The English Disease is a new bass free trio featuring
Bang Bang Maxwell -drums
Maximus Volume – guitar
Max Factor – voice
You can catch them live at the following events
Monday 23rd March , the Hatch , Sheffield
Sunday 26th April , Oldham, Strummercamp Shangri-La stage
Thursday 4th June , Salford , The Eagle with The Sandells and JD Meatyard
Saturday 6th June – Stockport , Pressure Drop studios as part of Shockportia 2 (afternoon gig)
Riff heavy with funky rock beats and a touch of math-prog breaks they are well worth checking out – imagine Buddy Holly on steroids plus King Crimson in a blender with The Butthole Surfers and Don Van Vliet and you are somewhere adjacent sound wise.
This time around we are looking forward to what’s happening during February with German Shepherd Records…..
FEBRUARY RELEASES
7th -Positronik – Work
We kick off the month with a new four track EP from Manchester soul-pop trio Positronik. With songs from both instrumentalist Jeff “Captain” Black and singer Nathalie Haley there’s a certainly a lot of variety in the mix. Kicking off with Jeff Black’s Aretha inspired soul stomper, and EP lead track, W-O-R-K the stage is set for a set of dance floor classics. Nathalie’s dream-pop epic “Good So Bad” follows changing the mood, and next the soulful “Easy Money” again shifts gears highlighting her strong vocals. The set is completed with the hyper active pop drenched “When You Call Me ‘Sweetheart'”.
14th – Inferior Complex – Live on Sheppey FM
The ever busy Inferior Complex bring their post-punk sounds to the fore again with a live radio session album recorded live with Phil Crowder at Sheppey FM on his End of the Week show. This great collection reveals the trio’s great live sound. More information on this release next week. The band have a new single ready for release in May.
21st – Auster Boys – Lost In The Former East
The Austers are back with a new album of music from a flâneur perspective which this time focuses on a trip to Berlin and three jazz concerts in London. Iain Sinclair’s “The Last London” provides a literary back-drop to a psycho-geographical journey which slips between dreams and waking and where time and meaning/intent are blurred.
28th – Moff Skellington The Pukes of a Hot Cloister
We begin the monumental task of redistributing the bulk of Moff Skellington’s back catalogue this month. Moff will be providing brand new cover art for some editions. We begin with the memorable “Pukes of a Hot Cloister” a large portion of which was originally launched as a session of Bob’s Reformation Show on Salford City Radio some years back. New material from Moff is due in a few months time.
Manchester pop terrorists Crab Dance GIs return with a brand new single. Featuring KIT Bs Danny Cusick and former Hidden Gem Band Mates Craig Bodell and Paul Smith. This is their third single with us
28th – The Scissors – Look Good In Cheap Clothes, and Smokehouse and Mirrors
We redistribute the last two releases from Cambridge freakbeat/punkpop/new wave quartet – they return to Spotify/Apple/Google/Amazon etc
28th – Filed Fangs – Calcify (pre-released 14th)
Time for something new?
It is “Calcify” – a track NOT a single.
A hint. An introduction. The first of many tracks from a staggered album – a collection of songs that will track by track / drip by drip / bite by bite reveal a body of work
Distressed sounds, walls of guitars (bass and lead), layers of keyboards
Snatches of vocals, needle hitting red, music from a broken radio just off the dial through a splintered culture, motes of sound breaking through.
Calcification – hardening, insoluble deposits, disruption of systems and functions
They are Filed Fangs – Paul (Slum Turkeys) and Boz (Flea) collaborating – echoes of sound from Manchester 30 years back brought up to date. Time flowing back and forward, echoes and future memories.
Grunge, dub, electronica, noise.
Hypnotic.
Epic and enigmatic.
When everything else these days sounds like somebody else’s stuff (recycled post punk brit pop black blah blah) this sounds unique, special. compelling. Something to get your teeth into?
A preview….
FEBRUARY GIGS
A busy month ahead ……
1st –
The Harveys – Jimmy’s, Liverpool L7 6HE, UK
The Mind Sweepers – Big Burns Supper, Eskdale House, Crichton Business Park, Dumfries DG1 4UQ, UK
2nd
Bouquet of Dead Crows – The Fiddler’s Elbow – Music Venue, 1 Malden Rd, Belsize Park, London NW5 3HS, UK
7th
Inferior Complex – The Alexandra, 6 Bellevue Rd, Southampton SO15 2AY, UK
8th
Four Candles & The Ombudsmen – Fuel Cafe Bar, 448 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester M20 3BW, UK
Weimar – Hoylake Social Club, 11 Trinity Rd, Hoylake, Wirral CH47 2BR, UK
15th
The Mind Sweepers – The Vaults Arts Centre, Newton Stewart
21st
Umbrella Assassins – Bury Sound, Bury St Edmonds
28th
Elastikbande – The Whip & Kitten, 8, 12 Burnley Rd, Rawtenstall, Rossendale BB4 8EW, UK
29th
Bouquet of Dead Crows – The Blue Moon, 2 Norfolk St, Cambridge CB1 2LF, UK
The Junta with Section 25 Industrial Unit – Aatma, 1st Floor, 14-16 Faraday St, Manchester M1 1BE, UK
Umbrella Assassins Dad’s Song – 6th December Release – Digital Download
Responding to a post from Rebel Arts Radio, asking for radio stings the band knocked up a riff and used lyrics that drummer Garry’s dad gave to them. They liked it so much, they adopted it into a song.
The new single ‘Dad’s Song’ recorded in Tiny Eyes Studios concludes a busy year for the Haverhill Shed-Punk trio. Andy’s words describe a meeting with Carol at a party in Wood Green 1970. A love story that continues fifty years later.
3 years ago Umbrella Assassins were reborn in Steve’s shed. Escaping everyday lifes’ boredoms and unpleasantness, making a haven for creativity and the appreciation of beer at the bottom of the garden. The punk trio would go on to create something special, that would change their lives forever, Shed Punk!!!
Various Artists – Off The Leash (Charity Album) – 13th December Release – Digital Download
We continue our annual routine of compiling rarities, oddities, remixes and new tracks by our artists to deliver an album dedicated to raising money for charity – this year it’s Manchester Mind.
Manchester Mind is an independent local charity dedicated to supporting people in the Manchester area with Mental Health issues. They have been delivering services in the city since 1989 (previously as HARP), initially focusing on people living in Hulme, but over the years they have extended their services to meet the needs of people citywide. In 2011, they became one of 137 Local Mind Associations, as they affiliated to national Mind.
Our artists have generously donated tracks and all profits from sales/streams will go to the charity.
Featured on the album…..
New Tracks from Space Museum, Two Lost Souls, Positronik, Issac Navaro, Auster Boys, Angry!, The Parasite, La Capsula (Mark and Luisa from Elastikbande), The Mind Sweepers, Jed, Moff Skellington, Dominic Carlton Jones
A live recording from The Junta featuring Ian Moss
A sneak preview of next years releases from The Get and The Screaming Love Collective
A guest remix from Kammahav (featuring Tony Jenkins of Lizard Brain)
A KIT B tune remixed by The Junta
A classic rock track from PrunX
Remixes from sycloner, Lizard Brain and Inferior Complex
Ian and Neil Moss – Pickpockets Fingers – 13th December release – Digital Download
The Moss Brothers have been extremely busy in the second half of 2019 and this latest single, the seventh in the run, returns to their glitchy neo-jazz off kilter sound from Neil, and menacing lyrics from Ian.
Cambridge Calling Volume 4 – – 13th December release – Digital Download
CAMBRIDGE CALLING is a series of compilations of emerging artists from Cambridge which has been curated by Dave Hammond whose fortnightly show on Cambridge 105 Radio, The Smelly Flowerpot, is a mainstay of the cities music scene. The first compilation was released in March 2017 and the second in the summer of 2017. The third compilation was released in August 2018.
This fourth compilation is released on 13th December 2019 in digital format via Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple, Amazon , Deezer, Google, and many other streaming outlets.
What started out as a vague idea to pull a few tracks together soon snowballed into the current series of multi genre epics, fired by the enthusiasm of the artists involved. The more Dave scratched at the surface of the local scene, the more it became apparent how much excellent music was out there.
Aside from putting some superb music out there, the aim is also to raise money for deserving charities. In this case the charity is Emmaus Cambridge – a service which aims to reduce homelessness.
The unique artwork for the series was created by Stewart Harris Designs.
THE SMELLY FLOWERPOT
Dave Hammond’s fortnightly Monday evening show on Cambridge 105 “The Smelly Flowerpot” brings the best of local music to the airwaves as well as championing grass roots music from the city of his birth, Hull, and other places around the UK and the rest of the world. With regular sessions and interviews with both upcoming and established artists creating a fascinating mix of music Dave is true ambassador. Dave’s shows have directly lead to German Shepherd Records working with artists from the Cambridge area including Bouquet of Dead Crows, The Scissors, Keltrix, Umbrella Assassins and Lizard Brain, all of who appeared on earlier volumes in this series.
THE CHARITY
Emmaus Cambridge is a homelessness charity providing more than just a bed for the night to people who have experienced homelessness and social exclusion and was the first Emmaus community to be established in the UK.
For many people who have experienced homelessness, losing their self-esteem can be the most damaging part of their experience. Being on your own, with no support around you can be soul destroying, leaving you feeling worthless.
Finding your way out of that situation isn’t easy, particularly when the only options available are temporary fixes, offering a bed for the night but little to occupy your days.
Emmaus is different because it provides a home for as long as someone needs it in an Emmaus community. This gives people the opportunity to take stock of their lives, deal with any issues they might have, and often re-establish relationships with loved ones.
THE ARTISTS
The artists featured on this volume are featured on this page.
We will be back in the New Year with new releases from The Get, The Screaming Love Collective and Issac Navaro.
GIGS
Manchester Meltdown 2019 – featuring Ian Moss and Piledriver, The E-Fits and Matthew Hopkins 30 Nov 2019
The Peer Hat, 14-16 Faraday St, Manchester M1 1BE, UK
Adventures of Salvador and Weimar – 30 Nov 2019
The Globe, 144 High St W, Glossop SK13 8HJ, UK
Elastikbande and Four Candles – 7 Dec 2019
Fuel Cafe Bar, 448 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester M20 3BW, UK
The Get, Angry! – 13 Dec 2019
The Railway Hotel, Clifftown Rd, Southend-on-Sea SS1 1AJ, UK
The Harveys & Matthew Hopkins plus TV Smith -14 Dec 2019
The Peer Hat, 14-16 Faraday St, Manchester M1 1BE, UK
KIT B and Inferior Complex – 15 Dec 2019
West Street Live, 128 West St, Sheffield S1 4ES, UK
Black Limousine and The Ombudsmen plus The Inflated Tear (a “supergroup” featuring Unseasonal Beasts, Factory Acts, and Gentle Jon) – 18 Dec 2019
The Peer Hat, 14-16 Faraday St, Manchester M1 1BE, UK
The Scissors – 20 Dec 2019
The Portland Arms, 129 Chesterton Rd, Cambridge CB4 3BA, UK
Inferior Complex -20 Dec 2019
Clockwork Bar, 323 Shirley Rd, Southampton SO15 3HW, UK
Ember Rev – 20 Dec 2019
The Blue Moon, 2 Norfolk St, Cambridge CB1 2LF, UK
Electric Cheese, Inferior Complex and Dominic Carlton Jones – 28 Dec 2019
The Peer Hat, 14-16 Faraday St, Manchester M1 1BE, UK
Thank You
That’s all of our news for 2019 now wrapped up. We’ll be back at the end of December with news about next years releases.
Many thanks for all your support during 2019 to our subscribers, followers, gig attenders, bloggers and radio show hosts who have helped us spread the German Shepherd story.
We have three releases scheduled for the 15th November….
THE GET – LET’S RAISE A GLASS FOR CHRISTMAS
The Get are back with an antidote to the usual Christmas tunes with a sardonic and perceptive take on the festivities.Wrapped in a parcel of pop punk sound the quartet deliver a pungent message for those who want an alternative to Noddy and his granny.
The band are playing The Riviera in Bournemouth on 16th November along with our very own Toska Wilde.
The Get will follow this single with a new EP in January 2020 called “Genre Reassignment”.
AUSTER BOYS – LET’S GET LOST
The two Bob’s are back with a lengthy single comprising three parts. Describing, in their usual flâneur fashion, current food obsessions, pricey beer, and strange geological formations, all taking place in Sheringham. Clerkenwell and Amsterdam – the ghost of Chet Baker hovers around and the eternal question as to who invented smashed avocado on sourdough is put to the listener. Wry observations on trends, outsider music and other perplexing 21st century behaviour. Time slips between the past and present.
POSITRONIK – DON’T COME CRYING TO ME
A new seven track remix mini-album from Manchester’s soul-pop sensations.
Songwriter Jeff “Captain” Black creates a new version of their classic track “Don’t Come Crying” and also does a remix
Electro wizard Jed provides two dancefloor friendly mixes
Cambridge pop masters Lizard Brain apply a deft touch
The Junta embargoes the tune with techno beats
Space Museum turns the song inside out to create something totally new
In addition to the above we have a packed schedule of activities over the next two weeks…..
The Parish Church Fire – 6 Nov 2019 – Retro Bar, 78 Sackville St, Manchester M1 3NJ, UK
The Harveys Release Frank Got Married/Shadow of the Wind – 8 Nov 2019
The Harveys and Four Candles – 14 Nov 2019 – Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham St, Manchester M4 1LE, UK
Ian Moss Book Launch – 14 Nov 2019 – The Peer Hat, 14-16 Faraday St, Manchester M1 1BE, UK
Ember Rev – 15 Nov 2019 – The Fiddler’s Elbow – Music Venue, 1 Malden Rd, Belsize Park, London NW5 3HS, UK
Inferior Complex – 16 Nov 2019 – The Railway Inn, 3 St Paul’s Hill, Winchester SO22 5AE, UK
The Get and Toska Wilde – 16 Nov 2019 – The Riviera Hotel & Holiday Apartments, 14-16 Burnaby Rd, Bournemouth BH4 8JF, UK
Angry – 21 Nov 2019 – The Edge Bar & Kitchen, 6-8 High Pavement, 1EA, Town Square, Basildon SS14 1EA, UK
La Capsula (Mark and Luisa from Elastikbande) – 21 Nov 2019 – The Peer Hat, 14-16 Faraday St, Manchester M1 1BE, UK
Our charity album for 2019 will be launched on 13th December and features a bunch of new tunes, new mixes and other variants from our artists….all proceeds will be going to Manchester Mind Charity.
We have a busy last week of October with four new releases planned for October 25th and a couple of high profile gigs for that weekend.
All releases are digital except where indicated and will be available from our Bandcamp Page and via Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and all of the other usual digital platforms
ELASTIKBANDE – VACUUM CLEANER EP
Elastikbande are a brand new Manchester UK based three piece (post punk / grunge / garage rock) outfit featuring ex members of The Fall / Polythene, (Una Baines’) Poppycock and Rose & The Diamond Hand. Featuring Kate Themen on drums, Luisa Maraffino on guitar / backing vocals and Mark Corrin on bass / vocals.
The band’s sound is dynamic, melodic, catchy and often witty. Previously band member’s other work has featured on The John Peel Show, BBC Radio 1, 6 Music and BBC 3’s Late Junction, plus covered in blogs such as The Quietus and Louder Than War.
Their debut EP Vacuum Cleaner was recorded entirely live in the studio in Salford in August 2019 to capture the energy of the group’s stage show.
Musically Elastikbande have been compared to a blend of The Fall, Pavement, The Pixies and more. These early songs are about everything from household appliances to stage diving etiquette.
The band will be appearing at our showcase gig on October 25th at Gullivers, Manchester (see below)
Mark’s solo album from this year “Pub Bin” is also still available
Following the success of their album “Motus Octo” and a line-up change Cambridge alternative rock band “Bouquet of Dead Crows” is back with a brand new single “Left to Rot”. With new bassist Karen Gadd the band embark on the next phase in their career with a heavier sound …. they will be playing Manchester Gullivers on October 25th – and the Blue Moon Cambridge on 1st November as part of a gig swap with Manchester rockers The Parish Church Fire. FACEBOOK
MOFF SKELLINGTON – THE INFRASOUND GUEST
Moff follows up his “Strange Acrylic Night Custard” album with another journey into the mysterious realm of Abstercot in the company of The Infrasound Guest – tales of Pardonian customs, squirrels and Seraphs, and pillows for your Spasms amongst other strangeness add to the over 20 + albums he has released to date. Moff is the natural successor to Ivor Cutler and Viv Stanshall if those two had been fed on a diet of Pere Ubu, Cabaret Voltaire, Tom Waits and The Fall. Moff defies description so we won’t bother, you either get it or you don’t – we understand that to – but if you do get it please trumpet it from the highest pinnacles in your neighbourhood so he get the attention he rightly deserves.
Moff will be back next months with a fascinating new album via The Sleeping Ducks.
If you want to have a further taste of Strange Acrylic Night Custard …….
THE JUNTA – JE SUIS
Salford’s premier electrohead is back with a new six track EP The Junta is the alter-ego of Salford musician John “Monty” Montague. Monty, aside from delivering electronica via The Junta also plays bass in Kit B and Positronik and is a DJ on Salford City Radio and can be seen DJing at Wangies in Eccles on a Friday Night.
His new EP follows on from the highly regarded “Network” album and is packed with dance friendly beats inspired by the likes of Jean Michel Jarre, and Chemical Brothers.
The EP is launched on October 26th at The London Road Inn, Buxton with support from 243 Ida and Neural Dance
A limited edition CD version will be available at gigs and via our Bandcamp page.
We end October with a showcase gig (as mentioned above) at Gullivers, Oldham Street, Manchester with a great line up of
THE PARISH CHURCH FIRE
BOUQUET OF DEAD CROWS
ELASTIKBANDE
With the more rock/punk elements of our releases in play this promises to be a great evening of music with some special surprises promised by the headliners.
Tickets are available at SEETICKET.COM and the whole thing kicks off at 7pm
