The Sonics: Psycho-Sonic and This Is The Sonics

The Sonics are one of those bands that never made it as big at the time as we now think they should have, because what they did didn't really make that much sense to a lot of people until many years later. For the brothers Andy and Larry Parypa in 1964 Tacoma, Washington state, that thing was to play a style of stripped down rock and roll that burned with a rawness, a passion, and a power that would be the tinder and the fuel everything in the line of American folk music that would eventually end up being called punk. Rather than follow the norm of the time and "move on" towards psychedelia, progression, or pop, they hunkered down and tried to find out how much more could be beaten out of the original formula.

The result was the two albums, Here Are The Sonics (1965) and Boom (1966), which have been collected, along with with all the singles and alternative / live versions held from their time with Etiquette records, in the "Psycho-Sonic" album. In this you can hear their dance hall circuit origins in Boss Hoss, Louie Louie, and Roll Over Beethoven: tunes that they attack with a gusto and a sheer volume that clearly was beyond the means of that periods equipment to capture. It's a sound of people who grew up on Blackboard Jungle, rather than with it, and who just wanted to make it bigger. You can also hear the start of the outsider anthem, especially the triumvirate of The Witch, Psycho, and Strychnine, which mixed the dark social/horror themes of the blues with a James Dean swagger that had no clue where it was going or how but knew it had to get their fast. It was anger that wasn't sure why it felt that bad, and only felt worse because everyone else was having such a good time. Its a savage piece of America, but with a musicianship and core listenability that makes it enthralling and occasionally even introvert, and that carries the DNA that you can hear in the likes of The Stooges, The Ramones, and Nirvana (to name but a few of the bands fans). As an album it's a slice of a specific piece in time, of an underground that was just discovering itself, and a timeless piece of rock and roll mastery that you may have overlooked.

Given the history of the band, of their signing to a major label to then have their sound neutered and for them to split before tasting fame, it's natural to ask "what would happen if they were given a second chance now that everyone knows how great they were?". Thankfully This Is The Sonics, recorded 50 years later in 2015 with 3 of the original 5 members and following on/off live performances since 2007, answers this with a clear and concise "exactly the same thing, only louder". "I Don't Need No Doctor", "The Hard Way", and "Livin' In Chaos" are stand outs by a nose, That a bunch of 70 year old's can continue to rock as hard as before impressive in itself, but that they can do it with a sound that comes across as classic rather than retro is pure brilliance. Even the dirty-distortion of their first period is maintained, technology having improved enough to get the full glory of their overdriven glory as this is a band that could play a triangle and make it sound like it was hocked into a Marshall stack. About the only change is that they sound a little more focused, a little less confused, but in no way any more mellow nor one jot less rocking.

This Music Leaves Stains: The Complete Story Of The Misfits by James Green JR.

I've been thinking about doing an article about the influence that horror, sci-fi, and similar B-Movie
schlock has had on punk rock - and to a greater extent, rock music as a whole. However James Greene Jr.manages to do such a good job of it in pages 3 to 7 (covering the tradition of dark fantasy theme within rock since it's inception, the unrelenting thirst for content of 60s & 70s USA TV stations pumping the movies out, the move from 40's & 50's ideal lifestyles to economic pressures forcing mothers into the workplace causing more TV viewing by kids, and the kitschy anti-establishment & juvenile escapist joys found within them)... that there really isn't much more to add to his thesis.

As an added bonus, his observations are followed by a full and fully researched history of the progenitors of the Horror Punk genre. Starting with the first musical endeavors of founder member Glen Danzig and working it's way through to the contemporary Jerry Only period of the band, this book uses a combination of the historical record and interviews with an extensive range of members and associates of the troupe. Whilst doing so, it also gives a wider idea of the Misfits place and importance in the history of punk rock as a whole; something that previous works like American Hardcore: A Tribal History have touched on but never truly given the credit owed, due to either the lyrical/performance content of the heavy metal elements of their work not fitting into the established narratives of the genre.

Given the number of people who have gone through it's ranks, and the amount of disagreement over what did or didn't happen (often settled by legal action), the "give everyone's view, and let the reader decide" approach adopted by Greene is a practical solution to a complicated problem. It's also an approach that could leave the reader unsure as to what may have happened, however there is sufficient editorializing opinion thrown in to make it clear where the writer sits on many occasions. This could upset Misfits fans with a strong viewpoint on the personalities involved (which boils down to Danzig Vs Only), but the appreciation shown for the music and performances should avoid alienating all but the most entrenched of fans.

What you mostly get is a clear yet wistful message that if the band hadn't had it's internal rifts, it would never have produced the content it did - but the band could also have been so much more successful than it was. You also get some interesting (and often sarcastically funny) insights into what is involved in writing a book such as this, plus the egos that can continue, decades after the events. Add to this the true story of a band that failed to succeed at the time but became a huge influence to those who followed and the eventual return (of sorts) to the deserved acclaim all of this, helps make this book a great read, be it for fan or soon-to-be fan of the band.

Breakout Festival - Brighton Racecourse - 26.09.2015

It's not often you associate Brighton with heavy metal & hard rock, but from going along to the Second annual Breakout Festival it's quite clear that they go together as well as ice-cream and beach walks (well, the type that leave you happy, tired, and somewhat deaf). It's also quite clear from having attended this years event that the organisers know how to operate an efficient band-packed event, and that the local scene is filled to the brim with friendly folk out to have a splendid time of it all. And by "all" I mean 14 bands for the outrageously low price of £27.50 (including booking fee), starting at 10:40 and finishing almost 12 music-soaked and fist-pumped hours later.

Opening up was We Deny, a quality pop-punk outfit that managed to pull people in through a combo of ridiculous amounts of energy for that time of the morning and a clear talent for catchy tunes. It was "light, but filling" in the best of ways, getting my feet tapping and face smiling before the first bite of coffee. Quite frankly, if you're under 25 and have even the slightest interest in being happy about things, then put this on your car stereo and just drive off to adventure.

And, whilst it was impressive being that happy at 10:40am, hats go off to Skint Circus for being so utterly pissed off at 11:20 when they rolled out their thick, sweaty, and highly energetic take on hardcore punk with breakdowns, beatdowns, and throwdown flying over the places almost as much as their singer did. Their lead guitarist didn't move much though, he just stood there in a suit jacket looking unnervingly cool. A band with that much anger has a lot to give, and I look forward to hearing more from them.

Next up was Seething Akira, a band who appear to have bridge the existential gap between Enter Shikari and The Midnight Beast. From their jolly intro of "Hello" to their rave-metal bouncing noise, this was everything you could ask for from a band that have one front man who looks like a young Alan Moore in a Lionel Richie t-shirt and another that you could envision your sister politely introducing to your mother. By song two they were both in the crowd, giving things a runaround - kicking off a moshpit conga line, sneaking a cheeky go on the bouncy castle near the stage, all the time accompanied by blood-pumping party revolution rawk. All of this meant that when they asked the question "Have you all had a nice time?" and gave the quippy "That makes us very happy" after the cheer, it came across as honest rather than affected, and just added to the fun factor that was washing over everyone. They have a single coming out, get it and then try to see them live.

The Gospel Youth had a tough act to follow, and their more laid back, radio friendly, alt-rock approach was a good switch of pace from what had come before. Touches of Gaslight Anthem, the odd bit of Fall Out Boy, mostly just solid rock played in a no nonsense fashion. Whilst their look was the most regimented and sculpted of the day so far they were perfectly willing to just let the music and the lyrics do the work for them, so whilst they didn't get much motion out in the slowly growing crowd there were clearly a lot of ears open taking it all in.

Another set, another change in style, something that seems to be the make of Breakout with a very broad range of the church of rock on display. By Definition were the next brotherhood on display, and they had come to give some very hard lessons on the benefits of blues based, groove heavy, slow and steady heavy rock. It was slow, it was steady, it was raunchy, and it was delivered with the restraint of a grizzly bear. Pretty much instantly everyone in the area started smelling of strong liquor and began tapping their hands, feet, heads, and assorted other appendages as the growling, swirling, bass-to-the-guts overload was hammered out.

Zoax were up next and rapidly pitched their tent as a screamo version of The Pixies with a heavy sound that saw more peaks and valleys than a bus going off the cliff in Wales. They also almost had the same visual impact on the stage at times, as all three of the guitarists were throwing their instruments around with so much abandon their mothers would have been worried someone would lose their whole head. Desperate to the crowd moving, their singer Adam stalked the pit like a demon whilst throwing his heart and lungs into every lyric. Not to sure on the safety of bringing a cabled mic into the thick of it, but no-one got hurt and it certainly added to the drama. Then he came over to the table we were sat at and he pinched my hat, so that's one to tell the Godparents once these guys make it big.

Then, for lack of a better term, Black Tongue happened. They just walked on stage, started playing something that sounded like five doom and death metal tracks all at once, hated everything in front of them for even existing for about half an hour, and then headed off. Occasionally they introduced a song with some horror movie sound track but other than that it was just "bang and gone". They even had a guest vocalist for one track that just walked on, screamed, and headed off. Like it, don't like it: they clearly did not have one fuck to give regards your opinion of what they did. Obviously the people who were into it loved it, whilst everyone else seemed a bit bemused. I'm assuming that was the intention. The only down side to their set was the sound techs not being up to task, as there was feedback and pops through out, which was a shame for an otherwise precision performance.

Representing the kind of  poetic, polemic, and curiously swinging hardcore that seems to grow in London, TRC bounded on with the goal of kicking up a riot and ensuring everyone had fun doing it. It was shouty, it was bouncy, it had riffs and energy you could listen to for days. It also had the line of "If you've got some energy, do it. If not, then get to the gym" and the request for the pit to get "a bit like strictly come dancing". The thrash-ier bits were intense, and all over, it got everyone up for a good time that showed the old school have still got it.



Shunning the simple pleasures of music, like tune or melody or even apparent structure, Heck (aka Baby Godzilla) landed next and dropped out a lot of sounds in about half the time you would think it humanly possible. Some might call it mathcore, or extreme jazz, or "all the notes ever, sometimes twice", or "Cream force-fed Napalm Death from birth"  but mostly it was just an exhilarating exploration of what you can do when you say 'no' to almost every rule ever. I'm not going to claim to understand it, but it was compelling and enjoyable like some intricate puzzlebox, especially with the bands determination to hammer their instruments and play them anywhere other than the stage. It was also impressive to watch as there was no-one obviously holding the songs together, but regardless of how far everyone flew off in which direction it kept on coming back to one central point, Oh yeah, and they hate microphone stands. I saw three of them laid waste in the first track alone.

Martyr Defiled hit the stage next, playing something that sounded halfway between death metal and blastbeat-based hardcore. Sadly the performance almost instantly got hit by bad sound, so nothing came across with as much bite as it should have, in the first track. The sense of terror was further eroded by their vocalist sounding so amiable and friendly when talking between tracks, as someone who sounds that devilish when singing, should not instantly strike you as someone you would share cocoa with. It was technically proficient but the performance side wasn't theatrical or passionate enough to really grab up and hold you in its fist.

Finishing up the last of the daylight were The Qemist, a raging slab of power is pitched halfway between The Prodigy and Pendulum, but with enough of their own sound to not sound like a dodgy knock-off. From the off they had everyone bouncing to their uplifting sounds and welcoming stage presence. A couple of the callouts and platitudes to the crowd may have been a tad bit cheesy, but everyone was smiling too much to be offended and they all knew it was meant well. Still, you can't argue with the crowd and they managed to get a huge response as everyone rocked out to their rebel party anthems.

And then night was upon us, and as the stage lights kicked in We Are The Ocean took the stage and played something halfway between alt-rock and dad-rock. It was good for what it was, including a brave attempt at Dazed and Confused (a fifty year old song for a crowd that was mostly under twenty five), it's just that it was too much of a change from what had gone on before through the day. The crowd dwindled visibly, the cold started to suck at people's energy, and though there were moments that landed some response from those left behind, they never landed well enough to convince me they were the right pick for that point in the day.

When Sikth got on stage there was a resurgence in numbers, mostly from the bar, as this was clearly a band that a lot of people had been looking forward to see. Whilst I wasn't aware of the band before today I can clearly see why people like their brand of prog-metal: it's loud, it's fast, it's filled with virtuosity, and it's almost certain to piss off your parents. It was also a highly energetic and frantic performance, which got picked up by the crowd and resulted in a lot of bodies thrashing around & building up a sweat. Personally I liked the spoken-word piece the most, as it was totally unexpected and yet fitted in perfectly with everything else before and after, and a fair chunk of the audience dug it as well. For a band doing their first gig of the year in September, they had clearly been doing more than just practising their tunes. If you are of the progressive music persuasion, then grab a ticket to whenever they play within travelling distance of you.

The day was drawn to a close by Deaf Havana and their brand of alternative rock, which sadly seemed to miss the mark of what the crowd were after in a similar vein to We Are The Ocean if the madly diminished audience was anything to go by. Those who stayed had a lovely time, listening to some heartfelt tunes and rocking singalongs, but for a lot of people it was either time for bed after an incredibly long day in the sun or just not their thing after the prog-metal blowout that had hit them before.

Still, with that much range and at that price, you can't have everything your way. However, you can have an incredibly well-organised and perfectly sized event, completed by a pleasant crowd and utterly pleasant staff.  They was also the bonus of all the bands hanging out in the audience, so you could be both encouraged that they are actually real people who got up and did it, as well as get the chance to go up and say "thanks for the music". Book your tickets for 2016, because it's going to be worth it.

The Decline of Western Civilisation Collection

Over the course of 17 years, Penelope Spheeris has created arguably one of the greatest and most influential music documentary series ever. Set in Los Angeles and covering the punk scene of the late 70s, the heavy metal scene on mid 80s, & the gutter-punk scene at the turn of century, it explores the sound, performance, politics and business, that exist around each of these worlds and times. It's style was naturalistic, inquisitive, unobtrusive, and at times brutally honest, which was eloquent and effective enough to eventually become part of the DNA of everything that has followed - with clear impact on Reality TV and the rockumentaries of MTV & VH1.

At the core of each film is, fittingly, live performances which are used as showcases for the scenes by giving equal focus for those on stage and off. The style is naturalistic, observational, and intriguing as anthropological documents. They also sound great, even if not all of the bands presented are actually that good. Interspersed with this are interviews with a broad range of individuals involved: musicians, fans, promoters, businessmen and police/authority figures giving the scene outsider/"every-man" view of it all. The iconic set of the blank wall with a single, bare light-bulb hanging at head-height is used extensively, evocative and beautifully simple as it allows the focus to be directly on the individual and their words. Being set in LA it also has plenty of car-based drive-along interviews, which provide the bulk of representation of the city outside of the venues or scene-controlled spaces, giving impressive visual insight into the urban environment that helped shaped the action of the piece. It also demonstrates how super-imposed the scenes are, hyper-stylized worlds pushed up against the realities of everyone else's everyday lives.

Although unified in style and approach, the content of the three is distinct and unique, giving each the flavour they merit. Part 1 has the largest variety of musical styles and shows a scene carving its way into the wider world on it's own terms and with a new sensibility of DIY. Part 2 shows a more homogeneous visual and musical approach and people unapologetically chasing financial success that the other two don't even think about as a possibility or goal, and Part 3 presents a nihilistic and often harrowing focus of fans living a vagrant life which they see no reason to attempt escaping.  Through all this, the topics stay the same: sex, drugs, rock and roll, what will youth be doing in 5 years, is it all worth it, if the goal is art of money, and how people enter into the tribes that they have aligned themselves with. But the changes in the answers are telling, the reasons and motivations changing in each era.

Picking a favourite or "best" is impossible, as each is it's own story. Part 3 is easily the most emotionally upsetting, dealing as it does with homeless under 18's who have basically given up on life as a concern and with 2 deaths happening among those interviewed whilst the "lucky kid" is someone in a wheelchair as they get to have a flat. Part 2 is the most entertaining, with the glam extravagance and heavy metal stupidity being instantly comedic. Part 1 tells the most optimistic story and has the widest range of motivations to be explored.

But the key thing is that these are three fantastic social history documents that are able to carry the interest of anyone who watches it, regardless of their opinions of the music being explored, as they go beyond the successes or failures of individual artists or the benefits or durability of a scene. They are regularly considered classics of the musical-documentary genre because it's something that no-one else thought about capturing, and they have been captured with care, attention and consideration. They offer an insight into real, relatable people, and not just three rocking concert soundtracks.

The Mindsweep - Enter Shikari

The St Albans fab-four are back, bringing another collection of tunes for folks into subjects like the growth of the corporate-state , the imminent ecogedoon  the failings of capitalist greed, and high-energy mixing of big-beat trance with post-hardcore guitar rock. So four albums, 11 years, and no real changes to their whole operation. Although, as they motor into their 30's as flag-bearers of a musical sound that never defined a generation but certainly gave some of it it's own feel, they sure as heck seem to have mellowed out in places.

For example first single "The Last Garrison" starts up as one of their traditional onslaught masterpieces of socially aware observations but then grows into a more thoughtful slow piece. The singalong glory of the main hookline "Head's up and thank fuck you're still alive! There's still air in my lungs, still blood in my veins" isn't the call to arms of youth, it's the pause, consideration, and consolidation of experience that knows it's still got a long way to go. Very powerful, very moving, properly progressive on so many levels. It's a feel that goes through all the album, still powerful but with a bit less frantic and a little more confidence that they don't have to be doing a million things all at once.

"Never Let Go Of the Microscope" is another prime example, with a couple of sections in-between the thrashing that are not far off reggae, and "The Bank Of England" is a slow paced tale of caution rather than what would previously have been a  nonstop scream of disappointment. "Myopia" and "Anesthetist" are more of their classic sound, but even they have a touch less constant drive to them than previous tracks. For long-term fans it's more of what was found on A Flash Flood of Colour than Take To The Skies and Common Dreads, for new listeners it's going to be that little bit more accessible and also demonstration of a greater range. Live it's going to be fantastic, as with longer sets and more options it's going to be a roller-coaster rather than their previous 1000 foot drop.

It's not a radical departure, but a change never the less, and one that works incredibly well. As a band with a very distinct, and in many ways singular, sound they could have easily refined and concentrated the "hardcore with rave bits" approach to diminishing returns. Instead they have expanded and embraced areas of both dance and rock, grown as a band and grown up as an act in the best possible way, to give more of a range and depth of sounds. They have shown that they are going to continue to expand, continue to grow, and continue to make albums as amazing, energizing, thoughtful, and joyful as this one.

Stomachaches - FrnkIero Andthe Cellabration

First out of the gate with a solo album after the demise of My Chemical Romance, Frank Iero's offering shows a good slice of what he brought to MCR but also enough of how he's going to take things now he's out on his own. It's a difficult sound to pin down as the album lurches between styles, something that the befits a project that started out as someone playing music just for themselves.

It's got a large dollop of the simplicity and direct, clean sound of alternative/punk in there, along with a good amount of thrashing and urgency. But it also has moments of complexity and eclecticism that give it a post-punk / new-wave feel in places, included an understated and subtle use of electronica and EDM sounds. Lyrically it's very personal and powerful, not in the big emo manner of his previous band but in a playful and triumphant manner that just enjoys the sound and feel of the words without worry too much if the listener gets anything more than a sense of meaning and a touch of it's power. He can also sing, rather well, and is great at getting the emotions across without doing an overblown performance. Stand out tracks go to the two singles, "Weighted" and "Joyriding", the sing along fun of Tragician, and the slowmo epic that is Guilttripping. However if you like guitars and a bit of pace then there is bound to be something here for you.

This all combines into something that is joyfully all over the place, playing around with sounds & feelings to produce something that is exciting, experimental but also accessible & immediate. It's the bastard lovechild of Rites of Spring, non-Nevermind era Nirvana, Brand New after a couple of pints, your favorite muso's speed up bar band, and someone just discovering what can be done with some wubs the DJ left over from last night. It's also quite possibly suffering from ADD, as not all the ideas and sounds become as developed in the songs as you could have hoped for. And that gets frustrating, as whilst non of it is in anyway 'bad' it also means little of it is as 'good' as it could have been. Quite where it will end up I have no clue, but it'll be worth keeping an eye out of Frank's next album and for his tour.

Fiverfest: Heat 1 - 24/10/2014

Fiverfest is a band competition being held at The Junction in Cambridge, so it's a fantastic chance to check out a series of bands for £5.00. This doesn't explain why things were quite so quiet at the start of the night, as swapping a pint and a half for the chance of seeing the next Gods of Rock before they even get signed (or just a series of decent, up for it, acts giving it a shot) is just too spectacular to miss out on. Still folks didn't come in a huge number or variety (it was mostly the '18' to 25 scene), so others bad choices meant I got a better view of something far more enjoyable than X-Factor.

First up was Ambury Night, who played a sweaty version of tribal blues rock that I really quite liked. Their bassist had all the stage moves and their drummer was playing the 'hit everything all the time' game with great aplomb, which provided an excellent backline for their guitarist to noodle away to his hearts content and their singer to give their rather nice songs a faux-Americana belting that reminded me of Ian Astbury. All in all a great showing with a range of tunes & sounds on show, thought I would encourage their singer to try and sing more towards the audience than to his band mates.

Lost Lungs followed, and whilst they played a nice line in indie rock that had moments of Catatonia and 90's radio friendly goodness that would be great for a Summer drive to something exciting with friends they were a bit hit-and-miss for me (in that I liked songs 2, 4, and 6 but songs 1, 3, and 5 left me cold). Their last track was especially impressive, sounding like they were trying to drown me in velvet, and their stage presence was good, but beyond that it just wasn't connecting. Also their drummer was wearing a done-up tie, which will always be a major 'NO' for me as it means they aren't trying hard enough.

Fenrir exploded from the off, bringing a massive injection of positive post-hardcore energy, along with a tempo that perked up the audience and got the first motion going up at the front. They even got a singalong going and win the prize for smothist album plugs of the night. It had me bouncing along and was a nicely polished performance without too much flash or bluster. Just solid sounds and lots of pop hope with breakdowns at just the right points that I would like to check out more of.

This all left a tough one for Forever After to follow, which they didn't really achieve with their Foo Fighters mark 2 offering and the amazing line of "This one's about your girlfriend leaving you and its all emotional" which drew an audible snickering from my side of the audience. None of it was bad, as they could clearly play and were perfectly skilled craftsman (including their bassist who appeared to have recently scored some incredibly powerful E as he spent the whole time smiling like a loon). It's just that none of it was half as exciting as they thought it was or especially new/interesting.

And then finally, for me anyway as I had to nip off before the 11th hour additional 6th act, was The Abstracts. who brought along an Indie-Meets-New Wave sound that mixed The James, The Cars, and a touch of Elvis Costello with just enough Libertines to be distinctly English without needing a punch. It was highly emotive with clear Brit-Pop sensibilities, but nothing too overboard or pretentious (although their singer is quite possibly from another planet given his hyper-kinetic motions and ability to walk on stage dry to then be drenched in sweat before the start of the first track). No fancy stage work, but a good connection with the audience.

So was it worth it? Yes, very much so and especially at the price. I'm aware that events like this have a terrible reputation but for the price you can't complain and none of the acts were especially bad or a waste of time. The next one is on Saturday the 1th of November and I would encourage more people to go to it.

Weighted - Frnkiero and the Cellabration

The new video from Frank Lero's post My Chemical Romance band is out, and it sounds rather good. A heavy dose of modern punk, a splattering of techno sounds, big singalong chorus, and a Misfits-esque video. What's not to like? erm... I can't buy the whole album NOWNOWNOW! 

And much Gerard Way's solo you can clearly hear what Lero brought to MCR , but it sounds like a progression and a moving on rather than an attempt to recapture the past. All my hopes from when they split are coming true, so this makes me very happy.

The World After Alt-Fest

For those who don't know the crowd-funded, alternative music focused musical event, Alt-Fest, was cancelled on the 1st of August, two weeks before the event was scheduled to go ahead. In the run up to the announcement there were plenty of rumours as to the cause, and since the cancellation there have been plenty of theories as to what did or didn't cause it to go ahead. Fingers are being pointed, rumours are being circulated, lines in the sands are being drawn and tombs of truth are being written.

That is something I'm not really interested in, as however you cut it the official version of "not enough money was available for the event to go ahead" is (from all sources) the reason it got pulled. What I am interested in is what it holds for the future of the UK alternative scene and UK festivals, because that is going to be the more lasting legacy than 7,500 people having to find something else to do for a weekend.

There Will Problems With Funding
Whilst the Alt-Fest Kickstarter campaign was not the only source of funds for the event (it only raised 3.6% of the events estimated budget from 5.6% of the required audience) it was the first a lot of people heard about the event, and a key part of a lot of the 'a festival for the fans' promotion that followed it. Regardless of the validity of the campaign a lot of people are considering it a 'kickstarter event' and a 'crowdfunded festival', one of the first (and certainly the most high profile of its kind) in the UK. And it failed to provide the goods that were promised, which means that any future attempts to do something similar are now tainted with that failure. The collapse of Alt-Fest has reduced the viability of this funding method for a range of future events, Anyone now trying to go a similar path for the next couple of years is going to be meet with a cry of 'you mean like that event that got pulled a fortnight before it happened?' and a reduced willingness to put their hands in their pockets to get seed money.

It's also going to cause knock-on problems for people trying to arrange other events regardless of the funding sources. Venues, performers, and other suppliers are going to be harder to convince of the reliability of similar events, so you're looking at greater problems of putting a show together to promote as people are going to need bigger bonds (ie more costs) or just won't take the booking in the first place. This goes for the dull things as well: it is always possible to find an act to headline your show, but you try and put on a show without toilet facilities. And this is before a reduction in ticket sales from the lose in faith from the public of the show actually going ahead, especially if its on the scale of Alt-Fest.

Expect A Reduction In The Ambition Of Other Projects
One of the things that caused a buzz about Alt-Fest was it's pure audacity: a three day long event with multiple stages and headline bands that were internationally known, even by people outside of the core market. The schedule was spectacular and breath taking. It was the proverbial "too good to be true". And as that turned out to literally be the case there is going to be a decrease in people trusting in spectacular and breath taking lineups, outside of established events. I actually think you're going to see a toning down of bills at established events for a while, or at least a lack of anything outside of their established norm.

This is a shame as there was something admirable in the gutsyness of going for something so big, but at the same time it will have the benefit of encouraging people to start small and grow from there. It has, in a most brutal of fashions which I wish could have been avoided, shown that you need more than a great idea and a willingness to put in hard effort to do something like this. It has proven that you need to have multiple skills and knowledges and experiences to make these things happen, that there is a reason that many of the major festivals are run by people more worried about the money than the art. A number of people were speculating it would be the Alternative Scene's Reading, Glastonbury, or Download which was a nice idea but missed the fact that all of these started small and then got big over a number of years. It also possibly showed why people don't do such mixed up shows as Alt-Fest aimed for.

Event Bills Will Stick To Being Conservative
The principle of booking such widely divergent bands as The Dead Kennedys, Zeromancer, Arch Enemy,  Front 242, Amen and Petrol Bastard is a noble one, and reflects the variety of listening habits that a lot of people have (as well what people will put up with in a night club). However it doesn't reflect what people like when they put a lot of money into going to a music festival, as what it appears they want is a lot of variations on the same thing. When people go to events (which they do a lot, as the already quite full UK "alternative" festival calendar shows) they want to be in a more specific mind set and a more specific world, they don't want to be challenged outside of a certain safety zone. So whilst it is fair to say that Gary Numan, Arch Enemy, and Marilyn Manson can pull 5000 people each it is far harder to find 15,000 people that like all three and proven to be even harder to find that many that wanted to see them on the same bill.

This is why most major (and many, many, middle and minor) events tend to have a relatively similar band listing: it works and it gets people to turn up in the numbers needed. There are always going to be outliers (Status Quo at Download, Chas and Dave at Sonisphere, Metallica at Glastonbury), but even then there is tends to be a one-step logical link between them. "Its alternative" isn't that logical a leap, at least not in the numbers needed, as "Alternative" is a crap definition of music or scene as its what it's against rather than what its for. Additionally there isn't that much of an "alternative scene" in the UK, just a lot of smallish sized scenes that have a lot of people who are part of more than one. They are distinct tribes, they just share their population with a lot of people. That does not mean they are all going to join together under a vague banner.

With Alt-Fest having tried to put on such an eclectic spread and not getting the numbers other events are less likely to give things an honest go at a mix up. You will still have outliers, but they will be less obvious and less overt (NB Glastonbury may seem like an exception but its booking of outliers is part of its thing, mostly to give the BBC a story), and you are certainly not going to get anyone willing to put as much cash behind an event that isn't specifically targeting an identifiable and developed scene.


And thats the bad news, but there is also this:


People now know where things can go wrong
The collapse of Alt-Fest has, as said above, in a most brutal of fashions which I wish could have been avoided shown people what can go wrong with an event. But the collapse is going to be pulled apart from every direction, for every angle, and by far brighter and more informed minds than mine. Lessons will be learned, pitfalls will be highlighted, the same mistakes will not be made again, and new events will be forged from it.

It has proved that there is a taste for Alt-Fest
Selling 7500 tickets is no easy feat, and it cannot be done unless there is a demand for a new event on the UK festival calendar that fills some kind of gap that wasn't seen until now. That gap is now visible, and more importantly it's been proven that there is money around to fill that gap. Where there is money there is people who want to make money, and the Alternative scene has always proven itself to be very entrepreneurial because it's mostly founded by people going and doing things for themselves. There is no apathy in terms of festivals, things just didn't work with this one.

Which leads to this:
A different version of Alt-Fest will happen
I doubt it will start as big, or be marketed in the same way, or be as wide ranged as Alt-Fest wanted to be, but someone is going to look at everything that happened and go "I think I could make it work...". In fact I expect several someone's are going to give it a shot, regardless of the doom and gloom posted above. And it will be glorious, and people will have a great time, and it will be around for a while as these things tend to do so (or at least you don't really remember the ones that don't).

Not much solace to the organisers and ticket holders of this event, but still something positive to come out of it all.

Punk's Not Dead, a rebuttal to Bill Drummond

Being up to date on everything musical I recently caught this video from Bull Drummond, first posted in February, 2013.

Whilst I have nothing but respect for Mr Drummond, along with all of his assorted works of art, and I cannot discount his own personal experience, for it was his to have, his proclamation does about how Punk was dead before it even started does eark me for a variety of reasons. And whilst I appreciate that I'm saying this in the position of being a 30 something middle-class muso punk fan who never wore a spiked mohawk or who smashed the system I thought I would try and put the earking into words, because his comments encapsulate a lot of what I've been feeling about the constant proclamation that "Punk Is Dead".

Punk didn't start in 1977, and it most certainly didn't start in Liverpool or even the UK. The first track ever described as Punk was "96 tears", performed by ? & The Mysterians in 1966, over in America. The term was used to describe a visceral type of Garage Rock which can trace it's line back to bands like The Sonics, The Stooges, The Pink Fairies and a hundred other bands who harked back to the original fires of pre-bobbysock and bubblegum Rock and Roll. The UK in 1976-1977 wasn't ground zero for a new movement, it was the latest part of a saga that had been blazing away for over a decade. Given the folly of youth it may have felt like the start of something totally new, and it clearly had its own take on it, but it's pedigree was clear for all to see.

Never Mind The Bollocks may well have been overhyped, and it may not have been the ultimate punk album of all time, but it was hardly the pinnacle of punk. The Saints, The Damned, The Angelic Upstarts and countless others had already got albums out, far more filled with invention and revolution than the Sex Pistols offering. The Pistols, by the time of that release, were poster boys for an idealized scene that their masterful manager had invented. To have everything hinge on that one album was to believe the hype, it was to buy into the very pop myth that punk was working against. What else do you expect to happen but disappointment when you willfully back the wrong horse?

Regardless of the music there was a revolution happening, it was just more of action than of tunes. The DIY ethic, in the publication and distribution of records, magazines, and all other forms of art, did kick off in the UK with the movement known as Punk in the late 70's. Or, at the very least, it stepped up a gear and broke people out of the "you have to wait for someone else to give you permission/publish your work" mindset that had befallen the British youth scene since the 50's. It blasted away the idea of signing to a record label of 20 years before it and it blasted away the idea that you had to be rich to get your work made by yourself of 10 years before that. It also laid down a network and an approach that stormed through the 70, into the 80's and beyond. It was also the groundwork of the very music scene that Bill Drummond made it big in with The TimeLords, The KLF, and all his other works.

Punk is "a genre waiting to be aped by generations to come" (Paul McCartney once said "The Sex Pistols were just another band playing Chuck Berry". All forms of music are, as "It is each generations duty to invent sex, drugs, and rock & roll". Everything has been done before, but each time it has been done differently. You could hardly compare something like The Victims to X-Ray Specs to Black Flag to NOFX to My Chemical Romance and say 'oh, they sound the same', yet all are indisputably punk. Just look at what was happening at the same time in the same country with Two-Tone or Psychobilly. Even "I feel love" by Donner Summer fits into the mix of it all, as it was both an attempt to shift copy and a rebel yell from an outsider scene.

Now I wasn't there, and so most of my knowings are based on reading, watching and listening to relics of the era, so if you want to dismiss all of the above as invalid due to me not having been in the trenches at the time then feel free to do so. But all I know for sure is that it's a genre and a movement that has put a fire in my belly, a bounce in my step, and a direction to my purpose, and I'm feed up with the old timers dismissing it and declaring it dead so readily. Because it started before you and its not going to finish till way after me, so you have no right to call it dead. Your revolution didn't happen, just like it didn't for the hippies, but excuse me whilst my generation finishes having a stab at it and it fully passes on to the next to give it another go.

Wasted Years - OFF!

LA's latest hardcore punk supergroup is back, with another 16 tracks of energetic and bouncy, thrashy fun. Taking a similar musical vein to their previous works this is simple, quick, and compelling explosions of sound and fury. Nothing goes beyond the two minute fifteen mark so this is pared down, go for it music that grabs and idea by the throat and holds onto it just long enough to get the job done. The musical approach is complimented by the lyrics, with Keith Morris yelling about the surveillance state, the abuse of power for personal gain, the dangers of willful submission to ignorance, and everything else that has pissed him off recently (which appears to be a lot of things).

If you are after something delicate, complicated, or radio friendly then this is not for you. Not that is takes itself too seriously, just that it doesn't hang around for anyone or anything. At the same time if you are after something old-school and derivative it's also not going to be your cup of team as, whilst the pedigree of the band may be from the 80s scene the sound is band up to date, just without the current cliches of breakdowns or sing-along in every track. Best listened to as a whole work rather than individual tracks it's both exhausting and exhilarating, having the feel of a live performance and an intimacy that is is rarely replicated.

Radkey

Radkey are three brothers from Missouri who are, if there is any justice in this world, about to break it big. They play short, catchy little numbers that get your toes tapping, and are clearly quite angry about a lot of things but in a calm and clear manner, rather than an unfocused frenzy. Their sound is halfway between the more melodic hardcore punk and doom metal, but with a subtle modern touch to it (think The Misfits and Saint Vitus if they had grown up listening to Nirvana), finely complimented by the booming and clear voice of singer Dee.

Currently they have their two EPs (Devil Fruit and Cat & Mouse) up on their website for free, or you can do what I did and just buy their collection now as this is clearly brilliant music that is just bursting to the brim with excitement, youth, and joie-de-vivre. Really, really, exciting stuff.

Listen to it.
NOW!

Anti-Nowhere League @ The Junction 7/11/2013

Good news, punk still isn't dead. It is a bit older, a lot wider around the middle, and quite possibly has to go home early so it can get the kids to school, but it continues to be loud, heartfelt, and quite angry.

First up was The Destructors, a Peterbrough band who were active in the 80's and then split until recently reforming. They did a half-hour of high energy "Oi" whilst looking very much like they had walked on-stage from the audience (40+, balding, tubby, up-for-it) and decided to give it their all. Nothing that will change your musical world but plenty to bring a warm glow to your heart.

The UK Subs followed up and were given the kind of welcome a band that has been constantly active for 30+ years should expect, which they replied to with a set the kind of set 30+ year active band can provide. A nice range of punk rock and hardcore, spanning the range of their albums, along with a bit of blues. The classics ("Warhead", "Riot", "Down On The Farm") were all present, along with new ones that got a great reception from the slowly growing crowd. Charlie Harper was magnificent as the 69 year old godfather of Punk that he is, softly spoken & warm whilst talking to the audience but energised & powerful when singing. Few dramatics but great stage presence from all the band, so if you get a chance give them a look as there is still plenty left in them.

And then my rock-star moment: Charlie Harper came out into the audience to grab a beer and listen to the music. I respectfully walked over, thanked him for the music, and shock him by the hand. He smiled, said thanks in return, and appeared to just enjoy being their. A great moment. About 30 minutes later he then stood on my foot whilst making his way to the bar, at which it all got just too surreal as this is a guy that I've read about in books & seen in documenteries.

Then it was the main act: The Anti-Nowhere League, and they got fucked over by their sound guy as from the off their usually thunderous guitar sound just came across as tinny & distant, whislt their drums were all over the place. Really, really, annoying as their actual set was brilliant. Not sure if it's punk or heavy metal (lots of facial hair in the band so its a tougher call than you would think) but it was all energy, aggression, and lots & lots of swearing. Animal continues to be an amazing frontman, leaning into the crowd and holding court with ease, and the current lineup have a great connection going. Song wise it was a bit heavy on the older stuff, but then with a back catalogue including "I Hate People", "So What" and "For You" who can blame them. Overall: a brilliant noise that managed to sound fresh & evocative.

The only downside to the night (other than the sodding awful sound during the headline band) was the lack of younger audience members. Whilst the bands on stage were all from the 80's I had thought that there would be more people from the 20-30 age group than their were (myself and Laura were well below the median age there, and we're hardly spring-chickens), especially considering the stature of the bands involved and the 'all ages' attitude that punk professes to maintain. I didn't expect the place to be flooded with youth, I just didn't expect the disparity to be so big. Still, chances are that the kids who 'should of been there' were all off listening to someone just as good but closer to their age.

Bowling For Soup - Cambridge Corn Exchange 06/10/10

Seeing as how Bowling For Soup seem to have decided to come visit Cambridge every October myself and my wife deiced to go along and have a look see, cause £25ish for 4 bands in a not horrible venue isn't that bad a thing. So off we headed to a three quatersish packed Corn Exchange to go toe to toe with a large number of young (ie anyone between 16 and 25) folks out of enjoy themselves in a pleasant atmospheric of universal 'lets all have a laugh and a dance and a sing song'.

First up was A, which kind of blew my mind due to how big this band had been 8 years ago. What also blew my mind was how little they appeared to give a crap about past successes and they just got on with rocking like a band half their age. It obviously had an impact as I have never seen an audience listen so intently before at a rock show, as the majority of the audience the pop-blues-rock that was being laid before them was just something they weren't used to hearing. A managed to win the audience over from start to finish and got fantastic responses from the two tracks people actually knew ('Starbucks' & 'Nothing'). There were points were the references to being old got a little annoying but these were soon out of the way, leaving everyone happy to have seen such a quality act do their thing. Wished I could have seen them in their heyday but still utterly impressed with what they brought to the show.

I wish I could say the same about the Dollyrots but they just managed to underwhelm from the get-go. Word to the wise: if the first thing your 'sex-pot' lead singer does is slink up to the mic and purring out "Hello Cambridge, I hope your going to be as nasty as we are" then you better deliver something that makes me feel like I'm about to be violated. Do not follow it up with some of the most dull and tuneless teeny-guitar-pop ever created, it makes you look like muppets who think a mention of beer & kissing will somehow kick them out of a PG rated performance. And if you're going to do a song based on 'I've got a brand new combine harvester' try to be more entertaining than the Wurzels. Or, preferably, just let A back on. I wish I had more to say on this act but there isn't much more to it on either a musical or performance level.

Next up its Forever the Sickest Kids who managed to utterly excite and impress me for the first 10 minutes with a highly explosive blend of pop emo punk that left me breathless. It was an awesome sound, filled with catchy tunes and feelings and an explosive bouncy joy, and it got everyone up on their feet and going for it which was just wonderful to see. And then the singer just kept on being overly demanding and got on my tits. "I wanna see a circle pit!" "I wanna see you crowd surf!" I wanna see you mosh" I wanna I wanna I wanna. Look mate, how about you do something that demands it rather than repeatedly insist on it happening, especially when your asking for these explosions of physicality during the quiet bits of the songs. Very irritating, especially once I realised that the first ten minutes was going to be repeated for the next 40 minutes. Still they got one hell of a reaction from the kids in the crowd so I have to respect them for that.

And finally it was time for Bowling for Soup, who were doing far less dickaround antics on stage than the last time I saw them. Oh they still had fun, doing things like stopping mid song for a photo opportunity and bantering at each other like Morecambe and Wise, but it was a much more 'here to rock your arse' then the near comedy revue show of last time. And they rocked, they rocked hard. Each song perfectly executed, the band working like a well oiled machine, and the selection a wide range of old and new. It was awesome to behold, punk rock with a Texan swing and that slight touch of eighties metal. Brilliant stuff.

So we left happy with the first & last acts and looking forward to doing it all again next year.