Bonnie Prince Billy is to release his new album The Letting Go on September 18th and to prepare everyone for this amazing record, a 3-part album trailer has been put onto youtube. The 2nd part has just gone up and you should check out both the 1st and 2nd parts by clicking the links below.
Bonus Video Recording Session for the album feat. Jim White.
Keep your eyes peeled for part 3 which will be coming soon!
Darkest Hour have announced they are to tour the UK in December for their biggest headline tour yet and will be bringing Between The Buried And Me, who will be making their debut in the UK. The dates are as follows:
December:
8th – Manchester Academy 3
9th – Stoke Sugarmill
10th – Glasgow King Tuts
11th – Liverpool Academy 2
12th – Yeovil Ski Lodge
13th – London Islington Academy
15th – Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
16th – Oxford Zodiac
17th – Birmingham Academy 2
18th – Newport TJs
19th – Sheffield Corporation
If you’re a Crossfire regular, you might recognise Syndrom from newsbits and even a few Moooves. Basically, Syndrom is an independent French operation headed out of Marseille. They pride themselves on being different and pushing the local scene whether its running a board company or getting parks built. I had spotted their first line of decks in a skateshop and instantly noticed the unique concave. To explain simply, these boards were essentially flat with direct inclines of the nose and tail. No curves, no dips, no shit!
The Syndrom Varnish Series comes in 4 different wood grains varnishes – Oak 7.6, Cherry 7.8, Walnut 8 and Mahogany 8.2. I got to try the Cherry tree stain. The concave on these boards is supposed to be progressive, even if it seemed very minimal, as it increases the further you place your feet up the board. Initially the board feels flat as an ironing board and then the nose and tail have steady ascensions to the heavens.
The minimal concave on this deck definitely made for more stability in boardslide manoeuvres. Both the nose and tail have no concave or rocker effect so your foot sits flat across either end of the deck. This accentuates pop, but also renders the habit of getting the right scoop or flick all that harder.
It took me almost a month to really get to grips with this board which can seem like an awfully long time if essentially you want to buy a board, grip it and rip it within the hour. However, the overall finish and standard with which these boards have been finished, results in one of the most solid and strong decks I have ever ridden. Add to that the beautiful wood varnish and you’re aesthetically smiling.
It might be worth tracking one of these down if you’re ever on the continent, and keeping an ear to the street for future designs and construction innovation from the Syndrom camp.
6/10
On the evidence of their debut album, you wouldn’t want to meet Gallows late at night in a dark alley. ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’ is a brilliantly twisted hybrid of hardcore energy, metallic bludgeon and all-out noise warfare, topped off with vocalist Frank Carter’s deranged howl.
The band overcame countless mishaps to make this album; and this is reflected in every track, with the likes of ‘Abandon Ship’ and ‘Six Years’ infused with a sense of urgency and malevolent rage. All you oh-so-trendy metalcore types take note: bands like Gallows will eventually destroy you. One of the best debuts of 2006, no less.
Only days after his Paris Hilton prank had been revealed, Banksy‘s new work was shown. Whilst revellers went to Disneyland in Anaheim, California to see Mickey and Pluto, the artist made sure they saw something a hell of a lot different.
Dressing a blow-up doll in an orange jump suit, with a sack over its head and its hands and feet manacled, Banksy placed this statue of a Guantanamo Bay prisoner next to the Rocky Mountain Railroad. The figure stood there for an hour and a half before being taken down.
Kenny Anderson aka King Creosote, is releasing an EP entitled You Are Could I on September 18th, which will follow his album KC Rules OK. You can download You Are Could I for free from their website here. In support of this upcoming EP, King Creosote is to play some headline shows in autumn. The dates are:
October:
21st – Glasgow ABC
22nd – Sheffield, Plug
24th – Birmingham, Academy 2
25th – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
26th– London, Shepherds Bush Empire
27th – Brighton, Audio
Check out www.myspace.com/kingcreosote for more details.
Akira The Don is back with a new double A Side Oh! What A Glorious Thing / BOOM! (Smash Stuff) which serves as a preview of his new album When We Were Young which is due out this November.
Akira The Don teamed up with James Brown [who has worked with NIN, Bjork and Placebo] and even a group of six year old American kids on the record and appeared in the film My Super Ex-Girlfriend.
BOOM (Smash Stuff) features Marvin The Martian, Jack Nimble and Dego Brown of Brixton’s Why Lout? Crew and samples Elastica’s Connection.
For more go to www.AkiraTheDon.com
The Hedrons are back with a new single, I Need You, the follow up to Be My Friend, due out on October 9th. The single will be released on digital download and limited edition signed 7″ vinyl and is taken from their debut album, which will hit the shops in early 2007. To support the new single, they’ll be on tour here:
September:
23rd – Glasgow, QMU (Freshers Gig)
October:
16th – Liverpool, Barfly
17th – Hull, Lamp
18th – Birmingham, Jug Of Ale
19th – Derby, Victoria Inn
21st – Bath, Moles
22nd – Guildford, Boileroom
23rd – Wolverhampton, Little Civic
24th – Leicester, Charlotte
26th – Northampton, Soundhaus
27th – Peterborough, Met Lounge
29th – Bristol, Louisiana
31st – Southampton, Joiners
November:
1st – London, Barfly
2nd – Nottingham, Social
3rd – Harlow, Square
4th – Welwyn Garden City, Green Room
6th – Cardiff, Barfly
7th – Leeds, Joseph’s Well
8th – Manchester, Night And Day
9th – Doncaster, Leopard
Chicago’s latest rap export is skateboard fan Lupe Fiasco, who rode into the public eye with his debut single Kick Push. And if you dug that track, then you’ll definitely be feeling his follow up, Daydreamin’.
The smooth beat revolves around the use of the sample taken from I Monster’s rendition of the track [which was itself a cover] and the catchy hook will have you singing along immediately. Coupled with the sample is the laid back beat which serves to let Lupe sound as chilled as possible.
Fiasco, whose debut album Food & Liquor is out soon, has also enlisted the help of sultry songstress Jill Scott who brings more melody with her sweetly sung take on the sample. This track is guaranteed to get you humming along whilst nodding your head and will no doubt be doing some damage on the charts too. Check out the video above as well for some skate shop goodness!
You can check him on his tour dates at the following venues in September:
23rd – Birmingham SECC
24th – London Wembley
25th – London Scala
26th – Dublin
Enjoying the late September sun, are we? Well, you could have enjoyed it a whole lot more if you made it to the Stoke Plaza Palooza skate jam last weekend (Sept. 10th) sponsored by Etnies.
With all the rails, hips, dips and drops on hand, the shreddage was manadatory and everyone busted out something worthy of a mention. Here are the results:
Full results:
PIER 7
1st: Craig Smedley, Nottingham, fakie bigspin manual
2nd: Jethro Coldwell, Stoke, nollie flip nose manual
BLOCK
1st: Craig Smedley, noseslide bigspin shuvit
2nd: Ryan Evans, Exeter, Backside Bluntslide
BOWL
Shared 1st: Aaron Sweeney, London, backside indie tailslap
Daryl Nobbs, Ceventry, Madonna straight into hip
HIP
1st: Woody, Manchester, Bluntslide to fakie
2nd: Craig Smedley, frontside flip
AM: Barney Page, Exeter, nollie heel flip
RAIL
1st: Ben Grove, Manchester, flip frontside boardslide
2nd: Barney Page, backside smith grind
BIG 3
1st: John Fisher, fakie flip
Shared 2nd: Joe Lynskey, Morley, frontside flip
Craig Smedley, 360 flip
AM: Ross the Boss, Birmingham, shuvit heel
DOUBLE SET
1st: Tom Knox, London, Half cab to feeble shuvit
2nd: Anthony Demascio, Harrow, Kickflip to feeble
A Special mention goes out to Tom Knox for traveling 12 hours return from London, and little 8 year old Theo from Macclesfield who literally broke things off in numerous attempts to leap the big stairs.
Watch dad-cam footy here (skaters in order of appearance – Smedley, Orlando, Pants, Ben Grove, Gnargore Fran, Rogie, Porno Paul, Tom Knox, Fran, Jason Cane* c.f. pic. Switch Ollie Ph. Tim Sadler*, Craig Smedley, Ben Grove, John Fisher, Joe Lynskey.)
For pictures visit www.afour.co.uk
Photo by Tim Sadler