AN INTERVIEW WITH BARBARIAN HERMIT

BARBARIAN HERMIT are a Sludge Metal quintet from Stockport, Greater Manchester and I was joined by 4 of the members to chat utter bollocks at Rebellion, Manchester, where they also played a heavy as balls show! We talked raging boob sweat, Martin Scorsese films and about the never-ending quest to find the holy brown!

(Key = FRENCHIE, Adam, Chris, Loz, Si)

So how did you all come together to form Barbarian Hermit?

Basically, Reegs [Mike Reagan, guitarist] and I have been in various bands together, we've known each other since high school. He was on hiatus from Bisonhammer, and I'd just left another band, and we were like fuck it, let's get it together and we had a couple of jams. A few different bassists came together before we got Chris and a few different vocals, and Adam... We couldn't get rid of him! But there was always a sense of direction, a sense of doomy, gloomy, stoner shit! That's what we wanted to run with.
There was this vocalist before me, Ed, who used to be in a band called Fatal Fear. They did pretty well in Korea and supported Arch Enemy. To be fair I thought [Barbarian Hermit] were complete when they had Ed, but Reegs invited me down one day to try out vocals, so I was the last member.

Manchester's Doom, Sludge & Stoner Metal scene is packed with talented bands. How do you feel Barbarian Hermit stands out from the pack?

I don't think we do!

Nope, not at all, it's Under, Under are the standout band!
Yeah Under. I agree Under!
We're in a scene crowded with Nomad, Boss Keloid...
Ten Foot Wizard!
When you come to a gig in Manchester you're playing in front of your friends and your extended family, you're not just doing it to make money, because we don't ever!
Nobody makes money! Fucking Hell!
We do stand out because I have the BEST bass rig!
That's probably true, it's a ridiculous bass rig, with an unnecessary amount of amps and pedals. But there are a handful of people who are on their everlasting search for the brown, but we are merely on the journey!
A mere pilgrim in search of the brown!

Your demo album and your live shows have been incredibly well received, are you guys in a positive place right now?

Nah, I hate my life and I want to die.
Ditto.
My job sucks, but my bass rig is fucking awesome!

Your music video for "Burn the Fire" is pretty hilarious. Frank Zappa once asked, "does humour belong in music?" and I'll ask you the same question...

I think it definitely does, you don't want to take yourself too seriously, you've got to have fun. No matter how heavy your band is or how gruesome you might sound or how brown you are, you've got to have a laugh with it.

That's like asking "do genitals have a place in sex?" Of course it fucking does, you're a whole person and you channel everything through this music.
I don't like bands who are unnecessarily quirky like "we're so crazy". There are bands like Grey Widow for instance, there's no place for humour in their set. But Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters... You can just tell by the name that they're ridiculous! Tie dye and corpse paint! There's a lot of humour there. There's a place for everything, just don't be fucking quirky!

I've always wondered, how exactly do you burn the fire?!

It's just the start of the sentence as it were. Why do you burn the fire? You burn the fire for someone else.

It fits in with the tradition of working titles which were verb the noun... There was Burn the Fire, there was Finger the Witch which ended up as Widowmaker. Milk the Mermaid! 

We broke the tradition with Raging Boob Sweat.

We started playing a riff that sounded totally like Raging Speedhorn, and then we were discussing a friend who had complained about her excessive erm... Boob sweat!

There's quite a few girls who complain about their boob sweat, some of them are quite tall. Two of them in particular... No names!
It's a celebration of all things womenly and sweaty!
It's not, we've totally changed it since then, we're not singing about boobs!
Now the way that we name [songs] is after the wine that we're drinking [at the time]. 

We've had "Del Toro". "Tigerhorse" as well! "No Sleep 'til Buckfast".

No raging boob sweat!

You seem to have acquired the inescapable nickname Barbara Herman... Who came up with that?

IT WAS YOU, YA CUNT!!!
Was it me?!
It was you or that FUCKING MATT FRANKLIN [Bassist from Under]
I don't think it was me for the record!
I HATE MATT FRANKLIN!!!

When you play live, Si likes to dress up, I've seen naked bodies, stage invasions... Do you think a gig is better with a party atmosphere like that?

I think so, as long as you stay away from our amps and instruments and don't spill anything, it's alright!
Party all the time!

What are your main influences in music outside of Metal?

Definitely Springsteen... And early Fleetwood Mac is THE BEST!
When you've got a really bad gut after a kebab the night before and it sort of bubbles out!
Belle & Sebastian, Scouting For Girls!
I really like The View.
I love Air, they're great!

When we're packing down at the end of practice, we put some tunes on and it's hardly ever Metal, it's usually like Dubstep or something weirder...
It's not proper Dubstep though is it?
Post Dubstep...
It's Post Trap now.
You like screechy weird dubstep.
He likes Brostep!
2step, 4step
I like Clownstep!

When I'm at home, particularly when I'm making love, I solely listen to 200bpm nosebleed gabba from the former Czech Republic!
I once had a girl that I was "making love to" and we had The Berzerker on, and she said "you don't have to keep pace", I didn't realize I was!
I'm actually a big fan of Raphael Saadiq. He's genuine, I think he's amazing. And Steve Reich, because I'm a tragic hipster!

What inspires you completely outside of music, whether it be art, films, video games etc.?

TITS!!! FUCKING TITS!!!
I'm a big fan of Rothko since you mentioned art. The almost subliminal effect that those colour combinations have on you without engaging them consciously... I'M A DRUMMER, BUT I CAN CHAT ART... COME AT ME BRO!!! COME AT ME BRO!!!
I like the later day films of Martin Scorsese... You can sit and you can wank all over the Godfather poster on your wall if you want, but his works like Shutter Island, Wolf of Wall Street, The Aviator... They're all fantastic, I love them.
Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant, that's a role model for you!
Coen Brothers for me. I could watch Coen Brothers films all day long!
The works of David Shrigley are superb!
I think my favourite colour is probably international prime blue... That's a big inspiration for me!
Willie Gibson!

Viz Comics! Gary Larson's Tales From the Far Side as well.

What does the future hold for Barbarian Hermit, and do you feel any pressure following up the demo album?

Entropy and death...
That's too far into the future! I meant the nearer future!
We've got 2 new songs written for the new album...
We've got Red Sun Festival at the end of the month, and the MMC show here [at Rebellion], so that's Barbara's big weekender, it's gonna be great! Then we've got a little tour with Boss Keloid and Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters. We've got some other songs that need polishing, and we're hoping to get in the studio by the end of the year with 7 or 8 songs ready to go!

So you're feeling confident?

Yes, I feel like we've finally come together and found our direction in sound. We've settled on a groove that is Barbarian Hermit, and I think the new songs are going to be sweet!
Speak for yourself, I'm riddled with anxiety and crippling self doubt!
I think it's been a surprise for us that we've hit the scene and hit it this hard and actually got so much respect from people that we really respect. We've gone from opening up shows to headlining shows and we're really blown away by it. It's all great, we look forward to more!
I think over the next 6 or 8 months, we've going to play to a lot of new crowds rather than playing to the same people. When we first started we hadn't played Manchester for about a year, we just played other cities. So when we first played here, we'd already played a year's worth of gigs in other cities, fine tuning. So over the next 6 or 8 months we'll do it again, like version 2.0. Fine tune it, write new material... We were fairly satisfied with the quality of the demo, because we involved some good people. We got the guy from Ninja Tune Records, so what can we do to make it sound bigger? We're only going to learn if we go out and do it. Hopefully we'll follow the path that Boss Keloid and Conan already set and just give it a bash, because why not?
We also have the wedding bands, which is where we all dress up in drag and play covers, calling ourselves Barbara and the Hermits. And the Mariachi band Los Barbarianos Hermanos! That's a big thing for us, we're hoping to get into the Manchester Day Parade. We are available for weddings, funerals, Bar Mitzvahs, christenings, you name it!

And finally... This one goes out especially to you Chris... My face, your face... Can we make this happen?

What? It's a face swap?
Your face, my face... Can we make this happen?
I don't know what you mean... Is he coming onto me?
GIVE HIM A KISS!
*Chris "reluctantly" gives me a big sloppy kiss*
YAAAAY IT HAPPENED!!!
 That's the closest I'll ever come to kissing Aaron Turner!
You should have interviewed Voodoo Blood!
Oh yeah I should have asked them!... GOD!!!

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June 3rd 2016 @ Rebellion Manchester. Photos by Si & Mel.

FRENCHIE'S LISTENING POST - JUNE

Because I don't get time to review all the new music I hear in depth, I have decided to start doing some smaller reviews, rounding up the best (and worst) releases of each month!

ALBUM OF THE MONTH:

RADIOHEAD - A MOON SHAPED POOL

Art Rock, Alternative Rock. XL Recordings.

Kind of an unsurprising choice for my album of the month. Radiohead are one of the first bands I ever remember listening to and being interested in as a kid and I've grown up with them as "OK Computer" verges on 20 years old. Whilst I don't find Radiohead compulsive listening like I did when I was a teenager, they still hold a heavy place in my heart. Their 9th full length, "A Moon Shaped Pool" is in layman's terms, Radiohead's acoustic album! Though not strictly acoustic or anything, it is by far their mellowest and most stripped down album yet. Though there are still elements of Rock and Electronica, certainly don't expect any of "Paranoid Android"'s distorted riffs or any of "Idioteque"'s heavy electronic beats either. On this album, natural sounds dominate, with guitarist Johnny Greenwood's explorations into film scores certainly having an influence on the sound of this album.

This isn't Radiohead's most innovative or groundbreaking release by any means, but it is one of their most expressive and straight up beautiful records yet, something that previous album "The King of Limbs" had a lack of. The moods of songs like "Pyramid Song" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" are definitely captured here with a mixture of heartfelt ballads and introspective songs that remind you that it can okay to be lonely, heartbroken or afraid. Opener "Burn the Witch" is a huge highlight and one of the more upbeat numbers. The swirling string sections really lift the spirits of the listener. My favourite track "Daydreaming" soon follows with a beautiful stripped down piano arpeggio that feels like it could have been played by Max Richter. Closing track "True Love Waits" is a real treat for die hard fans. A Thom Yorke acoustic solo version appeared on 2001's "I Might Be Wrong" live EP, and it has been slightly rejigged as a lovely piano ballad (though I have to stay I still prefer the live version). Radiohead ultimately have proved they are still the masters of sonic exploration and that they can take away core elements of their sound and still create fantastic results. I'm giving this a solid 8/10 for now, but I still feel like this album is growing on me and more!

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LAURA MVULA - THE DREAMING ROOM

Art Pop, Neo Soul. Sony RCA.

Laura Mvula sounds like she is caught somewhere between 90s Bjork and Erykah Badu, with an interesting and off kilter sound that combines some elements of R&B and Neo Soul, yet also some quirker Art Pop elements not worlds away from the ethereal realms of Kate Bush. "The Dreaming Room" presents a fantastic alternative if you aren't really bothered about Beyonce and Rihanna's latest efforts. Mvula is more forward thinking than her obvious peers, and presents a wider flavoured pallet here. I think her sound can appeal to fans of Pop music as well as more leftfield music fans, through the use of innovative production. Her songs are full of varying moods and textures, and the whole album is a real trip. There are some decent collabs with Nile Rogers and Wretch32, but Mvula is pretty much running the show here and I think this time they hype has been justified! 8/10.
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LET'S EAT GRANDMA - I GEMINI
Art Pop. Transgressive Records.

Let's Eat Grandma (yeah really, try telling someone they're your new favourite band!) are a duo consisting of two 16 year old girls. The fact they have built up a solid reputation and written and recorded their own album by this age is a heart warming achievement. Though I respect them, I don't quite think I like them. In terms of musical ability, this is very accomplished. However, the album is absolutely all over the place and lacks any real cohesion or direction. It's not often you hear elements of Synth Pop, Hip Hop and Folk music all on one album! I can get on with the music and arrangement's here, but the vocals absolutely kill it for me! It was a complete nails on a chalkboard kind of cringe to my ears. One of the tracks sounded like Kate Nash trying to cover The Streets! And shouty vocals singing "my father beat me" become hard to listen to. If you thought Joanna Newsom's vocals on her debut album were testing, you ain't heard nothing yet! I wanted to like this album more, and to be fair I did like bits of it, but there is far too much drama and far too little clear direction here, which is certainly justifiable for two teenage girls. There is certainly some interesting potential here, but it feels too soon to get excited yet. 6/10.
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DJ SHADOW - THE MOUNTAIN WILL FALL
Electronica, IDM, Hip Hop. Mass Appeal.

DJ Shadow came out in 1996 with one of the most groundbreaking debut albums in not just Hip Hop, but the whole of music, holding a Guinness World Record for the first commercial album made entirely of samples! He has perhaps undeservedly struggled to follow it up ever since, but maybe fan expectations have been too high. Attempts to do something completely different, such as his third album "The Outsider" lead to him being eaten alive by critics, but this time around stepping even further out of his comfort zone may have actually paid off at last. I saw DJ Shadow play Manchester's "Warehouse Project" Electronic music festival a couple of years back. He did a DJ set consisting of a lot of IDM, Electronic and Dubstep and not very much Hip Hop at all. The same can be said for "The Mountain Will Fall". Apart from a pretty solid Hip Hop track with Run the Jewels, the sound of this album is definitely a nod to Warp Records and the innovative IDM sound that took over the 90s. Whilst nothing here is particularly groundbreaking or current, you have to admit that DJ Shadow has done a pretty good job at attempting to sound a bit like Squarepusher and Aphex Twin here. He sounds really inspired and like he is having fun too! It's no "Endtroducing..." but I enjoyed it! 7/10.
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SWANS - THE GLOWING MAN
Drone Rock. Young Gods.

Swans have proved themselves to be one of the most interesting and successful reunion acts, practically reinventing themselves and having a critically acclaimed second wind. This is their 4th album since their reunion at the start of this decade, and their 3rd double album in a row (or triple if you buy wax). "The Glowing Man" isn't particular different to the last two. It's slow, meandering, noisy, atmospheric and has multiple songs that run over 20 minutes. Other bands can try and release albums with lots of 20 minute tracks and stumble, but Swans seem to make it sound effortless, momentous and damn right apocalyptic! "The Glowing Man" demands your patience and full attention, but it is easy to get lost and swept away within the dense journeys of sound. Even without that much progression, those 20 minutes seem to fly by. If you liked any of the previous two albums there is certainly more to love here, even without being that drastically different in approach. Swans have created something genuinely hypnotic and almost unexplainable. No rating as I feel I still need to spend more time with this record. Ask me again in a year! ???/10.
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PLAID - THE DIGGING REMEDY
Electronic, IDM. Warp Records.

Depending on how you pronounce it, Plaid to me has always sounded like "Played", and I feel that is fitting because they are a very playful band. They can often hit the same abstract heights of label mates Autechre, Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada. Yet Plaid quite often sounded much happier and more melodic. The aforementioned have quite often reveled in doom and darkness. On "The Digging Remedy", Plaid sound a lot more serious and darker than usual, yet still very much sound like Plaid. Their beats and syncopated melodies always move at a swift pace and keep your brain twitching. But with these slightly darker and more abstract moods presented here, Plaid come closer to sounding like their aforementioned label mates ("Dilatone" could have come straight off Autechre's "Tri Repetae"). "The Digging Remedy" is a very solid and interesting 45 minutes that proves they are still one of Warp's top tier artists. There is nothing particularly new or fresh here, but there is nothing remotely disappointing either. 8/10.
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MINOR VICTORIES - MINOR VICTORIES
Dream Pop, Post Rock. Fat Possum Records.

Minor Victories contains band members of Mogwai, Editors and Slowdive and if you can imagine what a mixture of all three would sound like, then you will definitely have this album sussed already! It really does sound like a cross between all three. Minor Victories have a very cinematic sound verging on symphonic, with some songs that like to build gradually and climax loudly. You also have some dreamy, shoegazey tracks and some darker tones Post Punk ones. Everything here is certainly well done and the combinations in sound are mostly more invigorating than they are jarring. The guest lead vocal from Mark Kozelek on "For You Always" was the big highlight of the album for me, and I kind of wonder why this wasn't on a Sun Kil Moon album instead! Minor Victories sounds great for what it is, but the individual acts Mogwai, Slowdive and Editors just sound better, I'm not sure this project will have much longevity. 7/10.
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DAM FUNK - DJ KICKS
Funk, Electro-Pop, DJ Mix. !K7.

I really love it when an artist creates a mixtape of other artists, yet manages to make it sound like it could be one of their own albums! Jon Hopkins did it last with his stunning "LateNightTales" mixtape, and Dam-Funk has done it here. Dam-Funk takes us on a journey of the more obscure gems of 80s Synth Funk as well as some modern day nostalgia, and immediately you can hear the kind of sounds he has soaked up into his own innovative style of writing and playing. And even if you haven't heard much Dam Funk, this is an extremely solid collection of some of the funkiest, grooviest and most playful Soul and Funk tunes from after the 70s heyday. I dare you not to dance! 8/10.
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ROLO TOMASSI - BBC SESSIONS
Mathcore, Post Hardcore. Holy Roar Records.

This beautiful 10" record on green vinyl collects 2 separate BBC session recordings by one of the most exciting Mathcore bands going today! Side A collects 4 songs from a 2013 session, showcasing their evolution into a less intense, more ethereal act. Side B has a 2008 session which is much more rawkus and mental! The recording quality seems to be a little muddy on this release, but long time fans of the band will probably be more than happy to hear these alternative versions. The stop/start mayhem of "Digital History" is the standout for me! A showcase of Rolo Tomassi's two different sides makes this perfect for the vinyl format! 7/10.
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WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM - DIADEM OF 12 STARS [REISSUE]
Black Metal. Artemisia Records.

 The Americans were pretty late to the Black Metal party, which took a while to transcend the pond from Scandinavia, but the actions of Varg Vikernes and Mayhem certainly helped speed up the process. One of the first American Black Metal bands to make a landmark album was a band called Weakling, who dropped the hard to find classic "Dead As Dreams" and then broke up. The album took influences of Emperor and Burzum for sure, but found something new to say with their epic, Sludgy 20 minute + songs.Though Weakling had split up by the time the album came out... Their producer and collaborator Tim Green (also of The Fucking Champs) basically called upon Wolves In the Throne Room to carry on their legacy. He also produced "Diadem..." and got them to record in the exact same studio as Weakling did...

Naturally, "Diadem of 12 Stars" garnered the nickname "Dead As Dreams Part II". The album consists of 3 very lengthy 15+ minute compositions that have a very similar sound. The use of thick Sludge toned guitars and synthesisers was certainly reminiscent of Weakling as well as the blood curdling screams. "Diadem" works perfectly as a sequel, but it would be unfair to suggest that Wolves In the Throne Room were leaching off the influence of Weakling. After this album they very much evolved and grew their own sound, following it up with the masterpiece that is "Two Hunters". In particular, "Queen of the Borrowed Light" is one of the greatest songs Wolves ever wrote, which opens up this album. I recommend the vinyl release of this album, which boasts a beautiful gatefold sleeve. The vinyl master adds more hiss and white noise, giving it a more vintage Black Metal rawness, whilst the Sludgy parts really hit you with a punch. No extras unfortunately, but this an essential purchase for any Black Metal collection! 8/10.
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CONVERGE - YOU FAIL ME REDUX [REISSUE]
Hardcore Punk, Mathcore. Deathwish Inc.

In 2001, Converge released their seminal classic album "Jane Doe", which is still seen as one of the most important albums in the Mathcore genre. It also happens to be one of the most brutal and unrelenting albums ever to punish my ears! 2004's follow up "You Fail Me" received mixed feelings at the time. The playing isn't as crazy technical, the recording is much more stripped down and it isn't quite the headfuck that "Jane Doe" was. With "You Fail Me", Converge arguably made a much more emotionally and lyrically heavy and intense album though. The album very much goes back to their Hardcore roots and in particular went on to influence the emotional/melodic Hardcore sound that gave birth to acts such as Touche Amore and La Dispute. Looking back 12 years later, I'm tempted to say that "You Fail Me" is actually Converge's second best album. They didn't necessarily take a step forward from "Jane Doe" when they made it, but they walked up an entirely different staircase.

The Redux is only a subtle overhaul in sound. In particular the drums sound a bit more prominent in the mix and pack slightly more punch. The best part is, a missing track, "Wolves At My Door" is included in the running order after highlight "Eagles Become Vultures". It's an absolute belter and very much fits the mood and sequencing of the album. "Last Light" is one of Converge's ultimate songs that has closed their concerts on recent tours. "Black Cloud" and "Eagles Become Vultures" are the closest we get to the brutality of "Jane Doe". The title track is a beautiful Sludge epic that builds gradually, working like a blueprint for their monumental "Grim Heart/Black Rose" on their following album. Pick up the vinyl edition which boasts a truly beautiful fold out sleeve with artwork by vocalist Jacob Bannon. 9/10.
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AN INTERVIEW WITH UNDER

UNDER are an Avant Garde Doom Metal trio from Stockport, Greater Manchester and I was lucky enough to interview them right after they played a magnificent set at Rebellion, Manchester, where we talked sex, Swans and death!

(KEY = FRENCHIE, ANDY, MAYO, MATT)

FRENCHIE: How did you all come together to form Under?

MAYO: Jesus Christ, we met about 8 years ago

MATT: In college me and Mayo met...

MAYO: ...And it all kicked off from there, we had sex with each other first of all, and then the music came after!

MATT: We met Andy through a friend in university...

ANDY: I came upon this sexual relationship late in the game, but I liked it!

MATT: There's always room for more!

Under is a slightly ambiguous name, what does Under signify to you?

Feeling rough as shit from smoking too much weed!

Exactly! Being Under!

It was better than fucking Reaper Van or whatever!

Manchester's Doom & Sludge scene seems to be packed with talented bands... How do feel Under stands out from the pack?

Absolutely the best!

100% top of the mountain!
Fair play!
But in seriousness... Boss Keloid, Barbarian Hermit, Riggots, The Hyena Kill, Thing... Andy's other band, piles of sick bands... PIST! All our mates!

So basically you don't stand out?!
No, honestly we don't, there's tonnes and tonnes of awesome bands!

I find your sound to be very creepy and sinister, was that an element you consciously brought into your music?

We're all into avant garde stuff and noise...

Mr. Bungle and that kind of thing... It just naturally ended up sounding like that, there wasn't any intention there, it just happens.
I think we're creepy and sinister people ya know!
Spend a night with us, then you'll know! You'll be in on the sex games!

All 3 of you perform vocals which has become a bit of a trademark. was this something you had in mind from the start?

YES! Yep! Absolutely!
When my old band broke up, I just did vocals and the bass player left, and me and Andy had this specific idea of just being a 3 piece where we all do vocals.
Well, the original idea was to be like a punk band, we wanted to be fast like Dead Kennedys, and it just didn't end up happening.
You failed!

Yeah we fucked up somewhere!

Who is the primary lyricist, and where do these lyrics come from?

Mainly me, Andy's written a couple which are excellent... I don't know, I try to be emotive in a general way, but still try and be relatable...

I find them quite abstract and hard to delve into.

Yeah... It's kind of histrionic, misery and shit... Just nonsense!

What are your main music influences outside of Metal?

Swans and Radiohead I'd say are the two biggest non Metal influences we have.
Me and Mayo are into Mr. Bungle and Primus and stuff like that...
Experimental music.
Loads of Jazz as well.

Melt Banana.

We really love noise and shit!

What really inspires you outside of music, whether it be art, films, video games etc.?

Too many video games!

Mayo is the man for video games!

DARK SOULS! DARK SOULS!!!

You've been playing a lot of new songs live, can you shed any light on what your next release will be?

We're working on an album, but it's taking fucking ages! We've still got a lot of work to do on it, but the plan is to go back into the studio when we finish putting out the album because we already have an EP worth of new tunes after that. Mayo does all the producing and stuff, so it's a heavy load, but we think he can handle it.

Is there anything else in Under's future?

A possible tour, death...

That's too far into the future!

We have a suicide pact!

And finally... The most important question: If any of you caught your mum watching porn, would you watch it to see what she was into?

YEAH! Absolutely! Knowledge is power!

I did walk in on my parents fucking one time when I was a kid... I was in there for like 5 seconds horrified, and that image never left my mind ever!

What porn would you hope your mum would be watching?

Animal porn!

A bit of incest can go in there! Keep it in the family!

Let's end it on a dark note!

A very dark note! Let's all go hang ourselves!

YAY!!!

*photo taken from a previous Under gig at Rebellion as I stupidly forgot to take photos!

Thanks to UNDER for taking the time to chat!

July 3rd 2016 @ Rebellion Manchester.

#344: THE COMET IS COMING + XAM - LIVE IN MANCHESTER

XAM

Information about XAM is pretty scarce as they don't even have a Facebook page, but this Electronic duo opened the evening tonight at Soup Kitchen in Manchester's Northern Quarter. There wasn't too strong a crowd to begin with, but people continued to pour in during their set. Xam consisted of two gentlemen, perhaps in their mid to late 20s. One of the members sat in front of a large modular synthesiser with pedals and more wires connected to it that I would dare to count! And to my right, the other gentleman showed his multi-instrumental talents, first starting out playing the saxophone and then later switching to keyboards.

XAM performed a single continuous piece of music that seemed to rely heavy on improv. The modulated synthesiser opened their set with a playful, pulsing sound that reminded me of the music from cult comedy series Look Around You. As the repetitive cycles of arpeggios gradually escalated in volume and weight, the saxophonist began to add subtle timbres into the mix, merging natural instrumentation with Electronic soundscapes. The subtle, repeated nature of their music gave off a strong Ambient vibe, reminding me of Brian Eno's collaborations with Jazz musician Jon Hassell in the 80s. As the saxophone started to dominate the sound mix, the composition felt more dense and droning. The saxophonist then retired his instrument and switched to keyboards. Whilst it was enjoyable to see the sax in action, I think it was a little too subtle in the mix and there simply wasn't enough of it showcased to make an impact!

Fortunately XAM's body of music continued to get more exciting as the keyboardist doubled up the melodies set by the modular synth, creating a rich harmonious sound. The tempo of the piece began to gradually speed up with the modulated phrases ever so gradually shifting. XAM were well received by the crowd and created some truly blissful, peaceful and chilled out vibes, giving out an almost meditative feel. Their music requires some patience, but fortunately the open minded audience gave them a big cheer at the end. 8/10.

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THE COMET IS COMING

The headlining trio managed to pack out Soup Kitchen's basement tonight after the word of mouth success of their debut album "Channel the Spirits". The Comet Is Coming is a Jazz trio who fuse their sound with Electronic elements. The trio consisted of Danalogue the Conqueror on keys, Betamax Killer on drums and King Shabaka on the sax (that's their birth names you know!) 

After an ethereal warm up with bubbling synths, rolling drums and expressive sax, they soon kicked off with the keyboardist creating a dense rumbling dub influenced bass sound that shook my entire body! It was soon evident from their performance that this band ooze high energy, moving around the stage and breaking into sweat very quickly. The Comet Is Coming also got the crowd moving, with infectious funky grooves that got people dancing. The keyboardist not only made an array of fast paced heavy synth sounds, but added in all kinds of effects adding a more experimental Electronic approach to the performance. The drummer was an absolute beast with an endless supply of massive fills and funky breaks. Their amazing saxophonist helped to keep their compositions grounded in melody, but also ran off into wild soloing when the time was right. Each band member was extremely talented in their own right, and found times to perform solos throughout the night. Yet they shared a unifying vision of their sound, with each band member complimenting each other rather than trying to outdo each other. One of my favourite pieces of the evening was a few songs in when the trio went absolutely crazy, perform a lightning fast and intense piece with all 3 members going crazy on their instruments at once, resulting in loud cheers from the crowd.

Throughout the show, The Comet Is Coming also managed to work in more relaxed numbers that leaned towards a Jazzier sound, but in particular it was their fantastic energy and insane individual talent that stood out most. Set highlights included "Neon Baby", which was one of their funkiest numbers, but it was "Space Carnival" with it's strong rhythmic sax lead that sent the crowd crazy, dancing their socks off! The band went off to a huge applause and were demanded back for an encore, which they fulfilled, closing the evening with sheer class. 9/10.
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June 22nd 2016 @ Soup Kitchen, Manchester.

#343: THE CONJURING 2

2016

Directed by James Wan

Supernatural Horror, Psychological Horror.

Strap yourself in for another ride of intense jump scares, creepy atmospheres and scary entities! James Wan is back to direct the sequel to the hit film that is probably my favourite Horror movie of the decade thus far. The Conjuring 2 shifts the horror over to England and is set in 1977 (the second film released this month to be set in '77 after The Nice Guys) and is based on the real life Enfield Poltergeist case. This is one of the most famous haunted house cases in the UK, which has already been the subject of press coverage, documentaries and a TV mini series last year. The Conjuring aims to keep the majority of the real life events intact, but also adds more involvement of the real life Ed and Lorraine Warren (from the first film), the paranormal investigators who worked on the case.

The first thing that really impressed me about this American made film was that they got England right! Most times I see American's portraying English people, it is merely a series of horrible stereotypes, but the look and feel of England is spot on here, and there was nothing that annoyed me in that respect. Another of my pet peeves in cinema is annoying child actors, but the kids in this film weren't annoying also. Already we were off to a good start! In fact from the first minute of the film, I felt on edge, squirming in my cinema seat! James Wan doesn't do anything particularly new in terms of scare tactics, that you haven't seen in the first one or Insidious or many other ghostly Horror films. However he seems to just have a knack of doing suspenseful build ups and jump scares really well. He knows how to pick and choose his moments, backed up with very creepy art design and a suffocating dark ambient soundtrack with screeching violins. Wan also uses some really inventive camera techniques. The camera moves freely through all the rooms of the house and sometimes there are even POV shots that add to the tension. There were definitely more than a few moments in the film where I wished I had brought a pillow with me to hide behind! 

The Conjuring 2 very much does the whole sequel thing by just delivering more! Demons, poltergeists, possessed children, creepy old men and even a terrifying nun all crop up throughout. Running at 2 hours and 15 minutes, I think a couple of scenes could have easily been trimmed to advance the pacing, but in fairness there was rarely a dull moment as James Wan likes to test how many times someone can crap their pants in one sitting! Without giving anything away, perhaps the most scary and intense scene of the film involves merely a drink of water...! If you enjoyed the first film, there is plenty more to enjoy here, though aside from the UK setting, it isn't a drastic departure in style and execution over the first film (or perhaps Wan's Insidious series too). If you haven't seen the original, don't fear because this is an entirely different haunting case, so you can enjoy this film without feeling like you have missed lots of plot details from the first film. I say, if the film makers and cast can keep up the good quality, then I'll be happy to keep watching these films! 8/10.

#342: PARQUET COURTS + HOUSEWIVES: LIVE IN MANCHESTER

HOUSEWIVES

Opening for Parquet Courts tonight at Manchester Gorilla was a mysterious London based quartet named Housewives (in actuality an all male band). The band members walked onto the Gorilla stage with as much darkness as possible. Their vocalist opened up the set with the droning sound of the didgeridoo, as a guitarist and a man on electronic pads began to envelop the sold out crowd in a blanket of noisy feedback. Haunting, eerie electronics began to shake and rumble the room, making Gorilla seem even darker than what it was. A sinister atmosphere fell over Manchester as the band's sound escalated in dissonance. The man playing the didgeridoo soon swapped it for a guitar. Minimal pounding drums erupted from out of nowhere with rumbling sub bass and strobe lightning kicking in too. The guitarist jammed a single repetitive atonal drone riff, as the Electronics seemed to weave in and out. All of these elements combined to create a dizzying and nauseating effect, but in a sadistically enjoyable way!

Housewives soon transitioned into (ever so slightly) more accessible territory with a scatty Post-Punk riff sounding like Joy Division if they were playing out of tune guitars. Their guitarist and vocalist added super tripped out, reverb heavy vocals with a demanding, almost aggressive force behind them. Indecipherable yells filled the room in a cavernous manner. The guitarist started scraping his guitar with a drumstick, as the drummer played a robotic pounding riff on a rather minimalist drum kit (I'm not sure if there were even any cymbals). It was hard to tell if there were multiple songs being played or one giant continuous behemoth, as there were no breaks in the performance and they didn't communicate verbally with the crowd. Not that any of this mattered as I found myself deeply immersed in the sounds and intense atmosphere they were creating. Housewives gradually began to slow down and release the intensity a little, transitioning into a droning and hypnotic sphere. I closed my eyes to take in the music even more and it was a truly ethereal experience. In a further display of their oddness, the guitarist and vocalist then whipped out a saxophone because, why the hell not!?

I think that Housewives might not have struck a chord with everyone in the crowd, considering they are completely different to the headlining band, but the crowd response was a very positive one and I think people's minds would have been blown tonight like mine was. Housewives took the sonic freeform of PIL, the pounding repetition of Can and the scatty Avant Garde experimentation of This Heat, channeled into something new and fresh. One of the most intense performances I have seen in recent times that even threatened to outshine headliners Parquet Courts! 9/10.

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PARQUET COURTS

Hot off their 5th album "Human Performance", Manchester was treated to their very own human performance as the quartet took the stage. Considering the new album cover has the words "HUM it PERFectly MANCunian" stylised on it, I got the impression that New Yorkers Parquet Courts were happy to play in Manchester. They kicked straight into "Dust" with real enthusiasm... Well as enthusiastic as Slacker Indie Rock bands get of course! Their long haired guitarist doubled up with one hand strumming the guitar and another played a one handed melody on a nearby keyboard. A lot of their songs are pretty short, which gave them the freedom to belt through lots of their songs, performing practically everything off their fantastic new album, with oldies mixed in too.

I didn't quite expect it, but the sold out Gorilla crowd tonight seemed to mistake Parquet Courts for Slayer, as I was swept into a really brutal and painful moshpit that seemed to last for most of their performance. Even during the slower, more languidly paced songs, people seemed to want to mosh which kind of took the piss, but okay! I spent most of the show getting fucked up right at the front being pushed, pulled and squeezed into the stage, occasionally spilling onto it! For the most part Parquet Courts brought a true Punk Rock energy to the show, sounding louder, noisier and faster than on the records during their more aggro driven songs. In particular finale "Sunbathing Animal" was a wash of noisy, angular guitars with constant ranting vocals spewing over the top. I never realised just from listening to the albums, but both guitarists and their bassist not only come together to perform vocals, but will take in turns to take the leads on each song. 

A huge highlight for me was one of the more chilled out songs from the new album, "One Man, No City", driven by twanging Post Punk guitars with call and response vocals. Each splendid verse bled into Velvet Underground meets Sonic Youth style tangents of meandering guitar solos that jangled in and out of discordance. The title track of the new album was as close to a flag waving anthem as this band gets, with majestic, soaring vocals that erupt into a loud, shouty chorus! The robotic Funk of "I Was Just Here" took their show into a quirky direction that matched the group's good humour inbetween songs.

There is something refreshing about the way Parquet Courts play with half the band giving it a lively Punk welly, and the other two in more of a laid back stance. But I guess it perfectly encapsulates two worlds of Punk Rock and Slacker Indie meeting, shaking hands and then enjoying a drink at the bar together. The whole show was a real knockout, with me and most of the crowd leaving drenched in sweat and spilled beer. 9/10.

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June 18th 2016 @ Gorilla, Manchester.