by
I n t r o
Ello,
Yes, yet again, I'm back again, on the pooter! It's been a good week since the last time i rambled at you. It began with starting to read LESTER BANGS' 'Let it Blurt'. Then, OCEANSIZE last tuesday was where it all really began, my head was blown off and I want to tell the world how great they are, but I kinda already did last week and if you didnt go you're a smelly bumhead. Then on Wednesday 'A' were good, deservedly playing a bloomin big gig and the atmosphere tasted like summer but without any wasp stings and paradoxically, the 'show' contained fake snow.
On thursday, I think I found the best new band in the country and should have found them months ago. They're called TYLER, read all abou' it. Few drunken days followed, with THE KOREANS peaking the weeks quality scale @ the Twisted Festival in the Windmill. And now it's another week. Hopefully, I'll not kill anybody wearing bunting and saying what a great waste of money those useless wrinkley pseudo-aliens aren't...can't promise.
I'll stop boring you now and get on with the rebranded - to make it more digestible and pronounceable - D-FRAG! As always, mail suggestions, listings, rants, links, devotion to sean@drownedinsound.com . Here we go again......
T o d a y 4 t h J u n e
Gig of the Night I OWN KINGS @ the Bull'n'Gate
Described enthusiastically by a Defrag reader and editor of Cow Tipper as: "spiky indie with big pop choruses and a singer who leaps about like a squirrel with a firecracker up its rectum". They're on 2nd by the looks of it, so get there early (9pm'ish at the latest!).
Also on the bill are: Automata + Human Oddities + My Octopus George
...meanwhile, elsewhere
@ The Forum: LUDACRIS...hip-hop. might be good. dunno.
@ Feet First: THE CATHETERS...one of those bands there is a buzz about, over from the united states of hypocrisy. onstage at 12:30. One d-frag reader described them as: "..noisy seattle sub pop rocknmotherfucking roll ala Mudhoney!"
@ Woody's: a night of movies'n'poems 8-2am. They're showing The Filth and the Fury (which i really wanna see!) and The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle.
W e d s 5 t h J u n e
**GIG OF THE WEEK** AEREOGRAMME @ The Monarch
Aereogramme describe their sound as Stinkcore! www.aereogramme.net press area is laced with praise and one listen to their debut elpee 'A Story in White' (out NOW on Chemikal Underground. So. Buy. It. Fool!) justifies all that pretty, metaphor loaded, journo-stream of consciousness about how they sound. Shy, once-bullied, printed mumbles compare them to the harshest, purple'est, most debauch of winters, where a scot-rock band, with beards and beer bellies, raped and pillaged their way around the country, in the smelliest of transit vans; blurting piano-led ice storms from the stage one minute, then pouring hot caramel from their screaming lips the next. Dogdamn they're good!
...if one's not amused / dead
@ Tower Piccadilly: BILLY CHILDISH & THE BUFF MEDWAYS...6.30pm. free.
@ Dublin Castle: REAGEN...heard they're very good in an rauwwkus atdi type way.
@ Dingwalls: SNOWDOGS...very good, punk-ridden, fast-melodic-r'n'r. me likee!
@ Hanover Grand: THE D4...infectious records' answer to the shritisvisionomes (i.e. disease ridden with all that scuzz-punk, all image, no musical ability needed, scene!!?).
@ ULU: THE CORAL + THE MUSIC...if fashionable music could kill...
@ Notting Hill Arts Club: EVEN...who-inspired aussies play Thee Acid Ranch clubnight mustdestroymusic.com
T h u r s 6 t h J u n e
Gig of the Night = SPARTA @ Meanfiddler
At the Drive-In are now legendary and in their ashes comes the Mars Volta and tonight's gig o't'nighters SPARTA. Not actually heard their stuff but I'm pretty confident Jim'n'Paul'n'Tony'll deliver something face-squishingly inspiring.
...for afro-haterz
@ The Garage: OXES..well respected yankie-math-rockers
@ Metro: THE CLIENTELE + [X] IS GREATER THAN [Y] + THE AMAZING PILOTS... a fierce panda Va-Va-Voom night, i've been told X>Y are "amazing" but know little else about this evening. clubfandango.co.uk
@ Underworld: THE APEX THEORY... Alien Ant Farts favourite band, apparently.
@ Dublin Castle: APB + MILLION DEAD + RECORD BUYING PUBLIC... emo, not emu! That guy from Collapsed Lung is in one of the bands.
@ West One Four: CANDYHEADS, Careless, April 28 and Contravenes fivemileshigh.com/plush
@ Ocean: Urbane Exposure...showcase of new bands
@ Electrowerks: The Warp Magic Bus tour rolls into town. Expect odd-grooves.
F r i 7 t h J u n e
Gig of the Night = DESTINY's CHILD @ London Arena... ok, Beyoncé may be a bit of a fox and their songs might sound a lot less guitar-based than most of what I adore but their records have so much more oooomph and smileability than most. Big shows are exciting every once in a while.
...for non-bootylickers
@ The Windmill: MOOZ + BIG JOAN...alt-funk-punk-jazz galore.
@ National Film Theatre: Never Mind the Jubilee...tribute, homage and infotainment about PUNK opens until June 30th. Sounds good.
@ Upstairs at the Garage: KaitO + STANTON + TWINKIE... Silver Rocket present another left-of-centre feast.
@ Bull and Gate: THE GERMAN EXCHANGE... quite good if you like pulp.
@ Metro: FOSCA...odd-bod-tweeness. GARLiC...odd-bod-beatlesness. Followed by 'Bedrock' club until 4am.
S a t 8 t h J u n e
Gig of the Night = FLEADH 2002 the irish festival @ Finsbury Park featuring the toothy POGUES, clash-man JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS, old-folks THE WONDER STUFF and THE PROCLAIMERS. Plus BELLEFIRE, the rather odd performer HAWKSLEY WORKMEN, ALABAMA3, cider-punks THE DROPKICK MURPHY's, lady-of-the-moment GEMMA HAYES (album's out now) and thurrr's more. Drinking too much Guinness is optional.
...for those who can't jig
@ The Tabernacle: CROSSFIRE NIGHT ..DOG headline @ 10:30 with their "mixture of live Hip-Hop, Beats and Punk-fired energy across the musical spectrum". 9.30pm: SON OF DAVE is Benjamin Darvill, ex-Crash Test Dummy (the band, not his career, durr!), solo, Human Beatbox'ing. Plus dj's, x-sport vids and STUFF.
@ The Borderline: GIRLS ON TOP + VEGAS SHOWGIRLS...in soho? hrmmm.
S u n 9 t h J u n e
Gig of the Night = NEW ORDER @ Finsbury Park. A bit of a fest, kicking off at 1pm with a guest line-up of AIR, S*P*R F*RRY AN*M*LS, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, THE COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE, HANKY PARK and ARTHUR BAKER is deejaying. No teasing required.
...for the kidz
@ Bull'n'Gate: RESiN...really, damn fine quiet-loud, essex-rockers who's demo sounding like incubus teaching hundred reasons how to rock, was recorded by John Hannon of Cable/Hundred Reasons fame website
@ Jazz Cafe: COURTNEY PINE..one of the best nu-jazz folks around. He's doing a few nights, due to demand, so try and make it along to one.
Yup, that's the end, spready it to yer friends, enjoy yerselves. It'll all happen again next week. Horrah!
byeeeee!
Sean x
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