LTW NEWSLETTER 121

Welcome Warriors!

I’m bizarrely sat in a quicksilver snatch of February sunshine at the front of the White Rock hotel on Hastings promenade. Typically the freak micro climate of the south coast enclave is bathing in a warm elixir that is not something I’ve felt for months in Manchester and it will be a few more months before it pops up north  and visits our northern enclaves. 

I’m at Fat Tuesday - a great annual event where new bands play a chaos of gigs in the venues in the old town. I’m here to chair panels on how to start a scene in your home town and how to somehow survive in the wild and choppy waters of music life. It’s been a few years of these visits to Hastings and it’s thriving local scene and the music is always good and a local scene has sprung up in the unique seaside town with its mix of regency houses, concrete blocks and an atmospheric old town that still looks like the kind of place where pirates once sashayed and swashbuckled and Aleister Crowley bizarrely spent his last few months in an old people’s home.

Whilst I’ve been gallivanting Louder Than War has been in full throttle as we ready ourselves for our very own first festival headlined by Sea Power, Pale Blue Eyes, Benefits, Evil Blizzard and Immersion with 15 other bands. As subscribers to the site you get access to cheaper mates rates tickets of which we now have last few available from here…

Joolz Denby is a multi faceted individual - perhaps best known as a poet she was also the key driver in the Bradford post punk scene where she helped spark New Model Army and Southern Death Cult amongst others and her distinctive pagan artwork has adorned every New Model Army release but there is much more to this force of nature as is explained in this in depth interview with John Robb.

These are tough times for musicians with streaming is taking a hit on finances and even touring is not the solution that was proposed a few years ago but there are potential solutions on the horizon with a new streamer called Qobuz promising better payment and a new online system called Dune that looks like a stocks and shares scheme for new bands and fans - it’s all explained below. 

In a fascinating interview, Nigel Carr speaks with Keith Dion who has been instrumental in bringing a court case against Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd on behalf of Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, former members of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The case, which has concluded hearings examining performers’  rights, copyright ownership and unpaid royalties, including streaming revenues, tied to recordings made between 1966 and 1970 (Are You Experienced, Axis Bold As Love and Electric Ladyland).

Hugh Gadjit takes us on an autobiographical journey through 70s youth culture running parallel to an obsession with trains and arriving at punk rock central. Probably the perfect book for rail punks, says Nathan Brown.

Laibach have announced a new album that sees the Slovenian wags turn their hand to pure pop that is as disconcerting and plain odd as ever. It’s well executed but also off kilter and strange!

Gogol Bordello’s new album is our album of the week in a mighty mix of what feels like every dance form of music ever combined with their trademark punky folk with dance floor electronics and even a pulsating techno in a powerful whole. 

Fronted by granite faced Rhys Mwyn    Welsh language punks Yr Anhrefn were the driving force band in bringing their home tongue back into the modern age and their relentless drive powered along the whole of the scene. Whether it was by their gigs or their endless interviews they flew the flag as gatekeepers and updaters of an old language preventing it from being a museum tongue and giving it a modern narrative as well as being a great punk rock band and perveyors of a DIY culture. 

Hotly tipped Nico Harmony , the Manchester based songwriter and multi-genre artist releases debut single Civilisation of Love ahead of an EP later in 2026.

The new kings of the DIY undergound They Are Gutting A Body Of Water were astonishing at their recent gig at Manchester’s Gorilla. Purveyors of the Philadelphia DIY spirit, TAGABOW are the loudest and most innovative shoegaze band of the modern resurgence. Kai Marshall watches on.