FALSE ADVERTISING have today released a brand new single and video ‘Wasted Days’, which is the 4th track taken from their forthcoming new album ‘Brainfreeze’ – out Friday 8th November. The single is a follow up to ‘Influenza’, which was an Annie Mac Radio 1 ‘New Name’, an Amazing radio A List, a Radio X evening playlist and NME Radio B list addition.
From singer/guitarist/occasional drummer Jen Hingley – “So, ‘Wasted Days’ is about questioning whether something you’re struggling is worth the hassle. When you know that the better thing would be to take yourself out of the equation and just let it go, but things are never ever really that simple. It also shares a few parallels with the first song that we ever put out called ‘Wasted Away’. It’s like it’s more raucous evil sibling.”
The band are set to release their brilliant and vibrant new album ‘Brainfreeze’ on November the 8th through their new label, Alcopop (Art Brut, DZ Deathrays, Tigercub). They have a UK headline tour kicking off in Manchester on Saturday 9th November, which follows a very busy live summer that has taken in a tour with Jamie Lenman, headline shows across the country and appearances at Truck, Tramlines, Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape, 2000trees Festivals and many more.
Stream/buy ‘Wasted Days’ – HERE
Pre-order ‘Brainfreeze’ HERE
FALSE ADVERTISING headline shows
(supports will differ on each night):
Nov 9th – Fairfield Social Club, Manchester / Nov 10th – Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham
Nov 11th – Head Of Steam, Newcastle / Nov 12th – Phase One, Liverpool
Nov 13th – Key Club, Leeds / Nov 14th – King Tuts, Glasgow
Nov 16th – The Big Top, Cardiff / Nov 17th – Crofters Rights, Bristol
Nov 19th – The Prince Albert, Brighton / Nov 20th – The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
FALSE ADVERTISING are:
Jen Hingley – Vocals and Guitar and Drums
Josh Sellers – Bass
Christopher Warr – Drums and Vocals and Guitar
And listening to the single was a joy, ‘What Did You Do In The War?’ is a somewhat Latin tingled song that builds from voice, drums and acoustic to something with trumpet and rather wonderful guitar. And it’s earwormy, earwormy to the max, I love a song with a great tune and this song has a great tune.
But there’s something else about this song. It’s not about what the title might give you an impression it’s about. It appears, and I say appears because despite having listened to it carefully lots of times I haven’t managed to quite pin it down, to cover subjects like Brexit, global warming, anti-social behaviour, and the relevance of the Labour Party today. I guess in a general sense, and I may be wrong, it’s about being active, about standing up for your beliefs.
The risk with a song that is broadly political is that it might sound preachy but ‘What Did You Do In The War?’ doesn’t. The words are great, they are compelling. I didn’t just listen to it lots of times to try and work what the song was about but also to hear the words. And with that tune and that arrangement, you could just listen to it and tap a foot or even throw the odd shape, but I’d suggest you do actually try and listen to the words, they’re important.
Sandra’s Wedding consistently makes great songs, this is yet another of those.
Netlabel Vulpiano Records is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a cassette tape compilation as a benefit for nonprofit digital library Internet Archive. Limited to 100 copies and featuring exclusive and favorite tracks from the label’s international roster of artists from Australia, England, France, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and the USA.
Each cassette is hand-numbered and comes with either a holographic tarot card (78 copies) or an Artist Trading Card collage on a playing card (22 copies), selected randomly. The genre-spanning release celebrates the musically diverse and collaborative spirit of the long-running label with selections in drone, folk, electronic, and more.
The compilation is available for pre-order, and is released on 17th November
Track listing
Natural Snow Buildings – Charles Thomas Tester
Xqui – Aluminium
Delicasession – Soar (SA90 Edit)
ish10 yow1r0 – in a chilly night, gently hug me
Brevyn – Voltage
Anton Rothschild – Wednesday
Osiris Saline – Memories From a Dead Star
Zapa – Ghosts
Neurotic Wreck – Funeral of Roses
Enrico Falbo – Raga Tyaga
Vladimir Lucansky – Tint Crackle (Eggshell)
Taker 51 – Marte
Florian Decros – Ab absurdo (Edit)
Derek Piotr – Witness
Whalt Thisney – Man Walking
Enrico Falbo – Psychostasis (Digital Only)
Lately Kind of Yeah – Chaotic Nothing (Digital Only)
With their catchy, uplifting songs, outrageous stage presence and improbable merchandise, Leeds boys Biscuithead & the Biscuit Badgers are firmly established as a wonderfully odd stalwart of the Northern music scene.
‘Thought Porridge’ is their fourth album and has been five years in the making.
“We didn’t intend it to take so long but we wanted this to be a proper studio album,” says Sam (Tuba) “so in addition to our standard lineup of vocals, ukulele, piano, tuba and drums, we brought in string and brass players from the Orchestra of Opera North. They sound totally amazing and we’re overjoyed with the outcome. What we didn’t take into account is that the more instruments you use, the more decisions you need to make – and, as a band, we’re not very good at making decisions, so it took about three years longer than we’d anticipated.”
If you’re familiar with Biscuithead’s output, you’ll know that they’re an eclectic bunch with their songs of seaweed, soy milk, dinosaurs and David Attenborough. ‘Thought Porridge’ is no exception. Titles include ‘I’ve got My Finger Up My Nose’, ‘The Wonderful Tube’ and their current single ‘The British Cactus & Succulent Society’.
This is what the band has to say about it:
“Faster than a speeding puffin, more chocolaty than a chocolate labrador, descending from apes (if they are tall enough), Biscuithead & the Biscuit Badgers release your ears to play backgammon undisturbed. Can you catch them all? The answer is no.
Beyond hope, beyond fear, beyond egg, beyond cheese, whistling a tune you don’t know, but have definitely heard somewhere. Unfold your senses and enjoy what happens to them. Over seven lifetimes to complete, under four feet in height, somewhere outside Chelmsford, below the normal Ph for this time of year, sighed upon by elves: Thought Porridge.”
Thought Porridge hits the virtual shops today with a launch party at the Brudenell Social Club on Friday 17th January 2020.
After much anticipation BROODERS can announce the line-up for RIFFFEST #2, their annual celebration of all things fuzzy, scuzzy and buzzy, which will take place at LEEDS BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL on SATURDAY 25 JANUARY 2020. In partnership this year with Superfriendz, BROODERS have been able to curate a ground shaking array of the biggest and the best on the scene at the moment and, with the most hectic expectations in mind, this is a line-up not to be missed.
The festival this year is proud to host a wealth of talent from across the underground scene in the UK, with proceedings kicking off with heavy and chaotic light-heartedness from Hull riffers 99% COBRA. Following this controlled anarchy, you’ll be cradled into the caring embrace of Leeds’ almighty DENSE before being unsuspectingly thrown around by their garage rock-infused intensity.
Should you think things might calm down from there, you’d be very wrong. Making their mark once more on their home stomping ground, DEAD NAKED HIPPIES will be screaming, shouting and tearing through your eardrums like a force of nature. Then, keeping with the vein of hard hitting intensity, CALVA LOUISE will be next to grace the stage with their psych-infused, heart pounding, ear shaking riffs.
Hosts BROODERS will be up next and keen to deliver on their promise to astound Leeds with something spectacular. After a six-month absence from the live scene, despite a wealth of single releases, the band have been building serious anticipation for their return to their hometown. Expect the dangerous, high octane fierceness that has been dwindling since their hibernation to come back stronger than ever.
Penultimate to the headliners is something beyond the realms of intensity we’ve so far become exposed to. STRANGE BONES bring a ferocity like no other. With a reputation for live shows that resonate with genuine menace, no one can ever know what to expect from Blackpool’s punk influenced, road tested quartet. Out of the frying pan and into the pits, this is not one to be missed.
Finally, onto the headliners. Much like the creature they name themselves after, CROWS are as mysterious as they are threatening. With an edge of instability and uncertainty to their every breath, CROWS will venture from London to bring something huge to RIFFFEST #2. Ranging from reflective and melancholic to outright bone crushing intensity, they are a band that really do it all in the space of one all-consuming performance. Expect the unexpected and prepare for something out of this world.
CROWS formed in 2015 and have since built a considerable following for the intensity of their live shows which have seen band members break bones as well as instruments. Having previously supported the likes of Girl Band and Wolf Alice, the band signed to Joe Talbot’s label Balley Records, released their debut album Silver Tongues, and took their deafening live show on tour with IDLES earlier this year.
Silver Tongues was recorded in near total darkness to build a sense of atmosphere, and confidently showcases a band comfortable across a spectrum of sonic avenues; from the monolithic noise-rock of the title track to the skyscraping Wednesday’s Child to the blissed-out closer Dysphoria, each listen reveals new layers and new ideas.
The album is a huge step forward for the band, not only musically but emotionally. A touring band who eat, sleep and bleed together, the album rightly took time and, now, both CROWS and the listener can reap the rewards of their patience.
STRANGE BONES come from Blackpool, and Blackpool is STRANGE BONES. A town in Lancashire but a town not ‘part’ of Lancashire. This is a town of total political autonomy, fiercely independent of mind, body and spirit. Not ‘part’ of anything except itself. Strange Bones could come from nowhere else.
Like the town they hail from, STRANGE BONES have seen a lot in their short history. Brought up with punk rock by a father who not only lived and breathed the world of punk, but filmed the whole thing too. John and Karen Bentham realised in the 1980s that somebody better capture all these bands coming through the North West, so they set out with a cine camera to do just that. Filming everybody from the UK Subs to GBH, Black Flag to Throbbing Gristle, they filmed them all.
When their boys came along they spent nights educating these wide-eyed kids to the magic of rock music played loud and fast but, above all, for a purpose. Do what you want boys, but do it because you believe in it. While you were watching Blue Peter, STRANGE BONES were watching Black Flag live from Leeds. With this education and a belief in their talent, in their early teens they formed a punk band and played almost 1000 shows together around the world in Japan, the USA, Australia, Italy, Spain and Germany. They toured with Rancid, did a Maida Vale session and a Big Weekend for BBC Radio 1. Had a Zane Lowe Hottest Record and won XFM Awards.
Then they stopped.
In 2014, still only in their early 20s, Bob, Jack and Will Bentham teamed up with lifelong friend Stuart Newburn and formed STRANGE BONES. Just mates, playing punk rock music together in this most independent of British towns.
Then they started again.
First came SICK OF IT ALL, a powerful slab of Blackpool Rock, followed by the anthem GOD SAVE THE TEEN, both of which had continuous plays and heavy support by Annie Mac, Dan P Carter, Phil Taggart, and Abbie McCarthy on BBC Radio 1, with further support from Beats 1, Kerrang Radio and XS Radio.
The band decamped to LA for two weeks and recorded with Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters at their Studio 606 – using the Sound City Neve desk – the desk that Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Cheap Trick and Guns and Roses all recorded on. Dan Lancaster [Blink 182, Bring Me the Horizon, Lower Than Atlantis] then mixed all the tracks.
Strange Bones are a four piece from Blackpool. Bobby Bentham [vocals and guitar] Will Bentham [bass and vocals] Jack Bentham [guitar and vocals] and Stuart Newburn [drums and vocals]. They are putting loud music out again. It’s worth listening to because it has a purpose. Festival appearances in 2019 included Download in the UK and France, Live at Leeds, The Great Escape and Reading and Leeds.
BROODERS are a fuzz-crazed psyche-grunge power trio that are screaming to be heard. They released their self-titled mini album in 2017 and gained support slots with bands such as God Damn, Bass Drum of Death, Hands Off Gretel and many more. The band have released numerous singles which have received critical acclaim from publications such as The Skinny, Discovered, Upset and It’s All Indie. They also worked alongside independent label Come Play with Me to release a vinyl 7” single, have been championed by BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio, and played several full UK tours.
Their sonic whiplash has also graced stages at festivals such as Y Not, Tramlines, Dot to Dot, Sound City, The Great Escape and Humber Street Sesh, and the wheels are now in motion for the new year with a full UK tour, European dates, further releases and videos.
Throughout their existence, the band’s releases, extensive gigging and press coverage have gained BROODERS a fierce reputation for being one of the most exciting bands on the darker side of the UK underground riff-based scene. The beauty is that the best is still to come.
From the meek to the mighty, even superheroes experience growing pains. Yet, whilst the world finds itself in peril, there’s a squad succeeding in their mission to save us all from ourselves and fight for a greater good: CALVA LOUISE. Devastatingly fierce to the power of three: Jess Allanic, from Venezuela, with her unapologetic guitar shredding and incendiary vocals that stun those who stand before her, turning bouncing into an Olympic sport; Ben Parker, from New Zealand, with the strength to pummel a drum kit into submission alongside his knack for impeccable graphic design; and bassist Alizon Taho, from France, a tech whizz building a wall of noise with thundering rhythms and hand-built pedalboards.
As CALVA LOUISE, they’re an unstoppable force. Since embarking upon their adventure together at a London music night, the trio’s quest has grown from an innocent chat about graphic design to unleashing their debut album Rhinoceros. Naturally metamorphosing into enthralling melodies of fiery hooks and raucous fuzz, the band and their coming-of-age tales unite worlds of imagination with truth and punky picaresque brat pop.
CALVA LOUISE now reside in in Manchester and word is spreading as fast as their music. Already they’ve received extensive support from Huw Stephens and Abbie McCarthy on BBC Radio 1, Front Row on BBC Radio Four, as well as Radio X and Amazing Radio. Having supported the likes of Spring King, The Blinders and Albert Hammond Jr on tour, the band have left a trail of beautiful destruction the length and breadth of the UK. One of the most authentic and fearless punk-pop trios on the planet, always ready to unleash havoc on the conscience with music that will save our souls.
Relentless and punchy alt-rock outsiders DEAD NAKED HIPPIES recently returned with their exuberant new single Eyes Wide. A coming of age, outsider anthem, it’s a huge statement of intent from the Leeds based band, showing they are ready to take arms. Eyes Wide was produced and mixed by Grammy and BRIT Award nominated producer Tom Dalgety [Pixies, Royal Blood, Rammstein] and mastered by Robin Schmidt [Placebo, The Black Keys, Pale Waves]. It is the follow up to visceral single Young Male Rage which gained support and airplay from BBC 6Music.
DEAD NAKED HIPPIES have had a whirlwind last 18 months with extensive touring across the UK, sharing stages with the likes of Dream Wife, IDLES, Queen Zee and DZ Deathrays, as well as performing at Leeds Festival, 2Q Festival, Twisterella Festival, Humber Street Sesh and Stockton Calling. They have received support from Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson at BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing, KCRW and Amazing Radio, as well as coverage from DIY, Clash, The Independent, Metro and DORK. The band are extremely open about what drives them and are not afraid to discuss confrontational topics, speaking about self-love, mental health and gender in an open and unapologetic way, both in their music and in conversation. With frenetic and hard hitting live shows, they are quickly earning a reputation as one of the most exciting live acts in the UK music scene right now.
DENSE play feral live shows. They bring with them the thickest fuzz, intricate melodies and a raucous, chaotic energy to any stage that they step on. Since forming in Leeds in late 2017, the psychedelic garage trio have ripped apart any stage in any venue they have entered, from dingy basements to some of the most respected venues around the country. DENSE have seized every opportunity to create their savage blend of heavy riffs and textured sonic anarchy for each and every show they have played, using just one electric guitar, one bass guitar, one drum kit and one menacing voice.
DENSE’s reputation, especially in the North of England, totally eclipses their discography. The band’s long awaited self-recorded and self-released debut single perfectly encapsulated the ferocity of their trademark live show and propelled them into support slots with the likes of Avalanche Party, Prettiest Eyes and Flat Worms; a partnership with Futile Bookings and Management, who boast some of the best upcoming artists from across Europe on their roster; as well as a collaboration with Leeds label Come Play With Me, which will see the band’s second single released on 7” vinyl at the end of this year.
99% COBRA is a three-piece experimental mathcore band from Hull with influences ranging from The Dillinger Escape Plan, Death Grips, The Prodigy and Glassjaw. Formed in 2018 they released their debut EP, Programmed to Coalesce, in April 2019 and have played festivals such as Humber Street Sesh and Tech Fest, and shared stages with the likes of Palm Reader, Coilguns, Monuments and Black Tongue.
The Oporto was rammed, rammed with many people wearing Halloween themed make-up and costumes. Some of these costumes were to say the least fantastic, although somewhat impractical for prolonged partying – props to the guy wearing the TV on his head for one. Some of these people were there to see VENUS launch their brilliant new release – ‘Freaky Friday’ (read our review, natch). The venue bit of The Oporto (if you’ve been there you’ll know what I mean) gradually filled up. And when I say filled up I mean filled up, it was packed.
La Rissa
I always seem to find one act I’ve either never heard of, or heard, that is fantastic on support bills – it’s one reason I always try and turn up on time. La Rissa were that act that night.
La Rissa are two people – one who sings and plays keyboards (or triggers programmed sounds) and one who plays the drums. This sounds simple what what they do isn’t, as I discovered when they started. They start in a spooky way – it’s all atmosphere gothic synth sounds. Their sound is atmospheric, it majors on that. The drums, and I think some sort of programmed beats, provide a completely compelling drive. Sometimes during their set I am reminded briefly of Joy Division, almost Joy Division if you see what I mean, it has that feel.
But it’s that voice. Her voice is amazing. It’s a deep and striking voice that has me in mind in a strange way of Nico and Siouxsie Sioux at her most gothic.
La RissaLa RissaLa RissaLa Rissa
Some of what they do is kinda Goth, some I guess I’d call dark synth pop, and some is almost retro industrial, but it’s all good, in fact it’s all great. The fact that they go about making this fantastic music is a quiet unflashy way just adds to it.
If you’re into this type of thing I’d recommend catching La Rissa. I, for one, will be trying to see them again soon.
Dollie Demi
Next up were Dollie Demi. Yet another band I’d never heard of, this is always happening to me, I must spend some time trawling through Facebook to find these bands I’ve not heard of. Or possibly just make sure I listen to some music from bands I’m going to see. Although having said that I rather like the random nature of seeing a band when I don’t know what they do.
At first I wasn’t that sure about Dollie Demi – although maybe I should have taken more notice of a note I scribbled – ‘Any band where the bass player swigs from a bottle of wine has to be good, doesn’t it?’. So unsure that I wrote long notes about the somewhat ribald nature of their songs. But somewhere during their set, not that far in to be honest, I changed my mind.
Musically they mix it up – some of it is all punky garage-y, some of it is poppy, some – although this may just be me – is rather metall-y. Their performance is, to say the very least, high energy and chaotic – they throw themselves around the stage. The songs, and indeed the performance, might be described as sassy. It’s obvious they enjoy doing what they do, and that is infectious.
But amid all of that, and I had to do that ‘stand back and be an objective music reviewer thing’, is some great playing. If you think I’m expressing surprise at that, you’d be wrong, given how they mix it up musically you’d expect that. And Demi’s voice is fantastic.
They played one song that kinda stopped me in my tracks, a song called ‘Bottle Blonde’. This is in contrast to their other material was almost a slow bluesy rock thing. It was at this point that Dollie Demi completely clicked for me.
The band’s set left me with a smile on my face. And who needs anything more than that.
VENUS
And now to VENUS. One of the other reasons I arrived extra early that night was to find a spot as close to the stage as possible. At the Oporto this means being crammed in next to the bass speaker kinda crouching and then standing on the bench seat, but what the hey I thought, I needed to be close to the band for this gig.
And my choice of being that close wasn’t a mistake that night for VENUS seemed to be really on one that night. Sporting Halloween make-up the band tore into their set.
Look if you haven’t seen the band you need to know what the ‘VENUS live experience’ that night was like. Grace (Kelly) may be the visual focus – she’s the band’s singer after all, and that night she was crazy, twisting and turning – but it’s that voice of hers that is completely mesmerising, It’s sometimes pure and sending shivers up your spine, it’s sometimes raw and hugely powerful. Jess rips out (if you’ll forgive me for that expression) the most wonderful guitar. Hannah bounces around the stage, her bass providing that great foundation to their music (and that night she was at the back of the stage only visible to me occasionally). Gabby’s drums are great – she’s a really inventive drummer I noticed that night. And Grace (Stubbings) quietly plays those wonderful synth lines.
Their set rushed by all too quickly, as it was for the first time I saw them, I’d very happily have listened to the whole set again, so addicted to what they do as I am. But there were highlights.
Their last single ‘Sour’ – I love that song as a recorded material experience but live it has an extra power. A punked up cover of ‘Call Me’ and a raucous cover of ‘Sound Of The Underground’ something you had to be there to really appreciate.
That cover followed a song about mental health issues – a song I describe as beautiful in my rather sparse notes on their set that night. This song had a rather strange effect on me. I have PTSD and since I developed that (do you develop or get PTSD, that’s one I’m not sure about?) certain notes and types of sounds do things to me, that night during this song there was a point where both a certain note and a type of sound hit at the same time, and it provoked a very short PTSD surge – this is my own term for it, there’s probably a clinical term for it.. Rather than being disturbing this felt strangely right at the time. Thank you VENUS for highlighting mental health issues in a song.
I’d been waiting for ‘Freaky Friday’ to be played that night with the kind of anticipation I’ve not had for a long time. The single left me feeling emotional, and I expected it live to sweep me away and leave me in an emotional heap. And it did (albeit a mental emotional heap, being physically an emotional heap would have been impossible in the place I was crammed into). It really is the most powerful song I’ve heard in a long time.
VENUS are one, as you may have realised, of those bands I find it very hard (or impossible to be honest) to be objective about.
Seeing VENUS live is an experience, an experience everyone should have at least once. Although once you’ve seen them you’ll want to see them again, they do that to you. I love what they do. If you haven’t seen VENUS yet, do that as soon as possible.
It seems like no time has passed since Bloodhound released their last single, and checking, it is barely a month since the release of their previous single ‘Again’ (read our review). This track – ‘Praise’ – is the second of a series of singles leading up to the release of the band’s debut album in early 2020.
It’s a Bloodhound song, so you’d expect it to be loud, bloody loud, and it is. You’d expect it to have riffs to die for, and yep, it has that. You’d expect a hint of grunge in there, and again it has that. But what you might not expect is something with a sense of space-rock, and it has that. It’s also a dark moody atmospheric thing, and maybe you wouldn’t expect that either. And perhaps you wouldn’t expect, I did but previous experience has shown me this, vocals that are quite so fab.
This song has a tune that drives itself into your head with all the finesse of a drill. It just sets out to embed itself in your head, and you’re barely halfway into the track and it’s there, sitting there ready to ambush you unexpectedly. It also has great words, words you should really take the time to listen to properly.
I played this to one of my helpful friends, a friend who likes grunge-y rock, and he, with his usual and sometimes baffling thought process, said ‘It sounds a bit like a really heavy False Advertising (who we both share a huge liking for), only a bit, but it’s there’. I don’t entirely agree but I get what he’s saying there, it is really heavy grunge at it’s heart.
‘Praise’ is really horribly addictive, it just sits there saying ‘play me again, you know you want to, you want that rush don’t you’, and then you just have to give in, turn it up loud, and just let it batter you.
If this, and for that matter the previous single release, point the way towards the sounds on the album, we are in for a treat when that comes out.
If Bloodhound are new to you, then this is great introduction to them, play this and then go find their other music. This is incredible and amazing stuff.
The info
Speaking about the new track, the band explained: “Praise was the first song where we departed from our old classic rock driven sound and started to explore the more ethereal and atmospheric areas of our writing. It’s effectively about people sucking up to you purely for the benefit of themselves”.
BLOODHOUND have also announced they will play a headline show at THE SESH @ HULL POLAR BEAR on TUESDAY 19 NOVEMBER, and that their highly anticipated debut album will be called FRAGILE SKELETON.
When I sat down to review this song, I sat with fingers poised over my laptop’s keyboard ready to jot down my initial thoughts, but as it started I was completely unable to do anything but sit transfixed, so stunned as I was by the sheer brilliance, emotional impact and beauty of it. I expected something good, no great, after all you’d expect that from VENUS, but this, this is something else. It took, and this ain’t no word of a lie, five listens to the track before I could even attempt to start trying to review it.
I’m going to gush about this song, I can’t stop myself. I’m not even going to attempt to be ‘an objective music reviewer’. Sure I could bang on about how this track is going to be huge, about how it’s a step up from the last single I reviewed, and both of those are true, but that isn’t that important, what’s important about this song is how it makes you feel. And I say this because I think that’s what was important to the band when they wrote it.
This track builds, it builds through its 5 1/2 minutes, to something that burns, it burns its way into your head and into your soul. It starts quietly, there are haunting synths, and then a quiet vocal, and gradually there are drums and bass, the vocals get stronger, and then about halfway through its epic length the guitar comes crashing in. And yes, it does that quiet/loud alternative rock thing, but it does it with beauty, the beauty of guitar that is subtle and clever, and synth that is sublime.
And look, Grace’s vocals on this are just the…, they are…, sorry I just don’t have the words to describe them adequately. Her voice sears, it builds from a whisper to something you just don’t hear, you feel it somewhere deep inside you. That’s just horribly inadequate but it’s the best I can come up with.
And as I write this the effect of what is now the seventh or eighth time I’ve listened to it, is to actually bring tears to my eyes. It’s not that often that a song affects me this way, it’s the emotion, its just the way the music, the vocals and the words work together. And yes, I have a personal connection to what the song is about, it relates to something that is affecting me badly at the moment, but I defy anyone not to be emotional when you hear this song. But it isn’t just this, this is another layer on top of the way something this good makes me feel, music this good just makes me feel emotional.
I just can’t wait to hear the band play this live. I just know the power of it is going to sweep me off my feet, and into an emotional heap, completely unable to do anything but immerse myself in it.
An update: Having just returned from the single launch gig I can confirm that I was indeed swept into an emotional heap. This was purely a mental state – given that I was standing on the bench seat right by the bass speaker on the right hand side of the stage actually being physically in an emotional heap would have been very difficult. This song was an extraordinarily powerful thing live.
‘Freaky Friday’ is musically brilliant, lyrically emotional, its epic, it’s powerful and it’s beautiful. It’s scarily good, no scrub that, it’s fucking amazing. If you haven’t heard anything by VENUS yet, I urge you to listen to this.
The info
Lead singer GK, says ‘Freaky Friday is the most emotionally bearing and intimate song we’ve released. Not even just lyrically, but musically, we wanted each member of the band to have their own moment within the song and express their anguish. I wrote the lyrics in this to not only comfort myself, but to liberate others from toxic variants in their lives. Not necessarily romantic, but in friendship, families and in sociopolitical contexts, because toxicity comes in all forms and in different ways. Take solace in that pain is temporary and those who have treated you with disrespect without any remorse, will know and realise their behaviour at some point in their lives, They’re the ones who have to live with that, which for us is the ultimate form of closure.’
AIM launches its new ‘Start-up Guide to Music Business’ at BBC Music Introducing LIVE today. Written and compiled by Tim Ferrone, Founder of Wrapped Up Music, and co-authored by AIM’s Paul Pacifico (CEO) and Gee Davy (Head of Legal & Business Affairs), the guide provides an essential ‘How To’ on starting and growing a business working with and releasing music in the 21st Century.
The Start-Up Guide is being launched at the event as part of AIM’s knowledge partnership with BBC Music, which was announced at AIM’s AGM earlier this year. It is the first of the assets and information that AIM will be rolling out to support new entrants to the market through BBC Music Introducing, demonstrating AIM’s commitment to supporting grassroots independents.
Aimed at those creating a business around music, the guide helps readers cut through the noise, and distils the essential information needed to understand the various parts of the business of releasing music, as well as key pointers to consider as they move into business, from start-up to scale.
The Start-Up Guide comes ahead of a more in-depth guide to survival and success in the music business, planned for release in 2020.
You can sign up to download a digital copy of the Start-Up Guide here.
AIM at BBC Music Introducing LIVE
This year, AIM has returned to BBC Music Introducing LIVE as the host of the Feedback Centre, where a huge number of experts from the independent music community are giving one-on-one feedback and advice to the next generation of artists and music entrepreneurs. Attendees of the AIM Feedback Centre will be given a code to access the guide, and printed copies will be provided on-site to browse through.
AIM is also hosting and taking part in a number of panels at the event based on the themes of creative business building and entrepreneurship: ‘Can I Be An Artist and a CEO?’, ‘Going Pro – How to Start a Business In Music’ and ‘Grime x Jazz: Homegrown Genres Rewriting The Rules’. One panel is taking place on each day of the event, all from 2-3pm.
You can read the full round-up of AIM’s BBC Introducing LIVE activity here.
RICHARD WATSON, promoter of the 360 Club in Leeds, and ALAN RAW, presenter of BBC Introducing West Yorkshire and BBC Introducing Humberside, are proud to announce the eleventh of their special events showcasing the incredible talent emerging from West Yorkshire and beyond.
Taking place on FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER – and subtitled #360RAW11 – the event focusses again on West Yorkshire’s finest and most exciting emerging artists, this time featuring four acts from Leeds – MEGA HAPPY, MULTINUT BUTTER, GLASSHEADS and DACTYLION
As with previous #360RAW events, the night will see Alan Raw DJ before and between the live sets, playing new music of all styles from local artists. Anybody can come along and meet the face behind BBC Introducing and are encouraged to bring demos which he may well play on the night, or pass onto the producers for consideration on his shows. The ethos of #360RAW is purely about supporting emerging acts, a passion that both Richard and Alan share, and one that sees them freely offer their time, their help and their advice to musicians without any hidden agenda.
Mega Happy
MEGA HAPPY
Whilst being sonically indebted to both Post-Punk and New Wave, MEGA HAPPY hail from the LS6 area of Leeds and comprise an ability to seamlessly weave incongruous elements like angular guitar riffs and 50s melodies into their neatly crafted pop songs. By embracing an independent DIY ethos, there is an authenticity surrounding the band that audiences are resonating with. Their uniquely distilled sound, coupled with the long-standing tradition of the DIY parties that accompany their gigs, has resulted in a buzzing, high-energy atmosphere becoming a staple of their live performance.
Multinut Butter
MULTINUT BUTTER
Leeds based MULTINUT BUTTER bring some of the finest in excessive reverb and difficult-to-decipher vocals currently in existence. Blending pop hooks with rowdy rock jams, they create a sound that’s drawn comparison with Mild High Club, Tame Impala and Connan Mockasin, all of which is vaguely accurate, but there’s no one quite like Multinut Butter and there’s very little that can prepare you for the experience.
Glassheads
GLASSHEADS
On the face of it, Leeds’ GLASSHEADS are a pop rock band drawing inspiration from alternative rock bands and experimental guitar textures with lyrics that revolve around fictional narratives. Dig deeper, however, and you discover a band that combine a wide musical knowledge with their self-confessed everyday ordinariness to create music which challenges issues of transition between cosseted early adulthood and freedom, presented in a new and interesting light. Having formed only last year, the band have already started to make a substantial footprint in the North of England with widely acclaimed support shows to the likes of Neon Waltz, The Molochs and Faux Pas.
Dactylion
DACTYLION
Who’s got the saddest sound? DACTYLION do, and they’re bringing it to you. The female-fronted shoegaze band, now based in Leeds but originally formed in Derbyshire, specialise in combining soft, sweet vocals with raw, distorted power to create a DIY soundscape of sheer bliss. As described by the band themselves: “We have too many pedals and not enough happy memories”.
This is what the band has to say about it:
