bands and venues more easily. The negative aspect is fairly obvious. The drastic incline in illegally downloaded music has heavily impacted the industry as a whole and individual bands at ground level. Something I’m staunchly against. Without the internet however, we certainly wouldn’t have got as far as we have done so far.
Do you have jobs? If so, how do you balance the time?
Yes, we all have full-time jobs. Balancing the time is very difficult and requires a great deal of commitment. With the band at the level it’s currently at, the workload is equivalent to a full-time job in itself, so the balancing act can be very tricky. I think our passion for music and Of Allies is something that drives the four of us to continue to see it as a primary focus.
How often do you rehearse?
We rehearse once a week when on a touring schedule and sometimes a bit more if we’re writing. We also have weekly band meetings to discuss the “business” aspect of things like booking gigs, making videos and doing interviews like this! Pizza is always involved.
How many gigs do you get a month? Is it difficult to get a gig or is it limited by other difficulties?
Generally we gig one or two times per month unless we have a tour. I don’t think it’s difficult to get a gig but it is difficult to get a good gig with a promoter who works as hard as you. Over time, you come to develop a network of like minded individuals who are all pulling in the same direction, who you know have the same work ethic as you. Over the years we’ve found more and more venues and promoters who think like this.
Are you making any money? If so, how?
Haha, yeah. We’re very lucky to be making money, but we certainly don’t take a salary from the band. Most of the money comes in through EP sales, merch and touring. Every penny we make goes back into touring costs, recording costs, video production, marketing and all the other costs associated with being in a band nowadays.
What do you think of streaming services?
I think they are a necessary evil. I personally am a bit old school and prefer to buy physical copies of music as I think the package including the artwork has more artistic value. There’s nothing better than a double gatefold Pink Floyd vinyl is there? I think when music is reduced to digital files some of the magic is lost. Having said that, the ability streaming services give you to reach wider audiences and keep people excited about new music is awesome. It’s easier to find out about new bands using things like Spotify and it’s cool how you can find a new band and immediately share it with a friend and they can share it with their friend, blah blah blah. I suppose it all depends on your level of musical snobbery. And it’s still better than just stealing it, innit?
How do you promote the band?
We all look at Nick and say “have you promoted the band recently?” He generally mentions something about stats and interaction, by which time the rest of us have entered into a debate on where we should order our pizzas from. Nick loves his stats. Generally we use all the usual social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We also have ofallies.com which serves as a hub for all of them. We also use more old school methods such as posters and flyers to promote a gig as we think there’s still value in that as Facebook invites can become white noise.
What are your short term and long term plans?
We’re currently in the process of beginning to write for a debut album, which we will be recording next year. We also have a few gigs lined up in Leeds, Camden and Hull. Long term, our primary focus is to promote the album and hopefully start to earn a living from making music!
I recently did a piece on ‘Five British Rock Bands that Could Use a Break’ which highlighted young British talent at the hard end of the music industry. This piece came about from reviewing the bands in question and a personal interest in where and how future talent will come to the fore. As a follow up, and after having read an article by Hannah Rose Ewens on Vice about big bands that still had day jobs (or night jobs as the case may be), I decided to contact the bands to find out a little more about just how hard the hard end really is, so as to shed some light on what you have to go through to make it. Blind Wives have very kindly given me a superb interview offering startling insight into what it’s really like on the music scene and just how little money is finding its way down the food chain.
Blind Wives are a three piece from Lincolnshire, in the UK, who play a delightful mix of noisy, indie tinged, slightly poppy, vaguely punky, alternative rock. They manage to sound pretty individual and have a great dynamic to their sometimes quirky, sometimes aggressive songs. Lead guitarist/vocalist Luke Pickering works as a sound engineer (and a part-time lecturer), which as well as saving some valuable cash on production, gives them a little extra artistic freedom to experiment soundwise. They do this to good effect on recent release ‘Recovery Positions’ whose guitar sound meanders between dirty transatlantic, hard pack riffs and downbeat fuzz, whilst maintaining a melodic feel with hooks a plenty. The rhythm section of Charlie O’Neill and Will Clark, who work with the mentally disabled and in retail respectively, are extremely tight, shifting effortlessly between the measured and the frantic on the unpredictable tempo changes coming in the twists and turns of their intricate numbers. All in all,Blind Wives make for enjoyable listening and if they continue the development they’ve shown on their latest release, their first LP will be a cracker. Anyway, here’s what they had to say about the tough end of the UK music scene.
What is making the music scene so difficult for new bands?
It seems the best way to get noticed now is to establish yourself as a strong, head-turning live act. It’s live shows which bring people together, get a ‘buzz’ and word-of-mouth going. So the ongoing closure and therefore lack of small venues I believe is one of the biggest issues for new bands trying to make waves. I would argue the Internet has had a massive effect too – it provides people with that instant gratification of finding new music without having to venture out, pay entry for a gig, and then watch a half an hour set.
How competitive is the current scene?
I think whatever music you play, the pool is always going to be overcrowded, but it’s a bit weird for us as we’ve never really managed to fit into a ‘scene’ as such. We’ve been on metal bills, plenty of math-rock bills… lately we’ve got better at finding and playing with acts that are on the same wavelength as us, swapping gigs, shouting out on social media, spreading the word – so I think it’s more a case of helping each other out, rather than ‘competing’, at least in our experience so far.
Do you see the internet as a positive aspect to life in a band/the scene?
The internet is brilliant for all the stuff I just mentioned! We also really enjoy having a say over the marketing, design and promotion of our own stuff, and being self-sufficient would be more difficult without the Internet. It’s difficult… there are pros and cons with everything. People can discover you easily, but then forget you 5 seconds later as they’ve clicked on something else – and a lot of the best music doesn’t necessarily hit you straight away.
Do you have jobs and how do you balance the time?
We all work, yes. We don’t make a profit from the band, so currently it’s a labour of love! We are all thankfully in flexible positions with our jobs, which means we can put the time in to make it worthwhile – there’s been a few changes in that department in the last year or so and it’s resulted in the best year for us as a band. We’re saying yes to a lot more gigs, essentially!
So, how often do you manage to rehearse?
It really depends on how many gigs we have around that time… so if we have a tour or weekender coming up, we might rehearse twice that week. If we’re just focusing on recording on the other hand, maybe every 3 weeks!
How many gigs do you get a month? Is it difficult to get a gig or is it limited by other difficulties?
Lately we have had more luck getting gigs by making friends and swapping gigs with other bands of a similar genre. We don’t have a lot of luck just emailing places out of the blue. Going to gigs, helping each other out and making contacts seems to be the way to go. As for how frequent we gig, it really varies – a couple of months ago we had 4 shows in a week but lately because of holidays and work related stuff we haven’t gigged in a month.
Are you making any money?
We don’t make any money from the band putting it simply. Occasionally we will sell a lot of merch or get a nice pay from playing a gig, but when you weigh up how much you spend on getting that merch made up, CDs duplicated, petrol, food, practice money…
What do you think of streaming services?
Simply put, artists aren’t being paid enough, and I don’t think enough bigger artists speak out about it. It’s brilliant for discovering artists – for example I’ll use Spotify to see if I like the sound of a new album, and then if I like it enough I’ll go out and buy it. Perhaps they should limit more the amount of plays you get for free, or charge more for membership.
How do you promote the band?
By playing as many gigs as we can, and utilising all the usual social media outlets.
What are your short term and long term plans?
We want to push the video side of things, as we’ve just released our new EP and feel all 5 tracks could potentially have some visual accompaniment! Not to mention our 2 music videos are for a song we don’t play anymore and an old recording of a new song, respectively. We’re also intent on getting on the back of a bigger band for a tour probably early next year. Finally, there’s an album to write.
I listen to an awful lot of music by virtue of the fact that I spend a great deal of time moving around from one side of Rio to another, it’s not unusual for me to get through two or three albums before I even start work. As I also write for alternative music website http://www.alreadyheard.com I occasionally have to listen to stuff I maybe wouldn’t have chosen to; some good, some bad, some nnhaa. So it was quite a relief this month to have reviewed the steaming Luna Sol.
LUNA SOL
‘Blood Moon’ is a hard riffing badass album of doom rich stoner rock, straight out of the Colorado mountains, packed with smoking solos and hook ridden choruses. It was love at first sight and I cannot put this sinisterly grungy record down. My massive 4.5. star review can be found here: http://alreadyheard.com/post/128561612819/album-review-luna-sol-blood-moon
PUBLIC ENEMY
Also on heavy rotation as a result of a review I have done is the Live from Metropolis soundtrack album by Public Enemy. Chuck D, Flavor Flav and co. are on top form on this intimate show of greatest hits. Chuck gives a masterclass in flow to the younger generation while him and Flav work the room tirelessly. It’s a lesson in rapping and performing that makes for superb listening.
JAMIE XX
I finally gave the Jamie XX album a chance after it was recommended by a friend and was not disappointed. Believe the hype, this is a thoroughly engaging hypnotic chunk of well thought out electronica.
SOAK
I’m not entirely sure how I discovered this, maybe Deezer recommended it, can’t really remember, but whatever, in Before we Forgot How to Dream this teenager from Derry has made a quite beautiful album of atmospheric indie folk of surprising depth and sophistication that is packed with haunting melodies and moments of tenderness.
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony by the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain – The Proms 2013.
I’ve had a lot of translation work of late and as it monopolizes the language function of my brain, I like a bit of classical when I’m working. I discovered this spectacular performance from the 2013 Proms on YouTube and it has been my first choice work music ever since. That Beethoven is the master is nothing new, but there is something about this performance from these teenagers and their delightfully animated conductor, Vasily Petrenko, that is very involving; maybe it’s the innocence of the young or their youthful enthusiasm that gives it an added vigour. The third movement, Adagio molto e cantabile at 25:10, is especially beautiful and Ode to Joy takes on a whole new dimension; truly moving.
Hard Pressed 