The Necks have had a pretty good upswing in their fortunes with London performances over the last few years, with sold-out runs of nights at The Vortex in Dalston so successful they added in extra shows late into the night, followed up by a triumphantly immense performance in [...]
With their tattooed limbs and trucker caps, their wall-eyed glares and N’Awlins shirts that might never actually have seen better days, Weedeater strike about as Southern image as can be imagined, straight out of Wilmington, North Carolina via the casting for a Rob Zombie slasher flick soundtracked [...]
For a supposed “Land of Song”, Wales has thrown up surprisingly few truly great musical mavericks over the years. Sure there’s been John Cale and David R. Edwards, and maybe Gruff Rhys and Brian Lustmord but that’s about it. It may then raise an eyebrow or two that despite her scant handful [...]
Strange Attractor Journal, now in it’s third edition of writings promoting unpopular culture, has long been intertwined with the visual, musical and performing arts. For January 2010, the Strange Attractor machine has moved into exhibitionist mode, taking over the Last Tuesday Society‘s art space above their very [...]
The cavernous space of Koko, once known better in the days of music hall and indie rock dance club as the Camden Palace, turns out to be eminently suitable for hosting bands whose raison d’etre is shifting air pressure through the application of low end to the somewhat notoriously loud speakers [...]
Ever vampiric, the avant-guard periodically replenishes itself on fresh blood in pastures new. Jazz, psych, prog, industrial and Dance have all fallen prey during the past half century, and now it’s the turn of that seemingly most reactionary of genres, metal. The signs had been there as far back as the [...]
‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the Forum, not a creature was stirring apart from that seething, thronging mass of goths, punks, crusties and beardy CAMRA-men that only New Model Army seem to be able to unite into one celebratory whole. And they’ve been doing it for a while [...]
Pop Montréal,
Ukrainian Federation, Montréal
3 October 2009
The gathering krautrock-keen fans filled both levels of the seated, community-centre vibe auditorium known as the Ukrainian Federation which has hosted the likes of Patti Smith, Joanna Newsom, Loudon Wainwright III, and A Silver Mt. Zion. For Faust’s first ever show in Canada, heralding their entrance, Jean-Hervé Peron started by squawking [...]
Another Alien8 extravaganza at Casa Del Popolo in Montréal: guaranteed visceral jiggling with nice folks who make confrontational music.
A panda bear stands behind a flower-strewn hill, arms aloft, beseeching a soldier. Rainbow beams explode from the bear’s mouth through the soldier’s torso. The contradictory poster for this [...]
uple of nights with Norwegian exchange student Gammelsæter. This in itself was not particularly noteworthy, but Runhild’s vocal range was, and is, being blessed with an amazing pair of lungs. As the opening track “Norge” of the EP demonstrates tonight, she still has the range of a demon and an angel, [...]
Drag City
The foundations of rock music are built on strata that have long eroded for all but the most credulous. It was initially fun, sexual and swaggering; angry, rebellious and irreverent; energetic, spontaneous and irrepressible; extrovert, engaged and innovative. Decades of mishandling by
(Applebush/Easy Action)
The collections of ‘rare’ T. Rex material to have appeared in the years since Marc Bolan’s death in 1977 by now dwarf the official output released during his lifetime. Although much of them are deeply inessential, and sometimes indeed unlistenable, carefully sifting
(Hometapes)
Hailing from Copenhagen, Slaraffenland have made an album that seems quite out of time without sounding in the least bit dated. Their sound is at once infectious and fidgety – a restless pop music that harks back to the days when groups had too many ideas to stop and spend
ULU, London
23 April 2008
Ah, what better way is there to celebrate St George's Day than to avoid all the jingoistic flag-waving nonsense and go and see a band who come from the other side of the world? Probably none. None whatsofuckingever.
First up we get Growing, who I heard described by s
Thrill Jockey
Wow, this is a really different kind of Trans Am album. But wow in general, too, it's also a pretty fucking great album. The first thing that struck me about Thing was its soundtrack-like quality. At points it is more like a vision of Blade Runner rather than the electro rock we
Pure Pop For Now People
Along comes the latest release from PPFN, the label run by Joachim Gaertner of German psyche/kraut powerhouse group S/T, and it's another that explores the territory somewhere on the borders of electronica and a peculiar concept of pop music. As with most of PPFNs releases
Label: NTT (available exclusively via Touch) Format: DVD (Region 0, NTSC)
Sometimes, nothing satisfies quite like the immersive intensity of a minimalist audio-visual feast for eyes, ears and cerebellum, and Formula provides more than adequate satisfaction on all counts. Starting with the packagi
Koko, London
14 December 2009
The cavernous space of Koko, once known better in the days of music hall and indie rock dance club as the Camden Palace, turns out to be eminently suitable for hosting bands whose raison d'etre is shifting air pressure through the application of low end to the
The Scala, London
21st March 2001
In tow with the usual Krautrock London posse I arrived at The Scala just in time to hear lots of talk about how a lot of people have not been here since it was a infamous cinema. Though I never saw it in its glory, the building is still impressive with its loads
Pica Disk
Musica Non Grata is the second release in Jazkamer's 2010 monthly series, and the CD has three long tracks. To make it clear and save you wasting time reading further: this is a study in feedback! Those who are still reading might like to know that this full length CD from the trio agai
Kosmische @ The Spitz, London
5 June 2003
When the Acid Mothers Collective come to town, a few things are certain - extended improvisations, guest appearances (tonight's honourable psychonaut is none other than Daevid Allen), antics and japes at the keyboards, and hair. Lots and lots of hair: no
The Scala, London
12 October 2003
Witnessing Laibach perform onstage is guaranteed to be a spectacular experience - not in the form of flaming scenery, explosives or even sheer brutalist noise, but because they put on a show. A proper show with much too much in common with a political rally for
Ipecac
Unlike a lot of remix albums where an artist gets a song to work with, the artists on Chicken Switch were given whole Melvins albums to work with. So each track is a remix of a whole album. The Melvins chose experimental electronic artists for Chicken Switch, with such names as Matmos, L
The Garage, London
9 April 2004
It's good to know Thrash is alive and well and kicking up a stir, and tonight The Garage is graced with a queue down the street and eventually with a venue full of The Kids, Heavy Metal or otherwise, almost visibly churning with excitement at the prospect of a ni
@ RoTa
Notting Hill Arts Club, London
21st February 2000
There's a great sense of expectancy generated by Chicks On Speed tonight; buzzing chatter from the West London cool squad building up a tension upon a foundation of eclectic Electro DJing. When the Chicks come on stage in decorated paper
Wormwood Live
The Forum, London
19th July 1999
When The Residents put on a show, it's something very special to see indeed; like Jesus Christ Superstar (surely one of the defining moments of pomp-pop-opera, and whose theme provides the opening fanfare as the curtain goes up on the monocular one
The Social, Nottingham
30 May 2001
The first act were Floach, an electronics duo from ScoobyDooLand. With a table full of electronic contraptions that would have made Throbbing Gristle drool (and a hairstyle that would have frightened Dave Hill from Slade), they cooked up a glorious electronic
Kosmische
The Garage, London
12th September 1998
A legend or two popped into The Garage, held an audience captive for a couple of hours, and it was just as might be expected - half a trip back in time, and half a slice of something timeless. Damo Suzuki nearly three decades on still has the st
Label: Wu Records/Sanctuary Format: DVD
It's Wu, motherfuckers! Wu-Tang, motherfuckers!
And indeed it is. A 34-track live DVD featuring all nine of the buggers (well, ten, what with Cappadonna an' all), all on stage at once!!!
It's an oft-stated truism that the Wu-Tang live experience can b
Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre, London
28 March 2001
Tonight's Wire Session Live promises to present a few intriguing collaborations, and first up on the scene are Jaki Liebezeit and Burnt Friedman. The latter's usual live minidisc setup is enhanced with a Korg analogue synth and anothe
(Dirter)
Hmm. Nurse With Wound. Nurse With Wound, Nurse With Wound, Nurse With Wound. What to say? Writing about Nurse With Wound is like trying to nail a jellyfish to the fourth wall. After what seems like over nine thousand albums of surrealist sound sculptures, Stephen Stapleton (and partners
The Spitz, London
26 April 2001
The I/O event at The Spitz was a little bit of a nerd-fest (meant in the best possible way), as several generations of audio technophiles opened up their various laptop computers and let rip with the best in glitchry they could muster for the occasion. To a shift
Label: Decay/Target Video Format: DVD,VHS
Originally released on VHS in 1987, this collection of the Dead Kennedys live in concert and the studio finds them in fine Punk Rock form. As is to be expected, the sound quality of the gig footage (mostly recorded at Mabuhay Gardens 1979-80) is less than
Stop The Panic
The Spitz, London
28th February 2000
O! if all nights out could be so entertaining! A New Orleans style jam session set up between avuncular B.J. Cole (occasional collaborator with Spiritualized) and chin-pierced Electro Bohemian Luke Vibert (sometimes Wagon Christ and Plug) and
The Junction, Cambridge
9 July 2001
For whatever bizarre reason, this gig couldn't be advertised. Having found out about it, having already missed Tricky's appearance at Robert Wyatt's South Bank Meltdown, and noting that his only other UK appearances this tour were at the V2001 festival and Pen
- Iranair Inflight Magazine
- Red Madrassa
- Jebel Tariq
Label: Muslimim Format: CD
- Arabbox
Label: Soleilmoon Format: CD
-In Search Of Ahmad Shah Masood
Label: Nexsound Format: CD
Recent months have seen the continuing flow of Muslimgauze releases slow down considerably - given that it i
The Underworld, London
5th November 1999
Back at The Underworld for the second time in six months, follwowing on from an absence from their founders' homeland of six years, The Legendary Pink Dots bring home their unique format of intense live musical performance at the tail end of yet another w
The Scala, London
26 July 2009
Southern Lord have been doing good business resurrecting their roster from the first time round, with some spectacularly lavish re-releases from Burning Witch, for example, making it strange to reflect that their twentieth anniversary isn't too far off yet... So it
Royal Festival Hall, London
12 October 2001
Given that this appearance by Faust marks both their 100th live performance since the group's reformation in 1993 and possibly their final show, it's somehow appropriate that the emergency services soon became involved once again. Part of the reason
June 2000
People Like Us is Vicki Bennett, a resident of Brighton on the South coast of England and creator of extraordinarily witty cut-up film and music projects which take the cultural critique of Plunderphonics into new dimensions of layered reference and dissociated signifiers. As wi
Brixton Academy, London
22nd April 2000
I had a T-shirt ready for Death In Vegas. It had the cross-sectioned brain from the cover of The Contino Sessions on the front, with a Levi's logo stamped across it. Underneath was the quote from Bill Hicks about every word from the mouths of artists who a
Interference
Union Chapel, London
30th October 1998
The cold snap is just hitting London in time for this event, set in the chilly North London church (OK, technically it's a chapel, but it looks and feels more like a Gothic construction, all pointed arches and uncomfortable pews) which has pl
(Endgame)
Shane Fahey is an ex-member of the seminal Australian post-punk combo The Makers of the Dead Travel Fast, whose much sought-after late 70s and early 80s output has recently resurfaced on a couple of anthologies focussing on the releases of the M Squared label. If anyone was wondering wh
Pop Montréal,
Ukrainian Federation, Montréal
3 October 2009
The gathering krautrock-keen fans filled both levels of the seated, community-centre vibe auditorium known as the Ukrainian Federation which has hosted the likes of Patti Smith, Joanna Newsom, Loudon Wainwright III, and A Silver Mt.
(Midwich)
A folk group from Essex recording a concept album about the Lofoten Islands in Arctic Norway seems an intriguing though ultimately self-defeating idea. After all, isn’t the idea of folk music that it reflects the culture it comes from, rather than holiday snaps of exotic locations?
Freq could not have happened without the following contributors:
Anton Allen; Andrew Clegg; Seth Cooke; David Cotner; Deuteronemu 90210; Paul Donnelly; Freq1C; Grufty Jim; Gyrus; Ben Haggar; Olly Hewitt; Alan Holmes; Iotar; Sean Kitching; Dag Luterek; Mahalia; Antron S. Meister; Lilly Novak; Jas
Calexico - Even My Sure Things Fall Through
Label: Quarterstick Format: CD
Spanning most of the musical history of Calexico, a band highly reminiscent of duo Joey Burns and John Covertino's previous bands, Giant Sand and especially Friends Of Dean Martinez, this EP combines unreleased tracks wit
The Metro, Chicago
11th November 1998
There I was, freezing my proverbials off outside the Metro club here in da windy city. My cigarette was burning ridiculously quickly as the icy north breezes fanned it and made me all annoyed... but say la vie (as the French c'est). I was waiting in line to
Bluecoat Arts Centre, Liverpool
11 October 2001
Whatever combinations of players you find Keith Tippett in there is always an element of the spiritual, in a broad sense, in his playing. He says he plays to 'move people' and 'remove them from chronological time' and often that's just what he does
Mika Vainio - Kajo
Label: Touch Format: CD
More than just Pan(a)Sonic without the bass oscillations, Mika Vainio's second solo outing still bears obvious connections to his work with Ilpo Vaisanen on their last album release under that name as A, a recording which featured moments of unsettling
Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre, London
17 January 2001
It's something of a joy to behold - the entire Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer buzzing with anticipation before the start of the London event in the Japanorama tour of eleven British towns and cities. Why a joy? From Kendal to Liverpool,
Kosmische Club @ The Garage, London
8 June 2002
Circle look worryingly like they're going to play pub-Rock covers of Judas Priest - but fortunately nothing could be further from the truth. Finland's finest space rockers (with the emphasis on the rock) have all the churning drive of Hawkwin
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Casa Del Popolo, Montréal
16 September 2009
Another Alien8 extravaganza at Casa Del Popolo in Montréal: guaranteed visceral jiggling with nice folks who make confrontational music.
A pan
ULU, London
26th May 2005
Okay, here's the usual disclaimer. I'm not going to be objective. In the slightest. Michael Gira's been a hero of mine for many years now, and this was the first time I got to see him live. So forgive me if I don't give it the whole fair and balanced thing in the follow
The Forum, London
9 October 2004
Having reincarnated with a new touring band as PTV3, Genesis P-Orridge returned to the London stage five years after his triumphant - if ultimately unsatisfying - Royal Festival Hall cocking of snooks and other no doubt pierced appendages (how does one pierce a c
Islington Mill, Salford
8 December 2009
Ever vampiric, the avant-guard periodically replenishes itself on fresh blood in pastures new. Jazz, psych, prog, industrial and Dance have all fallen prey during the past half century, and now it’s the turn of that seemingly most reactionary of genres,
Sonic Boom Live
Queen Elizabeth Hall
South Bank Centre, London
4th May 2000
Presented in conjunction with the excellent Sonic Boom exhibition of sound installations at the Hayward Gallery, the line up for this event features three groups and artists who have also been selected for inclusion in
Midwich Records
Ellen Mary McGee, founder of folk-rock band Saint Joan, has created a short but magnificently intense début album with The Crescent Sun. Its a dark lyrical collection of folk songs written, sung, and largely performed by McGee. She plays guitar, banjo, glockenspiel, drums, percu
(Leather Apron)
What do you get when you cross a dandified occultist comedian (Andrew O'Neill) with the jovial former frontman of Creaming Jesus (Andy Heintz, now rather splendidly decked out in purple muttonchop whiskers), the drummer (Ben Dawson) from Million Dead and another comedian, Marc Bu
Tufnell Park Dome, London
2 September 2001
A history lesson... Everything you think you know is wrong. The last ten years never happened. Mrs. Thatcher's still in power, The Dome's still standing (Tufnell Park that is... not the Big Tent), and Conflict are still gigging. We are ruled by a bunch
(Babel)
The sleeve notes to By Proxy quote Aldous Huxley: “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” But what Partisans express is not the arcane or ineffable but rather a straightforward affection for a rather uncontroversial jazz, probably circa whenev
Label: Freeborn John Theatre Company Format: CD+DVD (PAL)
Originally released in 1996, Freeborn John was Rev Hammer's folk rock opera about the life of English radical “Freeborn” John Lilburne, who fought in the Civil War and dedicated his life to liberty and freedom. A natural subject for Ha
The Garage, London
18 January 2002
Not just another of those long-thought forgotten altered-state Pop could-have been idols extracting and revitalising themselves from the Eighties and onto the stage again, Frank Tovey, here backed up by a full band is back. In front of an audience half uncolour
Meltdown 2007
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
18th June 2007
The smoke and glitter which characterises Chrome Hoof's performance at Meltdown 2007 is something of a wonder to behold. Unleashing a brain-boggling riot of progtastic disco - complete with intoned disclaimer for any responsibilty for t
The Albery Theatre, London
from 4th April 2002 for 11 weeks
Based on Heinrich Hoffman's dark fairy-tale Struwwelpeter, Shockheaded Peter originally opened in 1998 and last year alone played to an audience of some 80,000 West End theatre-goers. For its 2002 production, David Thomas & Two Pale
Club Mesa Costa Mesa, California
19th December 2000
AA23 opened the night, and I thought they had some really, REALLY nice moments. but things did seem a bit sloppy and loose at points - especially with the excessive scratching (which when ON - was wonderful.. but less is more when it comes to s
Pica Disk
The May edition of Jazkamer's monthly series starts with an almost twenty minute long drone track. It's very deep dark and with mellow synth sounds to start with, moving about in my headphones, almost without recognising it, the track creeps upon me, moving more, being more intense and
Aalfang Mit Pfederkopf - Mezethakia Mukabalatt
Label: Aalfang Format: CD
Bit of a weird one, this - even by the usual standards. It consists of two tracks, the first ("Geschwärtzte Milch" - blackened milk) lasting four minutes long and sounding a bit like late Swans in strummy guitar instrument
15th Anniversary Show
Queen Elizabeth Hall,
South Bank Centre, London
4th December 2000
As usual, I arrived at this show in a rush, a little late and with no idea of what to expect. Straight into complete darkness and tracked by lovely ambient sounds and an over-zealous usher trying to get me
The Spitz, London
24 March 2004
A bit like starting a notebook backwards, I rush in after taking a stupidly slow and expensive cab ride, barely in time to see the last beautiful few moments of Rothko. Their's is a sound I can recognize from way down the stairs as I run up and through the doors.
Earache
Despite having been involved in probably about 90% of all British manifestations of all that is heavy, grindy and noisy in the last twenty-odd years, from Napalm Death to Jesu, Justin Broadrick is still only fourteen years old; or at least that's how he appears. And given that my job here
Label: Music Video Distributors Format: DVD (Region 0, NTSC), HD-DVD
Unlike most of their contemporaries, who play up the “gang” aspect of “gangsta”, the Wu-Tang Clan, while still retaining that element, always seem to be structured more like a superhero team to me, like some crazy kung f
Pacou - Symbolic Language Remixes
Label: Tresor Format: 12"
Once again, we can rely on Tresor to der the goods. Think Jeff Mills, think Adam Beyer. Pacou is in that vein, with a slab of tough minimal techno. Symbolic Language Remixes is a belting EP, nasty hard and fucking groovesome. It sweats
Thrill Jockey
Lazer Crystal come from Chicago and this is their first full release. The title MCMLXXX is a real declaration of intent, or at least a real advert to the albums contents. And it is, but at the same time it isn't. I've heard many bands that are really stuck in the 70s or 80s to the p
Ui - The Iron Apple
Label: Southern Format: 12",CDS
Named in respect of the vitality of the 103-year old owner of the cider house in Pennsylvania where Ui rehearsed for many years, The Iron Apple shows the band in further abstracted territory from their "post-Rock" roots. As ever, the combinat
Red Rose Club, London
16th September 2000
A night of drones on Seven Sisters Road, strangely light on traffic in the aftermath of petrol protests, but still teeming with North London's variegated Saturday night fun seekers and the requisite fully made-up Goths on the 253 bus. The Red Rose is no
Earache
This takes me back. Sometimes innovations can be pinned down to very specific musical moments. In the same way that Eddie Van Halen's tapping on "Eruption" spawned a legion of followers, Mick Harris' death blasts on "Scum" set the pace and tone of metal drumming for decades to follo
Rascals, Bangor
2 March 2010
For a supposed “Land of Song”, Wales has thrown up surprisingly few truly great musical mavericks over the years. Sure there’s been John Cale and David R. Edwards, and maybe Gruff Rhys and Brian Lustmord but that’s about it. It may then raise an eyebrow or tw
Applebush/Easy Action
The world finally caught up with The Stooges when punk exploded, while Iggy himself ingeniously morphed into an alienated teutonic modernist, simultaneously retaining his appeal with the punks while appearing several steps ahead with his two 1977 Berlin albums The Idiot and
Jackie O Motherfucker - Change
Label: Textile Format: CD,LP
The first time I heard the CD I fell asleep around the end of "Bus Stop", the fifth track, and that's not a meant to be a negative response to the music. It just has a strangely lulling quality about it. There is a lo-fi feel to this tr
