Staggs and Matthew Hopkins return with new releases……

Our very busy August continues with two releases on the 14th

STAGGS – THE DEATH OF STAGGS

Staggs refresh the parts other brands cannot hope or dare to reach.

Mortality is at the forefront of minds at this time and Staggs, never ones to opt out of considering the vagaries and ultimate consequences of life, focus on the transition between this world and the next (if you believe in that sort of thing).

Staggs are pioneers, so it’s apt, if not deliberate, that a 1969 track by The Pioneers is raided for the closing electro punk work out about meeting the chap at the Pearly Gates. A well known and somewhat apposite refrain underpins m.t. scotts world weary travelogue on the death of Staggs which links the third and first tracks. Familiar arpeggiating strings link travels in europa and self-referential nods back to earlier works and a suggestion that this is the last work. If this is indeed the end then it is a suitable way to end the Staggs journey.

No one does funk quite like Staggs do it….opener Curtains raids bass riffs and other things to remind us that it is OK to dance your way out of your constrictions. As with all Staggs productions the language is rich, and the tune construction innovates and provokes a knowing smile.

The end of Staggs, who can tell? Staggs always keep you guessing….

Les Staggs est mort, viva Les Staggs

MATTHEW HOPKINS

MH LDDL

The second single from Matthew Hopkins finds Anne, Julia and Max in fine form with a strident song about relationships which is equally as full of pop smarts as it is imbued with anger and frustration. With a catchy vocal opening and great interplay between the group members we hope this is the one that gets them the attention they deserve. An article on the group will be appearing in the August edition of the excellent Eighth Day Magazine to coincide with this release. A further single will follow in September. Here’s the great video which accompanies the song.

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August is looking busy!!

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…….

sycloner – Running Interference EP

EP cover

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.

Filed Fangs – (I Am A) Utopian

thumbnail_(I am a) Utopian artwork on black2

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.

Moss Skellington – The Lump (Expanded)

Moss Skellington The Lump

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.

What’s next……

August is looking busy with the following new releases planned

Staggs return with their last release (or is it?) – The Death of Staggs
Matthew Hopkins release a new single – Love Don’t Do Logic – with another new one to follow in September
Our subscribers will receive a unique collection of Adventures of Salvador’s Early Singles and EPs
Yes….. another new album from Moff Skellington – A Slapstick Life
In anticipation of a new album in September The Junta releases the Tech Noir Remixes featuring contributions from Night Operations, Positronik and Space Museum

News – brand new Mark Corrin album plus more releases in the pipeline

The latest news from The Kennel….

Our next new release is on July 17th and is from the highly prolific Mark Corrin who has delivered another solo album. This one is called Fabled Shore.

Featuring a selection of songs written over a number of years Mark brings us another exciting and eclectic mix of music. Following the recent Elastikbande EP and his other solo album “Washed Up” and the La Capsula EP it has certainly been a busy year for Mark – he has also been profiled in the Eighth Day magazine.

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German Shepherd Records Bandcamp subscribers will also receive an exclusive special release from Mark.

Further news…..

Cambridge band Lizard Brain are guests on Dave Hammond’s Smelly Flowerpot Show on Monday 29th June. In addition the band have prepared another podcast – their fifth – which will be released on our Mixcloud page on July 1st. Their new single “Featureless Zone” is already receiving a lot of radio airplay and is released on July 3rd

Julia from Matthew Hopkins is also a talented actress and appeared on Coronation Street last week. The band will be featured in the August edition of Eighth Day magazine and two new singles are due in the next couple of months.

We have received the new single from Black Limousine which will be released at the end of July. It is the first release with new drummer Neil Mykowski (The Ascension, The Sombre Watcher, Neural Dance).

New singles from Filed Fangs, and Inferior Complex, a new EP from sycloner, and a remix EP and album from The Junta are on the way also!

If you would like to subscribe to our label visit our Bandcamp page – for £40 a year you get everything we release plus 100s of back catalogue items, 10% off merch, and monthly subscriber exclusives.

Easter Saturday Meltdown

We are pleased to return to our spiritual home The Peer Hat on Saturday 11th April with another edition of Manchester Meltdown.

Commencing at 4:30pm and with advance tickets at only £8.50 we offer a stunning line up of great music. We expect this one to sell out so get your advance tickets now from HERE.

Meltdown Saturday Poster Amended

Headlining are The Cravats.

Anyone who has had even a vague love of punk music over the last 35 years will know The Cravats or, at least, be aware of their existence. Championed by John Peel with four sessions, releases on Small Wonder and Crass; the sax-riddled, bass-laden weirdness, the humour, the love of Dada and the infamous Redditch ‘Dustbin of Sound’.

Never mainstream, never hugely popular but always utterly unique they ploughed their own musical furrow in the peripheral vision of the music biz since forming in 1977. They stopped in the mid-eighties for a cup of tea and it wasn’t until the 2006 release of ‘The Land of The Giants’ double CD compilation on Overground Records that many folk realised what they’d missed.

Co-founder The Shend and original sax-riddler Svor Naan, along with fellow Redditcharian Rampton Garstang on drums, resurrected a live version of the band in 2009 at the bequest of admirers old and new. Steve Albini’s curated ATP, the final Feeding of The 5000 Crass show, a host of European festivals including 4 years at Rebellion Festival, a Marc Riley BBC6 session and a bunch of selective UK gigs followed to much critical acclaim.

Only with the addition, of Viscount Biscuits on guitar and Joe 91 on bass they finally decided the ingredients were right for new material and a couple of singles in 2016 and a stunning album “Dustbin of Sound” in 2017 saw the band reaching new heights including a debut Manchester gig at The Star and Garter.

We thought it was time they came back!

Still drenched in sax, obliquely angry, raucous and sounding like no other band in existence they have remained faithful to the sound that made them unique. Eccentrically frantic on stage, odd but on the ball on record and definitely not normal, the world needs bands like The Cravats.

With a new album due and a new single out there it’s a good time to come and see this excellent band.

In support we have:

Unseasonal Beasts – the electronic dance punk of Simon “Ding” Archer and Ian “Moet” Moss has already been seen in full flow via a couple of EPs and a handful of gigs. With two more EPs in the pipeline the duo present an intense barrage of sounds and rhythm capped off with Moss’s trade-mark polemic and vision.

Andy T Band – Andy Thorley’s relentless gigging and impressive output is legendary. With precise and evocative spoken word he recounts tales of injustice and political chicanery with an eye to the truth and the pricking of bombastic bubbles. He combines exciting music with a unique and compelling vocal style.

Factory Acts – A Salford-based post-punk dark-electro duo, Factory Acts exist at the edge of the analogue-digital divide, sometimes dreaming, always dancing. Matt the bass delivers the grinding pulsating backbone, SOS’s impressive array of keyboards and stunning vocals create a sound that makes you dance, but also makes you think.

Matthew Hopkins – the punk via folk trio of Anne, Julia and Max delivers memorable harmonies, great rhythms and catchy tunes concerning politics, the environment and injustice. Pain and joy are covered in equal measure.

Horsemeat – Horsemeat is a band. Horsemeat can be simple. Horsemeat can be tough. Horsemeat can be tender. Horsemeat can be complex and rich. Horsemeat just is. A trio featuring ex Bobbie Peru, and current member of The E-Fits, Bert Genovese. This will be their debut gig.

It’s Matrimony!

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.

Harvey FGMSOTW b
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:

14th December 2019 – The Peer Hat, Manchester supporting TV Smith – with Matthew Hopkins
1st February 2020 – Jimmy’s, Liverpool supporting The Monochrome Set