P.i.X feed for all articles http://www.thepixzine.co.uk posted by DefnMODULAR Presents BOO! @ THE AMERSHAM ARMS, NEW CROSS, LDN 31st OCTOBER 2008 TODDLA T SPORTSDAY MEGAPHONE MICACHU & THE SHAPES COLLAPSING CITIES MODULAR DJs + SPECIAL GUESTS TICKETS: £6 ADVANCED/ £6 ON DOOR WITH NUS/ £8 ON DOOR modularpeople.com myspace.com/modularukhttp://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=313 posted by biggsyThe NME may say that antidotes is not as good as they had expected but the truth is that it oozes with catchy gloomy indie tech that gets better every single listen. The mainstream music industry needs change and Foals are the key. Give it time and 'Antidotes' will be an iconic unforgetable album. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=188 posted by thomasAs you can see we have a new site. The biggest overhaul for you guys is the new user section for adding content. Once you log in you will be presented with an entire new admin interface for adding content to the site. It is now easier to add your own reviews/articles/charts and galleries to the site. We have also added a section for you to advertise on the site. You can now comment on articles without having to register as well. If anyone has any technical issues please contact me at webmaster@thepixzine.co.ukhttp://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=289 posted by P.i.X[i]Karley Sciortino, of ,[url=http://www.slutever.blogspot.com]slutever.blogspot.com[/url] has temporarily re-located to NYC. It's ok, don't cry. thanks to the internet, she can still share with us the aural delights that are tickling her fancy. here's her first installment.[/i] It seems no matter how much I fanatically over-play them, London trio [url=http://www.myspace.com/thegoldensilvers]Golden Silvers[/url] continue to be my favorite band of the moment. It helps that nearly every time I check their Myspace they’ve written even more hauntingly beautiful pop songs to become scarily obsessed with. Their newer demos are some of their best, in my opinion. You can tell singer Gwilym is really coming into his own with his lyrics. Each song is its own twisted fairytale, and Gwilym’s voice is so sincere I have to refrain from trying to physically eat his words as they emerge from my laptop speakers. Make sure to heck out newbie Dreamgirl Nightmare. More recently I discovered the lanky, redheaded songstress, [url=http://www.myspace.com/lizzytrullie]Lissy Trullie[/url]. From downtown NYC, her soulful pop songs make you long to fall in love and dance about in slow motion. She kind of sounds like a boy when she sings. She makes me wish I were a lesbian. My third musical love-affair is with Rainbow Arabia [url=http://www.myspace.com/rainbowarabia]Rainbow Arabia[/url], a duo from Los Angeles who make enchanting dance music with a middle-Eastern influence. It’s a mash-up of dark electronics, Eastern percussion and dreamy, tribal vocals. Watch their video for Let Them Dance [url=http://www.pinglewood.com/2008/November/Desert_Rats.html]here[/url], in which they drag rainbow-colored synths, other noise-making toys, and machine guns through the desert in a weird Alice in Wonderland hallucination. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=359 posted by P.i.XChas & Dave are a British institution. They probably don’t get the respect they deserve, so we got Chas to bring us all up to date… “I went on the road with Jerry Lee Lewis – I played the bass for him and then he showed me how to play piano. I recorded with him in the 70’s. Through his help and teaching I took up the piano. I just met Dave – he was in another band, and then ten years later me an’ him became a band. I gave up the bass and played the piano and Dave stayed on the bass. That was the start of Chas and Dave. I had been over to America with a band and they were singing in an American accent, it didn’t feel right, so I said to Dave, I said, the only way to find yourself is to write songs about things that you know and then sing them in your own natural accent and my ambition was to do a London accent song done seriously. Up till we had ‘Aint No Pleasing You’ there had never been a hit in a London accent, so I’m pleased and proud about that. Possibly in the early days we were promoted wrong, as being a bit of a funny band, but things like ‘Gertcha’, and ‘Rabbit’, they are serious fun songs, but we have more serious songs too you know. Playing Glastonbury was a highlight – The Libertines had got in touch, said we were a big influence on them when they were younger and invited us to support them on a couple of dates. It was really great. And then we got asked to Glastonbury. It seems to be that we are an influence on youngsters. Just a couple of weeks ago a young kid came up to me and said ‘don’t ever retire, you’re a wicked piano player’, it’s great that they are listing to what we are doing. If you go out and be yourself, you are making everything more yourself and if people like you, they are gonna want more of you. It’s down to honesty, being yourself, entertaining. I’m still writing all the time, I’m looking at the piano now, I just like playing the piano, I just want to get better and better at it.” http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=41 posted by P.i.X There’s Hugo Santa Cruz taking the lead on vox, guitar and pressing buttons, he’s got quite a vocal style, very smooth ‘n’ harmonious. Vic takes the bass and backing vocals while drummer Marc thrashes out some mean beats. They’ve been together as Language for a short time but are looking set to last the journey. Things that touch their lives are eating disorders, amongst other things! It’s a tough life being a modern guy these days and their lyrics reflect the full gamut of stuff life chucks at you. Not exactly romantic, there’s a gritty realness to Language’s outlook but put in a tuneful way. Catch ‘em at Rockstarz on the 7th May! P.J. Myspace.com/languageuk http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=43 posted by P.i.XTravelling around the world for free with your mates, and blagging tickets for things gets easier... and I always get the best seat on the tourbus! I’m excited about the album – on a scale of 1 to 20 some days it’s 5, some days it’s 20. It’s been a long time coming and the limbo is killer. But I’m proud that it’s all done and I’m excited to have people be able to go out and get it... To be fair our dream gig has been headlining Astoria. It’s a dream show so.. Our support for that is exactly who it should be- Jack Peñate and Talk Taxis. 4 years ago we were all playing songs to each other in the White boy’s house. Look at us now. The same crew... We all live in Brighton cos it’s easy for the sea... My favourite song to sing is ‘Wild Horses’ by The Rolling Stones. And if I had to be stuck in a lift with anyone... it would be Roald Dahl... Story time!!! I know last month was like, your naked issue, but I don’t have any embarrassing naked stories... I haven’t been naked for ages! http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=44 posted by P.i.XIn New York City, Shy Child have been busy creating a sound that fits in perfectly with the high voltage noises coming out of the U.K. Looking forward to going on tour with The Klaxons, ‘That should be fun!’ and headin’ for this summers festivals, they did the Tales Of The Jackalope last summer, since then they have been gaining quite a reputation having been over to the U.K. no less than eight times! Duo Pete and Nate have conjured up an album of note ‘Noise Won’t Stop’. It successfully pulls together some lively blips and beats. No messin’ around here, they’re straight in for a full-scale onslaught. Nate, he’s the one on the drums says ‘One of our fave’s off the album is ‘Pressure To Come’. And I wonder which ones really get the crowd going…? ‘ Er, ‘Drop The Phone’ and ‘Noise’ are top on the list!’ Watching Shy Child in action you really get the feeling they love what they do. Pete with his low-slung guitar keytar and cheeky chap grin and Pete engrossed in some lively rhythms, together they have an immediate and engaging presence. Catch ‘em at Chalk on may 28th! P.J. myspace.com/shychildmusic http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=45 posted by P.i.XThey gave us the hit sensation ‘Flawless’ accompanied by the campest sci-fi video seen for years. All the way from NYC, The Ones release their long awaited album full of new stuff and remixes from the likes of The Rapture and Dimitri. The double c.d. extravaganza puts The Ones in the picture regarding modern ‘pop’ and proves what a diverse lot they are crossing dance and experimental elements of music. It’s out on A Touch OF Class soon, so keep your ears peeled for it hitting a dance floor near you! www.myspace.com/theonesareflawless http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=46 posted by P.i.XTHE PINK RAYS Would The Pink Rays please stand up! Top boy rockers and darlings of club nite ‘London Loves Club’ at Plastic in Milan have got it going on in. With a 5 track E.P. on Italian label Angle records, which includes Tracks ‘Modern Life’, ‘Undeclared Love’ and ‘Never Kiss A Drunk Girl’, they have a sound that is guitar based and solid. Enrico sings with conviction and passion and we think they’ll go far! Check ‘em out! www.myspace.com/thepinkrays www.myspace.com/londonlovesindieclub http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=47 posted by P.i.XOur over star Alex from The Violets is the most stylish blonde we know. 2006 saw The Violets become one of the standout bands of the year. With debut singles ‘Hush Away’, ‘Descend’ and ‘Carnival’ on Angular Recordings and coverage in the music press they look set to make 2007 the year they hit the big time. On a U.K. tour in January and February their new single out on the 6th of Feb ‘Foreo’ recorded in Ladbroke Grove with Sugarbabes producer Yoad Nevo is another Violets classic. We can’t wait to hear it on 45! Meanwhile if you get a chance go see The Violets perform! www.myspace.com/thevioletsuk http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=48 posted by P.i.X THESE NEW PURITANS We fuckin’ love These New Puritans, the way they come on is more like a blast of fresh air. Looking quite strict, grey and black is the color de jour for the boys while Sophie on her synth looks stern and red lipped. They hail from the flourishing Southend scene and combine digital loops and guitar rhythms with vocal arrangements, which become almost part of the machinery. Angst, uneasy, almost jarring, Jack blurts out a diatribe of captions that make their concentrated sound unique. There is something of The Fall in there and we can easily see Michael Clark adding These New Puritans to his contemporary dance repertoire. If you go and see them be prepared to feel ruptured, a bit like standing in a wind tunnel! Such is their impact. The ‘NOW PLUVIAL E.P.’ on Angular Records is just the beginning for this lot. www.myspace.com/thesenewpuritans www.myspace.com/angularrecords http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=49 posted by P.i.XTrash Fashion are for sharing! They’re a lively lot that have developed a sound that encapsulates the current mood for rock and dare we say it, rave. Jet Storm flings his snaky hips around – clad only in fluro boxing shorts – with verve. He sings about his meat and two veg, picking his nose and on a more serious slant the struggles of having a really good time! Jets brother Mason is a guitar hero waiting to be unleashed and plays his axe in a way that would make Slash cry. K-Bomb their sexy new boy has only one eye but there’s no stopping him as he barrels into the crowd with his smiley faced bass. P.I.X hearts Trash Fashion! http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=50 posted by P.i.X We really do love Video! Here’s the line-up… Drummer - Craig, bass and vox - Luke and lead guitar ‘n’ vox - Liam, and here’s the plus and wait for it… kaos pad! Now as a lover of a bit of noize distortion this was an added bonus not to mention Video is made up of three of most gorgeous lads, all with good style I hasten to add, hence the strong following with the ladies, first two rows to be exact! When we saw them at The Old Blue Last the other month they kicked off with heavy style, solid beats overlaid with bass, guitar and a touch of the electronics. Singing upfront Liam gets on the train here with a vocal akin to a lost boy on speed. They gotta’ a lot of energy and for a new band who’ve done a handful of gigs Video have got a sound that I’m immediately drawn to. In my mind I can hear remixes coming out left right and centre and I’m sure they’ve got a few plans! Video are on fire! You heard it here first!!! P.J. myspace.com/welovevideo http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=51 posted by P.i.X‘Hello, so as soon as The P.i.X asked me to write a piece on composing a songs I instantly felt guilty. I could feel the eyes of my band burning into the back of my head saying, “so what have you finished recently, anything new you like to show us?” followed by a distinct feeling of “oh shit, no I couldn't write anything”. Nothing was coming together, I had no inspiration, I saw no light, felt no emotion, I had nothing to say. One day I can pen the outline of three songs all completely different with full band in mind and orchestras playing in my head and the next empty. Lights are off nobody home, no mate – no songs here, you've knocked on the wrong mind... try somebody else. In my troubled time as a songwriter I’m not too sure how much I’ve learnt. I’ve definitely tried every conceivable way of going about it, for instance the Bowie method; write some words/lines... Throw them up in the air and see where they land. Or the Dylan method, write and write and write till something makes a little bit of sense. These options for me are the last Chance Saloon. Personally songs that I write have to have a true story behind them, otherwise I just don't connect with them when I'm on stage. Here are my thoughts on how to write a song... Think of a story/theme, tell the truth or near enough, get some hooks, repeat them as many times as you can without seeming mindless, in the middle eight do something different, instrumental, big finish... the end.’ http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=52 posted by P.i.XSinger Pippa fronts All About Eve Babitz along with fellow conspirators with James, Daren and Stefton their intimate and heartrendering compositions put a beautiful slant on emotional stuff that is often hard to talk about. Their latest collection of songs Misery Loves Company comes from personal experience, ‘You can see it's been a rough year!! She adds, ‘They were all done in quite a concentrated period of productivity, except ‘Fantastic’ which James and I did ages ago, but had never been released, somehow it's nice to have a hint of optimism at the end of what could be considered a melancholy collection of songs. However, we love a bit of melancholy!’ All About Eve Babitz has been around for a couple of years as a group but Pippa tells me ‘The real Eve Babitz is still knocking about in Hollywood!’… In keeping with their intimate style they play regulary at The George and Dragon, Shoreditch, next ones on the first week of June and Trisha’s on Greek Street although in one of their last incarnations they played Wembley Stadium! ‘Which was quite nice.’ Babitz will also be appearing at Lost Society on the 6th of June so look out for that one. It’s the romantic honesty and Pippa’s almost whispering vocal style that really pull on yer heartstrings, they’ve done a cover of ‘Sweet Talkin’ Guy’ and made it completely their own, but then tracks ‘Stardusk’ and ‘Look of Lust’ complete the picture All About Eve Babitz paint and put them firmly in modern times. And what makes it all worthwhile? Pippa sums it up perfectly…. ‘If there's nothing else, there's applause. I've listened backstage to people applaud. It's like...like waves of love coming over the footlights.’ P.J. myspace.com/worldaccordingto http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=53 posted by P.i.XDear Long Blondes, Really enjoyed your gig the other night! Kate, your voice sounded amazin’ and you looked really cool too, where’d you get those gold slacks! One of our favourite songs is ‘Giddy Stratospheres’ and it was so fantastic when you belted that one out, the crowd went wild (and we did too!). We always find ourselves singing it to while walking up Hackney Road on the way to The George and Dragon hoping that the Lovely Jon Jo will play it for us when we get there! We’ve been listening to your album ‘Someone To Drive You Home’ it’s so good. Also the latest single ‘Once And Never Again’ it’s a hit. There’s something retro about it but bang up to date at the same time. We took this picture for our poster, we tried to get closer but we got stopped, we it captures the moment though. Oh and thanks for the words, now everybody can sing a long! xx the P.i.X http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=54 posted by P.i.XStep One: What to play? If you want your band to meet with some kind of success, make sure that you don't do anything comparable to what a certain music paper is writing about, as you are bound to be two years out of date. Make sure you choose a kind of music that is deeply un-fashionable but with scope for a comeback. Why not form a disco band? Step Two: Choose your band. You need to persuade a friend, who shares your outlook on life and musical manifesto. If they don't already play an instrument, suggest the bass guitar having first made sure they have natural rhythm before you persuade them to buy the instrument in question. Next up, poaching. If you've come across someone in another band that you want in your band, poach them. More often and not they'll say yes, unless their band is rather brilliant. Step Three: The Look. Buy a copy of i-D, go to 5 different types of club and watch videos by as many different bands from as many different eras as you can. Steal an idea from each of the above and create your own image. Make sure the image isn't too wacky and looks as if it can be achieved for under £100: the kids love it when they can dress like you. Step Four: Getting known. Sleep with an age-ing rock star's It- girl daughter. This works a treat, even if your music is unlistenable and you are a twat. Go to a rubbish media party with them, and create controversy by openly using drugs at every available opportunity, this will make you a tabloid hero. Step Five: Hit town. Move to London, give yourself a ridiculous name and you should be a shoe in. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=55 posted by P.i.X Cooee dears, hope you’ve recovered after all the festive shenanigans, I was just about settling down with a cuppa and the last slice of Yule tide log ‘an this lot called Lo- Fi- Fink called round with their track ‘Change Channel’ they are naughty, right scamps I can tell you... sort of funky punky modernists remixes come from Danton Eeprom, Jitset and Koas... Dave, Dave get the kettle on I’m parched! 2006 saw a revolution in mashed up music, leaders of the pack The Klaxons start 2007 with ‘Golden Skans’. Erol Alkan’s on the mix here... ooohh come ‘ere young man fancy a ‘bop’!? Bloody hell Dave I said milk an two sugars ‘an if them Black Ghosts come round don’t let ‘em know I’ve ate all the log, ‘ere they’ve got new mixes of ‘Face’, dead catchy they are too. I remember the days when The Switches use to come round ‘an do the hovering for me... they’re far too busy lately ‘cause they been busy cooking up this stomper of a song about me called ‘Drama Queen’, they said I’ve such an impact on them they wouldn’t know what to do without me, awh! ‘Urry up with that tea Dave I’m about to pass out, oh ‘an turn off the electric heater dear, I’m getting corned beef leg. Talking pets my darlin’ Tuppence loves this band Pet. They got this little thing called ‘Cloud Nine’, she can’t stop barking at the stereo when it comes on! I always say if you want a job doing well do it yerself... Dave I said two sugars! Fear of Flying know how to do a job well, ‘Three’s a Crowd’ really gets me singing along, I do like a bit of a jam. Our Jack (Peñate) said he’d come ‘an do my recycling the other day on his way to a gig. His double A sided single ‘Second, Minute Or Hour’ and ‘Got My Favourite’ is never off my turntable dear, every time I see him I just wanna pinch his bum! Blimey dears, that tea’s taken so long I think I’ll ‘ave a sherry! P.S. I’m getting my knickers in a twist about Sick of Nature, I’ll be nipping down there on the 5th of Jan on me scooter to join in with the raffle they’re ‘avin with the P.i.X gals, Kev Basset from Lost Penguin ‘an Mac 3000 from Toy Pirate. www.myspace.com/peggycrouche http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=59 posted by P.i.XI’ve never been known for my fashion sense, mind you when I was younger Rod Stewart tried to borrow me piney, he said it was for a party Elton was throwin’! Nowadays I keep me piney well hidden just in case bad boyeeee Niyi comes round, he’s well known for his sense of style round these parts an’ his latest music is well avant-garde! ‘808’ Klap’ is state of the art... I been listening to a lot of this Baile Funk stuff, Bonde Do Role have this right groovy track out this month ‘Solta O Frango’ steady up missus! They been supporting them Junior Boys I hear, an’ that remix from Hotchip on the Dead Horse E.P. is one I sling on when I’m getting ready to go out! Not that I get out much, hehehehe! Don’t listen to them rumors from those City Rockers boys, lucky I got The Sunshine Underground vs. South Central to stick up for me. ‘Borders’ and ‘Put You In Your Place’ has turned my life around! The New Young Pony Club have got a great single out ‘The Bomb’, I know all the words already, ‘ere and there’s some right tasty remixes from Phones, Kaos and Teenagers. Our Val paid me a surprise visit last week, she lives in Spain on the Costa del sommin’ she’s really into this lot The Kreeps an’ their single ‘Everyone I Went To School With Dead’ she’s a regular up their log cabin, honestly dears what an embarrassment! So as usual Blackstrobe have been up to their naughty antics, their track ‘Shinning Bright Star’ is never off my i-pod, ooooh I’ve got really modern lately! Oh And another thing... them Black Lips, my penpals from America are comin’ over to do some gigs this month at Chalk, Underage and Old Blue Last, I’ll be at the front singin’ along to ‘Not A Problem’ and ‘Dirty Hands’ (with a wet wipe, I hasten to add!) Peggy Crouche www.myspace.com/peggycrouche http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=60 posted by P.i.X I was out on my mobility scooter the other day, headphones blaring with the latest from Babyshambles ‘The Blinding E.P.’ A marvellous selection here, I particularly like ‘Beg, Steal or Borrow’ anyway you’ll never guess what, in my oblivion I knocked into Pete outside Hackney Townhall an ran over his foot, poor lad… Tuppence my pooch took a bit of a tumble I can tell you! Those Noisettes lot really get around ‘Don’t Give Up’ taken from their forthcoming debut album ‘What’s The Time Mr Wolf’ has been somewhat of an anthem at number 12. I do like to shake my thing round the mini bar, this track from Nicky Van She and Dangerous Dan ‘Around The World Again’ sure gets me going! Ere’ girls MSTRKRFT on Modular Records are causing quite a stir as well, bilge I had a listen to some bits off their album ‘The Looks’, what’s more I really like their remixes of Wolfmother ‘Woman’ and The Gossip ‘Listen Up!’ ooh I say Missus! Ok dears are you sitting tight? RAT:ATT:AGG an’ their debut double A-sided single ‘Can We Fix It’ and ‘Lift The Hex’ on Moshi Moshi they’ve got the sort of sound I adore! Our David keeps going on about Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, they’ve got this single called ‘Rent A Wreck’ he said they’re from Sweden, I didn’t know he’d been there… I turned my back for one minute and those naughty Neils Children started knocking on my door wanting to borrow a cup of sugar and some eyeliner ‘LUCiFER SAM_SiAM CAT’, is their latest, I like to play it really loud. Ere’ I went down Trash the other night but I had to stay outside ‘cause I couldn’t get down the stairs but I did manage to hear the strains of this Tiga track ‘Move My Body’ Erol the D.J. down there has a mix devoted to him. Good Shoes, I saw ‘em in a field last summer, they got this thing called ‘The Photos On My Wall’ it’s well good! Well I never, is this what the kids are listening to nowadays… ‘Disco Dancer’ By Louie Austen has a whole heap of new remixes to get jiggy to! Watch out missus, that’s me best china… www.myspace.com/peggycrouche http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=61 posted by P.i.XOh dear what a kerfuffle, just got off the Calais ferry for a day out stocking up on beers an’ lighters, mind you I don’t even smoke but their so much cheaper than Hackney High Street prices, 5 Euros for a 100! I do like a bargain, anyway I bumped into them Justice boys doin’ a gig at their local The Calais Palais! What a pair they are, well funky dears! ‘D.A.N.C.E’. is their latest on Ed Banger records! Bloody hell, they sent me a new office boy, ‘ere you’ll never guess what, that’s the name of the latest from Bonde Do Role… ‘Office Boy’, aint that funny! Ere, crack us open a beer lovey, while I get down to Gorky’s Baile rockin’ funk beats! There’s nothing I like more than a bit of To My Boy, they got the best lyrics, I been listening to ‘Model’ ‘an ‘ere’s a sample… ’Model, you left me in ruins. And I am on the scrapheap now’, he, he, he, bloody genius, gawd bless em’. Now then New Young Pony club ‘ave got a new L.P. out going by the name of Fantastic Playroom, some excellent tracks here including their hits ‘The Bomb’ and ‘Get Lucky’. Oi! How many times ‘ave I told you to stop messin’ around with them lighters… We Start Fires, they ‘ave been known to play with matches, their song ‘Magazine’ has got me all worked up this month! Them Chemical Brothers ‘ave been goin’ for ages and they’ve only gone an’ done it again with track ‘Do It Again’! Funny lot those Breakbot lot, real laid back, they insist on wearing loon pants and cheesecloth shirts though. ‘Summer Party’ and ‘Happy Rabbit’ are two great atmospheric instrumentals they’ve put out on Moshi Moshi records this month! Just off to get me barnet done, me hairdresser Teasey Weasey Davide does a lovely shampoo an set and he’s a big fan of Tiny Dancers… keeps singing their track ‘Hannah We Know’ an keeps tryin' to go overboard with me blue rinse! But I told him ‘Just me usual please, if you don’t mind!’ On that note I think I’ll ‘ave another beer, chin, chin dears! Myspace.com/pegggcrouche http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=62 posted by P.i.XOooh, ‘ello dears, as you well know I’m not a great fan of festivals! All that mud ‘n’ stuff, ‘an what with me wheels always getting stuck… ‘an that’s just on me way getting a sausage ‘n’ beans pasty from Percy Gregg’s. Back in the day though I ‘ad a go at bein’ a flower child, all that free love and not to mention the hallucigenics oh my lawd it quite did me in at the time. ‘An when I went all psycadelic, our Val remembers it, she always likes to bring it up down the Dolphin when we’ve ‘ad one to many! The Horrors now, they’re on at Glastonbury, who would ‘ave thought, them boys they do make me ‘ave flashbacks… ‘She Is The New Thing’ I remember when I was the new thing, they only said that coz I ‘ad a new apron… oh ducks it would ‘ave made you larf anyway Spiders organ really sends me doo lallie, oooh girls hold on tight, you’re in for a treat ‘ere coz them Cavemen ‘ave only gone ‘an done a remix, blimey I think I’ve lost the elastic out of me support tights! He, he, he steady on… what’s all this about Lethal Bizzle? ‘Bizzle Bizzle’ I’ve told ‘im time ‘an time again about swearing ‘an it’s paid off… rasssss! This bizzling stuff is catching! Moving along ‘an GoodBooks, yeah you know the lot, they’ve just been on tour with the Maccabees well they got ‘The Illness’, no not literally dears! It’s their latest ‘an with some clubbed up treatment from Tapedeck, lovely boys they are ‘an The Teenagers, well it’s a right knees up… not in the ‘free love’ sense though, what kind of woman do you take me for! Them Nine Inch Nails, well, I don’t know how they do it, I mean they’re no spring chickens dears, ‘Capital G’ has put a spring in my step though, what a blast! Phones and Switch pull out all the stops and put in a pacey workout with some foot shuffling remixes! Forging ahead Neils Children, oh I remember Neil, he used to live with his Mum till he was 50, didn’t know he ‘ad any kids, when did that ‘appen? ‘You Didn’t Care’ is a bloody brill track and it should go straight to number one in the hit parade! Black Strobe tell me ‘I’m A Man’ well I’ve seen some blokes in my time dears so I know what one looks like, this cover version of theirs is quite a hip grinder though! http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=63 posted by P.i.X Hailing from Brooklyn, over dark crunked beats, Bunny Rabbit sings as though she were over a mound full of dirt. Her verses as well those of girlfriend/producer and slam poet Black Cracker skate through a world of paradoxes where girly utopias meet gangster dreams and stained glass windows are filled with the images of pornography. "We are all, all made of the things that we love and hate," Bunny Rabbit asserts. "From the dirt to the heavens - our art is the basis of that." Hip Hop purists will tell you the production is weak and that the rhymes are too sketchy, when it is exactly this type of sketchiness that frees itself to act through impulse rather than any tribal orientation. "Everything that is made right now, whether it's architecture or clothing is hip hop influenced," Black Cracker states. "Rather than fading it's almost coming into its natural state because it's becoming totally integrated – it's less exploited and looked on as this other thing. And now we can experience it in ways we didn't even realise." We'd all love to have sex with Bunny Rabbit just as long as Black Cracker wasn't looking. Though if BC found you, her stark words would slice open your entrails, while slowly inserting you a heroin substitute - the ending pillow talk Bunny Rabbit never gave you. If you let yourself in the voodoo trance will get you rolling in. The bitches from Kool Keith's Sex Style album are coming back, this time shooting golden arrows riding pink ponies. "Big shout out to all the Kleenex constituents all around the world, everybody crying on a daily basis. Whether you drink tea, water or coffee – wait, wait, PG Tips. Whether its two bags, two sugars and a lot of cream or whatever, hopefully you'll still wanna hang out, drink, and party, and cry with us... you know mush around." http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=64 posted by P.i.XThe lead singer of The Boys of Brazil looks the sort that would provoke a punch and then move away so quick that you’re left swinging your arm mid air and he’s laughing at you. That said, Patrick, and his brothers Sean and Jim make a great band. With them on guitar and drums respectively and the magnificent Emily Rotter on keys, they’re crashy and twangy and have the best riffs I’ve heard in a while. There’s no bass guitar, the sound is sort of lead by the guitar, and Patrick doesn’t really sing, or shout, more sort of talks very loudly, like he’s reading bastard poetry. I like that. There’s always a bit of drama when they’re on stage, that doesn’t matter though, it just adds to the ambience – they’re the sort of band that want a bit of riot in front of them anyway so Patrick can spit his lyrics at you in his spray on trousers and kids school shirt. I’d say that if you haven’t seen them yet, then this is definitely time to check em out. www.myspace.com/boysofbrazilhttp://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=66 posted by P.i.XBack in the day, Marko and Jane had this great set up called Motormark. Oh, they did ever so well and had gained quite a reputation! The latest on prolific Glaswegian couple is new project Fake Fang! Marko elaborates, ‘When we started Motormark, like all supermarket products we had a sell by date.’ It seems Fake Fang reflect a new kind of spontaneity, ‘Fake Fang is about personalities, playing from our guts, no agenda apart being cool as fuck!’ he adds… ‘Starting bands is exciting. Once a band is up and running you’re just in a fucking machine. We had a team of people telling us killing Motormark was the stupidest thing we would ever do… where’s the art? Success makes you sick.’ Fake Fang are in London this month playing a few gigs, but I wonder how the scene is in Glasgow. ‘Its not at it’s lowest ebb, there’s lots of new projects starting, ideas over ability which is good. We are finally over the post-Ferdinand boom, but still live under the cloud of Belle and Sebastian’. Looking ahead, ‘The scene in London is pretty fucking healthy right now, we see more good things down south’. If you've got to look forward to something, its better that it’s sociably and socially wrong. We hope to do the same in London, like a beautifully self destructive school trip.’ What’s really refreshing is Jane and Marko are prepared to start all over again, ‘We have been invited to play a few irresponsible patrons flats in Glasgow, a couple of sitting rooms and a kitchen. Making a racket into the wee small hours at someone’s flat.’ What’s they got booked for their first gig before they had even rehearsed! P.J. www.myspace.com/fakefang http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=67 posted by P.i.XFuck the NME cynicism - I'm not even gonna waste precious words. All I'm gonna say is that if Hadouken! have ripped off black culture - good on em, all the black Detroit techno Gods wanted to be German nerds then. Course Hadouken! don't just fore fill last years collective Grindie and New Rave fantasies better than any of their recent predecessors, but like their friend Plan B make music that reflects the mix of Hip-Hop, dance and rock’s none weirdo's listen to. Creativity loves unexpected hybrids This Is Planet Earth and Hadouken! are the new Duran Duran a brilliant thing in my eyes, let me explain. Simon Le Bon and the boys always said they wanted to be The Sex Pistols mixed with Chic indeed they brought in Chic's Nile Rogers to produce their album. Similarly Hadouken!'s Dizzee style existentialism, and grime roar was matched with X-ray specs style art-school fashion complication, thanks to Hadouken front man James Smith's Grime producing past. Hadouken!'s best track ‘The Bounce’ like fellow Grindie traveller Plan B's Cap Black travels through the Faustian mind fuck of truth seeking and material temptation open to those with ego enough to rebel and innovate. Most Hadouken tracks feature these paradoxically self-hating but life affirming lyrics about us, you and me. Smith's post-modern schizophrenic lyrical flow switches sides and identities; just like your mind does, needing you to dance to get fucked – Booounce! and worrying about sorting the world's dickheads out Booounce! and that you might be one of them for not doing anything about them Booounce! See Hadouken didn't need to put The Bounce in your head it was there already, they just identified it and made it "into my favourite dance you know I'll smash shit like glass, I'm the teacher and you're the class. Swing your arm up vertically and nod your head aggressively". Booounce! http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=68 posted by P.i.XWhen I first started going out to clubs, Sioux was already a seminal figure; the stuff of legend. Even in 1976, her image was emblazoned across the underground 'punk' hype of the day. Part of the Bromley contingent her band, The Banshees, soon became archetypes of a time. Continually stylish, Siouxsie cut a dashing figure. Her eyes heavily made-up, black lips and spiky hair. Her lithe body adorned with swastika and sado-masochistic garb. Confrontational and with a glamour indefinable, Sioux paraded a ’look’ that set the president for what became 'Goth', (and just about everything else for that matter) “Well, it's what you got at the time, it's DIY, it's not planned, it's kind ‘a customised, it's to suit you and your limitations, usually budgetary, and so that’s creative in itself, making nothing look like something fantastic and I always thought that the people with nothing that have a style were far more inventive than people who just buy a label or designer and hang it on themselves.” Her anti-style was emulated and admired; she naturally created an aura around herself that was the epitome of individualism. On stage she shone. Her stark and haunting vocal delivery against the harsh, jangling riffs that ‘The Banshees’ created framed her perfectly. Strutting, juddering with the grace of a panther, she swung and cavorted with the audience; the idea of which she has retained to this very day. “It has a lot to do with spontaneity, I happen to be quite physical when I'm on stage. I get sucked into the music, it feels all wrong when I'm too aware I'm on the stage and I'm singing. It works when I'm not really that aware of where I am. I always have a strong idea of how I want to present myself.” When Siouxsie became a 'pop star' in the late 70's and early 80's she retained a conceptual elegance that set her apart from the mainstream and inspired a further generation. “People think that style and visuals are really important, and they are; but if you haven't got anything to back it up its like 'So what' you know? If you're doing music and people aren't concentrating on the music. Or you're not bringing ‘that’ attitude to the music then it's all pretty pointless.” It's with that ethos in mind that Sioux managed to retain her credibility. ‘What's interesting is how the underground is accepted by the masses and how that conflicts with it.' Recently Sioux received the accolade of icon status. A title she has shied away from in previous years. “So many twats been given icon status, it's almost like if something becomes really popular, you're like: ' What, Joe Bloggs likes that as well, I must be doing something wrong here!' So I kind ‘a mistrust that if it becomes accepted by the masses. Fucking hell not acceptance! It's that 'get back get back'. It's a bit like you know having some dog slobbering all over you, and it's like you go ok, ok? Give me the kitty, you know, pass the pussy over? I don't know, it's like when people get sucked into that kind of flattery. It's good to be appreciated but there's that balance of…enough of that” Vocally she stands alone: “Well, it's all self-taught! Me, imitating the Daleks at an early age!” Amazingly recognisable - the moment you hear Sioux something primal stirs. I can't quite put my finger on it, but after hearing her doing the recent Dreamshow concert the same familiar sensation got a grip. “I never used to train but, what I found out the band was, in the early days, tuning [their key] up and up, the fuckers were tuning me out of existence. I'd say my range has expanded but my natural range is a bit lower. I can go a lot lower than I used to. I can get really low.' The Siouxsie of yesteryear and today has retained the purity of indomitable spirit and the conviction of compelling creativity, on many levels, combined with an insight into style and sensibility. I didn't know Siouxsie in '76, but I wish I had (although we did have mutual friends). She certainly paved the way for eccentric creators and continues to do so with flair. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=78 posted by P.i.XIron Monkey did not rock. They did not roll. They sonically assaulted. From the minute you put the album "Our problem" the madness began. Riffs so big and brutal they would blow your speakers if they were turned up to loud. The evilly haunting bass, which would slowly crash along, was like some giant metal Gollum. The slow drums banging away like a matching band for Satan’s own ghastly army. And the pure evil screaming torturous vocals, which would turn your hair white. To see them live was like watching something from another, twisted world. Guitars would be smashed, drums kicked in and speakers blown. They were a big part of the Sludge Metal movement. Sludge, unlike Death or Thrash Metal was allot slower. It was more about the heaviness. Some of the tracks would go on for what seemed like a life time, just them jamming in the studio of the Abyss, some where at the bottom of Hell. Sadly the band are no more. Johnny Morrow, the lead singer, tragically suffered a fatal heart attack in 2003. But true fans will never forget him and his truly amazing shrieking vocals. In this day of Indy bands let us remember the true oddities. R.I.P Johnny Morrow. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=70 posted by P.i.XLOST PENQUIN aren't just for Christmas! Kev Bassett from Lost Penquin has just told us about their latest single, it’s called ‘Pleasurewood Kills’ out on Fake Product. How can we describe it, well these lot have a pretty unique sound, very energetic and lively we’d say. Charleigh Blue, she’s the one upfront makes playing in a park sound like the most exciting thing ever , her vocals are so top you really get the feel of it and when Kev Bassett joins in with the mad fun there’s no stopping them going ‘round an round an round again’! Get to see ‘em at their launch party on the 5th of December at the Old Blue Last with X-Ray Eyes and Indie Boys Don’t Get Boners plus Mathew !wowow! and Mac 3000 as the d.j.’s. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=71 posted by P.i.X Since forming, No Bra has had a few different line-ups but has remained true to an abstract ‘art house’ sound carefully constructed by Susanne. She works ‘always in the dark at night, mixing things together till they sound right’. You may have seen her, she’s the German girl with the long, long hair, at times sporting a tasch and a ‘Junk Club’ armband, minus bra, of course. The latest from No Bra is an album of songs called ‘Dance And Walk’. It features some well known gems ‘Munchausen’ and ‘Foxy Congregation’ which have a driving ‘No Bra’ industrial beat to them. Susanne then reveals her vulnerable side in tracks such as ‘Doherfuckher’ and ‘Voodoo’, she takes you to her dark corners and questions them, “What are they? Where are they? What are they all about...? I am quite dark anyway, so maybe it’s not obvious”. Her spoken word explicitly describes scenario after scenario of encounters and thoughts on the romance of reality. Her world is harsh, awkward, ironic and multi-sexual, she inhabits a society where peoples motives are so subtly explored by exposing herself both lyrically and in her stage presence, literally... she performs semi naked. Laying herself bare both affronts and bewilders, but in a twist she will then with a deadpan delivery explain it all perfectly. I mean, who else could say ‘Knickers on yer doorstep’ and make it sound really sentimental, but then that’s precisely what turn’s her on... ‘Things you very rarely find in life’. www.myspace.com/nnobra http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=72 posted by P.i.XEver wondered what it would be like to distill all your fave eighties New York New Wave bands into one and have them turn up and play live just for you? Enter the stage crucial NY hipsters MAXI GEIL! & PLAYCOLT for their debut UK gig at Hoxton's MACBETH bar last month. The six piece fronted by Lead vocalist and artist of some reknown Guy Richards Smit and Rebecca Chamberlain (previously from seminal NYC art band Infant Reader) serenaded us through the passion and strain of the union city blue and left us in no doubt of their sheer ability to ROCK! With songs that cock a snook to all the singer songwriters they so obviously revere (Walker, Cohen, Cave...) they enthrall you and weave you into their stories with such guile and spellbinding charm. The highly tailored Rebecca stays for the most part on stage and sings beautifully of (possible?) lost encounters and betrayal, whilst Smit performs a frenetic, lysergic dance amidst of the crowd. Meanwhile the band wrap their infectious melodies so tightly around you and with such precision and sheer synchronicity that the audience are all completely won over and screaming for more. They have been warming up for the likes of Scissors in the States and if this is any indication of their future appeal on these shores be sure to book your ticket early for their shows in spring next year. Jim Stanton http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=73 posted by P.i.XA scene I’ve always been intrigued by… The Northern Soul scene began as an underground movement created by key figures in the early 70’s, located in clubs around the U.K. predominantly in the North, hence the name. It gained cult status with D.J.’s searching out Soul rarities from the States and later creating tailor made inspired tracks in the U.K. The core of the scene consisted of music fans and dancers who made regular pilgrimages to various events. Northern Soul gained further recognition in the mid 70’s, with chart success and Wigan Casino itself becomimg a focal point with it’s all nighters, attracting a crowd from all over the U.K. Those who created the scene and its loyal followers talk about it about the music and lifestyle with passion. With the demise of Wigan Casino itself – closed down for redevelopment- and then burnt to the ground in the early 80’s, Northern Soul and the sound it established has never ceased to be with us in various forms. Integral to dance and pop music, rarities are still inspiring new fans, Northern Soul events still occur to this day, its original track lists inspiring new bands and projects… just listen to the She Set play, Reece from The Horrors. ‘Green Onions’ was a fave on Northern Soul dance floors! The renaissance of Northern Soul is upon us… and just to prove it there’s a Northern Soul event ‘The Mess Around’ in Wigan at Club Nirvana on the 6th of May with original Wigan casino D.J. Russ Winstanley on the decks! Here’s some of his fave oldies… ‘There’s A Ghost In My House’ R. Dean Taylor (Motown) ‘Tainted Love’ Gloria Jones (Champion) ‘Seven Days Too Long’ Chuck Wood (Roulette) ‘Call Me Tomorrow’ Major Harris (Okeh) ‘Moody Woman’ Jerry Butler (Mercury) myspace.com/lupinewigan http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=74 posted by P.i.X The P.i.X got hold of Jhas or J.R. Ferrelli and asked... Are you at art school? Are you fags? Is that why you’re called Art Phag? ‘I came up with the name after we were sitting around, we wanted something that kinda’ represented the whole snotty nosed view point we were coming from, but I decided I wanted to be a bit like Snoop Dogg and replaced the "Fag" for "Phag". Sounds Dope.’ We saw their name on a poster and immediately decided to go see them do a gig. Gregory Von Quimbasket on guitar and vox, J R Ferrelli on lead vocal and Robert P. Roactive on bass and vox have a set up also consisting of a laptop. ‘Greg and Rob met each other years ago in the deepest depths of Essex, they were in a couple of bands before. I'm from Norwich until we all went to uni in Bucks, where we met. Me and Greg hated each other at first, we both thought the other was a cocky bastard, didn't really talk, then we started running a club night together, and I just turned round drunk one night and asked him if he fancied doing an electronica thrash band. He said yes, we got Robert P. Roactive on board and we were sorted. The early songs were just me on my own, and it was well thrashy and noisy, loads of screaming, sounded terrible, then Greg started helping and the sound became better. We all hate each other, and that's what keeps us going.’ ‘We are best described as one of those mornings and you wake up on a huge comedown, after having too many lines and one too many Cherry Lambrini's, getting up seeing some haggard girl/boy asleep next to you, creeping out then trying to make as little noise as possible, then getting out and doing it all again. We also love Lionel Ritchie, Rod Stewart, Big Country, and anything that makes us hard!’ Art Phag have a sound that spews out energy, a spontaneous fun element and they’ve got tunes. ‘It seems we're being noticed a bit more in London now, not that we asked for it, all we wanted was to get laid. That didn't happen.’ P.S. ‘(Chances are Greg will tell me off for replying to this and do his own version, so I'd better wait for him maybe...nah...fuck it...print this).’ www.myspace.com/weareartphag http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=90 posted by P.i.XYou’re probably know about the Way Out West stable of awesomely bright and very young bands (www.myspace.com/wayoutwest3) like Video Nasties, Cajun Dance Party, The More Assured. But don’t blink because the talent keeps coming up. Newest additions to the All Ages/Way Out West live bills are the 16 year old Burmese Days. Get to know! Dandyish, dreamy Burmese Days named themselves after the George Orwell novel (only the drummer has read it!). They are Rowan (guitar and sings), Alex (guitar and sings) George (bass guitar) Josh (guitar) and Matt (drums). Hailing from West London (the RIchmond/Twickenham metro area) they have more brains than your average punks! And more tunes too! With tracks like ‘Pretentious Title’ taking over where The Replacements left off on the scuffed-shoes self-depreciating humour flex and ‘Telephone’ being a spacey, guitar and rolling drums number that bringsTelevision to mind. Basically if you want A+R-petting carrerist teen-C Skins-feedbacking indie-pop in American Appareil and flouro-glasses you’re in the wrong place. If you want you want young dreamers creating magic mood-music for its own sake - go see Burmese Days. Or as they say, like the reincarnation of The Replacements: ‘’Finally we recorded some decent recordings. Have a listen to them. Or alternatively go and listen to The Smiths/Orange Juice/ Squeeze. They do a similiar thing.’ www.myspace.com/burmesedaysuk http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=77 posted by P.i.XThe P.I.X paid a visit to [Editor of the Observer Music monthly] Simon Prices ‘Stay Beautiful’ nite to see the extraordinary Paul St Paul And The Apostles perform what can only be described as the most modern of Rock Operas! The stars of this miraculous excursion see ex Placebo keyboardist Xaviour take on the lead role of Paul St Paul, The Apostles are played by St David of The Bleeding Hearts and St William on bass and guitar. St Ryan Orion, St Pirouette and St Hazel bust a move as St Paul’s synchronised backing dancers. Musically there’s a smack of the Flashdance and combined with the theatrical repartee that is smattered though out the performance Paul St Paul And The Apostles gives the Rocky Horror Show look like tea with the Vicar. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=76 posted by P.i.X Meet Bucky Neil and Pal; the masterminds behind the animated, chaotic sounds of Australia's latest musically talented offspring, Soft Tigers. Born with a flair for making clumsy, chaotic dance music, this trio met by chance at an Avalanches gig, and have been collectively practicing their skills ever since. After adopting the name Soft Tigers in 2004, this playful threesome have spent the last 2 years recording their debut album, performing for Guns and Roses (literally), and writing songs overflowing with more raw enthusiasm than anything else I’ve heard in a long time. Citing influences from Outkast to Daft Punk to…umm… Nelson Mandela, Soft Tigers make the type of music that’s ideal to blast in your bedroom whilst dancing about like a lunatic, which is perfect because from the sounds of it all the songs were recorded under similar circumstances, only in a bedroom across the Indian Ocean by people with funny accents. “One of the most important things about making music for us is to make something as well realised as possible, using the limited resources at our disposal,” claim the DIY bunch. “Nowadays you can make practically anything with a home computer and a few cheap extras. It would be great if we could influence people to concentrate more on songs and ideas and what you can do autonomously, rather than throwing just money at people. Spending lots of money does not necessarily translate into great art. We like stuff where you can hear the flaws and the scratches – it lets you know it’s real. “ Though their songs have been doing the rounds on Aussie radio stations and various online MP3 blogs, Soft Tigers have yet to release anything formally. They have, however, recently finished recording their debut album, “Gospel Ambitions,” and have plans to release a single in the near future. “We’re going to print up about 250 copies of the album we made at home and release it on cassette. There are a couple of labels we’re talking to about releasing other stuff, but nothing’s definite yet.” Listen to Soft Tigers upcoming debut single “Mr. Ice-cream Introduces” and see for yourself. I’m confident the thumping bass and tasty lyrics will leave you hungry for more. www.myspace.com/softtigers http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=79 posted by P.i.XMr. Cocker comes up with many a ditty, takes note of the mundane and turns life into a glorious scenario celebrating lost moments and seemingly trivial situations. Pulp were the indie scenes ultimate heroes of the 90’s. When ‘A Different Class’ came out it meant teenagers up and down the country were given an insight in to what it might be like to be older and cool. Those that were older and cool immediately related to Jarvis Cockers diverse presence, both in his music and image. A gawky and awkward intellectual he made for an altogether new kind of ‘popstar’ touching on a new kind of sensibility. ‘Common People’ seems to be the hit we all remember, when ever it comes on people get up and sing-a-long with abandon. But that’s the thing about Pulp I’ve noticed, everybody sings along with all their songs; even the obscure ones. Jarvis is a very English eccentric, dry in humour and insight, twisted and ironical. Even when Pulp went ‘disco’ as in ‘Disco 2000’ and ‘She’s A Lady’ he tapped into another dimension and made us rethink our lifestyle from his point of view, which incidentally was our point of view all the time, but he said it so well and made life a lot clearer. He’s got a brand new single ‘Running The World’ on i-tunes and is reissuing ‘Different Class’, ‘This is Hardcore’ and ‘His ‘N’ Hers’ all with bonus discs mid September. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=80 posted by P.i.XForget the rest- this lot are the true avant-garde, always have been, always will be. In 2004 TG got back together and did their first gig for 25 years. The result? Well it’s this rather special film ‘Re~Tg’. Now if you know anything about this lot you’ll know that Genesis P-Orridge is continually experimenting with his music and himself. He’s a bit of a conceptual artist you see, always messing about and trying out new things. TG formed way back in 1976! Wow … how amazing is that for a start, they did some kooky stuff and even had an exhibition at the I.C.A. called ‘Prostitution’, ooohh it was a scandal at the time. So anyway they split up in 1981, genesis then went on to form Physic TV, what a group they were, and then Coil, so you see Orridge has been pretty busy with some legendary projects. Back to the film, Genesis really lives life on the edge, he’s had a bit of experimental plastic surgery done and transformed himself. What a performer he is, whizzing around and belting out his modern stuff. Well you can see it for yourselves if you manage to get down to the Whitechapel art gallery on Dec 1st otherwise you’ll have to go to San Francisco for the next screenings. www.myspace.com/throbbinggristle http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=81 posted by P.i.XInvited to make her first live performance in 15 years, Charlotte Le Volume Courbe traveled to sunny Glasgow last week at the invitation of celebrated French composer Yann Tiersen. As usual we were on hand to mess things up and generally lower the tone of the proceedings and then report back on the action from the front line. Le Volume Courbe make beautiful fragile avant-folk music, which suits the setting at Glasgow Arches perfectly. Although only appearing as a support act and performing for just 15 minutes the venue is near its 600 capacity throughout. Members of local indie royalty Mogwai and My Bloody Valentine are all present and Charlotte's set includes Nico and Elizabeth Cotten (look her up) covers...this roll call paints a truer picture of LVC's sound and influences than the 'world music' tag she's been given in the past. The mayhem kicks in backstage after the gig, champagne is stolen, no smoking laws are ignored and afterwards hotel rooms are turned upside down. True to form Steve Albini also shows up afterwards asking why we never call him. Jeez that guy is a loser. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=82 posted by P.i.XMeet Untitled Musical Project, Birmingham’s latest punk outfit. This scream-friendly three-piece, reminiscent of bands such as Shellac, Mclusky, and even Beastie Boys at times make loud, aggressive, indie-punk with a youthful arrogance that makes being a smart-ass almost seem dignified. Lead by loudmouthed, contemptuous front man Kieran, their idealistic, fuck-off attitude is equally as infectious as it is charismatic. “The lyrics are generally about our observations of everyday society,” they explain. “A lot of the songs are about very mundane, boring things, but sung with a layer of sarcasm over the top.” Forming in late 2005, Untitled Musical Project is doing well for a band that never actually intended to be one. “We formed for a battle of the bands at Stafford University,” laughs bassist Andy. “We wrote 5 songs in a month and got second in the whole competition. It wasn’t a serious thing at the time, but it became more-so when we realized we were actually good, and that we enjoyed the music we were playing.” Now having spent the last year and a half performing their raucous stage show to audiences all over the UK, the trio are preparing to sit down and begin recording their debut album. Their triple A-side single is out now on avant-guard indie label, White Heat Records. Buy it. Love it. Punk is back. Thank fuck. www.myspace.com/untitledmusicalproject http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=83 posted by P.i.X Alan Vega, often referred to as “the guy from Suicide”, is the genuine renaissance man, turning his hand to art, writing and music as and when he chooses. A light sculpture here, participating in a multimedia installation project in the second French city of Lyon there, oooh look it’s time for some music. In the way Suicide were the most punk band ever for using a slightly bashful drum machine and electric organ, dear readers, so Vega’s solo albums haven’t followed the obvious career paths. The man with the most identifiable whoop in the music business has had a fruitful career outside of his legendary band, releasing ten or so albums taking in such diverse styles as electronic rockabilly, synth pop and machinery noises, as well as popping up on records with Pan Sonic and DJ Hell. His latest album “Station”, out April 30th on the legendary Blast First label, is unsurprisingly not destined for the shelves of Tesco. Jackhammer beats, pulsing electronics and distorted samples provide the background that remorselessly echoed whoop, recounting the sour side of Disneyland and preaching urban warnings from across the pond. It might not win him any new fans but it is certainly the record of an individual that isn’t bothered with focus groups or nonesense like the NME New Rave Tour. Buy it and LEARN. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=84 posted by P.i.XThe P.i.X: We loved your gig at 'Underage' the other month how was it for you? The Errorplains: It was super fun playing for the kids, it is one of the few truly enthusiastic audiences you can get in London, we had some sound problems, but like the little trouble makers in the Coronet give a damn. The P.i.X: You seem to have an artistic slant to your music and performance, are you artists too, did you make the film that you had for your backdrop? The Errorplains: Well the projections behind us are, and forgive the geekery here, a live played motion graphics sequence of original clips played by the error member and in-house animator Johnny Luu. And yes we are artists in fact, we run a small design studio on brick lane making animations and computer games, when we aren't terrorizing children with scary gabbaPop. The P.i.X: How did you become a group? The Errorplains: Chris J (the error's guitarist) got kicked out of the Mclusky side project 'Shooting at Unarmed Men' and I got kicked out of Welsh art noise band 'The Martini Henry Rifles', so we thought if no one else wanted us, we might as well make music together. I has been making games and animations and such like with Johnny Luu for a few years and it seemed like the only logical conclusion for him to join to playing his magic moving pictures while we made noises. The P.i.X: What other groups do you rate? The Errorplains: Older stuff, I think we all agree on things like Orbital, The Cramps, Queens of the Stone Age, early prodigy and so on, and new music wise, These New Puritans, Future of the Left, The Horrors and our newest fav band Ice Cream Social. The P.i.X: Where do you like hanging out? The Errorplains: We're all complete suckers for dancing to a few power anthems in the George and Dragon, and have spent many an evening pole dancing the night away in the Spread Eagle (though it seems kind of shut at the moment) and of course any parties that our good friends in Southend put on (watch out for the Experimental Circle Club in November). The P.i.X: What is your fave subject matter? The Errorplains: Oh you know the standard rock and roll fare, war propaganda, misogyny, discordianism, cheap porn and expensive drugs. The P.i.X: What's the Errorplains motto? The Errorplains: Sometimes an error can be the right thing to do*. (*This is an especially good motto for any hot groupie flesh who happen to backstage with the errors!) http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=85 posted by P.i.XWe love The Daze. They’re handsome chaps and they make a great sounding racket. Proper clangy pop with a shaking of psychedilia over the top... like if Cream and The Stooges got together and were like, 400 years younger. They have the best drummer, Felix, who sits behind Charlie who sings and plays bass and Freddie, who plays the guitar and who we pinned down to find out what our three favourite rapscallions had been up to. The P.i.X: What have you been doing since we last saw you in issue 1? Freddie: We've just finished recording our next single ‘Runaway Girl’ which will be out in late May and we're really looking forward to. We did it with James Barnett down at Mi7 studios which is probably the most insane studio in Britain right now, James is such a talented guy and we've had a great time...there were some real Phil Spektor moments! Also been working with John Fortis whos amazing and has been a real help. The P.i.X: How have you progressed? Freddie: I think we've really come into our own as song writers within our sound. It can be very easy to write one song that sounds like one band, another that sounds like another, its just a process that some bands have to go to. The P.i.X: What are you wearing right now? Freddie: A paisley shirt, drain pipes and black zippy boots. I just got out of my powder blue cloud and sheep pjs, seriously. The P.i.X: What’s the best song The Daze have? Freddie: Best?? Well my favourite is ‘Faces In The Dark’ but I’m sure the other guys have their preference. The P.i.X: What’s going to happen next for you? Freddie: We're going to do some shows round Europe like Paris, Berlin etc, then we're going to come back and do a UK tour with The Bishops which we're really excited about. The P.i.X: What are you most looking forward to this year? Freddie: Recording the album definitely. Being in a good studio with the right people is just amazing because there’s nothing you can’t do creatively. It’s like when we where recording ‘Runaway Girl’ we needed a massive bass drum sound on the bridge so the engineer Jeff suggested pulling a piece of cloth in front of a mic so you just get air hitting the receiver and it sounded so good we used it on the whole track. Our bass drum is a wet beer towel! The P.i.X: Are you glad to be gigging again? Freddie: Yeah, there’s only so much rehearsal studio a band can take... The P.i.X: What other bands do you rate right now? Well we just got back from Leeds where we played with Eight Legs and we all think they're great. It’s cool/rare to meet a band you really get on with. It seems that no bands in London like each other anymore, no one even talks at sound checks! It’s ridiculous and the music is suffering because everyone’s running in their own little circles so we're gonna start a club night with them soon. The P.i.X: Will you do a naked poster for us? Freddie: Absolutely, send the photographer! www.myspace.com/thedazelondon http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=86 posted by P.i.XHow did you come to form Spider And The Flies? Tom and I were growing an ever increasing interest in exploring electronic instruments and had always been fans of artists such as Silver Apples, White Noise and the composers at the BBC Radiophonic workshop. It was an idea that we had been talking about for a while and were very eager to persue. We are hugely into instrumental records and collect a lot of Surf and Twangy guitar 45's, Soundtracks and library music is also a big influence. You don’t need vocals to convey emotion or tell a story. We wanted to work completely with electronics. Any any other sounds used were heavily treated with tape echo or put through synthesizers to create new sounds. We wanted Spider And The Flies to be a visual journey in sound. My favourite sounds at the moment are I think the EMS VCS3. It can create some of the most amazingly unusual sounds. Failing that the sound of bubbling water through a spring reverb! I think one thing we have all learnt in the last year and a half is how to explore sound and experiment in the studio. I think this will definitely be apparent in future Horrors work. We are hoping Spider and The Flies will be an ongoing project. The first 7" will be followed by an EP and hopefully an album. We work on a story and concept before creating the sound and the aim is to be successful in communicating that idea to the listener, kind of like the work of the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop. Our main inspiration comes from visionaries such as Joe Meek, Delia Derbyshire and Desmond Leslie. We worked with Barry 7 on the single, Prey and his Connectors series of albums were always important to us. At the moment, we are listening to thisgreat band called Messer Chups from Austria who are really exciting and you can find them on myspace. Stephanie Something recently put me on to a label called Ghost House who put out some great records. Thanks Spider... when can we expect the record? The single is coming out in the Summer shortly followed by the EP on Barry 7 and Andy Fraser’s Mute Irregulars label. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=87 posted by P.i.XAfter careful consideration of all that encompass a near perfect ALL AGES gig; a well known act, a highly enthusiastic act with the fun factor, an ultimate all ages crowd puller and a fresh and extremely talented artiste, one felt a line up of KID HARPOON, GOLDIELOCKS, ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND and CLIFF RICHARD matched up nicely to this criteria. KID HARPOON I do hope will start off proceedings with his powerful and exciting performances of late, a definite choice. GOLDIELOCKS who has been associated with the Paris Hilton meets Dizzee rascal accolade will quickly follow on after him with her catchy beats and being from the land of PAGE 3, CROYDON and with the lovely JACKSON KID supporting her, the crowd are certainly going to have a very good dance and sing along. ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND shall certainly be the highlight of the night with their ever amazing stylish outfits and their confident and classy performances on stage, a definite crowd puller as their previous attendance at ALL AGES suggested. Well finally, THE LEGEND himself to end the night, SIR CLIFF RICHARD. This dear chap has had more singles than John Prescott, oops I meant John Legend, and even does so even at his tender age of 94. He is the epitome of all that is good in music and I feel it is appropriate to have him as the headline act as it would help him acquire even more young followers and stamp his authority on the music scene even further. There must be a host for the night as well, and I feel the 3 most outstanding ladies fit to take this position are, CILLA from CORONATION STREET due to her priceless bosoms and her love for the fake tan which bodes well with the fans, DOT COTTON who I affectionately refer to as LADY KNOWLEDGE for being an inspiration to many young and old alike or Lady Tava from the EMERGE night who unfortunately at the current moment I feel is not ready to take up such a position as the previous two have been in the public eye more than she has. A very good lineup you will agree, although it certainly does not reflect my taste in music I must say. Do check my page for my real interests. www.myspace.com/3rdearlofkent http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=88 posted by P.i.XSara Jade from Young and Lost Records has a chat with their latest signing… Stylofone! Sara Jade: Please can you introduce (with a short description) each member in the band... Stylopone: Jason Klauber… Partymouth, guitar, ten feet tall, ten-gallon hat. Simon O'Connor… lead guitar, darkest hair in the band, squinty eyes, retard-chic. Will Stone… drummer, flannel enthusiast, amateur cartoon voiceover artist. Max Heel… bass, double lazy heart. Sara Jade: What are your plans for Christmas partying? Stylofone: Church, Church, Church! Sara Jade: If you had to cover a song to play at midnight on New Year's Eve, what would it be? Stylofone: Auld Lang Syne! Sara Jade: What are you most looking forward to doing when you come to London? Stylofone: Chips, Fish, Birds, Going to the Pictures, Football, Snogging, Pulling, Horses, taking the lift to the loo, monocles, tea and meeting the Queen. Sara Jade: Who in the band will be the worst to sit next to on the plane over? Stylofone: Simon! Sara Jade: Who is the naked girl on your single cover? Stylofone: Awww.... We cannot say but I will give you a hint: She has been to the beach! www.myspace.com/stylofonehttp://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=89 posted by P.i.X One of the D.J. Crew 7 Year Glitch, the founder of art collective Beige, Brains is forging ahead with a futuristic vision. The P.i.X: How did u start? Brains: Just started playing piano as a real little kid… a guy owed my Dad some money and couldn't pay him but he had a piano so my dad took that instead and got my sister and me lessons. I saved up and bought my first synth when I was 14 or 15, finished my first track shortly thereafter. Then I went to study music at a small college and was mates there with all these people who would go on to be really good bands/projects/artists [Paperrad, Yeah, Yeah,Yeahs, The Seconds, Acute Records], the scene was pretty wide open for whatever sort of music you wanted to make. I started a label called Beige with a friend from home and kinda’ just went from there. The P.i.X: What are your influences and style? Brains: Influences... loads but especially stuff that’s really raw, not played out, and stands the test of time. Drexciya, Teddy Riley, Brian Ferneyhough, Charles Ives, Rameau, Poison Clan, Robert Armani, pre-2000 Crunk, etc. I like all the usual freaks...Sun Ra and Beefheart and Klaus Nomi and that, but so does everyone else so I try to search things out a bit. The Beatles are definitely the worst band of all time. Style… changing all the time, but lately I've stopped doing so much weird shit and am just trying to make accessible but still futuristic Urban music [that’s why I like Grime] and I love melodies! The P.i.X: How flexible are you when creating a track? Brains: When I make tunes by myself it can sometimes take ages or ends up really abstract so I like to collaborate, which automatically takes a certain flexibility. Also the thing about all this is personal relationships...like the whole point of music to me is really to meet and be inspired from by other artists and creative people, learn about life, you know...hippy shit, otherwise I’d just stay inside making tunes for myself. The P.i.X: Tell us about your remix stuff. Brains: Remixes are a great way to practice working within limits and also try to do things in a different style than what you're used to. I’ve done recent ones for Cassie with Grime M.C. Scorcher, and for Jeyjon. I also like to take acapellas and make new music for them...not as mashups or whatever, which I hate, but as unique remixes or as a way to add intensity to my instrumental music. The P.i.X: And your art work… Brains: The art stuff is more the real job. In 2000 I turned Beige into an art collective cos I started re-programming Nintendo cartridges to make these weird video and sound pieces and wanted to get my friends into it so we could collaborate on stuff...since then we've had pieces and videos shown all over the place...Whitney Biennial, Liverpool Biennale, ICA, Rotterdam Film Festival, Guggenheim, Whitechapel...and at the moment I’m a lecturer in fine art at Goldsmiths. The music stuff is still a fantasy that I’m trying to turn real bit by bit each day. The P.i.X: The future...? Brains: Music-wise doing a 12" with Silverlink, this mixtape/album thing for Vice, and slowly working on 12"s for Planet-Mu and N.E.S. records [ghetto-tech label back home]. Art-wise working on a new video collab with Paperrad, and slowly making stuff for my first solo show, and I’m trying out for the London Mets, it's an amateur baseball team that plays in the top league in the U.K. Bit of a long shot cos I haven't played for ages so wish me luck! www.myspace.com/brainuk www.myspace.com/7yeezie www.beigerecords.com www.post-data.org/beige http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=91 posted by P.i.XWith a devoted army of front row moshers and sky diving fans, I ask Bromheads Jacket front vox man Tim about the rapport they have with their audience... “Yeah, we know most of them, just from talking to people after gigs an stuff”. The thing they have is a real sense of old style ‘punk’ driven sensibilities. “I like the early American stuff, The Stooges, the MC5 and British ones like The Sex Pistols. The Clash is one of my favourites an’ then some of the smaller ones like X-Ray Spex”. They like it loud and fast most of the time and tell real stories that are spot on. ‘Dits From The Commuter Belt’ Bromheads album, is a unique a collection of songs that tell of romantic interludes, struggles and situations. Sensitive blokes they are, it’s not often you get a perfect insight into what it’s like down the local, fancying birds, getting knocked back, taking too much drugs, having a curry; in other words leading a normal kind of life. There’s a sense of a moral attached to these tales, but because there’re so very real in their honesty Bromheads Jacket are a success. They’re not condescending… Tim has a knack of making you feel part of the band, he’s our mate, you want to shake his hand and say “Wanna’ a pint and a bag of chips?” Even between songs when he’s drinking his own pint he gives the crowd a nod and a knowing wink and you immediately know what it’s like. “I don’t know, I’m just being myself I suppose, know what I mean, just being polite, havin’ a chat in between songs an stuff like that.” In a previous life Tim’s worked at a car auction, “That was one of the best shows I’ve ever had!” and he’s been a teacher…funny that cause when we caught them at their album launch last month we reckoned their was something of the teacher in his approach, “Yeah, Design technology, straight after university for like about a year, I reckon you’re probably right you know…” They’ve been gigging non-stop across the U.K. “One of my favourite gigs was probably in New Cross, and one we played in Aberdeen, nice people an’ a good gig…” For now they’ve gotta’ go cause they’re doing a gig in Nottingham in 2 hours… “Nice one.” www.myspace.com/bromheadsjacket www.bromheadsjacket.com http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=92 posted by P.i.X He's the geek everyone secretly fancies. He has inanimate objects as friends. I'm talking about Clipe Sexo Amador. Clipe bends stuff. Not spoons like Uri Gellar... we're talking sounds, from start to finish. He’s an artist that sculpts his own tools and then recreates a super fresh sound. It’s charged, high-energy electro sounds with synthed-out chants over the top. The name derives from some porn film that his mate had, and roughly translates as "amateur sex clip" in Portuguese, fitting in with the love of music and the teenage bedroom nostalgia of the concept. Now here’s the science: P.i.X: Your music is created by circuit bending... what does that mean? CSA: Circuit bending is where you take any battery powered keyboard or toy, open it up and start connecting the points of the circuit board together with wire and switches etc. These chance connections can make the toy's sound act in a way it was intended to, glitching and falling over itself. P.i.X: Why do you use circuit bending as a form to express yourself? CSA: I like the idea of juxtaposing these innocent toys with the somewhat sinister tones circuit bending can make them produce. Circuit bending encourages the user to think of a device in ways the manufacturer never intended. A lot of people have claimed circuit bending is like a modern day folk music... P.i.X: So where did you learn how to do it? CSA: I saw articles about circuit bending on the internet a few years back and always had a fleeting interest in it but it wasn’t really until I bought some toys and components and thought "I’m gonna have a proper go at this" that I really began to learn anything. The internet is a great resource for circuit bending with so many pages dedicated to integrating people into the art. Once you bend a couple of things and get used to the process, then you begin to learn what works and what doesn’t through experience. It’s such an easy access art that anyone can pick up a soldering iron and have a bash. P.i.X: The instruments you use come from pound stores that you rewire. What's been your favourite bargain, and where did you get it? CSA: I do buy a fair few things from Poundland but their stock is a bit low on toys at present. Most of the ones I have now I got from local car boot sales. My favourite one at present is much purple Kawasaki guitar, which has lime green, buttons, and an orange handle and plays proper cock-rock solos. I got it for £1 and I’ve just used it on a new song. It sounds ace! My favourite keyboard has to be my Casio SA-1. I have had it since I was 5 and I use it with everything. The speaker is fucked on it but I wouldn’t swap it for any other! I like old cheap toys – it doesn’t matter it you break them – just put it in the bin and get another! P.i.X: Now we’ve done with the tech side what makes you tick? CSA: Musically Britpop had a big impact, particularly Blur, but I also like proper 80's hair metal. I love the camp-ness and the style over content image in many cases. Bands putting on a proper show with their music! In general it varies from the 80's and 90's - anything with a kitsch and retro appeal about it. P.i.X: What do you do to relax? CSA: I like the classic computer gaming - Mega Drive, Gameboy, Commodore 64 etc. You can’t beat a good game of street fighter on the mega drive! P.i.X: Ok now I'm just being nosey, what’s your favourite snack? CSA: A strawberry Ribeana and them purple Nik Naks every time. P.i.X: And finally, what's next for Clipe Sexo Amador? CSA: To get my live show together, which should be ready to go by August and then just get out there and play as many gigs as possible, record more songs and see what happens! Check out Clipe Sexo Amador at www.myspace.com/clipe http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=93 posted by P.i.XOut of all the happy go lucky bands playing in London at the moment, comes something a great deal more satisfying. The CREEPY MORONS thrash and rage at their instruments in a blasted heavy surf style. London stripe enthusiast and fashion designer David David catches up with the Creepys, Nick and Ben on a deepest darkest street in Bloomsbury. David David: How would you describe yourselves? Creepy Morons: “Guitar swing”. D.D: If you had an animal in your band what would it be and why? C.M: “A croc-a-roc-o-dile, cause no one can like he can.” D.D: Which song would you have liked to written? C.M: “Sex Machine’- James Brown” D.D: Which musicians would you most like to collaborate with? C.M: “Prince, cause he's the king, well second in line.” D.D: How do you prepare to go on stage? C.M: “By devouring whatever is to hand.” D.D: What made the best gig you played to date? C.M: “Dave dave.” D.D: Who would you like to see in your audience? C.M: “Men and women.” D.D: If you were an instrument how would you like to be played? C.M: “Happy to be plucked or blown.” D.D: What other creative mediums inspire you? C.M: “Voodoo.” D.D: What do you think of when you're on stage? C.M: “Wild zero.” D.D: Where would you like to play a gig? C.M: “No.” D.D: Would you be seen dead or alive in a dave dave t-shirt? C.M: “Dead.” D.D: How would you like to die? C.M: “Choking on a profiterole.” D.D: How do you see your music evolving? C.M: “Bigger and badder.” Www.creepymorons.com Www.myspace.com/thecreepymorons http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=94 posted by P.i.X THE PIX talks to party connoisseur DARREN SHITDISCO about his shambolic, fucked-up life. Karley: What's the best party you've ever been to? Darren: It sounds narcissistic but it’s probably the last party we had in my old flat, 61. It’s a massive, dilapidated two-floor tenement in Glasgow. We played in the living room to about 250 people. The floor was bending like a trampoline. We had pole-dancers, phones hanging from the ceiling, and complete gurners waltzing on the roof. The next evening my Muslim landlord came round with the police trying to get them to arrest me while I was lying in bed. Got evicted, but it was worth it. Karley: Who’s the person you wouldn’t want to meet at a party? Darren: Well, I was sat trying to roll a joint in my kitchen at about 8am and in comes this crazy 50-year-old hippie who then begins reciting poems with the longest gaps in-between words I have ever heard. Literally 5-10 second gaps between words! Then, I suddenly realized there was this completely normal couple stood chatting casually to each other in the corner about their A-levels. I ended up coming to the conclusion that they were the most dangerous weirdoes in the room & told them to get the hell out of my house. Karley: What’s the weirdest experience you’ve ever had with a police officer? Darren: It was a party at 61. It was getting closed down by the police. We had boarded up the bathroom because if you flushed the toilet it would leak into the downstairs, but people still got in. So I was outside making pilled-up small talk with the cops, when a friend comes out to tell me she had used the loo. So I said, “You didn’t flush it did you?” And she said, “Oh no. I didn’t go in the toilet.” I just look at the policeman, and he put his hand on my shoulder and said, “You know, one day you’ll look back at these days as the best days of your life.” Karley: What are your top 5 most amazingly bizarre party events? 5. On 6/6/6 I had a finger-buffet for the birth of the anti-Christ in my caravan. Nothing big- just a campfire, some sausage rolls, and the burning of an old Christmas tree. Well, I ended up taking acid and nearly capsizing the caravan. Then this guy turns up in the garden at about 7am. I don’t know where he came from, but he started telling me how he’s in the Navy and how he’s going to take it down from the inside. 4. I only have vague memories of it, but it involves me smashing a TV with a samurai sword and playing air guitar on a prosthetic leg in front of an enthusiastic crowd of sky pointed fingers. I was assured by witnesses that this did happen. 3. On the NME New Rave tour we met this 40-year-old bloke in the lift at our hotel and brought him back to our room. All of a sudden he starts belting out White Lines by Grandmaster Flash in an operatic voice. Jamie Klaxons then joined in on beatbox. Next thing we know there’s 6 policemen stood outside the fucking room & we got everyone kicked out onto the street at 5am. 2. It was the morning after a party at the old !WOWOW! house. I wrestled with their dog for about 2 hours attempting to tape a wig to its head, which immediately slipped down & became a beard. Then I went on the roof with a day-glo workies jacket and a decapitated doll on my head and shouted at kids in the street, telling them they had “children’s brains” and that they were all rubbish at maths. Then all the kids got called inside by their mothers. 1. A party at 61 when we had an Elvis impersonator performing in the living room. Someone put their head in the fish tank to “cool off,” but the pressure cracked the tank. The whole thing exploded onto the dance floor. People were picking up fish and putting them in glasses of lemonade. All the fish but one survived. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=95 posted by P.i.XHere they are Digitalism… Jence and Isit sitting right in front of me! I love their music and Zdarlight is just one of those tracks that everyone goes mad for, ‘That was a surprise, coz we had this track, finished it really quickly lots of years ago, had it on c.d. and gave it to some friends, half a year later somebody had the idea of playing it out. Seeing the whole thing running mad, it was a surprise for us!’ Digitalism officially came up in 2004, ‘When we released 500 white vinyl’s of a track called Idealistic. Before that we were just d.j.ing as Isit and Jence in Hamburg’. They’ve known each other for 7 years and the latest track Pogo sees Jence on vox; he’s got a very spirited voice. ‘We don’t wanna be a band in the typical sense. At the moment it’s computer controlled, incorporating a microphone, some e drums, some gear around it to generate noise’. ‘We have loads of influences… trance, we love soundtracks, hip-hop… we don’t come from a band side… we use a computer, but we always shared a studio with bands’. And a gig they’re particularly looking forward to in April? ‘Defiantly next time we play here at Adventures In The Beetroot Field at Fabric… coz it always goes mad there, last time we were the only electronic act, that was really intense’. On a remix tip Digitalism have done some very fine work, ‘A very big one for us was remixing Depeche Mode, that was the biggest thing ever! It was very cool to work with Tom Vek, and er yeah, a very special one was with The Presets, they were fans of us and we were fans of them!’ Right now they’re ‘Concentrating on touring… we’re preparing a new live show, we have lots of gigs!’ I wonder if they feel like they’re moving to another level… ‘Yeah, we have to learn many things, but that’s cool, really interesting!’ P.J. www.myspace.com/digitalism http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=96 posted by P.i.X At a glance Dr. Filth might seem like a bunch of raving lunatics, jolting about onstage in surgical attire, complete with fake moustaches, copious amounts of blood, and grins from ear to ear. This gruesome threesome, however, have emerged from the bloodbath that is South London suburbia to create one of the best, most compelling live acts around… and put the indie scene to shame. Forming three years ago after George (guitar) and Richard (bass) met at school, Dr. Filth have undergone many incarnations. “We started as a character based band formed around a Jack the Ripper theme,” says George, “but we’ve evolved and moved away from that now. All the songs we really pride ourselves on have been written over the last year.” Now, having ditched the gimmick and found the final piece to the puzzle in their new drummer Ben Morgan, Dr. Filth are ready to unleash their prog-punk carnage on the masses. Whilst the name “Dr. Filth” was originally taken from a Bob Dylan lyric, it also seemingly alludes to Richard’s onstage persona and his main lyrical influence, Dr. Seuss. “Our songs aren’t structured like most others,” explains George. “Hearing to them is more like listening to a story than a song.” When not busy travelling around in their ambulance of a tour bus, or writing music in their shed in Bushy Park (also know as ‘The Surgery’), Dr. Filth spend their time playing London’s grimy squat parties and jaunting around the UK with Mystery Jets, all while captivating audiences with their filthy sound and unconventional stage show. “I think it’s very important to give people something to look at,” says Richard. “We’re always very conscious of the fact that we’re performing. We want to make it a full-on experience.” Despite Dr. Filth’s die-hard cult following, they do, however, confess to not feeling completely part of a specific scene. “I think we’re difficult to pin down,” admits Ben, “but it’s nice not to feel pigeon-holed.” As for the future of Dr. Filth, this theatrical trio plan on being busy recording their debut album, and continuing to evolve as a band and as musicians. “Our musicianship is very important to us,” says Ben, “because when it comes down to it we just want to write good songs.” Rock on. www.myspace.com/drfilth http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=97 posted by P.i.XLate Of The Pier. “It was really fun playing at Durr. A photographer had thrown some coloured powder at us before the show and it was so hot we had to voluntarily take our tops off.” Says Lubin Nordquist, lead singer of Nottingham’s finest (and newest) band Late Of The Pier. “So we sort of decided that we might play topless forever after that”. Late Of The Pier have a sound like none other – a mixture of esoteric drums and samples, dream like lyrics and a bit of percussion on some bed slats. After meeting at primary school, the four boys ignored each other until “we were 15 and needed some early escapism. We decided that if we were actually going to make a go of it we were going to have to make it huge. We’re quite self critical – we thought of hundreds of names and none of them were good enough. We were playing this gig at the village hall and someone had written late of the pier next to the poster, so we decided that would be our name. With the nature of being in a band you grow on peoples minds so that gives you a chance to have a name that doesn’t really mean anything.” Right now they are on tour with rising star and P.i.X poster boy of yester-month, the fabulous Jack Peñate. “It’s going really well. Jacks such an amazing performer that we’re learning loads from him. He’s always on form.” Tells Lubin. With Rouge Dog Conseula on the drums, Jack Paradise on the sampler and Metro Smidgeons on the bass and a 14 plus tour under their belts, Late Of The Pier are fast becoming amazing performers themselves (especially when they get their tops off). Their songs are about “a subconscious train of thought. They’re not really based on things that are really happening, they are quite dream like. They’re things that don’t really matter to a lot of people. Our song ‘Broken’ is about being lost in London the first time we went there and it’s also about not being able to sleep because we were so excited before the gig. We made a song called ‘The Bears are Coming’ and during recording of it we hit anything in the room one of them was my bed that was up against the wall to make room for the drums so we hit that and it made a really great noise. When we started to play it live we had to take my bed apart!” HH http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=98 posted by P.i.X Hunk Leon Lopez used to be in ‘Brookside’, then it finished and he became part of a boy band. Recently he’s acted in ‘Hollyoaks In The City’ and has become rather well known for his singing talents, being a contestant on TV program ‘Soapstar Superstar’. The P.i.X: We see you’ve got a single coming out in June ‘Love Got In The Way’ and an album planned... Leon Lopez: Yes, well infact we have recorded most of the album... The single is going for download and physical release. The album hasn’t been scheduled yet but hopefully will be before the end of the year. The P.i.X: Do you feel you're following in the tradition of mainstream actor/singers/songwriters? Leon Lopez: I guess I kind of am. The only difference is I was a vocalist before I became an actor. I have been in and out of bands since the age of 17 and been writing songs since I was 14. I have been very lucky in that I am one of few performers who has managed to sustain a career as an actor on stage and on screen and I am thankful people have been interested enough to now want to become more aware of my other skills, musical being one of them! I also have written half of the tracks on the album and am working with a team who guides my career but does not dictate it. I get to make a lot of my own creative ideas, which is cool, but a big risk in this industry. The P.i.X: Leon, will you be having a band? Leon Lopez: YES! Most definitely! It’s all early stages yet but we have decided to stare clear of the obvious R’n’B route that people expect and come with a more acoustic/soulful/rock style. And of course all the tracks on the album are performed with real instruments and musicians therefore when we come to put it on the road it seems only right that we should make it sound as authentic and real as possible. The P.i.X: Who are your fans? Leon Lopez: I don’t know!!! I have had some interest and lots of amazing comments from a whole range of people through myspace but until the music is out there and I am doing proper gigs I guess this will be hard to tell! Obviously most people who know me, do so because of the television shows I have appeared in, but I am hoping that people will buy into the music I’m making and not just the characters I have played. The P.i.X: Being a ‘soapstar’, what have been your highlights! Leon Lopez: Ha ha, 'soapstar' I love it! So funny... I like to class myself as a performer rather than 'soapstar' or even 'actor'. I have danced, sung, acted, presented, infact my manager likes to think of me more of a 'brand'! I find this funny but to be fare it sums me up a lot better than a 'soapstar'. To be honest the highlights of my career have been working with some of the most talented performers and artist ever. Be this through acting or music. I have met some amazing people and contrary to people’s beliefs the most glamorous and amazing artists and people tend NOT to be celebrities. It’s the people who you don’t see, the people who MAKE celebrities. The P.i.X: Where can we catch u performing? Leon Lopez: I am in the middle of setting up a proper tour schedule. Going to be doing lots of summer road shows, some club gigs etc. But if people keep checking my myspace there will be a regular updated list of what’s happening. And if you do manage to come catch me at a gig, try come say hi, if not then leave a comment on my page, will be good to know what people think, I make music primarily because it makes me happy but I am very keen to know if others feel the same way! www.myspace.com/leonlopez http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=99 posted by P.i.X Alright then… Lion Club met in 2003 at school in year 9, ‘We were called ‘the Capulets’ back then and the line up was different. The line up chopped and changed until we were happy with how band practice commenced and we started to write proper songs with a drum machine rather than our previous drummer Kurt. Matt bought a bloody expensive synthesizer and we brought in Tom line, one of our best mates to programmed the drum machine. This was to be the start of our new electronic sound, which we hoped was to be different from everyday ‘indie’. But without being labeled NEW RAVE. This transformation of the band happened at the beginning of this year but we didn’t do our first gig until March. So we’ve only officially been ‘Lion Club’ for…3 months making us superb!’ Blige, they started off young, 10 to be exact with Lewis and Matt coming from musical backgrounds and Bailey joining forces a year and a half ago, ‘With no musical knowledge apart from the lyrics to ’straight outa Compton-nwa’ saved in his memory. We put him under strict orders to learn bass and he picked it up pretty quickly!’ It’s amazing how focused Lion Club are and growing up in the 90’s they say they ‘Cant remember getting into music as such’. But they do remember some favorite songs such as ‘Haddaway – ‘What Is Love’, Grace –‘It’s Not Over Yet’, and The Source - You Got The Love…lol… ‘. On reflection and with g.s.o.h. they ponder, ‘Was the 90’s full of passion? I wish I still had those red dungarees thinking about it…!’ Hailing from sunny Surrey, ‘It's shit. Absolutely nothing to do.’ It’s shit when you’re called emo for wearing drainpipes…but also quite amusing? But it’s alright because THE FEELING represents indie! And I love the feeling! Not to forget maroon 5.… Obviously!’ They cite their heroes as ‘Sean Mclusky + Steve Redgrave (both with parallel qualities’. And say they’re influenced by ‘Tom Vek, Bloc Party, Jamie-T, Ulterior, Cazals, The Rakes+ The Maccabees. But we don't really sound like any of them. To be honest, they’re not really our heroes either. Just cool bands.’ Nice one boys! What about your next gigs… ‘We’re all really excited about this summer because our g.c.s.e’s are going to be over at last. We’re playing ’Who Invited You?’ at New Cross Inn on the 28th June, which is the week after our last exam so it’s gonna be a laugh. We’re never really played out of Shoreditch so it’s gonna be good to have a new crowd... ‘ Onwards and upwards then, and in the words of the Buzzcocks I ask ‘em… Are teenage dreams really hard to beat, Have u ever been in love with someone u shouldn’t have been in love with! ‘I dunno, we dream a lot, but it's not usually about girls. We dream about robberies and stuff like that. For example, Lewis had this dream the other night where he was in the body of a squirrel but he still had his normal human hands. He still hasn't gotten over it to be honest.’ I fuckin’ love ‘em!!!! P.J. myspace.com/lionclub http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=100 posted by P.i.XMy Favourite label……Waks Records. A small independent label based in New Cross. Interview with one of the Waks Records founders and one who does the stuff the other one doesn’t do. His name is Chris. The other one is Dan Devine. I meet Chris mid afternoon with a bacon roll in a café on Lewisham way. He is just recovering form a heavy night helping his girlfriend escape from her house in the middle of the night. Me: What is Waks about? Chris: Doing it for the sake of doing it. Helping and working with friends. Me: Why is Waks different? Chris: We don’t care what anybody thinks and don’t play to anybody. And we don’t just sign the trendiest bands around. Me: Who are you working with at the moment and what are the next steps? Chris: Talk Taxis. Hatcham Social and the Wireless. The next release will be the Wireless single ‘He’s so proud’ a song about a girl in singer Felix’s school who goes out with a rudeboy. I see them as a post punk Buzzcock’s with better hair and ipods. We just had Hatcham Social in the Studio with Tim burgess from the Charlatans and Statik has produced the Talk taxis single. Me: What else are Waks doing outside of putting out records? Chris: We will be dj'ing under the Waks Second Hand ShoeGaze Soundsystem banner at Death Disco and Another Music Another kitchen. Also we will be starting a new night with Hatcham Social in Monkey Choose in Chalk Farm, called ‘The Living Room Too’. The first one will be on the last Friday in May. We will be playing strictly real indie and no electro or hip hop. Bands like Patels and Joseph K. We will be having a goody bag of fanzines and lollipops. We want to make a place where you can go and find listen to bands and read about bands that aren’t part of the Frog/Koko corporate scene. It’s going to be the place to go if you like intelligent and talented bands with a bit of fire. I leave Chris as he starts to contemplate whether it is worse to rape a ripened old hag or some young tender girl. I am scared. I leave. Francis Napolean http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=101 posted by P.i.XThe P.I.X sat down with Noah of London based indie folk band, Noah and the Whale, to find out a little bit more about the brain behind their beautifully organic, heart-wrenching folk tunes. It went something like this… The P.I.X. Tell us about how Noah and the Whale started out. Noah: We formed roughly in October 2006. I asked Doug to join because he is my brother and we needed something to bond over. Then Emmy came because we needed someone to bend over, and then we got Tom Fiddle to join because he is really good. The P.I.X. How do you think folk music fits into the music scene today, and what roll do you play as a folk band? Noah: I don't necessarily consider Noah and the Whale to be folk music, but I can see why people may think that. But I do think that in popular music there will always be a place for folk music because it is possibly the most timeless medium for song writing. The P.I.X. What sets you apart from other young bands around today? Noah: Literally nothing. Except maybe they're cooler. The P.I.X. Who are your idols and why? Noah: Emmy the Great, because she is next to me and just made me some brownies. When I say 'made' I mean kidnapped, and when I say 'brownies' I mean boy scouts. The P.I.X. What have you been up to recently? Noah: We have just finished recording our debut single, Rocks and Daggerswhich will be released in June. The P.I.X. What are your plans for the near future? Noah: Anonymously send Tom Fiddle the components of a ham sandwich, one ingredient a day so that it is stale when he eats it. Then I embark on a solo support tour with Laura Marling, and then some more like gigs and shit. www.myspace.com/hatracket http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=102 posted by P.i.XHello Tom FROG here, I managed to grab a chat on the phone with Davo from the fantastic Pull Tiger Tail to see what he was up to.....check it out.... Tom: So what are you doing right now? Davo: I'm in a studio in Lincolnshire working on our album, but currently getting my coffee out the microwave after warming it up! Tom: So talk to me about the Album. Davo: It’s working title is ‘Pull Tiger Tail’. We want to establish that name first before confusing people that haven't heard of us with another title. The name came from the way we like to think of our music - not the norm. Doing things that you would normally do, not taking the easy route. We are recording with a guy called Steve Harris, in the past he has worked with Kula Shaker, The Long Pigs, Santana and U2! Tom: So what stage are you at now? Davo: As we speak, we are exactly half way through it. We record live and all together so there isn't a great deal of hanging around which can make recording boring. Also we are a long way from distractions ie friends, parties. In fact its exactly 15 steps from my bed to the studio! The Studio is a house build into a chapel, it’s a fantastic setup, two bands can record at a time. There is a band called The Strange Death of Liberal England recording at the same time as us. They seem very nice, but we keep ourselves to ourselves. Tom: So, what’s on the stereo when you’re not recording? Davo: The Police. I am fascinated by them. Did you know that Sting earns £2000 every day from ‘Every Breath You Take’ alone!! Sting looks confident and smug and he deserves to be. Tom: Any bands you recommend me checking out?? Davo: Adventure Playground are fantastic, they are great live and always bring the party. Sleeping states, they are a fantastic world to immerse yourself in. They are tender and gripping. Tom: So you used to live with the Klaxons? Davo: Yeah? Tom: Sorry someone asked me to ask that!! When can we catch you next? Davo: We’re playing around the country in March – check the myspace for dates in your hometown Tom: Thanks Davo. See you soon!! Pull Tiger Tail Formed just over a year ago and are signed to B-unique. They are - Davo McConville, Jack Harrison and Marcus Ratcliff Their first release was with the fantastic Young and Lost records. You can check out myspace/pulltigertail for all their tour dates and listen to some tunes. http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=103 posted by P.i.X THE BLACK GHOSTS ‘THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE WORKS’ Here they come, something phenomenal. The Black ghosts have been together less than a year and already they’ve created something that encapsulates a cacophony of sounds and of course a touch of something eerie... The combination of Simon Lord’s vocals (he sung the Justice vs. Simian hit ‘We Are Your Friends’) and D.J. Touché’s (Theo to you) expert fine-tuning have resulted in something that is quite forward thinking. Strangely they ‘Met last year at a Halloween party, when we started working together it happened really quickly and easily, that’s what’s been really good, it hasn’t been an effort’. The Black Ghosts are getting ready for their debut gig at The Luminaire on November 17th and have been busy rehearsing a ‘live’ sound with an added couple of ghostly member’s~, ‘It’s been like a jigsaw, trying things out...’ Being lovers of a wide range of music, no room for snobbism here, Theo says ‘We’ve mashed everything together. We’ve got a lot of different types of music coming through, from hip-hop, folk and psychedelica’. We debate further the virtues of good pop, ‘cause their songs are really catchy, ‘Yeah, that’s important, we deliberately make songs you sing along too’. Simon adds ‘I wanna write stuff that people can get into and remember’. In their world ‘Pop shouldn’t be a bad word, if you can do something is very modern and original but still make it so that people get it and like it, then why can’t we write a crackin’ pop tune with a killer chorus over some mad ‘out there’ music’. Theo and Simon work together so prolifically they’ve already produced more than an albums worth of material, ‘We’ve got quite a lot, the way we work if a tunes not working after a certain point, we move away from it’. I ask Theo if as a D.J. remixer he would consider doing their own remixes, ‘I dunno if I will on this because I don’t want to sort of confuse the two things... it’s like it’s own self contained thing’. Getting onto the subject of influences, Theo says ‘The music I grew up with, from being a kid and being bananas about Adam and the Ants and then getting into hip-hop when I was a teenager and then getting into acid and going raving and stuff it’s all meshed together, pop is a weird indefinable thing...’ Image wise they say ‘We’re capable of dressing ourselves and image is important, ‘You’ve got to elevate yourself a little, look something, know what I mean... ’ With their heads firmly on their shoulders The Black Ghosts make no bones about where their at... making music for everyone to remember. The Black Ghosts release their debut single ‘Face’ and ‘Something New’ on Southern Fried Records. www.myspace.com/blackghosts http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=104 posted by P.i.XThe P.i.X: Things seem to be hottin’ up for you, what gigs are you looking forward to? The Idle Lovers: All of them, playing ‘Love Music Hate Racism’ at Fabric is going to be special. We can't wait to play with some of our favourite groups - Babyshambles, Mystery Jets and Jerry Dammers/Terry Hall from The Specials. We spend so much time rehearsing, it will be grand to actually get out to see other bands! I think we're also playing at a secondary school on the same day, also for ‘Love Music Hate Racism’. Be great contributing to a critically important cause and being part of something a little different. Will also be nice to go back to school and actually be good at something!! Can't wait to play with our friends Cazals at the 1234 Christmas party. They're a fuckin’ tip-top rock and roll band who've been superstars to us and it'll be a pleasure to share their stage... The P.i.X: How would you describe your musical style? The Idle Lovers: Probably very badly I’m afraid; we're better at moulding it. We aim to write instant pop songs with catchy choruses, swooping harmonies, wiry riffs, killer hooks and snappy lyrics. We all love Elvis Costello, although I think I may have nicked that description from an old Busted audition advert. The P.i.X: How do you go about writing your songs? The Idle Lovers: It's all about having a good notepad and the first little spark of inspiration really. That may come from being excited, being bored, watching Prime Minister's Questions, reading the paper, taking a stroll, seeing a milk float, speaking with each other. Drinking to much, not drinking enough. When the idea does hit, it's guaranteed that your notepad's nowhere to be found. The good ones are 99% inspiration, 1% perspiration. Rotten ones the other way round and the others are somewhere in the middle... The P.i.X: Dan you've got some gorgeous shirts where do u find them, do u have a fave designer? The Idle Lovers: Thank you very much, they divide opinion a little. I don't really go shopping. Every so often an image of a shirt I'd like pops into my head and then I have a rather frustrated wait until I stumble across something that is exactly how I imagined it. There's a little second-hand store down the Holloway Rd that has a pretty miraculous record of coming up with the goods. The P.i.X: You've got quite a few devoted fans, who are you fans of? The Idle Lovers: Elvis Costello, Freddie Flintoff, Groucho Marx... The P.i.X: Have u got a fave song u love performing? The Idle Lovers: We all love playing 'A Very Fine Line'. It's got a disco beat and, I hope you don't mind us saying, it's pretty damn fucking good. The P.i.X: What do you want for Christmas? The Idle Lovers: There are an awful lot of old 60s garage records I NEED. Saving that, a new shirt I've been imagining which has pictures of birds on. www.myspace.com/theidlelovers http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=105 posted by P.i.XThey’ve done it the hard way, relentlessly gigging, writing and continuously developing their sound. Emily Hell and Louise Prey are the founding members of The Ping Pong Bitches, receiving recognition for their vocal additions on The Prodigy’s single ‘Girls’ in 2004. The latest Ping Pong news is that they’re getting ready for the release of their album ‘Alphadog’ out at the beginning of 2007 and forthcoming single. Princess Julia: So at last your album has a release date on Umami records, how does it feel girls! Ping Pong Bitches: It feels really good to have our album finally finished; it's been pretty difficult we've had a lot of highs and lows. We are relieved that we have completed the album Alphadog. It is difficult making a good record that everyone’s happy with. We’re lucky that the label love it and it’s going down a storm with our audiences. P.J.: How would you describe your sound, has it changed much since you started? P.P.B.: Yeah, it's changed a lot. It’s a more sophisticated sound now, the live show is really pumping too. We have a full band line up nowadays with Danny Noise on guitar and Sister Hell on keyboards. We’d describe it as ‘pure noise attack’. P.J.: What’s been your most memorable gig? P.P.B.: The Cannes one for the film festival. We played in a beautiful setting right on the Broadway. You can’t imagine the glitz and the glamour of it all! P.J. Who do you rate as a remixer? P.P.B. Punx Soundcheck of course, they did a great mix of ‘Roc Ya Body’, which is out on October 5th. They’re known for their dance remixes and we’re very into experimenting with different styles of music. P.J. So ‘Roc Ya Body’ is your latest single, along with track ‘The Beast’ what’s been the response? P.P.B. Pretty good! It's on the High St, Top Shop are playing it on their radio and our video is being shown on TV. We’ll be doing a gig at Electrogogo on October 5th ... hope you can make it! www.myspace.com/pingpongbitches www.pingpongbitches.com http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=106 posted by P.i.XAmidst us The Stranger lurks! Well he’s not so much a stranger just a very talented being called Sitron. With a sensitivity towards telling it how it is combined with an almost ethereal presence this is only the beginning for The Stranger. The P.i.X: Where's it all come from!? Sitron: It's my attempt to make sense of social dysfunction. With me, the choice is clear: either create or become an alky. So all utopias, forgotten friendships, bad love affairs end up on paper with a few chord shapes. It's a form of therapy and it's more fun to hang my washing out in public. The P.i.X: Tell us about your madness! Sitron: You try growing up as the only Goth kid in a Greek village and see how you end up! No, seriously, I don't think I'm as mad as people make out. I think I feel too much and realizing that others around me don't pisses me off and disorientates me... The P.i.X: What's your band gonna’ be like? Sitron: I'm auditioning band members as we speak. I got a drummer, so I'm looking for a second guitarist, as I want the freedom of not having to play guitar all the way through the set. I'm also looking for a piano player. All live and organic - no electronics as I'm a technophobe. I'm trying to combine the storytelling of singer-songwriters with the energy of punk outfits like Patti Smith. The P.i.X: Where do hope to play.... ideal gig? Sitron: I suppose I like playing the places where my friends play so I can get the support slot... places close to where I live like 'The Macbeth', 'The George Tavern', and ‘Barden’s Boudoir'. Doing gigs at art galleries has always been fun - those art establishments usually provide a free bar. The P.i.X: Your fave track! Sitron: 'Hazy Days of Winter', not the Simon & Garfunkel original one but the rockier version that the Bangles did in the late 80s. The P.i.X: Have you always composed, written and performed? Sitron: I was plotting to start my own band for as long as I can remember. When I was 16 I came to London to do it, so I suppose I've been doing this forever. myspace.com/thestranger54 http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=107 posted by P.i.XThe P.i.X caught up with Parisienne / London electroset pop trio The Teenagers for a tete a tete and a nice cup of char.... Who are you and what do you do? We are The Teenagers and we make teenage music. How did you form? It was a Christmas vodka casualty... What’s it like having one foot in London and one in Paris? It’s great that we are not confined in Paris. We feel lucky. EVERYONE has been through the teenage years. What's been your best gig so far? In Paris. It’s been the only one so far. How would you describe your sound? 90210 mixed with vodka and stuff How and when did you all meet? At school when we were teenz Which of your contempories do you rate and have you been inspired by any of them? Cukture Beat - well the producers What are your songs about? Being a teenager when you think you understand everything but later you realise you had no fucking clue about anything. What are you looking forward to in the future? Being productive. We want to last4ever I guess Do you believe that romance is dead? Or alive? Romance is back. We are being sarcastic about relationships and things cause it’s just easier to point out what’s dysfunctional rather than what’s perfect or working smoothly If you could play to anyone, who would it be? Donna Martin and David Silver’s wedding anniversary What's been the best thing about being in the teenagers? We can actually be teenagers - again. Who would win in a fight out of all of you? Mitch is bigger and Dorian has powerful hair but I am taller and smarter. What are you most looking forward to about coming to London? Making it happen. And being full time teenagers!! www.myspace.com/theteenagers http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=108 posted by P.i.X Here’s Bruce from top band The Whip telling us all about it! The P.i.X: Your track 'Trash' is causing quite a stir! What's the inspiration behind it? The Whip: Cheers, it used to be this really drawn out/dark song with loads of lyrics that didn't really get to the point but just moaned on a lot! So we chopped all the good bits and made it more looped with a house music ethic and it got better! It’s all about being happy doing what you do and not meeting someone else’s standard to make them happy, but all the other words we cut out explained that more!! The P.i.X: Are you gonna keep your new girl drummer? The Whip: Yeah… Fee's the best, we love her so much. Fee is defo for keeps, she was there from the first gigs we did but if she was busy or couldn't make it we had to sort a deputy sticksman. The P.i.X: Your fave gig so far? The Whip: We did a really good one at D'epercussion, Manchester which is an outdoor festival, Nastyfest was nice and sweaty in Leeds and we had a couple really good nights in London at Fabric for adventures in the Beetroot field and Accelerated Youth's rave type thing which was really messy, so lots of fun really. The P.i.X: Who are biggest influences? The Whip: Lots of different stuff, exciting new stuff comes out all the time, lots of the French electro stuff is really good at the moment and we love stuff like New Order, Kraftwerk, ESG, Sonic Youth, Soulwax, loads of different things. The P.i.X: What do you think makes your music so appealing? The Whip: Not too sure really. The P.i.X: What are your future plans in rock ‘n’ roll? The Whip: To record an album in the first part of next year, we have a single out in Feb., 'Muzzle No.1' and to continue to party every day and night possible. The P.i.X: What do you want for Christmas? The Whip: I would love it to snow and not just be wet mush and also my mum’s gravy, it's really meaty. www.myspace.com/thewhipmanchester http://www.thepixzine.co.uk/article_view.php?article_id=109 posted by P.i.X‘TO MY BOY’ POP ROUND PEGGY’S FOR A CUPPA (‘AN A QUICK SHERRY!) ‘Alright Jack, come on in dear an get the kettle on, ere where’s the other one duckie… Sam?’ To start off with here’s a bit about To My Boy, they’re a duo from Sheffield but based in Liverpool anyway they play guitars, twiddle knobs and ‘ave a single out called ‘Model’! ‘Jack, milk an’ two sugars dear!’ They’ve been together for about two years ‘an they met at college in Durham. Now I’ve got a real soft spot for the sort of music these boys create, there’s a rawness and energy… ‘Jack dear how’d you get inspired to write ‘Model’ sweetheart?’… ‘Basically it’s about a computer programme I had to write at university about gamma rays, but that’s not the point of the song, it’s really a wreck yer head song… well, I was going out a lot getting really pissed and waking up thinking oh no! I’ve been a really bad person what have I done, it was a way to redeem myself you