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Restless Natives Festival to debut in Glasgow!
An ambitious new multidisciplinary event - Restless Natives Festival - is set to open its doors this coming May in Glasgow.
The festival will take place in seven venues and studios around Glasgow's East End, May 9th - 15th 2016. It will be a cross-platform, multi-venue festival which aims to shine a light on independent purveyors of music, film, food and drink from Scotland and beyond.
“Restless Natives is looking to unite many different groups, creative industries, ethnicities, ages and socio-political perspectives under one broadly inclusive and progressive umbrella," explain the festival's organisers. "Proving to everyone who thinks otherwise that independent business and art can still thrive in an increasingly globalised world economy and that Scotland, with its celebrated reputation in these fields, is the perfect place to lead the way."
All events will be individually priced as affordably as possible to ensure accessibility for people from all economic backgrounds and the organisers will also be donating a portion of gate receipts towards specially nominated East End charities to help their community.
The festival already boasts a strong line up including Cardiff's agit rockers Future of the Left, Sheffield mathcore champions Rolo Tomassi, Canadian composer Tim Hecker, electronic maverick Blanck Mass Chicago favourites Into It. Over It, alt-rockers The Hotelier and Glasgow’s very own United Fruit. Full details of further showcases, film nights and talks programmed by Hotgem Music, Nightschool Records, No One Knows Records,Winning Sperm Party, Stretched, Fuzzkill Records, Nice n' Sleazy, Bloc+Music, Song, By Toad and Struggletown are also set to be announced very soon.
A number of film events have already been confirmed including The Skinny & The GFT presents Couple In A Hole with live Q&A by Geoff Barrow (BEAK>, Portishead) and Billy Fuller (BEAK>, Robert Plant Band), The Room featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary and live Q&A with Greg Sestero, Song, By Toad presents The Ambiguity Of David Thomas Broughton, Blood, Sweat and Vinyl : DIY in the 21st Century with live Q&A by director Kenneth Thomas, Une Chant D'Amour and A Page Of Madness with an exclusive live original score by Adam Stafford. Plus special guest-curated screens by The Glasgow Film Theatre, Africa In Motion, The Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival and The Radical Film Network.
Restless Natives Festival will take place May 9th - 15th 2016 and tickets are available via the Restless Natives website.
Right Hand Left Hand announce tour with Future Of The Left!
"...layer upon layer upon layer upon layer of devastating riffs." - Drowned in Sound
"... make enough noise to scare bands three times their size." - Stereoboard
“…leaves you wanting more.” - Visions
Right Hand Left Hand are delighted to announce the support of Future Of The Left on their UK tour. To celebrate the announcement the band, who's recently released album picked up great support from the alternative rock press, are giving away the album track Fermat's Last Theorem.
You can download the track now from the band's Soundcloud page or from the embed below.
The band have already had fantastic support from the likes of Drowned in Sound, BBC Wales, Stereoboard and GIGsoup around the two released tracks from the album so far; the soaring free download track Tarts and Darts and the official single Seat 18c. You can catch them with Future Of The Left at the following dates -
April 17th - Bodega, Nottingham
April 19th - Riverside, Newcastle
April 20th - Liverpool Arts Club, Liverpool
April 21st - Electric Ballroom, London
May 13th - Night and Day, Manchester
Despite the obvious post-rock influences, Right Hand Left Hand are much, much more than an experimental instrumental band. Intense, powerful yet melodic, Right Hand Left Hand defy the confines of one specific genre as they embrace elements of Krautrock, space-rock and electronica, as well as innovatively incorporating live loops and vocals to great effect.
The result is an immersive, technically brilliant record filled with layer upon layer of riffs that subvert the quiet/loud dynamic of post-rock into a loud/louder burst of action. Album opener, and single Seat 18c, kicks off proceedings beautifully and lays the cards on the table for what to expect throughout the 11 track album, as the expertly picked guitar pieces trade punches with meaty riffs, augmented by metronomic drumming. Nightmares In The Afternoon illustrate the bands unpredictable nature as the brooding, unnerving track builds slowly, incorporating vocals alongside their customary love of powerful riffs. While the relentless riffs of the aforementioned Tarts and Darts and Cliff Young Shuffle would make the likes of the Fucking Champs nod in appreciation.
Despite their unerring ability to sonically pulverise your eardrums, Right Hand Left Hand are in fact a two-piece band. Comprising Andrew Plain (drums/guitars) and Rhodri Viney (guitars/ vocals/ drums) and hailing from Cardiff, Wales, the duo played in a number of Cardiff based bands over the years. Having played a show with one of their former bands in a club in Groningen, Netherlands the pair, having heard Trans Am played by the DJ, were inspired to break out on their own, embracing an experimental set up of two members playing guitar, two drum kits, centered around a loop station, incorporating instrument swaps and all the while attempting to find out how heavy is too heavy.
Their decision to do so was inspired, as well as supporting Future Of The Left the band have headlined Swn Festival as well support the likes of Dead Meadow, Errors, The Mahjonng, The Mae Shi, Super Furry Animals, Funeral For A Friend and Los Campesinos.
Right Hand Left Hand's self-titled album is out now via Jealous Lovers Club. You can buy it via the Jealous Lovers Club bandcamp page.
Introducing… Luke Howard!
"...introspective and triumphant..." - Earmilk
Australian musician Luke Howard’s latest album Two Places, out 22nd April 2016 via Lukktone, is a triumphant, cinematic journey of sound. Each of the thirteen tracks on the album feel like their reaching out beyond time and space, spanning every emotion imaginable, and will leave you in a quiet state of euphoria by the end.
The title track from the album premiered on Earmilk but you can also stream it now via Luke's Soundcloud page or via the embed below.
Trained as a classical pianist, Luke worked for many years as a session musician and score writer for both television and film before taking the plunge and releasing his own solo records. Based in Melbourne, Australia, his previous releases have received rave reviews from the likes of BBC 6Music and The 405. Luke has also worked with Ben Frost and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as well as opening for 2015 Mercury Prize winner Benjamin Clementine at The Great Escape festival in Brighton.
With is new record Two Places, Luke continues with his exploration of piano and electronic music that he begun on his previous release Sun, Cloud. Each track is composed beautifully as Howard draws influences from composers like Arvo Pärt framed around the modern sounds of acts like Grandbrothers and Rachel’s.
With a fantastic musical pedigree behind him and great praise from a number of key tastemakers, Two Places is sure to cement Luke Howard as one of 2016’s most promising up and coming solo artists and composers.
Two Places is out 22nd April 2016 via Lukktone.
Lenin Death Mask release video for 7/4 Boreline
"...a jingly, math-pop delight..." - Punktastic
Following the release of their EP Three Hits via Fitlike Records late last year Lenin Death Mask have returned with a new video for the lead track from the EP 7/4 Boreline.
The video premiered on Punktastic but you can also watch now on the band's YouTube page or via the embed below.
Combining elements of punk rock, post-punk, pop and the more challenging, complex technicalities of math-rock, Lenin Death Mask have produced an EP full of head-bopping dynamism that will have you coming back for more and more. Three Hits is impossibly charming with the band able to showcase their enviable ability to produce genre defying music with time changes galore executed with a technical aplomb. Having pulled on a wide range of influences from Hall and Oates to Minutemen, Lenin Death Mask have evolved a sound akin to the bastard child of Tera Melos having a fight with Maps & Atlases officiated by members of Hella. If that doesn’t sound intriguing, you must be dead inside.
The EP was recorded by Phil Booth at JT Soar in Nottingham and was mixed by Joe Caithness of Subsequent Mastering. The current line-up comprises Craig Scott (guitar/bass/vocals), Tom Gilbert (guitar/bass/vocals), Peter Taylor (guitar/vocals) and Thomas Emslie (drums) having originally been formed by Craig and Grant Pirie in 2012 with the aim of producing music that wasn’t bound by set formulas. This certainly shines through as joyful, uplifting music is juxtaposed by lyrical content that, at times, can be emotionally charged.
Three Hits is out now via Fitlike Records and available to buy via the band's Bandcamp page.
Connah Evans releases single Wait For Me!
"...an energy-filled, yet emotion-strewn, slice of indie-pop." - Gigslutz
Connah Evans has released his new singleWait For Me via Heart Leap Records. The track is available to buy now on iTunes.
You can watch the video for the track, which premiered on Gigslutz, now via Connah’s YouTube channel.
Wait For Me is Connah's first release since last year's EP Labels. Connah shows off an up-beat sound more akin to Circa Waves or The 1975, however he remains true to himself with his heartfelt lyrics and songwriting talent.
The song tells the story of two estranged lovers that decide to try again but are wary of falling into the same traps that they did the first time. It is centred around the line “it makes me feel like I’m not alive”, representing that moment when, in their absence, you realise how important the person is to you. Clearly writing from such a personal experience allows Connah to make his music engaging, he explains “so many things happen to me, good and bad, I just write them down on paper and turn them into songs”.
On previous releases Connah has been heavily featured on BBC Wales, including being Artist of the Week. He has also supported childhood heroes of his The Hoosiers and performed at Wakestock Festival, building up a number of fans in the process. Wait For Me is not only an energetic, fun pop song but also represents an interesting development in Connah’s growth as a young musician.
Wait For Me is out now via Heart Leap Records and available on iTunes.