Comfortable on A Tightrope @ The United Reform Church
“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 eight years”.
Since last years SFTOC HUNX & HIS PUNX, JULIA HOLTER, SEA LIONS, GOLDEN GRRRLS, NITE JEWEL, DEEP TIME, SACRED PAWS, CHAIN & THE GANG, TRASH KIT, U.S GIRLS, THE PASTELS, VERONICA FALLS, VERITY SUSMAN, LA LA VASQUEZ, APOSTILLE, BRILLIANT COLORS, THE PROPER ORNAMENTS, SIMON JOYNER and countless others from the global pop underground have graced their stages. The long-awaited follow up collaboration with MUSEUMS PRESS MUSEUMS IV also surfaced, becoming their 14th release of their fledgling label and quickly followed by the debut APOSTILLE 7″ and cassette releases for EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS, SIMON JOYNER, GOLDEN GRRRLS. Their ongoing collaboration with Giant Hell on a series of ‘LOVE-IN’ s and the BIRTHDAY TAPES series accounts for any spare moments they might have had this past 12 months.
V O L U N T E E R S P A R K
Silk Flowers is the nomme de guerre of one Aviram Cohen. Since his teens he’s been seeking an authentic form of post-punk expression. As the singer of the germs-y punks THE BAD FORM, as the drummer of skronking absurdist lounge lizards SOILED MATTRESS & THE SPRINGS and, more recently as one third of SILK FLOWERS, (“pretty much our favourite band of all time-C.O.A.T”) and the architects of a string of abstract concrete-pop masterpieces on PPM & Captured Tracks.
S E A P I N K S
A band from Belfast inspired by sea glass, bleached grass and ghost guitars. Their third album “Freak Waves” came out on September 3rd 2012 via CF/Recs.
“Belfast’s Sea Pinks defy local comparison. Having swiftly emerged over the last couple of years as of one of the country’s most singular and inspired acts, their wistful brand of glistening guitar pop always ensures a supremely retrofied dose of jangly lo-fi goodness” – Au Magazine
L A L A V A S Q U E Z
Hailing from the Southeast of England La La Vasquez are Rachael Finney, Merida Richards and Freya Watson. LA LA VASQUEZ first graced the SFTOC stage in 2009 in what was only their 2nd ever live performance. Since then they’ve released 7″s on Captured Tracks, M’Ladys and a split with NEONATES on OneC and played countless shows all over with Girls Names, Brilliant Colors, Veronica Falls, Vivian Girls et al. COAT’s admiration and respect for them is no secret- this will be the 5th time they’ve hosted them and each time has been better than the last. 2013 will see the band release their long-awaited debut album
E D I B L E A R R A N G E M E N T S
Edible Arrangements is Isa Brooks, Rachael Finney and Martha Orchard. COAT recently had the pleasure of releasing their debut self-titled cassette and could not be more excited to welcome them to SFTOC. Listening to them makes us think of The Redcoats Are Coming!, Spooky Dance Band and The Stooges as much as, if not more than, any more obvious reference points (Kleenex, Raincoats, Electrelane)”.
“Edible Arrangements pull off a haunting, glacial, spectral post-punk sound. Creepy, measured harmonies relay around horror organ riffs. The spookiness is undercut by the warm, homely amateurism of the stocking-footed keyboardist, breaking into giggles” – Louder Than War”
S A C R E D P A W S
SACRED PAWS are Elidh Rodgers (Golden Grrrls) and Rachel Aggs (TRASH KIT, SHOPPING) from Glasgow / London. Their pinwheeling afro-punk can be heard on a ‘ Cassingle’ on COAT’s little sister label BIRTHDAY TAPES, one side of a beautiful LP box set ‘Some Songs -Side By Side’ and the forthcoming Riots Not Diets compilation LP. Propulsive drums and Golden guitar lines intertwine with contrapuntal vocals in songs which are equally heady and heart-rending.
“Although there’s something trance-inducing about watching someone work a board of pedals, there’s also something to be said for Agg’s minimal set-up. It looks simple and sounds simple- with just a phaser pedal, an amp and a guitar, you can almost hear what it sounded like before pedals came to fruition in the 60’s. This band is highly recommended for those who enjoy catchy melodic riffs sandwiched between sporadic harmonized belting and jazz influenced drumming.” – She Shreds
W A I T E R S
WAITERS chiming, emotive guitars and minimalist abstractions can be heard on various releases,splits and compilations on Bijin Records, Comfortable On A Tightrope and Night School. Having played shows with their comrades, kindred spirits and heroes from the world over they’ve taken an extended break to record their debut LP. This silence will be broken with this, their first live performance of 2013
‘Subterranean Dream Punk’ -Upset the Rhythm
O C C U L T H A N D
OCCULT HAND is the horror-obsessed duo of Henry Holmes and Isablood who’re busy racking up shows with Thurston Moore, Verity Susman, Group Rhoda, Molly Nilsson and Apostille and releases on Chocolate Monk and others forthcoming.
T H E S W A M P S
The Swamps are the guitar duo of Tom Settle (Serfs/Former Bullies) and Irma Vep (Klaus Kinski/Sex Hands). They play a warped and woozy kind of country raga blues covered in a cloak of phaser and flurb for psychadelic effect. Influenced by Hank Williams as much as they are JD Emmanuel and Henry Flynt, their jams and compositions can fly from one 2 and a half minute country pop banger through to 20 minute extendo jams with traditional covers thrown in for added fun.