Our good friends Advantage are releasing a single this week. The Double A side is available for download on Sunday. They asked me to review the single for them so I did the review is below.
Advantage
Double A side
The Beat (Get Up)
Wait Is This Love?
The new double A side single from Midlands Brass Rockers arrived with me this week. From the opening of the first track you can tell the band mean business. The Feedback in the opening shows a DIY influence that has not always been obvious in the previous EP releases. The fast furious style this track continues with makes it hard to notice how high the level of musicianship is on the first listen but with a few listens you will notice that this is a great example of how good this band are individually. In turn the combination of the high level of musical skill throughout the band makes an eclectic and unrivaled sound.
After the opener I was unsure to why this single was a double A side as I assumed the second could not be as good. This was until the brass opening and carnival style intro of ‘Wait, is this love?’ there is a real summer feel to the track making it perfect for the increasingly good weather. The brass lines add focus to the guitar driven sound and the driven, deep bass and tight drum lines add a perfect balance.
Musically this double A side is one of the finest examples of how Advantage’s diverse influences make Brass Rock very different to the Ska Punk genre they are often pigeon-holed into. The Brass section adds real emphasis to the guitar driven sound and the harmonic backing vocals give each track a vast level of depth.
Both tracks here are stand out tracks from the live performances I have seen from this band and the live energy is very close to being captured in these recordings. If you haven’t heard anything by Advantage yet I would recommend this as your perfect starting point.
This is well worth a look next Thursday if you are out and about in Birmingham next week..
Not My Type:
Blurb from face book
"An Out of Character Experiment would like to invite you to the opening of the title exhibition on May 6th. For the first time in Birmingham, we're bringing together 35 different designers/illustrators and designers to each create a letter/character of their choosing to create one cohesive body of work. Expect to see work from people such as Jon Burgerman, I Love Dust, Fluid Design, Clusta, The Outcrowd, Lewes Herriot & Sam Pierpoint.
The opening night will be the first opportunity to view the illustrated alphabet in all it's entirety, ( so get on down for a schmooze and a meet up with the people that are working behind the scene in Birmingham's design community, the prints will be on sale on the night so its a first come first served on this limited edition run. Prints will be available to purchase on the night and also for the duration of the exhibition at a price of £35 framed and £20 unframed but all individual pieces are limited to an edition of 10 for the duration of the exhibition, so be quick to avoid disappointment. A lot of the artists who created the work will be in attendance.
Created in Birmingham have offered their utmost support for this event and exhibition, alongside our other sponsors, the support of whom we're most grateful for. This includes Fluid, CMYKern and The Framers. Entertainment on the night will be provided by Pete and Jonny (Jocko Homo) & Golden Trash spinning some low key beats to watch pictures by. Like all good exhibition openings there will be some free drinks served throughout the evening.
Thanks again for everybody's support on this project, and look forward to seeing you all on May 6th."
Leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, the Rolo Tomassi headline tour rolls into its last port of call: the Flapper. Surprisingly it isn't sold out tonight, which is lucky for me as I hadn't got around to buying an advance ticket. Yet, despite this, the place is still packed to the rafters. After grabbing a pint of Red Stripe and trying to manoeuvre myself into a position where I can see the first act, Throats, take the stage. Well, I say the stage, their singer actually spent most of their set throwing himself around on the floor in front of the stage. Sadly, despite the energy these guys had they didn't do much for me. Their short bursts of noise remind me a little of Napalm Death, but not being much of a hardcore kid their 30 seconds of feedback and distortion did little to capture my imagination.
Trash Talk however were another kettle of fish. Rumour has it they got kicked out of the venue after playing. From where I was it looked like the guitarist started on the DJ or something. Anyway, it felt odd watching an American band (they are from Sacramento) as nearly all the bands I watch these days are from our home shores, but I was suitably impressed by their hardcore workouts which unlike the previous band had some good riffs going on to get my attention. Their singer liked to provoke circle pits around the room, which for anyone who has been to the Flapper will realise is near-lethal. He also had a penchant for grabbing fans by the head to let them scream down the mic. They were mental, and did have a real air of danger around them. I, for one, could understand why people like them so much. Certainly not a band I would listen to of my own accord, but as a live act tonight they worked well to warm up (most literally) the crowd for the mighty Rolo Tomassi.
I was little uncertain as of what to expect of Rolo this evening. Last time I saw them was one of the most intense gigging experiences of my life, an experience that cost me my brand new camera (lost in the mosh) and my dignity. Sadly, they don't sell the latter in Argos for £69.99. Since then, however, the band have holed up with Diplo and produced a new record. Now I quite like Diplo's work, but when I found out he was going to be producing Rolo I worried slightly. My thought was it would either be killer or catastrophic. Fortunately, if tonight's performance is anything to go by, the fans have nothing to worry about. The band thrashed their way through their set, sprinkling new material alongside tracks from debut Hysterics. New tracks such as the excellent 'Party Wounds' show Rolo are as exciting as ever. They still remind me of Refused; it must be that guitar sound, or perhaps those jazz breaks which simply rule hard. The band seem also keen to prove they're not a one trick pony too, and some of the new material shows the band experimenting with their sound, such as in my new personal favourite, 'Kasia', which starts all post-rocky with chiming guitars before building up into a super-massive Envy-esque tune complimented perfectly by Eva's stunning vocals, backed by some oh-so-throaty screams from her brother. Finishing with 'Abraxas' it is clear to see why Rolo Tomassi are one of Britain's most formidable bands, both in technicality and originality, and from the sound of things Cosmology is going to be slaying some stereos when it comes out at the end of May.
I have met many lead singers of band's before but no one as nice as Rhys from Good shoes.We were able to interview him for zine *3.For more on that look out for the zine due out later this week.
The line up for the night was not bad at all.I was really looking forward to seeing Cajole Cajole again and Is Tropical
Barefoot we are on first good friends of November and The Criminal. The Worster five piece have a tropical afro beat sound from the first few song's played. Eventually style over substance took over with my only real interest in asking the question "is the lead singer wearing a Adidas dress?"Their sound is that of any other typical lad indie band which is a shame really because i feel they all could play collectively very well.I think with time Barefoot could be something interesting.
Cajole Cajole are three guy's from Wolverhampton. And sound more better as their gigs go on. Their sound has become more bigger and they look more confident on stage then when i first saw them last month.A much more tighter set ending with the brilliant 'Over the landscapes'
Is Tropical
A band wearing mask on stage is always eye catching. They almost have that Brazilian gang look nailed down to a t. Their sound is really dark live electronica with a funky early Rapture sound.
If anything seeing the drummer play the bassist bass by hitting the string's as he played made my night.Go scope out their myspace
Good Shoes
After chatting to Rhys he didn't seem that optimistic about the turn out of the night. But everyone in the Wolverhampton indie scene was out in full force. After touring and playing live for four years now Good Shoes are a band that i never getting bored of seeing or hearing. Lyrically their the perfect band to break up to and have doubts about life after finishing Uni so for me i love them even more. Tonight much is played of their latest offering 'No Hope No Future'. Stand out track's are hearing the crowd sing back the chorus to 'Ice Age' and the latest single 'The way my heart beat's'.
I caught up wit Hot Club De Paris at The Rainbow in Digbeth on the first date of their current tour to promote the new EP ‘With Days Like This As Cheap As Chewing Gum Why Would Anyone Want To Work’.
How is the Tour Going So far?
Matthew: You’ve seen 90% of it since you got here
Al: The van got here in one piece and we left Liverpool on time, which is very rare. Matthew and I have new earplugs, which knock 25DB’s off the volume. It’s the First time I’ve done a sound check in ages without wanting to cry.
New EP came out today on download when’s the hardcopy out?
Paul: The digital came out today but the digital isn’t due until February 26th, but people have started to receive pre-orders in the post. We also have some to sell on the tour with our merch, we checked on play’ download chart and we were at number 3 so I got in touch with Mishi Moshi (The bands record label) and told them there must have been an administrative error or something. It turned out the download was priced wrong and was being sold for ninety-nine pence. The EP then rose to number one in the play download chart over the week.
The new EP has a slightly different less polished sound from previous recordings how did this come about?
We wanted a record that was more challenging than the previous two and now we have the option to start recording for ourselves we have a lot more scope and time. There’s also no pressure to get out of the studio within a certain time or to get the mixing done in a certain time as if it takes longer than expected it doesn’t cost extra. It kind of gets fun not having someone else to make decisions for you and there’s less pressure not being on someone else’s time. We don’t think there is any great importance in polished production and it has let us get closer to sounding like the albums that inspired us.
How has the live sound changed to incorporate songs from the new EP?
We are stuck being a punk band as there’s only three of us when we play live but there are a few new pedals. We wanted to make a record that people could get as big a reaction form as when we play live. Obviously we throw ourselves around, get involved with the audience, and there are a lot of banter and discussion.
Who was the last band you went to see for pleasure?
We all went to see Jamie T because our mates Cold Ones were supporting him, Jamie’s also a friend that was at Manchester Academy.
A: I’ll be able to go to some gigs again soon now I have these ear plugs I can watch live music without being in pain.
M: A friend is a rep so we went to see Tinchy Strider it was quite funny seeing a mosh pit full of people in heals.
P: I Saw Max Tundra play in a house the other week, I also saw Vivian Girls with Veronica Falls as Veronica Falls are good friends of ours they were awesome. If you see them again you should ask them about going back to someone’s house and Googling themselves that happened when they stayed at mine we stayed up all night on the Internet with them showing me amazing videos on You Tube.
Which bands inspired you to start a band?
(Without any hesitation and before the question finished) QUEEN, Minute men, Joan Of Ark, Black Flag and classic rock.
P: When me and Matthew met I was just into loads of experimental indie rock like Owls and got him into it. I also love classic rock like Thin Lizzy and metal like Megadeath and Slayer I just like music).
A: I was just interested in learning the drums as I hadn’t played for ages
It’s mostly that we are music fans and make music without a need to sound like anyone else. Sometimes there’s one bit of a song like a guitar riff that sounds like someone but as far as taking inspiration and trying to sound like a band that just doesn’t happen for us.
Are there any bands you would recommend looking out for in 2010?
P:Cold Ones are and awesome band, unfortunately Nowhere fast have just split they were a great hardcore band.
A: Little Philistines from London sound great they have a really over the top XTC sound and sound like the first Supergrass album. Dutch Uncles are another great band and they are really nice guys.
P: I really like that band the poet Jack Underwood does Le testsuo, from London.
A: The Pharoes and Not cool are playing with us they are amazing. Going on tour gives us an opportunity to catch up on new music.
M: SSS, Indigo Ritual and Bow and Arrow are all great bands from Liverpool there’s plenty of stuff happening.
How would you define the style of music that you play?
A: We wouldn’t the only people who try and define you are journalists, they try and do it with an undercurrent of meanness not always but there is often the problem.
P: At the end of the day we are defined by a Journalists fame of reference,
M: It depends how old they are and what records they have heard, sometimes when you get compared it can be a compliment if they name check a few bands you like.
M: I’d say we are just an eccentric English band, sometimes there’s a reference that you think suits you and if people who listen to good music and see the references and might want to come and watch us.
How do you keep yourselves occupied when travelling between venues?
A: We mercilessly take the piss out of each other
M: Mercilessly, usually if we’re driving we will sit in a row and one of us will drive and we’ll all just be mean to each other.
A: We’ve always got something to do, whether it’s travelling between venues or setting up and sound checking.
M: There’s usually bits like this to do and I’m changing my strings as we speak, I also have to keep emailing people to make sure everyone knows what the hell is going on.
P: I’ve got some graphics work to do which is quite exciting.
Who does the bands artwork?
P: I do the artwork it’s the best way then we always like the end product.
M: It’s just a ball ache getting someone who’s not in your band to do something for you. If we do get someone to do the tee shirts or something it’s someone who’s work we’ve seen.
P: We try and keep the band as DIY as possible and involve as few people involved as possible, we have a booking agent and a label.
A: It’s important to have a booking agent if you finish a show and get told rather that three hundred quid your only getting eighty and you’ve just done a show in Dundee. The booking agent gets all that stuff arranged on our behalf.
P: At the end of the day the artwork is just another part of doing as much for ourselves as possible.
Where did the name for the new EP ‘With Days Like This As Cheap As Chewing Gum Why Would Anyone Want To Work’ come from?
P: That titles from a book by a Poet Called ‘The Book Of Matthew’ by Matthew Welton, there’s a poem called the A B C of American Suicide which is in three parts. The Third one is about Cobain and the phrase is the last line of that poem. It seemed the way we were making the record on no money with no pressure it was close to bliss and I adored the line and we decided it was the best name for the EP.
Where did your band name come from?
M: Bargain Bucket Jazz Compilations, it sounds and looks great and we didn’t want a macho sounding name so it’s a good banner to fly under.
P: Everyone thinks they’ve heard of us even taxi drivers; they’re familiar with the word hot, most people have been to a club before and everyone knows Paris is a city.
A: Everyone knows the letter D too so it’s a perfect
I don't really have many passions in life BUT Hardcore is one of the few!
Here is an interview with a guy (his name is Jack) who is doing something really cool; he runs a blog/'zine/record label called What Would Henry Rollins Do? not only does it have a great name borrowed from a great man but its full of pretty amazing shit from the world of hardcore.
1. Sell WWHRD? to us in 5 words or less?
It's not Kerrang.
2. What made you start a zine/blog in the first place?
People always talk about doing 'zines or something generally postive, i just actually did it. I used to write about and talk about music and my general opinions far too often and far too loud, and there's no better way of encouraging that than by writing a 'zine as well. In all seriousness though, i think 'z
ines are important to hardcore and punk and i think WWHRD is just me doing my bit. If people enjoy reading it or check out a band i mention, or even consider doing something like this themselves, then that's pretty good too.
3. Which three albums changed have changed your life?
I dunno about changing my life, but i'd say first of all The Clash - London Calling: It was one of the first times i really had an idea of what punk was, and i can trace my involvement in hardcore and music in general down to getting that CD.
Secondly I'd say Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables: like the Clash, this lead me on to a whole new world of music, beyond the 77 era of UK punk. It made me realise that there was a whole world of amazing music with something to say out there.
Finally Fugazi - 13 Songs: Just knowing who Fugazi are is pretty important i feel as they are a brilliant example of the viability of DIY principles, and dedicating your life to living by ideals that stem from that.
I might listen to other bands and records more often than those 3 now, but they are pretty pivotal in my involvement with punk and hardcore music. The latter two especially so in my involvement beyond just listening to it.
4. Whats the best gig you've attended and why?
I honestly can't think, i've been to a few good ones. One of my favourite memories will always be putting on bands in my living room a couple of times. It's nothing new but it's so much fun and was a great way to hang out with my friends and people in Norwich.
5. If you could recommend/champion a band or artist to our readers who would it be?
Well other than the obvious choices like Black Flag or Minor Threat, which i'm sure people don't need some 21 year old kid telling them about, i'll speak about one of my favourite bands at the moment. Pulling Teeth. They are from the US/Canada and play hardcore which takes influence from bands like Integrity as well as Left for Dead. They are basically my favourite hardcore band around at the moment, i think they are probably one of the most interesting too, lyrically and musically and more people need to realise this!
6. You have a nice t-shirt with the slogan "This Is Norwich Not LA". Whats you opinion on band merch? Is it important to have decent merch or is it just a way to make ends meet whilst on tour? Oh and DIY or mass produced?
Yeah well with that t-shirt we basically just had the idea that everyone everywhere had of ripping off the 'Boston Not LA' compilation/cover, i think it came out pretty good. I think band merch serves a purpose to an extent, as you said with touring or just making more money available to record or release something. Being in a hardcore band, or any band in general isn't cheap, so it's good if you can try and make the money you lose through being in it as minimal as possible, that way it's easier to keep doing. I'd put as much as i could into being in a band, but obviously being able to make music and not lose a ton of money is preferable.
At the same time it should be secondary to making music itself, as a means to an end. Bands that have more t-shirt designs than songs or spend money on a MySpace layout instead of practising or recording to my mind are doing things all wrong.
DIY is the only way to go. As a DIY band i think it'd be counterproductive to then buy into a massive clothing company or support those who pay poor wages etc. We recently used Vino Sangre screenprinters, who are based in Norwich, to do some t-shirts. They are friends of mine, and do design and handpulled screenprinting. The results speak for themselves, the t-shirts they are printed on are ethically made, and the money we spent on that stays in the hands of those involved in DIY projects. The UK has plenty of these people involved in DIY hardcore and punk, whether it be in making t-shirts, producing records, distroing them, or anything else. It's up for people to find and support these, because DIY in general, if you do it right, is way better than anything mass produced for countless reasons.
7. Your big into cassettes, I'm also a fan of cassette and vinyl , do you think alternative formats to CD and MP3 deserve a bigger place in the mainstream marketplace or do you think they're better out on the "fringes" as they retain their "heart and soul" personal feel?
The mainstream can do whatever it likes, it's never gonna affect what people who truly believe in DIY and hardcore in the UK, or anywhere else does. I like cassettes because they are cheap to produce and are easy to customise and make interesting. I personally never listen to CDs, they really don't appeal to me, but I like a physical product and if i can't have vinyl, then cassette to me is the next best thing. Whenever i've released tapes as well i've put a download link in there, that way even that benefit of CD doesn't really matter.
8. If you had to make a 10 track mixtape for someone raised without TV or Radio how would it go? List the tracks and give an explanation of why you chose them.
I'm gonna forget something and feel stupid, but oh well.
1. The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever - No list of important music could really be without The Beatles. This is one of my favourite songs and will just make them realise what they've been missing.
2. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead - I love The Smiths and this is as good a place to start as any.
3. Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles - This is how to write a song about politics without sounding stupid.
4. Black Sabbath - Paranoid - Like the Beatles, someone needs to hear Sabbath to understand where 'heavy' music came from.
5. Black Flag - Fix Me - My favourite band, this just shows that short songs are great.
6. Descendents - Hope - Just in case they've ever felt underappreciated or been like the guy in this song.
7. Minor Threat - Out of Step - It's Minor Threat, I don't have to justify this.
8. Bad Brains - Sailin' On - See above. Also to show that hardcore isn't just for unpopular middle class white kids.
9. NWA - Fuck the Police - Just get this kind of message across nice and early.
10. Charles Bronson - Theme Song - I'd just like to see what someone who had only heard 9 songs before thought of Charles Bronson.
11. The Stooges - Search and Destroy - This is a bonus track because I didn't want to leave them out and it'd be funny to see what they thought of the Iggy Pop adverts knowing the genius he was capable of.
This was hard and i probably should have chose something really obscure or shown off about all the cool shit I like but oh well....and I forgot the fucking Misfits!
www.whatwouldhenryrollinsdo.bigcartel.com - What Would Henry Rollins Do? bigcartel store; this is where you can find some of the 'zines, cassettes and other WWHRD? stuff
Yes we are back again at Alchemy bar for a Half Term special.We love it when everyone is back from Uni so to celebrate your two week stay were are having 'OUT OF STEP WHEATLEY IS INNOCENT SPECIAL'. It's in honour of our good friend Sean Wheatley.
Start's at 9 till late
Free enrty
Free zine
Drink Promos £1.50 bottles
French films projected and chosen by Richard King.
Gun Outfit consist of the sound's of four of my most favourite bands,they are Silver Jews,Husker Du, Dinosaur JR and The Meat Puppets. The LA three piece are already creating a buzz state side with their debut L.P 'Dim Light'. After being tuned onto them by John Arthur Webb of Male Bonding during a Q and A with the man he highly recommended them.
Dim Light is a record that start's slow and builds in parts with Steve Malkmus guitar style parts, lo-fi grunge similar to that of Nirvana's Bleach and with a shimmer of reckless americana hope.
The track 'Guilt and regret' should be played during a long road trip.
You can get the l.p now on I Tunes or on PPM Records
Scrolling through the Pitchfork Tv i came across the one week only feature on this amazing documentary directed by Matthew Robinson.It follows The Black Lips, Deerhunter, Gaye Blades, Coathangers, Mastodon, Bobby & The Soft Spots, West End Motel, King Khan & BBQ Show, Mark Sultan, The Coathangers, The Subsonics, Gringo Starr, Baby Dinosaurs vs. Extinction, Fiend Without a Face, The Frantic, The Carbonas, Baby Shakes, The Spooks, Demon's Claws, King Khan & The Shrines, All Night Drug Prowling Wolves, Anna Kramer, Herb Harris, Jason Harris, CPC Gang Bangs, Atlas Sound, Fe Fi Fo Fums, Old King Cole Younger The Lids, Snowden, The Spaceshits, The Mighty Hannibal, The Orphins, Thee Crucials, The Selmanaires, Rizzudo, Beat Beat Beat, Saba Lou, The Alphabets, Wet Dreams, Gentleman Jesse, The Lids, The Liverhearts, Knife & the 4th Ward Daggers, Mourdella, Each and Every Member of the Death Cult. Snowden, Mastodon, Hubcap City, West End Motel and the late great Jay Reatard
It's beautifully shot and has great insight into the way in which a new cultural scene inspired by the 60's garage rock has come from all the bands just continuously playing all the time in bar's,club's,their friends house party or just simply anywhere.
The live clip's of Black Lips is simply epic,nothing better then watching a band that play better when they sweet like their in Hell. It's a honest portrait of what band's can do and what not to do i.e just get stuck in the same city playing the same show's and calling that a tour.
"I was never afraid of being a little bit boring" Braford Cox
Two piece (guitar/drums/dual vocals) noisey-punk-pop inspired by the likes of Husker Du, My Bloody Valentine and Black Flag who recently completed a tour of California playing renowned DIY venues such as The Smell (home of No Age, Mika Miko etc) and Burger Records store (Ty Segall, Jay Reatard ).
Furrpw
More TBA
Hare & Hounds Birmingham
£3 Donation on the door
Out of Step is a D.I.Y promoter based in Birmingham (UK)
We play and showcase Alternative,Electronica,Noise, shoegaze,punk and thing's we like.
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