London five-piece The Murder Act are set to release their debut EP Traum this week. Sounding like a marriage between The Birthday Party and NEU! gone wrong, the Murder Act create a very dark, almost sinister wall of noise. Think distant vocals, drones and hypnotic synths. The band started out because they were getting bored with the music they were hearing and wanted to create something new. I must admit they accomplished that goal. The Murder Act do not allow themselves to be labelled and put in a box. Rather, they seem to bring an exciting mixture of krautrock, post-punk, minimal and no-wave.
The EP will be released on April 25th, on hand numbered limited edition 12″ vinyl and digital download. The Murder Act are also having a launch party on April 20th, at The Victory. They will be playing alongside Old Forest and Dogfeet (ex Stavin’ Chains), while ECC and Dee Sada will be spinning some records. Make sure you come down! This is a free party, which will allow you to spend the money you saved on Traum, a must-have vinyl for everyone who likes their music flooded with feedback and distortion.
You can stream the album and pre-order your copy here, while a free download of R.A.P.E. can be found here.
God Don’t Like It have announced a brilliant lineup on on April 10th at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen to raise money for the Red Cross to send food, medicine and general aid to Japan.
Headlining is London via Japan super-band Bo Ningen - one of the best live bands in London over the last few years.
Then Merok’s Comanechi for a rare live show!
And then we have The Catcher Nine. The new band from Koichi from Screaming Tea Party and other friendly faces. This will be one of their first gigs.
Apart from minimal venue and band costs all the money will go to the Red Cross.
Tickets are available from Ticketweb for £7.50. These tickets are booking-fee free.
The XL Recordings signed Friendly Fires have released their latest track online and the electrodance outfit from sunny St Albans don’t disappoint to impress. The single, the first taken from their soon to be released album ‘Pala’, was premiered by Zane Lowe on his Radio 1 show on Tuesday. Making a firmer foray into the world of dance music this is a club ready track that is sure to fill dance floors across the country with hip young things ready to get their party on.
The Friendly Fires boys will preview tracks from their new album at a one-off gig at London’s XOYO with the album set for release on the 16th May.
The Diagram Brothers - I Didn’t Get Where I Am Today By Being A Right Git (Riverside Arts live show, 1982)
Art-punk discordo pioneers The Diagram Brothers have had their sought-after Peel Sessions combined by fantastic Norfolk label LTM. The three sessions, from 1980, 81 and 82, collect fantastic strong performances from slap bang in the midst of the fertile post-punk scene. The tracklisting includes We Are All Animals and Bricks and should be released around April. Preorders can be made at Rough Trade. In the meantime, a great selection of tracks are available on Spotify.
Holy Roar’s THROATS have called it a day. Not in the casual, “We’re taking an indefinite hiatus” sort of way, but as posted on their website, a big “FUCK OFF”. There’s potential for one last show, but otherwise, this is it.
Shame, they were one of the highlights of the Hardcore stage at Offset in 2009.
The future is looking bright for North London four piece Islington Boys’ Club! Sitting somewhere inbetween the rock and electro bands of this world, IBC create music that is innovative. Uplifting rock music filled with exciting hooks, pounding drums and intelligent, beautifully sung vocals. They have shared stages with the likes of O.Children, Dark Horses and Is Tropical and played The Stag & Dagger and 1234 Shoreditch festivals this year.
Their debut AA side single Pristine / Plastic 16 is set for release on Monday 22November 2010 through Club.The.Mammoth, in association with Too Pure. Don’t hesitate to get your copy because this beauty is a limited edition: only 500 7″ vinyls will be pressed.
As if this isn’t enough, this week’s madness has just started for Islington Boys’ Club. On Thursday 25 November, they’re sharing the stage with bands such as Bones, Arrows of Love and The Tenebrous Liar. This combined with Blue on Blue and Mikey Spider djing, I recommend you get on your dancing shoes an head to The Camp around 7:30 PM!
Chris Carter’s seminal work ‘The Space Between’ is to be given a vinyl release by Glasgow’s Optimo Music.
Originally recorded between 1974 and 1978 at Industrial Records studio in London ‘The Space Between’ album was first released as a 90 minute cassette in 1980 on Throbbing Gristle’s Industrial Records label. It wasn’t until 1991 that it was again released by Mute Records on CD. Although tracks from ‘The Space Between’ have appeared on numerous compilations since its release, the album has never been available on vinyl until now…
Fancy sampling some of the sounds you’re likely to hear between bands at Offset 2010? Here are the first five mixes from some of our favourite bands and DJs: Tim Burgess, John Linger, Neil Lion, Death in Plains and Clout. Have a listen – more mixes on the way!
The truly original Offset faves Drum Eyes finally reward us all with a full length album.
After playing amazing sets at both previous Offset Festivals and with majestic reviews in Clash, The Fly, Loud & Quiet, I think you should take the last chance to preorder it and have it sent out to you early! Out on Upset The Rhythm on CD, 12″, mp3 or FLAC, preorder from Boomkat right now.
Offset is very nearly upon us and in the spirit of celebration, we’re proud to announce our final lineup for 2010, in all its exciting, esoteric, glory.
On an electronic tip, two of the most acclaimed, innovative acts around right now – Caribou and Mount Kimbie, are set to play live, showcasing tracks from their critically lauded albums, “Swim” and “Crooks and Lovers” respectively. Over on the main stage, the much beloved Art Brut are set to storm the day with their very distinctive strain of barbed, singularly British pop, while Pulled Apart By Horses will burn a hole in your cranium with their mind meltingly demented take on rock.
We are also excited to announce that White Heat, for the first time ever, will be hosting their very own stage at Offset, and for their debut outing they have collated a brilliantly eclectic lineup, ranging from Connan Mockasins’ fantastically twisted pop to Esben and the Witch’s spellbinding twilight gloom, to Banjo and Freakout’s gorgeous, layered, electronic-tinged soundscapes and Anna Calvi’s entrancing, guitar-led tales of love and loss.
And there’s more. Joining an already incredible lineup:
Anna Calvi
Banjo or Freakout
Bitches
Blurt
Bunny Come
Calories
Caribou
Castrovalva
Cold In Berlin
Cold Pumas
Colours
Connan Mockasin
Esben and the Witch
Ghost of a Thousand
Gramme
Holy State
Horse and Condor
Hyrst
Koudlam
La La Vasquez
Meddicine
Mount Kimbie
Not Cool
Novella
Oh! Gunquit
Paper Crows
Peepholes
Please
Proxy Music
Pulled Apart By Horses
Sauna Youth
Screaming Tea Party
Slapper
Special Recreation Wish Club
Team Ghost
Teeth of the Sea
The Bridport Dagger
The Eyes In The Heat
The Neat
The Receeders
The Rifle Volunteer
Thomas Tantrum
Visions Of Trees
Xcerts
A more radical and galvanising festival lineup you’re unlikely to find anywhere else – with 7 stages, around 200 artists and a huge vintage clothing fair, Victorian fun fair, village fete, psychedelic sports day, nature treks, performance art area, craft workshops, delicious food stalls, fifties hairdressing salon and even a rare breeds farm, Offset 2010 promises to be an absolutely unmissable experience.
