Issue Four | Spring by Kaylea Mitchem

Risk&Consequence / free

COVER IMAGE

by oliver barrett

issue

°IV

“Sam, Isaiah and the Wolf” may echo a wellknown fable, but there’s nothing mythical about its lyrics.”

Page04

happy birthday ¿

Contents

& label launch

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Dear All,

Sorry it’s been over a year. We’ve been busy students doing studenty things and attempting to survive on a measly wage, so haven’t been able to print any issues for a while. Rest assured that we are currently snacking on economy brand noodles just so that you can hold this delicate arrangement of words and papers in your hands.

On that note, we’re going to have to use adverts in the next issue. We just can’t function from our own pockets anymore. If you know of anyone, or are somebody that would be interesting in supporting this creative venture, and would like to pay a small fee to help fund us and get your business/warez advertised in here, then get in touch at the usual address (at the bottom of the page). Hope that you’re all well... sadly we’re unable to send out individual copies anymore, due to the aforementioned cashflow issue, however if you have a suggestion for a nice independent record, clothes shop or cafe close to you where you think we’d sit nicely then send us an email with the venue’s details and we’ll do our best to stock a few copies there. Much love, Kaylea & Cain x

EMAIL:

riskandconsequence@gmail.com

SINGLE REVIEW:

‘A Boat To Row, To Row To You’

Boat To Row

Released through istartedthefire records

This month hails the release of Boat to Row’s debut single: ‘A Boat To Row, To Row To You.’ The folk outfit release their single on May 2nd through Cheltenham’s I Started the Fire Records, and is available in the form of a digital download or limited edition 7”, which provides those lucky enough to get their hands on one with two exclusive extra songs, ‘Portland Bill’ and ‘St Wallis’. In accompaniment with ‘A Boat To Row, To Row To You’, the band will release the B-side ‘114 Miles’, whilst also releasing a video produced by Pete Banks. Having supported numerous artists, including Johnny Flynn and Slow Club, and having performed at a variety of festivals, such as Dot to Dot and Gloucester’s Underground Festival, Boat to Row undoubtedly pos

sess the talent to be worth your time, and their talents certainly shine through in this eagerly anticipated release. The titular track provides three minutes and thirty seconds of pleasure for its listening audience, in which your ears are graced by the resplendent boy-girl vocals of Michael King and Hannah Riley, which are seamlessly inter-woven with the delicate, heart-warming melodies that emanate from their guitar, banjo and swooning violin. The only thing wrong with this song is that it’s making me feel like an idiot: because as I listen to it I cannot help but smile to myself, and I always feel like an idiot when I smile to myself. The lyrics make heavy use, as the song title may allow you to anticipate, of loving and meaningful semantics cloaked in various nautical references, with my two particular favourites being: “to be kind at heart is a quality lost at sea”; and the rather beautiful, “well I’m certain no anchor could trap your or bring you down, ‘cause your heart is the biggest and sweetest one that I’ve found”. None of the following three tracks on the Ep quite manage to reach the heights that the band set for themselves with this opening track, although after all, that is probably why it is this track that was

designated as the single to be released, and not a subsequent track instead. The record’s B-side ‘114 Miles’, sees King’s vocals take a back seat, whilst the listener is steered gracefully by Riley’s vocals and the slow strum of guitar through a highly moving and accomplished effort that takes the listener at a much steadier pace than the record’s other offerings. Throughout much of ‘Portland Bill’, the first of two exclusive tracks offered on the limited edition 7” record, I can’t help but be made to draw an obvious and easy comparison, but one I’ll make at any rate, as it’s sprightly string picking and ricocheting drum beat in unison with verses of softly spoken imagery, certainly identify with Johnny Flynn. The tempo quickens delightfully in the transition from verse to chorus in a way that will have you subconsciously jigging a leg, whilst similar things can be said of the second exclusive track, ‘St. Wallis’. There’s not much transition in tempo to speak of with this effort, and neither does it maintain the softness and delicacy that the listener will have experienced thusfar in the record, but it is

charming in its own right. At two minutes and thirtyseven seconds long it’s less than half the length of the antecedent ‘Portland Bill’, whilst the racing banjo moves us, comparatively with the rest of the record, at breakneck speed to the records conclusion. One listen through of ‘A Boat To Row, To Row To You’, is enough to make anyone understand why Boat to Row are turning ears in all direction, including those of BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson. Boat to Row let the sun shine in: it is folk at its prettiest, its most charming, and I urge every one of you to at least cast your eyes over the accompanying video to ‘A Boat To Row, To Row To You’, which you can find here: http://vimeo.com/19669963.

Graeme Harper

SINGLE REVIEW:

of the indie spectrum, and one doesn’t have to use too much imagination to picture a group of rugby players at Propaganda, arms around one another, shouting out the infectiously catchy chorus.

Heart & Hope

Terrible puns about “getting onboard” with them aside, Brighton foursome Jumping Ships are fundamentally a quite exciting proposition; take a listen to their brand new single Heart and Hope, and then try pigeon-holing that sound.

But that is certainly not to its detriment. Most of the rugby players I know are actually quite nice chaps, and in any case, despite the “balls-out” indie rock appearances of Jumping Ships, there’s more to Heart and Hope than the catchy, repetitive vocal hook.

Go on.

Jumping Ships

I dare you. No, I DOUBLE dare you. It’s enjoyably tough to do so, because fundamentally Heart and Hope is a brilliantly paradoxical house upon the indie-rock horizon: it is essentially lad-rock…for those who hate lad-rock.

Available to buy through Alcopop records

There’s certainly an assured gusto conveyed in the vocal delivery reminiscent of vocalists from the “laddier” end

There’s an immensely mature structural depth to the song, an emotional profundity to the combination of the lyrics and vocal delivery and an intelligent use of textbook rock instrumentation throughout, which somewhat belies the band’s relative youth. The single is backed up by the equally enjoyable B-Side Loose Cannon and the cyclical, brooding Alex R. Winter remix of The Whole Truth Gareth Harper

logspot.com .b

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ol ww

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Jack Coltman Jack is a Cheltenham-based illustrator who studied illustration at University of Gloucestershire. His main influences are Melvyn Bragg, Ultimo Dragon and Curry (Rogan Josh).

REVIEW:

Self Titled EP

Foster The People

Los Angeles-based Foster The People have been introduced to the public by fellow LA residents, Grouplove. You understand that this could be a good thing, however it could also be a double-edged sword as it has been for many bands in the past upon being bigged up by friends. Is it possible for Foster the People to break away from simply being tagged as “Grouplove’s mates”? Based on the evidence provided; three slices of anthemic indiedance presented as a self-titled debut EP, the answer is a resounding yes. Synthesizer and effect-laden ‘Houdini’ is a happy mixture of chillwave, Passion Pit and MGMT. “What do you want? What do you need? What do you come here for?” demands frontman Mark Foster before offering the “perfect gift from me to you” in glorious falsetto. The harmonious bass-heavy output continues as the tone gets darker as he resigns himself to contemplating that “sometimes I want to disappear”, in homage to the title of the track and Houdini, the man himself. Is the track as magic as its subject matter? Not quite, but it definitely does the trick and is only Foster The People’s opening act.

‘Pumped Up Kicks’ shows a slower, more chilled out side of the band, with a combination of chronic bass line and vocoded vocals introducing the track, before building up to a contagious blend of spoken-word, handclaps and whistling. The seemingly non-sensical lyrics of: “all the other kids with the pumped-up kicks, you better run, better run, faster than my bullet” just add to the enjoyable absurdity. Possibly to confirm just how much fun Foster The People are having, extending that sentiment to the listener, they close the EP with ‘Helena Beat’. The track opens with an unbearably infectious sample of laughing children, followed by a very high-pitched, almost ladylike vocal, which is dispersed amongst all of the beats and bleeps, however the song never loses itself. It contains the kind of absorbing and atmospheric themes that festival favourites such as CSS used to specialise in. It’s an upbeat and energetic piece that will fill dancefloors and arenas from Reading to Ibiza Rocks. Foster the People is a fun band, and one that will be difficult to ignore, as you’ll soon fall under their spell. Ryan Paul Barham

Torches, the band’s debut album is to be released through Columbia Records on 24th May 2011.

Modern Blonde tracks have an endearing quality. On first listen, you’ll find yourself floating atop the dense waves of sound, apprehensive, unsure of where the music may take you. Allow yourself to sink beneath the surface, and all will be revealed. Pour yourself a glass of something bubbly, go to modernblonde.bandcamp.com, soak it up, and wait for the release of their up and coming EP on the newly-formed Joyeux Anniversaire record label.

INCOMING:

Brothers Adam and Tom Greenhalgh are joined by Ben Silver to form Modern Blonde. Triplets... almost. For the past twelve months the band have been working feverishly on new material, recording and producing tracks from their flat in Chorlton, Manchester.

Modern Blonde www.modernblonde.bandcamp.com

Fittingly described as “Frankenstein-Pop”, Modern Blonde mould together Adam’s melancholy vocals with samples, drumbeats and synths to create their very own monster; a gentle giant with a soft centre. Woozy vocals perch beneath overcast melodies, with intelligently crafted song writing bringing the entire thing to life. Each member has no definitive role, no plan of attack.

>> Born out of the creative mind of Maxime Leroy, Joyeux Anniversaire is a new record label based in Manchester, releasing two EPs over the next few months. First up is the Projectionists EP (Becki from The Pipettes, et al) and then of course the Modern Blonde EP. Both are to be released on a 10” format, limited to 500 copies, with artwork by DR-ME (with a special insert created for each release). A free label launch party is set to be announced shortly, so keep an eye on the site for details. www.joyeuxanniversaire.co.uk

Cain Gill

ALBUM REVIEW:

Dye It Blonde

Smith Westerns

Out Now

Rewind one year. Unless you have been in the lucky minority to have seen Smith Westerns live, you probably have never heard of the band. I’m not being pretentious, it’s just that the Internet is lacking in information that can be used by journalists alike to snatch and deliver to the public. However, I’ve been a fan of these Chicagobased glam rockers since I heard their debut self-titled album in 2010, and upon hearing their latest effort in January 2011, I was more than pleased. For anyone who has heard the band’s first album, “Dye It Blonde” delivers more of the same but on a larger scale. The T-Rex-esque riffs are still there, but this time they’re much more polished, as opposed to the painfully lo-fi blasts of guitar explosion the first time round. The same goes for the drums - in this record they’re actually audible! When it comes down to it, many of Smith Westerns’ tunes are essentially simple pop songs that ooze a 70’s glam influence, so the fact that more time and effort has gone into the production of ‘Dye It Blonde’ is appealing to new fans and refreshing to old ones. There is much more layering to each song, which results in it being dif ficult to pick highlights; the whole album is a joy.

If forced to choose, I would say my personal highlight of the album (that would have Marc Bolan rolling in his grave) is “Still New”, with its euphoric, blistering guitar and soothing backing vocals, accompanied by naive and beautiful lyrics such as “I wanna tell you, you’re hard to resist”. Smith Westerns are a great band to listen to if you’re in love; their (sometimes) innocent songs are filled with romance and vibrant tales of glamourous idolisations, thus making it hard not to lie back and day-dream about your current crush. So, ‘Dye It Blonde’ is much more of a “proper” album from Smith Westerns. They’ve stepped up to the plate and delivered a perfect piece of garage-pop that can appeal to a wider audience; not that chart success is that important to them or any of their fans. With a bit of luck, they will continue to show adorers of music what they can take from the past, and successfully mould it into their own retro sound with a modern edge. Luke Allen

FEATURE:

an inter view with

DD/MM/YYYY

Sam: How’s the tour been going so far? DD: Crazy! We got into two small accidents in a blizzard in Sweden, we’ve been to the Czech Republic and we ate some greens, er, greener vegetables you know, before we got back into Germany, we went to Italy for the first time, it’s our first time in the UK and we’re really excited because we’ve always wanted to come here. Sam: How does it compare playing in the UK to places like Canada? DD: We’ve been together for a while in Canada so we’ve been able to build up a bit more of a presence, and it’s cool that we can tour any city we want to play. In 2009 we played 128 shows, only in USA and Canada, pretty

Sam: How do you go about the creative process? You’re individually five incredibly talented musicians so, where does it all start for you?

hectic, trying to work on new material. When we get back we’re going to Texas for SXSW, we’ve been playing for a couple of years, this year 12 shows in four days. First show in Mexico, showcase for a Brooklyn promoter, playing with No Age, Fucked Up etc.

DD: Ideas. It’s complex to describe but simple as it happens. We sit in a room and jam all day on ideas. It is difficult with five of us. We’re not the type of band with a hierarchy of members, we’re interested in our strengths.

Sam: Quite enjoy the touring process then? DD: That’s the one way our band moves forward, we don’t spend a lot of time working on business aspect, we do our best to cover all angles. Sam: How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard music before? DD: So much music, we’re a band for people who’ve listened to a lot of music. We play shows for people who like pop, and they see us and they enjoy what we do. We’re interested in punk and rock, so I’d say we just play rock and roll, and we have particular songs and specific attitudes. Confusion is the best thing about our band.

Sam: You’ve been going since 2003… DD: Our music was real different back then. Psychedelic, repetitive music, trying to create something, a new type of punk music, a bit noiser, playing house parties…. Our first tour in Canada was insane, long drives etc. We broke into America, toured with cool bands, Japanther from Brooklyn, Crystal Castles all the way to LA.. It’s neat that we’ve played with big bands like Crystal Castles and Dan Deacon. But when we come to Europe it’s new to us, we’re exploring new places and it’s like starting over, we’ve gotten a little bit better.

I grew up playing guitar but always loved drums, I’ll play drums on a couple of songs and write ideas, it’s a bit of a game! Sam: I saw you made a ‘zine last year for your tour... DD: We have a new ‘zine ready right now but on our way to the airport there was too much traffic to pick it up. It features artists and musicians that we’ve intereviewed, mostly from America; Future Islands, Aids Wolf etc. We just send a couple of questions and then we print around 3000 of them.

Sam: Giving something extra to fans then? Something to remember you by? DD: It’s easy, free to put together, and doesn’t cost that much to produce, it’s a creative outlet for us. Sam: What are your plans for the future? DD: I guess we’ll come back to the UK as soon as your people want us to… We have too much to organise to get over here soon but it’s been worth it this time. We’ve played 38 shows in 40 days, it’s been really fun. We really enjoy playing our music and being able to play our music is probably the best thing about making music. You could just make music, record it and show it around, but when you’re salesmen like us you get funny results, it’s interest, it’s more vocal.

Sam King

FE AT URE

The strength of social media is in providing more of an ‘experience’ and to remain in touch with listeners (this is more fundamental as the physical product ceases becoming a revenue stream). Even if there are no new records, or live shows to promote, social media allows for a drip of information and a building of brand.

Detractors of social media often quote ‘breakfast’ as an example of white noise, of our persistence in expressing the entirely unnecessary. However the dietary argument only highlights their misunderstanding of social media and how it offers both fans and musicians an enhancement to the music.

@alongthewatchtower: set my guitar on fire. Ouch. LOL! @Elvislives: shook legs on TV. Caused a ruckus. Ate a burger. @ImagineJL: alert the media staying in bed today. Maybe order room service. XO @Yoko

Their reasoning cites the elusive Dylan, the playful Waits, and the space-age Bowie as artists whom would lose their power should we suddenly become intimate with their breakfast. Indeed a moderately amusing distraction game is to imagine what pre-Twitter artists may have posted:

It is argued, principally by established artists, that the increasing expectation of fans to have insight into the lives of artists via social media is fundamentally at odds with the enigma of pop music. Some have stated that we will no longer have a mercurial rock star tradition because we will witness all the human deficiencies of our heroes.

Internet killed the rock’n’roll star?

18 @Sturulez

For the social media non-believers it is a failure of imagination in possibility. They have perhaps forgotten their sense of what they are, and why (more tragically) fans believe in the music.

Certainly, with all the biographies, studio portraits and demos there is no end to fans craving an experience. The internet era has encouraged us to delve deeper, to become part of something special, to share with others and to more powerfully self-identify our own brand as entwined with that of the music we love.

Mostly this goes without saying. We are competent at maintaining our own sense of self and 70s Bowie would undoubtedly have understood this too. Rather than destroying his enigma, social media would have only enhanced our appreciation for his talents and be further consumed by the fascinating world created. Imagine being able to follow 60s Dylan with access to all the vehemence, confusion and wit of that era.

If you are a musician the key to social media is consistency. If your postings are contradictory to your brand then desist (this is perhaps where you consider not allowing your drummer access to your Facebook fan page). If you’re good time party electrodudes, pictures of yourself in dress-up might be fantastic, but if you’re a hard-core death metal band, that cellphone-shot movie of you sucking a frappaccino might be best destroyed. In an information-age people navigate the world by brand. If yours is without resonating truth in your followers’ consciousness, it is likely to be as harmful as that troublesome sophomore record.

Understandably musicians don’t like to think of themselves as having a brand, but we all have one. For the punk-inclined it can be thought of as an ethos or an identity; the perception by others of what we are. The Sex Pistols are (and were conceived to be) one of the strongest brands in music.

ALBUM REVIEW:

Silesia

Jeniferever have wonderfully devoted fans who absolutely adore them. I am one of them, which is why this is a troubling review for me to write. That’s not because ‘Silesia’, the Swedish band’s third full release, is a bad record at all. Instead, it’s because there seems to be something fundamentally missing… and that is a bit of a rough edge to the album.

Jeniferever Released 11th April 2011

It may seem crass to criticise a solid body of work by a band such as Jeniferever, who obviously care very much for a high production quality, but to these ears, that seems to be the problem. Everything sounds perfect; the instrumentation is spot on, the vocals never take a wild deviation from the tune. By the book, nothing should be wrong here, but it is.  It’s taken a good dozen play

throughs for me to realise that I’m barely remembering any of it; everything’s in its right place as I listen again, but the moment I turn it off I can only recall the precise layering of intricate guitar riffs, but no song in particular. There seems to be a lack of progress throughout the record, it’s almost as though they decided, “right, for this one we’re going to sound like this”, sticking vehemently to that decision for each track. The marching opener of title track ‘Silesia’ builds positively, leading into uplifting second ‘Waifs & Strays’, which in turn paves way for much-talked-about ‘The Beat of Your Own Blood’. This one shows a little more of a dynamic feel and energy, but nonetheless remains something of a “feel-good by numbers” within the context of the album. ‘Deception Pass’ is the loudest I’ve heard Jeniferever attempt for some time, and is undoubtedly a highlight, however the tight production has managed to dampen the fire yet again. It makes me sad to hear a song so eager to cut loose being roped back in like it has

been here. Album closer ‘Hearths’ builds up beautifully throughout before trying to bring out its inner Mogwai towards the end, but, well... You know what I’m going to say by now. It doesn’t quite manage it. Seeing these songs played live will be an interesting exp erience; nearly all of them have the ability to really capture attention and blow you away when released from the oh-so controlled environment of the studio (especially ‘Hearths’ - that ending will sound fantastic in a live setting). That said, Jeniferever need to get stroppy for their next album. The tracks found here don’t sit too well with these ears, but do gather some optimism in a boy who fully supports them. For now however, I’m slightly underwhelmed.

Noel Pearce

Amy Davies

Amy is an illustrator from Surrey Having studied a foundation diploma in art and design at Farnham UCA, she now studys â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fashion Designâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at NTU

2000 TREES 2010

PREVIEW:

Happy 5th Birthday 2000 Trees!

14th-16th July, 2011 at Upcote Farm, near Cheltenham, GL54 4BL

If you haven’t been to 2000 Trees before, you’re missing out. A wonderfully intimate festival set in the beautiful surroundings of the Cotswolds, with a line-up to boot. This year’s dose of Trees boasts the likes of Los Campesinos! Frightened Rabbit, And So I Watch You From Afar, ISLET, Talons, Tall Ships, Istartedthefire’s Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun and supergroup Falcons, as well as Dinosaur Pile-up, Three Trapped tigers, Tellison and finally R&C faves Stagecoach!

of whom source their ingredients locally and organically, and may I add stock a delicious range of vegetarian options too! (Vegan and gluten free also available).

2000 Trees proudly boasts to being one of the greenest festivals in the UK, with on site recycling, adhering to green policies covering greenhouse gas emissions, waste management, protecting the environment, as well as setting up a coach service from London and a shuttle service from Cheltenham train station to the festival to minimise gas emissions. They also provide food and drink stalls

Sadly tickets are all sold out for this year, but keep an eye out for Issue Five (Summer, due July/Aug 2011) where we will be reviewing the festival, so you can see how much fun was had and get your early bird tickets for 2012’s 2000trees festival.

This years Fancy Dress competition is themed Cowboys! vs Robots! vs Ninjas! … all you need to do is turn up in fancy dress, register in the bar between midday and 14:00 on Saturday and waltz around having a fantastic time.

Kaylea Mitchem

ALBUM REVIEW:

Body Of Gossamer

Mender

released through Nice Weather for Airstrikes

Gossamer is a very fine, delicate spider silk, and by extension an extremely fine, almost ephemeral material. It’s a great name for Mender’s fourth official release, and, for better or for worse, perfectly apt. See Mender deals in ambience, in barely-there tonal shifts and lingering, ponderous dabs of sound that dissipate quickly into the morning air. It’s not an engaging listen in the traditional sense but respect is due for so steadfastly refusing to resort to the usual tropes of song-writing, and it’s attendant verses, choruses, vocals and hooks. If the lack of the aforementioned sounds scarily similar to film music, you needn’t necessarily be put off, just don’t expect ‘Body of

Gossamer’ to throw you any curve balls. It’s very hard not to sound overly derogatory when discussing music like this that often does feel like it’s missing its visual accompaniment. I don’t mean to be; tracks such as ‘Minimal Bitch’ have a satisfying undertone and some intriguing textures, the rumbling bass and the over laid Spanish guitar proving a sweet, and slightly unusual fit. The track doesn’t capitalise however, on the build in tension, and it’s also track 5 of 6; a little late in the day to up the ante. If Mender could recreate that level of interplay on every track on this mini-album we’d have a very different beast on our hands altogether. Likewise closing track ‘Dead Waves’. It’s the first and last to employ vocals - and mystifying so, as they add that extra dimension to the melancholy pizzicato that elevates the track. Again, the song doesn’t deviate much in span

of its 3 minutes but it’s a lilting, slightly otherwordly piece, and it works well. It’s both a satisfying and frustrating conclusion to the record; it ends on a high note but what would the other five tracks have sounded like with that little extra addition of some kind of vocals? If you’re going to pursue pure instrumental ambience, with artists such as CFCF, dr_radio and even Boards of Canada before you, you really need to have nailed the woven texture, the deep ambience and the clever melody, something which Mender comes close to demonstrating at various points herein, nowhere more than in the first minute of both of the last two tracks; but ‘Body of Gossamer’ falls short by a thread. As a single comprised of Minimal Bitch and Dead Waves, this record would be worth getting very excited about. So, the potential is definitely there, let’s just hope for release number 5 that Mender can make good on that promise and deliver something a little bolder. Danny Wadeson

EP REVIEW:

homes

How to produce a homespun debut release in six steps: Step one: release a collection of accomplished bedroom recordings. Step two: attract the attention of BBC Radio Wales guru Bethan Elfyn. Step three: maximise on ensuing hype by playing various venues across the country, including Cardiff’s SWN festival. Step four: recruit Charlie Francis to produce a set of songs. Step five: have two members set up their own record label. Call it Barely Regal. Step six: release tracks. Of course Cardiff-based band Among Brothers didn’t rely on a plan to create their stellar debut EP Homes they garnered a hefty amount of talent, too. Reaching from the depths of post punk and math rock, Homes sets out to awe its listener from start to finish. An excellent example of Among Brothers’ versatility comes with “Montgolfier”. The EP’s opener, it’s caught alight with campfire percussion and tipsy chanting before it’s settled (but not dampened) by strings and piano. “My Head is a Vessel” again maximises on the band’s subtle

AMONG BROTHERS

instrumentation, but calls to mind the confounded passion of an American alt-rock band in verse. The stylistic leaps Among Brothers make aren’t so extreme they’re difficult, but even in an experimental landscape they test the waters of convention.

It’s a good thing, then, that the topics covered on Homes are predictable. Nothing is exempt from the post-rock tag: the title of “Sam, Isaiah and the Wolf” may echo a well-known fable, but there’s nothing mythical about its lyrics. Likewise “Bare Teeth” uses simplicity as a tool for the greater good. Unchallenging lyrics are usually used in criticism, but this EP has already sent its listener flailing. The last thing Among Brothers need is a song that compares crossing a river to spiritual enlightenment. Something so completely contrived and unnecessarily cryptic would have tipped Homes into absurdity. As it stands, basic words pawn off very nicely with a stupendously creative score.

Tiffany Daniels Drunkenwerewolf.com

FEATURE:

an interview with

Johnny Foreigner

at Clwb Ifor Bach

I first saw Johnny Foreigner live at Cardiff’s (swn) Festival last September. One of the best acts of the weekend, Johnny Foreigner’s infectious blend of indie rock and pop was a surefire hit with Cardiff’s swnsters. When I heard that the band were coming back to Clwb Ifor Bach for their own headlining show, I thought I would try my luck and ask for an interview. They kindly said yes, and continued their generosity by allowing me to snap a few Polaroids, whilst sharing both their gin and their knowledge of Chicago-based bands and the Kinsella family with me. Here’s what Alexei, Kelly and Junior had to say… First things first. For those unfamiliar with Johnny Foreigner, how did the band form and what’s the history? A: We were in other bands and they weren’t that good, and then we were in this one and we haven’t sort of left it yet. It wasn’t really a grand plan or anything, we were just all playing in bands and in the same sort of scene as it were, and happened to bump into each other. K: If you want us to make up a more interesting answer then we can…

J: I was playing a game of polo one day and turned to a bass guitar… K: Hey, I play the bass guitar… J: Fine. I was the first black chef in Birmingham… K: Black what? Shepherd? Ok, the name. Where did that come from? Whose idea was it and what does it mean? A: It’s like a bit of an ironic, oh I don’t know, this takes such a long time to explain the accurate explanation. J: Shall we just all say that we’re all racists? K: No! A: Johnny Foreigner is just like this vague, sort of friendly insult. It’s the kind of thing that my neighbours would use when we were growing up about foreigners and the idea was that they’re Johnny Foreigner, you didn’t trust them and they were always doing something vague and unspecified, but nasty in the background. And now 30 years later they now rely on ’Johnny Foreigners’ to drive their taxis and prescribe them their pills and take them to golf and shit like that.

K: Take them to golf?! A: I don’t know. The idea is that we’d be the Johnny Foreigner and we started out that they didn’t really like us and they weren’t sure why and now they accept that we’re the only path. Things didn’t work out like that though! You’ve released three free MP3s under the name Winterval on your website. Why the free music? J: Because no one would buy our music otherwise! A: That’s pretty much it! Over the last five years the financial value of a track or a song has just plummeted so much, it’s almost pointless trying to sell them, so you might as well just give them away. I mean we say free, but they’re only free after you put your name on a mailing list and at the moment a name on a mailing list means more to us than it would if we put the songs out in a shop and expected people to buy them and not download them. We always try and do something like that, we always try and have something free that people can get and then we try and snare people into going and actually buying an album.

Are they songs that might be coming up on an upcoming album? A: One of them was off the last album, one of them was a B-side to one of the singles and the other was from the remix EP we did a bit ago. One of our friends did a track that got in past the deadline so we just tagged it on the end of that. Do you like being on tour? Out of most the bands I listen to you seem to be on tour the most. A: It’s the only way we can get some money! No, that’s not strictly true, because we could just quit the band and get real jobs! And then we can keep stuff ticking over so that the band has money and we can afford to pay petrol and rehearsal rent and stuff like that. No, no, that makes it sound as though we do it cos it’s a necessity. It’s a privilege and we love it. K: It has become a kind of necessity now though, cos we have to do it. I can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s just what we do and what we’re used to.

JOHNNY FOREIGNER

plus fruit and vegetables

A: Instead of having a normal crappy job with nothing to look forward to at the end of it. What’s next for the band? A: To make some money! That would be my first, to pay off our debts. But yeah, just to keep going and not have anything else break, that would be amazing. Oh yeah, didn’t you get your microphone nicked or something?

J: The thing is though they have a retail value of like 65 quid, it’s nothing… A: It’s more like cos that gig had been such a mission, the sound cut out after two songs, and so we were just sat on the stage for half an hour, then got back on and the atmosphere was just perfect. It properly kicked off, it was such a good vibe and then that just completely killed it. J: Yeah, just some little bastard nicking something just for 65 pounds and it ruined our entire night. But yeah it worked out in the end. Who are you favourite bands that you’ve played with?

A: Oh, yeah it wasn’t my microphone, it was our soundman’s microphone that his mum had got him as a special present, which is obviously worse. But yeah, some little cunt ran off with it, but what can you do? Apart from learn to not take the mic from the lead at every other show. I was crowd surfing and like a twat I just let go of the mic assuming somebody else would pick it up. And then I finished and we were all like patting each other on the back and then we were all like, ‘Where’s the microphone?’ Then, ‘Oh.’

K: There are too many to mention! A: We’ve been really lucky because most bands that are our favourite bands we’ve shared the stage with at some point. I’m gonna say Ace Bushy Striptease because we played with them last night. Their stuff’s amazing though, it’s the same kind of buzz as when I first heard [Modest Mouse’s] Sad Sucky Sucker. It’s just these little bits of pop songs I’m not quite sure how they managed it, but it’s amazing, just this kind of indie pop explosions.

J: My favourite band we’ve played with is Joan of Arc. But they weren’t my favourites live, they were terrible. They’re one of my favourite bands but they didn’t play that well. But The Subways, I don’t really like them but they played really well when we supported them. Finally, which current bands would you recommend listening to? A: Just the usual, like our top friends on Myspace. It seems to be the same bands we’ve been going on about for the last five years, but only over the last three years everyone’s got record deals and radio play and stuff. K: Calories have got a new EP out. A: We’re still really into Calories, and William and Tubelord. And Danananaykroyd, Los Campesinos! and Sky Larkin. It’s like we have our own little world, and that’s enough for us.

Heather Steele

Danny Wadeson

Graeme Harper, Ryan Barham, Kaylea Mitchem, Danny Wadeson, Cain Gill, Luke Allen, Gareth Harper, Sam King, @Sturulez, Noel Pearce, Heather Steele, Tiffany Daniels.

Jumping Ships, @jaggyimages Boat to Row, Rob James 2000 Trees, Oskar Smith Among Brothers, Ben Comana Mender, Chris Harris

illustrators Front Cover: Oliver Barrett Back Cover: Naomi Scott Amy Davies, Jack Coltman

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images

e : riskandconsequence@gmail.com w : riskandconsequence.blogspot.com m : issuu.com/riskandconsequence t : twitter.com/riskconsequence So here are the final rectifications needed:

Her profound yet strangely pragmatic reflection is perhaps shared by the film-makers. ‘Launderette’ knows that it’s insignificant in the greater scheme of things, an isolated glimpse into a meaningless setting, and it’s all the more beautiful and compelling for it.

writers

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LINK TO FILM:

http://www.vimeo.com/9116702

These questions, posed at intervals by what could have been seen as quite an intrusive presence, reveal touching, humorous, and some downright painful answers. “Do people in the launderette talk to each other?” A slightly bemused shake of the head and a wry is all the answer we see. Or another man, when asked about the most beautiful thing in the world: “...the kids. They don’t know nothing about this world. This world is very scary.”

with thanks

kaylea mitchem cain gill

Director - Bertie Telezynski Cinematography - Alex Nevill, Rachel Lewis Sound - Liam Cook Producers - Jonny Orme, Mark Davies

Bertie Telezynski’s nine-minute documentary on the people who use this particular launderette is, to answer the above question, filming something and nothing. The cinematography is admirably restrained and the editing is similarly deft, yet the true stars of the film are just people; this is a documentary about them, their quirks, yet also nothing. This could be a piece of stark cinema vérité but for the probing, personal questions put to the launderette goers.

The documentary makes no judgement; the questions avoid leading. Despite the menacing, constant background whirr and the washed out colours, ‘Launderette’ avoids feeling overly droll, becomes surprisingly uplifting. One thing is for certain, it all gels together into an understated observation of both the simple beauty and mundanity of everyday life. “I work on something called string theory” claims a young man, “which basically explains how time and space changes”. This fascination with the greater scheme of things is shared by a woman seen cleaning the machines; “I love the immensity of space”. Does that make her feel insignificant? “Yeah, but human beings are insignificant anyway”.

DESIGNER:

Launderette

“Are you recording something?” a curious launderette regular probes, head peeking almost coyly through the half open door. “I just want...I need the machine”.

EDITOR:

SHORT FILM REVIEW:

GOODBYE