Release Rundown – Hidden Mothers, OSEES, Napalm Death, Sumac and Into It. Over It.

Words: Ben Forrester

Here is our ever punctual (and pretty bumper) release rundown for the week, reviewing some snazzy new records ready for your aural consumption. As we always like to gently remind you, these releases should be available to buy on the artists web stores as well as online with your favourite local record shop.

Hidden Mothers – ‘Hidden Mothers’ EP
(Surviving Sounds)

Hailing from Sheffield, Hidden Mothers have been making waves up here in the North. Following their debut single release last year, the quintet have racked up a series of sought after support slots on the live circuit, whilst working hard on this debut EP release. Produced by Joe Clayton (Pijn / Leeched), mastered by Scott Middleton (Cancer Bats) and with artwork by Steve Myles (Cattle), Hidden Mothers have assembled quite the team to help create this fierce mission statement.

Across the three tracks here we get a blistering mix of alt metal influences. ‘Beneath, To the Earth‘ cuts straight to it with a dramatic, melodic hardcore inspired melody complete with black metal blast beats and blood curdling vocals. Then, amidst the chaos, comes this beautiful post-rock breakdown. With the delay pedals firmly turned up, the guitars rise up against a pummelling rhythm section to lead us back into the intense thrash blaze. ‘My Own Worth‘ keeps up this dynamic intensity, building up a flurry of delay heavy guitars before ascending into a skyscraping crescendo that makes me wanna take me top off and run up a big fucking mountain.

‘My Blindness, Your Burden‘ is as ferocious a closer as I’d hope for, tossing us back into the blackgaze cesspit. The playing is nothing short of thunderous on this record, and they back this point up with a proper earth shattering breakdown that closes the record (honestly, I nearly broke my laptop thumping along to this). Hidden Mothers do this rare thing of combining a heap of different sounds and styles into one melting pot and still come out with a sense of cohesion and focus. This is a well crafted debut from a group of musicians who have clearly been doing their homework. Dark, heavy with plenty of enticing twists, ‘Hidden Mothers‘ is fucking tense and it fucking rips.

OSEES – ‘Protean Threat’
(Castle Face)

Fair play, the name of this band has range. Returning in yet another new guise, everyone’s favourite psych punks are on schedule for their annual album release. Following the eclectic, wig out central of ‘Face Stabber’, OSEES trim the fat and tap into what really makes them rage. That said, ‘Protean Threat‘ is not a straight up garage record. Fuck that. This is ever mutating and as wonderfully eccentric as you’d hope for.

‘Scramble Suit II‘ and ‘Dreary Nonsense‘ kick off with ferocity, and from this point onwards you are thrown into a cosmic swimming pool of insanity (much like its cover). ‘Said The Shovel‘ is a Halloween themed disco in space that Kevin Parker wishes he was invited to, while ‘Wing Run‘ is microwave prog, ready in two minutes and complete with a spiky post-punk riff. It’s both bonkers and effortlessly cool. Overall, it manages to take some of the sounds we love from OSEES past (‘If I Had My Way‘ is a Doors inspired banger) whilst always pushing your mind to the limits (‘Toadstool‘ is probably the longest track here, clocking in at just under 5 surreal minutes of synth infused psych).

‘Protean Threat‘ may be an overall shorter record than usual, but there is still a hell of a lot to process. I like how it’s chopped up into more bite size pieces, but those pieces still come fully loaded, packing in smacks of flavour. As with every OSEES release, you can’t knock the tightness of this band; Tim Hellman is totally the guy you want holding down the bottom end and with the two headed drumming monster that is Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone backing him up, you’ve got yourself a dream rhythm team.

The versatility of the playing is what gets me pumped, they can switch it up from sitting in the pocket to letting all hell break loose at the drop of a hat, which helps Dwyer work his crazy voodoo magic over the top. In short, this is exactly the right amount of slickness and chaos culminating in perhaps their strongest set since 2016’s ‘A Weird Exits‘.

Napalm Death – ‘Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism’
(Century Media)

Not only are Napalm Death pioneers of the entire Grindcore genre but they have been consistently pushing the boundaries of alternative metal since the 80s. Now in their third decade as a band, the Midlands based outfit return with album 16 – ‘Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism’ – ready to expand the minds of metalheads around the world.

Not only is ‘Fuck The Factoid‘ a gnarly title, but it opens the record with all the speed and power we’ve come to expect from these legends of metal. Blast beats, mile a minute riffs and Barney’s versatile vocal – it’s a total onslaught and no prisoners are taken with their ever political stance. As you’d expect, no one takes a breath as we run head first into a pit of hardcore intensity (‘Backlash Just Because’), black metal atmosphere (‘Joie De Ne Pas Vivre’), full throttle thrash (‘Zero Gravitas Chamber’) and pounding goth rock melodies (‘Amoral’).

Amidst an overwhelming sense of anger, this is an album that rings with defiance; “I won’t take this lying down” Barney barks in ‘Acting in Gouged Faith‘. In a world that feels like it’s eating itself, Napalm Death are still fighting back and it’s this forward thinking motion of rage that actually gives this record moments of hope.

What blows my mind with ‘Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism‘ is how Napalm Death are still pushing themselves sonically and musically. They are kings of their scene but they want to keep raising the bar and that is what makes them such a vital band. This record is a masterclass in Metal’s past, present and future. Fired up, full of inventive ideas and raging performances, this is how you fucking do it.

Sumac – ‘May You Be Held’
(Thrill Jockey)

American native Aaron Turner has been exploring the barriers of extreme music since the late 90’s in various different guises (ISIS, Lotus Eaters, Old Man Gloom – to name but a few). Sumac is a project he formed in 2014 after finishing up some ideas deemed as his heaviest material to date. Enlisting the help of bass playing virtuoso Brian Cook (Russian Circles, These Arms Have Snakes, Botch) and top tier skin thrasher Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists), the three piece have been blowing minds the world over, both with their all encompassing live shows and mind bending full lengths.

‘May You Be Held‘ is their fourth album and in standard Sumac fashion features a single digit tracklisting (this time, five tracks), clocking in at over an hour of sound designed to push the listener to their limits. This is an all consuming piece that very much comes from the disjointed, abstract planet it was conceived in. No one knows what’s coming next so many of us are trying to embrace and exist in the moment, which is exactly what this album captures. It’s a creeping, often unsettling listen but one that gifts you with rich rewards of earth shaking riffs and incredible musicianship.

I’ve always thought Brian is one of the best bass players in heavy music and he cements this with regimented bass work and as always that wonderfully thick tone. Nick backs this up with phenomenal drumming, his fills are delivered with precision yet power, he really is a marvel to behold. Aaron completes this super strength unit with a plethora of guitar trickery from chunky, stank face riffs to manic squeals of fuzzed up noise.

The records two longer compositions, ‘May You Be Held‘ and ‘Consumed‘ show off this intensely brilliant dynamic, shrouded in atmosphere, instinct and power house playing. The remaining three compositions take on a more avant garde form, often spiralling down passages of layered guitars and sharp shocks of noise (‘The Iron Chair‘ acting as its mind altering centerpiece). Overall, ‘May You Be Held‘ is a detailed and engaging listen but It’s when Sumac lock in together as a three piece metal band that they really blow the roof off.

Into It. Over It. – ‘Figure’
(Big Scary Monsters/Triple Crown Records)

A slight curveball on this slightly rowdy rundown, we have one of the leading names of modern emo Mr Evan Weiss back with his beloved Into It. Over It. project. Despite being in several killer alt punk bands throughout the 00’s, it’s this solo project that has really resonated with the emo revivalist crew. After a four year silence, Into It. Over It. starts a new decade with its fourth proper studio album, ‘Figure‘. For those that enjoyed the sonic depth of 2016’s ‘Standards‘, you’ll be pleased to hear that this is another richly textured set.

The first thing that hits me listening to this record is the warmth of its production. Sure, it still has the twiddly guitars and overdriven crunch of earlier material, but this is overpowered by the same crispness that made ‘Plans‘ such a hit for Death Cab For Cutie. To be fair, I can hear the majesty of mid 00’s Death Cab all over this, which naturally I’m big into. ‘They Built Our Bench Again In Palmer Square‘ is an elegant opener, easing you with ethereal synth textures as Evan sweetly croons over the top. Of course, there are plenty of upbeat alt pop hits here; lead single ‘Living Up To Let You Down‘ being a proper college rock crush and ‘Courtesy Greetings’ absolutely shimmering in emo punk euphoria. Evan definitely has set sights to widescreen for the sonic direction of this record.

The slower-cooked moments are what really grab me here, ‘Dressing Down // Addressing You‘ being a total highlight that sounds like current day American Football covering The Postal Service. I know we all hate seeing this word in reviews but this more ‘matured’ sound really does suit Evan in this stage of the project. ‘Figure‘ is a beautiful and graceful coming of age record but with all the traits that made us fall so hard for Into It. Over It. in the first place. This is one to keep you warm in the colder evenings and is sure to be essential Autumn listening.

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John Dwyer and co return with news of new OSEES album ‘Protean Threat’

Words: Andy Hughes
(Photo Credit: Titouan Massė)

Would a year really be complete without a new record from Oh Sees? Having run with their latest title for long enough, the ever changing moniker for this outfit (formerly OCS, Thee Oh Sees, The Oh Sees – difficult for organising your record collection…) has now landed on OSEES and with the name change comes a new track and revealed details of a new record!

Having leaped into lockdown straight away with a virtual transmission from a bar in LA, a ‘live rehearsal‘ if you will, OSEES have now formally put everything onto wax and released first single ‘Dreary Nonsense‘ out across the world – A rapid pace head-spinner that packs a hundred ideas into a tight little 90+ second package!

From the forthcoming album ‘Protean Threat‘, out 18th September 2020 on Castle Face Records (with a sampler CD available if you pick it up through Rough Trade), you can pretty much hear the rough and ready version right now (highly recommended – our favourite being ‘If I Had My Way‘!)

There’s also more on the way – the soon to be announced record featuring cuts taken from the ‘Face Stabber‘ sessions and the self-titled Bent Arcana debut (out this month), featuring “electrified & improvised sessions” between Dwyer and a number of collaborators, including members of Prettiest Eyes and TV On The Radio.

“Always writing, always looking ahead.” We interviewed Dwyer last year and his motto was as such – find out for yourself here.

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What’s On Michael Portillo’s iPod: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Here at Birthday Cake For Breakfast, we like to get to the heart of what an artist is all about. We feel the music they listen to is just as important as the music they make. With that in mind, we’re delighted to have Sam Grant, guitarist in the skull-crushing Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, talking us through five releases that helped shape and inspire their latest album ‘Viscerals‘!

Words: Andy Hughes

The Beak> album >>>
(2018)

“This album came out after ‘King of Cowards’ and gave a good amount of inspiration toward the tonal aesthetic of where ‘Viscerals’ ended up. Beak> nail that tapey saturated sonic, with a thick, dark harmonic sound. It’s got real depth and you feel like you can sink your teeth into it. I could bath in the waveforms of this album. The song writing carries it all so well too, it’s a perfect match of production and arrangement.”

The Stooges album The Stooges
(1969)

“Before working on ‘Viscerals’ there were various chats about finding simplicity and writing things with a view towards the essence of the track, without too much fat getting in the way. This album is a great example of that and I love how little excess weight it has. It doesn’t waste much energy and it doesn’t over reach. Both the songwriting and the production work together to make something greater than the sum of its parts.”

The AC/DC album Let There Be Rock
(1977)

“I wish I’d written the title track of this album. When I try to think of my favourite guitar riff there’s a strong case to be had for this one. It’s not particularly clever, it’s only 3 notes, and just about anyone could play it. But that’s the magic of it. It’s like a musical magnetic north for the riffs – when i need to recalibrate, I can listen to this and it’s like, “ah yeah…”.”

The Oh Sees album Floating Coffin
(2013)

“I’d happened to listen to this album a few times prior to recording, so spotify started suggesting it, which created some sort of feedback loop, and I kept playing it. Oh Sees have a gift of finding an energy, bottling it up and putting it on record. That’s a real skill, and something that gives you a yardstick for that side of things. Their application of simple, but evocative melodies is great, and something I really appreciate in what they do.”

Richard Dawson’s album 2020
(2019)

“I’d just finished the mixing on this album when we started the demoing of ‘Viscerals’. Johnny and Matt were also busy learning bass and drums from it, readying for playing it live with Rich, so it was very fresh in our consciousness. On the production side, there were approaches I used for ‘2020′ that I also wanted to apply to ‘Viscerals’. While they’re tonally very different, they’re very similar in production, and in my mind they’re spiritually paired records! This album is also a spectacular piece of songwriting, which helped to keep us grounded, and not get ahead of ourselves in our own efforts! Richard did end up playing cowbell on ‘World Crust’, so hopefully our record has been imbued with some of his genius.”

‘Viscerals‘ is out NOW through Rocket Recordings! Bag a copy (or two) here.

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a/s/l: FLAT WORMS

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: Will Ivy and Tim Hellman of the gnarly FLAT WORMS!

Words: Andy Hughes

a/s/l?
Tim: 37/male/Pasadena, CA.
Will: 31/male/Los Angeles.

Have you ever seen a dead body?
Tim: Yes.
Will: Yea sure, funerals.

Who is your favourite Simpsons character?
Will: Santa’s Little Helper.
Tim: Ralph Wiggum and his wide-eyed innocence.

What T-Shirt are you wearing?
Will: Been wearing more blue lately.
Tim: Brown pocket tee.

What did your last text message say?
Tim: “Sweet” – Justin Sullivan.
Will: Ryan Heffington’s Dance Class on Instagram Live!

What’s the last song you listened to?
Tim: ‘Sometimes (Love Is a Special Feeling)‘ by the Maytals.
Will: ‘Beehive State’” by Randy Newman.

How did you meet the people in your band?
Tim: Met Will at the Eagle in San Francisco. Met Justin with Will at a show in Pomona, CA.
Will: What Tim said.

What’s the first record you bought?
Will: The first CD I ever got was ‘Tubthumping’ by Chumbawumba. I actually don’t remember the first record I bought on vinyl.
Tim: Soul Asylum ‘Let Your Dim Light Shine’ at Costco at age 12.

What was your favourite VHS growing up?
Tim: Transworld ‘Uno’.
Will: I had a copy of ‘The Third Man’ that I put on countless times because I liked the music.

When was the last time you cried?
Tim: 2018 probably.
Will: Sometime in the last few months, but trying to stay positive over here.

Have you ever kissed someone & regretted it?
Tim: No.
Will: Yes.

Best Physical Feature?
Tim: No idea.
Will: Not sure how to answer, skin?

Worst physical feature?
Tim: No idea.
Will: I have one bad knee but it has been good lately.

Reasonably ok/not bad feature that you’re not fussed about?
Tim: I’m sitting comfortable as a short man.
Will: I feel lucky to be comfortable in my body.

Do you have any pets?
Will: I have a greyhound named Raven and a Boston Terrier named Pebble.
Tim: None, but on good terms with the cats in my apartment complex.

Ever picked up any injuries on tour?
Tim: Violating the “no skateboarding on tour” rule once resulted in a foot fracture and disappointed bandmates.
Will: My knee acted up once on a tour and I wasn’t able to load in or out, which is never fun to dump on your bandmates.

What did you do for your last birthday?
Tim: Played a show in Paris with Oh Sees and my girlfriend made a surprise appearance (with cake!!)
Will: My wife and I were in Barcelona and took a road trip up to the Costa Brava. It is amazing, I highly recommend it.

Name something you CANNOT wait for?
Tim: The end of the coronavirus pandemic.
Will: To be able to be with people again.

Do you have a crush on someone?
Tim: My girlfriend.
Will: My Wife.

What’s the shittest experience you’ve had as a musician?
Tim: Bacterial gastroenteritis on an Oh Sees Euro tour in 2014.
Will: One of my early bands planned a tour in the UK but did not bother to apply for work permits. We were held in airport jail for 24 hours and sent home with no refund, no tour.

If you could go back in time, how far would you go?
Tim: To a time when men wore powdered wigs.
Will: Maybe pre-USA.

How do you want to die?
Tim: “Let me die in my footsteps”.
Will: Painlessly.

What’s your favourite thing about pizza?
Will: That there are so many different types that are all delicious.
Tim: That it’s not as irresistible as people make it out to be.

What are you craving right now?
Tim: A good walk.
Will: A hot bath.

Have you ever been on a horse?
Tim: Yes.
Will: Yes, I want to get back on one now.

What did you dream about last night?
Tim: I don’t recall.
Will: Not a big dream sharer.

If you could go back in time and kill the baby Hitler, would you?
Tim: Couldn’t kill him, but he’d be permanently sequestered.
Will: Like Tim said, maybe I could just go back and alter his circumstances so he didn’t turn out to be a murderous dictator.

Do you like Chinese food?
Tim: Yes.
Will: Very much, there is great Chinese food in the LA area.

Have you ever been on TV?
Tim: Yes.
Will: Yes.

Ever meet someone famous?
Tim: Not that I know of.
Will: Yes.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Will: I already am who I am.
Tim: A self-sufficient adult.

New album ‘Antarctica’ is out now on Drag City imprint, GOD? Records! Check out our review here!

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Release Rundown – Laura Marling, Flat Worms, SAVAK and The Strokes

Words: Ben Forrester

At a time where more and more live shows are being postponed and artists are putting back release dates, we need new music more than ever. Step up this collection of cracking records due for release this week. As you know, at BCFB we are big into our record buying and have been cruising the sales and main distro’s of indie stores online with pleasure these past few weeks. If you dig any of these releases, we suggest you do the same!

Laura Marling – ‘Song For Our Daughter’
(Chrysalis / Partisan)

It was just mere days ago that Laura Marling announced that she would be bringing forward the release of her seventh studio album, in hope to provide some entertainment and a sense of union. ‘Song For Our Daughter‘ is her first solo effort in three years, following on from her brilliant electro-folk project LUMP two years back.

Whereas Marling’s previous solo effort ‘Semper Femina‘ felt more widescreen in its production with a stronger country slant in its sounds, ‘Song For Our Daughter‘ feels more intimate. Still completely luscious with beautiful harmonies and subtle string swirls, Laura is leaning in on the listener here. The opening trio of songs sound full with strong rhythm backing (the folk jazz shuffle of ‘Strange Girl‘ is particularly fun), but after that the album settles down and places you in a room with Marling next to you, guitar in hand. It’s not stripped down by any means, with some really beautifully constructed compositions; ‘Blow by Blow‘ concludes Side A led by piano, angelic backing vocals and the most sumptuous string melodies.

There has always been a timeless quality to Laura Marling’s music, which is part thanks to having a voice wise beyond its years. Only just out of her 20’s, you do get the sense that Laura has a new feeling of peace in her life – her voice is full of poise and is as graceful as ever. The songs really do speak for themselves; she’s always written acoustically but with this more upfront production, her songwriting talents are laid bare. This is a perfect early morning soundtrack that will gently soak into your subconscious for another classic LM set.

Flat Worms – ‘Antarctica’
(God? Records)

This band’s work ethic very much matches their live shows; fast and raging. This is Flat Worms third release in four years, acting as their second proper album, but following on from last year’s ace mini LP ‘Into The Iris‘. Needless to say, we’ve loved everything the trio have put their hands to, but that last record was a total ripper with some proper punk bangers on there.

The fact that this record was made with the help of Steve Albini and Ty Segall amps up the excitement even more for ‘Antarctica‘. ‘The Aughts‘ kicks things off, showing off the tight as fuck rhythm section that is drummer Justin and bassist Tim. Vocalist and guitarist Will slices through with a fizzy riff and although it’s got a punk snarl, you feel like the band are easing you in. ‘Plaster Casts‘ follows with a frantic bass line exploding into a big chorus and already I can see myself and our dear Ed down the front of some sweaty venue in Manc, pints going everywhere.

The rest of the album is everything you want and need from Flat Worms; full pelt drumming, soaring guitar riffs and meaty bass lines that show Tim as a distinctive new player in the bass world. The production is a little bigger than their previous record, which sounded like it was recorded in a basement. I personally felt like that suited their sound, but the larger drum sound and close up guitars do work for these tunes and you can tell the band have explored their inner band dynamism while creating this. This is still furious but you can tell that they’ve thought about song structure more and this isn’t just a flash in the pan punk set, it’s a fully formed rock record. Energetic but engaging, Flat Worms keep it up as an extremely promising asset within the modern punk community.

(Photo Credit: Owen Schmit)

Also worth checking out this week:

SAVAK – ‘Rotting Teeth In the Horse’s Mouth’
(Ernest Jenning Record Co.)

A band that awesome Manchester promoter Turn It Out turned us onto, SAVAK are four chaps from Brooklyn that make sharp indie rock. Together these guys have a good looking CV, with ties to bands like Holy Fuck, The Obits and The Cops. This is their fourth album and is a meld of snappy guitar lines, full throttle post punk with some big alt rock hooks. With some nice dynamic twists and strong musicianship that comes from years of experience this is a well crafted guitar record.

(Don’t believe him? Read our full review here!)

The Strokes – ‘The New Abnormal’
(RCA)

Indie’s cool boys are back after a seven year gap. This is album number six for The Strokes and was produced by none other than the legendary Rick Rubin! The first taste of the album left a few feeling a bit nervous, on first listen I thought it was an average Daft Punk cover. But on repeated listens – plus hearing a few more tracks – it seems like the NYC gang are still making melodically rich guitar pop, but this time with a stronger electro pulse. After two good LP’s, could ‘The New Abnormal’ make The Strokes great again?

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“Just the trials and tribulations of a touring band. This is not for the fainthearted, you know?” An interview with Once & Future Band

Words: Andy Hughes (Photo Credit: Rob Williamson)

In these uncertain times, where days stretch out in front of you and the weekend lasts 12 weeks, endless possibilities become available again as the working week shifts out of your mind, allowing you the opportunity to do anything and everything you’ve ever put off (maybe I will finally learn to play that guitar!)

It feels then like a true gift to have uncovered an archived piece of audio to transcribe, perfectly timed in its release to accommodate those in need of new reading material and to match new output from the source material.

In reality, laziness, real life and other commitments have pushed the below interview to the back of the queue, but with news that Once & Future Band have a new album coming out next month, it felt only right to take a break from the pandemic and unearth this piece. Bon Appétit!

—

In South Manchester, it’s not unusual to find yourself crossing the path or finding yourself in the company of someone in the biz. In Whalley Range, Alexandra Park is just a stone’s throw from where a lot of touring musicians stop when they’re up North and on occasion, you might bump into BC Camplight out walking a dog or Will Ivy of Flat Worms out for a stroll.

Last September in hipster suburb Chorlton, if you were to walk up the stairs of Dulcimer Bar on the 12th, you might have come across Once & Future Band, the quartet in Manchester a night early ahead of a show the next evening – the penultimate night of their UK tour. It’s here where we sat down with the band, to talk of their time in the UK and working on the follow up to 2017’s self-titled prog odyssey.

The last time Once & Future Band were in Manchester, conditions were certainly different, the country having almost shut down due to the ‘The Beast From The East’ – a weather event that, in hindsight, shouldn’t have been anything to worry about.

“The weather was… I dunno, we’re from America, so we’ve experienced a lot of different heavy weathers, so we weren’t exactly sure the severity of it.” Says vocalist and keys player Joel Robinow. “Just hearing from BBC, BBC would come on and it’d be like – if anyone is outside, you’re doomed. You’re already dead. Say goodbye. So yeah, it was cold but the shows I feel like were great.”

Whilst they had previously been over to the UK for a much smaller run, their 2018 tour was a proper expedition, highlighted by two big shows as part of Castle Face Records’ ‘CASTLEMANIA’ events in London and Manchester. Whilst back to back shows at Manchester’s Albert Hall and The Troxy in London were of course wall to wall, the smaller dates were still busy, thanks in no small part to a helping hand from their time on BBC Radio 6 Music.

“It was very heartening. We didn’t know what to expect really, but the reaction we got was really good.” Says drummer Raj Ojha. “Being on the Marc Riley show, people all over the country hear it and then they come out to the shows, it’s really great to see that one to one feedback – people heard the music and go to the show”.

“You know, I think we were talking with Reuben, our agent…” Begins Joel on their 2019 shows, struggling to pronounce the surname of the very agent sat at the end of the table as everyone chuckles. “He said it’s doubled if not quadrupled since last time. Just keeps on getting better and better. Everyone who saw us on the first run we see again.”

“This time we’re seeing a lot of people come to multiple shows.” Adds Raj. “Even first timers, they’ll see us on one thing and then have driven to another city to see us again on the same run. So that’s been really amazing.”

Again, a helping hand in all this came via airplay and an on-air session for BBC Radio 6 Music with Marc Riley. An annual tradition now, the quartet are regulars on the show with Riley, picking up the start of their tour with an appearance in late August – their third time in session.

“That never really gets old.” Says guitarist Raze Regal. “The coolest part about it is that you know the history of his show and just the history of people, the greats performing live on the BBC, so it’s a special thing to do every time.”

As well as being a cool experience for the band, it’s also an excuse to test out their backline gear and perk them up for live shows, as Raj tells us with a smile. “…We’re also pretty jetlagged at the same time, so it’s kinda throwing ourselves into the fire each time.”

This time around, the band flew in from the states with a guitar missing, straight into the session with Riley. A guitar ended up being provided to them at road-side during their travels, circumstances which are now par for the course.

“Invariably the airline will lose something.” Says Joel. “It’s kind of a crapshoot as to what they’re going to lose. The last time that we went, it was my keyboards – didn’t have my keyboards, so we had to last minute rent some stuff that barely worked.”

The first time around, the airline ended up going all in, losing all of their musical equipment and leaving them out of pocket with rental fees. As if there aren’t enough obstacles to overcome as part of a touring band.

“You’re jetlagged, you’re getting off the plane. Then it’s like, playing to – you can’t see them, but you know there’s many people listening. You get a little cognitive dissonance when you’re doing it, like – oh we’re just in a room with my friends and Marc, who’s a really nice guy. Oh wait, now we’re playing live for a million people.” Says Joel with a laugh.

Raj pipes up that on top of the lack of guitar, it was almost curtains for the bass too, as its owner Eli Eckert explains. “The airline locked my bass case. They have some key that can go in any TSA case…”

“Had to jimmy it open…” Adds Joel. “Just the trials and tribulations of a touring band. This is not for the fainthearted, you know? A lot of people wouldn’t be able to deal with this stuff.” The others laugh as we discuss the strength required for such endeavours. “You go to the bathroom, you cry a little bit, you come back out, put on your big boy jeans and get out there and do your best.”

Fans travelling to see them off the back of hearing them over the wireless and lost luggage thanks to the airlines fits in with the aesthetic of Once & Future Band, an outfit that look and sound of a certain period. Sounding very much like they would’ve rubbed shoulders with stadium-prog bands of the 70’s, appearance wise they’re throwbacks too, particularly Raze and his chunky tie/leather jacket combo and Joel who has something of a toned down Dr John look to him, mixed with Kurt Russell in The Thing.

Our first taste of the band came via ‘How Does It Make You Feel?’, the opener to their 2017 self-titled debut album, a blissful burst of ELO sounding pomp. Seeing them live, it’s a tough one at first to consider whether it’s a cleverly put together set up, or whether they’ve been transported from the past to the present day.

“I wouldn’t say that would be a thing that we set out to do…” Says Eli on consciously choosing a music style.

“It’s more like DNA.” Adds Joel. “Also the thing I think that I love about this group is that the things that people get from it – and it’s often accurate ‘cus it’s a part of our past or something – it’s always really different. People come away with stadium prog, other people will get yacht rock or AM Gold… I think that just comes from post-modern eclectic tastes. Bands are so precious about a sound or genre, I think that we just never really had that thing… I like The Buggles or whatever.” He laughs.

“This whole band is just an opportunity for us to take everything that we like about music and put it in unabashedly.” Considers Raj. “The whole reason we have this band is to do exactly what we wanna do, whether it’s any genre, anything. It’s not really what we think about, it just comes out that way.”

“Exactly – take some rap-rock, throw in a little bluegrass, some new country.” Says Joel as the band laugh. “Laughter ensues. Because that was obviously a joke…”

Things have been cooking up for some time now between the players in the band. Joel and Raj have been at it for 22 years in various projects, whilst Joel played guitar in Eli’s band Drunk Horse. Not long after the release of their ‘Brain’ EP, guitarist Raze finished the puzzle (“…fate and kismets aligned to bring us Raze and he just fit in instantly, you know?” – Joel)

Originally released through Mouth Records, it wasn’t long before the ‘Brain’ EP found its way into the hands of Castle Face Records label man John Dwyer, thanks to a suggestive friend of the band who cornered Dwyer at a party in San Francisco and forced him to listen to the four track record (no easy task, given it nears the thirty minute mark!) Having known him through their days in Drunk Horse playing shows with his former band Coachwhips in Oakland, California, their helpful friend laid the groundwork for Castle Face to go on and reissue the EP as well as their 2017 full length, Dwyer describing them as “total prog wizards” and “accomplished gentlemen of many former pursuits”.

On the other hand, a reviewer for the debut full length suggested “for every tune that sucks me in, there’s an overcaffeinated flourish that makes me retch” (“Do you have a name of who said that exactly?” – Joel) Missing the point entirely, it’s a penchant for lengthy songs and these occasional wig-outs that act as the energised, sugar-coated cherry on top for the band.

“I don’t think we can help it.” Says Raj of the frequent desire for an “overcaffeinated flourish”.

“For me, it is enjoyable to be outrageous.” Adds Eli, the others quick to agree. “When it just feels like you’re taking things to this level it’s almost like – can you do this?”

Joel suggests with a laugh it’s almost as if they each get off on it, being able to gain personal satisfaction out of pushing things past the point of acceptability, which moves to guilty pleasures and others possibly not having confidence in their own taste in music and worrying about validation from others.

“There’s no guilty pleasures, only guilty listeners.” Says Raze. “Also for me sometimes, I feel like the element of hazard or danger is underrated. You might try something on a record or in live situations, like – can we pull this off?”

“Totally – we’re very good at writing beyond our ability.” Adds Joel. “We’ve been touring on these songs for a couple of years now and I still don’t really feel like I have ‘em. I can never just sit back and be like cool, I’ve got this in my sleep.”

“If we reach that point, we probably wouldn’t wanna play them anymore.” Sums up Raj.

Next month sees the release of the latest Once & Future Band album ‘Deleted Scenes’, out through Castle Face again, with the Dinked special edition treatment here in the UK featuring beer coloured vinyl and a three track flexi disc accompaniment. At the time of interview however, the record still needed finalising and there was some uncertainty as to where and when the finished product might end up. What they did know though was that, as they’d done with the previous album, the new record would be self-produced.

“We’ve done, as you guys would say, bits and bobs…” Reveals Joel with a laugh (getting me bang to rights as that phrase was literally written on the sheet of questions). All the mixing and engineering is picked up by Raj too, who has steadily accumulated gear over the years throughout the recording process. The band all pinpoint being able to take control of the process from the beginning and through all the important steps as a key point to their work, giving them the freedom to write as they record.

“It’s great to be able to do things on our own time in our own schedule to our own liking, ‘cus we’re all control freaks and perfectionists.” Says Raj. “We’ve tried to do it the other ways and it just never comes out the way we want it to.”

Whilst details were few at the time, the band were confident that ‘Deleted Scenes’ would be much bigger and different from what they’ve done before, representing where they’re at in the here and now.

“I kind of feel like it’s a good mix of where we were and where we are.” Says Eli.

“I think it’s all pruning the same tree, which is Once & Future Band.” Says Raze. “At the end of it, that’s what it feels like to me.”

‘Deleted Scenes‘ is out 10/04 on Castle Face Records – Click here to buy!

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Live Review: Prettiest Eyes at The Deaf Institute in Manchester 09 March 2020

Words: Andy Hughes

Trust Manchester to welcome a band out of California with heavy winds, gloomy skies and freezing bike chain rain… It’s Monday night at The Deaf Institute and topping the bill comes Prettiest Eyes – last seen with these eyes when they opened for Oh Sees in Glasgow last year. The band are signed to Castle Face Records, label of Oh Sees front man and living leg-end John Dwyer and seeing them live in the flesh, it’s clear why he’s a fan. Dab hands at playing full pelt, noisy, energising workouts, they give it out in spades.

Arriving at the venue later than planned, the rumbling from above sounded like enough to crumble the foundations. Up the flight of stairs and through the double doors, the sound was even more deafening as I entered the main room for another glimpse of Prettiest Eyes. Last time around they were spread out across a much larger stage at Queen Margaret Union, keys player Paco Casanova with an array of kit spread over what looked like the dining room table, whilst bassist Marcos Rodríguez had lots of room to manoeuvre, dancing and hip-swinging about the stage. Even though Manchester had them housed in a much smaller venue, Rodríguez still found room to move about as he inspects every inch of the stage, his big cowboy hat planted firmly on his nut.

Big single ‘Don’t Call‘ – from 2018 LP ‘Pools‘ – comes out early on, crunchy at times, hypnotic throughout, it sees Rodríguez slide his bass across the keyboard of Casanova as Paco wigs out. I love how animated Casanova is behind his setup, thrashing his hair back and forth, jumping up and down and making the most of the tiny amount of space he has to work with. The whole band aesthetic is great in fact, all dressed to kill – two heavies up front in black, whilst behind sits drummer Pachy García, all smiles, in bright white and red.

García announces it’s their second time in Manchester and that they’re mega appreciative that people have made their way out for it. That bloody Coronavirus and the heavy rain may have impacted the turnout, but it’s still all guns blazing from the three up-front. One lad directly in front of stage goes mad regardless of turn out – likely to be found going just as crazed whether they were playing to 1 or 100.

Drummer García stands atop his kit at one point, singing with just the microphone in hand on a much slower number. He’s then back to business, thundering along and hammering away at the kit as Casanova goes all 70’s psych tripped-out behind the keys. Not long after, Casanova is puffing on an invisible zoot and grinning from ear to ear during the raging ‘Marihuana‘.

‘Alright, I’m Ready To Go‘ sees Rodríguez up to his old tricks again, this time angling his bass over the drum kit, pushing it towards García as the drummer continues to play, smacking the kit as well as the fret of the bass. Whilst all this is kicking off, Casanova runs up and down on the spot as the song flies ahead at breakneck pace. Rodríguez is then off on one, full into the groove as he rubs his back up and down the velvet curtain at the side of the stage, like a bear against a tree, before hopping over to the other side of stage to gyrate on the steps, leaning his shoulders against the low ceiling as he sways from side to side.

‘It Cost’s To Be Austere‘ comes on last – a song to rival ‘Don’t Call‘ in terms of its catchiness (that bloody bassline!), the tune building and building until it reaches crunching euphoria. Following the big hitter, the band almost manage to escape off stage, but the will of the crowd prevents them and they end up playing another, finishing on a wall-shaking rager as they pound out an ear-splitting conclusion. Fingers crossed next time around the weather’s picked up and we’re virus free!

(Photo Credit: David Fearn)

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Editor’s Picks: Top 50 songs of 2019 – Part Two

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?

Laundromat – Humans

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.

Cate Le Bon – Daylight Matters
(Reward)

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.

Steve Mason – No Clue
(About The Light)

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.

Metronomy – Salted Caramel Ice Cream
(Metronomy Forever)

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.

Oh Sees – The Daily Heavy
(Face Stabber)

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!

Omni – Sincerely Yours
(Networker)

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.

N0V3L – To Whom It May Concern
(N0V3L)

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.

Orville Peck – Dead of Night
(Pony)

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.

Pizzagirl – Ball’s Gonna Keep On Rollin’
(First Timer)

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…

Pottery – The Craft
(No. 1)

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.

POZI – Engaged
(PZ1)

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.

Public Body – Talking Show
(Public Body)

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.

Purple Mountains – All My Happiness Is Gone
(Purple Mountains)

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.

Ty Segall – Taste
(First Taste)

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.

Sleaford Mods – Discourse
(Eton Alive)

‘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.

Snapped Ankles – Tailpipe
(Stunning Luxury)

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.

Squid – Houseplants

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.

THANK – Think Less
(Please)

“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“.

Uranium Club – Grease Monkey
(The Cosmo Cleaners)

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.

USA Nails – Smile
(Life Cinema)

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!)

Vital Idles – Break A
(Vital Idles)

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.

WAND – Walkie Talkie
(Laughing Matter)

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.

Warmduscher – Midnight Dipper
(Tainted Lunch)

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.

WOOZE – I’ll Have What She’s Having
(What’s On Your Mind?)

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 – Bad Blood

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.

—

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!

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“Always writing, always looking ahead”: An interview with John Dwyer of Oh Sees

Words: Andy Hughes
(Photo Credit: Mini Van Photography)

“Hey there, human kids,
Lift your face out of the feed trough and pluck that feculence from your ears. Hark! A sonar blip from beneath the pile of bodies. Boop, blip ughhh….
People churning like a boiling swamp. Man, this din is nauseating.

The screen flickers for the first time this year with a transmission from two months in the future:
“the internet has deemed guitar music dead and you are free to do whatever the fuck you like ….long live the new flesh!”

That John Dwyer, eh? Quite the wordsmith, his prose to hype up every record he puts out reminds us of the sort of hyperbolic barking we used to hear from the TV as kids, parodied in the likes of The Ren & Stimpy Show and Action League Now! His long-running genre shifting outfit Oh Sees, of which he’s the vocalist, guitarist, electric bagpipe player and much, much more, recently put out their latest release ‘Face Stabber’, one pitched by Dwyer for fans of “fried prog burn out, squished old-school drool, double drums, lead weight bass, wizard keys (now with poison), old-ass guitar and horrible words with daft meanings.”

Out last month on his own label Castle Face Records (run with Male Gaze frontman Matt Jones), this year has also seen the reissuing of a number of early Oh Sees records (when they were going as The Oh Sees and Thee Oh Sees), starting on the 2006 release ‘The Cool Death Of Island Raiders’ and following up with 2006 EP ‘Graveblockers’ (encased in a brown paper packaging) and 2007’s ‘Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion’.

On top of their own releases, Castle Face also champion new releases from all manner of cult favourites, from Aussie songwriter Alex Cameron to early King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard material, California trio Flat Worms to dearly missed Mancunian post-punk outfit DUDS. Fingers in many pies and that’s just scratching the surface.

Having drafted in many players over the years, Oh Sees are currently racing through time as a five-strong outfit – Tom Dolas recently joined the mix on keys, rubbing shoulders with regulars Tim Hellman on bass and the double-trouble team of Paul Quattrone and Dan Rincon on dual drums. Just this month the band completed their second EU tour of the year and late September sees them back on the road in the US.

Before they jump back in the van and hurtle across America, we managed to catch Dwyer for five minutes to pitch him a number of questions, which he was kind enough to answer for us.

Your new record was announced via the 21 minute ‘Henchlock’. The 21 minute single and an album called ‘Face Stabber‘ seems very on trend for Oh Sees… Following on from that humorous nod of the head from The Hard Times (releasing a new album before the release of your actual new album), is this wink to the camera something you encourage or just how things fall into place?

I don’t know what hard times is but you can’t take yourself too seriously I suppose, we certainly don’t. The world is serious enough to be in the depths all the time, so it’s good to have a sense of humor. The other option seems to be misery.

On that thought, in the entertaining blurb that accompanied it, it’s suggested to the naysayers – “If you don’t like it then don’t listen bub“. Do you think this is a fitting motto to sum up the ever-changing creature that is Oh Sees?

Sure, in the words of one vexed david bowie “fuck the critics”.

‘Face Stabber‘ is an expansive piece of work and is released pretty much a year on from ‘Smote Reverser‘. Aside from reissues, it’s seemingly the longest period for a while that there hasn’t been a new Oh Sees LP on the shelves. How long were you stretching out in the studio for this time around? How did it all come together?

We do about a record a year. The word prolific gets thrown around almost as if it were an insult in the press (time for a thesaurus yall) but we usually write a proper record a year and then have some improvisational release or thereabouts for fans more than anything. We are always writing, always looking ahead. No reason to get bogged down with details and opinions, life is too short.

Some band’s struggle with and never quite make it past their first album, yet we’re now in double figures with Oh Sees – Is there a patented John Dwyer secret to the vitality of being able to put out these wonderful releases?

Try to surround yourself with good people and players… I personally try to make note of things that bother me about others and almost always I am guilty of the same behaviors so I guess I try to limit those actions to be less insufferable as a person.

Instrument wise, you’re partial to an electric bagpipe now and then, in a live setting you’re forever tinkering with various odds and ends. The new LP opens on what sounds like a revved up dog chew toy… Any favourites adopted throughout the process this time around?

The ewi is a pretty fun new thing I’ve been messing with – an instrument that seems to be almost entirely associated with corny fusion (which I am partial to) but trying to make more textures than solos seems to be a good path with it.

(Photo Credit: Thomas Girard)

You’ve said previously that you love to be consumed in art – whether that’s your own or somebody else’s. The aforementioned ‘Henchlock’ and tracks like ‘Scutum & Scorpius’ are lengthy expeditions, one’s you can melt into the sofa and froth at the mouth to (should you choose…) Are songs like this just the tip of the iceberg? Are there ever sessions where you boys just go all night?

I could easily write a one hour song. I’m sure that would go over well ha. We do play ad nauseam riffs, it’s the only way to explore everything we are capable of – we then whittle everything down.

On the subject of being consumed by art, did you have much inspiration going into this record that you clocked throughout its process?

Just life as it is. We went in with one idea but that never happens to be the case. It always surprises me.

From hushed beginnings in the early days with Bridgid Dawson to acid washed, double-drumming prog workouts, with all manner of things in between – The new record has been described as “Soundcloud hip-hop reversed, a far flung nemesis of contemporary country and flaccid algorithmic pop-barf”… Have you got a favourite era throughout the whirlwind rush of Oh Sees?

Always it will be the next record.

You’ve previously said of your solo work under Damaged Bug that “It’s my meditation – I love doing it”. Is there more to be expected under this guise? 

I’m working on it. This one is taking longer and now I’m kinda buried in ideas. Next I’m going to start deconstructing what I’ve done and rebuild.

Outside of playing music, you’re a pusher too – Whilst I assume you’re asked this all the time, as a label that grants a seal of approval, do you have any Castle Face Records release/bands you’re particularly fond of? We’re particularly high on the Minneapolis Uranium Club and Alex Cameron (We recently spoke with Al Cam, who called you “The Godfather of the music scene“)

God SO great. Yeah, I love them all. It’s expensive to put out records so why not be in love?

Lastly… You’re obviously working on new material right? Any inklings as to how and when we can expect a follow up now ‘Face Stabber‘ is birthed?

Exactly one year. We are waiting for Pitchfork to go behind the paywall so we can get a piece of that sweet sweet Conde Nast money. We are ready to be bought by a conglomerate as well. Anybody got Rupert Murdoch’s email? 🙂

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“As long as my girlfriend likes it then I’m happy”: Alex Cameron talks new album ‘Miami Memory’

Words: Andy Hughes

“That was more effective than I thought it would be – dislodged something…”

It’s early morning in New York and over the phone, Alex Cameron is coughing up what sounds like a lung. I’d originally planned to call him the previous morning, but he rescheduled in a daze of apologies and mind-slips, understandable given the difference in time zone, with our call being made late afternoon in rainy Manchester. Sounding a touch shaky, he tells me he’d just arrived in Queens, having flown from LA to NY, singing for the past seven days and pushing his voice to the limit.

Should you be familiar with the work of Aussie singer-songwriter Cameron, this all sounds familiar and on brand. His debut album ‘Jumping The Shark’ dealt in characters burning the candle at both ends, having setbacks and their spotlight taken away from them. The characters have evolved ever since, with his online and live persona showing a man who lives and breathes being the entertainer – working hard on a quest to make money every night, coughing and spluttering all the while.

Perfected straight-faced funny, such characteristics were on display in a live album released earlier this year, recorded at the Swedish American Hall in California a few years back (aptly titled ‘Live in San Francisco’), released through cult tastemaker label Castle Face Records. The record came about when the great John Dwyer, one of the bods behind Castle Face, sent Cameron an email out of the blue back in 2015 with a view to having him join their ever-growing roster. Whilst at that point it wasn’t to be, Cameron ended up doing a show or two with Thee Oh Sees, Dwyer’s prolific genre-shifting outfit of the past twenty years. One night, Alex wound up running the merch table after a sold out show (“Earned a shit ton of bread”), with Dwyer ultimately plonking half of the earnings into Cameron’s open palm, because fair is fair.

“I was like, who the fuck is John Dwyer?” Says Cameron. “This guy is a motherfucker. He’s like the Godfather of the music scene. I mean that quite seriously”

‘Live in San Francisco’ captures a moment in time for the character of Cameron, seven of its eight tracks being taken from the aforementioned debut, the in-between chat mostly po faced, ran through a nonsense filter. Whilst the quirkiness remains today, Cameron has shifted somewhat, following even more character work on the 2017 hit ‘Forced Witness’. September sees the release of his third studio album, ‘Miami Memory’, one in which the main narrator and person in the spotlight is mainly Cameron himself.

Title track and first single ‘Miami Memory’ arrived whilst we were away on holiday in Italy and by the end of the trip, ‘Eating your ass like an oyster, the way you came like a tsunami’ became a daily quotation. Sounding like the real deal just one song in, it made sense that Cameron – along with bearded saxophonist and business partner Roy Molloy – put in the graft in an effort to try and shift ‘eating ass’ up the charts.

“I saw it was on a few different charts. I don’t know what the charts are anymore – there’s charts on the internet, there’s charts…” Alex tails off. “There seems to be charts everywhere.”

Seemingly flabbergasted, he remarks “It’s a mystery to me”.

The official album announcement followed not long after with the release of ‘Divorce’ – hilariously triumphant in its instrumentation, it deals in very real pettiness (moving to lodgings in Kansas City with friends that own “a motherfucking futon couch”), with a video that – even for Cameron’s standards – is a bit oddball.

“I think it’s the most successful we’ve had it. I think it’s the most amount of people that have been involved, ever. You can feel it – You can feel the numbers.” Says Cameron of the internal rumblings that followed. “You can feel the amount of people that are on board. It feels good. It’s hard to really focus too much on it though, because it’s so far out of my control that I can’t really explain it or take credit for it… It’s just something that is there. I’m grateful for it, but because I can’t really control it, I don’t wanna fixate on it too much because I’ll become superstitious.”

“I just like to observe it, like a weather event. Less like something that we created, more like something that’s just happening and has always happened.” Adds Cameron. “But it’s happened to other people, not us.”

The announcement came back in June with a run of tour dates listed for autumn and beyond. I was curious to know just how hard it is to sit on such things, knowing you’ve got a full album ready to go and a host of towns to tour.

“I’m always eager to get the music out.” Says Cameron. “I don’t really like knowing that something is finished and I’m not allowed to share it. It’s not the best feeling. I guess for that reason I get a little unsettled, but it’s never really to do with anything – I just want people to hear it.”

Listening to ‘Miami Memory’, you get a sense for the inspirations Cameron is working with and songs like ‘Gaslight’, ‘Bad for the Boys’ and ‘PC With Me’ evoke memories of pop classics you might have heard driving about in the car with your mum as a kid – cuts from the likes of Billy Joel and Van Morrison. Discussing the music he had in mind during this particular period, Cameron pulls up a spotify playlist he gave to the rest of the band – reeling off a few numbers from the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Pusha T, Bob Dylan and Scott Walker (“It’s a pretty fucking good playlist.”)

In addition to Mink Deville and local pub-rock lot Cold Chisel, Cameron tells me he was listening to a lot of Marianne Faithfull (‘Broken English’) and Thin Lizzy at the time, finding inspiration in both.

“Thin Lizzy, it’s just the kind of music that I put on repeat. There’s a song called ‘Running Back’ that is just… astonishing.”

In our house, Cameron’s songs have become the kind that we can put on again and again, random lyrical snippets now part of our regular vocab. There’s no denying the catchiness of these hits, and I put it to Cameron that he has a knack for producing memorable pop songs – the kind that you can sing over and over (wait till you hear the chorus on ‘Miami Memory’ opener ‘Stepdad’).

“I only really listen to songs that I can listen to 100 times.” Says Cameron on this. “I listen to music and I just sponge up everything about it – the lyrical phrasing, the structure, tempo, feel… I listen to that song only for potentially a week or two. One album for potentially three or four months – Just listen to that. That’s kind of how I listen to music. Not listen to a lot of different artists, I listen to one album.”

It’s difficult to read people over the phone and Cameron rarely gives the game away, even if what he says might sound like a work. On this though, one can believe his listening habits – That he listened to Bob Dylan’s ‘Infidels’ “for about two years”, or the aforementioned Marianne Faithfull album ‘Broken English’ for months on end.

“I don’t have an encyclopaedic knowledge on music or music facts, so I can’t really have an educated discussion with people… But I do know every single musical moment on that one particular album.” Cameron continues. “I think studying music in that way, listening to it in that way, has given me an obsession with making music that you can listen to 100 times. I certainly have listened to this new record 100 times. It still feels good to listen to.”

To craft a record the listener can return to again and again, you need a crack team behind you to make it work. For the new record, production duties were down to Jonathan Rado and Marta Salogni, who between them have worked with the likes of Weyes Blood and Father John Misty (Rado) and Björk and Frank Ocean (Salogni).

“I knew Marta was gonna be an extremely good experience as an engineer, she’s the best in the world. I’m very comfortable saying that.” Cameron says of the Italian born producer. Having been friends for a number of years and with Cameron wanting to work with her all the while, he managed to tie her down during a period of time off, something which he doesn’t believe he’ll be able to accomplish again.

“She’s working with legitimate mega stars. She’s just a pro.” He adds. “I kind of got Marta on board to work the record so that I could just have someone I trust to do the job that they know how to do… Having her in the studio to record with Rado, they clicked. They’d met a few times before, they’d always wanted to work together. There was not a lot of tension, zero arguments, just flowing. The record just feels like that to me, you know? There’s no speed bumps, it’s just victories. Smooth sailing, everything came together so well. The vibe was so positive and we just fucking nailed it. Fucking killed it, it sounds so good.”

With Rado helping out on keys and synth, the other players include regular live collaborators Henri Lindström (drums), Justin Nijssen (bass) and Holiday Sidewinder on vocals (“Did I say Jack Ladder on electric guitar?”) There’s also a random guest spot from the day someone passing the studio asked if their piano accordion playing abilities were required (“He smashed it, man.”) Then there’s the man with the sax, Roy Molloy.

On ‘Live In San Francisco’, Cameron recalls one of the first times he laid eyes on Roy – “The spirit of the act” – spying him stuffing lemons in a storm water drain as a child. Last year, news sites picked up on a story in which Roy had saved a child from drowning in stormy waters at Rockaway Beach (which Cameron tells us may have occurred when the pair were a little bit high…) As much a part of the show as Cameron, he regularly engages the audience with compelling reviews of the stools he perches on and whenever he lets out a burst of brass, the enthusiasm from the audience is something else. Cameron is just as enthusiastic in telling us one of his favourite Roy stories, from when the pair played with The Killers in Melbourne.

Having done some recording work with frontman Brandon Flowers, the Cameron brand got a major boost when the mega pop vocalist cited Cameron’s debut album as one of his favourites that year. The Killers therefore thought it only right to have the business partner’s join them on tour, even accompanying them on stage for a cover of Men At Work hit ‘Who Can It Be Now’ on one occasion. Not enough just to have Roy sat awaiting his sax part, they instead put him behind a white stage curtain, with Roy’s shadow glowing and lit up to the 15,000 people in attendance.

“What followed was just honestly one of the most magical live things I’ve ever seen in my life…” Says Cameron, telling us of the curtain being dropped and a topless, greased up Molloy joining them all on stage for the powerful saxophone solo.

“It’s one of the most magical things I’ve ever seen.” Says Alex, almost choked up. “He fucking killed it.”

Choking up on the subject of one of the most important people in his life to another, from the album announcement to press following, the singer’s real-life relationship with Jemima Kirke has been one of the main focus points in the lead up to ‘Miami Memory’, with Cameron describing the album as a love letter to his partner. Having met at a party in Manhattan back in 2016, the pair have worked together on numerous videos for Cameron – from obsessives in ‘Stranger’s Kiss’, the small-town weirdo relationship of ‘Studmuffin96’ and the voyeuristic nature of the title track from his latest release. Cameron acknowledges the accomplishments of Kirke and how beloved her work is, particularly her starring role in the hit US show ‘Girls’.

“She’s extremely observant.” He says, nothing the couple had discussions regarding her role in his life and becoming a part of the narrative of his career.

“Her position is basically, like – don’t let my name get in the way of the fact that it’s an album that you wrote.” He continues. “She’s very conscientious and aware that her name carries a lot of attention with it. She’s very thoughtful in terms of the promotion of the record. Jemima’s the first person I’ve come across who understands – she can be a little cynical, as can I, about the machine – but the same time she understands the need to work and the process.”

From reading the interviews he’s given to talking through the ins and outs of the album, Cameron describes working with Kirke as a joy.

“She’s just really kind of involved, extremely supportive. I’ve never really experienced anything like it before.”

With it ultimately being a love letter to Kirke, I queried how this had gone down with her, given that it’s a lot of pressure to put on someone. With a chuckle he suggests she accepted the dedication with grace.

“She has extremely good taste in music… It’s refined and she knows what she likes. So she’s thoughtful and considerate, but then sometimes she won’t like something, other times she’ll love it.”

“I just wanted the songs to resonate with, really, one person – my girlfriend.” Says Cameron. “I figure that if the song… If I could feel that it was generating emotions within my girlfriend when I played her the music – A lot of the time I was playing her the songs on piano before they were recorded. On one occasion she was crying, next one she was laughing, another one she was blushing. I just wanted to get reactions out of her. As long as my girlfriend likes it then I’m happy. The thought of making my girlfriend happy was really, I guess, based on the fact that I subconsciously was wanting to write a record more personal than character based, I guess.”

Seeing Cameron for the first time a few years back, it was the lady in my life that coined the term ‘woke-pop’ for his tale of over the top mega-masculinity in ‘Marlon Brando’ – The video of which was directed by Kirke. ‘Marlon Brando’ is another one of Cameron’s songs you can’t help but sing along to, with the catchiest of choruses, even though its topic and lyrics are just a touch unsavoury. On the new record, there are similar tales, with recent single ‘Far From Born Again’ highlighting a familiar stance from men when it comes to sex workers and ‘Bad For The Boys’ featuring a laundry list of male cliches living in the past and struggling to get past the “good old days”.

“The conversation is out in the open now.” Says Cameron. “I don’t think that men have evolved or changed that much – their behaviour – it’s just now being spoken about. There’s a community of people who experience it, who can get together and talk about it. It exists.”

In a climate where men seem to have lost the plot in a lot of ways, it’s refreshing to hear songs explore such topics, something which Cameron acknowledges ties in with the record being something of a present for his other half.

“I really wanted to show Jemima that she’s not going crazy and the men in her life, the men in her friend’s lives, the men in my life are capable of these behaviours. We understand them. At least I understand them.” Says Cameron. “I wanted to sort of show her that – I get that you’ve lived through these kinds of behaviours.”

With social movements as powerful as #MeToo, Cameron has it spot on when he suggests that the conversation is now out in the open. General day to day interactions – even something as simple as walking to the shops – bring with them a set of challenges for women and this is something Cameron wants to acknowledge to his partner, to “show her that she’s not crazy”.

“I think all women have gone through, to some degree, what I’m singing about on the record. I just really wanted to focus on the fact that these women survive this type of behaviour from men, which I know so well from just being around guys. I just want to show Jemima that I know what she’s been through.”

‘Miami Memory’ lands this month (via Secretly Canadian) and following its release, Cameron hits the road for a run of live dates throughout Europe and North America. Whilst coming over the pond is not without its difficulties (“The UK can be challenging for us, frustrating. We’re used to sun and clean air…” Jokes Cameron), there seems to be an affinity between UK audiences and the singer. With him being able to “feel the numbers” this time around, I put it to him that this could be the one that really sets it up for him.

“I’ve been doing this for so long, I’ve learned not to put a lot of focus on that, you know.” He humbly responds. “I’m just happy that we’re selling tickets to our shows – the only tangible thing that I can control. I can’t think into the future and maybe we’ll be household names next year. I just think, ok – let me look at the ticket sales, let me promote the shows and make sure I’m fit and ready to go to come through in time to put on the show that we wanna put on. The only thing you can control, that’s it. The only thing that gives tangible results straight away. When you’ve done a good show, you know that feeling and that’s the feeling that you chase. In the meantime, you hope that more and more people buy the record, more and more new fans find the music and are into it. That’s stuff I can’t really control. I can control whether or not our show is good, so I focus on that”.

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Album Release Rundown – Pijn & Conjurer, Oh Sees, Blanck Mass, Oso Oso and Cultdreams

Words: Ben Forrester

August is without a doubt the busiest album release month of the year and 2019 is no different, maybe even more so than before. This week we have five releases on review – to be honest, it could have been more, but we’ve decided to pick the best releases due out this week (August 16th). I can honestly say that all of these releases are coming out on some of the hardest working labels around, so please be sure to support the artist by picking up a copy online or at your local record shop.

Pijn & Conjurer – ‘Curse These Metal Hands’ (Holy Roar)

Last year saw Pijn and Conjurer become two of the UK’s most exciting alternative metal acts. Their excellence was duly noted by the organisers of ArcTanGent festival, who commissioned them to perform a collaborative set at last year’s festival. As well as being asked back to ATG this year, the fruits of their labour have finally been committed to tape. As expected, this is the most perfect hybrid of what these bands do best. It’s got the furious, heavy AF riffage of Conjurer mixed with the spine tingling atmosphere of Pijn. But what we ultimately get is a group of friends having fun – from Thin Lizzy inspired solos, Queen style frills and the uplifting stomp of Baroness (you’ve all seen the memes by now).

It’s still dark and heavy, but it’s really cool to see these bands bring in new shades of colour with some really uplifting moments; ‘High Spirits‘ is a completely joyous and fist pumping opener. Pijn guitarist Joe has done an amazing job with the production, lifting up these massive, euphoric riffs whilst also making exciting sonic shifts to reinforce the progressive nature of both bands. I love the big natural drum sound captured here, which gives the ending of ‘The Pall‘ a BIG percussive bite, while ‘Endeavour‘ begins on angelic, choir like harmonies before descending into hell with ferocious distorted growls. We knew that this meeting of minds was always going to come out on top, but it’s the depth and care that’s gone into ‘Curse These Metal Hands‘ that elevates it into one of the best heavy records you’ll hear this year!

Oh Sees – ‘Face Stabber’ (Castle Face)

Another year, another Oh Sees LP. Y’all know the drill. John Dwyer and his merry men are back to put a spring in our step with their 22nd full length! Following on from the jazz prog vibes of last years ‘Smote Reverser‘, ‘Face Stabber’ is a mixed bag of styles and sounds but as always is bound together by fearless musicianship. We are tossed around from 2 minute garage punk work outs to stretched out, psychedelic passages, including maybe one of the bands longest tracks on 21 minute jazz odyssey closer ‘Henchlock‘.

I know that the band love a wig-out and there are plenty of fans that will be well into these moments, but for me this lot really slay when they’re keeping it sharp and to the point. ‘Gholü‘ and ‘Heart Worm‘ are fast and furious, with fuzzy as fuck guitars and the forever raging three man rhythm section going hammer and tongues underneath Dwyers distinctive vocal cackle. I also need to point out the vintage groove of recent single ‘Poisoned Stones‘, which might be one of my favourite Oh Sees tunes ever! When they put a bit more restraint on their songwriting they just seem unstoppable to me, in fact in places I am reminded of the energy that ‘A Weird Exits‘ brought to the table and made me listen up in the first place.

It might not be their most consistent release, with a few skippable tracks for me, however when it rips, it really rips and it’s great to see them getting back in our faces more and riffing the fuck out!

Blanck Mass – ‘Animated Violence Mild’ (Sacred Bones)

Benjamin Powers has created the most explosive and apocalyptic soundtrack of the decade with his Blanck Mass project. His fourth full length continues where the blistering ‘World Eater‘ left off, keeping the beats heavy but the melodies catchy. If anything, the beats are even busier and more pummelling than before, while the melodies can flicker between euphoric euro rave and sugary sweet k-pop. This is of course all blended with cutting synths, distorted keyboards and over driven death metal vocals just to fuck your head up even more; the final seconds of ‘Death Drop‘ are particularly brutal.

Although melodically this is the catchiest Blanck Mass release to date, this is also his most forward thinking and I love how everything blends so well together. It’s not only very consistent as a piece of work but extremely cohesive too. It’s a challenging sound, but there’s so many uplifting ear worms throughout this that almost throw you off guard; the beat and bass line of ‘No Dice‘ are so chunky but then you’ve got this super sweet synth line sprinkled over the top that will refuse to leave your head. The balance of heavy and infectious is perfect here, it may take a moment to get your head around everything, but I would advise you just let it absorb your mind and send you on a freaky but beautiful trip.

Oso Oso – ‘Basking In The Glow’ (Triple Crown)

I remember hearing Oso Oso’s second LP ‘The Yunahon Mixtape‘ late 2017 and falling head over heels with its earnest college rock sound. After a banging two track single last summer, Long Beach resident Jade Lilitri returns with his third full length. ‘Basking In The Glow‘ is another absolutely belting collection of punk-pop tinged emo, but this time he’s really taken the ‘album’ concept into consideration. In my mind it takes a classic album format, opening on a scene setting, acoustic driven intro that leads into a run of sunshine pop bangers. ‘One Sick Plan‘ hits the mid album acoustic ballad mark but in a much more intimate and lo-fi manner, moving back into punk-pop smasher territory before ‘Charlie’ closes out one of Oso Oso’s most moving and expansive tracks to date.

I’ve always been a fan of albums that have a clear beginning, middle and end and this works so well in delivering Jade’s tightest and most focused record. Everything has been taken up a notch; I mean it still stays in the pensive yet catchy emo pop category, but melodically this is sharper and shinier sonically. I hope this is the moment that the rest of the world cottons on to the brilliance of this songwriter and how god damn good his songs are.

Cultdreams – ‘Things That Hurt’ (Big Scary Monsters)

Late last year, UK emo darlings Kamikaze Girls changed their name to the well suited title of Cultdreams. Here we stand in 2019 and the two piece are ready to unveil the much anticipated follow up to 2017 debut ‘Seafoam‘. In classic sophomore style, Cultdreams return with an album that retains all the elements that made their debut so grand, but naturally they have created an even bolder statement in every way. Musically, this still sees them blend shoegaze, grunge and punk in an eloquent fashion, but this is a much more assured step up. The post-rock inspired dynamics of ‘Born An Underdog‘ makes for a super strong opener, the chorus of ‘We Never Rest‘ is heart racingly beautiful and the urgent, passionate grunge rush of ‘Not My Generation‘ all help lift the band to new sonic heights.

Lyrically, we see guitarist and vocalist Lucinda go deeper than before with some of her most personal thoughts spilled out. Previously, Lucinda has spoken very honestly about her mental health but here she tackles the very tough subject of loss which makes for some extremely heart wrenching moments, especially on the poignant ‘Flowers On Their Graves‘. ‘Things That Hurt‘ is a brave and beautiful album from a band that keep getting more confident and fearless with each new release.

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Live Review: Flat Worms at YES in Manchester 25 June 2019

Words: Andy Hughes

Big day for Tim Hellman this week. Having announced a new double LP as part of Californian face-melters Oh Sees (aptly titled ‘Face Stabber’ – via the unearthing of the 21 minute saga that is ‘Henchlock’), he spent Tuesday evening in Manchester with his bit on the side, Flat Worms.

Whilst Flat Worms have yet to reach the dizzying heights of a 20+ minute psych jam-a-thon, the Los Angeles based trio are just as raucous and ear-splitting as the long running Oh Sees, opening up their show at YES in fuzzy fashion, with feedback ringing out as they bashed through opener ‘The Aughts’. Barefoot Tim sang backing into a microphone raised high above his head, joined by drummer Justin Sullivan, thunderous in his hammering, and vocalist Will Ivy, aiming his guitar high toward the ceiling on the solo.

The night before they were over the way in Salford, in session for BBC Radio 6 Music with Marc Riley, playing four new ones in the process, all from a forthcoming record in the making to be recorded later this year with Steve Albini and put out on Ty Segall’s label GOD? A number of new ones got an airing Tuesday night too, with ‘Condo Colony’ and ‘Market Forces’ notably flying the Flat Worms flag in ticking boxes for being LOUD and FUZZY.

Whilst the weather remained gloomy outside, Flat Worms looked swell in the Pink Room of YES. Ivy extended his gratitude to the staff for painting the room the colour of their first LP and it’s from their late 2017 self-titled debut where the hits came quick and fast. ‘Question’ saw arms throughout the crowd raised and the chorus hollered back as Ivy deadpans “What do I do with that?” ‘Motorbike’ and ‘Pearl’ rumbled along in noisy fashion, the opening riff on the latter getting whoops from the crowd. ‘Pearl’ in particular sounded delectable, the guitar squealing and howling as Sullivan and Hellman frantically worked out a ripper of a sped up ending.

“Thanks to all of you for being out on a Tuesday.” Said Ivy in the middle of it all, the crowd well into everything on offer and just as grateful for a visit from our American friends. Their latest release ‘Into The Iris’ had everyone moving their feet, from the pummelling ‘Surreal New Year’ to the super cool bass heavy ‘Scattered Palms…’. ‘Shouting At The Wall’ comes into life via an extended, slowed down intro, before firing off at full speed, Justin mouthing along the words whilst banging away throughout the chorus. It’s the title track that got the pints raised high in the air, its chorus called back with much gusto before it reached its frantic close.

Gone for all of 30 seconds, Flat Worms thankfully came back out to much applause, launching into a new one in typical breakneck fashion, before the lengthy, brilliant ‘Red Hot Sand’. The crunchiest of build ups had anticipation rising, before that mega riff rang out and dancing shoes were put to good use. A lad in front mimicked said riff to his unimpressed girlfriend, whilst a lass to my left air-drummed along with Sullivan, the trio up front bringing the evening to a wild, deafening and triumphant close.

There’s a reason the rooms get bigger whenever Flat Worms return – these boys are the real deal. Get in whilst the getting’s good!

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