Category: Music

Categories
Live Reviews

Deftones and letlive live at Brixton Academy

Deftones
w/letlive.
Brixton Academy, London
20th February 2013

Three Trapped Tigers open up tonight’s proceedings to a fascinated audience. A mesmerising creation of technical beats and soaring synths allures the otherwise timid three-piece to the crowd. Drummer Adam Betts is the centre of attention with his flawless and creative technique. However, Three Trapped Tigers do little to entice movement but they certainly arouse the ear drums.

In terms of stage dynamics, LA’s Letlive are quite the opposite to the static Three Trapped Tigers. Frontman Jason Aalon Butler is clearly engrossed in the music. Amps, drum mats and anything else on or off stage that crosses his path is used as a playground. He leaps and prowls around whilst the band deliver some of Fake History’s most emotive and socially directed songs, including a passionate rendition of ‘Muther’. ‘Casino Columbus’ sees Jason front flip, throw a mic stand and guitarist Jeff Sahyoun destroy his axe. After a frantic set, Brixton Academy are awe struck, not quite sure what just physically and aurally hit them.

If any other band were topping the bill tonight, Letlive would have stolen the show from their grasps. But no such task is possible when the mighty Deftones are headlining. Opener ‘Diamond Eyes’ sets the score, evidently this will be a montage of the band’s greatest hits with ‘Passenger’, ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’ and newcomer ‘Swerve City’ all encouraging simultaneous head bangs, mosh pits and choral sing-a-longs. Chants of ‘Chinnnno’ in rest bites epitomise how well loved these metal titans are. Mind-blowingly heavy bass, atmospheric lighting and effortless stage presence all add up to create an undeniable spectacle.

Tonight’s show is something unique with every band on the bill impressing far beyond expectation in their own way… Three Trapped Tigers for their talent, letlive. for destructive suave and the legendary Deftones for again proving themselves to be one of the greatest musical treasures around.

Words: Emma Wallace

Categories
Music News

Randy Blythe – Not Guilty

The court proceeding of Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe took place in Prague today following his charge of manslaughter after young fan Daniel Nosek died at one of their shows in 2010. The judge found Blythe ‘not guilty‘ of murder at lunchtime today which will be a relief for many rock fans all over the world.

Tragedies like these are shocking and our thoughts go out to the poor fan whose life ended in such a terrible accident. Take care of yourselves out there.

Words from Randy himself can be found on his Instagram.

Categories
Music News

New 2.5 hour James Lavelle mix online

UNKLE head honcho James Lavelle has returned with a new 2.5 hour mix this week. Living in my Headphones pt 1 ‘A Night’s Interlude’ has his usual mix of genres and overall vibes, first in a while.

“Whilst the band is taking a break I have been getting back to basics and starting to DJ again and work on some more electronic tracks and remixes. Living In My Headphones is the new title of a series I will continue for the foreseeable future with this being the first. As it’s been a while since I have done a mix I wanted to provide a soundtrack to my DJing both past and present with numerous exclusives, edits and remixes, some tracks from past mixes in new forms, classics and new brand new music. Being 2 and a half hours it is also very reflective of a live club DJ set, not split into different parts but as one continuous set and how I like to play out. I hope you can enjoy it both subtly as a soundtrack to your day or night, in headphones or cranked up as if you were right there with me in a club.”

Download it here.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/80193105″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Categories
Music News

Method Man confirms new Wu Tang Clan album incoming

If you have been waiting for fresh material from Staten Island’s most notorious rap crew then maybe this year we will see a brand new full length from the Wu Tang Clan after all. This Friday at a show in the US, Method Man leaked news that a new record was in the pipeline leaving fans wondering what is coming.

The group’s seminal debut album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) will be 20 years of age this November so there’s a good chance that will be celebrated with some new tunes as a follow up to 2007’s 8 Diagrams. We expect there will also be a 20th Anniversary remastered re-issue with extra tracks coming too as a retrospective but who knows. Play this video for Method’s words and look out for more info soon.

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music

Deathfix

Deathfix (S/T)
Dischord Records
Deathfix.com

If there’s one thing that will instantly grab our attention when hearing about a new band it’s the words ‘featuring ex-Fugazi member…’ Such was the incredible influence and power of their music, ideas and attitude that anything the members of Fugazi have created since their hiatus is always met with excitement and interest.

Deathfix feature Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty who, as part of Fugazi created some of the greatest, body-jarring rhythms ever produced out of pots, pans and drums. Deathfix formed after Brendan met producer Rich Morel when they were touring as part of Bob Mould’s backing band. After the live work was done, the pair started to work in Canty’s home studio, fleshing out basic song ideas and instrumentals before enlisting bassist Mark Cisneros and drummer Devin Ocanpo to fully form the songs and take them to the stage.

The end result is one of the best new album’s to come out of the once vital Washington D.C. music scene. Wonderfully melodic and beautifully produced, songs like ‘Low Dying Dreams’ and ‘Mind Control’ ebb and flow with pure pop melody but there’s a swaggering cool to the band’s sound that recalls fellow DC post-punks Girls Against Boys. Midway through the album, ‘Dali’s House’ is another real stand-out, featuring a repetitive guitar-lick that burrows its way under your skin and refuses to budge.

Deathfix have succeeded in crafting an album of songs the are tuneful without being clichéd, backed up by a challenging array of rhythms, moods and motions. Superb.

James Sherry

Categories
Music News

Melvins to play classic albums over 2 nights in London

The Melvins have announced that they will be visiting London in May to play two nights at Brixton Electric. The first night on Sunday 19th May will see the band perform ‘Lysol’ and ‘Houdini’ albums in their entirety followed by a night of ‘Bullhead’ and ‘Stoner Witch’ the following night on Monday 20 May.

Tickets go on-sale 9am on Friday 1st March and are available from livenation or ticketmaster.

The band are set to release a covers album on April 29th titled ‘Everybody Loves Sausages’ via Ipecac Recordings with sludge versions of Queen’s ‘Best Friend’, The Kinks’ ‘Attitude’ and Roxy Music’s ‘In Every Dream Home’.

Visit www.themelvins.net for more info.

Categories
Music News

Watch The Bronx’ Wasted Youth video

The Bronx are still out there carving up venues worldwide and have a new album Bronx (IV) out there. Have a taste of their new Watched Youth video.

Categories
Live Reviews

Your Demise live at The Garage

(w/Heights, Counterparts, Fact)
23rd February
The Garage, London

Your Demise only released their EP Cold Chillin’ at the start of this month and already it’s gone like a rocket, sky high in the hardcore/punk scene. The five-piece heavy titans have proved all the doubters wrong and to top it off is their recent UK leg, bouncing from city to city and taking hold of fans new and old on board for one of the mightiest adventures to date!

Joining forces is five-piece rock band from Japan, Fact, who took out the headliners on tour back home in Tokyo, selling out shows effortlessly. Tonight’s show sees them open a little earlier than their usual schedule but while many of their members sport Your Demise merchandise, it’s pretty clear that the early set time has had no effect on their optimism to chuck out their striking hardcore turn punk turn electro-pop sounds to our shores.

Canada crew Counterparts aren’t quite the turbulence. If anything they take off, putting their foot down and accelerating their chunky beat downs and thrilling rifts into a whole other dimension. With giant choruses led by vocalist Brendan Murphy, they’re the force tearing apart the four walls that frame them here tonight. “This is wild, I don’t even know why you care” says Brendan. The crowd turn into a hurricane, spitting out circle pits and chew apart The Relentless Garage whilst Counterparts lure in even those in the furthest corners of the room.

Now with lift off out the way, Heights take control and steer their post-hardcore set primed with infectious and brutal stormy songs towards an atmosphere filled with absolute carnage. Revving the engine, front man Monty elbows the killjoys at Newcastle and thanks security for “keeping you all safe” before dipping into ‘Dead Ends’. Their first class set is ruled by their great attempt to carry out a pit so grand there are more people participating than those standing back and watching. Monty begins to wrap his microphone around his neck, falling into the first few rows as the final chorus for ‘The Lost And Alone’ pours out.

Heavyweights Your Demise need no introduction. Dragging new hit ‘Karma’ through the air tonight, Ed and co tremble the room with the raging rhythm pushing through. Lifting ‘Nearly Home’ off this year’s EP, the monster vocals tear Your Demise through the sky, a place after tonight they can safely call theirs.

‘These Lights’ act as a birds eye view of Your Demise fan army flying head first towards the stage. The Southern mob navigate towards past creations ‘Scared Of The Light’ and ‘Like A Broken Record’. Front man Ed grabs a fan and starts counting down to when he informs the kid to do “the best stage dive”. As he reaches 1, the rest of the room swallow up said kid. Such actions even manage to tempt first support Fact to join in. This time round, it’s Ed that needs rescuing back to the stage.

The members of Fact guide the gang vocals in ‘Worthless’ while ‘Burnt Tongues’ see’s Monty of Heights join for the remaining verse and chorus, giving Ed some time out. But the jetway bridges open to the mass of flying bodies and raised arms. Just in time for ‘Miles Away’, the only thing setting the fans and YD crew apart is the stage as they unite in sequences of consistent stage dives. Massive anthem ‘The Kids We Used To Be’ elevates and all on board will be jet lagged until next time.

Jenny Chu

Categories
Album Of The Week Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music

Pissed Jeans

‘Honeys’
Sub Pop
ALBUM OF THE MONTH

pissedjeans_honeysalbumThere’s a reason why Black Flag are so heralded and respected so long after they existed by younger generations. It’s not just the fact that they had a cool logo, it was also their inspiring drive and energy that, against all odds, saw them power their utterly uncompromising and original noise at a time when long hair, tattoos and punk rock was not a career option. They sounded the way they did because that’s how they felt and how they wanted to express their feelings. Pissed Jeans are no Black Flag tribute band, but there’s something about their ridiculously heavy punk rock noise and venomous approach that makes you feel if Black Flag had existed in this frustrating, jittering modern world, this is what they’d sound like.

Four albums in, Pennsylvanian quartet Pissed Jeans have mellowed NONE. ‘Honeys’ is a raging barrage of noise that goes nose-to-nose with all of the essential BLACKS (Big/Sabbath/Flag) with a stomping Jesus Lizard strut and a boot boy Negative Approach stomp. This is nasty music with a production so viciously heavy It’ll bite your fucking nose off, send warm jets of piss running down your thighs and render pretty much all of what passes for punk rock these days obsolete.

So, for young and old gazing into the past with rose-tinted glasses wishing there was bands as intense and FOR REAL as Black Flag still playing, fuck the nostalgia, there is and they’re called Pissed Jeans. Now hear them roar.

Download the amazing riff heavy ‘Cathouse’ track for free here.

James Sherry

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music

Sabazius

Sabazius
‘The Descent of Man’
Earache Records

Earache Records have surpassed all previous attempts of longest doom records by unleashing the beast that is SABAZIUS. 11 solid hours of drone, feedback and noise that is called ‘The Descent of Man‘.

Now, most people will presume that this is a gimmick, but delve a little further into the world of drone and you will find that this is taken with as much seriousness as any other music genre out there. I used to have a flat mate that would have drone blasting through his NS10’s when I got home from work almost daily. The smell of weed and the whiff of booze obviously helped him on this noise-filled journey of feedback and bass hums, but essentially he would sit there for hours on end taking in aural hits of distortion and probably even wanked himself off in the process.

Who knows on the latter, thankfully I never found out, but this ‘ritual’ exists and SABAZIUS has just blown the doors off with 677 minutes of doom tinged tones. This beast, the longest song ever made, (surely?) was recorded live to desk in one continuous session at Foel Studios in Wales over the weekend of 24th and 25th November 2012. The track was produced by Chris Fielding who surely must have fallen asleep at the desk at least once. Try it, maybe it’s for you.