ChronicleLive - The Locals

Glorious night of POP...

2008-08-20T16:04:32Z

Tomorrow sees a threesome of local power-pop artists take to the stage at the Dog and Parrot, Clayton Street, Newcastle.

Northumberland-born Jeans goes POP! will be playing along with Berwick acoustic outfit OrdinarySon (aka Roys Iron DNA) and Newcastle soloist Ben Watson.

Paul Jeans, aka Jeans goes POP! is a one-man army of sound.

Playing piano, guitar and drums, his debut album In Glorious Technicolor was released last year and is a myriad of sounds and emotions, laden with catchy piano riffs, and which shifts effortlessly through various styles.

Add to that samples galore and an innate sense of quirkiness, and you've got the perfect contemporary pop/folk album on your hands.

JgP! is a joy to watch live and along with the introspective musings of Ben Watson and the atmospheric grooves of OrdinarySon, the gig should be a good un'!

Doors 8pm.

In Glorious Technicolor is available at Alt Vinyl, Reflex, Beatdown and RPM record stores in Newcastle

To be Frank...

2008-08-20T12:29:32Z

Last weekend saw the launch of the second album by Newcastle indie band Dog Years, the follow-up to 2006's well-received debut effort You Can See The Joins.

Frankenstein Songs is a monstrous release of 20 tracks, stitched together to form an affable and burgeoning follow-up...

As the story goes in Mary Shelley's book, Frankenstein's Monster was deemed an abomination.

Cast out, the misunderstood creature eventually indulged his own self-centred grief, jealously and angst before eventually seeking companionship.

It's a subject matter Dog Years approach with vigour in their quirky album.

The four-piece may be a mere two years old - or 14 in dog years - but they have crafted an album abundant with frolicsome, sharp, smart and insightful lyrics.

It's tinged with seventies and eighties groove influences, from artists such as the Beat Happening, The Shins and Teenage Fanclub, while the vocals are reminiscent of the late Elliot Smith.

But Dog Years have concocted a sound all of their own which nestles snugly somewhere between indie brilliance and down-beat baroque.

Most tracks average around three minutes in length and the overall result is a piece of work bursting with an almost unhealthy amount of originality.

The opening chords of tracks such as In Stitches, Under The Weather, Nothing To No One and Circuits Are Blown can change your mood instantly.

That they can switch with ease from feeling whimsical to melancholic and surly to mildly elated is testament to the band's musical abilities.

Tracks like Seven Years Bad Luck, an alt-country witty ditty, would have Shelley herself clicking her spurs and line dancing about her coffin... probably.

Followers of the band will be pleased to see gig favourites The Sun Don't Shine, Bellyaches and Your Waves feature, as well as introspective tracks such as Mixtape and Remain a Butterfly.

There's not much that isn't covered and it's bound to touch upon some aspect of the listener's life, whether it be love, lust or luck.

Lyrical gems including "Wherever this boats sails you cling to my coat tails" and "Leo's got Cancer 'cos Venus said so, the eight ball won't answer, all signs point to no" demonstrate the album is more tongue-in-cheek than tongue-down-throat.

Dog years are: Simon Fee, vocals and guitar, Ben Riddick, guitar and vocals, Jayne Pearson, drums, and Paul Burns, bass. The album also features drums by David Hughes.

Frankenstein Songs is available from record stores Alt Vinyl, Reflex, RPM and Beatdown, priced £6. Mush, mush go buy...

Holding on for a Hero...or Seven

2008-07-25T10:01:01Z

Next Thursday (31) at the Carling Academy, Newcastle, local indie band Seven Heroes will premier their new album for the first time before they head off to London town.

The band from Hetton-le-hole has been recording since February and will be meeting with record companies in London on August 12 and 13 for further negotiations to securing a contract.

They have also been booked by Jar Music Group, who have worked with the Kaiser Chiefs, Artic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand, to headline the Islington Carling Academy on August 12.

It's also going to be a busy period for the Heroes as they will be headlining the music event at Cliffe Park in Sunderland on August 10, and planning two tours, one before the end of the year and the other in March of 2009.

The first tour will visit colleges and universities across the UK, and for the second leg they are already in discussions and have provisionally booked dates for a short stint in the US of A, in March 2009, after interest from an American label.

Also performing on Thursday will be 'No Signal Input' from Spennymoor and Hayley McKay from Darlington.

Thursday, 31 July. Carling Academy Newcastle. Doors 7pm. Tickets £7. Book here.

To listen to an exclusive track from the album clicky here.

More about 7H...

Seven Heroes were conceived in the ex-pit village of Hetton-Le-Hole on the outskirts of County Durham - not the normal place to find potential rock stars - however Seven Heroes are not all about flat-caps and whippets!

The band are made up of:: Dan Gibson - Lead Singer/Guitarist; David Smith - Lead Guitarist/Vocals; Jez Dickey - Bass/Vocals and Stu Gibson - Drums/Vocals.

Stemming from similar upbringings they, clearly all share the same mentality and hold one vision - to be able to make a living through their ability to write, perform and showcase a talent for music through to the masses.

7H command impressive attendances whenever they play a home-town show through utilising successful management skills; such as organising street teams, press, and hold an effective DIY ethic in approaching live performance.

Their list of gigging achievements is equally as impressive:

They were the first unsigned band to sell out a Carling Academy2 stage.
After several successful Academy2 shows, Seven Heroes were invited to play alongside Maximo Park and The Enemy on the Main Stage of the Evolution Festival 07'.
The band were later honoured to represent the North East on an Academy Events Tour around the UK and last year the lads also completed a successful tour of the Czech Republic.
The lads make the V Festival 2007 Final.

Not shy of appearing on TV, the band also took part in a BBC documentary featuring the build up to their DIY gig at Northumbria University. A hands-on approach and work ethic that Seven Heroes very much believe in.

The Channel Four competition Road to V was another success for the band, in which they managed to get into the final 14 from an original list of 3,800 bands.

The lads have finally finished work on their forthcoming debut album, having taken the time to fully prepare both live act and music product, the developments put this currently unsigned band in the frame as one of the finest in the UK.

NARC Fest 08...giving Adem...

2008-07-18T08:34:54Z

At last, I here you cry, one day to go until NARC fest 08, Yay! Finishing off our brief look at what's on at each venue The Cluny is the focus, and headliner Adem.

British singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Adem Ilhan writes pastoral pop that's augmented by eclectic instrumentation and wistful and irreverent lyrics.

He began recording in his teens as the bass player for the popular post-rock trio Fridge, recording four full-length records and releasing numerous singles and EPs. In 2003 he signed with Domino, home to a diverse group of artists such as Franz Ferdinand and Juana Molina. He released his debut Homesongs in 2004, followed by Love and Other Planets in 2006 and recently a collection of acoustic covers called Takes.

Support on the night comes in the Mancunian form of hardcore/experimental/folk outfit Cats In Paris and new on the scene, local act Black Flashes will be providing an exuberant mix of synths and guitars. Also representing the North East are experimental rock specialists Ever Since The Lake Caught Fire and the sublime indie rock of Spraydog.

DJ responsibilities performed by the more than capable Jukebox.

Saturday, July 19. Doors 6pm - 12pm midnight. (Adem onstage at 11pm) FREE entry.

For a breakdown of when all the bands will be on stage clicky below...

NARC. @ The Cluny
11.00 - 12.00 - Adem
10.00 - 10.35 - Cats In Paris
9.00 - 9.35 - Black Flashes
8.00 - 8.35 - Spraydog
7.00 - 7.35 - Ever Since The Lake Caught Fire
Jukebox DJ's
6pm-midnight

The Butterfly Cabinet @ The Tanners
9.30 - 10.10 - Prince Rama of Ayodhya
8.40 - 9.10 - Magic Arm
7.50 - 8.20 - Mary Hampton
7.00 - 7.30 - Beth Jeans Houghton
6.10 - 6.40 - Major Dawson
6pm-10.30pm

Cuckoo's Nest @ Retreat at St Dominics
9.45 - 10.30 - Hot Silk Pockets
9.00 - 9.30 - Navvy
8.15 - 8.45 - Shin Jin Rui
7.30 - 8.00 - The Colt 45's
6.45 - 7.15 - Them Amazing Babies
6pm-10.30pm

Born Snapped @ Star & Shadow Cinema
9.45 - 10.30 - The Laughing Windows
9.00 - 9.30 - Sam And The Plants
8.15 - 8.45 - The Eye Jab
7.30 - 8.00 - Lanterns On The Lake
6.45 - 7.15 - Dot To Dots
6.00 - 6.30 - Sunday School Adventure Club
Doug Shipton (Finders Keepers) DJ set
6pm-10.30pm

Killing Suite @ The Cumberland Arms
9.45 - 10.30 - Razmataz Lorry Excitement
9.00 - 9.30 - Karoshi Bros
8.15 - 8.45 - Moira Stewart
7.30 - 8.00 - Coldseat
6.30 - 7.30 - DJ Finn
6pm-10.30pm

Jumpin Hot Club @ The Tyne Bar
9.15 - 10.30 - The Toy Hearts
8.00 - 8.45 - AJ Roach
7.00 - 7.30 - Ratty & The Shitkickers
6.00 - 6.30 - Los Yobos
5.00 - 5.30 - Staggering John Lee & The Lo-Fi Drifters
4.00 - 4.30 - Shipcote & Friends
3.15 - 3.45 - Caroline Mary
2.30 - 3.00 - Mark Bezerk
1.30 - 2.00 - Jack Wilkinson
1pm-10.30pm

EatDisco @ The Ship
6.00-10.00 - EatDisco, More Brains & Detroit City, Viva City DJ's
10.00-1.00 - James Nichols & Rich Workman (WARP/Wheels Instead of Hooves)
6pm-1am

Yard Dog Country Fest...

2008-07-17T08:56:23Z

Contributing to the stellar line-up at this year's NARC fest 08, The Jumpin' Hot Club and The Tyne have joined forces and gathered together an outstanding array of country and folk artists for the 'Yard Dog Country Alldayer'.

Headlining the day will be country great AJ Roach. Raised in the deep hollows of mountainous Scott County, Virginia, home of such legendary acts as The Carter Family and the Stanley Brothers, growing up, AJ was fed a steady diet of bluegrass and traditional mountain music that strongly flavours his own vivid and haunting, yet contemporary tunes.

In August of 2003, AJ released his debut full-length album, 'Dogwood Winter' on his own New Folkstar Records label. The response to 'Dogwood Winter' over the next three years - from hardened critics and music lovers alike - would be overwhelming.

Other artists that AJ has shared concert bills with over the last few years include: Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Steve Earle, James McMurtry, Jeffery Foucault, Anais Mitchell, Kris Delmhorst, The Old Crow Medicine Show and The Be Good Tanyas.

Accompanying AJ will be young country band The Toy Hearts, swing quartet, Los Yobos, the rockabilly sounds of Ratty & The Sh*tkickers, the Joy Division-esque Staggering Jon Lee & His Lo-Life Drifters, Geordie tunes in the form of Shipcote & Friends, banjo melodies from Caroline Mary, alt-folk from Mark Beserk and mainstream country from Jack Wilkinson.

Saturday, July 19. Doors 1pm-late. FREE entry.

Cuckoo's Nest Fest...

2008-07-16T21:21:05Z

Exciting new music is the life blood of local promoters Cuckoo's Nest, and true to form they have a mixed bag of talent planned at Retreat at St Dominics for this weekend's NARC fest 08.

Headlining the night are zouk pop outfit Hot Silk Pockets, a five-piece from Reading whose celebratory charming sound is a mix of chaotic samples, simple live drums, keys and all matter of weirdness, guaranteed to provide a genuinely enjoyable gigging experience.

Sub-headlining is Sheffield band Navvy. The new-wave four-piece have been compared to the likes of The Fall, Bis, Los Campesinos! and Johnny Foreigner, and deservedly so, with their minimal and jarring rhythm-driven punk pop.

Making the journey from Cardiff, Gindrinker are a rampant duo consisting of improvised cornet, bass and vocal singer Mr D.C. Gates, and guitar, drum machine and sampling guru Mr G McGraf.

On the local front, the eccentric indie punk musings of Shin Jin Rui will be on hand, no doubt flaunting their superb recent album. Durham's feisty and obscure electro punk outfit The Colt 45s are also on show, and finally, the brooding chaotic and esoteric art-rock of four-piece Newcastle band Them Amazing Babies.

Completing the circus-esque atmosphere there will also be several stalls of cakes, zines, a tombola, plus full venue decoration and party music from the hip Caster Sugar Soundsystem.

Saturday, July 19. Doors 6pm-10.30pm. FREE entry.

EatFest...

2008-07-15T00:16:54Z

This weekend's NARC fest 08 is veritable feast of musical talent, laid bare and open for all to gorge upon; therefore it's no surprise that North East underground promoters EatDisco have a tasty banquet in store at The Ship.

Promoters and resident DJs Paul P and The Ladies Gift (AKA Team Skull/Dead) have put together a rampant set, snaring the talents of WARP/Wheels Instead Of Hooves DJs James Nichols and Rich Workman, as well as the cutting edge of North East electro, house and techno outfits.

Dominating the London club scene for some time now, Nichols and Workman are renowned for throwing the odd shindig or two, with meteoric results. The 2007 event Acid On The Sea was a huge success and saw blistering sets from the likes of Aphex Twin, Modeselektor and Prince William.

EatDisco's newest recruits More Brains and Detroit City will be joining the roster plus Viva City DJ, as well as the EatDisco posse themselves.

Saturday, July 19. Doors 6pm-12pm. FREE entry.

Born Laughing...

2008-07-14T22:00:35Z

Providing a psychedelic bent to NARC fest 08 this year will be North East Promoters Born Snapped.

Taking over the Star & Shadow stage at this year's festival, the Whitley Bay based outfit have lined-up an impressive set of weirdy tones and mind altering tunes.

Headlining will be London experimentalists The Laughing Windows, purveyors of dark analogue synthlines and sinister drum breaks.

Fronted by London based duo Luke Insect and Rob polka, the group take their name from the classic 70s Italian B-horror movie, and are inspired by a blend of Germanic pop and all things worldly disturbing.

Their debut single last year - Opel Hair/Growing Pains, took many by surprise, with its schizophrenic and incongruous folksy upbeat tones. A-side Opel Hair, with its slow creepy bassline, and the haunting rumblings of B-side Growing Pains, sounding more like a film soundtrack, with a heightening sense of paranoia.

Accompanying will be label mates Sam And The Plants and Finders Keepers/B-music DJ Doug Shipton.

Waving the North East flag, new XL signings The Eye Jab will be alongside Sunday School Adventure Club, Dot To Dots, Lanterns On The Lake and The Small Screen Light Show.

Eclectic nuance and carnage ensues.

Saturday, July 19. Doors 6pm-10.30pm. FREE entry.

An obvious Distraction...

2008-07-11T08:00:00Z

The Distraction Weekender returns next month, with its legendary three days of aural innovation, future players, and diverse sonic excursions, from the creamy crop of the best live acts on the North East circuit and beyond.

Taking place at The Cluny, Byker on August 8, 9 and 10, the event follows on from the critical and commercial success of weekenders of previous years.

The ethos of the Distraction Weekender is to favour the musically adventurous and artistically driven, and forsake the safe, the tame and the bland.

This year is no exception, with the weekend boasting 25 artists of various shapes, sounds and smells!

Click below for a full breakdown of the weekend...

Oh, and thanks are in order to the good people at Distraction Records for supplying the following words and images, saved me a fortnight worth of typing it has...;)

Friday August 8 brings you classic songwriting and delightful lo-fi pop genius from:

School of Language, Milky Wimpshake, The Matinee Orchestra, Pale Man Made, St. James Infirmary and Cuckoo's Nest DJs

School Of Language
David Brewis, of course, is/was a member of Sunderland pop legends Field Music; now School of Language is currently his most pressing musical concern and has already garnered scores of plaudits from peers and tastemakers far and wide. SoL continues the fine Brewis tradition of many traditional elements, with the smooth Fleetwood Mac and Beatles guitar licks, and sweet ELO-esque vocals, but at odds with the music's experimental nature, the time signatures, the transitions, each one of which is intelligent and challenging. The aspects of the traditional and the experimental, fighting it out within each song are what makes SoL so incredible. The more you listen to SoL, the more you begin to understand how appropriately named the outfit is - not only are the members fluent in the language of music, they are poets as well.

Milky Wimpshake
Milky Wimpshake may well stake a claim to being the most influential band in the entire North East. Hairgelled hipsters may well know that frontman Pete Dale was responsible from suggesting to the Futureheads that they should cover Hounds Of Love, but Pete (alongside Rachel Holborow) was also responsible for fervent DIY label/arts umbrella Slampt, which between 1992 and 2000 released the first singles by Kenickie and Yummy Fur (featuring members of Franz Ferdinand) as well as other luminaries like Red Monkey, Pussycat Trash and International Strike Force. As for the understated genius of the band itself though, well, it would be simple to make Only Ones and Buzzcocks analogies, one realises that although at first glance straight-up punks, Wimpshake have hidden depths, where cutting irony and wit litter love songs bristling with social commentary and personal politics. But you knew that already, right?

The Matinee Orchestra
Andrew Hodson has establishing himself within the North East's artistic and creative elite since his days in seminal Newcastle band, Jumbo. First with his art project triptych, which started with 2004's "Map Music", Hodson then presented us with The Matinee Orchestra; an ambitious platter recorded in England, Scotland, Spain and Taiwan and featuring a 13 strong continent-spanning band including such North East luminaries as Paul Smith and Pete Brewis among them. Described as "a laptop band", The Matinee Orchestra come across like a Mid-Western American barn dance with Olivia Tremor Control playing in the grain silo. With the promise of new material to surface this year, Andrew will be presenting some of this material live for the first time tonight. The Matinee Orchestra: a rich and sparkling listening experience with all the rewarding qualities of a classic novel.

Pale Man Made
Veterans Pale Man Made have been skirting the fringes of the North-East scene stylishly with their lively, punchy and perfect tales of broken hearts, animals, hatred, jealousy, snooker players and natural history museums. Their songs make the most mundane topics seem like a matter of life and death, imbued with a cinematic gravity - even to someone with a crushing indifference to the game. Pale Man Made are tired of comparisons with various Riot Grrl acts, Elastica and Sonic Youth, as lazy 'there's a bird in the band' analogies go no way to explaining these perfectly crafted, highly illustrative vignettes, perhaps punk in spirit, but not in content. With their current album 'Oh, My Treasured Things' obtaining kudos from the like of Lamacq, Peel, Riley, and Huw Stephens, its about time that you indulged too.

St James Infirmary
Straight outta Ashington, Northumberland, and with over 30 years of showbiz experience, St James Infirmary combine the folksy charm and observations of Jilted John or Alan Bennett with the acerbic wit and killing fields of Pol Pot. The songs are wholly wonderful yarns linen with misanthropy and acute social observations that can tell you a lot more about your life than a skipload of Mike Skinner CDs. With fellow bandmates Mark Oliver and Tony Bennett, g.w. lang has skirted on the fringes of indie cultdom for many years without quite getting it right, but this simply makes the music all the more engaging. Ashington folk at its finest.

Saturday 9 sees everything from heart-wrenching folk, free-form post-hardcore, brutal power metal, chiptune hardcore and minimalistic powerpop, and will feature:

The Week That Was, Moira Stewart, Wroooaar!, Warm Digits, BluntWoundTrauma, B>E>A>K, The Black Static Of Summer, The Big Oaks, Nathalie Stern plus d_rradio (DJ) and DJ Search Warrant.

The Week That Was
Peter 'Field Music' Brewis may have been slower off the mark getting his musical project off the ground than brother David - the debut The Week That Was album comes out on Memphis Industries a week after the Distraction Weekender - but that doesn't mean he's resting on his laurels. On the contrary, the few The Week That Was gigs that have already taken place have already caused many a jaw to hit the ground. There are still smoother, more guitar based numbers, as seen in the very excellent Airport Line with its ease of melody and instant appeal, but Peter's side of the Field Music legacy certainly does not adhere to the adage that less is more. Layers of sound build an almost impregnable edifice from which different unexpected twists and turns constantly spring. The songs juxtapose minimalistic Phillip Glass-esque ticking-clock staccato keyboard stabs with warm, folk-y harmonies in a body of work that runs the gamut of musical emotion, from delicate illustrative fables to absorbing symphonies through various sonic seasons.

Moira Stewart
In a short space of time, their interactive live shows have became the stuff of legend, packing in audiences to witness live Twister, silly string, custard pies, glitter by the skipload, Batman costumes, more balloons than a Thanksgiving parade and the most innovative crowd surfing that you'll ever witness. Its like if David Bowie starred in Bugsy Malone, re-written by Roger Hargraves. But let's not forget the music: upbeat, fun, shambolic electro/guitar pop is the order of the day; think Hot Chip if they listened to The Orchids and The Field Mice instead of New Order, warm synths awash with indie guitar riffs and samples that Cassetteboy would be proud of. If 'Rave Binchy' was a musical genre, Moira Stewart would be pioneers. Songs from their debut album 'Sweetness, Yes!' have had NME staff writers wanting to join the band, A&R reps declaring their live shows as "the most fun I've had in years", Radio 1's Huw Stephens enthusiastically giving them repeated plays, and aspirational E4 yoof drama Skins featured the band in their last series. Quirky, jerky, bonkers and brilliant, Moira Stewart's star is ascending, and it's shiny.

Wroooaar!
One-girl chiptune maverick Nicole Newcombe is Wroooaar! And never was there an more appropriate name to describe the hyperspeed bouncy chipcore techno joyousness. No wonder she's one of myspace's most popular unsigned artists at the mo. The best bits of Scott Brown's happy 'ardcore mulged with 8-bit Gameboy melodies, with a bit of Nicole's own X-factor = distilled awesome. Beats and bleeps to make you grin like a gurgling tit, she's also happens to own a pair of cool Nintendo trainers. What more do you want? Wipe that frown from your face, wanton chin-stroker! You love this stuff just as much as the rest of us.

Warm Digits
Steve Jefferis and Andrew Hodson should need no introduction within Newcastle's burgeoning electronic music scene. Andrew Hodson is, of course the figurehead of clockwork-folk-techno purveyors The Matinee Orchestra (playing Friday), while Steve Jefferis is master-of-chambertronics Cathode, entrancing venues far and wide with drenches of static and hum and minimalistic beeps and clicks. Warm Digits is one of their current live side-projects, mixing up ear-troubling krautrock rhythm 'n' noise, free improv drumming, no-wave guitar and radiophonic electronics with a disseminating Sturm und Drang with little more than a laptop, bass and drums to back them up. Imagine Delia Derbyshire, Zombie Nation and Lightning Bolt dancing in a field outside the M25 and you're halfway there. Watch some NME-twat describe them as "New Wave of New Rave" before long, you mark our words. . .

Blunt Wound Trauma
The not-so-subtly monikered BluntWoundTrauma may well be a surprise choice to play a Distraction Saturday; after all, old school hardcore riffing intended to batter, bruise, deprave and violate the listener isn't really the sort of thing the Saturday crowd would be used to. But, hey, expect the unexpected. This is harsh, unrelenting no-nonsense metal at its finest - brutecore has never sounded so wanton, so adamantine, and yet so gratifying. It's no surprise that readers of metal bible Terrorizer recently voted them Best Unsigned band of 2007 and 9th in the World's Best Unsigned Bands in a recent poll. All hail the might of the BluntWoundTrauma!

B>E>A>K
trrk-errk, trrk-errk, Crrk-trrk-. errk-trrk, SQQQQUUUUAAAAAAARrRWWWKKKK!! SQUAWKKK! SQuuAwk! Errk-er-erk-crrk-SQQUUAAAARRWWWWKK! Trt-trt-crrk-EERKK! ERRK! ERRK! ERRK! SQQQQUUUUAAAARRRWWWKKK! Trrk-SQUAwk! SqUAWK! Trrk-SQUUUAAWWWKKK! errk-tr-ek-SQUAWwWwWwWwWK! er-ERRk-trrk-trr-trrk-trrk-errk-EERRKK-squawk, SQUAWWK,errt-SQWAWWK-et-errk-trrk-errk-SQUAAAWWWKKK! errk-trrk-errk-SQQQUUUAWWKKkKkKkK! trrk-errk! erk! erk! erk! erk! erk! erk! erk! erk! erk! erk! erk! SQQQUAAAAWWWWWWWK! errk-trrk-crrk-crrk-crrk-SQQQUAWWWWKkk!

The Black Static Of Summer
The Black Static Of Summer are one of the splinter bands spawned from sadly-missed mathcore gods Construction Yards At Night and, like their predecessors, BSoS carry on that fine tradition of free-form post-hardcore with astute lyrical bite that has seen them likened to the likes of June of 44, Shipping News, Unwound, Shellac, and For Carnation. With an engaging live show where sudden bursts of pseudo-violence are common occurrences, Black Static also demand to be witnessed for their risky, invested vocal delivery as well as their blistering streamroller rock dynamic. Seek out.

The Big Oaks
The Big Oaks were once described as "the sort of cripplingly unfunny comedy music which could only be appreciated by the friends of the cretins involved, or Red Dwarf t-shirt wearing bell-ends who live with their mams." Thing is though, nothing could be further from the truth. Well, okay, we're stretching it a bit. A lot, actually. There are few bands who divide opinion in the North East like this motley crew; fans appreciate them for their soul-reflecting, bitter, sharply-observed biting lyrics and fuzzed up instrumentation that recall many of the great British indie bands that used to pepper the Peel Festive 50s in the eighties and love them for it. Non-fans simply do not possess any sense of humour and hence should be pitied. In a local scene where unauthentic joyless dross seems to clutter the toilet circuit, The Big Oaks should come recommended to anybody with at least half an open mind. He's John The Rat, what do you think of that?

Nathalie Stern
Previously of retired Swedish poptastic scoundrels Candysuck, Nathalie Stern is known as one half of Lake Me, the stripped down blues-infused rhythms, delightful tunes and battered rock anthems of which have been bedazzling audiences worldwide. Nathalie will performing her own solo material, consisting of a choir in the form of pedals that loop, recut, and reuse her tender, evocative vocals that threaten to tear apart the fabric of emotions that lie inside you. Her contemporary take on traditional Swedish folk has already netted her support slots for Daniel (AIU) Higgs and performances touring Canada and Switzerland as well as as over the UK; find out what makes her essential listening on Saturday 9th August.

Sunday 7 is not for the faint-hearted, as we skirt dark ambient drones via crushing stoner sludge-metal and ear-bleeding industrial electronics. For your aural pleasure, we give you:

Unicorn Love, Kylie Minoise, Seppuku, Mutant Ape, BONG, Eye Shaking Kingdom, Joe Pesci, Rough Sex Quartet, Michael Flatley Knifefight, Mariposa, Goathanger and DJ Search Warrant and Jazzfinger Sound System.

Unicorn Love
Unicorn Love want to enrich your life. And they can. Their music can take you to a higher spiritual plane, and this therefore is their message to you: "Dream for the children of tomorrow, and embrace the impossible future." If you enter the world of Unicorn Love, then you have entered a passage of righteousness. The path of a truer and deeper sense of abundance. A path that will help you display incredible courage and leadership during difficult times and free yourself from all the things that have been diverting your time and energy from doing the things God has called you to do - proclaim the Gospel, bring the lost to Christ, nurture people in their faith, and send out people to serve in ministry and mission. And all this through a sermon of ragga-disco-noise with a smattering of hail, fire and brimstone. Praise be!

Kylie Minoise
Lea Cummings has already carved himself a niche as a major player in the Glasgow noise scene through his prolific output on his harsh noise and guitar dirge DIY label Kovorox Sound. Kylie Minoise is perhaps his most well-known moniker; ploughing through Glasgow's fine and furrow venues with his whirling-dervish style of chaos, discomfort and wanton sonic assault. However, Mr. Minoise is not just your one-note, monotrick noiseboy - he also is well respected as a visual artist, with his first solo exhibition 'An Involuntary Movement' garnering praise from a wide variety of open-minded art connoisseurs. As well as this, Kylie Minoise also performed 30 of his infamous 'live aktions' to an audience of one at the recent Instal festival. It is this thinking-outside-the-box ethos and attitude that has gained him plaudits among peers Birds Of Delay, Birchville Cat Motel and Nackt Insecten, and a whole lot more besides. His album - Spank Magic Lodge - has been described by Volcanic Tongue as "the broadest overview of his work to date, running from short assaultive fists and cut-up junk through a beautiful cream of extended psychedelic tone and works as the perfect way in to his intensely personal sound-world". Do. Not. Miss.

Seppuku
Seppuku of course Japanese term for ritual suicide. Like literal translation, feels like brutal cuts to stomach AND ears! Previously Tetsuo. Changed to Seppuku. "Too many gay bands called Tetsuo!" Seppuku take facehitting approach and very heavy sounds! Seppuku not like false Wolf Eyes noise! Wolf Eyes too poser, false noise! False noise bad! J-pop previous releases include many excellent release to Debbie Harry and split release by fellow harsh noise sir Mutant Ape-u! Seppuku this day feature member of Snotnosed, and Marzuraan, expect loud noise and big smash mayhem!

Mutant Ape
A one-man tsunami of extreme distorted power electronics, George Proctor AKA Mutant Ape has enriched the UK's noise scene for many a year now, mostly thanks to incessant yet utterly essential offerings on his own Turgid Animal label and many, many more besides. A tour de force of torrid bludgeoning hyperfury, Mutant Ape is a straight up racket-making machine, hitting the listener full force, leaving his trembling, quivvering victims in the gutter without remorse. Enter the world of Mutant Ape; enter a world of turmoil, a world of terror, a world of obnoxious tumult and turbulence. No nonsense and no frills.

BONG
A wholly appropriate name for the kind of raw, dirty stoner black metal that this band of under-the-radar wasters purvey. BONG exist from start to finish in doomy dirge mode, playing live at high volume for maximum murk and grit and distortion. Mainly, though, these folks are all about crushing you with their droning ambient metal riffs, as helped along by the sparse plod of the drums, dirty, dirty bass tones and the constant presence of gruff, mid-range howling feedback. BONG are also capable of some really nice lo-fi, distorted sitar-fuelled psychedelia, that then freaks out into an improv frenzy at the finish. They have an LP out very soon on Novocastrian metal label Heidenwut that's well worth yr time. Aficionados of low-end, sludgey, heavy-as-hell doom-und-grind tones and groans should lap this up.

Eye Shaking Kingdom
Eye Shaking Kingdom is the monolithic nom de plume of Glasgow's Nackt Insecten and Alistair Crosbie. Well known in their hometown for their stellar releases on noise/drone/other labels Lefthand Pressings and Sick Head Tapes, expect heavenly fedback loops of decay and delay, grandscrape dynamic flows and life-affirming sanctimonious drones, straddling the line between the dense and the delicate, the serene and the battered, the beautiful and the pained. Dreamy lullabies for serial killers? Or evil terrornoise for the rest of us? You decide. Their awesome releases, Heavy Glass and the With Metal And Sword Light LP are currently getting the more discerning listeners out there sweaty behind the knees with excitement, and the best is yet to come. Live, their product is even more enticing, turning their backs on you all to create a monolithic superwall of rupturing light and noise. Possible weekender highlight?

Joe Pesci
"I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown?" asked Academy-award wining shortarse Joe Pesci in seminal gangster flick Goodfellas. For Newcastle-upon-Tyne-based powergrind merchants Joe Pesci though, it's no laughing matter. Formed from the remnants of dual-vocal / dual-guitar old school thrash outfit F*** That!, Joe Pesci will carry on their previous incarnation's proud tradition of cramming more songs into their 30 minute slot than any other. Featuring members of Impaled Northeastern Moonforest, AIDS Leg, Homophobic Gay, Marzuraan and Bong, this is not for the faint-hearted; this is hideous thrash violence where only the strong will survive. Prepare to be flayed.

Rough Sex Quartet
It really doesn't come much more brutal than Rough Sex Quartet. Possibly the harshest artists playing this weekend (believe us, that's saying something. . .), RSQ violate sound unemotionally, relentlessly torture their equipment, and uncompromising rip tones apart with such an unstoppable torrent of noise that even the sturdiest of immoveable objects would buckle under the weight of such harshness. They seem to derive such great, almost perverse, pleasure in scraping and raping your aural enjoyment, it makes you wonder how they ever sleep at night. Tapes and CDRs and previous live performances on the likes of Unrest and Turgid Animal have been assaulting the palates and testing the endurance unsuspecting folk for a wee while now. A feast of spinebreaking, bludgeoning noise, be prepared to be killed in the ears. Chalk up another victim.

Michael Flatley Knifefight
So what can we expect from this intriguingly-named brethren? The answer is that we don't know ourselves. All we know is that the project contains at least one member of Marzuraan and they have the best band name of the entire weekender (the name of which, to be fair, is the primary reason that they're playing). Seriously, we haven't a clue what's happening with this band, or even IF it's a band at all. Who the heck knows. Only they do, and isn't intrigue half of the attraction of Distraction Weekender Sunday anyway?

Mariposa
Straight back from supporting Stars Of The Lid in a glorious church setting, Mariposa kick things off on Sunday. Watching Mariposa twiddle knobs on peddles; gently teasing the threads of a song together is like watching a performer struggle to keep so many spinning plates in balance. The foundations may not be perfect; the squeezebox discordant, the viola straining, but the wall of sound produced is heavenly. Watching and listening to this duo building layers of noise is mesmerising and a privilege; you're watching the genesis of art itself.

Goathanger
A rare outing from members of Romance and Marzuraan, not much is known about Goathanger but we're promised that "RITUALISTIC DRONE OCCULTISM" will be the order of the day. Based upon previous live appearences, we can expect undiluted, dark, tranced out, eerie rhythmic pieces built around swirls of enriching, heavily reverbed paranormal deathdrone that decends into a wavering magick fog. Spluttering, fragmented, yet biblical in content, you'll be driven absolutely sane. This is the sound of the last radio broadcast in Edward Woodward's head at the climax of The Wicker Man. This is beyond music. It's a (oc)cult.

Phew, and that's that!

Both Friday and Saturday will feature multi-screen visuals by VJ-extraordinaires Louise Green and Caci.

Admission is £5 each day. Friday runs from 7pm until 1am, Saturday from 3pm until 1am and Sunday from 3pm until 11pm.

Contact: The Cluny (0191 230 4474) or mail: info@distractionrecords.com

Prince charming, nothing to be scared of...

2008-07-10T06:10:08Z

Continuing our look ahead to what this year's NARC Fest 08 will bring, see blog a couple of posts down, we're taking a look a what musical splendour each venue will be providing on the night.

This time round the cosy surroundings of The Tanners will provide the playground for the Butterfly Cabinet stage, proudly hosted by White Cat Music.

Headlining the night, and traversing the Atlantic all the way from Boston, Massachusetts, Prince Rama Of Ayodhya will be performing their unique brand of musical theatre.

Born in the summer of 2007 the threesome are well known for their celebrative psych-folk songs, evoking hippie-esque, happy neo-paganesque feelings.

Transforming their live performances into a sonic safari, they guide listeners through the celestial residue and archaeological constellations of a timeless civilization, pining for self realization.

Heavy stuff indeed, but widely acclaimed following the release of their first album Threshold Dances, back in May. The band will be releasing the official pressing in the UK with Cosmos Recordings in August and before that will also be playing the Stockton Riverside Fringe Festival.

Equally lauded, Manchester based Magic Arm will be on hand to provide a multi-instrumental set, and representing the local female folk scene, elegant alt-slacker-pop songstress Beth Jeans Houghton will be weaving her siren loom. Brighton-based Mary Hampton will also be attendance with her traditional tinged, sensual and fragile folk songs, and finally completing the A-list with his nihilistic brand of psychedelic blues, local favourite Major Dawson, aka John Nellist.

If you're brain isn't mesmerised, and you're not swaying with a Chesire cat grin on your face when you leave by the end of the night, then you sir/madam are a hard nut to crack!

Saturday, July 19. Doors 6pm-10.30pm. FREE entry

DJ heats spin in to Toon...

2008-07-09T14:27:01Z

Movida Corona, the world's biggest DJ competition, is heading to Newcastle as budding mixmasters gear up for an incredible 64 heats nationwide.

At stake is the chance to perform at London's Ministry of Sound before taking to the international stage for the world final in Austria.

The action kicks off next week with two heats - Chase, on Wednesday July 16 and The Attic, Mosely Street, on Thursday July 17. DJs will be taking to the decks at 8pm and admission is free.

To give the competition a winning edge this year, the ultimate champion of Movida Corona 08 will receive a prize that money can't buy by getting the chance to perform at selected Pacha clubs around the globe.

The annual quest to discover the next Roger Sanchez, Eric Morillo or Brandon Block is backed by Corona Extra, one of the world's biggest selling beers.

The winners of the Newcastle heats will then take part in a regional final later in the summer with the next stage the chance to star at the world-famous Ministry of Sound in London. The winner of the UK final will compete against DJs from 70 other countries taking part in Movida Corona world final.

Taking part in the competition gives everyone the chance to perform a snapshot of their best mixing techniques. Movida Corona catapults the best club or bedroom DJs in the UK to be in with a chance of living the ultimate dream.

UK organiser of Movida Corona and former world champion, Andy Milford, said: "Given the explosion of the DJ culture in the nineties, there are relatively few opportunities now for the next big DJing stars to get a break.

"This is a tournament for passionate DJs, who believe that it is not just a matter of putting records on, but is a 'bona fide' art form requiring a credible platform. Movida Corona contest provides that platform."

Movida Corona is recognised as the globe's ultimate challenge for aspiring DJs.

Last year's world final took place in Lucerne, Switzerland and the winner scooped a serious amount of DJing equipment and Corona Extra goodies.

Angel Garcia Gomez, head of Corona Extra in the UK, said: "Movida Corona is one of the highlights of the calendar as everyone in the country can get involved - either by entering the competition or just coming along to the Corona Extra party.

"Movida is the Mexican word meaning risky or on the edge, which reflects the cutting-edge styles of these performers."

For more information visit www.movidacorona.com

All that Raz...and then some...

2008-07-07T06:07:07Z

Looking ahead this month to the FREE gig extravaganza that is NARC Fest 08, the executive council committee team group that make up The Locals Blog have decided to provide a digestible and perfectly formed run-down of what's what and who's where.

As part of the Ouseburn Festival on July 19 & 20 held across the Ouseburn Valley in Newcastle, and for the second year in a row, local music rag NARC Magazine have painstakingly and diligently organised a night of totally FREE gigs.

Last year's festival was a massive success, and saw a staggering number of bands and solo artists play for free, and this year's event promises more stages, more promoters and an even more diverse line-up of artists and DJs covering everything from improvised electronica to rock, indie, folk and pop.

The Cluny, The Cumberland Arms, The Ship, Retreat at St Dominics, The Tanners, The Star & Shadow Cinema and The Tyne Bar have all been roped in to host between over 40 bands and artists, and did we mention it's totally FREE?

Over the next week and a bit The Locals Blog will highlight what's going on at each venue starting with The Cumberland Arms...

Providing a night of pure electro hedonism, North East promoters The Killing Suite will be taking over The Cumberland Arms with a mix of local and national talent.

Headlining is Razmataz Lorry Excitement, the North East's answer to Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem and Soulwax, all deliciously rolled into one big fat gateaux of dance fuelled strawberry filling and techno funk icing.

The man behind the wheel of RLE is Sunderland's Kevin Dosdale, previously a member of outfits Drawn By Lines and Written From Negative, Dosdale is now banging out his interpretation of electronic dance and funk with what seems like relentless ease, as well as providing remixes of tracks for a plethora of local artists include Ever Since The Lake Caught Fire,

Last year saw the release on Fakedream Records of the single 'Roger the Dog (the story so far)' as well as RLE's debut album 'A Sense of Excitement' which received rapturous approval from Radio One's Huw Stephens.

Current single release 'The Biggest Waste of 33 Minutes' is a pulsating, uber-sonic blast of high energy beats and trips, engineered and delivered in immaculate fashion.

Providing the national interest on the night are Model Horror, a Hertfordshire five-piece of electronic beats and bleeps. Heaton's electro duo The Karoshi Bros will be flexing their techno muscles along with masters of party ceremony Moira Stewart, Sunderland's beat masters Cold Seat and finally wrapping up the electro feast DJ Finn, The North East's residency king.

Decks, mics and super woofers at the ready...

Saturday, July 19. Doors 6pm-10.30pm. FREE entry, did we mention that already? ;)

Eclectic and electric...

2008-07-05T12:04:38Z

Heaton electro outfit the Karoshi Bros have announced the release of their next single Love The World, which will be out on the We Are Woodville label on August 4.

Sam and Dan Burt are the genre mesh heads behind The Karoshi Bros, who started their career in a rock outfit with Lucas from Maximo Park.

However, finding themselves gravitating to an eclectic sound of trip-hop and electronic music, the brothers broke away, creating tracks where the lyrics are as important as the beats.

Love The World is a hypnotically funky, synth-laden, speaker-drenching, dance- floor banger.

The track slipped out late last year and after a great reaction in clubs all the way from China to Newcastle via Sweden, the single is now being officially released as a limited-edition seven-inch vinyl as well as a download.

The Ingo Star Cruiser remix is already receiving boundless superlatives from man of the moment Erol Alkan for its jackin' baselines, pummeling electro-funk and dance-floor swagger.

Using vocals of people who have never sung before keeps each Karoshi Bros track sounding unique, with the Love The World vocalist found via MySpace in China.

The duo are also hoping to plan a series of warehouse parties and gigs later this year, which will showcase the gritty, intensity of the group live.

But for now Love The World is just the start of what is to come from Newcastle's answer to Justice.

You can catch the Karoshi Bros at The Cumberland Arms in Byker, on Saturday, July 19.

FANS of power-pop local band Uncle Monty can catch the beguiling four-piece at the launch of their new single this Monday at RPM records, Newcastle.
Opening with some delicate horns then bursting into a throbbing bass induced head rocker, Round and Round is a shining example of Monty's lyrical and catchy melodious style.
The events starts at 6pm and is free.

The band are also at the Cluny tomorrow night as part of the Newcastle versus Liverpool showcase, presented by Sing!Shout!Music!

The night will feature a musical face-off with locals acts Uncle Monty and Little Comets up against Liverpool indie scamps 28 Costumes and My Amiga. Doors 8pm. Entry £5

Without music, life would be an error...

2008-07-04T11:54:47Z

Tomorrow night sees the return of Fratelli Di Rimini to the Star and Shadow Cinema in Byker, bringing with them Berlin's Michel Morin, AKA Sneak-Thief.

Having performed around the globe with his all-synth, no-vinyl and no-laptop live act, Sneak-Thief has built up a reputation for delivering blistering sets of soulful melodies, booty-shaking bass-lines and debonair drums.

As well as showcasing his analogue artistry in the live arena, Sneak-Thief has also released a series of 12 Inch and EP records, both as a solo operative and with regular collaborators DJ Gitano, under the title Polygamy Boys, and Lindsay-J.

Not resting on his laurels, Sneak-Thief has also found time to found and run his very own record label Gingerbread House Records.

Also on the bill is two of the Toon's foremost mechanical messiahs.

Rimini's own Fiero Fuxx will be laying down slabs of 808 beats in a head to head battle with the mighty Video Dave (ex Video Age and Pimp Records).

Expect to have your frequencies oscillated, your waveforms modulated and your voltages controlled!

If the jak gets too much the Road To Rimini will be providing some respite in the plush surroundings of the Star and Shadow Cinema, where the finest Kosmiche and Cosmic grooves will be administered to the backing of big screen visuals.

To help them do this the Fratelli have secured the services of Newcastle's Kings of Kosmic, 586 (Suono, Reverb) and Tadge.

As ever, the Fratelli Di Rimini will be keeping the party going with their mix of electro, Italo disco, Hi-NRG, old school house and Euro-Jak

A popular night, it's recommended to get there early.

ROAD TO RIMINI, Star & Shadow Cinema, Stepney Bank, Byker. Entry £9. £10 for non members of Star and Shadow). Doors 9pm to late, last entry 12.30am)

ALTERNATIVELY just up the road at the Cumberland Arms you can catch piano pop troubador Luke Leighfield as part of his UK tour.

Support will be in the form of superb melodic majesty from North East outfits the Minotaurs and Kalidah.

Doors 8pm. Entry £4. For more information visit www.myspace.com/musicjunkienewcastle

Oh to be young and talented...

2008-07-02T14:18:14Z

North East outfit Luxon Bute took the coveted title of the UK's best under-18s Live and Unsigned band on Saturday, after performing at the grand national final of the talent contest.

The final was a showcase of the very best unsigned talent from across the UK, with each act representing themselves and their region.

The young melodic rock band had made it through auditions and various heats of live finals to eventually take away Live and Unsigned's prestigious music title.

The event, held in Fairfield Halls, Croydon, was a star-studded occasion, boasting thousands of audience members including celebrities and professionals from the music industry witnessing the unsigned battle of the year.

Unanimously voted for by the judges, Luxon Bute were among 10,000 entries to the competition along with other local acts The Flytes and Richard Docherty, who also featured in the finals of the competition in the Best Band and Solo categories respectively.

Auditions for Live and Unsigned 2009 begin in January 2009 across the UK.

The competition is for all unsigned acts, bands or solos. For more information go to www.LiveandUnsigned.Uk.com