Yerbadiablo is the one man project from Italian multi-instrumentalist Nik (the Öyster) and Jester In Brick Lane his debut album which leaves one a little confused, often bemused, but overall with a buzz and satisfaction from the widely eclectic sounds on offer.
Started in 2010, Yerbadiablo brings a fusion of sounds and ideas which shift from song to song but also entwined in unique and startling ways. To probably over simplify things the music is experimental rock n roll soaked in elements and essences ranging from punk, progressive and seventies rock through to reggae, funk, garage, and hard rock, and that is missing other spices out of the list. From Bologna, Nik provides all aspects of the release with a few guest appearances from musicians like saxophonist/flautist Gabriele Bolognesi of Patty Pravo, adding extra flavouring to his imaginative work.
Released through Logic(il)Logic Records, the album opens with the first single from it, Punk In-Fusion. It is a punk rock/garage stomp with blazing guitars, harmonic shouts, and a scuzzy breath to its energetic stroll. It also shifts through multiple gaits, the punk and rock start evolving through funk and reggae shifts before returning to the boisterous starting sound. First listen , as with the album, is a wrong footing experience, its unexpected and confusing intent leaving one bewildered but the song is easy to warm to and join in league with over a few more visits.
The general theme of the album centres on ‘modern Man’s arrogance towards natural and spiritual phenomena about and more material issues such as the society and economy that he claims to control.’ Throughout though there is the jester of the title, the source of the lyrical attack on man, his anger and spite a punishment to guide and drive man back to older ways and thoughts. It is a premise which leaves one as deep in thought as the sounds, and at times as unsure, but continually lures one in with a willing intrigue and interest as with the sounds.
Winston Smith & the Street Dogs continues the good, its blues/funk rock a keen swagger through the ear which raises a smile on face and emotions. Things are a little unsettled there after though it is more down to personal tastes towards the flavourings used but where a song like Brick Lane does not ignite any sparks a Back To The Monkey with its jazz funk heart is a tasty morsel to get in bed with.
Z’étoile is a real highlight of the album, its ethnic warmth and enthusiasm making for a thrilling instrumental which has no reservation in including rogue mischievous sounds. It is matched by the blues discorded Guilty Blues and the excellent Bad Days Good Waves, a track which reminds of the punk wickedness and sounds of Les Negresses Vertes. It is the best song on the album and despite its length of two minutes, has feet and passions dancing eagerly.
The air blistering and ambience twisting instrumental Towards Wiñay Marka is a inspiring prod to the imagination and leads into the closing duo of Niebla and Yerbadiablo. The first is a gentle sway of piano and guitar around a soft voice which emerges into another chilling and disturbing presence as with the previous track. The last is quite simply the final whisper/threat of the jester, not really a track more a departing rebuke.
Jester In Brick Lane is an engaging and testing album which all should get plenty from. It is vibrant and at times disorientating but always with a magnetic pull to inspire questions and prolonged company. Yerbadiablo should be checked out, it is an experience to make any ones day interesting.
June 25th sees the release of the second single from the album Rooftops from the continually impressive UK indie band The Sea. Released as a free download through their own Lusty Records, Shake Shake is sure to further fan the fires of acclaim which were ignited by their excellent new album and previous single the epic sounding New York.
Brothers Alex (vocals, drums) and Peter D’Chisholme (vocals, guitar, piano) are currently on a tour of the UK with selected dates supporting James Morrison scattered amidst them. The release of Shake Shake with its outstanding indie rock sounds is a fully infectious celebration to light up ears and to inspire more attention for their acclaimed and thrilling live shows.
The song rumbles from the first note with thumping beats from Alex alongside the eager guitar of Peter, his strokes electrified slices across the ear. With vocals as energised and enthused as the sounds, the song expands into an insatiable weave of classic blues rock and greedy indie pop. The chorus is instantly infectious and the energy of the song irresistible bringing a full and compulsive union with heart and limbs. As mentioned there is a full rock breath to the song which brings a flavouring of seventies psychedelic garage sounds, a n essence which is being re-invented by more and more bands either in their overall sound or as here in a particular track, and few have managed to capture and use it as impressively as The Sea.
Shake Shake is another fine example of the diversity and inventive command The Sea have with melodically flowing and energy charged songs in their varied forms. Impossibly catchy and irrepressibly addictive the song simply confirms The Sea as one of the most imaginative and exciting indie bands in the UK right now.
If you thought UK psychobilly was on the decline or started and ended with The Meteors and Demented Are Go then you would be very wrong for now we have a new pretender to the throne of P. Paul Fenech and Sparky in the dark princely shape of Dick Venom. Leading an equally mischievous band of hell’s rejects in The Terrortones they are a fresh, sexy and insatiable addition to the garage/rockabilly/psychobilly freakshows of the UK. We have the pleasure to enter the lair of Mr Venom to find out much more about the unsavoury quartet.
Hello and a big welcome to The RingMaster Review.
Could we start with finding out the history of the man Dick Venom?
Awwww, me? Well I was born in the swamps of the moon’s lagoons and hitched a comet tail to earth. Guess I landed on my ass because my behind which stung like a beehive had been hangin out the back of it for about a month. I dusted myself down, sprayed off a load of space debris and here I am.
When and where did the Terrortones become involved?
They just kinda came outta nowhere. I’d been riding high on jungle janes and ‘gator tails for a while when all of a sudden they hit me. Hell only knows what they were doing in my neck of the woods but damn they sounded good. SugarBeats was pounding on something like a thundercrack jackhammer, Vicky Twist and Wrex St.Clair just seemed to jump out at me with guns and guitars blazin’, they caught me unawares and all the hairs on my unmentionables seemed to jump up to attention.
Your music throws a mix of rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, psychobilly, and garage punk into a swamp of dirty mischief, what are the strongest influences to your sound musically and personally?
Musically? Anything that’s got a lil bit of something raw and a little bit of life to it, stick a little of the Devil there too and you got yourself a mix – from Raw Power era Stooges to N.Y Dolls to Batmobile to Standells hell… let’s throw some Patsy Cline and Wanda Jackson in there for good measure too.
Personally? A lil carpet burn and heat rash and some rubber marks and whiplash and I reckons I just might be entertained
Nottingham is your home, how do you find it for you as an artist and band for opportunities and for finding fans for your insatiable wickedness?
Y’know it’s pretty good. It’s where we started playing and started getting support. And there are always plenty of people to satisfy my appetites. Though I might have to leave when the spate of quiffed up moonchild newborns all come tumblin’ out. Oops.
The band line-up has an uncanny look and feel of The Cramps, intentional or sheer fortune?
Now that can’t ever be a bad thing cannit? I mighta got some fashion tips from a few folk that I like and the Cramps might have been one of them but as for the rest of the ‘Tones – they’re the ones who make the music and they aint never come across the Cramps before getting told they play like them.
You have just had a launch show for new release RockinRollin VampireMan, was it as much of a riot and flesh fest as certain pictures portray?
Awww. Yes. Yes it was. It was every kinda fuckphonic filth that you mighta guessed it would be. Having four sets of jigglies spelling ‘We heart Dick!’ is something I won’t forget. Some people wanna see their name in lights? Seein’ mine on ladylumps will satisfy me fine.
The three track release is a dark beast of gratuitous pleasure, are the songs ones that have riled up audiences at live shows for a while or brand new for the single?
Hmmmm, a lil mix of both. ‘RockinRollin’ VampireMan’ is a pretty old one. ‘StickyPants Trance’, that just had to go on, hell when we first played that song some folk got so wet you coulda drowned toddlers in their pantyhose. ‘Lilly & the Killers’, well that was just a nice lil closer. None were written specifically for it but we try to record just as often as we can so there’s never much delay.
Though your songs often have a horror/movie fuelled theme one gets the sense from the passion you deliver them even in your own inimitable way that there are personal inspirations at play too?
Well I do like to bite.
RockinRollin VampireMan is an infectious almost anthem track, maybe a personal declaration too?
Well with that being the very first song on the very first single then I reckoned I better had set myself up. Aint nutin like an honest introduction.
The tracks sound actually reminds of the first split release the Meteors were involved with but also in a way of very early The Fall. Are these bands that you have a liking for?
Now the Fall I like – but… Really? The Fall? I might have to dig the old stuff out and compare.
(Note from us to Dick..check out How I Wrote Elastic Man).
Included on the single is the track Sticky Pants Trance. We have all had some of that in our lives but what inspired the song itself?
Once I got stuck in a crater of a hiphole and then I got thinkin’ how I got there. Now it can’t all be my fault that chicklets get transfixed in my stickypants trance can it? Guess it’s a curse I have to bare.
The CD comes with a great comic book sleeve, the artwork is excellent, who drew and wrote that?
You can find here in the video for StickyPants Trance, she’s the nurse that gets carted away at the end. She’s called Nurse Catatonic.
Once the dust for the single has settled what comes next and how long before the next release?
Gigs, leather, latex, shows, caber tossing, goat blowing, olive oil, friction burns, corsets, tattoos, tattoos of corsets, pictures of tattoos of corsets, burlesque queens and the odd dream of Dana Scully. Got a bunji clunge jump all lined up too – that’s a bunji jump and target practice all rolled up in one. Next release? Shall we say end of the year? Thinkin’ it might be a new song we’ve written that we so sensitively called ‘Get Fucked Up Good’. It’s a sweet little ditty ‘bout the pitfalls of lovin.
Many bands now seem to be disregarding releasing an album to instead bring a steadier stream of singles or EPs, is that something you may consider?
I think that might be the case. Every time we get a set of dynamite songs we’re gonna get them down and get ‘em out to the masses. If there’s demand for an album then hells yes we’ll do one. Plus this way our comic strip will get longer with every release.
With your diverse sound which fights being tagged how easy is it to find bills and bands to fit easy with your distinct show?
It’s working pretty well, ‘cus we got bits of rockabilly, bits of punk, bits of garage, psychobilly, gothabilly we get tied into a load of different scenes. I reckon people don’t just wanna see one thing at a gig so having a mix up does us some favours.
Is it harder to find gigs further afield than Nottingham with venues that do not know the band or is it the opposite and places you have spoilt that are then more resistant haha?
Can’t say we ever had much problem getting out and about – the more places and people we sweat on the better. I’m a sociable lil critter so I like t’ hound promoters and venues wherever I can. I’d say we play a different city every two weeks at the moment and I reckon I wanna do more. And I aint never trashed a stage or venue too bad to not get an invite to go back.
I can imagine many bands would stay away from sharing stages with you for fear of being blown away from your performances.
Well maybe, guess folks in the audience can only get so wet.
What have been the best gigs you have had to date and most memorable?
The single launch was something unforgettable and every time we play at 12Bar in Soho it’s like the best sticky hotbox homecoming you could ever imagine. Got a nice big break at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham about a year back too.
And the best forgotten?
Already forgotten.
It is hard to believe your gigs are just another show for people, you make sure one way or another they are unforgettable one imagines?
Well now that’s just me all over– unforgettable. And without any show then you may as well be sat at home with a record in your ears. You want something to get caught up in right?
Are there any boundaries or limits that have not been or you will not push in your shows?
Hmmmmmm… I mighta knocked my tooth out twice on a mike, split my lip so bad that I went to a vets right after the gig (I didn’t wanna wait all night at A&E). Think I broke a rib somehow too but I’d never do nuthin to hurt myself on purpose.
Thanks very much for sharing your time to talk with us, do you have any last thoughts you would like to share?
Yeah – I’m all outta whisky and my mouth is bone dry. But you probably had enough of me an mine – why don’t ya get down to a gig and share yours? Maybe check out our video too… www.dickvenom.com.
Finally Gillian Anderson? I know you would and will you share?
Will I share Gillian Anderson?! Oh Heeeeeeellllllllllllls No! That ET bustin buxom she queen is aaaall mine. Hands off ya hear me?
Warm, enthusiastic and completely magnetic, the debut single from Beat Seeking Missiles jumps all over the ear to offer riotous beats, melodically curved grooves, and insistent energy. ‘Break My Fall’/’Dr. Strangelove’ knows what it has and is unashamed in bringing it directly and openly to one’s senses. It has irrepressible blends of beat and surf rock coupled with garage and heartfelt rock ‘n’ roll to merge into a sound that brings sixties vaunt alongside punk attitude and garage rock honesty, it has unbridled dirty charisma.
Released on Dirty Water Records the single brings elements of the likes of The Stones, Bo Diddley, Link Wray and in some ways The Modern Lovers. For all the artists their music does remind of the Beat Seeking Missiles as evident on the single, has a distinctive rugged sound of their own, offering influences as spices to their thick spirited creations. The band is comprised of a pedigree many bands would drool for. There is Sir Bald Diddley (from the Wig Outs/Big Wigs/Alopecia Records), Mick Quinn (dB Band and founding member of Supergrass), Kid Wig (of the Wig Outs/Big Wigs), and Bruce Brand (Pop Rivets/Milkshakes/Thee Headcoats/Masonics), a collective that certainly with this first single combine their experience and attributes into a stimulating and very exciting proposition.
Lead track is ‘Break My Fall’, a sixties lined slice of electrified raw pop. Combining a feel of the Who and the Troggs with The Stooges and The Ramones, the track flows with spiky melodies, soaring Beatlesque harmonies and tenacious riffs. The song openly wants the ear captivated, thrusting a simple but eager driven riff through its centre to allow the guitars to bring scorched diversions and enterprise to the track. The song is an excellent introduction to the band but soon left in the shade by its partner track.
‘Dr. Strangelove’ or to give it the full title on the single sleeve, ‘Doctor Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Beat Seeking Missiles’, is a rumble upon the senses. Part rock ‘n’ roll, part rockabilly, and part sixties enthused blues, the track is monstrous. Its persistent beats are hypnotic and the vocals dogged, the mix recalling the likes of Reverend Horton Heat, Link Wray and at times Ray Campi, plus the punk essences of a Rocket From the Crypt, It is wonderful stuff that gets better with the explosive melodic crashes and cascades within the song. The track plays with an arrogance and self belief that is irresistible and easily confirms that this is a band one needs to hear more of and go see live.
Beat Seeking Missiles are an instinctive need for your musical day, simple as that. Just trust and go listen to this single for your proof.
RingMaster 08/02/2012
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Music and Liverpool simply goes together as obviously as any renowned duo, whether salt and pepper or Jedward and the toilet bowl, some things just are instinctively linked. The city’s music scene has spawn more than its share of great bands and legends and constantly throws more out to the world year after year. The Loud is one of the latest and the best to emerge recently, the trio from the Wirral producing music that has the unique quality of inducing nostalgia whilst having one of the freshest sounds currently being heard. June 20th sees the release of the single Amy’s Gonna Get You on 7” onvinyl and downloadfollowed not too long after by their debut album Harris Shutter, both on Liverpool independent Payper Tiger Records.
A self released sampler in 2010 saw heads turning their way further from home but with the release of their six track burst of garage psychedelic fuzz beat there will be a concentrated wave of enthusiastic interest without doubt. Their sound is an amalgam of various influences and shared loves of long time friends, guitarist and vocalist Pennington Lee and bassist Matthew Freeman. From such flavours as T-Rex, Velvet Underground, and 13th Floor Elevators to Jesus and The Mary Chain and The Black Angels there are familiar touches but all interpreted and then completely enhanced by the band’s own unique perspective with sound. Joined by drummer Leroy Oxton, The Loud are lighting up the music world with some of the most intuitive and senses stirring sounds, fusing instinctive melodies to scuzzed up garage post punk attitude.
‘Amy’s Gonna Get You’ opens the album and instantly one knows this is the start of a special ride. It saunters along swinging its wares against a throbbing bassline and firm drum beat. Lee’s vocals are earnest in their warning but also giving a sense of excited anticipation over the lady in question. The track is a joy, its distorted stroll engagingly addictive. A strong start that is instantly taken higher by the awesome ‘Horrorscope’, from its recognisable guitar opening, though from where eludes, the song stomps all over most music currently doing the rounds. Freeman’s bass rumbles majestically with moody belligerence as the guitars grind and chatter to give the track a neat punk feel.
A Little Taste of Home steps forward next sounding like a meeting of Jesus and The Mary Chain and the Pixies. Attitude soaked it simply stares you in the face and delivers a sentiment that one can interpret to their own current state of mind and place in the world. The Bolanesque There’s A Bomb In The House with its warm and familiar fuzzy glam rock feel equipped with T-Rex backup melodic vocal, sways into view next swiftly followed by the slow blues emotive Avida Dollars. This track and the psychedelic haunt of Magic that closes the release, bring a more soulful and effectively simple and slower pace to the album and if any criticism could be made of Harris Shutter it is that it ends on a marked downbeat that the replacing of one or both these tracks in the album’s song order will have avoided but as always it is down to a personal feel and not a fault.
Produced by Ross Halden (Wild Beasts, The lucid Dream), Harris Shutter is a wonderfully stunning release that on each play grows and elevates higher in opinion. Vocalist Lee quoted on the album “Harris shutter has been a labour of love. We had a great time making it and a better time doing all the things that it’s about. It’s worth all the shit gigs when you finally have the record in your hands. The way it’s all come together, the way it looks feels and sounds, I couldn’t have asked for any better, and couldn’t have asked for a better group of people than those who have been working on it. It’s pretty special man.” That sums up the release perfectly; you would be a fool to not listen to the creator and the album itself.
rock/garage stomp with blazing guitars, harmonic shouts, and a scuzzy breath to its energetic stroll. It also shifts through multiple gaits, the punk and rock start evolving through funk and reggae shifts before returning to the boisterous starting sound. First listen , as with the album, is a wrong footing experience, its unexpected and confusing intent leaving one bewildered but the song is easy to warm to and join in league with over a few more visits.
