It's
not often that you find a band that fit so neatly between the indie
sodden land we call the north of England and the doomy fire-pits of
Leviathan's lair, but Newcastle's rowdiest export since Paul
Gascgoine do it pretty damn well. Sounding like a cross between the
sludgy riffage of Electric Wizard, a ketamine induced nightmare and
something Nick Cave might've written had he listened to more Black
Sabbath, Nately's Whore's Kid Sister sample drunks outside pubs and
distort everything to an extent you'll forget what instruments
usually sound like.Thursday, 6 September 2012
Nately's Whore's Kid Sister @ Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, Brighton 11/10/2012
NATELY'S WHORE'S KID SISTER @ Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, Brighton 11/10/2012
It's
not often that you find a band that fit so neatly between the indie
sodden land we call the north of England and the doomy fire-pits of
Leviathan's lair, but Newcastle's rowdiest export since Paul
Gascgoine do it pretty damn well. Sounding like a cross between the
sludgy riffage of Electric Wizard, a ketamine induced nightmare and
something Nick Cave might've written had he listened to more Black
Sabbath, Nately's Whore's Kid Sister sample drunks outside pubs and
distort everything to an extent you'll forget what instruments
usually sound like.
It's
not often that you find a band that fit so neatly between the indie
sodden land we call the north of England and the doomy fire-pits of
Leviathan's lair, but Newcastle's rowdiest export since Paul
Gascgoine do it pretty damn well. Sounding like a cross between the
sludgy riffage of Electric Wizard, a ketamine induced nightmare and
something Nick Cave might've written had he listened to more Black
Sabbath, Nately's Whore's Kid Sister sample drunks outside pubs and
distort everything to an extent you'll forget what instruments
usually sound like.
Gnarwolves - 'CRU' review
Gnarwolves 'CRU' (Tangled Talk/Day By Day Records)
These three lads
from Cornwall, now living in Brighton, have really been making a name
for themselves in recent months both locally and nationally. Having
earned themselves a spot at this year's Hevy Festival, the release of
their fantastically catchy new EP couldn't have come at a better
time. Gnarwolves play what they describe as “gruff pop-punk”,
think 'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater' videogames crossed with a love for
post-hardcore and pizza. 'Community, Stability, Identity' and closing
anthem 'Coffee' are stand-out tracks, but all six are incredibly
infectious. Coming to a house party near you!
Gnarwolves Bandcamp
Brighton Source - Locally Sourced September 2012
These three lads
from Cornwall, now living in Brighton, have really been making a name
for themselves in recent months both locally and nationally. Having
earned themselves a spot at this year's Hevy Festival, the release of
their fantastically catchy new EP couldn't have come at a better
time. Gnarwolves play what they describe as “gruff pop-punk”,
think 'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater' videogames crossed with a love for
post-hardcore and pizza. 'Community, Stability, Identity' and closing
anthem 'Coffee' are stand-out tracks, but all six are incredibly
infectious. Coming to a house party near you!Gnarwolves Bandcamp
Brighton Source - Locally Sourced September 2012
Capdown @ The Haunt, Brighton 10/08/2012
CAPDOWN @ The Haunt, Brighton 10/08/2012
Another year, another Capdown show. It
seems like these guys have no intention of actually packing away
their instruments and calling it a day despite a generous amount of
“last ever shows”. Are Capdown going to be this generation's
equivalent of say The Buzzcocks, The Damned or Stiff Little Fingers?
Popping up at smaller and smaller venues with fewer and fewer
original members year by year? Part of us kind of hopes that does
happen, if they can keep fifty year old versions of ourselves as
entertained as they did tonight then we say crack on. On the other
hand, we cringe at the idea of singing along to songs like 'Bitches
And Nike Shoes' whilst explaining to our kids that “they
don't write them like they used to”.
Tonight Capdown play The Haunt, a
step down from when they rammed Concorde 2 last July. Surprisingly
though, they have only managed to half-fill this intimate venue. But
what does that matter when it seems almost everybody there knows the
songs and seventy five per cent of the crowd is the dancefloor? Not a
chin-stroker in sight and enough energy in the room to power a small
village for ten years, or at least until Capdown retire. Although
we're not sure which will come first.
A big fan of Brighton, frontman Jake
discusses how much he enjoys a cheeky reefer on the beach as much as
he enjoys a beer at the bar. He tells of how he wishes he could blaze
up in Grubbs without feeling like a criminal before the band explode
into the track 'Dealer Fever'. Prior to playing 'An A-Political Stand
Of Reasons' the band suggest an anti-wall-of-death, whereby everybody
starts in the middle and takes a gentle stroll to the outwards. No
running, no moshing. A unique concept that we aren't convinced will
catch on but was good for a giggle, especially as it culminated in a
human pyramid in front of the stage.
Bong-Ra interview for Maxumi Magazine
It must have been
around 92/93. I was (and still am) a die hard metalhead, I was
heavily into Earache Records stuff - Godflesh, Terrorizer, Carcass,
Confessor, Cathedral and listening to a lot of Doom Metal.
My
link with electronica was somewhat non-existent except for Godflesh
who were using drum computers. I thought bands like G.G.F.H (Global
Genocide Forget Heaven) and Ministry were cool as well.
I
was still living at my Mom's at the time and we had just gotten cable
and were able to watch BBC. I think it was Top Of The Pops when I
first saw the M-Beat ft General Levy tune 'Incredible'. I was
gobsmacked by the beats, I only knew techno or gabber, 4x4 beats
which i found boring, but this opened a whole new universe for me.
I
needed a new fix after this and started going to dance record shops
to dive into this new thing.
The
Prodigy Experience came out soon after that and that just did for me,
melody mixed with breakbeats, just classic stuff.
I
bought myself an Amiga 1200 in 1994 and started playing around with
Octamed, a tracker program, and composing industrial/metal/breakbeat
stuff under the name Soul of Cain. Sampling Black Sabbath, T99, Fear
Factory, gabber, amen breaks, etc...
I
still have the demo cassette and its fun listening, pretty crap
though!
Around
1995 I moved into a student house and a friend was using Cubase, I
switched to that and started making more jungle orientated tracks. My
vinyl collection was expanding, I was really digging Shy FX, Remarc,
Marvellous Cain, Tom and Jerry etc and at that time the darkstep /
techstep sound was coming up and I was loving the No U Turn sounds.
The
metal influence is something that definitely still runs strong in
your music, this can be heard on the PRSPCT recordings releases. It
seems that these days you've associated yourself a bit more with the
thriving hard drum n bass scene as opposed to the breakcore scene,
which a lot of people feel may have had it's moment. Do you agree?
True,
although I see more similarities nowadays with hard drum n bass and
breakcore than 3 or 4 years ago. Theres more genre/style mixing
going on in tracks, I think it has kind of mutated a bit.
Production-wise
it's way further ahead than how breakcore sounded back in the day.
I
always try to evolve my style and production, which I think is
necessary for every musician/producer.
The
worst thing is to get stuck in some nostalgic trip and not
accepting to move forwards.
It's
also a challenge to keep developing yourself as an artist. I love
to be as diverse as possible but still keeping my own musical
character. That's why I have so many projects going on (The
Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Wormskull, White Darkness and older
projects Glowstyx and Deathstorm), music is like one's character,
it portrays the whole spectrum of emotions and it's just a gift to
be able to transmit that into sounds.
Recently you've
collaborated with Thrasher and Limewax, and released a 12" with
DJ Producer. Which other producers would you most like to work with?
The Thrasher /
Limewax collaboration was fun. We did this for the tour we did early
2012. We are really close so I don't really consider it a
collaboration, just three mates having a bash at some tunes with some
beers! I'd like to do a collaboration with Mathis (The Panacea)
someday, we go back years so I think it's time we should do some shit
together. To collaborate with DJ producer again would be great, those
tunes worked out really well.
Basically
working with any artist you like is a fucking plus!
Having seen you play a handful of times over the years, it's safe to say that you really know how to work a crowd and it's always a pretty wild experience. What are your favourite cities/countries to play? And are there any specific events you'd like to play but haven't had the opportunity to??
I don't really have a favourite, there have been so many great parties in so many different countries over the past 15 years. The Bangface Weekenders are always a great blast! I'd like to go back to Japan again soon, and hopefully make my debut in Australia and New Zealand.
So you're playing
the Bangface Weekender in Cornwall this September, alongside the
hometown hero Aphex Twin. How important do you feel his influence has
been on shaping dance music as we know it today? And which current
names on the scene do you think will go on to have this kind of
legacy when it comes to inspiring future generations?
I've not got much to
say about Aphex Twin, I didn't really grow up listening to him and
don't know much of his stuff. If you want to talk doom metal then we
have something to discuss when it comes to influence!
As
for the legacy thing, I have no clue and I don't really think it's
that important in the grand scheme of things. Music is personal, and
a legend to someone might be an unknown to others.
Its great to hear
producers that are so enthusiastic about genres such as doom metal
like you mentioned, styles that so many 'ravers' would see as being
so distant from electronic dance music. Who are your recommendations
for Bong-Ra fans that might be new to the slow and sludgy world of
doom?
I can advise the
following:
Electric Wizard
'Come My Fanatics' (1997)
Cathedral
'Forest Of Equilibrium' (1991)
Saint
Vitus 'V' (1990)
Sleep
'Holy Mountain' (1992)
Om
'Pilgrimage' (2007)
Serpentine
Path '7"' (2012)
And so what can we expect from Bong-Ra in the near future?
Upcoming
plans for 2012 include collaborations with Goetia, Sinister Souls and
Limewax as well as remixes for DJ Skull Vomit and Dope D.O.D. And of
course new stuff from The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble and
Wormskull.
Shout-outs
to everyone!
Lightyear @ The Haunt, Brighton 27/6/2012
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Since their initial split in 2003
Lightyear have always been regarded as true legends in a
once-thriving, but sadly deteriorating, ska-core scene. Ok, so
they've reformed a couple of times due to popular demand. But popular
demand can only mean one thing – popularity. This time however, the
message Lightyear sent round when they announced this six date
reunion was different. It told of how they hadn't seen each other for
a long time and felt that if they were going to hang out, they
may as well play some shows.
LIGHTYEAR @ The Haunt, Brighton 27/6/2012
Since their initial split in 2003
Lightyear have always been regarded as true legends in a
once-thriving, but sadly deteriorating, ska-core scene. Ok, so
they've reformed a couple of times due to popular demand. But popular
demand can only mean one thing – popularity. This time however, the
message Lightyear sent round when they announced this six date
reunion was different. It told of how they hadn't seen each other for
a long time and felt that if they were going to hang out, they
may as well play some shows.
Anybody that has ever been to a
Lightyear show will remember a few things. Firstly, the amount of
energy and excitement they put into their performance. The carnage
that is the crowd reacting to their brilliant blend of ska, punk and
daft humour. And lastly, the amount of male genitalia you're
inevitably going to lay eyes on. Tonight they provided on all three
counts proving that despite a long break they haven't lost any of
their spirit, or modesty.
Their humour is a feature that has
always made Lightyear one of those bands you will never forget
seeing, entertaining the crowd in between songs that included 'Twat
Out OF Hell' and 'Uri Geller Bent My Heart'. Tonight we saw a guy in
a pig costume mosh for the entire set, heard stories about the
biological inaccuracies of Finding Nemo, and had somebody in a horse
mask parade across the stage to a backing track whilst being referred
to as Janet Street-Porter. Not your average night out by any means.
But that's what you come to expect from a band who's singalong
sections included “Your mum's got big hands and shops at Aldi”
and quite simply, “Michael
J. Fox, Michael J. Fox”. A
shame to think we won't experience this again, but we've said that
before.
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