So “another year’s over“, as that guy from Liverpool used to sing. Starting this blog has been probably the most important thing for me this year, and with this I want to thank everyone who actually read, and felt, and understood why and out of what kind of vision and intentions this blog was born.
It would be pretentious to list a “Best of” 2015. First it’s clearly impossible to listen to any release, there are too many. Second, I like things very different, it’s more a matter of attitude than of actual sounds.
So this is just a list of music that has been inspiring and mind-opening and heart-moving during the last twelve months, listed more or less in chronological order with no aim to create a chart. Keep asking the sky. Always.
Whatever it is, it’s pulsing, it’s breathing, it’s alive. It’s a fertilized cell multiplying and morphing into lungs, arms and eyes. It’s a pollinated flower growing into the pulp and the skin and the juice of an exotic fruit. It’s a bird’s egg cracking, pushed by the vital force of wings longing to fly. It’s the hand of a climber reaching out and grasping for the rocks, step after step towards the majestic peak. It’s a herd of wolves circling around their prey under winter’s heavy snow, a struggle against hunger, a battle to see another day. It’s a tribe living by the sun and the moon celebrating the harvest, dancing with rainbow-painted skin, red and blue feathers oscillating on their heads.
It’s a jungle of sonic rays, bass grooves, synth waves, joyously exploding from a seed that’s been sleeping under the ice, absorbing strength and energy from the ground. It’s Throw Down Bones album, out now on Fuzz Club Records, and it tastes fresh and lush and brand new.
We’re in the heart of East London, just by London Fields, one of the places where tourists will head in the future, as one of cult symbols of the city‘s in this second decade of the new millennium.
Maybe they will also take a tour of London Fields Brewery, the space where the first Fuzz Club Festival was held. Why not? In the end all the people here made something, starting from nothing but passion, ideas, and friendship.
Yes, friendship is an important word for this bunch, and it made me realise why it was worth to travel all over from Italy for these two days. Not that I am the only one, I can see familiar faces from Ireland, France, even Finland and Spain! And the greetings and the hugs and the smiles are genuine and warm-hearted. Many of the bands playing on these stages are just very talented friends playing together, sharing a love for sounds which are mind-cleaning beauty.
Let’s take Throw Down Bonesand The KVB. I can still remember an
evening at the Victoria, a pub close to MileEnd. It was 2010, Klaus and Kat were playing with their first band Suicide Party, Dave and Frankie were there as Piatcions, it was I think their second Uk tour. The sound engineer was a complete asshole, totally messed up the bands sounds. There was a kind of riot from the stage against him, and he was fired on the spot by the venue’s owner! Now, late 2015, The KVB play a mint, programmatically cold but intense set tonight. They’re pure and charming and their electronic vibes unfold bittersweet melodies. They’re ready for even bigger things, with the new album due out early next year on Portishead’s Invada Records.
And Throw Down Bones, Frankie and Dave’s new project, is the perfect opener for the Fest. It’s a controlled spaceship flying up and down on kaleidoscopic waves to incessantly explore a new universe. Or perhaps the snowy peaks of the beautiful Alps where they come from. It’s a pulsating beat of an heart well trained for a long marathon. This time they’ll take what’s theirs, they can be the new Chemical Brothers, if you can remember when Chemical Brothers were actually cool. 10.000 Russos are different from when I saw them at Reverence in Valada. That stage was sooo big! They were even a bit scared of playing on such a big stage, but it worked well, it was kraut and danceable. Maybe tonight they feel more at ease on this normal-sized stage, I would say the sound is less steel and more wood, more guitars and less samples, at least this is how it can be heard from the audience. Damn good anyway. Camera are on the other stage, it’s not first time I see them. They’re elaborated and experimental, broken edges, curves, sudden pitfalls. It’s late when they play, probably a fresher mind would have helped to focus with the due attention on their set.
Photo by Ollie Thomas
And The Telescopes... WTF? I mean I know Stephen from the very far away 2003 (yes it’s long ago!) when I brought them to Italy booking a tour for them the very first time. I think I have seen so many incarnations of The Telescopes – including a brief experience as experimental duo – that’s even hard to remember. But tonight they take the “music and friendship” thing to extreme consequences, with a stage (and a floor) where all the people around here who have played with Stephen Lawrie once at least in their life join the banquet. Nick, Dan and Byron from One Unique Signal, Frankie from Thrown Down Bones, Dave from The Koolaid Electric Company…there is a song list on the floor but it’s not so trustable. It’s just about pushing the buttons to start the plane’s engine and take it as far as it can go, through downdrafts, crashes, death rolls, near-collisions. Sometimes you feel they’re doing this mostly for themselves, to prove how much adrenaline their blood can produce through noises. But somewhat it works. Something unique happened, and – as usual – it was unexpected.
What the night brings we know it so well. Just a quick check on our facebook timeline, and from this oasis of goodness we’re trashed mercilessly in the hell of Bataclan.
Ice bucket.
The day after both Dead Rabbits and 10.000 Russos have to deal with cancellation for their due gigs in Paris, but they’re more worried about their friends there and the madness going on than about anything else. André from 10.000 Russos tells me they wouldn’t have go there anyway, for safety reasons. Sad but reasonable. And Wall of Death decided to not travel. Sad but understandable.
There are more talks today, some gigs I have missed them, or seen them in very small doses. Dead Rabbits start the day, with their abrasive but melodic moods, their easily recognisable hooks and melodies, their stage presence a bit indie and nerd, down to earth but remarkable. With a good and proper production this band could have one hit after the other: radio friendly, British rock at its best and with the most noble accents. I sincerely hope they’ll make it. The Janitors and Lola Coltare of another breed, the true rock’n’roll cave where women are sexy creatures wearing black lace and men have grease in their hair. They take us on a ride in a black Chevrolet and offer us a pack of Red Marlboro and a glass of gin. The Orange Revival fill the stage with a chilled out Scandinavian recipe of real psychedelic introspection. The Myrrors, maybe the most awaited act of the weekend, their first time in Europe after the reunion of 2102, take things to a completely different field, where the delicate threads of strings play amongst a solid ground of drones. It’s landscape music, music for big and empty spaces and intimate thoughts. My boots are not made for walking- not even for standing too long – and sitting quietly on the floor on one side of the room seems to be the best way to appreciate with eyes closed this mesmerising journey. I’m ashamed to reveal I completely missed Mugstarwhile looking for food in the surroundings. But there are not enough words of enthusiasm I could spend for The Cult of Dom Keller, who I find very different and grown up from last time I saw them – not far from here at The Waiting Room in Stokey – last Spring. The air in the smaller room is getting hot, and their arsenal of keyboards, synths and guitars is loaded for dancing. It’s like Thee Hypnotics with the groove of Primal Scream, Vanishing Point – era. So damn heavy and trancey. The new album is on the way. They’ll have to play big festivals next summer, for everyone’s delight.
The trippy beats of Radar Men from the Moon are a proper way to end this marathon. You don’t have to pay attention, it’s just ok to let your body be filled by rhythms and unchain your mind to wander free over their endless circles of chords.
Everything’s allright. We’re all in this together – again – sharing a spirit of collaboration, mutual respect, true care. May this circle remain unbroken, may it become bigger and larger, and may stay as a circle of friends, good and like-minded people as it was, and still it is.
This one has been laying in my drawers for ages, and I have to apology with Marco Baldassari, the big man from Sonic Jesus, who took time to answer to our questions back in July.
Now, with Fuzz Club just announcing the release of a new 7″featuring the tracks “Locomotive” remixed by Sonic Boom and the new one “Never In My Mind“, plus the repressing of their debut album “Neither Virtue Nor Anger” (you can read the ATS review here), it’s definitely the right time to avoid the dust to settle down on this interview, and to have an insight into the dark and thick ground where Sonic Jesus are rooted.
Q – “Neither Virtue Nor Anger” came out as a mammoth double album, grand and epic for being a debut. How was it built? Were the songs written and recorded all at same time or it took longer and different sessions to finish it? SJ – All the songs in “Neither Virtue Nor Anger” have been written over a two years period, but some tracks, such as “Monkey on my back”, “Underground” and “Lost Reprise” are dated back to 2010. We wanted to include our whole artistic path in this album, a path made of life experiences. We didn’t mean to make a double album in the first place, but the more we were going ahead, the more we realized we had some pretty good material in our hands.
Q – Sonic Jesus’ visual side has several connections with visual art and artists. We’d like to know more about your (Marco’s) work as painter, about the collaboration with Nonni of Dead Skeletons for first EP’s artwork, and about the work and story of Mirco Marcacci, who signed the awesome artwork of the album. SJ – I have always had a strong passion for painting and art in general. I have been painting for years, but then I started focusing entirely on the Sonic Jesus project ever since it was born.
I have been friend with Mirco for quite a while, on the other hand the collaboration with Jòn started thanks to Fuzz Club.
Mr Casper Dee suggested to ask Nonni to make the artwork, and we were honoured to collaborate with such a sensitive person, a man of depth.
What shall I say about Mirco? I think he’s one of the greatest artists I have ever met. The work he created is simply sublime.
Q – The album cover actually reminds a “Madonna”, in the style of italian churches art. And the name of the band features Jesus himself. Are you fascinated by the imagery of Catholicism and his art? What’s your relationship with religion?
Bernini – “Santa Teresa”
SJ – Actually that on the cover is Saint Teresa’s face, taken from the “Ecstasy of Saint Teresa” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Pure ecstasy!
There is no religious meaning about our name. It comes from a series of stories and it just sounds good and it’s easy to remember, although I believe it’s licit thinking that Jesus is Sonic.
Images taken from the catholic tradition have unarguably a strong impact, and many great painters from the past have dealt with them. But we don’t have to linger on their religious meaning only: most of the times the artists conceal behind them much more than we think. Religion is the diaspora of our thoughts, we’ll be able to go back home, sooner or later.
Q – There are two more bands from Italy in Fuzz Club Roster: New Candys and Throw Down Bones. Is it just a coincidence or could you say that the italian fuzz / reverb scene is actually worth even more attention? Are you in good relationships with other local bands or even planning any collaborations? SJ – The Italian “psych” scene has grown a lot in the last few years, but to be honest it has always existed. Many have probably just discovered it because our culture usually goes at same pace as our curiosity. Italy is neither UK nor the States: the effort required for emerging in our country is triple, and sometimes there’s so much mediocrity that just repulses the eyes and the ears of those few who come to seek italian artists. New Candys and Throw Down Bones are great people and amazing artists, and they well deserve to be part of Fuzz Club.
Q – You have been now playing all over Europe to promote the album. Where have you got best fanbase and feedbacks? Is there a country or town you feel particularly connected with? SJ – We played almost everywhere in Europe. The London, Manchester, Belgrade and Zagreb shows have been outstanding. And so have been all the other European shows. We now have friends and followers everywhere!
riends playing together, sharing a love for sounds which are mind-cleaning beauty.
Now, late 2015, The KVB play a mint, programmatically cold but intense set tonight. They’re pure and charming and their electronic vibes unfold bittersweet melodies. They’re ready for even bigger things, with the new album due out early next year on Portishead’s Invada Records.
And Throw Down Bones, Frankie and Dave’s new project, is the perfect opener for the Fest. It’s a controlled spaceship flying up and down on kaleidoscopic waves to incessantly explore a new universe. Or perhaps the snowy peaks of the beautiful Alps where they come from. It’s a pulsating beat of an heart well trained for a long marathon. This time they’ll take what’s theirs, they can be the new Chemical Brothers, if you can remember when Chemical Brothers were actually cool.
Dead Rabbits
The Janitors
I’m ashamed to reveal I completely missed 
Ask The Sky 