The Jesus And Mary Chain - 35 Years of PSYCHOCANDY (album review/retrospective)

 

For a decade in which the discovery of clean future-speculative sounds of synthesisers began to define pop music, it seems strange that such a noisy album would rise to prominence. It’s influences are just as unorthodox as it’s arrangement and as such has allowed it to remain as one of the biggest unintentional influences to the shoegaze genre, as well as alternative rock as a whole.

Taking influence from pop and rock groups such as The Beach Boys and The Velvet Underground, as well as girl groups such as The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las, Psychocandy is the essence and melody of 60s pop pushed through the overdrive of punk rock. And by pushed through the overdrive of punk, I mean pushed to it’s very extent. The Jesus And Mary Chain’s detached pretty-boy attitude was seldom seen in British music at the time and ignored the sheen of new wave in a raw demeanour, making it the perfect visual counterpart to the band’s sound. If the “less is more” attitude was gospel in punk rock, then in The Jesus And Mary Chain it remained a sacred text.

The sound of Psychocandy is mainly typified by heavy layers of feedback, achieved through use of distorted fuzz and reverb pedals. With this, the album unfolds into a divide between slow, melodic songs juxtaposed with fast, energetic punk tracks. The album’s two opening cuts remain the best example of this. The opening track, Just Like Honey, drenches you in walls of fuzz as feedback-laden chords ring out through the song. It’s beat, unmistakably lifted from The Ronettes’s Be My Baby, ensures a gentle pop melody upon the track, mirroring the harshness of the track’s fuzz-generated white noise. It all comes to a head when the guitars phase out and only the drums and “It’s just like honey” chorus can be heard. It almost feels like you’re being rewarded with a time to rest after being walked through the album’s most intense emotional buildup. Waking you up from Just Like Honey’s distorted gentleness is the crashing chords of The Living End. Three chords, ear-splitting white noise and an attitude to melt Lou Reed’s heart is all the song needs to juxtapose it’s melodic predecessor. Psychocandy’s sound hits you like a blanket of cold water. It crashes in a way that soothes you in one breath and gets your blood rushing in another.

When reflecting on the past 35 years since the release of Psychocandy, it isn’t hard to see the niche influences it’s had on alternative rock as a whole. The album’s flurry of feedback and fuzz would go on to define the “wall of sound” guitar philosophy in the shoegaze movement. Some of the genres biggest bands, such as My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Slowdive would take the Psychocandy guitar sound, played alongside dreamscape melodies, becoming the defining sound of shoegaze. The band’s style in general would also become visually iconic to many bands from the early 2000s alternative rock scene. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Kills and The Raveonettes would all mirror The Mary Chain’s dark detached appeal and introduce it to a new generation. The album would even inspire Richard D. James started making electronic music as Aphex Twin, but of course only as refuge from how “bloody awful” he thought it sounded.

Psychocandy is a rare occurrence. It takes a popular concept and imbues it with enough niche and interesting ideas to shoot it off into an entirely different space. With bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth taking influence from it’s guitar sound, it’s fair to say that Psychocandy essentially set up the foundations for the bands that gave guitar music one of its last breaths of fresh air. Psychocandy’s abrasive white noise might not be for everyone, but those who can appreciate it will also appreciate how The Jesus And Mary Chain pushed 60s bubblegum pop into punk overdrive and inadvertently influenced an entire niche genre as a result, with that influence remaining untapped to this day.

MOVIES NEED TO STOP BEING SERIOUS AND GRITTY AND JUST THROW A 100 GECS SONG IN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD

A love letter to the horrible movie tie-in soundtracks of old, 

by Selene Brown

The Dark Knight. Shutter Island. 120 Days of Sodom. Titanic. What do these movies all have in common? They’re crap, and their creators are cowards. The reason why? Not one of them features at least 1 song by acclaimed experimental music duo 100 gecs.

Dylan Brady and Laura Les have refreshed and revitalised music for the upcoming decade of the 2020s. The Beatles have been left in the dust behind the screeching repetitive beats of the gecs and their distinctive brand of scenecore, happy hardcore and whatever else they can find while digging through that great big rubbish heap we refer to as music genres. Think: nyan cat if it discovered System of a Down and DMT. Sounds class right? And yet, none of today’s filmmakers will give them the attention they deserve, and cement an emotionally resonant scene in the pantheon of film legend by placing the soothing sounds of ‘Money Machine’ over it. The pitiful film industry of today is more concerned with “authentic, emotional, auteur” cinema that the Academy will gawk over and does nothing for the common people. 

The people have spoken, and the people simply desire to see Jason Voorhees slice up innumerable and unmemorable nubile teenagers while ‘Hand Crushed By a Mallet’ plays softly over the carnage. That is all we ask.

DAY 7: BLACK SABBATH - BLACK SABBATH (1970) - 7 Days of Halloween in Music

 Happy Halloween!

As with all the spooky albums I’ve covered this week, Black Sabbath’s debut is a brutally haunting affair as it takes no liberties in using it’s sound to give you a terrifyingly unique experience. However, Black Sabbath’s sound does not completely rely on cheap attempts to frighten the listener. From front to back, each and every song on this album holds a gloomy and uncompromising quality which perfectly displays a genre of music at its boiling point, immediately before it would go on to influence rock music for the next 50 years.

The eponymous opening track instantaneously hits you with a statement of Black Sabbath’s atmosphere. After opening with the sound of rain and a bell chime, you’re given three notes, of which come together to create one of the most unsettling riffs you’ll ever pay witness to. It moans and wails of impending doom, making careful use of subduing the riff during the verses in order to emphasise its intensity when it kicks back in. Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, with his barebones singing ability at the time, comes in to gloom his voice over the track, with his dreary and hopeless style only further adding to the song’s dark mystique. To add further to the uncanniness, there is no chorus to be heard in the track, making it not only an incredibly unique display of 70s rock, but one in which it’s norms are shifted in order to give you an unsettling experience.

Accompanying the title track’s tritone riff are a plethora of memorable songs and classics amongst Sabbath’s discography; the harmonica-inflected stoner rock of “The Wizard”, the instantaneously catchy power chord riff of “N.I.B.” and the unsettling atmosphere of “Sleeping Village”. All of these tracks would become staples of Black Sabbath’s sound and helped define them as one of the key bands in classic rock.

However I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of metal nerds worship this album to no ends, and so I’ll go where no man has gone before and actually give it some criticism. With the album being a product of 70s rock music, most of the songs are built off blues chords and scales. Whilst this is one of the key components in the album’s gloomy sound, it can make it a somewhat tiresome experience in an age when blues music has been returned to and forgotten about multiple times over the past 50 years. For example the track “Warning”, whilst an incredible track in its own right, contains a lengthy guitar jam section which makes the number just over 10 minutes long. Whilst these are not glaring issues with the album, it’s easy to see how modern audiences could be turned off due to many aspects that were derivative of the time the album was released.

In retrospect however, Black Sabbath’s debut is the Godfather of all gloomy British music. It signified the death of the flower power generation, and the introduction of a generation that was marred by the horrors of the Vietnam war and the fear of Satanic panic. Along with Sabbath’s second album, Paranoid, released the same year, it would not only go on to create the genre we know as heavy metal, but also influence numerous musicians for decades, even those from outside the rock genre. Black Sabbath is a behemoth in classic rock music, and for that reason you should give these tracks a spin this Halloween:


BLACK SABBATH

THE WIZARD

N.I.B.

WICKED WORLD

DAY 6: JACULA - IN CAUDA SEMPER STAT VENENUM (1969) - 7 Days of Halloween in Music

 

Jacula’s apocalyptic debut is something seldom seen amongst the deeper cuts of late 60s progressive rock. Hailing from Italy and devised by multi-instrumentalist Antonia Barocetti, their debut album initially consisted of organs, piano and other foreboding sound effects. However, the re-release of In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum in 2001 saw the band superimposing heavy metal guitars over many of the organ sections, causing the album to lose much of its original obscurity. Despite this, the album still holds an enjoyable mystique in its grandiose displays of hellish prog rock, recorded intermittently between practices of mediumship, in which the band members spoke to demonic spirits.

Separated into 6 tracks (the subtlety shouldn’t be lost on you there), In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum’s sound foreshadows the coming apocalypse. The first of two 10 minute tracks “Magister Dixit”, which translates to “The Teacher Has Said It”, seems to transcribe a warning of this coming apocalypse that the album focuses on. The piece pushes it’s monumental organ chords on you as it progresses further into intensity, with the last segment of the song constantly changing key in a way that feels completely unsettling, as a familiar organ sound is played in a completely unfamiliar way. It’s a strong example of how the album taps into the occult themes that were prevalent around some experimental rock bands at the time. Where bands like Coven portrayed their Satanic themes through an approach similar to a campy 60s horror soundtrack, Jacula does so without compromising any of the haunting qualities of their themes. As such, it’s a shame that many of the album’s organ sections were tainted with distorted guitar overdubs.

One of the most intriguing aspects of discovering Jacula is the way in which they played their Satanic themes completely straight, with organs and pianos giving the listener a truly haunting demonic experience. However, the guitar overdubs playing what sounds like rejected Celtic Frost riffs only end up making the album a far campier affair. Part of the mystique of Jacula is that they had all these intense and apocalyptic musical ideas before early black metal bands such as the aforementioned Celtic Frost we're bringing them into the kitschy side of 80s metal. It seems that in adding these guitar superimpositions, In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum loses much of its initial intrigue.

Despite the liberties that the album re-release takes, Jacula’s debut is still absolutely worth checking out. There was no other musical project like it at the time, as it seems to take the pretentiousness of progressive rock and fill it with a completely taboo theme, of which the album uses its genre’s prestige to provide the listener with a truly haunting affair that foretells the coming of Satan himself. Added to this is the fact that the album was recorded in between sessions of the band members speaking to spirits through use of a medium, as well as the fact that the album was never kept up to date in a back catalogue, makes In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum an intriguing and wholly unique record, especially for it’s time. It holds all the mystique that 90s black metal bands would eventually attempt to emulate, before Jacula was even rediscovered through the internet. For that reason I think you should give these tracks a listen:


MAGISTER DIXIT

TRIUMPHATUS SAD

IN CAUDA SEMPER

DAY 5: THEE OH SEES - GRAVE BLOCKERS (2006) - 7 Days of Halloween in Music

The sound of Thee Oh Sees’s debut couldn’t be further removed from the band’s sonic qualities of today. 14 years following this EP, they’ve consolidated themselves as one of the most prolific garage rock bands of the 21st century, with a discography of energetic highs and mind-numbingly repetitive lows. The band has even mustered up three releases during the covid pandemic. Disregarding their monstrous discography however, I thought I’d take a look at the band’s creepy lo-fi folk inception as though it may not be some of their most groundbreaking material, it’s beautifully terrifying vibe makes it a unique gem.

Grave Blockers is essentially a skeletal collection of tracks that would make up much of the sound of Thee Oh Sees following this EP. Though their usual ear-splitting garage sound is nowhere to be found here, I’d argue that's what makes it such a unique release. The opening track “I Agree” has a similar sort of sound to what the band would explore on one of their most popular tracks “The Axis”. It’s eerie folk chords creep you into a track drenched in reverb and delay. Whilst the lyrics ironically contradict each other between the two sets of verses, vocalist John Dwyer uses the reverb and muffled effects on his voice to give the track an almost alien-like personality. Overall the track holds an eerie tone between its cold folk chords and minimalistic percussion, making it a unique deep cut in the band’s lengthy discography.

Complementing the album’s gothic folk numbers are a collection of disjointed and unorthodox tracks which make up the latter half of the EP. Songs like the moody psych folk piece “I Am Slow”, with it’s sampled seagull wails, and the album’s two electronic drone tracks, fittingly titled “Drone #3” and “Drone #4” are all examples of the early experimentation that the band would dabble in. The band would eventually return to some of their minimalistic droning sounds throughout their career, with last year’s release “The 12” Synth” continuing some of these ideas. Overall, the album upholds it’s eerie tone throughout it’s unnatural track listing, making it an enjoyable underrated gem to delve into.

Whilst it surely isn’t the most groundbreaking EP you will ever hear, and certainly isn’t the most groundbreaking release in The Oh Sees discography, Grave Blockers holds a uniquely haunting sound, making it a standout amongst the band’s releases. The folk tracks provide enough wholesome eeriness to give Kurt Vile a run for his money and the album’s wider experimentation into drone should give long time fans something to reflect on, as Grave Blockers is only the beginning of a 21-album career that has spanned 16 years. Give these tracks a try this Halloween:


I AGREE

BURNING BRIDGES

I AM SLOW

DAY 4: ROB ZOMBIE - HELLBILLY DELUXE (1998) - 7 Days of Halloween In Music

 Or as Rob Zombie himself would like you to call it: "13 Tales of Cadaverous Cavorting Inside The Spookshow International".

For day 4 of this series, I really wanted to cover something ironically less grueling. Something I wouldn’t have to dig too deep into. Something a bit easy on my draining serotonin - ah yes! A late 90s crusty industrial industrial metal album! And what crustier collection of bangers is more perfect for this time of year than Rob Zombie's horror-adoring extravaganza?

With tracks that center around horror stories, movie monsters and sex with the dead, this isnt an album you should take as anything more than just being a good time. The first four tracks alone are instantaneous trademarks of Zombie's sound. It's a mix of hard hitting nu metal tracks with a slight electronic backdrop. One noteworthy track, Dragula, is almost like a dance-metal tune with a hauntingly cheesy atmosphere. It’s synths wail in the background before industrial drums kick in and soon the track edges it's way into an all out goth metal rager. The song has an instantly catchy groove, with it’s production really bringing out the pummeling industrial guitars in the mix, the likes of which make it no wonder why this track is a staple of goth clubs.

Rob Zombie's presence in general is what gives the album most of its personality. As he aims to embody your stereotypical horror b-movie monster, he growls and spits through his teeth as he commands you through each track. Many of the production techniques used, such as the overlayering of his voice, only further help to emphasise his role in taking you through a rollercoaster ride of monster movie worship.

On the surface, Hellbilly Deluxe is Rob Zombie’s love letter to classic horror. It’s a collection of fun little tracks that obsess over sex, death and video nasties. However, it’s also an assortment of instantaneously catchy and fun industrial tracks, allowing it to ascend its own period, and still give listeners lots of kitschy fun today. This is further helped by the album’s all-encompassing production. Get these crusty goth metal classics in your playlist this Halloween:


SUPERBEAST

DRAGULA

LIVING DEAD GIRL

MEET THE CREEPER

DAY 3: THE BIRTHDAY PARTY - JUNKYARD (1982) - 7 Days of Halloween in Music

 

If ever you needed the filthiest, loudest and most brutally intense post-punk record imaginable, then look no further than The Birthday Party’s Junkyard. Whilst their debut album, Prayers On Fire, was a stark statement of their experimentative sound, and their follow up EP, Mutiny, provided a more terrifyingly beautiful offering, Junkyard sits in the middle as a metaphor for the band’s haunted and decaying destructive sound.

Junkyard is raw in every sense of the word. As the title implies, the songs are scattered like broken and obsolescent piles of scrap metal, and as such Junkyard is heavy and unorthodox. Take for example the plodding rhythm of “She’s Hit”, in which the slow burning bassline ensures you with this intensely terrifying atmosphere. It almost sounds as if you’ve just come across this cursed piece of Americana blues. The same could be said for the non-album single “Release The Bats”, which bounces along with it’s gothic-sex-vampire-nightmare sort of theme. Honestly I have no idea what the song is supposed to be about but it gives an example of one of the most endearing qualities of vocalist Nick Cave’s lyrics, which at this point provided the listener with enough words and phrases to paint a picture in your mind whilst still displaying raw aggression through his incoherence.

In a way, it's the result of the band’s experimentation through this incoherence that makes Junkyard such a captivating listen. The album holds all the qualities of a tour through a decaying junkyard, and as such the band seeks only to make some noise and allow their musical qualities to come through with that. For example, guitarist Rowland S. Howard does not take the leading role that you would expect. Instead, his guitar sections burst their way into the album’s louder songs and creep their way into it’s more eerie songs. Junkyard forces you to wait and witness the intensity of his guitar playing as it adds to the album’s disjointed atmosphere, and when the pay off finally comes, it forces you to appreciate it’s raw power.

I think Junkyard is somewhat under appreciated amongst The Birthday Party’s discography, likely due to the fact that some of their biggest songs either appeared on previous releases or non-album singles, and that’s exactly why I think you should give it a listen this Halloween. It’s raw, uncompromising and it forces you to wait and appreciate it’s terrifying craft instead of allowing you to greedily take it in all at once. Give these hauntingly intense tracks a listen:


SHE’S HIT

RELEASE THE BATS

JUNKYARD

SEVERAL SINS

DAY 2: COVEN - WITCHCRAFT DESTROYS MINDS AND REAPS SOULS (1969) - 7 Days of Halloween in Music

Before Black Sabbath, there was Coven.

Coven’s debut is an oddity which at first comes off as an album that seems to be lost in time, which until the early 2000s, it sort of was, but only due to the result of the album being pulled from stores due to its dramatic presentation of occult themes. However, the resurgence of doom metal bands in the age of the internet seemed to propel Coven back into existence as people became slowly aware of this bizarre late 60s project that in terms of presentation, was quite far ahead of its time.

The album’s overt Satanic themes seem to solidify it as being outrageously dated whilst also being ahead of its time. In one breath, the constant references to Satanism played over campy, theatrical late 60s acid rock retains little of its shocking qualities after decades of pop culture’s interest in the occult following the early 70s. But in another breath, when taken into account the fact that Coven were so overly proud of their Satanic beliefs a whole year before Black Sabbath warned of Satan “coming round the bend” on their debut, and an entire decade before Venom pushed inverted crosses and pentagrams on their album covers, it makes the album seem all the more bizarrely intriguing.

Where Black Sabbath’s sound waned upon the impending doom of the early 70s with it’s heavily distorted guitar sound and Ozzy Osbourne’s desperate cries and wails, Coven’s debut is a more theatrical acid rock affair. Their sound is still tinged in the dark psychedelia of late 60s rock, one which presents the flower-power era at its breaking point. As a result, the album sounds far more theatrical and grandiose as it confidently celebrates it’s Satanic themes in tracks such as “The White Witch of Rosehall” and “Dignitaries of Hell”.

The album’s influence can even be heard in contemporary doom and stoner metal. Electric Wizard’s 2007 album Witchcult Today includes an eleven minute track named “Satanic Rituals & Perversions” in which Satanic rites are spoken over a fuzzy doom metal backdrop. In concept it isn’t too different to the 10th track on Coven’s debut, “Satanic Mass”, a thirteen minute track in which an actual satanic mass is recited in full. It proves that whilst Coven were unable to break out into any mainstream circles at the time due to their overtly Satanic themes forcing stores to pull their only release, the mystery surrounding their mere existence solidified them as a cult classic amongst doom metal veterans.

Coven’s dated sound certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but their defiance in their presentation and image as a theatrical Satanic themed rock n roll band is certainly something to marvel at in its obscurity. Oh, and they even had a song named Black Sabbath and a guy named Oz Osbourne before a couple of miserable brummies decided to take those ideas and revolutionise rock music as we know it. Give these tracks a spin this halloween:

BLACK SABBATH

WHITE WITCH OF ROSEHALL

WICKED WOMAN

SATANIC MASS

DAY 1: MISFITS - FAMOUS MONSTERS (1999) - 7 Days of Halloween in Music

The return of the misfits came off more as the return of a brand rather than a band. Following on from the band's comeback album, American Psycho, Famous Monsters, sounds more like a focus-grouped project rather than the return of one of the most celebrated bands in Punk, and that's exactly why Famous Monsters is so horribly entertaining.

All the elements of the band's original charm is there: short and catchy punk songs with morbidly romantic lyrics and a central theme influenced by 50s horror films. The band's new vocalist at the time, Michale Graves, added a more melodic inflection to the band's usual vocal style, trading much of Danzig's raw energy for something more hauntingly beautiful. It gives tracks like Saturday Night and Descending Angel a much different vibe that taps into the gothic side of the band. Given that the album had strong singles with this kind of energy it's not surprising that they influenced much of the ensuing emo pop generation.

In its quest to sell the Misfits as a product, the album does feel largely uninspired compared to the Danzig era material. However this only adds to its kitschy enjoyment. Guitars are blaringly loud and compressed, lyrical content focuses on 50s horror films because the band needed to do that rather than wanted to, and most of the deep cuts seem to lack direction in comparison to the instantaneously enjoyable pop production of the singles. If Danzig era Misfits was a "love it or hate it" sort of deal, then this era can only be typified as being "so bad it's good".

Famous Monsters is an imitation of The Misfits for the Scream era. It didn't seek to replicate the influence that the band once had but instead delivered it to a new audience. One in which horror became romanticized amongst teens and metal and punk bands were selling musuc as products rather than albums. It's a campy, overproduced product of its time and for that reason I think you should at least give these tracks a listen this Halloween:

SCREAM

SATURDAY NIGHT

SCARECROW MAN

DESCENDING ANGEL

HELENA


Thankyou for reading!

Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory 20 Years Later - Why We Need Albums Like This

 

Everyone’s music taste has to start somewhere, and the early 2000s provided a plethora of mainstream bands that filled out a certain niche or genre. Whether it was Green Day’s take on 70s punk or My Chemical Romance’s spin on 80s goth, there seemed to be a gateway band for any style of popular music. However, Linkin Park seemed to culminate several brewing musical ideas from the 90s, and put them forward in a widely-accessible album that would go on to influence an entire generation of alternative musicians.

Hybrid Theory is essentially a crafted blend of nu-metal, grunge, alternative rock and electronic styles. What makes this blend so special is that these styles had all been developing in mainstream and underground scenes throughout the 90s, with Linkin Park taking them all in and putting them forward in a radio friendly album. The notion of which I’m sure would turn some heads to scorn at. However, the difference with Hybrid Theory is that it seems constantly aware of its intended viability, and as such it treats itself accordingly by not throwing any ideas out there to change the game but instead giving a consolidated interpretation of the past decade’s most popular styles, all filtered through ear-grabbing pop production.

The result is a collection of tracks that may not have aged well in concept, but have seemingly resonated with audiences and influenced pop production since their inception. "Papercut" and "One Step Closer" are both nu metal inspired bangers, however instead of delving into the usual nu tropes of blind rage and excessive profanity, these songs take a more emotional lyrical approach. Vocalist Chester Bennington displays a hearty sense of power in his voice, as years of sex and drug abuse are channelled through his screams. Opposing the nu metal sound is the more pop oriented tracks, with In The End and Crawling being huge standouts, the latter of which was the bane of copyright-stricken Youtube videos in 2008. Both tracks work incredibly well as singles, with In The End essentially being a pop song to showcase every aspect of Linkin Park’s sound; the combination of Mike’s rapping with Chester’s chorus vocals that scream of struggle and failure, bolstered by Linkin Park’s inclusion of gritty distorted guitars and turntable scratching. In The End is as much of a surface level example of Linkin Park’s sound as you can get, with elements of the track having seemingly seeped their way into mainstream music following its success. Any top 40 rap song during the 00s had to have a cleanly-sung chorus hook as a result. Meanwhile the vocal stuttering, whilst clearly a product of its time, continues to be used in pop songs to this day. Tracks like In The End might be considered an entry-level song for Linkin Park’s sound and the genres it takes influence from, but in reality that’s the exact point of the song and the band thoroughly knew that. They do experiment slightly with their sound on tracks such as the guitar-driven “A Place For My Head” or the turntablist behemoth “Cure For The Itch” but the band never go too far outside their comfort zone to keep the album commercially viable. Linkin Park knew that people would come to this album without having an inkling of the genres of which they were influenced by, and they played their cards accordingly by giving them what they wanted and in a way, needed to hear.

In reality, what Linkin Park was doing in the US wasn’t too different to what Damon Albarn was doing with Gorillaz in the UK. Gorillaz sounded like a melting pot of the brit pop and hip hop styles of the 90s, the likes of which made the band instantly viable to younger audiences, no less helped by their visual counterpart. Personally, I would never have delved deeper into brit pop or the wider branches of indie music if it wasn’t for Gorillaz, and the same could be said about my love for Linkin Park getting me into heavier and alternative music, as well as hip hop.

Hybrid Theory completely sold me on Linkin Park when I was younger, and they soon became my favourite band as a result. For me, the album acted like a gateway towards the music I would soon get into. Metal, grunge, 90s hip hop and electronic music were all styles that I would soon discover as a result of this album’s infectiousness. So at the age of 21, when I watch videos of Mike Shinoda talk about the influences of Linkin Park, three years after Chester’s death, it comes as no surprise to hear him talk about how the Public Enemy and Anthrax 1991 tour influenced him to start blending rap and rock music. Or how the sound of Hybrid Theory was influenced by the chaos of The Refused’s “Shape of Punk To Come”, or how the stuttering effects on the album’s vocals were influenced by the glitchy electronica of Aphex Twin’s “Richard D. James Album”. These are all artists that I naturally got invested in over my years of interest in music, all of which were unknowingly the result of my love for Hybrid Theory.

I can talk all day about the appreciation I have for this album and what it showed me at such a young age, but what I really want to take away from it is the fact that we shouldn’t immediately ignore a popular album or band just because they are commercially viable. I’d argue that bands like Bring Me The Horizon have been doing a similar thing over the past ten years, with Oli Sykes even citing Linkin Park as an influence multiple times. Sure, they weren’t the first to do what they did and they might not even be the best at doing it, but they can bring that sound to a large audience and keep that audience hooked. Of course these bands and the trends that they follow will all eventually die out, but their impact at the time can bring you onto something you’ve never heard before. We can all cringe at the attempts of popular artists such as Billie Eilish and Yungblud to emulate alternative artists of the past in what seems like soulless, manufactured pop music. However, whilst I and many others do not enjoy their music, I think we should appreciate these artists for making it easier for younger audiences to get into the alternative music that influenced them, just like Linkin Park did with Hybrid Theory twenty years ago.

MGMT - CONGRATULATIONS Classic Album Review

Seeing as though it turns ten years old this year, I thought I’d put together a quick review of one of my favourite psychedelic albums. Enjoy!!

MGMT debuted with ‘Oracular Spectacular’ in 2008, a mostly commercially viable indie pop record, that spawned a multitude of hits that you’ll no doubt have heard played at literally any indie club night you’ve been to. Despite the level of critical acclaim for the album, it was clear that MGMT weren’t the most fond of being forced into making pop music to achieve success, as evidenced by the ironic lyrics of some of their biggest songs. Two years later, they released their answer to this: Congratulations, an electronic, psychedelic journey where no song could be picked for commercial airplay.

One thing MGMT nailed in their ever-growing quest to denounce their pop origins, is the ability to take you on a ride through multi-faceted songs. Some of the most popular songs on this album, such as Flash Delirium and Siberian Breaks, rely on multi-segmented structures. For the former, it almost sounds as if the band members are becoming more psychotic with each layer introduced. The song takes you through some recognisable psych-pop soundscapes, before holding things back with a choir vocal section, before finally pushing the song even further into interstellar overdrive in it’s frantic ending the likes of which you can only picture the band members' heads exploding as they finish.

Siberian Breaks on the other hand, is the perfect twelve-minute, multi-faceted example of the commercially-viable rejection that appears on Congratulations. Getting through the track feels like a journey. It introduces you with familiar territory - a folky chord progression before alleviating into a gentle, swaying psychedelic melody. Soon enough you’ll be thrust into an adventure with its dreamy highs and slower, melancholic lows. At times the music progresses through some sections with colder acoustic guitars and other sections with warmer synths that warp through the instrumentation. The song makes me feel like I’m sludging through the Siberian Alps on acid. Before you finally leave this adventure, the band gives you an outro that consists entirely of synthesisers, which only helps to emphasise and place importance upon the wide range of instrumentation and sounds that this song uses to take you on it’s adventure.

One aspect that greatly benefits the sound of Congratulations was the introduction of Spacemen 3 synthesiser maestro Pete “Sonic Boom” Kember in the production role. Almost 20 years after the success of his work with shoegaze pioneers Spacemen 3, and Kember has proved that he never really did kick the shroom addiction. Congratulations is complete with Kember’s use of tremolo, delay and layered synths that really give the album it’s warbling and colourful synthesiser setup. The glittering synths and dreamy soundscape of the title track is a definite standout for his work. 

It’s elements like the introduction of Kember that really make Congratulations what it is. MGMT wanted to shrug off their electronic pop roots and make an album that embraced their influences, so it’s no surprise that the Spacemen 3 member was placed in the production role. Adding to this are songs such as Brian Eno, and Song For Dan Treacy, both of which pay tribute to the musical icons in their title, who are evidently massive influences for the band’s mix of post-punk, psychedelia and electronic music.

As an album, Congratulations doesn’t really do anything wrong. It takes the sound of the band’s debut and pushes it in a direction that seeks to explore it. However, that exploration didn’t lead to MGMT seeking another set of smash indie-pop hits. Instead it takes risks with its attempts to take you on a psychedelic journey through MGMT’s influences, madness and attention to detail.

WAGTAIL - NINE SONGS ALBUM REVIEW

First thing that hit me about this new Wagtail album?: how uncompromisingly fucking weird it is. Realistically it has the intensity of a man trapped in a burlap sack being savagely kicked to death by Warwick Davis dressed as a Stasi Officer. Everything this album holds comes together as what I can only describe as lo-fi Americana. Each piece of it’s nine-song runtime, complete with trumpets, trombones and mellotrons, give the album the vibe of a bastardized film soundtrack lost in time.

Mostly, Wagtail’s debut is a collage of weird and wacky ideas that paint a lonesome and frenetic picture. Anything goes with this album’s attempts to thrust you into it’s warped and tuneful soundscapes. Nothing is held back on the opening song in particular, as “Slowly The Grease Drips” plays out like a spaghetti western soundtrack from hell, complete with layers of sound that forcibly drown a distressed spoken word section in the second half. This is complemented nicely with the swaying, moody grooves of the following track: “There’s No End”. Offering a more conventional structure, the track paces the album nicely after the insanity of the opening song, however it’s gothic grooves add a darker tint to the album’s story. Numbers like these are an instantaneous example of the band’s care-free, no boundaries approach to songwriting.

These differentiating styles and influences make for an incredibly exciting listen. One moment you’ll be caught with the sludging loneliness of “Where's The Money At?” before being thrust into the frantic psychedelia of “The Sleep (I Need My)”. The album’s merit lies in its uncompromising playfulness, leading the listener to not know what to expect next.

The only problem that listeners might encounter is the album’s production and mixing. At times the amount of layers of effects, instrumentation and noise can become overbearing in the mix. From the album’s perspective however, this is a complete blessing. Relating back to the aforementioned opening track, it’s spoken-word segment sounds almost as if it is being succumbed by the ensuing walls of sound that build up. As they continue to build, the vocals become more strained and desperate until the instrumentation closes in and ensues it. It’s almost as if the song’s protagonist is being slowly but surely strangled into silence.

There aren't many local releases that sound anything quite like Wagtail’s debut. It's a weird mix of lo-fi ideas that culminate in a multi-layered trip through Americana, psychedelia and folk, through which it tells a frighteningly manic yet joyful story draped in layers of reverb and noise. Definitely worth a listen if you’re looking for something care-free and creative during these trying times. 

You can purchase the album digitally or neb yourself one of the few remaining cassette versions here:

https://wagtail.bandcamp.com/

THE HUNNA / JAWS LIVE AT UNITY ARENA 14/09/20 Gig Review

Image courtesy of Will Gorman

If ever you wanted a trip back to 2016, a one which showed you everything you loved and loathed from that year, then this gig was it.

For a band that essentially played reworked versions of New Order’s Ceremony for their entire set, Jaws ended up being the most impressive act for the night. Whilst their indie pop jams are definitely beginning to show their age, their musicianship and presentation demands more praise than you would expect. Coupled with their porefessional performance ability, their repetitive lyrics and reverb-drenched jazzmaster tones will give them a dead horse to beat for years to come.

On the other hand was The Hunna, a band which accumulated a massive following during 2016/2017. This was somewhat attributed to their constant touring during those years, which itself has definitely paid off as the band’s drive to put on a good show was paramount during their set. They were definitely good at holding the audience to attention and keeping up an energetic vibe, despite the fact that their vocalist was the only member with any sort of stage presence. The problem is that this all falls flat when you actually hear The Hunna’s music. All of their songs (albeit one acoustic ballad) attempted the clean, powerful grooves of mid 2010s popular rock bands such as Royal Blood and Bring Me The Horizon, a sound itself that has already dated horribly over the last five years. These songs, with their repetitive lyrics and derivative musicianship, all seemed to mesh together into one big mess of soaring choruses and simplistic heavy grooves.

If anything should be taken away from a gig like this, it’s the outrageous nostalgia hit that I’m sure most older fans of these bands would get. If you had a good time with them during their early tours four years ago, then I’m sure you’d enjoy them now as their live shows seemed to have improved more than their songs. Even if you’re not a fan of either bands and never will be, it was still a nice opportunity to see a group of musicians get back to doing what they love for the first time in five months.

DAY 2 - THE UNHOLY COMMUNION OF NOISE MUSIC AND FUTURISM ART - FEATURING CHARLIE SANDERS

Mine and Charlie’s previous attempt to get one of these posts out every day ended up falling completely flat. Charlie has been working on multiple projects over the past few months and a daily project became too much for both our schedules.

As a result, he’s completely restarted the futurism piece into something that is already looking incredible. You can view the first steps he has taken in this new piece, as well as the music that influenced it below.

Also included is a short interview with Charlie.





What did you listen to and how did this affect the futurism piece?
I listened to the complete works of Edgard Varèse, Pulse Demon by Merzbow and Colour Quanta by Kim Cascone.

Merzbow - Pulse Demon (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukZYP5Dy43E


What influenced you to start the piece again?
I felt like I was being too restrictive with what materials I’d chosen for the window of time we decided to do it in, and I’d struggle to make something that properly expressed the experience accurately in that way.




What made you decide to work on a futurism-inspired piece?
Mainly due to futurism and noise music historically going hand in hand, as well as the visually chaotic look but with an underlying theme that felt like it really fit.

Toshimaru Nakamura & Kim Cascone - Blue Powder (2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL6rSPkU9H0


What made you decide to use noise music as an influence?
Mainly because I haven’t really sat to listen to it properly in the past, and this seemed like a good opportunity to have something come from it as well.

Edgard Varese - Complete Works Volume 1 (1951)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEtuTzdCr6s


How has music influenced your art in the past? Is it a key component during work?
Music is a huge part of my work in general, I always listen to music while doing work, it’s basically part of my entire process and it very much influences what I actually create in the end and the style and themes of the music come through.



I will continue to post Charlie’s work as he progresses on it, I won’t be sticking to a posting routine and rather will post sporadically until Charlie finishes the piece.

DAY 1 - THE UNHOLY COMMUNION OF NOISE MUSIC AND FUTURISM ART - FEATURING CHARLIE SANDERS

The first day into our week-long project with Charlie Sanders centeres around the music of  late 60s composer Edgard Varese. His work is credited as a major influence to electronic and noise music. Using it as a basis to influence the beginning of his futurism inspired work, Charlie had this to say:

"In regards to the music, it was interesting to listen to some more classical noise music since it wasn’t heavily electronic like how we think of most noise music now. I enjoyed the vocal segments on songs, specifically ‘Nocturnal’ I thought had a lot of depth, and the lyrics really added to the atmosphere of it. I found it much more universally ‘listenable’ than majority of modern noise music at least".

"Futurism from an artistic point of view is really interesting, the concept of trying to capture movement and power before the moving picture was widely accessible is a very interesting premise, but it’s understandable when viewed in the context of the time. With the second industrial revolution peaking, the combustion engine starting to overtake steam power, manufacturing of steel dominating the world, it was understandably an exciting time to be looking to the future". 

"You can see futurism reflected in the music I listened to today as well, lots of ramping up sounds like a car speeding up, or air raid siren like noises flowing around the rest of the instrumentals. It also constantly carried a feeling of urgency and unpredictability, which actually had my heart racing as some points honestly when I was wrapped totally in the music. Overall I enjoyed it a lot.

Listen to Edgard Varese's "Nocturnal", the track which has influenced the early stages of Charlie's piece, through the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN_5oUL_9xE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1nEYSQWmm5aOh-28oKKYJZp4THWVZu9u51lI8JrCv7nsMZmFV9XR805b8

We'll be back tomorrow night with another update on Charlie's exciting work.

7 Important Songs For Racial Discussion - Featuring Phibi Olumide

In a time as heated as this, it’s important to educate ourselves on the reasons why we’re fighting against racism. Seeing as though music has always been an important tool in pushing challenging ideas and questioning the norm, I got in contact with musician Phibi Olumide to help me collate 7 songs which we urge you to listen to. Each one tackles racial disputes, struggles and prejudices in their own way, making them extremely relevant to our current situation.

I also suggest you check out Phibi’s music on Soundcloud.

https://soundcloud.com/user-985268993/cycles/s-hMzjQPsI9RM


PHIBI’S PICK:

Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit (1957)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Web007rzSOI


“First song that hit me hard in my youth was Billie Holiday’s "Strange Fruit", it's still a hard song to listen to now really. I think that song is important because of how raw it is. How blatant it is. It doesn't let you hide behind the fact "slavery is over" because black people were still hung from trees long after slavery was abolished”.


RYAN’S PICK:

Rage Against the Machine - Voice Of The Voiceless (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4A0Qya23y0


It took great difficulty to pick a Rage Against The Machine song to fit this list as they have a full discography of material that comments on racial prejudice. However, “Voice Of The Voiceless” stands out as it commented on the unfair trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a Black Panther spokesperson convicted and sentenced to death over the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner. This was a very serious and real case at the time, with many including the members of RATM arguing that Jamal was innocent, with clear evidence that the case against him was racially charged.


PHIBI’S PICK

Jay Z - The Story Of O.J. (2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM7lw0Ovzq0


“I remember when I first heard this song, I showed my whole family. Jay Z sheds light on the mindsets of American people both black and white. No matter how rich you are or how important, you're still a n****r. He also says how frustrated he is when African Americans would prefer to get rich, rap about it and die young rather than invest that money into themselves and their community. I think it shows the destruction of the mind America likes to keep pushing”.


RYAN’S PICK:

Bob Dylan - The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (1964)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmbwU3J-2kk


Dylan’s 1964 album “The Times They Are a-Changin” presents the early 60s as an intensely divided time. “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” is one such track from the album that discusses racial prejudices in America at the time. The track explores the death of an African-American maid at the hands of a wealthy white man, who was only sentenced to six months in prison. Dylan doesn’t hold back in delivering every unfair and brutal aspect that plays into a situation involving prejudice in this way, it's one of his darkest songs as a result.


PHIBI’S PICK:

Earl sweatshirt - Chum (2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCbWLSZrZfw


“This may be a personal one since I'm multicultural and my dad looks white but there's a line in the song that I resonated with deeply "too black for the white kids and too white for the black kids". Earl is African American but he's into skating and punk etc. There's also pressure to be a proper "black person" and obviously there's always going to be issues staying with the white kids. Most people kind of feel stuck in the middle. Culture is important, race however should not determine someone's predisposition. Fucks with the mind when you're expected to be a certain way because of the colour of your skin”.


RYAN’S PICK:

Public Enemy - Burn Hollywood Burn (1990)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt1KfJhyMqw


Never had a hip-hop group ever been as unapologetic as Public Enemy. In their prime, they aimed to push challenging lyrics and ideas through energetic and loud production. “Burn Hollywood Burn” features none other than Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane, and it completely critiques black stereotypes in Hollywood. From referencing the use of black face to commenting on black representations as gang members on TV, Public Enemy hold nothing back in their callouts of racism and stereotyping in American film and media.


PHIBI’S PICK:

Dave - Black (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDUPSNdmFew


“One of the most uplifting and beautiful songs to hear as a black person truly. He talks about the struggles but he sheds light on the beauty of being black. I cried listening to that actually haha”.

COVID-19 VS THE LOCAL SCENE - THE FULL INTERVIEWS

Included below are the full interviews that were conducted for my “Covid-19 vs The Local Scene” infographic that was posted earlier this month. I asked each individual how lockdown has affected their work, their sales and how they promote. Most importantly included is an interview from Keiran Johnson, who’s interview unfortunately didn’t make the infographic due to time restrictions, but still gave some insightful thoughts on the matter.

I also want to thank everyone who has supported this blog over the past couple of months. I really thought my aspirations for journalism would go straight out the window in lockdown but your support has helped me to make something good out of this.

Please for the love of god, check out everyone who has an interview listed below. They’re all incredibly talented people who deserve your attention and support.

Stay safe my goons x



Keiran Johnson

Keiran is frontman for heavy rock throwback 4-piece Circa ‘69. Give their vintage sound a listen through their Youtube channel below.


“We don't operate as regularly as we usually would when I'm at York so it's all a bit different but obviously music now is super stagnant and we cant even practice with me locked down half way down the country. Our spotify/music service stuff is all on a steady incline and has only increased a little bit might be a long time in the future given the way the lockdown is being handled by the idiots in the government.”

“But overall the lockdown is a massive rub of salt in the fatal wound that is the NE music scene (pubs and clubs anyway, which I'd say is probably the most prominent scene as there's a higher level of activity).”

“As for advertising, most of it was done online but for the gigs and as there's no opportunity to rehearse and play music as a band on a scene there's no advertising.”

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTmcUIJJSx6vrE5nmuWH3mg?fbclid=IwAR3MtspPVImvzYSqKPU_QYJ7p7I1tmFiijMN1x_DZd3BELxdBrb1J6ODFxk



Charlie Sanders

Charlie is an immensely talented graphic design artist with a unique portfolio of work. He is currently available for commission work for album covers and other graphic design material. Check out his art through https://www.instagram.com/aviaryart.ncl/ or support his Patreon through the link below.

https://www.patreon.com/AviaryArt

“Honestly it’s actually been good for business as bad as that sounds, like people are tidying up like personal projects they haven’t had time to do in the past, and bands getting round to sorting a cover and finishing off the mixing etc. I’ve actually had about 5-7 music producers be in touch in the last 4 days asking to buy work or asking for me to make stuff for them for a cover, as well as requests for animated music videos and lyric videos.”

“People being inside literally all over the world has meant that I’ve actually been around to chat to people in the states and in east Asia when usually the time zones just wouldn’t fit together for decent communication. It’s been an interesting time, I’ve seen a distinct and pretty drastic rise in my followers and engagement on all platforms over the last 2 weeks.”

“For me personally it’s taken a while to adapt to being able to work from home decently since I usually go out to coffee shops and that to work but it’s made me go looking for other inspiration online and finding new artists, both visual and musical, to ‘stoke the creative fires’. But now I’m all settled in. I'm probably working better and more than I have before.”



Image courtesy of Charlie Sanders



Luke Stevens

Luke is the immensely energetic drummer for post-punk four piece Fowl. His talents are displayed perfectly through their most recent ‘Kool Aid EP’ release which is available to stream on Spotify. You can also support Fowl by purchasing their music digitally through the link below.

https://wearefowl.bandcamp.com/music


“I've been affected quite heavily by lockdown. Being a drummer it's always difficult to properly get practise in especially when I'm stuck in the house and all the rehearsal rooms are closed. I have an acoustic drum kit that's currently sat packed away in the corner of my room, which I can’t use due to the noise, so next month I'm buying myself an electric kit so I can start practising properly at home. I haven't touched a drum kit in 2 months now so I'm feeling very out of practise.”

“In terms of writing new material, me and Evan have both sat down individually and tried to write new riffs and lyrics that we could develop into songs, and we just send stuff back and forward to each other over email. I think writing new songs would be a great way to use our time but we already have a full album worth of new songs waiting to be recorded that we wrote in between November and March, so we aren't too concerned about getting new material written as such, but more keeping what we already have fresh in our minds so we can come to record it in a couple months time.

“We released our single Kool Aid in April which was a nice way to tell our following that we're still here and we're still trying to engage and be productive during this time. We also did a limited run of shirts which we made a small profit from which was helpful. As of right now we have 1 upcoming release which might be happening somewhere around June or July, it's a song called Sweatbox that I'm sure people will like and find pretty funny." 

"Before this whole lockdown thing happened we were hoping to have a full 9-10 song album recorded professionally and released around October but it’s really set us back for time, so we're hoping for maybe a December or early 2021 release but who knows at this point. I would say this lockdown has definitely stopped us in our tracks, as we've had to reschedule some pretty important gigs and recording sessions, but we're trying to use the time productively, as we're all looking at upgrading our gear and getting a better sound. It's a tough time for local bands and I think everyone needs to help each other out as much as possible.”



Image courtesy of Erin Earle



Neil Partington

Neil is a well known and respected DJ for venues such as the Dog and Parrot. Though he keeps his DJ work as more of a hobby, he’s still an insightful lover of music. Check out his Instagram through the link below.

https://www.instagram.com/neiljpartington/

“The lockdown has directly affected my DJ work by bringing it to a complete halt. My regular place of work has closed indefinitely and I'm out of work until further notice. Fortunately I have a 'real' job during the day so I'm okay financially.”

“As for my career as a DJ, who knows? I can't see how I'll be able to play again this year with the restrictions that will likely be in place when bars reopen.”

“I'm pretty fortunate that DJ'ing isn't my main income anymore. It's more a hobby for me nowadays. Pretty terrifying times for those whose only income is DJ work etc.”



Image courtesy of Chloe McAllister https://www.instagram.com/chloexlm_/



Finlay Ireland

Finlay plays bass and takes up lead vocal duties for the indie pop band Primary Colours. Though the band has been active for four years, their pre-lockdown gigs proved to be some of the most raucous in Newcastle. Listen to their music on Spotify or support them by following their Instagram page through the link below.

https://www.instagram.com/primarycoloursband/

“The main thing lockdown has done has stopped us from being able to practice/perform. Which means we aren't writing as a band, that doesn't mean we aren't individually writing but it only really comes together when you're all together as a band. The main promotion we do is for gigs or releases, with lockdown, it kills gigs and releases only happen with what we already have recorded.”

“Merch and gig money is what we rely on. Most of our merch is bought at gigs, without that, we basically haven't been making money.”

“I will say that when all this blows over, I hope people realize how vital music is. And support the artists they love, by whatever means.”




Image courtesy of Ben Payne https://www.instagram.com/_ben.payne_/



Harry Dargavel

Harry is an accomplished gigs and events photographer who honed his craft through capturing the intensity of the first Tits Upon Tyne event in November of last year. Follow his photography work through the link below.

https://www.instagram.com/harrydargavel/


“Lockdowns obviously stopped us all going to gigs which is hard for the fans like me and even more difficult for the bands, as a photographer/designer interested in the local scene it’s definitely put somewhat of a halt on my creative outlet, I can’t get out and shoot any bands which I’d just gotten back into doing so I’m pretty gutted.”

“Long term for myself it shouldn’t be too much of an issue, I can still get on with the design side of my hopeful career at the minute and I’m sure when we can all get back out there so many bands are gonna be jumping on any stage they can. There’ll be plenty opportunity to get shooting again and possibly even more of a buzz about the scene than there has been in a while.”



Image courtesy of Harry Dargavel



Ellis Paul

Ellis plays guitar and takes up lead vocal duties for Holding Out. The band has become Newcastle’s nastiest punk outfit over the course of the 4 years they have spent performing live. Their new single ‘Gutter’ is available to stream on Spotify. You can also support Holding Out through purchasing their merchandise through the link below.

https://holdingoutband.bigcartel.com/


“We've managed to sell a couple of T-shirts, which has really helped us out, especially since we had to cancel some shows. We've just released a new single which hit 1000 streams in the first two days of release. Whether this was a result of lockdown or not is up for debate, but people do tend to have more free time on their hands at the moment.”

“Our main source of income pre-lockdown was playing shows, so we're really suffering in that regard. Thankfully, we can release music pretty much for free given that it's all recorded and mixed by us.”

“It hasn't affected the type of music or lyrical content we write as that's all generally stayed the same. There's been some hurdles to overcome for recording and writing since none of us can get together and write. Myself and Tomm both have recording equipment so we've been recording separate stuff at home and piecing it together remotely.”



Image courtesy of Ellis Paul

COVID-19 Vs Newcastle's Local Scene - An Infographic

The Newcastle music scene remains strong despite the creative shutdown of COVID-19.

Lockdown has brought Newcastle’s music and creative scene to a halt for some time. The above infographic contains the attitudes and responses of six different members of the scene. Though all aspects are affected by the shutdown of social spaces, they are themselves affected in different ways. The loss of gig venues means that creative individuals no longer have a hub for their skills.

Despite this, the work-from-home mentality of the COVID-19 crisis has caused some members of the local scene to adapt their skills to accommodate the lockdown environment. Musicians with home studios have been able to create music in their own space rather than relying on bigger studios. Graphic designers have also had the opportunity to work for independent musicians to still receive profit from their work.

The infographic above presents the attitudes and adaptations of members of the local scene who have toiled and survived with their work during the crisis. Information and links to the individuals featured can be found below.


Finlay Ireland plays bass and takes up lead vocal duties for the indie pop band Primary Colours. Though the band has been active for four years, their pre-lockdown gigs proved to be some of the most raucous in Newcastle. Listen to their music on Spotify or support them by following their Instagram page through the link below.
https://www.instagram.com/primarycoloursband/

Image courtesy of Ben Payne https://www.instagram.com/_ben.payne_/


Neil Partington is a well known and respected DJ for venues such as the Dog and Parrot. Though he keeps his DJ work as more of a hobby, he’s still an insightful lover of music. Check out his Instagram through the link below.
https://www.instagram.com/neiljpartington/

Image courtesy of Chloe McAllister https://www.instagram.com/chloexlm_photography/


Charlie Sanders is an immensely talented graphic design artist with a unique portfolio of work. He is currently available for commission work for album covers and other graphic design material. Check out his art through https://www.instagram.com/aviaryart.ncl/ or support his Patreon through the link below.
https://www.patreon.com/AviaryArt

Image courtesy of Charlie Sanders


Harry Dargavel is an accomplished gigs and events photographer who honed his craft through capturing the intensity of the first Tits Upon Tyne event in November of last year. Follow his photography work through the link below.
https://www.instagram.com/harrydargavel/

Image courtesy of Harry Dargavel


Luke Stevens is the immensely energetic drummer for post-punk four piece Fowl. His talents are displayed perfectly through their most recent ‘Kool Aid EP’ release which is available to stream on Spotify. You can also support Fowl by purchasing their music digitally through the link below.
https://wearefowl.bandcamp.com/music

Image courtesy of Erin Earle


Ellis Paul plays guitar and takes up lead vocal duties for Holding Out. The band has become Newcastle’s nastiest punk outfit over the course of the 4 years they have spent performing live. Their new single ‘Gutter’ is available to stream on Spotify. You can also support Holding Out through purchasing their merchandise through the link below.
https://holdingoutband.bigcartel.com/

Image courtesy of Ellis Paul

How an Online Festival Raised £2k for the NHS - A Podcast With Matty Lacey of Come Together NE

Click the YouTube link below to watch the full 30 minute podcast.

Matty Lacey is the manager and founding director of Come Together NE, an arts service that has raised over £2000 for the NHS through an online festival during lockdown.

Come Together NE was set up as an arts collective in late March, with the intention of bringing together musicians, artists, production members and other arts related individuals to provide a base to allow creative members to work together. However the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent lockdown caused Matty to take Come Together onto an online sphere, where the music festivals he had once hoped to bring together in Newcastle’s local venues turned into live streaming events. Fortunately this provided the Come Together NE collective with an opportunity to raise money for the NHS at a time when it’s funding and PPE resources were seriously lacking.

The digital festival was held on the Come Together NE Instagram page from 3-5 April. It featured acts such as Matty Oliver, Palm Beach and Bethany Elen Coyle, as well as 15 other independent artists. The money raised proved that the festival was a success and remains as an influential component to the local scene and as a testament to the strength of online festivals as a way of giving musicians an audience during the lockdown period. The success of the initial festival also gave way to allowing Come Together NE to host other live streams such as the Live Easter Stream. This featured Come Together mainstay Keiran Bowe, Laurens Court and Ryan Robinson.

Overall Come Together NE has proven that it can remain as an important service for local musicians and production members as a method of uniting, strengthening and promoting talent in the local scene. Matty urges that those with capabilities that can help strengthen the service should come forward and lend their efforts to the cause. This gives Come Together NE an exciting future for the Newcastle scene.

In the podcast, Matty talks about his inspiration for Come Together as a way to bring creative individuals together at a time when Newcastle’s local scene has been stuck in limbo. He also delves into his beliefs of how the local scene should be brought together and how online festivals could translate to a post-lockdown world. He also may or may not reveal the silver-dollar question of which musician he believes to be a tin man under their skin.


Watch the full 30 minute podcast on YouTube below.

A link to Come Together NE’s Instagram page is also available, their next digital festival will start at 5pm on Friday 8th May.

Creative individuals should also get in touch with Matty via the Come Together NE Instagram page to get involved with the platform's productions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhjX8ZELS6k

https://www.instagram.com/cometogetherne/

Holding Out - GUTTER single review

Being their first single of 2020, there couldn’t be a more perfect time for Holding Out to drop their grittiest and rawest track to date. Permeated by chugging, doom laden riffs and lyrical content that paints an ugly picture of an uncertain future yet to come, the track is a refreshing shift away from the three piece’s melodic hardcore roots and further into a contemporary post-punk influence.

‘Gutter’ is an obvious fresh air for the band, leaving behind the Dimebag Darrell-influenced shredding guitar solos and melodic choruses of the band’s previous work for a tighter, rougher sound that echoes influence from bands such as Idles and Slaves. This is supported immensely by the incredible production work from the band, as the guitar sound is kept up with a high level of grit and power whilst avoiding being too overbearingly loud, bringing the group’s musicianship together as a tighter outfit. Furthermore, the track’s lyrical content relentlessly exudes dreary themes of hopelessness and uncertainty without remorse. This is a massive step up from the band’s previous recordings, giving the listener a more powerful and raw experience as the track crushes it’s way through a multi-faceted structure.

As Nottingham-based maniac Jack Mee smokes back a fat one on the single’s cover, Gutter stands as a perfect Holding Out offering for our current not-so-perfect times. The single proves to be an exciting moving-on point for the band, displaying a new direction in style and a tighter sense of ability and character as a three-piece.

GUTTER is available now on Spotify.

Tits Upon Tyne II event review 21/02/20

The Tits Upon Tyne charity event raised just over £300 in aid of breast cancer research last February. Here's a review of all four bands that played the event.

Fowl

Photo by Erin Earl

Travelling hour-long bus journeys from Blyth to Newcastle each week to play small venues isn’t an easy job. However this is only a minor hindrance for Fowl, who have worked relentlessly to distribute their enraged post-punk sound across Newcastle’s local scene.

Powering through a setlist raw and energetic songs, Fowl played to their strengths and delivered a raw post-punk energy to the stage. One of the most unexpected and enjoyable aspects of the band’s recent setlists has been the introduction of guitarist Matthew McDonnel’s vocal work on some songs. Towards the latter half of their setlist, Fowl changed gears and introduced synths alongside the guitarist’s vocal work to great effect, leading a diverse and interchangeable sound, whilst still retaining their edge.

Placing Fowl as the opening act helped to set off Tits Upon Tyne II with a dose of raw energy and aggression. Their changeup in sound mid-setlist only further begs the question of what Fowl will strive for next.


Avenue


Photo by Erin Earl

Avenue are solely responsible for providing the most sweat-drenched, adrenaline fueled performance to ever grace the Cluny 2 stage.

There is little doubt that much of the Tits Upon Tyne audience would be surprised if singer/guitarist Blaine Armstrong began spitting blood halfway through their enraged performance. The band easily succeeded in bringing the event atmosphere to a new level with their aggressive post-punk sound, delivering another shot of energy in each song.

The band enjoyed an incredible bond between them and the audience, as they managed to power and scream their way through a setlist of moshpit-inducing cuts. Each song still retained the thoughtful lyricism that Avenue strives for, but their chemistry as performers brought their sound to another level.

As a result, Avenue remains a band to watch out for on the local scene. Their live performances provide an intense and gritty post punk atmosphere with the intention of allowing the crowd to let loose in any which way they please.

Primary Colours


Photo by Ben Payne

The buildup for Primary Colours’s setlist proved to forge an atmosphere of anticipation and hopefulness. The band are no strangers to the Tits Upon Tyne audience. Their performance at the last event saw them whipping audience members up into a fury like no other, and this standard proved a lot to be desired.

Don’t be easily fooled by their colourful indie bangers to the stage, as the energy and personality that the band members bring to these songs make them a completely different experience live. Primary Colour’s set bolstered an incredible amount of energy and drive through vocalist and bass player Finlay Ireland. The young musician has easily cemented himself as a perfect frontman and a fitting leading counterpart to the band’s sound. Various cuts from their debut LP Tail Lights made a welcome appearance in their set, as did older songs such as The Daisy and Guava.

With a new album having already been released earlier this year and an incredible amount of support from the local audience, Primary Colours have proved that they have easily cemented and settled into their sound, it's only a shame we didn't get to hear them cover The Brian Jonestown Massacre this time.

Venus


Photo by Ben Payne

Living up to Witch Fever’s previous headlining performance at Tits Upon Tyne was no easy task. Fortunately for Venus, their expertise in pushing a loud and raucous sound upon the Cluny audience made them more than worthy headliners for the event.

For many of the crowd, this was their first introduction to Venus. As such the band did not hold back on delivering a synthy, garage rock infused vibe which echoed the energy of the likes of Sleater-Kinney and L7. Add to this an unrelenting feminist stance and you have one of the most enthralling bands to play this event so far.

In particular, the chemistry between singer/rhythm guitarist Grace Kelly and lead guitarist Jess Ayres managed to provide an incredible wall of sound and punk energy. Riffs and guitar licks played off one another to give Venus’s more energetic songs an extra kick of energy and passion to compliment their slower cuts perfectly.

Ultimately Venus proved to the Tits Upon Tyne audience that they can deliver an atmosphere of raw energy and aggression like no other and have placed themselves as an exciting contemporary take on the riot grrl sound.