The Skints: leave Rebel Alliance
Posted by jamie on May 25, 2010
The Skints have parted ways with Rebel Alliance Recordings.
The band released the following statement:
“Live. Breathe. Build. Believe” will be re-released independently at Slam Dunk weekend this Saturday. Huge thanks to Sonic Boom Six for all their support and all the RAR bands for the good times, don’t worry it’s all still love and family business!As we go to press, there isn’t a comment from Rebel Alliance. We’ll have it as soon as there is.
In the meantime, the Skints’ self-titled debut EP is in the 4-for-£10 sale at Do the Dog.
News from Amnesty.
Posted by jamie on May 23, 2010
The following piece was contributed by Amnesty International. Hot weather and the last ever Big Brother are bigger news stories, but this is serious stuff. We’ve not posted the pictures, because, to be frank, they’re too disturbing.
Vasuki*, a Tamil refugee now living outside Sri Lanka, shares her experiences trapped between the warring sides there. Her only hope during that time was that the UN would come to their rescue. It didn’t happen.
“We lived in a tent over a bunker. For weeks my kids did not talk. They had to witness people dying from shell attacks and the memory of dead bodies lying all around will probably never vanish.”
By March 2009, the situation had become dire. Her family and thousands around her had eaten all they had, even their cattle.
“I had to fast so that I could feed my children and just drank the water I cooked the rice in. Elderly people collapsed around us or slipped into comas. What kept us going was a belief that the UN would intervene to stop the terrible human suffering.
Shelling got steadily worse. I can’t describe the horror around us - we had to fight our way across a carpet of dead bodies.
I find it hard to talk about this time…. people were also not happy with the LTTE as they forcibly recruited from families. What I know is that people want to live in peace but we cannot forget all those we left behind. You can’t give us back what we lost but you can give us justice”.
(* Vasuki’s name has been changed to protect her identity.)
Take action here. Or, if you’re on facebook, here.
Mike TV: to tour with Cobra Skulls
Posted by chips on May 23, 2010
Mike TV are back from their tour of China and will play these shows with Fat Wreck’s Cobra Skulls.
30th May: Old Bell, Derby
31st May: Star & Garter, Manchester
1st June: Underworld, London
3rd June: Old Angel, Nottingham
As we have it, Cobra Skulls won’t be playing the Nottingham date, mind.
lots and lots of gigs
Posted by jamie on May 23, 2010
Giant list of dates from all the bands on Do the Dog. We don’t even have space to write it all, but it’s posted here. See you at the Boomtown Fair.
SB6: Slam Dunk and other dates
Posted by jamie on May 23, 2010
Just a wee reminder: the Sonic Boom Six play one warm up show before next weekend’s Slam Dunk festivals.
Friday 28th May - NARBETH Queen’s Hall
Saturday 29th May - HATFIELD Slam Dunk Festival
Sunday 30th May - LEEDS Slam Dunk Festival
After that, they’re off to Belgium and France. The dates are all on their myspace.
The follwing is a little message from the band that they’d like you to read:
Right then. We’re sad to say that unfortunately, we’ve had some problems with our merchandise set-up due to a hardware issue that has occurred while we’ve been in the States. This is being taken care of so if you’ve ordered something and are waiting for a reply to correspondence, please hang in there. There are no problems with anything other than accessing and processing emails; all merch is being sent out and queries will be replied to within the next few days. We thank you for your patience!
Thank you.
Pama Int’l: more summer dates
Posted by jamie on May 23, 2010
Pama International have a million more dates this summer. They’re bang on form, so well worth a look - especially as it’s so baking hot out. Full details here.
May 2010
28 Hebden Bridge Trades Club
29 Kelso National Scooter Rally
30 Strummer Camp
June 2010
18 RADIO NOVA Paris @ La Bellevilloise
July 2010
10 Nowa Reggae Festival, nr.Barcelona, Spain
17 Llangollen Festival
18 Guilfest
23 Carlisle The Victoria Club
24 Wickerman Festival
25 York Fibbers
August 2010
07 Run To The Hills scooter rally, Derbyshire
08 Fordham Festival
11 Broadstairs Folk Festival
13 Vintage @ Goodwood
14 Boomtown Fair, Buckinghamshire
September 2010
04 Eden Festival
The guys are also running an offer on their back catalogue: three albums cost just £18. The list includes the latest one, Outernational (CD & vinyl), as well as back catalogue: Love Filled Dub Band (signed copies), Float Like A Butterfly, The Highrise Campaign, and the two new reissues: their self-titled debut album and Too Many Freaks. Order here to get the special price.
Triple Threat: up for preorder
Posted by jamie on May 22, 2010
Ska Mutiny’s first release, theTriple Threat split featuring Kickback UK, Joey Terrifying and The Best Of The Worst, is now up for preorder here. Thanks to Dan Allen for the art.
Royal Flush: Hemel Hempstead
Posted by jamie on May 20, 2010
Royal Flush
Wishing Well, Hemel Hempstead
8th May 2010
Jamie
Knowing full well that The Slackers were at the Academy in Islington tonight, deciding on which show to see was a tough decision, but, helpfully, one that was at least between two very different shows: the sultry, syrupy-smooth harmonies and credibly cool jazz/ska stylings on offer from an established US touring act at a medium-sized academy venue in a particularly plush part of the big city, or the altogether less polished but equally confident, boisterous, spiky charm of a motley little crew of local punks rocking out to some catchy pop-punk songs in a grimy little local pub. Such was the quality on offer, it ended up as one of those win-win situations that leaves a little bit of you upset that you’re about to miss out on one of them.
Watching What Went Wrong on Facebook that morning made it tougher still, but Bananatown has had to many near-misses to pass up the chance to watch Royal Flush, so in the end plumping for Hemel Hempstead felt a little bit carpe diem. And the beer’s cheaper.
The Wishing Well is tucked away out of the way where the town starts to get leafier and has the world’s second-best greasy spoon just along the road. Despite all of this, I’ve only been in once by accident and had heard bad things about it. It’s decent enough, though, and slightly surreal: like my old neighbours living room used to look like in the eighties, and with giant plasma screens on every wall. They were showing Michael J Fox driving around with some kind of rubber-faced monster with a mullet. That, right there, is why it’s bad to watch cable and to watch TV on Saturday nights.
Royal Flush enter at 9pm for the first of two near-enough-hour-long sets. The new material that’s been generating such a buzz is really evident. Watch Out for the Adam’s Apple, the superbly named song about accidentally hooking up with a boy while drunk (I know. True genius.) comes out fourth, but otherwise the emphasis is really on promising newer material, stuff that harks back to the pop-punk’s golden days. A four-piece with two guitars, it’s regulation stuff, but Royal Flush do it very well and the songs are very good: packed with hooks, embellished with harmonies and surprisingly powerful. The room’s not full, but they’ve brought a crowd and entertain them well, and even the few surprised regulars seem to enjoy themselves. One couple of pensioners do sneak off fairly early on, but they go down well: a clutch full of lads at the front jumping and climbing on each others’ shoulders and pogoing along quite happily.
The equally ingeniously named I Wrote This Song About John From Saving Sebastian But All He Did Was Complain About My Hairy Balls is another highlight, as are Goodbye, What She Wants and their cover of My Own Worst Enemy by 1990s pop-punkers Lit. Such competence and an impressive live performance blows a hole in any myth about pop punk bands of that era relying on knob jokes and songs-by-numbers to raise a smile: these guys clearly know their stuff, as My Own Worst Enemy is a real blast from the past, and there are certainly a lot of songs they could more easily have picked.
All of that said, though, Royal Flush aren’t above having a laugh. Chaz, Tom and Dean are all in full make up: as we enter, Chas is introducing the room to their new bass player, Muriel, who is basically Dean in eye-shadow. Chaz himself simply has the “C” word in mascara across his forehead, and manages to get a few jokes out of it before realising his Mum is in the room.
After a quick interval, the band return to rip through Rihanna’s Umbrella, Forget Everything and Britney’s Hit Me Baby, One More Time. A big fat bald bloke who told me I looked like Jason Mraz (I was wearing a hat) bets his ate £50 that Royal Flush can’t or won’t play any Abba songs. Lines Between Lies and Insanity follows, and he’s chanting for Abba like he’s a comic genius. Page Three Way, Your Own Song and Corsa all follow before they embarrass him into handing the cash over to his mate by covering Mamma Mia. They’ve been doing it since before the film, in case you were wondering. Then they wrap up with It’s Not You and finally Get Away. It’s been a great little local show: totally unpretentious, a great atmosphere and a tidy, easy going crowd. Royal Flush have got a great set of songs, perform them will and really enjoy it. That’s nearly as infectious as the melodies.
King Blues:Headbutt up for download
Posted by jamie on May 11, 2010
The King Blues’ single Headbutt is available for preorder now, and for regular downloads from this Sunday, 16th May. You can get it here.
Slam Dunk Festival: NEW Macbeth Acoustic Stage
Posted by jamie on May 11, 2010
Slam Dunk Festival have added another stage, teaming up Macbeth shoes to bring you
The Macbeth Acoustic Stage
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly (Laptop set) (Leeds Only)
Very Secret Very Special Guests!!! (Hatfield Only)
Chas Palmer-Williams (Lightyear)
Lost On Campus
Sam Little
There will also be other special secret appearances from other bands playing the festival.
