London-based avant-garde group Bishopskin have released a new single, a reworked version of a 14th Century hymn titled “Stella Splendens.”
Released through Isolar Records, the single precedes the group’s debut album, Babble, which is set for release in October.
The song is described as “blending 14th Century Latin hymns with the jubilant energies of Ukrainian folk” in a statement released by Blue Moon Press, which certainly sets it apart from many of the other songs being released in this day and age. Upon listening to the track for the first time, however, I noticed several other genres thrown into the pot. The opening guitar has a bit of a reggae feel to it, something in the vein of early Specials records. Soon after, the vocals come in. Two part harmonies ride the waves created by a strange time signature (it appears to be three measures of ¾ time, followed by a measure of 2/4 time).
Bishopskin courtesy of Backseat Mafia
The combination of percussive electric guitar and Latin lyrics coalesces surprisingly nicely. However, the track continues to build, with drums, bass, and a myriad of additional vocals harmonies joining in around the 30-second mark. Discordant strings and occasional yelps cut through the mix, keeping listeners on their toes. “Jubilant” is certainly an accurate word to describe the song, since all I wanted to do once the rest of the instruments kicked in was dance.
In the middle of the song, there is a violin solo. Nowadays, strings are so polished and airy that they might as well just be replaced by synthesizers. However, the strings here are raw, and one can truly hear the strokes of the bow against the strings. As someone who used to play viola in school, these sounds were wonderful to hear. The absence of vocals during this section also allows the listener to hear even more of the hidden sounds contained in this song. For example, at one point there is a lilting piano that sounds fresh out of a late-60’s Beatles song. The fact that so many instruments can be worked so subtly into a song such as this is truly remarkable.
The biggest curveball comes at the back end of the song, though: a full blown electric guitar solo. The distortion is on and the guitar screams over the stabbing strings and chaotic vocals. It is a perfect way to bring the song to a close, as this is in fact the end of the song. Hardly two and a half minutes, and this heady revelry comes to a grinding halt. I have to give props to the band for knowing how to leave the listener wanting more.
Bishopskin courtesy of Hard of Hearing Magazine
That last statement is the truth, too. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this song. It was a different experience, but it had enough elements of music I liked that I felt at home during its short duration. The band also sounds like they were having a great time making the track as well, with the liveliness of the instrumentation and the yelps from the background singers giving the song an almost live feel, which is only increased by the unpolished feeling of the recording. There are occasionally discordant notes, things that sound just slightly out of tune, but this makes the song feel that much more real and in-the-moment.
Overall, “Stella Splendens” is a perfect marriage of inspiration, musical talent, and people having a good time, and I highly recommend it.
Australia. The backbone of several memes regarding its apparently nightmarish wildlife and the home of the late legend Steve Irwin, it has bred quite a lot of great bands throughout the decades. AC/DC, INXS, Men at Work, and Midnight Oil come to mind. Most recently, a trio called The Chats have been dominating the international punk scene with their humorous, punchy songs. However, The Chats are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what’s going down in the land down under.
In recent years, a fairly spectacular underground music scene has developed in Australia. Featuring bands such as Gee Tee, R.M.F.C., and Tee Vee Repairmann, the style has been called “Egg Punk” by some, and it typically features fast, distorted barre chords punctuated by loud guitar lines or mellow synths, impenetrable bass, and drums that are so compressed they almost sound mechanized. The vocals are often filtered to the point of being borderline incomprehensible. It’s fast, fun, and an exhilarating ride.
Photo courtesy of YouTube
The project we’ll focus on here is Tee Vee Repairmann, a one man project created by Ishka Edmeades. In 2021, he caught the ears of many listeners with his debut EP, Patterns. Featuring four tracks that blow by at a blistering pace, the EP is the perfect mix of grimy punk and bubblegum catchiness. Opening track “Bad Taste” contains metallic hihats, compressed guitars, and robotic vocals that still manage to convey human emotions despite the minimalistic lyrics. “Lights Out!” cranks the tempo up even more, with spindly guitar lines and shouted vocals coalescing into a memorable chorus. “Dirty Hands” slows things down just a bit, with the vocals becoming even more chaotic and indignant sounding. The guitars also take on a bigger role on this track, with the chorus featuring a caterwauling lead line that sounds like it’s being played through a blown out amp. These three tracks all sound fairly similar, which makes the title track, “Patterns,” even more surprising. This track features a skittering drum machine, synthesizers, and a more danceable vibe. However, Edmeades’ guitar playing and vocal delivery help tie the song in with the rest of the EP.
After his exciting emergence, he released an album called What’s On TV? earlier this year. The first track, “Out of Order,” indicates the differences between the previous EP and this album. The production is much more spacious, with the guitars and drums having more room to breathe. In truth, everything just feels bigger, though the punky tightness of the EP is still present in the songwriting. Edmeades’ vocals are buoyed by airy synths, which are also a new touch to his music. The next track, “Time 2 Kill,” is a bit more of a return to form, though the newfound space in the sound continues to benefit the song. This song is the shortest on the album, clocking in at 1:16, but it still feels like a complete listen. Parts of the song reminded me of Thin Lizzy mixed with The Ramones, with the track even ending with a screaming guitar refrain as it sprints to a stop.
Throughout the twelve tracks, the album perfectly toes the line between the condensed punk of Patterns and the wider atmospheres of indie rock. Another way to describe the change would be to compare Patterns to Ramones and What’s On TV? to Rocket to Russia. The ethos is still there, but there’s a heightened sense of maturity and a greater realization of scope. “People (Everywhere I Go)” even mellows things out by adding swaths of reverb to the guitars and vocals, with Edmeades’ observational yet minimal lyrics working nicely with the change of pace. Overall, the album is a brilliant step forward for the project.
Tee Vee Repairmann is one of the most exciting things to come out of Australia and the underground punk scene there. The willingness to change while sticking to the influences of earlier work will hopefully prove to be a good sign for things to come.
Ever wondered what your favourite musicians listen to when they need inspo?
Slack Alice saw its dawn back in 2014 when resident DJs and old friends Kelan and Yokel decided to put on regular nights at The Surrey Vaults. It wasn’t long before the collective reached its final (and most powerful) form. Bristol legends Nadoone and Anina joined Slack Alice, and their vision helped unlock new levels of creativity and expression. Music lovers and fellow DJs started attending Slack Alice events regularly, and most of them remained time-tested supporters and collaborators. It could have been the need to escape trite Bristol line-ups or the identity of a newfound community that allured people, or the far-out curation of the Slack Alice events, whose guests included frontman of the iconic Cabaret Voltaire Stephen Mallinder, Test Dept. and Giant Swan. I think the crux has always been the synergy between the four, their transgressive shows, and the neoteric wizardry as they turn harsh sounds into contemporary rave music.
Slack Alice x Fuck Punk, 2015
Slack Alice x Fuck Punk, 2015
Slack Alice x Twins, 2018
Their following quickly became too big for The Vaults—Yokel still reminisces the first event that swamped Surrey Street with people. Kelan also has some fond memories, especially of the first late-night lock-in with duvets propped against the windows. Anina recollects the night when The Prostitutes played at a Slack Alice event: “… it was a Wednesday, and I was swinging by the party at The Surrey Vaults on my way home around 10pm. When I walked in there, it had the vibe of a Saturday 3am peak time rave.”
Slack Alice x Scorn, 2021
Nowadays, Slack Alice are still winning over new and old audiences, and their original members, while well-respected individually, are unstoppable when together. I convinced them to let me in on the music they’ve had on repeat recently, which (with their accord) I am now sharing with you, my three avid readers. This track list is a daring journey through the world of industrial noise, experimental beats, and hypnotic soundscapes. Featuring a diverse mix of indie, dub and deep house, this is a perfect crate for diggers of boundary-pushing synth music. Each track delivers a unique and immersive experience; whether you’re an aficionado of electronic music or simply looking for something new and exciting, this is not to be missed. So, buckle up and let the vibes take you on a ride.
Martin Newell, the man behind The Cleaners from Venus
Martin Newell is a fascinating character.
In 1980, Newell formed The Cleaners from Venus with Lawrence “Lol” Elliot, though since then, he has remained the only consistent member. Under this moniker, Newell has released a multitude of albums, and this isn’t even taking into consideration his wealth of material under his own name. Starting with Blow Away Your Troubles, Newell showed the world what to expect from The Cleaners from Venus: wonderful, jangly music that was staunchly lo-fi.
While Newell certainly has impressive melodic sensibilities, showcased particularly on the 1982 album (well, one of them, anyway) Midnight Cleaners, he also refused to let his songs get to the point of being “pop.” The closest The Cleaners from Venus came to this disgusting term was the song “Only a Shadow,” a tune with an earworm of a guitar melody and an anthemic chorus. However, everything is coated with a lo-fi hiss that behaves almost like the needles of a cactus. By this, I mean that it will scare off any surface level listener. However, for others, the almost demo quality of the recordings makes them more endearing.
Newell and Elliot, upon starting out, used hardly any equipment to record their music, sometimes even using homemade instruments. Eventually, a four track recorder was brought into the mix, which became Newell’s preferred method of recording. Rather than upgrade to a professional studio environment, he stuck to his D.I.Y. guns and continued letting the substance of the music speak instead of the style. And what an amount of substance there was!
The lyrics to each Cleaners from Venus song are woven together like the finest wicker basket. Whether they are painting gorgeously detailed pictures of life in England (“Wivenhoe Bells (II)”), highlighting working class angst (“Summer in a Small Town”), or outright damning the state of the world (“The Jangling Man”), each word is fascinating to listen to. Newell’s gift for writing is one that is truly overlooked, with each song packed with enough meaning to make the most stubborn folk music enthusiast blush. The sparsely recorded (and sparsely produced) instrumentation acts as the perfect canvas for these poetic yet direct verbal drawings.
During The Cleaners from Venus’ initial decade-long run, they largely avoided record labels and did not tour often. Newell has been quoted as saying that the music business and media “tend to ruin everything.” This only added to the mystique of the enigmatic band, and early cassettes of their work became highly prized collectors’ items. The sheer amount of support for the band’s works actually inspired Newell, who had largely decided to back away from music, to start recording under the Cleaners from Venus moniker again in 2010. Since then, he’s been prolific as ever, and he continues to record music even to this day, with his newest single “Lo-Fi London” coming out last month.
Outside of The Cleaners from Venus, Newell has lived an extraordinary life. He has been a successful poet and writer, even touring as a spoken word artist. In 1989, he teamed up with a fellow cleaner from Venus, Nelson Nice, to form The Brotherhood of Lizards, an acoustic duo that gained much attention for completing a tour by bicycle, riding their bikes to every show. Newell has also released six solo albums, with his first, 1993’s The Greatest Living Englishman, being his most successful release to date.
To this day, Newell embodies the idea of D.I.Y. done right. He does whatever he wants, and because of this, he has many dedicated fans. The Cleaners from Venus proved that, in the decade of excess and beyond, true heart and creativity will always stand the test of time. In a time where mainstream music has lost even more of its nutrients, Newell’s work past and present remains an organic field. All you have to do is take a bite.
Trailer for a documentary detailing the life and times of Martin Newell
I can’t quite recall how or when I first heard PREGOBLIN’s 2019 single “Combustion,” but I do remember that within twenty-four hours, I’d listened to it about thirty times. The two minutes and 43 seconds of infectiously danceable beats and clever, darkly humorous lyrics (“Spontaneous combustion is the way I wanna go“) had me hooked; I was, and remain, an instant fan.
PREGOBLIN was initially composed of sad music/crance sensation Jessica Winter and Alex Sebley. The duo wrote a string of excellent singles (including “Combustion,” which has racked up a million-plus streams on Spotify) accompanied by camp, highly imaginative, low-budget music videos, which gained them a devoted cult following.
After years of working with Winter, Sebley is currently operating solo, under the same all-caps moniker of PREGOBLIN. Totally Wired recently caught up with him to discuss his approach to songwriting, his first gig memories, and plans for future music.
TWM: When did you first begin writing? How old were you?
PREGOBLIN: I guess I started young. When I was child, I used to make up repetitive songs to annoy people (some might say not much has changed in this regard). “I am Cool AL, Cool AL AL AL,” was an early tune. I would sing this like a power ballad and would act out— make the sound of, by hissing through my teeth—of a big applause after singing the opening line, (very funny, even if he does say so himself). But I didn’t really start writing, or at least taking it seriously until I joined the Saudis.
TWM: What moved you to focus on writing songs (as opposed to prose and fiction)? What made the act of songwriting special to you?
PREGOBLIN: I started writing prose and fiction in my teens before writing songs. I’ve looked over some of that work recently. Some of the ideas are good, but the writing is not all there. I’ve recently started writing short stories. Two of which, “Big Sea Small Sea” and “The Swan,” have been published by Orange Blossom Press Co. Charlie Boxer.
TWM: When was your first gig? What feelings did it impress on you?
PREGOBLIN: First gig was a Nirvana/ Pantera tribute band. Springfield School, Portsmouth. I was on vocals; it was magic. Ten minutes in, the head of music tried to stop the show and ran about the stage turning our amps off, but after he had turned off one, another would come on. And it was funny to see him out of breath running from one end of the stage to the other. This went on for a few minutes. I did my first stage dive. A very attractive cool IT girl tried to kiss me backstage. But I froze. Not a bad show, then!
TWM: Who has influenced you the most in terms of lyric writing? In terms of prose?
PREGOBLIN: My influences are somewhere between the Velvet Underground, Run-DMC and Groucho Marx – basically Walk This Way. I’ve been reading Brendan Behan – Borstal Boy and the Confirmation Suit, which is one of the most beautiful things I’ve read. And A Cleaner’s Diary by Gareth Rees.
Recently, I have been enjoying: Family Consumer Science, aka Will Barker, Warmduscher, the Stones Sesh, Nick Hart, Wu-Lu, Made, Mic Dun D, Brian Destiny, Sweat, Scud FM, Erin Lawrie, Sworn Virgins and Annette Funicello.
TWM: What was the impetus, the inspiration, behind your songs “Combustion,” “Gangsters,” “Snakes and Oranges,” and “Love Letters?” They’re all songs that have very defined narratives, very strong imagery, they must have fascinating backstories.
PREGOBLIN: Were they Gangsters or just on Universal Credit? If you’re broke in the UK, you have to play the system to get by.
“Love Letters” is my reply to “Oh Sebastian”by the FWF, a song apparently about me (my middle name is Sebastian). The vocal in “Love Letters” is the first take within the first half-hour of meeting Jessica Winter. There is no purer love song in 2022.
“Snakes & Oranges” is a reimagining of Lady in Red by Chris de Burgh.
TWM: What are you up to these days–in terms of music, in terms of writing? How was your experience playing with Pete Doherty recently?
PREGOBLIN: I’ve been recording my radio play The Adults Of Farthing Wood with actor Emily Lloyd. As well as producing and recording A Cleaner’s Diary by Gareth Rees narrated by Miss Denise Harrop, that was serialised on Resonance FM 104.4 The Dexter Bentley Hello Goodbye Show. Now on YouTube.
I’ve written some new material with a new sound, and I’m getting ready to put an album out. I’m doing a reading at the Volcano Theatre in Swansea 22nd September hosted by Incunabala Media Co. Kim Dallesandro and Dave Kelso Mitchell.
Pierre Doherty is a very nice man, the gig was great, one of Pete’s dogs—a snowy husky—joined us on stage mid-set. Pete and I are planning to work together soon.
You can follow the further adventures of PREGOBLIN on Instagram @pregoblin_gram.
The genre-defying Welsh language trio Adwaith hit their home music scene hard in 2015 and have since brought their spellbinding sound and punching attitude to stages at Glastonbury, Green Man and many others across the UK. The larger British music scene has quickly embraced the band’s extraordinary energy and our prayers have just been answered with Adwaiths new album Bato Mato. Fresh back from their weekend at Glasto, we spoke to Gwen, Hollie and Heledd about the album’s reinvigorated sound and their hopes for carrying Welsh language music to a mass of new listeners from across the world.
James: Hey guys, how was playing Glastonbury?
Hollie: Crazy. What a mad experience.
Gwen: It’s just so massive, it’s impossible to see all the bands you want to see. But we did keep finding new things.
James: I heard that a festival had something to do with starting the band in the first place, why don’t you tell me a bit about that.
Gwen: Well Hollie and I have known each other since we were babies. We went to this Welsh festival in 2015 and after the festival, we thought; well we both play instruments, why don’t we start writing music together? We started off with a few covers, which were truly awful, what covers did we try to do?
Hollie: Oh dear, we tried to do ‘Build a home’ (The Cinematic Orchestra) and we attempted some First Aid Kit as well. But we started getting annoyed with ourselves so we thought; let’s sack this off and do our own thing.
James: Do you think those covers will ever see the light of day?
Hollie: There were no recordings of them thank God.
James: Going back to the festival where it all began, which bands did you see which really inspired you?
Gwen: I think that year Gwenno was playing and a band called HMS Morris. At the time there weren’t any female musicians on the Welsh festival scene, so seeing them made us think that it was something that we could do. So we went back and started writing then had our first gig in September 2015, which is where Hollie and I first met Heledd. We didn’t have a drummer and luckily Heledd happened to be there, so we were very lucky she came to the gig.
Hollie: Thank the lord!
James: I imagine that getting a band started in Wales must be very different to doing it in a major city like London. Would you say you guys are from a pretty rural area?
Hollie: Oh yes definitely rural.
James: Was it difficult finding places to play in the early days?
Gwen: We were lucky to have this venue called The Parrot in our town and that’s where we Hollie and I saw our first bands and eventually played our first gigs. We were very very lucky to have the venue because I don’t think we would have started a band without it.
Hollie: Definitely not.
Gwen: Or even have had the opportunity to play gigs if it wasn’t for that venue. The Welsh music scene there was very supportive of us and particularly of Welsh language music as a whole.
James: Would you say that there are a large amount of Welsh artists performing in the Welsh language now, or is it something which has yet to cross into the mainstream in Wales?
Gwen: I think it is quite hard for Welsh language artists to break out. I think our audience is mostly outside of Wales but industry-wise, it is still quite hard to get support sometimes. We’ve been looking for a booking agent for quite a while now, and a lot of them have said ‘you’re great but you’re singing in Welsh.’ So it is still quite hard but it is getting better and you see more artists breaking out of Wales and doing more gigs outside of Wales which is really nice to see.
James: This new album, Bato Mato, tell me how important it is to you.
Hollie: It’s so important to us, it’s our little baby.
Gwen: I’m hoping it exposes Welsh language music to a big audience and it’s kind of the next step now after the last album Melyn. We’re just excited to see where it takes us. Melyn took us to some crazy places so I’m hoping this will let us continue on that crazy journey.
James: What was the writing process behind the album like?
Gwen: We wrote most of it after a trip together to Siberia. We did a gig out there and I think it was just such a crazy experience from start to finish that we just couldn’t not write an album about it. We were very inspired by the landscapes and the people and these big industrial abandoned buildings. It was a bit grey and a bit bleak. We came back and we just had to write an album, it was during lockdown so it wasn’t how we would usually write together; sending ideas back and forth. It wasn’t ideal but lockdown gave us a bit of a break to work on our sound and the tracks.
James: Did the album turn out how you expected when you first imagined what it might sound like?
Gwen: I think we had a vision for it, we definitely knew we wanted it to sound a lot more developed. Compared to the last album I think the pop songs are more ‘poppy’ and the dark songs are darker. Everything is more intense and saturated. We knew we wanted to do that. I don’t think we envisioned it quite how it turned out but it’s definitely turned out better than we hoped.
Hollie: When we went to the studio we had loads of weird instruments that we had no idea how to play, just to see what sounds we could make by experimenting. You can probably see one of them behind Gwen right now.
James: Oh yes, what is that, Gwen?
Gwen: It’s a Zhongruan, which is a Chinese instrument. It’s very bizarre looking and I’m still not really sure how to play it.
James: I’m sure you’ve noticed a big shift in the music scene where bands are becoming more experimental with their sound, breaking down the barriers of genre and even working against their own established sound. Has that resonated with you guys with the new album?
Gwen: I think all of our music tastes are very different and diverse, so it made a lot of sense to write an album that wasn’t genre specific. I think that’s how you make and keep music exciting.
James: What’s next for you guys? Are places like London becoming your new home or are you more interested in trying to break a bigger music scene in Wales?
Gwen: We want to make Welsh music a big thing. World domination is the end goal. I think that the Welsh language in music has previously been frowned upon by people outside of Wales and people in Wales. So that’s really urged us to want to spread the Welsh love and to play Welsh music around the world, and then to open doors to other bands to do the same.
Heledd: I feel like we definitely want to stay in Wales too and create a bigger scene there, and also inspire more people there to want to embrace music.
James: I mean I for one would love to see more bands singing in their own language. I love bands who sing in their own accents and so to make your language a part of your music is really great. So what’s the immediate plan after the launch of the album?
Gwen: We’ve got a little tour lined up and some festivals coming up soon, with hopefully some gigs abroad by the end of the year. Just to gig the album as much as we can.
James: I’ll be sure to catch you guys playing soon. Any upcoming gigs in London that I should know about?
Hollie: Oh yes! Moth Club on Tuesday the 5th of July. Come down!
—
Adwaith’s new album Bato Mato is out now via Libertino Records. Catch them at Moth Club on July 5th. Tickets on DICE.
The Children of the Pope—judging from the band’s name alone, you know you’re in for something good. Taking “fucking hallelujah!” as their slogan, they describe themselves as a “…religious group from South America and Europe currently based in London.” The band’s intense love for “…dirty guitars, manic shouting, and surrealist melodies,” culminates in just the sort of sound that would have gone over big at the Troubadour in ’68, and holds audiences spellbound today. The band’s rise since their formation in 2018 (in the “grimiest parts of South London,”) has been meticulously documented on video and film by Lou Smith, and they’ve shared stages alongside the likes of Insecure Men, Brian Destiny, and Honkies.
Their latest single “Junkie Girlfriend” is out today on Isolar Records. At first listen, it’s a tune that manages to be simultaneously fresh and nostalgic. Opening with jangling guitar and backing vocals reminiscent of early Beatles stuff, the Parlophone sessions …but no, wait, breaking away in a sharp shout from the sha-la-las come lyrics to shatter the illusion of finding comfort in nostalgia because here we are again, in the same old narcotic mess, the girl with the golden arm and the needle sticking out of it.
Children of the Pope filmed live at Venue MOT by the South London scene’s documentarian-in-chief, Lou Smith.
Beneath the upbeat vocals, the neat, almost martial drums, the jangling tambourine and bright guitar trailing down like drops of mercury, it’s all fun and games until somebody shoots a mainline, as the narrator notes of his paramour’s coping mechanism: “the way you smile atme/when you find your vein again.” Rather than getting tangled up in typical romantic tropes, the lyrics offer a gritty perspective into a fraught relationship and all the vacillations and sadly unanswerable questions that go with it: “What can I do/Over you?”
Have a look at the band’s manifesto:
‘Manifesto!’ by the Children of the Pope.
Take it seriously or snap your fingers at it, react as you please, but, have a think. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle—are we still in the thick of it? Its plot still a daily truth for millions? Sure. It’s prescient as hell, always has been. Even before it was written it was true. We’ve been post-Eden longer than memory reaches; it gets a little tiring, out here in the moral desert. To find such substance, such brazen intention, in a rock n’ roll outfit during an era when minds have become so collectively warped that it’s somehow considered acceptable to call Maroon 5 a rock band, is a welcome oasis indeed. As Pete Townshend said: “All good art cannot help but confront denial on its way to the truth.” Denial is a real blood sport these days, and the Children of the Pope are confronting it head-on, in the quest for some kind of truth. It’s out there somewhere. We just gotta keep looking for it.
Pons. From left: Jack Parker (drums), Sebastian Carnot (drums), Sam Cameron (vocals/guitar). Photo courtesy of IDIOTEQ
I’ll start off this article with two words: two drummers. I’ll add another two for good measure: no bassist. That’s right, Pons is a three-piece band featuring a guitar, vocals, drums, and more drums. They’re truly a sight and sound to behold.
Pons formed in North Carolina in 2018 shortly after the two founding members graduated high school. The two members in question are Sam Cameron, who sings and plays guitar, and Jack Parker on drums. Shortly after, the duo released their debut EP, titled They Look Like People. The EP features five loud, noisy, raw tracks that only hint at the power Pons was yet to harness.
The start of Pons: Jack and Sam circa 2018. Photo courtesy of Pons’ Instagram
At first, progress was slow for Pons due to Jack attending college at the University of Vermont, where he became part of the short-lived but very popular emo band Boys Cruise. However, behind the scenes, the duo was still keeping the flame of Pons alive. After releasing a few more songs and embarking on a mini-tour in early 2019, the floodgates opened. That summer, Pons released Dread, their second EP. With this EP, they went on their longest tour yet, traveling from North Carolina all the way to Canada and back. This ambitious outing showcased the incredible work ethic that powered the band, and it was only the beginning.
As fall came around, Pons continued to build on the momentum of the previous summer. Sam moved up to Vermont in order to continue working on new material and play shows in the area. They also expanded, introducing auxiliary percussionist Sebastian Carnot, also known as DIE the Monk, at a show in September. While based in Vermont, the trio built up a reputation for pulling out all the stops live. One of their most popular antics was ditching their instruments and shouting lyrics discordantly over a pre-recorded backing track, wading out into the audience and dancing maniacally as they did so. The addition of a second drummer also meant that their shows became even noisier.
After releasing their debut album Intellect in 2020, Pons once again made a drastic move: they relocated to New York. Despite the high saturation of strange and unusual bands in NYC, Pons immediately stood out due to their raw power and noise. They began playing shows all over the country, darting from one state to another on a whim. Oftentimes, they would pay visits to Vermont, where they were still heroes of the underground. This included playing a show at Higher Ground with Vundabar.
Fast forward to today, and Pons are often cited as people’s favorite band to see live. Their commitment to their sound, style, and persona has also helped them stand out in a world where weirdness is often watered down and turned into a commodity. Their fierce work ethic also makes them stand out as a beacon for other underground bands that are looking to make a name for themselves on the road. Even if Pons’ music isn’t your cup of tea, their determination and passion will have you keeping your eyes on them.
The band’s latest single, “Leave Me To My Work,” is out now on all streaming platforms.
I’ll never forget when I began listening to Scottish band Glasvegas. In seventh grade, I started branching out from the music I heard in the car or on the radio and almost accidentally started listening to them. My dad had received their 2008 self-titled debut album from my uncle, and because of that, I began listening to it. I immediately fell in love with the atmospheric, dense sonic world that Glasvegas created on the album. Songs such as “Geraldine,” “Go Square Go,” “Daddy’s Gone,” and “It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry” tackled emotional themes while enveloping the listener in swirling guitars, rumbling bass, and simplistic yet effective drums. Although singer James Allen’s vocals were obscured by such a thick Scottish accent that I often had to look up the lyrics to understand what was being said, I still adored the album and still do to this day.
It turns out that I was not alone in my love for the album. After its release, it ended up going platinum, a big feat for an indie rock band. The band had actually formed years earlier in 2003, slowly working and building a fanbase over the years through constant touring, free demos, and a music video for the demo of “Daddy’s Gone.” This slow build in recognition meant that the album was a deserved smash hit, and Glasvegas enjoyed the benefits their self-titled album reaped.
In the years that followed, the band released two more albums: EUPHORIC /// HEARTBREAK \\\ in 2011, and Later…When The TV Turns to Static in 2013. Sadly, these albums did not perform as well critically or commercially as the debut album. Following the release of Static, the band’s output dried up with the exception of a small tour in 2014 to support the album. As the years went on and the band continued to remain silent, it seemed as though they had broken up. Allen’s struggles with drug use also painted the future of the band in a bleak light.
However, the band suddenly reemerged in 2018 to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the debut album. They went on tour and re-released the album with a gold cover. They also released demos of the debut album to all streaming platforms. Then, three years later, the unexpected occurred: Glasvegas released their fourth album. Titled Godspeed, the album contains eleven tracks, two of which serve as interludes. Each of these tracks creates a world that not only harkens back to the debut album but also expands on it. The track “Stay Lit,” despite the title, is actually an acoustic guitar-driven track that has a morose, haunted feel to it. “In My Mirror,” one of the standout tracks on the album, pulses with a sense of urgency and contains some of Allen’s most impassioned vocals to date. “Dying to Live” runs in a similar vein, with Allen practically spitting out the lyrics in desperation over a tense instrumental. The tracks “Keep Me A Space” and “My Life Is A Glasshouse (A Thousand Stones Ago)” echo the first album with their sweeping textures and grand soundscapes.
It is nothing short of staggering that Glasvegas were able to make such a quality album after eight years. However, it is also not outside of the band to pull something like this off. After all, this is the same band that existed for five years before their debut album, slowly honing their sound and polishing their craft. Clearly, work ethic is a major part of Glasvegas’s ethos, which is something that must be admired. Many other bands would have folded under lesser circumstances, but with Godspeed, Glasvegas proves that they are made of tougher stuff.
Glasvegas’ new album Godspeed. Photo courtesy of XS Noise
“No one can be free who has thousand ancestors.” I’m paraphrasing L.M. Montgomery, but it’s dead true. We’re shackled to the past because it’s what has melded the present. We’re chained to its rhythms. However many centuries away we are from the nomadic tribes we are descended from, the same drum beats, the same voices, get us going. Bishopskin riff off of that immutable bond, creating music that contains both the glassy slickness of modernity and the essential, humming, throb of music at the beginning of language. Music for music own’s sake: music, as Iggy Pop has said, for “the sheer joy of just making a neat noise.”
Featuring lead singer Tiger Nicholson and guitarist James Donovan (of HMTLD) the band put on gigs that are a bit like attending a ceremony of pagan worship: imagine the theatrics of Jim Morrison with the musical agenda of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, combined with what the band cite as their chief influences: “ancient folk songs…and ancestral worship music.” High priests of the electric church of rock n’ roll, indeed.
The band’s first EP, Ye Olde Britland Isle, was released in 2020. Their latest single, “I Was Born on an Island,” is out today. The track opens with a lone voice, droning a hypnotic, unintelligible chant. The lone voice is soon joined by other voices, creating a cascade of urgent, beautiful tones, woven like a tapestry over a steady drumbeat. Haunting and surreal, the layered vocals showcase what a brilliantly flexible instrument the human voice is, as well as revealing the uncanny power in the sound of chanting. It triggers a reaction reaching far back into the subconscious, beyond memory, into the parts of our brains we share with lizards. It is supremely fitting that, “I Was Born on an Island,” was chosen for the group’s latest single, “due to the intense emotional reaction it elicits from the audience at live shows…”
Bishopskin Live at the Columbia, Filmed by Lou Smith.
A lockdown project that turned into an extended venture following rapid fanbase growth, Bishopskin are currently immersed in recording new material, bringing in collaborators such as Alex White of Fat White Family, Duc Peterman of HMLTD, and Seth Evans of Black Midi.
‘I Was Born on an Island’ is out today, on the non-profit label Isolar Records. You can purchase the single here: https://bishopskin.bandcamp.com/releases
You can follow the further adventures of Bishopskin on Instagram, @bishopskin, and @isolar_records.
