Sounds From the Other City new music festival unites the cream of the local scene with the finest musicians and club nights. Takes over Chapel Street from 3pm to midnight on Sunday 6 May 2012
If you’ve listened to Shinies, you’ve listened to Spent Youth. The only track that the band had available, they recently went down to London to record some more, and headed back up north with their single in the can. Available for pre-order on Dirty Bingo records, you can reserve your copy through the following link:
Of all the bands that have plodded around Manchester’s live scene in the past couple of years, none of them have had the same sense of wit and worthlessness that Monster Island seem to embody. Stephen from the band is going to be performing as… well, himself, doing some readings for Paradox, and then sticking around later to play some songs with the rest of his band. We’ve had a chat with him about some things and it’s really interesting, like.
Alright Stephen, how are you?
Good Enough.
You’re performing twice at the festival this year, but let’s start with your bread and butter: Monster Island. For those who’ve not had the pleasure of seeing you live, what can they expect?
They can expect some uncomfortable funk, some heavy chords, some vicious drum playing and some viscous hip swaying. This will likely be layered with snaky bass, beer battered guitar and some yokely northern vocals.
You’re all from the wastelands of industrial Lancashire, which means you’ll be at home in Salford. To what extent do you think all that decay has affected what you do as a band?
To a large extent.
Perhaps not decay persay, and I don’t agree with anyone who sees beauty in decay eg. a derelict warehouse or a dead pigeon. The American Beauty/Six Feet Under mindset. Shite is Shite.
Instead maybe just the awkward, bland, stressful, convoluted infrastructure and atmosphere of most northern towns and cities.
NCPs, stinky bins, “street furniture”, new build flats with little or no ground floor retail provision, bad cladding, knackered vistas. Specific examples would include the Arndale Food Court which, were I a sturdy giant, I would boot towards the Pennines. Salford Quays and its endless fences and dead brick walls. They don’t have to put up with this bullshit in Paris.
The words from Monster Island tracks have always felt more like free verse poetry than lyrics to me – does your work as a poet differ much from your work with the band?
Some of the songs are a bit all over the place but the ones I hope will work as spoken word have a bit of a story or theme. They’ll always be a bit disperse though as they usually start life as a series of one liners typed into a phone in Next or scrawled into a work pad mid conference call which seek each other out over a period of months.
People always ask about what music has inspired bands, but what poets/writers most excite you? – and, of course, why.
Anyone with colour, humour, a bit of menace and a good sense of rhythm.
Ballard, Philip K Dick, Joyce, Faulkner, Kafka, Beckett, Pinter. With lyricists Mark Smith in his prime was untouchable, and inspiring in that he just writes about whatever the fuck he wants. Loveable oddballs like Marnie Stern, Isaac Brock and Frank Black. Also more flowery stuff like Leonard Cohen, Bill Callahan, David Berman. It’s all about the assonance man.
I don’t read a lot of poetry. I built up a GCSE aversion to it. Science-y concepts like iambic pentameter sucking the fun out of it for everyone.
Right, last two things – give us a link to a song you like at the minute:
Recently I’ve been listening to a few of the bands I liked back when I was a young man, like this:
Or, on the SFTOC theme,
…and recommend us a poem we should seek out
I’m going to cheat here and recommend the words to a song, “San Francisco BC” by the Silver Jews. He makes it look easy.
Stephen will be reading at Paradox, then doing a set with Monster Island for Fat Out till You Pass Out.
It feels a bit odd looking back now, but it kinda was the whole Arctic Monkeys thing that kicked off the idea of a band being able to get anywhere through just having a bit of internet presence. A decade or so later and Regal Safari have followed down a similar path, though with music a world away from the Yorkshire drawl and landfill indie sounds.
The best way to think of a Regal Safari song is probably through that of darkness and light, shimmering hope through the atmospheric gloom that the rest of music seems to have shrouded itself in at the moment. We had a chat with the band to see what’s what.
Hiya Regal Safari, how are you?
Hi Matthew, We’re good. Working on new material currently and preparing for shows so all is well.
For those who’ve not listened to you before, can you give us a few words about what you do?
S: We create sounds using synthesizers, drum machines and we take samples from field recordings I make on a dictaphone.
G: It is electronic music I suppose, although I’d consider it pop music.
S: I’m currently cutting film to project while we perform, but we will produce to images also – it changes what you want from a sound.
Growing up, what influenced you? Do you think that shows in your work? G: I listened to mainly classical music during the first decade in my life so therefore I was reasonably isolated from a lot of the more contemporary music out there. Although, I was aware of and enjoyed a few popular bands such as Blur. But I wouldn’t say that any of that music really stands out in our music.
S: I realise now that growing up I wasn’t very interested in the objects that I was listening to, but rather looking for sounds that pleased me. Names and genres were pretty irrelevant, I just took whatever was around, which for my friends was guitar music circa 1970 and some pretty (but sometimes awful) american electronica.
G: I’d say the most formative element that drove me to, for want of a better word, create was the first time I played a synthesizer and learned that you could sculpt sound to your precise taste. That was incredible. Hearing a lot of the electronic/experimental German acts from the 60s, 70s and 80s helped me curate certain ideas in my mind.
S: Guy introduced me to a lot of that stuff, its had a profound impact on how I think about electronic music now.
A lot of your early hype came through the whole blog scene. What do you think about the ‘blogosphere’ and all the people who plough their time into it?
G: I find the blogosphere remarkable in a way – the fact that so many people put so much time and effort into it is fantastic. We didn’t have any PR for the releases of the EP, videos or remixes and still we got onto websites and blogs – even a couple that I read. So it was quite amazing.
S: People seemed to respond in quite an honest way, trying to bring something to the music. It was always very positive.
If I’m not mistaken, this will be your first trip up north as an outfit. Have you ever made the trip to Salford? How do you think you’ll find it?
S: Yeah it’s our first trip up north as Regal Safari.
G: I’ve been to Salford before and I spent a fair amount of time in Manchester when I was younger so I think it’ll be good to be back.
Lastly – what’s your favourite song at the moment?
Regal Safari will be playing for Drowned in Sound/Grey Lantern at The Black Lion for this year’s festival.
After months of careful planning, we’re proud to announce the first big raft of bands playing at this year’s edition of the festival. There’s the usual mix of names that you know – Walls, Pandr Eyez, The Lovely Eggs, Loney Dear, Molly Nilsson – and ones that you will definitely know by the time the big day comes along – Embers, Shinies, PINS, GREAT WAVES, Fear of Men, as well as everything in between. All the line-ups have been updated on the stages section – have a look and see what you fancy. It is going to be a blast.
…and, as if by magic, the new tracks from this years crop of SFTOC bands begin pouring in. Signed to Angular Records, this new song picks up where their last single ‘Young Lovers Go Pop!’ left off and is going to be released as a limited edition fanzine. The track will be available to purchase from February 20th, but you can stream it below already.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/35339544" iframe="true" /]
This Many Boyfriends – Young Lovers Go Pop
This Many Boyfriends will be playing the Underachievers, Please Try Harder stage at the Salford Arms
Along with the veteran promoters that are curating stages at this years festival, we’re proud to have some new hands on board, too. Drowned In Sound is one of the biggest music review websites in the world, and they’ve recently re-started the Manchester arm of promoting side, getting Simon Jay Catling (among others) to help out. Simon himself is also involved with putting on shows under the Grey Lantern name with (among others) Ben Blackburn. We had a chat with the two to see what information we could eek out of them before the big line-up announcement next week.
Hello to you both. Simon: you’re here representing Drowned in Sound. For all those who’ve been fortunate enough to have not wasted their early teenage years on the sites forum, could you give us a bit of information about what DiS is an what it represents and that.
Simon: DiS began back in 2000 and was started up by editor-in-chief Sean Adams; it’s gone from being the ramblings of just one man in his bedroom to one of the heaviest trafficking music websites in UK as well as having success as a record label and live promotions team. The wonderful souls who make up our online community have successfully driven the likes of Editors’ Tom Smith and Bloc Party to distraction, whilst Brian May once called us “the filthiest scum of the earth” which we can only take as a heartily ringing endorsement. Ultimately though we’re just a bunch of folks – both staff and forum users – who love our music and’ll write ourselves to embarrassment to get others into it.
And Ben: you’ve got the job of doing the same for Grey Lantern.
Ben: Indeed I will be! I joined the Grey Lantern team last year, and in that time it has gone from strength to strength. After being founded by Simon and Chris – following an earlier incarnation taking place at the rather humble Bay Horse – 2011 saw us three bearded fellows host the likes of Air Cav, Then Thickens, Dignan Porch, Cloud Boat, Ghosting Season and Human Hair across several venues in Manchester. As we enter 2012, we plan to continue our development of Grey Lantern’s philosophy of showcasing the best local talent, while also providing a stepping stone for some of the country’s finest breaking acts. Watch out for a particularly special show in April, featuring our first international booking, too!
You’re sharing upstairs at The Black Lion. What can we expect from the venue?
S: The first time I saw the venue I got so excited I promptly began drinking in it as t’were already SFTOC and forgot to do my Christmas shopping as a result. The lack of presents my family received last year – and my consequent banishing from the Catling household – has done little to diminish that anticipation. It was taken over by new owners last year and they’ve had Future Artists upstairs showing films so we know it’s a great creative space. We’ll be bringing down some of our pals down in force – Video Is The Only Constant will be provide a unique backdrop for each of our acts upstairs, and downstairs we’ve John & Natalie from Work Them and Sam from Pop Deviant, among others, spinning tunes all day.It’d be nice to think that it’s going to turn out like a bit of a central gathering hub for the lower Chapel Street part of the festival site much like Islington Mill and Pint Pot have been for the upper part over the past few years.
B: Simon has pretty much hit the nail on the head with what we believe we can achieve in such a fantastic venue. Having the two floors will certainly mean we can create a real hive of activity on the day, and possibly even deafen a few brave souls who choose not to stray from our continuous stream of music both upstairs and downstairs! With the Black Lion not involved with SFTOC last year, it’s really exciting to know we’re working with somewhat of a blank canvas, and we hope to re-establish it as one of the festival’s key venues.
For the other 364 days of the year, what do you two get upto?
S: Both being North Easterners we tend to spend most of our time together discussing some of the region’s more popular bus routes, struggling – 11 years on – to get over the passing of the hugely loved fictional TV character, Geoff from Byker Grove, and planning ahead of our summer holidays in the luxurious tourist hotspot that is Whitley Bay. On the heart wrenching moments we’re apart from each other I can normally be found writing for any of number of sites and publications including the NME, The Quietus and – surprisingly – Drowned In Sound where I’m Manchester’s local columnist. I also worked as panel co-ordinator and press officer as part of a small team that set up Manchester Music Seminars – we held our first event last October at Umbro on Dale Street, managing to sell-out and having a smashing day of it if the feedback we’ve gained was anything to go by. Other than that – as Ben’s pointed out – I do rather a lot as Grey Lantern as well, but am probably happiest when drunkenly extolling the virtues of Withington to anyone who’ll – and even some who won’t – listen. I’m also a former shepherd. Say, Ben, what do you do?
B: Simon’s not joking about our nostalgia fueled conversations – I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve found myself talking about that Philippe Albert chip. However Geordie talk aside, I first began my foray into music by co-founding the music blog Crack In The Road, which has led to further roles at LostLostLost, The 405, and Generator’s ‘Tipping Point’ Feature. Along with my journalistic ventures, I also run online PR for several acts on the mega cool local label Everybody’s Stalking Recordings, and I’ve recently joined the fantastic team at Loomer Agency to help with booking for a couple of acts on their roster. I had the good fortune of working with Simon, albeit in a minor way, on the inaugural Manchester Music Seminars by running their social media on the day, primarily through live tweeting. Fitting these roles around my current undergraduate degree has been challenging at times, however I’m also looking for new opportunities to further my experience in the industry.
What was the first year that you came to the festival? Got any good memories from the day?
S: First year I came to the festival would be 2010 and I remember getting my already teetering mind blown by Chrome Hoof at the Mill; it was just a really great day in general however – I think my two favourite aspects of SFTOC are that it brings promoters together who otherwise are competing in our gloriously vibrant and busy local live calendar and sees them work together; and secondly it’s great bringing the music scene down to Chapel Street as opposed to the usual venues in the city centre. It’s comfortably my favourite festival in the area and I’m genuinely delighted that DiS are going to be involved in it.
B: My first experience of SFTOC would be 2011, so it’s an incredible feeling for me knowing that only a year on I’ve been given the opportunity to actually contribute to this wonderful festival. I remember arriving last year to collect my pass from the Mill, and I was immediately absorbed by the air of musical activity that was whirring on around me. There are certain city-based festivals which can leave you feeling like they were created simply for the sake of it, however SFTOC has a genuine sense of collective ambition and pride that is reflected in the diverse and highly talented line up that each and every local promoter brings to the festival. I also agree with Simon that it’s great to see the spotlight shed on a different part of the city and the equally fantastic venues it can boast about.
Got plans to go to any other festivals this summer?
S: I’d like to go back to Green Man this year as my first experience of it in 2011 was wonderful – I’d love to get abroad a bit more this year too, Sonar p’raps? Who knows, I tend to burn pretty badly, and my ginger beard clashes horribly with that. These are the important things to keep in mind when booking a foreign festival.
B: Last year provided my first Glastonbury experience, so needless to say summer 2012 has a lot to live up to! As Glasto isn’t on this year (otherwise I’d be heading straight back), I’d like to make it to several smaller festivals this summer. End of The Road is a must in my eyes, and Green Man certainly sounds like an exciting possibility after what Simon has told me about it. I’d like to return to Hove Festival in Norway, as it’s one of the few festivals I’ve ever been to where the campsite doesn’t resemble a refugee camp.
Find us a video of your favourite song at the moment.
S: We’re both pretty obsessed with London-based producer and musician Halls at the minute. He’s just released a new EP, ‘Fragile’ on boutique label The Sounds Of Sweet Nothing and it’s really disarmingly emotive collection of tracks, here be ‘I Am Not What You Want.’ At the time of publishing we may have more news on him…
Grey Lantern, Drowned in Manchester and Pop Deviant will all be at The Black Lion for this years festival.
Having started at the end of 2011 at KRAAK Gallery, Work Them has already been featured in the MEN and all sorts of other places. Already hyped as one of the most important nights in Manchester, we decided to ask them down for this years Sounds, and we thought we’d ask John Thorp a little bit about what we can expect when the day finally comes around.
Right John. Tell us everything that we should know about Work Them.
We’re a forward thinking, backwards glimpsing monthly clubnight at Kraak Gallery specialising in exciting alternative and charismatic dance music. Everything from Atlas Sound to Pearson Sound in a hopefully natural progression. We’ve also started booking bands sooner than we’d anticipated, such as London’s excellent patten on February 3rd. We run a blog (www.workthemclub.blogspot.com), and a series of mixtapes – two so far, both available here http://www.mixcloud.com/WorkThem/
The current mixtape, Seasonal Affective Disco, is an hour or so of music for an optimistic winter’s midweek bus ride home, and the other, Somewhat Essential Mix, is a sort of more party-focused calling card for the club and what we love to play.
What else might ‘festival revellers’ know you from – you DJ at other nights and do other stuff, right?
DJ sets at all your usuals across town occasionally. Fortunately, the crowd at SFTOC come to discover new things, although compared to some of the weird stuff I’ve seen over the years, a DJ set from me should be pretty low priority on that scale.
What was the best thing you saw at SFTOC last year?
Certainly the most memorable thing I saw was David Thomas Broughton, who I wasn’t aware of previously. Hey Manchester! had him on. He’s a folk singer and guitarist who excessively and hypnotically samples himself with loop pedals for his live show. He also likes to go out in the the crowd, uses empty seats as musical instruments and at one point produced a rape alarm which he fashioned into an ambient flute in his mouth. It was really unexpected and stange, and even a little bit threatening in terms of how he ‘worked the space’.
Later on, I watched D/R/U/G/S play a sweaty live set whilst a drunk and enthusiastic transvestite flanked him on a monitor. That’s the sort of thing that you can get away with at Islington Mill.
So what have you got up your sleeve for the big day? Anything people should look out for?
The tentative plan is to host a kind of party within a party late on at the Mill, where I’ll be playing records, hopefully accompanied by a special guest DJ set. Earier in the day we’ll be playing at another stage in the name of ambience, and from previous experience people are usually pretty up for it after 7 hours of boozing, so we’ll probably try and keep it pretty jumping at that point.
As for looking out for things, Vondelpark were almost upstaged last year by a lovable and friendly spaniel running around during their set. It was pretty adorable at the time, but a word of warning to that dog, if I see him trying the same thing with me whilst I’m banging out the new Boddika single or whatever, I will be forced to transmit an uncomfortable high pitched sound that only he or she will hear.
Lastly, give us a video of something that’s really exciting you at the minute:
I really like Molly Nillson. She’s a Swedish pop singer, bedroom/DIY whatever, her new album, History, is her 4th apparently, but I haven’t heard any of her other stuff as of yet. She reminds me of both Beach House and Lykke Li, but she’s lyrically witty and specialises in a a sort of dancefloor melancholy, which is my favourite kind of melancholy.
I’m not a specialist on the local band scene, but I really like Great Waves’ stuff so far, and I hope somebody books them.
Ta, John.
Work Them will be downstairs at The Black Lion with Pop Deviant and friends. The clubnight returns on February 3rd at Kraak with Patten playing. Further information at http://workthemclub.blogspot.com/
Whilst other clubnights have fallen by the wayside, Underachievers keeps going from strength the strength. Starting off at the ill-fated Saki Bar, moved on to Gullivers and before moving to its new home of The Roadhouse. Showcasing some of the best new bands before playing some dancefloor fillers until the early hours, they’ve picked up various awards along the way. We sent Dave a couple of questions about what we can expect from their stage at SFTOC 2012.
Hiya Dave. In a sentence, sum up what Underachievers is for all those people who’ve never been
It’s an alt. indie night to share what you like without getting all po-faced about it. For the last couple of years, you’ve been part of the Postcards from Manchester crew. What’s your best memory from it all?
Probably the epic after-parties, not to in any way demean some of the fine bands that have played for us. Evan from New Hips doing the long jump onto chairs across The Old Pint Pot was freakishly impressive.
What can we expect from you this year? Got anything special planned for the big day?
We’ve always wanted to do a secret set with someone. Maybe this year we’ll finally get a band to agree to one of our not really thought through, strange requests. Previous ideas involved boats and bandstands.
Oh, and lastly: give us a video of yr favourite track in the world at the minute
Cheers Dave.
Underachievers, Please Try Harder will be hosting a stage at The Salford Arms for Sounds from the Other City this year. The clubnight is the 2nd Saturday and last Friday of every month at The Roadhouse, and it is brilliant.
If you didn’t manage to make it to last years festival, here’s a round-up of what the critics said about the big day:
If Sounds From the Other City gets better every year, as evidence suggests and the organisers claim, then a pass to 2012’s event is a unmissable purchase.
Folks at a loose end next May Bank Holiday and even those who already have plans should consider clearing their diaries for Sounds from the Other City – a not-so-underdog festival that carefully gleans local and international talent and fits it all into Salford’s finest settings.
Each May Day in Salford SFTOC takes “the kind of shows that usually bless the trendier venues in neighbouring Manchester” (Salford is Greater Manchester’s second city – not in a heirachical sense though) and turns the ever-regenerating area into a buzz of music and art. One big day-long creative party, SFTOC brings together a host of promoters from both cities, such as Hey! Manchester, Now Wave, Trash-O-Rama, Wot God Forgot and Mind On Fire, and throws them out to the pubs, cafes and even the churches of Salford’s Chapel Street area.
By the time they’re in full swing, the Rovers Return is rammed, and Trojan Horse play as good a set as I’ve seen them deliver, blasting through ‘Laces and Racists’, ‘Disciplining the Reserve Army’, ‘Mr Engels Says’ and a new tune that they’re calling ‘Bloc Party’ as a working title. Ending the set by throwing his guitar exuberantly at the ceiling and speaker stacks, Nick Duke is finally growing into his role as frontman of one of Manchester’s most promising rock groups, and as always the ‘Horse don’t disappoint.
This year’s SFTOC festival sees that elusive guest not immediately associated with previous Bank Holiday Sunday afternoons in the Chapel Street locale; clear skies and sunshine.
