FORTUNA POP! – FIFTEEN YEARS OF FUN – 1st, 2nd, 3rd Nov at Scala, London. Click For Infos.
Just a quick reminder that we’re little more than a fortnight away from our 15TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS AT THE SCALA – three incredible, unmissable bills that promise to be among the best shows we’ve ever put on. We’re very excited about these shows, even more so since we found out that Linton, Wyatt & Yoshi from The Aislers Set will be joining Cinema Red & Blue on stage to play a handful of Aislers classics!
Tues 1st Nov
The Primitives + Cinema Red & Blue (with special guests Linton, Wyatt & Yoshi from The Aislers Set) + Bearsuit + Monnone Alone (ex-The Lucksmiths)
Guest DJ: Paul Wright (Track & Field)
TICKETS
Wed 2nd Nov
Crystal Stilts + Comet Gain + Shrag + Evans The Death
Guest DJ: Ian Watson (How Does It Feel To Be Loved?)
TICKETS
Thu 3rd Nov
Allo Darlin’ + Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern + Tender Trap + The Ladybug Transistor
Guest DJ: Paul Richards (Scared To Dance)
TICKETS
Or treat yourself and buy a THREE NIGHT TICKET. That way you won’t miss a thing.
Doors 6.30pm each night, first band on 7:30pm
Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, King’s Cross, London N1 9NL
(Nearest tube/train : King’s Cross / St. Pancras)
Scala box office – Tel: 08444 771 000 between 10am and 6pm Mon-Fri
Oh, and following each show there will be a free afterparty two minutes down the road at The Lexington with guest DJs Stolen Wine Social (Tues), Simon from The Loves (Wed) and Simon Trought from Soup Studios and The Secondary Modern (Thurs). You’re all invited to come and hang out.
Read on for waaaaay too much detail on everything above…
FORTUNA POP! – FIFTEEN YEARS OF FUN – TUES 1ST NOV
The Primitives + Cinema Red & Blue (with special guests Linton, Wyatt & Yoshi from The Aislers Set) + Bearsuit + Monnone Alone (ex-The Lucksmiths)
Guest DJ: Paul Wright (Track & Field)
TICKETS
THE PRIMITIVES
Fronted by indiepop blonde bombshell Tracy Tracy, The Primitives emerged from the independent scene of the mid-80s that spawned The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, The Wedding Present and Primal Scream. Their sound distilled the shimmering guitar jangle of the Byrds, the buzzsaw style of The Ramones and 60’s girl group melodies into two and a half minute pop gems. Regular session guests on John Peel’s radio show, with many an appearance in his Festive Fifty, their career was boosted / hindered when Morrissey named them as one of his favourite bands. The band were reunited in 2009 by the untimely passing of their original bass player Steve Dullaghan, reforming to play a show in his memory later that year in their home town of Coventry; their first show together for 17 years. Bolstered by its success they went on to tour the UK in April 2010, receiving a rapturous response, followed by a headline slot at the Indietracks festival, shows in the US and Spain, and an EP of new material released on Fortuna POP! last year. Look out for their new album of obscure sixties girl covers coming soon on Elefant Records.
“They certainly don’t sound like croaky old fiends: The Primitives comeback EP is a gloriously carefree affair, delivered with panache and restraint.” (Artrocker)
http://the-primitives.co.uk
CINEMA RED & BLUE (with special guests Linton, Wyatt & Yoshi from The Aislers Set)
Cinema Red And Blue is a transatlantic pop music collaboration between members of Crystal Stilts and Comet Gain, produced by Gary Olson (Ladybug Transistor). Their self-titled debut album on What’s Your Rupture? featured heavy rec-room vibes, lotsa booze, lots to do and little time to do it – a supersesh with a host of David Feck originals and a bunch of covers (The Chills, Julian Cope, Vic Godard, etc), assembled in the belief that something good can come from the stored memories and shared experiences of friends who play music. Look out for their upcoming “Walkin’ In The Cemetery” Halloween EP on Fortuna POP!
“Members of The Clean, The Aislers Set, and The Ladybug Transistor all pop by at various points, and the music shimmers and jangles with all the requisite bittersweet colors… a knowing and affecting power-pop record about the foibles of loving records too much.” (Pitchfork)
http://www.myspace.com/cinemaredandblue
BEARSUIT
Bearsuit are a boy/girl five-piece from Norwich who were also favourites of the late John Peel. Known for their electric and outlandish performances, especially their many and varied onstage outfits, from blood covered zombies to majorettes, Bearsuit have supported the likes of Crystal Castles, Future of the Left, Lightspeed Champion and Hot Chip. Their latest album on Fortuna POP! “The Phantom Forest” features their new edgy sound of dirty synths and fierce guitars and was recorded with Gareth Parton – producer to the Go Team!, Foals, The Breeders, Pink Grease and Pete and the Pirates. New single “Princess, You’re a Test” is out now.
“Sleazy synth-pop jabbing a finger in the direction of Of Montreal with the odd nuance of Le Tigre. A riotous, beat-laden, dance floor-filling affair” Rocksound
http://www.bearsuit.co.uk
MONNONE ALONE (EX THE LUCKSMITHS)
Monnone Alone is Mark Monnone with an assorted cast of friends, buddies, pals, cronies, deadbeats, etc. As bass-player-about town, Mark is a regular casanova, musically seducing the likes of Sally Seltmann, Darren Hanlon, Bart & Friends, Guy Blackman, amongst other lucky sods. However, between the years of 1993 and 2009 inclusive, Mark was best known as the bass player for The Lucksmiths and was responsible for penning such familiar favourites as T-Shirt Weather, Myopic Friends and Take This Lying Down. The debut Monnone Alone single Pink Earrings is out now, with a follow-up single, Echoing Days, recorded by Gary Olson in Brooklyn and featuring Linton (The Aislers Set) on drums, coming soon.
“Mark Monnone could make this a full-time job should he want to such is his charisma, smart lyricism and the warm reception he receives. His effortlessness on stage and total unpretentiousness is an endlessly rewarding experience.” (interviewsandgigreviews)
http://www.lostandlonesome.com.au/monnone-alone
FORTUNA POP! – FIFTEEN YEARS OF FUN – WED 2ND NOV
Crystal Stilts + Comet Gain + Shrag + Evans The Death
Guest DJ: Ian Watson (How Does It Feel To Be Loved?)
TICKETS
CRYSTAL STILTS
Crystal Stilts burst out of Brooklyn’s storied post-punk indie scene in 2008 with a string of releases that culminated in their fantastic debut album Alight Of Night. Deftly combining the spooked 60s Texas psych of 13th Floor Elevators and Red Crayola, the gothic blues/punk howl of Gun Club, the dark, experimental DIYism of early Flying Nun/Xpressway groups and a dash of classic 60s pop by way of early Mary Chain, Alight Of Night won universal accolades and established the band as first-class purveyors of haunting, atmospheric post-punk pop. Now the release of second album In Love With Oblivion on Fortuna POP! sets the bar even higher as they reach dizzying, fuzzy heights as first class purveyors of haunting, atmospheric post-punk pop.
“Weirdly life-affirming and very fun, Crystal Stilts are moody-sounding fuckers who make fabulous stripped-down, C86-like garage-pop.” (Pitchfork)
http://www.crystalstilts.com
COMET GAIN
Led by songwriter David Feck, Comet Gain have released a string of critically acclaimed records on Kill Rock Stars, Track & Field, What’s Your Rupture? and, of course, Fortuna POP!, through whom their latest long player “Howl Of The Lonely Crowd”, recorded with, variously, Edwyn Collins, Ryan Jarman of The Cribs, Brian O’Shaugnnessy and Alasdair Maclean of The Clientele behind the mixing desk, was released. Unapologetically literate and emotional, Comet Gain seek out inspiration as much in the music of girl-group era pop, heartfelt Americana, British post-punk, and 60s psychedelia, as in the words and images of the beat poets and in the cinema of both the British and French new-wave of the late 50 and early 60s. Comet Gain insist on locating and articulating the romance and the heartbreak that permeate and terrorize the everyday, whilst refusing to slip into sentiment or mawkishness. From artists like The Make-Up and Jens Lekman to a younger generation of DIY musicians like The Cribs, Love Is All, Veronica Falls, Comet Gain’s influence remains a traceable and tangible thing.
“Three in the morning in someone’s London apartment, unattached men and women not giving up on the night: At first you hear blithering, then the smartest blithering you’ve ever heard. Then shots in the dark: “There’s no security in purity.” Then anguish and hope, forgiveness and curses, and a heartbreaker from its title to the last note: “Why I Try to Look So Bad.” By this point you’re hearing people you’d like to meet.” (Greil Marcus)
http://www.myspace.com/thecometgain
SHRAG
An exhilarating blend of dirty, distorted post-punk guitars, shouty riot grrl-style vox and fantastic pop songs, alongside nods to everyone from Le Tigre to Penetration. Their debut album garnered comparisons to Love is All, Gang of Four and B-52s, and led to a UK tour supporting The Cribs, appearances at both London Popfest and Indietracks festivals, and a session for Marc Riley on BBC 6music. Their second album Life! Death! Prizes! was released on WIAWYIA Records in October 2010 and was named Album of the Month in Artrocker Magazine. The band are currently working on their third album.
“A spectacularly bitter indie girls-set-on-stun dual vocal attack, in what is one of the better bands to juxtapose schmindie twee and angered literary abstraction since 1990s unsung legends Prolapse.” (The Guardian)
http://www.myspace.com/shrag
EVANS THE DEATH
Evans the Death make frenetic and infectious punk pop which exudes the kind of unbridled charisma, intelligence, and runaway energy that promises a singularly exciting future for the band. Having evidently spent a good proportion of their young lives attuned as much to the lyrical dexterity of Morrissey, Lawrence Felt, Edwyn Collins, and Jarvis Cocker, as to the scuzzed up melodic exuberance of early My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, The Pixies, and the I Am Kurious Oranj era of The Fall, the band effortlessly blend precocious musical literacy with the kind of unerring self-awareness which makes for a perfectly pitched pop sensibility.
“The debut Evans the Death single is a joy. This reminds me of the first time I heard Pixies or Tunabunny or Horowitz or any of those bands that seems to make such sweet sounds by physically abusing their instruments” (A Layer of Chips)
http://www.myspace.com/evansthedeath
FORTUNA POP! – FIFTEEN YEARS OF FUN – THURS 3RD NOV
Allo Darlin’ + Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern + Tender Trap + The Ladybug Transistor
Guest DJ: Paul Richards (Scared To Dance)
TICKETS
ALLO DARLIN’
Allo Darlin’ are many things. They can turn a room in a famous punk venue into a joyous, jumping, sweaty, pop-mosh pit. Or bring a room of 500 to hushed silence with the few strums of a ukulele and a love song about cooking. Coming very much from a DIY approach, they inspire true dedication from their fans, many of whom will travel hundreds of miles to see them. In their brief lifetime they have toured the USA four times, sold out tours across the UK and embarked on an epic five-week European tour. The band have also been strongly supported by BBC 6music, recording several sessions including one at the BBC’s prestigious Maida Vale Studios. Their self-titled debut was released to universal acclaim in 2010 with plaudits including being named No. 2 record of the year by online retailer eMusic, and a glowing 1,200 word essay by legendary Go-Between Mr. Robert Forster in the Australian critical magazine, The Monthly. Despite all the activity, Allo Darlin’ have found time to write songs for their follow-up album which is being recorded now and is slated to come out early next year.
“Terrific, witty and heartfelt, like a less moody Belle & Sebastian” (The New York Times)
http://www.allodarlin.com
DARREN HAYMAN & THE SECONDARY MODERN
Best known as the singer-songwriter of the phenomenally successful and much-loved Hefner, Darren Hayman is now six albums into an increasingly idiosyncratic career path; writing the theme tune and staring in a Spanish Sitcom, playing a 30 people capacity show in a 100 year old paper mache observatory and playing possibly Britiain’s most remote festival on the Isle of Eigg. Darren is also writing the best tunes of his career; increasingly complex and mature songs. In the latest incarnation of the constantly morphing Secondary Modern he has gathered together a set of musicians with the chops to do justice to his increasingly complex and mature songs; a tight, tough, but soulful folk-rock orchestra reminiscent of a more urban Incredible String Band or an Anglicized Lambchop. Following his January Songs project Darren continues one of his busiest years with a brand new solo album of subtle, drifting piano ballads called The Ship’s Piano out in October.
“London’s laureate of sexual dysfunction, discomfort, and dog-eared under-achievement… the match of Ray Davies, or any of the quintessentially English masters.” (The Guardian)
http://www.hefnet.comn
TENDER TRAP
Led by ex Talulah Gosh and Heavenly founder Amelia Fletcher, the now five strong Tender Trap sound brimful with energy, ideas and that unquenchable pop spirit, making the kind of classic indiepop that puts most current bands to shame. Their recent album Dansette, Dansette was filled with riot-grrrl-esque tales of sisterhood and revenge that wouldn’t be out of place among the punkest moments of Amelia’s previous outfits Talulah Gosh and Heavenly. Tender Trap now have added vocal harmonies, oohs, ahs and sha-la-las of classic girl-pop with the stripped down beats and dirty guitars of the Shop Assistants and The Vaselines.
“In a nicer parallel universe, Tender Trap’s Amelia Fletcher is the most influential artist of her day” (NME)
http://www.myspace.com/tendertrap
THE LADYBUG TRANSISTOR
Formed in the mid-1990s around Brooklyn native Gary Olson’s collaborations with friends, over the course of some sixteen years and six remarkable albums, The Ladybug Transistor have confirmed their standing as the preeminent exponents of lush, formalist pop music. With a superlative new record, Clutching Stems, their pursuit of a singular musical vision remains as true as ever, its lush collection of potent refrains and brought-to-one’s-knees ballads, anchored by Gary Olson’s restrained baritone, bringing to mind the classic understated pop sensibility of late-period Go-Betweens.
“Clutching Stems is the band’s finest record since The Albemarle Sound, and the kind of pop record that may break your heart, may even tear you apart, but it’s also generous and complex enough to put you back together in the end.” (Prefix Media)
http://www.theladybugtransistor.com/
Thanks for reading. See you at the Scala!
