The Scissors

Newsletter 42 : The return of The Parish Church Fire, Live Scissors, New Dead Crows Video and gigs!!

HalfEdgeMedia

Hello and welcome to the weekly newsletter from German Shepherd Records.

This week

– The Parish Church Fire return with a stunning single
– The Scissors live album from Ipswich
– New video from Bouquet of Dead Crows
– Forthcoming gigs

THE PARISH CHURCH FIRE

Released on May 10th 2019, the single “Hunger” represents the rebirth of Manchester alternative rock band The Parish Church Fire. Coupled with b-side “Adam Raised a Cain” this is the first release by the band since Sam Smith (guitar, vocals, keyboards) & Joe Roberts (drums) combined to release Locamente via German Shepherd in 2016.

Joined by new members John Bardsley (bass) and Timothy Hughes (guitar) for the first time, the full on attack and disquieting quality of Hunger is underpinned by its b-side: a hard rock version of Bruce Springsteen’s Adam Raised a Cain from the 1978 album “Darkness on the Edge of Town”. Marking the start of a new era for Sam Smith, “Hunger” is the crystallisation of 6 and half years of work of trying to get The Parish Church Fire established as a live band as opposed to its previous role as a solo studio project.

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On “Hunger” you hear the band in its new guise for the first time. The single will be followed by keynote gigs to launch and celebrate the band as a live entity. Recorded in April 2019 by founder of the band Sam Smith in his studio and produced by both Smith & drummer Joe Roberts, the release is as direct as its title and lyrics suggest: The Parish Church Fire are “hungry for more” following years of inactivity.

The b-side Adam Raised a Cain was carefully chosen to be a part of this release as its lyrical content is somewhat paired with Hunger and it will be an integral part of the bands upcoming shows in 2019.

An interview with Sam Smith about the renaissance of the band can be found  here  

FORTHCOMING GIGS
26th May – Strummercamp, Oldham Rugby Club
7th June – The Eagle, Salford

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THE SCISSORS

May 10th also sees the release of a mini live album from Cambridge band The Scissors. Captured at The Smokehouse Ipswich with a selection of music from all three of their studio albums this is the band at their very best – vital, unrestrained and packed with energy.

Here’s a teaser…..

BOUQUET OF DEAD CROWS RELEASE NEW VIDEO

Bouquet of Dead Crows have a new video out today! Warning, It’s not for the faint-hearted – but if you’re brave enough then check out ‘Fragments (Black Hole Eyes) from their new album ‘Motus Octo’ now! Plans for a subscriber special version of the album are being assembled, watch this space for news!

GIGS

Forthcoming gigs featuring German Shepherd Artists:

May
1st to 31st – Moff Skellington has an art exhibition at Canwood Gallery and Sculpture Park, Checkley, Hertfordshire
3rd – The Scissors play The Blue Moon, Cambridge
3rd – Electric Cheese play The Ferret, Preston
4th – Adventures of Salvador, Positronik and Pearl Divers play Music on the Market Place Festival , Buxton
4th – The Mind Sweepers play The Frunge Festival, The Elmerglen Hotel, Thornhill
5th – Keltrix play The Green Man Brew Ballyhoo, Granchester
7th – Ian Moss performs in Unseasonal Beasts project with Simon “Ding” Archer at the Castle Hotel, Manchester as part of the MASS assembly event.
10th – Adventures of Salvador play Ramsbottom Cricket Club
11th – Keltrix play The Haymakers, Cambridge (Acoustic Set)
18th -Weimar play the Eagle, Salford supporting St Lucifer
18th – Pearl Divers and Dominic Carlton Jones play Malaga Drift, Church Street, Eccles
18th – Poppycock play Whalley Range Pride event at The Carlton Club
20th – Stewart Harris from Scissors on Dave Hammonds Smellypot Show on Cambridge 105 talking about the new live album
23rd – Inferior Complex play King Charles, Poole
24th – Inferior Complex play Royal Oak, Basingstoke
24th – Four Candles play Strummercamp at Oldham Rugby Club
25th – Sam Smith plays Strummercamp at Oldham Rugby Club
25th – Four Candles play PsyCo Circus Allday Extravaganza at The Peer Hat
26th – Adventures of Salvador plays Strummercamp at Oldham Rugby Club
June
1st – Bouquet of Dead Crows (Portland Ballroom Stage) and Keltrix play Strawberry Fair, Midsummer Common, Cambridge
2nd – Inferior Complex play Bandstand, Eastleigh
5th – The Junta plays West Street Live, Sheffield
6th – Adventures of Salvador and Matthew Hopkins play Liverpool Fringe Festival
7th – The Parish Church Fire and Four Candles are playing The Eagle, Salford
7th – Inferior Complex play The Alexandra, Southampton
8th – Keltrix play Pride!, Jesus Green, Cambridge
8th – Inferior Complex play The Red House, Yeovil
15th – Paul Winter from The Mind Sweepers is supporting JD Meatyard at Leith Depot Edinburgh tickets are £5 with £1 going to local homeless charity.
20th – Inferior Complex play The King Charles, Poole
21st – Weimar play The Eagle, Salford
22nd – Inferior Complex play King Charles, Poole
24th – The Junta plays The Peer Hat, Manchester with Lucky + Love.
26th – Dominic Carlton Jones plays Cuckoo Calling (Featured Artist) Bury New Road, Prestwich
28th – Adventures of Salvador play The Castle, Oldham Street, Manchester – ALBUM RELEASE SHOW
28th – Inferior Complex play The Alexandra, Southampton
July
5th – Mark Corrin’s Elastikbande play The Railway, Didsbury
5th – Inferior Complex play The Shooting Star, Southampton
6th – The Mind Sweepers play Electric Fields Festival, SWG3, Glasgow
13th – Umbrella Assassins play The Smokehouse, Ipswich
13th – Electric Cheese play Indiefest 2019 at The Boulevard, Wigan
19th – The Scissors with Moonstrips at Blue Moon Cambridge
20th – Keltrix play Whoosh Festival, The Missing Sock, Sto-Cum-Quy
28th – Monkeys In Love celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing at The Klondyke Club, Levenshulme – afternoon show between 1pm and 5pm
31st – The Junta plays The Peer Hat, Manchester
August
9th – Mark Corrin’s Elastikbande play The Railway, Didsbury
10th – Weimar play Scarborough Apollo
16th – Keltrix play The Green Man, Granchester
25th – Toska Wilde plays It Came From The Sea II at The Centre, Margate
October
12th October – Scissors play The Six Bells, Cambridge
26th October – Toska Wilde plays CULT 13 – Underground Alternative Night at The Venue Southend.

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Newsletter 41 : More Moff, Live Scissors album, Adventures of Salvador album, Umbrella Assassins T Shirts and Gigs!

HalfEdgeMedia

Hello and welcome to your weekly news for all things German Shepherd Records

This week

– The Pukes of a Hot Cloister re-released
– New Scissors live album coming soon
– Adventures of Salvador new album trailed
– Umbrella Assassins T Shirts now available
– More Gigs announced

MORE MOFF SKELLINGTON

As we continue our programme of re-releasing Moff Skellington’s huge back catalogue we have reached the landmark “The Pukes of a Hot Cloister” which will be re-released digitally on May 3rd.

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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 Bob Osborne’s “Reformation” radio show on 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.

Moff has a major exhibition of his art at the Canwood Gallery and Sculpture Park during May. Exhibition will run from 11am to 4pm each week Tuesday to Sunday. 30 canvasses and 40 prints will be on show at the exhibition.

LIVE SCISSORS

We are pleased to announce the return of Cambridge band the Scissors with a live album recorded at The Smokehouse in Ipswich earlier this year. The raw sound of the live Scissors experience is captured perfectly and demonstrates the pure energy of the band on stage. Release date is planned for 10th May.

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ADVENTURES OF SALVADOR ALBUM TRAILED

The much anticipated new album from Adventures of Salvador “Welcome to our Village” is coming in June. Pending that the band play The Peer Hat, Manchester this Thursday (25th) and Ramsbottom Cricket Club on May 10th, Liverpool Fringe on June 6th with the album launch scheduled for June 28th at The Castle, Oldham Street, Manchester. Watch this space for more details.

UMBRELLA ASSASSINS T’S

Haverhill’s finest are hard at work on new material with an album promised later in the year pending that you can increase your sartorial eloquence by acquiring one of their rather fine T-Shirts at this LOCATION. The trio play The Smokehouse, Ipswich on July 13th.

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GIGS

The Spring Summer gig list is hotting up with extra gigs for Inferior Complex, Keltrix and Four Candles emerging…..the full list is below

April
25th – Adventures of Salvador play the Peer Hat, Manchester
26th – Mark Corrin plays The Railway, Didsbury
May
1st to 31st – Moff Skellington has an art exhibition at Canwood Gallery and Sculpture Park, Checkley, Hertfordshire
3rd – Inferior Complex play Winchester Gate, Salisbury
3rd – The Scissors play The Blue Moon, Cambridge
4th – Positronik and Pearl Divers play Music on the Market Place, Buxton
4th – The Mind Sweepers play The Frunge Festival, The Elmerglen Hotel, Thornhill
5th – Keltrix play The Green Man Brew Ballyhoo, Granchester
7th – Ian Moss performs in Unseasonal Beasts project with Simon “Ding” Archer at the Castle Hotel, Manchester as part of the MASS assembly event. This is a free event but you must reserve a ticket
10th – Adventures of Salvador play Ramsbottom Cricket Club
11th – Keltrix play The Haymakers, Cambridge (Acoustic Set)
18th -Weimar play the Eagle, Salford supporting St Lucifer
20th – Stewart Harris from Scissors on Dave Hammonds Smellypot Show on Cambridge 105 talking about the new live album
24th – Four Candles play Strummercamp at Oldham Rugby Club
25th – Sam Smith plays Strummercamp at Oldham Rugby Club
June
1st – Keltrix play Strawberry Fair, Midsummer Common, Cambridge
2nd – Inferior Complex play Bandstand, Eastleigh
5th – The Junta plays West Street Live, Sheffield
6th – Adventures of Salvador and Matthew Hopkins play Liverpool Fringe Festival
7th – The Parish Church Fire and Four Candles are playing The Eagle, Salford

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7th – Inferior Complex play The Alexandra, Southampton
8th – Keltrix play Pride!, Jesus Green, Cambridge
8th – Inferior Complex play The Red House, Yeovil
15th – The Mind Sweepers and Paul Winter (solo set) supporting JD Meatyard at Leith Depot Edinburgh tickets are £5 with £1 going to local homeless charity.

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20th – Inferior Complex play The King Charles, Poole
21st – Weimar play The Eagle, Salford
24th – The Junta plays The Peer Hat, Manchester with Lucky + Love.
26th – Dominic Carlton Jones plays Cuckoo Calling (Featured Artist) Bury New Road, Prestwich
28th – Adventures of Salvador play The Castle, Oldham Street, Manchester – ALBUM RELEASE SHOW
July
5th – Mark Corrin’s Elastikbande play The Railway, Didsbury
5th – Inferior Complex play The Shooting Star, Southampton
6th – The Mind Sweepers play Electric Fields Festival, SWG3, Glasgow
13th – Umbrella Assassins play The Smokehouse, Ipswich
13th – Electric Cheese play Indiefest 2019 at The Boulevard, Wigan
19th – The Scissors with Ember Rev at Blue Moon Cambridge
20th – Keltrix play Whoosh Festival, The Missing Sock, Sto-Cum-Quy
28th – Monkeys In Love celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing at The Klondyke Club, Levenshulme – afternoon show between 1pm and 5pm
31st – The Junta plays The Peer Hat
August
9th – Mark Corrin’s Elastikbande play The Railway, Didsbury
10th – Weimar play Scarborough Apollo
16th – Keltrix play The Green Man, Granchester
25th – Toska Wilde plays It Came From The Sea II at The Centre, Margate

German Shepherd Newsletter #29 – The Scissors, PrunX, Various Artists Compilation for Charity, Looking Ahead, Gigs

HalfEdgeMedia

Hello and welcome to the latest newsletter from German Shepherd Records.

This week:

– The Scissors Look Good In Cheap Clothes
– PrunX return with Sci-Fi teaser
– It’s A Dog’s Life : a new compilation for charity
– Releases for the rest of 2018 and looking forward to 2019
– Forthcoming gigs featuring German Shepherd Artists

THE SCISSORS LOOK GOOD IN CHEAP CLOTHES

Cambridge’s highly regarded band The Scissors return with a brand new album replete with their signature swirling keyboard-fuelled psych-pop,horrorshow freakbeat guitars and new wave post-punk basslines. Titled “Look Good In Cheap Clothes” the 7th December release shows a real development from it’s popular predecessor “Haunted Mirror”. With a dazzling mix of garage punk, otherworldly pop, and some new explorations  the band demonstrate a significant shift in their sound whilst retaining the core of their alternative take on music.

Here’s a sneak preview with a live version of album track “Ufotopia”

An interview with bassist and singer Stewart Harris, which includes a sneak promo preview of the albums contents can be found here: 

You can find more on the band on Facebook at: @thescissorsuk

The bands’ next gig is on Thursday 6th December at The Corner House, Cambridge with a stellar line up including Ember Rev and Goddamit Jeremiah.

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PrunX IN SPACE

Berlin based rockers PrunX never hesitate to point out the destructive effects of capitalism,  and on this new release they are using their unique sound as a “gateway to a peaceful solar system”. Celebrating this manifesto they release their third EP with our label on December 7th. Entitled “Contact” the three track collection presents a view from deep space – “favouring your ears with observations of Terra – most haunted planet in our galaxy”.

First Contact? – is a prelude for an upcoming concept album. The band say “It’s a far out story brought down to earth, when it happens, watch out for Sparks!”
Deadly Toys reflects a sarcastic spiteful calling out of arms-dealers.
There’s No Time is an ironic celebration of the negative impact of excess

Never afraid to rock out the band merge the best of the rich history of German music with a punk ethos. Label boss Ian Moss says “Imagine the Poison Girls in a heady brew with Amon Duul II with a hint of blues swagger”.

Facebook – @PrunXBerlin

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IT’S A DOG’S LIFE

Since the label’s beginning in 2014 we have regularly released compilations for Charity – including the Cambridge Calling series. To close the year we will release a new compilation called “It’s A Dog’s Life” featuring 17 tracks from our roster. The release will include brand new tracks from The Parasite, Umbrella Assassins, The Get, Issac Navaro, The Mind Sweepers, KIT B, Mistletoe, Auster Boys, The Screaming Love Collective, Positronik, m.t. scott and Sleeping Ducks. There will also be different versions and remixes of already released tracks from Bouquet of Dead Crows, The Scissors, Inferior Complex, The Junta, Lizard Brain and Sam Smith. A special deluxe edition for Bandcamp only will include additional tracks from The Get and one or two other surprises for our subscribers. The album will be released on 21st December and all proceeds will be directed towards Mary’s Meals charity to assist in famine relief. The album and also a selection of other German Shepherd releases will be featured on a special edition of Bob’s Aural Delights Radio Show on Analogue Trash radio on 20th December.at 10pm

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THE REST OF THE YEAR AND LOOKING FORWARD

After a busy year with over 70 releases and the launch of our subscription service we are ending on a high with three other new releases, a single from STAGGS, an EP from The Parasite, and a single from Inferior Complex. We will be taking a couple of weeks off at the start of 2019 but will be back in mid January firstly with a brand new album from Issac Navaro, and this will be followed by a single from Sam Smith, a new album from Lizard Brain and the debut single from hot new Manchester band Weimar.

Watch this space for details.

GIGS

November
27th – Rose & The Diamond Hand plays The Kings Arms, Salford
28th – The Strays play Lock 91 Manchester
29th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Gringos, Norwich
29th – Four Candles play “Free Rock & Roll” at Sound, Duke Street, Liverpool
29th – Loop Aznavour plays El Manisero at Eva, Sackville Street, Manchester
December
1st – Toska Wilde plays Saks Southend on Sea as part of Cult 13 Showcase
1st – Bouquet of Dead Crows and Umbrella Assassins play Smokehouse, Ipswich
1st – Moet the Poet is back on the Independents Tour with JD Meatyard and others as MC at Bar 39 in Darwen.
2nd – Moet the Poet is back on the Independents Tour with JD Meatyard and others as MC at Sound, Liverpool
6th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play Mama Liz’s Voodoo Lounge, Stamford
6th – The Scissors (plus Ember Rev and Goddammit Jeremiah) at Cambridge Cornerhouse.
7th – The Mind Sweepers play Coach & Horses, Dumfries
7th -Toska Wilde appearing at Connect With Nothing Event at The Lido, Margate
8th – The Mind Sweepers and Øre playing The Troqueer Arms Dumfries
8th – Bouquet of Dead Crows play The Horn at the Half Moon, Bishops Stortford
8th – Boz Hayward and Keltrix with Misharlo play The Peer Hat, Manchester
8th – Poppycock support Vic Godard at Yes (The Basement) on Charles Street, Manchester with ASBO Derek
8th – Øre will be playing their debut gig at the TA in Dumfries
22nd – Drink and Drive play Strummercamp Fundraiser and Oldham Rugby Club
28th – Drink and Drive, Four Candles play Whittles, Oldham
January
2nd – Manchester Meltdown Series 2 at the Peer Hat. Only £3 featuring Saturn Mansion. Weimar, Trancedental Equations, and Four Candles
6th – The Mind Sweepers play the Big Burns Supper at The Hub, Dumfries
9th – Manchester Meltdown Series 2 at the Peer Hat. Only £3 featuring St Lucifer, Adventures of Salvador, Emily Oldfield and Four Candles
16th – Manchester Meltdown Series 2 at the Peer Hat. Only £3 featuring Poppycock, Factory Acts, Mystery Guest, and Four Candles
23rd – Manchester Meltdown Series 2 at the Peer Hat. Only £3 featuring Rose and the Diamond Hand, Matthew Hopkins, Bang Up The Elephant and Four Candles
25th – Ian Moss plays The Kings Arms, Salford
30th – Manchester Meltdown Series 2 at the Peer Hat. Only £3 featuring Springfield Elementary, Bobbie Peru, Elastikbande and Four Candles
February
1st – Weimar launch their debut single at The Eagle, Salford with support from Dominic Carlton Jones
9th – Scissors play NCI Club Cambridge (Cambridge Central Aid charity fundraiser, Scissors headlining, other acts TBC)
March
2nd – Four Candles, Johann Kloos and Rose Niland play the Peer Hat, Manchester, a benefit for Macmillan nurses as a memorial for Modal Roberts

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Sjhaking all over

HalfEdgeMedia

13th October sees the release of a new three track EP “Sjhake” by Cambridge self styled purveyors swirling keyboard-fuelled psychpop with horror-show freak-beat guitars and new wave post-punk bass-lines.

Lead track Sjhake previously featured on the bands second album “Haunted Mirror”, second track “Glossy Magazines” was featured on a German Shepherd compilation and the third track “Electric Line Terminus” is a new release.

Cambridge Calling

HalfEdgeMedia

We are pleased to announce the first in 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. Such is the current scene in the Cambridge area, there are already enough tracks donated for a second compilation.

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German Shepherd’s very own Bouquet of Dead Crows have submitted a track for the compilation

Aside from putting some superb music out there, the aim is also to raise money for deserving charities. For volume 1, the participating bands have nominated the Arthur Rank Hospice, which is dedicated to providing specialist palliative care and support to adult patients and their family, friends and carers.

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 at the surface of the local music scene, the more it became apparent how much excellent music was out there.

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Album artwork by Stewart Harris

The diversity of the music is impressive, covering rock, hip hop, folk, indie, punk, psychedelia, pop, jazz, Americana, garage and electronica with nods to all eras of popular and contemporary music. Artists range from those in the first flush of youth and already developing sounds that bode well for the future to more experienced souls continually developing their craft.

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Highly regarded band The Scissors appear on this compilation

For around the price of a couple of pints you can have a lasting legacy of the flourishing scene in a City as diverse and thrilling as the music it has inspired, while at the same time providing some much needed funds for a very deserving local charity.

Artists featured on this first compilation are:

  • Trick Bird
  • All We Earthlings
  • Broadway Danny Rose
  • I Strip for Couples
  • Black Buttercups
  • The Seven Twenty
  • Garuda
  • Motor Tapes
  • Keltrix
  • 3 Screaming Popes
  • Bouquet of Dead Crows
  • Eil Marchini
  • Datum Plane
  • Pete Newman Clarinet Project
  • Lizard Brain
  • The Scissors
  • Model Village
  • Umbrella Assassins
  • Gavin Chappell Bates

The compilation will be released digitally on 17th March via Bandcamp,Spotify, I Tunes, Amazon, Google Play and other well known digital outlets.

Dave’s excellent radio show can be heard on Cambridge 105 every alternate Monday.

http://www.facebook.com/DaveyHammondsSmellyFlowerpot/
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Summer Scissors Sizzlers

HalfEdgeMedia

“One of the Best Live Bands in Cambridge” says Cambridge Music Reviews and you can catch them at the following over the summer months:

Saturday 4 June – Strawberry Fayre, Cambridge

Saturday 2 July – Bar Hill Festival, Bar Hill, Cambridgeshire

Saturday 20 August – Knackfest – Karma Farm, Isleham Fen, Ely, Cambridgeshire

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Photo credit : http://www.annielovettphotography.com

Pending that have a listen to their excellent second album

 

Introducing The Scissors

HalfEdgeMedia

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Once again Cambridge provides us with a band that we are very pleased to be associated with. The Scissors deliver swirling Hammond organ fuelled psychpop with horrorshow freakbeat guitars and new wave post punk synergy. Read more about them on our artists page.

We will be releasing their excellent second album “Haunted Mirror” soon. Pending that have a listen to their excellent debut album “Daylight Cinema” which has recently been re-released with a new master.