30 Apr 2010

The Fly

Right nice little bit in April's Fly magazine next to a right nice little bit on our favourite zine Gravy. Sistas (and brother) in arms. Just click on the little critter if you want to read it.

29 Apr 2010

Midlands and Essex fun

We've had a super heavy few days. We're pretty damn knackered but gee whiz has it been fun. On Sunday we went across to Birmingham where we played a birthday gig for our brand new and very lovely manager, Arthur. Arthur drank ten pints and looked like this:


Also playing at this gig was Tim. Tim is a one man band and he tells stories about animals that masturbate and hits things with plastic golf clubs. Here is Tim telling us a story about the time he supported Hawkwind. I hate Hawkwind.


Ellie also talked to this lovely lady who promised to make her a pair of trousers. Tim later informed us that she is known for promising pairs of trousers but very rarely delivers.


This weekend is also the first time I have ever seen Smit holding a champagne flute.



Next we played in Wolverhampton for a lovely promotions company called Out Of Step. They treated us like pop stars. We played with
lovely Worcester boys November and The Criminal (http://www.myspace.com/novemberandthecriminal) and the wonderful Decadence In Berlin (http://www.myspace.com/decadenceinberlin) who should win a prize purely for their name. They were great. And also very nice which really is a tremendous combination.

Photo by Elspeth Van Der Hole


Arthur was hung over all day because of his ten pints. We were also a relative mess. A sticky mess.

We stayed at Smit's
girlfriend Charley's house in Leicester. And I got a pink bed. Once ensconced in our room however, we were attacked by a medium sized spider. Ellie acted incredibly heroically whilst I squealed like a girl. Here's an excellent example of spider heroism in action.


We finally arrived home on
Tuesday, stocked up on pop tarts and dry shampoo before heading off to tweeOFF! to watch Times New Viking and Yuck. This was exemplary. Afterwards we hung out and talked about bank robberies, pugs, printmaking, feminism, kebabs, USA burgers and Kurt Cobain.


Yesterday we played in Chelmsford for Bitterscene. This was an excellent, excellent time. Paul and the crew were loverly. We got tea, coffee, crisps and stella and we played with The Duloks (http://www.myspace.com/theduloks). They look like this:




We are officially in love with these grrrls. Head over heels. Arse over tit. We grinned like fatties in a sweet shop for their entire set, we danced, we laughed and we shrieked for more. They made us feel good about life. Isn't that what all this band malarkey is about anyway really?




Mutual t-shirt masturbation:




The evening was rounded off perfectly by a Fever Fever shout out on Radio 1 by Huw Stephens. Loves it. All in all a totally bitchin few days. It's been rad. Thanks if you came to see us, we love you and we'll be back up your area soon 'fo 'sho.


XX



8 Apr 2010

'Monster' Single Launch 02/04/10

On Good Friday we had the launch party for our new single 'Monster'. It's out oh-so-very soon on Cherryade Records. Boy oh boy did we have fun. It was like squashing 100 rotund cows into a slaughter house big enough for 10. It was sweaty, it was sexy, it was filthy. Hells, there was even a crowd surfer. Yes ma'am. Look at the poster Maxie Gedge done (p.s - click on any of these pics and they'll get right big):



Here's what happened: Upon arrival we pondered the complex nature of the job at hand; how were we to turn this slick crypt into a place fit enough for a prostitute? Below Scottie (lights) and Ryan (sound) think and gesticulate.


One solution to our quandary was the employ the use of a snazzy showbiz mirror ball. I think you'll agree, she is rather lovely. Each tiny mirror hand glued with the rarest Indonesian Cuckoo Spit. It took at least seven or eight minutes to construct.*

An attractive banner and some black balloons can also jazz a place up somewhat. Ellie, Maxie and Mark trotted off up the city to find the treasures fit enough for our crypt of doom.



*the bastard thing actually too 5 hours. NEVER AGAIN.


Then people started arriving with their swanky wristbands and it was time for the shoe shuffling to begin. Lady Panther kicked off proceedings in a welcome manner. Unassuming but riotous scuzz-pop, we were dragged by our ears into a cesspit of garage rock bliss and screaming blues infused vocals. Sweet, they looked like this:


And then they looked like this:


Two pints later and it was time for Gun Crime to show us their stuff, these boys legged it up from Hitchin (where that guitarist in Fever Fever comes from).


With a brand new singer and some killer trance-inducing vocals, Gun Crime pounded and strummed until our necks ached from the bobbing and our toes from the tapping. A bit of Luke's drum stick also landed in that singer from Fever Fever's eye, she reacted with the usual calm and nonchalance that she is so famous for.

Afterwards they looked like this:


Three pints later and the Fever Fever parents have retreated to the back of the room where they take to their stools and crane their necks, Master Solo's moustache dye is beginning to run, Jan (our German friend) has sported his zebra skin loafers and Fever Fever are beginning to slur their words. The perfect setting for The Brownies to take the stage.


And fuck did they take the stage. Our brains exploded and our hearts swelled as The Browns did what we know and love them for. With their fresh and heavy new direction they tore it up, chewed it, spat it out and stamped on it. We watched in open mouthed amazement whilst for half an hour, everything seemed OK with the world. If everyone was a Brownie, I think it would be. Mike Brownie, we salute you. Go bang those drums in Leeds and make a racket for Norwich.







Reluctant as we were to follow The Brownies, we thought that as it was our single launch had we had better. By this point we were feeling krunk, pumped, full of beer and particularly appreciative of Flob the photographer's incredibly forgiving soft camera flash.




With setlists written and Smit poised and ready to go we only went and played. Hells bloody bells. We were a bit tipsy but like the old saying goes, a lubricated mind is a lubricated voice is a lubricated soul. That's what Ellie told me anyway, and she did history A level.



Songs were played, social faux pas' were made and we had a blast. Mousey Bearsuit even crowd surfed, whether or not this was voluntary isn't clear, but who the fuck cares, yay Mousey!






And so it ends. A good time was had by all in this sweat infested den. A huge thank-you to The Brownies, Gun Crime and Lady Panther for playing with us, I have provided youtube clips of each band perfoming at the end of the blog. Watch and enjoy.

Ryan: A trooper of a soundman who worked 13 hours straight because he loves music, he loves engineering and he loves his friends. Thanks Ryan.

Scotland: "The Lights Man". Thanks-you for making the place look dirty pretty and for helping set things up. We loves you.

Special thanks so the wonderful people who provided most of the photographs and video used in this blog: Maxie Gedge, Annie Catwoman, Racheal Everson, Flob, Sarah Hines and Lauren Byrnes. They are incredible.

Mostly thank-you to YOU if you came down and helped make it a bloody marvellous evening. See you next time, don't forget our EP launch at (the far larger, eek!) Norwich Arts Centre on June 19th (no England match, we checked). Love you all from us three bitches xxx