In the early 1980s Los Angeles was the centre of a ferocious musical revolution. Bands such as The Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, The Germs, Black Flag and Bad Brains shook the foundations of popular music, storming the scene with a new style of hardcore punk music that attacked the political aspirations of post-Vietnam America and refused to conform to the new world order. They then went global, sharing their ideology and anti-conformist ideas, inspiring youth movements and punk bands across the world.
Now, for the first time since the early ’80s, the international music community is again being drawn to Los Angeles. Punk rock is having a revival, led by a swell of bands based around cult LA venue The Smell, owned by local legend Jim Smith. No Age, The Mae Shi, Mika Miko and HEALTH are among the bands leading punk rock’s timely revival, all touring extensively, gaining publication credits and inspiring young bands throughout the world. Proof of the revival can be witnessed on the pages of LA magazine Maximum RocknRoll, started in 1977 by LA’s original punks. For the first time ever, the magazine nicknamed ‘The Punk Rock Bible’ has featured an all-girl band on its cover; the band was Mika Miko.
On Tuesday 16th June 2009, Tubelord played a gig at a venue called The Cellars - a lovely little pub in Eastney, Portsmouth. Ed, Tom and their counterpart/assistant Leam had the pleasure of interviewing Tubelord before their epic gig. The meeting was arranged for 6, however both parties were late due to us getting lost and Tubelord fixing their bank payments, which set everything back a bit. However, several sitting-in-the-road-and-listening-to-soundcheck minutes later, they were welcomed in by the bright Face of Joe, and they felt priviledged as everyone else had to sit in the road still as we headed to Destination: Backstage - the pub’s back garden and a couple of plastic chairs. Ed prepared his magical recording devices AKA Creative Zen MP3 players and the interview was GO.
If you want to get things done today and you haven’t listened to any music yet, let this track from London’s Male Bonding blow the crust from your eyes. Kicking with delirious pop-punk glee, "Pumpkin" is a rush: American Hallowe’en as seen through the eyes of film-watching English suburbanites.
It’s pretty hard reaching Surf City - I get the impression the New Zealand quartet don’t waste too much time checking emails and instead fill their lives with more interesting things, like fixing up motorbikes or drinking in the park. They look like they can’t sit still for a photograph without getting bored and that restlessness translates into melodic, weirdo guitar pop that falls between sailor song and post-punk and that flinches constantly, itching for the next kick. The result is something that’s almost unsettlingly and absurdly refreshing, a hand-on-heart anthem anyone with even a passing interest in indie rock should belt out at least once in their lives. This, along with more surf-punk greatness, can be found on Surf City’s last eponymous release through Morr Music.
Photos from a recent FOE gig - a friend of our friends Hold Your Horse Is - she’s gonna be big!!! Read the gig review after the jump.
Shots of North Carolina’s folk-rocking Avett Brothers’ stop in Glasgow - 22.08.11
Read the review of the gig here.
Take a look at the acts and art on offer at this year’s Latitude Festival in Suffolk. Included are the likes of Fight Like Apes, Lykke Li, Sea of Bees and Seasick Steve. Photos from our own...
Good time with Bad Guys. Photos from the May 29th gig at the Old Blue Last. Read the review by the Bad Guy himself, Stuart London after the jump.
Artrocker.com exclusive: for fans of White Lies and Crocodiles we’ve got some fresh pictures from their UK show at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire earlier this month, courtesy of Alessandro...
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