It is very hard to try and pinpoint music with blanket terms such as Down Tempo, some people may even refer it as Post-Dubstep, but I find that hard to believe. The likes of Four Tet have been making this eloquent genre around the same time as Dub-Step came out, in the late nineties. That statement may offend some people, but the matter of fact is, this is no competition. And I’m not comparing Mr. Parish to Mr. Hebden either; I’m just trying to give a little scope on this sub genre of electronic music that can be as slippery as an electric eel. It’s a style of music I generally find hard to connect with but the atmospheres created are second to none and they usually send me into some kind of dream like induced stupor, however that is not to say that statement is derogatory and that I don’t enjoy it.
Alex Parish A.K.A Adolescent is a Brighton born producer who on his debut EP is only twenty-one (oh the irony) and it is a well thought out package. I found it very easy to work to; music to me has different purposes and this serves well as great background music. From the art work to the samples, Parish pieces together an ethnic worldview catalyzed through his musical soundscape. From the foreign quire sample in Golden Halls Pt. 2 to the word play in the track names such asHangshai. It is apparent that a back to basics, minimal characteristic, influences his style. There are some intricate moments on the EP, for example the piano on K:TV is fazed in and turns the heavy synth on. This is synchronized with the beat and makes for a nice feature. I found it hard to tell in the arrangement of the song where the Wu Tang sample from Severe Punishment fitted in, but that says to me that it is mixed in incredibly well.
You could find it in the chilled out bars of Brighton or you could understand it from the multi cultural markets and the global understanding that is practiced in and around the streets of Brighton. On the other hand, it could just be that he has a good imagination. Whatever Adolescent’s influence is, this EP is a really good start and I wish him all the best.
Not only does August host some of this year’s best festival line ups, there are plenty of gigs going on too. Here is the lowdown from Crossfire HQ on what dates to put in your diary and who to see over the coming month: Deez Nuts
7 SECONDS
Hardcore legends 7 SECONDS are in the UK for the Winter Gardens festival in Blackpool and a show in Leeds this Saturday at the Brudenell Social Club with Agnostic Front, but Monday’s show at the Underworld in Camden with Madball should be killer.
DEEZ NUTS
Combining Hip-Hop with hardcore, Deez Nuts are a one crazy band to see live. They are also the sort of band you will either love or hate but in their own words, they ‘Don’t give a Mother-Fuck!’. 2nd Club Revolution & District 7 –Peterborough, 3rd Hevy Festival – Kent, 5th The Venue (formerly Krash) – Newcastle, 6th The George Inn – Andover, 7th Hobos – Bridgend
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND
Now joined by ex-Rise To Remain drummer Pat Lundy, Funeral For A Friend are playing a couple dates over August to subtly remind everyone that they are one of the UK’s best live acts. 2nd Sub89 – Reading, 3rd The Pavillion – Weymouth
GRIZZLY BEAR
Grizzly Bear are one of the most experimental indie bands out there at the moment. Fusing a whole load of different instruments (including banjo, keyboards, omnichord and glockenspiel) with electronics this Brooklyn based band are sure to put on a mesmerizing performance. 28th The Junction – Cambridge, 29th The Albert Hall – Nottingham
HEAD AUTOMATICA
The pop/rock n roll side project of Glassjaw’s Daryl Palumbo should be on everyone’s guilty pleasures list. The band haven’t been over to our shores in goodness knows how long and with some pure pop genius they will definitely get the crowds dancing. 5th Cellar – Southampton, 6th Relentless Garage – London, 7th Sound Control – Manchester, 8th Garage – Glasgow, 10th Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
HEVY
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re a bit excited about Hevy, the line up is unbelievable. Be sure to party hard with Andrew W.K. on the Saturday night and check out what other bands we recommend catching here. 3rd – 5th Port Lympe – Kent
Polar Bear Club POLAR BEAR CLUB
As well as an appearance at Reading & Leeds, the brilliantly named Polar Bear Club squeeze in a London date in at the end of the month. For fans of Small Brown Bike, Third Eye Blind, Silent Majority, Hot Water Music and Lifetime. The tour continues into September with support coming from the exquisite Into It. Over It. 24th Leeds Festival, 26th Reading Festival, 31st Borderline – London
RADFEST
Presented by SEXBEAT and Nudie Jeans Co this years festival has expanded to a secret warehouse complex in Hackney after selling out in previous years. The prospect of Ceremony, a Poster Roast exhibition and a Kristina Records pop up store all in close proximity sounds mouth watering to us. 19th Hackney Down Studios – Hackney
READING & LEEDS
The Cure, Gallows, The Gaslight Anthem, Enter Shikari, A Wilhelm Scream, Alt-J, Cancer Bats, Mastodon, At The Drive-In, Every Time I Die, Pure Love, Anti-Flag, Trash Talk… Don’t need to say much else really. Oh other than there will be a whole load of awesome newcomers to watch on the BBC Introducing Stage. 24th – 26th Reading & Leeds
YOUR DEMISE
Having put out a record that divided fans earlier this year, Your Demise are back on the road to promote said album ‘The Golden Age’ on the ‘Golden Monster Tour’. The YD boys always put on a good show and with these being some of their most intimate dates of late its sure as hell going to get sweaty. Support comes from the ever promising Last Witness (Holy Roar Records). 13th Sub89 – Reading, 14th The Mill Arts Centre – Rayleigh, 15th Waterfront – Norwich, 16th Club Revolution, Peterborough
When a band describes themselves as ‘Loud as fuck,’ and is known for insane live shows it’s a pretty clear indication that some serious slaying is about to take place on record. And as Feed The Rhino’s ‘Burning Sons’ roars into action with ‘Flood The System‘, the faint hearted should hide away from the stampede that’s inevitably about to take place.
Instantly the sincere heaviness of the record hits you with the force of a freight train, Lee Tobin’s ferocious vocals lead the way for a crushing assault whilst Chris Kybert’s intense work behind the kit pounds your ears drums. But it’s the grooving guitar work and bass lines that separates ‘Burning Sons’ from the ever growing pile of metal and hardcore cross over bands. Riffs that are tinged Southern Hardcore flair places homegrown Feed The Rhino alongside honorable names such as Every Time I Die and Cancer Bats.
Before the intensity of the album gets a bit much, Feed The Rhino mix things up with a moody, down-tempo number, ‘Razor‘. The track could easily fall into place on a Mastodon or Baroness record. This is where Feed The Rhino really shine. When experimenting with a more dynamic format, such as on ‘Tides’, listeners are treated to a truly thorough performance.
Slightly more variety and perfected production would have seen ‘Burning Sons’ go down as a masterpiece, unfortunately this time around Feed The Rhino have just fallen short of a classic. However the band have still delivered a valiant effort that will surely take their live show to the next level with such powerful new guns being added to their already heavy arsenal.
Axewound, heralded as ‘the supergroup to slay all supergroups’ have announced details of a debut full length and UK tour.
The band, lead by Liam Cormier of Cancer Bats, Matt Tuck of Bullet For My Valentine on guitar/backing vocals, Mike Kingswood of Glamour of the Kill on guitar, Joe Copcutt formerly of Rise to Remain playing bass and Jason Bowld of Pitchshifter on drums, were unveiled on May 1st 2012 via BBC Radio 1 Rock Show when their debut single ‘Post Apocalyptic Party’ was aired.
After a string of successful festival appearances this summer, AxeWound have announced their debut album Vultures will be released on October 1st via Search And Destroy/RCA (Search And Destroy being the new label from Sony Music and Raw Power Management that also has Bring Me The Horizon, Don Broco & While She Sleeps under their trusted wings). Matt Tuck has also revealed that Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates will guest on one song on the upcoming album, adding more superstar names to the mix.
In support of the album release, Axewound will perform the following dates:
OCTOBER 2012
1st – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
2nd – Glasgow, King Tuts
3rd – Manchester, Academy 3
4th – Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms
6th – London, Underworld
7th – Bristol, Thekla
Converse Represent got off to a flying start yesterday with singer Plan B opening up proceedings. The event which runs nightly between 30th July and 10th August at London’s iconic 100 Club gives a nod to past legends by including nights headlined by UK Subs, Toots & the Maytals and Paul Weller. The best of the new breed are also showcased with Pulled Apart By Horses, The Safety Fire, Santigold, Best Coast, Japandroids and The Bots also featuring.
The highlight of the event has to be Blur’s ridiculously intimate gig on August 2nd. For a chance to be at this incredible show, fans will need to visit www.converse.co.uk/blur between 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM on Wednesday 1st August.
For those unable to get their hands on sought after tickets, Converse are kindly streaming the shows online here, you also stream the shows by scrolling to the bottom of the page.. The full line up for Converse Represent is as follows:
July 30 – Plan B, L Marshall, Jacob Banks, Yuna
July 31 – UK Subs, Discharge, Anti-Nowhere League, Goldblade, Ed Tudor Pole, Dumbjaw
August 1 – Paul Weller, Spiritualized, Japandroids, 2:54, Towns
August 2 – Blur, The Bots, Savages, Swiss Lips
August 6 – SBTRKT, Rudimental, John Talabot, Man Without Country
August 7 – Santigold, Django Django, Best Coast, Citizens!, Friends
August 8 – Toots & the Maytals, Natty, The Heatwave, Janice Graham Band
August 9 – Overkill, Pulled Apart By Horses, The Safety Fire, Wet Nuns
August 10 – Nas, Kano, Speech Debelle, Spoek Mathambo, Children Of The Night
On September 11, 2012, ShopRadioCast (an online store specializing in new and limited run vinyl records) will release the first official vinyl reissue of Quicksand’s major label debut, Slip, since its original pressing in 1993.
Fronted by Walter Schreifels (also the driving force behind Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today and Rival Schools) and known as major players of the 90’s NYC hardcore scene where they found their roots, Quicksand’s Slip is spoken of as classic, an influential release for current hardcore bands.
The re-mastered record is to be pressed on limited edition 180 Gram vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket which includes a Euro inner sleeve. The vinyl colours and track listings are as follows:
Vinyl Colors
First Pressing
180 Gram Red/ Black Swirl (LTD 500) – Shop Radio Cast Exclusive
180 Gram Green/ Yellow Swirl (LTD 500) – Shop Radio Cast Exclusive
180 Gram Black (LTD 500) – Dine Alone Records Exclusive
Track Listing
Fazer
Head to Wall
Dine Alone
Slip
Freezing Process
Lie and Wait
Unfulfilled
Can Opener
Omission
Baphomet
Too Official
Transparent
How Soon Is Now? (The Smiths cover)
The pre-order launches on Tuesday, July 31 at 2pm EST here.
With a chorus catchy enough to entice a bit of a sing-a-long but with a tempo slow enough to make sure you don’t have to put a lot of effort in, ‘Toucan Surf’ (released Digitally 27.08.12 via Rattlepop) is the soundtrack to a lazy afternoon in the sun. In fact, soundtrack is quite a key word here, because Jaws produce the sort of sound that doesn’t instantly demand your attention but is inviting enough to give you an overall uplifting feeling. ‘Toucan Surf’ is background music that will slowly manifest in your mind and eventually come through and repeat permanently in your conscious.
Dazed vocals, resounding jangling guitars and lo-fi synths give off impressions that the track was born in Florida, California or another suitably sunny location, a sizable achievement when it actually originates from the less than appetizing Birmingham, UK.
‘Surf-pop’ is a trending genre at the moment, but Jaws aren’t just any old band, they are the leaders of the pack, these guys are the ultimate chill-out indie band and ‘Toucan Surf’ is sure to propel the band to where they ought to be.
Sadly The Dome is dishearteningly only three quarters full tonight for this rare London gig from classic Texan hardcore outfit Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, touring to celebrate thirty years’ service to hardcore punk and thrash. D.R.I. are, without doubt, one of the most important and influential hardcore bands to have spewed out of America in the early eighties. So where was everybody?! Their first EP released in 1982 crammed twenty-two songs onto one 7” EP and it redefined hardcore. The songs were intensely short and fast, bristling with anger and venom. Likewise, their first full album ‘Dealing With It’ came armed with a better production but was just as pissed off and vengeful.
After that the band, like most hardcore bands of the early eighties, started incorporating more metal and rock elements into their sound. Some did this more successfully than others and thankfully, D.R.I. made the transition better than most, alongside bands like C.O.C., Ludichrist and The Crumbsuckers, they spearheaded the ‘Crossover’ movement within the thrash metal scene and combined the socially aware lyrical content of punk with longer, more complex songs influenced by the first wave of thrash bands such as Metallica, Exodus and Anthrax.
Tonight’s set is drawn from every era of the band’s long career, although thankfully it leans heavily on their early material, which despite some good moments on later albums, it’s still the first few recordings that pack the most punch. Tonight, with original singer Kurt Brecht still pacing the stage and spitting out the lyrics with the attitude and venom of a man half his age, D.R.I. play for over an hour and half, a set that includes god knows how many songs all played at hyper-speed and with ultimate precision. Not bad for a band in their 30th year. On top of that, original guitarist Spike Cassidy has recently made a full-recovery from a terrible brush with cancer and plays every song with a look of pure joy on this face. This is a man that probably never expected to get to get the chance to play these songs again and his happiness infects the whole room.
Despite the venue not being as rammed as the band might have liked it to be, those in attendance go completely crazy and and respond to classics like ‘I Don’t Need Society’, ‘Couch Slouch’ and ‘Snap’ with a tornado of energy at the front of the stage as the band feed off the crowd’s lunacy and respond accordingly.
Still dirty and rotten after all these years. Long may these imbeciles reign!
Not many underground bands have such a buzzing hype around them as UK newcomers Proxies do, and what’s more, it’s well deserved. Proxies are one of those bands who have turned their passion into something tangible through hard work and dedication, actually getting off their arses and doing something rather than waiting for the industry to fall into the palms of their hands.
Producing records in their bedrooms, recording vocals under bunk beds, relentlessly networking and gaining the right contacts has put the band in a promising position at the start of their career. We catch up with keyboard player/programmer/vocalist/general-busy-body Jordan Fish to find out more…
Hey Jordan! First off can you explain how the formation of Proxies come about?
Kind of by accident in that we never planned to be a band. I had begun exploring electronic music with a couple of friends, who way more talented than I, mostly for fun but also to see them in action and learn from them. I knew Joe from college and it turned out he was doing something sonically similar around the time and suggested working on a song together. So we did. Then we worked on some more. Alex lives down the road from my parents and I asked him if he could play the songs so we could try and reproduce them in a live environment, we tried them a couple of times in Joe’s university house and had fun with it. We didn’t ever expect to play live, so when a couple of our friends that liked our music asked us to support them at a few shows, we were a little on the spot. I asked my friend Josh to play bass live for us, he played in a band I’d actually stumbled across via YouTube a while back. He added some vocals in rehearsal and as officially joined a couple of months later. A little while after that I think we realised we were a band.
Proxies Live
Proxies mix many different styles and genres together, what artists have influenced Proxies?
So many. Each of us have such a wide variety of influences that when you include all of our influences together it begins to sound ridiculous. I think we’d all agree on artists like Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, Muse and Daft Punk being amongst the most influential. I know Joe listens to a lot of pop punk, particularly that New Jersey pop punk kind of sound and we share a lot of favourite bands. I listen to a lot of electronic music lately, but mostly am a rock music fan at core which might explain our sound a little. As a rule I could say everything Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen work on is golden, the first Panic! At The Disco record is a masterpiece and Katy Perry‘s singles are only ever the best pop songs… I don’t know if that’s relevant.
Considering Proxies are a relatively new band you have toured with some high profile artists and worked with big names such as Sean Smith & Gareth McGrillen. What has led to your involvement with these credible acts so soon in your career?
We had to pay them one million pounds in hookers and drugs and cash and sexual favours. We got the cash by selling our insides to The Church Of Scientology. Not really. Our band has been really fortunate that super talented people have taken us under their wing and helped us out. Gareth has been a friend for a while and liked what we were doing. Gareth introduced me to Sean a while before our band started and the feature came naturally – we all knew each other and Gareth and I were kind of on the same brainwave with the song and both had Sean in mind to do the additional vocal on it and kind of mentioned it to each other at the same time. Gareth is the nicest dude on the planet and we wouldn’t be where we are now without his help.
You have created an impressive online following and are well known for networking with fans via social media. But the internet often comes under fire with regards to illegal downloading. Do you think the internet is the future or the demise of the music industry?
The music industry is changing a lot, so in that respect the internet probably does bring about the demise of the old model. That said, our band would not exist at all without the internet. That’s really simple. It has been how people discover our music, how we’ve distributed music, how we keep people that care about our band informed on what we are doing. Beyond word-of-mouth and the little touring we have done, it has been the only form of communication we have had. Online merch orders have come in from Chile to Argentina to all corners of the US and Australia. Those people will only know about our band because of the internet. YouTube makes an almost level-playing-field for the discovery of music and great undiscovered content goes viral every day thanks to sites like Reddit. So it is the demise of an old model but it is also the future of the industry. The faster bands (and labels) can adapt to the internet generation instead of trying to control and dictate it, the quicker that will be realised I think.
‘Lost Tapes Volume 1’ epitomizes a DIY attitude to music by self producing the EP and hand-making the physical copies. What are your thoughts on the EP now that it’s complete and out there for people to hear?
I’m really glad we did it. The response has been overwhelming. To hear people singing along at shows to songs we wrote and recorded in our bedrooms is really strange and makes us even more proud of it.
'Lost Tapes Volume 1'
It seems Proxies never stop working! Do you have plans to release new material anytime soon?
Yes! We started working straight away on a sequel to the free EP, which we are recording in our bedrooms and producing ourselves once again. It will be released in the next few weeks. We have also been working for a while with back with Gareth and another producer Andy Gray on an official release. So that’s on the way too.
Selling out physical copies of your EP in seconds and being announced for Reading & Leeds are impressive achievements, how does it make you feel?
I am convinced it is a big elaborate prank that one of my friends has planned and everybody is in on the joke. It definitely has just crept up on us and been a huge surprise. We’re all a little bit shocked but determined to try and make the best of it.
So finally, after an impressive start, where do you see Proxies in 5 years time?
Haha, wow. Hopefully we will have put an album out properly. I’d like to be able to perform a headline tour too. But I don’t even know what we’ll be doing in 5 months time, 5 years is such a huge scale. Maybe Joe will be working on a solo experimental acapella folk punk album and Alex will be trying his hand at movies. Maybe people will say they liked us better when we recorded EPs in our bedrooms and struggled to survive, before we sold out and recorded in one of those “mainstream recording studios”. Or maybe nobody will care. Regardless, I like to think we’ll still be making music.
Make sure you check out Proxies at their up coming UK dates and of course at this years Reading & Leeds festival.
Poison Idea/strong>
The Fatal Erection Years
Southern Lord
Southern Lord have come up with a treat on this monster collection of early Poison Idea, that collates their ’83 debut ‘Pick Your King’ EP, ‘84’s ‘Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes’ LP, compilation tracks, and then a 20 song live set from ’83, in their hometown, Portland, Oregon.
The 13 tracks on ‘Pick Your King’ barely shade a minute average running time and are plain fucken blitzkrieg, fire and anger, slashing guitar lines and in singer Jerry A’s a true heavyweight of boiling over barked belligerence…. a genuine classic record… then, now and forever. Period.
P.I. followed up with the snappily titled ‘Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes’ album, 8 tracks of ferocious heaviness that were a step up from their earlier material, and brutally fused the primal energy of The Germs, early ‘Flag, D.C. Hardcore, fused with the filth and power of Discharge and GBH. The encroaching shadow of Motörhead was never too far away, as a creeping metallic edge took root. And the cover of the LP was true a Punk collector’s wet dream, with a stack of guitarist Pig Champions prized vinyl on display.
The compilation tracks are ‘Laughing Boy‘ from the ‘Drinking is Great’ EP, and P.I.’s 3 tracks from the Pushead compiled ‘Cleanse The Bacteria’ album, a 1985 collection of new/fresh worldwide Hardcore. Their ripping Stooges cover ‘I Gotta Right’ was included on a bonus 12” that accompanied the first pressing. I’ve still got mine, righteous vinyl!
And, to close, a live set that is just what you’d hope P.I. would be nailing it like in ’83, rabid and pissed, hateful and loud. It ends with one of my favourite songs ‘Marked for Life’, that would eventually surface on the ‘War All The Time’ album, in ’87.
No shit, this remains some of the most raging Punk committed to vinyl, and the legend of these hallowed records continue to be passed to subsequent generations of young Punks. They’ve suffered tragedies, bust-ups and mishaps along the way, but singer Jerry A is still out there doing it. Not giving it up.
On September 11, 2012, 
