Dalston's DIY heroes play their first ever headline show in the second city as part of their UK tour. Im sure you have all heard Bones by now which is taken from their highly anticipated second LP 'Endless now' (Out August on Sub Pop). If that track is anything to go by then the second coming from Male Bonding will be just as good as the first. Live Male Bonding are a must see and we are supper hyped to see them.
Guests for the show we are supper looking forward to having first up -
John J Presley - Take a listen
One third of Cold Rice's collective Vinny & the Curse. This is John Presley stripped bare and raw.Playing Folk blues that sounds like Nick Cave joining Two Gallants.
WOLFGANG,BOSTIN AUSTIN,HIGGY TEE-SHIRT and ZACHARY make up Lo-fi dazed Swim Deep. Chilled out vibes and upbeat rhythms. So far people are saying Wavves meet's Animal Collective...
Also we have This is Tomorrow (RAD Brum promoters) Dj set playing all the things we like and you like.
Tickets go on sale Friday 1st July via We Got Tickets
Basically London's Novella are just simply RAD and I can not get enough of them. 'The things you do' is a stand out track and is worthy of your attention so take listen below...
Conan Roberts runs Italian Beach Babes he put's out some of the radist records and tapes by bands like Fear Of Men, Graffiti Island, Dirty Beaches and many more. He plays bass for Mazes and is from Oswestry. Caught up with Conan before Mazes hit the road for a U.S tour.
What made you start up IIB records and what advice do you have for those who are just starting up their DIY labels
I managed to blag a box of about 200 cassettes from a studio that was chucking them out a few years back. They sat around for quite a while and it was around the time Male Bonding, Pens and Graffiti Island were all starting up. So each band get a couple tracks recorded and i made 100 cassettes with those 3 bands on. I just dubbed them on the cassette played i had at the time. They came out really quiet and i even managed to make about 20 copies play completely backwards.
There so much truly AWFUL music getting released now days, especially in London that it kind of feels like a duty to put out some bands who i think are great and believe in.
How did you get involved in bands vids you seem to have all creative fingers not just on the bass right now?
Well apart from being in bands and doing the label I freelance as a cameraman/ video editor. Its what I studied and have done as a day job for a number of years. I worked at MTV for a while and have always been massively into music videos. So I guess its kind of natural to be involved in making a few ourselves. To be honest though, as much fun as it is it is also a total nightmare most of the time, makes you NO money and there is very little recognition for your efforts. I would dissuade anyone from getting into them!
You played Off Set with Graffiti Island last year will their be anymore show’s/Records in the future?
Ha yeah. We recorded 4 new tracks at the end of last year but Pete is still to put the vocals on them. I think when i get back from this Mazes tour we may work on them a little and try get them to a point of being released. As for anymore shows I don’t know. Everyone is very busy with other stuff but if the right show comes along we may do it.
Tope five players on your I pod right now?
Catherine Wheel- Ferment
Dead Moon- The Graveyard
V3- Photographic Burns
Boneyards- IBB cassette (will be released in August)
Codine- 1992 Demos
A band to look out for right now?
In my eyes there’s a wave of great new bands coming out of London right now. There seemed to be this little scene around 2009 of like Male Bonding, Fair Ohs, Graffiti Island Pens etc. Everyones kinda progressed a bit now, split up or got on bigger labels, doing LPs etc which is amazing but its really nice to see younger kids doing new amazing bands and starting to play shows. Id say there’s a few of note
Novella
Boneyards
Old Forest
Sealings
Vision Fortune
Gross Magic
Fear of Men
What’s been the most proudest moment so far for you?
As a label, im just super proud of everything i put out. Im never gonna put out a band im not totally into so im proud of everything. Its great to see other people into it too and kinda follow the label and trust that if i put a record out there gonna like it just cause its on IBB. Kind of like labels such as Dischord, Burger, Art Fag etc the music is varied but generally its always amazing. Also recording and playing in Mazes has been unbelievable. Its nice to take a step back now n again and appreciate what we’ve done as a band, doing an LP people love, playing all over the world. Im super happy with it and really proud of all of us in the band for making it work together.
And the worst?
No Regrets
If you had to choose Skate or music?
Right now, music. Its facilitating me not having a proper job and travelling the world. Skateboarding will forever be one of my main passions but to be honest my knees are fucked and its getting harder and harder to skate everyday.
I see your from Oswestry what was your experience like music wise growing up there? How did you get records,hear new stuff.
I had a great time. My entire musical background is tied into skateboarding and my youth there. Watching skate videos and finding out what songs were on them then scouring record stores to get the records. I had no Internet then so it was all just looking at linear notes in records, finding fanzines etc and asking older guys.
Through skating pretty much every weekend id get on a train and travel to either Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool or somewhere to skate and buy records. I remember always hitting Tempest in Birmingham and getting so much US Punk stuff every week. That’s where I bought all my first US Hardcore records.
Best Pizza Restaurant ever?
Well I’m no Pizza snob, there is a pizza place opposite my flat. Yesterday I picked up a 12" with 3 toppings for £4. Its so cheap its amazing. But I’m looking forward to being in Chicago in a week or so and getting a proper deep pan there.
Mazes are crazy busy right now it looks as tho you are playing everywhere .You looking forward to heading back to Us and how do they compare to the UK show’s?
Yeah so excited for the US tour. I love being on the road and touring. If it were up to me we'd be doing a hell of a lot more but its not so I have to take what i can get. As Mazes we only played in SXSW before so haven’t really done any proper US shows. The venues are all pretty big as the tours with White Denim so I’m excited for a whole bunch of new people seeing us and having bigger stages to wander around on.
And finally what are your top 5 records that changed your life (If you can add a reason to)
Beastie Boys- Ill Communication (Got me into so much amazing music from Hardcore to Hip Hop to Jazz, i saw them in '94 with my dad and i can still remember it to this day)
Prince- Love Sexy (Prince was the first gig i ever went to on this tour, i was 11 and had my mind blown)
Minor Threat- Discography (got into this after Beastie Boys covered Screaming at a Wall, changed my whole outlook on music and life leading me to be straight edge for 8 years and spend most of my 20's driving around the country to hardcore shows every weekend)
Lungfish- Indivisible (I first heard Lungfish on Consolidated skate videos. Scott Bourne would have their tracks on his sections regularly and it always struck a chord with me. Took me a while to track down any of their records but as soon as i did it was an instant obsession. Its hard to pick a favorite as all 9 albums are equally perfect.)
Mazes- A Thousand Hays (Ha, kind of weird picking your own bands record but being in this band has changed my life and made it infinitely more fun and interesting)
Fierce People is run by Birmingham based Song & Danse where it's all about Fashion,Art and Film.
For those who went to Les Savy Fav you will know what i mean it's not just about music it's about bringing a visual element to your night. We hope Jean Michel Basquiat will be there??
It has Out of Step favourites The Bombergs playing and also Crushing Blows. Along side a roaster of DJ's and us.So expect to hear plenty of Bad Brains,Beat Happening and some AC/DC.
For more info on the night scope the Facebook event page
Milk Maid are from Manchester and a breath of fresh air in a sincere DIY way.
There debut 'Yucca' is out via Mazes Jack Cooper's label 'Suffering Juckbox" and 'Fat Cat" next week. For fan's of Nine Black Apls this is for you due to the main vocals being by Martin Cohen the former bass player.
Cohen recorded all the track's in he's flat so you can't get anymore lo-fi then that without trying.I'm sure many will compare this to the Southern drenched sound's of Black Lips but for me Milk Maid stand alone with their Northern charm. Like Spectrals it's honest and to the point and sure to be a Summer long player.
At present all i seem to play is the latest offering from Tune Yards 'WHOKILL' L.P. It's amazing and I wish i caught them live when they toured the UK recently.
Take a look at the live performance taken from Soundsacpes.
The history of Apple Pie are a five-piece based in London. First time I heard them was at the Weird Dreams E.p launch. They sounded great in the small venue The Victory, live it's like Teenage Fan Club or Sonic Youth with a more added blissful wall of noise. On record track's like 'Your Not Cool' seem like they've been plucked straight from Empire Records Sound-track. A real 90's fuzzed out summer vibe to them especially the track 'Mallory'.
Mika Miko were simply amazing. They came and went but fear not Jessica and Jennifer are back with Bleached. Bringing 60's Garage punk inspired,way out west sound's to your ears. Bleached will still hold a place in all Mika Miko fan's heart's.
Their playing loads of show's around the states right now, hopefully when they bring out more material they'll hit Europe we can only hope.
James Nash has just put out he's latest Comic Diary from 2010. You may known Nash's work from our show poster's and he's work for Aged Yummy as well as Chapter 24's debut E.P.
Take a look at he's art via the link's. And buy the comic here
It even has the entry about the last gig at Bardens Boudoir in Dalston (below)
Vivian Girls,Beast Coast and Dum Dum Girls are all female fronted sun soaked sounds of America. You would think the same of all female three-piece La La Vasquez but your wrong. They sound like Young Marble giants, Talulah Gosh and early Beat Happening so you have to take note. It resonates that British sound, dreary with a glimmer of hope for the sun to shine. Take a listen
Can not wait for more from Brighton's Fear Of Men at present there's a few demo's around on sites and in July there putting out a 7' on Italian Beach Babes. Take a listen to their Dreamy 90's inspired sound via their bandcamp.
London's finest Not Cool are putting out all their recordings pre 'Rugged Raw' which you can now get on I Tunes. The Pavement cover and the brilliant 'Man Up' are personal fav's.According to Marshall Teller records site there are 14 more to come so keep on the down load.
1. Limbs are For Liars – IBB/Paradise Vendors 12” Split
2. Desks – Unreleased
3. Sneaks – Unreleased
4. Flags of Various Nations – Unreleased
5. Dead Kid City (original version) – Unreleased
6. Wonderful Beasts – 7” Single Released by Sleep All Day Records
7. The Bell Curve – 7” B-Side Single Released by Sleep All Day Records
8. Um, You Didn’t Do That in Soundcheck – 7” Single Released by Sleep All Day Records
9. Joe McCarthy’s Ghost (Minutemen Cover)
10. Flux=Rad (Pavement Cover)
11. Man Up – Unreleased
12. Certainly The End of Something or Other – Unreleased
13. Live Song
14. Live Song
15. Way South, South East – 7” Split with Dignan Porch, Cheatahs and Colours released by Marshall Teller Records
Been meaning to do a post on Slow Animal for ages. If your a fan of Lo-Fi Wavves style indie then their perfect for you. The best thing is you can get all their out put so far for free, before the debut LP is out late summer via their Band camp page.
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.