Ten people have been arrested following the stabbing of three teenagers after a Lethal B show in Liverpool.
The incident happened at the after-show party and has left one teenager in a serious condition in hospital following a wound to the back.
This isn’t the first time Bizzle has found himself at the centre of controversy, with his blow up anthem “Forward Riddim (POW!)” being banned for its use in the craze of happy slapping videos.
Definitive Jux heavyweight Mr Lif is coming to these shores for a one off date at London’s 93 Feet East on April 25th in support of his upcoming album Mo Mega which is due out in June of this year, with guest spots from Akrobatik, Aesop Rock and Blueprint. Accompanying him is new Def Jux signing Cool Calm Pete, whose album Lost is already out in the shops.
If you wanna check out the Boston MC who has a reputation as one of the tightest live rappers around, make sure you hot step it to Brick Lane next month!
Drowned in Sound Radio unveils its first special artist-orientated programme, replete with a very special exclusive session track and much more besides.
New British band Guillemots invited the editor of Drowned In Sound, Colin Roberts, who also hosts their podcasts, to spend the day with them, playing favourite tracks and new material. And now the podcast is available to download with an acoustic version of their new single We’re Here.
If you’re interested in this, check out this link:
Here’s a little run down of some websites that deserve your attention during these testing times:
Skate Daily will schnizzle your fizzle: www.skatedaily.net
4-Star Clothing got a face-lift: www.fourstarclothing.com
RB Umali takes a bite out of the Bog Apple Squad (Zoo York): http://zooyorkvideo.blogspot.com/
World Premiere of the brand new Real DVD Life and Times from 2pm April 1st: www.dlxsf.com
Skaters gone Wild!: www.goldenbadger.com
Lyon locals: www.skatepoc.com
Mean Fiddler,
London,
25.03.06
You’ve got to hand it to Cronos, he’s done a fantastic job of re-creating the classic Venom sound. Even without the original line-up, new members Antton and Mykvs manage to effortlessly sound as inept and unsophisticated as the classic Venom line up with Mantis and Abaddon. And if you think this is a criticism, then you’re missing the point.
What made Venom so special was their inability to really play their instruments, discarding technical proficiency in favour of hitting their instruments as hard as humanly possible to make the most horribly heavy and brutal noise they possibly could. Totally punk in spirit, they were a world away from the over-complicated riffing of much metal and created a sonic sludgy noise that was heavier than anything that had come before it. Combine this with an over-the-top obsession with the occult and you’ve got yourself one hell of a band!
Venom haven’t played live for nearly fifteen years and fans both old and new have gathered with expectations and excitement high. Kick-starting their set with the genre-defining ‘Black Metal’ (they end their set with ‘Metal Black’, the title track from their new album. If that’s not genius, then what is?), Venom are instantly brilliant. Cronos’ hair-line may have retreated somewhat, but little else has changed. He’s still a gurning lunatic, belting out the ludicrous lyrics as he hammers his bass as if his fingers were made of hammers. Still utterly simplistic and stripped-down, they make a truly disgusting sound that at times is devoid of all melody and utterly atonal, going for the throat on power alone.
While it would be impossible for the band to please everyone with their set-list, they cram about half of the new album into their set, meaning that many old classics don’t get an airing. We do, however, get treated to rabid blasts through ‘Countess Bathory‘, ‘Die Hard‘ and a raging ‘Witching Hour‘ as they hurtle to the end of the set. Finished by 9.30pm (hardly witching hour!) to make way for the venue’s clubnight, Venom threaten to keep playing. ‘Let’s lock everyone in the venue and play every album,’ screams Cronos. And while we all love Venom, playing every album back-to-back could be over doing it somewhat! What Venom do works in short, sharp shocks and tonight they were as outrageous as ever.
Go to www.venomslegions.com for more.
Fancy giving your desktop a heavy metal makeover? How about choosing from a selection of extreme metal’s most sinister artwork ever, all with the click of a mouse? Well, now you can.
The fine folks at TrueMetal.org have provided a headbanger’s dream with their vast and sinister gallery of heavy metal wallpapers. Whether you’re into the 80’s thrash stylings of Slayer and Megadeth, the black metal exploits of Mayhem and Satyricon, or even the power metal cheese that that is Manowar; it’s all here and yours to be had with just one click.
Grab your sword and head to http://truemetal.org/metalwallpaper/indexad.html and let battle commence!
Indie director, Larry Clark is synonymous with skateboarding since he made Kids which featured New York Skaters (including Harold Hunter R.I.P.) in their search for kicks. This time Larry is focusing his attention on a group of misfit Latino skaters from Los Angeles in Wassup Rockers!
A brief synopsis of the movie would be this group of latino kids who dress punk rock and ride their boards in a plea to avoid the dangerous stereotype of South Central gangsters. The crew of kids take long bus rides across town to skate the infamous Beverly Hills High School and its rails (!), but run into trouble with local upper-class skaters and law enforcement.
Reminiscent of The Warriors, the skaters try and make their way back home by jumping fences and crossing various property, which in turn leads to varied encounters. Oh, and there’s a love plot that weaves its way through too.
At a first glimpse, Wassup Rockers might make skaters squirm uncomfortably in their theatre seats due to yet another one-sided cinematographic representation of their culture, but Larry Clark seems to have succeeded in blending a social statement with contemporary standards yet again.
Due out anytime soon, watch the trailer here.
Crossfire’s own James Sherry and partner in crime Neil Aldis have released their very own heavy metal book, simply titled: Heavy Metal Thunder – Album Covers That Rocked The World.
The 256 page book contains over 350 colour photos choreographing some of heavy metal’s best loved album covers since the genre’s birth over 35 years ago. Interviews with both the artists and bands involved are included, with pieces in question ranging from the greats such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, right up to modern day heavyweights Slipknot and Limp Bizkit among others.
Chapters include: Here Come the Americans – Hair Metal and Sex; Fist Bangin’ Mania and Punk Takes Effect!
The book is in stores now, with more information available at www.octopus-publishing.co.uk
Look out for an interview in this Friday’s Guardian with Mr Sherry and if you wanna congratulate him personally go here.
An independent British record label, Flowerburger Records, launched this week with a petition damning the music industry for suing people who download music illegally.
Flowerburger Records’ founder Chris Thomas, a long-standing music industry account who clients include Nick Cave, is one of a growing number of senior figures outraged by the industry’s stance.
The online petition has been launched to coincide with a report due to be published in April by an all-party parliamentary group looking to establish how consumers, artists and distribution companies should be protected in a continually evolving market place.
“I would bet my house on the fact that every single music executive arguing in favour of suing music fans has a computer full of music they didn’t pay for,” says Chris. “This hypocrisy simply has to stop.”
“We must make it clear to the British parliament and the music industry across the world that we will not stand for this heavy-handed solution to the problem of illegal downloading, and I invite everyone who feels the same way as us to sign our petition.”
Flowerburger Records is also planning to offer financial aid to people who are being sued by the music industry, and invites anybody who is being sued or knows somebody who is being sued to get in touch via their website where you can sign the petition at www.flowerburger.com
This World Cup Skateboarding event got some serious coverage last year, and rightly so! This transition-friendly comp attracts skaters from all over the globe to battle it out inside the unique bowl at Interact Skatepark in Burnley.
The great thing about this year’s thrash about is that there will be a custom built Cradle at one end of the bowl, which will then remain a permanent feature or the park, so expect to see skaters flying head over heels in hope of winning and securing a place to compete at the grand final in Brixlegg later this year.
Quiksilver are also looking for local bands to come and get the skaters amped with their music, so if you think you can make ears bleed, drop a demo CD off at your local Quiksilver store.
News just in: The as yet untitled Christian Hosoi documentary will be premiering at this event.
This film still has no planned release date so this may be your only chance to see it for a while yet.