ISSUE 1 - PBJ Zine

Reviews
Live Listings
Columns
New Music
London
Featuring...
ABJECTS
CASSELS
DW E L L
F. U . R . S
T H E G I G S LU T
HOT FICTION
LU S T
T H E M AG I C G A N G
MAMA MOONSHINE
S AVAG E N O M A D S
TA M A N S H U D
FREE
Please pick me up
+ MORE
THE PEANUT BUTTER JELLY
London’s FREE Music Zine
MAY 2015
Contents
Who are we...?
PBJ’S PICKS.................................... 1
LIVE REVIEWS................................. 2
Live listings.................................3
SPOTLIGHT RELEASES....................3
GUEST COLUMN................................ 3
PLACES WE RECOmMEND................. 4
The PBJ Picks...
W
CASSELS
e’ve heard a lot about these very
polite yet mildly raucous brothers
recently and having been witness to their
genius that is both selling branded lighters
at gigs, and writing social and cultural
epi-poems set to goth thrash, we have
nothing but good words to say about the
magnificent Cassels. Their latest release
‘Avarice’ could not be a more perfect
representation of a band who revel in
contrast, shock, misunderstandings and
everything mid- to high-end when on
stage, yet could be mistaken for charming
12 year olds lost on their way to a birthday
party once their instruments are packed
away. Stomach-vibrating drums, screechy
guitars and a voice that is used for
everything but singing sweetly, Cassels’
four hands between them are writing
the way for the next generation of angry
noise-rock heroes. Despite the gaping
wound in our sides where the bass player
should be - we can’t help but still want to
be friends with the weird boys at school.
Issue No. 1
F
Ever wondered if the ‘next big thing’ is sat on your doorstep? PBJ is an
independent, honest and bi-monthly music zine with the aim to connect
London with artists and bands that we feel are making a big sound on the
little scene, regardless of genre or ‘Facebook likes’. All opinions expressed
herein belong to the writers and if they make you a little bit cross, well then
we are probably doing our job right! Thank you for supporting new music in
your town, being curious, and loving a freebie [you star] we’ll be back for
more in July. Have a nice day, as the rabbits all say.
SAVAGE NOMADS
irst thought upon stumbling over these
five happy chaps is that Morrissey is
back and he has brought Delays’ guitarist
and Maroon 5’s drummer with him. Some
may see this as a celebration – others
maybe not! Regardless of the sugar
coating on their latest releases ‘Rosy
Tan’ and ‘Pinkie’s Little Light’, this band
do not fit comfortably in to one genre or
the other and we are at a loss for words
on how to convey their catchy, melodic
and yet edge-ridden sound without
referencing the above bands and directing
you to their plethora of social media hubs
for a listen yourself. If you are a fan of
fuzzy indie and all things lyrical wrap
your ears around ‘What The Angel Said’,
if you prefer Glastonbury to Field Day
then maybe stick to their latest offerings.
Either way, a crowd-pleasing band with
a reputation for killer live shows and not
sweating in suits - we hate the phrase but
they really are ones to watch.
1
A
DWELL
n appropriate name for a tastefully
haunting band whose dreamy licks
and echo-laden vocals linger long beyond
the shutting down of your soundcloud
tab. DWELL are yet to make a real name
for themselves on the electro-rock scene
but a quick listen to tracks ‘Don’t Think
Twice’ and ‘What It Takes To Be Yours’
assure me it’s just a matter of time. If
you like drum machines, Tie dye, old
new- wave and that early morning bus
ride home as fellow passengers commute
to work, DWELL are going to steal your
faded-denim hearts and ricochet around
your taste-buds all summer. The real test
for this unknown 4-piece now is to crack
the live scene by, well... appearing on it
for a start. If the Beatles/Bowie-inspired
outfit manage to translate their sound in a
live and much less romantic environment
then we have no doubts they will leave
London audiences DWELL-bound.
PBJ’S TOP DOG...
THE PBJ RATING SYSTEM
PEANUT
TAMAN SHUD
PEANUT BUTTER
Gritty London noise band
with an intense live show.
PEANUT BUTTER
JELLY
Live Reviews
THE MAGIC GANG
Shacklewell Arms - 16.4.2015
W
hisky-soda in hand, I slipped into
Shacklewell Arms prepared to
taste the venue’s usual psych-garage
fare with a side of skin-on-fries. Instead,
onstage moved four exuberant, earnest
fellows with more fashionable trousers
than mine playing straight-up 90s poprock. A modest crowd compensated for
their numbers with relentless enthusiasm
– the dancehall’s centre swarmed with
hive-minded young men pumping fists,
occasionally hoisting one another between
chanting key phrases, presumably
connecting with the Buddy Holly-esque
frontman’s relationship insights. Praying
they’d atone for derivative arrangements
with intriguing lyrics, I listened carefully.
Disappointingly, they followed strictly
in their genre’s tradition. A Weezer show
without the hits; only there were hits for
their fans. No Fun’s video debuted hours
prior, everyone had seen it. Searching
for originality is missing the point. They
do pop-rock well. I, unfortunately, don’t
appreciate that. [Charles Potashner]
TAMAN SHUD
The Macbeth - 01.04.2015
T
he second bassist sways side-to-side,
staring down the audience, backed
by relentless sound requiring everyone’s
resolve not to back away. No frontperson.
Just a unified dark force. Terrifying and
magnificent. [Charles Potashner]
MAMA MOONSHINE
The Monarch - 10.04.2015
O
n Mama Moonshine’s website,
they name dropped lofty musical
influences such as Jimi Hendrix,
Pink Floyd, the Alabama Shakes, and
Ella Fitzgerald. Their performance
is indicative of the genre with bassdriven tracks and heart-breaking subject
matter, but just like trail mix, there’s
a bit of sweet and salty in their live
performance. Mama Moonshine began
with an upbeat crowd-pleaser, Pay
PBJ SAYS...
“Ever-grooving energy
and funk.”
Your Rent, a tune reminiscent of James
Brown funk mixed with Jimi Hendrix
mixed with psychedelic pop. Yes, all
three. To further prove, lead singer
Ruth Armitt commented, “We love
to speed it up and slow it down.” And
so is the case for the remaining songs
like Little Man, Sky Searching, City
Living, and Golden Haze. Unfortunately
however, the performance was more
like a continuous song with different
lyrics, and the crowd’s attention began
to wane. For some though the evergrooving energy and funk was what
they came for and to witness Ruth
Armitt twist her way through their
entire set is reason enough to check
these mamas out. [Lapedra P. Tolson]
HOT FICTION
The Monarch - 10.04.2015
T
he first sight of Hot Fiction was
the entire band hopping through
the Monarch crowd clanking cowbells,
which stirred much excitement! Once
on stage, the self-described “rock and
bluesome twosome” grabbed their
instruments and belted out the highenergy My Girl Dances. If My Girl
Dances were a time machine, it would’ve
beamed The Monarch back to the fifties,
where poodle shirts and saddle shoes met
at a high school dance. Nice. Frontman
and generally respected musical genius
Andy has the task of singing while
playing the drums, the tambourine, the
cowbell and the shaker.... And he pulls it
all off with a golden smile. But, there’s
a “but.” Throughout the high-energy
set, the vocals eased into breathy shouts
and the drumming was intermediate at
best. Each song had a familiar beat and
tempo, perhaps the “sweet spot” where
Andy feels most comfortable. If these
beat-brothers can take a running jump,
cowbell in hand, out of their comfort
zone and in to a fresh BPM then Hot
Fiction are ones to watch... definitely.
[Lapedra P. Tolson]
PBJ SAYS...
“Belting out with high
energy. ”
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Here at PBJ we care about what YOU think and we want YOUR FEEDBACK.
[email protected]
2
London Live Listings...
1st
1st
10th
13th
15th
20th
20th
21st
22nd24th
30th
31st
3rd
4th
5th
6th7th
10th
12th
16th
17th
Mama Moonshine
Abjects
27th
Upstairs @ Hackney Picture House
Manor House
Cool For Cats presents: Yoofs / Warm
Brains / Beds In Parks + more
Taman Shud
The Lock Tavern
Baba Yaga’s Hut
Bugeye / Slutdrop / City Strays
Dublin Castle
Joywave
Sebright Arms
Jodie Lea + guests
Dublin Castle
Spit on a Stranger presents: Last heir /
Don’t Worry / Strange Planes / Gears
Power Lunches
Fluffer Records presents: Flufferfest
2015. Featuring: Love Buzzard / Thee
MVPs / Pink Lizzards / Loom / M!R!M / Shacklewell Arms
USA Nails / Telescopes / Demob Happy /
Desert Mountain Tribe / Cassels + more
Camden Rocks Festival 2015:
SKiNDRED / New Model Army /
Funeral For a Friend / Little Comets /
Modestep + more
Various venues. Check www.
camdenrocksfestival.com for details
Fever Dream / Hacia Dos Veranos / Great
The Lexington
Electric
Girls Names
JUNE
Dressmaker / The Bodies / Aztral Playns
Savage Nomads
Leave The Planet / Yipiok /
Haydn & The Normals
Ace Hotel
Amersham Arms
The Garage
93 Feet East
Lux Lisbon
Bush Hall
Ariel Pink
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club
Jackaman
Hoxton Sq. Bar & Kitchen
Gaps
The Lexington
Long Tall Texans
Borderline
Ginger Baker
F
A.K.A. ‘THE GIG SLUT’
or The Gig Slut, picking three bands
out of the 500 or so I see each year
is hard, but here are three recent acts that
have caught my eye.
Firstly then, F.U.R.S. A retro-rock fourpiece with the stylish Elle on vocals. She
has a Chrissie Hynde quality to her voice
at times, and is backed by Olly on drums,
Liam on guitar and Amina on bass. A
good track to listen to get a feel for their
sound is Just Kids. Check that.
www.fursband.co.uk
Second up are the five-piece psychedelic
dream-rock band ‘LUST ‘ who dress well
and play even better, which is always a
bonus! Their musical outfit [!] consists of
Moa and Alex on guitar, Andrea on bass,
Anna on keys, and Roberto on drums.
Besides the dress sense, they use two
Jaguars and Andrea has the flying fingers
of a good bass player which I always like
to see.... Not to mention a strong drummer.
Finally, what I call a ‘classic’ band;
‘Abjects’. A three-piece garage rock
group with Naomi on a good looking Vox
guitar and vocals, Yuki on bass and Alice
on the drums and both also on backing
vocals. They play like I would like to
have played... and I did try!
www.facebook.com/Abjectsband
I know all these bands well and the reason
they stand out on a very busy scene is
due largely to each act being consistently
good, always energising, and well worth
a listen. For more come find me on
Facebook.
[Roger Mairlot, A.K.A. The Gig Slut]
Jazz Café
Spotlight Releases...
F.U.R.S
THE MAGIC GANG
‘I Wanna Know’
‘No Fun’
T
he latest single from this rough and
ready dream rock trio. What do you
get with her that you don’t get with me?
S
Listen now: www.fursband.co.uk / iTunes
Listen now: Spotify / iTunes
Single released on 28th April.
ROGER MAIRLOT
www.facebook.com/lustuk
Field Day Festival 2015: Caribou /
RIDE / Patti Smith / Astronomy /
Victoria Park
Django Django / Savages / Eagulls / FKA
Twigs + more
18th
20th
MAY
GUEST COLUMN...
Single released on 13th April.
tuff to make your bed rock. Check the
video out on Youtube for black and
white milk drinking madness.
3
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You Should Check These Guys Out...
thank you for supporting london’s music scene. next issue out JULY 2015.