Kill Your Own #7

Last year my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was fucking lucky and they caught it early enough that it could be removed and everything is going to be okay.

Over New Years, Claire's dad was diagnosed with cancer. He won't be so lucky. I wasn't going to mention any of this, but Claire wrote an article that mentions it.

The point I'm making, is that some really heavy stuff happened which – amongst other things – meant that this zine didn't happen when I originally wanted it to.

This is why it's been about nine months since Issue #6.

That said, I'm glad and relieved to finally be unleashing Issue #7 upon you, and I really hope you enjoy it. I've changed the layout for this issue, and gone for a far more boring affair. On the plus side, it'll be far easier to read in the low light of a punk rock show!

I've also scrapped the Live Reviews. Reason being, I hated writing them. Given the sheer amount of time between #6 and today, the CD/Record section is fucking massive. I really do try to review everything that gets sent to me but, alas, a few things didn't make the cut as I had so much to review. I'll try and squeeze them into #8 which – the way things are going – will surface some time in 2014.

This issue wouldn't have happened without the help and general friendship of some wonderful people. Huge thanks to Claire, Laura and Dan. Massive thanks to everyone who did any reviews for me; namely Goldsmith, Chris, Garry and Luke.

More thanks to all the bands/labels/agents/etc who send me stuff for this zine.

There is too many of them to name individually, but thanks. And to Tony Southern Lovin: good luck in the future.

As usual, if you want to get in touch please do. My e-mail address is ian@killyourown.co.uk. If you want an ad, that would be great. My rates are dead cheap. Half a page is £4, a full page is £8, and the back cover is a tenner.

Also, if you buy two full pages (which don't necessarily need to be near each other) you save two quid and get them for only £14.

Cheers

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- Ian, 3rd April 2012

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KILLYOUROWN.7.CONTENTS 5 11 14 19 28 30 46 48 52 58 62 70

Interview: Sam Duckworth (Get Cape) Article: Ed Sheeran Great Bad Movies Interview: Johnny Foreigner Article: A Musical (R)evolution CD/Record Reviews (Part 1) Interview: Excellent Adventure Article: We're Not Going to Take it Any More Article: How I Spent My Summer Vacation Interview: The Super Happy Fun Club CD/Record Reviews (Part 2) Recipes

There's a lyric in Surrounded By Idiots by Vanilla Pod: I can't believe what's happened to this scene, this manufactured bullshit Busted and Lavigne. I've never seen their face in a fanzine but yet again there goes the corporate hype machine.

Well, Rob, now you have!

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I've known Sam Duckworth – perhaps best known as the man behind Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly – for a few years now. Back when I lived in Norwich, I'd put Get Cape on a few times when he was first starting out, and went to many more of his shows. So to say it was weird to try and conduct some sort of formal interview is a bit of an understatement, evident by the fact I froze up right at the start as I couldn't think of how to even approach the concept of interviewing someone I've had many casual chats with over the years!

This interview was outside the Portland Arms in Cambridge after Sam had just played on the tour for his first album under his given name, as opposed to the Get Cape project.

Ian: Er... I don't know how to start this thing!

Sam: It's kinda weird, isn't it?!

I've chatted to you so many times, it feels really weird sticking a recorder down there and trying to get all formal with it... er... why the solo project when you were solo to start with I guess? Would be the obvious question!

It's a very different sound. The thing is, it's kind of... I'm looking at it and I wanted to break away from either laptop and stuff, or more up-tempo stuff. I was writing these songs on the last Get Cape tour, and it didn't feel like the type of thing that would naturally fit inside a Get Cape set, and I felt like it was something that I wanted to do, y'know, like I could just play with a guitar or a couple of guitars, and that's it. It's really the sonic differences and, also, I'd started thinking about whether I was gonna do another Get Cape record and, if so, how would it sound. It was just a chance to try something new and start from scratch, and play some songs that were of a different style.

I saw you've got the fourth Get Cape record pretty much in the can?

Yeah, it's pretty much finished now.

I know with the last record you worked with Nitin Sawhney quite a lot. Have you got anyone who you've been working with?

Yeah, I've been working with Jason Perry from A – me and him have made this record together.

Does that make it a more rock record?

Yeah, it's very much a rock record. There's a lot of electric guitar, it's quite thrashy, it's quite cut-and-pastey. It was written and recorded – well, demo'd – in about a month, and then we spent three/four weeks finishing it. It's been quite scrappy and energetic and, to be quite honest, I didn't wanna over-produce it like I have in the past; just kinda get it all down and be nice and raw.

I'm guessing that's on Cooking Vinyl again?

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I think so, yeah.

How's everything working out with Cooking Vinyl? Because I only ever knew them as the label Billy Bragg was on, so I assumed they must be fairly sound.

Cooking Vinyl is a super-cool label to be on because they just get on with stuff, y'know.

There's no meddling, y'know. It's making records and releasing records, yeah, it's a really good bunch over there and they've been kind to me. Dead easy, really.

How does it compare to Atlantic?

It's a different world to Atlantic. At Atlantic it was easy to get stuff done at times, because there was a bit more money. I had a lot of creative freedom at Atlantic and I had opportunities to take bigger risks. It's a different team, y'know. I grew up with the guys at Atlantic throughout my whole career, and that moved into somewhere different and it's cool, I'm happy. I'm just kinda pleased to be making records and having a comfortable home; and I like the lack of pressure that comes from being [on Cooking Vinyl], not on an individual basis there was some pressure at Atlantic, but there was always a kind of corporate over-hang I feel a little more pleased to be away from.

Keeping with the major theme, do you feel that to change the system you need to work within the system? So you need to be on a major to get more people hearing you, to spread the message to a wider audience?

I don't think major labels are the biggest arseholes in the world, y'know. I think sometimes musicians are staunchly indie and 'I don't wanna work with majors' and then you see them wearing Nike. I think, like, whatever. You know what I mean? I'm not trying to say that one's worse than the other; pick your battles, y'know. I worked with a major for a long time, Rage Against the Machine came out on Epic, John Lennon put records out on Parlophone that were very political, The Beatles were political, y'know, The Clash were on a major label. Whatever, y'know, it's a record label and you don't deal directly with the corporate heads. Yeah, I mean, I think the problem can be broken down more into the attitudes of the people at the top end of the company. I hate... y'know... if I had the chance I wouldn't wanna work with any corporations at the time, and I stand by the decision. I wanted to work with Atlantic because, actually, the people that I'd met they felt... Paul, who was my A&R man... he felt like the person that I most wanted to work with releasing records; and it got me to the place where I'm carrying on releasing records with different people. Truth be know, I don't think it makes a damn bit of difference.

How do you think The Mannequin has been received by people who only know you for Get Cape stuff? Like tonight, people were incredibly receptive of it. I mean obviously it's a bit smaller crowd than a Get Cape crowd, but people seemed into it and, to be honest, I was expecting the usual acoustic-gig-people-talk-a-lot, but it wasn't that at all.

People genuinely hung on your every word, which I thought was awesome.

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It's a record that's very much setting a tone. The main reason it came out in my own name and I wanted to start things differently was I didn't want it to be like other people shout songs, and I play songs. I kind of got a bit sick of playing a gig and everyone shouting 'War of the Worlds' after, like, every song I played; like I've kinda got one song in my library. I wanted to make a record that was quite mellow, and quite abrasive in that it was designed to be listened to because the words on the album are kind of what slides it, really. Pacing: the songs are deliberately designed to hopefully create an atmosphere like there was in tonight's gig, drawing you into what I'm saying in the songs. It's been a very interesting tour so far; it's been, like, pin-drop silence. It's been amazing.

Are you planning on doing Sam Duckworth and Get Cape concurrently? The analogy I was going to make was like [Japanese professional wrestler] Keiji Mutoh and The Great Muta, like how he had two different personas...

Y'know what, yeah! ...or is it something that's kind of done and then you'll move on?

I dunno, I think it's weird. Like, I always used to have lots of plans for stuff, now I'm just feeling it out.

I'm really enjoying this tour, and I'm looking forward to getting out with Get Cape. I don't know if they'd ever happen at the same gig – probably not – but certainly I don't think this will be the end of me playing this record.

Do you kinda feel that one gives you more appreciation for the other? Like, when you do Duckworth gigs you wanna do a Cape song. Or you write a Cape song and then you wanna do some Duckworth stuff.

Yeah it does. Well, it certainly partitions it. It actually makes it more easy for me to be focused. I think, y'know, the focus on this Get Cape record has been greater because of having this [Sam Duckworth] album out. I think it gives you one less... sometimes you just try and mix too many strands at once, y'know, and kinda taking the finger-picking and the story-telling element, and taking that away from the Get Cape side of things; it's kind of opened up a different kind of energy and song-writing in the Get Cape stuff and then vice versa, I feel like it can kind of... that these songs don't have to have hooks all over the place or sounds jumping out; and it's very kind of flat and linear and it's okay to be like that. It's kind of split the difference between two worlds in a way that, actually, I've really enjoyed as a song-writer.

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I might be really off the mark, but the impression I get now is that your fourth [Get Cape] album is gonna sound like [third Cape album track] 'The Uprising' but ten times more epic! I could be completely wrong!

You're close, you're close. It's like 'Queen For a Day', kind of, but dirtier. It's a bit scuzzy, it's a bit poppy, a bit... er... yeah... shoddy! But in like a deliberately, kind of, thrashy kind of way.

How much of that is Jason Perry's influence? Or is that just all ideas you had going into it?

I had a vibe, y'know. I had a vibe for a record; I knew what record I wanted to make, but I needed somebody to make it with that was gonna bring it to a different place, because it was ideas that were a bit... not haphazard, but they weren't formal and finalised. I needed someone who was going to work within the remit of the sound; and the good thing about... actually, the great thing about Jason... I was speaking to the guys in Kids in Glass Houses and Jay who plays in my band worked with him when he played keyboards for Kids and he said to me 'you gotta work with Jason, it's his energy in the studio; you'll get it'; and I met up with him – we'd met up a couple of times before – but met up to talk music stuff and his head was in the same place as me so we tried it out and it's like 'yeah, this is working' and we pretty much just went straight into the studio and made it. He really helped me get my structures down, y'know, he helped me find different avenues in the melody to check out, and also to be more confident in things, y'know, bolder with the sound choices. I loved it, I'd probably work with him for a long time, actually.

Kind of a weird question, but I've always wanted to get an artist's take on it: someone that's had proper albums out on real labels and stuff like that. How do you feel about people buying stuff at a show, off you, compared to people buying your stuff from a store? Is it something that there's merits to both, or do you rather they did one over the other?

If they're buying stuff I'm stoked! Nah, not to sound greedy at all but, y'know...

I think it's probably because I work in a shop, so things like this run through my head.

You know what? To me I like buying stuff from a band at a show because when I first started going to see bands that's what happened.

Yeah.

But I also like going into a cool record shop and buying a record. What I do find a bit weird is when bands kind of do their album for £4.99 in Tesco and then £11.99 in an indie and £12.99 at their own shows. It's a bit like, get your priorities right. I think anything that works within the framework of people that are involved in the music; whether it be an independent cool shop that's supported a band, or whether it's buying it directly from us, it's nice that people are interested enough to buy something.

I hope you know every time you say “indie store” I just picture Banquet!

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To me it is Banquet. Puregroove's gone now and Rough Trade's not too far from the end and Rough Trade's awesome. There are good shops around the country; Resident in Brighton.

Soundclash in Norwich.

Yeah. There's just not a lot left, unfortunately.

I miss that. To me, going to a record store was part of it. It wasn't just about buying music, it was about having a chat with the dudes that worked there and the experience of people going 'oh, if you like that you have to buy this' and you'd buy it because you trust that guy's opinion.

There was a retribution in that. There was a sense of if they recommended you something and you listened to it, if you liked it you'd trust their recommendation again because it was face-to-face and there's accountability there.

Yeah.

Whereas, y'know, do we trust our bloggers now? I read plenty of blogs; who's the faceless person who's telling me I'll like this, and then it's hit-or-miss, or it's a different person writing this blog and there's something that I think that's really lost in the art of that, is that there's a few records in my collection that even if I searched – even the places I look on the internet – I haven't found them, y'know, and it comes directly from recommendations of people that worked in shops, and I think it's sad because, to me, it's the heartbeat of, y'know, how music's spread. It's from people who have heard it and love music, passing it around.

On a similar sort of note – keeping with the whole recommendation theme – what albums and bands this year have you heard that have made you go 'fuck, this is brilliant'?

Compass by Jamie Lidell is just a huge record. Huge, huge record. I've listened to that a lot. Erm, what else have I listened to? UK wise? A band called Let's Buy Happiness from Newcastle who I think are absolutely amazing. Kind of American Football, kind of, but a bit more poppy but really cool band. They're great. Yeah, who else have I listened to?

There's quite a few bits and bobs. Shoes and Socks Off, it's great to have Toby out on tour.

A lot of the stuff on BSM. Tall Ships; I saw them for the first time this year and they were totally amazing. Good times. It's good times for British bands.

Was Shoes and Socks Off your choice [for tour support]?

Yeah, I really wanted Toby to do it so I'm glad that we were able to sort it out.

In keeping with the recommendation theme, have you heard the new Tellison record?

I have, yeah. Wicked, aren't they? Wicked band. The Xcerts got played today on daytime Radio 1 on Fearne Cotton, and they've been chipping away and chipping away and Tellison are the same. Those two bands, Tellison and the Xcerts, are, to me, the best, like, British punk rock/rock/indie rock/whatever-you-want-to-call-them. The best two. It's Tellison, isn't it? They've always been a great live band, now they're on a different plane.

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Sort of going back a bit, how much of a headspin was it for you when you got signed to Atlantic and you got big? Because, as someone that knows you, seeing you play the [150 capacity] Ferry Boat in Norwich and the next time I saw you was a sold out UEA with 1,500 people; it blew my mind! How was that for you? Was it just something that you'd always wanted to happen, so when it happened there was a sense of relief that you'd got there?

It was cool, y'know? It was a bit of a whirlwind. I mean... I dunno, is the honest answer. I don't really think about it. As much in an analytical space, anyway. Yeah, it was mental that people were coming, that that many people were coming; and the shows were good fun. Y'know, I look back on it now and I'm so happy that it happened, but I think that, equally the last eight years of making music are equally as important. Whether it be to build up relationships, friendships, memories, whatever it's learning lessons, spending different time with people, hanging out, finding out something new. Y'know, it's all been good. That's a lie! It's not all been good, some times have been rubbish but...

Such is life.

Exactly. And those shows – and that whirlwind – were amazing, and I'm now looking forward to getting back on the road with this new album and the new Get Cape one.

And that's where we ended it (well, there were many words of thanks, too). As I said before, it was pretty strange trying to conduct an interview with someone I've hung out with and casually chatted to many times before. Also, as I've never interviewed Sam I wanted to try and get something of an overview of his career so far, but I got the impression that he wasn't as comfortable as talking about the past as I would have wanted him to be. Which, for the record, I do totally understand; especially as he was touring his first Sam Duckworth record and I'm standing there, asking questions about Get Cape tours and label business from about five years ago which he's – no doubt – discussed at length many times before. Regardless of this, though, Sam has always been an extremely intelligent and thought-provoking guy, and this was no different.

Unfortunately, I forgot some of the questions I had planned to ask, such as the issues of being first-generation English, and his work with the post-riot clean-up work.

If you want to check out Sam's music further, go to either www.samduckworth.co.uk or www.getcapewearcapefly.com. If you're a Twitter kind of person, you can follow @forgetcape.

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Anyone Who Calls Ed Sheeran a “Sell Out” Can Fuck Right Off words: Ian Perry Yup. Hardly the most “punk” of articles/rants, but still. It's something I want to talk about. Ed Sheeran. He of top-of-the-charts fame. Y'know, the ginger dude who had that song about girls on smack; or something. Ed Sheeran is from somewhere near Norwich and Ipswich, and started off in the Norwich scene, playing local gigs, supporting bigger bands, and winning a shitty annual local talent show (of which, no one who wins – baring Ed – has ever amounted to anything).

The dude worked his arse off, touring, playing countless shitty shows, writing/recording/releasing countless EPs, and just doing whatever possible to “make it”. Sure, there's the argument that his parents weren't exactly poor and helped him out; but if you had a kid, and could afford to help them out, wouldn't you?

Like most indie bands these days, Sheeran built the majority of his fanbase by hammering social media and relentlessly playing gigs. Chucking up loads of music – be it Youtube videos or iTunes singles – so people could actually hear him (unlike, say, Lana Del Rey who I'm pretty sure only had that one song for ages).

The point I'm trying to make, is that the dude worked bloody hard. If you don't like his music then fine, that's cool. I just get annoyed when people assume he's some sort of creation, or a “sell out”, purely because he's actually become megafamous.

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Great Bad Movies! intro: Dan King Over the past 6 months, Chris Fafalios (Punchline) and Matt Jurcevich (A Week In July) have dared each other to watch films classed as “bad”, including such classics as Home Alone 3. We decided that these were too good to not share so asked if we could put them here.

“Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann” review by Chris Fafalios Jurce dared me to watch 1982’s “Time Rider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann”. After going to the theaters to see Contagion, Drive, and Dream House over the past few weeks, i knew that it HAD to be at least as good as those pieces of garbage! Right from the start, I knew it would be when I saw that the movie was scored by MICHAEL NESMITH. He’s a freakin’ MONKEE for Christ’s sake! I wasn’t let down by the generic guitar rock that started the movie, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed by all the HOT DIRTBIKE ACTION done by a man dressed like a red Lego dirtbike rider. The man is LYLE SWANN, and I can tell that he’s about to have an ADVENTURE. He’s also SO dang sweaty.

It doesn’t take long for Lyle Swann to show us how he got the nickname TIME RIDER. A bunch of nerd scientists help Kyle and his dirtbike travel 105 years in the past (1982 - 105 = 1877). Although it seems like the scientists were responsible, I completely believe that it was Mikey Nesmith’s synth rock that does the trick. Lyle encounters a man in a straw hat who thinks that Lyle’s dirtbike is so COOL that he literally DIES right there! It was funny and depressing at the same time. What a way to go: death by shock at the sight of a dirtbike.

We are introduced to a gang of cowboy outlaws. The leader has weird teeth. He has a big roll of PINK SILK that he is very proud of. When one of his crew of outlaws says he doesn’t like the silk, the leader kills him by way of shooting him through the silk. After a quick dip in the river, Lyle encounters the outlaws and they shoot at him. Lyle escapes, but now the outlaws WANT HIS MACHINE. Oh, and a naked lady watched all of this from the bushes.

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The outlaws try to shoot Lyle Swann, and they obviously miss. The outlaw leader then spews some of my favorite new insults, which I will be sure to use on a daily basis from now on. For example: “You craphead!”

“You yellow chickenshithead!”

“You yellow craphead!”

The rednecks chase Timerider Lyle for what seems like cinema eternity, until finally a frizzy haired woman hides Lyle in a basement of a pueblo in a small village. She then shoots one of the outlaws in the face and blows his nose off. I was glad that someone finally hit something with a shot, although I felt bad for the poor little outlaw.

About 15 seconds later, Lyle and the frizzy woman are making pretty gross love to each other. They fall in love pretty quickly, especially when she finds out that Lyle can READ. Isn’t that why all guys learn to read though? To impress illiterate women when they travel back in time on a dirtbike? Exactly.

The outlaws end up stealing both the dirtbike AND Claire the frizzy girl. I fall asleep for a little while, and when I wake up, I see the dirtbike crashing over a mountainside. Luckily, there is now a helicopter coming to rescue Lyle. A pair of bloody boots are on the ground.

Lyle tries to bring Claire with him back into the future, but instead she just rips off his necklace and shows it to him. Lyle says something stupid (narrator style), and then the credits roll. I am guessing I missed a few things during my doze off session, but I highly doubt I missed much. I love the mysterious music and still shots from the movie during the credits. I feel like a real yellow craphead for kinda watching this movie.

“Runaway” review by Chris Fafalios Jurce dared me to watch 1984’s “Runaway” starring Tom Selleck. I’m guessing that Jurce dared me to watch this movie because of the cover, which features Tom Selleck looking tough and wearing what appears to be a Nintendo Power Glove (which is impossible, because the Power Glove didn’t come out until years later). This film was written by Michael Crichton, who later would make some movies about dinosaurs and make a billion dollars. At some point in his life, however, Michael Crichton figured it was a good idea to cast the world’s favorite mustached man as a police officer who specializes in battling robots. He also thought it was a great idea to cast Kirstie Alley in the same movie.

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Early in the film, Tom Selleck and his new partner in battling robotic crime (played by some TOTALLY BLONDE 80s BABE) go to a field where a small robot is wreaking havoc by making a thin path across a corn field. I love that they go to the field on a HELICOPTER - it’s good to know that taxpayer money is being used to stop tiny robots from slightly messing up the cornfields. Tom alludes to his fear of heights, which I am ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE will come into play at the end of the movie.

The two officers save the day by tackling the robot in a very wacky way. The robot explodes, leaving them with dirty faces, which is exactly what would happen on The Flintstones. They give the destroyed robots to the farmers. The farmers barely thank them.

Soon after, Tom Selleck saves a baby from an evil robot that looks like an overhead projector. The baby touches his mustache, and a crowd of people goes nuts. Tom Selleck is all over the news, and his son is very proud. His son is also extremely annoying. Luckily, his son’s robot babysitter (Lois) makes him go to bed. Lois looks like a giant rolling VCR. Tom Selleck and Lois have an entertaining exchange about his son only wanting to eat hot dogs, which leaves me checking to see how far into the movie I am (23 minutes). All this talk about food makes me hungry, and I go into the kitchen to make a sausage and egg croissanwich.

As I eat my breakfast sandwich, my eyes and ears are assaulted by gunshots and chase scenes. Some guy that I don’t know or care about dies, and I feel like I’m reading a book that I’ve been assigned to read in English class where I keep reading the pages over and over and not processing any of it. I try to figure out if this movie is supposed to be in the future, and if so, if they thought that people would still be using Commodore 64 computers in the future. When Kirstie Alley finally makes her first appearance in the movie, she is assaulted with electricity by a robot that looks like the stackable plastic drawers that you buy at Wal-Mart. This is the first thing that I enjoy about the movie.

I stare deeply into the television screen in a daze until I am awoken by Tom Selleck using his one F-word that you’re allowed to use in a PG-13 rated movie. It appears that his blonde robot police partner has been shot. There is a long, drawn-out scene of him removing the bullet from her in which I get up and make a Boca Burger. As I watch it rotate in the microwave, I wonder why Kirstie Alley hasn’t been in the movie more. I then realize that this is the first time that anyone has ever wondered why Kirstie Alley isn’t in a movie more.

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When Kirstie finally makes her return, she does it triumphantly by calling Tom Selleck a “shithead”. Shortly after, there is a gratuitous shot of Kirstie in her bra. It seems like Tom Selleck is trying to protect her from someone named “Luther”, but I haven’t paid enough attention to know who Luther is. I get up to get a bowl of pumpkin ice cream, and I realize that terrible movies are going to make me fat. When I get back, I am overjoyed to see that Luther has killed Kirstie by stabbing her in the back of the head and throwing her in the pool. As a Cheers fan, i feel very mean for being happy about that. Michael Crichton has accomplished what he set out to do when he wrote “Runaway”, which I assume was to make people fat and mean.

Luther continues his no-good ways by kidnapping Tom Selleck’s annoying son. For some reason, Tom decides to go rescue him. Luther demands the “templates”, which I assume are templates from the screen printer who will be printing Luther’s “I Killed Kirstie Alley And All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt” t-shirts. The obnoxious boy is sent down an elevator toward a bunch of tiny spider robots that are filled with acid, but Tom’s babe/partner rescues him in the nick of time. Tom Selleck is quickly fired up an elevator until he is high above the city and paralyzed by HIS FEAR OF HEIGHTS (that I totally called at the beginning of the movie). He is attacked by the robot spiders, and soon dangles miles above the city lights. He figures out some dumb way to get out of his precarious situation, only to end up face to face with the one and only LUTHER. Luther obviously gets murdered very violently by the spider robots. They really kill the f*ck out of him.

Tom strangles him for good measure, says “I think I finally overcame my fear of heights”, and makes out with his blonde babe partner. It’s the perfect ending to a Tom Selleck movie.

“Home Alone 3” review by Matt Jurcevich As expected with any children’s movie, we open with the Hong Kong Mafia discussing a microchip that guides a nuclear missile. This chip is worth 10 million dollars, which is a lot of money back in 1997. A gangster type fellow and his cronies place this chip into a toy car to get it past airport security. At this point the opening credits are still rolling and I see that the production designer’s name is Henry Bumstead, to which I laugh at heartily because that’s what my Gramma calls peoples asses. The gangsters amusingly misplace their shopping bag with the toy and some old lady picks it up mistakenly.

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The geezer and the hidden microchip land in Chicago where it is very crappy outside as always. Macaulay Culkin (Alex) is shoveling this woman’s driveway as she arrives home.

Mac has obviously had some cosmetic surgery done since the 2 prequels to this #1 blockbuster. The woman thanks Alex for a job well done and gives him the toy car in return. He thanks her by commencing with some deep bumstead scratching. When he arrives home he walks past his sister played by Scarlett Johansson and goes into the bathroom where he strips down to his skibbies, sees a rash and starts screaming like a banshee. His sister laughingly exclaims “Alex slammed his THING in the toilet seat again”.

Our long-shlonged star’s parents diagnose it as chickenpox and he is bedridden.

Across town our villains have devised a plan where they purchase a mutli-million dollar home and fill it with expensive looking surveillance equipment in order to comb the neighborhood for their prized 10 million dollar chip. By my calculations, if they reclaim and sell the chip, they will each walk away with a cool 28 grand after expenses.

I have to mention how sickeningly adorable Alex is. Even though this little perv has a telescope that he peeps around the neighborhood with, you don’t mind because he is a human Care Bear with sass.

Alex’s mother has apparently never heard of child endangerment so she leaves him alone in the house with a potentially life threatening illness. But let’s not kid ourselves here.

Nobody watches Home Alone movies for the gripping storyline. We watch in order to witness the gruesome fatalities that take the lives of the villains. I’ll get straight to the point and explain how each bad guy gets annihilated.

The long haired cronie gets electrocuted to the point where a lightning shoots out of his bumstead and then is covered in human feces. Another guy gets his head mangled by an old timey lawnmower and then freezes to death. The female villain falls 3 stories and becomes a quadriplegic. The leader gets his gonads blown off with a shotgun but survives to further pursue Alex. He should have quit while he was ahead because shortly after that he is burned alive by a parakeet.

The Air Force shows up for the chip and removes the distorted remains of the baddies.

Alex’s mother is arrested and prosecuted by CPS. Scarlett Johansson grows up to be extremely attractive and have a lucrative acting career. Macaulay Culkin grows up to be ugly as sin and he is also in my celebrity suicide gambling pool. THE END. Check out Great Bad Movies at http://greatbadmovies.tumblr.com

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I sat down with Birmingham indie-pop three-piece, Johnny Foreigner, in their van. At about midnight. In the car park outside the Boat House pub in Cambridge after they'd played Wish You Were Here Festival. We were all tired, especially Junior who wasn't very talkative.

Ian: Do you just wanna say who you are and what you play and everything?

Kelly: Yeah.

Alexei: I'm Alexei, hello, I play the guitar and the singing.

K: Hello, I'm Kelly, I play bass and I sing.

Junior: Hi I'm Junior, and I play keyboards and drums.

A: And together we are...

J: Journey.

K: Miles Kane.

I: Wyld Stallyns?

A: Johnny Foreigner!

I: It's okay, this is getting typed up, so...

K: Oh yeah, of course, I don't know why we're doing that!

I: No-one's gonna hear any of that!

K: You just go into auto-pilot when we start doing... whatever you call them.

I: I got offered a bit of advice from a mate who's interviewed you before, saying don't ask you things that I could easily find out myself on the internet.

K: Good advice!

I: Yeah, on that note...

A: Who said that?

I: Richard from Pornography For Cowards, Richard Heaven.

K: Genius.

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I: Yeah, he said he's done you guys a couple of times and just don't waste your time asking you things... he didn't put it that bluntly, but it's just like, y'know, don't ask you things I could easily find out myself which I think is good advice.

K: I'm sure Richard Heaven came up as a suggested friend on my Facebook the other day, I'm sure of it. That's pretty weird. I thought what a cool name, Richard Heaven.

I: I do wonder if that's his real name. I'll have to ask him. This is actually... incidentally... this issue of my zine is going to be a split with his zine.

A: Oh right!

I: It's gonna be half mine, flip it over, then half his.

A: Oh, awesome! I've never really seen that with a zine before. Rad idea.

I: It's kinda like, we write these zines, and we just sort of got chatting, and thought yeah, let's do this, that'll be pretty cool.

Note: This was going to happen, but I took so damn long getting this issue ready that Richard had to press on and go it alone. Sorry dude!

I: Yeah, the main thing I wanna ask is, like, crazy weird releases... frisbees... stickers... how much of that is your idea and how much of that is Jack's? 'Cause I know Jack Alcopop's into his, like, weird, quirky, stuff and I kinda wondered...

J: Was the frisbee Jack's?

A: They were both Jack's, y'know. Frisbee was one of the first things he mentioned when he started talking about putting a record... like even when we were doing “You Thought You Saw...” and, yeah, he was just like 'Lex, let's do a frisbee', and we were like you can't, like... would it be a record that is bent like a frisbee? We just almost kind of forgot about it, and we came to do this single, and it was frisbee, it's gotta be a frisbee; and then we went through a phase where James (note: James from Prescription PR, Jo Fo's PR dude) and him concocted the idea we were gonna do a cookie release, but we couldn't figure out how we're breaking health and safety by posting cookies to people. And then the sticker. But we totally encourage it, like he'll come up with an idea and we'll be, like, 'what else you got?'

K: And that's why we wanted to work with him anyway, 'cause that's like the kind of stuff we wanted to do.

At this point, one of the other bands – I think Echo Lake – is leaving the car park and wants to say goodbye to Jo Fo. Me being stupid, left the recorder running this whole time, picking up several minute of goodbyes, support slot begging, and other pleasantries that are in no way related to this interview.

K: Sorry, and we're back!

I: Frisbees. Stickers.

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A: That's one of the reasons, like, when we were first starting... we weren't shopping for a label as such - we were pretty content pootling along on our own – and we became friends with Stagecoach, and they were like 'Jack's got this thing where he's refusing to put out another straight CD'; we were like that's brilliant, that's the kind of label we want.

We were like, what's stopping us? So we ended up with Jack, and now we just encourage each other. It's awesome. We've never had that kind of relationship with anyone in the industry before where they're like 'this is mental, let's try this! This'll work!' And half of it is, like, experimentation 'cause we don't really know if it's gonna work out, but it's so much fun to be in the position where we can do it.

I: I'm actually really annoyed, 'cause I meant to bring one of my stickers, try and stick it on one of you without you noticing, then submit that for the contest (note: Jo Fo's most recent single was released as a download code on two stickers, one sticker to keep and one to stick somewhere interesting. You're encouraged to send in photos of your interesting place, and the best will win a free copy of the new album).

J: That's good.

I: But I forgot, so I thought I'd mention it to say that's what I planned on doing... but... unfortunately I forgot. The other option was I was gonna put it on my food so it was eating, like, a burger but, again, I kinda forgot to bring it with me, so it's sitting at home.

J: So you epically failed.

I: So pretty much. I don't deserve anything.

At this point, the band try and subtly stick a Jo Fo sticker onto Echo Lake's hired van.

K: They're not getting their deposit back!

A: When we came off tour with Hundred Reasons, we literally covered their splitter van with stickers.

If you were interested, the sticker ended up on the driver-side door handle.

I: I read in your blog talking about the album leaking and... what really happened? Did some guy just e-mail you going 'I've been sent a leak of your album' and was he apologetic? Or was it kinda like 'lol, I've got your album'?

A: No, he was ridiculously apologetic, like...

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More goodbyes to other bands.

A: Someone, one of the Tumblr kids, sent me a message going 'oh, this kid's offering stuff' and then I kinda wrote to him, and I was like 'if you are... it's probably just an internet rumour so please tell us that you're not'; and then someone else was like 'this kid sent me the record', and then the kid wrote back and he was like 'no I didn't, blah, blah'; and, to be honest, whatever happened it was the catalyst for this awesome idea that effectively pirate-proofed it so he may or may not have sent it to two people, but the endgame is that it's stopped everybody from hearing it, it's stopped the kind of massmarket, I guess. So it worked out... great in the end. The kid is super enthusiastic, he helps Jack out a lot, he wrote...

Even more band goodbyes. I struggled to hear what was being said here. Sorry.

A: ...it was just internet bullshit.

I: I loved your idea of getting everyone to upload it; the warped version.

A: It's working! It's worked so well. Like, even if the record leaks tomorrow it'd take forever for the real one to rise up above the millions of differently-titled crap ones.

I: Taking it back to earlier stuff; do you reckon the Frisbee EP – “Certain Songs are Cursed” – do you see that as some kind of changing point? At least for me... I'd seen you in the past and I wasn't that interested but then I heard that EP and thought it was fucking awesome. Conversely, I'd read people saying that they liked you then that EP didn't do it for them. Was it a conscience effort to be different with that EP, or did it just kinda happen?

A: I guess yeah, in that we didn't really plan anything after “Grace” and all that stuff was things that we'd recorded at the time and lumped together. That EP, “Certain Songs...”, was the first songs from the session for the album. We kind of had a clear mindset of how everything was gonna sound and that's kinda meant to be the album's little kid brother or something. We didn't like sit down and decide like right, now we're gonna sound like this instead of this, but definitely that mindset we had probably effected it more than we can realise 'cause we're so involved in it.

I: Going back to what I was saying about wanting to ask weird questions; my girlfriend wanted me to ask: as you like to have ghosts and monsters in your imagery, what's your favourite dinosaur? She wanted to know if you have a favourite dinosaur.

J: I do, 'cause Jurassic Park was on the other day. The one that's massive and eats the tree-tops...

A: Brachiosaurus?

K: Brontosaurus?

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J: That's my favourite.

A: They've changed the names of the dinosaurs.

J: 'Cause they're slow, they're chilling, they're eating leaves. They're not mental, y'know?

K: They're vegetarian. I'm gonna go for a vegetarian dinosaur.

Cue some discussion about museums focus on meat-eating dinosaurs, and about how veggie dinosaurs look friendlier. The only reason I haven't typed this all up is that everyone was kinda talking over everyone else and it's damn-near impossible to make out everything that's being said.

A: You imagine they'd see you and lick you and you'd be all 'oh, stop it'! Can I have Sharktopus?

J: Sharktopus?!

I: There's a... an aquatic dinosaur I can't remember the name of now, which is probably similar to what you're thinking of.

A: Aquaraptor!

I: That's awesome!

A: That's what I'll have one of.

At this point I yelled over to Claire to ask the name of the aforementioned dinosaur.

I: Plesiosaur.

A: Plesiosaur! Yeah!

I: I think that might be the one. We were actually at a museum in Cambridge the other week and they had a big plesiosaur.

A: Did you find that... I sell merch for, like, arena things and last year we had Walking With Dinosaurs tour, and it's American-based but half the dinosaur names are different to what we were brought up to call them. Like a raptor is now called a California Super Raptor or something. And brontosaurus is now called brachiosaur. And we were getting so confused, and they were like 'this is what people are taught now'. I don't know if that's, like, an American thing. Nevada Raptor? Something like that.

K: Why would they name it after...

A: Maybe that's where they were found.

K: That's bollocks.

I: I've not heard that, must be an American thing. I'm sure I had a question... I'm such a bad interviewer. I'm used to e-mail interviews where I don't have to talk to people face-to-face!

K: I like the unusual questions!

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I: Let's go for a quick, boring one. So you've got the album out, and I'm guessing you've got touring and all that to promote it. Anything planned for after that? Anything you've planned for the next album or crazy EP releases?

K: We haven't really planned that far ahead!

J: We've got that Red Bull Session soon.

A: I don't know if... if that's even... it might happen. Writing songs with the idea of approaching another cohesive release. Get this out first and concentrate on that, before we think about what comes next.

J: Our album release shows will be 12th-13th November – a week after release – and then hopefully going to Japan in December.

A: Back to France for a bit in the end of November. And then we'll probably do a full UK tour in January or February sometime. We only found out about Japan wanting us a couple of days ago, so we're still like 'fuck, what limbs can we sell to do this'.

I: I guess you've got an awesome Japanese label that takes care of this sort of thing?

'Cause I've known bands that have been basically unheard of in the UK but in Japan, they're fucking huge over there.

A: It's almost... I feel really cynical saying it, but there's definitely a very big Japanese business of getting UK bands and signing them up, and if the ones do well enough bring them over. And they kind of... it's not shitty how they treat you, because that's just the way their culture is, but their targets will be like, we wanna sell 10,000 records. And as soon as you sell 10,000 records they're like 'OK, next band, get that in' and see how many they can pump out of them. All of the relationships we've had have been good – and we've done well enough to be invited over – but as soon as we go over, that's it.

K: We feel very privileged to have been able to go over there twice as it is anyway, and have both our previous releases be released over there. So, I think we're in a totally privileged situation, to not only have that behind us, but also have...

J: Just to have gigs over there, wanting us.

A: It is, it's awesome. It's not like, say, Alcopop where we have a working relationship so the record comes out, then we plan the next on the basis of that, and we always assume that we're going to be doing shit together. I dunno, maybe third time lucky? These guys seem absolutely lovely. We'll see. But it's amazing. Generally, they'll pay a portion and try and get you a big show that'll pay for the rest of it. We're just waiting to see if we can get a big show and, if not, we might have to pay for a few hotels. Paying for a few hotels is nothing to be able to play in Japan. Can I do my quote? I' so proud of my quote!

I: Go for it.

A: It doesn't matter, the moment's gone!

I: You can't set it up and then not do it!

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A: Being an English band in Japan is like if playing a band is a video game, playing in Japan is having all the cheats turned on. The first time we were there we got stalked and had girls in our hotel beds like we were fucking Motley Crue or something. We didn't do anything with the girls! They were just there, just to show our status. And then one of them complained to our label boss that I didn't sleep with her, so I was either gay or really rude.

I: I think that's an awesome place to end this on. I don't feel I can top that!

K: Everything you've heard about Japan is true. It's amazing, you go over there and feel like The Beatles.

They give you presents, they're in awe of you. It's incredible.

A: They're grateful and we're like are you kidding?

This is the land of robots and you're letting us play here! And they're like 'but you came all the way here' and I'm like 'you paid for it, thanks'. It's beautiful, I think in relationships like that we just compliment each other.

I: Any words or quotes – like about video games and countries – that you wanna end on, and be people's last impression of you?

A: Be excellent to each other!

K: I love that, that should always be the last word on everything. Be crappy to each other, go on! I'm joking. Get eight hours sleep! There you go.

I: I agree with that. Awesome, thank you.

By this point it was very late. JoFo were three awesome people though. The album – Johnny Foreigner vs Everything – is out now on CD from Alcopop Records. It also comes with a Johnny Foreigner comic book which is just plain awesome.

Check out www.johnnyforeignertheband.com and www.ilovealcopop.co.uk. Thanks to Jack @ Alcopop and JoFo's tour manager Dan for setting this up.

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A Musical (R)evolution words: Claire Nichols Recently due to a family illness I’ve been thinking about music’s ability to conjure up emotions and associations, and how different circumstances throughout our lives can change the effect of certain songs/albums/artists have on our emotions.

My dad has been diagnosed with cancer, which not only has been a massive shock, but has changed my current living situation; I am living back at my parents, away from my boyfriend, which seems to have rendered half of my music collection unlistenable. Songs that once brought forward positive emotions and reminded me of happy and fun times now are more likely to make me cry, and feel angry, sad, frustrated and a whole load of other difficult emotions. This is not so much of a problem when I’m hauled up in my room alone, and in the safety of this space can be somewhat cathartic to let these feelings out, however it is not so useful (and is potentially dangerous) when songs that strike this chord outside of my room. I don’t particularly enjoying crying uncontrollably whilst trying to navigate the M25, and it brings a new found sense of apprehension of going out and hearing songs in public spaces.

I guess you have to take the good with the bad, and I probably wouldn’t be enjoying music to the full or connecting with it if it didn’t elicit this response in me, but what I keep wondering is, if and when I will be able to listen to these songs again without feeling like this? Or, if from now on I will always feel like this in regards to certain pieces of music? Or, when my situation changes they will take on a new meaning, perhaps with positive feelings once again? It seems to me like our relationship with music is constantly evolving, and maybe by being aware of this I can affect this evolution.

Wayne Nichols passed away on Sunday 29th April 2012 after a severalmonth long battle with cancer. To say he will be missed would be an understatement.

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CD/Record Reviews (Part 1) CP CN DK

Chris Pounce Claire Nichols Dan King

GL IG IP

Garry Lee Ian Goldsmith Ian Perry

LC LG

Laura Coles Luke George

Bridge and Tunnel – Rebuilding Year (No Idea) I don’t know much about Bridge and Tunnel, and I had never heard any of their stuff before this album, but I’m very glad I gave it a spin because it is a gem. I have been enjoying this as one of my late night listens, something about it is great to chill out to on your own and just let the sound envelope you. I love the use of both male and female vocals, and the different vocal styles between songs – from lush harmonies to raw screaming and emotive spoken parts – it gives the album a real variety, no two songs sound the same. The lyrics are meaningful and focus on political and personal issues, and do justice to the emotive music. This record is very powerful, building and falling beautifully, with a great mixture of melodic, jangly and angular guitar, and the bass and drums adding so much to the overall feel, doing much more than just keeping the rhythm. www.noidearecords.com CN Broken Few – Concision (Worn Thin) The melodic punk rock scene is in rude health in the UK at the moment, and Broken Few is one of the bands that really stands out. Concision is a record that felt like it was never going to be released; thankfully, though, it’s a great listen. Broken Few is a band with a lot to say – every social aspect is covered here, from environmentalism to war – but the lyrics never outweigh the music and melody. Only a talented band, after all, could make “a pitiless, breathless message of dissent” something you could happily nod your head to whilst raging against the machine. A great début, even after such a long wait! www.wornthinrecords.co.uk LC

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Coffee Project – Concrete Boots EP (Paper and Plastick) The last Coffee Project release was one of my favourite releases in a long time, so this new EP had a lot to live up to, and whilst it’s very enjoyable I don’t feel it is as memorable or consistent as Moved On. Lyrically this EP walks similar territory, pondering relationships with people and places. The opener "Shenandoah Valley" starts in a slightly different vein to previous efforts, with a bluegrass feel. The second and fourth tracks sound more familiar, with the characteristic trombone, whilst the third track sounds strangely mainstream indie/rock.

My standout track is actually the last track which is a cover of a folk standard, which works really well with the trombone. www.paperandplastick.com CN Cymbals Eat Guitars – Lenses Alien (Barsuk) Cymbals Eat Guitars are from Staten Island, New York, they are named after a Lou Reed quote, they are championed by Pitchfork and they are drenched in the sounds of 90s indie and alternative acts, such as Pavement. Hipster haters, look away now. If you’re still here, then the chances are that you are probably already familiar with CEG. They rode a wave of hype after independently released debut “Why There Are Mountains” was released and “Lenses Alien” is the result of this. While this sophomore release is perhaps easier on the ears that the brasher mix of the debut, it is also very repetitive. Basically, it’s like the slowcore-influenced indie version of a Fall Out Boy album – maybe one or two tracks stand out (Keep Me Waiting is like Biffy Clyro circa 2004 trying to write poppier songs), but ultimately it’s like listening to one forty-minute track. Probably one best left for the hipsters... www.barsuk.com LC Dan P and the Bricks – Watch Where You Walk (Asian Man) This 10 piece band is made up of members of MU330 and Slow Gherkin, and has both a horn section and organ. This is dance-tastic fun ska with plenty of energy and sing-a-longs, with some slower more reggae/rocksteady influenced bits thrown in for good measure. The whole record has a wonderful warmth too it which works well with the themes of love and life, and give it a kind of timeless sound. If you like Chris Murray, The Bruce Lee Band, The Toasters or The Slackers I recommend giving this album a try. www.asianmanrecords.com CN

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Deaf Havana – Fools and Worthless Liars (Easy Life) 2011 saw the return of Deaf Havana. A different Deaf Havana to that we knew though, a Deaf Havana without Ryan Mellor and thus without screaming. Turns out this was good for the band musically.

"Fools And Worthless Liars" is the second album from the Kings Lynn, now, quartet and is a massive improvement on 2009's "Meet Me Halfway At Least", both lyrically and musically. With track one "The Past Six Years" the change in direction is immediately noticeable as vocalist/guitarist James Veck-Gilodi gives a stripped back acoustic track in the vein of artists such as Frank Turner. Following this, the band go on to give a further 12 songs of solidly awesome rock. The lyrics are impressive and honest, with references to the loss of a friend and the town they grew up in. "Hunstanton Pier", to me, is the most impressive song with a catchy chorus and strong vocals. There's even a Hoobastankesque track in "Filthy Rotten Scoundrel" which is definitely a toe tapper. Favourite track: "Hunstanton Pier", for fans of: Futures, Tiger Please, Young Guns. Search "Deaf Havana" on Facebook. DK

Detached – None the Wiser EP (self released) Detached play Punky Ska stuff and play it well. Fast crunchy guitars and an excellent brass section that bring to mind Snuff or 4ft Fingers, as well as Consumed in places. There are six tracks of well produced noise here and not a duff song to be seen anywhere. I’d love to see this band live as I think they would be amazing. The stands out songs for me are "F.U.B" and "Teeth Rattling Bone Shaker" but all of them are winners. www.facebook.com/detachedska IG Elvis Jackson – Street 45 single (self released) From the get go, this single from Slovenia's Elvis Jackson reminds me of Sublime or Jaya the Cat, with it's laid back vibe. It's one of those songs that you're just waiting for it to pick up and get heavy but, unfortunately, it takes a bit too long to reach that point and I found myself losing interest before we'd even got there. It's not bad, don't get me wrong, and it is only the one song, but I'd need to hear more from them before I can properly make a decision on them. www.elvisjackson.com IP

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Ex Norwegian – Sketch (Dying Van Gogh) I hate press releases and the hyperbole that accompanies them.

Usually, it puts me off a release. This particular band were hailed to me as "the next Weezer" which instantly made me regret offering to review it. When I finally did listen to it, though, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the fact that Ex Norwegian are really damned good; and definitely do have more than a touch of Weezer about them. Okay, so I'd never call them "the next Weezer" but Ex Norwegian's brand of slacker pop-rock will likely appeal to fans of Weezer, Pavement and all that and – if that sounds like a good mix to you – is worth your time. www.dyingvangogh.com IP

Frenzal Rhomb – Smoko at the Pet Food Factory (Fat Wreck) NEW FRENZAL RHOMB! NEW FRENZAL RHOMB! I’ve been anticipating this album simply since I heard that Frenzal are back and were recording. I love Frenzal and they hold a special little place in my brain (not my heart, you soppy pricks) because they were the first proper punk band I ever saw (08/04/01, Less Than Jake/Capdown/Frenzal Rhomb, UEA) – I’d been listening to them for years before and couldn’t believe I was going to see them.

Anyway, here it is, in my hand, delivered this morning, fresh off the press. And it’s fucking great. It’s fast and hard hitting. Musically it gets 10/10 – Gordy’s “trademark” impossible drum fills are plentiful, with great guitar and bass work. A very mature sound Frenzal sound. There’s some good lyrics too. But there aren’t any songs here which are memorable; it all went by in a bit of a blur and I can’t truly remember anything other than thinking “wicked bassline”, “that guitar hook is great” and “how did he do that drum fill”. But that doesn’t matter, it’s the new Frenzal Rhomb album and it’s fucking great. If you haven’t heard them before then you’d be best to go back and listen to A Man’s Not A Camel, but if you love the Rhomb then you’ll be happy with this. Instantly pleasing but not instantly momentous. Still, NEW FRENZAL RHOMB! NEW FRENZAL RHOMB! www.fatwreck.com LG

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Great Deeds – Teach Yourself Jazz-Punk Vol. 1 EP (self released) Apparently this band are neither jazz, nor punk. On first listen, they very much sound like something from BSM Records. Heavy guitar parts giving way to something more twiddly and indie. There are even moments in this that instantly make me thinkof Frank Zappa, such is the level of intricacy and experimentation on offer here. My main problem, though, is that Great Deeds are let down by their vocals. Not to say they're bad, they just feel a bit weak layered over the, at times, powerful music. Still, I'd give them a listen and see for yourself. www.greatdeeds.co.uk IP

Gunning For Tamar – Time Trophies EP (Alcopop) No matter what you think of Alcopop, you’ve got to hand it to them: they really know how to release music. This EP, for example, is actually a Gunning For Tamar watch. No, really. It comes with a download code. As childishly exciting as I find this gimmick, how does the music measure up? Well, GFT are a catchy melodic indiepop type band who write songs that lodge themselves deeply in your cranium. In my opinion, it’s not quite deserving of a watch EP, but it’s not by any measure bad. I think I’ll have to wait until GFT release a full length album before I can truly make a judgement on their band, but this isn’t a bad little release and did I mention IT’S A FREAKING WATCH?! ‘Nuff said. www.ilovealcopop.co.uk LC

Hello Bear – An Exquisite Year For Charm EP (NR One) When I reviewed Hello Bear's previous release – 2010's Fun at a Stable Volume – I pointed out how, because I'd listened to it after seeing Good Luck live, it reminded me of Good Luck in place. I stand by this comment for this, their current single/EP. Hello Bear are definitely an indie band, but with enough indie-punk in there to appeal to fans of the aforementioned Good Luck, Algeron Cadwallader, etc. www.nrone.co.uk IP

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Huron – Mary Celeste (Casket) The first thing you hear when you put this album on is a Chinese gong clanging. This is a band literally opening with metal, and sticking with that theme. The opening lines of “A world full of pain/ A world full of misery” followed by a testosterone-fuelled “YEEEEAAAAHHH!” are comically, horrendously bad, but, to Huron’s credit, “Mary Celeste” can only get better after this Spinal Tap-esque opening. To be fair, this is not a bad album, and sounds a lot like what Pantera might have sounded like if they had instead existed two decades later. In fact, I’m not entirely convinced that this isn’t Phil Anselmo’s voice. Any metalheads out there will most likely appreciate this one, and if it’s not your cup of tea – well, better that the kid with the headphones sitting next to you on the bus in the trenchcoat and Slayer tee is blasting this that Avenged Sevenfold. www.huronuk.com LC

I am the Avalanche – Avalanche United (Xtra Mile) I was excited when I heard that IATA had a new release as it had been way too long for my liking since their last effort. Thankfully the new album doesn’t disappoint and the band sound revitalised.

The sound is still instantly recognisable as IATA, but with a more vibrant energy and a sense of growth and positivity. This record manages to produce massive pop hooks whilst still retaining a rawness and punk grit. Lyrically the new album shows the maturity of the band, touching on relationships, celebrating good times, and confronting problems and personal growth. If you like gang vocals and big choruses there are plenty here for you, with opener "Holy Fuck" starting the proceedings with some massive wo-ohs, which is carried on right through to closer "Gratitude" which ends the album on an uplifting tone. Pity about the cheesy Avalanche United chant at the end, it seems slightly unnecessary. www.xtramilerecordings.com CN

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Into it. Over it. – Twelve Towns (Top Shelf/Pink Mist) When I saw that this was a collection of songs that Evan Thomas Weiss – AKA Into It. Over It. – had written about different towns he had visited on tour I wasn’t entirely sure how to feel. The “52 Weeks” project a few years back, which involved Weiss releasing a song every week for a year, was bold and had some strong songs but another gimmick? Thankfully, “Twelve Towns” is a pleasantly quirky collection of songs which range from energetic indie punk reminiscent of Jeff BTMI!’s trademark yelp (Summerville, SC) to lilting acoustic ballads (Westmont, NJ) to slow-burning indie tracks with riffs Billy Corgan would be proud to put his name to (Buffalo, NY). Calling this record an album isn’t really an accurate description though, and the fact that the songs were released separately about completely different things really shows through. That said, if you are a can’t-sit-still kind of listener, you will probably appreciate the variation, and, if not, the bonus acoustic versions of some of the tracks at the end are definitely worth a listen as well. hellopinkmist.tumblr.com LC

Jake and the Jellyfish – Dotted Lines EP (self released) The title track of this two song release is a nice song about being original and espousing the generic. The harmonica and shakey thing in the background give the song a bit more weight than you can get with just an acoustic guitar and Jake's gruff but gentle voice goes well with his kind of lazy, kind of passionate voice. The second track "Black, White and Grey" is easy to listen to but not one of his best lyrically. jakeandthejellyfish.bandcamp.com CP Jake and the Jellyfish – Folk You! The Acoustic Sessions EP (self released) Opener "We're Alright" has a bit of a reggae swing to it which works well. The subject matter is fairly predictable; friends, drinking and generally being ok. The other tracks have more wide reaching themes, "Amnesty" is a simple but catchy antiwar/fighting song and "Spare Change" also has anti-war sentiments to it with a wider focus on the state of the country in general. At points it seems as though the lyrics are a bit clumsy but that's to be expected from this early point in the career. Closer "Same Old, Same Old" discusses the boredom that comes with living in one place for too long. It's good. jakeandthejellyfish.bandcamp.com CP

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James Deane – Diamonds and Hearts (Denzil) I'll assume that James Deane is his real name, and not a lame attempt at trying to sound cool. Straight off, this reminds me of some country-light album and I instantly can't get behind it. At work we put on the new Darius Rucker album and were in unanimous agreement that it was terrible. This reminds me of Darius Rucker. www.jamesdeanemusic.com IP Kunt and the Gang – Hurry Up and Suck Me Off Before I Get Famous (Disco Minge) Okay, so I'm sure you know what to expect from this, the latest album from Bas Vegas (aka Basildon, Essex) filth-master Kunt. The catch here is that there are definitely a couple of tracks that really stand out as not being your usual Kunt fare. "Let's Fuck About With Fireworks" complains about firework legislation, and how surely if you want to be irresponsible with them that it's your preogative?

The key track here, though, is "My Homeless Friend" which deals with Kunt coming across an old friend who is now homeless, and disects the differences and similarities between their lives. It's probably the most poignant you'll ever hear Kunt get and – pretty much for this alone – this album is worth getting. If that makes you not want to get this though, there are many tracks about fingering ladies, pooing, and pubes. Best of both worlds? Maybe. www.kuntandthegang.co.uk IP

Lights – Everybody Breaks a Glass single / Toes single (Last Gang/Universal) Everybody Breaks A Glass is the lead single off coming album Siberia. Featuring Shad and Holy Fuck, EBAG features 8-bit drums which set it apart from previous Lights tracks and shows she's not afraid to change her sound. Smart lyrics and strong vocals, both from Lights and Shad, make this a decent track. Toes, also off Siberia and also featuring a heavy electronic backing beat, is an upbeat, catchy song that fits somewhere between previous album The Listening and most recent single Everybody Breaks A Glass. It's a nice mix and gives me high hopes for the new album out in October. www.iamlights.com DK

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Luther – Siblings and Sevens EP (Disconnect Disconnect) I listened to Mute and TIAS before this and just assumed this would be more (probably Canadian) tech punk from DD Records. It isn't.

What we have is something a lot more melodic with something of a Get Up Kids quality about it (although, obviously, not up to the amazing high level that GUK are). Bizarelly enough, I've been listening to a load of Steel Rules Die today and this is reminding me of them. This is a good thing. There's also something a bit Don Ramos about this. Definitely worth a punt. www.disconnectdisconnect.co.uk IP

Major League – Variables EP (self released) Major League are a 5 piece pop punk outfit from New Jersey.

Variables is one of two releases (alongside 7 song release "The Truth Is...") available on their Bandcamp page and is pop punk along the lines of The Wonder Years and The Swellers; even referencing the former in the first track. The first track, "Subject To Change", is arguably the strongest track on the 4 song offering and shows that these guys can write some catchy stuff. Hopefully there's an album on the way and there have been mentions of a UK tour. Check these dudes out, I'm hoping they get massive, soon. majorleague.bandcamp.com DK

Margate – Rock 'n Roll Reserve EP (Room 57) This EP starts off sounding like Three Colours Red. The track "Control" is ok with a catchy chorus but I must admit does sound a bit dated to be honest. Then everything falls flat on its arse with a dull run through The Beatles track "Eleanor Rigby". Track three brings it back on track with "Live it Up", another punky rock track.

In all honesty the song "Lovesick" that followed made me cringe with its awful lyrics and made me want to stop listening. The title track is a romp through Fat Wreck style catchy punk but as with the rest of the EP there is something missing from the song and I don’t know what it is, and all the whoa hoes at the end are really unnecessary. Again on the finale song "This Road" Three Colours Red come to mind and the lyrics let it down. So if you like Three Colours Red style rock then this is for you, if not then it’ll probably leave you a bit disappointed. www.margatemusic.com IG

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Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – Sing in Japanese EP (Fat Wreck) The second in Me First's series of international EPs takes them to Japan where they cover six songs I've probably never heard before.

Still, it's freaking awesome. Hearing them pull off some damn impressive Japanese language vocals is a feat unto itself, and subtly dropping some Agent Orange riffs into "C-C-C" is another nice touch (unless it's just a massive coincidence that it sounds like Agent Orange, which I doubt). Basically, if you're a Me First fan you'll want this. Also, though, if you think it'll be fun to hear Spike Slawson and co taking on the Japanese language, it's worth a spin for that reason. www.fatwreck.com IP

Mike Park – Smile (Asian Man) I have been looking forward to this for a while, since seeing Mike play some of these songs live. I have to admit that I have a soft spot for alternative kids albums, and this is definitely up there as one of the most enjoyable. Musically this is a mixture of Mike Park solo and his bands, with upbeat ska tracks alongside more mellow but melodic affairs, all aided by fun noises such as frog ribbits and hand claps. Subject wise it tackles things like healthy eating, animals, playing music, saving energy and crossing the road, in a way that is appealing to kids but not going to be super irritating to grownups. Songs like "I Can See the Ocean" could almost be a normal Mike Park track, and it is this great song writing and the fact that the music is not simplified which makes this album work so well. www.asianmanrecords.com CN

Misery Addict – Hate Tape EP (Dutch Runner) Any EP that starts with a sample by Denzel Washington shouting ‘King Kong ain’t got shit on me!’ from Training Day has got to be good and it is. Misery Addict play short sharp shouty punk and play it well. Raw angry punk that’s over before it begins. A bit of hardcore, a bit of anarcho punk, a bit of thrash and a bit good actually. This release has five tracks lasting just over five minutes.

There really isn’t a weak track on here. Good old fashioned angry stuff played very fast by the pissed off, love it. www.facebook.com/miseryaddictnehc IG

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Mute – Thunderblast (Disconnect Disconnect) Man, John Disconnect really loves his technical melodic hardcore!

Disconnect Disconnect seem to be carving out a nice niche for themselves, as importers of quality tech punk. Sitting nicely alongside the new TIAS EP (also on Disconnect Disconnect and also reviewed here), Canada's Mute unleash their fourth album of technical punk rock, which isn't afraid to chuck in the odd solo too, adding something of a Propagandhi-esque vibe to proceedings. At this juncture, I've realised that this review is very Canadian in theme. Maybe I should just type out the lyrics to "O Canada"? Maple Leafs aside, if you're a fan of tech punk – or of any of the stuff John Disconnect has released previously – you should give this a spin. www.disconnectdisconnect.co.uk IP

Pettybone – From Desperate Times Come Radical Minds (Damage Done/Emancypunx) Right, let’s get this out of the way – there are some similarities between Pettybone and Babes In Toyland/Lunachicks/7 Year Bitch/Bikini Kill, and the singer, Amy, sounds a bit like Brody Dalle (or whatever she’s fucking called nowadays). OK, done. This record is absolutely raging. This is real fucking rock ‘n’ roll played by real fucking rock ‘n’ roll women. And this band knows rock ‘n’ roll, for the songs here are constructed superbly – Pettybone have studied well. There’s some serious heavy bass action going, some serious riffage, some serious tub-thumping, and some serious snarling vocals. If you can’t get your head around it, this is serious stuff.

Raw. Angry. Very ‘eavy but not very ‘umble. And this is more than a collection of great songs – this is one merciless fuzzed-out sonic journey that will take your fucking face off and turn you inside-out; an assault from start to finish. There aren’t any stand-out tracks as such because they are all killers, but I Love You! Oh Say It With Cobbles!, To Hell With This Culture and Pettybone are more vital than the rest. Make room for this band in your life because they aren’t going anywhere. Pettybone will not be silenced. Petty are here to fuck it up. 10/10. www.damagedonerecords.com LG

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Punchline – So Nice to Meet You EP (Modern Short Stories) The newest release from Punchline came with an ultimatum. Get to number one in iTunes or the bass player Chris Fafalios would put down his bass for good and the band would possibly cease to exist.

This message got out to fans though and on the day it was finally released, after issues with iTunes uploading it, the EP reached #1 on the iTunes rock chart. The EP itself is a 5 track solid pop punk effort with track 5 being a well done cover version of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me”. The EP picks up where the last album “Delightfully Pleased” finished off, with personal favourite being track 1 “Universe”. Lyrically and musically this EP is well worth the £3.95 it’s on iTunes for. www.modernshortstories.net DK

Rob Lynch – self titled EP (Walnut Tree) I once said of Rob Lynch’s previous solo project, Lost on Campus, that "Oh No!" was one of the best songs that Sam Duckworth had never written. On this self-titled release, Lynch sounds much more like Dave House, backed with a more stripped down, sincere sound. This is apparent in songs like "Plans", where the chord changes are merely emphasized with solitary strokes of the piano.

It’s a lyrically substantial and emotional record with lines like, "hey, we all have plans, to struggle through to our promised lands" drawing attention to a dilemma we all face at some point in our lives in an honest and heartfelt way. The production also deserves praise. The loud scraping of acoustic guitar strings in "Souls’" which initially threaten to overwhelm, forces you to really pay attention in order to fully appreciate the depth of the song. Particularly in this track, his voice makes me feel so calm and safe especially in my listening environment, a pitch-black Scottish bedroom.

Rob Lynch’s songs make me want to tell people about his music. There is no reason why tracks like "Hawking" and "Sleeping" couldn’t lead him to mainstream success. It’s a record that makes you sit up and reassess the music you’ve spent the last year listening to. www.walnuttreerecords.co.uk GL

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Rosa Valle – Holy Bermuda EP (BSM/Holy Roar) Whenever you receive an EP that is tagged with the genres “hipster hardcore” and “math-mosh,” approaching with caution is definitely advisable. To my surprise, “Holy Bermuda” is not a totally unlistenable collection of noisy breakbeats and irregular time signatures, but an EP that combines the best parts of Rolo Tomassi, The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Fall Of Troy to produce intelligent riffs, emotional harmonies and… well, irregular time signatures. It definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but for the more adventurous listener it’s well worth picking up. A promising debut. www.bigscarymonsters.com LC

Sam Duckworth – The Mannequin (Cooking Vinyl) Slow, soft songs from Get Cape front man. Some of the tracks are very Death Cab, which is never a bad thing. Sam Duckworth has skills when it comes to song writing and he shows it off well on this album. At times the album starts to feel a bit dull but it's still a listenable 9 track album. www.samduckworth.co.uk DK

Save Your Breath – Vices (self released) Wales' Save Your Breath have, in Vices, one of my favourite releases this year. Pop punk not dissimilar to Fireworks, with catchy hooks and lyrics that will get stuck in your head for days at a time.

Having already toured with The Wonder Years, Fireworks and New Found Glory this year, Save Your Breath are about to head out on tour with Kids In Glass Houses before supporting Man Overboard next year. Vices features guest vocals from Dan "Soupy" Campbell (The Wonder Years) on track 2 "Loud & Clear" and Sean Smith (The Blackout) on track 5 "Stay Young". It's hard to pick a favourite track off this album, so I won't. Great stuff. www.saveyourbreath.net DK

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Scroobius Pip – Distraction Pieces (Speech Development) Coming into this release, I had really high hopes. Both Dan Le Sac vs.

Pip albums totally blew me away and I really hoped that this would be as good, especially as lead single "Introdiction" was so damn good.

Were my hopes met? Yes, yes they were. And then some. This album is purely phenomenal. From opening track, the aforementioned "Introdiction", to album closer "Feel it" every track here – every track – is a winner. The production on offer is exceptional and usually heavier than you'd expect from Dan Le Sac and the guest vocalists are pretty much all my favourites of modern day alt-hip-hop: Sage Francis, POS and B Dolan, to name a few. In conclusion, this is a heavier and angrier version of Le Sac vs. Pip and just damn awesome, really. www.scroobiuspip.co.uk IP Smokey Bastard – Tales of the Wasteland (Bomber) All the way through listening to this album, I found myself constantly moving in some way or another. If I’d had any whiskey, I’d probably swigged it from the bottle as my voice became raspier, then started calling everyone I knew Johnny as I got into barfight after barfight.

Such is the nature of Tales From The Wasteland, a drunken, brawling brute of an album, naturally drawing comparisons to bands like Flogging Molly and The Dropkick Murphys. Blatant influences aside, the sound is more their own, featuring such cracking songs as Yuppie Dracula (which, by the way, has an equally cracking bad video to boot). There are also a couple of nice acapella harmonised songs, and you WILL be left humming My Son John for days after listening.

Recommended for all fans of Celtic influenced punk and banjo/ mandolin work. Plus, there’s a kickass cover of Mamma Mia at the end. What’s not to love?! www.bombermusic.com LC Sonic Boom Six – For the Kids of the Multiculture single (Rebel Alliance) For The Kids Of The Multiculture picks up where City of Thieves (and to me, more specifically Jericho) left off. The guitars haven't really altered much but there is added synth/keys which just doesn't sit right in my opinion. Upon first listen I did not enjoy FTKOTM, however it has grown on me, probably because of how catchy it is. It has a good message and smart lyrics, with the exception of the line "let the sirens ne na ne na" and is worth a listen. If you were expecting songs like New Style Rocka or Sunny Side Of The Street then you'll be let down. This is more a, what is now, standard SB6 song with some added synth sounds. As for the B-side Five Minutes With You; excluding the first 30 seconds would improve this track no end in my eyes. The intro section just doesn't seem to fit as an opening and sounds much better later in the song when it's repeated. Again, a catchy song and everything you'd come to expect from SB6. www.sonicboomsix.co.uk DK

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Ssssnakes / The Slow Death – Split EP (Not Shy of the DIY) There’s nothing I like better than a split between two bands that I really like. Arteries side project Ssssnakes released one of my favourite albums of 2011, Kissss Thissss, an insanely fun punk record which positively emanated beer and skateboarding. The two tracks on this split aren’t quite as good as the ones on the LP – not to me at least – but they’re still a lot of fun, especially faux-ballad Surfrog. The real winners here are The Slow Death, bringing with them three frantically driven punk rock tunes from across the pond. I particularly liked the tragically short (56 seconds!) Movies, an energetic burst of a song about telling people all the things you’re going to do with your life then ending up working in a chain restaurant. Great couple of bands, great handful of songs. www.notshyofthediy.co.uk LC Sunday Recovery – Coma (Mazepa) If there is one record that I have listened to recently that has figuratively stood up, walked across the room and then slapped me round the face with a hand made of riffs whilst shouting “RAWK!” then this is it. “Coma” is eleven songs of unashamedly bold stadium rock, featuring Colin Edwards from Porcupine Tree on a couple of songs. Porcupine Tree’s influence definitely shines through, and the band’s work is akin to the progressive rock influenced stadium rock sound that has been very popular in the UK over the past decade or so (Muse is another clear influence). Sure, it’s not perfect – the clumsily executed “Pornstar” being testament to this – but Coma is a solid listen and Sunday Recovery have the potential to produce bigger, bolder and better things in the future. www.mazeparecords.com LC The Super Happy Fun Club – Go Fun Yourself EP (THROOP) "Go Fun Yourself" is the début release from Chicago 6 piece The Super Happy Fun Club and is an 8 track collection of rock and poppunk hits. Don't be put off by the unusual name, the origin of which is revealed in my interview with Stubhy Pandav (the lead singer) also in this issue, but give it a listen as it is one of the most impressive and well produced débuts this year. One of the many good things about this release is that the songs vary in style, opener "My Life's A Mess (Yeah Yeah Yeah)" and "Billy The Entertainer" are very in your face and immediately catchy whilst "Partners In Crime" and "Light Pollution" are more restrained but will get themselves lodged in your brain nonetheless. Lyrically this mini album is dark, honest and strong, backed up with powerful guitars and gang vocals, "Go Fun Yourself" is definitely one to check out. Favourite track: "Light Pollution", for fans of: Punchline/Green Day. www.thesuperhappyfunclub.com DK

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That Mouth – Sometimes I Feel Like I've Lost My Soul (Eek) I'm going to be honest, I kind of wanted to hate this album. I saw the title, and saw the promo shots of the band and that they were from London and kind of wrote them off as pretentious post-nurave hipster music before I listened. Okay, so maybe the music is a little post-nu-rave hipster-y (which is a thing, okay?!), but it’s also not half bad. Synthesiser rich indie music with ambient and alternative influences isn’t a new thing, but it really pays off when done well. Standout track has to be the slow moving closer Gold, an electronically pulsating track that wholeheartedly makes up for the preceding number “Four Hits” which is a bit like a more annoying version of Alice Practice by Crystal Castles. Overall, That Mouth have produced an irksomely decent record and will probably continue to produce more irksomely decent music. www.eekrecordings.com LC This is a Standoff – Be Delighted EP (Disconnect Disconnect) If you're unfamiliar; TIAS were formed a few years ago from the ashes of Canadian tech-punks Belvedere. After a couple of full lengths – 2007's "Be Excited" and 2009's "Be Disappointed" – they're back with this new EP. The obvious reference point here is the aforementioned Belvedere, although definitely throw in heaps of the usual "tech punk" suspects: A Wilhelm Scream and Strung Out. Whilst TIAS might not be re-inventing the wheel this is definitely a five-tracker worth a listen. www.disconnectdisconnect.co.uk IP Trails – self titled EP (self released) Never heard Trails before and as soon as the opening track "All The Other Humans" kicked I knew what to expect, kind of Bloc Party with a bit of Fugazi and Biffy Clyro. All stop start riffs and vocals with that little shouty end of sentences that these kinds of bands do so well. The lyrics are to be a mix of earnest emotional angst with a tiny bit of politics never too far away. By track four "We’ve Got it All Right Here" to be honest I was getting a bit bored, this kind of thing has been done a lot before. Track five is just awful, it seemed to be an attempt at an indie power ballad of some sort, it didn’t work so please don’t do that again. It’s not that it’s a bad EP the production is nice and clear, it just seems to lack an edge or that little spark of originality and was at times a bit predictable. When I looked them up on the web they haven’t been together that long so perhaps the sound will come together after a few more gigs. trailsmusic.tumblr.com IG

Many more CD/record reviews later on in the zine.

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I e-mailed off a few brief questions to Excellent Adventure guitarist Matt Clarke to introduce you, dear reader, to the world of this relatively new punk rock band from East Anglia.

Ian: How did Excellent Adventure originally get together? I believe some of you were in Matter of Distance, but how did good ol' Rob Pod get in on the action?

Matt: Correct! Apart from Rob we were all in Matter of Distance. Basically Si (guitar) and myself started writing, then after a couple of months we got Fish (drums) involved. A bass player short, it only made sense to ask Egg. It’s weird as Egg used to play guitar in Matter of Distance and is the best guitarist in the band! But not many bands have a shred master on bass so we like that. I’ve known Rob for years, so much so he used ring me up thrashed at 4am insisting he sing in a band with us. This coupled with the fact he’s a great front man, how could I resist the knob?!

For anyone reading who isn't familiar with you, please give us a brief introduction to ExAd. Melodic, punk, beers.

So far you've released one CD, how was the writing process of that album like?

It usually starts with me and Si emailing each other riffs for a chorus/verse then we jam about with it at practice. Once a song is finished Si will demo it on his computer, send it to me and Rob and we’ll write vocals over it at his or mine. We’re pretty lucky, as instrumentally we have been writing and playing together now for about ten years, so we’ve a good idea of what we all like.

Also, why did you decide to have some acoustic tracks alongside the full band punk songs?

I was writing acoustically along side the full band and we thought it would be an idea to break up the album a bit. Well that and it bumped up the track total to an album's worth!

Rob also got involved in this. For some reason we both write loads better the day after we get mega gassed!

Speaking of CDs, have you made any progress on a second release?

Of course mate! We’re more or less half way through a second release at the moment.

The writing is coming fast of late and we’ve some right bangers we’re looking forward to playing live.

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As far as I'm aware, none of you seem to live in the same city! Surely this must make things quite difficult for the band?

It’s not that bad. Three of the boys live in the utopian March, so I just get a 30 minute train there from Cambridge and Rob drives up the 30 minutes from Lynn. There are so many bands working harder that are further apart, I’d feel guilty if I started moaning!

Am I right in thinking that the name is a Bill and Ted reference?

Yes it is. Back in the day, me and Egg joked about how it would be a cool name for a band.

Fish hated it at first but was too tired to fight it in the end! It’s a bit of a rubbish name but we’ve got a soft spot for it.

With you now joining Rob in Vanilla Pod, is there ever any kind of conflict between the two?

None mate, apart from Steve and Leon Pod ripping my guitar sound. You would have thought at their tender age they would know a thing or two about tone! With work and family commitments, we don’t really gig enough to clash. Plus both bands are more or less from the same area, so we’re all friends.

Given that you're still quite a young band, what is on your list of things you'd like to achieve but haven't yet?

We don’t really want much. Long term it’s more about the writing than the gigging for us, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love playing shows. I guess a couple of small tours next year would be good. Maybe briefly ducking over to Europe with another band would be cool.

What's next for Excellent Adventure?

Gigs further a field, new merch and a new album! Cheers ;-) Thanks for your time dude.

My pleasure mate!

Interested? You can download their album on a pay-what-you-want basis from excellentadventure.bandcamp.com.

Since doing this interview, ExAd haven't done anything. In fact, I think they split up. Bummer.

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A dude called Frankie Robertson e-mailed me, asking to take out a two-page ad featuring a rant/article he'd written. I'm not the kind of guy to charge someone money to have an opinion, so I said I'd gladly publish it here as an article. If I'm honest, a lot of it really does seem like a dude on his soapbox – plus, for all I know he could work for Bitcoin and has only written this to plug them – but still, I figured I'd print it here and let you decide for yourselves.

We're Not Going to Take it Any More words: Frankie Robertson There is little doubt that the Internet has been good to us overall. It has empowered both fans and artists to connect with like minded people around the world. It has allowed people to discover music they would never have otherwise come across.

But when did PayPal become such an important part of independent music? I mean, you may or may not have been paying attention, but PayPal, Visa and Mastercard haven't been playing particularly nicely recently.

All three of these companies refuse to process donations to the whistleblowing organisation, Wikileaks who, as you might know unless you've been living in some isolated hippie commune for the last two years, have exposed many incidents of large-scale government and corporate corruption and misconduct.

All three support the U.S. Internet censorship bills SOPA and PIPA. These bills will have a large impact upon the whole Internet and therefore the whole world.

Visa and Mastercard are now a duopoly (just two companies control the payment processing market), allowing them to charge vendors large fees. Small businesses are hit particularly badly by this, since larger companies have the power to negotiate lower fees.

Paypal, too, doesn't play fair (just ask a vendor whose account has been frozen for no apparent reason). It's quite easy to see how central these "big three" payment processors are to many aspects of modern life and despair entirely.

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How could we possibly boycott them? While we'd all like to live by our principles, we also want to live in the modern world. We have worldly urges and needs, things we don't want give up.

But even if we don't manage to avoid using these corporations altogether, we can make a significant change. The punk scene is relatively small, and most of us share a set of general principles and ideas. If we are successful, we can also serve as an example for others.

What I'm suggesting here, is that we kick these companies out of our scene.

The traditional alternatives to PayPal are cheque, cash in the mail, bank transfer and cash at a show. The first three are annoying because of the additional delay (although the third isn't so bad, but results in large fees for international transactions) and the last isn't always viable because of us being at times such a disparate group.

There is now another alternative: Bitcoin (http://weusecoins.com/). Bitcoin is a decentralised, digital currency. Bitcoin is well suited to micropayments since it has very low (often zero) transaction costs, just enough to keep the network going, unlike any of the big three. Although the value of Bitcoin sometimes fluctuates, this is not necessarily a problem when it is only being used for transferring money, since if normal currency is converted to Bitcoin, sent through the Bitcoin network and then converted back to normal currency again quickly, the value has very little time to change.

Although it may seem difficult to understand the details of how Bitcoin works, it is easy to use and is now quite mature, with a substantial history of successful use.

If you sell music, merch, zines and the like and you handle your own payment processing, one thing you can do is try and support as many of the alternative methods as possible and encourage people to use them over any of the big three when they're buying things. You can cite both practical (transaction fees) and moral reasons, since some people put less weight in the second.

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only really include Bitcoin and bank transfer, since only these can be fully automated. Hopefully those companies attempting to cater for independent artists such as Bigcartel and Bandcamp will be low hanging fruit. Don't be afraid to try and call them on their indie credentials both in public and privately.

If you feel you can possibly afford to, consider not supporting any of the big three at all.

If you buy the above things, next time you're buying something or making a donation online using one of the big three, don't. Instead, email whoever it is and tell them that you'd love to buy their album/t-shirt/zine/novelty socks or donate to help cover their extortionate U.S. healthcare costs but you have a moral problem using their current payment processors.

It's important to make sure to let them know that you understand they are probably short on time. If they have to work a day job to support themselves, that they probably prefer to spend as much of their time as possible making music rather than learning new technologies. But it should be stressed that this is an important, coordinated effort to show that we, at very least, will no longer take this shit. Also try and make a pragmatic argument for Bitcoin: it has lower fees and vendors don't have to live in fear of all the money in their account being frozen without a reason.

Above all, let people know we're doing this. Send an email or letter to your local zine and/or favourite punk music website. I've made a flyer which is available at http://punxsaynobig3.grimboy.co.uk which you can distribute at shows and other places punks meet (by clicking the pdf link at the bottom and printing it out) and through the Internet (by linking to the site). Bring it up in conversation next time you're at a show. Spread the word that the big three are no longer welcome in our community.

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How I Spent My Summer Vacation (or: Spending Four Nights Watching the Bouncing Souls and Subsequently Making Obvious Summer Vacation Related Puns)

words: Ian Perry

So, I've never considered myself a massive Bouncing Souls fan or anything, but when I found out they were playing four night at Islington Academy – playing two of their eight albums per night – I figured it was definitely worth the trip(s). Plus, Claire is way more into them than me and I knew she'd be totally stoked on the idea.

She was.

So, we had a look at the tickets when they went on sale. Fifteen quid a night (plus fees, obviously) or we could get “VIP” tickets for £60, which included entry to all 4 nights, a poster, tour pass and after show club night on the fourth night.

As we were going to all 4 nights, we figured we may as well get the VIP tickets with the free shit it entails. So, adding fees on top, it came to about £70ish each.

A lot of money, but I figured it'd be worth it to see pretty much every Bouncing Souls track live in the relatively small surroundings of Islington Academy.

So, fast forward a few weeks, and the gigs are approaching. I've booked a week off work and so has Claire, with the plan being that we'll crash at her parents' house in Surrey in between gigs. Then, though, Claire got a new (better) job and didn't have the time off any more so we made plans to go back to Cambridge every night. Which wouldn't have been that big a deal except National Rail announced engineering works on that line for exactly four nights, and the exact four nights of the gigs. So we had to get a train to Hitchin, followed by a bus to Cambridge. Not a massive deal to me as I had a week off, but I'm sure Claire was shattered from doing all that and going to work each day, too.

Somewhere along the way, the ever awesome Banquet Records announced a couple of afternoon in-stores. The first, on the Tuesday, would be the Souls acoustic. The second, the following day, would be frontman Gregory Attonito playing solo to promote his recent solo 10”. I grabbed tickets for that as soon as I could, and would be flying solo as Claire had work. Also announced is the first of Page 52 of 72

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the supports. Tuesday will be Pacer, and Wednesday will be Dave House solo.

This is fucking awesome as Dave rarely plays solo any more. Monday and Thursday are eventually announced as the reunited Steel Rules Die, and the unheard of – to me, at least – Severe Zero, respectively.

Also, somewhere along the way, it was announced that the latter three gigs had been upgraded to the main Academy from Academy2. Which meant – unbeknownst to us – the gigs were originally planned for the tiny upstairs room, and we'd still be seeing Monday's gig – The Good, The Bad and The Argyle and Maniacal Laughter – in the small room. Awesome.

So the gig's are here. Fuck. Awesome.

Monday I meet Claire after work and we jump on the train to King's Cross and the tube to Angel. We're unsure where exactly in the venue we need to go. I figure the upstairs entrance as the gig is in the small room but there's a queue of people downstairs so we join that. Soon enough I spot someone has a ticket for Eli 'Paperboy' Reed and I promptly realise that he's playing downstairs, and we do want to be upstairs.

We get in to be greeted with the news that we can pick up our freebies on Thursday, and all we have to get in the remainder of the nights is a flimsy, generic O2 Academy plastic wristband... which promptly fell off a couple of minutes later, although I managed to get it back on.

We'd never been upstairs at the Academy before, so had no idea just how intimate it actually is. It was freaking awesome. It must hold about 150 people, maybe 200. No barrier, and not much of a stage. I perused the Souls' merch and spotted a copy of Anchors Aweigh on vinyl which – if you've read the previous few issues of this zine – you can probably work out I don't have in my Souls vinyl collection.

Time-wise, it was to be doors at 7pm, the support at 8pm, and the Souls at 9pm.

Steel Rules Die are up first. I knew the name from back in t'day, but always assumed they were a hardcore band. Probably because they had releases on In Page 53 of 72

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At The Deed End Records. Turns out they sound a lot like Right Turn Clyde (who I would use as a reference point, as they're local to me and I'm mates with some of them) or Not Katies. That sort of thing. Poppy, emo, punk. I guess. Either way, I really, really, enjoyed their set. Especially as it was in the small room. I've since hunted down a couple of their releases which are excellent, and make me annoyed with myself I never properly listened to them originally.

We've got about half an hour to kill until the Bouncing Souls take to the stage.

Or... rather... visuals played on the screen with a boxing-ring-introduction-esque announcement, whilst they had a “ring girl” come out, with the vinyl sleeve, mimicking the ring girls in a classic boxing bout. This was awesome, and a nice touch that would be replicated for each of the eight albums.

Setlist-wise, I'm not going to go over that as it'd be pointless. First up was, obviously, The Good, the Bad and the Argyle; the Souls' first record which is fast and furious and less than 30 minutes in length. Oh, and it opens with the awesome “I Like Your Mom”.

Following this was a very brief intermission and another audio/visual introduction, followed by another boxing ring girl, and then Maniacal Laughter in full. Another album which clocks in at less than 30 minutes. In fact, it clocks in at around 24 minutes. The Souls went on stage at 9pm, and we were out of the Academy by about 9.50.

Again, there's no point going over what was played as it's just the album in full.

The point is that the set – both albums – was a heck of a lot of fun. There wasn't a massive crowd – in fact the Academy2 didn't look sold out – but everyone, everyone, who was there was really into it and the atmosphere was amazing.

So, I left via the merch table to pick up the aforementioned vinyl I was after, and we hopped on the tube and took the one stop to King's Cross; and then onto Cambridge via Hitchin.

Tuesday Claire's gone to work and I'm kicking back, killing time until later. I meet her at the station and we get the usual route to Islington, where we're in the main room.

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Pacer were first up, and a lot better than I remember them being, even though they had Johnfold (aka John Ramos aka John whatever-his-real-name-actually-is) filling in on bass (as Mike Foster is – I think – not in the band any more). I always liked Pacer but never thought they were amazing but tonight they seemed to have some extra spark that made me take notice that little bit more. That being said, Dave bummed me out by announcing that he'd rather do another Pacer set tomorrow instead of playing solo and that – in all likelihood – this is what would happen.

First night in the 'real' venue, and the Bouncing Souls are playing their self-titled album – notable for the excellent “Shark Attack” and “Kate is Great” – and Hopeless Romantic – probably best known for its title track and “¡Olé!”. Another awesome set of two classic Souls albums.

Afterwards, it was what was fast becoming our usual routine; the venue, across the road to Angel tube station, one stop to King's Cross, train to Hitchin, and ending with a bus to Cambridge.

Wednesday This afternoon would be the first of two Banquet Records in-stores, and I'd be flying solo due to Claire having work. So, I left Cambridge many hours than I'd done the past few days, to get to Kingston (via – if I recall correctly – King's Cross and Vauxhall) and the quick walk from the station to Banquet. Ricky Bates was coming too, so I got to hang with him. We also met a dude (whose name escapes me) who runs Trusty Chords distro and he seemed cool. After queuing for quite a while, the store was ready to let us in where we got to see the Bouncing Souls play a short, acoustic, set. It was incredible. They were a ton of fun, and took requests; even playing songs that don't necessarily suit being played acoustic – such as “Bullying the Jukebox” – because people wanted it.

I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with Ricky, doing the whole London thing. We found ourselves in M&M's World which – if you hadn't guessed – is a massive store dedicated to M&M's. It's all ridiculously pointless stuff, yet I couldn't help but want most of it. We noticed a strong chocolate smell before you've even entered, which we decided was blatantly just a ploy to get you into the shop. A day or two later I happened to be reading an article about shops Page 55 of 72

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using artificial smells to entice shoppers – such as supermarkets using fake freshbaked-bread smells to make shoppers want bread – and it mentioned M&M's World's chocolate smell as an example. We knew it. After killing time and money, we met Claire and headed into the show. Ricky introduced me to Tortilla, an awesome Mexican place around the corner from the Academy. Speaking of Mexican places, the night before me and Claire ended up meeting and hanging out with Michael, a New Yorker who runs another Mexican place – Chilango – in Islington. Good dude who we'd hang out with for the rest of the week.

This was going to be the biggest of the four shows. In fact, I think this was the only show that was originally scheduled to be downstairs in the big room; such is the stature of Summer Vacation and Anchors Aweigh compared to the rest of the Souls' catalogue. First things first, though, was the small matter of Pacer playing for a second night. I was still bummed out that Dave House opted not to play a solo set, and was really hoping that Pacer would drop a full-band version of a Dave song, but 'twas not meant to be. Pacer were as good as the night before.

Truth be told, I can't remember much of a difference in their two sets.

Right. The Bouncing Souls. Because I'm lame, How I Spent My Summer Vacation is my personal favourite Souls album, so it was the album I was mostly looking forward to. I wasn't disappointed. They played it awesomely. The room was the fullest it had been all week and everyone was incredibly stoked. The energy kept for Anchors Aweigh, which I realised I need to listen to more as it's always been something of a 'forgotten album' to me, coming after the amazing Summer Vacation. All-in-all, a totally awesome day; ending with the usual trip back to Cambridge via Hitchin.

Thursday The last day. Bummer. Again, I was up early to get to Kingston except this time it was a solo in-store by Souls frontman Gregory Attonito who had just released his début solo record, a 10” EP on Chunksaah. I'd bought it about a week previously, but hadn't got around to listening to it yet, so this would be my first chance hearing most of these songs. Good stuff. Nothing ground-breaking but good acoustic, folky, punk rock.

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for a massive wander which took me to Embankment tube station, just in time to catch the Circle Line to meet Claire at King's Cross.

We made the final, short, trek to Islington for the final night of our epic journey.

Tonight's support were pop-punks (emphasis very much on the pop) Severe Zero who were okay. Nothing special. Nothing terrible. Nothing really memorable if I'm honest. Expect for the emo hair and piercings. I remember those.

Time for the final two Bouncing Souls records. First up was The Gold Record, another of those records that I really need to listen to more. When it came out I remember seeing some lukewarm reviews of it, so never rushed out to listen to it. In hindsight, I should have as it really is good. Lastly, would be Ghosts on the Boardwalk – which is made up of tracks from the 20 th Anniversary 7” series. I've always loved this album so was possibly as excited for this as I was for Summer Vacation. As expected, it was awesome. Which – as I'm sure you've noticed – was a common theme this week: high expectations being met and me having a fantastic time. After finishing the album, the Souls played a few odd tracks from splits and such, ending with their cover of “Wayfarer” from their recent split with Hot Water Music.

After the show there was a clubnight in the Bar Academy room, which was also where we'd collect our free poster (which was shit) and lanyard (which was a badly cropped portion of the poster, crudely laminated and attached to a generic O2 Academy lanyard). So, after four amazing nights it ends with terrible “VIP” gifts! Lame! Thanks O2.

Regardless, it was an amazing week and a great usage of my holiday allowance from work.

Further Reading www.bouncingsouls.com www.chunksaah.com www.facebook.com/steelrulesdie wearepacer.tumblr.com www.severezero.com www.banquetrecords.com

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I sent Dan out on an assignment to interview pop-punkers TSHFC on their tour with Madina Lake. And by that I mean I asked him if he felt like doing an interview in exchange for guestlist and he said yes. Result.

Dan: Can you just introduce yourself?

Stubhy: Sure, I'm Stubhy; I'm the singer of The Super Happy Fun Club Could you tell us a bit about the band? What kind of genre would you classify yourself as?

We don't really, it's a rock band. The thing that I think sets us apart from most is we have really anthemic gang vocally stuff, so it's like Rancid stuff but not as punk.

There's definitely pop-punk there.

Who do you generally listen to?

Lately I've been listening to Okervill River, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes. I rediscovered the first major My Chemical Romance record, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge.

Sometimes I just put my music on shuffle. I watched a Pearl Jam documentary so I revisited a lot of those records. There's always the fall-backs like The Beatles, Nirvana, Depeche Mode and The Cure.

Would you say there are 1 or 2 bands that have really influenced your sound?

I don't think it would be unfair to say I was the main songwriter, melody writer of the band but everybody else writes the underlying music, the arrangements. So I can tell you what influences me but I don't know what the hell those guys get their inspiration from. They all listen to lots of different stuff. Like, our guitarist Brad is really into Jawbreaker and Samiam and more indie stuff that I don't necessarily get into. Pat our keyboard player; the other major arranger in the band, likes the poppunk stuff quite a lot. Phil, guitarist, listens to everything. Chris, the drummer, listens to a lot of punk rock stuff, so I mean everybody is different.

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Got to ask about the name, sure you get the question a lot, why The Super Happy Fun Club?

I've been in a bunch of bands before and this was supposed to be me and an acoustic guitar with changing backing people and it was just gonna be called Stubhy And The Bad Habits and I was going to change the band members regularly. Brad asked to join in, Pat asked to join and we just became a band and I didn't really want us to be Stubhy And The Bad Habits because it felt embarrassing, the way we were arranging it was just weird. We were coming up with names and I was sitting on my couch, coming up with names like The Chicago Dropout Club and all these other names and my friend was just “why are your fucking names so negative all the time?” and “all your band names are so negative” so Pat, Jeremy and I were just sitting around after I told them how she'd just snapped on me and Jeremy says “what does she want us to call ourselves? The Super Happy Fun Club?” and we got drunk and decided to go with it. The music, if you listen to the lyrics, is kinda morbid. Victims is kinda like bouncy and fun but until you really pay attention to songs like Light Pollution or London, they're kind of darker lyrically. So we're a different band depending on whether you just want to listen to sing along we're a bouncy little group or if you listen to the lyrics you can think “this guy has some issues”. The name's kinda meant to be ironic.

Is this your first time over in the UK? Being Indian it's a stop from America to London to Mumbai so I've been here a couple of times, but never as an adult. This is my first time that I was legally able to drink beer.

Has the tour been going well? You're quite near the end of the tour, been getting a good reception?

Yeah, I mean amazing. Well, our Twitter and Facebook adds have been doubled/tripled since we got here. It's crazy. The reception has been amazing and the UK press has been really kind to us, beyond what I ever thought it would be. The thing is we're kinda seen as refreshing over here.

Have you had a favourite stop on the tour so far? A favourite city to explore or a favourite crowd?

Brighton was a lot of fun. I loved Birmingham and London too. But as far as like enjoying the city itself, when you drink like I do you don't get to see much. I saw more stuff in like Belgium.

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How did you guys meet Madina Lake? Was it a case of they just saw you one day and were like – come along?

A little bit of that and like I've known the twins for years, I mean we grew up in the same Chicago scene so my old bands and their old bands were always supporting each other, so we were always around and friends. Chris, our drummer, is actually really good friends with them so they were like “oh you're in a band? Cool we'll come check it out”. They came and checked it out and they really liked it and were like “Hey, want to go to Europe?” and we were all “uh, yeah”. I mean, we haven't even toured the US, we haven't done shit. We've only been together since January and put this record out in June over there and we're here, it's really pretty fucking cool because I wasn't trying in this band and all the other bands I've been in we were trying to do something and the one time where we weren't trying, all of a sudden it's blowing up. These other guys, we all used to play together and they had given up playing music. Phil was done. Brad had given up, everyone had given up. Everyone had hung up their proverbial instrument you know.

One last question before I let you go. Have you got somewhere where we can check out your music?

You can find us on Spotify, Amazon, iTunes. Now you can buy the stuff off our facebook and then there's our regular website.

Thanks for the time, hope tonight goes well and that the rest of the tour does too.

Thanks for chatting with us.

Hey man, no worries, thanks.

Since the interview in November, Brad Chagdes (guitarist) has left the band. He was part of the recording process for two of the songs on the upcoming Super Happy Fun Club album but will not be a part of the band going forward. I want to wish luck to both Brad and the remaining members of The Super Happy Fun Club.

Find out more about www.thesuperhappyfunclub.com them on Facebook.

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TSHFC at or search for

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CD/Record Reviews (Part 2) IP

Ian Perry

LC

Laura Coles

Attack! Vipers! – Deadweight Revival (Specialist Subject) I don't want to call this a 'hardcore' record as I don't feel that tag would do justice to what is truly an exceptional album. Incredibly heavy and – at times – haunting (case in point: "Out in the Dark" and its ethereal female vocals). This album has a sense of intelligence and maturity that I feel wouldn't necesarily be evident if I used the 'hardcore' tag. Basically, what I'm trying to say is you should buy this if you like the heavier and/or darker side of punk rock. www.specialistsubjectrecords.co.uk IP Beans on Toast – Trying to Tell the Truth (Xtra Mile) Here's a quick history lesson about Beans on Toast. He's a longtime friend of a certain Mr Frank Turner and has played countless gigs and tours alongside the aforementioned Mr Turner. Musically, Beans plays gravel-voiced, scrappy, acoustic punk that is so ridiculously full of charm that you can't help but love it. The album opens with a track about needing to buy new shoes before quickly delving into a track about over-population. A guest appearance from Kate Tempest – the excellent lyricist and MC from Sound of Rum – on "Can't Take Another Earthquake" really seals the deal for me. Basically, listening to Beans on Toast is like hanging out with your buddy and hearing him play some awesome songs without any pretension. Which is how I imagine Frank Turner feels about him. www.xtramilerecordings.com IP Beverley Kills – self titled (9021Go) Eight tracks of some awesome power-pop from Cambridge's BK. I don't want to dwell on the fact that they're an all-girl band, but I suppose – vocally at least – it might help you work out what they sound like. Each member of the band has written two tracks each, which helps give the songs their own distinct indentity; whilst retaining the familiarity of the band. The songs are catchy and fun, yet with a surprising weight behind them. You want some comparisons? The Breeders, Hole, Sleater-Kinney. I'm not sure if any of this even makes sense, but – in a nutshell – listen to this. www.reverbnation.com/beverleykills IP Page 62 of 72

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Classics of Love – self titled (Asian Man) This will, no doubt, be near the top – if not actually at the top – of my end of year best of list. This album is just amazing. 2009's Walking in Shadows EP was an amazing introduction to the band – featuring the legendary Jesse Fucking Michaels – but this album manages to crank things up another notch, with the addition of some more ska moments and some more hardcore moments. The beauty, however, is in the fact that these slight additions never feel tacked on, and sound like organic extensions of COL's melodic punk rock. In short, a truly phenomenal effort and worth a listen if you're a fan of, well, anything really. www.asianmanrecords.com IP

Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room – Hurricane Season (Asian Man) I'm sure if you're reading this, that you've heard Alkaline Trio.

Given this fact, I think it's fair to say that Dan Andriano – alongside his Trio vocal cohort Matt Skiba – has a fairly distinctive voice. This is particularly evident on this full-length. At times, it really does feel like you're listening to Alkaline Trio. All of that being said, however, I don't want to just write about this record in the context of the Trio, as that wouldn't be fair to this. Hurricane Season is a solid record in its own right. Dan's voice, some acoustic guitar and a little else – usually a bit of piano and some sparse drums – create a warm, somewhat chilled, record that has more than a little in common with the quieter moments from Dave Hause's solo album. Point is, this is definitely worthy of your time if you like any of the new-wave of acoustic punk rock acts.

Or Alkaline Trio. www.asianmanrecords.com IP

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Gallows – Death is Birth EP (Thirty Days of Night) When I was about fourteen, I heard about this hardcore band from Watford who were simply phenomenal and had a feral tattooed frontman with ginger hair who wasn’t afraid of getting a little bloody at shows. Less aware of things like the hype machine back then, I picked up a copy of their début album next time I was in Cambridge’s Fopp and played it when I got in. I was blown away, and after catching them live for the first time a few months later, that was it, I was a die-hard Gallows fan. Somehow, Grey Britain was even better, and I thought, no matter how much Frank Carter always comes off as a complete twat in interviews and the like, you completely couldn’t fault the music he was making and the performances he was giving with Gallows. Well, fast-forward a few years, and Gallows is here, but Carter isn’t. Wade MacNeil, formerly of Canadian post-hardcore merchants Alexisonfire, stepped in to take the mic, and we now have four-track EP Death Is Birth as the introduction to the MacNeil period of Gallows. I really want to like this EP. I really do.

But I just can’t. The only track I can really say shows the potential of this line-up is the title track, which is a snarling beast of a track that made sure my Gallows love wasn’t quite obliterated. However, the other three tracks made my heart sink. Musically, the band are still just as talented as they’ve always been, but MacNeil’s vocal work just doesn’t sit right. Single Mondo Chaos is the worst of the bunch, with the simply ridiculous refrain “you say fuck the world… I say it’s already fucked” as a chorus. I’m sorry, but what angry fifteen year old did you grab hold of to write that for you?! Half-minute track True Colours epitomises the problem that most people who dislike “new Gallows” have described: a Canadian vocalist, shouting lyrics about the Fourth of July, fronting the band that produced Grey Britain. See, this isn’t my problem. It’s that this EP isn’t necessarily the most terrible thing ever produced, but sitting it next to the first couple of albums is like sitting a cheap statue from Homebase next to the Venus de Milo. DIB sounds like Gallows should stop being Gallows, and should be a band under a different name, especially with such a different vocalist. Again, I need to mention that pretty decent title track. You could do a pretty beautiful Cancer Bats-esque thing here, guys.

Please, PLEASE don’t ruin your band for me. Oh god, I haven’t even seen this incarnation play live yet...! thirtydaysofnightrecords.bigcartel.com LC

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Katie Malco and the Slow Parade – self titled EP (Alcopop) When I saw this was another Alcopop release, I prepared myself to hear some kind of quirky indie pop, probably delivered in the form of a fluorescent scarf with download code or something. However, I was surprised to hear a relatively stripped back acoustic track with pretty lush female vocals over the top in opener “Florence Nightingale’s House.” Now, I know that the music industry has a real hard-on for female singer-songwriters at the moment, especially folk influenced ones, and a lot of the ones they push sing the most dull, middle-of-the-road songs possible, because that’s what sells. This is frustrating when there are so many decent ones out there, cos it gives us musically inclined women-types a bit of a bad press (FUCK YOU, LANA DEL RAY). That’s why it is refreshing to hear an artist like Katie Malco – this EP is absolutely brimming with mainstream potential, but it’s also, in its own way, quite honest and charming. Whilst I am DEFINITELY knocking a few points off for Laadeedaa – sorry, Katie, there’s only so much twee I can handle before my brain collapses in on itself – the rest of the EP is pretty good, and I expect that a full length album will let a bit more of the potential that shines through on here be fully realised. One for fans of Laura Marling, Alessi’s Ark and such rather than those who prefer their ladies to shout their words over hammered out chords. www.ilovealcopop.co.uk LC Kunt and the Gang – Kiss You Under the Camel Toe (Disco Minge) A Kunt and the Gang Christmas album! I'm genuinely considering writing no more, as I'm sure – if you're familiar with Basildon's finest purveyor of filth – you already know what to expect. Longtime fans of Kunt will probably have seen his limited Christmas EPs he tends to release for gigs around December-time every year. This CD collects the best tracks from those, and some new'uns, into one helpful place. Sure, it's hardly Christmas now, but next December you should check this out for a filthy festive chuckle. www.kuntandthegang.co.uk IP The Magnificent – Bad Lucky (JSNTGM/Drunken Sailor) I'm still not sure why or how, but I never liked The Mags – as they're usually affectionately known – when I first heard/saw them. That all changed when I saw them do a Rancid covers set; which is incredibly weird in itself as I never liked Rancid. Anyway... this is awesome. I'd hate to make the obvious Rancid comparisons, but this does sound like a very British version of Rancid, except if Rancid were good. In a nutshell: melodic punk rock with a street punk influence and worth a listen. www.jsntgm.com IP

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Rising Strike – Bite the Hand That Feeds (TNS) Rising Strike are definitely influenced by Capdown. This is definitely not a bad thing. As soon as the saxophone kicks in, on intro track "Watching Our Watchers", you're taken back a few years when – in the words of MC Lars – kids wore shades and chequered slacks.

Which is to say, back when people were still in ska and ska-core bands. Rising Strike differ from Capdown, though, with a far more hardcore approach to their vocals. Reminding me, in places, of labelmates Beat the Red Light. The point I'm trying to make is that – if you are a fan of heavy ska punk – you really need to check this one out. www.tnsrecords.co.uk IP The Skints – Part and Parcel (Bomber) The Skints have been on the rise for a few years now, and this – their second album – is the product of a fan-funded endeavour through increasingly-popular fundraising website PledgeMusic. It’s been four years since their self-titled EP was released on Do The Dog music, and after all this time The Skints have experienced a kind of metamorphosis from promising ska-punk upstarts (have a listen to “N55” and “Jungle Plane Wreck” from the aforementioned EP) to the new kings and queen of UK reggae. “Part And Parcel,” in a word, is simply brilliant. The band’s love of old school reggae has caused them to produce a record that could have been pulled from the minds of any early 70s master, but with modern sensibilities and production. Opener “Rise Up” sets the tone for rest of the album, playfully referencing the band’s East London roots lyrically with the introduction of the male-female vocals that work so nicely for the Skints. I honestly can’t say whether I say I prefer Marcia’s or Josh’s songs on this album – they both have such strong, brilliant voices, and every harmony on the album is lush. I’ve been playing this album for a few weeks now, and my favourite song varies all the time, simply because it’s hard to pick a standout track on an album that is full of standout tracks. At the time of writing (and honestly it’s probably because it’s stuck in my head) it’s “Ring Ring,” a Marcia-led song which sounds rather jolly on the surface but is actually pretty dark lyrically, something which is seen a few times throughout the album. It also ends with one of the best song transitions of all time. Other highlights include appearances from Parly B, who supplies the incredible “pterodactyl noise” (© Ian) on Soundboy. I think the only way you can really be disappointed with this album is if you wanted the same Skints sound of 2008, as the band has really settled more and more into a reggae sound with each release. They seem to be playing all the UK festivals ever this summer, so I would definitely recommend hearing them in some sweltering field somewhere to give this fantastic collection of songs a proper summer airing. www.bombermusic.com LC

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Sukoshi – Claw Hammer single (Gravy) I actually saw Sukoshi a few weeks ago at Olive’s Café in Norwich, and before I go any further you need to know that he is one of the most insane musicians I have ever paid music to watch – he spent the entire set playing with a variety of music technology (or “noisy toys” to the ill-informed) from inside a painted and decorated tent, of which he threw himself out of occasionally, moving spasmodically and practically foaming at the mouth as he played what can only be described as an orgy of samples, electronic sounds and frantically filtered vocal sounds. It was nothing if not entertaining, and I was interested to see how his sound transferred from a live performance to a studio recording. Well, Claw Hammer is definitely the Cubase-powered electronic mess (in a good way!) that I was expecting, although there is not the same kind of primal ferociousness in this recording as exists in the live arena. I feel that Sukoshi probably has to be seen to be believed, and that it’s definitely not an experience for the faint of heart. One more for fans of stranger and generally fucked-up electronic music such as Aphex Twin rather than fans of the occasional Faithless track. www.gravyhq.com LC This Ends Here / Fresh Milk / Murder of Crows / Crimewave Inc – 4 Way Split (self released) This is a collection of four hardcore bands from Bristol – in some rather nice looking fold-out artwork – with each conntributing four tracks. This Ends Here open up with their scrappy – if not a bit sloppy – form of angry crust-influenced punk. Fresh Milk keep up the pace with their quartet of almost Converge-esque tracks. Their vocals are incredibly low in the mix – along with being almost constantly yelled – which makes them rather hard to decipher. Murder of Crows carry on the crust-fuelled anger, leaving it to Crimewave Inc to finish things up with what is, unfortunately, the worst selection on the disc. Crimewave Inc are some sort of horrible attempt at old school punk with poor, snotty, vocals which provide a disapointing end to this otherwise enjoyable – if not groundbreaking – split. www.thisendshere.co.uk IP Twelve Clay Feet – Totem Bells (Kiln) Recently, I got into a long discussion with my girlfriend about how I don't like rock music. As in music that could just be called "rock", such as Foo Fighters, Nickelback, that sort of thing. Twelve Clay Feet are definitely a rock band and, as such, I fail to enjoy them.

Sure, the musicianship is there, but it really isn't my cup of tea. www.twelveclayfeet.com IP

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Uniforms – Demo (Make That a Take) If there is one thing that I really like about a singer, it’s a distinguishable accent, as my love for bands such as Biffy Clyro and ONSIND will testify. Therefore, I was a little disappointed when Uniforms did not sound quite as Dundee as I had hoped… however, this said, the music isn’t half bad. I get the impression from this rough (and clumsy in places) demo that this is a band that fares much better in the live arena, particularly on closing track “I Won’t Forget You” which sounds as if the guitar player really, REALLY doesn’t want to record the opening riff to a click track. That said, “Schoolboy Errors” and “Photographs” are pretty decent punk rock tracks. I get the impression that this is a bit like what Bangers would sound like if they were Scottish instead of being so far south that Reading is in the north to them. I will definitely try to catch them live if they come back to England soon, and I hope that their next output will be recorded a bit more (but not too much!) smoothly so that I can judge them a bit better. www.makethatatake.co.uk LC Whitemare – Snider (Blackdream) So this is clearly influenced by Gallows. I don't mean that as an insult, either, it's just that – from the very beginning – you're reminded of Gallows, Cancer Bats, that sort of thing. Except with a touch of Thin Lizzy, and other classic heavy rock bands. Whilst it's not necessarilly my bag, I can definitely listen to this in small doses.

That said, though, if you're into the aforementioned bands or others like The Smoking Hearts, you should check this out. Oh, and they have members of Architects, Johnny Truant www.facebook.com/whitemare IP

and

Centurion.

I owe a lot of you a huge apology. There was meant to be a lot more stuff reviewed in here – the perils of waiting so long between issues!

Unfortunately, with this issue dragging on and on I had to just cut my losses and stop waiting. Some of them were my fault, and some of them were CDs I'd forwarded onto other people to review and never got back.

I'll make sure your releases do get reviewed in the future though!

Speaking of which, if you'd like something reviewed, please get in touch by emailing ian@killyourown.co.uk.

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Recipes words: Claire Nichols Carrot and Red Lentil Soup (Vegan and Gluten free) This soup is easy to make, cheap, tasty and filling. Great served with some chunky bread. Serves 4 as a main meal, more as a starter or lunch.

Ingredients • 2 white onions, chopped • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 6 large carrots, sliced • Approx 200g red lentils • 2 tsp ground coriander • 2 tsp ground cumin/cumin seeds • 2 tsp dried mixed herbs • 1 litre vegetable stock (I use marigold bouillon powder) • Olive oil (for frying) • Salt and pepper (to taste) Method 1. Fry onion and garlic with a generous amount of olive oil for 2 minutes 2. Add carrots to pan and cook until softened, stirring occasionally 3. Add vegetable stock, herbs and spices and red lentils 4. Bring to boil and skim off any foam 5. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils and carrots are thoroughly cooked The soup can either be served like this or blended with a hand processor.

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Coconut Bread Pudding (Vegan and can be made Gluten free) This came about as an experiment in using up leftover coconut milk, but turned out just as tasty as the normal version. Makes 6 chunky portions.

Ingredients • 225g stale bread (if using gluten free bread genius seeded bread is good for this) • 350ml soy milk • 100-150g mixed fruit (I used a mixture of sultana, raisins, mixed peel, glace cherries, apricots and dates) • 1 shot of dark rum (optional) • 50-100g coconut milk – roughly quarter of a can (don’t use the light version as you need the higher fat content as there is no other fat in the recipe) • 1 dessertspoon mixed spice • 1 teaspoon xantham gum • Grated whole nutmeg (to taste) • Vegan margarine (for greasing) Method 1. Break up bread into a mixing bowl and soak in the milk and rum until soft 2. Add mixed spice, sugar, xantham gum and mixed fruits and stir in thoroughly 3. Add coconut milk – the consistency needs to be like porridge, wet and mulchy but not runny 4. Grease shallow tin with vegan margarine 5. Pour in mixture, level surface and grate nutmeg over to taste 6. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour in a preheated oven for 180C/gas mark 4, until the mixture is set and lightly browned on top This can be served hot or cold.

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