WIGAN MUSIC COLLECTIVE

人魂 (Dave McMahon) at The Tudor 29/12/10

incoming: WHITE SWALLOW!

White Swallow are two teenagers currently based in Chorley/Leeds making 5 minute epic rock tunes. The lyrics are intelligent, the riffs are beefy and the songs they are writing make you want to dance. The unlikely duo formed from the remnants of one of Wigan/Chorleys most promising young bands (3 Black Dwarfs). Deciding that bassists were overrated, they acquired an octave pedal and donned it as a twosome. And 2010’s been a busy year for them: starting up, playing numerous high profile gigs around the North and performing for BBC Unsigned; but the hardworks paid off and they’ve established themselves as one of the hottest new young bands for 2011. They caught up with us for a chat after last nights gig at The Tudor..

WMC: Hello White Swallow, Merry Christmas!

WS: Hello, we’re not Christian, so Happy 25th. Haha!

WMC: What will Santa be bringing you this year?

WS: Well Bobby wants some Pokemon cards and Sam wants Cheaper by the Dozen box set…

WMC: You’ve played some kick ass shows the past twelve months; what’s been the best?

WS: Well we played Factory for a TV show, but our top 3 venues are definitley The Tudor, The Mad Ferret and the Railway (a small local pub of ours that does ace festivals!)

WMC: Apparently you’ve entered a competition where you can win 10k; tell us why we should vote for you?

WS: Voting’s over now, however, we are going to have the most insane party ever if we win!

WMC: How would you describe your sound?

WS: Vocals tend to verge on Spoken word at times, however melodies range from old english to indie(esque) to deep and minor vibes.
The guitar sound is pretty simplistic which emphasises the brutality of the bass Bobby runs along side (thanks to the help of and octave pedal and bass amp) All in all, Indie with big stinkin’ riffs.

WMC: There seems to be a lot more two-piece bands coming out at the moment, why do you think this is?

WS: Well, I think access to bigger guitar sounds and bigger noises in general is easier to achieve these days, they have effects for everything now, so 2 pieces aren’t scared of sounding too weak.

WMC: You played for BBC Unsigned this year, how’d that go?

WS: Yeah we did a live recording and interview, few free demo tracks and got a few gigs out of that.

WMC: Do you ever get on each others nerves?

WS: All the time, I (Bobby) get pissed off that Sam can’t, and is too lazy, to learn to drive. Thats the biggie for me.

In fact I’m doing this interview after a Tudor gig, Sam’s gone out round Wigan whilst I drove home in a foot of snow!!!

WMC: Tell us some of your major influences?

WS: Jamie T, Bromheads jacket, Kong, PABH, Old school hipp hop, even elements of British hardcore stuff.

WMC: Do you watch X-Factor?

WS: Not at all…Loui Walsh could be raped by a shark for all I care, stupid little tosser!

WMC: Any local bands you’re enjoying at the moment?

WS: There’s the Brew lot, like Kong and Castrovalva, they just have summat that makes you wanna watch.

WMC: Finally, what does 2011 hold for White Swallow?

WS: An album coming out and the possibility of a televised tour with the TV show we’ve been on.

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White Swallow play Antwerp Mansion in Manchester tomorrow (19th Dec)

www.myspace.com/whiteswallowuk


Drawing Hands

White Swallow | Myspace Music Videos

TWIN PEEEEAKS REMIX.

Brain Food Collective show da skills.

incoming: PADDY STEER!

This Friday sees musical leftist Paddy Steer return to The Tudor to play more delightful weirdness pertaining to genres such as jazz, hawaiian, psychedlic, electronica and folk amongst many others. He plays everything from his unique drum setup using electronics that date back to the 1960s. Once described as a ‘Zelig-like character’ (if you’re not familar with Albert Zelig you should watch more Woody Allen movies) Paddy has been performing in many forms for many years now; a member of prestigious Manchester collective Homelife, he comes to town after recently returning from a tour of France. His debut album Dragonbreath has received fantastic reviews and is a must-have for all adventurous muso’s. He caught up with us before tomorrows gig to discuss robots and sweaty ramshackle affairs..

WMC: Hello Paddy, how are you?

Paddy: I’m fine …just reconfiguring the knob layout to accommodate a second Thomas Henry Mega Percussive synth into an old Bush radio..

WMC: Are you excited to be returning to Wigan?

Paddy: Yes sure, it has 216 listed buildings, of which are 20 Grade II*.

WMC: How did the shows in France go with Homelife?

Paddy: Very varied..The worst gig for us was in a toilet smelling basement of a bar in Toulouse about 20’ by 10’ …40 capacity max and we shared it with a great 6 piece band from Texas called Balmorhea. Strangely we sold the most merch on this night - admittedly to one slightly deranged but very appreciative fella. I’d have to add that it wasn’t the smell that was the problem; we just played crap that night. Tony had to sit behind me just to fit in the place.
Paris and Pau were the best - good lively crowds, sweaty ramshakle affairs.. We stopped off at our friends in a band called Vialka in Thiers; we met their neighbour Henri Vaillon a boutique damascus steel knife maker who showed us his workshop and collection of animal parts, including mammoth tusk and walrus penis..He then invited us into his home, gave us very fine Japanese whiskey and 2 great vintage scotchs and fed Tony the finest pigs arsehole paté …
We played a tiny village called Monheurt to a pair of old couples and some very appreciative drunks.We played a big festival in Vendome. Payzac..sud Ardeche. We came to that through hairpin bends up in the clouds - very zoned out crowd, wild party beasts.

WMC: Your setup is quite the spectacle, how did you come up with the idea?

Paddy: Well the older Homelife group varied between 7- 12 and up to 18 people for a couple of gigs. The band was great, all that colour and sound the people but organising rehearsals for diminishing gigs took the fun out of it for me; 20 phone calls for one rehearsal, then that would be split rehearsal with maybe 5 or 6 players, then another to fill in etc..whoever could make it.
I let the monster shrivel up for a couple of years. But I’d got used to the wide colour of sound and was used to carting ten tons of shit about the country: timpani,pedal steel, huge bass cabs and all the rest, so that bit never bothered me and I figured folks want to see and hear something with a bit of effort involved.
So I started playing drums; a guy David Lunt sold me the Eko bass pedals.. I electrified the glockespiel with humbuckers (they were always an engineers nightmare in a loud group to mic up) started making fuzz boxes then a few synthesizers and now percussion synths. I sold my pedal steel because it weighed a ton and bought a nice 1930s Epiphone Electar 8 string lap steel…
I cut down on weight with the drum kit, cutting off any bit of metal that was too long or unnecessary. All cymbals mount onto the bass drum and so does the jingle snare. The glockenspiel sits on bass drum also; it’s still growing and shrinking all the time. I’ve made a couple of electric shakers to add to the variety.

WMC: Was the solo stuff a way of thrashing out stuff you wasn’t able to do in Homelife?

Paddy: Yes, but I play in a few groups, so not only the the stuff I can’t do in Homelife. Plus I can just get on with it and potter around in my own time.

WMC: You not so long ago released Dragonsbreath, any plans for a new album?

Paddy: Yes. I have a lot of stuff recorded that’s rough, out of time, out of tune and full of imperfections.

WMC: Who/what are your major influences?

Paddy: Sun Ra for his hard work attitude; he was hugely prolific, open minded and unfazed. Moondog for the shear adversity life through up at him, to make clothes, percussion instruments, compose and play. Rashaan Roland Kirk strangely another blind unique, huge energy.
Harry Partch…Ravel, Debussy,…..this list could go on…..Silver Apples….I haven’t got all day…

WMC: Are there any new bands out at the moment we should be checking out?

Paddy: Check out Ergo Phizmiz. I played with him at Liverpool the other night.

WMC: What was the last album you bought?

Paddy: BBC Radiophonic Music(pink album) and Doctor Who volume 1: the early years 1963-1969.

WMC: Do you believe in extraterrestrial life?

Paddy: Yes, but not in imposing hair, hat, or diet stipulations.

WMC: You sometimes have robots feature in your sets.. Can you do the robot?

Paddy: I can dance like A robot…maybe like Robby the Robot.. Nothing too 80’s though I’m afraid.

WMC: Finally, what does 2011 hold for yourself and Homelife?

Paddy: For Homelife another french tour and a tour of Luxembourg and we should pull our finger out and record another album.. for myself ..solo..I don’t know….. I’ll try and make a bad smell.

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Paddy Steer plays The Tudor tomorrow with Boy Or Bison.

www.myspace.com/paddysteer

Boy Or Bison choose :-)

Somewhere in the depths of Leigh, Greater Manchester, three guys in their twenties decided to form a surf band inspired by Twin Peaks and their favourite do woop tunes. Boy Or Bison is the result. If you’re feeling the winter blues already and need a pick-me-up, B.O.B have that tingly warm feeling going on in their music that makes you feel as if you’re at a party on a summer night. Dominic Oliver (vocals/guitar) shared some songs that float his boat.



Dominic: The first song Boy Or Bison ever played and the reason we started the band.



Dominic: We used to cover this too.Now it makes us eat mice.



Dominic: Do you know this band? No. no-one does. Get your testicles wet and moon dance.



Dominic: ‘You CAN have your cake and eat it, you CAN’T eat your cake and have it’



Dominic: Get bent bent bent. No more God. Complex. Nice.



Dominic: Have you ever cried into a calendar?



Dominic: Have you ever wished for your own misfortune?



Dominic: Now it ALL makes SENSE. Life. Works.



Boy Or Bison play The Tudor this Friday with Paddy Steer.

JERAMIAH FERRARI - mighty sparrow

Beady Die?

Liam Gallagher has released a 20 second preview of his new band Beady Eye (listen above). And yes, it actually sounds as if it’s going to be even worse than we all imagined it would be..