Categories
Indie/Indie Rock Pop/Indie Pop Punk/Rock Why We Love

Why We Love: Tee Vee Repairmann

Photo courtesy of Gimmie Zine

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.

Categories
Punk/Rock

White Devil Disco: RED

“I recall my solar nature and would like to rush to my rising. But ruins stand in my way.  They say: ‘With regard to men, you should be this or that.’ My chameleonesque skin shudders. They obtrude upon me and want to color me. But that should no longer be. Neither good nor evil shall be my masters. I push them aside, the laughable survivors, and go on my way again, which leads me to the East. The quarreling powers that for so long stood between me and myself lie behind me.” Carl Jung, Liber Novus

In the words of its founder, Joseph Pancucci, White Devil Disco is “…a bit of an illusion, an enigma existing on the cusp of your senses, ever changing, and evolving.” The group’s latest single, “RED,” released on Dash the Henge records, takes listeners on an electrifying, chaotic funhouse ride. Produced by Robin Harwood and Sam Fez, the track pulsates with a deep-seated anger, featuring snarled vocals laced over with a ribbon of contrast in the form of honey-sweet synth. The music video for “RED,” (a visualizer created by the renowned artist Ben Faircloth) is peopled with a crew of fabulously surreal beings, most of which look like Jungian archetypes or sketches from da Vinci’s notebook of recommended formulae for monsters, morphing in and out of scenarios that seem to be plucked from fever dreams and spiritual visitations. It’s an apt visualizer for a track with an unusual, traumatic origin story, underlining the lyrical themes of crisis and transformation. Totally Wired recently spoke with Joseph Pancucci to discuss the track’s initial formation, the recording process, and what’s next for White Devil Disco.

TWM: How would you define White Devil Disco? 

Joseph Pancucci: I’ve been asked to before, I can’t. I don’t really see how anyone can define their own music; it feels very constrictive. Graham Duff described us as “purveyors of distinctive dark pop.” That works for me. 

TWM: Who are White Devil Disco? Which other musicians are you currently collaborating with? 

Joseph Pancucci: White Devil Disco is a bit of an illusion, an enigma existing on the cusp of your senses, ever changing, and evolving. A less pretentious answer is that I’ve collaborated recently with Nathan Saoudi (Brian Destiny/Fat Whites) and Simon Milner (Is Tropical/Ysing Ysing.) We’ve written a few songs that I’m happy with. 

TWM: How does White Devil Disco differ from other musical projects you’ve worked on in the past?

Joseph Pancucci: It differs in the way that I actually have to keep it moving forward as opposed to just showing up pissed and playing bass. It’s still quite chaotic like other projects, though, which is what it is.   

TWM: “RED” is your third single release as White Devil Disco. Are there plans for an EP or an album looming in the future?

Joseph Pancucci: Yes, we’re working towards an album to be released on Dash the Henge. 

Footage of White Devil Disco Live at Peckham Audio, shot by the inimitable Lou Smith.

TWM: Where did the impetus for “RED” come from? 

Joseph Pancucci: Well, I wrote the vocals after I threw myself off the monument at the highest point of Margate Pier into shallow water. It was after shooting the video for our last single “Trouble” in summer. I think I did it out of frustration, or maybe it was a cry for attention. I don’t know. It hurt like fuck, and my whole body came up in bruises. I was okay, but halfway down, I thought I was going to die. Hitting the water felt like my soul was being ripped from my body. It gave me trippy flash backs for about a month after, like my brain had released DMT or something. I tried to channel some of that mindset when writing/recording the lyrics. 

TWM: Tell me a bit about the recording process of the single, please, and about the experience of working with Sam Fez at the Betty Fjord Clinic in Norway.

Joseph Pancucci: We recorded the music in Sam’s bedroom in London. We were working on another track last summer and got a bit bored of it. I started playing this John Carpenter-style horror movie keyboard line I’d come up with, just as a bit of a change of pace, and Sam jumped on it, adding all those sweet synth tones. Then, we layered it up with guitars and that. It came together pretty quickly, and then stayed dormant for months until I ended up at Betty Fjord, kinda by accident, where I was bullied into writing and recording vocals for it by a drunken Simon Tickner. I appreciate that.

You can find White Devil Disco on Bandcamp, YouTube and Spotify. ‘RED’ is out now on all platforms. https://whitedevildisco.bandcamp.com/music

Cover photo by Emma Giaca

Categories
Indie/Indie Rock New Wave Punk/Rock Uncategorized

Crate Digging with Slack Alice

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.

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.

OE010 / SAMEHEADS 005 ~ Taurus / Schulverweis : KRUMM

https://osare-editions.bandcamp.com/album/oe010-sameheads-005-taurus-schulverweis-krumm

Wisecrack – Wisecrack

https://mapledeathrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wisecrack

Theoreme – Les Artisans

https://mapledeathrecords.bandcamp.com/album/les-artisans

Sky Girl: Compiled by Julien Dechery and DJ Sundae

https://efficientspace.bandcamp.com/album/sky-girl-compiled-by-julien-dechery-and-dj-sunda

TRAX TEST (Excerpts From The Modular Network 1981​-​1987)

https://ecstaticrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/trax-test-excerpts-from-the-modular-network-1981-1987

As picked by Kelan

D-Breeze – “Crazy For Love” [Autechre Remix]

https://www.discogs.com/release/19800-Various-MASK-500

Phast Phreddie & Thee Precisions – “Only Lovers Left Alive”

https://www.discogs.com/release/14768141-Phast-Phreddie-Thee-Precisions-Limbo

Dub Sex – “I Am Not Afraid”

https://dubsex.bandcamp.com/track/i-am-not-afraid

The Mob – “Let The Tribe Increase” (album)

https://www.discogs.com/release/429383-The-Mob-Let-The-Tribe-Increase

Jungle Wonz – “Rainforest Serenade”

https://www.discogs.com/release/3010356-Jungle-Wonz-Rain-EP

Carlton – “The Call Is Strong” (album)

https://www.discogs.com/release/345381-Carlton-The-Call-Is-Strong

Meat Beat Manifesto – “Acid Again”

https://www.discogs.com/release/26873-Meat-Beat-Manifesto-Acid-Again

Spectre – “Ruff Kutz” (mixtape)

https://spectrepan.bandcamp.com/album/ruff-kutz

Mark Stewart – “Hypnotized”

https://www.discogs.com/master/15734-Mark-Stewart-Hypnotized

Thomas Leer – “Memories Of Reason”

https://www.discogs.com/release/27977-Thomas-Leer-The-Scale-Of-Ten

as picked by Nadoone.

L.F.T – Salz

https://mannequinrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mnq-149-l-f-t-salz-lp

ANTINOTE – 10 Years of Loving Notes Comp.

https://antinoterecordings.bandcamp.com/album/10-years-of-loving-notes-2

Nicolini – Sopratutto

https://southofnorthamsterdam.bandcamp.com/album/sopratutto

KOSA (Francis Man/ Fr6) – Kosa and Friends 1987/97

https://nottebrigante.bandcamp.com/album/kosa-francis-man-fr6-kosa-and-friends-1987-97-lp

NOSE JOB – Noite Noite comp.

https://nosejob.bandcamp.com/album/nooit-nooit

As picked by Yokel

Mind over Matter by Boris Barksdale

https://naturalsciences.bandcamp.com/album/mind-over-matter

Princess Diana of Wales by Princess Diana of Wales

https://lailasakini.bandcamp.com/album/princess-diana-of-wales

Seven Hills presents Rockers Hi Fi 92​-​96 by Rockers Hi Fi

https://biggabush.bandcamp.com/album/seven-hills-presents-rockers-hi-fi-92-96

Too Long LP by Stigma

https://pessimistproductions.bandcamp.com/album/pess004-stigma-too-long-lp

Transit (Creme 12​-​99) by Lander

https://cremeorganization.bandcamp.com/album/transit-creme-12-99

as picked by Anina

Categories
Pop/Indie Pop Punk/Rock

Why We Love: Alex Chilton

Photo courtesy of The Ringer

Alex Chilton has become something of a hero to multiple generations of alternative rockers, power pop enthusiasts, and music lovers in general. First rising to fame in the late ’60s with the band The Box Tops, Chilton was just a teenager when the band’s debut single, “The Letter,” became a number one hit. For three more years, the group continued to release hits, though after multiple lineup changes, the group split. 

Having been the frontman of a successful band for multiple years, Chilton could have done whatever he wanted. He contemplated going to college, he worked on multiple solo songs, and he was even considered for the position of singer in Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Instead, he decided to do none of these things and went on to form a band called Big Star.

Big Star. Photo courtesy of uDiscover Music

There could easily be an entirely separate article about how great Big Star is, and maybe that will come down the line, but I’ll keep it simple here and say that Chilton should have easily had another hit group under his belt. Big Star’s first two albums were incredibly well orchestrated, written, and produced, with folk-tinged ballads meeting soaring power pop and heart-pounding rock. However, due to mismanagement at the band’s label, the albums didn’t receive the widespread release they should’ve, and despite critical acclaim, sold poorly upon initial release.

Many bands would’ve indignantly tried to get more attention from the label by trying to make more commercial material and perhaps cater more towards what the executives wanted. However, Chilton refused to do this. With Big Star only being a two piece after the first two albums, he decided to take advantage of the situation and experiment more than ever before. The production became looser, the songs less structured, and the instrumentation more varied. The resulting album, Third, was so strange that it was shelved for many years, and Big Star broke up.

Now that he was once again on his own, Chilton could’ve tried again with a different group and perhaps had better luck with his label. However, he again decided to go down the path less traveled, moving to New York and jumping into the rising club scene there. Inspired by the punk, new wave, and psychobilly bands that he was hearing, Chilton decided to take part, releasing solo material in the latter half of the ’70s that not only sounded nothing like what he’d made with Big Star but also seemed to turn a cold shoulder to anything that resembled pop. He loosened up his approach to music even further, which is on full display on the live album Ocean Club ‘77. This performance sees Chilton tackle a mixture of songs from his Box Top and Big Star days, as well as other covers and originals, with reckless abandon. The tight and gloriously arranged Big Star classic “September Gurls” is transformed into a sweaty, out of breath punk tune. It’s a far different vibe than anything that Chilton had done before, which is precisely the idea.

When the ’80s came around, Chilton further moved to avoid the spotlight, largely shirking solo music for the first half of the decade and working with Tav Falco’s Panther Burns, a band in which he decided to cede the frontman position in favor of just being a guitarist and producer. However, Chilton’s talent was still inspiring many, with the rock band The Bangles even covering “September Gurls” on their album Different Light. Another rock band, The Replacements, also named a song after him. Chilton then began to make solo records again, becoming quite prolific for the next few decades.

Alex Chilton sadly passed away in 2010. In that moment, the world lost a strange visionary. He proved that there was fulfillment to be found in resolutely sticking to your own path, that there was a legacy to be made in the underground. Had he continued making pop music for the rest of his days, there’s a possibility that he would have had less of an impact. Instead, he blazed his own trails, and his talent shone through regardless. There is so much more to say about the man, but the best way to explore his true contributions to music is to listen for yourself.

Photo courtesy of Psychiatry and Songs
Categories
Punk/Rock

Cowboyy: Britain’s Latest Bandits

If you’re a Londoner like myself who seemingly can’t stay away from the holy trinity of music venues, The Windmill, The Sebright Arms and The New Cross Inn,  you’d have certainly already heard about Cowboyy. The latest 4-piece lineup to come storming out of the UK’s woodwork has already rightly attracted the attention of music heads and BBC 6 DJs alike with their exceptional first single ‘Gmaps’

At first glance, the band’s lineup is a patchwork of secondary school stereotypes, each styled like the four kids in your class you’d never thought would interact, let alone form a band. But behind the athlete on drums and maths wiz on vocals exists a brotherly bond which has been essential in forming the band’s unique charm. We got to know a little more about Cowboyy when we spoke to them recently.

Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. What has the reaction been to the new single?

Reubin: I think the response has been really good, so we’re excited to see what’s ahead, but for now, we’re just happy for it to be out and to see what’s next.

Tell us a bit about the process. When did you start working on recording the single, and how did you do it?

Stan: I wrote everything beforehand, and then I got a band together to record the songs. It was about 6/7 tracks in that day. We had a different drummer and an additional guitarist who joined to help but they weren’t permanent members and we then went back and recorded another track after meeting and playing with Rhys, making the forthcoming EP a five-track. ‘Gmaps’ is the first song from the EP. I recorded and co-produced it with the David Evans at the Old Chapel Studios, which is local to me. I mixed the songs with him and over-dubbed guitar round his house. I intentionally did this all beforehand as I wanted to do something by myself for myself. We then worked on the live set and playing together after this.

How would you describe your style? You mentioned the first time we met that you disliked being pigeonholed by today’s very broad stylistic labels.

Reubin: I think the idea of being forced into a category or compared is always gonna be a factor in music but right now I think we all know what we’re making and what we’re all proud of it regardless. 

Stan: Our musical style or personal? Either way, I’m just doing whatever I want.

Rhys: I don’t know, when people ask I just say experimental noise rock sort of thing.

How did your name come to be?

Stan: I’ve liked the sort of Hollywood idea of cowboys since I was younger. Before we started gigging, we went by my full name. Cowboyy kind of alludes to the solo artist thing but we are and will always be a band  

How did you all meet, and what were your different influences like?

Reubin: I met Stan at a party a few years back and we instantly got on because of our passion for music, especially hip-hop.

Stan: I then met Kai and Rhys through Instagram. we all like math rock, jazz, fusion, hardcore, funk etc.

Rhys: Tony Williams is a big influence, Chris Pennie from Dillinger Escape Plan and I like the drumming on a record called Scenery by Ryo Fukui

Have most of you played in bands before?

Stan: Yes I’ve played guitar, written music and been involved in production since about 16, but never done my own thing.

Kai: I’ve played in bands before this but only really at a local level.

Rhys: I’ve played drums in bands since I was about 16.

How do you think the music scene has responded to your music?

Reubin: I’m not sure but there definitely something brewing that got people talking.

Rhys: Sometimes it’s really good…sometimes not so much.

Who are some bands you’re excited about or could see yourselves playing with?

Reubin: None have really caught my eye for me or maybe it’s because I’m intimidated by their current status but I’m sure one day we’re gonna support some really cool bands.

Kai: Deathcrash are a band I really like at the moment and I could see us playing with them at some point.

Top three records of the year so far?

Stan: There’s not been a massive amount of music coming out this year I’m super into, I guess DOMi and JD BECK’s ‘NOT TiGHT’ and Palm have dropped a couple of singles, I’m excited about their new album.

Rhys: I really liked Island Of Love’s ‘Songs Of Love’ EP

Kai: As Stan said, Palm’s new singles are great and I’m really excited to hear their new album. For the other two, I’d say Return by Deathcrash and Badi Sabah Olmadan by Altin Gün

Reubin: For me, it’s Cheat Codes by Danger mouse, Gemini Rights by Steve Lacy and Arrangements by Preoccupations. Like Stan said there hasn’t been a lot coming out but there definitely some albums on the way I’m really excited for. 

What does the long-term plan look like for Cowboyy?

Stan: Have fun playing music and hopefully people like it.

Reubin: I’m looking forward to the journey ahead and the music we gonna create next!

Rhys: Space.

Kai: Moon first then Mars.

Along with the release of their first music video, the band announced their upcoming EP, ‘EPIC THE MOVIE’ coming March 6th next year.

Yeehaw.

Photo by Ele Marchant
Categories
Pop/Indie Pop Punk/Rock

Jessica Winter: “I Want to Find Something Real”

Magic lies purely in belief. Without belief, all magic and illusion crumble, but it’s a fine line between suspending disbelief and abandoning reason, and for that reason many people choose to block out the idea of magic entirely–their loss. I have always depended on finding magic in Jessica Winter’s music, and she has always provided it, so reliably that it sometimes seems like she might be a being from another planet. With a soaring magic carpet ride of a voice and a talent for writing pop hooks that rivals anybody on the charts today, her sound can’t be tucked neatly into any identifying genre but exists in a liminal space between electro-pop and indie goth, laced with jagged, searing punk rock rawness. Winter has called it “crance” (music for crying and dancing to simultaneously.) The Cure’s Robert Smith is a fan.

Besides performing as a solo artist, she’s produced acts such as Jazmin Bean, Gorillaz and Phoebe Green, and is currently scoring season two of the hit CBBC series Princess Mirabelle. She’s done countless collaborations with artists such as Lucia and the Best Boys, MADGE, Walt Disco, and Cid Rim. She’s also formerly one half of the cult favorite duo PREGOBLIN, her signature soaring vocals gracing all the hits. 

Once, while talking with one of Winter’s occasional collaborators, I asked him if he thought that Winter had out-of-body experiences when she sang. Her voice was capable of reaching such incredible heights, to use it must bring on a kind of mystical experience. Was that so? I asked. Could you see it when you watched her sing? He nodded, grinning. A voice like a magic carpet ride, indeed. (Winter described her style of vocal delivery in a Wonderland magazine interview in 2019 as “Julie Andrews singing Marilyn Manson.”)

With her pale teardrop-shaped face framed in delicate wire spectacles, she looks like Isabelle Adjani in the ‘80s, fine-lined sylphic beauty with a steel core. A childhood spent in hospital informed her worldview, as she developed an expansive imagination to cope with the isolation and confinement. That extraordinary imagination has translated into dark, elegant pop songs embroidered with poignant, sometimes deeply cutting observations. Her writing is defined by a remarkable honesty; she possesses a rare knack for telling universal truths without falling into the realm of cliché. (For example, the autofiction stylings of “Play,”the first track of her debut EP Sad Music: “I’m feeling famous/I’m feeling international/I got my money and my body/A miracle/I’m everything I ever needed growing up/I’m a fuck up/And I’m ok.”) 

Winter was born in the seaside town of Portsmouth, England, but spent most of her childhood on the neighboring outrider, Hayling Island, which she describes as, “…a tiny Victorian island…it’s bizarre, it’s just like everyone goes there to die. We weren’t very well off, and you could get a house there that was quite decent for the price of a flat in Portsmouth. The people there are either just druggy or pensioners. It was quite a bleak place to grow up.” 

She moved back to Portsmouth aged 15; it was there that she began writing her first fully formed songs. “I actually started writing song songs when I was about 16,” she reminisces. “But I’d always written little bits of music on the piano when I was growing up, because I’ve been playing piano since I was about two. So, I was writing (music) but…until I became a more mature person, I didn’t really write songs.”

“I used to use my uncle’s lyrics when I was 16. He would always write lyrics but he never knew how to do music so I would just take his lyric books and then start writing songs for him. Because I never really had anything to say at the time; I was just a child, figuring it out. I just thought life was how it should be, because you do at that age, and it’s not until recently that I’ve actually realized how messed up and traumatic my childhood was. I knew that I had a lot of pain, which is why music was a therapy and I always did it, but I could never put it into words until I got a bit older.”

Since then, Winter has written two EPs (2020’s Sad Music, followed by More Sad Music a year later) and several singles. She recently signed with the label Lucky Number Music, and her third EP, Limerence, is due to be released in the near future. 

“The EP covers similar things to what that word means,” Winter explains. “It’s basically an obsession or an addiction to love. There are three stages of limerence, and each one gets a bit more psychotic. I feel like the songs as well, each song gets progressively more psychotic…the way the songs have been picked and listening to it as a whole, I just thought it really makes sense to call it Limerence because not only is it an addiction to love, or an obsession with love, there’s also a song that covers just addiction in general, so I thought it was just a good word for the EP.”

Choreograph, the first single from the upcoming EP, was released on September 20th. The music video is a sly homage to the classic film, Singing in the Rain, featuring Winter in her signature wire-rimmed glasses and sharply tailored grey suit singing her heart out to the heavens in a thunderstorm. The lyrics are a commentary on the hard truth that love can’t be forced, and that picture-perfect ideals don’t always make for happy endings. It’s a joyous rejection of the over-marketed Hollywood fairytale: “real love/can’t be choreographed.”

Of the track, Winter says she wanted to express the feeling of searching for, “…something real in a place of very forced situations. People saying like, ‘this is love,’ by having the nature of a certain set-up…or just going like, “this is a good time,” because of the way things look… Even venues are just being created to look good on Instagram. ‘This will give you a good time, because you’re going to get loads of photos in this place,’ and it’s just like, whoa! Surely there’s more than that, surely there’s more to life than how things are on the surface. It was like, made out of desperation. Come on! There’s more to life than this. I want to find something real.”

Categories
Punk/Rock

Humour: So Young’s Latest Hardcore Signing

Glaswegian 5-piece band Humour is the latest and most rip-roaring addition to the instantly addictive lineup of bands on So Young records’ roster.

The boys, many of whom met at primary school or whilst studying in Glasgow, have poured their collective talents into their new EP, “PURE MISERY,” set for release on November 25th. The recent singles “yeah, mud!” and “alive and well” have teased a hard-hitting and unmissable six-track record later on this year.

Totally Wired Magazine spoke to two of the band’s founding members, guitarist Jack Lyall and frontman (plus visual artist) Andreas Christodoulidis.

Hi guys, what have you been up to?

Andreas: Just getting the artwork for the singles finalised and quite a few interviews too.

Jack: Oh yeah, a few of those.

Andreas: We’re getting a little bit better at it but still not great, as you’ll find out.

Well, you boys are one of the latest signings to the new SoYoung Records; how did that come about?

Jack: Our friend sent them one of our songs at the end of last year.

Andreas: He’s a photographer, so he knew them through work. But he didn’t actually tell us he was going to do it.

Jack: Yeah, and then they just had us down for a gig in London; we played with Folly Group, who were already on the label.

Have you guys always been in bands before Humour?

Jack: Well, we’ve all always played in bands together or separately for some years, but never properly, always as a sort of hobby, not trying too hard to be good at it.

Does it feel good then now to have a record deal and be breaking into that professional side of the industry?

Andreas: Oh yeah, definitely, we were quite scared of the prospect of releasing [the EP] ourselves, which we initially thought we might have to do. We had already written most of the tracks and thought we were happy enough with it that we’d want it out in the world, but we didn’t know how we were going to do it. We were just really hoping that there would be some interest from a label.

Jack: Yeah, we thought it was something we wanted to release properly instead of putting it up on Soundcloud. We wanted that physical copy element to the record too. So the fact that a label has done that for us is really cool.

When did the EP begin to take shape? Was it something you guys wrote during lockdown?

Andreas: Pretty much; it’s funny because some of the songs are now about two years old, ones which we wrote right at the beginning of lockdown. It’s nice because the EP has become quite varied as our writing process has changed over that time.

Jack: I think it was nice because if we weren’t in lockdown, we might have been tempted to release a song as soon as we wrote it, but with this EP, we had about 15-20 songs which we could choose from for the record. It was a nice position to be in, although we probably won’t get that chance again.

How does music taste differ between members of the band? Are your likes and dislikes all quite similar?

Andreas: Well, we’ve lived together for many years now. I think that when we met, we all had very different backgrounds, although our taste has become much more similar since living together.

Jack: I suppose when one of us finds something new and plays it to death, the others hear it so much that they either end up liking it or think that they do.

What would you say the music scene is like in Glasgow where you first formed the band?

Jack: It’s really good, certainly in Scotland it’s the best place you could be for music. Most of us grew up in Edinburgh, which feels slightly different from Glasgow. There are so many venues in Glasgow. There are small ones, and bigger ones, and you can keep climbing up the ladder. With anywhere else in Scotland, you’ve either got one really shit pub or a massive warehouse.

Being a more hardcore post-punk band than most, do you think the music scene in Scotland has been welcoming of your style? I think it’s only in recent years we have seen a more classic example of punk emerge back onto the scene.

Andreas: It’s hard to tell, although we’ve done just as many gigs in London now as we have in Scotland. I think the right scene in London has already been created for us, but there aren’t as many punk bands in Glasgow right now.

After this EP lands, are there any other bands you want to play with?

Andreas: Well, we’re lucky that we’ve already gotten to play with a bunch of bands we really like and in some ways tried to emulate, such as Folly Group and Do Nothing, who we listened to a lot when we were just starting out.

And what kind of people do you hope are drawn to the new EP and your music?

Jack: Well, we’re not even sure what to call our style anyway, a sort of hardcore/punk sound with some surreal and sometimes quite funny lyrics. So we hope that anyone who likes the sound of that will like the EP.

Andreas, I know that your own visual artwork plays a big role in the new singles and EP. Would you tell us a bit about that?

Andreas: For sure. I found it very easy to make the artwork in response to the music as there were a lot of overlapping themes and things to draw from. But we all have loved when bands have an animated lyric video or other sorts of graphics based on their album art. So I think the visual element was a really nice accompaniment to the music.

So what have you got leading up to November? Anything we should look forward to before the EP?

Jack: Well, we’re in London at the end of September, then in France for a few days. I’m not sure if that’s announced yet, but it is now. Then Rotterdam in October.

Humour’s next sold-out gig at the 100 club promises even more madness.

Their latest single and the title track of the band’s upcoming EP is out today.

Follow the band @humour_music and pre-save the album here.

Categories
Punk/Rock

Murder Capital Announce New Album and European Tour

Irish post-punk band The Murder Capital have announced their forthcoming second album Gigi’s Recovery, with a UK & EU tour to follow.

The announcement comes the morning after the release of their latest video for A Thousand Lives, the second track from the forthcoming album, paired with a striking video by Tommy Davies (Common People Films), a collaboration which has stirred our excitement for what’s still to come.

The band looks set for a hypnotic and expansive era of their music, flourishing dream-like guitar riffs and lyrics throughout the latest single.

Gigi’s Recovery is out on January 20th via Human Season. See tour tickets here.

Photo Credit: Marcus Prouse Jr.

Categories
Creators Monthly Indie/Indie Rock New Wave Pop/Indie Pop Punk/Rock Why We Love

Why We Love: The Cleaners from Venus (aka Martin Newell)

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
Categories
Punk/Rock Videos

Deadletter Unleashes ‘Binge’

Taken from ‘Binge’ music video, directed by Tegen Williams

After building a reputation as paragons of the live performance, Deadletter soars even higher with ‘Binge,’ a biting incantation on intoxication. In a world of nicotine patches, ‘don’t talk to me before my morning coffee,’ and Klarna payment plans for your new shoes – frontman Zac Lawrence preaches at a world which demands everything immediately all the time. Instant porn, instant music, instant dating, and instant celebrity content have made us all shallow and impatient, and it’s hard to tell if ‘Binge’ is a call to arms against our current evolution or a sardonic ‘so what?’

‘Binge’ brings us a collage of post-punk, funk, and new wave. Written in 25 minutes back in January, Lawrence credits a formula of “drumline, bassline, lyrics, seasoning” to Deadletter’s creative process. It’s an organic recipe, all bare bones and knuckles and knees, building the skeleton of what a song needs before adding sinew and tissue. The drumline is of Alfie Husband’s doing, and along with George Ullyot on bass, the beat shoots straight to your muscles and gets you moving, all whilst scratching an impossible itch in the back of your skull. The guitar riffs from King and Bates combined have an almost Bowie sense of movement, bringing the glam that ‘Binge’ tells us we aspire to. Poppy Richler fleshes out the instrumentals on the saxophone, further demonstrating how the current post-punk scene’s revival of a horn section is a truly wonderful thing.

If there’s one thing that you can rely on from Deadletter, it’s that they bring an extraordinary energy to every song, every performance, and every music video. Lawrence is adrenaline incarnate, on screen and stage. He doesn’t just move his mouth, he entertains with his entire physicality; his movements are percussive, and his body is an instrument in and of itself. He is a frontman that steps down into the audience and growls in their faces while moshing along with them. Whilst premiering ‘Binge’ on BBC Radio 6 yesterday afternoon, Steve Lamacq said of the band that they “have an uncanny chemistry on stage” before describing their performance at this year’s Great Escape Festival as having a significant impact on the audience.

Photographed by @spela_is

With their EP Heat due for launch in November, ‘Binge’ provides us with enough Deadletter to keep us satiated for the time being – but we want more, because we are greedy little wretches and life’s a binge. The band are currently touring the UK, with dates featured below, so catch them while you can.

Tour Dates:

18th August – The Blue Moon, Cambridge (Music Venue Trust Tour)

19th August – Chameleon Arts Café, Nottingham (Music Venue Trust Tour)

20th August – The Star Inn, Guilford (Music Venue Trust Tour)

21st August – Beautiful Days Festival, Devon

23rd August – Duffy’s, Leicester (Music Venue Trust Tour)

24th August – Elsewhere, Margate (Music Venue Trust Tour)

25th August – The Grain, Frome (Music Venue Trust Tour)

27th August – Reading Festival

28th August – Leeds Festival

16th September – Head Of Stream, Newcastle

17th September – The Flying Duck, Glasgow

18th September – Bootleg Social, Blackpool

20th September – Sidney and Matilda, Sheffield

21st September – Oporto, Leeds

22nd September – The Castle Hotel, Manchester

23rd September – Polar Bear, Hull (Supporting Yard Act) SOLD OUT

24th September – Dead Wax, Birmingham

26th September – Hope & Ruin, Brighton

27th September – Crofters Rights, Bristol

28th September – 100 Club, London


Tickets available HERE