Thrasher have just announced their 2010 Skater of the Year and, as Phelps states, it was a ‘no-brainer’… Leo Romero is officially the world’s best skateboarder in 2010. Fully deserved too as not only did he absolutely smash it, but he single-handedly took handrail skating to an entire new level.
Watch the video below to see him receive news of his prize and if you’re not convinced then go and watch Stay Gold and Brainwash and try to argue otherwise. Well done Leo!
It has been announced today that the revered and eclectic trip-hop outfit Portishead will be curating next year’s I’ll Be Your Mirror presented by ATP.
In a double-edged sword of awesome, not only will Portishead will be playing but have managed to re-unite the famed hip-hop collective Company Flow (a rap crew headed by the mighty El-P) as part of the amazing line-up. Also playing are DOOM (formerly MF), Swans, Beach House, The Books, Beak>, Anika, Factory Floor, Liars and many more.
The event will take place on July 23rd-24th 2011 at Alexandra Palace, London. Get hyped as tickets go on sale through Seetickets this Friday (November 26th).
The Boardroom in Leicester is proud to announce it’s 5th annual skateboarding competition taking place on Sunday December 5th. Peep the flyer below for all the information you could need then get yourself down there. This one always goes off… don’t miss it.
Mystery have posted the latest section from ‘Color Theory‘ on the Black Box website today and it’s an absolute stonker!
Doubling up as the official welcome video for Vancouver’s Sascha Daley, the section a proper dose of radness to get you through the rest of the week. The colours, the filming, the skating… it’s all super good. And yes… that is a quintuple set in there.
What are you waiting for? Click the picture below and get to watching!
Bear Vs Shark were one of our favourites. So we were pretty heartbroken when they broke up. But now Bars of Gold have emerged from the ashes and are doing some serious easing of the pain. We caught up with drummer Brandon just after the release of their debut album ‘Of Gold’ to see where his head was at, how the album came into being and what’s next for this new outfit.
What were you up to in the years between the demise of Bear Vs Shark and the inception of Bars of Gold?
Speaking for myself, I was basically in Wildcatting the whole time between BVS & BOG. I was also involved in a whole bunch of projects that were fun. I learned to say “Yes” to as much as I could get myself involved in. It lead to some really cool things. Of course, Wildcatting morphed into Bars of Gold when Marc started showing up to practice. I should add that Wildcatting is not dead, it’s just that those batch of songs are the outcome of the four of us, whereas what we’re playing in Bars of Gold is slightly different. Because of time constraints, we’re focusing solely on Bars of Gold as much as we can.
Why did you decide to form Bars of Gold and what do you aim to achieve with the band?
Between all of us, we’ve been friends for years, so being in a band together was just a natural thing. Honestly our goals with the bands have been and hopefully will continue to be just writing (and recording) music. We achieved the release of our first record, so we’re already looking towards what’s next. Oh, and playing shows certainly is fun, too.
Will you be touring much? What have your shows been like so far?
As of now, No, we will not be touring much. Although, we will do what we can, but hard-core touring itself will be minimal. That isn’t to say that we’re not going to go out on excursions when the opportunity presents itself. Our shows have been quite amazing. We’ve been fortunate to play with some really great bands and have befriended some really good people. I guess it’s best to just go with the flow & see what happens.
Any plans to come to the UK specifically?
Truth is, we would love to come over as soon as we can. BVS never made it to the UK and that was something we really wanted to do. Hopefully we can get the gears rolling sometime in the near future.
What’s the story behind the name?
Like every band I’ve ever been, we’ve always picked names that tend to be kind of ridiculous. Bear vs. Shark, Pinkeye Orchestra, Wildcatting, Bars of Gold… all basically ridiculous, but I like them. I guess I would say that the best bands’ names have always come from some people who aren’t taking themselves too seriously.
How long did it take to get the album together? Did you work with any producers / engineers or was it entirely self-produced?
It didn’t take too long to write overall, but it seemed like it took a bit to put the whole record together. From the moment we started to record to the day it was out, it took a little less than a year. It slowed down when literally 4 out of 5 of us were moving & when our practice space shut down. I moved from Detroit to DC (9 hours away) which slowed things down a bit. Also, the release is vinyl, which is notoriously slow to produce.
Was it a smooth process?
A bit slow, but all in all, I’d say yes.
How does your outlook on the music scene / industry differ now, being in Bars of Gold, in comparison to how you felt as a part of Bear Vs Shark?
I would say my outlook is much better. The music industry tends to be an all-or-nothing/winner-takes-all type of economy and it’s not a game I feel we have to partake in. We all feel pretty comfortable just doing our thing. Hopefully people care enough to scope it out, but we’ll keep doing it nonetheless. Our expectations for ourselves, I’d say, are much more sound and focused on longevity for the project. We all see this as a long-term project/experiment that we can continue to grow into. Fun times will continue to be had for sure.
Is it a very different experience for you now or are you having certain feelings of déjà vu?
No déjà vu, or at least not for me. This is a different experience. I highly value what I did in the past with Wildcatting and Bear vs. Shark, but I think what’s going on now is really great. In many ways, we’re still in the process of trying to figure out what’s going on, which is a great process to be in the midst of. We don’t particularly have anything in mind when we write songs, we just kind of extrapolate from all these ideas that we kick around between us.
How did the release with Friction come about?
We’re old friends with Jeff, from Friction. He just asked if us if we’d be interested in having Friction put it out, and we were happy to say yes. Kind of simple actually.
There is relatively little information about the band out there on the world wide web at the moment. If you were to start your own Wikipedia page for the band, what 6 things would you tell everyone about yourselves (can be true or false, we’ll take our best guess as to which)?
This is funny to me because much of the BVS Wikipedia page is just wrong on so many parts.
1) The original name was going to be Volunteers
2) Wildcatting is still a band, we’re just busy right now, or something
3) Scotty makes & sells guitar pedals & other instruments
4) We make all of our t-shirts in our practice space.
5) Marc’s been brewing some mighty fine beer recently.
6) We enjoy playing more than one show a night.
Bars Of Gold debut album ‘Of Gold‘ is out now through Friction.
Rival Schools
16th November, 2010
Hoxton Bar and Kitchen
Rival Schools have a bit of a theme going on this evening. Frontman Walter Schreifels is fixated on the introduction of The Beatles’ back catalogue to iTunes. He has a little talk about it, starts a few impromptu singalongs to ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘Hey Jude’ along the way, usually when also tuning guitars or sorting something technical between the band’s *actual* songs. This banter works well in the confined environment of tonight. Barely anyone moves throughout the set as we’re all crammed in like sardines and transfixed by the band’s pure brilliance as a mixture of ‘United By Fate’ classics and new album classics-in-the-making are unraveled by the recently re-united band. Having played a few shows and festivals together over the past couple of years, the band have finally taken the next step towards a whole album of new material which is set to be released early next year. It only took ten years.
‘United By Fate’ tracks are unsurprisingly received the most rapturously, but the crowd is equally intent on hearing the new material and a couple of the more riffy tracks in particular stand out as potential equals to the material everyone already knows and loves so well. ‘Undercovers On’ and ‘The Switch’ are particular highlights as guitarist Ian Love’s riffwork blasts forth with potency and brilliance and everyone present sings their heart out. However, the evening predictably culminates with Rival Schools’ most-remembered song – ‘Used For Glue’. And it sounds every bit as thrilling now as it did ten years ago. That’s one song that will never get old to anyone.
Winegums
Trash Talk, Cerebral Ballzy
The Barfly
22.11.10
A word from the promoter before the show lets us know that this event is a couple of tickets away from selling out. It seems they completely underestimated something along the way as we get into the upstairs room to find it at possibly the fullest I’ve ever seen. Even for support act Cerebral Ballzy, it’s a bit of a strain to get any sort of view at all. And forgive us, but we don’t fancy being too near the front given both bands’ reputations for hurling objects (and themselves) into the crowd as well as a tendency to puke / spit / generally emit bodily fluids when on stage. Despite being confined to a small square near the back of the venue, it’s still possible to enjoy Cerebral’s exuberant take on old-skool punk rock and hardcore as they barrel through upbeat songs about “drinking til you puke”, “not having enough money to pay for the tube” and “girls”. It’s certainly obvious these guys are basically kids but that’s what makes their reinvention of the genre so potent and fun.
Trash Talk have pretty much lived in the UK this year and it’s clearly a big deal to them that this will be their last show in the UK until summer 2011. Even though that doesn’t seem so far away, I think it’s safe to say that the UK will be a touch more boring without their perpetual presence. Their music is somewhat darker than what has preceded tonight and menacing basslines are coupled with frenetic drumbeats and vocalist Lee Spielman’s shouty/screechy/growly sounds. Throughout the set, the mic is passed to audience members etc as Spielman literally climbs the walls of the venue (seriously, what is he holding on to?!) It’s almost as if the wirey, long-haired singer has been re-incarnated as Spiderman as he flips around, bouncing off the walls. Trash Talk have managed to carve themselves a niche in the live scene in the UK, somehow attracting indie kids and metallers alike to their frenetic live show and it’s safe to say that many will be awaiting their return with baited breath.
Winegums
Therapy?
London Forum
19.11.10
“The last time we played here was when we released this single!” declares a grinning Andy Cairns, shortly before the spidery riff of ‘Turn’ incites roars of joy from the sold-out crowd. Indeed, it’s been a good few years since Therapy? have played venues of this size, but tonight many casual fans have been enticed out of hiding by a very tasty carrot; the prospect of the band playing their 1994 breakthrough ‘Troublegum’ album in its entirety. Unsurprisingly, faded t-shirts and beer guts abound, but this crowd certainly compensates in enthusiasm for what it lacks in youth.
Dinosaur Pile-Up aren’t about to spoil the early-90s revival party. Their marriage of breezy melodies with chunky, rough-edged power chords may have more in common with early Foo Fighters than with classic Nirvana, but there are too many good tunes on offer to dismiss these guys as a mere anachronism. They rock out with the kind of carefree simplicity that all too few bands have these days, and although the likes of ‘Love To Hate Me’ sound suitably huge tonight, it’s tempting to imagine the chaos that would ensure in a small, barrier-less club.
Therapy? have always been an unpredictable and forward-thinking bunch, which suggests that maybe tonight’s nostalgia trip is more of a treat for the fans than for the band themselves. Still, as Cairns and co rip into ‘Knives’, they certainly seem happy enough at the sight of the crowd exploding into action.
Therapy? gig veterans know full well that many of the ‘Troublegum’ favourites remain in their set to this day, and although ‘Screamager’ and ‘Nowhere’ sound as potent as ever, the lesser-aired songs are those that impress most tonight. Notably, the seismic rumble of ‘Unbeliever’ is lent extra ferocity in the live setting, and bassist Michael McKeegan leads the crowd in howls of “CHRRRRIST!” for a suitably unsettling ‘Lunacy Booth’. These guys have the energy of bands half their age, and a brilliantly self-deprecating sense of humour to boot – with McKeegan proclaimed the ‘Evil Priest’ for the evening.
As ‘Brainsaw’ draws to a close, it’s clear that the band could call it a night at this point, and still leave most of the crowd happy. But we’re not getting off that easily, and they soon return to play a grab-bag of other Therapy? gems. The catchy riff of ‘Stories’ wouldn’t have sounded out of place in the main set, but the real treat comes in the form of their industrial-tinged early favourites ‘Meat Abstract’, ‘Innocent X’ and the closing, sample-infused ‘Teethgrinder’; a sweat-soaked crowd bouncing along all the way.
In terms of ‘Therapy: The Glory Days Revisited’, this will take some beating, but tonight has also served as a fine reminder that Cairns’ crew are not yet finished after 20 years of playing by their own rules. Long may they reign in black.
Alex Gosman
Fun.
Walking The Dog
Hassle
Having just completed a tour with the insanely massive Paramore, playing UK arenas, fun. have just released their latest single over here. And quite awesome it is too. ‘Walking The Dog’ showcases just what talents this group of musicians are. The trio have crafted a pop tune which combines pure simple melodies with unique intricacies of instrumentation which make fun. absolutely unique. Although they are for all intents and purposes, a pop act, fun. have the potential to appeal to indie kids with their hint of Vampire Weekend-ness and they have also found fans in the rock world with their Paramore association.
Comprising members of The Format, Anathallo and Steel Train, there’s a real melting pot of influences present on this track and you can tell that this is a band open to all influences even if they don’t wear ALL of those influences on their sleeve. As well as being massive Beatles fans, they’re actually pretty into hip-hop. Not totally what you’d expect after watching the below video! The video for ‘Walking The Dog’ certainly lives up to the band’s name as they are all covered in brightly-coloured paint and dancing around with glee.
Winegums
Karim is now officially getting threads from Urban Kreation and to celebrate he’s whacked on their garb and summoned pop from the late 90s to get over huge chunks of grey concrete.
Watch below as Karim gives the block at Southbank a good seeing to.