LTW newsletter 102

Dear Warriors,

We are well and truly kicking the dust off our feet from a weekend spent in Milton Keynes at the inaugural Forever Now festival. Not without some problems on the second stage, where The Damned and Jesus and Mary Chain had to cut the lengths of their sets, the rest of the festival went really well. 

Of course, there were stage clashes, but no one is going to lose between great sets from Death Cult and Kraftwerk - personally, I like the idea of stage clashes - it's proof that there is too much of a good thing and with some nifty running around it is possible to be greedy and grab a bit of both. LTW was there in the capacity of running the in conversation stage and it was great to interview The Chameleons, Jesus and the Mary Chain, Richard Jobson and the eighties band Berlin, who were famous for their Giorgi Mordor written ‘Take My Breath Away’ with its success hiding a pretty nifty late seventies style minimal electronic music band closer to Depeche Mode or Fad Gadget via California.

The summer is now about to turn into relentless festivals every weekend, and with Glastonbury looming, there is barely time to get cleaned up and find the trusty old sleeping bag, which is still full of straw and grains of dust from last year's festival. A few days to go until the long train journey is embarked upon to get to the fest that is so much more than arguing about the headliners. Plenty of great undercard action and all night wanders around the green fields of England and the crazy raves in Shangri La, the festival within a festival. By day, I will be the compere on Billy Bragg’s Left Field stage (and by night the all-night music prowling wolf). Please pop in and say hello if you are passing.

This week on Louder than War there has been he usual smorgasbord of delights…

LTW faves Sparks are decades into an astonishing career that sees the band arguably the only group from the sixties who are still moving forwards and not only making great records but breaking new ground while they are at it. Their current album ‘MAD’ is their highest charting in their career and their current UK gigs have been a revelation. The Mael brothers are proven geniuses and have armed themselves with an armour of charm that makes their real personas a mystery, but their live show is wildly popular as they embark on their biggest venue tour of the UK ever that sees LTW claim, 

'still genius after all these years...' 

For many, Kim Deal was the heart and soul of the Pixies and, of course, the powerhouse behind the Breeders, so we were excited that she is finally back on the road delivering an enticing overview of her career, and no one left the room disappointed as the legend was as powerful and yet inventively sensitive as ever.

'The mercurial genius brings a small army of musicians and a set split down the middle. Can you hold the crowd’s attention while playing an album chronologically? You can if you’re Kim Deal ' 

We have been supporting for Banshees guitar player John McKay for several months and helped him get a record deal and festival gigs so it was great to see his album of demos for what would have been the third Banshees album and further post Siouxsie eighties adventures not only sound great but also sneak into the top 40 - quite an achievement. He has now put a band together and his debut London gig at the Lexington was a brilliant underlining of this singular talent. 

'After close on half a century in the shadows, goth’s lost guitar hero John McKay is back. We join the tomb army assembled to pay their respects to Banshee guitar genius.’

  https://louderthanwar.com/john-mckays-reactor-the-lexington-london-live-review/ (Si apre in una nuova finestra) via @louderthanwar 

New Manchester band, Yobs, delivered a filthy garage noise in a tight sweaty packed joint that had our reviewer satiating at the sweat and grime of rock n roll at its most primal and feral. The band was not just an exercise in noise though. 

Rough Trade 45s collects together the various artists who were the core of the label's golden era like Augustus Pablo, Stiff Little Fingers, Subway Sect, Swell Maps, The Raincoats, Cabaret Voltaire. The Pop Group, Young Marble Giants in a great collection. 

The German underground music legend who still scores top 10 albums in his home country with his inventive post punk melancholy, Phillip Boa, did his first interview for years and LTW boss John Robb was asking the questions.  https://louderthanwar.com/phillip-boa/ (Si apre in una nuova finestra)

Shonen Knife played Manchester’s Night & Day Café and The Blockheads lead singer and Louder Than War’s Mike Bennett was in attendance with Tamra Smith. Mike reviews the band, and Tamra interviews! 

Anyone who regularly reads the site will know just how much we love lunatic Australian psychedelic crew King Gizzard and how each of their what feels like several hundred albums is celebrated on our digital pages. Despite the endless run of releases, their quality control never seems to slip, and the new album is yet another thrilling missive on their gonzoid yet inventive adventure. Accompanied by an orchestra, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard continue their search for new sonic horizons on Phantom Island. 

Download festival puts the bomb into bombastic and is a high-decibel metal and beyond experience. Metal is one of the most cutting edge forms of music in the world these days and the wild variation of loud untamed species roaming in its clade is proof of its evolutionary success. Back on the agenda, the festival is the big metal gathering of the summer, and this year was one of the best. 

Hot on the heels of new releases from Heavenly (their first in 19 years) and Swansea Sound, those folks at Skepwax have dropped new singles from their two American signings, Jeanines and Lightheaded, ahead of albums from both, in conjunction with the US label Slumberland Records due on 27th June.