Albums of 2011 (and gigs…)

Ahhhhh a list. Love em or hate em. I personally love em…whether they be shopping, bucket or Schindler’s. People get so irate over end-of-year lists don’t they? They say ‘HOW DARE YOU RATE THE WANTED OVER NICKI MINAJ!!!  (check me out…i’m down with the hep cats…) YOU MUST BE MENTALLY UNBALANCED!!!’ Well, don’t take this list too seriously as my mind changes as often as a member of the Sugababes…this is just what I think in this particular moment at this exact point in time (10.48AM GMT, Monday 28th November 2011).

Also…for your records, this is Wit writing…hello. I don’t want you to exact revenge on one of the other GangBangers just because i’ve placed X higher than Y. That just wouldn’t be on. Unless it’s Jack. Cos his list would be awful.

So…mince pie in hand, Bailey’s poured, fire crackling….let’s begin.

…oh by the way – i’m doing a top 15…just because I want to…

15) Radiohead – The King of Limbs

Shock! Horror! A Radiohead record has been released and it’s not my number one! These truly are end times! Well the truth is that, although there’s some good stuff on there…it’s just not top 10 material. Codex is lovely though. Like Thom’s dance moves.

14) DELS – Gob

My hip-hop knowledge is not as sharp as it might be but I know what’s good and this is ruddy good. (ps my first ever band when I was 13 was a comedy rap band with my brother and I used to listen to his Pete Rock & CL Smooth and Lords of the Underground CD’s quite a lot….does this make me more street? No? Oh.)

13) Josh T Pearson – Last of the Country Gentlemen

I haven’t had very long with this record so, over time, I’d imagine this would place much higher…on the first few listens though it is indeed splendid and has introduced me to the wonderous Lift to Experience so that’s nice…

12) Roddy Woomble – The Impossible Song

Long time BangFans will know of my worrying man-love for young Roddy…ever since his early Idlewild days he can do nowt wrong in my eyes and this album is a joy. So that’s nice too…

11) Elbow – Build A Rocket Boys!

Another cracking record from everyones favourite angel-voiced plumbers…in other years this would probably be higher on the list but personally I think 2011 has been an exceptional year for musical releases. So there. I’m sure Elbow aren’t too fussed. I would like to try their ale though.

10) The Antlers – Burst Apart

Critics darlings but for once completely justified. A beautiful record though not quite as wondrous as ‘Hospice’ so just edging into my top 10…I would like to see these live please. As Jim can no longer Fix It for me i’m asking Santa.

9) The Duke Spirit – Bruiser

I love Leila Moss and her band. That is all.

8) Beirut – The Rip Tide

More marvellous merriment from Monsieur Condon and co. Managed to get a gorgeous see-through vinyl of it too. Does that matter? OF COURSE IT DOES.

7) Patrick Wolf – Lupercalia

He’s got some lungs on him this lad. ‘House’ is one of my pop songs of the year too. Not just because it shares a name with a certain medical series about a miserable genius that i’m semi-obsessed with.

6) St Vincent – Strange Mercy

Probably the freshest thing to grace my ears for some time. Amazing guitarist she is n’all. Well done Annie.

5) PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

Not really getting why people have said this album is love or hate – it’s Polly Jean at her finest in my ears. I also love ‘White Chalk’ though and lots of folk don’t care for that. Those people are called idiots.

4) Wild Beasts – Smother

To be honest, my top 5 are completely interchangeable. This would deffo sit easily and proudly as my fave album of the year but, perhaps because I’ve listened to it so very very much, today it’s at 5. Sorry lads. I STILL LOVE YOU!!!!

3) Bon Iver – s/t

See above. Amazing stuff. Even the 80′s power ballad. ESPECIALLY the 80′s power ballad.

2) Metronomy – The English Riviera

Caught me by surprise this’n. Having seen em a few times and heard their earlier stuff I was always left a bit underwhelmed but this album is nigh on perfection. It also contains one of the best pop songs ever in ‘The Look’. That keyboard solo at the end…yes….

…and DRUM ROLL PLEASE…..

1) Bjork – Biophillia

Just astounding. May mean more to me because of seeing her perform it live in Iceland this year (on my 30th birthday too..) but it’s an absolutely amazing piece of work. Not just in the innovative way it was released, the app’s, the bizarre instruments and her top notch wig. The songs themselves are also 1st class. And after all boys n girls…that’s what it’s all about innit?

So…there you go. My Albums of 2011. As I say I can’t speak for the others (though I dare say Rhodesy would have Stephen Malkmus and The Fall high up there…I haven’t got those albums yet so will have to ask for a lend…) and Keef and Ell Greggo might have gone for a bit of Tyler, the Creator (I love ‘Yonkers’ but can’t bring myself to love the rest of the album…). Rox will no doubt be rocking out to the Deftones (actually that might’ve been last year…soz) and Jack is probs relaxing in the bath to Sade but WHO KNOWS. You’ll have to ask them…

I’m not gonna list the various TBOTB offshoot albums/side projects as it’s a bit unfair but both Rox’s album and The Retrospective Soundtrack Players LP were excellent. Go buy them both. Special mentions also go to The Horrors, Tom Waits, I Break Horses, Zun Zun Egui, Washed Out, Mogwai, Blood Orange and, of course, there’s loads more that escape my mind or that I haven’t really given enough time to. As always, being a skint musician (who DOESN’T ILLEGALLY DOWNLOAD) means I can’t afford a lot of the stuff that I want. Add to this the fact that i’m always catching up on the last 1000 odd years of music means that really, when it comes down to it…THIS LIST MEANS NOTHING. Still, it’s kept us both out of trouble for 10 mins and I feel like we’ve bonded. Do you?

While i’m here – i’m gonna do a gig list too. I’m feeling frivolous, footloose and fancy free!

15) Bob Dylan/Fionn Regan/Shane McGowan – Feis Festival, London

Bob’d be higher but I’ve seen him before, I was surrounded by 20,000 drunk Irish folk (both a plus and a minus…) and I left before the encore when he played ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, ‘All Along the Watchtower’ and ‘Blowin in the Wind’. Oops. Fionn played on a quiet acoustic stage about 10 metres from where The Waterboys were bellowing out ‘Whole of the Moon’ so I could only hear about 40% and Shane McGowan…well he’s Shane McGowan (again, both a positive and a negative…)

14) Beach House – Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland Airwaves

I think just the fact that when I saw them support Grizzly Bear in Brighton last year they blew me away might’ve lessened the impact this time round. Still proper good though.

13) Andy Foster/Stealing Sheep – The Wedge, Southsea & Kinky Boot Beasts – The Cellars, Eastney

A tie here. Lovely stuff from both Mr Foster and the Sheep Stealers. Saw them supporting Emmy the Great. Who really wasn’t great. Kinky Boot Beasts played with Dave and myself’s other band Analogue Manilow. And really were great.

12) Howling Bells – The Wedge, Southsea

They didn’t play ‘Low Happening’. THE HEARTLESS BASTARDS.

11) Other Lives – KEX, Iceland Airwaves

Watched them soundcheck in a tiny little bar. Lovely.

10) The Walkmen – The Wedge, Southsea

We supported them. They were aloof and didn’t talk to us. I kind of liked it though. And they played ‘The Rat’. YOU HEAR THAT HOWLING BELLS??

9) Deerhunter – Shepherd Bush Empire. London

Lots of scenester tossers there. This would probably have placed higher were it not for them talking balls incessantly everywhere you turned.

8) Borko – Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland Airwaves

‘Ding Dong Kingdom’. Nuff said.

7) Wild Beasts – Concorde 2, Brighton

‘WATCH ME! WATCH ME!’ This would’ve been top 3 but for some bizarre reason (a club night or something…) the curfew was 10pm on a Saturday night meaning they started at 8.30. Myself, Mrs W, Ell Greggo and Rhodesy arrived after much mulled wine at about 9 hoping to catch the end of support band Dutch Uncles only to be met with the Beast’s a quarter of the way through their set! D’oh! Still, we did then end up in, not one, but two gay night clubs so every cloud n’ that…

6) Clock Opera – The Wedge, Southsea Fest

Really want to see this band again as I had drunk a lot of brandy prior to this gig. I think it was very good…in fact i’m pretty sure it was…DAMN YOU BRANDY!

5) Retro Stefson – Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland Airwaves

‘KIMBA! KIMBA!’ The liveliest folks I’ve seen since….I saw them a couple of years ago. Chirpy, funky and danceable are not words often associated with me but they’re infectious. Some of the other Bangers saw them play in a launderette or something too. I’ve been telling every Ron, Mick and Larry in Blighty about them ever since…

4) Roddy Woomble – The Point, Eastliegh

See my Album List. Worrying.

3) Donovan – Albert Hall, London

Played the whole ‘Sunshine Superman’ album with an orchestra. Then sat cross-legged and pretended it was still 1966. We got a free upgrade to one o’ them posh boxes. Noel Gallagher was next to us. It was a fun evening all round.

2) John Grant – Harpa, Iceland Airwaves

Bloody hell. I had a tear in my eye all the way through. As did Mrs W. Not just because of the Birthday shots of Cointreau either. Absolutely beautiful.

1) Bjork – Harpa, Iceland Airwaves

She’s only gone and done the double! Just 750 people there and in a stunning venue. I’ve been to a handful of gigs in my life that have been that outstanding. Made me want to give up. In a good way.

And that’s that. Again there’s probs loads of others that i’ve forgotten about so don’t shout at me too much. All in all though –  in a year where dosh has been tight, tight, tight and thus festivals and gigs have been few and far between for me, I’m happy to have seen and heard some absolutely awe-inspiring stuff. Now…back to TBOTB recording. FINALLY.

MERRY EASTER.

xxxx

Incestuous Southsea…

Autumns spindly fingers are slowly creeping around us here in the South of England and this chill morn seems like a good time to post. Things are rosy in Camp Bang at the mo – writing more than ever and it looks like we finally might all find the time to get together and record all this new stuff soon. It always seems to be winter for us when we record – I guess we’re a winter band….here are some early demo’s for the forthcoming album:

Latest tracks by thebofthebang

For the uninitiated I should probs introduce you to a few of our other projects – the reason that organising our gigs and recording is similar in scale to organising the Olympics…

Ready? Deep breath…

I myself (Wit) try and devote most of my time to The B of the Bang but I also have a lovely side project on the go with Dave Of-The-Bang (who I’ve been in bands with half my life) and former Bang-man Mighty Matt E (The Myth). It’s called Analogue Manilow and is much rawer and grungier than TBOTB. This is us:

Latest tracks by Analogue Manilow

On top of that, i’m currently recording solo stuff for a film and I also play live with The Dawn Chorus who are recording at the mo:

http://www.thedawnchorus.com/blog/

A few of The Dawn Chorus have their own side project signed to Xtra Mile called The Retrospective Soundtrack Players: Who’s their drummer? Well if it’s not our very own Elliott Gregg! This be them:

http://retrospectivesoundtrackplayers.blogspot.com/

Greggles also does his own DJ/electronic thang that goes by the name of St Robe:

Latest tracks by SaintRobe

Keefy Beefy, our bassman, plays with the aforementioned DC and has his own ace solo guise called Tom Fossum:

http://www.myspace.com/tomfossum

He took over from The Ox who plays in a reggae/dub/rock band called Zegema Beach with…..yes you guessed it! Our heroine Roxanne Johns – who also plays and records top-notch solo stuff:

http://www.facebook.com/Zegemabeach

www.roxannejohns.co.uk/

Confused yet? You will be. Jack and me used to play in his band Hats are for Heads and he also does remixes under the name of Billy and The Bears. When he’s not organising hostile take-overs.

http://www.myspace.com/hatsareforheads

http://www.myspace.com/billyandthebearsmusic

I think that’s most of it covered…might have missed out one or two bands but it’s so incestuous here in Southsea that it’s hard to keep track. Most of us have something to do with this wee DIY label here so have a peek and, if you’re feeling all communal, like – p’raps buy an album or 2 and keep us all in electricity for another week.

http://jellymaidmusic.com/

To play you out – a cover of one of my favourite artists – the lovely John Grant:

and a new song:

DONE!!!

TTFN
xxxxx

ps tomorrow (Tues 8th November) we’re playing one of our last gigs of the year at The Edge of the Wedge with the excellent Chapman Family. Do come say hi yes?

Southsea Fest

Hoi hoi all

Southsea Fest this year was probably our best gig so far in my opinion…we’ve had the pleasure of being involved in it in some way or another ever since it’s humble beginnings 5 years ago. It never fails to be anything less than a most splendid day. Although, when we played last year we had a monumental technical meltdown with an erroneous bottle of water being sent tumbling (in Matrix-style slo-mo) onto our power supplies just as we stepped on stage, thus shorting out all our amps and fx pedals. Not ideal. I think we slayed (slaid? slew?) them demons good n proper this year, mind…

This year’s fest was a huge event for our wee home town so a round of applause is due for all involved. 150 odd bands and 15 venues involved with some of the most exciting up and coming artists around – Clock Opera at the Wedge were outstanding as was Fionn Regan in the splendour of The Kings Theatre. Gutted I missed Dry the River and couldn’t get in to our Dawn Chorus/RSP pal Kyle D Evans solo set but had a great night all round nevertheless. For some reason or another we started on rounds of Port in the evening. Odd. But pleasant.

Anyway – here’s some footage of us, also in the lovely setting of The Kings Theatre, playing ‘Film Noir’ & ‘Reykjavik 101′…see you at next years fest eh?

Next step. BACK IN TO THE RECORDING STUDIO. FINALLY.

Shabbey Road Sessions – Number 3

Hey, hi, ho followers of le Bang. Hope this Friday finds you spiffingly well?

Here be yet another blog packed full of vitamins, minerals and other health-giving goodness for you. A bit like a pint of Guinness.

The new album, what with it being a rock opera about ‘love, death and mental illness’ is taking more time than we thought but hey….perfection takes time doesn’t it? A bit like a pint of Guinness.

The songs we’ve recorded so far are dark and stormy but with a hopeful, yearning, frothy white top. A bit like a….you get the idea. Guinness, if you’d like to get in touch re sponsorship….we’re open to offers.

A quick list off the top of my head of things that are inspiring the writing and recording of the new album.

Hugely under-rated 90s TV show American Gothic

The writing of Martin Amis

Electro shock therapy & Victorian asylums

Strange dreams about a parallel 1930′s Asia

Twin Peaks (always)

Iceland (the country, not the Kerry Katona endorsed shop)

Manga

Serial killers

Guinness (come on…get in touch…)

The writings of JG Ballard

Reverb

Pan’s Labrynth

Unfulfilled human potential

The feeling that something isn’t quite right

Hugely under-rated 90s TV show Eerie Indiana

Weird medical practices from bygone days. Bloodletting, lobotomies, leeches….y’know the score…

The Wicker Man (not the Nicholas Cage one…Christ no…)

The writings of Cormac McCarthy

The end of the world

Laugh-a-minute stuff eh? Actually, the music itself is probably chirpier than ‘Beginning. Middle. End.’ (well, some of it…) – I’ve always liked the juxtaposition of lyrics full of melancholy and despair set to jaunty pop tunes. Basically, there’s a linear (sort of…) story and a recurring group of characters that thread through all of our new music…it’s more like an unfinshed soundtrack to an unwritten movie. I’ll stop rabbiting on and post some vids here eh?

First up – ‘This Will All Be Gone Tomorrow’

Next, I found the ‘effects’ button on Photo Booth….’Never to be Seen Again’

And finally, lets finish with a cover of one of my favourite ever songs shall we? I’m unsure as to why I’m sporting this Russian style hat teamed with a cowboy shirt. It seemed suitable.

nb I’m seeing Bjork at Iceland Airwaves on my birthday this year. I am more excited about this than is good for me.

Ta ta for now lovers.

xx

Shabbey Road Sessions #2

Entries in this blog are like buses….you wait a while then have to pay £3.40 to get a return to the chip shop. Or something.

Here’s a few more vids…I rarely leave the confines of my flat (if at all possible) so expect more of the same in the coming weeks. Just call me Strickland Banks (nb you have to be somewhat ‘down with the kids’ to appreciate this reference…however, you’re reading this blog so that makes you at least 70% cooler than most ordinary folk…I expect you know what i’m rabbiting on about…) if not, send an email…BUT NOT TO ME. God, no.

First up – an unreleased song that’s been knocking about for a while. It does actually have a proper ending…I just messed it up here. It’s called ‘So Scared’ and was written as part of an unreleased soundtrack of Bang songs for an unreleased film. We’re so cutting edge, we don’t even RELEASE stuff anymore. You just have to guess how it sounds…

The film is called ‘Before Your Eyes’ and has been written by the uber talented Pinter Moments chaps. They’ve been good friends of ours since the early days (they made the ‘Lung’ video don’cha’kno…it’s been downhill since then really…) and the script is rather lovely…perhaps one day it will see the light of day. Potential investors, send an email. TO ME. God, yes.

Talking of me messing up…here’s a cover of the wonderful Patrick Wolf song ‘House’. I’m beavering away there on the mandolin but I only really know 3 chords and this had 4 so excuse the faffing. I suppose I could have re-recorded all this stuff after a couple of practices but where’s the fun in that eh? Everything in the Shabbey Road Sessions is 1st take or not at all. Much like life. Deep stuff.

So there you go…I’m gonna bung the ol’ vid of ‘Lung’ up here too just because it’s good (showing that, if we pull our fingers out, we can actually achieve something) and talking about it made me watch it for the first time in a couple of years. My hairdo’s have not improved.

W
xx

Shabbey Road Sessions – vol 1

Oh hello…didn’t see you there…you alright?

Well with the world plunging evermore into madness financially and morally, thought i’d post up a few vids. They might brighten your dwindling spirit, or they may effect you in such a way that you choose to pop out and rob the nearest Lidl. The choice, as our Graham used to say on Blind Date, is yours…

Basically, within the last month or so, I have been forced….nay, hurled….into the 21st century by obtaining a new phone and mac within the space of about a week. Hence the quality/dodgy effects/inexplicable vest on these little puppies.

First up is AN EXCLUSIVE BRAND NEW SONG (in my head that voice over was Rutger Hauer…like them butter ads…) – it’s called ‘Aim High’ (which Elliott tells me sounds like a song title that should be in Glee or summat…I have no idea what he’s on about…)

So that’s the phone video mastered…onto the ol’ lappy toppy. And the aforementioned ill-advised attire…a cover of one of my fave songs of the year thus far. In fact, the whole Metronomy album is really rather spiffing…

And finally, back to the hi-tech, no-expense spared, FX laden adventure-fest of the phone camera and a tour of my spare room. For no reason, other than i’d had a few drinks. Enjoy.

You’ve got a nerve to be asking a favor (or favour)…

Howdy hi pop-pickers

Haven’t posted here for a wee while have we? Apologies for that…rest assured we’ve been as busy as beavers (who are renowned for being particularly busy…I suspect because building and maintaining a dam requires a lot of effort…)

An excellent mini-tour over the weekend last properly inaugurated the fine talent that is bassman extraordinaire Keefy Beefy into The Bang….it culminated with him swallowing a penny for reasons that we shan’t divulge here (7.5% cider may have been a contributory factor, however…). Thankyou Brighton, London and Preston. It was emotional.

Next up – we’re all moist with anticipation as we’re supporting one of our favourite ever bands The Walkmen! Yes, we’re supporting those actual sexy American indie legends (and I don’t bandy that term about willy…or indeed…nilly…) tonight – and it’s on home turf too at our most loved Southsea venue The Wedgewood Rooms. The icing on the cake is that the excellent Retrospective Soundtrack Players (our drummer Eggliott Egg’s other band feat members of the equally splendid Dawn Chorus) are on the bill too! Frankly, you’d be an ingrate not to be in attendance. AN INGRATE, Y’HEAR??!!?

After that we’re playing at one of our fave venues in our home-away-from-home (bizarrely…) of Cambridgethis forthcoming Saturday. Headlining the Buzz Festival at The Haymakers I believe. They’ve got a cider bar so might keep ol’ Keefy away from that….

So that’s how for now…we’ll see you down the front for ‘The Rat’ yes? Will let you know how it all goes. Here’s some piccies of us chillaxing at home for no real reason other than I just found them…

Wit
xxx

Some Live Footage for your Ears and Eyes.

So we played at The Rhythm Factory t’other day (14/4/11) with our good friends REVERE (incredible band – http://blog.revereonline.co.uk/) and also the rather splendid Her Name is Calla. It was a most pleasant eve and a young lady, cryptically called Boudicca, filmed some of our set so here it is:

‘Sharks of the Atomic Atoll’

‘Film Noir/Reykjavik 101’

‘The Forest’

The whole thing is over here if you wish to have a look-see…

http://www.songkick.com/concerts/7988536-her-name-is-calla-at-rhythm-factory/videos

I’m off to listen to The Stills on repeat as I’ve just heard they’ve split up….rubbish…they were an incredible band so go look them up after you’ve watched our vids. THEN DO SOME WORK AND STOP SKIVING!

Wit
xxx

FOSSUM ON A BOSMAN!!!

This hazy golden morning brings both good news and bad news in Camp Bang (oo-er missus…)

Let’s start, as they always do in films, with the bad shall we? Our beautiful bass man Ox has decided to follow the ways of the Blood God Khorne and dedicate himself full time to painting Warhammer models. The thing is, he paints all of them to have his own face. This is a little worrying I feel….

Of course, he hasn’t really…I jest…no, our Ox is off on a voyage of self discovery learning the twin mantras of Reggae and Folk. This, alas, leaves him no time to administer his taut, coiled low notes to us bunch of chancers so he’ll be stepping down after our next couple of shows….sniff sniff….they grow up so fast….

We would like to thank him for all his lovely efforts and the fact that he introduced the almighty drink of Brothers & Gin into the band.

GOOD LUCK OX. MAY THE SEEDS OF LIFE BE FRUITFUL FOR YOU.

Now the good news. For every cloud has it’s silver lining. The departure of Ox leaves some pretty daunting shoes to fill (if a shoe can indeed be classed as daunting…). However, there is but one man alive who I feel can deftly and sexily fill those very shoes. We introduce the next character in our strange and wonderful fable:

KEEF (aka Keefy Beefy, Tom Fossum, Good Evans) – Yes oh yes. No-one can shake a fringe like he can. No-one can sport a Wrestling T-Shirt quite so nonchalantly. He provides the bass for The Dawn Chorus and his solo Nordic Football themed Tom Fossum project. He brings with him his faithful guitar lead Curly Sue and frankly we’re very lucky to get him this late on in the transfer window. There are a few agents fee’s to sort out and a clause that allows him to opt out of European games but dagnammit it’s good to have him on board.

So, a brave new future beckons once more. Get yourself down to one of the following shows to see off The Ox in style won’t you?

APRIL 14^th – The Rhythm Factory, Whitechapel (w/ Her Name is Calla & Revere)

APRIL 23^rd – Lennons, Southampton (w/ Thomas Tantrum)

MAY 1^st – Acoustic set @ Edge of the Wedge, Southsea (w/ The Retrospective Soundtrack Players)

Until then, you can see the big man in action one last time here where we were all very hungover due to consumption of aforementioned B&G’s. Filmed by the excellent HiveLocal, this is a new song called ‘Bungalow Town’.

Wit

xxx

Recording..Day…er….whatever….

The B of the Bang are April Fools…

Just in case any of you did believe the last blog entry…we haven’t really split up to indulge in Moussaka farming etc…it was all a silly rouse, a fanciful escapade, frivolous shenanigans and carefree whimsy…

Onwards. And upwards.

So today’s vid is called Day 4. Not sure why as it was filmed over about a month. Perhaps a day on Jupiter? Lets just call this entry ‘Day 4 and 5, 6, 7, 8, 9…etc…’ shall we? All clear? No? Good.

Lots o’ fun and frolics had here. Starting with, as always, a cock up. Had a lovely productive day laying down some ‘fresh, next level shit’ (or something…I don’t really know what that means…) only to discover after several hours that I had the guitar in some ridiculous tuning. Whoops. Start again.

So, the following moving images contain snippets of several new numbers. Namely, they are:

All Our Days Are Wasted
Chemikals
Sharks of the Atomic Atoll
Bungalow Town

It also shows our penchant for dipping into dodgy classic rock tracks or smooth 90’s G-funk whenever a camera is around. We really must stop that.

Many thanks to:
Roland and Ravenous Promotions at The Wilmington Arms, London.
Everyone at The Haymakers, Cambridge
Chris and all at The Guestlist, Express FM
Mark and HiveLocal (who filmed a sneaky peek video which we’ll show you soon…)
Harry for just generally hanging around

More silliness…same time….next time….

Wit

xxx