Heavy Music, UK, 2008

In Summer 2007 I decided to leave heavy music behind. I had become unconfident in my own writing skills, frustrated with audiences and bands alike. The general tone impressed upon me was that of complete apathy. Cliché as this may sound from a guitarist in a hardcore band, I felt as if I was banging my head against a brick wall.

Band such as Botch, Converge, Coalesce, and later on Hot Snakes, The Cure, Mogwai and Cursed really inspired me to take a done genre and fuck with it until it was unrecognisable. By this I mean I sacked off song structures, chorus and verses were banned, and it got to the point where heavy guitar gain and typical ‘hardcore’ or ‘noise’ conventions such as breakdowns, two-steps, spazzy parts etc just felt so done to us. By the end, our experiment was in pure dynamics and tone. At the time it felt all in vain. No one seemed to get it. Certainly the sales of our full length reflected what people thought, and we parted ways with our record label. They were undoubtedly disappointed with Dungeness’s reception, and we were frustrated with anyone that ha anything to do with the release.

Frustration, arguments, friends becoming celebrities and a forgotten single later, we broke up. But in the last few months, there seemed to be a flutter of genuine activity in the UK. We planned to release our next project on Holy Roar, a label with an outlook as close to our own as we could hope to meet. They also announced the release of a split by two new, young bands, Maths and Throats. These bands, both with average ages that just about touch 20 by now probably, completely blew my head off. Throats, based in London, rip seven shades of shit from a twisted version of Hardcore, fusing the desert dry riffs and tones of Jane Doe, with the sentiment and mood of Cursed. But the difference between them and most bands from our fair island, is that they convince me. They have the context and ferociousness that our US counterparts have been schooling us all with for the last 15 years. Speaking with them also, their love for old valve tone, massive evil riffs, but taken out of the metalcore context, and obvious need to just play as loud and aggressively as they possibly can, I have a real affinity for these lads.

Similarly, Maths, from the East Midlands, are shredding their way through the Ebullition sound of the mid to late nineties. Certainly, this band has more of a retro sound, as you can pinpoint the scene that has influenced them, but again, it’s their attention to detail. It’s less plagiarism, more perfect revivalism, in a different time and a different place. They are making the link from legendary bands like Orchid and P99, and just making it sound so relevant to the UK now. Its like the breath of fresh air I’ve been waiting for.

This seems to be a slight epidemic, and bands such as Orchards, Crocus, Queen Of Swords, Rolo Tomassi, Dead Swans, Lovvers and more are really showing that UK bands can have the salts to go head on with US bands. It’s enough to spur me back into heating the valves a bit more this year!

infinite chug?

Just checking this inventive record label out now. My clever girlfriend directed me there way, and it looks really nice. Most of their back catalogue is available for download, with optional donation buttons. Thoughts on a postcard. Fuck off. Good on em.

infinite chug

Are record labels really as over as they say? is the future filled with bands spending their hard earned money on affordable recording equipment rather than studio time? It seems as if we, the music makers, get on with the work, we can free ourselves of the shackles ""record labels"" filled with their own self importance can go fuck themselves. I've entered 2008 with a sense of real power. I have spent a little bit of money on some half decent studio gubbins, moved in with my band, and am just about to embark on what can only be described as shameless music geek love ins. We don't have to worry about how much our label is paying on the pressing of the 2000 CDs they're making us feel guilty they're pressing in the first place! We can just record it, take our time, make it good and fucking upload it. the costs so far have been the recording stuff, which to be honest i would have bought anyway.

So really all a record label serves as these days, is a middle man between you and your PR/booking agents. Well as much as it  grieves me, I will do that shit if it means there is no pressure to recoup their fucking costs...... they're never bothered about ours! I rarely felt that working with DIY record labels felt like the partnership they wanted to make out we had, as they never seemed to acknowledge that we were as beneficial for them as they were for us... fuck punk rock martyrdom.... Labels, Booking Agents, Promoters, Writers(ha!)... I have met some lovely people, and those, I try to keep in touch with, but the majority seem to be looking to be put on the thanks list of bands CDs, and get on the guest list to their big London support slots, and basically do everything they can to part of being in a band without actually getting in the fucking van.

Of fuck it, as if thats ever changed since time began, or as if it will ever change. Fuck you.

I'm old

I just this minute watched a group made up of year 10 and 11 ladsin the live room. Song 2 meets Kurt Cobain vocals... arguments over who wrote it.... Aimless lead guitar, needless double kick, Ibanez and Fender rip offs........ Oh to be 16 again.......

This week has been littered with conversations filled with conspiracy theories and opinions about The Dewsbury Case, Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson and Heather Mills... there are people that are quick to believe what they read, in fact there are so many quick to have an opinion in the first place..... I have a head ache, I want to listen to Sufjan Stevens, eat my salad, and forget............

Furniture dismatlement and Record/CD collection packing beckons this evening..... I have to keep what this weekend means in the front of my mind.....

Adore by Smashing Pumpkins has been keeping me amused, Apples and Oranges is about a perfect electro pop track as i could ask for today.....

The tiny King

Take heed.....

Look...

Shellac?

So it looks as if Dungeness might see the light of day on Vinyl in the coming months. It was my only real disappointment from NCF, that our album was never pressed on wax, despite several labels telling us they wanted to do it.

It looks as if it falls to Aurra Sing Records, the new project from Bossk mainman Tom Begley. We've spoken about awesome ideas for the press and I can only say watch this space.

The Holy Trinity?

Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

How did that even happen?

There Will Be Blood

Are you serious?

No Country For Old Men

I didn't think they could do it anymore

And all in two months? Will we ever see a period of film release like this again?

I saw Control, Darjeeling Ltd, I'm Not There..... these six films, in one year. Thats retarded.

Welcome!

On the brink of a move to Folkestone, I'm feeling excited. The town itself does not excite me, but the what moving there means to my life. I feel this is the last watershed of the last couple of years, and I will be hopefully leaving the family nest for good.

The last few months has seen me shrink a little from social circles, I am obsessed with getting out of so many ruts. I think about the lack of creativity i have been suffering these last 8 months, and it frightens me that time can fly so fast. I have created so little in my time at my mothers house, its depressing.

Ashford, over the last 18 months has served as a place for me to escape from the shit that went before, and to take some sort of refuge with my family. This has been at the expense of a lot of relationships with people I considered friends, but as I hear from them less and less, my cares dwindle also. The few I have kept in touch with are my wavelengths on this 'cultureless isalnd' cut off from the rest of the country by the huge hummer-fest that is London. These are the ones that I shall be now embarking on all my new ventures with, and hopefully with some new faces also.

So what's Folkestone got to do with this? Well I don't like it there much, the town centre is worse than Ashford, and there are MORE chavs. But, it does have the sea, and the rent is cheap, in a beautiful old flat. I'll be living with two awesome dudes, and i will no longer be lugging my iMac and all the gubbins around for recording, and it is this central base of opertions i have been hoping for. 

I want to settle, for at least the amount of time it will take me to qualify as a teacher and get some musical projects more established, so i have my fingers crossed, this is the last time the big square Ikea shelves are to be dismantled for another two or three years.

NCF has been over since August, and I've got the itch.... I've had it since Christmas, and slowly, but surely, things are moving forward. Writing, Playing, Recording, Remixing, Touring... its all back on.... in different contexts and with different people, but i'm excited, really excited to see what Folkestone, and my new surroundings have to offer.

Oh yeah, and Leah got accepted to UCCA, so she's going to be here in Sept..... That just about tops it off!