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Welcome to rawkus, unadulterated malarkey captured through beer goggles in London Town.
The Night Raid can only be described as precision bombing whilst flying at low altitude, much due to the intake of strong liquor and decent tunes.
On this occasion we observed blatant punk energy from The Paddingtons and upstarts Keiko accompanied by the delightful tunes of DJ’s Eddy Temple Morris, Iain Baker, James Sherry, Sami and Max. All of this malarkey was aided by the wonderful Renegade Burlesque to dazzle our troops on foot at the head of the mission.
It goes without saying that these missions are covert and are only attended by the fuel of word of mouth through this very portal you are staring into right now. All Night Raids would be incomplete without debauched Tight Units….a rare breed in today’s civilisation but often found in this very space.
We aim and please with precision bombing on suspect targets…..you are next.
This transmission was posted – 10.03.06
This
party
kicked
off
and
we
managed
to
sink
a
boat…..
Don’t miss the next Crossfire fuelled boat party.
This one was Relentless…expect more.
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for exclusive invites….
Status: Successful Raid
Photography by Alistair/Dee and Zac
Big Thanks to all who rocked with us and of course, our friends at The Yacht Club.
Click here to share your thoughts on this riot in our forums.
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Coming Soon…
This section is coming soon.
Watch films, write about them and pass it on….
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Penzance Concrete Carnival
We were there – where the fuck were you? You missed some of the best bowl skating that there’s been in this country. The weather was off the hook, the beer was flowing and fun was had by all who were there. Saturday morning was the turn of the unsponsored crew and it certainly wasn’t boring. Complete gnarl with James emerging winner after a serious assault on the bowl. Their followed a best trick comp in the afternoon with Nicky Cornell Frontside blunting the vert wall and F-S 5-0 to fakie round the bowl corner as well as Ben Raemers, Carl Wilson and Mattias Nylen all going ballistic. Saturday nights partying was predictably riotous and a Skinny man gig provided the venue for our misbehavior. Woody was probably the worst for wear but that’s a big claim considering the state of the whole crew! The next morning it was the turn of the old boys aka ‘masters’ and they rose to the occasion entertaining the crowds with some ‘back to the old school’ routines. Names such as Dave Davies, Gary Lee, Trawler and Barry Abrook were all in attendance and were encouraged by their mate MC Sean Goff on the mic (often whilst skating too.) Not that it matters but Pete Dosset was a clear winner making almost everything he tried first go including a stupidly good invert to fakie on the vert. Sunday afternoon was hotting up, both in terms of weather and skating as the event neared its grand finale. It was pure carnage but if you weren’t there you’ll never know, neither pictures nor video could show the pure mentalness and frenzy that went down in the final jam of the day. Trick lists just aren’t appropriate here, needless to say Mattias did a ridiculous transfer, Raemers learnt about 3 new tricks in his runs and Cornell skated faster than anyone else. After this Goffy pulled together one of the most ridiculous best trick comps I’ve ever seen while the judges totalled scores. When the dust settled it looked like this:
1: Mattias Nylen
2: Ben Raemers
3: Nicky Cornell
4: Carl Wilson
5: Ross McGouran
6: Jasper Tattersall
Prizes were dished out and we hit the pub before the serious journey home.
See you all same time next year!
Nic Powley
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Test Icicles
The grapevine has been telling us that this band are meant to be like a fire in the hole by all accounts, so myself and Sherry were not gonna miss them. The show was organised by www.myspace.com so the crowd was full of fashion drenched punk kids who were allowed a free night out courtesy of the website and there were no support bands, a DJ that played Black Flag in his set and a bar full of cold beer…it was looking good!
It’s not often a band with no drummer pull it off but “tonight Matthew” this was an exception as this is certainly NOT Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine – thankfully.
Their stage presence reminds us of the energy of bands like The Stupids, basically cranked to 11 and totally out of control, but they totally pull it off. Just think of all of those great bands like The Stupids, Brainiac, Beastie Boys, At the Drive In, Slayer and Butter 08 all mixed into one live and you could be closer to this stage than us on the night.
The last single Boa vs Python was the most appreciated by the crowd for obvious reasons but brand new tracks from the debut album out in November like Your Biggest Mistake attacks you like Shellac and Brainiac in a fight with swords! Basically, this band do not fuck about, they go straight in for the kill and laugh with it. It’s punk infused violence mixed up in a snotty overdose of pandemonium and just what the doctor ordered…
Other stand out tracks included the mammoth Maintain The Focus that has a chorus you will be singing all the way home in between the anarchy that rains around the rest of the track and also Circle Square Triangle that writhes in a disco rhythm but screams at you if you don’t pay attention to it. This is the next single out on Domino and knowing that this track is the most straight forward it will serve well as a song that travels the airwaves on the right stations. But if you like chaotic discord for your aural pleasure then the rest of the set is something not to miss on the next tour that kicks off on October 16th in the UK. Check www.testicicles.com for all the info…
Zac
Since when did the whole Abec numbering matter? I thought it had been proven that the Abec rating was irrelevant to everyday skating. Oh well, for your information, Consolidated have re-released the Filter bearings in Abec 5 mode and regular bearings in Abec 7. Perhaps the 7’s are better for contests because you won’t have to push so much. I don’t think Alan Petersen pushes at all, he just charges! Anyway, a nice thing (if you can call it that) is that the Filter models release all their crappy oil after a few rolls around, so you can clean them easier and let the bearing breathe. Do bearings have to breathe? Apparently so, but with absent oil, a rattling noise can soon be heard…
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Antiz – Team models
Antiz are smart fellas because they know skaters are skint. So, in order to supply goods to the masses prices need to be cut. Antiz have just released 3 team model decks (7.5, 7.75, 8) that will retail at around £30. My favourite graphic has to be either the black panther or the ‘Manara’ comic inspired graphic. However, the best shape probably belongs to the larger boards. In any case, if you are broke and tempted to buy a dodgy second hand deck, save yourself and support a real skate company by fishing out one of these offerings.
7/10
Antiz are on the up, and in order to support a full team of rippers, the product has to e up to par. This is the latest series with graphics drawn by the Antiz amateur, Ben Thé. The shapes vary, but at the moment I am riding the 7.6 wide Love Enroth model. The board has a lovely shape for switchstance skating i.e. the nose and tail are virtually identical- big and round, and the concave is rather steep. Obviously the other decks have different concave and widths because Antiz know they have to cater for various demands. Support Euro skateboarding and order a deck (or two, or three…) now!
8/10
If anyone is all about skateboarding then it’s Anti-Hero, and if anyone has supporters that like to carve and slash around it’s Anti-Hero. This is a big axe for those who reminisce about boards from the past. Apart from being nice and wide, this deck also comes with a long square nose for you to get your grip to as you throw down a dog pisser.
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October 20th 2005
…by Ryan Bird and James Sherry
Welcome back to the pit everybody, but most of all welcome to our brand spanking new site. It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally produced something that we’re sure you’ll all enjoy, as well as something we personally feel was worth the time, effort, and best of all partying!
So without further adieu, let’s get back to business with a brief round-up of the biggest and baddest hard rock and metal releases around!
Less than 18 months after the release of the critically acclaimed ‘Gone Forever’, New Jersey five-piece God Forbid return with the intriguing ‘IV: Constitution of Treason’. A series of songs that link together to form the story of a world savaged by war and left in ruins, it’s a chilling yet satisfying slab of modern day metal that looks set to cement the bands’ reputation as one of the genre’s leading lights.
Keeping in with the concept theme is alt-rockers Coheed & Cambria and new release ‘Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV: Volume 1: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness’. The newest instalment of their Star Wars-esque series provides scrumptious pop-hooks and mind-boggling technicality in equal measures, and is almost certainly their biggest and best effort to date.
Out of the States and into the continent; Danish groove-metal upstarts Hatesphere produce another slab of foot-stomping goodness with the pummelling ‘The Sickness Within’. Armed with more meaty goodness than your local kebab shop, the next step in the Scandinavian quintet’s path to glory provides a stern reminder to groove fans the world over that there is indeed life after Pantera.
Not to be outdone, valley boys Bullet For My Valentine stake their own claim to be one of metal’s future leaders with highly anticipated full-length ‘The Poison’. Bursting with devastating riffs, thundering drums and a host of British reared influences, there can be little doubt that in 12 months time this band will be bigger than your nan’s ass; and twice as enticing.
Of course – when it comes to metal – nobody does it quite like those from the 80’s; a fact backed up furthery bay area thrashers Exodus and NYC crew Anthrax with their respective masterpieces ‘Shovel Headed Kill Machine’ and ‘Alive 2’. While the former is an hour long lesson in thrash metal madness, the latter presents a fist-frenzying look back on the legendary group’s first live performances since the reformation of the classic ‘Among The Living’ line-up earlier this year.
Finally, we come to the granddaddy of them all – Roadrunner United’s ‘The All Star Sessions. Scheduled to co-incide with the 25th anniversary of a label that is undeniably a pillar in the modern day metal community, ‘The All Star Sessions‘ is what can only be described as a metal master class. Featuring 55 artists from 45 Roadrunner bands both past and present, it’s an album with all the undeniable attributes of a genre classic. So there we have it. Another month, another round-up; even another site. I can only hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this column as much as I enjoyed getting drunk at the Crossfire boat party. Oh, who am I kidding, that’s not even possible!
Peace – Ryan
P.S. Congratulations to my good friends David Randall Blythe and Cynthia Cole on their recent marriage, which took place in Wilmington, North Carolina on September 10th. I love you guys. May you have many happy years ahead of you – and may we spend even more glorious afternoons punting our troubles away on the Thames!
James Sherry joins The Pit now with his bi-weekly punk drop.
Where better to start The Pit this month than with a bunch of insane lubed-up spazzy homo-core lunatics called Gay For Johnny Depp. This New York quartet follow their 2004 debut EP on Firefly Records with ‘Blood: The Natural Lubricant (An Apocalyptic Adventure Beyond Sodom and Gomorrah)’, a big throbbing, blue-veined cock of a record to ram down the gagging throat of banality.
It’s 14 minutes of absolute aural mayhem – each minute an inch of meat in your ass! Created for your pleasure by members of post-hardcore mavericks Garrison, Instruction and Errortype: 11, this release also features appearances from members of Hundred Reasons, Copperpot Journals and Hopewell. It’s like one big gay porno post-hardcore orgy and also happens to be one of the most exciting hardcore records I’ve heard this year, combining the sheer hardcore chaos of Das Oath with the tech-metal of the Dillinger Escape Plan and the punk ferocity of Bad Brains. This will give you a stiffy whether you fancy other men or not. Out now on Captains Of Industry Records. Crack open the lube at www.gayforjohnnydepp.com
While you’re all probably sick to death of hearing old people moaning about how punk rock just isn’t punk rock anymore, for the most part, it’s horribly true. So much of the rage, creativity and anger has been glossed over to help shift units that the rebellion has all but gone. L.A. scenesters Wives, however, are so fucking punk rock it hurts. Originally inspired by the ferocious spurt of creativity that was the early eighties D.C. hardcore scene (Minor Threat, SOA, Government Issue, Void), they have successfully harnessed that vital youthful energy and brought it bang up to date with beweildering jabs of Lightning Bolt and The Locust style abrupt noise shocks. ‘Erect The Youth Problem’ is out now on Sweet Nothing Records. More info at www.cargorecords.co.uk
It’s a good time to be a spliffhead. There’s some killer space rock shit blowing minds the world over at the moment; both Dead Meadow and Black Mountain provided incredible albums this year that stretch the limitations of rock and boldly went where no-one had dared been since the prog-rock seventies. And now here comes Earthless. ‘Sonic Prayer‘ is over forty minutes long and consists of only two songs. These demented spacelord motherfuckers take a riff and blast it into submission, creating a hypnotic swirling void of prog-metal-headfuck noise that drags you into it’s space and sucks you into it’s freak flag waving world. God damn this shit sounds good on drugs. God damn this shit sounds just as good not on drugs. Grade A, class A primo psychedelic noise rock drone. You need this shit in your life. Go to www.gravityrec.com
South Carolina melodic hardcore quintet Stretch Arm Strong have a new album titled ‘Free At Last’ on WPO Records this month. What you get is twelve tracks of crunchy hardcore with a melodic rock suss played by guys who cut their teeth on classic bands like Minor Threat and Gorilla Biscuits but Stretch Arm Strong have brought the sound squarely up to date with massive melodic hooks and a production that is both heavy, yet utterly commercial. Check it out. These guys could be huge. Go to www.stretcharmstrong.net. Yeah, we know all the hip cats already love Lightning Bolt, but their genius manic live shows aside, their recordings so far have failed to really capture the intensity and chaos of them onstage. That is all about to change with the release of their new album ‘Hypermagic Mountain’ on Load Records. 12 tracks of extreme noise terror that sees the duo create a sound with just bass, drums and vocals that truly defies all logic and reason and slams home their noise in a far more song based form that you might actually expect. www.loadrecords.com
What’s this, another duo? Early Man are two metalheads from Columbus that grew up on a diet of classic metal and thrash and have just unleashed their album ‘Closing In’ on Matador Records. Like Lightning Bolt, you wonder how the hell they make the noise they do, but then you also wonder where the rest of the band is, or are these guys such outcasts that they don’t actually have enough friends to form a complete band? Like, surely everyone can find a bassplayer – it’s only got four strings for fuck’s sake, any idiot can play that. Still, that aside, the metallic noise they make is is great. Proper metal, for real men who play on ten. Push it up to 11 at www.earlymanarmy.com
Time to wind up The Pit with some killer new punk rock shit. I’ve never been too impressed by Swedish melodic punks Randy but their new album is just great. Titled ‘Randy The Band’ and out on Burning Heart Records, it’s high-energy old-school punk rock with great hooks, awesome lyrics and a sound that falls somewhere between the contemporary punk rock sound of The Hives and The Damned. Tracks like ‘Punk Rock High’ and, in particular, ‘The World Is Getting Bored’ are infectious beyond belief. ‘The Kids these days are fed up with the music industry, they don’t care about the product, so they download their music on MP3. This is what you get when you get greedy for too long, the kids don’t want the plastic box no more they just want the songs’, they sing on the album’s final track. Great stuff. Download it now at www.burningheart.com
OK, that is all, we will see you soon.
James Sherry