Lizard King seems to be getting more coverage than most right now, especially as his shoe on Supra launched with a party last week. Watch him Checking In at Strangenotes here.
Categories
Category: Preview
Categories
The Slackers prepare new album
New York ska veterans The Slackers are set to return with a new album on Epitaph this coming April.
The record, entitled The Great Rocksteady Swindle, will be released on April 19th and will be the band’s 12th studio album. The band’s first single, Anastasia, can be downloaded for free now from Hell Cat.
The band will be returning to the UK in May as part of a full European tour, stopping at the following cities;
May
7th – Bristol – Metropolis
8th – London – islington academy
9th – Brighton – Engine Room
10th – Newcastle – Trillians
11th – Manchester – Moho Live
12th – Nottingham – Maza
Categories
Hole announce UK shows
Hole have announced details of a brief UK tour in May, following their sold out show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire last month.
The band, whose only original member is Courtney Love, will return to the UK for the following dates;
May
3rd – Glasgow O2 Academy
5th – London Brixton O2 Academy
9th – Birmingham O2 Academy
Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale has ruled out the possibility of any Velvet Underground reunion shows in the near future.
Speaking with the BBC, Cale admitted, “”It’s not something that I can see happening on the basis of the past.” Before adding, “anyone who wants to reform The Velvet Underground for a series of concerts, to make some money, I understand that, but you can’t do that.”
When questioned on his relationship with Lou Reed, Cale revealed, “I haven’t spoken to Lou in a long time, but we’re in touch because of business,” he explained. “There’s no communal effort to enjoy each other’s company any more.
Categories
New Get Up Kids EP
Reformed pop-punk outfit The Get Up Kids will release their first new material for six years, as they release a new EP this April.
The four track record, entitled Simple Science, will be available digitally as well as limited release CD/LP. An exact release date is expected to be announced soon.
Categories
Comic Art Now
Dez Skinn
(Ilex)
Right, let’s get this out of the way before we go on: I’m a comic book geek. Yep, the type that bag and board every comic they buy so you don’t get creases and tears on the book. The type that doesn’t let anyone go near them, let alone read them. But there are reasons for this nerdy love of comics and Comic Art Now is a perfect showcase of those reasons.
In his foreward, writer Mark Millar (creator of Kick-Ass, Wanted and the soon to be released Nemesis) states that it is the art that is paramount above the stories, saying:
‘A bad artist can slit the throat of even the sturdiest story, but a great artist can resuscitate a corpse’
High praise indeed for a writer, rather than an artist. But within a couple of pages, with the splash of Ron Garney‘s Amazing Spider-Man: The War At Home with its vibrant depictions of Spidey, Iron Man, Sue Storm, Captain America and more, it’s obvious why Millar holds art in such high esteem.
What comes across so well in this book is not simply the brilliant reproductions of the art, with 3/4 page and full pages dedicated to the characters, but the variety within the covers. From the superheroes previously mentioned to the 50s styled Lass Vegas by James Hodgkins and manga influenced Maxwell Cockswagger by Ben Ang, art is seen in a league of its own, rather than the cheap pulpy image it once had.
Standout pieces include the image of X-Men villain Magneto by John Watson, explaining that looking out at the reader from under angry eyebrows and the slight sneer on his mouth are the subtle ways of portraying a bad guy. Such small but thoroughly well thought out details give a lot more dimension to the work.
One of my favourite artists, Ben Templesmith is also featured. Having seen his exquisite work on Steve Niles’ 30 Days of Night turned into a succesful film, his style continues to stand out amongst his peers. Focussing on slight glimpses of light on otherwise black backgrounds, he achieves the perfect balance between atmosphere and dynamism as shown in a page from his brilliant Woormwood: Gentleman Corpse.
Finally the chapter on Noir comics go to show that work on a page is just as effective as creating suspense and moods as shots on film. Sean Phillips‘ black and white Lawless and Cliff Richards‘ Echoes of Dawn are perfect examples of this.
So there you have it. Comic book art is not to be laughed at and should, in fact, be revered and enjoyed. If you aren’t sure, check this book out, it’s a perfect entry into the styles to be found out there.
Abjekt.
Categories
Crossfire @ Camden Crawl update
Last night we attended the ‘bunfight’ meeting at the Camden Crawl to decide what acts play where. 19 of us plucked one act each as the tension built around the table.
Luckily there’s not too many people on the artist committee that wanted rock acts so we think we got who we wanted and we will be able to announce which ones as soon as we get a green light. We had to pick 4 acts though from different genres which makes the Crawl what it is, so expect a folk, electro and 2 rock acts on the line up.
We will be hosting a very well known venue in Camden on Sunday May 2nd. Click here for the line up of confirmed acts so far and start getting your tickets sorted before they sell out.
Categories
Greg Myers – Skateboarding is Forever
Greg Myers is the latest DC shoes am to feature in this Skateboarding is Forever video series. Look out for Evan Smith up next month.
Categories
Fabric plays host to Brainfeeder showcase
Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label will take over Fabric’s Room 1 next week, as several of its key artists come together for the Red Bull Music Academy.
The line-up sees FlyLo himself as well as Daedelus, The Gaslamp Killer and Tokimonsta from the label, who are joined on the night by the likes of Kode9, Martyn and Nosaj Thing.
The event takes place on March 10th and advance tickets are available for £12.50. The full line-up reads;
Flying Lotus (Brainfeeder, Warp, Los Angeles)
Kode9 (Hyperdub, London)
J.Rocc (Stones Throw, Los Angeles)
The Gaslamp Killer (Brainfeeder, Low End Theory, Los Angeles)
Martyn (3024, Washington DC)
Dimlite (Now-Again, Bern)
Daedelus (Brainfeeder, Ninja Tune, Los Angeles)
Nosaj Thing (Alpha Pup, Los Angeles)
TOKiMONSTA (Brainfeeder, Los Angeles)
Categories
Veronica Falls release debut 7” single
Veronica Falls have released their debut 7” single today (1st March) through Trouble records.
The double A-side single features the tracks “Found Love in the Graveyard” and “Stephen”, which have become regulars in the band’s live set.
Check out the band for yourself, at the following live shows;
March
1st – NME Radar show @ Garage, London
2nd – White Heat @ Madame Jo Jo’s w/ Dum Dum Girls
27th – The Playground @ 93 Feet East, London
April
3rd – Dance Magic Dance Club @ Old Blue Last, London
May
1st – Camden Crawl
2nd – Camden Crawl