issue one
exit club alex higlet: good at music, shit at golf
artist’s portfolio
also: showing off to thieves monster bastard pro ject
free
boo’s comic a christmas story and more....
LISTINGS mar31-apr15 Fri 31 March THE
Thur 6 April
with special guests
SEMIFINALISTS•SIX NATION STATE
FRIDAY NIGHT CHICKEN SHACK
presents
HEY GRAVITY!
MODELISTE
Funk rockers from Halifax, apparently the worse place to live in England. Raw power! www.modeliste.co.uk £4 mem • £4.50 conc • £5 guests
Sat 1 April Metripolis presents
LOTTIE The queen of house music
marks her return to clubland after a 6 month break for babies, with this very special gig for us. Don’t miss this chance to hear her trademark filthy house sound once again. £6 mem • £6.50 conc • £7 guests
Sun 2 April JAZZ’N’BLUES CLUB
Mon 3 April
STUDENT BATTLE OF THE BANDS•FINAL
DO NOT RESUSCITATE THE STORIES BEHIND PORT ERIN•JUB•MORE TBA £2 mem • £2.50 conc • £3 guests
Tues 4 April
The Big Cheese Cheap drinks and cheesy tunes £3 mem • £3.50 conc • £4 guests
Wed 5 April Riot presents
THE MOST TERRIFYING THING TBC +SPECIAL GUESTS TBA
TMTT - Loud mix of the perverse & intolerable with soundscapes that skip from syncopated jazz into the sound of catastrophic explosions. £3 mem • £3.50 conc • £4 guests
The Big Cheese Cheap drinks and cheesy tunes £3 mem • £3.50 conc • £4 guests
Wed 12 April Funk@moles with
8FOLD If variety is the spice of
HG - A two girl/three boy rock’n’roll song machine out of London. SF - Fry your brain with this stuff! SNS - Musically fantastic, visually entertaining, brilliantly original. £4 mem • £4.50 conc • £5 guests
Fri 7 April
presents
GARY CROSSAN Gary is a resident dj at Dojo Lounge in Bristol he’s also a regular at Club Cuba.
+RESIDENT DJ MALFUNKTION
life, then 8fold is an extra hot chicken phaal with a bottle of hot Tabasco sauce added just for good measure.
+SAFEBOSS DJs GEORGE WALTER+PETE LUCAS £3 mem • £3.50 conc • £4 guests
Thur 13 April
presents
THE SHOW IS THE RAINBOW KLAXONS•METRONOMY
£4 mem • £4.50 conc • £5 guests
Sat 8 April MishMash presents
WILLS & THE THE FORSTER KING BAND IAN WILLING•INDI FORDE A B.B. shuffle followed by some swampy New Orleans funk is the order of the day, and it’s a recipe that’s seems to be making an impact. £2 mem • £2.50 conc • £3 guests
Tues 11 April
IW - Ian Wills in his many guises as a poet & performer with a new collaboration of music & poetry featuring a full live band. Debut album due in June. £4 mem • £4.50 conc • £5 guests
Sun 9 April JAZZ’N’BLUES CLUB
DUENNA Modern melodic jazz with elements of funk and blues. All original arrangements of modern tunes from a variety of sources. ‘A great jazz voice’ - Guardian. £2 mem • £2.50 conc • £3 guests
Mon 10 April EeBahGum presents
BEN HILL•THE MONSTER BASTARD PROJECT•2HRS TEN BH - A rare chance to
see Bath legend Ben Hill on native soil singing & playing songs from his forthcoming album ‘Short Confessions’. Not to be missed. £3 mem • £3.50 conc • £4 guests
VG - The alter ego of American Darren Keen. A giddy assault of electro-rock that nods toward Devo, Beck, Prince & Har Mar Superstar. K - New Angular Records signings & a dance/guitar cross-over noize attack. M Blips & bleeps, ragged drums & lush melodies. £4 mem • £4.50 conc • £5 guests
Fri 14 April THE FRIDAY NIGHT CHICKEN SHACK
with special guests
RANDOM HEROES
Emerging from a six year residency at ‘Across The Trax’ in Huddersfield’s Camel Club, Eddie Skratch, DC and Marc Kershaw (The Underground Set) join forces to form the Random Heroes project. £4 mem • £4.50 conc • £5 guests
Sat 15 April MishMash presents
BARAKA
Unique combination of dance & party music featuring West African Highlife, South African Township & Calypso, Soca & Reggae, providing an exciting mix of dance rhythms, soaring melodies & funky grooves. £4 mem • £4.50 conc • £5 guests
www.moles.co.uk•www.moles.co.uk 14 GEORGE ST • BATH • Mon-Thurs 9pm-2am • Fri-Sat 9pm-4am • Sun 8pm-12.30am
It’s a new magazine, another magazine, more pictures, more words, more crazy pictures of crazy people for all you kooky crazy kids out there. This is so exciting, so now, so a situation, so more than a situation, this is a tsunami of culture, art, music, everything that makes me feel all important inside. This is hectic, it’s all neon words, all over the page so you can’t read it because it’s so edgy but that’s the point, it makes you feel oh so now, it makes you edgy and so today, tomorrow…ooohh, come on in everybody, soak it up, we’re losing daylight here, get here, get now, look now in the face and think, my god, it’s so me! Open yourself like a fold-out fun map because I’ve done my market research, I’ve read all the magazines on the rack.
And I know this, you’ve got to be eDgY, you’ve got to convince people you have something to say, that you’re always on the cusp of the next big thing, that you have the most interesting friends, you see all the best bands, you read all the best books when in fact… in fact you’re empty like Madonna’s heart… So we have decided not to be like all that. Forget Madonna, forget everything. Instead we have decided to make a local magazine for local musicians and artists. We have no talent, we are lazy, we want a free ride, so instead we’ve decided to talk about other people instead of ourselves and these people, they may not be the most edgy and fashionable people on the street, but damn it they’re going to give it their best shot.
The Moles Underground team are: Laura M (director), Kara (director), Giles (editor), Lee (designer) and Laura B (designer). www.molesunderground.co.uk design: www.motherleopard.com staff@molesunderground.co.uk www.laurabarnard.co.uk Moles Underground Magazine, Moles, 14 George Street, Bath, BA1 2EN Printed by WPG - www.welshpoolprint.co.uk
menswear ladieswear footwear accessories skateboard hardware media art WHITE DUCK ! PDF PM
www.detourskatestore.co.uk
20 Broad St. Bath. 01225 471998
news............................................... 6 exit club.......................................... 8 demo reviews................................ 12 book reviews................................. 14 chrismas story............................... 16 gig listings..................................... 18 gig reviews.................................... 19 alex higlet...................................... 22 showing off to thieves................... 26 boo’s comic................................... 27 ani difranco................................... 28 crossword competition.................. 31
by andrew godfrey With the release of Mr.Beast the much anticipated follow up to 2003’s Happy Music For Happy People Glasgow’s legendary avante garde noiseniks Mogwai are back with a vengeance to bring their barrage of art rock beauty to the live scene once more. They play Bristol Academy on Wednesday the 29th of March. Be there or be tubular! Not only are Radiohead hard at work putting the finishing touches to their next album but it would seem that they are itching to play some gigs as well. Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood of the band will be performing a special gig for the Big Ask/Friends of the earth alongside Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) and Kate Rusby at London’s Camden Koko on May the 1st. Tickets are £55 each (!) and all proceeds will go to Friends of the Earth. Tickets available from www.ticketmaster. co.uk. Although no proper full
band tour dates have been confirmed they are thought to be focused around the dates that the band headline the second day of V Festival alongside acts such as Beck, Kasabian, Fatboy Slim, The Ordinary Boys, and The Go! Team. Talking of mediocre festival line ups, the rumoured line up for this years Reading Festival isn’t looking much better either with the likes of Muse, Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, Pearl Jam (I thought they were dead?!) and the horribly overrated Artic Monkeys. The only saving grace might be the possible appearance of Tool. It’s small, less corporate events for me this year I think. The man from the musical family Rufus Wainwright is to perform the entirety of Judy Garland’s legendary 1961 concert album at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The gig will take place on June 14
and will see Wainwright backed by a full orchestra. Proceeds for the concert are set to go to charity the Empire State Pride Agenda. In more local (the kind of local that doesn’t mean you have to fork out for a train ticket not a plane ticket) gigs ex-Blur man Graham Coxon plays Bristol Bierkeller on April 2nd to promote the release of his new album “Love Travels At Illegal Speeds” out now. Other forthcoming gigs to look out for in Bath and Bristol include Coldcut, Dj Vadim, new wave riot girls Sleater Kinney, Stellarstar*, Oceansize, Miss Black America, and many more...
by jose esposito
On Exit Club. Exit Club, formally known as X is Loaded, because…..? The reason behind this runs along the lines of “We felt that X is Loaded was tainted material after the implosion of our old record label, we needed a new name and a new feel in order to help us get a record contract.” Because that’s what making music is all about, right? Getting a record contract. Not the fact that universally, everyone thinks X is Loaded is a really good name and if you’re going to change it then it might as well be for a good one, not one that sounds like a teeny bopper 5 minute money spinner. On Blurb “Some bands try to break down boundaries. Other bands are afraid of them. Exit Club use them to smash you around the face! Filling the space between nothing and everything, An Exit Club show is the soundtrack to life,
In Exit Club you get what you take in – So make sure you bring a big scary dog and a cup of tea.” Official Exit Club Blurb on the flyer for the show of 22/02 This blurb is not a particularly good selling point of the band. I’m not sure if they’re trying to be esoteric and surreal but the result is a kind of stale kookiness that belongs in bad American sitcoms. Trying to fill the space between nothing and everything just sounds like a middle of the road band trying to sound impenetrable. Exit Club are not middle of the road. On Myspace 1. Set it off. 2. Carousel 3. First Reaction If it were up to me, the blurb would be about what they actually sound like, which is pretty damn good. The song Set it Off sounds like a mix of Ruben, A Hundred Reasons and I
thought Weezer for some reason. Sing along choruses and guitars. That’s what people like, something to sing along to whilst going to work. Something about sex and dirt and those one night stands with teachers that we believe the boys in the band have all the time. It’s rock pop! All the finger clicking at the beginning of Carousel, there’s Weezer again as it’s just like Beverly Hills but more, let us say, sharp. Not cuddly pop, not silly little dogs, but sharp rock pop, hair and high guitars. First Reaction brings back memories of Million Dead and Rival Schools and also has a fantastic intro, however it is a lot less rock pop, more rock, a song for other musicians but not a sing along single that would go down well with the general public, unlike Carousel. The best overall description I think I can give of Exit Club is that they are something like The Get Up Kids, but heavier, with a better vocalist. Like Weezer, like that Million Dead, Rueben underground British rock scene that so nearly broke through around 3 years ago,
10
but with something that makes them stand out, not dogs or tea or obsessing about boundaries, but a hint of something original which is so desperately needed in British rock acts today. If nothing goes right for Exit Club and they continue to plough a lonely furrow within the local music scene, at least they can take with them the fact that they put on a good show. Jake throws more shapes than an amoeba, The Al’s play the indie boy catwalk like there’s tomorrow and let’s hope Jamie doesn’t hit his wife like he bashes his drums. On Golf Moles Underground took Exit Club out one winter afternoon to play golf. They had a thoroughly good time. We also took some photos. You can see some members of Exit Club having a thoroughly good time. It’s a good thing they play their instruments a lot better than they play their golf. Moles Underground wishes them the best of luck with both. www.myspace.com/exitclubband photos by rhiannon jones
if you are a local and would like to be in this magazine, email us a demo at: demos@molesunderground.co.uk or post to: moles underground magazine, moles, 14 george street, bath, BA1 2EN 11
demo of the month: monster bastard project By Sanjay Dipjeeta Track 1 opens with the quiet guitar reminiscent of Explosions in the Sky and Do Make Say Think, however bubbling in the background there is commentary from the Columbia University riots in 1968 where students occupied university buildings for seven days until forcibly removed by state police. This chilling vocal input is well matched by disjointed guitar/bass/drum line-up, each instrument seeming to have its own trajectory yet linking up with matched precision. Like EitS, The Bastards do have their moments of heavy-duty sound, yet these moments are more of a rough and ready persuasion. Track 2 also features more political backdrop, this time playing an extract of the case of Elian Gonzalez, a 6 year old Cuban boy caught up in an immigration scandal in America. Immigration agents raided a house in Miami, screaming, “We’ll shoot you, we’ll shoot you!” Elian was found in a bedroom, halfway inside a small closet, in the arms of one of the Florida fishermen who had rescued him from the Atlantic Ocean on Thanksgiving Day. Whether The Bastards are attempting a political statement or just using the broadcast for haunting effect remains to be seen, but it is an interesting move nonetheless.
12
Track 3. Well.... Lets just be diplomatic and say it’s not really my thing. It has a nice shouty ending though. 8/10 (excluding track 3!) P.S My only fear for the trio is that they will need some very good PA systems when gigging otherwise the show, in parts, may degenerate into an unintelligible wall of noise, and not an edgy stylised one, but a painful one.
electrolux By Jepeto ‘Sweets’ Napoli “I Got Close” Like Ultravox, only not. A Ultravox synth opening, followed by some So Here We Are Bloc Party guitar, then some West Country Gorillaz style talking/singing, then a beautifully sung melodic chorus. This is a wonderfully interesting mixture that is only let down by some rather tepid lyrics that for some reason remind me of Richard and Judy crying. However the rhythm and the sound of both instruments and voice more than make up for this loss and can really move you if you let it. 7/10 Check it out at www.myspace.com/ electrolux
jub By Rach Williams The opening track on Jub’s demo, ‘Dancing Embers’ is exuberant and brimming with potential. Considering this is a live demo, the Jub boys come across as pretty tight, although it is noticeable that the drumming could have been recorded better. Despite that, their sound is fairly reminiscent of Hell is For Heroes. The CD inlay is hand-written in black pen and could use a lot more time spent making it more presentable. However, there is a myspace page address - essential for any band, upcoming or not, these days. At first glance the Jub profile page appears as sparse as the CD inlay, but there are some nice professional looking photos on there. Hopefully, with a lot more hard work, Jub could be one to watch out for. See them live and judge for yourself. 6/10 [Editors note: Look out for Jub’s live performances, they’re fucking wizard. A deserved finalist in this years Battle of the Bands]
big strides By Rach Williams Big Strides describe themselves as a “London Beat Combo” who don’t quite play jazz and don’t quite play blues but kinda somewhere inbetween. Within minutes of listening to their easy-going sound it is clear that this ambivalence pays off for them. They have a very polished sound that isn’t overloaded with noise and benefits greatly from this. Big Strides sound like long summer
days in the park should. Even if it was raining outside they could make you feel like you’re wearing shorts in the sunshine, playing frisbee and drinking sun-warmed cans of Stella. It is rare to find a band who can evoke such association with their music and are definitely worth your time. 8/10
the heavy By Paul Doyle The Heavy have kindly given us a ‘rough’ draft of their CD to decipher, and what a listening experience it is. The CD starts off in a very uplifting mood, funky guitar parts mixed with joyous beats. I imagined the first song being on my stereo full blast before heading out on the fear of a Saturday night. On the 4th song there is a great introduction of acoustic guitars. The guitar parts on the album are quite sparse, but are used very effectively. No fret-wanking here some will be glad to hear! The singer has a great vocal range, nailing the hard craft of being able to sing a variety of styles without ever sounding stretched. His verse seems to be in the pocket of every song, until the end of some tracks, where he lets rip with some great soul bursts. One or two tracks are in completely different styles, with one even boasting a Dictaphone “lock stock” would be proud of. Just when you go for the skip button, the song climaxes with some great howls from the singer. This CD, although only a ‘rough draft’, sounds well produced, going off an effortless vibe of ‘cool’. Expect a killer live show soon. 7/10
for more demo reviews please visit www.molesunderground.co.uk
13
douglas copeland girlfriend in a coma Douglas Coupland’s (‘Generation X’) ‘Girlfriend in a Coma’, first published in 1997, is named after a Smiths song and any ardent Morrissey fans amongst you will no doubt have hours of pleasure picking up on the numerous references dotted throughout the novel. For the rest of us (or at least those who have an innate distrust of daffodil waving men from Manchester) we will have to make do with the books actual plot. Indeed, it is here that we encounter what is most remarkable about ‘Girlfriend...’ as what begins as a teen drama swiftly becomes an attack on a vacuous and media obsessed society, when, at around page 206 of 281... the world ends. Now, it is utterly implausible plot twists such as this that would normally have me giving a top class review before disappearing
14
to my room for a week to stay up all night pondering the reason for our existence in universe that we have little or no hope of ever understanding etc... but there is something about Coupland’s way of tackling the issues that he addresses so directly in the last third of the book that strikes me as a little underdeveloped and, well, obvious. However, minor qualms aside, the writing itself is fluent and readable and succeeds in keeping your attention throughout, and if you can try not to take Coupland quite as seriously as he seems to do himself, then ‘Girlfriend...’ is a worthwhile read and proof that not everything to do with Morrissey is a complete waste of time. NAMC
chuck palahniuk diary Chuck Palahniuk is credited with being one of America’s foremost new ‘horror’ writers. Now, when you think of horror fiction it is all too easy to bring to mind Frankenstein’s monster, gloomy gothic cemeteries or, at a push, sadistic child molesting clowns, and had it not been for David Fincher’s commendable Hollywood adaptation of Palahniuk’s first novel ‘Fight Club’ I may well have relegated his work to the ever increasing pile of stereotypical genre fiction.
as her husband lies in a coma, is well driven and covers plenty of suitably intelligent ideas from psychology to anti-capitalism. Short, clever, readable. I am Jack’s sense of pleasant surprise. NAMC
And despite the fact that ‘Diary’, with its bizarre plot twists and supernatural overtones, is still recognizable as horror, it is not overbearingly so and although not as glamorous as ‘Fight Club’ the plot, which takes the form of a diary written by failed artist Misty Wilmot
15
welcome home, dave p
by nathan chrismas Friday came and went like a bad smell. Dave P. crawled out of work and into his hatchback and slipped into the 5:30 rush, a single three door cell flowing along the country’s arteries of transport. He travelled at a reasonable pace along the A35, sandwiched between a Peugeot that insisted on driving 10mph below the limit and an overenthusiastic BMW who’s relentless attempts to overtake were constantly thwarted by the endless stream of traffic in the opposite direction. He reached his house, a reasonably sized two bed-roomed semidetached Victorian townhouse in the suburbs of an indescript market town in the south of England, pulled into the driveway, the car bumping as it hit the hole in the botched tarmac, parked, got out and walked over to his front door. Another end to another day as a completely unnoticed but undeniably intrinsic part of the functioning of the... whatever. Turning the key in the lock and pushing the door open, Dave walked into the house to see his wife, Sandra, smiling happily,
16
hands covered in blood holding what looked like to be a pair of tiny shoes. He was not expecting this. As far as he could remember, this had never ever happened before. “What’s happened?” Dave yelled, rushing over to his wife’s side. “It’s okay” Sandra replied calmly. “They’ll grow back” “What the hell are you talking about?” said Dave, suddenly confused. It was only then that the absolute sheer god damn horror of the utterly dreadful situation became clear to him. Sandra was holding not a pair of shoes as Dave had previously thought, but the feet of their three month old son Jacob, one in each hand, severed just above the ankle. “What in God’s name have you done?” he said weakly. “Where’s Jacob?” “Ssh,” Sandra replied, her finger raised to her mouth “Don’t shout so much. It’s his nap time. He’s asleep in his cot.” Dave had little or no idea what to say to this. He was, understandably, in shock.
“What... what the hell have you done to our son?” “It’s okay” Sandra said, her voice soothing. “It’s nothing to worry about. I’ve already told you. They’ll grow back.” “What do you mean it’s okay? You’ve just cut off our son’s feet! Of course they won’t grow back.” “I read it on the internet. Some lizards grow their tails back if they lose them to predators. And if you chop a worm in the middle, both halves survive.” Dave’s mouth fell open in complete disbelief. “For Christ’s sake Sandra, Jacob isn’t a worm or a lizard. He’s a mammal. Like horses and whales. Mammals just don’t work like that.” He sat down and put his head in his hands. “I knew that I shouldn’t have bought that damn computer.” Sandra remained unperturbed. “Please don’t worry about it,” she said moving over to put her arm around her husband. “I looked that up as well. Because Jacob’s so young he’s still growing, you see? Look.” She pulled out a sheet of A4 paper and handed it to Dave. On it was printed a picture of a twelve year old boy with what seemed to be the left arm of a thirty year old muscle builder shrunk to scale. It had clearly been stitched together on the computer. “He’ll have new feet in no time. Just you wait and see. Now you should get some rest, you look exhausted.” Dave nodded slowly. He had been a little uptight lately, and had also been known to take things a little too seriously from time to time.
He kissed his wife, got up, shakily climbed the stairs and walked slowly along the hall to the bedroom, looking into Jacobs’s room as he did so. Sure enough, there lay his son sleeping soundly with a content smile on his face, his tiny stumps bound with tiny bandages. Dave P. went to his own room, undressed, climbed into bed and fell fast asleep. The clock said 6:15. Exactly thirteen and a half hours later, Dave was woken abruptly by the sound of Sandra shouting excitedly from across the hall. Shit he thought to himself as he clambered out of bed this is it. He stumbled along to corridor and through Jacob’s door to find Sandra grinning in the middle of the room. Her behaviour seemed odd, but not the sort of odd that Dave would normally have associated with sudden-death-through-lack-of-feet syndrome. In the corner of the room, the cot was empty. “What’s happened now? Where is he?” “I told you” Sandra said triumphantly and pointed to the ceiling. Dave looked up. There, hanging upside down from the roof, was Jacob. And sure enough, feet had grown back. But they were not human feet. His legs were normal until just above the ankle but there they suddenly became grey-green and scaly and Dave would later find out that the soles were covered with hundreds of tiny little suckers, like geckoes feet. “Fuck” said Dave. “He’s going to cost a bloody fortune in shoes.”
17
Wed 5 Apr Thurs 6 Apr Sun 9 Apr Mon 10 Apr Wed 12 Apr Thurs 13 Apr Fri 14 Apr Sun 16 Apr Wed 19 Apr Thu 20 Apr Sun 23 Apr Wed 26 Apr Thurs 27 Apr Fri 28 Apr Sat 29 Apr Sun 30 Apr
The Huckleberries at The Bell, Bath The Hollow Points at The Porter Butt, Bath De Moffs at The George Inn, Bradford-on-Avon The Dragsters at O’Neills, Bath Glik at The Bell, Bath Kevin Figes at The Bell, Bath Groovenik at The Bell, Bath The Police Chiefs at O’Neills, Bath Dudlow Joe Presents:Dudlow Joe Band + Ben Mortimer and his Natural Kicks at the Green Park Tavern, Bath The Notts at The George Inn, Bradford-on-Avon Arthur Ebeling at The Bell, Bath The Monday Club:Johnny G (1) + Guest Performers at The Bell, Bath Dynamo’s Rhythm Aces at The Bell, Bath In The English Tradition:Folk South West Easter School (&21st, 22nd, 23rd Apr) at the Michael Tippett Centre, Bath The Nicole Fermie Experience at O’Neills, Bath June Tabor at Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon Rabbi John at The Bell, Bath Booty and the HoFish at O’Neills. Bath Killing Moon:Angel Iles & Morris (A.I.M.) + Rusty Springfield + Santa Dog + Pink Lemons at The Porter Butt, Bath Buttmonkeys at The George Inn, Bradford-on-Avon Jessie James + Failsafe (1) + 7 Crowns (Formerly Tiny Elvis) + Better Dead Than You at Walcot Palais at The Porter Butt, Bath Leander Morales at The George Inn, Bradford-on-Avon
Coming in May - Get ready for O’Neills BATLLE OF THE BANDS 2006 commencing on Thursday May 4th. This years grand prize: A slot on the V2006 festival stage! Full kit including backline and guitars from Fender ! 4 days in a top recording studio! And more! 2 quid door entry. For details send demos to O’Neills, Bath or send links of your music to Henry Ray.
18
for more gig listings please visit www.moles.co.uk
by carla wright and bear
the rifles
milburn
Jumpy guitars and tuneful singing but nothing very interesting about the headlining band, The Rifles from York. Obviously influenced by the Jam in their music and definitely their hair-do’s, The Rifles will make it mainstream if they haven’t already missed the boat. These boys were very comfortable with the attention of their fans, which probably made them feel no need to challenge themselves or experiment with their music. It’s a shame because if I hadn’t already heard many bands with an almost identical sound and image to The Rifles, then I might have actually quite liked them. Their sound was definitely tight and the crowd seemed to adore them, especially a girl standing next to me singing every single word. Here is what my friend Gethin Jones has to say about them. “What I noticed about this band was the really nice hat the guitarist was wearing. It had three or four badges. One was the colour red. My favourite colour. I’ll have to add that the lead singer was showing off a fine v-neck jumper, which was also red. Red all round! What a night!”
I admit I wasn’t really expecting anything special from the bands on a Thursday night but I was pleasantly surprised with the stage presence of the youthful mod/indie/punk band from Sheffield. The crowd were pleased with ‘Milburn’ tonight at Moles. The band have obviously built themselves a massive following as the crowd seemed to be singing along and dancing around like they were in their bedrooms. Although the manic crowd was damaging the equipment, lead vocalist and bass guitarist Joe Carnall had a certain control over everyone. Only eighteen Joe had a modest confidence, which defiantly won me over. I’m pretty sure everyone was thinking of the Arctic Monkeys when Milburn took the stage with their northern swagger, and I admit I thought so too. If you don’t like the Arctic Monkeys then they are worth seeing anyway as the lead singer looks like ‘Lip’ from Shameless.
19
shuyler jansen @ the porter by chris chislett There are many injustices in the world. Poverty, gingerness, and the fact that James Blunt can land himself any appraise at all, let alone awards, whilst the Porter Cellar Bar has about six people in it to catch Shuyler Jansen’s set. This man is a legend in the making. Harking from country/folk land, Jansen’s songs are inspired, and intimately insightful masterpieces. Devoid of any haste or hassle, the pace is slow and measured, and the man on stage seems oblivious to the audience’s limited numbers. And the poor turnout is all the better for us. A pure, un-marred appreciation of his tracks as he writes them, without any rowdy crowd members is pretty special. Think somewhere close to Willy Mason, though there’s something extra exciting in the fact that he’s not been snapped up sold all over the world. At present, this Canadian (I think he’s Canadian) is playing his songs to six or seven people with the care and attention as if he was playing to ten thousand. Shuyler manages to do things with a reverb pedal that I never thought possible. Not too much of it, but every now and again a song will
20
slip into this mesmerising cloud and it’s very difficult to look away. He’s got all the credibility he needs – the twang in his accent, talking about yellow hair when “blonde” would have fitted better that sort of thing – without losing any of the strength in the songs. As we try and leave to catch Exit Club, the other table gets there before us. Hanging on to the end of the track, we make our apologies and head off, leaving him launching into another track to an empty room, the rifles
milburn
rob sharples @ white russians the porter cellar (formally ben by patrick and the pimps) by gonzalez
Rob Sharples appears to have the innocence of a ten year-old boy and the endearing frailty of an old man. As the most recent success on the Bath music circuit, he has a few fans present tonight, interspersed with the usual rabble common to the Porter Bar gigs. He has a humble (or just a shy) disposition on stage which compliments the sincerely of his songs. The crowd respectfully (a bit resentfully at the back) hush as he and his accompanying cellist start the first song. The duo have evident stage chemistry and at points manage to invoke a haunting symbiosis. The songs are reminiscent of Nick Drake’s delicacy and Leonard Cohen’s emotional poetry. The fluidity of Rob’s song writing seems solidly anchored in his technical and tender guitar playing. At various points throughout the set Rob uses both Beth Porter on Cello and Emma Hooper on Viola to reach epic climaxes. Disappointingly, and predictably the crowd grew increasingly noisy throughout the set. Some knob sitting at the front even started playing drinking games. I think that is the problem with acoustic sets at the Porter; especially with Rob’s brand of soothingly subtle folk.
So why’d the change of name? Ben finally get tired of the street? Thought they might be putting across the wrong impression, all those references to sex and drugs in a band whose musical repertoire includes songs written by Ben (the lead singer) when he was only 10 years old? Realised that Ben and the Pimps was just a crappy crap name and the White Russians is a creamy cool name? So whatever... isn’t he handsome in his ten gallon hat. There’s a stripy t-shirt there somewhere, which is nice. He looks a bit lonely there on stage but some girls clearly think they’re gonna get some crème fraiche after he dedicates a song for when they stole his hat last time he played here. Sensitive yet creative. Lover boy, oh lover boy, sugar lover boy. 10/10 there. Should’ve done an encore though, gotta give the people what they want. 6.5/10
white russians
Despite this, Rob and Co. continued to play an enchanting set for those who managed to filter out the din of slurring bar flies. for more gig reviews please visit www.molesunderground.co.uk
photos by beckie waters
21
by rhiannon jones Having graduated only a year ago Alex Higlet is awaiting the release of her first children’s book. Already available to reserve on Amazon, due for release in April “Egg and Bird” is simple and effective in its design, modern in it’s reference but timeless in its story. The origin of the book may not be considered typical and maybe wasn’t a life long dream of Alex’s rather a sideline from her work studying illustration but with the finished product in front of her Alex is already thinking of the next book
22
she has been quietly at working on at home. Challenged with the concept of ‘growth’, which was given out as a brief during her second year at Bath Spa University, Alex created a book which reflected the difference between an adult and child’s experience. Having looked through her old favourite books such as “Ant and Bee” Alex followed the format of “two characters and what they got up to” to illustrate her ideas and comparisons. Alex chose the book format in order to utilise the
“sequential” possibilities allowing the viewer the chance to “explore” and the “characters the chance to develop” through the images. Alex tells me that you “learn more” when presented with the progression through the story. On reading “Egg and Bird” the idea is clearly and beautifully presented with a little bit left to the children’s imagination at the end.
23
On completion of the project, Alex’s final piece was put forward into a competition, achieving second place and the attention of Macmillan Publishers. Now two years later it is about to be sold in shops as far away as Canada, with the possibility of it being translated for release in Europe depending on its initial success. Alex seems quietly proud and satisfied with the final result. She has already begun working on another book, still slightly new however to the publishing world she intends to wait before she presents the second book until it is almost complete. However despite her success, Children’s books are not Alex’s only line of work, during the rest of her degree and since graduating she has continued in her illustrative work. Her style has developed further and she is now working freelance for Jess Simms at “Draw” and currently working on a brief for “Orange” having entered work into an online contest. This later work is more complex in its topics and themes being designed for an adult audience, but it still remains recognisably her own distinct style. With so much activity I’m sure we will see much more of her work in the years to come and by the sounds of it in many different guises. In the meantime however Alex can be found gathering ideas and drinking tea in her other job working quietly away in a library.
24
25
by andy cottle
Showing Off to Thieves are touring in May and simultaneously releasing a double a sided single on Glasstone Records. Called “Billy’s Revenge” based on the film “Buffalo 66”, a film on the on the theme of revenge. Check out the bands website – www. showingofftothieves.com. They admit it’s a long name, but say it’s worth it. You can Google it and you won’t get anything else. This clean-cut outfit are the rock band you could take home to meet your Nan. In their words; “We are a rock band, that’s that’!” Incidentally played some local stuff to my tribe last weekend, and my 21 yr old daughter picked SOTT as the Busted it’s ok to like! Listening to them live there are at least three songs that stick in the memory. SOTT feel that their melodies are pop, but also that they are fuckin scary.
26
Tom Lloyd - drums Phil Maggs - bass Andy Bradshaw - guitar lead Andy German - guitar & vocals How do you feel the band is developing? PM - We feel that we have found our sound and are now writing songs to suit. We wanna be like a heavy Coldplay.... Most Influential Music? TL - The Mars Volta, Fooz? AB - Jimi Hendrix, Million Dead AG - Pearl Jam, At The Drive In PM - Bands that do their own thing SOTT Favourite bands TL - Rueben (agree) PM - Coheed & Cambria AB - The Mars Volta AG - Finch ???(Beats me?) We sold 8 cds tonight and one was to a guy who didn’t see us!
27
our unsung hero
by tina beans Okay. What can I say? Ani Difranco is one of those people who you suspect was just put upon earth to make everyone else feel about as productive as a jelly baby. Driven by her hatred of multi-national corporations, she poured all her petty cash into her own record label, aptly christened Righteous Babe Records and has since assumed and sustained enough control do things her own way, releasing a minimum of an album a year since 1990, the kind of output you wouldn’t feel cocky boasting about. ‘Option’ magazine said this of Ani; “…she should be out in the big leagues, but majorlabel hype would kill her fragile balance between activism and selfrevelation.” She is an exquisite combo of coffeehouse poet, political protester, feminist crusader, and punk rebel all rolled into one. She plays plaintive yet fiery acoustic guitar by ducttaping plastic nails to each finger
28
like a manicurists bad dream. Her attitude is sometimes perceived as crass, even corny in a ‘can I get a hallelujah!’ sort of a way at times. But even when recognised, it does nothing to diminish her charm. She runs the whole show; her own release schedule, writing, performing, arranging, and producing her music. And her personal victories are rife too, we all dream of someday becoming part of the work of people we admire, and Ani has worked with a lot of her own heroes including Prince, and Maceo Parker. 1996’s ‘The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere’ was a collaboration album with the folk legend Utah Phillips, and led to Utah being handled under the Righteous Babe Label. She now has her own recording studio, which allows her sample different methods and styles, also aiding her work with the twelve other artists that are currently under the Righteous Babe label. However, she is quick to credit the other members of the righteous label insisting that since she could
afford ‘hired-help’ she hung up her business hat, opting to fulfil her folk ideals as a storyteller and entertainer. She has bitten into such critical issues as violence against women, abuse, sexism, racism, love, and politics in her songs. Her relationships with women often worked their way into songs too, and during an interview she explains about not referring to herself as a lesbian as it is just a matter of falling in love with person regardless of sex. She has never lost the quality to her lyrics which sums up these topics so eloquently and perfectly, In her early days, she could be shocking at times, using all kind of slang and cuss words often in reference her lady garden, such as ‘My cunt is built like a wound that won’t heal’. The lyrics are never subsumed by rhetoric or preciousness. Throughout her career she comments increasingly in her usual candid fashion on the
state of America, its justice system, and its politics, in one of her songs she asks “…Who will be the next president, Tweedle dumb or Tweedle dumber?” Finally, for anyone who loves nothing more than to hear the songs of someone who really means it, I would grab any one of her live recordings (which are wonderfully interlaced with her inane banter). Ani Difranco puts human frustrations in a way that makes you almost cry with its accuracy. I personally have found a song that matches almost every vexation I have ever experienced and I urge you all to do the same…
29
30
Across:
1. What Scottish band did Exit Club (known then as ‘X Is Loaded’) tour with in 2003? (5,5) 5. Name of the Dandy Warhols & Brian Jonestown Massacre ‘rockumentary’ (3) 7. Michael Douglas’ spandexridden, 80s, dancing, musical masterpiece ‘A ------ Line’ (6) 8. (See 12 across) 9. No. 14’s home-country (7) 11. Polly Jean Harvey told what from the city and from the sea? (7) 12 & 8. Fleetwood Mac original front man and acid lover 12. -----(5) 8.----- (5) 14. ‘Sixteen Stone’ was the debut album for which rock band? 16. Unsung hero, Miss -------- (8) owns her own record label, aptly titled (20 across) ------------records. (13) 18. Matt Bellamy fronts which inspirational band? (4) 19. ‘Lick My Love Pump’… you know the band! (6,3) 21. (See 15 across)
Down:
2. Which commercial rock act advised us to ‘Make Yourself’? (7) 3. Blues based band that evolved to become Led Zeppelin (9) 4. The kind of woman Mr Wonder wanted to ‘boogie on’ (6) 5. A founding member of Big Audio Dynamite (3, 5) 6. Our very own editor…….. and Buffy character (5) 10. Name of the HMV dog (6) 13. R.E.M hobby - ‘Night--------‘ (8) 14. Madonna’s favourite item of clothing in the 80s (7) 15.Local band you should check out at Moles, ------- Drive (7) 16. RHCP’s Flea provided the voice for which misunderstood Thornberry? (6) 17. Scottish band ---- Strap, supported Bright Eyes in 2003? (4) 19. First word in Tori Amos’ ‘Professional Widow’ – orig. (4) 20. Which noisy redhead helped Take That to relight their fire? (4)
the first correct entry wins £25 courtesy of moles magazine. hand in your entry to moles or porters in an envelope addressed to “moles magazine” with your name and contact details inside 31
Fri 31 March
FLIPRON
Wed 5 April
THE CEDAR+RANDELL TC - ‘To call Neil Gay (The
Cedar) a singer songwriter is an injustice as great as calling a beautiful summer sunset ‘quite nice’. A captivating experience that keeps audiences listening in rapt silence’ - Joe Urwin. R - Nick and Al have been playing together for two years and describe their music as lilting and simple.
It’s a treat to encounter a genuinely uncategorisable group...they plough a furrow intriguingly distant from most of the contemporary cliché zones, far richer soundscapes than those of your average group.
Sat 1 April
DJ DAN C
Sun 2 April
JASON WOOD +ROB COLLINS
Mon 10 April
OPEN MIC
Compere PAULY D featuring JOE JANIAK Please arrive early to book your slot.
Tues 11 April
THEE MORE SHALLOWS +RAI PARTHA VOGELBACHER
Thur 6 April
STEVE DAGGETT+PAUL LIDDELL
TMS - Skew-whiff pop with pursed lips, fractured San Franciscans deliver muted, clipped delights that tread a wayward path through the recent history of American indie’s most precious moments.
Wed 12 April
RUSH & THE FIGHTER PILOTS An intensely fresh soundJW - A hugely dynamic performer who, for several years, has been causing a stir in various different guises. ‘A male Julie Walters’ - The Daily Star. ‘I loved him! He’s seriously absolutely fabulous’ Emma Kennedy BBC Radio 4. ‘A new star for television’ - Daily Star. RC - Since reaching the final of ‘So You Think You’re Funny?’ 2004, Rob has gone on to become a very much in demand act. ‘All round great comedian’ - www.funny.co.uk. Adm £6/£5
Mon 3 April
OPEN MIC
Compere BEN HILL featuring THE SHACKLEBERRIES Please arrive early to book your slot.
CURTIS ELLER’S AMERICAN CIRCUS
Tues 4 April
SD - Steve has enough experience and maturity to put together any kind of band he wants and make it sound credible. With this acoustic trio he seems to have discovered the perfect vehicle for his song writing talents. A wordsmith of no mean aptitude & his songs bear witness to that. www.stevedaggett.co.uk. PL - Sits awkwardly in the boundaries of acoustic rock, with flavours of indie, folk, electronic and pop. www.paulliddell.com.
Fri 7 April
SIXTY MINUTE MAN Sat 8 April DJ SILENT P Sun 9 April
ADDY VAN DER BORGH +ANDREW BIRD
ing three-piece that inhabit a space of their own with acoustic breaks and soulfully emotive songs they can take you to strange and beautiful places.
Thur 13 April
BENEVA+WORRYDOLLS B - Beneva are Nathan Bennett (piano,vocals) and Malcolm Evans (guitar, vocals). Between them they create memorable melodies and lilting harmonies. WD - Acoustic pop with a gritty, sometimes caustic edge
DJ MIKEE Sat 15 April DJ DAN C Fri 14 April
Sun 16 April Curtis Eller is New York’s angriest yodelling banjo player. He sings about pigeon racing, performing elephants and Jesus. Haunted by the ghosts of silent film, Mr Eller and the band have staggered their way into the hearts of audiences from London England to Chicago, Illinois. www.curtiseller.com
32
AVDB - Masterful material, inspired ad-libs & very funny visual stuff from this 21st Century fool. ‘Fantastic. I’ve seen a lot of comedy & this is the real thing’ - Evening Standard. ‘Brilliant sense of comic timing’ - Independent. AB - Born in Northampton & brought up in Towcester! Adm £6/£5
HAL CRUTTENDEN +OTTO KUNHLE
HC - A delicious comedy smoothie that is sweet with a hint of sharpness. Adm £6/£5
ALL BANDS ONSTAGE 8.30pm
Monday-Thursday 11am-midnight • Friday/Saturday 11am-1am • Sunday 12noon-11.30pm