You may have noticed that we’ve been a little quiet lately at This Is Happening Without Your Permission HQ as I’ve been busy involved in some other projects recently including LIP! Which is a new clubnight in Birmingham at HMV Institute for which I shall mainly be contributing to the free mini zine and also djing the first hour of the night. The launch party is Tuesday 16th November 2010 here’s a little more information (click on the link below):
LIP!.
Hope to see you all there!
Calling all artists! The Birmingham Zine Festival is seeking submissions for it’s Postcard Mail Art Exhibition. Here’s the lowdown:
“You are invited to take part in our exhibition of postcards, where each postcard will be a unique work of art. At the end of the exhibition, all of the postcards will be randomly ‘swapped’ and you’ll receive someone else’s original artwork in the mail – yours to keep!
To take part in the exhibition, send us a message with your name and address. When you receive your postcard, just follow these simple instructions:
That’s it – we’ll do the rest! All of the postcards will be exhibited at The Framers Gallery in Birmingham as part of the Birmingham Zine Festival.”
For further information head over to http://www.birminghamzinefestival.com/events/postcards-mail-art-exhibition/
Words & Photos By HEATHER CONNOR
I’ve never been to The Basement for a gig before but it’s New York dive bar vibes are an apt setting for the style of music played tonight. Having previous sampled their jukebox I know they have great taste in music. Tonight’s gig was put on by It’s Just Noise who’ve put on some amazing bands recently including Crystal Antlers and Raya has continued that trend with booking this lineup.
Straight up Garage Rockers A Degree Of Murder were the first band on comprising of former members of Jensen and The Interceptors. Although they’re named after a Brian Jones soundtrack and they were dressed in vintage gear and they’re seemingly influenced by the Sonics and The Monks in a similar manner to say the likes of The Black Lips their sound certainly wasn’t dated. They had a great energy about them. Standout tracks include Superstar and Marianne.
The main support act was Sex Beet not to be confused with London DJs and Promoters SexBeat. Sex Beet the band are the side project from Tom & Luke from The Lusts, and their mate Will. I’ve previously seen this guys at a Coldrice event which gives you a bit of a clue of their style of music. I’d say their sound was a mixture of lo-fi garage punk with surfy sounds enhanced with some cool sounds coming out of their Korg. Their set comprised of original material and covers including a Swampmeat cover. Probably the best band I’ve heard to come out of Leicester. Considering the most famous bands I’ve heard from that city include Kasabian and Showaddywaddy this is certainly a good thing.
Tonight’s headliners were Thee Oh Sees who’ve previously been known as The Ohsees, OCS, Orange County Sound and Orinoka Crash Suite. Led by John Dwyer (The Coachwhips, Pink and Brown, The Hospitals) the band also comprises of Petey Dammit on guitar, Mike Shoun on drums and Brigid Dawson who sings and plays keyboard and tambourine. I was pretty shocked and excited to see Thee Oh Sees in such an intimate setting as they’re one of those bands I think should be way bigger than they are. Thee Oh Sees are one of the most prolific bands around at the moment they seem to release several albums a year. Tonight they were promoting their new album Warm Slime released via In The Red which follows on from last year’s Dog Poison (Captured Tracks). With John and Petey both covered in tattoos you’d easily mistake them for a heavier punkier band.To be honest I was slighty wary prior to tonight’s show as a friend of mine had seen the band at Primavera and he said that the set was slightly chaotic with John apparently going off on a tangent and the rest of the band looked like they had no idea what was going to happen next. I needn’t have worried as they put on a great show. With a vintage looking keyboard, 2 guitars and a minimal drumkit the sound they produced was phenomenal considering there were so few instruments. The guitars were a mixture of fuzz and echo, topped with primal drum beats smashing the kit. I particularly enjoyed the vocal harmonies from Brigid as they really added to the sound. The band tore through their set with a frantic energy looking like they were enjoying themselves none the less and with the massive grins on the faces of those around me I’d say the audience were very much in agreement.
I’m helping to organise the Birmingham Zine Festival and we need your help in designing a logo.
Here’s the details:
Competition to design a logo for The Birmingham Zine Festival! This is open to everyone!
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…
We need a logo to appear on the website (currently under construction), the Facebook group and on promotional posters and zines.
We’d like the logo image to represent the alternative press, but we’re open to different ideas and interpretations of that!
Black & white or colour is fine, but bear in mind that the logo will need to feature in black & white on some of our promotional material.
Your copyright and contact/website details will feature on all of the material where your logo appears.
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SEND YOUR ENTRIES TO: andrewowenjohnston@yahoo.com
Please send high resolution images (300dpi if possible).
Any questions, just email and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
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DEADLINE: Sunday 13th June 2010
The winner will be chosen by the festival organisers.
Dot To Dot has always been one of my favourite festivals to attend. The only one I’ve missed was the very first one so I snapped up my early bird ticket without any lineup announcements as they’ve always put on some amazing acts. I was content in the knowledge of knowing that although half a dozen bands I like are playing there has always been bands that I’ve randomly stumbled across and enjoyed. Dot to Dot became a name I could trust.
Who would’ve thought back in 2005 Dot to Dot would turn out to be so successful. Ok so they’ve had a couple of glitches along the way such as in when the festival went to a two day festival and most people were too hungover to enjoy the second day fully and Hox to Dot only lasted one year.
Dot to Dot’s strength has always been booking bands who break through around the time of the festival for instance remember in when Klaxons played downstairs in Stealth which was completely rammed with a massive queue outside.
One of my favourite memories of Dot to Dot was last year when there was the rumour that Ex Models were a secret addition to the lineup I can’t tell you how pleased I was that it came true.
What I also love about Dot to Dot is how they get bands that I’m not familiar with but by the end of the festival are my new favourite band like you did in previous years with The Death Set and Creepy Morons.
Unfortunately this year the festival has fallen in my estimation as Primavera seems to have booked a lot of bands Dot to Dot should have i.e. No Age, Surfer Blood, Cold Cave, The Smith Westerns and Crocodiles to name but a few.
Perhaps to rectify this next year Dot to Dot could do what Supersonic Festival has this year and switch to a different time of the year to avoid clashing with other festivals.
Also the loss of Ricky Haley hasn’t helped matters. I don’t blame him for selling the rights to DHP but it would’ve been wonderful if they’d kept a Liars Club stage like last year when the Bodega held host to Abe Vigoda, Girls and Crystal Stilts etc. If retaining Ricky in some capacity wasn’t possible perhaps the likes of 3 Cheers or New Weird Nottingham could step into the breech even if it were at the Chameleon or Spanky Van Dykes as a fringe event.
I was really disapointed me this year with the lineup, if I wanted to see the likes of Zane Lowe I’d go along to a Radio 1or T4 event thankfully for small mercies at least he wasn’t performing with his band.
And who were No Lovers, Ocean Bottom Nightmare or Swiines for example it felt like I had stumbled into some Battle of the Bands competition, the quality of some of the acts playing this year was pretty awful. I’ve previously stated with Dot to Dot usually you may not have heard of some of the acts but they’ve always been of a high standard. I can understand the promoters booking smaller bands to cut down on cost but still you can get some decent local/unsigned bands. Nottingham for example has some amazing up & coming acts such as Aja, Prize Pets, Guilty Parents and supergroup Black Powder made up of members of Punish The Atom and Cuban Crimewave amongst others. I’d imagine you could easily say the same for Manchester and Bristol. I like to think that I know who a lot of upcoming bands are and my friends who I attended with are avid gig goers and some friends who are in bands also attended but none of us had even heard of most of the acts playing and after hearing Sharks and The Crookes I wish I hadn’t heard them.
Dot to Dot is one of the few events that I actually pay to attend and is usually one of the highlights of my gig going calendar and I’ve always found it to be excellent value for money having seen Patrick Wolf, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Soft Pack, Titus Andronicus and Vivian Girls for example at last year’s event. This year the only big names that floated my boat were Liars, Peggy Sue and Blood Red Shoes. Where were the likes of Best Coast Male Bonding, Dum Dum Girls? Instead we get has beens 80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster who although I’ve enjoyed watching them in the past now seem a shadow of of their former glory. Where previously there’s been clashes in the schedule this year I struggled to find a band worth watching. Having said that I did enjoy Beach House, Islet and Boat To Row .
Yes Dot to Dot shares many similarities with Camden Crawl and Great Escape but it’s always had a charm of it’s own with one of the friendliest crowds and a great atmosphere. Who could forget watching Dan Deacon when he got the entire room to be part of his act.
I could see this year that the line up affected it’s ticket sales as I didn’t have to queue to get in anywhere and if I wanted to I could’ve easily got to the front of the stage whereas every other year I had to go into a venue at least an hour before certain acts to guarantee entry.
If Dot to Dot next year is going to as middle of the road as this year was I for one will be spending my money elsewhere, however if they decide to reclaim some integrity and book some innovative acts then there may still be some hope.
Thee Oh Sees - Basement Bar 2nd June
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112551545455215
Smith Westerns - Spanky Van Dykes Nottingham 4th June
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120874564602403
Jonah Matranga - Hare & Hounds 6th June
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Grafitti - Spanky Van Dykes, Nottingham 12th June
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=124835027536071
Ganglians - Bodega, Nottingham 25th June
One of my new favourite bands is Trash Kit, their self titled debut record is out now via Upset The Rhythm http://www.upsettherhythm.co.uk/shop.shtml
Here’s the video for their song Cadets see if you can spot our friend Steph from ATTA girl!
Trash Kit - Cadets from Upset The Rhythm on Vimeo.
Words by HEATHER CONNOR
Although There Is No Revolution is the shortest zine we’ve featured on here at just just a couple of pages of doubled sided A4 it is pretty jam packed with previous issues featuring reviews of The Soft Pack, Paradise Vendors Inc compilation amongst other treats such as top tens and crosswords.
What makes this zine stand out is it’s dedication to the Tamworth music scene as although I live miles from Tamworth I’d never really known about any acts from the area. Here I’ve been introduced to the likes of The Owlsa, Pressure Kids, Black Fang, At The Zoo and The Switches.
David Malys the man behind There Is No Revolution explains what inspired him to start his zine.
Who is behind the fanzine?
It’s just myself, after making the first couple of issues i’d asked about if anyone was interested in contributing to it, and while I did get a few offers, I had decided I was enjoying producing it on my own so much and would carry on that way. I may have some guest contributions in it in the future, but for the moment it’s just me.
How often do you publish each issue?
So far I’ve produced them to coincide with local gigs in Tamworth, where the chance to distribute them to the people who would be interested in reading would be greater. Thats been my only target, if I’ve got it into my head that I want to have an issue ready for a gig, I’ll work hard to get it done in time.
What prompted you to produce a zine in the first place?
It was after attending a gig promoted by This Is Tomorrow alongside Tough Love Records for their Vilest Thug Loop Single Launch in February. There had been talk between a few like minded friends in Tamworth about producing a fanzine about the local music scene for a good couple of years, and nothing had ever come of it, but while on the train journey back home after the gig, I felt inspired by what This is Tomorrow and Tough Love Records have achieved in their two fields as a promotor and as a independent record label, and decided I would do it myself.
The name of the fanzine was inspired by a lyric from a song ‘Heart Attack American’ by The Bronx.
What influences you when you’re putting together an issue?
Normally it will be the gigs i’ve attended, be that ones of Tamworth bands, or others i’ve seen elsewhere, or records i’ve been listening to, books i’ve been reading on a band, or genre of music. Generally it’s all things music!
Production wise what kind of methods do you use? i.e. scanner or cut & paste for example.
I design it via publisher at the moment, i’ve found it to be a pretty simple way to produce by, though I do like the idea of cut & paste, the hand made look is great. Printing wise i’ve been lucky that a friend at a local council run venue has printed the fanzines out for me so far, which has been a great help as my own printer is ancient (I’m looking to invest in a new one asap so I don’t have to rely on others to get things printed!)
Tell me how you distribute your zine
Normally I will have them on me in person at the gigs, get them put out on a band’s merchandise table, on tables in the venue, or will literally walk around the gig and hand them to people. I have had copies of one issue put into our local Tourist Information Centre, and this is something i’m hoping that can be done regularly. I have posted them out to a few people I know who were interested to see it but live a distance away.
Why print a zine instead of other methods such as blogging?
While the internet and blogs are a great way to read about music, I feel a physical fanzine still has it’s place. Everything seems to be going digital, but there’s something special about something you can hold, to look at, put on your shelf, similarly in the same way with vinyl, the artwork is larger and great to look at. It’s also down to a love of seeing and reading about old fanzines like ‘Punk’ (Legs Mcneil) and Sniffin’ Glue (Mark Perry), alongside the incredible flyers created for Black Flag by Raymond Pettibon. They are a record of the time, the music, and what was happening.
What was the first zine you ever read?
‘Thee Humbug’ produced by Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation. It was around the time that Arctic Monkeys were starting to create a real buzz (April/May 2005) and I came across it online while searching for information about the band. It also made me aware of other Sheffield bands coming up around the same time, like Milburn, The Long Blondes, Bromheads Jacket.
Are there any other zines you feel an affinity with?
Not really an affinity with, but I really like the ATTA Girl and Out Of Step ones i’ve managed to get my hands on, and like I mentioned before, the punk ones from the past, which really document the music scene and the feel of the time they were from.
What is the future of self publishing?
I think you’ll still see people self publishing for the foreseeable future, despite the ease of the internet and blogging. A physical fanzine, magazine, book etc something you can hold, to look at feels just that little bit special and hopefully there are many others out there who think this way.
Do you have a website?
No, not at this moment, i’m hoping to get a facebook group set up for the fanzine soon (This will require me staying in and not going to so many gigs!) build up a list of friends on there who are interested in reading the fanzine, and can hopefully spread word of mouth of it.
Words by HEATHER CONNOR
Photo by ROB TROMANS
For the latest in our record label profiles the spotlight this time is on Speech Fewapy Records a Birmingham based record label, online radio station and DIY fashion label run by local Indie band The Traps. Bassist Nick Berry tells us more.
Who is involved with Speech Fewapy and what does each person bring to it?
Speech Fewapy Records is a record label and DIY fashion house run by Birmingham band The Traps
The four of us live together and have our house running as an office, party house, studio, shirt production facility…you name it. We are all hands on deck getting involved and share the the responsibility of what Speech Fewapy can be so we all enjoyment of being a part of each area.
We want as many people to be involved with Speech Fewapy as possible as possible. We are trying to create a community feel for all things creative, not only music. A lot of people who wear our t-shirts (YOU NEED SPEECH FEWAPY) send in photographs which we stream in an album from our site ‘The Speech Fewapy Family’ which then link through to a website which looks at what they’re interest/art is in.
What made you launch a record label in the first place what’s been your key focus?
We conceived the idea about 18 months ago. It was firstly set up for releasing music we were making with The Traps. We put out 3 EP’s last year digitally and made them available for free. The response was really great and gained momentum with each release and it really gave us the belief to start looking at setting up properly and releasing other artists music as well as our own.
With Speech Fewapy, we’re not experts within the music industry, we love music so we are applying what we pick up from following music to how we think the label should be run. We want to build it organically and learn as we go along, we’re certainly going to look at doing full album releases and vinyl press too.
Is the label run out of necessity or for ideological reasons?
With each release we have done so far with the label be it The Traps or anyone else, we have tried to treat each one with its own different approach. With each Traps record we have produced the EP’s created the artwork and videos ourself, as we are doing with all our releases, so it adheres to the DIY mentality of Speech Fewapy. We get a lot of enjoyment out of thinking of different ways in which we can put out the music, advertise/promote it to people. It’s not about making money but more about getting to work with other people creatively in areas other than just the music itself! and so far thats been rewarding for both ourselves and the artists involved. We want to be seen as the front runners in new ideas and approachs - and so far week in week out we have been setting up new competitions, offers to get people involved with the label using things from the ‘Foursquare’ phone app to QR code releases.
How do you decide who to release, do you choose the bands or do they come to you?
As we are still a very young label, we have had in our mind who we would like to work with. We have just put out an EP from Greg Bird & Flamingo Flame called ‘Shruburbia’ which is on free download from our site now http://www.speechfewapy.com . Greg has been great to work with as not only is his music fantastic but he is very open and creative when it comes to new ideas of putting his name out there which has made it fun! We got a couple more projects at the moment which again are really exciting but are at very early stages, so I guess we try and look for artists who are in it for the same reasons we are.
Based on your experiences so far what advice would you give to anyone starting a record label?
Ultimately its got to be fun. Hard work can be not just rewarding but a lot of fun. We have become equally known for our t-shirts, caps, stickers, parties and podcasts aswell as music we put out, and for me all these extra aspects are part of what being a label is about. We’re on as many people to come and join the ride with us from whatever creative direction they are coming in from!
What bands/records are you currently listening to?
This is going to sound biased but have been listening to Greg Bird & Flamingo Flame’s Shruburbia EP that we just put out alot of late. Other than that the new LCD soundsystem record is good, Gorillaz, and round here seen some great shows involving artists such as Tom Peel, who is awesome if you havent seen him!
What’s next for Speech Fewapy, what’s the ultimate plan?
We have got a new EP for Greg Bird & Flamingo Flame coming out in the Summer. Will be putting out a split physical release for The Traps and a band from Virginia called Stolen Arms. We working with a few other artists around Birmingham at the moment also. We currently run monthly podcasts from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Montreal, New York so we are going to be looking to expand on that and then finally employ more staff to print the now famous YOU NEED SPEECH FEWAPY t-shirts to try and keep up with the demand!
Releases: Greg bird & Flamingo Flame - Shruburbia EP - OUT NOW on free download The Traps & Stolen Arms (US) - split release out early July
Website: http://www.speechfewapy.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/speechfewapy
Greg Bird & Flamingo Flame - Shruburbia on FREE download at: http://www.speechfewapy.com/music/store/shruburbia
The Traps: http://www.myspace.com/thetrapsofficial
Greg Bird & Flamingo Flame: http://www.myspace.com/flamingoflame
Here’s what I played at ATTA girl at Island Bar on Saturday 8th May. Hope you enjoy it!
Billy Childish & Holly Golightly - Upside Mine
Wanda Jackson - Funnel of Love
The Kills - U R A Fever
Gossip - Yr Mangled Heart
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
Erase Errata - Tongue Tied
Huggy Bear - Her Jazz
Salt n Pepa - Push It
Le Tigre - After Dark
Florence & The Machine - Youv’e Got The Love
Yacht - Psychic City
Raveonettes - My Boyfriend’s Back
Peggy Sue - Television
Battles - Atlas (Radio edit)*
Bis - Eurodisco
Mika Miko- Jogging Song (He’s Your Mr Right)
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
* I know it’s not a female vocalist. Played by accident but it went down well!
