Mathew Street Fringe Festival - PICK OF THE BEST

If you regularly enjoy the annual Mathew Street Festival, you probably like having a good street party, spending time with the family and a good laugh in the city. Chances are then it's not 'all about the music'. Statistically the majority of people watch tribute bands because the majority of outdoor stages are tribute bands exclusively. Alright for some...

The Fringe Festival takes place in the wide range of gig venues. If this year you want to use your bank holiday to have a good time AND discover some new music here is a choice selection of some hidden gems.

Friday

The Planet Boat
The Strand, Dock Road

Most will still be at work at 5pm on Friday but this is when the Fringe kicks off. The Planet - the red ship situated on The Strand (opposite Chavasse Park) will host an outdoor stage with some of the best alt-rock bands from Liverpool. Apple Cannon, Liverpool's answer to DFA 1979 will blast the night away as they headline the stage. Leading up this are the most humorously named Organ Freeman, Elmo and the Styx and Super Fast Girlie Show. A wild sea-faring adventure and some of Liverpool's biggest bands on the underground circuit in one of the most unique settings at this year's Fringe Festival.

Krazyhouse
Wood Street

After the boat party over on Wood Street, the Krazyhouse plays host to another great Liverpool band Super Cannes. Another free entry show that fans of dark rock music will enjoy in the city's largest rock music club. 10pm.

Saturday

Barcelona Bar
Renshaw Street

Grand Central, one of the city's finest locales, home to Barcelona Bar, hosts a range of live acoustic music throughout the day. One of the most unique venues in this year's Fringe Festival sees the lavish setting of Barcelona Bar host a range of upcoming musicians and singers take to the intimate stage to perform, many for the first time at the Fringe Festival. The night culminates in an enormous performance from touring band Kerbgrynder, who will rock the foundations of the Grand Central building.

Leaf Tea Cafe
Bold Street

For those more appreciative of instrumental soundscapes, fantastic rhythms and contemporary techniques in sound and beauty. Newpath is a brand new movement started in Liverpool that is rapidly making a name for itself as a showcase platform for UK and international artists. Newpath host a three-day festival within the Fringe Festival that starts on Saturday at Leaf Tea Shop. Saturday's line up sees Japanese artists along with founders and curators of Newpath, MinionTV. The Liverpool quintet that define instrumental post-rock soundscapes. They are currently working on the follow up to the 2010 debut whilst producing a live movie soundtrack.

Sunday

Barcelona Bar
Renshaw Street

Folk music is the order of the day. Starting with Freda & the High Tides, the band that puts smiles on faces with sublime ease. Quartermaster are the rock and roll throwbacks to the 1960s. Chuck Berry . Fabulous talents of David Harbottle, Jessica West and The Late Poets.


Mello Mello
Slater Street

The second night of the Newpath Festival sees the event move to Mello Mello with a huge line-up that kicks off in the early evening with a wide range of post-rock artists from around the UK. Headlined by MinionTV, they bring friends from around the city We Came Out Like Tigers, with a few special treats from the UK's blossoming scene such as Nottingham's Alright The Captain.

Krazyhose
Wood Street

For punks, this show is a must. A stand-out show among the hordes of Beatles covers acts, an original and legendary punk band Vice Squad play what is sure to be a packed out club show with hefty local line-up of local support. The Vermin Suicides, BiteBack, The Watsers and In Evil Hour all join this bill alongside Punchdrunx. Doors open at 8pm for this show and a 5am bar means this is the after-party for Sunday Bank Holiday.

Monday

Mello Mello
Slater Street

The grand finale of the Newpath Festival culminates on Monday with a last chance to grab a copy of the Newpath compilation CD. Expect visuals and performances from A Time For Burning, experimental post rock quartet.

Barcelona Bar
Renshaw Street

The Core presents an enormous line-up of heavyweight guitar bands. Hardcore, metal, thrash and heavy rock is the order here, with Hereford's Cowards headlining a showcase of North West bands. Barcelona Bar shows it's versatility as a venue as this line-up contrasts the Sunday line-up.

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#4gigsin4days

#4gigsin4days - url www.twitter.com/antipopuk - THE BIG 4 this week - Alternative music. Underground sounds from the city. Let it blow your mind!

As the big Summer for music approaches and festival like The Hub and Soundcity will be on the tip of every music lovers tongue, let's have a look at a normal week in Liverpool music as we decide that it doesn't take a whole lot of looking to find great music everywhere in Liverpool - at any time.

Wednesday 6th - #Day 1 - OCEANIS - SICK CIRCUS - ARKHAM KARVERS
Mish Mish @ Envi
The concert square nightspot hosts one of the loudest and heaviest bands in Liverpool OCEANIS. 80s thrash rock/metal Whitesnake, et al. SICK CIRCUS will blow you away! And ARKHAM KARVERS on tour from Sheffield open the night. FREE ENTRY and £2 a pint. The cheapest Wednesday night to get your fill of music. And the Envi soundsystem is awesome too!

Facebook event page for stage times: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=100755743343250



Thursday 7th - #Day 2 - SMILE AND BURN, THE WASTERS, CHIEF, THE LEES
YAM YAM Promotions presents @ Bumper. Regulars CHIEF, tourers SMILE AND BURN, the ever awesome THE LEES. A low cost gig in a vast venue with a good portable soundsystem. Awesome drinks and quality punk shizzle all night!

Facebook event for times: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=191928864161423

Friday 8th - Day 3 - THE VERMIN SUICIDES + BITEBACK
The most fun loving band of semi-hardened wannabe criminals in Liverpool. The Vermin Suicides host their range of dub to punk to classic rock to funk. With a sure to be buzzing performance in the newly reopened and lavish surroundings of Barcelona Bar, Renshaw Street. FREE ENTRY! Doors at 8pm Bands start around 9pm. Support = Biteback (feat: members of Instant Agony)

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207882279222986





Saturday 9th - Day 4 - ENTROPY, SCARE TACTICS, SPIRES, GODS OF WAR, SCLAVINIA
METAL ASSAULT @ ZANZIBAR Money left and still not a sore neck? Entropy hosts an awesome Saturday night Metal line up of the finest bands in the Liverpool sphere of underground metal music. Definitely worth visiting.

Facebook event for links: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=178738365503408

Liverpool in four days and we really missed out some quality gigs there too. So here's a mention for the Tsunami Relief gig on Friday at Leaf Tea, Bold Street. Hopefully close to all our hearts. We donated some prizes to the raffle/auction for the night. You can help by paying to get in and entering the raffle and catch post-rock sensationalists MinionTV on stage there too.

Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=203086319719063

And even if you don't see any of these shows you will surely see SOME good music because you are in Liverpool! And if you're not, you should be!

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ARTWORK FOLDER

Recent Antipop Artwork. Need a poster for your gig? http://www.antipoprecords.co.uk - info@antipoprecords.co.uk

 
 
 
 

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Tommy Scott and The Red Scare

Never be surprised by what happens next! 

Hidden largely from the sights for the past two years, locked away in recording studios, swapping members and ditching new material before it became old material. This is a band many of the population probably haven't seen, heard or heard of. And now what have they done? They've only changed their name and announced one of the biggest gigs of their careers. Who said a little rebranding doesn't work? (Me!...every time a band changes it's name))

Since 2009, as The Drellas of Scott and co. sum total amounted to an eleven date UK tour on the back of a 7" double-A vinyl, an album that has been recorded and rerecorded endlessly and yet to see the light of day, and a handful of local cameo appearances, most recently supporting past-it punk rockers The Buzzcocks and Liverpool old-wave jewels Deaf School. The question on a lot of people's lips "is this band a stalling catalytic engine or a rumbling jet about to ignite?" The evidence and track record would suggest the former yet recent events suggest different. 

What is categorically undeniable from where I stand out front is there is no better band in Liverpool at present. A lack of  regular tours, new releases is tantamount to criminal behaviour and surely to be addressed beyond this relaunch. The fact still remains this band is locked up behind closed doors penning some of the most retrospective twisted modernistic songs of the current musical spectrum. Anyone who has been lucky enough to hear Boy in a Bodybag can bear witness.

Iggy Pop headlines Chester Rocks Day 2

So if you think £50 for a single day ticket at Chester Rocks to see a bunch of washed-up rockers (excluding Iggy Pop who couldn't be washed up if he went out like Robert Maxwell) is about as good value as a Liverpool Soundcity 2011 VIP wristband, you're not alone. Just don't be forgiven for slotting The Red Scare into the same category as Broudie, McCullough. These guy may be flogging dead horses but Scott is a devious little fucker with tricks up his sleeve so watch out Deva!

That said last month at Liverpool's largest gig-specific venue the psychobilly/jazz/punk/lounge quintet opened for Deaf School and stunned crowds with a rendition of Neighbourhood, the top ten hit for Scott in the 90's hayday of Space. It was a typically bopping version unique to The [then and final outing of] Drellas. It seems that although Tommy Scott and The Red Scare is likely to embrace its hit-pop roots wrangle them into a fusion of molten sax, psychobilly bass and rock drums this will drum up a fat PRS cheque for all concerned.

And then where it goes from there is anyone's guess!

www.chester-rocks.com

alec@antipoprecords.co.uk

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WOTLAD!

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Is Your Band Biog Boring???

It's not much of a blog entry, I know. It's just a quick link with a message behind it.

I could've put this on facebook where more people would have seen it, but then you wouldn't feel as exclusive and privileged as you should do for being here. I will relink and repost and you should too. (Thanks in advance)

http://www.thosebloodysnakes.co.uk/

Here's what to do. Click the link above, enter the site and then visit the page called 'The Band' and read the profiles for the band members of Those Bloody Snakes.

Is your band biog this funny, articulate and imaginative? Well, maybe it should be. A band biog like this, although not entirely 100% truthful and serious, can really make someone want to listen to/go see/meet your band. Don't you agree?

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Demo Review : SpaceGod

SpaceGod in ten words or less: "An introspective psychedelic blues explosion of a tortured robotic...dog"

Combining Dire Straits guitars, Jim Morrison vocals and Pink Floyd soundscapes can't be easy. The ambition in these three tracks that draws on influences past and future is actually worthy of a daft overblown name like SpaceGod. They may as well be called Europa or Utopian Wild Berry Fantasy, or some other shampoo sounding name. The bottom line, jokes and jibes aside, is here is a demo you may actually want to listen to again...and again.

These early recordings are the greatest testament to the daring ideas SpaceGod harbour and although it loses it grip at times and drags like an extended version of Lord of the Rings in others the sheer sublime moments of beauty are worth the listen alone.

It's just comforting to know that as the world turns to shit and drags music down with it people are still writing ambitious songs with this much creative energy. The world would less exciting if people didn't or hadn't attempted to make music like this. The world would be a more boring place without SpaceGod.



You can listen to these demos at:
www.reverbnation.com/spacegod Tweet