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The gothic world of Light-Painted Dolls

When we think of dolls, we imagine young children playing, dressing plastic figurines in tiny outfits, of ‘Action Man’ or ‘Barbie’ and all the fun of innocent childhood games, but dolls have been used in magic or religious contexts across the globe throughout history. Earliest findings document the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans among the ancient civilisations creating doll-like figurines. Immortalising their gods or deities, they were used as burial artefacts as well as ornaments or playthings. These were often crude representations, manufactured from clay, wood or stone, but even in those ancient times, examples of dolls created as elaborate art existed. Discoveries of wooden ‘paddle dolls’, dating back circa 2000B.C. have been made during past excavations of Egyptian tombs while the earliest examples of dolls with moveable limbs pre-date A.D. by some 200 years.

The modern doll has its origins in 15th century Germany and with the dawn of the industrial age, new materials such as porcelain and plastics allowed for mass production. As a predominantly  art-loving species, our fascination increased popularity in collectible figurines, opening a gateway for artistic creativity and to the world of ‘light painted’ dolls.

Painting with light, an imaginative technique employed by photographers to capture and create different, often mesmerizing effects, utilizes hand held coloured lighting sources and movement; it is the antithesis of photography and doll photographers take great advantage of this form of art.

Ilona Jurgiel, a professional doll maker and photographer with a sound background in the arts and literature, uses her multiple creative disciplines to infuse her dolls with the very essence of life, adding a sense of realism into each design and bringing together sculpture, painting with light, photography and ball jointed dolls. Immersing herself in the art from an early age, Ilona worked for years with pre-purchased resin based ball jointed dolls, stylising each creation with dress and traditional paint, all the while dreaming of creating her own artist Poupée from start to finish. A fortunate meeting with Lidia Snul, creator of BJTALES, led Ilona to study porcelain doll making, a highly complicated, yet extremely rewarding and versatile process.

“Porcelain”, Ilona says, “an extremely delicate yet highly durable medium, takes several stages of work to produce a finished doll, each requiring a different skill set; ceramics artist and sculptor, wig maker and designer with an intricate imagination for detail as well as mould maker and an understanding of physics to ensure the the joints move naturally and smoothly”.

There are very few porcelain doll artists in the world, and fewer still who do so, so skilfully as Ilona, so that each final piece is elegantly beautiful, unique its in own creation, yet truly representative of its creator’s brilliance in creating fine art. As important as the doll making processes are, the real mastery is seen in the technique and understanding of China painting, it is learning how to apply the subtle colours to a doll and how to ‘fire’ each of the painted parts. Both, China paint and porcelain require firing at high temperature and success is an art in itself. Porcelain’s delicateness can lead to faults while the paints too have their own demands. China paint is applied in layers with each layer fired separately and different colours fired at different temperatures, a set of processes requiring incredible depth of knowledge of both kiln and the chosen materials.

Combining doll making with her profession as a photographer, painting with light and her keen interest within the alternative scene, each doll is dressed, staged and posed, often, in a gothic or steampunk style, lighting and light filters create the mood, highlighting the intricate balance of detail and mystique Ilona captures into each finished doll. Reproducing such imagery in this way opens the eyes and channels the mind to the iridescent elegance and exquisite mastery of this beautiful craft, it conceptualises something idealised as a ‘double’, an abstract notion once referenced by Freud as ‘uncanny’.

To view more of Ilona’s incredible creations, her dolls and photography, take a look at her websites or find her on facebook.

Handmade Porcelain Art BALL JOINTED DOLLS  http://lightpainteddoll.com/

Photography/Light painting photography http://lightpainting.co.uk/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LightpaintedDoll
All images supplied courtesy of Ilona Jurgiel/http://lightpainteddoll.com/

 
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Posted by on July 31, 2012 in Uncategorized

 

Blackout Radio Show with Mike Pougounas and Silent Nick

It looks like Mike Pougounas has added one more notch to his belt …

The “Blackout Radio Show with Mike Pougounas and Silent Nick” is making it’s debut tonight on Wicked Spins Radio [UK]. 
 
As Mike, the singer of New Zero God said, “They asked me to do a radio show and I thought it would be a fun project.  Over the past few months I have been listening to the shows put on by “Snuff MonkeyShaun Histed-Todd and Jet Away.   I really liked the music, as well as the interaction with their audience.  When the idea was proposed, I tossed around a few things and we came up with the concept of me with the mysterious ‘Silent Nick’.  Airing right before our show will be ‘The Dork Side with Fester and BaconPockets’, which will feature lots of punk rock.  Then we’ll go on air with post punk, punk rock and gothic.  You never know where me and Silent Nick will end up or what adventures/antics will come into play.”
 
The show debuts tonight (Thursday, 10 November), at 20:00 [UK] | 22:00 [Greece], and will be repeated every Thursday for one month, with a new show airing each month.

http://www.wickedspinsradio.org/

More Rock than a Crack Dealer

Time Zones as follows:

UK – 20:00
Central Europe – 21:00
Greece – 22:00
East Coast USA – 3:00 PM
West Coast USA – 12:00 Noon

:)

 
 

WILL CREWDSON – The Thirteen Questions

Will Crewdson is a London-based guitarist/writer/producer. Scant Regard is his brainchild, and he occasionally is the guitarist for Rachel Stamp, Adam Ant, and Johnette Napolitano, amongst others.

Will Crewdson (Photo by Rob Golding)

tribe4mian:  Will, with Scant Regard you strive to fuse raw electronic beats and moods with the smooth, soaring sounds of Morricone’s biting guitar –scapes. How did you come up with this idea?  Would you consider Morricone your main influence?

WILL CREWDSON:  The sound was developed pretty organically.  I always thought the sound of twangy, surfy guitars mixed with electronica worked well when I used the idea on other people’s tracks so I decided to maximise it and incorporate it into my own recordings.

I see Morricone as a good reference point more than a major influence. There are many moods on the album that echo the atmosphere of the classic Spaghetti Western soundtracks and since he was the ultimate composer in that genre it follows that he should get a reference. A large part of the sound is pure electronica though which obviously adds a different flavour.

tribe4mian:  At one point, Rachel Stamp became the only unsigned band to sell out the London Astoria. What happened to Rachel Stamp?  They had several record deals, the biggest of which was with WEA.  How many releases did you have with this band?

WILL CREWDSON:  Rachel Stamp suffered from bad management and useless record company input – the usual story. We had a great live following and were really proud of everything we achieved on an independent level. We were actually more successful once we’d been released from our deal with Warners, which says a lot.

We released two studio albums, ‘Hymns for Strange Children’ and ‘Oceans of Venus’. Our debut album was never released although we recorded it for Warners. We also had one live album, ‘Stampax’ and a load of singles.

tribe4mian:  You also played gigs with, among others, Iggy Pop, Korn, No Doubt, The Tubes, and Cheap Trick. How did you feel the first time you opened for a rock star?  Were you nervous, or were you thinking, “my big time is coming”?

WILL CREWDSON:  Well there’s loads of times early in your musical career where you think – this is it. Signing a deal, your first headline gig, etc., and we were really thrilled to have opened for all of those bands. It’s often the case that you are breaking through to a bigger audience as we were on several occasions, but without the managerial know-how and, sometimes, money behind it to capitalise on those moments.  It’s hard to keep momentum up and really take the whole thing to the next level.

tribe4mian:  Scant Regard’s first release, “The Excommunication EP” is already out featuring guest vocals by Grog from “Die So Fluid“.  How did this collaboration come about and what was the result?

WILL CREWDSON:  Grog and I have known each other for years. Her band, “Die So Fluid”, used to play the odd gig with Rachel Stamp and I’ve also done session work with her. Originally I wanted vocals on the Scant Regard tracks and, as we got on so well and seemed to understand each other musically, we agreed to try out a collaboration.  The three tracks came out really well.

We also both work with Director Tom DiCillo – the man behind “Johnny Suede, Living In Oblivion” and the recent Doors documentary “When You’re Strange”.  He has a studio project called The Black and Blue Orkestre which we’re both involved with. Those tracks should be coming out really soon.

Will Crewdson (Photo by Gemma 'Librasnake' Eggle) tribe4mian:  Were there any other bands in your life before Rachel Stamp?  How did your musical pathway begin?

WILL CREWDSON:  I had numerous bands before Rachel Stamp, all with unmentionably bad names!  I also did the odd session thing. The first one I got was with Malcolm McLaren at Air Studios in London. That was the title track for the extremely ill-fated “Carry On Columbus” film and was a pretty scary experience. I don’t think he looked me in the eye once. He just shouted “give it some bollocks my son!” whilst conducting an imaginary orchestra.  Surreal.

tribe4mian:  What are some of the notable differences for you between being on stage alone and playing with a band?  Do you sometimes miss the “group” feeling with Scant Regard?

WILL CREWDSON:  I guess you can’t beat the feeling of a full-on band slamming it out on stage and I do love that. When I do it alone it’s entirely different. I have to become a front man but I’m not singing so it’s a strange position to be in. I like strange positions though. I’m still working on my stage “patter” but I think it’s getting there. I get something out of every gig, though, whether it’s solo or band. It’s the main reason I do music really for that instant reaction from an audience.

tribe4mian:  I don’t know Adam Ant personally, so I’d like to ask:  Is he an easy person to work with?  Are you still touring with him?

WILL CREWDSON:  Adam is a great guy. He was and will always be one of my favourite all-round performers. Adam and the Ants were the first band I ever saw live and I grew up with his back catalogue etched into my brain so it was very natural for me to play all those great songs. His mental problems are well documented but at the end of the day they make him what he is as an artist and the end result was always a killer show. This year I’ve been working more in the States with Livan doing several tours but I’m still up for working with Adam if I’m around and he needs a guitarist. I did a one-off charity gig with him recently for Sea Shepherd, the anti-whaling guys, which went extremely well. We did a load of covers on the HMS Belfast.

tribe4mian:  Would you like to name your gear and which guitar and sound effect do you like using most?

WILL CREWDSON:  My main guitar is an 80’s Rickenbacker 250 El Dorado, which is definitely the most versatile and reliable of any guitar I’ve had. I’ve also got a 60’s Teisco Spectrum Del Rey, which I use for most of the Scant Regard stuff as it’s got that Duane Eddy twang right down and it looks like it’s made of LEGO, which is a plus in my book. I have a custom pink Gordon Smith GT-60 and a DeArmond Starfire semi-acoustic as well as a 72 Reissue Telecaster Deluxe. The Teisco is my favourite because it just looks like it’s out of The Jetsons and it sounds amazing.

The pedals I’m using at the moment are a Fulltone OCD Overdrive, Providence Anadime Chorus, a George Dennis Wah/Vol, MXR phaser, Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter Tremolo and an Electro Harmonix Memory Boy. I think I like the Fulltone the best because it makes any amp sound great, which is invaluable when you turn up somewhere and don’t know what you’re gonna be playing through.

My main amp is a Carvin Bel Air combo.

Will Crewdson (Photo by Gemma 'Librasnake' Eggle) tribe4mian:  Scant Regard’s first full-length release, “Burnt Pop Cycles” will be released today (Monday, 7 November, 2011).  Are there any surprises? What can we expect?

WILL CREWDSON:  It’s definitely a lot more experimental and electronic than some people might expect from me.

When I play live, the guitar becomes more dominant but there are tracks on the album where the guitar parts could only work with the arrangement that’s going on behind them.

I’d like people to hear it and create their own film in their mind using it as the soundtrack.

I think the film would cross genres from western to horror to comedy in equal measures.
tribe4mian:  You teamed up with Johnette Napolitano (LA’s Concrete Blonde).  How did this happen?  Could you tell us which releases you have together and will you do something new in the near future?

WILL CREWDSON:  I met Johnette completely by chance in a record shop in Fulham about 14 years ago. I was a massive fan of her and the band’s and was pretty star-struck to meet her in a tiny, empty shop. Anyway, we kept in touch and I think she asked to hear some new instrumental tracks I’d done and instantly offered to do some lyrics and melodies over them. We ended up doing a whole album called, “Scarred” and it came out about four years ago in the US. Got some great reviews but it didn’t really get the exposure it deserved. I think it’s actually out of print already but I’m very proud of that album and it was a thrill to work with someone who has an almost supernaturally powerful voice and presence.

Not sure if we’ll be working together again as she’s tied up with Concrete Blonde again now and that’s a really good thing. Something special happens when her voice is combined with Jim Mankey’s amazingly original guitar playing.

tribe4mian:  What role does music play in your life?  Do you feel it is an adequate means of expression and could you / would you live without music?

WILL CREWDSON:  No, I totally thrive on it. I can’t imagine doing anything else and I don’t want to. I’m such a massive fan of music too. I still get excited at gigs and really disappointed if things get cancelled or I have to miss them for some reason.
tribe4mian:  Once again, you are about to go on tour with Livan, opening for Alice Cooper

I remember last year you played with Livan in Athens, supporting Aerosmith. How was it? 

Can you give us the dates and places for Cooper’s tour?

WILL CREWDSON:  That was fantastic. I’m such a big fan of Aerosmith and the set they played was like a dream.

I couldn’t believe Steven Tyler’s enthusiasm. I swear he was everywhere.

Even before they went on while we were sound checking he was checking every inch of the stage and all the equipment to make sure everything was to his liking.

I wouldn’t have been surprised to see him sweeping up the stadium afterwards. That’s the way to do it.

Here’s the dates for the next leg of the Alice Cooper tour:

November 27 Huntington, WV Albee Theater
November 29 Verona, NY Turning Stone Casino
December 2 Atlantic City, NJ House of Blues
December 3 Bridgeport, CT Klein Memorial Auditorium
December 9 Merrillville, IN Star Plaza Theater
December 10 Erie, PA Warner Theater
December 12 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theater
December 13 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center
December 14 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live

tribe4mian:  If you had the chance to be born again as a historic personality, which one would you choose?

WILL CREWDSON:  I think I’d be a cross between Jack the Ripper and Robin Hood. I wouldn’t murder those ladies, I’d try and liberate them and get them jobs in Sherwood Forest helping me to rob the rich.

Either that or Zorro – he was real, right?

tribe4mian:  Thank you very much for this interview, Will.  We wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors and journeys.

WILL CREWDSON:  Thanks a lot.

Will Crewdson (Photo by David@Cover-Online.com)

If you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to catch Will’s upcoming gigs:

Friday, 11 November, 2011

Scant Regard presents … End of Days

Plus live sets from Plasma 9 + Pet Iguana with DJ sets from Ben Hell + DJ Nihil

Ryan’s Bar, 181 Stoke Newington Church Street, Hackney, London (MAP)

҉

Saturday, 12 November, 2011

Scant Regard Live at the Adam and the Ants Convention 2011

The Fiddler’s Elbow, 1 Malden Road, Kentish Town, London (MAP)

●◦●◦●◦●

Craving more?  Here you go!!!

Official Website of Scant Regard

Scant Regard - "Burnt Pop Cycles"

Download Scant Regard, “Burnt Pop Cycles” … HERE

Scant Regard at iTunes … HERE

 
1 Comment

Posted by on November 7, 2011 in Interviews, Uncategorized

 

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SciFi Mafia cd launch..

I’m attending the launch of the NEW Scifi Mafia cd tonight and hope to get some excellent shots from this gig!!
Here is a sample taste of things to come!!

Jez

 

Devilish Presley. ‘ The Dark Triad ‘

Devilish Presley. ‘ The Dark Triad ‘

May 9th sees Devilish Presley unleash their 5th and most terrifying studio album to date ‘ The Dark Triad ‘. One of the most hard working band’s around serve up a blood chilling delight that will make your ears bleed and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up on end after listening to 12 tracks of pure vocal and guitar power. Just when you thought they were dead and buried they rise again after trials and tribulations within the band that nearly led to it’s very demise. They have re emerged stronger than ever!! This album bears testament to that…

‘ The Dark Triad ‘ is a monster of an album, fast loud and punchy to say the least with an average track time of just under 3 minutes. Starting off with ‘ Happy As Saturday ‘ which is the lead album track and throughout the pace hardly slackens.

Jacqui Vixen has taken over on lead vocals and guitar after injury forced her to stop playing bass in the band. ( A great shame ) She has been working with vocal coach Stevie Vann best known for her work with none other than Def Leppard and AC/DC. The results can be clearly heard. Her vocal range is now broader with increased power and direction while on ‘ Dance Floor Ghost ‘ it takes on a more haunting quality too. This is an emotive track dedicated to, as is the whole album to the duo’s friend Fee who committed suicide in Berlin 2 years ago.  A stand out track by far.

Johnny Navarro provides backing vocals while wielding chunky lead guitar riffs around like a possessed mad axeman, in fact, people have almost had their heads cleaved in two by the said guitarists axe wielding type antics at gigs!! ‘ Kiss Kiss Apocalypse ‘, ‘ Down Where you Belong ‘ and ‘ Zurich Psychological Club ‘ being fine examples of this. The next time your at a Devilish Presley gig and Johnny runs into the crowd guitar in hand, be afraid, be very afraid!!… ( Failing that, wear a hard hat )

The first single release from the album ‘ The Beast Must Die ‘ video has been creeping it’s way rightly so up YouTube’s ratings. Hand written lyrics, signed with a DVD version of the video released by the band has SOLD OUT!! Buy a physical cd version of ‘ The Dark Triad ‘  and there are 2 bonus tracks to be had, ‘ Don’t Come Any Closer ‘ and ‘ The Murder Parade ‘.

Narcissism, Machiavellianism & Psychopathy are the 3 personality disorders to which the album refers. The monsters they sing about refer to those of the self made variety. How many of us can say we don’t have any of those?!  This is a far superior album than the band’s last release ‘ Flesh Ride ‘. It is superior in every way. The songs are loud and in your face, the production is a hell of a lot better and the 12 tracks flow together to give what is no doubt their best album yet. Introspection after personal trials always seem to bring the best out in many a musician and band. ‘ The Shakers ‘ track alone show’s this is the case here from London’s Horrorbilly Punks. Monsters, rock n roll and death, it’s all here.

With Jacqui’s vocals now having a better, broader range and benefiting from increased confidence whilst Johnny being given a free murderous range out on guitar Devilish Presley have risen from the dead and evolved into one of the finest counter culture bands around with arguably this their best work to date in my opinion. You can’t keep this band down. HELL YEAH!!! Jez

‘ The Dark Triad ‘ track listing;

1. Happy As Saturday

2. City Of Dreadful Night

3. The Beast Must Die

4. Cocaine Joe

5. Down Where You Belong

6. Dance Floor Ghost

7. Is There Anybody There

8. Kiss Kiss Apocalypse

9. I Created A Monster

10. The Shakers

11. Horror Movie Head

12. Zurich Psychological Club

Bonus Tracks. ( Cd version ONLY )

13. Don’t Come Any Closer

14. The Murder Parade

Devilish Presley are;

Jacqui Vixen: Lead Vocals & Guitar

Johnny Navarro: Lead Guitar & Backing Vocals

http://www.devilishpresley.com

All photographs Copyright Jez Keefe Photography

http://www.jezkeefephotography.com

 

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation

The Murder of Sophie Lancaster was a murder case in the United Kingdom in 2007. The victim, along with her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, was attacked by a number of males in their late teens while walking through Stubbylee Park in Bacup, Rossendale in Lancashire. As a result of her severe head injuries she went into a coma, never regained consciousness, and later died. The police said the attack may have been provoked by the couple’s wearing gothic fashion and being members of the goth subculture. (From Wikipedia)

In August 2007, Sophie Lancaster was kicked to death, simply for dressing differently. Ιn tribute to the outgoing, bubbly girl who was denied the chance to live life her way, cult new British make-up brand Illamasqua has commissioned a short film by award-winning French director, Fursy Teyssier.

Produced by creative agency Propaganda, in association with iconic British band, Portishead, Dark Angel is a beautifully haunting rendition of Sophie’s story.

The aim of the film is to raise awareness of The Sophie Lancaster Foundation and generate £500,000 to help educate young people about tolerance. Since Sophie’s death, we’ve been working with behavioural experts Huthwaite International, to put together an interactive youth workshop that does just that.

But this essential education programme can only be delivered with your help.

Please, please show your support watch the film and make a donation.

A note from Sophie’s mum, Sylvia
Since Sophie’s death on August 24th 2007, following the horrific attack on her and her partner Rob in Stubbeylee Park, Bacup, Lancashire, we have had lots of kind offers of support and donations. Sophie and Rob dressed in their unique way, expressing their individuality as creative artistic people.

After consulting family and friends, we felt that a charity should be set up in Sophie’s name. The charity, known as The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, will focus on creating respect for and understanding of subcultures in our communities.

It will also work in conjunction with politicians and police forces to ensure individuals who are part of subcultures are protected by the law.

Enjoy the website. And please get in touch with us if you have any messages, feedback or questions.
Sylvia.

 
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Posted by on March 31, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

UK SUBS… A Work In Progress.

So, how do you write a review of your favourite punk bands latest cd and yet remain unbiased?? Well, I haven’t a clue!!… Just say it how you see it I suppose, what more can you do. So, here goes…

It’s been 8 long years since the UK SUBS last made a studio album. Far too long. This is an enduring band that has been continually out on the road with one line up or another. 34 years down the line they are still here and refuse to go away!! Many bands call it a day then reform in later years, not so the UK SUBS. They just go onward and evolve and get better and better…

My own personal experience with the UK SUBS began on May 8th 1980 at Cleethropes Winter Gardens.   A venue which is now no more. Demolished to nothing, yet in it’s day played host to none other than the Sex Pistols on the Anarchy Tour… Yes, the Sex Pistols played a small UK east coast venue, a venue steeped in musical heritage. The night the UK SUBS played I will never forget, a true introduction to punk rock in no uncertain terms… The place was rammed!! What I witnessed that night stays with me still, a vivid memory I can still recount even now in clear detail.That same year August 8th 1980 proved to be yet another memorable date in my own personnel UK SUBS history, a line up change but a band still undiminished in it’s appeal for me, if not more so. After failing half my O level exams my best friend Nick suggested we go to London to see the band at the Music Machine. So, off we went. Supported by none other than The Straps. A couple of 16 year olds from the provinces on a journey to the capital which will forever be etched into our brains and still recounted with such enthusiasm even today. Priceless…

The history of the UK SUBS is well documented on http://www.uksubstimeandmatter.net the best source for all things UK SUBS. Take a look, it’s a great site!!

Enough of things past. Back to the present…

The idea basically being that the band should record an album beginning with every letter of the alphabet, they have now reached the letter W in that quest. Work In Progress being the result. 14 tracks with a combination of power, precision and subtly which shows the adaptability of the band, a band which is one of the finest bands around let alone a punk band! A band full of character and talent with every member contributing to this album to produce for me the best UK SUBS album to date. It’s taken a long time to knock Another Kind Of Blues off my top spot in terms of albums by the UK SUBS but they have done it with this one.

Fronted by punk rock legend Charlie Harper, he has assembled a band which has raw talent and experience in abundance. From first seeing this line up I’ve waited for some studio work to see if they could match their live performances, and can they?? In my opinion YES, they can and then some.

I’m not going to review the album tracks with any great depth of detail, it’s up to you the listener to decide for yourselves what you think about the album. These are just my thoughts about an album when I first heard was being recored have waited for with bated breath. So much so that I ordered it from 2 different outlets and in the end couldn’t wait for it to turn up so downloaded it off itunes to get it quicker!! As I have said before each member of the band; Charlie Harper, Alvin Gibbs, Jet and Jamie Oliver have contributed to the writing along with Lars Frederiksen of Rancid. ( Yes, the Lars Frederiksen )

The album bursts into live with Creation, a reworked version of a song previously recorded on the 2008 Warhead EP. It took time to adjust listening to this version of the song but it sure as hell wakes you up to what is to follow. Tokyo Rose is next, a very catchy track which leads into Hell Is Other People. I can personally testify to that!! Never afraid to speak his mind, Charlie just tells it how it is. Plain and simple, the way it should be. The pace slows with The Axe but not in intensity or power. Something which this album has plenty of in abundance, In typical UK SUBS style they then hit top gear with Radio Unfriendly, a fast paced track which owes so much to the talent of Jamie Oliver. Modern day radio under corporate control is indeed a sludge fest…

This Chaos, says it all about the world we live in. A co-operation between Charlie Harper & Lars Frederiksen has produced a classic social comment track.

Do we have a chance?No

To realise potential? No

Do they have freedom? No

To be what we wanna be

oh no

Guru sees Alvin Gibbs take to vocals with a self penned track about fake, self righteous guru’s who are just out for the money. There are plenty of those about who people fall victim to these days. Eighteen Wheels with it’s Dwain Eddie style guitar twang and the powerful Children Of The Flood, complete with it’s sumptuous rock style guitar solo’s from Jet lead into what for me is the best track on this album, All Blurs Into One. This album certainly doesn’t do that by any means!! It’s the longest track on the album but has subtle pace changes, backing vocals along with pure raw UK SUBS power. It builds in intensity all the way through to provide a show stopping track. I love this…  It would be great to see this performed live.

Blood is a powerful punchy track. The crowd cried out for more, with an album of this quality the crowd certainly will. Rock n Roll Whore which is another very catchy hard hitting song which makes way for the classic Sonics song Strychnine. A cover song they have played live and I’m glad to see it has made it onto the album. After 13 tracks the album finishes with track number 14 for me the weakest track on here, Robot Age. Maybe it was case of one track too far… But it has grown on me somehwhat. I’ll let you be the judge of that for yourselves.

I have seen the band live over the years and this line up for me is personally my favourite. Chalrie Harper must have played hundreds, if not thousands of gigs over the years and shows no sign of slowing down. He is always in amongst the fans talking and posing for photo’s with them as are the rest of the band. A true punk rock legend. In Jamie Oliver they have the second longest serving member of the UK SUBS only after Charlie Harper himself. Jamie is a great drummer with talent to match which comes through to the fore on this album. Jet is one of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet and also an excellent guitarist. He is in full flow on this album with subtle chords and powerful guitar riffs. For me Alvin Gibbs is the best UK SUBS bass player. He gives that bit extra in terms of drive and power when he plays whilst being no mean lyricist too. It is good to here him on vocals.

So there you have it, my thoughts on the latest UK SUBS release Work In Progress. Don’t take my word for it, go buy a copy and judge it’s merits yourselves. Even better go see the band live, trust me, you won’t regret it!!! They are on FIRE…

Basically I love this band. Everyone has their favourite band and for me this is it!! Bands come and go but for me the UK SUBS are out there doing it! As Charlie says ” We’re living it!! ” Year after year. No pretence, they are what they are, an EXCELLENT band and this IS an EXCELLENT album. I would just like to congratulate Charlie, Alvin, Jet and Jamie. You can keep your corporate conveyer belt media hyped shit. This is the real deal. Punk rock’s finest!!! I can’t wait for X…

Shortly after writing this the terrible events of the earthquake and tsunami unfolded in Japan. Jet had returned to Japan for 3 months while the band toured Europe with original UK SUBS guitarist Nicky Garrett. We are all worried about him as there has been no contact with him as yet. We all hope he is safe, well and hear from him very soon.

Jez

UK SUBS PUNK FOREVER…

 

To buy a copy of the album go to http://www.captainoi.com

 

UK SUBS

Work In Progress…

 

Charlie Harper: Vocals

Alvin Gibbs: Bass

Jet: Guitar

Jamie Oliver: Drums

 

All Photographs Copyright Jez Keefe

http://www.jezkeefephotography.com/index.html

 

Theo Jansen

 
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Posted by on March 1, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

Subscribe to tribe4mian…!

We’ve added a new feature to the tribe4mian blog …

You can now subscribe to automatically receive notifications whenever a new blog has been posted.

To sign up, simply click on the Email Subscription area in the left column directly under the calendar.

Hope you like our latest new feature. :)

 
2 Comments

Posted by on February 16, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

Dogtooth

I watched it…

and

I didn’t like it…

…at all…

 
2 Comments

Posted by on February 15, 2011 in Uncategorized

 
 
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