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: In the run up to the release of their debut album ‘Nude With Demon‘ (on Wrong Speed Records),The Web of Lies answer a series of inane questions!
Have you ever seen a dead body? Tim: Too many. Ed: Too many.
Who is your favourite Simpsons character? Tim: I don’t watch American shite. Ed: Mr Burns.
What T-Shirt are you wearing? Tim: I’m wearing a shirt, I’m not a child. Ed: A Simon Joyner t shirt.
What did your last text message say? Tim: It’s one of those scam Royal Mail texts I think. Ed: A meme someone sent me, it’s rude.
What’s the last song you listened to? Tim: Always been a liar – The Thumbs. Ed: Messesque – Sweet Spot.
How did you meet the people in your band? Tim: I met Ed at the yellow pub in Bangor in 2006. I haven’t met the rest of the band. Ed: Gigs, mostly.
What’s the first record you bought? Ed: Can’t remember. Tim: Gary glitter oof.
What was your favourite VHS growing up? Tim: Didn’t have a TV growing up. Ed: Naked Gun, Hot Shots part Deux, police academy, Bottom Live.
When was the last time you cried? Tim: Two days ago watching a pixar. Ed: Watching a YouTube about Owen Hart.
Have you ever kissed someone & regretted it? Tim: No. Ed: Nah.
Best Physical Feature? Tim: Fuck off. Ed: Same.
Worst physical feature? Tim: Fuck off. Ed: Same.
Reasonably ok/not bad feature that you’re not fussed about? Tim: Fuck off. Ed: Same.
Do you have any pets? Tim: I have two dogs, border collies: Marc and Paul. Ed: No.
Ever picked up any injuries on tour? Tim: Never been on tour! I have a fucking job thank you very much! Ed: Yes, a few. I have a scar on my face from walking into a door at my sisters house after a gig in Bangor.
What did you do for your last birthday? Tim: Went for a walk. Ed: Honestly can’t remember.
Name something you CANNOT wait for? Tim: My operation. Ed: To see my son when I get home from work.
Do you have a crush on someone? Tim: Come on grow up man. Ed: Grow up.
What’s the shittest experience you’ve had as a musician? Tim: Stepped on dog shit onstage in Sea Croft. Ed: Most of them.
If you could go back in time, how far would you go? Tim: Dinosaurs. Ed: Same, obviously dinosaurs.
How do you want to die? Tim: Quietly, no pain. Ed: Same.
What’s your favourite thing about pizza? Tim: It’s a pizza. Ed: The bread probably.
What are you craving right now? Tim: Ciggies. Ed: Sleep.
Have you ever been on a horse? Tim: No come on now. Ed: No.
What did you dream about last night? Tim: I don’t dream. Ed: Squashing myself dead.
If you could go back in time and kill the baby Hitler, would you? Tim: How old are you?! Ed: Yea, would love to kill a baby, no problem u fucking creep.
Do you like Chinese food? Tim: Yes. Ed: I like most food regardless of origin.
Have you ever been on TV? Tim: Yes. Ed: No.
Ever meet someone famous? Tim: Ian Rush. Ed: Ian Rush.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Tim: Fuck off. Ed: Never growing up, lol XD
‘Nude With Demon‘ is out February 25th 2022 via Wrong Speed Records!Grab a copy or two 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!
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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.
In the past, we’ve had the likes of Sweet Babooand SHOPPINGin the hot seat talking inspirations, but for this edition we’ve reached out to the folks at one of our favourite indies – LDN label UPSET THE RHYTHM – who are celebrating their 15th Birthday this month! To coincide with this big-boy birthday, they’ve had a week’s worth of shows up and down the country, culminating in two big shows this weekend in Salford and Cardiff! Details of these can be found here.
Across these shows they’ve been showcasing their diverse roster, so we got to thinking – what’ve been their favourite releases from these artists over the years? Label man Chris was happy to tell us!
DOG CHOCOLATE – ‘Tesco Flag’ (Moody Balloon Baby, 2018)
“A timely anthem questioning notions of national identity done that classic Dog Chocolate way with humour and waywardly wonky panache. Every Dog Chocolate song is saturated with the concerns of life on ‘planet what’s next?’ and their wry take on this really marks them out, thoughtful, considered and often important insights hidden within some of the truly most laugh-out-loud dollops of song imaginable.”
ROBERT SOTELO – ‘Brother You’re Complicated’ (Cusp,2017)
“Andrew Doig is a genius when it comes to abstracting songs into new dimensions, his arrangements for rock group, brass/woodwind trio and electronics are as welcoming and diverse as his take on everyday existence. I just love this song, I listen to it on repeat all the time, it’s so simple and catchy and true in sentiment, which is a lot harder to do than it seems. Serene pop of the highest calibre from one of the UK’s real-deal, next level auteurs of sound and sensibility. So excited for his next record this summer too, ‘Infinite Sprawling’, his cat Raspberry is also a legend! The company they keep!”
“Rattle are a duo from Nottingham, Katy and Tez, seeing how they’ve developed their practice over the last few years has been one of the most rewarding and inspiring things to witness, they are masters of the low and highs, percussion turned into landscape, turned into impulse. ‘Disco’ is a great example of how they’ve pushed their approach of duelling drums and vocalisations into vast vistas of experimental dance sensation and primal lift. Total Euphorics, tension and release. Quite simply they make music that’s unique and celebratory of intuition, just magic music / music magic. Also, here’s a special shout out to Mark Spivey, what a wizard of the dub delay, a third member for the third eye even.”
“Trash Kit make me proud to be a record label, to get to work with these three, deeply creative and endlessly awesome individuals is the stuff of dreams. With each record they bound into the future with all the charm and musicality of their debut record intact. Now the focus for them has edged towards a perfect construct of the personal politic and the profound, quiet, almost unnoticed observations that we all make through each day without realising their true significance. ‘Medicine’ marks a magnificent turning point for them, as the band started to tangle with longer-form songwriting and stretched the fabric of their compositions into smart new shapes, they began to run away with refrains and unlocked the dancefoor. Everything Trash Kit do is astounding to me and forthcoming record ‘Horizon’ is no exception, look out for that in July!”
“Sauna Youth are modernist punks from London, book-smart heroes of the underground in all its varied multitude of forms. ‘The Bridge’ is one of my favourite tracks we’ve ever worked on and the video is a remarkable distillation of everything they excel in. A clever, pointed, abstract and ultimately natural expression of the human experience. They bring it live like a comet soaring through the stratosphere, the room crackles with energy, it makes you come alive, become, truly connect.”
GUTTERSNIPE – ‘Loaded From Vector Trap’ (My Mother The Vent, 2018)
“Put simply, Guttersnipe rip a hole in the very reality of time, space and sound. I could have chosen any song by the Leeds duo as they all 100% deliver you into their chasm of chaotic splendour. Seeing them embraced by a world often wary of the word WEIRD makes me feel like there’s a new hope for the multiverse. Turn it up, flip out, step through the portal, magnify and disintegrate.”
“Careful Extracts is what great music really should be, it occupies, confounds, surprises and opens you up to dimensions previously un-wondered at. I think Vital Idles are one of the most essential bands out there, they speak into thought process, they deconstruct the very nature of song. The music reigns/rains hard, Jess’ lyrics are nothing short of stunning muses on the poetic verse of now. Consciousness spills from this song, beyond excellent, excelling.”
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Whilst you might think you gain cool points from catching a band just as they’ve put out their initial demo or limited run cassette, the real musos start paying attention well after the release of the debut LP. Or rather that’s what i’ve been telling myself, having only just discovered Glaswegian outfit Vital Idles.
Their brand new EP, out this week on Upset The Rhythm– An LDN label we’ve become quite fond of these past 12 months – follows a sold out debut 7”, two self-released demos and last year’s ‘Left Hand‘ LP. In and out in just under 10 minutes, it’s very much an attention grabber from the off.
‘Careful Extracts‘ brings to mind the racier, fast-paced moments of their Aussie label-mates Terry, whilst opener ‘Break A’ captivates with its building tension and striking yelps from vocalist Jessica Higgins.
MANCS – Catch them up this way at The White Hotel in Salford for the Upset The Rhythm birthday party to celebrate 15 years in business. They’ll be joined by the likes of Sauna Youth, Dog Chocolate and Trash Kit – tickets here!
Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to go and search through their back catalogue…
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