King Tuff – Black Moon Spell

Black Moon Spell
Sub Pop Records
2014

I pretended to be a tourist in my city last night and went on a ghostbus tour. On it we were told stories of Dracula, Dr Clossey, decadent Dublin and gravediggers. It was a fascinating two hours as I stepped from the reality of football training and logistics to sitting on a bus with gothic decor.

What has this to do with King TUff, you rightly ask. Not a lot really except Sub Pop are telling us there was paranormal activities going on when King Tuff was recording his second album. Last night I was trying to take pictures of a graveyard and twitter mysteriously appeared on my phone instead. When I turned it off my microphone switched on. Maybe King Tuff was trying to get the 30,000 Catholics buried in a pit at the end of the overgrown small plot of land rocking out. After all he is asking for you to give “your ears what they’ve been begging for all year; a heavily weird, heavenly dark, hysterically magical Rock & Roll Sexperience.” I’m not sure that is what my ears did experience.

Plenty of rock, plenty of roll, plenty of attitude and you do get the distinct feeling King Tuff is writing these songs without caring what you or I thnk. It rocks in that bluesy manner that I find hard to really get into and much like St James graveyard I am glad they exist but glad when I leave reach the exit.

niallhope

Sissy – Sissy ep

Sissy
Sissy EP
self released

Great to hear bands like this coming together in Dublin. it’s lo-fi and full of attitude. This is not the type of band we are used to seeing form on tis fair isle.

Sail and Rail – a tale of travel, the way we used to do it in the old day but this is with a twist. It’s not a story of our holidays but of unfortunate girls and women who have had to leave this country to deal with unwanted pregnancy. Single chord strummed and takes us on a trip with enya bizarrely enough. unfortunately the story is true of so many people who left this country to escape religious persecution.

Song by song – a synopsis

No mickey on the mouse – no mickey on the mouse sung time and again and it is not an ode to Disney in this garage tune

Nothing – rock low fi with women singing, the slits with a more tuneful feel. Desirable women, it’s mysteria lane to riot grrl. Where the women of the middle glass are at home on diet pills and whatever drugs they can consume before their husbands come home to colour in the day, NOT.

So what – post punk, maybe the pop group or atv playing songs from the riot grrl era

niallhope

Protomartyr – Under Color of Official Right

Protomartyr
Under Colour of Official Right
Hardly Art

This is the second album from Protomartyr. 14 songs that emanate a post punk riff based sound. There’s touches of the Fall, Wire and maybe even Television but with a garagey background. Amongst it all is the baritone voice of Joe Casey. it doesn’t quite have the sneer of Mark E Smith or the dourness of Ian Curtis but Caseys voice has that almost monotone aspect. It provides the low in the mix accompaniment to the post punk guitar riffs. The 14 tracks all told take up 35 minutes there or thereabouts so you’re getting short sharp missives. At times the intstruments go off on a different journey to the voice in the songs, feeling like they are the speeding car as the pedestrian vocals walks along but they both reach their destination together. Although with tracks like Son of Dis or Scum, Rise! they motor together nicely. There are tunes at times, namely I stare at floors as Casey almost breaks his sneer to accompany the chords

Protomartyr wouldn’t have been out of place in Futurama festival of the late 70’s and early 80’s in Leeds. They could be from a northern english industrial town but instead it is the industrial heartland of Detroit that gave them their upbringing. It’s not going to be a record that brings smiles to your face but when that rain is falling this will sum up one of those days.

Track By Track
Maidenhead – indie jangle
Ain’t So Simple – maybe Joy Division post punk with a simple guitar riff and drum beat
Want Remover – heaview garage feel but still the baritone voice
Trust Me Billy – wire feel based on guitar riff,
Pagans – heavier song blasts off while vocals low in the mix playing catch up. The song is like the speeding car as the pedestrian walks along but they both reach their destination together
What the Wall Said – SLower trundling along, Fall vibe
Tarpeian ROck – spoken word
Bad Advice – stop start
Son of Dis – faster music whilst the voice almost breaks into a sweat, more sung than other songs
Scum, Rise! – garagey feel, more song like structure
I Stare At Floors – more chords than riffs
Come and See – a touch of elctro in parts, maybe Futurama fare
Violent – great vocal interaction
I’ll Take that Applause – reminds me of Wolfhounds

niallhope

Hope Show *78 the lowdown

I can tell you these weeks keep on flying in and inbetween each show it seems like there’s a new funeral for me to go to. Ironic too that this show coincides wioth the 10 year anniversary of John Peels death. For so many people over 40 and interested in music John Peel gave us an education. His was the show to listen to if you wanted to find out new music. He was our bandcamp, our you tube or even our myspace. Dodgy radio frequencies and hazy reception made it harder for Irish people but we sure persisted.

I was gonna go witha straight tribute, al Peel sessions and bands championed by the BBC DJ but then felt that’s not what it’s about. Why not champion music that doesn’t get played too much elsewhere. And that’s where tonights songs came from.

A fortnight ago I had never heard of Blitzkrieg Bop other than it being a Ramones song and the obvious War reference on the word Blitzkrieg. Then I received an email from habinerecords telling me all about them and their new album championing their sound from 77. The Boys are another band from 77 who released 3 albums as their participation in the orginal punk rock wave. They have a fourth album out now and are bringing their cockeny punky attitude still to bear. Duncan Reid was in the Boys and he is still releasing music too. Similar in sound to his original band it is pop punk pre green day style of course. Glimmermen are from Dublin and their
album from last year still deserves to be heard a lot more

I got three amazing records this week all with a common denominator, GW SOK. The former EX frontman is as prolific as ever. He is a member of King Champion Sounds whose new record, Songs for the Golden Hour, is out now on Louder than war records. If I had the power to create a supergroup and was drawing up a shortlist bands like the Ex, Nomeansno and Dog Faced Hermans would be high up that list. great to know that Andy and Wilf from Dog Faced Hermans and Nomeansno re still playing as two pin din . Even better to know they got GW Sok to sing with them on the new double 7″. The Sleaford Mods are coming to town. They don’t care if you go or not or if you like them. They are brash and snotty and could care less what I write. they do have some great songs though and if you’re around Dublin on December 5 I recommend you going along. Parquet Courts have a snip of Sleaford Mods brashness but don’t sound like they come from the streets (not the band but the concrete slabs you walk on). They are from Brooklyn and have released three albums, my guess is their upringing might be slightly different to the Sleaford Mods but their sound is still post punkingly good.

The Down and Outs are from Liverpool and have released 4 great albums over the past ten years or so, Pocket Money punks is from their Friday Nights Monday mornings album out on Dead and gone records. Every time I listen to Bear Trade I have a wry smile on my face. it’s not funny it’s just that I enjoy listening to them so much. bear Trade are my Undertones in a John Peel sense. two albums in and they can still do no wrong. Bomb the music Industry are, unfortunately, no more they released 7 great albums and you can get them all on their site, free… lay It On The Line are a four piece from the UK . They have tons of side projects and are extremely prolific.

Red Hare released their album last year on Dischord and it was a return to the old days for Swiz veteran Jason Farrell. Still singing hearfelt songs nearly 30 years after starting and still just wantiong to play music for music’s sake. Rites of spring are fellow DC scene people. It’s kind of where so much of that dc sound emanatres from. Yeah, it’s been hijacked as emo but Rites Of Spring were such a good band. ANother lost band are the Crucifucks. It could be one of my desert island discs you know.

repetitor are new to me ut I’m sure glad I’ve come across them. Serbian noise merchants. Antagonizers ATl are street punk from Atlanta, not the same streets as sleaford mods mind you but one of crews rather than gangs. Comrades say they are New Yorks only punk band. Of course they’re not but they have some good angry tunes.

And so we finish ths show of new music from around with a trip to Alberta, Canada for Viet Cong Indie-rock, post punk or whatever, the choice is yours

Thanks for listening

1. Blitzkrieg bop – you’re like a ufo
2. the Boys – New Car
3. Duncan Reid – Kelly’s GOne Insane
4. Glimmermen – This town
5. King Champion Sounds – SM Revelation
6. Two Pin Din & GW Sok – Listen TO The Painters
7. Sleaford Mods – Tweet tweet tweet
8. Parquet Courts – Black and White
9. Down And Outs – Pocket Money Punks
10. Bear Trade – Anathema
11. Bomb The Music Industry – Dude, Get With the program
12. Lay It On The Line – Petticoat Lane
13. Red Hare – Fuck Your Career
14. Rites Of Spring – Drink Deep
15. The Crucifucks – Legal Genocide
16. Repetitor – Lica
17. Antagonizers ATL – The Crew
18. Comrades – Walmart Liberation Front
19. Viet Cong – Continental Shelf –
See more at: http://radioactiveinternational.org/hope-show-78rpm/#sthash.xWJ0GRvg.dpuf

Mr Business Man It’s Not Our World

The first band I ever played in was called Vicarious Living.  named after a line in a flux of Pink Indians song our reason behind it was that it “pertained to a different way of living”.  That was 1983 and I played in 4 or 5 bands over the next 6 years.  The last of these were called Not Our World or N.O.W. for short.

 

We played a lot of gigs around Dublin and beyond but always on this island.  There were plans tom play further afield and even bring out a record but circumstances dictated otherwise.  We did manage to get a lot of gigs in Dublin, playing in venues now long gone, like the Attic, Fox and pheasant, Trinity JCR and beyond, new inn, and the earl grattan.  At times it felt like we were a resident band in the grattan played there 5 nights one week.

We taped most of our gigs but unlike Fugazi who all had excellent sound desk recording we used whatever tape machines were doing the rounds.  Around that time as part of trainee sound engineers course they would get an overnight session in a recording studio.  We managed to score some time in Temple Lane Studios.  It was our first time in such a place and the experience was pretty forgettable.  We managed to record three songs and when we left we thought they represented our sound.  However whne we got home and the tape was played through our decks the sound was a thinny representation and didn’t really capture us.  So we did nothing with the demo.  Gave it to very few friends and planned to get back into a studio at some stage.   That wasn’t to be and now 25 years later I suppose it is time enough to let the tape be digitised.

 

Here are the  three songs  We felt we could change our world and subsequently the entire world, it wasn’t to be in the end but our world certainly changed.

 

niallhope

Eaten Alive Fanzine *30

Eaten alive fanzine

#30 celebrates derricks 50th birthday as he goes through the myriad of punk gigs he has attended. It’s a shame that women seem to bear the brunt of his jokes at times as otherwise this would be a fine read. They do however so it is not.

Sporadic interviews with anti social, 3 stone monkey and James Stevenson alongside some reviews and misplaced misogyny
10 Ballantine road, Radford, Coventry, CV6 3AP, UK

Riot Tapes – Cardinal Rules out soon

Riot Tapes
Cardinal Rules
Reekus records

I love the name Riot Tapes, if I could judge this band by their name this review would be a completely different collection of words.

I had a vision of a band out to upset the music business, maybe low fi but certainly edgy with an attitude as shard as Sissy. They have a record coming out on Nov 14 on interesting Dublin label, Reekus Records. Unfortunately I have had to listen to it. Polished electro pop that will no doubt appeal to a legion but I can’t see that legion coming on here.

Bland

niallhope

New video from Gangs

GANGS has released the video for their newest single, the title track from their debut EP, Back To School . The EP is available now from Reekus Records, http://smarturl.it/GANGSbts. The video was directed by Gansee Films and the track was produced by Brian Foley of The Blades. Watch it here: http://smarturl.it/GANGSbtsvid.

niallhope

Hope Show 77 – the lowdown

Hope Show 77 the lowdown

As usual a mix of old, new noise and pop tonight

1. winnebago deal – Maximum Overdrive
2. The offenders – Impact
3. Excel – Split Image
4. Dope Body – Repo Man
5. Perma War – Czlowiek
6. TV Smith – I Delete
7. Martha – Lost Without You
8. Anchor Bends – Still Casting Shadows
9. Two Pin Din & GW SOK – What Is Your Name
10. Goober Patrol – One More Time
11. Skizzwhores – Home Away From Home
12. Ace Bushy Striptease – Minor Toe Operation –
13. Le Butcherettes – Moment of Guilt (Henry Rollins)
14. Last Ex – Neils Theme
15. Weakerthans – Utilities
16. Protomartyr – Pagans
17. Purple 7 – No Fun

I reacquainted with Winnebago Deal last year when Dry Heave brought out a record. I had missed them first time around and their Plata O Plomo album completely passed me by in 2003. Thankfully there are some good charity shops in Dublin and I scored a winner recently picking up this album (and the levellers on the same day)

The Offenders have seen a renewed lease of life too. The are from Texas and had sad news when their guitarist, Tony Offender, passed away. Southern Lord have released their original music and hopefully a new audience will become aware of their hardcore sound.

Southern Lord have also released Excel , still skate punk with a slightly more metallic sound. Some great releases on that label.

Dope Body have been going since 2008 but I have just been introduced to them by their new album, Lifer, out on Drag City records.

Perma War are a punk band from Poland. Not too unlike Dezerter who are playing Dublin at Hallloween but they can make some racket.

TV smith can make all the racket he wants. The new album is out now and is great. Acoutsic mainly with some backing instruments for added effect. He just writes great songs and has been doing so since 1977.

Being vegan I always find it heartening to coma across bands that have members with a smilar diet. it’s a certain bond we hold together, our secret handshake if you will. Of course it helps if the band play good music and Martha certainly do. Very much diy, very pop folk and well deserving of your time.

Speaking of DIY (and when I talk about music, diy isn’t far away) Anchor Bends may be spread over 2 countries with Ireland and the Atlantic Ocean between them but they show that they can somehow make that work

Having a band that mixes people who were once in the ex, nomeansno and dog faced hermans is almost like me being asked to put together a supergroup. They did it without my prompting and have released a double 7″ . What is Your Name deals with the demoralisation of someone seeking to gain entry into a country, be it the land of their birth or not.

Ace bushy striptease are no longer a band. Maybe it had something to do with doigy interent searches but they do leave behind some fine diy recordings from Birmingham, UK.

Goober Patrol have no such songs but the Norwich bands album on Fat Wreck is one of the may good releases on that label

Skizzwhores are a punk band from Iowa in the US.; Their exploding ovaries album is worth your attention in much the same way as Sissy from Dublin demand notice.

Le Butcherettes are the first band from Mexico I have played and play Garage Punk. They believe in performance and have got Henry Rollins to do some spoken word on their new record

I move onto a Canadian Double Bill with Last Ex and Weakerthans. Last Ex are from Montreal and are on Constellation Records . It takes 27 hours to drive from the home of Last Ex to the Weakerthans in Winnipeg. Their indie rock sound is a lot different to their fellow stateband of Propogandhi but it’s no less intelligent.

I hopped on over the border to Detroit for the post punk sounds of Protomartyr, their new album is put now on Hardly Art

i had just about time to finish with Purple 7 . Sure you can’t beat a bit of diy pop eh

niallhope

Bald Cactus zine *31

Bald Cactus *31

2 issues ahead of Lights go out in numerical terms and on the go sine 1988. I remember writing to Andy as he started the zine back then. I always waited with baited breath to read about Hunt Saboteurs trips or to read about some uk hardcore band and what they had to say on their Britain of the day.

The recycled paper from Bob print was a staple of zines back then and Bald Cactus not only flew the flag but would have held it in the Olympic procession of fanzine producers.

I am delighted it is still going. Still A5, still uncompromising even if the music is covered is slightly more mellow. Good interviews with HDQ, Epic Problem, Jaded Eyes and Police Bastard. A poignant one from 1991 with Cringer is also included.

I love Bald Cactus, Andy is having a chat with the reader as he writes it and you get a good insight into his lifestyle without it being a per-zine. In his own words, “music should equal passion/empowerment/excitment/inspiration…otherwise what is the point” Indeed.

stg£1 plus post from baldcactus@gmail. com email andy and ask about postage costs

niallhope