Welcome to the latest German Shepherd Records Newsletter. This week:
Sam Smith returns
Mistletoe Charity Single supports NSPCC
An introduction to Matthew Hopkins
Gig News
SAM SMITH RETURNS
Ex Sam Smith & Company, and, The Parish Church Fire front man, Sam Smith returns on October 29th just after the equinox. Watch this space for exciting news.
Sam’s last single was the memorable “Bad Water”
MISTLETOE SUPPORTS NSPCC WITH NEW SINGLE
Ian Moss returns as Mistletoe with a new single called “Children’s Home” on 26th October. On this release he is accompanied by Foghorn Leghorn.
A harrowing spoken word performance attacks the institutions who are complicit in allowing children to be abused and in that context all proceeds from the sale of this single will donated to the NSPCC.
This a deliberately lo-fi and stripped back recording in which Ian paints a vivid picture. A further EP featuring three new pieces in partnership with Marc Corrin follows next week
INTRODUCING MATTHEW HOPKINS
In 1974, two Catholic schoolgirls met at the age of 5 over a scabby knee and sang together in praise of the lord, ‘til they discovered Salvation in the form of Hex Enduction Hour. An explosion of hair spray, eyeliner and ideas ensued.
Julia moved to Blackpool and joined the band The Tingletones as singer before moving to Manchester, when she became singer for the short lived Arthur Badfrown Band. A move to London at the turn of the century saw her finally pick up a guitar. Upon returning to Manchester, she joined Government Death Epidemic as guitarist. She has recorded with Craig Scanlon and Steve & Paul Hanley (ex The Fall).
Anne has sang, go-go danced and played tambourine in 60’s- garage outfit The Stags since 2001. They are stalwarts of the garage scene playing around the UK and Europe and worked closely with Frank Sidebottom.
Max, Anne’s son, has been playing drums and guitar with bands since the age of 13. He is currently playing his own material in punk outfit Bang Up To The Elephant.
A hiatus in both womens’ musical projects gave them the chance to get together and get creative – Matthew Hopkins was born in 2016. Max completes the team, bringing exceptional musicality and skill to the band.
Their debut single “Something” will be released on November 2nd. Two further tracks “Lachrymose” and “Hey Joe” will be released at the same time but as Subscriber Only specials via our Bandcamp page. More information next week – pending that here is the link to the video of “Something”.
GIG NEWS
Weimar are playing The Peer Hat, Manchester on Monday 5th November, supporting Madmoizel. Jan Doyle Band are also supporting.
Keltrix play The Crown & Pipes, Fenstanton on Saturday 24th November
The Mind Sweepers The Riverside Dumfries on Saturday 17th November
Hello and welcome to the German Shepherd Newsletter for this week. We have had a busy few weeks so this edition is slightly longer than normal.
This week
– A new EP from Night Operations
– Bouquet of Dead Crows release the first video from Motus Octo
– Inferior Complex feature in compilation album
– Subscriber Option and first subscriber special
– Gigs
AREA 51
Night Operations, aka Mike Powell, returns with a five track EP including the stand-out track from the Advantage album – Area 51. The release includes radio and album edits of the track as well as three remixes of another track from the album “Forbidden Fruit”. Radical reworkings of Forbidden Fruit are by The Screaming Love Collective, Issac Navaro and The Auster Boys. Pristine modern electronica with pop smarts.
FACEBOOK – @nightoperations
INCESSANT DESIRE
Bouquet of Dead Crows are trailing their new album Motus Octo with the rifftastic “Incessant Desire”. Shot in one take the video is a trip around the bands’ rehearsal space with clever placement of song lyrics:
The band are gigging to support the album.
25th of October – The Samuel Pepys Diary Rooms, Huntingdon (Acoustic Gig)
1st of November – Dublin Castle Pub, London
15th of November – Bedford Esquires
24th of November – The Blue Moon, Cambridge – ALBUM LAUNCH
29th of November – Gringos Mexican Tequila Bar,Norwich
1st of December – The Smokehouse, Ipswich
6th of December – Mama Liz’s, Voodoo Lounge, Stamford
8th of December – The Horn at The Half Moon, Bishops Stortford
We will reveal more about the album in future weeks. The limited edition album bundles are now sold out but fans can still pre-order the album on CD and Vinyl, as well as grab tickets for the album launch at their site
FACEBOOK @deadcrows
SOUTHAMPTON PUNKS
Inferior Complex have donated a track, “Southampton Punks” to a new limited edition CD only charity release called “Taking Liberties”. In a review of the CD for Louder Than War Ged Babey’s says
“….. Their contribution here is a historical artefact in itself. Entitled ‘Southampton Punks’ its a recited list of 70 odd people who were there in 1976-1979. ( Obviously there will be some omissions but…) it’s an attempt at documenting the history as they see it, respectfully including the deceased, the living and contemporaries from Stratejacket, Catch 22 and the Men They Couldn’t Hang. Musically it’s a great piece of distinctive, moody slow-build post-punk. Guest narrator Paul Beazley does a sterling job. It’s an emotional centrepiece to a very enjoyable compilation.”
FACEBOOK @arp2011
SUBSCRIBE TO GERMAN SHEPHERD RECORDS
As trailed last week we have now launched our new Subscription Option via Bandcamp. With our subscription, fans can get all of our new releases for just £40 a year (less than a pound a week!), while supporting our label and our roster of great artists directly. Given we release over 40 items a year this is a great value for money choice.
If fans would like to pay more for the subscription they can. The more generous they are the more we can do!
German Shepherd is owned, operated and funded by us, on a not for profit basis We pride ourselves on being grass-roots, DIY and artist-focused. We started in 2014 and have been slowly growing a fan base and getting the support of a selection of friendly DJs and bloggers who feature what we do. However changes in the music industry, and price increases, have made it harder than ever for small labels like ours to stay in business in today’s climate. A subscription directly helps us to continue releasing great music and in turn support some of the best underground artists out there.
The result a load of great music and special offers
– All new releases automatically added to your Bandcamp account and available to download
– A selection of items from our back catalogue completely free when you first sign up
– A 10% discount on merch items including CDs, T-Shirts and Gig Tickets
– Special releases which are only available to subscribers – they will not be sold anywhere else
– Regular blog updates from us on what we are up to
All income, after admin fees from Bandcamp, goes direct to the bands, or to the nominated charity we are supporting on specific releases.
Our first Special Release will be a new Spoken Word collection from Ian Moss featuring ten new pieces.
FORTHCOMING GIGS FEATURING GERMAN SHEPHERD ARTISTS
October
11th – An Evening with Moff Skellington at The Peer Hat, Manchester
13th – Poppycock playing a Fates set at Yes, Manchester supporting Virginia Wing
14th – Positronik and The Strays are at Fab Cafe, Portland Street, Manchester
17th – The Strays play West Street Live, Sheffield
19th – The Strays play A.M.P. Music Bar, Buxton
19th – Inferior Complex play The Hobbit, Southampton
24th – Umbrella Assassins play Pim Jam Festival Fundraiser at the Haverhill Arts Centre
25th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Pepys, Huntingdon – acoustic gig
25th – Ian Moss appears at El Manisero, Innside, Manchester
November
1st – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Dublin Castle, London
15th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Esquires, Bedford
17th – Drink and Drive and Four Candles play The Railway, Greenfield
22nd – Inferior Complex play The King Charles, Poole
24th – Bouquet of Dead Crows launch new album Motus Octo at The Blue Moon, Cambridge
29th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Gringos, Norwich
29th – Four Candles play “Free Rock & Roll” at Sound, Duke Street, Liverpool
December
1st – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
1st – Bouquet of Dead Crows and Umbrella Assassins play Smokehouse, Ipswich
6th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Mama Liz’s Voodoo Lounge, Stamford
6th – The Scissors (plus Ember Rev and Goddammit Jeremiah) at Cambridge Cornerhouse.
8th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Horn at the Half Moon, Bishops Stortford
8th – Boz Hayward and Keltrix with Misharlo play The Peer Hat, Manchester
8th – Poppycock support Vic Godard at Yes (The Basement) on Charles Street, Manchester with ASBO Derek
8th – Øre will be playing their debut gig at the TA in Dumfries
22nd – Drink and Drive play Strummercamp Fundraiser and Oldham Rugby Club
28th – Drink and Drive play Whittles, Oldham
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the German Shepherd Records Newsletter.
This week
The latest release from Moff Skellington and his forthcoming Manchester Gig
A new release from Night Operations with special remix guests
Our brand new subscription service for fans
Forthcoming gigs
MOFF SKELLINGTON
Poet of the obscure and Eddodi master Moff Skellington returns, on October 12th, with a new four track EP – Uncle Roy’s Utopian Vision #2 – the follow up to August’s six track first volume of the saga of the mysterious Uncle Roy. The creation of this latest four track was spontaneous, taking just one morning, with Moff employing the drum machine to create a different sound than avid Skellington watchers are used to, a surreal re-interpretation of early Cabaret Voltaire (Chris Watson period) and Moff faves Pere Ubu steeped in an bubbling stew of Yorkshire charm. This is Moff stripped back and playing in a different musical kitchen than usual.
Lead track – A Love Song can be streamed here….
Moff plays The Peer Hat, Manchester on October 11th with his popular lantern show. Entry is a mere £3.50, there are no prior tickets, opening time is 7:30pm and he promises an entertaining evening of wonderment.
NIGHT OPERATIONS
Mike Powell returns as Night Operations with a new EP extracting tracks from this years Advantage album with a few added bonuses. Hailed by “Get To The Chorus” blog via a great video from Phil Shaw the new extended play includes a single and album version of the sci-ti tinged “Area 51” and three remixes of the albums standout track “Forbidden Fruit” by The Screaming Love Collective, Issac Navaro, and Auster Boys. More information next week.
OUR NEW SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE
We have been struggling for a while to ensure that we balance our books and maintain our not for profit service. After a bit of research we have taken the decision to use Bandcamp’s subscription service.
With our subscription, fans and followers can get all of our new releases for just £40 a year (less than a pound a week!), while supporting our label and our roster of great artists directly. Given we release over 40 items a year this is a great value for money choice.
If participants would like to pay more for their subscription they can. Ten subscribers would help us balance the books for this financial year but many more would allow us the freedom and flexibility to do a lot more.
German Shepherd is owned, operated and funded by us, on a not for profit basis We pride ourselves on being grass-roots, DIY and artist-focused. We started in 2014 and have been slowly growing a fan base and getting the support of a selection of friendly DJs and bloggers who feature what we do. However changes in the music industry, and price increases, have made it harder than ever for small labels like ours to stay in business in today’s climate. The subscription directly helps us to continue releasing great music and in turn support some of the best underground artists out there.
Subscribers get a load of great music and special offers which are unique to the service
– All of our new releases are automatically added to the subscribers Bandcamp account and available to download – A selection of items from our back catalogue completely free when a subscriber first signs up – A 10% discount on merch items including CDs, T-Shirts and Gig Tickets – Special releases which are only available to subscribers – they will not be sold anywhere else – Regular blog updates from us on what we are up to
All income, after admin fees from Bandcamp, goes direct to the bands, or to the nominated charity we are supporting on specific releases.
Our planned fundraising gig on November 2nd has been put on hold for a short while whilst we sort out a few practical issues. Watch this space for updates. Here are the rest of the planned gigs featuring our artists:
October
5th – Electric Cheese play The Railway as part of Chorley Live
5th – The Scissors are at Oxford Wheatsheaf (Klub Kakofanney).
6th – Electric Cheese play Cunliffe Hall as part of Chorley Live
6th – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
6th – Inferior Complex play Liberties, Southampton
11th – An Evening with Moff Skellington at The Peer Hat, Manchester
13th – Poppycock playing a Fates set at Yes, Manchester supporting Virginia Wing
14th – Positronik and The Strays are at Fab Cafe, Portland Street, Manchester
17th – The Strays play West Street Live, Sheffield
19th – The Strays play A.M.P. Music Bar, Buxton
24th – Umbrella Assassins play Pim Jam Festival Fundraiser at the Haverhill Arts Centre
25th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Pepys, Huntingdon – acoustic gig
25th – Ian Moss appears at El Manisero, Innside, Manchester November
1st – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Dublin Castle, London
15th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Esquires, Bedford
17th – Drink and Drive and Four Candles play The Railway, Greenfield
22nd – Inferior Complex play The King Charles, Poole
24th – Bouquet of Dead Crows launch new album Motus Octo at The Blue Moon, Cambridge
29th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Gringos, Norwich
29th – Four Candles play “Free Rock & Roll” at Sound, Duke Street, Liverpool December
1st – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
1st – Bouquet of Dead Crows and Umbrella Assassins play Smokehouse, Ipswich
6th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Mama Liz’s Voodoo Lounge, Stamford
8th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Horn at the Half Moon, Bishops Stortford
8th – Boz Hayward and Keltrix with Misharlo play The Peer Hat, Manchester
8th – Poppycock support Vic Godard at Yes (The Basement) on Charles Street, Manchester with ASBO Derek
8th – Øre will be playing their debut gig at the TA in Dumfries
22nd – Drink and Drive play Strummercamp Fundraiser and Oldham Rugby Club
28th – Drink and Drive play Whittles, Oldham
We will be launching a subscription option for our Bandcamp releases in the very near future.
With our subscription, you can get ALL of our new releases for just £40 a year (less than a pound a week!), while supporting our label and our roster of great artists directly. Given we release over 40 items a year this is a great value for money choice.
German Shepherd is owned, operated and funded by us, on a not for profit basis We pride ourselves on being grass-roots, DIY and artist-focused. We started in 2014 and have been slowly growing a fan base and getting the support of a selection of friendly DJs and bloggers who feature what we do.
However changes in the music industry, and price increases, have made it harder than ever for small labels like ours to stay in business in today’s climate. Your subscription will directly help us to continue releasing great music and in turn support some of the best underground artists out there.
When you subscribe you’ll get a load of great music and special offers
All our new releases will be automatically added to your Bandcamp account and available to download
A selection of 10 items from our back catalogue will be completely free when you sign up
There will be Special releases which are only available to subscribers – they will not be sold anywhere else
There will be special discounts for subscribers on gig tickets, merch and other material
There will be subscriber only blog updates from us, regular artist updates, exclusive demo material/live recordings and behind-the-scenes stuff
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the German Shepherd Records newsletter.
This week:
– The new album from Dominic Carlton Jones
– Previewing the new album from Bouquet of Dead Crows
– Looking forward to the Salford Music Festival
– Moff Skellington update
– Welcome Matthew Hopkins
– New gig announcements
DOMINIC CARLTON JONES – DEBUT ALBUM
As trailed last week Salford singer-songwriter Dominic Carlton Jones returns with his debut album “Salford Punk Poetry Sadness Death New Life”. This nine song collection includes a dizzying array of genres and sounds, including spoken word, instrumentals and Dominic’s trade-mark clear and direct ballads; there are also dips into experimental and ambient sounds. The themes of the album centre around the recent death of Dominic’s father from cancer, and in that context there is a heartfelt tribute to legendary Fall front-man and Salfordian Mark E. Smith who also battled the disease. The new release serves also as a perfect follow on from Dominic’s debut release “1”.
The album releases on October 5th in digital form only via Bandcamp and a range of other digital outlets.
Here is a sample track with the emotional “Fall Over Into Something New”
Commenting on the album and his experience with German Shepherd Dominic said:
” 8 months from being welcomed by German Shepherd I’m pleased to say I’m enjoying life on the label.Getting to know the music of the artists. Meeting those concerned and still feeling a genuine thrill to be a part of this movement and scene.
In that time space my EP was well received and achieved some comparative success in terms of sales and genuine appreciation from those connected. I went on to contribute the song “Cats front door “ to the 200 compilation album and The music for “like a poet dies “with Ian Moss and once again genuinely thrilled to be involved here.
My new music is the album:’Salford Punk Poetry Sadness Death New Life” ,which hinges around my fathers death from bowel cancer in January of this year and goes on to explore themes of belonging,spirituality loss,.geographical connection and life after death.It’s a challenging and thought provoking album bringing together an eclectic style of musical forms which I’ve always striven to as an ethic.”
BOUQUET OF DEAD CROWS – TEASER PREVIEW
We are gearing up for the release of the second album from Cambridge band Bouquet of Dead Crows in November with a preview of their track “Cold Inside”.
The band are touring extensively over the new few months please see the gig list below for details (although the band seem to think it’s above!).
Manchester and Salford German Shepherd chums are encouraged to visit Eccles next Saturday for the second night of the Salford Musical Festival. Four Candles will be playing as part of packed evening of fine music including Bobbie Peru, Plexus, Garsoons, Jess Kemp, Surreal Kinnock and Blaney. There will also be a tribute to Mark E. Smith at the start of the evening from 6:30pm. There is a late bar and all of those artists can be watched for just £6. The venue is the Gilda Brook Club (the old Liberal Club) on Wellington Road, which is ten minute walk from Eccles Interchange. Fans can secure their ticket now by visiting the Salford Music Festival site . A full weekend ticket is just £10 which gets you two nights of entertainment and we highly recommend both nights.
MOFF SKELLINGTON UPDATE
Moff has a second EP under the Uncle Roy’s Utopian Vision Saga released on October 12th which coincides with his gig in Manchester the day before at The Peer Hat. Recorded in a morning at the legendary Uterus Cottage studios Moff explores his post-punk side with fervour. The lantern show at the Peer Hat promises to deliver an evening of Moff wonderment with his trademark wit and sideways look at the world. The event is not ticketed and is a mere £3.50. More details on the EP next week.
MATTHEW HOPKINS JOIN GERMAN SHEPHERD
Melodic avant rock trio Matthew Hopkins have joined the German Shepherd family – more details next week but pending that here’s a sample of their excellent song-craft with the track “Something”
GIGS
Poppycock follow up their excellent set at The Peer Hat last week with a new outing on October 13th at new Manchester Venue Yes supporting Virginia Wing. The promoters have listed it as a Fates gig but it will be the Poppycock line-up playing Fates material. – Facebook event link here –
Here is the full gig list
SEPTEMBER
27th – Inferior Complex play Ferndown RBL
27th – Electric Cheese support Tom Hingley at Preston Guildhall
28th – Inferior Complex play The Shooting Star, Southampton
28th – The Strays play Park Hotel, Wigan – Musicians Against Homelessness gig
29th – Four Candles play Salford Music Festival at The Gilda Brook Social Club, Weliington Road, Monton, Eccles
29th – Boz Hayward plays Levenshulme Market (afternoon gig)
29th – The Strays play The Jolly Collier, Heanor
29th – Bouquet of Dead Crows Play Deepdale Festival, Norwich
30th – Keltrix play Camboaters River Festival, Jesus Green, Cambridge, 6pm
OCTOBER
5th – Electric Cheese play The Railway as part of Chorley Live
5th – The Scissors are at Oxford Wheatsheaf (Klub Kakofanney).
6th – Taser Puppets play Lost Bar and Club as part of Chorley Live
6th – Electric Cheese play Cunliffe Hall as part of Chorley Live
6th – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
6th – Inferior Complex play Liberties, Southampton
11th – An Evening with Moff Skellington at The Peer Hat, Manchester
13th – Poppycock playing a Fates set at Yes, Manchester supporting Virginia Wing
14th – Taser Puppets play TNT Punk Fest at The Peer Hat, Manchester
14th – Positronik and The Strays are at Fab Cafe, Portland Street, Manchester
17th – The Strays play West Street Live, Sheffield
19th – Taser Puppets play Old Courts, Wigan
19th – The Strays play A.M.P. Music Bar, Buxton
25th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Pepys, Huntingdon – acoustic gig
25th – Ian Moss appears at El Manisero, Innside, Manchester
NOVEMBER
1st – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Dublin Castle, London
2nd – German Shepherd Records Fundraiser at The Peer Hat, Manchester – with Drink and Drive, Taser Puppets, The Strays and Flea
15th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Esquires, Bedford
17th – Drink and Drive and Four Candles play The Railway, Greenfield
22nd – Inferior Complex play The King Charles, Poole
24th – Bouquet of Dead Crows launch new album Motus Octo at The Blue Moon, Cambridge
29th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Gringos, Norwich
29th – Four Candles play “Free Rock & Roll” at Sound, Duke Street, Liverpool
DECEMBER
1st – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
1st – Bouquet of Dead Crows and Umbrella Assassins play Smokehouse, Ipswich
6th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Mama Liz’s Voodoo Lounge, Stamford
8th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Horn at the Half Moon, Bishops Stortford
8th – Boz Hayward and Keltrix with Misharlo play The Peer Hat, Manchester
8th – Poppycock support Vic Godard at Yes (The Basement) on Charles Street, Manchester with ASBO Derek
8th – Øre will be playing their debut gig at the TA in Dumfries
22nd – Drink and Drive play Strummercamp Fundraiser and Oldham Rugby Club
28th – Drink and Drive play Whittles, Oldham/
Hello and welcome to the weekly newsletter from German Shepherd Records.
This week
– The new album from The Parasite
– Dominic Carlton Jones debut album
– Ian Moss plays first outing of new Cabaret event
– Moff Skellington Hits Manchester
– Bob O gets slot on prestigious All About Jazz Website
— Gig Highlights
THE PARASITE : NEW ALBUM
The duo of Osborne and Moss – aka The Parasite – are back with a new eight track album entitled “Dilemma”. With the usual blend of alternative electronica and heartfelt spoken word/vocals the pair have delivered yet another fascinating collection. Released on 28th September in download version only the music takes an altogether more funky direction on a couple of tracks. Said Osborne “I wanted to shake things up a bit on this one with more variation in style and direction.” Moss covers his usual range of seemingly inward looking self examination which in reality is a blistering attack on culture, media, and politics.
DOMINIC CARLTON JONES – DEBUT ALBUM
Salford singer-songwriter Dominic Carlton Jones releases his debut album on October 5th. Titled “Salford Punk Poetry Sadness Death New Life” the nine track release combines spoken word, instrumentals, deeply personal songs and some ambient pieces to create a truly eclectic listening experience. Commenting on the album and his experience with German Shepherd Dominic said:
” 8 months from being welcomed by German Shepherd I’m pleased to say I’m enjoying life on the label.Getting to know the music of the artists. Meeting those concerned and still feeling a genuine thrill to be a part of this movement and scene.
In that time space my EP was well received and achieved some comparative success in terms of sales and genuine appreciation from those connected. I went on to contribute the song “Cats front door “ to the 200 compilation album and The music for “like a poet dies “with Ian Moss and once again genuinely thrilled to be involved here.
My new music is the album:’Salford Punk Poetry Sadness Death New Life” ,which hinges around my fathers death from bowel cancer in January of this year and goes on to explore themes of belonging,spirituality loss,.geographical connection and life after death.It’s a challenging and thought provoking album bringing together an eclectic style of musical forms which I’ve always striven to as an ethic.”
More details on this excellent album will be released next week.
COME TO THE CABARET
Ian Moss has announced his involvement in the new Manchester Legends series starting on October 25th with “El Manisero” at the Innside in Manchester. Ian will be “invoking the great beast” with assistance from the talented musical hands of Mark Corrin. With what looks to be an eclectic evening of entertainment including Carmel and Hewan Clarke we wait with bated breath to hear what Ian has concocted for this occasion.
Master of eddodi, music and art Moff Skellington is travelling over from Leeds on 11th October for an evening of music and art. Songs, poems, and a lantern show will be part of what promises to be a fascinating of evening of humour, surreal imagery and avant garde music. The venue is the Peer Hat and the event is priced at £3.50 commencing at 7:30pm.
BOB AND JAZZ
German Shepherd co-owner Bob Osborne has secured a slot on the prestigious All About Jazz website in their radio section. His weekly show on Analogue Trash Radio will now be a regular feature on the site.
Bob said “World of Jazz is a weekly two hour radio show dedicated to covering the best in new releases from around the world, together with dips into my rather large collection of jazz music collected over the last 45 years. There is usually a focus on one newly released album as well as a detailed look at one specific jazz artist in each show. There are no genre barriers to what gets featured on the show although I do tend to lean towards more ground-breaking artists. The show is broadcast live on Analogue Trash Radio at 8pm (UK Time) every Sunday.”
Hello and welcome to the weekly newsletter from German Shepherd Records
This week
The new single from Poppycock
A new video from PrunX
New gig announcements
POPPYCOCK CELEBRATE IGGY POP
We are pleased to announce the release of a brand new single from Manchester based collective Poppycock. Led by Una Baines (The Fall, Blue Orchids, The Fates) the band went through a significant line-up change last year, has been gigging often and has recorded two new singles since then. The first of those singles is a celebration of the Godfather of Punk Rock the seemingly ageless “Iggy Pop”. Using the groups trademark twin vocal approach.the band power through a jaunty homage which has proved to be a live favourite. Una’s trademark organ sound makes a welcome return also.
Poppycock was formed by legendary Manchester musician and community activist Una Baines who was a founder member of the seminal post-punk groups The Fall and Blue Orchids, The band has been active on the Manchester scene for over five years and played at several key events in the Mancunian musical calendar.
The single releases on September 21, 2018 as a digital download only,
Poppycock on this recording were:
Lucy Nyland – Vox
Christine Johnson – Vox
Heather Greenbank – Guitar
Matt Crawford – Bass
Stuart Quinn-Harvie – Drums
Una Baines – Keys
Poppycock also includes
Lucy Power – Flute and Percussion
Paula Darwish – Vox and Guitar
The single was engineered Manos Sarantidis and produced by Una Baines and Manos Sarantidis. Keeping The Fall connection current the artwork for the single was created by Mark E. Smiths sister Suzanne. It was recorded in July 2018 at the fabulous community resource Seed Studios in Old Trafford.
Poppycock will launch the single on 21st September at The Peer Hat, Manchester which will also feature visiting Australian Musician Charlie Marshall and Four Candles.
A second single “Magic Mothers” will be released later in the year.
The band support Australian band Terry on 12th September at Gullivers, Manchester.
PRUNX LAUNCH NEW VIDEO
Berlin based rockers PrunX have released a video for “Can’t Take It” from last years “Mind Trajectory” EP. This heavy blues rocker features a twin vocal attack from Mikado and FrankOz, the latter delivering a searing guitar break. Catching them live the video shows this excellent band at their best
Check out the full EP
GIG NEWS
The gig calendar is filling up rapidly and can be found in full at this page
Some recent announcements include
Øre will be playing their debut gig on Saturday 8th Dec at the TA in Dumfries
Positronik and The Strays play Fab Cafe, Manchester on 14th October
Drink and Drive will be seeing the year out with a gig at Whittles, Oldham on 28th December
Boz Hayward will be playing an afternoon gig at Levenshulme Market on September 29th
Hello and welcome to the German Shepherd Records Newsletter…..
This week
A new EP from Misletoe
A new album from Bouquet of Dead Crows
The return of the Salford Music Festival
A new single from Poppycock
Charle Marshall Tour
Updated gig guide
MISTLETOE
The current alter ego of Ian “Moet” Moss (Hamsters, Four Candles, The Parasite) for his solo projects, is Mistletoe. On the latest release “….there is no rock and roll on the radio” Ian works with Foghorn Leghorn, The Boom Da Da Booms and Loop-aznavour on three new tracks. With his usual acerbic wit he attacks radio programming, patronage, and fan obsession. With music ranging from electro punk, wonky rock and post punk guitar layerings and a slight nod towards Monty Norman this is Moss at his most inventive. The music follows on from his collaborations on the highly regarded Music and Words and Words and Music releases.
The lead track can be accessed on Soundcloud
The EP is released digitally on September 14th
BOUQUET OF DEAD CROWS RETURN WITH THEIR SECOND ALBUM
To celebrate the release of their new album ‘Motus Octo’ on the 23rd of November. Bouquet Of Dead Crows will playing a special launch show the day after release day (the 24th of November). The band will playing the new album in its entirety. The venue is The Blue Room in Cambridge and support comes from War Waves (Obsessional Anxiety rock from Ipswich) and Shyer (Catchy, Upbeat hook-laden pop rock). The new album, their second full length release, features eight stunning new tracks and sees the band developing a heavier riff laden approach. The is now available to pre-order on limited edition coloured vinyl and CD. with exclusive bundle deals which includes a limited edition T-shirt.
German Shepherd will host a digital version of the album via Bandcamp and a range of other digital download platforms.
The band have a run of dates upcoming to support the new release.
-September 29th – Deepdale Festival- Norwich
-October 25th – Huntington – The Pepys (acoustic gig)
-November 1st – London – Dublin Castle
-November 15th – Bedford – Esquires
-November 24th – Cambridge – Blue Moon (Album Launch)
-November 29th – Norwich -Gringos
-December 1st – Ipswich – Smokehouse
-December 6th – Stamford – Mama Liz’s Voodoo Lounge
-December 8th – Bishops Stortford – The Horn at the Half Moon
Salford Music legend Ed Blaney has announced the return of the Salford Music Festival with a two night one venue run at Walk The Plank, Cobden Street, Brindle Heath in the heart of the city. The dates for your diary are 28th and 29th September and Four Candles will be appearing on the Saturday. The line-ups are strong on both nights and at £10 for ticket covering the whole event (£6 for individual nights) Ed has once again put Salford on the map with a grass roots musical extravanganza.
Poppycock will launch their new single “Iggy Pop” on 21st September as part of the Peer Hat gig with Charlie Marshall and Four Candles (see below). A catchy call and response rocker the song has long been a live fan favourite. With artwork from Suzanne Smith, responsible for many of the covers for Fall releases, the song celebrates the legend of Iggy Stooge! More details next week.
CHARLIE MARSHALL TOUR
As previously announced we are assisting Australian musician Charlie Marshall with a short UK tour. The confirmed dates for the September tour are:
15th – The Cornerhouse, Cambridge with Scissors
21th Peer Hat, Manchester with Four Candles and Poppycock and DJ set from Stephen Doyle
23th Grayston Unity, Halifax
28th Betsy Trotwood, Clerkenwell, London with Doomed Bird of Paradise and Michael Plater
Promotion for these dates would be much appreciated and we have prepared, with Charlie’s approval, a selection of his music that will be played on the tour including – Not a Cruel machine, & Almighty Carousel (from the Sublime album), and Won’t Give Up & Weightless (from the Won’t Give Up album). copies of these tracks and interviews are available on request for DJs, Bloggers and Music Press.
Charlie is a well respected Melbourne musician and has played with likes of Warren Ellis (The Dirty Three, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) and Clare Moore (The Moodists, The Coral Snakes, The MistLy). His melodic rock tinged songs are stunning and last years album “Sublime” was a triumph.
GIG GUIDE
Forthcoming live appearances by our artists
6th September – The Strays play The Jolly Collliers, Heanor
13th September – The Strays play Chameleon Arts Cafe Nottingham
15th September – The Scissors and Charlie Marshall play The Cornerhouse, Cambridge
15th September – Mesmer Disciples play Music Lounge, Stockton on Tees
16th September – Mesmer Disciples play Museum Vaults Sunderland.
16th September – The Strays play West Street Live, Sheffield
21st September – Four Candles, Poppycock and Charlie Marshall play The Peer Hat, Manchester
21st September – Drink and Drive play The Old Pint Pot, Salford
25th September – Inferior Complex play The Joiners, Southampton
29th September – The Strays play The Jolly Collier, Heanor
27th September – Inferior Complex play Ferndown RBL
27th September – Electric Cheese support Tom Hingley at Preston Guildhall
28th September – Inferior Complex play The Shooting Star, Southampton
28th September – The Strays play Park Hotel, Wigan – Musicians Against Homelessness gig
29th September – Four Candles play Salford Music Festival at Walk The Plank, Cobden Street, Salford
29th September – Bouquet of Dead Crows Play Deepdale Festival, Norwich
5th October – The Scissors are at Oxford Wheatsheaf (Klub Kakofanney).
5th October – Shaun Maxwell of Taser Puppets plays a solo acoustic set at Chorley Live
6th October – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
6th October – Inferior Complex play Liberties, Southampton
11th October – An Evening with Moff Skellington at The Peer Hat, Manchester
14th October – Taser Puppets play TNT Punk Fest at The Peer Hat, Manchester
17th October – The Strays play West Street Live, Sheffield
19th October – Taser Puppets play Old Courts, Wigan
25th October – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Pepys, Huntingdon – acoustic gig
1st November – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Dublin Castle, London
2nd November – German Shepherd Records Fundraiser at The Peer Hat, Manchester – with Drink and Drive, Taser Puppets, The Strays and Flea
15th November – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Esquires, Bedford
17th November – Drink and Drive and Four Candles play The Railway, Greenfield
22nd November – Inferior Complex play The King Charles, Poole
24th November – Bouquet of Dead Crows launch new album Motus Octo at The Blue Moon, Cambridge
29th November – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Gringos, Norwich
29th November – Four Candles play “Free Rock & Roll” at Sound, Duke Street, Liverpool
1st December – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
1st December – Bouquet of Dead Crows and Umbrella Assassins play Smokehouse, Cambridge
6th December – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Mama Liz’s Voodoo Lounge, Stamford
8th December – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Horn at the Half Moon, Bishops Stortford
8th December – Boz Hayward and Keltrix play The Peer Hat, Manchester
8th December – Poppycock support Vic Godard at Yes (The Basement) on Charles Street, Manchester with ASBO Derek – it’s next to the Lass O’ Gowrie.
22nd December – Drink and Drive play Strummercamp Fundraiser and Oldham Rugby Club
Hello and welcome to our weekly newsletter….in this edition
The Screaming Love Collective return with new album “Imola”
Moff Skellington announces Manchester date
Charlie Marshall UK tour dates finalised
Mistletoe to release new three track
Gig Guide
THE SCREAMING LOVE COLLECTIVE – IMOLA
The Screaming Love Collective return with their infectious “Psychedelic Punk Rock Groove Sensation” with the album “Imola” which comprises 13 tracks of dance orientated hypnotic grooves. Including former single “Laika/Cosmonaut No 1.” the album takes found sound/clips and mingles them with electronic explorations to create 42 minutes of prime aural entertainment. Led by the ever busy Bryn Thorburn the Collectives’ latest release is due on 7th September via Bandcamp, Spotify, I Tunes, Apple, Amazon and a wide selection of other digital download options. Lovers of dance oriented electronica will enjoy the wide open sound on this excellent collection.
MOFF IN MANCHESTER
Poet of the surreal, musician extraordinaire, and exceptional artist Moff Skellington returns to Manchester on Thursday October 11th for a mixed media show. Dubbed “An Evening with Moff Skellington” the show features one or two songs and a lantern show based upon Moff’s celebrated art pictures. The show will be held at The Peer Hat on Faraday Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester and commences at 7:30pm. The show is £3.50 and there will be no ticketing so pay on the door. We hope to see you there for what will be a fascinating evening.
CHARLIE MARSHALL DATES FINALISED
Longstanding German Shepherd watchers will know that for the last four years we have hosted visits from visiting Australian musicians – two visits by Dave Graney and Clare Moore (The Moodists, The Coral Snakes, MistLy), and one by Harry Howard and the NDE (Birthday Party, Crime and City Solution). This year it’s the turn of Charlie Marshall. Charlie is over for a short solo tour of the UK during September- here are the dates
15th The Cornerhouse, Cambridge with Scissors
21st The Peer Hat, Manchester with Four Candles and Poppycock
23rd Grayston Unity, Halifax
28th Betsy Trotwood, Clerkenwell, London with Doomed Bird of Paradise and Michael Plater
Charlie’s most recent album “Sublime” was rightly heralded a pop masterpiece with some exquisite melodies and thought provoking lyrics.
Charlie Marshall is an acclaimed singer-songwriter from Melbourne, Australia who has been an important part of the scene in that great music city since the 1980s. As a performer and songwriter, he comes from a similar place, and stands comparison, with better known Australian exports like Nick Cave, Ed Kuepper, Robert Forster, Dirty Three, Kim Salmon and Dave Graney.
Charlie has been the guitar-slinging backbone for many of Melbourne’s finest bands, starting with the legendary Harem Scarem who were a dynamite force in the key of punk blues, followed by the soulful intensity of The Body Electric whose stellar lineup included members of Dirty Three, Beasts of Bourbon and the Avalanches. Lately, he’s been backed by The Curious Minds featuring Clare Moore (Dave Graney ‘n the Coral Snakes), Bryan Colechin (Hugo Race True Spirit) and Tim Deane (Ron Peno & the Superstitions).
His songs are poetic, romantic meditations on life, love, philosophy and the universe, combining colourful chords with incisive lyrics and plenty of soul. In solo mode he’s a passionate, foot stomping, electric guitar slinging force, ranging from gentle, intimate moments to raging, beguiling intensity when in full flight. The latest album ‘Sublime’ is a unique blend of music, politics and science – try imagining Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys collaborating with the BBC’s rock star scientist Brian Cox. A new recording due out September 2018 promises lots of late 60s/early 70s soul-inspired grooves.
“My musical adventures have taken me on many paths since the 90’s but still some of my fondest musical memories are of playing with Charlie in The Body Electric and recording our first album, which I still regard as a great piece of work. A stone cold classic.” Warren Ellis, Paris, 2016
MISTLETOE RETURN WITH THREE TRACK EP
Ian Moss’s solo project “Mistletoe” returns with a new three track in EP. The September release will include collaborations with Loop-aznavour, The Boom Da Da Booms and Foghorn Leghorn. Watch this space for more details.
GIG GUIDE
6th September – The Strays play Tap ‘N’ Tumbler, Nottingham
15th September – The Scissors and Charlie Marshall play The Cornerhouse, Cambridge
15th September – Mesmer Disciples play Music Lounge, Stockton on Tees
16th September – Mesmer Disciples play Museum Vaults Sunderland.
21st September – Four Candles, Poppycock and Charlie Marshall play The Peer Hat, Manchester
27th September – Inferior Complex play Ferndown RBL
27th September – Electric Cheese support Tom Hingley at Preston Guildhall
28th September – Inferior Complex play The Shooting Star, Southampton
5th October – The Scissors are at Oxford Wheatsheaf (Klub Kakofanney).
5th October – Shaun Maxwell of Taser Puppets plays a solo acoustic set at Chorley Live
6th October – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
6th October – Inferior Complex play Liberties, Southampton
11th October – An Evening with Moff Skellington at The Peer Hat, Manchester
14th October – Taser Puppets play TNT Punk Fest at The Peer Hat, Manchester
17th October – The Strays play West Street Live, Sheffield
19th October – Taser Puppets play Old Courts, Wigan
2nd November – German Shepherd Records Fundraiser at The Peer Hat, Manchester – with Drink and Drive, Taser Puppets, The Strays and Flea
22nd November – Inferior Complex play The King Charles, Poole
29th November – Four Candles play “Free Rock & Roll” at Sound, Duke Street, Liverpool
1st December – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
8th December – Boz Hayward and Ketrix play The Peer Hat, Manchester
8th December – Poppycock support Vic Godard at Yes (The Basement) on Charles Street, Manchester with ASBO Derek – it’s next to the Lass O’ Gowrie.
22nd December – Drink and Drive play Strummercamp Fundraiser and Oldham Rugby Club
Hello and welcome to a new edition of the German Shepherd Records Newsletter.
This week
A new EP from Umbrella Assassins
The third volume of a Cambridge Calling Compilation curated by Dave Hammond’s Smelly Flowerpot Show
New Screaming Love Collective album announced
Our weekly gig guide
UMBRELLA ASSASSINS – LIVE AT THE CRUNCH
Haverhill a hotbed of East Anglian rock and roll.
It is home to the erudite ex-Hullite DJ Dave Hammond who introduced us, via his Smelly Flowerpot Radio Show to Umbrella Assassins, who also hail from Haverhill.
This is raw and uncompromising punk rock music from the band who are using a “proper” recording studio for the first time.
The Crunch is a new recording studio in Norfolk which was originally an Operations Control Centre during the Battle Of Britain. Initially built in 1939 as a Decontamination Centre for chemical warfare.
This is the band recorded at their very best, by Mr Jason, live onto 7 tracks of a vintage 8 track reel to reel tape machine, using vintage mics, vintage drums, and a 70s little 5-watt WEM guitar amp.
Umbrella Assassins Live At The Crunch delivers three tracks of uncompromising Shed Punk in the spirit of early Stooges, Ladbroke Grove era Pink Fairies and the Minutemen
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 a second compilation, followed in the summer of 2017. This latest release is the third in an ongoing series.
What started out as a vague idea to pull a few tracks together soon snowballed into the current multi-genre epics, fired by the enthusiasm of the artists involved. The more the perpetrator scratched at the surface of the local music scene, the more it became apparent how much excellent music there was out there.
Aside from putting some superb music out there, the aim is also to raise money for deserving charities. The nominated charity for this release will be announced closer to the release date.
A full breakdown of all the bands involved in this release can be found on our designated page.
This latest collection is the most eclectic yet which perfectly encapsulates the vibrant and far-reaching nature of the Cambridge scene
Two sample tracks from the album:
The album releases on August 31st
Previous releases in the series
NEW SCREAMING LOVE COLLECTIVE ALBUM – IMOLA – DROPS ON 7th SEPTEMBER
Ever busy Screaming Love Collective head honcho Bryn Thorburn has put together a new 13 track album psychedelic punk rock groove sensation. Building on the excellent run of albums this new release carries on the rich form with hypnotic dance based electronica with a gritty edge. More details next week
GIG GUIDE
Forthcoming gigs featuring our artists:
25th August – Electric Cheese play Lucky 8s Rock and Blues Bar, Chorley
25th August – The Mind Sweepers play the Carlisle Fringe Festival
25th August – Umbrella Assassins play Rugfest, Haverhill
25th August – Toska Wilde plays It Came From the Sea, It Died On the Beach- festival afterparty at 101 Social Club, Cliftonville.
26th August – The Mind Sweepers play Solfest – Cottage Stage
26th August – Four Candles and Sam Smith play The Station Hotel, Ashton Under Lyne
27th August – Four Candles play The 2nd annual Pressure Drop summer gig (private by invite only)
27th August – Taser Puppets play Glaston-Bury, Bury
15th September – The Scissors and Charlie Marshall play The Cornerhouse, Cambridge
15th September – Mesmer Disciples play Music Lounge, Stockton on Tees
16th September – Mesmer Disciples play Museum Vaults Sunderland.
21st September – Four Candles, Poppycock and Charlie Marshall play The Peer Hat, Manchester
27th September – Inferior Complex play Ferndown RBL
27th September – Electric Cheese support Tom Hingley at Preston Guildhall
28th September – Inferior Complex play The Shooting Star, Southampton
5th October – The Scissors are at Oxford Wheatsheaf (Klub Kakofanney).
5th October – Shaun Maxwell of Taser Puppets plays a solo acoustic set at Chorley Live
6th October – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
14th October – Taser Puppets play TNT Punk Fest at The Peer Hat
19th October – Taser Puppets play Old Courts, Wigan
2nd November – German Shepherd Records Fundraiser at The Peer Hat, Manchester – with Drink and Drive, Taser Puppets, The Strays and Flea
1st December – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
8th December – Boz Hayward, Poppycock and Ketrix play The Peer Hat, Manchester
22nd December – Drink and Drive play Strummercamp Fundraiser and Oldham Rugby Club
