Jed further previews his second album “Hi Tech Low Life” with the single Retribution releasing October 8th. The single release comes with two additional mixes by producer Chris Bentley and an Ambient Mix by Jed. The full album is due on November 5th.
The third full length from Bouquet of Dead Crows welcomes, new bassist Karen Gadd, which balances out the yin and yang within the quartet, and, which also brings a fresh and revitalised feel to the bands sound. The complete collection is called Hemispheres – the title of which describes an album of two parts.
The first part “Celestial” was released last year, the second part “Cerebral” is due for release October 22nd. We are releasing both the second part as a standalone item and also a complete version of the full album. Of the latter there will also be a CD version.
This latest chapter in the Bouquet of Dead Crows story finds the quartet adopting a more progressive sound with their trademark riffs with big melodies approach being enhanced to incorporate more layered and nuanced elements, different time signatures and tunings, and more reflective and sometimes ambient sections. The duality of the album title is carried through to the music. Intense hard rocking sections contrast with quieter moments.
After a year away the Moss Brothers return with some new music. One weird pop track and one minimalist spoken word piece , both have unsentimental observational lyrics that aim to provoke thought , this conversation may be one way but none the less it is communication.
24th September sees the digital re-release of the album “The Lump” by Moss Skellington – the pairing of Ian Fourcandles Moss and Moff Skellington. Originally released in 2016 we have taken the opportunity to include the two singles by the duo that preceded the album. The original Bandcamp versions are below.
Bury’s finest proponents of punk surf rock are back with a brand new single. Watch out for details of upcoming gigs!
We are pleased to share “Standing At The Precipice” which is taken from the forthcoming album ‘Hemispheres’.
The bands 3rd album released through German Shepherd Records, is the first album with Karen Gadd on bass duties.
The album is released in two parts – Celestial and Cerebral with the second part coming on October 22nd. Physical copies are available for pre-order HERE
Part One was released in May 2020
The album has an overall theme of mental health, which is a topic the band are very passionate about. With each song, they’ve written about issues that effect them individually and personally. There’s been a lot of stigma about depression and anxiety over the years, and as the mood slowly shifts this album captures the zeitgeist of our current unpredictable day-to-day life, the fears we are all experiencing right now. Although written before the current pandemic that the world is currently experiencing, a lot of the lyrics do seem strangely prescient and also very relevant. Such as the chorus of the title track ‘It’s not the end of the world…this time, it feels like the end of the world…every time’. This chaotic realisation that what feels like the end of the world, may not be. That there is a community, a beauty in all the destruction and repair that every one of us faces. Every heavy riff is wrought from the exact moment a human sees their own mortality and hopes for healing.
August 27th sees the release of two new additions to our catalogue.
Michael James Pollard & Sioux Goddard’s “Revolution” is a previously unreleased collection of tunes from the mid-1980s.
Originally from Derby, Michael moved to Manchester in his late teens to be amongst some of his favourite groups. After recording a Radio 1 session for John Peel he began writing and recording with Sioux Goddard and they came into contact with Lindsay Reade at Factory Records who helped get them an album deal with Fundação Atlântica. Over a two week period they recorded eight tracks at Revolution studios in Cheadle. The album, however, was never released as the label hit financial difficulties and closed soon after. We are pleased to be able to release this album.
Purchasers of the album and German Shepherd Kennel Club members receive two additional and exclusive bonus tracks. CD versions are also available.
Haverhill’s finest return with the second installment of their King of Fruit Series – three energetic slices of Shed Punk!
2 Lost Souls aka Ian Fourcandles and Paul Rosenfeld hit their 13th release with the new album “Yarn Bombs” – they are ably assisted with the bass skills of Paul O’Sullivan. Their third album this year is packed with loads of great new tunes.
Ian says “Bombs away! Yarn Bombs that is , here is another chapter in the ongoing 2 Lost Souls saga, Paul in London has served up more guitar based composition over which Ian at the base of the Pennines spins his yarns , Paul in South Manchester has added his exemplary bass guitar patterns to complete the process and we have pleasure in presenting for your edification this collection of shaggy dog stories, ladies and gentlemen we give you Yarn Bombs”
We are pleased to announce three new releases all coming out on Bandcamp and most streaming/download sites on July 2nd
Firstly the second album from Dominic Carlton Jones
Secondly a new single from the always inventive Filed Fangs
Thirdly a new long form single from Auster Boys
A brand new release this week which is 18 years old!.
For the first time we are making available for the wider world the fourth ever release by Moff Skellington which was originally released in a limited pressing in 2003. The album is called “The Main Road Threatening Invasion” and is one of those rare releases where there are other musicians playing with Moff – notably the guitarist uniquely known as Umbrella Span Jez. It’s also attributed to Moff Skellington & The Rail Dogs rather than just Moff Skellington.
With newly commissioned artwork from Moff this is a little slice of Eddodi history which adds to the remarkable body of work already released.
Haverhill Shed Punk maestros Umbrella Assassins have announced a handful of dates and further volumes in their King of Fruit series.
The boys have the following gigs in the diary:
A planned second volume in the groups King of Fruit series is nearing completion with an August release planned. In addition an unexpected third volume has agreed following the completion of some tunes.
Drummer Garry McKervill said “It looks like things are finally happening at last. We are looking forward to getting out of the waiting room.”
Check out the first volume of King of Fruit here
May 7th sees the release of new material from The Parasite, Longsight and Moff Skellington
On April 2nd The Screaming Love Collective return with a brand new album “Life In Orbit”.
Of the new release Bryn Thorburn says “It’s about people’s love of repetition and finding comfort in the familiar. How people move about the space they live in, cities made of loops, ring roads, subways etc and how we use them….people are creatures of habit and repetition, we like to walk the same route, park in the same spot, even sit at home in the same place and it feels less comfortable if we have to change. The album was written using a small selection of loops and samples featuring in each song which although different will begin to have a feeling of familiarity as you go through the album. When writing this album I imagined it being played on an old Walkman and going for a walk letting muscle memory dictate where I went.”
Album purchasers on Bandcamp will also be getting an additional bonus track which is not on streaming version!
In addition we are re-releasing last years album “We Breathe Like This Now”
March 26th 2021 sees us re-release a couple of great items from our catalogue.
Loop-aznavours sixth release with us originally came out in 2020 but got lost on the Interweb when our distributor went belly up – we have added him to another distributor and now it’s back again. A collection of alt pop punkery filled to the gills with Loop’s sideways look at the world.
Two of Moffs back catalogue released as part of our reissue programme. Originally released in 2014 and 2015. Under The Cobweb Sea is described by Moff as ‘an Eddodi mini-opera’. This is a continuous piece which might be described as “Eddodiprog”. It is a format Moff hopes to explore more as it gives him ‘the chance to be more diffuse in (my) writing style.’
Identity – an issue that has plagued scholars for centuries. Never more so than in the world of rock and roll where the persona of the star can be markedly different from the person behind the image. Tom Waits, a case in point, how did a smooth voiced singer-songwriter morph into a lounge bar lothario fueled on bad bourbon, and then a gravel voiced outsider artist…..2 Lost Souls examine this transition……will the real Tom Waits please stand up?
We released the second single from Elastikbande last year but the wider digital distribution was lost so we have relaunched it. With stunning cover art and three great tracks this release finds the trio on their best form with songs about work, politics, and vampires!
We continue our programme of relaunching Moff Skellington’s back catalogue with the reissue of the 2015 album The Corkscrew Tongue. This album was the third in our Moff Skellington catalogue and his 27th release overall. The subject matters vary between Secret Jelly, strange projects, Clown Threat, Keith with his random hormones, Clog dancing, and other strange and elusive matters.
Previously released albums from Jed Stephens and Moff Skellington get new distribution today (12th March 2021). With Bandcamp releases already in place the two albums are now more widely available via Spotify, Google Play, Amazon, and, many more digital streaming and download services.
Jed’s “Black Gold Texas Tea” is packed with electronic goodness blending ambient cinematic sounds with up tempo techno workouts. It was his debut album with the label and originally released in 2020.
Moff’s “Marine Sugars (Locally Glimpsed)” was his first release with the label back in 2014 and we are pleased to give it a new lick of paint with wider distribution. Occupying the space between reality and dreams Moff provides and presents an alternative listening world where rules, regulations and expected norms are abandoned and barriers removed to offer a new variety of sensual entrapment. Profoundly unique, unclassifiable, and utterly marvellous be prepared for something that will change your perceptions of reality.
March 4th sees two new releases and one reissue…..in addition Michael Scott who is behind the two new releases will be featured in this months edition of Eighth Day Magazine
STAGGS – in Western musical theory, a cadence is a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of resolution or finality. An unfinished or imperfect cadence is therefore one which has no “end” and thus leaves the listener longing for the final chord, which never comes…apparently it drove Mozart mad, whereas STAGGS quite like it…….music about the current state of play both medically and politically finds the mighty STAGGS at their acerbic best. The 18th release from the duo.
m.t. scott – m.t. scott has been exploring some dark corners of late. This latest release is based on a found, historical, recording of a psychiatrist interviewing a schizophrenic patient in a secure hospital. It does not make for easy listening but it is relevant to the state of things in early 2021 and perhaps gives us pause for thought. The 9th release from m.t. scott.
Moff Skellington – Originally released by Moff via Uterus Cottage in 2011 in CD form only this has never before seen the digital light of day. 14 portions of pure Eddodi with worms, stomach gas, marrows, druids (and their ancestors), and, dreams, amongst other things being delivered in Moff’s unique style
The debut single from Longsight
The debut album from The Wonders of Undo
A re-release from Moff Skellington
12th February sees the new album and third in the recent trilogy “Another’s Insomniac Dreams” from 2 Lost Souls released plus the reissue of the “Liquorice Flavour” single from 2020
We are also reissuing Pearl Divers EP “The Past Ain’t Made To Last”
And we continue the release of Moff Skellington’s back catalogue with “Sherbert Is The Culture of the Void”.
This week we have new releases from Filed Fangs and The Parasite with Moff Skellington and a re-release from Moff Skellington
We have three releases planned for 19th February 2021
The first release from brothers Chris and Phil Lukes otherwise known as The Wonders of Undo is called Ctrl Z. Phil is a member of Dislocation Dance. Song craft is full effect here with a selection of moreish electronically oriented pop songs with a left-field twist. Check out “Past Lives” first and then prepare to get hooked by the rest. There is more to come from these two. Guest appearances from Ian Runacres and Chris Gravestock from Dislocation Dance.
The debut single from a band which already has 800+ followers on Facebook and positive press comments:
This first single starts with a melodic ear-worm and builds from there.
The group also featured on our recent Charity Compilation
Please note the band is not named after the suburb of Manchester but after the optometric term for hypermetropia!
We continue our programme of re-issuing Moff’s back catalogue.Moff’s 31st album, originally released in 2016, finds him in familiar territory exploring the gaps in reality that lead us to Abstercot and the wonderful world of Eddodi.
All German Shepherd Releases are available from Bandcamp and via AWAL or DITTO distribution to 100 digital partners in nearly 200 territories including all of the leading platforms like Spotify, Amazon, ITunes, You Tube, Google Play and Apple.
Dominic Carlton Jones kicks off 2021 with a new single
Salford’s award winning singer-songwriter returns with a double A side – of the new release Dominic says “The Red String of Fate was originally a commissioned piece of work for a work colleague-James Steeles-who asked me to write a song about finding his love. I got several phrases from James and a little of the genre he wanted for the track before proceeding with it. James disappeared But I liked what I was doing and thought it had “single” written all over it so decided to release it as that. The Dance of the Night came about via lockdown drink/meet with Cat Jerome and Danny Needham where I preview new ideas and get feedback. In this case Cat provided some initial phrases for the track which I then pieced together.”
The single is available digitally via Bandcamp and can be streamed/downloaded from all of the major sites.
German Shepherd Records return on January 8th with two new albums……
BOZ HAYWARD – V YEARS
Flea and Filed Fangs guitarist Boz Hayward returns with a new album – the follow up to 2017’s highly acclaimed “Tennessee Ten” album
Hayward, a mainstay of the Manchester Music scene since the late 1980s has been working on his new release for some time.
Of the new album he says: “The roots of this project stem from the wake of John Lennon’s death on December 8th 1980. I was 15. Suddenly, the world turned upside down.
I was just starting to write songs on guitar and had just discovered minor chords. I mourned Lennon through a melancholic 3-chord sequence that came into my head and transported me back to the days of the early Beatles. It never found a home until 35 years later in the days following David Bowie’s death in January 2016. A death which, for both myself and millions of others, was equally devastating. ‘Blackstar’ had just been released. There were many hidden messages and unanswered questions sowed by the enigmatic genius Bowie, not just in this album, but throughout his career. People were trying to figure it all out, trying to join the dots of his life. So ‘Dot to Dot’ was written and happened to be perfect for a certain lonely chord sequence 35 years on.
‘Alert’ was written a few days later. In it, I am imagining what David Bowie might have felt like in the last few months of his life. It was like he planned to go out with a bang and be as alive as ever, even in death.
Every song has its story. In these uncertain times, we reflect on humankind and continue the journey of trying to understand ourselves. If we are to continue living by ‘binary absolutes’ instead of the oneness of both sides (light/dark, good/evil, right/wrong, etc.) we will never be able to move on.”
CD Versions of the album will also be available in early January.
CREDITS FOR THE ALBUM
Bert Weill Productions in association with German Shepherd Records presents V Years
Drums recorded at Airtight Studios, Chorlton, Manchester by Seadna McPhail.
Music mainly recorded in our homes and gardens in lockdown Manchester 2020 excluding ‘Alert’ at Phil’s from Jan 2019: trumpet in Sale; sax in Knutsford.
Mixed by Boz Hayward (Vile Villa) and Seadna McPhail (Airtight)
Mastered by Karl Sveinsson, Queens Ark Audio, Levenshulme, Manchester
Artwork by Boz/Bert Weill Productions.
Musicians:
Ed Bottomley – saxophone
Rick Burrows – trumpet and flugelhorn
Pat Clarke – harmonica
Mark Greer – garden slide guitar
Rob Haynes – drums and percussion
Boz Hayward – vocals, guitars, glockenspiel, keys, programming
Clive Mellor – harmonica
Phil Robinson – electric and guitarron bass; bass keys (III), tremolo guitar
Mike Seal – piano
DAN ECCLESTONE – HIDDEN MUSIC
Ember Rev frontman Dan Ecclestone releases his debut solo album on January 8thEmber Rev came together early 2016 to play the nervous & neurotic accordion-driven tunes of Cambridge singer-songwriter Dan Ecclestone. Initially ploughing a folk-rock furrow, debut album …it was all fields around here was all ukuleles and autoharps. 2018’s critically acclaimed Premonition & Ruin shifted the sound up several gears and the complex asymmetrical rhythms heard in their current set are pushing the band in a darker direction. The band joined German Shepherd in June 2019 for a wider distribution of Premonition and Ruin and the aim to release future material with the band. Reworking and repurposing familiar forms that recall the percussive Africana of Talking Heads and the accordion-led romance of Arcade Fire; alternately rattling and stuttering then piledriving at breakneck speed, it’s a sound that demands you keep coming back.
For the solo debut Ecclestone strips back the sound to just piano and vocals with additional musicians providing colour and context to six achingly beautiful songs. Raw and emotional this stunning debut is a work of exceptional quality.
Musicians on the album are
Trumpet: Jake Hatter
Violin: Julia Black
Viola: Katharine Parsons
Cello: Abby Wollston
Piano & Vocal: Dan Ecclestone
Double Bass: Richard Partridge
Drums: David Youngs
Matthew Hopkins releases are always something we look forward to and the third single “Girl” is no exception. The trademark harmony/melody drenched tune is driven by the trios ever-present percussive drive. Each single reveals a new facet of the bands wide array of talents and Girl is another vital step forward in the Matthew Hopkins story
.
Haverhill’s finest band return with a brand new release.
Named as ‘The King of Fruit Vol 1’ this three song e.p. from the Umbrella Assassins, is the first of two halves, divided into six fruity segments with a distinctive size, strong sound and thorny rind, and finds the trio blasting through the event horizon and into hell.
The seeds were sown a few months back and a sound that evokes overpowering reactions of deep intensity has been grown. Vol. 2 will follow in 2021
Cambridge based band Lizard Brain release two new singles on October 16th.
Othering which features David and Richard is a timely tune with the American Presidential Elections so close. Othering is the division of people into “us” and “them”. Othering increasingly seems to be a political strategy used to create fear and distract from the most pressing issues facing humanity. We need to unite to create a mandate to deal with the huge issues of inequality and the climate crisis.
Round and Round is one of Mark’s and features former Lizard Brain Member Tony Jenkins.
Kids often dance to music by just spinning around and losing their inhibitions. Mark really wanted to see a whole room full of people doing that – arms out, head back, laughing and spinning. So that’s the vision that started the music. Tony’s dark lyric hints at a dysfunctional relationship, perhaps with our political representatives….?
.
New disco, soul and funk flavoured 7 track EP from cult Manchester indie band – Dislocation Dance.
Ian Runacres has been releasing music under the name Dislocation Dance since 1980, when signed to the legendary Buzzcocks label, New Hormones. Moving to Rough Trade in 1982, (along with the Smiths), the band released an acclaimed album, Midnight Shift.
After various line-up changes and writing and producing for other artists, Ian launched Manchester’s BOP label. The ethos was to promote minority music from the North West, along with emerging dance and indie bands. The notable release being Manchester North of England compilation, featuring James and Freak Beats featuring 808 State. After a hiatus of several years, Ian reformed the band to tour Japan and released further albums – Cromer (Vinyl Japan), The Ruins of Manchester, and, Are We There Yet?, (LTM).
The new EP – Discombobulation marks the 40th anniversary of Dislocation Dance releases.
You can pre-order the EP HERE
More importantly all income from this release will contribute towards crowdfunding for the treatment of Ian’s teenage son Joel, who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in September 2019.
German Shepherd Records are pleased to be helping Ian and the band with this release. The EP will be pre-released via Bandcamp on 25th September 2020 with two tracks being available immediately. The full EP will be released on 30th October 2020 and will be available via all the major download and streaming platforms.
Message from Ian Runacres
In September 2019 my 19 year old son Joel, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma. This is the most aggressive and lethal of all brain cancers. To help prolong his life, the best option for Joel is to receive a pioneering new treatment, as quickly as possible. The treatment is in the form of a personalised vaccine manufactured from Joel’s own tumour tissue, but it is very expensive. All income from the sale of this EP will contribute towards crowdfunding for Joel’s treatment.
The aim is to help Joel live longer.
Information about Joel’s story and the fundraising campaign can be found at:
http://www.gofundme.com/f/helpjoellivelonger
http://www.facebook.com/Help-Joel-Live-Longer-103173274841678/
RELEASE DETAILS
releases October 30, 2020
All songs written by Runacres/Lukes except track 6 – Runacres
Copyright and Published by LTM 2020
Musicians:
Ian Runacres: vocals, guitar, bass, ukulele, keyboards, percussion, programming
Phil Lukes: vocals, bass (track 2)
Sam Heywood: vocals
Jon Board: trumpet
Chris Gravestock: Congas
Recorded: Ian’s Playroom, Jon’s shed & Phil’s shed
Engineered: Ian Runacres & Phil Lukes
Produced: Ian Runacres
October is always an important month in the mythos of Abstercot and Eddodi. It is entirely appropriate therefore that the sixth and final release from Moff Skellington in 2020 comes on October 2nd.
Y E A S T is another collection from the bard of Abstercot once again exploring unique and abstract music and verbal places. Moff continues to astound us with his fecundity and invention. This new set of tunes perhaps explores even more hitherto unheard angles in the complexities of Abstercot (the Brigadoon of Dream Sleep). The fractured dub of “A Tribute to Throbbling Gristle” for example takes us in an industrial direction. There is spoken word, klezmer squeeze boxing, and repetition. Imagine if you would 1979 Cabaret Voltaire mixed with a heady cocktail of jazz, mutant blues, Afrobeat, Comus, Hattie Jacques, Arthur Lowe, and Mrs Slocum from “Are You Being Served?” and you get some way towards what this collection sounds like. Alien sounds and mutterings pervade Moff’s interlocutory perorations. There is an almost Beefheartian feel to this latest collection in that it is so unique and refreshing.
We appreciate that this music may be somewhat different to the majority of listeners but we strive to share and hopefully educate the general public about the magic and breadth of the Abstercot experience.
Moff’s new podcast series is being released almost fortnightly and is available from our Mixcloud page.
September 18th sees the release of the debut EP from The Right Side of Reason
The Right Side of Reason is the solo project of Andrew Missons from Inferior Complex. The four track EP celebrates minimal electronica with motorik drum beats laying a steady backbone to layers of rich synths – orchestral chords and powerful bass notes combining to create an epic sound.
In addition Andrew has worked with Paul Morley of Filed Fangs on a remix of the track Ensemble from the EP and this will be released as a single at the same time as the EP – for the purposes of the release the duo are calling themselves Fang Complex.
Salford’s very own master of Techno returns on August 28th with a new EP and on September 4th with a full album.
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 around Eccles on a regular basis.
We released a radio edit of the single from the new album, “Tech Noir” on May 9th. A remix EP featuring new versions of the song precedes the new album. Of this Monty says:
“Recorded during the wilderness year. Inspired by my favourite 80’s/90’s artists, I decided again to release another remix e.p.TECH NOIR this time, remixed by some very good friends of mine. SPACE MUSEUM, NIGHT OPERATIONS, and POSITRONIK. “FILM NOIR” is a fabulous mash of TECH NOIR and Positronik’s “SUPERHEAVY”, featuring the wonderful production of JEFF BLACK and the vocals of NATHALIE HALEY. And a little reunion for Positronik! Oh and I couldn’t resist a Junta Remix of my own in the form of the T-800 Mix as a homage to The Terminator.”
A week later a brand new album “J3” follows – we think it’s his best yet. Plans for vocal versions of a couple of the tracks featuring some special guests had to be abandoned due to the lockdown but we hope will emerge when things get back to normal. Of the new album Monty says:
“Recorded mostly between Feb and June 2020…idle hands and all that! Wanted to avoid doing a bunch of lockdown songs, because I thought there’d be a wealth of them. Though couldn’t resist throwing in MAN AS AN ISLAND. Can’t wait to actually take these tunes on the road…when Boris green-lights the venues again.”
All instruments and recording on these releases are the work of The Junta with mastering being done by Space Museum at his Half Edge Studios. 100% produced in sunny Salford!!
A Slapstick Life is Moff Skellington’s 45th release and is a collection of tunes based around an early recording of his called “Remembering a Slapstick Life”. It is released digitally via German Shepherd Records on August 21st 2020.
The music on the new release is rooted in old jazz and ragtime recordings, described by Moff as a Hal Roach fever dream.
The track entitled ” Remembering a Slapstick Life ” is a montage of recordings from the original project from 1985-90. Moff took the Picasso/ Matisse path and used only what was irreducible, so it could be termed “Atomic”. The track has echoes of Viv Stanshall and the construction of the varying layers and elements is very good indeed – we were reminded of John Zorn’s “cut-up” music as evidenced on “The Big Gundown” and “Spillane” albums.
The recordings are full of jazz ghosts and narration is delivered by Babe Handy i.e. W C Handy meets Oliver ‘ Babe ‘ Hardy, thereby consummating the marriage between jazz and slapstick. Handy’s voice might be perceived as belonging to an overweight and seedy northern comic from the early seventies.
The listener is transported to Weimar Republic Berlin where Brecht and Weill might be constructing an entertainment for the theatre. And there’s a piece of synchronicity in that Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” had a significant impact on Brecht. Slapstick is omnipresent.
The track “Fragile Comfort Seeker” is a particular favourite with a “wandering” sound underneath the narrative.
Moff has captured the music of the slapstick era wonderfully although it is heard through the prism of Eddodi – if indeed you can hear things through a prism.
Hello again…..
We hope you are all well and safe in these strange times
Fortunately, due to the magic of technology and forward planning we are able to continue to share new music with you.
We are extremely grateful for recent support via airplay and features of our releases and for the new subscribers who have joined us, and, everyone who has purchased music from the label. We were very pleased to see The Peer Hat reaching its fundraising target and we encourage everyone to check out the first compilation album from the venue. We have some exciting news about a further compilation from Nick, Dom and co which we are keeping close to our chests at the moment. With the closure of The Deaf Institute and Gorilla, Greater Manchester has lost two key music venues so it is vitally important we continue to support grass roots music.
We have two new releases and a reissue to share …..all digital only and available from August 7th. They can be found on Bandcamp and all of the major download and streaming platforms.
So, here we go again…….
From Brisbane on the gold Gold Coast, of Australia – sycloner band members have performed with everyone from Debbie Harry to The Sugarcubes and with good reason. Their spin on alt-pop gives way to energetic blasts throughout not only their career but also their latest EP.
Running Interference contains four tracks that set the record straight on alt-pop soundscapes. Fans will also appreciate that they have something to say on songs like “Awful” and “Worry Well”. Running Interference is reminiscent of existential anxieties found in earlier releases and buzzes with themes of loss, love, and self awareness. For fans of Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand, and Stereophonics, sycloner brings wry humour and melancholy to the material, producing thoughtful soundscapes which reflect on the hard work of living well.
This fourth release is the follow up to 2019’s In And Of Itself but it’s far from their last. Currently, they are working on new material to be released in due time.
With debut release “Calcify” getting the thumbs up from John Robb in Louder Than War and tin tin tin the emboldened Filed Fangs, Boz Hayward and Paul Morley, are back with a brand new track.
Searing synths kick things into a mesmeric melange of layered sounds and powerful beats – like Saturday night in the post punk grunge disco with pulsing strobing sounds revolving around your head-space as guitar riffs worm their way into your subconscious mimicking and adding to the penetrating lead sounds as chanting half-heard vocals float at the edge of things.
This second track confirms our expectations of this talented pair and we are excited about receiving future material from them.
Just under four years ago we released singles and an album by Ian Moss and Moff Skellington under the collective name of Moss Skellington. Wider digital distribution of these releases was lost when we changed our distributor so we have taken the opportunity to reissue them as one package with a new distributor – an expanded version of The Lump album.
The combination of Eddodi and Manchester’s post-punk legend makes for a unique and compelling sound – the singles Boomerangs/Body Bad and The Wickedest Man In The World/Boys from the Bible Stories together with the original album gives you a complete set of the collaborations.
Moss (Hamsters, Four Candles. Cosmic Panthers, The Parasite, 2 Lost Souls) and Moff’s fecundity is legendary with both separately releasing many items in 2020 alone – this new package of sounds adds to an already immense body of work.
August is looking busy with the following new releases planned
Pending a new full length offering from The Parasite Mr Moss and Mr Osborne have put together a couple of new songs which reflect the state of the world at the moment.
Pimple comments on the Donald’s seeming wish to be Jim Jones a couple of weeks back, he has of course got worse since then and gone even more full on bonkers
My Culture is about cultural appropriation and an ironic statement, at least musically, about the Twitterati’s holier than thou attitude over certain things……
It’s a free download thing but anyone who wants to pay anything we’ll send the money over to the Peer Hat Manchester, our favourite gigging spot, to help them survive the current thing.
Hello
We hope you are all well and coping in these strange times.
Firstly, many thanks to those DJs, Bloggers and websites who have featured us recently. We really appreciate the support and time you are giving to the label and its artists.
This news is for releases on June 26th plus details of a new signing to the label and progress on some of our fundraising activities….
Eccles based singer, songwriter, and troubadour Dominic Carlton Jones returns with a new double A side – Reach Out To Your Far Horizon/German Bombers
Dominic Carlton Jones won the Salford Star Best Band/Act 2018 Award for his debut album Salford Punk Poetry Sadness Death New Life, which judges hailed as “inspired and original”. and his work has been rightly praised. The new single sees the seven minute plus “Reach Out To Your Far Horizon” exploring ambient soundscapes with an evocative and emotional spoken word delivery from Dominic. The guitar focused “German Bombers” provides another side of Dominic’s work with layers of picking and riffs building to create an atmospheric bed for more spoken word developing an epic soundscape where vocals kick in with a heartfelt song.
The ever productive 2 Lost Souls duo of Ian Moss and Paul Rosenfeld are back with another charity focused single. The harrowing “Don’t You Call It Love”, which Ian premiered at his virtual Stonehenge festival performance, is a direct attack on child sex abuse and the evil people who perpetrate it. All proceeds from the sale of this single will be donated to Childline.
LONGSIGHT
We are pleased to announce we will be working with Stockport, GreaterManchester band Longsight starting with a single.
Longsight are a new indie guitar band from Stockport, North West England. Started in August 2019 their first few gigs have caught the imagination of their peers and music journalists alike.
Si Wolstencroft (The Fall/ Ian Brown’s band) “Absolutely love Longsight. They sound like a cross between The Buzzcocks and New Order”.
The Big issue: “Beg, borrow or steal the entrance fee. Longsight are about to go stellar”.
Cassie Delta KBYD radio California: “The songs have a hurting, haunting, heart-breaking echo to them.”
Manchester Evening News, “No wonder current music sounds banal, Longsight have taken all the best songs”.
Chester Chronicle: “Top new band. Every track sounds like a hit single.”
Glasgow Herald. “Beautifully crafted songs delivered in an unnerving style”.
The band comprises of:
Longsight’s first single ‘These Chains’ is out now on limited edition 7″ vinyl through Discogs. Produced by Jez Kerr from A Certain Ratio. Their first album is due out early next year through German Shepherd Records pending that a new single is coming soon.
Here’s the band live:
Catch them on Facebook
Moff Skellington has made available the original artwork for three of his albums plus the poster designed for his gig at The Peer Hat, Manchester. There are four prizes so four chances to win. All punters need to do is purchase one or more tickets for the chance to enter the prize draw. Entrants get a free copy of Moff’s EP Uncle Roy’s Utopian Vision #1
The closing date for the raffle is Monday 22nd June and winners will be notified by e-mail by Friday 26th June when arrangements will be made for Moff to mail the artwork to the winners.
All proceeds will be donate to The Peer Hat Fundraiser. Tickets can be purchased from this link.
Our recent releases from Four Candles, 2 Lost Souls and Crab Dance GIs are all dedicated to raising money to support The Peer Hat, Manchester a much loved place by everyone at the label and where we hold our annual Meltdown events. We have already raised £265 through these releases but more would help if you are able to support us.
Our recent releases by Moongoose also have a charitable aim with homelessness charity Shelter being the recipient on any income from sales of the EPs.
NYC and Manchester have proud and distinct musical heritages, think of the Velvet Underground and the Fall, the Ramones and Buzzcocks, Suicide and Joy Division all different in location and output and yet there is something similar in terms of attitude that links them.
Fuzzy Warbles and German Shepherd as labels existing on separate sides of the Atlantic Ocean still share an ethos of releasing and promoting music of true quality by artists who exist outside the mainstream making music out of love and emotional necessity rather as a career choice, both champion the underdog.
And so what does a musical collision between these two cities, these music capitals sound like? With the world in lockdown they decided, with the aid of smart phones and laptops, to find out.
Ben from Fuzzy Warbles and Ian from German Shepherd swapped ideas and wrote four songs long distance. Happy with what they had created, they were recorded and, we give you rumbling synths, guitars that sting, and acid tongued vocals. We welcome you to the cross pollinated world of Cosmic Panthers and the EP Ball The Wall.
Here are our three releases for this week……
We live in strange and interesting times which means that our usual plans can often be changed at the last minute to accommodate the circumstances.
We had planned on telling you about just one release this week but events and their impact and consequences has lead us to a slightly different state of affairs.
So, we have four announcements in total this week.
Lets start with the one we were planning to announce……
Dusty Moonan returns with West Coast Sick Line after a more than two year wait – the last release was 2018’s album “Flat of Engels” – with a brand new five track EP called “Colour Climax”.
Trademark Sick Line biting wit and slightly dangerous humour are in play for a great set of new tunes. The best description is alternative rock with a pop edge, Pounding beats, great guitars and riffs, and catchy melodies are to the fore for this set. Perhaps the overall sound is a little heavier and a touch more in your face than previous releases.
It’s mostly Dusty on his own this time with the main man providing vocals, guitars, bass & keyboards. Main support is from Dragan Rolivic who adds Mandolin on track 3, Backing vocals on track 5 and drums throughout, as well as mixing the release. Further support comes from Mark Shrieves who plays Bass on track 4.
The whole affair was recorded at recorded at Tucky Park Studios,in Colwyn Bay, North Wales.
It will be released to the world as a download only on June 12th.
One of the great things about owning your own record label is that you can make fairly quick decisions about when and what you can release.
A new four track from Four Candles was recorded with Simon “Ding” Archer at 6dB Studios in Salford just before lockdown.
With the ongoing impact of the lockdown materially affecting some of the important players in the live music business in Manchester the band took the view that their latest recordings ought to try and assist the financial impact on the venue that has been both the label and our musicians main provider of somewhere to play and present what we do. That venue is The Peer Hat, in Manchester City Centre, and all the proceeds from the Bandcamp sales of the new release “Alternative Golf” will be dedicated to that wonderful place with the hope that when the current situation has been resolved we can see Nick, Dom and co. up and running again as soon as possible.
There are four tracks on the EP, one of which, Loose Lips, was previously released as a live recording from the Yerrrr bar in Manchester.
Opener Doughnuts, with a video already up on You Tube, saw it’s live debut at The Eagle in Salford around a year ago with a memorable impromptu set of backing vocals from Julia and Anne from Matthew Hopkins performed from the audience. Basket Case is a typical punk infused rant and closer Requiem is a stunning attack on failings in the Care system for vulnerable people. All in all a great set of tunes.
Release date: June 5th – download only.
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS ANOTHER FREE FEE DAY ON BANDCAMP SO PURCHASE ON THIS DATE MAXIMISES OUR INCOME TO SUPPORT THE PEER HAT.
If the decision on the Four Candles release was quick then we approached warp speed on the new release from 2 Lost Souls.
The behaviour of a certain individual and his boss sparked a flurry of activity on Sunday May 24th. The two Paul’s laid down guitars and bass and Ian added his trademark vocals to a pointed attack on the self-styled elite that “run” the country at the moment. Within two hours the finished track was sent to Bandcamp for release and sharing with the world. A few hours later Ged Babey had penned a review for Louder Than War.
The release is offered for free on Bandcamp with a pay what you want option. Any money raised will as with the Four Candles release be dedicated to supporting The Peer Hat.
OUT NOW!!
and finally…..
NYC and Manchester have proud and distinct musical heritages , think of The Velvet Underground and the Fall , The Ramones and Buzzcocks , Suicide and Joy Division all different in location and output and yet there is something similar in terms of attitude that links them.
Fuzzy Warbles and German Shepherd as labels existing on separate sides of the Atlantic Ocean still share an ethos of releasing and promoting music of true quality by artists who exist outside the mainstream making music out of love and emotional necessity rather as a career choice , both champion the underdog.
And so what does a musical collision between these two cities , these music capitals sound like ? With the world in lockdown they decided , with the aid of smart phones and laptops, to find out.
Ben from Fuzzy Warbles and Ian from German Shepherd swapped ideas and wrote four songs long distance. Happy with what they had created, they were recorded and, for our fourth release this week, we give you rumbling synths, guitars that sting, and acid tongued vocals. We welcome you to the cross pollinated world of Cosmic Panthers and the EP Ball The Wall.
Fuzzy Warbles will release the EP in Cassette Format and provide digital download via Bandcamp. German Shepherd will facilitate wider distribution via A1 Music to all the major digital download and streaming sites. Release date is June 5th.
This one speaks for itself….free download or pay what you like….any income will go towards supporting The Peer Hat
Four Candles have announced the release of a new EP “Alternative Golf” which will be released on June 5th. A preview of the EP comes in the form of a brand new video of the track “Doughnuts”.
The group have agreed that any income from the sales of the EP on Bandcamp will be used to support Manchester City Centre venue The Peer Hat which is at risk of closure due to the current lockdown.
More details about the release to follow next week.
Hello, here are the details of our releases for June 5th plus some video news.
We are very pleased to be working with Moongoose for the release of two EPs.
Any income generated from the sales of these releases will be donated to the homelessness charity Shelter.
The two EPs entitled “Yellow” and Black” are respectful homages to cinema and its soundtracks.
The YELLOW EP is a tribute to all of the magnificent directors and composers of the Italian Giallo films from the 1970’s. Films such as SUSPIRIA, LIZARD IN A WOMANS SKIN, YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, ETC. Directors such as Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava, Sergio Martini, ETC. Composers such as Ennio Morricone, GOBLIN, Claudio Simonetti, ETC.
The Giallo films were mysteries/thrillers/horror films that usually placed an innocent in danger from a knife-wielding assailant. Full of terror and suspense, they usually had groundbreaking visuals and stunning soundtracks.
The BLACK EP is a tribute the wonderfully atmospheric and very bleak American Film Noir Movies of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Films such as DOUBLE INDEMNITY, IN A LONELY PLACE, KISS OF DEATH, THE BRIDE WORE BLACK, SUNSET BOULEVARD, ETC. Directors such as ALFRED HITCHCOCK, ROBERT SIODMAK, FRITZ LANG, ORSON WELLES, ETC. Composers such as BERNARD HERRMANN, MIKLOS ROSZA, MAX STEINER, ETC.
The American Film Noir movies were mysteries/thrillers/spy films that usually dealt with corruption, double-dealing and murder. The movies main features are the striking lighting design and weird camera angles
Each EP comprises four tracks. To tie in with the release German Shepherd Records Subscribers will receive an additional pair of tracks from the Yellow and Black sessions – ‘Raven Circles’ and ‘Bitter Consequences .
A series of ten videos will be released to tie in with the two EPs. Watch this space for details!
Some limited edition CDs of both EPs will be available from the Moongoose website.
David “Yorkie” Palmer has also put together a podcast to promote the two releases which includes tracks from older Moongoose releases plus a selection of his favourite film scores. This will be available from the German Shepherd Mixcloud page from June 3rd.
Established in 1999 by YORKIE, former bassist and producer for platinum selling indie giants SPACE, and producer of Liverpool legends SHACK’s last album ‘…the corner of Miles & Gil’ (for Noel Gallagher’s SOURMASH label). He has also produced many other bands, most notably SEVEN SEALS, IVAN CAMPO and WINDMILL.
MOONGOOSE have released five singles, three ep’s and four albums to date.
The main core of MOONGOOSE is:
Manchester’s pop subversives Crab Dance GIs, featuring Danny Cusick (Kit B), Craig Bodell (The Hidden Gem) and Paul Smith (The Hidden Gem) are back with a brand new single called “Stage Fright” their fourth release with German Shepherd. Pizzicato strings and a moving synth bass create a bed for a special pop song.A sultry summer vibe runs through this hook packed tune which sees the Crabbies taking a more soulful route. If this one doesn’t grab your ears and give them a good shaking then nothing will.
To tie in with the release of “Hemispheres Part One :Celestial” Bouquet of Dead Crows have been hard at work producing videos to support the albums tracks. Here’s the video for Left To Rot.
A You Tube playlist of the videos featuring the whole album will be available soon.
Pre-order the album now:
We are pleased to announce the release of the latest album from Moff Skellington – his 42nd. It’s called “Wading With The Help Donkeys”. To mark the occasion Moff has recorded a special podcast where he introduces the album and plays a short clip of each track. It’s a fascinating half hour with lots of humour in the inimitable Moff style.
You can purchase the album from Bandcamp now.
Hello….
This week we have news of three releases for you, all digital, all coming out on May 29th.
THE JUNTA – TECH NOIR
Salford’s master of techno is back with a brand new tune which is from his forthcoming album “J3”.
Guaranteed to make you want to do the boogaloo this one is a guaranteed dancefloor (or living room carpet) fave!
MESMER DISCIPLES
Leeds finest proponents of alternative guitar rock are back with a fascinating new single “Chosen Child”.
Sadly the band are still without a singer so have chosen to use found sounds to compliment their intricate and emotive compositions. We love the music this band make and we hope you will to!
THE PARASITE
Brewed in Mossley and Eccles over several months the new album from The Parasite is called “Social Validation Feedback Loop”
Politics , sexuality, fame and it’s attendant problems, extinction and identity, are all subjects in this collection of new pieces.
Non genre specific it weaves it’s way across several styles and influences to create a unique listening experience.
OTHER NEWS
Bouquet of Dead Crows third podcast is released this Friday and includes an interview with Stewart Harris all round ace designer and bass man with The Scissors and Goddamit Jeremiah. The band are also on the next episode of Dave Hammond Smelly Flowerpot on Cambridge 105.
Moff Skellington to putting together a users guide to his new album “Wading With The Help Donkeys” which will be available in podcast format soon.
…and we will be back next week with details on releases from Moongoose and Crab Dance GIs
Hi folks
We are aware that many DJs/media types are now doing shows/stories from home and having to mail in pre-records/articles a lot earlier than usual. With that in mind we are moving to a position where we are announcing our new releases 20 days before release rather than the usual 10 days. Because of that we have more releases than usual to announce this week.
May 15th will see the release of a brand new album from Moff Skellington called “Wading With The Help Donkeys” – this is the first in a new series from Moff for 2020 with four more to follow over the next few months. As usual Moff brings his unique style of music and performance to the fore with a collection of songs concerning weird and wonderful ideas and concepts including “Show Biz Potatoes” “Birds of Prey” “Slapstick” (a theme he will return in one of the forthcoming albums) “Pet Shops” and the clothing habits of people from ancient times. Moff’s prolific output continues unabated with this new release which demonstrates the more playful and joyous aspects of his work.
On May 22nd Southampton’s masters of post-punk are back with a brand new instrumental single called Epic. With dance floor friendly pulsing beats and Ray Missons trademark bass sound this is truly a song whose name describes the music accurately. The trio are hard at work on new recordings including a partnership with label mate Dominic Carlton Jones with further releases coming later in the year.
Bouquet of Dead Crows return with the first half of their new album “Hemispheres” on May 22nd. Entitled “Celestial” the collection brings together six tracks from the new album – with Bandcamp purchasers getting an additional live track.
The third full length from Bouquet of Dead Crows welcomes new bassist Karen Gadd, which balances out the ying and yang within the quartet, and, which also brings a fresh and revitalised feel to the bands sound. The complete collection is called Hemispheres – the title of which describes an album of two parts. “Celestial” is released now as a prelude to what is to follow., the second part “Cerebral” follows later in the year.
This latest chapter in the Bouquet of Dead Crows story finds the quartet adopting a more progressive sound with their trademark riffs with big melodies approach being enhanced to incorporate more layered and nuanced elements, different time signatures, and more reflective and sometimes ambient sections. The duality of the album title is carried through to the music. Intense hard rocking sections contrast with quieter moments
The group are also releasing a weekly series of podcasts introducing the album and talking to other musical guVests from the Cambridge Area – the first one can be found below with two more to follow
The album is pre-released on our Bandcamp Page and can be ordered now
We are continuing to feature in the excellent Eighth Day magazine – the May edition includes part 2 of our article on bands from Cambridge on the label as well as the Cambridge Calling charity compilations. The June edition will include a detailed article on Mark Corrin who has a number of releases with us this year.
After last weeks single “Me, My Dad, and The Fire Engines” the Propshafts are back with their signature tune “I Was A Teenage Propshaft”. It’s available now as Pay What You Want with all monies received going to the charity Mary’s Meals. With one chord, lots of guests and only slightly more lyrical content than Lulu’s “I’m A Tiger” this is the band at their proto-punk best.
We have have a packed calendar of new releases for you over the next few months including releases from the following:
The Junta
The Parasite
Mesmer Disciples
Crab Dance GI’s
Moongoose
West Coast Sick Line
Moff Skellington
Dominic Carlton Jones
Space Museum
Elastikbande
The Screaming Love Collective
Mark Corrin
Inferior Complex
Black Limousine
sycloner
The legendary cry “I Was A Teenage Propshaft” has been heard at Manchester/Salford gigs for many years now. This release celebrates that rallying call and invites you to join in and express your inner Propshaft.
“I was a teenage what? You guys from Manchester are crazy……….” Patti Smith
“I’m A Propshaft” Kirk Douglas
We are offering this for free but if you do feel generous we will send what you spend to Mary’s Meals charity
Featuring the legendary line up of :
Stevie Propshaft – Lead Vocals
Monty Propshaft – Bass and Shabba
Doo Doo Propshaft – Guitar
Enrico Propshaft Jr – Drums
with the assistance of The Propshaft Choir
June 5th 2020 will see the release of two brand new EPs from Moongoose in a new partnership with German Shepherd Records. Distributed via AWAL the EPs will be available on all of the usual streaming and download sites, as well as the German Shepherd Bandcamp Page. German Shepherd Subscribers will also receive an additional two tracks not on the EPs but recorded as part of the same sessions. Limited Edition CDs of these releases will be available from the Moongoose Official Website.
Any monies accrued from downloads or streaming of these releases will be donated to Shelter charity for the homeless.
Entitled “Yellow” and “Black” the EPs each have four tracks of Moongoose’s trademark evocative instrumental music which is reminiscent of movie soundtracks, highly appropriate given the subjects of the releases.
The YELLOW EP is a tribute to all of the magnificent directors and composers of the Italian Giallo films from the 1970’s. Films such as SUSPIRIA, LIZARD IN A WOMANS SKIN, YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, ETC. Directors such as Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava, Sergio Martini, ETC Composers such as Ennio Morricone, GOBLIN, Claudio Simonetti, ETC. The Giallo films were mysteries/thrillers/horror films that usually placed an innocent in danger from a knife-wielding assailant. Full of terror and suspense, they usually had groundbreaking visuals and stunning soundtracks.
The BLACK EP is a tribute the wonderfully atmospheric and very bleak American Film Noir Movies of the 1940’s and 1950’s Films such as DOUBLE INDEMNITY, IN A LONELY PLACE, KISS OF DEATH, THE BRIDE WORE BLACK, SUNSET BOULEVARD, ETC. Directors such as ALFRED HITCHCOCK, ROBERT SIODMAK, FRITZ LANG, ORSON WELLES, ETC Composers such as BERNARD HERRMANN, MIKLOS ROSZA, MAX STEINER, ETC. The American Film Noir movies were mysteries/thrillers/spy films that usually dealt with corruption, double-dealing and murder. The movies main features are the striking lighting design and weird camera angles.
Established in 1999 by YORKIE, former bassist and producer for platinum selling indie giants SPACE, and producer of Liverpool legends SHACK’s last album ‘…the corner of Miles & Gil’ (for Noel Gallagher’s SOURMASH label).
He has also produced many other bands, most notably SEVEN SEALS, IVAN CAMPO and WINDMILL. MOONGOOSE have released five singles, three ep’s and four albums to date. The main core of MOONGOOSE is:
Along their journey they have been joined by various special guests, such as:
The band has also had the great fortune of working with a number of artists, photographers and writers to bring their projects to life, including:
On their last album, ‘TOKYO GLOW’, MOONGOOSE complete their sci-fi trilogy and ruminations on the encroachment and reliance of technology on modern life, with a look at Japan and its many wonders and pitfalls. As usual, it was totally instrumental and impressionistic, and blended modern recording techniques with traditional instruments and approaches to recording.
This week sees annoucements of two new singles
May 8th sees the release of a brand new single from Night Operations.
Entitled “Pull The Trigger” it’s a taster from the forthcoming third album.
Night Operations is the project of Mike Powell who has already released the albums Mantra and Advantage with German Shepherd Records as well as a number of singles and EPs.
The new single continues the success of Night Operations with a driving piece of electronic rock.
Released TODAY is the debut single from The Teenage Propshafts.
This mysterious band, which is couched in legend, has only previously released a one off track – the title track of our Salford Streets compilation. They are back with an often recounted tale of a chance encounter in an amusement arcade in Manchester in the early 1980s called “Me, My Dad & The Fire Engines”. The tune/tale has been a staple of The Teenage Propshafts repertoire for many years and is now shared with the world in all its protean glory.
This is offered free/name your price but if listeners wish to donate something we will be giving any monies received to the charity Mary’s Meals.The single is available now on Bandcamp and comes with a dub version as a b-side
Plans for a follow up single are germinating ….watch this space!
Here we are again with details of our latest release – a new album from Mark Corrin called “Washed Up” it releases on May 1st in digital format only via Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple,Google, Amazon etc
Following on from last years critically acclaimed “Pub Bin” it is a short, catchy pop album about bad weather – meteorological, political or social.
It was recorded, solo, in Manchester UK in February 2020, the wettest one on record, in a time of great global uncertainty. Most of the songs here are wet, stormy and anxious but also warm and silly and not without hope. Some random musical influences for this release might include poetic funk (Gil Scott-Heron & Ian Dury especially), Momus, Luke Haines, some classic 80s pop (The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, Teardrop Explodes), There is grime, punk, psychedelia, novelty records and hip hop in the mix
Mark Corrin’s early releases as “Shirokuma” were frequently broadcast on the John Peel Show on BBC Radio 1, and his more recent solo work has featured on BBC Late Junction with Nick Luscombe. He also presents his own weekly music radio show on Salford City Radio and has collaborated and performed with several notable artists from all over the world both live and on record. He has previously also been a member of groups including Una Baines’ (The Fall) band Poppycock, Rose & The Diamond Hand and is currently working with Elastikbande and La Capsula.
Mark released his last album “Pub Bin” with us on 19th April, 2019. It is described as a dark comedy concept album set mostly in the venues, shops, offices, pubs and bins of modern Manchester.
German Shepherd records Subscribers will also get an additional album on release day called “Mission Inaction” which is a compilation of additional tracks recorded at both the Pub Bin and Washed Up sessions.
We have just one release for April 24th from Cambridge pop-meisters Lizard Brain
Entitled “32 Years” it’s a brand new single recorded in early 2020 and featuring band members Richard Jones on Vocals/Keyboards and David Carter on Guitar /Bass.
A melodic pop song with a rock/electro base this proves to be a joyful but tongue in cheek celebration of a long standing relationship. It’s already received airplay from Cambridge DJ Dave Hammond on his Smelly Flowerpot Show.
This release follows on from previous single the remix of “Put Some Love In Your Heart”
The guys have also done a podcast which will be available from our Mixcloud channel from April 22nd.
If you haven’t already then check out their excellent album from last year “Stray”
Bouquet of Dead Crows have announced that their brand new album ‘Hemispheres’ is now available to pre-order.
With the latest singles ‘Left To Rot’ & ‘Kaiju Hijinks’ included, the bands 3rd album, called “Hemispheres” is released through German Shepherd Records, and, is the first album featuring Karen Gadd on bass duties.
You can pre-order the album on CD today and receive an instant download of one of the tracks, and another five on May 22nd when the Celestial EP is released, the full physical album being released later in the year.
German Shepherd will digitally release the first 6 tracks, collectively known as Celestial on May 22nd via Bandcamp, Spotify and all of the main streaming/download sites.
Pre-orders for “Celestial” are also available now from our Bandcamp page
Bouquet of Dead Crows continue the run up to the release of their next album “Hemispheres” with the release of the title track on video. A somewhat appropriate song in these crazy times as the key line in the chorus is….”It’s not the end of the world”! A big ballad with an epic sound it certainly brings forward another side of a band that continues to develop and grow.
In the run up to the release of the first half of the album – which is called “Celestial” and features the track the band will be releasing a series of podcasts to explain the genesis and the recording of the album. The EP length release will be on May 22nd.
This video follows the release of the two singles from the album “Left To Rot” and “Kaiji Hijinks”
Here are the details of our releases on April 10th plus news of some reissues and an additional single release on April 3rd
Adventures of Salvador front man and theremin wizard Loop-aznavour resumes his solo career with a brand new album Les Idiots de L’Electronique.
Loop takes us through ten great new songs involving a wide selection of bizarre and wonderful characters. Applying his unique and dead-pan humour to the everyday idiosyncrasies of life this collection will certainly lighten the mood in these trying times.
Haverhill’s finest proponents of Shed Punk are back with a full length which includes revisited versions of tracks from the previous EPs and Singles released by German Shepherd.
Entitled Humanity it’s a concept album dealing with the adventures of Dodo Freak (Freakum Dodois) the last of his kind. Losing faith in humanity he escapes to a new planet. As years go by he wonders what has become of his old home, so he decides to look. Hurtling through the countryside in his spaceship he meets a girl, falls in love and starts a family. Through new found friends he assembles a band of humans, those lucky few. The pioneers of the twelve by ten. The creators of Shed Punk.
Mixing raw shed punk with some lighter pop tunes and experimental pieces this is Steve, Garry and Bunge with their best offering yet.
The band have put together an entertaining podcast to support the release of the album which will be available around the time of release from Bob’s Mixcloud Page.
Following a change in our distributors we are pleased to announce that the following are available once more from all the digital streaming and download sites…..
plus a host of reissues of Moff Skellington albums:
Plough Monday, On Flanders Moon, Golfer In Disgrace, Bargains Are A Hollow Syrup, Fetch, Uncle Roy’s Utopian Vision Parts 1 and 2, The Corduroy Bridge, Thorny Conduits
We are continuing to write a monthly column for the excellent Eighth Day Magazine. March’s edition included a piece on Moff Skellington and an introduction to The English Disease. April’s edition which is due out at the weekend includes the first of a two part article on our work with Cambridge Bands – check out the magazine here
and finally …..there’s an extra release scheduled for April 3rd from
The Lizard Brain team have produced an excellent remix of the track Put Some Love In Your Heart from their That Has A Nice Ring To It album.
Again we felt that this tune offered some hope and love during the current lockdown. This track is a taster for their new single 32 Years which will follow on April 24th.
The third full length album from Cambridge based alternative rock band Bouquet of Dead Crows welcomes new bassist Karen Gadd, which balances out the yin and yang within the quartet, and which also brings a fresh and revitalised feel to the bands sound.
The complete collection is called Hemispheres – the title of which describes an album of two parts – Celestial and Cerebral.
We released a first track from the album “Left to Rot” in October last year.
The second release from the album is a single “Kaiju Hijinks” which will be available via Bandcamp and all the main digital outlets from April 4th.
The recording of the second half of the album has been delayed so on May 22nd we will be releasing the first half of the album – Celestial. More details to follow!
This latest chapter in the Bouquet of Dead Crows story finds the quartet adopting a more progressive sound with their trademark riffs with big melodies approach being enhanced to incorporate more layered and nuanced elements, different time signatures, and more reflective and sometimes ambient sections. The duality of the album title is carried through to the music. Intense hard rocking sections contrast with quieter moments.
Artwork for the single has as usual been created by the highly talented Stewart Harris.
We have recently been re-organising our distribution arrangements and this has given us the opportunity to relaunch several albums in the back catalogue. One of the first of these is the re-issue of The Junta’s Network album from 2018.
Now distributed by A1 Music this excellent album shows the self-proclaimed Techno-Head at his best with guest appearances from Loop-aznavour (Adventures of Salvador), Aidan Cross (Weimar) and legendary Salford City Radio DJ Stephen Doyle. Combining an encyclopaedic knowledge of modern electronica with some post-punk and pop smarts this album finds The Junta at his most inventive.
In addition to the above album we are releasing a subscriber only live album of The Junta playing at Manchester’s AATMA venue.
Here are some highlights from Network
To brighten your day and lighten the load here is some new, and not so new, music from the mysterious world of Abstercot. Moff has three other new albums due in June and a further one later in the year.
Releases are available from Bandcamp, Spotify, I Tunes, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon and all the rest…..
Firstly a brand new EP “Throat Mender”……
…and then the wider release of Moff’s 2010 album “Gliding Through Stone”….
Stay tuned for more Moff news…..
This time around we are promoting releases for 20th March. We have two new releases from Moff Skellington.
We also have some great gigs to tell you about.
Moff Skellington is back with a brand new EP and the reissue of his 2010 album “Gliding Through Stone”
Moff’s newest release is called “Throat Mender”.
An EP, lasting a tidy 12 minutes, it offers a useful introduction to the artist. From the opening “Flowers On The Box” which waltzes Moff’s rich wordplay into your ears, through the Klezmer inspired “Colin Piggott” which is existentially Yorkshire in its manic delivery, whilst at the same time being utterly psychedelic. Track three “There’s A Ghost In The Place” perhaps channels R.Dean Taylor but then extends into a virtual tangle of language and imagery. The EP concludes with a tune inspired by German Shepherd label owner Ian Moss who was heard by his partner to utter when waking from slumber “Madonna Leave Me Alone”. Moff explores the dream state which might have led to this utterance.
We are also releasing for the first time an album from 2010 called “Gliding Through Stone” a collection which covers such varied subject matter as lard, bracken, Peggy Mount, Bees and Magistrates. Originally self released by Moff we now share it with the wider universe.
Moff has recently been featured in the Eighth Day Magazine as part of a new and regular series of articles about the labels output. In addition three new Moff Skellington albums are finished and planned for release in the summer of 2020.
On Friday 13th Weimar are back with a headliner as part of the Deco Residency at the The Railway in Didsbury – free entry and loads of other bands on the bill.
On Saturday 14th we are pleased to have The Mind Sweepers down from Dumfries for their second Manchester gig – they are supported by an excellent band from Stroud called The Red Propellers – £5 on the door at The Peer Hat in Manchester City Centre – we highly recommend this gig – two great bands, see the vids below!!
All of our other upcoming gigs can be found on the right hand side of this page.
Our next release, on March 13th, is a digital only album by The Parasite called “Keep The Future Safe”. It will be available from Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play and many more digital outlets.
The Parasite is a project involving Ian Moss (Four Candles, The English Disease, 2 Lost Souls), and, Bob Osborne (Space Museum, Auster Boys, Passage of Time).
The latest release from the duo comprises eight new tunes which combines Moss’s spoken word/vocal delivery and lyrical dexterity, with Osborne’s unique take on sound design.
With subjects ranging from that boy in the Tank Top behind David Bowie, performing Star Man, on Top of The Pops (a seminal cultural moment), via urban decay, a tribute to Pete Shelley, and downside of being a Good Samaritan. This is another collection of music which we like to describe as Different Noises For Your Ears.
As a studio only band there is no plan for any live performances of this album.
Our subscriber special for March is a selection of early mixes of tracks from the new album by Bouquet of Dead Crows. Six tracks from part 1 the new album “Hemispheres”, a collection called “Celestial”, are presented alongside a four way commentary from Neil, Toni, Andy and Karen from the band giving some insight into the creation of the music and its subject matter.
This music will not be available anywhere else and only subscribers to the label will be able to access this unique collection.
If you want to subscribe to our label – it’s only £40 a year for a minimum of 40 releases over 12 months, plus the majority of our back catalogue absolutely free; there’s also 10% off merch and subscriber specials like this one – then follow this LINK.
We will releasing an exclusive Bandcamp only collection of part 1 of the new album next month so non-subscribers will have to wait that little bit longer for the new music. The band will launch “Celestial” at a gig at The Blue Moon, Cambridge on April 4th. Here are a couple of live examples of what to expect from the new album …..
We have a busy month ahead for gigs
Poppycock
8 Mar 2020 – The Spinning Top 20 Wellington Road South, SK4 1AA Stockport
Weimar
13 Mar 2020 – Railway Inn (Didsbury), 3 Lapwing Ln, Manchester M20 2NT, UK
Inferior Complex
14 Mar 2020 – The Acoustic Couch, 11 Market St, Bracknell RG12 1JG, UK
The Mind Sweepers with The Red Propellers
14 Mar 2020 – The Peer Hat, 14-16 Faraday St, Manchester M1 1BE, UK
Rose and the Diamond Hand
20 Mar 2020 – The Kings Arms, 11 Bloom St, Salford M3 6AN, UK
Four Candles and Adventures of Salvador
20 Mar 2020 – The Salty Dog, 23 High St, Northwich CW9 5BZ, UK
The English Disease
23 Mar 2020 – The Hatch Sheffield
Kit B and Inferior Complex
26 Mar 2020 – The Dublin Castle, 94 Parkway, Camden Town, London NW1 7AN, UK
Inferior Complex and Bouquet of Dead Crows
29 Mar 2020 – The Smokehouse, South Street Studios 6 South Street, Ipswich IP1 3NU, UK
La Capsula is a two piece psychedelic folk duo from Manchester and Rome, comprising Mark Corrin (bass, vocals) and Luisa Maraffino (guitar, vocals). Their debut is called “Time Capsule”.
Previous projects from members of the line up have been played on the BBC 1 John Peel Show, 6 Music and Nick Luscombe’s Late Junction on Radio 3.
These initial 4 songs are musically both lush and lo-fi, mellow and melodic, recorded on location in Italy and at home in Manchester with intimate one take only vocals inspired by nature walks and escape from the everyday.
Some subtle inspirations for the project could include John Martyn, Talk Talk, Julian Cope, Kevin Ayers, Arab Strap, Bonny Prince Billy and Songs Ohia.
Mark and Luisa are also members of Elastikbande and Mark has his own solo project.
The debut EP releases 6th March 2020 in digital and CD format.
A new EP from Elastikbande and a new solo album from Mark Corrin are due later in the year.
Luisa is having a short break pending some treatment to her wrist and Elastikbande’s line-up is under review. Pending that Mark will be performing a series of solo shows in the near future starting at the Whip and Kitten in Rawtenstall on 28th February.
We started all this in a mill in Stockport in 2014 – as we enter our seventh year we celebrate by releasing something by the two co-owners of the label. It’s free but if you want to give us some money it will help us keep the label running. Subscribers get a copy automatically!
Many thanks to everyone who has supported the label since we started especially DJs, Bloggers and Journalists who have featured what we do. Also thanks to the venues who have allowed us to share our music/artists on a live stage. Special thanks to all the artists who contribute to the label – we couldn’t do it without you!
We’ve a lot more new music coming your way so stay tuned!
Here’s what we have planned for February 28th and also some gig news
The Crab Dancers return with another quality slice of Manchester Music. A two track single double A side entitled – Cover Aversion/I’m Sorry (But You’ve Got To Go)
Crab Dance GIs is the side project for KIT B’s Danny Cusick which also features Craig Bodell and Paul Smith, all three of whom were in the excellent band The Hidden Gem.
Packed with Cusick’s sardonic wit and great melodies this is a welcome addition to a collection of great tunes produced by the band
The bard of Abstercot is never far from our minds and in anticipation of a new EP in around a months time we are re-issuing Moff Skellington’s excellent album The Pukes of A Hot Cloister.
The dark days of January 2012 were brightened somewhat by the arrival of The Pukes Of A Hot Cloister album. As usual there was a feast of lyrical athleticism, Moff plucks words out of the ether and re-arranges them in a completely unique and totally compelling way. This album is particularly full of memorable “Moffism’s”, too many to mention and all rather special, there is some degree of continuity from prior releases in parts, with several references to molecules, and the usual bovine references that are scattered across the albums, and the opening instrumental “House of New Bricks” is quoted in the words/music of the penultimate track “Four Peg Wooden Unit”. Two of the tracks “Time for Nervous Questions In The Pub” and “Confident of Pending Treats” formed part of the six song set Moff recorded for the “Reformation” radio show (Salford City Radio), the other four appearing on the previous years Embers from the Rapid Eye album, so there is some specific continuity between those two albums. As is usual with Moff you know what you are going to get – the difference with each album though is how he has progressed his art and which particular parts of his “dreamscape” he is addressing in this instance.
The opening “House of New Bricks” sets the scene with a stately waltz around the accordion with bluesy harp wailing – this soon transforms into the strange and somehow beautiful “Crap and Ugly Toys” which is Eddodi in its purest sense. From there on we are gently led through a journey of fascinating words and unique music. A contemporary “manifesto” of Moff’s work, whether it be his art or his music, described a reality comprising three interacting factors – octoberness, perfection and slapstick. Simply put these three elements , anticipation, entropy, and the essentially comedic nature of existence, intertwine to allow innovation, expression and interpretation. We are resisting the urge to release spoilers about the content of this album as we believe that the listener should absorb this marvellous work and draw their own conclusions from the text/sound. All we will say is that the other-worldliness of Moff’s output is never more apparent as it is here. He has always been unique. no one else is doing music like this – it just seems he has built on his work to date to create something rather special. Variety is the watchword here and it is all good. Comparisons, bench-marks, yardsticks etc are impossible so the listener needs to approach it from his/her perspective.
It is with great pleasure that we re-release this album for wider consumption.
We thought it was timely to bring the oft neglected and rather marvellous band The Scissors back to forefront.
The Cambridge based band offer a unique sound encompassing carnival freakshow organ, primitive synths, and rock’n’roll guitar powered psych-punk-pop. Their influences are varied, but their sound has been likened to The Teardrop Explodes, The Doors, The Chameleons, Wire, The Damned, and XTC.
The current line-up of the band is: Stewart Harris – vocals/bass, Toby Lefever – guitars, Simon Powell – keys/tronica, Huw Wallace – drums
The Scissors started in 2006 in Cambridge as a trio; adding organ and primitive analogue synths a year later to mould their sound into a mix of psychpop and post-punk that they continue to develop. They have played alongside great acts including Glasvegas, Hey Sholay, Raglans, ex-Kook Max Rafferty, James McCartney (son of Sir Paul), Make Model and Jakil. In terms of venues they have delivered well-received sets in London (Dublin Castle, Camden Enterprise, Hope and Anchor), and in the East of England (The John Peel Centre in Stowmarket, Epic Studios in Norwich). In their home town they’ve played at the Portland Arms, Cambridge Junction, the Corn Exchange, Mill Road Winter Fair and comic/sci-fi convention CamCon. They have even ventured north to play the Salford Music Festival They’re no strangers to local radio, especially Cambridge 105’s ‘Stagger Indie’ show and Dave Hammond’s Smelly Flowerpot on Cambridge 105.
We re-release their two latest offerings to a wider audience from the 28th.
As trailed last week the debut release (it’s not a single!) from Filed Fangs is officially released on 28th February – here’s a link to a review from Louder Than War.
Gigs for the remainder of February and March
Umbrella Assassins
21 Feb 2020
Haverhill Art Centre, High St, Haverhill CB9 8AR, UK
Electric Cheese
22 Feb 2020
The Whip & Kitten, 8, 12 Burnley Rd, Rawtenstall, Rossendale BB4 8EW, UK
Adventures of Salvador, Loop-Aznavour
28 Feb 2020
Shangri-La at the Carlton Club, 279 Bury Old Rd, Prestwich, Manchester M25 1JA, UK
Elastikbande
28 Feb 2020
The Whip & Kitten, 8, 12 Burnley Rd, Rawtenstall, Rossendale BB4 8EW, UK
Bouquet of Dead Crows
29 Feb 2020
The Blue Moon, 2 Norfolk St, Cambridge CB1 2LF, UK
The Junta with Section 25 Industrial Unit
29 Feb 2020
Aatma, 1st Floor, 14-16 Faraday St, Manchester M1 1BE, UK
Poppycock
8 Mar 2020
The Spinning Top 20 Wellington Road South, SK4 1AA Stockport
Inferior Complex
13 Mar 2020
HOLROYD ARMS, 36 Aldershot Rd, Guildford GU2 8AF, UK
Weimar
13 Mar 2020
Railway Inn (Didsbury), 3 Lapwing Ln, Manchester M20 2NT, UK
The Mind Sweepers with The Red Propellers
14 Mar 2020
The Peer Hat, 14-16 Faraday St, Manchester M1 1BE, UK
Inferior Complex
14 Mar 2020
The Acoustic Couch, 11 Market St, Bracknell RG12 1JG, UK
Inferior Complex
20 Mar 2020
Winchester Football Club Hillier Way, Winchester SO23 0JD, UK
Four Candles and Adventures of Salvador
20 Mar 2020
The Salty Dog, 23 High St, Northwich CW9 5BZ, UK
The English Disease
23 Mar 2020
The Hatch Sheffield
Kit B and Inferior Complex
26 Mar 2020
The Dublin Castle, 94 Parkway, Camden Town, London NW1 7AN, UK
Inferior Complex and Bouquet of Dead Crows
29 Mar 2020
The Smokehouse, South Street Studios 6 South Street, Ipswich IP1 3NU, UK
Here we are again with some more new music for you….we have one new release for February 14th plus one pre-release……. and some other news
Southampton’s post punk trio are back with another release.
This time a recording from a radio session for Phil Crowder’s End of the Week Show on Sheppey FM. Phil has been steadfast supporter of our label and has had sessions with our more southern based acts.
This six track mini-album, recorded in October 2019, covers music from all of the band’s releases and the stripped back feel of these recordings is a fine example of their live sound. The release was engineered by Jamie Ryan at Sheppey FM an edited & mastered by Matt at Untapped Talent in Southampton.
The band have gigs coming up in Southampton (7th February) Guildford (13th March) London – Dublin Castle (26th March) Ipswich (29th March) and Southampton (10th April). Please see the gig list page right for more details.
As trailed last week on 14th February we pre-release the first offering from new Manchester based duo Filed Fangs.
To remind you what we said last week.
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 blah blah blah) this sounds unique, special. compelling. Something to get your teeth into?
Hyperbole? You decide……full release will be on February 28th and CD versions will be available. The track has already been featured on “Standing In The Shadows of Lev” show on ALL FM, Manchester
We are releasing today the second volume of Ian Moss’s Spoken Word series to our subscribers – with 14 brand new pieces, supplemented by the sonic tinkerings of Space Museum, Moss covers a wide range of topics close to his heart including aging, the climate crisis, politics, relationships and tribute bands. This release is exclusively for our subscribers and will not be available anywhere else.
Subscriptions to the label are £40 a year. With that you get everything we release in the next twelve months, a series of subscriber only specials, 10% of all merch and over 230 previously released albums, singles and EPs which you can stream or download. To subscribe please follow this LINK
The next edition of Manchester Meltdown has been expanded to a two night affair. Good Friday (April 10th) sees Four Candles and Adventures of Salvador (currently back in the studio) plus ex Notsensible Stephen John Hartley (Sage) at The Peer Hat, Faraday Street – there a no pre-tickets for this event and the entrance fee is a mere £5.
The following day sees a bumper bill of bands from across the north west – Unseasonal Beasts, Factory Acts, Matthew Hopkins, Andy T Band and Horsemeat – plus headliners The Cravats back in Manchester after a two year absence with a new album to promote.
Tickets are £8.50 in advance and are selling fast so we recommend people get on board as soon as possible. Tickets are available HERE. Entry will be £10 on the day early purchase saves you loads!
Weimar follow up their critically acclaimed debut single “John Doe/Curse the Songs” with a new double A-side single, “Marvel to the State/Undesirable Master”, released on Friday 22nd November. Both the new songs feature the guest vocals of Rose Niland, singer with Rose & the Diamond Hand as well as Poppycock.
As well as being released digitally on German Shepherd Records, you can pre-order a CD version from the bands website.
Both songs are accompanied by promo videos directed by Nikos Pavlou. Stunning cover art is from Brian Gorman.
Stylistically, both new songs are significantly different from Weimar’s previous single. “Marvel To The State” – written as a celebration of female figures throughout history who have stood up in the face of oppressive politics – is a duet between Weimar’s frontman Aidan Cross and Rose Niland, set to a jazz-funk inspired backing. Rose co-stars in the video.
“Undesirable Master”, meanwhile, is a romantic torch song with an ethereal backing vocal from Niland. The video guest stars screen thespian Indigo Azidahaka, also vocalist with Granola Suicide.
The group play The Globe, Glossop on November 30th with Adventures of Salvador.
This weeks sees the release of the sixth and final track in a run of singles from musical brothers Ian and Neil Moss.
With a widely eclectic mix of styles and sounds the siblings have created a mind expanding variety of music which challenges the preconceptions and boundaries of our fractured culture.
The latest, “Total Freakout” is perhaps the most accessible of the set with a nod to 60s psychedelia albeit seen through the purple-tinted glasses of East Manchester……
Here is the complete set – they are also available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play and all of the other digital services
8th November sees the release of the second single this year from The Harveys.
Previously known as Harveys Rabbit the band reconvened a few years back after success in the 1990s. With that name change and a new line up the core members Tim Lyons and Mick Pullen have brought back the melodic charm and crossover Manchester pop stylings for which they are rightly remembered, and currently appreciated.
The new single couples a remake of an old Harvey’s Rabbit number “Frank Got Married” with a newer song “Shadow of Wind”. It will be available in digital download and CD formats and accessible from all of the main streaming platforms.
Embracing the Brel/Brecht elements of the bands work this exciting new double A side will be launched on 14th November at The Castle Hotel, Oldham Street, Manchester with support from Vee VV and Four Candles.
The band have also produced a podcast for the German Shepherd Mixcloud Select Channel to support the release of the new single.
Further gigs for The Harveys have been booked:
18th October 2019 sees the release of new singles from The Parasite and Angry
11th October sees worldwide distribution for music from Mistletoe, Ian and Neil Moss and Unseasonal Beasts.
Check them out on Bandcamp…..
The vast majority of the Moff Skellington albums are home recordings, on which Andy sings, talks and plays a variety of instruments, including accordion, melodica, harmonicas, whistles, ukulele, guitar, huttyphone, stylophone, bodhran, jaw harp, kalimba, dulcimer, metronome, tenor horn, baritone euphonium, various percussion and elastic bands.. The results are then mixed and mastered to create amazing collections of songs and poems. Everything is recorded in real-time, there is no cut and paste, no sampling, in fact nothing artificial at all, except perhaps the stylophone and the occasional drum machine.
Moff’s manifesto is simple and quite direct
“The chosen musical form is that of Edoddi, a species of folk music which celebrates the very individual and often skewed perceptions of the world engendered by modern life. Edoddi provides a refreshing alternative to the prescriptions and formulas of mainstream and “alternative” folk music. Edoddi philosophy: nothing is arbitrary. Make it up as you go along, it’s bound to be authentic!”.
Marking the full gig debut of Unseasonal Beasts at Fuel Cafe Bar Manchester on 28th September we are pre-releasing a track from their second EP. Scorpion Joe, which features Dan Woolfie from Coroner For The Police, AAAK on drums. Ding and Moet promise a spectacular sound experience at the gig with some technical wizardry being used to create a unique listening environment.
Other tracks on the EP feature Mike Kelly (The Mission) on Drums and Susan O’Shea (Factory Acts) on vocals.
You can pre-order the EP now, which will be released on 27th September on Bandcamp, and across all other digital platforms in October.
Zac Fahey at Blank GC – “…sycloner are gearing up to release their third EP since forming in 2018. ‘In And Of Itself’ sees members Peter Greasley (Vocals) and Daniel Cunnington (Guitar) channel a vintage indie-pop sound while offering something more modern and progressive. According the band, the EP journeys deeper into familiar themes of self-unawareness, vanity and the challenges of living well. ‘Lean On Me’ is the EP highlight track, showcasing a heavier and more experimental side while the very next track ’Down The River’ is a stripped back indie ballad. ‘In And Of Itself’ is a fantastically diverse EP and well worth a listen.” http://blankgc.com.au/new-gold-coast-music-september-2019/
We have pre-released the EP today with immediate access to track one “You Tell Yourself” – full release comes on 27th September. A video for the track has also been released. Peter and Daniel have also recorded an interview introducing the EP which will appear on Bob Osborne’s Aural Delights Show on September 26th.
Here are the details for our releases for September 13th
As trailed last week 90s Peel favourites Harvey’s Rabbit are back with a new name and new line-up.
With the first of two singles this year the band return with a run of live dates starting with a single launch gig at the Peer Hat Manchester on 20th September with support from Dislocation Dance and Matthew Hopkins
The single Skeleton Dance/Laugh at the Stars has been released for pre-order today with the option of purchasing a limited edition CD copy.
An audio interview with Tim and Mick from the band, conducted by Bob Osborne, will be included in Bob’s Aural Delights Radio show on 13th October on taintradio.
Tim and Mick have also curated a one hour podcast featuring their own music plus of a selection of tunes from artists that have influenced them including the likes of David Bowie, Jacques Brel and The Go-Betweens. This will be released on our Mixcloud Select channel next week.
Other gigs coming up…..
14th November – Castle Hotel, Manchester with Four Candles and Vee VV
14th December – Peer Hat, Manchester with TV Smith
1st February – Jimmy’s, Liverpool with The Monochrome Set
The North East’s master of sardonic wit is back with a new EP (although he likes to call them mini-albums). m.t. scott of Staggs returns with one his regular journeys into the dark side of the human condition. “And This Is Why Clowns Are Sad”. The overall feeling is one of Pathos – not an obscure Greek island,but a quality that invokes pity or sadness. m.t. scott’s aural cinema returns with four tracks, each a vignette soaked in said pathos in the style of Brecht/Weill who have had a tussle in an abandoned art-house cinema with John Barry and any number of post-rockers you care to mention. Trade mark glitches pervade the piano led explorations leading to rich orchestral textures. The voice is always close to the microphone seeping into your unconscious. The subject matter appears fairly conventional but the usual scott tropes are in play a mix of the drama of the kitchen sink and some other deeper existential, possibly metaphorical messages, somewhere in the layers…..Tick Tock…Tock….Tick
Anne and Gary are Angry. They tell true stories about the things that get in the way of having a calm and serene life…
“Every now and again something new happens in music and Angry (band name) fit into this category …..certainly not for the faint hearted.”
Anne (Vallance) sings and hits things
Gary (Smith) sings and plays the guitar – he is also a member of The Get
It’s lo-fi punk and pop with a message.
You can read more on Facebook
Here is a recent radio session with another song…..
Formed in 2018, Black Limousine is a three piece alt-rock band from Manchester, UK.
They are set to release their debut single ‘Dressed in Black’ via German Shepherd Records on 6th September 2019.
‘Dressed in Black’ is a blistering debut with its heavy, sludgy guitars, macabre undertones and soaring rhythm section calling to mind great alt rock-sounds of the 90s such as Rollins Band, Helmet and Filter. The track was produced by Simon ‘Ding’ Archer (Pixies, PJ Harvey, The Fall) at 6dB Studios in Salford, UK.
Of the single, lead singer and guitarist Mark Taylor says: “It’s about a person who basically takes no joy from anything, despite having the opportunity to be involved in moments and experiences of joy in their life. It’s about people who are just completely self absorbed, paranoid and no awareness of the good that’s around them”.
Mark Taylor (Four Candles),who is a seasoned musician on the Manchester underground music scene, recruited bass player John Pew and drummer Damien Hughes (Peter Hook / Monaco) to form Black Limousine. The band mixes stoner rock influences with punk and new wave sounds to make their own brand of crossover rock.
The next UK date for the band is Friday 16th August at The Peer Hat Manchester.
‘Dressed In Black’ will be available via German Shepherd Records via their Bandcamp page and all other digital platforms from 6th September 2019.
The new Screaming Love Collective album, and the second one this year, “Do What You Love” releases on July 19th – it’s a fun packed selection of dark disco grooves moving on from the post-punk stylings of previous albums – here’s a preview of the title track…..
Adventures of Salvador fans you can now pre-order digital, CD or Vinyl versions of the new album “Welcome To Our Village” on Bandcamp.
Vinyl and CDs ship on June 24th. If you order today you get two advance tracks from the album as downloads.
Bury, Lancashire’s finest proponents of Urban Surf Punk Rock, Adventures of Salvador, are back with their second full length “Welcome To Our Village” which releases on June 21st in digital, cassette, CD and Vinyl formats.
German Shepherd will be hosting the digital release via Bandcamp and world wide distribution via AWAL to over 40 platforms including Spotify, Apple, Amazon, I Tunes, You Tube, Instagram and many more.
The band will launch the album on June 28th at the Castle Hotel, Oldham Street, Manchester with special guests, and fellow German Shepherd artists Electric Cheese and Umbrella Assassins. Ticket presales are already available via the German Shepherd Merch page. The ticket package includes full digital download and a CD copy of the album collectable at the gig.
With eight strong tracks the new album shows the band at their very best with gig favourites “King Kong”, “Uncle Walt” and “Prettier Than You” leaping out the speakers to grab you by the ears with Northern Punkabilly venom. The album centre piece and closer is the memorable “Welcome To My Village”, a song with echoes of Royston Vaysey and The Wicker Man, it is the tale of a hedonistic village elder who has his own population drive in full effect. Highly regarded single “Retroman” is also part of the set.
Adventures of Salvador are the bastard offspring of The Cramps, Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Johnny Rotten with a theremin. Their live sets are legendary with a post punk fervour emasculating prog rock elements to create a truly unique sound. With lyrics that echo Grand Guignol and Brecht with a smattering of early Nick Cave they are the must see band of the moment.
Produced and recorded at Big City Jacks Recording Studio in Bury, Greater Manchester by Tony Long the band have hit a new creative peak with their intense and hypnotic sounds. This is enhanced with stunning artwork from Jack Jerz.
Adventures of Salvador are
Nigel Beck – booming bass/vox
Mark Berry – Genie of the Gretsch
Dave aka Loop-aznavour – vox/keyboard/theremin
Mike “Complicated” Smith – DRUMS!
FORTHCOMING GIGS
COMMENTS ABOUT THE BAND
“An outrageously confident slice of modern Rock & Roll. The best thing I have heard in a very long time” – Stephen Doyle, Salford City Radio
“Are you sure this isn’t some long-lost collaboration when Mark E Smith jammed with the Cramps and the B-52’s??? It sounds ace – Grim Up North Sea Surf Punk!” Ged Babey, Louder Than War
“The Salvadors reach new heights with an audacious blues soaked rumble through the urban hills above the Manchester Conurbation” – Aural Delights Blog
“Think of the B-movie, rumbling sexploitation sass of the legendary Cramps in a no holds barred street fight with the blunt yet beloved snark of The Fall or PIL and you get a hint of what’s going on here. Loud, brash and unapologetic….” Mark Buckley, Analogue Trash.
FACEBOOK – @adventuresofsalvador
WEBSITE – http://www.adventuresofsalvador.com
March 15th sees the first dual effort by Moff Skellington and Auster Boys. Titled “Greetings from Abstercot UK” the two track release brings together the pyschogeography of Auster Boys and the other worldly genre known as Eddodi. Auster North produced two funky electro backing tracks and Moff added a good portion of Abstercot magic to create something new entirely, here is a sneak preview…… we hesitate to add the usual RIYL thing as this is nothing like anything you have heard before, unless you live in Abstercot!
For the main release the single will feature the two tracks, for German Shepherd subscribers the release will include the two Auster Boys base tracks as an added bonus
The cover art shows the centres of Leeds, Northampton and Eccles – all Abstercot in their own way!
We are pleased to announce the pre-release of the new album from The Screaming Love Collective with immediate access to stream/download the track “Hard Light”.
The album will be released on March 1st
22nd February sees the release of a brand new single from Crab Dance G.I.s called “Dayglo Dave”.
Crab Dance G.I.s is Danny Cusick (KIT B, The Hidden Gem) and Craig Bodell (The Hidden Gem).
Released via German Shepherd Records Bandcamp page and to over 40 digital outlets via AWAL distribution, the single focuses on those music fans who focus on just one genre to the exclusion of others – in this case “Dayglo Dave” who only listens to “new wave”. Steeped in Manchester pop smarts with a garage rock vibe this is the sound of Manchester 2019.
Another single “Back in the Day” will follow on 22nd March.
This release follows on from the bands debut single (Listen to the) Dole Drums/Compassion Fatigue
We are pleased to announce the release of new recordings from Sam Smith – Live in Manchester.
Marking the end of a relatively fallow year spent mainly in the studio, this recording documents the final live date of 2018 for German Shepherd Records recording artist, Sam Smith. Recorded at the Castle Hotel, Manchester at the end of a mini-tour, this release captures the depths of Smith’s full live show across 12 tracks for the first time ever.
However this is a very special release split across 2 versions. Firstly a 7 track EP released across all major streaming platforms. Secondly the full LP with all 12 tracks released exclusively to German Shepherd Records subscribers.
Smith delivers his songs unaccompanied alternating between piano and guitar in a venue he has always wanted to play but where bad luck and circumstances had conspired against previous attempts to perform there . Containing songs old and new alongside some select covers from some of Sam’s all time favourite artists in The Clash, Bruce Springsteen and Slipknot, this show was captured brilliantly by engineer Martin Hurley in a truly beautiful sounding room at well regarded music venue The Castle Hotel on Oldham Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Tracks ‘Circles of Purgatory Pt. 1’ and ‘Demonic · Histrionic · Catatonic’ are taken from Sam’s upcoming album (due Q2 2019) and these songs remain exclusive to the subscribers of German Shepherd Records via the LP release. Highlights from the general EP release are; a version of Slipknot’s 2004 hit Duality from behind the piano and a familiarly searing lament to the town of Stockport courtesy of old Sam Smith & Company live favourite ‘Some Facts’ in addition to songs from the ‘Bandini days’ and beyond.
LP: GERMAN SHEPHERD RECORDS EXCLUSIVE VERSION
1. Nashville, Kid
2. Circles of Purgatory (Pt. 1)
3. Janie Jones*
4. The Whiskey, Guns & Bridges Blues
5. The Ghost of Tom Joad*
6. Duality*
7. Bad Water
8. Under the Waves off Kanagawa
9. Demonic · Histrionic · Catatonic
10. Ask the Dust
11. Some Facts
12. Running & Falling Free
This version is only available to Subscribers to German Shepherd Records. For £40 subscribers receive everything German Shepherd Records release digitally over 12 months plus over 40 former releases from the labels back catalogue as well as unique subscriber specials like this.
EP: GENERAL RELEASE
1. Nashville, Kid
2. The Whiskey, Guns & Bridges Blues
3. The Ghost of Tom Joad
4. Duality
5. Bad Water
6. Some Facts
7. Running & Falling Free
All songs written by Samuel Frankie James Smith except where noted (Track 3 written by Joe Strummer & Mick Jones, Track 5 written by Bruce Springsteen, Track 6 written by Shawn Crahan, Chris Fehn, Paul Gray, Craig Jones, Joey Jordison, Jim Root, Corey Taylor ,Mick Thomson & Sid Wilson).
This release is distributed by Sam via AWAL to all major digital download portals on 25th January.
Sam Smith is a prolific singer, songwriter, musician and educator from Manchester. He has lead the bands Sam Smith & Company, and The Parish Church Fire as well as performing solo as Franco Bandini and under his own name. Steeped in rock and punk Sam is a charismatic and emotional performer. Currently reconstructing The Parish Church Fire and working on his debut solo album Sam will next be performing live with the band at Strummercamp 2019 at Oldham Rugby Club with further selected gigs to follow.
Franco Bandini – 2014 was a bad year (2015)
Franco Bandini – Sonic Diary Session 24-02-16 (2016)
Franco Bandini – Locamente (2016)
Sam Smith – Bad Water (2017)
Sam Smith – Under the waves off Kanagwa (2018)
Cambridge based band Lizard Brain join German Shepherd Records for their third album “Stray” . Released digitally on 18th January, 2019 the 12 track collection finds the band delivering a heady cocktail of beautifully crafted and diverse songs
Lizard Brain are:
Richard Jones: songs, keys, bass, vox, arrangements, production
Mark Fleet: songs, keys, arrangements, production
David Carter: songs, guitars, vox, bass, flute, sax, arrangements, production
Tony Jenkins: songs, vox, guitars, arrangements
“Stray” was recorded in the purpose-built Lizard Lounge studio in Lode, Cambridge from late 2016 to late 2018. Album production was led by Richard and supported by Mark and David. Following on from their earlier self-released albums Hold The Mind (2012) and That Has A Nice Ring To It (2016), the songs on the new collection emerged from a series of writing sessions using different combinations of band members whose wide musical influences resulted an album rich with variety.
The album kicks off with the Moroder drenched alt-disco groove of “Lost In Sound”, switches to the impassioned rock of “Gannets” and then swerves into Jamaican grooves with “Am I Just A Name Now”. In these three opening tracks the group evidence their skill and competence in delivering lyrically strong, well produced, quality material. What follows is a varied menu of twangy psych pop, driving rock, Northern Soul, elegiac balladry, and an epic anthemic closer “Freedom”. Throughout there are strong melodies and hooks that will leave you going back for repeated listens.
Here as a taster is an early pre-release version of the albums’s opening track “Lost In Sound”
Lost In Sound achieved the maximum possible 20 weeks in East Anglia’s New Music Generator listener chart in 2018, against stiff opposition from the best bands in the Eastern region. It became the second Lizard Brain track in the NMG Hall Of Fame, alongside Sweet Blessed Miracle. This was a real tribute to the depth of Lizard Brain’s support as people voted consistently for both tracks over all 20 weeks.
The album will be available in digital format on Bandcamp, Spotify, I Tunes, Amazon, Google, Apple Music and loads more download sites.
ABOUT LIZARD BRAIN
Mark and Richard started working together as Lizard Brain in 2008. Richard had already been in various successful musical projects, including as founder member of Transoceanic, regularly topping charts and for some years the most successful UK-based artist on MP3.COM, at the time the most important global music web platform. You can find three Transoceanic albums on all major current music platforms – ambient electronica at its very best.
Mark was a fan of Transoceanic before realising Richard was the founder member. Mark hadn’t been in any bands before, but he was a passionate and knowledgeable consumer of a wide variety of musical styles, and quickly mastered powerful DAW and synth software and began to create highly original soundscapes. They began to consider releasing an album, later to be called Hold The Mind, in 2010. Tony joined midway through this period as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, and helped bring the first album to completion during 2012.
David, a talented multi-instrumentalist who spans classical and most pop styles, and teaches guitar, joined midway through the second album, That Has A Nice Ring To It. Richard and Dave had written and performed a live theatre soundtrack of alt-rock songs several years previously.
It was only on releasing this second album in 2016 that Lizard Brain began actively to promote their music, reaching out initially to Dave Hammond at Cambridge 105FM, who introduced them to other DJs and became an active supporter and champion of the band. The hugely positive reaction Lizard Brain received from that point on, led to their investment in the Lizard Lounge studio late in 2016.
OF THE NEW ALBUM THE BAND SAY……
Richard: “Several times we thought that we were ready to master the album, but ‘Good Enough’ doesn’t cut it round here. So, nuances were changed, possibilities tried out and reference tracks compared to our mixes. It’s been so painstakingly mixed and mastered that we could give you a dozen different mixes of all the songs. But now I can really hear the difference. There’s nothing that I hear and think: “Ah – we missed that detail”. It’s as close to perfect as we could make it, and I love that. Worth every moment spent in the studio. It’s a very exciting achievement for us, no doubt about it.”
David: “Yeah, well the album really hangs together in a way I kind of expected, but was still surprised by, if that makes any sense. Four different writers, but all coming back to that central theme. What are we doing here? How are we supposed to be? With each other? With ourselves? Songs of hope, failure, reflection… escape even. Should I stay or should I go? How can I be happy? And what does it mean to be a human being? How do I work this thing? How did I get here? What do I do now? I had a joke, you know, that it was only musical differences keeping us together. You can pretty much hear that on the album, there’s a whole range of different styles. But it turns out deep down we are all pretty much the same. Who would have thought it? “
Mark: “Stray is what happens when you take a rocker, a hippy, an ambient geek and a mod, and you shake – vigorously.”
Respected Cambridge 105 DJ Dave Hammond who has featured the band from the outset on his Smelly Flowerpot show had this to say about the new album:
Sometimes when you listen to an album, you can’t help but come up with reference points, whether they are bands, genres or a general feel. But what happens when you reach sensory overload on the references? You can only come to the conclusion that said album is its own beast, better than the sum of its parts and a perfect summary in 40 odd minutes of all that has been great in pop music the last 50 or so years.
Let’s get those references out of the way- Giorgio Moroder, Kraftwerk, Python Lee Jackson, Moody Blues, The Police, Gary Numan, Talking Heads, Duane Eddy, Nile Rodgers, Gil Scott Heron, 10cc, Dexys Midnight Runners, Led Zeppelin, Leonard Cohen etc- and celebrate the third album by Lizard Brain. Similarly to the great Teenage Fanclub, these four Cambridgeshire based guys share song writing and singing duties which may partially explain the dizzying array of styles, not to mention instrumentation (Japanese flute, crows crowing anyone?), on show.
Aside from the music there’s plenty to intrigue lyrically, from the unsettling to the upbeat with many stops in between, and plenty open to interpretation. It’s a rare delight in today’s polished, soundbite world to hear words and music unafraid to run the gamut from hedonistic, toe tapping delight to gut wrenching emotion. The album, which is meticulously and beautifully self-produced, has undoubtedly been worth its lengthy gestation period.
I’ve just recently sorted and broadcast my top 20 albums for 2018 , but I already have a contender for 2019 following a private preview listen to Stray
Other comments about the band…..
“I heard it for the first time this morning. Catchy and well produced. You guys never fail to impress.” Neil Whiteside, Cambridge 105 DJ of lead track “Lost In Sound”
“I’m reminded of 10cc at their best, a truly impressive collection of songs” Aural Delights Blog
“Great songs.” Phil Crowder, The End of the Week Show Sheppey FM
Stray is available on Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp and all major global outlets.
CONTACT LINKS
Last Friday in Manchester…..
Revellers stuff their faces with overpriced sausages.nuts and alcohol outside Wooden Huts in City Centre Manchester where mere yards away homeless people shiver in shop doorways in damp sleeping bags.
This is so very wrong in a so called first world country.
It struck us that the homeless might use the Wooden Huts as some form of temporary shelter, and our more anarchistic inner monologues even suggested knocking down the Huts and using them for firewood to keep the rough sleepers warm. These ideas are covered in Moet’s lyrics.
However temporary solutions, a bit like the Huts themselves, aren’t the answer, so we would like to give you the chance to donate to a homeless charity by buying our musical offering. All the money raised from this release will be sent to Crisis after we have paid our admin fees to Bandcamp and Paypal.
A donation of £28.18 to Crisis will give someone this Christmas
-A warm welcome and good company
-Three nutritious, hot meals daily, including a delicious Christmas dinner
-A bed for the night, if needed
-A chance to shower, freshen up and get clean clothes
-A health check and treatment from a doctor, optician and dentist
-Expert help with mental health and addiction problems
-Advice on housing, employment and benefits
-A way out of homelessness for good through Crisis’ year-round training, education and support.
We have 800 followers on Facebook – if each of them donated £1 we could help over 20 people.
This new release was the last song Sam wrote and recorded in his old studio of nearly 10 years, where he composed over 200 songs.
He recorded it in 2017, all as one take, with a couple of overdubs added recently for this release.
The song is explicitly about victim shaming and what it feels to be on the thick end of that.
It is a deeply personal song that had to be shared
“…… a fabulous, quite moving piece…. deserves to be heard far and wide.” Dave Hammond, Cambridge 105
“…after too long a wait Sam Smith is back with a stunning new single which is a marker for his first full length album in early 2019. Building on his success to date in capturing the raw heart of rock and roll Sam has delivered a breathtaking new tune, an epic song wracked with emotion which will leave the listener gripped until the very last note.” AURAL DELIGHTS BLOG
Hello and welcome to our weekly newsletter….in this edition
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.
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.
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
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.
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 this weeks edition of the German Shepherd Records Newsletter.
This week:
Manchester’s purveyors of quality popular music KIT B return with a new four-track EP “Four Obscure B-Sides” on August 24th. Founder members Danny Cusick (Guitar, Vocals) and John “Monty” Montague (Bass) are joined by new member Vicky Middles (Keyboards) and have created an amazing set of songs to launch this phase of the KIT B experience. With assistance from Craig Bodell the trio has crafted four pop nuggets which combine elements of Cusick’s tongue in cheek outlook on life, sex and death with electronica, motorik beats, and rock vibes all mixed in a tasty stew with a piquant Manchester flavouring. The band are still in the process of hiring a drummer so there are no live appearances planned at the moment.
You can hear track three from the EP “Swisser Swatter” here
The final pairing of tracks from Four Candles “Spiritual Rapture” album sees digital release as a single on August 24th. The intense “Chastity Belt” which chronicles vocalist Moet’s experiences in a previous band, and the groovin’ “Dipping A Toe In The Water”, which concerns Muddy Waters battle with the conservative music press on a UK Tour, complete a set of three releases which celebrate the bands biggest seller to date
Forthcoming gigs for the band:
26th August – The Station Hotel, Ashton Under Lyne
27th August – 2nd annual Pressure Drop summer gig (private by invite only)
21st September – The Peer Hat, Manchester with Poppycock and Charlie Marshall
Check out the “Chastity Belt” video on line
“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 a second in October of the same year. What started out as a vague idea to pull a few tracks together soon snowballed into the current multi-genre epic, fired by the enthusiasm of the artists involved. The more the perpetrator scratched the surface of the local music 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. A third volume comprising 21 tracks is currently at the post-production stage with a release date of August 31st planned. Stewart Harris (The Scissors) excellent artwork also adorns this volume. This will be a Bandcamp only release.
The featured artists are
Artist
Ember Rev
Carolyn’s Fingers
Goddammit Jeremiah
Lemondaze
The Fifths
Elma
Jessica Law
The New Fools
Blue Alatar
Grieving
Eeeyore
Section 3
Crackleford
Romy Gensale
Honeywitch
False Adults
Manic Mannequin
Influx of Insanity
Self Love
Moody Swing Things
Fay Roberts
Forthcoming gigs featuring artists released by German Shepherd
17th August – The Strays play Swan With Two Necks Macclesfield
17th August – The Junta and Special Friends Live At The Peer Hat, Manchester – album launch
17th August – Drink and Drive play The Railway, Shaw Hall Bank Rd, OL3 7JZ
19th August- The Strays play West Street Live Sheffield
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
Hello and welcome to your weekly news from German Shepherd Records
This week
The shy and retiring Toska Wilde is back with a new six-track EP on 17tth August. Considerably more dance-focused than previous releases, Toska has embraced his inner Disco Diva and produced some remarkable dancefloor friendly stompers. From the high energy beats of “str8m8” with guest vocalist Brucie Bitch, through the Jamaican rhythms of “Choc Ice Boy” with Kev Daintree, to the Trump baiting martial beats of “My Camp” Toska feeds a diet of camp classics. Partnering with a range of producers and mixers he has produced his best work to date.
You can hear the Auster Boys/Space Museum remix of the lead track “str8m8” below
24th August sees the return of KIT B with a new release “Four Obscure B Sides”. Following a few line-up changes the original members Danny Cusick (Guitar, Lead Vocals) John Montague (Bass) are joined by Vicky Middles (Keyboards) with assistance from Craig Bodell for this set of songs. The trio is still in search of a drummer for live work but this four tracker gives a strong indication of what to expect. The focus, as is usually the case with the band, is a pure Manchester Indie Sound. Check out next weeks newsletter for more info.
5th October will see the release of the debut album from Salford based singer-songwriter Dominic Carlton Jones. The new release follows his highly regarded debut EP “1”.
Entitled “Salford Punk Poetry Sadness Death New Life” the album is an emotional journey through recent major events in Dominic’s life. Featuring spoken word, acoustic ballads, electronic pop and more experimental pieces we are extremely pleased with this new release. Watch this space for more details.
The fourth and final single from Four Candles’ Spiritual Rapture album “Chastity Belt/Dipping A Toe In The Water” is previewed with a hot off the press brand new video which has been shared on Facebook – we’ve not had a chance to put it on YouTube yet but it has a lot of views on Facebook! The single will be released on August 24th as a digital-only release.
Here’s what we have coming up :
17th August – The Strays play Swan With Two Necks Macclesfield
17th August – The Junta and Special Friends Live At The Peer Hat, Manchester – album launch
17th August – Drink and Drive play The Railway, Shaw Hall Bank Rd, OL3 7JZ
19th August- The Strays play West Street Live Sheffield
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
Once again Ian “Moet” Moss and Moff Skellington have combined to weave their aural magic with a new combo called “The Colourful Disease”.
Moet says ” The Colourful Disease, a sexy trans-Pennine boy band , a duo in the manner of Wham with hip shakingly catchy tunes that sound like everything else , lyrics of total banality they are content to trade on their cute good looks and ability to strike glamorous poses they could be this year’s bright new things decorating the bedroom walls of the nation’s teens, superstardom surely awaits bad boy Moff and boy next door Ian.”
Bringing the world of Eddodi into Moet’s rich lyrical landscape offers a variety of music hitherto experienced in the modern world. Confound your expectations and have a listen…
The Strays have announced a lengthy list of gigs for the latter end of June and July. Taking in Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Chesterfield, Oldham, and Glossop the dynamic duo are also working on a new EP which will be available in a few months and are also planning a live album, the proceeds of which will be donated to charity, which we hope to release in July. Watch this space for details
Hello and welcome to another edition of the German Shepherd Newsletter…
This week
– Moff and Moet are back as The Colourful Disease
– Forthcoming Gigs
– What’s in the pipeline
CATCHING A COLOURFUL DISEASE
Moff Skellington and Ian “Moet” Moss have worked together for over three years now with releases as
Ion-Morph & Moff Skellington – Boomerangs/Body Bad
Moss Skellington – The Wickedest Man In The World
Moss Skellington – The Lump
…as well a series of live events branded as “Smoked Ears Will Not Grow Back”.
Check out the previous releases on our Bandcamp Page.
They have decided to work together under a new name The Colourful Disease.
We release a new five-track EP from the duo on June 29th called “Economics”.
Blending Moff’s unique musical stylings and Moet’s trade-mark polemic with subjects varying between Kiplingesque anecdotes, Brexit, and a reprise of previous track “The Lump” in the form of a “Carbuncle” the pair explore hitherto unfound musical nooks and crannies.
Writing about the album Moss, tongue in cheek, says:
The Colourful Disease, a sexy trans-Pennine boy band , a duo in the manner of Wham with hip shakingly catchy tunes that sound like everything else , lyrics of total banality they are content to trade on their cute good looks and ability to strike glamorous poses they could be this year’s bright new things decorating the bedroom walls of the nation’s teens, superstardom surely awaits bad boy Moff and boy next door Ian.
Ian Moss – Voice and Words
Moff Skellington – Instruments and Music
Uncle Ian – Banjo on “Dance”
With Cover Art by Moff Skellington this release is a Uterus Cottage Production
You can stream track 5 from the release “Dance” here:
FORTHCOMING GIGS
We have added a couple of new gigs to our guide with a notable pre-Xmas gig at the Peer Hat, Manchester on December 8th with Boz Hayward, Poppycock and Keltrix.
There are only 9 early bird tickets for this Saturday’s Summer All Day Spectacular – grab one now via the link at the top of the page at the reduced price of £7.50
21st June – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Bedford Esquires
22nd June – Inferior Complex play The Railway, Winchester
23rd June – Manchester Meltdown Summer All Day Special
30th June – The Scissors play Knackfest, Karma Farm, Isleham Fen
6th July – Inferior Complex play The Shooting Star, Southampton
7th July – Toska Wilde plays SAKS, Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13
14th July – Drink and Drive and The Strays play Whittles, Oldham with Little Avis
17th July – Scissors supporting KOLARS at The Portland Arms Cambridge
21st July – Mesmer Disciples play Alston Festival
26th July – Pearl Divers play Jimmy’s, Manchester
27th July – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Mama Liz’s Voodoo Lounge in Stamford
28th July – Drink and Drive play Peer Hat, Manchester
28th July – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Pim Jam Festival, Haverhill
15th September – The Scissors and Charlie Marshall play The Cornerhouse, Cambridge
15th September – Mesmer Disciples play Music Lounge, Stockton on Tees
15th September – Drink and Drive play Agueda, Portugal
16th September – Mesmer Disciples play Museum Vaults Sunderland.
21st September – Four Candles, Poppycock and Charlie Marshall play The Peer Hat, Manchester
8th December – Boz Hayward, Poppycock and Ketrix play The Peer Hat, Manchester
22nd December – Drink and Drive play Strummercamp Fundraiser and Oldham Rugby Club
IN THE PIPELINE
Future releases in the schedule
06/07/2018 Auster Boys – With Moet : Unnatural Appetites (Album)
13/07/2018 m.t. scott – When The Lamb Become Lame (Album)
20/07/2018 Mesmer Disciples -Real Loud (Single)
27/07/2018 Four Candles -You Can’t Be What You Pretend/Basket Weaving (Single)
We are also anticipating
-new albums from The Junta, Bouquet of Dead Crows, and The Screaming Love Collective
– new EPs from Toska Wilde and The Scissors
– and a new various artists compilation in the Cambridge Calling range
Following the release of the joint single a few weeks ago Loop-aznavour and The Junta have separate releases out this week…..
These are digital only releases available from Bandcamp, Spotify, I-Tunes and many other digital outlets
A limited edition run of 50 copies of Pearl Divers debut EP “The Past Ain’t Made To Last” in CD format is now available on the German Shepherd Bandcamp page.
Containing live favourites Sunshine, Smoking Gun and Waterfall, this is a stunning debut which we recently re-released in digital format.
In keeping with our DIY ethos each order will be personally posted out by the band.
Forthcoming gigs for Pearl Divers
16th June – Another Fine Festival, Amigos Stage Ulverston (on stage approx 6pm)
26th July – Jimmy’s Bar, Manchester
Anticipating the release of a new album “Naked”, Keltrix are back and are releasing a new single “Long Long Way” on May 11th, a track which links back to their last album release “Bobby Says”.
The last album was predominantly electronic dance-oriented in keeping with their new sonic direction the band has developed over the last few years. However, the forthcoming album strips back their sound to its folk roots with just voice, guitar and violin delivering acoustic versions of the bands “Greatest Hits” together with a handful of brand new songs.
Keri and Sharon have rightly received praise for their unique blending of traditional music with modern electronica/dance but it is time to step back and chill and reveal the “naked” beauty of Keri’s unique voice and Sharon’s sublime playing.
The electric version of Long Long Way, which features Jay Willams, was a stand out track from “Bobby Says”. It is coupled on this release with an amazing acoustic rendition of the song from the new album. A stunning video, inspired by those chilling horror movies that send shivers up and down your spine, accompanies both tracks. Video links will follow in the next few days.
This is a digital only release which will be available on Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music and a host of other digital platforms.
The new album will be released on June 8th and launched at Corner House Cambridge on the same evening. Digital and CD versions will be available.
The third release by the masters of electro-punk is released today – The Strays are back.
The Double-A single covers the superhuman efforts of Richard Dreyfuss to save us and explains exactly what is Problematic about life today.
The single is available from Bandcamp and all the usual digital outlets
In the second of a series of three new EPs from Moff Skellington we are pleased to release “Bargains Are A Hollow Syrup”.
The EP is available from Bandcamp as well as the all the usual digital outlets.
In this five-track extravaganza, Moff explores the funny old world of the present
A 15 track compilation, perversely entitled 13 Golden Greats, of pre-German Shepherd Staggs music is now released. Featuring the best of the duo’s early work this is a digital only release via Bandcamp, Spotify, I Tunes, Google Play, Amazon and many other digital outlets.
March 2nd sees the release of the debut album by The Mind Sweepers.
Based in Dumfries the four piece band has undergone a number of line-up changes over the last few years built around the core of singer/songwriter Paul Winter and drummer Bryn Thorburn. The current band also comprises John Mcinally- Guitar and Backing Vocals and Mark Jardine – Bass and Backing Vocals.
As well as the core members of the band other musicians appear – Win Liv Shak provides vocals and keyboards, Owen Fielding provides keyboards and harmonium and Al Price plays harmonica. The allbum was recorded and produced at Unit 7 studio Bladnoch , Wigtown , Dumfries and Galloway.
“States of Mind” offers a broad palette of styles moving from psychedelic grooves, via folk-rock into blues rock and should gain the band more followers.
We asked the band a few questions in preparation for the release of the album although bassist Jardine was extraordinarily reticent….
What bands were you in previously?
Bryn : The Garden Shed (mid 80s) ……..Dumfries based post-punk…Roger and Caz went on to form AC Acoustics in Glasgow. Lung….Manchester late 80s with Vicky MIddles on bass. Spacehopper….. 1991- 1998 Glasgow based Art Noise Terrorists( self proclaimed)…Signed to the Newly Formed Creeping Bent Records. Gram Solo……2002- 2005 Edinburgh psychedelic groovers. Currently also the main man behind The Screaming Love Collective…..A Psychedelic Post-Punk Dark Disco Groove Sensation.
Paul : I got a band together in the mid-90s, The Comedown, we rehearsed for 6 months, played one gig, then disbanded. I then sang blues with a loose collective for a while, before moving into the singer/songwriter role for about a decade.
John : No past bands only jamming with some lads playing indie/madchester covers in 1990/91.
Influences?
Bryn : My biggest influence as a drummer is John Densmore of The Doors.
Musically…..PIL, The Fall, Joy Division, Crass, Northern Soul, Neu, Can, Krautrock in general, KLF, Scars, Josef K, NomeansNo, US Hardcore, Long Fin Killie. (Glasgow early 90s). I could go on and on.
Paul : My influences are right across the board. Anywhere from early Elton John, to John Martyn, Pink Floyd to Bob Dylan. I’ve never had the money to buy a digital radio, so I’ve kinda missed the Radio 6 vibe. I’ve always found listening to other music kind of dilutes originality, and rarely hear anything ‘new’ that blows me away, with the exception of Doves, I love Doves.
John : The Byrds.. Hendrix.. Stone Roses.. 60’s psychedelia and soul.. The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Current album listening?
Bryn : Snapped Ankles – Come Play The Trees.
Paul : Well I just moved into a new flat and got my turntable in operation for the first time in over 10 years, so i’m currently reliving old vinyl. ‘Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy’ by Elton.
John : The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour
The mix of styles on the album?
Bryn : Yeah a very mixed bunch of styles……as you can see from the answers above we are all into different styles of music and don’t want to tied down to a particular type, but we like to think that we can put our own sound on whatever style we are playing , so you’d know it was The Mind Sweepers.
Paul : Variance? Why not? I’ve found throughout my years of listening to albums that some bands end-up sounding ‘samey’, and you’re hard-pressed to even know the difference between certain tracks. In my view the vocals, and lead guitar, are what put the stamp on a band’s sound, obviously the rhythm section add to this, but to me it doesn’t matter what ‘type’ of song we’ve written, if it’s us playing it then it’s the Sweeper’s sound. I don’t think an album should be staid and stuck in a groove that repeats for an hour, with only tempo and lyrics changing. The Mind Sweepers are a sum total of all our parts. We can all play, and we’re all capable of original input, so why not go with that and see where it takes us. ‘States of Mind’ is the result of that ethos, and we’re quite proud of it.
John : The changes in line-up have definitely evoked a more psychedelic sound to the band
On the face of it, just the looking at some of the song titles there appears to be a nautical theme across the album?
Paul : My auld man was a sailor in the Royal Navy, and ended-up being a diver on cruisers. As a wee boy it was always my intention to join up and follow in his footsteps, but these hopes were dashed when I found out I was colourblind. Fast forward 20-odd years and it’s a motif that’s stuck with me. ‘Any Port in a Storm’ isn’t really about the sea, it’s about the beer-goggle ‘honey’ ye pull at midnight. ‘Taken by the Tide’ was an address to a female in my life as to whether I was actually any good to be around in the long run. (I wasn’t!) ‘Cast Away’ is a play on words , and not really nautical in all honesty. Had it been spelled as one word it would have taken on another meaning, and that’s why I named it as two separate words, to avoid that. ‘Nose Deep in the Sand’? ‘Sand’, in this instance, is what I thought a friend of mine called cocaine when he was on the phone, and it summed-up the getting ‘on it’ even when you were broke on the dole. Turns out I was completely wrong however, ‘sand’ was his toe-rag code for ‘cash’, but it’s interchangeable with regard to the rest of the lyrics, so it stayed, and it’s a good title too!
Ambitions? What’s next for the band? The making of the album?
Bryn : As a band we’d like to be able to make a living out of this….when me and Paul got together the plan was that it was self funding , and so far we have been able to keep to that, we have been able to fund the album through gigs . Of course we’d like to be a successful recording band touring the world but we are realists and will enjoy it while it lasts.
The album has taken 3 years and several line up changes to get to a position of recording our debut. This album is mostly a collection of songs written by Paul over the years that we’ve taken from being acoustic open mic songs that he would perform on his own , to them being full band multi-layered songs with honest lyrics about our everyday lives….I think that’s a very big part of the songs , that they are honest and raw, emotions laid bare for all to see….songs about one night stands , drinking too much, nights out on the town, broken dreams and life being unemployed.
Paul : All the lads in the Sweepers do ‘normal’ work, and I know for one that I’d be lying if I said I was happy at my age grafting my bollocks off emptying bins! It would be paradise to actually be able to jack the day job and be able to sit in my flat writing new material, but I’m a realist, and getting picked-up by a major record label isn’t something that generally happens to middle-aged men from market towns in south west Scotland. Nah, we just wanna build on our first album, keep getting gigs, and write the follow-up for ‘States of Mind’. Not too tall an order in all honesty, we’re just taking it one step at a time and keeping it realistic.
‘States of Mind’ is basically a collection of older material, all songs written by myself, except ‘Threesome’, which was written in 20 minutes at rehearsals by myself, John, and Bryn, hence why it’s called ‘Threesome’. Obviously we’re hoping it’s well-received, because that would give us the impetus to do another, but we’re all fully aware that ‘making it’ in the music business is as much about luck as it is artistic ability. We’ll see how it goes, and hope for the best. We’ve got a good producer, we’ve got a good band, we’ve got a cracking wee label to put it out on, and we’re all good mates. It’s a good mix, and there’s no reason we can’t keep at it.
John : To write new material and record it. Keep on having fun and enjoy it.
Recording the album was a fantastic experience. Great fun working and recording with Hughie in a very chilled out relaxed environment
The Screaming Love Collective are back with a 21 track masterpiece of groovy tunes.
Helmed by Bryn Thorburn , who wrote all the music, this new album features contributions from Ian Moss (Four Candles, The Parasite), Paul Winter (The Mind Sweepers) and Julie Ward.
The next, and second, album from Night Operations will be titled Advantage and will be released on 16th February. The plans are currently for a digital download/streaming release only.
The follow-up to 2016’s Mantra features 12 new tunes and be preceded by pre-release track “Forbidden Fruit” …..
