Big Crux

I currently have four gigs to add here…

….with some crap spiel & the usual other rubbish. Been a bit crap lately. That’s what happens when you go to three gigs in three days & work 10 hours a day 6 days a week & 4 hours on the seventh. Obvs I’m not complaining as I like the work (it’s fucking unpaid after all, I wouldnt do it if I dint loik it huh?) but I’d like some time to catch up on shit here sometime. And that aint gna happen this week as I’m going to see The Apartment at the flix tonight, OLO Worms at the Louis on Friday, Portico Quartet at the Motorcycle showrooms on Saturday & a fucking mental night at the croft on Sunday feat noise, noise, more noise & power tools. Oh, and Slingshot Dakota, The Static Age, Caves at The Croft on Monday of course.

I haven’t even looked any further into next week but FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE this is mental even by Bristol standards. 

I need to buy a new pair of pyjama’s too. Aint even got time for that. If I’m rushed off into hospital tomorrow (with my pidgarmours) it’s gonna be tręs embarrassing.

#Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs #Gigs

Save Le Pub

If you got some dosh to chuck away this would be a good “way” to chuck it.

Newport venue Pub is up for sale. The current owner can no longer run the business and needs to sell. So far, everyone who has gone to look around the venue to buy it, wants to turn it into a wine bar, or flats or something that it’s not. After the closure of Newport TJs we don’t want that to happen to Le Pub. We think that’s bad for music in Newport. Bad for music in Wales. We keep seeing venues close in Wales and the UK, with people unable to step in to save things. It’s terrible for live music in Wales - for new bands finding places to play; for people to find venues to see bands, make friends, make memories and do something different.

Welsh promoters Sŵn and the manager of Le Pub, Sam Harries, are launching a campaign to Save Le Pub. Between us, we have the expertise to run the venue, to book more shows in the spirit with which the venue has been operating and to help bring more people to the venue. It’ll be a struggle, but we all believe it’s worth fighting for. We have hope. But what we don’t have is enough money to buy the venue and carry out the re-decoration that Le Pub desperately needs.

So we need your help. And fast. We need to raise the extra capital to purchase Le Pub and restore it to its former glory so it can remain open and continue as a space for live music in Newport.

We know we need at least £20,000. That’s a lot of money. But there’s a lot of you. People who have watched bands in Le Pub, drunk in Le Pub, played in Le Pub or want to play in Le Pub. Whatever you can contribute will help.

This Weeks Gigs

Bit sad there’s no gig on tonight as it’s been my birthday (& as I’m getting desperate for live music as I’ve been stuck in North Wales for two weeks), but tomorrow marks the start of the best gig week so far this year. Expecting at least one of the below to be a gig of the year. 

So here goes:

Tomorrow, 19th March White Hills. Here’s how their Tumblr (pretty accurately) describes them:

WHITE HILLS is an ever changing entity always striving to push the envelope. Their music weaves in and out of anthemic chants, deep space bleeps and other worldly madness for a mix that proves to be intoxicating.

Wednesday 21st March’s Ceremony night. After a couple of sniffy reviews when Zoo first came out people have been getting increasingly more and more excited about the album. Gotta be honest, I’ve always been a bit of a knucklehead when it comes to hardcore, faster & harder the better. Always been pissed Husker Du’s Zen Arcade has knocked Huskers first two albums out of the spotlight. Or any light at all. Land Speed Record & Everything Falls Apart are two of the fastest, most furious hardcore / punk albums from the 80’s & they stand up against any other similar release from ever.

Back to Ceremony. They still more often than not get tagged #hardcore & #punk despite the fact that their sound is getting less #hardcore & #punk with every release. Despite all the above I still like Zoo & reckon this is still gonna be one hell of a night. Check out the four YouTube video’s bunged up the other night after their Le Poisson Rouge / New York City gig if you need convincing. Here’s one of them:

Thursday 22nd, Teeth Of The Sea. Wigged out psychedelic noise rock ahoy. Check out the tour video below. Then come down the Croft & see em in action. Gonna be a great:

Friday night. 23rd March. Another Tokyo Dub Motion Club takeover headed up by The Bug this time. I know, The motherfucking Bug. Motion nights are always a massive blast but this one promises to be a megablast. Reggae, dub, dancehall with a bit of dubstep for good measure. Check out the full lineup & this video from The Bug.

I don’t care how many hits your shitty blog gets.

Got to admit this chimes with me. Have lost count of the amount of gigs I’ve been to where it feels like I’m the only one who’s actually paid to get in. It’s like, your supposed to be doing a blog to support the fucking bands you love, how does getting free entry to fucking gigs do that? Esp irksome though are the ‘journalists’ who are getting PAID to review the gig (I repeat, paid to go watch bands play) & also expect at least two comps. 

At one gig I went to last year (The Fleece) they were asking guestlister’s to volunteer a fiver on the door. Seemed like a great idea to me. Then I heard the O2 Academy were starting to do the same & of course I changed my mind & the “good idea” became a “corporate rip off”.

Maybe the best idea would be if venues asked for voluntary contributions from guestlisters on the understanding that, say, the first fiver goes to the band & the rest gets divided 50/50 between venue & band. Or something like that.

Oh, and don’t get me started on people who use the “I write for so & so, can you put me & a +1 on the guest list please” even though they aren’t intending to review it. If you’re getting in free the least you can do is give a little back with a review. 

These are freaking hard times for bands & venues alike. Neither can afford to give half their tickets away for free.