Comfortable on A Tightrope @ The Kings Arms
Comfortable on a Tightrope are now our longest standing SFTOC conspirators, making a massive contribution to the event all the way since 2008. And what has to be said about them, is said best by themselves…
“COMFORTABLE ON A TIGHTROPE MEANS everything is okay if you concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and looking forward. This is a metaphor and our mantra. It is a love song, a lousy dance, apolitical activism for the city we call home. With generosity and thanksgiving we have welcomed the makers of our favourite music to Manchester and Salford for the last seven years”.
Between last years SFTOC and this year, they’ll have hosted shows by Las Robertas, Kellies, Chain & The Gang, The Babies, UT, Meddicine, Sic Alps, Corpsekisser, Pheromoans, Molly Nilsson, Cass Mccombs, Jacuzzi Boys and more. 2012 looks like an exciting year on all fronts too—-hot on the heels of releasing NISENNENMONDAI / WAITERS 7″ they have new albums from IRMA VEP and WAY THROUGH and the long-awaited follow-up to the MUSEUMS compilation/ art zine all forthcoming
+ M O L L Y N I L S S O N
Molly Nilsson has been producing music and running her own label since 2007, releasing four albums of beautifully evocative listening. Combining swathes of nostalgic pop with the cleverest of lyrics she’s produced some of the smartest and most touching songs of recent years.
A swedish native, Molly moved to Berlin to set up Dark Skies Association, which she uses as a gloriously DIY platform in creating her sonic landscape and visual aesthetic.
On his last critically acclaimed album ‘We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves’, minnesota’s subversive pop master, John Maus covered Molly’s song ‘Hey Moon’, which she also lends her voice too, one of the stand-out tracks of a stand-out record.
‘the best pop music ever‘- Rough Trade
“dreamy, sometimes nostalgic synth-pop with simple/perfect melodies” Gorilla Vs Bear
+ T H E R E B E L
Benedict Roger Wallers is the frontman, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the band Country Teasers. Solo, he records under the moniker The Rebel, an unhinged outlet for a deranged mind
“Lots of twisted electronics, dimestore Casio sounds, some guitars and whatever else all thrown in the pan and pressure-cooked in the oven that is Wallers’ mind. Four tracks that veer from the simply bizarre to mind wrenching melancholy, with a sound that falls somewhere in the vicinity of the Swell Maps most experimental moments, obscure British DIY lunacy, The Fall, outsider art, and just about any closet four-track recording weirdo you can think of, especially those that loathe the music industry (and most other things as well). Subtly brilliant. Perfect for those moments when you’ve just arrived home at 5:30 in the morning, and you’re sitting there wondering just what it is that you’ve done” Terminal Boredom
+ I Ñ I G O U G A R T E B U R U
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Basque multi-instrumentalist Iñigo Ugarteburu back to his former home city for the first time since 2005. His work as a member of Café Teatro, Carcáscara, A4 and Pianola, attests to a deep spirituality and a minimalism, patience and restraint possessed only by the truest virtuosi. His long-awaited debut solo-LP, ‘Back & Forth’ has just been co-released by Foehn Records of Barcelona and his own impeccable Talo Recordings label.
As anyone who’s been around long enough to remember seeing him play with Chris Corsano, Women & Children or Hanne Hukkelberg will attest, the rare opportunity to see Iñigo perfrom live is not one to be missed.
+ M E D D I C I N E
MEDDICINE is a one-woman synth-punk project from Monika Krol, with releases on Clan Destine Records and her own Six Six Sixties label. The last time Meddicine came to Salford there were riots on the streets which may or may not have been caused by / related to her appearance. Some of the darkest, most damaged and affecting pop music you’re likely to hear on this planet or any other.
+ S A C R E D P A W S
Rachel Aggs from Trash Kit and Elidh from Golden Grrrls have a new band! If the bare facts are not enough to convince you of how exciting this is, or if you are unfamiliar with their work in either of those bands then we truly envy your impending joy of discovery.
SACRED//PAWS make a pinwheeling punk-pop wherein ‘punk’ is a shorthand for genuine artistic expression and ‘pop’ means more hooks than a tackle shop. Propulsive drum patterns and golden guitar lines intertwine with contrapuntal vocals. Each ‘part’ is great and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. They have a ‘Cassingle’ forthcoming on COAT sister label BIRTHDAY TAPES soon.
+ Y U L E F M
Yule FM is the chosen name of one Felix Müller from Berlin, Germany. On his own ‘H as in Recs’ label he has released three beautiful albums, physical copies of which are sold out. A new one, entitled ‘People The World…’ is imminent. We’ve been trying to set up a show for YULE FM for a couple of years and are delighted that it’s finally actually happening — The sincerity of his songs, the meditative arrangements, the warmth of the recordings conspire to awaken feelings not felt since our first encounters with the music of Thanksgiving or Arthur Russell all those years ago.
+ P L E A S E
Please is a trio conceived in London in 2006, comprised of duelling guitarists and an activated drummer.
The band feature members of The Lowest Form, Cleckhudderfax and Isambard Kingston Brunel, so it comes as no surprise that Please also sound completely different. Together the threesome offer up ramshackle rhythms and trippy aerobic guitars played alongside unmannered vocals. Delivered with the heady rush you’d expect of punk, Please race 60s garage slap and wrong-footed prog through an obstacle course. They have a sold-out 10″ record on OUSE and a split 12″ with Spin Spin The Dogs on Upset The Rhythm.
+ A P O S T I L L E
Apostille is the new damaged-pop project of Night School Records boss and PLEASE guitarist Michael Kasparis. Kaleidoscopic instrumentation is refracted into crystalline transmissions that are immediate and affecting, as evinced at his recent, debut performance at The Ape & Apple and on his imminent debut release on Birthday Tapes. Cues taken and hat-doffed to U.S. GIRLS, Cabaret Voltaire, Silk Flowers etc.