Highlight: Twisted Ankle – ‘Cilla Black’

A whole lot of unpredictable noise and abstract nonsense, ‘Cilla Black’ is the latest track and debut video from Twisted Ankle, following their initial demo last year. As unexplainable as the music, the black and white clip just features a fan – not the sort you’d normally associate with music – and the seemingly random phrase ‘Eat A Phone’, which has been revealed as the title of their forthcoming EP.

Highlight: Tibet – ‘I’ll Put You In My Pocket’

After putting out their first physical release ‘Above The Moon’ a couple months ago, Tibet have just shared the video for ‘I’ll Put You In My Pocket’, the lead single from that double EP. Showing the band messing about in the woods surrounded by wild garlic flowers, the clip naturally captures their playful spirit interlaced with more introspective moments. The trippy aesthetic of images layered over each other, often in excessively bright colours adds to the loosely psychedelic vibe of this song. The band are currently roaming around the UK playing pretty much every festival going, and are also opening for Kaiser Chiefs at the inaugural On The Pitch in Cardiff’s SSE Swalec stadium this very afternoon!

Highlight: Deadlines – ‘Sprawl’

Tonight is the last night of Deadlines‘ mini-tour to celebrate the release of their new EP, and in the most pure spirit of DIY, it takes the form of a house show in the band’s hometown of Cardiff. This choice of setting makes perfect sense when you listen to ‘Sprawl’, as these are intelligent, socially and environmentally conscious songs which capture the ethos of punk without resorting to stereotypes. Taut vocals dominate much of the band’s sound, as is necessary to accentuate the purposeful lyrics; but around this is complex music that enhances and captivates without detracting attention. The final track brings the pace down without losing any intensity, letting the instrumentation shine beneath more of the spoken samples that occur throughout this record. With melodic punk being fairly common in alternative music at the moment it’s easy to be derivative, but ‘Sprawl’ stands out not just for being smart and perceptive, but for sounding far from straightforward too. The EP is out now via A Jingle Four Records, and can be downloaded from bandcamp or bought on cassette from the label.

Highlight: Human Heat – ‘Demo’

Human Heat are a new project from members of esteemed Cardiff bands Masts and Deadlines. More melodic than anyone familiar with either of those would probably expect; that’s not to say these are to any extent pop songs. Introduced by a reference from an 80’s sci-fi/horror movie, strewn with odd rhythms and unexpected twists, this demo balances its indie tendencies with strange deviations and an inevitable underlying punk bite. It’s gonna take quite a few listens to hear everything that’s going on here, and that’s not a bad thing. Oh, and it’s free (unless you’re feeling generous) from their bandcamp.

Highlight: Totem Terrors – ‘Freeze Tracks’

Cardiff-based post-punk maniacs Totem Terrors are back – apparently risen from the dead following events in their recent video for ‘Witch Proof’, they’ve now announced the release of ‘Freeze Tracks’, containing that song along with four new ones. The EP will be released 10th June and can be pre-ordered now; it should be an interesting showcase of how TT’s new line up are getting on.

*UPDATE* So Totem Terrors‘ new EP is out today, and it’s their first release without Rosie. The lack of female vocal isn’t the only difference that’s obvious here though; without any moderation ‘Freeze Tracks’ is Max’s playground. From the screeching guitar opening to the sudden jumps between spoken word and full-on racket, it’s clear that everything is being pushed to extremes, not least in the often too-personal lyrics. But that’s where the beauty lies – it’s not pretty and it’s not clean; this is real, stark, confrontational and disturbing – life is uncomfortable and Totem Terrors are truly alive.

My First Record Store Day

So if you haven’t heard of Record Store Day before, well, it’s pretty much what it sounds like – one Saturday every April celebrating the continued existence of independent music shops, with lots of exclusive releases to encourage people to get out there and buy physical versions. I’ve known about it for a few years but as the existence of RSD has coincided with the resurgence of vinyl, most of the limited editions are in that format; since I never had a turntable until a couple months ago I’ve not bothered with it before. I have read a lot of views online though, often just cursing touts who buy the special releases purely to sell them online at hugely inflated prices, undermining the whole aim of the event; and major labels who abuse it to make easy money from re-releases, sometimes with nothing changed other than the colour!

So, feeling fairly sceptical but wanting to show my support because I could, and armed with a short list of exclusives that I knew they were stocking but doubted would have any copies left, I set off for Spillers Records. Arriving at the world’s oldest record store around quarter to four, I was greeted by an in-store DJ, more people than I expected at that time in the afternoon and helpful-as-ever staff who appeared much less fazed than I was by their busiest day of the year! They even still had one of the special releases I was after – Volume 2 of Alcopop! Records Sensible Record Labels compilation (the first in the series was out on RSD last year), at the very sensible price of £9.99 (a penny cheaper than the RRP too). I also picked up an album from earlier in the year, because it’s not all about the limited editions. Having finished my shopping sooner than expected I floated around ‘helping’ by handing out badges before escaping into the arcade out of the way of other customers, while I waited for the reason I’d timed my trip so late in the day – local band Tibet performed an engaging set to a crowded shop as part of the occasion.

So now I’ve experienced it for myself, has my cynicism about Record Store Day faded? Well yes, entirely. Sure, there are idiots out there who will take advantage of anything, and although it would be nice if we could do something to stop them we can’t let their greed ruin what is essentially a beautiful idea and a lot of fun. When you focus on what really matters – getting people together to celebrate an essential part of their music community, to give the shops a boost in sales and to remind people who might not visit often that these places do still exist – everyone involved is evidently grateful for the opportunity to encourage more people to buy physical music, and the fans to get some cool releases that probably wouldn’t exist otherwise. I’ll definitely be back next year, and maybe even a little earlier in the day too!

One last thing to remember is that you shouldn’t stop by just once a year – any day (depending on your local independent’s opening times) can be record store day!

DimSŵn 2016 Preview

Yup, Sŵn have kept their promise of doing two festivals a year again! If you missed it last time, DimSŵn is the scaled-down cousin of Cardiff’s famous new music festival; lasting only one day but spread across six venues it’s an intense and jam packed celebration of amazing live music. 2016’s event falls on Saturday 9th April, which is just three days away now and as usual, I’m struggling to work out who I most need to see during those few manic hours. So here is my rough guide and I’ll just have to hope the time-turner actually works…

Sports Team – Clwb Ifor Bach (upstairs) 3:00-3:45 (no music online, but are Alcopop! recommended)
The Bay Rays – Four Bars 3:30-4:15
Wªll – Clwb Ifor Bach (upstairs) 4:15-5:00
Pipedream – Undertone 4:30-5:00
Seize The Chair – Four Bars 5:00-5:45
Virgin Kids – The Moon Club 7:00-7:45
Bryde – 10 Feet Tall 7:45-8:30
Estrons – Clwb Ifor Bach (upstairs) 8:45-9:30
Kiran Leonard – 10 Feet Tall 9:15-10:00
My Name Is Ian – The Moon Club 10:00-10:45

The benefit of a one-day event is no worry about saving anything for the rest of the festival and there’s time to recover before Monday, which means freedom to take advantage of the various club nights on offer after the bands finish! You can find more information including where to buy tickets on DimSŵn’s website and like always grab the full schedule from the good folks at Stereoboard. See you there!

Epilogue To Departure

It would be easy to feel like I’m expected to give this EP a good review because of how much I’ve been hyping it to anyone who will listen; however there’s no pressure here as it’s just absolutely beautiful and I’m so, so proud of these boys for what they’ve created, ‘Epilogue To Departure’ totally eclipses even my expectations! Watching this band overcome adversity and grow beyond anything I could ever imagine has been the greatest honour, from the first time I saw Esuna and glimpsed the potential they had to their launch show the week before last, they’ve matured almost past recognition. It’s taken nearly two years from debut EP ‘May You Be Well’ to get where they are now, so much more than the sum of their parts; the line-up changes they made following that release might have interrupted their momentum a bit but were undoubtedly for the best. Alex may have joined after I already knew the band but I can’t imagine them now without him; and watching Josh’s confidence build as he adjusted from being “the quiet one” to his new role front-and-center has been pretty amazing. I resist using the term ‘frontman’ as there’s no single leader here, they all bounce off one another – on stage Jos is the backseat driver, sometimes having to be cut off from rambling by the others playing over him and off stage Kieran is their actual driver and social media persona.

Musically they all bring something different too and the band’s disparate influences make their style hard to pin down, but listening carefully you can hear how each member’s contribution plays into the overall sound; as these songs slide from atmospheric soundscapes one moment to twiddly indie melodies the next, all underlain by erratic mathy rhythms and a consistently driving beat. Lyrically ‘Epilogue To Departure’ is an emotive listen, tales of break ups and change that are easy to sympathise with even without knowing the stories behind them. And so Esuna close this chapter gracefully, with a piece of work that I’m sure for them feels it’s been worth what went into it; from my point of view I’m certainly unrelentingly grateful to them for continuing against the odds and producing something truly incredible.
 
 
Released: 22nd March 2016, CD/digital download via bandcamp

Gig Preview: All My Friends Presents Esuna ‘Epilogue To Departure’ EP Launch @ Gwdihŵ, Cardiff

 
There is something very special about launch shows, a different energy to other gigs. It’s the beginning of a new chapter for the band – sure, longtime fans may already know a lot of the songs from previous live performances, but having an actual new release to share with the world is something to be celebrated. It’s also a point to take stock, to look back on how far you’ve come, and for Esuna it’s been a hell of a journey since debut EP ‘May You Be Well’ in summer 2014. From the first time I saw them when the initial line up played a set of indie-emo with mathy tendencies in half their allocated time and ran out of songs, through the same festival a year later with a dramatically different personnel arrangement after a brief spell (including their first headline show) as a five-piece, to the far more expansive yet heavier sound and increasingly confident stage presence they now possess. One thing has been a constant for the band though (other than the incomparable stage banter from behind the drumkit) – starting with their second gig and including all the shows referred to in this article, also the location of next Tuesday’s event promoting their second EP, Gwdihŵ has been this band’s spiritual home. That’s not really surprising as the venue’s quirky style and eclectic spirit matches Esuna perfectly; this attitude is reflected in the choice of support bands for the night – a mix of post-/math-rock and ambient electronic acts that they’ve met on the road. Each of these has their own new music to publicise – The Broken Oak Duet released an album last month, Iyabe‘s debut is coming soon and Hoggs Bison put out a new EP just days ago. So make sure you’re there early on 22nd March, you won’t want to miss any of this! More details can be found on the poster above or on the event page.
 

Sŵn Festival 2015 Preview

As ever toying with their format and timing (and our fragile hearts), Sŵn festival’s ‘October’ edition returns this year in November, sensibly pushed back so as to not clash with the last couple months’ egg chasing obsession. In duration this autumn’s event has been boosted from one day to two and a half, the latter part being a Friday night opening party for bands and weekend ticket holders, with the main days being Saturday (7th) and Sunday (8th). Yes, that’s this weekend! Sooo if you haven’t decided which are you must-see acts yet you’re running a little late, but don’t panic too much as I’m here to help. As usual there is far too much going on at any point to see everything I’d like so my full schedule is riddled with clashes and tough choices, these are just the main bands I will (hopefully) definitely be watching this weekend:

Friday:
Wylderness – Abacus 9:00-9:30
Houdini Dax – Abacus 10:00-11:00
Saturday:
Lovers Open Fire – Clwb Ifor Bach (upstairs) 1:45-2:30
Skinny Girl Diet – Abacus 3:15-3:45
Bright Young People – Clwb Ifor Bach (upstairs) 3:15-4:00
Oh Peas! – Abacus 5:15-6:00
Baby Brave – Four Bars 7:30-8:15
Protomartyr – Abacus 8:45-9:45
TRAAMS – Abacus 10:00-11:00
Sunday:
WªLL – Abacus 2:45-3:30
Nudes – Abacus 3:45 – 4:30
Lusts – Clwb Ifor Bach (upstairs) 4:30-5:00
RedFaces – Undertone 4:45-5:30
Bearfoot Beware – Gwdihŵ 5:45-6:30
Beach Fatigue – Clwb Ifor Bach (upstairs) 6:45-7:30
Artefact – Abacus 7:45-8:30
The Jacques – Clwb Ifor Bach (upstairs) 8:15-9:00
Trust Fund – Abacus 9:45-10:30

So that’s my plans for the weekend, you can check out everything that’s happening by downloading the full schedule here, keep up to date with the latest news on twitter and share your photos from the festival on instagram. Happy Sŵning!