Songs of terror and clips of the damned. Mixed like a Witches cauldron. Alternative Halloween anthems for your judgment day.
"Johnny" by Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences is taken from Audio Antihero Records EP "The Wrong Life" which is available from www.audioantihero.bandcamp.com
1. What lovely music for a murder...(clip from The Abominable Dr.Phibes)
2. Extradition Order - Islington Creeper
3. Misfits - Return Of The Fly
4. Hefner - The Sad Witch
5. Rob Zombie - House of 1000 Corpses
6. An excellent day for an Exorcism (clip from The Exorcist)
7. Lovage - Archie & Veronica
8. Donovan - The Season Of The Witch
9. The Fiends - Demonomania
10. John Ryder explains (clip from The Hitcher)
11. AFI - Halloween
12. The Outdoor Types - The Murderer
13. Bruce Springsteen - A Night With The Jersey Devil
14. Some kind of a record...(clip from The Thing)
15. The Ramones - Pet Sematary
16. Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences - Johnny
17. Fantomas - Rosemary's Baby
18. Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name
19. The Ultimate Experience In Grueling Terror (clip from Evil Dead)
Last year's Halloween mix is available to stream HERE.
I'll be right back,
Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in walking into dead ends whilst being stalked by knife wielding maniacs
BROKEN SHOULDER AT THE DOOR! AND HE'S COMING FOR JAPAN.
Hot on the heels of the release of his fabulous split release (available now) with Fighting Kites (with whom he also makes up a fourth of), Broken Shoulder answered some faintly obnoxious questions for me and also announced his Tokyo tour dates (both of them).
The Miller (London return) on November 25th with Fighting Kites, Benjamin Shaw and Jack Hayter for Benjamin Shaw's album launch and Audio Antihero's 2nd birthday.
NOW SOME INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
You shouldn’t be new to Audio Antihero’s many fans and followers but people are forgetful…so remind them who you are and why you’re doing this to yourself.
I am Neil, I am one quarter of Fighting Kites and four quarters of Broken Shoulder. I throw a lot of musical guff into my computer and then go back and pick out the good bits and repeat them for 6 or 7 minutes. I did an album on Audio Antihero called Broken Shoulderrr, and now I am doing this split with Fighting Kites.
I don’t really like the music you like or are inspired by but I do like you and the music you make. How do you explain that?
Seems I am not so good at making things obnoxious sounding. It is a source of constant frustration for me. I will keep trying. Also, I think it is dangerous to follow any particular influence too far. You have to put something of your own in there, even if that is just ripping off two disparate elements and smashing them together. All in the interpretation I guess.
You’re a founding member of the mighty Fighting Kites and Broken Shoulder was a more recent spin-off to the band. Can you explain the origin of the project and the differences in process and outcome?
When the shoulder was broken, Fighting Kites were supposed to be playing to back our friend and talented author Stuart Evers at a reading of one of his short stories. No shoulder meant no guitar, so I started keyboard droning instead with a few delay and distortion pedals. I liked doing that so much that I carried on after the recovery of the shoulder and something just evolved from my front room recordings. It wasn't a conscious decision to start a solo project, but it all seemed to fall into place quite quickly.
Broken Shoulder is the 100% manifestation of my ego in the musical format. That's why there are lots of drones and some borderline guitar solos. In Fighting Kites it is a democracy, so sometimes I get outvoted and my ego is suppressed. There are definitely benefits to both ways of working. The song writing streamlining process we go through in FK means that we end up with an extreme distillation of extended jamming into 3 minute songs. With BS it is almost the opposite. A small idea grows and expands and it normally is all done very quickly. Guess it is like looking through different ends of a telescope. In FK we are polishing the telescope and looking through one end. BS is turning the telescope round and accidentally putting a massive thumbprint smudge on the lens, but then deciding I quite like it blurry.
Do you think that when I give you my flatmate’s 80s sampler it could end everything for Fighting Kites? You’ll be too self-sufficient?
I am very excited about getting my hands on that. Seems that so far due to my relative lack of technical musical knowledge I have been misusing equipment. I look forward to trying to work out how to use the sampler and failing and something weird happening. BS and FK are too different to affect each other too much.
Although I seem to remember that when we played together last time I was so wound up with getting the Broken Shoulder debut live performance done that afterwards I had to be reminded how my FK guitar bits went. This time for the split launch, we are going to put another act in between, so I can calm down a bit and hopefully avoid a calamity.
Luke’s a bit of a pretty boy, there’s no escaping that fact. Do you think this has held Fighting Kites back at all? His dainty features costing you credibility and respect on the grueling live circuit? Is that why you went solo?
I think that I have held us back with my refusal/inability to grow a beard like the rest of them. I could do a mean moustache, but don't think that would help us much. Although in some areas of East London I believe the moustache is still popular.
There’s a marked difference between the material on “BROKEN SHOULDERRR” and “Split”. What changed? Did something within you just snap?
Broken Shoulderrr was all about having a go on all the equipment I could find at home. I can't really remember how the songs seemed to come together as listening back to it now it seems a lot more plotted that I remember it being.
I think maybe these tunes were just waiting to come out. The split was built around Shark Island. I was in the FK rehearsal studio before a practice recording the session BS did for WVUM and had a bit of spare time. I ended up recording a 35 minute beast of guitar and keyboard loops. Shark Island is the last 10 minutes or so of this monster piece, with a few overdubs added at home. The other 25 minutes is waiting for the right time to rear its head. The other two songs on Split were recorded at home to balance Shark Island. I love Shark Island's wobbliness, so I think I will give that way of recording another go soon.
Has “Split” come out as you wanted? Despite the contrasting styles and your best efforts to send the record into a dark abyss of LO-TRON…it’s come out as a rounded, whole and beautiful album. What did you first envision?
It does work pretty well I think. Although the BS half was done before the FK half, I knew what we were going to record but couldn't really say that I deliberately recorded in a way to make it work as a whole. That was a lucky coincidence. Seems that people are quite liking the FK half and I would like to think that they will like the BS half too. Still, it's good that the BS tracks are at the end, so people don't immediately get put off. Something for all the family on this Split, even the weird uncle.
What’s next for Broken Shoulder? Recordings, live happenings, allegations of misogyny?
Recording-wise, I did a 20 minute track called Oak & Mirrors for a Dandelion Radio session. The middle bit of this song is my love letter to the first Tortoise album, and I like the whole thing so much that I am going to record a new (mini) album round it. Just need to find time to put the bread on the Oak & Mirrors sandwich, but am hoping to do that soon. Live happenings include a a set at the Benjamin Shaw album launch at the Miller on the 25th November and opening for Ruins and Vampillia at Cafe OTO on December 2nd. In between these two, I will be playing a couple of shows in Tokyo. Right now I am going to make a video for Shark Island, I think. And have some nice beers. No misogyny necessary.
Share your wealth of knowledge and experience and give your tips on the Audio Antihero roster. Who do we like?
I am a longtime admirer, friend and colleague (two different work places now!) of Benjamin Shaw and his upcoming album is something very special indeed. Wartgore are legends of course, a band you have to see live, and I was delighted to finally see Jack Hayter play when he stepped in at the last minute to save our FK gig last week. Thanks Jack!
Have you any wise words for these unwise times? My advice is don't listen to me. I am making it up as I go along. I could give beer advice if you want though.
Fighting Kites who recently released a fabulous split on Audio Antihero with Broken Shoulder (available HERE) have put together an edition of 'Hired Gun Radio' for us. A fine mix of weird, wonderful and wordless as chosen by the band. You can see Fighting Kites live with Broken Shoulder, Benjamin Shaw and Jack Hayter on November 25th at The Miller for AAH's Birthday Party and Benjamin Shaw's album launch - information HERE.
Fighting Kites: Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
1. Evan Parker With Birds - (2) (from For Steve Lacy) DAN SAYS: As it says on the tin: Evan Parker improvising to field recordings of birds (and other things). Very beautiful. Probably the most extraordinary saxophonist on the planet, and he plays in London every month. We are lucky people.
2. Benjamin Shaw - She Loves a Tory (from Rumfucker) NEIL SAYS: All his stuff is great, but I thought I would include something of the criminally underrated Rumfucker album. Definitely shows a different side. Think the new album There's Always Hope There's Always Cabernet is the perfect blend of I Got The Pox…'s guitar and vocal, and Rumfucker's electronic rumfuckery.
3. Keith Fullerton Whitman - Lisbon (from Lisbon) DAN SAYS: This album, which I think may have been recorded live in Lisbon, is my favourite thing of KFW's. And I really, really like KFW, so that's saying a lot. Neil and I saw him play in London the other day: half an hour of analogue greatness. Nice beard too.
4. Oren Ambarchi - Girl With The Silver Eyes (from Grapes From The Estate) DAN SAYS: When you go to see Oren Ambarchi play, he does things with his guitar that make your whole body vibrate. This is officially a Good Thing. This song is quite gentle by contrast, pretty even, but none the worse for it.
5. Tim Hecker - I'm Transmitting Tonight (from Radio Amor) NEIL SAYS: I like Tim Hecker. Big synths wobbling all over the place. Sadly I have nothing interesting to say about this song, apart from that I like it a lot.
6. Steve Reich & Musicians - Drumming (Part IV) (from Phases) DAN SAYS: Nine percussionists and three singers playing ever so slightly changing patterns based on a single repeated rhythm for about an hour, to magical effect. You don't need me to tell you how great this is, but I will say that the Phases boxset is a bargain.
7. Soft Machine – Facelift (from Third) LUKE SAYS: I listened to this track solidly for about 3 years from the ages of 8-11. At bedtime the sound of my next-door neighbour’s old creaky floorboards merged perfectly with the music - who knows how many dreams this has been the soundtrack to?
8. Plank - La Luna (from Plank! EP) DAVE SAYS: Bass like telephone cables twanging in a gale. Named after the MOGO (music of German origin) über-producer Conny Plank, as any fule kno.
9. James Brown and the Famous Flames - Instrumental Bridge 3 (from Live At The Apollo) DAVE SAYS: JB demanded that the Famous Flames were on hand to play this break every time he entered a room.
10. Shogun Kunitoki - Riddarholmen (from Vinonaamakasio) NEIL SAYS: I remember us having a band night out to see Shogun Kunitoki play. The synths are cracking. It's a bit Kraut too. Maybe it is time for me to put the guitar down and for us to have a double synth attack. And they are Finnish with a Japanese name, which is a pretty excellent combination.
11. P.M. Pocket Music - Nang Nak (from P.M. Pocket Music) NEIL SAYS: The organ is way too loud, but that's part of the charm for me. Almost painful at times. Cracking tune though. This tune shows the reason Thai Shadow music is such a big influence on Fighting Kites. The reason being, because it is amazing.
12. Jean Claude Vannier - L'Enfant la Mouche et les Allumettes (from L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches) DAVE SAYS: In which our hero, the child fly-killer, sets fire to some flies, little knowing the awful retribution that will follow. I met him once at the Barbican and he seemed a nice enough chap.
13. Electrelane - Eight Steps (from Axes) DAVE SAYS Instrumental group noted for their vocals. "Inspiring" - Luke Kite.
14. Fighting Kites – Chuck Close (from Fighting Kites [forthcoming on Variant Records]) LUKE SAYS: Back in the days when I was just another face in the crowd at a Fighting Kites gig, I remember being struck by how much they reminded me of The Shadows. Chuck Close was the first track I ever saw them play live and I still feel Hank Marvin’s presence every time I hear it.
15. A Hawk And A Hacksaw And The Hun Hangár Ensemble - Vajdaszentivány (from A Hawk And A Hacksaw And The Hun Hangár Ensemble) DAVE SAYS: Balázs Unger attacks his cimbalom in a blur of hammers. A Hawk and A Hacksaw scarper til the dust settles. / Man vs Cimbalom. AHAAH!
16. Bert Jansch - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (from Jack Orion) DAN SAYS: Bert Jansch died recently. I don't go in much for mourning people you've never met, but I am very sad that Bert Jansch won't be making any more records and that no one will get to hear him (or Pentangle) play again.
17. Broken Shoulder – Stille Nacht (from Broken Shoulderrr) LUKE SAYS: There is no question that in the dizzy world of the Vietnamese Mouth Organ, Neil Debnam is Lord. And this track shows us why. Listening to it makes me feel like I have a cloud in my head. Fingers crossed I get to hear it at a live show soon!
Two whole years of 'FUCK.THIS.SHIT' - I was 22 back then. I'm hideous now.
We're due to celehate the whole endless ordeal with a fabulous birthday party gig that doubles up with the launch party for the new BENJAMIN SHAW album 'There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet'. (pre-order now on CD for £5.49 from Bandcamp plus iTunes/Amazon/Play).
November 25th. The Miller, London Bridge. 7pm. FREE ENTRY.
BEN PARKER (NOSFERATU D2 / SUPERMAN REVENGE SQUAD)
PAUL HAWKINS (THE AWKWARD SILENCES)
DANIEL RUNCIMAN (STROKE YOUR BEARD)
I'm very proud to be putting out Benjamin Shaw's debut album. It's truly very special. Even when we flung his first EP out into an unreceptive world in 2009 I doubt either of us could imagine we'd be dealing with an LP quite as special as this. But we are. So kudos to us.
You can hear the first single from the record here:
Thanks for all your support,
Jamie Halliday - Audio Antihero: Specialists in Commercial Suicide since 2009
The final part in our '2011 Commercial Suicide EP Series' comes in the form of a split from Fighting Kites& Broken Shoulder. It is delicious.
Fighting Kites are a glorious post-rock-noise-pop band who've played with Male Bonding, Shield Your Eyes, Ruins, Benjamin Shaw, Wartgore Hellsnicker, Shoes & Socks Off, Jack Hayter and Nisennenmondai. They do right where others do wrong. They are instrumental superheroes.
Broken Shoulder returns to the Audio Antihero stable with an even darker set of LO-TRON recordings. With press and praise in The 405 and star grazing sessions for Resonance FM, Dandelion Radio and WVUM, BroSho has made quite a name for himself in this made-up scene.
"Rather delightful." - Gideon Coe, BBC 6 Music
"The sound of the summer but at a sub-atomic leve." - Right Where You Are Sitting Now
“This split is an intriguing mix of light and dark from some rather exciting new British acts – 8/10.” - The Music Fix
Free Track:Download a free track from each artist via Bandcamp
The split EP will be launched at Ryan's Bar in Stoke Newington on October 22nd - MOREINFO
Fun fact: This EP was mastered by our golden boy Benjamin Shaw, who's debut LP will be out on Audio Antihero come November 21st. Pre-Order now: BANDCAMP / AMAZON / ITUNES
Benjamin Shaw and The HI54LOFI collective have taken their show on the road and released this free sampler to HEAT THE HYPE.
The HI54LOFI collective are four individual singer/songwriters from across the land(s). They are Benjamin Shaw (England), You Be A Hooker I'll Be Charlie Sheen , A Singer Of Songs and coffee&wine. All of these artists can be heard on the bandcamp mixtape.
The idea of the tour is to get the four songwriters together for the first time to play as a group, a mopey big band if you will, pulling songs from their individual catalogues. 'No more loneliness for the singer songwriter' says the HI54LOFI mastermind.
I'll of course be along to the October 6th gig to see what all the puss is about. A lovely evening at The Hideaway from my favourite promoters STROKE YOUR BEARD.
Benjamin Shaw's "There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet" is out November 21st and available for pre-order now from Bandcamp (CD), iTunes (DL), Amazon (CD) and Play (DL).
See you in the pit,
Jamie - Audio Antihero Records: Specialists in Commercial Suicide
