Categories
Music News

King Biscuit Time UK Dates!

King Biscuit Time aka Steve Mason and his cohorts take to the road in May for 6 dates around the UK. Kicking off in Mason’s home town of Edinburgh on May 17th, the tour takes in a show in at London’s Scala on 18th.

Mason will be joined on stage by Colin Emmanuel aka C-Swing and long time collaborator Pete Rankin, star of Old Jock Radio and a number of Beta Band videos. The dates coincide with the release of KBT’s debut album BLACK GOLD, released on No Style on May 15th. Black Gold sees Mason throws psychedelia, punk, dance hall, hip hop and electronics into the mix creating 10 tracks of around-the-world-in-a-day-dada pop. Prepare to be amazed!

Full list of dates as follows:

MAY

17th, EDINBURGH, Venue 0131 220 3234 / www.tickets-scotland.com / 0131 226 7010 / www.rippingrecords.com

18th, LONDON, Scala 08700 600 100 / 020 7287 0932 / 020 7734 8932 / 0871b 2200 260 / www.gigsandtours.com

19th, BIRMINGHAM, Barfly 0870 907 0999 / www.barflyclub.com / www.ticketweb.com

20th, BRIGHTON, Hanbury Ballroom 0870 907 0999 / www.barflyclub.com / www.ticketweb.com

22nd, MANCHESTER, Academy 3 0161 832 1111 / www.gigsandtours.com

23rd, GLASGOW, Oran Mor 0870 169 0100 / www.ticketmaster.co.uk

www.kingbiscuittime.co.uk for the crumbs.

Categories
Music News

Diamond Nights riot in SXSW

The South By South West Festival brings together the best upcoming bands in the world to Texas every March and as you would expect, things get a little out of hand, and rightly so at any party full of booze and people.

New York rockers Diamond Nights seemed to go once step further this week though when they were being recorded for a Minesota radio station. So much so that the station complained to their entourage with this very reply.

We say: LET ROCK AND ROLL DESTROY ALL RANDOMS!

They said:

“Although, they sounded fantastic and were generally great guys…Diamond Nights caused major havoc at our broadcast last night in Austin. Bringing an entourage of about 10 drunken, drugged out people who had to have hotel security called upon them for riding around on hotel luggage carts drinking boxed wine in our broadcast space. Not only were their groupies drunk…so was the band. It was blatantly obvious on the air as they boasted about drinking from a colostomy bag on the stage as they performed.

Now, I know this is rock n’ roll but give me a flippin’ break. Maybe you should consider assigning them a babysitter next time. We had to dump completely out of the broadcast during the second part of the interview because one of the members of their group in the audience screamed and dropped an f-bomb during the live broadcast. Previous to that they swore during the first part of their performance. Our engineer thankfully dumped out during that and was able to continue. But, the second time we just had to cut out completely. It’s a real shame because their performance was fantastic and one that we all looked forward to.

We’ll be editing the audio we do have from the performance and posting it on our website. But, please reconsider letting these fellas fend for themselves with their media related appearances. They obviously need someone to watch over them. Thanks again for helping to set this up but it was quite a disappointing disaster“.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Assistant Music Director
Minnesota Public Radio

Rawk and roll!

Categories
Skateboarding News

Richie Jackson goes pro for Death

Did you see Richie Jackson’s part in Escape from Boredom DVD yet? Well, let us tell you this Aussie is a breathe of fresh air to skateboarding, with more style and combo building that a game of Tetris on an X-Box 360!

Death Skateboards thought it was time for the lanky hippie to make a proper living and are about to release Richie’s first pro model. It’s a change from the usual dark imagery of the Squad, but Richie isn’t your average skater.

Oh, and Richie dedicated this acheivement to his best mate, Martin Jennings, who died last year. R.I.P.

Click the awesome looking board for more.

Categories
More to Life

The Carrot Dangler

By Maxwell Woodger Esq.

Nothing in life is for free.

When I hear news about Michael Jackson’s staff filing a possible lawsuit against their employer for arrears and non payment since December of last year, I feel their anger.

While Jacko high-tails it and spends a little more cash to keep himself out of the limelight somewhere in the Arab Emirates, butlers and cleaners are pouring flammable liquids over his effigy in rage.

Normally, I would browse my illicit contacts list and pluck a piece of political skulduggery out of the murky depths for all to see, but this week I’m turning the tip of my poisonous pen towards thieving hacks and dishonest employers. You see, there is an area of the media that flies under the banner of Freelance- a concept where the journalist is free to work for whoever and whenever they want, but their work is only as good as the next filed copy. It’s a risky business, but needless to say many a fine journalist has dabbled with the discipline. Freelancing is also a good way to work on different styles, and express a little freedom in your choice of words.

However, the only part of freelancing some worthless turncoats have MIS-understood is the premise ‘Free’. If it’s freelance, it must be free, right..?

Wrong!

Everybody has got to eat, and a professional relationship between two parties usually means that their collaboration is a means to an end. You make a living out of professional work, otherwise you’d be an amateur on work experience. So, even if you’re getting paid in product, skin or rupees, there’s something in return.

Now, imagine getting short-changed for your hard graft, but then realising your effort was in vain because someone (No-one ever knows who, goddammit!) has given it a facelift. And not a top of the range face lift that only the most beautiful people deserve- No. Someone has transformed your work into a false entity that distorts reality and enhances an ugly reaction from anyone unlucky enough to lay eyes upon it.

So, on top of being swindled, your good name is now in disrepute because of a problem at the printers! How a machine can erase your copy and replace it with some twisted fineprint does not cease to amaze me. Is there a little angry man in that box of wires, cogs and screws..?

You can run but can’t hide forever.

Whilst shady employers lay low and count their coins on white beaches, much more loathsome activity hits the radar. Slobodan Milosovic died of a heart attack whilst waiting to stand trial for Crimes against Humanity, and America aired its latest instalment of reality TV- Black. White; a bizarre social study where races swap lives in hope of understanding one another a little better. Both of these headlines have left communities feeling cheated and lost. Who benefits from such situations?

After this many carrots, you’d think we could see through the darkness by now…

Maxwell Woodger Esq – Tuesday, 21st March 2006

Categories
Music News

Gnarls Barkley UK Dates!

Much hyped Gnarls Barkley have just announced they are going to play two dates in the UK. The duo, DJ Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo, will be on the bill of the Wireless festival this coming June, starting with the London date and then following up the next day in Leeds.

Jun 23 2006
London (Wireless Festival)

Jun 24 2006
Leeds (Wireless Festival)

www.gnarlsbarkley.com for fun and frolics.

Check out what Abjekt has to say on the 7 track sampler of the upcoming album over in The Mix

Categories
Skateboarding News

Kayo Corp UK Premier hits Milton Keynes

News just in.

This saught after DVD will premiere in the UK on Monday 3rd April at Club Shout above the MK Skate Plaza in association with Crossfire. The doors open at 8pm with the showing at 8.30.

Under 18’s are welcome between 8 and 10pm.

The night is run in conjunction with sabotage music night, so expect DJ’s and music till 1am and cheap booze for people with ID. This is of course required.

So get down there, skate the Plaza with the MK locals, watch the DVD and have a drink …what else does a skater need?

Check out clips at http://itsofficial.thekayocorp.com/

Categories
DVD Reviews

The Casualties DVD

‘Can’t Stop Us (Mexico/Japan)’
(Side One Dummy)

If there’s one thing that ‘Can’t Stop Us’ proves, it’s that punk rock is truly a global phenomenon; uniting like-minded people in areas where you might least expect the genre’s influence to exist. This DVD is essentially a two-part documentary, featuring plenty of live Casualties footage, which follows the band on extensive tours of Mexico and Japan.The band play strictly old-school street punk in an Exploited/GBH vein, and unsurprisingly incite moshpit chaos at every show. It all sounds pretty repetitive after a while, though, and the quality of sound is varied, at best. The band/crowd interaction is far more interesting; especially in Mexico, where vocalist Jorge – a son of Hispanic immigrants – is able to sing and speak to the band’s fans in their native tongue. Don’t worry, folks, there are English subtitles included.

Elsewhere, there’s plenty of amusing tour bus footage; rioting fans in Mexico City; interviews with excited Mexican and Japanese punks; and a particularly touching scene where Casualties bassist Rick rescues a kitten trapped on a high roof. Aw, bless.

‘Can’t Stop Us’ is only truly essential for Casualties fans, but it’s well worth a look if you generally like UK82 style punk, or if you’re simply curious about how punk culture manifests itself in Hispanic or Asian territories.

For all your Casualties news and updates, check out www.thecasualties.net

Alex Gosman

Categories
The Library

Banksy – Wall And Piece

Century Publishing

It’s amazing the sort of fame you can achieve whilst remaining completely anonymous. Nobody knows what street cred feels like from the shadows more than London artist, Banksy. Wall and Piece is a collection of the artist’s three books that showcase his genius and provocative work. Some call it vandalism, others street art, in any case the street art that Banksy stencils on any surface definitely gets you thinking. Whether it’s a rat with a ghetto blaster, an ‘authorized graffiti area’ or the Virgin Mary listening to her I-pod, each of Banksy’s pieces are on the spot and spot on when it comes to witty social commentary. Sometimes the subtlety of the statement is what makes its beauty.

In this book, Banksy declares war on the advertisers that blemish our surroundings. They didn’t ask anyone for permission to see their biased comments and rants, so why should we ask theirs? That’s the question that Banksy has an answer to. But, Banksy doesn’t stop with a quick stencil piece in the street- No, he takes his art to the galleries; places he refers to as ‘trophy cabinets for the millonaires’. The urban subterfuge has found its way into the Louvre and Tate, but also into the Zoo of Madrid where the artist voices the distraught feelings of the caged specimens. The strongest piece, in my eyes, though, is the visit Banksy pays to the Segregation Wall in Palestine where he paints disillusions of hope and freedom on a canvas of oppression.

Wall and Piece is a must-have book for anyone that needs help to look outside of the box, and like Banksy says himself: “Think outside the box, collapse the box and take a fucking sharp knife to it.”

For more insight click : www.banksy.co.uk

Ralph Lloyd-Davis

Categories
Live Reviews

Buzzcocks and The Slits Live

Selfridges, London
10.03.06

‘When punk first started I wasn’t even allowed in this shop,’ laughs Slits frontwoman Ari Up fixing one of Selfridges security guards in her line of vision. ‘This one’s called ‘Shoplifting’ so go and do it.’

Ignoring the fact that any real punk would rather chuck a petrol bomb through a Selfridges window than buy a new sofa there, someone thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first wave of British punk with a gig within the posh confines of Selfridges. We can argue until we’re blue in the face about what is and what isn’t punk and many do tonight as punk’s original players (Sex Pistols Paul Cook and Glen Matlock are both here tonight) mingle with fans new and old. Whatever, there’s something wonderfully perverse about attending a punk gig in the pillar of consumerism that is Selfridges. But fuck it. The explosion of energy through boredom that started punk is damn well worth celebrating and we’ll never see its like again so a party is indeed in order.

Original punk DJ Don Letts is on the decks playing some top reggae sounds as he did back in London’s first punk club The Roxy. There were no punk records actually available at this point, so Don introduced the young snotty punks to reggae, leading to many bands like The Clash and The Ruts mixing roots reggae sounds with their punk rock attack.

The Slits were another band to mix up styles influenced by Don. The first all-girl punk band, even to this day they still sound unlike any other band on the planet and led by the hugely entertaining frontwoman Ari Up, they blaze through a joyous set of twisted reggae and rock, stopping to play punk anthem ‘Shoplifting‘ twice. Well, they had too really. Not sure if anyone took them up on their battle cry, but I’m sure a couple of sofas went missing along the way.

The Buzzcocks are not a band to wallow in nostalgia. It’s not like they’ve reformed to cash in on past glories because they’ve never really stopped and new album ”Flat-Pack Philosophy’ is up there with some of their finest material. Arriving onstage with more energy and enthusiasm than men half their age, they blast through a short sharp set comprising of some key tracks from the aforementioned album and then proceed to pile headlong through a greatest hits set that includes pretty much every Buzzcocks song you could want to hear squeezed into 30 minutes. Happy Birthday punk rock, here’s to the next 30 years!

James Sherry

Categories
Music News

Gorillaz Live DVD

Following their amazing live shows in Manchester, a DVD of the Gorillaz concerts is set to be released in March according to reports. News is that the DVDs will hit the stores in the UK on March 27th with the US getting their chance for viewing with an April release.

This is sure to be one you can’t miss out on. Especially with Shaun Ryder completely off his face during his performance!

You know the dealio, get on over to www.gorillaz.com for all official doohickeys.