Remember the days of the old schoolyard? Remember when Myspace was a thing? Remember those time-wasting, laborious quizzes that everyone used to love so much? Birthday Cake For Breakfast is bringing them back!
Every couple of weeks, an unsuspecting band will be subject to the same old questions about dead bodies, Hitler, crying and crushes.
This Week: Having just announced new single ‘Combo‘, Toby Hayes a.k.a. LAUNDROMATanswer a series of inane questions!
How did you meet the people in your band? The line-up shifts about a fair bit, but the current squad consists of a pal from back in the day and two new friends made through the Brighton music scene. They’re megadudes. I’ve been real lucky with players for Laundromat.
What’s the first record you bought? I think it was a cassette of The Bluetones, ‘Expecting to Fly’ from Our Price in Aldershot.
What was your favourite VHS growing up? There was a mad old kids thing called Fuzzbucket, I used to love watching that at my Grandparents place. Jesus, I just googled it. It looks so weird.
When was the last time you cried? About a week ago, I was listening to Prom Song by Pileand the guitar solo reduced me to tears. I just started full on blubbing.
Have you ever kissed someone & regretted it? yyyyyyyyep.
Best Physical Feature? The backs of my knees. Super proud of those.
Worst physical feature? Without a doubt my Cochlear hair cells.
Reasonably ok/not bad feature that you’re not fussed about? My nose. It probably used to be my favourite feature, but I took a swift knee to the face about 8 years ago – my nose cracked and it’s never been the same since.
Do you have any pets? I do not.
Ever picked up any injuries on tour? Yeh, Tinnitus – it’s absolutely no joke. Also I’ve fallen off a few stages in my time, I did my ankle in a number of times that way, flopping about like an idiot.
What did you do for your last birthday? I celebrated at my local, The Bee’s Mouth in Brighton, where a bunch of friends and I made fools of ourselves. And then I got Covid.
Name something you CANNOT wait for? To see my family. It’s been years.
Do you have a crush on someone? All the time.
What’s the shittest experience you’ve had as a musician? Hold up, isn’t this meant to be a quickfire thing?
If you could go back in time, how far would you go? 40 years.
How do you want to die? Late morning on a Summers day, having a coffee and a lean out front of a service station, somewhere in mainland Europe.
What’s your favourite thing about pizza? Probably the vague association with TMNT.
What are you craving right now? Watermelon.
Have you ever been on a horse? I have not, I don’t think.
What did you dream about last night? The guitarist from a band called CLT DRP. It involved him and I trying and failing to disarm a bomb.
If you could go back in time and kill the baby Hitler, would you? I’m not sure killing babies is the way to go.
Do you like Chinese food? Sort of. I lived in China for a short while. Some of the meals scared the living hell out of me, but I was also regularly cooked for by a friend of the family known as ‘Uncle’, and he made the most delicious meals.
Have you ever been on TV? I had a music video on MTV2 once, where you could see me flopping about like an idiot.
Ever meet someone famous? I once spent a night in a bar with the son of Bruce Reynolds, the mastermind of The Great Train Robbery. He was a proper laugh, we listened to Trout Mask Replica on the jukebox and shouted a lot.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanted to be a street cleaner. I used to wake up early and watch them out the window, loved seeing those mad little vehicles with brushes on the front. Kid can dream.
‘Combo‘ is out now via Brace Yourself Records!Listen here!
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2019 eh? You’d laugh if you weren’t too busy crying… Bloody good year for music though.
With it being the end of the year, we’ve joined the long list of your other favourite websites to compile the best songs released this year. 50 songs sounds like a lot to work with until you have to compile said list.
Here’s the second of two parts featuring a list of the 50 best songs released this year – part one here. Continued in alphabetical order mind you, as things are complicated enough as it is don’t you think?
Long awaited new material from one Toby Hayes (ex-Meet Me in St. Louis/Eugene Quell). ‘Humans‘ reminds me a bit of early Beck in a way (though he’s not spouting gibberish about microwaves and such) and is a super cool slice of where Toby is at in 2019 Brighton.
It was hard to choose a track from the latest Cate Le Bon effort, given the wealth of worthy contenders. We were head over heels for first single ‘Daylight Matters‘ on release – such warmth in the instrumentation and as per, a real shift put in by Le Bon to make hearts swell.
The Beta Band kinda passed me by (save for that scene in ‘High Fidelity‘), but I’ve had this single on at least once a fortnight since I first heard it on the radio mid-year. Ex-Beta Band vocalist Steve Mason knows how to pen a tune, eh? Chorus on this one is sublime.
I don’t know exactly how it happened, but the past 10+ years have had a Metronomy shaped hole in them for me. How did I miss out on the likes of ‘Nights Out‘ and ‘The English Riviera‘?! What exactly was I playing at? This all changed following the release of their latest effort ‘Metronomy Forever’, particularly the delectable ‘Salted Caramel Ice Cream‘. A pop gem, love the catchiness of it.
With an opening that sounds like a dog toy gripped between the jaws of a canine, ‘The Daily Heavy‘ is the first track from the exceptionally titled new Oh Sees album ‘Face Stabber‘ and one which sets the record up more than nicely. Each player firing on all cylinders, the rhythm is hypnotising as the vocals of JPD swirl around your head almost in a murmur. A driving psych journey that hardly lets up across its 7+ minutes.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Oh Sees lifer John Dwyer earlier this year – read that here!
We’ve been bang into OMNI for a few years now and have greedily lapped up everything they’ve offered thus far. Their Sub Pop debut ‘Networker‘ took a few listens at first, but it’s definitely a grower. Lead single ‘Sincerely Yours’ once again shows off the guitar chops of Frankie Broyles, with lovely little Television-esque flourishes, whilst bassist Philip Frobos’ smooth vocals are just the ticket.
The less quirky branch of the “multimedia collective“ Crack Cloud crew, N0V3L lean more toward moody 80’s sounding post-punk and ‘To Whom It May Concern‘ is a real sharp bit of kit. From a fantastic debut LP.
The sort of act that gets David Lynch hot under the collar i’m sure, Orville Peck has been on the old radar for a while but it wasn’t until a few months back that I got fully tucked into debut album ‘Pony‘. Now he’s on everyone’s radar and more power to him! The only country sounding artist on the list you’ll be surprised to hear, ‘Dead of Night‘ deals in romance on the dusty trail as two mean hombres travel through the Nevada desert.
Opener from the debut Pizzagirl LP, ‘Ball’s Gonna Keep On Rollin‘ is similar to label-mate Guest Singer’s debut in that we’re treated to a lot of moody 80’s tinged synth-pop with an Alex Cameron feel. Bright lights, big city vibes, it’s the sort of track that might’ve been your favourite on one of those ‘Now That’s What I Call Music‘ comps way back when…
I first heard this during a bit of downtime whilst we were on our jollies in Italy. When we landed in Manchester the following week, I caught them up the road at The Castle Hotel and it was one of the best shows of the year. The Quintet based in Canada put out a belting EP earlier in the year and ‘The Craft‘ is one of the best from it – spot on, energetic post-punk.
There was a 24 hour period when I first heard this song where I played it again and again and again. Absolutely obsessed. A song about being infatuated with your mobile telephone device. The album is a cracker too.
POZI talked to us about what inspired the LP not long after release – read all about it here.
Jangly, energised post-punk out of Brighton that calls to mind much missed Manc outfit DUDS – Public Body caught our attention back in August and we’re keeping a keen ear out for whatever they’ve got planned next.
A wonderfully warm yet heartbreaking number from the late David Berman. The uplifting instrumentation is backed by words of such sorrow, made even sadder by his death not longer after the album’s release. Love the vocal delivery on “It’s not the icy bike chain rain of Portland, Oregon“.
BODEGA picked the Purple Mountains album as a 2019 highlight – more on that here.
The raucous opener from Ty Segall’s latest LP, he hopped behind the kit for this and a number of songs from the album, with his drumset heard via the left speaker and the kit of Charles Moothart heard on the right side. Great B-Movie horror video too.
‘Flipside‘ was one of our top tracks last year and cut to 2019, we’ve got ‘Discourse‘ in the top ranks too – a passionate delivery from Williamson against some of Fearn’s best beats on the record. Honourable mention to the joyous ‘Big Burt’.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Jason of Sleaford Mods earlier this year – Check that out here.
Non-stop party power from that band dressed head to toe in shrubbery. ‘Tailpipe‘ captures the sound of Snapped Ankles perfectly – maximum speed, hypnotising rhythms that make the listener feel like they’re off their nut. Nearly impossible to not find yourself shouting ‘SUCK-A-SUCK-A-SUCK-A-SUCK-A-TAILPIPE‘ by the end of it.
Big year for Squid, eh? We’ve had the pleasure of catching them a few times this year and their live set-up gets better and better. ‘Houseplants‘ kicked it off for us in the first half of the year, a total rager – the unhinged, yelped vocal of Ollie Judge hard not to love. A proper good band to get on board with in 2019.
“Baby i’m feeling fucking worthless…” One of our favourite Leeds bands knocking about at the minute. It’s a bit horrible, like – our review of their new EP suggested they’re “a kind of demented synth-rock“.
More holiday adventures – I took our lass to Bordeaux where Uranium Club just happened to be playing (convenient). I picked up a copy of this record at the show when it was box fresh and still in the stages of getting proper artwork etc. More fast-paced garage-rock-esque fun from The Minneapolis Uranium Club, it revvvs along at pace with that trademark sarcastic vocal style.
THANK picked ‘The Cosmo Cleaners‘ as a 2019 highlight – more on that here.
Featuring one of the most killer riffs in the USA Nails catalogue, ‘Smile‘ is a rock-hard rager and deals in the mundanity of everyday life in ear-piercing fashion. The album might be one of their best (a big ask!)
Super cool EP opener from Glaswegian outfit Vital Idles – The slightly strange yelps from vocalist Jessica Higgins captivate as the bass line gets right under your skin.
A record that kept my attention a lot this summer, ‘Walkie Talkie‘ is a proper driving corker from Californian shape-shifters WAND. A real joyful racket.
More sleazeball antics from Warmduscher, ‘Midnight Dipper‘ is a real funky piece of kit from their latest LP. Sounds like you’ve heard it before but then again, not quite – Vocalist Clams Baker sounds exactly like the sort of person you don’t want to meet in the pub.
Dr. Alan Goldfarb (on behalf of the band) talked us through their musical inspirations as part of our What’s On Michael Portillo’s iPod feature – Check out his picks here.
A personal favourite of mine in 2019, WOOZE came to our attention late last year through their initial singles. ‘I’ll Have What She’s Having‘ is absolutely joyous – hyperbole description wise, we hit the nail on the head back then: “Incredibly invigorating bursts of art-pop, they both manage to sound washing-line-fresh whilst sounding as if they were produced and released about forty years ago.”
WOOZE answered a host of daft questions for us as part of our a/s/l feature – Get your chops round that here!
Working Men’s Club have come on a bit since their initial single (sold out over and over) haven’t they? They’ve shifted gears somewhat since their debut and players have come and gone, but ‘Bad Blood‘ was a total gem of a debut – an exciting bit of energised post-punk that sounds as sun-soaked as the single art looks. Calling to mind the likes of Gang Of Four and Orange Juice, hearing this it’s no surprise that they’ve been building a big fan base at a rapid pace.
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For those sorts who don’t read, you can listen to all of the above (and everything from PART ONE) in our handy Spotify playlist here!
Like what you see? Why not stick around and check out the other articles and interviews! Don’t forget to follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on Facebook,Instagramand Twitter
Remember the days of the old schoolyard? Remember when Myspace was a thing? Remember those time-wasting, laborious quizzes that everyone used to love so much? Birthday Cake For Breakfast is bringing them back!
Every couple of weeks, an unsuspecting band will be subject to the same old questions about dead bodies, Hitler, crying and crushes.
Have you ever seen a dead body?
K – Yes in Prague on the way to a church made of bones. I was nonplussed, which is kinda worrying in itself. Jack Alcopop was silent for hours.
D – Nah!
Who is your favourite Simpsons character?
K – (Ed – Kev just provided this link, but he’s quite right) D – Ralph. Visionary in a crazy world.
What T-Shirt are you wearing?
K – Some white-ish t-shirt I bought in USA.
D – A Free Throw shirt featuring Scrubs.
What did your last text message say?
K – ‘LOL’
D – ‘Jesus Christ’
What’s the last song you listened to?
K & D – PUP – ‘Pine Point’
How did you meet the people in your band/label?
K & D – I was sick in Dave’s sink, while he was being sick in the toilet.
What’s the first record you bought?
K – Fresh Prince – Code Red
D – The Farm – Cover of ‘Don’t You Want Me Baby’
What was your favourite VHS growing up?
K – Match of the Day 1970s highlights.
D – E.T.
When was the last time you cried?
K – The morning after I met Dave.
D – The other week at the tattooist. Beyond brutal.
Have you ever kissed someone & regretted it?
K – YES. Obviously.
D – They might have regretted it.
Best Physical Feature?
K – ‘Nice Eyes’
D – I’m very long.
Worst physical feature?
K – ‘Calf’s like Johnny Bravo’
D – I‘ve got a face shaped like the fucking moon.
Reasonably ok/not bad feature that you’re not fussed about?
K – Feet are a bang average size 9.
D – My outstanding pseudo-scouse accent.
Do you have any pets?
K – Yes Ron Swanson – the sausage dog. Have you seen our logo?
D – I wish.
Ever picked up any injuries on tour?
K – At End of the Road festival, I told Matt Stagecoach I could kick the beanie off his head, while he was standing up. I fell over, broke my wrist, and went to A&E.
D – No – but I did cut my finger off in a lawnmower. I now have a stump.
What did you do for your last birthday?
K – Had a BSM stage at Truck. Drank Fruity Cider, watched Gnarwolves, went home and watched the whole first series of The Office on the sofa while eating chicken. I was 33.
D – I think it was Letlive at The Dome. Got drunk and decamped to the Irish Bar to watch karaoke and the best rendition of Informer – Snow I’ve ever seen…
Name something you CANNOT wait for?
K – My first thought was death…..
D – My wedding … (I have to give at least one semi -serious answer)
Do you have a crush on someone?
K – Liv – PWR BTTM
D – As I’m getting married this year– definitely no. Not ever.
What’s the shittest experience you’ve had in music?
K – Jairus.
D – Getting so drunk at Reading I mixed up band members. Embarrassing.
If you could go back in time, how far would you go?
K – All the way. Nah – early 90s. Invest in Apple. Sign Oasis and gamble on football.
D – 1991. I need to relive Tranmere Rovers past glories.
How do you want to die?
K – I’d like to be shot. Instant and I’d be famous.
D – Gin based.
What are you craving right now?
K – That fateful bullet….
D – Security.
Have you ever been on a horse?
K – No.
D – Yes – and I was fucking petrified.
If you could go back in time and kill the baby Hitler, would you?
K – Yeah.
D – This is fucking bleak – how about I just go to his art school and set him right?
Ever meet someone famous?
K – Ryan Giggs.
D – Does Geoff from Thursday count? I got a little fan boy….
What do you want to be when you grow up?
K – Shot. (see earlier point)
D – Alive.
Having been trailblazers for years now and selling more records than you could imagine, Big Scary Monsters decided to go and open up their own bloody shop! Open now until the 4th of February, the popup in Hackney celebrates the 16th birthday/200 releases of the label, featuring rare and exclusive records, merch, instores, live screen printing, local beers and more! The poster is up there, and you can find out further details here!
Like what you see? Why not stick around and check out the other articles and interviews! Don’t forget to follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on Facebook,Instagramand Twitter!
“My WhatsApp message to Andy afterwards simply read “Dialects were fucking sick”. I was almost angry when the bassist applauded the audience at the conclusion of the set. Fucking stop that, and revel in my adulation, you brilliant bastards.”
At this year’s ArcTanGent Festival, I managed to introduce my one-time guest writer pal to Dialects guitarist Conor Anderson, such meetings being commonplace at the annual weekender. Conor was actually one of the first people I bumped into myself at this year’s festival, us both seeing each other every other year at Fernhill Farm. We caught up backstage, along with his axe-wielding partner Steven Gillies, to discuss the wonders of the festival – notable this year especially, being their first year to actually play. A huge crowd quite rightly turned up for the momentous occasion, but even just discussing the festival itself has the pair beaming. So how was it for them to finally play? “Unbelievable. The best show we’ve ever played as a band.” Says Conor. “Biggest crowd we’ve ever played to, and nice to be playing to a crowd that love this type of music. The reception was pretty heart-warming.”
Steve was unable to attend last year’s outing, but has had an eye on the festival since its initial year, coming himself as a punter in 2014. The festival just happens to almost run parallel to Dialects’ history, as he goes on to say. “That was before our band even started. We started the same year as the first year, I guess. It’s always been something that myself and Conor – ‘We need to get on next year – and to be here, just four years into it running, to be playing The Yohkai. It’s a massive deal for us. So thanks very much to Simon, Goc and James for having us. Cheers guys, same again please.”
The backstage area is filled with small groups of people, having a drink and comparing notes from the weekend and talking shop. The Dialects pair are no different, with Conor and Steve just as eager to discuss the acts they’ve watched over the weekend as they are to talk about their own performance.
“It’s not been a disappointment. There’s not been a bad performance.” Says Steve. “Bands don’t disappoint here. Whether it’s crazy tech – Intervals and Animals As Leaders; super human people playing instruments. Or whether it’s just big, groovy, riffy stuff – there’s just not bad bands here. It’s such an eclectic mix. You’ve got pretty much every sub-genre of the prog oeuvre. It’s unreal.”
One band on the lips of every attendee at the festival is Meet Me In St. Louis. Having returned for a final run of shows this year, their appearance at ArcTanGent would end up being their last. Whilst shouts for Godspeed You! Black Emperor and American Football filled the fields throughout the weekend, it was MMISL that had the majority excited. Frontman Toby Hayes had quite the weekend himself, performing with his latest ensemble Eugene Quell in the early afternoon.
“I think it’s the appreciation.” Says Conor, discussing the turnout shown not just for MMISL but also Eugene Quell. “Obviously Meet Me In St Louis playing this was like such a big thing. Everyone was buzzing that they came back. I think James, the organiser of the festival, he kinda said in one of the podcasts prior to it that he was gonna help ‘em behind the scenes in making a comeback. I think for the fans it’s obviously just a big appreciative piece – to be associated with a project like that is gonna interest people and they’re gonna want to see the progression, the next steps what they went on to do.”
“I think they were one of the bands, for me certainly, that were doing stuff like this before it was really a scene here.” Comments Steve. “Like, you had bands like them, some of the older BSM bands like Secondsmile (RIP) and various other bands that I’ve probably forgotten. Million Dead, to an extent. They all had that slightly, kind of mathy infused…” “I came into all this music a bit later, but it’s like that kind of attitude people have around Biffy.” Sums up Conor. “Like ‘I liked it before it was cool’, do you know what I mean? They’re that band for a lot of people, like I know of them from what they did before and it was amazing. For people like myself who didn’t previously know about them, then he (Steve) introduced me to them, like – you should listen to this band – I was like, oh my god they’re incredible. Then they start coming back and I’m like – jammin’, get to see them. That’s well good.”
The Glaswegian quartet were no slouches though, taking in bands across the weekend as well as putting in a real shift themselves for their debut ArcTanGent performance on The Yohkai Stage. Given the year they’ve had, it comes as no surprise to see the hard work paying off. Squeezing in numerous shows throughout the year as well as the recording of their debut album, Dialects also embarked on a whirlwind Canada excursion in May and recorded an Audiotree session for good measure. “It does seem like the only way is up, that’s how it feels for me anyway.” Says Conor. “It’s been great, all the opportunities we’ve had this year have been excellent. They’ve helped the band get out there a bit more and for folk to start hearing our music a bit more. I just hope it continues; we just want to try and do as much as we possibly can.” The pair put 2016 seeming less busy down to the amount of shows they packed into last year. During 2015, Dialects went out on the road four times, making the most of their first year of touring. Not content with smashing through numerous tours, there was also release of their debut EP ‘LTKLTL’ in May. Following Conor’s comments of the only way being up, Steve is in full agreement. “I feel personally really proud of our second year of touring and only our third year as a band. We’ve played shows in Canada and a couple of shows in North America, we’ve done an Audiotree – which TTNG have done, Vasudeva have done, Gulfer, And So I Watch You have done two. It’s a total box ticker for us.”
Canadian Music Week, the industry conference/music festival that takes place over ten days in Toronto, is a real influential tastemaker event. This year alone included performances from the likes of Tegan and Sara, Eagles Of Death Metal, Fat White Family and The Black Lips. So when Dialects were invited along to perform, the quartet were slightly hesitant.
“We thought it was a joke.” Admits Conor. “It didn’t sink in. Even once we were there, it didn’t sink in.” Agrees Steve. “We thought they’d made a mistake.” Continues Conor. “When they emailed us, we knew what it was – we knew it was Canada’s version of SXSW. When we originally got the email we were like – that can’t be right. They wouldn’t ask a band like us to do it. We went back to them and we were like, are you serious? The guy had to convince us by sending our video to us, saying ‘are you this band?’ and he was like ‘Yep, we definitely want you guys to come play’. It was amazing. All the stereotypes of Canada are true, everyone was really nice, so polite. The food’s incredible, the weather’s great.” One of the main highlights for the quartet came in the copious amounts of poutine available and the various concoctions the Canadians cook up. There was also the small matter of blowing people away who were unfamiliar with their particular blend of experimental math/post-rock. One particular occasion occurred on a seven band bill at a venue called The Hideout, in which Dialects were setting up to perform well after midnight to a quiet room. “…All of a sudden there’s a total influx of people who’d clearly been venue hopping. That was a total high.” Beams Steve. “People came up afterward and said ‘We don’t know what you guys just did, we’ve never heard anything like that before’. So for some people, I don’t think they’d heard the kind of bands that would play ArcTanGent or Tramlines or Strange Forms. They weren’t maybe acquainted in anyway with that progressive scene of music. Even after that, people bought stuff off Bandcamp and attached little messages like ‘I’ve never heard a band like you guys before’. It’s awesome to play to people that appreciate and love this kind of music. It’s a different kind of awesome to turn someone onto it. I find that very fulfilling as a musician in this kind of band, for someone to go ‘I’ve never heard of that before’. Give them a different avenue of stuff to listen to, that’s pretty awesome. We had a guy maybe in his late-30s-early 40s come up to us and he was like ‘I’ve never heard anything like that before, that was amazing.’ Then just went on with his night.”
“It’s pretty hard to react to that for me.” Admits Conor, still taken aback by the situation. “Obviously it’s great, you get people coming up to you after you’ve played a set who’ve really enjoyed it, that’s cool. But to have people come up and say that that’s the first time they’ve engaged with that type of music in any shape or form, it’s quite humbling.” “That and poutine is unbelievable. If poutine became a thing over here, kebab shops would go out of business.” Nods Steve.
My introduction to Dialects came back in March of last year, initially discovering and being taken in by their backstory before hearing a note. A couple of Christmas party escapees, Conor and Steve joined together with ex-drummer Jonny Gormley to create the groundwork that would become Dialects. Rather than taking to the internet immediately with early recordings, Dialects opted to hold out for studio time with their friend and producer Nick Lawrie, who would also go on to produce the debut album.
“I really like it, I’m still very proud of it for the first EP. I still really like the songs.” Says Steve of LTKLTL, jokingly prodding Conor. “There’s two songs on it that Conor refuses to play now, ‘cus he thinks they’re quote-unquote shite…”
“Nick told us when we were recording. The first time I spoke to Nick about it, I told him we’d started this new band.” Conor starts. “We were pretty drunk in the street, absolutely steaming. I’ve got my phone out and I’m like ‘Listen to this’. The first song he ever heard was ‘Unknown Orbit’ and he was like ‘I’m recording that, we’re going into a studio and recording that’. Quite chuffed to see how over a year on it still stands strong, a lot of people still listen to it and like the tracks off it. I still like all the tracks on it as well. There’s maybe two that I don’t wanna play right now, but it’ll come back.”
“Conor currently likes all ten songs on our album, enough to play them live. So hopefully by the time the album comes out, we’ll still be playing maybe five or six of them live. So if anyone likes our album and sees us play some of it live, treasure that. Cherish that. Conor will write that turkey off.” Laughs Steve.
As well as having a near parallel history to ArcTanGent Festival, it was one of the organisers of the festival itself that gave Dialects a much needed nudge in the right direction. The ArcTanGent Twitter page was one of the first to share the video for ‘Unknown Orbit’ on its release, a definite doff of the cap and a sure sign of what was to come. “Simon even put it on his personal Facebook. That was well before the EP came out. Right away we were like – people dig this.” Comment Steve. “So yeah, I’m still proud of it. I still think it sounds good. I think it’s a fair representation of the band we still are. I wouldn’t feel hard done to if somebody had only heard that. Our album’s got shades of that… but I feel it’s a logical progression.”
“I think there are some things that might surprise some folk, in terms of some sections being a lot heavier.” Adds Conor. “We’ve used vocals a little bit more on the album, not massively…”
“…More as an instrument, more as a layer.” Continues Steve. “There’s one song that actually has audible lyrics; it’s kinda gang-chanty then it gets a bit screamy. There’s two other incidences of vocals on the full album and they’re very background, it almost sounds like synth or a pad. We kind of felt it was necessary.”
“I’m interested to see what people think of those songs, see how the reaction is for them, ‘cus it’s a bit different and it’s nice to be playing about with that.” Comments Conor. “We don’t wanna completely rule it out, Steve’s a great singer, he’s a good vocalist. But we don’t wanna waste stuff like that when we know it’s there and we know that we could make use of it.”
With discussions quick to turn to new material and the release of their debut album, Conor and Steve are anxious to reveal all, but quite content to play the long game as they have to this point. A 2017 release is pencilled in, with the album now finished and mastered and ready for release. New management Tone MGMT are in talks with various different people, which Conor tells me could lead to “some smashing things”. “Potentially there could be some cool stuff and some cool releases.” Adds Steve. “There’s a couple of labels that haven’t told us to fuck off, which is nice. But like anything, our first EP was recorded in December 2013 and didn’t come out till May 2015. We ideally wanted to put it on a label, we spoke to a couple of labels and thought we had something going, but circumstances beyond our control meant it didn’t pan out.”
Faced with the choice of self-releasing their debut and considering the personal finances that would need to go toward it versus getting a label on board is something the band have been discussing at length.
“To have to wait till 2017 is really not the end of the world.” Figures Steve. “We’re still gonna be playing live, we still have the first EP available, we’ve got the Audiotree session. All four songs we played in our Audiotree session are all from the album, so that’s available if people want newer songs. There’s enough out there and I think, as we were saying before, it’s difficult being in a band to feel like you might be perceived as being complacent. We’re not literally sitting about twiddling our thumbs, we’re doing stuff, we’re rehearsing together at least twice a week, we’re planning future tours, future shows. We’re dealing with artwork; we’ve been speaking to Jodie – the wonderful artist we work with – talking about the concept behind the songs so she designs appropriate artwork. We’re speaking to people about potential new music videos coming up. There’s always stuff going on, it just might not always be public domain. We knew we were going to Canada from November last year, it was under wraps for a while till we had everything sorted.” “You have to take time to plan everything out, to make sure that you can get it on the best platform you possibly can.” Comments Conor. “We did it with the EP, we did the best we could with it and it seems to have done well. We’ll do the same with the album, we’ll do the best we can with that and see how it goes.” Whilst discussions take place behind closed doors and the album is temporarily put on ice, Dialects have still got things to sate the appetites of those wanting more. Their aforementioned releases online will no doubt do the trick, and the quartet are also playing Damnation Festival 2016, taking place this weekend in Leeds. The UK’S premier indoor UK Heavy Metal fest will see Dialects sitting comfortably alongside the likes of Cult Of Luna, Electric Wizard and Abbath, squeezing in one more festival before the year is out. “I think for us that’s important, the organisational side of things. As much as we’re doing this because we love playing music and we enjoy writing music together and playing live, I think we all want it to get as wide a platform as it can.” Comments Steve. “Especially this kind of left-field, progressive music. You want to be doing things like ArcTanGent, Tramlines and Strange Forms and Carefully Planned. So the planning part of it is really important, otherwise you just end up sitting around for x months going – we should probably put a song out. It can get a bit half arsed. You can’t be too organised with this. The great thing about having our manager Joe, who plays in a band as well, he kind of understands that planning things out and having a structure for releases and announcements does help. Even if it sometimes appears like we haven’t put out any music since October, there’s been a lot of stuff happening.”
Since their relatively short time together, Dialects have taken a measured approach in every aspect of the band. From their initial release and cinematic music videos, to the whirlwind twelve months they’ve just had. As discussed, it’s this work ethic and organisational streak that the band excels at, utilising their strengths and working closely with those who can help push them in the right direction.
“We’re in no rush to do anything if we can’t do it right.” Sums up Conor. “We want people to enjoy it as much as we do. To do that, you need to plan, you need to get everything ready and spend time working on that. That’s maybe the frustrating bit, ‘cus sometimes you want people to hear the music straight away, but we need to make sure we do it right and do the best we can.”
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Regular readers of Birthday Cake For Breakfast will know I’m rather fond of the annual extravaganza that is ArcTanGent(and there are more, more, more interviews on the way, I promise). The three day festival catering to those with a soft spot for math-rock/post-rock and all manner of weird and crazy music is high up on my list of favourite things to do (and even indulges other pleasures, such as eating copious amounts of food and drinking all the beers…)
One of the festivals greatest assets is the atmosphere it creates, with a real sense of family created amongst those in attendance. With this festival, the likelihood of standing side by side with someone who was smashing up the main stage half an hour earlier is quite high, such is the nature of all attendees – especially those playing – getting swept up by all the joys and festivities. I mean sure, I wasn’t out there enjoying a pint with the dashing tall lad from Caspian or sharing Raclette hot dogs with the Spence siblings, but it’s not unfathomable.
It’s this sense of closeness and camaraderie between punter and band that was likely the downfall of poor Calvin Rhodes, guitarist in Body Hound. Sat at one end of a picnic table with his head in his hands, Calvin is using our interview time with the rest of the band to catch a moment of peace from the hard drinking and horrible weather. Everyone is in good spirits, but Calvin is suffering.
“Not right now,” he says when I ask if he’s alright. “But its fine. I’ve had a great festival.”
The others crease up at this.
“It was really pleasing that that many people were there at that time. The response we got was mind blowing.” Says bassist Joe Thorpe. “I don’t know if it’s because we were closer to the audience on that big stage, but when everybody cheered, especially after the last song, you felt it – it was really incredible.”
“Last year that spot was a highlight for everybody, so to get that spot for us this year meant that we had to really go for it, work really hard on the set and make sure we got everything in in time.” Chips in drummer Ryan Bright, the others nodding in agreement.
(Photo Credit: Connor Matheson/DEADidea)
Their performance at last year’s ArcTanGent really was a turning point for Body Hound, the four-piece excelling on the main stage to a crowd of mind-blown punters. To be one of the main highlights of a festival that specialises in highlight-of-any-festival bands is no laughing matter. Though as the band point out, the first performance being as good as it was meant this year required them to go above and beyond.
“We practiced the shit out of it.” Says bassist Joe with a laugh.
“Crammed heavy for this exam, we really did…” Agrees Ryan. “But the new material went down really well. We played it pretty much flawlessly which is great, ‘cus we were worried.”
This year saw the band true to form, practically kicking off the entire festival on Thursday afternoon and smashing out a weekend-making performance, with new material making a more than welcome appearance (“I couldn’t even play it without reading it *Laughs*” – Joe T). The sheer amount of people crammed into the tent can definitely be a run-off from their previous outing, with the more than enthusiastic response from the crowd attributing to it.
“That’s what this festival is for a lot of bands I think.” Sums up Joe T. “It’s a really nice launch pad. It’s still quite a niche bunch of genres I suppose, so you get to have everything together with all the people who are enthusiastic about that music. It’s very cool.”
(Photo Credit: Connor Matheson/DEADidea)
The baying crowd found at ArcTanGent isn’t the only signifier of a turning point for Body Hound. Highlights from the past year include yet another show-making-performance at this year’s tenth anniversary bash for Holy Roar, as well as a spot on the Meet Me In St. Louis show in Leeds over the summer, during their small run of final shows.
“It’s the best year we’ve had so far I think, in terms of amount of shows. We’ve probably done more this year than any other.” Comments Ryan.
“Yeah, that’s one thing that’s always bugged me, that we’ve not been able to do as much as I would like to.” Adds Joe T. “Everybody has lives and things, but it’s nice we’ve been able to do – if not more stuff – better gigs. That’s no disrespect to any gigs we might’ve played recently, but I just think we’ve had loads of gigs where all the bands were dead good.”
Earlier this year, Body Hound embarked on a mini-tour with Glaswegian instrumentalists VASA, culminating in a raucous performance at Strangeforms Festival in Leeds. Both bands did what they do best in front of a huge crowd, their Leeds stop-off being the cherry on top of what seemed like a wonderful tour. But it was halfway through the tour where things took a slight turn for the worse.
“I was really ill on that tour…” Moans Calvin, recalling the horrors of touring in late March when completely ill, including an on-stage bout of shivering all the way through a set. “Fucking hell. I had like a chest infection or summat, it were reyt bad. That Brighton gig were really bad.”
But illness aside, their ongoing highlight reel and show stealing performances have done well in shifting copies of their debut album Rhombus Now. At the time of writing, vinyl copies are in short supply, with distributors Holy Roar almost entirely sold out. When Ryan announces this to the group, Joe T laughs and ponders whether they’re now in debt to Alex Fitzpatrick and co. Around the time of its release, Body Hound were working with Brainwave, an all-encompassing collective of like-minded individuals down South who assisted with an initial tour and run of merch. It was then that Holy Roar got involved and they’ve not looked back since.“We’re definitely part of the family.” Says Ryan.
Driven to “a cult leader level of insanity” was how the band jokingly described their time in the studio working with producer Tom Prendergast on their debut. “Me and Calvin started it like 7 or 8 years ago, something like that – Me and him doing two-piece stuff.” Comments Ryan. “You’ll find all of ‘em floating about on Calvin’s profile, but we basically ripped apart loads of old tunes and reformed them when these two joined and that really helped spur us along and gave us a – not formula as such, but this is where we’re kinda going.“
“It was a solid base to jump off.” Agrees Joe T.
(Photo Credit: Connor Matheson/DEADidea)
At this stage of the interview, whilst Calvin and Ryan attempt to remember initial riffs, the quartet descends into miming each other’s individual parts from their debut. “Wasn’t that Rhombus Now?” Asks Calvin, before Joe T explains, via mimed riff, that it was actually ‘Carnal Tunnel’.
“Sorry man, I’ve no idea how you’re gonna write this…” He laughs, as Ryan attempts to get things back on track.
“But yeah, the first one we banged it out and we love it, but this process for this one’s a lot more sort of…”
“Sick.” Laughs guitarist Joe Nicholson.
“I think we’ve developed our ear for our own music a lot more since then, so it’s easier to now pick out something that we could improve on.” Adds Joe T. “I always think like a fun thing, it would be interesting to re-record that to see what it was like now.”
“Yeah, we keep fucking about with it still…” Comments Joe N.
“Yeah, all those songs are played completely different now. But that’s what you do when you’re in a prog band – You never leave stuff alone, ever.” Smiles Ryan.
Constant re-working and “fucking about” has also made way for the aforementioned new material, the topic of which is one that the group are clearly excited to talk about, though still uncertain of how much they can say. Though Calvin is very media savvy when it comes to disclosure, perking up to state “We’re just working on an album. We’ve got about half of it written, maybe a third of it learned.”
Joe N smiles and shifts in his seat. “Maybe…”
“We’re yet to announce everything, but we’re gonna be recording later this year hopefully.” Says Joe T, summing up the remainder of the year. “Essentially, we just have to do lots of work and if we do the work, then we win recording an album. We’ve got a lot to get on with, but hopefully we’ll be able to release it early next year.”
“We just don’t want to push it too much so we sap the fun out of it.” Adds Ryan. “We’ll look back on what we do and it won’t be quite what we wanted.”
“That’s the thing, none of us want to settle for anything less than something we’re completely happy with. So we just wanna take our time…” Comments Joe T. “But we’re running out of time.”
Though time remains an issue, it’s the enduring PROG SPIRIT within Body Hound that likely means the songs we’ve heard as of late will be entirely different come album time. “The thing is, the new song that we played here, we’ll probably end up going back and fondling with it a bit more for quite a few weeks. We can’t leave ‘em alone…” States Ryan, as the two Joe’s exchange a glance.
“I’ve got a few fondles…” Says Joe N with a smirk.
“I’ve got itchy fingers for that…” Smiles Joe T.
“We’ll get there. There’s plenty of stuff written, we’ve just got to really pick the best bits and put it all together.” Confirms Ryan, going further to suggest that we can expect “A banging album, hopefully.”
“More prog” (Joe T) and “Longer riffs” (Calvin) are also the order of the day as the rest of the group consider the follow up to Rhombus Now.
“We’re at a point now where as a group of people, it does very much feel like we’re one mind – a hive mind. I feel like this is the honeymoon we’re in right now. It’s downhill from here.” Adds Joe T with a laugh. “No, I think as we progress together as a band, I think hopefully people can just glean a lot more enjoyment and feed off our enthusiasm. We really do love being in this band.”
“It’s one thing a lot of people have said to us a lot. I suppose we don’t really notice it in the moment, but we’re all beaming on stage. We’re all laughing at each other.” Comments Ryan, the others in agreement. “Just those little sort of nuances in playing. You look over and have a good giggle. A lot of bands do that, but a lot of bands will try and cover it up as well. We’re just like fuck it, whatever. Have a giggle.”
“Have a giggle…” Laughs Joe T. “That’s the album title, you heard it here first.”
Hilariously enough, post-festival the poor lads had the grave misfortune of breaking down on the long journey home – the handbrake of their car seizing up in terribly timed fashion. Even worse, after being towed to safety, a further trip up the road had their car “screaming like a person” resulting in the quartet not getting home until midnight. So as the quartet steer toward the follow up to Rhombus Now, here’s hoping they’re still able to have a giggle.
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That classic phrase that gets blurted out when referring to the Vietnam War is exactly what came to mind when sitting down to write this live review. In the case of Meet Me In St. Louis, the beloved Surrey post-hardcore/math-rock heroes, I wasn’t there. Technically, I was at their recent show in Leeds at The Brudenell Social Club, hence the review, but it was my first experience of Meet Me In St. Louis. I almost felt like an imposter; undercover in a room full of absolute die-hards.
Here’s a band that meant a lot to people. Eight years after knocking it on the head, the announcement that they were returning for a number of reunion shows lit a fire under people. Ticket demand was so high that the initial two show announcement got upgraded to a whole weekend’s worth, with their finale set to take place at this year’s ArcTanGent festival in August.
At the time of the announcement, drummer Paul Phillips spoke out about the reunion, stating:
“The planets have aligned and for the first time getting together to play these songs feels right. This opportunity may not come along again so we owe it to ourselves in this one life we have to do it, and do it to the best of our ability, and have a fucking good time in the process.”
Fair fucks – he was right.
Human pyramids, constant crowd surfing and singing along was the order of the day, and whilst I wasn’t initially into MMISL way back when, I could certainly pick up that spirit that engulfed the room. But rather than provide you with the musings of someone who wasn’t there, I thought i’d pass that honour onto the people MMISL touched the most. I spied a few friends of Birthday Cake For Breakfast dotted throughout the audience that night at The Brudenell, so reached out to piece together the evening through their experiences.
(Photo Credit: Jonathan Dadds)
“The importance and vitality of a band like MMISL Is no less impactful and relevant today than it was a decade ago. Although to use the phrase “a band like mmisl” is in itself an oxymoron. There is no such thing. I remember first hearing their music at Sam (Manville)’s house around ten years ago. I was immediately gripped, yet simultaneously baffled. Which is, in my opinion, the greatest feeling that music can impart upon a listener. From that point onwards, having become personal friends and collaborating with various members, they continued to be a huge influence on myself as a musician but also upon the burgeoning scene that I became a part of. Unfortunately, due to them splitting up relatively early in their potential life span, I only really got to see them perform live a handful of times. So the news of their reformation earlier this year was fucking exciting.
Regarding the show. Firstly I have to mention that The Brudenell Social Club is, in my opinion, the best music venue in the UK. Especially when in conjunction with Matty and James from Dirty Otter. It also holds so many great memories for me personally from years of touring. So getting to see MMISL play there after a nine year absence was a pretty special experience. As for the performance, to say that they didn’t disappoint would be a huge understatement. They were every bit as dynamic, visceral and calculated as I ever remember them being the first time round. Mind blowing in fact. The sheer quality of their performance, coupled with the immense feelings of nostalgia I have regarding the band and venue, smashed me right in the feels. It was also great getting a chance to catch up/hang out/get drunk with the guys again after so long. All in all, a triumphant return for a great bunch of talented dudes.
I genuinely believe that if ‘Variations On Swing’ was released today, it would still sound as unique and relevant as it was ten years ago. Now how many artists or albums can you honestly say that about?”
– Steve Bachelor (To The Wall/Ex-Shapes).
“I can’t quite believe it actually happened. I’m still trying to come to terms with it. Before the Leeds gig, I was actually really nervous – I’m not sure why. Maybe I wasn’t sure they’d be any good. But fuck me, they were incredible. I never had the chance to see Meet Me In St. Louis back in the day. I got into the whole ‘math’ scene a couple of months after they split, so to finally be able to see them was a bit of a dream come true. Now we just need a Blakfish reunion…”
– Andy Crowder (Piles of Clothes/Musical Mathematics).
(Photo Credit: Jonathan Dadds)
“I first discovered Meet Me In St. Louis in 2007 at college. Midway through a Youtube binge, I listened to ‘All We Need Is….’ and was instantly captivated. Their incredibly unique sound and personality was a breath of a fresh air through my ears and showed me that technical music didn’t always have to revolve around meat head dudes, finger tapping their guitars like they were typing out the bible on a typewriter.
I unfortunately missed them first time around when they were playing live, so the Leeds show at the Brudenell was a perfect opportunity to experience MMISL live for the first time. As soon as they took to the stage and blazed through their first couple of tracks, the charm, character and genuinity of the band that I had come to love over the years truly shone through. A technical delight, they still sound fresh and vital, which is what makes them such an important band and a band to be cherished. Thank you Meet Me In St. Louis for opening me to a life long obsession with clever and fun music.
PS – Body Hound opened the show and were bloody marvelous. New songs are totally tankin’. Go see both bands at ArcTanGent.”
– Calum MacVicar (Emilio Largo/Verse Metrics).
“Maybe it’s looking back with rose tinted hindsight, but Meet me in St. Louis were part of a bit of a sort of golden age for a particular niche of music and to be able to step back in to that was pretty special.
It was like no time had passed since they split. The songs and the performance were absolutely perfect. Totally on point. I’m not sure you could’ve asked for much more from the show to be honest. Easily top five shows of all time for me.”
– John Helps (Maybeshewill).
(Photo Credit: Jonathan Dadds)
“I think it’s been about seven years since I first heard Meet Me In St. Louis and I’ve been totally addicted ever since. I got into them too late to catch them live, so when they announced these reunion shows I lost my shit! The way they manage to combine the thrashy and the techy with so much melodic and passion just blows my mind every time I hear them!
Getting to see them was beyond awesome! They played with the utmost conviction and energy and whenever the crowd got excited, they got excited! It was just a perfect live show where everyone was feeding off each other. Everyone was smiling and singing and crowd surfing and just so happy that such a modestly excellent band would treat us one last time to such an influential set of songs and such an awe inspiring performance.”
– Ben Forrester (Peaks/Ex-Bad Grammar).
“I first stumbled upon Meet Me In St. Louis somewhere round late 2005, in a bar in Leicester which had, for some reason, turned the fourth floor into a venue. The venue obviously didn’t work out, but five minutes into the set I was hooked. I spent the next few years ripping them off and trying to get my own band on shows with them, successfully managing a few runs of shows where, I like to think, we became friends. Not only did they blow us off stage every night, they somehow managed to up their game with every show.
Predictably, they got picked up by labels and moved on to better shows, but I was always still there: transfixed. Their energy, their emotion and skill. That fucking skill. If they weren’t so damn good and nice, I’d have hated them. Then, as we all know, they split. I was gutted. Many copied but none (sorry) even came close. So, when the news broke that they were planning the two reunion shows, I was never gonna miss it.
I eventually made Leicester my home, so I opted for the Leeds show over London and I’m glad I did. Me and some friends got in a van and hot tailed it up the motorway – we didn’t need to discuss it, but the stereo was nothing but MMISL, Million Dead, Ycni:m, HIFH, Reuben…you get the idea. When we arrived at Leeds we, as men now in their mid-30’s, took our place near the bar ready to watch from a distance. Two chords in and I was in the pit screaming my lungs out. Two songs in and I had my shirt off and was stage diving, which (bearing in mind I have the body of a man in his mid-30’s too) is something I’ve not done in a decade. I don’t think I could have even helped it. Every single person in that audience was there for the sheer love of one of the most complex yet entirely accessible bands ever to exist. Whether it was nostalgia, familiarity, the fact that this is the first night my wife and I had out since my kid was born 12 weeks ago or simply that MMISL just fuckin’ ruled, I don’t quite know. But it was worth the five hour round trip. You know what – I’d have walked it.“
– Tiernan Welch (Her Name Is Calla).
Make it to the show yourself? What did you think? Birthday Cake For Breakfast would love to know! Comment on this post or any/all of these: Facebook,Instagramand Twitter!
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